CHAPTER THREE ♔ what's done in the dark will be brought to the light

[wynn]

♬ god's gonna cut you down - johnny cash

WHO || The Knights
WHAT || The aftermath of Chapter 2
WHERE || London, England and variou
WHEN || Evening of June 7th --> onwards
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

In less than twenty-four hours, everything has turned on its head.

A Knight and her allies were kidnapped by Iscariot agents for execution in Rome, barely escaping with their lives.

A mission meant to free one Knight from the influence of a dark god succeeded - at the price of another's life.

A simple recon mission at a Keijen Blade concert nearly led to two Knights committing mind-controlled suicide in front of an eager crowd.

Several Knights went to see Draken Crombe, leader of the Church of the Lord's Humanity, speak in person, and learned just how sinister his religion's dogma is.

A call from Sir Hathaway alerted Wynn to the escape of the doppelganger from the Knight's dungeons, an escape perhaps aided by Elena Gilbert.

A demigod interrupted what might have been a simple smash and grab retrieval of an artifact.

And most horrific of all, in the middle of the night, hundreds of Shadowkind in New York City awoke, and walked in a mindless trance down to the Hudson River to drown themselves. Only the quick thinking and combined efforts of the Knights present and their allies prevented all of them from succeeding.

Beset on all sides, a dark time awaits for the Knighthood - who were already suffering from the capture of Dragon's Claw Sir Thomas Bancroft at the hands of their long time enemy Dimitris Sarandis of Andres Isle.

In times such as these, the light can be difficult to find. Hope itself seems somewhere just out of reach.

Comments

[witchwoman]

They can be, yes. [still standing awkwardly in the aisle, myri lingers for a question.] You and Elena are close, aren't you?

[littledhampir]

[Rose's face crumples at those words (WS 7), pointedly looking away as she tries to will the lump in her throat to disappear. This was why she liked mad. Mad was easier than hurt.]

I thought so... [A little quieter than she'd like.] Wynn said... I heard she left you a letter.

[witchwoman]

[Myri takes the empty seat across the aisle. Because trying to sit next to Rose seems crazy.]

She was- she was my squire. We were close... are close.

[littledhampir]

I know. [Lips twitching but if that was an attempt at a smile, it didn't take.] She talked about you. All of you. We - She... was my best friend.

[witchwoman]

I'm sorry. I had no idea. [Elena didn't talk much about non mission things.]

We'll find her. There's more to all this- there has to be.

[littledhampir]

[Those words clearly stung Rose, her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands as she let out a shaky breath through her nose.]

Even if there is? 'ts not going to change anything.

[witchwoman]

Of course it will. If he's forced her or tricked her, that changes everything.

[littledhampir]

[Rose stared for a long moment, her breathing uneven before she could find her voice again. The words slow and deliberate, Rose struggling to keep her voice from trembling.]

She let him out of the cell. She let him use my face and she involved my boyfriend in it.

[Her mouth gaped a moment, like she might say more but as a ripple of pain went across her features, she just shook her head.]

[witchwoman]

[Myri doesn't need to be an empath to see that Rose is in pain. She reaches across the aisle to take the woman's hand.]

And when we find her and know she's safe, you can be as angry with her as you'd like. But until then, it won't do us any good to get wrapped up in feeling betrayed. You're hurting because you care about her. But that energy can be better spent finding an answer to where she might be. Or where he might have taken her.

[littledhampir]

[It was, the first time since this nightmare had begun that somebody had shown Rose the kindness of their touch and her chest tightened, lower lip trembling even as she bit the inside of it. Brown eyes gloss over with tears that she seems determined not to shed, the brunette staring pointedly at their hands locked together.

When she does find her voice again, it's very quiet, the words as much for herself as they are for Myri.]

I'm going to kill him.

[witchwoman]

Good. [She knows that Elena wants mercy shown, that she identifies too much with Kyp because of the shared racial background. But nothing about Kyp was redeemable. She hoped that Elena might see that.]

But we need to find him first. How much do you trust this hunter of yours?

[littledhampir]

[Rose's lip twitch into something that's trying to be a smile and she squeezes Myri's hand in response.

She casts a glance in Dean's direction, frowning a little before bringing her focus back to the blonde.]

He's... I don't know that I trust him but, that's only because I don't know him that well. He had our backs in Chicago and - [Another look in Dean's direction.] I know he's got my back now.

[witchwoman]

That's all we can ask for at this point. And if he's good at what he does, we can handle anything else that might come up.

[Which is a really nice way to say that she's sure the team could kill him...]

[littledhampir]

I don't think he'll be a problem. [Except to Spike, Finnick and Archer because he'll drink all the booze.

Finally - finally, Myri is about to hear the rarest sound on earth, Rose looking at their hands for another long moment before lifting her gaze.]

I'm - sorry about - before... At the hotel. [So it wasn't an eloquent apology but it was a start.]

[witchwoman]

It's alright. [The response is automatic but no less sincere.]

We've all gone through a lot. Outbursts are expected. I just hope you know that we're all on the same side here, that you can trust me.

[littledhampir]

[Lines etch across her forehead, Myri's words prompting a moment of quiet honesty from Rose.]

I don't really know what side I'm on anymore... [Her tone more than her words perhaps suggesting she felt more lost than actually thinking about rebelling. In one night, she'd lost her best friend, her mentor and now after talking to Dean, she felt like she'd lost her boyfriend as well, or at least, how she had always seen them.]

[witchwoman]

[This is officially a hazard because Myri gets up to crouch next to Rose's seat, stilling holding onto her hand.]

I know things are dark. Believe me, I know. But we must keep fighting. We must have hope that there is an end to all this senseless pain. If you cannot believe it, then I will for you. I did not leave Andres only to let these people destroy everything I love.

[littledhampir]

[Rose meets Myri's gaze once more, muscles twitching as she seems to struggle with what to say or feel, silence stretching as she breathes in and out.]

It's not that I don't want to fight... I do. I know it's the right thing and I want that to be enough. [She laughs, though it's a humorless huff.] Fighting feels like the one thing I do have right now... and that's just it. [She shakes her head.] I want more.

[witchwoman]

More what? [It's gentle, the way she asks for clarification. But most things Myri does are gentle.]

[littledhampir]

[Rose shakes her head, seemingly not even sure what she means.] Something more than anger?

[witchwoman]

[Myri gives a small smile.] And here, I've wanted to find my anger. Perhaps we can trade.

[littledhampir]

[It's enough to break the spiral of self pity, Rose managing a small smile to match Myri's.]

I'll let you have mine for free. I got plenty to spare. [She shook her head, as if to shake every dark thought from her brain.] It's just been a really rough... [She lifts her shoulder in a shrug.] Year.

[witchwoman]

I know. [Girl, she was kidnapped and tortured for two months. You won't hear her sing this year's praises. Getting up off the floor, Myri squeezes past Rose's knees to take the seat beside her, because this is silly and they just need to sit together.]

Elena's lucky to have a friend like you, you know.

[littledhampir]

[Guilt touches the Dhampirs' features, lips pressing together and Rose watches Myri move as her own face becomes a thoughtful mask, anger breaking through for a second before she can push it back again.]

I spent every day with her for the last week and I - never saw this coming. For any reason. [She shook her head.] Not after what Kyp did to you, to Spike, to her.

[She sighs, pulling one foot up onto her seat and wraps her arm around her leg, hugging it to her chest.]

How does any of that make her lucky to have me as a friend? I don't even know her right now.

[witchwoman]

Because you're here. You haven't given up on her, not completely. If you had, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to call the hunter to bring him back with us. You believe that she's still Elena, even if she doesn't believe it anymore. [And then with stronger conviction.] We're going to bring her home, Rose. Because that's what we do for family.