Charon (ferrydriver) wrote in mythopoeics, @ 2012-02-20 17:52:00 |
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Current mood: | aggravated |
Entry tags: | !mini-log, !zurvan, charon, hemera |
3.
[Pandemonium had broken out. Townspeople were rebelling and it seemed like everyone was going crazy.
A group of people had been going around breaking into houses and taking things that weren't their's, and Charon worried for his sister. After making sure Mary was safe, he made his way to Hemera's quarters and hoped he wasn't too late.
~*~
What was going on? That was the question going on over and over on Hemera’s mind ever since the first screams had sounded. The girl had taken a place by her window, carefully shut except for the smallest fringe. And that was what she was using to watch the streets outside. People run back and forth, shouted and harmed each other for some reason. It was scary. Frightening enough to make her legs shake, arms around her own waist until she couldn’t breathe right. That could also be from fear, who could be certain?
Hemera didn’t open her door, she didn’t move. Instead, she waited like she had always done because her brother would never leave her alone. Simple as that. Shame she couldn’t really raise her voice. Scared or not, her common sense hadn’t gone completely out the window.
~*~
As he got closer to Hemera's, Charon pulled out his sword just in case he needed it. He was not typically the type to wade into the thick of things, but he could see a press of people converging on his sisters place and that was enough for him to throw caution to the wind. While not a big man, he was compact and well-versed in using his bulk to his advantage.
Charon bull-rushed his way through the crowd, wordlessly knocking people aside in an effort to get to his sister. He was pleased to notice that she kept her window shut, and gave a quick knock on the door before pulling out a key to let himself in, calling out to her. "Hemera, I'm coming in, do you have a weapon?"
~*~
Charon’s voice was welcomed beyond anything the girl could describe. She forced herself to stop shaking, swallowing deeply before raising from her corner. He was outside. And outside was more danger than could be named. Rushing out of her room, Hemera stopped only to get a small dagger out of drawer. A pathetic weapon but enough to do some damage in her lithe hands.
It took some degree of control for her not to attach herself to her brother.
“Charon!” A moment was all it took for her to be by his side, fingers tightened around the hilt of her weapon. “You’re alright. Thank God. How ‘s Mary? Is she safe?” The words left her mouth in a jumble, one breath even. Hemera felt like asking more, especially over what was going on and why was that happening but there was no time and she knew it. Instead, she showed him the blade with a small grimace. “Huh, I have this? I’m no good with anything larger anyway. Are we leaving?”
~*~
Standing guard outside Hemera's door, Charon had his most menacing expression on his face and his sword ready in case any of the disgruntled townspeople milling about decided to try anything. He wasn't sure if his sister had any weapons in her house, but he assumed she at least had a knife.
When she finally appeared he broke with decorum long enough to hug her.
"Hemera," he breathed out softly, one arm still around her. "Yeah, I'm alright, Mary is too. I'm taking you back to our place. It's safer, more fortified." He knew she probably had questions, but the restlessness in the air had Charon already moving. Pulling off his cloak he draped it over her, his expression serious. "It'll do. Hemera, you need to listen - if anyone comes at you then just slash. I'll do my best to keep you safe, but people are acting crazy. Stay right behind me, hold onto my belt if you want, and if anything happens just shout and I'll take care of it."
~*~
Thank God. Hemera closed her eyes tightly when she felt her brother near, briefly returning the embrace. It was easy to feel comforted with his presence. He had, after all, always symbolized that for her. Pushing herself to pay attention, the young girl nodded at his every word, relieved that her sister-in-law was also safe. The situation was impossible to make sense of, even Athena had failed to! But as long as they were safe, Hemera wouldn’t complain.
“Okay. Run, I can keep up. You don’t need to worry with me.” Her expression turned a bit sterner, a simple way to show bravery. If she showed it, maybe she would feel it. Nevertheless, Hemera pushed the cloak around her, big enough to cover her head and grabbed his belt with her free hand. His back, she could cover, at least. “As fast as we can. We don’t Mary to be worried. She might come after us and scold us half to death.” It was a feeble joke but it did take her mind off things. Carefully, she tugged her brother’s form forward, subtly telling him she was more than ready to leave.
~*~
Pulling back enough to briefly check over Hemera, Charon was pleased to note that other than the concern and worry he'd expected she looked fine. Unharmed. Safe. He would see to it that she stayed that way, even if it was the last thing he did. She was a scholar, kind to most everyone she encountered, and he'd like to think nothing about her would have made her a target but he'd seen people doing things today that made even him pause. She and Mary were the only two people Charon would sacrifice his life for.
"I know you can, Hem, that doesn't mean I'm not going to worry." It was just what big brothers did. He eyed the forming crowd ahead of them, working out a game plan in his head. In a situation like this he would appreciate having her at his back, but only because that way he knew exactly where she was. "Keep your head down, try not to look around." She might not like what she saw. Despite her show of bravery Charon still waited until he felt her gentle tug. Schooling his expression into one that he knew had the potential to scare most commoners out of his path, he dropped his head slightly and rushed forward, looking to scatter people out of their path.
~*~
There was no time lost. Forgoing a last look at her home – trying to forget how it might not be there in the next morning, maybe destroyed, burned to the ground – Hemera followed quickly, keeping her eyes on her brother’s back as much as possible. Bodies smashed against her, pushed in their haste towards their destiny and the girl had the feeling that they didn’t matter. They were just an inconvenient stepping stone. And this was ridiculous. These were people she knew, Hemera thought randomly, almost despairingly while disobeying her brother a little.
A glimpse of a face showed her baker. Another, the merchant down the street. She had two sons and one of them studied with her. The last was a soldier, usually keeping guard by the mill. Suddenly they had decided they were not worthy to darken their streets? Hemera tried to swallow a whimper, pushing herself more closely to Charon. It was easier to show fear at his back; it was better.
A hand gripped her cloak out of nowhere, uncovering her face before gripping her hair.
Charon’s name left her lips so suddenly, it was almost instinctual and the plea for help was implicit.
~*~
Time was of the essence. The faster they got back to his place with Mary the sooner he could set about making sure both she and Hemera were safe before reporting back to work. Much as Charon could empathize with the townspeople he had a job to do and that would come first. He knew how the Queen would react to this and didn't want his family to suffer due to a crisis of conscience on his part. Much as he knew she would look, Charon didn't want Hemera to see just how quickly things had deteriorated.
Each person they passed was careful to not meet his eyes, since his stance and countenance both spoke gravely of the consequences of getting in their way. He noticed his fellow soldier and a flicker of shock was displayed in his eyes though he continued to keep quiet. Whatever the other man was up to was of no concern to him while Hemera was still behind him; he had far more important worries.
The sudden sensation of a weight being jerked behind him brought his mind back to the present.
Hemera's voice sounded full of fright, setting off the rare sight of an angry Charon as he threw his fist at whoever her assailant was.
~*~
Never had she felt as scared as in that moment. Hemera felt the cloak being ripped from her, heard someone mentioning her name though that might have been her mind playing tricks on her. If they knew who she was, why would they want to harm her? It wasn’t like she had raised a hand against them. Ever. But these were thoughts that didn’t have place in that moment. The woman was too focused in gripping for Charon, her eyes turning from side to side, frantically, in search for his form. She didn’t even notice her weapon being tugged from her hands, it didn’t matter.
Someone was holding her back. But that someone didn’t do it for long, falling backwards under a blow’s strength. She shook herself away, tripping forward but releasing herself just in time to see Charon again by her side. He was angry, God, angrier than she had seen in a long time. No wonder he was feared, that people avoided him like the plague at times. And some of them did, she saw as she stepped back against him, some were afraid of him. Not all of them. The man to the corner was coming closer, his face contorted into a look that went beyond hate.
She saw the blade on his hand too late. Hemera screamed again, a piercing cry above the crowd’s muttering but it wasn’t quick enough to stop the dagger. Blood filled her vision, splashed on her light dress as it dug on his skin. The shock rendered her still, frozen as stone.
~*~
Allowing the fury at someone harming his baby sister to flood through him Charon moved like a man possessed. Part of him wanted to grab the man by the throat and ask him what Hemera had ever done to warrant being manhandled, but the more realistic part of him knew that this was neither the time nor the place. Instead, he looked around quickly, keen eyes assessing the situation and searching for the best way to get Hemera out of here.
Feeling his sister step closer he instinctively threw one arm out to block her as best he could from anyone else thinking to take advantage of the momentary distraction. The soldier in him knew what anarchy was and refused to allow the hotter heads of the rebels to interfere with his duty. He had promised their parents that he would keep Hemera safe even at the expense of his own life, and that's what Charon would do. Most of the people around them seemed to sense that he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone he perceived as a threat to his sister.
Unfortunately for him, not everyone was put off by the concept of potential death, and Charon heard Hemera's screams just a moment too late to block the dagger that buried itself in his skin. Had he not been running on pure adrenaline he probably would have been just as stunned as his sister, but in his current state of agitation Charon felt only the briefest of twinges before a coldness filled him. Dropping his hand down to cover the bleeding area, he raised his blood-splattered face to look at the man with the dagger, the smile on his face definitely not a friendly one.
He could tell he was losing blood quickly, but he still had enough in him for at least one or two actions. Remembering his sword, he slashed at the man before grabbing Hemera and shouting for the crowd to move or taste his steel.
~*~
It was the physical contact more than anything than shook her back to consciousness. Hemera just couldn’t believe it, that these people would come after them because. It reminded her vaguely of Thanatos. How the man had pushed her into the ‘noble’ category and awarded her all the faults of the class because of an accident of birth. And she was past caring, past being afraid of these people. Worry was stronger.
“Get away! Get away from us!” There were tears in her eyes, she knew. And she was also aware how childish she might have seemed, glued to her brother’s side, wanting nothing more than run back home and pretend nothing was happening. Instead, she fumbled to grip his arm and tug. Charon would kill, couldn’t they see? But he would kill in self-defense, like a man should. Not like the sniveling coward at their feet.
Frightened faces seemed to understand that – probably more due to his façade than any of her words – because they stepped back and to the side, a clear trail showing to allow them passage.
“Charon?” She tugged again, trying to call his attention. No revenge, no harm. They should leave as quickly as possible. “Please?”
~*~
It was things like the way these people were behaving that Charon had wanted to block Hemera from seeing, but sadly he wasn't able to. While he was unaware of what could have driven the same people who had been smiling at them not even a day ago to acts like stabbing a man just trying to protect someone he loved, he had no sympathy for anyone who would commit such acts.
Hemera was crying, he could hear the tears in her voice and it broke his heart. Any concern for himself was secondary to the overwhelming need to get her away from those who might think to cause her further pain. He was going to be fine so long as he could keep himself from collapsing before getting her someplace safe. Mary was a deft hand with a bandage, she'd cleaned many a wound for him before. This one was just a little more severe.
Keeping a snarl on his face he watched as people scurried aside, their looks of fright only heightening the desire to see them all pay for what they could have done to Hemera if given the chance. He glanced down at her as her voice filtered through the haze in his head.
"Right." He began to walk forward - not run, because he didn't want to aggravate his wound any further - keeping a tight grip on her hand. Nothing else needed to be said.]