[December 7] [Fire Emblem 11] Set Me Free
Nov. 30th, 2010 12:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runicloreSet Me Free
Author: Amber Michelle
Day/Theme: December 7 - the cancer of your affection
Series: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon / Mystery of the Emblem
Characters: Est, Abel
Rating: T for physical abuse
Words: 897
Warnings: aaaaaaaannnnngst, also a terrible title... actually, it's terrible in general.
Notes: Est has very little to do with my reasons for wanting to explore the pegasus sisters, but the theme brought her relationship with Abel to mind. It was either this, or 12/20, "A step-by-step guide on how to crash and burn."
....................................................................
They pulled her out of the prison and all the way up to the battlements, where the noon sun cut into Est's eyes like knives. She tripped on a loose stone and got yanked up again by the jerk guiding her. The stairs were hot and gritty on her bare feet; the walk to where he shoved her up against the hard edge of the wall took at least ten strained breaths while she blinked, squeezed her eyes shut, tried to recognize where she was. East wall, because the light was tinged cool. There were other guards on the wall, but she couldn't see their shadows - only hear their tread, and the clank of their armor.
"Est!"
Her chest heaved as if someone had punched her. The jointed fingers on her escort's gauntlets bit into her arms. "You stupid fool! Why are you still here?" Her voice cracked. She sagged against the wall. "I told you to go!"
The sun made her head throb. Abel was just a green smear against the brown blur of the dirt in the courtyard, but she wanted to think she could still see his eyes - blue like the sky, aimed right at her, the prettiest pair she'd ever seen on a boy. "I'll get you out of here," he said. "I'll take you home, one more battle--"
Her guard barked his laugh like a dog. "Didn't you hear 'er? She don't wanna see you!"
"Go home, Abel! Please!" Her eyes prickled and stung, and she blinked. She could almost see his face. She could smell the guard's sweat and leathers, felt perspiration bead on her scalp, at her hairline, felt the pull and scream and ache in her shoulders from being hung all day on a rope until her own weight popped her arms out of her sockets. They'd only cleaned her up so she'd look human when Abel saw her and believe-- but he couldn't, could he, he couldn't possibly believe they were leaving her alone. He couldn't believe they were going to keep their word. There would be no homecoming. She was never going to be allowed to touch him again. "Go find Prince Marth and show Hardin he can't walk all over us!"
The guard yanked her back and said that was enough, surprising her into a yelp. Est couldn't get her feet under her properly, so he pushed and shoved and hauled her back to the stairs, Abel's calls echoing after them and jumping from wall to wall: Est Est Est over and over again. She wanted to scream. Go away, get out. Grass prickled her feet at the bottom, or hay by the scent, and then the cool insides of the fortress swallowed them again and they went down more stairs. So many stairs.
What do you think is going to happen after you betray your prince? she asked the first time they dragged her out for Abel to see, when she could barely stand and the guard had to hold her up by the scruff of her bloodied uniform. He was insane; lovesick. The vows he took at his knighting demanded absolute loyalty, and Est had ruined that because she was weak - not strong like her sisters, like the Commander. Not brave enough to kill herself. They made a wonderful pair, didn't they? She was afraid of hurting him, and he couldn't let her go. Duty didn't stand a chance. Go away, she whispered under her breath when she stumbled down the last steps and felt the cold rock of the dungeonl. Go away, go away She jerked forward on the balls of her feet, twisted her arms, shouted "Go away, damn you! Let go of me you flea-bitten son of a horse!"
Her kick connected with the guard's shin and bounced off the plate protecting him. His fist slammed into the back of her head just hard enough to make her reel, and Est felt bile surge into her throat, felt herself lifted off her feet. Then she impacted with the floor and recognized the smell of her own prison cell. She scrambled on her hands and knees while stars still sparked in her eyes, heaving up acid and spitting it out.
"Why won't you listen to me?" Est couldn't tell if she was alone, though she hadn't heard the door slam yet. Her eyes felt hot. If Abel would just go home they'd both be free. He didn't understand that - or maybe he refused to see. Instead he wanted to cling to Hardin's promises and pretend everything would be okay, even if it meant turning his sword against his countrymen and breaking all of those knightly vows he cared so much about.
Didn't he get it? Est had done that. Half the reason she left Macedon was because she couldn't sleep in the barrack anymore without the skin between her shoulder-blades itching. The other half was Abel.
That blur of green out there-- that wasn't Abel. Not the one she'd followed across the sea.
It wasn't just her head; the world had really turned upside-down.
...........................................................................................
Edited 12.04.10, but still pending changes as I think about this.
.
Author: Amber Michelle
Day/Theme: December 7 - the cancer of your affection
Series: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon / Mystery of the Emblem
Characters: Est, Abel
Rating: T for physical abuse
Words: 897
Warnings: aaaaaaaannnnngst, also a terrible title... actually, it's terrible in general.
Notes: Est has very little to do with my reasons for wanting to explore the pegasus sisters, but the theme brought her relationship with Abel to mind. It was either this, or 12/20, "A step-by-step guide on how to crash and burn."
....................................................................
They pulled her out of the prison and all the way up to the battlements, where the noon sun cut into Est's eyes like knives. She tripped on a loose stone and got yanked up again by the jerk guiding her. The stairs were hot and gritty on her bare feet; the walk to where he shoved her up against the hard edge of the wall took at least ten strained breaths while she blinked, squeezed her eyes shut, tried to recognize where she was. East wall, because the light was tinged cool. There were other guards on the wall, but she couldn't see their shadows - only hear their tread, and the clank of their armor.
"Est!"
Her chest heaved as if someone had punched her. The jointed fingers on her escort's gauntlets bit into her arms. "You stupid fool! Why are you still here?" Her voice cracked. She sagged against the wall. "I told you to go!"
The sun made her head throb. Abel was just a green smear against the brown blur of the dirt in the courtyard, but she wanted to think she could still see his eyes - blue like the sky, aimed right at her, the prettiest pair she'd ever seen on a boy. "I'll get you out of here," he said. "I'll take you home, one more battle--"
Her guard barked his laugh like a dog. "Didn't you hear 'er? She don't wanna see you!"
"Go home, Abel! Please!" Her eyes prickled and stung, and she blinked. She could almost see his face. She could smell the guard's sweat and leathers, felt perspiration bead on her scalp, at her hairline, felt the pull and scream and ache in her shoulders from being hung all day on a rope until her own weight popped her arms out of her sockets. They'd only cleaned her up so she'd look human when Abel saw her and believe-- but he couldn't, could he, he couldn't possibly believe they were leaving her alone. He couldn't believe they were going to keep their word. There would be no homecoming. She was never going to be allowed to touch him again. "Go find Prince Marth and show Hardin he can't walk all over us!"
The guard yanked her back and said that was enough, surprising her into a yelp. Est couldn't get her feet under her properly, so he pushed and shoved and hauled her back to the stairs, Abel's calls echoing after them and jumping from wall to wall: Est Est Est over and over again. She wanted to scream. Go away, get out. Grass prickled her feet at the bottom, or hay by the scent, and then the cool insides of the fortress swallowed them again and they went down more stairs. So many stairs.
What do you think is going to happen after you betray your prince? she asked the first time they dragged her out for Abel to see, when she could barely stand and the guard had to hold her up by the scruff of her bloodied uniform. He was insane; lovesick. The vows he took at his knighting demanded absolute loyalty, and Est had ruined that because she was weak - not strong like her sisters, like the Commander. Not brave enough to kill herself. They made a wonderful pair, didn't they? She was afraid of hurting him, and he couldn't let her go. Duty didn't stand a chance. Go away, she whispered under her breath when she stumbled down the last steps and felt the cold rock of the dungeonl. Go away, go away She jerked forward on the balls of her feet, twisted her arms, shouted "Go away, damn you! Let go of me you flea-bitten son of a horse!"
Her kick connected with the guard's shin and bounced off the plate protecting him. His fist slammed into the back of her head just hard enough to make her reel, and Est felt bile surge into her throat, felt herself lifted off her feet. Then she impacted with the floor and recognized the smell of her own prison cell. She scrambled on her hands and knees while stars still sparked in her eyes, heaving up acid and spitting it out.
"Why won't you listen to me?" Est couldn't tell if she was alone, though she hadn't heard the door slam yet. Her eyes felt hot. If Abel would just go home they'd both be free. He didn't understand that - or maybe he refused to see. Instead he wanted to cling to Hardin's promises and pretend everything would be okay, even if it meant turning his sword against his countrymen and breaking all of those knightly vows he cared so much about.
Didn't he get it? Est had done that. Half the reason she left Macedon was because she couldn't sleep in the barrack anymore without the skin between her shoulder-blades itching. The other half was Abel.
That blur of green out there-- that wasn't Abel. Not the one she'd followed across the sea.
It wasn't just her head; the world had really turned upside-down.
...........................................................................................
Edited 12.04.10, but still pending changes as I think about this.
.