Warning: This story contains themes of reader's discretion advised,violence, parental abuse, emotional trauma, physical restraint, humiliation, and non-consensual actions.
A month later, Helena and Alaric entered the Knight Headquarters. Inside the main office, a man sitting behind the desk smiled warmly and said, "Long time no see."
His name was Caelum Ambrose — Helena's husband and the Knight/Dame Grand Cross.
Helena nodded stiffly. "Yes, it has been a while," she said, moving to sit on the sofa while Alaric stood behind her, straight as a pole.
Caelum's eyes landed on Alaric. He stood up, walked closer, and smiled. "You've grown up, my son. You look exactly like me."
Alaric sighed. "Yeah. I know." He walked over and dropped onto the sofa across from Helena.
"So, Commander Helena," Caelum said, resting his chin on his hand, "what brings you here?"
Helena's voice was sharp. "I'm here to inform you that we need to prepare for war. The BK Knights... they're dangerous. I believe they're after William. I don't know what they're planning, but we can't let our guard down."
Caelum frowned. "Hmm... looks like we're in trouble. In that case, we should kill the king. After all, our sweet daughter, Cassandra, was murdered because of him."
Helena shot up from her seat, her face twisted in rage. Tears welled in her eyes. "It was your responsibility to protect her! It's all because of you! You let Charles do whatever he wanted!"
Caelum slammed his fist on the desk and shouted, "Shut up, you bitch! Don't blame me for your failures! It's your fault too!"
Alaric rushed between them, trying to calm them down. "Mother, Father, please stop—"
But Helena, shaking with fury, drew her sword and placed it against Caelum's throat. "Alaric, get out!" she barked.
"No, Mother, please don't!" Alaric pleaded.
"GET OUT!" Caelum roared.
Torn and terrified, Alaric stumbled out the door. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, four knights surrounded him. Before he could react, one snatched the sword and dagger from his belt, and another quickly tied his hands behind his back.
"What are you doing?!" Alaric shouted, struggling against them. But they were too strong — clearly knights of higher rank. They sneered at him, shoving and mocking him roughly.
Inside the office, Caelum opened the door again. Alaric watched in horror as Helena fell to her knees, blood trickling down her forehead from a fresh wound.
Through blurred vision, Helena managed to look at her son and whisper, "Take care of William..."Her body slumped to the floor, unmoving.
"Mother!!" Alaric cried out, thrashing against his bonds. Tears streamed down his face as he glared at Caelum, his voice breaking with rage.
"You bastard! YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!!"
Aclric shouted, his voice cracking with anger, "What the hell do you think you're doing to your own son?!"
Cealum just stared at him, cold and furious. "Just reminding you where you belong," he said, like it was nothing.
Before Aclric could even move, the four knights grabbed him, dragging him into the room. He kicked and fought, but it was useless. Their hands were rough, pinning him down, holding him there. It wasn't supposed to be like this. These were people he had trusted once.
"Stop! Please—" Aclric cried out, but nobody listened.
It felt like forever before they finally let him go. He lay there on the bed, legs trembling, chest heaving. Every muscle in his body ached. He felt broken... and more humiliated than he ever thought possible.
The knights sat on the sofa nearby, talking in low voices like nothing had even happened. Aclric stared up at the ceiling, numb, until he heard footsteps coming closer.
One of the knights knelt beside him, a towel and a basin of water in his hands. Gently, he started cleaning the bruises on Aclric's arms.
"Why are you cleaning him?" one of the others barked, his voice sharp with disgust.
The knight didn't answer. He just kept working, his touch careful, almost guilty. Another knight stood up, furious, and swung a punch at him — but the gentle one caught his fist mid-air, shoving him back without even blinking.
The tension exploded in the room, but the gentle knight didn't care. He grabbed a blanket, wrapped Aclric's weak body tight, and lifted him like he weighed nothing.
Aclric didn't even have the strength to fight it. He was just... tired.
The knight carried him to the window, kicked it open, and jumped down into the dark. The jungle stretched out in front of them — wild, dangerous, but better than the prison they'd left behind.
He found a strong tree and climbed up with Aclric still in his arms, settling down against the trunk. Aclric was half-conscious, his head resting against the knight's chest.
"You okay?" the knight whispered.
Aclric tried to say something, anything, but the world spun around him. His body went limp, and he fainted right there in the knight's arms.
The knight caught him easily, pulling him closer. He let out a shaky breath, holding Aclric like he was something fragile, something that needed protecting.
For the first time in a long time... Aclric was safe.