Chapter Text
When he got out of the forest, Mike finally saw Castle Byers standing in front of him. The paladin wiped the sweat of his brow. His trip had been long and exhausting, especially in his heavy armor. But now, he finally reached his destination. He was ready to defeat the monster living in Castle Byers and to rescue the princess the beast kept prisoner.
He left his horse near the door of the castle, making sure he would be able to jump on its back quickly if things turned bad. Then Mike unsheathed his sword before pushing the door. He found it unlocked, maybe by the last knight who tried to rescue the princess. Now, that wasn’t a really pleasant thought...
Everyone knew the Demogorgon lived here, but only a few brave men dared to fight it, and none survived. The region around the castle was now deserted. Mike hadn’t seen a soul in days. Actually, he was pretty lucky he didn’t encounter the monster hunting at night.
It was now the middle of the day. With some luck, maybe Mike would manage to surprise the monster while it was sleeping, even if he didn’t count too much on that. He also took the time to light a torch. Before coming here, he had asked the villagers who once lived near the castle about the monster, in hope to discover some of its weaknesses. All that he found was that apparently, it feared fire.
As he wandered through the corridors, he noticed that some strange, slimy plants were covering the walls. Things that looked almost like snowflakes were also floating in the air. Breathing was harder here and Mike was glad his helmet was covering his face, preserving him from most of the corruption.
He tried to stay stealthy, but his boots resonated on the cold stones with each step he took. As he explored the castle, his heart started beating faster and faster, but he forced himself to stay calm and aware of his surroundings. Mike wouldn’t let himself become an easy prey.
That’s how he noticed a movement in the dark, just a second before the Demogorgon struck. Mike rolled on the floor, barely avoiding a lanky arm. The monster roared in fury, exposing its flower-shaped mouth, filled with deadly teeth. It moved fast. Mike barely had the time to get back on his feet before the monster was on him again.
In the heat of the moment, Mike forgot that he wasn’t wearing his shield and he protected his face with his arm holding the torch. The Demogorgon screeched when it met fire instead of metal and it took a step back.
Mike wobbled, almost losing his balance. The beast was strong. At least, the villagers were right about the fire. Maybe that knowledge would save his life. He waited for the right moment to strike, then charged towards the Demogorgon. He aimed for the neck of the beast, but sharp claws pierced his armor, ripping into the flesh of his arm, paralyzing his sword. Not only that, but he couldn’t put distance any distance between him and the Demogorgon now.
The monster’s face opened again to reveal its teeth. Mike had no doubt that if it closed on his head, it would crush both his helmet and his skull. He tried to jerk his arm free, but to no avail. All it did was to tear his skin even more and to increase the pain in his arm.
Mike almost gave up, almost accepted his fate to die here like all the other knights who tried to defeat the Demogorgon before. However, he decided he couldn’t go down so easily, not without a fight. In a desperate last move, he shoved his torch right into the monster’s mouth. He didn’t even stop when his arm started disappearing between the rows of teeth. His last chance was to burn the Demogorgon from the inside. And even if he didn’t succeed, he hoped he would at least give the monster some nasty scar, making it easier for another knight to take him down.
He didn’t believe that much in his plan though, and saw he was surprised when the monster started shaking, smoke coming out of its body. As the Demogorgon was struggling in pain, Mike disentangled his sword-wielding arm from its claws. It left him with an even bigger wound, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to fail now. He quickly removed his hand from the monster’s jaw, abandoning his burning torch inside of it, so he could use both arms to raise his sword. Then, in a swift movement, he decapitated the Demogorgon.
Its head rolled on the floor in a moist sound. Mike fell on his knees, almost surprised that he was still alive. He put a hand on his right arm and winced. He would need to find a healer before the wound got infected, which wouldn’t be easy in those deserted lands.
His blood loss was concerning, too. It was already making him feel lightheaded. Once more, Mike clenched his teeth and tried his best to stay strong. How stupid would it be, to die after completing such an heroic quest!
Speaking of said quest, it wasn’t over yet. Now that the Demogorgon was dead, Mike still needed to rescue the princess, hoping that she hadn’t been devoured yet. However, as he wandered through the castles, he feared the worst. The slimy walls of the castles were decorated with carcasses and bones, making Mike feel uneasy.
He explored room after room without finding any living being. Still, he refused to leave without being absolutely sure that he wasn’t leaving anyone behind. And so he continued to search, until only the highest tower of the castle was left undiscovered. Mike snickered at the irony. Of course, if there was a princess in distress, she had to be imprisoned there. Some clichés never died.
In his state, climbing the abrupt stairs was hazardous. He felt dizzy more than once and he had to take small breaks from time to time, gasping for air. His body wouldn’t resist this sour atmosphere for much longer.
At first, he was welcomed with more bones and rotten flesh. No princess in sight. However, as he inspected the wall, Mike spotted some movements. Out of reflex, he drew out his sword, fearing the presence of a second Demogorgon.
After the first shock was gone, he squinted his eyes and realized it was a boy his age breathing, trapped in the viscous substance covering the walls. Mike didn’t think twice. He ripped it apart with his armor gloves, ignoring the pain in his right arm. He also had to remove a long vine stuck in the boy’s throat, but he managed to free him.
The boy fell onto Mike’s arms, coughing harshly. His whole body was shaking and he bent in two from suffering, before he started puking slug-like creatures on the ground. Mike averted his eyes, although he kept a gentle, reassuring hands on the boy’s shoulder. After a few minutes, the boy’s breathing started evening out.
“Everything’s okay. It’s over.” Mike whispered.
“The... The Demogorgon...”
“Its gone. I killed it. It won’t hurt you again.”
The boy started sobbing in relief, while still holding onto Mike. The paladin didn’t know if he was too weak to stand on his own, or if he simply needed to feel some human presence again. No matter the reason, Mike wouldn’t push him away. He gave him a few more minutes to recover before he started interrogating him.
“Listen, I know you’ve been through something awful, but I need your help. I was sent here to rescue a princess. Do you know where she is?”
“A princess?” The boy repeated, confused. “There was never a princess here.”
Mike swallowed back a curse. However, he refused to give up so easily. Maybe if he asked the right questions, he could get some useful information out of the boy he just rescued.
“Maybe you just don’t know her title. Her name is Wilhelmina Byers. She was captured by the Demogorgon when it invaded the castle. Her mother sent me here to bring her back.” He blushed slightly before adding: “She said she would give me her daughter’s hand if I saved her.”
For some reason he didn’t get, the redness spread to the other boy’s cheeks as well as his eyes grew wide with understanding.
“The woman who sent you on this quest... Was it Joyce Byers, by any chance?”
“Yes! So, do you know where the princess is?”
The boy fidgeted a little, pondering on how he would break the truth to him.
“It’s more complicated than that. Actually, I believe you were... tricked.”
“What do you mean, tricked?”
“Well, I’m Will. Will Byers. Joyce is my mother and I don’t have a sister. I’m pretty sure she lied to you so you would rescue me.”
Mike’s jaw dropped as he put the pieces of the puzzle back together. So Will was his princess. Except that he was a prince.
“Wait a minute! Why didn’t she simply say the truth? That her son was in danger and that she needed someone to rescue him?”
“I thought that was obvious. Whenever a princess is kidnapped by a monster, you can be sure dozens of knights will rush to her help in the name of chivalry. But who would care for a prince that was weak enough to lose a fight against the monster?”
Mike didn’t miss the sadness in Will’s voice. Not that he could blame him. He could only imagine how painful that was, to know people only came to his rescue because his mother used deceiving methods.
“Well, you’re free now and that’s all that matters, right? Let’s get out of here.”
Will immediately approved. He looked sickly pale and Mike guessed that the corrupted air played a big part in that. He let Will lean over him as they walked through the castle, concealing his own pain as best as he could.
From times to times, he could hear the boy gasp in horror as he discovered how the Demogorgon changed the aspect of the castle. As for Mike, he couldn’t even imagine people living in this place. Once the news of the death of the Demogorgon would start spreading, the place would certainly be burned to the ground to make sure none of that corruption could spread.
Finally, they reached the entrance of the castle. Once they were outside, they enjoyed the fresh air. Mike couldn’t help but glimpse at Will’s blissful expression. After a few hours inside, the paladin had already felt like suffocating, so he barely could grasp how much of a deliverance this had to be for the other boy.
However, Will didn’t stay that happy for long.
“You’re hurt.”
He pointed at Mike’s arm. In the darkness of the castle, his wound was barely visible, but now, Will couldn’t miss it. His armor was pierced and tainted in red. Mike winced in pain when the boy started removing his equipment with confident gestures.
“What are you doing?”
“Just trust me. It will be over soon.”
He put his hand over Mike’s wound, then murmured a few words. When he removed his fingers, the wound was gone, replaced by smooth, unscathed skin.
“How...?”
“I’m a cleric. Also, it was the least I could do after you got hurt trying to rescue an imaginary princess.”
“Wait, a cleric? You mean, you know magic? Then how did the Demogorgon got you?”
“I ran out of fireballs.” Will shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Before Mike could ask another question, the cleric whispered a second incantation, placing his hands over his own belly and chest. He suddenly gasped out of pain, his legs giving out underneath him. Mike barely managed to catch him in time.
“What did you do? Are you alright?”
Will nodded weakly, although he was clearly shaken.
“I made sure to... to destroy all those things that were still... inside me.”
Just to think again about the parasites the Demogorgon had forced into Will made Mike sick to his stomach. However, he admired the cleric’s clairvoyance.
“You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’m just exhausted because I already wasn’t feeling well and pushed my powers too far. Nothing that a good night of sleep won’t fix. I just couldn’t stand to spend one more second knowing what was inside my body...”
Although he wasn’t rude enough to ask, Mike wondered how long the Demogorgon had kept Will prisoner, how long the cleric had to suffer this torture.
“It’s okay, I’m glad we won’t have to worry about that. Do you think you still have enough energy to travel on horse without falling asleep? I’d like to be that far away from this cursed place when night falls.”
Will stayed silent for a few seconds, shock written all over his face. Then he blabbered:
“Wait, you mean you’re... taking me with you?”
“Well, of course. Bringing you back to your mother is my mission, after all. What did you imagine? That I was just going to abandon you there?”
“I... Well, yes. I mean, since I’m not what you expected.”
Will stared at the ground and Mike felt the irrepressible need to protect him from harm. It didn’t matter that the cleric’s mother had lied to him. Seeing what Will had been enduring before Mike rescued him, he would have used any possible lie to save him too if he had been in Joyce’s shoes.
“I don’t know what kind of knights you encountered before today, but I’m not like that. There’s no way I’m leaving you in the wild without a horse or provisions. Now come on, we better hurry.”
Will followed Mike where the paladin had left his horse, although it was clear he was still confused as to why the other man was helping him. His body wasn’t ready for any big effort yet and so Mike had to lift him up, before climbing on the horse’s back himself.
“Wrap your arms around my waist. I don’t want to take the risk of having you fall over.”
“Okay...”
Slim arms circled his torso. Mike barely felt the pressure through his armor, but somehow it was still distracting.
“I hope this isn’t too uncomfortable. We have a long way to go.”
Will chuckled bitterly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been through worse.”