Tangled AU

SaboAce Tangled AU

Striker's hooves thunder against the ground, racing back to Sabo's tower with Ace on his back. From beyond the caverns and groves, Ace can see tower once he passes a certain mound in the hillside and kicks his heels against Striker to encourage the horse to move faster. He's afraid he won't be in time-- or Sabo won't be there. Ace doesn't even wait until Striker reaches the tower before leaping from his back and running up to the long drop beneath the window to call up as he had so many times before.

"Sabo! Sabo, let your hair down!" He's breathing heavy and red eyes frantically watch the small window for any sign of the blonde. Ace has always been a patient man before, but he gives Sabo a solid four seconds before he resigns himself to start climbing the vines and branches up the side of the tower. He gets a good ten or so feet off the ground before that long blonde hair comes tumbling down.

Ace lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in relief and uses Sabo's long hair to climb the rest of the way up. With renewed energy and strong arms pulling him up, Ace has a grin on his face for once as he reaches the top. "Sabo-- I thought I'd never see you again.." A ruby gaze falls over to Sabo once he climbs through the window and Ace's breath is caught all over again.

The blonde is chained, a cloth wrapped around his mouth to keep him from calling out to Ace and trying to warn him. Oh-- but does Sabo try. Welts are already on his wrists from trying to pull himself free but there's nothing he can do as his father sneaks up behind Ace.

"Sabo, wh-- Aaugh!" Pain shoots through Ace's side as a knife plunges deep in him. Too deep. His vision blurs already but Outlook doesn't even wait for Ace to fall to the floor before shoving him down with a boot on his back. There's nothing but contempt in his father's eyes, stepping over the bleeding thief as if he were nothing but trash. Sabo tries to call for him again but words are muffled behind the cloth in his mouth.

"Look what you've done now, Sabo." The older man's voice is as calm and cold as ever. He barely even flinches as he steps back to Sabo, wiping the blood from his knife off on a rag from his pocket and then throwing the bloodied thing back on Ace.

Trash belongs with trash, Outlook would think.

Sabo's feet scramble against the floor and his face hits the wood in his efforts to get up, get closer, get to Ace--. That's the only thing being repeated in his mind. Tears pool in his eyes, watching the raven haired man bleed out and curl in on himself. He's trying to stop the bleeding but there's just too much.

"Oh. Don't worry. Our secret will die with him." The chains around Sabo's wrists are given a harsh pull, forcing the blonde back and closer to Outlook. His father keeps pulling too, leading them both to the secret staircase that led down and out of the tower. "As for us-- we are going somewhere far away. Someplace no one will ever find you again."

Too his credit, even though the man he's grown to love is dying right in front of him, Sabo fights. He always fights. Feet are kicked back at Outlook and the blonde struggles so it's damn near impossible to get a grip on him. It's only when his father gets the chains closer and his hands actually on Sabo's wrists does it seem like he's won. "Will you-- stop fighting!"

In response, Sabo's head is thrown back to crack against Outlook's, giving him some slack to the chains on him. Through all his struggle and fighting-- the cloth keeping him muffled has come undone as well.

"No!" Is the first thing from the blondes mouth, blue eyes full of hate as they turn back to his father. "I won't stop fighting! I will never stop fighting you!" The words are hissed out, anger boiling behind azure eyes. Outlook's own gaze darkens in response. If this was how it had to be-- then so be it. The boy had far too rare a magic in him to just let him get away. He yanks on the chains again and Sabo yells as he hits the ground again, breathing heavy.