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Somewhere only we know - Keane
Oh simple thing where have you gone? And if you have a minute why don't we go
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?
Chapter 8
Ben awoke with a groan the next morning as the after-effects of the cheap wine caught up to him. What was more, he'd woken up considerably more alone than he'd gone to sleep the previous night.
He glanced around the room with bleary eyes and was slightly concerned to find no trace of Albion's ruler.
Just when he was starting to consider looking for her, the door swung open to reveal a very chipper-looking Erica.
"Wake up, hot shot. We've got work to do," she sang as she tossed something at his head. "Breakfast."
His addled brain took a moment to register the small loaf of bread and hunk of cheese. "Where'd you get this?" he managed through a yawn. "And why are you so extremely upbeat? You drank more than me."
"Resourcefulness and Hero-blood or something," she replied with a shrug. "Now come on. We don't have the whole day to laze around."
With a rather angry muttering of curses, Ben wolfed down his food and managed to get his feet to throw on a set of clothes. Erica helpfully handed him a washcloth to scrub his face that he accepted with a mumbled thank you. Ben had never been particularly partial to mornings.
When he was dressed and semi-presentable, they set out for the streets of Bloodstone. It was still rather early, so the only people who were up and about were some of the dockworkers and, of course, wayward, disgruntled army captains with very demanding rulers.
"So what's the plan, love? How are we going about this whole thing?" Ben asked as they made their way down the street. "Are we sneaking in to find his ship manifest? Maybe steal a few valuable treasures to hold for ransom?"
Erica smiled slightly as she regarded him out of the corner of her eye. "Well, this might seem insane, but I thought we might just go up to the front door and knock," she said slowly, rolling her eyes.
"Oh. Yeah, that sounds fine." They trudged uphill to the mansion that stood there and Ben couldn't help but wonder what Reaver would do if he knew what was going on Bloodstone. Or maybe he does know, he just doesn't care, he thought. Or he's just biding his time.
"Any idea what to expect?" Erica asked after a while of walking in silence.
Ben thought for a moment. "Bloke's name is Stefan right? That sounds sort of familiar…" Though the name rang a bell, he couldn't remember why. "Let's just hope that it's not someone I ticked off," he muttered as they approached the door.
"For both our sakes," she replied equally quiet.
OoOoOo
Erica paused before rapping loudly on the heavy oak door. When the door opened, it revealed a dark-haired girl who couldn't be older than sixteen.
"He-Hello?" she asked tentatively, her slate-grey eyes wide. "Is Master Stefan expecting you?"
Erica widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Master Stefan? I thought this was Master Reaver's mansion," she said. "What happened to him?"
"I-I don't know, miss. Maybe you should come back later," the girl suggested, but Erica quickly placed her booted foot in the doorway before she could close the door.
"Why don't you go call the master of the house? It is of some importance," she suggested with a sweet smile. The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before a huge shadow appeared behind her.
"Is something wrong, Haley?" a noble-sounding voice asked, his tone conveying clear annoyance.
"These people are looking for a Master Reaver, sir," she replied, her eyes even wider than before. "I asked them to leave-"
The tall shadow held up a hand to stop her. "It's fine, Haley. Just hurry along," he said curtly. The girl wasted no time retreating into the deep recesses of the manor and Ben and Erica were left standing on the steps with the stranger.
"Well? Aren't you two coming in?" the man asked.
"If you don't mind, I prefer to speak out here," Erica replied in her most regal sounding voice, crossing her arms.
"Fine." The man stepped out of the mansion into the sun. The man that she surmised was Stefan was a very large, strongly-built man in his mid-thirties with sandy blond hair and light green eyes. A thick scar roped from his cheek up to his hairline and his nose seemed to have been broken one too many times. If it wasn't for the scowl on his face and rather menacing atmosphere surrounding him, he would have been quite handsome in a "raider of the sea" sort of way. "Is there a reason you're bothering me this early in the morning?"
"My name is Rina. My friend and I had a rather unfortunate mishap that caused us to end up here in Bloodstone. The problem is, we can't get back to Albion without your help."
A thick blond eyebrow rose into the air. "And why should I help you? You haven't even introduced me to your "friend"."
Erica sighed inwardly. "Please, sir. I'm not at liberty to say more, but I can promise you that if you help me, you will be compensated."
"Please." The man's mouth quirked into a wry smile. "From your state of dress, you clearly don't have anything to offer me."
"Believe me, chum, looks can be deceiving," Ben chipped in with a low chuckle.
Stefan shifted his attention to Ben. "And you are?"
"Benjamin Finn." Ben held out a hand for him to shake, but Stefan merely regarded as one would regard a rotting animal next to the road.
"I knew it." If possible, the man's expression grew even darker. "You have a lot of balls coming back here after what you did."
"What I did…" Ben scratched his head absentmindedly as he shrugged a shoulder. "You're going to have to be more specific than that."
"You don't remember stealing one of my most expensive ships to go chasing after a rumour?"
"That was me?" Ben feigned a look of innocence, but the rather intimidating man didn't look impressed in the least.
"You also convinced my sister to go with you and, after bedding her, you left her behind anyway."
By now, Ben at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Oh, right…I think I remember that. But that was more than ten years ago."
"My sister still hates you," Stefan said without even a semblance of a smile. "And frankly, so do I."
Before she could stop him, Ben opened his mouth again. "You wouldn't be the first," he said with a smirk and Erica swiftly nudged him in the ribs. "Sorry. Can you help us or not?"
"I have no reason to help you." Stefan turned his gaze back to Erica. "And you're associated with him and so far you haven't given me a reason to help you either. So if you'll excuse me…"
Once again, Erica shoved her foot in the doorway to stop it from closing. "Please, I promise you'll be compensated. I need to get back to Albion," she asked, desperately trying to keep a pleading tone from slipping into her voice. If he knew exactly how desperate she was, she might regret it.
"Money I have." Erica was just feeling her heart sink into her boots when Stefan looked thoughtful. "But you might be able to help me with something…Come by tonight and we'll talk."
"Of course." She nodded curtly. "We'll see you tonight."
Stefan held up a hand to stop her. "No, you misunderstand. You're coming alone."
Erica hesitated a moment before crossing her arms and nodding again. "Fine."
Of course, in typical fashion, Ben had something to say and pulled her aside. "Now wait just a minute. I'm not letting you go anywhere alone, Rica," he whispered, fiercely. "Besides, something about this bloke doesn't sit right with me."
She yanked her arm out of his hold. "Ben, you're the one that slept with his sister and stole his ship. I understand why he doesn't want to help you. Maybe I can convince him to help us despite what you've done."
Before Ben could argue further, she turned her attention back to Stefan. "I'll see you tonight, Stefan."
"Good. Be here at seven. And make sure to dress accordingly" he said curtly before closing the door.
"Nice man," Ben muttered before turning on his heel and marching downhill. Erica had to break into a run to catch up to him.
"What's your problem?" she asked exasperatingly. "Honestly, you're having more mood swings than when I was pregnant."
Ben suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around to glare at her. "My problem? I'm not the bloody queen going on her own to see a murderous psychopath!"
With a loud sigh, she yanked Ben into an alleyway. "Do you want to yell even louder, Captain?" she hissed and smacked him hard on the arm. "Why don't I wear a sign around my neck proclaiming my identity as well?"
"Sorry, love." Ben took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't trust that man."
"And you think I do?" Erica rolled her eyes and hit him again. "We have no other leads and I want to see my children again. I'm prepared to deal with the likes of him if it means I can get home."
Ben leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "I understand. I want to get home too. It's just…I just don't like you seeing this part of my past."
"Ben, I've told you time and time again that I don't care what you did." She shrugged slightly. "Even less now."
He cracked his eye open slightly. "Still, sweetheart, it's not exactly something that I ever wanted you to see."
A tiny smile quirked at her lips. "Why so obsessed with what I think about you, Captain?" she asked wryly.
"Hey, if I want to see Dan and Beth again, I know you want me to be at least a little respectable," he replied. "This isn't helping. Besides…when I tell the stories, I decide what to tell my audience, be it embellishments or slight omissions."
Erica rolled her eyes and gestured towards the inn. "Shall we?"
Ben nodded slightly and fell into step next to her. "Quick question, sweetheart. What are you going to do about your clothes? We don't have any money."
With a sly grin, Erica patted the pistol at her hip. "Are you up for some bounty hunting?"
Ben's face spread into an equally playful grin. "Why not?"
oOoOoOo
"Still no word on Erica?" Logan asked Hobson curtly as he scanned through a stack of scouting reports. So far none of the scouts throughout the whole of Albion have seen the queen and he was more than a bit concerned.
"No. And neither has anyone seen Captain Finn," the aide replied, his tone sounding rather bored.
Logan grumbled obscenities under his voice as he ran a hand through his hair. "Did I ask about Captain Finn?" he growled. "But it's been more than two days. I think it's time to expand the search to Mistpeak."
"Highness, don't you think that it's possible that Her Majesty merely…ran off with Captain Finn?" Hobson asked in a disinterested voice. "It wouldn't be too unlikely."
Logan leapt to his feet and stared his former aide down fiercely. "Listen, Hobson. You will never suggest something like that about the queen again. Do you understand?"
Hobson's eyes widened slightly as he nodded. "Yes Highness. I was merely exploring possible-"
"I don't care! Now inform Lieutenant Michaels that they are to find some sign of the queen before nightfall or else there will be dire consequences." Hobson practically ran out the room as Logan resumed pacing and reading the papers for any possible hint as to where Erica could be.
In all honesty, Logan was very aware that there was a slight possibility that Erica had run off with Captain Finn. Of course, it wouldn't be like her to leave her duties without notice or to leave Beth and Dan behind, but she never had kept her mind when that scoundrel was in the immediate area. The bloody bastard always knew how to manipulate her, he grumbled to himself.
Needless to say, Logan hated Benjamin Finn. He was arrogant, ignorant, annoying, idiotic and he hated what he'd done to his little sister.
It had killed him to see Erica as heartbroken as she'd been when Ben had left. His usually lively, spirited sister had become reclusive, quiet and depressed although she'd tried her best to hide it. She'd improved when the twins had been born as she had something else to dote on and she'd returned to her old self. Sebastian had also helped in the process and even though Logan had always believed that his sister should marry someone that she loved, after seeing how hurt she was by someone who she did, he was glad that she was marrying Lord Wilkins. He was good to her and he treated Erica and the twins extremely well.
And then the bastard in question returned to throw everything into disarray once more.
"Logan? Any news?" a feminine voice asked from the door. Logan glanced up from the reports to see Page standing there, her expression concerned.
"No, unfortunately not, Page. From your side?" he sighed as he sat down in one of the plush chairs and motioned for her to do the same.
"Nothing." She sat down across from him. "Do you think maybe she went to Aurora?"
"I've sent word to Kalin to ask. Her reply should be here in a few days, but I doubt it. She wouldn't just pack up and leave like this."
Page looked uncomfortable and through his haze of worry, Logan wondered as to why. Though they had been civil to each other ever since Erica's coronation, they hadn't spent even one moment alone and Logan realised that the rebel leader must still have reason to hate him.
"I also spoke to Jasper in the sanctuary, but he has had no word from her as well," Logan said to interrupt the awkward silence. "That's why I doubt that she went on a quest. Also, he mentioned that he has difficulty reaching her. That doesn't leave a wide variety of wanted outcomes."
"I'm sure we'll hear something," she said and quickly got to her feet, but Logan stopped her.
"Page…Do you believe that Erica and Ben…" Logan couldn't finish the thought out loud.
The former rebel leader's face darkened considerably. "Knowing Erica, I doubt it, but Ben…Ben has a way to get what exactly what he wants out of her. Besides, last I saw, she was still furious with him," she said with a shrug. "Perhaps Ben merely set off again."
"Well…It is a rather unfortunate coincidence that both of them are missing." Logan sighed again before bowing slightly. "But thank you for coming by."
She started leaving, but she stopped in the doorway. "Logan, we'll find her," she said over her shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. "If something happened to her, she'll get out of it."
"Thank you, Page." Logan was still confused by her sudden, slightly uncharacteristic show of concern, but appreciated it none the less.
She nodded again before leaving and Logan got back to work on finding his sister.
oOoOoOo
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't get into too much trouble, alright, Ben?" Erica shot him a grin as she straightened her new blouse and strapped her Red Dragon to her thigh. She was garbed in a fitted shirt with a corset that accentuated her cleavage just enough to draw attention and a simple pair of black tight pants. A set of thigh-high boots and a pair of dangling earrings finished off the effect. "How do I look?"
"Great, just great," he muttered gruffly as he continued cleaning his rifle. "Are you sure I can't walk you to the door at least?"
"I'm a grown woman, Ben. I'll be fine." She tossed a wave over her shoulder and walked out the door, her hips swaying ever so slightly.
"It'll be a wonder if he can keep his hands off her." Ben sighed again and focused at the task at hand. He had to keep from thinking about the fact that Erica was going to be alone and dressed in that outfit around an admittedly horrible man.
To pass the time, Ben finished cleaning his rifle, Erica's sword and his cutlass, dragged several buckets upstairs for a long bath, hung around at the bar drinking himself into as drunk a state as their budget allowed before heading back to the room to pace incessantly.
Finally, after he was just about to lose his mind with worry, the door creaked open. Erica's silhouette started to tiptoe into the room before she seemed to realise that he was still awake. "Ben? Why are you still awake?" she asked, her tone genuinely surprised. "I didn't mean for you to wait up for me."
"Where have you been?" he snapped before taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I was just worried."
"And you've been drinking. As you can see, I'm fine." She disappeared behind the partition and he could hear the rustle of her clothes as she undressed. "He was a perfect gentleman."
Ben grumbled under his voice as he sat down on his bed. "I doubt that, but anyway…What does he want?"
"Oh." She peeked around the blanket and quirked a bare shoulder. "We didn't get to that. We simply had dinner."
"For all this time!? What did you talk about?"
He heard her sigh from her side of the room. "You know, this and that. He's surprisingly well-spoken and educated. And he had more than a few tales to tell."
"If you wanted to hear tales, you could have stayed here with me," he muttered.
She shot him a slightly amused look. "Captain? Are you jealous?" she asked with a smile.
"No." He got to his feet and leaned against the wall next to the blanket. "I just find it strange that he invited you over and didn't even talk about the thing he wanted you to ask you."
"He invited me to his party a few nights from now." She exited from behind the blanket and shrugged again. "He'll ask me then."
Ben furrowed his brow with irritation. "Or he'll keep postponing it until he charms you into his bed."
"Yes, Ben. I'm going to leap into bed with a man who is a self-admitted murderer." Clearly frustrated, she blew a strand of hair from her face. "Avo, you're infuriating sometimes."
He smirked sarcastically. "Sweetheart, you have no idea what it means for me to be infuriating. Besides, I'm trying to get you home."
"Just get over yourself, Ben. I'm managing just fine."
Ben took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder which made her look at him in surprise mixed with slight anxiety. "I care about you, Rica. It's sad to admit, but you're about the only friend I have left in this world," he said quietly.
The anxiety disappeared as her hazel eyes became soft. "I care about you too, Ben, even if you are the most frustrating person I've ever met." She smiled slightly. "But you needn't worry about me this much. I am a Hero after all. The only serious harm I've ever come to was purely emotional."
He couldn't help the gruff laugh that sounded in his throat. "Yep. You're never going to make me forget that, are you?"
"Not soon, in any case," she said with a wink before stifling a yawn. "And with that, I'm off to bed. I need my beauty sleep."
"Rica?" She turned to look at him expectantly and he stroked his stubbled chin in thought. "What do you think he wants?"
"Stefan?" She seemed to consider his question for a moment. "I honestly don't know, but I'm not about to leave our fate in his hands."
"Good. I'm glad to see you're still the sensible one. I'll start cashing in old favours tomorrow and find out if there is another way to get a ship."
Erica regarded her Guild Seal with a frown. "I've been trying to contact Jasper for the past couple of days, but I hear nothing. With any luck, it might work one of these days." Another yawn escaped her and she sat down on her bed. "Goodnight, Ben."
Before he could think about his actions, he kissed her lightly on her forehead. "Sleep tight, Rica," he said before ducking behind the curtain to go to sleep as well.
