Bleeding Crown (Red Queen 4 Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

Hey guys! I'm sure you'll all enjoy reading this chapter, which will change everything. MWA HA HA HA HA!!!! As always, please star and comment!

Enjoy! "Light is easy to love. Show me your darkness."

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Mare

After Maven leaves, I continue to weep in my corner for every reason I can come up with until my eyes are in pain and I can no longer produce more tears. The initial betrayal of the boy king, Shade dying, then coming back, then dying again, the look on Cal's face when he chose the crown over me. And after my eyes bleed dry, I settle into slumber on the plush carpet.

"Choose," Farley tells me, in a stern voice, similar to the one she used often as a captain commanding the Scarlet Guard, but this voice also held something else. Sharper, meaner.

"Choose what? What are you talking about? How are you here?" I question, panicked at her voice.

Instead of answering any of my inquiries, she merely steps aside, and repeats "chose."

With Farley now out of my direct line of vision, I move my gaze around the surrounding area, finding myself to be in the Bowl of Bones. But the arena had changed drastically, the only clue telling it was the Bowl of Bones was the design I had come to despise. This new arena had not been tended to in what seemed like centuries, with weeds and vines lacing intricately through one another, making a beautiful pattern. Half of the floor inside of the structure was gone, a pit of boiling lava there instead. It also appeared to be snowing, but when catching a couple flakes in my hand, they were not cold and did not melt. It was ash, not snow.

At last, my eyes settled on Cal, who appeared to be anxious, with his hands clasped behind his back. Almost instantly, we lock eyes, and he offers a warm smile.

"Choose me," Cal says, once again not explaining what I am choosing from.

"Come on Mare. It's pretty obvious if you ask me. Who's your true love?" A girl no older than fifteen asks as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I turn to see Maven about ten paces away from Cal, his head down, and dressed in white, varying from the traditional black.

Before I give the thought of choosing one much consideration. I turn back to the girl, eyeing her suspiciously. She had green eyes, and brown hair similar to my own.

"We look similar don't you think?" she questioned, apparently enjoying knowing something I didn't.

"Yes. Very similar."

"I'm a younger version of you. The only difference between us is the height, a number of dead bodies we've seen, and our innocence. Back when you were only fourteen the worst crime you had committed involved stealing for survival."

"I haven't killed anyone who didn't deserve it."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" the girl says in a whisper. "Remember Corros? We both know you liked killing those guards."

"They deserved it," I say, ducking my head down.

"Maybe. But I bet some of those guards had families, people they cherished. And look at what you did," she spits, walking towards me. "You try to justify all you've done by saying to yourself you're going to change the world. But that doesn't make it okay."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Offer each silver officer I meet a cup of tea and a biscuit? There are going to be casualties on both sides."

"I understand that. All I'm asking is that you apply a little less electricity, only to knock them unconscious."

"That's a very fine line," I say, tilting my head slightly to the left,

seeing Maven once again in the background. And anyway, I was angry that night, seeing all of those imprisoned innocents."

"Just do better, from now on."

"I will," I say, amazed how this girl, four years younger appears to be so much wiser than I am.

"Now choose," she orders, stepping back, turning around and walking back to her position near Farley.

I turn to face them., and walk forward, so I am an equal distance between the two. "How is this even an option?" I ask, turning back towards myself.

"You choose Cal," she states, head nodding. "Then kill the other one."

"What-"

"Do it."

I walk forward to Maven, who finally looks up, with concerned eyes. "Please don't," he whispers. In a tone that makes him seeming innocent and helpless. Impossible to kill.

"I can't kill him. This isn't how Maven acts."

"You must kill him if you love Cal. Unless, somewhere deep down, you are clinging onto a very, very thin string, that makes you believe that Maven can be saved, and he can the person you fell in love with."

I pale, to a shade of a silver, realizing she's not wrong.

"Even at his worst, I'm questioning whether or not you could find it in you to kill him. Bring the lightning down on his neck. You have battled with your boyfriend over there in preparation to kill him. But in the moment, you couldn't do it. Because you're still in love with him. I mean, why did you keep his notes? Why did you even go to that ball? You could have found another way. You always do."

I crumple to the ground and begin to weep, over my own heart. Before I have the chance to do anything, the younger me walks past me.

"I'll save you the grief," she declares, then shoving Cal into the pit of lava, so hot even he could not bear it.

*****

I wake up screaming and crying. but soon dial down to heavy breathing, after realizing it was a dream or my conscious speaking to me. But what the girl told me held truth. If the Maven I came to love was a real person, I don't know what I'd do. Maven was my first love, and I fell in love with him, before I even knew what love was. I love Cal, I love Cal, I repeat to myself silently multiple times, until it seems the girl in my dreams begins yelling it in my head repeatedly.

"I need to get out of this room," I mutter to myself, agitated that I took the nap in the first place.

I leave my sitting position in the far corner of the room, and head for the lavish door to my partial freedom. I pull down on the handle, concluding that once again, Maven has decided to give me a little bit of freedom.

And then I run.

I run faster than I did at the Piedmont base with Cal, faster than running from my enemies. With the little freedom I get, I embrace being able to run down the hallways as fast as I can.