Twisted Fascination
"Vanya, it's time to get up, sweetie."
Grumbling at his mother's gentle whispers, Ivan curled onto his side and refused to budge his sleeping head from her skirts. Above him, he heard her laugh.
"You're eight now, Vanya," She said in a voice filled with exasperation and amusement, "Time to act like a big boy now."
"Just five more minutes, okay?"
"No," Yekatrina said more firmly as the carriage rolled to a stop. She pulled her wayward, half asleep son to an upright position and gave him a once over. "Ah, just look at you. Only a few hours and your hair is already a mess. Come here and let me fix it."
"Mama, stop it. I can do it myself!" Ivan whined, pushing her fussy hands away.
Yekatrina opened her mouth to say he would always be her baby boy when someone outside blew a trumpet to gain the attention of the crowd. "Her Majesty, Queen Yekatrina and His Highness, Prince Ivan!"
Sighing, she glanced at her son with an eyebrow raised. Ready?
Ready as I'll ever be.Ivan shrugged, adopting his adult expression.
They emerged from the carriage to a cheering crowd. Ivan trailed respectfully and solemnly behind his mother as she charmed the people around them. His eyes darted to the right and then quickly to the left. All around him, he saw men suited and ready for the tournament to begin. They were all waiting to bring glory to their King or die trying.
Ivan barely kept himself wincing as he caught sight of a man sharpening his sword; his stomach lurched at the thought of the sharp tip of that blade slicing into human flesh. He hated bloodshed. Could never stand it.
As the large tent baring the Diamond's insignia loomed closer, Ivan whispered beneath his breath. "Mama, why did father insist I come? He knows I get queasy at the sight of blood."
She replied quietly through smiling teeth. "I don't know, but he must have his reasons."
"Can't I, you know, pretend I'm sick and miss the tournament entirely?"
"Vanya!" She laughed a little desperately, "Of course you can't!" She held onto his hand, knowing that if he really wanted to, he would skip out on his princely duties in a heartbeat if she didn't keep an eye on him. Ignoring his slight pout, Yekatrina entered the tent with a disgruntled Ivan in tow.
Upon their entrance, a man dressed entirely in deep blue greeted them. "My Queen, you've come just in time." He held out his arm and waited for Yekatrina to place her hand on his before leading them to their seats. "The show is just beginning. The first round will be between Spade's Second in Command and last year's champion."
"Last year's champion?" She said surprised, "Isn't it a bit too soon for him to make his appearance? He's already seeded for the quarter final. What need is there for him to fight now?"
The King of Diamond laughed heartily at his wife's observation. "You're absolutely correct, but the other Kings and I tire of Heart winning so we proposed a new venue." His attention was momentarily drawn away as the crowd cried out their disappointment.
Yekatrina cleared her throat. "What is this new venue that you speak of, Your Majesty?"
He smirked at the sight of Spade's chosen warrior fell face first into the floor. "We each get to select 5 men and whoever can defeat Heart's Jack will be declared the new winner."
Yekatrina's eyes widened. "That's barbaric! Surely you don't think that's fair?"
"Of course not if it was any other Jack," Diamond laughed, but waved away her concern. "Do you think Heart would've agreed if he wasn't confident in this damn indestructible Jack of his? Just look."
Out in the field, Clover had already sent in his man and in a matter of seconds, everyone in the area knew he had no chance against the black haired man. The Jack of Heart brought his blade down continuously, swiftly, and precisely down on his opponent. Clover's warrior had no time to dodge or make a counterattack of his own. Acting more on instinct than on tactics, he brought his sword up to meet the Jack of Heart's. Again and again, he blocked the blade, but he had fallen into a cycle. The Jack of Heart was swinging faster and faster; his arm was beginning to tire, the sword in his hand becoming a dead weight. If he was a second late in blocking….If the Heartless Jack didn't arch his sword but jab….
Diamond sighed despondently as Clover's first warrior flew out of the ring. "As I said, we can send in as many men as we like, but we'll do nothing but inflate Heart's ego." He waved a finger and sent in his own representative.
Curiosity burning in him, Ivan tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mama, Mama, who is this Jack you two keep talking about? Why is he so special? Is he that amazing?"
Yekatrina bent her head to speak into his ear. "He's the Heartless Jack of Hearts. People say he lost his heart a long time ago and goes into the battlefield to search for a new, suitable one. Since he became the Jack of Heart, he has won every tournament held by the Four Kingdoms."
"What else can you expect with a Jack? No one can defeat a Jack unless it's another Suit."
"You'd be right," Yekatrina corrected him, "except for one thing. He has been the Jack of Heart for fiftyyears and has survived the death of his previous King. No one has ever held the position for that long. Usually, with the death of a King, a Jack is challenged and loses, but with him, no one has been able to beat him in the last five decades. Not a Jack. Not even an Ace."
"Impossible!" Ivan yelled incredulous.
"Apparently it's not impossible," Yekatrina chuckled. "No one knows much about him except for the fact that he hails from the East. Perhaps we need a man from the Eastern Empire to serve our court as well."
Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of their unconscious representative into the tent.
Ivan had ignored the previous matches. The sound of metal on metal was more than enough to make him flinch. He did not want to endanger his reputation by throwing up his breakfast for all to see. Despite this, Ivan steadied himself to watch the remainder of the tournament.
If his mother had not referred to him as a "he", Ivan would've never known that the Jack of Heart was a man. His face lacked the strong, sharp angle of most men. It seemed soft and smooth like that of a woman. Ivan couldn't believe a person with such slender physique defeat men double or triple his size and strength. It was inconceivable.
At first, his keen eyes followed the Jack of Hearts movement and with each swipe of the sword, his face grew paler and paler. He gasped when Jack's sword sliced through the air at someone's neck and gasped when a sword was knocked from his opponent's grasp.
It was this exact violence that he hated and loathed from the depth of his soul. However, to his astonishment, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the Jack of Heart. The more he watched, the less brutality he saw. It was…art.
His face held no rage, no anger. It reflected only his inner calm and peace. His motions were flawless: clear and concise as he pressed his opponent back. His strokes were aggressive, but it held no maliciousness. His sword arched and flowed; the sharpness of the blade as it shone in the sun enchanted him.
He had never seen anything so deadly and yet so beautiful before.
"-right, Ivan?"
Engrossed by his discovery, he missed his father calling him. "Yes!" Ivan guiltily straightened in his seat. "S-sorry…Can you repeat that again?"
The King pursed his lips. "I said, it's your turn now, Ivan. Do not disappoint me."
Not understanding, Ivan shook his head. "My turn? My turn for what?"
"Dear," Yekatrina tried to intercept them, "He's just a boy. An eight year old boy. What can he prove by-"
"SILENCE!" Diamond yelled. His eyes pierced through Ivan before moving onto his wife. "It's your fault he's this weak. He wets himself at the mention of a fight and he's my heir?! How much more coddling do you want to do? How much more do you want to shame me?"
"Stop!" Ivan stood between his mother and the King. "It's not Mama's fault-"
The King's hand lashed out, lifting Ivan by the collar of his shirt until his toes barely touched the floor. "Mama? YOU STILL CALL THIS PITIFUL WOMAN BY THAT CHILDISH NAME?" The King of Diamond drew the boy close until the white of his eye could be seen. "Hear me, heir of mine. From this moment on, you're no longer Prince Ivan. You are the Ace of Diamond. Win or lose, you will go out into that arena and prove that you earned that mark on your hand. If you cry or shed a single tear, mark my words, I will cut that hand off and find myself another Ace. Do you understand me?"
Ivan nodded silently, not trusting himself not to whimper.
"Good" The King smiled, patting his shoulders. "You don't have to defeat him since I know it's impossible, but at least don't die on me alright?" With a shove between his shoulder blades, Ivan stumbled into the field. Frightened and bewildered, Ivan trudged reluctantly into the fighting ring, clutching desperately a short sword to his chest.
Silently watching the terrified child approach him, Yao waited. When it seemed the child walked as close as he dared, he finally spoke. "If you forfeit now, I won't be forced to hurt you."
With tears swimming in his bright, violet eyes, the boy shook his head. Clumsily, he pulled the short sword from its' scabbard and held it up.
Yao disarmed him with the flick of his wrist. The sword tumbled out of the youths hand and onto the ground. He allowed the boy to scramble for it and was awarded with the sight of a child shaking from unshed tears as he held it again in his little hands.
Yao heaved a little sigh and swung harder.
This time, the boy's blade flew out of his hand to land ten feet away from him. Before the boy could move, Yao twirled his sword until the edge of it gleamed against the youth's throat. He could feel the rapid heartbeat of the child against his blade, the terror and uncertainty of those round, innocent eyes that stared at him pleadingly.
"Isn't this where you beg for your life?" Yao asked him, digging his sword just deep enough to draw blood.
The boy's adam's apple bobbed against his sword, but he stayed quiet. Yao dug a little deeper, causing a pained gasp from the child.
Yao had no patience with not only an inexperienced fighter, but an unwilling one. It was painfully obvious to him the boy was not here to gain glory or fame. It would be easier for everyone if the boy would just forfeit and go back to where he came.
However, the boy made no move to attack or defend himself. Unwilling to admit defeat, he simply stood at Yao's mercy, waiting for his verdict. The only way Yao could win this was to harm this defenseless child.
A ghost of a smile graced the Jack of Hearts lips and Ivan felt the blood drain from his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, but instead of feeling cold steel slice through him, he felt soft hands wipe away the blood on his neck. His eyes flew open and he saw the Heartless Jack bending over him. Patting him on the head, the Heart's Jack apologized. "Sorry for scaring you. In return, this is your win."
In a daze, Ivan watched the undefeated champion walk out of the arena. The roaring cheer of the crowd was drowned out by the buzzing in his ears. When it finally hit him what had happened, he sank to his knees, emotions of gratitude and admiration filling him.
His mother present and proud; smiling faces surrounding him. It was Ivan's favorite memory; the last bright spot in his life.
Over and over he replayed it in his head as darkness filled him. Over and over the image would fill his mind. The last moments of that smile, those gentle hands that caressed his skin. The exhilaration, the jubilation he felt thanks to that one act of kindness.
And Ivan needed to relive that moment again, to know what it was like to feel happy and loved. He needed to remember.
He needed Yao.
A/n: I'm rushing this. Please forgive me for the rough writing. It is 5 am... (And I sure as hell can't write fighting scenes awake or not LOL).