Warrior of Lucis

Chapter 4: Death

The time of signing the peace treaty had come. Many council officials from both sides were present except for the Chancellor of the Empire and Cor was still downstairs. Luna and Nyx were also present there too. Bellatrix stood beside her father and Commander Glauca towered beside the Emperor. As the dark haired woman stared at him, he peered at her back his breathing sounding so intimidating through his helmet.

The King had already signed the piece of paper that was on the table. All that was left was for the Emperor to add his signature. He refused to take a pen from the King and said he wanted to write it with his own. Of course the Princess found this suspicious and placed her hand on her father's arm.

When Iedolas pulled out what looked like a gun and the Princess pushed her father out of the way. But Bella felt cold metal against her forehead and realised that it was in fact her who would be at gunpoint.

"Iedolas, you snake." Regis muttered as all the soldiers and officials from Lucis summoned their weapons, but so did those from the Empire.

"You really think I would want peace with Lucian scum like all of you?" The dark haired woman grinded her teeth together as she remained calm at gunpoint.

"One more foul word about Lucis out of you and I will cut your head off and parade it around the streets of Gralea." Whatever came out of her mouth was pure anger and the others were shocked such a thing was said by her.

"Brave of you to say such a thing when your life hangs in the balance. I could end it in one second." The Emperor stated with a sick smirk on his face.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Ravus exclaimed.

"The Emperor doesn't take orders from you, boy." The Brigadier General, Caligo Ulldor commented.

"I am not afraid." She growled whilst glaring at the man holding the gun at her.

He swung the gun into her stomach with the hard grip making contact with her body. She shrieked from the pain and she was pushed towards Caligo who wrapped an arm around her stomach and held his against her neck.

"Let my daughter go, now!" The King commanded.

"Instead of commanding you should be begging." The Emperor said. "But I have a bargain to propose. We will let your daughter free only if you hand over the Ring of Lucii."

"Father no! Don't give him the ring!" She exclaimed.

"Keep your pretty mouth shut, girl."

Caligo placed his sword up onto her right cheek. He cut her cheek and she shrieked with pain tears falling down her cheek. What made it more painful was the tear making contact with the fresh cut. Watching Bella get hurt made both Regis and Ravus angry. But she was one step ahead; she knew that there was less of a grip on her. She elbowed the General hard in the guts and he took a step back. The Princess high kicked him in the face and as her foot left the ground and extended up, she swiftly took out the dagger from her sheath harness around her thigh. She slashed him in the face with a cut from his left cheek all the way down to the right side of his jaw. He screamed with pain and made a run for it. But just as she was about to reach her father, she felt a cold metal hand wrap around her neck which lifted her up. When this happened, the Lucian soldiers and officials had attacked. They were all fighting with Nyx defending Luna from being kidnapped again. Clarus had engaged in battle with the Emperor so that he wouldn't attack the King.

Glauca was holding her up, his hand being so big that it only took one to be wrapped all the way around her neck. The King and Prince's eyes widened and they both felt their hearts beating faster with fear. He slowly tightened his grip around her throat making it hard for her breathe.

"Give me the ring, you fool. Your daughter's is in danger, is her life not worth anything to you?!" Ravus growled.

"You don't understand, you're not worthy of the ring!" The Prince grinded his teeth together.

"Ravus...if you put that ring on it'll...ah!" Glauca was squeezing tighter. "It could kill you."

Then realisation hit her in the face. She was still gripping onto that dagger her father gave her and she threw it. The Princess warped to its location but instead of her silhouette being blue like her brother's it was a bright red. Bella fell onto her knees in front of her father catching her breath, breathing so heavily. Her father placed his hand on her shoulder. Ravus standing in front of them.

"You will not harm her!" Regis looked up at the young man and understood; Ravus loved Bella without even knowing it.

But he was pushed away. Bella hearing him shriek turned around and glared up at the man in armour.

"How dare you lay a finger on him?!" She yelled and he was walking towards them. She picked up her father's sword and held it up with determination in her eyes. "Lay a finger on my father and I'll make you regret the day you were born!" He then began running and then she saw Clarus stand in front of her his greatsword clashing with Glauca's own.

"Go now!" He yelled. "Bella, take your father and leave!"

"What about you?" She asked stubbornly.

"I'm the King's Shield. Leave at once." She didn't want to...but he was urging her to do so. Bella turned to her father and got onto one knee.

"You okay to walk?" She asked and Regis glanced at his best friend.

"I can't leave without him. I need to help him." Regis stated. Glauca pushed the King's Shield to the side as if he was nothing and was making his way towards them.

But when the Princess faced him, her eyebrows rose and her white knuckled grip on her fists were shaking. She was frozen again, unable to move and finding it difficult to even breathe. Her mouth was dry with her eyes twitching. She really wanted to move but she couldn't.

Before he could ram his greatsword into her chest someone had blocked it...it was Clarus. He got there just in time before the sword would have gone through the Princess's body. But his sword went through the Shield of the King so easily and effortlessly. Within a few seconds, Glauca retracted his sword back. Both Bella and Regis stared at the sword going through Clarus's body.

The King's hands were balled up into fists with a death grip, his chest was tight, his jaw clenched and the tears which fell down his cheeks were those of anger and rage. He stood up, taking the sword from his daughter. His best friend, the man he knew for 45 years, his first ever friend, the closest friend he ever had, the man who was promised to his sister, the man who swore to protect him since he was 18, had just been stabbed. There was no way he was going to show this man mercy for hurting his most treasured friend in the world; no way whatsoever. He ran towards him with all the rage and strength he had to fight for his best friend.

Bella on the other hand wrapped her arms around Clarus and fell onto her knees. Her widened eyes were sparkling with tears, her throat was aching and she was hyperventilating. She was sobbing quietly and uncontrollably as the pints upon pints of blood oozed out Clarus's wound. She took her dagger and cut the entire right side of her sleeve. "You're going to be okay..." She whispered as she wrapped it around his would and placed her trembling hand on the wound. But he placed his on hers whilst looking at her clinging onto each breath. By then, all of the Lucian officials were dead except Nyx, Bella and Regis.

"It's too late..." She shook her head stubbornly and sniffled.

"No, you can't die like this." She squeaked.

"I'm losing too much blood, Bella." He spat some blood out as he gripped onto her hand.

"Why...why sacrifice your life for me?" Bella asked disgusted with herself. "This...you're in this position because of me."

"No, don't blame yourself." Clarus shook his head. "This was my decision and mine alone. I chose to protect you, because you're worth protecting. I've seen everything, experienced so much but you've got your whole life ahead of you. So please...live it, little Princess." The man took something out from his pocket and held it out; there were 2 necklaces, one black necklace with an 'X' on it and another silver necklace with a black pendant with purple iris flowers on them. "Deliver this to Gladiolus and Iris for me...and tell them I'm sorry."

"I will." She whispered as she took the necklaces.

"Thank you, little Princess..." Those were the last words he muttered until his body became limp.

"You fulfilled your role as Shield of the King; Clarus Amicitia. May your soul rest in peace, eternally?" She murmured as she closed his eyelids.

Regis fell onto his back and she noticed the finger where the Ring of Lucii was supposed to be was missing and was left of it was bleeding. The King looked at his best friend and the tears falling down his cheeks were uncontrollable.

"Hear me Lucian Kings of Old!" Both father and daughter looked up to see Ravus wearing the Ring of Lucii as it glowed on his finger. "For I am Ravus Nox Fleuret and none is more worthy than your power than I..." Something was wrong; very wrong. "No...why…why do you refuse me?!"

The ring began to burn a blue hot fire and it spread all the way up his arm. He was screaming with agony and Bella could not just sit there and watch. Something inside her felt like protecting him wasn't a duty but rather something natural. She ran over to him with her dagger in her hand.

"Forgive me!" With one slice, she chopped his burning arm off and his screaming only became more painful and loud. She cut the left side of her skirt from the front to the back with only the right side of her skirt covering her right leg. She wrapped the fabric around his bleeding shoulder. She tied it up and placed his other hand on it whilst staring into his eyes, "Apply pressure to stop the bleeding, it'll keep you alive." She stated so gently and he nodded.

The ring was rolling along the floor and the Princess turned to it. She couldn't let it get into the Emperor's hands no matter what. So she chased after it and picked it up.

"If you could put it on, you could save Lucis and your father." The Emperor smirked in an attempt to trick her.

"Bella, don't!" Regis shouted.

The Princess stared at the Ring of the Lucii within her hand. If she had put this ring on she would inherit all the powers of the Old Lucian Kings. She would be able to destroy all the Imperials and save Insomnia. She was of their descent and King's blood ran through her very veins. And even if it did burn her like it did to Ravus, she would not be harmed. Why, she would be worthy since she was from the Lucis Caelum bloodline. But then she remembered, this ring belonged to the true King, to her brother. She would never be able to wear it, she was not worthy of it, unworthy of the powers of the Old Kings. They would reject her for not being worthy and see her forever as a rejected failure who will never be Queen. Bella walked towards her father and got onto her knees.

"Is Insomnia worth nothing to you?" Iedolas asked.

"Insomnia is worth everything to me, but I am worth nothing to the Ring of Lucii." She stated. "I am not the true King, I am a Princess but I will fight for Lucis, for Insomnia from whatever danger we face. Even you!"

"So be it... Glauca, finish the job." The Emperor commanded as he walked out of the door along with the rest of the Imperials.

"Bella, you need to go now, Cor must be downstairs. Go with Nyx and Luna and get out of here." He placed her hand onto her cheek.

"I can't go without you, I won't go without you!" She exclaimed. "We can still leave."

"No... I cannot. You must leave at once. Bell-"

It was as if Glauca had moved so swiftly that within a blink of an eye, he had moved towards the Princess. But instead of him stabbing her, he had stabbed the King through the chest. His blood spattered on her cheek as she watched the sword being withdrawn from him. Her eyes wide and filled with tears, her hands trembling, breathing heavy and heart beating uncontrollably fast. It was as if Glauca was strangling her again but he wasn't. There was a sick feeling at the pit of her stomach when she saw him took out his sword from his father's body. Her shaking hands held onto her father's arms and the ring fell out of her hands. It rolled towards the Oracle who picked it up. But Nyx knew that if Glauca saw her with it, he would attack her. So the brave young man pulled a protesting Luna away from the scene and they made a run for it.

"Bella..." His voice was weak and she looked at him with her bottom lip quivering. "My sweet child. I cannot go on..."

"No...You can't leave me in this cruel ugly world." She whispered. "Don't leave me. Please Daddy. I can't live without you!"

"No you must live, my child!" He raised his voice.

"Life is not worth living if you're not in it." She replied breathlessly.

"I am going to meet your mother, again...your sweet mother..." He smiled with tears falling down his cheeks and he held her shaking hand tightly. "My sweet little girl, you are free to from the bondage of royal duties. Live your life to the fullest. All I ask of you is to stay by your brother's side and protect him. I know you can because you're a strong woman, you're daddy's strong little girl." He leaned closer towards her, his breathing cutting short as her dress was being drenched in his blood. He placed a kiss on her cheek, his lips quivering as he cried. "I love you so much. I love you, my little girl. I love you my little warrior. Light of my eyes, blessing of my life, my most precious and purest treasure to bless Eos, I love you..."

And those were the last words before Regis exhaled his last breath on Eos. His body fell limp in her arms and she pulled away from him. His green eyes were closed forever, his heart was not responding and there he was not breathing through his nose or mouth. He was gone, the King of Lucis was truly gone. Noctis and Bella had lost their only parent; both of them were orphans but he died cradled in his daughter's arms.

"Daddy...daddy...don't go...please...please...please don't...daddy I...I cannot..." She stuttered. Even this broke Ravus's heart.

The King's death was enough for all the buried rage, anguish and sorrow to erupt within the Princess, like a million year old dormant volcano erupting. From the top of her lungs she screamed so loudly. It was so loud that the Imperials outside who were pushing the Marshall away from the Citadel and Cor himself could hear the screams of fury, he knew it was coming from his girl and something completely wrong must have happened.

Bella stood up with the scariest and coldest glare directed towards Glauca. She held her hand out and summoned forth her own weapon; Bellator Gladius, a 93cm basket hilted sword made by a professional blacksmith by Mors Lucis Caelum a gift for the youngest of his grandchildren, one he had never met. The handle was made of leather, the hilt was in a shape of a basket but made of pure gold with intricate designs, and the sword was sharp, silver in colour and made of titanium; both strong and light for her fighting style. The orphaned Princess stood with perfect posture, her sword pointing at Glauca.

"Someday, you will die from this sword and I will stand above you smirking watching the life within your eyes disappear. I swear it by the Six." She threatened with venomous hate dripping from every word.

Bellatrix ran towards Glauca swinging his sword towards him and their swords clashed. She kicked him back and kept striking her sword back and forth at him, attack after attack. She was merciless, she couldn't give a damn what her lady in waiting taught her about Princesses being merciful. Tonight, she wasn't a Princess, she was a Warrior. As she kept fighting with all her strength and speed, it made Glauca more riled up by the second. His attacks were more violent and aggressive towards her and thank the Six for her small frame and excellent speed.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and held her hand down with her sword within her grasp. She was unable to move her arm but had an idea. She used the sword to balance herself as she kicked Glauca in the face with both feet. It was strong enough to make him stagger back, letting go of her arm and she got back onto her feet quickly. However, the kick had cracked his glass visor. She looked up at him and a soft gasp escaped her lips when she came face to face with her true enemy.

"Titus Drautos." She muttered through her teeth. "My brother entrusted my father's protection and safety in your hands, and you're the one who killed him?! You make me sick!"

She continued to fight him but he was more durable than her. Her stamina was starting to run out quick, and her movement became slower. He took advantages of this by landing some strikes and hits on her. She was covered with bruises, cuts and gashes all over her body; her arms, legs, her right waist, from the top of her back down to the middle and just below her collarbone. She fell onto the floor, breathing heavily and losing blood. He had broken her mother's precious throne into pieces, a memory of her dead mother; ruined.

Glauca grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up, her body daggling below his might. He had his sword ready to behead her and Ravus couldn't stand back any longer. He couldn't bear to see her get killed even after she put up such a fight. He got his sword, Alba Leonis, ready and ran towards them. Before the armoured Titus could chop her head off, Ravus swung his sword, cutting her hair off and letting her free.

Bella shrieked quietly when she fell onto the floor, her black hair sprawled around her. She caught her breath in just a matter of seconds and lifted herself up. Her hair now ended up at her neck and looked choppy. She saw as Titus was stomping towards Ravus, holding his greatsword, his weapon shaking with anger.

Something inside her urged her to help him, to protect him. It was not her duty, no, it did not feel like it. But rather her urge to protect Ravus felt...natural. So she stood up, ran as fast she could towards Drautos, pushing him out of the way with all her might. It was enough for him to be thrown into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. She ran towards him, stumbling from the loss of blood but he kept her standing by wrapping an arm around her. She placed her hand on his cheek staring at him with that gentle gaze.

"Are you alright?" She asked tenderly.

"Yes, thanks to you." He groaned as his face winced with pain.

"I had to cut it off, or else it would spread." Bella stated as she stared at his covered shoulder. Her smile faded as a tear fell down her cheek. He took hold of her hand, holding it tightly and when she looked up at him she saw him smile so softly at her.

"You saved me…why?" He asked.

"Because I told you I would protect you." She murmured ever so gently and he felt his heart pounding faster in his chest. "Ravus, let's get away from here. There nothing left for us in this city. We can take as many people from here out of Insomnia if we work together."

"My sister..." He stated.

"We will find her, she with Nyx a brave and loyal soldier." He shook his head.

"I cannot go with you." Ravus said so quietly.

"Please..." She whispered with a tear falling down her cheek; it pained her to see her beg whilst crying.

"How... do we escape without being noticed?" He asked.

"A secret passageway into the border of Insomnia." She mumbled and he nodded. "Let's go."

But before they could even move, Titus grabbed the Princess by the neck with a death grip. He pushed Ravus down onto the floor and began marching. There was no way she could breathe and her vision was blurry. All she could feel was her hands and feet becoming numb, one of her shoe fell off and she could only hear Ravus's loud and emotional begging to spare her life. But no matter how much he pleaded it wasn't enough.

Glauca threw Bellatrix out of the window, the glass breaking around her. As she fell down, she felt the cool refreshing air on her hot bleeding body. Through her teary eyes she could see the beautiful sunrise in the distance. She knew she could not survive this, the contact with the ground would kill her. Too weak from the loss of blood, warping onto another building was impossible. And even if it was possible, she wouldn't last long. The only things that upset her was not seeing Noctis or the others again. Not seeing her brother ever again, not being able to talk to him, comfort him or protect him. Not being able to confess her feelings for Gladiolus. Not being able to live life to the fullest like what Clarus told her. Letting all these lives lost for her go in vain. Death was beyond her control and soon she would see her father in the afterlife and meet her mother there too. The young Princess closed her eyes shut hoping to see her parents when she opened them.

As soon as her body hit the ground, her heart had stop functioning and so did her brain, she was unable to breathe and her body had turned limp and cold. Cor who had managed to defeat the MTs heard the loud thud on the floor and turned around. His cool blue eyes widened and his breath hitched at his throat as his heart stopped. It couldn't be...he ran over to the body and turned it around holding it in his arms.

The sight of the dead Princess was something he wished to never see but here she was in his arms. His throat tightened, he was sweating, his skin turned pale and he gasped for air. He screamed and began crying with tears falling down his face like never ending rain as he cradled his little cub's dead body. When she was born, he was the first to hold and now…now that she was dead, he was holding her still. She was an innocent child of Eos, one who saw the good in everyone. There no way she deserved death or suffering. A feeling of utter guilt spread across his body like a flood; he should've been there, he should've saved her. But it was beyond his control. He could not save her and he felt like a failure for not being able to. He held her against him kissing her pale cold face hoping she would wake up, hoping for a miracle that she would be brought to life. But no, miracles did not exist. Because if they did, Bella would open her eyes and smile at him like she always did, every day.

Death comes for all of us, it does not discriminate. That was something Cor was taught from a young age. So why did the death of the Princess mean something different? It did, it meant something completely different. She was his cub, he taught her so much, most importantly how to fight and now she was no more.