Moriari
Chapter 5
A/N: Hi peoples, I'm back. So I've been applying to grad school which is no easy task and that's why I haven't been updating. Is anyone still interested in this? Review and let me know please!
A/N: REVISED 7/2/08
Disclaimer: I don't own SM.
Rating: M (for language, violence, adult content and sexual situations)
The warm, gentle air blew against her face as it tickled and twirled against her nostrils. It was almost night and soon Darien would be awake and beside her. Slowly she walked towards her bed, the stone surface cold against the bottoms of her bare feet. She lay across the bed and sighed wondering what would become of her. True, she wanted to help save Darien and everyone on this planet. But what if she wasn't strong enough? Could she handle the deaths of thousands on her head? And more importantly, would Darien ever forgive her for her failure?
Constantly her thoughts returned to the raven haired man that currently held her mind captive. It had been several days since the incident with Raye and she was exiled to her bedroom until Joshua, the resident doctor, deemed her strong enough to roam freely around the castle. Darien had been a Nazi about her getting rest, eventually threatening to chain her to the bed if she didn't stop wandering around the fortress. Raye, thankful for Serena healing her, had been by to visit her several times during the night since she woke up from her coma. Despite the girl's short temper, Raye was very pleasant to be around and was sometimes a nice break from Darien's over protectiveness.
Her thoughts wandered until the sun set and the small sound of the creaking doors shook her from her day dreams. She peered around to see who it was and was pleased to see Darien peeking into her room.
"Hello," he said, stepping in and sitting beside her on the bed. "How are you feeling?"
Serena smirked. "I'm fine. I've been fine for the past few days; I don't see why I'm still bedridden."
"I can see you're well enough to complain," said Darien as he grinned at her and kissed her on the cheek. He had been doing that a lot lately, not that Serena minded at all.
"What are you doing today?" she asked, ignoring his smart comment.
"Peace talks, treaties, you're welcome to come and watch if you'd like. It's rather boring though."
"Sounds like you don't want me to come," she said playfully.
"Of course I want you to come, but I don't think you'll like it. Besides, since Joshua has given you a clean bill of health, I figured you might want to venture outside and see the planet. You haven't really seen much of it."
"Yeah, somebody confined me to the castle," she said lightheartedly. "Besides, I would rather you give me a tour than someone else." Serena looked down to the ground. Darien smiled.
"We'll make a day of it then," he said. "But it won't be for a while. I have several of our consumers coming to Moriari for tours of the blood banks and I have to be there."
"Oh," she said her voice dropping. "I guess I won't see you much then."
Darien smiled gently before caressing her face with his knuckles. "I'll always make time for you. You know that."
"Promise?" asked Serena, perking up.
Darien grinned at her in response. "What are you going to do today?"
"I think I'll go to the mines."
"Serena, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be going alone."
"I'm not going alone. Raye said she wants to come with me."
"She should be resting," he said.
"It was her idea. I think after what happened to her, she's as anxious to find out what's going on as you are."
Darien looked at Serena pointedly before turning his attention to the ground. He wasn't sure if he wanted the two most important people in his life going down to the mercury mines without him. He had so much to do over the next few days that there was no way that he could possibly make time to go with them. Still, he didn't want them going alone.
"I know what you're thinking," said Serena, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears and capturing his gaze. "We'll be careful I promise. I can protect Raye."
"Who's going to protect you?"
Serena frowned. "I don't need anyone to protect me Darien."
"I know that," he said. "I'd just like to be there with you, that's all."
"The longer we wait the worse things are going to get," Serena said, her voice soft. "After what happened to Raye….I keep thinking that it could happen to you and…I don't want that."
"Nothing is going to happen to me," he said, reaching out and grabbing her chin. He tilted her face to him before staring into her eyes. She seemed so sad and vulnerable, all because she was afraid for him. "Nothing is going to keep me away from you." His voice was barely audible and Serena found herself drowning in his deep azure gaze. She felt herself drifting into an abyss where all she could see, smell and hear was him.
"Let me help you, the way you've helped me," said Serena, her warm breath tickling his lips as he drew closer to her.
"I haven't done anything for you Serena. But you almost gave your life for my sister."
"At least let me try, I promise we'll be safe. Please?"
He could deny her nothing. Everything he had, everything he owned solely belonged to her. "Promise me you'll report to me as soon as you return, I don't care if I'm in a meeting. I'll need to see you with my own two eyes to know that you are unharmed."
Smiling, Serena agreed. Slowly she leaned in and planted a gentle kiss upon his brow before thanking him, and exiting the room to find Raye.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, going alone?" asked Raye as she and Serena descended down the dimly lit cavern that led to the mining camps. "I'm not exactly their favorite person."
"Why not?"
"I don't know Serena," said Raye sarcastically. "My brother did force them into a life of slavery."
Serena sighed. Raye was about as sarcastic as she was. It made for an interesting friendship. In a quaint silence they headed down the many barren pathways that led to the mercury mining camps that sat just south of the palace.
"Could you slow down?" asked Serena, panting as Raye practically sprinted through the stone corridors.
"Sorry, I'm just….I don't know what to expect that's all, what if whatever is killing my people is down here? How the hell are we supposed to escape from it?"
Serena smirked. "I'll protect you."
"I thought you'd say that."
As they continued their journey in silence, Serena tried to banish the almost overwhelming feelings of pain and sadness. She clenched her chest as her movements began to slow down. Raye, sensing that her counterpart was distraught immediately turned around to face her blonde companion.
"We should go back," said Raye, tending to Serena and helping her stand.
"No, I'm okay," said Serena. "It's just…I can't explain it. It's like the walls are bleeding with sadness and anger." The blonde reached out and caressed the damp stone surface and shivered. There was so much hatred in this place. "There's more dark energy confined between these walls than I have ever felt in my entire life."
"What do you think that means?"
"I…I don't know. But we have to go further, whatever is hurting your planet is here somewhere."
"I should call Darien."
"No!" Serena cried eagerly. "He's too busy, besides he's going to get on my case for coming down here without him. I'll be fine Raye. I promise."
"Don't die on me, Darien won't ever forgive me if something happens to you."
"I know, if we make it back and I'm hurt he'll never let me hear the end of it."
With forlorn sighs, they continued their trek until they reached a circular mouth that was guarded by heavily armored soldiers. Raye said something to them in what Serena assumed was her native language before they opened the heavy armor gates and allowed the two women to enter. The conditions of the place startled a wheezing Serena. Everything was dark with coal and ash; the faces of dirty and thin children were peeking from behind yellow curtains and sullied windows. Frail and distressed women passed beside them, eyeing Raye with looks of utter disgust and complete revulsion. Despite the feelings of hatred bouncing off the people, Raye still managed to carry herself like a princess and walked with her head held high. Serena, on the other hand, was almost crawling behind her. Her legs were shaking violently beneath her and she knew that within a moment she would be on the ground unconscious.
"Raye," she muttered softly before collapsing onto the murky earth beneath her, her body twitching and shuddering as she rolled onto the ground. Quickly her raven haired companion rushed to her side and cradled the trembling blonde in her arms.
"Oh my god, someone help," she said softly. "Help me!" But no one came to her aid. All around her the beady, hollow eyes of men, women and children watched the young blonde falling into unconsciousness in the arms of their princess. As she lay there, floating into a dreamless world of somberness and sleep she heard the thoughts of those around her sounding off like tanks in ears.
I hate princess Raye, wench, bitch, scorn of the land banishing us to the underground fields of mutilation, of death, of toil and sorrow. Whore, slut, thief, who steals our children, takes them down into the mines where they suffer and die. Demon, slayer, murderer who breaks the backs of our men that carry the heavy burden of their liquid fire like oxen. Lay there, bitch, lay there and die.
The words mixed with fury stewed like a bubbling cauldron in her head. All their hate, their fear, the negativity emitting from every single person imprisoned in these mines was making so much dark energy that it was affecting this planet. It was killing it. She had to tell Darien, she had to tell Raye, but first she would have to wake up.
"I told you not to go down there, damn it!" roared Darien to Raye, his eyes never leaving Serena's still body.
"It was her idea!" cried Raye. "Don't blame it on me."
"She said you wanted to go the mines!"
"Well then she lied to you, brother. She wants so much to help you that she convinced me to go down there with her. For you."
Darien sighed before putting his head in his hands and glancing at the fallen blonde who was resting quietly in her bed. "She has to wake up."
Raye grimaced. "Darien don't do something you'll regret."
He quickly looked to his glaring sister. "What are you implying?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about big brother."
Darien opened his mouth to rebut when he heard gentle whimpers coming from the slumbering beauty. He rushed to her side and intertwined his fingers with hers, his big hands covering her small ones completely.
"Serena?" he asked gently, freeing one of his hands and using it to stroke her brow.
Her eyes shot open and Darien was once again startled at how blue they were. "I know what's wrong!" she said, sitting up quickly.
"You need to rest-"
"No, no more resting. It's the humans Darien they're causing this."
"What? The humans? How is that possible?"
"Everything is alive and impressionable," said Serena. "Down there in the mines, there is a huge amount of unhappiness. People are dirty, children are starving. They hate you and Raye with an incomparable passion. It's all consuming and it's reflecting itself in nature. So much loathing is creating huge amounts of dark energy. It's killing your planet."
Darien stared at her quietly. That made no sense to him. How could dissatisfaction lead to such a change in his planet? "I don't understand."
Serena sighed. How could she possibly explain what she was feeling to them? "It's like the precursor to a riot. First there are feelings of agitation, anger, remorse. As the sentiments grow, the group consensus gets stronger until violence erupts. It's the same thing with the energy. It's manifesting itself into a physical sense so much that it's beginning to affect the planet. Your planet, the way it absorbs water, sunlight, is absorbing this dark power and it's causing different atmospheric conditions that may never be able to be reversed. If you don't do something about the conditions of your planet, or your people, things will only worsen and every single immortal on this planet will die."