Ok i want to say I'm sorry to all you guys who have been waiting for me to add another chapter to this story. This chapter was basically done three days ago but I got distracted by Megacon and didn't get to finish the little that was left. I'm not making any excuses and I understand if you guys are pissed off at me.
I want to thank Lord Halcyon for helping me figure out how to get past one part i was stuck at. So enjoy the chapter guys and as always review if you want to.
Spike slowly made his way through the village. His eyes were bloodshot, his brain was in a fog, and every step felt like his legs would give out from underneath him. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn.
'Today is going to be hell.' He rubbed his head and made it to the village market place. He looked around the village watching the early morning townspeople. He walked toward the Blacksmith and saw that it was closed.
He walked up to the forge and opened the door. The coals were black and it was stone cold on the inside. Spike walked behind the forge and found a large sack of coal. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and carried it to the front of the forge.
He threw a few new coals into the forge and set the bag next to the buildings wall. He then walked to the wood pile and grabbed a few logs. He set the logs on top of the coals and set some twigs and hay next to the logs.
Spike gave his gauntlet a small charge and smacked his hand inside the forge. A ring of fire shot out from his hand and ignited the hay. The fire crackled as it ignited the twigs and heated up the coals.
The fire would take at least half an hour until it was hot enough to work with. Spike leaned against the anvil and watched the flames flicker as they grew. He though back to the reason he was even up this early.
His dream felt so real to him, it was like he was actually there with Elise. He could smell her perfume, the smell lavender and jasmine. He though flowers suited Elise more than anything.
She was open, beautiful, and loving, but he knew about her other side as well. She was strong and dangerous at the same time just like a flowers thorns. Spike knew just how dangerous, having gotten on her bad side at least once while growing up.
He missed everything about Elise and her company; he needed someone to help him clear his head. All of the problems he fixed couldn't distract him from the ones he hade yet to face.
Spike still had no idea how he was going to stop his brother. He knew the people were suffering, he could see it plain as day. But how could he stop Logan? What if Logan didn't give up his rule peacefully? What if he found out that Spike was still alive and went after Elise for it? What would happen to everyone if the revolution failed?!
These thoughts were buzzing around inside his head ever since he had that talk with Walter at the pub. Nothing he did would banish them from his mind. No amount of work he did, nor how tired he made himself, the thoughts would always come back.
They even invade his dreams, showing him dark visions of Logan killing his friends or a giant blackness swallowing up the kingdom. Spike's only safe haven from them was fighting. When he was in a fight his brain shut everything else down.
It didn't matter who he was fighting or what his worries were. When he was in a fight for his life, the only thing that mattered was him and his opponent. His strength versus his opponents, his will versus theirs.
Spike hated that it took fighting for him to have any peace of mind. It made him feel dirty, like a drunk just waiting for the thrill of bloodshed. He didn't want to become a mindless killer, but the pressure those thoughts gave him was torture in itself.
Spike was so wrapped up in his own mind that he didn't notice that the forge was in full blaze. It took a large blast of heat to the face for him to notice that he could start his work.
Spike was hard at work, hammering on a sword when the weapon shop owner decided to finally show up. He was surprised to see Spike working so early in the morning. Sure he gave Spike a part time job hammering and shaping swords for his shop. But he never saw Spike work anytime before noon.
The shop keeper was an average looking man in his late forties. He had a full head of red hair that came down to his shoulders tied into a ponytail at the base of his skull.
He had light brown eyes and he had a thin mustache that curved down and around his mouth.
He opened the shop door and walked inside. Spike could hear him set up the displays and unlock the weapons cases inside. Then he saw the shopkeeper exit the store and walks up to him.
"Bit of a surprise to see ya here so early this mornin. You're usually runnin around trying ta help the rest of the village or tryin ta rally support for your revolution." He stopped a few feet from Spike and looked at what he was working on.
Spike was trying to shape a five foot long piece of metal into a simple blade. Although right now it looked like a dented piece of iron. The shop keep smiled and shook his head from side to side.
"Taking your anger out on a piece of metal isn gonna give you any peace of mind lad. Why don't you tell me what's wrong, see if I can help ya?" Spike stopped hammering on the sword and looked up at the shop keep.
"I don't think you'll be much help to me Duncan, not unless you know a way for me to have some dreamless sleep." Duncan saw the bags under Spike's eyes and the veins webbing across his eyeballs.
"Sorry can't help ya there lad. But I do know of a good way ta relieve stress." Spike let out a sigh and looked down at the anvil.
"Let me guess, does it involve drinking?" Duncan let out a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest.
"No lad, surprisingly it doesn't. It involves something even better than that." Duncan lowered his voice and leaned closer to Spike. Spike looked up at Duncan in puzzlement. He had no idea what Duncan was talking about but he'd be thrilled if it worked.
"What i'm talking about works even better but it involves a dangerous creature. The most dangerous creature of them all." Spike was waiting with baited breath; Duncan really knew how to keep a guy in suspense.
"The method is . . . . . get a hole!" Spike blinked a few times before he answered Duncan.
"Get a what?" He scratched his head and continued to blink at Duncan.
"Get a hole, you know with a burd." Spike blinked at Duncan again and had a confused look on his face.
"Ya don't know what that means?" Spike shook his head and Duncan let out a sigh. "A burd is that dangerous creature I told ya about."
"Duncan, what he hell is a burd? I know enough to know it's not an animal of the feathered kind."
"Na lad, its not. A burd is a lass you've taken a likin to." Duncan was cut short by Spike shaking his head and waving his hands in front of his face.
"Are you saying what I think your saying?" Duncan smirked as he nodded his head yes to Spike. Spike sighed and put his hands down on the anvil.
"While I appreciate the advise, that's not gonna happen. You know what I'm trying to do; you know how dangerous my life is. How can I ask anyone to share that life with me? For all we know, I could die by the end of the week.
Spike ran his hands over his face and let out an exhausted sigh. He looked Duncan in the eyes and shook his head.
"Aye lad, but if ya don't have something to fight for then ya don't have any reason to fight." Duncan gave Spike a smile and turned around. He walked back into the shop and left spike to continue working on the sword.
Later that day a young woman was just stepping out of her house and heading to the market. It was the first time she was going to the old town market since she last went with Spike.
She was wearing a simple yellow dress and had her hair up in a small bun. Her eyes were a little blood shot, having been up all night trying to fall back asleep. She finally gave up after hours of tossing and turning in her bed.
Elise made her way to the marketplace and saw people walking about to marketplace. There was still the ever growing poverty but the people still liked to walk around and see what was for sale.
Elise saw the woman she had bought bred from the other day and the woman still glared at Elise. Elise paid her no mind and walked past the woman's stall. Elise looked at the other stalls and stopped ever so often.
She was looking at a stall that sold fruit when she felt something gently tug on her skirt. She turned around and saw no one. She looked down and saw the two children she gave her bread to.
"Hello there, how are you guys doing today?" They smiled at her and the girl brought her Elise picked up the flower and smiled at them.
"Is this for me?" They nodded and Elise tucked the flower behind her left ear. The kids giggled and ran off toward the industrial section. Elise ran after them so she could thank them and followed them through the industrial section.
She stopped when she saw them run into a mans arms to give him a hug. The man was of average build, not too tall but not short by any means. He was skinny wand had dirty all over his body and clothes. He had black hair that he kept under a hat.
He was wearing industrial worker clothes and they held the cuts and stains of a hard working man. The man had dark green eyes and his face was clean shaven and thin.
Elise watched as he picked the two children up in a hug and heard them squeal in delight. She smiled and turned to leave when the man saw her and put the children down but he took their hands in his.
"Excuse me miss but can I help you with something?" Elise turned around and shook her head no, with the smile still on her lips.
"No, no I was just seeing where these two children were going. I wanted to make sure that no one gave them any trouble like the other day." The two kids looked at Elise and smiled as they held the mans hands.
"Oh! Was that you that helped them? Little Katelynn here told me about that last night. I can't thank you enough for helping them."
"It was no trouble at all, that woman had no right to say those things. It's hard enough trying to live in this city without having to worry about other people making it harder."
The man nodded his head and the kids nodded as well.
"At least they have an older brother who watches out for them. No all people are as lucky." The man gave her a puzzled look for a second before he replied.
"Oh no. I'm not their brother, their both orphans I found. I take care of them and all the other kids that live on the street. I'll admit it takes a toll, working double shifts and trying to care for them all.
"But its worth it if it means they don't starve or get exploited." He looked down at Katelynn and her brother. They smiled up at him and hugged his sides.
"It sounds like a noble goal." Laszlo was about to say something else when they all heard loud shouting from the open square nearby. Elise turned and looked at the square. The shouting got louder and it sounded angry and violent.
She gave Laszlo a quick look before she ran toward the square and she ran into a growing crowd of people. Each person had on dirty clothes a few with rips and holes in them. It was clear they were all of the poor and working class.
In the center of the crowd was a young woman with dark skin. She had long black hair that was tied back in a multitude of braids. She had a cloth on top if her head keeping her hair back and out of her face.
She had Dark Green eyes the color of pine needles. She had on plain work clothes and pants. Her pants were a dark blue with multiple patches and stains. Her shirt was white and had the same amount of patches and stains in it.
"The people of this land are suffering under the rule of a tyrant! He sits in his castle and lets us suffer because we are poor! The rich spit on us and treat us like dirt!
We slave away in their factories with unsafe working conditions! How many of us are hurt or killed in those factories! How many of you have been maimed by their machines or beaten by the men they have guard it!
They even make our children work in the factories for almost no pay! They're trying to make them nothing but mindless workers they can beat on whenever they choose!"
Elise was stricken by her last comment. She couldn't believe that.
"Excuse me!" She started to make her way through the crowd to the speaker. A few people grunted and some even yelled at her as she pushed past them. The rest of the crowd was still shouting and agreeing with her argument.
Elise was half way through the crowd before she was stopped by people who wouldn't move out of her way. The speaker was shouting again but this time it was about the king himself.
"Our king is no better! He taxes us out of all the coin we own, and still he wants more! He says that we owe him our money for his protection! Yet he lets people like Reaver walk all over us!
What are we paying him for! If his 'protection' isn't from Reaver then who is it from?! He sits in his castle and does nothing to help us! He orders us to do whatever he wants but he executes us for nothing!
He executes people for offences they never even committed! The royal family cares nothing for us working class people! They all sit in their castle and want us to crawl around and obey their every whim!"
"You're wrong!" The crowd stopped its shouting and the woman stopped her yelling and looked down at Elise.
"What was that?" The whole crown parted and everyone looked in Elise's direction. She felt as if their gaze was trying to burn through her whole body.
"I said your wrong. The royal family's not like that. The only one that's like that is Logan; he's that cause of your problems." The woman stared at her for a minute before she could muster a response.
"How would you know? The royals don't care about us! They only care about themselves and their money!" The crowd cheered with her and Elise got a little nervous.
"You're wrong. The prince cared about you. Why do you think he's dead!?" The crowd looked back at the woman and then at Elise again.
"That's just a rumor. The prince isn't dead; he's probably just off on vacation or sick with a fever." The crowd murmured in agreement and turned away from Elise.
"He's not on vacation! His brother Logan shot him in the chest! His own brother killed him because he tried to save people like you!" Elise felt tears running down her cheeks and her legs were shaking slightly.
The crowd turned back to Elise and the woman started to walk up to Elise. She stopped in front of her and gave Elise a stern assessing gaze.
"How do you know? Who are you, that you think you know what's going on up at the castle?" Elise tightened her hands into fists and looked at the woman's feet.
"My names Elise, Elise Victoria. I was a close friend of Price Spike for most of our lives. I was there when Logan shot him in the heart. He was trying to keep Logan from killing innocent people."
The woman was taken aback by Elise opening up so freely. She opened her mouth to say something when they heard shouting on the other side of the square. There were city guards pouring into the square with their rifles at the ready.
"Everyone scatter!" The crowd screamed and people shoot off in every direction. The guards were shouting and grabbing anyone they could reach. Elise stood frozen as she saw a few guards start beating on fleeing people.
She heard someone shout and saw a guard chasing after the speaker. He grabbed at her head as she ran past Elise. Elise saw a sudden flash as she remembered what happened to Spike.
She saw Logan fire his gun and saw Spike hit the ground. Suddenly she was back in the present and the guard was about to catch the woman. Elise felt her leg move and saw the guard trip over her foot.
The guard hand closed over the woman's bandana and it slipped off her head. She ran out of the square and disappeared around a building. Elise watched her go until she felt someone grab her by the shoulders.
The guard she tripped had gotten up and he was the one who grabbed her. She felt him pull her along and he shoved her into the group of people they had caught. She felt her feet catch on a rock and she started to fall.
One of the fellow 'captives' caught her before she fell and he helped her stand up. The guards had their rifles pointed at the group and some even leered at the women.
They didn't have to wait long to find out what was going to happen to them. They heard the steady click of a cane hitting the street before they even saw the man who had it.
The man was a tall six foot five and he was rather thin. He had on a white suit and matching pants and shoes. He wore a black top hat that clashed horribly with his suit and a heart shaped tattoo under his right eye.
The man walked up to one of the guards and ordered him to give a report. The guard kept stuttering as he explained that the protest leader escaped but they caught a few of the other members.
The man swiftly hit the man on the side of the head with his cane and turned to look at the group. The people shuddered in fear and they all huddled behind Elise as if she were a shield.
The man stopped in front of them and gave them disgusted look.
"Another bunch of gutter trash whining about the natural order of things. Why won't you people ever learn that you place is to bow and scrap before your betters." He turned and walked up and down in front of the group.
"But what is this? A woman of noble standing in league with such filth?" He stopped in front of Elise and looked her up and down.
"Who might you be my dear? A wayward soul? An angry noble brat?" Elise looked the man in the eyes and saw amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying the suffering he was inducing on the innocent people behind her.
"My names Elise and there's no point in asking who you are. A man who treats guards and workers like playthings. Your Reaver, the monster the old king should have killed long ago." Reaver made a tuting sound and shook his head.
"Ah yes, I know who you are now. You're the little brat friend of the late Prince. Isn't it your fault the prince is dead anyway?" He smirked at her before he continued. "Such a shame that was"
Elise felt her hands shake and she had a strong urge to slap him. But she also knew that was what he wanted and fought against her instinct. Reaver let out a sigh and tapped his cane on the ground.
"But it seems you know when to strike and not to strike your betters. That and the Kings orders forbidding anyone from harming you are the only reason you get to walk away today." Elise blinked a couple of times and looked at him in shock.
"What about the other people?" Reaver looked at the crowd behind her and rubbed his chin in though. "They will be given double their usual workload and a few days in the dungeon. They will however be left alive, now off with you girl."
He mad a shooing motion with his hands and stared at Elise. She gave the crowd a sad look and looked back at Reaver. One of the guards walked over and addressed Reaver.
"She gets to go free? But sir, that ones the one who tripped me and helped the ringleader escape!" Reaver didn't even look at the man as he swung his cane up at the mans face. It caught him in the chin and blood sprayed from his mouth.
"I gave you an order pawn. Follow it to the letter and never question me again." The guard coughed up blood and two more of them dragged him away before Reaver could hit him any more.
Elise gave the group on last look and slowly walked out of the square. She was half a block away before she ducked into an alleyway. She immediately broke down and began to sob loudly into her hands.
She continued for a few minutes unaware of footsteps growing closer to her. She was sitting on the ground and her hands blocked whatever vision she had through her tears. She kept crying until she heard a loud cough behind her.
She turned and saw the woman from earlier standing a foot away from her. The woman sat down next to her and slowly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She cried for a few more minutes and the woman just sat there next to her.
She finally stopped and sniffled a few times before looking at the woman.
"Is what Reaver said true?" The woman finally spoke looking at Elise. "Did the prince really die protecting those people?" Elise couldn't speak; her throat was too dry from crying so much.
She nodded slowly and the woman let out a weary sigh. She pats Elise on the shoulder and looked up at the sky.
"I doubled back after I ran off to see if I could help the others. I arrived just in time to hear Reaver's conversation with you. Thank you for helping them by the way." Elise shook her head and looked at the floor.
"I-I didn't do anything, I just walked away." The woman shook her head and looked Elise in the eyes.
"You spoke up for them in front of Reaver. He would have just shot them if you hadn't been there. He would have shot you too if you didn't walk away when you did." She let out a little laugh and looked back up at the sky.
"It's too bad the prince is really dead. He could have helped us against his brother. The people desperately need a Hero now. He'd have been welcome to join us." Elise let out a single sniffle and shook her head no.
"Spike wouldn't have joined you. As much as he would have wanted to help, he'd never raise his sword against his brother. He always looked for a way to avoid needless fighting.
He would help however he could. But not if it meant killing his brother. Logan's he only family he had left. He was closer to Logan then anyone else when we were growing up." The woman gave Elise a soft gaze.
"But he's not here anymore, Logan saw to that." She stood up and offered Elise her hand. "How would you like to help us then? The people still need all the help they can get and you seem to have no love for Logan"
Elise stared at her hand for a minute as her brain went haywire. 'She wants my help? What could I possibly do to help these people? Can I even make a difference to the people? What about my family? Logan won't hurt me but he might attack my family if I openly oppose him.'
Elise though back to Spike and she could see his smiling face and the playful spark in his eyes. She knew the answer before she even realized it. She took the woman's hand and stood up with her help.
"I'll help you, but I can't risk my family's safety, so it has to be secretly." The woman smiled and her and nodded her head.
"Welcome to the revolution, my names Page by the way."
So what did you guys think? I'm trying to giveElise a bit more active role in the story as well as making the resistance fighters a larger role. Lord Halcyon said that it felt like they didn't really do anything before you get to them and i kind of agree with him.
Anyway, send me a review if you want and hopefully it wont take anywhere near as long as it did for me to finish this one.
P.S. Oh Sons of Olympians while i respect your point of view. please read more then the first chapter of a story before you yell at someone. that ME3 shot hurt a lot. And for the record i feel the same way about the ending. The game was great but from the beam rush on it just sucked and went agains the ME storyline.