To Love, Once Again

Shouts of outrage and boos were directed at Dorne. That was a dirty move. There was no honor in spitting your blood on another in a challenge.

Lucien blinks the blood out of his eyes, his whole body aggressive and focused on the opponent before him.

Taking the split-second chance while Lucien is distracted, Dorne grabs Lucien by the neck, trying to smash his face in with his knee.

It was like Lucien could predict what was coming before Dorne ever anticipated it. He grips Dorne's hands that try to hold him from behind his neck, and bends it back. Screaming in pain, Dorne falls to his knees, the fingers of his right hand making a snapping sound. Lucien had picked Dorne's right hand on purpose. It was the hand that pointed at Sera, the same hand that made the rude gesture to her over supper. He wanted to make sure these hands could no longer do anything to hurt his Sera.

He lets go, and Dorne's right hand falls limply, and Dorne cradles it while spitting out terrible words that makes Sera want to cover her ears.

Lucien breathes deeply, nostrils flaring, doing his best to control his anger. The anger inside of him wasn't satisfied with just breaking Dorne's hand. He wanted so badly to beat Dorne to a pulp. Tear his body apart and bathe in his blood.

He didn't want to go berserk in front of Sera. He was glad for the fire that circled around him. It kept him inside, away from the possible murders that could happen if he lost control.

Lucien needed to end this quickly.

"Do. you. yield?" He grits out each word as Dorne continues to provoke him. Dorne inches backwards away from him.

Dorne gives a bloody smile, tilting his head as he pretends to consider his options.

"One moment brother, let me think."

Lucien crosses his arms. A wave of vertigo suddenly washes over him, and he sways.

Dorne reaches back and swiftly grabs the hilt of the sword that he'd dropped there earlier, with his one good hand. This was exactly the moment he was waiting for.

"Never!" Dorne screams and runs at Lucien, the sharp sword piercing cleanly into Lucien

Sera screams. Her fears were coming true right before her very eyes.

"You see brother," Dorne gloats as Lucien lies on the cold ground

"There's a strange herb in the East. Often, it's used as a poison to kill. Very rarely, if the drinker survives, their blood becomes poison."

Painting the blood that streams down his face like war paint under his eyes, Dorne smiles.

"I'll have to thank that widow for giving me this trump card"

He throws his head back and laughs.

Sera is frozen in shock.

Please don't be dead.

Please. Please!

She can only repeat that word in her mind. Her hands are pure white as they grip her skirts, the material almost ripping under her hold.

"Miss Sera!" Icaros calls out.

Before she'd even realized, she'd lunged off the platform, pushed her way through the crowd, and stood at the very edge of the ring close enough that the heat blasted her whole body from head to toe.

Sera's are fixed on Lucien.

Please.

....please.......

The drums fall silent. The stomping beat of feet had stopped. Everyone watched with baited breath. Was Dorne their new King?

Spitting towards where Lucien's body lay on the ground, Dorne turns around the ring, crying out his victory.

Sera could only pray. The flames weren't dead yet. These flames were magic. If Lucien was truly dead, the ring would die down, open itself up again.

Silvery tears are dried as soon as they flood out her eyes, from the heat of the flames that still burn brightly, beating back the multitudes.

Slowly, Lucien gets up, and yanks the sword out of himself from where it pierced him in the shoulder. Dorne had missed. He'd aimed for the heart, but hit his shoulder at the last second.

"How are you still alive?" With an incredulous look on his face, Dorne stares at Lucien, who responds with a screaming call, like the cry of a hawk.

"No matter. The poison will kill you soon enough" Dorne runs at Lucien again.

Crack.

Lucien stretches his neck left and right, the bones in his neck making a popping sound as he moved.

Meeting Dorne's lunge in the middle, Lucien punches him in the stomach, and Dorne wheezes, out of breath.

The poison wasn't affecting him anymore. It was obvious, from the way he moved swiftly to completely disarm Dorne. With sure movements, he knocks the sword out of Dorne's hand, and breaks it, twisting the joints out of place. Kicking out both Dorne's knees which now warp out at a strange angle with loud cracking noises, Dorne's face twists in pain, falling flat on the ground.

It was over. He was completely incapacitated, unable to fight back under Lucien's onslaught.

Thwack! Crunch!

Lucien doesn't stop his punches, even when Dorne cries out his surrender. It wasn't like he could kneel or show his neck anymore.

Blood blooms on the white ground around Dorne, a stark contrast that is further highlighted as the flames dim, and die out.

The fire had acknowledged Dorne's surrender.

None of the crowd steps in to stop Lucien, like they're afraid of what he might do if they interfere. The whispers of "the Red King" can be heard all around.

"Lucien!" Sera screams. This was overkill. The fight was already finished.

At the sound of her voice, Lucien's body freezes. He's like a broken clock, suspended in time.

Sera steps over the black line where the flames had burned, and walks to Lucien, hands held out to him.

"Lucien" She calls out to him again as she draws closer. He flinches.

When she reaches for his face, he leans back, trying to tilt his face away from her.

Gently stroking his bloodied cheek, Sera tries to make his eyes meet hers. The light in his cerulean eyes are dim, his brows tightly contorted into a grim stare that gazes at nothing.

It's the first time she's approached him.

She ignores the bloody mess that was Dorne on the ground and takes Lucien's tightly clenched fist in her hands.

"Let's go home."

Sera breathes a sigh of soft relief when he meekly follows behind her, away from the arena.