Angel's Bow - 1
Summary: A single arrow is all it takes. Just one to break the surface, shattering the facade to see what lies beneath.
Here it is. Part four in my Luna/Kuja series, which is called Lunar Stone over on the archive. (pun intended)
She's being dragged across the floor, fingers scraping over the rough stone, trying to find purchase. But her fingers keep slipping, painting the dark grey rock a dark red as she passes over it, leaving thin trails from the tips of her fingers.
The skin at the tips was broken after she had started trying to mark the passing days by chipping the wall of her prison. They never healed because she kept it up, every single time the sun dipped down below the small grate she had found in the back of the dungeon.
A loud cackling echoed off the walls as she slid over the stone, grunting once when a slab of stone was turned up at the edge and caught her on the chin when she passed over it. "Enjoying the tour, Lovegood? Do you think it went good? Did you love it?" Bellatrix's hissing voice is right next to her ear when she speaks, but Luna keeps her mouth shut.
The mad woman isn't actually looking for an answer. She's just bored and trying to entertain herself for the time being as Voldemort hasn't given her any explicit instructions for the last few days. It just so happened that this was the day she was taking out her frustration on Luna.
Tomorrow it would be one of the other prisoners. Perhaps the goblin.
"Lovegood," Bellatrix murmured; she could see the woman pressing a finger to her lips after speaking, staring at a section of the wall that she presumed held a painting of one of the Malfoys. "What an odd choice for a family name. Why do you think your ancestors chose it for themselves? Where did it come from?"
She said nothing, letting the woman become a temporary philosopher on the matter of her last name. If it was currently distracting Bellatrix enough not to want to continue dragging her naked form over the rough ground and she wasn't going to direct it back to her by even moving an inch.
Bellatrix continued in a whimsical voice; possibly copying her own as she spoke, "Love-good. Good love. They could have chosen love well, couldn't they? Or are they talking about the act rather than the feeling? Do you make good love?" Luna felt a quick jab of pain in her back when she didn't answer. "No. Your family trait is being insane, believing in things that don't exist. You're almost like those muggles that believe in magic, but can't spin the thread because they don't have the blood."
The tip of the wand moved to her spine, trailing down the thin layer of skin on top of the bone. "So," Bellatrix murmured much more softly than before. "You come up with these creatures and what-not, making silly contraptions that supposedly see them so other wizard folk will believe you as well. Correct? Just like those muggles that pretend to be seers: waving their hands above a crystal ball, reading the lines on a hand, the tea leaves in a cup. You're family is so similar to them. I'm beginning to think you're a mudblood."
A quick burst of pain shot out from the middle of her back to envelop her body for a few seconds, stretching out to her toes and ears; slicing and biting into her skin but leaving no mark. "I'm a pureblood." As much as she hated saying it, she had to. This woman was obsessed with lineage, even though she could care less. She could only imagine how many burwilmes were currently around Bellatrix, feeding on the pain she caused others.
"You should say that with more pride," the growl was clear in her tone and the prodding of the wand demanded a repeat of her performance.
Luna cleared her throat, "I am a pureblood."
"Better." The wand lifted from her back. "Much better."
In the next second she could feel multiples blades running over her back, down her legs and up her arms, slicing at the back of her neck. The stone was grinding against her body as if she were a block of cheese, shredding her with each swift move from side-to-side.
She was gasping out loud by the time Bellatrix lifted the cruciatus curse from her body.
"Now don't be so condescending the next time you speak to me."
It was only a second later the Bellatrix got that grin on her face. The one that was completely fed up with her lack of subjects to torture; annoyed that she couldn't kill a single one cause each was useful in their own way. Her own being something Bellatrix liked to remind her about nearly every other day. The threat of what would happen to her if Voldemort won never grew dull though, it was just as sharp as the first time she heard it.
But Bellatrix didn't look like she wanted to talk anymore and Luna sucked in a breath before the curse hit her again, urging herself not to scream. Not to give in to the bitch - she was a bitch. Don't scream. Don't scream, Luna. Don't-
She could feel hands clasped over her shoulders, shaking her violently and Luna's eyes snapped open to see Kuja crouched down in front of her. "Finally. What are you doing? Screaming your head off like that when there's nothing wrong."
Her lips parted but no words came out, she could still remember her imprisonment vividly. As if it were still happening. All those blades piercing through to her organs... Her fingers twitched before she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Kuja. She willed the memories away, reminding herself that she wasn't there. The scent of him was invading her nostrils, helping to force them back. She curled her fingers into the fabric of his clothes, soft instead of rough. Everything about him was the opposite of that place, that woman, but she was his prisoner.
Imprisoned on a different world with no way back home and not knowing when her usefulness to him would pass. Even if she had been given the freedom to move around the palace, she couldn't allow herself to forget that.
Luna began to pull away, realizing what she had just done - trying to find comfort in her captor from her memories of the last one - when a pair of hands pressed against her back, keeping her in place.
"Moon girl?" his breath was warm against her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. "What is it? What's frightening you?"
She fought to find her voice, as his words seemed to vibrate through her own body; or it could just be the pounding of his heart not far from hers. "Nothing," she murmured, but the tear that slipped down her cheek betrayed her.
Luna felt his head shift next to hers and her blood ran warm a second later when a wet appendage collected the drop of salty liquid, leaving behind the smell of peppermint on her cheek. "That's not nothing. I haven't done anything to break you, have I?"
Her mind went back to the time she was lying face down on the granite floor, screaming as he used fire and ice to assure her safe passage through the palace without setting off the alarms. Beyond that though... "No."
"Then what is it?" his voice was soft, soothing.
She bit into her lip before allowing herself to speak, "Even without the room I'm still your prisoner-"
"I never said you were a prisoner."
Luna closed her mouth at his words. He was right. He hadn't ever explicitly said she was his prisoner, but his actions proved otherwise. Then she couldn't beat around the bush, as it didn't feel like he was going to let her go until she told him what he wanted to know. "I was a prisoner," her voice cracked when she spoke. "They tortured me even when I didn't know where the person was that they were looking for. They were convinced I knew because I supported him. She tortured me because she was bored. With dark forbidden magic."
"Forbidden magic?"
"You don't know the spells." It was the only information she supplied him with. He didn't believe in her way of doing magic anyway. All mentioning it ever did was make him angry and she wanted to avoid that. Avoid any punishments.
"Hmm." He was silent for a few seconds. "What would it take to convince you that you're safe here?" She had no idea so she kept silent, just breathing in his scent. "Have I not done enough to assure you of your safety? I've already said I won't hurt you unless you need to be punished and I'm not going to kill you. That would be counter-productive."
How? She wanted to ask, but he rarely answered her own questions anymore unless it had to do with the planet or the magic he and the other inhabitants used. Of which she only knew of were Zorn and Thorn; two very eccentric jesters.
One of his hands lowered and she could feel him standing in the next moment, holding her in his arms. "What are you doing?" Luna asked as he adjusted his grip on her body.
"I'm going to test a new theory," Kuja replied simply, glancing down at her and waiting for the question she would inevitably ask.
"Do you need me for it?"
"You are essential." He turned his gaze from her as he began to walk down the hall. "Unless the idea of sleeping next to me terrifies you that much."
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