You Don’t Have To Fight Anymore - Chapter Two
Series: You don’t have to fight anymore
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Pairing: Cal x Mare
Book: Red Queen
Faceclaim: Matthew Daddario as Cal Calore and Lindsey Morgan as Mare Barrow
Word Count: ~ 2,200
Rating: M for language
Prompt:
Rage is a funny thing, it can consume you completely and make you take unreasonable choices that will harm and burn everything in our path, yet it can easily extinguished by someone’s confession. The same fire that burns old bruises can be the one who lights up a new flame between two broken souls.
Author’s Note:
Hey guys, how are u?
I’m so happy that you liked the first part and here’s the second one(probably my favorite?), full of angst an angry stares from our main characters but some painful truth’s actually need to be said so...
Next part will be out soon and we have special sibling bonding figthing time with Mare and Shade so be sure to check it out.
Always let me know if you wanna in or out of my tag list and I hope you enjoy it!
@darlingod @war-storm @samanthaslytherin @starsabovenewsoulss @inopinion @niinazenlk @calmareforever @calxore @lilyharvord @queeniriscygnet @evngelinesmos @clarafarleybarrow @mareshmallow @calorelove @tiberiascalore @marecal-trash @choosemarecal @quiteliterallyinthis @marecalrandomstuff @potatoinvasion @famousdreamlandpainter @thehighhouses @lil-taco-kid @pumpkinspettigrew @selenbean-beany @calxomare @chaoslaborantin @wintersgh0st @kaytianaamaya @ssj2vegetatheprince @cordelnight @kindnssex @esnaaoolaa @bloodshrikee @giads13 @scxrletguardsdawn @artemishdp @fanfictionrecommendations-com @nxyatr @lipsticks-intherain @fandomsforfangirlsonly @wingsofanillyrian
Disclaimer: The characters don’t belong to me I just borrow them from Victoria Aveyard!
Burning old bruises
Mare Barrow
Most of the path is through a pine forest, the forest kept us from the cold wind in the two first hours of walking, in which Kilorn talked my ears off. I remembered when we used to run through the small forests around the Stilts and another memory invades my thoughts, the one of when we had to hide Cal's motorcycle in that same forest and I lost control in front of my whole family for Shade's death, realizing for the first time how they all felt about me. I shiver and pull the slaves from the black hood Shade gave it to me before going with Farley, swinging my arms to shake the cold that those thoughts bring while Kilorn still leads us through the rough path.
“Where are we going Kilorn?”
He thinks before answering with a smile on his face.
“We need to get to the other side of this forest and then walk until a tunnel, it's one of the Guard's improvised accommodation.”
“A tunnel?”
Cal walks in a clumsy way by my side and hasn't said anything since we left the others, he’s back with the prince attitude of upright spine and straight shoulders but his eyes are still overwhelming emptiness.
“Yes. This way they can't see us from the airplanes.”
“The others are also going there?”
I ask looking at Cal, who steps distractedly and not really close to me, however close enough so I can see the branch almost falling in his head and push him away, avoiding the piece of wood.
“Pay attention, prince.”
“They are. They will take a shortcut through Naercey to distract the silver soldiers.”
He says the last words glaring at Cal with disdain, I roll my eyes with the childish act and follow Kilorn, but then he turns to me and asks: “Are you alright?”
My answer is a shrug, how could I be fine? I don't even know what that means today and maybe I never did, fighting to survive in the Stilts, where I was Gisa's shadow, where everything seemed so unbearable that my heart burned inside my chest, I was safe but far for “good”. He understands my gesture and stays a couple of minutes without saying anything but his big mouth soon opens again and I try to suppress a smile, I know he just misses his old friend Mare Barrow, by the way, where is she?
“Do you remember how we used to run around the forest at the Stilts?”
Cal puffs out his chest, bothered with our conversation about the past, mad that we’re talking normally as if the world hasn’t just collapsed. Now he is walking slower and behind both of us, I don't even turn back to see his angry face.
“I remember you being the most childish person in the world constantly scaring me, but yeah.. it was a good time.”
This time he lets out a small laugh and Kilorn clenches his jaw, anger expressed clearly in his eyes.
“Everything was so simple. And now everything is so complicated.” The last part it's just a whisper to myself.
“Things are never so simple.”
For the first time during the path I hear Cal's husky voice and something about his words makes me shiver. Just a couple more steps and we are out of the woods, finding a big field with a short and greenish grass. No house or building where we walk. Not even the remains of old structures, we are passing through a Norta's cold desert.
“So..” Kilorn starts, clearing his throat and staring at his feet, which means he is about to say some bullshit. “What king Maven said, it's a lie, about him, ” He points to Cal with his head. “ murdering his father?”
I would've never thought it was going to be that stupid. I can't believe that he really said that, my eyes instantly look at Cal, who stopped moving and is staring at Kilorn like he could burn him with his thoughts. I punch Kilorn in the arm when Cal turns around and starts walking away, he then says coldly:
“The king was telling the truth.”
“Cal!”
Cal burns his handcuffs, freeing his hands, yet continues to walk away from us. I take a couple of steps in his direction and I can feel his scorching look behind his shoulder.
“CAL!”
“Let him go.”
Kilorn says, his fallen shoulders show his shame but his chin up means he won't apologize, I ignore his wish and keep walking towards the exiled prince.
“CAL!”
I run until I'm closer to him but still distant and I can feel my skin almost burning, I try to ignore the feeling by concentrating my eyes on the back of Cal's head.
“He didn't mean it, Cal.”
Kilorn mumbles a protest and fire starts coming out of Cal's right hand, I turn my back to him and my gaze meets his green eyes: “Kilorn, shut up.”
“Mare.”
Kilorn pleads and I face him with so much anger that I could send a lightning right at his head to kill him, but instead my attention flies back to the tallest.
“Where are you going?”
“Away.”
His voice is filled with pain and anger, I take a deep breath and look back at Kilorn, who has a grin in his face. I can almost feel the flame in Cal's hand get hotter and stronger, he is furious.
“Wait near that tree.” I gesture to the only dead tree, far enough from where we are so that I can actually talk to Cal in private.
“No.”
“Kilorn, I'm not kidding.”
Cal ignores us and keeps walking away, flames in both of his hands. Kilorn worriedly watches then puts a hand on my shoulder.
“He is dangerous.”
The words seem bitter coming out of his mouth and a sincere smile comes out of mine.
“I'm dangerous too.”
Violet sparks dance around my fingers, showing my capability to defend myself.
“We will be right over. Let me take care of this.” I wave at Cal and Kilorn finally agrees and makes his way towards the tree in Cal's opposite direction.
The heat wave he is producing increases each step, just like the beats of my heart, after a couple of steps I realize it's not gonna work running after him, he’s not gonna stop.
“Cal, where are you going?”
I stop walking and speak the words in the sweetest way I can because I know that Kilorn hurt him, even with the distance between us he is listening and stops right after my words.
“Away. Didn't you hear the first time?”
When he moves again a rage starts to grow inside me, I throw a lightning exactly a step ahead of Cal, making him step back and his flames become fireballs in his hands.
“You don't have a place to go.”
His feet spin in my direction and I see a strange coldness in his bronze eyes, I dodge easily from the fireball by stepping aside. The sparkle in my hands shake, preparing for how he’ll take his anger out on me and how I predicted, after the first ball there comes more.
While I try to dodge Cal's flames, my hands throw lightning at him with the intent to push him away and not to hit him, even though I'm almost burning with his damn fireballs.
“Mare.”
Kilorn yells and tries to get closer to us but I make a signal for him to stay put.
“He is going to hurt you!”
I send a bolt at Kilorn, just like I did with Cal, making him back off. When I hear Kilorn's words I finally realize, another sphere of fire passes right by my side and I don't move my body, waiting for the next one. As I expected, the ball lands in my left side burning all the way until my feet but not touching my skin, he is not trying to hurt me, he is trying to keep me away.
“Why are you doing this?”
Cal stares into my eyes and the flames in his hands become smaller.
“BECAUSE IT'S YOUR FAULT. You're right, I don't have any place to go and this is all your fault.” His eyes burn much more than his fire when he says those words.
They say that when the adrenaline pulses through our veins, when we are in constant danger and fighting for our lives we get anesthetized and when the adrenaline is gone, everything there is left it's reality and it hits us right where it hurts the most.
“What?”
“You did this, you did ALL OF THIS. Because of you Mare Barrow I lost everything , my family, my kingdom, army and freedom. EVERYTHING. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.”
“I did this?”
The anger now overflows my words and they cut the tension between us like a sharp knife. How dare he blame me for everything Maven did?
“I DID THIS? You've got to be kidding me.”
I take a deep breath to say the next things, to enunciate Maven's betrayal.
“Do you really want me to remind you Cal? Because the fault of ALL THIS it's YOUR BROTHER’S, he was the one who killed people, used people, manipulated everyone who trusted him. MAVEN DID ALL OF THIS, NOT ME.”
A purple lightning falls in the distance between us, the wounds are still open and Maven's betrayal is too recent for me to stay calm.
“You manipulated him.” I can't believe this words are coming out of his mouth.
“I MANIPULATED HIM? HE MANIPULATED BOTH OF US CAL, I thought you knew that.”
“No. It wasn't Maven who manipulated me.”
His eyes are filled with tears and my heart breaks in million pieces but I stand strong, staring at him.
“So, this is what it's all about?” Silence answers my question and I continue. “About making you choose? About I believing that you would choose me?” I tell myself that the cold tears rolling down my cheeks are caused by my rage and not the feeling I may have towards him.
“It's about how you manipulated ME, used ME to help HIM.”
Cal thinks a little before yelling:
“IT'S ABOUT HOW YOU CHOSE MAVEN.”
“Cal…”
The anger starts to dissipate inside me, the tears are not longer in his eyes and I quickly clean mine, I can see how hurt he is while speaking, how his heart is torn apart. He needs to blame someone besides himself and I'm ready to take the guilt, that’s when he interrupts my thoughts.
“You think you are so different because you have red blood, you act like every silver is a manipulative assassin and maybe we are but you are no different, you are just like us.”
I take a step further, decreasing the distance and he immediately makes the fire in his hands dance, threatening me.
“I…”
“You. Mare Barrow. Mareena Titanos. You really lived a lie during this time, you manipulated me and used me, used everything I felt for you against me.”
He lowers his head for a second and then he looks directly into my eyes.
“It wasn't like this Cal.”
“YOU PRETENDED TO FEEL SOMETHING FOR ME ALL THIS TIME, MANIPULATING EVERYTHING AROUND YOU, NOT CARING ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAT YOURSELF. YOU BETRAYED ME.”
He throws fireballs at me while he speaks, the anger crystal clear not only in his words but in his gaze. I walk in his direction and he keeps throwing fire near me, even though I'm far away from Kilorn, I can hear his angry yells and I admit I must seem like an idiot, walking closer to someone who is burning everything around but something inside me needs that fire.
The distance between us not is so small, his flames are already gone and I know he wants to back off, but for some reason he doesn't. I look up to find his bronze eyes, the flame that made me hold my breath all this time is back in Cal's eyes.
The wind messes my hair again, even though it's in an improvised ponytail and makes my body shiver from cold, his heat is so inviting that I get closer. I gaze his hand and he follows, I hold it and interlace our fingers before staring back at him.
“I never faked my feelings Cal, as much as I fought against everything I felt for you and wished with all my strength that I could just forget those stupid feelings. With you I never pretended.”
“You…”
Cal gets even closer and I interrupt the moment, holding back the giant desire to warm myself in his arms.
“Now is not the time.” I glance over my shoulder at Kilorn, explaining without words what and Cal agrees silently.
‘We can talk about this when we're alone’, I think while turning to Kilorn's direction when Cal holds my arm gently, keeping me in front of him for a little longer and whispering with a smile: “You don't have to fight anymore.”
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