Fast update guys! You guys will love me after this.
With last chapter, I, by no means, was trying to condone William's actions. Nothing can condone what he's done.
A guest had a very good question regarding William beating Merida while he was beaten himself as a child. I never mentioned this but William witnessed his father abusing his mother, so he basically grew up having little respect for women and thinking that the only way to get a woman to listen to you was by beating her or threatening her. And then you had Artair and Cináed enter his life, who thought the exact same way. You can say that William grew up with some poor role models.
In one paragraph, it gets a little religious, so if it's offensive in any way, I'm terribly sorry.
Reminder: poll's still open. It will close in 2 chapters.
WARNING: Character deaths
TRIGGER WARNINGS: suicide. One thing you have to know is that in medieval times, suicide was a sin.
Chapter #40: Retribution
Third Person POV
You were my everything; now you're gone. I don't have the strength to carry on. Skies always seemed sunny when you were here. Now there's nothing but gloom in my atmosphere.
Merida woke when the glimmer's of the morning sun peeked over the mountain and into her room. Not feeling tired anymore, she stepped out of bed, not knowing what she would do that she was up.
I loved you so much. You were all I had. Now my whole world s depressing and sad.
She stood in the room, staring ahead of her until she decided to do some she hadn't done in a long time. She went on her knees and prayed. She prayed for her Lord to be merciful and prayed for absolution for what she was going to do.
I'd like to start feeling other than blue.
Finishing her prayers, she left the cold floor and walked to her desk, grabbing the box that laid on the edge and moving it to the center, directly in front of her. She opened the lid, revealing a brand new silver dagger.
But you were my everything
Tears in her eyes, Merida grabbed the dagger, slowly pointing it to her heart.
What can I do?
"Are you sure about that?" A voice said behind her. The dagger moved away from its target but remained it's threat to it. Merida didn't turn around but she recognized the voice. It was her, that wench in the black dress, donned with jewelry and an ever present grin on her face. The one that knew everything about Merida, each little secret or thought.
"What do you want?" Merida snapped, continuing to stare in front of her, the dagger keep its position.
"Giving you a reason to not do it." She replied, referring to the knife. Merida let out a sob, looking at her over her shoulder,
"What reason could you possibly have?!" She wept, "I don't want to live anymore!" The knife fell from her hand as she sobbed into her hands, her depression taking over. Merida had completely lost the will to live. They had all tried to lift her mood, to give her a reason but their attempts were futile. Oblivious to the truth that caused her sadness, no one could help her.
A hand found its way onto the princess' shoulder, the touch sending a shiver through her.
"Why do this if the one that caused your pain lives?" The voice whispered coldly in her ear. Merida gasped and turned around, the knife clattering to the floor, but all she saw was an empty room. She was gone.
The sun rose a little further through the window, the light reflecting off of the blade into Merida's eyes. Slowly picking it up, the words echoed through her mind. Pondering on them for a little while, she knew she had one last purpose, one last thing she had to do.
Not caring for modest or decency, she walked out of her room in her nightgown, holding the knife in her hand in a way that it was hidden from sight. No one was up yet, much to her relief. She didn't want to be caught, not that she would be punished anyway, for there are 7 things that are an abomination, according to her God. Among them: haughty eyes, lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. She was doing her God's work for him, what punishment would there be for her? If she was punished, at least she would drag the devil with her.
Her target would be behind the door she now faced, hopefully still asleep. She grabbed the handle and opened the door, cursing in her mind at the sight of William standing at the window, looking out at the world. He was completely dressed, ready for the events that should've happened that noon.
"Unfortunately he won't be attending them." Merida thought, shutting the door behind her, catching William's attention.
"Merida what are you doing here?" She didn't say anything in reply. Instead, she stared at him with a glare oozing with hate.
"His judgment cometh and right soon."
"Wha-?" Was all William could utter before Merida lifted the knife and rammed it into his chest, the lade going deep into his lung. He fell haphazardly to the floor, his back leaning against the wall as his eyes became glued to the dagger and the blood that was slowly dripping into his clothing. Breathing heavily and feeling faint, William grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of him, groaning loudly at the pain it caused. He knew that it would make the injury worse but he knew he would die anyway; no one survived this kind of injury.
He began muttering in Latin, asking forgiveness from his mother and Graham. He continued muttering, his hand unconsciously going to his injury to staunch the bleeding. His breathing became more labored as time ticked by slowly. Little black dots speckled his eyes as he looked to Merida, still standing with an emotionless face.
"Merida." He mumbled weakly, using all his strength to lift his bloodied hand and a vague motion for her to come closer. The princess knelt down beside me. William took a deep, shuddering breath, "Can you ever forgive me for all the things I've done?" He wasn't expecting her to ever forgive him but he had to at least try. To his surprise, Merida nodded.
"But only if you give me something I want." William tried t sit up but recoiled in pain.
"Anything." He mumbled, fighting back a spasm of pain.
Merida stared at the dying man with absolute hatred in her eyes. Was he really that stupid to think that he could buy her forgiveness? He didn't deserve her forgiveness. Not from her, not from anyone. Without him seeing, Merida grabbed the knife and leaned closer to his face.
"I want Hiccup back, you son of a bitch." And she rammed the knife once more into his chest, stabbing him right through the heart. He let out one last weak gasp before his head fell limply onto his shoulder, the life in his eyes quickly draining until there was absolutely nothing. She checked for a heartbeat but there was nothing.
He was dead.
Letting out a low chuckle, she pulled the dagger out of him and left the room, blood dripping into the hem of her gown and onto the clean wooden floor. Her chuckle grew as she returned to her room, escalating into a boisterous laugh when the door shut.
Gone! Gone! Gone!
She sang, doing mad prances and spins around the room, waving the knife above her and swinging blood onto her face. She hopped to her closet and snatched the wedding dress that hung on the door. She threw it to the ground and assaulted it, snickering loudly.
Won't be needing this anymore!
She giggled like a little child as she wiped the dagger clean on the pure white fabric and tore it to shreds, throwing the pieces into every corner of the room. She continued to tear until it didn't look anything like a dress. Still giggling, she lay herself on the fabric and writhed in the fabric, pretending to be lying in the snow and making snow angels.
"Merida, what have you done?" It was her again. Gasping, the princess sat up, staring straight into her blue eyes. She carried a worried frown, not the usual smug smile.
"What do you think? I punished the one that destroyed my life."
"Punished?" She retorted, "You murdered him!" Furious, Merida stood up and faced the woman in front of her.
"I didn't murder him." The woman chuckled evilly and rolled her eyes,
"Oh, Merida. You did murder him." She lifted an elegant finger and wiped it across Merida's cheek, staining the delicate pale skin with deep red. "You carry the evidence." And suddenly, she was gone.
Starting to shake, Merida looked at her hands, both stained with blood. Feeling sick, she rushed to the washing bowl, desperately splashing her red-stained hands in the water in an attempt to wash the filth away. But no matter how hard she scrubbed, the red remained.
"Go away!" She hollered at her hands as she watched the red spread across her hands onto her arms. Then she saw the red on her nightgown, it too spreading across the rest of the clean white fabric. With a scream, she pulled the gown off and threw it into the fire, the fabric burning quietly as she donned a black dress when the chills attacked her.
She knelt to the floor, sitting in the shreds of the wedding dress, and reached for the knife and pointed it again at her heart.
"Mer!" A voice called out. Gasping, she ran to the window and heard the voice call her again, the source coming from the forest. She knew the voice. It was the one sound she wanted to hear more than anything.
"Hiccup?" she breathed, immediately running out the door. She kept running, past confused maids and guards. Past the first gate and past merchants in the market. Past the just barely open outer gate into the forest.
"Hiccup!" She cried in hope, running into the ring of stones, "Hiccup!" She called again. The only reply she got were the chirping of birds and the rustle of the early morning wind. Then a hum. Before her floated a familiar blue flame.
Eyes glued on the little blue flame, Merida followed it deep into the forest. The trail kept going until she reached a clearing.
"Hiccup?" She called into the clearing but all she heard was the bubbling stream, a stream she was familiar with. It was the stream, the clearing where she met Hiccup, where they spent so much time together, where they were caught by William.
Numbly and tears in her eyes, she slumped to the stream, collapsing beside the stream in grief.
"I'm so sorry, Hiccup!" She hollered at the ground, her heavy breathing mixed with her loud sobs. She looked to the sky, the pink clouds looking down at her, "I did this to you! To us!" She fell back to the ground, clenching her fist tightly, feeling the dagger she still carried. The sun began to shine on it, making it almost seem ethereal. She lifted the dagger, presenting it to the sky as the light continued to reflect off the blade.
"Dear God, forgive me." She whispered, pointing the tip to herself. She cried out as pain hit her. She fell onto her side, silent tears rolling out of her eyes as she stared at the hilt of the blade that was now impaled in her stomach. She saw black dots in her eyes and felt an odd sense of peace. Finally relaxing, she closed her eyes and pictured Hiccup's face in her mind, waiting for her at a set of gates.
"I'm coming Hiccup" She mumbled as the very last breath left her body.
Yeah… I'll leave you guys to celebrate William's death. I realize that you can't die that quick from a stab to the stomach but for dramatic reason, I did it anyway.
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