Chapter Text
The Kingdom of the Dark Woods was a small, rather out of time realm.
For many centuries, it had been a lively, rich and buoyant place, and the Barnes family reigned fairly. The Royal Family was deeply loved and respected by its loyal people.
The Kingdom of the Dark Woods had known a long, blissful peace, until, out of the blue, Hydra, an enemy gone dormant for decades, invaded the country, slaughtering everyone in their path, thirsty for blood.
Taken by surprise, the Kingdom fell. Only a few survived and Hydra ruled mercilessly for over 10 years, causing famine and despair.
The young prince, James Buchanan Barnes, had been captured when he was but 16, and most people believed he had died, along with his childhood best friend.
Little Stevie, the only child of a knight of the realm and the cook of the palace, was loyal, kind hearted, and Bucky’s trusted confident.
The people had lost faith to ever see the day when the heir to the throne would return. And they hated Hydra with a passion.
They kept hope that one day, they might get to see better days.
So, when a grown up, military trained Steve Rogers infiltrated the kingdom one night and sat in the village with the peasants by a campfire, asking for their help to kick Hydra out of the throne, they all rushed and gathered whatever weapon they could find.
Old rusted swords were found under floorboards, shovels were sharpened, kitchen knives were set aside.
Steve would show up every night to teach them basic fighting.
Steve was kind, patient, but a fire raged inside of him. He wanted nothing but to avenge his people, and his lost best friend. He was ready to die in battle just to spill Hydra’s blood.
And then, once the population was reasonably trained, came time for vengeance. The revolution was not pretty. It was messy, bloody, frantic. The fights were not fair, but it was Hydra’s turn to be taken by surprised, and their love for wine greatly helped.
After days of relentless siege, Steve and the people of the Dark Woods finally entered the royal palace and Hydra was eliminated. None survived.
It was now time to recover and assess the situation.
The palace was in a poor state, water leaking, no logs in the fireplaces, A lot of furniture had been destroyed. It was once a beautiful palace but it was now quite run down, which made everyone sad. They had been so proud of their royal family.
That night, the people settled camp on the floor of the palace, in the ballroom, cheering up, proud to have taken over, exhausted. Many required medical attention, everyone helped out.
But Steve did not have the heart to join the celebration, not just yet. He kept exploring, opening each door, on a quest of his own.
After Hydra invaded the realm, he had followed his prince into battle. Bucky was his best friend, but also a damn good soldier and he was proud to be beside him in the battlefield. They had fought bravely, but the prince had been captured and Steve wanted to hope he was still alive, somewhere. He missed his friend dearly.
For years, he had trained under the commander of the Guards of another realm, to become the best knight he could be, just so that one day he would be able to come back and save his people.
So Steve kept looking for any trace of what Hydra could have done with his friend. He descended the stairs to the cellars, which were vast. The flame of his candle was unsteady at best. But he felt pulled to go on. Hydra had used most of the wine and food stocked in the cellars, but Steve didn’t really care. He wanted to find Bucky, or whatever was left of him. He’d give him a royal burial, he’d make him proud. Or maybe, just maybe if he was alive…
A low groan startled him and brought him back to reality.
He approached, and his heart stopped. There was a cage there. A metal cage, with a dark mass curled up on the floor.
« Hey? Can you hear me? Are you hurt? » Steve asked, trying to keep his voice neutral, but his heart was beating too fast.
A small groan. The man was alive, but barely, by the sound of it.
« My name is Steve. Who are you? »
« S… Steve? » the voice was hoarse, confused.
The man moved a little and Steve kneeled, approaching the candle to see the prisoner’s face.
Cerulean eyes emerged from the shadows, half hidden by long, dark hair.
They were full of terror, pain and something close to despair.
« Steve… hide, Hydra will hurt you too. » he whispered, voice shaking.
« Bucky? » Steve eyes were wide. His best friend was just there. Alive.
« Don’t move, I’m getting you out of there. » Steve started studying the cell.
« Steve… Hydra… » Bucky was so weak he was struggling to speak.
« Bucky, you’re safe now, I lead a revolution and we annihilated Hydra. They are all dead. »
Bucky let out a deep breath.
« Clint, the locksmith, is upstairs, let me get him. I’ll be right back, ok? »
Steve left his candle with Bucky and ran upstairs. He joined the people in the ballroom, and the celebration fell silent, as they saw him agitated and eyes wide.
« I… I found him. I found Prince James. Clint, I need your skills and tools. Doctor Banner, please get ready, he needs medical attention. Prepare a room.»
Everyone got into action.
Clint followed Steve back to cell and quickly picked the lock.
Steve entered the cell and kneeled beside his friend, holding him in an hesitant hug. Bucky just rested his head on his shoulder for a second, a faint acknowledgment of his relief.
« Bucky… You’re free. Come. We’ll help you out. »
Bucky was shaking and could barely move so Steve and Clint carried him upstairs.
They were met by the people, kneeling and welcoming Prince James quietly. Everyone was moved to tears, seeing what had become of the beautiful young Prince.
He was emaciated, barely clothed, covered in infected wounds and nasty bruises, and his left arm was a mess of angry red scar tissue. The rest of his skin was too thin, pale, his eyes set too deep, and his long dark hair unkept.
He was laid on a bed in a simple room, where Doctor Banner had laid down his tools.
Steve thanked Clint, closed the door and stayed with Banner as the doctor got to work, cleaning and suturing the most urgent wounds.
« Is he going to make it? » Steve had to ask.
« Physically, yes. He’s been severely mistreated, but he’s strong. Mentally… I don’t know. There’s no telling what they put him through. » Banner was honest and deeply concerned at the state of the prince.
« I’ll do anything to help him. »
« Fetch my daughter, Millie. She can be his maid, she knows how to dress wounds and look for signs of infection. I have to go back to treating the rest of those wounded during the battle. »
Steve thanked Banner and he saw Clint standing at the door, ever loyal.
« Clint, can you stay with him while I talk to the people? We need to make some arrangements, bring this place back to at least function.»
« Yes, I’ll guard him with my life. » Clint was seething, he had seen his father die in front of his eyes at the end of Hydra, fighting beside their beloved late King, and to think that all this time the prince everyone adored was being tortured… Gosh he was glad Hydra was no longer.
He approached the bed.
« I’ll guard you while Steve makes arrangements for your care, sire. Tell me if you need anything. »
The prince just winced, trying to stay awake, terrified that this was all another nightmare soon to turn sour.