Little Of Loure II

13 - I Want to Protect You

'He burnt the school down?'

Lincoln leaned back and nodded.

'Everyone died that day. The staff members, the students, the workers. The chauffeur my dad sent. He made sure to lock every possible exit.' Lincoln explained.

Dylan was shocked at the thought of how brutal one can be. Oliver couldn't keep Lincoln with him and because of that, he burned down their entire school with everyone in it. That is a work only a psychopath would do.

'What happened after?'

'I tried everything I could, to go in and save at least some people but it turns out I was already too late. But that's not even the worst part. He planted the entire crime on me.'

'What?' Dylan gasped in shock.

'When the fire department and police came they found out that mini dynamites were placed in each section of the building but the main fire was caused by an electrical shortage that was cut on the rooftop. And when the firefighters went to investigate they found a necklace tangled up in the wires.'

'That necklace was a gift I got from my mother. Oliver must have stolen it while he was kissing me in the room when I was leaving. Once they saw how I was the only one who made it out alive, plus the necklace, they arrested me and I was taken into custody.'

'Holy s**t, Lincoln. I'm so sorry that happened.' Dylan said with a frown. It made him angry that Lincoln was put in such a situation when all he wanted to do was go home to be with his grieving family.

'So did Oliver die too?'

'From what I was told, yeah. They identified everybody there and I was named the killer after. A total of 360 bodies were found. A few suffered third-degree burns but most died of carbon monoxide poisoning.' Lincoln threw his cigarette into the vase once he took his last puff.

'What about your father? I'm sure he did something to help you.'

'My father assumed that my mother's death must have caused me to spiral. And because my father was so quick to accept the idea that his son was a psychotic killer, everyone else involved with covering the incident up just kind of believed it to be true as well. The only person who believed me was Emmanuel.' 

'Wait, who covered it up?' Dylan asked.

'Our parents. Emmanuel's father was involved as well.'

'My parents? Why would they do that? Why are they involved?'

Lincoln was silent for a few minutes.

'One of the students who died that day was your cousin, Luke Green. Tracely's son.' Lincoln finally said, which made Dylan gasp aloud.

'My family told me he died from a skiing accident.' Dylan said why shaking his head. His cousin had passed away so suddenly that nobody really knew the details of what exactly happened. But he was always told to believe that Luke went on a trip with some friends and ended up in a horrible accident, resulting in him losing his life. They used to be very close as children. Luke was also a rather quiet and introverted person and they bonded because of it. But around high school, Luke was sent away so they rarely hung out, only during family events.

Lincoln bowed his head in sorrow. That one incident that happened had created so many lies, and secrets among everyone involved and he couldn't help but feel responsible for it. If he had tried to calm Oliver down, maybe this all could have been avoided.

'I'm sorry, Dylan. I know you were close with your cousin.' Lincoln tried to apologize.

'No...this isn't your fault so don't apologize.' 

'Tracely has hated me ever since then. But my father made a deal with your aunt that if they were to keep it a secret, that I was the killer, that he would be the main investor for her hospital, and I'm pretty sure he paid them a large amount of money as well. Tracely proposed to have me admitted so she could investigate deeper on why I did what I did, my father agreed and I was sent there the year after.'

Dylan was appalled by what he was hearing. It was baffling how nobody decided to do any further investigations and immediately pinned everything on Lincoln. Although he has to admit, Oliver's way of pinning Lincoln was pretty incriminating. The fact that he was the only one who made it out alive. The fact that his necklace was at the crime scene. And during the time, Lincoln was famous for being rowdy and problematic. So maybe it wasn't so far-fetched to believe he was behind the fire.

But still, it wasn't fair at all. And Dylan felt angry about it.

'So that's why they want to lock you up again? Because of what happened so long ago?' 

'Well...the first time I was locked up, I escaped back to my father's castle for help because Tracely had decided to use me as her personal punching bag in there. I was tormented day and night by her so-called 'treatments'. It was clear she was only taking her anger out on me and had no plans to actually help me get any better.'

'What would she do?' Dylan asked. He didn't know how to react to what he was hearing. The same aunt that he held dear to his heart, has been torturing his lover for years. 

'Most of the time I was prescribed medicine that had nothing to do with my treatment. Which would put me in a daze and I would wake up days later, with bruises on my body. I think she also gave me pills to slow down my healing process. I'd be covered in marks, sometimes burn marks.'

'Lincoln...' Dylan felts his eyes weld up in tears. It couldn't be. The suffering of the man he loves was all in the hands of his family.

'Hey...' Lincoln stood from the seat before bending down and taking Dylan's hands in his. He planted small kisses on his palms.

'This is why I never told you any of these, I never wanted to upset you. I don't want you to think this has anything to do with you, okay.' 

'B-But...they are my family. Lincoln...I am so sorry.' Dylan said and laid his head on Lincoln's shoulder. 

'No. This isn't your fault. Stop crying.' Lincoln sat next to Dylan and carried him so that he was cradling his body.

'Do you want me to continue? We don't have to. You don't have to know everything.' 

'No please, tell me more. Tell me everything.' Dylan lifted his head and looked at Lincoln with teary eyes. 

'Are you sure?' Lincoln asked with worried eyes to which Dylan nodded frantically.

With a sigh, he continued. 

'Well, when I went back to my father's castle, he told me that my treatment is not completed and that I have to go back. And so he had some guards bring me back but the second time I was admitted, things got worst. Tracely was even harder on me that time around and she made sure to create a living hell for me.' Lincoln looked down at Dylan and decided it was best he left out the gruesome details of his torture in the asylum to not further upset his dove.

'I decided while I was locked up that...if they wouldn't believe me regardless of what I said, I would be the bad guy they wanted me to be.' 

'When the nurses were transporting me to the cafeteria one day, I managed to sneak a knife from the lady who worked there. And at the time I was just not in the best headspace and I lashed out. I ended up attacking everyone that day. And I threatened to keep going unless I was released. Tracely found out that I had been off medications for a week at that time because I had managed to flush the pills. I acted drugged though so they wouldn't know.'

'And knowing that the pills were completely out of my system, I was stronger than all their guards combined and they had no choice but to release me. So that's when I created a name for myself as the deranged prince. My father didn't bother sending me back since Emmanuel stepped in as King right around that time and he decided he would use his authority to keep my father from controlling me. He gave me a job in the council and made sure any news about my stay in the hospital was instantly removed.'

'But when I was released, my body had already been so used to the drugs and after a few years, I developed an addiction. Sabrina came into the picture I think 7 years after I was released. I got her as a coping mechanism at the time but things didn't turn out the best...you know what happens after that.' 

'Wait so you were admitted three times?' Dylan asked. He knew that after Lincoln was caught giving Sabrina drugs, he was locked away again.

'Yeah, the third time I decided to stay and better myself since I couldn't forgive myself for what I did to her. I took full blame for what happened that time. Tracely still didn't give me an easy time but I wasn't resisting that much and Emmanual made sure to appoint personal guards for me in there so they couldn't hurt me the way they used to. It wasn't so bad. I got over my addiction and I came out feeling much better.' Lincoln smiled down at Dylan to try and ensure he wasn't too shaken up by the events that happened to him.

'But I'm guessing that...this time, they are trying to find a reason again to have me back. Maybe what happened with Sabrina triggered them again. They probably assume Abby is in danger.'

'I can't believe that happened. And the whole time, my family acted like everything was fine. Why would they keep this from me?

'The same reason I kept it from you.' Lincoln said. 'You're a good person, dove. I imagine they didn't want to upset you.' Lincoln said and planted a small kiss on his head.

'Well, I am upset.' Dylan said as more tears flowed from his eyes.

'Why do you want to know so much if it will make you upset?' Lincoln cupped his hand around Dylan's cheek and stared into his eyes.

Dylan thought over it. Why did he want to know? It would only make him hate his family even more. But a part of him felt so weak. The entire time his family was preaching about being healers of the people, they were inflicting harm onto their people's prince.

'I want to protect you.'

'What?' Lincoln's lips turned into a small smile. 

'Don't laugh. I can protect you. I'll do whatever it takes.' 

Lincoln giggled and planted a small kiss on Dylan's lips.

'Thank you, baby. But for now, I just need you to protect Abby.' 

Dylan sighed and laid his head back onto Lincoln's shoulders. He had made up his decision.

He was going to protect Lincoln, as best he could.