Phoenix Rising
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Giselle hurried to her room inside the castle. She needed to get out of here quickly. She would stay no longer in this place. Perhaps she could somehow leave here and hide somewhere1 If she wasn't here, she was sure Devonn wouldn't look for her. She sensed that he was tired of her anyway. She didn't care anymore. Devonn had hurt her and he had in one swoop, destroyed the only family she had. He was a monster, and she was determined to leave.
She prayed that the princess had left with Jennah's baby safely. Giselle knew that the princess would keep her word and raise the little one. At least she had that comfort.
She had just packed the last of her clothes when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. She screamed and a hand clamped over her mouth ruthlessly.
She heard Devonn's voice whisper in her ear, "Giselle, my dearest one, where ever are you going?"
He released her and she said, "I am leaving, Devonn."
Devonn kissed her neck and said, "I can see that, my little dove."
Abruptly he spun her around and she screamed as she saw his face! It was horrible! Devonn smiled and slapped her hard in the face, knocking her to the bed.
He pinned her quickly and said, "What,my little whore...you don't like my new look?" He chuckled and then he jerked her hair hard and hissed, "I saw you, little traitor! I saw you leave the princess!"
Giselle gasped in both pain and horror. He knew! Despite her pain, she spat, "Yes, monster! That's what you are, Devonn! I warned her! She's left already, I'm sure! Kill me, I'll be glad for you'll never get what you want!"
Devonn laughed, the two halves of his face making the expression truly hideous. He stroked her face tenderly and said, "Now why would she want to leave?"
Abruptly he yelled, "Bring it in!"
A guard carried in a small bundle and Giselle gasped. The baby!
Devonn grinned again and said, "Why would my angel want to leave such a precious bundle?"
He savagely jerked her hair again and yelled in her face, "..left by a lying, traitorous whore!!"
He smiled again and said, "She begged me, Giselle..she even offered herself to me if I would spare it's life. I was tempted - very tempted. Unlike you, she is of great value to me." Devonn's hands moved about Giselle's body and she stiffened.
Devonn merely chuckled and barked at the guard, "Take it out outside and wait for me.We are not to be disturbed for awhile."
The guard left with the baby and Giselle yelled, "I don't want you!"
Devonn snarled and said, "I don't want you either, soiled one, but you'll procive me with some - momentary satisfaction."
Giselle snapped, "I am not the one who is soiled, you were the one who - "
Devonn kissed her savagely, brusing her lips. He hissed, "Don't lecture me, Giselle..you ruined everything! I could have been with her, but you - you, my interferring whore, had to warn her! I will take out my passion on you, my dear! You are well used to it by now."
Giselle screamed as Devonn's horrible face came down upon her own. She yelled, "Devil! Demon!" Devonn merely laughed and started to pummel her with his fists. After a few minutes of this, she gave in and Devonn indeed took his passion out on her. She just closed her eyes, for she did not want to see his half and half face - one part man and one part devil.
It seemed to go on for an eternity, and Giselle thought that perhaps she had died and went to hell, for it seemed as if she were mated with the devil himself.
Afterwards, when Devonn got up, Giselle thought perhaps now he would kill her, for he grabbed her knife off of her dresser. Smiling, he got on the bed and straddled her. Giselle just laid there. She closed her eyes, said a brief prayer and readied herself to die.
She heard Devonn say, "What, my dear..do you expect to die?" He caressed her cheek gently and said, "Oh, no no...not yet, Giselle, you still have a use for me - after I administer the proper discipline, of course." Suddenly, Giselle felt the slice of her knife upon her cheek and gasped in pain.
She felt blood trickle down her cheek and she felt pain as the knife sliced into her other cheek. Devonn snarled and said, "I will carve your face until your own mother wouldn't recognize you, whore! No one interferes with me!" He savagely jerked her hair and yelled almost hysterically, "NO ONE, do you HEAR ME?" Giselle said nothing which enraged him all the more. He said, "Remember, Giselle YOU brought this all on yourself!"
Devonn kept slicing into her face and then moved to the rest of her body, leaving slashes everywhere. They were not life-threatening - they were not meant to be. Giselle felt nothing but pain. She kept mumbling curses upon Devonn, hoping he would finally become angry enough to plunge the knife into her breast, but he didn't. Finally, he got up off her, and jerked her hair again, yelling, "Open your eyes, hideous one!" She would not and he yelled, "The brat dies now unless you open your eyes, Giselle!"
Out of fear for the baby, she opened her eyes and saw blood all over herself. Devonn, who was still nude, was covered in it as well. Her blood. She wished it was his.
He seemed not care that they were both nude as he jerked open the door and yelled at one of his guards, "Take her to the doctor, and tell him to do as I have instructed! He pushed Giselle over to the guard and said, "Tell them to heal her wounds, but leave the scars!" Then he said to Giselle, who half- listened, "You, my dear are going to care for that motherless brat of your sister's until I wed Allura - and you will do it too, or I'll strip it's skin off in front of you!" Giselle moaned in both pain and anguish as the guard led her away. Devonn merely smiled in satisfaction and went back into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Meanwhile...
Allura and Lotor continued to hold other, as they talked quietly about Lydeaa's revelation.
Lotor asked, "Are you ready for the next one?" Allura nodded and said yes.
Lotor activated the second holo and the image of King Raull appeared. He said with a faint smile, "My son, I am glad you have come home at last."
Lotor whispered, "He looks a little like me."
The image of Raull said, "Lotor, I have made this holo to complete the record your mother had sent me in order for you to know your true heritage." Raull paused for a moment, then he continued, "Bengale told me of their escape attempt - how Zarkon had trapped their ship as if he knew about it all along. Zarkon had injured Bengale, although I suspected his wound had been self- inflicted,though he swore up and down he received the wound defending your mother. Bengale witnessed Zarkon's abuse of your mother before he killed her. She had been trying to get you and Devonn into the escape pods when they were attacked."
Raull had a pained expression upon his face as he said,
"Your mother, to buy you time, gave herself to that devil. Bengale was able to get Devonn and her diary into the pod, but you had ran back, beating at that devil's back, screaming and yelling. Bengale said that Zarkon had thrown you against the pod hatch, closing it and activating the lauch sequence. The escape pod with Bengale and Devonn departed the ship and was taken through the wormhole, which closed quickly. You, my son were left behind, through no fault of your own."
Lotor started to tremble and he said softly, "So that wasn't a dream..."
Allura looked puzzled and he said, "A dream - I dreamed I was very small and a monster was hurting my mother. I beat at it and hit it but it flung me far away into blackness..it wasn't a dream..it really happened.I - I saw.." his voice started to break.."I saw him - that monster take my mother like - like a beast..I saw him kill her! Oh gods!"
He took a deep breath when he heard Allura gasp. He looked down and saw that she too was fighting her tears. She said, 'Lotor.." and she choked upon the word. "Your fath-Zarkon - I saw him kill my father too..he - he killed him in front of my eyes.!!"
Lotor felt rage and anger course through him. All his life he thought he was the monster for people had said so. But it was Zarkon. Lotor steadied himself even though all he wanted to do was to take his rage out on the monster - that thing that called himself a man - that Zarkon. But now was not the time, he need to listen to his true father - the one he never got to know. He calmed down and held his beloved tightly so that they could hear his father continue his story.
Raull continued to speak." Devonn and Bengale came back here, and when I saw Devonn at first I felt rage. I knew who's child he was. He was Zarkon's very image! But after I saw Lydeaa's diary, I knew I had a duty. I had to raise and guide Devonn, for he was Lydeaa's child too. I swore that I would try my best to raise him as my son. I knew that Zarkon would not release you, and I knew there was no way I could get you back without giving Zarkon a chance to conquer this galaxy.
Perhaps I had done the wrong thing at the time, but I had Devonn sugically altered to where his appearance was not so alien. I could not bear his natural face, although I tried to hide it.
Raull sighed heavily and said, "The years went by relatively uneventfully, and I mourned your mother's death. I could not wed another, although Bengale often urged me to. Devonn grew up, a fine figure of a young man, but then when he hit puberty, his body rejected his earlier surgeries and once again, he retained the form of his natural father, Zarkon. To disguise his features, surgery was again performed on him - this time, a simple skin implant that would cover his features like a second skin. Fortunately, this implant held well, even through his young adulthood, although it did need maintainance..however although we could hide Devonn's physical traits, it became more and more aparent that he was of his father's line. He was calculating and intelligent, but he seemed to have no bonds of love with anyone. I felt guilt over all the surgeries i had put him through and felt fesponsible for his behavior. .but in my heart I knew - I knew he was Zarkon all over again. Although I had tried to love him as my son, I could not. As he grew into manhood, I grew to fear him, for the look in his eyes when he looked at me was pure hatred. I knew then that he would take my life eventually no matter how kind I would be to him.
It was then I made my preparations for you should you ever return. I hid everything pertaining to your heritage to where only you could access it. Your mother, along with her diary, included your DNA codes so that I could do this using some of the technology she had brought with her when we wed. Your mother's ship, called the Phoenix Rising I also hid, for that was the only ship capable of opening the wormhole without a passkey. I was afraid that if Devonn got his hands on it, he would use it to suit his purposes. I will give a schematic of it, for unless you escape with the ship, Devonn will use it to cross the wormhole and god knows that along with his true father, he will destroy your galaxy and both will rule all."