{tw:// mention of sexual assault, panic attacks}
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"Canton? Are you in there?"
Tristian walked inside their dark conjoined room.
"Your month ended. No? Two whole days for ourselves now "
He stepped further inside and turned the lights on.
Canton was sitting on the floor, his arms tightly wrapped around his knees and his head buried against his legs.
He was completely naked and trembling uncontrollably.
"Baby?" Tristian started approaching him.
"Don't come closer!" His voice came out harsh, terrified.
Tristian stopped dead on his tracks. "I'm not. But I'm not leaving, okay? I'm not leaving you" he gulped. " I'll stay right here" he said warily.
Canton kept shaking like a leaf, his breathing kind of ragged. "I can't handle-I can't do this anymore" he whispered, his voice breaking.
Tristian frowned, concern making his heart tighten. "you're gonna be okay" he reached to touch his hair but Canton pulled away abruptly, as if he got electrocuted.
"D-Don't touch me! Get away from me." He still wouldn't raise his head.
Tristian's eyes widened at that. He didn't know what to say.
"He did it. He ordered it. He-"
"Alastair? What did he do?" His heart is ready to burst out of his chest.
"He knows." He couldn't steady his voice.
Silence.
"He's killing me" he kept repeating, under his breath.
Tristian closed his eyes shut at that and tried to think rationally. "Baby.." he whispered.
Canton suddenly burst into uncontrollable tears.
"Shit, hey." He attempted to touch him once again.
Canton didn't pull away this time.
That gave Tristian the permission to wrap his arms around Canton's bare body and hold him as close as he could master.
"T-they--" he paused to take a brief breath. "raped me." The last two words sounded like a desperate cry for help and Tristian felt like someone took his heart and tore it to pieces.
His body froze but he didn't let go of Canton.
"They raped me they raped me they raped--" Canton tried to take a deep breath so he wouldn't choke on his tears.
He kept trembling maniacally on Tristian's arms.
"He knows about us.." Tristian mumbled.
Canton didn't seem to hear him. He forcefully pulled away from Tristian and threw up all over the floor.
ODA
"I called you here because I'm assigning you a new.. position." Canton paused. "In the castle."
"What?" Elvina almost yelled out.
Adan couldn't hold his laughter back at that.
Santos' jaw clenched. He mumbled something under his breath and turned to glance at Elvina.
"Watch your tone, Elvina." Canton said coldly.
"You're bringing her back here, to work for you, hell, with us and-"
"I said." Canton raised his own voice. "Your tone." He said calmly this time.
Elvina clenched her fists and glared at the girl with the white tattoos on her face.
She looked calm enough, serious. She was looking down at her feet due to respect for the king.
"Moving on." Canton fixed his position on the throne and looked at the Ink in front of him. "You have a real talent at what you do, Nerissa. So, without further due, I'm pronouncing you my personal spy and you are now part of my inner circle."
The whole room fell dead silent at that.
"Therefore, Santos." Canton fixed his cold stare at Santos and then looked away. "You're fired."
I froze in place. My eyes widened from the shock and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one startled by this. Nerissa is the girl from Santos' story. His step sister. The sister who once worked for Canton's father. The sister Santos apparently disliked.
I thought he worked for Canton for a great amount of years. According to Elvina, Canton even wanted to help Santos get the position he has today. Firing him after all this time to give his position to his sister just doesn't make sense.
Elvina looks like she's ready to snap anytime soon, her eyes moving from Canton to Santos and back in disbelief.
Even Adan stopped laughing, all amusement gone from his face now.
Nerissa looks as shocked as the rest of us but the tiny satisfied smile on her face says that she's more pleasantly shocked than anything.
I looked over at Santos and couldn't help but notice his pale face and wide broken eyes.
"But your highness! What did I do? When did I fail you?" The panic on his voice can be heard clearly.
This was the first time I heard Santos talking so loud, being so terrified. Then I remembered Elvina's words from before. How Santos' only dream was to be the rightful spy of the king. Everything Santos has is inside this castle. Friends, job, a roof over his head.
And now it's gone. They're all gone.
I tell myself I don't like him but right now all I see in front of me is a person who just watched his whole life break apart before his own eyes. With just a few words of a very powerful creature.
"You have one day to pack your stuff and leave my castle." Stern.
"Your majesty!" Santos cried.
Canton snapped his head at him and Santos immediately lowered his gaze, the despair visible on his face. "Don't make me repeat myself" He redirected his attention at Nerissa. "And you. Don't let me down."
With that being said, he was up and away from this room in seconds, his face stiff, heavy. Errot followed him out.
"I am." Nerissa started, her face unreadable. Nobody looked at her except from me. "Delightful to work with you all again. Well, minus my brother. That's unfortunate for him." Nerissa took a good look at Santos.
Santos scoffed at that, his fist clenched on his side. He saved the last ounce of dignity he had left by picking up his pieces and leaving the throne room in a rush.
"Congratulations, Nerissa." Elvina finally broke her silence.
Nerissa glanced at her and gave her a simple nod.
Elvina grabbed my hand, intertwined our fingers and took a few steps towards Nerissa, her face matching her king's.
She looked at her in the eye while Nerissa was busy eyeing our hands.
"You played yourself." And with that, we were both gone, leaving Nerissa alone with Adan.
ERROT
Canton walked into his room hurriedly and sat over his desk, his leg moving back and forth nervously even though he looked indifferent enough.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "What?"
"Sh. Wait."
"Wait for what?"
Suddenly, Elvina burst inside his room, alone.
She looked furious.
"That." Canton mumbled.
"Are you on your right mind?"
Canton sighed. "I believe I am."
"Well, apparently not. You're not thinking clearly. When was the last time you got any sleep, Canton?"
It seems that Inks love calling their king by name. I glanced at Canton but he insisted on looking emotionless.
"Probably four, five days ago. Doesn't really matter."
"It obviously matters! Just because we can handle sleeplessness better than humans it doesn't mean that it can't affect the way we think and it's affecting you big time. What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking that you need to calm down before I kick you out of my room. Your voice is piercing through my brain right now and it's messing my head up" He started rubbing at his forehead. He does that a lot.
Elvina closed her eyes shut and run a hand through her hair. She took a deep breath and spoke up, calmer this time.
"Nerissa betrayed both of us. She lives to compete her brother and she has clearly chosen sides. And you're suddenly granting her Santos' position by firing one of your most loyal-"
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
Elvina doesn't look angry anymore. She looks defeated. "But why? It doesn't make any sense. Please explain. You like Santos, he's like-"
"Who I like and don't like is my business and you don't get to make assumptions." Canton snapped coldly at her.
"If the only reason why you're hiring her is because you think she would ever help you find the Lytteltons, you are a fool."
Lytteltons. I know this name.
I know I do.
But from where?
Canton punched his fists against the desk and went to stand in front of Elvina, his face threatening.
"Elvina. Goodnight."
"They disappeared the moment you were crowned, Canton. They don't want to be found. And Nerissa would never help you. "
Lytteltons.
Think Errot.
Think.
Canton opened his door widely and looked at Elvina expectantly "Out."
Passive agressive much.
Elvina glanced at the door and then back at him. "You know, I miss you. Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
She said and walked out of the king's bedroom.
He turned to me.
Oh no, I'm not doing this.
I immediately raised my hands up in defence.
"It's not my fault Elvina made you mad, okay? I kept my mouth shut the entire time."
Canton looked at me up and down.
Expression unreadable.
"You look tired." He mumbled.
Maybe because I was locked up on a tiny basement the whole day.
"I am."
"Too bad. You're coming with me."
I almost groaned out loud.
Almost.
"Lock the door."
"How are we supposed to leave if I lock the door?" Dumbass. That, I didn't say.
One look from him and I decided to do it without asking any more questions.
Not the time or the day.
He walked behind his desk and opened the curtain.
Only to reveal a ...wall?
I frowned at the sight.
I was about to speak when he pushed at the wall hard and a door, that I'm pretty sure didn't exist until now, opened before us.
I blinked.
He said "follow my steps" and I did.
We were suddenly lost in an incredibly dark pathway.
No, I'll rephrase. I was lost in an incredibly dark pathway.
I couldn't see anything around me and I'm not sure I wanted to.
I'm positive I almost stepped into a rat so fear made me do the only thing I know I shouldn't have done.
I flinched and grasped at Canton's shirt hard.
I grasped at Canton's shirt hard.
Canton stopped walking.
But I couldn't just let it go. I happen to have a great fear of rats and walking through a dark place knowing that they might walk on me is making my heart pound.
"What do you think you're doing exactly, Merlot?"
"I uhm...I know Inks can see in the dark but I can't."
"That doesn't explain why you're holding at me for dear life." He didn't sound angry even though I wouldn't want to see his face right now.
Can't you just forget it and keep walking? I would say if I had a death wish.
"Let me go." He said calmly.
I looked around me nervously, as if I could actually see anything.
I sighed deeply and slowly freed his shirt from my grip.
I heard Canton straightening it a bit and then he started walking again.
It didn't take long for us to arrive after that.
Thank god.
With a simple click of his fingers again, the room was alive with light.
I should have expected that, really.
"Wow." Was all I managed to say.
I've seen the main library of the Moccassins. It was massive and very impressive.
But this library, which was tiny compared to Elian's, was way prettier.
It held this dark vibe. Candles were lighting every single corner, every single bookshelf.
All the bookshelves were black and so huge they reached the ceiling. The walls were dark brown and they matched perfectly those big wooden studying tables around the room.
We were stepping on soft carpets and not rats anymore.
Canton dropped his weapons on one of the tables and sat on a random chair.
He glanced at me but my eyes were too busy scanning all those books to return the stare.
"Afraid of rats?"
He suddenly asked and the word alone made me flinch again.
I looked at him but stayed silent.
He seemed indifferent. "You've been stabbed, almost burnt alive and heavily tortured and you're scared of a small innocent animal?"
"You make it sound so bad." I managed to mumble at him.
"It is bad."
Yeah, thanks. At least I'm not completely heartless unlike some people in here.
I shrugged.
I must be going crazy cause I'm ninety percent sure I just watched his lips almost twitch in the tiniest fainted smile.
It was gone before I even had the chance to process it and decide if it was real or a dirty game my mind played.
Canton cleared his throat and looked away from me. "We are spending the night here. You have work to do." Cold again.
I raised my eyebrow at him. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"Am I perhaps speaking a different language?"
"What work do I have to do?"
"Search. You need to search through the books."
"For...?"
"Anything that has to do with the name Lyttelton. Anything that I might have missed one of the million of times I've searched this place. Letters, notes, everything."
That name again.
"But who are the Lytteltons?"
Canton muttered something about my ignorance and continued with "Cecilia and Arthur Lyttelton. Parents of Quinn and Cress Lyttelton."
Exactly. I read about them in one of the books Elian gave us. That's why the name was so familiar to me. "Those are the people you are so desperately looking for? Aren't they dead?"
"Focus on what I asked you to do, human." He said coolly.
"Right." I glanced around me and started infernally freaking out. "There are a lot of books."
"You better start then."
His phone buzzed on his hand and I managed to spot Santos' name on the screen before he pulled it out of my view. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Did I stutter?"
I decided not to answer him and started wandering around this huge library.
So, now Santos is texting the king?
He was fired and still has the audacity to text him?
Weird way to ask for mercy, but hey whatever helps him sleep at night.
I walked to one of the bookshelves and started searching for that name.
I heard Canton typing a reply behind me but I didn't turn around.
"So, you're not sleeping either, king Canton?"
I tried not to sound sarcastic. I really did.
Silence.
I opened another book and tried again. "Fifth day awake?"
I heard him lock his phone but he remained silent.
"I thought you were just hangovered but you're apparently exhausted."
I heard him sigh. I continued. "We should go to sleep and deal with this another time."
"There might be hidden inside books. The notes. So, you should probably search through the ones that have nothing to do with the Teals." Stern.
And that was my answer. Wonderful.
I exhaled and kept opening random books.
I repeated the same action for another four hours, already feeling dead inside. My legs have turned into jelly and I'm not even half way through.
Hell, I'm not even at the beginning.
I glanced back at Canton so I could beg for mercy or a break. Pretty much the same thing.
He's sleeping.
He fell asleep and I'm forced to stay awake.
I rolled my eyes at the sleeping king.
His lips are slightly parted and his breathing a bit audible.
A big frown is splattered all over his face making him look like he's in agony instead of peace.
I decided to ignore him so I turned my gaze back to the book in my hand.
I haven't read a word of those books, only searching for letters through the pages, until now.
My eyes fell on a picture at the bottom of the left page.
The picture showed a very young boy with raven black curls and little pointed ears, holding a gun on his hand.
His eyes were wide with what looked like terror, while his face and a part of his shirt were covered with blood.
Red blood.
He looked lost, broken but most of all, frightened.
I forced myself to look away from the little kid's face to read the sentence written under that horrible picture.
It said
"Prince Canton celebrating his 6th birthday"
I glanced at the Canton in front of me and then at the kid on the picture again.
I might not be an expert at reading people but that boy definitely didn't look like he was celebrating anything.
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