Prelude of Rot pt.3
Having finished cleaning the throne room early this day, Morrigan took to work oiling the armor her lord still wore. It had taken to rust already because of the servants before her not caring enough in her eyes. All she was doing now was preventing it from worsening under her careful watch.
She was still working on this when she heard the two large doors open once more. When she turned to see who it was, Morrigan recognized the man. Despite the appearance of a human noble of significant wealth, this man was not a man but a creature like her lord Lucien. Knowing better than to interdict here, Morrigan quickly stepped aside offering a polite bow to the creature before stepping to a spot not too far away from her lord. There she took up proper standing posture for a servant and quietly waited.
Struggling to recall this creature’s name, Morrigan listened as he began speaking quite formally “My lord our kind wishes to see you return to us. The humans of the west are advancing far more quickly this century than they have the previous seven. Because of this, numerous human kingdoms are beginning to threaten us with their actions and words. If they are not checked in some fashion, I fear they may begin to bring aggressive actions through your lands and into ours. My lord I do not wish to see another continent-wide war break out here in Arlorne.”
This creature then approaches the throne, stopping just a few steps away from Lucien and kneels there. Morrigan, who was watching this carefully, resists the urge to draw her weapons as she stands there. She knows full well she was not capable of stopping this creature if he wished to do harm to her lord and even drawing her weapons was sufficient cause for most of their kind to kill someone. Instead, she just keeps standing there quietly.
“We wish to see our great king of old return to the world leading his kingdom and our kind to glory once more. We wish to see you in your armor once more beneath that black banner you flew on the battlefield so long ago.”
No matter what words this visiting creature used he could not cause Lucien to stir. Lucien just sat there as he always did rotting away alongside his kingdom. Watching this Morrigan knows it will be a while and so excuses herself from their presence and retires from work for the night. She would go to the kitchen and relax alongside the others before turning in for bed.
The following morning Morrigan returns to the throne room to find the visiting creature still before her lord as when she had left. She respectfully bowed to both of them before quietly beginning her work for the day.
None of the other servants had been surprised the day before when she told them about the visit. From time to time, he received guests from the east requesting his return only for nothing to come of it. All of Lucien’s servants had asked their lord for his return from time to time and so bore the same results as the guests. Sometimes it seemed that everyone wanted their king to return for various reasons, but none had ever but none of them could succeed at convincing the old king.
Three more days would pass as the visiting creature kneeled there before King Lucien in silence. Eventually even this visitor’s patience would wear thin as he says “Sire please consider returning. If you do not wish to lead us then please consider returning to train our youth. They all could learn a great many things from someone of your ability and age.”
Disappointed the visiting creature stands and straightens his clothes out before respectfully adding “Sire you know where to find me if you wish to speak.” And with that he turns to leave, disappearing into the darkness of the wastes.
After watching all of this unfold Morrigan looked over to her lord and asked “My lord would you please consider doing something other than sit there?” With no response coming from her lord, she further added “We servants would love for you to just do a little bit more than rot away.” After being once again ignored, Morrigan lowered her head before taking her to leave so she can roam the halls once more. But this time she was not aimlessly wandering around but would venture to a room she had not cleaned in some time, the art room.
Inside the art room was countless works from master and apprentice artists and sculptors alike, all long dead and mythologized. The room was far too small for so many pieces and each one of these pieces held a value that could buy you noble status and still have value left over. Some would even be tempted to give up their crown for such pieces.
With great care and patience Morrigan cleaned these piece by piece taking her time with each one she had decided to clean. She would not dare risk damaging or destroying these pieces of art detailing much of the history of Arlorne, its people and its rulers.
After finishing with one painting Morrigan stands there holding it in her hands and inspects the marvelous piece that was at least a millennium older than her. But when she was done with it, she gently sat it aside before looking towards the piece she was most interested in. It was quite a large piece covering the entire wall, but it was not the wall. It was instead a large canvas covered in an old dust covered sheet. Morrigan walked up to it and gently took hold of the sheet before pulling it off her favorite of the old artworks here in the castle.
Beneath the sheet was a painting nearly in a class of its own. Its subjects were near life sized and done in exquisite detail. The artist who painted this masterpiece was forgotten to her, but she understood quite clearly this one piece would be considered a great historical accomplishment, if it were to leave this keep.
Staring at this painting had filled Morrigan with mixed feelings. It depicted her lord, at some point during his very, very long reign, clad in the very black armor he wore now as he stood before a kneeling human king. The field was littered with the corpses and fallen banners of the human king’s army while Lucien appeared majestic, handsome, and powerful, a far cry from his time ravaged and broken body of today. All around the victorious Lucien were his people in armor and noble wear. These people were not only his soldiers but his generals, advisors and others close to the victorious king. The painting was in such detail one could tell creature from human amongst those around Lucien.
Nearly leaning onto the painting Morrigan lightly touches the painted face of her lord as she mumbles to herself “I wish you would return to us my lord…to me my love.” Even two decades removed from her initial meeting with Lucien as a child, Morrigan as an adult still held strong feelings for him and they only seemed to have grown stronger with age.
In her mind, despite having traveled to the human kingdoms to the west several times and having met many creatures from the immortal kingdoms to the east, Lucien was still the single most handsome man she had laid eyes upon, and he was the one her heart belonged to, yearned for. And hearing his voice once again only confirmed those feelings in her mind and heart as those old memories from when she fell in love with him as a child came back to her.
With the other servants having gone to bed for the night, Morrigan silently returned to the throne room. There she finds her lord as unmoving as ever, but she had come here this night with a purpose.
“Forgive me my lord for what I’m about to do.” These were the words she said to him as she approached him, dropping all of her hidden weapons in their sheaths to the floor. As she stood there in front of him, Morrigan thought to herself for a moment before sitting in his lap.
The cold of his armor is felt though her clothes as she wraps him in her arms and holds tightly to him. On his shoulder she rests her head and listens to him quietly breathe. If Lucien had any thoughts about this, he did not show them and continued to appear emotionless as she sat there and hugged him tightly.
There softly in his ear she would say, “I love you, my lord. I want you to return to us. I don’t care if you ever return to the world just returns to us…to me.”
“I have known you since you were little Morrigan. I have watched you grow up in this very hall. You played with dolls before, learned proper etiquette from your mother, how to serve from your father, and your teacher instruct you on fighting and magic. I have watched it all as you absorbed it and made yourself into a formidable young woman.”
Lucien’s voice had caught her by surprise, though it was as handsome as it had been in her youth. But he did not need to explain anything to her; Morrigan understood what he was telling her. Though she understood him, she kept him from continuing by telling him “I don’t care my lord. I want to be yours and only yours. My family is proud to have me serve you until the end but I’m sure they would be even prouder if you were to have me at your side.”
If he was disappointed, she could not tell by his face nor his voice as he said to her “You should be continuing your family instead. Find a good man and have children together. Leave my service to live with him or teach your children the way you were taught and have them carry on your family legacy. That would be best. Letting your family die out is the worst thing you could do Morrigan.”
Disappointed by what she was hearing, Morrigan sighed. Then she sat back and looked her lord in the eyes as she declared proudly “Once my father dies, I will be the last of my line to serve you my lord, just like nearly everyone else here. We are all willing to die in your service as we are your most loyal servants. When your vassals left our families stayed behind. When the other servant families began to leave your service, we stayed. Even with you sitting here rotting away we served you faithfully. Yes, the others have left for a time wanting to see and do more, but they returned because this is their home just as much as it is yours. Our ancestors lived and died here in this land and so shall we.”
She then confronts him finishing with “So don’t tell me what is the worst thing because serving you is the second greatest thing in this world I can do.”
For a moment Lucien is quiet as he looks at his servant before telling her “I did not ask for that my dear. I wanted all my servants to live proper lives and none of you are following that wish anymore.” Looking into those lifeless dark eyes Morrigan argues against her lord “You always wanted us to live freely, as we pleased, and we are doing just that my lord. We will proudly rot away alongside you.”
For the first time his eyes spark with life as he looks deeply into hers. She can feel the life returning to him and is taken by surprise before he finally turns her down “I cannot.”
With tears beginning to fall from her eyes, Morrigan stretches her neck out to the left revealing it all to her lord. “Please feed from me my lord. If only this one-time drink from me instead of a cup.”
“If I refuse?”
“Then I will force my wrist into your mouth and feed you myself.” Forcefully was this said as Lucien looked at her. In her he saw the formidable stubborn spirit that this land had long forgotten. But he still remembered it very well as long ago this spirit seemed to permeate everything this land had to offer.
No more words were needed. Lucien opened his mouth wide, bearing his fangs and bits down into his servant’s neck. The great pain Morrigan felt was masked by the feelings of ecstasy as Lucien drank from her. Wishing no harm to come to his servant, Lucien drank slowly and managed the amount consumed well.
The ecstasy filling her was far greater than anything a mortal could give as it was only possible for a predator like Lucien. Morrigan did her best to control her voice and keep it from escaping out into the keep but with enough time her effort failed her, and her voice began to escape into the keep.
When Lucien felt he had drank enough he pulled himself away leaving blood running down her neck and from his mouth. She was breathing hard as she looked at him. Her face was smiling happily as her blood soaked into her clothes and her voice spoke out “Forgive me once more my lord.” Not understanding and without time to respond Lucien is surprised when she leaned in and forced a kiss upon him.
Lucien could feel her desperately trying to make him understand how she truly felt and to convince him to take her to his side. This was a skill she had no experience with but her intentions were perfectly clear, and her passion would have been irresistible to anyone else.
Finally, Morrigan pulls away and looks down at her lord. In his face she finds an uncaring gaze affixed to her. Blood drips from her mouth now as tears fall freely from her eyes. Standing from his lap she cries to him “You’re cruel my lord,” before gathering up her weapons. Lucien can hear her crying as she runs through the main doors of the throne room and runs out into the ruined city.
Afterwards Lucien relaxes into his throne and looks as he usually does. But the difference now is that his mind wandered all over the place for the first time in eight centuries.
On the run from the throne room Morrigan failed to realize she was running straight to her family’s home in the city. Her clothes were soaked in blood and er weapons were held in her hands as her cries echoed out into the empty ruins.
Allistar opens the door having noticed his daughter’s cries long ago. He quickly wraps his arms around his daughter and hugs her tight. They stand there for some time before Allistar brings her inside and sits her next to the fireplace.
As they sit there, he can only hug her closely and console her the best he can as it hurt him to see her like this. She was his one and only child and as she cried on his shoulder it was obvious as to what happened. The bite marks on her neck had not yet healed and he understands just what happened.
Some time passes before she speaks her first words to her father this night “He is too cruel Papa.” Gently stroking her hair as Allistar comforts her “I know dear. He always has been.”
“He rejects me and how I’ve felt about him.” She cried this out to her father, nearly breaking down again. But Allistar can say nothing to her in the moment.
He had long been aware of the feelings his daughter had for their lord and had tried his best to steer her away from them to no avail. Morrigan was so enamored with their king that her mother, when she was still alive, gave up on trying to guide Morrigan away from those feelings.
With his daughter crying her heart out on his shoulder Allistar is forced to ask, “Did you force yourself upon him?” She did not need to elaborate after the nod of her head, but Morrigan did. She told her father through her sobs “I just wanted him to know how sincere I am.” Lowering his head, Allistar hold his daughter tighter as he tells her “I’m sure our lord already knew.” Those words only served to cause Morrigan to cry harder as she asks, “Then why won’t he accept me?”
“Morrigan, you know that our lord has never had anyone stay by his side in such a way. He’s like a stallion in that regard. I doubt he’s ever thought of having someone share all his troubles. He came to the crown as a warrior and general and lived that way until the end.”
The answer Allistar gave his daughter was based off nothing more than some insights from his self-study over the history of Arlorne. The real answer as to why Lucien never accepted anyone was only known to him. The reason as to why he didn’t accept Morrigan was now another secret that their lord possessed. One that Allistar wished he knew after seeing his daughter so hurt by this.
As he continued stroking her hair gently, Morrigan buried her face into her father’s chest and continued to cry. Allistar would stay there for some time even after she had fallen asleep. When he was sure she was soundly asleep he put her to bed and left his house. He wished to speak with his lord now.
Allistar wasted no time walking to the throne room. The only time he stopped was to close the doors that his daughter had left open when she fled. When he approaches his lord, Allistar does not stop at the stairs, instead he kneels right in front of him. As he looks up at his lord, Allistar can see the blood trailing down his chin and neck. Lucien only moves his eyes but knows Allistar is quite furious and is not at all surprised when asked “Why my lord?”
Lucien does nothing but eye Allistar as his servant asks “Why my lord? Why must you be so cruel?” With no answer following Allistar continues “You could have turned her away and corrected her any time before tonight. So why tonight my lord?”
Finally moving, Lucien sits himself upright in his throne and looks at his servant. “Because, like you, I wished she would forget about it. I had hoped that she would be the last of your family to see this ruined city and would return to live amongst your kind.”
Not liking this answer Allistar nearly shouts back to his lord “That does not answer my question my lord. Why now?”
Surprised by his servant’s attitude Lucien takes the time to think over his response. Various movements could be seen on his face as his mind works away before answering with a sense of exasperation “I did not know how else to respond. I do not understand how recent events bring her to confess and push herself onto me as she did.”
Taken aback by his servant’s face soaked in tears, Lucien adjusts in his throne as he was slightly uncomfortable with what was happening now. The distraught father then says “My lord it hurts me to see my daughter like that. It hurts knowing that it was you that hurt her. I don’t know what to do right now and I feel awful because of that.”
The sound of his armor moving fills the room as Lucien stands from his throne for the first time in many centuries. Stepping to his servant’s side Lucien then tells him “If I knew what decisions to make at all times I would never have made as many mistakes as I have. I would have likely solved this before it became an issue.”
Lucien then kneels down next to Allistar and continues “I cannot tell you how to feel or what to do. All I can do is wish for you to follow your own heart and your desires.”
Allistar breaks down crying harder than before. He can barely speak as he nearly pleads “I wish you would accept her a little my lord. I want her to be happy and yet you’re the only thing she wants in life.”
Wrapping his arm around Allistar’s shoulders, Lucien tells him “I am sorry but that is something I am unable to give her.” Allistar’s head hangs low as Lucien reaches to his chin and raises it so they can look into each other’s eyes.
“My plan is to sit here in my throne and rot away with what is left of my kingdom. It is the only fitting end to me and my kingdom. I cannot take any of you with me as I join my kingdom in ashes. You just have to leave me to it.”
Tears continue to fall down Allistar’s face as he says “We cannot do that my lord. We have dedicated our entire lives to serving you. Even after we journeyed outside of Arlorne we all returned to your service because we felt something was missing. We found what was missing here my lord.”
Lucien’s armor can be heard moving as he stands up saying “I know Allistar. The blood of your ancestors runs thickly in your veins. You all remind me of your ancestors when I came to power. They all said something similar. I did not understand then and I still do not understand now, how serving under me makes you all feel complete.”
Pausing Lucien looks down at his servant saying, “But I must correct you on one thing my servant.” The loving father looks up at his lord asking, “What is it my lord?”
“You said that all of you have spent time away from my service before returning to fill the void you found in your lives. That is not true. Morrigan never did. Ever since that day you brought her here before me for the first time, she has served me loyally. And she has done so with more dedication than any of you combined. Hells she is so dedicated that she comes to this room to clean it daily. While doing so she will talk to me in an attempt to keep me from feeling lonely and in hopes that I return to her.”
Wiping away his tears with a smile Allistar manages to say, “How do you always notice these things my lord?”
“It would be hard not to my friend.”
Allistar lowered his head once more as Lucien steps towards his throne.
Before he stands up Allistar asks “May I make a request of you, my lord?” Without sitting in his throne Lucien turns to face his servant answering, “You may Allistar.” In Allistar’s eyes Lucien can see love, compassion and loyalty. In response to his servant Lucien straightens his back and stands before him as a proper king.
“Please consider taking Morrigan as your own my lord. It would mean everything to her. Me and my ancestors would be proud to see you unalone for the first time my lord.”
For the first time in his life Allistar hears his lord sigh. In his surprise he broke his gaze from his lord for a moment but when he returns it, he finds Lucien sitting nobly upon his throne.
All it takes is a second of consideration before Lucien answers “For you Allistar, one of my most dedicated and loyal servants from one of the longest serving families of the throne of Arlorne and someone I consider a friend, I will make you an offer. I will think about this matter and if there ever comes a time before Morrigan leaves or dies that I decide to bring someone to my side, I will ask her to my side before anyone else.”
Allistar can’t help but smile broadly, clearly excited by this but before he can say or do anything Lucien holds up his left hand keeping him from doing so. “This is neither a guarantee nor my word to bring her to my side Allistar. This is simply my word that I will genuinely consider this and decide in the future if I have her at my side.”
Further prostrating himself to his lord was all Allistar could do in the moment as he says “Thank you my lord, thank you. You honor me and my family with your words. Please allow us some happiness over this.”
Relaxing on the throne Lucien allows his posture to go as he leans onto his left arm while saying to his servant “I will allow you this happiness Allistar, but you can never tell Morrigan what we have discussed here. A false hope is a curse rather than a blessing and I would not wish that upon her.”
The father before Lucien smiles as he tries to bury his head in the stone floor as he says to his king “Yes, my lord, as you wish but it is now my turn to correct you. It is a potential false hope my lord not a complete one.” An impressed smirk of disbelief appears on Lucien’s face as he dismisses his servant, who quickly leaves his presence.
Alone again, Lucien is left impressed by his servant’s attitude just now when correcting him. It was the first time anyone had taken such an attitude with him in a very long time and all it served to do was cause Lucien more headaches. As he sank into his throne his mind wandered in disbelief.
What did he just agree to? What did this mean for his plans to rot away and disappear with his kingdom? These were now the main questions racing through Lucien’s mind as he found himself groaning out loud. He hoped no one had heard him as he was stuck in his disbelief for the moment.
As he tried to calm himself down Lucien failed to realize just how awful his posture had become. He had greatly sunk into his throne as he leaned onto the arm resting his head on his propped-up hand. When he did eventually realize this, he just hoped no one had seen him in his moment of disbelief and weakness.
The next morning when all the servants returned for their daily duties, not one tried speaking to Morrigan. They were all able to hear her cries in the night and not one had any idea of what to say to her, though they all could piece together what happened after they went to say their morning greetings to their lord. This suited Morrigan fine as she did not want to speak about anything at all to anyone, not even herself as she went about her daily work.
She was feeling so much sadness that she failed to realize her lord’s position upon his throne was much different from when she left. She even failed to notice his gaze following her around the room as she worked.
With Morrigan’s dried blood staining his pale skin Lucien carefully watched her work without alerting her. He knew she was devastated and wanted to make sure she was handling it well enough. It was his responsibility after all, and he did not want to see her harm herself or others in her despair.
For several days everyone wished that Morrigan would return to her normal, cheerful self that was so full of life her presence seemed to liven up everything in these dour ruins they called home. When she finally overcame her emotions and returned to being herself everyone was overjoyed. However, they waited to celebrate until her talkative nature returned as well. Only then did they hold a party to celebrate, and it was only for the servants themselves.
Despite her return to normalcy Morrigan still thought about what happened though she was completely unaware of what transpired afterwards between her father and Lucien. The other servants were also left in the dark since Allistar was keeping it from them as well. But as the celebration went on in the kitchen Lucien listened from his throne with a smile as his servants enjoyed themselves.
Well that is the end of Book Zero: Prelude of Rot. Having to read through it all to make this version made me want to go back through it again and make a completely new fourth draft but I have more important things to do. A censored version of Book One: The Return will take longer to come out. I'm still working on completing the uncensored version and so it will be some time before it releases here as well. I hope everyone will find some enjoyment in the coming adventures of Lucien.
