Sorry for the long wait, this is a shorter chapter than the last one, but I hope you like it! I've done something different (I think), and I hope you guys enjoy. :D
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are EPIC!: chasingdragondreams (thank you so much for your observation! p.s. there is no such thing as a stupid question! :D), aliciajay (thank you!), poornmiserable, GhibliGirl91 (thank you for your honesty, I hope to make my character more original, and any suggestions would be appreciated :]), Lauraeffingiero (thank you so much for your review! you really made my day, and your attention to detail is amazing, the bit about the eyes that you noticed is important to the future plot :3 p.s. I would like to know what you expected, maybe I can fit it in somewhere :D), and Guest. Thank you again!
(Sorry in advance for any typos/grammatical errors.)
(P.S.: The title was taken from the name of an epic song by Clint Mansell.)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jane and the Dragon, it belongs to Martin Baynton.
O0oo0O
Red Snow
Chapter 8: Requiem for a Dream
Tendrils of whispers and quiet sobbing permeated the room. They wafted through the air like incense as if trying to placate a fallen goddess.
A selected group of people gathered around a bedside where a beautiful woman lay breathing her last ragged breaths. Golden hair tumbled around her sleeping form; a fever overtook her body in spasms as pain ravaged her countenance.
The Royal Physicians managed to stop the bleeding but they feared it was too late. When the King asked what was to be done to save her life, they answered: "Prayers to God." Thus, the only people occupying the room besides the remnants of the Royal Family were holy men, who filled the room with quiet prayers.
A distraught Princess Lavinia clasped her Mother's cold hands in hers.
"Mother," she wailed in-between sobs, "P-please… do not l-leave me…"
However, Queen Gwendolyn was unable to hear her daughter's desperate pleas. Gwendolyn's mind was far too gone; with her life-blood greatly drained, her soul was slowly slipping away. Certain scenes of her life played out before her subconscious: cherished memories, heartwarming moments, important events, but one in particular brought immense sadness to her very being.
"Elder Sister!"
At the sound of that familiar voice, a young Gwendolyn turned as something collided against her legs.
"Little Victor," she gasped in surprise.
His small arms wrapped around her legs and hugged her tightly.
"I missed you," Victor's muffled voice sounded out from her knees, his face buried against her dress.
Gwendolyn smiled as her hand softly brushed against his sun-colored hair.
"I missed you, too, little one."
She dismissed her attending servants with a wave of her hand, as they left Gwendolyn took an opportunity to take a glance at her surroundings. It was the beginning of winter and a blanket of snow covered the land. They were on an inclined path that led to their house on top of a hill. The word "house" would be an understatement. It was more like a castle than a house, seeing as both Gwendolyn and Victor belonged to a very ancient house of nobles. Nevertheless, Gwendolyn breathed easily, she missed her kingdom, her village, her home. She had been away on a trading expedition with her Father to Kippernia, a trading expedition and a marriage arrangement. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest with the thought. She was to be married—to a King… and one whom she loved.
She soon noticed Victor was trembling; it could not be from the cold, for he was well dressed for the weather.
"What is wrong, Victor?" Gwendolyn crooned as she placed a gentle hand on his chin and lifted his face to meet hers.
Her eyes slightly widened as she saw his tear-stained face, immediately crouched down, and placed her hands on his shaking shoulders in an effort to comfort him.
"What is the matter?" she asked again.
Victor shook his head as his hands stubbornly brushed away the tears, and that was when she saw it.
Gwendolyn's hand quickly reached out and took hold of his wrist, she then raised his sleeve, and a gruesome sight came to meet her.
Purple and blue welts were spread upon the entirety of his arm, and when Gwendolyn checked the other, it was in the same condition.
A fierce light shone through her eyes, she then stood up and tugged the boy up the tree-flanked path and into their grand home as his protestations ringed in her ears. When they were safely in the privacy of her room, Gwendolyn whirled her angry eyes at his scared form.
"Elder Sis—!"
Gwendolyn's hands shot out and quickly took off his shirt; a gasp emerged from her lips. Bruises were scattered all along his torso, some looked a few days old while others appeared fresh, but the sight was still heart-wrenching for Gwendolyn to see.
"My little brother… my sweet little brother…"
Victor's gaze was glued to the floor; he was ashamed, utterly ashamed.
I do not want Sister to know… I do not want her to worry… about me anymore…
How he wished he had not cried in front of her. How he wished… with all his heart,… that he could hide everything—all his hurt, all his pain, all his sadness, all his weakness. But how could he… in front of the one person he felt complete, safe, warm, and above all else—loved?
When he finally managed to summon enough courage to look up, her strong arms enveloped his tiny form as his eyes widened in shock.
"S-Sister!" he croaked.
Gwendolyn held fast and Victor slowly, and oh, so tentatively reached out and returned the embrace.
She was so warm, so strong, and so secure.
How he missed her, how he truly missed her.
The sweet scent of her hair, the reassuring touch of her caresses, it felt like all the pain of his heart was melted away.
If only we could stay like this… forever, then… then it would not… hurt anymore…
Fresh tears flooded his eyes, and he let them fall down into the safety of her shoulders, of her embrace.
If only…
As soon as his sobs subsided, Gwendolyn gave one more gentle squeeze before her slender arms let go and dropped away from him, exposing his battered flesh.
When her thumb brushed away his remaining tears, she noticed that even his face was not immune to the violence he experienced in her absence since a faintly greenish hue was visible on his cheek—a sign of a fading bruise.
"Oh, Victor," she sadly sighed as her pain-filled eyes caught his. "What has befallen you?"
Victor broke away from her gaze and sorrowfully stared at the floor.
"What has happened, little Victor?"
Silence hung heavily about the room.
"Please tell me!" her urgent voice cut through the air and forced him to look up towards her worried face. His eyes quickly fell. It hurt him too much… too much….
To be the cause of her misery… broke his little heart.
He wished he were stronger, just a little stronger… so she would not have to cry for his behalf anymore. So maybe… one day, he could be the one lending her strength, so she would not have to hide her sadness behind forced smiles, so she could be the one emptying her miseries on his shoulders, so he could soak up all her tears, all her pain, so she could smile again… without worry or doubt plaguing her blue eyes.
But he was not.
He was not strong enough.
Victor slowly brought his azure eyes to meet hers, hesitantly opened his mouth, and slowly began in the softest of whispers.
"E-ever since you l-left, Elder Sister… the o-other children," his jaw clamped shut. He felt anger rage through his body as he fought valiantly against the sudden urge to scream in frustration and despair. He clenched his fist tightly, waited for the feeling to pass, tried his best to gulp down a lump in his parched throat, and dejectedly continued. "The other children beat me… and call me names… they tell me I am a… a demon… because I…" Thick tears started spouting from his eyes again and Victor violently brushed them away. "Because I… I… I killed Mother," he spat out.
His shoulders began to shake as he tried hard, so hard to hold in his sobs and his pain—but he could not—and he cursed himself. He cursed his weakness for the hundredth time. But he was scared, terrified of what was to become of him.
He had to know.
Mustering all his remaining fortitude and resolve, he asked the question that overwhelmed his mind. The one he desperately wanted to ask, but was too terrified to. Too afraid of the answer.
"Is… is Fenrir going to… eat my heart, Elder Sister?"
Victor looked deeply into her eyes, searching for any trace, any hint, that would inform him of the truth. He had to find out if those village children were tricking him, lying to him, terrifying him so he could not sleep at night, or if they were torturing him by telling him the truth.
He gazed into the pale-blue eyes that reminded him of the river he loved, the one that they would both walk by, hand in hand, every morning, the one that led to the crystal-clear ocean, and the very one where he would wander off towards in an effort to find some semblance of solace when his refuge was not there beside him—and that was when he saw it—a flicker of fear that flashed across her watery orbs.
And then he knew.
He knew the truth.
And never did he feel so alone, so cold, and so terrified.
Not even when the servants and villagers ignored him with contempt, not even when the village children held him down and rained blows upon his small defenseless body, and not even when his drunken Father would pummel him mercilessly in a blind rage that left him bedridden for weeks.
All of that was nothing compared to the despair he felt of knowing that all his pain, his suffering, his sadness, his loneliness, his weakness, that all of it, amounted to nothing.
Because he was already chosen, already prey to something that he was utterly powerless against. The vicious jaws of a monster that hungered for the sweet taste of his young, supple flesh.
A cry tore through Victor's throat as he wrapped his arms around himself; he shook so violently that he dropped to his knees. A pair of arms swiftly encased him, and gently rocked him back and forth, trying their best to bring some feeling of comfort and security into the petrified child.
How could she tell him about her constant fear and worry, the reason sleep would elude her at night, the topic of her daily prayers, and the very thought that terrified her very soul? The thought of losing what she loved—what she truly loved—made her heart lurch.
So she clenched him tighter, and crushed his small form against her.
"I will not let that happen," Gwendolyn breathed as water droplets trickled from her eyes. "I will protect you… I promise."
She loved him like a son because she was a mother to him when their own Mother died at his birth. How their Father hated the very sight of him, because he took his most cherished one away, because that child reminded him so much of his beloved… and because of his curse.
True, it was unusual for the women of Ankarcrona to die at childbirth since they were reputed to be strong and healthy—blessed by the gods above. However, once in every generation, an expected mother would not live to be one and die to give birth to her little one. And that said little one would one day disappear without a trace before their eighth birthday, and no one knew what has befallen them. But one thing was certain, they all vanished, every single one, swallowed up whole by the darkness. Legends told of the heartless wolf-demon Fenrir, sensing a similar soul would draw near the child when it was alone, he would emerge from the shadows, sneak up from behind, and devour the child's heart, thus erasing their very existence.
Fenrir was always smelling, searching, longing for his kindred spirit, the one who would possess his lost heart, and the one fabled to merge with the demon and bring destruction to the land.
Gwendolyn vowed to protect him from his fate, she would never leave him alone… but… how could she? She was to be married soon, to a King in a distant land. How could she keep her promise? Would she beg her Father to let her take him with her? What of her Father's estate? It belonged to the eldest male of their family—Victor. He had to stay to manage his Father's lands once he was gone. She would not be able to take him with her.
Gwendolyn pressed her cheek against his sun-kissed hair. She will have to find a way, she promised him, she promised she would protect him. She knew her presence was the only refuge Victor had against the cruelty the village beset upon him, it was the only defense against their Father's drunken outbursts of violence.
She had to do something. She had to save him.
I will never leave you alone.
A single tear tumbled down the Queen's feverish cheek.
So much sadness, so much anguish, so much regret.
If only she had tried harder, just a little harder, but deep down she knew it was not going to make a difference.
Soon after her marriage to King Caradoc, Gwendolyn heard news that her little brother, her cherished one, had died in a raid. But she knew, deep down in her heart, that it was a lie. She knew that they had left him alone, they had abandoned her loved one, they had allowed the darkness to swallow him up and claim him.
And she cursed herself, for her inability to save him. A horrible feeling of guilt overwhelmed her heart, and she tried to forget. Forget his golden hair, his sky-blue eyes, his sonorous laughter, his bright smile, his gentle touch, his kind, and innocent heart—to forget her beloved brother.
And she did.
She buried him in the deepest recesses of her heart and tried to move on with her life without having the guilt come back rushing in full force to crush her. But that happened the moment he came back to her, like she dreamed he would… like she knew he would.
And she was so happy.
He was alive, safe, and well.
How did he escape his fate? she kept thinking over and over.
How did he free himself from the shadows?
I thought you died, Victor.
But he did die.
The moment she looked into his eyes was the moment she knew. Something had changed within him, something was stolen from him. And he was not the same.
When he thrust that blade into her, his eyes, his hands… it was not Victor anymore, no shred of the little boy she knew and loved was left standing before her, it was replaced by a heartless cold being filled with hatred, fury, and darkness.
It was just a dream… to think you could ever come back to me… just a foolish dream…
The dam broke, and the guilt flooded into her very core, filling every crevice of her heart, it suffocated her, smothered her, strangled her, and she let herself drown in it.
I am sorry, little Victor.
She could see him now, as clear as day, that little boy who held her hand as they both walked hand in hand towards the riverbank. She felt his hand slipping away from hers as he ran towards the blue water, and she watched his retreating back as the wind suddenly picked up and swirled around them. He then slowly turned his head to look back at her, his Sister, his protector, and his lips broke into a beaming smile.
An icy coldness enveloped her body, and she let it soak up her being. Her surroundings began to fade, the bright colors were draining way and slowly disappearing into nothing, the golden sunlight, the snowy forest, the azure river, and at last her smiling little brother—he vanished into a sea of white.
Forgive me.
A sudden and strange warm sensation replaced the chilling cold and spread throughout her body. Gwendolyn felt herself floating up, up, every skyward, leaving behind everything she ever held dear to her heart.
I am sorry I could not… save you.
She saw a bright light in the distance and reached out for it, it was so far away, she was so far away. The brightness then rushed upon her and wiped her clean of all her pain, sadness, and guilt. This feeling, it was the most wonderful feeling she has ever felt. She never felt more clean, renewed, and happy in her whole existence as in the very moment she basked in the light's warm soothing rays.
Gwendolyn was floating ever higher and higher until she merged with the brightness and vanished.
Goodbye, little one.
O0oo0O
The next chapter will start right where we left off in Chapter 7!
Was this chapter terrible? Boring? Repetitive? Cliche? Sad? Or just laughable? Please drop me a line, and tell me what you think. Do you want to see more introspectives? Or am I just so bad at them that I should steer clear of them? Please review, I want to know what you guys think! :D