The long-awaited second part of this ask is finally here!
I was actually planning on posting this last night, but I had a couple of health related issues to take care of, so I chose to push it back until I felt better.
I hope you enjoy this continuation, and let your heart be crushed with all the oncoming angstĀ ā¤
(First Part: Lancelot watching his S/O die)
Trigger Warning: Very Heavy Angst, mentions of Blood, Major Character Death.
Edgar Watching his S/O die:
Edgar felt his world falling apart around him.Ā
And he wished nothing but to die.Ā
Edgarās empty eyes, devoid of all human emotions, were glued to the the young man sitting in front of him restrained in handcuffs. The judgeās deep voiceĀ was announcing the final verdict, but Edgar could not find it in himself to properly listen, gaze still locked tightly on his most hated enemy. He could faintly feel Jonahās gaze on the back of his head, his superior ready at all moments to step in and stop Edgar from committing any grave action.Ā
Zero, hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword was sticking close to his side as well, his presence although usually soothing to him, was making Edgarās wrath raise in intensity.
His Kingās eyes were also on him, the only thing barely keeping him in check. Minutes painfully ticked by, as the criminal received his rightful sentence and rose up from his seat to be escorted to his assigned prison. The now convicted man slowly raised his head and started searching through the crowd in the court, a disgusting smirk growing on his face as soon as he spotted Edgar sitting in the front row.Ā
He saw crimson blood, heard agonizing screams, and felt your body growing cold between his arms.Ā
He saw your killer, alive and well, walking away from him, a week after your funeral.Ā
Ā And the nightmare played out in his head again.Ā
Edgar has never been this happy before.Ā
How could he not be when his bloody past has been finally buried, his real self accepted, and his love returned? You were the very light of his life, the sunshine to his darkness, the smile erasing his loneliness. You wholeheartedly embraced his every flaw, and poured so much affection into his broken soul that he felt the desire to live burn in his veins for the fist time in a very long time.
That desire was his first mistake.
But nothing lasts forever.
And because the worst things in life come free to us, soon things took an abrupt turn for the worst.
It was a slightly cold afternoon when Edgar saw you off on your way to pay Blanc a visit. Cradleās Official Record Holder has apparently invited you to have a cup of tea with him, and you were more than glad to accept his offer. Your smile was shining brightly as you kissed your lover goodbye, hand coming up to softly caress his cheek before you waved at him. Grinning when he spotted the delicate bracelet he gave to you on your last birthday, which you were proudly showing off on your wrist, the Jack of Hearts watched you skip across the paved road, heart feeling at ease.
Waiting until your small figure disappeared from his sight, Edgar tuned around to get back to his neglected duties, when a loud voice stopped him in his tracks.
One of the his unitās newest recruits stood behind him, a bouquet of flowers held carefully in his hands. The soldier quickly saluted his superior, before handing him the beautifully wrapped gift, tone formal as he announced.
āThis was just delivered for you, Sir.ā
Raising one eyebrow in sheer curiosity, Edgar slowly pulled off the thin veil protecting the flowersā fragile petals as he questioned.
āWho was the sender?ā
āI-I am not sure, sir.ā The soldier nervously responded, āWe have found the bouquet in front of the main gate, with your name written on its accompanied card, so we have brought it to you, after checking it for any harmful substances or hidden poison.ā
Lightly nodding his head in incomplete understanding, Edgar finally took a good look at the delivered flowers, eyes suddenly widening in shock as he recognized the deceivingly vibrant colour.
They were Purple Petunia.*
Edgarās breath was caught in his throat, but he quickly regained control of himself, dismissing the confused soldier before hastily entering the Headquarters, directly heading to his office.
Once inside, Edgar made sure to properly lock the door before turning his attention back to the suspicious bouquet. He was never a true believer in flowersā meanings and symbols, but he did recognize its practical usage while sending a coded message to a certain enemy, thus he was unable to dismiss this particularly ominous flower.
Carefully picking up the small card hidden between the delicate stems, Edgar took a deep breath and concentrated on reading the following message.
āDead men tell no tales.Ā
But when gone are the hidden veils,
Guide the Gentle Devil to his doomed rails.āĀ
The foreboding note sent a shiver down Edgarās spine, his heart dropping as a sinister feeling seemed to completely envelop his senses. Shaking his head in a futile attempt to shake the dark, unreasonable thoughts swarming in his mind, Edgar soon spotted an address at the bottom of the card in an almost unreadable handwriting.
Incapable of making sense of the flowers, card or creepy note, Edgar let his body drop on his chair, suddenly feeling too exhausted to move. His logical side knew it was best to treat the entire thing as a unsavoury prank from one of the soldiers, but the the ill-boding feelings continued to grow further in Edgarās head despite his resistance, and he wished he could see your face soon.
Glancing at the clock sitting on his desk, Edgar deduced that you would probably be back in two hours or so, considering the fact that Blancās house was not that far away from the Red Territory.
He can wait for you, and when youāre finally back, maybe this impending feeling will disappear for good.
Waiting was his second mistake.
And EdgarĀ will come to realize so in the next few hours, as you were nowhere to be found.
āIs she not back yet?ā Zeroās voice carried a hint of worry as he stepped beside Edgar, who was standing at the front gate, face completely blank. When Edgar did not respond, Zero sighed in defeat, eyes locked at the road where you were last seen in, before he muttered:
āShe probably got caught up with Blancās idleĀ chatting. She will be home soon, so donāt worry.ā
Edgarās mind barely registered his protegeās words as another wave of dread invaded his body. Something was incredibly wrong. Edgar simply knew it, and he couldnāt help but to squeeze the hilt of his word even tighter.
āSir!ā A shout suddenly echoed behind the two men, forcing them to immediately turn to face the young soldier running to them in full speed. Edgar, recognizing his recruit from this morningās delivery, didnāt waste any time waiting for him to catch his breath, quickly snatching up the note held in his hands.
āWeā found another note-ā The soldier struggled to properly breathe, āAt the back gate this time-ā
The note was partly covered in blood, instantly sending warning signs in Edgarās head. Willing his hands to stop trembling, the Jack of Hearts unfolded the piece of paper, colour rapidly draining from his face as soon as a too-familiar bracelet fell from the folds, equally covered in blood.
Zeroās face twisted in pure shock just as Edgar crumbled the note in his clenched fist, eyes loosing every ounce of warmth at once.
Frozen in his spot, Zero was only able to watch Edgar calmly walk away from him, unhesitatingly heading towards the forbidden forest following the noteās specific orders. Small droplets were starting to fall from the grey sky, thunder growling in the far distance, turning the previously relaxed atmosphere to a gloomy one.
Zero harshly bit his lips and rushed back into the Red Headquarters, praying with all of his might that Edgar makes it to you before itās too late.
Finding where you were kept hostage was an easy feat for Edgar, considering the fact that your kidnappers were generous enough and provided him with the address earlier this morning.
āIf only I realized their twisted plot earlier!ā Edgar bitterly thought as he made his way through the thick, dense vegetation covering what seemed from afar, as an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Pausing to quickly sweep his surroundings, Edgarās gaze finally spotted a young man standing in front of the lone cabin, absent-mindedly toying with a sharp dagger.
Few minutes passed in absolute silence, but even after straining his well-trained senses, Edgar found no proof of any other presence, apart from the seemingly uninvolved man.Ā
Clenching his sword in preparation for a close battle, Edgar slowly stood up, fully exposing himself out in the open, anger steadily boiling in his veins the closer he got to the man. The latter didnāt waste any time spotting the Jack of Hearts, a disgusting grin plastering on his face as he quickly reaches behind him to open the cabin door.
āWhere is she?ā Edgarās frosty tone echoed throughout the empty space, making the man stop in the middle of his action, hand hovering over the doorknob.
His eyes, now clear of any trace of his previous mirth, unwaveringly fixed Edgar, voice equally cold as he muttered.
āThatās the first thing you say to me after all these years?ā
Edgar subtly moved his hand closer to his sword, trying his best not to trigger the manās wrath. In an attempt to keep your kidnapper too busy to act on his twisted whims, Edgar sought to distract him with the first question that came to his mind.
āOh my. Have we met before?ā
These six words were Edgarās third fatal mistake.
Ā The manās hysterical laughter filled the deadly silence as Edgar continued to watch him doubled over, disgust written all over his face.
The man continued to laugh for what seemed like ages, only straightening out to properly open the door this time, voice revealing none of his emotions as he responds.
His venomous whisper passed unnoticed as the door slowly opened to reveal the horrible sight inside.
You were tightly tied to a chair in the middle of the bare room, your mouth painfully bound with a dirty rag, forcing you into tormenting silence. From where he was standing, Edgar was only able to spot few nasty bruises scattered on your knees and several still-bleeding wounds engraved deep on your thighs.
Just the sight of you, badly hurt, with tears filling up your eyes as you struggled against your restraints, was more than enough to send Edgar into a fit of rage once again. You soon managed to lock eyes with your lover, a flicker of desperate hope finally returning to your eyes as Edgar took one step closer to you, hand reaching out to hold you close as soon as possible.
ā¦Then there was blood. Everywhere.
Your eyes were still locked with Edgar even as your throat was slit open. Blood gushed from your open wound as life slowly seeped from your body. The crimson liquid slowly dripped from your neck to your chest and down to the ground, where the soil instantly absorbed it as it never existed within your veins. Your muscles twitched in a last, hopeless effort to cling to life before the fire igniting in your heart was put off for good.
Edgar stood frozen as seconds passed by, and only snapped awake from his dazedness when the man āyour killerā spoke, his tone terrifyingly indifferent.
āI sure hope you now remember me and my sister. The young girl you killed off by your own hands three years ago.ā
The hazy memories of a young, red-haired girl trashing in his arms, hitting his chest and struggling against his hold as he choke her to death resurfacedĀ in Edgarās head.
āAh,ā The cursed Jack of Hearts quietly thought to himself,Ā āHow did I ever allow myself to forget the monster I am?ā
Edgar have always believed that his past will not leave him in peace. He knew that his bloody sins will definitely come back to haunt him sooner or later, but he never thought the victim this time will be you.
Edgar chuckled to himself, sword falling to the floor.
The following events occurred too quickly for Edgar to fully comprehend, as if he was observing them from a very far place. Red soldiers, led by Zero and Jonah, quickly filled the cabin, arresting the man without any resistance, and recovering your corpse in the process.
Zeroās face was twisted in extreme agony the minute he spotted the bloody scene, and Jonah was unable to stay for more than few minutes in there, quickly running away to hide his tears from his soldiers.
Edgar stood perfectly still right in front of you, smile eternally frozen on his face.
āIām sorry, love. You were my cure and I was your disease. You were saving me and I was slowly killing you.ā
Edgarās heart died with you that day.
(*Purple PetuniaĀ symbolizes resentment and anger. Do not let its vibrant, beautiful colours fool you, this flower is usually associated with malicious feelings and heavy grudges.)
See? Iām somehow able of NOT killing off my favourite characters in these stories!
This second part in particular took way too long for me to brainstorm, craft, write, correct and even more to edit.Ā
I couldnāt have done it without the lovely @edgarbright who not only helped me create the initial story frame, but also bared with many of my failed ideas, blabbering and whining before coming up with this final draft. Girl, I really cannot thank you enoughĀ ā¤ She was the first person that came to my mind as soon as I received this ask for Edgar, and I was not rejected despite my sudden ask for help! Many kudos go to her!
My Ask Box is still open for the moment, so make sure to make the most out of it! Iām looking forward to your Asks!
