✖ Chapter 23 ✖
BANGS ECHOED AROUND the outside of the extravagant ballroom. The walls and ceiling shook, the chandelier composing it's own eerie jingle. Everyone froze, everyone stared—everyone waited.
Instinctively, I tucked my arm around Rose's waist and pulled her behind me. I was all too familiar with the concept of Steal the Enemy's Most Prized Possession. I wasn't fond of the game one bit. It was never amusing nor enjoyable to suffer through. And it had happened far too many times.
Leah stood straighter on the small stage set up for her where she was just about to project a large speech to all her people. But she too was concerned, a perfectly plucked eyebrow arched and her lips curled in distaste. Maybe the impatient trait was hereditary.
Daniel, Jessie, and Aiden stayed as they were, yet positioned to break into action at any moment. I was sure the rest of the room was packed with witches, same as us, if not a few humans sprinkled about. But the humans were mainly the staff, and they had already scurried behind their queen, as instructed to do so. Whether this would be a fight or not, no one knew.
Guards remained at the ready by the door, knees slightly bent and hands outstretched.
The room continued to tremble, indubitably unnerving.
Then all grew silent, not even a cricket to ease the tension.
Just when everyone thought it had all been quite a mistake, the large doors abruptly flew open.
The guards, not prepared for such a thing, stumbled and wavered. A mass of people with hoods hiding their identity took the men out one by one, each a nonentity hero wasted. Panic shrieks stuffed the air instead of the silence, and I couldn't decide which was worse—the deafening silence or the frightened shrills of anxiety bursting at the seams.
Confusing as it was, those were the only people the hidden group massacred. After, they merely stood and stared. Stared and stood. Waited and waited and waited until the silenced were silent once more. I raised my eyebrows, following the train of waiting. Was the moment supposed to drag on for so long?
All at once, the moment ended when the head figure ripped back her hood.
None other than Cecilia Larkin, in the flesh and blood.
Rose, undoubtedly afraid she would try and harm her again, shrank back even more with a wavering breath fleeing her lips. I stood unnaturally taller, blocking Rose from Cecilia's view if nothing else. She wouldn't take her from me again. She wouldn't.
But she wasn't here for her this time.
"Queen Leah," she said mockingly in a faked posh tone, dropping into a dramatic curtsy. "I will admit, your men were much better fighters than I suspected."
Leah gripped the podium in front of her tightly, and I could see her knuckles white even from my distance. "You have no business, nor any rights, being here."
Back-up guards were already filing in behind the group, weapons aimed and faces stern—determined.
Yet Cecilia chuckled. "I am here only to warn you. The return of monarchy will not settle well with many people. I myself, obviously, included in said group."
She took a step forward, but caught a guard stiffen and ready to attack, so she stopped. Continued. "The rebels will rise against the scrutiny placed upon them. You may think you have obtained the perfect solution for perfect equality, but you are wrong. Very wrong. There can never be such thing as equality so long as there are different people.
"There will always be poor people just as there will always be rich ones. There will always be strong witches just as there will always be weak ones. Not everyone is willing to see past differences in appearances. You will find that out the hard one." Her lips curved into a smirk.
Leah set back her shoulders, hid her worry well, her voice firm. "If you wish to frighten me, Madam Cecilia, you have failed. You have only provoked more hatred in this community, and I cannot allow that to happen. You are wrong about people. It may not happen in this lifetime, but justice will always find it's way to the top."
Cecilia made a tsk-tsk noise with her tongue. "Forever naive. Such a shame."
Just as quickly as it stopped, the fight began again. The rest of the rebels tore off their hoods, drew their swords, prepared for a battle. They made the first movements of attack, their satisfaction lying in the whoosh of their swords as they impaled and decapitated innocent bystanders.
Rose put her back to mine, ready to fight just as I was. It would take getting used to knowing that she was just as strong as I was, if not more so. Which I already knew, already sensed. Rose was brave and strong in every sense of the definitions. She could stand her ground just as any other man or woman could. She was frail, but invincible.
I enjoyed protecting her, though. Even if the situations do become redundant over time, I would always be there. Protecting her. Fighting for her. Even if she could protect and fight for herself. It was in my nature to be her guardian, and it was an obligation I had no problem complying with.
We somehow separated, just the slightest bit while in the midst of the action. Four men came at me from every angle, making the ordeal increasingly difficult but still hardly anything. I've taken on an army almost by myself before. I've been abused, caged, defeated, and yet miraculously always managed to be the winner.
Leah was right—justice always found a way to overpower all other forces working against it.
An ear-piercing whistle brought my attention away from the four men now lying on the floor, more or less unconscious rather than dead. I looked up, exhausted of the whole game and of being Cecilia's pawns no matter what. For God's sake, she was supposed to be locked up in an highly secured institution.
...is that what it felt like for her when I always succeeded in escaping?
No matter. She deserved the punishment whereas I did not.
"Over here, Harry!" Cecilia's voice sent anger racing through my veins.
But then the blood pumping nearly stopped altogether.
A long dagger pressed against Rose's throat, already drawing blood with none other than Cecilia's hand behind the horrific actions.
"It's over," she sneered, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Look around, Harry. You and your precious gang have finally lost."
I didn't want to, but I did. I looked around and regretted it.
Daniel, Aiden, Jessie—all on their knees with swords daring to slice off their heads.
Leah—my mother—bleeding out on the stage beside the podium. They hadn't even saved her for show, merely took her away.
The air suddenly fled from my lungs and my legs threatened to buckle beneath me. I hadn't even known her an entire two days, and just like that—gone. And just like that—all my loved ones soon to join her. There was no way I would have time to save them all.
Save one, the rest die.
Save none, they all die.
"Now." Cecilia was grinning again in that disgusting way. "You give me back this palace, and I may let all of you go. By that, I mean back to the madhouse. Perhaps that's worse than death, perhaps it isn't. So choose." She laughed some. "All of you die now or all of you slowly succumb to insanity and then die."
I looked to Rose, her eyes wide, not expressing anything other than fear. I looked to Daniel, Aiden, Jessie, all of which contained the same hollow, empty void. None of them gave hints as to what should be done. My mind couldn't stop whirling long enough to contemplate my options.
The first, easy enough, was simply death.
The second, however, held the promise of a mere possibility to escaping once more. Yet I had no intentions to ever enter that institution ever again. The short time I occupied it had been far too long as it was. Besides, did I want to risk the large chance that we would succumb to madness? That there would never be any hope to a normal life ever?
I didn't have time to make up my mind.
Cecilia's laugh snapped me out of it. "Too late," she said with far too much amusement.
The sound of four blades slashing through flesh would haunt me forever.
★ ☆ ★ ☆
I jolted awake.
Body drenched in sweat, face soaked with possible tears, I scrambled to look beside me. A flood of relief rushed through me at the sight of Rose, now stirring due to my abrupt actions. I couldn't stop myself from grabbing her cheeks gingerly, pressing my lips all over her—neck first to assure if was most definitely still attached, then her cheeks, nose, forehead, and finally her lips.
She grumbled some, peeling her eyes open to look at me. She glanced over at the curtains pulled together, then back to me. "It doesn't look like morning."
I laughed out of solace. "I love you so much, Rose. Have I ever told you that?"
She raised her eyebrows warily. "Many times..." She sat up some, leaning back on her elbows. "Harry, are you okay? You look kind of pale..."
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Perfectly fine. I'm amazing, actually."
"You're scaring me."
I smiled, calming just the slightest as I ran my thumbs over her cheekbones. "I'm sorry. I just had a bad dream, but it's okay. You made it okay." I slid down, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and her head fell naturally to my chest.
"How did I make it okay when I just said you were scaring me?" she asked, laughing a little.
"Because you're here and alive, and that's all I needed for assurance. Don't worry about it, yeah?" I kissed her temple, still overwhelmed that such a vivid thing could have just been a simple nightmare.
"You're sure you're okay now?"
"I promise."
"Good because I'm exhausted and I don't think I'd be any consolation in my half-asleep state."
After a few moments, Rose's breathing evened out again, proving she was asleep once more. I stole another kiss from her cheeks, more careful this time so not to disturb her. She had a big day tomorrow—Leah had promised that she would help Rose learn about her abilities more and how to control them.
I let out another breath. Leah—my mother—was still alive. Daniel, Aiden, Jessie—all alive. It was just a dream, just a nightmare. Just a trick of my imagination to frighten me for eternity, but I wouldn't—couldn't give it such satisfaction.
Holding Rose close, I made a promise to myself. No giving up again, ever. I had already lost Marcus because of it, and maybe he deserved it and maybe he didn't. But I had called it close, putting everyone else in danger simply because of my annoyance with running in circles all the time.
And maybe we would keep running in circles. Maybe Cecilia really would come back with an army of rebels. I didn't doubt the thought that not everyone liked having a monarchy. It would be foolish to think everyone wanted the same thing. To think everyone had the same idea of how things should be done.
But I would be there if, or when, this situation happened. Fighting, striving for peace. Rose would be there by my side, along with Aiden and Daniel and Jessie. And my mother, the queen, who I knew would give up her own life before another, before civilization entirely.
We were a small group of nonentity heroes, this I was certain.
Yet a small group of committed men and women, well, that was worth more than an army of slaves. Anyone under Cecilia would be just that, whether they fought for the same thing or not.
Everyone can agree that nothing in the world is accomplished without a fierce passion, a desire to achieve said accomplishment. Some of the most powerful people did not achieve their power without the passion to do so, even Cecilia. Great inventors did not succeed with their inventions without the passion to prove everyone that the impossible was possible.
My passion is quite a simple one, yet a task nonetheless, that I will forever strive to achieve:
To give the people I love the life of safety and eternal happiness.
THE END.