Nightingale
Chapter 10: His Wrath
"The streets were dark with something more than night."
-Raymond Chandler
~OOO~
Nightingale kicked at the gravel as she walked and then looked around at the poverty known as Bowerstone Industrial with sorrow. It took her a shorter time to get here on carriage…imagine how long it would take to get here on foot. Children were in a group together at a corner of a shop, it was dark now…they shouldn't be out here. Her lips twitched into a slight pout, she began to make her way to them. They held out cupped hands and watched the few people around at this time pass by them without even thinking twice. She dug into her money pouch and then stopped in front of them. Their big eyes overwhelmed her, dirt covered every one of their faces and they're skin was sunken in. She cursed a bit in her mind and then strained a smile down at them. "I bet you guys are hungry."
The kids perked up and stared up at her, they nodded. "Yes, Mum. We are very hungry…orphans is we." The boy said with a pride smile, he seemed to be the ring leader. She blinked back sorrow and then held out her cupped hands, "I have a surprise…now, hold out your hands'. Yes, like that." She began to drop a few coins in each of the six orphan's hands' and watched them tear up with happiness, they all huddled around her and hugged her tenderly. Nightingale patted their heads and smiled, she kneeled down when one of the younger orphans tugged on her jacket. "What is it, sweetheart?" The girl blushed and then planted a quick kiss on Nightingale's pale cheek. She smiled and then kissed the girl on the forehead. "Be careful now, go get something to eat, alright?" The kids all nodded their heads and the ring leader smiled at her and replied, "If you ever want to come to our kip, your welcome, Mum. Thank you, bless your soul." Nightingale nodded contently and watched the orphans run off towards the meat and pie stands. She smiled and shook her head, turning around heading towards the Bowerstone Resistance.
Nightingale stared down the dark alley and sighed…kicking at the gravel once more. She didn't notice the dark and mysterious figure heading towards her, she bumped past his shoulder and quickly whipped around…gently gripping her gun strap, she stood up straight and quickly stuttered out, "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" The man turned his head slightly and then began to slowly walk off. His coattails blowing behind him and his hat covered his face…it had casted a shadow over it, blocking his features. She narrowed her eyes at him and then looked down at the ground before turning around. Then she double took, she kneeled down and then picked up the strange note that threatened to blow away from her grip. Her eyes widened when she saw her name written on it. 'What…?'
Nightingale looked up and yelled out towards the direction the shady man went, "Hey, did you dro-" he was gone. No…he just disappeared. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and then stared back down at the envelope. She opened it and then began to read it's contents. The raspy paper brushed against her soft hands.
Dear Princess Nightingale,
Yes…I know it's you, not really a shocker. I bet you're wondering who I am and how this letter even reached you, hmm? That will be answered in no time but I believe I have something important to tell you. Yes, you. Elizabeth…Lizzie, isn't she just a sweetheart? Both of you started on the right foot and are already the closest of friends…do you remember when she told you about her mother and her sister. Do you remember what happened to them..? Oh..you do? That's marvelous! They were sold…remember. Lizzie longs for her mother's arms to gently rock her back and forth and she longs her mother to whisper to her…to tell her that it's alright. I know where she is. Hehehe…yes, I do. And I bet your itching to know, to tell or not to tell? Hmph. I'll tell you because I am a nice person.
She is locked away in an abandoned warehouse, she was bought away from her original owner and is now the slave of another. How do I know all this, you say? Well now, I can't reveal my sources, now can I? The warehouse is approximately a straight path from the Reaver Industries…foppish man, no? Anywho, you stand facing away from Reaver Industries and go straight down the path…then turn left on the first alley and keep going straight…turn right and STOP. There….it will be there. It's windows are barred with wood and it's ominous…you'll know straight away when you see it. Happy trails…dear Princess…I do hope you find Lizzie's mother. Good day.
-Anonymous
Nightingale gritted her teeth and swiped her hair back in anger. Who was this person and why were they so detailed? How? How did they know all this! The letter had an ominous aura…there was no name given. She won't waste time, she had to give this to Lizzie and the headquarters…she had to go to that warehouse and rescue Lizzie's mother. She just had to. She stuffed the letter in her jacket pocket and ran, she ran for her life towards the Resistance.
~OOO~
The letter whipped and flapped around in her hands as the group began running away from Reaver Industries towards the alley, Nightingale skidded to a stop in front of the entrance to the alleyway, she panted and looked at Lizzie, Ben and Walter ran up to them. Walter kneeled over and held up his head, "Slow down a bit! I'm not what I used to be." Ben looked down at Lizzie's determined face, he could see the slight tearing in her eyes but she seemed to have swallowed a knot in her throat, "Nightingale. Are you sure you should trust this letter?" Nightingale looked up at the group with a stern stare, "Yes. How do you think this person received all this information? How. I need to find out.." then she walked over towards Lizzie and gently held her hand, "And this will be the only time to find your mother. I know this letter doesn't give us much hope, but all we can do is pray to the gods and wish for the best. Come on! We have to keep moving." Lizzie nodded seriously and then turned towards Walter and Ben, "I agree with Night." Ben and Walter looked at each other and they began to quickly jog onwards.
Nightingale came to a stop next to Lizzie in front of the warehouse, the ominous person had been right. It's windows were barred and it had that…creepy feeling to it. Lizzie shivered and watched Ben and Walter pant to a stop. Ben recuperated and then they formed a tight circle. "You girls go in and see if you can find Lizzie's mother, we'll guard outside just in case." Nightingale nodded and replied, "Sounds like a plan, come on Lizzie." Lizzie balled her fists so tightly, the edges of her nails dug into her skin. Ben stared at her and then on impulse held her hands and bent down a bit so that he could stare at the girl's beautiful eyes. "Hey..hey, come on. I know you can do this, there is no other chance. It's now or never, and…be careful." Lizzie smiled slowly and nodded, slightly biting her lip. "Thank you, Ben. Both of you…be careful." They nodded and split up.
~OOO~
Reaver looked out the window of his carriage with boredom. Could this driver go any slower? He rapped his cane against the ground of the carriage and yelled out, "We don't have all day! Faster or begone with you." The man seemed to have heard him for the swishing of the reins being whipped cracked throughout the air. He smiled contently and resumed to looking out the window…Reaver didn't think he would be leaving the Industries this late…it would take another hour just to get back to the Millfields. Then he narrowed his eyes out the window. That black mane of hair and those slender hips. Why! It was no other than the Princess! And there was his former maid too….then there was that rogue solider and the father figure. He barked once more, "Stop the carriage immediately." The carriage quickly jerked foreword and the door opened.
Reaver stepped out and glowered down at the man, "Some advice, lad, try to stop the carriage with more ease or there will be no tomorrow." The man gulped and crazily nodded his head. Reaver nodded with a smirk wide on his face and then began to tap away with his cane into the alleyway, "Stay with the carriage and don't go anywhere until I come back." And with the slight waving of is hand he was following after the group of rebels for some type of entertainment. If the Princess was involved, there would definitely be something interesting going on.
~OOO~
Nightingale pushed against the door with some effort. She groaned some because the door was barely opening. "Lizzie. Could you help me?" Lizzie quickly ran up the steps and they both began pushing on the rusted shut door. The creaking was getting louder and louder as the door opened wider. Ben and Walter looked at each other with sighs and then he commented, "Boy. We sure are good spies, not even a mouse heard us." Walter looked at Ben with an awkward look and shook his head, slightly rubbing his temple. "Shut up, Ben."
Nightingale and Lizzie both fell forward as they gave the door a final heave. Both of them pulled out their pistols and looked around the dark and eerie looking warehouse. They couldn't even see an inch in front of them. Nightingale looked at Lizzie with a sharp glance and nodded, "Wow. What a place…not very cozy, is it?" Lizzie shook her head, "No. Let's start looking around…she has to be here somewhere." Ben yelled out at them, "What do you two see?" Nightingale began to slowly walk, she yelled back, "Nothing really, it's quite dark in here. We'd have to look very closely."
Lizzie walked around a table, nearing a corner of the building. There was a slight gasp and she pulled her gun closer to her, aiming it at the corner. Then she walked closer to see…something shifting? 'What…what is that?' She narrowed her eyes and then they grew wide at once. That ginger hair outshone everything…it couldn't be. It was! Lizzie felt the knot tie up in her throat once more, she suddenly found it hard to breath. "M-mother? Is that you?" The woman was sobbing quietly, then she shifted, uncovering her face. There was a sharp gasp and then she spoke, "Lizzie! Dear! It's you!" Lizzie put a hand over her mouth and then gasped, she collapsed down in front of her mother and hugged her tightly, the sobbing of her mother grew louder. "M-mother. What's happened? Who did this to you? Why are you here?" The mother put her hands on Lizzie's cheeks and wildly shook her head, "No..no, no, no. You have to leave. It's a trap. Can you hear me? It's a tra-" the lights blindly flicked on.
Nightingale was hurrying towards Lizzie when the lights suddenly flipped on. She held her hands up to her face and squinted a bit to see Lizzie's wet face looking at her. Her arms were around a woman who was dirty. She was sunken in and there was patches of dry blood everywhere. She winced a bit and then shook her head looking around. 'How did these turn on?' Suddenly out of no where…guards began to emerge out of hidden areas. Her eyes grew wide and she pulled out her hammer with one hand and gripped her pistol firmly in the other. Lizzie wasn't going to let go of her mother…she knew it. Not after all this time, all she did was cover her mother's face. What were Logan's guard's doing here? It was a trap…wasn't it. A frustrated hiss escaped her lips and she stared at the few guards who began to circle her and then her eyes quickly shifted at the guards that began to approach Lizzie. The pistol was pointed up at the men and she didn't do anything…it was like she was frozen solid…only her red-ringed eyes dashed around wildly.
Nightingale heard clanging and yelling outside…from where she stood, she could see Ben draw his sword through the chest of a guard and then he pulled out his rifle and expertly shoot another. They wouldn't be able to help them in here…they were also busy. Who ever thought of this…sure took their time. Her eyes shifted back to the now close guards…she waited. She wanted to see if they would attack her first, she wasn't going to attack first. Nightingale was going to expertly examine them and then attack…she stared at a few at a time. That pose…they were getting ready. There! A few guards suddenly took a step forwards with their swords heading right for her, she smirked and then ducked, there were blood curdling screams and grunts as the guards accidentally tore at each. Then she gripped the hilt of her humongous hammer and swung her arm around, watching the blood splatter on the ground in pools. The bodies flew here and there, she knew it had been a good idea to choose the hammer. She was able to take out more enemies with one flourish. Then she quickly shifted her gaze at Lizzie who had gotten up and was slicing through the enemy carefully. The training that Walter and Page had given her was paying off, she was kicking ass.
Lizzie slit a guard's neck and threw him away from her, then ducked upon a swing of a sword and kicked the man down, with her foot she held him down and then thrust her sword into his chest. He screamed out, then she pulled up her pistol and shot a man a few times to bring him down. Lizzie felt a nick on her cheek and brought her hand up to the gushing blood, a bullet had whizzed past her pathetically. She turned around and shoot the marksman a few times before he tittered back with a twisted look of pain on his face. His mouth was open, but no noise had escaped.
Nightingale shot the man through the neck and watched the blood pile around him like droplets of red water, she gritted her teeth for a second and then thrust her hammer up an attacking guard's chin. The man's neck had twisted all the way around, permanently breaking it with a crack that sent him down to his painful death. Then she ducked and kicked a man's legs out from under him and sent her hammer mercilessly down on him. Nightingale felt a sting, she gasped and turned her head just in time to see a man slash a gash on her leg. She jerked down on one knee for a second and watched his sword head straight for her chest. The merciless rebel Princess rolled out of the way and powered up her Will, the flames glowed on her gauntleted hand and she gripped the man's face and watched him scream in agony of the searing flames that burned through him. It pained her to do this…even to these horrible men, but she kicked him back away from her.
Ben swiveled through the crowds of guards, cutting them down easily. There were choking sounds throughout the night that made him shiver, but he would not hold back…no not on these men. He stopped to watch Walter shoot three men down in a row and then slice another who had come too close to him. There were chants on either side of Ben and he turned his head to examine the two men that came full speed ahead on both sides of him with swords held high. He stabbed his sword through one man and then pulled the trigger to his rifle with his other hand a few times and watched the other man tumble down on the ground with a blood curdling scream.
Nightingale cartwheeled out of the way and then swung the hammer right on the guard's cheek. It was like slow motion, she saw the skin build up from the blow, then he suddenly flew back from the power of the hammer. Then…all of a sudden, she heard Lizzie scream out, it was high and screechy. It made her wince. Lizzie had both her legs sliced, leaving badly bleeding legs. She fell down in a heap and then crawled painfully towards her mother, to cover her, to protect her. Then…the guards stopped. They stood still. Like they had been frozen by time. Then they turned their bodies to the other side of the room. There stood a man with a Captain's regalia.
~OOO~
Reaver stealthily slinked through the dead bodies that kept piling up near Ben and Walter, his Dragonstomper .48 firmly grasped in his hand, in case he needed to shoot a few poor men. To not be seen, he quickly entered the warehouse and stayed near the shadows, enjoying the Princess mercilessly kill the men that approached her…his former maid wasn't that bad of a fighter, until of course she screamed out and fell down. Crawling pitifully towards a woman who seemed to have looked like she just dug herself out of a grave. Then all the action was stopped, it was like a pull of a trigger or a push of the button. Then he casted his dangerous eyes towards the man in the Captain's suit who was clapping delightfully at the scene in front of him.
Slowly, he began to make his way around the whole warehouse, watching the Captain grow closer towards the Princess, he finally made it behind the Captain and kneeled down quietly to watch what happens. Reaver's wolfish smirk spread across his beautifully chiseled face, this just kept getting more and more interesting. 'Ah, ma belle. Why do I see you in the most dire of moments?'
~OOO~
Nightingale shivered with every step the Captain had taken, he grew closer and closer to her until there was not but 20 feet separating the two. She quickly casted her wide eyes to look at Lizzie who was staring at her with fear. She was slowly shaking her head, as if to warn her that something bad was going to happen. Nightingale blinked her eyes and then turned her attention back at the man who…seemed…vaguely familiar for some odd reason. He had been clapping, she narrowed her eyes had him. 'The bastard..' she felt like spitting at his feet. Even if she hated Logan's guards, she still felt horrible killing these man. It was like a massacre, all the dead bodies, the blood piling up disturbed her gravely. "Ah. Enough fighting, my men. Settle down!" Nightingale's eye twitched, that voice clicked in her head, but from where?
Lizzie stared at Nightingale, the Princess was staring at the Captain with a fearless look on her face, even when she saw a slight wavering, the girl still looked positively dangerous. 'She's out of her mind! It's a death wish!' Her mother's grip tightened on Lizzie and she winced looking down at her legs, the blood was drying up but she felt soaked to the bone. The bleeding had stopped due to the pressure she was giving it but it still hurt. Lizzie wasn't sure if she would be able to stand up for a while. "Men. Surround those lovely ladies. Guard them with your lives." The Captain was being sarcastic, the tone clear in his voice. There were rumbles of chuckling going on and Lizzie stared up with fear as the guards circled them with their swords drawn…now there was no way to escape. Lizzie watched as Nightingale shook her a look with slight fear but most of worry. She shook her head and mouthed, "It's fine." Nightingale hesitated but nodded nonetheless.
Nightingale stared away from Lizzie and locked her gaze at the Captain who stared at her up and down. She sneered at him and wiped a trickle of blood that trailed down her cheek from her cut forehead. The Captain chuckled a bit and then bowed low, "It's an honor to see you again, Princess." Her eyes widened at his gesture and she gripped her pistol tighter. How did he know who she was? See her again? When had they even met, she didn't exactly recognize him, only his voice was sort of familiar. She glowered at him, "W-who are you?" Her right leg was starting to hurt and it grew a bit stiff…her blood had begun to dry.
The captain smirked a bit, then he began to cackle hysterically. The guards around him looked at each other and then began to silently but awkwardly chuckle. Then all their laughter got louder. Nightingale stared around the room, 'What's so funny?' She felt a slight shiver, it was as if she was suppose to know something. Then all of a sudden the captain's face grew a bit red from anger and he shouted out with a loud voice, "SILENT!" Nightingale flinched a bit, he made her want to crawl under a bed, but she knew there was no time for such a thing…there was never time for that. The captain grew a bit closer to her, she had the need to begin stepping back but stood still even if her body was slightly trembling from over exertion and fright. He bent over a little so that he was looking directly into her eyes, his green eyes gleamed with danger and he flipped his blond hair out of his eyes, "And what are you…the Princess's luggage boy?"
Her eyes widened with disbelief. It couldn't be…Percy.
Percy chuckled at the Princess's pathetic look, she was quite merciless looking now…completely different from the fluffy dressed girl he had seen at least a little more than 2 years ago. "Why so shocked, my dear Princess? I know it had been a while, but really?" Nightingale started to glare at him again, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing here with these men?" Percy began to walk in a circle around her, examining every inch of her…she was still the most beautiful woman he had seen…what was she now? 18? "Why. I'm simply commanding them. Can't you see? I am Captain of the Guard now. Logan's highest ranking officer…." he took a pause and stopped in front of her again, his deadly eyes locked with her passionate fired ones.
~OOO~
Reaver cocked his nicely shaped eyebrows, 'Oh dear. What a twisted surprise.' He was actually itching to shoot someone, it had been a while since he had this much fun..but he knew he couldn't, at least not at the moment. Someone would catch him if he played his most favorite sport. Target Practice. To think….out of everyone else, it had to be the boy Percy. He smirked, this was getting interesting quick and fast. The Princess looked absolutely shocked, but that fire in her eyes burned stronger and stronger. 'When will the fighting commense?' He yawned a bit and stared, 'The boy must be passionate and persistent. It takes far longer than just two years to reach the highest rank in the army. Hmph. Arrogant fils de pute.' He smirked at his own comment and then went back to examining the scene a bit closer.
Reaver sneered at the way the boy seemed to circle around the Princess, it looked like he would dive in and chew her down to the marrow. He looked at her as if she was food. Well…he himself did that quite often, as she would describe it. But the Princess was his little toy, not that marionnettes armée toy. He began to play around with his Dragonstomper .48, itching to shoot the boy multiply times…even after his death. He narrowed his smoldering eyes at he boy and kept his pistol cocked.
~OOO~
Nightingale's mouth seemed to have dropped, her body all of a sudden felt like gelatin or pudding. She feared that in any second, she would tumble down and not be able to get back up again. Percy began to speak again, "You see. After our little encounter and my…humiliation. I trained and trained until I was left laying on the grass of my backyard…sometimes I would accidentally end up sleeping there, pitiful experience, really. Then, when I thought I was ready enough… I joined the King's army and quickly and impressively worked my up the ranks. The other men were pitiful and weasel like compared to me. So I quickly snagged the prize and here I am, in my shining regalia. Do you know what's on my mind nowadays…?" The Princess looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she opened her mouth and then closed it again. Not knowing what to say. Then his face grew red with anger, "WELL? DO YOU?" She jumped a bit and stared down at the ground, swallowing the knot in the back of her throat.
Percy glared at the cowering Princess, she didn't even realize it did she. Nor did she care. He stalked closer to her and then grabbed her extremely tightly by the arm. He heard her sharp intake of breath and shook her until she stared up at his fury filled eyes. "Revenge…vengeance, and death." Then he pushed her arm back sharply, with a disgusted look on his face. She staggered back a few steps but still stood tall. 'The bitch.'
Nightingale felt cold beads of sweat appear on her forehead, they trickled down her chin and she casted her eyes up at him again when she knew she had regained her broken posture. "Why do you have my friend's mother?" Percy began to laugh again, it made her blood boil. She wanted to push him off a building. "I still can't believe you haven't noticed! You are as stupid as I thought you were! Don't you remember the mysterious man who dropped you a letter? Who else did you think it was? It was me, I bought her mother from the original owner. I killed him right on the scene too. The filthy bug was starting to make my eye twitch so I did away with him." Nightingale stared at him with a dumbstruck look…she was just too shocked to speak the knot grew tighter and tighter. She was practically suffocating on her own breath. "You disgusting cretin!" She yelled out at him, her blood was really boiling now.
Percy smirked at her pathetic comment, he drew his long and sharp sword. Oh, he would love to plunge this into her dear chest…she would probably look just as beautiful with all that pain on her face. He started towards her, circling her. Nightingale gripped the handle of her hammer tighter and firmly grasped her Bonesmasher. She too, began to circle around with him…it was like a dance, they both waited to see who would strike first. Then he slashed forward, she brought up her hammer and blocked his blow, he pushed down on her. 'Damn. He's strong'. She winced at the pain that her right leg was giving her and with a surge of strength pushed the leech back. He wasn't done though, he lashed and lashed at her again, she took last minute ducks and dodges. Then she ducked once more and roundhouse kicked him, it sent him staggering back a bit. She swung her arm and smirked as the hammer went straight for his bubble head.
Percy glared at the Princess and wiped away the blood that trickled down his lips, then he watched the biggest hammer he had seen make it's way to his head. He chuckled and then kicked his leg up, blocking the attack and kicking the hammer out of her grasp…it skittered away from her and she rolled out of the way from his sword. Nightingale took a sharp breath of air and cursed quietly as her weapon was kicked out of her hand. She pulled her pistol up when she had the chance and quickly shot him twice in one shoulder. He jerked back twice, his teeth were bared and bloody. He growled and then quickly swiped his sword at her, catching her on the arm and then the stomach. Her screams were delicious, he loved the way she landed, a messy heap on the floor. Trying to drag herself away, he saw her energy begin to deteriorate. Aw..dear, she was getting tired.
Lizzie put her hands up to her mouth and tried not to scream out, tears were pouring down her face, she couldn't help it. "NIGHT!" The Princess gave her a droopy eyed look, the blood was seeping out of her fast and pooling around her, she was dragging herself towards her abandoned pistol. Soon, her sobbing began, the guard gave her a sneer and then grabbed the mother. Lizzie stared up at the man with shock all over his face. The sword was going to go up to her throat but she began to pull her mother back. "Let go of her, let go you fiend!" The man like go with a grizzly laugh and then slapped Lizzie's face and forcing her and her mother to watch the dreadful and messy scene ahead of them.
Nightingale panted, the blood on her hands was slippery and she seemed like she was making no progress as she dragged her way to her pistol. Footsteps were coming behind her, then she looked up to see Percy's sneering face. He stomped down on her hand, the cracking noise filling the air. She let out a blood curdling scream, tears beginning to come down her face. His hand caught her on the face and she fell backwards. The world around her grew blurry, the ceiling was caving in and everything was spinning. Percy pulled her up with an iron grip of her hair. She screamed out again at his touch, he rested his face against her neck and began to whisper the worst part in her ear.
"You know what the greatest day of my life as Captain was? The day when I was ordered to execute a boy by any means possible. He made my blood boil. I'm sure you've met him, he was quite close to you." Nightingale's face distorted with pain, her hands her limp against her body and Percy's grip on her hair was making her head hurt. 'W-who..it..?' She felt so disoriented…she couldn't think properly. Then he rested his lips on the shell of her ear and whispered with a laugh on his dreadful voice, "Elliot. The best part was when I shot him multiple times…I loved it when his blood trickled down the platform. His mother was crying and tearing her way to her son, but she was eventually dragged away, poor woman."
Her eyes shut tightly and she began to sob strongly, she wailed. 'He killed my Elliot….he killed him..he…'
Percy flung her away from him, her body laid limp on the ground, then she began to curl up into a ball, wailing once more. The blood and tears mixed together with her skin and hair…she looked truly miserable but he enjoyed this moment. It was the greatest time ever.
~OOO~
Reaver's blood boiled and it seemed as though his eyes had blackened with hate. He gritted his teeth and watched the Princess scream and scream. Now she laid in a bloody heap on the floor crying for her lost lover. He wanted to kill the boy and wipe his blood on the walls. He cocked the pistol now, stood up and headed towards the distracted boy who enjoyed the his Princess's screams and wails of agony.
Reaver's eyes twitched for a second when he saw that the Princess had began to drag herself the opposite way…towards the boy. 'Idiot Princess!' He stopped midway.
~OOO~
Nightingale felt some sort of energy begin to take her over..the Will power in her body was being to surge through her body, she panted and sobbed as she dragged herself the opposite way, towards Percy. She felt as if she was going to burst open with the energy, it was beginning to cause soreness and pain into her body. She felt the cuts and slices on her body beginning to bleed again from her over exertion. All the while hearing Lizzie call out Nightingale's name over and over again. Gripping her mother for support.
Nightingale felt the gauntlet on her right hand spark and flick specks of heat here and there. She gripped onto Percy's legs and coughed a wet one. Percy sneered down at the Princess and then smirked, "Now you come to come? It's not to late..how-" Suddenly Nightingale began to scream as the the pressure and power that was building up in her released it's self. The fire billowed out sharply, at least 4 ft high. The guards that were near Percy and Lizzie began to burn and tumble around, screaming in agony. Percy began to yell as he felt the fires lapping at his tall legs. He looked down at the weakly smirking Princess and slashed his sword across her left leg. She screamed one last time and felt him kick her away from him. She tumbled until she painfully stopped. Then she was facing the ceiling…it began to cave on her again. She felt like everything was slow and blurred, the screams were ringing in her ears and she felt as though she was blinking slowly. The tears slide down her face and she turned her head towards a new approaching figure that had an angry sneer across his face…her eyes drooped for a second. "Reaver…" she whispered out.
Reaver cocked his gun and looked around disgusted at the now burnt guards, 'My. The Princess is much more powerful than I thought. But she is still my toy.' He felt a frown on his face and stared at Percy who was kneeling down, pain twisted his face as he tried to douse off the last remains of fire on his legs…staring at the Princess the whole time. Reaver smirked and walked up to him. The boy looked down at his black calf boots and then slowly stared up at the towering dangerously beautiful figure. Reaver rested the Dragonstomper .48 against Percy's forehead and then smirked which only a second later turned into a twisted snarl. "Adieu, you morceau sans valeur de merde." And then he shot the boy. Smirking as the figure opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He fell back into his own dirty pool of black blood. He looked up at Lizzie as she helped her mother up and began limping towards Nightingale who was on the ground staring at Reaver from where she was.
Lizzie wiped away the tears but they kept coming back, she couldn't keep watching the strangled Nightingale try to stutter out her name. She painfully kneeled down next to her and held her not broken hand. "Sh.. I'll go get Ben and Walter." Right on cue both men came running in. Ben's face was full of disgust and anger as he stared at Nightingale's bloody figure and Walter…Walter's face was broken. He had tears sliding down his face. Ben walked over to Reaver and regarded him lightly, slightly nodding his head. Reaver returned the favor. Ben stared down at Percy and spit on him, "It's what you get for doing that to Night. You piece of trash!" He ran over to Lizzie and hugged her tightly, she was lipping and caked blood was everywhere over her. Walter bent down near Nightingale and winced whenever she tried to speak. "No.."
Nightingale struggled to speak but all that came out were slight whispering groans or moans. She tried to reach up to touch Walter's face but her body was in searing pain. She closed her eyes and then opened them again when she saw Reaver tower over her and then kneel down. She slowly blinked and then painfully held out her in tact hand, "R-eav..eaver.." He gently held her hand and put on his signature smirk, trying not to show any signs of anger or hate. He hushed her and then shook his head, "Ma belle." He stared at her closing eyes, she had fallen unconscious. Then as gently as he could, he picked her up bridal style and turned towards the other standing figures. "Go back. I shall take care of the Princess, expect to see her after she recuperates."
Walter tried to argue but Lizzie grabbed his arm and shook her head, "It's alright. We have to go, I promise she'll be as good as new." Ben still holding Lizzie and her mother glared at Reaver and spoke through his teeth, "She better be or I'll be bringing home someone's head." Then he bit his lip and stared down at the ground. Lizzie touched his face and then looked at her mother, she was filled with sorrow. Walter began to lead the party out.
Reaver watched them leave and then looked down at the Princess's bloody body. He took a sharp breath and then smirked, 'She'll be sick and tired of me by the time she recovers.' Then he held her a bit closer, he was glad she was knocked out, she wouldn't have to see his expression. He began to walk back to his carriage that would take him back to his mansion in the Millfields.