I Wish Things Were Different

Part 7

Maven POV

The broadcast would be going out any time now. It was beyond brilliant even for me.

It would not only break the little lightning girls icy heart but it would also kill my brother to know he will never see his love again.

He will never get to grow old with her or see her face in his children. Instead, she will be with me for the rest of her life. She will grow to love me again and I don't care what it takes to make her mine again. I will have everything and leave Cal with nothing but bittersweet memories.

I will finally have everything I deserve. The girl, the crown, and the guarantee of Cal's demise. Without Mare, he will crumble. Maybe then they will see him as they always saw me. A monster without any sanity. Someone who's not worth saving.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had helped Mare up the day my father died. Or rather when mother and I killed him.

Cal would have grown to be an old and jolly king until his queen of knives supplanted him with his own child. Just like mother did. I would be forever doomed to kneel to be in my brother's shadow, never to be noticed or acknowledged always second. Poor little Mavey.

But I would be happily married and in love.

We would have had the prettiest daughters, I can just imagine little girls with my eyes and her hair running around. I would love them unconditionally because they would be the child of the woman I love most. A symbol of our love. And no matter what I would have always been faithful and devoted to my little lightning girl. My soulmate, my one true love.

But that was another life.

Now I must sit on my silent throne until my lies swallow me whole. Or wait until my last hope arrives.

She's the only one who can save me.

And I'm the only one who can save her. She'll destroy herself.

No matter what it takes Mare Barrow lives. Without her I am nothing, I am empty, and I have nothing left. I lost Thomas I can't lose Mare. Her being miserable is better than her being dead.

If only she would cooperate maybe I wouldn't have her in those awful manacles all the time. Maybe one day. I want to kill everyone she loves so that she will have no one left. So that I am the only shoulder she can cry on, the only light in her life, her only hope.

As she is for me.

I want her to love me and never ever think about my fool of an excuse for a brother again. But that's only a fantasy because she will never love me, never see me in the same light she sees Cal, no matter how many horrible deeds he commits she will always love him.

But not if he is dead. I suppose that was always my fantasy kill Cal, save Mare.

"Your Majesty?" "What?" "We are awaiting orders on the prisoners." "Bring me to them." "Of course my king." The walk down to the Bowl of Bones cells was rather quiet and boring. How Mare and Cal stood this is a wonder.

"Ah, the boy king has finally decided to grace us with his presence." "I'm truly honored." "The pleasures all mine Fish Boy. General Farley." I acknowledge.

"What's your motive for putting us down here?" "Don't think so highly of yourself Diana I could care less about you."

The fish boy mutters, "Mare."

"You're not as dense as you seem." He curses under his breath. "Won't be much longer now before your precious lightning girl arrives. Maybe I'll even let her come see you. That might sway her opinion on some subjects. Don't you think?" "You wouldn't." "Oh, but I would General." "Your majesty Mare Barrow has been spotted in Archeon." "No!" Kilorn yells.

"Well then let's go give our lightning girl a proper welcome."

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Farley POV

4 hours earlier

As the jet lands and we all start to depart, I immediately notice that something was off. It was too quiet, too still.

"Kilorn do you hear that?" "No." "Exactly. Its too quiet, I have a bad feeling about this." "Relax Farley you're just paranoid."

"Maybe." "Listen I know you're on edge because of Mare but relax a little your freaking everyone out." "Your right, I'll relax a little."

As we begin to walk to the transports taking us to the base Kilorn disappears. Probably flirting with Cameron or some other newblood. Not a minute after Kilorn leaves I feel a hand grab my waist and then pull me backward.

"Kilorn what the-" I feel the hand clamp over my mouth and I try to get out of their grip but they are too strong. I feel a syringe go in my arm and then everything goes black.

3 Hours Later

I wake up in a dirty jail cell that looks suspiciously like the Bowl of Bones.

But it can't be, there's no way Maven knew where we were.

I hear a person sigh. "Welcome to the Bowl of Bones." "Kilorn?" Who else would it be?" "How did Maven find us?" "There was an attack on the Rift and Piedmont after we left and they trailed our plane to the city in the south."

"Oh. Any idea why he only captured us, and I'm guessing killed most everyone else?" "He didn't kill everyone. Most of the newbloods were fine but the reds were unarmed. They're all dead or in critical condition. He seemed to only want us."

"How do you know all this?" "I was with Cameron and we saw the first shots being fired and you being taken, and they didn't get me until after all the fighting took place." "And Cameron?" "Silenced a couple of guards and got out okay. And for your first question, I would assume his motive for only capturing us has something to do with Mare."

"Would she really give herself up again after what happened last time?"

"I don't know anymore. Cal and her splitting up broke her more than Maven ever could." "She can't do that to Cal and her family again."

"Maven won't stop until he gets what he wants, he will only keep killing people and taking the people she loves. I love Mare and of course, I don't want her with the monster upstairs but I also don't want every red and newblood in all of Norta dead."

"It's true but the Scarlet Guard also loses their figurehead and she gives Maven a real chance of winning this war. Maven also wins the battle against Cal, and can hold the person he loves the most over his head." "That would break Cal."

"Exactly."

"We can't let him have her." "We don't have any power or sway here. It's not our choice." "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"No, the decisions out of our hands now."