15:40 Jun 02 2007
Times Read: 552
The candle light shimmered off the walls in dim dancing shadows. Her trench was pulled snug against her slim form as she entered the deserted church. Her steps echoed across the room with each footfall.
This was supposed to be it…
Where it was all meant to take place. The world would fall to the hands of the vile king who stalked the territory. By this time seven weeks from now, this church would be a helpless inferno with no survivors. No one would make it out alive.
Yet even the paralyzing fear failed to make her turn around, and leave as though it’d never existed.
She continued toward her chosen grave site.
“Brave girl… Please, stay where you are.” The voice was male, and extremely polite. It seemed to come in every direction. She froze, hate overtaking her fear. “I don’t mean to sound rude, and, please forgive me if I do but, I can’t help but notice you’re quite young.” In her disgust, she grimaced.
“My youth is not for your pleasure… Sir.” She sneered the last word, mocking his enraging politeness. “Now fight!” She drew out a sword from her black leather trench. “We finish this!”
And then she saw him…
A slight draft teased his spiky, dark brown hair. A black suit complete with a small black bowtie showed off his slim form incredibly. Black eyeliner brought out his beautiful gold eyes against his porcelain skin. And he glared at her under a pair of dark eyebrows…
This was not what she had been expecting in the least… She refused to admit it but… She was mesmerized…
He unsheathed a very narrow, elegant sword, but held it to his side. She gawked, amazed. “You really shouldn’t stare my dear, it’s quite rude…” He continued to glare, yet be polite.
“What do you want from me?” She asked quietly. He chuckled.
“If I were to tell you everything, you wouldn’t be here for answers, now would you?” It was her turn to glare. “You came to find me. Here I am. You want answers, I’m not giving them, so we fight. Fair enough?” He pointed his sword at her, shifting into a more comfortable fighting stance.
“Not fair.” She raised her sword in response. “If you weren’t out for the world, I wouldn’t need answers. Eliminating you rids me of the problem, and I won’t need answers.”
He nodded and grinned, a vile gleam in his eyes. “Very good… Very good indeed.” He lowered his blade and sauntered toward her, cocking his head to the side, and swinging his sword.
She tensed herself…
He sent her a wolfish smile, and moved his eyes up and down her form. “Very, very good…”
She whipped her sword to his throat in a flash. “No.” She snarled. His surprise shifted to laughter. His sword flew up, and he flipped the blade in his hands. Her sword clattered noisily onto the floor… She stepped back, and braced herself for what she predicted would occur.
He chuckled, and moved toward her another small step. In return, she reacted by retreating two more. His eyes seared into her, unblinking. Again, she was hypnotized. “Why are you running away?”
She couldn’t help it… She spoke true…
“You’re the king… You’re taking over the world—“
“And a king needs a queen, am I correct?” He interrupted. Horror overtook her in less than a heartbeat. He spoke the words she feared the most. And what was frightening was that she knew he was right. A king needed a queen. But why her?
“Why?” She gasped.
He picked up her fears with a slight sniff. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” He stared, not glared, into her eyes now. The intensity was sincere. He wasn’t lying.
She was slightly dumbstruck, and she took another step back. He followed. “I don’t understand…”
“I love you.”
She backed up another two, final steps, and hit the wall behind her. “You… Wh… What?!” She gasped. Her eyes widened when he took four extra steps, and appeared in front of her. He rose his blade to her throat, to hold her where she was.
“I love you.” He repeated. “Even if you were to take me down now, to flip this sword into my torso, I would love you until the last drop of blood falls, and I am able to love no more.”
Amazement fueled her being. Everything from her head to her toes went completely numb. She stared at the blade at her throat, then glanced back up to his eyes. He was still watching for her to answer.
“What do you view me as?” he asked innocently.
She stared. Her mezmerization taking effect. She lowered her eyes, and opened her mouth to speak. But no words came out. She closed her mouth again, and continued to overt her eyes.
He took his finger under her chin, and pulled her face up to look at him. He watched for a negative reaction. When none came, he lowered his face to hers, but simply stared at her. She looked at him, feeling slightly afraid, but nothing more.
“What are you thinking?” He reworded. As though his words had a coating of magic, she was able to answer.
“I… I don’t know…” she turned her face away again.
He watched her for a short while more, and then let go of her chin, lowered his blade, and stood back several feet. His face lost the intensity, and he didn’t speak.
The silence caught her attention, and she looked up tentatively to see what he was doing. When she saw his expression, she looked down again.
“I’m sorry…” She whispered.
“Me too.” He answered, and stabbed his blade into the church floor, watching as the floor cracked, and the earthquake took the building, the world, and his love within a pile of rubble.
* * * * *
She awoke dazed and confused. The last thing she remembered was the look on his face… The strange feeling returning to her insides. “Something’s not right…” She murmured, and she sat up to take a look around.
Where once was a beautiful holy place, stood nothing but destruction.
But that’s not all… As for the eye could see, the fire, and rubble continued to stretch. Nothing went untouched. Fear swallowed her being, and she realized with a shock, that everyone was dead.
Not one person survived. The prophecy proved true. The world saw its end… And it was her fault.
If she had answered well, there wouldn’t have been a problem.
Suddenly, she sat straight up, and all the blood drained from her face, casting her skin pure white. He was probably still alive… The insane king who had killed so many people…
That was the final straw…
He threatened the entire world, succeeded, and threw her into a confusing rush of emotions… And kept his promise, intentional or not. She was still alive, yes? He’d promised he wouldn’t hurt her. Here she was. Revenge full on her mind…
He was going to pay for the lives he stole. And it was going to be a lot easier to apply the punishment, knowing what he’s done now.
She lowered her head in homage for those who died, and said a prayer. Then she stood to her feet, and dug her sword out of the rubble at her feet. The war was on, and soon she would find him.
Righteous rage explored every inch of her in body-rocking waves… It boiled inside of her until it overflowed in a scream that tore through her body, and ripped the night air.
It was time…
She stood and brought the sword to her side. She knelt in the ashes of a charred church pew, and swore, “I will take this lesson to heart and grave… The man who took so many lives will die.” She rose to her feet satisfied, determination full on her face.
* * * * *
Wind rushed through the darkened hollow. The only visible thing there was a small blue fire off the edge of some trees. There, a forlorn looking character sat, lonely, and depressed.
Quietly, he stewed over what he’d done… Ash flew around him, and as he slowly raised his head to see, he saw a reflection of himself he did not want to.
He’d destroyed everyone… Everyone but her… He shrugged. “I’d kept my promise at least…” he sighed.
Maybe I didn’t give her enough time… He thought. So irrational.
He leaned back and stretched. The wind washed against his face, blowing his spiky brown hair into disarray. His eyes were green tonight…
Cold, he wrapped himself in his cloak. It kept out the cold, and he fell asleep to the sounds of wolves howling in the darkness. The wind died down, and he was able to sleep peacefully. But his dreams still tormented him of images he didn’t want to see.
He kept imagining her, staring at him with those blank and shocking eyes, as she waited for him to slice her apart… And at one point, she reached her hand out to him as she slowly sunk to the floor, his sword embedded in her rib cage…
He couldn’t take the nightmares anymore, and he rose to his feet while the fire burned itself out. Somewhere out there, she was waiting for him…
A slight tinge of fear overwhelmed him, and he began to fight back the panic… What if he couldn’t get away from her? What if somehow, out there alone in the world, she was searching for him? It was inevitable. She would kill him eventually, wouldn’t she?
He didn’t like that idea…
It bothered him. He didn’t want her to kill him, just as he didn’t want to kill her. There was a blocking system inside of his head that prevented him from ever hurting her… But her hurting him… She didn’t feel that way toward him. She would have said something.
Her silence rang in his head as she spoke the words… “I don’t know…” He felt guilty as he stared at the ground, all panic disintegrating.
He shouldn’t have planned to take over the world in the first place. Then maybe she would have viewed him worthy enough for it. Maybe she would have loved him…
Just as he loved her…
He fell to his knees on the ground. The trees whispered in the night air as their leaves spread some secret he could not understand. Again, the lonely wind picked up, and swept his cloak away from him, chilling him instantly… He had to figure something out…
* * * * *
Shadows pierced her as she wandered through a lonely wood. Nothing stirred, nothing breathed. The sword hung limply by her side as she tripped over some angry root that decided she’d disturbed it…
Something wasn’t right… Usually there was at least one creature that darted in her way as she walked along the path, but this time, there were none. She was alone.
“This isn’t right…” She mumbled. She tripped over another root, and fell, scraping her knee on a rock that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Ouch! Dammit!” She growled. She inspected the cuts, and slowly stood up, stretching her leg.
The clouds moved out of the way of the moon, and a single ray of light shined down on her through the trees.
Unlike any other time, the moon was a blue color. The only way the moon could be blue, is if a blue fire poisoned the atmosphere, and turned the rays blue… And the only one who could create a blue fire, was the king…
“Wonderful…” She grumbled. “And as if I’m not already in pain… Now I have to deal with someone who can deal lots of it…” She slapped herself. “Stop it! You’re the one who wanted to go on this enlightening journey…”
She snuck around a bush, and appeared at a small campsite off the trees. Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of burning blue coals in a small pit surrounded with small stones. She smirked, and crawled through the bush.
In the dark, she inspected the burning coals. They were fresh, and were just now beginning to die out.
Experimentally, she grabbed a blade of grass and let it touch a small lingering coal. Instantly, the blade caught on fire, and burned it to nothing. The grass disintegrated.
Instantly…
This king held a lot of power. If he could create blue fire, then he could definitely kill her… Not to mention what he did to everyone else. People who didn’t even know him, who had done nothing wrong… She shivered.
She clenched her eyes shut, and cringed. She didn’t want to think about all the poor souls who were destroyed. Who had dropped dead the moment their houses decided to crumble. They never even saw it coming… Those poor souls… Even the children! There was no mercy, even when it came to the children…
Anger erupted again, and she suddenly remembered why she was searching for him. All fear once again gone, she started digging around for any sign of which way he’d gone.
* * * * *
A sword found her first.
“Don’t move. You’re only going to hurt yourself.” The blade came from behind, and planted its sharp edge against the skin of her neck. He held her hair in his hands, and twisted so she couldn’t move.
She flinched, and muffled a gasp as he did so. But, she obeyed, and didn’t move. She glowered at the trees, unable to see his face.
“Don’t turn around.” He commanded. “I have something to tell you.” She stopped breathing, and sighed to herself. She knew what was coming. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe taking over the world isn’t such a good idea…”
She tensed herself… He was planning something vile, she knew it… It ebbed into every inch of her mind… Something bad was coming…
“Well… Not quite. You see, I’m thinking on taking over the world of course but… I don’t have a queen. And I’ve decided to give you a second chance…” She struggled now, to push the blade from her throat to no avail.
“Why? Why do you want me? Why can’t you just find someone else?!” She screamed at him, and fought with her hair to get free. He did not let go.
“My dear… There is no one else.” His sly smile slipped across his face, as it suddenly dawned on her. This was the whole idea… He’d been targeting her all along.
“You destroyed the world, because of me?!” She shrieked. He chuckled.
“Well, not quite like that, but you’re very close.” He moved his cheek to hers, and tightened the blade on her throat to prevent her from moving. “You’re beautiful in the moonlight, do you know that?” He grinned.
She clenched her teeth… The blade was still in her hand, she realized with a shock… All she had to do was…
“Don’t bother. It’s useless.” He said. “You and I both know you’re futile when it comes to sword play.” He gently took a hold on it and tugged lightly. “Come now… Let go.” He said teasingly, yet seriously.
Pointlessly, she let go of the blade, and she felt it move from her hand to his. Failure bloomed inside her… She’d failed…
A single tear rolled down the cheek he’d planted his next to.
He noticed, and let go of her hair, entwining it around her waist in a secure hold. “Come now, you don’t think it’s that serious, now do you? It’s just a sword…”
She closed her eyes. “If there’s no world to take over, then why do this? What world is there to rule now? No one is alive but me and you. You killed everyone else.” He shrugged.
“That’s just how I always wanted it. I never got along with many people. So destroying them wasn’t that big of a deal to me. I had nothing to lose.”
“Maybe you didn’t, but I did… And you took the only thing that was ever important to me… You destroyed my family, my friends…” She closed her eyes in agony. “You took everything that ever belonged to me… And you expect me to love you?” She threw a stab at his heart.
And it worked.
He let go of her in an instant, and she turned to stare at him in surprise. Shock and anger flashed across his face so fast she almost missed it. The evilness started to come out of him now, and he glared at her, a sly smile playing along his lips.
“You really think it matters if you love me?” She stared dumbfounded. “Of course it doesn’t matter if you do! I’m the king. Things go through my way. I choose the girl, and the girl comes with me. That’s just how it goes.” He grinned, evil glowing in his green eyes.
Hated started to show itself in her, but she hid it was well as she could. Now was not the time for rage. She had neither a weapon, nor a full reason for killing him at this point.
And that’s what angered her the most.
“You my dear…” He gestured toward her, a full smile across his lips. “You my dear, are coming with me. Tonight.” She stared at him, suddenly confused.
“Where are we going? There’s nowhere here… You destroyed it.” Her innocent confused thoughts overflowed through her. He turned toward her threateningly, yet with a gentleman’s gait. He walked toward her with the same frightening slowness.
“Who said it was anywhere here?” He asked darkly.
* * * * *
Shock crossed her face as she grasped what he was saying to her. It came to her like a storm, like someone had punched her in the face.
The Underworld…
He was not only the king she knew him for, he was the king of the Underworld also… She pondered the strange occurrence to herself, and wondered allowed… “What if…?” She shook her head. It was impossible.
“I’m terribly afraid to do this to you, and believe me, I really didn’t want to… But… You leave me no choice.”
“But…” She stopped. The strange feeling in her chest came to life abruptly. She recognized it, but said nothing.
“Hush. Don’t speak. Words mean nothing. Come. Hold onto my hand. We are taking a little trip now.” He placed one arm elegantly behind his back, and reached out with the other.
She hesitated a moment.
Taking his hand would mean she’d accept his offer to go to the Underworld. Refusing would mean a kidnapping in which no one would be able to save her from. No one was left in the world in which to cry to. She was alone.
Reluctantly, she reached out, and placed her hand in his. What use was there? There was no one to save her.
No one to save her… Everyone was gone. A smile played along his lips, and he smoothly tugged her to his side.
His grip was tight, and when she wiggled, he would not give her room to move. Instead, he moved closer to her cheek, and breathed out lightly, letting his warm breath sweep her face… She shivered, a reaction he seemed to find amusing…
He chuckled a little, and wrapped his other arm around her waist. “Are you cold?” He asked, tightening his grip even more. She flinched. Her arm was starting to ache. He paused for a moment, and kissed her cheek before retreating, yet not letting go. After a moment of letting the shock absorb through her body, he leaned in, and kissed her cheek a little longer…
She broke free of his grasp in a couple seconds, fighting madly to scratch his eyes. “Let go! Now!” She yelled. “As I said before, my youth is not for your viewing pleasure!”
He shrugged. “It was worth a try, yes?” He grinned evilly. “Now come. We can’t waste any more time.” She withheld her hand, and stared at him, straight into the eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m staying here.” He cocked his head to one side, and seemed to be evaluating her.
He found a chink.
“Oh really? And where exactly do you plan to stay? Who do you plan to run to? And where do you think you’re going to find adequate food and shelter? There’s not a town in miles from here, and every building and person is destroyed.”
She flinched. He was right. There was nowhere to go. She stopped, and her eyes took a trip to the past. Back to her family, her friends… Her love.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her fists for a moment… That was one memory she did not want to go to…
She opened her eyes again, determination fresh on her expression. She glared up at him from under her dark eyebrows, and reached out for his hand. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done. I swear it.” She growled.
“Oh sure, sure…” He laughed heartedly to himself. “Whatever you say, my queen.” He smiled at her, and bent down in a bow, kissing her hand mockingly. Insults all around…
He clamped her close to his body as he pulled out his cloak, and wrapped it around himself. “Whatever you do, don’t let go.” He warned, and threw the cloak around him in a circle, sort of like how a vampire disappears…
Silly, she thought.
A black whirlwind and a crack of lightening and thunder were the last things she heard coming from the human world, as little tear drops fell from the sky in thousands. Those who died were mourning the loss of the one person left alive…
But that wasn’t the whole problem… The whirlwind blew her hair into disarray, and blew it into her face so that she could not see. Sticks, stones, and broken pieced of glass flew past them in every direction, threatening to slice up her entire body in 2 seconds.
She didn’t realize she was doing it, but she grasped tighter against his cloths, and refused to let him go. He looked down at her surprised, but clearly pleased.
In about what seemed like forever, she’d experienced everything from flying houses, do dead animals flying through the sky like birds. The dirt and air stung and burned her lungs. At one point, she could have sworn she saw a whole lake fly by her in one giant floating puddle…
Then it all came to an abrupt stop…
When she looked up again, she felt icy cold wind blow against her arms, legs, and face. All she saw was a black wasteland, drenched in eternal night… For a moment, she was taken aback…
Where was the fire? The souls screaming for help? The vile laughter of the Devil as he tormented his victims? Where were the demons, doing there awful dances around little fires with witches staked in the center burning to death?
All she saw was a completely empty void… There were no souls, no Devil, no fire… Not even the sweltering heat she could have sworn would be here. She looked up at him waiting for some kind of explanation.
He laughed at her confused expression, and gestured around. “This, is the Underworld…” She took another brief glance around before bringing her confused eyes back to him.
“Where is everyone?” She asked innocently.
“There is no one. You and I are the only one’s here. This is the judgment room. The Underworld is only about 3 miles from this exact area, but it’s still considered part of the Underworld. You have to hike it the rest of the way.” He said, walking swiftly away, his cloak brushing behind him. He turned to stare at her. “Are you coming or not?” He asked.
“I’m sorry… I’m just, so confused…” She stuttered, looking around some more. “I don’t even hear anyone…” He rolled his eyes.
“I told you, this is only the front entrance to the Underworld. You’re 3 miles away from it.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. “Now let’s go. This can’t wait any longer.”
They walked for a while until they came to a huge black archway a short distance in front of them. Looking up, she saw it through a thin mist, a black and hollow nightmare… They were almost there… Very shortly now, they’d reach there destination…
And she’d get to see her new kingdom.
* * * * *
The nightmare had just begun. The mist was getting thicker, and soon the arch disappeared. The moment they reached the area where they were supposed to enter the gates to the Underworld, they closed, stranding them outside into the nothing place.
“Great…” She muttered. “More time stuck out here with you.” He stared at her in surprise. She looked away, and back out toward the place from which they’d come.
“You make it sound as though it’s a bad thing.” He watched her expression. “Is it? I’m sorry if it is… I never meant to insult you in any way…”
She looked at him, lightening in her eyes. “Why on earth, would you destroying the world, and coming after me to be your queen be a good thing? I don’t want to be here. In fact, I’d rather see my mothers face again than see yours!” She screamed. “And all she did was throw me around like a rag doll!” Tears began to well up now… “I don’t understand why you think I’m so special, but no one ever consulted me about the opportunity to come here!”
He stopped to stare at her open-mouthed. He’d never seen her so angry in the entire time they were together. Obviously, he made her quite cross…
Silently, he looked down to the ground and started thinking. “You don’t suppose it would be too late to allow you to return?” She stared at him, anger growing even more.
“You realize I have no choice but to be here, correct? You destroyed the entire planet! I have nowhere else to go! My family… Friends… My entire life, is gone!” She froze, the tears spilling down her face. Realization crossed her face within an instant. She stared at him suddenly, watching his expression.
She had nothing…
Nothing but him… And here she was with him, this exact same moment. The tears were streams now, little rivers trickling down her face, noiseless, silent as the grave.
The realization took her by complete surprise… It’d been threatening to surface soon, but she’d never expected it to do so now. Especially in this exact moment in time. At this certain situation she’d seemed to find herself in.
She stared at him, utter amazement flooded her very being. “You don’t think… You don’t think it’s possible to take back my answer from before, do you?” His blank expression told her nothing to answer her question. “About how I view you?”
He stood up straight, and slowly walked toward her, cocking his head, and holding his hands behind his back. He dipped slightly, a movement that seemed to remind her of a fox. “What about that question?” He asked, more interested, and curious. She saw a light of hope in his eyes at the mention.
She ducked her head suddenly as if she couldn’t find an answer. “Well…” The hope in his eyes disappeared at once, and he straightened up in a flash. She jumped back startled.
“You scream at me a few moments ago, and now you’re telling me you’ve changed your mind? How do I know something like this isn’t just a game or a trick?” He growled. She stared up at him astonished.
“I have nothing. You said so yourself. So what am I supposed to do? I have to stay with you either way, so why not be happy in the process?” She glowered at him.
“You realize what you’ve just said? You have nothing. And by ‘nothing’, I mean, ‘nothing’. Do you honestly think I’d accept you that quickly? I only give one chance my dear.” His ragged anger slowly disappeared into his more formal and polite speech.
She stared at him dumbstruck, and completely numb from head to toe. The emotion inside of her chest began to bubble, and to cause her sudden pain. What was this? What she supposed to do if he wouldn’t take her? She had nothing else in her life, except him. He was the last person besides her on the face of the earth.
“Look…” She mumbled. “If you don’t want to give me a second chance, then fine. I don’t need you. You just keep in mind that you’re the only man left on this forsaken planet, and that you’re the only one capable of bringing everyone back.” She snarled at him, showing her teeth in a grimace.
“Bringing everyone back?” He asked in an educated voice. “What is that supposed to mean?” He watched for a moment. “Oh… Oh I get it… Ha!” He laughed mockingly. “You think I’m supposed to suddenly take you, and repopulate the world, am I correct?”
She froze, a warm heat coming to her cheeks. That’s what she meant, but she didn’t like the way he’d spoken it…
The grin on his face widened, and his yellow eyes began to burn. “I’m terribly sorry to tell you this my dear, but… That’s never going to happen. Not now anyway. You screwed that up the moment you decided I wasn’t good enough for you…”
“Good enough!?” She screamed. “Good enough?! You destroyed the planet!! How many times do I have to remind you of that?!”
He stiffened. “I destroyed this world, and kept you alive for a reason.” Blood drained from her face instantly. “You were the only one I wanted. Why do you think I want you as my queen now? Why do you think I kidnapped you, and still told you I loved you?”
It came together, thread by thread.
The more he spoke, the more she understood. This was all a setup. Just like before. She was supposed to be here with him. She was supposed to be his slave.
“You know I’m never going to change that right? Even if I were to rape you, and your belly become full of some little parasite, I’d force you into a very painful abortion? No way would anything like that occur…”
“You destroy everyone… And deny a new beginning.” She said awestruck. “You kill everyone… And you still want me alone?”
“With everyone else gone, who do we have to rule over? There’s no world out there in which to rule. When we die, and the child resides, who is he or she going to marry to continue the never ending rule of nothingness? No one. I destroyed everyone so we could live alone for the rest of eternity, and watch the sun set for the final time.” His voice became very smooth, and elegant, almost in a daze.
“So that’s it then?” She asked, tears slipping down her cheeks. “You’re just going to let it go. No one to take up a new empire?”
“No one but the two of us.” He said sliding a finger down her cheek. Silently, he moved behind her like a snake, and wrapped his arms around her waist. His cheek rested against hers for a short moment. She stiffened as he did so, trying to keep as still as possible. He turned his head, and lightly kissed her cheek, then became more heated, and slid down to her neck.
She couldn’t breathe. The room began to spin. And before she could catch herself, the ground broke her fall.
COMMENTS
-