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shattered_ficsTitle: Masque
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sometimes you have to let morality aside for revenge.
Warnings: Violence
Word Count: 3,680
banner by: stopjenny @ TDA
The estate was in such a state of panic over the Masquerade Party that was mere hours away. Every able bodied servant was running around the vast house setting up every corner with a decoration. The house belonged to Count Nichola, a favorite at court, but the party was for his son; the recently knighted Sir Roderik. Sir Roderik had total control over the estate while his father was still with Queen Victoria at her summer castle. Count Nichola was a favorite to Queen Victoria but his son held little esteem in her eyes, but still knighted him on behest of his father. Roderik wanted this night to be remembered, he wanted the Queen to hear about it when she was half way across the country, and he would make sure of that. All of the servants had instructions to follow, and he made it clear that if things were not held to his standard they would be fired.
With everyone focused on not losing their jobs no one noticed a lone girl slipping quietly past the banquet hall doors and down deep into the winding halls of the estate. She moved around the halls like she knew the place better than her own house. If a servant was walking past her she would slip behind a tapestry or behind many of the vases that lined the more active hallways in the house. Finally she saw where she wanted to be, two majestically decorated doors that lead to the chambers of the family members. Not looking back she walked up to the door and opened it.
The hallway was empty except for two guards stationed in the middle of the hall. They stared unseeing at each other, lost in their own thoughts about their misfortunes of being picked for guard duty so far away from the real action on the estate. The door to the guard's left opened with a purpose and the young woman slipped through, she stopped suddenly seeing the two guards standing between her and the next door. She barely wavered for a second as she strode purposefully down the hall. The two guards watched her carefully, they realized that she must be a guest for the masquerade ball; her dress was elaborate but her mask was still missing. The two guards moved from their stoic position to look at her intently as she strode past them like their master had called for her personally. Her dress was flowing in blue silk, four different layers came from her waist and got darker the closer they got to her feet. A small copper belt went around her waist cutting off the blue flow of colors momentarily. The sleeves were a white cotton that were disconnected from the dress but were attached to smaller copper bands, the white cotton moved with every step she took. Her hair looked artfully styled as it covered the right side of her face, blocking it off entirely from view. She disregarded the guards as she grabbed the door handle at the other end of the hall and drew it open before shutting it forcefully behind her.
Quickly she breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her, for a minute she felt the guards staring at her intently and thought that she was going to be caught. But she knew the key to getting past any guards, no matter if you're in Her Majesties palace or some lowly Knight's house who just happened to be close to Her Majesty, was to walking with a purpose and showing no fear, if all else failed she knew to make it look like she was sleeping with the man behind the door. Tucking the hair that was covering the right side of her face behind her shoulders, she walked toward the end of the hall where Sir Roderik's chamber door lay.
There was nothing too outstanding about the Knight's doors, he had after all lived in the same room since infancy. His father never thought too much about redecorating a stately manner that was a present from Queen Victoria's grandfather when Count Nichola's mother was born illegitimately to him. Slowly she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small folded letter, she had to unfold it a bit more before she placed it under the door and pushed it over the threshold. She knocked hard on the door and waited before she heard someone approaching before she turned on her heel and ran quietly in the opposite direction. It was easier getting out of this hall than it was getting in, there was a servant room at that end of the house for when there was children that led directly to the kitchens and into the garden.
When she was outside she moved about as normal, there were party members already mingling in the garden waiting for the ballroom doors to open to start the evening. She blended in as much as she could without her masque hiding her face, it ruined the evening illusion but no one paid much attention to her. Suddenly a hand grabbed her bare shoulder, it took all of her strength not to scream out. The hand quickly loosened it's grasp as she turned around: “Emlyn, m'dear,”
“Father! You frightened me,” Quickly gaining back her composure Emlyn curtsied quickly to her father and smiled at him. “My Lord. I am sorry, you gave me a fright.”
“Sorry Daughter,” Her father: Sir Bernard beamed at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes showed loved and admiration for his only daughter. A hint of sadness flickered quickly in his eyes before it was blinked away. “Your mother wanted me to find you, you left your masque in the carriage. Really Emlyn you're already ruining the illusion of the night.”
“Sorry Father, I was in such a rush to meet someone that I left it,” Emlyn curtsied again as she held her out hands for her custom made masque. Her father placed the butterfly half masque in her hands, the color went from light blue at the top to a midnight blue toward the bottom, it was made from a single sheet of metal and cut to her desired design. Dark blue Austrian crystals lined the eye holes and were placed around the wings and as the head of the butterfly piece. She smiled, the length was longer than a usual masque of this style but it was needed.
“Emlyn,” Her father cupped the right side of her face lightly, but she flinched away from his touch and quickly tied the masque on. He sighed dropping his hand. “Go quickly get your hair finished your mother has your hair pins, the party will be starting any minute.”
“Yes m'Lord,” She dipped into a small curtsy before standing on her toes to give her father a quick kiss before gathering up her skirt and running off into the garden. Her mother would be waiting for her in one of the spare bed rooms on the opposite side of the house but Emlyn was heading in the opposite direction toward the rose garden.
She stopped beside a group of red roses, looking around her she knelt down on the grass and groped under the bushes, her fingers brushed a small box. Grabbing it she pulled it from under the bushes and grinned, flicking the lock she slowly opened the top and stared down at the derringer. Picking it up it felt heavy and foreign in her hands, for a minute she didn't think she would be able to accomplish her desire, shaking the thought from her head she shoved the box into the bushes and stood up. Gathering up her skirt she slowly placed the gun in the holster on her thigh, before carefully placing the skirt back down making sure the bulk of the fabric hid the small gun from view. Standing up she straightened her masque and went to go meet her mother in the makeup and hair room set up for the party.
Emlyn stood on the wall of the ballroom, every guest was in the room awaiting the arrival of Sir Roderik and his party. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out which one would be him, Emlyn thought, she would be able to figure it out immediately: only one man had that cocky unfounded swagger. Shifting her weight she felt the derringer move from it's holster on her leg. Reaching down she moved the holster back into place and stood straight, she didn't think it would be this hard to keep the gun in place, women did it all the time around London. The light background music stopped and the guests turned to face the grand ballroom doors. Moving from her position on the wall she walked over to the food tables, where she would have a much better view of the group about to arrive.
The doors burst open and a group of ten men and women uproariously joined the masquerade party. Emlyn watched as women dressed in skimpy dress and eye masques danced in front of a group of gentlemen, the focus of the party. She moved closer and saw Sir Roderik in the middle of the group surrounded by two men dressed in jester masques. His dress was plain, almost normal for him but his masque is what worried her the most. The silver masque reflected his devilish smirk as the horns reflected the setting sunlight coming from the July day. Emlyn moved back into the crowd trying to blend in, but she felt eyes on her as she moved deeper into the crowd and caught a silver masque moving closer to her. It was too late to back out, by the sneer on the bottom half of his face Sir Roderik had found her. She had not planned on things to be moving so quickly, her courage was failing her fast and she needed most of the evening to build herself up for it. A hand gripped her shoulder, and tightened as she was about to leave the ballroom and pulled her back in.
“Leaving so soon Emlyn darling?” Sir Roderik's voice sounded like smooth velvet but his hot breath detracted from the sound, Emlyn tried not to quake under his heavy hand. “I was hoping to get a dance with you.”
“Of course Sir Roderik,” She backed out of his hand and turned around to curtsy to him. Coming up from her bow she could see herself reflected in the smooth devil masque of Sir Roderik, her stomach dropped. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back into the ballroom and swung her around before bringing her roughly to himself again. Roderik held her unnaturally close and hard, every time she tried to move back from him he would hold her closer. Emlyn felt as if his skin was burning hers, she wanted to get away from him but this is exactly what she needed and tried to relax as much as possible against his vice like grip on her waist.
“You have no idea how long I've waited to have you in my arms Emlyn,” He said quietly against her ear, she tried not to recoil away from him “It's been too long since I've seen that beautiful face of yours. Let's go out into the garden, for some privacy, while we get reacquainted.”
“Sir--” Was all she was able to say before he quickly whisked her off toward the back doors that were opened into the garden. Emlyn saw that it was quickly turning into dusk, it was now or ever. His grip did not lighten as he steered her even further away from the action of the masquerade. Her heart raced in her throat as the came to a stop near the outer garden wall. There was no place to sit Emlyn noticed as she looked around, she couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. Sir Roderik twisted her around in his grip as he slammed her against the garden wall, with the wind knocked out of her she didn't have the strength to push him off as he threw off his devil masque and started to kiss her bare neck.
His lips felt like fire on her neck as she tried to gain back her breath and thoughts, this is what she wanted this was exactly how to get him close enough to her. Emlyn slowly lifted her leg, Sir Roderik quickly grabbed the leg for her and pulled it up higher, she froze for a minute hoping that his hand would not rise higher. When it didn't she quickly pushed back her skirt and her fingers wrapped around the hot metal of her derringer. Sighing with relief she lifted the pistol to Sir Roderik's chest, as Emlyn cocked back the hammer he stopped in his tracks.
“Would you kindly back away Sir Roderik,” Emlyn sneered as the knight dropped her leg and stepped back, she pushed the gun into his chest and turned him around.
Emlyn pointed the gun directly at Sir Roderik's heart, her hand shook and her heart raced, for an entire year she had been planning this she didn't want to let him down, she couldn't. Her throat felt dry as she tried to find her voice, Sir Roderik tried to move but she shoved the gun harder into his chest. “Don't even move, I have waited and entire year to confront you. Now you are going to stand there and listen to what I have to say! Do you remember that night Sir Roderik? That night where you started making my life a living hell? I know I sure do—my life stopped having meaning the night you tried to kill me--”
The weather was hot for the middle of March, Emlyn was sitting under one of her family's apple trees doing her studies and eating an apple, a young man approached her and wrapped his hands around her eyes. She jumped as he startled her, but as the touch became familiar Emlyn laughed as she felt a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled as the hands were removed from her eyes and placed on her shoulders as the young man sat behind her, leaning against him he kissed her lightly.
“Gareth,” Emlyn giggled as he took the apple out of her hands and took a bite “You know how I hate when you startle me. Now I have to redo this translation.”
“Or you could just put the schooling aside for now,” Gareth grabbed the books and tablets from her hands and put them behind him out of her reach.
“But,”
“No buts, you know you're not going to need schooling when we get married,” He scoffed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her “Arithmetic at the least, to help with the books if I'm away on business.”
“I would like to teach my children some languages, it would be good if they become worldly,” Emlyn smiled as she laced her fingers with Gareth's. “But we still have some time to figure that out. The wedding isn't for another few weeks and children are at least a year away.”
“Don't like talking about the future?” Gareth teased.
“Well--”
“Look at this precious scene, the lovely couple getting together before the big day,” A velvety voice said from behind them. “I'm sure your father doesn't want to see this dear Emlyn.”
“Roderik, what are you doing here?” Gareth quickly stood up, he pulled Emlyn up by her hands and pulled her close to him. “Father said you were with the Queen.”
“I came back early, I have a little surprise for the lovely couple,” He laughed quietly to himself “I would be going back out on assignment during the lovely wedding so I figured I would give you your present a bit early.”
“Just go away Roderik,” Emlyn said weakly from behind Gareth, something didn't seem right to her as she looked intently at Roderik. He held his right hand behind his back and his left was twitching around his belt. “Gareth, let's go back inside, the cook said she was going to be baking some pies.” He looked down at his beloved and nodded, they turned not even acknowledging Roderik. They heard a loud click echo throughout the silent countryside. Turning they were met with a navy service revolver in their faces.
“What are you doing Roderik?” Gareth asked trying to push Emlyn behind him but she wouldn't budge she was scared in her spot beside him.
“You made the mistake of choosing a simpleton to marry Emlyn, when you could've had the fasting rising Navel Officer. Father even tells me that I'm going to be knighted by next year. We could have lived in a beautiful estate not far from both of our parents and raised a wonderful family. Instead you had to chose him over me,” Roderik shook his head and pointed the gun at Gareth and Emlyn. Her heart froze she knew that a bullet from that gun would be strong enough to take out them both. “And I just can't accept that.”
The gun shot echoed but she didn't have time to react, fire erupted over her face as she fell to the ground. She couldn't feel anything and the ringing in her ears stopped her from hearing the second gun shot before she blacked out. When she came to, her vision was red on her right side and her body felt numb. Looking around she realized that Roderik was no longer there, she turned quickly her head and saw Gareth laying a few feet from her. His hands were pushing on a wound on his chest that was covered in blood--
“Not only did you take away my one chance at happiness, but you made sure that I would never be in society again,” Her voice cracked as she used her right hand to grab a hold of the bottom of her masque. The gun tightened in her left hand as she quickly removed the masque; ripping it from her hair she dropped the beautifully crafted masque to the ground, as it clanged against the cobble stones a few crystals bounced away in the dusk. Sir Roderik didn't flinch away from her like normal people would which startled her, instead he smirked; which caused her to hold the gun closer to his heart. The right side of her face was mostly scarred. A thick white well line ran from the corner of her eye and disappeared into her hair, cracks of elevated skin surrounded the well going over most of her cheek and nose.
“Emlyn,” Her father's voice came from behind her, she didn't bother to look at him it would make things too difficult for her. “What in God's name are you doing?”
“Sir Bernard help me! You're daughter she's got some fever!” Sir Roderik pleaded with the older man who ignored him and walked slowly to his daughter.
“He killed Gareth, Father!” Emlyn's voice cracked with emotion, ignoring Roderik's plea as she steadied her grip on the pistol. “Sir Roderik killed him in cold blood Father!” She spat the title at him as he continued to cower against the wall “Right in front of me no less because I chose Gareth over him, I cannot let him get away with this!”
“Darling daughter,” She felt her father's calming touch on her bare shoulder, gritting her teeth she couldn't look at him—one glance and it could be all over her strength would disappear and she would become a complete mess of tears and hopelessness. “Emlyn, please, would Gareth want you to do this?”
“Father,” Her eyes wavered for a second, her gun hand dropped a fraction from the chest. Sir Roderik took this opportunity to push Emlyn back with the heels of his hands and reach for the gun. She stumbled as he grabbed her gun hand with both of his, looking back quickly she shook her head at her father who was running to help—she had to do this on her own. Her fingers tried to pry Roderik's off but they wouldn't move, she could feel her bones weakening beneath his vice like grip. Tears sprung into her eyes but she blinked them away quickly.
“You can't win Emlyn,” Sir Roderik sneered leaning close to her face, she could smell the wine and ale on his breath as she tried to push him away. Her wrist strained as he turned it in the opposite direction, and she could feel the gun slipping from her hand, and she knew that the minute that Roderik got a hold of the gun she and her father wouldn't be alive much longer. Emlyn pushed against him as hard as she could with her other hand but she wasn't strong enough, her flat shoes provided her no traction on the grass—she wore them for silence not for a fighting advantage. “You never should have started this with me.”
“You underestimate me Sir Roderik,” Emlyn said slowly, she stopped trying to get his fingers off of her and instead gripped his throat and lifted her knee to his crotch. He loosened his grip on the gun she grabbed it back and held it to him once again. “I'm not as weak as I once came off.”
“Emlyn,” Sir Bernard tried to reason with his daughter for her life “You cannot do this. The Queen will have you put to death! There is nothing that I can do to help you.”
“I don't care anymore,” Emlyn looked at her father and fired the gun.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sometimes you have to let morality aside for revenge.
Warnings: Violence
Word Count: 3,680
banner by: stopjenny @ TDA
The estate was in such a state of panic over the Masquerade Party that was mere hours away. Every able bodied servant was running around the vast house setting up every corner with a decoration. The house belonged to Count Nichola, a favorite at court, but the party was for his son; the recently knighted Sir Roderik. Sir Roderik had total control over the estate while his father was still with Queen Victoria at her summer castle. Count Nichola was a favorite to Queen Victoria but his son held little esteem in her eyes, but still knighted him on behest of his father. Roderik wanted this night to be remembered, he wanted the Queen to hear about it when she was half way across the country, and he would make sure of that. All of the servants had instructions to follow, and he made it clear that if things were not held to his standard they would be fired.
With everyone focused on not losing their jobs no one noticed a lone girl slipping quietly past the banquet hall doors and down deep into the winding halls of the estate. She moved around the halls like she knew the place better than her own house. If a servant was walking past her she would slip behind a tapestry or behind many of the vases that lined the more active hallways in the house. Finally she saw where she wanted to be, two majestically decorated doors that lead to the chambers of the family members. Not looking back she walked up to the door and opened it.
The hallway was empty except for two guards stationed in the middle of the hall. They stared unseeing at each other, lost in their own thoughts about their misfortunes of being picked for guard duty so far away from the real action on the estate. The door to the guard's left opened with a purpose and the young woman slipped through, she stopped suddenly seeing the two guards standing between her and the next door. She barely wavered for a second as she strode purposefully down the hall. The two guards watched her carefully, they realized that she must be a guest for the masquerade ball; her dress was elaborate but her mask was still missing. The two guards moved from their stoic position to look at her intently as she strode past them like their master had called for her personally. Her dress was flowing in blue silk, four different layers came from her waist and got darker the closer they got to her feet. A small copper belt went around her waist cutting off the blue flow of colors momentarily. The sleeves were a white cotton that were disconnected from the dress but were attached to smaller copper bands, the white cotton moved with every step she took. Her hair looked artfully styled as it covered the right side of her face, blocking it off entirely from view. She disregarded the guards as she grabbed the door handle at the other end of the hall and drew it open before shutting it forcefully behind her.
Quickly she breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her, for a minute she felt the guards staring at her intently and thought that she was going to be caught. But she knew the key to getting past any guards, no matter if you're in Her Majesties palace or some lowly Knight's house who just happened to be close to Her Majesty, was to walking with a purpose and showing no fear, if all else failed she knew to make it look like she was sleeping with the man behind the door. Tucking the hair that was covering the right side of her face behind her shoulders, she walked toward the end of the hall where Sir Roderik's chamber door lay.
There was nothing too outstanding about the Knight's doors, he had after all lived in the same room since infancy. His father never thought too much about redecorating a stately manner that was a present from Queen Victoria's grandfather when Count Nichola's mother was born illegitimately to him. Slowly she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small folded letter, she had to unfold it a bit more before she placed it under the door and pushed it over the threshold. She knocked hard on the door and waited before she heard someone approaching before she turned on her heel and ran quietly in the opposite direction. It was easier getting out of this hall than it was getting in, there was a servant room at that end of the house for when there was children that led directly to the kitchens and into the garden.
When she was outside she moved about as normal, there were party members already mingling in the garden waiting for the ballroom doors to open to start the evening. She blended in as much as she could without her masque hiding her face, it ruined the evening illusion but no one paid much attention to her. Suddenly a hand grabbed her bare shoulder, it took all of her strength not to scream out. The hand quickly loosened it's grasp as she turned around: “Emlyn, m'dear,”
“Father! You frightened me,” Quickly gaining back her composure Emlyn curtsied quickly to her father and smiled at him. “My Lord. I am sorry, you gave me a fright.”
“Sorry Daughter,” Her father: Sir Bernard beamed at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes showed loved and admiration for his only daughter. A hint of sadness flickered quickly in his eyes before it was blinked away. “Your mother wanted me to find you, you left your masque in the carriage. Really Emlyn you're already ruining the illusion of the night.”
“Sorry Father, I was in such a rush to meet someone that I left it,” Emlyn curtsied again as she held her out hands for her custom made masque. Her father placed the butterfly half masque in her hands, the color went from light blue at the top to a midnight blue toward the bottom, it was made from a single sheet of metal and cut to her desired design. Dark blue Austrian crystals lined the eye holes and were placed around the wings and as the head of the butterfly piece. She smiled, the length was longer than a usual masque of this style but it was needed.
“Emlyn,” Her father cupped the right side of her face lightly, but she flinched away from his touch and quickly tied the masque on. He sighed dropping his hand. “Go quickly get your hair finished your mother has your hair pins, the party will be starting any minute.”
“Yes m'Lord,” She dipped into a small curtsy before standing on her toes to give her father a quick kiss before gathering up her skirt and running off into the garden. Her mother would be waiting for her in one of the spare bed rooms on the opposite side of the house but Emlyn was heading in the opposite direction toward the rose garden.
She stopped beside a group of red roses, looking around her she knelt down on the grass and groped under the bushes, her fingers brushed a small box. Grabbing it she pulled it from under the bushes and grinned, flicking the lock she slowly opened the top and stared down at the derringer. Picking it up it felt heavy and foreign in her hands, for a minute she didn't think she would be able to accomplish her desire, shaking the thought from her head she shoved the box into the bushes and stood up. Gathering up her skirt she slowly placed the gun in the holster on her thigh, before carefully placing the skirt back down making sure the bulk of the fabric hid the small gun from view. Standing up she straightened her masque and went to go meet her mother in the makeup and hair room set up for the party.
Emlyn stood on the wall of the ballroom, every guest was in the room awaiting the arrival of Sir Roderik and his party. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out which one would be him, Emlyn thought, she would be able to figure it out immediately: only one man had that cocky unfounded swagger. Shifting her weight she felt the derringer move from it's holster on her leg. Reaching down she moved the holster back into place and stood straight, she didn't think it would be this hard to keep the gun in place, women did it all the time around London. The light background music stopped and the guests turned to face the grand ballroom doors. Moving from her position on the wall she walked over to the food tables, where she would have a much better view of the group about to arrive.
The doors burst open and a group of ten men and women uproariously joined the masquerade party. Emlyn watched as women dressed in skimpy dress and eye masques danced in front of a group of gentlemen, the focus of the party. She moved closer and saw Sir Roderik in the middle of the group surrounded by two men dressed in jester masques. His dress was plain, almost normal for him but his masque is what worried her the most. The silver masque reflected his devilish smirk as the horns reflected the setting sunlight coming from the July day. Emlyn moved back into the crowd trying to blend in, but she felt eyes on her as she moved deeper into the crowd and caught a silver masque moving closer to her. It was too late to back out, by the sneer on the bottom half of his face Sir Roderik had found her. She had not planned on things to be moving so quickly, her courage was failing her fast and she needed most of the evening to build herself up for it. A hand gripped her shoulder, and tightened as she was about to leave the ballroom and pulled her back in.
“Leaving so soon Emlyn darling?” Sir Roderik's voice sounded like smooth velvet but his hot breath detracted from the sound, Emlyn tried not to quake under his heavy hand. “I was hoping to get a dance with you.”
“Of course Sir Roderik,” She backed out of his hand and turned around to curtsy to him. Coming up from her bow she could see herself reflected in the smooth devil masque of Sir Roderik, her stomach dropped. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back into the ballroom and swung her around before bringing her roughly to himself again. Roderik held her unnaturally close and hard, every time she tried to move back from him he would hold her closer. Emlyn felt as if his skin was burning hers, she wanted to get away from him but this is exactly what she needed and tried to relax as much as possible against his vice like grip on her waist.
“You have no idea how long I've waited to have you in my arms Emlyn,” He said quietly against her ear, she tried not to recoil away from him “It's been too long since I've seen that beautiful face of yours. Let's go out into the garden, for some privacy, while we get reacquainted.”
“Sir--” Was all she was able to say before he quickly whisked her off toward the back doors that were opened into the garden. Emlyn saw that it was quickly turning into dusk, it was now or ever. His grip did not lighten as he steered her even further away from the action of the masquerade. Her heart raced in her throat as the came to a stop near the outer garden wall. There was no place to sit Emlyn noticed as she looked around, she couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. Sir Roderik twisted her around in his grip as he slammed her against the garden wall, with the wind knocked out of her she didn't have the strength to push him off as he threw off his devil masque and started to kiss her bare neck.
His lips felt like fire on her neck as she tried to gain back her breath and thoughts, this is what she wanted this was exactly how to get him close enough to her. Emlyn slowly lifted her leg, Sir Roderik quickly grabbed the leg for her and pulled it up higher, she froze for a minute hoping that his hand would not rise higher. When it didn't she quickly pushed back her skirt and her fingers wrapped around the hot metal of her derringer. Sighing with relief she lifted the pistol to Sir Roderik's chest, as Emlyn cocked back the hammer he stopped in his tracks.
“Would you kindly back away Sir Roderik,” Emlyn sneered as the knight dropped her leg and stepped back, she pushed the gun into his chest and turned him around.
Emlyn pointed the gun directly at Sir Roderik's heart, her hand shook and her heart raced, for an entire year she had been planning this she didn't want to let him down, she couldn't. Her throat felt dry as she tried to find her voice, Sir Roderik tried to move but she shoved the gun harder into his chest. “Don't even move, I have waited and entire year to confront you. Now you are going to stand there and listen to what I have to say! Do you remember that night Sir Roderik? That night where you started making my life a living hell? I know I sure do—my life stopped having meaning the night you tried to kill me--”
The weather was hot for the middle of March, Emlyn was sitting under one of her family's apple trees doing her studies and eating an apple, a young man approached her and wrapped his hands around her eyes. She jumped as he startled her, but as the touch became familiar Emlyn laughed as she felt a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled as the hands were removed from her eyes and placed on her shoulders as the young man sat behind her, leaning against him he kissed her lightly.
“Gareth,” Emlyn giggled as he took the apple out of her hands and took a bite “You know how I hate when you startle me. Now I have to redo this translation.”
“Or you could just put the schooling aside for now,” Gareth grabbed the books and tablets from her hands and put them behind him out of her reach.
“But,”
“No buts, you know you're not going to need schooling when we get married,” He scoffed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her “Arithmetic at the least, to help with the books if I'm away on business.”
“I would like to teach my children some languages, it would be good if they become worldly,” Emlyn smiled as she laced her fingers with Gareth's. “But we still have some time to figure that out. The wedding isn't for another few weeks and children are at least a year away.”
“Don't like talking about the future?” Gareth teased.
“Well--”
“Look at this precious scene, the lovely couple getting together before the big day,” A velvety voice said from behind them. “I'm sure your father doesn't want to see this dear Emlyn.”
“Roderik, what are you doing here?” Gareth quickly stood up, he pulled Emlyn up by her hands and pulled her close to him. “Father said you were with the Queen.”
“I came back early, I have a little surprise for the lovely couple,” He laughed quietly to himself “I would be going back out on assignment during the lovely wedding so I figured I would give you your present a bit early.”
“Just go away Roderik,” Emlyn said weakly from behind Gareth, something didn't seem right to her as she looked intently at Roderik. He held his right hand behind his back and his left was twitching around his belt. “Gareth, let's go back inside, the cook said she was going to be baking some pies.” He looked down at his beloved and nodded, they turned not even acknowledging Roderik. They heard a loud click echo throughout the silent countryside. Turning they were met with a navy service revolver in their faces.
“What are you doing Roderik?” Gareth asked trying to push Emlyn behind him but she wouldn't budge she was scared in her spot beside him.
“You made the mistake of choosing a simpleton to marry Emlyn, when you could've had the fasting rising Navel Officer. Father even tells me that I'm going to be knighted by next year. We could have lived in a beautiful estate not far from both of our parents and raised a wonderful family. Instead you had to chose him over me,” Roderik shook his head and pointed the gun at Gareth and Emlyn. Her heart froze she knew that a bullet from that gun would be strong enough to take out them both. “And I just can't accept that.”
The gun shot echoed but she didn't have time to react, fire erupted over her face as she fell to the ground. She couldn't feel anything and the ringing in her ears stopped her from hearing the second gun shot before she blacked out. When she came to, her vision was red on her right side and her body felt numb. Looking around she realized that Roderik was no longer there, she turned quickly her head and saw Gareth laying a few feet from her. His hands were pushing on a wound on his chest that was covered in blood--
“Not only did you take away my one chance at happiness, but you made sure that I would never be in society again,” Her voice cracked as she used her right hand to grab a hold of the bottom of her masque. The gun tightened in her left hand as she quickly removed the masque; ripping it from her hair she dropped the beautifully crafted masque to the ground, as it clanged against the cobble stones a few crystals bounced away in the dusk. Sir Roderik didn't flinch away from her like normal people would which startled her, instead he smirked; which caused her to hold the gun closer to his heart. The right side of her face was mostly scarred. A thick white well line ran from the corner of her eye and disappeared into her hair, cracks of elevated skin surrounded the well going over most of her cheek and nose.
“Emlyn,” Her father's voice came from behind her, she didn't bother to look at him it would make things too difficult for her. “What in God's name are you doing?”
“Sir Bernard help me! You're daughter she's got some fever!” Sir Roderik pleaded with the older man who ignored him and walked slowly to his daughter.
“He killed Gareth, Father!” Emlyn's voice cracked with emotion, ignoring Roderik's plea as she steadied her grip on the pistol. “Sir Roderik killed him in cold blood Father!” She spat the title at him as he continued to cower against the wall “Right in front of me no less because I chose Gareth over him, I cannot let him get away with this!”
“Darling daughter,” She felt her father's calming touch on her bare shoulder, gritting her teeth she couldn't look at him—one glance and it could be all over her strength would disappear and she would become a complete mess of tears and hopelessness. “Emlyn, please, would Gareth want you to do this?”
“Father,” Her eyes wavered for a second, her gun hand dropped a fraction from the chest. Sir Roderik took this opportunity to push Emlyn back with the heels of his hands and reach for the gun. She stumbled as he grabbed her gun hand with both of his, looking back quickly she shook her head at her father who was running to help—she had to do this on her own. Her fingers tried to pry Roderik's off but they wouldn't move, she could feel her bones weakening beneath his vice like grip. Tears sprung into her eyes but she blinked them away quickly.
“You can't win Emlyn,” Sir Roderik sneered leaning close to her face, she could smell the wine and ale on his breath as she tried to push him away. Her wrist strained as he turned it in the opposite direction, and she could feel the gun slipping from her hand, and she knew that the minute that Roderik got a hold of the gun she and her father wouldn't be alive much longer. Emlyn pushed against him as hard as she could with her other hand but she wasn't strong enough, her flat shoes provided her no traction on the grass—she wore them for silence not for a fighting advantage. “You never should have started this with me.”
“You underestimate me Sir Roderik,” Emlyn said slowly, she stopped trying to get his fingers off of her and instead gripped his throat and lifted her knee to his crotch. He loosened his grip on the gun she grabbed it back and held it to him once again. “I'm not as weak as I once came off.”
“Emlyn,” Sir Bernard tried to reason with his daughter for her life “You cannot do this. The Queen will have you put to death! There is nothing that I can do to help you.”
“I don't care anymore,” Emlyn looked at her father and fired the gun.
