Chapter Text
Burning steel tearing through her chest. A feeling of betrayal, followed by fear.
The warmth of the blood pooling underneath her. Ears ringing, horns vibrating.
Sight was the last sense Nerissa regained when she awoke. She looked around, hoping to find some sort of tell as to where she was. Glancing behind her, she found the clearing where it had happened. She had been out long enough that her blood was gone. Washed away, soaked into the ground, whichever.
She was starving. There were a few pigs nearby she could cook quickly. Once that was done, she needed to go back. To warn an audience who likely wouldn't be very receptive to her words.
"We'll hear you out," Mordin declared, "but understand we aren't exactly keen on trusting you fully at this point."
"I know." Nerissa wasn't planning on winning anyone over. It was much too late for that. She explained to her audience of six the events of that night, about the person she feared Lady Bloodflame had become—or, perhaps, truly is—and, lastly, what could happen if she was left unchecked.
"I'm sure you might think this is my bitterness at losing her, but I'm asking you just this once, for the last time, to believe me. If you keep believing in her sense of justice, it'll be too late for all of us to stop."
Her final plea was met with an awkward silence, eyes darting around, refusing to meet hers. Finally, the Phoenix tepidly spoke.
"Hey, Nerissa... you've been out for about three days now..."
"...and in that time," Ina continued, "the scenario you described as 'too late' has already come to pass."
Nerissa's heart sank. It was clear from their expressions they weren't exaggerating. Mordin spoke up, explaining what had transpired since she returned that night.
"It all happened so fast. Like we blinked and Gonathon, Cecilia, and Roa vanished, and the palace lit up with blue flame. I don't even think there's anything we could have done if we were aware of it happening."
"There isn't," asserted the Hot Pink One. "Stop beating yourself up over it."
"I'm... you're right."
Nerissa sat down, her mind racing, trying to recall what Shiori had discovered, attempting to square it with what she had just learned. She wanted to speak with her again, but there wasn't enough time. A decision had to be made.
After enough contemplation, she stood up. "I know what I have to do now."
"Oh, really now?" Tam Gandr asked, skeptically. "'I' specifically, and not 'we?'"
"This is something I have to do on my own."
"Well, you won't hear us stopping you," affirmed the Peasant, "just be aware of one thing before you go. If you wanna make it to the palace, you'll have to go through the city, and I think you'll find the citizens a lot less welcoming of you than we are."
Nerissa nodded and left. She never had any intention of winning them over.
After a trek through the city, Nerissa found herself on the path approaching the palace gate. Bae's warning rang true, but far more intimidating than the commonfolk's angry stares were the many banners hung throughout the city: Thorn, blue flames, even outlines of the knight herself delicately woven onto massive banners on nearly every street. Every time she passed one, she saw a Libestan stopping to admire it. The Queen had captured not only the city, but the hearts and minds of its citizens as well.
As she neared the gate, a figure emerged from the night fog. Nerissa instantly recognized the wind-up key on its head.
"Immerkind! I need to-"
"How dare you think you can speak to me like that, scum."
"..."
"My name is Cecilia Immerroyal, if you must refer to me at all, which, honestly, I'd rather you didn't. I serve as the Queen's right hand, which encompasses several responsibilities, including protecting her from ever seeing your vile form in her presence."
The automaton approached her and drew her lance, causing Nerissa to pull out her spear in response.
"I don't want to do this. I still consider you a friend. But I can't let anyone get in the w-"
The ability to speak shut off before the pain even registered. Once it did, it spread through her body like a shockwave. The unmistakable pain of a pair of gauntlets to the back of the skull. The strength in her legs gave way next as she dropped to her knees and collapsed face-down in the dirt. Before her conciousness completely faded, she was able to make out the two voices speaking above her.
"Excellent distraction, Lady Immerroyal! She had no idea I was coming!"
"That wasn't a distraction, Gonathon. I'm fully capable of taking her on myself."
"Oh, is that so? A lot of combat practice washing the Queen's backside, I take it?"
"You wanna go, you little shit? I'll take you on right n-"
Nerissa awoke to the sensation of metal clamps around her body, and the clamoring of a crowd facing her. After getting her bearings, she realized she was on a gallows, but there was no noose to be found. Instead, the clamps fastened her to a stone wall pushing against her back. Most notable—and painful—was the clamp around her throat, fastened just tight enough for her to breathe and do very little else. She begrudgingly gave them credit; it was exactly what was needed to stop her from using her powers of song without strangling her.
Still, nothing else about this arrangement really made sense. She noticed the executioner on the gallows platform and tapped her foot to get his attention. When he looked up at her, she shot him a quizzical look. He responded with a shrug.
"Beats me," he spoke in a rough, gravelly voice. "Queen asked for a special arrangement. Seems like she wants to do the honors herself this time."
Nerissa's eyes shot open. It made sense that the cold, sadistic lady she saw right before her death would want to finish the job, but her words made it seem like she didn't want to see her again. Surely she wasn't delusional enough to think she could actually get rid of her this time?
"I'm not complainin' though. Makes my job easier, y'know?" The executioner looked behind him, and nearly jumped in shock. "Ah, here she comes now. See ya!"
He quickly hopped off the platform, making way for the Queen's entrance. The crowd, in turn, fell completely silent.
The Queen's appearance could best be described as "radiant." What first caught the eye was the glimmer off of her golden armor, plated onto her outfit with such precision it looked like part of her body. Following was her silk scarlet robe, flowing elegantly behind her as she walked. In her right hand she carried Thorn, glistening and sharp as could be. Nerissa might have been hallucinating, but she was fairly sure she could still smell her own blood on it.
After stepping onto the gallows, the Queen held Thorn's handle in both hands and stabbed it into the ground, creating a shockwave that reverberated through the audience. She took a deep breath, letting the crowd soak in anticipation, before her voice echoed throughout the city.
"Citizens of Libestal! Hear my voice, and let it be your strength!"
The rabble returned a "HUZZAH!" in complete unison.
"You all know that your heroes, especially those of us affiliated with the banner of Bloodflame, have been working tirelessly to restore this kingdom to its glory, to defeat the Stain threat once and for all. You also are aware that some of us chose... a different path."
A murmur broke out in the crowd, a smattering of boos that were quickly hushed by their neighbors.
"We had attempted to give said renegades the benefit of the doubt. A way to move forward and fight alongside us. It has become clear that that was a mistake."
She thrust her finger to the right. "This one was caught last night attempting to usurp my throne. I daresay the palace would have been in danger were it not for the vigilance of my protectors, whose loyalty to my throne has not gone unnoticed."
Her hand returned to Thorn's handle as she spoke. "It goes without saying that I am a kind and just Queen, but benevolence has its limits, and justice demands bloodshed on occasion. It is therefore with a heavy heart that I issue this decree, effective immediately:
If any of the rebels are found within the city limits, they shall immediately be captured and put to death.
"There shall be no trial, no procedure. Our guards have been given complete authority to detain them and drag them straight to the gallows. Know that any assistance you give us in their capture will be heavily rewarded. And contrarywise, though I dare not imagine the thought would cross any of your minds: if you aid in their evasion by any means, a noose shall be prepared for you as well.
"That is all I have to say. In but a few short moments, you shall witness a taste of what is in store for all of those who stand against justice!"
Beneath the roar of the masses, the Queen turned to the star of the show and whispered. "This is likely the final time we will speak. If you have anything left to say, 'demon,' I suggest you push it through your neck restraints."
Nerissa knew she wouldn't be able to articulate her words without choking. She made it quick. "Bloodflame... I know this... isn't really you. You're being... controlled, right?... We were... so close to figuring it out... you don't have to do this." She wanted to say more, but her throat was close to burning up.
The Queen looked down and sighed. "You're right about one thing. There is indeed someone in my head. A voice that won't shut up no matter what I do, constantly making me say and do things I would never do otherwise." She glanced in her direction.
"It's you, Nerissa.
"It's always been you, from the moment we first met and your voice immediately conquered my every thought. Perhaps it was simply love, perhaps something more... perverse. I can't really tell anymore. All I know is that I rejected it. A foolish, naive knight afraid of losing her purity...
"A witch. God, what a pathetic excuse. I don't think I even had myself fooled with that one. Although," she smirked, "it was enough to break your fragile mind, wasn't it?"
Her comment was met with a glare, and her smirk immediately vanished.
"You're right. A hypocrite am I for thinking I can call anyone else broken. You've had me broken from the very start, and it will always remain that way. No matter how many times I kill you, I know I'll never be rid of you."
"Then... why..."
"...Am I doing all this? Because circumstances have changed, and I have a kingdom to lead now. And the five of you are but distractions."
"Is that really..."
"...What I believe?" The Queen chuckled, and barely managed to stifle her laughter from turning into a full-on guffaw.
"No, no it isn't. I'm just lying to myself again." She looked over at the now-impatient crowd, and turned to Nerissa one last time. "But it's not my head they're calling for, now is it, dear?"
The Queen lifted Thorn out of the hole it had made in the wood of the gallows, and held it upright as the cheers returned, even louder than before. Nerissa could barely hear the final thing she whispered.
"Farewell, my Juliet. Perhaps, in another world, we might have lived a happier life together."
Suddenly, the clamp around her neck loosened and broke off. As it fell to the ground, she realized she had a window of time to escape. All she needed was one note, loud enough to disorient the Queen and enchanting enough to put the crowd into a daze. She took a deep breath and prepared her saving throw.
The air did not even manage to make it to her lungs before Thorn interrupted its path with a single cleave.
Nerissa remembered, from some time in her past, hearing about how a decapitated head can still function for a few moments before dying. She didn't think emotions would be the last thing to go.
She awoke in an empty building, quickly glancing out the window to check if the coast was clear. The uproarious applause could be heard from several blocks away. She didn't have a map to check and she didn't need one. She knew that if she just kept running, she would eventually reach the outskirts.
Somehow, night had fallen when she found what she was looking for. A dark, empty cave far off in the outskirts, a place where no one would look. She built a shovel and started digging.
Far deeper than six feet. As deep as she could go. At the bottom, she lit a torch and carved out a space tall enough to stand in and wide enough to fit her entire wingspan.
She extinguished the torch and dropped her cloak, letting her wings spread from end-to-end. Her eyes shut, and the ritual began. She didn't know how long it would take. She didn't care.
For if there was no salvation to be found in Libestal, than perhaps it would serve as a nice feast for the legions of Hell.