On Gaia
"Its been two years" said van to the empty air in front of him. She must be dead, and every passing day drove that truth deeper into his heart, tearing out the humanity that was there.
His court milled behind him. Oh he knew what lay behind their honey coated words and false smiles. They thought him mad, but they feared him for the very reason that they gathered here today. He had become the king, the tyrant, the executioner of Fanelia. Of course, no one would say all these lovely little titles to his face.
"You are being charged of treason, what is your plea," Van addressed the exquisite little midnight girl who had humiliated him publicly. It was the first such death in the history of Fanelia, and it would not be the last.
"Please, milord, please" her voice broke, and she drew in a weak shuddering breath. Van looked upon her thoughtfully, seeing how much her spirit had broken in those simple words. This was not a woman made to beg. Her white shift flowed down her curves, catching the gentle secrets of a woman's body. It was not that he had repulsed the women. Indeed, they threw themselves upon his bed more often than not. It was just that they had not been HER.
"At least tell me what I've done lord, I am loyal to Fanelia – loyal to you, please my lord…"
"Stop your begging, wench" his contemptuous voice rose hoarse out of his throat. "I will give you mercy" his lips curved just a bit as she ran forward and knelt before him. He lay one slender hand on her head.
"The mercy of Death" he whispered as he stabbed his belt knife through her neck. Her blood ran in rivers through her midnight hair, and those haunted eyes that Hitomi gazed for so long into remained open, with one last look of shock at the king who had changed so suddenly.
A spasm of horror passed his face, quickly damped. One, stumbling step, then two, and he had his face under control again. His voice rang out over the audience, "Let this be a lesson to you all." And he turned, nearly running to get away from the accusing eyes. The only one brave enough to follow the mad king was a shadow in the corner.
Van strode angrily along the hall, smearing glistening blood on the gray stones. He didn't know why he had killed the girl. It was if, at the last, something had come over him, severing all his thought and emotion, controlling him.
"Lord Van" He heard a soft question behind him, and turned to see Merle, he fur ragged and clotted with grease, and her clothes so coarse they rubbed off her fur. He closed his eyes again. Was it him who made her like this? When? How, how could he have done such a thing?
"Lord Van, you must stop. Stop this cruelty and killing. It is wrong, it is not like you. You are kind and gentle –" her words abruptly stopped as his hand hit the side of her face leaving a trail of blood that mingled new with tears shed from those accusing eyes. Her words had reminded him of the part of his soul that had died with Hitomi, and he had lashed out in self hatred. The feeling only intensified at the shocked and angry expression on Merle's emaciated face.
"You would never have done that to Hitomi" she spat the words at him, each a barb to his wounded heart, and ran away from the king she once loved.