The End
Disclaimer – I own Rayne, Lizzie, and Kay. Everybody else, I don't own.
"Put him in here."
Lizzie was tossed roughly into the cell by two of the force members. She was still in full Mourner garb, (apparently, she was going to be unmasked to the entire group later on) but she was missing her weapons. Those had been taken away from her the moment they set off to transporting her to their base camp. All had been taken, except for her sacred staff. That couldn't be touched by anyone by her and Rayne anyways, but, there were complications.
She didn't have to worry about her appearance. Nobody had ever seen her before- all the Guardians they had chosen to hunt for her were younger- none would know what she looked like (not including Kay). The Sacred Staff, however, would be known just from sight. Warriors of all classes and ages knew of the weapon, and people knew the name of the wielder. She would be recognized as Elizabeth Miura-Anasi, just from the fact that she had the staff on her.
So she sent the weapon away- to where, she didn't know. It was just what she and Rayne had learned they could do with their Blessed weapons; send them away from their hands, to be summoned for use later on. She had gotten rid of her portal com as well- she had destroyed it in the midst of battle. If she was to be caught (or, on the very, very slight chance that she was killed) with it, it would give away the fact that she was a Guardian.
And she didn't want any of that to happen.
Lizzie remained silent as her captors walked away from her holding cell. She scanned the room, and inwardly sighed. If they thought something like this could keep her locked up... She could break out of the cell in literally a heartbeat; even after witnessing her actually quite limited arcane skills, they hadn't done anything to make the room invulnerable to magic.
Plus, the fort that they had chose as base camp was old- Lizzie knew where the weak points were in the walls, just from a mere glance. She knew exactly what to do and how to do so to get out; she had done so before. Somewhere, deep inside, she was offended that they thought she was so easy to keep under lock and key.
Well, only a little bit.
This time, she sighed and sat down on a cot they had put in her cell. She laid down on it, and stared up at the stone ceiling. She didn't talk, she just thought. Thought of everything that had happened, thought of what was happening now, and thought of what was to come.
Eventually, she lost all track of time- and before she knew it, she was being grabbed again and taken out of her cell. With green cloaked soldiers on either side of her, she was led down a passageway, and into a
room. It was relatively large, and she could see that all the members were gathered. Their faces were obscured; her hood was in a way that she couldn't see their faces, and they couldn't see hers. She knew it was late at night now; her attack had begun early in the morning, but they had a fire on. The floors were of stone; laid in a practical fashion, not meant for pleasing the eye. This was an old fort, after all- not the castle of a king. Yet still, it matched the rest of the place exactly.
Lizzie kept her head up after looking, keeping her eyes straight ahead. She felt one guard leave her side and join the semi-circle of people around her. The other guard cleared his throat and began to talk.
"My friends and comrades." He beamed. "Today, we have finally captured The Mourner. After five years of hard work, we've finally brought his reign of terror to a halt."
'You should have been an actor, not a soldier.' A voice in her head snipped, mocking his overly dramatic, obvious start of a mini speech. When Lizzie was a Guardian, the kinds of announcements that this man was making was reserved for when they brought their prisoner back to town. Obviously, their excitement was too great for that. She didn't voice any of her thoughts though; she kept quiet as he continued.
"And even though we caught him, his capture will not bring back all those lives that were lost to this... murderer." He spat the last word out, and the rest of them murmured their approval. "But, his capture will bring an end to the senseless murders, and the dawn of a new era!" The guard shouted, the majority of the people shouting with him.
"SO now, let us look upon the face of this mad man, this murderer, this slayer of the innocent, the Mourner!"
He grabbed her hood and yanked it off. There was a great gasp from all those occupying the room. Lizzie's vision became better, and for the first time, she was able to see the identities of those who made up the group at last.
All of them looked shocked at finally revealing her face. They were probably expecting a deranged, disfigured man, not a beautiful redhead whose looks belied her age. They all had wide eyes and dropped jaws. But no one's eyes were opened wider than the woman in front of her, with hair but a shade lighter than her own, her irises the same colour of amethyst that her lover's half held, an occasional flicker of Lizzie's own emerald green shining in her eyes.
Kay.
Lizzie held her head high, not breaking under the skies and scrutiny. With a glance at the others, her suspicions were confirmed; some people were indeed drakel. The Guardians who were there, she didn't know. The only person she recognized in the room was Kay; and so that's whose eyes she kept locked with her own. And just as she and Rayne used to, she sent Kay a message through the look; 'I'll talk to you later.'
Her guard was the second to regain his composure, Kay returning to a state of normal before him. He cleared his throat unnaturally.
"We... we should all go to bed for the night. We must set out early for Ren-Tiak tomorrow; there's a week's worth of walking to get there." He hesitated, before continuing on. "Someone has to stand guard over The Mourner. He- I mean, she- might try and escape."
Kay immediately spoke up. "I'll do it for the whole night. I won't fall asleep, I swear."
Lizzie's guard nodded, and stepped away. Kay came forward and took his spot, placing her hand on Lizzie's shoulder, as the guard before her had. But her touch was gentle, not rough like his grip was. Bidding the others goodnight, Kay led Lizzie back to her cell. She shut Lizzie in, and locked the door before taking her place. They stayed in the silence and the tension for at least an hour. Lizzie wondered what Kay was doing, and why she hadn't immediately started to question her. She got her answer a moment later when she saw Kay relax.
"Good, they've all gone to bed." She mumbled. Kay took the keys to the cell and shoved it into the lock, opening the door and coming inside. She stood in front of the door, her head down. Lizzie waited, before quietly calling out the woman's name.
"Kay?"
Kay raised her head and Lizzie saw that her emerald-tinged eyes were filled with pain, hurt, and question.
"Why?" She asked her voice but a whisper. Lizzie bit her lip, and dropped her gaze. Kay's fists clenched and unclenched. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to form words. She held on for as long as she could, before she finally snapped. Kay's eyes watered and she ran at Lizzie, throwing her arms around her mother's neck, silently sobbing into the crook of the woman's shoulder.
"Why did you leave?" She asked through her tears, her voice muffled. "Why did this happen? Why couldn't you have just stayed with me? Why, why, why!?"
Lizzie patted her back. With some time, Kay's sobs had been reduced to a few sniffles and her tears had stopped. Still, Kay kept her head where it was. "We have all the time in the world for those questions to be answered." Lizzie told her.
Kay froze up, and pulled back. "You have to get out of here." She said her eyes red and puffy. "While you still have the chance."
Lizzie stiffened at the words.
"Kay..."
'I've got the keys right here." Kay muttered, completely ignoring Lizzie's words. Her eyes flashed with scenarios and plans all in her mind. "I can get you out of the fort easy enough- everybody sleeps like logs- and you can escape into the night."
"Kay, I-"
"I'll need an excuse, though. I can just say that you took the keys from me while I was distracted, and that you knock me out and ran for it. I'll get in trouble, but that's all right. I'll take the blame. They'll probably pity me, and say that it was only expected considering how formidable The Mourner-"
"Kira."
The use of her real name combined with the tone of voice that Lizzie was using made Kay immediately stop mid-sentence, and shut her mouth. She turned to Lizzie.
"I'm not running away."
"WHAT?!" Kay gasped, jumping to her feet. "Y-you can't! You have to go!"
Lizzie sighed. "No, Kay. I won't I've done my deeds, and I won't run anymore."
"B-but..." The younger redhead spluttered. "You must! Its not- You can't- You don't understand!"
"I understand perfectly, Kay," Lizzie answered. "I've done what I've done, and I freely gave myself up. I'm ready to face whatever punishment I have."
"Mama, you don't get it!" Kay exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "You may be willing to take what's dealt out, but what you deal with will be the last thing you ever do!"
"Mama, if we take you to Ren-Tiak, you might be KILLED!"
The last word resounded in the stone cell. Her words hung heavenly, and there was a deathly silence.
"I'm willing to face that."
Kay's breath hitched, and she stared, wide eyed.
"What?"
"I'm willing to face the chance that I may die." Lizzie spoke softly, but the seriousness of her answer was more effective than any shout.
"You... you can't mean that..."
"I can, and I do." Lizzie stared right into Kay's eyes, and even though the sparkle that had always been there was gone, she could still see that her mother meant every word.
"B-but I can't let you! I WONT let you!" Kay insisted, her eyes growing brighter with tears that refused to fall. Lizzie sighed. Kay had always been stubborn, and she should be considering what she had just told her, but Lizzie needed to make herself clear. "Kay, for the last time-"
"I'M NOT GOING TO LET SOMEONE ELSE I LOVE DIE!"
Lizzie was stunned by the outburst. T dawned on her at that moment, juts how much pain her not so little girl had gone through while she was gone.
"I won't... I won't..." Kay croaked repeating her words over and over again as she shuddered violently. "First mom, then Gale... not you too. I won't let it happen again I won't, I won't..."
Through Rayne's death, Lizzie had lost the person she loved with all her heart. The person she had been willing and ready to give her life up for. But Kay... she had felt the pain and loss of her own mother. Something, Lizzie realized that as an un-adopted orphan, she would never feel. It had been nuns, and her own friends who had raised and taught her. Not her parents- she didn't even know their names. She didn't know what the loss felt like, but she knew that it had to be painful beyond words. Not only that, but Kay had lost the person she loved with all her heart as well. Before Gale's death, Lizzie had seen it every time in her daughter's eyes- she was completely taken with Gale.
Lizzie could barely handle the loss of Rayne. She couldn't imagine the pain of losing two of the closest people to her in such a short time. Kay must have felt as much, if not more, heartbreak and anguish as Lizzie herself had. But unlike her mother, Kay had bared it and continued on, all alone... without her help.
Lizzie sat up from the cot, crossing the room over to Kay. She took hold of the young woman, and pulled her properly into her arms, letting her cry. "Shh..." She quieted Kay, soothingly cradling the adult like the small child she once was in her arms.
"Don't cry Kay." Lizzie murmured, rocking them back and forth as she slowly lowered them both to the ground. "Going through such pain all by yourself..."
She pulled back from their embrace, her long dead maternal instincts reviving and taking over. Gently, she smoothed Kay's mussed hair back, wiped away her tears and pressed a kiss on top of Kay's head. She had done this every time, all throughout Kay's life- she had done it when Kay had come to her as a toddler, crying because she had fallen and hurt herself; as a child, sniffling because of a mean comment; as a teenager, devastated because of the scene she had walked in on between Gale and Jess- and now here she was, doing it again to Kay as an adult. But the circumstances were different; this wasn't about scratches or hurtful words or broken hearts. This time, her tears were about Lizzie freely accepting her death.
"You're a brave girl, Kira." Lizzie told her, staring straight into Kay's eyes, using what little true feeling she had left. "Much braver than I am. There's no need to cry for my sake; I'm not worth your tears. Nothing is worth those."
Kay hiccuped and nodded, clinging onto her mother fiercely. Lizzie stood up, Kay still in her arms (thankfully sans her armour). She carried her back to the cot, which creaked under the weight of the two grown women, and the heavy armour Lizzie still donned. There, mother and daughter sat, in the silence of the dungeon, broken only by the low murmur of a 'shush' and an occasional sniff.
"Mama?" Kay inquired suddenly.
"Mm?"
"Why did you..." The younger adult trailed off, but Lizzie knew what she was asking. The way how she should answer and handle it weighed heavily down on her mind. Kay waited for a long time, but received no response. She had almost given up on getting that answer in the first place, when Lizzie spoke up.
"Once upon a time..." Kay had heard many an explanation begin like this- responses in story form when it was too difficult to address whatever was happening properly. She shifted and settled into a more comfortable position, preparing herself for the explanations that she always enjoyed in an odd way.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl. This girl had no parents- she was an orphan. She grew all by herself, except for others at her orphanage. She was always lonely, even with the others around her. One day, she left the orphanage and set for the capital city, aiming to become a knight. When she got there, she ran- quite literally- into another girl with dark hair and a quiet personality, so unlike this girl's own fiery red hair and outspoken, cheerfully loud disposition. Some say opposites attract, but that wasn't what drew the orphan girl to this new person. It was her eyes- a mix of chocolate brown and amethyst, such an odd colour, but perfect on her. They became friends, and were both knighted. Then one day..."
"What? What happened one day?" Kay asked after Lizzie's pause grew too long to be natural.
"I'll tell you more later."
Unlike all other times, Kay didn't protest for Lizzie to go on. She had realized it from the start; this wasn't a fairy tale, or a metaphor; this was the lives of her parents, the tale of friendship and adventure and camaraderie that she had never fully heard before, but simplified. She knew that her mother needed the time she asked for; not to recall (the details for the memories she spoke of were still fresh in her mind) but to put her memories into a story, discreet enough to be regarded as any tale of fiction, but obvious to those who knew of the people that the characters were based on.
So Kay left the cell, the weak light of the early morning shining through the barred window. Looking over to Lizzie, she saw that the woman had fallen asleep; their conversation had to have been just as physically draining for her mother as it was for Kay herself.
Some hours later, after a shout from a comrade, Kay entered the cell once more to gently shake Lizzie awake. "Mama." She whispered. "Mama, get up. We have to set out today."
Lizzie jerked awake before Kay had said 'up'. She nodded, and straightened her cloak, clothes, and armour, before walking out of her cell and handing the rope that was on the floor to Kay. Kay looked quizzically at it, and then at Lizzie. The older redhead held her wrists out, and Kay's eyes widened. "No mama, I can't do that..."
"You have to." Lizzie responded. "I'm a dangerous, blood thirsty murderer, according to what I've heard. The rest of your team will fly into a panic and become suspicious of you if you don't bind me."
Try as she might, Kay knew there was no fault in what the woman said. That didn't stop the bile rising to the back of her throat, and the unbelieving, sick feeling she felt coming from her stomach as she tied the ropes around her own mother's hand and wrists like she would to a petty criminal.
With barely any force, she led Lizzie out of the dungeons and outside the fort, where the rest of her comrades were waiting, with a mobile prisoner's cell, disguised as a covered merchant's wagon ready and waiting to go. Bars were too conspicuous for this, so the mages of their group had crafted an invisible barrier. Kay took her to it, and put Lizzie inside, her own amethyst eyes flashing emerald and pain as she did so. A moment later, Lizzie heard Kay mount whatever they were all riding on, and off they went.
They traveled the whole day, only stopping at noon and at sundown; both of which times the barrier would come down and a simple meal would be shoved into her cell. At night, when the rest of the guard had gone to bed in their tents (except for Kay, who had volunteered to be the Mourner's watcher the entire week) Kay would come and sit by the cell, taking down the barrier (of which only she and those who had constructed the barrier in the first place knew how to do) and letting Lizzie out, while listening to the story that Lizzie would tell her. For six days, this happened, and for three of those days, Kay learned the disguised tale of her parents, bit by bit.
Kay gasped at hearing how her mother's had come upon their signature weapons; she chuckled at the unconventional way they had met the Despair sisters; she flinched, hearing what they had to go through as they helped stop the return of the Mage of Despair; she cried, hearing of how Rayne had managed to cross Lore just to find Lizzie.
So many emotions were evoked from the woman, for all these tales had been previously unheard of. Kay knew that her parents had gotten through many things together, but it was only now- especially after hearing how Rayne had taken a 'bullet' ( a magical, blood filled ball, but a bullet-like projectile nonetheless) through her heart and nearly died for Lizzie in the process- that she realized how devoted they were to each other.
Halfway on the journey to Ren-Tiak however (on the fourth day to be exact), Lizzie's stories began to differ. It was a small plot change really- the girl in the story (who was obviously Elizabeth Miura herself) had had her best friend taken from her, so the girl went around, sending those who had taken the other girl far, far away. Kay knew what she was really talking about; the fact that she had become the Mourner. Kay still didn't understand why her mother did what she did, but the stories began to help her understand a tiny bit more.
So the stories continued. Lizzie told Kay that many monsters (which she knew meant Drakel) had been sent away in different ways. The girl did many things to do so, and Kay knew each one had a different meaning. The little girl chased them away with something sharp usually; meaning The Mourner's choice of weapon was a sword. Other times, though, the girl would shine a bright light at them, or tap their necks. The light represented magical spells, and the touching meant the snapping of their necks. There were a few other ways other than those, and it frightened Kay to hear how something as innocent as those little gestures could mean something as dark as murder.
But that wasn't all she spoke about. She talked about how the girl (who had aged slightly all throughout the story) missed her best friend terribly, and how she kept on remembering all the times between them. The story brought tears to Kay's eyes once more. She could see now, how completely shattered Lizzie had become at the death of Rayne. Kay would have never believed that someone could be so affected by losing another person, until Kay had lost Lizzie herself.
She had broken down, but someone had put her back together; Gale. Lizzie didn't have someone who would do that for her- that person who always had was now dead. With Gale's help, Kay had picked up all the pieces she could and moved on.
It was evident that Lizzie hadn't, and she never would.
Maybe, if Lizzie hadn't gone to take revenge and stayed home, maybe all of this, this hurt, this slaughter, this murder, wouldn't have happened. But it had.
Kay couldn't focus on the past. She had to focus on the future.
Through the stories, it was obvious that Lizzie didn't believe in the same thing. Every story was laced with a memory, with thoughts of Rayne, every single bit of her tale, except for the tale she told on the last day of their journey.
"So the girl told stories for days, telling the younger girl about herself and her best friend. Then one day..."
Lizzie trailed off. Kay looked at her. "Aren't you going to keep going?"
Lizzie shook her head. "You'll learn the rest tomorrow."
"But... tomorrow is when we get to Ren-Tiak." Kay said, her brows drawn together in confusion. "You can't possibly tell me the ending then..."
"I said you'll learn the end of the story tomorrow." Lizzie murmured. She stared out of the moonlit window of the abandoned fort they had bedded in for the night, as opposed to sleeping outdoors. "I never said I would be the one telling it to you."
Kay's eyes widened. "Mama..." Lizzie didn't answer. They sat there, the only noise in the cell the sound of breathing from both women.
"Kay?"
"Yes?"
"I want you to tell my story to everyone. Just as I have told it to you."
Kay sat up straight, looking quizzically at her mother. "But... why?"
Lizzie just kept staring out of the window, not turning to Kay. "Everybody only knows the tale of The Mourner from a different point of view. I want them to know exactly how it happened from how I see it."
"But...you can tell everyone yourself." Kay said.
Lizzie chuckled, her laughs low and bitter. "Kay... it's obvious that I WILL be executed. The Drakels are only giving me a trial to make themselves look better to the humans. Not that the people mind, anyways; they may not like the Drakel, but they're calling for my head as well."
She didn't see the last shred of hope fade from Kay's face; she knew it was already happening.
"Plus, on the impossible chance of a pardon, my reputation would be tarnished. One of Lore's Guardians – the strongest, fastest, smartest, most virtuous fighters in all the lands- turning up to be The Mourner? No, no one would listen to me. No one would even dare come close, out of fear. Not to mention that you would be affected as well; you're my daughter, after all."
"You'd be alienated by the people around you, lose your positions, your ranks, and everyone's respect. You would suffer for what I've done. You probably will suffer anyways- the people will want to know the identity of the terror of Lore, and surely, some of my former comrades and those I have helped will recognize me."
At that moment, Kay's eyes brightened. "I have a way we can fix that though." She muttered. Lizzie turned around, looking semi-interestedly at Kay. "How so?"
Quickly, Kay reached into her cloak and pulled out two, small scrolls. "When I began to fight," She explained, unfurling her scrolls. "I began to dabble in magic, thinking it might give me an edge in battle." Scanning her eyes over the contents of the scrolls, she smiled sheepishly. "Unfortunately though, I've only been able to manage small things." She looked up at her mother.
"But, that's all I need to save the both of us."
Kay stood up and placed a hand on Lizzie's head. Lizzie stiffened at the contact- she couldn't help it. It had become habit to her after not having a single person lay a finger on her for years. It was only during brief flashes that the habit would leave, and even then it was usually her doing the touching in the first place.
It saddened Kay that her mother flinched away from even her own daughter, but Kay knew she didn't mean it.
"Close your eyes." The amethyst-eyed woman told her. Lizzie did so. A moment later she felt a strange, tingling sensation. When Lizzie opened her eyes again, she didn't see anything different; she didn't feel any different either.
"Nothing happened." She said, tucking back a lock of brown hair that had fallen into her eyes-
Brown hair.
Lizzie grasped a longer lock of her hair and held it up to her eyes.
Her hair was brown.
She stared at it- it was so different from what she always saw. She was used to bright, orange-red, not dark chocolate brown. The former redhead looked up at Kay, who was staring as well.
"No one would recognize you." Kay said in a strangled voice. Looking closely, Lizzie could see that she was holding back tears. She knew why they were there; Kay was finally accepting her mother's fate. They knew; they both knew that Lizzie would be condemned to death. Kay knew, but she hadn't wanted to accept it. Kay had been clinging onto that impossible idea that Lizzie would be pardoned. Now, with this sudden change, Lizzie knew that Kay had finally accepted that it would happen.
"Thank you Kay." Lizzie murmured, letting the dark strands of hair slip through her finger, her eyes meeting amethyst gratefully. Kay smiled ruefully, and wiped her eyes.
"I... I should do your cloak as well." Kay said. "It would be terrible if the courts found the symbol of the Pria Knights and the Battleon Guardians on it, after all." She said with a bitter smile, as she reached forward and touched the cloak.
As she came close, Lizzie seemed to freeze and shirk away. Kay stopped her hand, looking bewildered.
"Kay." Lizzie sighed. "You know... you know this is one of the only things I have left of her. I don't want to change a thing. Please, no..."
"Mama, I promise, I won't ruin it." Kay said. "I'll just take off the crests, I promise."
Reluctantly, Lizzie handed over Rayne's cloak. Even though she knew her daughter would be careful, she still winced when Kay magically removed the seams of the crests. After hours (which, in fact, had only been a few minutes) Kay handed back the cloak. Lizzie took it back, and wrapped it around her shoulders once more.
Taking a fold of the fabric, she breathed deep. Even though it had been years since Rayne had worn it, if Lizzie tried hard enough, she could still smell the scent of mint and the rain. Kay observed her; although her mother had become virtually emotionless over the course of five years, watching her nearly go into hysterics over her late mother's cloak was adorably heartbreaking, if that made any sense. Kay didn't know whether to cry or smile.
"Kay?" Lizzie asked.
"Yes?"
"Go and get some rest."
"But... mama... I want to stay with you. Tonight could be-"
"Rest." Lizzie said firmly. Kay's brows knitted together, but she knew not to disobey.
Kay left the cell, and sat by the door. She wrapped herself once more in her green cloak and closed her eyes. Within moments, Lizzie could tell that Kay was asleep. Lizzie could tell that she was tired- they were usually up almost all night with the stories, and during the day, with the constant traveling, Kay probably had very little time to sleep.
Listening to the rhythmic breathing of Kay, Lizzie soon found herself being lulled into sleep as well. Finally, slumber overtook the new brunette, and she began to dream.
Her dreams were filled with flashes of light and colour, snippets of laughter and tears, brief visions of passionate nights and gentle mornings. Each was part of a memory that Lizzie had and each memory was bright and vibrant, remembered in perfect clarity. Suddenly, the memories were over, and Lizzie was plunged into a white abyss. She didn't know where she was- all she knew was that she was alone. It was completely silent, until a voice boomed from an unknown place.
"Elizabeth Miura." It said in a voice that was neither masculine nor feminine.
"Yes." Lizzie answered.
"In your life, you've done terrible things. You've slaughtered many, the innocent and weak drakel; nearly wiped out their race, all for your own revenge."
"That's true." Lizzie murmured, keeping her voice down.
"But your good deeds outnumber your wrong doings." The voice stated, becoming slightly less harsh than it had been to Lizzie's ears. "You've saved my land from being destroyed. You have protected many and placed your own life in danger innumerable times for people whom you do not even know."
"That's true." Lizzie said once more.
"You are the keeper of the Sacred Staff, a weapon i have blessed myself. You have used this staff to protect these unknown people I speak of. I thank you."
"You're welcome." Lizzie said.
It was a while until the voice spoke again. "As a reward for all those good deeds, I will let you have anything, anything that your heart desires before you die."
"But," The voice said, momentarily regaining its cutting edge "For the slaughter of the drakel, I will only grant you one thing. Choose wisely."
Lizzie thought long and hard about her decision. She could have anything, anything that she wanted Many times over, she went through a mental list of what she would want, but none seemed quite right. Then, the answer hit her.
"I know what I want." Lizzie said softly.
The Sacred Staff suddenly appeared in front of Lizzie, and she knew what she had to do. Stretching her hand out, Lizzie clasped the middle of the staff, and slowly closed her eyes.
She whispered her wish into the surreal silence, and with a sudden jolt, awoke to the sensation of Kay shaking her awake.
"Mama, mama, it's time to go." Kay murmured, her voice roughened from sleep... and sobs. She hadn't heard Kay's cries but she didn't need to; the faint tear tracks on Kay's cheeks spoke volumes.
Lizzie nodded and rose from her bed. As Kay led her out of the cell, she thought about what she had seen. Was it all a dream? Was it just her mind playing tricks on her? Or was it real? Did all of that really happen? Would her wish come true?
Those were questions that Lizzie could not answer.
However, she had no time to even think about answering them as she was put into her cell again. It began to move swiftly, and Lizzie was lost in the rhythm of the road. For a long time it was rough, and there were many bumps.
Then suddenly, it seemed to change. The road became smoother, if only slightly. There were no more of the dust tracks that had blocked her view. Now, it was clear, and she could see her surroundings.
Not that there was much to see anyways.
The city- if you could still call it a city- was in ruins. Lizzie remembered hearing the year before about a fire that managed to engulf Ren-Tiak. No one was sure what had happened; all they knew was that it had come from the building that Rookshak, one of the engineers, did his work in. Everyone had assumed that it was something he had done gone horribly awry. No one could ask him; it seemed he had perished in the blaze.
It was clear that they hadn't fully recovered from it yet. The rubble lined the streets, the broken buildings (that didn't quite meet the standards she had heard about) looming, disfigured, above her. Some of them were covered in dark streaks, showing where the flames had licked at their sides, almost, but not quite managing to turn the buildings completely into ashes.
Soot lingered in piles here and there, haphazardly swept up by residents that Lizzie didn't see. In places where some form of vegetation must have once grown, there lay little more than blackened stumps, all signs of plant life having been destroyed as the buildings had been. The town was blackened, burned, and scorched, no matter where she looked.
Was this really the city that Maria had told tales of? Lizzie asked herself. She recalled the haunted look in the woman's face, the way her confident tone became quiet and her eyes flashed with terrifying memories before turning to the floor. If only the retired Guardian could see it now. Would it still bring Maria fear?
'Probably not.' Lizzie thought. 'She'd just shake her head. Assuming she's still 'alive' so to speak."
Her covered wagon-like cell rolled to a halt, and Lizzie was let out of it. Looking at where they had stopped, she saw a large building. It was a new building, but not new enough. The drakel were famous for their superior technology, and how they could apply it to all parts of their life. This building was made of stone, and didn't match up to the high tech building (that Lizzie had no doubt) it once was.
Then suddenly, she was grabbed firmly, clawed fingers almost digging into her shoulder armour. 'Get your claws off of me, you overgrown reptile' Lizzie felt like snarling. Still, she held her tongue, knowing that it was best to keep her mouth shot, her hood up, and her head down.
"We've brought you The Mourner." One member of the group said. The drakel nodded. "Thank you. It is thanks to all of your bravery that we were able to apprehend this murderer.'
The calm that Lizzie felt traveling that one week with Kay was beginning to dissipate. Lizzie almost burst into laughter at the drakel's comment.
'You call me the murderer? Oh no sir, you've got that all wrong. It wasn't me who killed all of your people; it was you, you and all the other drakel. You all brought this upon yourselves.'
Lizzie screamed this mentally at the man. Of course, he didn't hear her- he just continued on, heaping praise after praise onto all of them.
"You all-"He waved his hand at the drakel members of the squad "-shall be remembered throughout our people's history, as the drakel who helped bring the Mourner to justice." He turned to the human members, smiling at them. "And you. My people shall remember this. We thank you sincerely, and hope that this act of both drakel and human kind banding together will help seal a long lasting peace."
"Now we must be going- we wouldn't want to be late for your trial." The drakel shook Lizzie slightly, and Lizzie knew he was smiling coldly at her. The squad chuckled at this, and Lizzie heard Kay weakly force out a laugh.
With a last grand bow to the group, the Drakel turned and dragged Lizzie away. Walking away from the Guardian and drakel elite, Lizzie turned her head, and even though she was under the darkness of her hood, she met Kay's eyes for the last time. With all her might, with all her emotion, Lizzie put one final message into her gaze.
'Be brave, my little girl'
When Kay lowered her head, Lizzie knew she understood. She looked forward again, not taking another last glance back. She knew that behind her, Kay was wishing desperately that everything was different.
Harsh, white light glowed down on Lizzie from above. Its source was of magic, and therefore, would never go out; the spell would be cast again, to re-strengthen the flame, but the fire itself would never burn to ashes. It was much like the drakel court -the very same one that gazed down on Lizzie's hooded form at the very moment. The court would always exist. People forming the court would come and go, but there would always be a Drakel court. Lizzie felt oppressed by the synthetic light and the silent, hating stares, but she held out.
"Remove your hood." A monotone voice commanded. Lizzie shifted her chained hands, and removed he article covering her face.
There was a shift in the air as Lizzie did this. Where there was but steely silence before, there was now shock and murmurs of confusion. Chocolate brown hair fell into her face, but she merely tilted her head back, putting it back into place. Her eyes- once green, now blue- stayed fixated in the same spot, dull and lifeless as ever.
No magic could ever change that.
"State your name."
Silence was Lizzie's answer.
"State your name." The voice repeated.
Still nothing.
"State your name." The speaker demanded; the slightest hint of irritation in his otherwise emotionless voice.
At this, the court once again burst into shocked mutters. Over the rumble, Lizzie heard a voice speaking in hushed, yet still loud tones.
"Sir... if he- she- won't speak freely, there are... other ways to-"
"Don't be stupid." His superior snarled. "The Mourner may have killed out people, but we will not break peaceful confession just for her. She may slaughter our brethren, but she shall not slaughter our traditions. Now keep your mother shut, and don't let a thought like that ever cross your mind again."
"Yes sir." The drakel, presumably a soldier, said meekly.
"Besides..." Another drakel (most likely part of the court as well) added in after the other person stopped paying attention. "There is no need for violence. If no answer is received, then we will assume that each question asked has a 'yes' answer. Those that cannot be answered with a yes or no, are ignored by this court" Lizzie knew that whoever was speaking had a smirk on their face. She didn't even have to look; she could hear it. "Her silence speaks for her."
Finally, the voices hushed, and the speaker continued.
"Mourner, you have been killing the drakel people across Lore for the past five years. Is this true?"
"..."
"What caused you to do these acts?"
"..."
Question after question was asked to Lizzie, and the answer was always the same- or rather, lack of answer. Just like Lizzie heard, every question she didn't answer was considered true.
Finally, after hours of fruitless interrogation, then questions ended and the people of the court left to make their decision. At the same time, Lizzie was pulled out of the room, and put into a guarded, windowless room.
A little while later, she was pulled back out, and shoved into the courtroom. Once again, she was put in the chair, her wrists in shackles all the while.
"Mourner. After consideration by we, the Drakel Court, we have found you..."
'Guilty' Lizzie thought, the same time the speaker announced it.
"For your crimes, you have been sentenced to death. Your execution shall happen at sunrise, tomorrow."
'Tomorrow?' Lizzie asked herself as she was escorted from the room by the same to guard who had punted her in there in the first place. 'I thought they would have done it today.'
Passing a window, she saw there wasn't much of a 'today' left. It was already sundown; the time it took to get to Ren-Tiak and her 'trial' took longer than Lizzie thought.
They brought Lizzie to a cell, much like the one she had been kept in when she was 'captured'. A little more secure this time, and with proper guards, but Lizzie could still break out of the cell faster than she could break a sweat.
She could see it now, what exactly could happen. Lizzie would get off of the cot she was sitting on, and grab at the guards who stood too close to the cell. Well, not at them, but she could grab at the keys that were dangling in plain sight from their belts. She could take those and open the lock, so silently and discreetly that they would never notice. Not that they would anyways; even now, the guards were too involved in the conversation they were having, to pay attention to her.
Once she opened the door, it wouldn't take much to get rid of the guards. She could then make her (
possibly bloody) escape, and live for another day.
But Lizzie knew she wouldn't. Not couldn't- she wouldn't break out, by her own choice.
She still wished death to all drakel, wanted their demise at her hands, but she knew it was over. She wasn't going to fight any more, because all in all, she had got what she wanted.
So instead of putting her plan into action, she simply lay down on her cot. She turned away from the guards, cleared her mind, and succumbed to sweet sleep.
And all too soon, she was woken up.
The guards grabbed her by the shoulders, her wrists still bound from the day before. They led her out of the building, and through the streets. As they walked, Lizzie saw the townspeople that she hadn't seen yesterday appear and line the streets. Their eyes were all locked on her, but not in the way Lizzie expected. There was no jeering, no taunting, no harsh words or food or rocks thrown at her. Instead, there was simply a fearful silence. As if The Mourner would break free of her guards and chain, and kill the fool who dared to do such a thing.
Lizzie could tell many things from a person's eyes, and that fear was what she saw in the townspeople's. It was that fear that shut them up and forced that grim respect they had for her. They would all be grateful to see her die, yes; but long after her death, The Mourner's name would still cause fright.
Then, as Lizzie passed them, they all began to follow The Mourner on her walk to her death. All along the way, the deathly silence continued. No one dared to speak a word.
Finally, they reached the edge of the town. Everyone walked outside, and even there, there was a large group gathered. Along with the group, was... the gallows. Lizzie was roughly pushed onto the platform on which she was to be hung.
They forced her to stand in front of the crowd, where the red eyes of the drakel and others could all stare at her. A drakel began to read off her crimes, a human following in English. Lizzie ignored this though; she just looked out into the crowd. As she had done after every one of her attacks, she made a rough estimate. This time, it wasn't bodies she counted it was the live people. About the looks of it, there were many; not too many though. Within a few minutes, Lizzie had her rough answer.
One thousand.
One thousand drakel were standing before her, waiting for her death. To some, that number was many; but it wasn't.
For that thousand was probably almost all drakel left alive. And considering that merely five years ago, the drakel were in the hundred thousand's (if not millions) was shocking.
Yes, The Mourner would leave a greater impression than just fear of a name. This thought brought Lizzie peace. She had done it; she had managed to slay almost all of them. Looking on the crowd, Lizzie asked herself if she could have changed things. If she had been given the chance to start over from the day after Rayne's death, would she make another choice?
'No.' Lizzie thought. 'I'd do it all over again.'
And then suddenly, the speaker had ended his list, and the guards were setting the noose around her neck. "Do you have any last words?" The human asked her.
For the last time in her life, Lizzie remembered. She remembered her friends; Trip, Maria, Natalya, Serras, and Aria. She remembered her colleagues; her fellow warriors, and guardians. She remembered her family, her daughter, Kay. Most of all, she remembered the scent of mint and rain, silken raven hair, a quiet smile, and eyes of chocolate and amethyst.
For the first time in five years, and for the last time in her life, Lizzie truly smiled.
"I'll see you soon, Rayne."
The ground dropped beneath Lizzie's feet, and the crowd began to cheer.
And as the roar engulfed her, Kay Anasi dropped her head and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back her tears; denied the right to cry at her mother's death.
There was a moment of suffocation, and it was all over. Then she was submerged in darkness. A hooded figure appeared in front of her.
"Well, well, well; if it isn't the Mourner." Death smirked (as well as he could with his skeleton face) twirling his scythe.
"Don't be surprised; I keep tabs on what's going on up there. Plus, you're a friend of Despair's." Death's eyes flashed menacingly at the thought of the vampiress that had trumped and cheated him many, many times before.
"Not to mention, I've had to take many of your victim in the past five years... Elizabeth Miura."
"And now, your day is here." Death sneered at her. His gleeful bony smile faded, and a dissatisfied frown took its place.
"But you're a lucky one, Miura." Lizzie quizzically looked at the Grim Reaper.
"There's a power higher than I that's looking out for you right now." He shook his head and 'tsked'.
"A shame, too. You would have been great help taming the unruly ones."
"Now go!" He said, shooing her with lazy flicks of a bony hand. "She's waiting for you." He added in.
Lizzie swore she saw a playful almost-smile on Death's face as she was suddenly enveloped in darkness once more.
She felt herself being pulled in by some unknown force, towards something in the distance. Her body- spirit- whatever she now was, moved faster and faster, until there was a burst of light, fading to dark once more.
Lizzie suddenly remembered her dream, the one she had on the day of Rayne's funeral. It was filled with laughter, love, and flashes of dark hair and unique eyes. She saw, and felt these things in the darkness. She felt warmth as well, but it as different; she felt it on her face- it was the warmth of light.
The same light that was penetrating the darkness of her eyelids.
Lizzie opened her eyes. She couldn't quite distinguish the features of the land; her vision was just of pure, white light. No wonder she could feel the hard ground beneath her back. Lizzie covered her eyes with her hands, and rubbed them vigorously.
When she pulled her hands away, she sat up and squinted until her vision had cleared. And when it did, she gasped.
She was in a field, surrounded by a sea of green, lush grass. There were large trees of all kinds; both coniferous and deciduous. Here and there, there were splashes of colour, flowers blooming in patches. If she looked in one direction she could see the shore, water gently lapping at it. In another, she could see great, majestic mountains. The scenery was undoubtedly gorgeous, absolutely beautiful.
But it wasn't the scenery that made Lizzie gasp.
It was the woman standing in the middle of it, smiling shyly at her.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth work soundlessly.
Lizzie actually forgot how to breathe.
Finally, she stopped her jaw from moving, and just stared.
Then Lizzie's eyes filled with tears. She closed her mouth and swallowed thickly. When the tears finally rolled down her check, Lizzie let out a single sob. She got on her feet and looked through blurry eyes at the woman, slowly taking a hesitant step forward.
And another.
And another.
And another.
They both stood their ground, staring at each other, never breaking the gaze.
Then Lizzie just couldn't take it anymore.
Lizzie ran faster than she had ever run before, right into the woman's open arms. She threw her arms around the woman's middle, burying her face into the woman's neck, now crying openly.
"I missed you so much." She sobbed. The woman rubbed her back soothingly, mumbling calming words to Lizzie.
And when Lizzie pulled back, the woman took Lizzie's face in both hands, tilting her face upwards. She leaned down, slowly pulling Lizzie closer as she did so.
"Welcome to the other side, my sweet." Rayne murmured, before pressing their lips together in a tender, passionate kiss.
They held on for as long as they could, until the need for air (which still seemed to be a necessity, even in the afterlife) became urgent. And as they pulled back, with Rayne looping her arms around Lizzie's waist and Lizzie wrapping hers around Rayne's neck, they hugged, clinging tightly onto each other, as if the other woman was a long lost dream.
And that was how they stayed.
Two women, holding each other so closely that it was hard to tell where one began and one ended. Two women, forced apart earlier than they ever should have been, reunited in the afterlife.
Just Rayne and Lizzie, with matching euphoric smiles on their faces.
A breeze passes, and Lizzie's hair whips around her. It has returned to its natural orange-red state, just like Lizzie's life has been returned to the way it used to be but moments ago.
It hits Lizzie then that this is it, this isn't a dream.
Rayne is really there.
With that thought, Lizzie hugs Rayne a little tighter.
Her eyes fill with happy, crystalline tears...
And a sparkle that has been gone for far too long.
There we go guys. This is the end of Revenge. I'm sorry I took so long to put it up, but I hope that you all will still enjoy it.
I just want to add in right now, thanks to everybody who read it, and those who reviewed. It was your support that made me keep on going.
I promise all of you, that there will be an epilogue. I'm not sure when it'll come up; probably in the next couple of months or so.
Thanks to flame, who helped me with the fighting and gore scenes. It wasn't me who wrote those; I'm more of an emotional hurt writer. So, if you got a bit squicked out by those...blame her. I only wrote the less intense parts.
And I just want to ask all of you, to please, review. I've worked really hard on this entire thing, and I'd like to know what you all thought about it. It would mean so much to me if you would take the time to do so.