Paris was born to the King and Queen of Troy. Just before his birth, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a flaming torch. This dream was interpreted by the Seer as a foretelling of the downfall of Troy, and he declared that the child would be the ruin of his homeland.
England, 1880.
The pungent London air stifled Alex's lungs the second the ship harbored in the city's dockyard. He leaned against the deck's railing, waiting for the initial rush of people to disembark, he was strangely lulled by the noise of the bustling crowds. Families embraced, workers handled cargo, the water and wind lashed at the ships like an angry serpent.
Home. He tried the word inside his head. Alex had gladly said farewell to England years ago and maybe that's why the word felt so foreign. England might have been where he was born but America was where he was made. Regardless of how he felt, he had responsibilities in England, his sister was getting married. Calliope had been a child of twelve when he last saw her, but his father had sent him a letter saying that the Earl of Layton had offered for her hand. They hadn't finalized anything; they needed Alex back at England for appearances sake. Alex would've come anyway for his sister's sake, he was the one that financed Callie's coming out in society and her seasons. He hadn't compromised on his family's financial needs. Callie hadn't, however, been the reason for his hasty journey. It had been a terse note:
I'm coming back.
Alex had been in a meeting with his board of directors at the New York office when a tiny scrap of an Atlas slipped from his folder. Alex thought he had accidentally acquired another's folder when his eye had caught on an elaborate symbol. It was a loopy, diagonal, R resting on an H and it was drawn on the British aisles. It wasn't until one of his directors and his oldest friend Matthew had called his name, repeatedly, did he realize that his whole body had gone cold. He herded the board out with nothing more than a few curt words of an apology.
"I'm worried you'll start pounding at us with a broom." Matthew had, laughingly, remarked at Alex's scowl when the board members milled in the doorway. He didn't even smile at the absurd image that Matthew painted because it was very close to the truth. Alex had already notified his servants to start packing while he waited in his library, burning holes in the signature. It had taken him a scant second to recognize it even after all these years; the damn H and R and what they stood for.
A flashback of a boy with a mop of brown hair and rosy cheeks had crossed his mind; head bent, scratching those two letters on the corner of his Latin notes.
Hunter.
Alex jarred himself from his reverie; the crowd had thinned considerably below him. His Valet, Will, was already down with an awaiting carriage, and Alex made his way down to find him. His height and expensive clothing earned him watchful looks; his stride was deceptively lazy. He subtly scanned the sea of faces that parted for him; he might have been away mingling with the high flying New York society but he still didn't forget the dangers of the docks.
Why would he surface after all this time?
Alex wasn't even sure if Hunter was alive.
Orion Riotan, commonly referred to by his family and close friends as Hunter, was the second son of the Duke of Riotan. Hunter was the middle child among the siblings of three, with dark brown locks contrasting to his older brother's and younger sister's fair blonde ones. Growing up, the two brothers had been equally different in their temperament. While Alex enjoyed the prestige of being the heir, Hunter was always weighed with the responsibility of supporting himself refusing to take his brother's money. They had been uncommonly close with a happy family and the quintessential life. They were two, aristocratic, striking, young gentlemen. They were sought after by many women and men alike. Alex had his life planned out: Rule, drink, gamble, womanize, marry, irrelevant of order, and eventually produce a spawn to repeat after him. Hunter had a different path in mind. He planned to revolutionize parliament one day. He had all these plans, for laws against child labor, bills for educational reforms and for health initiatives.
Alex smiled, grimly, how things had changed. Much to the London society's chagrin, the eldest son and heir had blatantly shunned his ducal title by taking up the life of a, working, business man while the other.. well.. he... he just disappeared.
Alex's hand shot out to grab the third pickpocket that tried to inconspicuously steal his wallet. He had effectively side stepped the previous two but this one wasn't a scrawny boy of ten. He was a man, a very foul smelling man, Alex noticed when the pickpocket's head jerked up. He bared his teeth when Alex's arm circled his wrist and he saw a glint of metal slip out of the pickpocket's ratty old coat.
"I was hoping you would do that--" Alex smirked "-it wouldn't make me feel half as bad as I would have about doing--" he gave the wrist a bit of a twist and his victim howled in pain "--this".
The man fell to his knees but he didn't let go of his wrist, absorbing his pleas, "you should've just slipped me the note. Now I'm going to ask politely only once: Who is he?" Alex asked.
"I don't know. Some man in one of them long coats paid me to slip it to you and then he disappeared," the pickpocket rushed out or that's what Alex could comprehend, since his words were coated with thick cockney.
His yellow teeth ground against the tightening of Alex's grip, "I swear I don't know nothing," he breathed against the pain.
Alex released him with a hissed "Go!" and the man had bounded down in one of the meandering streets.
He shoved the slightly moist note that the pickpocket had tried to slip in his pocket. Alex hadn't missed the signature on it. He had realized a long time ago that Hunter couldn't be found until he wanted himself to be.
Six years ago when he suddenly disappeared without a word, Alex and his family, distraught, had scoured every inch of the haystack for Hunter. A few rumors had surfaced over the years but they were as shady as the informants who told them. They could never be certain why Hunter had decided to fall off the face of earth one fine evening.
The people gave him a wide berth. Alex didn't pay the curious eyes of the onlookers any mind, he raised his coat collar against the increasing chill of the sea air. Not until he was in his carriage, hearing the rhythmic clip clop of horse hooves against the, cobbled, London streets, did he open the pickpocket's note:
How's the London air treating you? I wanted to let you know I might be delayed a few months...Don't scowl so hard at this note. It's horrible for your skin. Also, don't give the family my love.
I'm still on the hunt.
Alex stood just outside his family's townhouse while his butler, Harry, regarded him in silence. Harry was a good looking man, lean with a thick head of hair. Over the years his previous red hair had turned a definitive grey, wrinkles began lining his face, but Alex bet, the old man could still make young maids blush with his winks and his slight Scottish accent. At the moment, Harry was blinking at him with glazed eyes. His jaw was slack "Huntarh? Lahd? Have you realee come bhack?"
Harry's accent always thickened when he was a little drunk, and his words pulled at the ragged shard that had lodged into Alex's heart the day Hunter disappeared. Harry swayed and Alex shot forward to catch him before he hit the doorjamb.
More than a little drunk then.
He put his shoulder under Harry's arm and pushed him through the doorway. They collided and into a young man in a butler's uniform.
The three of them went stumbling into the door behind them. "Ghod ghawd, Stilensakhey," Harry roared, rubbing Alex's back after the three of them righted themselves, "Do you want to decapitate the Riotan's lost son scarcely seconds after he came back?"
The young man seemed shaken to see Alex, and he immediately started babbling "I'm so sorry, sir, he ran before we could stop him. He heard about the arrival of--" Stilinski's eyes widened, "--you're Hunter Riotan!?" he exclaimed. Alex inwardly sighed, he hadn't slept properly in days. He didn't have the energy to deal with this so he leveled his blackest stare on him. "Show me his rooms." Alex bit out. Stilinski remembered his duties, if a second too late, and straightened immediately "I'll take him, my Lord." he said.
"No, just show me Harry's quarters, and then bloody go to sleep".
Stilinski was smart enough not to argue and led Alex to the servant quarters. He occasionally stole a fascinated glance. Alex wasn't surprised, Hunter's abrupt disappearance had left the London society in an uproar. People gossiped, and they had gossiped outrageously when it had come to Hunter. There were all sorts of bizarre stories still whispered about him. Somewhere along the way Orion had turned into one of the same myths that he had been named after.
Harry carried on his slurred retelling of what had happened in Hunter's absence. Alex didn't correct him, the man was foxed out of his mind, and there was no point in distressing him with a revelation that he wouldn't remember in the morning.
"It will take some time to have your room prepared" Stilinski told him. "No need" Alex replied, "Send someone to dust up my room in the morning. I'll take breakfast in the study".
"As you wish, My lord" he said, still lurking in the doorway, and Alex sent him a questioning look. "If you don't mind me asking my lord. Is it true you were held captive by a savage tribe in Africa?" Stilinski asked. Alex raised his eyebrows, saying "Yes. They starved me in a bamboo cage hanging from a tree"
"Really! "Stilinski said. His boyish face scrunched in excitement.
"No. But that's where you'll be if you don't disappear within the next five seconds".
He disappeared within three, and Alex returned to the task at hand.
"Get some rest, Harry, we'll catch up in the morning." Harry's eyes were already closed and Alex thought he fell asleep.
"Did you let Alex know that you're back?" Harry said, suddenly, his voice steady, when Alex settled him on his bed,"He's coming back from the colonies in a few days. Your brother will rip off a few limbs of yours, but you deserve it. I imagine it was the same for him when you disappeared like..like living without a limb".
"Go back to sleep, Harry. We will talk in the morning" Alex whispered. Snores filled the room seconds later. Riot's hand slipped into his pocket and wrapped around Hunter's latest note.
"I'm not the only one you've been haunting all these years, have you, little brother." he said, out loud, sending Harry's sleeping form one final glance.
Alex didn't know what to expect when he entered his room. He hadn't been there for almost six years, but the room was still in pristine condition. A simple combination of rich white and gold with a portrait of him as a child adorning the walls. He went for the bed straightaway, not bothering to change when he heard a rustle of fabric.
"Sie waren sogar hässlich wie ein Kind" an amused voice said.
You were even ugly as a child.
Alex didn't miss a beat, replying in fluent German "I know you weren't. So what's your excuse Grim?". Grim had his signature, ghostly, smirk on his face as he stepped out of the shadows, his lanky frame had filled out over the years "I don't know why I didn't knock you out the first time you called me that" he commented. Alex gave a humorless smile, saying "We had more important things to deal with just as I suppose we have to now. Why are you here Grim?".
"An assurance that your return is purely pleasure" Grim said, "I suppose a congratulations is in order on your sister's impending nuptials". He ignored the congratulations and said instead "I am no threat to your family, and I have no intention to be. In return I don't want any Schatten involvement in my family and my time here. If I see one of your men trailing me as the one today. We are going to have a problem. Let your leader know that".
Grim gave a nod, opening the nearest window opening the nearest window."That's all we wanted to hear. We'll stay out of your way"
"And use a damn door for God's sake" Alex called out before Grim slipped away.
Author's note: Hi Readers! I'm really excited about telling Alex's story. I didn't put in much in the synopsis because I wanted the characters and plot line to reveal it self at the right time. I hope you enjoy reading this story, and I wanted to remind you that feedback is always appreciated.
PS: the translations of different languages is taken from Google :p Let me know if something needs correction.
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