Machk had always had a problem with his temper, but he had never wanted to kill anyone like he wanted to kill Kunzite. The older man’s poor treatment of Machk would have caused a fit. The fact that he was a kidnapper would have made Machk hate him. But all of that and daring to strike his mother - that made Machk want to kill him. Not that he would be able to. He was watched at all times by one of the lesser soldiers, Private Aineas. It did not change his mind about Kunzite. In fact, it only seemed to fuel his temper.
A hand fell on Machk’s shoulder. He looked up, surprised to see Aineas smiling at him. “Are you well, Prince Machk?” he asked.
That was one of the reasons Machk liked Aineas. Some of the other soldiers didn’t acknowledge that Machk was more than just some orphan they had picked off the street. Aineas didn’t exactly treat him with respect, but the private was never cruel. Machk appreciated that.
“You don’t have to call me that, you know,” Machk muttered, looking down at the ground. “If Kunzite heard you, he might get mad.”
Aineas chuckled, as if he didn’t doubt that observation in the slightest. Aineas bent down so that he was almost on the same level as Machk. It was impossible for him to do that without fully crouching though; Aineas was exceptionally tall and gangly. “You’re quite right. I don’t have to call you anything.”
Machk looked up. He almost smiled.
“Aineas!” another soldier called out from where the horses were tied up. They were preparing to leave the camp they had set up the night before. If Machk had heard right, they were expected to arrive in Elysian by that afternoon, maybe sooner. “It’s time!”
Aineas didn’t shout back; he just waved. Machk wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Aineas shout. Then he turned back to Machk and put a hand on his shoulder, leading him towards the horses. Normally, Machk wouldn’t have noticed the gesture, but since every other soldier in the party had either carried him or pulled him along like a sack of bridles, he was grateful.
Machk went right up to Aineas’s horse, Epona. He pulled away from Aineas as far as he dared; he had no idea where Kunzite was. He touched the horse’s backside gently so that she knew someone was behind her and didn’t try to kick backwards. Then he walked around to her face, reaching up and stroking her velvety nose. Epona regarded him with little more than indifference; after all, mare or not, she was a war horse. She had no use for children. Still, Machk couldn’t help but love her and all the other horses. He merely favored her because she was Aineas’s.
“Private!” a familiar voice barked. Machk winced at the familiar rasp, a quality that was ever present because Kunzite rarely ever talked in anything less than a shout. “What have I told you about letting that boy fool with the horses?”
Aineas bowed to Kunzite and immediately began to apologize, but Machk wasn’t paying attention. He was glaring at Kunzite with such unbridled hatred that Machk liked to think he would have withered if Machk were not so young. Aineas had told him that his dealings with Kunzite would not be over after this journey, and he should try to behave. Machk didn’t listen. As far as Machk was concerned, as soon as he was old enough, he would kill Kunzite. No one touched his mother that way and lived.
But Machk was too little.
Suddenly, Machk longed for Iye. Nara might have been his favorite playmate, but she could do nothing in the face of these men. Machk knew that the forest would be stained red with the soldiers’ – and especially Kunzite’s – blood if Iye knew what was happening to him. Iye was old enough and strong enough to make Kunzite pay for what had been done to his mother. Machk couldn’t do anything at all.
Machk felt consumed by sadness and rage and even a touch a fear so strong he couldn’t breathe for a moment. He leaned forward, resting his head on Epona’s chest. He shut his eyes shut so tightly that it made his head ache.
“I want to go home,” Machk whispered into the horse’s flesh. “I want my mama.”
But of course he wasn’t going home. In the beginning, Aineas had tried to tell him that he was going to a new home. The private had quickly learned that it was better he did not do that if he wanted to avoid bruises. Just because Machk liked him didn’t mean he wasn’t susceptible to injury. After all, Aineas hadn’t let him go.
In fact, Aineas was putting him up on Epona’s back at that exact moment. Machk always rode in front of Aineas because it was next to impossible for him to escape in that position. Machk had tried to run away a lot in spite of the beatings he received for doing so. Today would be his last chance to run.
“Wait,” Kunzite called out just as Aineas was about to mount up behind Machk. He gestured to Aineas shortly, his olive skin catching the early morning light. “The boy rides with me.”
Machk’s ears turned pink with anger even as the rest of the blood drained away from his face. He didn’t want to be on Kunzite’s horse, the meanest of the lot, and he certainly didn’t want to be anywhere near Kunzite.
Aineas stared for a moment, swallowing. He bowed again and said, “With all due respect, Lord Kunzite --"
“If you have so much respect for me, you wouldn’t question my orders,” Kunzite snarled. “The boy isn’t as stupid as he’d have you believe. He knows we’ll be arriving in Elysian. It’s his last day to run, and I won’t have you watching him. Better I do it.”
Machk’s eyes went wide as if he had pulled the skin back with his hands like he used to do to scare Nara. Kunzite had known exactly what Machk had been thinking. How was that possible?
Aineas was reluctant, but ultimately, he had no choice. He bowed again and reached up to take Machk off the horse.
Machk pulled away from Aineas, nearly falling off the horse in his haste. “No.”
The word had been spoken loud enough to attract attention. Machk felt the eyes of every soldier on him, a ripple of tension exploding between them. Aineas looked at him sympathetically but spoke as brusquely as he could. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist. Lord Kunzite’s orders.”
“I’m not riding with him,” Machk insisted, shaking his head. “Xenos bites.” His eyes darted over to Kunzite, wondering if his look would kill this time.
No one doubted that the horse’s temperament was the last thing Machk was worried about. Aineas bit his lip, something Machk had only seen Yahto do before. “Prince Machk, I know you don’t want to, but I don’t have any choice,” Aineas whispered, not wanting to be heard. “Please, don’t put up a fight. You’ll just make it worse for yourself.”
Frankly, Machk didn’t care if he made it worse for himself. He would not ride with Kunzite. He was an enemy, and Machk would not ride with the enemy.
“I said no,” Machk repeated, practically quaking.
Surprisingly, Kunzite didn’t say anything. He merely gestured to the other soldiers around him.
Activity erupted around Machk and Aineas. The private was pulled away first by two corporals, resulting in a minor scuffle in the process. Several other men were reaching up to grab Machk, but Epona was starting to get spooked by the sudden activity. She tried to dance away from the soldiers, but they were starting to surround the horse. Machk saw Epona’s eyes go wide, and he instantly knew she was going to start rearing up at any moment. Machk had been riding horses all his life, and he had never been thrown. Still, he doubted his ability to hold on this time; Epona was a lot more powerful than any horse he had ever ridden.
Machk knew he didn’t have a choice. Iye had warned him away from the wild horses, saying that he could be killed if he were bucked off. Machk had ignored him until one of the hunters, an excellent horseman, had been killed as a result of a nasty stallion in heat. Machk had been watching, and he never disobeyed Iye again.
Machk dismounted as quickly as possible, which resulted in banging his cheek on one of Epona’s bones. He cried out and hung on to the horse’s hair until he absolutely had to let go. The minute his fingers uncurled, he was snatched up by one of the soldiers. He carried Machk over to Xenos and Kunzite, swearing as Machk kicked and squirmed violently.
“I don’t want to ride with him!”
The soldier growled. “You don’t have any choice, you little--"
“Don’t waste time talking to him,” Kunzite ordered. “Just put him on the horse.”
The soldier hesitated, obviously not wanting to be blamed if Kunzite were injured. “Sir--"
“Do I look like a woman, Corporal!” Kunzite barked. “Put the boy on the horse so we can get moving!” He looked up to where it seemed Aineas was still struggling. “And let him go! I’ll not have dissension among my own soldiers!”
Machk did not have a chance to look and see what had happened to Aineas. He was just going to have to trust that Kunzite had stopped them in time. It would have been the only good thing Kunzite had ever done in Machk’s presence if that were the case.
Machk continued struggling as the corporal dropped him on Xenos’s back, which the horse took great offense to. He flicked his tail in the soldier’s face, knocking him back. Xenos also made sure to give Machk a look that clearly meant he would not tolerate his behavior.
“Put me down!” Machk yelled, trying to dismount. Unfortunately, Kunzite’s big arms had him thoroughly trapped; it was impossible to find an opening. “I want to go with Aineas, not you! I want--"
“You have a choice, boy,” Kunzite interrupted darkly, using a tone that made Machk feel like he was just a stable boy tasked with mucking out the stalls. “Either you shut up and you sit on this horse, or you keep thrashing and I make it so you can’t sit for a month. Which would you prefer?”
Machk stared at him for a minute, wondering if his threat was genuine. He knew it was in seconds, remembering the whippings Kunzite had already given him. They had made sitting uncomfortable, but never impossible. He did not doubt that Kunzite had enough strength to do that.
Machk quieted, but he continued glaring.
“Very well then,” Kunzite said, almost approving. “Move out!”
The party of soldiers departed camp immediately at Kunzite’s word, every one of them scrambling to mount their horses so that they did not slow him up. Then they proceeded to travel back to the main road. Machk knew it would lead him to Elysian, and that once there, he would have failed his mother entirely.
Machk hung his head in shame. He knew he should not have gone back for his mama back at Aunt Etania’s. He should have kept running like he’d been told. But when he heard the sound of the slap, his mother crying out, and the vase shattering as she crumpled to the floor, he had to go back. Kunzite had to be punished for what he had done.
Machk should have known better. He wouldn’t have been able to do anything even if he hadn’t been caught. He should have just done what he was told. Then he wouldn’t have made his mama cry.
That was the worst part: hearing his mother weep as he’d been led away by the guards. That was the moment he realized he had done something terrible. That was when the rage truly began. That was when Machk realized Kunzite had to die. He wouldn’t have disobeyed if Kunzite hadn’t struck her. He would have made it if that hadn’t happened. He would have been free, like his mother wanted, instead of trapped between the arms of a man Machk desperately wanted dead.
“You don’t like me do you?” Kunzite questioned suddenly, breaking the silence between them.
Machk blinked, startled out of rubbing his bruised cheek. He hadn’t expected Kunzite to address except maybe to tell him to stop fidgeting. He glanced around to see if anyone else was as surprised as he was, but they didn’t seem to have heard Kunzite speak.
“Answer me, boy,” Kunzite snapped, demanding obedience.
Machk almost kept silent to spite him, but he didn’t want a matching bruise on his other cheek. “I want to kill you,” Machk said simply, seeing no reason to mask the truth.
Kunzite chuckled derisively actually finding Machk’s opinion of him funny. Machk clenched his fists, thinking of how good it would be if he could punch Kunzite square in the jaw. Unfortunately, he couldn’t reach.
“You hate me that much because I’m taking you away from your home?” Kunzite asked. “Foolish child.”
Machk shook his head. “I want you dead because you hurt my mama.”
He felt Kunzite shift behind him. “So you want to defend your mother’s honor, eh? I should have expected as much from Nephrite’s heir.”
Machk had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. His father’s name had not been Nephrite, and Iye was his heir.
“Why did you hurt her?” Machk asked quietly.
Kunzite snorted. “So you are a fool then. Something else I should have expected from Nephrite’s heir.”
Machk wondered if Kunzite noticed how stiff he was now.
“Your mother was a traitor,” Kunzite continued, apparently not noticing. “Traitors are meant to be punished. Your mother knew she should have delivered you immediately to King Endymion, but instead she tried to hide you from us.”
Machk’s fingers curled around the front of the saddle. “Mama said I was in trouble.”
“Your mother was weak and stupid,” Kunzite said. “Better you forget about her.”
Machk snapped. He didn’t know how he managed it considering their awkward positioning, nor did he know where he got the nerve. But he whirled around in the saddle and began pounding Kunzite’s chest with his fists. “You never say that about my mama! Don’t you ever!”
Kunzite leaned back, trying to move out of Machk’s reach. But that position only gave Machk more room to move. He brought his knees up so that he was crouching in the saddle and then sprung at Kunzite’s neck, aiming to choke.
“Bastard!” Kunzite swore, bringing up a hand to knock Machk back. He caught the boy right in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. Machk’s course was also altered, flinging him to the right of the path. He hit the ground hard, his elbow digging into the dirt. Machk bit his lip to keep from crying out. Machk lay on the ground, coughing and struggling to breathe.
“Lord Kunzite!” Aineas said, nearly shouting. “He’s just a boy!”
Machk felt Kunzite’s dark eyes boring into his back, aiming to run him through as if they were swords. “He’s a son of a bitch, that’s what he is.” Machk heard a click right next to his ear; Xenos had nearly bit him at Kunzite’s behest. “Aineas! You take the boy! But if anything else should go wrong, you’ll be the one to answer for it.”
“Yes, Lord Kunzite,” Aineas said hurriedly.
Machk heard Aineas’s somewhat awkward footsteps rushing towards him. Rather than help him to his feet, Aineas scooped Machk up as if he were his own son – or brother seeing as Aineas barely looked older than Iye. Machk grabbed the fabric of the private’s uniforms in his dirty fingers and held on tight.
“Breathe deeply,” Aineas advised. “He didn’t hit you hard enough to break anything. Just breathe deeply.”
Machk obeyed rather than inform Aineas that he thought Kunzite had hit him hard enough to break something; Machk’s bones had just been strong enough to take it.
Moments later, Machk was seated on Epona alongside Aineas, where he belonged. They were currently bringing up the end of the party. Normally this would have been forbidden at all times, but apparently they were close enough to the King’s palace that it was not imperative that Machk be kept in the middle at all times. Still, Aineas would move forward just as soon as he was certain Machk was all right.
“You should have kept your peace, Prince Machk,” Aineas scolded. “Do you understand now? Why you mustn’t give Lord Kunzite any reason to lash out at you? He doesn’t hold back.”
“I want to kill him,” Machk muttered. “I hate him.”
Aineas tensed behind him. “You mustn’t say things like that, Prince Machk. He--"
“He knows. I told him,” Machk said. “He didn’t care.”
Aineas did not respond. Machk thought he didn’t know what to say to that.
“I want my mama,” Machk whispered miserably, his lower lip starting to tremble. “I want her to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about my papa. I want Yahto to bite my fingers and steal my toys. I want Nara to play with me and scold me for not doing anything. I want Iye to come get me and make Kunzite pay… I just want to go home.”
Machk didn’t want them to come, but he quickly found himself crying. At first he tried to hide it, rubbing at his eyes and pretending that they itched or that he was tired. But he quickly grew louder until he was sobbing. Eventually, there was no way that Aineas could avoid hearing it. At that moment, Aineas reached forward and put a hand on Machk’s shoulder, just as he had done before they left. Machk’s shoulders shook, and he turned in the saddle, precariously balancing himself sideways. Then he buried his face in Aineas’s chest and wept until they reached Elysian.
