Disclaimer: I own neither Glee nor Red River (Anatolia Story)
A/N: The main plot of the story will be heavily based on the manga Red River one of my favorites. There is not a strong resemblence between the main hero of that story and Puck but I'll try to remain true to the personality but he'll be a Hittite prince so it will be hard to be both princely and Puckish. I'll also be borrowing characters from Red River but I'll write them as new characters with descriptions there just aren't enough characters for Glee and I want to avoid killing off Glee characters. I hope you guys like the story. Please Read and Review :)
Chapter 1: Murder and Magic
Winter, 2010
Rachel cheered and jumped as the ball knocked down all of those pesky pins in one roll. A strike! When the quarterback Finn Hudson had asked her to hang out she had not expected a sporting activity but now that the ball had stopped rolling inexplicably into the gutter she felt she was making some progress. Sure Finn was still dating the head cheerleader Nicole but surely bonding through the newly renovated Glee Club would make them the new 'it' couple!
Rachel was not a popular girl, the daily slushies could attest to that. But she never doubted that she would be a star!
She always worried a little bit that her star quality driving people away and would prevent her from embracing all the joys of youth. But here she was receiving her first kiss from a popular boy. He seemed nervous and hesistant. When he pulled away she thought she saw a bit of guilt in his eyes and when he immediately started talking about her quiting the school play to return to Glee full time she felt the weight of doubt build in her stomach. She didn't know any reason why he would kiss her to get her to come back to glee club but nothing she wanted ever came so easy. She just wanted everything too much.
At the end of their date they were walking out through the parking lot. In winter time most everything was frozen but a small puddle they were approaching quaked to life. Neither the gangly quarterback or the short diva noticed the water rippling until they were passing over it. Finn was in the middle of lively rendition of a throw he made at his last football game when Rachel felt a hand grasp her ankle. She looked down with widened brown eyes to see two hands reaching from the puddle and dragging her down by her legs. She opened her mouth to scream but water shot up from the puddle and garbled her words by flooding her mouth.
By the time Finn had turned around Rachel's purse had splashed in the shallow puddle and Rachel was completely gone.
Rachel tried to hold her breath as she was dragged through water by the disembodied hands. 'What's going on? This can't be happening!' she cried in frustration. "I've got you girl!" a cold female voice crowed in delight. She began to struggle and was able to kick the hands off her legs. But she was still underwater and running out of air. She looked up and saw a square of light and began to swim towards it.
She relieved the tightness in her lungs with a large gasp of breath as she surfaced. She heard a female scream in a strange language she'd never heard before. She whipped her head around and stared in shock at the dozen or so peseants within eye sight dressed in simple colorless smocks that were tied about the waist with ropes. They all stared back at her with shocked and amazed looks and spoke to each other in a language that resembled langauges from the middle east but was not identifiable for Rachel. She climbed out of the well quickly, her entire body dripping wet.
She got up and started running through the crowds of people among the stone buildings. 'Where's Finn? This doesn't look like Ohio! What's going onnnn?' There were some large temples and high stone walls but most of the building were small and made with light or red stone. She saw a stone staircase leading to the walkway on top of the tall stone walls. She reached the top and stopped to survey where she was. In the distance she saw mountains and desert with little foilage amongst the small buildings that were encased by the walls. The sand and dirt looked red. She was definitely not in Ohio.
Though Rachel did not know it yet she was standing in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BC. In her time this land is known as Central Anatolia in Turkey...
Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and began to console herself. "This is all a dream... Just a dream. When I open my eyes I'll be home and my dads will have breakfast cooking and my only worries will be if the slushy to my face will be grape or cherry flavored..." She opened her eyes and she still saw red. And not the cherry flavor shushy variety. She felt her knees give way and she held a hand to her forehead. "What happened? I was on a date with Finn...and then..." She heard more shouting in that mysterious language but this time it sounded angry. She turned and saw men running up the stairs to the top of the wall wearing skirt garments with sashes over their bare chests on their feet they wore scandels and in their hands they held spears. Not good...
"Soldiers?" Rachel ran from them along the wall. She peaked over her shoulder as she pumped her arms and legs. At the soldier's waists were swords. She didn't know what was going on but she had the strong sense that she did not want those men capturing her. She was able to make it off the wall and into the market place but up ahead she saw more guards she ducked through an alley and spotted a small garden like area. A tall figure totally covered in a cloak turned towards her. "Ohhh not more people...!"
As the man removed the cloak covering over his head his gruff baritone voice spoke to her in the language. She saw a tall man with tanned skin his dark brown hair fell to his shoulders with a headband spanning his forehead. His face was angular his brow was heavy with a suspicious scowl and an eyebrow cocked. His clothes were the most ornate she'd seen so far with dark purple trimming around the neck and gold bracelets and necklaces. He did not look like a soldier and he seemed to ask her a question in the language.
Rachel could hear the soldiers shouting in the market and she panicked, she was definitely caught because there was no where to run now. The young man stared at her intensely with his green-brown eyes. Rachel was in full freak out mode when suddenly a large strong hand grabbed her upper arm and yanked her. She was craddled down to the ground by the mysterious man's arms as he pulled the cloak over both of them. Rachel's mouth fell open in question and that is when the man proceeded to slip his tongue in! Rachel's eyes widened in shock while the man tasted her lips and mouth. Not even Finn had gotten this far! This man's lips were soft and firm and his mouth tasted like some sort of fruit Rachel wasn't familiar with. Rachel's eyes squeezed shut as she tried to push him away but he was much stronger than her and held her down.
She felt a strange tingling feeling envelope her tongue and mouth the tingling vibrated along her jaw and up towards her ears. A strange warmth followed as the man sank his long fingers into her hair. The heat created by the activities and the cloak covering them flushed Rachel's skin.
"Hey! A girl came this way! Did you see her?" a man shouted above them. Rachel finally gasped for air as the man pulled away and smirked down at her mischeviously before he lift the cloak enough to look out at the soldiers. The man had the audacity to lick his lips and smirk at the soldiers.
"A girl?" The molester queried cupping his hand over Rachel's mouth when she began to struggle beneath him. "I'm sorry. I must not have seen her. When I'm with one woman no other woman can catch my eye." he responded smoothly in that gruff baritone.
"It's Prince Noah!" One of the soldiers blushed in embarressment as his eyes darted from Prince Noah's face to the cloak that concealed "his woman."
"We are searching for a girl! We are sure she came this way!"
"I said I did not see her. I have finally made progress with this woman and you interrupt! Out of my sight!" Prince Noah barked in annoyance.
"Y-y-yes Sir!" The soldiers scrambled away.
'How can I understand them now...?' Rachel wondered as she peaked out at the retreating soldiers. The man now sat a couple feet away from her eyeing her curiously.
"You do look strange..." Noah murmured. "What did you do to get the Queen's army chasing you?"
'He saved me? And why can I understand him? Was it...?...? The kiss?' Rachel gasped and stared wide eyed at the prince.
Prince Noah eyed her up and down and then smirked. "Are you unhappy that we stopped? I don't mind finishing...I never leave a woman unsatisfied." He reached a hand out towards Rachel but she quickly got to her feet and ran. "Hey! Wait a minute!" His voice carried after her.
She ran back into the market so many questions about what had happened to her rolled in her head. How had she gotten here? How could she suddenly understand the language? How can she get back?
"Ahhhh! It's the girl that came out of the spring!" A peasent woman shrieked.
"There she is!" A soldier shouted and she was surrounded. The rough men grabbed her about the arms and pushed her down to tie her up.
"Dad! Daddy!" Rachel screamed pleadingly for help. "Finn! Someone! Help me!"
"Let's take her to her majesty!" a soldier cheered.
A few hours later she woke in a dark room with small windows and clay pots littering the floor. Her arms were bound above her head with a rope wound around a stone pillar supporting the ceiling of the stone building. The muscles in her thighs ached from sitting like up on her knees for hours and she was sure the rough stone of the floor was scraping her knees bloody.
"It was a mistake allowing her to escape and be seen by commoners." A familiar cold female voice scoffed. It was the voice from when she was pulled under water! "Had to quiet them down before a riot broke out." A woman with dirty blonde hair dressed in a regal dress and thick cloak over her arms like the prince stepped into the dark room. She bore a strong resemblence to someone Rachel remembers from McKinley. Cheerio Coah Sue Sylvester. This woman could be her twin with long hair wound up into an elegant bun. Her eyes were just as cold as the cheerleading coach. "Welcome to Hattusa."
"You are the one who pulled me into the water! Why! What do you want with me?" Rachel demanded in her usual dramatic fashion though in this situation it was certainly justified. The Sue look a like approached with a taller figure behind her who was completely covered by a black cloak. Sue doppleganger smirked and ran the tip of her index figure along Rachel's slim neck.
"I need your blood. I'll slice right here I need the freshest possible blood." Twin Sue cackled evilly.
"What?" Rachel's eyes teared up in fear.
"You see...I want my son to inherit the throne. My husband the King is very old already but my son is the youngest of all the princes! In order to become crown prince the others must die. In order to put a death wish on royalty I require special sacrificial blood. I prayed to the Gods for a sacrifice. I did not care where they came from as long as the sacrifice was worthy for the task at hand. And they showed you to me as being the most worthy." Sue's sista from another mista smirked.
"Is this a prank or something? This is the 21st century you can't sacrifice people!"
"21st Century? Is that where you are from? Well this is the Hittite Empire and I am the Queen! I am the Queen of Suppiluliumas the King of Water. There is nothing beyond my power!"
"A message, Your Highness! The King is on his way here now!" A bald tanned man with a headband about his head announced.
"Why is he coming here?" The Queen growled at her underling.
"News of the uproar in the city must of reached his ears!"
The Queen glared at Rachel with disdain. "I can not allowed the King to know about you." the Queen had Rachel gagged and not a minute too soon for the King had arrived down the corridor.
An elderly man with a long white beard stepped into the room. He was still all broad shoulders and tall like the prince Rachel had seen earlier but he looked like a wise, kind man. "My Queen. I'd heard about a strange girl appearing from a spring. Why do you have her here in your palace?" The King asked after surveying the room.
"Have you forgotten my liege? I am not just Queen but also Priestess of the Great Temple. The spring is in the jurisdiction of Teshub's Temple and so it is no coincidence that this girl has come to me." the Queen smiled with calculation.
'Please! Save me!' Rachel pleaded with her eyes her muffled voice unable to penetrate the gag.
"What do you plan to do with this girl?" the King queried.
"Because this girl has come to use from Teshub it is only proper that we send her back, it will bring prosperity to the Empire." The Queen explained and shot a truly evil bloodthirsty look towards Rachel.
Rachel was literally shaking in fear at the King's next words. "If that is your wish."
The Queen turned toward the man that brought her the message and pointed at him. "Take the girl to the temple and send out an announcement that the ritual will be performed tomorrow."
Rachel cried all night in the temple. "How could this happen? A blood sacrifice? Curses? No one will save me? This can't be happening to me!" She sobbed thinking that she might never see her fathers again or realize her dreams of Broadway. Or even do anything as simple as just sing in front of her mirror. She missed the slushies already.
The next day Rachel was brought out to the court yard in front of the temple. The other night her clothes had been taken from her and she was given clothes like the peasentry wore. Rachel was still in tears when she was pushed to her knees. A servant announced the royalty present. "Please be seated! His highness, Crown Prince Arnuwanda! And...the third prince! Noah Mursili! Please be seated!" At the mention of the third prince the women up in the balconies of the near by buildings squealed and cheered like fan girls. Rachel whipped her head around hoping for some escape some rescuer. Anyone!
Rachel spotted the man from the other day sitting with the royalty and talking with the crown prince. 'It's him! That man is the third prince? He must be friends with the Queen...?'
The Queen stepped forwards with a long staff and a veil that cast the top of her face in shadow. The rings at the top of the staff jingled as she sweeped it around towards Rachel. "Oh Great Teshub! God of Gods! I pray to you for the blessing of rain and fertility for our land! I send you this untainted virgin!"
'How did SHE know?' was the last thought through Rachel's head as two burly men with black masks covering all of their faces except their eyes grabbed her about the arms. The forced her to crouch and expose her neck for the man standing next to them wielding a large axe. "Receive this tribute and grant my wish!" the Queen shouted in victory as the executioner raised the axe ready to sweep down on Rachel's fragile throat. Rachel's eyes teared up as she screamed in her head. 'I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'
As the executioner moved to swing a gold goblet flew threw the air and knocked the hands of the executioner forcing him to drop the axe in surprise. Rachel quivered in fear as she stared at the axe embedded into the stone in front of her.
The Queen glared furiously into the crowd. "Who did that? How dare you insult Teshub by interrupting the ritual!"
"That wasn't an insult at all mother dearest. In fact it was just the opposite." Prince Noah Mursili stood and made his way towards Rachel.
"Prince Noah? Did you throw that goblet? What do you mean by opposite? It does not matter that you are one of the King's sons your actions are inexcusable!"
"Hold on mother dearest. I did not want to deceive the Gods which is why I intervened." Prince Noah crouched in front of Rachel and grabbed her face by her chin. He removed her gag and made a show of inspecting her face. "Let's see...ah! So it IS you!" Prince Noah got up and turned back to his father. "Father? Isn't purity a requirement for offerings to Teshub?"
"Of course..." The King responded in confusion.
"Then knowing that the offering is impure and keeping quiet is also inexcusable, right? I have no choice but to confess..." Prince Noah pulled Rachel to her feet and hugged her back to his chest firmly. "I have already taken this girl once! I was unaware that she was to be an offering and I stole her chastity!"
"WHAAAT?" The Queen and Rachel shrieked. Rachel's face flushed as Prince Noah hugged her closer and nuzzled her temple with his nose. He was doing it to urge her to quiet but she felt the intimacy of the gesture.
"TH-THAT'S A LIE!" the Queen accused desperately.
"How can you be so sure mother dearest?" Noah snarked with a smirk. He turned to smirk mischeviously down at Rachel who glared up at him. "Surely you remember what we did under the shade of the trees yesterday...?"
"YOU! THAT WAS! YOU FORCED ME TO!" Rachel screamed up at the perverted man cuddling her to his chest. After Rachel's outbursts no one in the crowd doubted that the Prince had stolen her virginity. The crown prince and the King both rolled their eyes subtly at the Prince's shennanigans.
Prince Noah reached down to kiss Rachel's cheek and whispered for only her ears. "If you want to keep your neck wouldn't it be better to play along?"
"Don't touch me!" Rachel hissed at Noah.
"Girl? Is this true?" the King inquired. Rachel flushed even more and glanced from the Queen to Noah and then back to the King. She nodded hesitantly and the Queen fumed silently in rage.
The next thing Rachel knew she was being tossed over Prince Noah's shoulder by the perverted prince who smiled at the royal family. "Since I have rendered the tribute useless I'll take responsibility and take her into my custody!" Rachel struggled in surprise on Noah's broad shoulder. "I'll make amends to the temple of course! I will send 100 virginal cows and sheep! That will apply to the usual custom right father?" Noah snarked innocently.
"Yes..."
"Your Majesty!" the Queen squawked in horror.
As Prince Noah made his way out of the court yard he paused by the King who called his name. "I don't care that you are a womanizer my son. But please try to shape up and settle down and find yourself a good wife." The King pleaded.
The Prince smiled innocently. "I agree with you Father. But there are more beauties in this world than there are stars in the sky. How can I choose just one?"
Prince Noah left the courtyard with Rachel still thrown over his shoulder, her hair swaying as he walked. When he reached the stairs down to the street he called down to his charriot driver and horse caretaker. "Artie! The ceremony is over! Let's go back to the palace!"
"Prince Noah! Who's that girl?" Artie exclaimed wide eyed. Rachel peeked at the young man. He looked just like a friend from school who was one of the six members of glee club! He even had the same name! He was missing the glasses and the wheelchair, his hair was a bit lighter and his skin tanner but the resemblence was uncanny. So far she'd recognized Artie and Sue Sylvester but she didn't recognize this Prince Noah person or anyone else she's seen so far.
"Queen Sylvesta was plotting and schemeing again as usual. So I took this girl away." Prince Noah explained handing Rachel to Artie.
"You are not friends with the Queen?" Rachel wondered confused.
"Friends? The Queen probably hates me more than anyone in the world." Prince Noah scoffed.
Prince Noah held Rachel in front of him facing his chest as the chariot began to move through the streets, Artie at the reigns. "Then take me back to my home!" Rachel pleaded. "The Queen brought me here!"
"She brought you here? From where?" Prince Noah asked eyeing Rachel curiously.
"America!"
"America?"
"This is Hattusa right? I've never heard of it! Where is this place?"
"You must be a country bumpkin if you've never heard of Hattusa." Artie replied while glancing at Rachel.
"Hmmm yes...and you don't appear to be from the Kaska tribe...or from Kizzuwadna...you have some of the features of the Hebrew tribes from Canaan...but I've never heard of a city or village named America there..." Prince Noah mused. "Do you know of the Mitanni Kingdom?"
"No..."
"How about Egypt?"
"Yes! I know Egypt! Is that near here?"
"No it's not nearby. Even with this charriot it's a 15 to 16 day journey." Prince Noah explained. "Is America a village in Egypt?"
"No, that's not it..." Rachel tried to explain but was cut off by Artie.
"Prince Noah, ever since the last pharroh took over there has been much change in Egypt that would cause new towns to crop up..."
"That's true it's all thanks to the current pharroh Tutankhamen." Prince Noah agreed.
"Tutankhamen...?" Rachel gasped.
"Do you know him? They say he is a boy younger than me." Prince Noah smirked at Rachel. It seemed to be his default setting.
'I've read about him...' Rachel realized in shock. 'He was a pharroh of ancient Egypt! So I'm in the Middle East of the past!' Rachel felt herself being overwhelmed with dread. Her knees began to shake.
Prince Noah frowned down at her in concern. "Hey! Are you alright?...What's your name?"
"Rachel..."
Prince Noah eyed her again with interest. "I see, alright, Rachel? You say the Queen brought you here. Do you know why she would do that?"
Rachel stared blankly at a random spot on Noah's chest. "She said she wants her son to take the throne. So she wants to put death curses on the other princes. She needs me to do that." Rachel explained hollowly.
The prince and Artie exchanged surprised looks between each other before staring at Rachel.
When they'd arrived at Prince Noah's palace Rachel got a brief look around the place before she was dumped in a room that had a double sized bed with fine cloths on it and cloth hanging from the ceiling to drape over the bed like a canopy. There were fine handcrafted furniture like a chair, tables , and a couple chests. The walls were large stone bricks and there was a small window.
Rachel sighed tiredly. "I guess I'll just have to try to manage by myself...I need to figure out how to get back home..." Rachel mused.
There was a knock at the wooden door and a young boy of about 12 came in carrying a tray of food. "Excuse me. I brought dinner..." The boy had black wavy hair cut shorter than the prince's hair. He wore gold hoop earings a gold band around his neck and his clothes consisted of a simple cloth about his waist. The boy smiled friendly at Rachel. "Hi! My name is Tito! Prince Noah asked me to look after you Princess Rachel!"
"Princess Rachel?" Rachel wondered while Tito moved to set the tray on the table and poor water into cups.
"I think this is the first time Prince Noah has brought a woman home! I'm quite happy about it!" The boy babbled as he merrily worked. "Do you like flowers, princess?"
The boy handed Rachel a flower and Rachel beamed up at Tito from her sitting position. "Thank you!" The boy blushed at the pure joy on Rachel's face. This was the first welcoming moment she'd had in Hattusa and she was enjoying it. Rachel decided she would ask Tito about the strange magic in this world later, for now she would enjoy a meal with the first friend she'd made in this world.
-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-~1~-
Later when the Queen and her henchman in the cloak were alone she growled in annoyance while staring into a clay pot filled with swirling water. She was trying to find where the girl was now in Prince Noah's palace.
"The Prince's wandering hands are well known it is not unbelievable that he'd had his hands on her just yesterday." a smooth male voice under the cloak mused.
The Queen glared at the water. "For my purposes it does not matter if she is virginal or not! But that ritual was the perfect opportunity to spill her blood and curse the princes!"
"Then what shall we do my Queen?"
"I need that girl's blood! I can not see her while she is protected by Prince Noah's magic...I will need to use the black water to get to her while she is still in Prince Noah's palace."
"I will have the water delivered, my Queen." the cloaked figure promised.