[M] IC - La Belle et la Bête - Dark pigeon / Scottishgal

[Dark Pigeon]

He did not like her answer. One of those few people who had still believed in him had died, he did not want that. He did not want someone that did not believe him to be the dark one to die. Salvador wanted them to life, so they could spread their hope and give some if it to him as well. Light.. for him to bring light. He watched her as she moved around the pond and saw that the fish were following her now as they knew that Salvador himself had not brought something to eat, so their hope was now on Melia. But as he heard that the man had not returned, he knew that there might be a change that he was not dead yet. Now, he knew the name of each and every single person that had enlisted, was captured, and the names of those who had died.. at least, of those who was known that they died. His mind would remember those things, he wanted to forget but he just could not do so. He got news from the battlefield every single day, and knew that the names of those who had died would be brought to the right villages so their family's would know of their sons had made it or not. Those who were badly wounded and could not fight any longer would be brought back home. Only those who had been captured would not make it back, and to him it was unknown how many were still alive and who had died.

"No" he said bluntly, he would not have her leave just yet. She was his today until he was tired of her. "You can not leave now' he said to her as he looked around to see if someone had entered the garden that could bring them some bread for the fish. But they were there alone, so he needed to do what he had always done as a kid.. and that was finding bugs under the big rocks that circled the pond. He carefully bend over and tried to push a rock out of the way, hoping that he would find some creepy crawlers for the fish to eat. He found a big earthworm and a few little ones that he picked up and gently tossed towards the fish. As soon as they noticed that he was feeding them lovey nomnoms from one of their most favorite humans in the world. "Give me his name, is first and surname" He told her as he walked over to the next rock and tried to find some bugs under it. There was nothing there, so he turned over then next, and then another until he found something for the fish. "And I will tell you, when it pleases me.. if he is still alive, if he died, or of he has been captured"

[Scottie]

Her bottom lip gently wobbled as he told her that she could not leave. She wanted to. She wanted to go back to her room and hide under covers. Go back to her room and paint, to see the day light fade away. But he would keep her here. She watched him bend over and move a rock out the way. She couldn't really see what he was doing, so she moved around the pond. The fish followed her before speeding off towards him. He was throwing something to them and she was confused...where was he getting them. She saw his dirt covered fingers as she got closer. She wanted tor refuse as bluntly as he had but he gave her that little piece of hope that she needed. He could tell her..if he was still alive or not. She let her hands curl out from their fists and glanced at her palms. Small cuts littered her palms and she trailed a fingertip over them slowly. "His first name was Samuel. His surname was Johnstone." She said softly. "Samuel Johnstone. Aged 24 summers. He had three younger sisters and a mother who loved him."

Her eyes remained on her hands as she spoke. "The man could not harm a fly....I was the one who would snap at others. My sharp tongue kept them at bay...I only saw him fight twice...Once when some men entered his home to rob his mother...and when he came to help me." She dragged her eyes up to him as the small cuts on her palms healed themselves. "He was a good man. A fair man. He had such hope for the future." She gave him a small sad smile and felt tears prickle at her eyes. "He didn't deserve to go to war. He should have stayed behind. He promised..." She trailed off and shook her head violently. "His mother was told that he did not return from the battle field. She wasn't even given a definite answer." She bent over to a rock beside the pond that he had not touched yet. Lifting it and letting it roll away as she plucked the worms and beetles free from the earth. Gently tossing them into the water for those impatient water puppies.

[Dark Pigeon]

He would remember that name from now of on, he knew he had heard it before.. or better say read it before. A man that had volunteered to fight the war that had been going on for ages. It was rare finding volunteers these days, so he had stood out already for Salvador. But he had done nothing with it as he like always cared so very little about others, and was more concerned about his own safety and well being. Little did he know that he would be spending more time than need be finding all the information he needed so he could tell Melia about what he knew. He kept searching for bugs underneath those big rocks that decorated the pond, finding nice tasty bugs and big fat worms that he tossed towards the very hungry water-puppies that demanded all the noms that they could get. With every bug that was thrown into the water, the fish started battling one and other in a playful manner to get to the treat as first. They splashed with the water, droplets of it getting onto the expansive robes of the king that was feeding them, and he did not seem to truly care about it.

"I hope for his sake, he was able to hurt something when fighting. Or he would have died a rather quick death" Salvador said as he tossed a worm into the water, smiling as he saw that one of the smaller fish was able to catch it before the much bigger and stronger ones. He knew how the training of those soldiers went, if he had not been killed by his officers, he surely would have died in the war. maybe his search for what had happened to that man was a sort one, as he would find out that he had died a hopefully quick and painless death. He rolled his eyes when she stated that he had not deserved to go to war, he had gone himself! He was honoring his king and country, he would die a worthy death instead of slowly dying while trying to earn a living in this damn village he had grown up in. He looked up, a big bug in between his fingers as he was now getting curious about what she was trying to say. "what did he promise... what is it that this man has promised you, his family??.. who?"

[Scottie]

She plucked up a small beetle between her fingertips and chucked it into the water. She heard him speak but his words did not settle her soul. Infact, they made her feel sick. She didn't want to imagine Samuel fighting...or dying. Melia kept her concentration on the dirt beneath her fingertips. She tugged another rock up, plopping it onto its side. The bugs underneath tried to scurry away from her. Melia let out a small sigh as she pinched the end of a worm and let it tumble into the water for those hungry fish. Melia didn't like thinking about the war. It was filled with blood and pain...and death. She hadn't heard him tell her if he was still alive. But she had doubted that he would ever tell her. This felt like a massive joke. What did he promise? Her jaw tensed and she chucked the last beetle in sight to the fish. She pushed herself to her full height and brushed the dirt from her hands. "He promised his mother that he'd come back someone important to our little village. That he'd be able to truly help her again. He promised his sisters that soon he'd be back to protect them....He...He promised me that he'd come home."

She kept her eyes on her hands as those tears returned. Prickling in her eyes, threatening to spill out onto her cheeks. "He promised me that he'd come back for me." Her words were quiet, it was the first time she'd aired it to anyone. "My elder brother got married and moved away. Sammy was taken away...and Sophia...they say she won't make another two winters." Her hands curled back into fists as she let out a long angry sounding sigh. "Samuel said he'd come back for me...to make sure I wasn't alone." She flicked her eyes back up to him. "But he's gone. Those are empty promises..but they mean a little something to me."

[Dark Pigeon]

He watched her as she cleaned her hands after she had tossed the last beetle between the hungry fish. He himself stopped searching as well and cleaned his hands before gently asking his staff to come towards him. As a faithful puppy it did, and if it had a tail one would be able to see it wagging its tail. The fish were all pouting as the saw that their humans were no longer searching for food, now they had to do it all on their own food like all normal fish would do, how utterly stupid! They still followed around Salvador and Melia, truly hoping that their sad puppy-fish-dog-eyes would sway both humans to start searching for tasty bugs again. "What an idiot, promising he come back?" Salvador said slightly chuckling, how could someone be that dumb? "The only way he is to come back, if he and his men win this war for me, or when he dies. That is, if they find his body and someone cares enough to bring him all the way to his house and present his rotting corps to his family" he said rather gently, as in his mind he was just being kind, don't ask me how! But he truly thought that what he said was .. helpful in some way.

"Men can not just walk out of a war and go home, that is now how it works." He said with that horrible tried gentle smile spread over his face. It still made him look scary as fuck.. you would rather have him look angry.. trust me. "You stay there until you die, there is enough work there for everyone. Even the crippled, and one does not want to go him with a leg or arm missing now does he? Eeating the food that one that deserves it more can eat? Being utterly worthless, ever able to do something that is worthy of any praise? Believe me Melia, he is better of dead than coming crawling back to his mother so she can take care of him. A grown man living with his mother, how.. horribly absurd." he rolled his eyes and looked over at the fish that were still following them around. He smiled, he was proud that he was able to not kill this girl for lashing out at him. Anyone else would have been killed, but she was allowed.. as he had asked her to help him. She would make him better, he was sure of it. But she needed training though, much.. much.. training before she was perfect enough to be able to help someone as perfect as him.

[Scottie]

Her teeth buried into her cheek as he told her that Samuel was an idiot. Then he laughed. She closed her eyes slowly, trying to block out his words. But she could see it. She could see his mother crying by the door, his sisters refusing to enter the house again because their brother had been dragged back and dumped onto the kitchen table. It had happened before. To give them the "luxury" of burying their loved ones. Death stained the house, it never left. She could taste blood. Men can't just leave. She snapped her eyes open to stare at him. How he smiled like a rotten corpse. Her eyes were cold and held no emotion in the grey. She would have looked after him, she would have done something. Anything to see that golden smile again. He was still smiling and she wished more than anything to wipe that smug look from his face. She didn't say anything, she just watched him and then turned on her heel. She knew this room, which path to take back to the entrance. "I am going back to my room." She let her words float to him as she continued through the path of green and red.

She was done with asking for his permission. If his attempt at making her feel better was to insult her. Melia had tried so hard, so hard to make him feel better about his wife. Telling him everything he wanted to hear about. Telling only the good points. Not the arguments, the rage she felt in her bones or her last day. She kept those from them to save his soul. But with the darkness that echoed in his heart, she was regretting giving him that small kindness. Melia took another corner and could vaguely see the doorway in the distance. Her hands were still curled into fists, tears bit at her eyes as she concentrated on the doorway. "Don't you worry dove. I'll come back for ya. I'll take you away from here. Somewhere worthy of ya." His words echoed in her mind. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she felt sadness and rage build up deep within her. She was one more push away from screaming.

[Dark Pigeon]

He was absolutely dumbfounded when Melia just walked away from him, he was being a pleasant host! He was being perfectly nice and civilized. He had let her tell him what's what without taking her skin from her body, she had been able to tell him things nobody else was allowed to! But she seemed to feel to good about herself, being a little bitch as she so clearly just walked off. Now.. walking away, how dare she be that rude! NOBODY, walked away from him, nobody just turned their backs at him and went away. So naturally, he was growing violently angry at the girl. Now, he knew that his staff would be a dick about it, stopping him from hurting the girl that so badly needed punishment. The very thing was absolute om Melia's side at times, but one does wonder how far she could go before the staff would help him instead of her. "You are going nowhere" Salvador said hissing at her as he watched her just marching off like some damn army of one. "DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY!!" he roared at her so she went around the corner, heading to the door that would lead her back into the castle, and back to her room. She would not make it there, he would make sure that bitch never saw that room before he had given her permission for it. This girl needed to learn some manners, and he was about to teach her a few.

He let go of his staff as he knew that the damn thing would get in the way if he was to do something to this damn girl. He was furious, how dare she just walk away from him! Guards already came speeding towards their king as soon as they heard him roar. They knew something was up, and a few seemed pleased to see that it was because of this strange new girl. Before Melia could walk away from them, the had surrounded the girl that so clearly had pissed of their King. "Take her, take that damn girl' He growled in anger as he waved his arms about as he came closer. The guards did not need to hear this a second time and were on the girl in a split second. THey did not care if she bit, kicked, or was hitting them. If anything they did it right back to her (not the biting, that be silly) and pushed her harshly to her knees as they knew that their king wanted the girl right there.

How he grinned from ear to hear to see her on her knees. Even if she was the bearer of his wives soul, he was not to let her treat him like this. "Walking away from a king, tsk tsk tsk" one of the guards whispered in her ear as he harshly pulled her arm further back as Salvador came closer. His staff was vibrating violently as it knew what was going on, letting Salvador know that it did not agree with what was going on. The guards that stood between Salvador and Melia quickly stepped away as the king came to see the girl sitting on the ground with guards pressing her down. "Take her to the dungeons, she needs some time to think of what she has done. One does not walk away from a king like you did Melia.. for that I can have you killed. But.. I have other plans for you, and.. I did promise that no harm would come to you" As he said the last part he could hear the guards gasping in utter confusion, he would not hurt her.. no.. harm to this girl? The two that held her down harshly quickly released the tension on her arms so they were no longer hurting the girl. "Remove her dress... I do not want it to be stained by the dungeon floors. Keep her there for two weeks.. it must be enough time for her to contemplate what she has done" Salvador said with a slight smile, this truly was the softest kind of punishment he ever had ordered.

Salvador nodded and gestured for the guards to take the girl. "Have the maids remove her dress.. if any of you dares to touch her, I will deal with you personally" He said as he looked at his guards before looking down at Melia. "Anything to say??" He asked her with a voice as soft as silk.

[Scottie]

Her eyes flicked to the doorway back to the castle. That was where she needed to go. She could get back to her room in seconds, she knew the corridors, she knew the secret passageways. But he spoke, his words at first hissing at her before roaring at her. She kept moving, something flickered in the back of her mind. Anger at him, pure unadulterated rage. His wife would have slapped him silly if he had ever spoke to her like that. But Melia felt no rage. She felt empty, her family were dying outside the walls of the castle, her brother lived within and had his eyes removed for some reason....and Samuel was dead. That man, that bastard thought it better than Samuel coming home. She heard guards started to appear but she didn't panic. Instead, she stopped. Letting them surround her quickly. His growls drifted to her but she ignored them. Her eyes on the ground as they pushed her to kneeling. She had no fight for these guards, she was building it up deep within her to be unleashed at another.

Melia felt hot harsh words brush her ear and let her eyes flick up to him. Even as he pulled her arm back, she wanted to see his face. To commit it to memory. The rage she felt deep down would not register on her face, but she was already picturing the day that she could tear that mans tongue out. Melia slowly returned her eyes to Salvador and kept a neutral look on her face. Dungeons. Oh he was doing that now. Two guards let go of her arms and she felt the strain disappear. Only a numb humming was felt in her arms as she rested her hands on her knees. Remove her dress. Two weeks. She didn't remove her eyes from his, a coldness was echoing in them. She would not give him the anger he wished for, for then...then he could give her a punishment that these guards thought fit. As least the maids would undress her, she feared the guards wouldn't be as gentle. It was another flicker in the back of her mind, one of defiance. One of hatred and anger. She raised her chin to stare him in the eyes. "I can cope with two weeks....can you?" Her words were like a song, dancing through the air to him.

She felt a hand loop under her armpit as the guards dragged her to her feet. Melia shook her head gently and slowly let her gaze drift from him. The guards kept a tight grip on her as they led her away. Melia would be taken to another room, in there the maids would arrive. Not speaking to her, but saying what they couldn't with their expressions and their eyes. They felt sorry for this girl, being the kings personal play thing. It seemed that for every time she could do something right...she would do something drastically wrong as well. The dress was remove as was the under skirt and her under dress. She was dress in a plain brown dress and given some leather shoes to wear. The maids gifted her with a small pouch of chalk that she hid on her upper thigh around a small garter. Melia promised them in whispers, that if asked...she stole it herself. She was shown back to the guards before taken to the dungeons...under layers of dirt and stone to what felt like the pits of hell.
He said as he looked at his guards before looking down at Melia. "Anything to say??" He asked her with a voice as soft as silk.

[Dark Pigeon]

He leaned forwards as she questioned him, that little bitch was not trying to get on his good side. Instead she was deviant as she glared him right in his eyes. "You haven't seen the dungeons yet darling" he said smiling at her before she was dragged away by his guards. He smiled before walking back to his staff as he hoped that he would find some more bugs for the fish.

.... a couple of days later....

Those dungeons were hell, no questions asked. They were damp and cold, you would hear people beg and scream for pain to stop. The smell of death was the strongest in here, as the corpses of men and women alike would not always be removed on time. Rats would come in, eating their bellies full on the flesh of those who had died only recently. Nights were the worst. If you thought you could get some sleep between the horrible sound of people coughing and slowly dying, rats would nibble on your fingers or toes to see if you were still alive or not. Not to mention the food, a horrible tasting stew that had maggots swimming inside of it. Only the truly brave would be able to take a bite out of it. Only to be surprised that the food looked far better than it tasted... yes.. it was that bad.

As Melia would realize that she had been spending 5 days in her cell, guards came walking up to her and opened it up. By now she knew that this was a very bad thing, those who were taken out of their cells were tortured. Every single man and woman hated to see those doors open, and felt the safest between their own filth as long as those doors stayed shut. They said nothing as they simply grabbed Melia and dragged her out of her cell. But instead of going left, they headed right. Back to the long stairs that would bring you up to the castle.

No matter the suffering Melia went through, Salvador himself truly had a nightmare all on his own. His staff had gone absolutely insane and did not give his master a second of peace and quiet. No matter how strong Salvador's magic was, the staff itself truly had a few tricks up its sleeves as well. Rain in the middle of his room, crumbs appearing in his bed, his voice becoming incredibly high so he sounded like a damn leprechaun. Pieces of glass in his shoes, his robes itching, his hair growing insanely fast, his beard turning into bees, turning into a woman, his feet feeling as they were on fire, everything he ate would be vomited up, his food turning into maggots.. you name it, it happened. Every single moment, every single damn second.. his staff would let Salvador know that it did not agree and that it was angry.

As Melia was dragged into the throne-room, even they had trouble not to smile or laugh as they saw their king. They kept their eyes to the ground and quickly left, both almost choking as they kept themselves from laughing. When staff saw Melia it started to conjure up rainbows, butterfly's and colorful confetti. The entire Throne room looked like a unicorn had been having a bad case of diarrhea. Butterfly's flew everywhere, rainbows and unicorn drawings decorated the walls. But nothing, truly NOTHING would have EVER prepared a soul in this world.. for how Salvador was sitting on his throne. "And... did you like it down there?" He asked her as he sat there in a pink tutu, his hair in beautiful piped curls as he wore it in pigtails. As he coughed up some butterfly's (which happened ever 30 seconds or so) he cursed at his staff "She's back, now stop it' he hissed at the staff.. that only added to the lovely children's party by conjuring some fluffy white bunny's around the kings feet. His feet, oh those lovely fluffy pink slippers he was wearing. "Because.. I been having such a damn .. lovely time" He said, sarcasm dripping off every single word.

[Scottie]

.... a couple of days later....

Those dungeons were hell, no questions asked. But. They weren't that bad. She could cope. She passed death every day in her village, she heard people crying and screaming for relief from the pain every single day. Rats were a constant in her home...the food was different. But Melia didn't let it keep her down, instead...she filled her small cage with life. She had access to the stone work of the dungeon. Every single piece of the room was covered in drawings, flowers, birds, sunshine. Everything she could think of was on those walls. The people around her kept crying, so sleep was difficult. Food. She wouldn't touch it, so her stomach pained her. She had bags under her eyes and her skin was starting to grow raw from not bathing. But she would cope. That was until the guards came to her door, sliding the door aside. She scrambled back from them, she had seen men and women dragged along the corridor to where screams drifted to her. She didn't want that. She didn't want that pain. But they grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out the cell. What little fight she had left in her was wasted on those guards. She dug her fingernails into the ground to stop herself from going further. Blood seeped from the tears in her skin as they dragged her...away from the dungeon.

She was picked up, a hand under each armpit. She couldn't even walk, she was dragged along like a doll. And she let them. Maybe this was a new place of torture. Maybe they were dragging her to her family...to watch them turn into puddles before. Her mind had little time to stop conjuring the worst those days. No sleep had only made the shadows form into horrible beings. Melia could faintly make out the door to the throne room and dropped her eyes when they dragged her in. The guards chucked her to the ground and her hands flung out forward to save her face from smashing on the cold hard ground. She blinked slowly as the carpet beneath her fingertips was a bright pink. The room smelled of sugar and cookies and strawberries. Her fingers were slowly healing and she pushed herself up to sitting. Blinking rapidly with wide eyes as she truly drank in her surroundings. Butterflies, rainbows, drawings. It was more fitting of a "princess" room than a throne room. Melia dragged her eyes to the throne and couldn't stop herself from faintly laughing.

"Of course not Sire." She said softly, her eyes half open as this room felt just right...to nap in. She smirked as he stood, a pink tutu around his waist. His hair in perfect curls with ribbons dangling from it. He coughed and butterflies drifted from his lips. Every time he moved his hands, glitter would spout from his fingertips. She heard him hiss at the staff and knew that she had to thank the staff. She gave it a small smile as bunnies appeared around his feet and ...oh the slippers. She gave him a faint smile before nodding. "I can see that Sire." Her mouth was dry and her skin felt ready to crack open. It was like all the death and dirt from that dungeon had sunk into her very bones. She let her grey eyes drag up to him before watching pink clouds drift past his head. She dropped her hands to her lap, dirt clung to every inch of her and her skin looked positively grey. "Pink suits you." Her words gentle but they would reach him. She didn't say it with a smirk, it was just a sentence that floated from her lips. As it reached him, the staff would conjure up another puff of pink glitter to float over him. The staff circled him like an excitable puppy and shot out small pink fireworks.