[FIc] To Judge An Absent Person
They tell him everything.
They tell him of the man he used to be, tell him of the countless crimes he's committed, tell him of the people he's harmed, the things he's done. They spare him no details and they make sure he listens, make sure that yes, he remembers everything.
They say that he needs to know, should be aware of what he's defending, of what he's trying to save.
Because yes, to them Koschei isn't a 'he' at all, he is a thing, a possession that's escaped their grasp.
Theta shakes his head, says that it's not true, it's not right. He mutters and pleads and tells them that they have it wrong, that Koschei couldn't be the man they're talking about.
They laugh, a cruel sound, not soft, not quiet and comforting like a laugh should be. They laugh and his stomach churns because they don't let him believe, they force the images into his mind whether he wants them or not.
But he insists even then, tells them that he can't be this man, this Master of so many terrible things and if he was, that's all it is, a 'was' a 'has been'. It's not life, it's not the way things are now.
Koschei is good, he insists, Koschei is always good.
They shake their heads and correct him, reminding him that here, the man is only known as Soldier.
Word Count: 225
Prompt: Judgement
Verse: A Crime To Be Forgiven (Boomverse)
They tell him of the man he used to be, tell him of the countless crimes he's committed, tell him of the people he's harmed, the things he's done. They spare him no details and they make sure he listens, make sure that yes, he remembers everything.
They say that he needs to know, should be aware of what he's defending, of what he's trying to save.
Because yes, to them Koschei isn't a 'he' at all, he is a thing, a possession that's escaped their grasp.
Theta shakes his head, says that it's not true, it's not right. He mutters and pleads and tells them that they have it wrong, that Koschei couldn't be the man they're talking about.
They laugh, a cruel sound, not soft, not quiet and comforting like a laugh should be. They laugh and his stomach churns because they don't let him believe, they force the images into his mind whether he wants them or not.
But he insists even then, tells them that he can't be this man, this Master of so many terrible things and if he was, that's all it is, a 'was' a 'has been'. It's not life, it's not the way things are now.
Koschei is good, he insists, Koschei is always good.
They shake their heads and correct him, reminding him that here, the man is only known as Soldier.
Word Count: 225
Prompt: Judgement
Verse: A Crime To Be Forgiven (Boomverse)