I don't think you guys realize just how much your comments make me smile and how freaking happy they make me, to the point that I literally squeal as I read them.
Reading all the comments on the last chapter made me so happy. I wasn't expecting so many comments and I'm so happy you guys liked the chapter!
Anyway, enough of me talking, back to the actually story.

"...Yes." Virgil breathed softly as he stared into Romans eyes, his cheeks bright red as butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

Roman gently cupped his cheek pulling him even closer as his heart hammered in his chest.

Virgil closed his eyes, and a few seconds later, felt soft warm lips press against his own thin and chapped ones.

His breath hitched softly and he hesitantly kissed him back. He didn't know what to do with his hands, he didn't know if he should open his eyes or not, so he just sat there, gently kissing him for another few seconds before slowly pulling apart, his eyes opening as he looked up at Roman.

"Can I get a kiss too?" Patton asked softly, almost shy even, gaining the attention of Vigil and Roman. "If you're okay with it." He added.

Virgil blushed brightly as the question and glanced at Roman, who nodded encouragingly.

Virgil turned to Patton. "S-sure," He said as he blushed brightly.

Patton smiled at him and gently cupped his cheeks in his hands before pulling him into a kiss as well.

Patton's lips were very soft, and the kiss had Virgil melting slightly as he closed his eyes halfway, feeling Patton rub one of his cheekbones with his thumb.

They pulled apart a few seconds later, smiling at one another as Virgil leaned into Pattons hands.

Logan coughed softly, looking around awkwardly before meeting Virgil's eyes.

The smaller male, growing a bit more confident, moved over to Logan without being prompted, pulling away from Patton.

"Would I also, ahem, be able to receive a kiss from you?" Logan asked, blushing slightly.

Virgil smiled, his face cherry red as he nodded.

"Of course." He said softly before leaning forward and gently kissing him, closing his eyes yet again as he relaxed into the kiss.

Logan's lips weren't as soft as Patton's, and were even a little chapped like his own, but not as much.

He pulled away slowly a few seconds later, a love struck look on his face as he looked at Logan, before feeling a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind.

He turned to look and saw Roman there, and let himself be pulled against the other males chest.

"Are you okay with this?" Roman asked softly as he shifted Virgil's flower crown.

Virgil nodded and leaned against his chest more."Yes, yes I am." He said."If it's okay with you guys." He added.

"Of course it is." Patton said with the brightest smile Virgil had seen on him. "I know we haven't know each other long, but I really like you." He said.

"As do I." Logan added after Patton.

"And you can be assured that I also really like you." Roman added. "And we can and probably should take it slow since we still haven't known each other for long.." He said as he tucked Virgil's head under his chin, being careful of all the flowers.

Virgil hummed softly and nodded as his cheeks flushed beet red, prompting him to hide his face in Romans collar.

The other three smiled at each other, and Roman held Virgil closer, beginning to gently massage his scalp without ruining the braids that were still there.

Something caught Romans eye off to the side, a glimmer of light.

He turned to look and saw two very familiar men standing in the beach, holding a lantern as they stared out at the four of them with dark expressions, before gesturing for them to come to shore, to come to them.

Roman looked and Patton and Logan, who had also looked and saw the Stabington brothers, before looking down at Virgil, who was still relaxed against his chest with his eyes closed, oblivious to the world around them.

Roman caught Logan's eye and nodded at him, prompting him to start rowing the boat towards the beach, a little ways down from where the two brothers were.

The boat eventually hit the sand, steadily coming to a stop as Virgil opened his eyes.

"Hmm?" He hummed softly as he sat up from where he'd been contently dozing against Romans chest. "What are we doing here?" He asked.

"Nothing," Roman said. "Just stay here, we'll be right back." He said as he gently shifted Virgil so that he could stand up without knocking the smaller male over.

Virgil frowned slightly but slowly nodded.

"Oh, u-um alright?" He said as he watched the three get out of the boat, Roman grabbing the satchel as he got out.

Patton pressed a goodbye kiss to his cheek as he promised they'd be back soon, before the three of them walked off, disappearing into the mist that blanketed the cold beach.

-with Roman, Logan, and Patton-

The three of them walked towards where they'd seen the two Stabbington brothers, glancing at each other nervous.

They eventually came out to the small rocky bit of beach where the two brothers were, but only saw one of them.

"Ah, there you are," Roman said as the three of them walked towards him. "We've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated." He said with a fake smile.

"And hey, those sideburns are coming in nice, yeah, gotta be excited about that." He added.

The man didn't answer, leaving them in awkward silence.

"Ahem, well, just wanted to say that we shouldn't have split," Roman began, taking the satchel off and throwing it towards him. "The crown is yours," he said as the three of them began to back up a bit, "we'll miss ya, but I think it's for the..." his back pressed up against someone else's, and he turned to look and saw the other Stabbington brother peering down at him."...best."

"Holding our on is again, eh boys," the brother they'd been talking to earlier said as he finally turned to look at them.

"We heard you found something," he continued, "something, much more valuable than a crown." He said as he got up and began to walk towards them.

"We the boy instead." The man said as he leered down at the three of them, who's faces morphed into shock and horror.

-with Virgil-

Virgil shivered slightly as he sat on the edge of the boat, Remy now perched in his lap on top of the book Logan had given him, as he waited for the others to come back.

He chewed on his lip nervously as he looked in the direction they'd gone.

"What if they don't come back?" He asked Remy softly, who huffed and pecked at his fingers.

"I know, I know, that doesn't seem like something they'd do," Virgil said. "But, I...I have fallen for them, pretty hard." He admitted. "I just feel uneasy about this whole thing." He muttered softly, looking down.

"Can you go after them?" Virgil asked."just to check on them and stuff." He added.

Remy bobbed his head before taking off in the direction the three other teens had gone, disappearing into the mist.

Virgil had been sitting quietly for a few minutes as he waited for either Roman, Logan, and Patton or for Remy, tracing his fingers on the sun pattern that was on the book, when he heard the sound of footsteps.

He turned to look and saw a figure walking towards him through the fog.

"Oh," he sighed with relief as he relaxed. "There you are," He said. "I was starting to worry that you guys had just left with the crown." He said with a weak laugh.

The figure didn't respond, and suddenly there were two of them, almost identical in body shape and in the way hey walked.

Neither of them were Patton, Logan or Roman, and there was no sign of Remy.

Virgil stood up slowly and took a small step back, holding the book to his chest, growing uneasy again as he watched the two men walk closer.

"They did." One of them said as they stared down at him.

"What?" He asked as his face paled. "N-no, they wouldn't." He said, trying to reassure himself.

"See for yourself." The other man said as he grinned and gestures out at the water.

A boat was sailing away from them, and if Virgil squinted he could see three figures on the boat, each wearing flower crowns, and one holding the crown in his hand.

"Guys?" He said softly in a small voice as he stepped forwards.
"Guys!" He said, walking a few steps into the water, feeling dread and heartbreak pool within him as he was ignored by the three men in the boat.

"It was a fair trade," one of the brothers said as he walked behind Virgil. "The crown, for the boy with the magic hair." He said as he skimmed his fingers across the nape of Virgil's neck, making him shudder and jerk away as he turned around to stare at them in fear.

"How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever." One of them asked with a smirk as he pulled out a large sack and some ropes.

"No, please..." Virgil said, before starting to run away, but a hand snapped out and latched onto his arm shocking him into dropping the book, and dragging him back as large arms wrapped around him and a hand cover his mouth as he tried to break free and cry out.

The other brother tied up his arms and legs, and quickly shoved a piece of the rope into his mouth, fully gagging him.

Virgil's heart was pounding, He was shaking, and his breathing was rushed and erratic as he continued to struggle, twisting in his bonds and wincing as the ropes dug into his flesh and tore at his skin as he struggled.

The brothers then stuffed him into the large sack, not being gentle or careful whatsoever, so he ended up with his head forced into an awkward angle, his arms pinned painfully beneath him, and his knees shoved against his chest.

Fear coursed through Virgil's veins, his breathing heavy and his head dizzy. He felt faint and that he might pass out from the absolute terror that had a grasp on him.

He tried to scream through his gag, calling for help, calling for Roman, Logan, or Patton, even calling for Father, but it all came out muffled and incomprehensible.

Then he was roughly dropped to the ground, smacking his head on a rock and knocking the wind out of him.

When he was able to focus he could hear someone calling his name as the bag was opened.

"Virgil!" And there was his father, carefully pulling Virgil out of the sack.

"Oh my not precious flower." He said softly as he untied the rope that was gagging him, gently shushing him as tears ran down Virgil's face.

He quickly untied Virgil's arms and legs, wincing at the rope burns and slight bleeding that the ropes had cause before helping him to his feet, albeit a bit shaky.

"F-father, how are you-"

"I didn't get worried and came back, and then I didn't see them stuffing you into a stack so I didn't knock them out." His father said in a rush as he gently rubbed Virgil's cheek, wiping the tears away.

"Now, let's not go," His father said. "slowly, before they come-to."  He added as he began to pull Virgil into the forest.

Virgil didn't go with him though, and he slowly turned around to look out at the water, seeing the boat with Roman, Logan and Patton on it slowly sailing away.

He looked down and saw the book at his feet. He kneeled and carefully picked it up, before looking back out over the water.

Tears welled up in his eyes again as he felt his heartbreak even more, watching them sail away from him.

It felt like his heart had been ripped out and replaced with a ball of thorns, the sharp aching pain causing the tears to spill and run down his face.

He slowly turned to look back at his father who was standing at the edge of the forest looking at him.

He sighed and opened his arms for a hug, which Virgil  quickly rushed into, burying his face in his father's chest as he openly cried, letting his father lead him away from the beach and back towards their tower.

"You were right father," he said as he continued to cry, his father gently shushing him as he lead Virgil home.

-with Roman, Logan, and Patton-

The boat slowly drew closer and closer to the docks, and eventually bumped into the side of the castle wall, a couple yards from the actual docks.

The guards looked down as they heard the thump, and saw three men tied in a boat, one of them with the royal princes crown in hand.

They didn't question the fact that the men were tied up and quickly rushed down to arrest them.
———
Roman groaned softly as he slowly came to, his head aching as he slowly opened his eyes.

"...Virgil?" He mumbled, before shaking his head and trying to move, finding himself unable to, ropes binding him to the boat.

He looked to the side and saw Logan and Patton tied up as well, both of them still unconscious.

"Guys! Guys where is Virgil!!" He said as he struggled against his bonds dropping the crown.

The other two slowly woke up, and were about to ask him what was wrong when the guards stormed into the boat, grabbing the crown before untying and then re-cuffing the three teens, who all began to panic.

"Wait! Wait you don't understand!" Patton pleaded as he struggled, gaining the attention of a very intelligent horse that had been sitting on the dock.

Thomas looked over and saw the three tee- thieves, the three thieves he'd been traveling with being arrested, with no sigh of the fourth boy.

"Virgil!" Logan called out as he and the other struggled to get out of the hands of the guards.

"You need to let us go, we have to help him! You don't understand!" Roman yelled at the guards, who continued to ignore them and dragged them into the castle.

Thomas looked between where the three thieves had been arrested and the forest on the other side of the bridge they'd sailed back from.

He steeled his gaze and stood up with a huff, before turning and running away, formulating a plan in his mind.

He was not going to let this be the worst day of that boy's life.