Savage - Prinxiety [Sequel To "Monster"] [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twelve

Roman felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was running, his boots hitting the ground with force as he ran like his life depended on it. He wasn't sure his was, but someone else's was. He could just feel it.

"ROMAN!! PLEASE!! HELP ME!!"

The prince's breath caught in his throat at the very familiar voice. He pushed himself harder, desperately trying to find the source of the voice. His blood was roaring in his ears, but he could still hear the pain and terror in the voice clearly. The voice was crying, sobbing more like it. He was filled despair and horror.

"I'm coming Virgil! Hang on!!" he screamed in reply, searching around.

He was surrounded by black trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Virgil's cries were echoing on all sides, swarming and overwhelming his senses. He wanted to cry hearing him in such pain. "Please Roman! Save me!"

"Where are you?! Tell me where you are!!" he called out, listening for a reply. There was no distinct response, just more cries. "Virgil!!"

A gasp escaped his lips as he shot straight up, taking deep breaths as he woke up in a cold sweat. They'd been traveling for several hours and decided to rest the horses. He hadn't intended to fall asleep but he had, and he dearly regretted it.

He closed his eyes as the cries of the dark prince still echoed in his mind. Taking deep breaths, he tried to remind himself that it had just been a nightmare, but the problem with that was knowing he wasn't safe made it feel more realistic than he felt comfortable with. It hadn't felt like their dream visits, so he assumed it was just his subconscious torturing him, but not being able to be sure was unnerving.

"Roman? You okay?" Luis asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

He looked up, nodding quickly as he wiped his face and situated his hair. "Yes, I'm fine, just had an unpleasant dream."

"Oh, sorry, I should've helped with that," Thorn said as she joined the conversation. "I didn't realize you were planning on sleeping or I would've kept an eye on your subconscious state."

"No, I wasn't planning on it," the prince explained. "I guess my exhaustion just took over."

She nodded in understanding. "May I ask what your nightmare was about?" she inquired. He stiffened, feeling his throat close up as the images of the endless black forest and the cries of the boy he loved. The princess seemed to detect his discomfort and quickly spoke to remedy the situation. "You don't have to, sorry, I was just curious."

"It's fine, it was just a bit intense," he said, thinking of Virgil's voice.

At the thought, he looked around for the cursed version of the dark prince. His eyes landed on him and he looked him up and down. He was sitting cross legged on the ground with his eyes closed.

Thorn noticed his shift in attention and sighed a little. "Oh yeah, he's been like that since we stopped," she said, keeping her voice low.

"Yeah, we've been trying to monitor his mental activity but nothing seems to be happening," the younger prince pitched in. "It's almost as if he's just... empty. A hollow shell of a person..."

Roman felt a tug at his heart as he looked back toward him. He figured that what they were describing was the way the dark prince they were seeing as devoid of all the things that truly made him human. Without Virgil's astral form connected to him, he lacked a conscience, a mind of his own, and worst, a soul.

He couldn't help but feel sympathy toward him. It wasn't his Virgil they had with them yet, but that wasn't this one's choice. He hadn't decided to be ripped from his astral form, it just happened because of his master.

It had to be uncomfortable and unnerving not to be able to think freely or have true emotions. Without those things, he wasn't really human.

The dark prince's eyes fluttered open and landed on Roman across their little camp. They were dark purple still and cold as they focused. "Oh, it's you," he muttered. "I thought that perhaps this had all just been a dream of some kind. A hallucination maybe."

"Nope, it's real," he said, keeping his voice sure and slightly intimidating. "You're taking us to the real Virgil."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head to himself like something about what he said was amusing even thought the prince didn't see what was funny. "I can't believe you're going through all this trouble for that monster," he said, looking bored as stared at his cuffed hands. "The only thing he's good for is destruction."

"That's not true!" Luis cried, looking hurt and upset by his words.

The curse boy before them turned his hard gaze on the younger prince, who lowered his own, intimidated. "Says the one with physical proof of what I'm talking about running down his spine," he sneered. "You know I'm right."

"Well I say you're wrong, and you're proving my theory right that you'll get your memory back the closer we get to find the real Virgil," Roman interjected, smirking triumphantly. He looked confused, so he elaborated. "No one told you that Luis has a scar from Virgil on his back. You didn't even recognize your little brother at first, but now, you remember."

The cursed dark prince looked away stubbornly with displeasure. "Whatever," he mumbled. "It's not like it matters. My master will end You the second you step foot inside his castle."

"I'd like to see him try," Thorn scoffed, cracking her neck as though she was already loosening up for a fight. "I'll beat his ass."

Virgil looked as though he wanted to contradict this statement, but thought wiser than to start an argument with the princess. He rolled his eyes and silently returned to staring at his hands. Roman sighed to himself; this was going to be a long trip.