"What?" the very sound of his voice was enough to send them back in fear.
"Don't you think you've done enough to us, without coming here to mock our dead? Leave the ones you've killed to rest in peace you monster!" the man shouted, with few jeers of encouragement from those behind him- the number was growing.
"He…he has my daughter's ribbon…" the woman sobbed pathetically, as she saw the demon again, whimpering from the back desperately.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself!" another man yelled, when Albel let out a growl and his eyes flashed. "Don't you have any respect!"
He took a step forwards, and the crowd took one back. "Get out of my way," he snapped, still attempting not to cause a fuss and adhere to Nel's 'request', and all of them did, and Albel went to leave the maggots behind him.
"P-please…" the same woman began…shuffling ever so closer to him in fear, which was when he stopped. "My daughter's…ribbon…" she whispered again.
Albel was still, his hair covered his eyes, his claw seemed limp, his arm dead. He forgotten about the ribbon he clutched onto…so much for remembrance. Or maybe, he just didn't want to let go; maybe the woman couldn't let go.
"It won't bring her back…" he replied, to the wide eyed woman, "you're just suffering for no reason…"
"What the hell did you just say!" came another cry, as Albel's arm moved out slowly, holding it out to the aging woman who took it in her trembling fingertips.
"Thank…you…" she was crying silently now, and moved back towards the graves.
"You have no right to tell us we're suffering for no reason- it's all well and good for someone like you to think that way- you've never mourned a day in your life- someone like you- who delights in death-!" he was cut off abruptly b the sword tip in his face.
"That's enough!" he yelled furiously, and the crowd drew back.
"Go on then, kill me, show them all what a monster you are- I'm not afraid of you. I haven't got anything left!" they claimed.
She was confused, Fayt had seen that he was upsetting her with what he said, but he didn't really know why. She assured him it was nothing. She had smiled in that weak, fake way and lain down to sleep, only to find that her thoughts wouldn't let her.
She drifted through the many thoughts, was she scared, or angry, or upset- she couldn't help but feel pity for him, but also burrowed beneath the surfaces of this vanity was the sickening thought of his torturous mind- how she belonged to that mind now.
She waited, for Fayt to fall asleep, she waited until she could hear the deep comfortable sounds of his body at rest. She remembered back not so long ago, to when the man known as Albel was trying to rest, but even in sleep he was not left in peace- intruding nightmares caused him to cry out more than once, caused his arms to flail as if he were being suffocated or attacked, and he was helpless. Alone. Suffering.
Sophia couldn't stand it, she shifted and sat up in bed, creeping over to the small cabinet with a mirror at her level. Leaning over to it, in that dark, looking at the figure in front of her, she thought, how oblivious she had been, the whole time. As her hair parted, she saw it remained, refusing to fade, the mark left on her neck that branded her as his, the mark he bit into her. Did she see it as an act of affection, as horrifying but sweet as she had before, or did this change everything- was she now desperate to be rid of it?
Had she misjudged him- or was it that she was the only one able to act on her first feelings towards him and know, given what she felt and what others said, no one was fit to judge this man?
Fayt turned and drew his covers closer, and Sophia turned back to stare at him. And what of him? What would Fayt think of her, what would happen if she did choose…to be close to such a person?
"You talk nonsense, you surely do have something left, your life, I hope for the sake of those no longer here that you keep prattling on about, that you want to keep it," Albel frowned immensely.
To this the man said nothing, and Albel's scowl deepened.
He was now a bloody eyed warrior in the pitch black, with the lives of those faint hearted humans; he was the most foul, disgusting thing they had ever seen, because no matter what he truly was, from now on he would always be seen like this, by everyone. Even if he tried to change, which he never could, the name Albel the wicked extended further and quicker than he could try. He could never be a Fayt Leingod to these people, whose hearts were so fickle. Even if he did save the world, the moment death returned, their hearts would turn as easily as the blades that took their families and friends. He would be Albel the wicked, forever.
'That's enough!' the shrill came through the dark from round the corner- and a quick breath of air turned into a race to prevent suffering- but who's suffering? She wanted to think it was Albel's, but a part of her heart also would not let go of the possibility that it was something more terrible-
"Albel!" Sophia cried, as she stopped dead in her tracks, hugging herself- it wasn't true, he hadn't- surely he wouldn't.
The tip of the blade withdrew from the man's throat, and Albel watched him stagger back in relief.
"I don't care." Albel whispered, like a small child, looking at the floor, his katana by his side, blade touching the soil. Mercy? "I don't give a damn about your suffering. So you can blame me for every single death there has ever been, you can blame me when your houses fall down, and when your children get sick, you can even blame me when the ones you love go off to war and die, because I really don't care…if it makes you feel better, I'll take all the blame, but I won't ever feel sorry for any of it. I don't even feel remorse for those I have killed- why should I feel responsible for any of you, who are all alive? Just, leave me alone," Albel was quiet; it took them all a while to hear what had just come out of his mouth.
Most of them stood in stunned silence. And then-
"You bastard!" the man yelled in a frenzy, pulling something out from his pocket that shined silver in the dark; but before Albel could see that it was a knife to be blocked, it had already been thrust out at him, and before he could see the person who jumped in the way, it had stabbed her.
The girl's scream pierced the night before she fell forwards and landed on her back, failing in pain for a moment before falling to the ground and laying still. He stood in awe- not wanting to recognize the girl who lay sprawled out on the floor.
"G-girl?" Albel stepped forwards in disbelief, dumbfounded, and then other cries filled the air, which was when he noticed, the blood that was spreading out around her, soaked up by her clothes, moving across the ground quickly.
"W-what have you done!" Albel shouted, as he looked down at her, stepping forwards with blade in hand, shaking in both fury and grief. "Girl!" he called again, kneeling down to her motionless form, placing a hand on her cheek.
"There…" the man swallowed, without a hint of regret. "Now you've lost someone too- now you know how I feel"- he trembled, his eyes not leaving Sophia's crumpled form.
Albel looked up instantly at this, his eyes glittering in a way that told some that he had actually built up water in his eyes over this in his grief. Those same eyes flickered and narrowed and winced in pain- 10 years he had been void of all these feelings- and now- the fool girl was…he stood slowly, heaving now. Rain had turned to thunder.
Albel was furious, his red eyes became smaller, but they burned like the eyes of the devil, his hand clenched over the helm of his katana, the wind blew his blackened hair, stray and wild, a low growl came from gritted teeth, a thick aura of death and pain… a demon in flesh much more terrifying than anyone was expecting, a demon reserved for slaughter in battle; the last thing any one of his targets saw was the sweep of light through air, an impossibly quick blade that cut bone clean like paper, that cut gore like cut trees splintered and severed, with the sap like blood oozing out.
The look of a promised hell froze the man to the spot, as Albel the wicked stepped around Sophia's body, threateningly, a raging fire burning within him, a storm surrounding him- the terror that was aimed at the shaking resident of arias, who took a feeble step back- one that Albel punished with a dash forwards, blade out-
"You won't be allowed to run away!" he bellowed, claw grabbing the man by his frontal flesh, slamming him hard against the wall of the graveyard and dragging him back, and the man wailed in pain. And the man hung limp, as Albel's temper turned to a deadly look. "What gives you the right?" Albel could barely be heard now, as if every ounce of strength that was left would be used to show this man the wrath of living hell, to make him wish for the peace, of death.
By now, the crowd had shifted away in absolute terror of the living nightmare of their fears- if the man before them had not been Albel the wicked, and yet they were terrorised by him- then this demon- the real Albel the wicked, who had emerged from the samurai due to their own goading, they now fled in dread from.
"I'll show you Albel the wicked," Albel's eyes turned black, the katana drew up high- he would slice down into the maggot's body, watch the blade show through the other side, and then cut him open- he would leave nothing behind for his family to recognize.
"S-stop…" the gauntlet retracted, the darkness lifted, the soft red glimmer returned, and the katana dropped from his hand. "A-Albel…" a course voice, a voice in pain, barely conscious- and the man was dropped to his knees and left to struggle to his feet.
"Girl…"Albel knelt by her side and looked her over, in worry, this was his fault, "I…I … w-why the hell did you!" he exclaimed, his arms moving around her.
"It's not your fault…" Sophia whispered, trying to smile.
"Stop that- answer me!" Albel demanded, holding her tighter.
"I…know…everything…" his eyes widened. "Fayt told me…it's ok…it's not…ah…"Sophia gasped for breath.
"Damn you girl…don't you even think about being weak- do you hear me!" he shook her as her breathing faded, as he held her close. "Sophia!"
"I'm…sorry…"
Sophia felt everything go black as she fell once more into unconsciousness. But Albel was just as quick to scoop her up.
"Don't even think about going anywhere!" he growled to the slightly bleeding man, and as he rushed her back away.
The mansion of Arias was quiet, it was late at night, so most of the party had fallen asleep. Nel, Clair and the usually close Crimson Blades were in the conference room talking, until, the front doors were kicked open and Albel's voice shouted out to the mansion from the doorway.
Soon he was surrounded by the crimson blades that would have once been his enemy, each more shocked with the dying girl's condition in his arms to worry about who held her.
"Oh my god…" Nel's brows curved, as Clair also emerged from the conference room where they had been talking in peace mere moments before.
"Damn it, don't just stand there you worms! Do something!" Albel shouted, feeling helpless now- for he was Albel the wicked, he wasn't capable of healing.
"Quick! Take her into this room, Tynaeve, go get Milyerna from the chapel!" Clair ordered, as Nel aided Albel in taking Sophia into the nearby room and placing her on the bed/sofa carefully.
"What the heck's going on?" Fayt asked, from the stairway, as he rubbed his face drearily, awoken by the deafening commotion in the mansion.
"Fayt…" Farleen began sadly, to the young man who was suddenly apprehensive.
"What? What is it?" he stepped down to the ground floor.
"Fayt…it's Sophia…" Farleen said, but before she could stop him, he was pass her and through the corridor to the room he had seen Clair go into, where now loud voices could be heard.
"Stop it- you want her to loose more blood!" Nel tried to warn Albel, though she was in as much as a loss as Albel was, in what to do.
"But she's not breathing!" Albel protested, pulling away from her grasp, pushing down on her heart as Clair tried to keep healing her.
"Sophia!" and they turned to the doorway to see the horror on Fayt's face.
Her mangled form was the first thing he saw, it almost stopped him breathing, it forced him back; he held the door frame. There was Sophia covered in blood, stabbed through her chest, as good as dead, and there was Albel, the one who had called out from downstairs, also covered in blood, by her side, his claw still smothered with what looked to him like flesh, his katana missing.
"Fayt…" Nel warned, as Fayt looked from Sophia to Albel in wild accusation.
"Albel! What did you do!" Fayt had swept over to the warrior in a matter of seconds, his hands both grappled Albel's arms and pushed him to the floor, Albel fell back and held back onto the bluenette who struggled to hold him down, to press him to the floor in interrogation.
"Fayt, stop it- you're not helping Sophia!" Nel scorned.
"Get off me you fool!" Albel hissed.
"Hey kid, come on-!" a gruff voice from behind the two struggling males started, before two huge arms took Fayt and dragged him from the beaten samurai.
"Everybody out!" Clair shouted above them all, as Fayt tried to scream at Albel and Albel stood away in shell shock- this wasn't happening- Sophia was alright- this was another choking nightmare.
Cliff took Fayt from the room forcefully as other members of the group started to peer round the doorway and offer their concern.
"Albel?" Nel called out, bringing Albel out of whatever trance he was in, to turn to her as her healing magic showered over the wound in vain, that now bled onto the floor. "Please keep everyone out of the room, close the door behind you, when the doctor gets here…"
And despite the compelling feeling of wanting to stay, his years as a soldier took over and he nodded, he had no use in that room. He left as he was told, to be greeted by the worried faces of his 'allies'.
"Will she be alright?" the blonde woman asked, standing closest to the doorway, and Albel moved his arms in a pathetic shrug.
"I don't know…" he admitted, trying not to look as in despair as he felt in front of them- but they knew.
"Damn it- this is all your fault- I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one responsible for this!" Fayt spat, still being held back by Cliff, but even Cliff looked to Albel with suspicion at this, they all did- Albel felt the feeling once more, of everyone being against him.
If Albel said nothing in his defence, he was sure Cliff would have let Fayt go, and the usually calm young man and his hidden passion would blindly pummel him.
"I didn't do it!" Albel protested. "It was one of the villagers…he was going to stab me because…well, they all hate me here, don't they? And Sophia got in the way," saying it out loud was almost as painful as when it had happened- it sort of enforced it in his mind- that she did it for him- that if she died… it would be his fault.
A death…that he could mourn? Albel shifted uncomfortably.
'Father…' Albel crawled back from the seared form that had once been Glou Nox, the moment of sheer shock that the blackened body was once his father seemed to take away the burning of his arm for a moment, 'Aaaggghh!' a wail from the 15 year old, as his arm was burnt to the bone and he fell back in agony.
The dragon brigade soldiers, who had also been staring in repulsion at the state of their former captain, rushed to help the young boy who would be a cripple. And when Albel woke up from what he hoped had been a nightmare, he found his charred arm lifeless by his side, and empty eyes, void of all tears.
'Father is gone…he died for me' Albel was solomn. "For me…" he repeated, still not understanding now, same sacrifice, different person.
"You're lying!" Fayt bellowed, red in the face, drawing Albel's attention. "Why would Sophia do that for you!"
"Why would I admit that some foolish girl saved my life!" Albel frowned too now, facing Fayt. He was trying not to seem too upset about it in front of Fayt whilst at the same time defending his innocence.
"Don't call her a fool!" Fayt snapped, pulling away from Cliff with a groan of effort, but not lunging for Albel again. "Sophia saved your life! So don't call her that! If she dies…" he trailed off.
"Come on Fayt, that isn't for certain yet, is it?" Mirage was comforting. "Just hope that she'll be alright,"
But Fayt didn't reply. She had been in bed, he watched her go to sleep, before laying down himself, he waited to make sure she was alright, before he left her to sleep. Could it have been that Sophia had waited for him to fall asleep? Was something on her mind that she couldn't talk to him about? Or talk anymore about? Had she gone off into the night because she was troubled…and had ended up like this…no…
"This is my fault…" Fayt fell to his knees, face in his hands, and it was Mirage again who went to him, and Albel had to turn away.
"No it isn't,"
"I should have made sure she was asleep…" Fayt was crying, for gods sake, why was it so easy for everyone but him to shed tears like that for…Albel paused.
For someone they cared about.
"Which room is the injured girl in?" an old woman asked, a she entered the mansion facing Albel, and Fayt looked up.
She was in her 50s, with greying blonde hair and a grey cape on, she looked like a nun in white, with a grey cloak over the top. She seemed calm and serious.
"Are you the doctor?" Mirage inquired, making Fayt stand and walk pass a stunned Albel, to take her by the shoulder imploringly.
"Please! You've got to help Sophia!" he pleaded, and she nodded.
"I'll do everything that I can," she promised, and she let Farleen take her into the room.
For a while they all stood outside the room fretting over her condtion, and soon Albel had once again moved to the back of the group with the same pensive expression that had told Sophia that he was deep in thought in the Bequerel mines.
"Hey," Cliff broke the silence, gaining their attention, "let's wait in the conference room, ok?" he suggested, turning to Fayt as he drew in a breath to refuse. "We can at least relax a little in there, ok? It won't help Sophia if we're all out here worrying about her," he added.
Reluctantly, Fayt agreed, and the group moved further down the hall to enter the conference room.
But Albel lingered in the hallway, finally leaning against the wall opposite the door the doctor had gone in through. Albel stared after her in confusion- he knew that woman, didn't he?
MissNox:
There, I really need sleep now- I've been writing this all night, but when you're in the mood to write angst, don't let the chance pass you by, no matter how tired you are. Also, this was one of the hardest things I've ever written ever…it was really horrible. Chapter one is still my favourite chapter, because it has Sophia and Albel in it together, so I'll try to do that more in the next chapter, but will Sophia survive! I think I'd have one angry samurai after me if she didn't.
I also like writing in labels point of view, so expect that a lot too. :smileyface:
