Beginning of the end

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No one can recall dates any longer. Help was coming, they had promised. Who wouldn't believe the promise made to by the brightest minds of the time to the richest families of the time? It had been long enough now that the original citizens of Rapture now had young adult grandchildren. The city had been built just for them. Their lavish playground, or so they liked to believe. It was many years now since anything had been truly 'lavish', it was only as the joy now made them see it; glorious and delightfully decadent.

Some families considered themselves better than others, and rightly so. Few had the money and the power, while the many lived in squalor. One of these families were the Jansen's. The eldest son had two beautiful daughters, who in the society they had left would no doubt have been attendees of many parties and balls, all for the purpose of finding a husband. As it stood, the youngest girl seemed the most adept at wearing her mask. By day she was the spoiled little princess she was supposed to be, making fun of the lower classes and generally being a horrible person. But as night fell and her joy pill began to wear off... She often thought of life outside her parent's massive apartment, of life in the 'workers' levels of the city. Anika Jansen would fall asleep troubled by the things her imagination thought up. It was this particular night that she had finally plucked up the courage to slip out of her parent's home, though of course she would stand out a mile in her expensive clothing and perfect make up.

Anika had tried to keep her gaze on Victoria for as long as she could until Elliott literally dragged her outside. Beneath her veil the younger sister was quietly sobbing, even as she was helped onto her horse.

The king hung back, watching the women fawning their new queen. Everything had gone perfectly, so why didn't he feel any different?

"It will be all right." Elliot said, deciding to abandon a second horse and slide on Anika's with her. "Your sister will be fine." 

Victoria was waiting in he dark room when the king arrived. She sat on the bed and stared into the darkness, wondering what it was going to feel like to die.

Anika nodded her head, feeling a little better with the feel of Elliott's lean frame so close behind her. "It doesn't mean this doesn't still leave me hurting in ways I never thought possible." she confessed. "You will both be punished... Because of me."

The king entered the room, surprised to find it bathed in such a heavy darkness. "Anika?" He breathed uncertainly, seeming just as unenthused by all this as his bride was.

"We would not do it if we did not...care for you." Elliot said, almost saying something he shouldn't. "You are worried for nothing. I have seen your sister. She can take care of herself."

"Your majesty?" Victoria breathed. She was trying hard not to let her body betray her. It was aching for another touch from this man. "You know...I only now realized that I do not know your name."

"That is what she tries so hard to have everyone believe." Anika confirmed. "I am not worth all this trouble. I was born for this destiny."

The king smiled, the bed dipping as he sat down beside his bride. "A king has no name, he is simply an ideal for his people to look up to."

"Obviously not. Destiny is taking care of itself." Elliot said with a laugh. "You are free, Anika! How do you feel?"

"Then tell me your name when you are just a man." Victoria said softly, worried he was getting too close.

Anika couldn't answer that. Her freedom had come as such a high price. How did she feel? "Selfish..." She whispered.

"There was a time before all this when I was simply... Deacon." The king was laughing quietly in the darkness. "It has been so long since anyone called me that, that even the sound seems alien now."

"How can you feel selfish when you weren't the one who made the decision?" Elliot asked, leaning his head down to rest it on her shoulder. "I'd say brave is a better word."

"Deacon." Victoria breathed, forgetting herself and who she was pretending to be in the moment. "I like that." Once again she found herself being the first to initialize the kiss and she wasn't sorry.

Anika smiled sadly, turning her face slightly to where Elliott had his head on her shoulder. "At least I get to spend the time it takes to get to the next kingdom with you."

The heat and the passion that Victoria had experienced with the king only several hours earlier simply wasn't there. It was clear he believed she was her sister, and that was exactly the problem.

"I'm not leaving you." Elliot didn't know when he'd made this decision but there it was. "I'll remain in my human for as long as I can but...I am not leaving you." 

"Deacon." The lack of passion was eating her alive. Like Elliot she made a judgement call that was probably going to get her killed sooner. Hesitantly she lit the candle beside the bed, showing the goblin king her face.

Anika's heart was fluttering all over again as she simply let those words sink in. The young woman turned herself around where she was sat on the horse and simply grinned up at Elliott. "Thank you." She breathed before offering her rescuer a tender kiss.

The king had made love to his 'wife' out of duty and not desire, and the second the light had filled the room, that simple fact began to eat him alive. He felt like a violator, preying on a woman he would have given the very stars to. "Victoria..." So much sadness in that one whispered word. "How could you..."

Elliot's cheeks flamed. "Don't be so happy. You may reret it soon enough." He told her. "I can't think of anyone who wants my company for long."

Victoria didn't answer. She didn't know how to explain herself or why she felt like such a monster about this. Instead she turned her back on him, pulling the satin sheet over her head.

"Same." Anika replied with a sad smile of her own. "I only had Victoria because she had no choice. Trust me, I can be very annoying."

Deacon was pacing up and down now, trying to understand why this had happened. "I told you I wanted you. Why such a painful deception?"

Elliot laughed. "I often hear that about myself. "The king says I'm the most annoying goblin that ever lived. When I'm not working I'm basically useless."

Still Victoria didn't answer. She kept her back to the king, feeling vulnerable in a way she never had before.

"But you have a use." Anika pointed out. "Unlike me. My whole life I was told I had this special destiny... Which turns out wasn't all that great."

"Answer me, you at least owe me that much." The king breathed, finally sitting back on the edge of the bed.

"You don't believe marrying a king is all that great?" Elliot asked in surprise. He slowed the horse and began looking for a spot to camp for the night. "Just the fact that you were fated to be a queen should leave you in awe. Better than being born a slave." 

Victoria finally turned to look at him, her eyes red rimmed. "It was not that painful, your majesty." She whispered,  suddenly feeling unworthy of calling him by his name. "Probably not as painful as it was for you." A round about way of not answering his question.

"Is it really any different?" Anika asked sadly. "Either way, your life is not your own, and now I have condemned Victoria to the very fate I was running from.

"You truly have no idea what you have done, do you?" The king asked, a genuinely heartbroken look in his crimson eyes.

Elliot shook his head. "Victoria 's fate will be much different than yours. You might have died of boredom or sadness. She will die of pain and agony. Goblins love that sort of thing. Especially the king." 

Victoria's nostrils flared as she tried to maintain her temper. "I know exactly what I did and I'm not sorry. I told you before I would die to protect my sister. I intend to follow through with that."

This only cause the young woman to burst into floods of tears. It was just liek the previous night when Elliott had found her sobbing in his king's dungeon.

The king shook his head and once again got to his feet. "You wont die." He confirmed. "She will." With those chilling words he swept to the door. "She has shown extreme cowardice by fleeing her duty, something not welcome of a Queen."

"Oh come now. It can't be that bad." Elliot said sadly, pulling the horse to a stop. "Your sister is ready to die. It's okay. Really." 

Victoria curled up in the bed, feeling alone and violated. She didn't know why she thought things would be different. Her grandmother was right. The joy pill tasted sweet. It made her forget.

"She shouldn't have to be!" Anika insisted. "She loved the king from the moment she met him, I saw it in her eyes! I thought it would be fine... That he would love her too!"

The king spent much time brooding in his own bedroom, pacing and muttering to himself. It was only when he did as Elliott has, and spied on a sister through the mirror that he finally stopped. Few people had met the sisters, no one had seen her face at the wedding...
"Victoria?" He was again in the young woman's bedroom. "Forgive my behavior..."

"I'm not sure the king loves anyone. He was not raised to. He doesn't understand it." Elliot said softly. "He only understands the prophecy and what the mystics tell him. Nothing else matters." 

Victoria believed herself to be alone. The joy masked any sight of the king or anyone else. She lay on her side, curled in a fetal position, and cried herself to sleep.

"And what about you?" Anika asked as she calmed her sobs somewhat. "Do no goblins believe in love?"

If Victoria woke that night, she would find she wasn't alone. The king lay beside the woman who was now his wife, holding her in his arms as he tried to understand what it was he felt.

"I don't know what to believe." Elliot admitted. "The mystics are wrong, I know that. If love is real...it seems to be causing a lot of pain. That's not a good thing.  Is it?"

Victoria hated herself for letting her guard down. She should never have believed anyone would want her. It was always about her sister.

"Maybe it isn't love that causes it... Maybe it's the mystics themselves?" Anika replied as she nervously toyed with the ends of her long raven hair.

The king didn't sleep that night. Even as he held Vitoria in his arms, he toyed with the thought that maybe he truly was a bad man. He had sent Elliott to bring Anika here, and every since the sisters had arrived... He had found himself wanting Victoria more and more. He was supposed to do what was best for the kingdom, not what was best for himself.

Elliot shook his head. "Don't be silly. They are born and raised to help us through our lives. It's what they do. They have no other purpose.  They wouldn't hurt us. And they certainly wouldn't hurt the king. "

Victoria simply lay where she was once she woke, trying to tell herself that she was dreaming. The king would disappear once she opened her eyes fully. She almost found herself praying for it.

"What if they don't like being your slaves?" Anika offered. "Did you ever ask that? Perhaps they're just as unhappy with their destiny as I was."

"They will be bringing us breakfast soon." The king breathed once he realised Victoria was awake.

"They have more of a run of the kingdom than even the king does." Elliot snorted, setting a fire. "He hangs off their every word. That's how he knew where you were, how long to wait for you, what your name was...you get the idea."

"Should I leave?" Victoria asked, reaching over the bed to hunt for her dress. "You won't get your hands on my sister but...I doubt you want to be seen with me either. "

"Maybe they have the king tricked?" Anika suggested as she sat down by the fire Elliott was starting.

"You are my wife now, whether you like it or not." The king replied, again sounded rather wounded by Victoria's curt treatment of him.

"How could they trick the king?" Elliot asked, sniffing the air. He could hear Anika'so stomach growling and knew he'd nred to hunt for something for them to eat. "He is the smartest man I know."

"You are the one who doesn't like it." Victoria reminded him. "I am not the one you wereally fated to be with. Remember?" She added. She couldn't find her dress. In the end she pulled his shirt over head.