Hey everybody! So last chapter was pretty light-hearted. This one, however, get's a little darker so prepare yourselves.
Warning: This chapter has depictions of physical abuse.
Chapter 6: Witnessing the Devil Himself
Natsu
I stood in the large conference room, my back to the wall, standing next to my six other counterparts. We stood in a straight line on one side of the room while the other side was occupied by lower officers and officials of our gang. My hands were clasped behind my back as I left my expression neutral. Buttercup stood silently behind me just like all the other personal slaves. She swayed slightly and I had to keep myself from looking at her.
Lord Zeref still hadn't arrived so the officials had started giving me all the reports. One of our leading officials, a young man with electric blue hair and green eyes stood near us, shuffling through his papers. He had a red tattoo on his right eye, which he assured us was just a birthmark. He was known as many different names in different parts of the land. In the northern land, he was known as Mystogan. In the west, his homeland, he was known as Jellal. Here, in the east, he was known as Siegrain, one of our best scouts.
I glanced down my line of advisors and friends. Wendy had three slaves standing behind her, while everyone else had only one. All except for Gajeel. He had had one once but they didn't get along. Zeref had the slave executed because Gajeel had caught him snooping in the conference room. I remember when that happened and vowed to myself that I wouldn't ever have a personal slave to save them for that kind of horrific fate.
Now I had buttercup. She wasn't my idea of the perfect slave, but she was fun to tease and mess around with. She put up a good fight, and I liked that. And I knew she was smart. She wouldn't put herself in a bad position if she could help it. Unless something happened and that little fire within her burned brighter, she wouldn't put herself in danger.
"Any good news, Siegrain?" Cobra asked coolly.
Cobra and Siegrain had a complicated past. Before either of them had joined the gang, they had both been homeless. Siegrain, or Jellal, as he was known then, manipulated Cobra and several other young people to doing his bidding under the pretense that he was going to show them perfect freedom. When Cobra joined the gang and became one of my personal advisors, he made sure to come after Jellal first. Thankfully, I saved Jellal from Cobra's rage and appointed him, not as an advisor, but as a scout so he would be gone most of the time.
"Depends on your opinion." Siegrain responded calmly, flipping through one of his sheets. I smirked as Cobra clenched his fists. His personal slave, a young girl with violet hair, placed her tender fingers on the back of his arms. Cobra relaxed instantly. I looked away from the scene, feeling awkward watching a slave and master behave so fondly to each other in public. I knew Cobra had feelings for his little slave. But I just hoped he would be smart enough not to act on his feelings.
Siegrain looked over at me and gave me a respectful nod. He walked over to me and extended his arm. I grasped his forearm, as he clasped mine in greeting. I kept the other hand firmly behind my back, very aware of my little buttercup watching my every move. I knew she would be taking notes. She would be watching everything, looking for anything to help her escape.
"Good to see you, my lord." Siegrain said, nodding his head. I smiled at him, but kept my eyes neutral.
"Likewise, Siegrain." He looked behind me and peered at buttercup who had tensed slightly.
"Need I ask?" he asked, smirking slightly. He knew that I never wanted a slave. He also knew that I wasn't cruel. I didn't want this girl for her body or her looks or anything superficial. He knew there was something else. He knew me well. I lifted my chin and shook my head. He bowed his head in acceptance and stepped back, clasping both hands in front of him. He was nervous to face my father. Not that I could blame him. I'd be nervous too.
Suddenly, the grand doors opened and my father walked in, in all his glory. He was wearing a black robe and his onyx eyes seemed darker than usual. Behind him, chained with a dog collar, his scarlet-haired slaves trailed behind. Lucy tensed behind me and I could almost smell the anger radiating off her.
I watched as he dragged her over to throne-like seat. He sat down as she stood next to him. She was wearing shackles around her wrists and ankles. She was only wearing a skimpy bikini top and black underwear. She looked exhausted. The collar around her neck was connected to a chain that Zeref was twirling in his hands. She looked like a dog, to put words kindly.
I kept my expression neutral as Siegrain stepped forward to deliver his report.
"Lord Zeref." He said, bowing in greeting. Zeref smiled kindly and nodded. He may have looked like an innocent young man, but he was a monster. "Our attempts at controlling Rosemary Village are still in effect. The villagers are putting up a heck of a fight, sir, but we have managed to control their leading attackers. Two men known as Sho and Wally have been successfully put in custody." Siegrain said, sifting through his files. Zeref's smile widened and his hand closed on his slave's chain.
The scarlet-haired slave's head perked up at Siegrain's report. Her eyes lashed in hatred and anger as Siegrain mentioned the names of the two who had been captured. I remembered that this scarlet-hared beauty was actually from Rosemary. She must know the names of the men who were captures. Zeref had taken her into his custody specifically to sway the spirit of the villagers. It didn't work, obviously, but Siegrain seemed optimistic.
"Not only was that, sir, but the rebel's leader, a man known as Simon, eliminated yesterday. This will make it much easier to—"
Siegrain's voice was cut off by a shrill wail. I turned my head to see that Zeref's scarlet-haired slave had fallen to her knees. She wailed again, more raspy this time. It didn't sounded like a scream or a sob. It was the sound of someone who had just had part of their heart ripped out. Her hands were shaking and she wailed a third time, much to the annoyance of Zeref. He raised his leg to kick her.
Her eyes flashed and she looked up with a look of absolute vehemence. She grabbed Zeref's leg that had come to kick her and twisted it so Zeref had to twist in his seat. She stood up, while he was still composing himself and yanked her chain out of his hands. Then she crouched and lunged like a wild animal towards Siegrain.
Lucy gasped as she leapt onto him and began to flail her arms, causing him to fall over on his back so she was straddling him. Her fists pounded everywhere on his face and chest and her nails clawed his chest and cheeks, aiming for his eyes. Siegrain put his arms up to protect himself but he didn't seem surprised. He didn't try to forcefully stop or fight back, he just made sure she avoided his face and eyes. She was shouting curses and screaming profanities at all of us. It was obvious that she had had an attachment to the person who was killed. I understood now why Zeref chose her.
Speaking of the devil, Zeref had risen from his seat and was calmly watching the scene. His lips twitched in amusement as she began to call us 'murderers' and 'slaughterers' of innocent people. He sighed and calmly walked over to her. I knew what was going to happen. He was going to punish her hard in front of all of us. And I knew it wouldn't a pretty sight. I was used to it, but knew my buttercup wouldn't be. If I wasn't careful, she would do something stupid.
As a precautionary, I subtly reached behind me and closed my hand around the chain in between her cuffs to make sure she didn't move from that spot. I turned my head slightly and gave her a hard look. She was already trembling, but I couldn't tell if it was out of rage or fear. Probably both.
Zeref reached his slave who was too busy trying to strangle Siegrain to see Zeref approach. He grabbed the back of her head by the hair and yanked her backwards, causing her to yelp in surprise and pain. He threw her to the side and before she could recover, in one swift move, he delivered a side-kick to her jaw, causing her to fall over to the side. The sickening crunch of her jaw caused me to tense and Lucy to take in a sharp breath. Siegrain stood up and backed away as Zeref advanced on his slave.
He grabbed her by the hair again and lifted her head up so he could look her in the eye. Once she did, he backhanded her across the other jaw, her head whipping to the side. Then he threw her, head first, on the ground. Her head made contact with the concrete floor with a repulsive thud. He stood to his full height and lifted his leg back. He brought his leg down with such a force and kicked her right in her stomach. She gasped and wheezed, all the air leaving her. He kicked her three more times, and I was pretty sure he had broken a few of her ribs.
Suddenly, I felt Lucy's hands wrap around my wrist. I turned my head slightly and found her giving me a look of pure hatred. Her fingernails dug into my wrists, as if she were trying to get me to let her go. I understood the look she was giving me. It was a desperate plead: do something.
I gave her a stiff look and turned back to face the scene, ignoring how her nails were leaving dark half-moon shapes on my wrist. Zeref had now forced her onto her stomach. He pulled out a whip from his robes and began to lash at her, causing her to howl in agony. Siegrain, clasped his hands in front of him and I caught his eyes. He didn't like this. None of us liked this. But there was nothing we could do.
"Down, pet." Zeref said serenely. Then he grabbed her chain and yanked her bloody form back to the throne. She crawled after him, all the fight extinguished out of her. Her cheeks were wet with mixed blood and tears and I knew that if she didn't treat her back soon, she could get infected. Zeref didn't seem concerned.
"I apologize for my pet. It gets a little too wild sometimes. Continue, Siegrain." He said smoothly. Siegrain straightened himself out and continued his report. Zeref's slave stared wide-eyed at the floor, tears streaming down her face, but no sound escaping from her lips.
I glanced to the side to see Rogue's eyes on my arm. He watched as Lucy's grip tightened and my fist clenched harder around her chain. My gaze connected with his and I gave him a firm gaze, daring him to look away first. He did, suspicion clouding his expression, and I faced front again, knowing all too well that this was going to raise questions.
When Siegrain finished his report on Rosemary Village, I was ready to leave. But my father had other plans for this meeting.
"So it seems our attempts at the Rosemary Village are going smoothly. With our latest efforts, we should have full control by the end of next week. Am I correct?" Siegrain nodded and Zeref smiled. "Why don't we speed up the process?" he asked quietly, glancing at his slave, who didn't dare look at him. I inhaled sharply as Zeref yanked on the chain, causing her to fall over. Zeref laughed and tossed the chain to Siegrain who caught it with ease.
"Take my pet and put it up as an example. In the town square, I think. With chains and chains around her naked body." He said, licking his lips. "Tie her there with the others that you've captured. They don't get any food, water, or medicine until the village complies. Does that sound fair?" Lucy's grip tightened and I gritted my teeth in pain. I was pretty sure she had drawn blood by now. Siegrain bowed.
"Fair as always. As you wish." With that, he yanked roughly on the slave's chain and dragged her out of the hall.
As soon as Siegrain left the hall, Zeref stood up and dismissed the meeting. The other officials and officers all left deep in conversation. Lucy's hands left my wrist but I didn't release her chain. She was still shaking. I couldn't trust her on her own until we made it back to my rooms. I nodded to my father and pulled her out of the hall with me, ignoring the looks of my friends, asking me to stay.
I shook my head, knowing I couldn't talk to them. Not yet, anyway.
I had a ticking time-bomb on my hands.
And I would only allow her to explode in the safety of my own rooms.
Pretty intense scene. Leave a review about what you thought!
