My King of Darkness (Maven x OC)

Chapter 28

Lydia

              It looked like it took all his strength for the prince to lift his head to meet our eyes, but his tone was still biting as he grimaced, "Mavey."
              My fiancé sneered, "Well, well, my big brother come to congratulate me. How touching."
             "Please," Cal spat a glob of silver tinted sputum at Maven's shoes.
             Before he could lift his head again, the king brought his leg back and kicked him in the face. As Cal reeled back, Maven seized him by the neck. Holding him in place with one hand, he unshielded his dagger with the other, "I'm going to enjoy this, brother."
              "Maven, stop!" I cried.
              He froze, but didn't take his gaze off the prince. His voice was laced with annoyance, "Lydia, he ruined our ball."
               "He's your brother," I said, barely more than a whisper.
               "And he wants me dead. If I don't do this, it'll just come back to bite us. Is that what you want, darling?" he spit the last word like a curse.
                "No, but he's still family. This will never end unless one of you makes a move toward peace,"
                 Cal met my eyes before Maven, "He's made his move, Lydia. The only way this ends is with one of us dead."
                 "I don't believe that," I said, turning back to my fiancé, "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."
                 Maven hesitated for a long moment, looking between me and his brother's battered face. Then, all at once, he let go of Cal and took a few steps back, throwing the dagger to the concrete floor in frustration. He turned to me, making a sweeping gesture towards his would-be victim, "Very well, my love. Your engagement present then."
                 So much for my engagement present I was going to get tonight.
                  "Thank you," I said, softly.
                  Maven's face softened and this time he spoke sincerely, "Of course. Anything for you."
                Suddenly the tension in the room seemed to snap. The Sentinels dropped Cal and he struggled to a standing position. "Well, well, I never thought I'd see the day," one of the Sentinels said, with a gruff female voice.
                She swept the helmet off her head.
                Farley.
                The other one followed suit, revealing Mare Barrow.
                "Didn't think anyone except Mommy Dearest could control you, Calore," Farley was saying, "But she's got you on a pretty tight leash."
                 "You!" I screamed, lunging at her. Maven caught me around the waist. I would thank him for stabbing her. "You're the reason Ben is dead! You...heartless..."
                 I couldn't conjure up the proper words to describe her, my rage and pain turning me to delirium again. She looked at me only with mild pity as I was reduced to a pathetic, miserable mess, my threats falling short.
                Farley took a step closer to me, "Benjamin chose to take his life of his own free will. He wanted to keep from getting captured and make a statement along the way. He was a good soldier—"
                "He wasn't a soldier! He was a bartender! He was a husband! He was going to be a father!"
                Maven took me by the shoulders, "Lydia." He addressed Farley, "What is this about?"
                 "A test," Mare said, "We wanted to see to what lengths you would keep up your little charade," her eyes dimmed, "Looks like I underestimated the love you could have for a Red girl."
                "I told you Lydia and I aren't a charade. Why do you care?" Maven asked, stepping in front of me.
               "They want to use me as a pawn. Like they did Ben," I said to him, purposely acting as if they weren't there.
               "Lydia, we consider you a valuable ally not a pawn," Mare said, "I know how that feels and I wouldn't do that to you. We know now that if you're on our side, Maven's on our side."
               "We already are on your side. Maven told you—"
                "What Maven told us was bullshit, lies, a farce," said Cal, who was now leaning on the wall, "He's not dumb enough to think that'd work."
                "That's the problem with you, Cal. You underestimate the power of emotions. The world won't turn on just principle. All problems can't be solved with fighting or money or prestige," I couldn't stop the words from falling out, "That's what your father couldn't figure out."
                 "Shut up," Cal muttered.
                 "That's why he was too dumb and blind to notice—"
                 With an almost inhuman howl, Cal snatched Maven's dagger from the floor and dove for me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact. I heard someone cry, "No!"
                  Instead of the dagger, I felt someone throw their arms around me. Someone tall.
                  And very warm.
                  I opened my eyes into Maven's blue ones, wide and swimming with pain. We looked down in unison at his abdomen where silver blood was gushing from where the point of the dagger protruded.
                  "Maven?!" I cried, as his eyes rolled back into his head. I felt his whole weight pressing down on me as he lost consciousness. I clumsily lowered my fiancé to the floor.
                 "Maven!" I screamed again, clutching at him with now blood soaked hands, "No, no, no!"
                  The small room had suddenly flooded with Sentinels decending on us. Mare and Farley ran for it, but Cal was glued to the spot. He stared down at his brother's body, the dagger still in his hand, hanging limp at his side. It seemed he couldn't quite register it.
                    Two pairs of black gloves hands were prying me from Mavens body and dragging me backwards. I shrieked like a rabid animal, "What are you doing? You don't understand!"
                    But they didn't see my hysteria or the tears. They just saw the Red girl with the exiled prince, standing over the body of their king.