The Red Apple
Chapter 11: The Eclipse from Hell
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It was a couple more moments before I sat Griffith up again and pulled a blanket over his lap. I held his hand stroking it gently with my thumb for god knows how long before I decided to let go. I made my way out of the carriage before looking back at Griffith one more time and saying "I made a list for Casca for things that she should do and herbs and medication she should give you to help ease your pain, I'm sorry all this happened to you dear, I love you Griffith, maybe we can try next lifetime, good bye Griffith" and with that I was out of the carriage. For the next hour I compiled a list of herbs and medication as well as a list of things she should do to help and instructions for things like rewrapping his wounds or feeding him. I didn't feel bad for leaving him to go home tomorrow, I still am a princess and I have a country to run, not everything can stop for love….love? Do I still love Griffith? Some parts of me are saying yes while other parts of me are saying I'm over it. As much as I did love Griffith, he is a part of my past, and my future lies in the throne room with Lord Philip, a young lord who is very much in love with me and is a kind and wonderful man. I decided I would take Philip as my husband because even though he is no Griffith, he requires all the basic good qualities that make him the second perfect candidate as husband and king. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a horse cry and saw one of the carriages running away, it was only a few moments later when I realized that the carriage leaving was Griffith's. My eyes widen as I shouted "Griffith!" I took one of the horses closet to me and rode him trying to follow the carriage when I heard galloping from behind. I look back to see it was Miss Casca and the rest of the band of the hawks and that in front of me Guts have already taken the lead in trying to catch up to Griffith. I look back at Miss Casca and shout "WHAT HAPPENED? IS SOMEONE DRIVING THE CARRIAGE!?" She looks back at me shouting back "I DON'T KNOW, IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE GRIFFITH!" I looked back to see him getting further and further away with Guts on his tail.
We followed for a while before we ended up near a lake, when suddenly we see the sky going a blood read and the sun itself was about to be blocked by a sphere of I don't know what 'That is peculiar, I know for a fact that the next solar eclipse isn't for another year or so, how can this be happening?' I thought as we rode off towards it. As we drew I saw a sight so utterly terrifying I nearly had stopped my own horse, in the distance, there were creatures of such terrifying altitude, like monsters or demons from the fables mother and nanny would tell me about in fairytales and folk lore. All in different colors and sizes, they were all so frightening, but that was not the worst of it all. Suddenly the environment changed itself so rapidly from a lake on a hillside to where the sky was filled with crimson faces as well as the ground below us, all I could hear was moans and screams from the faces, it was like something from a terrible nightmare, one that I knew I could never waken from because reality has just become a terrible hellish nightmare in that instant.
But as we did so Miss Casca was trying to calm everyone down and establish order so that we could get out of this situation, Oh Dear God let there be a way out of this horrible situation. I looked over to Griffith and he looked over at my fear stricken face, there was blood running down his eyes, and he mouthed to me 'Do not be afraid' how can I not, I'm surrounded by monsters whom I am sure are near ready to take my flesh and devour it, which frightened me even more so. Suddenly the monsters were speaking in unison about something, but I was too scared to listen, but then suddenly a large nude woman started to arise from the ground, my nerves were shaken, I was personally paralyzed unable to move, unable to do anything as the woman suddenly grew black wings and those wings covered her indecent parts. Next a blue man with black eyes morphed from the sky and was coming down on us making everyone scream, including myself, scream in total panic only for him to miss and turn into a miniature, and fly around us scaring everyone into bits. The more time passed and 4 of the monsters appeared, including another light crimson round fellow and a skeleton man with a large brain protruding from his skull. They started speaking to the monsters and how that soon they were going to feast upon us, but what he said next was something that truly frightened me. He pointed his bony hand at Griffith and said in a deep baritone "and you, our disciple you are the chosen one, here and now appointed by god's own hand, we are your brothers and you, our new blessed king" My eyes widen considerably hearing this 'Griffith is their new king? Chosen? What is going on around here, they are going to eat us, yet make Griffith their king?' I though in fear looking at the monsters that surrounds us, waiting to tear us apart. The Skeleton man then suddenly pointed his bony finger at me as well and said "and you as well, have been chosen by god's own hand, to become the blessed bride of our blessed king, the only one worthy to stand with our king, the only one worthy of becoming our blessed queen, so you should fear not, for you will not be partaken in this feast". For the rest of the conversation they spoke of the rest of them becoming sacrifices to the demons whom have used the Behelit and how his Behelit was one used to become an official God's hand and a demon, the blue round thing than spoke "Yes, at first we were going to use the girl, Apple, to be Griffith's sacrifice, but while we observed her, we realized she carries the traits that makes her worthy for the one how holds the king's Behelit. While she holds the air of a queen, she holds all the potential and traits to be the next queen of the god's hand all too clearly, we couldn't let something that rare go to waste", the woman on the right of his added in "and of course, she holds the balances that make her worthy of us and Griffith, the fact that these two met by coincidence was nothing more than destiny, two soul's that will be melted into one, she will soon become one of us, and soon will become Griffith's as well, for you are quite an important part in all of this *chuckles* little Apple". I looked at this is utter shock, this was too much, too much, tears of fear and frustration were pouring out of my eyes, all this information, all these events, this was too much for me to intake on my own. It wasn't supposed to be like this at all, I was just supposed to free Griffith, go home and live my life normally again, this was all wrong, IT WAS ALL WRONG!
I jumped off my horse ran in front of Griffith, I looked at him and he looked at me as tears rush down my face, I say to him trying to calm my shuddering voice "Griffith, you summoned them right? Than you can stop them, please Griffith don't do this, these are you comrades, the people how have given up limb, blood and sweat for you, are you truly saying you'll kill them over something that isn't worth it? Please Griffith, end this now, you have to end this now" I tried to reason, I truly did but I got to response. The monsters around us started to morph into bigger and more terrifying versions of themselves and the ground suddenly started to shake 'I know this just can't be good' I thought as I held onto Griffith for support. The ground below us started to rise taking Griffith, Guts and I with it as terrifying sounds were being made. I was hanging on for dear life on the face stones and Griffith was trying to shield me with his own body and Guts shielded us both with his massive body when suddenly he lost his footing and started to fall. Griffith held out his hand and caught Guts only for Guts to let go when he saw the strain he was putting on Griffith. I scream loudly as it went faster and Griffith was still shielding me with his body as I screamed with tears coming out of my eyes when suddenly it all stopped. Griffith was hold me close by my shoulders as the ground below us have taken the shape of a hand as we were raised up near the eclipse. I could hear the chants of 'Sacrifice' from below us, I was too afraid to dare look down to what I am sure is about to be an absolute bloodbath, I just bury myself into Griffith scrawny chest and prayed this was a horrible nightmare I could wake up from soon. Griffith held me as tightly as he could as I heard one of them speak "What is you fear, we are infinitely more powerful than you? Or perhaps it's that you are afraid of your future, your immediate future", I listen in closely to the conversation as I heard another voice entirely "Let us illuminate the reality of what you truly are, by taking you on a journey to your past. Before we step forward into both you and your queen's glorious future". Griffith and I were shown of the day he wanted to go to the castle with his friends, only to end up in a yard filled with the dead. The old woman from before showed up before him and showed him that this was the only way to the castle is by stepping over the dead, it was a horrible vision that kept going on and on, I could sympathize with what is being said.
I too am like this, I am willing to do whatever it takes for my kingdom, even stepping over the dead, paving the way with dead bodies, I guess that makes me just as bad as God's hand, maybe even worse because I have to real ties to the people I use to make way to the top, except for father and Charlotte. I started to understand that they weren't just showing this to teach Griffith, but me as well. I am supposed to be a queen, a great queen and even if it meant having to walk on a road paved in blood and dead bodies, there was no room for guilt or fear, not now. Maybe it was because I was being corrupted by what was being said or maybe because I was already corrupted to begin with but hid myself behind a façade of innocent, but I felt myself being slowly enthralled in darkness and cruel understanding. I started to become less and less afraid the more I thought about it, the woman then looked at me and said "well, well, it seems the Princess has come back to her senses, she now understands what it means to be royal, be a monarch, it's amazing she picked it up so quickly, even quicker than you child, although she has had more practice being of royal blood, she is more willing to pave the road with more dead bodies in order to reach the castle of her dreams, maybe she is more worthy of it than you are child. If you are not careful, she will probably use you as a cobblestone while she will be taken to the greatest heights of glory. She realizes there is no innocent way to the throne, just one paved in blood". Child Griffith looked at me and I looked at him, then I tore my gaze away from him to the ground where the dead bodies lay, the old woman spoke again "well what is wrong with you girl, these cobblestones are just as much yours as they are the child's. You helped him pave this way and yet you feel so much remorse about the dead you use, but you continue to anyway because your dreams are more important than how you feel. You dream of great kingdom and are ready to abandon all feelings you have just for the sake of achieving the castle. Heh, how innocent you are, yet how bloody you can be, you truly are worthy to become the next queen, the greatest of all queen's. You see child, this woman is your destiny, and if you don't catch up with her, she will leave you to become a cobblestone for someone who can".
The old woman continued so show and taunt child Griffith the truths of what he has done and what he must done. I had not paid much attention while swimming in my own thoughts until the old woman turned into the blue and crimson demons saying that Griffith should continue what he has started. Child Griffith got up suddenly and started walking towards the castle carrying his dead friend, as a sign he has finally come to terms with what must be done. When we finally returned back to the ground hand before the God's hand "Now you see the truth of how you are" said the blue man floating away, then than said out of nowhere "No illusion, we are merely holding a mirror to your own consciousness allowing you to witness the reflection, you yourself stacked the cobblestones to reach the castle in the sky that was and always has been your destiny" "without guilt you both have step over the thousands of dead whose bodies made up the stones to pave your way, and they, for you, had done the same had did the same to those before" interjected the crimson round man. The blue man than spoke up again looking down on us both "your minds was fixed on a single ideal" "And now, before you reach the end of your magnificent journey, behold" said the nude woman who pointed directly at the band of the hawks who looked up at us frightened and confused as the woman continued on "The gifts that await you at the summit of your bloody quest. Your comrades, each a feather in your wing has carried you to your great cause, they will surely forgive you, though they may feel engulfed in the shadow of despair they will forgive you. For they have always loved you and trust your wounded soul and tattered body to them and you will have life everlasting. Think not of your past and let it malt like old feathers and consume yourself in aftermath of your dreams". I look at them and look at Griffith who looks like he was just given a second chance at life, I knew what he was thinking, I knew no matter what I said he wasn't going to listen, his dream was on the line, the one thing he lived for, no way was he going to pass up a chance to have it again. He held me close to his body as the skeleton man said "that is the sentence of god, but if your dreams still lives, if that castle still gleams as brightly as in your eyes than it is your obligation to lay the stones that surround you now for you and your queen. Let us begin the chant of offering, blessed queen, it would be wise to get away from him shall you be corrupted as well, stray from the path and you will not granted the black wings that will carry you to the heavens. Fate has set you free from human reason and by providence, embrace your inner evil. Now stand and face your future" Suddenly Griffith and I turned to see it was Guts, he was tired, but he managed to get up here, Griffith gently pushed me away from him and told me to go farther, so I did, near the edge of the hand's palm next to Guts. He looked at Guts for a while before mouthing "I submit", and so a rumbling sound came by as the hand enclosed itself around Griffith. Guts and I ran to it, knocking on it screaming for Griffith. I look up to see the God's hand standing on the fingers, before the skeleton man said "The treads of destiny are now bound as one, the promise time has come". Soon threads started to hit everyone except for me, I looked at them and the nude woman looked back at me and said "you need not worry blessed queen, you will not be devoured, you are our queen after all, but now that the feast is about to begin, we must keep our promise to Griffith" "Oh yes, we did make this this agreement before didn't we? Oh well, these things can't be helped" said the round blue man, I looked up at them in horror before saying "what the hell are you talking about? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?" the nude woman said "well so she can speak, we made a deal with Griffith before this happened, we gain our king in exchange of something from you", I felt my eyebrow tweak upwards as I back away in fear "what…what could you possibly want from me?" The skeleton man said as he held out his hand in front of me and said "Griffith gave us the promise of submitting if we take away a memory you have, and once it is done, everything will be set into place for a new kingdom to arise from the ashes". With that, his hand glowed a bright blue and I felt myself being lifted up into the air and the sensations of hands all over my body, along with a growing pain on the side of my head, I started screaming in agony as the pain grew to unbearable proportions until I felt myself slip into unconsciousness.