Crowns and Guns.

Tears (part 2)

Kelsey pulls on the handcuffs, cuffing her to her hospital bed, while she tries to get to me.

"This is outrageous." She yells. "They can't tie you up like that. This is inhumane." His cuffs make a violent rattling sound.

I turn my head towards her, as much as the restraints let me move. "Calm down Kelsey. You are going to hurt yourself."

She ignores my warning and keeps violently pulling. "I don't care."

The door opens, and I see Commander Warner walk in. He is dressed in his casual wear, aka dark blue pants and shirt, barefooted. He seems to have left his leather jacket at home.

He walks over to me while staring in the distance as if he is purposefully avoiding eye contact.

Kelsey looks at him and pulls on the cuff again. "Dad! What the hell? You can't tie her up like that!"

The commander looks away from his daughter, who is glaring at him, and shakes his head.

"This doesn't concern you, Kelsey."

Kelsey curls her lip and explodes. "What do you mean, this doesn't concern me. She is my lieutenant, I am loyal to her and —–"

She abruptly stops speaking as the commander closes the curtains between them. I can still see the outline of Kelsey, rattling on her cuffs, and shouting insults.

He ignores the sounds and walks around my bed. He looks at me and forces a smile.

"So, I guess we are alone."

I spit, covering him and part of myself in little droplets. "What the fuck do you want? Why the hell did you have me tied up."

He sighs, and sits down on the end of the bed, uncomfortably close to my feet. I instinctively try to pull away but am stopped by the tight restraints.

He smiles. Or grins. I can't tell.

"You know," he starts. "I have done so much for you. Made you lieutenant when you were only twenty, the youngest person ever. I tolerated all of your transgressions, and I approved all of your strange and weird favours. I thought maybe you would pay me back one day."

I feel my muscles tense up, and carefully feel the cuffs securing each of my wrists to the bed. I consider for a moment breaking my thumb and removing my hands, but what then? How am I gonna untie my chest with broken thumbs? It might take too long if I wait for my hands to heal.

Maybe I should play along, so his guard drops.

I take a deep breath, for as far as the belts securing my upper body allow. "What do you mean, pay you back? I have done so much for this Militia. For you, as commander. I devoted my life to it."

He sighs and puts his hand on my upper leg. I desperately fight against his grabs, but the restraints really don't give an inch.

"I was thinking of more a personal way to pay me back. One that shows your devotion to me as a person, not as a commander." He carefully strokes my leg, either unaware or indifferent to my struggles.

I bite my lip to prevent myself from screaming out. Of course. I am such an idiot. I thought that, despite the commander's uncomfortable and sometimes inappropriate comments and advances, he mainly appreciated my work, and saw potential in me. But no. Turns out he is just trying to get into my pants.

He grabs the edge of my skirt, and tucks it up, until slightly above my knee, revealing, my lower legs. I feel my limbs freeze up, as I am not even able anymore to fight against the restraints. I can only watch.

He shakes his head and reveals a small knife from his pocket. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you betrayed us. Betrayed humanity"

I look at him, stunned. What the hell is he saying? I have never ever done anything to put humans in danger. Everything I have done was in service of humanity. This makes no sense.

Shivers run over my body as he traces the scars on my legs with his finger. "I have dedicated the last ten years to finding the crown. With the crown, we can perform the coronation ritual ourselves. Elves are magically bound to follow whoever is their monarch, so if only could find the crown, I could unite the elves and the overgrown city. Hell, I could probably unite the human refugees under my command. I will have a loyal army of elves. Hell, I might even overthrow ORCHID.

I squirm in pain while he cuts open my leg using the knife. He looks at the tip of the knife. A small gem, not bigger than a grain of rice, sticks to it, covered in blood.

"The crowns Jewels. Hidden in plain sight. All those years. I finally found them."

He looks up when a loud rattle, and a bang, sound behind the curtain. A moment later, Kelsey swings through the curtain, wielding a large metal bar. Her wrist looks bruised and swollen, but that doesn't stop her. She swings the metal bar at her father, yelling "Get away from her." She hits him in the head, and he is knocked back, falling from the bed.

She steps back and drops the rod, eyes wide. She just stares forward.

"Oh my god." She whispers. "I attacked my own father. The commander. I am gonna get banished, if not worse."

She walks over and starts untying me, her eyes are dull, and she is slowly blinking. When she is done with my arms and chest, I sit up, and look at the commander, lying on the ground next to the hospital bed. A pool of blood is forming beneath his head, and his eyes stare into oblivion.

Kelsey vigorously shakes her head. "Oh no. When my dad regains consciousness, I am gonna be in so much trouble. He is gonna hate me. He is never going to forgive me. I will be an outcast."

I grab Kelsey's wrist. "He is not going to regain consciousness, Kelsey. You killed him."

Kelsey's eyes go wider, and the colour drains from her face.

"I ... I killed him?" she whispers.

"Yeah"

She freezes and just stares at the body.

"Kelsey!" I grab her arms and shake her body. "Focus. We have to hide the body."

She stares at me and slowly shakes her head. "No."

I let go of her. "What do you mean, no? We have some time before the others come back. Let us get going."

She shakes her head again. "No. I killed him. I will accept any repercussions that come my way."