Silent Justice

Stayne blinked the sleep out of his eye, awoken by the sound of someone pounding frantically on the door to the cottage. Alannah stirred, her eyes full of sleepy bewilderment, and Stayne placed his hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down on the bed. "I'll go see who it is, love."

Alannah nodded sleepily, and Stayne climbed out of bed, wrapping his robe around himself, and went to answer the door. He gazed in slight bemusement at the cloaked and hooded figure that stood in front of him, and spoke quietly.

"Who are you?"

The figure trembled, but whether it was from cold or fear Stayne couldn't tell, and spoke in a trembling voice. "I…I need to see Lady Stayne. It's most urgent!"

Stayne sighed. "Miss, it is very late, and my Lady is sound asleep. Whatever it is you need, I am sure it can wait until morning."

The young woman shook her head frantically. "No! Please, Captain! I am begging you! I need to see her right away!"

"Let her come in Ilosivic."

Stayne turned and looked at Alannah. "Are you sure?" She nodded, and Stayne stepped aside, allowing the woman to enter the cottage. Once she was inside, she removed her hood, and Stayne gasped. "You're Corporal Davison's daughter. Elizabeth, right?"

Miss Davison nodded, and Alannah smiled softly. "What is it you need? Is your father ill?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, he is unfortunately quite hale and hearty. I come to ask for something for myself." She took a deep breath, and spoke in a scared but determined voice. "I….Can you make Requies aeterna?"

Alannah gaped at her in shocked disbelief. "Why in the name of Time would you ask me that? !"

Elizabeth gulped. "Can you make it?"

"Yes, but there's no way on this world or the next that I'm going to allow someone as young as you to kill themselves! Elizabeth, do you have any idea what that poisonous potion will do to you? !"

Elizabeth nodded, and then began sobbing. "I don't care! I want to die; I cannot endure my life any longer! I have reached the end of my despair! At least if I'm dead, I won't have to endure the nightmare that is my life! Please, Lady Stayne! You're the best Potions Maker in all of Underland! Why won't you allow me this?"

Alannah walked over to the girl. "Because, Elizabeth, I am a Healer, and I have vowed to never intentionally cause harm to a living being-whether directly or indirectly, and I will not have your death on my conscience. So do not ask me to give you the means. Why did you ask me in the first place?"

Elizabeth sniffled, and then rolled up her sleeve, and Alannah drew in a harsh gasp of anger at the scars, cuts, and welts that scored her arm. Elizabeth then rolled up her other sleeve, revealing even more sores and scars, and Alannah growled in rage. "Elizabeth, did your father…did he do that?"

Elizabeth nodded, and then removed her cloak completely, revealing a short dress, and both Stayne and Alannah gasped at the horrid burns and cuts on her legs. Then Elizabeth turned around, revealing her back, and Stayne gasped, then cursed violently. "That slurking urpal slackush scrum!" He looked over at Alannah, who had a disgusted expression on her face. "Do you know what those are?" She shook her head, and he spoke in a deadly cold voice. "Lash marks. Corporal Davison whipped his own daughter!"

Alannah growled, and Elizabeth turned and faced her. "Now do you see why I want to die? My father, that two faced bastard, has been doing this to me since I can remember, and every time I try to tell someone, I get rebuffed, told that I'm just overreacting. Davison is a good soldier, they say. He always obeys orders, they say. He's a bit heavy handed with his daughter, but she's a bit wild, and discipline is what's needed, they say."

Stayne spoke up, slightly confused. "Who says, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth smiled sardonically. "The servants and I've even heard some of your men saying it, Captain. For all I know, you could have said it at one time."

Stayne shook his head. "No, I never said it, and I never will say it. Elizabeth, I'm a father myself, and the idea of ever hurting my children is completely foreign to me. For Davison to do what he did to you makes him a complete and total monster. But I might have a way for you to be rid of him that doesn't involve you dying, as that would be a great loss. Will you trust Alannah and me?"

Elizabeth nodded, and Stayne smiled gently. "Good. First of all-Alannah, do you have any of your Healing potions?"

Alannah nodded. "Of course. Elizabeth, come with me and I'll see what I can do about some of those wounds." She led Elizabeth into the kitchen, and Stayne went into the bedroom, dressing quickly. He thrust his dagger and sword into his belt, and then walked out and into the kitchen. "Alannah, stay here with Elizabeth. I'll be back after I have a bit of a talk with her father."

Alannah smiled in grim understanding. "Of course. Before you go, I have something that you can give to the Corporal." She went to her Potions Cupboard, pulling out a small vial filled with a clear liquid, and handed it to him. "Give that to him…whenever. It's very potent, but make sure he swallows it all to get the full effect."

Stayne placed the vial in his pocket and smiled gently at Elizabeth. "I promise, when I return-you will no longer have anything to worry about." He turned and walked out of the cottage, and Elizabeth looked at Alannah, hope in her eyes.

"Did he mean it?"

Alannah nodded, and Elizabeth gave a cry of relief. "Oh, thank Time for that!"

Stayne marched into the Barracks, and headed straight for the cot where Corporal Robert Davison lay sleeping. He took hold of the edges, and with one movement, flung cot and sleeper into the wall. Davison came awake instantly, startled and scared. "Captain! Umm…is something wrong?"

Stayne glared at him. "You could say that, Corporal. Would you come with me, please? I wish to speak with you." Before Davison could protest, Stayne solved the issue by wrenching him to his feet and frog marching him out of the Barracks and into the Training Room. Davison finally found his voice.

"Captain, I demand that you tell me what this is about!"

Stayne shook his head. "All in good time, Corporal. First, we need to get a bit more comfortable. Well…at least I do. I'm afraid you won't be too comfortable. Come along, Corporal." He dragged Davison over to the middle of the room. Dangling from the ceiling was a rope that the soldiers used to practice climbing. It was on a pulley so it could be raised or lowered. Stayne lowered the rope, and smiled coldly at Davison, who blanched in fear. He tried to run, but Stayne grabbed him before he got two feet, pinning his arms behind his back. "Corporal, I wouldn't try anything foolish. You can't get out-the door's locked, and besides-we haven't had our little discussion yet." He dragged Davison back, and in a few swift movements he had him tied to the rope, his arms stretched above his head. He raised the rope so that Davison was dangling, his toes barely touching the floor, and then grinned madly. "There. All nice and comfy, and we can begin our little talk. Your daughter came to see Alannah tonight. You know why?" Davison shook his head. Stayne drew his dagger and examined the blade almost fondly before speaking. "She wanted a Killing Draught. Now, why would a seventeen year old girl possibly want to die?" He smiled at Davison, his eye cold. "I don't suppose you would know why?"

Davison shook his head, and Stayne laughed. "Really, Corporal, you must learn to lie more convincingly. You see, both Alannah and I saw what you did to her. I have to ask you this-how could you hurt your own daughter? She is your flesh and blood, Davison! So, I'll give you a chance to give me a good explanation for your actions. If it's good enough, I'll only break your hands. However, if it's lousy-as I suspect it most likely will be-I'll do something much, much worse. You have one minute to speak, starting now."

Davison gobbled in fear, but managed to find his voice. "She's a dirty little chit, that's why! Always trying to act above her station, befriending undesirables, pretending that she could ever be anything other than a worthless kitchen wench or a whore like her mother was! Do you know, Captain, I actually caught her speaking to the Lady Margaret? She knows better than to speak to those above her! I had to discipline her severely, to remind her who the Lord of the house is. I am Master of the house, and I will treat that worthless little brat however I see fit!"

Stayne chuckled, shaking his head, and then gazed almost mournfully at Davison. "I'm sorry, but not only was that explanation horrible, it was also extremely sickening. I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep my promise. Too bad, because you might have escaped with only shattered hands." He clucked in disappointment, then walked over to Davison and placed the tip of his dagger under his left eye, stabbing gently. Davison trembled, and Stayne spoke in a cold voice. "Now, Corporal, unless you want to be blinded in this eye, I suggest that you try not to flinch. Understood?" Davison squeaked in fear, and Stayne patted his cheek. "Good boy." He looked up at the rope, and grinned. "You know, I've always wondered how quickly I can raise and lower this rope with someone attached to it, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. But now you're here, and I'm feeling very curious."

He walked over to the lever that controlled the rope and yanked it upwards with all his strength. The rope skyrocketed upwards, and Davison screamed in fear and pain as he was sent flying up as well. Stayne then yanked down with equal strength, and the rope plummeted down, sending Davison smashing into the floor. Stayne giggled wickedly, and sent the rope flying up and crashing down five times before finally stopping.

Davison was bruised, battered, and panting in fear and exertion from his wild ride. He trembled as Stayne stood in front of him, a malignant smile on his face. "Did you enjoy your rides, Corporal?" Davison tried to answer, but Stayne placed his dagger against his mouth. "I wasn't actually looking for an answer, Davison. I can see that you didn't, and I'm quite happy to know that you didn't."

Davison whimpered in fear and stared at the dagger, eyes wide with terror. Stayne looked down at it, and grinned. "Oh…oh, you think I'm going to cut your tongue out! Well, as tempting as that is, I'm not going to do that. Know why?" Davison shook his head, and Stayne glared at him. "No tongue-no screaming. No screaming-no fun for me." He paused and tapped the dagger against his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Now, what shall I do next? It's too bad we don't have any whips available, or I could give you a sampling of what you gave Elizabeth….Wait! I have the perfect substitute." He drew his sword, and grinned wickedly at Davison. "This will do the job quite efficiently, I think. However, there is one more obstacle, but it's easy enough to remove."

He sliced Davison's shirt open, grinning as his chest was laid bare. "Much better. Now, you only left lash marks on Elizabeth's back, but I'm going to be generous and give you lashes on the front and back. No, no there's no need to thank me. I'm just doing whatever is necessary. Discipline, you know."

He brought his sword down in a high, swinging arc, and Davison screamed in pain as the flat of the blade smacked into his flesh. Stayne sighed, shaking his head in pretend disappointment. "Really, Corporal, I would have thought one of my soldiers would be better able to handle pain. I haven't even started yet. However, I will make you a promise. I counted twelve lash marks on Elizabeth's back-so I'll only give you twelve lashings with my sword. Of course, that's twelve lashings on the front as well as the back. That sound fair enough to you?" Davison tried to talk, but Stayne interrupted him. "I thought so. Now-I don't want to exert myself-haste makes waste, after all, so I'll be sure to take my time with the lashings."

He then proceeded to beat Davison unmercifully. He knew from his experience as an assassin where to hit Davison to cause the most pain while keeping him alive, and he called on that knowledge. Davison writhed in pain, trying to twist away, but was unsuccessful. Stayne would merely step closer to him, and start the lashings all over again. He crippled Davison's hands with one blow of his sword hilt, and Davison screeched in pain as he felt his bones shatter, and he whimpered and sobbed in pain and terror. Blood flowed from his wounds, and one eye was swollen shut. Stayne leaned in, and spoke in a deadly calm voice. "I'm going to ask you a question. If you give me the answer I'm looking for, I'll untie you-but you have to be out of this palace before noon tomorrow. I'll even ask Alannah to give you a healing draught. However, give me the wrong answer, and I'm afraid I'll be less generous. So. My question is this-Now that you've gotten a small sample of the pain you put your daughter through, are you ever going to lay a hand on her again?"

Davison took a breath, and answered. "As I told you before, Captain, what I do to that worthless little whore is my own business! It is not my fault that she is abject, common, despicable, disgraceful, unworthy, vile, worthless, and wretched! I have tried my best to raise her properly, but she refuses to obey me! As for you, Captain, you are merely a sadistic bastard, and I will be telling the Queen about your sick proclivities!"

Stayne sighed, shaking his head. "Davison, the Queen knows that I can be quite sadistic. She also knows that my sadism these days is saved for a very select few-namely those cowardly bastards that hurt the ones they're supposed to care for. No doubt you heard about the fate Lord Sotherby suffered? Poor man, unable to use his hands, reduced to a helpless husk…But no matter. I can see that you're never going to understand the wrongs you have committed. Therefore, I think there's only one option left." He was about to raise his sword when he stopped, chuckling quietly. "Oh, I almost forgot! Alannah gave me something to give to you." He reached into his pocket and took out the vial, uncorking it. "I'm not sure what it is, but I do hope it's not a healing draught." He took a whiff of the contents, frowning slightly. "Hmmm…no scent. Oh well. Open wide, Davison!"

Davison clamped his mouth shut, and Stayne wrenched it open and poured the entire contents of the vial down his throat, then stepped back to witness the effect. He was extremely startled by what he saw.

Corporal Davison's mouth was vanishing. Stayne watched, transfixed, as it slowly faded away, leaving a blank space where the mouth had been. Davison's eyes bulged in horror as he tried to scream out of his suddenly non existent mouth. Stayne gaped at him in shock, and then stared at the vial in his hands, noting for the first time that something was printed on the label. He read the words, and suddenly understood. 'tneliS reveroF'.

"Forever Silent", he said quietly. He smiled wickedly at Davison, who was sobbing in sheer terror. "What a fitting punishment for you. To never be able to talk again. You won't be able to give excuses as to why you're a bastard, and you won't be able to demean and belittle Elizabeth any more. Of course, you're likely to starve to death, but I can't say as that will be on my conscience overmuch, and I'm afraid that you are no longer any use to me as a soldier. I'm afraid that the beating I gave you, coupled with the fact that you've been dangling there for quite a while, means that you will no longer be able to hold a blade of grass, let alone a sword. So, I'll let you have a choice. I could send you into Exile, and let you slowly starve to death, or I could be merciful and simply kill you right now. Either way, you die. Blink once for exile, and twice for mercy."

Davison stared at him, and blinked twice. Stayne laughed wickedly. "Corporal, did you really think I would show you any mercy? Really, your boundless stupidity amazes me. If I killed you now, it would mean an end to your suffering, and that would be most unfair to Elizabeth. See, I promised her justice-and that is precisely what she is going to get. But first, I have one more thing to do before I finish. Oh, don't worry-this will be extremely painful. You see, I'm afraid my dagger isn't as sharp as I like it to be, so it may take me a bit to do this, plus you're probably going to struggle, which will make it even more difficult. Oh well."

He placed his dagger against Davison's chest, and slowly and methodically began to carve into the skin. Davison writhed in pain, eyes bulging in a silent scream. Stayne shook his head. "Corporal, the more you struggle, the clumsier I become. Do try to hold still, please."

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Stayne stepped back and observed his work, smiling in satisfaction. "That looks quite good, I think. Now, I'm going to allow you to see your daughter one last time."

He cut Davison's bonds, sending him crashing to the floor, and then tied his hands and feet together so that he was only able to hobble along. Stayne then dragged him out of the Barracks, headed straight for his cottage, kicked the door open and dragged him inside. Elizabeth, who had been sitting on the couch talking with Alannah, glanced up in fear. Stayne smiled at her. "Elizabeth, your father is going to be leaving soon, but if there's anything you would like to say to him, he'll listen to you. In fact, that's all he'll do-poor man can't talk back." He brought Davison forward, and Elizabeth gasped, and then grinned evilly. Stayne looked over at Alannah, who had a wicked smirk of satisfaction on her face. "Brilliant potion, love. I do hope it's permanent."

Alannah nodded, and gave Davison a mad grin. "It is."

Stayne giggled, rubbing his hands in sardonic glee. "Oh goody. Elizabeth, would you like to give your father one last good bye?"

Elizabeth nodded and walked over to Davison. She stared at him, then slapped him with every ounce of strength she had. "I only wish that I could do more to you, you worthless, slurking urpal slackush scrum! Captain Stayne, get him out of my sight!"

Stayne grinned, and saluted. "As you wish, Lady Davison. Alannah, I'll be back in about an hour." He dragged Davison out of the cottage, and Elizabeth gave a cry of relief. Alannah hugged her tightly. "It's over now, Elizabeth. You're safe. He will never hurt you again."

Stayne had reached his destination-the Gummer Slough. He dragged Davison into the heart of the Slough and smiled wickedly. "Welcome to your new home, Davison. Now, I know what you're thinking-we've navigated the Slough before, and you think you know how to get out, but I doubt it. You can try though. Of course, it will be doubly hard as I tied those ropes extremely tightly-the more you try to get free, the tighter the knots become, and there's nothing sharp that you can use to cut the rope. Goodbye, Davison."

He gave him a blow with his sword, knocking him out, and then walked out of the Slough, heading towards Grey Star and home. As he rode towards Marmoreal, he smiled to himself, glad that he had long ago memorized the route in and out of the labyrinth of the swamp. He knew Davison would never get out.

Two weeks later, Stayne and Alannah received two bits of good news. The first came when they learned that the body of Corporal Robert Davison had been found in the Gummer Slough, the apparent victim of a drowning. The body had been gnawed on by swamp critters, and was nearly unrecognizable-but Stayne's carved words were still readable.

The second bit of good news came in the form of a letter from Elizabeth, who had gone to live with her Aunt and Uncle in Witzend.

Dear Captain and Lady Stayne,

I cannot thank you enough for the kindness you showed to me. You freed me from a life of unending pain and torment, and I am most grateful for that. Lady Stayne, I am most heartily grateful to you for your refusal to allow my cowardice to take hold, and for talking to me while Captain Stayne was with my father. You gave me much to think about, and I see now that the advice you gave me-to never despair or give up-was not merely talk. I realize now that everything my father said about me was wrong. I have worth, and I deserve love and attention-and Aunt and Uncle are giving me that in spades! They do not know the complete truth of why I am living with them-I only told them that Father was unable to care for me due to illness, and they have accepted that explanation. I am most happy here, and have even begun to learn a trade-my Aunt seems to think I show promise as a seamstress, so she is teaching me. I made my first shirt yesterday, and Aunt Hildegard said I did a marvelous job. I felt such a sense of accomplishment-I had made something with my own two hands-this despite my father's repeated claims that I was far too stupid to learn anything.

Captain Stayne, I will not ask what you did to my father, but I did see the aftermath, and my only regret is that I was not there to witness justice being served. However, I take satisfaction in knowing that the bastard was in intense pain the whole time. I'm not unfamiliar with your reputation, and I'm glad you put your skills to good use. Nobody was more deserving of torture and pain than my abusive bastard of a father was.

I received word of his death two days ago, and I had to restrain myself from shouting in joy. But I can no longer hold back my elation, and I plan on celebrating the bastard's demise in the best way I know-by living my life to the fullest, a life free of his tyranny and terror.

It's funny-I came to you that night hoping for death, and instead I found life-and I cannot thank you enough for that. I am happier than I have ever been. I've even struck up a friendship with a young man. His name is Derek, and he works in my Uncle Steven's shop. He's a bit shy and quiet, but ever so much fun to talk with and I have the feeling-nay, the hope-that he is going to ask Aunt and Uncle for permission to court me.

I have you both to thank, as it was through your combined actions that I am able to be here at all.

Thank you so much.

Your Friend (Now and Always),

Elizabeth Davison.