THE KNIGHT AND THE MAIDEN
CHAPTER 3
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. If I did, Cyclops would be dead.
Kurt was speaking. He should be paying attention. Generally, that was the good thing to do when you're about to be sent underground into the catacombs of an old British mansion possibly teeming with spies and your field leader is giving you orders. But he couldn't keep his attention away from starring at her. Or, to be more accurate, at finding a way to stare at her while still looking as though he wasn't.
Peter knew he shouldn't have come. He should have stayed back at the mansion, alone. But he needed to see her in person again, even if it was just this once. In all the time they spent apart, not a day had gone by without her passing in and out of his mind like a ghost, haunting him with her warm brown eyes. She was as beautiful as he remembered, even with her lovely chestnut curls cut short. And there was a confidence and poise about her that he didn't recognize from before, and a serious, professional expression on her face that still couldn't hide the gentle compassion that radiated from within. As he watched, a look of surprise from Kurt's instructions came over her face, briefly followed by something resembling panic before she composed herself, returning to her former somber expression as she approached him.
"Katya, it is-"
She held up her hand to silence him.
"Boss man says I'm supposed to work with you, so that's what I'll do. But don't call me that. Please," she whispered the last word, almost begging, her eyes never straying from the ground below her.
"Kurt, are ya sure those two should be together?" Rogue asked, watching the awkward conversation play out between the former lovers from a safe distance.
"Ja. Without a doubt."
"Even so, maybe I should be going with them," she suggested to her foster brother. He nodded in agreement.
"Psylocke, change of plans. You're going with Storm and I," he instructed the purple haired ninja.
"Actually, I think that I-" she protested, staring over towards Peter before Kurt cut her off.
"Trust me, this way is better. Rogue knows how to handle those two. Besides, how could I pass up the chance to work with two beautiful freulins?" he asked with his usual swashbuckling charm. "As for you-" he gave a wry laugh as he put an arm around his sister's shoulders "-Good luck. I have a feeling you may need it. Alright team, move out!"
"How come we got stuck with the sewers?" Rogue grumbled as they separated from the main group.
Kitty rolled her eyes. She was not in a happy mood.
"Since Brian has no clue what Black Air could possibly have been looking for, the whole place needs to be searched. I'm here because I'm the only one who doesn't have to worry about getting lost or stuck in the tunnels. You're here because you chose to tag along, and Colossus because Kurt had some strong desire to try and play matchmaker when he rolled out of bed this morning."
"You know Kit, speaking of Colossus, it's been awhile since you and Peter have been in the same continent together, what with you bein' in England and him bein' in Genosha," Rogue commented as the three of them descended the stairs in the basement to the subterranean tunnel, Peter walking several feet ahead. "Betcha have a lot to talk about."
Kitty gave a sideways glance to her old friend. She had a feeling Rogue was going to be the first of her teammates to dredge this up, but she didn't think it would be this soon. Of course, over the years Kurt and Kitty had been away working on Excalibur, Rogue had changed. Her sullen, goth days were behind her. Now she was much more confident and fiery, like her tough as nails Southern belle roots were finally taking hold of her. She still couldn't touch, but she didn't let that ruin her life. And judging from the looks of things, Rouge might be putting some serious thought into spending that life with Scott Summers. Normally, Kitty would be proud of how far her friend had come, but today she was too annoyed to feel any kind of happiness for her.
"I don't think Peter and I have anymore to say to each other than you and Gambit do."
Rogue's smile faded. She didn't talk for awhile after that.
She could feel it, tightening around her neck as they trudged through the chilly caves, choking her, growing heavier against her chest until she couldn't breathe. She leaned back against the wall, centuries worth of grime and moss tickling the back of her neck as she quickly reached up and phased it off in one fluid motion. Still leaning against the wall, she rested both hands behind her for support, hiding it between the cup of her hand and crumbling old stone.
"Katy- Kitty, are you alright?" Peter asked, hurrying back to offer her his hand.
"Slipped. But I can handle it. I don't need you," she said curtly.
Peter face shut down, displaying no trace of emotion. He nodded abruptly, then turned and walk away.
Rogue, who had watched the scene play out, stared uncomfortably at the ground. "Come on," she told her friend as she followed Peter into the next tunnel.
Kitty looked down at the object in her hand. The gold claddagh ring sparkled, even in the dim light. A heart, encircled by a crown, held by two hands, symbolizing love, friendship, and loyalty. Peter had given it to her that night by the lake when he had asked her to be his wife. After he left she couldn't bear to part with it, wearing it on a long chain around her neck so that she could hide it under her clothes. When the professor, knowing she needed time away from the mansion, asked her and Kurt to go to England and start a European Division of the X-Men, it was the only personal possession she brought with her. All her other mementos of the past were packed away, forgotten by everyone else but her. And maybe Peter.
She gave the ring one final glance before shoving it into one of her uniform's many pockets, then ran to catch up to her teammates.
"Soooo" Rogue said slowly, trying to break the eerie silence between the three of them. Hearing her voice lightly echoing in the tight catacombs, she gave an involuntary shudder. Betsy was her friend, and her brother was a decent guy, but there was something inherently creepy about their house, from the secret passage ways right down to the huge slabs of alternating black and white tiles in the foyer that made her feel like they were no more than chess pieces for some higher power to play with. But the underground caves were definitely the worst part of the whole place; a tight and twisting labyrinth with a layer of stagnant water covering the packed dirt floor and no end in sight. Rogue shined her flashlight in front of her and noticed Peter scouting ahead of the two girls. He had reverted back to human form, his armored shape being too large to fit through some of the passageways and finding it too awkward to ask Kitty to phase him through the tighter areas. Rogue mentally thanked Kurt for not sending Storm down here. With her claustrophobia this would have been equivalent to torture.
"Hey Kit," she whispered, not wanting to hear another echo, as she grabbed her friend's shoulder. Kitty gave a startled jump and inhaled sharply. "Sorry. This place givin' you the creeps too?"
"Yeah. I keep feeling like were about to be attacked by a swarm of bats or R.O.U.S.'s or something."
"R.O.U.S.'s?" Rogue questioned, unfamiliar with the term.
"Rodents Of Unusual Size. Haven't you ever seen "The Princess Bride?"
"No."
"Really? Inconceivable!" she said, smiling at her own bad joke.
Rogue shook her head. "You're such a nerd," she muttered.
They trudged on awhile longer, Peter still scouting silently ahead for any possible dangers that might threaten Rogue or his Katya.
"I think perhaps you should look at this," he called out, his voice reverberating through the passage.
"Are those wires?" Rogue asked as they approached him, looking at the yellow and black cords that covered the walls like ivy.
"It looks a little like what Dougie's made out of," Kitty mused
"Dougie?"
"Well his name's Douglock, technically. He's a robot Brian designed to help Moira with her research. He's been programmed to look like a boy though, so he's not as disconcerting.
"A Roboy?" Peter asked, smiling for what Kitty thought was the first time that day, and what Rogue knew to be his first since he re-joined the team two months ago.
Kitty put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh. "Yes, I believe that correct."
The three mutants continued to follow the strange wires until they found themselves being led into a cavernous landing with the walls completely encased in the black and yellow cords and computer consoles. In the center of the room a large brooch-like ruby, only a little smaller than Kitty's hand, surrounded by a rectangular gold casting with edges that rose up into sharp points was displayed on top of a metal podium.
"All those who enter the Siege shall be judged," she read, translating the Latin on the plaque in front of the gem. "What does that mean?"
"How should Ah know? Ah'm just amazed you haven't touched the computers yet."
"I'll get to those in a minute. But this-" she ran her finger over smooth polished stone-"this might be what Black Air was looking for. Besides, it's pretty. And shiny..."
"Do shiny things amuse you?" Rogue asked sarcastically from her spot at one of the consoles. Kitty ignored her.
"How is it that Betsy and Captain Britain do not know of this place?" Peter wondered out loud.
"Ah don't know, but we should probably get Brian down here. He might know how to work this stuff. Besides, Ah'm ready to get out of here. Which might be a problem," she muttered, turning around to find the exit had somehow disappeared. "Kitty, phase us through," Rogue instructed.
Kitty didn't seem to hear her. She stood over the stone watching as the light surrounding it seemed to grow brighter and expand.
"Katya, come on," Peter said, rushing over and placing his hands on her shoulders to pull her away.
Before he could move her the light exploded, filling every crack of the circular landing. It was white hot, but it didn't burn. Instead it felt warm and comforting on their skin, leaving them all strangely calm as it's power engulfed the entire room.
"What was that? That's not an ending."
"Well there is more," she told Rachel hesitantly.
"You know Aunt Kitty, I don't know what sugar coat means, but I promise if you don't do that I won't get scared like you think."
"I didn't say....what did I tell you about going into other people's heads? Fine, you wanna hear the rest? Here it goes."
When we last left the knight, the maiden, and their little snowflake it was summer. That was the time they treasured most, when the days were warm and sunny and they thought the light would shine down on them forever. The knight once again professed his deep love to the maiden, asking her for a second time to be his wife, a proposal to which she readily accepted. Meanwhile, Snowflake grew more and more content in her new life, flourishing under the love of her mommy and daddy. The knight and the maiden doted over their child, amazed at her quiet innocence and boundless love for life. For Snowflake, something as simple as a swimming pool was a thing of wonder. She loved to swim. And she loved to dance, especially alongside her mother. And sometimes... sometimes the maiden would take her daughter's hand, and they would dance with such joy that it was as if they were floating on air. And other times the child would sit on her father's lap for hours, watching as he painted the canvas in front of them, finding delight in every color, and in her eyes he saw his images come alive.
One night, only a few days before their wedding was to take place, the knight and the maiden were awakened by the screams of their little girl. They rushed to her aid, expecting a nightmare, but finding instead an empty room. Both parents were inconsolable with grief, and for many weeks they searched, day and sleepless night, for their Snowflake. Finally, word came. A man, if one could even call him that, for he must be of the purest evil, with powers that could only have come from the wretched stone heart of Lucifer himself, had captured their child in an attempt to corrupt her innocence. The knight and the maiden hastily departed to the far off land where their daughter was being held, only to be met by the bad man's army of demons. They fought them off, slaying many as they made their way to the throne room, where they were faced with a massive attack. Yet their love for their daughter gave them the strength to succeed, until there was only one demon left. The maiden saw her run, unarmed, to the knight as he raised his sword, ready to strike the demon down to get to his child. And, watching the strange movement of the demon, the maiden realized the truth a moment before sword pierced flesh. She screamed out a warning, but by then it was too late.
As blood ran from the wound through her heart, the demon's form began to change, until the body at the end of the knight's sword was not that of a monster, but of his own little Snowflake. She was...she was as pale as her namesake, her tarnished metal armor turning back into her white cotton nightgown, her skin eerily pallid, and her shinning sapphire eyes, so much like her father's, rolled back into her head, leaving only an empty white space where life used to shine. The only color on her was the crimson red blood that slowly spread across her simple white nightgown. In seeing this, the knight gathered his dead child in his arms, the child that he had murdered, and wept for them all.
Though they would search, the bad man was never found. On the day of Snowflake's funeral, the knight left. He traveled across the ocean to an island ruled by the powerful Magnus, a king who at times had been their friend, but more often was their enemy. The maiden didn't know why he left, only that he was gone and she was alone. One day, she too left for an island, but it was much further North, where it was cold and lonely and dark. Everyday she thought of her lost loves; her knight and her child, remembering that once upon a time there had been a knight and a maiden who loved each other very much. And, for a time, they were happy. But then time ran out, as it always does."
"And?" Rachel asked, breaking the silence that had followed.
"And the end," Kitty told her, turning her head to wipe her eyes before any tears could escape.
"How can it be the end?"
"I warned you it wasn't going to be happy."
"No, I mean the maiden is still alive, and the knight is still alive so.....how can that be the end?"
"Alright, then it's the end of their story together."
"No it's not. If you love somebody, I mean really love them, like the knight and the maiden, they're apart of your life forever. And who knows? Maybe one day they'll even get a second chance."
"I doubt it."
"I guess. Aunt Kitty? I'm tired. You can go to sleep now."
"Why thank you, your highness."
"Aunt Kitty?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for the story. I'm sorry about the way it ended."
"Yeah. Me too. Now go to sleep. I'll wake you in the morning."
Now I'm sad. This chapter was really hard to write because I love Illyana so much. But she had to die. The voices in my head were pretty insistent about that. I think it because they're evil. Please leave a review, they'll cheer me up, and then maybe I won't kill off anymore innocent beloved characters. And a big thanks to all the people who reviewed last week!
Lucas'sgirl- Sorry about Wisdom! I tried to think of a way to put him in this story a little more, but he just doesn't fit anywhere. More importantly, I find him difficult to write. Happy to know you like it!
KittieKat8- Yeah, Scott is pretty grrr, but he'll be sort of out of the picture soon, mainly because I have a strong desire to kill him off and that really wont help the plot although it would make me happy. Its nice to know you liked chapter 2, since it wasn't originally part of the story's outline.
ishandahalf- Yeah, every chapter I hate Scott more, too. I really wanted to have him punished by making him watch "Passions" (ironically Spike's favorite tv show, but it's been much worse since poor Timmy died along with his martimmy's. That show is so awful it's hypnotic. No matter how hard you try you just can't turn away.) And the romyness is almost here! Just another week!
Dark-bat- Sorry, I don't really think this chapter will make you too happy. It made me depressed. But it will get much happier soon, at least for awhile. And I hope your life takes a severe turn for the better!
B- If you thought killing off Peter's parents was harsh, this chapter probably seemed really cruel. It's sad, I actually cried writing this chapter, cause I hated killing her off. But things will be happier for Peter soon! I can only torture him for so long. :)
Kirayoshi- Glad you liked it! I completely agree about Kitty and Pete making good partners instead of a couple. Their banter was always fun, but I thought part of the problem was they got together too quickly, liked they just skipped over the early stages of a relationship. But at least they gave us the "Pryde and Wisdom" LS! As for Lance, he won't be around at all. Scott's already in ths story, I didn't want to add another character I didn't like ;)
evosmylife- There was a partial explanation of why Petey left in this chapter, but his rationalization of it and what he did while he was gone won't come until later. But more importantly, romyness in the next chapter! Which means much less Scott, which is always a good thing.
Star-of-Chaos- The Romy almost here, it's still in chapter 4 for sure! Plus there was a little reference in this one. And hopefully after this chapter you don't want to slap Peter anymore. Personally, I wanted to give him a big hug.
DemonRogue13- I'm really glad you liked that chapter. Originally, chapter 3 was chapter 2 and chapter 2 didn't exist, but it seemed too abrupt, so I added that one last minute. As for Scott being a total bastard, I was rereading the newest Uncanny and Astonishing to try to see his good qualities, except I couldn't really find any. So now I no longer feel bad about portraying him as a jackass. :)
