This is a request from an anon who wanted the princes kidnapped and then Heine to save them. I got inspired so it’s kinda long, but enjoy!
It was silent that night. The stars shone over the castle just as brightly as they did the night before. The servants all finished their duties, silently and quickly, like always. The young princes separated from their daily tasks in favor of their beds. They said goodnight to Adele, Heine, their father and each other…just like before. Even the king bid the world good night with the utmost confidence his kingdom was secure. The Royal Tutor, one to be the most restless, followed the flow of peace from that night. From candle glow, he worked diligently on lessons to be done in the future. And with what seemed to be a gentle sigh, the world hushed into a symphony of peace. Just like always.
That is, until dawn rose and the well-rehearsed schedule was disrupted. By the sudden disappearance of the four heirs. Kai and Leon were the first to be gone, however, the absence was not concerning. Kai often awoke well before the others and strolled around the castle or the gardens. Leon was always someplace running around, usually the stables.
No matter where they went, they always reappeared. However, Licht and Bruno also being missing raised a red flag. Perhaps they were being mischievous? This was a general thought until evening swallowed the day and the castle realized there was a greater scheme to be discovered. Once Viktor caught wind of it, Heine was called to his room where they made a game plan.
The princes sat in a dark room with bound wrists and ankles. A stream of light cut from the ceiling to the floor, providing them with their only light. They had not been harmed, but something told them that was conditional. One prince, in particular, was having a difficult time.
“This sucks,” Licht sighed loudly. The ground was damp, the chains were cold, and he had work today. And while these things were bad, they had been taken before dawn. Chances were they wouldn’t be found for a while.
Bruno had his head lowered, muttering calculations and ideas to himself. This made Licht feel unsettled. Bruno looked around. “Maybe once the captor comes back, I could try and kick him down,” he thought. Disregarding the idea when remembering his chains and his younger brothers.
Kai looked at his siblings sadly. Why did the captor take all of them? Surely one of them would be more than enough- it could just be him. He was trying to come up with ways to get his brothers out- even if he could not come along.
“Do you think we’ll be killed?” Leon questions out loud. His brothers look at him, breaking out of their thoughts. His chains shake along with him. Worries plagued his mind to no end.
“Of course not Leonie!” Licht sat up a little straighter, chains clanging as he moved. “They wouldn’t dare,” he assured his older brother.
“Master should be on his way,” Bruno pointed out. He had to give his siblings hope so they could all make it home. He glanced at Leon who appeared the most shaken. His brother had a bruise on his head from where he hit the wall after trying to fight back. Bruno moved as close to his brother as his chains would permit, trying to give him comfort.
“We will all be fine,” Kai announced strongly. He had faith they could get out. His chains dangled off his wrists.
The four princes chatted among themselves, sharing plans and speculations along with comforts and dreams. What felt like hours had passed before a door was wrenched open with a loud shriek of metal on metal. Light pooled into the dimly lit and damp room revealing it to be a cellar. A tall man walked down the steps with a lamp and two others behind him. The faces could not be made out, but it appeared to be a man and woman. They walked in relative sync before stopping in front of the princes. The women kneeled down in front of Kai, who was the closest to her. She grabbed at his chin, holding it firmly to look at him in the eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, before he glared at her, resulting in her shoving his face away.
“Good morning royals,” she growled out. Walking over to Licht she ran her hand through his hair appreciatively, ignoring his protests. “How did you four sleep?”
The brothers glared at her, silent.
“Ah,” she sighed, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. Her dark red hair moved in front of her face, hiding it from the princes before they could get a good view of her. “Looks like cats got their tongues.” She tapped her long fingernails against her forearm. “Well, once we get to the auction hall, that will work better anyway.” She grinned sweetly in between words, lacing them with honey. “The silent ones always are worth more.” She turned her back to them, strutting back towards the door.
“Why are you doing this?” Leon asked desperately, staring darkly at the women. He pointed his head at her, not being able to extend his arms from behind his back due to the chains. “You won’t get away with this,” he promised.
The women flipped around, waltzing over to him and gently petting the side of his face. “Why your Highness. You have a set of pipes, dontcha?” she purred out.
Leon pulled away at her touch, smacking his back against the wall. “Get away from me!”
She smiled down at him. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if we had to sell him at a lower price because his face got marked up?” She threw the rhetorical question over her shoulder at the men with her. Her nails dug slightly into his soft skin. “Well, any further marked up anyway,” she muttered, glaring at the bruise on his otherwise unharmed face. The women touched his face again, this time, with a sharper object against it.
Leon gasped loudly, backing away again. “Stay away from me!”
The women growled, retracting her hand and slashing her hand back quickly across Leon’s face. “Don’t tell me what to do boy.”
Leon looked down at the floor, seeing blood dripping against the dirty floor. His eyes widened, panic flooding his senses.
The brothers all glared at the women, their chains rattling as they struggled against them, ready to fight. Kai attempted to stand up to the best of his abilities but failing.
The women smiled. “Now let this,” she paused for emphasis, pointing at Leon’s cut with her blade, “be a lesson to you royalty. Try and fight or talk back and you will receive something equal or worse to that.” She turned around and walked back towards the door. “I’d hate to injure any more your faces, so maybe I’ll just get your brother again if you misbehave. I mean, 3 obedient boys will sell better than 4 disobedient royals.” With that, she left the room.
The two men threw some food down at the prince’s and walked out the door, closing it with a shriek.
Shrouded in dark again, the tension in the air relaxed slightly. The three brothers all turned towards Leon, filled with concern immediately. Poor Leon was leaning towards Bruno, freaking out.
“S-she cut me!” he rambled out through his chattering teeth. Tears pooled in his eyes, mixing into his cut.
Bruno leaned towards Leon, offering him his shoulder to cry on. He glared at the blood on the floor, discovering a new level of strength and passion. He would get out of here with his brothers, at the very least, he would get his brothers out. Master was sure to come for them though.
Licht stared in shock at Licht. He felt his own sense of panic rise up, but they needed a different approach. Trying to lighten the mood, he told some jokes about Heine’s height to elicit some smiles.
Kai felt rage boil behind his pure blue eyes. He stared at the doorway, listening to his brothers who seemed to be trying to calm down.
Soon the room was filled with only the sound of Leon’s sobs, Kai’s singing, and Licht’s murmurs of comfort.
Heine starred out the window of the carriage, methodically fiddling with the trigger of his gun. His mind raced with thoughts trying to pinpoint where he went wrong in protecting the princes. How he had failed. Soon he would right the wrongs that were done to his students and vow to never fail them again. In darker times long past, Heine would not have hesitated to chase after these villains and shoot them on the spot. However, he was a changed man. Viktor has taught him a better way to life- through knowledge and kindness.
Viktor. The name alone brought a thousand memories- yet his mind drifted to the princes. He clenched the gun, staring at the barrel of the pistol. Part of him promised to return any damages tenfold. The other part of him- well, it prayed he found them in time and for safety.
The carriage came to a jolting stop towards the base of a mountain, taking Heine away from his thoughts.
“We have arrived professor,” a guard announced, standing by as per orders.
“Thank you,” he answered, getting out of the carriage. “Please remember the plan and stick to it at all costs.” With that, he stepped out of the carriage and headed towards the base of the mountain.
Leon had calmed down after what seemed to be hours. They had tried to escape their chains and managed to get their arms free to move around. The cold metal on their ankles was another story as they were wider chains. Taking a break from freeing themselves, they decided to discuss strategy.
“What if we waited until they move us to be sold?” Licht suggested hopefully.
The idea was passed around in the minds of the princes, silence filling the air.
Bruno was the first to dismiss it. “We can not wait that long to try something.”
Licht threw his arms in the air defensively. “I don’t see you coming up with anything better,” he started.
Kai gave the pair a glare. “Don’t fight, we need to work together to make it out of this.”
Leon, laying on Bruno sighed deeply. “Well, what do you suppose we do?” He stared expectantly at his brothers. They had tried almost every idea they could, but it seems these kidnappers were one step ahead of them. Even if they were free to move around, they were locked in a room with no windows and who knew how many guards.
Licht leaned back, attempting to remove the chains on his feet again. “I wish we had more light,” he complained. “This little stream does absolutely nothing.”
“Yeah, totally,” Leon agreed, staring at the light. He looked at where it met the ceiling, the old wood allowing a steady drop of water and a little bit of light through. “At least we know it’s day outside.” Reaching a hand up towards the sky, his hand brushed against the light beam, feeling its warmth. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just climb out through the rafters?”
Bruno stared at the ceiling, nodding in agreement. “I am in agreement as well. Too bad it’s too high. We would have to climb on each other first,” he chuckled quietly.
“What if we tried to climb?” Licht suggested, considering the possibility and grabbing the attention of his brothers.
“Do you, think it would work?” Leon asked Bruno and Kai cautiously.
The two brothers looked at each other, considering it.
“If I am doing the math right, two of our heights added together would reach the top of the ceiling,” Bruno began, weighing the possibilities.
Kai nodded in thought, glancing at the chains on their feet. “We could use the chains to help us be stabilized,” Kai suggested back.
“Let’s try it then!” Leon announced, standing up quickly.
Bruno looked down at their feet pointedly. “Leonhardt.”
Heine had eventually found a secret entrance and moved his way through. He moved through the cave quietly, avoiding guards left and right before he found where he believed the princes were held. Two burly men stood outside a big rusty metal door, looking bored. Nearby, a woman with flame red hair and a gun stood by, yelling orders at people.
“The buyers will be here any minute, so move it,” she screamed, pointing her gun at a group to get them to move faster.
He rested his hand on his own, running his finger against the barrel. Eyes narrowing, he looked around, assessing the situation. It would not be wise to run in, it would be much better to wait for an opening. Heine watched the woman storm off in a fury, taking with her most of the crowd. This woman had to be the leader. Her body had an assertive aura to her, the way she held herself was full of discipline and she had the look of a highly intelligent human. In any other circumstance, Heine would have loved to test her and see what she knew. However, her eyes showed a cold edge, revealing the fact that there was no love in her- and that made her dangerous. She would take what she wanted no matter what. This worried Heine for the prince’s safety.
Walking forward, deciding to work his plan into motion and came into the center of the plaza as if he owned the place. His eyes went to the guards standing by. “You there,” he sternly stated.
The burly man exchanged a glance with each other, tensing up. The looked down on him. One gave the other a questioning look. “Who let this kid in here?”
Heine bit the inside of his cheek. “I am not a child you insolent buffoons, and you better watch it, or I’ll have to punish you.”
One guard with a thick beard looked scared instantly. “Uh sorry sir, what business did you have here?” The other guard a questioning look.
“I am here on the business of the boss.” He adjusted his posture slightly, pulling a card out of his pocket. Earlier he made a fake card with Viktor that had a poison on the surface that if touched by bare skin will cause the victim to pass out. “This should suffice as proof that I will need you to open that gate.”
The bearded guard took the card, looking it over and passed it to the other guard who suspiciously eyed it over. “Alright, that is the bosses mark.” He handed the card back to Heine who pocketed it. They turned to open the prison with a loud shriek.
The non-bearded guard stood by Heine when they opened the door. “I’m surprised they sold so fast. About how much did you pay to get all four of them?” He let out a yawn.
“About the budget for a small country,” he answered lazily.
The trio walked into the prison, letting light stream on the four princes who were all standing up. The princes whipped their heads to look at the entrance in a panic. Their eyes flew to Heine with a loud gasp.
Heine shot them a warning look briefly. “They all look to be an excellent condition…what happened to that one?” he asked pointing to Leonhard who looked about ready to cry from happiness.
“He was testing the boss and made into an example,” The bearded guard laughed, smacking Heine on the back. “You know how it is.”
Heine walked up to the princes, glancing at the chains on their ankle. “Very well, I will take them with me today.” He stepped aside for the guards as they went to the princes and unlocked their ankles and then clasped them into chains on their wrists.
“All ready sir,” they decreed, sluggishly.
Heine smiled at the two guards, noting the poison coming into effect. “Thank you very much.” He took the head of the chains. “Not a word boys,” Heine ordered, holding the end of the chain.
The boys all nodded, ready to be going with him.
Heine walked out the prison with them, checking both ways briefly before he took out his gun and pointed it at the guards. “Lesson number one, always check and double check in a case of suspicion.” His eyes narrowed as he tossed the key to the chains to Kai. “I’m not too cruel as to leave you in here to die, but do sleep nicely for a while.”
The non-bearded guard fell over, trying to move forward. “Damn it! What did you do to us?” he growled, trembling on the ground.
The bearded guard fell to his knees, not being able to talk.
“A simple paralysis poison, it will end in a few hours, however to you it will only be a few minutes.” He kept the gun towards the guards. “You’re Highnesses, please run towards the mountain’s base. You will find a carriage there and I shall follow shortly.”
“What if we get caught?” Bruno asked, taking the chains off of Licht.
Heine tossed an extra gun to Bruno who caught it. “Fight back and keep each other safe. Never forget that you all are each other’s greatest allies.” He watched as the guards laid down under his gaze. “You have done well keeping each other safe thus far, a lesson that did not need to be learned.”
“Heina,” Licht whimpered, tears of joy in his eyes.
“Go now, it will not be long before they return.” Heine turned his attention to the entrance where the woman from earlier had disappeared to.
The princes gave their tutor a sad look, not wanting to leave him alone. However, they needed to trust him. Leon was the first to take the lead, heading in the direction.
“Come on, we need to head out.” Leon moved towards the entrance, wiping tears from his eyes.
Bruno followed behind Leon, reluctantly turning his back towards Heine. “Don’t hurt them, Master.”
Kai and Licht followed at the same time. Licht turned around as he approached his brothers to look at Heine. “Thanks for coming to get us.”
With that, the four princes ran towards the exit. If it had been anyone else up there, they would have worried. But it was their royal tutor: Heine Wittgenstein, up there. And when it came to him, no one stood a chance.
Heine left the prison once he knew that the guards were asleep. He moved towards the plaza, gun drawn ready. He headed towards the new crowd forming where the woman had gone. They had stolen the princes and no one was getting away with harming his students without punishment. It was time to teach them a lesson.