Chapter Text
10 years ago, Kingdom Nupawyth
The day had finally come to end, everyone retiring to their rooms to prepare for a night of rest. For Prince Wentworth, he still had a few hours before he would even consider sleep. Today he had been in hours of training to help him strengthen his power and he needed to understand more. He had managed to find and sneak a book about meditation with the body to help it strengthen and connect with his power and he hoped it would help. He now rested on his bed; legs crossed together as he flipped the book open to the first page. Being 13, he knew he still had a long way to go before he could master his power but he didn’t want to wait for his training sessions every day. He wanted to be like his brothers, and not have to break out into a sweat at the simple thought of trying to summon his gift.
No one else had his power, nor was is it common amongst others apparently. It made it difficult because with his brother’s being wrapped up in other important stuff, he didn’t have anyone to ask questions. So, it was up to himself to discover his power on his own. Once the book rested open in front of him, Wentworth stretched his back and took a deep breath in before carefully letting it out. Slowly, he opened his hand to see the palm of his hand.
“Clear your mind, and focus.” He whispered to himself, eyes drifting to focus on the palm of his hand while he cleared his mind of everything and sought out his power from within.
Almost like water droplets hitting water, small purple-colored sparks weakly snapped from the palm of his hand. Some of the sparks traveled up his fingers, forming a ring of flashing purple before it beamed out and disappeared. He had only ever managed to create one lightning strike and that was a couple of weeks ago. It had been a complete accident during his training, but had Wentworth excited. Once he was stronger, he couldn’t begin to imagine what he could do.
Faint shouting pulled Wentworth from his train of thought as he looked at his hand. He turned his head towards his bedroom door, eyebrow raised in question. It was almost midnight, and he knew for a fact almost everyone would be asleep. The shouting continued on for a few seconds before a faint raddling sound occurred, all noise dying down. Swinging his legs over the mattress, the young prince moved to the side off his bed, socked feet meeting carpet. He reached out to the tablet that rested at the side of where he slept, to see if there were any alerts or messages to explain the strange, yet almost quiet commotion. As his eyes drifted to the screen to see it was unable to connect to the castle server, his bedroom burst open with someone rushing in before they hastily closed his door.
“Royce?” Wentworth asked, having jumped at the sudden action of his brother barging into his room. However, the hair on his arms stood up when his brother turned to face him.
Royce stood before him dressed in his sleepwear, however what had Wentworth’s heart stopping was the fresh blood that covered him. His bottom lip had a long large gash as well as his forehead, the blood from both running freely down his face and onto his skin. Royce was grasping his left shoulder where his hand was coated in blood as it covered another deep gash that not known to Wentworth, went almost down to the bone.
Royce was the second oldest of the 5 of them, he had just turned 19 years old and was working alongside the guards every day. Although Wentworth didn’t see him terribly often, he loved to watch his brother spare with his power. He was one of the stronger Forces in the castle, however he never let it define him as he made sure to be just as powerful in his attacks without his power. So, seeing Royce, standing before him injured and bleed in front of him had Wentworth scared.
“Royce? What’s-“
Royce was quickly in front of his brother, his bloody hand quickly pressing over his mouth.
“We don’t have time. I need you to keep quiet, and hurry. We need to get you out of the castle.” His brother’s voice was haste, eyes darting back towards the door he just came through before he rushed quickly over towards Wentworth’s dresser. Wentworth stood in shock and confusion while his brother was pulling drawer after drawer out, grabbing handfuls of clothes and shoving them into a bag he had grabbed in his fast motions.
Wentworth stood froze in place, mind racing with hundreds of questions before he jumped at his bedroom lights shutting off. His light sliver eyes franticly searched the room as his brother let out some curse words, grabbing the last few clothes before turning towards Wentworth. In the dark, Wentworth could only see Royce’s outline and his eyes. Unlike his brother, Royce’s were a sharp blue. And the pain but determination that filled them had the panic in Wentworth wanting to know what was happen even more. The lights shutting off to his room, the power leaving the castle in darkness, the commotion from earlier and his brother’s current condition meant only one thing: they were under attack.
“Wentworth, look at me.” Royce’s voice pulled him is train of thought, looking up to see Royce moving towards him, holding his left shoulder carefully.
“I need you to follow me, don’t ask questions. Do as I say and when I tell you to run, you run.” He ordered him sternly, leaving no room for argument.
Wentworth opened and closed his mouth before his hand was grabbed by Royce’s bloody one as his brother made his way towards the bedroom, carefully opening it. When the door opened, it was a chilly type quiet, the darkness giving a feeling of ominous unease. Royce looked up and down the hallway before he made a move hastily with his younger brother in tow and further into the darkness. As they passed a crossing section, Wentworth stumbled at the sight of the body of a guard laying in the section. His body lay across the hallway, face turned away from the two running princes facing the direction opposite toward the end of the hall way, where additional voices could be heard.
“He’s up ahead!” The faint voices called, the grip on Wentworth’s hand loosening as Royce let go turning.
“Run!”
It was the only warning Wentworth had before Royce swung his hands in front of himself, an invisible force rocking from his hands and down the hallway towards the voices. Wentworth rocked on his feet from the power that came from his brother and only had started to make a run for it when he could hear the shouts from the voices in pain from his brother’s power hitting them. The force had caused the walls to rattle briefly and he only had ever seen his brother put that much strength into his power once before and that was during a training with their father months before he passed away.
Royce had once more grabbed his hand, this time running and pulling Wentworth behind him. He stumbled as he struggled to keep up, wondering where his other brothers were and why they weren’t with Royce. As they raced down the hallway, more bodies of guards were in the hall. Even in the darkness, he could see the blood, his stomach twisting in knots. They went forward, rushing blindly in the dark.
Everything was happening in a blur, Wentworth fighting back the panic he was feeling as he let Royce pull him. Before he knew it, they were pushing through doors that lead to the stable and garage. Even with the technology that was available, his father kept the simple things. They finally had stopped running, Wentworth stopping to catch his breath as his wide eyes frantically looking around for anyone who maybe with them. The place was empty, beside the row of horses to his left and the line of mobile transport to his right. The emergency lights had kicked on in the center, providing some light to the large space and enough for Wentworth to see his brother rushing towards one of the horses.
“R-Royce? What’s happening? Where is Colin, Kent and Lawson?” The words came out rushed, Wentworth’s frantic silver eyes going back and forth as his brother quickly got the horse ready. Even through the pain, his brother didn’t stop to address him or explain what was happening.
“Royce?! Please, what is happening? Why-“
“They’re dead, Wentworth. And we both soon will be if I don’t get you out of here.” Royce’s voice cut him off, his orbs shifting towards Wentworth briefly as he quickly guided the horse out of the stall and towards the exit.
“D-dead? Who?! We need to go back for Colin, Kent and Lawson!” Wentworth yelled, his mind jumping to the thought of someone inside their home going after his brothers. He turned around, looking back towards the doors that lead to the castle where the darkness seemed to be staring back at him from the other end.
At the thought of his brothers being in danger, Wentworth went to move towards the doors determined to find his brother’s when strong hands grabbed them be his shoulders and forcibly turned him around to meet Royce’s eyes. His face showed to many emotions across his face as he kept ahold on Wentworth.
“Colin and Kent are dead, Wentworth. I found them before I was able to get to you.”
The word’s felt like a punch to his stomach, Wentworth’s jaw going slack in disbelief as tears started to line his eyes and cloud his vision. Colin and Kent were gone? Just this morning they had breakfast together with Colin and Kent talking about their training and meetings they both had planned.
“What about Lawson, clearly, he’s okay. Right?” His voice came out as a squeak, quickly bring his hand up to rub his eyes clear of the tears. He needed to stay strong, if Royce could do it so could he. Royce took in a stead breath, eyes dancing back towards the doors behind Wentworth before going back to his younger brother, who looked so small to him suddenly.
“He-he killed them, and everyone you saw. He has many of the guards taking over the castle and they are ordered to kill us on sight, no matter what. That is why we need to get you out of here so that what happened to Colin and Kent won’t happen to you.” He tried to talk softly, he wanted to speak to Wentworth like he was a child. But the situation happening before them didn’t call for that, and Royce knew Wentworth was going to have to grow up fast.
Wentworth was frozen in shock, jaw slack as tears now flowed down his face freely. His silver eyes kept on looking all over Royce’s face, looking for anything to tell him this was joke. However, the blue eyes that looked back at him told him it was true. That this nightmare was happening and what he saw was real.
“Once I get you on this horse, you need to have it run as fast and far away from here. Don’t stop or get help from anyone, Wentworth. You need to disappear, vanish like you never existed, because otherwise Lawson will find you. He’ll send so many after you until he knows you are dead. Promise me you won’t stop, no matter what.” Royce’s voice cracked as he lifted his injured shoulder, only wincing for a short period to place his hand on Wentworth’s tear-soaked cheek, whose eyes were wide.
“W-what about you? Cant’ you come?” Wentworth whispered, a hiccup following.
Royce gave a small soft smile. “No, buddy. I made a promise to dad that I would protect you until my last dying breath and I’m doing just that.”
Royce quickly removed his hand before grasping Wentworth’s hand in his, pulling him towards the waiting horse. He had packed everything he could for him. He had enough to last him a short time before he would need to find stuff to survive. He already wasted time talking and needed to get Wentworth out of here. As he turned around to pick up Wentworth to place him on the horse, he lifted his eyes to see someone stepping through the doors his eyes flashing to silver object in their hand.
“Wentworth! Get down!”
Everything seemed to slow, Wentworth turning to look at him before turning his head towards the individual who had come through the door into the stable. It was one of their guards, however, the eyes that stared back at them wasn’t the person they knew, for they were clouded with their face blank as they raised their hand. A metal blade came flying from the shadow’s headed straight for Wentworth’s face. A move meant to kill him quickly and easily.
Royce acted fact, moving to push Wentworth out of the way. However, he was a few seconds just short as before he was able to get him fully out of the way the blade slashed across Wentworth’s face. The cry that came from Wentworth filled the space as Royce lifted his arm to throw a blast of his force at the blade, sending it spinning away from them and into a wall. Royce spun around on his heal where he twisted his hands around before throwing them towards the direction of the guard, a blast crashing through the space between them taking the guard with it through the doors and out of their sight. The horses went crazy at the commotion, many of them throwing their heads back and slamming their hoofs against the ground in panic. Royce saw the horse he had prepared lifting itself onto it’s back two legs and kicking its front ones out, eyes wide in panic. He quickly grabbed the reins to pull the horse down and kept it from running, his blue eyes snapping towards Wentworth who laid on the ground holding his face where the blade had hit.
Pulling the reins with him, Royce knelt down by Wentworth’s side pulling his hands away from his face. He cursed at the gash that ran from the tip-top right of his head, traveling across his right eye and the bridge of his nose before ending just above his lips. Wentworth was crying in pain as Royce looked it over before turning his attention to his right eye.
“I need you to open the eye and tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.” Royce said as he placed a hand over Wentworth’s left eye watching him open the other.
It was difficult and it took for a second but carefully squinting, Wentworth would make out Royce holding up three fingers in front of him.
“T-three.” Wentworth hiccupped out before Royce was pulling away, lifting Wentworth with him.
He was lifted towards the horse, his hands reaching to grab at the saddle to pull himself up while he heard the ripping of fabric. Before he could sit up, he felt Royce’s rushed hands wrap a cloth over his right eye to cover the gash that bled down his face, tying it the back before letting go to allow Wentworth to sit up. Royce turned the horse towards the exit, where the darkness of the night awaited. Voices could be heard from behind them back towards the doors to the castle, several feet making their way toward him.
Wentworth turned his head to look back when he felt Royce use his power once more, clearly forming an invisible wall to hold the people back to give them enough time.
“Royce, why aren’t you coming? I-I can’t do this alone.” Wentworth said, gripping the saddle handle until his knuckles were white as Royce pulled the horse closer towards the exit.
“Someone has to distract them so that you can escape. My power is stronger than yours right now and you have a better chance at running than you do fighting.”
As much as the words stung, Wentworth knew they were true. He turned to look over his shoulder again to see their castle guards had opened the doors and were throwing their powers and bodyweight against Royce’s shield. So many of them were bloody and it scared Wentworth on how much he didn’t recognize them anymore as his kingdom guards. His attention was brought back forward as he felt the reins being pressed into his hands. Royce was checking the belts on the horse, making sure everything was secure while keeping his eyes on the guards that were weaking the shield.
“Don’t give up. I’ll always be with you, protecting you until my last breath. I promise.” Royce said as he took a step back his blue eyes filling with emotion while meeting Wentworth’s one good orb.
Before Wentworth could get a word in, Royce swung his hand and smacked the horse on its butt yelling at it to go. Wentworth shouted out a frantic “No!” as his hands gripped the reins almost as though against their will. His tightened as the horse took off, hooves slapping on concrete before connecting with grass.
“Royce!!” Wentworth screamed, turning his head back to see Royce use his power to break the locks on the other stalls of the horses, releasing all of them to run free behind Wentworth.
As his horse pulled further away, Wentworth watched as Royce turned and lifted a shield over the exit he had just gone through.
Turning his back on his younger brother, Royce faced the surrounding army before him, the guards were actively fighting his shield. Taking a deep breath in, Royce let it out as he let the tears run down his face, hands flexing at his side.
“Please watch over him, father. Let the Ethereals guide him.”
With that, Royce lowered his hands causing the invisible shield before him to collapse and for the guards to come charging at him ready to fight. Wentworth watching as his brother disappeared, many of the guards turning their attention on the shield that blocked them from going after the fleeing prince. Although they didn’t attack the shield, their blank eyes only watching as Wentworth disappeared into the darkness of the trees. For Wentworth, he watched as the place he called home, the place where he thought he would grow up in disappear from eyesight, small explosions echoing in his ears. He turned to face forward, the cloth covering his face beginning to soak up the tears he couldn’t fight back as he allowed the horse to run, praying he would survive to find help and rescue his kingdom and family