#ff: apocrypha

[troskygrave]

Alternative continuation to Desideria—with turncoat Henry.

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Video Games) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Erik/Henry (Kingdom Come: Deliverance), Erik/Ištván Tóth, Henry/Ištván Tóth, Erik/Henry/Ištván Tóth Characters: Henry (Kingdom Come: Deliverance), Hans Capon, Radzig Kobyla, Ištván Tóth, Erik (Kingdom Come: Deliverance) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Henry joins Istvan, Heavy Angst, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Darkest Timeline, Character Study Series: Part 3 of Ad Mortem Festināmus Summary:

They break him, in Vranik.

Those closest to him die. Others turn their faces away from him. Abandoned and aching, Henry realises the abyss separating him from his liege lord and father, and from the young lord of Pirkstein, and from all those souls who knew him before Sigismund's forces razed Skalitz, is simply insurmountable.

Standing at the crossroads in the midst of scorching summer, he chooses the one and only path that offers respite from fear and shame. Even if it means betraying Radzig and Capon alike; even if it comes at the price of his soul and leads right into the maw of the Beast.

Chapter 1 now live.

[troskygrave]

and because i ultimately do not believe that the Vranik shed torture&speech combo (even arse slap enhanced) would be enough on their own to convince Henry to switch sides, i am Killing His Friends and Deepening the class divide between Henry + Capon and Radzig to make it happen. easy peasy.

we're taking the Worst Case Scenario for all things (Fritz and Matthew swing, Johanka dies after the punishment, Matthias succumbs to his sickness) and we're making Henry very lonely. very estranged. and Capon (and by extension Radzig) pathologically unable to properly relate and help. we're making Henry unable to even talk to Theresa: all he does is miss the monastery (and Vranik!) and hate himself for it, and get too in his head about All The Killing that he's done, and all the urges that he's feeling...

because at the end of the day, when everyone turns from him (or rather: his friends die because he wasn't able to save them, and it's all like Skalitz again, and the rest of people close to him he scares away) there's... Someone left.

there's that horrible, horrid, unforgivable pair. all that killing isn't a burden when you're with them. the urges, you know, are encouraged, not shunned. there's no shame. there's no divide: erik only calls istvan sir when they have watchful eyes on them - or when they fuck.

they offered you everything and you refused... unless you didn't. perhaps you didn't refuse?

perhaps after vranik... after talmberg... you decided to take that offer...