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Leona did not like to remember his time as the second prince of Afterglow Savannah. He did not hate his homeland but was not willing (he never was) to put up with criticism and scornful comments of the nobles and servants that lived in the palace. He always hated the palace, it was as if he suffocated in there. In fact, the only place where he could find some comfort since his mother’s death was his room, to which only Ruggie, his personal servant, was allowed.
The hyena worked for him, but the lion saw him more like a friend, his only friend. Ruggie was always there to listen to him and bear with his complaints. Although, technically, supporting Leona emotionally could be seen as part of his job. However it was, they soon became close and learnt to trust each other.
Leona was not on good terms with his family. He and his father only talked to argue, and even if his brother Farena was not a bad person, Leona disagreed with the way he did things because it protected the slave and classist tradition of the kingdom. The feline had said several times what he thought of slavery, and everyone knew he was against the practice, which did not help his image among aristocratic circles. Throughout his entire life, Leona had seen many slaves come and go, and had helped run away as many as he had been able to. So when the king announced he had gone to the market to buy three young mermen that would be displayed in that night’s banquet, Leona imagined the trio would just be another number in his list.
People in the savannah were obsessed with merfolk, maybe because there was no sea there and they were seen as exotic creatures. Leona saw a mermaid once when he was a kid. A wealthy merchant had brought her as a present to the monarchs. Everybody was amazed by her, however, Leona could only pity that poor defenceless girl who was having obvious problems getting used to her legs. He had heard that slave merchants forcer merfolk to drink potions that gave them human appearance so moving them was easier. Also, that way they could make a scene at throwing them water to reveal their true form.
Disgusting.
Leona definitely did not want to attend the banquet. He had no interest at all in listening to his father praising Farena’s latest commercial achievement without looking at him, as if he only had one son. It was not as if someone in that damned court wanted to see the second prince or speak with him. Yet he knew his absence would add fuel to the fire and he would need to put up with more arguments with his family members and even more comments than usual. Going was annoying, but skipping was more annoying.
Therefore, he decided to go and stay at his table doing his thing, eating and ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him, even his brother if possible. It would probably be rather easy, since people, his family as well, tended to avoid him. He simply had to wait until the attendees were too drunk to realise he had left to his rooms to do what he liked the most: sleeping and enjoying his loneliness, the best companion if Ruggie was not there.
The banquet started as usual, with the king congratulating Farena for being his greatest pride and giving an extensive speech about the importance of unity. The lion did not even try to pay attention. He had been hearing his father praising his firstborn, now all the king said about Farena sounded empty and just the same. Besides, he knew from the very beginning he would not hear a word about him, the younger son, so why bother anyway. Leona kept his eyes on his plate and wine glass even after his father had finished. The wine was imported from the Land of Pyroxene. It was not bad, he had to admit it. At least he could enjoy that wine bought specially for this day.
Then, it was announced the mermen had been prepared. Excitement was noticeable, all the attendees were expectant as no merperson had been seen in the country since the queen was still alive. The huge doors of the ceremonial room and the guards pushed inside three young men. Two of them were tall and similar, with heterochromatic eyes and turquoise hair. They both seemed unaffected and slightly hostile. The one between them was shorter and, contrary to his companions, his sky blue eyes reflected anxiety. His hair was like silver, very uncommon around here.
The three of them had been dressed with lilac tunica that remarked their figures and wore gold shackles that limited the movement of their feet and hands, although the shorted one had silver shackles. That was interesting, especially since Leona was aware of the magic insulating properties silver had. A magician must always be sealed with silver (or, otherwise, with certain aromatic herbs, but silver was much more effective as far as the lion knew). Suddenly, he wanted to know more about those three.
Sadly, he did not have much time to look at them, since the real show was going to begin. The chains restraining the mermen’s feet were taken away and big water buckets were emptied over them. Little by little, the mermen left their temporary human form and went back to their real one. The ones who were most certainly brothers turned into blueish gigantic eels, and the other one became an octopus.
Everyone was amazed by them, and they seemed to find the octopus particularly funny as he could not hold his ink. Leona could not see his expression because the boy was hiding his face in his hands, but it was obvious he was terrified and suffering from deep anxiety. The prince looked at his father and brother, both enjoying the merman’s terror. Disgusted, the lion stood and returned to his bedroom.
***
The next day, while the rest enjoyed a peaceful day after the great party, Leona chose to use that as an advantage and went to find out more about those poor mermen. He hoped the night had not ended up too badly for them. He was sorry, but he would have been incapable of staying there without getting mad. Now, though, he had rested and calm, so it was the best time to approach them and getting to know them. The better he knew them, the easier he would have it to help them escape. Especially taking into consideration the fact that one of the mermen seemed to be a magician. The feline had always feel fascinated by magicians and was excited to talk to one, it would be the first time for him.
His mother had also been interested in magicians, so Leona had grown up hearing stories and legends about big heroes who had defeated evil with their magic. One of his greatest dreams was meeting someone like that in real life, and now he could finally fulfil that long-forgotten dream of his. There was no doubt, he had to take those three away, not only for them but also for his mother’s memory, she would not like to see a magician trapped and enslaved.
The lion knew the palace like the palm of his hand, so it did not take long to deduce they were been kept in a special cell. They called them special, but the only thing that made them innovative were the kind of people inside. The slaves that were bought simply to be kept as decoration slept there, in an area far from the rest of the dungeon to prevent any incident from happening. There were not many guards, although more of them would not make a difference for Leona. Maybe everyone in the palace hated him, but he was the second prince after all, nobody except for his father and his brother could boss him around.
When they reached the cell where the young men were, they were in human form, chains restraining their feet and hands once again. They sat on the floor, very close, and none of them looked good. The brunette sneaked a napkin with some soft bread rolls through the bars and moved away, sometimes people got violent and he did not want to be grabbed, he was not that stupid. But the mermen did not move, they simply looked at him with strangeness, as if they could not figure out what the feline was planning.
“It’s just bread,” informed Leona with slight annoyance, “I guessed you were hungry. It’s all, really.”
The twins looked at each other and nodded after a brief moment of silence. One of them stayed behind as the other took the food and distributed it, a bun each. The mermen’s faces lightened when they tasted the bread like it was exquisite. Somehow, the thought saddened the prince.
“Well, you mind if I speak?”
“What would someone like you want to talk about with us?” questioned the silver haired one.
“We should listen to him,” replied one of the brothers. “If I remember correctly, and I frequently do, this man left last night’s party instead of delighting in our suffering.”
“That’s right,” responded Leona. “I don’t like grotesque shows and I don’t particularly enjoy humiliating those weaker or less privileged than me. That’s why I left and why I’m here right now. I want to help you escape and regain your freedom.”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” commented one of the eels, grinning.
“I’ve done it before and I can do it again. My name is Leona, I’m the second prince of this kingdom. Do you accept my help?”
The three guys shared a doubtful look. After a while, the younger one stood and approached the bars firmly. The other two followed him and stayed a step behind like bodyguards.
“Why are you helping us, Leona, second prince of this kingdom?”
“I condemn slavery. We’re all born free, so we must live free and die free. Whoever takes freedom away from someone else is simply garbage that deserved to be eliminated,” answered the lion. “What’s more, I’ve always wanted to see a real magician. I’m very interested in you.”
“It sounds like you’re proposing a quid pro quo.”
“Exactly. I want to help you and, in exchange, I want to know more about magicians. Sounds good, right?”
“It sure does,” laughed the octopus. “Okay, it will be a pleasure to be helped by you, Leona. I’m Azul, the master of dark magic. These are Jade and Floyd, my assistants, helpers, bodyguards, you call it. When will you take us away?”
“The process is never easy, probably two or three months, maybe more if there’s some kind of trouble. You must hold on until now, that’s the only thing you need to do, I’ll do the rest.”
Azul and Leona shared a look. Some months, that was the single thing between them and freedom. They could do it, they definitely could. It was their only chance.
***
The second prince of Afterglow Savannah was eager for knowledge, as the mermen did not take long to find out. Azul was jealous of his magic, and kept many things in the dark even though he tried to answer the older’s questions as sincerely as he could. The feline did not like that, but he understood the reason. The secrets of magic, particularly of dark magic, were one of the most wanted treasures in the world. Only magicians knew how magic worked, and not all of them, just those curious enough to study it. For the rest of mortals, it was a mystery and even a fairy tale, since magicians were still considered a legend in many places. Leona himself had had doubts about their existence until he met Azul.
According to what Leona had been told throughout the days, Azul belonged to a family of magicians, and his grandmother had been one of the most powerful ones of her time. She was known among merpeople as “the sea witch,” and Jade and Floyd were convinced that Azul had the same potential as her despite his young age. The eels were twin brothers and had known the octopus since they were babies, so they were his best and most loyal friends. They all had been captured because of a moment of carelessness, since they had lowered their guards while searching for an important object that Azul’s grandmother had gifted to him and had been stolen. They managed to find it, but it did not matter because it was taken away from them again after being captured. So their priority was to find it once more. They did not explain Leona what kind of object was, but they did tell him Azul’s powers increased when he used it and that was why his grandmother had given it to him. The problem was that the silver haired boy was clumsy and had lost sight of it.
Not many details about Azul’s magic were revealed either. Since he had been born in a family full of magicians, his power could take many different forms and he had much more control over it than other magicians who barely knew the origin of their special ability. According to the octopus, any magician could cultivate dark magic, but most did not because they ignored it was a possibility. He said it required more study and dedication than the innate magic magicians had, however, it was much more powerful and easier to use when the time came. Azul used it to create contracts, a technique he learned from his grandmother. The system was simple: both parts established the clauses to fulfil and then the deal was sealed. If the conditions were followed, nothing wrong would happen. But if any of the parts break them, there would be a punishment stipulated by the magician beforehand. Leona found it fascinating to say the least.
The weeks kept passing and the lion kept learning more and more about the three young mermen, what had happened to them and what they wanted to do when they were free again. It was rather obvious Azul felt uncomfortable with sharing more personal information than the strictly required, yet he responded to every inquiry Leona had because he did not know which ones were mere curiosity and which ones had a reason. The mermen had soon realised the brunette was different from all the people that lived in the palace, he believed in equality and fought for it in his own way. He had ideals and did what was necessary to live according to them.
Freeing as many slaves as he could, they had found out, was one of his methods, and practice had made an expert out of him. Leona was aware of all the hidden corners of the castle and could move without being seen. Yet this time the lion was dealing with three people, and that complicated everything. Lucky him, he had Ruggie’s help. The hyena was the only one the prince trusted blindly, as they had been working together in these secret activities for a couple of years already, Thanks to his servant’s constant help and participation, he was able to come up with a perfect escape plan in three months, and they would put it into practice the following week.
However, things were never as easy as they seemed. The night the feline wanted to use to give the plan the finishing touch, he received a dinner invitation from his father, and the king would not tolerate his absence. Apparently, Farena had just returned from a trip to God-knows-where earlies this day and was dying to have a family dinner the three together, since he had great news they both would like to hear. It could not be a second son because his wife was not invited to the dinner, and discussing something like that without her would be tasteless and rude. So his brother probably had probably set a new commercial treaty of something like that.
Leona was perfectly aware that Farena simply invited with out of courtesy so his little brother would not feel excluded, but, honestly, he did not give a fuck about the crown prince’s achievements, and his presence there would only mean his father would complain about Leona’s lack of success. Nothing he did not do every time they were face to face, yet always tiresome. When Leona reached the dining room, cold and impersonal since his mother’s death, his father and brother were already sat at the table. The second prince sat as well without uttering a word, and the silence stayed until the rests of the first plate were removed.
“I’m so glad I’m back home,” sighed Farena as he emptied his cup of wine. “I wanted to see you both so badly, I have amazing news.”
“What is it this time?” wondered the king with evident excitement.
“A ball was held when I was there, you see, and I could meet the Crown Prince of the Land of Pyroxene. I’ve always thought the rumours about his beauty were an exaggeration, but now I can tell you, they don’t make him justice. He’s tall, thin, elegant, his head never lowers, and his eyes are the most beautiful amethysts I’ve ever seen. We danced together and chatted for a bit, he was great company. If I had to describe him, I’d say he’s like a diamond, well-polished, exquisite and sharp. I asked him for his hand.”
“Did you forgot you’re already married, son? We don’t practise polygamy here,” laughed his father.
“I know, but that’s the point. I can’t deny his appeal, but I’m not interested in him romantically. I asked his hand for Leona, not for me.”
“You did what?” interrupted Leona.
“I asked his hand for you,” repeated Farena. “Don’t look at me like that, little brother, it’s time you marry. I was your age when I settled down. You’ll love the prince, trust me, he’s not only incredibly beautiful but also smart, you two will have a lot of topics of conversation when you go there. And I believed he was very young, but he’s just a couple years younger than Leona, they’re almost the same age.”
“I won’t marry him.”
“Well, not now, of course. The prince gets many proposals and rejects all of them without blinking, but he did an exception with your case. He’s willing to have you in his palace in Pyroxene so you can spend a month together and see if you get along and the marriage would work well enough. Isn’t it great? It’s all agreed already, you’re setting sail in five days.”
“It’s an excellent idea, Farena, this can be a very advantageous marriage for us,” responded his father. “Leona, you better don’t fail in this too, you must do your best to make that boy fall for you.”
“I’m not going and you can’t force me to,” replied Leona. “I’m not interested in marriage and I don’t like fussy princelings.”
“You will, it’s an order from your king,” raised his voice the monarch. “Your brother has gotten you a chance of marrying someone much worthier than you, and you haven’t even thanked him. So you’ll go and you’ll make that prince fall in love with you.”
“Or what?”
“Don’t make me, son.”
“Ha, don’t pretend you care. You’re my father, yet you never look at my face,” growled Leona. “I won’t marry him, period.”
“You’re just a constant disappointment, you’ve been one since your mother died. If you aren’t in my office before tomorrow noon to tell me you’ve changed your mind, to my great regret I’ll have to take your royal title from you and exile you. I won’t allow you to continue embarrassing this family.”
“So be it, then.”
***
Ruggie was in Leona’s rooms when the prince arrived. It was not weird seeing him there, the hyena spent most of his time near the feline in order to fulfil his needs and cravings. His job required him to be available twenty-four hours a day, but it was better than starving. The lion’s room had attached an extra smaller bedroom where Ruggie slept, mostly to the older’s convenience. Besides, once he got used to it, he realised Leona’s exigencies were not so bad.
“Leona, weren’t you having dinner with your father and brother?” reproached the younger, raising his eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”
“Change of plans, I’m leaving.”
“Excuse me? Where are you going? It’s late.”
“I can’t stay here. I need to leave, and I need to take those three with me or they’ll stay here until their scales dry.”
“Can you explain what the hell is going on? I’m really confused right now.”
The prince explained what had happened during the dinner in a brief and concise way.
“Well, it’s obvious your father wants to keep you away and controlled. I’ve heard that Pyroxene is very strict, so marrying you to its prince is the best choice to make sure you don’t cause trouble and, more importantly, disappear from the king’s sight.”
“And that’s why I need to fucking leave,” seethed Leona. “That old man’s always making things more difficult for me. Ruggie, prepare my luggage. I have to reach the coast. I’ll need to carry enough money to buy a ship and then… I guess I’ll keep a low profile and hide for a couple of months in that house I built behind my family’s back.”
“I’m going with you,” announced Ruggie, starting to get ready.
“What?”
“I’m going with you. Let’s be honest, Leona, you have no idea how life works outside these walls, and you want to take three mermen with you. You definitely need someone who knows how the real world works. Also, I want to stay by your side. I don’t like the prospect of starving, but you deserve my loyalty more than any other resident of this damned castle.”
“Are you sure of this?” asked the brunette slowly. “Once we’ve left, there’s no turning back, we won’t be able to return.”
“You think I’ll miss this rat trap? Come on, think about how you’ll do your escape plan a week ahead as I prepare everything.”
That was what Leona did, he sat down and thought. The plan he had come up with was not particularly complex, it simply required cooperation and synchronization. However, it also involved a merchant that went to the palace from time to time who was distracted enough not to notice three stowaways among his goods. Leona had infiltrated slaves before in his carts before, so he knew what he was talking about. And now he needed a new plan, and the only one he could think of was… risky. It may be the most stupid thing he would ever make, it could even mean his death. But what was life without risks?
***
When Azul and Leona shook hands, dim grey light shone between their hands. The deal was made. Putting his life in the magician’s hands was absurd, even Azul had warned him after the prince had taken off the shackles and made his proposal. The feline was perfectly aware of that but it was the fastest and easiest solution he could think of. The terms of the contract had been simple. Azul put his magic to Leona’s disposal any time he needed it and would not betray him under any circumstances, whereas Leona would help Azul every time he needed it and would never take advantage of the octopus’ powers selfishly. If the lion broke any of the clauses, he would irremediably die.
Night time helped them move through the palace without being noticed. Even if avoiding night guards had not been easy, the merman’s magic was a big help to leave unseen. In the city, Ruggie bought discreet travel clothes that covered their heads and faces for all of them. Travellers frequently moved at this hour because it was colder, so nobody found it strange to see such a group. They had to reach the coast as soon as possible, which meant they needed to cross the border. Once they were there, they would exchange the gold pieces the hyena had taken from the palace for a ship fast enough to get them to their destiny in a few weeks. And they would also need to buy food for the trip.
They would use their time hidden to plan the next move, which would be finding the object the mermen were looking for and maybe a safe place for them to live as well. Ruggie mockingly suggested that Azul should make use of his skills and open a witchcraft local in some pirate port, since pirates always welcomed the help of magicians. Azul seemed to be considering it seriously, though. Leona asked him if he would rather go back to the sea, and his disgusted face was the only thing the lion needed to understand that was the last thing the octopus desired. But he did not look into it, was nothing of his business.
Some months had to pass until…
***
“She’s asleep,” whispered Vil.
Vil was holding Tatiana, who now slept in his arms. Contrary to certain someone, the girl had serious difficulties falling asleep and usually sneaked into her parents’ bed to be told bedtime stories. It sometimes was a tale any of the two knew, other times the blond came up with an original story that normally finished with two lovers having a happy ending, but from time to time it was Leona who told her a real-life history. This was one of those times. Tatiana had become slightly obsessed with merfolk after having met Azul and the twins, so the brunette figured she would like to know how they met and why they were so close.
“She misses the best part then,” shrugged the feline, making the younger laugh.
“Do you mean when you became a pirate, got drunk in a tavern and said out loud you had three mermen on your ship, and then some days later everybody knew and you had to fight another pirate crew who wanted to catch them?”
“I wasn’t going to tell it like that, but yeah. I’m sure Tatiana would love the heroic tale behind this scar.”
“Oh, Leona, please, Azul told me you cried when he healed you.”
“It was painful, okay?” sighed the older. “Not even on my own ship I’m respected.”
“It took you long enough,” replied Vil with a smile, earning a disdainful look from his lover. “I’m joking, you’re a brave man and, okay, you aren’t the best father but you do your best and your daughter loves you.”
“Just my daughter?” questioned Leona, raising an eyebrow.
Vil widened his smile and made himself comfortable in bed, not moving away from Tatiana, who, asleep, cuddled into the blond’s chest. The feline smiled, kissed his kid’s forehead and then put his hand on his partner’s back, caressing it tenderly. They looked into each other’s eyes for a while as if they hid the secrets of the universe, and none of them bothered to count for how long they were like that. Leona was the first to close his eyes, tired of a peaceful day of doing nothing.
“Maybe you should make me another child so that two people will love you,” said the younger in a low voice.
Leona opened his eyes again, but Vil had already closed his and pretended he was sleeping.