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Chapter Text

The wind rustled through the trees, sending a chill through Buck as he rode away from their farm, not planning where he was going. Anger simmered beneath his skin, the pounding of his horse’s hooves against the ground reflecting the pounding of his heart. He felt tears escape his eyes as he gathered the reins to bring his hands further up Horse’s neck, giving her a squeeze with his legs to encourage her to go faster, trying to distract himself from his spiraling thoughts.

They wanted to send Maddie away. Strong, independent, caring, Maddie – they were basically selling her. Buck had heard the other boys in the village, that Maddie was the most beautiful girl in Florin. To Buck, she was also the smartest and the most kind. And she had dreams that didn’t involve marriage to someone she didn’t love. She was studying to be a healer, working closely with the woman in the village everyone went to when they were sick or hurt. But his parents wanted to take her away from that to marry her to the first Duke who heard rumors of her beauty.

“Madeline, think of the fortune he would bring to the farm” his father had reasoned. If they hadn’t been the only cattle farmers in the village, his family would have been destitute long ago. Their cows failed to consistently provide good milk, and no matter how much Buck tried to care for them, they never seemed happy. His father was getting older, and Buck struggled to maintain the farm by himself. But they shouldn’t punish Maddie just because Buck was struggling to provide for his family.

As Buck reached the edge of the woods, Horse – who he named as a child – began to huff from exertion, so he slowed her to a walk. Leaning over her neck and burying his face in her coarse mane, Buck let his tears fall. He wouldn’t let his parents force Maddie into a marriage she didn’t want. He would work himself to the bone to support Maddie and his family if that meant that his parents won’t force her into a marriage with Duke Kendall. Buck continued to wander the woods until the sun began to set, not ready to return home. Besides Maddie, Horse was his only companion. She offered him a calming presence, seeming to always understand his emotions. He patted her neck as she carried him home.

As the farm came back into view, Buck made up his mind. He would do whatever it took to change his parents’ minds and stop them from sending Maddie away.

-

Buck’s parents did not have exactly what one would call a happy marriage. All they ever dreamed of was leaving the other. And while Buck couldn’t say he had the most loving parents, it was true that they hardly yelled. They preferred to sit in a heavy, dreadful silence. Sometimes, Buck wishes they would just unleash their fury towards him. He knew they felt it. Every time they look at him, he can see it in their expressions, in their eyes. They resented him, because he was here, and his brother was not.

By some miracle, Buck had convinced them to give him time to earn more money from the farm before forcing Maddie to marry Duke Kendall. He could feel them seething in their anger towards him afterwards, and he knows they only accepted his offer because they expect him to fail. He couldn’t fail, not with the way Maddie had pulled him aside and thanked him. She was so brave, but he knew she was afraid of what a future with the Duke might bring, and Buck never wanted her to find out.

-

The past week had brought long days of hard work, waking before the sun rises and working until long after it set. Buck had meant it when he decided he would work himself to the bone for Maddie. He had already expanded the reach of their dairy products and made mutually beneficial trade agreements with other farmers. He felt that they would soon see the benefits of his labor.

Buck started the day with a skip in his step, feeling bolstered by his progress. He is preparing the feed as his father pumps water from the well into buckets for the animals, the only thing he seems to help with these days. His father stops the flow of water, saying “Evan, finish this for me” before walking away.

Buck looks up to watch where is father is going, and his stomach flips as he watches his father shake hands with a tall stranger. The man has dark features, and Buck feels his mouth go dry, watching the tanned muscles of his forearms as he shakes his father’s hand. At first Buck thinks he’s another suitor for Maddie and anger quickly boils inside him. But then he notices the tattered bastion shirt he wears and the worn leather boots, and he becomes more confused because his parents wouldn’t consider anyone poor for their daughter.

His father and the strange man start walking towards Buck, and the coils in Buck’s stomach tighten as man’s features become clearer.

“Evan,” his father says brusquely “I hired this man to help around the farm.”

Buck finally looks the man in the eyes, and for a moment he thinks that all the air has left the barn as he tries to find his breath. His eyes are brown, like the chocolate they get once a year at Christmas time, and for a split-second Buck thinks he has never seen such kindness in someone’s eyes before. The man’s lips start to lift into a gentle smile as he reaches out to shake Buck’s hand, and Buck lifts his own hand to meet him halfway. But then he processes his father’s words, and he retracts his hand quickly.

“What the hell do we need him for?” he asks, appalled that his father would go behind his back to hire some man, when they needed to be saving money. Buck had this handled, he didn’t need help. The man raises his eyebrows, seemingly surprised at Buck’s reaction.

“I thought about what you said, and you were right.” His father responds, surprising him. His anger starts to fade, replaced with pride. They weren’t going to send Maddie away. They would focus on the farm, and Maddie would be able to pursue her studies to become a healer.

Then he continues, “If the Duke is to take Madeline’s hand in marriage, we will need a proper functioning farm to not embarrass the man. You can hardly make that happen yourself.” His father walks away before Buck can find the words to respond, leaving him simmering in his anger. He should’ve seen this coming; his parent’s had accepted his proposal too easily. And now he’s left with no choice. If he neglects his duties on the farm, his family will be destitute, and chances are that Maddie will still be married off. He wonders then, if the reason his father wants to improve the farm is so that he can sell it, meaning that they could get rid of Buck too. And his father hired this random man to make sure that their plan went through.

Buck glares at him, pulling himself up to full height so that the man has to look up at him. And he does, with those warm, kind, eyes. But Buck won’t be tricked. He knows the kindness in this man’s face could only be a ploy. This man was taking their money – Buck’s money – to do Buck’s job.

“Farm Boy,” he said, surprised by the harshness of his voice, trying to belittle the man standing before him. “Fill these buckets with water and fill all the troughs in the pasture” he demanded, spurred by the hurt and anger coursing through his veins. “Then clean the horses stalls and lay fresh straw for them.” He continues his list of demands, trying to make the man’s life a living hell, hoping he will quit. But the man remains patient, listening intently. Once Buck had given him a long list of duties, the man parted his lips as if about to speak but shut his mouth and nodded instead. Buck watched him for a second as he began to work, before pulling his eyes away from the man’s arms flexing as the he pumps water from the well.

-

In the weeks that followed, Buck found himself in a routine of making sure Maddie was okay, grooming and riding Horse, and pestering the farm boy. Buck had learned his name was Eddie, but the overwhelming ache he felt as he looked at the man prevented him from using his real name. Buck still felt a mixture of hurt, betrayal, and boiling rage every time he looked at the man. To make matters worse, Eddie was perfectly competent, and so very patient. He did everything Buck asked, and Buck found it harder and harder to maintain his façade of hatred.

Buck would do his own tasks, which he once performed with full attention, now only with half a mind as his gaze wandered. It always landed on Eddie. Eddie, shoveling hay to bring to the cow pasture. Eddie, carrying heavy buckets of feed. Eddie, repairing a damaged fence.

Buck currently has his hands deep in the soil as he tends to the vegetable garden. He looks up, noticing Eddie standing nearby and lifting his shirt to wipe dirt from his brow. Buck freezes, not able to look away as his eyes chase a drop of sweat tracing the line of Eddie’s abs. Eddie drops his shirt, ready to get back to work when Buck realizes he’s accidentally pulled the root of the plant he was pruning straight out of the ground and swears. Buck’s voice causes Eddie to turn towards him, making eye contact as Buck swallows, feeling like he’s just been caught.

“Farm boy.” He demands, trying to think of another task to assign to Eddie to compensate for his own slip up. Eddie steps towards him, a small smile on his face as he raises an eyebrow, waiting for instructions. “Polish my saddle,” he finds himself saying, feeling a bit lost as Eddie stares back into his eyes.

“As you wish.”

Buck’s heart clenches in his chest, and he doesn’t move for a long time as he watches Eddie walk towards the barn.

-

As more weeks pass, the farm continues to expand its operations and Buck has started to see a revenue. They now have daily milk deliveries around town, and partnerships with local villagers to make and sell cheese. Since Eddie has been here, the cows have been happier and healthier. A part of him wants to be happy for what they’ve accomplished; and another part of him wants to resent Eddie for enabling this change to happen. The dread he feels as Maddie’s inevitable departure nears outweighs any pride he might feel.

As the farm becomes more successful, their duties become more plentiful. Buck finds himself seeking Eddie out, unsure if he wants to give him more tasks to bother him, or as an excuse to talk to him.

“Farm boy, do this,”; “Farm boy, fetch me that.” It’s almost constant, keeping Eddie near for the most mundane and simple tasks. And every single time, Eddie looks him in the eye and replies “As you wish.”

And every single time, Buck’s stomach does a flip and his heart stutters in his chest.

-

One evening finds Buck and Eddie walking the same path away from the village after their milk deliveries. Eddie gives him that kind smile that he seems to save for Buck as they fall into step beside one another. The silence is comfortable for a time, but as the road winds on through the leaves that have started to change color, Buck itches for conversation.

“So, uh, where do you even live?” He wonders aloud, realizing that after months of working with Eddie, he hardly knows anything about the man at all, except for his kind demeanor, unending patience, and determination.

Eddie glances at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back at the path ahead. “A small hut nearby, just enough for me, my son, and my Abuela.”

Buck can’t hide his surprise at hearing that Eddie has a kid. “Woah, you’ve got a kid? I- I love kids,” he says, feeling oddly comfortable chatting with Eddie.

“I love this one,” he says quietly, smile twisting into something more reflective. “I’m all he’s got.”

That answers his next question. In the back of his mind, Buck wonders why he even cares if Eddie has a woman waiting for him when he goes home in the evening. It doesn’t affect Buck, because it doesn’t affect Eddie’s work on the farm. So, it doesn’t matter, Buck tells himself.

Then he thinks about the long hours Eddie works at the farm, and how he must be longing to get home to his son throughout the day. “So, how does that work then? You get to see him a lot?”

Eddie’s smile disappears then. “Ever since his mother left it’s just been me, him, and my parents. But we couldn’t stay with them.” A heaviness that Buck doesn’t recognize sets into Eddie’s tone.

“You left your parents?” he asks, unable to stop himself as his mind imagines doing the same thing. He stops that line of thinking immediately. He can’t leave Maddie here.

Eddie nods, keeping his eyes on the path ahead. “They wanted different things for Christopher. My Abuela was already here so I brought him here to have someone I trust looking after him while I work.”

He doesn’t elaborate after that, and Buck doesn’t push.

Eventually they reach a point near the edge of the property where a small path breaks from the road, and Eddie comes to a stop. “Well, this is me.”

As Eddie turns to walk towards the small home at the end of the path, Buck finds himself scrambling for something to say, not wanting the walk to be over just yet.

“You’ll need to be at the farm early tomorrow,” he says, then tries to come up with a reason, realizing that Eddie is always at the farm early. “Calving season is expected to start soon so we need you there.” Buck tries to sound demanding, but he thinks his tone might have been softer than intended. Eddie turns back towards him, a gleam in his eye as his gaze meets Buck’s.

“As you wish.”

Buck feels frozen in place as Eddie makes his way towards his home. The door swings open before Eddie reaches it, a young boy leaning on crutches with a huge smile on his face waiting there. Buck feels his heart melt, seeing Eddie lean down to lift the kid into his arms, a look of pure happiness spreading across Eddie’s face.

-

After his walk with Eddie, Buck feels like something has changed between them. When he looks at Eddie, he doesn’t see a man who is here to take Buck’s place, or to make sure that Maddie is sent away. He sees a man who loves his son, who is determined, kind, and loyal.

He tries to find flaws, anything to justify disliking the man.

He’s standing with Maddie in the kitchen, watching Eddie chop wood through the window as he helps Maddie prepare a stew. Dried herbs hang from the ceiling, filling the kitchen with pleasant smells as a fire crackles in the fireplace. “He’s been good for the farm,” she says, tracking his line of site. He can hear the trepidation in her voice, and he puts his knife down from where he’s chopping vegetables at the old wooden table to look at her.

“As long as I’m here it doesn’t matter what happens with the farm, I’m not going to let them send you away.” She smiles softly at him, placing a hand on his shoulder in thanks. He’s not sure if she believes him, so he continues. “I’ve been thinking, what if we left? Eddie left his parents and look at him now. We could do that. You and me. We’ll pack some bags, take Horse, and leave.”

He really hadn’t been thinking of this at all, not consciously at least. But as soon as the words have left his mouth, he can’t stop the hope from welling in his chest. Her eyes are filled with excitement as she imagines being free from the future that awaits her here, but then her face falls. “I can’t leave until I finish my studies with Miss Blevins. You know how hard it is for women to find an apprenticeship in healing.”

His optimism crashes. He knows she’s right. Pursuing healing is one of the main reasons she doesn’t want to marry the Duke. If Buck were to take her away from that, he would be just as controlling as their parents.

She gives his arm a squeeze, turning her attention back to Eddie to change the subject. “So, are you finally done hating Eddie?” she asks, a knowing look on her face.

“I – I mean, he – Uh, no I don’t have any opinion about him.” He finally manages. Her eyebrows raise higher and higher the more he stutters out his response, a smirk settling on her lips. “Right…” she says, disbelieving.

She looks out the window again, and Buck follows her gaze to where Eddie had been working but feels disappointment seeing that he’s no longer there.

“Oh, I’ve just realized I’m late for my lessons, finish the stew for me?” She asks suddenly, not waiting for a response before she turns and walks out the door, leaving Buck with various vegetables to chop.

He turns his attention back to preparing their meal, trying not to think about how Eddie’s arms looked as he swung the axe to chop the firewood. In trying to district himself from this image of Eddie, his mind drifts to seeing Eddie lift his son into a hug, and the sound of Eddie’s voice when he talked about Christopher. Then Buck thinks about the way Eddie looks at him. His gentle eyes and kind smile, even when Buck was vile towards him. The sound of someone entering the kitchen causes him to turn around, expecting to see Maddie again.

He freezes in place as Eddie steps through the doorway with his arms full of firewood. Buck feels like he’s been caught, despite the fact that Eddie can’t hear his thoughts. But the way that Eddie looks at him makes Buck feel like Eddie is a mind reader, like he knows every thought going through Buck’s head. And Buck is thinking that Eddie looks beautiful right now. He has a smudge of dirt on his forehead, and his hair is messy from working all day, but he’s beautiful. If Eddie can’t hear his thoughts, then he can certainly see Buck’s thoughts written clearly on his face. He looks back at Buck only for a moment before placing the firewood next to the fireplace and turning back towards the door, and Buck feels his heartrate quicken. Right now, the only thing Buck knows is that he wants Eddie close. And he needs to know if the way that Eddie looks at Buck is for the same reason that Buck was looking at Eddie when he walked in the kitchen.

“Farm boy.” Buck says quickly, realizing he’s never actually called Eddie by his real name before and feeling overwhelmed at the thought of it. Time stands still as Eddie turns back to face him.

“Fetch me that pitcher.” He says softly, nodding towards the pitcher hanging above his head along with other kitchen appliances. Eddie doesn’t look away, taking slow steps towards Buck until he is so close that Buck can feel Eddie’s breath on his face. Buck’s heart threatens to beat out of his chest as Eddie reaches for the pitcher, leaning closer into Buck’s space to do so. This close, Buck can see flecks of gold, like honey, in Eddie’s warm brown eyes. Eddie lowers the pitcher, placing it gently in Buck’s hands causing their fingers to brush.

“As you wish.” It comes out as a whisper, and Buck feels lightheaded at the softness of Eddie’s voice.

Then Eddie is stepping away, walking out of the kitchen and leaving Buck breathless, feeling as if they are on the verge of something just terribly important.

-

Something changes after that. Maybe Buck lets his guard down completely around Eddie, and maybe Eddie senses that Buck no longer hates him. In fact, Buck doesn’t know what he feels about Eddie, he just knows that whatever it is fills his chest with warmth and makes him feel like everything is okay. He knows that he likes to look at Eddie. His strong thighs as he walks, his hands when he works with tools, his arms when he lifts heavy equipment, and his smile when they make eye contact from opposite sides of the barn. Everything about Eddie is beautiful.

The real change happens when they are walking home from milk deliveries again, the sun starting to set over the treetops. Buck is disappointed when they reach the point in their walk where Eddie goes home, not wanting to say goodnight just yet. They stand there a moment, looking at each other silently. His disappointment increases as Eddie begins to turn away, but hope blooms in his chest when he pauses, turning back to Buck, a questioning look in his eyes.

“Do you maybe want to come in for a bit?”

And that is how Buck meets Christopher, the sweetest and funniest kid that Buck has ever met, and Eddie’s Abuela, a kind and hardworking woman. Their small home is filled with so much love, and Buck finds himself longing to share in it.

-

Buck looks around, scanning the farm for Eddie while he feeds the cows by himself. The sun is starting to rise, and Eddie still hasn’t showed up. Since Eddie was hired several months ago, he has never been late, and Buck tries – and fails – not worry. He’s about to abandon his duties in favor of taking Horse to Eddie’s house to check on him when Eddie walks into the barn looking disheveled and stressed, with Christopher at his side.

“I’m so sorry,” Eddie exclaims, “My Abuela woke up feeling sick and had to go into town. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Yes, you did. You brought him here.” Buck responds, smiling at Christopher, who’s curiously looking around the barn at all the equipment and tools. “Hey bud, you want to meet Horse?”

Christopher laughs, “that’s a funny name,” he teases. Eddie smiles at him, gratitude shining in his eyes as Buck leads Chris towards Horse’s stall.

They spend the morning showing Chris some of their basic duties on the farm, even letting him help with a few. By lunch time, it’s clear that Chris is exhausted and sore, so they bring him to meet Maddie in the kitchen for lunch. Maddie offers to stay with him for the rest of the afternoon so they can finish the more laborious tasks that need to be completed.

Buck tells Eddie to go home before the sun begins to set, feeling bad that Chris has to wait for him. They’re still standing in the barn, Buck needing to get more done before he ends his day. “I can’t thank you enough, Buck.” Eddie says.

“It was nothing, Chris always has a place with us here” Buck replies, meaning every word. He’s already starting to love that kid. The words have barely left his mouth before Eddie is pulling him into his arms, burying his head into Buck’s neck. And Buck can’t do anything but wrap his arms just as tightly around Eddie, breathing him in. They stay like that longer than a moment, holding each other, Buck relishing in the feel of Eddie’s strong arms, his hands like brands on Buck’s back. Eventually, Eddie slowly pulls away, leaving a hand on Buck’s shoulder as he captures Buck’s gaze in his own. “Really, Buck. Thank you.”

Eddie and Chris start their journey home, while Buck is left standing there trying to sift through the confusing feelings muddled in his mind.

-

Buck enters the kitchen to store the vegetables he just harvested to find his father calling excitedly to his mother while looking out at the road passing by their property.

“Quick, dear, come look,” he announced, to which his mother simply asked “Why?” without bothering to look up from where she was cooking.

“Just look – you know how” his father argued. Buck rolled his eyes at the fact that his parents could turn looking out the window into an argument. His mother didn’t look up until his father said “Such riches. Glorious. The heart swells at the magnificence.” This caught his mother’s attention. “What exactly is it, dear?”

“Just look!” This was likely their thirtieth spat of the day, always arguing about something and only teaming up when it came to making their children feel miserable about themselves. From where he stood by the dinner table, Buck watched them. Finally, his mother moved to look out the window and gasped.

“They must be going to meet the princess some place,” his mother explained, and his father nodded. “How lucky we are to see them pass by.”

Buck came close and stood behind them, and he was gasping too, because the Count and Countess and all their pages and soldiers and servants and courtiers and carriages were passing by the road at the front of the farm.

There was only one Count in Florin, and everyone knew he was the closest confidante to the Princess Taylor. The king was sick, and everyone also knew it was the princess who ran everything.

The three stood in silence as the procession moved forward. Buck knew his father had always wanted to live like a count. He wasn’t a good farmer, and not much of a husband either. It’s one of the reasons he wants to marry Maddie to the Duke, so he can gain the riches and splendor. His mother was thorny and worrying, a terrible cook and even more limited housekeeper. Yet she dreamed of having the chance of just once being popular, like the countess is said to be.

So, they stood there in awe of the riches and splendor passing before their eyes. Their awe turned to shock when the procession turned and began entering the farm.

“Here?” his father exclaimed, “What could they want with us?”

“Did you forget to pay the taxes?” His mother chastised. Buck just stood there, confused.

“No, I didn’t forget to pay the taxes,” his father argued. Both his parents were trembling as they stepped outside, from fear or excitement, Buck could not tell.

Buck followed close behind, his curiosity piqued.

“Cows,” the Count said when they reached his golden carriage. “I’m here to talk about your cows.” He spoke from inside, his face darkened by shadow and his voice sending chills down Buck’s spine.

“My cows?” Buck’s father responds, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Yes. You see, I’m thinking of starting a little dairy of my own and since your cows are known throughout the land as being the finest, I thought I might pry your secrets from you.”

“My cows.” His father repeats, knowing full well that their cows were terrible, until just recently when Eddie had started working for them. “Well, the farm boy should be able to tell you about all of our secrets.”

“And is that the farm boy?” another voice says, the face of the Countess coming into view from within the carriage.

“Oh no, that’s just our son.” Both the Count and Countess looked Buck up and down, making Buck want to squirm under their scrutiny.

“Then fetch the farm boy, hurry along now,” the Countess demands.

When Eddie joins them, the Count and Countess step out of the carriage, wearing the finest silks. Something about the Count made Buck shiver, his eyes cold and unnerving. Then Buck’s gaze settled on the Countess, who was considerably younger than the Count, with a perfectly painted face, bright lipstick on her lips. Her lips curved into a smile when her gaze settled on Eddie, and Buck felt his stomach clench at the hungry look in her eye.

“What is your name?” She asks, her voice commanding yet elegant.

“Eddie.” He tells her, and the coils in Buck’s stomach tighten.

“Well Eddie, perhaps you can help us with our problem.” She walks closer to him, Buck watching as the fabric of her dress brushes against Eddie’s skin. “We are all of us here passionately interested in the subject of cows. We are practically reaching the point of frenzy in our curiosity. Why, do you suppose, Eddie, that the cows of this particular farm are the finest? What do you do to them?”

Eddie raises an eyebrow, knowing full well that they do not have the finest cows. “I just feed them.”

“Well then, the mystery is solved. Clearly the magic is in Eddie’s feeding. Show me how you do it, Eddie?”

“Feed the cows for you?”

“Bright lad.”

“When?”

“Now will be soon enough,” and she held out her arm to him. “Lead me, Eddie.”

Eddie had no choice but to take her arm. Buck thinks his touch looks gentle. “It’s behind the house madam; it’s muddy back there, your gown will be ruined.”

“I wear them only once, Eddie, and I burn to see you in action.” She responds, a lilt to her voice that Buck doesn’t like as he watches her hand on Eddie’s arm while they walk towards the barn.

Throughout all this, the Count kept watching Buck.

“I’ll help you,” Buck calls after Eddie, wanting to escape the watchful gaze of the Count.

“Perhaps I’d best see how he does it too,” the Count decided, following Buck.

“Strange things are happening,” Buck’s parents murmured, and off they went too, bringing up the rear of the cow-feeding trip, watching the Count, who was watching Buck, who was watching the Countess. Who was watching Eddie.

-

A fire burns in Buck’s chest as he watches the Countess ogle over Eddie while he does his job. Sure, Eddie is wearing that shirt that has a deep v, hanging open to expose his toned chest. And sure, he has eyes like a warm, summer day. And his hands are strong but gentle in all that they do. But she doesn’t need to be looking at him like that. And she certainly doesn’t need to be placing her hand on his arm, his shoulder, his wrist, every time he shows her something new.

Eddie is being patient, and kind. Of course, he is. But Buck wishes he would shrug her hand off his shoulder, or step away from her when she gets too close. But he doesn’t. He looks back at her, and shows her how he feeds the cows, and leads her back through the mud as she grasps his arm. And it makes something green and angry swirl inside Buck. She was only beautiful because she was rich and had her every need served to her on a golden platter. Eddie wouldn’t fall for someone like that, would he? Sure, she could provide for his every need, and Chris would never want for anything. And the way she looks at him and touches him could certainly entice any young man. But Eddie wouldn’t fall for that, right?

The jealousy he feels as he watches Eddie lead her back to the carriage only heightens, distracting him from the watchful eye of the Count who seems to have been staring at Buck the whole time. They reach the carriage and white, hot, anger flares within him when the Countess turns to Eddie and lifts her hand, an expectant look on her face. Eddie looks confused at her gesture but seems to get the message after she clears her throat and wiggles her hand a bit closer to his face. Buck feels frozen in place, confused at the anger threatening to boil over as Eddie takes her hand and places a kiss to it.

Buck tells himself it’s just a sign of courtesy. That Eddie didn’t have a choice, she was practically waving her hand in his face. What else was he supposed to do? But Buck can’t get the image out of his mind. Eddie’s lips on her skin. Her hands on Eddie. Even long hours after the Count and Countess have departed, Buck still can’t shake the feelings that overcame him upon watching the Countess interact with Eddie.

“We will need someone to care for our cows when we start our farm,” She explains, “who better, than the man who has a magical touch such as yours?”

“Thank you for the offer, Madam.” Eddie replies, smiling politely, neither accepting nor declining. Buck’s feels his breath quicken and his heartrate speed up at the thought of Eddie accepting her offer.

-

He lays in bed, tossing and turning, trying to make sense of today’s events. He shuts his eyes, trying to clear his mind and drift to sleep. But instead, he sees Eddie. Eddie’s lips on the Countess’s hand, soft and slow. Eddie’s arm in the Countess’s grasp. Eddie’s hands working deftly as the Countess watched him. But why was she watching him? Why would the one woman in all the history of Florin who was in all ways perfect be interested in a farm boy? He knows Eddie is beautiful, of course he knows that. And Buck tells himself again that Eddie wasn’t interested in her. He was simply being polite because she is rich and powerful. Not because she’s beautiful or wise or charming.

Then he wonders why he even cares. What does it matter if Eddie is interested in the Countess? That shouldn’t bother Buck at all. But even the thought of it makes Buck’s stomach churn. He doesn’t want Eddie’s eyes or his hands or his lips on her. He wants them for himself and – oh. He wants Eddie for himself. And suddenly everything makes sense. All the fluttering in his chest when Eddie is near, his desire to always keep Eddie close, even when it was under the guise of pestering him. But that was never the case. Even when Buck was controlled by anger towards his parents for what they’re doing to Maddie, it was never truly Eddie that Buck was mad at. He was mad at his parents, he was mad at the world, and he was mad at himself. But never Eddie. Eddie was the one thing that made those feelings go away. That made Buck feel like maybe there is good in the world, and that maybe things would eventually be okay.

He thinks of how he always seeks out Eddie, no matter where he is on the farm. And how Eddie is always there. He thinks of Eddie’s hands, strong and sure. The feel of Eddie’s arms around Buck when he had pulled Buck in close. The sound of his voice every time Eddie says, “As you wish,” as if he really means something else. A promise, or a prayer. And he wants. He wants Eddie. He wants Eddie hands on him, he wants to know what Eddie tastes like, what he sounds like when he comes undone. He wants to go home to a small house that’s filled with love after a day of hard work. He wants to wake in the morning to the sound of Christopher laughing, because that kid always has a smile on his face. He wants and wants and wants, until he can’t stand it anymore, and he throws off his blanket and slips on a pair of shoes to go out and find Eddie.

The moon hangs low in the sky as he rides Horse to the edge of the property where Eddie’s house sits. Buck doesn’t think, the only thing on his mind as he rides is that he needs Eddie to know that he’s wanted here. That he shouldn’t accept the Countess’s offer. That Buck wants him here.

He jumps off Horse and hurries to the front door, hesitating once he reaches it when he realizes that he doesn’t know what he’s going to say. He raises his hand and knocks gently, not wanting to wake Chris or Eddie’s Abuela, and hoping the right words find him.

Eddie opens the door, his hair disheveled and looking so soft, making Buck want to run his fingers through it. His soft cotton shirt hangs lose on his frame, exposing his collar bones that make Buck’s throat go dry. Buck can see a lit candle and an open book on the small table behind Eddie. He looks beautiful in the glow of the moonlight.

A look of confusion crosses Eddie’s face. “Buck, what are you - ”

“I love you.” Buck exclaims, surprising even himself. “I know this must come as a surprise to you, because I was nothing but awful to you, and I hope you know that I’m so sorry.” Now that he’s started, he can’t seem to stop himself. Eddie stands there in his doorway, shocked and unmoving, and Buck can’t look at him as he continues. “And I’ve known that I love you for several hours now and with every passing minute I’ve grown to love you even more. Even since I’ve shown up here at your door, I know that what I feel now is nothing compared to what I felt when I first left my room an hour ago. There is no room in my body for anything but you. You and Chris. And I know that I can’t compete with the Countess, and I saw the way she looked at you, but she has other interests. But for me, there is only you. Please Eddie – I’ve never called you that before, have I? – Eddie, if there is a chance I could win your love, just say the word, I will do anything.”

And with that, he dares the bravest thing he has ever done; he looks right into Eddie’s eyes.

Chapter Text

Buck holds his breath, waiting for Eddie to say something, anything. But Eddie just stands there, staring. And reality comes crashing into Buck as he realizes what he just did. He just told a man that he was in love with him. And Eddie is standing there looking at him with those big brown eyes, and he’s not saying anything. Fear and anxiety curl up inside him, and he can’t stand to wait another minute. Eddie is going to hate him. He won’t want Buck to be around Chris, and Eddie is going to take Chris and move away to work for the Countess.

Buck whirls around, not able to stand Eddie’s silence any longer. Bitter tears sting his eyes as Horse carries him home, regret welling up inside him.

-

Not even one word. Eddie hadn’t even had the decency for that. “Sorry,” he could have said. He could have yelled at Buck for even thinking such a thing. Cursed him and turned him away. “Too late,” he could have said.

Why couldn’t he have at least said something?

But Buck knows, deep down, that he hadn’t spoken because there wasn’t anything for him to say. Eddie didn’t love him back and that was that. His tears begin to fall, and all they do as they wet his cheeks is remind him that he isn’t good enough. How could he be of any interest to a man like Eddie? A man who had caught the attention of the Countess?

It’s nearly dawn when he hears footsteps outside his door, followed by a faint knock. Buck hasn’t slept, and exhaustion tugs at his mind as he walks across his room to open the door.

“Eddie?” he asks, surprised to see the man standing there in Buck’s home, the sun just starting to peek above the horizon through the windows. He looks tired too, and Buck feels awful that his words caused Eddie to lose sleep.

“I – I’m sorry Eddie,” he blurts before allowing Eddie a chance to speak. “I shouldn’t have said those things. It was late, I must have been out of my mind, I don’t know why I would say something like that,” he attempts at making an excuse.

Something flashes across Eddie’s face, and Buck thinks he looks disappointed for a moment. “So, you didn’t mean it?” Eddie clarifies.

“No, I -” Buck almost says, of course he didn’t mean it. It was a joke, a prank, he was just teasing Eddie. But as Eddie stands in front of him, looking at Buck with an open expression and looking so beautiful, Buck can’t find it in himself to lie about how he feels. He swallows back his fear. “I meant it.”

“Good,” Eddie says quietly, stepping into Buck’s room. Buck’s heart feels like it’s in his throat as Eddie slowly shuts the door behind him, stepping in close. Eddie gently fits his hand against Buck’s cheek, and Buck can’t help but lean into his touch. And then Eddie is kissing him, and his mouth is soft and warm like Buck thought it would be, and he tastes like the bitter coffee he drinks in the mornings, and something else that is just pure Eddie. Buck grips Eddie’s hips and pulls him in close, appreciating the solid line of Eddie’s body against his own. Eddie deepens the kiss in response, swiping his tongue against Buck’s.

Buck can’t help but allow his hands to roam all over Eddie’s body, trailing his hands up Eddie’s sides, sliding them around to his back and feeling his strong shoulders, running his hands down the muscles of Eddie’s arms. Eddie’s hands have found their way into Buck’s hair, brushing through the hairs at the back of his head.

They pull away for a moment to catch their breath, panting into each other’s mouths. Buck whispers, “I thought you didn’t love me back.”

Eddie brings his hand back to Buck’s cheek and pulls back so that he can look Buck in the eyes. “My God, Buck. If your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”

His voice is full of love, and Buck finds himself believing Eddie. Eddie doesn’t stop there, stroking his thumb across Buck’s cheek as he continues. “I haven’t known a moment since we met when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my ribcage. I haven’t known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There hasn’t been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids. Is any of this getting through to you Buck, or do you want me to go on for a while?”

Buck is enraptured. “Never stop,” he whispers. Eddie places a soft kiss to Buck’s cheek. “I love you,” he says. He places a kiss on Buck’s other cheek. “I love you,” he says again, quieter this time. Buck realizes there are tears on his face. Eddie kisses them away, murmuring “I love you” between each kiss. Finally, he places a chaste kiss to Buck’s lips, before pulling away to look Buck in the eyes again. “Do you believe me?” Eddie asks. Buck nods and can’t do anything but pull Eddie back in for another kiss.

-

The days turn into weeks, and Buck has never been so happy. His parents have surprisingly let the topic of Maddie’s marriage go for now, seemingly pleased with the progress Buck and Eddie have made on the farm, and not feeling the need to sell the property yet. Maddie is happy too, pursuing her studies, and even beginning to practice real healing with Miss Blevins instead of just studying.

And then there is Eddie. Loyal, kind, loving, Eddie. Those few days after they first kissed were filled with bashful smiles from across the farm, trying to keep their hands off each other until they could sneak behind closed doors.

And they would sneak behind closed doors whenever they could. Some nights, when Abuela and Chris had gone to sleep, Eddie would sneak into Buck’s room. Sometimes he pushes Buck into the mattress, whispering promises of the future, taking care of Buck in a way that he has never felt before. Other times, he would curl up behind Buck, slinging an arm over his waist and pulling him close, placing soft kisses to the back of his neck.

Other nights, Buck joins Eddie, Chris, and Abuela for dinner, making excuses to his parents about late milk deliveries. He would stay to read by the candlelight, telling Christopher stories of heroes on epic adventures. Christopher would beg to stay up for one more chapter despite the sleepiness pulling his eyelids shut as he sits, snuggled between Buck and Eddie. Eddie would laugh softly, carrying a sleepy Chris to his bed in the corner of the room.

And Buck is so, so in love.

-

A chill has set in the air as autumn edges closer to winter. Buck wraps his wool cloak tighter as he trudges through the mud towards the barn to help prepare the feed. Eddie is already there, scooping the feed into buckets. He looks up at Buck and smiles, his eyes still heavy from sleep. Even after all this time, Buck still feels his stomach flip when Eddie looks at him.

“Good morning,” he says, walking up to where Eddie is crouching on the barn floor. Eddie cranes his head to look up at Buck, and Buck can’t help but bend over to place a kiss to Eddie’s forehead before slipping his fingers through Eddie’s soft hair for just a moment, knowing that his parents are still fast asleep. Eddie grabs his hand and brings it slowly to his lips, placing a tender kiss to it, before standing up to face Buck and kissing his lips just as softly.

“Good morning, my love,” Eddie says back, still holding Buck’s hand.

Here in the dark, before the sun peaks above the horizon, they are safe from the outside world. Safe from Buck’s parents.

Small moments like this make it all worth it. Sneaking around behind his parents back, despite how much Buck aches to reach out to hold Eddie’s hand as they walk to the pasture together. How much he longs fall asleep with Eddie in his bed, and wake up with him in it too, Christopher nearby in another room. But he will take this, and whatever Eddie will give him.

“Let’s get started.” Buck suggests after trading kisses for a little too long.

“As you wish,” Eddie says, slowly stepping away from Buck to grab the pails of feed, only releasing his hand when both their arms are outstretched and neither of them can reach anymore.

They start their day, working together effortlessly as the sun raises and brings some relief to the cold weather.

-

They’re lying in bed, Buck’s head pillowed against Eddie’s chest as Eddie traces a finger along the curves of Buck’s muscles along his back, sending shivers down his spine. Moonlight filters through the window, casting a blue hue onto Eddie, reminding Buck of another night when he rushed through the confession of a love he didn’t quite understand yet.

“I never thought I would make it here.” Buck whispers. Eddie’s hand stills and Buck can feel him shift so that he can get a better look at Buck.

“What do you mean?” he asks, voice kind and reassuring.

“Loving someone. Being loved back. It’s not something I ever thought I would get to have.” he admits into the dark of the room. Eddie pulls him closer, showing Buck that he’s listening, so he continues.

“I had a brother. I – I never met him. He died when I was just a baby. But I think my parents always resented me for not being him.” Eddie takes his free hand to lace their fingers together and bring their hands up to his lips. Eddie places small kisses to each of his fingers, and Buck’s heart blooms in his chest. “You don’t ever deserve to feel like that, Buck. Especially not because of your parents.”

Then Eddie lets go of his hand and sits up, making Buck lift his head off Eddie’s chest and onto the pillow. Buck immediately misses the heat of Eddie’s skin but doesn’t complain as Eddie leans over him to look him in his eyes. “You know, I would give you the world if I could?” Eddie tells him, and Buck gets lost in his dark eyes. “Me too,” he responds.

Then he remembers the long conversations they’ve had about Eddie leaving his parents to start a life of his own with Christopher, because his parents had become too controlling and questioned Eddie’s parenting, telling him they should raise Christopher. That decision had led Eddie to Buck. Buck was in disbelief when Eddie had told him that story late one night after they had said goodnight to Chris. Eddie was an incredible father. Anyone who loved their kid as much as Eddie loved Christopher had to be an amazing parent.

He brings his hand to Eddie’s cheek, tracing his thumb along the features of Eddie’s face. His cheekbone, his brow, his lips. The idea had barely come to mind before he was speaking. “Let’s get out of here.” Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up to his forehead, but a smile tugs at his lips.

“You, Chris, Maddie, and me. We’ll pack a few bags and get the hell out of here, start a new life. We can get a piece of property, maybe steal a few of our cows to get us started. We won’t have to hide anymore. Maddie won’t have to live in constant worry that our parents will marry her off to some random man. We can leave my parents behind.” He’s talking faster and faster, his heart beating against his chest at the thought of it. Then he adds – “your Abuela is welcome too, of course.” Eddie is smiling above him, and in his face, Buck can see their future.

Eddie doesn’t say anything at first, he just leans down to press a heated kiss into Buck’s mouth. Then he pulls away just enough to speak and says “Yes. Say the word and we’re gone. Tomorrow, next month, next year. Just say the word.”

Tomorrow. It fills Buck with excitement, and he feels a smile across his face. Tomorrow he will talk to Maddie, and – he stops himself, his smile falling. “Maddie needs to finish her studies. She can’t leave until she’s done working with the town healer. It would be too hard to find a new mentor to pick up where they left off. We’ll have to wait.” Buck is suddenly nervous, feeling like that moment of hope has been crushed. It’s too much to ask of Eddie. But Eddie is still smiling down at him, and he says, “Then we will wait,” before capturing Buck’s lips in another kiss.

-

Buck tells Maddie the first thing the next morning. He finds her while his parents sit in the kitchen, his father sorting through finances and his mother knitting a sweater for the winter.

“You want to leave Mother and Father?” she asks, incredulous at first as they go for a walk. He’s quick with a response. “Just thinking about it, Maddie. What are you going to do when you become a healer? You know they will never accept that you are earning money for yourself. The farm is doing well right now, but what about when it’s not? They’ve stopped pushing for marriage now Maddie, but I’m not confident they’ve given it up entirely.”

She considers for a moment. “So, you’re thinking we go somewhere far from here and start over?” This time, he senses hope in her voice. “Yeah, as soon as your apprenticeship with Miss Blevins is over.”

“A year,” she says, “you and Eddie are willing to wait a year?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.” he smiles. One year. They could keep doing this. And in a year, they wouldn’t have to hide anymore, and Maddie would be safe, and he wouldn’t feel his parent’s resentment every day of his life. One year.

-

The chill in the air becomes more biting as winter sets in. It’s getting more difficult to keep his distance from Eddie as they work laboriously on the farm. The snow makes their work slow and exhausting, and the cold is bone deep despite Buck’s many wool layers. Sometimes he thinks the only way he can keep warm in this harsh winter is by wrapping himself in Eddie’s arms or holding Eddie in his.

His parents went to town today, a rare occurrence as they generally send Buck or Maddie to run errands, and Buck is filled with joy as he gets a taste of what their future holds. Neither of them hesitates to reach out to grab the other’s hand as they trudge through the pasture. When Buck thinks Eddie looks cold while he’s pumping water from the well, Buck goes up behind him to pull Eddie’s back close against chest, sharing his body warmth. Eddie laughs softly, turning in Buck’s arms and placing a soft kiss to his cold lips. Buck laughs too, realizing that they’ve been distracting each other from their work all day. He brings his gloved hands up to Eddie’s cheeks, rosy in the cold, in an attempt to warm them. Then Buck says, “You’re supposed to be pumping water from the well before it freezes,” a teasing jest in his voice.

“As you wish,” Eddie responds like clockwork. And as always, Buck’s heart stutters in his chest. “You always say that” Buck states.

Eddie pulls away just a little bit to look Buck in the eyes. Buck can see their breath in the cold air, indistinguishable from the others as they stand close. A small smile pulls at Eddie’s lips. “You haven’t figured it out yet?”

Buck looks back at him, confused.

“I’ve been saying it to you so long, and you’ve been hearing it wrong the whole time.” His voice is full of adoration as he continues, “Every time you said, ‘Farm boy do this’ you thought I was answering ‘As you wish.’ But that’s never what I was actually saying. ‘I love you’ is what it is. What it’s always been.”

“This whole time?” Buck asks, thinking back to the confusing feelings in his chest whenever Eddie would say those words, back when Buck tried so hard – and failed – to hate Eddie.

“This whole time.” Eddie responds as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I hear you now,” Buck says, overwhelmed by Eddie’s words, “and I promise you: I will never love anyone but you. Only you, Eddie. Until I die.”

Eddie pulls Buck into another kiss in response, this one deeper, but just as slow and loving. All the sudden Buck feels like there are too many layers between them despite the cold biting at their skin.

“On second thought, pumping the water can wait.” Buck says, grabbing Eddie’s hand and pulling him towards the house.

“Buck, what are you -” Eddie starts to say, but Buck cuts him off. “My parents won’t be home until late tonight, Maddie is in town, and we have the house to ourselves. Work can wait until tomorrow.”

Eddie nods in response, seemingly at a loss for words, and follows Buck into the house. As soon as the front door closes, Buck can’t wait anymore. He turns around to face Eddie, who’s eyes are dark as Buck grabs his hips and gently pushes him up against the front door.

“I love you.” Buck whispers, before leaning in to kiss Eddie, softly at first, until Eddie’s hands find their way to the back of Buck’s head and he parts his lips, inviting Buck to deepen the kiss. Buck is all too aware of the many layers separating them, and tries to shove Eddie’s cloak off his shoulders, but it gets stuck between Eddie and the door that Buck is pressing him against. Eddie huffs a laugh into his mouth, pushing away from the door to allow Buck to push the cloak the rest of the way off. Eddie continues to push forward, making Buck take steps backward as Eddie tries to lead them to Buck’s bedroom.

They’re forced to separate as Buck stumbles over his feet, Eddie’s strong hands coming to his sides to steady him. The journey to the bedroom takes a long time, both laughing and unable to keep their hands of each other. Buck finally loses his gloves and his cloak, and Eddie shirt has been untucked from his pants.

When they finally make it to Buck’s room, it’s Eddie’s turn to push Buck against the door as soon as it closes. He kisses Buck for only a moment before pressing kisses along his jaw and trailing wet, open-mouthed kisses down his neck. Eddie’s hands are warm against his skin when they find their way under Buck’s shirt, sliding up Buck’s sides until he’s lifting Buck’s shirt up over his head. His lips immediately attach to Buck’s neck again, and the cool air is nothing compared to the heat of Eddie’s mouth and Eddie’s hands all over him. Buck can feel his breathing speed up, and he aches to get his hands on Eddie’s skin. Eddie’s mouth on him makes Buck helpless and the most he can do is tug at Eddie’s shirt and murmur “off.”

He can feel Eddie’s chuckle against his skin before he pulls away from Buck, looking into his eyes as he reaches to pull his own shirt off. Buck gives himself a moment to take Eddie in, appreciating his toned stomach and chest, his muscular arms from a life of hard labor. But he only lasts a second before he needs to get his hands on Eddie, feeling the curves of those muscles, and the smoothness of his skin.

Eddie pulls him close, a hand sliding around to Buck’s lower back, so they’re pressed together from hip to chest, kissing him deeply as he slowly turns Buck around before walking him towards the bed. Buck is gently pushed backwards until the backs of his legs hit the bed, Eddie’s hands now framing his face. They don’t break the kiss as Buck sits down, Eddie leaning over him, licking into his mouth. Eddie lays Buck back on his bed, crawling over him until he covers Buck’s body with his own. “Let me take care of you,” he whispers into Buck’s ear, grinding his hips down, making Buck lose his mind with how much he wants Eddie.

Achingly slow, Eddie’s mouth makes its way down Buck’s body, drawing a moan from Buck as Eddie sucks a mark into Buck’s chest. He continues to take Buck apart with his mouth, slowly making his way down Buck’s stomach as his hands begin to untie the strings of Buck’s pants. Buck lifts his hips to allow Eddie to slide his pants down. After Buck is laid naked in front of Eddie, Eddie cradles the backs of Buck’s legs as Eddie plants kisses up his shins, up his thighs. Buck shivers at the care and attentiveness Eddie gives him as he makes his way all the way back up Buck’s body, finally, finally kissing Buck’s lips again.

Buck’s hands find the strings of Eddie’s pants, and he thinks it’s a crime that they’re still on. He pulls the strings loose and tugs, but their position makes it awkward, and Buck can’t get them off. Eddie laughs into Buck’s mouth before rolling off Buck and quickly kicking them off before crawling back over him and kissing him sloppily. Eddie grinds his hips down, and they both moan into each other’s mouths without any layers of clothes to separate them.

Eddie whispers words of love into Buck’s mouth when he begins to open in him up, and when he finally pushes into him, he kisses him softly. His slow thrusts threaten to make Buck fall apart, but his wandering hands which smooth all over Buck’s body hold him together. When Buck feels tears wet his cheeks, Eddie kisses them away, and Buck feels loved like he never has before. Eddie takes such good care of him, and Buck hopes he can only do the same for Eddie for the rest of their lives.

Afterwards, Eddie finds a cloth and gently cleans them up, before climbing back into bed and holding Buck close. Eddie kisses Buck’s temple, followed by gentle kisses on his cheeks. “You were so good,” he says quietly.

Buck is tired, sated, and so content here in Eddie’s arms. He can’t think of anything to say except “I love you.” They lay together as the sun sets through the window, casting an orange glow over the bed and onto Eddie skin. His hair is wild after Buck ran his fingers through it so many times, and he’s sure he looks quite the same. Buck nuzzles closer to Eddie, relishing in the heat of his skin. Despite the winter air, he feels warm laying here with Eddie, his arm slung over Eddie’s waist and head pillowed against his chest. He can’t help but to press soft kisses into Eddie’s skin, and he feels the chuckle that rumbles in Eddie’s chest before he feels Eddie’s lips against his forehead. “I love you.” Eddie says back.

A smile tugs at his lips as his eye’s fall closed. He can’t believe he gets to have this, have Eddie forever. Safe and happy in Eddie’s arms, Buck drifts into sleep.

-

Buck wakes slowly when he hears the door open. He’s first aware of the rise and fall of Eddie’s chest, their legs tangled together, and arms slung over each other. It’s gotten dark, and Buck realizes they fell asleep. Then he processes who is speaking, and his heart drops.

“Evan, you left two cloaks out in the hall, what the hell were you…” Time stands still as Buck’s eyes adjust in the dark, to see his father standing there, at the foot of his bed, staring at his son with another man in his bed. Eddie is awake by now, just as frozen as Buck feels now. The cloaks fall from his father’s hand, and rage takes over his expression. Buck is filled with terror, not knowing what his father will do.

He expects him to yell, to throw something, to unleash all the anger and resentment he’s held towards Buck since he was just a baby. But he doesn’t, in a quiet, but equally terrifying voice, his father speaks slowly. “Get the fuck out of my house. Get off my property. And leave this town. And do not look back. NOW.” His father storms out of his room, and Buck remains frozen. Eddie quickly starts moving, first bringing his hand up to Buck’s face and saying “Hey. Hey, look at me Buck. We’re gonna be okay.” Buck nods, but he still feels like he can’t breathe and panic is building in his chest.

“Sweetheart. Look at me.” The use of the unfamiliar name gets Buck’s attention, and he finally looks at Eddie. Something in his eyes settles him, just a little bit.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Eddie repeats. “We were already planning to leave; our plans have just changed a little bit.” He starts to dress and tosses Buck’s clothes to him. Buck moves slowly, but his mind is racing. He’ll have to find Maddie before he goes. He has to apologize, and he just hopes that they can get back to her in time before they decide to marry her off with Buck gone.

Before they leave Buck’s room, Eddie grabs Buck’s hand and pulls him in for a gentle kiss, squeezing Buck’s hand before letting it go.

As they walk towards the front door, a sense of finality settles over Buck. The only time he will ever be back here is when he sneaks back in to find Maddie. Then he will be leaving with Eddie and Eddie’s family, and they will start a new life together. And he will come back for Maddie. The thought brings a certain peace to him that he wasn’t expecting. When he’s about to open the door, his father’s voice stops him, anxiety coursing through him in response.

“Not you.” His father commands. Buck freezes and turns toward his father to see him staring directly at him. His brow furrows, trying to figure out what he means. “You need to stay here. And work. And he will leave, and never come back here again.”

Fear crawls up Buck’s throat. No no no no. That can’t happen. “No. I won’t let Eddie leave without me.” He decides. His father slams his fist on the table, making Buck jump. His father stands, his voice laced with anger “You will not leave and live this lifestyle with this man.”

Buck pulls himself straighter, making his decision. “You can’t stop me,” he says, grabbing Eddie’s hand and pulling the door open.

“If you walk out that door, Madeline will be married to Douglas Kendall by the end of the month, you have my word.”

He freezes, turning to look at Eddie. And he can see it in Eddie’s eyes. Stay. For Maddie. Eddie nods, and it feels like a promise. Like he’s telling Buck they will be okay. His father’s gaze burns into him as Eddie squeezes his hand one last time and walks out the door.

-

Buck sits on his bed waiting to hear his parents’ footsteps walking to their room. His mother had cried when his father explained what happened, as if she actually cared about what Buck does instead of the village’s perception of their family. Buck couldn’t bring himself to care about what his parents think. Eddie was leaving because of them. But as much as Buck blamed his parents, he couldn’t help the guilt clawing at his chest. If he hadn’t dragged Eddie into the house, if he hadn’t fallen asleep, if he hadn’t risked their entire relationship; his mind is racing with what if.

After he’s sure his parents are asleep, he picks up his boots and walks carefully through the house, slipping on his boots when he gets to the door. He makes quick work of preparing Horse and riding to the edge of the property. He sees Eddie through the window, holding Abuela’s hand as she talks to him, no doubt sharing words of comfort.

He takes a deep breath before knocking, preparing himself to say goodbye. When Eddie opens the door, he looks exhausted, and Buck thinks he might’ve been crying. Without speaking, they immediately fall into each other’s arms. Eddie pulls Buck in tight, tucking his face into Buck’s neck. Buck winds his arms around Eddie’s back, clinging to him and never wanting to let go. They stay like that, holding the other and breathing each other in.

“I’m sorry.” Buck whispers into Eddie’s neck. Eddie pulls away just enough that he can press a kiss into Buck’s temple.

“No, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault, it’s not.” Eddie’s voice is urgent, as if he needs Buck to know that he doesn’t blame him. He pulls away, hands framing Buck’s face and looking into his eyes. “I’ll come back for you. As soon as Maddie is finished her apprenticeship, I’ll come back for you both.”

Buck finally feels the first sting of tears behind his eyes, and he feels like he can hardly speak when he says, “Don’t forget about me.”

Eddie’s heartbreak is clear on his face. “I could never forget you, Evan Buckley.”

Then Eddie grabs his hand, pulling him into the house. He sits at the table as Eddie explains his plan. He tells Buck that Chris and Abuela will stay with his sisters while Eddie sails to London to find work, hopefully something that will let him visit home to see Chris.

“I’ll save up enough money for you and Maddie, and as soon as she’s ready, I’ll be back.”

Buck feels awful, but so so loved. “I’ll save too. Just enough that my dad won’t notice. So we’ll be ready for a new start.”

A small smile touches Eddies lips as he grabs Buck’s hand across the table. “A new start. You, me, and Chris.” Buck covers Eddie’s hand with his free one. “Together.” He says.

With plans for their future, Buck takes Eddie’s hand and guides him to the bed. Neither of them sleep, but they relish in the warmth of the other, refusing to let go as they lay in each other’s arms. They stay like that until the sun starts to peak above the horizon, when Eddie turns in Buck’s arms to face him.

“I have to go,” he whispers. Buck shakes his head, but knows Eddie is right. “Chris will want to say goodbye to you.”

Buck’s heart breaks, thinking about how big Chris will be the next time he sees him. Buck can’t stop the tears from escaping when he leans down to hug him, both squeezing tightly. “I’ll miss you, Buck.”

He wonders what Chris will remember of Buck the next time they see each other. He puts his hand on Christopher’s shoulder and kneels to eye level, “I’ll miss you too kid, be good for your family, eh?” Christopher giggles, as if to say “duh.”

Abuela pats his cheek and tells him to take care of himself before leading Chris outside, leaving Buck and Eddie alone.

“I’ll write to you.” Eddie says. Buck can only manage to nod, unable to stop the tears now that they’ve started. He can’t move, he can’t even speak. His heart is breaking, feeling as if he won’t ever see Eddie again.

Eddie steps towards him, lifting a hand to gently wipe the tears from Buck’s face, stoic as always. “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

And with that he turns to walk out the door.

He takes another step, not turning.

Buck watches him.

Eddie turns.

And the words rip out of Buck: “Without one more kiss?”

They fell into each other’s arms.

-

The first morning after Eddie’s departure, Buck thought he was entitled to do nothing more than sit around feeling sorry for himself. After all, the love of his life had fled, and his life no longer felt as if it had meaning. It was just wake, work, sleep. Once again, Maddie and Horse were his only comfort.

But he had promised Eddie he would save money so they could start over. So, every morning he woke early to complete his chores on the farm. There was much to be done now with Eddie gone, and more than that, ever since the Count had visited everyone in the area had increased their milk order.

The only thing Buck had to look forward to were letters from Eddie. And with every letter, his love seemed to grow. Eddie had just written saying that he was about to depart for England, telling Buck the Queen’s Pride was his ship, and he loved him.

That was the way his sentences always went. It is raining today, and I love you. Chris is safe with my family, and we love you. Say hello to Horse and I love you. He would send his letters to Miss Blevins to give to Maddie, who would give them to Buck to eliminate the chances for his parents to intercept.

Then there were no letters, but that was natural when one was at sea. Buck was coming in from feeding the cows and heard Maddie talking to their parents in the kitchen.

“Just off the English coast?” Maddie asked, her voice sounding devastated, causing alarm bells to ring in Buck’s mind. Then his mother whispered, “Without warning, at night.”

“What?” Buck asked as he steps into the kitchen, feeling like they were keeping something from him.

“Pirates.” His father said matter-of-factly. “Intercepted a ship off the coast of England. The Queen’s Pride.”

Buck feels like he’s falling. His head spins and he thinks he might throw up.

“Eddie’s been taken prisoner then?” Buck manages.

“It was Roberts,” his father said. “The Dread Pirate Roberts.”

“The one that leaves no survivors.” Buck says.

“Yes.” His father says, turning back to what he was doing before.

Silence falls over the room. Maddie rushes to Buck’s side, and he’s vaguely aware of her hands on his side trying to keep him up as he falls to his hands and knees and retches the contents of his stomach on the floor. He’s not sure how long he stays there, chest heaving and feeling like it’s collapsing in on itself.

With that, Maddie helps lift him from the floor and lead him to his room.

He stayed there many days. At first Maddie tried to lure him but he would not have it. She took to leaving food outside his door, and he took bits and shreds, enough to stay alive. To stay alive for Maddie. There was never noise inside his room, no wailing, no bitter sounds.

When he at last came out, his eyes were dry. His parents stared up from their silent breakfast at him. Maddie was quickly by his side, but Buck put a hand up to stop her. “I can care for myself, please,” and he set about getting some food. He felt thinner, weaker, and an ocean sadder.

When he sat at the table, Maddie finally spoke.

“You’re alright?’ She asked, likely knowing it was a stupid question.

Buck sipped his tea. “Fine,” he said.

“You’re sure?” she prompted.

“Yes,” Buck replied. There was a very long pause. “But I will never love again.”

He never did.

Chapter Text

The King of Florin was ailing, the Princess needed to find a prince before he passed if she were to replace her stepmother as Queen. The most obvious suitor was the Prince of Guilder, but Princess Taylor found him awfully boring, and not at all attractive. The two nations hadn’t been at peace for what seemed like centuries and a marriage would be perfect for an alliance. But when a gust of wind through the Great Hall took the prince’s wig, the Princess refused to even finish dinner with him.

She was ranting to the Queen – her stepmother – later that evening.

“I do wish you hadn’t been quite so blunt,” the Queen said. Taylor whirled on her. “I’m not marrying a bald prince, and that’s that.”

“No one would know,” the Queen explains, “he has hats, even for sleeping.”

“I would know.”

“But things would be so good with Guilder,” the Queen said, addressing herself half to the princess and half to the Count who had just walked in.

“Forget about Guilder, I’ll conquer it sometime. I’ve been wanting to ever since I was a kid anyway,” Taylor states, “You’ll just have to find me someone else.”

“Who?”

“Just find me somebody,” Taylor responds impatiently. “They just have to look nice, that’s all.”

The Count steps forward. “You just want someone who looks nice – but what if he’s a commoner?”

“The commoner the better!” Taylor replied, beginning to pace.

A smile spreads across the Count’s face. “I believe he is already found.”

-

Buck trudges through the mud towards Horse’s stall, feeling as if he’s right back where he was nearly a year ago, spiraling after his parents told them Maddie would be married to the Duke. Except this time, he understands the nature of pain and has a sure knowledge of suffering. He failed. He couldn’t maintain the operations of the farm by himself, and his family has fallen back into a financial struggle. Buck briefly wonders why the Duke hasn’t been able to find himself another wife in the past year, but that barely matters right now when Buck is overwhelmed with the thought that he has failed his only purpose for living.

Maddie will be married by the end of the month. Just when she is supposed to be nearing the end of her studies. They had been so close, and Buck had failed. He feels like he has no fight left in him. He failed Eddie, and now he’s failed Maddie. Saving Maddie from this future was the only thing that mattered to him after he lost Eddie. And he failed.

He hasn’t yet reached Horse’s stall when he’s pulled from his thoughts, distracted by two riders coming up the road. He stops, confused as he recognizes the Count riding towards him. For a second, he thinks the woman on the other horse is the Countess, and he wonders if they are looking for Eddie to inquire about their job offer for him. He feels sick at the thought that he’ll have to say the words out loud. Eddie is dead.

When they get closer, Buck sees that the woman’s hair is too red to be the Countess, and she is far too petite.

The woman says something to the Count, who’s eyes still send chills down Buck’s spine, and she rides ahead to stop next to Buck.

“I am your Princess, and you will marry me,” she says, her voice clipped and sharp.

Buck thinks of Eddie, and disgust swirls in his chest at the thought of ever loving someone else.

“I am your servant and I refuse.”

The Princess raises her eyebrows in shock. “I am your Princess and you cannot refuse.”

“I am your loyal servant and I just did,” He responds, pulling himself up to stand taller.

“Refusal means death.”

“Kill me then.” He can’t find it in himself to care any longer.

The Princess sounds aghast when she speaks, “I am your Princess and I’m not that bad – how could you rather be dead than married to me?”

Buck finally meets her eyes, which are cold and apathetic. “Because” Buck says, “marriage involves love, and that is not a pastime at which I excel. I tried once, and it went very badly, and I swore to never love another.”

The Princess scoffs this time. “Who mentioned love? Not me, I can tell you. Look, there must be a male heir to the throne. My father is dying, and I will only replace my stepmother as Queen if I have a husband. So, I will marry and have many children until I have a son. So, you can either marry me and become the richest and most powerful man in a thousand miles and give turkeys away for Christmas and provide me a son, or you can die in terrible pain in the very near future. Make up your mind.”

Buck thinks of Maddie. If he were to refuse, Maddie would get married, and his death would leave her completely alone with a man she doesn’t know. But if he were to accept and become rich, Maddie wouldn’t need to get married. His parents wouldn’t care what she does, as long as Buck provides for them. A coldness settles over his heart as he decides what he must do.

“I will never love you,” he says.

“I wouldn’t want it if I had it.”

“Then by all means, let us marry.”

-

His parents had been thrilled, which came as no surprise to Buck. Not only did they never have to work another day in their lives (not that they did that much anyways), but they were ridding themselves of Buck for good.

He had broken Maddie’s heart. She begged him, telling Buck he didn’t need to do this. But he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he had given up the last opportunity to save Maddie from the future their parent’s had planned for her. Living the rest of his life in a loveless marriage would be worth it if he got to see Maddie living out her dreams of healing people around the country.

The following three years had been a miserable whirlwind. First, there was tension in the castle’s court that the princess can’t marry a commoner, which is how Buck became the Prince of Hammersmith, a small lump of land in the king’s holdings. This was followed by extensive etiquette training, in which Buck learned to properly bow, how to address noblemen and other people of high standing. He went through the motions every day, feeling numb and detached from himself.

Finally, the day came when Buck was to be introduced as Princess Taylor’s groom. The Great Square of Florin City was packed as people came from all over the country to see Prince Evan Buckley of Hammersmith.

At noon, Princess Taylor stepped out on the balcony, and a hush settled over the crowd.

“My people, my beloveds, from whom we draw our strength, today is a day of greeting. As you must have heard, my honored father’s health is not what it once was. He is, of course, ninety-seven, so who can ask for more. As you also know, Florin needs a male heir.” The crowd began to stir in anticipation.

“In three months, our country celebrates its five hundredth anniversary. To celebrate that celebration, I shall, on that sundown, take for my husband the Prince Evan of Hammersmith. You do not know him yet, but you will meet him now. As the doors swung open, Buck stepped through them to stand beside Taylor on the balcony, feeling stone cold inside.

Taylor grabbed his hand and held it high for the crowd to see, a smile plastered on her face as they cheered. Buck recoiled internally at the feel of her hand in his. It was all wrong. Small, dainty, and smooth, instead of large, strong, and calloused.

“That’s enough,” she said to him curtly, pulling him back towards the castle.

“They’ve waited out here for so long,” Buck answered. “I would like to walk among them.”

A look of disgust crossed Taylor’s face. “We do not walk among commoners unless it is unavoidable.”

“I’m one of them. They won’t harm me.” With that, he left the balcony onto the great steps of the castle, and, quite alone, walked into the crowd.

Wherever he went, people parted to let him pass. It made Buck feel wrong. He was no different from them. He continued, moving slowly and smiling kindly. And for the first time since he accepted the Princesses proposal, felt a glimmer of warmth at the thought that he might be able to do some sort of good for the people of Florin.

He had studied and trained, so he plastered a smile on his face for the people in the square, letting them reach out to touch his tunic as they looked up at him, amazed at his brilliance.

Unbeknownst to Buck, in the farthest corner of the Great Square, deep in the shadows, a man in black stood waiting. His boots were black and leather. His pants were black and his shirt was black. His mask that covered the upper half of his face was blacker than raven. But blackest of all were his flashing eyes, cruel and deadly.

-

Buck was more than a little weary from his introduction and subsequent walk through the townspeople. The touching and cheering of the crowd had exhausted him so he rested a bit, and then, toward midafternoon, he changed into his riding clothes and went to fetch Horse. This was the one aspect of his life that had not changed in the years preceding. He still loved to ride, and every afternoon, weather permitting or not, he rode alone for several hours in the wild land beyond the castle. He did his best thinking there.

Unlike before, Horse was now his only companion, as he didn’t even have Maddie. Her letters were one of the few things that could make him genuinely smile these days. Her last letter told him that she met someone from Florin City who was looking to hire a healer, and she was planning to take the offer. Buck couldn’t wait for her to live nearby. Hearing about her stories of saving lives made this worth it. He tries to ignore the gaping hole in his chest at the thought that he could’ve had Eddie at his side while Maddie pursued her dreams.

As he rode through the woods and streams and heather, his mind was racing. The walk through the crowd had moved him, and in a strange way. Even though he had trained for nearly two years to be a prince and a king, today was the first day he actually understood that it was all soon to be a reality.

He thought about how he dislikes Taylor. It wasn’t as if he hated her, he just never saw her. His mind kept coming back to the same two questions. Was it wrong to marry without like? And if so, was it too late to do anything about it? He decides that while it’s not ideal, it wasn’t wrong, so long as both people fully agreed to it. But, he thinks, that also doesn’t make it right. As for his second question, the answer was simple. He had given his word, and he did so to make sure Maddie didn’t have to suffer this fate.

Dusk began to close in as Buck crested a hill about an hour and a half into his ride. Three figures standing in the shadows made him rein Horse to a halt. The man in front was short and bald, with a pale complexion and slight humpback. A younger man with black hair and a scar across each cheek stood taller and leaner; his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Buck. The third was a dark-skinned woman, who had arms that looks strong enough to flip Buck over her shoulder.

“A word?” said the man in the middle, his voice nasally.

“Yes?” Buck responded, thinking that these people made an odd trio.

“We are but poor circus performers,” he explained. “It is dark, and we are lost. We were told there is a village nearby that might enjoy our skills.

Buck thinks for a second. He rides out here because there are no villages, and he thinks he knows the land well enough by now. “You were misinformed,” Buck tells them. “There’s no one, not for a couple miles.”

A sly smile spreads across the bald man’s face, making something in Buck squirm. “Then there will be no one to hear you scream,” the man says, before jumping with frightening agility towards Buck, dragging him off Horse’s back. Fear courses through Buck for a fraction of a second, and if he screamed it was from fright rather than pain as the man placed his hands expertly on Buck’s neck. But that was all the time Buck had to feel anything before everything went black.

-

Buck slowly blinks his eyes open, his head feeling fuzzy. He becomes aware of the lapping of water and is vaguely aware of the rocking of a boat. His first instinct is to call out for help, but he stops himself when he hears voices, and thinks it would be better to listen. He closes his eyes again and tries to focus on their voices despite his pounding headache.

“I just don’t see why we need to kill him,” the woman says, and Buck wishes he felt more fear at the implication of those words. That his kidnappers are meant to kill him.

“The less you think, the better off we’ll be,” the nasally voice responds. Buck hears a scoff, and he assumes it’s the woman.

There was the sound of cloth ripping, followed by who Buck assumes to be the younger man asking, “What is that?”

“The same as I attached to her saddle,” says the nasally man. “Fabric from the uniform of an officer of Guilder. The prince must be found dead on the Guilder frontier for us to be paid the remainder of our fee, don’t you know why I hired you?”

There came a flapping of a sail. “Watch your heads!” the younger man cautioned, and then the boat was moving.

Buck curses himself for not realizing the boat had been docked sooner. He could have at least had a chance to get away. But now, surrounded by water and moving away from the shore, the likelihood of escape is quickly diminishing.

The younger man speaks again. “The people of Florin will not take his death well I don’t think. He has quickly become loved.”

“There will be war,” the bald man agreed. “We have been paid to start it. If we do this perfectly, there will be continued to demand for our services.”

“Well I don’t like it all that much,” the younger man replies. “Frankly, I wish you had refused.”

“The offer was too high!”

Then, the woman speaks again, reiterating her earlier point. “I don’t like the idea of killing him.”

Through all of this, Buck had not moved, and his eyes remained closed, though his heart was pounding against his chest.

“He’s a pretty boy, strong too, he’s gonna put up a fight,” the younger man states.

“He knows already,” the bald man says. “He’s been awake for every word of this.”

Buck curses himself again for doing something to give himself away. Despite the bald man’s claim, Buck continues lying still, and no one makes a move towards him. Then the bald man continues, “We have an hour on them. It will take his horse perhaps twenty-seven minutes to reach the castle, a few minutes more for them to figure out what happened, and since we left an obvious trail, they should be after us within an hour. We should reach the Cliffs in fifteen minutes more and, with any luck at all, the Guilder frontier at dawn, when he dies. His body should be quite warm when the Princess reaches his mutilated form. I just wish we could stay for her grief – it should be Homeric.”

Buck almost scoffs at the idea that his death should cause Taylor any grief beyond her frustrations of having to find another prince to marry. Then, he wonders why this man is letting Buck hear his plans.

He’s not given much more time to wonder, as the younger man approaches him and says “You, sir, are going back to sleep now,” and then Buck feels his fingers touching his temple, his shoulder, and his neck, and he falls unconscious again.

-

When Buck wakes again, he doesn’t know how much time has passed and is only aware that darkness has fallen around them, and they are still sailing. He doesn’t give himself time to think for fear of the bald man realizing he’s awakened, and flings himself off the side of the boat, diving into the water. He stays underwater until his lungs burn and his muscles ache, forcing him up to take a breath. With his remaining strength, he pulls himself through the moonless water, trying to be quiet in the pitch-black night. Behind him he can hear cries from the boat, the bald man ordering the other two to dive into the water after him. He’s too far to hear their responses, but he doesn’t hear any splashes of someone going in after him. He takes steadying breaths, forcing himself to continue. He spares a glance over his shoulder, seeing the boat tack through the wind, redirecting towards him.

He hears the bald man’s voice has he calls across the water. “Prince, do you know what happens to sharks when they smell blood in the water?”

Fear strikes Buck’s insides, but he doesn’t stop moving. There’s no guarantee of sharks around here, he can’t let the possibility stop him. He doesn’t care so much that they want to kill him, but he can’t allow his death to start a war. A war that would likely kill innocent people. The people he met in the crowds, people he grew up with, and most importantly, Maddie. So he ignores his aching muscles.

The man continues, “They go mad. There is no controlling their wildness. They rip and shred and chew, and devour, and I’m in a boat, Prince, and there isn’t any blood in the water now, so we’re both quite safe, but there is a knife in my hand and if you don’t come back I’ll cut my arms and I’ll fling it as far as I can and sharks can small blood in the water for miles and you won’t be pretty for long.”

Buck hesitates at the threat, silently treading water. His imagination begins to trick him, feeling as if he’s hearing the swish of tails and seeing dorsal fins in his periphery.

“Come back now. I give you my word as a gentleman and assassin that if you come back now you will die without pain. I assure you; you will get no such promise from the sharks. There will be no other warning.”

He continues treading water, feeling his limbs tremble, whether with fear or exhaustion he doesn’t know. He hears the bald man wince from the boat, and the woman calls out to him., “Prince, he just cut his arm, he’s catching the blood in the cup now.” Something in her voice calms Buck, as if she’s warning him out of compassion.

Buck tries to tell himself that he doesn’t believe them, trying to swallow his fear.

“My arm is ready to throw,” the bald man says. “Call out your location or not, the choice is yours.”

Buck stays silent, making up his mind.

Then there was the splashing sound of liquid landing on liquid, followed by a pause.

Then the sharks went mad. All around Buck was thrashing and fins, the water splashing wildly. In a split second, Buck accepted his death despite his fear, grateful that he had at least stopped a war. He feels his muscles begin to seize from terror, and he thinks he might drown before the sharks get him. Then, through the fear and terror, a certain calmness settles over him.

Whatever comes after death, he hopes he can be with Eddie.

Right as his head begins to submerge among the splashing waves caused by the sharks, a pair of hands grab him, heaving him over the side of the deck. The woman sits him against the side of the boat, and Buck is too shocked to still be alive that he doesn’t think much about the look of concern on her face. The younger man is there, wrapping a blanket around Buck’s shoulders, saying “Let’s try to keep him warm.”

“Are you trying to catch a cold?” the woman teases.

Buck glares back at them. Of course, they wouldn’t let him die before they got him to Guilder. “What does it matter? Seeing as you’re killing me at dawn,” he spits.

“Enough of this!” the bald man exclaims, pushing the other two out of the way and kneeling in front of Buck to bind his arms and legs with rope.

“I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you?” the bald man mocks, anger lacing his tone.

Buck looks up from where he sits, suddenly feeling defiant. He looks the man in his eyes for the first time since he was kidnapped. “Only compared to some.”

The man scowls, turning towards the bow of the boat, seemingly at a loss for words for the first time all night.

“There!” he points ahead of them. “The Cliffs of Insanity!”

Buck’s gaze follows where he’s pointing, and sure enough there they were, rising straight and sheer from the water, hundreds of feet high.

“Sail straight for the steepest part,” the bald man commands.

The younger man rolls his eyes in response, clearly fed up with the bald man. “I was.”

Buck looks on, confused. There was no way to pass the cliffs, yet they were sailing closer and closer. The bald man smiles, sending chills down Buck’s spine. “All is well,” he says. “I was afraid your little stunt back there would cost us too much time. But I had allowed an hour of safety, there must still be fifty minutes left of it. We are miles ahead of anybody and safe, safe, safe.”

“So no one could be following us?” the younger man asks.

“No one,” the bald man responds. “It would be inconceivable.”

“Absolutely inconceivable?”

“Absolutely, totally, and in all ways, inconceivable,” the bald man reassured. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason,” the younger one replies. “It’s just that I happened to look back and something is there.” His voice remains nonchalant, but the bald man whirls around to look out over the stern.

Something indeed, was there. About a quarter mile behind them across the moonlight was another sailboat. It was small, painted black, with billowing black sails, and a single man at the tiller. A man in black.

“It must just be some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise alone at night through shark-infested waters,” the younger man says sarcastically.

“There must be a more logical explanation,” the bald man reasons. “Since no one from Guilder can possibly know what we’ve done, and no one from Florin could have gotten here so quickly, he is definitely not, however much it may look like it, following us. It is simply coincidence, nothing more.”

Buck watches the other two share a look of disbelief, before the woman states “He’s gaining on us.”

“That is also inconceivable! I made sure to buy the fastest ship in the Florin Channel.”

Buck sits against the side of the boat, wet and cold, still shaken from his escape attempt. But he still manages to feel some amusement as he watches the reactions of the other two as the bald man continues to explain how impossible it is that they would be followed. The woman rolls her eyes again. “You’re right, he’s not gaining on us. He just appears closer, that’s all.” Her voice is laden with sarcasm, and Buck almost laughs at the dislike the other two portray towards their leader. He wonders if he might be able to use that to his advantage as he attempts to formulate a plan of escape.

He looks back at the black sail behind them, eyes settling on the lone figure at the helm. Surely his three kidnappers Buck, but for reasons he can't explain, the man in black frightens him more.

-

Once they finally reach the cliffs, the younger man expertly maneuvers the ship alongside the cliffs despite the crashing waves and constant spray of water. Buck stares up in silent astonishment at the two ropes reaching all the way to the top, thick and strong. As Buck watches, the bald man grabs one of the ropes while the woman began tying a large platform to the end. He realizes it must be some kind of pulley system, and his fear turned to dread at the thought of ascending the cliffs. His mind raced, trying to think of one last escape attempt. If he were to jump out of the ship again, he would immediately be smashed against the rocks. He gulps, accepting that the only way out is to make it to the top of the cliff and reassess.

“Fast now,” the bald man says. “If he is following, which of course is not within the realm of the human experience, but if he is, we’ve got to cut the rope off before he can climb up after us.”

The woman grab’s Buck to lift him up, and he’s surprised by the strength of her grip as she manhandles him towards the rope and onto the wooden platform tied to it. He’s helpless to do anything but go where she directs him. The other three load up on the platform, and Buck is amazed at the woman’s strength as she uses the other side of the rope to pull them slowly up the cliff face. Up she climbed, hand over hand, the water getting further and further away below them.

Buck spared a look over the side of the platform, stomach lurching at their height. The man in black was close now, approaching the sides of the cliffs near where their own ship has since crashed into the rocks.

“Faster!” the bald man commands angrily, obviously noticing the proximity of the man in black.

“I’m sorry,” the woman says, exasperated between huffing breaths as she uses all her strength. “Maybe you would you like to actually help me pull four people up a cliff?”

“We’re a little over halfway, you’re doing wonderfully, Hen.” The younger man says, joining to help the woman – Hen, Buck supposes – pull the rope to lift them higher. He continues, “He’s closing in on the cliffs.”

Ten more feet. Twenty. Thirty.

“He’s left his ship; he’s climbing after us.” The younger man updates them, looking over the side.

“Inconceivable!” Buck rolls his eyes at the bald man’s response.

“You keep using that word,” the younger man snaps. “I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

Buck looks down again. The man in black was gaining on them, using their rope to help himself up the cliff. Then he looks up, relief flooding through him as the top of the cliffs get nearer. He can’t even find it in himself to fear what fate may be waiting at the top for him. He wants to get off this platform, out of site from the man in black. He closes his eyes and wills it to be over soon.

“He’s over halfway,” the young man says.

“Halfway to doom is what he is! As soon as we reach the top we will cut the rope,” the bald man laughs. And as much as Buck fears the man in black, something in him twists in discomfort at the thought of that man falling to his death.

Finally, finally, they reach the top, heaving themselves onto land.

The bald man continues laughing as he starts to cut the rope. Buck watches, sick to his stomach, as the rope whips across the clifftops, before dropping into the moonlit channel below. The bald man continues to laugh until the young man interrupts him. “He did it,” he says.

“Did what?” the bald man replies, scurrying to the side of the cliff.

“Released the rope in time,” the younger man says, pointing to where the man in black hangs from the cliff face, hundreds of feet above the water.

The bald man watched, fascinated. “Well, since I’ve made a study of death and dying and am a great expert, it might interest you to know that he will be dead long before he hits the water. It’s the fall that does it, not the crash.”

The man in black clings to the rock face, dangling helplessly, but not falling.

“Oh, how rude we’re being,” the bald man says, turning to Buck who recoils as his gaze meets the other man’s beady eyes. “I’m sure you’d like to watch.” He grabs Buck’s arm and pulls him toward the ledge, still tied hand and foot. Buck closes his eyes and turns away, unable to bear the thought of watching this man die.

“Shouldn’t we be going?” the younger man asks. “I thought you were saying how important time was.”

“It is, it is,” the bald man agrees. “I just can’t miss a death like this. Do you think he can see his life flashing before his eyes?” Buck thinks the man must be twisted to find pleasure in this.

“He got very strong arms to be holding on this long,” Hen points out, making the bald man scoff.

“He can’t hold on much longer, he has to fall soon.”

It was at that moment that the man in black began to climb. Not quickly, and not without great effort, but sure enough, the man was slowly making his way up the cliff face.

“Inconceivable!”

Both Hen and the other man roll their eyes in response.

Then the bald man continues. “Well it’s obvious what needs to happen, one of you needs to kill him.”

The other two share a look, not saying anything. The bald man points to Hen, “I’ll need you to carry the prince, so you,” he points at the other man, “will stay behind and kill him. We’ll be heading towards the frontier of Guilder, catch up as quickly as you can once he’s dead.”

Hen turned to the other man, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Be careful, Chimney,” she says quietly, before turning back to Buck. He’s surprised by the gentleness he sees in her eyes, and with his legs still bound he can’t make any attempt to run so he waits as she approaches him. “I’m sorry,” she whispers as she hoists him over her shoulders. Despite the discomfort of being thrown over someone’s shoulders, Hen handles him gently.

Buck feels an uneasiness at the uncertainty of his future, the distance between him and the man in black growing with each step Hen takes.

Chapter Text

Chimney paces the ruins along the edge of the cliff, excited at the prospect of having an opponent who might actually challenge him. Of course, he had not yet seen this man’s swordsmanship, but he was an impressive sailor and an even more impressive climber, he wouldn’t put it past the man to be an excellent swordsman. Chimney had spent ten years studying, training, and mastering the sword. Thousands of hours training his mind and body had made him the most mastered swordsman in the continent, perhaps even the world. He had crisscrossed the continent for several years, easily defeating the masters of each country; fencing was beginning to bore him.

But as he leaned over the edge of the cliff to look down at the man in black who slowly makes his way up the cliff face, Chimney wonders if today he might finally face a challenge.

A black mask covers the upper half of the man’s face, hiding his identity from view, and Chimney wonders if he might be the man he’s been searching for. He hopes so, as finding the six-fingered man would make this hell that has been working for Vizzini worth it.

“Hello there,” Chimney calls down when he feels like he can’t wait any longer.

The man in black looks up, grunting.

“I don’t suppose you could speed things up?” Chimney calls down, anxious to start their duel.

“If you want to speed things up so much,” the man in black says, an undercurrent of anger in his tone, “you could lower a rope or find something else useful to do.”

Chimney considers for a moment, then says “I could do that. But I don’t think you’d accept my help since I’m waiting up here so that I can kill you.”

The man huffs a laugh, before grunting again from exertion as he pulls himself higher. “That does put a damper on our relationship. You’ll just have to wait.”

Chimney rolls his eyes, getting impatient. “I’ll give you my word.”

“No good,” comes the man’s response.

Chimney takes a deep breath, thinking of his mother. A woman who was always true to her word, and taught Chimney to do the same. He looks back down at the man in black, his voice suddenly serious, even to his own ears. “I swear on the soul of my mother, Jee-Yun Han, you will reach the top alive.”

The man in black stops climbing for a moment and looks at Chimney, considering him. “Throw me the rope,” he decides.

Chimney begins to lower the frayed rope that Vizzini had cut until it reaches the man in black, who easily climbs up the rest of the way. Chimney grabs the man’s upper arm, helping him over the cliff edge.

Immediately, the man turns and quickly reaches to draw his sword.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Chimney interrupts, putting his hand up. “We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” the man exhales, clearly trying to catch his breath as he takes a seat on the ruins.
Chimney sits on a rock across from him, trying to catch a glimpse of the man’s right hand as he removes a boot to shake rocks from it. “I don’t mean to pry,” he says. “But you don’t happen to have six fingers on your right hand, do you?”

The man looks at him, curious. “Do you always start conversations this way?”

Chimney takes a moment. Even after all these years, it hasn’t gotten any easier to say. “My mother was slaughtered by a six-fingered man.”

The man in black raises his right hand in response, and something in his dark eyes behind that black mask makes Chimney think he understands the nature of his pain. He continues, “She was a great sword maker. An artist, really. When a six-fingered man appeared to request a special sword, she took the job.”

Chimney pulls the sword him its sheath, the weight a perfect balance in his hands as he’s reminded of the endless hours he spent by her side when he was just ten years old, making sure she slept and ate while she toiled away day and night for an entire year. The look in the man’s eyes tell Chimney he can trust him, and he gently hands the sword to the man in black. The man holds it in front of him, admiring the beautiful hilt and elegant blade. “I’ve never seen it’s equal,” he admits, something like reverence in his voice before handing it back.

“The six-fingered man returned and demanded it at one-tenth it’s promised price. My mother refused. Without a word, the six-fingered man stabbed her through the heart. I loved my mother, so naturally I challenged him to a duel. I failed. He left me alive, but he left me with these,” he says, indicating to the scars which mirror each other on each cheek, a reminder of what he’s avenging. “I dedicated my life to mastering fencing so that the next time we meet, I won’t fail. I will go up to the six-fingered man and say ‘Hello. My name is Chimney Han. You killed my mother. Prepare to die.’”

“I certainly hope you find him one day,” the man says, and Chimney thinks he might mean it.

“So,” Chimney decides to change to topic as the man in black pulls his boots back on. “Why are you following us?”

The man takes a deep breath, looking in the direction of where Hen had carried the prince. “You have something of great value to me.”

“We have no intention of selling,” Chimney says, despite the guilt he feels at the thought of killing the prince.

“That’s your business,” the man replies shortly.

Chimney raises an eyebrow, wanting to get something out of this mysterious man before him. “And yours?”

The man in black ignores his question, instead standing up and drawing his sword. “Thank you, again, for allowing me to catch my breath. I’m ready.”

Chimney smiles as he readies his sword in his left hand instead of his right to challenge himself, hoping that the man in black is a great swordsman. “You seem a decent fellow,” he admits. “I hate to kill you.”

A smile tugs at the other man’s lips. “You seem a decent fellow, I hate to die,” he replies, making Chimney huff a laugh as they ready their stances and finally clash swords. The man in black was also left-handed, which pleased Chimney, as it would make the fight fairer. The man immediately began the Agrippa defense, which Chimney thought was a sound choice given the rocky terrain. Naturally, he countered with Capo Ferro, which surprised the man in black but did not cause him to falter one bit as he shifted from Agrippa to Thibault.

Chimney had to smile; he hadn’t had a real challenge in a long time. He was impressed with the man’s quickness as they moved from the ruins to the nearby trees. Chimney forced the man towards an area surrounded by boulders, before throwing himself against one a rock and rebounding towards the man in black with incredible speed, his sword snagging the man’s left wrist and drawing first blood. It was just a scratch, but it was bleeding. Immediately the man in black retreated, getting his position away from the boulders and back towards the ruins. Chimney followed.

Then, the man unleashed his greatest assault yet. It came with no warning, and the man’s strength and speed were terrifying. His blade flashed in the light again and again as the sound of metal against metal filled the air. At first, Chimney was too delighted to retreat; he didn’t recognize this style of attack and continued moving backwards as he tried to decide the best defense. The man in black kept advancing, and Chimney was aware of the edge of the cliff getting closer and closer. Chimney continued to retreat, and the man in black continued to advance. Chimney tried the Thibault defense, which didn’t stop him. The cliffs were very close now, and he tried Capo Ferro, followed by Bonetti, and when that didn’t work, he tried Fabris. Nothing worked.

Chimney wasn’t panicking, he was excited, despite his rear foot stepping on the cliff edge. He could retreat no further. “You are excellent,” Chimney tells him as their swords meet.

“Thank you,” the man in black replies. “I have worked very hard to become so.”

“You are better than me,” Chimney admits, not having said those words for a very long time in a swordfight.

“So it seems, but if that were true then why are you smiling?”

“Because” Chimney answers. “I know something you don’t know.”

“And what’s that?” the man in black asks, parrying Chimney’s defense.

“I’m not left-handed.” Chimney says, quickly switching his sword to his right hand and turning the tide of the battle as he forces the man in black away from the cliff edge.

The man in black retreated, trying to side-step, to parry, anything to escape the doom that was now inevitable. He could block fifty thrusts, but the fifty-first flicked through, and Chimney managed to snag the man’s shoulder with his blade. The wounds were not bad, but they kept building as they dodged across the stones and ruins, through the trees and boulders, and slowly back towards the edge of the cliff – only this time, it was the man in black being forced backwards.

He was brave and he was strong, and the wounds did not make him beg for mercy, nor did he show any fear behind his black mask. “You are amazing,” he tells Chimney as he increases the blinding speed of his six-fingered sword.

“Thank you, it has not come without effort,” Chimney says, forcing the man against the ruined walls which threaten to tip over the edge of the cliff.

The death moment was at hand now, and Chimney felt a pang of sadness at the thought of the world losing a masterful swordsman. Again and again, Chimney thrust is blade forward, and again and again the man in black managed to ward off his attacks. But each time it was harder, and the strength in Chimney’s wrist was endless and he only thrust more fiercely, and he could tell the other man was growing weaker.

Then, the man in black speaks again. “There’s something I forgot to tell you,” he says, a smile spreading across his face, confusing Chimney. “I’m not left-handed either.”

And he too switched hands, and now the battle was finally joined. Chimney was forced to retreat, their blades invisible as they flashed quickly through the air. He tried to make for the trees, but the man in black would not have it. He tried to retreat to the boulders, but the man in black denied that too. Chimney was losing.

He made every attempt, tried every trick, and used every hour of his years of training and experience. But he was blocked. By the man in black.

A final flick and the great six-fingered sword went flying from his hand. Chimney stood there, helpless. Beaten.

Then he dropped to his knees, accepting his defeat. His only regret was having not found the six-fingered man in time. He did what any honorable swordsman would do, and he did not beg for mercy.

“Do it quickly,” he says, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

“May my hands fall from my wrists before killing an artist like yourself. But I cannot have you following me either. Please know that I hold you in the highest respect.”

With that, the man in black raised the hilt of his sword, bring the blunt end down towards Chimney’s head, and everything went black as Chimney falls unconscious.

-

Hen carries the prince on her shoulders leading Vizzini along a mountainous path towards the Guilder frontier. Hen moves easily despite carrying a large man on her back, while Vizzini’s breath has grown labored as he tries to keep up.

Hen stops, waiting for Vizzini to catch up, looking down the ridge towards where Chimney was waiting. Enough time has passed that one of them must be dead now. Her heart falls as she sees the man in black running up the hill towards where they are now.

“Chimney is dead,” she says, not wanting to believe it. They hadn’t worked together long, but she had grown to like him quickly.

“Inconceivable!” Vizzini exclaims like clockwork. “Chimney must have been tricked or otherwise unfairly beaten. That is the only conceivable explanation.”

Generally, this is when Hen and Chimney would look at each other, silently communicating their frustrations and rolling their eyes. But not now. Now it was just Hen.

“Untie his feet,” Vizzini commands. Hen gently places the prince down and bends over to cut the ropes, steadying him with a hand as he regains his balance. Vizzini immediately grabs the prince by his bound wrists, yanking him away.

“Don’t leave until the man in black is dead, then catch up with us quickly.”

“I don’t have any weapons,” Hen argues, not wanting there to be any more death today.

“I hired you for your strength and for your fists. Use them.” With that, Vizzini pulls the prince along the mountain path. Hen watches them go and waits.

Growing up on the street, her strength and her fists were all she had. It’s how she survived, and later, how she got by. She had started fighting for money when someone saw her get into a fight on the street and recruited her. It was good enough money, but she hated it. She hated hurting people, and she certainly never wanted to kill anyone. That was where Vizzini had found her, and he promised her a chance to break away from that life. Yet here she was, waiting to kill a man, who had just killed her only friend, before going to help kill a prince and start a war, in which many more would be killed. She couldn’t do it. No amount of money would be worth the guilt she would have to live with. Sitting on that rock, she decides she won’t follow through on any of it. She won’t kill the man in black, and she will try to free the prince. No one else has to die.

She sits on a rock and waits, deciding she won’t fight him unless absolutely necessary. Maybe she can still stop him.

When the man in black reaches her, he slows to a stop, warily drawing his sword as he waits to see what she will do.

She stands, raising her hands in surrender. “I don’t want to fight you. But I will if I have to.”

The man doesn’t lower his sword. “What is it you want?”

“To stop you. Whatever it is you want that man for, I assure you, it’s not worth it.”

“I can assure you it is worth it,” he responds without skipping a beat. He hasn’t stepped any closer, but his sword remains pointed towards her.

She wonders what he wants. Money, she assumes. “Look, I’m sure you have people at home waiting for you, people who love you. I get wanting to provide them, God knows what I’ve done to provide for people I love, but would they really want you to leave a trail of bodies for some money?”

“What I want isn’t your business.”

“You’re right, but saving the prince is my business. So, I will do what it takes to stop you from hurting him.”

“Saving the prince? So you can ransom him yourself?” he asks, voice short and clipped.

Hen rolls her eyes, frustrated. “No. So no one else needs to get hurt. I have a feeling that won’t be the case if the prince were held for ransom.”

He nods, lowering his sword slightly. “Then let me pass, and no one else needs to get hurt.” Something in the man’s voice makes Hen want to believe him. But he’s still not clear about his intentions and what he plans to do when he gets to the prince.

“And if I do let you through, what happens?”

Finally, he lowers his sword. “We both get what we want.”

When she doesn’t move out of his way, he sighs. “I don’t have much time, but I’ll tell you what you need to know.” He takes a seat on a rock, looking up at her through his mask, and begins his story.

-

The bald man manhandles Buck further along the path, the steep ledges on either side deterring Buck from attempting to run. The man drags him aggressively by his bound wrists until they reach a clearing. He forces Buck to sit on a stump in front of a large rock with a flat top, resembling a table, before binding his legs again with more rope from his pack. From the same pack, he pulls two small plates and lays an assortment of cheeses and apples, followed by two goblets into which he pours some wine. Buck’s confusion grows when the man ties a handkerchief over his eyes so that he can’t see. Without a word, the man forces a gag into Buck’s mouth, tying it behind his head. His breath hitches when he feels the cold metal of a blade placed against his throat.

The man talks on and on, not really about anything important at all, Buck assumes he just likes to hear himself talk, given that Buck couldn’t respond even if he wanted to. He’s not sure how long they sit there. Buck’s body is exhausted, he’s not sure he could make an escape even if he tried. The apples and cheese had reminded him of the hunger clawing at his stomach, which only heightened as he sat here, not sure what he was waiting for. If they had reached the Guilder frontier, he would be dead, making Buck wonder what game the man is getting at.

Finally, he hears footsteps running towards them, before coming to a stop by the table.

“You’ve beaten my swordsman and my fighter,” the nasally voice states.

“It would appear so,” the other man says. Buck shivers at the sound of his voice, rough and husky.

“And now it is down to you, and it is down to me.”

“So it would seem,” the man in black replies. Buck hears him take another step closer, and the blade presses closer to his neck in response causing him to inhale sharply through his nose in fear.

“If you wish him dead then by all means keep moving.” Buck tries to control his breathing, willing his heart to stop beating erratically.

“Better,” the bald man says, and Buck assumes he has stopped coming closer. “I understand what you are trying to do, and I want to be quite clear that I resent your behavior. You are trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen, and I find it quite ungentlemanly.” Buck wants to scoff but is prevented from doing so both by the gag in his mouth and the blade pressed to his neck.

“Let me explain -” the man in black started.

“You’re killing him!” the bald man exclaimed while simultaneously pressing the knife closer against Buck’s neck. He tries not to whimper as he feels the blade pierce his skin, feeling a warm drop of blood slowly make its way down his neck.

Despite the stinging pain in his neck, he hears the man step away, repeating himself. “Let me explain.”

“There is nothing you can tell me that I don’t already know! People say I can read minds, but that’s not it. I simply predict the truth using logic and wisdom. And I say you’re a kidnaper, admit it.”

“I will admit that, as a ransom item, he has value; nothing more,” the man in black replies.

“I have been instructed to do certain things to him, and it is very important I follow my instructions. If I do this properly, I will be in demand for life. And my demands do not include ransom, they include death. So your explanations are meaningless, we cannot do business together. You wish to keep him alive for ransom whereas it is terribly important to me he stops breathing in the very near future.”

The man in black’s voice is suddenly harsh, rather than patient and polite as before. “Has it occurred to you that I have gone to great effort and expense, as well as personal sacrifice, to reach this point? And that if I fail now, I might get very angry, And if he stops breathing in the very near future, it is entirely possible that you will catch the same fatal illness?”

Buck thinks all these people are overestimating the lengths that Taylor will go to save him. Perhaps she will send after him, perhaps she will pay a ransom, but she doesn’t actually care. Something in the man’s voice makes Buck thinks he cares. He wonders how much the ransom will be for, and what he wants to do with the money.

“I have no doubt you can kill me. Any man who can get past Chimney and Henrietta would have no trouble of disposing of me. However, has it occurred to you that if you did that, then neither of us would get what we want – you having lost your ransom item, me my life.”

“We are at an impasse then,” replies the man in black.

“I fear so,” said the bald man. “I cannot compete with you physically, and you are no match for my brains.”

“You’re that smart?”

The man laughs. “There are no words to contain all my wisdom. I am so cunning, crafty, and clever, so filled with deceit, guile, and chicanery. I, Vizzini, the Sicilian, am, speaking with pure candor and modesty, the slickest, sleekest, sliest and wiliest fellow who has yet to live.”

Again, Buck wants to scoff at the man. Even blindfolded, Buck can tell the man in black isn’t buying it.

He’s proven right when he speaks again. “In that case,” he replies, “I challenge you to a battle of the wits.”

“For the prince?” the bald man – Vizzini – asks, a smile in his voice. Buck’s stomach flips at the thought that this little game between these men will determine his fate. The man must nod, because then Vizzini cries, “I accept!”

Buck hears some shuffling as the man in black sits across from them, then hears him say “Open it an inhale it but be careful not to touch.”

“I smell nothing.”

“What you do not smell is iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, and dissolves immediately in any kind of liquid. It also happens to be the deadliest poison known to man.”

Buck can practically feel Vizzini shaking with excitement and wishes that he would steady his hands as the blade snags where it has already cut him, making him wince.

“I don’t suppose you’ll hand me the goblets?”

“My knife does not leave his throat. Take them yourself.” Buck hears more movement and assumes the man in black is emptying the contents of the poison into one of the cups. Vizzini cackles aloud in anticipation. After a moment, Buck hears the goblets clink against the rock as they are placed back down.

“Your guess,” the man in black says. “Where is the poison?”

“Guess?” Vizzini cries, “I don’t guess. I think. I ponder. I deduce. But I never guess.”

“The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide, and we drink the wine and find out who is right and who is dead.”

Vizzini begins to talk, and once he’s started, Buck thinks he might never stop. “All I have to do is deduce what I know of you and the way your mind works. Are you the kind of man who would put the poison into his own glass, or into the glass of his enemy?”

“You’re stalling,” the man in black states.

Vizzini ignores his statement and continues talking in circles. “Now a great fool, would put the poison in his own goblet, because he knows that only another great fool would reach for what he is given. I am clearly not a great fool, so I will clearly not reach for your wine.”

“That’s your final choice then?”

“No, because you know I’m no fool, so you would know that I would never fall for such a trick. So I will clearly not reach for mine either.”

“Keep going.”

“I intend to,” Vizzini replies. “We have deduced that the poison is likely in the cup in front of you. But the poison is powder made from iocane, which is from Australia, and everyone knows Australia is populated with criminals and criminals are used to people not trusting them, as I don’t trust you, so I clearly cannot choose the wine in front of you.”

“Truly, you have a dizzying intellect,” the man in black whispers, a certain nervousness to his tone. Vizzini doesn’t stop there, continuing to talk in circles. Clearly this cup is poisoned, clearly that cup is poisoned. Buck wishes he would stop talking and never open his mouth again. He wants this blade off his throat, this gag out of his mouth, and the blindfold off his eyes. He wants to see the man sitting before him.

Finally – “I know where the poison is.”

“Shall we drink then?” the man in black asked, probably just a grateful this was soon to be over as Buck was.

Then – “What in the world could that be?” Vizzini shouts. Buck hears the man spin around, before turning back to the table and saying “I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh, well, I could’ve sworn I saw something. No matter,” Vizzini replies, chuckling to himself.

“I don’t understand what’s so funny.”

“I’ll tell you in a minute, after we drink.” There’s a moment of silence, and Buck assumes they’re lifting their goblets to their lips. Buck finds himself holding his breath in anticipation.

“You guessed wrong,” the man in black says, causing Vizzini to burst out in laughter.

“Fool!” he shouts. “You only think I guessed wrong; you fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is ‘never get in a land war in Asia’ but only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” He continues cackling for just a moment, until his laughter is cut off sharply, and Buck feels the knife fall away from his neck as Vizzini falls to the ground.

The gag is pulled roughly from Buck’s mouth, and his binds quickly cut before the man in black is removing his blindfold. He only gets a glimpse of the man’s brown eyes behind his mask before he’s standing up and pulling Buck along. Buck is exhausted, tired of being pulled around by different people. He yanks his wrist from the man’s grasp, trying to find his voice after being gagged for so long.

“Give me a moment to gather myself.” The man stops, facing away from Buck. Buck takes a moment to rub his wrists and his ankles, sore from the tight rope. “To think,” he said, “all that time it was your cup that was poisoned.”

“They were both poisoned,” the man in black responds shortly. “I spent the last two years building an immunity to iocane powder.”

Buck looks at him. He was terrifying and dangerous, and his voice was strained, rough. But there was something familiar about him, something that Buck couldn’t let himself think about. “Who are you?” he asks instead.

“I’m no one to be trifled with. That’s all you need to know.” With that, he grabs Buck’s wrist again and pulls him along another mountain path.

If all this man wants is ransom, then he will get his ransom. “I will pay you a great deal of money to release me,” Buck says, trying to summon the voice he was taught to use as a prince.

The man glances back at Buck. “You are rich, then?”

Buck pulls himself taller. “I will be. Whatever you want for ransom, I promise I’ll get it for you if you let me go.”

The man in black just laughs.

“I’m not kidding,” Buck says, getting more frustrated with the man.

“You promise? You? I should release you on your promise? What is that worth? Oh, that’s very funny, Highness, kidding or not.”

They proceed along the mountain path to another open space, anger boiling under Buck’s skin. The man stops, looking up at the stars still scattered across the sky, eyes calculating. Then, without warning, he spins off the path, heading towards wild terrain and pulling Buck behind him. After a few minutes of running, Buck pulls to a stop to catch his breath. The man in black stops too.

“Where are you taking me?” Buck asks between gasps.

“Surely even someone as arrogant as you cannot expect me to answer that.” Buck doesn’t understand why this man is being like this. Making accusations about the worth of Buck’s vows, calling him arrogant. It makes him want to push back.

“She’ll find you,” he says. Though she doesn’t care for him, she doesn’t like things being taken from her.

“She?”

“Princess Taylor.” Buck says. “She has some of the best hunters and trackers in the country.”

“So your dearest love will save you?”

Buck feels sick at the thought of being in love with Taylor, or anyone else. “I never said she was my dearest love,” he snaps. “But yes, she will save me.”

“You admit you do not love your bride-to-be? An honest man. You’re a rare specimen, Highness.”

“The Princess and I have never once from the beginning lied to each other. She knows I do not love her.” He doesn’t know why he’s telling this to a stranger. Perhaps because he can’t bear the thought of someone thinking he could ever love another person but Eddie.

“You’re not capable of love is what you mean,” the man in black accuses.

“I’m very capable of love.” It comes out as a whisper as Buck thinks back to early mornings on the farm. Late nights in Eddie’s home, saying goodnight to Chris. He takes a step closer to the man in black, anger threatening to boil over. “I have loved more deeply than a killer like yourself could possibly imagine.”

They stand like that for only a moment before the other man turns away, looking out over the Florin channel.

“Your love comes for you,” he says quietly. Buck follows his gaze and sees the armada of ships.

Buck swallows at the sight. It seems she sent every ship in Florin after him. “You can never escape her,” Buck tells the man in black. “If you release me, I promise that you will not be harmed.”

“You are too generous,” he replies. “I could never accept such an offer.”

“I’m offering you your life.” Buck doesn’t know what else to do, he might have had a chance of escaping Vizzini, but this man, Buck knows he could not escape.

“Highness,” the man says angrily, stepping back into Buck’s space, his dark eyes flashing dangerously beneath his mask. “If there is talk of life and death to be done, let me do it.”

Buck takes the threat for what it is, pulling himself straighter to stare down at the man. He gets a weird sense of déjà vu as he looks at him, which he tries to ignore. “You won’t kill me. You didn’t steal me from murderers just to murder me yourself.”

The man in black gazes up at him for just a moment before pulling away and looking back at the ships. “Wise as well as loving.” Then he is grabbing Buck’s arms and dragging him behind to run along the top of a ravine.

“I wonder, will they split up into groups or stay all as one? What do you think, Prince?”

“I only know they will find me. And if you have not given me my freedom by then, you will not be treated kindly.” Buck feels like all he can do now is rely on threats, and hope the man values his own life more than he values whatever he wants from Buck.

“Surely she has discussed her strategy with you,” the man says, and Buck almost scoffs at the idea of him and Taylor talking about anything at all.

“We do not discuss strategy, I assure you.”

“Not strategy, not love, what do you talk about together?”

“We don’t see all that much of each other,” Buck responds shortly, not sure why the other man cares so much about the status of his relationship with the Princess.

“Tender couple,” the man in black says sarcastically.

Now Buck is starting to get upset as well as mad. “We are always honest with each other. Not everyone can say as much.”

“May I tell you something, Highness? You are very cold -”

Buck snaps. He digs his heels to the ground and pulls them to a stop, yanking his arm from the man’s grip.

“I have come to terms with my life,” he’s nearly yelling, unable to control the shakiness of his voice. “I’m not cold, I swear, but I have decided certain things, it is better to ignore my emotion; I have not been happy with it -” Buck pauses. His heart was a secret garden, and the walls were very high.

“I loved once,” he admits quietly. “It worked out badly.” He thinks of the days he spent not leaving his room, when he was unable to get out of bed. He thinks of the ache in his chest that has not lessened with a single day that has passed. He thinks of the gaping hole in his life that will never be filled again. He thinks of Christopher, who must be so tall by now, growing up without his father.

“Another rich woman? And she left you for an even richer man?” the man in black mocks him.

“No. Poor. We were both poor and it killed him.” He can’t manage to say it above a whisper.

“Were you sorry? Did you feel pain? Admit that you felt nothing -”

“I died that day,” Buck shouts, all the anger and hurt that has built up over the past several years bubbling beneath his skin. The man in black goes silent, looking back at Buck. The rage in his eyes clears into something softer, and that sense of déjà vu comes over Buck again. He’s distracted from it when the Armada begins to fire signal cannons.

The man in black looks towards the ships, distracted as the sound of explosions echoes through the mountains. Buck’s anger boils over, and he takes the man’s distraction as his last chance to escape. Without thinking, he shoves the man in black with all his remaining strength. For a moment, the man in black stands there, teetering on the edge of the ravine, his arms spinning as they try to find balance. Then, he tumbles backwards, down, down, down. He tumbles over rocks, reaching out to stop his descent, but the ravine was too steep. Finally, he lay silent and motionless at the bottom. Buck stares at what he’s done, none of the anger or hurt diminishing as he hoped. “You can die too for all I care,” he shouts.

He turns his back, ready to start his trek towards the ships when a voice echoes faintly from the ravine. Whispered from far, weak and warm and familiar. “As… you… wish…”

Buck freezes. Slowly, he turns back towards the ravine. The sun has started to peak above the mountains, and in the morning light he watches the man in black struggle to remove his mask.

“Oh, Eddie,” Buck exhales. “What have I done to you now?”

Buck doesn’t hesitate before starting down the edge of the ravine, keeping his feet under him as best as he can. As he begins, he thinks he hears Eddie calling out to him, but he can’t make sense of his words over the pounding of his own heart and the thunder of the walls he had so carefully constructed over the years beginning to crumble. His balance is quickly gone, and the ravine has him as he falls fast and hard, tumbling over rocks and bramble. But that didn’t matter. He would gladly drop a thousand feet onto a bed of nails if Eddie had been waiting at the bottom.

Tossing, spinning, crashing, out of control, Buck rolled and twisted and plunged toward what was left of the man he loves.

Chapter Text

When Buck finally lands at the bottom of the ravine, his body feels battered and bruised. His heart threatens to beat out of his chest, and all he can think is not again. He can’t lose Eddie again, not before he’s even gotten him back. He tries to get his wits about him, to orient himself enough to crawl towards where he had seen Eddie laying, unmoving. Before he can, Eddie is crawling over him, one hand on his waist like a brand, and the other coming to cradle Buck’s head.

“Can you move at all?” Eddie asks, worry laced through his tone. And that, that voice was exactly what Buck remembered. Soft and kind, unlike the rough voice of the Eddie who had worn the mask

Buck almost feels like he can’t speak. “You’re alive,” he manages to whisper, looking up into Eddie’s brown eyes for the first time in far too long. The sight of him causes Buck to burst into tears. “You’re alive,” he says again, a happiness bursting in his chest that he hasn’t felt since that last night they spent in Buck’s bed together. “I could fly if you asked me to.”

“I told you I would come back for you. Why didn’t you wait for me?” Eddie asks, eyes wet with tears.

“You were dead,” Buck croaks.

“Even death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

“I will never doubt again,” Buck replies, eye’s scanning Eddie’s face for any indication that he’s not real. But he’s here. His Eddie.

“There will never be a need.” Eddie says, wrapping both arms around Buck and pulling him in close. Buck brings his arms around Eddie, clinging to him and never wanting to let go, sobbing into his neck. Here, in Eddie’s arms, Buck is safe. He breaths him in, whimpering when Eddie pulls away from the hug to look at Buck again.

The tears are streaming down Eddie’s face, and Buck wants to kiss them away. So he does. He places his hands on either side of Eddie’s face and pulls him close again, gently kissing the tears from his face.

“I missed you,” Buck whispers.

Eddie presses his forehead against Buck’s and exhales sharply, as if he’s trying not to cry again. “I missed you every minute of every day since the moment I left,” Eddie responds.

And finally, Buck has Eddie’s lips on his again. They’re just as soft as Buck remembered. Just as tender and kind. The kiss is slow as they reacquaint themselves with one another. He feels more tears wet Eddie’s face, and he thinks his face must be just as tear streaked as he tastes the salt on his lips.

Buck shifts so that he’s sitting up, both kneeling in front of the other as the kiss lingers for a moment longer. When they pull away, Eddie brings his hands up to Buck’s face, wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

“When I left you,” Eddie whispers, “you were already more beautiful than anything I dared to dream. The past few years my dreams did their best to improve on your perfection. At night, your face was always behind my eyes. And now I see that the vision who kept me company in my loneliness cannot compare to the beauty before me now.”

Buck can’t do anything but lean in and kiss him again. Just as Buck tries to deepen the kiss, Eddie pulls away. For a moment, Buck panics, worried that if Eddie pulls away now, he will never hold him again. Eddie’s hand slides down Buck’s arm until he links his fingers with Buck’s, squeezing. His way of telling Buck they will be okay.

“We don’t have time right now,” Eddie says, standing up. The ravine had shaken and battered him, but it appeared all his bones had survived the harsh trip down. In hindsight, Buck certainly felt guilty about that. Eddie doesn’t seem to pay it any mind, pulling Buck to his feet, not releasing his hand.

“Eddie,” Buck says as they start along the bottom of the ravine. “Just before I started down after you, while I was still up there, I could hear you saying something, but I couldn’t understand you.”

Eddie glances away. “I’ve forgotten what it was.”

A smile tugs at Buck’s lips. After all these years, he’s still a terrible liar. Buck says as much. Eddie smiles in response, and kisses Buck’s cheek. “It’s not important anymore. Believe me; the past has a way of being past.”

This makes Buck all the more curious, if not a little worried. “Eddie, I don’t want us to begin with secrets from each other.” He meant it, and he knew Eddie could tell.

Eddie sighs, squeezing Buck’s hand again. “What I was trying to get through to you, my love; what I was, as a matter of fact, shouting with everything I had left, was: “Whatever you do, stay up there, don’t come down here, please!’”

Buck comes to a stop, the hope and happiness he had felt since being reunited with Eddie beginning to crumble. He let’s go of Eddie’s hand and thinks it’s the hardest thing he’s had to do in a long time. “You didn’t want to see me,” he says quietly.

Eddie spins around to face Buck, eyes big and worried. He immediately grabs both of Buck’s hands, bringing them close to his heart.

“Of course I wanted to see you, Buck.” His voice is so earnest, that Buck doesn’t have a choice but to believe him. “I just didn’t want to see you down here.”

“But why not?” Buck asks, wanting to be offended.

Eddie looks up the steep sides of the ravine. “Because now we’re more or less trapped. I can’t climb out of here and bring you with me. We’re both too battered and bruised, and you’ve had quite an adventurous day, I can’t imagine you have the strength to climb out of here now.”

Buck knows he’s right. But he doesn’t care. From now on, he wants to be wherever Eddie is.

-

Hand in hand, they travel quickly along the bottom of the ravine, putting more distance between themselves and Princess Taylor. The feel of Buck’s hand in his makes Eddie want to cry again. Eddie can’t believe Buck is here. By his side, after all these years apart.

When Eddie had finally returned to Florin for Buck, the news that Princess Taylor would be marrying the commoner turned prince Evan Buckley had nearly killed him. He thought Buck had moved on, that Eddie had been a fool for ever thinking otherwise. But despite the anger and hurt he felt, Eddie couldn’t let Buck be killed.

It wasn’t until Buck stood upon that ravine, upset by Eddie’s harsh words that he had released in his anger, that Eddie realized he had greatly misunderstood. Buck hadn’t moved on, he had never stopped loving Eddie, just as Eddie had never stopped loving Buck.

And now Eddie was more determined than ever to get them away from Princess Taylor and her soldiers. He would’ve brought Buck back to them if that’s what he truly wanted. He hadn’t even planned for Buck to find out who he really was; all he needed was to save Buck from certain death. But Buck was here. And he wanted to stay with Eddie.

Eddie took in their surroundings, trying to determine how they will get back to his ship when he realized where they were heading. Straight to the Fire Swamp. He tried to think quickly of another way around but came up with nothing. Even if they could manage to climb out of the ravine, Taylor and her men would catch up with them. The Fire Swamp was the only way through.

All children of Florin lived in fear of the Fire Swamps. Swamps that contained a large percentage of Sulphur and other gas bubbles that continually burst into flame. The Florin/Guilder Fire Swamp was one which particularly haunted children’s nightmares. Parents would use it like a threat, Eddie remembers his own father saying “Do that one more time and we’re sending you to the fire swamp” on several occasions. There were rumors of giant rodents, and lightning sand which destroys by drowning anyone unlucky enough to step into it.

But it was the only way through. “I think we can slow down a bit, they’re still well behind” Eddie says, slowing to a walk, still amazed that Buck is at his side. He looks over at Buck and offers a comforting smile, preparing to tell him where they were heading. “With any luck at all,” he continues, trying to keep his tone light, “we should soon be safely in the Fire Swamp.”

Buck slows to a stop, the entrance to the swamp coming into view ahead of them. Buck clings to Eddie’s hand, the trees dark and daunting in front of them. “We can’t go in there,” he says, more fear in his voice than Eddie has heard since he first removed the blindfold and looked into those blue eyes for the first time in so long.

“We have to,” Eddie responds, squeezing Buck’s hand in reassurance.

“I once dreamed I would die here.”

“So did I, so did we all. Were you eight that year? I was.” Eddie tries to get Buck to crack a smile, but he just keeps standing there looking straight ahead.

“Why?” Buck asks. Eddie watches his Adams apple bob in his throat as Buck gulps.

“Now’s not the time.” Eddie’s not ready to tell him who – what – he’s become in Buck’s absence. He pulls Buck gently, and Buck still does not move.

Eddie turns to fully face him and takes Buck in his arms. “I have my knife. I have my sword. I did not come halfway across the world to lose you now,” he says quietly, gently pressing his lips to Buck’s birthmark before pulling back to look at him.

Buck searches Eddie’s face as if looking for a sufficiency of courage. Evidently, he finds it in Eddie’s eyes. He nods, and hand in hand, they enter the Fire Swamp.

Eddie led the way, cutting down vines with his sword, dodging random bursts of flames around them. They were easy to avoid, since there was a popping sound that would emit from the ground just before catching fire.

“It’s really not that bad,” he says, keeping his tone light. Buck gives him a questioning look, no words necessary to communicate his disbelief.

“What?” Eddie asks, “I’m not saying I’ll build a summer home here, but the trees are quite lovely.” Buck finally cracks a smile.

With his knife, Eddie began to cut a long piece of strong vine and coiled it over one shoulder and was busy working on it as they moved. “What we’ll do once I’ve got this properly done is,” he explains, moving steadily beneath the trees, “we’ll attach ourselves to each other, so that no matter the darkness, we’ll be close.” Just as the words leave his mouth, Buck’s hand is yanked from his own. Eddie turns only in time to see Buck disappear into the lightning sand, his heart jumping into his throat. Before he even entirely disappeared, Eddie dropped his sword and knife and got the vine coil from his shoulder. Just after Buck’s head was completely submerged, he had knotted on end around a giant tree, diving headlong into the sand.

But the sand was fine, and gravity is strong. Eddie reached out but did not feel Buck. With all his strength left, Eddie kicks his feet for greater speed, with no question in his mind of failure. He would find Buck alive. He had to. There was no other option.

Suddenly, the vine snags around Eddie, stopping him from going further. He almost screams in frustration but stops himself to avoid drowning on his rescue attempt. His mind works quickly. He hangs suspended for a moment, holding to the end of it and stretching his other hand through the sand searching for Buck. To release the vine would be madness, there was no possibility of forcing his body all the way back up to the surface. A few feet of ascension might be possible if he were to kick wildly, but no more. If he let go of the vine and did not find him within a second, it would be over for both of them. Without a second thought, Eddie lets go of the vine.

He reaches out with both hands as he sinks deeper and deeper into the sand, desperate to take a breath in. Failure is not an option. Further and further down he went until finally his hand wrapped around an ankle and he pulled Buck to him, and then his arm was around Buck’s waist. With all his strength, Eddie began to kick, needing to rise a few yards to reach the vine. The idea that it might be difficult to find a single vine in the small sea of sand didn’t even cross his mind. Failure was not a problem. He would simply kick until he reached the vine. Which is exactly what he did.

When they reached the surface, Eddie allows himself one gulp of air before immediately turning his attention to Buck, who’s laying there unconscious. Eddie’s heart beats wildly in his chest at the sight of Buck laying there, still and unmoving. He felt for a pulse and lets out a choked sob of relief to feel Buck’s steady heartbeat beneath his fingers.

Eddie busies himself as best as he can while waiting for Buck to wake. He cleans the sand from Buck’s ears, nose, and mouth, and, most delicate of all, from beneath his eyelids. The length of his quietness disturbs him, and he worries that there is underlying damage that he could not see. That Eddie had been too slow. He cradles Buck in his arms, rocking him slowly and praying to whoever is out there to bring Buck back to him.

Finally, Buck blinks his eyes open. “We lived?” he manages to say.

“I suppose we’re quite hardy,” Eddie smiles in relief.

“What a wonderful surprise,” Buck smiles back up at him.

Eddie stands up, helping Buck to his feet. “Let’s go,” he says, buckling his sword and picking up his knife.

“Not until you tell me why we have to do this.” Buck says, standing his ground.

Eddie sighs. He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it for long. “We have to go through the Fire Swamp,” Eddie begins, “for one good and simple reason.” Once he starts talking, Buck begins walking alongside him as he continues. “I had always intended getting to the far side; I hadn’t expected to go through, around was my intention.”

“And the good and simple reason?” Buck prompted.

Eddie takes another deep breath. “On the other side of the Fire Swamp is the mouth of Giant Eel Bay. And anchored far out in the waters of that bay is the ship Revenge. The Revenge is the sole property of the Dread Pirate Roberts.”

“The man who killed you?” Buck exclaims. “That man? The one who broke my heart? The Dread Pirate Roberts took your life, that was the story I was told.” Buck’s voice trembles, and Eddie’s heart aches for the pain he caused Buck all those years.

“Yes,” is all Eddie can say. “That ship is our destination.”

“You know the Dread Pirate Roberts? You’re what – friends with him?” Buck sounds disgusted, anguish lacing his tone.

“It’s a little more than that,” Eddie says, but quickly continues when the hurt on Buck’s face turns to horror at the implication of what Eddie said. “No, no, no,” Eddie quickly corrects. “Not like that. You see, I am the Dread Pirate Roberts.”

“He’s been sailing for twenty years, you only left me three years ago,” he says, confused.

“I myself am often surprised at life’s little quirks,” Eddie admits, thinking back to the moment he learned that the Dread Pirate Roberts who had captured him was not, in fact, the original Dread Pirate Roberts.

“Did he actually capture you off the coast of England?” Buck asks.

Eddie nods, cutting down another vine blocking their path. “He did. His ship Revenge captured the ship I was on, The Queens Pride, and we were all to be put to death.”

“But Roberts didn’t kill you.”

“Clearly,” Eddie replies, swallowing down the guilt that lingers from being the sole survivor. Surely, the rest of the crew had people they loved too.

“Why?” Buck asks, curious now.

“I can’t say for sure. But I think it’s because I asked him please not to. I suspect it was the ‘please’ that aroused his interest. I didn’t beg or offer bribery as others were doing. He held off his sword long enough to ask, ‘Why should I make an exception for you?’ and I explained my mission, how I had to get across the sea to earn enough money to reunite me with the most beautiful person born into this world, namely you. He was interested now, at least a little bit, so I went on describing the rest of you, and at the end, I knew I had him convinced of the truth that I was in love with you. Then he said, ‘I feel genuinely sorry about this, but I can’t have word get out that the Dread Pirate Roberts has gone soft.’ I told him I would be his personal valet, and slave for five full years if I had to. I knew I had him thinking. He said ‘Go below. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.’”

Eddie stopped talking, lifting Buck by the waist and moving him out of the way of a burst of flames.

“Go on,” Buck urged once he had gathered himself again.

“Two years he said that. ‘Goodnight Eddie, sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.’ It was really a fine time for me,” Eddie admits. “I learned to fence, fight, anything anyone could teach me. Roberts and I eventually became friends, and then it happened.”

“What?” Buck asks, enthralled by Eddie’s story and not once letting go of his hand as they scramble over large roots and through the thick vines.

“Well Roberts had grown so rich he wanted to retire. So he told me his secret. ‘I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts. My name is Ryan. I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit from me. The man I inherited it from was not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. The real Roberts has been retired fifteen years and living like a king in Patagonia.’ And then he explained to me that the name was the important thing for inspiring the necessary fear. See, no one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Eddie. So we sailed ashore, swapped out the crew, and he stayed aboard for a while as first mate, calling me Roberts. Once the crew believed, he retired, and I have been Roberts ever since.”

He looks over at Buck who’s looking at him intently. “Except now that we’re together, I’ll retire and hand the name over to someone else.”

“What,” Buck starts, a slight stammer to his voice. “What was it like?”

Eddie can hear it in Buck’s tone. What awful things did he have to do as the Dread Pirate Roberts. He swallows down his guilt and tries to find the words. “When people saw the flag, most people abandoned ship.” But there were a few times that didn’t happen, and even if they only intercepted ships from the British Empire, Eddie would have to live with that guilt forever. He continues, shifting his focus to the positive aspects of being the Dread Pirate Roberts.

“In only two years I was able to earn enough money to come back for you and Maddie. That’s when I heard of the marriage between Princess Taylor and one Prince Evan Buckley of Hammersmith. I didn’t want to believe it was you, but then I saw you on that balcony as the Princess introduced you to Florin,” he can’t help the sadness that creeps into his voice, and Buck squeezes his hand. It feels like an apology, even though Eddie hopes that Buck knows he doesn’t need to apologize for anything. He knows Buck would do anything to protect Maddie, just as Eddie has done whatever it takes to get back to Buck and to provide for Chris.

“As captain, I could have us sail wherever we liked. Chris settled with my sisters and Abuela in a small town on the coast, and I was able to visit every month. It’s a lovely little cabin with a beautiful view, I can’t wait to take you.”

He barely finishes his sentence before Buck is pulling them to a stop. Eddie turns to him, seeing Buck’s eyes filling with tears. “Christopher,” he mutters. “Eddie, I’ve missed him so much. When I thought you were dead, I just wanted to be there with him, but I couldn’t Eddie, I’m not his father, I’m not anything. And I couldn’t leave Maddie. I’m so sorry Eddie.” The words spill from his lips as his tears start to fall. Eddie’s heart breaks again for the hurt he caused Buck. But it was the only way he could make it back to him; still, it’s another thing Eddie will never forgive himself for.

“Shh, shh, you have nothing to apologize for,” he says, holding Buck’s face in his hands and wiping the tears away. “Chris has never forgotten you, and he can’t wait to see you.”

Buck nods, his lips quivering. Eddie can’t do anything but pull him into his arms, trying to express all his sorrow and love as he presses a kiss to Buck’s temple.

He pulls away from Buck slowly. “We have to keep moving. We should be over halfway through, and we’ve already faced most of terrors of the Fire Swamp, it should be easy from here. We can handle a little bit of fire and lightning sand” he says, attempting a smile as they continue walking.

“But Eddie, what about the R.O.U.S’s?” Buck asks, fear in his voice.

“Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.” Eddie responds, knowing full well that they do exist, but not wanting Buck to worry through the rest of their journey. Just as he says it, he spots a rat the size of a dog in the branches. He only has time to push Buck out of the way when the rodent leaps onto him, sinking its giant teeth into his shoulder where Chimney’s sword had cut him. Pain shoots through his body as he falls to the ground, blood spurting from his shoulder.

The rodents were attracted to blood, and soon two more were driving forward to get to Eddie’s shoulder. The rats struggled with each other to reach Eddie’s wound, their huge teeth tearing at the unprotected flesh of his left shoulder. He had no idea if Buck was already half devoured, and his desperation to make sure Buck was alright overpowered the unbearable pain stemming from his shoulder and seeping through the rest of his body. He had to get these rats off him and get to Buck. He was vaguely aware of losing his sword at some point after falling to the ground, so he does the only thing he can think of.

The ground near him sputters and spurts, so Eddie rolls himself and one of the rats over directly into the flame which bursts from the ground. His clothes begin to burn – but more importantly, the rats shy away from the heat and flames for just an instant, but it’s enough time for Eddie to grab his knife and throw it into the nearest beast. Just as he does so, he sees Buck thrust Eddie’s swords into the third rat, his chest heaving and panic behind his eyes. Relief floods through Eddie to see Buck standing there in one piece.

“Hurry,” he urges Buck who drops the sword to crouch in front of Eddie, worry clear on his face. “Bandages, we need bandages,” he gasps, blood streaming steadily from his shoulder. Buck immediately begins to tear his own shirt while Eddie rips off his burning clothes and works on caking mud onto his wound to cover the blood. “They’re like sharks,” he explains, gritting his teeth against the pain, “it’s blood they thrive on. We need to stop the bleeding and cover the wound, so they don’t smell it. If they don’t smell the blood, we’ll survive.”

Buck moves swiftly, ripping his shirt into patches and ties. His hands are gentle as he joins Eddie in caking the blood with mud, and then bandaging and rebandaging. It does nothing to ease the pain, but the care in Buck’s hands and in his eyes help to settle Eddie’s mind.

Buck looks up and freezes. Eddie follows his gaze to see two more rats watching them. “We’ll know soon enough,” Eddie says quietly. “If they charge, they smell it. Let’s go.”

Buck gently helps Eddie to his feet, his hand on Eddie’s waist offering comfort and stability as Eddie leans into his side. Two more rats joined the others, all of them standing watch.

Without warning, Eddie flashes his sword, and the nearest rat starts bleeding. The other three immediately converged on it, devouring.

“How bad are you?” Buck asks as they move quickly away from the rats.

Eddie grits his teeth, each step causing pain to shoot through his entire body. “I’m in something close to agony,” he manages between breaths. “But we can talk about that later. We need to hurry.”

With Buck’s arm secured around Eddie’s waist, they struggled their way through the rest of the Fire Swamp, Buck taking most of Eddie’s weight for the rest of the journey.

-

The had spent most of the day in the Fire Swamp. Too much time, Eddie thinks. But finally, they emerge. Not unharmed, but alive and together. Hand in hand, just as they belong. They’re just on the edge of the swamp when they at last see his ship anchored far out in the bay.

Eddie’s heart drops, his knees nearly buckling beneath him if not for Buck’s strong arm around his waist. They were too slow. He failed. Half of the Armada was sailing from the North and would reach the Revenge before them. And from the South were a hundred mounted horsemen, led by a man Eddie recognized as the Count who showed up on the farm all those years ago. By his side was the Princess Taylor.

“We took too long,” Eddie mutters. “I’m so sorry Buck.” Buck stands frozen beside him, eyes fixed on the army in front of them.

Princess Taylor and the Count approach the edge of the swamp, not daring to step in where Buck and Eddie stand.

“I accept your surrender,” the Princess says.

Eddie grips Buck’s hand in his own, summoning all his courage, finding it in Buck’s palm. “No one is surrendering,” he says, staring directly into the Princess’s cold eyes.

“You’re acting silly now,” she replies. “I credit you with bravery, don’t make yourself a fool.”

“What is so foolish about winning? In order to capture us, you will have to come into the Fire Swamp. We’ve spent hours in here, we know it’s secrets and can survive. I don’t think you and your soldiers could say the same. By morning we will have slipped away.”

The Princess stares back at him, not revealing a hint of emotion on her face. “I doubt that somehow,” she says, gesturing to the sea where half the armada had begun to chase his ship, which, as it had to do, was sailing away with his crew.

“Surrender,” the Princess demands again.

Eddie moves in front of Buck, lifting his sword. “It will not happen,” he stands his ground. He refuses to lose Buck again.

“Surrender!” the Princess shouts now.

“Death first!” Eddie roars, anger coursing through him.

Buck lets go of his hand, stepping forward. “Will you promise not to hurt him?” Buck says, his voice desperate. Eddie’s head whips around to look at Buck, just as the princess asks, “what was that?”

“If we surrender, freely and without struggle, if life returns to what it was yesterday, will you swear you will not hurt this man?” Buck pleads.

Eddie’s heart aches in his chest. Of course, Buck will be self-sacrificing, condemning himself to a life of misery to save Eddie. He can’t let that happen, but Buck’s face is stony and determined, and Eddie fears there’s nothing he’ll be able to do to stop Buck.

Princess Taylor raises her right hand: “I swear on the grave of my soon-to-be-dead father and the soul of my already-dead mother that I shall not hurt this man.”

No, no, no. Eddie’s mind races, trying to think of some way to convince Buck not to go with her. Buck turns to him, squeezing his hand. “There,” he whispers. “You can’t ask for more than that, the truth.”

“The truth,” Eddie says quietly, “is that you would rather live with your princess than die with your love.” He knows it’s unfair to say, but his heart is falling to pieces in his chest at the thought of losing Buck again.

“Christopher needs you, and I can live without love,” Buck says. And with that he steps away from Eddie.

Eddie wants to scream at him, to tell him that Chris needs Buck too, that he needs Buck. But the words get stuck in his throat as he watches Buck walk towards the princess. The princess whispers something to the Count who nods, both sets of eyes on Eddie.

“He belongs to the ship Revenge,” Buck says. “He is -” he pauses, “- a simple sailor and I have known him many years. Will you arrange that?”

“Must I swear again?” the Princess asks. “Come along, my prince,” she says. Eddie stands at the edge of the Fire Swamp, watching as Buck mounts a horse, and without looking back, begins to ride away with the Princess.

Eddie’s body is sags with bone deep exhaustion as he watches Buck’s figure get smaller and smaller. He had risked his world, and now it was walking away from him, hand in hand with a princess.

Then Buck was gone, out of sight.

Eddie takes a deep breath, preparing himself for what he knows comes next. He was aware of the scores of soldiers starting to surround him. He probably could have made a few of them work for their victory, but what was the point?

Eddie sags, accepting his defeat.

“Come sir,” the Count says as he approaches. “We must get you safely to your ship.”

“We are both men of action,” Eddie replies, looking the Count in the eyes. “Lies do not become us.”

“Well spoken,” says the Count, who raises his sword. Eddie only has enough time to notice the six fingers that are wrapped around the hilt of the sword before the Count swings his hand down to club Eddie’s head, and everything goes black.

Chapter Text

Eddie drifts in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of the Count giving orders to the soldiers carrying him before being pulled back into nothingness.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when he finally blinks his eyes open. He first becomes aware of the chains around his wrists and ankles, followed by a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder, his wound beginning to fester. He ignores his discomfort, momentarily, to try and adjust to his surroundings. A giant cage surrounds him, and he’s almost certain he’s underground. There was a dankness that clings to the walls and a chill hanging in the air. Candlelight flickers, illuminating the cage.

Soon after his return to consciousness, a man as pale as dying birch appears, seeming like a creature who had never seen the sun. The man held a tray, upon which it carried bandages, ointment, and brandy.

“Where are we?” Eddie rasped, his throat dry from disuse. The man shrugged.

“Who are you?”

Another shrug.

Eddie asks question after question as the man tends to Eddie’s wounds, but shrugging seemed to be the extent of his conversation. He begins to spoon feed Eddie something warm and satisfying, and Eddie realizes he likely hasn’t eaten in over 24 hours.

“Who knows I’m here?” His voice is almost back to normal after having a sip of brandy. Again, the man just shrugs.

“Lie, but tell me something – give me an answer. Who knows I’m here?” He’s starting to get frustrated that he’s unable to get anything out of this ghastly man who’s nursing him back to health.

The man whispers, “I know. They know.”

“They?” Another shrug.

“The Princess and the Count?”

The man nods. Then Eddie remembers being carried in by soldiers. They would know he’s here too. That’s good, that will increase his likelihood of escape, a plan already forming in his mind.

“When I was brought in, I was half conscious. The Count was giving the orders, but three soldiers carried me. They know too?”

The pale man shakes his head, mumbles, “Knew.”

Past tense. Eddie swallows. “So they’re dead, that’s what you’re saying?” Another shrug.

“Am I to die too, then?”

Another shrug.

Eddie let’s his head fall back against the wall of the giant underground cage, watching as the man silently reloads the tray and leaves the cage. Eddie’s mind races as he tries to make sense of his circumstances. If the soldiers were dead, surely it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that he would eventually follow. But if they only wanted him dead, why treat his wounds and feed him? No, his death would not come for a while. His captors want to make him suffer.

Eddie takes a deep, steadying breath. There was pain coming and he had to be ready for it. He had to prepare his brain, get his mind controlled and safe from their efforts so they could not break him. He won’t let them break him. He will hold it together against anything they do to him. He closes his eyes and thinks of bright blue eyes and a red birthmark. He thinks of soft, pink lips on his, and warm, calloused hands holding him. He thinks of smiles and laughter, I love you’s whispered into the night.

It was nearly a month before the torture began. And in the days, weeks, and maybe even months that followed, this is where Eddie’s mind would retreat to escape the pain. When the Princess asked who hired him to kidnap the Prince and Eddie repeated that he worked alone– that he was saving Buck from the kidnappers – and the pale man would dip Eddie’s hands into boiling wax, Eddie would scream, swearing that no one hired him, while the Count sat taking notes. But he didn’t actually feel any of it. His screaming was a performance to please them; he had been practicing his defenses for a month now, and he was more than ready. When the wax was brought close, Eddie would raise his eyes to the ceiling, drop his eyelids over them, and in a state of deep and steady concentration, he took his brain away. Back to the farm, back to Buck.

-

A month had passed, and Buck longed for the day when this act he puts on every morning would get easier. But it never does. Thirty days of festivities – thirty days of smiling, shaking hands, and pretending he’s excited to become King. Pretending that his heart isn’t far away sailing across the sea. Only sixty more days until the wedding, and Buck isn’t sure he can endure another day.

But he must. For Eddie.

The days fly by quicker than Buck anticipated, and he spends every day going through the motions. Rumors spread that he had survived the Fire Swamp while escaping his kidnappers. People raved about how much the Princess must love him for such a daring rescue. Anticipation and excitement continued to build now that the people love Buck even more than before.

In the days leading up to the wedding, the castle is a frenzy. He sees Taylor even less than before as she prepares for both the wedding, Florin’s 500th anniversary, and her father’s ailing health. And just like that, the 500th anniversary is here, and with it, their wedding day.

It's not until he walks out on the balcony as King, alongside Queen Taylor that it truly hits him. It’s over. He’s married and will spend the rest of his life without love. He’s the King of an entire country, and he now belongs to the people. A coldness settles in his heart as Taylor grasps his hand for show, lifting it for the cheering crowd to see.

They stand there, allowing the cheers to wash over them until Buck turns to Taylor. “I’d like to walk among them. Just one last time.”

He can tell she’s trying not to roll her eyes, but she nods. He descends the great stairs until he reaches the square, and just like the first time, people part before him to let him pass, weeping and cheering and bowing. Buck hates it. He doesn’t deserve this any more than the rest of them. And then, one person blocks his path. An old woman, ancient and bent, stands before him and boo’s. Immediately, soldiers surround the woman, prepared to apprehend her. Buck holds his hand up to stop them. He looks at the old woman, who continues to spout crude words at him.

“Have we met?” Buck asks, trying to understand. She shakes her head.

“Then why are you saying these things?”

“Because you are not worthy of cheers,” the old woman says, and suddenly she’s yelling. “You had love in your hands, and you gave it up for gold!” She turns to the crowd. “It’s true – there was love alongside him in the Fire Swamp, it’s how he survived, and he dropped it from his fingers like garbage, and that is what he is, the King of Garbage.”

“No,” Buck tries to defend himself. “It wasn’t like that; it was the only way to save him.” But the woman continues to shout horrible words and accusations. He can’t bear it, his guilt clawing at his insides, his heart aching in his chest. She gets louder, and closer, and louder, until –

Buck wakes with a gasp. His eyes adjust to the darkness surrounding him. He’s in his bed, alone. There are still sixty days to the wedding. But none of the guilt or anguish he felt in his dream lessens in his wakefulness.

-

Buck’s nightmares only get worse. The next night. he dreams that he and Taylor have their first child, a beautiful little girl. Taylor is disgusted. “You know I need a male heir,” she says angrily, leaving Buck alone with the child. He lifts the babe to cradle to his chest, but as soon as he touches her, she begins to scream. He rocks her and rocks her, trying to calm her, but the baby won’t stop crying. “I don’t know what to do,” he whispers to her.

“Yes, you do,” the baby replies. “You always know what to do, you do exactly what’s right for you, and the rest of the world can go hang.”

“You mean Eddie.”

“Of course, I mean Eddie,” the baby replies. Buck tries to remain patient, explaining that Eddie would’ve been hurt or killed if Buck didn’t go with the princess.

“I am dying now,” she says then. “There is no love in your heart and it has killed me,” and then the child begins to stiffen in his arms, and then she cracks in Buck’s hands and turns to dust and Buck screams and screams, and when he wakes in a pool of his own sweat, he can still feel the scream scratching at his throat.

The third nightmare comes quickly the following evening, and again it was a child.

“It’s a boy,” Taylor tells him, and she’s finally smiling. And then she is gone, and Buck calls into the room asking to see his son. The midwife comes out and says, “He does not wish to see you.” Buck doesn’t understand. “Tell him I am his father, and I am the King and I will see him,” he tells the midwife, who moves out of the way to allow Buck into the room.

Buck opens the door slowly and freezes when he sees Chris standing in the corner, as far from Buck as he can get. Buck wants to run to him, to wrap him in his arms and tell Chris just how much he’s missed him over the years. But Chris looks up at him from where he stands with an expression Buck doesn’t recognize on his face, keeping Buck rooted to where he stands in the doorway. The kindness and joy he remembers is nowhere to be seen, replaced with a look of hatred and disgust. “Chris,” he mutters, but he can’t move his feet. He’s stuck in place, and he can’t move towards Chris no matter how hard he tries. “Come here, Chris,” he pleads.

“Why?” Chris asks. “Are you going to kill me too?”

Buck begins to cry, panic building in his chest. “I love you Chris, and I’ve never killed anyone. Please, come here.” He’s begging now, desperate.

“You killed dad,” Chris snaps. “Did you see his face in the Fire Swamp? When you walked away and left him? That is what I call killing.”

Finally, whatever kept Buck’s feet rooted to the ground releases him, and he crosses the room and wraps Chris in his arms. “No, no, no,” Buck tells him, “When you’re older you’ll understand. I had to do it. I had to.”

“Murderer, murderer!” Chris cries over and over, and a sob bursts from Buck.

“No, Christopher, I love you, I love your father, I would never hurt you,” he weeps.

“Your love is poison; it kills,” Christopher says. “And now it has killed me,” and then Christopher dies right in Buck’s arms, and Buck can’t stop screaming.

He can’t stop screaming even when he wakes, curling in on himself as sobs wrack through his body.

-

Buck stops sleeping, and he wishes the numbness he felt before – before he was kidnapped, before he found out Eddie was still alive, before he turned his back on Eddie once again – would return. He would rather be numb than deal with the guilt and the dreadful nightmares. He tries to keep himself busy in order to stay awake, but a week without sleep causes him to slip into more nightmares. He dreams of his parents holding him as a baby, telling him that he was born without love, and therefore will never be capable of love. He dreams of Maddie, disgusted by who he’s become and refusing to speak to him. And worst of all, the dream of Chris doesn’t stop, ending with Chris dying in his arms every time.

There’s fifty days before the wedding when Buck nearly snaps. He knocks on the door to Taylor’s chambers late at night, unable to stand another minute of this life he’s created for himself.

Taylor opens the door, surprised to see him and confused at his appearance. Buck knows there must be heavy bags beneath his eyes, that he’s lost muscle in just the past week from not eating or sleeping. He’s sure he looks ill as he stands before her.

Buck doesn’t give her a chance to speak before the words spill from his lips. “It comes to this,” Buck says. “In the Fire Swamp I made the worst mistake of my life.” He swallows, looking into her eyes. “Please believe me when I say this: when you said I must marry you or face death, I told you to kill me. I meant that. I mean this now too: if you say I must marry you in fifty days, I will be dead by morning.”

The Princess stands in front of him, stunned. She seems to consider him for a moment, trying to decipher if he truly does mean it or not. Buck thinks of Maddie. She had left home and was making a living for herself. He didn’t need to marry Taylor to ensure that she won’t be married off anymore – she doesn’t need him. But he’s trapped here in these walls, unable to call off this marriage, while the man he loves is still out there – the man who loves him. And he gave that up out of fear. So, he pulls himself straighter and doesn’t look away from Taylor.

After a moment, she must see something in his face that tells her he means every word he says. “I admit,” she says softly, “that when we first became engaged, there was no love to be involved. That was as much my choice as well as yours, although you were the first to bring it up.” Then, she puts her hand on his arm gently, blinking her eyes up at him; he wants to recoil from her touch but doesn’t move. “But surely you have noticed in the past month of parties and festivities, a certain warming of my attitude?” She moves her hand further up his arm, grasping his bicep.

Buck only nods, unable to agree with her. The only change is that they have been in the public eye and need to put on a façade for the people of Florin.

“Then I hope you appreciate how difficult this next sentence is for me to say. I would rather die myself than cause you unhappiness by standing in the way of you being with the man you love.”

Buck doesn’t believe her, but this is the only way he will be able to get back to Eddie, so he has no other choice. In the back of his mind, he’s aware that he never told her he loves Eddie.

“So, the wedding is off!” she says, and Buck is shocked. It couldn’t have been that easy. “Except for one thing,” she adds. “Have you considered the possibility that he might no longer want you?”

Fear crawls up Buck’s throat at the thought.

“You were,” she continues, “not altogether gentle with his emotions in the Fire Swamp. Forgive me for saying that, my love, but you did leave him in a lurch, in a manner of speaking.”

Buck’s stomach sours at the words leaving her mouth. My love. That’s what Eddie calls him. Because he belongs to Eddie, not Taylor. She doesn’t have a right to call him that, certainly not when there is no love between them at all. She doesn’t stop there, the pit in Buck’s stomach growing with every word.

“This sailor of yours, he’s off with the Dread Pirate Roberts, yes? He’s had a month to deal with the emotional scars you left him. Perhaps he would rather stay single. Or perhaps, he’s even found another?”

No. He wants to shout out at her for even suggesting such a thing about Eddie, his Eddie. He can’t bring himself to say anything, because a small part of him, a voice that has grown louder with each nightmare, tells him that she’s right. That what Buck had done to Eddie was unforgiveable.

“I think we should strike a deal,” she says, taking his hand in her own. It takes every ounce of willpower to not pull his hand away. “If Eddie still wants to be with you, then bless you both. If, for reasons too unpleasant to mention, he decides he does not want you, then you will marry me, as planned.”

Buck saw it for what it was. A game that he would have to play if he were ever to be reunited with Eddie and Christopher again.

“He’ll come for me,” he says, not sure if he’s trying to convince Taylor or himself now. “But how will we find out?” Eddie is sailing. Buck doesn’t even know where his Abuela and Chris are living now, there’s no way Buck will be able to reach him.

“Write him a letter. I’ll make four copies and send my four fastest ships in every direction. The Dread Pirate Roberts is usually near Florin this time of year. Whichever of my ships finds him will raise a white flag and deliver your letter, and Eddie can decide.”

Buck is still wary of her offer. But despite his insecurities which get louder and louder by the second, he believes in Eddie more than he believes in that voice in his head.

“In the meantime, let us continue with our festivities as planned, at least until we know Eddie’s intentions,” then she brings her hand to his cheek. “And if I seem too fond, remember that I can’t help myself,” she smiles at him, and it makes Buck’s stomach churn.

Buck steps away then, unable to bear her touch any longer, relieved when her hand falls away. “Agreed.”

-

Eddie didn’t know how much time had passed – it could have been days or weeks. Every day was the same. The Princess wasn’t always there, but the Count was. He would direct the pale man and watch, taking notes while Eddie put on an act of being in pain. When the torture was done, and the pale man tended to his slashes or burns or breaks, he sent his mind to Buck, and there it dwelled.

Even after the years apart, Eddie still knew Buck’s heart. Buck was trusting and selfless, so Eddie couldn’t blame him for leaving him there in the Fire Swamp. Gold was enticing, and so was royalty, but that wasn’t what Buck was after. Sitting there, alone in his cell, Eddie knew when he got out of here, someday and somehow, that Buck would return to him.

So when the Count shows up with a machine, Eddie isn’t all that perturbed. He raises an eyebrow at the large contraption that the Count rolls into the cage, confused by the soft-rimmed cups of various sizes and a large wheel that looks like it belongs in a river to generate power.

“Good evening to you,” the Count begins, excitement clear on his face. Eddie puts on his act of a tortured prisoner. Eddie nods weakly in return. He actually felt as good as ever but didn’t need the Count knowing that. He’s moved to a table to lay down, and the Count chains his arms and legs.

“Feeling a bit under the weather?” the Count asks. Eddie makes another feeble nod in response.

“This is the Machine,” the Count says as the pale man begins hooking up wirelike extensions to the machine. “I have spent ten years constructing it. As you can tell, I’m rather excited and proud.”

Eddie manages an affirmative blink, pretending that he’s too exhausted to do anything more.

“I’ll be putting it together for a while.” And with that, the Count got to work. Eddie watched the construction with a good deal of interest. The Count continued talking to Eddie as he worked, giving Eddie a glimpse into the man’s twisted mind.

“I’m very interested in pain,” the Count explains. “As I’m sure you’ve gathered these past months. In an intellectual way, actually. I think pain is the most underrated emotion available to us.”

Eddie groans in response.

“Before we start, I want you to know that you are the strongest, the most brilliant and brave, altogether worthy creature I have ever had the privilege to meet, and I almost feel sad that, for the purposes of my research, I must destroy you.”

Eddie resists the temptation to roll his eyes, but breathes out a quiet and pained, “Thank you.”

Suddenly, the Count is crouching in front of Eddie, anger laced through his tone. “And you can quit all your performing about how weak and beaten you are; you haven’t fooled me for a month. You’re practically as strong now as you were on the day you entered the Fire Swamp. I know you’re secret.”

Eddie’s heartrate picks up but pretends he doesn’t understand. “…secret?” he asks, voice hushed and strained.

“You’ve been taking your brain away,” the Count cries. “You haven’t felt pain in all these months. You raise your eyes and drop your eyelids and you’re off, probably with – I don’t know – him, most likely. But you won’t be able to escape the Machine.”

And with that, the Count begins attaching the suction cups from the Machine to Eddie’s skin, until every inch is covered. “This certainly isn’t the easiest thing to set up,” Eddie says, his tone joking. But only to himself, he admits that for the first time since being brought here, he feels something close to terror.

“The next part is more delicate, try not to move.” With that, the Count lifts Eddie’s eyelids, fitting them with the tiniest soft-rimmed cups, followed by his nostrils and under his tongue. His discomfort does nothing to lessen his fear, which continues to grow as the Count starts to explain the Machine to him.

“Now, all I do is get the wheel spinning fast enough so that I have enough power to operate. And the dial can be set from one to twenty, but for the first time I’ll set it to one. And then all I need to do is push the lever forward, and we should be in full operation.”

Eddie readies his mind, and as the Count begins to push the lever, he takes his brain away. He is holding Buck in his arms, stroking his fingers through his soft curls, and – and then his world explodes – because the torture before had punished his body and not his brain, but the Machine – the Machine reaches everywhere – his eyes are not his to control and his ears cannot hear Buck’s gentle loving whisper and his brain slides away, far from love and far from Buck, into a deep, bottomless pit of despair and anguish. Eddie’s world was ripping apart and all he could do was crack along with it as agony and pain laced through each of his senses.

And then, finally, the Count shut off the Machine, pulling out his notebook and saying, “As you no doubt know, the concept of the suction pump is centuries old – well, basically, that’s all this is, except instead of water, this is sucking life. I’ve just sucked away one year of your life. Later, I’ll set the dial higher, certainly to two or three, perhaps even to five. Tell me honestly, how do you feel?”

Through his pain, suffering, anger, and frustration, all Eddie can manage is a whimper.

“Interesting,” says the Count, carefully noting it down.

-

After the man in black had told Hen his story, she had no choice but to let him pass; who was she to stand in the way of two lovers? By the time she returned to the cliffs where the duel had taken place, Chimney was gone. She was glad to discover that the man in black had not, in fact, killed him.

With Vizzini dead and Chimney gone, Hen did the only thing she could think of. She returned to Florin City in search of work and rented a room from a practical, yet kind woman named Karen. The city was bustling with preparations for the wedding. It hits her then, that the man in black must have failed. He had defeated Vizzini but couldn’t escape the princess and her army. It saddens her to think; this man had crossed oceans to get to the Prince, yet they were still fated to be separated.

It just happened that there was a rumor of Guilder spies in Florin City after their attempt to kidnap the Prince, and the Princess demanded that a Brute Squad be formed to clear the Thieves Quarter of the city to find them. Hen rolled her eyes at the rumor, knowing full well that Guilder hadn’t been involved in the kidnapping, they were only to be framed for it. But they needed people with strength on the Brute Squad and it paid well, and Hen happened to be strong and in need of money.

As they prepare to clear the Thieves Quarter, Hen overhears the Enforcement Officer talking to the Count, telling him there weren’t any reports of a spy from Guilder other than the claims made by the Princess. Hen raises an eyebrow as she secures a dagger to her belt and wonders who had hired Vizzini to start a war between Florin and Guilder by killing the Prince. When she looks back, she notices the Count’s hand. Six fingers.

They begin to clear the Quarter, moving thieves into holding cells only until after the wedding celebrations. Which is ridiculous, Hen thinks. None of the thieves here are Guilder spies, and none of them are planning to murder the Prince. It’s mostly drunks and gamblers, no one doing any real harm. But there are worse jobs, and at least this one doesn’t involve kidnapping and murder.

Hen spends the greater part of the day loading drunks and thieves into wagons. As she continuously helps stumbling men and women off the ground, and wrestles with men trying to escape arrest, her mind wanders to what she heard the Enforcement Officer saying. Princess Taylor was the only one saying there were spies from Guilder – why did she want people to think that? Guilder obviously wouldn’t hire Vizzini to frame themselves for a crime, so –

Her thought process is cut off by other members of the Brute Squad calling for help. “It’s this drunk with a sword,” one of them says. “No one can get near him.” Hen immediately starts moving in the direction of the voices, pushing them out of the way. Sure enough, Chimney sits slumped in a chair in the corner of the pub, his sword in one hand and a bottle of brandy in the other. Relief floods through her to see him here, despite the condition that he’s in. “I’m waiting – for Vizzini,” he says, not noticing Hen.

She crouches in front of him, and slowly puts her hand on the arm holding his sword. “Chim,” she says, and he rolls his head to the side to look at her. “Hen!” he says, he eyes widening. “I thought the man in black killed you.”

“No, it’s a long story,” she says, removing the bottle of brandy from the other hand. “I went back to the cliffs, and you were already gone.”

“Vizzini always said if we were separated to meet back at the thieves quarter,” he grumbles, before shouting “I am here Vizzini, and I am getting bored waiting.”

“Okay, Chimney, let’s get you out of here,” she keeps her voice gentle, and puts her arm around his shoulder to help him stand.

“It’s so good to see you,” he mumbles, leaning against Hen as she leads them out of the Thieves Quarter towards the small house where she was renting a room. “So, so, so, good,” he repeats.

He’s silent for rest of the walk after that, until she sits him down in a chair. He looks up at her with wide, sad, eyes, and says, “I’m no longer the greatest. I was defeated. I am no longer the greatest swordsman, and I will never find the man who killed my mother, and I failed her.”

“Stop it,” she says, unable to listen to his self-deprecating words. “You may have lost a swordfight, but you just happen to be in the same city as the man who killed your mother,” she tells him, remembering the six fingers she saw on the Count’s right hand. “Let’s get you sobered up and I’ll tell you everything.

Hen stands to fill a bucket of cold water and brings it to where Chimney sits at the table. Then, she does the only thing she can think of to sober him up quickly, and dunks his head. He takes a gasp for air, dripping water all over the place.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Hen whips around to see the woman she’s renting from – Karen – walk into the room.

“Uh,” Hen tries to come up with an excuse, hoping Karen doesn’t kick her out. “I’m trying to sober him up?”

Karen raises her eyebrow. “By dunking him in water?” she asks, judgement laced through her tone.

“Yes?”

Karen immediately starts moving around the kitchen, sets a pot of water to boil, and begins pulling ingredients out of the cupboard. Hen watches, amazed, as Karen jumps into action to help them without question.

She places a mug of steaming tea in front of Chimney, and says, “A new healer in town gave me the recipe, drink up.”

Whatever it was in the tea works, and finally, Chim has his wits about him. Hen glances over at Karen before she begins telling Chimney everything she knows; something about Karen makes Hen trust her, so she turns back to Chimney.

“Wait,” he says, seeming to sort through his hazy memories. “You said the six-fingered man is here?”

Hen is about to speak when Karen interrupts. “You mean Count Rugen?”

Both Hen and Chimney turn to look at her, shocked. “He’s the only Count in Florin, everyone in the city knows he’s got six fingers,” she says matter-of-factly.

Chimney’s mouth falls open and his eyes widen. “I’m so close,” he whispers, and Hen knows he’s thinking about the many years he spent searching for the man. “Where is he?”

“That’s the tricky part,” Hen says. “He’s almost always with the Princess, who is in the castle –”

“So we’ll get in the castle,” he interrupts.

“ – which is currently guarded by twenty men,” she finishes.

“Okay so you can take on five in a fight, I can fence five… and that leaves ten to kill us.” His face falls, and Hen smiles sympathetically at him. “We’ll figure it out,” she tells him.

He sighs and rubs his hands down his face. “We need Vizzini’s mind to plan,” he admits. Then it hits her.

“No, we need an even better mind,” she says, really smiling now. She continues quickly. “The man in black killed Vizzini, not by strength or force, but by pure wit. We need the man in black.”

“Vizzini is dead?” Chimney exclaims.

“Yes, but that’s not what’s important right now. We need to find the man in black.”

“And why would the man who was hunting us down want to help us?” Chimney says, glaring at her. A plan begins to form in her mind as she thinks of the story the man in black told her on that mountain path.

“Because the Princess is about to marry the man he loves, and we’re gonna help him save the Prince.”

-

Buck wakes from his nightmare silently; he’s become accustomed to them now, no longer waking up screaming. He takes a deep breath, and forces himself to sit up, to get out of bed, and to dress. The wedding is tomorrow. And still no word from Eddie. But there’s still time, he tells himself. Eddie won’t give up on him.

He knocks on the door to Taylor’s chambers before hearing yelling from inside. He knocks again, not caring if it’s rude to interrupt. He needs to know if there has been an update from her ships. She opens the door for him and smiles, letting him in.

“Come in,” she says, “a moment more is all I need.” She turns to an officer standing straight-backed and looking straight ahead. “Look at him,” she tells the soldier. “My future husband. Am I wrong, do you think, to go to any lengths to protect him?” The soldier shakes his head.

Buck knits his eyebrows in confusion. Protect him from what?

She continues, “I’m telling you, these Guilder spies are everywhere, and since you seem unable to find them, I intend to change some plans. You sealed the entrances to the castle except the front, yes?”

The soldier nodded. “Yes ma’am, guarded by twenty men.”

“Add eighty more,” she snaps. “I’m perfectly safe here in the castle, as long as they cannot get to me.” Buck’s confusion grows. Guilder? Someone had been trying to frame Guilder for his death, why would they be here now?

“Our Five-Hundredth Anniversary Celebrations will be canceled. The Prince and I will marry at sunset as planned, and we will be escorted to the Florin Channel where every ship in the Armada will be waiting for us to take us on our honeymoon.”

“Every ship but your four fastest, you mean,” Buck interrupts, speaking for the first time. Taylor pauses for just a second, blinking, then smiles up at him. “Of course, my Sweet. Every ship but my four fastest.”

But in the blink following the silence, Buck saw it all. He feels so stupid, he knew he couldn’t trust her. “You never sent the ships,” Buck states. “Don’t bother lying to me.”

She smiles, “Whatever was done was done for your own good.”

Buck clenches his jaw, trying to hold back the anger that threatens to spill out. “Somehow, I doubt that. It doesn’t matter. Eddie will come for me.”

Her face hardens, and she snaps, “don’t be ridiculous, you’re just nervous for the wedding tomorrow.”

A sarcastic laugh falls past his lips. “I may be ridiculous,” he says, “for ever trusting you. You’re a coward. A coward whose heart is filled with nothing but fear.”

A look of rage crosses her face. “I would not say such things if I were you,” she threatens. Buck doesn’t flinch or look away. She whips around to the soldier. “Bring him to his room and lock the door. I’m going to the Pit.”

The soldier grabs his arm roughly, dragging him down the hall towards his chambers. Anger ripples through him, wanting to fight and run but knowing it would be pointless.

Once inside, he paces, mind racing as he tries to think of a plan. Instead, he thinks about how ignorant he was to believe her lie. That he shouldn’t have let it get this far, that he should be with Eddie right now. He freezes. If she lied about the ships, what else did she lie about? She promised not to hurt Eddie. She promised she would bring him to his ship. His stomach churns at the thought that he didn’t make it to his ship after all. His head is spinning, not knowing how he’ll continue to live knowing he sent Eddie to his death.

-

Eddie lies on his back, weak and broken. He’s not sure how many times the Count has made him suffer the Machine at this point, but through the pain that courses through his body, he estimates that he’s taken at least twenty years of Eddie’s life. The anticipation between each round was almost just as bad as the Machine itself. Never recovering, never able to escape in his brain. He longed for Buck’s touch, to hear his voice, anything. But all he could feel was pain.

The Count was preparing for the next round when the door to the cage swung open, the Princess storming through. She walks right up to Eddie, who can only just process the anger in her eyes before she begins to yell.

“He loves you,” the Princess cries. “He loves you still, and you love him – think of this: in all this world you might’ve been happy, truly happy. Not one couple in a century has that chance, not really. No matter what the storybooks say. But you could’ve had it, and so, I think, no one will ever suffer a loss as great as you.” And with that, she grabs the dial and turns it all the way. Eddie hears the Count yell, “not to twenty!” before the Machine comes to life. Each of his senses, every single nerve in his body, lights up. Eddie thinks he might be burning from the inside out. A scream rips from his throat, and he can’t stop screaming just as he can’t stop the tears racing from his eyes, or his body shaking on the table.

He wishes he could pass out, or die, anything to make the pain end.

-

Hen and Chimney were preparing for their search for the man in black, unsure of where to start.

“Everyone knows that Princess Taylor returned the man in black to the ship of the Dread Pirate Roberts,” Chimney explains. The rumor had made its way around Florin City, though Hen and Chimney’s involvement luckily remained a secret.

“See, that doesn’t make sense,” Hen argues. “Look, someone wanted us to frame Guilder for the Prince’s death. And now the Princess is starting rumors that there are Guilder spies here, despite no reports to the enforcement officer. I think it’s safe to assume the Princess hired Vizzini to frame Guilder so that Florin could start a war. So, the man in black spoils those plans by rescuing Prince Evan from us. You really think she’s just going to let him go?”

Chimney thinks for a moment, trying to wrap his head around everything Hen just said. “So,” he clarifies, “since the Princess is in Florin City, likely taking her temper out on the man in black, that means the man in black is here, not sailing the seas with the Dread Pirate Roberts, and likely not all that happy with the situation he’s in. And I am in Florin City to kill Count Rugen, and happen to need a planner to avenge my mother, and he needs someone to save him so he doesn’t… die? So, we have equal needs from each other, and deals are made,” he smiles, having finally processed Hen’s plan.

She claps him on the shoulder. “Exactly,” she replies.

Karen comes back into the room. “Sorry,” she says, interrupting them again. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you think the Princess might be keeping someone prisoner?”

Hen and Chimney exchange a glance, before nodding slowly. A smile spreads across Karen’s face, and she says, “I think I know where you should start.”

Relief floods through Hen as she realizes that she didn’t make a mistake in trusting Karen. Karen continues, telling Hen and Chimney about a small area just outside the walls of the castle that she passes for work.

“There’s a small alley, nondescript and tucked away, but I sometimes see the Princess and Count Rugen going in and out. Particularly the Count – he has an assistant, an old Albino man, who’s usually carrying all sorts of tools and devices for him. If the Princess is keeping anyone prisoner, specifically for torture, I would start my search there.”

Hen and Chimney prepare to leave immediately.

“Hen!” Karen calls, just as she and Chimney start to walk out the door. Hen turns around, looking at Karen expectantly.

“Be careful,” she says quietly. Hen smiles. “I’ll be back,” she promises.

As they reach the alleyway Karen directed them to, they look around, trying to decide where to start their search. Several buildings line the alley, with a scattering of trees along the dirt pathway.

After only a moment, a blood curdling scream echoes through the alley. It was like no other sound Hen had ever heard before; the sound of ultimate suffering, sending shivers down Hen’s spine. The scream continues, Hen and Chimney scrambling to identify where it’s coming from.

Eventually it dies down, replaced with a deathly silence. “You think that’s him?” Hen asks, looking at Chimney who holds his sword in front of him, ready to jump into action.

“Not only that,” he replies, “But I think we have the right place.”

They continue wandering the alleyway, looking for potential entrances to a dungeon or some other place that might be holding the man in black. Movement out of the corner of Hen’s eye catches her attention, and she turns to look towards the end of the alleyway. An albino man was pushing a large wheelbarrow towards the largest tree, opening what appeared to be a passageway. Chimney spots him too, and moments later his sword was at the man’s throat.

“Where is the man in black?” he demands.

The man’s eyes widen in terror, and he whispers, “I know no man in black.”

Chimney doesn’t give up. “Did the scream come from that place?” he asks, nodding towards the passageway under the tree. The man nods. “And the throat it came from? I need this man, so be quick!”

“Eddie,” the man croaks.

“A sailor? Brought here by Rugen?” The man nods again.

“And how do I reach him?”

The man hesitates, then points towards the entrance. “He’s on the bottom level,” he whispers, terror clear on his face. Chimney removes the sword from the man’s throat, looking over at Hen. She understands what he’s trying to communicate with his eyes and approaches the man. Placing her hands expertly on his neck, the man collapses.

“He’ll wake up soon enough,” she says. “Let’s move.”

The staircase is dark and daunting, winding down deep into the earth. “Why would he tell us the truth?” Hen wonders aloud.

“He’s an assistant to a twisted man and is probably overworked and underpaid, threatened with death – why would he lie?” Chimney replies, making Hen huff a laugh despite the way her stomach twists at the continuous spiral downwards.

Finally, they reach a door - large, heavy, and oak. She tries the knob. Locked. She makes eye contact with Chimney, and he nods. Together, the slam their bodies against the door, grunting with the effort and force. On the fourth try, the door swings off its hinges and they stumble into the room.

There’s a large cage with empty shackles in one corner, moisture clings to the cavernous walls with a chill that makes the hair on Hen’s arms stand. Chimney freezes, and Hen watches as the hope she had seen on his face all day falls from his face. She follows his gaze and stops.

On a table at the far end of the room, the man in black lays dead.

Chapter Text

Chimney feels frozen in place as Hen walks up to the body of the man in black. She places her fingers on his neck and sighs. “Dead,” she confirms.

Chimney can’t accept it. It wasn’t fair. His life has been nothing but unfair, but this, this was too far, too much. All these years of training and searching, of being reunited with Hen, and he finally had the man who killed his mother within his reach. But the one man who had the mind needed to help get him into the castle to avenge his mother had just died.

All was gone. Hope? His future? Gone. The driving forces of his life, defeated.

He thinks of his mother’s gentle voice, the way she would rock him in her arms when he was small, and the hours she spent meticulously crafting the greatest sword the world had ever seen.

He won’t accept it. Finally, he finds the strength to move. “Let’s go,” he says. Hen begins to step away from the man in black when Chimney stops her. “Bring the body.”

-

Karen is mortified when they lay the man in black down across the table. “What the fuck is a dead man doing in my house?” she exclaims.

Chimney looks at her. “You said you know a healer. Well, we’re hoping she can work some miracles.”

Karen stands in shock for a moment when Hen walks up to her and places a hand on her shoulder. “Please help us, Karen.”

Karen nods and stares for just a second longer before jumping into action. “Start going through my cabinets and pull out any medicinal herbs that might come in handy. I’ll go grab her.”

With that she runs out the door.

-

It feels like almost no time has passed when Karen rushes back into the kitchen, a woman by her side. Chimney pauses for a moment, stunned at her beauty. He had been expecting an old woman or old man. But the woman who stands before him is certainly not either of those things. Dark brown hair frames her face, bringing out her warm eyes. He offers her a smile before remembering their situation and pulling himself back to reality. They had a job to do, and he had a Count to find.

“He’s in here,” Karen directs the woman towards the table. “This is Maddie, she just moved here and she’s a great healer,” she tells them.

Maddie stands in front of the table and freezes, her hand flying up to her mouth. “It can’t be,” she whispers. “Eddie?” she says. Chimney looks over at Hen, who seems to be just as confused as he is.

“No, he died. Eddie died,” her voice raises higher.

“That’s kind of why we need you,” Chimney explains. Her head whips up and she looks at him.

“No,” she says. “Eddie died years ago. He was killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts.” Her breath starts to get faster, panic flashing behind her eyes. “I need to tell Buck. He can’t marry the Princess, he needs to know Eddie is still alive.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Hen interrupts. “Buck, as in…”

Maddie takes a deep breath. “Prince Evan Buckley, yes. He’s my brother.”

Chimney’s jaw drops, as does Hen and Karen’s. But time is running out before the wedding, and they need to get into the castle; they don’t have time to sort all of this out right now. Chimney jumps in to explain. “Buck knows he’s alive – well, was, alive. It’s a long story but we need Eddie in order to get into the castle so he can save Buck from the Princess and I can avenge my mother, the only problem is – well, Eddie is dead. So we were hoping that’s where you can help us.”

Her expression shifts to horror and she says, “you should have started with that!” before climbing onto the table to lean over Eddie. She places one hand on top of the other, threading her fingers together and pressing down hard on Eddie’s chest. She continues the compressions steadily, pausing momentarily to breathe air into his mouth, watching as his chest rises and falls as she fills his lungs with air.

Chimney watches her work, amazed. As she presses into his chest, she directs Hen to make a concoction of herbs for when he wakes.

Eddie gasps for breath, and Maddie collapses back in relief.

-

Eddie wakes with a start, disoriented and panicked. He should be dead. Then, he thinks, maybe he is dead. His body had been resilient enough to withstand torture, but his mind wasn’t strong enough to withstand the Machine. He had failed Buck again. And now Chris has lost them both.

But then he becomes aware of voices. He’s almost afraid to open his eyes; if he is in fact alive, another round with the Machine will surely kill him. A familiar voice breaks through to him, saying his name. He struggles to open his eyes, his entire body still in pain.

He blinks his eyes open to see a wooden ceiling above him rather than the cavernous one he had grown so used to. Then the woman’s voice says his name again, and he tries to turn his head to see where it’s coming from. Panic starts building in his chest when he’s unable to turn his neck. He tries to lift his arm, wiggle his fingers, his toes, anything, but he can’t move a muscle, only his eyelids fluttering as he tries to gain control of himself and stop panicking.

“Hey, hey, Eddie, it’s okay,” the woman says, leaning over him and coming into view.

He must be dead. There’s no way Maddie is here right now. He tries to speak, but all that escapes is a groan. Certainly, if he were dead, his body wouldn’t be aching like this.

“Here, drink this,” she says, pouring a warm liquid into his mouth. Slowly, his insides begin to warm, and the tense muscles throughout his body start to relax. Two more people step into view, and Eddie groans again as he sees two of Buck’s kidnappers standing before him, staring intently.

“You couldn’t kidnap the prince, so what, you kidnap his sister?” he rasps.

“Oh my God, you’re alive,” the woman exclaims, and then Maddie is hugging him. He wants to hug her back, to ask where he is, why she’s here. She releases him quickly, looking genuinely relieved to see him.

All he can manage to ask is, “why won’t my arms move?”

The swordsman, Chimney, if he remembers correctly, speaks up. “You’ve been dead,” he explains. “The healer, uh – Maddie – brought you back. Guess she knows your man.”

“My – ” Buck. Where was Buck? What day is it? When the Princess had stormed into his cage, it must have been the day before the.. the wedding. His heart beats quickly against his chest, but he still can’t move. “Buck, I need to get to him,” he says, using every ounce of strength in him to move, making no progress. “I can’t move my legs,” he admits, defeated.

“That will come,” Maddie says, her familiar voice calming him slightly. “In time.”

His eyes dart around the people standing in the rooms, still confused about the presence of the two kidnappers. “Last thing I remember, I was dying,” he croaks. “Why am I on this table?”

Chimney steps closer. “Chimney Han,” he introduces himself again. “This is Hen,” he indicates at the other woman whom he had met previously.

“And I’m the Dread Pirate Roberts,” he says, getting impatient. “Just Eddie, is fine.”

Chimney nods. “Okay, let me tell you what’s been going on – ” He stops and shakes his head. “No, there’s too much, it will take too long. Let me distill it for you: the wedding is at six, which leaves us less than an hour to get in, steal the prince, and get out; but not before I kill Count Rugen.”

His mind races. They’re going to save Buck. But that still doesn’t explain why he’s here. Chimney continues. “There’s one working gate to the castle – originally it was guarded by twenty men, but now there’s about a hundred. That’s where you come in.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “What are our assets?” he asks. He wiggles his fingers, and then his toes.

“Your brain, Hen’s strength, and my steel.”

Eddie stops wiggling his fingers and thinks Chimney doesn’t have a right to be smiling like that when that’s all they got between the three of them. “That’s it? I can’t even sit up and I’m expected to devise a plan to rescue Buck within the hour?”

“We’ve been operating under strict time restraints!” Chimney defends. “Just yesterday I was a hopeless drunk and Hen had given to toiling for the Brute Squad! And you were dead just minutes ago!”

“Eddie, please,” Maddie interrupts, her eyes wide and pleasing. “I moved here right after Buck was kidnapped. I came as soon as the news reached me. But they haven’t let me see him. I don’t think they give him my letters. I know this isn’t what he wants. He wants you, he always has” she says quietly.

Eddie feels tears sting his eyes. “It’s impossible,” he whispers, frustrated with himself and his weakness. “He’s going to marry Taylor and I’m helpless.”

“You’re giving in too easily,” Maddie says. “Please, Eddie,” she repeats.

The tears leak from his eyes, and he squeezes them shut. “I want to die,” he admits through a whisper, angry with himself. “If I had a month to plan, maybe I might come up with something, but this…” he shakes his head. “I’m sorry. Leave me.” He’s failed Buck so many times now. They’re in this situation because of him. Because he let Buck think he had been killed. Had made Buck live so many years believing Eddie was dead, while Eddie paraded around the sea playing pirate.

“You moved your head!” Hen says, “doesn’t that lift your spirits?”

“My brains, your strength, and his steel against a hundred troops? And you think a little head jiggle is supposed to make me happy?” he huffs a sarcastic laugh. “Why didn’t you leave me to death? This is worse. Lying here helpless while the man I love marries my murderer.”

“Stop it.” Maddie says harshly, surprising him. “My brother loves you and Christopher more than anything, and you are not giving up on him just because you can’t sit up yet.” He looks at her and knows that she’s right. Whatever self-pitying thoughts he has can wait. He thinks of Chris, who has never given up under any circumstances. Chris, who is waiting for his father to bring Buck home to him.

Eddie tries to remember what he had seen around the castle, trying to devise a plan from where he lies on the table, how he could even get in the castle without being able to walk. That should be his first priority, Eddie decides, before tackling the bigger question of the one-hundred troops.

“Now if we had a wheelbarrow, that would be something,” he says.

“Hen, what did we do with that wheelbarrow from the Count’s assistant that we brought him over here with?” Chimney asks.

“Why didn’t you list that as one of our assets in the first place?” Eddie exclaims, sitting up.

“You just sat up!” says Hen, encouraging.

Eddie ignores her, trying to think of the next challenge. The soldiers. “If only we had a way to intimidate them, to make them think there were more of us… I wish I had my crew with me,” he thinks out loud.

“What if we don’t need your crew to actually be here?” Maddie says. He raises an eyebrow, nodding for her to continue. “What if we just make them think they’re here?”

He thinks about how the flag and the name is usually enough to get crews to surrender, and how they rarely need to do any real work these days because of the fear it strikes in people.

“You said you’re the Dread Pirate Roberts – which I still don’t understand – but maybe you just need to make it known that you’re here.”

And that – that might actually work. “We’ll need something to convince them…”

“What about fire?” Karen interrupts. Everyone turns to look at her, waiting for her to continue. “I guess I never told you what I do for work,” she says, looking over at Hen. “But uh, I dabble as an inventor.”

“You… dabble?” Hen asks, a small smile on her face as she looks at Karen. Karen smiles in response, and quickly leaves the room, coming back with a large cloak in her hands. “It’s flammable,” she explains. “Whoever wears it won’t feel a thing, other than maybe a little heat. You can only use it once, but I think this occasion might make it worth it.”

It’s perfect, Eddie thinks, and suddenly all the pieces fall together in his mind, and he has a plan.

A certain excitement hangs in the air as Eddie explains the details. Eddie will have Buck by his side within the hour.

-

Buck stands silently as he dresses into his gold embroidered robes, which must have cost enough to feed his entire village for a month. He takes a moment to look at his reflection. He doesn’t look all that different. Maybe a little slimmer from lack of food and sleep, a little paler from days spent not leaving the castle. But he still doesn’t recognize himself as he stands here, garbed in extravagance and splendor.

He had spent the hours since Taylor locked him away in his room thinking of the different ways Eddie might interrupt their wedding. Because there was no possibility Eddie could miss stopping his wedding. Buck had hushed the voice in his head that said otherwise, focusing instead on the way Eddie had held him when Buck tumbled down the hill after him, the way Eddie clung to him when he pulled Buck from the Lightning Sand. And that’s all Buck needs in order to know that Eddie is coming for him.

He becomes so convinced, that when Taylor moves the wedding forward by thirty minutes, he’s not all that perturbed. Eddie was always prepared for contingencies, if he can rescue Buck at 6:00, he can just as easily do so at 5:30.

He tries not to stress when Taylor gets things moving along even faster than planned. By 5:23 they’re standing at the alter before the Archdean of Florin, an old man who’s lost so many teeth that he can’t seem to pronounce anything correctly. Due to the last-minute change of plans and the cancellation of Florin’s 500th Anniversary Celebrations, the Count was the only other person in the room. Within the next minute, the Archdean is speaking.

“Princess Taylor and Prince Evan,” he says, “I am very old, and my thoughts on marriage are few. But I feel I must give them to you on this most happy of days.”

Screaming from outside at the main gate interrupts the Archdean, and Buck feels a smile tug at his lips. Eddie was here.

The Archdean continues, supposedly too deaf to hear the commotion outside. Buck paid him little attention, thinking instead that Eddie must be running down the corridors now, and that he must look so beautiful as he does so. Eddie tends to look beautiful in all that he does. Even when he was torn and bloody in the Fire Swamp, he was beautiful.

“Hurry it along now,” Taylor urges, her nervousness becoming apparent. As the noise outside grew, the Count too became restless, apparently on edge. The Archdean continues monologuing about the bonds of love and marriage, but Buck hardly catches a word, waiting for Eddie to burst through the doors.

Taylor interrupts the Archdean again, not suppressing her anger this time. “Man and wife,” she shouts. “Man and wife. Say that!”

“Not there yet,” the Archdean answers.

“You just arrived,” she commands. “Now.”

Buck can imagine Eddie rounding the final corner. Facing the four guards outside the door. Perhaps it will take him 10 seconds per guard, so any minute now he should be coming through those doors. Buck glances down the aisle expectantly. The doors don’t open.

“Man and wife, you’re man and wife,” the Archdean says.

‘Stop that commotion!” Taylor demands, spinning around to look at the Count, who turns to run out of the chapel.

Eddie isn’t standing there when the Count flings the doors open.

Buck’s blood runs cold.

The time is 5:31. Buck is married to Princess Taylor. Eddie didn’t come.

Taylor grabs Buck’s arm impatiently and pulls him down the aisle.

“I fear there is a strong possibility the Guilderians are attacking, I need time alone to formulate my battle plans. I need Prince Evan escorted to my bedchambers,” she says as she pushes Buck into the grips of two of the guards, who grasp his arms roughly. He can’t find it in himself to resist.

There was no Eddie.

Buck steps into Taylor’s bedchambers, held prisoner in this marriage, and he thinks of the threat he told Taylor fifty days ago. That if she made him marry her, he would be dead by morning. He looks at the selection of hunting knives she hangs on the wall and walks towards them.

-

Eddie was doing all he could to simply walk straight down the hill towards the main gate without help. Ahead of him, Chimney struggled with the wheelbarrow, upon which Hen stood tall in the cloak from Karen. As they approach the guards, Hen deepens her voice and bellows over the courtyard.

“I AM THE DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS AND THERE WILL BE NO SURVIVORS.” Her voice continues to boom, chanting “NO SURVIVORS, NO SURVIVORS.”

The cloak covers the wheelbarrow to give the appearance that a large, hooded figure is gliding towards them, and the hundred guards look towards them in fear. They raise their swords, but none take a step towards the three of them, afraid that more pirates lurk in the shadows.

Once they enter the courtyard to the main gate, Chimney lights Hen’s cloak, bursting it into flames. She continues her chant, and the guards begin to scream and scatter. When they reach the gate, only one man remains, quickly trying to shut the portcullis but fumbling in his fear.

The only man to retreat towards the main gate; Eddie decides he must be the one with the key.

“Hand the key over,” he demands, leaning on Chimney for support.

“What key?” the man feigns ignorance.

“Tear his arms off,” Eddie says to Hen, who still looms over the man in her burning cloak.

The man’s eyes widen as horror flashes across his face. “Oh, you mean this key,” he says, pulling it out from under his shirt, running away the moment he hands it to them.

Hen pulls the cloak off, stomping the flames out with her foot before taking the key to unlock the gate.

“Lock it and keep the key,” Eddie tells her, heart pounding as he anticipates seeing Buck. “It must be after 5:30 now. Half an hour to stop the wedding.”

“Where are we meeting up afterwards?” Hen asks, ever the voice of reason. Before Eddie can answer, Chimney cries out and readies his sword. Count Rugen rounded the corner with two palace guards at his sides, running towards them. The time was 5:34.

The Count ignores Chimney and levels Eddie with a stare. “I killed you,” he says.

“It didn’t take,” Eddie responds, pulling himself taller and pretending as though he wasn’t struggling to stand. Before the Count can get in another word, Chimney flashes his sword, and the two guards drop to the ground.

“My name is Chimney Han. You killed my mother. Prepare to die.”

His voice doesn’t waver, nor do his hands shake as he holds his sword up towards the Count. And in reply, the Count turns and runs. It was now 5:37.

-

For a moment, all Chimney can do is stand there, stunned by the Counts cowardice. Then, he gives chase, running down the hall after the Count. Chimney was faster, but the Count had made it through a doorway and locked it.

“Hen!” he screams, desperate to get through. “Hen, help me break it down,” he begs, looking back to where Hen is helping Eddie down the hallway, supporting most of his weight as his legs continuously to give out on him.

Chimney charges the door, slamming it with his shoulder and shuddering at the impact, unable to wait for Hen.

“He’s getting away,” he cries, as Hen leans Eddie against the wall and joins beside Chimney. Together, they break down the door. He calls out a thank you, already halfway through the broken door and continuing his chase. He runs through hallways and rooms, seeing the Count’s robes disappear through doorways has he starts to gain on him.

Finally, the Count makes a mistake, running into a dead end. Chimney corners him in the room, raising his sword as he looks the man who killed his mother in the eye. He has spent over half of his life waiting, training, preparing, for this moment. “My name is Chim –”

Pain laces through him, and blood spills from his gut where the Count has rearranged his insides with a Florinese Dagger. The force of the throw causes him to stagger backwards into the wall, the rush of blood weakening him, so he slides down to the floor. His vision blurs, and all he manages is a faint whisper. “I’m… sorry… Mother…” he sighs, his heart breaking for his failure.

The Count walks towards him and looks at the sword still held in Chimney’s hand, noticing the six-fingered hilt. “You’re that brat I taught a lesson to,” he says, leaning closer to examine the scars on Chimney’s face that he left all those years ago. “It’s simply incredible. Have you been chasing me all these years only to fail now? I think that’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard, how marvelous,” he laughs.

Chimney can’t say anything, blood spilling from his mouth as he tries to speak.

Count Rugen draws his sword.

Chimney thinks of his mother.

His mother, who never gave in, who committed herself to her craft and poured every ounce of love into raising Chimney on her own. He can’t fail her now. More than that, she would want him to live, to live and to see what – who – is out there for him. He thinks of the years he spent mastering the sword; not only mastering the sword, but his mind and body. He won’t fail her.

Pulling the knife from his body, Chimney shoves his left fist into his wound to stop the bleeding, focusing his mind to ignore the pain. His eyes begin to focus. Not well, not perfectly, but enough to see the Count’s blade as it approaches his heart. He can’t do much to parry the attack besides divert the blade into his left shoulder.

Count Rugen looks surprised at his defense but doesn’t relent. Chimney becomes aware that he needs to get off the floor if he’s going to survive. Just as the Count lunges for another strike to the heart, Chimney forces his body up the wall, using his legs just for pushing while letting the wall support him. The movement throws off the Count’s aim, driving his blade instead through Chimney’s left arm.

With his focus on his right arm which held his six-fingered sword, Chimney didn’t even feel the wounds on his left side. He squeezed the handle, feeling the strength in his hand and his wrist. Enough to flick at the Count. Again, Count Rugen was caught by surprise, letting out a yelp and jumping backwards. Power was flowing from Chimney’s heart to his right shoulder and down his arm to his fingers and then into the great six-fingered sword. He pushes off the wall then, whispering between breaths, “Hello… My name is… Chimney Han; you killed… my mother… prepare to die.”

They cross swords.

The Count lunges again, going for the kill. Chimney deflects it easily, pursuing the Count as he backs away. Again, they cross swords, and Chimney shoves his fist deeper into his wound, the blood still streaming. Feeling stronger with every step despite his loss of blood, Chimney speaks louder. “Hello, my name is Chimney Han; you killed my mother. Prepare to die.”

The Count retreats around a table. Chimney catches himself when he slips on his own blood, digging his fist into himself and trying not to think of what he was touching and pushing and holding into place, but power was coursing through his right arm, and he finally had the Count cornered. With a flash of the six-fingered sword there was a cut down one side of Count Rugen’s cheek. Another flash and there was parallel cut on his other cheek, mirroring Chimney’s scars left by the man in front of him all those years ago – a constant reminder of his failure that day.

“Hello, my name is Chimney Han; you killed my mother. Prepare to die.”

“Stop saying that!” The Count shouts, panic clear on his face.

Chimney drives his sword into the Count’s left shoulder, as the Count had wounded his. Then he goes for the Count’s left arm, at the same spot the Count had penetrated his.
“Hello.” Stronger now. “ Hello, my name is Chimney Han; you killed my mother. Prepare to die.” He’s shouting now, a lifetime of pain and anger for the loss of his mother and a life spent without her all culminating into this one moment as he stands before the man who took her too soon.

“Offer me money,” he commands, his sword at the man’s throat.

“Everything!” The Count cries.

“Power too, offer me that.”

“All I have and more. Please,” he begs.

“Offer me anything I ask for.”

“Yes, anything. Just Say it.”

“I want my mother back you son of a bitch,” and the six-finger sword flashes again.

The Count screams, eyes bulged wide from horror and pain, and he falls to the ground. Chimney stares down at him for only a moment before stumbling from the room, not knowing where he is going, only hoping that he finds Hen and the man in black.

-

Buck stands in front of the wall of knives for a minute. He thinks of Maddie again. She hadn’t answered any of his letters since the kidnapping. He thinks of Eddie, who hadn’t come for him to stop the wedding. He thinks of leaving Eddie behind in the Fire Swamp, choosing fear over love.

He selects the Florinese dagger, elegant and sharp; pointed on one end before growing into a triangle shape at the hilt. He holds it gently in his hands. For a second and thinks of Christopher. He thinks that no matter what Buck did to Eddie by leaving him there in the Fire Swamp, at least Chris still has his father. He turns the dagger in his hands, watching as it flashes in the candlelight.

“Are you thinking of picking up hunting?” a voice says from behind him, startling Buck from his thoughts as he spins around and the dagger clatters to the floor.

His breath catches in his throat and tears sting the back of his eyes as he sees Eddie laying on the bed. He came back for him. Buck begins crossing the room towards Eddie, confused by Eddie’s behavior; Buck expected to be met halfway in a wild embrace, but instead Eddie just smiles at him, remaining where he was, lying on the Princess’s pillows, a sword beside his body.

Buck continues his journey across the room alone, crawling over Eddie until their bodies are flush and Buck can pull Eddie into a kiss.

“Gently,” Eddie murmurs against his lips instead of kissing Buck back.

“At a time like this that’s all you can think to say?” Buck says, suddenly feeling unsure of himself.

“Gently” Eddie repeats, not so gently this time, as Buck releases Eddie’s face from his hands and his head falls back against the pillow and Eddie groans.

Buck clambers off Eddie, angry with himself. After what he did to Eddie, how could Buck just expect everything to go back to normal? Not only that, he’s married now. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, readying himself for Eddie’s anger and hurt.

“You’re upset that I married her,” he says quietly, keeping his eyes closed, unable to bear Eddie turning him away.

“You’re not married,” he says softly, as if it’s a simple fact. “Not in my church or any other.”

Buck opens his eyes and dares to look at Eddie, who hasn’t moved from where he lays.

“But this old man pronounced us –”

“Did you say, ‘I do’?” Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow.

Buck thinks back. He hadn’t said anything the entire ceremony, and he certainly didn’t say “I do.”

“Well, no – ”

“Then you’re not married,” Eddie says, smiling up at him and making the anxiety settle in Buck’s chest. “Besides,” Eddie continues, face growing more serious as he looks past Buck. “Widows happen every day, don’t they, Your Highness?”

Buck whips around to see Taylor standing there, seemingly shocked at the sight of Eddie in her bedchambers. “You were dead,” she says, mouth agape.

Buck barely has time to register the horror he feels at her admission before she dives across the room to grab a sword from the wall with the hunting knives.

“To the death,” she says, striding towards where Eddie lays on the bed. Buck feels frozen in place as she advances, regretting dropping the dagger.

“No,” Eddie says, surprisingly calm with the shake of his head. “To the pain.”

Taylor hesitates, confused. Buck watches, horrified as Eddie continues to lay there, not standing to defend himself, just as confused as Taylor at the odd phrase.

“I don’t think I quite understand that,” Taylor admits, not lowering her sword but not stepping any closer. A smug smile spreads across Eddie’s face. “I’d be happy to explain,” he begins, remaining where he lays as he slowly, carefully, starts to talk.

-

“I’m going to tell you something once, and whether you live or die is entirely up to you,” Eddie says, lying pleasantly on the bed. Taylor had fallen for his trick, giving him the opportunity to talk until he gains his strength back. Of course, she doesn’t know that he can barely manage to stand, let alone walk, and he intends to keep it that way. Eddie knows he can only rely on threats and hopes that his apparent return from death is enough to scare her from any attempt of attack. She stands across from him, raising her sword higher.

“Drop your sword,” he tells her, his voice commanding. “If you do, then I will leave with him” – he glances towards Buck, who is still standing frozen and confused – “and you will be tied up, but not fatally, and will soon be free to go about your business. If you choose to fight, well, then we will not both leave alive.”

The Princess scoffs but doesn’t move. “I think you’re bluffing. You’ve been a prisoner for months and I myself killed you less than a day ago, so I doubt you have much strength left in your arm.”

The look on Buck’s face shifts into something akin to heartbreak when he hears that Eddie had been held prisoner. Eddie knows Buck will blame himself. He briefly makes eye contact with him and hopes that Buck can see in his eyes that there is nothing for Eddie to forgive.

He looks back towards Taylor. “Possibly. When the moment comes, remember that I might indeed be bluffing. I could, in fact be lying right here because I lack the strength to stand. All that, weigh carefully.” As he speaks, Eddie thinks of the Sicilian he defeated in their battle of wits, thinking that this is a mind game he would have appreciated.

“You’re only alive now because you said ‘to the pain.’ I want the phrase explained,” Taylor snaps.

“My pleasure,” he responds. “Surely, at this point you have guessed that I am no ordinary sailor. I am, in fact, Roberts himself.”

Taylor’s face remains cold and angry. “I’m not surprised or awed.”

“To the pain means this,” he says, his voice suddenly revealing the anger he holds for the Princess standing before him. “If we duel and you win, death for me. If we duel and I win, life for you. But life on my terms.”

“I don’t follow,” Taylor admits.

“The first thing you lose will be your feet,” he threatens, his strength having not yet returned. He looks at Buck, then glances towards the wall of knives. Buck nods in response, seeming to have understood Eddie’s message. “The left, then the right. Below the ankle. You will have stumps available to use within six months. Then your hands, at the wrist. They heal somewhat quicker. Five months is a fair average.” Buck has slowly made his way back to the wall, quietly selecting the first sword he can reach. Eddie can tell by the way Buck holds the weapon that fencing was not a part of his princely training. He needs to keep Taylor distracted, and he needs to try to scare her enough that a fight won’t be necessary. In his current state and Buck’s inexperience, they wouldn’t stand a chance. So, he continues. “Next, your nose. No smell of dawn for you. Followed by your tongue. Deeply cut away, not even a stump left. And then your left eye –”

“And then my right eye and then my ears, I get it,” Taylor rolls her eyes.

“Wrong!” Eddie surprises even himself as his voice rings across the room. “Your ears you keep so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish – every babe that weeps at your approach, every man that cries ‘Dear God, what is that thing?’ Will reverberate forever with your perfect ears.” His voice is getting faster and louder, spurred by his need to get Buck out of here, far away where they will never see this woman again. “That is what ‘to the pain’ means. It means that I leave you to live in anguish, in humiliation, in misery until you can’t stand it anymore. So there you have it, and I say this now, and live or die, it’s up to you: Drop your sword.”

At that moment Buck raises the sword in his hand to Taylor’s neck, his face stony. Her sword clatters to the floor. “Sit,” Buck tells her, using his free hand to pull the chair from Taylor’s desk. She listens, quickly falling into the chair behind her.

“Tie her up,” Eddie says to Buck who moves quickly to yank the curtains from where they hang on the wall to bind Taylor’s wrists and legs to the chair. “I’m not scared of you,” Taylor exclaims, looking past Buck towards Eddie. “I dropped my sword because it will be so much more fun for me to hunt you down,” she says with a smirk.

Eddie hums in response, considering her threat. “I doubt you’ll find us,” he replies.

“I’ll conquer Guilder and then I’ll come for you. The corner you least expect, when you round it, you will find me waiting,” she threatens, anger clear in her tone.

Eddie summons all his strength to sit up and lift his sword. “I’m king of the sea. I’ll be waiting,” he says proudly.

All three heads snap to the side when the door opens. Eddie gapes in horror as Chimney leans against the doorway, blooding streaming from his stomach, his face pale from blood loss. “Hen,” he gasps. “Where’s Hen?”

“I thought she was with you?” Eddie asks, thinking back to leaving Hen to help Chimney to knock down the door and struggling down the hall alone in search of Buck. Buck, who stood frozen, panic clear on his face at the sight of one of his kidnappers.

Chimney looks at Buck. “Good to see you alive, kid, now help him up,” he says, nodding towards Eddie. Buck knits his eyebrows in confusion but moves towards Eddie anyways.

“Eddie, why do you need help up?” Buck asks, leaning over Eddie and stroking his cheeks softly with his thumbs. Eddie could get lost in his blue eyes, wide with worry as he stares deep into Eddie’s eyes as if he could find the answer there. With Taylor tied up, Eddie allows himself a moment to appreciate Buck’s presence. Eddie hadn’t been too slow. They were together again and always would be. Looking into Buck’s eyes and relishing in the warmth of his hands, Eddie almost forgets that he lacks the strength to stand. Chimney’s voice pulls his from his reverie, but Buck doesn’t look away.

“Because he has no strength, now help him up, please ,” Chimney groans.

Buck immediately slips an arm around Eddie’s back to pull him up, holding him close. Eddie felt Buck’s side against him, solid and comforting, in a way that only Buck could be.

Taylor begins to struggle against her restraints. “You were bluffing, I knew it, I was right the first time.”

Chimney winces. “That wasn’t smart to let slip, sorry,” he says, looking apologetically at Eddie.

“Did you at least win your battle?” Eddie asks as Buck guides him towards the door, growing more concerned for Chimney.

“I did,” Chimney smiles despite the blood pouring from his wounds.

“Let’s get you to Maddie,” Eddie says to Chimney as they move as quickly as possible down the hall, leaving Taylor to struggle alone.

“Maddie? She’s here?” Buck exclaims in disbelief. Eddie squeezes Buck’s shoulder where his hand lays, trying to offer comfort, knowing that Buck has been so alone for the past several months. The past several years, really.

“She’s been trying to reach you, they haven’t delivered any of her letters or let her in the castle,” he explains. Buck nods, pulling Eddie in closer to his side.

With the Count dead and the chief enforcement officer out of the picture, Eddie estimates that they have at least fifteen minutes before Taylor manages to untie herself and alert the guards that they’re escaping.

Buck leads them to a side door, explaining that it goes to the stables. As they walk through the door, they stop short, surprised to see Hen standing on the other side leading a horse. She stops too, seemingly just as surprised as her eyes widen. “Good, you’re here!” she smiles, leading the horse to Buck who has started smiling. “I thought I lost her,” he says quietly. Eddie looks at the horse again, and realizes that it’s not just any horse, but Horse. She recognizes Buck and walks toward him, nuzzling her nose against Buck’s chest as he laughs softly.

“I felt bad about, well, you know, kidnapping you. Sounds like you were held prisoner here the past few months, figured the least I could do after your boy here ditched me in the castle was go find out if your horse had made it back or not,” she explains.

“Thank you,” Buck whispers, stroking Horse’s face with his free hand. Hen shifts her attention to Chimney and lets out a worried gasp at the sight of her friend. She’s at his side in a moment, ready to bear his weight as they find Maddie and Karen.

“We need to get out of here,” Eddie says, aware that Chimney is running out of time. Buck nods, and Eddie’s stomach swoops as Buck easily lifts Eddie up onto Horse’s back, settling behind him. He wraps an arm tight around Eddie’s waist, safe and secure. “Follow me,” he says to Hen and Chimney as he guides them through the castle grounds towards the gate.

They still have the key to the gate, so escaping should be easy from here. Expect for the fact that when they walk through said gate, the enforcement officer is waiting for them, having regrouped the Brute Squad which had dispersed at the threat of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Eddie’s heart falls, feeling useless as he sits here supported by Buck upon Horse’s back, Hen holding up Chimney who lacks the strength to lift his sword. “I’m all out of ideas,” he admits quietly.

“This is child’s play,” Buck says easily, seemingly unperturbed by the armed men in front of them. He nudges Horse forward, walking towards the officer. “The Count is dead; the Princess is in grave danger. Hurry now and you may yet save her. All of you. Go,” he commands.

No one moves. The officer speaks up. “They obey me,” he says. “And I am in charge of enforcement, and –”

“And I,” Buck says, voice demanding and confident. “em>I,” he repeats, sitting up tall in the saddle, “am the King. And you will do as you’re told.”

There was no doubting his sincerity. Or Power. Or capability for vengeance.

“Save the Princess,” one Brute said, then others joined in. The officer sighed once all the members of the Brute Squad had joined in the chant. “Let’s save the Princess,” the officer says, resigned as they head towards the castle to find that Princess Taylor was not, in fact, in grave danger.

Eddie sat shocked at Buck’s prowess, turning in the saddle to look at Buck with a raised eyebrow. A blush climbs up Buck’s cheeks and he glances away. “Actually, that was something of a lie, seeing as the King hasn’t officially resigned, but I thought ‘I am the King’ sounded better than ‘I am the Prince.’”

Eddie smiles at Buck, proud of him and just so happy that he’s here with Eddie after so long. “All I can say is, I’m impressed,” he admits, pleased to see the blush on Buck’s cheeks deepen.

“Three years of royalty school, something had to rub off,” he shrugs. Buck’s grip tightens around Eddie waist as they ride toward freedom, Hen and Chimney at their side. He hooks his head over Eddie’s shoulder, nuzzling in towards his neck making Eddie feel warm inside as Buck’s breath fans across his skin.

-

They reach Karen’s house in no time, bringing Chimney to the very table Eddie had laid upon, dead, earlier that night. Maddie’s relief at seeing Buck brings tears to her eyes, and Buck gives her a tight hug before pulling away so she can take care of Chimney. Karen pulls Hen into a hug as well, before stepping away quickly, having realized she crossed a line. But Hen only smiles and pulls Karen back into her arms. Buck helps Eddie into the next room over, settling him onto a seat and crouching in front of him, one hand on each thigh as he searches Eddie’s eyes.

“Are you okay?” Buck whispers hesitantly, as if he’s afraid to know the answer. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

Eddie covers Buck’s hands with his own, picking them up gently and tracing his thumb along Buck’s knuckles. “I’m okay now. With you here,” he says, lifting one of Buck’s hands to press a tender kiss to it.

Buck swallows, eyes darting to the side. “I’m sorry,” he admits quietly. “For leaving you there, I thought I was saving you, but the truth is I was just scared,” his voice cracks, and he looks back into Eddie’s eyes.

“Oh Buck,” Eddie’s heartbreaks knowing that his suspicions were true. Buck blamed himself. He squeezes Buck’s hand, bringing his other to his shoulder, pressing his thumb into his collarbone and catching his gaze. “Don’t. Don’t blame yourself. We’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

In the other room, Maddie whispers words of comfort as she mends Chimney’s wounds, while Karen asks Hen to stay here, with her.

“I guess we’re doomed then,” Buck says lightly, a small smile on his lips. Eddie raises an eyebrow, confused. “Doomed?” he asks.

Buck’s smile grows. “To be together. Until one of us dies.”

Eddie’s heart stutters in his chest, and he thinks that he will never stop falling in love with him. “I’ve done that already, and I don’t intend to do it again,” Eddie says.

Buck looks up at him, his blue eyes filled with love and hope. “Don’t we sort of have to some time?” he replies. Eddie uses the strength that is slowly coming back to his arms to pull Buck into his lap, rubbing his hands up and down Buck’s sides. He’s lost weight the past few months, and Eddie aches thinking of the regret and loneliness he must have tortured himself with.

“Not if we promise to outlive each other,” Eddie says softly, looking up at Buck’s face above him, eyes tracing each of his perfect features. “And I make that promise now.”

“Eddie –” Buck exhales, bringing his hands to frame Eddie’s face. Eddie can’t wait a moment longer before surging up to capture Buck’s lips in his own, desperate to hold him, to show him how loved he is. Buck gasps into the kiss, swiping his tongue across Eddie’s lips as his hands find their way to the back of Eddie’s head, supporting him and deepening the kiss. Eddie feels strength seeping back into his muscles with each moment that passes, driven by the love that Buck is pouring into him. The kiss feels like nothing has changed in all their years apart. But things have changed, and the kiss is a reminder that their love is strong enough to persist despite that. Here, in Buck’s arms, Eddie is safe, and each kiss feels like it holds their future.

Chapter Text

Buck looks out at the water, the wind kissing his skin as the sun sets over the horizon. The Revenge carries them swiftly towards the small coastal town where Eddie lives, cutting through the waves with incredible speed. Eddie’s crew had returned to Florin City in search of their captain just before the wedding, providing the perfect escape plan for the four of them. Chimney’s wounds still needed tending too, but Buck and Eddie needed to get out of the city before the Princess found them. Maddie refused to let Buck leave without her again and insisted that Chimney join them so she can keep an eye on his wounds. Hen had decided to stay in Florin City with Karen, promising to visit soon.

Anxiety ripples beneath his skin with each minute that brings him closer to seeing Christopher again. It’s been over three years since he’s since him; Eddie claims that Chris remembers him, and even if that’s true, Buck can’t help but fear that Chris will hate him. For making him and Eddie leave the farm in the first place, for causing Eddie to be away from him all these months, for not being there when Buck thought Eddie had died. His fingers clench around the side of the boat as he remembers the constant nightmares of Chris. They had felt so real, and his stomach churns with guilt for the grief and hearth ache he’s caused both of them.

Strong arms wind around Buck’s waist and a familiar body presses against his back. Eddie places a gentle kiss to the back of Buck’s neck, causing Buck to release a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“You don’t have anything to worry about, my love.” Eddie whispers against his skin.

“W-what if he doesn’t want to see me?” he stutters quietly, voicing the fear that had been festering under his skin since he first learned Eddie was alive.

“Inconceivable,” Eddie says matter-of-factly. Buck’s lips tug into a smile. Eddie always manages to do that, no matter the circumstances. Make Buck smile. Even in the Fire Swamp, Eddie did everything he could to make Buck smile. Eddie places his hands on Buck’s hips, turning him around so that Buck’s back is pressed against the edge of the ship and he’s facing Eddie. The tension seeps from his muscles when his eyes meet Eddie’s, always gentle and warm and full of love. “He will be so excited to see you. That kid has loved you from the moment you met, and that won’t change just because he hasn’t seen you in a few years.”

“How do you know?” Buck whispers, his voice shaky.

Eddie’s hands come up to frame Buck’s face, his thumb tracing his cheekbone, and he smiles. Buck always thought Eddie had the most beautiful smile, and despite the anxiety threatening to make him sick, it settles something in Buck knowing that he gets to see it again.

“Because, Evan,” Eddie says, eyes capturing Buck’s gaze and keeping them there. “My love for you hasn’t lessened with a single day that passed over the years. In fact, I love you more now than I did the day I left the farm – which I didn’t think was possible. I love you more now than I did in the Fire Swamp. I love you more now than I did when we boarded this ship.” Then Eddie chuckles quietly. “When you first confessed that you loved me, you told me that you fell more in love with every passing minute. That’s always been true for me, Buck, and I will never stop falling more and more in love with you.”

Buck’s heart swells in his chest. He’s at a loss for words, unable to find the words to express how much Eddie and Chris mean to him, how much he loves them both.

“That is how I know Christopher will be happy to see you,” Eddie whispers, gently wiping away a tear that escaped from Buck’s eye. Buck’s nerves disappear, and he allows himself to feel the excitement that he didn’t think he deserved. A smile spreads across his face, and he nods. Eddie presses a gentle kiss to Buck’s lips, taking his hand.

“It’s getting dark, and it’s been a long day of sailing,” Eddie says. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Buck follows, their fingers tangled together as Eddie leads Buck to his cabin.

-

Despite being captain, Eddie’s cabin is relatively small, with only enough space for a desk covered in sea charts and a variety of other navigation tools, and his bed built into the wall – only big enough for himself to sleep in. Despite that, Buck is a solid line against Eddie back, his strong arms holding him close as they press together to fit in the small space.

Eddie sighs when Buck begins trailing wet kisses up the back of Eddie’s neck. Buck’s hand slips under Eddie’s shirt, pressing firmly against his stomach, and sliding up to his chest. He can’t help but release a groan when he feels Buck’s hardness against him.

“Is this okay?” Buck breathes hotly into his ear. Eddie grinds back against him in response, exhaling a quiet “Yes” and eliciting a moan from Buck. Eddie turns in Buck’s arms, pulling him in for a wet kiss before pushing him onto his back and climbing over him so he doesn’t fall off the bed. Buck licks into Eddie’s mouth, sloppy and just as desperate as Eddie feels. It had been so long, and missing Buck had felt like his heart had been taken. But Buck is here, gasping into Eddie’s mouth, solid and real and alive beneath Eddie’s hands.

Buck’s hands find their way back under Eddie shirt, pushing it up his body and whining when it gets caught on Eddie’s arms. Eddie chuckles into Buck’s mouth, sitting back on Buck’s thighs to lift his shirt over his head. Buck immediately sits up, grabbing Eddie’s face and pulling him back into a heated kiss before attaching his lips to Eddie’s throat, wet and biting. Eddie spreads his knees wider, sinking further into Buck’s lap and pulling another groan from him. It’s easily one of Eddie’s favorite noises, and he’s desperate to hear it again after so long without it. He rolls his hips, smirking as Buck nips Eddie’s neck trying to stifle a moan.

Eddie gets his hands under Buck’s shirt, tilting his head to the side to grant Buck better access to his neck, Buck’s lips soothing the scratch of his stubble, his tongue soothing the sting of his bites. He lifts Buck’s shirt slowly, despite his desperation to feel Buck’s skin against his, he doesn’t want Buck to lean away from him for even a second. Buck pulls away with a heavy exhale, allowing Eddie to lift his shirt the rest of the way off.

Eddie feels like all the air has been stolen from his lungs as he allows himself a moment to just admire Buck. Every curve and dip of his body, his perfect skin, the hair on his chest, his toned stomach. His eyes make their way back up to Buck’s face, his eyes dark with want. Eddie places his hands on Buck’s chest, one sliding up to support his neck, and the other pushing gently to lay Buck down beneath him again as he looks into Buck’s blue, blue eyes.

“God, Buck,” he breathes. “You’re beautiful.”

Buck releases a whimper from the back of his throat, pulling Eddie in for a needy kiss. “I love you,” Buck whispers into his lips, trailing his hands down Eddie’s body until he reaches the waistband of Eddie’s pants.

“Can I?” Buck asks quietly. Eddie nods, desperate for more. To have this again after so long, to have Buck again. It’s almost overwhelming, how badly he needs Buck right now. As soon as Buck’s pants are off, Eddie follows suit, both groaning into each other’s mouths with no clothes to separate them.

When Buck takes them both in hand, all Eddie can do is pant into Buck’s mouth, whispering words of encouragement and love between gasping breaths until they reach their climax together, both too desperate for each other to drag it out any longer.

Eddie collapses onto Buck, who wraps his arms tightly around Eddie, pulling him in close until Eddie doesn’t know where he ends and Buck begins. He tucks his face into Buck’s neck, taking a deep breath in and appreciating Buck’s scent. He had missed that too. He shivers as Buck’s strong hand travels up and down his back, soothing and tender. He feels Buck press a gentle kiss to his temple, whispering “I love you,” against his skin. Eddie smiles against his neck, comforted by the fact that he gets to have this for the rest of their lives.

They fall asleep tangled together on the small bed in Eddie’s cabin, not ready to let the other go ever again.

-

Eddie finds Chimney standing on the deck as they glide into the harbor. He had healed well during their journey thanks to Maddie’s care.

“How are you holding up?” Eddie asks. Chimney jumps, apparently having been deep in thought while he looked out towards land.

He clears his throat. “I spent my whole life preparing to avenge my mother. For the first time, I don’t know what comes next,” he admits. Eddie doesn’t miss the way Chimney’s eyes dart to the side to where Maddie brings her medical supplies to deck, ready to be back on land.

Eddie considers him for a minute. The only man who has truly challenged him since Eddie mastered fencing. He remembers Chimney’s kindness before the fight, and his determination to get Eddie into the castle.

“You know,” Eddie starts, “The Revenge is going to need a new captain. You would make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts.”

Chimney’s eyebrows shoot up to his forehead, not expecting the offer. Then he looks back towards Maddie, not giving Eddie an answer.

“It’s really a pretty good deal,” Eddie continues. “As captain, you have say of where you go. So, if you want to come back here to see someone who might be waiting for you, there’s no one to tell you no,” he tells Chimney, noticing how Maddie smiles back at him.

A smile spreads across Chimney’s face, and he turns back to Eddie. “You mean it?” he asks.

“Yeah, I do,” Eddie replies, smiling as well, knowing that his ship would be in good hands.

-

Buck’s hand is grasped tightly in Eddie’s as Eddie leads him from the harbor to the edge of town where his Abuela lives with Christopher. They don’t talk much on the walk, both too excited to see Christopher. Buck stops when the house comes into view, almost overwhelmed by the fact that he’s about to see Christopher.

He’s about to see Chris. See how tall he got while they were separated and see the young man he’s become in Buck’s absence. Eddie squeezes Buck’s hand and smiles at him, reassuring and comforting. Buck looks back at Eddie and knows that everything is going to be okay. More than that, he knows that it will be good. He nods at Eddie, and together they step up to the front door, and knock.

After a moment, Eddie’s Abuela opens the door. “Oh, Eddie,” she cries, pulling him into a tight hug and peppering kisses all over his face. “I thought you were dead,” she says, her voice breaking. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she says, her voice suddenly stern.

Then she looks at Buck, and her face softens, a smile spreading across her face and tears shining in her eyes. “He found you,” she says softly, before pulling Buck into a hug. They barely have a chance to say their hellos before the sound of crutches across the wooden floor catches their attention. Eddie falls to his knees, pulling Chris into a tight hug, and Buck’s heart warms to see his boys back together again. Then Chris looks up from where he’s hugging his father. When his eyes meet Buck’s a look of pure joy spreads across his face. “Buck!” He exclaims, reaching out a hand to pull Buck into their hug.

Buck collapses to the floor, wrapping Chris into his arms and holding him tight, Chris returning the hug with just as much enthusiasm. The three of them hold on to each other where they sit on the floor, and let their tears fall.

They made it. They’re together, as a family, as they’re meant to be. Maddie is safe. Eddie is alive. And Christopher is here in their arms.

Buck looks at Eddie over the top of Christopher’s curls and reaches across to wipe the tears from Eddie’s face.

“Never leave me again,” Buck whispers, his hand settling on Eddie’s cheek. Eddie leans into his touch, looking back into Buck’s eyes. The same way he has since they first met, eyes shining with so much love and adoration. He presses a soft kiss into Buck’s palm before looking back at him and smiling softly.

“As you wish.”