A/N – This is my first fanfiction for Red Queen, so I do hope you enjoy it! Check out my Tumblr at flowercrownsandherondales and my art Instagram at for more red queen edits and drawings! Now to the fanfiction! !WARNING! this is going to be dark at first so if you don't like that kind of theme than I suggest you don't read. Lots of violence and gore.

(after the events of Glass Sword)

Mare's POV

It's Maven time to shine. I quickly learned that while I was here I would be treated like an animal. To the court I was a traitor they wanted to see be brutally murdered, to Maven I was a little pet that he would get bored of and kick. I was held in a cage for most of the day, a collar tied so tight on my neck that I could hardly breathe. At first I tried to scream at night, desperately trying to get someone's attention. My lightning won't work, the cage and the collar being made of the same material that our cages were when Cal and I fought in the arena. The thought of him brings pain in my heart and burning thoughts that I can't think about right now.

I can't understand how I could have loved a monster like Maven blindly. How could I be so stupid? Those are the thoughts I have as he unlocks the cage after a day of silvers coming to view me. To laugh at me and coo at Maven's little pet. The golden key in his hand is the one thing I yearn for each day and night. To shove it down his throat and make him pay for these things he has done. He orders his guards to grab me, and they lift me like a rag doll. He hardly feeds me, so I slump into exhaustion when he wants to visit me. So I don't remember the horror story that surrounds me each morning. "Bring her to my chambers" he orders, his back turned. The guards drag me down the halls, and I start to fall asleep.

They throw me on his bed, my gown slipping off my shoulder. Everything hurts, and I feel an incredible pain in my head.

WARNING STARTS HERE!

One guard pours wine into a glass, the other sits behind me and opens my jaw. I try to fight away from him, but I can't escape. He pours the wine down my throat, and I start to choke up the bitter tasting liquid.

I know it's a sedative, to keep me from being reckless. I start to doze off, thinking about my brother and how awful I've made my parents life, Cal's, Farley's, my brothers and sister, Kilron's, and how terrible I am to them. I just wanted to help, but I've made a mess of things. The door kicks open and in struts Maven, taking off his cloak of red for house Calore. Ironic how the reigning house of Norta hates reds but wears the color as a sign of their heritage.

"Mare, Mare, Mare. How unfortunate you are. You know if you hadn't killed her than maybe I would pardon you. That's all down the drain now, though. She hated you and now so do I. And when I hate something, you'll find that it gets destroyed rather quickly." He laughed, darkness spreading on his face. My vision gets blurry from the drink and spots start to form. Maven picks me up from the collar chain, and I start to lose breath. He throws me a crossed the room, and I hit the wall. The crack in my back makes me wince. He seethes and steps on my leg, breaking it instantly. I start to cry, I don't bother holding it back anymore. He starts yelling at me, and I cry harder. I'm broken now, I'm so, so broken.

He continues to slap and hit me, over and over. I cough blood, and he stops.

"That's enough for now darling, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow." He smiles and leaves the room. One of his healers skitter into the room, and try to mend what they can. They usually leave something still wounded, as they are told to do. It's a reminder of my disobedience.

WARNING ENDS HERE!

I lay there in pain as a shout erupts. I move my head slightly and I hear fire crackling. I've hallucinated him before, an epic rescue from Cal and my friends, and it never happens. But I can't help but double take and hope it's real as the door kicks in and Cal Calore stands in front of me with a flame cradled in his hand.

"Mare?" his voice is a whisper and it shouts volumes for me. It wavers and bends, like he's about to break down and cry. "Hi" is whisper back but my voice becomes a croak. I must look like a mess, with dried blood on my skin and in my hair, and a puddle of it surrounding me. He covers his mouth, letting out the flame, and looks away for a moment. A sound escapes him, like a trapped animal in need of release, and then he looks back and sweeps me up in his arms.

I allow myself to pass out in his embrace, knowing that I'm as safe as I can be. I faintly hear Kilron's voice shouting and some gunfire.

Cal's POV

I look down at her body. It's fragile and cold, and I am covered in red blood. Her blood. When I woke up from our last in counter with Maven Kilron informed me of her sacrifice. As angry as I wanted to be at her, my heart grieved and started to rip in half. The things he could do to her made my blood boil. I went into my tent when we got back and ravished it, throwing glassware and tipping wooden crates. Burn marks trashed the bed and it brought back to many memories. Memories of her brown hair sprawled on my pillow in the morning. Chestnut skin glowing as she softly slept. Her smiles, her laughs, her. Mare Molly Barrow was showing me her world as I showed her mine, and I wanted to stay with her in it forever.

I started to weep, which I had grown up hearing that men don't cry, and that I was weak for doing so. But the tension and pain built up and suddenly I'm thinking of all the things that have been taken away from me by Maven and my stepmother. My own mother's auburn hair in photographs, the way her golden dress shimmered in the light and her airy smile. Taken by Elara. My father and his strong jaw and wide shoulders. His smile that seemed to give all the praise I needed when I was younger, when I showed him my battle stance and his laugh when I mentioned how I would defeat our enemies. Taken by both Maven and Elara, and my own hand. Then Mare, tortured in my arms and taken by my brother. The boy I would have died for if he was harmed. The boy that used to ask me to help him with his homework and would run down the halls with while sneaking away from tutoring. He planned this, he planned to hurt me the most.

Mare looked like she could have died in my arms, and I wanted to scream. Men retreated and I walked out with her, out of the only place I thought I could call home. Kilron walked beside me, trying not to break down. It was just us walking to the safe house in the woods, where Diana would pick us up later tonight when the fight settled down. We dodged the soldiers and ran into the small shack a mile away. Once there Kilron cleared the table, and I laid Mare down. Small whimpers came from her throat and I cut the collar away from her. Kilron sniffed and cried out. "I can't, I'm sorry Cal." Before walking away for the moment. I could hear his sniffles and loud sobs from my area and I sighed.

Mare started to wake up, and when she did crack open her eyes she smiled softly. "Hey." She softly whispered and I grabbed her body close to mine, cradling her in my arms. I started to sob into her shoulder, and she started to cry with me. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. What have I done? I'm so sorry you hate me Cal." She whispered in between sobs. I know he made her think that, and I guess I did too.

I did all I could do, she needed to feel the immense love I have for her. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her. Our sobs mixed and no one cared about the sweat or blood, the pain started to ease.

She was mine once again.

Alright that's the end of part 1! Send in requests to my tumblr, (and because his is on my tumblr also please send in requests!) Thanks for reading and please Review!