Fubuki no Kaen
Authors: Xan and Vallen
Rating: R
Warnings: One thing… Or, lot's of things: This is a story with eventual yaoi/shounen ai/slash, whatever you want to call it. If that sort of stuff isn't your thing, then don't read it. But, we hope that you do…
Disclaimer: The characters Marth and Roy, plus "Altea", do not belong to us. We just use them for our pleasure.
Feedback: Yes. (That means we would love to hear from you and what you think!)
Xan: *bows humbly and gives them chapter* To forgive is divine. Gomen nasaiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!
Vallen: *waves paper fans* Hai!
Thank You: Kanashimi Ame (Aw, sorry that you thought it slacked off while they were at Rowen's, but you're right, they are indeed in the castle now and ready to kick Gaimen's candy ass! *blinks* Oh jeez, I just said candy ass… Too much tv, I tell you, it rots your mind.), Shea (I know, we are so mean to them… But you guys have to like it or else you wouldn't read it, now would you?), Sake Girl Duelist (Haven't you figured it out yet? We leave off there because we enjoy making you guys beg us for more! We're rather sadistic, I think. Oh well. ^_^), FOmar Fan (Ooooh, mysterious! I LIKE that adjective! We'll try to keep it that way, aight?), Dark Comet (No, EVERYBODY'S reviews were going missing and boy howdy did it freak me out… Yes, more fanart is ALWAYS appreciated! ^_^ Ooh, Discworld is FUN! I love Terry Prachett – he's so funny! But yeah, it is cute when Roy gets all protective…), Pichu*Star (Yay, put us on alert! We're glad that you're happy to see Gwen and that you hate Gaimen. Even I hate him, he's not nearly as fun as Trave was. And yes, FNOK 2 is coming along nicely!), Foame369 (We feel loved!), Ryuke-Naoe (*giggles* Lakes of fire are always fun… They don't do that, but stick around and find out what they DO do.), Sinnatious (Of course we don't stop! We never stop! …We just get delayed. *coughs* It's my fault this one took so long… I'm really sorry. *laughs* Post-FNOK therapy. Love that! Ooooh, treats! …But I don't deserve 'em. I'm bad for getting this one out so late. Thanks though!), pannybaby123 (Heh he IS a bastard. Not a RAT bastard like Trave, but certainly a bastard), LiL PriNCeSs Me (People forgetting to check up on us? I'm hurt! No, it's okay. If we can be late getting 'em out, you can be late reading 'em.), tikimoof (Aw, I LOVE rocky horror! Vallen and I are obsessed with it!), YoshiMars (I love cliffhangers- it's what I LIVE for! ^_^ Yay, drawing is always good, even if it isn't fanart or even FE! Keep drawing!), Hooshi (The best at ff.net? WOW, that is a HUGE compliment! *blushes* And what about Marth?!), Chennie (*looks devious* Of COURSE there will be ass-kicking? You expect them to just walk up to Gaimen back "Please sir, may I have my kingdom back?" How pathetic would THAT be? *blinks* Eh? Dismemberment? God no! We like our boys [and gwen- she's got enough problems] to stay whole, thank you very much.), Kiki (Yay, we're somebody's new favorite! Keep reading, it'll only get better! And then there's the SEQUEL! *dum dum dum…*), Kim (Hee hee, we love them in drag too, unfortunately, that's all the drag for this story. Maybe in another one. We'll just have to wait and see.), MarthLover618 (Dude, love your handle! Thanks, we try to keep them "in character" as much as possible and I think that we do a damn good job, thank you very much. We'll never stop writing!)
"I'm gonna kill him…" The auburn-haired teen snarled, not caring who heard him. He and his partner were shackled by their wrists to the thick stone walls of a cell in the deepest trenches of the castle dungeon.
Roy glanced over at Marth, who was chained to a separate wall.
"You! Only you! You are the only thing he wants! I would be better off in this without you…" He continued, his tone somewhat accusing. "He'll visit, torture you, have his way with you, leave, then do it all over again whenever he desires! How do you suggest we get out of here? I can't burn stone and liquid-iron would hurt, don't you think?" The teen seethed, drowning in his frustration.
Marth stayed characteristically quiet, looking around at the blankness of the cell.
"The only reason that he kissed me is because he knew that it would make you angry, which it did. If I had told him not to touch you, he would have done just the opposite to anger and frustrate me. He desires us both, Roy. We are to him like two jewels dropping unexpectedly into a beggar's hand out of thin air. And I can get us out of here, if we have no other choice."
"Well, I can't just be a brick like you all the time, so…" Roy grumbled, closing his eyes and rattling his chains one final time as a fruitless display of rebellion.
"Don't tell me you've lost hope." Marth said quietly, looking right at Roy.
"No… I'm just really frustrated right now. Can we just have some quiet for a little while…?"
Marth relaxed into the chains, just as he had many times before over the past years. This dungeon, this cell, for that matter was no stranger to him and he allowed the silence between them to hang.
Later that night, the two prisoners had several visitors. Not quite whom they had expected, for Gaimen was too busy for petty torture, even though it involved his two beauties. A few guards came in, adjusted their bindings, and then got to work. They were undoubtedly sworn to secrecy and silence, for they uttered no words other than stern commands.
However, the sounds of leather striking against flesh were music to the twisted monarch's ears as he took a peek inside at his favorite exiled young men. Perhaps repetitive torture would wear them down eventually…
"Marth…" Roy panted once they had gone away, sweat dripping down his face. "Is it just me or is this starting to remind you of Trave's?" The teen hung his head and tried to take his mind off the pain on his back from both the new wounds and old wounds that had been viciously re-opened.
"Trave? Surely you cannot mean my old friend?" Gaimen stalked over to where Marth and Roy were hanging, facing the wall with their wrists changed to it. His eagerness and curiosity had overpowered his desire to remain hidden from view and watch their suffering. Marth, who was kneeling on the ground, his wrists above his head, did not make the effort to turn or answer his uncle.
'Sure, let me do all the talking…' Roy grumbled, and then lifted his head with a grunt, glaring at Gaimen. "Correct. We're damaged property, but that's none of your business. You can join him in hell for all I care!"
"Oh, but it most certainly is my business. You see, Trave was a wonderful old friend of mine and I often traveled to his manor to sample the entertainment that he provides so excellently there. It's a pity that I hadn't known this; I'd have made the journey to see the two of you there. Although I do not think that he would have been very willing to share with me."
Gaimen walked over and ran his fingers across the wounds in Roy's back, smearing the general's blood onto them. He raised them to his lips and licked the blood off.
"You killed Trave, didn't you Roy? You are brave, clever enough to do it. Marth is a coward. Otherwise, he'd of put a stop to what I did to him years ago."
Although Marth did not move, the room became noticeably colder.
The auburn-haired teen hissed angrily, disguising the pain that came from Gaimen's fingers in his open wounds.
"I guess you could say that," he said, his tone hostile. "You two share similar qualities… and you both failed against me, oh demoted general. Did you find a replacement for me or did you plan to take over both our positions."
Gaimen let out a winsome sigh and dug his fingernails into one of Roy's open wounds.
"Unfortunately, since your banishment, all the men who would be qualified for the job have all died in an unfortunate series of accidents. Quite a pity, really. A tragedy."
All the men qualified… Roy wondered in his head. That meant Lieutenant Brock, the only paternal figure he had… Plus several of his most skilled comrades. He let out a pained groan and jerked away from the man, clenching his fists and trying to hide his anguish.
"Marth…" He growled to his partner, inadvertently asking if it was time to use their magic yet. "I don't have to take any of this."
Marth let out a feral snarl and stood slowly, chains rattling. It was the first movement that he had made since the torture had begun hours and hours ago. It was obvious that he had had enough.
"I know you don't, but please just wait – " Marth cut himself off with a cry of pain as Gaimen lashed a heavy whip across his already mutilated back. Then the King turned and did the same to Roy.
"Silence, both of you!" He commanded sharply.
"You hold nothing over me, Gaimen!" Roy yelled. "And Don't. Touch. Marth!!!"
There was a loud spark as Gaimen's shirt caught on fire, a large blaze for such a short notice. Roy pressed his hands against the wall, digging his nails into the stone.
Marth slowly saw the world around him go black as ice; no something colder filled his veins. His eyes blazing blue, his face expressionless, he ripped the chains that bound him out of the wall as he turned. Roy and Gaimen were the only things that he saw – everything else was black.
Gaimen let out a yell of pain and began to rip off his burning clothing. Abruptly, he discovered that he could no longer feel his hands or feet; it was as if they had frozen completely solid.
"Get out of here! That was a warning, Gaimen!" Roy yelled with a growl, banging his forehead against the wall. He was still until Gaimen stepped away, slamming the iron door shut with a clang.
There was silence.
Marth leaned against the wall for a moment before going over to Roy, touching him.
'Are you alright, Roy?'
"Of course I'm alright… All he did was scratch me," Roy snapped, moving away from his partner. There was a sharp hissing sound of steam as tears trailed down the teen's face to wet the wall he pressed himself against. "I can't… There's only so much a person can take… Marth…"
Marth placed a hand on Roy's chains, making them so bitter cold that they shattered to the touch. With a cool hand, he brushed Roy's tears away.
"I know Roy. We've bought ourselves some time, but Gaimen will come back, and when he does… When he does, we won't get off again so easily."
"But your Majesty, I simply cannot understand how in the world you managed to burn yourself and get such bad frostbite at the same time." The head Healer exclaimed, inspecting Gaimen's numb feet.
The King growled, narrowing his eyes angrily.
"Never you mind. Just do what you have to do to fix it, understand?"
"Yes your Majesty." There was a long pause. " . . ."
"What is it? Speak, fool!" Gaimen ordered.
"I'm afraid that we'll have to remove a few of your toes… And there will be permanent scarring on your chest from the burns."
"What?!" Gaimen's eyes smoldered with fury, glaring down at the Healer, who shrank away from the angry man.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty…"
Gaimen sat back with a growl. "Just do it. And be quick about it. I have some loose ends that must be tied up immediately."
Roy looked up suddenly from his spot on the floor, glancing over at Marth. He'd gotten control over his emotions and was now back into his regular stoic persona.
"Let me heal you… And don't say no. I need the practice." He told Marth softly.
Marth nodded and moved over to his General slowly due to his injuries. The broken skin of his back and shoulders were covered in raw welts, most of which were oozing pus and blood. Normally, such wounds would take weeks to heal.
"I wasn't planning on refusing your offer."
Roy didn't answer. His pupils grew tiny and he focused on the whip wounds on his partners back, extending his hands. A red-orange light flowed from his fingers to Marth's injuries, healing them until there were only small, thin marks in their place, mere scars to join those already on the pale skin. Only when Roy felt the sweat that was dripping down his face did he realize when to stop. Now he realized what Marth was talking about when he had mentioned magic exhaustion.
"There…" Roy said breathlessly. "I like this healing power… makes me feel useful. Feel better?"
Marth let out a quiet sigh of relief as a gentle, soothing heat spread across his back and shoulders, making his raw and broken skin come together and become blessedly whole and painless again.
"Yes, much." The former prince replied quietly, turning to his companion. "Can I help you? I cannot heal or anything, but I may be able to do something for you…"
"Like what?"
The auburn-haired teen lay down on his stomach with a heavy sigh, letting his face rest against the cool, dirty floor. He could feel the gem around his throat hum comfortingly.
"You'll have to battle Gaimen mostly by yourself… Can I trust you to do that? Once we break out of here and get our swords, we'll go get him, but I won't be able to do much besides defend myself."
"Yes, I can take him myself, but don't expect him to be alive after. Or in one piece." Marth paused. "How were you intending for us to 'break out of here and get our swords?'"
"I dunno. When Gaimen comes back in here, angry as hell, we'll break out and make a run for it, I guess." Suddenly, an epiphany dawned on Roy and he paled, his face flooding with realization. "Oh…"
Marth looked at him, a single brow raised. "What is it?"
"We can't kill him ourselves. As far as the country is concerned, we're still traitors and we'll only prove Gaimen right by murdering him. They believe his word over ours any day… They'll just hang us and find another ruler, possibly even worse."
Marth closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. Roy was right. Dammit.
"You are correct. I had placed my own desires over the good of the country. He must be put on trial," here he took a deep breath. "We could destroy the castle doing this, but I think I know of another way. You remember where the swords are, don't you?"
"We have to capture him and make him admit that he framed us and we're innocent… But yes, I remember where the swords are." Roy replied.
"I believe I can provide ample distraction while you get them. You have training in stealth, don't you?"
Roy's eyes flashed. "I have training in everything."
'Should have guessed.' Marth thought to himself. "Good. Then you won't have any trouble."
"No trouble." Roy confirmed, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Now all they had to do was wait.
TBC…
Xan: Hoped you like that one. The next one will be out MUCH MUCH sooner, I promise! I was on vacation and couldn't get it out! *sniffs* I'm soorrrry!
Vallen: Psssht. Quit apologizing! This is almost the end! That's what we should be sad about, not the horrible disappointment that our readers feel for us… .