The look on the faces of the Leader and his Priests, was one to remember; they weren't excepting an Army to come marching just side the city limits. They thought they were going to be able to leave the city and go set up Temple in a new one, well that was until they saw us. As we approached I could here my former mother cry out in shock, as she took in my appearance. I was no longer that weak willed child she raised, I was a bit taller and stronger than ever was I had more backbone than she ever showed a day in her life. Of course, my father had the nerve to call out to me, "Peyton, that's enough; I have had it with you wanting to play Rebel. You have broken your mother's heart and ruined this families good name with your little games. Come here this instance and our gracious Leader will forgive you and welcome you home with open arms." He said as he started walking towards me.
Andy looked over at me standing next to Dragon and just nodded, I knew what I was going to say and so I spoke up loud and clearly so everyone behind and in front of us heard. "My name is not Peyton; Peyton died the night she ran from this place and I rose from her ashes; she died the night she took the chance to rescue Dragon. Hear this, Peyton is no longer a steppingstone or a doormat to walk upon on your rise to the top. I am Metis, Greek Titan Goddess of Wisdom and I forever be her, I will gladly die so that my new family can live in freedom from now until forever. You can't stop us, we are an Army that stands as one, an Army that is never going to stop fighting for our Freedom. You made a mistake o glorious Leader; you did not investigate to deeply into Ronnie's connection to the Prophet. He is not just his brother, he not just his best friend; oh no Ronnie is the Dragon, the Captain. He is his right hand, just as I am his; you see the mistake you made, that was the first of course. The second was believing that I was on your side, even before I locked eyes with Dragon and knew a bit of who he was, I was planning to leave as soon as I could.
"But meeting Dragon and seeing the torture you inflected on those who would give you the location of the Prophet, gave me that push I needed to do something. So, while you thought I was trying to converting him, I was healing him just enough to be able to have him run. Your final mistake was trying to turn you son against me, you see your Priest's almost caught us not long after we packed up our camp. We were hiding in one of the many burned-out cities along our route, while there your Priest's came into the city. Even from the shadows of a window I could see them coming into the city, it wasn't until I got your message about making your son the Head Priest that I realized how close we came to being caught.
"Except for some reason when we locked eyes, he turned and left the city along with the other Priests in his command. So, even as a Priest your youngest son betrayed you and helped us get away." I said from the right of Dragon and I even gained a small smile from the Leader, it wasn't a smile that said he was happy oh no it was a smile of how dare you defy me repeatedly. "Well, I must say; I didn't except that, I honestly thought they were controlling you. I can see that I was wrong in that and in trusting my son to do the right thing, I have one question though. Who's idea was it to lure the guards away that night?" the Leader asked with madness in his eyes.
This time it was a voice that spoke from behind him, Thomas came walking towards the front and spoke "It was my idea, I had received a message earlier that night to help the one freeing Ronnie. I had been corresponding with someone for a while before that night and I knew that the torture had to stop, I couldn't save them all but if I could at least help one escape then it was all the better. So, when she came down the stairs that night, I said the code word and lured the guards away. So, you see father; I have always been a traitor, I even sent the message about you planning the raid on their camp. They have been one step ahead of you since the beginning, I was even the one who sent out breadcrumbs to get someone to help. I didn't except to find it in the one, you chose to marry me, I just took it and ran with the idea."
As he threw his Priest robes, mask, and staff to the ground; his father stabbed him in the heart, with a hidden knife from within his own robes. Nobody saw that coming not even Thomas himself, "This is what we do to Rebel's and Traitors, diversity of thought shall not be tolerated from here out. The Rebels are plague that must be destroyed, we must stay in the shadows or we will fall in the light." He said as he wiped the blade across his arm. I stood there in shock; I couldn't believe he was so callous as to kill his own for defying him the way he did.
As Thomas laid there dying his father stepped over him and walked right to where we were standing, "This is your fault Peyton, you are nothing but a Temptress; you are worse than Lilith the first wife of Adam. She laid down with and birthed the first demons to roam this earth, and now here you stand with their descendants. These so-called Wild Ones, want to be Rebels are nothing more than Demons in disguise, here to steal away from the Shadows where you belong. You are nothing more than a demon consort and when they are done with you, they will just throw you aside. Repent now and save yourself from that future, save yourself before it's too late." He said as he held out his hand towards me.
Pulling myself up to my complete height, I walked straight towards him; I could see Ronnie, but Prophet held him back. It was like he could read my thoughts; I just nodded my head at him; I needed to do this alone. "My name is not Peyton, it is Metis; I am already where I belong and if they are the spawn of demons and then so am I. I know that they will never throw me aside, and I would gladly be a consort to the Devil himself, if it meant ending you and your tyranny here and now. I have seen what true family is and I have seen true love, I have understood something clearly at last of those in love die out when their loved ones have either gone missing to never return or killed because they would not convert. I am not a puppet in your little show anymore, I am my own person; and I shall choose who I love and marry.
"You made another mistake the day you killed Juliet, you thought you break the Prophet and his friends but instead you created your own worse nightmare. They didn't go back to hiding in the shadows oh no, they created an army; an army that is now standing for you. An Army that I am proud to be apart of, and we will destroy and everything you have created. From this day forward and until our last breathe, F.E.A.R will never control us again." I said as I took my staff and knocked his legs out from underneath him with one sweep of my leg.
I stood above him with my staff in his face, "You see I am better than you, I will give you a chance to fight us one at a time starting with the Prophet. He deserves it more than the rest of us, you're the one who killed his bride on their wedding day after." I said as I kicked him in the face before going back to stand with Dragon. As I reached my spot, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, letting him know I was all right. Prophet walked over to me and placed his head against mine and the gently took my staff, then he walked past where I had left the Leader of F.E.A.R. As he reached where Thomas had thrown his staff down, bent over and picked it up, just then one of the Priest's tried to attack him with his back turned so to speak and then in the next moment he was on fire.
Prophet turned and looked at Mystic who had his hand out and fire just sitting there on his upturned palm, he also my black fog creeping out from all around me. "Everyone come and stand around the circle that shall be made, watch your glorious Leader as he defends himself. Let him show you his true power and see if he can defeat us on his own; and afterwards, those who wish to fight us can also take a turn in the circle." Prophet said as he made a large circle around him and opponent. I watch as only his Priests came to stand around the circle while our whole Army was present, I kept my fog out in case I needed to blind the Priests. I knew that Mystic would have no problem lighting them on fire but needed to show them that we were better than F.E.A.R, that we at least will give them a fighting chance.
Prophet threw what was once Thomas's staff down at his father and bowed, Thomas's father just grabbed the staff and tried to use the same method I did to take Prophet down. Unlike me, he was not proficient with staff's or even fighting like we were used to. He liked to stab people in the back or in case of his son, right in the heart; by the time Mourner called time, Prophet hadn't even broken a sweat, next up was Dragon, and yet again the Leader was made a fool of. By the time my turn came I could tell, he was on the verge of passing out. He never had to fight a real day in his life, he used his brainwashing and his Priests to do his fighting for him. Apart of me wanted to kill him for the torture he put those he captured through, but I wasn't like him; I wasn't a killer.
Instead, I said this "I will give you a choice, a choice that you never gave your followers; your choices are, Fight me, if you lose, you shall be banished to the far realms of this Earth. If you win, I will repent and join my family and forsake the ones I have to love as long you promise to leave them alone from here on out." I knew there was no way he could win and that's why gave him that offer. "You have a deal, Peyton on one condition; no one interferes and I mean know one. Also, if you lose Dragon as he is called must be brought back; I shall have fun breaking him. I might even let you marry him if he completes his training without any problems. And you may call me William, after all you were once going to be my daughter-in-law until all this nastiness happened." He said with a smile on his face.
Walking over to Dragon, I whisper as I look him in the eyes, "We know I can win; I have been training for this day since I first arrived in camp. I won't lose, I have too much to lose if I do; I will not only lose my sense of self but my true family and the one who carries my heart. If you have read my letter, then you will understand why I am doing this. I have gained to much just to lose to the likes of him." Giving a quick squeeze of the hand, I walk over to Fenix who was holding my staff. I took it back and then with one last look towards what I was fighting for, I walked back to the circle and bowed.
"Mystic, give us twenty minutes starting now." I said as I took the first swipe with my right leg, taking him down once again. One of the first things I was taught was never to give your opponent a chance to recover, to take them down fast and hard. And then keep taking them down until they couldn't take no more, and that's what I did. I fought like there was no tomorrow, I fought like my depended on it and to be honest it did. Not just my life but my freedom, as well as Dragon's; I wasn't about to let that man (if you could call him man) take all that away from me. For every blow he tried to take, I gave back twice as hard; for every broken bone, I set over the years because of him and his Priest's; I gave tenfold.
I gave and gave until, I heard Mystic call time; and just as I was about to leave the circle, Will stabbed me in the side. He stabbed me just under my rib cage, and as I stumbled out of the ring, I could hear him laughing as he said "Do you really think I was going to let you become a demon's whore, I promised your father that if I couldn't bring you back into the fold, I was going to kill you. You know what he said, 'If you can't save my daughter, then I have no daughter and do with her as you wish.'" I don't know who caught me before I fell to the ground, all know is that I was going to live.
Prophet stood tall in front of me as I was being healed and said "Will, leader of F.E.A.R; you have tried to kill my sworn sister, you shall here by be banished and will be killed if you ever try to come back. We don't wish to kill anyone, but don't mistake it for kindness; it is our code of honor. Something you don't have or even heard of, so let me tell you what honor is; honor to us is a code of conduct and respect, it shows us that we are not evil as you are. You have till sun rise in three days to take your followers and leave; we will be watching. Know this, Metis will live; she will be stronger from this and she will be happy from here on out. She has no need for false Prophets, such as yourself and false family like the ones who would rather see her dead."