Chapter Text
The stage is black except for a single soldier standing in the middle of the stage, back facing the audience and holding a torch. The faint light of the torch revealed a row of seated soldiers.
“Alright, my brothers, listen closely
Tonight, we make the Trojans pay.”
He walks back and forth while talking.
“Ten years of war, they killed us slowly
But now we'll be the ones who slay”
His walk is heavy as he finally looks back at the audience. Rook piercing gaze pinning some people still talking.
___
Pauline stood up when seeing her brother. Her body pushed against the railing of the first floor of the private chamber. Rook would see her. He always saw her.
Her mother's hand stayed on her lower back. Between a warning and a safety net. She was like that was she not, a Hunt before anything else but still despite that all, a mother.
“Pauline, we don't want you to fall now do we ?” Patricia Hunt smiled sweetly at her daughter. A warning enough for the younger girl.
___
“Think of your wives and your children
Your families wonder where you've been.
They're growing old, and yet you're still here”
He stops and turns back toward the soldiers.
“Do what I say and you'll see them again.”
“Yes sir!” Resonated through the stages.
“Diomedes will lead the charge.”
He started pointing at different soldiers.
“Agamemnon will flank the guards. Menelaus will let our mates through the gates to take the whole city at large.”
The fires of his torches started dancing. And filling the stage. It took the form of soldiers fighting.
“Teucer will shoot any ambush attack. And Little Ajax will stay back. Nestor, secure Helen and protect her, Neo, avenge your father, kill the brothers of Hector!”
“Yes sir!” The soldiers all stood up at the same time.
“Find that inner strength now. Use that well of pride. Fight through every pain now. Ask yourself inside.”
The fires took form around soldiers. Women and children are now tempting the soldiers.
___
“Is that real fire ?” Minejeal sat up. “That real fire I'm not insane right ?”
“I feel the heat from here…” Neige held his hair down.
“What are you doing ?” Chenya picked at the other boy's hair.
“I dyed it not long ago. It doesn't react well to heat !”
___
“What do you live for? What do you try for? What do you wish for? What do you fight for?” Rook continued.
___
“That is a good tactic… soldiers who have something to protect make better decisions in time of need.” Baur nodded approvingly at the scene.
“Where at the theater for a good time dad !” Annegret slapped his shoulder. “Stop thinking about battle and war !”
___
The soldiers pull out their swords and put it against their heart.
“What do you live for? What do you try for? What do you wish for? What do you fight for?” They sang back.
The fire left the soldiers and gathered around Rook before flickering away to go form the figure of a woman.
“Penelope…” Rook extended a hand to her.
“Penelope…” He called out to her again.
The figure doesn’t look up. But it gently cradled a bundle closer.
“And Telemachus. I fight for us, I fight for us” Rook walked to the figures.
“What do you live for?” The soldiers sang.
“Penelope.” The fire dissipated when Rook finally touched the woman.
“What do you try for?” Continued the soldiers.
“Telemachus.” Rook body locked back up. Hand going to his sword.
“What do you wish for?”
“I'm on my way.” He looked back at the audience in longing.
“What do you fight for?”
“Attack!” Screamed Rook. The fires died in a loud screeching sound as the stage filled with smoke.
Soldiers fought in the smoke. The sound of swords clinking against each other and screams filled the theater. The scenery changed, pillars lifted from the ground, stones walls replacing wood. Rook now stood alone in the middle of the smoke. Walking, sword in hand.
There was a flash.
“Aargh”Rook falls to his knees, holding his head. “Who was that?”
___
The faes on the balcony let out a sound, Dimitri hands flying to his eyes.
“Fuck, they can't make it even brighter ? Do they want to blind us.” He complained.
_
Rielle also reacted badly to the light. His head bobbled uselessly for a second before he gained back consciousness.
“Hey Rielle you okay ?” Minajeal grabbed his arm.
“I'm fine. My eyes aren't made for flashy lights like that…” He wiped the tears that had filled his eyes.
___
“A vision of what is to come cannot be outrun, can only be dealt with right here and now.” The smoke moved around, forming a figure.
“Tell me how.” Rook painfully stood back up.
“I don't think you're ready. A mission to kill someone's son, a foe who won't run, unlike anyone you have faced before.” Continued the figure made of smoke.
___
“Hum… there he is…” Queen Malficia smiled. Her grandson's magic was everywhere in the theater. It seemed like they relied heavily on it for the effect.
___
“Say no more, I know that I'm ready.” Rook gripped his sword harder. A door, hidden by the smoke, was revealed.
“I don't think you're ready” Said the smoke figure while watching him open the door.
Soft lullaby music filled the stage.
“It's just an infant, it's just a boy, what sort of imminent threat does he pose that I cannot avoid ?” The door became smoke when it closed. A cradle now stood there and baby giggles filled the stage.
“This is the son of none other than Troy's very own prince Hector.” The mist figure solidified behind the cradle. Malleus looked down at the baby. Clad in white and gold his horns stood out even more.
___
“Is that the prince of the Thorn Valley ?”
Falena looked down at the stage in surprise.
“Papa ! He had horns !” Cheka jumped up slightly. “He’s a gazelle like Miss Kyrhana !”
“Not quite Cheka.” His mother brought him back down.
_
The presence of the prince of the thorn valley silences the whole theater. Except for the small crackle of his grandmother.
___
“Know that he will grow from a boy to an avenger. One fuelled with rage as you're consumed by age. If you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save.”
Smoke played around his fingers. Forming the same woman that had been made of fire before.
“You can say goodbye to Penelope. You can say goodbye to Penelope.” The woman exploded in Malleus' grip.
___
“What!? But that's unfair !” Rielle sat up.
“Helen was hurt because of something outside or her control too… is that the theme of the play ?” Neige tilted his head.
___
“I could raise him as my own !” Rook put his weight on the cradle while looking at Malleus.
“He will burn your house and throne.” Malleus' voice boomed even more than before in the auditorium.
“Or send him far away from home !” Continued to plead Rook.
“He'll find you wherever you go.”
“Make sure his past is never known!”
“The gods will make it known.”
___
“I don't remember the gods ever being shown in such a bad light in any stories..?” Eric looked over at his manager
“No, in fact gods have always been represented as savior.” Gaël's ears were going down. He didn't like where this was going. He could feel something in the air.
_
“B-but..! That is completely insane !? It's not fate if the gods are making it happen willingly !?” Dylla stood up from outrage. To demand the death of a child just for their own pleasure. “Let me get on stage, I'll beat that guy's ass.”
“Oh seven, Dylla calm down !” Alice brought her back down to her seat.
___
“I'd rather bleed for ya, down on my knees for ya.”
“He's bringing you down on your knees for ya”
“I'm begging, please.” Rook's forehead touched the ground as he bowed as low as he could.
___
“How ridiculous…” Mrs Hunt looked at the stage with disdain. To beg over such a simple task. What was there to think about? Your family or a child you have no tie too.
_
Queen Maleficia was lost in thought. Is that how Lilia felt ? Facing the son of that man. He never told her, but she wasn't as old as people seemed to think. Her memory was still perfect, and never… no… she could never forget the face of the man who took her daughter's life. Even if Lilia lied to her, lied to himself, Silver was a copy of his father. But he was such a treasure to her grandson. The closest thing Malleus ever had to a family. And she had no shame in admitting that Malleus probably troughs of silver as family more than he ever did with her.
Her eyes drifted to Henry, the man, the human someone so dear to her as Baur's daughter married. He was a shy man. But he still carried the certainty all humans seemed to possess. A certainty Silver also possessed.
___
“Oh, this is the will of the gods.” Thunder roared and struck right beside the cradle, dissipating the mist completely.
“Please don't make me do this, don't make me do this…”
“The blood on your hands is something you won't lose.” Malleus stopped right in front of him. “All you can choose is whose.”
Another roar of thunder struck the stage and Malleus disappeared in the flash. Rook still on the floor.
He moved to the cradle. Slowly getting back up, staring down at the baby.
“I look into your eyes and I think back to the son of mine. You're as old as he was when I left for war.” He lifted the bundle up from the cradle. The light goes from a hard white to a soft yellow.
“Will these actions haunt my days? Every man I’ve slain? Is the price I pay endless pain? Close your eyes and spare yourself the view.” He holds a dagger over the infant.
His eyes filled with tears, the dagger fell on the floor. The metal sound echoed through the theater.
“How could I hurt you?”
___
“Oh thank the seven… I thought I was about to watch a baby be killed on stage.” Najma felt her heart slow down from the scare.
“What the fuck where did you come from !?” The teen next to her jumped up.
“Oh sorry… shutting up.” Najma gave a thumbs up to the guy before refocusing on the play.
___
Rook looked back at the audience. But his gaze was empty, he wasn't on stage, he was back home with his wife.
“I'm just a man, who's trying to go home. Even after all the years away from what I’ve known. I'm just a man who's fighting for his life. Deep down I would trade the world to see my son and wife.”
His gaze fell down to the infant again.
“I'm just a man…”
He looks back at the audience, but now with determination and sorrow. The light changed to a harder orange.
___
“Oh things are about to go down nya~.” Chenya chuckled, his floating head making a 190°c turn.
“Chenya shut the fuck up…” Minajeal was already struggling with Rielle who was in the middle of deciding or not to cry, he didn't need chenya to make the mer panic more.
___
“But when does a comet become a meteor? When does a candle become a blaze? When does a man become a monster?” He got back up.
“When does a ripple become a tidal wave? When does the reason become the blame? When does a man become a monster?” He picked up his sword.
When does a comet become a meteor?
When does a candle become a blaze?
The ground moved again. Fog and mist covering the stage as new walls lifts from the ground. “Forgive me.”
Rook is now looking down on the battlefield that has started again in the mist.
When does a man become a monster?
“Forgive me.”
“No ! Not my son please !” Soldiers hold back a woman cladded in gold. Rook holds the baby over the wall.
When does a man become a monster?
“Forgive me…”
“Please, stop ! My son ! Not my son ! He's just a baby !” The soldiers struggle to hold her down.
“I'm just a man.” Rook closed his eyes. His hands opened slowly. The bundle fell on the ground. Only the sound of bones crushing as it made contact with the floor was heard before the light gave out again.
___
A laugh left Queen Maleficia's lips. Yes… Odysseus was very different from Lilia. She could see it clearly already. And maybe that was for the better. Silver was someone worth fighting for.
_
Kalim's mother let out a scream. Amat was holding her arm, trying to bring her back down to her seat.
“My lady, please sit back down.”
“How could he… does he not know..? Does he not know the pain of losing a child?”
“This is a play, Khawla. You need to control your temper if you wish to stay here to watch it.” Mazeed looked at his wife in disinterest. Did she always need to make a scene wherever she went ?
Khawla heard none of her husband's words. Her brain has zeroed on the dark stage. But she didn't see it either. The sound of bones crushing echoed in her mind. She heard it before, that damned sound.
Back when she still believed love was all she needed to protect her children. And then they came. They took, they crushed their bones, they enregistered their cries just to play them again and again until she went mad.
But how could she say that ? How could she plead for her children that were already dead. How could she plead for herself when her only role was that of a mother. And she had failed. She had lost value. She had lost her only purpose.
She was a mad woman because men couldn't understand. They never bothered to love a child like a mother did. She always envied her counterpart. Amat was a slave and yet her boy was so grown. So strong. While her boy needed constant protection. Why had the child of a slave attained freedom her boy never had.