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multisfabulis · 4 years

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The Road to Forgiveness Be Damned

For Her Sake (Chapter 6/7)

Word Count: 4972

Here’s the sixth chapter!

Sorry this took so long to come out. I wanted to take some time off after I published the Qrow fic to give myself a break and it worked! Then we got a new puppy that was 6 weeks old at the time and a lot of my week now has been watching her and making sure she isn’t getting into shit. It’s been getting easier the older she gets but she likes to throw me curveballs now and then!

Only one chapter left till this story is done! This has been a long journey and I can’t wait to see this through to the end!

Read on AO3 | Read on DA

A scream rang out into the night, jolting Ferreth awake. His heart raced as he quickly sat up on the couch, his eyes darting about the room. He strained his ears to pick up something, anything, and he heard it. Sobbing, coming from Ven’s room. Throwing off the blanket, he ran down the hallway and stopped at her door. He didn’t bother knocking and barged into her room.

Ven was sitting up in bed, hugging her knees as she cried. Her body was curled up so tight… He could barely understand the words that were falling out of her mouth but they were clear enough for him to confirm what he suspected.

“Why couldn’t it have been me? Why wasn’t it me? Why did I live? Why couldn’t it have been me?!”

This wasn’t like the other times her nightmares had woken her up. She’d shrug it off and try to go back to sleep or power through the night. Not this, though. This was his first time seeing her like this and it broke his heart.

He knelt beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, her eyes red and puffy and her hair disheveled. More tears spilled over her cheeks as she latched on to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck and her hands gripping the front of his shirt. He brought her closer, rubbing his thumb along her arm to console her.

“Ferreth, I…I…”

“Shh, it’ll be okay. I’m here.”

“S-stay with me, please…please…”

His arms tightened around her as he nosed through her hair. It hurt to know that he couldn’t take away her pain. He couldn’t just wish it away or take it upon himself. The familiar feeling of helplessness crept up again and he could do nothing about it. If she wanted him to stay with her, he’d do it. If being with her meant she’d feel better for a little while, then that’s all that mattered.

Still holding her, he carefully slid onto the bed, attempting to not disturb her more. It was uncomfortably small, definitely not for someone of his stature. He had to curl his legs up and bend his neck down to avoid bumping his head against the headboard. He had an arm draped over her waist and the other awkwardly folded underneath his head. Tonight would NOT be a good night for sleep.

She had quieted down some, though he could still hear her sniffling. There was nothing he could say to brighten the mood. Instead, he chose to look out the cracked window to gaze at the silvery full moon in the sky. It was as beautiful as always, its gentle light blanketing the village in a soft grayish blue.

What would tomorrow, or more like today, bring? It was the day they needed to report back to Filaurel about the completion of their task. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t know what her verdict would be.

He’d never say it to her. He tried, he really wanted to try, but he just couldn’t find it within himself to believe that she was going to be forgiven. Not because he thought she didn’t deserve it but Filaurel wouldn’t give her that. She was too stuck in her prejudiced beliefs to forgive her. Even if she did, she’d somehow find a way to twist it to not mean anything and leave her devastated. Either way, Ven would be walking out of Thal Esari, picking up the pieces of her broken heart.

Upon noticing the silence, he looked down to see her sleeping. He felt relieved; she needed all the rest she could get. He began carding his fingers through her hair to settle down the anxiety bundle bouncing around in his stomach.

This poor girl has undergone so much pain in her short life. There’s no counting how many times she’s wanted to give up, to run away from it all. Yet she still found the strength to resist those temptations, the courage to come back here and ask for forgiveness. Her bravery and fortitude are just small parts of herself that he, along with many others, admire her for. Only in his wildest dreams would he even think of coming close to being like her…

So he decided to wait out the rest of the night. If she had another nightmare, he didn’t want to be sleeping in case she needed to be comforted again. Her scream also gave him quite the shock to his senses so… He stared out the window to see the telltale signs of the sun rising as it painted the sky in gold and violet hues.

Dawn came at last, though not in the way he expected. He watched as dark clouds rolled in, lightning flashing above and low rumbles of thunder following soon after. How fitting for a storm to occur on a climatic day, he thought.

What seemed like hours passed by till he felt her stirring awake. He stopped what he was doing as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Tired amethyst eyes looked into his and it was as if he couldn’t breathe. Her first waking up was a rare sight to see and she was as beautiful as ever.

“Ferret? Is there something on my face?” she asked before letting out a yawn.

Realizing he had been staring at her, he averted his gaze while blushing furiously, saying, “N-no, there’s nothing! Absolutely nothing! Nothing at all!”

“Uh, is it okay if you, um…” She glanced down and let go of his shirt.

“O-oh, yeah, sure,” he stammered out as he awkwardly rolled off the bed.

It was after he left the room he felt pins and needles were being jabbed into his arms and legs. That, alongside the crick in his neck, hurt and it sucked. Never again did he want to stay in a bed meant for someone much smaller than him. At least he didn’t have to put up with it for long.

They were going home after their check-in with Filaurel. They just needed to last a little while longer and then it was smooth sailing from there on out. He could already hear the seconds ticking away in his head.

He yawned and almost collapsed on the couch as the weight of exhaustion crashed onto him. His eyelids felt heavy yet he knew he had a full day’s travel ahead of him. Just hold on until tonight, that’s all he had to do. He patted his cheeks in an attempt to stay awake, hoping it’d work its magic.

When he heard her door open, he quickly stood up to face her. She came out with her hair brushed and pulled back and her eyes bright. Even the cuts and bruises she sustained a couple days ago seemed to have healed. He probably looked way worse, compared to her.

“Hey, you doing okay after…last night?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She cast her eyes downward, as if she was guilty of something. “…I’m sorry for lying to you.”

Confused, he asked, “Lied? What did you lie about?”

“Remember when you asked me yesterday about my nightmares and I said they were the same as usual? I had one like last night’s the night before,” she replied, her eyes fixed to the ground.

“Ven, why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve done something to help you if I had known.”

“I didn’t want to worry you more than I already did. I thought I could take care of it on my own and not be a burden to you. I’m sorry.”

No matter how many times he’s said it to her, she’d never believe she wasn’t a burden to him. He wasn’t angry at her, or even disappointed. It was just exasperating to try and convince her to let him help her with things like this. Still, he’s only got words by his side so he has to use them to the best of his ability. Maybe if he repeated himself enough times, she’ll finally believe him.

“Ven--” He put both hands on her shoulders-- “you are not, have not been, and will never be a burden to me. I said you could lean on me whenever you wanted to and I meant every word. What happened to not trying to feel like one?”

“I know and I still managed to screw it up,” she muttered, continuing to stare at the ground.

“Hey.” He took hold of her chin, lifted it up, and looked into her eyes. “I know it’s hard to rely on others but I’m here for you. I promised I’d be there for you and I don’t plan on going back on it. Don’t be afraid, okay?”

She smiled softly as she butted her forehead against his. He knew he couldn’t stop her from feeling like she was a burden to him. He could only hope his words were finally starting to get through to her. Maybe her doing this meant she was beginning to believe him if just a little.

Once they left the house, he glanced up at the sky and grimaced. The storm was making more of its presence known, its clouds as dark as night and its lightning strikingly white. It looked as if rain would come gushing down at any second. It was bad and they were going to be caught in it, one way or another.

His mind began to wander off as they walked towards the village square. So much had happened within the last few days. The first couple were nothing to write home about but the third day nearly sent him to an early grave. Yesterday was probably the most pleasant day they had here, though that wasn’t saying much. How was Ven taking all of this?

Then a question popped into his head. It was a question he had honestly never thought of asking before because it hadn’t mattered till now. He may already know the answer but he still needed to ask it.

“Hey, Ven, is it okay if I ask you something? You don’t have to answer it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“What is it?”

“Do you… Do you think you’ll ever tell Eric about what happened?”

She stopped dead in her tracks and he instantly regretted asking that. Eric was easily the most important person in her life. There’s no way she could just tell him every torturous detail of her life before him. She’s convinced people would be terrified of her if they knew of what she did. She loved Eric too much, way too much, to ever tell him and risk having him be scared of her.

“I…I don’t know,” she replied hesitantly, clutching her chest. “I’m scared to tell him because what if he’s afraid of me? What if he hates me? What if…I lose him?”

“Ohh, Ven…” He hated being right. “He won’t think any differently of you.”

“It’s just… He was the first person to show me kindness in such a long time, the first person to be friends with me. He risked everything for me and I can’t ever repay him for all he’s done. I don’t wanna lose him or have him hate me.”

“You know how he is. You’d have to be an especially horrible person for him to even think of hating you and you aren’t. You believe that, don’t you?”

Seeing her withdraw more, he hastily said, “Whatever you choose to do is up to you. I won’t pressure you or tell him anything.”

He decided to end the conversation there. She buried her face into her cloak as he looked on sadly. Her friendship with Eric mattered too much to her to want to risk it. She had a right to decide on if and when she wanted to tell him about her past. It was her story to tell and he refused to take that away from her.

What started as a couple raindrops became a sudden downpour. They ran the rest of the way to the town hall, desperate to avoid getting soaked. Deftly walking up the stairs, they barged into the foyer.

He shivered as the coldness of the interior hit him. Ven was faring better than him, due to her cloak protecting most of her body from the rain. He looked over at the set of doors that laid before them.

Just beyond those doors was Filaurel. He, for one, could not wait to get what they were here for over with so they could go home that much quicker. She reached a hand out towards the knob and stopped. He could see it trembling ever so slightly and knew he had to step in.

Grabbing her hand to lead it to the knob, he said, “No matter what goes on in there, I’ll be there with you.”

She gave him an affirmative nod and let out a deep breath. She seemed to be trying her best to not let her fear show in front of him. Confronting her abuser for the second time this week was probably making her anxious as all hell and she was still wanting to ease his worries. He meant every word he said to her, for better or worse. She finally pushed the door open and they walked in.

Everything appeared to be the same as when they first came in here. The floor length window that now showed the deluge of rain. The dais that held three seats to their left and the group of benches meant for an audience to their right. In the center, much like before, was Filaurel.

Just looking at her made him bristle. What use was there in saying more than he already did? The woman scarred Ven for life because she had a sick and demented way of handing out “discipline”. She brainwashed her into believing she was a monster, that she didn’t deserve or have a right to exist, and for what? Because she carried an absurd hatred towards Vlixeoxs? Whatever it was, no way in hell did it excuse doing what she did to a child.

“My Lady--” Ven knelt down before her, with him following suit-- “we’ve come back bearing news of our success.”

Giving them a haughty chuckle, Filaurel said, “So you actually did it, and within the time limit as well… I must say, I’m impressed.”

He wanted to mimic her like the petty guy he was. The tone in which she spoke that was as if she didn’t expect them to even do it, much less in the time she allowed them. Still, he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to jeopardize Ven’s chances at forgiveness by acting immature.

“If it isn’t too much to ask, my request?” she asked shyly, both of them standing up.

“Ah, that. I had honestly forgotten about it,” Filaurel replied, her hands tightening on the grip of her cane. “You know I don’t like being reminded of my age, Venli---”

“I-I’m sorry, my Lady, I-I didn’t mean to---”

She slammed the butt of her cane down to quiet her. “What have I told you about interrupting me, young lady? Surely you haven’t forgotten that among everything else, have you?”

Ven timidly bowed her head while apologizing. It was getting harder and harder for him to bite his tongue with each word that spewed out of her mouth. He couldn’t wait for this to be over with so they could head back to Aurora Zenith. There, she’d be treated with the respect she deserved.

“Now, about what you asked for…”

They waited for her answer with bated breath. He wasn’t expecting forgiveness, their first meeting sealed the deal on that right away. She was too cruel and heartless to suddenly be “generous”, whatever her definition of that was. Then there was the matter of how Ven would take this.

She was going to be crushed, that much he knew for sure. Whether it be by rejection or a massive guilt trip from Filaurel, the result would be the same. The only question was, what would hurt more?

“Unfortunately, your crime is far too great for what you seek so I will not grant you forgiveness.”

He watched her face fall in devastation. Even when he knew it was coming, it did little to ease the pain he felt after seeing that. He needed to get her out of here before she started crying. He put a hand on her shoulder to turn her away when---

“How long?” She took a step forward. “How long did you consider?” Don’t do this, don’t challenge her, he silently begged.

As the thunder slowly rumbled outside, Filaurel asked, her voice low and holding back tranquil fury, “Are you questioning me? Do you dare question my ruling?”

“N-no, I-I-I’m just asking if…” She stopped speaking, all the color gone from her face.

“If what?” She slammed her cane down once more, startling Ven. “You know how much I hate you not finishing your sentences.”

“Did you ever think of forgiving me or were you never going to, no matter what I did?”

Outside of the rain battering on the window, the room was deathly quiet. He wasn’t sure on what would happen next. If it came down to it, he’d grab Ven and hightail it the hell outta Thal Esari. Filaurel began to walk towards them after a moment passed, a look of barely restrained rage on her face.

“I-I’m sorry, my Lady, I spoke out of line so please---”

With the curved grip of the cane under her chin, Filaurel interrupted her with, “We’re past the point of apologies, Venlithea. You have a lot of gall to question me on whether or not I thought about granting you forgiveness. Frankly, I didn’t have to mull over such an outrageous motion, considering the severity of your crime, but I did. So don’t you dare challenge my authority again.”

“I-I’m sorry, my Lady.” He could see her shaking like a leaf from how scared she was. “P-please forgive me…”

“Honestly, what in your right mind made you think you could just ask for forgiveness? The blood on your hands can never be washed away, least of all with a simple task. You killed fifteen people. Fifteen innocent lives---”

“What…? Fifteen?” Was this her first time hearing how many had died that day? So they only saw half the people she…

“No matter what you do in the name of ‘atonement’, you’ll never be forgiven for what you’ve done. You should be ashamed for even thinking a monster such as you is worthy of forgiveness.”

A lightning bolt struck down then, the window rattling as thunder boomed. It shrouded Filaurel in shadow while illuminating Ven in light for a split second. He could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

He swore he could taste blood from how hard he was biting on his bottom lip. He was this close to grabbing the bitch and chucking her out the window. The only thing stopping him was his promise to Ven to not let his temper run wild. Why won’t she stand up for herself?

“Stop your sniveling, Venlithea. You needn’t act like a child over me telling you what you did all those years ago when the families you irreparably destroyed are still grieving over their lost loved ones to this day. Not only are you selfish, you’re cold-hearted as well. Get out of my sight and don’t think about coming back here ever again. I’ll have you killed on the spot.” She turned away brusquely and gestured at the door to wave them out.

He could tell she was fighting the urge to just collapse. His heart ached at seeing her shoulders tremble and hearing her breath hitch. His vision narrowed on Filaurel as he felt his teeth sharpen into jagged points. He had been holding back for her sake but this was the last straw.

“V-very well. Thank you for at least considering my request. We’ll be leaving now.” She sniffled as she turned to leave. He quickly took hold of her wrist.

“Hey, Filaurel,” he called out, almost growling the words as he said them, “you wanna take back what you said?”

“I thought I ordered you to leave. Both of you,” she emphasized.

“Ferret, let’s just go, okay? It’s not worth it,” Ven tearfully whispered, touching his arm with her free hand.

“No, Ven, I’ve had enough of this bitch walking all over you just because she can. Now she gets to deal with me.”

“And what, pray tell, do you want with me?” she asked, her mouth a wry smile. “Don’t tell me you condone this murderous girl’s actions.”

“It’s your fault those people are dead! You may not have been the one to kill them but you pushed a little girl to that point with your twisted ways of doling out punishment. The only one I see deserving the honor of being a monster is you, lady.”

“You have a lot of nerve, talking to me like that. You do know who you’re talking to, don’t you?”

“Yeah and I don’t give a fuck! You’re just an old cunt who tortured a kid for being a Vlixeox! Why the hell should I treat you with any kind of respect when you utterly refuse to treat Ven with an ounce of it?!”

“How dare you talk to me like that… You have no right in speaking to me like that when you answer to me!”

“The only person I answer to is my lord, a man that doesn’t see Ven as a monster like you and everyone else in this fucking village. You’re just a hag that gets off on abusing your power on people weaker than you. You’d be nothing without that.”

“Then tell me, what is so special about her?! What is so special about a Vlixeox that slaughtered several of my citizens in cold blood?!”

“She’s not you. We happened to meet some of those she killed and they forgave her for what she did. They did that because they knew she never meant for any of what happened that day to happen. You say one more word about her and I dare you to try me, bitch.”

Another bolt of lightning struck down outside. She became shrouded in shadow once more but he caught a glimpse of fear overtaking her beet red face. She’s probably never seen a Dradnach before this moment and it must’ve scared her, seeing the eyes and teeth like that. Good.

It was darkly thrilling to have someone like her be afraid of him. She deserved every last bit of the terror she was feeling, since it was nothing compared to Ven’s. He’d do so much more but he needed to take care of a more important matter.

With her lack of a response, he said rather curtly, “Now we’ll be leaving.”

He wrapped an arm around Ven’s shoulders and gently led her out the room. Each step he took, slight tremors shook the building, causing tiny cracks to appear along the walls and ceiling. It may have been petty but it was the best way to vent his anger without getting physical and alerting the guards.

The rain had lessened some when they came out. The guard posted at the bottom of the stairs threw them a glance in their direction but a quick glare scared him back to his front. She only sniffled as tears continued to fall down her cheeks, worrying him. He needed to get her to a quiet place to calm down. His outburst probably worsened her already jumbled emotional state.

Although he was naturally easygoing, he had a nasty temper. Whether it was due to his lineage or his race, he could be scary when he was pissed. He only lost it once around her and it terrified her to the point of tears. He’s kept his anger in check since then but he couldn’t do it this time. How could he stand there and stay silent as she was almost driven to her knees in despair? He may have just expressed his fury in words instead of his fists but it still must’ve scared her.

They finally returned to the house, the rain a light drizzle now. He led her below the roof and slid his jacket off to begin drying her. Slight hiccups escaped from her mouth as she whimpered. Seeing her like this sent disappointment coursing through his body, believing himself to be the cause of it.

“Ven?” he called out softly. “Listen, I’m sorry for losing my cool back there. I just couldn’t sit back and let that bi---woman say that crap to you. I know you’re probably scared but I---”

She cut him off with a hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face into his stomach, feeling her tears soaking through his shirt. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she tearfully said---

“Thank you. Thank you for being with me, for being my friend. Thank you, Ferreth.”

His heart swelled with love as he smiled warmly down at her. This girl would seriously be the death of him someday and he was perfectly okay with that. She didn’t need to be thanking him for doing what anyone would’ve done in that situation. He’d do it again in a heartbeat, if it made her happy.

“Jeez… Crying doesn’t suit you, Ven.” He knelt down in front of her, gently holding her hand as he wiped away her tears. “I think a smile fits you better so try and give me the best one you can muster. It doesn’t have to be big.”

Through her tears, she gave him a small smile. Sunlight trickled out from behind the clouds while the rain lightened to a sprinkle. Today wasn’t over by any stretch of the imagination but he thought it was starting to look up.

Wiping away a stray tear, he stood up and whispered, “Let’s go home, okay?”

So their time in Thal Esari had come to a close. He’d be lying if he said he enjoyed staying here and couldn’t wait to visit again. The trip wasn’t a complete bust, though he wished he never came in the first place. If there was anything he learned from all this, it was that Ven deserved to be happy, more so than he thought.

He wanted to give her everything in the whole world and more. He knew it to be an impossible task so he’d settle for her happiness instead. This trip caused her a lot of pain and heartache but she managed to get through it. If she could do that and come out better than before, she’d be okay. It was time for them to go home and, with that, the chance for a brighter future.

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#airi's writing #ship tag; Lean on Me #Corona's Shadow

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