Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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"Come with me," Mahad said, grabbing Chid firmly by the arm. The Prince was frozen where he stood. He can't be serious. He wouldn't kill them. He can't kill them, Chid told himself. He looked blindly at the hand on his bicep. I have to go with him. Act as if everything he just said is logical, Chid thought.

"Yes sir," he replied mechanically. He allowed Mahad to pull him from where he stood.

The Duke led him to the edge of the room, and stopped in front of a dark hallway. Chid turned and looked at him unemotionally.

"Don't try anything dumb. I think your smarter then that, despite your recent actions," Mahad said. The Duke then stepped into the gloominess of Zaibach's halls, Chid at his side. They walked down the narrow winding tunnel moderately. About half a dozen guards fell in step with the two as they walked.

"Where are we going?" Chid asked. He didn't know the ruins of Dornkirk's layer very well, despite the fact that he had secretly played here occasionally when he was younger.

"To the prisoners' cell. Your friends are there. Don't worry, they're being well taken care of. I have 3 guards with them right now," the Duke said. His voice was cheerful and demented at the same time. It sent shivers through Chid's spine. The Prince stifled them as best he could. He glanced around at the guards. They stonily ignored him or didn't notice his subtle glances.

Finally the group turned the corner, and Chid felt his stomach lurch. Lying on the ground was a guard, a pool of blood spilling from the back of his head. The guard next to Chid put a sword in front of Chid to keep him from the room. Mahad also was placed under protection. Oh my god. Where is Akaro? Where is Shail? Akaro! Chid thought. He shoved the guard aside and charged into the room. He looked around frantically. Two soldiers were lying on the ground, crimson blood pooling around the bodies. The spilled fluids clung to Chid's boots. There was no sight of Akaro, Shail, and Serena.

"You stupid boy! Have you forgotten everything? Someone could have killed you!" Mahad's voice rang across the empty cell. Chid turned and looked at him.

"They're gone," the Prince said simply. Mahad looked down at the body in front of him. Chid turned and knelt by the corpse farthest in the room. Chid checked for a pulse out of habit. A small object lay next to the man's head. Chid reached out and picked the bloody thing up. It was his ear.

Gods Shail, what did they do to get you into this kind of fury? Chid thought to himself. He flicked the ear away disgustedly. The man's throat was slit, and his arm was broken, almost torn from his body.

Chid jumped as a hand encircled his arm, pulling him up off the ground. The Duke held him.

"We need to go, come on," Mahad said. He turned and walked out of the room, releasing Chid when he crossed the threshold. "Guards, search and find the prisoners. You will meet me in the gardens," Mahad commanded. The guards drew their swords and ducked out of sight, fading with the shadows. Chid started to walk down a tunnel, but the Duke grabbed him.

"I'm going to go and help them. The quicker we find them the quicker we get this ordeal over with," Chid said, knowing the Duke needed an explanation.

"I don't think so. You're coming with me," Mahad said. He steered Chid from the tunnel, then lead him directly into another. He never dropped Chid's arm. The Prince tried to concentrate and think about what routes Mahad was taking, but he gave up as the dark tunnels blended together in his memory.

Finally, a light shone at the end of the gloomy hall. In a couple more steps, Chid and the Duke stepped out into a blossoming outside garden. Chid was momentarily blinded by the bright sun, but when his eyes focused, he gasped in awe.

In the middle of the garden, stood two Freidian guymelefs. One was an older version, the other a new one. The newer one was Khorinae, Chid's own personal guymelef. The other was the royal guymelef, Harashi, the Duke's favorite. Khorinae was a deep gold color, a gold that matched the color of Chid's hair. It was bedecked with a green cape, and its frame was very similar to that of the legendary Escaflowne. Harashi, however, was an older guymelef, for Mahad had a nostalgic approach to weaponry that Chid could never understand because the Duke's body was practically futuristic.

"What is Khorinae doing here? And Harashi for that matter?" Chid asked. Mahad reluctantly dropped his arm, and Chid walked to his guymelef and stroked the giant armor's leg lovingly.

"Those are our transportation home. I didn't use the coach for obvious reasons. Freid has no idea your gone," Mahad said. Chid stiffened internally at Mahad's pompous and biting tone, but made sure that his body didn't reflect his emotions. The Prince considered, for a fleeting moment, leaping into Khorinae and rescuing Akaro, Shail, and Serena, but realized that the guymelef would never fit into the ruins. And Mahad still had his sword out and would probably kill him before he even got in the armor. Chid gritted his teeth as a wave of despair rocked him.

Chid turned around reluctantly and walked back to Mahad, who was watching him with careful eyes. Chid hid his own blue eyes. He knew that they would definitely reveal how broken and pained he was feeling right now. He quickly put up a wall around his heart and soul to block what he was thinking. It reminded him of Shail. The Fanelian Prince was, to Chid, the hardest person on the planet to read. He was so enigmatic and private, though he appeared outgoing and sociable. Chid's heart hurt at the thought of his friend, and dashed the thought with a mental fist.

"Well, what do we do know?" Chid asked, finally raising his eyes, confident his emotional state was well hidden.

"We wait."

*****

Dilandau walked over to the bloodstain in the throne room. His face was as smooth as marble. He kneeled before the berry circle, and closed his eyes. His lips moved, but no sound came.

"It was Folken," Shail whispered. He stood as still as a statue. Akaro snapped out of her trance. She went over to Shail and placed a comforting hand on his arm. Akaro didn't know what to say. He shrugged her hand off his arm.

"I don't remember. I don't even remember half my life," Shail whispered. His body shook violently.

"Don't..." Akaro said warningly.

"Damn him! He left me!" Shail yelled. He ran to the blood stained cement, oblivious to Dilandau, and fell to his knees. Dilandau watched him blankly, his eyes half-lidded. Shail bowed his head to the floor, his face tight. He took his rolled his hand into a fist and punched the floor as hard as he could. Shail sat up and looked at his hand. His knuckles were bloodied. He then punched the cement again with his other hand, and then another.

"Shail don't!" Akaro ran to where the Shail was, but Dilandau reached up with a hand and stopped her.

"Let him feel his pain," Dilandau said, standing up. His eyes were still blank and half-lidded. Shail beat the bloodstain with his fists a few more times, but finally stopped and held his hands to his face.

"You fucking coward, You died and left me. Damn you. Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Shail whispered vehemently. He took his sword and began pummeling the crimson stain again.

"Dilandau, you stop him or I will!" Akaro said. Dilandau snapped beside her.

"Stay here, don't come near me," Dilandau said sharply. He calmly walked over to Shail and kicked the sword from his hands, sending it shimmering across the floor. Shail spun, crouched on the balls of his feet and looked at Dilandau murderously. The Zaibach solider reached forward and pulled Shail up by the shoulders, pinning his arms.

"Let me go!" Shail screamed in his face. His blue-violet eyes were wild with fury. Dilandau gently let go of his shoulders, releasing him. Shail stumbled back a little in surprise. Dilandau then reached back with one hand and slapped the Prince across the face as hard as he could. Shail fell to the ground. Dilandau reached for him, but stopped as a spasm of pain racked his body. What's going on? Akaro thought. The soldier quickly overcame it and grabbed Shail by the shoulders again, hauling off the ground. Akaro watched as another spasm of pain rippled through Dilandau's body. Still, Dilandau held Shail, whose face was white from either shock or fury, Akaro couldn't tell. His blue-violet irises were wide with pain.

"Pull yourself together!" Dilandau commanded. His voice boomed across the empty room, but it dripped with anguish. "You are Folken's son. You are better than this!"

Dilandau cried out in pain, and his knees buckled. His body lurched forward and his grip on Shail was lost. Shail stepped forward, catching him in his bloody embrace. Dilandau closed his eyes and winced. Akaro stepped up to the two boys.

"Don't hurt him Serena," Shail said softly.

"It's not her," Dilandau gasped. "My genetic makeup, it...it can't handle strong, positive emotions. I'm battling my own self right now. That's why, that's why I hurt so intensely." He then moaned loudly and his body went completely limp, his garnet-like eyes closing. Shail looked down at Dilandau.

"He pitted himself against his own body. That goes against everything I've ever known him to be," Shail said. He hugged the unconscious soldier to his chest, his hands smearing blood on Dilandau's tunic.

"We have to go Shail, Chid's not here and we killed three guards. Soldiers could be here any minute," said Akaro. Shail sighed and slung Dilandau around his shoulders. Akaro could see Shail mentally rebuilding his composure. The Prince placed his hand on Dilandau's calf, holding the boy in place. His hand left a bloody print on the albino's clothes.

"I've never seen you snap like that," Akaro said. She ripped a length of cloth from her dress and took one of Shail's hands. She wrapped the cloth around his bloodied knuckles. Shail sighed and bent down, dropping Dilandau back on the ground.

"Neither have I. It was stupid. I shouldn't have lost it like that. I didn't know that I could hurt so much," Shail said. He looked at Akaro but wouldn't meet her eyes. His protective wall wasn't yet up around his heart. She began bandaging his other hand.

"No, it's good that you let out that sorrow. You hold everything in Shail, it's not good for you," Akaro said. She finished wrapping his hand.

"You didn't need do that. I can't really feel them right now anyway," Shail said, looking at his bandaged hands.

"Oh, you'll feel it later," Akaro said. She attempted a smile at him, but it didn't come out right.

"I suppose you're right," Shail said. The wall was up. Shail walked over to where his sword lay and picked it up. Akaro bent and picked up her own dagger from where she had dropped it. She stood up just in time to make out soft footsteps behind her.

"DUCK!" Shail called, running towards her. Akaro hit the ground, and a sword whooshed lethally where her head had been seconds earlier. She swiveled on the balls of her feet, then leapt onto the chest of her attacker and thrust her sword deep into his chest. The man let out a strangled cry and his sword dropped from his hands. The soldier then fell backwards, taking Akaro with him. The cat girl braced herself for the fall, but when the actual blow fell the man's body took most of the impact. Akaro lay there on top of the soldier, breathing hard. Warm, sticky blood oozed over her stomach from the fallen soldier. Akaro hugged the man's chest as the realization of what she had just done hit her.

Footsteps. A faint shadow fell over her body. Shail, she felt, was standing right over her.

"Get up Akaro," Shail said. His voice was soft and comforting.

"I killed a human being," Akaro whispered. Her words were barely audible. She hugged the man a bit tighter.

"I know," Shail said simply, his words full of sadness. He couldn't deny the fact, but his voice was like honey, and Akaro felt immense relief wash over her for reasons she couldn't explain.

Shail reached down and placed a hand on Akaro's arm. The two remained there for a few moments, but finally Akaro relaxed, and Shail gently pulled her off the corpse. Shail gave her a quick embrace, then stood her on her own to feet.

"I'm sorry," Akaro said. Whether she was apologizing to Shail or the guard, she didn't know. Shail obviously didn't find it that important.

"Alright. Let's go find Chid and then get the hell out of here. The guards have obviously been alerted" Shail said. He backed up a few paces to where Dilandau broken body lay and scooped him up, placing the silver-haired angel on his shoulders.

"Do you know where we need to go?" Akaro asked. She bent down and picked up the sword that the guard had dropped. Shail walked past her and headed for a tunnel. Akaro followed.

"We need to go to the Serena's Gardens. If I can remember where they are I can navigate the forest from there without too much trouble," Shail said. He turned down a dark hallway. Dilandau moaned softly, but didn't stir.

"How do you know your way around Old Zaibach?" Akaro asked Shail as they twisted and turned in what Akaro hoped to be the way to the outside.

"Serena used to come back here occasionally. Every so often she comes and leaves a rose for Jajuka, a demi-human who took care of her when she was under Zaibach's control. Sometimes, in the bowels of the ruins, she leaves roses for the DragonSlayers. I know it sounds creepy, but she remembers everything about them. Also out of tribute to Dilandau," Shail said hurriedly. His strength was returning, Akaro noticed. He has a very strong willpower, she thought.

Finally, the trio came to the end of the chain of tunnels. Sunlight crept into the dark shadows, and Akaro and Shail emerged from the entranceway. The light was blinding, but soon her eyes focused, and there stood Chid, motioning furiously for her to leave. Behind him stood the Duke, and his brown eyes were flashing.

*****