A/N: This chapter includes themes of self-injury and suicidal thoughts. Please do not read this chapter if you feel vulnerable or susceptible to these issues and if you do continue, please read with caution. There will be some links in the comments (at the bottom of the page) for resources if you or a loved one are struggling with the adversities highlighted in this chapter.

Episode Three, Part 3:
Fragile

You are a weapon and weapons don't weep. 

The other guards all followed orders, grabbing onto Sol, Dreea and Quill and attempting to drag them back to their cells, but they all put up a fight, refusing to go anywhere without Elara.

"We're not going to cause any trouble!" Sol yelled. "We'll be compliant if she comes with us!"

"You don't get to make the rules," the guard that was holding her announced, being more forceful with her, but Sol had, had enough. She wormed her way out of his hold, using her elbows to slam into his sides, knocking him down and hurrying to help Quill and Dreea free.

"Weapons out!" The guard on the floor roared, quickly recovering to his feet and pulling out his gun, wasting no time in aiming it at Sol.

"Hold your fire!" Ammon yelled, moving in between the guard and the Sovereigns, one hand up to either of them.

He moved over, grabbing onto Sol as she had stopped her fighting after noticing the gun, and instructed his guard to retreat his weapon.

"I said take them back to their cells," Ammon lowered his voice. "Nothing else."

"You've been a Level 2 Guard for all of one day and already, you think you're the boss of us," the guard shook his head, bitterly taking possession of Sol and holding her firmly in front of him.

"That's because I am," Ammon growled, making it known to the guard that he had heard exactly what he had said.

He moved over to Dreea and held her still until her guard had control of her, seeing that Quill was already contained without the need for him to interfere.

"Now, do your job and make sure the three of them are returned to their cells, or I'll report you to Athena-"

"No one is going anywhere until I'm taken to my family," Elara interrupted, drawing everyone back to the fact that she was standing there with a blade and wouldn't hesitate to use it on anyone.

"You wanna play that game?" One of the guards asked, eagerly challenging her. They drew out their own blade from their side, pulling Dreea further against them and holding the weapon against her neck. "You make the call," they smirked.

"Weapon. Down," Ammon demanded - the mask failing to disguise the rage in his voice as he spoke to one of his inferiors.

Elara watched on, unable to predict how the situation would unfold, feeling tears freely escape her and run down her cheeks. If she hurt them, they'd hurt her family... How could she win? How could she allow the others to return to their cells unharmed and get answers to Wynn and Chessca's whereabouts?

She swallowed a deep breath, waiting until Ammon and the other guards turned their attention back to her before she acted.

She twisted the weapon in her hands until the blade was facing her stomach, poking ever-so-slightly into her shirt. For whatever reason, Elara felt as though Neptunum would prefer their prisoners alive and wondered if the potential sacrifice of herself would be enough of an ultimatum for them to take her to Wynn and Izzy and everyone else she was missing.

Ammon hesitated - not having expected Elara to put herself in danger, and racked his mind for a quick solution.

"Let go of the prisoners," he ordered.

"What?"

"Let go of the prisoners!" Ammon repeated his demand. "I swear if the three of you don't do as I've asked, I'll fit you all onto the trials and make sure you're first in line."

The three of them looked over at each other, contemplating Ammon's threat, but deciding not to chance it. There were plenty of things they would have risked going against his seemingly irrational order, but the potential of undergoing Neptunum's trials was not one of them.

"We'll wait until the situation is calm and then we'll escort everyone back to their cells," he continued. "I am not having any bloodshed today. Not if I can help it."

The three guards huffed and let go of their prisoners, taking a step back and waiting impatiently to see how Ammon would handle the situation.

Surprising the Sovereigns, Ammon nodded over at them, giving them permission to try and console their friend into safety.

"Elara," Quill was the first to speak, hurrying to take a step towards his sister, but she backed away, refusing to lower the weapon even though the immediate danger of her friends had been eliminated.

"Ell, everything's going to be fine," Quill told her, echoing their brother's words in the hope that it would persuade her. "But I need you to drop the blade... Just drop it and come over to me. Please."

Elara shook her head, suddenly realising that she was sobbing and completely unable to control her emotions. "Something's happened to Wynn," she whimpered.

"We don't know that-"

"There's no other explanation!" Elara cut him off, shaking terribly. "Him and Chess have been gone for days, and Izzy... I don't know where she is; if she's alive; if she's hurt-"

"Izzy's a child; they wouldn't have hurt her," Quill assured her. "No one would do that. She's somewhere safe with Harlow and the others."

"What if they've killed Wynn and they're just trying to cover it up?" She asked. "That's why they can't take us to him: because he's dead."

"Elara-"

"And I've lost all of the people I love the most, except you... Ares and Kodiak, and now Wynn and Izzy... I can't do it anymore. A certain amount of loss kills you, too, and I've lost so much... I've lost everything."

Wounded at her words, Sol inched closer to her from her other side, hoping that she and Quill would gradually be able to make it close enough to her to be able to disarm her.

"Ell, you need to fight through it for them," she said. "Quill is still here and he loves you and he needs you. I love you and I need you; Dreea, Fenn, Aeryn, Atlantis - all of us love you. We'll figure out where Wynn, Chess and the kids are, but you can't give up. What is it that Kodiak always told you?"

Elara looked up at her, caught off guard by his name; no matter what chaos her world was in, he was always her clarity; always the one who was able to draw her back into focus.

"...You have to keep going," Elara murmured his words, almost convincing herself that she could still hear his voice whispering the same thing to her, right where she was standing.

"You have to keep going," Sol nodded, repeating the phrase back to her in confirmation. "He'd tell you it now if he could."

Elara felt her hold on the blade falter and she didn't try to secure it in her hands. She knew Sol was right: Kodiak would be telling her to keep going and she would somehow find the strength to listen just because it was him asking.

But she didn't have time to make a choice or surrender the weapon herself. Ammon approached her, pulling something out of his belt before she could react, and holding it against Elara.

He injected some sort of pen into her neck, simultaneously taking the blade from her hands as the drug he used on her took a quick effect. He went to catch her before she could hit the ground, but Quill was already there, grabbing a hold of her and carefully lowering her to the ground.

"Ell?" He asked, beginning to freak out as he noticed her eyes draw heavy. "Ell, stay awake."

"It's a knockout drug," Ammon informed him with a tenderness to his voice. He crouched low to the ground, almost wanting to get closer to them, but he was hesitant. "A type of sedative... She's okay, she just needs to rest."

He reached out to her, but Sol moved over, swatting his hand away.

"You've done enough," she spat, quickly brushing him off and joining Quill in trying to comfort Elara as she slowly slipped out of consciousness.

"She's okay, Quill," Sol assured him, placing her hand over his as he had Elara leaning against him.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take her now," Ammon interrupted. "The three of you need to return to your cells."

"Not until I know my sister is alright," Quill resisted. "And my brother; and Izzy, Chess-"

"Everyone's okay," Ammon declared - it being the first time any of the guards had actually answered in reference to Wynn, Chessca and Izzy. "I'm sorry," he repeated his words as if fearful that they hadn't paid attention to what he was saying. "But you need to let me take her."

"I'm her cellmate," Dreea interrupted. "Let me go with you and that way we can both return to our cell together."

Ammon shook his head. "She needs to go to medical and get treated," he said, gazing down at the sleeping girl. "I think a psych evaluation would be a good idea, too."

"But-" Quill tried to argue, only to be cut off by Sol.

"Quill..." she sighed, trying to be careful in how she said it. "I think she needs this."

Quill swallowed down his fear, flickering his eyes down to Elara. He tried to figure out what Wynn would do in his situation, or Ares, wanting to make the decision that was best for his sister and not the one that offered him the most comfort. He didn't want Elara to be taken by the guard and end up like Wynn - missing with no indication to her whereabouts - but he knew Sol was right... She had threatened to hurt herself. She had been willing to give up because she was so void of hope, even though she was always the one holding onto it in their family...

He nodded, sniffling back his tears. "Okay," he said firmly, glaring at Ammon. "But if she's not back tomorrow, there'll be hell to pay."

Ammon inhaled a deep breath, nodding his understanding to him as he moved closer to Elara. In order to pick her up, Ammon had to empty his hands - one of them clutching his pistol at his side. He set it down in the ground so subtly that no one noticed - too distracted by what was going on with Elara - except Sol... She perfected her timing, slowly sliding the weapon closer to where she was kneeling next to Ammon on the ground, and pulled it tightly to her body, tucking it her waistband underneath her shirt.

As she stood up and moved out of the way, Ammon was able to lift Elara out of Quill's hold, noticing that Sol had taken the bait...

"Now you can take them back to their cells," Ammon said to the other guards, watching as Quill hovered close to him, hesitant to leave Elara's side. "Your sister will be fine. I promise." 

Three // Part Three
He'd tell you it now if he could.

I understand this was a very mature scene to include in my book and I have re-read it and planned it to try and convey the themes in the most careful way possible. I will attach some links in the comments in case you identify with Elara's character in this chapter and find that you are struggling with the same thoughts, urges and feelings as her. I will also be continuing this part of her storyline in the next chapter and it is written with my best intentions and I hope that it raises awareness to the way that these situations should be treated with as well as the many different ways to protect not only others, but yourself if you are struggling with your emotions and grief.

There is always help.
Links:

09/11/20.