Trigger warnings for major character death (but it's the Regent so woot woot!) and also for said Regent being a creepy manipulative cunt. Okay I admit I just wanted to write something where Laurent kills the Regent. Why wouldn't someone want that :-)
3.
"Your highness" Damen almost grinned as he threw the bundle down heavily at Laurent's feet, offering it up as though it were a gift. It was. Laurent smiled back at him briefly from his vantage point like a maiden accepting a gift, answering the almost flirtatious smile with a glint in his eye that was almost a wink. He might almost have blown him a kiss.
Damen stepped back to let Laurent get on with it, standing far enough back to not be in the way but close enough to see everything. They were back where they had started; in the great throne room at Arles, only now that whole chamber was hung with blue, golden starbursts glimmering out from a thousand fluttering pennants.
The room was quiet for a few moments. Just the two of them and the bundle at Laurent's feet. Especially quiet for a trial, if that was even what this was.
Laurent's smile dropped as soon as he focussed his eyes back on Damen's offering, regarding it coldly, as though it were not a hog tied human. He unsheathed his sword as he walked down the few steps from the throne to stand above The Regent, squirming at his feet, trying to talk through the gag, trying to put himself in a less humiliating position.
"I'm doing this against my better judgement" Laurent announced, bending as fractionally as he could to until the gag – "But I confess I'm curious to hear what you think you could possibly have to say to me." He stepped back quickly shaking his hand as though he had soiled it by the brief contact.
"Laurent –" The Regent breathed out, trying with little success to reaffirm a modicum of control that he did not have – "Don't."
"Yes" Laurent half sneered, half sighed – "I expected that bit" He raised his sword to point it as much as he could in the direction of the Regent's throat. It was awkward, given the ties. He called Damen over, wordlessly; one glance and he was there. He dragged the man into a kneeling position, the better to expose his throat to Laurent's sword.
"Try harder" Laurent said.
"Be reasonable" The Regent wheedled – "You don't want to do this."
"Don't I?" Laurent raised an eyebrow – "I'm so glad you informed me uncle, I never would have known. Do go on. Tell me what I don't want to do."
It was hard to tell, Damen thought, whether the Regent looked afraid more of the sword perilously close to his throat or the ice in Laurent's voice, the certainty in those rigid words that had never been there before.
"I could tell you a lot of things I've not wanted to do" he added, eyes narrowed, voice refined to silk – "I wasn't able at the time. So please do tell me my own mind now."
"Laurent I never meant to hurt you, you have to understand – everything I have done has been for your own good –"
Only Damen noticed Laurent's sword hand shake. He took a step forward so that the point was on The Regent's throat. One more step and it would pierce the skin, a lunge and it could go right through.
"My own good" Laurent echoed. "Uncle you bore me. You have always bored me and – look me in the eye when you're lying to me!"
Damen wrenched the man's head up obligingly.
"What do you want me to say Laurent? Do you want me to beg for my life? We both know you won't kill me. You don't want that, not really."
"You are" Laurent hissed, as though surprised – "It really does sound like you are still telling me what I want. Amazing. But I do want to hear you beg you see, just like you always wanted to hear me. Who could have thought we could be so alike."
"Come on now –" The Regent was still using the tone of voice one would to an unreasonable child, Damen heard and he supposed that if he could hear that voice and feel it crawl disgustingly under his skin then the gods only knew what it was doing to Laurent – "You wouldn't kill your own family –"
"Like you didn't? Come on now." Laurent's tone mocked the Regent's own and only Damen could hear the quick catch in his breath as he wondered at his own daring. Laurent's eyes bore down on his prey, daring the Regent to argue, but for once the man knew better.
"This is just –" the Regent looked down from the eye staring contest, spluttering for words – "Just petty vengeance, you should –" Laurent took a tiny step forward. One more light dancing step was all it would take.
"Petty" he echoed – "Vengeance." He shook his head – "Forgiveness is over-rated." Damen saw the sword arm tense, so did the Regent.
"Please Laurent –" it was a last ditch effort – "I love you. I always loved you – nobody else will ever love you like I did."
Laurent's face twitched in a snarl. He fought it down.
"Now that" he said, calmly "Is the first true thing you've said."
Laurent moved forward one last time, a light dancing, lunging step. The sword blade was red when he stepped back, it clashed with the blue of the throne room. Damen let go of the body letting it slump to the floor. Laurent turned away, uninterested or unwilling to look at it.
"Take it away" He ordered with an airy flutter of one hand. Damen knew the order was not for him and called for the nearest guards. They came in fast and when they were gone there were only the two of them in the throne room. Laurent had already walked back up the steps to the throne. Damen followed and put a hand on his shoulder. Laurent turned and only when their eyes met did he allow the shaking to start. He buried his face in Damen's chest, trembling from relief and repression to name but two of the emotions that felt right now to be too big for his body. Damen held him until he went still, which was sooner than either of them expected and when Laurent looked up at him again they were both of them sat on one throne and both of them were smiling.
_x_
Yeah….I really really want Laurent to kill the Regent! Not necessarily like this, actually I have about half a dozen ways in which I'd like to see him die….maybe I should write all of them?! :-)