Chapter Text
"You never learn, do you?"
Arthur turned around to face the speaker, almost feeling physically ill at who he saw. Standing in front of him was a tall woman with deep brown skin, long flowing charcoal black hair, and a toned athletic physique. She wore a dress made of buckskin, a cloak made from a bear's fur and jewelry made from feathers, seashells and smooth stones. Her dark brown eyes were narrowed with a seething hatred for his being.
He knew her, which was why he felt sick. She was a nation of old times, who lived long before the modern era, and died due to circumstances far beyond her control.
"My God, Korrina?" Arthur asked in shock.
Korrina, otherwise known retroactively as Native America, was the first embodiment of most of the North American continent. She had been suspicious of Arthur, Francis and the Scandinavians when they first arrived at her shores, though that didn't stop her from having Alfred and Matthew later on. No one, even Korrina herself, was sure who the boys' father was. It didn't matter to her that her boys had fair skin, yellow hair, and blue eyes however; she loved them no matter what, and tried to protect them for as long as she could.
Eventually she died from a combination of several different diseases that were carried over from the Europeans. The people that she embodied had no immunity to the pox, the consumption, the fevers. Much to her sadness and pain, she was no longer able to look after Alfred and Matthew, and was forced to place them into the care of Arthur and Francis. The day after she had to give her sons away, she died. Her body disappeared and Korrina became nothing but a whisper in the winds.
But now, she was a hurricane and a tornado combined into a destructive force of nature, and nothing was going to stop her from achieving her goal.
"Yes, Arthur. It has been quite a while, hasn't it? But I'm not here to catch up. I'll get straight to the point: I know what you did to my sons, and I must say I'm very disappointed with you," she snarled.
Arthur knew she would be. After all, she only gave him and Francis the boys when she knew she would die soon, and she made him give her his word that he would love them and care for them. Her very presence alone was frightening enough. He tried to run away from her, but Korrina materialized in front of him, stopping Arthur in his tracks. Even though she was dead, he knew she could make him suffer in the dream world, and he could feel her vicious glare tearing into him.
Korrina continued, "You see Arthur, as angry as I was for what you and your men did to my people, I was willing to forgive you. After all, you did keep your word. You raised my sons with the love and compassion I was no longer able provide them and taught them to be strong and prosperous countries. And you didn't know that you had wiped my people out with your diseases. It was a different time, and I was willing to let bygones be bygones and move on."
The look on her face then grew angrier as she viciously said, "But then you had to go back on your word. What you did to Alfred was cruel, barbaric, and had no good intentions. My son made a mistake, but did he do it on purpose? Did he really wish for your stocks to fall so low? What kind of solution is that, to kick a man when he's already down? Would it have really solved anything? And then you dragged poor Matthew into the mess, destroying his own trust in you. And then there's poor little Kenna..."
Arthur tried to deter her somehow. He knew she likely would not listen to him, but he had to try. "I know what I did was wrong, Korrina! Please believe me, I didn't know it would end this way!"
"NO!"
Korrina's shout was massive. Arthur fell backwards, like a strong wind just knocked him off his feet. He was completely frozen in fear. He could feel the echo reverberating in his bones, and his eardrums felt like they had just burst. She sounded like a legion of demons speaking in unison.
"YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING. A REAL MAN DOES NOT HURT THOSE HE IS SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR. A REAL MAN DOES NOT GO BACK ON HIS PROMISES. ALL YOU HAVE SHOWN ME IS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED NOTHING OVER ALL THESE CENTURIES, AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO CALL ME A SAVAGE?! YOU, ARTHUR KIRKLAND, ARE NO MAN, BUT A MERE WORM!"
Suddenly a bow and a flaming arrow materialized in her hands, and before Arthur could escape, she shot. The single arrow somehow turned into several arrows, and they struck Arthur. Two for each of his hands, another two for his legs, and one in his torso. He was pinned to the floor, and despite his pain, he was still alive. The flames burned at his body, scorching his skin off.
Arthur didn't even bother trying to struggle away; he knew it was futile. The agony was unbearable, and Arthur had no sense of time in this world. It felt like he was trapped here for years.
Suddenly, a large and very ugly brown cockroach appeared and started crawling all over Arthur's body, the eerie tickling sensation of its legs walking all over him unsettling him.
"Auugghhh, get it off me! Arthur cried out, trying to struggle again. He hated bugs more than anything, cockroaches especially.
But Korrina was not merciful. She floated next to Arthur and whispered in his ear, "Is it torturing you, Arthur? Does it feel like an invasion of your personal space?"
Suddenly, more cockroaches appeared and began scurrying all over Arthur's body, every nook and cranny infested with the bugs. He screamed in horror, sobbing, "PLEASE, GET THEM OFF ME! PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!"
Korrina only scowled at that. She only spat, "How funny. My son begged you for mercy on that day, and you granted him none. Who is the true savage here, Arthur?"
Arthur awoke, startled and utterly shaken. He panted heavily, tuning the light on. He checked himself. He had not a scratch on him.
"It's just a dream, it's not real," Arthur kept telling himself, as he stumbled to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. Just for safety, he also mixed in some special sleeping powder into his tea. A little magic should be enough to keep those nightmares away. Once he was done drinking it, he hesitantly returned to bed. He felt sound enough once he fell back asleep.
"Liar. Murderer. Rapist. SAVAGE."
She returned when it was too late for him to wake up from this one.