So this chapter ends on a cliffhanger BUT I will be posting the next two chapters of this arc, on Monday and Tuesday, so you nice readers do not curse me for ending on a cliffhanger.
"Is love a tender thing? it is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn."
- Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
The beat of the drum seemed to beat in time with her heart. Loud, throbbing and in a particular rhythm. She could hear both in her ears as she slowly ascended the winding steps of the circular dais.
She knew there was an audience. Through the darkness she could dimly see faces and eyes. Someone whispered her name. She knew it was her mama trying to comfort her.
So she kept on climbing, the wings of responsibility sitting heavy on her. Finally she was at the top. A lone candle marked her spot to stand.
She picked it up and raised it, trying to see how many people were in the audience. She heard a giggle and she realized her friends were already there. The thought comforted her slightly.
Then a bright light shone on the three of them, highlighting the dais. She raised her hand to block out the light but her friend pushed it down, tsking at her.
The booming voice of the Grand Acolyte came over the area.
"Friends! Family! Neighbors! You are here to witness the ascension of our very own to greatness."
The light focused on her friend closest to her, Arora.
The Grand Acolyte said majestically, "First I present the Goat. Skilled in the art of war and power."
Then the light focused on her and she gulped hard, feeling very nervous. She felt Suadh grip her hand in comfort and then let it go.
"Next I present the Crow. Unparalleled in strategy and subterfuge."
Then the light moved to her friend Suadh in the center of the dais, away from her.
"And last but not the least, the Lioness. The warrior, the hand of light and of goodness. Greet them, citizens of Hyperonia! For together, they are the Chimera, Guardians of The Miào and of this land!"
The crowd started to cheer wildly, whooping and screaming their names. Flowers were tossed onto the dais. She felt shy but Suadh whispered loudly, "Wave, you idiot!" And so she did.
The lights were lit and she could see familiar faces, smiling and waving at them.
She looked at her friends on either side of her, the Goat with giant horns gleaming above her head. And the Lioness nodding regally at the crowd with her mighty mane, a soft smile on her face.
This is it... finally I am a Guardian...what I have been training my whole life for... finally...
Then the room went dark and a low whisper was heard.
Great power can be yours if you... step into the shadows and snuff out the light.
The crowd was murmuring loudly and then a loud cry was heard. She felt something moist on her hands.
Then the lights came back on and she heard screaming and shouting. The crowd began to stampede wildly, desperate to escape.
"Where are you all going? What is happening?" She cried out, confused and bewildered.
She looked down at her hands, covered with warm red blood.
She looked to her left but the Goat was gone. All that was left in her place was a single broken horn.
Then she heard a moan of pain and looked to her right. And screamed.
For the Lioness lay before her, bleeding out from a stab wound on her stomach.
She knelt, trying to stop the bleeding with her hands but it was too much.
Then her friend caught her hand tightly and wheezed out, "Why didn't you help me? Why weren't you there? I had faith in you... I trusted you..."
She saw the light leave the Lioness and then there was only darkness.
Pepper walked quietly through the forest, Tigliath padding softly by her side. It was noon and once again, there had been no sign of Tony during lunch.
There was no work at the Inn because of the carpenter's delay, so she had nothing to do and had decided to take a walk on her own.
Somehow her footsteps led her to the meadow. She stood at its entrance.
"So peaceful and green in the sunshine... no mark, no sign of the violence from that day... as it should be..."
She walked through the meadow, smiling as Tigliath rolled around playfully in the grass.
She softly said to the big cat, "Do you miss Tony as much as I do? Or does he at least pat you on the head, from time to time?"
She hugged herself lightly, thinking of Tony. "Aggravating man. I know I should give him his independence but... truth be told, I miss his company... his attention... I miss training with him, darn it!"
She huffed loudly and then looked at the edge of the meadow. She could see a chain tied around the trunk of a tree.
Pepper walked to the tree, idly looking at it.
"So there is a remnant of that day... Tony was chained up here. I wonder what the Knight wanted... he beat Tony up pretty badly."
She stopped and looked back at the meadow. "We never did talk about it... and now I do not know how to talk about it with Tony... he became so distant that day when I mentioned the Black Knight's name..."
Pepper suddenly felt very sad. "I don't know what to think any more... I do not even know just where Tony is. He could be anywhere really. God damn it!"
She slowly walked back the Keep, Tigliath plodding along behind her.
She passed by the stables and heard a familiar deep whinny. Pepper stepped inside and saw Balthazar in his stall. He whinnied loudly at her and she walked over to pet his large soft head.
She rested her face on Balthazar's mighty neck and sighed deeply.
"Where is your master? Where has he gone today, this time without you?" She cooed to the giant horse who snorted at her softly.
Pepper knew where sugar cubes were kept in the stable and fed Balthazar one. She petted him for a while longer and then left the stables. She stood on the steps of the main door, ready to step into the house, when she saw the Workshop door was slightly ajar.
"I should close it. Something might crawl in."
She walked to it and was going to shut it, when she heard a low cry of pain.
Pepper stepped in and then froze in place. Tony was slumped over the table near the smithy. His arms were limp by his side and he seemed to be crying out in his sleep.
She ran to his side and shook him gently. He was wearing one of his tattered vests and was sweating heavily. His fists clenched and he suddenly sat up stiffly. He saw her and nearly fell out of the chair.
"Pepper! What on earth!"
He stood up shakily and wiped his face with his hands. Pepper made him sit back down.
Tony was staring blankly at the floor. She was shocked, to see his hands were trembling and he was taking deep breaths.
She knelt by his side and took his trembling hands in hers, trying to calm him. He barely looked at her, he was just muttering to himself.
She tried to get him to look at her. "Tony... Tony, what happened? Did you have a bad dream?"
He nodded and she asked slowly, "Would you like to talk about it?"
He rambled, "It is either me or the girl. The girl's dreams, they feel like memories. I mean... why am I dreaming about a girl? And they are so clear! They are so vivid! I feel as if I have lived them, I am there! The other ones... where I am..."
He looked down at her and Pepper was shocked to see fear in his eyes.
"Pepper, they are horrible... I can't... I..."
She saw him focus on her and then she saw him pull himself together and turn cold and distant. He stood up and walked away from her, turning his back to her.
He doesn't want to confide in me anymore... It hurts... but I'm going to find out why.
She stood up and said clearly with a false bravado, "Tony, would you like to talk?"
He had his back to her and she saw him stiffen visibly. "There's nothing to talk about, Virginia. I just had a bad dream." His voice was harsh and cold.
"Tony..." she tried firmly. "Tony Stark, would you at least have the decency of looking at me, when I'm talking to you?"
He turned and gave her such a disdainful look, that she controlled herself from shuddering.
"Tony, you have been acting very strange lately. You do not sleep."
He shook his head but she said loudly, "You can deny it all you want but it is true. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You are so tired and pale. There are dark circles under your eyes. You hardly eat, Tony... you are always training or disappearing... and you said it yourself, you keep getting dreams."
"Tony..." she said softly, "Please tell me what is going on."
He shrugged. "I have just been busy with things. My own things."
He was acting like she was taking up his time but she was determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Tony ... you don't even talk to me anymore. Ever since that day..." she gulped and pressed on, "Ever since that day in the forest, when the Black Knight came..."
Tony exploded then and she took three steps back.
"Do not talk about the Black Knight! Do not bring up his name!"
He was glaring at her and she was slightly scared to see his flame weakly flickering at her. Normally it burns a bright blue. The weak flickering light means he is tired and weak but from where is he getting the energy then? From where is he getting his rage?
Pepper stood her ground, lifted her chin and said firmly. "Tony, I think I have a right to know about the Knight! I fought those things off too!"
"You want to know about the Knight!" He roared, "Let me tell you! The Knight was my dear friend Rhodes, who Stane resurrected from the dead! And sent him here to kill me!"
She was horrified. "Stane knows such dark magic ...resurrecting the dead?"
Tony was clenching his fists angrily. "It's not just Stane... he had another force helping him... I think you know him or it... The Master..."
She felt cold all of a sudden. "The Serpent..." she whispered with dread.
In two quick strides, Tony walked up to her and was face to face with her. She felt her heart thud at the anger and darkness in his eyes.
"Virginia, do you know why the Black Knight came here? Do you know what was his true purpose?" He whispered to her coldly.
She shook her head.
"He came here to capture you... to take you back to Cumbria, back to Stane and the Master."
She gasped and would have stepped back but Tony caught her hand tightly.
"Tell me the truth, Virginia! Tell me! What do they want with you?"
"I don't not know, Tony..." she answered softly. "I honestly do not know."
"The Knight said you have untold powers and ..." he gritted his teeth, "Do you know what I keep seeing in my dreams? Do you know what I see? I see you..." he tightened his grip on her hand.
"I see you hand in hand with Stane! I see you becoming the Witch Queen of the Forest! I see you taking my Fire from me! So I ask you, Virginia, just how powerful are you?"
She was very scared and confused. "Powerful? What do you mean? I..."
Tony spoke tightly, "You never told me about your powers ... your ability to manipulate fire... and now ... now that I have helped you become even stronger... what is your game here? Do you seek to take the Arc from me? Do you?"
He actually growled at her and she tried to wrench her hand away.
"Tony, you are hurting me... let me go please..." she said quietly and Pepper saw a shadow pass through his eyes. The hard molasses depths flickered at her and then he let her go and stepped away.
Tony was practically trembling with rage and he picked up a spanner and banged it hard on the table.
She jumped at that and said sadly, "You feel that I lie? That I secretly seek to hurt you? That I am Stane's minion? Tony... how could you-"
He interrupted her coldly. "You may not have started out as his spy but..." he stuck his hand in his left pocket and Pepper noticed the odd bulge in his pocket.
What is that? And why is he rubbing it absently?
She refocused on Tony but she was still curious as he kept moving his hand in his pocket.
"But what Tony? Because of dreams and the Black Knight's words, you doubt me... you think I'm going to go to Stane, now that I am so powerful as you put it? That I want to join him and his Master?"
He just glared at her and she said sadly, "It is very apparent to me that you don't trust me... you don't trust me anymore."
She felt a harsh tightness in her heart. "After all we have been through together... I thought you loved me Tony... I thought you..."
I am not going to cry... I am not going to cry..
He didn't say anything and she harshly pushed down the lump of sadness in her throat by swallowing hard.
"So what should I do, Lord Stark? Do you want me to turn myself in? Will you throw me in the Village jail because I am Stane's supposed spy? Or do you want to kill me yourself before the Master comes to Lorinthia?"
He said in an angry low tone, "I doubt the Village jail would be able to hold you. I think you are too powerful, even for me..."
She felt his words stab her in her soul, his distrust, his obvious fear of her, and worse of all, his hate.
Fear of what we cannot understand, begets hate. And he hates me because he fears I am so powerful, I seek to destroy him.
Pepper felt a stray tear trickle down her cheek, slipping past her control. She angrily wiped at it with the back of her hand.
"Very well, Lord Stark... since you won't do anything and I don't want to draw evil here, I guess I should... I should leave then. I should leave Lorinthia."
I should leave you... before I hurt you as you feel I will do so...
She looked down at the blue sapphire ring on her finger, twinkling brightly at her.
Pepper looked up at Tony, willing him to look at her, to meet her eyes but he was moodily staring at the ground and still fiddling with whatever was in his pocket.
I can't believe I'm going to do this. I just... can't...
She tugged the ring off her finger and stepped towards him, with it in her palm.
As soon as he saw it, Tony turned pale and looked straight at her. She could see his eyes flicker repeatedly at her with emotion.
"This is yours, Lord Stark... please take it back..."
He just stared at it and she felt another tear fall down her cheek. "Tony, I do not think you want to be engaged to a would-be sorceress. Besides you don't trust me... so how can we be together?"
He still wouldn't take it and she took a deep breath and placed it on the table by his side.
As she turned to leave, he caught her hand and she looked back at him.
He just stared at her, a storm of emotions in his eyes. She tried to pull her hand away but he held her fast.
She pleaded with him, desperately feeling the need to run away. "Tony... please... you won't trust me and I can't... I don't know how to make you trust me... I can only give you my word, that I am not Stane's minion, that I am not trying to hurt you... I love you, Tony... I would never hurt you..."
Again a spasm of something passed over his face and a muscle in his jaw jerked. Tony stared at her, eyes stormy brown. "Pepper... I ... I don't want you to go... I ..."
She lashed out at him. "Then don't do this to us! Why don't you trust me? Why don't you have faith in me!"
He didn't say anything, just looked down mutely as if trying to clear his thoughts.
Pepper turned and he grabbed her hand with both hands. He must have removed his hand from his pocket because something fell from it to the floor, with the sound of tinkling glass.
She stopped and turned to stare at the bright blood red gem on the floor.
