A Story of a Short Ending | T.R

Prologue

She hated the stench of the room she was currently sitting in. The problem wasn't even in 7 egos taking up the whole space, the smell of overwhelming cologne mixed with notes of whiskey, and burnt candles, and Merlin knew what else was making her head spin. Perhaps it was the attention of seven pairs of eyes on her, maybe the burning of those gazes was making her head spin.

She stared at the empty seat at the table across from her, she knew they were waiting for an answer. A story. The truth. She wasn't giving them either. She wouldn't tell them what she knew, even after no one bothered to check if she was with them. They left her behind, probably knowing what would happen once they found her. And yet still she kept her mouth in a thin line, avoiding looking back at them, avoiding the suffocating tension in the room that was probably going to choke her in a few minutes. She chose to stare at that empty seat, thinking of her friend who was supposed to be sitting there, to have her back.

"Very well." even the loud noise in her ears was silenced by his voice, the coldness in it. The man speaking didn't know the definition of warmth at all, she supposed which wasn't at all surprising considering who he was "We will see what you have to say in 3 days."

Three days was rather precise, which planted the seed of dread deep in her stomach. Was he aware of their plans? Did he know what they were up to? They would be back before 3 days are up, but would he just let them go on with their plans and make her watch? Make her watch him rip her friends to shreds? The scene painted itself in her mind, cutting out the outside world around her, the crimson walls of the manor, the colour so pretty her hands started itching to pick up the brush and draw it. The complete wreckage he would cause, knowing their every move every trick they are preparing to use against him.

Would he spare them if she made them confess and put their plans aside? Would he let them live after what they wanted to do to him? Herself included. The picture in her mind cleared, the details adding themselves as she thought, crimson walls looked almost black in the candlelight of the hallway, the ripped paintings with faces frozen in fear, her friends sprawled on the floor, or rather what's left of them. The 7 pairs of eyes watching her in the middle of the room, their hands, their hands covered in blood, their expressions stone cold not showing a single drop of emotion, of regret, of realisation.. nothing. They watched her like unmoving statues, she swore she felt the temperature in the room drop to the temperatures of their coldest winters. Her hands shook as her mind kept drawing, the bodies of her friends taking form, their faces captured during their last expressions, anger, fear, more anger or even acceptance.

Acceptance that this was all for nothing. A bloody war that demanded a lot of sacrifice no matter the result. Maybe it was their stupidity to go against him, they knew what he was capable of. Or did they? Did they know of various potions he hid in his private chambers? One of them was his brewer, she swore she kept a count of all the potions she made for him, was it a lie? Possibly. Did he go out of his way to cover all of his flanks twice, thrice? Turns out he did.

Some wouldn't even call that a war. 7 people against one, at least she thought it was 7 until they left her behind. It was 6 foolish people fighting to take control out of his hands, to snap his leash on all of them, to carve his atrocious marking out of their skin. They had a reason, a purpose. They even had the power to go forward with it, it just turned out he had more.

She blinked a few times, her mind cutting off the thoughts as if she just turned away from her canvas. What was she supposed to do now? She raised her head, finally meeting those exact 7 pairs of eyes that watched her. Some of them burning, some of them with boredom, some with interest. She ignored the man sitting on her left, the only eyes that were understanding, that knew what exactly she saw while she stayed silent. He knew, and yet he was one of those 7 who had the blood of her friends on his hands on her canvas in her mind. She straightened up and squared her shoulders, the only act of bravery she could afford right now without being cursed.