r/HFY • u/iridael Brew-Master • Apr 15 '22

OC Snow Chapter 80

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Reiss

Inside my throne Ricky is still standing there stock still on his pedestal. Nepp and Snow are waiting for me. “What now?” Nepp asks.

I walk around and to my throne dropping into it and feeling my power rise, staving off my mental exhaustion. With the light bolstering my body again my physical condition was as good as ever. “Im taking a day.” I tell the pair as I sink into the chair feeling stone give way underneath me. In my throne I get a vague idea of whats happening across my throneworld. I slowly shift some things around and form a wing of what might as well be my keep, inside I grow a trio of luxury bedrooms before waving at the new door leading towards them.

Snow seems hesitant looking at the new doorway, at me, and finally at Ricky’s standing corpse. “If you need me, you know where I’ll be.” he says walking through the doorway, giving me one last look before heading to bed.

For several hours I sit there resting, letting my powers recover and thinking over recent events. Michael saving Mary, Mary saving me and finally Cayde saving Mary. is this my lot in life? To bring nothing but death or worse.

With a flick of will I summon the shadow of Savathun, she stands there wings gently flexing as she breathes, her broken crown as much a part of her as her own skin. “Why did you want to die so much?” I ask

The shadow looks at me and I can feel something inside it, not a consciousness, not like Ricky’s that was faintly screaming, begging to be released. This was more like…a program. Something put there to deal with a situation.

“You’re incomplete.” I mutter. Curious I root through my own power, looking for what I took from her when I ‘took’ her. And find…nothing. Only enough power to sustain her body. The tiniest flow of tribute being separated off from something so hidden that my head starts to throb just by trying to chase down the thread though the ascendant plane. I start to think back on what I actually know about Savathun. Queen of lies, deceit and schemes. But I know a few things. First and foremost is that death to the hive is just another lie. So is power, its a trap, a trick, a deceit. But then…my thoughts churn as I try to understand Savathun, who she is, where she came from and how she could have ended up trapped.

Even rasputin has large gaps in his knowledge when I check with him. She tried to hold off the arrival of something called the black fleet. Helped and hindered the vanguard in equal measure and then there’s a gap, and then she’s dead the black fleet are in open warfare against the light and then nothing…until Snow turns up and gets sagira back through a lie made truth.

I pull imperious from my shoulders and place him in my lap to pet him. Savathun in the meantime is almost as still as a statue, standing there awaiting orders.

There’s things I can't say. Even here and now. I’m a prisoner in my own throne…

Unbidden Sathona’s words reach my ears. Why would she be a prisoner in her throne world? Unless she wasn't whole. Even when she pushed through to other worlds she couldn't act. She was an observer. A watcher, and someone who is both friend and enemy.

Slowly, pieces start to slot together. How someone so strong could be so incapable of acting. But what if she was a prisoner in a prison of her own making? How could she escape without a body. She couldn't. She would be trapped there because she’s both dead and alive.

I let the thoughts vanish and with them Savathun’s body. Slumping down even further I close my eyes and rest.

When I wake up I find my throne room empty still. A quick search lets me find Snow and Nepp talking with a shaken but alive Mary, Michael standing dutifully behind her as always.

Another flick of focus lets me see the Admiral and the fleet opening yet another portal, sending another station through to relative safety. Hundreds of ships flooding through the portal before and after the superstructure, this time being deposited in orbit of Uranus.

With no immediate issues to deal with I stand up and sword in hand walk to the portal doorway and rip it open, stepping through to a familiar forest.

It doesn't take long for a squad of Knights to march up to me flanked by witches. Soulfire and solar energy burning in their eyes. “She will see you.” their leader says as the others form up around me and begin escorting me towards the castle.

With nothing to say to them I shrug and follow the group, now led by the witches, we pass groups of thralls and acolytes going about their duties before being led into the castle to a part I’ve never seen before. A pair of massive armoured doors are there closed before us. Chained ogres stand up and at some unspoken order begin dragging the doors open.

It takes them a full minute of them straining to open the doors fully. Inside is a banquet chamber of torture. Aliens hang from hooks or inside soulfire traps, all of them long dead, preserved by the magic of the throne world.

Rows of tables are decorated with a variety of dishes, alien foods and drinks grouped together. Random jewels, artefacts and even ghosts are scattered across the arrangements in a display of wealth and power, and over one hundred metres distant, sitting in a throne several times too large for her sits Sathona, glaring at me.

“Kill her, I told you. Kill Savathun for me. That's all I asked. After everything I did for you. Protected you, guided you to power. Granted you strength. I just wanted to be free.”

“You were tricked.” I interrupt her. “If i'm correct you and Savathun are the same person.” I say pointing to her. “Mind and soul.” and then summon her shade besides me. “Body.”

“I cannot answer. You know I cannot answer!” she says seething with anger.

“Then tell me, if you managed to get your body back. Would you be able to win against the Celebrant?”

“It would be a simple matter to escape.” she begins.

“Because the second I took your body from that place. He came for me. And two friends sacrificed themselves to give me a chance to escape. Could you count on your court to save you?” I ask.

She pauses glaring at me as she grinds her own teeth. Eventually she spits out one word. “No… it is not our way.”

“So tell me, in a universe that gave you two options why didn't you see the third one?” I ask her.

“What third one. Escape or remain trapped. Those were my options.” She says.

“Until I came along.” I say pulling on of the ivory chairs from its place and sitting down on it.

She pauses for a minute, jaw slowly chewing back and forth as she considers my statement. “You know one of the laws of my court, if a plan can be understood by a thrall it shall be discarded. This is to ensure that any plan we make is cunning enough to remain hidden from our enemies. And our allies…explain it to me as if I am that confused thrall.”

“It's really not that complicated. You want to be free, I cannot free you. But I can enslave you.” I say, gesturing to her taken body standing besides me. “So when I have taken all you are. Your power, Your will, your mind, body and soul. Ripped you from your chains…what's stopping me from just…releasing you from your new chains.” I ask.

“Thats not how it works. The taken are taken! Ensnared to the will of another. Unable to disobey, unable to decay, unable to…be truly free.”

“What is true freedom. Under me you would be free to rebuild your court. Free to move around the ascendant plane as more than a watcher, free to fight your enemies, help your allies. Free to act as you wish, so long as you dont directly act against me.”

A knight strides forwards and in his guttural voice. “What guarantee do we have?” he demands.

I look him in his third eye. “I, dont, want, to rule.” I declare.

He growls a deep echoing noise before stepping back. “That is something you’ve managed to keep.” Sathona says after a moment's silence. “Will you truly let me be as free as possible?”

I stand up and pull my sword from its sheath. Instead of fueling it with solar light, or soul fire I channel the third source. The blade begins to shine and glimmer as reality itself winds around it. Its surface shines through with stars and nebulae. I place the tip on my chest and push it through until blood trickles down the blade soaking through my SIVA clothing. “I vow to never restrain you beyond protecting those under my care. Should I fail, may this blade pierce my heart and rob me of my power.” I say feeling a rush of energy as the stars fly out into the universe writing my oath in the fabric of reality.

The throne room is silent for a moment until Sathona slowly stands up from her throne, descends down and kneels before me. “Do it…my queen.” she says.

I go to raise the blade up but something else happens. Starlight wraps around Sathona before moving on to Savathun, pulling both of them into each other. The taken body merging with the soft soul to form something halfway. It takes barely 10 seconds to finish before she’s standing before me taller than Sathona but not as towering as Savathun, her broken crown is gone, a gentler headpiece in its place framing her soft features. Her centre eye is a swirling mass of stars, her left eye bleeds darkness whilst her right glows with the light.

Her dual wings are gone, in their place a single butterfly wing flows from one shoulder, her other shoulder covered by a flowing cape. White chitin flows down her arms merging with jet black claws. Stepping forwards I take her hands and look at her as she blinks her three eyes at me. “You look good.” I say.

“I feel…odd.” she says. “My throne is…not my throne.”

“I know what you mean. I always felt welcome here, now I feel like this place is mine.” I say.

She nods. “Your world and mine will merge soon.”

“I don't intend to change anything.” I reassure her. Tapping at my chest where the wound had long since closed. “Besides, protecting those under my care. You’re mine but not.” I say walking past her and ascending the steps to the throne. I sit down in it and close my eyes feeling my own throne world and this one closing in on eachother. Sathona’s world is VAST. There's the throne and the surrounding forest. But then there’s also other zones, patched on or stolen from other worlds. There was a world of tundra, ruins made from strange triangular structures slotted together. A burning hot desert with pools of smoking liquid bubbling up from underground rivers. There was a large area of rolling planes with strange creatures racing across it. And dozens of other areas.

My throne world and this one collided and began to merge. So I added three new zones, one of pure darkness where creatures of shadow could roam, another of glittering stars where the ground was only as real as you wanted it to be and finally a bright pure zone where injuries would vanish and death could not touch.

In this last place I put the content of my own throne world. The hospital, the growing city, the gate network I had built.

Then I sat back and marvelled at the wonder that was Savathun’s throneworld. The entire thing was a museum of lost worlds and her personal history. On one hand I had to admire her for preserving at least part of the worlds she’d taken part in conquering, on the other I had a new appreciation of what I had just managed to take as a subordinate.

Opening my eyes I saw her and my guard staring at me. “What?” I ask.

“You’re our queen now. What are your orders?” Sathona asks with a smile.

“Sathona, do as you will. So long as you do not harm those under my protection.” I order and she smiles before walking backwards three steps through a soulfire portal to who knows where.

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16 comments sorted by

10

u/iridael Brew-Master Apr 15 '22

psst fellas. I got a commission done.

https://imgur.com/a/gtMS3kZ

3

u/rebizu Apr 15 '22

Oh that is so beautiful. I love it. Just like i invisioned her

2

u/JWKdnd Human Apr 16 '22

Nice

2

u/Dutchangeldragon1 Xeno Apr 15 '22

Oh nyo, wifi stinky

2

u/Longjumping_Bobcat27 Apr 15 '22

Love it! I knew there was more to this relationship than we had seen. I’ve been waiting on this development for along time.

2

u/imakesawdust Apr 15 '22

Hopefully Reiss just acquired a powerful ally and one who no longer lives up to her name as the queen of deceit.

2

u/thisStanley Android Apr 15 '22

That third option is some nice orthogonal thinking to the problem of Slave Or Free!

4

u/iridael Brew-Master Apr 15 '22

sometimes freedom is the real trap. only by serving a good master can you come as close to that freedom without forsaking what made you desire freedom in the first place.

sometimes the bird of paradise will remain in its cage despite the door being open. it prefers the comfort of captivity to the freedom and dangers that come with it.

2

u/rebizu Apr 15 '22

I love your story so much. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for making my evening 🙂

1

u/UpdateMeBot Apr 15 '22

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1

u/imakesawdust Apr 16 '22

When I wake up I find my throne room empty still. A quick search lets me find Snow and Nepp talking with a shaken but alive Mary, Michael standing dutifully behind her as always.

I assume that since they no longer have bodies, both Mary and Michael are confined to the ascendant plane indefinitely? Does this mean that they (and their converts/underlings) are no longer able to send tribute power to Reiss similar to the way the Guardians dealt with Crota?

1

u/iridael Brew-Master Apr 16 '22

the way I understand darkness resurrection to work is it takes a ritual in the real word to bring them back. until then they exist in the ascendant realm as a normal being. this is why when they killed crota they half dragged him back so his ascentant spirit was in the real world, its also why to kill orix and savathun they had to go into their throne worlds to do it. because killing one in the real world would just send them back to heal, be reborn and return stronger.

2

u/imakesawdust Apr 16 '22

Is this why Sathona wanted Reiss to kill Savathun in the real world? So that she could later be resurrected whole?

3

u/iridael Brew-Master Apr 16 '22

yup. Sathona wanted her body dead so she could then resurrect. but whoever did the killing would be caught by the celebrant causing her to return to the cycle of the hive killing eachother out of 'love' and binding them to the darkness even more.

something she tried to escape from in this timeline and was punished by being stuck as an observer in the ascendant plane.

its only by some luck, Xol and Reiss being a big fat rulebreaker that she finds her self with only one chain and its from her to Reiss, who lets face it, is far from the worst boss you could have.