CW: Blood, violence, death
The sound of men in the training arena grew louder as Helia made his way outside. The sun was beginning to set behind the tall mountains that covered the snowy kingdom, painting the sky a rich orange and red. But the red of the sky was nothing compared to the red that Helia saw in front of him. Everything was washed in the crimson color as he trudged through the snow, ignoring everyone who walked past him and bowed. He thought that he had seen red when he saw Duncan's arm wrap around Flora's waist, he thought that he had seen red when Duncan had kissed her before he had gone to the front. But they all paled in comparison to the red that he saw now, it was blinding.
Helia didn't care about the snide remarks that his father and Duncan would make about him, he didn't care that his father enjoyed the presence of Duncan over him, Helia couldn't care less that Duncan was trying to make a play for his crown. Duncan could have had it all. His father, his crown, the glory. But Duncan had crossed a line, more than crossed it, destroyed it. Duncan had beaten and raped the woman that he loved, he had taken their child away from them. Duncan sought to take everything that he had from him but enough was enough.
All Helia saw was red, and he was going to kill Duncan.
He saw Flora's scared expression as he made a move to touch her, he remembered her swollen eyes, her busted lip, the way that she trembled as she cried, and he saw the pain in her eyes as she recounted what that piece of complete shit did to her. He would never forget, and he would never forgive. How could he? After everything he did?
The snow crunched beneath his feet as his boots hit the cold ground. With each step he felt the energy and anger rising within him. Was this what it was like heading off to war? Was this what the soldiers said it was like fighting for something? Helia never had a reason to fight other than in the futile attempt to gain the approval of his father, but now Helia knew what it was like to want to watch the life drain from the eyes of the enemy. He had something, someone to fight for and he would fight to his dying breath for Flora. For Flora he would raze kingdoms to the ground. He would learn to enjoy the sour smell of blood, revel in the bitter symphony of screams and the clanging metal of swords, and delight in the sight of the empty stares of the lifeless corpses at his feet. And at the end of the battle, aching and weary, he would fall to his knees and crawl back home to her.
Voices became clearer as he crossed over the stone archway into the arena. They talked and laughed, not knowing what happened the previous night in the palace. They talked and laughed, not knowing how Flora had suffered. They talked and laughed, not knowing that Helia became overcome with anger and guilt that he had not been there to stop it. They talked and laughed in the cold air of the arena, not knowing that Helia was going to put an end to the man who had caused the woman he loved so much misery and pain.
"Your Highness," a soldier bowed as Helia walked past him, "we were not expecting you at this evening's training."
"I am not here to train." Helia replied as he kept moving to the center of the arena.
He saw him. Amid a group of sparring men, Duncan was smiling and breathing heavily as he fought with one of the soldiers. How could he be smiling after what he did? How could he act as if nothing had happened? Helia was after blood and Duncan had treated this night as if it were the same as any other night.
Duncan moved swiftly around his sparring partner, proving why he earned the title of general. He was fast, strong, and stealthy. But that didn't matter. Helia was going to end him, and he didn't care who saw.
Stepping into the middle of the sparring circle, Duncan's sparring partner halted when he saw the prince. Duncan turned around to see a flash of pale skin as Helia's fist connected with Duncan's face.
The arena went silent as a cracking noise could be heard echoing against the stone walls and stands of the arena. Duncan grabbed his nose before bringing his hand down to look at the blood that had fallen from his nostrils. He seemed unaffected by Helia's punch as he wiped the blood on his black pants and smirked towards Helia, the blood still running down his nose and dripping onto his black shirt.
"Care to spar, Your Highness?" Duncan asked through a lighthearted chuckle.
Helia's breathing was heavy as he glared at the smirking general. If Helia didn't want to kill him before, he definitely wanted to know now.
"You arrogant, disgusting, piece of shit!" Helia raised his fist and quickly landed another punch on Duncan's face, this time the side of his jaw. Duncan's smirk grew as he rubbed the side of his face, once again, seemingly unaffected by Helia's punch.
"I don't know what you mean, Your Highness." Duncan replied, feigning ignorance of the situation.
Helia made another move to punch Duncan again, but the general was quicker as he stepped to the side, avoiding another punch to the face. Instead, Duncan raised his own fist and landed a punch to Helia's jaw. Helia grunted as he felt the hard fist connect to the side of his face. It just made Helia angrier as he thought about how the same powerful hit had landed upon Flora's perfect face over and over again the night before.
"I am going to kill you!" Helia exclaimed through his clenched teeth as the soldiers in the arena gathered around the two men in the middle of the sparring ring.
Duncan cocked his head to the side and let out a laugh as he placed his hands on his slender hips.
"Oh, are you upset about the Linphean girl?" Duncan chuckled, "I heard that you two had gotten quite close when I was gone. Pity that she did not take my instructions to heart when I had left for the front."
Helia bit the inside of his cheeks as he glared at the general as he spoke about Flora.
"Though I don't think that you two will be spending much time together after she learned her lesson last night."
The air was cold as Helia breathed in deeply before he lunged forward and landed another punch to Duncan's face.
"I am sure that it is a lesson that she won't forget," Duncan continued as he wiped the blood from his face, "you should have heard her, how apologetic she was. She begged me to stop but one must hold fast when doling out punishment."
"Silence!" Helia screamed as he made another move to strike the general but yet again, Duncan was too fast as he dodged Helia's fist and connected his own fist to Helia's stomach. Helia folded with a loud grunt as the air had been knocked out of him.
Duncan dared to chuckle as he looked down at Helia, "It's funny because I remember I told her the same thing. She just kept apologizing and crying. She even looks beautiful when she cries."
Helia rose to an upright position, his blue eyes still glaring at the older general. Even with blood across his face, Duncan still smiled and looked as smug as ever.
"She looks better on her back, my hand wrapped around her neck as her lips part for air, my cock inside-"
He had heard enough.
With a yell, Helia jumped and threw himself onto Duncan in an animalistic tackle reminding the other soldiers who looked on of a pouncing mountain lion. Pale fist met pale face as Helia grabbed the collar of Duncan's black shirt and became consumed by the raw urgency and ferocity of his anger. It was a mirror of the time months ago when he had bludgeoned Perran but this time, Helia had only one goal in mind and this time, nobody would dare not pull him away.
However, Duncan managed to flip Helia over and delivered a few blows of his own. Helia's face now dripped with blood to match the blood that covered Duncan's face. They both looked at each other with wild and hungry eyes, knowing that at the end of this fight there would be a clear victor.
"She was so soft and warm, tight and perfect around me. I can see why you like her, any man would. But now, you surely must know that she now belongs to me. She is mine and she will be mine forever."
Duncan landed another punch on the sharp planes of Helia's jaw. Blood spattered out of Helia's mouth as Duncan's hand connected once again with Helia's jaw.
"She knows that she is mine and that you are nothing compared to me. It is time that you accept the simple fact that I will always be better than you and the man that Flora deserves."
Helia groaned, "You know nothing about her."
"I don't need to know anything about her other than you want her. Do you not remember what I told you? I learn what the enemy wants, and I take it. I took Flora and she now belongs to me. She will be my wife come the spring and you will either die here or I will make sure that I take Flora every night until you wish that you were dead. She will carry my children and with each child she bears, it will be the constant reminder of all the times she was mine and not yours."
Duncan straddled Helia and placed his hand around Helia's neck and squeezed, "You see, Your Highness, I don't need to love that Linphean bitch, the satisfaction of having her is knowing that you don't."
Helia clawed at Duncan's forearm, desperate to get the large general's hand from around his neck. His head began to feel both light and heavy as he felt the air leave his body, ceasing to be replaced with fresh breath.
Lifting his legs, Helia thrusted up with a kick and Duncan's body went flying into the air, just long enough for Helia to roll away. Helia's hand shot to his throat as he desperately gasped for air. He looked to the side to see that Duncan was rising clumsily to his feet, making his way back to the gasping prince.
"And do you think that someone like her would love someone like you?" Duncan growled as he delivered a swift kick to Helia's abdomen, the air once again flying from Helia's lungs. "Weak, pathetic, worthless. You aren't worth the crown on your head or the furs that line your bed at night. You aren't worth the snow that falls on your head and the breath that leaves your body. And you think that you are worth having someone like her love you? You think that you are worth the love of anyone?"
Helia curled into himself as another kick came to his abdomen. He coughed and blood fell from his mouth. His body ached and the air that filled his lungs burned with every inhale but the thought of Flora and all that he wanted to do with her willed him to focus on the fight. There were so many words that had been left unsaid, kisses that had not met her soft lips, and tender touches that had yet to know the warmth of her skin. So Helia focused on the woman in the palace and rose to his hands and knees, making a shaky attempt to stand, but another kick to his ribs sent him falling back to the ground.
"Your father should have gotten rid of you when he had the chance. He would have saved all of us the trouble of watching you be a complete and utter disappointment. I bet Flora was glad to have a real man in bed instead of some ineffectual experience that she had with you. She must have been desperate. I mean, that's the only explanation as to how she ended up in your bed. Or is my little bride-to-be just that much of a whore that she could not wait a month for me that she had to come crawling to you? Does she want to be the whore of a prince that bad? Why have be with a prince like you when after I kill you, she will one day belong to a king?"
"Shut your fucking mouth." Helia groaned as he made another attempt to stand but fell back down to the cold and wet snow-covered ground.
"It didn't take much to open her legs and she didn't even put up a fight as I fucked that tight cunt of hers. Oh, the things that I am going to do to her once I finish with you. I can just hear her moans as she begs for more."
Helia had heard more than enough. Calling forth all of the strength that he could muster, Helia stumbled to his feet, his stomach screaming at him and his face stinging with the aftermath of Duncan's blows.
It ended here and it ended now.
Flora breathed in and out, her breath hitting the side of Krystal's arm as she slept. Krystal read from a book that she had found in the study all about the body, wanting to know more about how to best support Flora's physical condition at the present moment. What Krystal really needed was a book that gave her the answers on how to cure someone of trauma of the mind, but she knew from what she had seen of pain and suffering that healing the mind was not as easy as the body. The bruises and cuts would fade from Flora's body and the bleeding would stop, but the memories of Duncan's attack would persist.
Still, Krystal kept pouring over the book, hoping that it would give her more answers to her questions about what to do for a woman who had suffered a miscarriage. What to do when the bruising on her neck became darker and darker with each passing hour. What to do when she complained about pain in her head hours after the initial trauma. Krystal would find her answers and she would help Flora get better. Flora just had to be okay.
Flora turned in her sleep, facing away from Krystal and her hair falling behind her in loose waves. From the back, Flora looked the same as she always did. Her shoulders rose and fell in a calm pattern synonymous with sleep. From the back, everything was the same and for a moment, Krystal could forget about the pain that had been beaten onto Flora's face. She could forget about the marks of the general's fingers on her neck, and she could forget about what Flora had lost. But one did not walk through the world backwards and soon Flora would turn back around, and Krystal would be reminded of Duncan's wrath.
How could she not see it? Had she been that naive? Had she been that blind? She had gotten lost in the whirlwind of weddings and loves that were not there instead of opening her eyes to what was really happening. Krystal shut her eyes and her head fall back to softly hit the headboard as she lamented on all of the things that she had missed because her eyes had been closed. She should have seen that Duncan was a terrible person. She should have seen that Flora and Helia were deeply and madly in love with one another. But she didn't and her best friend had been hurt because of it, both by the general and by the words that she had spoken out of anger.
She shouldn't have been so blind and naive. If only she had paid more attention to the way that Flora froze near Duncan or recognized that the tears Flora cried at the sendoff were because of the kiss that Duncan had given her and not at the sorrow of being parted from him. All of this could have been avoided if she just weren't so…herself.
No more. Krystal would not look back as hindsight was always clear. She must focus on the now and what it was that Flora needed. Flora needed to get better, she needed to survive. Returning her attention to the book, Krystal continued reading and taking small glances over at Flora's sleeping body for any signs that a symptom that Flora might be experiencing was in the book.
However, Krystal's concentration was short lived when from beyond her door, there was a commotion that was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Flora stirred in her sleep at the sound of pounding footsteps and excited talking amongst the servants at the palace. Krystal set the book down on the small bedside table as Flora opened her eyes and rose with a stretch. Flora winced as she moved her body and looked tiredly around the room.
"What is happening, Your Highness?" Flora asked as she made an attempt to rub her swollen eyes but hissed under the pain. "Shall I bring you your supper?"
"Flora, how many times do I have to tell you that you are not to lift a finger?" Krystal gave Flora an annoyed sigh, "Besides, it is not time for dinner. However, there seems to be something exciting going on beyond the doors of the bedroom. And you know how much I love excitement so I shall go see what the commotion is all about. You are commanded to stay in bed, my dear Flora."
Krystal left the bed and made her way over to the large, wooden door. She slowly opened the door to see maids and other palace staff standing at the large windows, craning their necks to see something. Others had left their spots at the window to rush down the hall to some place that they needed or wanted to be.
Stepping beyond the threshold of the door and into the hallway, Krystal found herself standing beside a maid, looking out of the window, looking to see if there was something that she was supposed to have been watching or observing.
"What is going on?" Krystal asked as she scanned the view hoping to find something. However, all she saw were the mountains, the setting sun, and the barracks.
"Oh!" the maid exclaimed, "Your Highness, I was just looking to the training arena."
"Why?"
"His Highness and the general are engaged in a most exciting spar. I have never seen the prince so...vicious. And the general doesn't seem to be holding back."
Krystal's eyes widened when she saw the training arena and the two moving figures that she could only assume were Helia and Duncan. One of the figures was circling around the other who was on the ground. Seeing the long and dark hair contrasting against the white snow, Krystal's heart sank when she realized that Helia was losing this fight. It was only a moment later that Helia had lied to her about a meeting. He wasn't "meeting" anyone, he was going to confront Duncan. And knowing Helia, he was going to kill the general for what he did to Flora.
This was not good. Not good at all.
Leaving her position at the window, Krystal ran back to her room and to the wardrobe where she pulled out a thick and fur-lined cloak. Throwing it over her shoulders, she tied the ribbons around her neck before reaching down to grab her warm boots.
"Your Highness," Flora spoke, "where are you going?"
Shit. Krystal had momentarily forgotten about Flora.
"Something urgent has come up that I must attend to."
"Then I shall come with you, Your Highness." Flora made an attempt to get out of the bed. She was stopped when she heard Krystal's protests and a firm hand on her leg, pushing her back down to the bed.
"No!" Krystal exclaimed, "I shall go. By myself. I commanded you to stay in this bed."
"Your Highness," Flora looked and sounded worried, "please tell me what is going on? Please tell me what it is so I may know why I mustn't come."
Krystal didn't have time to come up with an excuse so that Flora would not worry, and she was tired of the lies. If Flora wanted to come, fine, they would handle the aftermath together. And based on the outcome of the fight, Krystal honestly didn't know if Flora would want to be saved if something were to happen.
"Helia and Duncan are going to kill each other."
"Face it, Your Highness," Duncan said as he circled around the beaten prince. Helia was coughing on the ground as he gripped his stomach, in pain from the repeated blows that Duncan had delivered with hard and fast kicks, "you will always be nothing but a disappointment and you thought that you could beat me? You thought that you would be able to kill me? Have you learned nothing yet, boy? I will always be better than you. I will be more of a man than you could ever be. I am the one that Flora will marry whether she likes it or not and you," Duncan crouched down to be closer to Helia, "you will look on as she spends the rest of her life with me."
Helia had to get up. His head screamed at him to move and rise to his feet, but his body could not move. Once again, he was reminded of how Flora had been beaten the night before. Could she not move either? His abdomen was on fire and hurt with every breath. Helia could not imagine the pain that Flora had been in as the blood fell from her abdomen and down her legs, coming to realize that she was losing her child, their child.
He had told her that they would have more, and he wanted to hold fast to his promise. Helia was going to make Flora his wife, the future Queen of Hademort, and they would raise children together or perhaps none at all. Whatever she wanted. Whatever made her happy. He promised her happiness and he was going to give it to her. He had to get up.
Rolling to his hands and knees, Helia grunted as he lifted himself up to his feet, clutching his stomach and the fierce look of determination in his eyes. Duncan smirked as he rose to his feet, towering over the hunched-over prince, knowing that Helia would soon be defeated, and Duncan would take everything that belonged to Helia. He would have his crown, he would have Hademort, and he would have Flora.
Helia stumbled over to Duncan and made an attempt to bring another punch to Duncan's face, but he was too slow, and Duncan easily dodged the attack with a small step to the side.
"Still trying to fight? Honestly, I thought that you would have given up at this point. You know that you cannot beat me. I will always be better than you and I always get what I want."
"You are not getting," Helia groaned as he made another move towards Duncan, "the crown, you are not getting Hademort, and you are not getting Flora."
"Oh, Your Highness," Duncan smirked and shook his head, "I already had the Linphean and she was...delightful."
It was like a second wind had overcome Helia as the red color of rage once again clouded his vision. It was no longer a want to kill Duncan, he needed to kill him. He needed to make sure that Flora was safe and to ensure that she had a future filled with happiness. If Helia didn't know what that happiness might look like, he was fine if that happiness didn't include him, but Helia knew that it would not include Duncan. Helia would never let Duncan get near her again.
Ignoring the pain in his side and on his jaw, Helia charged towards Duncan and knocked him to the ground. Once again, Helia began to punch Duncan square in the face. Helia could not tell if the cracking sound that rang throughout the arena were the bones in Helia's hands or the bones and cartilage of Duncan's face. But Helia didn't care. He could barely feel anyways. So, he kept hitting. Over and over again until he didn't know where the red of Duncan's blood started and the red of his own anger stopped.
Helia panted and grunted as he kept hitting with only one thought on his mind, kill. He could feel the smile begin to form on his mouth as Helia watched the light dim from Duncan's eyes. Instead of gold, they became a dull brassy color, and his pale lids began to fall, desperately trying to keep them open.
"Your Highness..." one of the men stepped forward and placed a hand on Helia's shoulder, "that is quite enough."
Helia kept punching, not stopping until he felt Duncan's last breath on his knuckles. He knew that a crowd had formed but none of that mattered. Let them all see him as a madman, let them think that he was just like his father. He would be the villain, he would kill their beloved general and war hero, he would endure the whispers in the hall and the awful stories that people would tell their children in order to make them behave.
"Eat your vegetables or the Red Prince will get you."
He didn't know what they would call him, just as long as Duncan was dead and Flora could walk around the palace without fear and sleep through the night, wrapped in his arms. So yes, he would haunt the dreams of children just as long as Helia could put an end to the nightmare that was the general that haunted Flora.
"Your Highness..." the man once again tried to pull Helia away from Duncan, still weary of the murderous prince but doing his best to pull him from the general.
Still, Helia kept punching. For good measure, Helia grabbed the collar of Duncan's black shirt to lift him up and slam his head into the cold ground. If Duncan could slam Flora's head into the vanity, Helia would slam Duncan's head until it cracked open in front of him. That is the least of the pain that he deserved.
"Your Highness! That is enough!"
Helia snapped his head around, the fist banging across Duncan's face ceasing.
"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Helia bellowed as he glared at the man. His face was covered in blood, not knowing nor caring if it was his blood from the punches that Duncan gave him or if it was the general's blood that stained his face.
The man in the ring recoiled and jumped back as he looked at Helia. The prince was always said that he was the spitting image of his father, but the eyes were his mother's. But as Helia glared at the man, his eyes were filled with a rage and madness that reminded everyone of the king. The older members of the military brought back to the same madness and desperation that filled the black eyes of the king when the news that the queen had passed on from their world. Had the prince finally succumbed to the same madness that had claimed the king decades ago? Had Helia finally become the man that he said he never wanted to become?
Helia turned his attention back to the bleeding general, Duncan's breaths labored as Helia hovered above him. Duncan might have been the pride of Hademort but at the moment, he was the bloody man that Helia had beaten down. This wasn't even half of what Helia wanted to do to Duncan. Duncan had laid a finger on the love of his life, the only person who had filled the space of his heart that he had tried to fill for years with the unattainable affection and approval of his father and the warm spiciness of whiskey. Duncan had hurt Flora so now, Helia was going to kill him. But Helia wanted to revel in the satisfaction that he would be the one to end Duncan's life. Duncan would not be regarded as a hero but instead, be remembered for meeting his end on the training grounds by the hands of the prince that everyone never paid any mind to.
"Take a look at your general!" Helia announced to the crowd that had formed composed of soldiers, servants, and even some nosy members of the Council. He stared out the mass of people as he rose to his feet, panting and bloodied.
Turning to a member of the Council and stared the old man down, "I ask you again, what is a general compared to a prince? I will fight for the woman that I love against the evils that plague this world, including the general that you all love and revere! I will marry Flora of Linphea! I do not care who she is, be that a handmaiden, a princess, or a scullery maid. She will be my wife and your next queen!"
Helia watched as all the men avoided his gaze, their eyes fixed to the ground. Fine, let them be afraid. He turned to the general who was lying on the cold ground, the sharp and classically handsome features of his face cut and beginning to swell. Helia spat down at the man and gave him a kick to the side of his abdomen, just as Duncan had given the prince just a few moments earlier.
How long had it been since Helia began his fight with Duncan? There was still a faint amount of sunlight as the dusk turned into twilight. It felt as though Helia had been fighting with the general forever. Though Helia supposed that years of compounding frustration and hate for the general and the king would make it seem like he had been fighting forever and the moment that he could deliver the final blow would just be that much sweeter.
Helia walked over to the rack of swords and grabbed the one that had been the most ornate and polished. It was the preferred training sword of Duncan. Helia thought that it would be most fitting that the sword that Duncan had used and favored would be the same one to cut him down. The question now became whether Helia would give Duncan a quick and merciful death or-
No.
Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he yelled at her? Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he hit her? Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he choked her? Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he dragged her across the room? Slammed her head across the hard wooden surface of the vanity? Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he threw her onto the bed? Hit her across the face with the cold metal of his belt? When he pried her legs apart? Had Duncan Flora shown mercy when he raped her, beaten and bloodied? Had Duncan shown Flora mercy when he took her peace of mind? Her sense of safety? Her dignity? Her child? Their child?
No.
He didn't.
So, the last thing that Helia would show to the disgraced general was mercy.
Adjusting the sword in his grip, the sun beamed off the metal of the blade and landed in Helia's eye. He paid it no mind as he returned to Duncan's side and held the sword down, the tip pointed at Duncan's neck.
Duncan gulped as he felt the sharp tip of his favorite blade run down his throat and push into the center of his collar. For the first time, Helia thought that he saw a glimpse of fear behind the general's eyes. Did Flora look this afraid under the general? If so, Helia would make sure that the scared look in Duncan's eyes would be look that had been permanently etched into his eyes as he drew his final breath.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, general." Helia gave a wicked smirk, "I thought that you were the best? Better than me and would always be better than me? I thought that you always got what you wanted? All you do is take and now, I shall take everything from you. The question is where to start? Shall I cut out your tongue so that you can no longer command armies? Shall I pluck out your eyes so that you will never see all that is beautiful in this world nor see the final blow of the sword? Shall I cut off your hands so that you may never wield a sword again or lay a hand on Flora? Maybe I should aim lower and cut off your cock so that you may never do what you did to Flora ever again. Tell me general," Helia exhaled as he crouched down next to Duncan, "what shall it be?"
Duncan turned his head and glared at Helia before slowly opening his mouth to deliver a biting response filled with malice, "Go fuck yourself, Your Highness."
Helia rose back to a standing position as he readjusted the hilt of the sword in his hand, "Tongue it is."
Placing this cold and muddy boot on the side of Duncan's face, Helia pressed into the pale cheek, causing Duncan's mouth to open and his tongue to limply fall out. Helia wanted to laugh at how utterly pathetic Duncan looked. His face squashed under the weight of Helia's foot, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like the dog he was, the labored breaths that came from his open mouth, and the fear that had returned to his eyes.
The was silence as Helia raised the sword above his head. Nobody would dare speak out against or stop the prince from carrying out his act of wrath. Nothing nor nobody was going to stop Helia from executing the justice that Duncan deserved to have been wrought onto him. They all saw him as weak and no match for the general but that all changed, and it changed now.
As Helia brought down the sword, Duncan snapped his eyes shut and waited for the sharp pain that never came.
"HELIA!"
A voice sounded in the nervous crowd that caused Helia to miss his intended target. His blood ran cold, and his eyes widened as he recognized the voice that yelled his name. She wasn't supposed to be out here. She shouldn't see any of this. But as Helia slowly turned his head, he saw Flora standing at the edge of the arena next to the princess.
Flora shivered as she looked at Helia, covered only in a thin pink gown and her feet bare. Her hair was a wild mess as it whipped through the cold air, but her eyes looked at Helia in fear.
"Flora..." Helia said her name in a sigh, "you aren't supposed to be out here."
"Don't do this," Flora softly pleaded, "please."
"How can you ask me that?" Helia furrowed his brow in confusion as he looked at Flora, "After everything that he has done to you? After everything that he took from you? Took from us? Flora, I have to."
"No," Flora shook her head, "not like this. Please, Helia. Please."
Helia looked down at Duncan as he laid on the cold ground. His breathing was heavy as he choked on the blood that filled his throat. Helia wasn't sure if it was the blood from the outside of his body or the inside. To be honest, Helia didn't care. All Helia wanted was for Duncan to be dead, to never bother Flora again. But if Flora begged him not to deliver the final blow, then he would not do it. He would let the dungeons of Hademort take care of either killing Duncan or making him wish that he was dead. Anything for Flora.
Dropping the sword by his feet, Helia let out a tired exhale as he trudged over to Flora, the pain quickly returning to his body. Flora held out her arms for Helia as he made his way over to her. He fell into her arms as he did his best not to crumble.
Flora wasted no time in wiping away the hair that had fallen on Helia's face, plastered there with a thick combination of blood and sweat. Her eyes were warm as she looked into Helia's, the madness and desperation slowly fading away and his eyes returning to the same calm and pensive quality that he had inherited from his mother. Flora placed a soft kiss on Helia's lips, ignoring the pain that had shot through her body.
"Helia..." Flora sighed as she broke the soft kiss, "why?"
"I couldn't let him keep doing this to you. I had to make sure that you would be safe. I had to...Flora, I had to." Helia tried to explain but he didn't know if he would ever be able to.
"You could have died, Helia." Flora remarked.
"And if I did nothing, you would have, Flora." Helia softly countered, "I would give up my life for you, Flora. If that meant that you were happy."
"And I have told you that my life would be nothing without you in it." Flora couldn't help but give Helia a small smile as she placed a warm hand on his cheek. "I can't lose you."
"And I cannot lose you." Helia replied.
"Please, Helia," Flora turned her head to look at the small group of council members dressed in their formal wear before she turned back to look up at Helia, "let the Council handle him. Let the Council know so that they may break off the engagement and then we can be together. No more bloodshed. I don't want any more blood spilled because of me or by my hand. I just want to-"
"HELIA!" Krystal shouted, "BEHIND YOU!"
Helia turned his head, and his mind went blank as he saw Duncan lunge at him, sword in hand and the look of pure evil in his golden eyes. Helia could not move as the metal shined in the last light of the sun and headed straight for the prince. That was until he felt his body move. More like, his body had been moved by something else. No, someone else. In a flash, Helia found himself knocked down onto the snow-covered ground as a bright green light filled his vision.
Thorny vines shot from her hands and knocked the sword out of Duncan's hands before wrapping around his feet and climbing up his body. Flora stood strong and her body glowed a bright green, just as it did when she was with Helia. But Helia could recognize that this green was different. This green was dangerous. This green was meant to harm. Meant to kill.
As the vines crawled up Duncan's body, he gasped in disbelief at what he was seeing and experiencing. Flora's face was one that could make the most courageous fear for their lives. The vines tightened around Duncan's body and the barbs pierced through his skin. He let out a loud cry as blood began to seep from the spaces between the vines. Tighter and tighter the vines became until they rose and tightened around his thick neck. He looked at Flora, scared and almost as if he were silently begging for her to spare him. But she couldn't think of anything but the need for vengeance that had taken over her body, just like the magic.
So, with one sharp twist of her wrist, the vine constricted, and a snapping crack could be heard throughout the arena. The light from Duncan's eyes disappeared as he let out a quick gasp before his head fell to the side. His body went limp in the vines.
He was dead.
General Duncan of Hademort was dead.
The glow around Flora began to fade and her body began to relax and weaken. Helia slowly rose to his feet and ran over to Flora as he caught her in his arms. He sank back to the ground as he held her in his arms, stroking the tangled hair that had unceremoniously fallen into her face. She looked exhausted and he looked down to see that her hands had bled from the vines and the bleeding resumed from in between her legs. Helia began to panic, hoping that she would be alright as he held her in his arms.
Krystal looked down at the couple before turning her attention to the dead general surrounded in a vice of Flora's vines. However, Krystal felt the most unnerved as she looked out at the crowd of Hademortian spectators who had witnessed the Powers of the Sisters for the first time. They looked scared, fascinated, confused, and worst of all, disgusted by what they could not understand. Krystal turned away from the crowd and back to the couple on the ground.
Flora looked up at Helia, panic in her eyes as she then turned to Duncan and then to the crowd. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as emotion took over. This was just like the day in the village. Instinct, emotion, wrath, and vengeance took over. She would not let Helia turn into a lost love in her life; to join the ranks of her parents and sister in the list of people who she lost in the name of hate.
Returning her eyes to Helia, Flora felt her heart drop. She had asked him for no more bloodshed, and she was the one to make Duncan bleed and stripped him of his last breath. She had become the monster she vowed never to become again. She was devastated and the looks that the people in the crowd gave her did not help.
"Helia," Flora gasped through cries, "what have I done?"