My King of Darkness (Maven x OC)

Chapter 13

Lydia

                   When Maven reached his study a few hours later, I was waiting for him. A startled look came over his face at the sight of himself, sitting legs crossed in one of the chairs. A moment later the expression turned to annoyance, "Lydia, what is this?"
                   "What?...Oh, this get up? Just decided I'd fancy a visit with your mother,"
                   "You went to my mother like this?! Do you have any idea—"
                   He stepped towards me, but I stood up, placing an accusing finger on his chest, "She told me a few interesting things. Like how you plan on having me killed when I'm not of use to you anymore."
                  "Th—That's not true. I only told her that to get her off our backs—t-to save you," he stammered, backing up.
                  His double advanced on him, "Okay, how about the fact that you killed your father, that you broke Mare's heart. You had me believe that she's the one who betrayed you, that her and Cal killed your father. I felt sympathy—No, empathy for you! And this whole time you've been the backstabbing asshole! I knew you were a snake, I knew you were a liar. I can accept that you've done awful things, Maven, but the fact that you kept this from me, that you didn't trust me? Ooh, if I still had my column—"
                 "Well, you don't! Yet for some reason, you still have to be a nosy bitch!" he snapped, "You went behind my back and because you did that, because you know the truth..." he trailed off. There was pain in his eyes, the kind that only meant one thing:
                 "You're going to have to kill me, aren't you?"
                 He didn't answer.
                 I spread my arms out, "Go ahead. I don't care...But don't think I'm going to change back. No, you're going to have to kill yourself. He is the person you love most, right?"
                  "Or how about this?" I morphed into Elara, "Kill me now, Maven."
                  "Or this?" I turned into Mare, "This should make it real easy. Too bad I don't know what Thomas looked like or I could turn into him! How about that?!"
                 "STOP IT!" Maven screamed, doubling over and clutching his head. The fireplace roared and spit. When he straightened up again, there were tears streaming down his face, "THAT'S ENOUGH! I get it! I fucking get it! Now turn back into yourself this instant!"
                 He sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but I did as he asked.
                 Mavens eyes were wide and crazed. He started rambling like a madman, "I didn't kill my father my mother did, but I would have done him in myself given the option. I hated him. I was nothing to him, so his death meant nothing to me. And Mare, I planned on framing her all along, and I don't regret it, I wanted the crown and now I have it. But I felt something for her along the way, that's the truth. I don't know if I talked myself out of it or my mother messed with my feelings. There are gaps in my memories my whole life. It's like I told you, like you said in your column, I'm her puppet—"
                "Oh, don't blame her!"
                "I'm not, I'm not. I'm a terrible person in my own right, I know. I'm just telling you the truth. She told you I thanked her for what they did to Thomas? Well, I probably did.  I don't remember. She warped my mind. She punished me,"
                "What happened to Thomas?" I demanded, "Did you...?"
                "No...well...we kissed and...touched each other...a bit," he refused to meet my eyes. The air around him began to cool down. Against my better judgement I stepped forward and took his hand, "The next day he was just gone. We were in battle. He got blown to pieces right in front of me."
               "I see,"
               "Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, sometimes it feels like a different lifetime," Maven's voice had diminished to a whisper. My ears were ringing after all the shouting, but now when I put a hand to his cheek, he was ice cold.
               "I'm sorry, Maven. You could have told me. I understand,"
               He nodded, gripping my wrists, "I'll never lie to you again. I promise."
               I hung my head. We're so fucking pathetic. "How can I trust you?"
               "Ask me anything. Anything for the rest of our days and I'll give you a straight answer,"
               Of course, being me, I don't pass up an opportunity to ask questions. We sat together and Maven answered all them, every single one, plain and simple, just like he said. He told me about his childhood, the war, Mare, all the people he'd killed or tortured since becoming king.
               "If you want to free the Reds, why don't you just do it?" I asked, "You're the king. You can do whatever you want."
                "It's not that simple. I thought so too at first. My father thought he could do whatever he wanted too, but he couldn't even keep his head on his shoulders," Maven smirked.
               "Shit, Maven, dark!"
               He laughed, "Sorry, sorry. Does it bother you?"
               "What?"
               The smile vanished, "My black heart?"
               I elbowed him, "You don't have a black heart. Everyone has a dark side. Yours just likes to come out and play more often. It's kind of sexy."
               "Everyone has a dark side, huh? Even you?"
               I grinned, playfully, "Even me."
               His eyes traveled up and down my body, before he sat up, excitedly, "Let me take you out to dinner tonight. Maybe we can go see a play."
               "A play?! Really?!"
               "Yeah," he ran his long fingers along my jawline, "Then we'll come back here and you can show me that dark side of yours. I'll come by your room at 6?"

               Maven stopped short in the hallway, "Oh, there's one thing I have to take care of in my office. I'll meet you in my room."
               We were just coming back from dinner. Disguised as Yvonne, I grabbed him by the collar and planted a kiss on his lips, "Don't be too long."
                I winked and strode away, not waiting for an answer. After telling my few guards to leave me to walk alone, I sidestepped into a servants passage and turned back into myself. After hours of sitting in someone else's skin, it felt like breathing fresh air for the first time. I wound down the skinny, drafty hall, taking in the feeling of my own skin and letting my mind wander. The passage was dimly lit, so when I rounded the bend and crashed into someone, all I could see were a pair of silhouettes. I was about to apologize and move around them, but one grabbed me roughly, clamping a hand over my mouth and dragging me through a door.
                We stood in a servants quarters, which was better lit by a small window and a cook fire. Now I could better see my kidnappers.
                 "Lydia Cross?"
                 I was face to face with a girl whom my feelings toward had toggled back and forth between hatred and sympathy ever since I first saw her on that television screen.
                  Mare Barrow.