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

[Dark Pigeon]

He had expected for her to drop in her knees and thank him while kissing his feet. Her great king had just gave her the answer she been looking for! Being told she used to be a queen, a mother, and a wife. That she had been loved, and that he knew how she had died. All the fucking answers.. and this is how she thanked him. Lord, how she would be allowed to be close to the king, help him to destroy his enemy's! He was burdened with a glories purpose, and she was to be a part of it! She should be in tears, sobbing like the bitch she was. She should be happy and all that. But instead, she dared.. that.. girl.. dared! to tell him no.. NO!

His anger flared up like nothing else would, how dare that little bitch tell him he was wrong! "How dare you tell me I am wrong! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME OTHERWISE!" He roared at her as he grabbed his staff, his knuckles turning white as he held it tightly. He himself was getting infuriated with the girl in front of him, his face nearly turning bright red with anger. Why did she not understand his greatness, how he had figured it all out by himself? How could she not even understand how fucking perfect he was, and that she was to be his personal sla.. assista.. person. "You were no maid, nor a thief. You did not deserve to be killed as violently as you were! You will help me, I order you to! You will serve your king you damn little cunt!!" He screamed at her, his hand ready to strike her. "It seems to me that you are to be taught to listen to your king, not to talk back to him while you know NOTHING! you hear me, NOTHING!" He would not let her go just yet, he wasn't going to let this little bitch tell all her stableman friends what had happened and how she had laughed and laughed and make her king a fool! She as going to do this, he could see it in her damn eyes. Her soul might once been connected to his, but now it sat in this body of this horrible girl and he needed to teach her a fucking lesson.

He was ready to strike her, beat her against the floor and kick some sense into the girl. His hand was up in the air, going towards her as fast as it could. But as soon as it came to close to Melia she could only hear a loud crack, she could feel the air around her move violently as a bright flash lit up the entire room. As she opened up her eyes nothing had happened to her, but her king though. He was blown to the other side of the room, while his staff still stood at the very same spot. THis time the smoke that dripping from it was light as nothing else, it seemed like pure liquid light as it spread itself around Melia to block any path towards her. Salvador scrambled back on his feet and roared, he was beyond angry.. he was loosing his fucking mind. He roared as he wanted to get back up is feet but something just kept dragging him back to the floor. Every single time he tried to stand up he fel down again, and the harder he fought the worse it seem to get for him.

[Scottie]

Her knuckles turned white when his anger flared up to meet hers. She glared at him, the rage she felt was like nothing she had ever felt before. Oh she dared alright. "NO I WILL NOT." Her words echoed around the room. He told her that she deserved the death that she got. He wouldn't say that now that he thought she had been his wife. But before...Oh how he wanted her to feel horrible about how her past self died. She would rather die than serve him. Her eyes narrowed as he got closer to her, rage built up in her like nothing else. "I know more than you think. I have seen exactly what kind of man you have become." She spat her words at him as he came closer. She prepared herself for the slap that would surely come. But a noise burst through her ears and something whipped fast her. Bright white light stayed in her sight as she blinked rapidly. She looked down at herself, trying to see what he had done. Had he torn her tongue out her mouth or made her heart stop....Nothing. She heard movement before her and her attention was returned to her king.

He was not there. At least not before her anymore, the staff remained close to her but he was thrown backwards. She moved a step backwards and her back hit the wall. Light surrounded her and she felt like it...it was protection of sorts. He kept trying to get up but he fell down. His anger was increasing every time his back hit the ground. "S...Stop it." She said gently, the clothing that had once been in her arms fell to the ground. He kept trying to stand and she curled her hands back into fists. "STOP IT." She yelled at him, rage on every one of her features. "Stop this. You are mistaken." The staff before her kept the light around her as she sternly spoke to their king. "I am not...." Her words trailed off and she kept her hands curled into fists. "You have it wrong." Her words blunt as she glared at him. "I was not your wife. Not your queen...not...M...." Her forehead creased and she raised her hands to her head. "W...What was her name?" He tried to get up again and felt the floor scoop him back up. When he didn't respond to her, she yelled at him. "TELL ME HER NAME." Melia moved a step closer so that she was a mere step behind the staff. "I never heard of a queen living in this castle. Only an evil bastard of a king...Not a queen, not a prince. NOTHING. TELL ME HER NAME."

[Dark Pigeon]

He was only growing in anger as he kept being thrown back to the ground like he was but a rag doll. He was like an wild animal that was fighting fot its life. at that moment as he kept being pushed back. He had never been treated like this, never! Even though he knew what he was fighting against he would not give up. He never fought something quite like the staff, as it was making him suffer as he was now. But the staff kept going, throwing him down again and again. It would keep doing so until Salvador had calmed down. It would no longer allow this man to hurt the girl, as she so clearly was the only one that could help him. But for that to happen he needed to win over her trust, he needed to deserve to be helped. She was not to be told, she was to be asked.

Salvador kept fighting for at least 15 minutes more, after that he grew tired of it. He knew that he could not win from the staff, which was in fact himself. He laid there on the ground, gasping for air as his heart was hammering against his chest. Still that white hot anger burning inside of him as he did not want to answer that girls question right now. Why would she give a fuck what the name was of his beloved queen? Even now, when he wanted to slowly crawl on his feet the staff was kicking him down. No standing for Salvador, not until he had truly calmed down.. the staff could easily keep him there until the man would die from starvation, thirst, or fatigue

He took in a deep breath, knowing that he was fighting a fight he could not win. So, finally he gave up and just lay there until he would be allowed on his feet. "Helena." he said, finally answering the question Melia had kept throwing at him. He rolled his head towards her and watched her, wishing to know why she wanted to know this. "Her name was Helena Ivanovna Diakonova." he said before taking a deep breath of air. "That is the name of the woman you were before this life, the name of the woman I greatly cared for" He looked up again at the ceiling and crossed his legs. He was to stay here for a while.. better get comfortable with it.

[Scottie]

Melia curled her hands into fists as he continued to fight the light. Did he want to harm her that much? His anger filled the room to near choking point, she wanted to leave. She so badly wanted to leave but she needed to know his answer. He finally stopped and she glared at him. She wanted an answer, she needed an answer. He was being a nuisance and refusing to speak to her. He stayed still and she heard a name float from his lips. Helena. It was like a white burning pain through her skull. Things became clear and pain flashed through her body. She folded in on herself and her knees hit the ground with a loud thump. The next words that left his lips made her hands hit the ground as she ended up on all fours with the pain. She had her mothers middle name, her great grandmothers first name. Her surname was burned into her mind and she could write it beautifully as she had done on every piece of paper that had hit her table in school. "N...N.No..." Her voice cracked as tears pattered against the cold floor. "That wasn't my name." Pain seared through her mind and she struggled to keep herself from lying on the floor. "My name was different." Her bottom lip wobbled and she let out a pitiful whimper. "M...My name was Helena Ivanovna Domènech." She even pronounced the middle name correctly. She could hear it echoing around her mind.

Melia scrunched her eyes shut tightly. "I...My...My name was Helena." She folded to the floor and pressed her head against the floor. "M..My name was Helena. My..." The pain slowly became bearable and she pushed herself to sitting slowly. Resting her back against the wall. Tears dribbled down her cheeks. "I went by Helena...Sometime Lena...but only few called her that." She curled her knees into her chest. She could remember the annoyance she felt when someone else called her that. When someone used her little nickname to put her down. Her name, it was her name. She knew it was. She mouthed it gently to herself and then her eyes went wide. "S...She...she gave him her name....in a way... My...Her...Her son...She called him Michael Diakonova Domènech. For he deserved to have a part of both families with him. He deserved to rule this land...like his father." She let out a painful sob and raised her hands to her forehead. "He..He was meant to grow old. I was meant to watch him run, learn, love...grow...I wanted to see him grow. He was meant to bury me...H...He...I..I couldn't even save him." She couldn't look up at Salvador, she was coming to terms with all the information that was flooding her mind. "S..I...I can hear him crying...I c..can hear him crying." Her hands pressed into her skull and she scrunched her eyes shut tight.

[Dark Pigeon]

It finally hit her, she finally seemed to understand that he was right, and who she had been. He felt his heart sink to the bottom of his chest when she realized it all, to hear that name brought such sorrow into his heart. He even felt sorry for Melia, mostly because she remembered the death of her son, of her little boy.. his little boy. He had not seen sadness in anyone if it came to this, only just because he was not sharing his torment with anyone. All he showed was his rage and the darkness that had swallowed him. Everything that reminded him of what once was he had hidden. Not a single piece of dust would remind him of his son or wife, he would not allow it. Anything that would remind him was destroyed, anyone that would do so as well was killed. Every single member of the household, all his soldiers, all his advisers.. every single soul that had ever laid eyes on them was dead because he had killed them.

He calmed down at that moment, or better say.. he was still angry, but he was feeling rather sorry for her. Hearing her break down like that, or better say.. his wife? He got confused, but it was enough confusion for him to clear his mind enough that the staff would let him move again. He was not yet allowed close to her. He was able to walk up to her until a certain point before the staff stopped him again. HE could talk to her without raisin his voice as he wished to talk to her, but far away enough that he could not touch her. "We.. we could not safe him." He corrected her as he looked down at the girl that lay on the floor a couple of feet away from him. She was a mess, and this time she was not crying because of him.. that was.. strange. "I.. I tried, trust me I did. I saw them stab you in the back as I was fighting hard to keep us alive. I.. you know.. I never been much of a fighter." He looked down at the floor in shame, he should have been able to do so but he wasn't. "They killed him before us, you tried to heal his wounds before he would die. But.. you.. you did not " He could not get himself to speak, he was fighting against his own tears.. tears he was not going to let free. "They.. those cowardly dogs stabbed you when you were holding a dying child in your arms. They did not care what they were doing. Killing a child, what monster kills a child!" He shook his head violently, even he did not kill children. He sat down on the bed as he watched Melia. "What do you remember now.. tell me.. tell me what you know"

[Scottie]

Her bottom lip continued to wobble, "I could have..I was so close...A..If..She had a few more seconds..." Her voice trailed off and she buried her face in her hands. They stabbed her in the back. The cowards. "T...the bastards....The cowardly bastards." Sorrowful rage filled her voice as her hands remained over her eyes. "THE BASTARDS." Her hands dropped for eyes and she slammed her fists into the ground beside her. "They went for a child....I....I managed to heal the first one." Her right hand rose to her neck and she touched the scar gently. "I...I don't know what I remember." Her body trembled and she snapped her red eyes to him, watching him sit on the bed. Melia sniffled loudly and tried to wipe away some of her tears. "I can remember that day. Waking up...forgetting my book...he wore blue that day...to match his eyes." New tears dribbled down her neck, collecting under her chin. She let her legs flop down before her as she felt a little more comfortable with the light protecting her.

"I..He was such a small baby. His fingers could barely fit around my pinkie. He had my hair, I knew it from the moment I saw him. Beautiful fluffy red curls." She let her eyes drag up to focus on the staff as she spoke. "I can remember strawberries. That poor cook...He could never keep me from them.. I can remember running down a corridor with a punnet under my arm. I..I can" Her eyes slowly closed as she continued to speak. "I don't see everything...It's only little snippets. Its like it's not all there." Her forehead creased gently. "I can remember silly things. Like someone tugging on my foot from under a pile of covers...it was too cold that day. Or walking round these halls, my back hurting as my belly was swollen." She shook her head gently, "I can see it as clear as I can my own memories. I can see his eyes as clearly as I could my sisters." She dragged her eyes open and slowly pushed herself up to her knees and then to her feet. "I..It unravels like an old jumper." She said softly as she moved closer to him. The light bent with her until it slowly faded away, giving her a path to walk through.

"One little thing starts another...and then another..I can feel my mind unravelling." She stopped before him, her hands clutched before him. "I see blue and I see baby blue walls. I see blueberries on top of a cream cake. I see blue skies and the scream of seagulls." The tears couldn't stop as they continued to dribble down her cheeks and onto her nightgown. She moved to the bed and slowly sank down beside him. "I see green...I see your eyes filled with such hope, the way they looked when she told you she was with child. The green of grass...the green of your dress robes." She sniffled again and turned her eyes towards him. "I...s..She..sees red." She stopped and rested her forehead on his shoulder. It felt right to do so. Like she had done it a million times when she felt drained or in need of comfort. "I..Please don't make me think of red." Her words stammered from her lips as scrunched her eyes shut tight.

[Dark Pigeon]

He was in turmoil. He both wanted to stop her from saying another word as it was to painful. But he also wanted to hear every single thing she remembered. He watched her, pain and sadness spread over his features as he looked positively defeated by what was going on. Why had her soul been doing this, why had it come back? The change of it all was so very small, it as almost impossible. He surely did not understand, and he knew a thing or two about souls, he had created a freaking soul-mirror remember! He did his best not to break down as he heard her talk about his.. their.. his... so confusing. He did not want to break down as she spoke of Michael, perfect small Michael. With his curly red hair and perfect blue eyes. How he was already walking and running around, how he had his horrible tantrums when he could not make anyone understand him. Or how he would fall asleep on his fathers lap as he sat on the throne. Michael truly had felt like their little miracle, the darling prince that would grow up being loved, and to learn to spread love himself.

He watched her come closer, truly not expecting it. He wanted to get of the bed and away from her, but something was stopping him. Not the staff, somehow he wished to sit there... feel her close. He let out a shaky breath as she sat right next to him, and he felt that he was being broken into pieces when she rested his head against his shoulder... like his Helena would, even her hand were folded the same strange way.. how she would link her pinkies together. "I.. " He took in a shaky breath, even he did not want to think of red anymore, he did not want to see those pictures in his head that reminded how he had failed his wife and child so miserably. "I. tugged your feet from under the blankets.. But.. only because you would always push your cold feet against my back. You truly were a pain .. such a wonderful but horrible wife" He said, he let out a small cry. Telling this out loud was making him feel as miserable as he had felt the day he had lost them. HIs whole body was shaking, he seemed years older than he was as he nearly collapsed in on himself. "The cook.. he.. he would hide those st. strawberries. You al.. always found them. He even once but something on it.. something laxative. in .. in the strawberry pie you stole... You.. you had been sitting on the t.. toilet all day." He laughed, only to fight of his tears harder after it. He wanted her to remember anything else but the red, he needed those silly stories himself as well.

He hessitated before he placed his hand on hers. He knew that Melia wasn't his wife, she was an entire different person. He might not even ever love her. She could have entire different tastes, she might hate strawberries instead of adoring them like she would have in another life. But to have her sitting there, that same soul.. he could not but hope that she was the very same person. That somehow he had been given a second change with her. "Michael, w.. when he was born. It.. it as on a lovely spring day. The.. the flowers were blooming. You had been in bed for days, your back hurting as you .. she.. had been in labor for a few days already. I.. I feared you might miss our favorite flowers blooming. So .. so I brought them in. " He chuckled as he remembered it all so clearly. "You were so angry.. I picked flowers.. and you were in pain for such a long time. Michael.. he just did not want to come out. You threw a pillow at my head, telling me to.. fuck off... such a mouth you had" He shook his head and brushed away a few tears with his sleeve. "I never ran that hard in my life, and I had bullies chasing me around the school. But your anger, those pillows.. they hit me hard.. But at the end, when you lay there with the flowers keeping you company together with the midwifes, you calmed down.. and that day he was born. You still believed that he came out to see the flowers. That he loved them as much as you did"

[Scottie]

She kept her eyes closed. She heard his shaky breath and hoped like hell that he wouldn't make her move. She felt a little calmer like this. New tears prickled at her eyes when he said it was him that had tugged at her feet. She could feel him shake against her, she could not even imagine what he was feeling. She was his lost love...but she wasn't at the same time. She let a small smile tug onto her lips, she knew that he tried to hide them. She wrinkled her nose but liked hearing him laugh. She felt his hand touch hers and she snapped her eyes open. Staring at it as it lay in her grasp. He started to speak again and she found herself linking her fingers with his. Keeping her pinkies linked together but her soft fingers were linked with his. She tried to imagine it, she could remember pain. She wriggled herself a little closer so that her forehead could truly rest on his shoulder. She let out a small chuckle when she remembered throwing pillow after pillow at him. "They hit hard but labour was much worse." She muttered to him, remembering how he had pouted at being pelted by pillows.

The room had filled with sweet smelling flowers, bright reds and oranges. It felt like she was floating on flowers. "C...Calla Lillie's....Like a burning sunset." She said softly, remembering the bright red and oranges of the burning flowers. Melia rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "I...I can remember a winter day. A day when snow was crisp on the grass outside, the reds of the fire keeping us warm. He was wrapped head to toe in wool and sat on my lap....his hair was so soft...His eyelashes so long...finally he slept....S..She hadn't slept for two nights...I...I wouldn't let another tend to his crying. Though..that was the first time she had contemplated it." Melia sighed softly and slowly moved her head back from his shoulder. Her eyes still closed. "I...I can remember someone coming in...too loud...waking him" She chuckled gently, tears were dried on her cheeks but it was obvious to anyone that she had been crying. "I..She had never cursed at someone so quietly before. She dumped the baby in your lap before storming out...I can remember so many snippets." Her eyes slowly opened and she gave him a small sad smile. "I can see red...but it shows me lilies. It shows me roaring fires, it shows me rose petals on a bare wood floor. I see strawberries and...I see..." Her words trailed off and she lowered her eyes to their hands. "I'm sorry."

She licked her lips and waited before continuing. "It was not her time. She had so much more to live...I'm sorry that she didn't come back as another. I'm sorry that you cannot see her blue eyes or her hair in me." She let out a long sigh before flinching gently. Pain pierced through her neck and she snapped her eyes up to him. "W...What could the pain mean now?" She asked him, her words quiet.

[Dark Pigeon]

"Ah yes, Calla Lilies" He smiled thinking of them. The gardens had been filled with them especially for her. A gift he had given her when they were to be husband and wife. All kinds had been imported just for his queen. "Those are flowers for funerals! She had to hear that all the time, they were not the proper flowers for a lady to like. But she did not care, she loved them and she wished to have many of them growing in the gardens. And we had them, many of her favorites, and in all the colors I could find." It had been quite the scandal, flowers for the dead to celebrate the love that they had. It only added up on Salvador's reputation that he loved the dark more than he loved light. Which was absolute bullshit, is choice in magic said nothing about his true nature. He understood that, as had his wife. But many only wished to believe the lies that were spread about the young king. He slowly dragged his eyes up to Melia as she spoke of Michael. "Softest hair I have ever felt. And those eyes, my lord. They looked straight into my soul. When I held him I knew that there was nothing more important to life than him. For him I would die, I would give up my entire country.. my sanity. Everything for that small wonder that was resting in my hands"

Salvador was staring into nothing when he said that, not wanting to look to Melia as he remembered his son. His eyes were fixed on the walls before them. He listened to Melia as well as he could, how she was remembering his wife, her own past life. It was so strange to him to hear Melia speak of things she could not know, she knew details that even he had forgotten over time. Only to remember them again after she spoke of them. He smiled as she told him that she .. or her.. his queen. How she had been cursing up a storm because someone woke up the baby. "She had quite the mouth, she was a very temperamental woman. She would make any man run for his money, if she got angry.. you better run and hide. I have done so on many an occasion. But I loved her more and more because of it." He took his hand from her lap as she spoke again, hearing her say sorry because it had not been his wives time, how she was sorry that he could not see that wonderful woman in Melia. He glanced up at her and slowly rose to his feet, he needed to move as his bum was hurting after what the staff had done. He tilted his head and frowned, not understanding why she wanted to know something he did not have clear answers to. "That pain could mean many a thing. From your soul being frustrated that you still do not truly understand. It wanting to connect, but you not letting it. It can be angry at who its company is, down to it just being tired with all the bullshit it has to deal with. There can be many a reason for a soul to do that. And it differs per soul what it means. It is up to you to find out what your soul wishes to tell you.. not me. "

He walked around the room, he looked a bit stiff as the staff truly had given him a good old fashion beating. He would not be rubbing his bum in front of Melia, but it seemed as if he wished to do so.. it would help so much with the discomfort. "We need to discuss what we are to do with you from here on out. I do not feel like that working at the stables is fit for you. If you are to learn, then you are to do so every single day, and every single hour" He turned around and looked down at her, his hands held behind his back as he watched the girl sit there. He had many plans with her, and he wished to start as soon as humanly possible. "What say you, what is it that you desire right now.?" He asked her, though he asked her what she wished for.. she knew that she better be careful with what she was to ask for.

[Scottie]

Flowers for a funeral. Flowers for the dead. She nodded, dropping her eyes to her lap where his hand rested in hers. She could remember hearing that from multiple people. It was not fit for a queen. Sadness welled up in her chest when he confirmed that their...her son was beautiful. His eyes like the sky, she tensed her jaw and swallowed down her tears. She knew he would have died for that boy. He would have given his life if they stole him from them. But they took everything. They took him...they took her and they left him alone. Melia let out a small chuckle when he confirmed that his wife had the mouth of a sailor. He took his hand back and felt like she had been hit in the face. She felt this longing to have him close by again. She raised her eyes up to him and watched him frown. Frustrated, wanting to connect, angry. She gave him a small nod, this was something that she had to figure out herself. Melia couldn't expect him to know the answer to this.

He moved away and she dragged her knees up to curling against her chest. Melia noticed that he looked a little tense, perhaps it was the news or perhaps...it was a response to how many times the staff had thrown him. She rested her chin on her knees and watched him carefully. She didn't like this topic, she didn't want to be shipped around anymore. So because she was his wife reincarnated...the stables weren't good enough anymore. She kept silent and let him speak. Learning every single hour did not sound that bad. Surely it would get tedious, but she didn't mind learning. She liked having Vermin as a teacher. Melia let her grey eyes meet his grass green eyes and she held his gaze. "I do like helping the horses. But I would prefer to get to a level of reading that I can learn more about souls...and r..r.reincarnation." She sounded out the word hoping it was correct. "I do not mind staying in the stables. B.." She stopped and her forehead creased. "No..I'd prefer to stay in the castle." She said softly, the niggling sensation in the back of her mind telling her no.

"I remember more in these walls. Seeing little things I know." Melia said softly before letting out a small sigh. She dropped her knees back and pushed herself to her feet. She moved over to the wall where she had dropped her clothing. She picked up the clothing and held them against her chest as she stopped before him. "Where would you like me?" She asked, genuinely curious as to where he would place her. Where would he want the girl with his wife's soul?