Chapter 9: An act of kindness
The bitter taste of iron pricked Izaya's lips as his head turned to the door. Disgusted and astonished all the same, the noble's attention laid on his subordinates still.
Izaya needed to get away while this was the case.
Because soon they would realize- in a second, maybe two, that he was a most unwelcome eye witness. Without his stance as the future queen, without any immanent worth- they would kill him.
Chills of ice raced down Izaya's spine as he rose to his feet. A quite disturbing sound and pain shooting from the spot the noble had cut kept him from doing so.
"Where are you going, huh?" Izaya froze and his head turned.
All three were looking at him.
Stance straight, eyes filled with madness and malice.
This was bad.
This was really bad.
Realization visibly dawned on their faces. The swords dangling from their belt's hips cluttered as they were unsheathed.
Izaya's body tensed. His back met the cold and moist prison wall with a harsh thud as he subconsciously backed away.
"Be good and stay still, would you?" the servant spoke with words of calm horror.
Izaya held his breath- his throat choked as his thoughts ran wild. What was he supposed to do?!
What was he supposed to say?!
Nothing in this world could prevent their actions-
He wasn't a queen nor a noble's daughter. He was the son of a duke that would rather see him dead than pay even a shim.
The noble nodded, the same sick expression decorating his eyes.
"I hate it when they make a huge mess." And with that he approached.
Izaya's breath choked. Eyes wide he lowered his gaze to the ground. His pathetic hands curled into panicked fists.
He was weak.
Always had been.
And that fact burned itself into his flesh as his body tensed for actions he couldn't take.
He didn't want to see it. His eyes shut. He didn't want to face the blade as it rushed for his head.
And suddenly a loud clash ruptured through the door.
Gurgling sounds filled the air and Izaya lifted his gaze just in time to see the kidnapper's blood before it spluttered in his face.
"How did you-?!" Silver brimmed in the air, metal met metal and brute force cracked the servant's neck before he could proceed to speak.
A clean cut severed the head off his shoulders as eyes of demonic presence locked onto the noble.
A scream too high for a guy tore off his fat throat as he rushed for the intruder. The silver piercing his chest was even faster than the first and with brutal quickness the body of flesh was split in half.
Wide eyed and out of his mind Izaya could do nothing but stare at the body torn in half as it thudded to the ground like a forgotten sack of potatoes.
Blood oozed from the darkness of flesh, organs slipped now no longer kept by muscles and skin.
Nausea, panic and the slightest hint of despair mixed in Izaya's mind- he couldn't look away. His eyes were stuck on the sight.
His brain was too busy to comprehend the situation. All he knew was death.
It was happening in front of his face- and he was next.
His back pushed into the wall, his body curled up on itself as his eyes squeezed shut.
Tight.
As tight as he could.
Adrenaline spiked.
Disgust tripled.
And fear overwhelmed the tremors shaking his body.
And suddenly he heard the sound of metal hitting the cold ground.
Warmth heated its way up his cheek and his eyes sprang back open.
Hair blond and eyes of honey and chocolate hovered mere inches from Izaya's face.
The king.
Shizuo.
Blood and organs decorated the ground, some of which stuck to his sword, his armor and hair.
His eyes had lost their furry and replaced their demonic glint with blank horror.
"Are you okay-? Did they hurt you-?"
Izaya found himself unable to speak. Disgust, nausea and the disbelief of just how close he had been to dying at the hands of these men sent his head into a dizzy spiral of chaos.
Quick steps and harsh thuds of iron against wooden planks resounded mere seconds later and another knight entered the chamber.
"My king, we found them!" he quickly surmised and the king's expression turned even darker.
It was at that moment that some part of Izaya's brain remembered his disguise.
A single glance was cast down Izaya's body. He was wearing nothing but a nightgown. White and of silky structure it was the worst fabric to cover anything up. Quickly pulling down his dress he tried to cover what was left bare of his skin.
Had he noticed?
Was that why he glared?
Guts already having hit rock bottom only seemed to sink further as Izaya tried to find a way out.
Fuck-
He was going to notice and then-
All too close were the corpses of the three men decorating the room and Izaya felt the need to retch.
Shizuo was going to kill him. Behead him just like those people.
Moving suddenly as though he was about to execute the feared action, Izaya flinched. His eyes squeezed shut- and suddenly softness covered his shoulders.
A long cape of dark red, having been part of the king's armor, was torn off the shoulder caps.
Like a blanket the fabric hugged the raven's body.
"I leave the rest in your care," the king suddenly announced, addressing his knight, who quickly nodded.
"My king!"
The rest?
What was he talking about?
Had those people kidnapped even more people?
Thought after thought raced through Izaya's mind as suddenly a pair of hands slipped underneath his knees. Picked off the ground like he weighed no more than a sparrow, he found himself in the king's hold.
Finding his voice the raven quickly trashed.
"Let me go-!"
The king frowned, his hold only tightening as he glared.
"Don't be stupid you can't even walk."
Izaya's teeth grit.
"I said-"
"I don't care what you said!" the king barked, and Izaya shut up.
Eyes of fear met the king's eyes. Izaya had witnessed what the man was capable of. He might as well kill him as well, right here right now.
And Shizuo noticed too.
The fear that is. The terror written all across Kururi's expression as she looked at him.
He had scared his fiancee- she was afraid of not the kidnappers but of him.
"Fuck-" cursing softly Shizuo moved.
Corpses were kicked aside as he trotted out of the house.
He could hear screams and cries from inside the basement. Kururi hadn't been the only captive these bastards had abducted.
His knights were taking care of the rest. Whoever was left was going to be killed and those poor women saved from their confinement.
Whether they were even capable of returning to their old lives was another matter, but all of that seemed to fade at the feeling of his future bride in his arms.
She was freezing. Her entire body shook in tremors.
She was in shock.
Not a single word escaped her seemingly usual witty lips.
He should be glad about that fact but right now nothing but worry stemmed from it.
The moment he saw the blood on her nightgown his heart stopped right then and there. He had seen the cut on her chest, on her leg, he had seen the way those bastards looked at her.
A feeling of tremendous loss overwhelmed Shizuo as he thought of what these people had done to her and what might have happened if he had been even a second late.
Angry, his steps marched through the thick mud. It was raining cats and dogs and he quickly made his way to his horse while holding his future wife close.
She was extremely pale- her eyes unfocused and expression only reflecting a fraction of what had to be going on in her mind.
Not much time was lost as the king effortlessly slipped onto his horse. Kururi flinched at the motion in obvious pain.
Blood was seeping from the cut on her chest- and Shizuo's stomach dropped.
With an angry yank of despair he jerked his horse into motion.
Fast, faster, rain splashed against his skin as they put some distance between that chamber of horror and themselves.
He was to blame.
He alone.
For all of this.
Mud splattered left and right, the animal heaved as it dashed through the forest.
Ice clutched Izaya's body as the chilling air of night rushed past them. His skin was freezing, the king's coat not doing much to keep him warm and the blood staining his gown didn't exactly help keeping his nausea at bay. The threat had passed.
Izaya wasn't in immediate danger of getting killed, neither by the king nor the kidnappers.
Like flashes of lightning the visuals of the torn corpses resurfaced from his mind and a hand found its way to his mouth as he tried to suppress a wave of nausea.
It was then that a flash of light illuminated the scene. Having ridden past a few more trees they suddenly emerged from the forest. A road was what presented itself in front of them and an inn not too far.
Creaking sounds filled the air as an old lantern dangling from the entrance did its best to invite guests into the tavern.
Turning the horse the king steered it towards the building. Metal met the makeshift pavement of rough stones and moss with a loud noise.
Finally releasing his tight grasp the king let Izaya down onto his own two feet. It was funny.
Izaya wanted nothing but for the king to let go of him, but the second he did his action backfired as his legs grew weak.
Barely catching the raven before he fell, the king's arms grasped Izaya by the hip once more.
"Hey, are you okay?" Izaya was about to reply- yes. Yes, he was fine, yes, he wasn't dead, he didn't need the king to look after him. And no. No. Because he wasn't.
Because his body trembled, his chest hurt, his throat constricted and the sheer memory of the kidnapper's corpses hitting the ground made him want to break down and cry.
Cry.
Cry and scream.
Scream at his father for putting him into this situation, at Shizuo for existing and the former king for even setting up this god damn fucking marriage.
But none of this was said. The pain, the chaos, everything was left unspoken as the door to the tavern clattered.
"Oh goodness-" an old lady emerged from the warmth of the inn. Wrinkles of worry scrunched into a frown as those meaty hands of hers quickly wiped themselves clean on her skirt. With hasty steps she rushed towards the two and before Izaya knew it she had her warm hands on his shoulders. "Let's get you inside dear. Everything is okay."
Wow. What a reaction. He must be quite the sight to behold.
Izaya would have laughed usually, or at least been amused by the fact that he was being catered to as though he was a damsel in distress.
But now?
At this moment?
He was glad of his role. And glad to accept the treatment. No words were wasted. Neither the king nor the innkeeper spoke a syllable as Izaya was brought inside the tavern.
Warmth and the smell of cinnamon and alcohol filled Izaya's nose as soon as his legs stepped onto the old oak wood that made up the floor.
"This way," the innkeeper quickly said, hushing Izaya up a flight of stairs. A door was opened presenting a cozy chamber. A large bed, a nightstand, papers and feathers were sprawled on a desk, seemingly having been dropped in the middle of action. There was a small fireplace as well, lighting the room in the finest orange and red.
This was obviously not a regular room for rent. Was it the innkeeper's?
Maybe the inn was already full?
Mindless thoughts like these traveled through Izaya's mind as he was seated onto the bed.
"I will be right back." the woman quickly spoke, a bright smile on her lips. She was obviously trying to comfort Izaya. To show him that everything was fine. That he was safe.
But it didn't help. Not at all.
The trembling cold clutched Izaya's body and stabbed him even more.
As if on cue the coat Shizuo had dropped on his shoulders started to slip.
Izaya's eyes fell on it. The fabric. The embroidery. The king's emblem.
Yanking the fabric off his shoulders Izaya threw it into the flames.
Disgust, anger and frustration flared in his eyes as he glared at the piece of bullshit.
All of this charade was bullshit. All of this just-
Nausea quickly sprang to Izaya's chest. Unforgiving and quick it finished its job as the raven convulsed, emptying himself into what seemed to be a nightpot next to the bed.
Waves of sweat, heat and tremors washed over Izaya at once as he pressed his fist against his forehead.
He thought his father was the worst. He thought the irrational fear he triggered in him at times was the limit of what a person could perceive.
He was proven wrong.
Over and over the picture of that dead body and its organs gushing out of it like a flower from a bud repeated itself in his mind.
As if to mock him further the door to the chamber opened again. This time, however, it wasn't the innkeeper that returned.
An unreadable expression decorated the king's face as he looked at his future wife- then at his coat burning crisply in the fire.
Redirecting his glance to Izaya he quickly pushed himself onto his feet.
"I know you don't like me." Shizuo announced, reaching for his shoulders as he undid the caps of his armor.
Izaya visibly tensed as the king undressed.
They were alone.
What was he about to do?
Rape was the first that sprang to mind. All this charade of saving him from his prosecutors- he had been all too galant with people present. Who was to say what his real intentions were.
Chills ran down Izaya's body and he backed into the wall.
He wasn't afraid of mistreatment, not afraid to be abused- it was the least of his worries as a far more dangerous secret was to be unveiled.
Too fresh was the reaction of that bastard gliding his hand up his thigh only to meet something he hadn't quite expected.
The image of his dead body resurfaced from Izaya's mind as he realized that would be his fate as soon as the king figured out the same.
He was going to be cut down.
Just like those men.
He would hold his own head in his hands before he died.
"An underestimation." Bile accompanied his voice but fear proved to be more evident as the king gazed into his eyes.
The few plates of armory that were left were abandoned on the ground as the king moved over.
He knew she didn't like him. It was nothing new.
He was surprised she had recovered to the point that she could spew new barks of hatred.
Kururi's chest was still bleeding. Not as profusely as before but still- a wet cloth had been dropped into a short bowl filled with water and Shizuo took it before approaching his future wife.
"Don't touch me-"
Harsh the words stung as Shizuo's hand stilled. Teeth were grit and the king sighed before roughly pulling his shriveling wife over.
"Don't be difficult! Hold still!" Fists met his body, knees kicked his side- "So what? So you can do the same thing they tried to do to me?!"
As if having touched hot iron the blond's hands flew off her body. His eyes widened -
"What-"
Distrusting eyes dipped in hatred glared at him with what was unmistakably nothing but pure transgression.
"Don't act so stupid, I heard the rumors I saw you slice them in half with no shred of guilt!"
And for a moment Shizuo was left to do nothing but stare.
He thought she was being difficult because she hated him. He thought she was annoyed because of the marriage. Scared because of those men and what they tried to do.
But that was not the case.
She wasn't scared of all of that.
She was scared of him.
His hand found its way into his hair as he tried to comprehend the misunderstanding.
"Is that why you hate me so much?" He questioned, and Izaya had a hard time to capture the question at all as it had been spoken in a voice so quiet he wasn't even sure Shizuo intended for it to be heard.
"You think-" Shizuo swallowed hard.
And suddenly he drew his sword. Hissing like water meeting fire the blade raced across the sheat's spine.
Izaya's back met the wall at the back of the bed in immediate reflex as he backed away.
Shit-
Shit-
"I'm not my father!" loud the words burst from the king's lips. Rage, frustration and even more swayed in his voice as Izaya prepared to be cut down.
Right here, right now, in the spur of the moment.
A harsh sound louder than anything pierced through the room and Izaya flinched.
But his skin remained intact. No new wound appeared, no pain added.
Opening the eyes Izaya hadn't realized he had closed; he looked at the king.
The sword had been thrown to the side.
Shizuo still stood. Chest heaving. He seemed frustrated, only adding to Izaya's confusion.
Clearing his throat Izaya flinched shortly as a pang of pain spiked from his chest. The wound he received earlier was starting to dry and the clotted blood tugged at his skin.
Wordlessly the king approached. Too perplexed to even move, Izaya remained still.
And suddenly the king's hand was on his collarbone. Holding a wet piece of fabric that Izaya only noticed at that moment,he carefully dragged it over his collarbone.
"I'm a monster." Shizuo whispered slowly, washing the towel before going in again. "I know that. Just like you said, I don't feel a shred of guilt for killing those three men." A frown interrupted his expression as his hand stilled. "I'm stupid at times, dense and certainly not cut out to be a ruler or king." The movement continued. Soft Gentle.
Eyes flickering up to meet the king's gaze, Izaya couldn't help but feel lost.
"But I don't take any fancy in watching others' pain."
Izaya searched. For a hint of mischief, for signs of a lie- but nothing except pure honesty seemed to stem from Shizuo's eyes as he hesitated.
"I know you might not believe me. Of course why would you, all you ever heard of me are rumors." Retracting his hand from the wound he softly reached for the longest of Izaya's strands of hair framing his face.
"Your hair should have told me enough already when you arrived." His eyes seemed sad. Tormented even. "You don't have to be scared of me. Not now and not during the wedding night."
Swallowing softly, Izaya found his voice again.
"I thought you wanted a wife that kept still?" It was a taunt, a quiet one with not much backbone to it, really.
averting his eyes, Shizuo groaned.
"I was angry. Frustrated. I didn't mean what I said."
Izaya could get behind that.
Shizuo seemed to be quite the impulsive man.
Quick to react, only thinking about his actions afterwards.
"I won't touch you. I don't care about god or whatever duty a married couple has to fulfill."
Getting up, the king turned his back to Izaya. "I am a man with many, many flaws. But please believe me when I promise you this. I will never harm you in any way." With heavy steps he traced back to the door.
The sword was left behind. He didn't show any intention of picking up his armory either. Only when stepping outside he paused within the doorframe.
"I will have some clothes brought to you. Please, rest."
And with that…. he was gone.
Simply left.
Confusion, relief and the slightest hint of guilt surfaced from Izaya's mind.
Shizuo… hadn't been out to kill him. Nor harm him in any way. He had merely…
Swallowing softly, Izaya's eyes trailed to the wet cloth on the nightstand.
… he had been worried.
That, that was all, right? Izaya had thought he knew what kind of person he was facing. Another man like his father. A man like the former king. Cruel, harsh and unforgiving in his words and actions.
But this right now-...
Was this… still a facade?
to be continued~
Sorry guys I know I'm a little behind in both schedules xD The Shizaya updates as well as the "originified" books xD
Shizaya wise I will update everything next friday including another Impostor update haha
And the books- the artist is drawing the cover for Twtd right now so that story will be out in around 2 weeks :3 Everything is proceeding smoothly tho and the release dates are still somewhat accurate xD