Chapter 11
A pill to make you numb

The slap on his face came with such a force that Tommy was knocked to the floor from his kneeling position and he could feel that coppery taste of blood immediately. As his hands were still tied together behind his back, he had no luck with avoiding his shoulder hitting the ground. It hurt like a bitch but he held back his painful moan. He knew it’d probably bruise by the next day, but he didn’t care. He was suddenly dragged back on his already hurt knees by the back of his tunic. It was the same guard who moved him to this smaller chamber with only little dark furniture and a couple of torches. It seemed like a room where they usually did the interrogations. And that was exactly what they have been doing for an hour or so.

“I ask it one last time, you little shit!” he heard the quite pissed off and very much aggressive guard to whom Tommy could thank a number of forming bruises on his knees, thighs, sides, his left shoulder and now on the right side of his face too. Apparently he had a split lip too judging by the amount of blood he spit on the floor. He could still hear their laughter clearly when he told their Captain… that sinister man, Vito that they shouldn’t lay a finger on him if they wanted to get whatever they wanted from the kingdoms. There was a law not to harm the royal hostages, but they practically all laughed mockingly into his face. They said they were above such silly laws. Tommy simply thought they were filthy and violent barbarians, so he sucked it up and endured the beatings. It wasn’t the first time he got a few punches. He had a strict instructor and he always pushed himself harder to prove he was worthy for his title.

“You better answer Xavier, King Thomas,” Vito chuckled sitting in an armchair as he picked his fingernails with the tip of a knife “he is very creative when it comes to interrogation. You don’t want to be taken to his dungeon.”

Tommy lifted his eyes and glared at the captain with pure hatred. He didn’t know he was capable of feeling something like this and after such a short time, but there he was kneeling and bleeding on the dirty stone floor in front of the enemy. He was such a fool to trust… to lower his guard. He was taught not to do so. He was taught not to trust anyone but himself. He failed. But he was determined to make it right. He’ll teach a lesson to these low-lives.

“Oh I like that fire in your eyes, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to watch it when we manage to put it out. But I still think you have valuable information. Stop being so stubborn and give in.”

“I have no answer to your question,” Tommy spit, not caring that his messy hair was grabbed by said Xavier.

“You are such an ugly little liar,” Vito sighed and stood up to walk over. “You are forcing my hand and wasting my time, little king,” he grabbed Tommy’s chin and moved his head from one side to the other as if he was a piece of meat “and when I’m in such a situation I tend to… let’s say, get firmer too…” he let his chin go and stepped back.

“I’m not a liar,” Tommy protested.

“Oh I know you are. Carlo told me everything about you, you know. You are indeed pretty enough… but I can make you even prettier and I will, if I have to. I hope it’ll come to that,” he grinned down at Tommy, who tried not to gag from that smile. It didn’t promise anything good and resolve or not, he certainly didn’t want to know what Vito meant.

“How do you wish me to make him speak?” Tommy heard Xavier’s raspy voice from above and he had to force himself from trying to break free from the tight grip in his hair that hurt especially by his nape where he was hit by Carlo earlier. “Should I take him to the dungeon?”

Tommy’s eyes slightly widened but he quickly controlled his expression as Vito looked back down at him.

“No, not yet. Take him to my chambers first. I’ll make him talk. I’ll be there shortly,” he smirked and Tommy cringed from the dirty snickers of Xavier and the other guards. Was everyone a sadistic in this realm?

Tommy didn’t have much time to contemplate on that as he was dragged to his feet by his hair and he had to concentrate on keeping his weight up. He was led out of the chamber. The corridors weren’t lit much more than the room they just left. Maybe all this gloom was the reason these people were so miserable and violent? That and the starving he heard about. But these men seemed to be strong enough to push him around like a ragdoll. Something he desperately wanted to fight against, but with his hands tied behind his back and his already throbbing injuries it wasn’t something he would’ve risked. He had to believe that Adam was already on his way to save him. If he survived… No, he quickly banished that thought from his mind. He had to believe that someone was going to come and free him. Or at least negotiate with Vito.

“You aren’t a lucky one, little king,” he suddenly felt Xavier’s hand tighten on his throbbing shoulder as he stopped him in front of a thick wooden door “he likes his boys young-looking and beaten,” he chuckled into his ear and this time Tommy’s eyes rounded as he was pushed into a room. Ice cold dread dropped into his stomach like a stone and this time he tried to get free from the man’s grip as he was led to a huge bed with chains attached to the foot and the headboard.

No… this isn’t happening!

***

Tommy felt the dread and the bile crawl up in his throat as with the help of another guard – who first cut his hands free – the iron cuffs by the foot of the bed were clicked on his wrists. He was fighting them as hard as he could, but that only earned a kick to the back of his knee, making him land on his knees and his face being pressed into the blood-red sheets.

“Easy there, boy. If you don’t want to get more kicks, you should start to cooperate with us. Our Captain won’t be so gentle with you and believe me, he’ll make you sing like a bird by the time he’s through with you…” Xavier leaned to his ear and pressed his groin to Tommy’s barely covered ass to give him an idea of Vito’s methods.

He tried to pull away as best as he could and force himself to breathe evenly. “I know nothing you might want to know of me. I’ve already told you.”

“And we already told you we don’t believe you are telling the truth,” Tommy heard Vito’s purring voice as he entered his chambers. He could feel Xavier move away from behind him, but it didn’t bring relief at all. Tommy’s chains rattled as he tried to get free, but there was no use, he knew it well. He twisted enough to be able to take a glimpse at the bald man who came closer to the bed. He felt sick in the stomach when Vito grabbed the hem of Tommy’s black tunic and pushed it up to his waist to expose his smooth ass. “Hmm… such a nice creamy skin…” he ran a hand over one cheek. “No wonder you wrapped your husband around your finger. I bet he loves fucking you through the mattress… Such a small and tight body…” he thought aloud and Tommy had to swallow back a protesting yell when he squeezed his ass hard.

“Stop!” he barked pulling away as much as he could, but that only made Vito chuckle low.

“You can make me stop once you tell me what I want to know,” he purred and it was a second time Tommy could feel a groin being pressed against his backside, but now he could feel how turned on this sick fuck was already.

He had to think fast to save his skin from the further pain and humiliation, but he really was clueless what to do. His dread numbed his mind even more when he heard Vito send his men out of the room and walked to the nightstand, starting to strip where Tommy could see him clearly. He was a well-built man and as his pants dropped to the floor, more white scars got revealed on the muscular thighs. The young king jerked his arms again as his eyes fell lower on the hairy body and saw the bobbing erection surrounded by a nest of dark curls. He was thick and big, but not as long as Adam. The maniac-sounding chuckle made him look back up into Vito’s dark eyes.

“Like what you see?” he grinned widely and poured oil in his hand to stroke his hard cock a few times, making it glisten.

“No. And I won’t let you do this to me. I don’t know anything…”

“Shut up. I’ve already heard this and it’s clear you don’t want to talk. I bet they made you swear not to talk about it, haven’t they?” he asked walking around the bed and out of Tommy’s line of sight, which made the blonde squirm and look over his shoulder again to keep an eye on his captor.

“No. You’re wrong,” Tommy gritted through his teeth and went silent for a second as he could see and feel Vito stand right behind him. He wasn’t touching him yet, but he could feel the heat of his body and his glare. The young king decided that it was the moment when he should tell more if he didn’t want the big man to rape him. “I… I know nothing about the secrets of the Lambert family…”

“And why is that?” Vito asked nearly gently, but Tommy knew it was faked. He cringed when one of Vito’s fingers traced the crack of his exposed ass, making his captive pull away and press harder into the end of the bed where he was practically bent in half.

“I… I don’t know… He… my husband promised me to reveal those secrets on the last day of the harvest festivities,” he said quickly and his eyes rounded when he felt the intimidating man step closer, his wet erection pressing against the small of his back.

“Continue!” Vito murmured grabbing his cock to rub its wide tip along Tommy’s crack. When Adam did this, Tommy knew it was about teasing and making him want more, but now it only filled the blonde with dread and wanting to escape more desperately. He felt his body tense and close in self-preservation.

“P-please…” he uttered as panic was starting to creep up on his back. “I don’t know anything else about those secrets… I’m telling the truth! I swear!”

“I don’t believe you… my pretty little liar…” he pressed his tip against the resisting hole. “I’ll make you spill everything you are keeping from me. By the time I’m finished with you, you’re gonna be an open book for me. My personal little pet with a broken will. No one defies Captain Vito! Understood?” he roughly grabbed Tommy’s hair and made his body arch. “No one!” he spitted with sudden anger and rammed forward.

First Tommy couldn’t feel any pain as the intrusion was too much of a shock for his body, but then it came on his senses with full force and he was screaming and rattling his chains, trying to get away from the source of the pain that was pushing into him over and over. It was as if his insides were about to split and abused by a knife and no matter how hard he tried to pull away, to free himself, the vice-grip on his narrow hips kept him in place. His stomach flipped and he wasn’t puking only because he couldn’t stop screaming as white-hot pain danced on his nerves and he felt as if his ass was on fire from the repeated thrusts. The sound of hung balls slapping against his tortured ass and Vito’s perverse grunts made him want to scream louder, not to mention the smell of his sex and sweat.

“That’s it, little king! Scream for me! It only makes me go wild!” he chuckled low and rammed harder inside as he pushed Tommy’s head into the bed.

Tommy’s arms were in an uncomfortable position, but he couldn’t move them. The only thing he could do was to turn his face to the side so he wouldn’t suffocate in the red covers while his body was being humiliated by that violent man who was moaning behind him like he was having the best fuck of his life. The blonde’s frame was shaking by the force of the rough thrusts and he could only hope that Vito wasn’t going to tear something inside. Maybe he should turn his head back and simply suffocate. That’d be still better than dealing with the here and now and then what comes after. As tears welled up in Tommy’s eyes for being called a liar, being beaten up and raped, he bit down hard on his lip to cut off his screams. For a moment Adam came into his mind, trying to guess what he’d think if he saw him like this and the disappointed picture of his husband for letting Tommy happen this to him made those tears silently slip his burning eyes. After all, he could thank this to himself. Tommy was the one to blame for getting into such a situation and causing pain not just for himself and Adam, but to Oudjat and their kingdoms. Because if they are still alive then they’ll have to come after him or negotiate to save him. He caused so much trouble and maybe this was his punishment for that.

“So fucking pretty!” he heard Vito’s happy groan and he didn’t resist when the thick fingers smeared his tears on his face. At least his body was going numb and the pain lessened as Tommy was getting used to it. “So, my pretty liar… How about you tell me some other things… I’m curious about too? I can go on all day long,” he leaned to Tommy’s ear and roughly sucked on his piercings before he chuckled dirtily and bit harshly into his straining shoulder.

***

Adam’s knuckles turned white as he was holding on to the wooden banister of the merchant ship he was standing on. He looked no better than a sailor in his worn black shirt and dark-brown pants tucked into black leather boots. He had no jewels on except his earrings. He was staring into the distance worried. They were out in the open sea, water wherever he looked. He just hated it that they had little wind, which slowed their progress towards the Land of the Volcanoes.

His mind was playing all kinds of scenarios in which Tommy could be at that moment and he felt sick from each and every picture his mind came up with. But there was anger too. Not against his husband but towards those who took him away from Adam. He gave a lot of thoughts to what Aset said. Were they really soulmates with Tommy? Adam’s heartbeat quickened even from the thought and he could easily believe the goddess was right. Why would she mislead him? Besides the tall king could feel it in his bones, in his soul. Which was aching at the moment from missing his husband and worrying for him. He wanted the terrible images to stop in his head and just close that fragile-looking body in his tattooed arms. He wanted to tell Tommy about his feelings. He dreaded the possibility that he won’t have the opportunity to confess with words what he already showed through his actions. Yes, he was in love, Neil was right about that.

He was right about a lot of things and Adam was glad his brother accompanied him on this rescue mission. It was a while since they fought side by side. They worked well together as they knew each other very well. Adam remembered all the fighting lessons since their childhood. They’ve started once they were strong enough to hold a sword and other weapons. Neil was better with the bow and spear. He liked to take out the strategically important opponents while Adam relied on his strength and built and preferred close-range fights with swords, knives and often his bare fists when there was nothing else. And he had a feeling that this time they’ll need all of their skills to be able to get Tommy back and defeat their enemy. The young king hoped that Neil’s plan would work.

“The captain said if the wind doesn’t pick up then we’ll arrive to the Land of the Volcanoes in a week or so,” Neil stepped next to his older brother and sighed.

“That’s an awful long time. I’m worried about Tommy and his well-being. You know that those barbarians don’t respect the international laws about royal hostages… You’ve heard about Vito’s…”

“Stop it, Adam. It won’t solve anything if you freak yourself out. Once we get there we’re gonna see what we’ll have to face.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. I’m trying not to freak out,” Adam sighed glimpsing at his brother. He gently squeezed Neil’s arm and forced a small smile on his face.

“Good. Have you talked with Sauli so far?”

Adam shook his head and turned back towards the water. “Not really. He was busy organizing his troops and planning the attack with you.”

“I see. Maybe you should. I know that you haven’t talked much since your… affair had ended. I just want you two to be on the same page to avoid misunderstandings or endangering the plan.”

“You think that’d endanger the plan? I thought he was on board with this whole rescue mission.”

“He is. But I want to make sure all goes as planned. With zero awkwardness.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to him. Thank you again for doing this, Neil. It means a lot.”

“Of course. You’d do the same if Miriam was taken. And despite me teasing you all the time, you are my brother and I want you to be happy. I think you made the right call with trying to overthrow Captain Vito.”

“I think the same. I’m just concerned about Thalia’s involvement. We don’t know exactly how many of her warriors will be there or how quickly she can sail over from her islands once she learns about our attack.”

“We’ll see that once we get to that problem, brother. First we have to free your better half. I like him and his effect on you. You are a good match.”

Adam just nodded and smiled weakly at Neil then watched him walk off to go over some details with Isaac. The heavy thoughts stayed on Adam’s mind and only got pushed back when he spotted his blond ex-lover by the front of the ship talking to the captain. He took a deep breath and made his way towards them. Neil was right and Adam knew he had to clear the air with Sauli.

“Just hold on until we get there, Tommy…” he mumbled, not being able to shake off that bad feeling in his guts.

***

Tommy was lying on his side on the floor by the foot of Vito’s bed. There was some thin blanket under him. His arms were now free but he was wearing an iron collar around his neck which was irritating his pale skin, but he didn’t feel any power left in him to move and scratch it. His wrists were bloody, not to mention the other injuries he had. He was completely naked now, shivering. His eyes were opened – or at least his left eye as the right one was swollen nearly shut. He was staring at the bare stone floor and tried to stay absolutely still since every little move made his ass flare up with pain.

It’s been nearly a week since he was there but to be honest, Tommy lost track of time during his repeated tortures. It felt like months if not years. He remembered that the more he fought, the more severe the beatings and rapes became so after a while he stopped fighting back. He’d learned how to take it without a word, only whimpers leaving his mouth which he bit bloody to hold his painful screams down. On the one hand Vito was satisfied that Tommy seemed to have learned the lesson of taking what he thought the smaller man deserved, but on the other hand he only got more and more pissed as he couldn’t pull much out of him during their raping sessions.

Tommy tried to retreat into his mind, which on more occasions provided him a certain kind of numbness, a distance from what was happening to his body. His spirit still wanted to fight, but his body was overwhelmed by all the violence committed against him. He desperately tried to hang on to his anger and plans of taking revenge some day. He knew that from that point it didn’t take long to reach that numbness and the more time passed, the more he welcomed that point. He was closing in on himself in order to protect his sanity. If he was still sane at all.

During the times a young servant, if he remembered clearly he introduced himself as Taylor, came in to take care of his injuries with some water and ointments, Tommy rather resembled a ragdoll tossed to the foot of the bed than the proud young king he was just a week ago. Xavier was right, Captain Vito knew well how to overwhelm and break someone’s spirit and Tommy wasn’t sure anymore how long he’d be able to take this.

When the door opened and someone knelt next to him he quickly closed his eyes and tried to curl up into a smaller ball – even if it caused him more pain.

“It’s alright, King Thomas, it’s just me, Taylor,” he heard the now familiar quiet voice. He should have expected the arrival of the servant as he always came in an hour after his tortures. Vito said letting Tommy feel the full extent of the pain was a fitting punishment for still lying to them. It didn’t matter how many times the blond man swore he wasn’t lying. His word meant nothing to his captors and he started to believe they were calling him a liar just to be able to torture him more. “I’ll need you to let me tend your wounds, your majesty,” Taylor continued and once Tommy let him move his aching and throbbing body he let the brunette boy gently but quickly take care of his old and fresh injuries.

It was always the worst between his legs. It was a wonder Vito didn’t tear him anywhere. Yet. He could probably thank for the oil he used on him, but Tommy believed Vito used it more to his own comfort. But Tommy wasn’t sure he wouldn’t manage to make him bleed there too in case he didn’t get what he wanted. But he already told him what he could tell. He refused to talk about the state, the armies, the wealth and the tactics of the kingdoms and that only earned him more beatings and rapes during this week. He was wondering if he was to stay here until his body or mind couldn’t take it anymore. That could last for years even if they continued practically starving him, only giving enough to eat and drink to sustain his body.

With the help of Taylor Tommy turned his face upwards so the boy could clean his black eye too. He opened his other eye and looked at him. He was young but his eyes and face looked much older. Tommy had noticed the thin scars peeking out from under the lean boy’s simple tunic on his back and the back of his legs. A few showed by his wide leather collar around his neck too.

“What happened to you?” Tommy asked on a hoarse voice. It was the first time he talked in the presence of Taylor and it seemed to surprise both of them.

The boy’s features and eyes hardened from the memories, but he had a small friendly smile on his face as he helped Tommy sit up to be able to wash off the blood from the fresh thin cuts and scratch marks on his chest too. “A few years back… when I was much younger… barely twelve, I used to be Vito’s plaything. He liked to whip me before raping me. So I guess you should consider yourself lucky…” he whispered at the end and averted his eyes when he felt Tommy’s shock and disgust make his body tense up.

“He’s a monster…” he managed to spit out, ignoring the throbbing pain all over his body.

“Yes…” Taylor whispered then bit his lip as if afraid that someone could hear them. “I’m sorry, I’m not supposed to say such things… They punish such ill-talk severely.”

“How long?” Tommy wanted to know.

“Until I turned eighteen…” he said so quietly that Tommy had to strain his ears to hear it.

“How did you survive?” he swallowed hard thinking that he wouldn’t be able to bear this for years.

“I’m stubborn, I guess…” he sighed and lifted a small bowl of fresh water to Tommy’s mouth to help him drink. “I kept imagining him getting it much worse one day. That kept me breathing.”

The young king didn’t ask anything else just got lost in his thoughts, letting Taylor feed him some plain soup. Tommy’s heart sank thinking how many young boys had to suffer the same fate like him – or worse. He should do something about it, but he was just so tired and weak by now that he could barely lift his hand or swallow the soup. He wasn’t able to sleep much from fear that waking up unprepared to having Vito over him or to the pain would be much worse.

“Help me… help me get out of here,” he begged quietly as he looked into Taylor’s terrified face.

“I… I can’t. They’d kill me… they have my family. Or at least what’s left of them. I… I can’t…” he shook his head and started visibly shaking. “They’re everywhere… there’s nowhere I could take you… No way to get you out of here… no way… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I wish I could help…” he apologized with tears in his eyes.

Tommy wanted to say something, but then the door opened and Xavier entered with two of his men, making Tommy tense and curl up as much as he could.

“Get out, you mutt!” he kicked Taylor away from him and grabbed Tommy’s bruised upper arm to jerk him up on his shaking legs. From the corner of his terrified eyes he saw Taylor stumble out of the room as fast as he could then Tommy’s attention was drawn back to the muscular man in front of him while another opened the lock on the iron collar around his neck. It landed by his foot with a loud metallic thud. “We are taking a walk down to the basements. The Captain wants to show you his playroom. I’m sure you’ll like it there too,” he chuckled.

“No… please, no,” Tommy whimpered in panic and pain but he was already dragged along shady corridors where all the servants shied out of their way, not wanting to get punished.

“Shut up!” Xavier shook him, making him nearly lose his balance and scream as white hot pain ran up his naked spine.

A few floors lower he was soon shoved through a thick wooden door. It was much warmer there and Tommy thought they were inside one of the mountains close to an active volcano. The air was stuffy, making it harder for him to breathe. As he looked around, his dread just grew. It looked like a torture chamber and Vito was already there… with a clearly more than tipsy Carlo on his side.

“Oh how nice of you to finally join us!” Vito grinned. Tommy hated that grin as by now he knew it only meant more suffering for him.

“Nice work you did on him so far, lover,” Carlo chuckled letting his dark eyes wander on the bruised and wounded body of his ex-lover.

Tommy’s eyes flared up for a few seconds, but his anger was quickly replaced by growing panic once Vito thanked Carlo and turned his full attention back to Tommy.

“You see, my little pet, you still haven’t learned to be fully obedient. I can’t leave things like this. After our little encounter a couple of hours ago I discovered something. Clearly you already like my cock shoved into you, that’s why you are refusing to struggle or talk. This isn’t right…” he shook his head and pursed his lips while watching Tommy being held by the guards so he wouldn’t collapse on the stone floor. “I realized I have to use new methods on you to teach you that lesson and then… and then you’ll tell me everything. That’s still a long way to go, so I won’t waste our time. This… is my playground. I hope you like it. Oh well, if not, you’ll learn to like it. Or at least get acquainted with most of the devices here until you learn to completely obey to me…” he grinned that disgusting smile again and Tommy felt his stomach flip. It took a lot of effort to keep down the little food it contained.

“I…” he tried to say something and jerked his arm only to be held even tighter, the grip on his bruised upper-arm making him hiss.

“Save your breath, little liar. The next time you’ll talk to me, you’ll be telling me everything about your pathetic kingdoms. Chain him to the pole, his back to us,” he nodded to the guards.

“No… please, don’t…” Tommy started to say and it earned a slap by the back of Xavier’s hand, his bitten lip reopening. The now familiar taste of blood made him want to throw up again, but instead he chose to pant in the hot air around them while he was tied up once again.

“Haven’t you heard what our Captain just said?!” Xavier grunted and Tommy could barely feel the pain in his bruised arms or care about the guard who spit on his back after cuffing his aching wrists to the pole above his head.

Ignoring the humiliation of pushing him through the castle naked and being tied up again, which was aimed to break his resistance, Tommy pressed his throbbing lips together to stop further pleas and tried to figure out what sick thing did Vito plan for him this time.

“You know, little liar, I can see you really want to learn your lesson,” he heard Vito’s voice coming closer and then some whooshing sound in the air made Tommy wonder what could be the source of that – until it snapped against the floor. In that instant he could see Taylor’s peeking scars. He stayed silent, but he strained against his chains. He knew trying to break free was futile, but his survival instinct kicked in despite how weak his tortured body was already. “Oh you can try, but you can’t avoid this,” Vito chuckled and Carlo joined him.

“He’ll look pretty with the permanent reminders of your lesson,” Tommy heard the familiar and by now very much hated voice. “Will you do me the honor to allow me to give him a few strokes of the whip once you had your fill, lover?” Carlo practically purred to Vito and Tommy felt the bile rise in the back of his throat once again.

“Of course. We have to make sure the lesson gets etched deep enough,” he grinned and Tommy could hear the sounds of wet kissing.

The first strike wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. It was like with his first rape. The pain came just in a few seconds. He was wondering if he ever survived this, would anyone recognize him. Would he be able to continue his life or become a mental and physical wreck, a laughing stock? Would Adam even want to be with him or would he think he was disgusting and ugly? A pathetic copy of the once pretty husband he had… Those damned tears ran down his distorted face from this thought and the next stroke of the whip. The wounds were stinging unbearable from the sweat that formed on Tommy’s skin from the stuffy air. Now he understood that this was just another way to torture him as more and more marks opened on his pale back. A few times the end of the whip reached his sides, shoulders, arms and the back of his thighs, but he endured his lesson in silence.

“Your turn, Carlo,” Vito announced after a while.

Tommy’s whole body was shaking unstoppable by then and he wasn’t on the floor in a pile of bloody mess because his shackles didn’t let him slip down. He was trying to control his panting although maybe it would’ve been better if he just passed out or died on the spot. The pain was excruciating and he couldn’t see anything from his tears.

“I’ll enjoy this so much. I’ve been waiting for this for years,” he suddenly heard Carlo’s malevolent voice by his ear and he tried to jerk away but couldn’t.

“Why?” he gritted through his teeth, not caring if his disobedience earned him a few more strikes. He just had to know why the once so nice man he knew turned into this twisted wreck on the side of the cruel monster who’d been torturing him since he arrived to this godforsaken land.

“You want to know, don’t you? I bet you’ve been wondering for a while now why I am here on the other side of the whip,” he asked in a drunken slur but sober enough to let his hatred clearly come through his spitted words while he pressed a finger into one of Tommy’s open wounds on his back, making him hiss in pain. Carlo just chuckled satisfied from that. “Remember that lover you had? The one who tried to top you and you told the guards to remove him from the castle and the kingdom? Well, my little prince, he was my cousin. The only relative I had and grew up with. I won’t lie, we fucked too, because why not? Then no matter how much I begged, he said he’d try his luck in your court. He started serving there, leaving me alone back at home. I had no idea how his life turned out until his first letter arrived. Then we stayed in contact like that while I continued my music studies by an older musician. Things were going well, he wrote that you two became lovers along the way and then suddenly nothing. The letters stopped. I left our hometown in search of him. I’ve learned something terrible about him. Do you know what? After all the guards acted on your orders, haven’t they?” he snarled scratching into another wound, making more blood run down on Tommy’s tortured back and a painful groan escape him.

“I don’t know… what you’re talking… about,” he panted from the pain.

“Don’t. You. Fucking. Lie!!!” he snapped and dug his fingers into Tommy’s back, making him scream out. “You ordered them to make him disappear! They took it literally, little prince! They took him to the edge of your fucking kingdom and beat him to death! That’s what happened! That’s why I hated you so much ever since I’ve learned about this! You wanted to know, why! And guess what, I had to become your lover myself to be able to learn this. Then I left as if nothing happened, as if I just wanted to continue my travels through the kingdoms to earn money with my music. You have no idea how hard it was not to kill you in your dreams, but that would’ve been a too easy way for you to go. No, I wanted you to suffer. So after a while I’ve ended up here in this lovely place and Captain Vito and I became lovers and he promised that he’d help me with my vengeance. I didn’t care about your kingdom, I just wanted my cousin to be avenged. And this is exactly what I’ll do right now. You’ll live and carry your mistake on your skin for the rest of your pathetic life! No more pretty prince just an ugly wreck!”

“I had no idea… I swear I didn’t know about any of this!”

“You know we don’t believe such pathetic liars like you are, hiding behind your pretty face and innocent brown eyes! You’ll get what you deserve now…” he laughed hysterically and stepped back with an insane light in his eyes.

In the next moment another painful scream tore itself out of Tommy’s throat and he started seeing black spots on the edge of his vision. Carlo’s strokes came harder and faster and for a split second he was wondering if anything would be left of his back once they were finished with him.

He wasn’t sure, but he probably blacked out after a while because the next time he opened his eyes he wasn’t tied to the pole anymore. Now he was bent over a wooden table, bleeding wrists chained to it by the longer chains that came back from the legs by the head of the table. His ankles were chained to the back legs of the table, leaving him exposed. When he realized this, he started tugging against his chains just to be rendered motionless by the pain that flared up in his back, knocking the breath out of him and making him nauseous.

“Oh look, our little liar is awake,” Vito chuckled and Tommy wished he’d die right then and there when he saw four guards standing behind the captain with wicked grins on their faces. They were half-naked, one of them already stroking himself through his pants. “I admit, Carlo gave you beautiful wounds to remember him by. You even passed out long enough for us to set up the next chapter of your lesson,” Vito crouched down next to the table, fisting his hand in Tommy’s wet hair to keep him from turning his head away. “I’m gonna tell you what’ll happen now… For that beautiful work he did on you I’ll let him fuck you first. Then it’ll be my turn and then my boys will have the leftovers to play with.”

“Please… please…” Tommy whined barely audible.

“What? What is it?” Vito cooed leaning closer.

“Don’t hurt me anymore…”

“Oh well, you know what you have to do to make us stop, little liar…”

Tommy pressed his blood-shot eyes shut, the swelling throbbing as it was pressed against the table. All he wanted to do was spill everything, all details of his kingdoms, the Lamberts’ secret (even if he barely knew anything about those), everything just to make the pain go away, but instead he said resigned: “I… I can’t betray my people.”

“What a noble king you are trying to be. That’s honorable. Too bad it won’t help on you,” he said and nodded to Carlo somewhere behind Tommy and in the next moment he could feel his ex-lover’s wet cock press against his hole. Tommy could see over Vito’s shoulder that the guards pushed their pants down too, their dicks already hard. The tortured man closed his eyes with resignation once again.

“Adam’ll kill you all for this…” he said loud enough for everyone to hear and Tommy knew his husband would once he got there to free him.

Vito’s maniac laughter hurt his victim’s ear. “What makes you still think anyone’s coming for you? Everyone you knew is dead by now. Your precious husband is dead… No one’s coming for you. You’ll stay here with us for a long-long time, my pretty little pet!” Vito jerked Tommy’s head back the moment Carlo forced his cock into him.

Tommy’s mind was screaming ‘NO!’ and not just against yet another violation of his body, but from the news he got. Adam was dead?! His beautiful husband… his last hope to get out of this hell… Was Vito telling the truth? His rational brain was trying to come up with reasonable explanations of why it was a lie, but they’ve been fucking with his sanity for too long. So he slowly believed that his worst fear came true and he really was killed during the siege of Oudjat… Tommy could feel the remains of his hope shatter into million pieces and his sanity spiraling down into the growing darkness inside of him.

Vito grinned seeing the light go out in Tommy’s teary eyes as he finally accepted his fate. The bald man was grinning like a satisfied maniac seeing the blank expression etch itself into the broken blonde’s features. He reached his goal, he finally broke him in. Vito watched the sick pleasure on Carlo’s face for a second as he stood up and opened his own pants. A short chuckle then a moan left him as Tommy easily opened his mouth to let the bald man’s hard cock fill it and submit to whatever they wanted to do to him. He’d lost everything important to him so why bother fighting back?