TWISTED EMPIRE
Twisted Empire - Episode 21&22
(Her Blade, His Neck )
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Copyright © 2025
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Teal woke up startled, and the first thing she felt was the foreign softness of the mattress beneath her.
The mattress at the family housing suite is soft—she's not disputing that, but the softness of the one she's laying on right now?
It's extra, almost as if made for a baby skin, and it's comfortably warm. She picked up the smell of smoke, then the smell of that scent her nose would recognize anywhere.
Tom Ford.
Her eyes clicked open, and her sight was showered with the presence of small transparent lights on the ceilings.
Every bulb is small and tiny as if the owner of this room is allergic to the normal big bulbs or something, and another thing? She's seeing brown everywhere.
F+ck... she's not in the ruthless number Four territory, is she?
She remembers passing out in the forest after Sierra fired her with the second arrow, and then...
Wait... arrow.
She tried to quickly sit up, but the sting of pains from her right leg was much, causing her back to land back on the bed, and a low groan escaped from her aching throat.
The arrows are gone from her leg, so the pain she's feeling right now must be from the poison since it's a poisoned arrow.
She raised her hands to see her bloody gloves are gone. They're now replaced with bandaged which are wrapped around her bruises.
Did he also do this?
The room door cracked open, and she blinked, lowering her lashes to catch the glimpse of whoever it is.
She guessed right.
Four entered the room with a small tray in hand which he set on the small stool beside the bedstand, then he sat beside her in bed, his expression unreadable again.
Those eyes, those darn secretive eyes are closed off again, and sometimes she wishes she could tear them apart just to nail out what he's thinking.
His presence is always silent—grim like his personality, but somehow, he doesn't have to speak before his intimidation shows, and when he speaks, there's a measure to the words he speaks.
He speaks only when necessary, and it's always something unpleasant whenever it's her.
Not like she has been paying attention.
She doesn't have to pay attention before grasping what's happening around her. The awareness comes naturally to her.
His lips are pressed, and his jaws are contracted as he took a cup of medicine from the tray he brought...
"Where are the arrows in my legs?" She questioned.
"You expect to still meet them in your body? Stupid" He replied curtly, giving her the same vibe she's oozing.
"Did you remove them?" She questioned again, and this time...she was replied with silence from him.
"And who said you could touch me? Who said you could get them out of my body?" She said.
"What's so important about you and your darn body?" He replied, measuring his words again.
All these while, he hasn't made even one eye contact with her, and she likes it that way.
"Arsehole" she muttered.
He folded his figure and tilted her up in bed, placing the pillow beneath her back to support her.
He handed her the cup of medicine...
"Why did you bring me here? I have a suite in the family housing" she said, the warmness from the medicine cup heating up her palms, and it feels so soothingly good.
"You will quit asking questions, and you'll throw away that bratty tone" He replied, his voice losing all casualness.
"But I'm not a slave, aren't I entitled to know everything going on here? Twenty kids died cos of me, and Sierra was kind enough to come ease some of the guilt with pains, but you suddenly came and interrupted. Even going as far as getting rid of the arrows and bringing me to your suite? Who do you think you are?" Her eyes pierced him as she said each word.
Four sat back beside her in bed, and she was breathing heavily as she stared at him, awaiting an answer. She caught a glimpse of her right leg in the process. It's bandaged, too.
"The twenty kids died because i didn't prepare for the mission enough. They died because I fell into Usman's trap. They didn't die from the bullets of the terrorists in the school premises, so even if you joined Kash, they'd still die" he said, his full dark brows moving with every word he says.
"What" she muttered, her voice softer than intended.
"The bullets came from hidden perimeters, and Kash had to extra rifle, it was a miscalculation. Neither you nor Kash are at fault, so focus on the healing of your leg and hands" he proceeded, and instantly, it felt like a heavy load got lifted from her chest.
She felt light-chested, and her cloudy head felt cleared. Even her face brightened with a guilt-free smile as she felt the freeness in her soul.
The kids died...that's painful.
But it's not her fault? She could jump in joy right now if not for her leg.
She continued smiling for longer than she expected, and the standing of Four made her snap out of her happiness.
"Drink the medicine. Dunno what it is, but it'll relief the pain from your legs according to the doctors at the clinic. There's an ongoing search for the antidote to your the poisoned arrow. Less than fourteen hours left" he said, and her eyes widened.
"It's morning already?"
"Thought you were smart" he smirked with an arch to his brows, and she nearly poured the medicine at his face.
"You decorated your bedroom with tiny bulbs, and all of them are dull without a single bright one. All the windows are shut too, and you expect me to figure it out somehow that it's already daybreak? Give me a break Mr. Four DeVille" she said.
He didn't give any reply to that, he just began strolling towards the door, his long legs stretching in his black slacks.
"About the antidote..." She spoke up, and he turned his neck to give her a look over his shoulder.
"My uncles don't only sell poisoned knifes and guns, they also sell the antidote. They have the antidote I'm very sure" she said.
"They're on their way" he replied simply and left the room, taking his icy presence with him.
"On their way? He called them?" Teal scoffed.
"So much for knowing my uncles, is he acting like an husband right now? Doesn't suit him. I hate this" she muttered, making peeved faces before drinking from the warm cup of medicine.
She gulped it at once since it's neither bitter nor sweet. It's just bland like rainwater.
She dropped the cup and pressed her back on the pillow, thinking about the Rue kid again...
"Rest in peace, kiddo" she muttered, bringing her hands up to check out the soft bandages tied to it.
"Why did it feel like he wasn't the only one who came to the forest? I'm sure I heard two different movements before I passed out" she muttered, pondering about it for a while before giving up.
She looked around the room again, wondering why he's so obsessed with brown and these small tiny lights.
Is that another one of his mysteries that she's supposed to decode?
--
[Training Ground]
"Argh!!!"
"Ohh!!!"
Sierra's painful groans mixed with the chilled morning air, and the onlookers all have pity etched to their faces as they watched her receive the punishment.
After Yulia slammed her face on the oak tree last night in the forest, she was locked in the pavilion till daybreak, and from there, she was brought here this morning.
There's large piece of clothe in her mouth to muffle her cries, but it did nothing at all since her saliva already soaked it up, and her cries are penetrating into the fabric.
She's tied to a mountain of tyres, and there are two Senior Sergeants behind her who're thrashing her with horsewhips.
Her back is bloody, and a large part of her uniform is already torn at the back, showcasing her bloody skin and wounded flesh.
She has received fifteen whips already, and as two more landed on her back, she cried out again, her nails digging into the tyres surface.
There's no single tear in her eyes, but her blood is wasting.
"Ahh!!!!" She cried again when she received two whips again, and the fabric fell from her mouth, allowing the saliva to drool off her lips.
Allegra is in the crowd, and the helplessness in her eyes is so obvious. She looks pained like she's the one receiving the lashes, and Axel is right beside her, looking just as pained.
The Privates all look speechless, and as each lash landed on Sierra's body, they trembled.
What's this inhumanity?
No matter her offense, so far she didn't kill anyone...her punishment shouldn't be much like this.
She's literally bleeding away all her blood, and her flesh is tearing with the horsewhips.
Stormy and Morgan looks the most disturbed, and Morgan is almost crying.
As for Shannon and April? They're almost throwing parties on their spots right now.
Damn her for daring to touch Teal.
Rook is smiling, and as he listened to Sierra's cries, he added reggae beats to it in his head, enjoying the music, same with Brent.
"Pathetic" Abbey muttered.
"I never liked her" Paine shrugged.
The beatings went on and on till the 30th whip, and Axel had to break into the middle, pushing the sergeants in charge of the horsewhips away.
The beatings stopped, and Axel covered Sierra.
"Are you gonna fuckin kill her? It's fine! You're not gonna kill my half-sister cos of a bî+ch!" He shouted.
"We were ordered to whip her till she faints" the first sergeant replied.
"What! Who the hell gave that foolish order? Who the f+ck!" Axel demanded.
"Lady Yulia" the second Sergeant replied, and Axel rushed away from the training ground immediately.
Allegra followed him, and as they rushed towards the General's office, they could hear Sierra's cries as her beatings continued.
--
[General's Office]
"Stop the punishment! Make it stop!" Pedro yelled, standing in front of Yulia who looks impenetrable like a wall.
"Why the f+ck would I stop it? She fired Teal with poisoned arrows, and Teal passed out, so till she passes out like Teal, there's no stop to the punishment. Or you can go tell the sergeants to stop the punishment by yourself" she replied.
"You have the same authority as me in this place and you know I can't revoke any order you make just the way you can't revoke any order I make! You need to stop the punishment right now before she dies!" Pedro shouted.
"I need her to die actually" Yulia replied.
"She's my daughter, Yulia!" Pedro snapped, grabbing her shoulders.
"The daughter you got from impregnating another woman? You impregnated her mother, and one year after she gave birth, you got married to me without telling me you already had a child outside! Do you know what's gonna happen to your military status if it gets out that you did that to me? I've been keeping the secret for ages and it's too heavy to continue! Maybe it's time to finally kill her!" Yulia wickedly grinned.
"You can't touch her, you know how crazy her mother is! She has been quiet for years now...we don't want her intrusion again Yulia!!!" Pedro yelled.
"Then blame yourself for getting tangled with two crazy women cos if she's crazy, then I'm insane, and I'd do anything! I mean anything...to protect Teal!" Yulia shouted.
"Is there anything you're keeping from me about Teal? You're the one who chose her as Four's bride, and I've noticed your inclination towards her since then. Is there something you're not telling me? Why are you determined to kill Sierra just because she hurt her?" Pedro asked in the calmest voice he could conjure.
Before Yulia could talk, Axel and Allegra rushed into the office.
"Stop the punishment! Sierra is dying!" Axel said breathlessly.
"Dear son, why should I listen to you?" Yulia smiled, coming closer to stroke his hair.
Four might be taller than her, but she's same height with Axel, so it was easy to stroke.
"She might not be your daughter at all, but she's father's daughter! She's from the same father as I and Four! Don't do this" Axel replied, and Yulia nodded.
"You rarely care about anybody, so why do you care about Sierra?"
"She's my half-sister! Father might be the only string joining us together but it's still there!" Axel said desperately, sweat falling from his temples.
"Aww, my Axel is growing" Yulia laughed, and Allegra went on her knees quickly.
"Please...my lady. Sierra is just jealous that Teal would take her brother away from her, so she did that blindly. I'm sorry on her behalf, please stop the punishment" she begged.
"And what's this garbage doing in this office?" Yulia replied, and Allegra looked up with wide eyes.
"Garbage? No...I'm Axel's girlfriend" she said.
"In your dreams, Axel get this trashcan out now before I lose my temper and shoot Sierra down by myself!" Yulia shouted.
"It's hard to like you, mother" Axel said disappointedly, pulling Allegra out of the office.
The telephone on the table rang immediately, and Yulia picked up fast. It's the horsewhips sergeants calling.
"Yes?"
"Sierra fainted just now after receiving 35 whippings" they reported.
"Good. Throw her body to her friends. There's free to take her anywhere they like" Yulia replied, hanging up and dropping the telephone.
"You'll always do whatever you like no matter what it costs, Yulia. You'll get what you want no matter who gets hurt, and I f+çkin hate the fact that Four inherited that personality from you!" Pedro said, rushing out of the office.
Yulia sighed, sitting on the stable chair with a dab to her hair.
"If you know the two of us that well, you should also know where all these is coming from, Pedro" she said.
--
[Communal Dinning Hall]
It's busy again as breakfast is in progress, and every table is full with clattering spoons on plates and chewing mouths plus chatting ones.
Morgan and Stormy aren't present, they're part of the people who followed Sierra to the clinic.
It's just Shannon and April from the girl barracks, and they're sitting on the same wide table with guys from the squad in the middle of the noisy hall.
"I heard Sierra got taken to the clinic, and I heard it was lady Yulia who ordered the whippings. The Do Not Touch My Daughter-in-law vibe" Brent said, stuffing his face with rice and veggies.
"Of course you heard, it's always you with the informations" Shannon laughed, drinking coffee.
"Isn't it cool? Allegra landed in the clinic some days ago cos of Teal, and now it's Sierra her friend cos of Teal again? Legendary" April said.
"I'm telling you, but I miss Teal though. I just hope Master Sergeant let us see her before the end of today" Shannon replied.
"I can never like that lady" Paine spoke, shoving banana into his mouth.
"And no one's begging you to like her in the first place" Rook replied.
"Wait...do you have a crush on her? Aren't you ashamed of it? Always standing up for her?" Paine scoffed.
"Ashamed? Battery and I grew up together in Kalynda, we ate together, played together, kept toys together, had innocent baths together in the town river as kids, and we even wore matching outfits for our birthdays every year, so yes...I'm obsessed with my friendship with her just the way she's also obsessed!" Rook spranged up, holding eyes with Paine.
"So before you say something infuriating and silly about her, look around to make sure I'm not there cos I won't hesitate to ruin your annoying face" he continued.
Paine held his chest.
"Aw, I'm scared" he mockingly said, and Abbey bursted into laughter.
Rook dropped back to his seat.
"Paine and Abbey? It's giving me stomachache" Shannon muttered.
"I don't have a problem with Teal, I just wanna f+ck her that's all" Abbey said.
"With that teeny weeny d+ck of yours? You have the smallest d+ck in the male barracks, it's nothing I haven't seen in the bathroom" Rook replied.
And now it's Shannon and April's turns to laugh out loud. Brent's laughter was the loudest, and he almost choked on his water.
"F+ck you, Rook" Abbey glared, and Rook scoffed, stabbing his jelly roll with his fork.
Skye joined the table, and the laughter paused momentarily as he settled beside April.
"You said you were gonna rest in your room" April said surprisingly, and Skye smiled a little.
"Couldn't get to sleep, so I came to find you" he replied, holding her hand under the table.
"Your boyfriend?" Rook asked.
"Yeah.. from the pavilion" April replied.
"Oh...oh! The fourth surviving member of Axel's squad? Skye!" Brent quickly said.
"Right" Skye replied, eating from April's fish.
"I see...it's the mole. They said you're the terrorists informant" Paine said, and April nearly spranged up to attack, but Skye pulled her back.
"I'm not the terrorists informant, it's your choice to believe or not" he told Paine, and Paine smirked darkly.
"Hey... Skye. Welcome on board, you can check the telegram group, I posted a fine picture, use it to masturbate in case you're feeling low" Abbey said.
"Enough!" April slammed her palms on the table, and Abbey laughed.
"Abbey and Paine, you both are intolerable for real" Shannon shook her head.
Their phones buzzed at once, and as they checked, their attentions got stolen to one angle.
"So we're gonna be receiving more trainings starting this evening? And we're not gonna sleep till tomorrow morning? We're gonna be receiving spoken trainings till daybreak pending our next mission? Our next mission is coming in three days???" Rook read.
"Not bad" Brent shrugged.
Rook's phone buzzed again, and it's not a base message this time. It's from Uncle Dave.
Uncle D: Came to the base to deliver antidote, where are you?
Rook spranged up after reading.
"I'll be right back!" He said impatiently, rushing out of the hall after grabbing his jacket.
By the door, he bumped into someone, and he staggered with that person.
"Sorry bro!" He quickly apologized before looking up.
It's Theo.
When he saw the face, he didn't bother talking further, he just continued his rush.
Theo remained standing by the door, wondering what's going on.
Rook didn't try to engage in a conversation with him?
That's new.
--
[Master Sergeant's Unit]
The two uncles are in front of the unit, awaiting Four.
Habitually, Uncle Dave is holding a bottle of his favorite alcohol, and Uncle Paul is holding the bag containing the antidote.
"Somehow, I don't like this Four of a man." Paul said.
"Why? Cos he's keeping us waiting?" Dave replied.
"He's too uptight, but what can I say? We have to follow the wishes of Teal's parents by bethroting her to that wall of a man" Paul said, and Dave grinned.
"I love uptight people"
"Uncles!" Rook came with a run, and the two brightened up more.
"Rook!" Uncle Dave opened his arms for a big hug.
Rook hugged him dearly, extending the hug to Uncle Paul too.
"It's barely been two weeks and you already have scratches and bruises on your skin?" Uncle Dave said, seeing his wounds.
"I'm in the military, Uncle Dave. Not a relaxation center" Rook laughed.
"So tell me...what happened to the lady who arrowed our baby?" Uncle Paul asked.
"Lady Yulia ordered her to be whipped, and she's currently at the clinic" Rook replied.
"It wasn't Four himself who ordered the beatings?" Uncle Dave said.
"Nope, he doesn't care about her to that point" Rook replied.
"See why I said I don't like him?" Uncle Paul scoffed, and Four showed up immediately, looking like he's in a hurry.
"The antidote?" He said without greeting the uncles.
"I can't believe you're as unlikable as this...you should acknowledge us at least" Uncle Paul said with an eye roll.
Four went silent, but his eyes are heated. In fact, they're neutral like he's not even seeing anyone.
'Can he be less difficult?' Rook thought.
Uncle Dave took the antidote bag from Paul, then he handed it to Four.
"Take it, just sprinkle the ash on the wound and cover it with the perilla leaves first before bandaging it. The wound will heal within days" Uncle Dave said.
Four took the bag and started going in, but Uncle Paul pulled him back by his muscled arm.
Four looked at the contact, and Uncle Paul slowly let him go.
"We should see her at least" he said.
"Come back tomorrow, she's still asleep with the medicine in her system" Four replied point-blank and went in.
"Master Sergeant has always been like this, just overlook it" Rook spoke.
"Fine, we'll come back tomorrow, we'll just stay at the cantonment guesthouse" Uncle Dave said in surrender.
--
[Sergeant Kash's Suite]
Noon is starting to set in, and Sergeant Kash is still not off his laptop.
He has been sleepless since last night, but his aim is different.
Last night, he was searching for the next target location with Four, but they already found it, so right now he's gathering PDF materials for the Privates overnight class.
As he worked, Cassie dressed his arm wound beside him.
After she finished tying a new bandage on it, she rested her head in his shoulder.
"Baby you should rest... you've been wounded since yesterday but you've been working still...I don't want you to get sick" she said, caressing him with her breà sts.
"I won't get sick, Cassie. If I don't work with Snowman, then no one will. He didn't sleep last night too and since daybreak, he hasn't rested too, so there's bi reason for me to rest" Kash replied, not tearing his eyes off the laptop.
"So Usman's next target location is the president's son birthday party in three days?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah,it's a venetian masks masquerade ball. The president's son will arrive in the country tomorrow" Kash replied.
Cassie's phone chimed on the dinning table, and she left him to go check.
Immediately she saw the message, her heart skipped beats, and her throat dried.
Unknown: I want your pu§§y in my mouth. Please Cassie. I'll take care of you.
--
[Cantonment Clinic, Sierra's Ward]
General Pedro is present, plus Axel and Allegra, then Stormy and Morgan.
Sierra already regained consciousness, and it's surprising.
She's supposed to stay unconscious for hours judging by the heaviness of the whippings she received, but she seems like she has super strength, so her eyes opened since some minutes ago, and she's laying on her chest.
Her fatally wounded back is naked, and her eyes are still dry...no tears.
"How are you feeling now, Sierra?" Pedro asked.
"Do you know why I didn't fight back when Yulia was smashing my face against that tree?" Sierra replied.
Pedro went silent.
"It's because I believed if I allowed her to hurt me, and you see the wounds, you'd fight for me and maybe divorce her and call my mum back to your life, but you disappointed me! After taking me out to the forest, you allowed her lock me in the pavilion last night, and you allowed her to order sergeants to beat me this morning! And now you're here acting like you care? Take off that armour, you won't deceive me!" Sierra shouted, her back wounds shimmering under the ward bright lights.
Morgan and Stormy are standing by the wall, and Axel is standing not far from them with his phone in hand. He's chatting someone.
Allegra and Pedro are the only ones close to Sierra's bed.
"You shouldn't have done that to Teal" Pedro spoke finally.
"You're actually defending that slût of a lady that you bethroted to my brother?" Axel said.
"Shut up, Axel. Or I'll make you kneel here till dusk!" Pedro warned, and Axel bit his tongue.
"I don't have her time yet, and that's why you don't see me going after her to hurt her. I'm waiting to get my hands on something, and once I get that thing, then I'll give Teal my attention, stay tuned papa" Axel replied, leaving the ward.
"Even Axel—the half-brother I don't like is defending me, but you...my father... you're defending Teal? Tell me why I won't kill her? It's only just the beginning of the feud! I'll leave this clinic tomorrow, and I'll continue my hunt for her!" Sierra said from the beg, tilting up a bit to look at Pedro.
"Even you... won't be able to stop me. That whore won't take my brother away from me. Four and mum is all I have, and she won't take him!"
"Save your breaths, Sierra." Pedro replied and left the ward.
Sierra rested back in bed, and Allegra squatted beside the bed.
"How're you feeling?" She asked.
"I wanna see Four, then I'll be fine. I'm very sure he's currently beefing with Yulia for doing this to me. He doesn't play with me" Sierra replied, wriggling in pains.
"He'll come check on you soon" Allegra said.
Morgan and Stormy exchanged glances by the wall.
"I'm going to see Quentin soon" Morgan muttered.
"It's today?" Stormy blinked.
Morgan nodded.
--
[Military Base, Master Sergeant's Unit]
Four just finished applying the antidote on Teal's leg, and immediately he wrapped the bandage on it, he covered her with the duvet till it reached her chin, then he stood, his figure towering above her in bed.
The medicine she drank is strong, and he expected her to sleep this deep, but she's gonna wake up soon definitely.
Even in her keep like this, she looks like a rebel—a deviant character.
Her lips are flat when she slumbers, and her lashes are barely hugging. She sleeps with half her eyes closed, and it made him smirk, so deep that it reached his eyeballs.
Her eyebrows are slightly cinched even in her deep sleep, and her ears are red.
She moved her lips, changing the position of her head on the pillow.
Her bun is free, so her hair is all-over the brown pillow, and some strands already uprooted, gumming with the pillow material.
He's gonna have to start plucking them out later.
His smirk softened as he covered her with the duvet again. She barely escaped hypothermia last night, so no part of her body can be left out.
He got a text on his mobile, and he left the room, closing the door without making a sound.
He met Yulia in the living room, and the woman has a heavy smile on her strict face.
She's the one who texted him actually.
"How's she doing?" She asked.
"Breathing like a human" Four casually replied as he walked to the center table to pick up his stainless cigar holder.
He light up a stick of cigar inside it and was smoking as he faced Yulia who's still standing in her initial position.
"Your father thinks the order to whip Sierra came from me" she smiled again, walking towards him.
"As expected" he replied with a shrug.
Yulia lightened a cigar for herself too, puffin as she walked past him.
"You ordered the sergeants to beat her till she faints like Teal? You're something else, giant spider" she chuckled, sitting on a couch.
She mounted her legs.
Four's smirk returned to his face, darker than the first.
That one red vein ran down his neck as he faced Yulia, smokes pouring out of his nose.
"She's lucky I wasn't high back then, that's why I told them to beat her till she passes out" he murmured, his ruthless intentions clear.
Yulia's smiled faltered, and she unmounted her legs, slowly.
"And if you were high?" She asked.
"I would have told them to beat her to death" Four muttered.
TBC.
More pls 🥺
ReplyDeleteRelease more episodes pls