So here's the chapter that was supposed to be the one you guys got on Saturday, but because I'm an idiot... that didn't happen. Sorry folks!
Yes, let's see... Ah yes, reviews.
MasterAssassinScrolls: Yeah, I'll admit that the further down you got the more obvious it got, but if you hadn't read ahead you would have been filled with an ominous "Wait a dang minute, something's not right..." hopefully. But hey, we've all done it before. And about the Dread Wolf, I am nowhere near that imaginative or ballsy to make an entire entity. And finally, COULD be the last Warden... Who knows what's going to happen...
Well, me obviously.
Snowhelm: You're here now, though I'll admit I missed your awesome reviews :'( I'll keep churning them out for you
SonRyu: Welcome aboard, I'm very happy to have you here. I'll admit, everyone seems to chuckle at Jack Sparrow the first time. Even I had a grin when I first wrote it. And that goes double for Isabella! And Duncan had so little exposure in Origins, you never really got a sense of who he was, at least I didn't think, so it's been a struggle to try and build up his character while staying true to who he was in the games. And your cookies in the mail, should be there soon
So there we go. Oh Wait, thanks to Ioialoha for the story favourite and to SonRyu for the follow. It's encouraging stuff guys, let's be know I'm doing right.
So yes, that's everything? Yes? Good. Off we go!
Chapter 13: Fire and Ice
I lay in the bed, caressing Amy's arm as our naked bodies hold each other tightly. This is one of the few times where we've had the house to ourselves, and we've not let it go to waste.
A chuckle escapes my lips and she turns to me with a tired smile. "What?" she asks, yawning as she stretches like a cat before finishing with a squeak. Another chuckle escapes me at the cuteness of her, though she smacks my chest lightly.
"Nothing," I smile as I lean down to kiss her forehead, pulling her closer. Then I return to stroking her arm and staring at the wall, grinning like an idiot. "I'm just savouring this moment is all. It's a happy moment."
She groans in agreement and cuddles into me. I close my eyes, inhaling her sweet scented shampoo. Nothing could ruin it...
Downstairs, I hear the door open. Immediately, Amy and I leap up and scramble for our clothes. I leap into my trousers as Amy struggles with her tights. Pulling on a t-shirt, I turn to see if Amy's ready as well. She's only just got her tights on and I grimace.
"Anybody home?" comes the call from downstairs.
"Fuck," I whisper. "Stay here," I say as Amy tries to get her clothes on. I leave my room and make my way downstairs. "Mum?" I call as I hop off the last step. I look to the front door and see a load of shopping bags. Beyond that, my mother is grabbing more from the car. I wait for her to get back in the house before saying anything else.
"Hey doll, give me a hand with this," she says as she stumbles under the weight of about fifty shopping bags in either hand. I grab them off her and look at her in confusion.
"I thought you were going out?" I ask, keeping the anger from my voice and filling it with confusion. My brother was staying over at a friends and my mother was going into town to have a few drinks and do the same. For the next day, it was just supposed to be me and Amy.
"I am, I am, I was just dropping off some shopping first, making sure you'll survive," she says as she moves towards the kitchen. Pausing, she looks up the stairs and smiles. "Hi Amy, nobody told me you were coming," she says, casting an amused glare at me.
I can feel my face reddening, an action copied by Amy as she makes her way downstairs.
I look at the bags to distract myself and snort. "You're gonna be gone a day at most Mum, I'm not feeding the hungry millions." She sends a knowing look between me and my girlfriend.
"Aye, but apparently you're cooking for two," she says in a conspiratorial tone as she commands me to clear the hall as she and Amy move into the living room. Grumbling under my breath, I do as I'm told. I'm too close to a win to fuck things up now.
I put away the shopping as Amy and my Mum laugh in the living room and smile to myself, thinking that at least she doesn't suspect anything. I'm sure she knows already what stage the relationship between me and Amy is at, and I'm positive she's okay with it as long as we take precautions. Which we are, no point being stupid.
But that doesn't mean I'm ready to come out and say it!
Eventually, Mum's lift arrives and I walk her to the door. "You coming back tonight?" I double check sweetly and she gives me a coy look.
"Amy can stay," she says with a smile as she pats my face. I feel myself going red again before my Mum's hand snakes down to grab the front of my t-shirt. Taken aback by the threatening gesture I look down and feel my face become an inferno.
The label is under my chin, instead of around the back. And my t-shirt is inside out. It's been the wrong way round since I put it on. I look up to make an excuse but her smile stops me. "Have fun sweetie," she says before pulling me down to kiss my cheek. I rise with a nervous smile.
"Thanks Mum. You too," I say as she walks out. I close the door behind her and lean against it, sighing. Ahead of me, Amy looks like she's torn between horror and laughter.
"So, I guess she knows," I say with a smile as we both start laughing.
Turns out she didn't. She could be a bit clueless at times, my mum. There was another time, a few weeks later that my sister, as a joke, handed me a bag full of condoms. Mum thought it was hysterical.
She didn't actually find out that me and Amy had been sleeping together until a few months after that, when she found a pregnancy test in the bin. Seeing as my sister had moved out by this point, and she wasn't expecting, she put two and two together. It was negative, thank the gods.
Yeah, definitely a happy moment. That's what I've got to focus on.
Not this dank, damp, dirty dungeon I find myself in.
I think it's been a day, maybe less. I came to in here, chained to the wall. So far, there's been no contact with anyone. Just me.
Alone.
Which has of course led to another rendition of Sparrows Greatest HITS!
"All the clever... things I should say to you," I sing as I try to look around the dark room. "They are stuck somewhere, stuck between me and you. I'm so nervous, I don't know what to do. Light a cigarette, only smoke when I'm with you. Whoa, what the hell do I do that for? Whoa, you're just another guy. Whoa, okay, you're kinda sexy, but you're not really special. But I won't mi-i-ind if you take me home, come on take me home, I won't mi-i-ind if you take off all you're clothes come on take 'em off. Cause I like you so much better when you're naked, I like me so much better when you're naked, cause I like you so much better when you're naked, I like me so much better when you're naked, WHOA!"
I pause, seeing if there's any sound, any indication of human life nearby beside myself. I say human, because a friendly neighbourhood rat has appeared. I stare at it uneasily. He's big... And he's looking at my toes awfully intently...
I keep a close eye on the rat, suspicious. It starts to wiggle it's arse, and I've owned enough cats to know what comes next. I wrap the chains around my arms and pull myself up as the rat pounces, shrieking. It darts to where my feet were a second ago. It's quarry having escaped it, it stands on its hind legs to stare at me and hiss.
Deciding that I am thoroughly creeped the fuck out, I hoof the little bastard across the room, where he collides on the opposite wall with a thump.
Of course, I pull the name Corvo Attano and the next thing that happens is a hungry rat tries to eat me.
Note to self, keep mouth shut.
I lower myself back to the ground gently, and after looking for my furry friend and finding nothing, decide to examine my chains for the millionth time.
Heavy iron manacles are connected tightly to my wrists, and I can tell there's no way I can slip out without severely damaging my hands. Within the chain holding them together is a hook, keeping me on my toes from the height of the chain. My arms dangle above me, pins and needles searing them.
Rusty iron, it looks like it's been here for years. Who just casually has a dungeon lying around for years?
For a moment, I think I'm in the palace, that Cailan's had me imprisoned. But then I realise that he'd have his guard do it, not assassins. I return to the chains. Whoever this Captain is, he must be quite wealthy. Course, I already knew that since he hired the Crows.
Maybe... I could use my powers to melt the chains and free myself? And be splattered with molten metal as I do so... No, bad plan.
Or? Maybe I don't have to melt it. I mean, it's not like fire and shielding are the only Will powers out there. They're just the ones that come most easily to me.
So what else would work?
I rack my brain for a few moments. Blades? No, not really that precise. Electrity? Yeah, because electrocuting myself will make this much better.
Ice?
I wait a full minute for some sarcastic comment to pop into my head and when it doesn't I smirk. Oh yes, man with a plan right here. I mean, it's gonna have to be really cold too weaken the metal, but If I'm immune to my flames, I should have no problems with ice.
Okay, so how do I cast Ice?
...
Ah crap.
Roughly an hour later, I'm still trying to figure out how to cast the stupid bloody spell.
Breathe, you don't want to spark up and melt your face off.
Okay, let's go through this logically. I can use the shield spell because... I needed protection. It's instinctive, shield yourself from danger. So my Will taps into my responses. And fire, fire represents rage and passion. Ice?
Wait. Wait wait wait. Connection. I'm thinking of something. I scrunch my face up as I fire my brain into overload.
Fire... and Ice. Fire and Ice. FIRE and ICE! Oh Robert Frost you magnificent bastard!
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost, 1920. Within, he talks about the similarities between hatred and desire, two very different emotions, in that they will inevitably destroy the world. Most people, Frost included, would favour desire, or fire. But if the the world would end twice, ice is also great and would suffice.
So, hate. Yeah, my fire comes from rage, not desire... But to be fair, rage is often a result of desire, or desires being prevented. It might not work, but it's a starting point at least.
"I hate..." I say softly and then pause. My eyes bulge. Oh shit.
I can't think of anything to hate.
Well, that's not strictly true. I hate war. I hate world hunger. I hate Justin Bieber.
But something tells me that it has to be a lot more personal than that. It can't just be general dislikes.
Okay, um... I hate captivity. Yeah, captivity is a big no no on my to-do list. I wish to be free from these chains...
Adaia... Somehow, I feel conflicted over her betrayal. She spared me once. And she's brought me alive to... wherever this place is. I get the sense that I don't yet have the full story. I barely even count it as a betrayal, I didn't really know the woman well enough to trust her.
I don't think I hate anything here...
Betrayal... Trust...
I think I'm gonna sneeze.
"So, alone again, eh?" I laugh forcefully while Amy just smiles. She's worried about something. I can tell by the way she's running her hand through her hair and looking away. This is not going to be good. "What's up chook?" Her flinch doesn't go unnoticed. She turns to me with a conflicted expression.
"We broke up a while ago right?" she asks unsurely and my eyes narrow in confusion. What's she doing?
"Yeah, about six months. Why?" I ask, keeping the pain I feel from my answer behind a well constructed smile.
"It's just... What we had between us?" she pauses, waiting for the right words to appear. Never her strong suit. "That's gone, right?"
Despite her speaking calmly, if slightly confused, the effect she has on me is quite tremendous. It's as though the word "gone" is a bullet, tearing through my heart and soul, leaving a gaping hole where they used to be. "I don't know," I say in a hollow voice, keeping all emotions from my answer. "Why are you asking?"
She chews her lips and what was adorable and gorgeous before turns into death knells. "I'm seeing someone. It's been going on for a while. I just..." she stops as looks at Joey who's leaving the shop. "Wanted you to hear it from me," she says as he draws level.
"You told him?" he asks, his mouth full of bread and filling. Swallowing, he looks at me with a big smile. "And you're okay with this mate?"
I force a smile on my face, and not even Hercules could surpass that trial, and chuckle shortly. "It's been nearly a year man, she can do what she likes," I say, making deliberate effort not to look at her. And effort that I know in her head does not go unnoticed. I swear, when I know who it is it's gonna take every iota of strength I have not to wring the fucker's neck.
"Thank god," he says as he wraps his spare arm around her, causing my brow to furrow. "I was getting really tired of this whole sneaking around thing and to be honest, I wanted to tell you from the beginning. Hey, no hard feelings right?"
And in that moment it clicks.
It had to be her. Because she didn't know. Joey, my best "friend", of course he knew how I felt about Amy. Of course he knew, how many times had I told him. He's too chicken shit to tell me himself. All those nights they were both unavailable. All those nights that they'd make some piss poor excuse to blow me off. Those smiles they didn't think I'd see. The private jokes. Making me the outsider... even more than I realised.
I brought them together. He was my best friend... and she came to me for help so I let her in and now they're standing here... Together.
"Right. No hard feelings," I say mechanically. Joey smiles and munches on his sandwich, oblivious as always. And my eyes go to her, to my Amy. But she isn't mine any more. She looks at me and I know the hurt is showing on my face from the confusion in her eyes.
"And hey, you're just in time for our anniversary," he says casually before he freezes. Amy stiffens as well. They both look at me.
Still reeling from the shock of my best friend making off with the woman I still love, it takes my brain a moment to process what he said and why that has such an impact.
Amy and I broke up just under six months ago.
Now normally, I'd take it as a slip of the tongue. A simple mistake. But I know it's not. I can tell by the way they react. I can tell by the guilt in her eyes, and the fear in his. I can remember how in those last few months she became so much sadder and withdrawn from me, before closing off entirely. How he became so much more cocky and sure of himself. Roughly two years ago.
My teeth clench. My fists ball. My eyes widen. My nostrils flare. My arms shake. I breath out, just a tad heavier than the breath before it.
"You fucking what mate?" I say in a resemblance of a calm voice. In my ears all I hear is the blood coursing through my body as my face heats up. Sensing what's about to happen, the people around us seem to pause to look, sensing my utter rage. Joey takes a step away from Amy. A step away from me.
And in that moment I hated him. I hated him for being skinny while I was fat. I hated him for his blonde hair while my hair was brown. I hated him for his money while I had none. I hated him for being the one she wanted and not me. With every fibre of my being, my best friend that I loved became the enemy I loathed. The woman that I once held close, I would do anything to be free of her. Those two, the two most important people in my life. My friends. My betrayers.
I move my feelings away from the rage, even as I growl slightly from the memory, and focus on my feelings for them both.
The coward and the tramp.
My hands begin to glow blue. I don't let the accomplishment affect the bubble of emotions, concentrating on my hate. The air around me begins to grow colder and as I glare ahead of me I see the rat has returned, with a few friends who all stare at me with glittering eyes.
The Coward and the Tramp.
I look up and see a cloud of condensation escaping me as I breath. Frost begins to cover the manacles. I give them a tug. Nothing. The rats begin to move towards me, then hesitate.
The Coward.
I look to the rats, who are trying to scurry away from me as the temperature drops drastically, my limbs beginning to go numb, my teeth nearly chattering. I pull on the chain. Nada.
The Tramp.
With a roar of loathing, the energy bursts from me, sending an ice wave all throughout the room. The rats are frozen solid, the leader still staring at me menacingly. I growl towards its corpse and give the chains one final tug. They snap in half, and the falling metal drops in front of me. I wrench my wrists apart, shattering the manacles into tiny frozen pieces. I rub my raw wrists, trying to get some feeling back into them.
I take a moment to revel in my small victory, letting out a dry laugh, before I fall to the ground, blackness covering me in a warm blanket.
The first fist connects with his stomach and already there's a crowd surrounding us. I don't focus on them, only on hurting Joey as much as I can. How could he do this to me? How dare he? The second slams into his chin, knocking his head upwards. I pull my foot up and kick him in the chest with all the force I can muster, sending him flying back a couple meters.
As I stalk forward I hear cheers and jeers. The crowd is blood thirsty. A small smirk graces my features as he pathetically tries to pick himself back up, coughing pieces of bread. Amy latches onto my arm as I harshly shrug her off.
"It was all me, don't hurt him, hurt me, please," she begs. I gently push her into the onlookers, who hold onto her. They don't want anyone to disturb their entertainment. I turn back just in time to be taken off my feet as Joey tackles me to the ground. We land roughly and I crack my head off the concrete. My vision darkens for a second and then Joey is sitting on me. His fist wallops into my face and my head hits the concrete again, though this time I feel my lips burst and blood running from my nose. Disorientated, I do nothing to stop his second fist crashing into my eye.
That last hit knocks some sense into me and as he raises his fist again I buck him off and dart to my feet, him mirroring me as well. We pause for a second, and I feel blood running down my face but instead of pain there's only heat and rage, I wipe my palm across my face, smearing blood over my face as I smile. Joey lashes out with a kick. I catch his foot and twist, pulling as I do so. He falls in pain and I let him go.
I move forward and pull him up by his collar.
"Please-" he starts but gets no further as my fist crashes into his face. I let him drop, nursing my cut knuckles.
Part of me wants to stamp on his head, but I wait for him to get back up. He stays there, lying in the fetal position. I think I can even see him shaking from sobs.
"Get up," I growl gutturally. He doesn't move. "Get UP!" I shout before sending a kick to his arse. He howls and tries to crawl away, but the legs of our onlookers stops him getting far. I growl as I step forward...
And catch her eye. Filled with tears. I can't even hear what she's saying, the crowd around going wild as they are. But I know, regardless. I'd know what she was saying even if she shouted it from the other end of the world.
Stop. Please stop. Don't do this.
I lean crouch next to Joey and pull him close by the hair, easily batting away his scared jabs and pinning his arms. "Hey hey hey, listen to me, listen to me," I command roughly as he falls still. He pants heavily, much more than I do. Weakling. "You ever hurt her... and you'll beg me to go this easy on you. Understood?" He doesn't reply so I pull on his hair. "Understood?"
"Yes yes, it was all her, she came onto me, you gotta believe me-" he chokes on my name as I throw him forwards. I lean on his knees and he shouts in pain before I ease up. Joey, displaying more intelligence than I would have thought of him, shuts up.
"Don't you say my name you piece of shit!" I shout angrily, spittle and blood flying from my mouth. "You don't have that right anymore." I step off the traitorous bastard and spit out a globule of blood onto the pavement. I look at Amy, who's regarding her new partner with shock and disgust. "Smells like true love," I say sardonically as she lets loose a fresh bout of tears. Smiling madly, I pull out my pack of smokes. I take a few steps back and spit out another globule of blood before reaching into my pocket for my lighter, only realising after I checked every pocket that Amy has it. I smile at her angrily and hold out my hand.
Bitterly, she slams it into my hand, as though the touch of the metal burns her. Well, you know what they say about silver and blood suckers. I light the cigarette and after inhale deeply, flick the lighter closed and shove it in my pocket. "Thanks chook, you two seem perfect for each other," I say with a wink as I move past the wreck that is my old friend, the crowd parting around the side of me. Fearfully. Respectfully. I walk away from them all with a great big grin on my face. Not a care in the world.
All the while, on the inside, my heart sobs at my losses. Hardening against my grief.
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost, Fire and Ice. 1920
Okay, expect the next chapter on Saturday folks, granted that I can remember. Stay tuned for the epic finale, and the unmasking of the Captain...