Moriari
Chapter 14
A/n: Surprise! I actually finished this story this weekend today got around to editing it. I will be posting the remaining chapters every day once I do final retouches. There will be around two chapters after this. I can't believe I finally finished writing this! Enjoy and review if you have time time!
He faced the ground as he waited, his eyes never leaving the cobblestone grooves that had been painstakingly etched into the smooth surface. The wails and cries of superfluous anger, of shock and despair rung painfully in his ears yet he made no cause for himself, answered no questions and bared the brunt of the bitter crowd with a silent yet proud disposition. His body was twitching with fear of the unknown; fear for himself, for his sister, but mostly fear for the woman that he loved and their daughter. His admission might change nothing for them.
Darien's gaze rose slightly as Tiberius came to crouch before him, his angry orbs tearing into him as he watched the now silent king.
"Whomever you're protecting-"
"I am protecting no one, Tiberius."
The elder shook with anger, the features of his pale face writhing and twisting until anger radiated from him. "I hardly believe that you would destroy your family's name, the very essence of this planet, the very nature of our people over some little whore from Earth!"
"I would watch how you speak of her."
Tiberius' eyes widened. "You insolent fool," he whispered. "Just because you are king, does not mean that you are above the law, Darien."
The young king chuckled. "Of course I am aware of this, Tiberius. Why do you think it took so long for me to come forward?"
"This is no laughing matter. I am bound by the laws-"
"I am not asking for mercy for myself; I am asking for mercy for my child and for the woman that carries it."
Tiberius frowned but said nothing. Slowly he thrust his robes behind him before turning to the council. Upon his gaze they silenced, a heavy quietness coming over the room; the air was cool and crisp, thick with tension and apprehension.
"I have lived and raised this king for centuries now and have loved him as if he were my own son and Princess Raye as if she were my daughter. I knew their family, the family before them and promised upon their deaths, to protect the heir to the best of my ability," began Tiberius. He paused, eyes falling to the ground before returning to watch the council. "But I cannot help them, if they will not help themselves. If I do not uphold tradition, if I do not uphold the law, was I ever truly a servant to the kings of the past and kings before them. Darien is a king, a great king….but this indiscretion has shown us that in the end, he is still a man, a man that has struggled with what many of us Moriarian's have struggled with. The humans bring with them disease and temptation and there was not one as alluring as Serena, the woman with whom Darien has created this abomination. My people I ask you, what shall we do? Can we ignore the one indiscretion of an otherwise fruitful king? A king who was shown compassion to our wounded, to our sick, to our children? A king who has ushered us into an era of technological and industrial revolution? A king who has secured our economic growth for decade upon decade? A king who has given us a true chance at peace? My love and respect for my king still remains, but the decision does not alone lay with me. Tell me council, what shall we do with our fallen king?"
Darien peered around at the sallow faces, vapid of all expression and remained quiet. Many of them seemed to be struggling inwardly over what is the law and what they inherently knew was right. He turned to face Nicholas and Jayden, two of his most trusted allies; their eyes were empty of all thought and emotion.
"If I may," said Raye, rising to her feet, her dark eyes bearing into those of her brother. "It is without doubt that my brother has succumbed to the temptation that many of you have encountered on a daily basis, but you must understand that this situation has its differences. This woman, Serena, as we had affectionately come to know her, was not just a servant in our homes, but an ally to our people. She willing assisted in us understanding the physiology of our precious planet and underwent struggles to save it at her own expense. For the first time in centuries, a human, to both my brother and I, was viewed as not a subordinate, but a colleague helping us in the war against the very nature of this planet we all hold so dear. I am not attempting to excuse the actions of my brother, but I am trying to provide to you a glimpse to what our lives with Serena have been like over these past months, so that you may understand why exactly it is that my brother fell. Please, council, I pray that you overlook this blemish on his otherwise clean record and show mercy to him as he has shown mercy to you."
As Raye turned to take her seat, silence again reigned upon the room; heads turned as brows furrowed in benign thought and consideration. Darien remained quiet, a tapping noise in his ears, his palms damp with sweat, his mind a swirl of confusion. He had thought, known that he would have been chained by now and headed to the lowest depths of the dungeon for treason against his people, but here he sat listening to his sister and Tiberius appeal on his behalf. It only made the coward in him tremble with more regret; he could have absolved Serena months ago.
"If I may, majesties," said a woman, her voice rich and thick with age. She rose quietly, long traces of black strands escaping the chignon that had settled against the base of her neck. Her robes were a forest green and atop her breast she wore a sparkling brooch of diamond and pearl. Her name was Setsuna, and she was the oldest and wisest woman to take seat upon the council. "I believe our silence speaks of the decision that we have all come to in our minds. Our beloved king Darien may have fallen into the clutches of lusts embrace, but that does erase the centuries of good he has done for us, and for our people. Yet, if no one else will speak for the king, then I will be the only one who shall. It is my recommendation, that we leave the king to his own devices, to rule the kingdom as he always has, for he will suffer enough. Undoubtedly, he has learned from this mistake and will be reticent to make it again. Do we not feel that the death of his human child will be enough to satisfy the rage of our gods-"
"You still wish this child dead?" asked Darien, his eye wide with livid discontent. "It has done nothing wrong. Banish me; banish me and Serena and our child! Do what you must to my throne, do what you must with me, but if you are to spare someone, spare the one who is most innocent in this."
Setsuna frowned, a deep painful grimace befuddled with sorrow. "I understand the love you may think you have for this woman and the undoubted love you feel for the child growing in her womb. But your majesty, you are asking too much. For us to pardon you is one thing, but for us to accept the defilement of our people is another."
"You cannot kill the child," said Darien, raising his feet, his voice deepening as waves of power and authority radiated from him. "As it was treason for me to bed the human it is high treason of you to kill the only heir to this throne. Human or not, hybrid or not, my child is still the only heir to this throne and by our laws you cannot harm it."
Tiberius sneered. "You opt to use our own laws against us when it was you who defiled our people because of your inability to control yourself? How dare you!"
"You may condemn me however you like, Tiberius but this is the law!"
"A law that by no means applies to this situation," cried another woman as she rose from her seat. Her deep brown eyes bore into Darien's as she tucked away a strand of red hair from her face.
"Lady Beryl is in agreement with me, I presume?" asked Tiberius, a twinkle in his eye.
"There is no other option but agreement," she said, focusing on Darien. "It has never been a secret my regard for you, your majesty. The entire council is aware of our short betrothal years ago. However my feelings for you and general concern for your well being cannot change the sins that you have committed; sins that demand restitution. A blood debt is owed and you are asking us to choose between a king that we all love or a harlot who is carrying something we cannot even begin to imagine. You have left us with no choice; you have brought this judgment upon yourself, your lover and your child." She paused and looked pointedly to the council. "Council, if it is our true desire to imprison and subsequently banish the king for treason against the state and the law, please make your opinion known now."
Darien quietly scanned the room for hands, nods, murmurings of fervent support, yet was greeted with nothing. The council had decided to spare him; the king remained rigid in his chair.
"Well then," said Beryl smirking, "it seems your people's loyalty to you knows no bounds your majesty."
"Loyalty to the king, yes," said Tiberius, "but the human child will not be spared."
"Yes, council, for all those in favor of upholding the law and our great traditions, of bleeding villainy and filth from our land, of commandeering the child upon birth and sentencing it to death at first breath, please let your voices be known."
Darien watched with ardent sorrow as hand after hand raised itself in the court, everyone except Raye and his generals had voted to his kill daughter; he couldn't stop their decision. Even if he could somehow get to Serena in time, Tiberius would be keeping a close eye on him and he wouldn't be able to get her off this planet.
And suddenly his eyes stung and his mouth was filled with the copper taste of rising bile as understanding hit him. He would not be able to save them, he would be forced to sit and watch as they burned his baby for a crime she was innocent of. For the first time in a long time, he understood why Serena had viewed them as barbarians upon her first arrival; he was one himself.
"It is decided," said Tiberius, a look of cool triumphant glee etched across his ancient features. "Bring the woman to me."
Serena jolted awake in bed, her chest heaving as slick beads of sweat caused her thighs to rub quickly against each other. She clutched the soft cotton sheets to her chest, placing one hand on her swollen womb to comfort the frantic movements of her daughter.
Something wasn't right.
They are coming for you. But you must not run.
"What? Who? The Moriarian's? You cannot expect me to just wait here!"
Then where will you go? There isn't a place on this planet where you can run that they cannot find you. Your day will come, my dear, until then, you must go with them. You must surrender.
"I thought you wanted to help me?" cried Serena to the empty air, tears prickling and stinging her eyes. "If I go with them, the minute my daughter is born they will take her!"
I understand.
"Please, please….I'm begging you," she sobbed, burrowing her head in her hands. "They are going to take her away from me. She's my family; she's all that I have left."
I understand your pain more than you will ever imagine. But this is the path that you must take. Long and sorrowful as it is, it is your journey to make Serena. When the time comes, you will use the tools that I have given you and you will know exactly what must be done.
Serena opened her mouth to protest just as shadowed figures burst into her home. One by one they entered, some of their faces familiar, others were not. Removing the cloaks from their heads she saw Jayden and Nicholas and was surprised by the look of pity they were sending to her. The other she had seen before and her insides squirmed and contracted with rage. She had seen Tiberius' god awful smirk once and it was all she wanted to see of him for a lifetime. Accompanying him were two women she had never seen before; one with black silken hair and another with strands as red as a raging fire.
"Serena, it's been too long. You have evaded judgment for quite some time, and with the king protecting you, we certainly can't leave you here just in case Darien gets so bold as to help you escape. You are under arrest for treason against the state. You can come quietly or I will force you. The choice, my dear, is yours."
The young blond rattled her chains noisily, the iron shackles tight and painful against her wrists as she rested her throbbing head against the cold dungeon wall and sighed. Fighting Tiberius and his cohorts would have been useless and according to Nehelania, she had quite the fight to wage in her near future. She needed to save her strength. She surrendered to him, allowing Jayden and Nicholas to help her get dressed and gently cuff her as they led her into the darkness towards the transport that would take her back to the castle.
It was quiet down here, in the bowels of the palace and there was nothing to do but reflect on the decisions that had brought her here, on the secret plan that Nehelania had in store for her and if any of this would save her daughter. Admittedly, Serena would have gladly forfeited her life in exchange for her baby's; but they didn't want her, they only wanted her child.
And then there was Darien; even the thought of his name stirred her child into a frenzy of movement. She looked down and patted her belly gently. Something was amiss with her daughter. It was a thought she had tried to never focus on, but something about this pregnancy seemed different. True, she had never been pregnant before, but she had many woman friends and heard many stories from them about what they were experiencing and what she should be expecting when expecting. But this connection that she had with her progeny was something she couldn't seem to understand. When Serena was angry, her baby was angry and power emanated from her womb in waves of rage; when she was happy, she could feel a serenity emanating from within her and she was afraid, somehow, somehow her growing daughter was comforting her, sending bursts of tranquility to every part of her body.
In truth, she had always known that her daughter would be different. After all, she was different from many of her peers in every way and Darien could in no way be considered human. She stroked her belly lightly and wondered what exactly was growing inside her.
"Did they hurt you?" came a sultry, soothing voice from the distant darkness of the dungeon. Serena couldn't see his face, but she immediately knew who her shadowy companion was, and judging by the movements of her child, so did she.
"No. Jayden and Nicholas were very gentle," she said, her eyes focusing on Darien as he walked slowly to her, his face a masque of curiosity and despair. "They told me what you said to the council. Why did you do it?"
He sighed and crouched beside her, the leather of his bottom dampening as it hit the floor. "I thought it would help," he said, the deep blue eyes staring sadly into her own. "I thought, if they knew the child was of royal descent they would be more likely to pardon her."
"Apparently that didn't work."
"No it didn't."
"Are you in trouble too?"
Darien sighed again. "Surprisingly, no. They spared me, no repercussions, no temporary exile, no contempt. Nothing." He paused. "I wished they would have."
Serena's eyes widened in surprised. "Why would you want that?"
He frowned. "Look at you, chained and alone down here. This is the first time they've let me see you. Four weeks ago they brought you here and I have been forbidden from even asking about you."
"So you're not as free as you convey yourself to be."
"I only have restrictions when it comes to you. I'm sorry, for everything. I don't expect you to forgive me, but there hasn't been a day where my mind wasn't plagued with worry for you, for our baby. Know that."
"We all have things to be sorry for Darien," she said guiltily, remembering the night that she had stolen something from him. "You're a king….you have other things to worry about than me-"
"There's nothing more important in my life than you. Not a day has gone by that I haven't loved you. I'll love you for the rest of my life, however long that turns out to be."
Serena stared at him quietly before reacting. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He looked to her sadly. "Soon our daughter will be dead, and you will be exiled. Knowing that our child is gone because of me, that you are enslaved somewhere that I can't find you…how can I rule for more centuries knowing that?"
She smiled sadly. "Because you're a good king…a great king, who cares for his people, who's compassionate and fair and merciful. Don't do something you'll regret," she said, her eyes tearing. "Mourn for me and our baby, but be a good king and find a good woman who can give you an heir worthy of your people and your throne and love her the way you couldn't love me."
Carefully he reached through the bars and touched her cheek, his fingers brushing against the soft skin. He blinked back tears as he pictured a life without her in it. "I will never love anyone the way that I love you."
"I don't think you really have a choice," she said, arching her back and grimacing.
"I know this dungeon isn't comfortable, I tried to have you moved to the castle but-"
"No it's not that, she's just moving a lot right now."
"The baby?" he paused, lowering his hand to rest on the horizontal bar.
"Yeah," said Serena, grabbing his hand and placing it on the left side of her belly. He waited still for a moment, his eyes glued onto her stomach waiting for something to happen when he felt the small nudge against his palm. It was weak at first, but after the second and third time it felt much stronger. His lips parted, a small intake of air slipping through as he stared wide eyed at his large hand resting against her skin, sitting quietly as his daughter kicked and moved against his hand. He had never loved anything more at that moment and for the first time since all of this occurred, he felt like a father.
Serena had been imprisoned for over two months now and every day things seemed to get harder on her. She was much bigger than before, much bigger than she really felt that she should be. When she looked down at herself, she felt larger than seven and a half months pregnant. Every day she felt closer and closer to being ready to have her daughter. A part of her knew that it was an impossibility that she was ready to give birth, but there was nothing normal about her baby, nothing normal about her lineage so why should she expect to carry this baby to term.
She frowned slightly as a slight pain pulsated through her back as she lay against the lumpy mattress on the side of the dungeon that she had learned to call home. She pulled the blanket over herself and sighed. She wished her baby would never be born; she would have rather rotted in this prison for eternity than be present for the death of the daughter she loved so much. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something in the air was different today. When she touched something, she felt an electric energy course through her veins and felt stronger than she had in months. She wanted to think it was Nehelania's presence but in inwardly knew it wasn't. Something was going to happen today. She didn't know what, she didn't know exactly when, but she knew deep inside that her life was going to change forever.
A familiar pounding jolted her from her thoughts and she smiled gently as she got up from her bed and came to sit on the chair nearest to the prison bars. "How are you feeling today?" asked Darien, as he came and sat opposite the bars.
"Grossly overweight."
Darien chuckled. "You're not overweight. You're pregnant."
"My thighs rub together when I walk, I don't think that's pregnancy. I think that's fat."
Again he laughed. "You're nearly eight months, you're supposed to be gaining weight."
"I'm gaining weight because I'm sitting down all day and the father of my child keeps showering me with sweets and elaborate dishes."
"You need to be healthy."
"For what?" she said grimly.
Darien stared back at her solemnly. "I had a strange dream last night. The last few nights actually."
"Is that why you've been so chipper of late?"
"Not chipper, just…hopeful."
"Hopeful? Darien…I hate to put a damper on your crack infested parade but we don't really have much to be hoping for. Need I remind you-"
"No you don't need to," he said sternly, passing her a cup of steaming hot chocolate through the bars. He paused for a moment before leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms firmly against his chest. "I had always thought the story about the witch in the forest was some sort of legend that the humans made up. Now I'm not so sure."
Serena sputtered as she nearly choked on her cocoa. "W-what are you talking about?"
He looked at her seriously, all previous emotion scrubbed from his face. "I've been dreaming about her. A woman named Nehelania. But I'm sure you've heard of her since she speaks so highly of you."
"What are you talking about?" Serena asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Had Nehelania betrayed her?
"She told me you took something from me. She said it was something that I won't miss and that I should trust you and that everything will be okay. Do you know what she's talking about Serena?" he asked, leaning over and resting his palms against his knees; his gaze was solemn and intent.
Serena warred inwardly with herself. She barely knew what she took from him, how could she explain that to him? Things had been going so well between them; well enough for the situation they were in. Since she had been brought back to the castle against her will, he had come down to see her everyday with her favorite foods, books, stories. He would kiss her gently through the bars and rub her stomach and her back when she was hurting. He would hold her hand when she would cry over the fate of her child. All things considered, everyday with him reminded her of why she loved him the way she did. But this, this would change so much. Would he despise her after she told him the truth?
She sighed loudly as she wrung her hands together. "I do, vaguely."
"Vaguely?"
"She had me do something to you. I didn't hurt you though. At least I don't think. You were unconscious and I just…I took it. I was angry and desperate and she said it could help me. She said there was a price I'd have to pay, she didn't say what, but she said this would help save our daughter. I don't know how or when I'm supposed to do anything…I was desperate and alone, please don't be mad."
He surveyed her for a moment. "Who said I was mad?"
"What?"
"If this Nehelania is who I think she is, then we might actually stand a chance."
"What?" she asked again, her voice dry.
"We keep records of everyone brought to our planet along with an analysis of their strengths and weakness'. It helps us decided where to put them for work. Agriculture, mining, the blood banks, textiles, all of it. Nehelania was the first person ever brought to our planet that was like you."
"Like me?"
"A Heretic. According to her, one of the first, meaning her bloodline is the strongest."
"She told you that?"
"She told me a lot of things. She also told me your bloodlines intertwine. You're one of her descendants, Serena. I suppose that would make you her great-great-great-great-great-"
"Granddaughter, I get it Darien."
"She's very old, Serena. You trusted her, but there's a darkness in her that you couldn't even fathom. She said she's been alive for over several centuries, and even with your different physiology living that long is impossible."
"If she's so…bad….what did she say to you that made you think that things may be okay?"
"She said the two of you had a plan and that I should trust it to work."
"That's it?"
"That's it. There were other things, vague things she mentioned about three bloodlines coming together and the essence of one more powerful, but I'm struggling to decipher what she meant. The three bloodlines I get, you, her and our daughter. But the essence I'm not so sure." He stared pointedly at her.
"Darien…"
"Serena if you took something from me I need to know. For a second let me entertain the idea that whatever the two of you have concocted will result in everything swinging our way, but I need to know what you stole and I need to know the price you're going to have to pay for using it."
"I don't know."
"Serena-"
"I don't know," she said again this time, grimacing as an intense jolt of pain ripped through her lower back.
"I won't be upset, but I need to know if this is even worth the effort, what if it kills you? I want this to be over as much as you do, I want us to win, but if you die in the process, I don't know if it's even worth it."
"Darien I swear I…" Serena paused slightly, another pain ripping through her. She closed her eyes and gripped the bars, squeezing the iron until her hands turned white from the effort.
Panic immediately shot through Darien as he reached towards her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes from the pain. "It hurts so badly." Serena had felt spasms like this in her abdomen for the past few days, but they had never been this bad.
"Is it the baby?"
"I-I don't know," she cried, clutching her womb when she suddenly felt it. The sensation of warm water trickling down her thigh onto the chair and floor beneath her. Darien's eyes followed the light flow as it stained the concrete a deep grey, his mouth agape with shock.
"Darien, I think my water broke."
Fourteen hours.
Fourteen hours of the most agonizing pain Serena had ever felt in her life. Her face was red with effort, drips of salty perspiration dripping from her brow onto the damp sheets beneath. The laboring blonde cried out loudly as another excruciating contraction ripped through her lower abdomen. Tears formed at the edge of her eyes and escaped onto the surface below.
She could feel Darien's fingers laced against her own as she continued to cry out, her back arching against the soft cotton of the bed below her. This was the first time she had been back up to the room she had once called home before her banishment. Her return was bittersweet.
"Serena, you're fully dilated now, on the next contraction I need you to push."
"I can't, I can't," she cried breathlessly, looking into the worried eyes of her lover. "Darien I can't I'm so tired, it hurts so bad."
"I know, I know, you can do this, baby, I know you can," he said, his voice wavering. He felt so useless here watching her writhe and cry out from the anguish of childbirth.
"I don't want to, they're going to take her. They're going to take her," she cried.
Joshua's heart broke for the young human. "Darien if she doesn't push she'll be at risk for hemorrhage."
"Serena, it'll be ok, remember what we talked about. You have to do this, the pain will stop and it'll be over soon."
Serena screamed loudly, her cervix feeling like it was ripping in two as another spasmning contraction ripped through her, the pressure to push so strong that she couldn't fight. Squeezing her knees to her chest she pushed, biting on her lip until she drew blood.
Darien quickly placed his hand under neck as the other moved to her thighs as he watched with baited breath, whispering soft sentiments of encouragements.
"Okay, Serena, rest, you're doing well, the baby is moving along nicely."
"Oh god," she yelled again, feeling an unbelievable amount of force as she contracted again. She screamed loudly, digging her nails into the backs of her thighs as she pushed as hard as she could, a fiery sensation against her walls sending a new pain through her.
"I can see the baby's head, Serena, one more push," Joshua said.
"She's almost here. You can do this, you've done so well, baby, just one more push," Darien cried, leaning in and kissing her forehead.
Summoning the last ounce of energy she had, she closed her eyes and pushed as hard as she could, her body stretching to its limits, the last searing pain pressing against her walls and then finally, sudden release. She inhaled sharply opening her eyes as the tiny cry from her infant filled the newly silent room.
Darien looked down from Serena to new child that Joshua had just extracted from her womb, small tears forming in his eyes as he watched the nurses grip the baby and begin to clean fluid from her nostrils.
"It's a girl, Darien," said Joshua proudly. "It's a girl."
Darien looked to a Serena, a look of awe gracing his features. Slowly he bent down to kiss the silent blonde. "I love you," he said, whispering it into her ear, looking as they cleaned his crying daughter.
They watched silently as the nurses wrapped her in a tiny pink blanket and walked her over to her mother. For a moment, the nurse hesitated before giving the baby to Serena. Holding the child would make it even harder for Serena to let her go, yet as a mother herself, she could never deny another woman the right to hold her baby. Gently she pressed the small girl into her mother's arms and turned to walk away.
As Serena stared down at her new baby girl, she was filled with such an unyielding, unselfish sense of love that she felt as though it would rip her apart. She felt the bed sag as Darien sat next to her, his larger hand coming to caress the tiny fingers of his newborn daughter. His daughter. She was an identical image of her mother. She had his lips and nose, and she seemed to take after her mother's lighter hair. He was just about to whisper something to Serena when the baby did something he hadn't expected: she opened her eyes. And there he met the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever seen and he knew his life would never be the same. He leaned down and pressed lips against her little forehead as she stared at him with tired wonder.
"She's so beautiful," he said, into Serena's hair.
"She is. I love her so much."
"We both do."
Serena looked to him to speak when the doors burst open, the silence and serenity of the moment destroyed by the violent entrance of none other than Tiberius himself.
The older man surveyed the new family for a moment before sending Joshua to commandeer the infant. He looked to the pair and for a moment even Darien saw the look of sorrow pass over his face. "I'm sorry, Darien, "said Tiberius. "But it is time."