And here we have Chapter 4. I'll go ahead and admit that I'm not thrilled with this one, but it was necessary. I think it didn't turn out that great because I didn't really want to write it. :P I was thinking ahead to future chapters and wanted to write those instead. Oh well. Next chapter won't be out until after Thanksgiving so an early Happy Turkey Day to you folks actually reading this.
The trio headed towards the foyer, Elliot and Walter's pace a bit hastier than the leisurely strolling princess. "They're right inside the castle grounds. I've never seen so many people out there." "Balls," the knight grumbled, looking at Lyra over his shoulder as he walked, "I should have known this would happen. I don't think they realize what your brother is capable of. This isn't going to end well." Upon reaching the large windows at the front of the entrance hall they could already hear the roaring crowd outside and it was clear that this was no ordinary protest. The angry people in the courtyard meant business as they yelled for justice and made their grievances known through chants. The princess, for the first time since her fiancé interrupted the sparring session, began to think the situation might actually be serious. Of course, she still wasn't quite sure why she should be concerned.
Walter sighed as he watched the crowd, his wrinkled brow furrowing while he stroked his graying goatee thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since Logan listened to me," he said, turning to Lyra and Elliot, "But I should find him. Stay here." The man reached out to his protégé and put a hand on her shoulder. She frowned, not liking the serious look in his eyes as he squeezed gently. "There's still something we need to talk about." And with that, Walter was gone, moving quickly towards the stairs. Since when was a protest cause for such worry? Sure the number of people barking at the door was greater than it had ever been before, but the old knight couldn't possibly think anyone inside the castle was in any danger. Those people were nothing but commoners from the look of them and they'd easily be dispatched if they tried to storm the castle.
Once Walter was out of sight, Elliot cast one more worried glance at the crowd outside and tugged Lyra's sleeve. "I have a horrible feeling about this," he said, "We can't just stand here. We need to do something." "Like what? Do you want me to go outside and try to calm those ignorant peasants? Elliot, let Logan and Walter deal with it," the princess replied scornfully, jerking her silken sleeve from his grip. The man was surprised by her callousness and took a step back. He sighed, wishing that just this once she might show a little compassion for her people and a little faith in him as well. She turned away to watch the protestors, her decision to stay out of the whole affair seemingly quite firm. "You know, you avoid Logan like the plague, but sometimes I think you're starting to act like him," he frowned.
Just as Elliot predicted, that got Lyra's attention. Her head whipped around so fast that he thought it had to have been a painful motion. "I'm nothing like him," she hissed through her teeth, poking a finger at his chest as if to get her point across. The man put his hands up defensively and smirked. He was about to offer up the similarities he had observed lately when something heavy struck the double doors nearby. The pair turned together to see what had happened and found the guards moving away from the stairs to investigate the noise as well. Apparently one of the more daring dissidents had lobbed something at the castle. Elliot knew that this was their only chance and took Lyra's hand. "Look, the guards have moved away from the stairs. We should follow Walter, find out what Logan's going to do. Let's go while we can," he pleaded.
The princess resisted when her betrothed tried to pull her along and glared at him when he turned to see what kept her. "Take it back," she demanded, pulling her hand out of his. Elliot clenched his jaw tightly, stubbornly refusing to retract his former statement until Lyra's brows knitted and the corner of her mouth twitched downward. It was clearly a warning and he'd seen it before on several occasions. She'd given him that same look first a few years ago when he had refused to admit to one of his friends that Lyra had beaten him at chess. It had earned him a push down five steps and a bloody nose. Ever since then he knew that the princess was being deadly serious whenever she made that face. "You're nothing like him," he ceded, bowing his head slightly.
Satisfied, Lyra looked out the window and then towards the stairs. Shaking her head with a smirk, she offered Elliot her hand. "They must be in the War Room," she said. The man's eyes brightened as he took her waiting hand and smiled. "Then let's get there before anyone sees us," he nodded, pulling her towards the stairs and then sprinting. Though Lyra had given in to her fiancé's plan to spy on her brother, she still found the entire thing quite pointless. So while he ran on ahead, she took her time. When she caught up, he was already pressed up against the doors to the War Room, watching the scene inside. Elliot turned and waved her over saying, "Quick, you can see them."
Lyra paused, mulling the whole thing over once more before giving in to curiosity and stepping up beside her fiancé. She lowered her eye to the keyhole and peered inside. "Think about what you're doing, Logan," Walter said, flanked by two armed guards. Logan's face twisted into a scowl as the older man pleaded with him. "I'm protecting the interests of the people. Do not question me again," he warned before turning to one of the royal guards, "You will shoot to kill. Start with the ringleaders, and if necessary, continue with the crowd." The knight's jaw dropped at his king's cruelty. He shook his head in disbelief before trying once more to convince Logan that he was out of line. "This is wrong, you can't do this."
No sooner had those words left his mouth, the king turned to one of his men and gestured towards Walter. The soldier swiftly obeyed his orders and jabbed the butt of his rifle against the back of the older man's legs. Falling to the floor on hands and knees, the knight painfully raised his eyes to regard Logan coldly. "Never tell me what I can't do," the scowling monarch told him. Outside the room, Elliot gasped. He would have never thought the king capable of inflicting such abuse upon his own advisor. Lyra, on the other hand, found herself outraged rather than shocked. It was one thing to be cruel to his people, the castle staff, and even his own sister, but quite another to disrespect a great warrior like Walter.
The princess heard her betrothed mumble the knight's name beside her and turned towards him. Elliot's troubled gaze fell upon her in return as he stepped back from the door. "We can't let him kill all those people. You're his sister, maybe he'll listen to you," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "We have to do something." Lyra's jaw clenched tightly as she frowned, staring blankly at the floor. She didn't care about the people outside the castle, not even a little bit, but Walter, yes, she cared deeply for him and she'd never realized just how much until seeing him crumple before her loathsome brother. How could Logan dare to treat someone who had been a constant in their lives since they were children so inhumanely? If the king could respect and acknowledge anyone, it should be Watler.
Lyra balled her fists and looked to the door, deciding that her fiancé was right. She had to do something. Forgoing all caution she placed her hand on the latch and pushed it. All eyes turned on her as she flung the door open and stepped in with Elliot on her heels. "What are you doing here? The War Room is no place for a child. Leave now," Logan commanded. The princess stood her ground, causing the corner of the king's eye to twitch at her audacity. "I'm here to stop you," she replied, her eyes falling momentarily to the prone Walter, "You… can't kill those people." Lyra knew that her mentor would never forgive her if she came bursting in to save him from the king's harsh treatment, but surely he would be proud of her if she tried to stand up for the peasants. He was always going on about protecting the weak, after all. Unfortunately, from the mortified expression on Walter's face, she was wrong.
"No, wait - -" He tried desperately to keep the situation from escalating, but Logan cut him off, his own pride insulted by Lyra's words. "Enough," he growled, stepping closer to his sister, "How dare you turn against me? Perhaps you believe you should be the one making these decisions. You really wish to defend those traitors?" The princess gazed up at him defiantly, every muscle aching to strike him across his smug face. Seeming to sense that hidden urge in her quivering frame, the king smirked down at her and lifted his arm. Lyra braced herself, expecting to feel the quick sting of his hand against her cheek, but he instead made a fist. "Then so be it," he said, the guards immediately surrounding his sister and Elliot, "Let us see how you do. Take my sister and her friend to the throne room. We shall settle this matter officially." Logan then turned, stroking his chin thoughtfully as the two were dragged away.
Lyra gritted her teeth as the armed escorts prodded and shoved her down the hall with their rifles. Beside her, Elliot wasn't fairing much better and struggled to keep with the pace they wanted. "Move!" The young man flinched as the guard behind him barked the order and looked over his shoulder innocently. "I'm going," he said, only to be pushed roughly to the ground, "What- -? Oof!" The princess paused and kneeled beside her fallen companion. Her own escort jabbed her with his weapon when she stopped, urging her to keep going. She bolted upwards and turned on the guard, pushing him back a few feet. "Touch me like that again and I'll shove that gun so far down your throat I'll be able to bend you over and shoot him out your arse," she warned, gesturing towards the guard standing over Elliot. The man sneered behind his visor but said nothing, trained to ignore such threats and hold his tongue. He did keep his rifle to himself from that point on, however.
Narrowing her eyes at the guard, Lyra turned her attention back to Elliot who was just then getting to his feet. She stooped to help him, but he shrugged off her assistance. "I'm alright, I'm alright," he said, not wanting her to get herself into any more trouble. Of course, at this point he wouldn't mind seeing her follow through with the threat she had used on the guard. They were being unnecessarily rough and Elliot began to wonder if Logan had finally snapped. Was he actually going to punish his younger sister just for trying to help the innocent people outside? And that was another thing. When did Lyra care enough about something like that to stand up to her brother the way she did? Though he had convinced her to confront the king, he had expected her to make light of the situation, only going through with it to make Logan angry the way she'd done several times in the past. Instead, Elliot saw a woman determined and sincere.
"Don't worry," Lyra said, taking Elliot's hand, "Whatever happens, it can't be that bad. It's not like I haven't been in trouble before." He nodded as they continued forward into the throne room though he doubted her words. She'd been in trouble dozens of times before, yes, but she'd never been escorted to her brother by armed guards. They weren't being treated like two children in for a scolding; they were being treated like prisoners heading for their trial. When Elliot saw the way Logan was sitting on his throne, he was almost certain it was some sort of trial. Walter was standing dutifully at the monarch's side, but his aged features were contorted into a mask of worry and dread. It was yet another sign that things were far more serious than Lyra thought, though perhaps she was aware of that all along.
"Here come the saviors of the people," the king smirked coldly as the pair stopped before him, "Come closer, sister." Lyra boldly moved forward, despite Elliot's hesitation to release her hand. She would not back down from him no matter what and she certainly wouldn't cower before him. He was not only the king, but also her older brother; even so, she had never been afraid of him and she wasn't going to start now. "Today you have disappointed me beyond measure. I have been betrayed by my own blood," he told her in an exasperated tone before glaring at her fiancé, "And a filthy spy." Elliot shook his head and announced their innocence desperately. "We did nothing wrong!" The king stood up from his throne and ignored the plea as his attention turned back to his sister. "Punishment must be apportioned where it belongs." "Punish me then," she said impatiently.
Logan's eyes narrowed on the girl. Even he seemed surprised by this apparently selfless act, but the princess knew that her punishment would be less severe than the others involved. Whatever it was, she thought, it would be better than seeing Walter put through further humiliation. The king stepped forward, moving closer to his sister as he spoke, his eyes never leaving her. "You are no longer a child, and it is time I stopped treating you as one. You wished to save the traitors who had gathered outside the castle this morning," he said, gesturing towards three peasants being guarded nearby, "Very well. You shall have your chance to save them." Lyra turned to regard the whimpering ringleaders with a frown. She sighed and looked back to her brother as he slowly descended the pedestal stairs.
"Here stand the leaders of the violent mob. I will give you a choice. Who will be punished. These strangers, or this boy. The sentence will be death," Logan announced callously as he glared at Elliot. Lyra stiffened, not believing her ears. "What!" Her fiancé was just as confused by the turn of events. He anticipated imprisonment, manual labor, even exile, but not death. "No…" he stuttered, "This can't be…" The monarch turned from Elliot to face Lyra, gesturing towards her as he said, "You are the princess. Decide." She was still struggling to make sense of the situation when Walter staggered forth and addressed the king urgently. "Your majesty, Logan. Please." Just like Elliot, the old knight was ignored. Logan's focus was solely on his sibling. "I am giving you the power over life and death," he told her.
Lyra turned from her brother, her head swimming from the weight of her decision. After Logan's command had first sunk in, she thought the decision would be easy. She had nearly condemned the ringleaders without hesitation, but some dark suggestion from deep in her thoughts held her tongue. Elliot was her fiancé, but… she didn't love him; not the way a woman should love the man she was to marry. Their wedding was only a few months away and she still felt sick to her stomach even thinking about becoming his wife. No, she couldn't possibly. Could she? The princess wrestled with her thoughts and Logan, seeing his sister struggling with the matter, gave her some extra incentive to make her decision. "If you won't choose, I will. They will all be executed. So tell me, what are you willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?" Elliot shook his head and turned to Lyra. "This is madness. We can't- - We just can't- -"
Seeing the expression of dread and dismay on his face, the princess looked away as she felt something she hadn't in a long time. Guilt. She was ashamed that she had considered choosing him for execution simply because she didn't want to marry him. It would have been an entirely different matter if she believed it was the right thing to do, but Lyra had wanted him dead for selfish reasons. When she felt him grab her shoulders, she looked up only to find that all the fear had left him. Elliot stared deeply into her clear, blue eyes, the seriousness in his voice chilling her to the bone. "Choose me. You can't let them all die," he said, cupping her cheek gently, "Choose me. There's only one decision you can make. It has to be me."
And there you have it. My least favorite chapter so far. You'll have to stay tuned for Chapter 5 to see who Lyra chooses, though it picks the story up at quite a later date, and that makes it all the more annoying for me that I have to leave it this way until after Thanksgiving.
Oh well, you guys like cliffhangers, right? Hehe. Anyway, I'll be back soon, my sweets. And if you're really into this story, though I can't imagine that you would be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the next chapter, take a look at all the other great fanfiction out there for this game while you wait for my return. There are some hella good stories floating around.
Also, if you have time and wouldn't mind, please leave me some feedback for La Petite Mort. If you don't wanna write a review, I don't mind PMs, if that's your bag. Bleh, I really do talk too much!