The Emperor's Hand
An X-Men Evolution Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own X-Men.
Chapter 11: The Darkest Hour
Prologue
Sargeras, the diabolical Lord of the Black Legion, stood in gleeful silence in his perch on a balcony overlooking the Eternal City. His thoughts were as dark and sinister as the withered heart that beat within his chest, and the arch-villain murmured quietly to himself as, below him, the once-proud metropolis of Rome began to burn while its streets ran red with the blood of its own people. Marvels of human engineering and beautiful works of art were put to the torch as the soldiers of the Legion, clad in black armor, went on a rampage of pillage and slaughter. Screams of terror and pain sent a cold, cruel smile tugging at the corners of Sargeras's lips, and he clasped the railing tightly as he reveled in the destruction he'd wrought.
The purge was utterly devastating, reaching to every corner of Caesar's once-invincible dominion.
In the outposts and encampments of the Imperial Army, Roman legionnaires dropped back behind their generals before cutting them down with slashing swords or volleys of viciously humming arrows.
In the floor of the Senate, legislators pulled daggers from their sleeves and fell upon their unsuspecting constituents.
In the halls of the Imperial palace, soldiers of the Praetorian Guard turned on their surprised comrades.
The Black Legion attacks, and Romans die.
All across the Empire. All at once.
Romans die.
Now…
The Black Legion's coup had happened so fastthat Kurzan Vortigern hadn't even have enough time to figure out what was going on before he'd found himself under attack. Rome had started tearing itself apart so suddenly that it seemed as if someone had flipped a switch, and now the young assassin's breath came harsh and fast as he neatly decapitated his most recent assailant before rushing into the ruin that had once his home. The tiles were so wet with blood that Kurzan had to fight to keep from tripping, and his tail thrashed like an angry serpent as the blood pounded in his ears.
Urgency had thrown the assassin's already legendary skill into overdrive, and Kurzan did not runso much as he blurreddown the gore-spattered passageway. His swords still in hand, his heart pounding in his chest like some monstrous drum, Kurzan fought not to give in to despair as the words of Radagast were confirmed in their brutal honesty.
The mutant shoved his despondency into some dark corner of his mind. If by some miracle he was able to escape Rome alive, there would be ample time for him to give in to his grief. He needed to live, if not for himself, then for her.
An unfamiliar lump formed in Kurzan's throat, and rebellious tears-tears!-formed at the corners of his golden eyes. His body shook with the force of the sobs that made Kurzan's shoulders hitch as fear for Katrina's safety turned the blood to ice in his veins. Worry and panic threatened to consume him, threatened to make Kurzan vomit as the thought of Katrina, lying slain, flashed in his mind's eye.
If she was dead…If Katrina had fallen because he had not been there to defend her…
Fear and pain made Kurzan's normally fearless heart wrench agony, and the tears began to spill down his cheeks as he almost drowned in his bottomless sorrow.
If she was dead, he would be alone again.
Don't die, Katrina…
Don't go. Not yet. Not when I still haven't told you…how I feel.
Just hang on…
Please…
The very airseemed to impede the assassin's progress as he hurtled down the carnage-strewn passageway, his swords held at the ready as the princess's chambers hove into view. The mutant threatened to careen out of control as he came to a sudden and panicked stop, and Kurzan kicked the door clean off its hinges amidst a deafening bang-
Only to find a very disheveled and very frightened-looking Katrina Placidae standing not two paces away, the edge of her own weapon halted just above the top of Kurzan's skull.
Relief washed over Kurzan with such force that his quivering knees threatened to buckle from under him, and he felt momentarily-light headed with joy before his serious personality reasserted itself.
"Oh, thank goodness," Katrina lowered her blade heavily. "For a moment, I feared my end had come."
"It may yet, if you and Master do not get to safety," Kurzan replied, taking her by the hand and leading her back out into the hallway. "We must move swiftly if any of us are to leave Rome with breath still in our bodies. Where is the Emperor?"
"Uncle was in his study less than an hour ago," Katrina replied, her tone every bit as worried as his.
Kurzan felt sick to his stomach again, and it took Herculean effort for him to force down the bile that rose in his gullet. If the Emperor had not left his private workroom since the chaos began, then it was likely that Caesar was already dead.
Even so, Kurzan had to be sure. Terrible such a confirmation may be, but the thought of living with the doubt of notknowing would have been even worse.
"We need to find him," Kurzan told her bluntly, taking her hand once more and drawing her close with sudden boldness. "And no matter what happens, stay with me, Katrina. As long as my heart beats, I'll look after you. But," Kurzan warned, "If I should fall, if the fight goes poorly for me, do not linger on my behalf. Run, and do not stop running until you have reached a place where these men cannot find you."
"I won't leave-"
Kurzan grasped her tightly, his voice turning somewhat harsh. "Don't throw away your life for me! I've already lived far longer than I had any right to! I would rather die knowing that you are safe than to have you fall beside me! Do you understand?" he demanded, his words cracking.
"Yes," Katrina's reply was soft and sad.
"Good." Kurzan's eyes were mournful as well, and as visions of his own demise played out before those amber pools, he bitterly regretted not telling Katrina how he felt about her. If by some astronomical chance they both lived through this hellish ordeal, the assassin vowed to himself that he would not leave such things unsaid.
"Now come," the Emperor's Hand murmured. "If Master is still alive, I must find a way for the two of you to get out of the city…."
Meanwhile…
WHAM!
Caesar Augustus flinched as the door to his study buckled ominously under the impact of the makeshift battering ram that his attackers had taken to using. Each successive, concussive blow threatened to tear the wooden the entire wall asunder, and the Emperor's fears were confirmed when the wood suddenly splintered with a sickening crack.
Though the Emperor had barred the entrance with a motley collection of furniture, the point was altogether moot. The hastily-fashioned barricade would not hold for very much longer, and in any case there was no way for Caesar to escape. The only route available to him was the window, and that option would only lead to a free-fall of considerable distance. The Emperor slowly clutched the sword at his waist, but he knew the weapon was not meant for combat; it had been fashioned as a showpiece, its fragile blade of poor quality and its edges dull.
Caesar spared a glance at his beloved Rome, and remorse made his shoulder sag as he saw his once-proud capital being burned before his very eyes.
The Empire had taken most of Caesar's lifetime to build, and yet it had fallen in a matter of hours.
The monarch looked forlornly at the hilt of his blade. Suddenly, death does not seem entirely unappealing…
Caesar's thoughts of putting himself into his grave were interrupted when the steady, rhythmic blow of the battering ram came to a sudden and quite conspicuous halt. Shouts of alarm could be heard on the other side of the door, followed by the brief clashing of weapons, and then…
Nothing. The voices of the Black Legion soldiers seemed to have been wiped away.
Such a metaphor would not be entirely inaccurate, seeing as how Kurzan Vortigern cut their throats.
The assassin broke down the door by hurling a man's bloody corpse against it, and Caesar stood in a vain attempt to re-establish what little was left of his dignity before Katrina's fierce hug finished it off.
"Uncle," she said simply. "I feared the worst."
"As I did for you, little one," Caesar murmured, returning the gesture gratefully. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, thanks to Kurzan," Katrina whispered. "He saved my life, Uncle, and it is not the first time he has done so."
The Emperor turned to his most faithful servant, his eyes moist. Gone was any lingering notion of Imperial aloofness and pride from the once-mighty ruler. For just a moment, Caesar Augustus was nothing more than a loving Uncle who had feared for his precious niece, and who was now overjoyed to see her unharmed.
"Thank you," the Emperor said quietly, his words utterly sincere.
Kurzan averted his gaze respectfully, feeling somewhat out-of-place for his liege to address him so. "No thanks are necessary," he said, after a moment's uncomfortable pause. "I was merely carrying out your orders, Master."
Katrina's face fell, and Kurzan instantly loathed himself for having to lie about his feelings in front of the princess. Once more, the assassin swore to himself that if he lived to see tomorrow, he would set the record straight.
Assuming of course, that Katrina's heart hadn't already been irreparably broken.
"I think it is time we take our leave, my lord," Kurzan suggested, breaking the awkward silence.
"Agreed," Caesar replied fervently. "But I must confess that I am at a loss as to how we are to escape the palace without being butchered on the way."
As the two men hurriedly conversed, something moved out of the corner of Katrina's eye, drawing her gaze to the large window that had somehow remained unbroken-
-Right before it was shattered with a cacophonous crash.
The princess's jaw dropped at the abrupt and sudden arrival of the man who now rolled across the tile to break his fall, and Caesar Augustus himself was quite at a loss for words as the Thief Lord Hazar brushed shards of glass from his tunic.
"Just look at that, will you?" he snorted, jerking a thumb at the ravaged city. "Honestly, Kurzan. I leave you alone for just a moment and now everything's gone to part!"
"It's about time you showed up," the assassin growled. "Where the hell were you?"
"Running for my life," Hazar retorted grimly, gesturing at the small group of stern-faced men who now entered the room in his wake. "You may be interested to know that the Blades paid me an unexpected house call not too long ago. They took us completely unawares. We're all that's left."
"Then you should be running, rather than putting yourself and your surviving men at risk."
"I think not," Hazar replied, shaking his head vigorously, as though the idea were abhorrent. "I am the King of Thieves. I do not give my word lightly, but when I do I make a habit of keeping it. I vowed to assist you in this fight, Kurzan, and I intend to honor that allegiance. Besides," the Thief Lord growled. "Wehave some unfinished business with that trollish brute and his flesh-eating companion. Blood calls for blood.
"Now come, quickly!" Hazar beckoned them to the length of rope that dangled beyond the ruined panes. "We must make haste to be away from here!"
Kurzan narrowed his eyes as he grasped the proffered line, but then he swallowed what precious little remained of his pride before forcing the words between gritted fangs.
"I am…gratefulfor your assistance."
"Now was that so hard?" Hazar winked smarmily.
"Yes," Kurzan told him flatly. "You have no ideahow hard it was."
"Well, it's the thought that counts," the Thief Lord shrugged magnanimously. "And I do appreciate you saying that."
"Good, because you won'tbe hearing it again," the assassin retorted, his furry hand extending to grab Katrina securely by the waist before beginning his ascent.
The princess turned a deep shade of scarlet at the sudden and rather…intimatecontact, but nevertheless she wrapped her arms securely around Kurzan's neck to further assure her safety during the climb.
The assassin's nose promptly began to bleed.
Hazar fought to stifle the round of ribald laughter that bubbled in his throat as he, too, latched onto the thick woven hemp, and no sooner had Caesar and the rest of the thieves solidified their collective grip upon the sturdy rope than the Thief Lord gave the line a sharp tug.
That was the signal. Like fish on a line, the remnants of the once-numerous Court of Rogues reeled both their companions and their reluctant allies to the vast, tiled roof of the Imperial Palace.
Hazar, flushed with the thrill of pulling off such a feat of derring-do, gave Katrina a sly wink as he headed to the rooftop's edge.
"What…What are you doing?" the princess gasped.
Hazar could not conceal his glee, and his voice as playful as a thoroughly exasperated Kurzan rolled his eyes.
"Did you really think we were going to take a roadout of the city? Perish the thought!"
A/N: I do believe I have created a monster in Sargeras. But will our heroes ever manage to restore Caesar to the throne and stop the arch-villain? Will they be able to get past Sargeras's minions, the Fell Blades? And will Kurzan and Katrina everadmit their feelings? Find out in coming installments! And PLEASE REVIEW! If you have ANY ideas or suggestions, LET ME KNOW!
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque
P.S. Wow, two updates in one day! A new personal best! XD
