Hope in the Grimderp

He repeted your words in his head and each time they leaved him more confused than before. He remembered quite well the day he presented you to his brother, a woman from Medusa that had catched the eyes of the lord of the Salamanders.

He begged him to let you met him, to allow him to marry you, to convince you to accept his hand in marriage. Ferrus couldn't conpletely grasp the sudden attention towards you, yet he obliged, allowing him to met you, he talked to your father, he even reminded everyone of the great deal of the marriage. You were reluctant, he did not blamed you, but of course no one would be a better husband than his brother Vulkan.

And he had never saw Vulkan so happy in his life. Everytime the two met he couldn't stop him of brag about how happy hebwas to have you as his bride, how he wanted to make you happy, how his sons were so happy to have such a perfect mother for them. He also remember to ask if there has been problem, if she was adjusting, and he noticed the shadow casting against the brilliant smile of the Drake.

"She's still confused, of course. Away from her family and home... things will get in place in time, i swear."

And now...this.

A fugutive bride banging at his door, a broken hand, a look of pure terror and the hope he could undone the marriage. If he had only knew that things were going that bad...

He entered his room, he knww what it has to be done.

///

Your eyes blinked, weak from the slumber and the tiredness. For a split second you wondered if everything has been a dream: escaping from Vulkan home, stealing a small ship, reaching Medusa with the few knowledge you own...

"Ouch!"

Stinging pain, acute like a needle, slowly reaching your elbow by every nerv terminal in your arms. You looked down, your wrist bandaged in the best way you could do, a deep blue and purplish sign slowly emerging from the swelling. You couldn't move your hand, your fingers stuck in a hooking position. It was broken, you needed a medicae, ans it reminded you that it wasn't a dream.

You couls still remembered the face of pure terror when one of Vulkan's son tried to grab you and only that sickening crack reached you before the pain could. You didn't realized it was broken untill you knew you were far away from his clutches.

And even in pain, you couldn't stop smiling. You did it, you reached Medusa, you reached your home.

You had told everything to your lord Ferrus, to the hero that had always filled your head when you where small. He would had fixed everything, he knew what to do, of course he would help you!

The lock clicked, the door slightly lamented in the dark and your hero happeared through the door with his usual look: cold, unmoved.

"You're awake.. good." He looked at your still tired expression, observing how you back striaghten up. "I wish to talk about....what you told me. Please, follow me..."

You did not argued, you did not mentioned your wrist, your still sleeping bones or how mess you were in that moment. You trusted him, you trusted the lord that had protected your people for generations without a single thought, and so you moved close to him, following him in the corridors of his forge. You trusted the man that had believed in the better judgement of his brother, that may had missed the darkness and saw the light.

You had never saw the inside of the Gorgon's forge, it was a misterious place surrounded by stories and legend, the home of the ancient master of metal. It was an house nonetherless, old and full of memories, of treasures, and in certain ways it seemed like the corridors could go for miles in the mountains till meet the other side of the planet.

You didn't know where you were going, it wasn't even the same road you had made when you entered, but you still followed.

"Your words, yout thoughts about my brother." His voice sounded like a thunder above you, stronger than his footsteps. "Have you considered their meaning?"

"Meaning?"

"The weight they carry..."

"...I did my lord...I know that they may be troublesome...but they are true! I swear!"

"So you say my brother is...can you repeat them?"

"A sick one." You said without esitation." A psychotic that hide behind a smile. He locked me in his house! Isolated me from my family! He even forged a letter from me pretending that nothing wrong was going on!"

"These are...grave accusation."

"It is what it is, the true!"

He hummed, considering your words, taking them like they were. Was he thinking about what to do next? Keeping you hidden? Making sure your family find you?

...Confronting Vulkan?

The idea made you shiver, you had never thought about the idea of one primarch stepping up and helping you out, yet it seemed almost natural running to the one that you truly saw as a trusted one.

It was during those thought that you realized that you had reached your destination, a giant door decorated by different scenes from Medusean clans stories, carving of monsters and beasts that has been fought on the planet in the legends, You could smell the fuel, the metal pof the weapon and the gunpowder, the motor oil of the vehicles and you could hear engines running.

A launching base? You had never thought Ferrus had builded one there, you had never saw ships or planes departing from there. SA private one?

"I do believe you, little one."

He opened the door. Many eyes against you, armors, black and green mixed together, cold grey eyes throwing daggers against you while firey ones looked full of pain. Especially the oens of the man that you were tryign to run away from.

"But I do believe my brother too."

If now thge eart could open its maw and engulf you, you would accept it like a gift. You wnated to breath but you coudln't, not properly, capable only to gain oxygen but not one exhale came from you.

You started to panic, everywhere those same eyes looked at you but the only one that really made you wanting to scream in agony where the one of Vulka, your captor, your husband.

He looked in pain, a fisical one, his hands clutched against his chest, his face covered in old dried tears and new ones emerging while observing your poor form, the dusty clothes, your tired and full of fear eyes, your trembling lips.

He opened his arms, passing through his sons that immediately started to talk to you, to make questions.

"Why did you leave mother?!"

"What happened?!"

"Are you injured?!"

STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP TALKING, STOP MOVING, STAY THERE, PLEASE STAY AWAY, DO NOT COME CLOSER DO NOT-

"My love?"

You looked back at him, at that damn monster wearing the mask of the perfect husband.

"Little flame...my diamond...I feared the worst!"

"n...N....No....Not... n-"

Two hands, cold as iron, stopped your trembling shoulders. The weight of the demi-god was on you, you could feel everything and it was too much to being nearable.

"You said he had took you against your will, but I did allowed the marriage, so did your father. Many wills were accepted."

Oh no please.

"You said he took your prisoner in his home. Do you have any idea how dangerous is his home planet? How many life Nocturne had took since humans settle on? He protected you, allow you to be shelter by its dangers."

Throne please, it was too much.

"And your family...your father wanted nothing more than power. To use you. I know men like him, I had deal with them since i had the chance, and Vulkan had decided to step in to avoid his...intention to ruin your union, to make sure that you woudl be free from malevolence,"

"And you had ran away." You could felt his anger, his hands crashing your muscles." You had portrayed him like a monster. Like someone that wanted to hurt you and take and take and take from you. Do you understand what you did?! The damage you had done?!"

Whisper of punishment, of a fitting end for someone that had casted such a disgrace to the clans, to Medusa. Something has to be made, someone had to be punished! Someone has-

"FERRUS STOP!"

Vulkan's hand were on his brother now, pushing him away from you, relesing you from his grip and anger. His arms took you in one of those embrace that shielded you from everything, secluded you, and now protected you from a man that digged an hole in your chest.

He hugged you close, fearing Ferrus's anger against you may do more damages than good.

"Please, she didn't knew better! She was scared! Do not be harsh on her! It has been me!"

You didn't realized of the tears untill they started to drench against his Boubou. His hand caressing your hair, trying to calm you down, acting like a shield against the burning anger of his brother.

Around you more voice echoed, voice of men that instead defended you and tried to find reason, men that were blinded like their father and decided that nothing was wrong even now.

"She's hurt!"

"No one have to be punished!"

"Mind your tongue, cousin."

Ferrus looked down, never he saw one of the Primarch kneel down and now his brother had little thought about the matter, so much he was focused in just have you in his arms.

"She had offended you brother. She had called you monster!"

"I forgive her. I'll forgive her everything! Look! Look at her poor hand! She need a medicae immediately!"

"She had stole one of your ship..."

"I don't want to hear any more word from you, Ferrus! From you or your sons! My wife is my own matter!"

There was that growl, that sound in the chest of Vulkan's that you heard again, that you had learned that could mean manmy thing. Never used against you, only around you, when someone spoke something against your attitude, when someone had pointed out how strange it was for you to be secluded in your chambers, of how curiously fast were the wedding....everytime against the world and never against you.

Ferrus sighed, deeply. He did not wanted to anger his borther, little did everyone know how dangerous was the most heart warmed of the Primarchs once he was angered.

"See? See little one?" he finally spoke again to you. "See how far your husband go for your own well being? Even after the bad mouthing...he is nothing but a proud and noble one. I made a good choice in giving you to him."

You didn't know what hurted you the most, the fact that the words of the man you once trusted the most were cold as ice or that the ones from the man you feared were the only ones that assured you the most. You didn't know, you could only sob harder.

"Why’re you crying? Aren’t you happy to be with me?” Vulkan sounded broken, yet he tried to hold a smile while wiping away your tears. "Does it hurt so much? Sar' Tath was so heartbroken for hurting you so much, he couldn't even look at me in the eyes!"

He tried to laugh, it was nervous, like if doing it would make everything less scary, less awfull. You just sobbed harder, tried to clean your face from the dirt that the tears had moved, you felt hard to breath.

"A-aren't...you mad...a-at me?"

A soft oh escaped form his lips. His forehead met yours in a gentle gesture, ignoring the dust, the durt and the tremors that you couldn't control.

“Throne, you have no idea how amazing you are, do you?” he sighed out, his thumbs caressing your cheeks, his breath so heavy against you.

He smelled like burnt wood, like leather and fire. It smelled like something you had always known and now felt so far away from you, like an home that has been lost.

"How can I be angry at you, my flame? You are everything I could die for..."

It felt awfull, like if his words were everythign you had always wanted to hear but now they scared you more than anything. You didn't wnated any of this, you never wnated to be in this position, you just wnated to make your homeworld, your lord, your father happy and proud! Never to be treasured by a dragon such as Vulkan! You never wnated this! You didn't!

You didn0't even knew why you looked back at Ferrus Manus, maybe to searching for evena slight of compassion?

Also: Big E explaining why he has a least favorite child