Child Of Darkness
(A/N: Another less dark chapter, because things will get grim again soon. Sometime within the next chapter or two, or three.)
Contract Chaos
Lucien watched the child playing outside Anvil Lighthouse. "My how the boy has grown," the old lighthouse keeper said.
Lucien smiled sadly. "Yes, he has… He loves you like a grandfather you know. He always asks to come here and hear the stories grandpa tells him," Lucien remarked, accompanying the elder man back inside.
"I never had grandchildren," the lighthouse keeper mused. "How nice. Tell me though, Lucien, has someone finally put a contract out on my head? Why are you here?"
"Not to kill you, old friend. There is no plea for your death. Mathieu very much wanted to come. His latest contact was out this way. I told him if he did well we would come visit," Lucien replied.
"Has he ever let you down?" the man asked.
"No," Lucien admitted, smirking.
"Sit down, my boy, I have some food somewhere here. Stay for a meal," the lighthouse keeper offered. Lucien grimaced at being called a boy, but he supposed, really, that he should be flattered. He hadn't felt like a boy since his first kill. Truth be told he felt rather old; but then watching a child grow up so quickly could do that to you. One unwanted side-effect of being a 'father.'
"Thank you," Lucien replied. "I will call Mathieu in."
ES
Mathieu was busy building mud castles and attacking them with the dragon teddy he still hadn't outgrown, and probably never would though no one needed to know that. He made roaring and smashing noises as he splashed around in the mud puddle. Lucien wouldn't be happy with him, he knew, but he was having too much fun. He paused after a moment and looked down the hill. His smile fell to a curious frown, though, on seeing a rather large group heading towards the lighthouse. Who were they? They didn't look like they belonged at the lighthouse. They certainly weren't sailors.
He paled. Bandits! They must be bandits coming to wreck the Lighthouse and murder his grandpa and his daddy and him! Or… he paled as he remembered the last encounter. He neardly burst into tears, but anger quickly overtook misery. He frowned, hand going to his dagger. He wouldn't let them come and hurt his lighthouse and his grandpa! "Mathieu!" a voice called. Mathieu turned. Lucien was in the doorway calling him in. Mathieu looked nervously back at the bandits. Maybe they wouldn't come here after all, and if they did Lucien would protect him and grandpa, right? Mathieu rose and ran to Lucien smiling. Lucien frowned and said, "How on Earth could you possibly get so dirty in less than five minutes?"
"There was a huge mud puddle," Mathieu answered like it was obvious. He looked back again, though, and asked, "Sir, why are those men coming towards the lighthouse?"
Lucien started and looked up quickly. The old man, sensing something was wrong, soon appeared behind them. Sure enough a large group was approaching. Lucien placed his hands gently but firmly on Mathieu's shoulders and watched icily. "I say. Why on Earth would anyone come here?" the old man asked. Lucien said nothing. There were many possible answers, and few were good.
"Hail, lighthouse keeper!" one called out to the old man.
"What are you doing here?" the man demanded.
"Depending on your answers, we'll see," the leader of the strangers answered. "You, man," he called, focusing in on Lucien. "You look to be the provider of this family. Tell me, what's a small amount of gold to you?"
ES
Lucien summed them up icily. They wanted money, they wanted goods, they wanted food and provisions and probably women. Luckily there were none of the latter here. Bandits, they had to be. They, at least, were willing to be peaceful about robbing them blind. Unfortunately for them, and more so him, the lighthouse keeper had nothing to give, and neither did he. "Mathieu, go inside with your grandfather," Lucien ordered calmly. Mathieu looked worriedly up at him, then ahead again.
"Come along Mathieu, let your father deal with them," the old man prompted, pulling Mathieu away and quickly retreating inside. If Lucien failed he would be sure those men didn't lay a hand on the boy. They would kill him in a heartbeat, or worse.
Turning back to the bandits, Lucien replied, "I have nothing to offer you, travellers."
"Really," the leader said. "Well, a pity."
"Yes. I'm afraid you'll have to go elsewhere," Lucien replied, playing dumb.
"No, no, stranger. A pity we're going to have to kill off you and your family," the bandit replied.
Lucien drew his dagger and warned, "Walk away, for this is a battle you cannot hope to win."
The men hesitated a moment, obviously thinking over his words. Unluckily for them, they decided one man wasn't a threat. "Sorry friend, not going to happen," the leader replied. Immediately the bandits charged. Lucien scowled, breathed a prayer, and dove into the fray.
ES
Inside, Mathieu and the old man heard the commotion. They were in a little hiding spot, in case Lucien didn't make it. "He's going to be okay," Mathieu said, but it was more to assure himself than the old man.
Sensing the young boy's fear, the old man said, "There, there child. Lucien Lachance has handled worse. His luck has held out thus far."
"But luck stops," Mathieu argued. The old man said nothing. He wouldn't make a promise he couldn't keep. Lucien had made that his philosophy regarding the boy, and so would he. The child had had enough promises to him broken.
Soon enough, though, the sounds of fighting died down. They heard the door open and cautiously the old man peeked out and sighed in relief. "It's Lucien," he stated. Mathieu was out the door in a second and in Lucien's arms. The old man followed slower. "Well done, my boy, well done," he praised the younger man. Lucien frowned, annoyed once more at the term 'boy,' but the lighthouse keeper knew it bothered him. He used it on purpose.
ES
Mathieu finished his bath then got dressed in his night clothes and went out to the main part of the Lighthouse. Lucien was there, patching his armor. The old man was napping and snoring. Lucien glanced over at Mathieu and said, "We're staying here tonight. It's too late to start out."
"Where do I sleep?" Mathieu asked.
"Wherever you want," Lucien replied. "There isn't much for beds here." Mathieu yawned. In that case, he would claim a place near the fire-pit. He rubbed his eyes. Lucien smirked softly and asked, "Already?" Normally the boy didn't get tired until much later, but it had been a long day.
Mathieu blinked sleepily at him and nodded. Lucien put down the armor and took some blankets. He laid them near the fire, sensing the boy's wishes to be near it. Mathieu tiredly crawled onto them and curled up. Lucien kissed his head and covered the child with another blanket. Mathieu drifted off, too tired for a story. Lucien smirked and went back to mending the armor. It would be an early start tomorrow. There were more contracts to be completed before he brought Mathieu back to the sanctuary.
ES
Mathieu raced ahead of Lucien, bright eyed and wide awake. The kill had been exhilarating to the boy. Lucien smiled in approval. The child leapt onto a tree and began scrambling up it simply because he could. Lucien caught up to him and plucked him from his perch, though Mathieu protested adamantly. "I don't need you breaking your neck, son," Lucien said.
"You're no fun," Mathieu accused angrily.
"Aren't I?" Lucien asked, tickling him. Mathieu burst into laughter. Lucien laughed and placed him down. "I am too old for fun, child," he teased.
"You need a wife," Mathieu remarked.
Lucien frowned, slightly put out at the claim, and put his hands on his hips, asking, "Who have you been talking to?"
"Oops," Mathieu said.
"Mathieu…" Lucien warned.
"Um, Gogron?" Mathieu more questioned than stated. Lucien scoffed. Of course.
The orc had been harping on him mercilessly about his seriousness lately. Often Gogron had told him he needed a lover, or many, many lovers, as the orc had hinted. Humph. The last thing he needed was a commitment, or lack thereof. He had his hands full with a child, a demanding job, and many other things that left no time for any such pleasures.
"Ignore Gogron," Lucien humorlessly said.
Mathieu lit up, sensing Lucien was annoyed. He liked annoying Lucien sometimes. "Gogron said you couldn't get one anyway," Mathieu said, shrugging.
"Oh did he now?" Lucien icily asked. He knew exactly what the child was trying to do. Good news for Mathieu. It was working.
"He says you've lost your touch," Mathieu said.
Lucien chuckled darkly and replied, "Far from it. It would take not but a moment."
Mathieu frowned. Lucien was probably right, at that. He'd always heard Antoinetta and Shaleez and all the women he knew, talk about Lucien and giggle. He didn't quite understand why, but from what he'd caught through spying Lucien was 'easy on the eyes,' whatever that meant, and he had a 'voice that could make a sabre cat purr, sultry, smooth, and seductive, like velvet.' He thought he knew what sultry and seductive meant, but he'd rather not have it confirmed. They also said he was dark and mysterious and quiet and impossible to win over. Mathieu didn't know if that was good or not, but judging by the disappointed tones of the women it was bad for them. They also said that the day a woman resisted him would be the day Lucien fell in love. Mathieu frowned. He didn't think he wanted Lucien to fall in love because then Lucien would abandon him like everyone else always did.
ES
They entered Bravil. Mathieu wondered why they were here. Lucien always went to the statue of the "Lucky Old Lady." He wasn't sure why. It was a nice statue, but there really wasn't any other reason to go to it. Except it granted you luck, apparently, and sometimes wishes. "Why are we in Bravil?" Mathieu questioned.
"Our last contract is here," Lucien replied.
"Oh. I thought we were done. When do we start?" Mathieu asked.
"Your contracts are done, Mathieu. I'm completing this one alone. It requires seduction, deceit, risk, and betrayal, and you are not to witness a moment of it. In this tavern there are those who can get rather disgusting," Lucien said.
"Well what am I supposed to do?" Mathieu demanded.
"Stay out of trouble," Lucien answered.
"Can I have some money to spend then?" Mathieu asked.
Lucien thought it over a moment, calculated the time it would take him to get in, seduce the woman up to her room, slaughter her, go after the male, slaughter him, then get out. Perhaps a half hour to an hour, or less. "All right. Three hundred gold, no more," Lucien finally said, giving Mathieu the money.
"Yay! Thank you papa!" Mathieu exclaimed. Immediately he darted off.
"Don't talk to strangers, don't take food from them or treats, don't help them find lost pets or children, don't go anywhere with them!" Lucien called quickly. Mathieu waved and disappeared. Ever since the bandit incident so many years ago his nightmares were haunted by the 'what could happens' of the child racing off alone. It still didn't sit well with him. His own personal phobia, he supposed, but he'd always practiced what he'd preached. He had to face it once in a while; but each time he did, he felt as if he couldn't breathe.
"Such a beautiful child. He is yours?" a voice asked. He glanced over. The woman contract. Well, this made things simpler.
"Yes," Lucien admitted. She shivered and smirked on hearing his voice.
"His mother…" the woman fished.
"Dead," Lucien answered.
"Oh I'm sorry. How long?" she wondered.
Lucien smiled seductively at her and purred, dropping his hands casually on her waist, "Long enough." Her eyes immediately lit up.
It took a grand total of five minutes to talk his way into her room—he wasn't even really trying—ten minutes to wait for her to finish bathing and changing, and less than a second to end her life as they kissed. It took around ten minutes to find the man. The male was in a lustful mood. It took even less time to get him into a back room. The man had just barely shut the door when Lucien ended his life. He had no intentions of letting it get as far as he had with the woman. Now to collect Mathieu and return to Cheydinhal.
ES
Mathieu, in the meantime, was busy causing chaos in the market place. He'd gotten bored of buying things. There wasn't much here he wanted that Lucien hadn't already provided him with. He'd been slightly spoiled since Lucien had left the sanctuary. He was pretty sure it was because Lucien still felt guilty, but it didn't matter. It got him lots of presents. From the roof he threw a tomato at a man who'd just been arguing with another man. The man who was hit with the tomato turned and started throwing things at the other who he'd been arguing with, then the whole place was a mess as the adults, adults of all things, began a grand food fight that was keeping him wildly entertained. Oh he was evil. The guards were slipping and sliding over the remains of the produce on the ground.
Lucien, on the other side of the sea of people, gaped in shock. Recovering he scowled and said, "Mathieu." Oh that boy would be in trouble unlike any he'd been in before! The problem now was how to get through it all. He looked at the rooftops and smirked. Perfect. Easily he clambered up to them and raced along. He spotted Mathieu lying on his stomach with his chin in his hands as he watched from a roof. "Oh there you are," Lucien growled. He immediately raced towards the boy. Mathieu didn't know what hit him when Lucien covered his mouth and pulled him up. He turned and gasped, paling. Lucien wasn't happy. When Lucien wasn't happy, no one was happy, and especially not him.
"Um… it just started," Mathieu lamely lied when Lucien uncovered his mouth.
"Bellamont," Lucien growled.
"It wasn't me!" Mathieu defended. Lucien scoffed and took his arm, dragging him away from the fight.
"You're lucky I don't spank you," Lucien growled, but he'd never laid a finger on the boy. The child had had enough of such things under his birth father's iron hand; and those spankings hadn't been swats. They'd been full on beatings, belts and all, and then usually followed up by 'apologies' that had hurt the young one far more than the beatings could have ever hoped to. Lucien frowned at the memory. For the longest time Mathieu had been terrified whenever Lucien had said 'I'm sorry' for something or other. Until he finally accepted that the man who was raising him now would never do what daddy had.
Playtime was over, Mathieu realized as he was being dragged alonr. He was definitely going to be banished to his room. It turned out funny, though, because Lucien had banished Gogron to his room too. Even though Gogron was an adult. "Five minutes, Gogron, five minutes without trying, and less," Lucien had said to the orc, and Gogron had paled, immediately knowing what Mathieu had spilled. Hence the reason they were playing a game through the wall as Ocheeva and Teinava guarded the doors.