#injuries.

You let out a hiss when the nurse touched your injured arm and side. As much as you wanted to hold it in place, you had to let her move it to inspect it. 

“Easy, dear,” the elderly witch cooed, bandaging anything she thought may have needed it. “I want to do this as painless as possible but there seems to be a lot of bruising.” 

“I-I know,” you inhaled through clenched teeth then tried to force a nervous smile. Before she even asked, you wanted to say something that deterred blame from your superior lest you suffered more when left in his presence next time. “I-I guess I need to watch where I’m going better, huh?”

The elderly witch shot you a stern look as if she knew this wasn’t from some accident.

“Strange how you could have an accident like this when out with one of the most ruthless captains the Coven has to offer on a routine training mission,” she raised a brow. “And to come back days after Captain Gress himself returned?”

“Y-Yeah, strange, huh?” you stuttered. She didn’t seem too enthused.

“Hm.” 

You averted your eyes as the woman tended to you, staring off at a far wall in thought. It was becoming more apparent that your superior had been beating on you. Ever since you had joined the Emperor’s Coven, the Captain of the Coven Guard had singled you out. 

Captain Gress was a hulking brute by all means. His tenacity was something to behold, but his vicious nature was something… else. It made Warden Wrath look like a tame kitten. Everyone in your platoon, in one form or another, suffered from the captain’s rage when things didn’t go his way or he was chided by Kikimora knowing her words came from Emperor Belos himself.

At first, you thought it was just harmless hazing of a new recruit, however, it didn’t stop after the first couple of weeks. The behavior continued, subtle at first. It would be a hard punch to the upper arm or a shove from behind, but it would escalate from there. Maybe it made you think he was trying to toughen you up. However, you began to notice a pattern whenever he did this. It would happen right after the emperor addressed the guards. If the witch even casually glanced in your direction, the Captain took exception to it.

One of the recent beatings you took gave you a bit more insight into why it was happening. For some god-awful reason, the Captain believed you were getting special treatment from the emperor and he hated it. While it was true you were sought out for certain missions, given to you by Kikimora by order of Emperor Belos, you didn’t exactly see it that way. You were sure you had proven yourself. It was the only way one could enter the Emperor’s Coven, by proving you had something you could offer the emperor. Granted, it did look strange that the missions weren’t given to someone of a higher rank since a lot of them were ones that had you removed from more action-heavy missions. You were no Golden Guard. Did all these violent outbursts really just come down to jealousy?

This time was bad. Very bad. Bad enough to put you in the Healing Coven for… who knows how long. You were sure Captain Gress broke something this time.  The only thing was, that the mission you were on wasn’t a routine training mission. It was what the Captain called a “Bonding Mission”, which meant it was just you and him going. No one else. At first, you were hesitant about going with a witch that had been beating you senselessly since you joined, but he had convinced you it was to make up for how he had behaved previously. He sounded sincere enough to convince you to agree, though knowing what you did now, you knew you weren’t meant to come back from the knee. Alive, anyway.

You were led out to the Knee, far from any town or form of civilization. The only living beings around were probably a couple of Slitherbeasts and one-eyed bats. If you had only heeded the sound of a thick branch being ripped off of a nearby tree, you may have faired better and gotten away before it had come to this. The only thought you had at the time when you heard it was that he was gathering kindling for a fire as you set up camp. All you remembered seeing was his shadow. You didn’t even have enough time to turn around.

The attack felt like it went on for an eternity. The captain didn’t use magic at all. He just used brute strength, alternating between the branch and his own limbs. At one point, you did blackout, only to wake up alone and buried under an inch and a half of snow in the middle of a storm. Your body was numb from the cold but didn’t mind reminding you of the horrors you endured when you moved wrong. Somehow, someway, you made it to one of the closest towns. You didn’t exactly remember how, but you did it. From there, some kind denizens took you in, bandaged you up, and returned you to the castle. 

The look on the Captain’s face when you arrived was hidden by his mask, but you were sure he was horrified. It sounded as if he was regaling some of the other guards about how he “tried to save you” after a horrible encounter with a Slitherbeast but he couldn’t as you and the beast had perished… somehow… and had to report your death to Emperor Belos himself. You weren’t able to catch the details and whoever you spoke to kept changing the story, or at least, Captain Gress had been. You got the gist that the only reason he didn’t use magic was to make it look less like a deliberate attack and more like an accidental death by a beast or whatever.

However, though you knew he had just tried to kill you, you weren’t sure who would believe you. Oh, the other guards definitely would have known how ruthless their captain was, but it wouldn’t have done anything. To save their own skins, they would turn a blind eye to it. For anyone higher than him, it was your word against a decorated captain, so you just went with whatever he told the others in a bid to keep him from coming after you in this condition. You wouldn’t survive another attack now. Only someone above the captain had to take action if they wanted to stop it from happening. 

So far, the census is that “you fell” off a cliff while getting away from the beast. Again, like the rest of the story, a lot of it was lost in translation like a sick game of telephone.

Sudden pain in your arm drew you out of your thought process and made you scream loud enough to echo off the walls.

“Oh! I’m so sorry dear! Looks like your arm really is broken. As well as several of your ribs and the opposite hip is out of place, and-” the Healing Coven witch sighed in frustration. “A lot more, I’m afraid. This is going to take a lot of magic to heal. It looks like you aren’t going to be moving for a while. You may not be able to return to your duties as a Coven Guard when you do heal though.”

You stared at the woman in horror.

“What?! No!” you gasped and tried to sit up, which caused you to scream again in pain. The elderly woman threw her hands out to stop you. 

“Don’t! You’ll make it worse!” 

“I can’t-! No! I can’t lose my position-!” you pleaded, tears welling in your eyes from the immense pain that surged through your body. “I worked so hard to get here-!”

“I know but-!”

“Your position is secured,” a soft, prim voice chirped from across the room. Glancing up, you were greeted by the small stature of the demon, Kikimora. Emperor Belos’ assistant. She crossed the room with her hands behind her back, her eyes locked on you. “The Emperor is relieved that you have been returned safe, Y/N. As is Captain Gress. An investigation has been launched to find the beast that attacked you and execute it.”

“An investigation?” you breathed, staring down at the assistant. 

“Of course. It is absolute treason against the emperor to attack a Coven guard,” she said, matter-of-factly. Your heart was somewhere between racing and falling into the pit of your stomach. On one hand, the captain would be found out for all the abuse he had put you and countless other guards though with attempted murder being his final nail the the coffin. On the other, he could snap and come to end you sooner, afraid that you’d spill everything despite evidence pointing at him regardless of your testimony, especially if execution was on the line. On the other other hand, he could try to use his past service to get a lighter sentence. “Emperor Belos will be along momentarily.”

Your eyes widened and body tensed up, causing you to hiss in pain. 

“Say what now?!” 

“The emperor? Here?” the elderly healer gasped excitedly.

“Yes. He wants a word with our survivor,” Kikimora motioned toward you. 

“W-Why?” you forced out.

“Why? Well, why not? You survived such a horrific ordeal. This is an extraordinary situation that he personally wishes to handle it himself.”

Biting your lip, you turned your attention to the sheets balled up in your fists. You were torn. Would the emperor believe you if you straight up told him that it was Captain Gress who attacked you without evidence? Or were you better off keeping to the story in case the evidence wasn’t strong enough to convict Gress of anything and leave you opened to more possible torment that could lead to your death?

The sound of heavier footsteps entering the room made everyone look up to see the tall, intimidating figure of Emperor Belos in the doorway. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when his gaze settled on you. Upon seeing him, the healer immediately kneeled with her head down. You would have done the same if given the chance but… yeah.

“Sire!” Kikimora started, rushing up to meet him. “The guard is awake and alert enough to-”

“Everyone leave. Now,” his annoyed voice echoed from behind his mask as he strode forward. “I wish to speak with them alone.” 

The elderly witch and the assistant exchanged glances and the elderly witch bowed and followed orders. Before she left, she subtly motioned to your side and made a circle on her own while making eye contact with him, silently instructing him without your knowledge. Kikimora, however, tried to interject but was given a cold glare which caused her to backtrack and obey. 

When the room was finally cleared, you turned your attention to the towering figure that was standing near your bed and you quickly averted your gaze. Now you were alone with him.

“I have heard several stories so far about what has happened to you, Y/N,” his voice softened. “Yet none of them make any sense. First, I’m told by your superior that you were killed on an unauthorized training mission to the Knee. Days later, you appear here badly injured but alive after a full scale search was initiated to find your body. Now I am told that you had survived a run in with a vicious beast with various iterations of what had actually transpired out there in such a remote area.”

The sound of the chair nearby being pulled up beside the bed followed by it creaking indicating that the witch had sat down made you flinch but you refused to make eye contact with him. 

“I don’t…” you started but your voice failed you half way through and the rest was just air. 

“I would like to hear it again. This time, from you. How did this happen?”

You tensed up to the point of pain, earning him a hiss. It was enough for you to clench your arm to your side.

“I don’t know-” you tried again, accidentally glancing at him but then immediately snapped your attention away from him. That blue stare against the black sockets  was unnerving.  “I can’t remember much…”

The emperor fell quiet a moment, noting your reaction. He let out a hum and the soft clatter of metal against the wood of the table next to you made you glance at him out of the corner of your eye.

“I agree, the mask tends to add a bit of intimidation. Is this better?” he spoke softly, giving you the gentlest of smiles. Your eyes slowly widened as you turned your head to him. He let out a warm chuckle. “I take that as a yes.” Belos grabbed each side of his chair and lifted up slightly just to pull it closer to the bed. “I would like you to tell me what happened when you were on this “Bonding Mission” with Captain Gress.”

It took you a moment to gather your thoughts. Your mind was still drinking in what Belos really looked like under his mask. His brilliant blue eyes had dark circles under them, as if he had gone a few nights without any sleep. Your eyes swept over the green scar across his face as you thought back to hearing the tales of wild magic destroying his family and harming him. His long, blondish gray hair hung loosely over his shoulders, something you did not see coming. When picturing what Emperor Belos actually looked like, you weren’t expecting long hair.

With another soft chuckle and his smile widening slightly,  Belos waved a hand in front of your face to snap you out of your stare, causing you to jump and look away quickly, somewhat embarrassed for staring. 

“I-I’m sorry…It’s just-”

“No one has seen my face before, I know. However, I believe this needs to be an exception,” he moved a finger to his lips with a wink. “So let’s just keep this our little secret.”

You found yourself nodding immediately.

“Of c-course, Sire! I shan’t breathe a word of it!”

“Excellent! Now, I would like you to do as I asked and tell me what happened. Who did this?” he leaned closer, his arms folded on the edge of the bed. His eyes bored into you, causing you to take great interest in the blanket and sheets covering you. After a calming inhale, you parroted what the other guards have been told by Captain Gress, leaving some of the details vague by saying you blacked out at some point and only woke up at the bottom of an embankment before finding your way back to the nearest town.  Once you were finished, Belos scoffed. “Is that so?”

Steeling yourself, you nodded. You could imagine the look on his face being skeptical. Honestly, you didn’t expect anyone to buy it. There were too many inconsistencies and holes you could pick out. But hey, no one said Captain Gress was the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to lying. 

An awkward silence fell between the two of you before Belos let out a sigh.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to this.”

“Resort to… what?” you side-glanced him.

“Excuse me.”

Upon hearing this, you assumed the emperor would have stood to leave. Instead, he grabbed the side of your blanket and lifted it just enough to see your bare, injured side, causing you to gasp and try to pull the blanket out of his tight grip out of instinct. He refused to let go.

“What are you-?!”

“It’ll only be a moment,” he muttered. What you hadn’t realized was the bruised area over your ribs that hadn’t been wrapped was in the perfect shape of a boot print. The cold metal of his gauntlet touching it made you jump and yelp in surprise then moan in pain from jerking in a way that really hurt. “Sorry… Can’t be helped.”

A flurry of confusing emotions soared through you. Your face felt so hot, you began to feel dizzy. Was this actually happening or were you still laying in the freezing snow, suffering from hypothermia? You sobered up immediately when Belos’ glowing blue eyes shifted to you and narrowed, causing you to look away to try to process what was going on. He exhaled hard but kept his composure as he covered your side back up.

“Hm. If the recent survey the scouts did of the area where your camp was found is correct, there shouldn’t have been any embankments that caused you to fall as you said you did,” he hummed. “Nothing deep enough to do this sort of damage was found and there wasn’t any indication you wandered anywhere away from the camp besides the main trail. Are you certain that you only “fell”?”

Chills rushed up your spine. So there was evidence at the scene, but how strong was it? Could Captain Gress explain it away somehow? Your fists tightened on the sheets and began to tremble as you turned your head away, missing the slight eye twitch the witch gave as he stared down at them. You opted to play it safe.   

“I-I… must have been a lot clumsier th-than I realized…”

“This looks like someone stomped on you.”

Your shoulders flinched upward slightly as a vivid memory of the Gress stomping down on you before you lost consciousness was shoved front and center. Silence fell but you could still feel the witch’s stare on you. The seat groaned, indicating that he had gotten up.

“... I see. Well, then I’ll have no choice but to remove you from Captain Gress’ command until the investigation is complete.” 

“W-What?” you snapped your head in his direction.

“You will be moved to the main part of the castle to continue your healing by the hands of the Head of the Healing Coven. It will… also be for your own protection in the case that what you’ve told me isn’t what actually happened.”

The cornflower blue gaze was stained with disappointment, making you feel guilty over the fact that you had blatantly lied to him. A shred of it made you feel like he would have believed you if you told him but again, would he? Captain Gress was one of his most loyal, most ruthless followers, someone who would be extremely valuable to a leader. Would he throw that away over what had happened to you? You were almost convinced he would not.

“I will make preparations for your move and have security abominations stationed outside your door at all times.”

“Abominations?” you murmured.

“Considering there is an investigation going on, no one living will be allowed near you unless given clearance by myself. Abominations will have an easier time obeying my orders than any scout or guard that can be intimidated,” Belos explained as he placed his mask on his face and stood before making his way toward the door. “I assure you, your safety is of the utmost importance. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some scouts I have to meet.”

Then, the day came. The day you had been anticipating ever since you returned to the castle. Judgment. It took place in the throne room and consisted of Emperor Belos in full garb, Kikimora, all nine coven heads, Lilith, Captain Gress, several other captains, and you. Your body was still in a deteriorated state so you had to be wheeled in by an abomination posing as a makeshift wheelchair. You were placed at Belos’ right hand. The head of the Healing Coven stood by you, casting a bright blue aura over you to keep you as pain-free as possible so you could focus. 

Captain Gress was already kneeling with his head down low and propping himself up by a fist. 

Once everyone was present, Kikimora read off the charges as well as presented evidence of Gress’ guilt of his crime of assault and treason.

“Your plea?” Kikimora glanced up from her scroll.

“... … … Guilty…” the accused grunted. 

“You do understand that a guilty plea carries the sentence of execution?” Kikimora narrowed her eyes at the captain.

“I am aware. Though I would like to remind the emperor of my decades of dedicated service and loyalty,” Gress lifted his head to look Belos in the eye. “And hope that it may be taken into consideration for a pardon from execution and show of mercy-”

This got a chuckle from a handful of the coven heads.

“As if,” you heard the Abomination coven head scoff under his breath. His tone was accompanied by an eye roll.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Belos leaned his head against his fist, catching Gress off guard with his bluntness. “Attacking one of my guards entrusted to you and lying about it? How do I expect them to trust you if I can’t trust you to do what is expected?”

Silence followed before the captain spoke up.

“I am appalled at my behavior. I assure you, it will not happen again, your highness.”

Your fists clenched against your legs and it didn’t go unnoticed. Belos stared down at them out of his peripherals. You couldn’t help but glare at the man before you. Tears of rage streaked silently down your face, unable to be held back anymore. Not only was he trying to use his rank to lessen his sentence but he was doing everything he did to get you to trust him. It was the same excuse he gave you before going out on the trip, in the same tone that made you fall for it. This witch was the reason you couldn’t go back to being a guard any time soon. Belos suddenly standing and stepping forward made you flinch. His voice dropped to a dangerous tone, one dripping with venom.

“You’re right. It won’t happen again.”

What happened next would give you nightmares for the rest of your life. Where you had believed that if found guilty, Gress would be turned to stone like how wild witches were. Instead, when Belos waved his hand, several dark red spikes shot out from the ground under Captain Gress, impaling him in several different places. You let out a startled scream which you tried to stifle with your good hand. Your scream was added to the collection of gasps, grunts, and yelps of the people around you. The manner of execution and how quickly it was done seemed to shock everyone in the room. Even Kikimora stared in horror, both hands crossed over where her mouth would be, at the state of the body. This wasn’t a normal execution. This felt… personal for the emperor.

One of the spikes pierced through the left side of his chest. A handful of others through his stomach at different angles. His feet were raised a couple of feet off the ground from the force. His hands grabbed onto the spikes and tried to push himself off one spike only to be impaled by another. The more he struggled, the more blood dripped down each spike. His whimpers and groans echoed off the walls. The final spike came from behind and pierced through the darkness under Gress’ hood and mask. Moments later, his limbs went limp at his side. 

“Go. Tell those in high positions what you’ve seen here today,” Emperor Belos turned to his small audience. “Treasonous behavior will not be tolerated among the ranks. Our guards and scouts are to be treated with respect. This is not to happen again.”

You stared at the dangling body, reminded of the line one of the senior guards had told you when you first started. “The Emperor is not a merciful man”. All this time you were afraid that he would let Gress live due to his decorated past yet Belos held true to that title. 

No one said a word. One by one, the coven heads departed and you felt your chair moving away from the scene. 

Once outside, a conversation perked your ears.

“That was horrible…” the Illusion coven head groaned. “Hmph. What did you expect? The witch did the one thing that would have resulted in immediate execution,” the Abomination coven head scoffed. “Lied about it too to cover his tracks. I would be furious too if I found out that a superior was beating on one of my most prized guards.”

“Prized guards?...” you murmured under your breath. You knew you were good, just not that good.

“Are they that good?”

“Must be if Belos kept singling them out to represent his coven each time. Besides, did you see how he reacted to being told that Y/N had been killed on a “Bonding Mission”? He was beside himself. I thought he would have killed Gress right there just for delivering the news.”

You stared off as you were wheeled off toward your room. It was true that a lot of your missions were for face value. Rarely were you ever put in a dangerous position. It was a bit irritating in a way, not seeing action despite being one of the stronger witches in the Emperor’s Coven.

“Here we are!” the head of the Healing coven chirped. When you glanced up, you found yourself back in your room. You muttered a thanks but a voice rang out that stopped the coven head from helping you out of your chair and onto a softer surface. Your head snapped in the direction of the voice to see Emperor Belos standing at the window with hair down, indicating his mask had been removed and his arms folded behind his back. You had to double take. You were sure he wasn’t there when you entered.

“Don’t move them,” Emperor Belos turned his head slightly. “Leave us.”

“O-Oh! Of course, Emperor Belos!” the witch gasped then scurried out of the room. When the door shut, you felt your heart fall into the pit of your stomach.

“You lied to me,” Belos murmured softly, causing you to bow your head. “I asked you to tell me who did this so I could handle it.”

“I-I know. I’m sorry. I… didn’t-”

“You were afraid of the consequences if Gress got off lightly, hm?”

Hesitatingly, you nodded. 

“I wasn’t sure who I could trust…”

A hand cupped your chin and raised it to meet the emperor’s hardened gaze. You didn’t even hear him move away from the window.

“I have a good mind to remove you from the Emperor’s Coven entirely for that…” he growled. Your eyes widened.

“Sire, please-”

His gaze softened, as did his voice.

“But I do understand. You had no allies supporting you in this, did you? I can hardly blame you for following the crowd.”

A wave of relief crashed over you and you sighed. 

“Thank you-”

“Did you enjoy your revenge?”

“W-What?”

“Did you enjoy seeing the witch who hurt you over and over again get impaled as many times as it took to end him?”

You stared up at the man in disbelief at what you were being asked. He wore a slight smirk with a wild look in his eyes as he spoke. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought he took some sort of sick pleasure out of this.

“R-Revenge? I-I thought he was going t-to be petrified-”

“He deserved to suffer more for what he did to you and for lying on top of it. And to believe I would let him live after finding everything out that contradicted his testimony, the gall…”

The hand on your chin moved to your cheek as his gaze turned into a tired one.

“You do not know how much stress and hurt he caused by doing that. When I heard of your death, I nearly went mad.”

All you could do was listen to him as you tried to figure out why you, of all people. The way he was going on about it made it seem like he was… You shook that thought out of your head. He was not in love with you. You were just some Coven guard. He may have favored you for… whatever reason, but…

“For that, I’ve decided that you won’t be going back to work as a Coven guard. I will not have this happen again,” was the point where you pulled out of your thoughts. Panic filled your chest.

“Emperor Belos-!” you tried to plea but he put his free hand up.

“Lilith Clawthorne will take your place. She will become the actual face of the coven and take over the missions I gave you. Your position as a coven guard is too dangerous. I can’t allow another superior to do what Gress did. I’ll find a new position for you within the castle that will keep you closer to me once you are healed. Do not fret, I will see to it that no one will lay a hand on you again without answering to me.”

This… was a lot to take in. You were the face of the Coven? Even if you wore a mask and hood? Those missions were given to you on purpose to keep you out of harms way? What did he mean “closer to him”? Your head spun with these revelations and questions. 

Movement made you look up to see Belos kneeling before your chair.

“All I ask is that you report anyone who does hurt you to me without delay. I have earned that trust, haven’t I?”

You opened your mouth to speak but your voice failed you, resulting in a nod instead. A smile graced his face and his chuckle returned.

“Good. You will never understand how important that is to me,” he stood and walked around your chair to take the handles. You felt yourself being wheeled around toward the door. “Now, how about we go for a walk around the castle? Maybe getting to better know one another will help me find the best place for you…”