THE REAL LIVEJOURNAL IDOL SEASON 9 WEEK 15 - CHEKHOV'S GUN
LOCKED AND LOADED
Queen Valara, Monarch of The Pantheon of The Forge, was holding an audience in Her throne room when She sensed that an outlander had entered Her world. She immediately fell silent as She felt a chill run up Her spine. For a moment She feared The Betrayer had returned to finish what It had started... but after a moment's pause She was able to determine that it was The Meddler instead. This did not comfort Her much; She was still furious with The Meddler, and if he were here then The Betrayer could not be far away.
She drew Herself upright on Her throne as She sensed The Meddler approaching. "I'm afraid We must table the agenda for the moment," She announced to Her Court. "It seems We have an uninvited visitor... and an impatient, presumptuous one at that." Her vicious smile clearly displayed Her anticipation... as well as Her displeasure. "Let no one impede Our guest -- We shall deal with him personally."
The Meddler soon appeared at the entryway. He deliberately ignored Court protocol: he did not announce himself, nor did he pause and wait to be told to approach Her Royal Presence. Rather, he quickly walked right up to Her, barely bobbed his head in recognition of Her Authority, and simply said "It's been some time, Valara. You are well, I trust?"
All the members of Her Court gasped in shock at The Meddler's arrogance... but Valara's reply was icily cool. "We are as well as can be expected, under the circumstances... no thanks to you."
The Meddler calmly returned the queen's glare. "You made it abundantly clear that You did not desire my assistance."
"You did not offer any assistance to US!" She scoffed. "You stated repeatedly that your primary concern was the welfare of mortals!"
The Meddler grumbled: "And where would You be without enough mortals to worship You?" Before the queen could respond to his effrontery, he raised one palm to ward off Her retort. "I did not come here to debate the matter again, Valara. I came because I found The Enemy again, not far from Your world... and I need Your help to defeat It."
Valara felt Her face flush at The Meddler's gall... but She also shivered at the news that The Betrayer was close at hand. She choked back an angry response, and instead She asked "What sort of help do you require?"
He came straight to the point: "I need Weapons."
Valara felt the blood in Her veins turn to ice. At length, She simply stated "You've gone utterly insane."
"No... but I am desperate." The Meddler gesticulated wildly as he began raving from frustration. "The Enemy is beating me, Valara... and I'm going to die soon! If I don't kill The Enemy now, no one else will... and then It will end up destroying everything, including You and what's left of Your world!" He chuckled sardonically. "And You're just as worried as I. Don't try to to deny it -- I saw the fear in Your eyes when I told You that The Enemy is near. And I know the only reason why You didn't destroy all Your Weapons is because You intend to use them against The Enemy if It should ever return. They're Your final defense."
Valara slowly exhaled in a long, raspy hiss. "That wasn't the ONLY reason We preserved some. Once The Betrayer corrupted the Weapons and turned them against Us, We realized We may no longer be capable of destroying them all. So containment was Our only option. You saw how badly the Weapons devastated Our world when they were released, so We can't afford to allow even one of them to get loose ever again -- We may not survive it. It was fortunate that We were able to build The Armory quickly enough to hold the remaining Weapons... and that's where they're going to stay. They're completely beyond Our control, even though We created them. Do you honestly think you can do any better?"
The Meddler shook his head. "Not I... but I have discussed the issue with the incarnation of Fate in the world that The Enemy is currently attacking. Fate believes She can create something that will be able to control a Weapon. I warned Her what Weapons are capable of and how difficult they can be, but She is confident that She can can make a Tool that will keep a Weapon manageable... and I believe She will succeed."
Valara considered the matter for some time. Despite Her ambivalence, The Meddler's proposal seemed to offer Her an opportunity to deal with at least one of Her concerns in a quick and efficient manner. "Very well. We will allow you to enter The Armory under one condition." And then She stated Her price.
The Meddler snorted in disgust, but seemed otherwise unfazed. "I suspected You'd demand something along those lines. It's somewhat comforting to know that You're so predictable." He paused a beat. "Very well. I accept Your terms."
Valara's lips peeled back into a predatory grin. "Then We will send word that you are to be granted access to The Armory. Whatever Weapons you are able to bring out with you are yours to use as you see fit. Now you may leave Us... and We wish you success against The Betrayer."
After The Meddler left Her Royal Presence, Valara spent several minutes pondering a critical issue: The Armory had been designed with one-way doors. Once something went inside The Armory, it could never leave. The Queen had 'neglected' to mention this point to The Meddler.
Well, that was his problem, now. And consequently, once The Meddler entered The Armory, he would no longer be Her problem...
A very long time later, Valara was relaxing alone in Her private chambers when The Meddler suddenly appeared in front of Her. Before She could react, he put one finger to his lips to indicate that She keep silent... and then he gestured to the Weapon he was holding with his other hand.
"I wouldn't shout if I were You," The Meddler whispered. "A loud noise may set it off... and You know full well what it's capable of."
When She finally gathered Her wits well enough to respond, Valara kept Her voice very quiet. "How... How did you get out of The Armory?"
The Meddler shook his head once. "That's going to remain my secret. Besides, Your little trick delayed me far longer than I ever intended, and I must be on my way. But despite all that, I came here to tell You that I still intend to keep my end of Our agreement... and that Your Armory is not as secure as You believe it to be." His smirk was particularly unpleasant. "You'd best remain vigilant, Queen Valara. Otherwise, more Weapons may get out without You ever knowing." And with that, The Meddler opened a door and stepped outside Valara's world.
When The Meddler reached his destination, he immediately sought out his dearest friend, The Lady Fate. But when he arrived at Her home, it appeared to be deserted. He called for Her: "Lady? Lady, where are You?"
Initially he heard nothing but echos... until at last Her voices whispered in his mind. "You took far longer than I'd hoped."
The Meddler wept openly at his friend's state; She was little more than a memory. "I'm sorry, the task was even more difficult than I feared. What has happened since...?"
All three of Fate's voices were bitter. "I have held The Enemy at bay, but it has cost Me almost everything. At least tell Me you brought back help."
The Meddler said nothing, but he laid down his burden and showed Her the Weapon he had been carrying.
Fate was confused and disappointed. "Only one?"
"I was only able to take one... and to be honest, I feared bringing more."
"... Yes. I see its potential now. Given time, it will be powerful. My Sight is clouded again... and that gives Me hope."
The Meddler swallowed hard; he could sense Fate was growing weaker as they spoke. "Lady, is there anything I can do to help You?"
He could almost see Her sad, sweet smile. "No. I am done. But let Me tell you what I have set in motion, and then I have one last gift to bestow. The rest will be up to you."
So Fate spoke of the work She had done in his absence -- of the Tools She had created, and how She had already found them to be quite useful in the war against The Enemy's Minions... so much so that The Enemy had ordered Its forces to seek out and destroy all the Tools. So Fate had hidden one Tool away, to protect it from The Enemy's wrath. After She was finished telling the Meddler of Her various plans and how he might build on them, The Lady Fate gave up the last full measure of Herself for an uncertain future while The Meddler grieved.
As Fate bestowed Her Gift upon the Weapon, it emitted a high-pitched wailing keen, not unlike a baby's cry. Which wasn't all that surprising, as the Weapon looked just like a human infant...
This piece is an entry for The Real LiveJournal Idol Season 9. It is based on the prompt "Chekhov's Gun". If you enjoyed reading it, please vote for it by clicking here. My check box is the 16th from the top.