summary

this story has been discontinued as i don't have the time to update and keep up with it. you may post if you would like. if you are interested in continuing the story or taking the plot for your own story, please PM me


Forced to watch his father die before his eyes, Jack Morrison is now property of the foreign king Gabriel, biding his time and waiting for the day his country fights to free itself. but his country is tiny compared to askya, the country Gabriel rules, and his dreams of rescue become more and more unrealistic as time passes.


extra info


a country torn apart by war, Astrea was once a land of peace and prosperity. though by no means rich or powerful, the country had raged hard against the neighboring country of askya as their forces pushed against the border.

Astrea was borederd on the west by the large country named "Askya" and to the east by the country called "Osa". the southern border of the country borders the sea, and the northern border is cut off from the world by the lamasking range, home to the largest known mountain in the world; The Gold Summit.

Astrea is ruled by the aging king John Morrison, and his son Jack morrison is second in line for the throne.the kingdom of Askya has a large royal family, most notably the new king Gabriel Reyes and his mother, Alexandra.

chapter one



I stand by my father's throne, awaiting the news. I tap my feet, drumming my fingers against my arm. I stand next to the massive golden throne, where my father sits, watching the doors as they are rammed from the outside. the war rages on outside

The war had been raging for years, ever since I was eighteen. We had been at a standstill for a for years and it was peaceful. But now that a new king had inherited the throne the other kingdom was making an advance on our troops.

I don't even remember what started the war, something between my dad and his dad. It's been years, even before the war tensions were high, it's no wonder we went to war.

No matter who started it, tensions had only risen when the new king had sent troops to our very door step, soldiers who are currently trying to break down the door to the palace.

A servant lays her hand on my arm, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Sir we have to go" she says, nervously. "we cant leave." I tell her, shaking my head. 'right dad? We cant leave we have to be here when our soldiers win" I plead desperately, hoping he'll agree with me.

"No." he says, moving to sit on his throne. Jack you need to go with Era. Take the tunnels and run he tells me solemnly. "you cant just stay here! I exclaim if youre making me leave, youre coming with me

Era pulls me back, frantically dragging me away as dad stoically faces the doors as they are rammed again, straining against the barricade holding it closed. Finally, I relent, allowing Era to pull me into the small tunnel behind the golden throne, slipping into the dark tunnels.

The hallway is dusty and filled with cobwebs, and I have to fight from freaking out as I run face first into the worlds largest cobweb. As Im wiping cobwebs off my face, I slam into the chest of an oncoming guard, who immediately grabs Era, holding a knife to her neck.

I turn to run the other way, my fathers voice ringing in my head if youre ever captured run, dont look behind. It doesnt matter who they have, dont let them get you I run as fast as I can, pausing at the entrance to the tunnel just in time to see the door buckling under their own weight, soldiers flood the throne room, rushing for the throne.

The soldiers from behind me in the tunnel catch up to me, grabbing my arms and forcing them behind my back. Im dragged back into the throne room and forced to kneel before the throne.

My father is kneeling as well, torn from his throne with a large bruise marring his face. A strange man struts into the throne room, snatching my fathers crown from his head and sitting on the throne. He looks down on us, inspecting the circlet of gold in his hand.

Suddenly he tosses it across the room, watching as it clangs off the wall and lands on the floor. I flinch as it does so, breath catching in my throat as it rolls to a stop.

The stranger turns to me, suddenly, making me shrink back under his gaze. pull the gem from the crown he orders, gesturing for the guards to let me go. I glance between my father and the stranger on his throne. My father nods, and I slowly reach for the crown, prying the gem from where its set in the crown.

The stranger holds his hand out, a clear gesture for me to hand it over again. I stare at his outstretched hand like Ive never seen the gesture before. The man frowns, growing impatient. hand it over he snaps. My father gives me an encouraging nod, and I place it his open palm, retracting my hand as fast as I can so he doesnt touch me.

He smirks, following my gaze over to my father. do you want to be over there with him? he asks, voice deep and sultry. I nod frantically. My father is slumped over on his knees, held up only by the guards restraining him. His lip drips blood, having been busted when the soldiers flooded the room.

The stranger motions to the man holding my father, and he pulls out a knife. My eyes go wide, and I lurch forward, being held back by the men behind me. no! I sob loudly, watching as the knife is drawn across his throat, and red spills from the wound.

My father is dropped to the floor with little care, flopping onto the stone floor. His face, once full of life, now bears nothing but a shadow of the light that once lit up his whole face.

I cant contain my tears, and they stream openly down my face. The guards drop me on their masters command, and I crawl over to my fathers body, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. please you cant die I sniffle, blood pours from the cracks between my fingers, staining his white robes a deathly shade of red.

He reaches up, hand shaking as he grabs my wrist. let me go he tells me, blood pooling in the back of his throat. it will be ok he assures. The stranger stalks up behind me, crouching down and putting his arm around my shoulder. I know, I know he murmurs, pressing his lips against my head its always so hard losing a family member. Its ok he soothes, standing up.

take him to a room he tells one of the guards I will be with you shortly. He stalks back towards the throne, taking a seat as the soldier approaches me. I growl, crouched over my fathers body. go with them. My father orders, using the last of his strength to pull me off of him.

Im hoisted to my feet by my elbows, being torn away from my father as the life leaves his eyes.

chapter two


Guards drag me away from my dad's body, and down the hall of rooms inhabited by the royal family once theyre married off. the guards drag me to the room with my name inscribed on a silver plate, the one reserved for me when I marry.


The door is thrown open and I am tossed in unceremoniously, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. Behind me the door is slammed shut, and Im left alone in the room. Gathering my strength, I rise to my feet, using the wall to pull myself to full height.

Every room on this wing has a hidden door for maids and servants to come and go without being seen, and double as an escape route should something like this ever happen. I silently thank my ancestors for being so paranoid, limping my way towards where I think the hidden door should be.


When I was younger, I used to scoff at the idea of having tunnels in case the palace was ever overrun. Who would want to hurt us? The people loved us! Now, I understand the need for them. I press my hands against the smooth, white walls, looking for any sign of the hidden door.


I find a small indent of the wall, covered by a thin layer of wallpaper the blends in perfectly with the painted wall. tearing the paper away I see its a sort of lock. I dont have a key. The indent is almost shaped like the gem from my father crown. I slip it out of my pocket, biting my lip. Do I risk it? Is this what he gave me the stone for?


I slip the stone into the indent, heart hammering in my chest. I wait for a few seconds, but nothing happens. Maybe I need to turn it? With nothing better to try, I gently push the stone in so I dont drop it, trying to turn in. it takes a lot of effort, but I finally get the stone to turn, cringing as the loud turning of gears breaks the silence.

Cursing silently, I pull the door open, stepping inside the tunnel- and right into the chest of a guard. My heart sinks as I spot the badge on his shoulder, bearing the emblem of the strange kings army. The guard is older, face haggard and covered in scars. He grabs me by my shoulder, dragging me back into the room and slamming me on the bed, knocking the breath from my lungs.



"stay put". He orders, stalking over to the door and closing it behind him. How did they know about the tunnel!? Whats going to happen to me? I eye the guard by the hidden door. If I can get him from behind, I can knock him out and take his uniform, Ill use the secret tunnels to escape and I can regroup in the neighboring country Osa and regroup with whoever else escaped. Someone has to have escaped.

Feeling my eyes on him, the guard turns to me, face hard. His face softens, however, when he sees me on the bed, glaring daggers at him. He gets a little closer, staying close to the hidden door and leaning on the wall. I growl, backing up and giving him the angriest look Ive ever given anyone.


Theres a moment of silence before the guard speaks up. "I bet you want to know why we know about the tunnels, dont you?" he asks, looking melancholy. I dont dignify him with an answer, despite how curious I am. He continues anyways, ignoring my lack of response. "I was a member of the Kings personal guard" he tells me. I sit up, he was a member of my fathers guard? That means hes on my side! He can get me out of here! Seeing the hope in my eyes, he shakes his head. "Im not going to help you escape" he tells me, affixing his gaze to the wall opposite of him. "I was around your age when I joined the guard, and by the time you were born I was one of the Kings most trusted warriors" he chuckles wryly. "when you born, your father had me guarding the door to your mothers room. And then outside your nursery." He pulls a necklace from under his shirt, a golden chain with an odd circle on the end with something inscribed on it in a language I cant make out.


"you would cry and cry until I let you play with this" he continues, tucking the necklace back in his shirt." you didnt even know what it means" he chuckles. "by the time you turned sixteen, Gabriel was having me give him daily reports on you"


I glare at him suspiciously. "spare me the sob story, why are you telling me this?" I ask, cautiously. He sighs, shaking his head. "Im not sure, I just thought you should know he says, sighing. whos Gabriel? I ask quietly, shifting nervously."


"Gabriel is my king" he says, pursing his lips into a thin line "yours too now" Before I can ask more questions, however, the door swings open, and the guard snaps to a salute. The strange king strides through the door, dragging one of the many artists employed by the palace. The mans face is sheet white, and he clutches a few paintbrushes so hard his knuckles turn white.


The king Gabriel shoves the man into the room, closing the door after himself. "Jack!" he greets, grinning from ear to ear. I glance between him and the artist, gulping nervously. He dismisses the guard with a wave of his hand, and the guard pauses, before slipping through the hidden door and into the hidden passageway.


"what are you doing?" I ask, sitting up and doing my best to look like Im not afraid of him. "well, todays such a special occasion" he purrs, grabbing the easel and canvas from where they lean against the wall "so I decided to have a painting commissioned"

chapter three






The artist trembles in his spot, and Gabriel pushes him towards the canvas, gesturing to the array of expensive paints lined up on the desk. "use whatever you need. I want it to be perfect." Gabriel instructs, waltzing over to my spot on the bed. I glare at him but make no move. He has all the power here; one wrong move and that poor artist ends up like my father.

He grabs a handful of my hair, wrenching my head back painfully so Im forced to look at the artist. "hurry now" Gabriel chides, grinning "there are dozens of artists employed in this palace, I have no reason to keep you alive if you dont work"

The artists hesitates, but in the end he grabs one of the nearby pencils, beginning the sketch. Silence fills the room, filled only by the soft noise of the pencil being drawn across the canvas. Gabriel lets go of my head, trusting me to hold the pose as he saunters across the room, taking a book from the bookshelf.
"This place is nice" he comments, flipping to a random page in the book. "its yours, I presume?" I shake my head slightly, and he hmms to himself. "it has your name on the door" he points out, not looking up from the book. "it isnt mine" I grit out, forcing myself to remain calm.

He falls silent for a while, flipping the page. "this is my favorite book" he comments, closing it and holding it up so I can read the tittle. its called Rapunzel, "its about a princess, locked in a tower" he continues, putting it back on the shelf and taking a seat on the bed next to me.

I eye him warily, shrinking back as he reaches up to touch my face. Frowning, he lets his hand fall to his lap. "it reminds me of you he tells me." the artist glances between me and him, but keeps painting dutifully.
"how so?" I ask, unable to keep the malice from leaking into my voice. He smirks, turning to me. "its quite obvious." He says "you know why this whole war was waged, yes?" he asks. I nod, slowly, even though I dont. "its because of you" he tells me, catching onto the fact that I dont know why.

I shift in surprise, eyes wide. "and what did I do?" I ask, grimacing. "its not about what you did" Gabriel says, anger edging into his voice "its about your rat of a father" I recoil at his tone, scooting away from him. Gabriel lashes out, grabbing me by the arm and holding me in place.

"dont talk about him like that" I hiss, glaring at him."and why shouldnt i?" he challenges "he kept you hidden away in this palace where I couldnt have you" he growls, pulling me closer.

"I dont know what youre talking about" I yank my arm out of his grasp. Hes gone mad, if he was ever sane in the first place. "I sent him a proposal" he continues, ignoring my actions. "ten thousand men for your hand. He didnt even read it before he denied it" Gabriel seethes, hands clenched in fists.

Seeing me slowly leaning away from me, he takes a deep breath, calming himself. "but its ok now" he reminds himself, turning his attention back to me "I have you now, everything is ok." He reaches out, grabbing my head and turning it back towards the artist. "now, sit still for your painting, I want to have something to remind me of the day I got you for myself" he tells me, hand snaking its way down to mine, lacing his fingers in mine and squeezing.

"make sure to get the exact shade of pink on his face while you can" Gabriel instructs, grinning as I turn bright red. The artist nods, blushing and not meeting my eyes as he reaches for the red and white paints, mixing them into a soft shade of pink before painting on the canvas with light strokes.

Gabriel stands up, admiring me from afar. "I will be back shortly, do not move" he orders, turning heel and heading for the door. and dont stop painting he adds, shooting a pointed look at the artist before closing the door behind him. The door is locked from the outside where he got the key I dont know and we are left trapped in the small room with nothing to do but what Gabriel told us to.

"you're going to get out of here, right?" the painter asks, nervously." i-" I freeze, before gathering myself. He needs me to be strong. "yes." I tell him, sitting up straight "we are going to get out of here" I tell him, trying to convince myself.


He looks relieved, good. One of us needs to actually be convinced. Hopefully, I can keep this promise, no one else needs to get hurt on my behalf.

chapter four





When Gabriel strides back into the room, throwing the doors open and letting them slam against the walls. I jump, head snapping towards the doors as he dismisses the artist with a snap of his wrist. The artist scurries out of the room, casting a glance back at me as he runs.

The traitor soldier is behind him, peering around Gabriel and at me. great, just who I wanted to see. Gabriel approaches me, holding his hand out towards me. I stare at his outstretched hand like its a foreign object, and he takes the opportunity to grab me and pull me close to him, dragging me towards the traitor soldier and thrusting me into his arms.

"hold on to him" he orders "he is not to escape" the soldier nods, tightening his grasp on my upper arm so hard it hurts. I try to wrench my arm from his grasp, writhing at wriggling in his arms in hopes of twisting my arm in a way that would let me slip out. The soldiers grip remains tight as iron as I squirm, and he doesnt spare me a second glance as I claw at his hands and arms.

Gabriel motions for us to follow him, turning and stalking out of the room and into the grand hallways of the palace. The soldier follows behind him, dragging me along with him despite my struggles. Gabriel navigates us through the familiar hallways of my lifelong home and towards the doors, pausing only for the soldiers to pull open the large doors for us.

When we reach the steps of the palace, my eyes go wide, and I cant help the gasp that escapes my lips. Sitting right in front of the steps is a caravan composed of carriages is loaded up with supplies and riches from our stores, taking barrels of wines and ales that had been in the stores for longer than I had been alive.

I spot one barrel of wine being carried by two servants, the barrel was familiar; aged wood that Id run my hands over thousands of times before when Id been hiding down in the stores. The barrel was a gift from the next country over, Osa, as a thanks for helping them with the relief from the flooding that had happened recently. the crate is placed in one of the waiting carriages, and the door is shut, the servants giving the driver of the carriage a thumbsup as they go to move more things into the other carriages.

Gabriel guides me over to a large, gilded square shaped carriage with doors that slide on small tracks. Its nothing like Ive ever seen before, and I take a moment to marvel at it before Im ushered into the cabin. The carriage has no seats, with only the floor to sit on, in the far corner is a stack of blankets and decorative throw pillows, though I have no idea what they would be used for, as the second the doors on each side are slid shut, the heat begins to rise.

Two servants are left in the carriage with me, and one of them unlatches a small silver latch on a rectangle of lattice wood, swinging the two halves of the wooden lattice work open to let some fresh air in, pulling back the light pink curtains and tying them back with gold rope.

The servant messing with the windows and curtains settles down, while the second one frets over me, stuffing a pillow in my arms and pulling a jug of water from seemingly nowhere, offering it to me. "you look thirsty, drink this" he orders. "uh, no thank you" I decline, awkwardly. The servant puts the cork back in the jug, setting it aside.

"where are we going?" I ask, peaking up from behind my knees, which Ive drawn up to my chest. "the capital, of course" the second servant pipes up, smiling. I give him an odd look, and his smile falters a bit.

"who are you?" I ask, glancing around. I dont want to be stuck in here with strangers for who knows long! I honestly think I would rather stay with the traitor guard, and thats saying something! "my name is Vincent, and this is john" he introduces himself and his partner, gesturing to the other man.

I nod, glancing between the two. "tell me about the capital" I order, straightening out a bit. I need out, I need to learn everything about the capital, hopefully theyll tell me something I can use to aid me in my escape. Vincent perks up again, eyes glittering as he launches into his description. "the capital - vesuvia - is the best!: he exclaims 'the whole place is gorgeous, but the palace is the prettiest thing in the whole kingdom! Youll love it, the gardens are amazing and youll enjoy the atrium' he nods, nudging john. John nods, not looking too interested in the situation.

"what about the capital itself?" I question, leaning forward. Vincent, urged on by my curiosity, describes the city in great detail, telling me about the market and the hot springs. After our little talk, we settle into silence, with me reaching over and grabbing the stack of blankets to use as a pillow.

A servant walks past the carriage, slapping the side of it as they pass." looks like were about to get going" john says, shifting a bit. Vincent looks excited, looking out the lattice work window. With a jolt, the carriage begins to move, pitching me forward. I bang my head into floor, before the ride becomes smooth again and I right myself. "oh my gods are you ok!?" Vincent asks, panicking. "hes fine" john rolls his eyes, holding Vincent back.

My heart sinks, I dont want to leave! This is my home Ive lived here all my life! What will the king do with me when we reach the capital? Imprison me? or worse, execute me publicly as a lesson to all those who might oppose him? I can imagine it, the scrape of the wood against my back, the axe bearing down on my neck, the crowd cheering for my blood.

I shudder, shaking the thoughts from my head. Moving to the window, I watch the palace as it gets smaller and smaller behind us, being left behind in the dust. After awhile, I can no longer see the palace behind us, and I sit down, sighing.

John gives me a sympathetic look, offering me the water. I glance at it, tongue heavy and dry in my mouth. Im thirsty, but do I really want to accept help from my captors? I take the water from him, uncorking it and taking a deep drink, quenching my thirst. My thirst outweighs my spite in this matter, apparently.

When Im done with the water, john takes it back, setting it beside him. "Im sorry about your father" he says, after a while of silence. "what good will your apologies do?" I shrug, biting my lip. He glances away, nodding absentmindedly. "Gabriel isnt cruel, you know" he speaks up again, earning glares from both me and Vincent. "he wont treat you unkindly" he adds

I turn my back on them, closing my eyes.

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