Horsemen - Charmed fic - PG13

[tigriswolf]

Title: Horsemen
Fandom: "Charmed"
Disclaimer: not my characters.  just for fun.
Warnings: AU after season 6
Pairings: none
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 810
Point of view: third

 

In the end, they weren’t charmed at all. They were just women, and women die the same as everyone else. Women have bones that shatter and women bleed out. Women lie on the ground, beaten and broken, and no angel can get there in time.

In the end, they were just a trio of sisters who died heartbeats apart, leaving the next generation alone.

And from there…

Why, have you not read the history books?

Their husbands were killed later that week, and the father of two of the sisters. The children—two for the eldest sister and one each for the others—had no guidance, no one to reign them in and offer support. The oldest—still young himself—did his best, but he was only sixteen for all his power. And the youngest, a sweet girl of seven, cried herself to sleep every night. Soon, she faded away and the remaining three had even more reason to mourn.

The middle one pulled ever more into himself, determined that if he cared for no one, he wouldn’t hurt so much. He rarely spoke and never smiled; his laughter, once bright and joyful, no longer rang out.

And the now youngest, only ten years old, followed her cousin into the afterlife a mere twelve months later.

So now the brothers were alone, eighteen and sixteen, the most powerful beings in existence, with only each other. Angry and hurt, with a vendetta against the world, they turned from solemn mourning to righteous fury and let all know their feelings.

Soon, the Earth and her citizens cowered before them, but they never paused. They rained down fire and boiled the seas, turning countries to craters and mountains to dust. Every species suffered beneath them; nothing was spared. They had no mercy.

By the time the elder turned twenty, most of the planet had become a wasteland. There were millions of skeletal cities, and no escape from the desolation. Mortal, demon, witch—all worked together, searching for salvation from what the Charmed Ones spawned.

They ruled, the brothers, and still found no relief. No respite from their pain and despair. So they became ever more cruel.

The day the younger turned twenty-one, the anniversary of the death of the Charmed Ones, an army of demons and mortals and witches stormed their stronghold.

And the elder, lost in madness, laughed before turning them to ash.

Like so much of history, there is no happy ending.

Eventually, the brothers died, as all tyrants do. The elder burned himself out with his power one day, twenty years into his reign. He felt no pain, just a soft burn and then nothing.

And the younger, left alone with only memories and regrets decades too late, swiftly followed.

And the world moved on, as it always does. It took a long time, but the scars grew over and finally children laughed again. Cities were rebuilt and magic returned, used for good instead of inflicting pain.

Mortals and witches lived side-by-side as they always had, except now in full knowledge. Demons returned to the underworld; they, too, had to rebuild.

But everyone looked over their shoulders because no one ever truly dies. Souls are recycled and people reborn—what if those two came to be again?

The Charmed Ones and their offspring were put into the history books and lessons were taught about the misuse of power. The brothers’ names were rarely thought and even more rarely spoken.

And one day, a thousand years after the elder burned out, a baby boy was born. He was named Matthew and he had brilliant blue eyes. His mother was a witch of medium power and his father a mortal—and sometimes, as he grew, he dreamed of a life where he ruled. Not even two years later, Matthew was given a little brother whose eyes were bright green, named Christian. Christian often dreamed of days lived in pain.

They never spoke of their dreams, not to anyone.

Matthew honed his teleportation and astral projection; Christian mastered telekinesis and telepathy. They grew ever more skilled, ever stronger—and the dreams felt less like fantasy and more like memory every night.

Witches still spoke of the Charmed Ones. Demons still cursed the names of the brothers who nearly drove them to extinction. And, of course, as they discovered more of their powers, Matthew and Christian wondered…

But they never voiced their deepest fears.

And maybe, Matthew thought the day his parents died, some things can’t be changed. He met Christian’s eyes—so old, so weary—and managed a broken smile.

His nod meant I remember you and then he let his anger fly.

Before, in another life, the world cowered at his feet. And now, in the face of his wrath, the world trembles.

And Christian stands beside him. He belongs nowhere else.

Comments

[skyebanshee.livejournal.com]

Hope you don't mind that I seem to be stalking your Charmed fan fiction.

The grief, the anger, and the desolation was so well represented in this story...I got chills.

And maybe, Matthew thought the day his parents died, some things can’t be changed. He met Christian’s eyes—so old, so weary—and managed a broken smile.

His nod meant 'I remember you' and then he let his anger fly.

Before, in another life, the world cowered at his feet. And now, in the face of his wrath, the world trembles.

And Christian stands beside him. He belongs nowhere else.

Awesome last scene. You can see the cycle start again, see how the story plays out...and those last two sentences speak volumes.

[tigriswolf]

I don't mind fanfiction stalkers at all, darling.

Thank you! This is one of my personal favorites.

[strandedinaber.livejournal.com]

Oooh I hadn't noticed this being posted on LJ! I've favourited it on fanfiction.net - this is one of the fanfictions that I can read over and over again and always feel as though I'm reading it for the first time. Incredible writing. Do you often post your work on LJ, or is it normally on ff.net? You're on my alerts on there, but I'm worried about missing any of your work.

[tigriswolf]

I'll pretty much only be posting crossovers or long stories to ff.net anymore.

Thank you so much!

[alznthlay.livejournal.com]

I have got to start thinking of a new way to comment:

*flails*

[tigriswolf]

*twirls*

[death-of-dreams.livejournal.com]

Goddess, that was pretty.
The "I remember you" part was particularly beautiful. ^_^
Touching.

[tigriswolf]

Thank you so much!

[caramelsilver.livejournal.com]

My God, this is the best evil!Halliwell brothers fic I've ever read. It's absolutely stunning. The last scene in particular, it leaves me breathless. Well done. Just wonderful!

[tigriswolf]

Oh, wow. *blushes* Thank you!