From a King to a Slave (Thalion) -- Extremely Mature Content - Darius and Crew

Thalion clamped his beautiful little mouth shut when the ants started crawling on him. That wasn't so bad, and from the sound of things Darius wasn't going to kill him...

But then the ants started to bite and each one felt like a bullet wound and so, of course he started to scream, beautiful, high pitched screams.

He strained against the chains which only made them bite harder down into his flesh.

He came around to crouch in front of Thalion. In the process, ants started to crawl over his flesh as well -- though they didn't seem to be biting Darius. Or if they were, he didn't show any reaction. But he nodded his approval when Thalion started to scream.

"Good. Good. Screams are not a weakness or a show of one. Scream as much as you wish, Thalion. Screams simply show the world that you are locked in a struggle with yourself. And you will feel better for it, once you embrace the pain that runs through you. It makes you stronger. In time, you will scream less and less. And one day, you will realize just how strong you truly are."

He screamed and screamed and then it was yelling. Lots of incomprehesible yelling about his father his sister, Victoria, Darius himself, God, every frustration about his life.

The pain was a channel, the pain was a physical manifestation about all the things and people in his life that were holding him back. When it was all concentrated into that mind searing pain, he could focus on it, he wasn't as overwhelmed by it.

When Thalion had seemed to wear himself out with yelling -- hey, it happens -- he walked over and with gentle tugs, lifted the boy away from the ground. Oh, there were still ants crawling over his flesh, but there were much fewer than there had been when he was sitting in the pile. Gently, Darius came around and caressed Thalion's cheek.

"Do you see yet, I wonder? Do you see that I am only helping you?"

"People have been keeping me weak. People have been holding me back and I've been letting them..." Thalion muttered, his voice was horse.

He walked in a slow circle around the hanging Thalion, watching him. Seeing what he might or might not do.

"Is that what you are, Thalion? A weak little puppet that acts like a whipped puppy every time someone shows you displeasure?"

"I left my sister, even though I was blood bound to her. I haven't always acted weak, I have moments...but then Grant, and then Victoria. I fucking do this to myself..." He started to cry. "I'm the one who does it, not them!"

He tilted his head, still caressing the blonde hair -- what was left, anyway -- with a gentle hand.

"Ah, I see that my lesson isn't lost on you. Are you going to correct this horrible behavior of yours?"

Thalion nodded, then looked up at Darius, a strange mixture of worship and hatred on his face.

"I gotta break my bonds, I gotta break all of them..." He didn't even know how to begin to do that though. "I'm no one's slave!"

He smiled at that. Truly smiled.

"No, Thalion. You are not a slave. I can free you from your bonds. But only if you are strong. Are you strong?"

"Oh, please Darius! I can do it! Let me prove I can...let me prove it to myself." Because that's what mattered here. It wasn't Darius's approval he needed, it was his own. He felt such self loathing at how pathetic he was. Sniveling, weak...

He looked at the boy curiously.

"And how are you going to prove it, Thalion?"

"Prove it?" The pain was making it hard to think. "By breaking the bonds! I just don't know how."

He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"And here I thought we were getting somewhere. Are you afraid of pain, Thalion?"

"You want me to do something painful?" Thalion asked catching on. "I'll... I'll put a rose stem in my penis."

He'd heard about that on TV one time and it just popped to mind as the most painful thing he could think of.

Hello, face, it's nice to meet you. I am palm.

Hello, palm. It's a pleasure to meet you as well.

Yes, he palmed his face and shook his head.

"I was thinking that it was within your power to get down from there. As much as it will hurt, you can."

"Oh... Well that was what I was willing to do!" Thalion declared, then, he took careful stock of his predicament and tried his first test struggle to escape.

The thing about his predicament. With the hooks in his shoulders and in his knees, it was definitely going to tear flesh and in the case of his shoulders, muscle. But it could be done. The worst part of it was that every. Single. Move. Hurt like hell.

Darius didn't move -- he just watched the boy starting to struggle.

But now he knew what to expect.

Knees first would be easiest, then he could use the ground to get up and over the hooks in his shoulder.

This was going to hurt....

He leaned back on the hooks in his shoulders, causing them to dig even deeper still and tried to lift his right leg free of the hood, his left leg also providing leverage and support. He let out a horrible yell.

He leaned against the wall to watch. His arms crossed over his chest as he watched the blonde man struggling with the hooks that held him, tearing flesh and muscle -- making quite the mess with not only himself, but the blood that was spilling everywhere.

And just to add insult to injury? He smiled. And fucking clapped.

Thalion was too busy being in pain to care just yet. He felt sick, his arms refused to move. He quickly struggled to free the other leg to get the bottom half all over at once was the thought. It wasn't graceful, he hung like a dying fish. His feet slipping against the ground from his own blood.

And by the time that was accomplished, he felt like he did deserve fucking applause. Now the worst part...

He jumped up, hoping to free both shoulders, but instead came down right back on the hooks. He screamed, piercing, beautiful clear screams. It took him a long while, he was panting when he tried again. This time, leaning forward and using his legs he sought to rip himself from the hooks. The horrible sounds of tearing ligaments and ripping flesh was almost worse than the sight.

He yelled, confused when he was free,a moment of triumph, and then he was a crumpled heap on the ground.

The funny part? He seemed pleased. About the whole ordeal, he was pleased. His footsteps echoed around the chamber as he made his way to where Thalion lay on the ground. From there, he stood over the boy... watching him carefully. One hand reached down to take Thalion's arm, to haul him to his feet.

"There we go. Come on, get up."

Grabbing his arm? Ya, he cried out and tried stumbling to his feet, falling forward again, causing a whole new round of trugging and pain, but he got unsteadily to his feet, his arms shaking involluntarily.

He brought him to his feet and stood there, looking the man in the eye. He knew how much pain Thalion had to be in. Of course he did. But he held him up, looking him in the eye.

"Are you weak?"

"No..." Thalion said venemously. What kind of fucking question was that!?