tw. violence, gore, death.
[sup]forgive me here, i cannot stay. he cut out my tongue, there is nothing to say. love me? oh lord, he threw me away, he laughed at my sins, in his arms i must stay. left me alone, when i needed the light, fell to my knees, and i wept for my life. if he had of stayed, you might understand. if he had of stayed, you never would've taken my hand. we speak when spoken to, that suits us well ...[/sup]
Edmund Stirling-Moray could not look out across the trees and their gentle dusting of white, untouched snow without feeling a tumultuous suspicion of the firs. He watched these trees every single day, the first many days with little thought but, as of recently, with a thunderstorm in his chest, nothing scared him more than a line of trees. Edmund's eyes regretfully followed the treeline, calm and composed as the dull, dark, and soundless day droned on by.
There was a certain iciness, this sinking and sickening feeling in his heart - it felt so unnerving that he had begun to do little else in his day apart from staring at the trees and waiting for them to rustle. Wait for the cavalry to arrive with their polished armor and deadly weapons before shooting each and every person down as if they were sitting ducks. The dreariness of such thought, of which provoking the imagination only made things feel more despairing for the General, was sickening to say the least.
Edmund would uphold his duty regardless of any outcome or possibility; after all, it had been him who had started this mess in the first place. He'd made a slow disaster out of himself.
❝ What are you doing? ❞ Dominik's voice sounded as footsteps grew closer. The silhouette of the oldest brother stopped in Ed's peripheral view, leaning against the balcony as he too observed the surroundings with a far less cynical eye.
❝ Just watching the world go by. ❞ Eddie lied through the teeth smoothly, darting his gaze around as he waited for the gunfire. But, he'd already waited for weeks, and he would wait forever more until the bastards arrived in abundance.
Dominik was unaware. If he knew of the horrors that Edmund had heard of, the threats of maim and murder of the guilty and the innocent, he would surely try to step in as the mob boss. It'd been a wordless battle between the youngest and the eldest; who was strong enough to be the boss? Although quieter and more contemplative, Edmund believed that he knew the ways of the family better than Dominik could ever claim to. His father had taught him everything - his brothers needed him. Without Edmund, none of them would still be alive.
❝ Well, I've got my rucksack packed. ❞ Dominik said; adding, ❝ I think I'm going to leave on Friday after I finish up with some jobs around here. ❞
It was as Edmund had foreseen. Upon hearing the news of Celine and Maisie's whereabouts, Dominik wouldn't skip a beat before packing up and journeying for them. He missed his daughter, his ex-wife less so... But Maisie, that little girl was his life. How old was she by now? Four? Five? She would've grown up so much since Dominik last saw her. He turned his head to look towards his older brother, tipping his head towards him.
❝ You tell her that her Uncle Eddie says hi. ❞
Eyes pierced the ceiling, the room absorbed by the dark. He had ruined everything. A breakdown shown only in the color noir, the darkness of his bedroom veiled the lightning bolts of blood vessels which circled red eyes, saline blinding him. Turning his head to the side, his wife was sound asleep in her blissful slumber. Edmund had failed everyone. He was nothing more than a black hole, a void which drew people in only to destroy them. He was the danger.
Wherever he walked, he left behind a trail of destruction.
Twisting his head slowly to stare back up at the ceiling, two hands clasped together as they rested on his belly. Calm and composed breaths. Blue eyes were left vacant, features stoic, and guilt lurking within a tainted soul. He was jaded and unclean, abysmal in all ways unholy and wicked. He wished he could see what it was like behind closed eyelids, orbs hidden in their own swathe of darkness until the morning. The only time he could escape from the nightmare.
But he couldn't sleep anymore.
Body shook unwillingly and, like raindrops down a window pane, tears broke their banks and trickled down his temples. Features shriveled up in agony. Head pressing firmly against his pillow. Two heavy blinks, tears unwavering, as his throat felt as if it was closing up. Oh, he was choking, and maybe he'd die. But it'd be no use for the next morning he'd wake up dead, and he'd go to bed the next day dead. He'd repeat the same derivative cycle for the rest of eternity, dead.
He had to kill his former self that evening, but this new him was not much better.
It'd been later in the day when Edmund slipped through the treeline on what appeared to be nothing more than a patrol around the area. He monitored the area in the same way a wolf would circle its territory, prepared to fight to its death if it were ever stricken by a competitor.
But today was not a patrol. It was a meeting.
The Kelley Family eyed Edmund cautiously as he trudged into their camp, near the border of Flintlock territory, tipping his head towards several. The man in his thick padded coat took a seat nearby the flickering bonfire.
❝ Ah, its good to see you again, Moray. ❞ Donovan was swift as he slipped into a seat nearby, chin resting on the palm of his hand as he studied Ed's features. Ed watched him furtively as eyes shifted from the fire to the older man, features stoic and unwavering.
❝ Yes - I would just like to check on you and your progress. ❞
❝ Progress, now? All right, then so. ❞ Donovan hummed. ❝ Well lets just say that it's imminent now, Eddie. Very imminent. I had a premonition, you see... It was a bleak winter flurry when I saw them. Trudging through the snow, weapons in hands. They sang the words of pure malice and hatred in their hearts. And the thing is, Eddie- ❞
Donovan leaned forward in his seat, gaze stern as he and Edmund shared eye contact, ❝ Everybody lost this battle... Everybody loses, Eddie Moray. ❞
Edmund's brows knitted together, slowly leaning back in his seat as he carefully searched Donovan's features. Could he trust another's foreboding? Perhaps this was what left Edmund so unsettled - his suspicions had been confirmed. In came the armies and their barbaric ways. They would hurt his family, his children, his wife, his friends. Blood of the innocent would be shed, and that blood would taint his skin.
He destroyed everything he touched - it was a Stirling curse.
He was bound by certain superstitious impressions, yet in the many years that he was led to believe gut instinct, more palpable happenings were to confirm the end of times. As for this instance, however, Edmund had no other sign to go off of apart from Donovan's words. He sucked in a slow breath before looking into the fire.
❝ The dark shadow of space leans over us… ❞ Donovan spoke once more, ❝ As our ancestors feared death, evil and all the dark powers of the winter, we fear that the darkness of war, discrimination, and selfishness may doom us to an eternal winter. ❞
He nodded his head towards Edmund. ❝ When the time comes, we will be there fighting alongside you and the Weatherford boys - I will never break a promise. ❞
Edmund lowered his eyes, silent for some time before standing up and holding his hand out for Donovan to shake. ❝ It was good to see you again, Kelley. ❞ Donovan stood up and grabbed onto Ed's hand firmly to shake, before pulling the younger man closer and narrowing his eyes.
❝ Be careful, Mister Moray. The dark shadow will eventually come for us all. ❞
The impetuous fury of the approaching premonition was violent and unexposed.
It was a tumultuous yet sternly evening, one roaring in its terror yet also its beauty. The frequent and violent alterations in the wind and the thick flurry of snow left an ominous whistle, like a man calling for his hounds to return to heel. The Stirling-Moray brood were lounging in the living room, a usual pre-dinner routine which took place nearly every single evening. Alfie began to converse to nobody in particular, namely about what he'd seen on his patrol that day.
No sooner had those few words passed his lips, a distinct reverberation sounded through the air. Clearly unnerved, Edmund scrambled to his feet, clutching onto the pistol which sat in its holster, strapped against his belt. No more gunshots rung through the air after the single occasion, yet the five men were hasty enough to prepare themselves to confront the shooter.
Frank peered out the window before an inhuman noise emitted passed his lips.
❝ What is it? ❞ Alfonso questioned in a hushed tone, only for Frank to turn at stare wide-eyed at his four brothers.
❝ It's Dad. ❞
Five men cleared out of the lodge’s front door, ordering for any others to withhold any fire. The boss had returned. The men were never partial to the likes of their father, as he was the only creature on earth that they truly feared. Slowing to a halt some distance away, the men were hesitant to speak, unsure on how or why their father had returned after having disappeared under such inexplicable circumstances.
Alfred's eyes were bent fixedly before him as he glared across at his five failures of sons. He was the monster who twisted all stars into shadows, the beast that created soldiers out of hollow corpses. The Stirling-Moray boys were nothing more than pawns in his game, the battlefield for the innocent to shed their blood on. People were afraid to hurt them because of the nightmares they'd become, shaped by wickedly bloodied hands.
There reigned a sharp rigidity throughout Alfred's entire countenance, eyes as cold as ice searching the faces of each and every one of his boys.
❝ You all disappoint me. ❞ Finally a voice so gravelly and low spoke, inhaling a slow and wheezing breath before his features shriveled up. ❝ This family… What have we become? ❞
❝ We thought you had died. ❞
Alfred scoffed, ❝ Do I look like a man who dies? ❞
Silence filled the empty space, the noiseless snowy landscape blustering on.
❝ So, what do... you want, then? ❞ Dominik questioned with uncertainty, brows furrowed together.
Alfred sighed, ❝ I am not sure quite yet. You see... one of you were the cause of my undoing, and I will figure out which one of you it was and I will be sure to put a bullet in your skull. ❞
❝ That's a bold thing to claim, Dad. ❞ Ed grumbled gruffly, glaring across as the wrinkled man. Shoulders hunching, stood tall and poised; Ed was suspicious.
❝ One of you… betrayed me. ❞ Alfred insisted, voice crackling like popping embers of a growing inferno. ❝ The Steine Brothers imprisoned me, you realize? Left me to wither away; and they were willing enough to inform me that my family were traitors. ❞
❝ None of us said a thing. ❞ Retorted Edmund, his weight shifting uncomfortably.
❝ What did I teach you all about family? Family is more determined by behavior than of blood. This is not a bloody family business when I cannot trust the whole lot of you… My beautiful Christine died because of you all. ❞
Alfred’s head shook slowly, grim features contorting into a look of fury and vengeance. The Stirling-Morays were of no use to Alfred - they did not search for him when he needed rescuing, and they didn’t save Christine before her untimely demise.
They did not abide with a Stirling law. Ultimately, they were to never be trusted by Alfred again.
❝ What were we supposed to do? ❞ Frank uttered softly, gaze flitting over to Alfonso worriedly before looking back towards their father.
❝ You were supposed to do what a real Stirling man would do! You bloody morons! Traitors! ❞ A sudden enraged bark passed Alfred’s lips, spit flying and pistol waving about in the air. ❝ I have been waiting a long time to do this! ❞
The moment had happened in milliseconds. A pistol followed the arc of his body as Alfred raised the weapon, his trigger finger firing three solid shots into the crowd of brothers, one after the other in one swift movement.
And then a single gunshot through the head, Alfred’s body propelled backwards into the snow.
Nostrils flaring, Ed’s hand was steady as his pistol pointed in his father’s direction. Time stilled in that moment, sharp gaze blinking as he watched rich blood sunk into crisp snow.
❝ Oh, shit. ❞
Edmund turned his head upon hearing Franklin choke out agonisingly, lips slow to part as he watched the aftermath unfold.
Dominik stared across at his father’s body, eyes vacant and dull. And then, he collapsed to his knees, and then face down into the snow.
❝ Alfie, go get some fucking help! ❞ Thomas barked, choked up on fear as he pushed Alfonso to start running back into the lodge. Alfonso’s eyes were wide, stumbling backwards before turning and sprinting back up the mountain.
Franklin fell to Dominik’s side, hands trembling as he rolled his brother onto his back. Thomas soon then dropping to his side as well, eyes lowering to see three clean bullet wounds in Dominik’s torso, then raising his eyes to meet with the tragic brother.
Dominik’s breath wheezed gently, hand pathetically reaching out to grasp onto Frank’s wrist as he then looked towards the blond brother. Whilst Thomas tried putting pressure on two of the three wounds, Frank slowly shook his head, eyes growing red as he squeezed Dominik’s hand tightly.
❝ We’ve got you, brother. We’ve got you. ❞
Edmund stood in silence, rooted to the ground as he holstered his weapon. He didn't know where he should stand, what he should say or do, paralyzed with shock. Dominik’s gaze was slowly blinking but otherwise inexpressive apart from weak, slow breaths and his hand grasped onto Frank’s.
Ed looked over to the lodge, jaw wobbling. Alfonso was taking way far long looking for medical help. He lowered his stern gaze again, jaw clenched, as Dominik landed his gaze onto Ed’s, wordlessly pleading for help. Rattling gasps grew quiet, his open mouth screaming and yet he made no sound.
And then, he stilled.
The tinnitus of silence hung in the air, the boys waiting for a breath. Hoping for a blink. Yet, Dominik's eyes never left Edmund's; His brother had been the very last thing he saw.
❝ Shit, man. ❞ Thomas choked out gently, tears streaming down his cheeks. He sniffled in one sharp breath, tipping his chin up to look at the sky, hand resting carefully on Dominik’s shoulder.
Franklin’s head hung low, sat in silence whilst tears dripped onto Dominik’s bloodied shirt. Slowly, he unclasped Dominik’s fingers which held weakly onto his hand, resting his brother’s hand on his chest before using his hands to wipe his face.
❝ Someone is coming now! ❞ Alfonso gasped out as he scrambled back, slowing to a stop before his eyes landed on the two brothers by Dominik’s side. And then, his face fell. He realized what had happened.
Ed watched Alfonso’s eyes carefully before turning and trudging away. A short distance away, he looked out along the tree line, features unmoving, before he suddenly lobbed his pistol as far as he could throw, lungs working in overdrive as an inhuman cry passed his lips.
And then, slowly, he lowered his hands to his side, grimacing as he looked out into the distance with blurred vision.
Edmund would lay in bed that night and stare at the ceiling. Lost. Defeated. A man who would kill himself that evening and become nothing more than a shell of what he used to be when he woke up the next day.
The black hole had finally caught up to him and engulfed him, leaving the world around him destroyed. He was ruined and unclean, and the guilt would never leave. He had become nothing more than a void.
Slowly, yet certainly, Edmund Moray was bearing semblance to a man he did not wish to be. He was just like his father: violent, angry and dead.
[2773 words] whoops. feel free to track/react but please do not reply ic! and yes this oneshot literally made me a mess when writing.
[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 10/17]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty three // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ general of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ product of an organized crime family, his father the mob boss
⋟ joined FL two years ago
appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: none
⋟ mental health - 100% // N/A
personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor
relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray
⋟ owns a west highland terrier, angus
interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]
[sup]forgive me here, i cannot stay. he cut out my tongue, there is nothing to say. love me? oh lord, he threw me away, he laughed at my sins, in his arms i must stay. left me alone, when i needed the light, fell to my knees, and i wept for my life. if he had of stayed, you might understand. if he had of stayed, you never would've taken my hand. we speak when spoken to, that suits us well ...[/sup]
Edmund Stirling-Moray could not look out across the trees and their gentle dusting of white, untouched snow without feeling a tumultuous suspicion of the firs. He watched these trees every single day, the first many days with little thought but, as of recently, with a thunderstorm in his chest, nothing scared him more than a line of trees. Edmund's eyes regretfully followed the treeline, calm and composed as the dull, dark, and soundless day droned on by.
There was a certain iciness, this sinking and sickening feeling in his heart - it felt so unnerving that he had begun to do little else in his day apart from staring at the trees and waiting for them to rustle. Wait for the cavalry to arrive with their polished armor and deadly weapons before shooting each and every person down as if they were sitting ducks. The dreariness of such thought, of which provoking the imagination only made things feel more despairing for the General, was sickening to say the least.
Edmund would uphold his duty regardless of any outcome or possibility; after all, it had been him who had started this mess in the first place. He'd made a slow disaster out of himself.
❝ What are you doing? ❞ Dominik's voice sounded as footsteps grew closer. The silhouette of the oldest brother stopped in Ed's peripheral view, leaning against the balcony as he too observed the surroundings with a far less cynical eye.
❝ Just watching the world go by. ❞ Eddie lied through the teeth smoothly, darting his gaze around as he waited for the gunfire. But, he'd already waited for weeks, and he would wait forever more until the bastards arrived in abundance.
Dominik was unaware. If he knew of the horrors that Edmund had heard of, the threats of maim and murder of the guilty and the innocent, he would surely try to step in as the mob boss. It'd been a wordless battle between the youngest and the eldest; who was strong enough to be the boss? Although quieter and more contemplative, Edmund believed that he knew the ways of the family better than Dominik could ever claim to. His father had taught him everything - his brothers needed him. Without Edmund, none of them would still be alive.
❝ Well, I've got my rucksack packed. ❞ Dominik said; adding, ❝ I think I'm going to leave on Friday after I finish up with some jobs around here. ❞
It was as Edmund had foreseen. Upon hearing the news of Celine and Maisie's whereabouts, Dominik wouldn't skip a beat before packing up and journeying for them. He missed his daughter, his ex-wife less so... But Maisie, that little girl was his life. How old was she by now? Four? Five? She would've grown up so much since Dominik last saw her. He turned his head to look towards his older brother, tipping his head towards him.
❝ You tell her that her Uncle Eddie says hi. ❞
Eyes pierced the ceiling, the room absorbed by the dark. He had ruined everything. A breakdown shown only in the color noir, the darkness of his bedroom veiled the lightning bolts of blood vessels which circled red eyes, saline blinding him. Turning his head to the side, his wife was sound asleep in her blissful slumber. Edmund had failed everyone. He was nothing more than a black hole, a void which drew people in only to destroy them. He was the danger.
Wherever he walked, he left behind a trail of destruction.
Twisting his head slowly to stare back up at the ceiling, two hands clasped together as they rested on his belly. Calm and composed breaths. Blue eyes were left vacant, features stoic, and guilt lurking within a tainted soul. He was jaded and unclean, abysmal in all ways unholy and wicked. He wished he could see what it was like behind closed eyelids, orbs hidden in their own swathe of darkness until the morning. The only time he could escape from the nightmare.
But he couldn't sleep anymore.
Body shook unwillingly and, like raindrops down a window pane, tears broke their banks and trickled down his temples. Features shriveled up in agony. Head pressing firmly against his pillow. Two heavy blinks, tears unwavering, as his throat felt as if it was closing up. Oh, he was choking, and maybe he'd die. But it'd be no use for the next morning he'd wake up dead, and he'd go to bed the next day dead. He'd repeat the same derivative cycle for the rest of eternity, dead.
He had to kill his former self that evening, but this new him was not much better.
It'd been later in the day when Edmund slipped through the treeline on what appeared to be nothing more than a patrol around the area. He monitored the area in the same way a wolf would circle its territory, prepared to fight to its death if it were ever stricken by a competitor.
But today was not a patrol. It was a meeting.
The Kelley Family eyed Edmund cautiously as he trudged into their camp, near the border of Flintlock territory, tipping his head towards several. The man in his thick padded coat took a seat nearby the flickering bonfire.
❝ Ah, its good to see you again, Moray. ❞ Donovan was swift as he slipped into a seat nearby, chin resting on the palm of his hand as he studied Ed's features. Ed watched him furtively as eyes shifted from the fire to the older man, features stoic and unwavering.
❝ Yes - I would just like to check on you and your progress. ❞
❝ Progress, now? All right, then so. ❞ Donovan hummed. ❝ Well lets just say that it's imminent now, Eddie. Very imminent. I had a premonition, you see... It was a bleak winter flurry when I saw them. Trudging through the snow, weapons in hands. They sang the words of pure malice and hatred in their hearts. And the thing is, Eddie- ❞
Donovan leaned forward in his seat, gaze stern as he and Edmund shared eye contact, ❝ Everybody lost this battle... Everybody loses, Eddie Moray. ❞
Edmund's brows knitted together, slowly leaning back in his seat as he carefully searched Donovan's features. Could he trust another's foreboding? Perhaps this was what left Edmund so unsettled - his suspicions had been confirmed. In came the armies and their barbaric ways. They would hurt his family, his children, his wife, his friends. Blood of the innocent would be shed, and that blood would taint his skin.
He destroyed everything he touched - it was a Stirling curse.
He was bound by certain superstitious impressions, yet in the many years that he was led to believe gut instinct, more palpable happenings were to confirm the end of times. As for this instance, however, Edmund had no other sign to go off of apart from Donovan's words. He sucked in a slow breath before looking into the fire.
❝ The dark shadow of space leans over us… ❞ Donovan spoke once more, ❝ As our ancestors feared death, evil and all the dark powers of the winter, we fear that the darkness of war, discrimination, and selfishness may doom us to an eternal winter. ❞
He nodded his head towards Edmund. ❝ When the time comes, we will be there fighting alongside you and the Weatherford boys - I will never break a promise. ❞
Edmund lowered his eyes, silent for some time before standing up and holding his hand out for Donovan to shake. ❝ It was good to see you again, Kelley. ❞ Donovan stood up and grabbed onto Ed's hand firmly to shake, before pulling the younger man closer and narrowing his eyes.
❝ Be careful, Mister Moray. The dark shadow will eventually come for us all. ❞
The impetuous fury of the approaching premonition was violent and unexposed.
It was a tumultuous yet sternly evening, one roaring in its terror yet also its beauty. The frequent and violent alterations in the wind and the thick flurry of snow left an ominous whistle, like a man calling for his hounds to return to heel. The Stirling-Moray brood were lounging in the living room, a usual pre-dinner routine which took place nearly every single evening. Alfie began to converse to nobody in particular, namely about what he'd seen on his patrol that day.
No sooner had those few words passed his lips, a distinct reverberation sounded through the air. Clearly unnerved, Edmund scrambled to his feet, clutching onto the pistol which sat in its holster, strapped against his belt. No more gunshots rung through the air after the single occasion, yet the five men were hasty enough to prepare themselves to confront the shooter.
Frank peered out the window before an inhuman noise emitted passed his lips.
❝ What is it? ❞ Alfonso questioned in a hushed tone, only for Frank to turn at stare wide-eyed at his four brothers.
❝ It's Dad. ❞
Five men cleared out of the lodge’s front door, ordering for any others to withhold any fire. The boss had returned. The men were never partial to the likes of their father, as he was the only creature on earth that they truly feared. Slowing to a halt some distance away, the men were hesitant to speak, unsure on how or why their father had returned after having disappeared under such inexplicable circumstances.
Alfred's eyes were bent fixedly before him as he glared across at his five failures of sons. He was the monster who twisted all stars into shadows, the beast that created soldiers out of hollow corpses. The Stirling-Moray boys were nothing more than pawns in his game, the battlefield for the innocent to shed their blood on. People were afraid to hurt them because of the nightmares they'd become, shaped by wickedly bloodied hands.
There reigned a sharp rigidity throughout Alfred's entire countenance, eyes as cold as ice searching the faces of each and every one of his boys.
❝ You all disappoint me. ❞ Finally a voice so gravelly and low spoke, inhaling a slow and wheezing breath before his features shriveled up. ❝ This family… What have we become? ❞
❝ We thought you had died. ❞
Alfred scoffed, ❝ Do I look like a man who dies? ❞
Silence filled the empty space, the noiseless snowy landscape blustering on.
❝ So, what do... you want, then? ❞ Dominik questioned with uncertainty, brows furrowed together.
Alfred sighed, ❝ I am not sure quite yet. You see... one of you were the cause of my undoing, and I will figure out which one of you it was and I will be sure to put a bullet in your skull. ❞
❝ That's a bold thing to claim, Dad. ❞ Ed grumbled gruffly, glaring across as the wrinkled man. Shoulders hunching, stood tall and poised; Ed was suspicious.
❝ One of you… betrayed me. ❞ Alfred insisted, voice crackling like popping embers of a growing inferno. ❝ The Steine Brothers imprisoned me, you realize? Left me to wither away; and they were willing enough to inform me that my family were traitors. ❞
❝ None of us said a thing. ❞ Retorted Edmund, his weight shifting uncomfortably.
❝ What did I teach you all about family? Family is more determined by behavior than of blood. This is not a bloody family business when I cannot trust the whole lot of you… My beautiful Christine died because of you all. ❞
Alfred’s head shook slowly, grim features contorting into a look of fury and vengeance. The Stirling-Morays were of no use to Alfred - they did not search for him when he needed rescuing, and they didn’t save Christine before her untimely demise.
They did not abide with a Stirling law. Ultimately, they were to never be trusted by Alfred again.
❝ What were we supposed to do? ❞ Frank uttered softly, gaze flitting over to Alfonso worriedly before looking back towards their father.
❝ You were supposed to do what a real Stirling man would do! You bloody morons! Traitors! ❞ A sudden enraged bark passed Alfred’s lips, spit flying and pistol waving about in the air. ❝ I have been waiting a long time to do this! ❞
The moment had happened in milliseconds. A pistol followed the arc of his body as Alfred raised the weapon, his trigger finger firing three solid shots into the crowd of brothers, one after the other in one swift movement.
And then a single gunshot through the head, Alfred’s body propelled backwards into the snow.
Nostrils flaring, Ed’s hand was steady as his pistol pointed in his father’s direction. Time stilled in that moment, sharp gaze blinking as he watched rich blood sunk into crisp snow.
❝ Oh, shit. ❞
Edmund turned his head upon hearing Franklin choke out agonisingly, lips slow to part as he watched the aftermath unfold.
Dominik stared across at his father’s body, eyes vacant and dull. And then, he collapsed to his knees, and then face down into the snow.
❝ Alfie, go get some fucking help! ❞ Thomas barked, choked up on fear as he pushed Alfonso to start running back into the lodge. Alfonso’s eyes were wide, stumbling backwards before turning and sprinting back up the mountain.
Franklin fell to Dominik’s side, hands trembling as he rolled his brother onto his back. Thomas soon then dropping to his side as well, eyes lowering to see three clean bullet wounds in Dominik’s torso, then raising his eyes to meet with the tragic brother.
Dominik’s breath wheezed gently, hand pathetically reaching out to grasp onto Frank’s wrist as he then looked towards the blond brother. Whilst Thomas tried putting pressure on two of the three wounds, Frank slowly shook his head, eyes growing red as he squeezed Dominik’s hand tightly.
❝ We’ve got you, brother. We’ve got you. ❞
Edmund stood in silence, rooted to the ground as he holstered his weapon. He didn't know where he should stand, what he should say or do, paralyzed with shock. Dominik’s gaze was slowly blinking but otherwise inexpressive apart from weak, slow breaths and his hand grasped onto Frank’s.
Ed looked over to the lodge, jaw wobbling. Alfonso was taking way far long looking for medical help. He lowered his stern gaze again, jaw clenched, as Dominik landed his gaze onto Ed’s, wordlessly pleading for help. Rattling gasps grew quiet, his open mouth screaming and yet he made no sound.
And then, he stilled.
The tinnitus of silence hung in the air, the boys waiting for a breath. Hoping for a blink. Yet, Dominik's eyes never left Edmund's; His brother had been the very last thing he saw.
❝ Shit, man. ❞ Thomas choked out gently, tears streaming down his cheeks. He sniffled in one sharp breath, tipping his chin up to look at the sky, hand resting carefully on Dominik’s shoulder.
Franklin’s head hung low, sat in silence whilst tears dripped onto Dominik’s bloodied shirt. Slowly, he unclasped Dominik’s fingers which held weakly onto his hand, resting his brother’s hand on his chest before using his hands to wipe his face.
❝ Someone is coming now! ❞ Alfonso gasped out as he scrambled back, slowing to a stop before his eyes landed on the two brothers by Dominik’s side. And then, his face fell. He realized what had happened.
Ed watched Alfonso’s eyes carefully before turning and trudging away. A short distance away, he looked out along the tree line, features unmoving, before he suddenly lobbed his pistol as far as he could throw, lungs working in overdrive as an inhuman cry passed his lips.
And then, slowly, he lowered his hands to his side, grimacing as he looked out into the distance with blurred vision.
Edmund would lay in bed that night and stare at the ceiling. Lost. Defeated. A man who would kill himself that evening and become nothing more than a shell of what he used to be when he woke up the next day.
The black hole had finally caught up to him and engulfed him, leaving the world around him destroyed. He was ruined and unclean, and the guilt would never leave. He had become nothing more than a void.
Slowly, yet certainly, Edmund Moray was bearing semblance to a man he did not wish to be. He was just like his father: violent, angry and dead.
[2773 words] whoops. feel free to track/react but please do not reply ic! and yes this oneshot literally made me a mess when writing.
[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 10/17]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty three // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ general of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ product of an organized crime family, his father the mob boss
⋟ joined FL two years ago
appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: none
⋟ mental health - 100% // N/A
personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor
relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray
⋟ owns a west highland terrier, angus
interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]
[align=center]
I'M OUT OF MY MIND, REPLAYING THE SCENE
![[Image: 657f3d69ae2c60c1954c7f725b4d7e66.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/7f/3d/657f3d69ae2c60c1954c7f725b4d7e66.jpg)