Chapter Twenty Two: World's Apart
Walter and Swift are patrolling the ruin of Bowerstone. Everything seems clear and nothing seems disturbed.
"Bloody monsters. They've made a shamble of this place." Walter grunted as he kicks over a pile of wood.
"Yes, quite." Swift agreed. "Walter, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Swifty." Walter said briskly.
"Yes I know you are 'fine' physically and in health but what I meant is, how are you, really?" Said Swift.
"I know what you meant." Walter sighed. "Did the squad put you up to this?"
"They briefly mentioned their concern." Said Swift. "Apparently you're either very angry at the world or you're very depressed but either way, you haven't been the same since…"
"Since some ruddy bastard has made a ruin of Albion, our home of birth?" Walter interjected angrily.
"Since the Queen ran away." Swift said gently.
"Ah, that…"
"Yes, that. She was a dear friend to you and the old boys and I know she was very important to you…" Swift said carefully.
"You have no idea what she meant to me." Walter said bitterly.
"Then tell me." Swift insisted.
"What do you expect me to say, Swift?!" Snapped Walter. "How, ever since I had met her, she brought me happiness?! How it breaks my heart that she not only abandoned me but her people?!"
Walter takes rapid steps up to Swift and stands toe to toe with him whilst Swift looks at him without flinching.
"Or how, at this moment in time, I wish she and I had never met?" Walter said through gritted teeth and misery in his voice.
"Good, very good." Swift said. "We're making progress at least." Swift said optimistically.
"Save your therapy bull for someone who wants it." Growled Walter as he turned his back on him to walk back to their base. "Don't breathe a word about this anymore, Swift. As far as I'm concerned, the Queen is dead."
Without looking back, he walks ahead as Swift shakes his head sadly and follows close behind him.
Reaver and the Hero have gathered dry wood for their fire. Reaver tries to light it with a couple of rocks but fails to do so. He gradually gets frustrated until she ignites a small flame with her will and lights the wood.
"Show off." Reaver muttered jokingly. "I had it you know. I've been doing it before you even came along."
"Yes, but by that time, we would have frozen to death." She smirked.
"How droll." Reaver said as he made himself comfortable beside the fire. "You know there are other ways of keeping warm…"
She shoots him a 'drop the subject' look and in response, he smiles and shrugs.
"Just putting it out there." He said.
She rolls her eyes.
"Can we talk about something that isn't related to sex?" She asked.
"I'll try for you, dear." He said as he thought hard.
"Thank you. You're too kind." She said sarcastically.
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit." Reaver said.
"And sea chasms are the lowest forms of wet." She replied as she pokes the fire with a stick.
"How about this for a conversation starter?" He said as he turned to look at her. "Why is it that you are not out there battling with your flaccid army?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She quickly responded.
"That's not very fair." Reaver moaned. "You only requested for me not to talk about anything that related to sex and as far as I'm aware, unless you've got a naughty secret, that question was non-sexual."
"I said I don't want to talk about it." She hissed at him.
"Fine, fine." He said. "Did I ever tell you about the woman I met a century ago? Very plain and very boring but she had the most wonderful breasts. Although, when it came to 'dirtying her bed' as she had called it, I discovered that they were actually just melons! Still, he/she had a pleasurably large…"
"Ok! Enough!" She interrupted with a look of disgust on her face. "I'm going to be sick, just stop! I'll talk…"
"Shame, I was getting to the good bit." He tuts but his smirk revealed he wasn't the least bit disappointed. "Spill the beans."
"I removed my status as Queen." She said firmly. "That's all."
"That's all?!" Reaver repeats indignantly.
"What?"
"Would you care to elaborate?" Reaver said.
She huffs in annoyance and wrinkles her nose.
"Without the attitude, missy." Reaver said as he waggled his finger at her. "And don't pull that face. You'll get wrinkles."
"Ugh, ok." She groaned as she shifted her body to sit cross legged. "I decided that Albion no longer needed me. They need a hero and a queen and I couldn't fulfil both. I failed them and there's no coming back from that…"
Reaver considers what she had said.
"Interesting… You've decided that you can no longer live up to the title." He examined.
"It's not as simple as that!" She snapped.
"Well, yes. It is." Reaver said knowingly. "In fact, you said it yourself!"
She opens her mouth to retaliate but stays silent as she realises that Reaver was right.
"The cost became too high for the prize. The cost represents your well being, the prize is the rule over Albion." Reaver said simply. "Good for you! A little too late but you did it, finally!"
She puts her head down in shame and scratches at the floor.
"Don't be like that. A lot of people would have given up sooner." Reaver tried to say reassuringly.
"I didn't give up on them! They… I… I would only hurt them more than I could help…" She said sadly as she shook her head. "I just wanted to help…"
Reaver rolls his eyes.
"Sigh, even when you've freed yourself from the shackles of responsibility, you still insist on being chained." Reaver said.
She draws her knees up and wraps her arms around her legs as she buries her head in her knees.
"If it bothers you this much, why don't you 'reinstate' yourself?" Reaver asked curiously.
"Who would want me?" She said with her voice muffled.
"Albion! And even if they don't, does it matter?" He asked as he stands up and walks towards the cave's entrance.
"Do you really think there is any form of leadership out there at the moment?" He said as he gestured to the outside world. "They need hope! And the only one who can instil that hope in their useless state is you!"
"It'll be like the blind leading the blind." She said as she peeps at him.
"The great Hero Queen, ladies and gentlemen, has lost faith!" Announces Reaver, his echoes reverberates through the forest and the cave and she quickly gets on her feet.
"I am not the Hero Queen!" She shouted angrily at him. "I can't live up to it!"
Reaver storms over to her and grabs her arms.
"How will you know for certain if you never try?!" He reasoned. "If you abandon them now, you are no better than I."
"But…"
Reaver interrupts her with a kiss as he draws away from her; she is silenced from being stunned.
"Funny, you look, sound and feel the same as my last wife. But she wouldn't have given up without a fight." Reaver said as he raised an eyebrow at her. "You see, she had an incredible passion and it burned in her heart like fire. She also had a sickeningly loving and caring side that, despite my opinions, extended to all those around her. She would protect the ones she loves with all her might. She loved this kingdom and she loved the people. And with her deadly right hook, she would take back what are hers and the peoples!"
She looks at him with a new determination and nods then dashes to equip her weapons and gathers what she can.
"Wait for me, darling!" Reaver said with excitement as he holsters his gun.
"You're coming?" She asked worriedly. "But you could get killed."
"My sweet, this is child's play for me, especially since I am the Hero of Skill." He winked at her. "Ugh, I'll never grow fond of that title…" He winced. "However, I may as well try and live up to it. For now. Besides…" He brushes a stray hair from her face and tucks it lovingly, behind her ear. "I wouldn't miss this little bird's rise from the ashes. Not for the world."
They smiled at each other and they walk out together with a new found purpose. Even if they fail, they can at least say they tried.
"Walter!"
A guard sprints through the organized chaos of their base.
"Walter!"
"Ruddy hell… What?!" Walter shouted as he turns away from his map which he had spread across a crate. The guard runs over to him and catches his breath.
"Walt…Walter. The… The balverines have attacked… The east refugee camp." He said breathlessly.
"Balls!" Walter cursed. "Swift! Gather your men! Now!"
He scanned the room for his squad members and spots them in the corner.
"You lot!" He yelled as he pointed over at them and they looked over. "You're coming with me! All of you! Move it!"
They all rush out and the men take the horse and cart as they promptly made their way to Mitspeak.
As they felt the chill, bite at their faces and the snowflakes kiss their hands, it wasn't the cold that brought shivers to their spine as they heard screaming in the distance. They get to the camp to see it deserted but the evidence left behind was a sure sign that there had been a violent struggle.
Crates and huts have been smashed and the colour red broke the consistency of the pure white. They slowly edge into the camp and Walter feels something soft beneath his foot. He glances down to see a teddy bear, its body soaked in blood and he clenches it in his hand.
"Everyone scour for survivors! Go in groups of three or four! If you've gone more than a mile or so, you've gone too far!"
The men scramble into small groups and scatter leaving Walter, Swift and Ryan to search into a nearby cave.
"I don't want to go in! No way, no 'ow!" Ryan said shaking his head violently. "Even if Sam was 'ere, to 'old my 'and, I would still not go in!"
"You have Sam hold your hand?" Asked Swift curiously.
"No! I mean… No!" Ryan said stomping his foot. "That's my point! I wouldn't 'ave 'im 'old my 'and and I wouldn't go in dark creepy caves!"
"What's the matter with you? The dark can't hurt you!" Walter snapped. "Besides…"
He notices some torches around the entrance of the cave. "We have light."
Walter picked up the torches and began to light them with matches he found in his pocket.
"With all due respect, sir." Ryan whimpered. "It's not the dark I'm afraid of."
Walter and Swift looked at each other and knew exactly what to do.
"Ryan, you only have two options, come with us, your fellow soldiers and friends, into the cave, or…" Swift said calmly.
"… Stay out here by yourself. No back up, no help, absolutely nobody but yourself." Walter said.
Ryan gulped and took a good look around. He looked out at the mess of the torn away camp and focused on the various blood stains scattered into the snow as the wind howled through the empty area.
"No time like the present then, lads." Ryan said nervously as he took a torch and marched over to the cave's entrance.
"That boy came into the wrong line of work." Walter muttered quietly to Swift.
They all enter the cave and the tunnel leading through was covered in snow. They hear howling in the distance and Ryan jumps from the noise and drops his torch.
"It's only the wind, you bloody coward." Walter tuts.
Ryan picks up his torch and Walter uses his to light the torch. They go in further and they see the end of the tunnel opening. They gasp as they walk into a huge cavern where the ice has formed to look like crystals. Icicles hung from the ceiling and a lone stalagmite of solid snow reaches to the top, forming what looked like a support for the overhead and a snow wall in front of them blocked the view of anything on the other side.
They see shadows dart around the hill's of ice.
"Is it ok to panic now?" Ryan asked timidly.
"No." Barks Walters.
"Yes, it is." A hissing voice echoes.
The voice was heard so clearly, they could have sworn that whoever it was was beside them.
"It is ok to panic when fear grips your hearts. When survival is the only thought that crosses through your minds. After all, that is what happened to the camp." The voice hissed.
"What are you babbling about? Show yourself!" Walter called out.
"I didn't want to dirty my hands with their deaths and it seemed tedious commanding my pets to do so. They get too excitable at times. So I had them kill each other." The voice started cackling which made the men's hair stand on their necks. "I tapped into their deepest fears and cloaked them in it then I watched as they chased and hacked each other into pieces."
"You are sick!" Walter shouted with disgust.
"I am. I am sick of you and your friends still breathing. Enjoy…" It hissed as Walter saw balverines appear from the hills of snow and surround the men.
"Dammit, we're surrounded by balverines!" Cried Walter as he prepared his sword.
"Balverines?! Don't you mean hollow men?" Called out Swift in panic.
"Oh Avos! Get the hobbes off me!" Ryan shrieked.
Walter curses.
"It's our fears, don't do anything! We could end up killing each other!" Walter ordered.
"I can't take that chance!" Ryan screamed as he draws his gun and started shooting.
As he shoots, a balverine lunges towards Walter and its claws catch his arm. Walter roared in pain as he spins around the balverine and slashes it on the back just as a hollow man brought down its rusted sword onto Swift's back.
The more they fought, the less aware they became of each other's existence.
Ryan shoots a hobbe's leg and Swift crumbles to the ground at the hands of a hollow man's sword. Swift punches a hollow man as a balverine knocks Walter away with the back of its claws. Walter uses the hilt of his sword to hit a balverine behind him and kicks down a balverine that was knelt on the ground as Ryan and Swift crash to the floor.
The more they attack their monsters, the more they damaged themselves as they fought as hard as they could which did more harm than good. When the men are standing on their last legs, weakened and injured, a shot suddenly echoes within the cavern and the monsters images became less solid.
"What the-" Walter muttered.
Another shot was heard.
The men begin to see each other again as they continued fighting the beasts but they could no longer come in contact with each other.
"The Queen!" Gasps Ryan.
"What?!" Walter asked in disbelief.
He scans the area quickly but his heart drops when he sees no sign of her.
"Keep focus, chaps!" Swift called out firmly. He gasps in shock as he exclaimed, "Your majesty!"
Walter's heart beats faster as he scanned the area once again. With disappointment weighing him down, he goes to slash at an oncoming balverine but as he does so, he hesitates momentarily as he sees the Hero duck under his sword as opposed to a blood thirsty balverine.
"M'lady?" He whispered.
"Stay still." She hissed.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Exclaimed Ryan as he dodged a hobbe attack.
"You have got to be joking?!" Walter cried out as he blocks a furious claw attack from a balverine.
"Trust me." She whispered.
Swift sheathes his weapons and stands immobile just as an oncoming hollow man charged at Swift and raised its rusted cleaver. Swift closes his eyes, unsure of what to be prepared for but opens his eyes to see the hollow man continuously attack him but the blows never touch Swift at all.
Walter stands still as a balverine runs at him and just as quickly goes through him like a ghostly apparition.
"Stop, you idiot!" Walter shouted as he looked over to Ryan who is still fighting the balverines.
"I..I..I I can't! I'm too scared." His voice shaking and breaking.
"Fool!" Walter heard an unfamiliar voice. Or one that he's rarely heard.
"I've got him, you know what to do." Walter heard the Hero say.
He sees her ghostly form dart past him and disappears again. She reappears as she tried to restrain the terrified squad member from behind but he has now resorted to keeping his eyes shut tightly.
"Dammit, man! Get a hold of yourself!" She demands but Ryan was too afraid to listen to anything or anyone.
"Get it off me! Get it off!" Shrieks Ryan as he swings himself to get her off his back. She eventually loses her grip on the man and as she falls, she fades away. She appears again as she grabs his wrists.
"No! No! No! Get off me! 'Elp!" Cries Ryan.
"Get a grip!" Shouts Walter.
'Ironic,' He thought as he tried to remain calm as the images of balverines surrounded him and were still trying to tear him and Swift apart but with no success.
"Hurry up!" She yelled as she looks behind her at an unknown or invisible source. Ryan pulls the trigger on his gun by accident and the bullet almost went through her foot, luckily it missed as she moved her foot out of the way.
"That's it!" She said impatiently.
She pushes Ryan and punches him, knocking him to the ground where he laid there in a daze. Another shot and the images of the monsters become transparent and she disappears.
"M'lady?" Panics Walter.
A final shot and the images of the beasts are gone and in front of him is the Hero.
"I'm here." She smiled.
Walter watches as she helped Ryan up and handed him and Swift a health potion each whilst Reaver is idly leaning against the crystallized wall.
"You!" Walter roared while pointing at Reaver. "You are under arrest!"
He quickly marches over to Reaver and both men draw their guns, ready for each other. The Hero jumps between them.
"Stop, stop, stop! You're both allies as of this moment! Quit it!" She ordered.
"Have you gone mad, woman?! He is our enemy! Albion's enemy!" Shouted Walter. "He is not the enemy, he is my friend!" She argued.
"So you'll throw everything away to cohort with him!" retaliated Walter.
"I am worth it." Quips Reaver.
"Shut it, Reaver! Not helping!" She said with annoyance.
"Not trying to" Replied Reaver as he waved his pistol.
"Look, remember when I mentioned the culprit was a shape shifter. He had used Reaver's image!" She tried to reason to Walter.
"How do I know that he's not the shape shifter in his true form?!" Walter questioned. "Because he could have killed us all by now!" She shouted. "You have to trust me! For Avos sake, he convinced me to come back and face my demons!"
Walter's eyes widened a little but he then frowns. Without another word, he holsters his gun.
"Put that thing away!" She told Reaver as she slapped his gun to point towards the ground.
"First time I've heard you say that, you tease." Reaver said playfully as he winks and puts his pistol away.
When they finally exit the cave, they find the rest of the men outside and they draw their weapons as soon as they see Reaver who calmly (and daringly) walks out first. Walter follows close behind him.
"It's ok. It's alright. He's… He's with us…" Walter ordered sternly but with a hint of disappointment.
The men put down their weapons and a few helped Ryan and Swift out who still looked battered. They stared dumbstruck at the Hero when she exited the cave. She merely bows her head humbly and smiles warmly at her the sight of her old squad members. They get over the shock, smiles back and stand at attention and salute her.
She couldn't assume that she'll be as easily accepted by the rest of the men as she was with her old squad. She had left them in the darkest time and allowed their kingdom to be ruined. However, at this time, she counted her blessings for her loyal men, for they are the Queen's Wings, and one can't fly without them.
Author's Notes
Hello everyone! I hope you're all well. I know the last line seemed overly cheesy but I'd like to think it reflects the sentimental side of the Queen =P
Sorry for all these late uploads, it's come to the point where I don't even know when my regulated upload day should be :S Please don't let that deter you from reading Albion's Lost Years, after all, you've come so far already.
I'd like to thank FreeHugz767 for the latest favourite, it truly brings me a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy knowing that there are new (and hopefully, loyal) readers out there who still enjoy my story. Love you guys!