Everything Burns
Thursday, January 26, 2006
What if the crew hadn't made it back to Jiangyin in time at the end of Safe? What would become of Simon and River? (PG13)
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 3289 RATING: 9.0 (PG13) SERIES: FIREFLY
Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it, it's still Joss Whedon's.
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So this was how it was going to end.
Simon looked around at the crowd of spectators gathered to watch River burn at the stake. Everyone looked so condemning, so fearful at the same time. The patron stood front and center, directing the ritual. Simon felt his anger rising with each gaze that he caught in the crowd before him. He heard shouts of burn her; thou shalt no suffer a witch to live! River wasn't a witch and Simon was appalled at the fact that these people could confuse someone so innocent, so graceful for a creature of hatred and scorn from the mythologies of the Christian religion.
"She has done nothing to you!" Simon shouted.
The patron gave him a stony glare and then turned his eyes to River, gesturing with his hand to the two men slowly creeping up on River.
"Bind her," he commanded. "She must be purged with fire."
"Don't do this," Simon pleaded angrily. "There has to be another way."
Simon could hear River screaming behind him. A glance over his shoulder showed him that she was being restrained by two men, being carried up onto the pyre and placed on the platform. What disturbed Simon the most was that she wasn't even fighting, just screaming, and even the screaming was beginning to taper off. He swallowed thickly as he watched the men tie her to the stake, as he looked around, seeing the self-righteous looks on the faces of the men and women nearby all holding torches. He turned once again to face the Patron, narrowing his eyes. He stared at the man for a long moment, all of his hatred for the Patron himself as well as the beliefs of the entire community evident there. Simon spun on his heel and faced the men who had just finished securing River to the stake.
"Get away from her!" He snarled. "If you must have a sacrifice, have me instead!"
"God commands us to destroy this evil," the Patron said simply. "She's a witch, there is no other way."
Sim
Ni ta ma de tian xia suo you de ren dou gai si - fuck everyone in the 'verse to death
Ren ci de shang di qing dai wo zou - merciful God please take me away
Wo xiang mei er mei xin bian shi tou - I will close my ears and my heart and I will be stone
Meimei - little sister
Duibuqi - I'm sorry
Oh my gosh. I'm just crying here. Especially when Simon was talking about Kaylee at the end, and how she'd be a great mother.
*sob*
Well done, but angsty!
sniff
I need to go write (or read!) some good Simon/Kaylee lovin' to cheer me up!
F-ing x-tians, always gotta think they're right, when their whole religion is based on lies.
Well, you have brought tears to my eyes, and I'm not even halfway through it.
*he might just have to go out there and murder a few more not-so-innocent people out of rage*
Mal has more restraint than I do, that entire village would be a river of blood and burned bodies.
The string of Chinese from Kaylee in her bunk was exceptional.
Jeeshus woman, this was spectacular.
And now, at the end, I have tears running down my cheeks, and I'm trying desperately hard not to let out a gut-wrenching sob (which, in turn, is actually MAKING my gut wrench).
It took a lot for me to get through this, but it was beautiful. Sad, but beautiful (and, oh, the music from River dancing in Safe just came on. How appropriate). You wrote the characters reactiosn well, and thank God Mal shot that gorram Patron.
Keep up the good work. Make me cry again.
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