Years after signing the pact with Ruan
Imma
Getting someone to join a rebellion that had already been doomed once was not easy. Everyone we approached ended up telling us to fuck off, no matter who it was, they always said it wasn't worth it. After years of trying to spark the rebellion alive again I had begun to think the same way. Maybe it was all useless, we had already failed once, what told me we weren't going to fail another time?
The only thing that kept me going was, ironically enough, Ruan, the one person that should be pushing me towards despair was the person that was holding me, making me stand strong.
Even after all these years I still didn't know what he wanted, he had always been a mystery to me and I guessed he would always continue to be one, but at least he was on my side, even if his reasons were obscure.
The only people we had managed to recruit all came from the king's dungeons, were Ruan spent almost all of his days trying to convince them to join the rebellion in exchange for their freedom. Not surprisingly, I had spent a good amount of time there and I knew it was hell, all of them, or most of them, accepted without hesitation.
Right now our rebellion consisted of four members, including Ruan and myself, and was steadily growing with each new convict that joined us. At the beginning I had been afraid that they'd do something bad, but turns out than when you save desperate people they tended to follow you to your grave.
" Today is our very first hit" Ruan smiled as he hugged me, his contagious smile spreading to my own face.
That was right. Today was the day the King was finally going to start paying for what he'd done.
" I hope it goes well" Jick, the first rebel ever we had managed to take to our side wasn't a very smart guy, but what he didn't have in brain he had in brawn. His whole body was a massive statue of muscle, every single muscle rippling with power whenever he changed positions. He was our heavy power.
" It will. I planned everything, it'll go without a hitch". Luan was the second recruit. She was the brains. Her petite body made you underestimate her, but what she didn't have in brawn she had in brain. If I was been honest she was the brains of the operation.
Jick and Luan had both been caught and put into jail for crimes that fit their roles perfectly. Luan had scammed lots of elderly people to buy properties that never existed and Jick...Jick had just gotten into a brawl with a king official and he'd been thrown to jail.
" Ruan, are you ready?" Luan liked to be through, even if it meant asking the same question five times in a row.
" I am. I know what I have to do"
" Do you?"
I chuckled when Ruan's forehead vein threatened to pop out. I could see him getting angry, his temper raising. I better stop that before they ended up in a fight again.
" Everyone knows what to do. Don't worry Luan, everything is going to be okay"
Luan nodded slightly, finally.... finally seeing that we were ready.
We had been planning this whole thing for over a month. If we didn't know what to do then it was because we were stupid. Even Jick had understood it all in a few minutes after Luan had told him a thousand times.
" Let's get ready" Luan spin around and left to get ready.
" It's time" A stupid grin was all over my face. I was so happy. We were finally going to get back at the King.
I looked at the castle in disdain and hatred as I got ready to go, putting on my armor.
" Do you know what to do?"
Ruan sighed. Yes, I was as bad as Luan, but I wasn't going to risk anything to luck.
" I do. I have to set fire to the supplies"
I nodded. At least Ruan knew what to do, that was a relief.
" Get going then, you have ten minutes"
" I know " Ruan sounded annoyed when he teleported away. I could kind of understand him. I had been all over his business for a while, asking him if he remembered, which he probably did, but I wanted to make absolutely sure he knew. All our plan was riding on him doing his job. If he messed up our whole plan was as good as done.
Once I couldn't see Ruan anymore I clenched my teeth as I begged for it all to go right as I put on my armor.
When I was ready I helped Laun and Jick put theirs on, they weren't used to them since they had never been in the army.
I counted the seconds left until we could destroy everything that demon had worked for. When the time came I took Jick and Luan and sneaked around with them into the palace.
Everything was in chaos as they all tried to put out the massive fire that had mysteriously broken out in the main food deposit in all the kingdom.
The soldiers went around screaming, carrying buckets filled with water as they tried to put out the fire with the help of their powers. The fire remained unfazed, raising into the dark night sky without a care in the world, not caring that the soldiers were giving it their all, unforgiving.
I smiled as I watched the red and orange flames rising, trying to devour the castle whole. That was what you got if you tried to mess with me.
" Let's go" I grabbed Luan's hand and ran to the entrance. In the chaos the guards didn't even notice we weren't supposed to be there. They just gave us buckets and told us to go help as they immediately lost attention and began filling new buckets with water for others to use.
" This is going great" Luan was grinning as she watched the chaos unfolding.
With no one to pay attention to us or even care getting to the main throne room was a breeze.
" Do you think you can do it?" I knew I was asking for the hundredth time, but our whole plan revolved around a curse that only a few people could cast. A curse that Luan had claimed she could do in her sleep.
" Who do you think you're talking to? I'm the best there is" Luan's smile was big as she walked closer to the throne and began doing something to it.
Jick and I stood guard, making sure no one got close to us while we weren't looking. If they caught us here we could only beg them to kill us. I had already experienced torture in their hands and that was before I had actually managed to harm the King. I could only imagine what my punishment would be if I actually managed to kill or harm the great King.
" On guard" Jick tensed up as he unsheathed his sword, his eyes focused on the main door.
My head snapped that way and I tensed up too, ready to fight for my cause.
I looked back to see how Luan was doing and saw her still standing near the throne, though I had no idea if she was almost done, nearly done, or how she was doing at all.
" How much left?" My voice was soft as I aimed it at Luan.
" Give me five minutes "
I swore. I looked at the door and then at Luan, working on the throne with a concentrated expression. Fine, I could give her those five minutes. I would give her all the time she needed even if it costed me my life.
" Get ready" Jick was serious as he positioned himself on one side of the door. I took the other one and we waited, weapons drawn, but the steps never came closer than the door.
Hushed voices could be heard from the outside and the steps went away. We all breathed a sigh of relief just as Luan got up with a smile.
" It's done"
I smiled at her and we all ran out of there. By when we went out the fire was almost out and fortunately the guards were still too distracted with dealing with the aftermath to pay us any attention.
We ran away as quickly as we could back to our base, laughing and smiling. If everything went according to the plan the King would seat on this throne and his head would be blown off. It was the perfect plan.
" You owe me" Ruan appeared out of nowhere once we were in the house, his smile telling us it had all been done.
I pated him on the shoulder before throwing myself on the couch and waiting, a stupid grin in my face.
The present
My heart broke into little pieces as I ran, running away from the person that had first saved me and that I had thought would always be by my side. What a load of crap.
Looking back I should have known, he always was worried after our attacks and whenever he was involved it all failed miserably, as if he wanted to be annoying but not to kill the King, not really.
Even now, as I was running away from him I still didn't know what his reasons were. All I knew was that he had helped me only to let me down later.
The rebellion was done for, again. Most of the members were dead. I heard their screams and pleas for mercy, unable to do anything. I clenched my fists as I looked at the few members that remained. All of them were looking down at the floor, defeat clear in their faces.
I couldn't let this happen, I wouldn't. All the poor farmer families in the world that had dared to defy the king because there wasn't enough food to give as tribute and survive all deserved revenge, just like my family.
" We are going to come back" My voice was steady as I addressed everyone, though inside I was boiling in anger. " We are going to become stronger and defeat the tyrant"
I raised my arm, trying to gather morale, but they all looked at me defeated. I couldn't let this go on any longer.
" I know it hurts" I knew how much it did. There was a time when I had even fallen in love with Ruan, long before I discovered he wasn't into girls. I had loved him like a brother after that, but he'd still betrayed me. I didn't know what I'd done wrong, or if he had been planning to betray me all along, but it burned the freaking same." I know we all trusted him, but we can't just stay down. If we do we'll just give him what he wants" Their heads turned to look at me, something not exactly like hope, but like hatred burning in their eyes. " We are going to come back stronger and honor our fallen comrades's sacrifice"
Although no one erupted in cheers their faces were less dark and more hopeful as they looked up to me.
" And we never, ever, will trust an official again" That last part came from the depths of my heart. I was never trusting anyone ever again.
Their faces hardened as they looked at me.
" We'll follow you" Jick's words gave me the courage I needed to stand strong.
Yes, I had lost the rebellion twice, but as the saying went, third time was the charm. This time no one was going to die, except for the king and his associates, including Ruan. That motherfucker had betrayed me, I had trusted him!
He was dead.
" We'll kill the King" This time everyone cheered, their morale somehow back. " And Ruan" Their faces went dark with the last part, but they all nodded.
I didn't know why Ruan had let us live, he knew about the secret passages and could've hunted us down, but he was going to regreat keeping us alive. We were going to destroy everything he believed in, and then we'd kill him, just like he had done to me. He was no longer family, now he was the enemy.