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

Chapter Seventeen

When Virgil woke up, he was in pain. This was nothing new, though he usually woke up in a cage with his mouth gagged and his ankles and wrists chained to the bars. This time he woke up in the soft embrace of blankets and pillows. His ripped shorts had been replaced by silk pajamas and his wounds weren't stinging as much as they normally did.

He blinked his eyes open and sat up with a frown of confusion. The cuts on his wrists above the cuffs were wrapped in white and when he reached up to feel the throbbing on his cheek, he felt a bandage there as well.

What on earth is going on? he thought as he looked around. He'd never seen this room before, though he supposed he hadn't seen many rooms in this cursed place. Why am I here? Who tended to my wounds, and why? Why am I in real clothing? Why is this room so pleasant? This has to be a trick!

Virgil flinched upon hearing a knock at the door. He didn't answer it, but the person came in anyway.

His heart stopped as his eyes landed on the newcomer. A man that looked like Roman smiled and was holding a tray of food that seemed to be for him. "Morning Virge, how are you feeling?"

"W-What is this?" the dark prince stammered out, moving away from him the little that he could with his injuries.

He looked hurt as he set down the tray on the nightshade beside the bed. "It's just some breakfast," he said, sounding confused. "You need to eat to regain your strength."

"No... no, what the hell is this? Who are you?!" Virgil yelled.

Hot tears were beginning to well up in his eyes at the sight of the man. He knew it couldn't be him, but his heart desperately wanted it to be. Relying on his brain and instincts, he kept his guard up as he awaited the answer.

"My love, it's me!" the man who appeared to be Roman said. "Maybe your head injury is making your memory a bit fuzzy. After you stopped that sorcerer, you fell. You were really banged up, but we found you. Everything's okay. You can trust me, Virgil."

The man smiled at him warmly, and for a moment he was almost fooled. Could it be possible that everything he'd been experiencing had just been a nightmare?

"No," he whispered. He knew better, this was an illusion. There was no way that Roman could be here, and none of it made sense. "No, this isn't real. You're not real. You're a trick, and not my Roman."

He smiled for a couple more seconds before his facade broke and his face seemed to melt away. Virgil would've been horrified if he wasn't preoccupied by confusion.

What was once Roman's face, was now an unfamiliar one. It wasn't the man holding him captive either. This man's face was half covered in snake scales, and he bore a wicked scare along his cheekbone. When he met his eyes, he noticed the bright yellow iris and snake-like pupil one held.

"What... what is going on?" he whispered to himself as tears of fear and dread dropped down his cheeks.

This unfamiliar man huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I knew when he told me your story that it would be difficult to fool you," he said with an eye roll. "But I would've thought you'd buy my portrayal of your Prince Roman that you're so fond of. After all, it's playing the lover that's most fun."

Virgil watched as his lips curled into a smirk and he chuckled around the words. He felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who are you?" he managed to ask.

"Who am I? I think that's not an important question," the man said, looking toward him with a devious expression. "I think a better question is who are you?"

The dark prince blinked, uncertain how to respond. "You must have something truly special about you if he called me in to deal with you, but it seems even my tactics aren't able to manipulate you successfully," he continued. "How intriguing... the mind invasion didn't work and neither has the torture, or the separation of your astral form and real form, and now, even my shape shifting wasn't able to fool you."

"B-Because I'm not an idiot," Virgil bit back, feeling anger and millions of questions boiling in his skin. "I know that what I've been through couldn't suddenly become just a dream."

"Can't it?" the man said, raising his fingers to snap them.

Suddenly the room changed to be the one he use to live in at the castle. He looked around in confusion as his heart rate picked up. When he looked back at the man, he was Roman again.

"You can forget about all this," he said, smiling that dashing smile he adored. "You can be happy with me for the rest of our lives."

A wave of longing washed over him. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself into Roman's arms and let this all fade into distant memories, but he had to remember that none of this was real. The man before him was not the man he loved.

Virgil got an idea as he stared at him. This man was sent to get him to cooperate with whatever his captor wanted. He must have been told some of the plan. If he could play his cards right, he could make him reveal it.

"I want nothing else," he said, fearing the truth in the statement. "But how could that be?"

"Just help him," the man said, smiling as he reached forward to take his hands in his. Virgil almost flinched. They weren't warm and welcoming, but cold and foreboding. "Just stop fighting him, and this will all be over before you know it. You can come back to me."

The dark prince thought for a moment before realizing that he had an idea of what he was being used for already. "I can't," he murmured.

The man transformed again, hissing angrily. "Then you condemn your precious Princey to death," he snapped before whirling around and stalking out of the room.