Darkness Becomes You

Kellan quietly watched the proceedings from the dark corner behind the king’s throne. She really despised these council meetings and glared skywards, hoping her mother could see her annoyance. It had been three years since she had been given to the King as a gift and, as her mother had anticipated, she had quickly become the King’s favorite, which ensured that she was always by his side.

While being so close to him guaranteed that she could carry out her mother’s wishes, at the same time she wanted to throttle someone. She glanced over at Nuala, who looked at her and smiled slightly. In response, Kellan rolled her eyes and mimicked falling asleep which brought an even larger smile to the princesses’ face. She winked at Nuala and turned her eyes back to the council.
Surprisingly, Kellan and Nuala had become friends. She hadn’t expected the elvish princess to stoop so low as to befriend a human slave, but it seemed that Nuala had none of the hang-ups of her twin brother. Kellan felt for the beautiful princess. She was always so sad, mainly because of her brother, and Kellan had made it her mission to bring a little happiness into the elf’s life. She deserved it. She was so kind and gentled that it broke Kellan’s heart to see her so sad all the time.

She looked back towards the council chamber and watched the proceedings. Another few moments and she would lapse into a coma, or at least attack the council to shut them all up. At least when the Celtic Pantheon had council meetings and her mother forced her to attend a fight generally broke out so there was a bit of entertainment. Here, they seemed halfway dead.

Then she heard a commotion in the chamber beyond the heavy doors that guarded the council chambers. She stood straighter, senses on alert, waiting to see what the trouble was. Her eyes glanced over to where Nuala had been, but the princess had disappeared.

Suddenly, the doors opened and in stepped Prince Nuada. Kellan eyed him with curiosity and decided that for a condescending, arrogant ass he looked rather attractive. Well, very attractive, she though with a snort. He got down on one knee and bowed in respect to the King, his father.

Kellan paid little attention to what they were saying, though she got the general gist of the conversation. However, she watched him carefully. There was something wrong. Something that didn’t quite sit right with her. She watched his demeanor and his body language. He was tense, preparing for something.

Her eyes slid to his face and looked into his eyes and then she knew. He would do anything to achieve his goal, to make sure his people didn’t fade into the darkness and that included killing his father. Yet, there was also a tinge of remorse there, as if he regretted that this was the path he had to take. That was the moment she understood what the Morrigan had meant when she had said he was the only one who could bring the peace. If he were allowed to kill his own father he would tumble into a hole so deep that he would never find his way out of it. She knew the time had come for her to act.

At that moment, Nuada’s gaze found her and his face contorted into a mask of fury.

***

Nuada smirked as he watched the members of the council retreat in fear when he glanced at them, their disdain quickly disappearing. A part of him pitied these fools that hid from the world, allowing the humans to destroy the planet, while another part of him simply wanted to end their existence for allowing their people to fade away.

He looked around at the chambers of the council and wondered how his people could have fallen so low. He remembered the days when they lived above ground, the beauty of nature surrounding them. When everything had been light and beauty and then the humans came with their greed and their empty hearts that could never be filled and it all turned to dust.

He glared at his father accusingly.

“Honor? Where is the honor in this? You speak of honor yet you give no thought to your people. Your love of humans has made you a weak, pitiful fool. You were a warrior, father. When did you become a human puppet?” his words were tinged with menace and barely controlled fury.

“This is not the way Nuada,” his father tried to persuade him.

“You would let our people fade from existence for them?” he thundered. “How many races counted on you to protect them, to defend them and all you have done is lead them to their destruction, all for the humans!”

Nuada glared at his father and his entourage when something caught his attention. It was a female. A human! He nearly roared in fury, barely getting himself under control. He was livid. How could his father keep a human alive? No matter how beautiful she was.

“Look at you! You even dare bring a disgusting human into this council room! The beings that destroyed us, that are destroying the world with their never-ending greed and ignorance and you cater to them,” Nuada’s anger knew no bounds. His father’s betrayal was complete. While Nuada lived in exile, trying to find a way to save his people, his father consorted with the human scum. He realized there was no going back now. The only way to save his people was to eradicate all humans for they would never change. As his father had so aptly stated, it was in their nature.

“This is not the way,” his father insisted. “You must abandon this path of vengeance and destruction you are so set upon.”

“Never, father. I will not rest until our people are free and no human draws breath anywhere.”

His father looked at him with sadness gracing his features. The old King sighed, “Then you leave me no choice. There is only one solution. Death.”
Nuada had expected this and as the guards approached, he prepared. He would not die this day, but his father would.

***

Kellan watched the proceedings aghast. So, mother, she thought to herself, you didn’t exactly see this coming, did you? What do I do? Who do I save?

Prince Nuada must live. Kellan nodded her head, her body taut, ready to spring into action. As she readied herself to attack, she was slightly taken aback as Prince Nuada launched into an attack, disarming a guard. Now, with swords in both hands, he proceeded to demolish the royal guard.
Kellan was mesmerized. He moved with such grace yet with such strength of purpose. Slash to the left, retreat, jump, slash, retreat until only two guards stood, before the King. She shook her head to break the spell and readied herself as he twirled the two swords in his hands, menacing gaze fixed upon his father.

As Prince Nuada ran forward, Kellan mirrored his actions. He lowered himself backwards, sliding under the reach of the guards and cutting them down as he passed. At the same moment, Kellan launched herself into a flip and landed right in front of the King, her hands coming together in front of her to grab the sword that had been meant to end the life of King Balor.
Crap, she thought to herself, as she felt the blade slide a few inches into her stomach. She breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the pain as she held onto the blade. The prince seemed undeterred, as if he didn’t realize what was happening and kept pushing the blade forward. It slid another two inches forward.

Damn it, Kellan though to herself. She was trying to control herself, trying not to let her temper take over and reveal herself. Mother, you and I are going to have a really long talk about this. Damn elvish steel, it hurt like nothing else.

The King stood and roared, “Nuada, what have you done?” but it seemed to have no effect on the stubborn prince. The King looked at Kellan, the beautiful human who had befriended his daughter and made her laugh for the first time in hundreds of years, for the first time since Nuada had abandoned her. The human who had proven her undying loyalty to him, the human whose council he trusted above all others and now she would die because of his son’s belligerence.

“Leave, your majesty,” he heard Kellan say, the pain clear in her voice as she held the sword to stop its passage through her body and into him.

“Nuada, stop this right now!” he bellowed.

“Brother, don’t!” Nuala screamed when she saw what her brother was doing. She couldn’t let the only friend she had die at the hands of a brother who had seen fit to abandon her.

It was Nuala’s scream that seemed to wake Nuada from his trance and he let go of the sword. He had skewered the human instead of his father. It was no great loss except that his plans would have to change. After all, there were plenty of humans to replace this one. A human who gave her life to save your father, a small voice said in his head which he ignored.

He had to admit that he was rather surprised the human still stood on her feet and even more so when she pulled the sword out and flipped it up in the air, only to catch it by the handle.

“You have a choice, prince,” she said, her silver eyes hard, revealing none of the pain she must be in, “you can leave now, or I will tear your heart out and feed it to your ogre!”

Kellan knew it was an empty threat because she was supposed to make sure he lived but she was still angry. Very angry. If all she could do was threaten him, then she would.

Nuada’s eyes narrowed, the menace rolling off him in palpable waves. “How dare you speak to me like that human?” he growled.

“She has earned the right to speak to you as she desires, as she has saved my life. And I hope, for your sake, that she survives her wound, Nuada, or I will have you hunted down,” the King bellowed. “Now leave before I have you thrown in the dungeon!”

“Have it your way, father. I will do as you bid, for now,” with a final look of contempt, Nuada turned and walked out, his head held high. He hoped the human died. It would serve her right for interfering in matters she knew nothing about.

When he was gone, Kellan sank to the ground, the pain too much to bear without passing out. She would heal, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. She was definitely going to have a long talk with her mother about her ideas of strategy.

***
BonnyBlondeLass - Thank you so much for reviewing. I really hate the fact that they killed Prince Nuada off. He was only trying to save his people. And that's why this story was born because I think he deserves a happy ending. Mind you, it's going to be a long and hard road until he gets there, but he will get there eventually :D...