II
Execution at Dawn
Kurt
The last time you cared about anythingI can't remember…
The last time you allowed yourself to be seen
So pretentious your lies, unrelenting disguise
Creating tears in your eyes, your mind withers and dies
Pretending to be something your not
Somewhere in the middle you are now caught
You've never seen who you really are
No life breathes in you, all the time you laugh, you wait, you cry
No part of your life is true, all the time your life passes you by
Hollow Man - - Trapt
I watched as the lemon yellow sun rose into the sky, unwavering in its destined duty to provide us all a new day and a second chance. I sighed to myself, shook my head. Not for everyone. I had been up since late the night before when the news had come of my friend's capture and sentencing in King O'Kelny's Kingdom. Even though he knew all the dangers of partaking in that undercover mission I could not help but feel guilty about what had happened.
I could have told him, ordered him to stay. I could have insisted that we needed him here. No, that would not have done at all. I knew better than that. I had known Piotr Rasputin for many years, in fact he was my best friend, and he would have never stood for staying put when he could be doing some good.
In a way the sunrise reminded me of Piotr. Like the sunlight stole the last remnants of night from the sky, Piotr always shone brightest in the wake of his darkest moments. Naturally he would never see this or admit to it.
As the last of the dawning warmth crept over me I reviewed the rescue plans once again. Simple and designed to have minimal risks in the department of my other friends and colleagues. There was no way I was going to endanger anyone else I cared for. My life was expendable, because to be frank it was me O'Kelny wanted, and maybe if I finally lay at his feet he would stop hunting my friends.
I could not tell Kitty or Elizabeth about my reason for they would try to stop me much like I should have tried to stop Piotr. I could just hear Kitty now, "Kurt, you're our leader!" But I would rather die a hundred horrible deaths than see any one of them fall for my sake. There had already been too much pain surrounding this fight.
"We're ready to go." I heard Elizabeth Braddock say from the doorway.
I turned to her, "then let us be gone." You wanted to find me so bad, O'Kelny, well, here I come…
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It did not take long to reach the capitol of Middlelands using my gift of teleportation. I dropped Shadowcat and Psylocke off before going to my destination. They were to become part of the crowd and watch from afar unless something went wrong. Then, upon my creating a distraction they were to release Piotr. Afterwards, home.
Meanwhile I went to see how he was doing; I could only get so close due to magical barriers placed around the area so I could not teleport inside. That is when I received one of the biggest shocks. Thera O'Kelny was there, speaking with Piotr!
Like any typical sovereign she was still trying to persuade him to give up information about me. He refused, but she insisted. I realized that something was different about this. When I looked closer I saw tears shimmering in her emerald eyes. She was desperately clinging to hope and at the same time she knew everything was futile. Whether she was aware of the look I was unsure.
I remembered something from the last time I was able to contact Piotr. He had had a particular interest in the King's daughter. He believed that there was something that no one was seeing in Thera O'Kelny, something hidden, like a beacon of hope within a dense fog. Somehow it was hard to see anything other than the stereotypical princess. She was spoiled, disdainful, and she didn't appear to care for anything other than herself and the motives of the royal court.
Now it was like looking at someone else. I almost wanted it to be, but it was Thera all right. She was one of the most beautiful vixens in Middlelands, not to mention the most cruel is all the stories were right. She was dressed just like the daughter of a King should dress - - long golden gown, mounds of jewels, and a tiny princess-sized tiara buried in her deep auburn hair - - but the way her eyes held so much compassion was not like looking at the same girl. Everything Thera was known to be was contradicted in this one moment and in that one look.
Had everything I heard been a lie?
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The guards came to retrieve Piotr and prepare him for the execution, which meant I would not get a chance to tell him that we were here. However, that did give me a chance to do something else. I wanted to follow Thera and see if everything I had just witnessed had been a spectacular act or if she really meant what I had seen in her eyes. So as she departed I departed.
She returned to her room on the second level and entered into the chaos of three maids. "M'lady Thera," the first one cried, "your father has sent word for you to be ready in half an hour. He expects you no later." The servant looked almost afraid to deliver that message. Thera only frowned, showing more displeasure towards her Father's words than the maid.
"Fine." She muttered, waving her hand, "prepare the dress I laid out."
"But miss," another maid said, "the King thought you would wear that one, as requested."
"Well, I request differently, and whom do you serve?" She snapped.
"You, my lady." She bowed, "but why do you wish to wear the other, it is so plain."
"And dull." An amused voice came from the doorway.
"Evander." Thera greeted with a smile that was a little annoyed, but no less happy to see her guard. "What if I want to be dull?"
"Miss?" A third servant asked.
"Well, I've been thinking," she began, "and lately there has been so much rising support of the Outsiders that I figured that I should not make it appear as if it is a side show. If I dress down then perhaps they will consider that there is some compassion left in the court."
"You are so wise, m'lady." The first servant said, almost in awe at her Mistress's great brainpower. I was disgusted, but decided to continue watching. Something about the way Thera acted didn't quite fit and I had to see what it was. Within a few minutes I received my answer.
Evander stayed positioned by the door until the three servants came out from behind the changing curtain. They quickly left, their work being finished. A few seconds later Thera appeared. Her new dress was black velvet with silver trimmings. Most of her jewelry was gone, leaving only a gleaming crimson pendant around her neck and a few rings on her slender fingers. Around her wrist dangled a charm bracelet carrying multiple magical symbols for protection and … interesting, binding. I'd have to check into that. Her hair was pulled up, allowing only a few tendrils to curl around her face.
"Couldn't you have worn something just a tad bit more cheerful?" Evander said, his face scrunching up in distaste. I found this fairly odd for a servant of a Princess to challenge her in that manner, but apparently Thera didn't find it as odd. "It is as if you are going to a damned funeral."
She frowned again, this time much more deeply. She had been holding out on her other servants, and now she was being honest. "I am." She commented, leveling her eyes on the Knight.
"Oh please, Thera. Do not tell me you feel sorry for that freak of nature? He is an Outsider, and a traitor."
There was a loud smacking sound as the palm of her hand connected with the side of his face. She did not even apologize for slapping him. "Outsider!?" She shrieked, "what about human being! He is going to die, can no one understand this!?"
Evander sighed, "I am sorry, Thera. I was out of place. I forgot that you knew him personally, did you not?"
"He saved my life, Evander." She sat down on the edge of her bed, and I nearly fell out of the tree I was perched in. Piotr had saved her from something? He had never told us about this. It was very strange for him not to have mentioned something to that degree. "And I could not save his. I feel awful." She lowered her head and I saw tears drop onto her hands clasped in her lap.
Evander moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "This is not your doing, Thera. Do not blame yourself. He is stupid for not revealing that monster's hideaway. He is condemning himself."
Thera sniffed in irony. "Right." She muttered, "he's fighting for a cause, Evander. Maybe what we may never understand, but to him it means everything. He is choosing to die with honor and dignity. It is very brave of him to give his life like this. I do not see it as withholding evidence the way my Father does, I see it as being loyal. He is keeping a promise, which is more than I can say about most in this court." She stood and strode across the room, anger lighting her face and transforming it into an ugly mask. "I hate this, Evander. I hate all of this."
I agreed with her.
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The square was filled with almost every resident of the capitol. There were peasants and nobles alike, all here to witness the death of my friend. A murder. I was still reeling from the conversation I had overheard between Thera and Evander. There was no way Thera could be the person others claimed her to be. She had seemed so desperate about Piotr's situation, so helpless. Her guilt mirrored mine in a fashion and I hoped she would find relief in what was about to take place.
Piotr had been right about her all this time and I felt more than a little foolish for not seeing it earlier. Of all people I should have seen through a façade to the truth. Everyone considered me a demon just because my outward appearance resembles one, and just as they viewed me I had viewed Thera. She had seemed the epitome of heartless princess when in fact she was just as trapped in her situation as I was. As I had been made to look like a demon she had been made to look like a Princess, and we played our given roles well while dying inside.
It was tragic.
Evander was probably the only one within the court that knew what Thera was truly like. If anyone else caught wind of her sympathy for "creatures" like us then she would probably become very unpopular despite her standing as eldest daughter of the king. She was another victim of society. She had become it's unwilling slave and didn't even realize it.
Once again, tragic. The young woman had so much power in her hands. There was so much she could do to make changes, yet she was so afraid of how others saw her that she shied violently away from letting anyone know her true self. Fear was the true destroyer.
King O'Kelny arrived with his daughter on one side and his son on the other. Thera looked less than thrilled to be there as she had thoroughly indicated earlier. The King took his place at the front of the little "stage" and raised his hands, almost immediately quieting the whole area. Behind him Thera and her brother, Dane, took their seats. For a moment her eyes moved over me and I thought perhaps she had recognized me when they stopped, but that was ridiculous. No one could make out my appearance beneath the large hood and form encompassing cloak.
After a few seconds her gaze left me and I turned to search for Kitty and Elizabeth. I found them quickly, and they also spotted me. I nodded once, letting them know everything was still a go. I wished I could tell them what I had learned about Thera, but later we would have time. Now there was more important things.
O'Kelny was rattling on about Outsiders and injustice when I reentered his speech. "Today we execute a traitor. He not only betrayed this court, but all of you," he indicated all the commoners, "by allowing the Prince of Demons to stay hidden, hidden from us so he can continue to terrorize you."
I found myself smiling despite the situation. Wasting not another moment I raised my hands and pulled back the hood of my cloak. "That is very funny, your highness." I said, "because I do not ever remember being here. Perhaps it was my doppelganger, he seems to pop up a lot." In a flash I teleported so I was standing right beside him. His face reflected the horror he felt inside. He was scared stiff.
The onlookers gasped, and there were more than a few screams. I ignored these. I was used to this, maybe too used to it. "I think you have a comrade of mine, and I want him back." I motioned to Piotr, who the guards had already led to the side of the platform.
"I - - I - -" O'Kelny sputtered, then shouted, "guards! Do something! Kill it!"
I was an "it" now.
I spun and came face to face with Thera, who had stood. (Her brother seemed frozen in his chair. What a warrior!) "You." She hissed, and I was surprised at the amount of pure hatred that was behind that single word. It was enough to knock someone down.
"Really? I could have sworn it was me." I joked and proceeded to grab her wrist. This was my distraction. She shrieked and tried to pull away, but I had already teleported her to another position and turned her around so that I held her locked in place. She struggled to escape, but she wasn't strong enough. "Hey, listen," I said quickly, my voice low so that she could only hear it. Down below people were screaming about how I was kidnapping their Princess. Oh, please, like I would want her around our hide out always whining.
"Why should I listen to an abomination like you!?" She spat.
Ouch. Abomination.
"Because we both have a common goal." I ignored her words. It was nothing I hadn't heard before. An arrow from one of the guards struck near my feet and I teleported again.
"What is that?" She tried to elbow me, but my grip was to strong to let her move much, so she dug her nails into my skin.
I cringed. "I have a high tolerance to pain, but that does not mean it does not hurt. Stop." I growled. She immediately released me, as if in shock. I didn't mean to say it so roughly, but it got the desired result. "Thank you. You do wish to save Piotr, do you not?"
"Uh… yes." She stammered in disbelief.
"I am not going to hurt you, just play along." I told her.
She was shaking and I could tell she didn't know what to do. I turned my head to look for my friends again. Since almost everyone had their attention on me they had been able to sneak up on to the guards surrounding Piotr. They were out. Too bad I had missed the action. Just as they began to make a break O'Kelny realized what was happening.
"Idiots! Get them!"
"Never mind, Fraulein." I said quickly. "You have seemed to have helped me enough." I transported us to the ground behind the guards who had been trying to find a way to "save" Thera. "Here I bid you, farewell." I released her and went to follow my comrades. I meant to teleport directly to them and then out of that crazy city, but that's when I saw them.
Perched on a roof nearby were a couple archers. One had his bow aimed at O'Kelny, which I could do nothing about, and one was aimed at Thera. Assassins! I stopped and turned back to her, "Princess, look out!" She froze in confusion, not understanding what was happening. The arrow flew and there was only one option left. I could not let this girl be killed when I could stop it. I teleported to her and grabbed her. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my side and I cried out, instinctively teleporting.
Within moment my three friends were around me, their voices muffled and echoing. I heard Thera yelling something but could not make it out, and then she was quiet. Apparently she had lost consciousness. Seconds later I joined her in blackness.
That's chapter two. It's a little longer than the last but that's just the way things went. If it was a little too long I apologize. R&R please.
Next -- Chapter Three: Prince of Demons. Thera finds herself in the enemy's base of operations.