Authors Note: Thank you for all the hits and reviews, especially you my little dedicated reviewer! I go back and read them over and over again, they really inspire me to work harder and get off my lazy butt to write this story.
I do have a question though to all my readers, would you prefer smaller chapters but more frequent updates (smaller chapters being say 3000), or wait for longer more detailed chapters (longer chapters containing 5000 words and beyond)?
Please let me know as of the moment I am staying between the two!
Also, this chapter is M rated for graphic gore and swearing. Don't read if that sort of stuff makes you cringe because I'm not going to comfort you if you get traumatised. X3
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took me a bar of chocolate and at least 4 cups of tea to get through – Temp
Chapter Three – Scarred
The sleep was nauseous, and while Lucien was aware it was not a deep sleep he was unable to shake his body awake and get rid of the sensation. His mind felt like it had moulded itself into a ball and was now rolling around his skull, sliding up and down the sides, rolling and churning his every thought into an uncontrollable mess. He was tangled up and couldn't get free. In the midst of the chaos he was hit by a sense of deja vu as a memory he had long forgotten came back to him, smacking him in the face in a way only an unwanted recollection of passed events could, both traumatic and haunting in its being. He didn't want to remember this, he didn't want to think about this, why couldn't it just disappear or crawl back to whatever dark corner of his mind it had been lurking in for the passed 20 years? Lucien battled the memory, first he tried to focus on the pain his body was in but was disappointed when he found it had all but soothed to a dull throb. Next he tried to see if he was hungry or thirsty, but yet again came back empty handed. It was coming, he could feel it dawning just on the horizon about to play out like some sort of theatrical performance. He swallowed hard and winced his shut eyes tighter together, bracing himself for the heart ache to follow.
(20 years earlier during the construction of the Spire)
"It's perfect wouldn't you agree Garth"? At the mention of his name Garth had enough time to look up and watch the back of Lucien's head disappear as he rounded a corner, black hair bouncing a little in rhythm with his excited quick steps. Garth followed slowly, his one good eye flicking from left to right taking in the sight of the Spire, it was the first time either of them had seen a full constructed level of the building and while Lucien seemed ready to pop open a bottle of champagne he himself felt a little bit uneasy, especially when he caught sight of the Spire workers a level above them working their fingers to the bone. The black walls were cold and not at all welcoming, and though Garth had hardly expected such a contraption as the Spire to be warm and fuzzy he didn't think it would be so dark and cruel. What had Lucien got himself into? No what had Lucien got 'them' into?
"Garth come on, chop chop"? Lucien's voice yelled from somewhere, high-pitched and laced with an eagerness that reminded him of a child in a sweet shop. The Will user paced quickly after him, steps heavy in the eerie quietness.
"This is amazing". Again with the tone.
"Garth you just have to come see this". He sighed heavily and walked briskly towards the now bent over black haired man, on his knees with his hands pressed against a part of the surrounding wall. Small shards protruded outwards, their ends sharp and just daring Garth to get closer, he wondered how Lucien ignored them haloing around his body whilst he pressed and tapped at the wall.
"Put your hands here". Lucien reached out and took a hold of Garth's wrist forcing it downwards, the man in questioned gasped a little has he was man handled onto the ground and forced to touch the wall. He rolled his eyes a little and gave the Lord an expression which suggested he wasn't too impressed with being thrown around like an adult humouring their kid. He was about to protest and pull his hands back when he caught wind of what Lucien had been so eccentric about, so much so he pressed his free hand down as well to get a better grip.
"My word". Was all he could muster out as he felt the thumping that now vibrated throughout his body, travelling from the Spire and into his fingers. It went on and on at a constant rate making the smaller man tingle with each 'badumf'. This wasn't right, it didn't feel good at all, Garth was ready to turn and run at this point had he not caught sight of his 'friends' face. The younger man's eyes were wide and penetrating, fixed to the building, his mouth hung open in awe struck manner before twisting into a mad toothy grin. His eyes. Garth thought. Were uncomfortable to look into.
"It's breathing". Now if that statement alone wasn't enough to unnerve Garth it was the low and almost shaky tone in which it was said followed by the mad glint in the guy's eye which suggested he truly believed it. Needless to say Garth felt no embarrassment as he shifted an extra few inches away from Lucien. He knew of the history of the Fairfax family. You could only hide so much from the world as there were always people willing to talk and divulge ones want for information. Garth never got into a partnership with someone without first knowing them as a person, it wasn't just common sense to be aware of your companion for polite purposes but also to be aware of any possible dangers that might arise. And through out all of the documents Garth had spent countless hours researching one sentence always sprung to mind about their family history. 'Mentally unstable'. Now Garth was not the sort of man to judge people on how their relatives had or did behave, he believed the apple did more than often fall very far from the tree and it was unfair to have certain expectations before getting to know someone. However after learning of Lucien's grandmother losing her mind and being locked away and then of Lucien's own tragic past it was only human to be a little wary if not completely worried. Elle, the man's sister had died when he was nought but a boy, and then followed by the death of Helena and Amelia, his lovely wife and daughter, any sane man would succumb to some sort of downfall. So where would a man unstable to begin with be right now?
"'cuse me sir but we've got a bit of a situation".
Garth could have kissed the Spire guard for breaking the silence and drawing Lucien's attention away from it's current obsession. It gave him a reason to stand up and walk away leaving now a rather suitable distance between the two.
"What is it"? He didn't seem impressed at all at being so rudely interrupted and the finger on his left hand twitched and flicked as if ready to grab the guard and throttle the next sentence out of him.
"We're missing a worker, Johnson, 'e turned up for work but 'ain't been seen since lunch M'lord". The man's Brumie accent was entertaining and hard to gather at points, but Garth doubted Lucien hadn't become accustomed to dealing with such. He watched as the Lord nodded, nibbling his thumb nail in contemplation. A missing worker while seemingly nothing big was almost catastrophic in Lucien's eyes, a single pair of hands not working would account for a longer time wasted building and a longer time spent waiting. And Lucien hated to wait longer than he should.
"Well there are only so many places he can be so gather some other guards and go find him". Garth thought for a second that the man might cry after being dealt such a harsh blow from his boss, but he bowed respectfully and then saluted, turning clumsily on his large booted feet before trudging off to carry out his Lords command. The poor guard might have made it to the door if a scream from above didn't distract him, he turned his thick head upwards and stared dumbly as a figure began to come into sight, descending as if in slow motion to the ground, though the slowness didn't last long. In all but an instant there was a sickening crack sound followed by a bursting noise and then a strange sloshing. The man had hit the ground head first. His head caved in like a water melon, the skull cracking inwards, the face con caving simultaneously and pressing into the neck that would soon be placed between the bodies shoulder blades. Red blood exploded outwards in a manner that none of the watchers had eve seen before, the liquid splattered outwards and slapped onto the ground falling across Lucien s face who had the unluckiness of being only two foot or so from the sight. The body fell to the side and flopped limply, any trace of it ever have a head now hidden beneath a mass of mangled flesh and gore.
And then there was silence.
Garth couldn't tear his eyes away, morbid curiosity forcing him to just stare at the body in front of them. He gagged a little when he saw some of the remains of the head just by his foot, brain matter curdled on the floor mixed in with blood and shards of skull. The guard Lucien had been addressing previously had clamped a hand over his mouth and run inside the Spire no doubt to empty his lunch on the floor. He felt the presence of onlookers above them, workers had stopped and were now glaring down at the body, a mixture of devastation, confusion and down right disgust evident on their faces. Garth quickly turned to look at Lucien whose proximity to the body was alarming,
"Lucien"?Not even at the mention of his name did he move, he stood still as a statue with his head tilted downwards, even by staring at him from the back Garth could tell his gaze was on the corpse. Was he in shock? He didn't seem to budge as Garth walked closer and raised a heavily will-lined hand, intending to place it reassuringly on his shoulder.
"Lucien"?
A second scream threw him off guard and cut him off near the end of speaking. He fell back as Lucien threw himself forwards, still screaming, and grabbing the mangled body by the deformed arms. He ripped it towards him with such force another bout of blood and what could on be an organ spilled out of the neck cavity and onto the floor covering some of Lucien's leg in the process. The crazed man ripped and hugged at the body for a good while before Garth hooked his arms under Lucien's own and yanked him backwards. He thrashed madly, fingers like claws now reaching forwards and trying to grip at the dead Spire worker, legs stomping backwards merciless in an attempt to hit Garth and make him let go.
"HELENA". He screamed over and over again, his movements becoming wilder and wilder with each yell of the name. Garth was struggling to keep a hold and winced as he was whacked and hit.
"Lucien calm yourself, Lucien, Lucien, that isn't Helena that isn't your wife". Nothing seemed to be working and the audience of fearful workers and guards weren't helping matters.
"LET ME GO". A bite this time, Lord Lucien had just bitten him on the wrist so hard blood now trickled a little staining the fabric of his sleeve. This was just about as much as he was willing to put up with, in one swift movement he sent a coarse of electricity through the younger man making his body seizure for a second and then fall limp, it wasn't enough to hurt him in the long run, just enough to subdue him. Garth hauled the man over his shoulder and quickly vacated the area, turning into the stairway and heading upwards to the study. He ignored any voices or looks he got along the way and focused on getting somewhere secure. As he entered the large study he slammed and locked the door before dropping his partners body onto the floor, possibly a little rougher than he intended but it wasn't really a time to be worrying about such things. Garth paced the room for a small moment before turning and bending down towards the now seemingly unconscious body of his friend.
"Lucien". Garth spoke his name in a low and calm manner, not daring to speak any louder for fear of sending the man into another fit. He pressed a hand down on his shoulder lightly and rolled him over only to be smacked away the instant their eyes made contact. Lucien punched a second time at the air that now swam between the two and crawled backwards in a twitching manner, movements inconsistent and rapidly becoming tenser and tenser. As the crazed man's back hit the wall his expression went from fear to down right terrified. His skin was as white as a ghosts and his eyes looked almost clouded over as he stared through Garth, not seeing his friend in front of him any more and instead acting as if he was being faced with some terrifying creature.
"Go away". His words were a whisper and came out stuttered, so much Garth couldn't even figure out what he said, but the look on his face was enough.
"Lucien"? He attempted to make his tone tender and soft but it came out a little shaky.
"Go away". He caught what the dark haired man said this time but didn't respect the request, he wasn't going to leave someone in such a state. He was worried about his partner and, so instead of leaving, walked forwards in a controlled and docile manner, hands held out with their palms facing him, a sign he wasn't hiding anything and hopefully convincing Lucien he didn't intend to harm him either. As he got close enough to get a good look at the Lords face he knelt down so they were at the same level, looming above him really didn't seem like it would have helped. Garth reached out a hand and held it open, fingers bending a little, a gesture for Lucien to take it if he so wished, but he wasn't surprised when the man didn't oblige.
"Lucien". A third try proved to be as pointless as the first lot when he was shoved backwards.
"GET THE FUCK OUT". Such words seemed foreign coming from the man's mouth as did the yelling accompanied by it, Lucien had never been a crass man or a man for raising his voice so Garth took the warning and backed off enough to be out of reaching distance before dropping his defences. He then proceeded to walk backwards even further and only stopped when the top of his legs hit the desk, he leant on it, eyes never leaving Lucien. He wasn't sure how long they both sat there, after a while Lucien went from violent, to sobbing to then catatonic. When he got into his third phase Garth plucked up the courage to move back over and sweep the Lord up off the floor, he then placed him on the sofa situated near the end of the room. Everything after that was a blur, vague, almost like they had both dreamt it.
Lucien never spoke about what had happened, and Garth never pursed it .
He never wanted to.
(Present time)
Lucien's breathing got caught in his throat and chocked him violently from his sleep, he pushed upwards and clamped a hand down on his neck before coughing and trying to regain control of his breathing. The room around him faded in and out, objects shimmering like he was staring at the reflection of water, ripples moving through out the air distorting all manner of things that got caught in its path. Cracks and lines on the walls became faces, mouths grinning and melting, the covers of the bed clung around his legs like snakes trapping him down and dragging him. He thrashed and threw himself off the bed to get free, panicking when he still felt the material, though innocently still laying limply on his shoulders, cling to his body unwilling to let go. As he managed to stand he stumbled oddly for a few steps before falling into the door and ripping it open, the creek nothing but insane laughter in his ears. He had to get out, something was going to kill him. The hallway was dim and would have been dark if the light from the lounge area hadn't crept through the open door, he headed towards it quickly and darted through, the feeling of a breeze indicating where he should turn to next to escape.
"Are you all right"? Diane had heard the crashing and had fled from the kitchen at such a speed she hadn't even had time to put down the plate she had been washing. It dripped on the floor, foam soaking her gloved hand. She caught sight of Lucien now tripping out the front door and onto the hard stones of their pathway, she instinctively dropped the plate and headed after him.
"Please wait". She stopped only to slip on her sandals and then stepped over the doorstep, but he was gone. She noticed a small pool of blood on the floor which made her gut wrench, he must had opened his wound when he fell.
"Damn it". Diane curses and closed the door, Lizzie was no doubt playing in the back fields but she didn't have time to tell her daughter where she was going. Hitching up her ankle length dress and flicking her head to the side to send some loose strands of hair behind her shoulder she ran off down the path and through their front gate, following the trail of blood.
If one wished to bottle the absolute look of a man about to commit murder Garth would be a top candidate, he wasn't a violent man, heck he was no where near even a quick tempered man. But Reaver just seemed to have the magic touch that destroyed everything in it's path. He could put up with the slander and obnoxious comments, he could just about stand the constant sexual stories and little escapade he felt necessary to born Garth with constantly. What he had had enough of was that fact people were beginning to group them together and assume that since he kept such company he himself was much to Reaver's level. It didn't matter if he sat their quietly, when it came to judging time it was never 'You get out of my pub before I rip that stupid face of yours off', it was always 'Both of you'. He hated being seen in such a negative light and was just about at the point where Reaver was minutes from signing his own death warrant. Luckily he had managed to escape the flamboyant Pirates grasps for an hour of two and it was by far the most amazing couple of hours of his life. He walked through the small streets of the quint little village, they were having a market on today and the minute he spotted the fresh fruit stall every problem in the world seemed suddenly trivial. He smiled and sighed heavily as he picked out a ruby red fresh apple, he paid the man and continued on walking towards some lush grassy fields. The sun was warm and stroked at his tan face, the moment was perfect and he found himself getting caught up in it. He took a small bite out of the apple and savoured the sweetness of it, with a light throw he chucked it up in the air playfully and then took a second bite. He just about tasted the apple juice before the wind, and his mouthful where blown out of him by something smashing hard into his chest. He and the 'something' both fell backwards with a load thump and then a crash, his precious apple rolling harshly away from him picking up dirt as it went. Garth chocked a little on the remains of the fruit and whipped his mouth with his sleeve, he gritted his teeth and slowly shook his head to regain composure. He snapped his eyes up, a somewhat pissed off expression on his face mixed with his usual melancholy.
"You should be more careful". He spoke to the bent over figure struggling for breath, he watched as hands clawed at the ground before quickly darting up and clutching at his face that was hidden behind a tangled mess of stark white hair.
"My word are you all right"? Garth quickly leant forwards and tried to grab a hold of the distressed man, he saw the blood stains on the plain grey t-shirt he was clad and was instantly suspicious that he had been attacked. He brought him forwards and took a look at his face.
His blood went cold and he quickly dropped his hold on the figure and doubled over backwards.
"Lucien"? This couldn't be happening, he was dead, he saw it himself, he saw Sparrow end that tyrants life once and for all. And yet here he was right in front of him, his piercing blue eyes now fixed on the frozen Will user.
"Garth"!
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! Cliff Hanger.
As always my little fishies please review, anything to help really. I love getting comments it really brightens my day, I could just read them forever. Also I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, I did intend it to be a little longer but I have been fairly unwell lately.
Also Lucien was having a panic attack, I hope I described the anxiety well, he does seem the type to suffer from them, among other things.