(And I'm back with the last chapter of my most successful fic, Artemisia: Escape from Conclusion. I'm so glad that people really liked this story. It was one of my favorites to write. To think, Artemisia was created when I read the name of a Renaissance painter out of my history book. I think that's weird, but I like what's been created from that weird spark of inspiration. Well, let's get to reading the rest of the story and find out what's going to happen to Artemisia and Keith... Oh yeah, there's a frequent mention of the word 'door' in this chapter. That damn castle has far too many. I did my best to come up with synonyms. It's as hard as writing Shakespearean dialogue, which I have done recently for my English class.)
Chapter 4- Will I Ever See The Sun?
*
There was a dull yet loud thud as Keith rushed the closet door, slamming into it in an attempt to break it down. He stumbled back, a bit stunned from how hard he had hit the solid rectangle of wood, and tripped over some old boxes. He fell, landing on his back within the clutter in his closet.
"...Ow..."
As Keith struggled to get up, he knocked over another box. As it landed on the floor, a few iridescent red-colored stones spilled out. Keith looked at them curiously for a moment before realized what they were.
"Flare stones!" He almost burst with the joy he felt from seeing these stones. "This is the first time I have ever been so happy that Mom stayed with the White SeeD instead of remaining here with Dad and me. I'm gonna have to write to her and tell her that the Flare stones she gave me for my birthday actually came in handy."
Keith picked up one of the stones, and held it for a moment.
"I'm probably going to get burned using this thing..." He shrugged. "Oh well."
Keith hurled the stone at the door. It struck against the door hard, thus releasing the spell. Hot yellow and orange flames quickly engulfed the door and then extinguished themselves. Keith gave himself a quick once over before fleeing for the castle.
"Few first degree burns, scorched clothes," he mumbled to himself. "Nothing too serious."
Keith raced out the front entrance of his house.
*****
Artemisia was dusting off the railing of the Front Foyer, when the door opened. She glanced up from her work, expecting to see Keith, but instead found herself presented with a group of angry-faced men glaring bitterly at her. In each man's hand was either a knife or an object that could used for clubbing. She gasped and fell back, crawling until her back was against the wall.
"Witch!" one man cried out, distinguishing himself from the others. "We're here to put an end to your evil. I won't have you seducing my son and making him a pawn in your sick games."
...He's Keith's father, Artemisia realized.
"Keith's my best friend." Another, much younger, man stepped forward. "I will not let you use him."
These people are insane.
"Get her!"
These strangers began rushing up the steps towards her, waving their pathetic excuses for weapons. She let out a shriek and sprang to her feet, running to the right of the foyer doors (her left). She knew that she would have to keep moving in order to avoid getting caught, and hopefully taking this route would confuse the savagely primitive minds of her hunters.
Artemisia flung herself through the door (she was beginning to hate doors) and flew down the staircase. She cut through the art gallery and down the next staircase into the dungeon. She was busy formulating a plan in her head, once that could possibly buy herself some time to escape.
She always kept the dungeon door unlocked. She hated keeping rooms locked shut; they always brought her back to the night when her mother was attacked. She slipped through the dungeon door, and slammed it shut, causing it to lock. She then ran down the hall to the courtyard, knowing it was only a matter of time before those chasing her would realize that they couldn't get through the dungeon.
She made her way towards the front hall, her heart pounding in her ears. She had never felt fear like this before. She hoped to never feel like this ever again.
As she reached the door (dammit) leading to the front hall, the door swung open from the other side and Keith's father and his friend leaped out. Artemisia skidded to a halt, then stumbled a little as she turned to run back the way she came.
*****
Keith shoved open the castle doors, bursting into the crumbling structure. He could only hear the thumping beat in his chest. This worried him.
"Artemisia?" he called. "Artemisia!!!"
He rushed up the steps of the Front Foyer and this time gently pushed open the wooden portals to the balcony. He glanced over the edge and saw his father, Evan, and the other townsmen heading outside to the courtyard. Keith had a sickening feeling forming in his stomach.
"Artemisia must be that way," he whispered.
Keith looked at the dusty chandelier in front of him. If he was going to get to Artemisia, the quickest way would be using that ancient piece of junk. He gathered up his courage and moved across until the chandelier fell. Before the golden fixture made its abrupt stop inches from the floor, Keith leaped off and landed in a crouching position, particularly hard on his left ankle.
"Augh!" he cried out as pain shot up his left leg. He fell backwards, clutching his shin. "Oh shit, that's not cool."
Slowly Keith forced himself up and hopped a bit on his right leg until he dared to put his left foot on the floor. His face scrunched up in pain, but his foot remained on the floor.
"I'm coming, Artemisia..."
*****
Artemisia had no choice but to run up the stairs heading to the clock tower. She had dug herself into a hole and now all she could do was run and pray for a bit of luck. She crossed the rickety old bridge into the tower. Fallen columns had long ago replaced the first part of the spiral wooden pathway leading to the top, and the stone was cool under Artemisia's bare feet.
Her assassins were close behind her, shouting, yelling, threatening her. Her energy was almost depleted, but she forced herself to keep moving her now throbbing legs. She continued up the tower to the very top, and inched across the broken hands of the clock and down the ladders. She fell from exhaustion onto the stone floor, gasping and becoming nauseous from her aching sides. She looked up to see what lay down the path.
Her mother's room. The place of a great battle between good and evil, past and present, present and future. The place where her mother's life was ended to save others. Artemisia had not set foot in that room for almost three years, because she knew that her mother's death would become a reality.
"She's down there!" Keith's father cried out from above her.
Artemisia crawled a few paces before getting to her feet and started running again. She made her way down the catwalk, the queasy feeling in her stomach growing stronger. The chilly wind was blowing across the catwalk, making the skirt of her dress cling to her legs. After flying across the seemingly endless path, she flung her body against the heavy wooden door to her mother's room, forcing it open just enough for her to squeeze through.
The room was dimly lit from the moonlight creeping through the broken stained-glass windows, which revealed the broken and splintered furniture strewn about the floor. The air was cold, stale, and had the faint smell of blood. Artemisia felt a lump in her throat, but she wouldn't let herself cry. She needed to hide.
"She's in there!"
In a panic, Artemisia quickly wedged herself between the wall and a smashed wardrobe cabinet. She thought her heart was going to explode the was it kept pounding.
The men chasing her were definitely stronger, this becoming apparent when they pushed on the door and it flew open, smacking against the wall to the right of the doorframe. The rushed through the door, spilling into the room.
This was the moment when Artemisia finally admitted to herself that she was done for.
"Bad move on your part, little sorceress," Keith's friend said. "You've gotten yourself caught."
"Search the room," Keith's father ordered his mob.
He looked around the room carefully, examining everything he could see. Within moments, his eyes caught sight of part of a small white hand sticking out from behind a piece of furniture. He went over and shoved the splintered piece of mangled wood aside. Artemisia let out a small cry and sank to the floor, covering her head. She could feel his eyes burning through her as he glared down upon her.
"We end this now," Keith's father said.
Artemisia closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the inevitable. The other men in the room closed in around her, forming a barrier so that she could not escape. Keith's father raised his weapon, a simple kitchen knife, above his, then thrust it down.
"Mama!" Artemisia cried out in a high-pitched, shrill tone.
Keith's father's arm suddenly stopped in mid-air. He was quite surprised, trying to move the stubborn limb. It felt as though something, or someone, was preventing him from getting rid of Artemisia. The others in the room stared at him, confused, and maybe even a little scared.
"W-what the hell is going on?!" he shouted in a panic.
Two glowing yellow eyes appeared in front of him. As he watched in horror, a figure took shape before him. A face, long white hair, a long red dress leaving nothing to the imagination, and two charcoal black wings.
"...Ultimecia..."
Artemisia realized at about that time that she was still alive, and opened her eyes. She gasped upon the sight of the ghostly figure of her mother, protecting her from her attackers.
"Artemisia?! Artemisia!!"
The wooden door flew open again and Keith dashed into the room. He was limping slightly, his skin was a painful looking red, and he was completely out of breath, but without paying any attention to what was going on already, skidded to Artemisia's side and held on to her tightly.
"Oh, thank Hyne you're safe," he sounded genuinely relieved.
"How'd he get out of the closet?" Evan asked, mostly to himself.
"Mother?..."
Artemisia stood up, pulling Keith up with her. Keith instinctively put a protective arm around his beloved as he now noticed the scene unfolding within the room. The ghost's eyes coldly burned through Xander's own green eyes. Then she opened her mouth to speak.
"Three years." Even her voice was transparent. "Three years, and you continue to bear the grudges of my wrong-doings against my child. Three more needless years where my child has to live as a hostage within these walls. Three years since she could watch a sunrise... So much time lost, because she was unfortunate to end up as my child."
Ultimecia let go of Xander's wrist and he stumbled back. A lavender light created an aura around the ghost, and she transformed. Her hair fell to her waist softly, and the revealing red dress became a concealing black gown. The make up disappeared from her face, a less frightening and sinister face appearing underneath. The ebony wings disintegrated, feathers floating all over the room, then disappearing back into the shadows of the nether world.
"This is my true form in death," Ultimecia continued. "No longer the hateful, vengeful sorceress... She is gone, but ignorant minds have made my daughter, an innocent child, the evil that remains, and when someone else understands that these beliefs are wrong, and dares to be her friend, dares to even love her, and you all assume that he's insane, seduced by magic. You are wrong."
Xander remained silent. He looked to the others who had come with him with the intent of slaying Artemisia, and nodded slightly. He turned his head back to Ultimecia, and dropped his weapon. The clang of the kitchen knife hitting the floor was followed by the thuds and clangs of other weapons being disregarded. Ultimecia merely looked at them with a disgusted expression, and turned to Keith and Artemisia.
"Artemisia, my child," she said. "For so long you have suffered because of me. Start a new life with this young man, free from the chains of my sins. Leave this cursed place and never come back. This is not a place for good souls."
"I will take her away from here," Keith vowed to the ghost.
"Good-bye, Artemisia," Ultimecia said softly. She smiled, then faded away into the shadows. Artemisia threw her arms around Keith's neck and started crying.
"I thought I was going to die..."
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you," Keith whispered. "But I promise from now on I will never leave your side. We can go away, like your mother said, and start over. Okay?"
"Yeah," Artemisia sniffled.
"Um, Keith?"
Keith turned his head and glanced over at Evan.
"Leave me alone. You've caused me enough trouble."
Evan looked hurt for a moment, but shamefully lowered his head, because he knew Keith was right. He turned away and walked out the door, others following him until it was just Keith and Artemisia left inside the room.
*****
Sometime later, far away from Centra City, in a little church in Winhill, Artemisia and Keith stood before a priest, vowing eternal love to one another before a small group of townspeople they hardly knew, but all they could see was each other.
"Artemisia," Keith began, "through strange circumstances, we were brought together. Our love is strong, it defied the boundaries of ignorance and misunderstanding. There is no one I'd rather spend my life with than you."
"You were the first person to see who I really was," Artemisia said, her eyes sparkling. "You gave me friendship, and love, for which I will be eternally grateful for. You are my missing half, when we are together, we are one, and I pray that we will be forever."
The young lovers traded simple gold wedding bands, and the priest officially pronounced them husband and wife. Keith and Artemisia looked into each other's eyes momentarily before sealing their vows with a kiss. They could now be together forever.
And no one would ever tear them apart ever again.
*****
(Well, that's it for Artemisia's story. I hope you guys liked it. Now I have to go and get some sleep, because tomorrow the school show takes place. I think it's going to take weeks for me to get all that make up off of my face and arms. Oh well, I had a ton of fun anyway. See you guys later!)