STORY WARNINGS: bad guys win au, crowning glory pt 2 au. mild gore in one of the later chapters- there will be a warning at the top of said chapter- and torture, character death, tragedy and trauma and whatnot. as close to a slow burn as i can get.
"Give up, princess, and I may spare some of you." Comes across the battlefield, gravelly and terrifying. It's just Iris against Gramorr, her shanila against her crown in his hands.
Before she can reply she's inched back again, getting closer to where she'd hidden her friends behind a shield. She knows they're watching, knows they're scared, but she has to do this. For herself, for them.
Iris looks up sharply at him, straining against the force. Through the lightshow she sees Praxina step forward, lift her hand, and-
The magic overpowers her and slams her back into the building, her vision swimming. She crumples to the ground, rubble all around her and dust already beginning to swirl around her and settle, sticking to the places where the rubble had cut her, blood leaking slowly and getting into her face.
Mephisto watched his sister overpower the princess, and suddenly felt that they'd never been farther apart.
The other princesses break out of the barrier that Iris had created, tears streaming down their faces. Praxina shoves a hand back and he slots his fingers between hers, and together they speak.
"Ateruina!"
The princesses and their little rat are tossed into the air, too weak still to do anything else. Talia manages to stumble upright, and Carissa lands on her knees, but it's not enough.
"Take a look at your princess." Gramorr announces. "She's dead. Leave now and I will spare you, tell all of Ephedia what you saw here today!" He lifted his hand and aimed it at the ground in the heart of where the princesses dragged themselves, as if trying to fight back, and began to glow with power.
"Get out of here while you still can!" Praxina cackles, fingers slipping from Mephisto's. "Without your dear little Iris you're nothing~"
Gramorr takes another shot, the explosion from this one sending the princesses flying over the sides of the mountain.
Mephisto couldn't watch.
He strode past his sister and boss, then teleported over to the princess.
She was bleeding badly and face down, her arms stretched out to weakly frame her face. He leaned in close and listened gently, muttering a spell to himself.
That couldn't just be it, right? How could she be dead?
Except…
"The princess is alive." He announces, resting a hand on her shoulderblade. "She's weak but she's alive."
"Then finish her." Gramorr is suddenly a whip of a shadow before standing directly behind him, speaking softly. "Or I will."
"Come on Mephisto!" Praxina clenched her fists. "Do it!"
"I can't kill her like this!" Mephisto snapped. "If she were fighting me…" he can't finish that sentence, tack the 'maybe' on at the end. "It's dishonorable."
"And when have you cared about dishonor?" Praxina propped a fist up on her hip. "Our kingdom was burned and this princess is the last standing member of the people who caused this entire war."
"Last standing member? Her parents are still alive, Prax."
"Not for long." Gramorr lifted his hand slowly. "If you will not do it yourself, then move aside."
Mephisto froze for a second, eyes fixating on Gramorr's hand, on the power there.
His jaw set and he turned to look at Iris.
She looked so small, pink hair soaked through with streaks of red and breathing beginning to get labored. He had no doubt that her back was bruised badly as well, if not broken in some place. One of her wrists was at an odd angle, the glove torn. She'd been snapped out of her shanila, now just in her magical form.
When Praxina got into trouble and he needed help, she'd always stood up for him.
When the other princesses insisted Praxina stay with them after she lost her memory, Iris realized what she'd done and gave his sister a choice.
Every time he'd seen her, she chose the selfless option. She was constantly hurting herself in the process, losing her time and her chances to do what she wanted to help people. Yes there had been the rewards of the oracle gems, but that wasn't it.
His hand tightens around her shoulder. She squeaks through her subconscious, in so much pain.
Mephisto bends lower. He can hear Praxina's teeth grinding in anger, trying to figure out what he's doing.
He pulls the princess into his lap, her dead weight both easy and hard to pull into his chest.
"Don't kill her." He replies firmly.
"Mephisto! Drop the princess. What are you doing?"
That was a good question.
"She's still useful to us." Is what he manages.
Praxina blinks at him.
"She's the Princess of Ephedia, the last of her bloodline." Mephisto adds.
Banes growls.
"Whatever you think is to be gained by killing her, you lose tenfold in access and knowledge." He grits out. It's partially a lie. He knows some books and passages that require royal blood be spilled to enter, and only Iris was able to.
"Kill her parents, whatever you need to do, but we need her." Mephisto pulls her closer, until he can hold her bridal style, and stands slowly.
Gramorr seems to regard him for a moment.
"You want the princess alive?" He asks slowly.
"We need her." Mephisto repeats.
"Hmph. Fine then." Gramorr lowers his hand. "Then consider yourself lucky, Mephisto. The Crown Princess, your personal slave. Keep her close, her actions WILL be your responsibility."
Mephisto isn't sure what response is more accurate:
Iris' pained whimper,
His nervous gulp,
Or Praxina's furious narrowing of her eyes.
Actions