Little Talks
A Raven and Malchior One-Shot
Don't listen to a word I say
The screams all sound the same.
Though the truth may vary
this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
- Little Talks, Of Monsters and Men
)O(
Raven stared at the wreckage of the tower, holding Malchior's book in her hand. It thrummed with energy and power, and between the pages she could hear the cries of anguish and rage. Emotions mixed together to create some kind of macabre melody that pulled at her heart and brought her to her knees. His old-world voice seemed almost sinister now, like a villain out of an old fairytale. How had she managed to let herself get wrapped up in such sweet lies?
"Raven…"
"Please, don't talk to me…" Behind her she could feel her friends' desire to understand and forgive her, but she also felt the push and pull of anger. They blamed her for the mess to the tower, and to She should have been smarter, she should have been careful, but she was too trusting, and she fell into the intricate trap of someone she did not know. It was her fault that this happened.
"Raven… this isn't your fault."
"Like hell it's not!" Raven whipped around, feeling tears leak out of her eyes at their shocked faces. She clutched Malchior's book closer to her chest, the heat from its magic warming her cold fingers. "Don't tell me this isn't my fault! I know it is! I can feel your emotions, you're all mad at me for what I've done and I don't blame you. Look at the tower! Look at me! It was my fault!" She wiped at her face with the back of her hand, her voice dropping to a trembling whisper. "It's my fault."
"Raven…"
"Just leave me alone!" Without another word she took to the sky, the book still close to her. She knew it was an object to be feared, new it held a terrible evil, but for some reason she couldn't imagine letting it go. It was linked to her somehow, tied to her with more than just threads of magic. It was a reminder of being accepted and a reminder of finding more than a friend.
My dear, sweet Raven.
She closed her eyes and flew faster, pushing through the cold air to find some solitude, but she knew she couldn't run from the past. It would haunt her forever, and she would have to bear the invisible scars forever. The book vibrated against her chest, struggled and fought for control over its situation. Raven dropped altitude and pushed through the treetops of the forest until the branches whipped at her face and limbs.
"You ruthless witch."
Raven lost her control and both she and the book tumbled through the trees, hitting and breaking branches before she fell into a heap on the forest floor. The book cursed at her before it flipped open to the page of Rorek's portrait. Eyes that had once looked so knowledgeable and forgiving now suddenly seemed to hold an entirely new emotion.
"You had no right to betray me like that."
"The same goes for you!" Raven rolled over onto her back, watching her breath mist in the cold air. "You had no right to lead me on!"
"I didn't lead you on!"
"You were the dragon, Malchior!" Her fingers reached out and found the spine of the book. She pulled it close to herself before throwing it against the nearest tree. Malchior cursed in pain, but the portrait showed no emotion. Raven stood up and grabbed the book, staring down into his eyes. "At no point in our… friendship… did you think it was appropriate to tell me the truth, to tell me what you really were. I put my faith in you, and you betrayed me. I trusted you."
"That was your own fault, you stupid girl." His eyes finally turned and looked at her, glowing with trapped power. "You had all the information in front of you, but you chose to ignore it. You chose to believe that I was something other than what I truly am. That is no fault of my own."
"I hate you."
His eyes seemed almost surprised, and his pages trembled with the push of the wind. "Hate me? You are incapable of hating me, Raven. You may hate yourself for believing in me, you may hate the things I taught you, but you are not able to hate the person who showed you love."
How dare he use the word "love" with her. He never loved her, she was only a thing. Raven glared, and her fingers threatened to pull the picture from the pages of the book. "You don't love me. You possessed me. I was just an object that you could manipulate to do whatever you wanted me to. I was a puppet to you."
"And a magnificent one at that. You let me pull the strings with such ease and distinction." His eyes bore into her soul, unwavering. "But you mistake my words, my puppet, I did love you. I loved you as a child loves his favorite toy."
"That is not love!" Raven threw the book against the tree again. "I loved you! I trusted you, cared for you! I would have given you the world if you asked for it… and yet you chose to make me a thing. Something you could manipulate."
"Ah, yes. But I could not have you fall in love with me, at least not without some fear of what you truly were to me. You see, having you fall in love with me has dangers."
"Like what?"
"Reciprocation. You are quite a beautiful woman, Raven… smart, sweet, strange, and very caring. Although, I will admit you often try to hide that fact. It would have been easy for me to fall in love with you if I let you get too close. And, quite frankly, I don't know what would have happened if I had fallen in love with you, Raven… can you imagine? Clearly we wouldn't be here yelling at each other about whether or not I understand love, and whether or not you really were a puppet. So, keeping my distance was necessary."
Raven fell onto the forest floor and held her head in her hands, feeling her break with every word. "Why are you doing this to me? What did I do to deserve this?"
"You trusted me. That is a sin in and of its self, worthy of the greatest punishment." His eyes turned to look at her, and although Raven could not see his mouth, she knew he was smiling. "Wouldn't you agree, sweet Raven?"
"I hate you."
"You never will. You will bear the scars and memories of what I am and what you did for the rest of your life. In spite of what your friends will tell you, we both know that this is your fault. All of it." He closed his front cover and fell back onto the forest floor. "It's a pleasant thought for me that I had such an effect on you, Raven."
"And what do you want me to do with you now?"
"Lock me away as if I was a common criminal if you wish, but we both know that I won't truly be gone, will I? I'll always be there… inside your small, foolish heart."
Inside her she knew he would always like there, echoes of what they had together. Faded memories of the first man she had given her heart to, and the first person who had truly betrayed her. Inside her heart, the wounds would spoil and fester until there was nothing left but a shell of a puppet.
)O(
I'm not sure what this was… I was listening to Of Monsters and Men and fell in love with the lyrics to this song. I've always really wanted to do a flash piece on what happened immediately after the battle in Spellbound and how Raven feels… I hope that accomplished this? Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!