Chapter 24

Hunter

Hunter lay on his bed, his back still sore from his father's beating. Two days had passed by and he was still in pain. It hurt to move and his father was furious with him for being hurt - as if he could control that and Hunter continued to lay in bed.

The door burst open and Hunter's father appeared at the doorway. His eyes were hard as he glared at Hunter and Hunter couldn't remember a time his father wasn't angry - it was as if the inferno within him never set out.

Hunter sat up, grimacing as his back felt like it would tear open.

"Are you hurt?" Hunter's father asked.

"I'm getting better," Hunter assured. "I promise."

"I only punished you for disobeying me," his father said. The anger diminished as he strode over to Hunter - his hand empty of tools to hurt him. "I only hurt you because I care for you. I am teaching you obedience. Because if you are obedient, you will rewarded heavily."

Hunter nodded numbly. He had believed that months ago before he met Cassia, but things were different now.

"Why did you almost tell the princess our plans?" his father asked. His voice was cold, but his eyes shone with curiosity. "I thought you hated her for what she did to me?"

"I don't know," Hunter said. "I was lost."

It was partially true. Hunter was lost. It was as if Cassia was grabbing one of his hands and his father was grabbing the other, and they were both yanking at him to join their side while Hunter was stuck in the middle. It made him feel as if they were tearing him in half. Half of him belonged to his father and half of him belonged to Cassia, and he didn't know who to choose.

"Maybe I should remind you why we grew up with nothing," his father said.

His father settled down on the edge of his bed, leaning forward to peer into Hunter's eyes. Hunter didn't have many memories of his mother, but he looked more like her than his father who was all ice and darkness.

"My parents were the former king and queen of Oflaria. I was the prince and soon to be king," his father said, his voice low and wistful. "And that princess of yours - her father was my friend once upon a time. My best friend and he tricked me into duelling him for the crown.

"He spread lies about how he was a helpless little man who couldn't win. He would even duel me back in class and lose, so I agreed to duel him to make my parents proud. But then, he bested me and stole my crown. Right at my coronation."

His father's breathing grew heavier - his shoulder rising and falling as his hands curled into fists.

"Can you imagine that?" his father spat. "Losing my crown to my best friend was so degrading my parents banished me from the castle. I was forced onto the streets without money or shelter and for years I was forced to steal to survive. I eventually found a job as a mere seller, but that still wasn't enough. And you witnessed that. You grew up watching me struggle to feed you, so why would you side with the princess?"

Hunter was silent. He remembered this tale vividly - of how Cassia's father betrayed his father. It was cruel, Hunter thought. Even now, he couldn't believe what Cassia's father did and it was the only reason why he didn't hate his father.

Because to lose everything was to lose the parts of you that made you human.

"Do you know what it's like to have your existence erased over a foolish mistake?" his father asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. "No one knows I'm the rightful heir. They think I'm a worthless peasant who is scavenging trash because I didn't work hard enough, but I was fooled. Tricked by someone I thought loved me and that's why you must never love anyone. You understand, Hunter? Loving the princess will only lead to pain."

Hunter nodded numbly. It already was causing him pain, but not in the ways his father thought.

"What's the plan now?" Hunter asked. "Now that the princess escaped our grasps."

"We will attack the castle soon and either kidnap the princess or slay the king." Hunter's father smirked, looking pleased with Hunter's curiosity. "You were born to continue my bloodline, so fulfill your prophecy."

Hunter was quiet. There was a pit in his stomach at the reminder of why he existed.

"Hunter, you must help us," his father growled. "Say yes."

"Yes," Hunter said. "I will help."

Hunter's hands began to shake and he clasped them together to hide his fear. He hated how terrified he was. He hated how weak he was when it came to his father.

And he hated how despite his feelings for Cassia, he would follow his father's orders until his last breath.

*****

Hunter laid in bed, trying his best to heal before the attack. It was getting late and Hunter was bored, so he thought of Chase, who he hadn't spoken to for days now. Liana and Chase avoided Hunter and it made Hunter all the more mad.

So, Hunter rose from his bed and grimaced, pain shooting through him as he limped out of his room into the empty hallway. The house they hid in was tiny and it wasn't hard to drag himself down the dimly lit hallway until he reached Chase's room, which had a shut door.

Hunter rose his hand and knocked against the plain white door, but no sound came. He frowned. He leaned closer to hear if Chase was there, but he couldn't hear anything, so he threw the door open to see if Chase was around.

And he froze. He stilled because Chase wasn't alone.

Chase was sitting in bed with another man, Haru - a boy they met when they were kids. The man had pale skin and dark eyes, his hair raven black, and he was kissing Chase. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they kissed beside the bright lamp light.

"Hunter?" Chase said, eyes sliding to his.

He jolted away from the man and sat up, and Haru looked horrified. They both gaped at Hunter as if he was the grim reaper.

"I'm sorry," Hunter said. His cheeks flushed - he hadn't meant to interrupt. "Um, I need to talk to Chase."

"Please leave," Chase said. But, he leaned forward to squeeze Haru's hand and Haru flushed. "I'll talk to you later."

Haru nodded and scurried off, gliding past Hunter, who he wouldn't look at. And Hunter stepped into the room towards Chase, who sat on the edge of his bed now. There was a look of panic on his face - a look Hunter had never seen him wear before.

"Please don't tell anyone. My parents don't know and your father will kick me out!" Chase pleaded. "Your father is out and I snuck Haru in. But, I see that it was stupid now and-"

"It's fine," Hunter said. "There's nothing wrong with having a boyfriend. I don't think your parents or my father would care."

Chase shook his head. He ran his fingers through his hair that was already sticking out in odd angles. "You clearly don't know your father. For me to love a man would mean there is something wrong with me to him. He would kick me out of the mission and I can't let that happen."

Hunter tensed. He hadn't thought his father would care, but maybe Chase was right. Maybe his father didn't accept much.

"You know, that's why I told you to go for Cassia," Chase said, his voice dropping to a mere whisper. "Because I know what it's like to be in love with the wrong person. I know how love can be intoxicating, especially when it's wrong."

"There is nothing wrong with you loving Haru. It may be different, but different isn't bad."

Chase shook his head. "You don't understand, Hunter. You don't understand what it's like to be scared of loving the wrong person."

Chase was wrong. Hunter was in love with the wrong person and it was tearing him apart. Every day at every moment, Hunter could do nothing but worry about Cassia.

"Then why do you want to keep doing the mission?" Hunter whispered. "Why are we doing this if neither of us can ever be happy with the results."

"Why shouldn't we do this? We'll get money and power and everything we grew up without. Our lives will be better. Love is temporary, but what we get will be forever."

"I really don't think it's that simple."

Chase frowned, his eyes full of confusion and Hunter sighed. It was horribly lonely to be him.

"Sit with me," Chase said, patting the spot next to him on the bed. "I've missed you. We haven't gotten to talk."

"I won't sit," Hunter said, crossing his arms over his chest now. "Because I'm mad at you and Liana and everyone for making me betray Cassia. You have no idea how miserable I am. You have no idea how every time I close my eyes, I see the horror on her face. I can't stop hearing her scream."

Hunter's voice cracked. He was trying so hard to stay together, but it was hard to. Hard to when he still couldn't believe what he did to Cassia.

"It was your father's plan," Chase said. "We didn't know he was going to attack until he visited us."

"But you still helped him. You didn't even warn me."

Chase went silent. His face was a mixture between pity and exasperation.

"We spent our entire lives being raised to do this," Chase said. "We spent year after year planning and plotting and training, talking about our lives as royals and now you want to throw it all away? After two months of knowing a princess, who isn't even a good person?"

"But maybe this isn't for a girl. Maybe I'm starting to realize that my father isn't fit to be a ruler. He is not the type of person we should be listening to."

Chase's jaw dropped in horror. Hunter was never one to speak like this. That was, until recently.

"Cassia never listens to her father. She taught you her bad habits," Chase said, shaking his head. "She changed you for the worst."

Fury coursed through Hunter and he lifted his shirt, turning around to show Chase what his father was capable of. And Chase gasped - his voice loud in the tiny room they stood in.

"My father did this," Hunter said, whirling to face Chase again. Chase wore an expression of horror - of utter shock and Hunter grew slack. No one had ever seen the fresh wounds his father inflicted upon him. "Is this the man we want as our king?"

Chase opened his mouth, but it fell shut.

"I'm terrified of him - I always have been. He doesn't care to cause pain," Hunter said. "I am his son and if he can do this to me, what will he do to the people who mean nothing to him?"

Chase's eyes lowered. There was shame on his face - an expression as if he was guilty and Hunter shook his head. He was done talking about this. He was done with this.

Hunter turned around and walked back into his room, his body burning. Although he made a grand speech about how his father was wrong, he still didn't know what to do to fix all this. Because Cassia hated him and his father terrified him, he was trapped in a place he couldn't free himself from.

And Hunter could feel Cassia and his father yanking at him harder, tearing him to pieces.