Title comes from song: Stephanie Mabey - The Zombie Song
English is not my first language and I'm still kinda rusty in my English writing after the break and I don't have beta right now, so I hope it's readable :v
High King Eliot was sitting on his throne, with the best drink he could get in Fillory in his right hand, and left was on the armrest of his throne, lazily patting it with all of his six fingers. He was thinking about his plans for today. Ruling his kingdom was sometimes boring actually. Since he conquered everybody who would go against him. Well, almost everybody. There was no longer Loria, it was part of Fillory now. Nomads knew their place. Everybody lived in peace under his rule. Almost, but that was the small detail, that still kept his life entertaining.
He remembered how it was before. Dear Gods... he was wasting himself like he was his potential. He was so blind. Blinded by feelings, insecurity, abuse from the past. He found comfort in everything because he was so fucking broken. No more. He wouldn't say this loudly, but Martin gave him a gift with almost killing him. It was so nasty, he was taking his time with killing him - what was his mistake, that led to one thing, that led to another, and finally, Eliot ripped Martin's heart from his chest. That was so thrilling. Holding that fucker heart in his hand. They say that without shade you don't feel anything. They were so wrong. Eliot didn't feel the burdening feelings, but he could embrace everything else. The whole excitement was his, without guilt, sadness, and attachment.
Eliot took a sip of his drink when guards pushed inside two chained people. He smirked.
That was the view that welcomed Margo when she was inside Whitespire Throne Room. That thing, that looked like her El. Sitting there like it was rightfully his. Wearing things that Eliot would wear. Looking like him. But it was not her Eliot Waugh. That was something else, something that should die already.
She hissed when the guards kicked her from behind, making her fall to knees before the Dark King with her quest partner.
"Bambi" Eliot said, the smirk never leaving his face. "We need to stop meeting like this" he added, taking another sip of his drink.
She was silent, not even looking at him.
"Ohh... you think you are too good to speak even with me?" Eliot laughed and rose from his throne "Then... let's make this quick"
He remembered how he used to be with Margo. His Bambi. His platonic soulmate. Ridiculous. But he wouldn't hunt her down exactly, she was the one who picked up the ax against him and his kingdom. Queen of Rebels. She won't stop unless she kills him and retakes Fillory from his tyranny. The 'entertainment' of his life.
"And who is the pretty boy you recruited? Well, that doesn't matter anymore" Eliot said and rose his hand. The boy looked at him full of hatred, without fear, only hatred. He loved so deeply what Margo was able to do to these people. She was amazing.
"I, High King Eliot Waugh, declare you quilty of treason against United Fillory. Punishment is death. Effective immediately." He declared. The nameless boy wanted to say something, probably some deep bullshit about the rebellion, but when he opened his mouth, Eliot made quick popper and cutting movement of his hand and sliced his throat with a simple, effective spell. Blood floated to the ground as the body fell.
"I, High King Eliot Waugh, declare you, Margo Hanson, guilty of treason against United Fillory. Punishment is death..." before he managed to finish his sentence, cold wind flowed through the throne room, leaving everybody with a chill. Then, Queen of Rebels was gone. Disappeared in thin air.
"FIND HER. NOW." King yelled at the guards. They left in hurry, leaving him alone in the throne room. He sat again on his throne and took his drink again, looked briefly at the body, lying on the floor. Air was still cold. He couldn't help, but smile.
"You know... I could consider this treason too." Eliot said as he rose his eyes to the figure, which showed in the middle of the throne room.
And there He was. Quentin Coldwater. He was standing with his legs gently spread and hands behind his back. Slightly blue, with little fire burning on his cheek. So certain, so proud and so cold. Eliot couldn't help himself, but feel the thrill of this.
He remembered the way Q niffined out. Well, he'd never seen that. It was the same time when Martin almost killed him. Quentin niffined out to save him... and he did, but Eliot's shade was already gone. Well, poor, little Q couldn't know that. He did everything he could to save his Eliot. When Eliot breathed, he left in his reborn, new form. Nobody noticed anything wrong with Eliot then, they all thought that this was the way of grieving Quentin. Ohh, they were so wrong, but then they realized the mistake, it was already too late. Eliot was master of the wild magic at that point. He killed Martin with his bare hands.
"You would let her go anyway" Quentin answered, standing still in his position. "I don't understand why are you allowing this pest to live," he said, looking at Eliot.
"Ahh... Quentin, Quentin, Quentin. Being niffin burned out your concept of fun?" Eliot asked "Margo is charismatic. She always was. She won't rest 'till I'm dead. She will gather people, infect them with her words. Her ideas. Flame their rebellious nature. Then, she will get old. She will find someone to pick her fight. This is fun." he pointed.
He would die from boredom. Or he would seek his fun somewhere else. Maybe it's time to conquer Earth too?
"Or she will kill you," Niffin said.
"Ohh... I can't wait to see how Margo becomes like me, to kill me" Margo, falling so low just to end him. Yes... what a way to go.
"Be careful, someone can say that you are... sentimental" Q looked at King with the same blank, cold eyes.
Eliot put back the glass on his armrest and rose from his throne.
"Sentimental... you would know something about that." he was saying when he was coming closer and closer to Quentin. "...right? Plum?" Eliot hissed this to Quentin's ear and then looked into his eyes. He loved the thrill he felt when he saw those eyes burn with cold blue fire. The next thing Eliot could feel was that he was manhandled by niffin and he was totally fine with it. He could feel Quentin fire against his skin when he was touching him, kissing him. When he teleported them to Eliot's Royal Chambers, he could feel that raw niffin power. It was amazing. This pull that he felt to Quentin didn't go away. Never. Eliot didn't have his shade, Quentin was basically shaped raw, burning magic... but there was always this pull that pushed them together. Always.
Niffins don't do sex.
But Quentin was always the exception, right?
It burned. He felt like their magic was tangling together, wanting to explore together.
It always felt amazing. Since the first time when they found each other after their 'deaths'. Someone would say that love this deep won't stay buried, but... it wasn't love. Both of them were incapable of feeling love.
They were lying on Eliot's bed. El had his head on Quentin's lap. Niffin was feeding him with grapes, looking absent-mindedly at the window.
"Do you know?" Eliot asked, looking at Quentin.
"Know what?"
"Why we are this way" Eliot said after he swallowed a grape. Quentin hummed in reply and used his magic to peel of another grape and put it on Eliot's lips, looking at him this time.
Eliot could see almost something warm inside this blue fire in his eyes.
"You are sitting here, peeling my grapes" Eliot pointed.
"You like them peeled" Quentin answered like it was a true answer to that. Eliot liked them peeled. It was it. Like it was totally normal thing.
Eliot just made a face, looking at the niffin.
"It's our souls" Quentin answered and looked behind the window again. "Souls are recyclable. Some of it. It's like plastic bottles, really. Melted together and shaped into other bottles. Souls of humans are a mix of souls people before, that were a mix of souls previous generation." he explained and sighed.
"And?"
"Our souls in 50% are made from something that once was a bigger whole" Quentin answered.
"So, what? We are soulmates? Eliot said with disgust.
"Someone probably would call us that, but we know that destiny is bullshit" Niffin answered, his voice calm. "It happens, but normally people don't feel it," Q added.
"But without our shades..." High King concluded.
"...this pull is one of few things we are actually capable of feeling." Quentin finished his thought.
Eliot hummed in answer. That was something to think about. How their shadeless forms were interpreting this soul-pull. The thrill he felt in Q's presence. Excitement...Warm... Like... no. He was not going to use that word.
"I saw timeline 40th lately" Q informed.
Niffins have their things. Little obsessions about something. They learned and learned about it. Sometimes it was magic itself, but for Q it was timelines and alternative universes. It suited him. Ahh... timeline 40th. The last of this clusterfuck carousel of timefucking. Where Q lived in his human form longer than the beast. Yes, Eliot knew about timeline 23 where Q pulled the dread pirate something on the Martin Chatwin and became the new beast. Eliot became a "new beast" in this timeline too... Kinda. He never used that name. And Moths were unfashionable. But had six fingers on each hand, access to wild magic, and other stuff.
"And?" El asked.
The last time Q told him about timeline 40th it was when his other self was possessed by Monster from Blackspire. Eliot was well aware of that being, but since old gods never fucked magic in this timeline after he killed Ember and Umber, there was no need to go there. He had an eye on it, but for the time that Q didn't learn more from timeline 40th, he wasn't planning to touch this shit. The knowledge that Q was gathering was the key to the power that Eliot has now.
"Quentin-40 died to get rid of the monsters," Q said.
"Huh" that was Eliot's whole reaction, at least for now. He probably should ask about details. How they could use this knowledge for making Eliot even more powerful, but for now, he just... No. He didn't feel anything.
"He valiantly killed himself" Niffin added.
"So... this is the only timeline, where we are both alive and together?" Eliot asked, looking at Quentin.
"It seems so," Q answered and gently touched Eliot's cheek with his pale, bluish fingers, looking in Eliot's shiny eyes.
"If I would capable to feel sad I guess I would," Eliot said.
"Yeah" Q agreed and then he looked in the door direction and then disappeared, making Eliot's head fall to the bed. In the same second, somebody knocked on the door. Eliot was pissed.
"What!?" he hissed, correcting his robe.
"Your Majesty, I apologize. We found a trail of rebels" the guard behind doors said.
Eliot looked at the place, where Q was before... and the shine from his eyes was gone.
It was time to find some rebels to kill.
I hope you liked it! If you did, leave some review.