Hi everybody! Just a little something I came up with after watching 4x13 like three times, finishing my book and having another delightful conversation with my beta Yeuchc22 (I hope I found everything you pointed out by the way^^) So anyway, I'll go with rather safe than sorry here and tell you that while it has nothing to do with the show's plotline it could be a spoiler for 4x13, I don't think it's really worth mentioning but just so you know. Enjoy!
Between the Warrior and the Queen...
The Legate walked up the large stone staircase with purpose in her step. Her light dragon skin armor clinked with every step she made, the large sword on her back hitting the shield tied onto it in steady rhythm each time her arm swung back to help her keep up her fast pace. Her shield arm hurt, she had blocked many blows today and the day before, and the day before that, always fighting in the front row. Today, though, was the day it finally ended. They had been fighting the Red King's army for almost three weeks, the now almost healed deep gash she had suffered on her sword arm spoke of how long exactly. Today had been the day that they almost fell, but only almost. The Red King's men had finally succeeded in tearing down the outermost wall of Caste Blackwater with a well-placed shot of their catapults but it had only opened a small passageway for them to enter. It had taken them quite a while since the walls were strong and went over into natural rock formations. Blackwater had been built almost right into the mountain range surrounding the highland it overlooked. Only accessible from the direct front the two walls of almost black stone, the inner one higher up than the outer one, gave an enemy no blind spot to attack from. The actual castle was even further up, right in front of a huge waterfall that was so secluded by the mountains around it that it was only hit by the sun when it stood the highest. It gave the castle its name as usually, the waterfall was cloaked in darkness.
The warrior thought back to the past few hours. She had led her warriors into battle, to hold back the Red King. She was their Legate and she felt responsible for every death, every good man and woman who fell that day and every day before. Their deaths weren't for nothing, though. The small passage allowed for only few enemies to enter at a time and after hours of an exhausting fight to the death they managed to push the Red King's men back. Sensing their defeat they retreated but it wasn't well structured and that's when the Legate saw an opening. She then lead her soldiers into what was the end of the battle for Castle Blackwater. She managed to get through the defenses, weakened by weeks of siege, weeks of running on against the high and strong walls of the castle. Finally, she and her men had found the Red King by his pompous tent and the Legate killed him after a short fight with her sword pierced firmly through his throat. Once word got around that the King was dead his army broke apart in those who fell to their knees begging for mercy and those who tried to flee. Executing the orders of her Queen the Legate ordered the archers on the walls to fire until every man and woman running from their fate was dead. The ones who surrendered were stripped of their weapons and brought into the castle to be given a choice: To swear their fealty to the Dark Queen or die. They wouldn't betray them either way. Swearing fealty meant swearing a blood oath, unbreakable and eternal.
As she reached the top of the stairs she once again thought that this war had gone on way too long already and it would go on even longer, a thought that crossed her mind almost daily by now. She wasn't a warrior at heart but the war raging between the many different Fae clans had formed her to be what was needed at the time: strong, unbreakable, a leader infinitely loyal to her Queen.
"Legate." The soldier guarding the heavy oak doors he was standing next to lowered his head in respect and turned to open the door for her. "The Queen is expecting you." He lowered his head once more as she walked past him, stepping into the wide throne room. The ceiling was so high it almost couldn't be seen, held by mighty square pillars to each side of the main path up to the throne. On the sides of every pillar there were torches, illuminating the precious stones embedded into the floor and making them shine back in all colors of the rainbow. It cast a magical light throughout the throne room, the armors of the Queen's guards shimmering in it as if there were thousands of little diamonds embedded in them. There were two guards on each side of the throne, and one almost directly behind it, standing the closest. It was Dyson, in the place he usually was. He swore to protect the Queen's life with his own until his dying breath and he took his oath very serious. Clad in a light leather armor and two swords on his back he watched with crossed arms and watchful eyes as the Legate came closer. He rarely even left the Queen's side, only when she insisted. He was also the one who convinced her to not lead her army into battle numerous times for everything they wanted and needed to achieve rested on her shoulders. Shoulders, the Legate found as she came closer still were right now covered in her beautiful raven hair. The Queen smiled ever so slightly, barely recognizable and not at all if you weren't familiar with her soft yet so strong features. The Legate was. She came to a halt in her usual spot on a mosaic of Sapphires a few feet before the ten small steps led up to the dark wooden throne and fell to one knee, bowing her head as she took off her almost black helmet with its milky white dragon horns, pressing it to her side with her arm. "My Queen."
The woman on the throne looked at her trusted soldier who was still in her battle armor. A few years back she had a strong dragon skin armor made by her best Blacksmith, Gamil, a dwarf. It was light yet it withstood almost every blow. The shoulder plates had little spikes on them as ornaments. Dragons came in a lot of different colors but the one that died for this armor had been a grayish black and now that the Legate had taken off her helmet it made for a beautiful contrast to her long golden hair framing her strong features. A thin white scar could be seen on the left side of her strong jaw, but only if you looked close enough. It had become more prominent, though, over the years as the Legate's skin became darker under the unforgiving heat of the sun here on the highlands. The Queen knew that it was no battle scar, that it stemmed from a much more peaceful time, a time where the woman in front of her wouldn't be kneeling at her feet.
"Stand, Legate Lewis." The warrior immediately did as she was told, looking up at the Dark Queen who stood as well, letting the long black dress she was wearing straighten out around her perfect figure. She was truly stunning but it went way beyond her Succubus nature. Her skin was alabaster, making her soulful brown eyes shine like onyx, the ruby-red lips just as beautiful in contrast but it was her hair, darker than anything, the closest thing to complete darkness the Legate had ever encountered that made her truly stand out even from afar. It was so dark that even the black dragon bone crown she wore would have been invisible in it if it hadn't been for the two Sapphires and the Diamond embedded into its front. In short, she was breathtaking from her hair to the tips of her toes as she slowly came down the few steps to stand in front of the woman who had fought all her battles with and for her from the very beginning.
"Legate, I trust that you did as I ordered you?" She asked in her even, beautiful voice.
"Of course, my Queen" The Legate bowed her head again. "The archers did well, I was informed that very few of the enemy's men escaped. Some of my men are currently looking for survivors in the hills to the west. The others are collecting those who surrendered and those who choose wisely will soon be brought before you to swear their oath."
The Queen nodded, very pleased with how the lengthy battle finally ended. "And the most important thing, Legate?" The woman before her nodded quickly and, reaching around her back, pulled a golden crown from her belt, presenting it to her Queen. Finally, the raven haired woman's face broke into a dazzling smile and she motioned for one of her guards to come forward and take the crown. "Give this to Gamil. Tell him to melt the crown to a gold bar but to salvage the ruby in the front. I want it embedded into my crown as a sign of my victory." The guard bowed deeply and responded "Yes, my Queen." before he went to do what he had been ordered to. The Queen turned back to her trusted soldier. "Legate, you have done very well these past few weeks once again. You never disappoint me and now, with the new additions to my army I will have to divide them into more legions than one. Yet, you will still be their leader. Lauren Lewis, I hereby name you General of the Dark Army." She sealed it with a kiss pressed to Lauren's still bowed forehead, a gesture that was by now known as the Queen's official way of promoting her most valuable soldiers. She was a Succubus after all and it made a shiver run down Lauren's spine. "Now." She turned and addressed everyone else in the throne room. "Leave the room, all of you. I would like to plan my next steps with General Lewis in private. Yes, even you Dyson." She added before he could protest so instead everybody bowed and made their way to the doors.
As soon as the last of the heavy doors closed audibly, the Queen turned back around to her General, the flickering lights of the throne room dancing on her delicate skin. She mentioned for Lauren to follow her as she moved back up the stairs to her throne only to walk right past it and to a richly decorated door almost hidden in the shadows of the room. The General followed her up a narrow stairway illuminated by Barinstones, rare and precious stones that emitted a warm honey-colored light. Nobody knew why they glowed and they were extremely hard to come by, usually they were sold by dwarfs for hideous prices. In some ways though, they were very worth it. They could be used under water as they had no flame and it wasn't known that they ever stopped emitting their light. The Queen had acquired a few as a peace-offering from one of the weaker clan leaders and she used them to illuminate the hallways of her own wing in the castle up by the waterfall, the place the sun almost never reached. Her quarters were beautiful nonetheless, Lauren found every time she came here which wasn't all that often. High ceilings, dark stone walls and skillfully crafted wooden furniture dominated everything. A door at the back allowed the way onto a balcony with a spectacular view of the waterfall. If you went almost as far as you could go you could feel its light spray on your skin.
The Queen led them to a large table to the left where a map lay. Once they reached it she happily picked up a figurine standing on it, symbolizing a small red crown. She looked at it distastefully for a few moments before she closed her fist around it and with an evil grin and a flex of her muscles there was an audible crack. Reopening her hand the two pieces of the broken figurine fell to the floor with a click. She looked up at Lauren with her dark eyes before she said "Four down, five to go." Her General nodded. "The death of the Red King will shake the structure of the alliances at its very base. It gives us an advantage but only for so long, my Queen. Soon, the Blood King's troops will have regrouped from this loss."
The Queen smiled lazily. "Lauren.." Her voice was low and it almost came out a purr. "Haven't I told you time and time again that there is no other Queen or King but me? They are all impostors, you know that, don't you? The Blood Imp calls himself King just because he thinks he can rewrite destiny. I don't think so. He will fall like every other King that has challenged me. If they didn't want a ruler in the first place they should have never started this war but now that we're here we might as well win it, don't you think?"
"Of course, my Queen." Lauren answered calmly. They hadn't wanted this war and they hadn't participated for a long time, watching from the sidelines as Fae slaughtered each other. It wasn't until the Queen's father had given her a book on his dying bed, containing a prophecy about his daughter becoming the Queen of all Fae. She had fought it at first but she soon accepted it as fact and from that day on she had been the Dark Queen, building her own army and taking land under the black banner of the horse. It was her father's crest but she took it as her own and added a crown to the rising horse's head. When she and Lauren had taken Blackwater, a castle deemed invincible, they both started to believe that they could win this war, that it was meant to be this way.
The Queen slowly came around the table, coming to a halt right in front of Lauren. "Sometimes I think that this life has really turned you into the warrior I see every day. This is no place for formalities, nobody is watching." She smiled and for the first time this day, it was warm and full of life. She took the helmet Lauren still held pressed to her side in a very military manner and put it on the table, making another one of the small figurines fall over. "My Qu-" The General was interrupted "Don't you dare. You are my friend Lauren, you were long before this madness started ten years ago. I know that now, you are my trusted soldier but sometimes it feels so lonely on that throne, with you at my feet rather than by my side." Lauren raised her eyebrows. She had had more or less personal conversations with the Queen when they were alone before but never like this. It was usually just joking around while discussing their next battle plans, nothing that would ever lead to Lauren thinking that maybe she could be equal to her old friend ever again. She had let go of that dream long ago. "Dyson is always at your side." That made the Succubus laugh. "He swore an oath after we beat down his little rebellion back home. By now I think he's falling in love with me but still, if I asked him to go onto this balcony and throw himself into the waterfall he would willingly do so. He does everything I ask him to without questioning anything and I think it's boring."
"He swore to obey you." Lauren reasoned.
"Yes, I know, to protect me, to die for me if need be." Bo completed the vow every soldier wishing to join their army swore on his blood. "Only you dare to talk back to be, General." The way she said it sounded way more like a term of endearment than Lauren's actual rank in her Queen's empire. The General lowered her head but it was not like usual, when she would bow her head in respect. Now she was doing it to hide her face behind her blonde locks, still slightly sweaty from the battlefield. "Yes, because I'm the only one in your army who didn't swear an oath to you." The Queen smiled. "I know, it's the reason you are my most trusted soldier and still the one closest to my heart. You could walk away any minute, side with somebody that you think is stronger, has better chances at winning this terrible war or leave altogether yet you don't and that is why I love.. what you do." She trailed off before she shook her head slightly. A war was no place for feelings, not for love anyway. They risked their life almost every day, fighting for what they both thought was right, for destiny in the Succubus' case. In a past that seemed so far away by now they had been best friends, even more at some point and maybe they could have been meant to be together at that time. Either would be lying if they said that today they didn't have feelings for each other anymore. They buried them deep down because they knew they shouldn't and most of the time couldn't but they were still there, as prominent as ever or maybe even more so.
"We should stay here for a while. Stock everything back up, really integrate the new soldiers into the army before we move on. Also, we need to discuss who will become the Legates of the new legions." Lauren tried to get the conversation back on track, turning to look at the map on the table but the Queen wouldn't let her. She placed one hand on the blonde's cheek, forcing her to look at her. She could see the physical effect she was having on her General and in pleased her but she wanted to know more. "Lauren, what do you see when you look at me these days?" She asked softly.
"I see a Queen, a strong woman, a leader. Someone who won't take no for an answer just like you never did. Many thought it would make you weaker when you lost Kenzi but it didn't. You grieved and then you stood back up, stronger than ever." Lauren answered truthfully. When their close friend had taken the blade through her chest that was intended for the Queen their world had stopped moving for a long time. Yet, Kenzi had died with a smile on her face, whispering something about destiny as the Succubus cried over her dying body. It was another reason they had to win this messy war. They wouldn't let her death be for nothing.
The Queen nodded and smiled sadly before she quietly asked "You really are a warrior now, aren't you?" Lauren smiled back at her, a genuine one that seemed to come to her so seldom these days and leaned further into the hand still cupping her cheek. "Yes, but I'm your warrior Ysabeau." Everybody knew her name yet nobody used it and so when Lauren did it led the Queen to lean forward and capture her General's lips in a soft kiss that held all the longing she had still harbored for her these past years. They had always been close but they were never able to be together like they wanted to. They were the Queen and her Warrior, meant to stand together but never really together, never truly equal.
When the kiss broke they stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Finally, Ysabeau smiled and Lauren smiled with her. "You know, every time you lead the soldiers into battle I pray that you come back safe. That I don't have to lose you, too. Because once I win this war I need people to live that life with me and who would want to?" Lauren chuckled, holding the hand that was still cupping her cheek. "If, Ysabeau. If we win then I want to live every second of that life with you, as I do now." The Queen grinned in response. "No, Lauren. When. And I'll hold you to it."
"You better." Another kiss was pressed to the blonde's lips, silencing her. She was pulled into the Queen as their kiss grew passionate. They were interrupted by a knock on the door leading up from the throne room. Quickly breaking apart, Ysabeau grinned at Lauren before she allowed whoever it was to enter. A young man stumbled into the room when the door opened. He quickly fell to his knees before speaking "My Queen, I'm very sorry to interrupt but those who surrendered and wish to join your army are waiting outside in front of the royal balcony. They wish to speak their oath." The Queen sighed, throwing one last glance at Lauren who was now back to her General self again, already putting her helmet back on. For now it left her face visible but Ysabeau knew there was a mouth piece that could be attached to it that would leave only her eyes uncovered. "Very well, I will be down shortly. You can go." The man was gone as quickly as he came, obviously frightened by being in the Queen's presence. Lauren surprised Ysabeau by pulling her in for another soft kiss. "We will continue this some other time. Right now we have a world to conquer." She winked when they parted. "Come on, Succubus, let's get out of here." And Ysabeau just nodded and turned to walk down the stairs. They would be together, nothing would keep them apart for long, she vowed to herself as she heard hundreds of voices declaring their fealty to her as one. Dyson stood to her right, the General to her left, arms crossed in front of her armor clad chest. Lauren was right. They would conquer the world. And they would do it together.
Please tell me what you think I'm dying to know! :) Another quick thing: I may have plucked a small detail (the Barinstones) from my favorite book series, just so that you're not wondering in case you noticed it ;)