Eugene's eyelids fluttered open. He groaned. The sun was only just starting to rise, meaning he'd only gotten around two or three hours of sleep. Then, he remembered what day it was.
Eugene immediately climbed out of bed. That was when he noticed that Rapunzel was gone. But before he could call her name, the door to the bedroom opened, and in walked Rapunzel.
Her hair was done up in the ankle-length braid-ish style that Rapunzel liked. She also found it the easiest and most practical way to wear her seventy feet of golden hair. She appeared to have bathed and put on her usual light makeup that she used to wear before the capital city of Corona fell. And, most surprising to Eugene, Rapunzel was fully clothed in a way that was not at all her style. She wore a simple set of black trousers and a tunic with golden trim, a golden-colored belt that carried a dagger, black gloves, and a piece across her chest and midriff that was made of thick, dark mahogany leather. It laced up the back like a corset and was also embroidered with gold.
"Hi," Rapunzel said with a weak smile, rubbing her arm. "I was just about to come get you."
"You're dressed," Eugene observed, putting on his boots.
"Of course I am. I know you know what day it is."
"I didn't know you'd be going with us."
"Eugene!" - Eugene went over to the clothing chest at the foot of the bed calmly while his girlfriend spoke. - "Of course I'm going! We've been over this! I can't just sit here and be useless anymore! Today's the day Eugene! I'm going to help lead my people. I'm they're princess, soon to be queen; that's my job.
"I'll be fine, Eugene. Hector taught me how to fight and defend myself, and I haven't forgotten. Elizabeth gave the all clear on my injuries. I'm in good health. She's the one who gave me these clothes! They're meant to help me move and keep me protected. That's what this is for!"
Rapunzel pointed insistently at the thick leather breastplate she wore. Eugene sighed, not standing up from where he knelt. He looked down at the cold wooden floor.
"And yet you still chose to not wear any shoes," he said with a humorless chuckle.
Rapunzel walked over to her boyfriend and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I have to go with you," Rapunzel said gently. "I'm the Sundrop. I'm the counterpart to the Moonstone, to Cassandra. I'm the only person who can fix this for good."
"And if you die?" Eugene's voice cracked.
"Then everyone else will live."
Tears began to fall from Eugene's eyes. He took Rapunzel's hand in his and kissed it. She wrapped her arms around him, stroking his face and hair. The two stayed there for a while, trying to find what little comfort they could in the each other's loving presence. But the sun continued to rise, and they began to hear many nervous voices from downstairs. They parted, and Rapunzel helped Eugene into the clothing and armor of the Captain of the Guard. The attire had been kept away in the corner of the room since the first night of Eugene's arrival at the shepherd's home, but now he donned it again.
Rapunzel and Eugene joined hands as they left the room and walked down the stairs of the farmhouse. The first thing they saw were the many, many faces of their people. Elizabeth's sisters and her father were weaving through the large crowd, passing out water and leather pieces of armor. A few of the refugees were leather-workers and, with the help of the shepherds, had been able to whip up quite a few arm guards, leg guards, and breastplates (Though none were anywhere near as nice as Rapunzel's).
As Rapunzel and Eugene reached the middle of the staircase, the whole farmhouse suddenly grew very quiet. The eyes of the dozens of Coronans were all trained on them. They looked at them in wonder and even in adoration. Eugene's heart pounded as did Rapunzel's. They gripped each other's hand tightly, trying their hardest to keep their head up and their eyes on their people as they descended the rest of the way down the stairs. The people parted for them at the bottom of the stairs.
It was then that Varian emerged from the crowd. He wore simple leather armor that was almost identical to everyone else's. Only he additionally carried with him several of his alchemical solutions, strapped to his belt. He stopped right in front of Rapunzel, a look of awe on his face.
"You..." he began quietly. "You look fantastic. You're like a goddess!"
"Exactly."
Everyone turned to look at Elizabeth as she walked out of the crowd, also fully clothed in armor.
"Come on, everyone!" She shouted, addressing the many Coronans gathered in the farmhouse. "Back to work! We leave for the city today! Move with a sense of urgency!"
The people instantly obeyed the woman and got back to putting on their armor and readying themselves for the coming battle. Once the farmhouse was again buzzing with the loud sounds of the civilian army, Elizabeth turned back to Eugene, Rapunzel and Varian.
"You're welcome," She said.
"W-what?" Rapunzel asked, still in shock from her people's reaction to her.
"You're welcome for the clothing and the makeup. You saw the way they looked at you, the way they admired you. Any respect you lost from them is now fully returned. They're yours to command."
"I still don't think you had to do all this, Elizabeth," Rapunzel said. "I'd help them whether they liked me or not."
"I know you would, but these people aren't an army. They're little more than an angry mob. The only thing holding them together is their respect for Eugene. But respect for one man isn't going to keep them together on a battlefield, especially not against Zhan Tiri and Cassandra. They need more people that they're willing to follow so that they don't break. It's crucial that they like you. So, you're welcome."
"Thank you, Elizabeth," Eugene said gratefully. "You did good. But what do you think you're doing in that armor?"
"Going to fight for my home. What else?"
"We need you here to look after those who can't fight," Rapunzel said.
"No, you don't," Elizabeth responded. "I can fight, and I'm a healer. You'll need me on the battlefield. My sisters and my father have already volunteered to take my place. They're perfectly capable of taking care of the elderly and injured. Queen Arianna is even doing better. Your people and your parents will be in good hands.
"I need to do this. I won't be able to live with myself knowing I could have helped my kingdom further and didn't. My job as a healer and caretaker is done. Now it's my time to fight. You asked me what you could do to repay me for all I've done. This is how. Please, your highness, let me do this. Let me fight."
"I give you my permission," Rapunzel sighed. "But please, please don't get yourself killed."
"Aw, don't tell me that you two have grown attached to bossy little me."
"You being bossy and controlling is all that's been keeping us alive," Eugene chuckled. "Thank you, Elizabeth, really. This world needs more people like you."
"Well, come on then!" - Elizabeth turned on her heel as she yelled over her shoulder, a smirk brightening her sun-kissed face. - "You two plus that Varian of yours better start getting ready! We've got a war to fight, and I'm guessing the people will want the Captain or the Princess to make a speech!"
Eugene groaned as Elizabeth disappeared into the crowd. He'd never been good at public speaking. Rapunzel put a hand on his shoulder with a comforting smile. Varian surprised Eugene by hugging him around the waist. Eugene was about to question the teen about his sudden showing of affection, but he ran off before anything could be said.
Eugene and Rapunzel spent the rest of the morning by each other's side. Together they helped to pass out what little food and water there was left to the Coronans as they donned their armor. There were one or two instances when they had to stop in order to calm down some of those who were particularly young. One boy had been only fourteen.
Eugene had specifically requested that those under the age of sixteen not fight, so he was alarmed when he learned the boy's age. Apparently, the teen had lied about his age and volunteered out of his desire to get revenge on Cassandra. The black rocks she sent on the city had killed both his parents and his older brother. But when he had seen Eugene and Rapunzel walk down the stairs in their armor, the teen had begun to realize that he wouldn't make it in the coming battle. But at the same time, he didn't want to back out for fear of being viewed as a coward.
Eugene and Rapunzel had found the teen curled up in a ball in the corner, crying. He refused the food they offered him because he said that he didn't want to think about how it would be his last meal. When questioned further, the teen revealed why and how he had lied about his age. From then, Rapunzel spent the next twenty-five minutes comforting the teen, explaining to him that he would not be a coward if he were to stay. He was only a child. Eugene had then told him that revenge wouldn't bring him peace and that he shouldn't risk his life because of it. Finally, after nearly an hour, there was nothing left for Eugene and Rapunzel to say. The teen was calm and collected, but he insisted that he still wanted to fight. He promised Eugene that he would do his best in battle, and the Captain relented, allowing the teen to join the rest of the civilian-soldiers.
Eugene wasn't happy about letting the teenage boy fight in the coming battle, but the boy was determined, and Eugene had more important things to tend to. And so, he and Rapunzel went back to their duties in passing out rations.
By just after noon, the whole of the civilian army was fed and equipped in the armor and weapons that Elizabeth's family provided them with. They gathered outside the farmhouse by the large oak tree where Eugene had first made the announcement that they would be attacking Cassandra at the capital city. They talked among themselves anxiously, waiting for Eugene and Rapunzel. Eugene leaned in the doorway of the farmhouse, his heart pounding. He hadn't had time to prepare any kind of formal speech, let alone practice one.
What the hell am I going to say to these people?!
He was pulled out of his fearful trance by the sudden feel of Rapunzel's hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him lovingly, her eyes bright as if to say, Don't worry; We'll go together.
Eugene took a deep breath. Rapunzel intertwined her fingers with his as they began to walk to the front of the crowd. The many voices grew hushed as Eugene and Rapunzel stepped up on the large wooden crate that Elizabeth had placed at the base of the tree for them. They gazed out at their people. Every single one of them knew the plan that Eugene (with the help of Varian) had formulated to defeat Cassandra and Zhan Tiri. And yet, they had no clue what to expect. The fear was plain to see in their eyes. Zhan Tiri was a demon sorceress, and Cassandra held the Moonstone in her power. The army that was supposed to win Corona back from them was made up of farmers and merchants with only a few actually trained soldiers.
Finally, Eugene spoke.
"Today is the day," he began as loudly as he could manage while still keeping his voice level. "Today is the day we ride for the City. Today is the day that we are to send the demon Zhan Tiri to Demanitus' Netherworld, take the Moonstone back from Cassandra, and free our home to be repopulated and rebuilt. You all know this. And yet, I feel the fear from you. I can tell that you are worried, and some of you think that we will fail. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I haven't thought the same thing. I have. But I choose not to believe those thoughts.
"Cassandra is only one woman. She only has one ally and an army of four. Those four aren't even working under her out of their own free will. They are just tools of her rage. That is all she fights with. Rage. We fight with hope. We fight with the love of our home and our families in our hearts. There are only six opposing us while we make up over two hundred. But I still see the fear in our eyes. We have feared the name of Cassandra, the painful memories and the losses she has inflicted upon us. But we can not let this fear of her name control us! Would Scipio have defeated Hannibal if he continued to live in fear of his name?!"
"NO!"
"Neither must we fear Cassandra! History tells of countless instances when a small army defeated a force much larger and more experienced than their own. How did they come out victorious?! What did they carry in their hearts?!"
"HOPE!"
"Yes! That is what we have! Cassandra fights with only her own blind rage! We carry the hopes and dreams of our families, our children! Will we teach them to give up their hope and to give in to fear?!"
"NO!"
"Then we must fight! We must not give in! We will send the demon back to hell where she belongs! We will free the warriors of the Dark Kingdom from their mind-prison! And we will take back our home from the clutches of Cassandra so that our children will grow up free and with hope! We will not give in FOR WE CARRY HOPE!"
The whole world seemed to ring with the shouts and cries of the army. They held their weapons high above their heads as they cheered. They began to chant Eugene's name. Eugene himself held his own drawn sword above his head, his eyes starting to tear up. Rapunzel took his other hand. She smiled at him, not a trace of jealousy in her eyes. She led him down from the crate he stood on. The people parted in front of them as they walked. Varian ran up and hugged both Rapunzel and Eugene. They returned the teen's embrace, holding him tight. Soon, every-busy Elizabeth was shouting orders at the Coronan people, instructing them to divide into their 'units' and to find their 'officers'.
Eugene had divided the small army of two hundred and twenty into four units of fifty plus a fifth division of twenty. The first unit was to be led by Eugene. His unit was the one assigned to find and destroy the Moon Talisman in order to free the Brotherhood, therefore causing Cassandra to lose her warriors.
The second unit was led by Rapunzel. Their duty was the most important. They were to find Cassandra and defend Rapunzel while she neutralized the Moonstone.
The third division was under the control of Varian. Eugene had been uncertain about placing the sixteen-year-old boy in charge of fifty people, but he knew that was how it had to be. Varian knew how to build Demanitus' portal that would send Zhan Tiri to the Netherworld. Those put under his command were to help him finish building it and to lure Zhan Tiri to the portal so that she could be disposed of. The portal was only mostly finished because the rest had to be completed on site.
Lance commanded the fourth unit of fifty. The job of the fourth division was to simply circle around the palace where Cassandra was hiding in order to keep her and Zhan Tiri in whilst also defending the palace from any other threat, such as the black rocks.
The fifth and smallest division was the healing unit. Eugene had made the last-second decision to place Elizabeth in command of the twenty healers. They were to stay hidden near what remained of the city walls, by the half-destroyed north outpost to be exact. All injured would be sent to them, and they were not to engage. They were to heal and protect the injured, nothing more. Elizabeth had been rather disgruntled about this, but she hadn't argued with Eugene. It was a miracle he let her come along at all, let alone put her in charge of a whole unit.
Thus was the small civilian-army of Corona organized.
Eugene and Rapunzel were forced to leave each other's side when they saw their units just about organized and ready to march. They embraced and kissed each other passionately before parting.
Eugene joined his division. They cheered for him and clapped him on the back as he walked through their tiny ranks. He knew a fair portion of them as at least acquaintances if not friends. Augustine was with him as his second in command. Eugene hugged his friend tightly before mounting Maximus.
The stallion had been found ten days prior, half-starved. Eugene and Rapunzel worked together with the help of Elizabeth to get Maximus back to good health. Eugene bent down in the sturdy leather saddle to stroke the stallions' muzzle. He couldn't imagine going to war on the back of any other animal. He chuckled as he thought that this must be how Hector felt about Tekakwitha. His smile faded as he thought longer.
I'm on my way, brother, Eugene vowed. I won't let Cassandra hurt you any longer. You just have to stay strong for a little longer. I'm coming, I promise.
Eugene looked up. His army was ready. They stood in formation. Only the unit commanders had horses, since that was all that Elizabeth's family could provide. The rest would have to walk on foot. They waited for Eugene to say something. The Captain took a deep breath.
"MOVE OUT!"
~*~
As the small army reached the gates of the city, they split up. Three of the five units were to go to the palace while Elizabeth hung back by the gate and Eugene went to Cassandra's black rock fortress in the distance.
One of Eugene's scouts from a few days ago had brought back the news that the destroyed fortress was once again fully constructed. This had deeply upset Rapunzel. For one, she was disturbed because her once close friend had made a palace out of the rubble from Rapunzel's location of childhood abduction and trauma not once but twice. Secondly, Rapunzel had been sure that the black rock palace was permanently destroyed after her battle with Cassandra. Now it was back and in full operation again. But despite Rapunzel's uneasiness, the reconstruction of Cassandra's fortress made things much easier for Eugene.
Eugene knew for a fact that Cassandra was staying in the Coronan palace, as several recently arriving refugees had informed him. It wasn't located in a particularly strategic location, and she had no army to place in it. This meant she had no reason to rebuild the fortress. That is unless she was trying to hide something.
Eugene was sure that Cassandra was hiding the Moon Talisman inside her newly reconstructed fortress. Why else would she have rebuilt it? There was of course the possibility that it was a distraction, but there was also the possibility that Cassandra knew that Eugene would think it was a distraction, but then there was the possibility that... it went on forever. So in spite of any doubts that he might have held, Eugene had dubbed it more than worthy to search the black rock palace for the Moon Talisman.
The march to Cassandra's fortress from the city gates was only a little over four hours, which was shorter than expected, but it seemed an eternity to Eugene. As long as the Moon Talisman was still in one piece, the Brotherhood would not be free, and Cassandra would still have her warriors. In the time it took to just get to the fortress, dozens of people could already be dead, dozens more could be injured, and the whole mission could have failed!
Eugene took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. He had to stay calm. If his people knew that he was having doubts, they would give up completely. He had to stay strong for them.
Finally, Eugene, at the head of his unit, pushed through the last of the shrubbery and rode into the large clearing where the base of the palace stood. It looked just as it had the first time he'd seen it up close, only this time there were only a few small pieces of Rapunzel's old tower embedded in the black rock walls. But the far more noticeable and far more concerning difference was that this time there was a door.
A massive two-door gate was opened wide, leading right into the palace. There were no guards of any kind posted nor were there any visible traps.
Eugene moved with his unit closer to the fortress. He stopped them and quickly divided them into two groups of twenty and one group of ten. He sent the two groups of twenty to scout around the forest that surrounded the black rock palace to see if they could find the Moon Talisman. The fortress was most likely a trap of some form or a distraction, and so he sent out the tiny search parties to see if they could find where Cassandra had actually hidden the Moon Talisman. Eugene dismounted Maximus, gave the stallion to Augustine and his group of twenty, and took the group of ten himself. He intended to take them into the palace. In the event that it was a trap he wanted to lose as few men as possible, so he took the smallest group. This was also why he had gone himself.
Eugene was the first to step through the massive gate of the black rock palace. He hesitated for a moment, his foot hovering over the cold and dark floor. When he finally stepped, he felt his men behind him tense. They all suspected some terrible trap would be activated and that their beloved Captain would be torn to shreds. And then what? What would they do without him?
But nothing terrible did happen. As Eugene stepped onto the black rock, it was no different than if he had set foot on any other floor. Everyone, including Eugene himself, breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
The Captain ordered all ten of the men with him to follow him inside the fortress. It was equally uneventful as each one of them did. The double-door remained open after they were all inside and still no trap or ambush attacked them.
The group of eleven immediately got to searching every room of the palace. It was barren of furniture, even more so than before, and there was no sign of life. The search went much quicker than expected, because of the lack of any furniture to look under or in. This clearly eased his men, but Eugene remained on edge. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. Why would Cassandra make a gate to her fortress when she hadn't before? And furthermore, why would she ever leave it wide open and unguarded?
Eugene and his group of ten searched the first nine levels of the black rock palace in an hour. The fact that the fortress was taller than it was wide helped. When they did come to the ninth floor, in the third room they checked, they found the first piece of furniture so far in the whole palace.
It was a medium sized, plain, black rock pedestal. It stood unguarded in the middle of the room. Though it was a strange sight to see, especially in Cassandra's palace, what stood atop it was far more concerning.
There on the pedestal stood the Moon Talisman.
The Talisman glowed the same blue as the Moonstone but much fainter. Other than its blue color and glow, the only thing significant was the engraved symbol of the Brotherhood on its center.
Eugene had seen the Moon Talisman before, back in the Spire when Cassandra and Zhan Tiri had first taken it, but it still unsettled him to look at it. It had a certain aura about it that made Eugene feel as though it was angry, and it wanted to hurt him. The other ten people in the room clearly felt the same way. They curled in on themselves slightly, shrinking back from the Moon Talisman. Some of them drew their weapons and pointed them at the Talisman.
A young boy named Peter began to walk towards the Talisman with his hand outstretched, ready to take it, destroy it, and be done. Eugene grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
"Don't!" Eugene hissed. "Unguarded palace? Fine. But there is no way that Cassandra would ever let that Talisman alone and without protection! It's a trap! I know it is!"
"Very intuitive, young Captain."
The party of eleven all spun around to face the person who had spoken. Standing in the doorway far to the left was Hector.
That same terrifying blue glowed in his eyes, just as it had last time Eugene had seen him. He was grinning from ear to ear in an almost gleeful way. His wrist sword was drawn and gleamed in the dim blue light. His skin was far more pale than usual, making him appear almost dead. He additionally looked incredibly tired and maybe even weak. He limped slightly as he walked.
Some of Eugene's men tried to retreat, but the doorway that they had walked through suddenly sunk into the floor, leaving only a black rock wall in its place. Eugene jumped in front of his men, shielding them with his body. He drew his sword and pointed it directly at Hector as the older man began to make his way over to the Moon Talisman.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you even came into the palace at all," Hector said, beginning to circle the pedestal on which the Talisman rested. "I thought the trap was far too obvious, but her majesty, Cassandra, insisted."
Eugene felt sick when he heard Hector refer to the woman who was controlling him against his will as "her majesty".
"I'm pleased to see that she was correct," Hector continued.
"Hector, listen to me!" Eugene pleaded. "That Talisman is controlling you and hurting you. We want to set you free, but you have to let us destroy it! Please, just step aside. I know this isn't you."
"Ah, but you see, the thing is, we don't care."
Eugene's dread only grew when he recognized the voice who just spoke.
Adira strode out from the shadows and went to join her brother by the pedestal, drawing out a simple sword that wasn't hers. Cassandra obviously still had the Shadow Blade.
Adira's eyes glowed solid blue just like Hector's, and she wore the same dangerous smile as well.
The two siblings looked at each other, their smiles only growing. Eugene didn't even have time to start to give a command to his men when the siblings attacked.
Almost instantly, young Peter was decapitated by Hector. Eugene pushed down the sick feeling that was rising in his stomach and ordered the remaining nine people to scatter. However strong and skilled the Dark Kingdom siblings were, there were only two of them. Every one of the ten people besides Hector and Adira ran to different part of the large room. The sibling had to choose who to go after then, leaving the Moon Talisman undefended.
Eugene took this opportunity to lunge at the pedestal which held the Talisman. But before his hand could close around it, he was sent sprawling backwards after a quick and powerful strike to his face. He looked up through the blood in his face and at first couldn't make out the giant figure standing in front of him. Then he saw the ax, the intricate, royal, and familiar ax.
"Hello, son," Edmund said, a wide and wicked grin spread across his face.
At first, all Eugene could feel was joy and relief that his father was alive. He had survived Cassandra's attack on the city! He was alive! Then came the painful truth that the man with the glowing eyes that stood in front of him wasn't his father. He was Cassandra's weapon.
Edmund raised his ax above his head and sliced downwards directly at Eugene. Eugene rolled to the side, narrowly missing the fatal attack. He leapt to his feet and instantly saw that three more bloody bodies were strewn about the room. Hector and Adira were picking off Eugene's men one by one, leaving their king to protect the Moon Talisman and deal with Eugene.
The Captain dove out of the way of another one of Edmund's attacks, leaving his dropped sword on the ground. He knew there was no way he could beat his father in combat, so he simply tried to trick him and grab the Talisman from him. This tactic didn't work.
After only a few minutes Eugene was already exhausted and covered in blood and bruises. Edmund threw him to the ground for what seemed the millionth time. At this point, the king could kill Eugene any time he wanted, but instead he was playing with him. As Eugene looked up, he saw Edmund as well as Hector and Adira advancing on him. The two were covered in blood and appeared incredibly pleased with themselves. Eugene didn't dare look around him, but he could still taste the bile in his mouth at the smell of death all around him.
Just then, the black rock ground began to tremble. The three members of the Brotherhood stopped and looked at each other in confusion. Then, Hector's face turned to realization.
Tekakwitha came thundering into the room with Luna, Lady, and Thanatos close behind. The bearcats and the dog leaped on top of Hector, clawing at him and dragging him backwards. Tekakwitha similarly ran straight into Adira, throwing her into the wall.
Eugene took the opportunity of the sudden attack by the animals and more specifically, Edmund's distraction, to steal the Moon Talisman right out of his hand. He then sprinted towards the large doorway that the animals had just run through. Edmund chased after his son, leaving his siblings behind at the mercy of the animals.
Eugene had almost ran across the entire room to a staircase when he was yanked backwards by Edmund. The king would have sliced his son's head off if Eugene hadn't ducked as quickly as he did. But unfortunately, Eugene's blood-slicked hands couldn't keep hold of the Moon Talisman.
As soon as the Talisman dropped from Eugene's hands, Edmund threw him directly into the nearest wall. The Talisman skidded to a stop a few feet in front of Eugene, but Eugene now had no strength left to fight back or even stand up. The king now showed no desire to toy with Eugene. Murderous fury burned in his eyes. He raised his ax above his head.
"N- No, no, Dad, wait!" Eugene pleaded desperately. "Look, when I first found you, I- I- I resented you for leaving me. But I understand now that you were just trying to protect me. I... I understand the sacrifice you were forced to make and I'm sorry I've never said it, but I want you to know that I... I forgive you, Dad."
Eugene closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the stinging pain before everything would go dark. Edmund brought his ax down with all the strength he had in his magic-infused limbs.
A blinding shockwave of hot blue light pushed Eugene into the wall with burning force. He couldn't hear anything over the sounds of the shockwave. The blinding light didn't even start to dissipate for several seconds. But when the hot light finally faded, Eugene was shocked to find that he was in fact not dead.
He looked up and saw his father. He tried to shy away, when Edmund wrapped his arms around his son. Eugene fought against him, thinking he was about to be crushed, but Edmund began to speak.
"Thank you, son," he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
Eugene managed to shift so that he could see his father's face. There he saw wide, tear-fill, chocolate brown eyes, just like his.
"D-Dad?" Eugene croaked, a weak smile spreading across his face. "How? How did you-"
"I don't know. I just broke through its control, and I know it's because of you. But that doesn't matter. I just care that you understand how sorry I am."
"You don't have to be. It wasn't your fault, Dad. And anyway, I already said that I forgive you."
"Yes, but that was for something entirely different."
Eugene laughed weakly and Edmund joined him. The king helped his son to his feet, allowing him to lean on him. The two smiled at each other for a moment. But Eugene's face suddenly blanched.
"Oh, shit! The nickname twins!"
Eugene found a sudden burst of energy as he tore himself away from his father's grasp and ran back into the room with the pedestal. Edmund followed close behind.
There, by the wall, Hector and Adira laid limp, their eyes closed.
"Guys!" Eugene shouted at the animals in the room. "What the hell did you do to them?!"
The animals looked at him defensively, as if to say, We didn't mean to!
Eugene sprinted over to Hector and dropped to his knees beside his friend. He rolled him over, brushing the hair away from his face.
"Hector!" Eugene called. "Hector, wake up! Please! Hector! Hector!"
The warrior started to stir. He groaned a little. His eyelids fluttered open to reveal unique, beautiful, yellow-green eyes.
Eugene's face broke out in a smile. He laughed as he embraced Hector tightly. He continued to laugh and hold his friend in his arms until he felt him shaking. He pulled back so he could look Hector in the face.
His eyes were filled with tears, guilty, ashamed tears.
Before Eugene could say anything, he was pushed aside by Adira.
"Brother!"
Adira cupped Hector's face in her hands. He let his tears spill. In Adira's eyes was understanding and pity as she took her brother into her arms. He wept into her shoulder, crying something about blood, himself, and children.
Hector's animals hung back, not daring to look at him and his injuries that they caused him. Hector called them over.
"Don't you dare feel guilty!" he ordered through his tears as they came over and rubbed against him. "You're good, very good! Good girls! Good boy! I'm proud of you!"
"If you're telling them not to feel guilty," Adira said shakily. "Then you had better not be blaming yourself for anything either."
Hector began to cry again, once again saying something about children. Then, he saw Edmund.
He let out an animalistic snarl as he pounced at Edmund. He toppled Edmund over. Once on top of him, he continued to snarl curses while he clawed and beat him. Adira and Eugene worked together in pulling Hector off of the king. It was a struggle to restrain him but restrain him they did.
"You bastard!" Hector screamed. "You filthy bastard!"
"Hector, stop it!" Adira growled through her teeth. "We don't even know that he knew about it!"
"I did know about it," Edmund stated calmly. "I knew about the Moon Talisman and what it could do."
Hector fought all the harder, screaming all the louder.
"How could you?!" he howled. "After everything we did for you! You lied to us! You tricked us! You had the power to control us and you never said anything!"
"I know," Edmund said sadly, looking at the ground in shame.
"Do you have any idea what Cassandra put us through?! She made us burn that city to the ground! We were forced to kill hundreds! Adira killed the soldiers, just like Cassandra commanded her! But do you know who I had to kill?! The families! The refugees! The children! I murder dozens of children! Some of them weren't even old enough to walk yet! And she made it so that I remembered every single one!
"But do you know what the best part is?! That wasn't enough for her! She hates me! She did anything to show me just how small and weak I was compared to her! She used her power to force me to torture myself over and over and over again! I was forced to cut myself, flog myself, burn myself! She made me hurt Adira!"
Hector reached back and tore away part of Adira's robe, revealing deep cuts and forming scars.
"Hector, it's not your fault!" Adira insisted as she tried to cover the cuts. "I don't blame you! It wasn't your fault!"
"I blame me!" Hector screamed.
Hector's strength gave out. He slumped against Adira and Eugene. There was silence for a while, horrible, tearful silence. Then Edmund knelt.
With his head bowed, he spoke.
"I don't make excuses," he said. "There are none. You experience so much more pain than I because of my mistakes. My mind was only taken from me fully today, while yours has been under Cassandra's control for what may seem forever.
"I do not ask for forgiveness. I don't deserve it. I do not even ask you to stay to fight in this war. If you wish to go, I cannot and will not stop you. All I ask is that you take your anger out on only me and not my son. He searched for you day and night, so do not hurt him. Please... I'm on my knees for you."
Hector hesitated, staring at his king who was kneeling right in front of him.
"I can't forgive you," he said. "But I hold no anger towards your son, and... and I don't intend to leave this war. Zhan Tiri must be stopped from corrupting more people like Cassandra who can hurt people like us. Get off your knees. You're a king, so pull it together!"
Hector turned on his heel and marched out of the room and towards the staircase. Edmund smiled weakly and followed after him. They would deal with the dead bodies of Eugene's comrades when they could. But right now, they needed to get back with the rest of their unit. They had a kingdom to save.
Adira joined Hector at the front. They walked several yards in front of Edmund and Eugene so that they could talk without being overheard. Eugene didn't have to guess what they were talking about. The regretful face of Adira and the tear-filled eyes of Hector said it all.
The group of four was passing through another doorway on the fifth floor of the black rock palace when they stopped in their tracks for a very familiar figure stood on the other end of the room.
"Maldue!" Hector shouted joyfully.
Hector tried to run to his friend, but Maldue pulled a heavy golden amulet from inside his tunic and brandished it at Hector.
"Don't come any closer!" Maldue growled.
Hector stopped in his tracks.
"Maldue, what's wrong?" Hector asked in confusion. That's when he saw the clean clothes.
Maldue was dressed entirely in clean, neat clothing, including shoes and accessories. His shoulder-length hair was clean and brushed. His body was also clean and completely unharmed. His eyes blazed with determination.
Before Hector or anyone else could say anything, Maldue spoke.
"Just stay back!" he ordered. "Stay back and don't move! It'll make this a lot easier for me. You already ruined Cassandra's plans by destroying the Moon Talisman. Don't ruin it further."
"Cassandra?!" Eugene exclaimed. "How do you know what Cassandra's plans are? And where did your injuries go?"
"Oh, don't play dumb!" Maldue said in an exasperated tone. "You know exactly what's going on. Now hold still so killing you won't be so hard."
"She tortured you!" Hector said. "I saw the blood and how you begged us to help you!"
"It's called acting, sweetheart. Conjuring up a few illusions isn't hard at all when you have power like mine."
"I trusted you! I forgave you!"
"And who do you think made you forgive me?!" Maldue laughed. "Face it, Hector, we were never friends. The job Cassandra gave me was to spy on Corona, and you told me everything. Now, my job is to kill you before you mess anything else up in Cassandra's plan. So, hold still."
"She's working with a demon!" Adira growled, stepping forward. "She's tricking you. The demon, Zhan Tiri-"
"Yes, Zhan Tiri, I am well aware. And I'm doing this out of my own free will, darling. Cassandra was the only one of you Coronans who was ever kind to me. She asked for my help, and I gave it. I said stay back!"
Hector walked towards Maldue as the magician pulled what looked to be a potion out of his satchel.
"No," Hector said. "There's more, more that you're not telling us."
"Stay back!" Maldue screamed. "Unless you want to die slower!"
"Please, Maldue, tell me what it is. Let me help you."
"SHE HAS MY HUSBAND!"
Hector froze as Maldue shook with fury.
"Zhan Tiri has my husband as her prisoner. I've seen him, I've spoken with him. She swore to let us both go if I helped her precious Cassandra. And you can't help me! Zhan Tiri has spells on me and my husband. She can hear me right now. She can see me. If I do anything to disobey her, say anything, she'll kill me and my husband. I have to do this, Hector! I don't have a choice! I have to!"
Maldue cried the last sentence, his voice breaking. Hector outstretched his hand towards his friend.
"Surely you can break her spell?" Hector offered in a pleading tone. "You're a great magic-user, Maldue! Surely-"
"A great magic-user against men, maybe! Zhan Tiri is a demon! I can't do shit against her! ... Please, Hector. Corona's already lost. Just stand still so I can save him."
"We can't do that, Maldue. We can't."
"Then you've chosen the hard way. You've made a mistake.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with!"
The last sentence was spoken in a voice that wasn't quite his. As the words had just left his mouth, his hair began to float around him as if he were under water. A blood-red glow began to emanate from him. The gold amulet he wore floated in front of his chest. Then, his feet left the ground.
Eugene ran to the nearest exit, but Maldue saw him. He raised his arm high, and it was like a sheet of red glass covered the doorway, preventing Eugene from leaving. The same thing happened to all the other exits in the room. There was no way out.
A black fire erupted right in front of Adira. She stumbled backwards as the fire spread, chasing after her. The fire branched off, also attacking Edmund. Eugene ran to his father, trying to help and protect him, but he was flung back by invisible arms.
Tekakwitha and the other animals were pinned down by red chains that appeared out of nowhere. They growled and roared as if the chains burned them.
Maldue floated high above the floor where no one could reach him, chanting spells and pulling out magic items, some of which Hector had never seen before.
Soon, Maldue's black fire surrounded the room. It was spread everywhere. It didn't burn like a normal flame. Instead, it felt wet. Instead of heat, Hector felt liquid. But the liquid burned like acid. The moment you got close to it, searing, acidic pain would surround you. And with how much of it there was, Hector was always close to it.
Eugene passed out from the acidic pain and because of his already weakened state. Edmund and Adira ran over to help him. But before they could do much of anything, Maldue descended from the air. The warlock's hands burned with the black fire, but he felt no pain. But he also appeared to be getting tired. He was sustaining many difficult spells at once, and it was starting to visibly weaken him.
And so, he drew out his sword and began to advance on Eugene.
Edmund and Adira had only just barely managed to wake him when all three of them were thrown back into the wall. There they remained trapped, as if invisible chains held them there.
Maldue stopped right in front of them. He raised his weapon above his head, Eugene being his first target.
A sword pierced his stomach.
His knees buckled and he fell into the arms of Hector. The warrior drew the wrist-sword from his stomach. The blood began to gush from the wound. All the black fire disappeared, the red force-field covering the doorways was lifted, and Eugene, Edmund, Adira and the animals were released.
"I'm sorry," Hector said, holding his friend tightly. "I never wanted this to happen."
"You... you had to kill the beast," Maldue said with a humorless laugh.
"Can you tell us the next step in Zhan Tiri's plan?" Hector asked in a gentle tone.
"No," Maldue responded sadly. "She might not bother with me anymore, but she can still kill my husband if I disobey her and tell you."
"I understand."
"P-Please, please find my husband... my Chaviv."
"We'll find him, and we'll take care of him, I swear it."
"Th-Thank you. And- and I... tell him I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Maldue closed his eyes, allowing for one final tear to fall. Then, he was still.
Hector sighed, wiping his own tears away before they could fall. He laid Maldue's body gently on the ground, folding his arms over his chest.
"Let's go," he said, addressing the others. "Adira, you heal Eugene the best you can while we ride. Corona's only a few hours away if we ride Tekakwitha. We'll find where Zhan Tiri's been keeping Chaviv after we kill her. But we have to get to the city if we're going to do that. We are going to kill her and live to give Maldue the goddamn funeral that he deserves."
Good day/night, you beautiful and delightful people! Oh my, that was a long one! And so much happened! Poor, poor Maldue. The man just wanted to save his husband and working with Zhan Tiri was his only option. And poor Hector! If you didn't hate Cassandra before, you should now. You cannot tell me that she wouldn't toy with Hector if she had the chance! She absolutely would! And now our poor tree man feels guilt feelings. The war has begun, the battle is in full swing, and it's time for some serious angst! I do hope you all enjoyed the angst in this chapter, and I'm very sorry if I missed anything. (Let's all give Hector's animals the appreciation they deserve after that save!) God bless!
~12thPrinceOfDarkness.