Morons and Monarchs

Chapter Fifty-Two: Anul👿

I push Delta over, and he hits the pavement with a loud thud.

I push over many other lords and ladies, barely recognising any of them as I shove them to the ground as well, stepping over and on top of all of them. My vines come up, taking a hold of them and holding them to the ground as it shakes.

"What did you do?" I drop to the ground, driving my fist into Viviendels face. Her head snaps back, and I grab a fistful of her shirt before slamming her to the ground, straddling her as I dig my fingernails into her shoulder blades. She flinches at my face, her tears replaced with terror.

"DID I STUTTER?" I scream again, punching her

Hard enough to make her nose go crooked and blood to streak down her face. I can hear everybody grunting behind us in an effort to get out of my vines.

"HUH?" I grab another fistful of her dress, pulling her off of the ground a few inches closer. "Did I?" I whisper.

"N-"

"I can't hear you?" I croon.

I slam her back down on the ground and she yells "NO!". But I don't care, I just punch her again, and then arms close around me.

"Quit!" A melodic voice reaches my ears, and I still. Standing and turning around to find where the voice came from. I freeze when my eyes meet the greene fabric of Eirene's mask.

I settled back down on the balls of my feet.

"She did what we told her to do," I nod.

Morana tries to talk as well, but I just growl at her. She is no longer my Queen, Eirene is.

She glares at me, and I pout. Whining like a hound.

"Your Heir just fai-" Morana tries to address the crowd.

"Your Heir!" Jorogumo Interrupts. "Has not had the proper training to take on a full-blooded Faerie, she is half-mortal, afterall. We will oversee her training from now on," She pauses. "Her guards have clearly not trained her enough."

The crowd roars. I don't know if it is for us guards, or for the stalling of a fight. Probably a mixture of both.

"I object!" Somebody's voice rings. And it cuts through my daze momentarily, I snap my head back against the guard holding me. A Tomairsitkiz, I hear something crack as my skull slams backward, and when I look back, I see his blood streaming out of his nose as he still tries to grapple at my arms. But I knock my arm back, and swing my elbow into his abdomen, taking him down.

Somebody whelps in the crowd, but their cries of anguish drown it out.

"ANUL!" Somebody shouts again, and my eyes search out the familiar voice, but my eyes only catch Ea's dead body, and I turn back to Viviendel- of whom is cradling one of his arms to her chest. Weeping.

"Oh, Viviendel!" I shout, smiling, waving my hand at her. She looks back at me, her eyes wide. And she stands up. Her stance is wobbly, but she manages to lift her chin. My smile widens.

"Hello, Anul." Her voice wavers, but she stays strong. I admire that about her, but oh, I would admire it much more if she wasn't a stone-cold killer.

You aren't any better if you kill her.

I would be doing everybody a favor, though.

"How would you like a new acquaintance?" We start circling.

Nobody is stopping us, I register. Nobody is stopping us because they are waiting for their heir to win. Too bad

"I have enough, thank you."

"I don't think you do." She lunges first, twirling so her fist connects with my lower abdomen. I take the blow, absorbing it, and then parry. Bringing my knee up and kicking her in the face, she staggers back, red blood drips from her cheek where a buckle on my dress must have cut her. She growls and runs again, smashing into me and taking me to the ground with her.

She takes her hand quickly and brings it up to her cheek, wincing as she drags her knuckles over the wound.

"You wouldn't!" I shout, watching as she digs her other arm into my neck and straddles me so my legs are trapped. She punches me with her bloodied knuckles, and my face starts to burn, melting off, she punches me again, and I scream,

I scream, and scream, and scream.

I cant seem to stop screaming as the burn overtakes me, as it singes my very soul, my very essence.

The iron burns, it burns and cackles and it wants to kill me. And I almost want to let it.

I will not surrender!

Pulling my knees up as far as I can, pulling them up to her back, I push back against her and send us tumbling. Then I am back atop her, and she is pushed onto the ground. I watch in horror as melted flesh from my face drips onto hers, a burnt green. A crisp orange peel, is what it almost reminds me of. Viviendel gags, and I punch her at that exact moment, and my hand strats to sting instead of my face. I see smoke rising from my knuckles.

Green blood drips as skin starts to sizzle, popping like water does when boiled. The green flesh parts, revealing a ragged underside, like welts that are cut open. The bend and droop, almost like my flamingo tongues if split in half.

They fall, sizzling as they hit Viviendels cheek, each section of skin decaying into wispy trawells.

I stare, open mouthed, at my hand, not even registering the tears escaping from my lids.

I look at Viviendel, her lips are ajar, and her brows are pulled up into a wince, blood leaks out of her nose and she has a blackened eye. Somebody grips my upper arms, and pulls me up. My head cradled by another's chest. I stare at Viviendel, at her wide eyes and frantic glances. She is terrified.

You are no better than her.

You will never be better than her.

You hurt an innocent.

She killed Ea.

She killed Ea from force.

She deceived him.

Love is always deceiving. But you are manipulating.

You are at fault.

You terrified an innocent.

You almost killed an innocent.

What if she was Ea's mate? She always smelled like him, it could be possible. They could have been mates. She just killed her mate, and you now want to punish her for it? When all she did was give him dignity in death?

You are evil. You are no better.

I am no better than Viviendel. The girl who killed her mate-

My friend.

My moron.

My brother.

But for another.

I am evil.