DOOM SAGA I - I'll be home tomorrow

But a King

Argent d'Nur

The huge doors swung open with a groan and the guards saluted the Slayer as they passed them by. A step behind him she followed dazed, her eyes not even lifting to see what lay before them. The huge glowing figure of King Novik sat patiently waiting on his throne, greeting them with a gesture of his hand.
„I was waiting for you, Great Slayer. I hoped you'd come by earlier.", he said loudly, but his voice showed no disdain.
They walked into the mid of the room, and the Slayer kneeled down, tugging on her arm to make her comply. As he turned his head to peek he saw a look in her eyes he could not decipher. Dumbfounded she scoffed quietly before she turned around to walk away again. He jumped up and held her arm tightly to stop her.
„Why are you turning away, girl? I invited you too."
She ripped herself from the Slayer's hold but did not even turn to speak.
„You wanted to see him, not me. And even if... you had all the chances, but I guess I wasn't important enough...", she spat the words like poison as he felt a wave of burning anger rising in her spine. She gave Novik a furious side-eye. The king rubbed his fingers and was seemingly agitated. She took another step towards the exit as he spoke calmly.
„You are right. I made some terrible mistakes."
She stopped in her movement.
„The truth is, I was not aware of your existence."
She spun around in surprise and disbelieve, the Slayer turning from her to him and back to her as he tried to follow.
„Not aware of my existence?! What kind of cheap excuse do you think this is?!"
She was boiling and paced towards the throne, the guards wincing nervously.
„You are their king! The KING OF KINGS, or am I wrong?!"
He lowered his gaze and sighed as he thought of what to say.
„You are right, indeed. But I lost sight of my people. I gave power to the wrong,  and in the chaos of the past decades, they built their own secret government of sorts. They kept information from me, and my heart is broken to know what they have done to you, and the surviving population. I invited you to apologise and hear you."
She stared him down, understanding his position, but also...
„Maybe that's the problem right there: you are the king of these people. Nothing BUT a king! No true leader, no one they could tell their worries to, no father, no brother, no son. You forgot what it means to live, and what it feels like to die. Even if you were a normal man like them, you could not be further away. You are bound to this throne, unaware of the suffering outside these walls, my suffering! You are the one responsible for all of this and you are yet incapable of understanding the extent of your failure! You are only their king because they have no choice! Maybe it's time for you to finally end...!"
Baffled the king watched her with wide eyes, the guards fidgeted and looked at each other in disbelief, the shocked mumbling grew louder. The Slayer saw tears in the corners of her eyes and noticed how her voice was beginning to shake.
„I demand obedience!", he barked. She scoffed again, sniffing back her loosening snot.
„Obedience?! I'm not one of your fucking dogs! I will never kneel for such a pitiful man! You are not my king or my god!", she barked back even more disgusted before she turned around and stomped away. He growled in realisation.
„Please, wait.", he said more calmly but she continued.
„Io. Please. I called for you because I need your help."
Unimpressed she shrugged and pointed her finger at the Slayer.
„You have him.", she said in a deadpan response.
„You don't need a mortal weakling like me..." she mumbled to herself.
Helpless the king looked at the Slayer that just watched her leave in silence. Frustrated the old man banged his fist down.
„IO!", he yelled like an angered parent.
„Sorry, I'm really busy living my short and pitiful life! But you can leave a message after the tone!", she shouted as her frame threw a long shadow from the entrance to the feet of the throne. Novik scrambled his words in confusion and anger as she stepped through the arch.
„Beeeeeeep!"
She did a spin and the Slayer saw, that there was no amusement on her face but a seriousness he had not yet seen in her.

The bitterly cold wind tousled some strands of hair that had loosened from the braid and she blew her breath into her palms to warm her numbing fingers. She crouched, since the floor was way too cold, at the side of the barrier that framed the small terrace to each side of the doors. She was waiting for him to come outside as well. Minutes had passed and the cold had already crept into her body as she finally saw him. First, he walked a few steps towards the stairs leading down into a court but stopped as the crowd that had gathered there began to shout and call out for him, greeting him.
"They came f-for you.", she said as she got up from her open shelter and staggered over to him. She knew she didn't have to be loud, he had good hearing. He watched them for a moment, confused, but then huffed and met her halfway, out of their sight. She avoided his gaze, repelled a little from his touch as he put one of the loose strands behind her ear. She swallowed and seemed frustrated about her words, the stutter was back again.
"I can't walk d-down the st-stairs..."
She was quiet, embarrassed, hiding herself from him in every way possible. He sighed.
"I wanna g-go to bed. I'm c-cold... And tired...", she spoke as a hint for him to hurry. He grabbed her under the arms and pulled her tightly against him, feeling her shivering body.
The people were torn between the longing to hold onto him, and keeping a respectful distance as he ploughed through the crowd that filled the small court. He had to pull away from their hold multiple times but knew that they were just average people, survivors, showing their thankfulness like they were thought to. She buried herself in his chest, the hood of her warm coat hiding her from unwanted eyes. Her heart raced at the noise of the shouting and the tightness of the horde. He didn't like it at all and felt panic burst in her chest, felt the sudden tug, even before he heard her shriek. Someone grabbed her foot from behind him. He spun around and snatched the man's arm.
"AWAY!", he howled enraged by the clear unrestrained obsession they were falling to. Immediately a bubble of space built around him as they fell back. A couple of stunned gasps were followed by complete silence, in which now he could hear her shallow breath. Without further ado, he paced back to their room. Where were the guards that were supposed to have an eye on them? This day was going worse than he could imagine. And it was not even noon. He felt the dread in every limb. Still, he was bewildered about her demeanour, but he could not scold her for speaking her mind - and being right with it.
As soon as the door closed behind him she ripped the coat and the rest from her body and hurried into the sheets where she closed the curtains and pulled the blanket over her head.
She sniffled and made other quiet noises from under there and she could not see the shadow shining through as the Slayer came to her sometime later. She had gotten still, mumbling and gasping only now and then as tiredness overwhelmed her gradually. She was moved and didn't know where up and where down is for a moment before the blanket slipped off her head and she felt his warmth on her back. She willingly leaned against him as he held a plate in front of her and she began to chomp the hot meal that smelled of salt and other strong seasonings. Her mind was eased for a moment when she was finally able to think about something different, and her body from the heat he gave to her every time. He did not hold onto her, his hands relaxed as he looked through the gap in the curtain he had left and out the window into the greyish and dark wilderness. She gasped for air, hiccupped for a moment as small pearls rolled down her cheek. She did not stop eating as she sobbed in between her chewing. As she slowed down near completely he turned his attention to her again, setting the plate back on the side table and pushing her away a little so he could get off the bed again.
She shivered, but not from cold, when she lay down again, grabbing onto her plush that lay beside the pillow. He pulled another blanket and a fur over her, packing her tightly so she wouldn't get chilled again. Through that, she kept mumbling indistinct words. He pulled one of the blankets over her head and ear, her half-closed eyes staring into a void again.
"Stay...", she suddenly said louder, fidgeting as he had turned to leave. In silence, he walked to the fireplace and put some more logs in them, returned and climbed over her to lay down at her side. He did not need any blanket but he snaked his hand into her cocoon, where one small hand held onto his thumb and the other small hand a finger.
Though he watched tears still wander down the bridge of her nose for a while, her head spinning endlessly in search of answers, she fell asleep quickly. And when she did, he allowed himself some rest aswell.