I'm back a tad early with a new chappie hehe, I'm technically supposed to be on break but I still work part-time so breaks aren't rly breaks lol.
I'm not sure if anyone has this feeling but I start something with so much excitement and then I hit a small blocker about 10 min in and I lose all hope for it and get tired lol. My brain is a liiiiiiittle weird sometimes.
WARNING** War, violence, murder, mentions of blood and other possible distressing stuff! Oh and also ALOT OF swearing on this one.
I realised I rated this story as T when it's like MA+ according to fan fiction guidelines and then I was doing some research and found this reddit post of some author flaming other authors for misrating their content. TSQ does have course language, mild violence and probably some other mature themes but honestly, it's up to you as a person if you want to expose yourself to that sort of stuff, I could rate this story MA+ and 6th graders would still find it and read it. I was 12 at some point too I KNOW.
The internet is a war zone, I'm just a spectator who occasionally throws in grenades to stir the pot LOLOLOLOL.
"NO!" Stella screeched, leaping towards him in a fit of fury and anger as her body flooded with panic. High Commander Silver watched her struggle, standing motionless, just a few paces away, his gaze detached, cold.
The first airship closest to the camp fired a barrage of bullets, colliding relentlessly against the glowing green barrier that fell over the outpost, a protection spell Noah had insisted on veiling the post with. Right now, it was their only hope of escape.
The protection spell may be effective against holding off older Drakari ships, but ever since the new battleships were introduced, the Rebellion hadn't had time to ready their defences.
They weren't ready for this.
The soldiers surrounding her were given strict orders not to fire, only to restrain her, but as the trained lieutenant of the rebellion, that wasn't exactly easy. Stella's desperation ignited her strength, as she swiftly evaded the men that launched at her. She ducked and dodged the first soldier, taking his hand and using his body as a block for the other soldier who came at her.
She twisted his arm before using his incapacitated body to shoot her foot straight under the jaw of another Drakari, knocking him out. She was strong; he could garner that much from the way she parried the grips of the men who tried to hold her.
Anything was a weapon in her hands, even the coat she carried for warmth as she used it to tie off two of the soldiers who ran at her with their weapons.
Eight lay strewn on the bridge, unconscious or groaning in pain, as she finally launched herself toward their commander, who stood calm and unfazed.
She almost made it, almost clawed her right at his face before being apprehended by the closest soldiers. Their gun barrels levelled at her face as Brandon Silver stood tall and unmoving between the armed guards that flanked him.
"There's no point fighting, Princess, you can't protect them without transforming," He gritted out as she stood panting with her hands raised at the guns. Her face contorted with a look of horror when she saw the protective barrier getting weaker, and she prayed to the stars that the healers had time to run away.
She knew the sceptre wasn't going to respond, it never has in the last 4 years of her serving the rebellion. She had learned to stop relying on her magic and fight with her might. But even then, her courage was starting to flicker right now.
As two more men forced her down, she felt the bite of the ground against her knees and their cold hands restraining her arms behind her back, "Stop this!" She shouted with a struggle.
His eyes were cold and unfazed as they watched the mark with a chillingly emotionless look. Her mark didn't respond, not even a flicker of gold to indicate the sceptre's reaction.
"Please, you don't have to do this! They're just healers," Her breaths came fast, despite being surrounded and held at gunpoint. Something in the way she glared up at him told him that she knew he wouldn't have her shot.
She knew as far as her role as a prisoner went, she was untouchable until the sceptre was out of her. He knew that, too. That's why she didn't view him as a threat.
At least not against her.
"Have the ships land as soon as the barrier comes down, bring that outpost down, I want everyone inside rounded up," He commanded the soldiers in the ship as Stella's eyes widened and her stomach dropped.
"No…" She breathed, watching the remaining ships surround the quickly weakening barrier. She could see it flicker, a few bullets managing to pierce through as the magic dissipated at the force of the blows, "NO! STOP!"
The barrier came down in a matter of seconds as the trees full of hidden rooms and camps began to take the hits. She could see three of the smaller ships land on the scorched grass, soldiers pouring out of the drawbridges and openly firing at the burning camp.
She could see the faint glow of injured fairies, rebellion members who took refuge at the camp, people she had seen, spoken to and heard their stories. People who wanted to fight for those they've lost.
Those same people stood trembling behind the gun barrels aimed at their heads.
All she could see was the corpses that scattered the great hall on the day of her coronation. The same was about to happen to Verdentia Outpost.
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Stella screamed, but High Commander Silver only turned away, his order were clear and merciless,
"Tell the soldiers to move in,"
Please. Transform. Put an end to the misery. For star's sake.
"STOP IT!" Stella shrieked.
The flames from the gunfire had risen, consuming the trees around the camp as the birds and animals that lived amongst the outpost scattered in fear. Some were injured and weak from the smoke as they tried to escape.
Stella could see the bloodied rebellion members being captured and forced to kneel on the ground as Drakari soldiers held them at gunpoint, waiting for the mark to murder them from their commander,
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" She begged, using every ounce of her strength to break away as more guards on the bridge held her down.
High Commander Silver's footsteps sounded towards her and in a few strides, he was in front of her, his cold, gloved hand grabbing her jaw and forcing her tear-glazed eyes to glare up at him, "You want to save your healers? Transform, stop me, kill me like you said you would!" He hissed out as she gritted her teeth, struggling against the soldiers that restrained her.
His eyes trailed down her arm, despite the anger, pain and terror in her eyes, the mark didn't even flicker. The sceptre was not going to respond and Stella was terrified about how far he was willing to go to invoke a reaction.
He scoffed, "You're weak, princess,"
High Commander Silver straightened up, stepping away from her as one of his soldiers spoke from the control bay of the main battleship. "Sir, they've captured some of the healers, but a lot of them escaped,"
Stella panted, hanging her head as the words managed to bring a surge of relief to her pounding heart. They escaped, most of them escaped, but not all of them.
"Get me a visual," The High Commander said in an eerily calm voice, and with a few taps, the ship's aerial view zoomed in on the dozen or so fairies that the Drakari managed to apprehend. Stella could see the bloodied and bruised faces of the healers she had interacted with during her brief time at the Linphea camp.
The selfless fairies that chose to help heal others despite the dangers now stood kneeling in front of the Drakari soldiers, hands behind their heads in an execution fashion.
There were 13 of them. Thirteen men and women they managed to capture, those who likely stayed behind to make sure the others had time to escape. The moment Stella's eyes met those familiar terrified brown eyes, she felt her throat tighten and her body run cold.
Flora.
The panic in her gaze she tried so hard to conceal seeped through with just enough of a twitch in her expression for High Commander Silver to notice.
"Someone important to you?" His tone was dark and mocking as if to purposefully evoke a reaction. Stella looked away from the screen, her body going numb at the possibilities this murderer was capable of.
"Bring the ship down," He commanded and her eyes widened, immediately snapping her head up to glare at him despite the pit that sank in her stomach.
"No, no, no, what are you doing?!" She demanded, shaking her head. He tilted his head to the side, and the soldiers that held her kneeling to the ground then forced her onto her feet.
His eyes connected with her, and a cold chill ran down her spine, making her legs feel numb. Then he spoke words that shattered her courage: "You want me to be a threat, princess? I will."
Stella's lips parted from the shock, realising what he was insinuating as he walked away from her, "No, no, don't please, stop! You don't have to do this! Please!"
He didn't listen as his heavy footsteps stalked towards the loading bay, a larger drawbridge that was used to bring in larger items or release throngs of soldiers.
The men who restrained her forced her to walk behind him. As the drawbridge extended, the wind from the propellers made his cape dance like the devil as his heavy footsteps descended the ramp towards the fairies kneeling over the dirt.
Stella fought back, struggling and twisting against the grips of his men who made her walk down with him. As if it was some sick game for her to watch.
They reached the clearing, the roaring fires casting ominous shadows across the kneeling fairies. Flora looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Stella, her face a mix of fear and relief, a faint smile of reassurance trying to form despite her battered state.
"You're okay," She mouthed, with just enough movement for Stella to receive the message. Even now, Flora was trying to be strong, to give Stella some semblance of hope.
"A friend of yours, princess?" The Drakari High Commander drawled, tauntingly.
Stella responded with a venomous glare, challenging his mockery. Brandon's gaze shifted to the soldiers that held the other fairies, "As soon as I kill this one, kill the rest, burn the forest down if you have to - I want no one alive,"
Fearful cries escaped the other fairies who knelt behind Flora as the Drakari members pressed their weapons threateningly against their heads.
As his words rang in her ears, Stella watched in horror as he pulled the hilt of the energy blade from his holding strap. Detecting his bloodthirst, the weapon powered as the glowing green blade began expanding out of the empty hilt, its edge sharp and unforgiving to any flesh that came in contact with it.
The panic began pounding in the former princess's whole body and the vivid images of the blood that ran the walls of the Great Hall 4 years ago flashed relentlessly in her mind.
The same blade that hung over her father's corpse and pierced through Griselda's side that night. It was going to kill Flora.
He was going to kill Flora.
"NO!" Stella screamed, her body trashing against the iron grips of the three Drakari men who pinned her down, "NO, PLEASE," she cried out, her voice breaking, desperation choking her words.
"NO NO DON'T DO IT!" she dug her heels into the earth, straining against their hold, her gaze locked onto the horrific scene unfolding just beyond her reach. "FLORA GET UP! GET OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!"
Brandon Silver stood in front of her, with his back turned to Stella and his sword slowly moved under Flora's chin. His cape ominously billowed in the smoky wind and Stella caught a glimpse of Flora's bloodied and tear-stained face as she lifted her chin with the pressure of his blade cutting her flesh.
Behind her, the remains of Linphea's base burned fiercely, smoke and flames devouring the trees, with the fallen bodies of fairies and animals strewn across the once lush forest floor. The flora and fauna were obliterated within the vicinity as the destruction flamed behind Flora who sat helplessly on the floor, her hands clutching the soil.
The tears streamed down her dirt and blood-covered face as Stella's desperate pleas blurred in the silent backdrop of the crackling fire and quiet sobs of the other fairies that were held captive.
"BRANDON PLEASE!" Stella screeched, tears streaming down her own face as she writhed against the grips of his men, trying to break free and stand between them to save Flora's life.
She couldn't watch her die, too.
For the first time, she called him by his name, casting aside all pride, all animosity. Her words tumbled out, frantic, pleading, desperate to reach whatever humanity remained in him. "Please, Brandon, don't kill her… please!"
All Stella could see were the flashes of memory where Flora sat in the infirmary of the base camp, a warm smile on her face as her light green aura embraced the wound she was healing.
The same smile on her bleeding face as her eyes met Stella's with one final goodbye.
"Please don't kill her, Brandon, I'm begging you, please!" She continued to beg, but it fell on deaf ears as Brandon didn't even bother sparing her a glance. He pulled his sword back, arm ready to take one final swing and kill another cherished friend right in front of her. "No no! Brandon, please,"
Flora's soft, frightened gaze never left Stella's, her silent plea radiating strength, kindness, and courage that only deepened Stella's agony.
Where was her magic when she needed it?! Where was the sun sceptre to protect the ones she loves?! Why wasn't it activating dammit!
"NO!" Stella screamed as the blade came down without a shred of hesitance right at Flora's neck. Stella squeezed her eyes shut letting out a choked sob, waiting for the sound of slicing flesh to be forever engrained in her mind.
But it never came.
Brandon's phantoblade powered down merely milliseconds before it made contact with Flora's neck and the glowing green blade withdrew into its hilt, missing a devastating beheading by a nick.
Flora, stunned, her eyes wide, remained frozen, her head still connected to her trembling shoulders. Brandon straightened, thrusting the weapon back into its sheath, his face void of expression as he turned from Flora and strode purposefully toward the ship.
"Get back to the ship, we're done here," He commanded the men around Stella with an icy tone as she stood speechlessly between two soldiers' grip.
"But sir the mission-" one of the soldiers began, only to shrink back under Brandon's piercing glare.
"I said we're done here," Brandon shot back in a sharp tone, making the entire squad straighten up, "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," The soldiers fell silent, stiffening at his tone.
When they released her, Stella crumpled to the ground, her knees hitting the dirt as she sobbed in relief, her gaze fixed on Flora. Her friend's back rose and fell with labored breaths, a sliver of life still within her, her head mercifully unscathed.
"Let's go," Brandon murmured, his tone as unyielding as ever, as he yanked her roughly by the bicep to get her back onto her feet.
"No! I need to make sure she's okay!" Stella gasped, trying to pull free, her heart torn between fear and fury.
He squeezed her arm and leaned down to whisper harshly in her ear, "Be grateful I spared their lives, now let's go."
His command held her like chains, and her legs moved almost against her will, but her gaze remained on Flora until the ship's drawbridge rose, severing her view. Brandon stood there beside her, silent and rigid, as if putting her through all that meant little to nothing to him.
Ultimately, the sceptre didn't respond, making this all useless to bring her along.
Stella stood staring at the closed loading bay door, the door which she was dragged out of to watch her friends get almost slaughtered while she watched. Her chest rose up and down quickly, trying to make sense of the terror she had just witnessed. They were okay. The outpost was destroyed but they were okay. Flora was okay, the solders released the rest of the hostages, and they were all okay.
Minor injuries, but they were alive.
She kept trying to repeat the words 'They were okay. They're alive' in her head to keep from bursting into inconsolable screams and tears. She could feel her body shudder with the pain that she had just witnessed, the near-death of yet another person she cared about. She wanted to curl up on the ground right now and cry, but all of those feelings flamed into something more.
Something more at him.
Rage and despair swelled within her, boiling over as Stella's head snapped in Brandon's direction. Her face flushed red, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice a raw, jagged scream. "I hate you!" She stormed toward him, her entire being radiating fury as he stood unyielding, grounded.
Her palms struck against his shoulders at full force, barely moving him an inch, but she didn't let up, relentlessly throwing the sides of her fists continuously at his chest and shoulders, "Are you satisfied?! You got the fucking reaction you wanted out of me!? Is that what you wanted?! To see me broken?! To take everything away from me as if you haven't already?!"
He remained impassive, his cold brown eyes fixed on her with a detached calm that only fuelled her anger. "No," he replied evenly, grabbing her wrist to stop her from continuing her barrage of hits. With swift movement, he pushed her away before responding cooly, "The sceptre didn't respond."
She let out a scream, somewhere between frustration and incredulity at the way he spoke, uncaring and indifferent, "YOU'RE A FUCKING MONSTER, BRANDON!"
His jaw ticked, a slight reaction that almost went unnoticed, but his eyes broke the cold mask, "My mission was to kill the healers at Linphea camp," He growled, "I spared their fucking lives, so don't you dare call me a monster,"
The truth remained that Linphea's outpost had been found and Brandon's mission was to obliterate it as per his lord's command. He would've done so without a second thought if not for the fact that this could've been the perfect opportunity to trigger the sceptre.
The princess's visceral need to protect her people should've been enough to make her transform but he failed to trigger the sceptre and kill the healers as he was tasked with.
Two failed missions. All because of her.
She scoffed, her voice laced with scorn and heartbreak. "Sparing innocent lives you intended to kill isn't some fucking heroism you deserve to be praised for!" She screamed back at him, "You are nothing but a lap dog for your high lord!"
His expression tightened, a flash of anger in his eyes as he leaned closer, getting in her face with only a few strides, "Say that again, princess," He gritted slowly, his breath hot over her lips as she glared back at him with every fibre of her being. She was not going to yield to him, one way or another.
Her gaze didn't waver, meeting his with a fire that refused to die.
"You killed everyone I loved, Brandon," she gulped, refusing to let the sobs choke her words, "You murdered my father, you killed Noah, and you-"
His jaw clenched cutting her off short, "Do you think this means anything to me, princess? I've said this before, the weak don't get to survive this world,"
"You're a monster, Brandon, why do you keep hurting the people I care about!?" She hissed, realising there was no humanity left in him.
But for a heartbeat, his jaw clenched, the muscle twitching as his cold mask threatened to shatter. His hand tightened on her jaw, but then, just as suddenly, he let go, his eyes hardening as he turned away without another word.
Stella watched as he strode past her, his shoulders stiff, his movements rigid. No, not again, he doesn't get to walk away from this!
"I know you killed Griselda!" she screamed, throwing out one final accusation, a desperate plea for him to react, to show anything besides that chilling indifference. She knew he wouldn't care, why would he? He showed no remorse for what he just did, let alone the crimes he had committed years ago.
His body froze mid-step.
His voice turned sharp, almost stunned, "What did you say?"
Stella panted, exhausted from the turmoil that had unfolded, "By the riverbank. You murdered her on the night of my coronation. I saw you."
He turned slowly, an incredulous look flashing in his eyes, replaced by something more uncertain—an almost imperceptible flicker of realization. "How could you possibly know that?"
There was something different in his tone. Unlike his usual cruelness, there was something more raw.
A break in his exterior.
One Stella failed to recognise as she seethed with raw anger, "What the fuck do you mean, 'how could I know that?'" You killed her right in front of me!"
A dark look clouded his gaze as the truth dawned on him, but he was too good at hiding his thoughts. A skill he had truly mastered in the last few years.
She remembers. What else does she remember?
Does she remember it all? No. Her tone would be very different if she remembered it all. Her reaction is purely one-dimensional, baseless to be one of someone who remembered everything.
She remembers it, but not everything.
His eyes hardened, his expression carefully sliding back into that same cold detachment. His head cocked to the side, seemingly unfazed, yet somehow, the brown of his eyes darkened, "I don't give a fuck who I have to kill in this war, princess. Your father, your governess, your boyfriend, whoever." He turned away from her, shifting his gaze away from her tear-stained face as her eyes widened at his cold words, "If the sceptre doesn't respond, it'll be you next,"
And with that, he walked away, leaving her standing there, shaken, with the terrifying certainty that nothing, absolutely nothing – would stop this man.
Yeah I was a little unhinged during this one, too.
I'm about to be unhinged for the next couple too sorry brace yourself. I think we're always through the story now whoopie!
Will you be seeing a change in Brandon? ¯\(ツ)/¯
ANYWAYS now that I have more time on my hands, I'd love to address people's comments etc but to get to know you guys a little, here's a fun question of the chappie:
Question: What is your favorite book trope?
Star: Mine is enemies to lovers and academic rivalry is a close second. Even better if it's academic enemies to lovers. Ugh, I'm a sucker for this.
Lots of love,
Star