Enter Abyss

Chapter 29; The rebellion.

Archer was putting the finishing touches on Arnold when he heard the noise.

It was a deep rumble that echoed through the walls of the cavern, and for a moment he thought the Abyss was collapsing in on itself. 

Gently hooking up Arnold's powercore, he worked with a hurried precision, unsure of what was happening, but not wanting to abandon the mecha now-- not after he had put so much work into it. Once he was finished, however, he sprinted out from his work station set up inside Arnold, beneath the slew of gears, wires, and pipes and out the small door in the robot's side.

His face set in a frown, Archer ran nearly all the way back to the village, his pace quickening when he caught the scent of smoke, and the sound of screams and shouts ringing through the air.

Panting for breath, Archer did not stop running as he made his way through the city, eyes wide at the chaos around him.

Smoke poisoned the air and hung in thick, dark clouds that writhed in the streets, parting only when a group of frenzied people ran through it-- some sobbing uncontrollably, others carrying swords and looks of determination.

The market place was a battlefield filled with fire, groups of people fighting and shouting, and rubble littering the streets from the explosions.

Archer squinted through it all, eyes watering from the smoke, throat burning. He glanced wildly around, looking for any sign of Cogs, Pip, or Galen, but every person looked the same.

Once or twice, he was nearly knocked over by a fleeing group of people, and when he had tried to ask them what was wrong, they simply ignored him, shoving him out of the way. Thus, stumbling through the frenzied crowds and people fighting to the dead, Archer began making his way towards the palace, hoping to find his friends safe inside.

By gods, he hoped they were alright.

But just as he was about to turn a somewhat familiar corner, he heard a voice call out his name over the roar of the fire and screaming and chaos.

Whipping around, he saw a head of red hair bobbing toward him and soon the rest of Pip materialized from the smoke. Her face was streaked with ashes, her clothes torn and dirty, and in her hand she held a sword.

Archer nearly wept with relief.

He rushed to her, embracing her long and hard until she wriggled out of his grasp, grinning at him.

"Isn't it wonderful, Archer?" she said, gesturing to the destruction, the fighting, the blood in the streets.

He gave her a look as though she were insane. "Have you gone mad?" he shouted at her, anger flaring in his chest, "I thought you were dead! I thought--"

"You thought wrong. I did this-- Mordren and I accomplished what those other cowards feared to do."

Archer gaped at her, his blood running cold. The sounds of battle dimmed in his ears and for a moment all he could hear were Pip's words and the frantic beating of his own heart. "What did you say?" he said slowly.

"The rebellion is here!" Pip's smile grew wider. "We're taking back the throne and once we've rid the kingdom of the Abyss from that tyrant of a king, we'll march on the surface world. We'll have revenge on Thaddeus." she stepped forward then, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I didn't want to betray Galen, but Mordren was right; he IS weak. I did this for you, Archer. For us."

Archer shook his head, stepping back a pace. 

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and it felt as though Pip had just ripped a hole in his heart. "No... Piper, this isn't the way. You're wrong."

She scowled at him, "You won't say that when Mordren is king. He'll be a fair ruler, you'll see--"

"Where is he?" Archer snapped, "Where is Mordren?"

Pip shrugged, "Where else? Taking the throne back--"

Archer did not wait to hear the rest. Instead he sprinted as far away as he could from Pip, ignoring her cried for him to come back.

A traitor. His cousin was a traitor...

His feet pounding on the stone streets, Archer pushed his way through the crowds until he came to the palace.

Armed men stood before the doors, barring the way. They glared at Archer as he slammed to a halt before them, gasping for breath.

"I-- need-- to get--in." Archer managed to get out, feeling as though he was going to pitch forward from exhaustion.

"Are you a follower of Mordren?" one of the guards asked, still frowning.

Archer nodded, figuring it was best to lie in this sort of situation no matter how much he wanted to spit out "Bugger Mordren!" He even gave the guards one of his charming smiles.

Thankfully, they let him pass without question and Archer lost no time in sprinting through the halls, searching every room, and hoping against hope that he was not too late.

                               ......................................

He found Galen in the prophecy room, surrounded by guards, with Mordren holding a dagger to the young king's throat.

They all turned to stare when Archer burst in, unarmed, sweaty, and still out of breath.

"Let him go." the red headed boy spat.

Mordren gave him a slightly amused look. "Why, Archer, I had assumed you were on our side seeing as your cousin was."

"I don't know what sort of spell you cast on her--"

"Oh, I assure you, there was no spell involved." Mordren adjusted his grip on the dagger and Galen flinched.

Looking helplessly at the king, Archer said pleadingly, "I know nothing of this, I swear."

But Galen would not meet his eyes.

Feeling as though his heart was breaking in two, Archer shifted his gaze back to Mordren just as the older boy plucked Galen's crown off his head of silver hair.

"There now," he said, placing it on his own head, "That wasn't so hard, now was it, dear brother?" Mordren then turned to his guards, "Bind up both my disgraced brother and his friend and bring them to me outside the palace. We'll give the people the show they've been waiting for."

Within moments, Archer's hands were bound behind his back. He did little to stop it-- there wasn't much he could do-- and instead of fighting, he simply gave into that fact that he had lost. The entirety of the Abyss had turned against Galen, and him by association. It crushed his heart to think that Pip had been behind it as well and he had never known.

With his head hanging low, Archer felt himself be roughly pushed forward to walk beside Galen, both of them being led toward the front of the palace and uncertainty.

Glancing at the dethroned king, Archer whispered once more, "I knew nothing of it."

"I know." Galen whisperd back weakly. He then turned to look at Archer with a tear stained face, "But now you shall pay for my sins."

"You did nothing wrong."

The young king nodded at the guards around them, their faces set in masks of determination and anger. "They would say otherwise."

There was a moment void of words, filled only with the tramping of footsteps as they made their way through the stone halls. Finally, Archer asked the question he had been fearing the answer to. "What will happen to us?"

Galen shuddered. "I don't know Archer. But I fear it won't end well. Not well at all."

                               .......................................