This is my second fanfiction but the first that is for Fable. It goes along slightly with the main story line. Unfortunately I do not own Fable or its characters but if I did the world would be a better place. Anyway enjoy and please tell me what you think... :)
Part 1- Swift mentions
A figure lay huddled in a corner. Whimpers and moans could easily be distinguished from the gentle dripping of water leaking from the ceiling. No other sounds could be heard but these.
The silence was soon punctured by a door opening, squeaking on its rusted hinges. The figure shifted into a tighter ball, trying to disappear into the shadows. However the people who entered paid no attention to the movement.
"Put 'im in 'ere," A tall man said.
His face was covered in shadows, but what dim light did make contact with skin highlighted many scars. His deep rough voice echoed through the darkness, the vibrations bouncing off unseen walls.
A man's limp body was dragged forward and thrown into a cell with iron rusted bars. The cell door was locked and the men took their leave. Before the dungeon door shut, the scarred man turned and whispered cruelly, "Good night," and slammed it shut. What little light had entered was swallowed up by the unwelcoming darkness.
"Please Master please, I'm sorry."
Major Swift sat up quickly and squinted into the blackness that encircled him.
"I didn't mean to. Please have mercy, Master, I'm sorry."
He listened to the anguished cries that came from another prisoner. As minutes dragged by, the cries turned to shrieks.
"No, no, please Master, anything but that, please I beg you!"
The Major could take no more. He began to speak in a kind tone, hoping it would calm the now thrashing figure. However this gesture did nothing.
"It was an accident, please Master please."
With a final deafening scream, the figure awoke from their clearly terrifying nightmare.
All that could be heard was heavy breathing and a few small sniffs.
"Are you alright," Major Swift asked.
The sniffs died away, "who's there?"
"It's alright I won't hurt you and well I can't seeing as I'm locked in here."
"Who are you a...and why are you here?"
The voice that spoke was soft and wary. Major Swift deduced that it belonged to a girl.
"My name is Major Swift of The Swift Brigade and I've been arrested by the Kings order for high treason. And you?"
He decided to tell the truth because there was no point in hiding the fact. Most of Albion now knew there was a rebellion being planned and that Major Swift was a key member.
The girl seemed stunned by these words but answered with a fairly even tone.
"I'm Bethany, Bethany Ann and I am also here for treason and resisted arrest."
There was a long pause before Bethany whimpered.
"Are you okay?" Major Swift asked; concern in his voice.
However Bethany did not hear due to all her attention being paid to her right leg. She removed a scratchy old rag that had been wrapped untidily around it and looked down. Blood had encrusted around a wound that went deep into her leg. A silver bullet was lodged about an inch down. She scrapped her fingers over it. Fresh blood rose up. The thick red liquid covered the bullet and ran slowly down her thin leg.
"Shoot," Bethany muttered, attempting to stem the flow with the dirty rag.
Swift asked a few more times but gave up because not one got a reply.
What felt like days passed; there was no light to give any reference to the time of day.
A guard entered the dungeon twice a day bringing scraps of food and a small cup of water. Major Swift, having stayed at the god-forsaken fort at Mourningwood for many months, was well used to living on minimal supplies. But his worries lay elsewhere. Bethany sounded weaker and weaker every time she spoke although she assured the Major that she was fine.
"How long have you been down here?"
"Two weeks or more, I think," Bethany answered.
"I know you said you were arrested for treason but what do you mean exactly?"
"I...well... I might as well tell my whole story, seeing as we have time. When I was younger I grew up on a farm. When Queen Sparrow was alive our farm was bountiful and produced high standard foods. But when Logan took over Albion our business collapsed. I was old enough to make my own way in the world so I left hoping that one less mouth to feed might help slightly," She paused, took a breath ad continued. "It broke my heart to leave but I knew it was right. I travelled around doing odd jobs. Every new town or city highlighted new horrors that had been caused by the King. The suffering I saw made me feel...awful."
"The king wasn't always that way," Swift cut in.
"I know but still nothing can redeem him from the pain he has caused. I wanted a new ruler, I wanted to fight. I wanted a rebellion. I heard news of the Princess escaping the castle; I travelled everywhere but never found her. Instead I began to put my message out there and attempted to gain an army of my own. However one day I told the wrong person of my plans and they handed me in to the guards. I fought to escape but the guards were strong and I was brought in for questioning."
"You are very brave to have done that," Major Swift praised.
"Or very stupid."
Bethany smiled sadly. After spending week's underground, surrounded by darkness, alone, it came as some comfort to finally have someone to share her suffering with. It sounded cruel but it was true. When she had been alone there had been no sound, no life except from her.
"It could be thought that way but no, I believe it was bravery." Swift thought for a moment before continuing. "You know, you remind me of someone."
Bethany looked up confused although Major Swift could not see it.
"Ben Finn."
"Sorry?" she enquired.
"Ben Finn," Swift repeated. "He was Captain of my brigade until we joined the revolution."
"And how do I remind you of this Captain?"
"Well for him also there was a very fine line between bravery and stupidity for most of his actions."
At this the Major actually laughed. It echoed around the stone walls, bouncing off every surface. If there had been light Bethany would have seen his overly large moustache jiggling from the joy now pumping through his veins. Then it died away and silence was left.
"He must be something special if he managed to bring so much joy to a place as dark as this."
"He is...he's the son I never had," Major Swift whispered.
Major Swift slowly crawled around his cell. He traced his fingers carefully over the cold stone floor. They brushed against straw and small sharp stones that tried to embed themselves in his calloused skin.
"Found any yet?" Bethany asked.
"No. There is plenty of straw but that's only helpful after we find the stones."
"Are you sure that you will be able to do it. I tried before and my outcome was a tiny spark that did nothing but bring false hope."
In Bethany's cell she was doing the same, crawling over the uneven ground. Searching, searching.
"Yes. I've got some," Bethany cried out.
She picked up two large sharp stones and made her way to the bars of her cell that faced Major Swift's. She pocked her hands through the rusty bars and stretched out until she felt the Major's slender fingers. The stones were transferred and they both retreated back to the centre of their cells.
Click clack. The stones grazed together in hard sharp movements. A spark of light. A glimmer of hope. Then it died.
"Damn it. I thought I had it then," Major Swift cursed.
Bethany couldn't bring herself to reply. The image of the spark was plastered in her mind.
A metal rod was thrust into flickering flame.
"You know, I'm getting rather tired of this."
"Please sir. You must believe me; I had nothing to do with it-," Bethany stammered.
"I took you in because I am a kind generous man." The other harsher voice interrupted. "And yet you continue to disobey me."
His last words leaked with venom. The rod was shifted deeper into the sweltering heat. Bethany glanced up from her kneeled position on the floor and gulped as her gaze fell on the fire with the rod poking out.
Her eyes roamed higher and met with the man's. Light blue and charcoal black.
"Please," Bethany whispered.
The rod was whipped from its position in the fire and brandished forward.
"I'm not one to show mercy."
"Yes, yes I've done it. Well just look at that."
Bethany was brought back to reality by Major Swift's joyful cry.
A tiny flame glinted from the floor of the Major's cell. It illuminated the space around it causing huge menacing shadows. Yet no matter how small, the flame still offered light and hope.
Swift collected up some straw and fed the small fire so that it grew in strength. In under an hour the fire was crackling away merrily without the need for continuous fuel.
Now there was light Bethany could finally see Major Swift. His tall slender frame was hugged by a white shirt that was dust covered and brown trousers. He appeared to have been stripped of his uniform. His hair was short and flicked up at the ends. But his most impressive feature had to be his moustache. Even though it had not been tended to for some time you could still see the exact shape that gave an impression of power and cleverness.
Major Swift looked up at Bethany. Although she was malnourished and very pale it was clear that she was beautiful. Her eyes reflected the flickering light so they shone like diamonds. Her eyes were like portholes to another world. She fixed the Major with a stare that went down so deep he almost never found the surface again.
His eyes roamed further down her body. A plain dress hung loosely round her body. It appeared to have once been white but was now grey from all the dust and dirt it had come in contact with. The hem was extremely frayed. Something caught his attention.
"Bethany what's that on your leg?" Major Swift asked.
Bethany looked down in alarm and attempted to shift so as to hide her leg. The sudden movement caused her leg serious pain. Blood began to leak out of the wound again.
The Major watched as blood ran down her leg. Bethany attempted to stem the flow by using the scratchy rag that was already brown from the amount of scarlet liquid it had absorbed.
"Here, take this."
Swift passed her a section of his shirt that he had just removed. She gladly accepted and wrapped it tightly round the wound.
When the situation appeared to be under control Major Swift spoke again.
"So are you going to tell me how you got that?"
Bethany sighed heavily and turned to face the comforting flames.
"I told you before that I was brought in for questioning. Well that's not quite the right word. They tried to force me to talk. I refused. King Logan believed that I was working with the princess and the revolution and that me not talking was because I was protecting her. I said I had nothing to do with you lot but they wouldn't believe me. One day a man came in a white suit and a very large hat. He talked quietly in a corner with the king for a few minutes then the king left and we were alone."
The fire illuminated her face, revealing a pained expression. Sadness had clouded over her eyes so no one could access the deep abyss they lead to.
"He paced around, getting closer to me with each circuit. Then he touched me and said I was beautiful. He said that if I told him where to find the princess he would give me a job at his manor and let me be his personal maid. I told him that I didn't know where she was. He began to get irritated; I could see it in his face. The muscles in his jaw would tense but he kept his voice even. He pulled me close so that my back was pressed to his chest and he kissed my neck. I turned and slapped him, so he pushed me across the room. I hit the wall and fell. When I had got to my feet I turned and saw that he had a gun pointed at me. He fired."
Bethany cautiously straightened her leg out so she could examine it.
"He hit me where it caused pain but didn't do too serious damage. I fainted when the bullet hit and when I awoke I was back in darkness, locked away in this cell."
"Reaver is a very cruel man."
"Is that his name? The man who did this?"
"I'm quite sure...He is a hero of skill." There was a pause. "I wish Ben was here now."
"The Captain? Why?"
"Because he is very good at first aid. He is also very good with guns; I wouldn't be surprised if hero blood ran through his veins."
Bethany shook her head smiling.
"He sounds to be either a very modest person or a very arrogant person."
Major Swift smiled widely. He knew Ben Finn was definitely not modest but he also knew that he was a very caring man that just didn't always take the right options. At times he could be arrogant but cocky was more the word that suited him.
Major Swift was woken from his doze by violent coughs. The fire was just embers now. He relit it. It illuminated Bethany lying on the dusty stone floor coughing, tears streaming down her face.
"Bethany!"
"I...I'm fine. I just feel a bit-" She was cut short by another wave of coughs.
Swift was now extremely worried. He knew she had been down here for about 3 weeks now, and with the light he could see she was thin, too thin. Unless they were rescued or released soon Bethany would surely be past saving.
Her leg had begun to look infected and her frail frame looked like it could not support her weight. She was wasting away but there was no way to help.
"Bethany, Bethany! Can you hear that?"
The Major clung to the bars of his cell; Bethany lay on the cold floor, her chest rose and fell slowly.
"That's the sound of the revolution, Bethany they are coming to save us."
A violent shock ran down the bars of the cells.
The castle was under attack. King Logan was being shown the true force of the revolution. And Bethany was fading away.
Major Swift pushed on his cell door. It swung open. The shock had caused the old iron bars to give way. He hurried through and bent down at Bethany's cell.
He tried to coax open the lock. No good. He threw his weight against it but it didn't budge. Swift looked around widely.
"Something, anything!" He grunted.
Crates were stacked haphazardly at the back of the dungeon. A lid was quickly removed. Gun powder; full to the brim with gun power. He opened another, than another. Each carried the same contents. Major Swift cried out in range and kicked over one of the crates. Victory. Out spilled sharp metal spikes of all different sizes. He grabbed one that was particularly small and sharp.
The lock clicked. Squeaking harshly the cell door opened.
"Bethany, let's go."
He made to pick her up but she struggled.
"No, you go. I will only slow you down. Go and get help," she breathed.
"No I can't leave you like this."
"You can and you will. Go and find Ben Finn and bring him back. Go now, please."
Major Swift couldn't bring himself to protest again. He silently squeezed Bethany's cold hand and left through the large wooden door. There was a brief spell of light then it vanished along with the Major.