Whisper In the Night
Gailardia Galan Gardios sat on the edge of his bed, listening to the sound of birds singing outside. His window was cracked open, letting the smell of the sweet air inside of his small room. He was going to do it. Tonight was the night. He was finally going to avenge his family.
"Mary…" He murmured, as he picked up his blade. "Finally I will avenge you. After all of these years…" He picked up a cloth from the table beside him and began polishing the blade. "I will make the Duke suffer as I have suffered. I will take his only son…"
His eyes darkened and he slowed his hand. "But…" Luke. Luke wasn't like he used to be. Luke was different. He was innocent. He was trusting. He looked at Guy and thought, "friend." The Luke that Guy was prepared to kill was the one who scowled at Guy's presence, who looked at him with suspicion. Guy couldn't help but feel animosity towards Luke back then. This is Duke Fabre's son… his mind would whisper, and he would see it inside of the boy. Duke Fabre was part of this child. But that voice was gone now. Luke had changed. Luke was different.
No, Guy stopped himself. We are not friends. We are not. Duke Fabre killed my family. The same putrid blood runs through Luke's veins. He let his mind remember the pain that he had felt all those years ago. He let his blood boil, his muscles tense. He clamped his jaw shut tightly at the anger he felt surging within himself.
His sister had died. She was the only reason he was still alive. He had to avenge her. All that bloodshed. That was all the fault of one man. He must do something about it.
"Guy?" The elderly voice of Pere came muffled through the door.
"What is it?" Guy breathed, trying to calm himself enough to talk.
"Are you alright? You've been locked in here for quite some time. Master Luke has been looking for you."
"Yeah, I'm fine…"
"He's waiting for you in the courtyard when you're ready."
Guy sat still for a moment, trying to sort his mind. "I understand."
"If you need someone to talk to…"
"I've got it." Guy's voice came out angrily. It was sharper than he had intended. He breathed out slowly. What sort of situation had he gotten himself into. Who was he kidding? He couldn't do this. He couldn't kill Luke. No matter what his father had done, Luke was innocent. He didn't deserve the fate that his father had chosen.
But then an image of Mary came into his head. His beautiful, caring sister. She was going to have a good life. She was going to get married and have children. She would grow old… She would pass on her knowledge to her grandchildren. Everything would be alright. She would live a normal, peaceful, happy life. But no. She couldn't do that anymore. Her life was ended. It was unjust. It was so cruel. It was unfair. "Mary…" Guy gritted his teeth, clenching his fist so tightly that his palm began to drip blood.
"I have to do this," Guy gasped. "I have to. Mary, I have to."
Was he trying to console Mary's memory? Or was he asking for forgiveness for what he was about to do? "Damn it all," he cursed, throwing his sword across the room like a javelin. It flung through the air at a fierce speed, striking the wall with one solid thump.
A small voice whispered in his mind. It was so small that he didn't quite notice it at first. He's just a boy, the voice said. Would Mary want you to kill such a small, innocent child?
"No!" Guy shouted. "I must do this! I will do this!"
He threw himself off of the bed and made his way to the door, determination oozing from him like fire. He ripped his sword out of the wall and kicked the door open.
"I'm ready," he muttered. His voice was eerily calm. He walked through the halls, making his way to the courtyard where he knew Luke was waiting for him.
The weather had been nice all morning long. The birds had been cheery enough. Natalia had visited earlier, decorating Luke with many flower necklaces as if he were some sort of doll. He put up with it rather well for being a young boy. She was gone now, though, and only Luke remained in the middle of the courtyard.
He was laying flat on his stomach, resting his chin on his arms, staring intently at a frog on the ground. His eyes were wide with fascination, the green in them was brilliant and vivid.
Gailardia walked up to Luke, watching him closely. He wasn't going to wait until night. He was going to do it now. Right in the middle of day. The only one that could witness the event was Pere or one of the maids. Pere wouldn't betray him. The maids weren't here right now. He would be safe.
Luke turned his attention from the frog to Guy. His face lit up even brighter when he saw who it was, but then he quirked his head to the side in confusion. "Guy… Are you alright?"
Guy didn't say anything. His eyes were dim and his ears were deaf. This was the boy who could finish his revenge. Just one flick of the hand could end it. The boy wouldn't even put up a struggle.
He bent down onto the ground, keeping his eyes on Luke. Luke sat up in curiosity, sensing something wrong.
Guy began to talk. His voice was low and foreign to Luke, "You know… when I was your age my entire family was killed. They were murdered. Their blood drenched my clothes. It went all over my skin. I couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks.
"I hated the man who had ordered the attack. I hated that man so much that I wanted to die. I decided I would get revenge if it was the last thing I did… I would kill that man's son."
"Guy…" Luke whimpered, unconsciously leaning away. "You're scaring me… Please stop…"
Guy's tone was even, "I'm going to kill you, Luke."
He got the sword and placed it delicately on the base of Luke's neck, pressing it against the skin so that there was minimal resistance. Luke didn't move. His eyes widened in fear.
"You can hardly feel it, right? But your heart must be beating so fast…" He applied a bit more pressure, cutting into Luke's skin. A small drop of blood trickled down his pale neck. Luke whimpered, desperately this time.
"Guy, please stop." Luke begged, trying his hardest not to move.
Guy pressed harder. A steady flow of blood soaked through Luke's flower necklace. "The soldiers that killed all of my family…all of my friends and neighbors.. They didn't even blink an eye as their prey begged for mercy - begged for their lives. Duke Fabre didn't stop. He killed all those innocent people! He destroyed them! He destroyed me!"
Guy flung his sword into the air, and then sent it crashing down… Blood littered the courtyard.
Guy gasped, sitting up as if he had been struck by lightning. His sheets were tangled around him, but he didn't notice. He was breathing harshly, as if there wasn't enough air in the room. He was choking on his breaths. His mind was buzzing. Sweat coated his skin and dripped down the side of his face. It felt like a desert inside of his room.
He pulled his knees up to himself, forcing himself to breath. He hugged his knees close, trying to find any source of comfort.
"Oh, God," he sobbed. He gripped his hair with his hands, unable to deal with the pain that had welled up inside of his chest. It was horrible. He had never felt so terrible in his life. He couldn't go through with it. He couldn't kill Luke. He didn't want to feel this way again. Luke was his friend, Luke was his brother. Luke was the only family that he had left. He couldn't destroy that. How could he have ever thought he was capable of such an act? Luke was all he had left.
Pain seared through his chest with each breath. He was beginning to feel dizzy and faint. The emotions within him welled up even more powerfully than before.
"Luke…" he whispered. His dream had been so real. He had felt the hatred that his dream gave him. He felt that intent to kill. His desire to kill. He had placed that sword to Luke's throat. He had dug it into Luke's delicate flesh. He had killed Luke. "What have I done….?"
But it had only been a dream. It was a shock to Guy, though. Where had these emotions come from? They hadn't just developed over night. Why didn't he notice them before? He had always planned to kill Duke Fabre's son. When had he changed his mind?
It might've been the time when Luke walked for the first time since he lost his memory. He felt pride then. Luke had walked straight to him. His heart swelled at the time. He didn't realize he was starting to get attached to the Duke's son.
Or all of the times when Luke had run into Guy's room after having a nightmare. He always looked so scared. The second that Guy wrapped his arms around the poor boy, Luke's fright disappeared. Luke trusted Guy. Luke loved Guy. And Guy loved Luke.
Luke was his family now. After Guy's family was killed, he sought after the Duke in hopes of doing the same to him. But he had never expected to find in the Duke's blood what he had lost those years ago.
Guy threw the sheets off of himself and stood up. He wouldn't feel at ease until he saw that Luke was okay. He saw all that blood in his dream. Just thinking about it made his stomach churn.
He made his way through the halls just like he did into Duke Fabre's life - quietly, skillfully, and without getting caught.
The courtyard shone a pale blue in the moonlight. It was beautiful. Guy half expected to see Luke sitting in the center of it, playing with some toy. His heart fell slightly when he found the courtyard empty. His pace quickened.
Luke. He jumped onto the ledge of Luke's bedroom and opened the window. Luke was lying in his bed, huddled up into a little lump.
Guy stepped inside the warmth of the room, looking down at the little boy. He had his favorite stuffed animal wrapped in his arms. It was held tightly to his chest. Guy smiled at the sight. He seemed a little old for stuffed animals.
As if sensing the motion, Luke opened his eyes. Sleep coated them still, but he noticed Guy almost immediately.
"Guy….? What are you doing here?"
Guy smiled down at Luke, happy and content at the sound of the boy's voice. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to check on you."
Luke frowned slightly, "I was having a bad dream." He stretched his arms out to Guy.
Guy sat down on the bed and held onto Luke. He held onto him for a long time, feeling the rhythm of his breathing. It was steady and even. It was comforting and peaceful. Guy felt like he were in a dream. A very good dream. Time didn't seem to pass normally. Time was different tonight.
Luke had fallen back asleep by the time that Guy was ready to let go of him. He gently set Luke down on the bed, putting the stuffed animal back into his arms. He stood up, smiling down at Luke. In the morning, Luke would wake up, just like normal. In the morning, Guy would begin his duty as a servant and watch over Luke, making sure no harm would come to him. He smiled at the thought. He knew this was the right thing to do.
Mary was his family. He loved Mary. She had loved him. Luke was his family, too. And he loved Luke very much. He could not kill Luke. He would stay by Luke's side and protect him. It was his duty as a servant. Just like it was his duty as Luke's brother.