forum It's A Deal Then //Private with Chogiwae//Closed

Started April 07, 2020 by @gracehustle

tune

"Stay here," a voice demanded as little Serena found herself pushed into a building. She looked up fearfully, tears in her eyes as she hugged her baby brother to herself. Her sister, her beloved, beautiful sister kissed their foreheads softly, then looked at them in determination. "Stay safe. Take care of yourself. I love you both."

Alec was crying in her hold and Serena held him tighter, trying to appear strong even when faint screams reached her ears. Even when tears streamed down her cheeks."

"Thea," Serena sniffled, looking at the knife her sister gave her. "Don't leave. Stay. Please don't leave us."

"I'm sorry, my little firefly," Cynthia whispered as she kissed her forehead again. "I'll always be with you. You have to survive. Protect your little brother. Protect yourself. Promise me."

"I promise," Serena sobbed, burying her face in Cynthia's neck, and so did Alec.

It hadn't been five minutes after Cynthia left when her screams reached her ears. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Serena pressed her brother's face in her neck, covered his ears, and stayed still as those screams etched themselves permanently in her brain.

She never cried again after that.

[A bit of a skip since I didn't really know what to do with Alec]

Eyes snapped open as Serena jumped to her feet, her heartbeat erratic in her chest. Her hand instantly went to her pocket as she searched for her knife, but she found nothing. Dread filled her system. Where was Alec? Where was she? What happened? The last thing she remembered was blanking out after the king—the king. He'd done something, she was sure. Did he have Alec? What about the deal they made?

"Al," she called for her brother frantically, her paranoia clouding her brain, panic filling her veins, enough that she could barely see anything, barely realize that she was okay, that she was unharmed, that she was in a room. All she could think was; not again. She couldn't lose a family member again. She couldn't lose Alec. "Al, where are you? Al!"

Watching after prisoners was excruciatingly boring. Yet it was the only thing Venali could do that didn't require two hands while his arm healed.

Getting both of the humans into cells had been difficult, especially since the bastard of a boy wouldn't cooperate. He even yelled and put up a fight the entire time Venali had to take him to his cell, away from his sister. Now he had to watch the two of them, or at least Raina, as she had called herself. She was his responsibility.

The cells they were held in were actually pretty nice, in terms of places to be a prisoner in. Four solid walls, a simple bed pushed into the back corner, a small desk in the other, and the best part, a barred cell door. It was the only place anyone was able to see into the room.

"Your brother is fine," Venali called, perking up at the noise of the girl finally waking up inside the cell he was sitting outside of, "He's staying in a separate cell, courtesy of his attitude I'm sure he gets from you." He didn't turn to look into the cell, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing her knife wound was deep enough that he had to put a bandage over it.

Serena pushed her hand into her dirty hair and squeezed her eyes shut, taking a shuddering breath. She collapsed back onto the bed and tried taking deep breaths.

Alec was safe. Good. She hadn’t sent him to his doom. But now she needed to see him, to know that he was fine.

“Why is he in a separate cell?” she demanded roughly, weak and dizzy from lack of food. “I need to see him. Take me to him.”

"He's in a separate cell because I told him if he didn't cooperate he would be given a separate cell. He didn't cooperate, and I did what I said I was going to do," He calmly explained, "You can see each other tomorrow, he needs time to cool down and you need to eat." Venali stood up before turning and glancing through the door of the cell, rolling back his right sleeve to show her the smooth black banded marking of their bond on his shoulder. "That's what your mark looks like if you're curious."

With those words, he turned and walked away. It sounded dramatic, but in reality, he was just going to grab her food so she didn't starve. It crossed his mind to get her some fresh water too, that way maybe she could wash off even slightly. Maybe he would get her brother some too, even though he didn't think the little prick didn't deserve to wash off after that fight he had put up when leaving his sister.

It wouldn't hurt to get on the kid's good side. He was going to be stuck in this place for a while anyway.

That sounded like Alec, all right. A smile would have crossed Serena’s face, but her lips didn’t twitch even the slightest. She wrapped her arms around herself, wondering if he’d feed Alec, too. If her brother didn’t get any food, neither would she. That was why he was healthier that she was. Every time there wasn’t enough food, she’d give him her share, eating only a little and pretending she had no appetite. That was the least she could do for him, with the way she was always hard on him.

Her shoulder burned at his words and she instantly hissed, pulling down her shirt once he was gone, and seeing the mark branded on the slightly dirty flesh. This would be permanent. She prodded it gently and winced at the hurt she felt, then rolled her shoulder and fell back on the bed.

She needed to pass. She needed to place in the tournament for Alec to survive. And maybe… maybe she’d find the Fae who killed their family.

The Fae with a scythe strapped over his back.

With that thought, Serena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, waiting for Venali to come back.

With the two different plates balance on his arms and the two large buckets of water hanging from his hands, Venali looked like a servant as he walked back. He grunted from the strain it put on his shoulder but didn't say anything else as he passed Raina's room to bring her brother food first. "I brought food and water, clean yourself up." He said simply to the boy, getting one of the nearby guards to open the door so he could set the plate and bucket right inside the door. "Tomorrow you can see your sister if you behave."

That was enough interaction with the kid. He didn't hear any response and frankly didn't want to stick around long enough to see if he was going to get a response.

Now to bring Raina food.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you hate me?" Venali asked, opening her door and copying the same movement to set down the things he carried inside her cell. He backed out of the cell right after, locking the door and leaning against the wall so he could talk to her. If she wanted to talk to him that was.

Serena could not relax as she paced around the cell, being away from Alec and her knife driving her to the edge. She knew that unless she saw for herself that Alec was okay, she wouldn’t be able to rest.

But then the door opened and Serena tensed, stepping into a proper stance, but it was only Venali. He spared her no glance as he walked out after setting a few things in her cell. Her eyes flickered to it to realize he’d brought her food. And water, probably to wash up. And wash up where, exactly?

“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you hate me?”

Serena quirked an eyebrow at the door. Was that stupid question even a question?

“If you were one fire and I had water to extinguish it, I’d drink the water,” she snorted, eyeing the food. It was just some rice, bread, and a bit of curry and butter. “Did you give some to Alaric? Enough of it?”

"Ah, that's harsh." He shook his head and acted offended, even though he knew all humans hated Fae and she was no exception. "Your brother got the same amount that you have, if that's the answer you're looking for," Venali said simply, sighing as he sat down outside of the door. He paid her no attention, rolling up his right sleeve again and gently poking the newest marking.

Three bands, guessing that his uncle chose that design to permanently signify how much his life was now tied to those of two humans. It didn't look half bad though, looking like the bands was stopping the spread of his other marking from spreading to the rest of his body.

"I told your brother that if he behaved, he would be able to see you tomorrow. Do you think he'll listen to that?" Venali asked. It confused him how much he was talking to this human, but he figured it was just a side effect of the bond and the fact that if she died, he would too.

Serena inhaled sharply and told herself to keep calm. Alec was safe. He had food. Slowly, she picked up her spoon and took a slow bite, grimacing at the taste that met her tongue. Even with all the spices in the world, their food was trash. Or maybe it was because she was a prisoner. It didn't matter; Serena was starving. With a wince, she rolled her shoulder again, testing it to see if it still hurt. It did, but it was bearable now.

"Yes, he would," she said quietly, begrudgingly. She knew he'd have a lot to say to her, so he'd keep quiet, behave, and wait until he could see her. She sighed before looking back at the door and sneering, "Don't you have some business to take care of, dog? Such as, I don't know, murder some families? Ruin some lives?"

Serena wondered what her first task would be, and when. And whether she was prepared for it not. No matter, she'd make sure she was. She had to protect Alec, and she knew now that Venali wouldn't let her die.

Then it dawned on her. She'd practically sold her soul to the devil. Even if she passed, she would be unlikely to leave. Serena cursed herself silently. She had been too caught up in trying to protect Alec that she missed that part. She was such an idiot.

Venali snorted, though did stand like he had somewhere to go. "Like I said before, I am no one's dog, so I would advise you not to call me that again. I am the one that is supposed to take care of you, I hope you know. And sorry to disappoint, but murdering families and ruining lives isn't really something I do." He rolled down his sleeve again and put on his best fake smile, "The mark hurts more the second day, so you know."

His uncle had probably given him hundreds of things to do by now, something he enjoyed doing every time his nephew ignored him. It left Venali in a predicament since his favorite thing to do was ignore his uncle.

With his last comment, he walked off, humming softly to himself and heading straight for the training room to work his stress out.

Lies. Faeries lived for murder. It was in their blood, something they could never shake off. Tormenting humans gave them a sick sense of power. And the way this one addressed her as if reminding her that her comfort was in his hands… it made her frustrated. If only she could peg their egos down a notch, remind them that their power was only temporary. That beneath their beautiful skin and stupid abilities, they were nothing more than savages.

But then Venali was gone and she was left alone in her cell. Mulling over his last words, she slid down her shirt to drag a finger over the mark. She grimaced.

Then she ate, forcing the food down her throat, knowing she might not get any after this, and then took the rag he brought with the bucket of water. She slowly began to wash the dirt off of herself, careful not to stand in front of the door or anywhere in sight. There was no soap, so she was still dirty, but at least she'd look a little cleaner. No more mud on her cheeks, nor in her hair, arms, or anywhere it itched.

Then she began to pace around the cell again, waiting for the Fae to return with instructions.

[Time Skip: Following Day]

Venali didn't stop back at the cells for the rest of the day. He did give strict orders to the guards though to make sure both Raina and her brother got dinner as well as breakfast the following morning.

As he had guessed, his uncle had piled task after task onto him until he was exhausted. Even then his tasks weren't done, and so he got up early the following morning to finished everything up. His thoughts drifted to the human he was bound to the whole time, sure that if his arm was this sore, her's would be even worse. That thought was the thought that pushed him to visit her at lunch, bringing food for her as well as a few painkillers out of sympathy. One of the other guards took her brother's lunch and delivered it to him.

"How are you feeling today? Was I right?" Venali asked, unlocking her door and sliding food and pills in before shutting it again. He took his spot outside her door again, sitting down with a soft sigh. His own painkillers were finally kicking in, leaving his shoulder happily numb.

Not only had Serena been unable to get decent sleep, her shoulder hadn't stopped burning. It felt like it had been dipped into molten lava, torn to pieces, and then stitched back together. If she hadn't been able to sleep before, then the chances of catching any sleep were nonexistent at this point.

So she stayed awake, tossing and turning, gripping her shoulder tightly in hopes of lessening the pain. If she ever saw the Fae king again, she'd kill him. She'd do it nice and slow, dragging out his torture until–

"How are you feeling today? Was I right?"

The annoying voice floated through the door and breaking the little bubble around her. Serena hissed and pushed herself to her feet, breathing heavily through her nose.

"If this is your idea of mocking me, then I'm afraid you're doing a poor job at it," she exhaled sharply. "What do you want?"

"Good afternoon to you too," He drawled, pointing to the food and small cup of pills, "Painkillers, as well as food. I came to let you see your brother, but maybe I'll just wait another day if you're in a bad mood." Venali rolled his shoulder, glancing over it at her with a cocked eyebrow, "Do you want to see him today?"

It was a petty thing to hold above her head like a prize, but also something he knew he would have to have control over if he wanted them both to behave.

"Eat up, once you're done we'll go see him." He stood slowly, leaning against the side of her doorway, "How did you sleep? The idiots out here didn't keep you up, did they?"

Serena hissed, then bit back any sarcastic remarks. She wanted to see Alec, and she was sure he wanted to see her, too. She wouldn't screw this up for them. Though she hated the thought of this Fae holding their meeting over her head. She wanted to gauge his eyeballs out for the way he was looking at her cockily.

She slowly made her way to the tray of food, her bad arm limp while the other lifted up the tray. Then she sat back down on the bed and bit into her bread, closing her eyes in the process.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she muttered under her breath. "I wasn't aware a Fae cared about the comfortableness of someone other than himself."

Then she paused, opened her eyes and blinked.

"You're a half-breed," she tilted her head to the side, using the term half-Fae hate. "I wondered why your life was barely acknowledged by your bastard king."

Venali was about to answer her first string of subtle insult when she brought up his half-Fae heritage. "Don't call me a half-breed." He growled, his golden eyes flashing. He stood up straight and glaring at the girl inside the cell, "I am a half-Fae. Nothing else than that." She had been true about his life being worth nothing in the eyes of his uncle. Eldon despised his nephew. The mistake offspring of his too caring brother and some human his brother claimed he loved.

"I have much better things to do with my time than babysit you, I'm here only so you can visit your brother and because I thought you would want to know when you're first tournament is." He shrugged, brushing off her comment about his heritage within a moment and going back to his normal attitude when dealing with her.

“Oh, did I hurt your little feelings?” Serena crooned, hate lacing her voice. “My apologies. I was wrong to assume you’d willingly mingle with filth and dirt.”

Then she hissed, pain flashing through her shoulder again. She picked up the painkillers and took one, swallowing it with water. Then she licked her lips and locked eyes with the Fae’s beautiful, yet angry eyes.

“Do you know of the Fae with a scythe over his back?” she finally asked, deciding she might as well fish for information. “Ten years ago, he may have massacred a shipment—“ those words were so hard to spit out—“of humans, and possibly even tortured a few before their deaths. Do you know of him?”

"Who said I wouldn't?" He replied, snapping back at her with a wink to hide the anger that was rising from her words. Acting like he didn't care was much easier than showing that he did anyway.

Venali shrugged as she asked her questions, getting back at her with a simple response sure to make her angry, "Sure I do. That's all I'm going to say though." He watched her through the bars of her cell door, sighing and motioning for her to hurry up. "I don't have all day, get going before your time to talk to your brother runs out."

He wasn't lying in saying he didn't have all day, he was just..bending the truth. Half of the day was already gone anyway, meaning what he said was true. A perk of being a Fae.

Serena would have snarled, she would have demanded answers, but the second Venali mentioned the decreasing time with her brother, she instantly held herself back. She couldn’t butcher that up.

She swallowed the last piece of bread, drank her water, set the tray aside, and stood up. Her rice and curry were still unfinished, but she’d be willing to wait until dinner to eat. It wasn’t like it was a new thing for her to starve herself. She’d done that plenty of times, whether it was intentional or not.

“Let’s go,” she said, dusting her hands. “Take me to Alaric.”

(This word changing thing is messing with me lol)

"Eat the rest of your food." Venali watched as she left the rice and curry on the plate, guessing she did so because she wanted to see Alaric. If she wanted to get strong enough to compete, she had to eat. She was stick and bones, something that would get her killed as soon as she took a step into any of the competitions. "I'm not negotiating on that."

He leaned back against the wall, purposely letting out a bored sigh. It was only the second day of dealing with Raina and already he was sick of it. She knew how to annoy him beyond belief and how to make him mad, both things no one else had been able to do besides his uncle. Spending the rest of his life bonded to her was going to be torturous.

Serena scowled. She was bound to that thing for the rest of her life? She couldn't wait to be rid of him. With a growl, she saw back down and began to eat quickly, wasting no second in finishing up her food before she finally did. She stood up and glared at him, licking her lips free of a grain of rice.

"Finished," she said, purposely trying to rile him up. "Any other requests, Venali? Or are you done being a royal pain in my ass?"

She wondered if it was possible for him to die without killing her in the process. The king never mentioned that, but perhaps he hoped she was stupid enough to attack him. She hoped that wasn't the case, and that Venali's death would have no link to her life. But with the way life was blatantly fooling around with her, she knew she wouldn't get that wish granted.

"Being a royal pain in the ass is something I excel at, so no, I'm not done being one," He said, scoffing and pretending to think, "Let me see…a little begging for the ability to see your brother would be nice, maybe a few fake tears?" Venali rolled his eyes and motioned for one of the guards in the hallway to toss him their restraints. He caught them easily and opened the door to her cell, holding them out with a bored expression, "Let's get going."

It was too easy to get under her skin in return, at least he had that ability. He just hoped the rest of his life wasn't going to be completely filled with snappy arguing and fights between him and her. Maybe they could learn to at least tolerate each other.

It seemed like an impossible task though.

Serena took deep breaths to control herself. It didn’t work, though, because all she wanted to do was strangle this Fae male until all her life problems were solved. But no one got whatever they wanted, so she was stuck with him.

She walked over to him and silently held out her hands for him to clasp the restraints. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

“Is the Fae scared the little human is going to run away?” she crooned. “Oh, wait, I forgot. Fear is an emotion felt by those with a sense of morality. You monsters have none.”

Venali scoffed again, snapping the restraints around her wrists, "These, are to keep you from being killed, and in return, keeping me alive." He glared at her, not moving from where he stood, "I feel plenty of fear, remember that. I do have the curse of mortality coursing through my veins." With that he grabbed the metal chain hanging between the cuffs and used it to guide her out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

Her brother's room was down the hallway a bit and he didn't let go of the restraints the entire time. There were countless remarks he wanted to snap at her, but he kept his mouth shut, strangely silent.

With the way he was leading her on, Serena felt like a dog on a leash. She, too, however, kept silent. She wanted to ask about the Fae with the scythe on his back. She wanted to know his whereabouts, whether he was here, in this place. She wanted to know the best way to kill him torturously, the same way he’d killed her parents and sister, but she didn’t want to sound too desperate. Knowing Venali, knowing the disgusting race he was from, he’d keep it from her.

“If you die, will it kill me, too?” she finally asked, trying to fish for more information. She still felt dirty, even though she kept washing herself with the rag and water. She needed a proper bath—she hadn’t had one in such a long time. “Or is it just my death leading to yours?”