Moriari

Chapter 3

A/N: I know it's been an eternity. But there were so many ways this story could have gone and I wanted to make sure I was keeping with the correct tone and diction of this piece. The chapters that I had written were too light hearted and funny and because this is semi dark fiction, I wanted to keep the proper tone. Hopefully this chapter will not disappoint and now that I know what direction I want to go with this piece, I will be updating more regularly. Thanks for sticking with it.

A/N: REVISED 7/1/08

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

Darien watched as she turned fitfully in her sleep, her blonde hair cascading over the bed before she jerked sharply and cried out. He watched silent tears leak from her fluttering eyelids and wondered what terrors she was suffering in her nightmares. Slowly he walked to the bed and sat next to her, his hand brushing against her temple, his spirit joining hers in the world of restless dreams.

"Serena Katarina Morgan, you are charged with treason, heresy and the attempted murder of General Marshall, your punishment is death, by means of the holy flame…immediately," said a man in a dark suit, before setting a piece of parchment down and staring at Serena intently. "May God have mercy on your soul."

Suddenly a group of men in dark suits rushed toward the girl, grabbing her by the arms and dragging her down the hall as she protested against them. All she could think of was how unfair all of this was. She hadn't been asked to be born with these gifts and she would have given them up if she could have; they had caused her nothing but pain, remorse and the death of her mother and father.

She was shackled and led into the underground dungeon where she was stripped of her clothing and forced to endure perverse taunting from her prison guards. "How about a little fun, love," said a dark, greasy haired man as he approached Serena and caressed her face. "We can make you forget all about your execution."

Serena opened her mouth to scream as his dirty hand covered her lips. The man began to plant brutal kisses against her neck and she yelled against his hand when he bit into her throat hard enough to wound her flesh. "I always thought you might be feisty!"

Serena fought against the man as the other two joined in binding her arms above her head, tearing at her skin and touching her roughly. Knowing the worst that could happen and that her punishment was already death, she closed her eyes and concentrated on summoning as much power as she could. Suddenly her body went limp and she collapsed against the men that were holding her. Her flesh, bruised and red, was rapidly turning white. Her dull, blue eyes had rolled into the back of her head. The men dropped her and backed away slowly.

"She ain't dead, is she?" asked the dark haired man.

"I don't know," replied another. Slowly he walked forward and poked Serena. "She's cold as ice!"

"We should go," said another. "The Minister would be highly upset if he knew we killed his prized Heretic! He was going to make an example of her for the rest of the town."

As the men turned to leave, Serena felt her body spring to life, a heat in her bosom consuming her as she watched the disappearing figures of the men. They would not hurt anyone again. She closed her eyes and let the fire quell within her. Suddenly as the men reached for the dungeon door, they burst into flames, their bodies being consumed by an uncontrollable fire. Their screams of agony could be heard against the dungeon door. Several other guards rushed toward the room and tried to wrench the door open. They recoiled from the knob, the handles burning into their flesh. They listened, horrified as their fellow soldiers suffered and died, the smell of charred flesh making them violently ill.

Serena sat against the wall, her eyes still closed not wanting to see the sight before her. For what seemed like hours she sat quietly until the door burst open and several men including the minister charged in. He covered his mouth with a towel as he stepped over the fried corpses of three of his best guards. He did not look at Serena and said nothing to her.

"Punish her," said the Minister. "I want her thoroughly weakened by the time of her execution. Make her beg for death."

The man smirked at the minister as he left. The door was shut soundly behind him. The man, a tall, dense dark skinned fellow lifted Serena from the floor before fastening her arms to the ceiling. He stripped the remaining clothing from her back before unhooking the leather whip from his belt. He watched as it uncoiled like a snake, falling in a circle against the murky ground. With a flick of his wrist the leather rope began to dance. A loud crack sounded through the air as the whip flew toward Serena and slammed against her back, slicing open her flesh as blood poured down her pale skin. She screamed loudly, her body tensing from the impact and pain. Again he brought the leather instrument back and hit her with it with all the force he could manage.

Darien, present in her dreams, felt as though it was time for her to wake.

He caressed her face slowly, easing her out of her nightmares and back to reality. With a violent jolt she shot up from her lying position and landed herself into Darien's embrace. She was crying onto his shoulder and the sorrow he felt emanating from her was almost overwhelming even for him. He held her, his hands tangling in her unbelievably soft hair. Her tears wet his neck until her sobs began to cease. Her body went limp against him and for a fleeting moment he thought she had fainted. A loud sniffle clashed against the silence and Darien knew she was still awake. Her hands were gripping his shirt and as much as she hated Darien and this planet, she truly had no desire to return to Earth. There was nothing for her there.

"Serena?" asked Darien, waiting for a verbal signal. She made no response. She leaned away from him and collapsed into a fetal position on the bed, her eyes closed, her body trembling. Darien caressed her face, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ears. He was speechless; he had no words of sympathy, no language to soothe her. What could he say? She had endured so much…and he had realized he was no better than any of those men who had hurt her so thoroughly. "I'm sorry," he said honestly.

"Why should you feel sorry for me?" she asked. "You're doing the same thing to me that they did, just because I'm different."

He sighed; she was absolutely right. In his attempt to save the lives of his people, he was endangering the existence on an innocent girl; one who had suffered atrocities far beyond his level of comprehension. In his remorse, he searched for the right words to convey his conviction, but no amount of apologizing seemed to suffice. "I never meant…I didn't know your plight Serena and if I had-"

"Would you really have treated me differently?" asked Serena, turning to face him. "Would it really have mattered?"

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. "I wouldn't have hurt you…I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," she said sitting up in bed and touching his hand softly. "I know what it's like to be desperate for something. I never meant to kill those men. I wanted to…they were going to-"

He touched her lips with his fingers to hush her. "Don't apologize for that, they got what they deserved. They had wronged you Serena and you had every right to punish them. But you did nothing to me and I intentionally hurt you and for that I am truly sorry."

She smiled, but offered no words of forgiveness. His gaze was sad and despite her dislike of his people and everything that they stood for, she understood why he had pushed her so hard. If she could go back and save her family, she would have exhausted every opportunity that came her way, no matter who it hurt in the process. They were both struggling, and in that sense, Darien and Serena weren't as different from each other as they thought.

"You're free to go," he said, his eyes downcast.

"What?"

"I'm releasing you," he said. "I'll have a transport escort you back to Earth or wherever you want to go."

"I don't understand," she said sputtering. "Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me?"

"No I'm doing this because you deserve better," he said, getting up from the bed and turning to leave her. "You've suffered enough."

"What about your people?" asked Serena, getting out of bed. She had forgotten that she was clothed in just underwear. "What's going to happen to them?"

Darien sighed, still facing the door. "I don't know. I'll figure something out."

Regardless of how he had treated her, a part of her didn't want to leave him in such anguish. He was doing what he thought was best for his people. Admittedly Serena hadn't really tried to figure out was going wrong with his planet and although she hated the idea of being exploited, she didn't want to have the deaths of thousands if not millions of people on her mind. She had seen suffering on a level that many people had not, and if she could do something to save one life, then she would.

"I didn't mean to exploit you," he said, unintentionally hearing her thoughts. Slowly he turned around to face her and explain himself. "I was desperate Serena; desperate for a chance at peace for my people. And you…you just sort of fell from the sky and you had magical blood. I wanted to believe it was a sign, that you would come and save us."

"I'm no savior."

"I know that."

She paused. "I don't want to leave Darien."

Darien looked up to quickly see Serena staring solemnly into his eyes. "You don't?"

"No. Believe it or not, being here with you is safer for me than being on Earth," she said. "At least I know that I'm somewhat safe here. At least I wouldn't be constantly running from something bigger than I could handle. At least I don't feel so alone."

"You are safe here. I wouldn't harm you," he said honestly.

"I meant safe from the other people that live here."

"We do not feed on humans daily, Serena. Besides you are under my protection. The other immortals know not to harm you."

"That's comforting. I would like to try to help, Darien…with your planet."

"You told me-"

"I know what I said, but it doesn't hurt to try again. I don't want your people to die, no matter how much I hate your practices."

Darien smiled at her. For a girl that had been wronged so often, tortured and nearly executed, she was extraordinarily kind and she seemed genuinely concerned about the problems that he was facing. She lacked bitterness and selfishness. Undoubtedly her beauty traveled far beneath her attractive layers of skin. "I don't know how I can ever repay you, Serena."

"I haven't done anything yet," she said smiling. "Wait until I help you, then you can thank me. Just…don't send me back to Earth, please?"

Darien glided toward her, his fingers reaching out and caressing her skin. Slowly he bent down and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek before looking into her eyes and smiling at her. "Of course not," he said, pinching her chin softly. "You have a home with me for as long as you like."

Serena blushed at his proximity. Even up close Darien was extremely handsome and having him so near caused a budding emotion that had been dormant for so long to suddenly spring to life deep within her. She cleared her throat shakily as she stepped away from him. "I think you should leave now," she said. "I need to get dressed so I can see what's going on out there."

"No," said Darien, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "You exhausted yourself yesterday trying to help me. We will attend to those matters tomorrow. For now, I request that you spend the night with me as my guest, and not a servant."

"Tell me, what exactly a Heretic is?" asked Darien, sipping from a golden goblet as he and Serena dined together. "I've heard several rumors; many of them which I'm sure are not true."

Serena chuckled, before setting her fork down and sipping her milk. She hadn't had pancakes and bacon in ages and was reveling in how delicious her breakfast was. "Tell me what you heard and I'll tell you if it's true."

"Well, that your gifts are passed down from the mother. Male children rarely are gifted with such abilities."

"That's true," said Serena, biting daintily into her bacon strip.

"However, the reason for the change in the child is due to infidelity on the part of the women. That she had sex with the devil and the child is a direct result of said union."

Serena choked on her pancake. She definitely hadn't heard that one before. Witchcraft, yes, but sleeping with devil, certainly not. "I'm sure that's propaganda. During the end of the 31st century there was a huge religious revival on Earth. People were so zealous with their beliefs that the culture of our society regressed to a civilization similar to that during the inquisition. People left and right were being accused of heresy and in turn, witchcraft. Then children, mainly girls, started being born with special gifts. Well, that was perfect for the government because soon after they began taking away women's rights under the justification that we polluted law, religion and the piety of men.

"In the beginning many scientists defined us as a change due to evolution. Mainly we were a genetic mutation that was caused by years of humans ceasing to evolve. We were supposed to be the next wave of the future. Obviously the church didn't agree with this explanation and many of the scientists who argued that this was a natural stage of development were publicly executed. They called us witches, the daughters of Satan and argued that we had to be purged from society in order to avoid heavenly judgment. People were encouraged to tell on their neighbors, their friends and even their family members. That's when the persecutions started and a lot of people were being killed."

Darien grimaced as he pondered the cruelty of humans. "I'm sorry that you lost your family Serena."

She smiled sadly. "Me too."

They sat idle for a moment, the heaviness of the situation leaving them in silent pondering. He looked to her face and saw grief etched into her features. In a ploy to earn her trust, he had sent for something special from Earth to present to her, but his plans of deceiving the girl had been laid to rest and was replaced by a strong force to genuinely make her happy. "I have something for you."

Serena smiled and wondered what exactly he meant by that. She removed her napkin and waited eagerly. "Close your eyes," he said, grabbing something from the behind the door and turning to Serena to make sure she wasn't looking. Slowly he walked toward her, cradling the gift in his arms before placing it onto her lap.

Instinctively Serena reached out and touched the object on her knee and was shocked to find it covered in soft fur. Her eyes shot open to find a small, black kitten purring against her hand. "It looks just like…but how did you-"

"I saw a cat like this in your dreams," said Darien leaning against the table and watching avidly as Serena cuddled the kitten in her arms.

"Darien, she's beautiful. I didn't know you had cats on this planet."

"We don't," he said nonchalantly. "She was imported from Earth."

"You didn't have to do that," she said frowning. "I mean it was too much trouble-"

"Nothing is too much trouble for you," he said honestly. Serena grinned back at him before scratching the kitten behind its ears. "She's so pretty!" Immediately Serena sat the cat down on the table where it began sniffing her bacon. She stood up and ran into Darien's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Thank you so much." It had been so long since anyone had given her a gift.

"You're welcome, Serena," he said smiling at the face she was making at the cat. Quickly she returned her attention to him, staring into his dark azure eyes.

"What are you going to name her?"

"I don't know," said Serena, removing herself from Darien's comfortable embrace. "How about Luna?"

"It seems to suit her," he said, eyeing the crescent moon shape on the kitten's forehead.

"It's been so long since anyone has gotten me anything." She looked to face him; he reasoned that this was the most relaxed and content he had ever seen her. It was a nice to change for her to be smiling instead of glaring at him.

Without any motives behind his actions, Darien reached out and tucked a stray strand of Serena's hair behind her ears. She felt her cheeks burn, as his fingertips, cold and warm, brushed against her cheek. His fingers were taught and long and the contrast of his rough knuckles against her supple flesh caused a delicate friction as he continued to touch her. He was looking at her in a way that no man had ever. His eyes were so deeply blue that they almost looked black and as he caressed her face, he never took them from her. Slowly he dropped his hand to his side, but his concentrated stare never left her body.

"What's it like to be a king?" she asked, her voice breathy and gentle.

"It isn't what I thought it would be," said Darien, returning to his chair and resting against the soft velvet. "For years when I was a child and a young man, I waited eons for my father to relinquish the throne, but he never did, not until my mother died."

"How did she die?"

"One of the suns," he said grimly, taking a sip from his goblet and looking down at the stone floor. "She was walking with my sister and the sun started to rise in the middle of the night. She was able to shield Raye from the light and summon help. By the time sun had set and the guards returned, my mother was nothing but ash. And Raye, sat beneath a pile of rocks and leaves, completely unaware that our mother had died. My father died a few hundred years after that."

"From the sun too?"

"No, he relinquished his life to be with my mother in the afterlife. There are few ways that immortals can be killed. But if one chooses to surrender his life, under proper supervision, he can commit a ritualistic suicide and pass into the next life. He loved my mother very much, and was not the same without her. Raye took it very hard when father died. She is all I have left."

She had not expected for his story to as grim as hers, but it seemed as though neither of them were a stranger to loss. A broad silence settled into the room as both bodies became lost in their own minds. She looked up to Darien, to find him staring at her, and for the first since she arrived on his planet, found comfort in his gaze.

It was several hours until morning and Serena and Darien found themselves roaming around the castle, Darien offering her an extensive tour of the grounds.

"And here," began Darien, pointing to a large metal door where several guards sat perched around the corridor, "is the path to the mining camps."

He motioned for her to join him as they passed the door and walked onto the balcony where Darien proceeded to point out the mining camps that lay far away beneath them. Serena began to feel dizzy as a particularly bad bout of red lightening flashed against the black sky, the raucous thunder blaring loudly in her ears. She clutched her head as she surveyed the dark swirling clouds that seemed to be concentrated over the camps.

"W-who lives there?" she asked, her eyes tearing.

"The humans," said Darien before turning his attention towards the trembling girl. He quickly rushed to her and pulled her body against his chest. "Serena you're shaking. Are you alright?"

"I-I…are you sure there are only humans down there?"

"Yes, why? Do you feel something?"

"There's so much negativity there Darien, I can't breathe," she said, her voice raspy. Darien quickly and effortlessly scooped her into his arms and rushed to an empty bed chamber on the other side of the hallway. Hurriedly he kicked the door open and laid her on the queen bed before closing it behind him.

Serena struggled to breathe, although her headache seemed to be fading away quickly. "Darien," she said, as he kneeled at her side, "I think whatever is affecting your planet is down there."

"In the mining camps? Are you sure, Serena?" he asked, clutching her free hand in attempt to calm down her body. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast and her palms were sweaty. He wondered what she had felt to cause such a negative reaction.

"Yeah…something is down there Darien. Something angry….and cold…" she said, her voice cracking. There was so much sadness in the atmosphere. It was suffocating her. "I think we should go down there."

"No," said Darien firmly. If whatever was in the camps was affecting her at this distance, who knew what could happen if she actually ventured inside.

"Look, don't you want my help or not? This could be the root of all your problems," said Serena, her breathing returning to normal.

"Not at this price. It could kill you," he said honestly.

"No it won't," she said. "You won't let it kill me." The honesty in her eyes conveyed a message that needed no words. "Please Darien?"

He hesitated before answering her. "Fine," he said after a short pause. "You and I will go there. Tomorrow."