Seven Uses for Stayne's Cape.
One
Stayne fastens the large cape around his shoulders, adjusting the heavy material so that it hangs evenly. He takes a fistful of fabric in his hands, flipping it over so that the red and black patterns on the reverse side show clearly in the harsh light of the throne room. He had requested a cape from Iracebeth almost on a whim, never really expecting her to find him one. So he is pleasantly shocked and surprised to find that she has commissioned the finest tailors in her Court to make him the finest cape in all of Underland. For a brief, fleeting instant he wants to kiss her, but then she begins yammering, and the feeling is quickly squelched. Instead, he thanks her for the lovely gift, and escapes to his quarters before she can start simpering at him.
Inside, safe from the Queen, he stares at his reflection in the mirror that hangs near his closet. He grins, liking the way the cape completes his outfit, and resolves to keep it in good condition.
Two
Stayne draws his cape tight around his frame, shivering in the cold. It is one of the harshest Underland winters he can remember, and several times he has implored the Queen to heat Salazen Grum. But she is steadfast in her refusal, and it takes every bit of control Stayne has to not scream at her for being a selfish, stuck up, miserly brat. He settles instead for merely rolling his eye at her and walking out of the Throne Room, a curse bitten back.
An icy blast of wind hits him as he turns a corner, and for a brief instant not even the warmth of the cape is enough to blunt the ice cold blast. The cold seems to penetrate his bones, and he sucks in a harsh breath, feeling as though he has been frozen for the blink of an eye. He looks around for the source of the polar air, and sighs in exasperation as he notices an open window. No matter how many times he tells the servants to keep the place shut tight during winter to preserve what little heat the Castle has, he is constantly finding doors ajar and windows slightly open. He reluctantly removes his hands from under his cape and begins to force the window closed, biting back a hiss of pain when his fingers come into contact with the frosted glass. He makes a mental note to ask Iracebeth for a pair of gloves, and gathers a bit of his cape in his hands as a barrier between himself and the window. He grunts and strains, and finally the window closes. He breathes a sigh of relief, and thanks Time that his fingers haven't gone numb.
He watches through the window as the snow cascades down, turning the world white, and for a brief instant he is almost able to forget where he is. But then the banshee screeches his name, and he is brought back to the unpleasant reality that is his life.
He sighs, and heads for her chambers, a commiserating smile already on his lips.
Three
He lies on the cold ground, the cape draped loosely over him, and gives Iracebeth an exasperated look. She had been complaining that she was freezing cold, and in a burst of magnanimity he offers her his cape to ward off the chill. Her reaction to his rather generous offer startles but doesn't surprise him-she screeches at him to leave her alone, that she hates him, and reminds him for the seven hundredth time that he tried to stab her, and that she knows that the only reason he's offering the cape is because he wants to smother her with it. He tries to placate her, but she refuses to be placated, and finally he gives up in exasperation, angrily telling her that she can freeze for all he cares. She pouts, and sits as far away from him as their chain will allow. Stayne tries once more to offer her his cape, but she ignores him, and he gives up the cause as lost. He rubs his forehead with his free hand, wondering how long he is going to be able to endure the company of this odious woman. He reflects ruefully that Mirana chose his punishment well. He had felt overwhelming terror when the shackles closed over his wrists.
He gives one more brief glance at the deposed Queen. She's lying on the ground, curled up, and for an instant he feels a wave of pity for her. But then he remembers all she had done during her reign, and the pity vanishes to be replaced by cold disgust. She deserves this, he thinks savagely. She deserves it, and so do I.
With that not so pleasant thought drumming through his head, he settles back as best he can and falls into a fitful sleep.
Four
Stayne is trapped in his nightmare, and he whimpers in his sleep as the beheaded servants and soldiers stalk towards him, their paces somehow malevolent and calculating. He had entered the room Alannah had shown him, and had been fast asleep the minute he hit the bed. He hadn't had time to remove his cape, and as he thrashes wildly, it becomes entangled with the bed sheets. In the grips of his nightmare, he imagines that he is being choked by an unseen force. He gasps for air, screaming in pain and horror, and feels the world around him starting to fade into a dull black. He's forced to his knees, and he screams, begging for forgiveness, begging for the pain to stop and his dream hands claw at his throat, trying to dislodge whatever it is that is choking the life out of him. A small part of him knows he's dreaming, but a larger part is telling him that if he doesn't dislodge the shadow that is choking him, he is going to die. He is on the verge of pure blind terror, and then he sees the King stalking towards him, and the terror becomes manifest. He screams louder than he has ever screamed before, louder than even Iracebeth, and feels hysterical, mad laughter lurking just below the surface. He knows if the King touches him, the laughter will escape him, and he will become trapped in Madness.
He whimpers in blind terror as the King comes ever closer, hands outstretched as if seeking for him. The cold dead fingers are inches away from touching him when he hears his name being screamed. He focuses on the voice and smiles in relief as he feels the nightmare starting to lose its potency. He allows it to guide him back through the fragmented corridor of the nightmare, and comes to abruptly, panting hard and unaware that his face is stained with tears. Alannah stares at him, a look of fear and pity on her face, and he feels a flash of shame. But then she gives him a soft smile, and touches his cheek, gently stroking it. He gulps, and places his hand against hers, sighing in relief at her touch. He realizes that the choking feeling has left, and he realizes that she has removed his cape. He looks at it, then back at her.
"Was that…?"
She nods in response to his unfinished question. "You were tangled up in it, and it had wrapped around your throat. I took it off." She picks it up, examining it, and smiles. "This is a nice cape. You should keep it."
He grins and tells her he was planning on it.
Five
It's been two weeks since he's saved Alannah from Lord Maxwell, and Stayne is amazed at how well she appears to be coping. He had expected nightmares, sleepless nights, and while she has a few of those, they are not as prevalent as he had feared they would be. He asks her what her method of coping is, and she only smiles mysteriously and changes the subject. This, of course, makes him more determined then ever to find out just how she is managing, and he awaits the opportunity. It comes sooner than he expects. He finds his cape missing from its hook in his closet, and a brief talk with the maidservant leads him to believe Alannah has swiped his cape for reasons unknown to the maid. He sets out to find her, wondering what she needs his cape for. He soon finds out.
She is crouched under a tree in the Main Garden, his cape wrapped tightly around her shoulders as she shakes and trembles with sobs. Stayne watches as she buries her face in the cape, breathing softly. She slowly relaxes, her sobs tapering off to quiet sniffles. Her tremors begin to slow, and she sinks down onto the soft grass, his cape still wrapped around her, and Stayne smiles as she falls asleep with his cape wrapped around her body like a blanket.
He walks towards her, and eases himself onto the grass next to her, smiling in surprise and elation as her hand shoots out from under the cape to grab his. He gives her a gentle squeeze, and she sighs happily and moves so she is pressed against his leg. He drapes an arm over her waist, and she falls into her first truly dreamless sleep in weeks.
He watches her sleep, and marvels over the double miracle-her love for him, and their child growing inside her.
He drifts off to sleep with that wonderful thought running through his head.
Six
Stayne gazes in rapt wonder at the small bundle that Alannah holds in her arms. His daughter is two days old, and he is amazed at how tiny and delicate she is. He had fallen in love with her the moment she was born, and he had vowed to always keep her safe. He touches her forehead, smiling as he gently brushes a strand of jet black hair out of the small face. Katarina had inherited his hair. But she had her Momma's sharp green eyes, and the first time she had looked at her Daddy with those eyes his heart had melted. They were so like her mother's, he had thought.
Alannah turns to him, and smiling softly, offers him Katarina. He gulps, and for a brief moment a flash of doubt and fear passes over his face. But it quickly passes, and he gently takes his child in his arms, holding her close to his chest, and begins to softly sing to her. His voice isn't as good as Alannah's, he knows, but it's still rather serviceable.
Katarina relaxes against him, and he slowly sinks down onto the bed, wrapping his cape around the both of them. He looks over at Alannah, and extends the other end of his cape towards her, and she moves so she too can be wrapped in the warm little bundle.
Katarina, lulled by her Daddy's voice, falls into a deep sleep, and Stayne and Alannah move so they too are lying down. And so, with Katarina sleeping on his chest, and Alannah curled up at his side, Stayne falls asleep.
Seven
Stayne grins as he leads Alannah down the garden path. He woke her up earlier that morning and gently led her out of the cottage, knowing that Alice was going to be coming by to watch the children. She tries to get him to tell her what he has in mind, but he only shakes his head at her and continues to steer her down the path. She finally gives up and allows herself to be led.
He comes to a stop in a small clearing, and she gives a gasp of delight at the sight before her eyes. A small picnic lunch is laid out, and Alannah smiles at him, and then kisses him softly on the lips. He loops his arm around hers, and leads her towards the feast. She sits down on the blanket spread on the ground, and then realizes that the blanket looks very familiar, and also a bit small for a picnic blanket. She looks closer at it, and laughs in realization.
"We're having a picnic on your cape!"
Stayne laughs, nodding. "That we are, my love. It's been used as so many things, why not a picnic blanket as well?"
Alannah laughs, then leans forward and kisses him with all the passion she can muster. He responds in kind, and slowly pushes her down onto his cape. He slowly licks her throat, and she moans in pleasure, wrapping her arms around him.
They undress each other, and as Stayne begin to make love to her in earnest his last coherent thought is that he has discovered another use for his cape.
It has certainly served him well, he thinks.