A Maid's Story
Coming Undone
This would mark the first time in at least four years that King Logan had left the castle. The heavily guarded carriage rambled down the cobblestone path through the mostly rocky terrain as the what-seemed-like constant rain finally stopped. The ride was mostly silent, as the carriage's passengers didn't have much to say to each other.
For her part, Rayanne didn't feel the need to leave the castle. While she was honored that she was chosen for an excursion with King Logan, she didn't feel up to heavy traveling. She wanted to be excited about leaving Bowerstone for the first time since she arrived in Industrial as an orphaned child, but she was mostly silent nowadays. Both she and the king were dressed casually, though King Logan still had a regal look to him that announced to the world that he was someone important and shouldn't be trifled with.
Rayanne stared out the window through the lace curtains, watching as the traveling merchants made their way through the harsh landscape. King Logan had recently given Reaver Industries the approval to build a railroad through this region, linking Bowerstone Industrial with Oakfield. Bandits and other unsavory things became too much of a hassle for traveling merchants to reach the towns. He hoped within the next few years that travelers, be it merchant or otherwise, could bypass what he saw as a disgusting region altogether. What would take hours by carriage and days by foot through one region would only take minutes.
"If you're worried about your maids, you shouldn't be." King Logan said after at least a half hour's silence. "The Castle is guarded from basement to attic with my best Elite guards. No one is going to harm them while we are gone."
Looking up but not moving her head, Rayanne just stared at the king. Her pregnant belly was becoming more prominent and the life within her was starting to move around. Her head maid's uniform was starting to become too tight and she had to send it to the royal tailor to be let out right before the trip started. She was actually looking forward to seeing it, as unflattering as the longer skirt and the widened front would be for a while, sitting on her bed when they returned. Rayanne felt out of place in regular clothes.
She was happy that the King let her throw out that skimpy outfit when she became pregnant. He wanted her to keep it, but Rayanne let it "accidently" fall into the big oven in the kitchen and didn't have time to go all the way across the kitchen to get the tongs made especially for fetching things from the fires of the oven. Her current outfit, a matronly yet still feminine grey dress with gold buttons in the front, had been specially made to accommodate her pregnant belly. Rayanne didn't care for flashy clothes, but the King told her a Queen-to-Be must keep up appearances. Still, he allowed this and a few other dresses to be made.
Queen-to-Be…Rayanne thought, glancing back out the window. I don't know what he's trying to accomplish turning a maid into a queen. Does he think it will garner approval from the commoners? I'm sure the stupider ones will go along with it but anyone with half a brain would know the truth.
Rayanne felt one of the King's gloved hands softly take one of hers. The hand the gorgeous diamond ring was housed on shared the wrist of the almost full charm bracelet. "We should be arriving in Oakfield soon." King Logan murmured, looking out his window. He parted the curtains a bit with his index finger and glared at the scenery. "I hope so, anyway. I'd rather not stay at that Inn on the ridge. It just screams unsanitary even from this distance. No, it will not do. I won't have the mother of my heir and wife-to-be sleeping in such filth." King Logan took his finger from the window and faced Rayanne again.
While she appreciated the sentiment, Rayanne would be happy sleeping anywhere. They could pitch up tents and camp out under the stars for all she cared. She wanted a simple life, not the extravagance he was trying to force on her. Even their destination, a private royal vacation home overlooking the docks of Oakfield, seemed to stand out from the bustling farming community.
Rayanne remembered Oakfield only vaguely. When she had left it years ago in the arms of a guard that saved her from a gruesome death at the hands of her father, it was a small farming community with a few small houses and a dirt path leading to the Temple of Light on the far side of town. From what she was told, Oakfield had grown quite a bit. The farms were still there, but the area was larger with bigger homes, more shops, a big harbor, and even the royal vacation house. Over the years, Oakfield went from farm village by the sea to an up-and-coming getaway for any citizen, rich or poor, wanting to start anew.
None of this interested Rayanne in the slightest. The sun was setting as they passed the sign telling them Oakfield was only a few miles ahead. Something about this area seemed familiar to Rayanne. She sat up for the first time in hours and glared out the window with renewed interest. The land had changed little in the years Rayanne had been gone. When the carriage passed by a broken fence and an overgrown path leading away from the cobblestone road, Rayanne tried to get a closer look.
Visions of happier times graced across her mind as the carriage passed the overgrown road. Before she could ask them to stop, King Logan spoke up. "I'll be conducting some business while we are here, but Milton and Clyde will escort you anywhere you wish to go. Clyde grew up in this town so he can act as tour guide. There are plenty of shops in the newly built Market Square should you want to do some shopping and of course there is plenty to do around the vacation home. I don't recommend you go anywhere else. Milton and Clyde may be your guards, but they answer to me. You'll do well to remember that."
Rayanne nodded and sat back as the carriage rounded another bend, finally reaching Oakfield. The dirt roads that Rayanne remembered were now gone, replaced by paved roads like in Bowerstone. The fields had gotten bigger and the Golden Oak sitting on the edge of town had as well. "There…" Logan mumbled, pointing out the window in the direction of the Golden Oak Tree. Rayanne looked out the window at the vast fields and the house with the windmill just across from the tree. She remembered it being a small cottage last time she was in Oakfield. Now, it was a two story manor overlooking the rest of the town.
"Before my mother became Queen, she owned a house called 'Luminous Cottage' and the property around it. Before being coroneted, she turned the small farm into a bustling ranch and had the cottage built into a proper ranch house. She owned many properties throughout Albion, but she said this one brought her the most joy. Possibly because it's vicinity to the Temple of Light and the memories it brings." Logan folded his arms as the carriage approached the gate to the ranch. "From that farm the town continued to prosper."
The carriage finally stopped and the door swung open. King Logan got out first and took a deep breath of air. He smiled and started for the house proper as the guards took in the luggage. Milton, acting as footman, offered his arm to Rayanne. "Miss Rayanne, welcome to Oakfield." He announced, helping her out of the carriage. Clyde, carrying Rayanne's three suitcases, followed closely.
Elegance was abundant in this home. It was big, as Rayanne had expected, but the luxury seemed out of place amongst the rural surroundings. "Take all those up to the master suite." King Logan commanded as Rayanne stepped into the manor. Logan brought Milton and Clyde close to him when he thought Rayanne was out of earshot. "She is not to leave your sight during this trip, is that understood?" Logan growled, his expression not changing. "Take her anywhere she wants, but she is not to leave the town borders. We will only be here a few days before my next order of business is needed."
Rayanne didn't know what "business" Logan needed done all the way out here. She didn't see the need to come out all this way, but she knew Logan wanted to keep a firm grip on her. He knew she would attempt to leave the castle if he went on this long journey alone because that is exactly what Rayanne was going to do. She knew it and didn't even deny it when Trina and Noelle asked her. Trina and Noelle knew Rayanne's secret and now Rayanne was sure half of Albion knew by now.
King Logan told Rayanne he would announce the engagement when they returned to Bowerstone in a few days. Rayanne said nothing. She had nothing to say lately. After a small dinner in the dining room, both the king and Rayanne went to bed. When she asked where she would be sleeping, Logan directed her to the master chamber where a grand sized bed awaited them. Rayanne shouldn't have been surprised. Most would have deemed it improper for an "engaged" couple to share a bed before their wedding, but seeing as Rayanne was possibly carrying the next heir of Albion in her womb, propriety was the last thing on their minds. Logan made sure she knew the score.
Behind her dressing screen, Rayanne examined her body as she undressed. Her pregnant belly was now prominent and it was no secret anymore. The candle on the table was her only light as she softly touched her belly, feeling it softly with two fingers. Her own cold touch felt odd, but the feeling of another life growing within her felt stranger. Rayanne felt the heat of the candle as she reached for her nightgown, a new silk and lace number chosen by King Logan.
As she reached for the nightgown, Rayanne felt a hand touch her arm. She looked up and saw Logan standing next to her, wearing nothing. The night was warmer than one would have expected for this time of year, but weather had nothing to do with this. Logan looked down at Rayanne and brushed her cheek with his hand. Their silhouettes joined in this odd display of misplaced affection. Logan's eyes didn't seem to change, even as Rayanne took a few steps back. He brought her closer and held her tightly.
"Don't shy away from me, Little Maid…" he whispered as he began kissing her neck. Rayanne felt him lead her to the bed they were to share. The room was dark still and movement was limited. She lay on the bed and awaited him, but only felt his hand on her stomach. He made a habit of doing this lately. He found her pregnancy stunning and intriguing.
The candles danced in tune with the building wind outside. He had been gentle with her lately, due to her pregnancy. Even on this night, as he lay down and once again pronounced his love in the only way he could, he was gentle. It didn't stop Rayanne from feeling used when it was over, though.
The night passed by slowly, with Logan holding Rayanne tightly in his grip. She wanted to be back in her own bed. She wanted to escape the horrible feeling of stifling claustrophobia she was feeling at the moment and go back to life as it was. But as she turned her head to face Logan again, she realized this was life now. The all-powerful King of Albion was laying there, helpless and vulnerable in a deep sleep. Rayanne just watched him, thinking he was a fool to trust her like this.
Anyone else would have taken this opportunity to kill him. To hold a knife in their hand and slash the king's throat. To let the blood of heroes stain the bed sheets as it had stained the walls of this cabin when his mother sacrificed her first family the night she saved Albion from Lord Lucien. Would anyone be sad at his death? Would Albion mourn another lost hero? Would the guards really react to this? How loyal were they really? Questions like this flew through Rayanne's mind all night until she finally fell asleep. The questions plagued her mind again during the quiet breakfast and even when Logan told her he had business to tend to nearby and wouldn't be back until late.
She appreciated the show of sincerity when he knelt down to kiss her hand. She could appreciate a good show as much as the next theatergoer. She heard him whisper to Milton and Clyde to stay with her at all times this day as he left with almost an entire army of his Elite Soldiers. Rayanne sat there, alone, having not moved since King Logan had finished his breakfast.
Milton and Clyde stood to each side of Rayanne and waited for her to finish her breakfast. It was quiet for a while. The only sound being the birds outside. Rayanne had barely touched anything on her plate, but she pretended to be hungry, if not for Milton and Clyde's sake. Milton and Clyde stood behind Rayanne's chair and watched her slowly nibble on cold toast. It reminded Rayanne of when she was living in the orphanage and the matrons would punish any child who didn't finish their breakfast down to the last bit of cold watery grits.
Rayanne dabbed her lips with the cloth napkin and only briefly glanced at the half eaten food on her plate. As if mocking the orphanage matrons from her past, Rayanne tossed her napkin over the plate and stood up. Milton grabbed the barely eaten plate and took it into the kitchen as Clyde helped Rayanne up.
"Are you feeling alright, Miss Rayanne?" asked Clyde, trying to sound sincere with his official booming voice. "You barely touched your food."
Rayanne sighed and just stared at the table. "Yes, I'm fine." She mumbled. Rayanne walked toward the hallway leading to the stairs.
"King Logan wants you to get out and see the village a bit. He believes the exercise would be good for you." said Milton, leaving the kitchen and standing next to Clyde. "If you don't mind, the King has permitted Clyde and I to change into more casual clothes so the villagers will be more comfortable in your presence."
Rayanne just nodded. "I actually do have a place I'd like to visit. If you don't mind breaking the rules a little bit, I would like to go for a walk." Rayanne left the dining room to go freshen up. Milton and Clyde just looked at each other, somewhat confused.
When she had returned, Rayanne was once again in a gray matron-style dress, only this time she had on a matching frock jacket and hat. King Logan often criticized her fashion sense and often told her that once she is Queen, it will have to change. Rayanne didn't want to stand out, but it'd be hard not to with two guards following her. Luckily for her, Logan had granted them permission to dress casually for their excursion.
Rayanne almost didn't recognize Milton and Clyde without their purple uniforms. It was the first time she noticed that Clyde was slightly shorter than Milton. While still dressed down, the two still had the air of men not to be messed with. Clyde, whose skin was tanned from what she assumed was years of working outside in the sun, didn't have hair but rather he had a buzz cut with brown stubble starting to grow back. Milton looked like he was no older than Rayanne, with a neatly trimmed blonde head of hair and some stubble on his chin. To Rayanne, both men seemed out of place as guards, but Logan had assured her many times (though she didn't ask for it) that Milton and Clyde were the best guards outside his own personal bodyguards.
Something about walking through the village as sunny and happy as Oakfield felt odd to Rayanne. She looked like she was dressed to go to a funeral, but Rayanne figured she buried her self-respect a long time ago. Milton and Clyde insisted she stay near the vacation home, but Rayanne had other plans. They had no choice but to follow her. She walked slowly along the path, passing by farmhands and town guards, all waving to her.
The friendly atmosphere was pretty nostalgic. She looked over at a field with a scarecrow in the center, dressed in a shirt missing a button, worn gloves, and a beat up straw hat. It wasn't an imposing scarecrow by any means, and the crows perched on its "arms" seemed to mock the farmhand working nearby. Rayanne stopped and looked out at the field, as if trying to figure something out. Though there were no plants growing, she could see this field with tall stalks of corn waving in the wind.
Rayanne refocused her eyes and kept walking, her guards close behind her. Every time she turned her head, the world became fuzzy. Her vision blurred, as if something was trying to poke its way out from the deepest part of her mind, a place she had shut off years ago.
Walking toward the path out of town, Rayanne stopped before the cobblestone turned to dirt. Her destination was down this path. She took a deep breath and started walking down the path. Milton and Clyde were close behind her, as always. "Miss Rayanne, we're close to the town limits!" Clyde shouted as Rayanne kept walking. "If the King were to find out-"
Rayanne looked back at him. "I doubt he thinks I am trying to run away. It'd take days to reach Bowerstone on foot. Besides, you two are much stronger than me. If I tried to run, you'd catch me and drag me back. We won't be long. I just…" Rayanne stopped for a moment, but kept her eyes ahead. "…I need to see it one more time…"
Milton and Clyde looked at each other but said nothing. They caught up with Rayanne and followed her down the path. It was a long walk and Rayanne was regretting wearing the shoes she had on. Rayanne could see time slipping by her. Memories she buried when she went to the orphanage were reemerging and for once, Rayanne didn't fight it. Memories of trailing along after her father's wagon as it took their farm's goods to market made her smile somewhat.
Looking over at a broken fence post, Clyde ran in front and stopped Rayanne. "Miss Rayanne, I can't allow you to go any further." He shouted. "This place, this land, it's not right!"
"What's got you spooked, Clyde?" Milton asked, joining him in front of Rayanne.
"This land, down this path, is cursed!" Clyde shouted, fear in his voice. Clyde pointed to the path just off the road that was overgrown with brush and other debris. What were once fields now had brush and small trees growing, darkening the path and the property.
"Cursed?" Milton laughed, skeptically.
"A mad farmer built a house on this land years ago and murdered his family one night." Clyde said. "No one knows what happened, but he just snapped one night and it took the entire town guard to keep him from killing his daughter after he chopped his wife up with a wood axe!"
"Doesn't make the land cursed, just spooky and ominous." Milton waved Clyde's fear away.
Rayanne decided to leave the arguing guards and walk down the overgrown path. Milton and Clyde soon followed. Before her eyes, memories of fields lining the path flashed. Memories of warm spring days running along the fence to meet visitors or to see her father and the farm hands off. She could almost hear the animals in the barn, which she could always see from the road. Mostly a pile of rotting wood now, the barn once held cows, sheep, her father's best horse, and a mean goat that reminded her of her father sometimes.
The trees that grew in the middle of the fields grew much larger than she remember them. The trees shaded the scrub brush and thorny vines that grew their now. She remembered sitting on the fence while watching her father's hired hands tend to the fields.
"Years ago, back when I was just a lad," Clyde started. "…there lived a man and his family on this land. He was a prosperous farmer, once of the richest in Oakfield. The older residents will say wealth didn't buy him a lot of friends or respect, because the man had the foulest temper and normally drove people away. They say he had to hire new farm hands almost every month because that's as long as anyone could bare being around him without killing him. Some days he'd be as happy as a hobbe in a garbage dump, other days…well, you knew to stay out of his way. He had a wife and a child. His wife was a beauty, and very smart. Patient too, apparently. Why she married him, I don't know. Rumor has it her family owed the farmer a large debt and they gave their daughter to him as a wife to pay it off. The older residents say she tried to love him, and often defended him when rumors sprouted, but after a while she couldn't force it anymore."
Rayanne was only half paying attention. She started walking again until they eventually got to a broken gate. The memory of swinging on that gate flashed before her eyes. She could almost hear in the distance the voice of a man telling her to stop playing on it. She looked around and saw no one except Milton and Clyde still behind her. Beyond the gate, nearly overgrown with vines and bushes, sat the main house on the property. The thatched roof had caved in over what Rayanne remembered was the kitchen and the door was rotted. It looked as if the door knob had fallen off and rolled away somewhere.
"They had a daughter." Clyde continued. "My father was a guard for this town. He used to patrol this stretch of road and he'd always see the little girl playing in the fields. The only thing that kept his wife there was that little girl."
Rayanne stepped toward a spot that had nothing in it. She could almost see little imprints in the grass where a chair used to sit. "She had a chair she'd sit in." Rayanne mumbled. "She'd sit in this chair and knit on warm days."
Clyde looked surprised. "Right…" he said. "She loved that child very much. Every time she went into town, which was rare, she'd have that little girl with her. Most of the townsfolk believe if they hadn't had the child, she probably would have thrown herself into the river long ago."
"He rarely let her go to town, unless it was on an errand." Rayanne continued. "He was a paranoid man. He trusted no one, not even his own wife. He knew she didn't love him, even though she tried. He was afraid she'd leave him. Their arguments could be heard for miles. She was never truly happy living with him. When she had her daughter, she found a new reason to live again. What love she couldn't give to her husband, she gave to her daughter."
Rayanne didn't take her eyes off the spot where the chair used to be. The memory of the little girl running toward the woman flashed before her. The little girl hugged the woman tightly and the woman picked the child up, cradling her lovingly.
"We call the night of the accident 'The Night of the Mad Fire'." Clyde said as Rayanne turned her attention back to the house. "From what the guards got from his mad rambling the night of the fire, his wife tried to run off, 'take what was his' according to him."
Rayanne remembered that night well, as she tried to forget it many times. She found that when someone tried to forget something, it stayed no matter what. Rayanne went to open the door but it only fell over into the house. "There was an argument." Rayanne said, as she walked inside. The guards followed her. "The biggest one yet. She had lost her patience with him. She wanted to know why he fired the farm hands and stopped tending to the farm. He accused her of having an affair with one of the workers and making plans to run off with him. She got so mad, telling him she'd had enough of him. She had enough of his paranoia and refused to put up with his madness anymore. She was going back to Bowerstone and she was taking their daughter with her. She refused to expose her child to any more of his madness."
Clyde didn't know that part of the story. Rayanne walked up the stairs, being careful not to step too hard and break the wood. Two rooms sat adjacent from each other. The rooms, or more accurately the big room that took up most of the top floor and the small alcove with a bed in it, were almost bare. What couldn't be taken as evidence had long since decayed. She walked over to the alcove and bent down to examine what was once her bed. The knitted blanket her mother made her still sat there, though filthy and probably germ ridden.
In front of the little bed, a little chest that didn't seem to age with the rest of the house still sat. Rayanne opened it and smiled softly. As if untouched by the elements, her old toys looked up at her. They seemed to be waiting for the little girl to return. Rayanne picked a floppy bunny doll from the top and held it close. Her mother made this for her and it was her favorite.
Milton and Clyde eventually came to her. Clyde had long ago figured out why Rayanne wanted to come here. He put his hand on her shoulder. "A farmer from a neighboring farm saw the flames and ran into town to get the guards. Your father set the fields on fire, probably to keep your mother from leaving. They say he met her by the gate with the wood axe and…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. It looked too painful for Rayanne to hear. "…well, after he was done with your mother, he came after you. He hit you once over the head with the axe handle and was about to finish you off before the entire town guard took him down."
"I heard a commotion outside. My mother told me to pack my things and that we were going to visit her family in Bowerstone. I didn't ask any questions. I had heard about Bowerstone from my mother and I was excited to go. I went to find the little suitcase my mother bought me the day before. I think she knew another argument was coming and this would be the big one." Rayanne held the doll close. "Before I could pack my suitcase, I heard my mother scream outside. I came downstairs and saw the door open. Outside…the fields were on fire…and he was standing over her with her blood on his shirt. Then he looked at me in the doorway and…"
Rayanne's eyes started to water. She didn't see Milton and Clyde look at the stairs in surprise. She didn't see them salute, either. She barely paid attention to the quiet footsteps coming towards them. She looked up at the broken window that looked off toward the front of the property but didn't seem to notice the carriage waiting by the broken fence. She kept the doll close as a hand gently found its way to her shoulder. The sun, finally finding its way from out behind the clouds, shined through the broken glass.
"He tried to kill his own daughter because his wife loved the child more than she loved him. He hated being in competition for her affections with his own daughter." said King Logan, making his presence known to her. Rayanne was trying to fight the tears, but they started streaming down her cheeks. "What made him snap was realizing that he lost."
King Logan nodded to Milton and Clyde, pointing to the chest of toys. The two men grabbed the toy chest and took it outside. Logan helped Rayanne up and took her downstairs. She didn't look at the house as Logan led her to the awaiting carriage. She kept the doll close as the carriage pulled away. He didn't scold her for leaving the city limits. Part of him knew she'd go there. He knew the entire story. "Forgive me for being a fool, my dear." Logan said, finally.
Rayanne just looked at him before putting her head down again.
"It took me all this time to put two and two together. I was a boy when your father was brought before my mother on crimes so horrid, she couldn't bring herself to finish reading the arrest warrant. The crime happened in Oakfield, a place that meant so much to my mother, so she personally presided over your father's trial. I watched it all. Your father's mad rambling and threats toward the monarchy only made my mother mad. But when he refused to acknowledge that he even did anything wrong, that's when I saw my mother's face contort into pure hatred. It's a look I only saw once. My mother looked at Walter Beck, her most trusted advisor and friend, and told him to make sure your father never saw the light of day again. When he asked if your father should be hanged, my mother refused to be so merciful."
Clutching the doll, Rayanne looked up at Logan once again. She didn't lower her head this time. "Where is he?" she asked.
Logan didn't move. His hands were on his lap, keeping his composure as best he could. "That was also the day I found out about Ravenscar Keep." He answered after a long pause. "The prison had been around for gods only know how long. My mother, being a peaceful-minded woman, rarely had use of it. She told Walter to put your father in the smallest, darkest, most foul cell the prison had. Being the loyal man that he is, Walter made all the arrangements. Your father was dragged out of the throne room. When asked what would happen to you, Walter responded that you'd already been 'taken care of'. I don't think my mother knew you were being sent to an orphanage."
The ride back to Oakfield proper was quiet. Rayanne looked up and noticed they weren't going back to the vacation home. Logan had the driver stop at the cemetery at the edge of town. Milton helped Rayanne out of the carriage, but Logan instructed him and Clyde to stay behind. Logan directed her to a spot under a big tree. "The town records show your mother is buried here. A simple, unmarked grave. I don't mean to sound grim, but the town clerk said there wasn't much of her left to bury when your father was finished. He still saw to it that she received a proper burial."
Rayanne stood there staring at the spot for the longest time. For the rest of their stay in Oakfield, Rayanne requested to go to this place every day. Milton and Clyde obliged and didn't complain, even when she'd sit on the ground for hours. The day before they were due to leave Oakfield, Rayanne stopped at a stonecutter's shop and brought something with her to the grave. Milton and Clyde watched her put the simple grave stone on her mother's grave. Rayanne teared up and put her hand on her stomach. Her belly had gotten a little bigger since arriving and she felt her child kick within.
The leaves from surrounding trees started to fall as Milton and Clyde walked with Rayanne back to the summer home. They didn't bother to ask her if she was alright. They knew she wasn't. Before returning to the house proper, Rayanne stopped and looked toward the path that led to her old home. She snorted once and kept walking.
Rayanne never saw that house, or the property, again. When the town clerk asked her what she wanted to do with the land, since she was technically the rightful heir, she said nothing. The land meant nothing to her anymore. She got up from the clerk's chair, saying it can burn for all she cared, and left his office. The happy childhood had been taken from her and the land brought her nothing but bad memories and a stomachache. Staying on that land would only cause her more anguish.
On the day they left Oakfield, Logan saw to it that her requests were seen to. Rayanne stayed in bed that morning after telling Logan she felt under the weather. The entire town of Oakfield, even the guards and the sheriff, were in attendance as the former home of the "Mad Farmer" was torched. A strange wave of relief came over the older residents while some swore they heard the sound of screaming coming from the house as the flames reached for the cloudless sky. The land was eventually sold years later, though Rayanne wasn't sure who was foolish enough to buy the land. She saw a nice profit from the sale, but the gold would sit the bank for a long time before Rayanne found use for it.
They didn't use the carriage this time to travel. They were now sailing to their next destination. How King Logan had a sailing vessel ready on such short notice was beyond her. The ship was too big to moor at the docks of Oakfield, so a row boat took them to the awaiting vessel. They shoved off after everything was placed on board.
"You brought me here on purpose, didn't you?" Rayanne asked, saying something for the first time in almost a day. She watched from a port window as the ship left Oakfield and now wobbled on its way to their next destination. Rayanne couldn't say she was sad to see Oakfield become smaller in the distance. Rayanne and Logan sat in a study-like room connected to the private quarters. The tea that had been set out for them shook slightly as each wave hit the ship.
Logan, who was looking over some papers he brought for the next leg of the trip, only looked up once. "You make it sound like I get some sort of sick pleasure out of seeing people suffer." He muttered, going back to the papers.
"I sometimes wonder if you do." Rayanne mumbled, reaching for her lukewarm cup of tea. Rayanne didn't bother holding her tongue around King Logan anymore.
Logan put his papers down and gave Rayanne a pensive look. "I didn't bring you along to torture you. If I wanted to see you suffer emotionally, I'd find a more convenient method closer to home. No, I brought you along because it is time you stopped acting like a maid and started acting like a Queen. Being a king or a queen means making tough decisions. I tried to show my sister that, but I don't think it quite sunk in as I had hoped. While most people have the difficult decision to have toast or a muffin for breakfast, by that time I've already signed papers, ordered proper procedures, and met with my generals. Most of the kingdom sees me as some ogre, sitting in a castle and casting punishment on anyone who so much as breathes through the wrong nostril. The less they know, though, the better."
Rayanne just stared at him. "What do you mean, 'the less they know'?" she asked.
Getting up from his seat and kneeling down next to her, Logan only chuckled. He put his hand on her growing tummy and gave a tiny smile. "The only thing you need to worry about right now is what to name our child. For a boy, I was thinking 'Logan II'. Yes, Prince Logan the Second."
Rayanne rolled her eyes and went back to looking out the window. "So, what was my tough decision?" she asked.
"My plan isn't through yet." Logan answered, putting his ear to her stomach. "Having your former home destroyed was easy. Material things are easier to get rid of."
Rayanne only sighed. Despite the great speed the ship moved at, the trip felt longer. She was expecting to hit Bowerstone, but was surprised when the ship docked at a desolate looking island. The island itself was craggy and the shore was too rocky for anyone to enjoy a nice walk on the beach. The water looked too polluted to swim or enjoy, anyway. Probably oil run-off from ships. She wondered if this was the fabled "Ravenscar Keep" that the guards whispered about. The winding path up the hill led to a massive fortress. It was depressing, even in the bright sunlight of the day.
King Logan started walking, instructing her to follow. "This, my dear, is Ravenscar Keep." He shouted over the loud crowd of soldiers making their way up the hill. "My mother wanted it shut down, but found it useful during her reign. She rarely used it, accept for serious malcontents. When I took the throne, I was going to have it shut down as well. But, it proved quite useful for me as well."
Milton and Clyde stayed close to Rayanne as they walked up the path behind the King. "Why are we here?" Rayanne whispered to Milton. Milton and Clyde were back in their Elite guard uniforms. She was somewhat relieved to see them in purple again. She wasn't sure why.
Milton only shrugged. "I don't know, Miss Rayanne. I assumed we were heading back to Bowerstone after he was done in Oakfield. He never told us that we were coming to…" Milton swallowed hard and tried not to sound terrified at the sight of the place. "…the Keep…"
Clyde nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Rayanne would later learn that Logan rarely used the prison in the last years of his reign, despite the trip they were currently on. As evidenced by the senseless public executions of Miss Marigold and Major Swift, King Logan just found it easier to kill people that he saw as enemies of the state.
After struggling to catch up with him, Rayanne looked at King Logan and then at the massive iron gate leading to the prison proper. A guard in an identical uniform to the Elites (except black), nodded to a superior, and rushed to open the gate. Why it was locked when escaping this monolith of a fortress was obviously impossible was beyond her. "Why are we here?" she whispered to Logan as the guard opened the gate for them.
The gate made a horrid high pitched whining sound at it opened. It was obvious to Rayanne that this gate was rarely used and was probably mostly there for show. Since prisoners obviously didn't use the front entrance, she figured the guards lived somewhere else on the island and came in through another entrance for their shifts. She imagined standing by this gate all day watching seagulls was both the most ideal and the most boring shift.
Inside, Logan and Rayanne were escorted to what she assumed was the head warden's office. The man leading them said that the warden, Commander Milton, was currently out at the moment but left the detailed lists that Logan had requested in his last correspondence. Rayanne looked around the office, noting it was the nicest room in the entire facility. Not surprising in the least. Logan looked over the papers and handed them back to the guard.
"I want Number 764 brought to the interrogation room at once." Logan commanded.
The man, who Rayanne later learned was called Lieutenant Hadley, looked at the king in surprise. "Number 764, sir?" he asked, wondering if he heard King Logan correctly. "But the orders for that one-"
Logan waved his hand in the air. "I know my mother's orders, and on any given day I'd agree to uphold them. But today is special. Come get us when he is there."
Lieutenant Hadley nodded, though still unsure, and ran to see that his requests were met. King Logan sat in a plush chair across from the desk after dusting off the seat. He waved his hand, telling Rayanne to sit next to him in the other seat. She did, but not after dusting it off as well. It was quiet for the longest time. Milton and Clyde stood by the doors, keeping anyone except the Lieutenant from entering. Logan reached over and took Rayanne's hand.
"People think giving orders is easy." He said, finally. "That just waving my hand in the air, things get done. It's not as easy as that. Commands can be given, but often not done. Sometimes, you have to see to things yourself. Sometimes, you have to wonder if the decree or order you give is the right one. Not for you, but for the people. When you become royalty, either by birth or by marriage, it doesn't matter what you want anymore. People believe that I can do whatever I want, and while that may be true inside my castle, when I'm out in Bowerstone looking at the people I realize my needs are minuscule compared to the greater good."
Rayanne wondered if the people knew this side of Logan. All they saw was a man taxing them into the gutter and sending anyone who says anything bad about him or his policies to gods know where. From the sparseness of the prison, he obviously wasn't sending them here, least not anymore. If he was, she wondered what happened to them. Rayanne started to wonder if this would have been Abigail's fate had she not escaped from the dungeons. She had heard rumors from the guards in the castle before they left that Abigail (or a girl looking like her) had been seen roaming around Bowerstone Industrial. A woman in tattered Elite's clothes wouldn't be hard to find, assuming Abigail didn't find any other clothes.
Logan seemed to only show this side to Rayanne. To everyone else, he was cruel and punished any slight mistake. Rayanne wondered how long this would last. She wondered if he'd calm down after the baby was born. She doubted it. Logan was not a man to take things easy. Her biggest fear, and she felt it justified, was that after the baby was born, he'd take the baby and raise it to fit his ideals. That was, of course, after he'd thrown her in some dingy dungeon to die. He was getting paranoid, or more so than usual. She wondered how long it will before she wasn't even allowed to leave with her guards anymore.
Before she could think of an answer, Lieutenant Hadley came back in. He cleared his throat. "Prisoner Number 764 is in the interrogation room, Sire." He said, placing the list back on the desk. "Before you go, I must warn you, he's…" Lieutenant Hadley looked as if he was trying to find the right words. "That prisoner, Sire; he's dangerous. He's never been quite right in the head. We don't even let him eat with the other prisoners, we just slide his food in through a hole at the bottom of his door. He's unpredictable-like."
"I know." Logan mumbled, leading Rayanne out of the office.
Rayanne found, however, that Logan wasn't interrogating anyone. Except her for the brief walk. "You loved your mother?" he asked. Rayanne looked up at him in surprise. "I loved my mother very much. I didn't see much of my father, sadly. My mother was a good woman. When she died, Albion mourned her, STILL mourn her to this day. When my father died…" Logan looked away. Rayanne believed she knew where this was going. "…only my mother cried. My sister was an infant and even she didn't shed a tear for that man."
Her heart pounding, Rayanne felt she knew what was coming next. The interrogation room's door was big and made from iron with a single slot to look into. Logan smiled and looked at Rayanne. She only looked up at him. He nodded to the guard and the guard opened the big iron door.
"Today, you get the answers you were denied." Logan said as the door screeched open. "And when that is done, you will make your first order as Queen."
Rayanne looked up at Logan as they were ushered into the room. The room was sparse with only a wood table and two wooden chairs. Occupying one chair was a disheveled man, his wrists in binds. For a moment, Rayanne didn't recognize this man. His hair was unkempt and looked like a grey bush. His beard was grey as well and looked like it was compensating for his sunken cheeks. She wasn't sure how often the inmates were allowed to bath, but this man looked like he hadn't even seen a damp rag in years.
"He is restrained for your protection as well as his own, Sire." The guard said, leaving the room. "If he starts getting belligerent, just let us know and we'll come running back in."
Logan pulled the free chair out and let Rayanne sit. She wasn't sure if the man was looking at her or not. An awkward silence went by and soon the man started making an awful sound from his lips. Rayanne wasn't sure if he was growling or crying. She reached for Logan's hand and squeezed it tight. After a moment, she realized what she heard was laughter. It was a terrifying sound that would stay in her mind and haunt her nightmares for years.
"As I live and breathe…" the man coughed. "…I had a feeling today would be a special day when they gave me an extra helping of the breakfast mush. I must…" the wheezing cough came back and the man turned his face away to cough. "…I must have done something nice to deserve an au-audience with the King!" the man wheeze-laughed again. "I had heard the King was taking a wife soon. A-are you her?" the man directed his question to Rayanne. He was silent for a long time again. "Ahh, by the gods…"
The man opened his eyes, revealing horrible orbs of what was possibly grey. His expression changed many times during this moment. Happiness, sadness, confusion, and back to happiness. Each time, he kept the undertones of psychosis with each change.
"Ray…Ray…" the man coughed into his sleeve. It looked like there was some blood in it. "Rayanne! Darling little Rayanne. Apple of her mother's eye. Slayer of bunny demons and conqueror of cow pastures the world over!" the old man's croaky laugh made Rayanne uneasy. "Rayanne, daughter of Ronald and Clementine…"
Rayanne cringed hearing this old man saying her mother's name. He said it as if he was trying to spit. It was then she realized who this man was. Her eyes widened and she sat up. Logan watched the horrified look on her face grow but did nothing. Memories ran through her mind at that moment. Memories of the farm, of her mother, of her father. Her father, with his eyes that always looked distant no matter what.
"Father?" Rayanne chirped, putting her hand on her stomach as if to protect her unborn child.
The man laughed loudly, spit flying onto the table. "I haven't…" another sputtering cough left his mouth. "I haven't been called that in so long. Music to my ears! 'Father, take me to town with you!' and 'Father, why did the baby sheep have to go away with the food stall man?' Oh, and my personal favorite: 'Father, why were you touching Mummy like that?" The man laughed loudly and sat up.
Rayanne looked at this man in disgust. He cackled on. "So, come to visit your poor ol' dad after all this time, hmm? Where've ya been at, Rayanne? Too busy hobnobbing with the stuffed shirts to pay your own poor father a call? You and your mother are just alike. She thought she was too good for farm life but I set her straight. She wanted to leave, but she was mine! Her pa owed me and he couldn't pay, so she came home with me! That was the deal, old man!" the man shouted at the ceiling to nothing in particular. "She was mine, and she wanted to leave!"
Clearing her throat, Rayanne tried to speak without breaking. "So, this is where you've been, Father?" she asked. "I was told you were left to rot in your own filth, but it seems it was more unpleasant than I had come to expect. I spent my childhood in the service of the Royal Family of Albion and you've been here."
Another horrible, sputtering laugh. "Service?! Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" he laughed. "They can call a duck what they want but it's still a duck! Looks to me like you've been more of a 'service' than you want to say. So, how much does being the King's whore pay? Because I know some ladies here in the Keep that could get in on that action!"
Logan looked as if he wanted to strangle this man himself. But he has decided that this would be Rayanne's decision. He was hoping that her final decision would be to let him strangle this man with his bare hands. Of course, he kept himself composed. He cracked his knuckles under the table just to be safe.
"I guess I've come here to ask you questions. I could have gone the rest of my life not knowing you were still alive, but it is what it is." Rayanne moaned. She glared at Logan, but directed her gaze back to the man sitting across from them. "I was taken to the orphanage in Bowerstone Industrial after what happened. That night haunts my dreams, even to this day. I want to know, Father; I want the answer to the question that has plagued me since then. Why?"
The man looked up at Rayanne. "Why what?" he asked.
"Why did you kill my mother?" Rayanne snarled. "Why did you tear our family apart? Why did you hack her up into little pieces so there was barely anything left of her to bury?!"
The man laughed again. This was starting to get on Rayanne's last nerve. "She wanted to leave!" he yelled at her. Milton and Clyde stepped forward, reaching for their weapons. Logan stopped them and instructed them back to the door. "She wanted to leave! For years, she wanted to go! 'Take me back to Bowerstone! I don't want to be here!' Many, many nights of that. She didn't understand that she was mine now and she couldn't go back. I had to make it to where she couldn't leave me! That's when I knocked her up!"
Rayanne, her cheeks red from anger, just stared at him.
"She had you, then she had to stay! Baby needed a father and I was the father! It was supposed to make her love me! It just made her hate me more! You mother, so pretty, so young! Her skin was like fresh milk and her lips like plump berries. You didn't work, you brat! You went against the plan! You were supposed to make her stay with me!" Her father growled at her, as if she was the drooling maniac on the other side of the table. "You were supposed to make her love me but instead she loved you! She loved you more than she loved me! I knew she was seeing another. She saw him and made plans to take you back with her to Bowerstone. You were both mine and she wanted to take you back. You were mine!"
Rayanne snarled again. "We were NOT yours!" she shouted. "We were not your property! You had no right to call yourself her husband and you have no right to call yourself my father!"
"I couldn't let her leave! The fire wouldn't keep her, oh no! I knew that after I started it. The fire would slow her down, but the axe would stop her. Yes, the axe would stop both of you from leaving! Now, pieces of her are all around! Where is she staying now, Rayanne? I wish to visit her. I want to see if we can rekindle that spark!"
"YOU NEVER HAD THAT SPARK, SHE WAS FORCED TO MARRY YOU!" Rayanne shouted, pounding her hands on the table. "The townsfolk told me the only thing keeping her from jumping into the river and letting herself sink was me. She never loved you!"
The man stared at Rayanne for a moment and then started to laugh again. "You look like her, you know. Those eyes…when I first saw them, I knew she had to be mine. I wouldn't accept any other payment from her father but I would accept her. He didn't want to, but when I threatened to call the sheriff to settle the matter, he happily agreed. She made that very same face when her father told her what was going on. She cried for days. In fact, she cried every day. She cried every time she got into bed. The only time she didn't cry was when she had you. But now, here you are, whore of the great King Logan! And you got something in your belly! Just like she did…"
Rayanne assumed she was talking about her again. "Yes, I am pregnant. Not that you deserve to be a grandfather, but I am pregnant."
"…and now the King thinks he has to marry you? Still honorable, the great King Logan!" the man laughed loudly.
Rayanne had just about had enough of this. She decided to end this madness before she went crazy herself. "Did you ever actually love my mother and me? Or were we just property to you? Did you ever take one look at my mother and see her as more than just something that belonged on the farm?!"
The old man just stared at Rayanne. "She was mine. She will always be mine. And it seems history is about to repeat itself! Now you belong to someone, too!" The man looked at King Logan wildly, making the guards reach for their weapons again. "TAKE CARE OF MY LITTLE RAYANNE! IF SHE TRIES TO LEAVE, YOU CAN USE MY AXE IF YOU WANT!" His horrible laughter filled the room and the hallway.
Rayanne couldn't take it anymore. She got up and left with Milton and Clyde as a guard came to the table to keep the old man from following. King Logan got up and calmly left the room. Rayanne was outside, her face in her hands, tears streaming through her fingers. Logan placed on hand on her shoulder. He didn't need to say anything to her.
"I want him to have the same dignity he gave my mother." She growled with the authority of a Queen. "I want him to see the horror my mother went through the night he decided we weren't his family. I want him to spend the rest of eternity in an unmarked grave, just like he tried to do to my mother. No one is to lay flowers on his grave, and NO ONE is to remember where he is buried. That is the only mercy he will get from me!" And with that, Rayanne stomped away.
They left Ravenscar Keep that night. She wondered if the fire she saw from her porthole window was her father burning at the stake. She actually didn't care. Ravenscar Keep would leave her thoughts and wouldn't resurface for many, many years. Fire seemed to be a recurring theme for Rayanne. Fire, she was once told, could be a destroyer and a purifier. In the months to come, Rayanne wondered which would overrun Bowerstone and all of Albion. She wondered which fire would set her free. She never realized she'd get her answer at the worst possible time.
Hi, hi, my loves!
I've been a bit dead lately, I know. I've got a ton of work I need to complete, but Valentine's Day being yesterday gave me the inspiration I needed to finish this chapter. I wanted the feeling of anger and unnecessary rejection to come into this piece and I think I got it. Feel free to punch a wall while reading it. It's okay, I'll wait…
Next chapter will technically be the last chapter of the story proper and the chapter afterward will be the epilogue.
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Ahem...
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King Logan and all things Fable belong to Lionhead.