Catelyn Winona
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The Chosen One
🕑 Added 2022-03-16 06:07:09 +0000 UTCBased on this prompt:
You are the Chosen One. The Dark Overlord is currently trying to seduce you to their cause. To their great surprise, you accept almost immediately because you absolutely loathe your job and your companions. (X)
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This isn’t supposed to be your life.
The sky is cracking open above you, dark clouds swirling with sickly miasma. The air is thick and hard to breath. You can just barely hear your own gasping breath over the shrieks and cackles of the demons pushing you and your companions closer and closer to the deadly cliff behind. Your blood is racing in your veins, hot and painful. The skin on your palms is blistered and cracked from how long you’ve been holding your sword. Your body has long since stopped screaming at you.
It is not a good sign.
“We have to trust the dragons will catch us,” Melody says. You can hear the pain in her voice and you can feel how low her mana reserves are. The push and pull of her sun-like aura is more like a dull throb beside you. “We have to jump.”
“Not yet,” James says through gritted teeth. He’s faring better than you and Melody. His wolf-like transformation gives him stamina and strength you can only dream of, but that doesn’t mean he’s doing well. “Give them more time. Wait.”
Melody hisses as the sea of demons pulses towards them again. “If we wait, we die.”
“If we fall we die,” James snaps back. “It’s an order. Wait.”
You know all about orders. Neither of them looks at you or asks for your opinion in the face of death. Why would they? It’s not your world at stake here. But the order chafes Melody who is used to being listened to, the princess of a kingdom you weren’t born in. She bites back her words and throws another spell at the wall of demons.
The demon she was aiming for throws back his head and laughs when her magic fizzles and dies before it ever reaches him.
You’re supposed to be in college right now. The secret calendar you keep tells you that summer break is over. You didn’t get a chance to sign up for your classes. The day you were supposed to, you were too busy being half-drowned by a nymph who wanted to test if you were really worthy enough to hold the Hero’s sword.
The tide of demons seems to swell. You tense, the hilt of your hero's sword digging further into your abused flesh. They’re waiting for something, just like you. But what? Why aren’t they attacking?
The demons part and the answer grins at you with pointed teeth.
The Dark Lord doesn’t look anything like the pictures Melody and James tried to scare you with. In those pictures he looked evil, long black hair always blowing in a violent tempest, hands stained with blood and madness in his eyes.
He looks like a man, you think as he saunters towards you. There’s no other word for the way he walks. Unhurried and calm, his hand only resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword. His coat is decorated with medals and his hair is neatly pinned at the base of his neck. There is no madness in his eyes, at least no more than Melody and James have in theirs. Instead there is intelligence and the smug satisfaction of someone who knows he’s already won.
It's that satisfaction that nearly makes you lose your grip on your sword. This is the end. You may be the Chosen One, but it won’t be enough here and now. You’re tired. He’s not.
It’s over.
You wonder if you’d be relieved if you had the energy to feel anything at all.
“He’s not supposed to be here,” Melody says. She isn’t whispering now. She reaches out and digs her nails into your arm like you can’t see him too. “Our intelligence said he was south.”
“Clearly,” James says, “we were wrong.” He glances down over the side of the cliff. “When I say jump. Jump.” He breathes in deeply, flexing his claws. When he opens his eyes, they’re bright orange. “Jum—AUGH!”
Magic ripples through the air, bursting into fractals just behind you. It forms a wall just as James begins his leap. He slams into it face first and blood sprays from his nose as he falls to the ground. The shock makes him lose control of his transformation and he’s left human, bleeding, and terrified on the ground.
Melody screams. “No!” She sends lightning against the shield impulsively, like she always does. You barely manage to duck as her lightning is reflected right back at her. She chokes when it hits, nearly lifting on tiptoe from the force of it, and also falls to the ground.
You turn your attention back to the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord can’t seem to comprehend what just happened. His lip curls. “Seriously?”
You smile without humor. Yeah, seriously. These are the people who’ve controlled your life for the past eight months. Imagine how you feel.
“I expected more,” the Dark Lord says. He examines James and Melody clinically, mouth still twisted in a sneer. “Princess Melody and her Champion. They tell stories about you, you know. My demons are quite afraid of you. Apparently, you’ve both taken out a hundred of our strongest apiece. But I look at you now and I find myself…doubting.”
He should doubt. You can’t deny that Melody and James are strong, but they’re not smart. Every battle has been close, every fight ends with you covered in injuries as they sing their own praises in any tavern that’ll have them.
You eye him as he takes another slow, intimidating step towards your group. This is how it ends. This life that was never supposed to be yours has felt like a curse. Now you feel the relief. It’s over.
You are prepared when he finally directs his red gaze to you.
“And you,” he says. “Hero.” He studies you just as you’re studying him. He takes in the blood wetting your sword and lingers on the tremor beginning to travel down your arms. You expect him to sneer, but he doesn’t. He frowns. “I’ll confess, I don’t quite know what to do with you.”
It doesn’t sound like a question, but it is. Finally, you allow the tip of your sword to dip. The blade digs into the ground, and you lean on it. You say, “Whatever you want, I suppose.”
“Hero, no!” Melody cries. She makes a big show of trying to get up, her arms shaking with the effort. She cries out when they give out. “You must escape! You’re our only hope!”
“No, you must fight!” James’s voice is muffled by the broken nose. He gains his feet and staggers towards you only to be stopped in his tracks by the Dark Lord’s magic. He strains against the magic restraints that hold him in place. “Fight, Hero!”
You keep your focus on the Dark Lord. You are finally done listening to their orders. Too late, of course, but it is a relief to not pay either of their words any heed.
There is distinct interest on the Dark Lord’s face now. “They say you came from another world. One without demons and magic.”
You nod shallowly. That information was supposed to be kept secret by order of the King. It had been leaked within two weeks of the onset of your journey when James had one too many at the bar. “Yes.”
“The knowledge you must hold,” the Dark Lord breathes. He looks to the sky. “I’ve read the ancient texts your kind have left behind. They speak of a world unlike this one. One in which the forces of magic do not struggle against one another. A world where innovation reigns supreme over power.”
You’d love to read those ancient texts. As a history major, you can only guess at what time period someone from your world would have to be from to be so optimistic. But rather than explain the nuances of your world, you nod. “There’s no magic where I come from.”
“Stop!” Melody commands. She successfully sits upright. “Tell him no more, Hero! You have no idea—urk!”
The Dark Lord dusts his coat like he didn’t just spell her mouth shut. That’s three magical workings he’s got going now. The barrier behind you, the restraints on James and the gag on Melody.
He continues as if she didn’t interrupt your conversation. “Indeed, no magic. Fascinating and fortuitous. No endless battle between good and evil…that’s very lucky. Not lucky for you though.”
You blink. That’s not what you were expecting. “What do you mean?”
“What did they promise you?” The Dark Lord is within feet of you now. The aura he carries with him is palpable. It’s somehow easier to breathe than the miasma from the battlefield. “No, let me guess. Riches and titles, surely. Perhaps an expensive artifact or a promise of loyalty from the royal family. Or maybe…a way home?”
Melody screams through her gag.
“They promised me all of those things,” you say. You don’t feel so tired now. There’s something invigorating about being in the Dark Lord’s presence after so many months training to fight him. Is it fear? “You guessed them all right.”
The Dark Lord hums. “Riches…there is plenty of gold for them to give you. Though, judging from your lack of armor, they haven’t shared that yet. Titles they won’t have to give you once my army overwhelms the Royal Capitol. Sorry about that. Expensive artifacts won’t be very useful after the fighting is over and loyalty from the Royal Family won’t mean much when none of them are left alive to give it.” He offers you an insincere smile. “That’s one out of four. That’s not very good, is it?”
You take the bait. “They offered me five things. Riches, titles, artifacts, loyalty and a way home.”
His smile widens and, for a moment, he looks like the evil demon his portraits make him out to be. “They lied to you, Hero. There is no way home to a world with no magic to complete the bridge. They summoned you and trapped you in the same move.”
James roars. “No! Don’t listen to him, he’s—”
“Yeah, I know.”
The world seems to go quiet. The cawing demons fall silent and a magic gag slaps over James’ mouth. The Dark Lord blinks at you, his fingers still extended towards James. “You…know,” he says.
“It’s the basic principle of magic in this world,” you say. The barrier behind you looks pretty sturdy. You lean against it. If the Dark Lord releases the magic, you’ll fall to your death. You can’t bring yourself to care. “Every text starts with some variation of that rule. Magic will not adhere to magic-less things. It’s why rocks can’t be turned into gold and the dead can not be brought back to life. I knew I was trapped within the first month.”
“That’s more intelligent than I expected of the King’s Chosen One,” the Dark Lord finally says.
“I’m a scholar,” you say. You figured out a long time ago that they don’t understand the concept of history major. “I read. The King and these two restricted what I had access to, but none of them thought to hide a magic primer from me.”
“You desire knowledge,” the Dark Lord says. He recovers quickly and extends a hand to you. “Come to my side. I will aid you in your quest to know more about this world. I won’t lie and claim to be able to return you, but I can promise you mastery they could never—”
“Yeah, sure.”
Melody and James stare at you in wide-eyed horror.
The Dark Lord’s hand spasms. Slowly he lowers it back to his side. “That was easier than I anticipated.”
“I’m a cheap date.”
“What?”
“Earth phrase.” You look down at Melody and James. Melody is glaring at you like she has enough magic to set you on fire with her mind. James looks a little teary. “Don’t look at me like that. This was inevitable.”
“The Chosen One betraying the forces of good was inevitable?” the Dark Lord asks lightly. “I’m not doubting your choice, obviously, but I can understand their surprise.”
“Forces of good?” you echo. Now you are smiling. “That’s funny. That’s certainly what Melody and James forced down my throat as soon as I was kidnapped here. The King is good and the Dark Lord is bad. I’ve heard some iteration of that from every human I’ve been forced to interact with for the better part of a year.”
“By the sound of it, you don’t believe it,” the Dark Lord says.
“History is filled with ‘good’ and ‘evil,’” you say. “Where there are resources, there are conflicts. And where there is conflict, there is a victor. The victor’s voice is loudest when we look back which is why it’s dangerous not to be skeptical.” You smile meanly down at James. “I was skeptical since the beginning, so I listened. I paid attention. And you know what I found? Humans starving at the mercy of the King. Taxes so high parents were forced to sell one child to feed the other. Corruption and gluttony at the highest level while people died of plague and worse. I’ve been around evil since the day I got here.”
Is James crying? You think he might be crying.
“Truthfully, I’m not very heroic,” you say. You find the strength to sheathe your sword. The barrier is comfortingly cool against your back. “Both sides are killing each other. What can I do but side with my own self-interest?”
The Dark Lord is staring at you like he’s never seen anything like you. He flicks his fingers and the gag on Melody disappears. “I’m at a loss, honestly. Princess? Thoughts?”
“We trusted you!” Melody gnashes her teeth. “You were our friend, Hero! How could you—”
“Friend?” You can’t help the mocking laughter that escapes. “I’m not friends with my kidnappers. I did what I had to to survive. We were never friends.”
“So you go to the side of evil?” James asks. Like Melody, the gag is gone though he still strains against the magic holding him in place. “To take revenge on us?”
You can’t believe how slow he is. “Did you not hear what I just said? I called your King the evil one. I’m siding with the ‘good’.”
“What?” Melody splutters. “They’re demons!”
“They’re a nation of people forced out of their homes by centuries of warfare and an unfair power advantage,” you say.
“What power advantage?” the Dark Lord demands to know.
You shoot him an irritated look and point at yourself. “They’re able to summon over-powered beings specifically designed to kill you.”
“Ah.”
“They tried to kill you,” James says. He is crying, tears cutting clear tracks through the blood and dirt on his face. “How could you side with monsters trying to kill you?”
“You tried to kill me.” You wave a hand at the sea of demons. “Or what do you call throwing me into battle after battle without rest or proper training? We are very close to being killed now all because neither of you were willing to wait for the King’s reinforcements!”
“It should have worked,” Melody says. “You’re the Chosen One.”
The reverence with which she still says those words sends a chill down your spine. You close your eyes. “And that’s why I wasn’t ever on your side. I’m a tool to you. You don’t even know my name.”
“No,” Melody says, “I….I know it’s…”
“We addressed you respectfully,” James says. He bares his teeth at you, the effect somewhat ruined by the tears and blood smeared across his face. “Though we won’t be doing so any longer.”
“This is embarrassing,” The Dark Lord says. He sounds awed. “Truly. I can’t take it any longer. Come along, human. It’s time to go.”
You consider James and Melody for another long moment. Like you thought. It’s all over now. “Yeah,” you say and push off the barrier. As soon as you do, the barrier disappears. Melody and James gasp as magic drags them closer to the cliff. You turn your back on them. “Yeah, it is.”
The Dark Lord teleports you away before you hear whether the dragons arrived in time.
Comments
Absolutely primo content <3
This is amazing. I love it. The feeling of killing to preserve your own life that is so lambasted when it’s for the ‘bad’ guys, but what else can this history major do? Die, and have some other hapless mortal pulled through to dance to the same tune? At least they (you) have their (your) eyes open to what’s going on. And knowledge, as they say, is half the battle. You go, history major. Read the ancient texts. Debate context and historical inaccuracy and bias and source material. Become a scholar again. And never forget that they always want something, and everyone lies.
this is absolutely delicious! brilliant!
