Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy) - Chapter 114: Chapter 114

As Priscilla and Mulock continued to fight their way through the hysteric swarm of rebels, a realization abruptly struck Mulock.
"Don't you think there's something strange about all of this?" he asked, sharply elbowing a man out of the way who'd attempted to cut in front of them.
"It seems pretty straightforward to me," Priscilla hissed. "The emperor finally found us and now we're screwed."
"But why only send a single carriage?" Mulock pointed out, continuing to shove his way towards the door. "If he's trying to crush a rebellion, wouldn't he bring the imperial knights? Or at least his mages? He'd never come alone."
"Maybe he wants to catch us off guard."
"If that were the case, why not just surround the estate and attack? It makes no sense to alert us of his presence unless..." His eyes widened. "The goal isn't to attack." At last they burst through the door. "Go make sure Wheeler's okay," Mulock continued quickly. "I'm going to check out the carriage."
"What?" Priscilla gasped. "Are you crazy?!"
"We both know that out of the three of us, I'm the sanest by far."
"It's too dangerous," Priscilla argued, grabbing his arm. "Come on, let's just go."
Mulock easily broke free from her grip. "Don't worry. If my theory is correct, I'll be fine."
"And if you're wrong?" Priscilla countered sharply.
"I'm rarely wrong."
"Uuugh, why are you always like this?!"
"Priscilla, just trust me," Mulock said, his voice firm.
Priscilla opened her mouth to protest, but after meeting Mulock's gaze she slowly shut it again. "Okay," she said softly. "But if you get hurt, I'm going to kick your ass."
"As if you could," Mulock replied with a wink. "Now go to Wheeler. If I actually am wrong, you don't have much time."
"Asshole," Priscilla whispered before taking off down the hallway.
The corridor had cleared by now, and Mulock took off running in the opposite direction. In a matter of moments, he'd made it to the stairs, quickly descending down into the entrance hall of the Packwood estate. The large chamber was completely empty, the servants having fled along with the rest. The moment his feet hit the marble floor, a loud knock rang from the large, mahogany door, echoing around him.
Mulock let out a low exhale, the knocking coming again.
This was the moment of truth.
If he was wrong, Priscilla attempting to kick his ass would be the least of his worries.
Swallowing hard, Mulock reached forward and pushed the door open.
A stream of sunlight instantly flooded the entrance hall. And at last, he saw the five figures standing there. Warm afternoon light glistened off golden blonde hair and caught in eager blue eyes that flared with excitement when they saw him.
"Your Highnesses," Mulock said, offering them a bow. "I had a feeling you'd be joining us."
***
"Wheeler!" Osmund squealed, flinging himself into his brother's arms.
Wheeler grinned, giving the small prince a tight hug. In a matter of seconds, the other princes swarmed him, clumping together into one massive group embrace.
"Thank God it was just the princes," Priscilla murmured to Mulock. "We were only seconds away from making our escape when you showed up."
"As harmless as this little reunion is," Mulock said, casting a wayward glance at the clumsy group hug, "it's still concerning that they found us this easily."
Upon their arrival, Avery had explained that after weeks of searching for their brother, the princes started to catch word of the rebellion. Another week's worth of investigation and bribery had gained them information that a small group of imperial knights had been journeying back and forth from the western valleys. Prince Bartram had recalled the Packwood estate was located there and had made the connection, hence... bringing them here.
"It's a miracle they caught onto our trail before the Grand Emperor," Priscilla said, leaning against the wall.
Mulock nodded. "It's also a huge wake-up call. We need to move locations as soon as possible."
"Agreed."
Their attention returned to the princes now, the brothers finally slipping from their group hug.
"So," Osmund asked, smoothing down his clothes, "where should we put our luggage?"
Wheeler blinked. "Luggage?"
"Of course." Avery grinned, flinging an arm around Wheeler's shoulder. "On the run from our father or not, we still need to be properly clothed."
"Wait," Priscilla gaped. "You severed ties with the emperor too?"
"Is that a surprise?" Avery asked with a chuckle. "You didn't think we came all this way just to check in on our little brother, did you?"
"Yes," Wheeler stammered, "that's exactly what we thought."
"Nope!" Osmund said excitedly, placing his hands on his hips. "We're here to join the rebellion!"
Avery gave Wheeler's nose a little boop. "We couldn't just sit back and let you have all the fun, now could we?"
"You're more family to us than father ever was," Bartram added, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What kind of brothers would we be if we let you face him alone?"
Behind him, Roland and Radley nodded in silent agreement.
"You realize how serious this decision is, right?" Wheeler asked softly. "This isn't a game. By joining with me, you're putting yourselves in danger."
At last, Avery's expression slipped from teasing to serious. "Wheeler," he said firmly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, "trust me, we know the risks."
"Our entire lives, we've been treated like shit," Bartram continued, voice low. "Father ignored us and Emeric abused us. We watched first hand how easily their power corrupted them."
"You were the only one who ever protected us," Osmund said, smiling softly. "So now....let us protect you."
Avery nodded, giving Wheeler's shoulder a squeeze. "I speak for all of us when I say that we want nothing more than to fight by your side."
"Thank you," Wheeler choked, sounding on the verge of tears.
"No," Avery said, "thank you. All we've ever been were figureheads, mindlessly adhering to Father and Emeric's wishes just to save our own skin. Finally, we have the chance to become something more than that." Avery grinned and the other princes faces broke out into smiles around him. "Together," Avery continued, "we're going to save the empire from that monster we once called father."
"As a family?" Wheeler asked softly, a smile of his own tugging at his lips.
"As a family!" the princes cheered, arms grabbing for each other as the brothers pulled themselves into another tight hug.