Dolls that Kill

Entry Three: Fallen Glory

A young male solider sat at the outlook post, staring over the horizon. His slick blond hair was tied tightly so any enemy who grabbed it would not be able to maneuver him around, while his dark eyes looked glazed over. He sighed and flopped backwards to take a quick look at the stars. "I wonder," he whispered aloud, "what happened to the commander that day. If she was able to get away or not... after what she did."

"Good question," said an older woman, who took her place besides him. "She was the greatest leader of our army."

He did not bother to get up. "I miss her."

"So do I."

"Do you think Nkiru will ever return?" he looked over to the dark haired woman.

"She'll probably return when I'm old and gray, and she'll be as young as she was on the battle field. Her face will expressionless, and she'll probably say something like, "Why'd you let the bastards get you down."" The woman laughed and fell backwards. "Lodon," she said returning to a serious tone.

"Yes?"

"If you find her, you need to propose to her."

"I promise I will."

The rain poured down, soaking everything, including the Queen. She ignored her sopping wet clothing and continued to walk down the gravel road. It was a mile to the next town, which seemed like an eternity, what else could walking in the rain in a dress be called?

Jin-ho had left to return to the sanctuary, he had seen who he had wanted, so he had no reason to stay. Now, again, the Queen was alone. She just wanted someone to be with again--especially at such a dark time. How many dead people had she met today alone?

She was not like them. She was human. She had a body. They were the monsters.

Nkiru wished she could draw blood. That way she could prove to herself that she was still human in spirit. So many times on the battle field, taking lives, and she had never doubt her humanity more, until today, when the spirits told her she was a monster like them.

Looking up to the sky she stopped and cried, "What did I do to deserve this?"

She was satisfied with no answer, but she remained and fell to her knees. She listened to the rain fall, ignoring the thoughts running around in her head. At least the rain was a steady rhythm she could focus all of her senses on.

"Nkiru...?" a young voice asked.

Startled, the woman looked up in surprise, the rain running down her fake hair. Her eyes were wide, almost popping out of their sockets--the man that stood before her was the man she had loved more than life itself, a man, at the time a boy, she had given her life up for. "Lars..." she whispered.

He blinked, stunned. Was it really her? Was it her ghost?

She clutched the place where her heart beat would have been. Was it really him? Could he have actually found her in this state?

Neither moved for a while, letting the rain beat down. Lars slowly moved forward, the queen remaining completely still. His hand reached out, his fingers mere centimeters from her soaked dress. Her heart would have stopped if she still had one. He brushed up against her and took his hand away in surprise.

"How far have I fallen from glory?" She asked quietly, hardly expecting him to hear her voice over the rain.

"You haven't."

They walked away from each other that day. She had explained the whole story to him, and how the question would be answered when she found her body again. With out that she could be nothing more than a doll.

Her heart was breaking as she walked down the path. The rain had receded, and she was now able to continue with her journey. It was not the same, she had to do this not only for herself, but someone she cared about.

She shrugged it off for now. There was bound to be someone near by who knew where the village she was searching for was.

As a matter of fact there was a man at the edge of the road. "Excuse me!" Nkiru called out, with the ax slung over her shoulder. She could only imagine what she looked like.

The man did not respond.

She finally reached him, and tapped him on the shoulder. The man slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Oh, that's great." Nkiru said poking the man with her foot. "Now I won't have any idea where I'm going." She sighed.

There was an arrow sticking out from the man, one that was abnormally small. Nkiru suspected that someone had used a badly constructed mini-crossbow. She rolled her eyes and looked around the tree. Not a single person, or struggle in site.

"Well, this is obviously a trap, so whoever you are come out!" she said to the sky.

Again there was no answer.

"Oh, have it your way," she growled, taking one step forward. An arrow struck her, where her heart would be if she still had one. She continued to walk, ignoring it, and the several other arrows that struck her in various places.

Finally she stopped walking when an arrow flew by her head. "COME ON. This many arrows and I'm not dead. USE you HEAD people!"

"Monster," a dead pan voice stated.

"Good job, you deserve a prize for that observation," Nkiru replied to the voice, wherever the hell it was.

"You're cruel."

"Nice to know," she ripped the arrows out of her body without hesitation. Eyeing her dress, she ground her teeth together, she had to sew it up once again. The life of a knight was difficult, but wearing a dress was more of a challenge than anything she had faced.

There was a loud crunching sound behind Nkiru, who did not look back. Whoever it was the could do no damage.

"You're a doll?" the monotone voice asked.

The Queen paused. Slowly she turned around, "What did...oh."

She was staring at a young girl who stood at about five feet. She looked normal, besides the fact that she had joints in her arms, and a pale doll like face. How could someone like this be outside of the Sanctuary? "I thought... who are you?"

The girl eyed Nkiru. "Who are you?"

"The Queen of Hearts."

The girl looked frightened for a moment, her voice still monotone as she spoke, "Are you here to take me back?"

"No," the woman bowed her head, "but do you mind if I ask what a broken doll is doing outside and so far away?"

The girl edged away. She was probably human once, but the transfer was not proper in any aspect of the word. The girl could hardly be called such, she probably lacked a vital part of her personality, like emotions, or the most common flaw was loss of free will. At least the girl seemed to have that. "I... I wanted to look for someone, but that man tried to hurt me and... and..."

"You killed him? Damn good aim I might add."

The girl's whole body practically twitched. "Leave me alone," she said meekly.

"I will, after you tell me the truth."

She shook her head frantically.

The Queen waited, and kept her eyes on the girl. Who finally broke down.

"It was him, I saw him, and I tried to hit him, and I did, but I missed and.... THE MAN!" she cried and grabbed the queen. who took several steps back. The girl clung to her, relentlessly. "The man who broke me, the man! I shot him through the heart and he was still alive! I killed him and he would not fall! He's a MONSTER!"

"I'm not surprised. After what he's done he's probably being punished."

The girl let go with wide eyes, and slowly backed away from Nkiru. "But you're like him... you're not broken...."

The Queen remained silent.

"You're like him?"

"So, what are you... a boy or girl?"

The girl ran over to a tree and hugged it. "I'm... a boy, can't you tell?"

"I see. I suggest you go back to the Requiem, but before you go, could you tell me in which direction did the man go?" She spoke calmly.

The boy pointed down the scarcely visible path. The path that was obviously forgotten for many years, and did not look freshly tread. It could have been years since Klaus, if that was his name, had passed by, the doll would not know the difference.

Still, this was the only lead she had.