Nadri was confined to golden chains around her throat and wrists as she sat next to the King's throne. She watched the power-hungry Dragon Slayer pace the floors, his neckline littered with golden necklaces from Nadri's hoard, his fingers covered with diamond and ruby rings as well as his crown that had now been re-detailed obsidian details woven throughout the crown making it impossible for someone of draconian to be able to place it upon their head.
Nathaniel held his sword tautly in his hand, muttering madness to himself as he paced. Nadri looked up upon her King, waiting for him to finally take his ramblings out on his human slave. Nathaniel turned around to the young woman in her lengthy purple dress, flowing down the steps eerily.
"You can't have all the power for yourself." Nathaniel was jittery, the golden sickness overwhelming him and taking over his mind. The disease was known to weary travelers who had not experienced such a wealth, eventually driving them insane and off the mountain to suicide. "I won't let you."
"My King…you have all of my suleyk. Only you can control my power in this form."
"Liar!" Nathaniel looked down at Nadri with crazed, deluded eyes. He raised his sword up to her, mimicking his stance from the last fit he had thrown from a few weeks ago. "He promised me all of your power. The Dark One promised…" Nadri hitched her breath as she cowered next to the throne, the sword coming closer and closer to her body before she felt the point resting against her neck and travelled down to her chest, the point cutting the skin as it went and slicing the scaled material that just covered her breasts. "I need your heart."
"Please, Nathaniel. The gold has driven you vorohah. It is making you sick." The point of the blade pushed further, blood dripping down Nadri's neck and down her chest, soaking her dress once again with the crimson liquid.
"It's not enough." Nathaniel wasn't listening, it had driven him off the edge. "I need your heart."
"The price-" Nadri choked on the air she was breathing, feeling the blade squelch through her chest with a shove against the pommel of the blade. Nadri tried to grab the blade that was sticking into her chest, the chains around her wrists clinking together as she sputtered and poured blood from her mouth.
The world seemed to spin around her and a sharp, throbbing pain took hold of them, so much so that all she wanted to do was vomit and hope the pain would come out with it. Blood, there's blood everywhere. It's drenched Nadri's clothes, they're sticky and heavy and red. Red, everything is red, even the ground below her is turning red with blood.
"Nath…aniel…" She choked on her own blood, Nathaniel unsheathing the blade from her own chest. Nathaniel watched the life evaporate from Nadri, her life force dissolving into the air. With one last breath Nadri laid on the stone floor, her eyes that were once bright with galaxies molding together were now lifeless, dull and a fading grey-purple.
She was dead, just like that. All of the fight, the fire lit deep inside her had been put out just like that.
He had done it, he was able to steal the dragon's heart. Nathaniel chucked his sword aside, straddling Nadri's body as he prepared to pull her heart from her chest. That was until he felt the searing shooting pain impaling him through the chest, gasping and choking on thin air. He grabbed at his chest, only for nothing to be causing the pain. He panicked, Nathaniel choking with growing blood-shot eyes. Nathaniel felt his chest completely fold on itself and it was almost as if his heart had stopped all together and he fell to the ground on top of Nadri.
Nadri fell asleep out of her own free will, snoring quietly in Killian's arms as opposed to shaking the building as her draconic counter-part. Hades had not yet returned which Killian was thankful for, he wanted Nadri to feel peace and to be able to slowly heal now. Killian spent moments staring down at the woman who had made herself comfortable against his chest, he would wonder about her life before she died. She started in this world as a terrible beast to be locked away in the body of a woman, was all she knew really being under someone else's' thumb the whole time?
Killian leaned against the wall next to the fireplace, barely able to keep himself awake as the stinging pain bit as his face, his eye still swollen shut and blood now stained to his skin like red wine. Hours has past, the torment of the day and drained through her as did it him as well but the thought of sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do with Nadri at peace in his lap.
Killian listened to the blue crystal waters of the flowing river running around the room, as Nadri stirred, her eyes blinking open slowly.
"It's alright, I'm still here." Killian moved the hair away from her eyes, helping her sit up carefully as she rubbed her eyes.
"I'm…so sorry, Killy." Nadri muttered, combing through her hair with her fingers to neaten it as she cleared her throat, Killian staring at her with a weak smile. He was still in agony and barely able to move.
"You were content and snoring your head off, love." Killian held a small, heart-warming smile, something that he could tell warmed Nadri further when her cheeks went a further deep red. It was adorable, something he would have teased her on in the Land of the Living. "How are you feeling?" He looked down at her, his arm still against her back as she woke herself up.
"I should be asking you that. You look worse, raaviir."
"Hades knocked the handsome out of me."
"Vokorasaal." Nadri shook her head, exhaling with a bashful smile.
"Is that your way of saying that's true?" The pirate joked and Nadri couldn't help but let out a lilted laugh, something that had almost shook Killian at until now it was the first time she had found something genuine enough to laugh about. "Where is the sil naakin?" Nadri sighed, exhausted with her voice full of impending dread. Her face washed over with agony and stress as opposed to beautiful, rested, peaceful face while she slept.
It was nice while it lasted.
"Is that an insult?" Killian scratched the back of his head, unsure of her words.
"Soul eater sounds appropriate for him. Where is he?" Her throat was still sore, her words coming out slightly raspy. She moved away from the pirate, the space filling with the cold air instead of her warm body.
"He's been gone since before you woke up. You needed to sleep." She could barely keep herself awake, she was suffering from exhaustion, and her wounds weren't healing from the amount of blows and hits she had taken to her body over the past day. "Nadri." Killian had spoken her name before he knew what he wanted to say to her. She looked up at him, her great big purple eyes ready to swallow him whole.
"Yes, Ruveyzun?" Nadri waited with patience even knowing what was waiting her beyond the foreboding doors but she still sat there in front of Killian to listen what he had to say. The word for Captain sounded beautiful in her mother tongue, the way she said it made it made the foreign word roll right off her tongue. He had heard the rippling words of her voice as a Dovah, a dragon's voice would always send chills up his spine. But he listened to her talking as the woman he had grown to know, her voice was so sedating he could have fallen asleep to it.
"Killian?" Nadri whispered again, Killian bringing his hand up to her face to caress her healing bruises but Nadri flinched away.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me." Killian rested his hand on hers like he had done when they had first met. Nadri looked back up at him and she pulled his hand away, bringing it back up to lightly touch the skin of her cheek. Her hand held his against her face, feeling and embracing his warmth. He closed the space between them and Killian ever so slightly pressed his lips against her own.
Nadri was unsure at first after being previously betrayed by sudden affection but she couldn't help but close her eyes and press her lips back to his. It was forgiving, devoted, the sort of kiss that you would share with someone wanting that person to feel the incredible overwhelming emotion that you had for them and savoring every part of it.
The kiss only lasted for a few moments and Killian rested his forehead against Nadri's. Her eyes were still closed for half a second afterwards, Killian wanting to let his charming smile rule his face as he could see he left her breathless but decided in better judgment. She had never experienced such a kiss so tender, so innocent. Killian rested his forehead against hers, Nadri gave him a sad smile.
"Killy…"
"Well." Killian and Nadri jumped at hearing Hades voice appear into the room, not noticing that he had appeared moments ago in a spiral of flames and smoke. "I focus on business elsewhere and I come back to see my prisoners getting busy in my domain." Nadri moved herself away from Killian, the warmth disappearing. "It's nice to see you're still with us, Nadri." Hades walked into the room with a fiery aura, he was angry, shaking with rage. He looked over her once before his eyes landed back down to Killian.
"Hades, please." Nadri said, shaking her head. Hades laughing out loud, wiggled his finger at her, implicating he wasn't talking to her this time. Killian looked up at Hades as he crouched down to his eye level, clutching Nadri's hand as she moved further away from Hades presence out of fear for what would happen next. He was barely holding onto her hand at this point but he wasn't going to let her go, he refused to let her go with Hades again even if it meant him getting hurt further.
"The prisoner you aided in escape... she moved on from this realm." His voice was laced with disappointment, distain and disgust. It was dark, lowly toned when he growled at Killian. "They killed Cerberus." Hades eyes flickered to Nadri. "You tried to help them break your bonds." Killian looked at Nadri's face, he could see her eyes fill with excitement and amazement at hearing the words they had taken down Cerberus and souls had moved on.
Did that mean that Hercules managed to move on too?
"Find it funny do you?" Hades hissed, reprimanding. "Did you think that the Evil Queen would free you from this human form?" Killian had hoped desperately they could have found a way by now for Nadri's freedom, Killian wanted to pummel Hades' face into the ground with every ounce of strength he had left, he'd find more if he could.
"I told you before Hades, this fire will always burn." Hades suddenly produced a chiseling tool within his hand from a puff of smoke.
"Get on with it, then." Killian cut in, trying to keep the attention away from Nadri.
"Oh, this? This isn't for you. It's for your friends." He laughed bitterly, pulling Killian's hand from Nadri's roughly and forcing the sharp object in his palm. Hades stood up, leaving Killian baffled.
"What in the bloody hell am I supposed to do with this?" Killian moved the object around with his hand, studying it.
"Simple accounting, really. At first, I wanted your friends to leave. I really had such a smooth-running operation going here before they arrived, but now I've decided they've caused too much damage, so my vindictive side... Did you know I have one? It wants to punish them. So, from now on, for every soul your friends free, one of them is going to have to stay. And, Captain... you get to decide who." Hades explained to Killian and Killian stared down at the chisel, conflicted. Hades brought his magic together, summoning three gravestones in front of them that were waiting to be fixed.
"Killy-"
"You do not get to speak." Hades shouted suddenly, making them both jump. "Your punishment is on my to-do list, trust me woman. You've been adding fuel to this fire. I want to crush your pathetic existence, Nadri. It's just a shame with such dark power comes a whiny, little bitch." Killian felt helpless as Hades roared at the woman in the corner, wanting to embrace her and protect her. "All you need to do is choose three of your friends to stay here, Killian Jones. Carve their name." Hades slicked his hair back, eyes darting down at Killian just staring at the chisel as if the answers were going to appear on the metal. "W-what's the problem? Is it the chisel? So unwieldy for the one-handed. Or writer's block?"
"I'm not doing it, I refuse." Killian finally broke Hades' ramblings, throwing the chisel down onto the ground in front of him. Hades took a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Not only to do you seriously disappoint me but you're both testing me to my wits end. I guess it's off to solitary." Hades brought himself down and yanked Killian by his hair, he screamed out in pain as he was dragged to his feet roughly.
"Killian!" Nadri brought herself up unsteadily from the floor, Hades raising his hand to her and she was forced back to the ground by a magical energy that refused to let her get up. Killian tried to look back at Nadri who kneeled their hopeless, her eyes full of terror as she kept calling out his name but Hades held him so tightly to refuse him turning back. "Hades, please, leave him alone!" She screamed out even though her body was frozen. "Please don't!" She sobbed, knowing what exactly solitary meant for Killian.
"We're going for a walk darling, I'll be back soon." Hades pushed the doors open, continuing to drag and yank Killian behind him. "You both have nerve trying to show me up." Killian could still hear her shouting and crying desperately through the doors of the room, her noise muffled out only slightly.
"She doesn't deserve it. If you're going to do it to anyone then let it be me. She is an innocent." Killian painfully barked, trying to bargain for Nadri's life. He had come into this realm after giving into the darkness so quickly, he was desperate and heated on revenge. Killian wanted Nadri to be free, to move on without chains around her keeping her here.
"Oh you really don't get it do you?" Hades let go off him, pushing his head away as they headed halfway down the ominous hallway. "Her power was bought under a deal. Her master died when he killed her and I took on her lovely contract. She is cursed with a lifetime of torment and even you can't free her of that as much as you'd like to try." Hades shoved him towards the door, shimmering green waters reflected off the walls of the ruins and Killian watched as the souls lost within the pools twirled and moaned into each other, forever lost inside of the river.
"I'll try, I have eternity." Killian huffed. "She doesn't deserve to be tormented by you."
"But she does by you? Please, Hook, stop being so dramatic. She's a lost soul, she's lonely and attractive. I see why it appeals to your pirate nature, have a history of stealing women don't you?" Killian flared towards Hades as his hateful words. He didn't see Nadri as a lonely soul, she needed help and she needed to move on from this cursed realm as a free woman. Killian felt sorry for her, he wanted her to feel more than that Hades had reduced her to.
Hades brought Killian to the end of the stony pier, a small wooden boat waiting in the light, gentle waves of the river.
"What the hell is this place?"
"This is the River of Lost Souls." Hades declared, watching Killian as he limped along bloodily. "Touch it and it will make you lost. Reducing you to a mindless, tormented husk. So please, keep all arms and hand inside the boat."