Chapter 26: The ceremony- Finale - Act 5
Laughter was to be heard from the far end of the castle. It was damped by thick walls and thicker air that now started to spread in Shizuo's chamber.
Over and over Kururi's words repeated in Shizuo's head as he looked at what he thought was his wife.
The dress was beautiful. More gorgeous than anything in the world he had watched her when she ascended from the altar. She was so light, frail, pretty-
No.
He was.
"That makes no sense," Shizuo mumbled off guard. A soft smile played along his lips as he judged his wife's words.
No.
It had to be a joke. Surely she was jesting. After all, he would have realized such a ridiculous thing right?
She was sitting right in front of him, on that window ledge. Jewellry sparkled at each breath of air she took. Her necklace- Her collarbone, her physique-
She was sitting right there, very feminine looking and yet-
Her chest was flat.
That detail had never bothered him in the slightest. He didn't even take notice of it until this moment. Resisting to acknowledge the fact of matter his brain tried to come up with a decent explanation.
After all, not every woman was endowed equally, right? And the hair- rumors had long before told him that his bride cut her hair in order to escape the marriage, the fact that it was so short didn't prove anything, right?
And her voice-
… her voice was quite deep. For a woman that is. For a man it would have sounded too weak. Frail. Cute almost.
If this was a man sitting in front of him-
No.
Realization finally settled in as Izaya curled up on himself. He felt miserable. Nevermind the tightness he had felt in his chest ever since this morning. The guilt that now befell him and the sheer disgust was intolerable.
He wanted to tear the dress off his body.
Burn it somewhere far away.
He felt lost.
He had betrayed the only person in his life that had been nice to him without expecting anything in return.
The lack of words coming from Shizuo only suffocated Izaya more.
Honestly? He was expecting a hit. A blow to his face- or head- whatever the king preferred.
He was ready for it. He even wanted it.
But it didn't come.
Instead Shizuo just looked at him as though he was some kind of mythical creature he had never seen before. It was unnerving.
Another surge of laughter filled the empty hallways of the castle.
The knights were having the time of their life celebrating the king's wedding, while their leader stood. Slowly, without saying anything still, Shizuo approached the chair Izaya had been sitting on.
It had fallen over when Shizuo tore Izaya's hands from the deadly vial. Not bothering to put it back into its initial position he merely sat down on its ledge.
His hands folded tightly, as if he were trying to control his strength.
And finally his lips moved and a single word was thrown into the suffocating silence.
"Why?" Just that. Not more.
Izaya had never been a man lacking words in a conversation, yet right now it couldn't have been any harder to speak. What was he supposed to say?
Lie? Tell the truth? No matter which option he took, wasn't it going to end with his execution anyway?
He had deceived the man. The king. Nothing but his death was going to atone for his sins. If everything was over, then at least he could stop lying.
"The duke, my father, needed the money and a rich marriage was the only option left." Nothing but a hard gaze of stone met his face as he looked at the king.
"Your father has two daughters, I am aware of that fact. I saw them when I was younger so why make a fool of me like this?"
Shizuo didn't intend to sound as harsh as he did- but he couldn't quite control his disappointment.
This situation- he thought he had married. He thought he had found a wife to love. A wife that would love him back the same way he did. A wife that would grant him children of his own one day. A happy life.
Seeing everything he believed in shatter in front of his eyes was too much to take in at once.
He was mad, he was sad and the missing reason for all of this only worsened those feelings.
"They ran away," Kururi said and Shizuo's expression only grew more sour.
"... from the manor?" he found himself asking. It was hard to listen to the lies this traitor was telling when all he felt was the urge to fling him out of the window.
"They fled the land," the traitor, his queen, continued. "They heard about the marriage, and …. the rumors revolving around your father. They heard about the king taking his right to the first night-" Izaya paused, fading out at what more rumors they had heard about Shizuo's father. "They didn't want to experience these things, they didn't want to live this life. I didn't want them to."
Shizuo's expression grew stern.
Right on the first night? Oh yes, his father was crooked enough to command such an order. And another fact became apparent at the very same time.
If the traitor's father was willing to give his daughters to Shizuo knowing what would happen to them then he was quite the bastard himself.
Trying to keep his calmth and not lose control over this burning rage of disappointment Shizuo drew a deep breath.
"You helped them get away?" he asked slowly, and the traitor nodded. "And took their place thinking I wouldn't notice a thing?" Again a nod.
It was funny.
Izaya had not been hit or harmed in any way so far, and yet the king's words almost hurt more than any physical punishment could ensure. "Well done, you achieved what you hoped to."
The words acted like stabs to his body as Izaya grew cold, then hot. Embarrassment, guilt and anxiety took turns by the minute.
A hit, pain, anything would be better but this. It hurt worse to know what he was doing to the king than what the king could do to him.
"I take it you had some kind of goal doing this?" Shizuo suddenly asked. His eyes reflected the betrayal he felt.
"My father's land, the duke. It was on the verge of neglection, without the money the marriage would have brought he would-"
"I'm not asking about your father." Shizuo interrupted harshly. "Your sisters are gone. As you said you helped them flee. So why cooperate with this charade?!" His volume of his voice had increased and Shizuo quickly bit his tongue as he averted his eyes.
Just like back then.
When Izaya first arrived at the castle.
Shizuo had been covered in blood and the only glance he spared him was one of madness and anger.
Something resembling fear crawled up Izaya's spine at the sight.
There was nothing left to do.
it was over.
Once his father got word of this… he was dead.
Either by Shizuo, by his father or by the merchant's hands.
He was dead.
Izaya couldn't really explain why, but somehow his eyes trailed back to the veil on the ground. The vial. It was still sitting there tilted in a way that caused its contents to spill.
The rats of his father's basement, the cruel treatment various maids had reserved and the future of either this or a public execution forced itself onto his mind.
Too realistic he could envision the ax of the executioner rushing down to tear though his flesh, blood and bone as he broke his neck from his spine.
Feeling his stomach lurch, hope sparked in Izaya as he saw a single drop, collecting at the tip of the vial.
Shizuo saw none of that.
His mind was too clouded by sadness, anger, betrayal and the feeling of having been sold for dumb.
Getting up he kicked the chair he had been sitting on as he heaved.
He turned once more to face his false bride. He would listen to the unwanted excuse the traitor surely had to offer- Just so he could call this over.
Just to understand.
He looked towards the impostor- and his breath stilled.
Eyes glued to a spot on the ground, Shizuo followed Kururi's gaze. She was looking at the vial.
And suddenly Shizuo felt as though someone had robbed him of all air.
No.
Conflicting feelings out of nowhere battled in his mind as his body lurched forward. Angry and quick, as if having found a fat spider, he grasped the veil and flung it out of the window. Looking after it Kururi's gaze turned to Shizuo.
It was reflecting nothing but fear, misery and sadness.
The traitor thought Shizuo would do the same to him.
And yet he didn't move. Didn´t run-
As if he were ready to die.
And suddenly a strange sense of calmth washed over the king as a certain realization dawned.
Thinking up the plan to trick the king and choosing to die in order to not have the plan fail-
These weren't the actions of one person.
He somehow felt the familiar choking hold of his father on his neck when looking at his wife.
Right his father.
Only now it struck him as odd that he had never heard about the duke having a son.
Finding his mind trailing back to all the conversations he had led with his fianceé he found no hint to this issue. Instead he found laughter. He found the way the traitor laughed when they played chess. The way he helped him deal with aristocrazy. The way he never made a secret of not liking the king.
Had all of that been a lie?
Kururi had hated him the day she arrived.
Conflicting feelings befell Shizuo as he remembered her smile.
If none of that had been a lie, then what was true and what not?
Shizuo was sad.
He was hurt.
And yet-
Seeing her reach for the vial he just…
Waiting for his punishment to be decided, Izaya's hands on his dress tightened.
Now.
Now he was going to beat him up before throwing him into prison.
It was the only logical conclusion.
And yet the king proved to be a fairly unpredictable man as he approached Izaya.
"I'm not exceptionally smart, and even worse at concluding things," he started quietly, "You yourself pointed that out many many times. So please explain to me, so even an idiot like me can understand."
Surprised at the words, Izaya lifted his gaze.
Shizuo's expression was all that he had expected and yet not at all. The madness and anger from before had somehow magically disappeared. Instead there was nothing but sadness and questions lingering as he waited for a response.
He just wanted a reason.
Izaya couldn't help but feel his lips curl into a bitter smile at the phrase the king had used. It was the same one Izaya had said while they were playing chess.
Why?
How?
How did he not order to hang him yet?
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Izaya's voice creaked as he whispered, "What am I supposed to say?"
And to Shizuo's relief the question seemed real.
Much more real than Shizuo had expected.
Stance relaxing he shoved aside every thought and disappointment he had felt as he focused on what was in front of him.
"I never heard the duke had a son. Maybe start with that."
True.
Izaya smiled bitterly at the fact. His father had really done his best to keep his entire existence a secret after all.
"I am weak. Have always been. My father wanted an heir- I couldn't fulfill his demands. He made it a point to hide the fact he even had a son to avoid becoming a laughing stock." He paused shortly, waiting for further questions or an interruption, but Shizuo merely nodded as he urged Izaya on to continue. "... my mother died when she gave birth to my siblings. Father had always disliked me, even long before, but at that moment things just changed. He blames my sisters for killing their mother, he blames me for not being the successor he wanted and never getting another. He started neglecting his land, his people and my sisters. And I-" Izaya paused. His lips trembled as the words just somehow bubbled forth from his chest like a stream of freshly found water. And yet, the next part was just too personal to put into words. "After the doctor told us my … condition was permanent and might be getting worse-" Izaya exhaled, "He lost it."
A deep frown carved into the king's forehead as he listened to the traitor's story.
The sound of those words made his guts rise.
"What do you mean he lost it? What condition?"
The traitor didn't answer, and Shizuo somehow felt his blood boil at the lack of words. Not because the traitor wasn't telling him, but because he could already guess what he meant. His expression took away everything.
"I kept Mairu and Kururi from my father as far as it was possible," Izaya continued, "He was unpredictable- At times he would torture prisoners in the basement- for amusement," he paused shortly, as bitter recognition flared in his eyes. "Or at least I think they were prisoners."
A soft hint of nausea started to assault Shizuo's mind at the vivid pictures in his mind. Having been to war many more times than he liked to count he could envision very well what this traitor was talking about.
Shizuo had seen such men. Men that loved other's demise on a disturbing level.
"A year ago- he started to run out of money," the traitor continued before Shizuo could ask any more questions. "He was spending it on alcohol, banquettes he couldn't afford- I guess whatever took his mind off. He was close to bankruptcy. I don't know what favor it was that he had with the former king, but it must have been one hell of a deal because he suddenly boasted to me about how his daughters were going to marry the prince." A sad smile spread on the traitor's lips as his eyes closed. "... my sisters."
Swallowing hard, Shizuo appreciated the short moment of silence.
This… was a lot to take in at once.
"You thought I was the same as my father," Shizuo whispered and his bride nodded. "I wanted to spare them a life like that."
Feeling his disappointed fleet slightly, Shizuo calmed down.
This… was an emotion he could get behind.
"... you really love your siblings," he said, and felt the connection just as he would with his own brother when this traitor talked about them.
He wasn't lying. The care in his voice was something impossible to fake.
"Yeah," Kururi said, "And father knows that."
Shizuo's heart, having grown warm again, suddenly froze in the worst way.
A feeling of dread took over and his body tensed as the traitor continued. "When he noticed they were gone-" the traitor faded out, the words too harsh to speak aloud, "He couldn't lose this deal. He needed the money no matter what. No matter what-"
No way.
Slowly it dawned on Shizuo.
"He threatened to find and kill my sisters. To torture and rape them like he did with those people in the base. Before ultimately killing us all." A bitter laugh suddenly bubbled forth the traitor's lips as he shook his head. "The merchant that knocked at your door before- he is a friend of my father. He knows about the farce. He got a hold of the vial and my father slipped it to me before the wedding. I was supposed to drink it before the wedding night so as to not get discovered and then he-" Izaya swallowed hard as his voice gave out. It took him a second to continue as his throat constricted. "He would fetch my corpse and get it out of sight."
Lowering his gaze Izaya looked at the dress below. His hands had unintentionally gripped the material even harsher, creating unsightly folds. He couldn't bring himself to face the king as he continued. "The marriage would still be official, my father would have his money and my sisters would be free."
"And you dead."
Freezing at the harsh words Izaya choked.
Nausea thrived in his body as he touched his lips.
Dizziness was starting to take over- but Shizuo was right, wasn't he?
"You can kill me."
Flabbergasted Shizuo could do nothing but stare at the traitor for a second as he perceived the ridiculous request. "It's the best for everyone." Izaya continued, trying to convince himself despite the fear he felt.
He didn't want to die-
He didn't-
But it was the only solution.
With him gone and Shizuo on his side- he wouldn't give his secret away. For the sake of his sisters. He wouldn't- "You will be a widow, you can marry again, and-"
Izaya didn't get to talk much further as a set of heavy coughs ruptured through his body. Harsh and violent they tore at his chest as a feeling of indescribable pain filled his lungs.
He felt light headed- the coughs didn't subside-
"Hey-" Shizuo said gently, reaching for the traitor's back as he had hunched over. He looked pale- sick-
And suddenly he saw it.
In between a set of coughs, a few droplets of blood sprinkled his hands.
Pure horror displayed on Shizuo's face.
The blood screamed like a poisonous spider's fangs reaching for a jugular vein.
Without another word he jumped to his feet and back to the door.
Bursting open it slammed into the outer wall as he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"CALL FOR SHINRA!"
A shadow in the corridor caught his attention barely as it quickly scurried off.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was the merchant- but none of that mattered as he rushed back to the window.
Kururi, his bride, the traitor, his queen- conflicted in so many ways he couldn't care less about what he was as he picked him off the ledge.
"Don't fall asleep on me, okay?" he ushered hurriedly as he stepped into the hallway.
Multiple feets trampling against the ground advanced through the castle and finally he spotted a blotch of brown hair on his way to the staircase.
"What took you so long-?!"
To Izaya everything was starting to fade into a haze.
He couldn't tell up from down anymore. He was cold. He was hot.
His chest hurt so much-
He felt someone graze his arm, his neck, his body-
The dress was pulled from his skin and a shocked intake of breath was to be heard.
"Shizuo, this-"
"I don't care, do something!"
And suddenly everything was just light- Light. And dark. As he drifted away into a dreamless slumber.
to be continued~ C: C: C: C:
You thought last time was a cliffhanger? PFFFT
This is a cliffhanger xDDDDDD
See you next Saturday~ C;
PS.: I promised I would update all stories today, but because both, the Impostor update (3500 words) and the last chapter of Ast (4500) have been WAY longer than I expected I only managed these two after all x'D
Sotd, SD and Sns will have top priority for next week tho I promise! xDDD They are halfway done too with some major plottwists here and there so you can look forward to next Saturday haha 3 Love ya all xD