Legends of Belariath

Twilight

Curse of the Twilight Sky

Chapter One

Twilight stared down at his silver haired blushing reflection, staring at the puddle on the side of the cobblestone road, an integral part of Sarazam's town square. The young prince grumbled as the guards nudged for him to move along, the peasantry gathering about. He wouldn't let them carry him or touch him. He found it annoying. His fat pudgy brother had shown him the results of all that silliness anyway. He stepped into the shop of the finest blacksmith in the kingdom, grinning as his boyish lively eyes took in the many swords lining the wall, not even bothering to look at the axes and lances and other such weaponry. He strode forward, looking the weapons over, and even trying to pick up a few (with no real success). "Wow, a broadsword..." he'd seen the knights swinging around this bigger blades, running his hand over a silvery hilt.

Eventually, he did find a blade that he could carry easily enough. A thin piercing rapier was held up, examined before his eyes, the rapier designed so that it might still slash, but would be most effective if used for piercing and stabbing. "I like this one..." a few practice jabs had one of the royal guards hopping backwards with a rustle of armor, away from the young boy. "This'll do." A jingling bag was tossed onto the counter before the blacksmith, who just shrugged. He wasn't complaining.

* * *

As Twilight and his guard approached the moat, Twilight's brother, Hizren, glared down at the group from his window. Munching on a bar of chocolate, free hand rubbing pudgy fingers idly through the fur of an almost equally fat cat, Hizren narrowed his already hard to see beady little blue eyes down at his brother. He'd heard Dad, in his few waking hours, talking about a heir, and Hizren knew full well what his father was thinking. That little holy bitch, Twilight, a runt of a kid if there ever was one. Hizren pulled back from the window, settling himself amongst his green and purple pillows as chocolate was suckled off of pudgy fingers. A smile slowly made its way across his face, curling his lips, then a widening grin. Oh yes. He'd get Twilight. It would take time, but right now, time was still on the greedy bastard's side.

* * *

Twilight, of course, insisted on beginning his training immediately. It was his belief that he would become not only king, but a knight as well, and in such also a proper king who ruled with honor, much as his father had. And he also hoped to keep that day far away, as he planned to embark on a quest to perhaps find a healer of the blackness that strangled his father's heart. Twilight trained with his best friend since birth, Harken, a peasant really, and a relationship once shunned by Twilight's mother and now shunned by his pudgy brat bastard brother. Out in the yard, under the sun, rapier twirled around short sword, deflecting blows, countering, being pushed back... Twilight didn't last long. Harken had always been bigger than him, with more stamina. It wasn't too long before Twilight had to call for a break, rapier sheathed as he beamed proudly.

Harken grinned, and pulled Twilight into an easy hug, before the both of them headed towards the dining hall, to eat with the other castlefolk, royal and non-royal alike. Twilight spent his time chatting up the many pretty girls and maids there, Harken bringing them laughter and ease of heart, Twilight pretty words and beautiful roses. They were charmers, that was for sure. It was well known the two knew much more about women than the rest of the boys their age. They left the large mess hall to find it was falling on evening, and Twilight big Harken farewell until the morning, when they would train anew. Hizren met him in the entry hall to the castle, holding his mangy, fat pink haired freak of a cat and grinning down at Twilight.

"Ya had fun gettin' on yer knees fer the priest?" Spit rained down on Twilight, who brought up a hand defensively.

"Very funny Hizren. Get out of the way." Twilight wanted to see his father, to tell him how he planned to keep things going well and to try and save him as well. He did that every night. He believed it helped keep the shadow at bay. He moved to step around Hizren, but blinked, stepping back as Hizren's cat was suddenly thrown at him. "What the!" cat claws came up, as Hizren stepped back and laughed at the three claw marks that began to fill with blood on his brother's cheek. "Bastard!" Hizren's chuckles ceased, as there was a loud yowl, and the pink cat lay still, impaled on a shining rapier as Twilight glared down at it. Hizren blinked, then took a step back... well, it didn't matter. That had been all the time he needed.

"You'll pay for that, you cold-hearted bastard!" the pudgy boy turned and fled down the hall, and the sound of the door slamming to his chambers could be heard from where Twilight stood, staring down at the cat and rapier. Twilight closed his eyes, and said under his breath "Defense." the taste of blood coming to his mouth. He started towards the throne room, directly down the red-carpeted hallway, passing door after door and trying to keep blood from seeping into the top of his tunic. Stepping into the throne room, he nearly ran into a maid coming from the bedroom behind.

"Hey, watch it, you'll waste..." he blinked, looking at the empty glass on her tray. His father must have had a drink... ah well. He reached for the cloth on her plate, and dabbed at his wound. "There's a dead cat in the hallway... please remove it, Matarey..." the red haired maid stared at him, biting her lower lip, then nodded, moving past him. Twilight strode across the throne room, knowing the guards hidden throughout the walls were watching him as he ducked into the small hall behind the throne, then into the room there.

His grey-haired father lay there, nearly as thin as he was now, coughing a moment, dark grey eyes staring up at the ceiling. Withered and slowly passing away. Twilight moved over to the side of the bed, to stare down at his father, wondering if his father could still see him... the small smile, although weak, that came to his father's face reassured him. "Father... Just hang on father... I'll save you..." Twilight brushed some of that silver hair from his face, and smiled weakly at his father. "You know I will love this kingdom as you have father. I lo..." he blinked as fire seemed to shoot through his chest, and he gasped. His father blinked, looking confused, as Twilight staggered back, one hand clutching his chest as he tried to catch his breath. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth and trying to fight off the cries, not wanting to scare his father. He'd rather die in silence than have his father die from worry. He did not know a father's strength.

King Rondas heard his son in pain, and the darkness that clutched his heart seemed to recede. He grit his teeth, and for the first time in months, sat up, to look upon his son... and what he saw paralyzed him. There, kneeling on the ground panting, was no son of his, but a girl, panting and trying to catch lost breath. She bore many features his son had, but he was pretty sure he had given birth to a boy, and boys didn't grow breasts. "Who.. who are you?" he croaked out at her.

The girl looked up at him, her eyes a dull, dead yellow, as her piercing gaze brought the darkness back in a rush, the shadow wrapping around his heart like a snake as he gave a weak cry.

Matalma, Soulkiller - Chapter 2

Matalma's lips curled in a wicked smile as she slowly stood, one hand still over a plump breast as she licked her lips. Not every girl had been noticed by Twilight. She'd died for his attention, and it had been in vain. But that pudgy bastard's poison had worked, and she'd seized her chance... he could never part from her now, she was a part of him and he a part of her. Matalma narrowed her eyes at the old man, who was forced to lay back down, pain constricting his chest. Matalma strode forward, words creeping from her lips like poison... she was jealous. She'd had no father, and this one had stolen all her love's attention... a hand reached out, energy crackling over her fingers as two were pressed to the old man's chest, and the dark energies ripped into him. His heart, suffering from the trauma of his son turned into a woman, and the dark cold, gave out, paralyzed, as the king gasped, eyes widening. "Black-hearted..." he managed, before his eyes misted, and dimmed, and he lay in silence forever.

Matalma smiled. The next part of the plan, of course, was now in action. She closed her eyes, falling into herself, imagining a little room, with only herself, and a small box. She opened the box, and at the same time Twilight roared, springing out, she dived in, disappearing deep into his mind as his body and mind were restored to him, leaving him staring down at his father, his hands still on his father's chest. "No..." Twilight looked to his father's face. "No!" He took a step back, hand trembling as the energy dispersed, and he stared at it, tears starting to trail rivers down his cheeks. He hadn't... he had fallen into darkness. How could he have done such a thing? He must be dreaming. The clatter of boots and armor came from the throne room, along with shouting. Dream or not, Twilight wasn't about to stand around. To the bookcase he went, and pushed, the secret wall flipping the case, replacing it with an identical bookcase even as the guards rushed into the room, and the alarm began to sound. Twilight staggered down the hall, stumbling in the darkness, before he dropped to his knees. It wasn't a dream. One hand came up, to draw some sticky blood from the scratches on his face.

"No..." tears welled in his eyes. A light flared behind him, and he turned, scooting backwards on his ass as he blinked, staring up at a triumphant looking Hizren.

"Yes." Hizren chuckled. Twilight slowly stood, flames coming to his eyes as he drew his rapier.

"You! What did you do?!" Hizren leered at his brother a moment, before replying, looking amused.

"Righted a silly wrong." the rapier came in low, for his pudgy gut, but a surprisingly swift twist of his arm sent the torch to block the blow.

"You had Matarey poison father!" Twilight accused, stepping back to parry a blow from the torch, embers flying and spraying off the wall as they two traded blows in the darkness.

"Pfffft... I had Matarey poison you, fool." Hizren grinned. Well, he'd gotten father too. But he just felt so clever making it sound like his brother was completely wrong. Twilight paled for a moment, and took a solid blow to the shoulder, though luckily he ducked in time to avoid the brunt of the attack, and the fire. Stepping back, trying to recover, he brought his rapier up again.

"But I still live... you lie!" Twilight's rapier lanced forward, stabbing into the torch. A quick shake shook it loose, and Hizren stepped forward, thinking to swat Twilight a good one right across the face. This would do wonders for his reputation, you see, if he pulled this off. But something very unplanned happened. Some bones crunched under Hizren's feet, and the pudgy bastard stumbled forward, Twilight perfectly lined up for a killing blow. "You will pay!" Twilight moved to launch himself forward, but his foot slipped on more bones, the slender swordsman crashing into his brother, managing only a minor slash to his brother's leg before they both stumbled back. Twilight landed on his ass, confused and surprised, while the bulkier Hizren remained standing, struggling to catch his breath now.

"Mmm... why don't you just give up...?" a soft, sweet voice, vaguely familiar, tickled his ear, and Twilight gasped. "Who's there?!" Hizren's panting ceased, lips curling into another smug grin even as his free hand moved to rest over the wound on his leg.

"You don't remember me...?" a soft mock-purr, and Twilight was pale as a ghost.

"What are you?! Some foul beast?!" his rapier was brought up, towards Hizren, as he struggled to stand, slipping on bones. "What have you done to me?!"

"I made you a door." Hizren smiled now, and shrugged. "Run, murderer." With that, Hizren called out over his shoulder, yelling through the secret door for the guards. "I've found him, he's in here!!! I've found father's killer!" Twilight narrowed his eyes, then started forward, but the creaking of the bookcase sent him twisting, cape flaring about, and he disappeared into the darkness, fleeing down the secret hallway away from that light, falling, scrambling over bones. He ran for a good while, before he found a chute, or rather, fell down a chute, falling face first in the darkness and gasping in shock as he began to slide through some unknown muck.

Dance of the Rose - Chapter 3

Twilight landed with a splash in the center of a square room nearly filled with knee-deep water. His rapier fell into the pool beside him a moment later, as he floated there a moment, before shaking his head, and slowly standing up in the water. All hell was breaking loose for him... his brother had tricked him. But his hand had been the one on his father's chest. He grabbed his rapier out of the water, gritting his teeth and looking up to the hole above him, which trickled faintly green water. "Damnit!"

"Mmm, you have to take one of the passageways..." came a bored remark from in his mind, and he looked about for some trickery from his brother. What he saw, however, worried him far more than his brother. Three bodies, bloated and long dead, stood at the narrow entrances to the passageways leading out of the room. Twilight fought hard to hold back the vile that raised in his throat at the sight of the slightly blue abominations, two missing a hand, one missing a few fingers. All three bore the marks of crocodiles all over them, but had bled all of their essence away eons ago, it seemed. This must be around the moat. Twilight prepared himself, as one of the zombies staggered forward, throwing a clumsy punch at the young man.

Twilight was stunned, and had no hope of making the first strike. He twisted, water swirling around his boots as he somewhat sluggishly managed to dodge the blow. His slender rapier traced its way up the zombie's leg in a wound that would have anyone else retreating, but the zombie didn't feel pain, couldn't even bleed. "Run, you fool!" a woman's voice shrieked in his head. Twilight grit his teeth, and ignored her, ducking past the zombie to give it a hard elbow in the small of it's back, and as it slowly turned, he ground himself, and pushed back, sending the zombie stumbling forward into another. A pale hand gripped his shoulder tightly, and he gasped, but a piercing, though weak, jab through the eye of the descending zombie, intent on eating his shoulder, repelled the attack long enough for Twilight to squirm away. Twilight stepped away, unable to do any fancy leaps in the water, the rapier coming around to deflect another punch from the first zombie even as he ducked away from the second. "You idiot! You're going to get us killed!"

Twilight gritted his teeth. He was getting a headache. Three holes were poked in the second zombie's chest, and it pushed itself onto the rapier, grabbing for him as his eyes went wide. He reached forward with his free hand, crying out as the zombie's own, strong grip went around his slender neck, and energy rippled through his arm, crackling around his fingers, and rushing into the zombie. For a moment, his vision darkened and stars danced in his vision, before the zombie spasmed, once, twice, then fell away, falling into the water with a light splash. Twilight gasped for air, stumbling backwards on a retreat from the remaining two as his hand now went to his throat. "Wow..." Twilight ignored the voice in his head, rapier coming up again. The second zombie did not rise again, and Twilight let a small smile come to his fact, stepping forward.

The first zombie reached for him, and found its arm lanced by the rapier. It grinned, reaching for Twilight, until Twilight's free hand settled on its open wrist and energy surged into it. The zombie joined its brother, twitching under the water, and Twilight jerked the rapier free, panting lightly as the third zombie's eyes narrowed at him. Twilight went into a ready position, left foot slid forward, toes towards the zombie, right foot back, left hand out just below the point of the rapier, right hand slightly over and behind his head as he leaned back. The zombie rushed in, moaning, and he lashed forward, sharp rapier point digging into the zombie's chest, his entire body thrown into the thrust, the rapier passing through the zombie and continuing. He didn't even need his free hand to shock this one.

"We have to leave!" the voice whined in his head. Twilight growled lightly, but the sounds of moans coming down two of the passageways sent him quickly walking down the third, rubbing at his sore throat.

"Who are you?" Twilight thought at the voice, wanting answers.

"Matalma, your new best friend. Look out!" Twilight's attention focused to the split in the hallway. Two directions, and one was filled with zombies. He ducked down the other, finding that the water there came up to his waist as he waded quickly into it, trying to hurry away from the shambling zombies.

"Why're there so many of the damned here?" Twilight queried, looking over his shoulder, then back down the faintly lighted passageway.

"Your father had us killed." said the woman's voice, and Twilight started to reply, before he blinked, staring ahead at the source of the voice. A blue skinned woman stood before him, nude, gnawed on much as the others and not a pretty sight. Her purple hair was half gone, and what was left barely hid the empty eye socket that stared at him along with the half eaten eye in the other. Twilight's face paled. The rapier came up high as he growled.

"Stop fucking with my mind!" he started forward, but The abomination's hands came up and it stepped back.

"No need to fight..." The voice was sickeningly sweet, and Twilight stopped, blade still held at The ready but eyeing The monster, fighting The intense urge to throw up right there on The spot. "It has been a while hasn't it."

Twilight put a hand over his mouth, needing a moment, before he spoke. "Who are you...?"

Matalma grinned, missing many teeth, and revealing rotting gums. "You knew me." The voice was inside his head and out. The young prince shook his head, The rapier quivering in The air, shining slightly from The water upon it.

"My father would never do this." Twilight growled.

"Your father has a funny way of taking out The trash." Twilight's nose wrinkled as he was confused. "Bet you didn't know your father did sweeps."

"Sweeps?" Twilight frowned at The silly name.

"Swept through The town with guards, and threw anyone he didn't like or who was too poor into The moat. No one complains, everyone smiles when he wants them too, everything looks peaceful." Matalma knew how that all worked. She might have done it herself, in his position. Kill The mice so The rats may prosper.

"You lie." Twilight narrowed his eyes. But a telltale tear slowly made its way down his cheek as he grit his teeth. Everything was falling apart. The bodies were here. There was no way his father couldn't have known... and he did remember Matalma. Harken's lost sister, who'd seemed to hate him since The day he'd met Harken and herself. Shallow, vain girl.

"No need to throw insults." Matalma's corpse stood aside now, as moaning began to catch up to them from behind. "We might as well get comfortable with each other."

"No offense... but I'm not walking out of here with a zombie." Twilight's rapier was sheathed, however. There was really nothing he could do.

"You're right. I don't need The shell anymore." The zombie fell to its' knees, and into The water, suddenly lifeless. "I have your's." a soft giggle receded into his mind as he blinked. No time, no time. He started forward, trudging through The water, wiping at his eyes as he stepped past The fallen zombie.

A hand curled around his leg, and he gasped. "Shit!"

"Mmmm, just one more thing..." she whispered, and he cried out as surprisingly sharp and long teeth bit down into his leg. "Just need to weaken your lifeforce a little... going to need some for myself..." she purred in the back of his mind, even as he kicked at the dead thing. The corpse fell away from his leg, and he stared down at the black blood curling in the water.

"Fuck fuck fuck!!!" he started through the water, limping and cursing. It wasn't long before he came to a removed grate, just over the moat to the castle. He stared down at the water, then across the moat. "Now... we're screwed."

"Oh no... I forgot... well, you can swim right?" Matalma queried, as Twilight kneeled, a small heal cast over the bite wound numbing his leg. Still, it bled, and he grit his teeth at the moaning behind them.

"I can try." And with that, he leapt into the moat. Arms flailed, and legs kicked, the young man kicking his way to the surface, blood curling in the water. He started towards the edge of the moat, frowning slightly but making his way rather steadily.

That is, until he noted the ripples coming from across the moat that he surely wasn't making. Something slick and scaly broke the water ahead, a long long length curling down back into the water that continued on for far too long to be comforting.

"...The water dragons..." Twilight gasped softly, falling deathly white as he took note of the curling scales all about him.

BACK