the blood of a traitor
WHO: levi laroux, cesar fitzborough mireen, emeline mireen. ( @levilaroux & @cesarscommand )
WHERE: the forbidden forest, right outside bearoria’s boundaries.
WHAT: emeline holds a trial for a traitor but eventually decides to execute him. tw blood, tw death, tw killing.
emeline: not wanting to put a damper on the holiday, emeline postponed the execution for the next day. ( though, it helped that levi hadn't found the traitor until that very day. ) she hadn't wanted an audience for the entire execution, instead, she limited it to just the dracborough citizens-- wanting to make an example of the man who tried to defy the crown. she chose a secluded area: the forbidden forest. not many people visited there, unless traveling, and she figured it was far too spooky for anyone to go near, especially during this late night. the queen arrived a little later than the rest of her people but she was proud to see that the execution was set up. she watches with a hard gaze as she walks in front of the crook, ignoring the way he spits her name with disgust. but emeline keeps a straight face, showing little to no emotion. "shall we begin ?" she asks to no one in particular or rather, the group in general.
Levi: levi wasn't a murderer, this, this wasn't a murder however; this was justice. he'd always considered his work to be such, he was given a name to a face and sent off after those who sought to do wrong or had done so. in truth he'd almost always felt like an extension of the laws reach, it sent a message he thinks, no matter how far you'd be found, he wonders if it ever made people think twice before they committed such acts, he doesn't think it did though given how busy he usually was. there he was now though, everything had been set up and they were all now gathered into the forest, looking around at it now it was no wonder it was forbidden he thinks. as soon as his queen arrives he tries to briefly straighten himself up, narrowing his eyes at the traitor when he spits out her name, he doesn't deserve to even utter it and he wants to kick the mans teeth in. he opts to instead seethe out his words ever so slightly. "shut it traitor." levi clears his throat, expression softening but still serious when he looks back to emeline. "m' ready whenever your highness."
Cesar: the clearing isn't cold, but there is a chill in the air. traitor. it could be his fate, before too long, if emeline sought evidence of such. she certainly believed such. but the sight of the accused still made his stomach turn in anger and disgust. none in the clearing wanted to see him, he had few friends there. he suddenly seemed to have few friends in dracborough, altogether. perhaps it was his own fault - in fact, it probably was. even so, as he swept past levi, he sent the man a nod, but no smile. emeline would not like that. he stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for the action, hoping his half-sister had not spotted him.
emeline: "you are brought here because you have been accused of conspiring against the crown." she speaks loudly but only to the traitor, her hands folded in front of her as her posture is straight and confident. there wasn't much evidence other than the few who saw the man leave dracborough, a high knight who had sworn faith to the dracborough crown. she had no doubts on his execution, she just wanted to make it seem as if he had a chance. "do you deny it ?" her eyes take to the skies as ysellian flies over them but she makes no motion for him to come down beside her. there were some things dragons couldn't solve. justice was one of them. "you abandoned your kingdom in their time of need, do you admit that ?" she receives no answer so she leans closer, dangerously closer to the traitor. "you are going to die tonight, whether you lie or not. i suggest you come out with the truth."
Levi: levi had caught cesar’s gaze, unknown of the previous interaction with the man and the queen he offers him nod back either way, he might of given a wide grin had the situation been better and very much minus the traitor before them. the man doesn't say a word at first, beyond to an admittance of guilt, "the truth? you want the truth?! the truth is the only thing you have going for you as a queen is the dragon above us, octavius would have had all the kingdoms without that. our kingdom would have been slaughtered, your dragon and you nothing but bones. so i did what any man would have done, i took action for myself and not some women playing pretend that she is as good of a ruler as her father before her. i admit it, i admit i had every intention in siding with ironhaven." his words harsh and cold, if there already hadn't been a chill in the air; there would be now. he doesn't seem sorry about it though, it makes levi's blood boil. he has to steady his hand on the hilt of his blade, gods the nerve of this trash.
Cesar: cesar watches, glad that both his queen and the bounty hunter were treating a man of suck disrepute and disrespect so harshly. he smirks at no one, watching as the man's fate begins to boil in the air around them. and still, something feels off. he casts his gaze around them, but in the darkness, nothing is visible. the way things are going, at least, it seems it will be a short trial. the air feels hostile, as though the trees have eyes, or their leaves, or something more sinister lurking behind them, or in the soil under their feet. his heart aches to take part in the proceedings, to bring down a traitor, to protect his sister, his queen, his kingdom. but he cannot, so he only slinks a foot closer around the circle of onlookers, closer to where the queen levi stand.
emeline: as the crazed man speaks, emeline does her best to keep her face as blank as possible. she does her best to keep her calm but the mention of her father breaks her resolve and she is but inches from the traitorous man. her hand is out and connects with the man's cheek before she can even realize her actions. "you will never speak of my father. such scum like you do not deserve to say his very name." she takes a step back before she does anything else that she may regret. her eyes look to levi, giving him a nod to continue with the execution. "brandon fawne, i hereby sentence you to death on account of treason." her hand gestures to the traitor for levi to take care of him and as much as she'd like to look away, she doesn't. she wants to see the life leave his eyes as the bounty hunter takes his life.
Levi: the man doesn't quince when the queen hits his face but he does seem more than surprised jerking back breifly. perhaps he hadn't thought emeline had it in her, levi wants to laugh whole hardheartedly that she proved him wrong, she was a women who could defend her own honor. it is a harsh smack though that can be heard loud and clear to levi's ears, what is louder to him though is the sentence of death, eyes flickering to her hand gesture at the traitor. levi didn't take satisfaction in killing, he thinks that just this once he might now, surely he would hate himself later for having a brief moment of pleasure in it, that time wasn't now though. in one fluid motion he takes two quick steps towards fawne, he's tied up and on his knees; there's no getting out of this. his blade already to go as steel meets the flesh of his neck. he could have severed the whole thing he thinks but he doesn't, that's too gruesome for him. honor's call's first call to arms, of course he'd use the new weapon emeline had given him yesterday. the man tries to sputter out words, perhaps he might have gasped for air, nails scrambling to the wound, if his hands hadn't been behind his back. blood sputters out and levi takes a step back as the man can only make gurgling sounds his body eventually slumping to the ground. it places the bounty hunter back into the reality of what he'd just done. he looks to emeline, then looks back to cesar a rather blank expression on his face.
Cesar: cesar wouldn't ordinarily think of himself as a violent man. quick to anger, perhaps, impulsive, yes. but he didn't often call for violence in such a calculated way as this. justice wasn't often just, that much he knew, from what he'd seen in the streets. but this... this man had held privilege, class, safety, honor in his hand, and he'd crushed it in his fist in hunger for more. it's terrifying, truly, that a man can give up so much for so little more. cesar wonders if he'll ever reach such a state: he certainly hopes not. death. it had never made him smile, but he lifts his chin and looks into the man's eyes as the sentence is laid before him. cesar smirks, and he'd be appalled if it were any charge but treason. he'd have taken the whole head, he thinks as the knife slices through throat. most of the crowd have turned away, but every sense in cesar's body is heightened on impulse at the sight of blood. he can feel the bounty hunter's eyes on him, but those aren't the only eyes he can feel. he doesn't respond to levi. he whirls to the side, and sees it. a monstrous thing, a bug the size of a smaller siege machine, or perhaps a carriage, creeping just into the clearing. it's scuttling as straight as a raven towards emeline, and cesar has never been gladder for the feel of his sword hilt in his hand as he launches towards the thing, perhaps the only one seeing the monster. "run!" it's a guttural cry, a visceral reaction, the fear he can't quite feel in his battle-lust tearing through out of his lungs into the single word. his sword, black as ink in the darkness, falls down on a leg as his body halts in front of the queen, and he suddenly remembers he is wearing no armor. "levi, protect her." he commands, as natural as anything, as he sidesteps and slashes the steel along the underside of what he hopes is the creature's belly, trying to draw it away from them. there's a squelch as he does so, and he realises he's standing in traitor's blood. he stabs forward again: the knight may have been his enemy, but he'll die before he lets this thing desecrate a man's body. it is only tradition.
emeline: she watches with triumph as levi ends the man's life. it's a sickly thing, one that which many people hadn't wanted to watch. but she did this with purpose, to ensure that any other potential traitors could see how the crown handles traitors. emeline is unaware of the creatures that lurk in the dark, instead, only focusing on the lifeless man before her. she wishes to study his body, to make sure of his death so that she may leave the clearing with a peaceful mind. it isn't until she hears a rustling that she pulls her attention away from the corpse. cesar's voice is the only warning she receives as she turns around, coming face to face with one of the forbidden forest's legends: a giant spider. suddenly, the jest that levi made earlier doesn't seem as funny when she is staring at the many eyes before her. her hand goes to her chest in shock and for once, there is fear on the queen's face. not knowing where to run-- if she could even run. she takes a step back just as cesar's sword comes shredding through the creature, in which the spider gives a loud screech that echoes the ruins. emeline is not dressed to run but for the sake of her life, she does, hoping that all her people make it safely back to the boundaries of bearoria before the spider's family arrive.
Levi: his mind is blank for a moment, as blank as his expression had been mere seconds ago. he doesn't know what he'd expected but every time he builds up the kill and every time it is never as satisfying— perhaps he'd only built it up just to be able to do it. he knows who he is though, knows and understands what he'd just done, if he could believe all those things he'd thought and said, he should be able to lay down his blade to the cause. he does and he did but it is never without taking a part of himself away he thinks. he hears something rustling though and before he knows it cesar is shouting out his name; dear god what the hell is that thing...a giant spider?! how could he forget this was their home too! he'd cracked jokes about it mere days ago! his mind had been so preoccupied with everything going on that he hadn't thought to be more observant, he feels foolish. nevertheless he springs into action never the less, feeling more like it was damage control than anything else, he doesn't think about the corpse, he doesn't think about anything else but his friends words; 'levi, protect her'. he reaches for emeline's hand out of instinct, eyes briefly looking to cesar, he wants to help him (as much as he hates the idea of fighting a giant fucking spider) but he knows he'll only get in the way, he knows that just leaves their queen exposed for anything. "aye mate!" his voice practically cracks out, there is worry evident but he believes in the general more than he thinks he believes in any other fighter. one of the beasts legs goes to side sweep at them, levi just barely slices though it with his sword, continues back to leading her away in a haste.
Cesar: the creature's screech is second only to the sound of levi following his order without a second thought - that man might be a better soldier than any who were actually in the army, he thinks - and he draws back his blade and leans forwards to the balls of his feet, both hands wrapping around his blade. his people were still fleeing, scattering back towards bearoria. he had to do his duty, even if he was the only one there capable of it. another pair of beady black eyes appears in his vision, behind the corpse of the first spider, and nervousness begins to creep into his bones. he'll stay until he can no longer hear the footsteps. it should only be two more of the beasts, three at most. a horde will not form that quickly. but it won't be easy to evade them in his flight back to safety. still, he's lived before on worse odds, he figures as he leaps forwards onto the corpse and attacks the next spider at pace, his sword cracking heavily at its pincers in a two-handed blow.
emeline: her feet are moving quick, quicker than she thought they could ever move. the wind is brushing through her hair and she almost doesn't feel levi's hand in her's. she hadn't even remembered when he grabbed it in the first place. but she holds onto it for support, squeezing it as she sees the entry of bearoria. the spiders never came this far, only staying near the dark. and as she watched as the last of her people make their way into the safe land of bearoria, she thinks of cesar. "cesar !! he's still out there, go !" it's an order, despite the angry words she hurled at him during their last meeting, he was her brother after all. he wasn't after the crown, no, because if he was, perhaps he would've let the spider kill her. but now, she sees him in a different light-- one that proves his loyalty to her and to their family. he was her brother, she's accepted that. "i will be safe, i shall take care of everyone, go !!"
Levi: he hadn't thought of the repercussions of grabbing for her hand, he'd only thought about pulling her away from it all, getting her to safety in case the creature had lunged for her. the queen was far more important than him he thinks, than any of them; without her the country might fall into chaos he thinks, if he could just save her, he thinks his life would have been something. if he could go back and help cesar though, that would be even better. faster and faster he runs, his heart feels as though it might burst out of his chest and between all the adrenaline and fear he can't help have his thoughts go back to cesar, surely there would have been worry more etched onto his features if he wasn't trying to keep a level expression, to focus on the goal at hand. 'keep her safe' it's a new mantra, he does it without question as if he was a soldier and not who he truly was. it doesn't take him long to register that they are at the border of the forest and bearoia, it takes him even less time to think about emeline's words, he gives the quickest nods possible, he wants to make sure she will truly be okay, but just as he'd believed in cesar before he will believe in her. believing in his friends is perhaps the one thing he can do in this moment.