Author's Note:
Thank you for choosing to read my humble fanfic based on Fable. While I am working on an original fanfic, this first one is based off of Theresa's story. It's about her time spent in the bandit camp when the Hero was in the Guild, etc. Yes, there will be romance. Yes, it will be Twinblade/Theresa. Yes, I like that couple!
Anyway, it's time for the disclaimer. I do not own Fable. I do not own the characters . . . in fact I own none of anything that has to remotely do with Fable! I am not doing this for profit, I am doing this for fun. Please don't sue me.
She couldn't see or smell the carnage yet. All her large blue eyes could see was her younger brother . . . who was going to be in very deep trouble. Theresa's lips pursed as she looked at her brother, who stared at the ground guiltily.
"You forgot, didn't you? Just like last year," Theresa absent-mindedly pulled on one of her pigtails, glowering down at the boy before her. His blue eyes bored into hers as he shook his head quickly and exclaimed, "No! I didn't forget, not like last year. It just took awhile, that's all!"
"Then why do you look so guilty, little brother?" she quirked an eyebrow before he extended a box of chocolates to her.
"I had bought them and the chocolate just smelled so good, so I took a peek. They were so tasty-looking, and there were a lot so I . . . I ate one . . . I'm sorry, Theresa!" As her brother broke down in an apologetic whimper, the Oakvale girl couldn't help but giggle. She graciously took the open box and smiled as a wave of familiarity washed over her.
"I knew you were going to bring my chocolates. It's just like in my dream!" Theresa's brother snapped his head up and sighed with relief when he saw his sister's smiling face. She tilted her head as she turned away and extended her hand to him, "Come on, Mother will be coming back for my party any minute!" He nodded as he started to run ahead of her, sweat running anew down his shoulders and back. Theresa's smile widened as she saw, because it made her appreciate just how hard he had worked to get her that present. She thought about how she'd have to split the box with him until her innocent, child-like thoughts were rudely interrupted.
She could smell the blood of the first that had died. The air was soon heavy with its scent. Her azure eyes looked ahead at her brother, and she felt her voice welling up.
"Wait!" it finally broke through, "Something's wrong!" As if to confirm her premonition, a pained scream tore the air with one word: "Bandits!" The young boy stared as a wounded man hobbled through the Oakvale gate, intent on warning the families. He was stopped, though, as an arrow sailed clearly through his chest. His eyes got wider than normally possible before he slumped forward, and then finally crumbled in a heap.
"It's really happening!" shrieked Theresa, "Quickly, you have to hide!" Her brother looked at Theresa with a pained expression on his face as she ran ahead and down the hill.
"Mother," she whispered in ragged breaths, "I have to warn Mother!"
His sword tore through another villager. He had had nothing to do with the boy or the Sword, but sometimes one had to have a little fun. As the slain villager fell into an unidentifiable mass of dead human flesh, the killer looked up to see an older man calmly making his way towards him.
"There still is no sign of the boy or his family," reported Maze as he clasped his hands behind his back, taking on a relaxed stance (though in all honesty his knees were practically knocking with fear). Jack of Blades ran an armored hand down the curve of his sword, letting his dark eyes take in the blood that had started to dry on it.
"My sources know that if they give the wrong information they will find themselves in a truly . . . painful situation." The seasoned wizard stiffened as Jack's words sunk in. Bile started to rise in his throat, and he fought back the urges to turn and heave up the contents of his stomach. A smile formed on Jack's thin lips, hidden behind his mask.
"He is here," he flatly stated as he walked past his powerful subordinate, "He had better be."
"Mother! Father!" Theresa ran through the open doors of the small building that she called 'home'. Brom was looking warily out a window, a simple farming sickle clenched in his hands. The woman once called Scarlet Robe sat in a chair in front of the crackling fire, her mouth set and determined.
"Where is your brother?" she uttered, her mahogany eyes staring into the fire that echoed the flames screaming in the village.
"I told him to hide," explained Theresa, "Was that right to do?" Scarlet looked at her daughter and nodded before pulling her into a motherly embrace. Brom's grip on the sickle tightened until his work-worn knuckles were white and quietly hissed, "They've found us." Theresa buried her head in her mother's shoulder, inhaling her fragrant perfume for the last time. Brom straightened up before stomping outside, the sickle at his side.
"What do you want with us? With Scarlet?" he roared as he brought his hands out towards the bandits that had gathered, almost pleading for them to spare his family despite his harsh tone. Jack stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I hope you're ready to die for your family," he calmly explained, "We want the boy, not you." Brom raised his sickle and ran towards Jack, hoping to take off his head in a clean sweep. In a blur, Jack easily swept to the side and stood beside the confused father. He placed a cold hand on his shoulder in a vise-like grip, causing Brom to turn towards him with wide eyes. With his free hand, Jack ripped his sword out of its sheath and slammed it into Brom's gut. As Brom's face morphed from shock to agony, Jack let out a low laugh. He twisted his sword inside the wound before ripping it up, causing a large gash to form across his stomach and chest. After a moment of never-ending pain, Brom's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell limp in Jack of Blades' arms, dead.
Scarlet closed her eyes as a ripple of pain bored into her heart. Her mourning was short-lived, however, as she soon heard the telltale sound of armored feet stepping through the door. Both she and Theresa looked up at Brom's killer. Jack stood there, fresh blood dripping from his sword onto the wooden floor. He leaned a bit with his weight on one hip, and casually rested against the doorframe. Scarlet was silent as she looked at him, and Theresa was either too brave or too scared to scream. Jack pushed himself upward and sauntered towards them, letting the fear of his presence settle about the room like a fog.
"Dearest Scarlet Robe," he said, his words uncannily smooth, "I've waited so long to meet you." Scarlet's eyes trailed upwards to look into his as he approached ever closer, and Theresa's large blue eyes did the same, in wonder and fear.
Theresa sat on the doorstep to her house, trying to blur out the sound of her mother's agonized screaming. If she looked up she could probably see their silhouettes against the still-burning flames. Her mother struggled as fists of bandits pounded into her, blood running down her face and hair. Jack stood nearby, his arms crossed as he watched coldly on. Maze stood near the girl, watching her to see if she'd try to escape. He knew that she wouldn't, though, not with her mother still there. The old Wizard turned his head to see his leader walking towards the girl, so he fearfully stepped aside.
"Has she said anything?" he asked, his voice hissing slightly at the 'th' sound.
"Not a word," replied Maze, "Did Scarlet say anything?"
"Nothing, no matter what those brutes did, she said nothing." Jack's hand clutched at his sword as he neared Theresa. When he was directly in front of her, he stared down, his eyes trying to penetrate her very thoughts.
"Tell me where your brother is hiding." It was one question, a simple one. Theresa thought about her mother, how she had stayed silent no matter what they did. It made her heart swell up with pride when she thought about it. Her eyes trailed up to the tall man, and she stayed silent. All she did was look at him: his mask, his cloak, and his sword. Jack was furious at this, as was evident by his red and golden eyes narrowing. That was, unfortunately, the last thing that Theresa saw, for the next thing that Jack did was slash his sword across her face, slicing into her eyes and rendering her blind. Despite Theresa's attempts to be brave, she couldn't stop the scream of pain that welled up in her throat. As she clutched at her mangled eyes, a large brute walked up behind Jack, Scarlet slung over his shoulder.
"You wanna kill her, Boss?" Jack looked at the brute and scoffed, as if it were the most obvious question in the world.
"Of course not, she still has some valuable information. Take her to the docks, I will be there shortly to transport you all to Bargate," Jack looked back at Maze as he spoke, watching the Wizard look at Theresa as she cried. The brute nodded and gave a signal. In response, the other bandits started to move out, heading towards their destination.
"It hurts!" moaned Theresa. She thought she could hear Jack and Maze speaking to one another, but she couldn't hear. All she could hear was the ringing in her head that started from the pain. Fearing for her life, she started to tumble away from Maze and Jack's voices, groping at the grass and remnants of houses. After about an hour of moving, she soon realized that she was not in Oakvale any longer. All around her were trees, and leaves crunched under her feet.
She was lost and alone.