David’s head lolled as the gladiator woman was dragged off him by a guard. His arm was numb; somewhere in his useless struggling his shoulder had popped out of its socket for the upteenth time. He couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. His blond hair was full of sand, he was covered in cheap massage oil, and he could hardly hear the crowd booing over the ringing in his ears.
Another guard grabbed his good hand and started to drag him back out of the sandy arena. David groaned, but stayed limp. His patchwork shirt had been torn in two yet again, and both his face and chest were bright red and littered with claw marks. His feet tingled, too.
He was trapped like this. This was just one more hour of the rest of his life.
The sand ended and the backstage wooden floor began. The guard didn’t bother picking him up, and David’s brown eyes shot open as his head cracked against the lip of the floor. He could just see the rise of the bleachers above. Hanging over the fence looking down at him was a woman who looked exactly like Yesmir.
But it couldn’t be Yesmir. Yesmir died, after the stupid maneuver that got David captured and the rest of the battalion killed. It was just some overexcited woman trying to catch sight of the circuit’s biggest star after he’d been tickled unconscious.
Samuel backed up as David was thrown into their tiny shared cage. Though the dark-haired man couldn’t stand up, he leaned over David, biting his lip. “Your shoulder’s—”
“I know. Can you… please…”
Samuel smacked David’s back. David gasped as he regained feeling in his right arm, stretching it. “Gods. Thanks, Sam.”
“No problem.” Samuel sat back. Over time, he’d slowly gotten worse for wear. Dirty bandages covered his right eye; though his arm had been unbandaged, a red, puckered scar was left in its place, obvious on his tanned skin. “Just rest, kid. You look like hell.”
“Not a kid. And you look worse.” David rolled over, hoarding the thin layer of hay covering the bottom of the cage.
“Bullshit.”
David didn’t bother arguing as he fell asleep.
***
David was being dragged out of his cage by the ankle.
“No. No! I already did tonight! Leave me alone!”
“Shut up, Your Highness. You’re going to get us caught.”
David opened his eyes to find Yesmir holding his leg.
Behind her, Samuel stood at the ready, glancing up and down the corridor as his foot beat an anxious tattoo against the warped floorboards. “Move it. I think I heard something.”
David crawled out of the cage, wincing every time his right arm hit the ground.
Yesmir helped him to his feet with a grimace. “You look even worse than I thought. Half the kingdom’s out looking for you. The princess had been inconsolable.”
David hung his head. Poor Elana. He’d left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye, after her trying all day to convince him not to go. When he was captured, no one knew where he’d gone off to. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not me you have to apologize to.” Yesmir fumbled with a burlap sack hanging from her shoulders. “Imagine only finding your damn horse after searching for hours.”
David’s eyebrows shot up. She’d found him because Goldleaf bolted?
“Regardless,” Yesmir continued, “I have this, but I don’t think you’re in any condition for it. Besides, they’ll recognize you.” She raised another guard’s uniform. “Sam… you look like hell, but could you pull this off?”
“Of course.” Samuel took it and shrugged off his own ragged shirt, revealing a toned chest as scarred as David’s. He slung on the uniform, carefully hiding his wounds. “There.”
“Great. David… just tail us.” Yesmir glanced back once more, and David staggered after them. She led them through a dozen convoluted passageways, but before they could continue, a guard turned the corner.
They froze, sizing each other up.
The guard pointed over Samuel’s shoulder. “David of Cerces is escaping!”
Both Yesmir and Samuel wheeled around, feigning shock. David backed up a step, but Yesmir bowled him over. She mouthed “sorry” as she sat on his waist and pinned his hands over his head.
Samuel stepped around them. “Have you got him?”
Yesmir nodded.
“Great.” He turned to the guard. “Go fetch someone—”
“Hell no.” The guard pinned David’s ankles under one arm, examining his bare feet, and David whimpered through clenched teeth. “This is David of Cerces. I’m never going to get another shot at him again. You can go raise the alarm.” He furiously scratched David’s arches.
David threw back his head and squealed. Above him, Yesmir grimaced and hesitantly squeezed his sides.
Samuel edged away as David’s screams escalated. “Sure… m-make sure he doesn’t escape or something—”
Right. Samuel had seen the aftermath countless times, but had never watched him under the hands of a truly merciless tickler. It wasn’t his best look.
David thrashed under Yesmir, hopelessly attempting to buck free. She simply tightened her grip. Her gentle prodding turned into rubbing, and she slowly grew more daring as David turned desperate, tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. Reality was slipping away from him yet again, but footsteps came from down the hall.
Yesmir looked up, jarred, as if a trance was broken. “What took you so long?”
A voice that wasn’t Samuel’s replied. “He had to find the keys.”
The guard scribbling all over David’s feet paused. “Wait—”
“This is for attacking my best friend.” Samuel punched the man so hard his body hit the far side of the corridor and crumpled against the old bricks.
“That’s not good,” Samuel muttered. “Okay. Dave, can you walk? I need you on your feet.”
Yesmir rolled off of him nervously. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Fine, then.” Samuel lugged David into his arms with a groan. Behind him, a half dozen gladiators stood at the ready, each holding some kind of makeshift weapon. “And now we have an army.”
“Great.” Yesmir faked a laugh. “L-let’s get out of here.”
Samuel spun and continued down the hall, turning wherever Yesmir pointed.
Slowly, David dozed off, enveloped by the rhythmic sound of boots hitting rotting hardwood.
***
David swayed, following every the horsecart’s every bounce on instinct. The winding road was silent, to the point where he could hear the birds singing in the trees.
Horsecart? Trees?
David opened his eyes. He was splayed across a couch making up half the carriage. On the other side, a young, tan woman in a strapless dress faced him, her blue eyes alight and her black waves bouncing with the horse’s every step.
Elana smiled at him. “Welcome home, rebel.”
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326106-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-1-(F-M)&>Part 1 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326144-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-2-(F-M)>Part 2 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326180-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-3-(F-M)&>Part 3 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326203-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-4-(FF-M)>Part 4 (FF/M)</a>
<a href= http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326307-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-5-(M-M)>Part 5 (M/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326350-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-6-(FFFFFF-M-M-M)>Part 6 (FFFFFF/M, M/M)</a>
Another guard grabbed his good hand and started to drag him back out of the sandy arena. David groaned, but stayed limp. His patchwork shirt had been torn in two yet again, and both his face and chest were bright red and littered with claw marks. His feet tingled, too.
He was trapped like this. This was just one more hour of the rest of his life.
The sand ended and the backstage wooden floor began. The guard didn’t bother picking him up, and David’s brown eyes shot open as his head cracked against the lip of the floor. He could just see the rise of the bleachers above. Hanging over the fence looking down at him was a woman who looked exactly like Yesmir.
But it couldn’t be Yesmir. Yesmir died, after the stupid maneuver that got David captured and the rest of the battalion killed. It was just some overexcited woman trying to catch sight of the circuit’s biggest star after he’d been tickled unconscious.
Samuel backed up as David was thrown into their tiny shared cage. Though the dark-haired man couldn’t stand up, he leaned over David, biting his lip. “Your shoulder’s—”
“I know. Can you… please…”
Samuel smacked David’s back. David gasped as he regained feeling in his right arm, stretching it. “Gods. Thanks, Sam.”
“No problem.” Samuel sat back. Over time, he’d slowly gotten worse for wear. Dirty bandages covered his right eye; though his arm had been unbandaged, a red, puckered scar was left in its place, obvious on his tanned skin. “Just rest, kid. You look like hell.”
“Not a kid. And you look worse.” David rolled over, hoarding the thin layer of hay covering the bottom of the cage.
“Bullshit.”
David didn’t bother arguing as he fell asleep.
***
David was being dragged out of his cage by the ankle.
“No. No! I already did tonight! Leave me alone!”
“Shut up, Your Highness. You’re going to get us caught.”
David opened his eyes to find Yesmir holding his leg.
Behind her, Samuel stood at the ready, glancing up and down the corridor as his foot beat an anxious tattoo against the warped floorboards. “Move it. I think I heard something.”
David crawled out of the cage, wincing every time his right arm hit the ground.
Yesmir helped him to his feet with a grimace. “You look even worse than I thought. Half the kingdom’s out looking for you. The princess had been inconsolable.”
David hung his head. Poor Elana. He’d left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye, after her trying all day to convince him not to go. When he was captured, no one knew where he’d gone off to. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not me you have to apologize to.” Yesmir fumbled with a burlap sack hanging from her shoulders. “Imagine only finding your damn horse after searching for hours.”
David’s eyebrows shot up. She’d found him because Goldleaf bolted?
“Regardless,” Yesmir continued, “I have this, but I don’t think you’re in any condition for it. Besides, they’ll recognize you.” She raised another guard’s uniform. “Sam… you look like hell, but could you pull this off?”
“Of course.” Samuel took it and shrugged off his own ragged shirt, revealing a toned chest as scarred as David’s. He slung on the uniform, carefully hiding his wounds. “There.”
“Great. David… just tail us.” Yesmir glanced back once more, and David staggered after them. She led them through a dozen convoluted passageways, but before they could continue, a guard turned the corner.
They froze, sizing each other up.
The guard pointed over Samuel’s shoulder. “David of Cerces is escaping!”
Both Yesmir and Samuel wheeled around, feigning shock. David backed up a step, but Yesmir bowled him over. She mouthed “sorry” as she sat on his waist and pinned his hands over his head.
Samuel stepped around them. “Have you got him?”
Yesmir nodded.
“Great.” He turned to the guard. “Go fetch someone—”
“Hell no.” The guard pinned David’s ankles under one arm, examining his bare feet, and David whimpered through clenched teeth. “This is David of Cerces. I’m never going to get another shot at him again. You can go raise the alarm.” He furiously scratched David’s arches.
David threw back his head and squealed. Above him, Yesmir grimaced and hesitantly squeezed his sides.
Samuel edged away as David’s screams escalated. “Sure… m-make sure he doesn’t escape or something—”
Right. Samuel had seen the aftermath countless times, but had never watched him under the hands of a truly merciless tickler. It wasn’t his best look.
David thrashed under Yesmir, hopelessly attempting to buck free. She simply tightened her grip. Her gentle prodding turned into rubbing, and she slowly grew more daring as David turned desperate, tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. Reality was slipping away from him yet again, but footsteps came from down the hall.
Yesmir looked up, jarred, as if a trance was broken. “What took you so long?”
A voice that wasn’t Samuel’s replied. “He had to find the keys.”
The guard scribbling all over David’s feet paused. “Wait—”
“This is for attacking my best friend.” Samuel punched the man so hard his body hit the far side of the corridor and crumpled against the old bricks.
“That’s not good,” Samuel muttered. “Okay. Dave, can you walk? I need you on your feet.”
Yesmir rolled off of him nervously. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Fine, then.” Samuel lugged David into his arms with a groan. Behind him, a half dozen gladiators stood at the ready, each holding some kind of makeshift weapon. “And now we have an army.”
“Great.” Yesmir faked a laugh. “L-let’s get out of here.”
Samuel spun and continued down the hall, turning wherever Yesmir pointed.
Slowly, David dozed off, enveloped by the rhythmic sound of boots hitting rotting hardwood.
***
David swayed, following every the horsecart’s every bounce on instinct. The winding road was silent, to the point where he could hear the birds singing in the trees.
Horsecart? Trees?
David opened his eyes. He was splayed across a couch making up half the carriage. On the other side, a young, tan woman in a strapless dress faced him, her blue eyes alight and her black waves bouncing with the horse’s every step.
Elana smiled at him. “Welcome home, rebel.”
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326106-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-1-(F-M)&>Part 1 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326144-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-2-(F-M)>Part 2 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326180-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-3-(F-M)&>Part 3 (F/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326203-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-4-(FF-M)>Part 4 (FF/M)</a>
<a href= http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326307-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-5-(M-M)>Part 5 (M/M)</a>
<a href= https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326350-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-6-(FFFFFF-M-M-M)>Part 6 (FFFFFF/M, M/M)</a>
