Moriari
Chapter 13
A/N: Hey y'all, it's been about a month of so…I know. But I'm moving and have been really busy with packing and work…sorry about the delay. Hopefully Darien will sort of redeem himself in this chapter. Enjoy and as always, please review.
She laid in wait, the brisk air of the night licking and blowing at her toes. Her body melted into the soothing comforts of the feathery mattress beneath her, thin fingers gripping at the sheets that rested loosely against her bosom. It had been nearly three days since her meeting with Nehelania and she had not slept. From the corner of her eye she could see the light of the dagger flickering before the fire that crackled happily in the grate. If she listened hard enough, she could hear it speaking to her, telling her to do terrible things.
Serena blinked rapidly, her dry tongue protruding from her mouth to lick the parched, flaky skin that peeled from her lips. She looked to the wall mounted clock and watched the long hand creep closer towards the west of the faceplate. It was nearly one in the morning and sleep had not yet claimed her. She closed her eyes and brought the sheet to the tips of her chin, one hand clutching at the pillow the other coming to rest against her beating heart. She shut her eyes tight; pressing the lids together until it was nearly painful, casting away the voices in her head, trying to force her body to succumb to the will of sleep.
The sound of footsteps startled her from her forced slumber, heavy boots tiptoeing against creaking lumber; the slam of a door, the rustle of the leaves against the window. Serena rose from the bed slowly, eyes widening and straining in the lowlight. She turned her head towards the wooden door, clutching the sheet to her body, listening with her mind.
She swung her legs over the bed in one fluid motion and rose to her feet, her blue eyes staring widely at the barrier that kept the intruder from her person. She backed away slowly, a pale arm outstretched before her, fingertips alight with power, ready to strike.
Suddenly the door burst open with ample force, the metal hinges bursting, bits of fractured wood splintering and exploding into falling bits of amber and dust. She shielded her eyes from the spray, her hands coming to cover her face, the azure show of power disappearing from her hands as she coughed and sputtered, her legs tripping over books and clothing that lay scattered against the floor.
She careened backwards, her heavy body bending as she fell towards the ground. Maternal instinct led her hand to her stomach, her motions set on protecting her child from injury as she fell. Tensing her limbs she braced for impact, for discomfort and terrible pain and yet, felt nothing. Nothing but the grip of lithe fingers encircling her wrist and a strong hand pressed against the arch of her back. She gasped, the intake of air short, sharp and painful.
She blinked rapidly, looking up as the dust settled, looking into the dark blue eyes of the man that had plagued her thoughts for the last few months.
Nehelania was right. He will come to you.
Her body twitched, shock being slowly replaced by respite and then anger. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and sorrowful. Had he always sounded like that? Pained and weak?
He righted her, pressed her body upwards until she was standing on her own, his fingers still claiming her wrist, his hand still strong on her back. He looked down into her eyes, wide with surprise and chagrin. His gaze swooped down to her belly, the small curve, the tomb of her resting child protruding from beneath the fragile fabric that covered her. She stood their quietly erect as he watched her, his free hand nearing her stomach shakily until fingertips brushed against the tender skin, until his palm rested on the roundest of curves.
She stood there for a moment, watching his broad hand rest against her abdomen before fiery thoughts of rage consumed her. How dare he? How dare he? The sound of her rage echoed in her mind like the screech of a Valkyrie encircling its prey.
She nudged his hands away, twisted her arm backwards and slapped him with all her might. He recoiled slightly, his face popping to the side, his eyes enlarging like white saucers bedazzled with flecks of blue.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice strong and angry. Good. Strong and angry was good. It was better than broken.
He frowned at her. "Why am I here? It's been months…I…I've heard rumors-"
"Raye reporting back to you I see?" she asked, knowing the answer before the question even fully left her lips. "She's not a very good spy, Darien. Having her openly come to see me? Not every smart on your account."
"She wasn't spying on you," he said. "She was looking after to you, making sure no one hurt you. Human or otherwise."
"How kind of you. Well as you can see I've gotten nice and fat. Just around ready to give my daughter up to you and your people."
He paused. "Daughter?"
"Yes, Darien it's a girl, congratulations. You'll be a father for all but what, a few seconds before you burn our daughter alive?"
He frowned. "Who told you that?"
"Purity by fire."
Darien grimaced, his eyebrows stitching together in thought. "Where did you go?"
She crossed her arms. "Go? What makes you think I went anywhere?"
"Don't play me for a fool Serena. I know everything that goes on in this kingdom by word of Raye or otherwise. You subdued my men and killed several others, now where the hell did you go?" he yelled.
Serena smirked. "So there is a king still in there somewhere. I thought he disappeared the moment the council blew off your testicles the night that they sentenced me and my baby."
He walked toward her, his hand digging into her elbow. "What the hell is wrong with you? You act like this is a walk in the fucking park for me."
"I'm so sorry Darien, I forgot this is all about you! You, alone, five months pregnant, sick most mornings, awake most nights, feeling your baby girl moving inside of you and knowing, knowing that you will never get the chance to hold her, to love her, to see her smile at you!" Her resolve broke, the strength and anger that was egging on her plan wilting at every word that flew from her lips. She looked down to the ground, blinking the tears away, balling her hands into fist, trying with all her might to muster up an ounce of the fierce sense of vengeance that had been stirring within her. Yet, deep inside, she found nothing, nothing but fear and pain and grief.
A single tear, crystal and clear, crept over her bottom eyelid and painted her pale face with one pallid streak that dropped to the ground and stayed there, lingered, before disappearing into the cherry wood planks.
He grabbed her then, pulled her into his arms, her stomach pressing into his abdomen, her sadness, an array of hiccups and tears burning into his mind like a branding iron, singeing its mark onto his soul. This would be a moment in his life that he would never forget.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry."
Sorry. That didn't mean anything to her, not a god damn thing. Sorry wasn't going to stop her baby's destiny; sorry wasn't going to stop the madness in her mind. She grinned vapidly against him, held out her hand and summoned with her thoughts the small bag of fairy dust that lay staring back at her from the mantle of the fireplace.
It settled against her hand, the crushed velvet soft and comforting. She closed her eyes and listened as the wind blew to her a message. Upon the tips of the cool breeze she could hear it: into the fire.
She stiffened as he moved from her, his hands coming to wipe the tear stain from her cheek. He looked beside him, and saw the small sack resting in her hand. He looked to it and then to her. "What is that?"
She smiled up at him and said nothing, before tossing the bag into the fire and watching with hollow eyes at it burst from heat and drenched the room in a silvery mist, flecks of glitter dancing in the moonlight. She looked to Darien, who stood still for a moment before his body went rigid, eyes faded to white and he fell, fell to the ground with the loudest thud, his body careening backwards with such weight and force that he bounced slightly off the ground before he settled there, stiff and still and quiet.
She waited there for a moment, for a signal of life from him and trembled when he didn't move. His eyes, white like snow from a first winter storm, stayed open, staring at her with an emptiness that quickened her heart.
She kneeled beside him, shaky fingers squeezing his pale skin. Her lips quivered…was he? She hadn't…Nehelania had said…
Calm down, child. He sleeps. Do what you must. Do what I have instructed you to do. You came to find the witch that could provide deliverance. Well you have found her and I am she. Now listen to my words and fulfill your destiny.
Nehelania's voice was strong and loud in her head. With a whimper Serena summoned the knife and vial with her mind. In a flash of light and mist they appeared in her hands, the blade reflecting a luxurious silvery shade, the vial heavy with opulence.
Do not be afraid…do what you must. For the greater good.
Her hands shook as she raised the blade high into the air, the moonlight dancing off the dagger and illuminating the wall with shadows of scythes wriggling with mild forlorn. She paused for a moment, stared down at the still body of her former lover, closed her eyes and plunged the blade into his chest plate, feeling with her movement, the tearing of bone and flesh. She breathed heavily as he heaved, his body arching off the ground.
Her lips quivered, a single sob jolting through her body as black liquid began to pour from the wound. She cried loudly as she gathered the vial beneath it, slowly letting the fluid bleed into the vial. Her vision was nearly blurred by tears, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, the beating of it blaring against her ears like the sound of an angry gavel from a condemning judge. Guilty.
Guilty.
The vial nearly overflowed with his essence and when it filled to the brim she backed away from the body and rested against the wall, capping the bottle and placing it in her dress against her bosom. She sat there solemnly, watching as the dagger withered into a clear form, dissolved and covered Darien's wound in a clear liquid before sealing the cut, mending the shirt and disappearing like a phantom at the sight of daylight.
She sat against wall, her legs tucked against her, her hands resting against her knees, watching as he lay still and rigid against the floor, his body so stiff that it seemed as though he were in the throes of rigor mortis.
The wind blew a comforting breeze against her, as if the hands of god were comforting her in her moment of utter sorrow. Hands of god that she knew belonged to Nehelania.
What had she done?
It was nearly four in the morning when she woke. The suns would soon be peaking over the horizon and flood the world with light. She arched her back painfully as her eyes focused against the darkness of the room. The firelight had long burned out and when she raised her head to see before her, her eyes met the eyes of her counterpart who was sitting on the bed across from her, staring at her with a blank expression upon his gorgeous features.
He was looking directly into her eyes, yet his face was passive. She surmised that he was livid and readying himself to attack her when he rose from the bed, turned to the wall and stood there his hands at his side, his hollow eyes staring into the wall. She rose slowly, grabbing onto the stone mantle of the grate for leverage before making her way slowly towards him.
"Darien?" she questioned, standing at his side. He remained silent.
She turned herself, so that her body was parallel to him, stepped so close to him that her breasts were nearly digging into his chest and spoke his name again.
And again he said nothing.
She was about to scream his name when suddenly he embraced her the way he had been before she threw the dust into the fire. He was holding her tightly, his head buried against her neck.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."
He let go of her and backed away, sat on the bed and combed his fingers roughly through his tousled locks. She stood in her place, her shoulders raised and tensed, confusion etched into her brow and lips.
"I never meant for this to happen…I never wanted this to happen."He looked up to her, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
His gaze fell to her belly again, before looking up at her. "I can't believe it's a girl…she's…I'm so sorry. I feel so irresponsible and stupid. I should have known better, I should have kept you safe, I should have never let it get this far."
Serena watched him wipe the tears from his face and look to the sky. He didn't remember, he didn't remember anything that just happened. How could he not? How could he not?
"Say something," he said to Serena who was still staring at him with her mouth agape. "I know you hate me and this planet and you have every right to…I should have never let this happen. I love you, I love you more than anything in this world and I would do anything for you. I know I haven't been the man that you fell in love with." He laughed bitterly. "I was too busy being worried about myself to worry about you. But I never wanted…I don't want her to die…I don't want you to get hurt…and I'll do whatever I have to keep you safe. The both of you. I came here tonight to tell you that."
He neared her, cupped her face and pressed his mouth against hers gently. Feeling him kiss her was like cool water on her lips after being imprisoned in the desert of hatred and fear that she had been living in. He had come to beg for her forgiveness tonight and help her and she had betrayed him. She didn't know exactly what she had taken from him…but she knew had betrayed him.
He parted from her swiftly before turning to the door, the loss of his warmth cold and lively against her. "I'll make things right, I promise," he said, looking to her before exiting the bedroom. "I know what I have to do."
She watched as he left, as he rushed from the small cottage, waited as the comforting scent of him vacated the quarters.
She turned to the grate and the small vial sitting idly on the wooden floor and she screamed, screamed until her lungs burned, screamed until her throat felt raw. "NEHELANIA!" she cried, over and over again, the woman's name passing from her lips like a mantra of holy text.
She shrieked grabbing and twisting the nightgown that covered her body. Cried out until her voice was nothing but a raspy falsetto, gripping and clawing at herself until her eyes fell to the mirror and found the eyes of another staring back at her.
"You'll wake the dead," said Nehelania, smirking at her through the mirror.
Serena remained quiet for a moment as she stared at the figure. She looked nothing like the woman she had met in the forest three days ago. This lady, this goddess that was staring back at her was so beautiful, so painfully gorgeous that it made Serena's chest ache just by looking at her. Her hair was like a midnight sky, deep black and never ending, cascading over the heavens like a blanket dark wonder. Her pale skin was smooth, contoured and fresh like a pearl gleaming on the ocean floor, her lips were deep red, plump and soft, luscious and full against her face. Serena had never seen a woman so beautiful in the entirety of her life.
"I was not always the hag that I am now. Age and anger can turn you into the ugliest of things," the woman smiled. "You summoned, my dear?"
"What did you have me do?"
"Now, now," said Nehelania waving a finger at Serena. "You came to me remember. Lest we forget. This was all your doing."
"What did I do to him?"
"Nothing a few days of rest won't solve."
"He came to apologize to me. To tell me he would fix things and I…I…"
"You what, dear? Put him in a deep sleep, drained some of his life force and erased his memory of it? He seemed fine to me…and the best part of it is he won't remember a thing. He'll be tired and achy, but he'll recover from it and will never ever know that you were the reason for his…discomfort."
"What did I take from him?"
"Something that he doesn't even know is gone."
"What's in that vial?"
Nehelania smiled. "Energy. Power…power from the strongest Morarian from this planet. You've never seen your king in battle. He could decide the fate of this universe with the flip of a coin. An unbridled power that is only bestowed upon the king. Darien has exercised control over that power, because he has seen what it can do to the thoughts and whims of men. There was a time when this planet was worse off than it is now. Your king may be a lot of things but a tyrant, he is not. There have been others before him that made what the humans are enduring seem like child's play. But now, Serena, you have that power and when the time is right, you will use it against them. Against them all. Your king will survive the night's ordeal and you will have a weapon within you that your fellow humans have never seen. You have divine judgment in the palm of your hand Serena. And with it, you will bring hellfire from the sky and it will burn the bones of all who have wronged you."
Darien fixed the fastening of his cloak against his neck before smoothing a strand of hair from his forehead. He gripped his chest gently, slight discomfort emanating from beneath skin. He surmised it was from his trepidation of what was to come tonight. He had called a council meeting with the Elders and all the people of the court. He could only resolve to squash the anxiety that was running rampant through him. Serena deserved better than what she was given and so did his daughter.
He smiled at the thought. He wondered what she would look like and if he would even ever have the chance to hold her. After tonight, his fate would be unknown. He was not sure if his actions would change the course of the future, but perhaps they would give him a chance to make things right with Serena, no matter what his fate.
He breathed deeply before exiting his bedroom, trekking down the long and solemn hallways of his dimly lit castle towards Council Chambers, towards his fate.
He pressed open the doors swiftly, his head held high, his stance regal, his gaze unyielding. He was still the King after all, and if only for a moment more, he could act the part.
The court bowed to him and remained so until he took his seat on the highest throne beside Tiberius, who eyed him curiously. Just why had the King called this impromptu gathering? They would all soon find out.
The room settled, council man and woman alike turning their attention to their beloved young King as he rose to his feet before him. His eyes fell onto his sister, who was staring at him with a pleading look in her eye.
Do not do this Darien, please.
He smiled sadly at her. I have no choice.
He looked to his audience. "I have called you here today, fine and noble people of this great planet, to inform you that the call to find the father of the Heretics child shall be halted immediately."
The room burst into a cacophony of outrage and murmurings all spurned on by the loudest voice of all, Tiberius.
"How can you ask this of us? This fool who impregnated her has threatened the purity of our race with notions of a bastard child. We will continue this search Darien, the council will not heed your word. Our laws prevent-"
"You will call off the search because I have found the man that has threatened the purity of our great race."
Tiberius gasped, his body alight with excitement. "You know the man who has betrayed of people?"
"Yes, Tiberius, I know him well. For I am he."