"The Pianist"

~Chapter Twenty-Three~

Sharpay smiles, its wicked and rueful contortion of the face that is more foul looking than any scar. "If I come from the Devil's cage then where does she come from?" She jabs her hand; containing her knife; toward Gabriella. "I'm not the one with the ugly face-"

"Ugliness only lies deep within a person." Troy says, not loud like a yell, yet not so soft that no-one heard him. He is still heard, Gabriella looks at him, her eyes glowing in awe. Did Troy just say those words? Those words that suggest a kind of wisdom that she's only prayed for and only gained in small increments. Before she can question him, Troy feels for her waist and pulls her toward him. "And you're the ugliest women that I've known of-"

"Why do you refer to yourself as if your blind?" Sharpay snorts, shaking her head. "You have eyes don't you?" Troy smirks, tilting his head to the left.

"How long must it take you to understand, Sharpay, that I am blind?" Her eyes widen, and she looks from Gabriella to Troy and then to Ryan; her lips puckering as she grips her knife tightly in her hand and takes a step forward, Ryan makes a move to stand in front of her but she pushes pass him and glares at Gabriella.

"You turned him into some sort of cripple didn't you?"

"Sharpay-" Troy says, but he's cut off by Sharpay's shrill scream, "DIDN'T YOU?! YOU USED SOME SORT OF MAGIC ON HIM!" Gabriella bites her lip, shaking her head.

"I-I did nothing...I've only known him for a short time-"

"Bull." Sharpay says, spitting the word and nearly spitting at her. "You are a witch..you should be hanged-"

"You touch her," Troy says, instinctively taking a step forward and putting Gabriella behind him. "and I'll deal with you myself." Sharpay sneers, a scoffing laugh escaping her laugh.

"You're blind, Bolton..you can do nothing but sit around playing your dingy little piano..so what are you going to do? Lull to me death by a lullaby?"

"Sister," Ryan says, "give me the knife..you are going to far this time-"

"No one deserves happiness Ryan." She says, her voice hitting the note of hysteria, "if I can't be happy then no-one can-"

"You are a wicked princess and a whore." Ryan says, "father taught us, as well as mother, to take care of kingdom and care about the people in it...you do nothing to learn from you were taught-"

"And you do?! You left-"

"I returned! Now give me the knife!" he outstretches his hand, his fingers stretching so tight to the point of pain, Sharpay looks at his hand and sneers; twitching her head like a mad woman before she smiles sweetly and mocks a defeated voice.

"Fine. Take it." and like that, she plunges the blade into his palm; making it slash right on through his skin and exit out the other side of his hand. Ryan screams, gripping his hand and holding it to his body, he looks at Sharpay as if she's lost it. "You're only in the way, Ryan..." she looks toward Troy, "as for you, you can be blind..I can live that-"

"Thank you for the permission." Troy says, heavily sarcastic. Sharpay didn't seem to hear his interruption.

"-but it's the whore on your arm that is a problem. She must be done away with." Gabriella's eyes widen- such a simple action causes her face to hurt from the scars that Sharpay had inflicted her with. She grabs on to Troy's arm, and instinctively he steps closer to her. Sharpay fumes. "Move aside."

"No." Troy says, the blond narrows her eyes.

"I have no desire to hurt you Troy...you'd make a fine husband-"

"If I marry you, Sharpay I'll kill myself just to be with Gabriella in heaven! I'm not moving!"

Sharpay's nostril's flare as she contemplates her next course of action. She looks at Ryan, who is leaning against the wall, gripping his wrist and trying to slow the bleeding in his hand, then she looks at Gabriella and smirks. "Fine. Don't move, Bolton.." Troy narrows his eyes, wishing that he had his sight, it'd come in handy at the moment, but he can only see Sharpay's silhouette, and from what he see's is her silhouette hunched over, her shadowed hand curved around a longer shadow- the shadow he saw go through Ryan's hand. Seeing shadows is not exactly good sight, but it's helpful to some degree.

"Don't come near her." Troy says, Sharpay smirks, without word she lunges; aiming to go around Troy to get Gabriella in the heart but Troy gets in the way and the knife catches him in the stomach; twisting deep and digging itself deep into his flesh. Gasping for breath, he holds the hilt of the knife and falls back toward the wall, Gabriella, feeling tears prick her eyes, let's out a blood curdling scream.

Gregor sighs, limping around the library of the palace. The girl, Adriana, had shown up two hours prior to this pacing and the carriage driver hasn't gone anywhere because it looks like it's about to storm and right now, the man is eating his face till it's more round than it already is in the dining hall. Oh how he resembles a squirrel feeding it's face for winter.

Gregor has this feeling...in the pit of his stomach, that...that something is happening or is going to happen. It came on when Gabriella and Troy left for the ball and it worsened when only Adriana came back- at the time he didn't know who she was. So, imagine his fear he felt when he saw that...when he asked where Gabriella is and Troy, and she could only shrug her shoulders and shake her head with that frightened look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she says, biting her lip. "But I don't know where she is-" she's lying, her eyes are looking at the ground. An obvious tick when somebody lies.

"You're lying," Gregor says, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to look impassive and menacing, but nothing can betray the worried hitch in his voice or the look on his face. "I don't tolerate lying..don't make me give you a whipping child, now where is my daughter?"

She doesn't speak, she only looks down, biting her lip and shakes her head while shrugging one shoulder.

He's never felt more frightened than he is right now.

Marina coughs, wrapped tightly in blankets as a chill comes over her. Her eyes hurt to open, but she does anyway, to see her children- her younger children -snuggling in the bed with her. Gabriella nor Gregor has been home for over a fortnight, and she's worried sick. Literal on the sick; her limbs hurt her to the bone, she can hardly move and some days as the hours get colder and longer, she finds that her breathing is being stripped away from her lungs with a feral snatch.

It seems death is coming for her.

She closes her eyes and sends up a silent prayer to God, praying for her health, the health of her young sweetings, and the safe return of her darling Gregor and beloved daughter, Gabriella. She wants to see them before she dies.

If she is dying.

"I'm...I'm..." Sharpay doesn't know what to say or think or...what has she done? She looks at the knife protruding from Troy's stomach, Gabriella kneeling over him as she cries; holding his head to her bosom, running her fingers through his hair. Sharpay can only stand there looking lost.

Hell, she probably is lost. Taking a step back, she gathers her skirts in her fists and turns quickly on her feet, running out of the dungeon.

Gabriella can hardly breath, her lungs feel as if someone had begun pouring hot water in them and won't cease. In that matter, she'd rather take the water than see what she's seeing now. Troy grasping the wall, sliding to the floor as he holds the handle of the blade the protrudes from his stomach. Her gut aches as she puts her hands on him, tears pricking her eyes. "Troy.." she chokes out, turning her head to see Ryan...

He's gone, she frowns, where is he? It's a small dungeon and surely one of them would have noticed him take his leave if he had indeed left. No matter, Ryan isn't important..Sharpay isn't important. No-one else in this moment is important. She turns toward Troy again, helping him gently to stand on his feet. "Wh-why would you do that? That blade...'tis wasn't meant for you."

"Heh.." he chuckles lamely, "I wish...I can see you, Gabriella.." his voice is a whisper; a pained whisper. It makes her heartache.

"Don't..." she sobs, trying to make him stand on his feet without him falling on top of her. "This is not goodbye, Troy Bolton, you hear me? You are not going to die..not yet." she begins to drag him slowly to the door of the cell- seeing a light of a silvery glow, she can only guess that the two left the door open from when they came in. So tis wasn't hard to find the door. She balls her hands into fists in his tunic; his bloody tunic which soaks her hands.

His breathing is laboured, sweat beading his brow as he feels snow bunch around his ankles as soon as they get outside. One more step, just one...

He falls to the ground; the knife twisting further into his stomach as he does, Gabriella shrieks. She rolls him on his back, staring into his glassy, blind eyes. "Troy...please, d-don't die?" he swallows, wishing he can see her but at the same time, he knows that she is crying...he doesn't want to see that. He's imagined her so many times in his mind to what she looks like based on things that he already knows. How she feels when she's surrounded by water and laughing when he's assaulting her with tickles...

"Ah ha ha!" She tosses her head to the side, "Troy! P-ple...sto-stop!" He laughs at her pleading, tickling her more and more. He shakes his head, scooting closer so that his knees touch the wall of the tub. And his shaft is now stabbing her pleasurably in her sex.

"No. You splashed me. I'm punishing you." Oh this is a punishment? Gabriella laughs, trying to grip his shoulders but it's near impossible when he is tickling her with such ferocity. When she finally manages to grasp his shoulders, she pushes him back, straddling him- where had the bravery come from? The water sloshes around them, and suddenly all playful fun stops when she realizes how close their faces are. They are both breathing heavy, she clears her throat as she slowly brings her hand up to remove some of his wet hair out of his face. He really is...quite a beautiful man. Handsome and sturdy. She's aware of his hands on her hips, but does nothing to tell him to remove them; he does that himself when he slides his left hand up her side, stopping at her shoulder when she tenses at how close he is touching her dismantled looking face. "What do you look like Gabriella?" He whispers, playing with the tip of her now-damp hair. "I want to see you.."

He doesn't regret that particular day, even if it did end with her being offended at his words. He apologized, she accepted and for the he's grateful. He's glad she let him see her...let him feel what she looks like...if she hadn't then-then she wouldn't mean as much to him now. He ...values her. Her friendship, it's strange how he didn't know that until he was marked by the tragedy the wenches have brought him. He used to see it as a curse, being blind to nothing but a world he can create with his music...but it's not a curse.

It's a gift. It's a gift cause Gabriella was brought to him...

"Nay!" She cries, her voice sounds far away, but he feels her holding him. Like a babe. The thought almost makes him smile, but the knife in his stomach is a reality bringer. He's dying, and there's naught that can be done. "Don't close your eyes Troy..don't!"

A hollow laugh escapes him as he squints his eyes, seeing a blurry shadowed silhouette, "forbidding me...to die...are we?"

"None of this is funny, Troy.." she cries, bowing over him and taking him in a fierce hug as greif overwhelms her. He wants to hug her back, reassure her that all is well, but he knows differently...

"Go home, Gabriella." Troy says, she pulls away. He can feel her stare. "You have a ...a family.." he feels her hand on his face, her breath on his mouth. The moment is...almost romantic.

"I'm not leaving you here-"

she twists her head around, seeing the two great wolves come close, bowing their heads and their ears flat against their massive skulls. Fur matted with some sort of dark ...the sun hasn't risen, so Gabriella can't tell. She looks back at Troy, his breathing is more shallow and his heartbeat fading. Eyes drooping closed. "Nay! Don't! Troy..." the wolves are by her now. She bends over Troy again, hugging him fiercely and letting her hot tears soak his tunic as his heart all together...just stops.

"Ple-please..." she sobs, clutching him tight. "Tr-Troy...don't leave...pleas...please..." A chorus of howls echo through the still air behind her.

There is a moment when we all wish can make the clock reverse and do something over again, then there are moments that we wish we can go back and erase all together. Troy's death...Gabriella would reverse that if she could, she'd go back to the moment just before Sharpay's knife plunged into his stomach and made him bleed. Moment of vengeance...

Then ...a moment of redemption. Her lips are next to his dead ear, her fingers running through his hair as he tears don't stop flowing down her face; she doesn't hear anyone come up behind her until one of the wolves start growling that makes her look up with a tear stained face. Suddenly, boiling anger and hate swim through her veins. She stares into the eyes of the man who came in with Troy but left right before his sister committed a horrible act of murder. "Leave!" She screeches, her voice hoarse from crying.

"Gabriella-" Ryan begins, but he's cut off.

"I said leave!" Lorana growls, moving to stand next to her; ears flat against her skull. You should listen to her, boy. There's no mistaking the hostility in the air. Ryan holds up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry..." he whispers, Gabriella narrows her eyes; not moving Troy's body from her knees. Ryan repeats, "I'm sorry I left-"

"It should be you she killed...Troy did nothing to deserve death."

"You're hysterical-"

"I love him!" she yells, making Lorana and David look at her. She looks at Troy, moving hair out of his closed eyes; his peaceful face in eternal in sleep. She whispers again, testing the words on her lips. "I love him...in the short time I've known him..." she means every word.

"Gabriella," Ryan says, more in a whisper, "he has to be buried." tears fall down her cheeks again, the reality of everything. Her hand balls his tunic into her fist.

"...he's...he.."

David, Lorana says, her ears twitching. What about the curse on us? What happens now?

A whine escapes David's muzzle as he sits on his haunches, ears flatter against his skull as he paws the earth in distress. I don't know...but Ryan is right, Troy has to be buried.

Not here. Not on lands that used to be ours..

Then where, Lorana?

Silence...and then. Let Gabriella choose.

They bury him in the forest; a long way from the castle where he died, but a short way away from the mansion where he would always be remembered for playing music that is so otherworldly that it can take you to worlds. Somber worlds that are hues of grey's and blues whites. Excited worlds that are hues of fiery red's, orange's, yellows...pinks...blacks. Worlds of music that can make anyone stop in their tracks and just...sway left to right as it dances around them. Music that made Gabriella's heart squeeze, and her heart squeezes now that she's looking at a stone that bears Troy's name. Tears running down her eyes and blur her vision, Lorana and David sit at her sides- the sun is nearly risen and they haven't turned back yet.

They fear the worst, but they'll make the best. Ryan is at a loss of what to do, Gabriella won't let him comfort her...won't let him speak to her. She just stares at the stone and cries, her fingers running through the fur of the two wolves at her sides.

"I should go," he whispers, but it's lost on the breath of dawn. Soon everyone in Faerie will be risen, a new day must begin, farmers set to work and the village waking up to greet people passing through.

He turns and walks away, his head hanging low. He goes to get his woman, but he won't breathe a word of what's happened to her; he doesn't want Adriana to worry and it's not his story to tell.

Sighing deeply, Gabriella wipes at her eyes only to have more tears fall. Lorana looks up at her, nuzzling her hand with her muzzle as she then looks at David, I'll take her home.

David nods, I'll return her father.

First, DON'T HATE ME! I am going to bring Troy back from the dead...I have a plan. It's part of how he gets his sight back-oop! I said too much! Well...not telling you anymore. Such as who finds him ...*cheeky smile* just have faith that I am bringing him back from the dead.

Secondly, I felt like crying the whole time I was writing his death! That's another reason why I'm bringing him back...his death was sad...so I'm making the epilogue happy. :D

Thirdly, Like? Love? Hate? Review!

Loves + Hugs,

Elena xxxx