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.

"There is no one else, or you would not have come to me." Anika told the disfigured king firmly.

Samantha could feel Victoria resisting, and tutted as she shook her head. "Now your majesty, why would you fabricate such a lie? Your mother is long dead, no more than a stain on the carpet, from what I hear."

"Fine! Then...I will do it myself! I need no one. I never did!" He roared, barely able to hold onto the knife. 

Victoria jerked as if she'd been slapped. A fat tear slid down her cheek. "She was wonderful. So kind and beautiful. I could never be like her." She breathed, still fighting the strange feeling that she needed to say her sister's name.

Anika simply sighed, not put off by his outbursts any longer. she calmly took the knife from him and tossed it across the room and out of his reach. "Sit down." She instructed. She had healed Elliot several times just by touching him, though she doubted she could do the same for Arthurian, given her hatred for him.

"You could." Samantha purred. "Death... is an easy thing to offer a person. For what you have said to your king this night... I imagine he would gladly take you to the chopping block himself."

Arthurian was pouting now, glaring at the knife he didn't have the strength to pick up. "I will not. You didn't even want me here. You can't help me. You said it yourself." 

"I hope he does. I am useless to all who know me." Victoria whispered. "Even my grandmother hated the sight of me..." on the far side of the room, the large mirror cracked down the center. It was hard to ignore since no one was near it.

"Fine. I'll just wait until you pass out." Anika replied curtly. "I', sure that wont be too humiliating for you."

Deacon was the one to approach the mirror. The king ran a finger down the crack, and simply stared at the purple blood he left behind.

Arthurian dropped himself into the chair like a petulant child and glared at her. "What do you really think you can do, child? Set fire to it?"

The mirror reacted, cracking in a spiderweb pattern. "Deacon, dont..." Victoria whispered. Her confidence was shattered.  She no longer believed anyone could hear her.

"If you prefer, I could just stand here until you start crying like the child you are." Anika replied, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at the troll king.

Deacon smeared more blood on the cracks, then simply bowed his head. "I am married to a queen who thinks I killed her mother, who wishes to be far away from me. She thinks me not only a murderer, but a liar, and that's the part that hurts the most."

It was several long minutes of the two staring each other down before the king sighed loudly. "Fine. Make it worse. See if I care." He grumbled, holding out his arm to her.

Before Victoria knew what was happening, one of the mystics grabbed her and shoved her toward the mirror. The elder woman pressed her bleeding arm to the glass where it mixed with the king's. In a moment the glass began to glow and then shattered completely, showering them all with the shards.
Amelia stepped out of the portal it created, a wicked grin on her lips. "I've been waiting a long time for this, boy," She hissed at Deacon.

"If you were more careful this wouldn't happen." Anika pointed out as she did her best to clean the wound, though her magic seemed to be dormant for the moment.

Deacon just stood there. Victoria had done what no one else had been able; she had broken the goblin king. "Do what you must, old woman." He told Amelia wearily.

"I don't even remember what I did." Arthurian admitted. He was tired. He couldn't think of the last time he'd slept. 

Amelia turned her eyes on Samantha and smiled widely. Her body shifted and changed, the Darkness coming free. "I have your word." He purred.

"Perhaps your temper got the better of you." Anika replied curtly, not being all that gently as she continued to wipe away the blood.

Samantha was smiling, clearly trying to contain her joy.
"What does it matter? If I can't keep my queen happy, I certainly save my kingdom." Deacon replied, his once bright crimson eyes now dull and rather lifeless.

"I fell." Arthurian confessed. "I was watching you from afar and wasn't paying attention to my steps. I landed on my bottom and slid down an embankment. I used my arm to try and catch myself. I..." The troll king couldn't meet her eyes. "Thank you for this, Anika."

"That's a war between you and the troll king. Not my problem." Darkness said simply. 
"Where is my grandmother?" Victoria demanded, standing close to Deacon though she wasn't sure why. 
The man at the mirror smoked at them. "That old woman has been dead for years. I can show you the husk if you'd like?"

"Watching me?" Anika asked uncertainly. "I've not been doing anything that would warrant an audience." She replied rather innocently.

Deacon did finally look at the darkness. "All this time... just to get to Victoria?"

"Are you so sure?" Arthurian asked her. "You've been doing lots of things to gain attention of others, my dear." 

"Not just Victoria. You as well. I'm working hard to take appart. You kingdom."  Darkness answered simply.

"What?" Anika paused what she was doing and simply looked at Arthurian with confusion.

"Why mine?" Deacon asked rather bluntly. "I would think the human world is much more enticing..."

"You don't think catching the tree on fire caught the attention of others?" The troll king asked her. He jerked for a moment when whatever she was doing stung him. "Not so rough, little one."

"You woke me up. All of this is your fault, boy." Darkness told him, hatefully. "The creation of the two girls. All of it. Your fault."

"That was hardly rough." Anika scoffed. "And fire isn't such a marvel that it should draw attention, even here."

"I never asked for them to be created!" Deacon suddenly hissed, defending himself rather fiercely. "Amelia did that all on her own!"

"When it is blue and it engulfs a man and a living tree. Of course it does!" Arthurian snorted, pulling her in his lap though he didn't know why. 

"You read from the book. You tied the fates together. You are responsible for the death of her mother...not that you actually killed her." Darkness chuckled.

Anika seemed to tense up. She barely knew this man, and was truthfully still his captive. "You are mistaken... it was just fire." The young woman whispered.

Deacon didn't look at Victoria, he couldn't. He had been telling her the truth, and she had chosen not believe him. "I was just a young man, I didn't know what I was doing." He breathed.

"Say whatever you wish, child. It will not change things." Before he realized what he was doing, Arthurian's lips closed over hers. He'd never tasted anything so sweet. It was like summer rain and the promise of a coming frost. It was intoxicating.

"Indeed." Darkness purred, his eyes locked on Victoria. He was feeding off her reactions. "A young boy reading a lullaby to a fearful, teary eyed girl. You loved her even then. I sensed it the moment I woke up. Which is why I killed her mother. The misery was the start of my plans. And it all worked out beautifully. Didn't it, my dear, Samantha?"

"No!" Anika pushed her hand's against Arthurian's chest, but he was much stronger than she was. The young woman struggled in his arms, deeply upset that he had dared to kiss her wihtout permission, to somehow taint the memory of the taste she had of Elliot's lips.

Samantha's heart fluttered when her master addressed her directly, her green eyes seeming to light up. "Everything is in place and as i should be, master." She breathed, trying not to let jealousy over Anika cloud the task she had been given by her true king.

Arthurian was quick to push her out of his lap, hating himself for showing any kind of weakness. This was not like him at all. "I need something to drink." He hissed, kicking the chair over as he left the room.

"Good. Kill the queen and we will head back to the other kingdom. He is weak enough now to goad Arthurian into a fight. This shouldn't be too hard. We've done it before after all."

Anika remained where she had landed on the floor and hugged her knees up to her chest. She was all alone in this strange land, and her best and only friend had been stolen from her. It felt she was causing so much trouble, when all she wanted was to go home.

Samantha glanced at Victoria, hesitating slightly. "But..." She had heard Arthurian's whispers to Anika. "Wont... Wont that kill me too, your majesty?"

Arthurian was ashamed of himself. It wasn't like him. Nothing bothered. Since he'd lost his wife hed lost the ability to feel anything at all. But for some reason here he was paving the hall, feeling bad for taking advantage of a young woman who thought of him as a monster. 

"Of course not, my dear." Darkness crooned to her. "I would never lie to you. I've been taking care of you since the day you were born. Why would I stop now?"

In their home, Anika had been rather adept at escaping her 'father's' home through her bedroom window. Here would be no different. She simply wanted to disappear and stop disappointing every one who met her.

"Because you are so close to having what you truly want." Samantha whispered honestly.

Arthurian knew she would be gone. When he opened the door he wasn't surprised in the least. He simply sat on the bed and stated down at the silken sheets the head once belonged to his wife. "Tessa...why..." He breathed. "Why did you feel you had to run from me? Am I truly a monster?"

Victoria was already turning away, not caring if Darkness killed her. It didn't seem Deacon did either. She'd burned that bridge and rather effectively. Her insides were burning and she couldn't breathe. She deserved this. He'd have been better off with Anika. 
Darkness was barely paying attention to Samantha. He was extremely worried about losing sight of Victoria and one his ĺast steps to freedom. It was all playing out too perfectly to be ruined now.

Anika was still wearing the far too large cloak that Arthurian had covered her with. It was all she had to protect from the biting wind of this kingdom. It was much different to the climate of the goblin king's kingdom, perhaps a reflection of the one who ruled it. The young woman had no plan, only that she was through with people.

Samantha could do little but follow he master's order now and stepped into Victoria's path. "I'm sorry, but the king can't allow you to leave. You're blood is required, and I will have it, one way or another."

"Save your self, girl." Amelia appeared before Anika, waving a hand at the mist in front of her. An image appeared of Victoria bleeding on the floor of the goblins king's castle. "Save her before you both die."

Victoria felt the blade slide neatly into her belly button. The blood was much warmer than she remembered it being. She looked down at the knife the green eyes woman had and then the woman herself. "You...should have asked...I would given it to you without...a fight..." She whispered.

Anika fell to her knees, holding her stomach where Victoria herself had been stabbed. "Tori..." She whispered the other girl's name, already blaming herself. "She was supposed to be happy!"

"He wont want me if I'm merciful." Samantha told Victoria simply, turning to look at her master.
This had all happened so fast that Deacon was still rushing to Victoria's side, feeling like he was running in tar his legs refusing to move.

"There is still time to change it." Amelia pleaded with her. "Please...fix my mistakes...don't let me lose her like I lost my little boy..." 

Darkness was smiling, watching blood slide past Samantha's lips. "Sorry, lovely. Maybe you shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the troll king." He chuckled, stepping close to Victoria. "What's this?" He touched her midsection with a wolfish smile. "You were with child. How sad..."