Prelude Chapter 10: Horned Crown

Marika III

"Vyke, come hither!" Marika called from her seat upon the top of the great wall of leyndell, she overlooked the Altus Plateau in all its radiance as she waited for the messenger boy to show his face. After a moment Vyke, one of the servants appeared, he was a youth no older than eleven years, the boy was as pale as a ghost with eyes and hair to match in whiteness, signifying he was a Numen like herself.

"Y-yes Queen Eternal?" The boy said sheepishly.

"Would you fetch me Alecto? Perhaps she resides nearby." Marika said before waving the boy off to his task. Vyke nodded quickly and scurried away to find his mark.

Marika watched as the forces of Leyndell made their way through the gate and onto the stone pathway outside the holy capital, amongst them she saw two of the Tree Sentinels who she had assigned under Radagon's lead, temporarily of course. Marika also saw the twisted horns of the Crucible Knights who served her new husband, she despised the Crucible Knights and what they stood for, a dying age, withering and past, she especially looked down upon the eldest of their ranks, Devonia.

Leading the army she saw her husband Hourah Loux, now as she had renamed him Godfrey, a much more regal title deserving of the conqueror of Serosh who he now wore on his back like a cape. And at the forefront walked Radagon, who stood much shorter than Godfrey and with his last chestplate destroyed he had elected to go to war with an exposed chest, and in his hand instead of his longsword he carried a hammer that glowed with holy light. Marika disliked Radagon although she knew not why, he reminded her of someone although she knew not who, although she did respect his combative and political mind, as she had trusted him to lead the force instead of Godfrey. Her eyes caught a glimmer of gold as she saw Shabiri slinking slowly behind both Radagon and Godfrey, Marika regarded Shabiri as a failure, although he had his uses he was a failure nonetheless.

"You called for me, my queen?" Alecto emerged from the shadows, her presence heralding the return of the young servant Vyke, who quickly disappeared from sight.

"Indeed, I did. What reason do you suppose brings you here, sister?" Marika queried, a playful tone in her voice.

"Might you simply enjoy my company?" A hint of amusement flickered in Alecto's yellow eyes.

"Not incorrect, but there is more. I have a question for you," Marika said, crossing her legs contemplatively. "Why do you think I have kept you from the forthcoming battle against the Carian forces?"

"Because I let you down previously. I failed to guide Shabiri effectively and could not best the Twin Moon Knight." Alecto replied, her voice losing its earlier warmth.

"That is not it. If failure were a cause for dismissal, Shabiri would be here beside you," Marika retorted, her smile widening. "No, Alecto, it is because life stirs within you. You may not feel it yet, but as one attuned to all life here, I sense a new presence blossoming within you. I myself am similarly situated." Marika Recalled in her mind the past evenings spent in delightful union with Godfrey.

The revelation hung between them, a shared secret in the quiet of the looming walls.

"No, it cannot be," Alecto gasped, her hands clutching her abdomen in disbelief. "I haven't even been wed. How is this possible?" Her voice trembled, betraying her shock at the revelation of her unexpected pregnancy.

"Perhaps it is a gift from the Erdtree itself, coinciding with my own good fortune of bearing a firstborn." Marika replied with a sly grin, alluding to her own impending motherhood.

"Firstborn? But what of Messmer?" Alecto quickly recovered, her shock giving way to concern.

"Messmer emerged from me, but he is not my child. He is a creature of my creation, far from a son. He will fulfill the purpose I have crafted for him, but he will not inherit the title of my firstborn," Marika stated, her voice icy.

"Marika, you flout the traditions of our people for your own vanity," Alecto accused, stepping closer, her usual deference fading. "You ought to honor your firstborn, not conceal him beneath the Erdtree as if he were some dark secret."

"Messmer is not my son; he is a curse, a serpent thrust upon me by the Hornsent to ruin my lineage. I refuse to acknowledge that abomination as my firstborn. He will serve his purpose and be remembered for it." Marika declared, rising and stepping towards Alecto with a chilling calm.

"And what vile plans do you have for Messmer? What horrors do you intend for him to unleash?" Alecto demanded, her voice filled with a mix of fear and defiance.

"When Messmer comes of age, you will teach him the art of warfare. Then, he will be unleashed upon those who have wronged us." Marika's voice grew colder with each word.

"I will not train the boy to wage war so you can enact a genocide like those that were perpetrated against us. 'An eye for an eye renders both sides blind.'" Alecto retorted sharply, her comment crossing the boundaries of their usual discourse.

Marika felt a rage inside her well up, but she hid it as she grabbed the sides of Alecto's face forcing the warrior to look her queen in the eyes as their faces grew closer.

"This will be the last time we disagree sister, I wish I did not have to do this, but you fell too far out of line." Marika's lips met Alecto's briefly in a kiss, not one of love but the secret kiss Marika had used to her advantage long ago. Marika hated this aspect of her power and wished she could give it away, although Alecto had forced her to use it, so she had no regrets. Alecto began to shiver as she fell to one knee before Marika, she lifted her head to once meet her queens gaze, Alecto's eyes were full of fear as her free will was stripped from her consciousness as the charm began to take hold of her.

"Sister, please..." Alecto's plea was faint, her resistance fading, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

"Rise," Marika commanded authoritatively. Alecto stood, a vacant smile replacing the fear in her eyes.

"Yes, Queen Eternal?" Alecto asked, her voice now dripping with blissful ignorance.

"You are dismissed. May the life within you flourish as mine will," Marika dismissed her with a wave.

"Thank you, Queen Eternal," Alecto said cheerfully, turning to leave without a hint of her former turmoil.

Marika stood in silence, a smile upon her face, her actions justified in her mind. She turned and saw the golden host riding into the setting sun. Marika touched her stomach gently as she felt the beginnings of life stir within her, and she felt relieved that a proper heir would grace her line. Marika looked upon the horizon as the stars began to rise alongside the moon and she reached out with her strength as she used her divine powers to survey the world around her, from the commoners about their tasks, Knights sparring in the many courtyards of Leyndell, the grand caravan of merchants that resided in the far north alongside the Ice Dragons and Fire Giants who fought a war with no victor, and even to the Roundtable were she heard the clanging of a hammer and steel of the monstrosity she had imprisoned there.

Although deep within her she felt another presence begin to grow alongside the one within her, a burning presence, a parasite. And Marika upturned her gaze to the Erdtree in fear.

"No… she will not be reborn in this world. I forbid it." Suddenly a twinge of pain shot through Marika's body causing her to fall to her knees as she clutched the stone infront of her as she cried out in pain. "You cannot force me to hold this gloam inside me." Marika said through gritted teeth. Marika held herself up by the ledge of the stone wall as she made her claim to her overseer.

Births will continue, all shall be reborn.

"Not this one, I beg of you." Marika pleaded. "I wish for my line no longer to be tainted with curses and monsters, please." Marika waited as she gripped the stone, and in her grasp, it began to crumble under her strength as she waited for a response. But no response ever came, and the pain dimmed until she felt it no more. Marika cursed as she knew none could hear her, and she stormed her way through the innards of the city walls, passing knights who bowed to her, and many others until she reached the outer gate where she looked upon the stars and the mist that accompanied the moon and screamed.

From the shadows, a figure materialized, a white beastman crouched upon one of the upper banisters, leaning on his colossal blade embedded in the stone. He surveyed the scene below with a look of deep disappointment etched across his features. Marika, catching his gaze, directed a look of intense rage mingled with sorrow upward, her silence a desperate plea for understanding.

Maliketh descended gracefully from his vantage point and approached, his massive frame moving with surprising agility. He knelt before her, bowing his great head respectfully. His voice, a deep rumble tinged with emotion, broke the heavy silence.

"My old lord has fled, my blade is truly yours now, Marika." He raised his head slowly, locking eyes with her. "You felt it, the ire of the Greater Will. Now you shall pay the price."

Marika's fists clenched at her sides as she stepped closer to her Shadowbound Beast. As she reached him, he dissolved into the shadows, vanishing before she could respond. Marika stepped forward, her eyes searching the darkness where he had disappeared, but found nothing but the cool air of the night. Collecting herself, she cast one last searching look into the shadows, then turned and strode back toward the heart of her city, her figure a lone silhouette against the darkness that enveloped the golden city.