Z6

Defenders of the Earth: This Is Their Story

By Marzena

Plot: Season 2, Episode 26

Chapter 6: Traitor

These glances, so aghast, so perplexed, so hurt, so disbelieving. All of them directed at her. And yes, she deserved every single one of them. After all, she was a spy, a traitor, a liar, the daughter of their greatest enemy. How much more could she have betrayed them?

"How could you?" Lothar finally asked, nearly spatting at her with utter disgust. "We took you in, we protected you, we shared everything with you! And you, you just …"

"Oh, but you were supposed to take her in and share your secrets with her," Ming laughed, clearly enjoying seeing his enemies all brought down on their knees in front of him – by her. "That was all part of our little plan, wasn't it, my daughter?"

She didn't want to answer. She wanted to run, hide and never come back. Seeing her friends like that, seeing the man she loved like that, it broke her heart. But the heavy burden of wearing the mongonian crown was too overwhelming to escape from. She couldn't move. She barely could stand without shaking.

Feeling her father's annoyed gaze upon her, she lowered her head in obedience. "Yes, Father," she heard herself whispering, hating herself for each and every word that came out of her mouth.

"And now that I have you at my mercy, I can destroy you all once and for all!" he laughed, still in total joy over his triumphant victory. "Let's see what I should be doing with you. Hmmm. Maybe I can send some of you down to the mines, working for me. Or maybe I'll just kill you all. How would you like to end up beheaded, Flash Gordon? Or being shot at? Maybe thrown in front of a bunch of hungry mongonian creatures, of ..."

"Everything's better than ever seeing her again!" Flash spat, staring at her with so much rage and hate in his blue eyes that she felt like either running away or bursting into tears. But of course, a princess of Mongo could do neither. A princess of Mongo had to stand her ground, no matter what. She had to remain at her father's side at all costs. Even if it would kill her.

For Aura, she reminded herself. I'm doing this for Aura. To protect Aura.

Yes, Aura. Aura, who'd known all long about what her father was doing and who'd chosen to ignore it. As long as she could continue her comfortable life as a member of the Royal Family, Aura would go along with everything.

And this is the sister I'm trying to protect, Sheila thought bitterly, staring at the floor again to avoid the hateful glances her former teammates send in her direction.

"Lock them up!" her father finally commanded his minions. "I'll decide their fate later. Sheila, what would you prefer? Shall I arrange for them to get crushed between moving walls of steel or would you rather witness their execution?"

"Whatever you decide, Father," she replied curtly, carefully hiding the pain and the panic behind a mask of stone. There was nothing she could do for them anymore.

"Ah, such an obedient daughter," he laughed, clearly amused and obviously enjoying her discomfort as much as their hate. "Well, let's discuss this further over dinner, shall we?"

She nodded, hoping he'd hurry on. She needed to get out of here. She needed a break, she needed to cry, she needed to get out of her father's sight. She wanted to scream, to tear down the walls of the palace, to run away and never come back. Instead, she pretended to just stand there calmly, smiling, not the least bit interested in the fate of the Defenders of the Earth.

"I hope you choke on your bloody dinner!" April shouted, trying to free herself from her chains, but failing miserably. That only made her angrier. April Gordon had always been aggressive, and right now she was absolutely furious.

"Don't." The Phantom only spoke in a whisper, but looking up, Sheila could see his lips moving, and she guessed what he was saying rather than actually hearing it. "There's no point."

"She's a goddamn traitor!" April cried, her blue eyes sparking with rage.

"She'll pay for it," the Phantom assured her. "But that is not our concern right now."

She was already paying dearly. The man she loved, his family, his friends, they were all about to end up slaughtered by her father. And she'd have to witness it, to smile while seeing the blood drain out of their bodies, to pretend she didn't care. And it would break her. And she'd have to live with that.

They were taken away, all of them. She watched their departure with a stony expression in place, holding her shaking hands steady at her sides, carefully hidden between the thick fabrics of her royal gown. They went with their heads held high, and most of them turned away from her in disgust and disappointment, especially Flash. April was still glaring at her, hate written all over her young face. Rick was looking at her, too. And his gaze nearly made her tremble again. But knowing that her father was probably watching her very carefully, she just remained standing there.

Then, after her father and his servants had left the room as well, she took at few steps back until she could feel the hard wall pressing against her back. Now visibly trembling, she let herself sink down on the floor while desperately trying not to start sobbing like a child.

"If he goes through with this, you can never live with it."

Startled, Sheila lifted her head, ready to get up and defend herself against her father or brother. Instead, Aura was looking down at her, dressed elegantly in a midnight-blue royal gown and expensive jewelry, designed especially for her.

"You're telling me this?" Sheila asked back, glaring at her sister. "You didn't care that father blackmailed me in the first place!"

"They're our enemies. Of course I don't care. And neither should you."

"They're also my friends!" Sheila shot back, knowing she was walking on thin ice. One word about this conversation from Aura to her father and she'd end of getting executed for treachery. "Or at least they were until now," she sighed, pushing back a strand of soft blonde hair.

"I'd advise you not to say that too loud," Aura warned, dropping her voice to a whisper Sheila could barely understand. But Aura was right, of course.

"I won't." Slowly, Sheila got back on her feet again, blinking away her tears. "I better get ready for dinner. Father hates it when I'm not punctual."

She was already at the heavy metal door when Aura appeared next to her, glaring at her with her icy blue eyes.

"I know you think I don't appreciate what you've done, but you're wrong. I do. But what good does it do? We're princesses of the Royal Family of Mongo. Nothing can change that. It's our duty to support our father."

"It's also our duty to serve the empire and our planet. But what good does it do for either of them if father slaughters his enemies? Remember, Aura – he started this war. They didn't. They're just protecting their planet."

"You already sound like one of them," Aura said disapprovingly.

Sighing, Sheila closed her eyes. She didn't only sound like a Defender, she felt like one, too. More than that, she felt almost human.

"If you let him go through with this, it will kill you", Aura quietly stated, watching her. "So chose carefully what you're going to do, Sheila. And be aware – whatever choice you make, there will be no going back."

Biting her lips, Sheila closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. When she opened them again, Aura was gone. The room was empty and Sheila was left alone with her thoughts and her decisions. And she had to make one. Sooner rather than later.

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Article

Author

Chapters

1: Death

April and the other Gordons face a tragedy.

2: Beautiful

Mandrake is reunited with a romantic interest.

3: Peace and Quiet

Flash is thrown into an unexpected struggle.

4: Nightfall

Sheila and Flash continue to bond.