Other Fan Fiction ❯ Black Roses ❯ A Hero's Tears ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Gladiator managed to keep a civil expression around Lady Grey, hiding his distaste in the way she treated people. The Lady had called for him shortly before Leah and Evange came back, Gladiator knew he would have to face her sooner or later. And with Lady Grey, it was always better to see her right away.
“Lady Grey, when would you like to schedule the beheading?”
Gladiator started up as he heard the word, staying silent for the moment. Lady Grey let a few dates slip from her tongue, her mind on other things already. A few more people consulted with Lady Grey about various things before the room was empty, but for Gladiator and his lovely wife.
“What beheading?” The hero wasted no time getting to his question.
Lady Grey frowned, “Just a prisoner the guards found in Bargate. Nothing for you to meddle in.”
“How do you know he-.”
“She.”
“She wasn’t put there by Jack like I was?”
The Lady rolled her eyes, slowly making her way to her bedroom. Gladiator followed her, frustrated with her lack of response.
“Well? What proof do you have of her crime?”
“She knows Evange is...not quite right.”
Gladiator stopped, despair written on his face.
“Are you sure?”
Lady Grey sighed but nodded, walking into her room, letting the doors fall in Gladiator’s face.
Why must my child undo all the good I have done? Why am I plagued with such a wretch?
The hero promised he would see the prisoner before the beheading, perhaps there was something he could do. Anything to save her.
Gladiator touched his guild seal, still tense as the blue light wrapped itself around him, carrying him to his home in Hook Coast. It was a matter of moments for the hero to reach the door of his home. There were two things that he instantly noticed.
The first being his door thrown open, letting the bitingly cold wind blow inside. The second brought something close to fear to Gladiator. A long trail of blood, stretching from somewhere in Hook Coast and ending inside his home.
Did someone leave here bleeding? Or did they come here...
Gladiator drew his sword, rushing into the house, afraid he might see Evange at the cause of someone’s pain. What he saw was worse.
Elisa was crumpled on the stairs, blood seeping from some cut that Gladiator could not see. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was still shaking with pain. The hero sheathed his sword, rushing to Elisa.
“Elisa?! Are you awake? Elisa?”
Gladiator resisted the urge to shake the girl, knowing it would probably cause more harm than good. He cradled Elisa, now seeing the wounds that were crying their crimson tears.
Arrowheads were imbedded in Elisa’s stomach, the shafts broken off, while several shallow cuts marked the girl’s face and hands. Gladiator prayed silently as he lifted her from the floor, letting her arms dangle.
Avo, if this was caused by Evange, help me rid Albion of his evil.

~~~

Leah leaned on a fence post, sighing as she was forced to listen to a lesson that some scholar was teaching. It had something to do with how the first Guild came about, but Leah didn’t care. The snow had stopped falling, but the temperature had continued to drop.
Is this what they think of as fun?
The girl looked around the yard, envying the apprentices who didn’t have to be training at the moment. She caught sight of a group of people rushing out of the Guild, among them, the Guild Master. Leah was amazed to see the Guild Master look so... calm.
I wonder what’s happening out there...
“You might want to start paying attention.”
Leah looked up as a boy leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“Believe me, this is a hard subject. You’ll need to remember everything you hear if you plan on becoming successful...Oh, I’m Mathiues, by the way.”
Leah tried to smile but she knew it fell short. She knew she wasn’t planning on staying at the Guild much longer. There was only one thing keeping her from leaving.
I hope it’ll start snowing again.
The scholar ended his lesson and he let the apprentices go. Leah started heading off to the dorms, needing to think about what she was going to do next.
“Hey, can I talk to you?” Leah turned at the sound of the Mathiues’ voice, wanting to be nice.
“Would you like to get some help with any of the subjects? I know you just got here, so...”
“Um, I was actually just going to... relax. Get my strength up for my melee test tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Mathiues looked down, “Well, maybe I can help you with that, instead?”
He won’t give up, will he?
“Well, I guess you-.”
Leah stopped as she felt a hand slip around her shoulders, a cold voice coming from beside her.
“I think you should leave.”
Mathiues seemed to hesitate for a moment, obviously wanting to stay and get Leah’s answer, but Evange managed to convince the boy to leave. Leah watched Mathiues, trying not to notice Reaper’s dark clad arm still around her. Evange quickly dropped the arm back to his side, turning towards the walls sheltering the Guild training grounds. He rummaged in his robes for a moment before tossing something to Leah. She didn’t see it coming and it hit her arm before falling to the ground.
“Oops.”
Evange chose to ignore her and started walking away. He was planning on finding out what was happening in Hook Coast that managed to draw the Guild Master out of the Guild.
Leah bent down, scooping up the small object. It took her a bit to realize it was just a rock.
Did he just throw a rock at me...For no reason?!
Leah got up, throwing the offending rock over her shoulder, rapidly apologizing as it hit someone, and stormed after Reaper.
I’m going to find out why that jerk picks on me. Then... I promise I’ll leave.

~~~

People stood silently at the entrance of Gladiator’s home. Most were crying silently, quite a few were sobbing and cursing. Gladiator was kneeling next to Elisa beside the Guild Master.
“Just tell me if she’ll live.” The hero’s voice was strained as he whispered.
The Guild Master frowned at the arrowheads in Elisa, “I fear that removing those” he motioned to Elisa’s stomach, “will upset the delicate state she’s in. And kill her.”
“Then what do we do?”
“...Nothing.”
Gladiator let his head drop, the sorrow of the Hook Coast people washing over him. He couldn’t resist the feeling that this was somehow his fault. For not being home, for not refusing Lady Grey, for...
The Guild Master turned his head as the crowd grew silent. He got up quickly, edging away from the newcomer.
“And what has happened, here?”
Gladiator was standing, sword in hand, in a second. Evange was calmly walking in, his face blank. The crowd quickly withdrew to the sides of the room, and made a barrier around Elisa.
“How dare you come here? Do you think we don’t know what you’ve done?!”
“How could I know that you know? Perhaps because I haven’t done anything.”
“Liar! Liar! Liar!” The people began to chant, while Gladiator’s voice boomed over them.
“You dare say that when the evidence lies in...in Elisa? When we all know that you have sentenced a girl to her doom?”
Evange quirked an eyebrow, “I don’t know what you’re speaking of, but, I assure you, it wasn’t my doing. After all, what would I want to do with your pet?”
Gladiator shook violently, anger bubbling inside him with a force so strong he could think of nothing but stopping short Evange’s life.
It’s the only way I can repent for ever allowing this monster to be born.
Gladiator lifted the Sword of Aeons, ready to kill his only son. To rid Albion of this great evil.
“Let none pity you when you’re dead.”

~~~

As Leah made her way to Hook Coast, she noticed most of the Guild people weren’t wandering the halls. All she needed was a moment to realize this was her chance to get the weapons and run.
After a few minutes of searching for the weapons room, Leah found it. She quickly grabbed a single bladed ax, throwing the rusty sword she’d been given into a barrel.
Now, I just need to get out of here... I guess I’ll just have to forget about teaching Reaper his lesson. I have more important things to think about. I wonder how Kuyo has been?
Leah was running through the snow-covered streets in Hook Coast, noticing the same deserted feeling as in the Guild. She was making her way into the outskirts of Hook Coast when she saw people fighting near the lighthouse. They moved incredibly fast, the crowd around them shrieking and withdrawing when the fighters came at them.
“Who’s fighting?”
Despite her earlier resolve, Leah couldn’t help but wander down to the fight, joining the ranks of the Hook Coast citizens. She backed away slightly when she saw one was the hero from before, Gladiator. He looked rabid, almost like an animal. Then, she saw who the second fighter was.
“Reaper?”
What are they doing? It looks like that hero is going to kill him. I should just let him, the jerk deserves it...
Leah clenched her hands, trying to make her legs work so she could leave. But they moved in the direction opposite of that which she wanted. Soon, Leah was at the front of the crowd, in plain view, she wasn’t sure what she planned to do. But she had to stop this fight, it seemed wrong.
Leah gulped before stepping into the fight area, wincing as Gladiator’s sword nearly took her head. The hero had managed to stop it and back away, realizing that Leah wasn’t Evange.
Evange stood back, trying to hide the fact that he was wearing down. He had been constantly slowing down time, to get away from Gladiator’s attacks. The spells were costing him a great deal.
Maybe...I can use the girl to get away.
Evange immediately took to this idea, catching Leah’s eye and motioning for her to come closer. Gladiator saw through Evange’s plan, and ran at the girl, hoping to get her away. But Evange was quicker, he had Leah in his grasp before Gladiator took a step.
“Step back, Father,” Evange spat the word, “Or I will make sure this girl never takes another breath.”
Everyone instantly went still. Though they didn’t know Leah, they didn’t want another tragedy. Evange smirked as Gladiator stopped, letting his arms fall to his sides, the sword’s tip dragging on the ground.
Leah was as still as the rest of them, not liking the feeling of Evange’s arrow pressed against her neck. She couldn’t believe he was doing this to her, when she had only come into this fight because of him. But something else struck her, Reaper had called Gladiator ‘father’.
But does that mean-?
“You’re Evange.”
Evange ignored Leah’s remark, quickly grabbing his guild seal and holding Leah closer. Gladiator opened his mouth to speak, determination written on his face.
“Don’t think you’ll ever be safe again, boy. I will kill you. I will reverse the evil you have done onto this land.”
“Back to killing your family? I seem to recall you’ve killed your flesh and blood before. Someone by the name of Theresa?”
Evange didn’t allow himself the pleasure of smiling, instead focusing on some place far away. Gladiator seemed to deflate at the comment, sorrow overwhelming him. The Hook Coast people instantly went to his side as Evange and Leah were caught in the light of the guild seal.
Theresa, forgive me.
Gladiator felt the comforting hands of his people lead him home. As a reward, they saw his tears.

~~~