A/N: EDIT: The story has been edited to reflect grammatical and slight plot adjustments.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: Rebellions marked the start of a new age, a new dawn. It often occurred in history to the point it was expected rebellions turned tides. Tyrants were dethroned, beheaded and the system was changed, giving the people the power to rule for themselves. Rebellions marked the beginning of change, not the end of one.
Red Rebellion (Part 3)
A soundless groan escaped her dry lips upon the rise of a new dawn. Aye, it was a new dawn but it was not the dawn Claire Farron had planned since she was five years old. A new dawn for her meant the liberation of Bodhum and its lands. The lands, sea and sky were free from the tyrannical grip of the devil: Caius Ballad. Forcing her eyes to open, that dawn never happened. The young woman was on her back with her eyes fixed on the floral ceiling, eyes tracing each loop and groove. It pained her to think she failed her people and her family. All she fought for was for naught. Captured and imprisoned in the Dark Castle, the edge of her eyes watered with utter frustration.
Prisoner.
The word stung her like rusted swords, driven through her flesh. She would never be free. Never. Breathing for the sake of breathing was pointless if her wings were clipped. This was a fate certainly worse than death. It made no sense to the maiden; she did everything she could have done to win back her town and set her people free. Instead, she sent them to their deaths, one by one. The images were too haunting to remember. Heads rolled, eyes popped and limbs torn from its sockets. It haunted her to hear the sounds of families torn apart by their loved ones. The ones they loved, whom they ate dinner at the table every day transformed into wild dogs within a blink of an eye. The sounds of the elderly couple screaming together as they were viciously bludgeoned to death. The screams of the little boy who was torn in two reminded Lightning of her failure. She was no leader; she was just a mere girl.
I failed.
The amount of life lost because of her plan was devastating. Covering her eyes with her arm, Lightning contemplated her next move. Should she allow Caius to kill her and let it be over? What was there to live for when everything she loved was taken away? Lightning slowly moved her free hand to her neck where she carefully curled her fingers around her throat. It was not enough to strangle the life out of her, but it was sufficient to cause enough discomfort. Rewarded with a choke, she removed the arm covering her eyes and quietly sobbed.
Perhaps it was times like this she exposed her vulnerability. No one was around to mock her tears of failure and frustration. Nobody was there to comfort her when she needed it most.
"Serah..."
Lightning was oblivious to Serah's existence within the damned realm. She had no clue if her sister was alive or dead in the Dark Castle. Lightning forced herself to believe her sister was alive, but she knew all too well, those who came in contact with the devil was met with death.
"I know death will take me next," Lightning mumbled in a cheerless tone.
Her somber lines were suddenly interrupted by the sound of three distinct knocks on the door. With no motivation to remove herself from the bed, a gentle creak cracked, signaling the opening of the door. Instead of glancing over, Lightning ignored the being walking into the room in slow but heavy strides. It was not the King.
"Girl," she heard the raspy voice. "The King summons."
Judging by the heavy breaths made by the voice, Lightning assumed it was an old man of sorts. Pushing herself up, her eyes landed upon an old, hunched back man with grotesquely curled, yellow nails. His face was far from perfect; it had been twisted and scorched, as if someone had delivered him a bone-breaking beating then graciously torched him alive. Contorted, deformed and charred, he was absolutely monstrous. With a black eye-patch over his right eye, Lightning dared not to look at his face. She pitied the man, but he seemed to be the type who despised sympathy.
The old man took a step closer to Lightning, carefully analyzing her young features.
"Why?" he croaked.
"Why?" Lightning repeated. "Why what?"
Biting his split lip, the old man questioned, "Why did you choose to defy the King?"
"Because it was the right thing to do," Lightning truthfully answered.
"It was the right thing to do," The man repeated in a mocking tone. "You believe your actions could have made a difference?"
"Yes."
"Then you are a fool," The man sneered. "Those who oppose the King were met with unpleasant deaths. There are reasons why he is a tyrant. You are aware of it, aren't you?"
Lightning was silent.
"Make no mistake: The King cares not about a living soul. Except..."
"Except?"
The old man blinked at her and lifted up his head. "Except those he fancies. Dear girl, my old bones tell me the King highly fancies you."
Shivers ran down her spine as if someone slipped ice cubes down her back.
"However, even if he fancies you, dear girl, he will kill you." The old man took several steps away from Lightning. His old eye scanned Lightning's physique as he understood all too well what pleased the eyes of the Dragon King. "The King often plays with his prey before he snaps their neck and eats their beating heart. It can be today, tomorrow, next month or perhaps, next year before he does so. For the moments you are alive, I suggest you discard all hopes of truly living. The King will devour your soul bit by bit until you are nothing more but an empty shell."
Grumbling something under his breath, the man limped out of the room and firmly slammed the door behind him. Lightning slumped forward, her mind heavy with thoughts of impending doom. The man told her the King fancied her. The King had a habit of playing with this prey before killing them. There was no guessing what he may do to her. Curling her fingers over her thigh, Lightning had a vague idea what the King was going to do to her. The way he looked at her expressed a man's deepest desire. Lightning was no fool; she knew the King had a burning desire to bed and destroy all fragments of her dignity. She knew he was planning to dehumanize her into nothing more than a plaything.
"If he wants me... then he'll have to get past my dead body first."
Slipping off the soft mattress, Lightning dragged herself to the door. Placing a hand on the silver polished doorknob, she carefully collected her turbulent thoughts and accessed the situation; she took it upon herself to not give up because Farron blood ran in her veins. Farrons do not quit. If Caius's deepest desire was to taint her, then so be it; she would deliver the fight of her life even if it meant dying for the sake of unattainable freedom.
Walking through the solitary hallway of the Dark Castle, the maiden passed through several arched windows, each filled with beautifully crafted stained glass. Each window told stories of each King, who ruled the lands. No King in history was more generous than the last King. His acts of kindness were felt by his people and in exchange, the people loved him for it. They did everything for their King, even if he walked down the path of madness carved by the devil.
Coming to an abrupt stop, Lightning paused at the second to last window. The colors of green, blue, yellow and red lit up upon the appearance of the silver pendant hanging in the sky. The last true King, as the stained glass portrayed, showed him standing in front of the national library which he gifted to the people. The faces of the people lit up with smiles and cheers.
"Your Majesty..."
Bowing respectfully to the window, Lightning whispered her promise to the last King; she will avenge him. Straightening her back, Lightning took ten more steps through the dark hall to stop at the last open, glassless window. All that was there was a golden plaque etched with the devil's name: Caius Ballad. His name deserved no such honor to be engraved in gold. Narrowing her eyes, Lightning wanted to tear the plaque out with her bare fingers. The devil's name should be written in ash, not gold.
"You don't deserve this," Lightning grumbled. "Devils don't deserve to have their names written in gold."
Snapping her attention away from the golden plaque, she resumed her walk through the darkness. She had no idea where she was to go, but she figured, she allowed her legs do the walking while her mind forged a plan to destroy the King. Coming to an abrupt halt, her ears picked up a string of haunting melodies echoing from the darkness. Unknown to her, her legs picked up their pace. The heels of her brown boots clicked against the polished marble floor. Step by step she took, honing in on the eerie notes bouncing off solidified statues and etched walls.
Hard notes trembled across the hall momentarily rattling her bones. Lightning stopped in front of a white door with a pair of curled leaf-shaped golden handles. There. There it was again; the sound of a haunting instrument being played. Curling her fingers on the handles, she pulled the door open and was greeted by the sounds of thunderous tunes. There. Sitting at the corner of the hall was Caius. His fingers danced across ebony and ivory keys of the organ, playing out the lament of the dead. Her body was now stiff, eyes fixed on the King. She observed how entranced he was pressing every note with his fingers.
The same fingers you tore out my father's heart with.
At the mere sight of him, Lightning wanted to carve out his spine.
"You arrived."
The music stopped. The King glanced up and met her eyes. Caius saw Lightning's clenched fingers. He assumed she imagined she held a dagger, waiting to drive it through his heart.
"Come here. Come sit next to me."
"..."
Caius meant well shifting over to show Lightning there was a spot available next to him. The maiden was rooted to the spot, refusing to move.
"Do not worry Claire Farron, I have no desire to hurt you."
Lightning tensed. "You will hurt me. Just not now."
"And tell me why will I do that? I am just offering you a seat beside me. Is it not a kind gesture of invitation?" Standing up, he wanted to show her he held no concealed weapons. "Do you trust me now?"
"Like hell I would."
Lightning could never believe his words. White lies, truths, lies—they were all mixed into one.
Extending out a generous hand, Caius placed more authority in his voice and once again, invited her to sit next to him. "Come."
She bit her lip. She was beyond disgusted. Taking several steps forward, she walked directly to Caius with gritted teeth. Still, she kept a straight face and approached the King. Swallowing her pride, she sat beside him and waited for him to make the next move.
"You respond well to commands." Caius praised.
"I'm not a mutt!" Shooting a death glare at him, she snapped, "Don't you dare compare me with flea-ridden mongrels!"
Lightning seethed. Raising her hand, her wrist was instantly caught and slammed onto the ebony and ivory keys, emitting a thunderous roar from the metallic organ.
"Behave yourself, Claire. Surely you want to keep your hand, do you not?"
"Let..." Lightning winced feeling his fingers tighten around her wrist. "…Me go!"
The grip tightened. Lightning had already used her other hand to desperately pry off his vice grip. Digging her own nails into his skin, he watched her try her best to extricate herself. Her attempts amused him so. So much so, he gripped her other hand and yanked her to sit on his lap. With arms crisscrossed in front of her torso, she thrashed, spitting out vulgar curses. For twenty-nine years, he waited for the moment he could be with her. For twenty-nine years, his patience was blooming into fruition.
"Why must you make things so difficult for yourself, Claire? Do you enjoy punishment?"
"Let me go you sadistic freak!" The more she thrashed, the tighter his grip became. She could feel her wrists going numb.
"Your thrill for resistance amuses me so,"
Lightning struggled and cursed, desperately trying to free herself from the mad King. Hearing his demonic whispers laced with a man's deepest desire forced her skin to crawl. About to shriek, Lightning's ear picked up the sound of the creaking door. Caius stopped. Slowly turning his head, his purple piercing gaze fell on the hunched back man, pushing in a silver polished food cart. It was the man Lightning met earlier. The old man paid no attention to the duo and slowly, unloaded several plates of food onto the table. The sound of ceramic plates tapped against the table cloth echoed and Lightning quickly tore his hands away from her body. Scrambling to get out of his lap, the maiden rushed to the door. About to leave, she heard the old man clear his throat.
"I wouldn't leave if I were you," The man whispered. "The King prefers to dine with guests."
"I'm—"
"Don't. Go." Placing the last dish onto the table, his arthritic digits curled around the handle. "For your sake."
Lightning swallowed. Lowering her head, she took several steps away from the door, watching the man push out the food cart. Slamming the door shut, she was once again left alone to the mercy of the King. Lightning instantly spun around and lined her back against the door. Caius had already left the organ and was now by the elongated table, igniting the candles with the tips of his fingers, one by one. The orange flames burned, reflected off the neatly placed silverware and golden goblets on the table. Reaching out to a white rose, he pulled it out of the ivory vase and casually walked to Lightning. Step by step he approached her with eyes fixed on Lightning's physique. He was only a step away from her for he leaned forward, holding the rose by its fragile stem.
"I dislike interruptions," he deeply growled. "He will be punished for interrupting our private time."
Looking deeply into her eyes, he lifted up the rose stem to her eye level. Twirling it from side to side, Lightning watched the base of the white rose turn black. What appeared to be black veins slithering through the petals entranced her in the most sickening way.
"He will be like this rose, dear Lightning. He will be infected and diseased. The disease will slowly consume him from within until he can no longer breathe... He will writhe in pain, begging for utter mercy which I will not grant. He will suffer."
The petals withered. In a couple moments, the petals were set ablaze, consumed by deadly azure flames. Lifting the rose closer to Lightning's face, Caius narrowed his eyes at the flaming beauty before him.
"I do not like it when someone crosses me, Lightning. I advise you always remember it. Never cross me."
Lightning turned her head away once he crushed the rose with his bare hand. Feeling his hands on the side of her arms, his rough hands slid down her arms until they touched her fingers. Gently peeling her away from the wall, the King guided his prize to the stitched leather seat at the base of the table. Pulling her down onto the seat, Lightning sat and watched the King kneel before her. His rough hands cupped her hands, running a thumb over the back of her soft hand.
"Do you promise to never cross me, Claire Farron?" he whispered. "Do you promise to never anger the raging beast deep asleep inside of me?"
Did Lightning have a choice? Did she truly have a choice to refuse? The maiden once again turned away. She never had a choice. Feeling a kiss placed on her hand, like he did those many years ago, a tingling sensation erupted. Her lips pursed. Feeling his fingers touch her fingers, especially her left ring finger, Lightning winced. About to voice what was on her mind, she felt a cold object slip onto her finger. Snapping her head to him, there was a shiny black ring coiled around the base of her ring finger. In the center of the ring was a raised oval-shaped gem, in the shape of a demonic eye.
"Mine," Caius spoke quietly. "You belong to me."
Dipping his head to kiss her ring finger, Lightning felt small jabs into her skin. Trying to pull away her hand, the more she struggled, the deeper the pain became. Biting her lip, she managed to shove the King away to cradle her hand. Her eyes focused on the black ring with a red line beneath its glossy finish. It was not a static red line, but it was her blood. The ring fed on her blood! Frantic, Lightning tried to tear the ring off her finger but was rewarded with pain; the more she pulled, the deeper the sharpened points dug into her flesh.
"What... What did you do to me?!" Lightning shrieked, desperately pulling on the ring. The more she pulled, the more pain she suffered. "What is this?!"
"An Oath Ring," The King calmly replied.
Standing up, he dusted himself then headed to the table. Uncapping a bottle of bourbon, he simply poured into one of the golden goblets.
"As I have explained earlier: You belong to me. Whatever impure thoughts you may have against me or if you by chance happen to think of escaping, the ring will punish you."
"You monster!"
"Now, now, Lightning. The more you struggle, the more pain you will be in." Turning to her, he poured the bourbon into another goblet followed by crushed rose petals. Walking and giving the goblet to Lightning, he commanded, "Drink."
Growling, she slapped away the goblet. The goblet chimed against the polished floor and splashed on the fur rug. Lightning cradled her hand with eyes narrowed at the King. Lightning madly shook her head. Closing her eyes, Lightning tried to harness the flowing power within her veins. Pushing her pulsing pained hand against her frantic heart, Lightning attempted to concentrate on casting fire magik.
"It is pointless," Caius spoke nonchalantly, amused by Lightning's feeble attempts of conjuring magik. "The ring limits your ability to use spells."
It was then the King smirked.
Being the devil that he was, Caius continued, "By all means you are more than welcome to continue struggling, dear Lightning. But do remember one thing: The ring feeds my heart. The more you fight it, the stronger I become, thanks to my beloved wife bleeding for a monster."
Lightning froze.
"Now that has sunk in, let us dine, my dear wife. I do not like dining on cold food, do you not agree?"
Hearing the sound of the chair scraped against the floor, Caius seated himself at the head of the table. Glancing over to Lightning, he watched his beloved with much amusement; standing as solid as a statue, his words sunk in deeply. Watching her arms fall to the side, Lightning dipped her head forward and seated herself. Her eyes fell onto the empty plate in front of her as her mind continued to reel from recent events. Her mind was mimicking a broken record player, repeating and stuttering on memories she wanted to forget. Curling her fingers on her lap, Lightning remained silent when ultimately, her eyes locked onto the eye on her ring. He was watching.
Why must things be this way? The maiden somberly thought. Why? What happened? What did I do to deserve this... this hell? All I wanted was to free everybody from this reign of madness. I tried to do good and yet... everybody died. Is it my fault? Is this my punishment for leading everybody to their deaths? Yes. It's my fault, but I can't let their deaths be in vain. They died believing they can be free from this hell. I am Claire Farron. I can honor everybody their dying wishes. I promise, no, I will kill the Dragon King with my bare hands. I will succeed.
Tightening her fists, Lightning thought of all the townspeople and her parents who died in the Red Rebellion. Everybody she ever cared for was now a pile of unmarked ashes in long lost graves by the shore.
I swear it under the House Farron. You all will be avenged for the sake of a brighter tomorrow. Dad, mom, and Serah... I will make you all proud for the day the King's head rolls on these diseased steps. This, I swear.
