Won't you come out and play with me?

Author's Note: I planned out every single chapter of this story last night, and ended up with 27 of them. So it's fair to say this story has a long way to go yet.

Answer to why Carrion lied about the execution list: He's EVIL! But I love him anyway… And don't worry, Motley will make an appearance But in the meantime, lets just enjoy the world Motley free…

Chapter Ten: Letters and liars

The newspaper did not even need to be picked up to be read, the picture on the front-page spoke for it. Three pairs of eyes stared at it in shock; one pair did not seem interested at all.

Prince Quiffin glanced at the paper, and then returned to idly spreading jam on his bread. It was only when he looked at his shell-shocked parents, and the silence began dragging, that he realised something was wrong. He waited for someone to speak, and as he did so, took a bite of his bread.

"What is this?" King Klaus managed eventually, in a very strangled sounding voice. "Our daughter has gone to Midnight?"

Finnegan snatched the paper out of the king's hands, his face was aghast in horror. As clear at the water in the glasses on the table, Boa was pictured standing next to Lord Carrion, smiling and waving as if she wanted nothing more in the world than to be standing at his side.

"No," Finnegan muttered to himself.

"Yeah, so what?" Quiffin replied to the king, in an indifferent sort of way. "You must have known she was going?"

He could not share in the company's surprise, as he had been the one his sister had formulated her plans with. The queen let out a loud sob.

"Oh my baby, my dear, dear Boa! Gone off to Midnight! That ghastly horrible place! What are we all to do?" she cried. She was patted on the arm gently by her husband, however this did little to soothe her.

"There, there dear, she is safe with Lord Carrion, there is no need to be alarmed, and Midnight is not so far away you know. We all knew she wanted to visit…we just weren't prepared to see her go," he said reasonably, but his face was full of sadness. "I only wish she had asked my permission…I am so disappointed in her."

Finnegan seemed to snap out of his trance as the king stopped speaking, and one word of the speech was upon his own lips.

"Safe?" he burst, unable to control his anger. "Safe? With that monster? Safe you say?"

Quiffin laughed suddenly, but he was stared into silence. He personally couldn't see what the problem was.

"But you knew she was going surely?" he asked Finnegan in a joking manner, the reply shocked him.

"No, I did not! Had I known I would have dissuaded her from it!"

Quiffin was silent now.

The king put an arm around Finnegan's shoulder in a fatherly way.

"Listen Finnegan lad, I know you care for my daughter very much," he said quietly. Finnegan blushed red. "But I trust Lord Carrion, and I tell you there is nothing to fear."

"I believe you will live to regret that," Finnegan said sadly.

The king shook his head in a tired way, and for the first time in years looked very, very old.

"I will write to her, and send the letter straight away. She will explain herself to me, but in the meantime, let's all just try and carry on as normal," he declared.

There was a resigned silence within the group, as if the King's word was final. But Quiffin quickly destroyed it.

"Sir, I fear that may not work. Boa confided in me her reasons for going, and I must not repeat them if she has decided not to tell you. All I may say is that she has gotten herself into trouble, but is not in any danger, I can be sure of that."

The king looked at him angrily for a moment, but quickly sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"All I can do is try. I made her an ambassador, I know that means she is unable to tell me everything…I am just so disappointed."

Nobody stopped him when he stood, took the paper and walked out of the room. He was too upset to be spoken to anymore. But Finnegan had not finished with his anger yet.

"Well I still refuse to believe she went willingly. Why would she not tell me?" he demanded.

Quiffin shrugged. He couldn't answer, he truly did not know. He had gone so far as to beg his sister to tell Finnegan, why she had not he couldn't understand.

"Quiffin you must go to Midnight. I don't care what your father says, I don't like Carrion. You must go and bring her back," the queen ordered. "Finnegan is right, she is not safe with him."

"Ho, ho!" Quiffin laughed. "Go to Midnight? Why, I have only just arrived here!"

"I will go!" Finnegan said quickly.

The queen looked at him as if seeing him in a new light. She had never really thought much of him, now she was beginning to change her mind. Quiffin just looked at him as if he was nuts.

"She wont thank you for it," he warned.

"She will in the long run," Finnegan replied confidently. "Carrion cannot be responsible, not where Boa's concerned. His passion's run too deep."

Quiffin laughed again.

"Passions? Ha! Carrion will have Boa for a bride, not a lover. You do not need to fear for her honour with him!"

The queen gasped in horror.

"Your travels have made you vulgar Quiffin! I never wish to hear you speak of your sister, or any woman like that again! She does not know the world like you do, and I worry for her. Finnegan, I thank you for caring about the safety of my daughter."

Boa received three letters the evening following the picture in the paper. She recognised all three handwritings, and was at a loss to know which one to open first. She picked up her brother's; at least he was always on her side, no matter what she did.

Sister,

I am surprised at your behaviour. This is most unlike you. Even after I begged you to tell Finnegan of your trip, you have ignored me. I could have forgiven this had you informed mother and father. But to leave them in the dark like that was shameful.

However try as I might I cannot stay angry with you, who else in the Abarat do I have to moan about things to? You looked lovely in those pictures, and your plan appears already to be working. Everyone is watching your every step Boa, so be careful. My advice again; keep your servants near at all times. One compromising picture could undo all your hard work.

Quiffin

Boa opened the next. It was from her father.

Daughter,

The shock I had at finding my daughter stepping foot into Midnight almost put me in my grave. Why could you not have told me that you would be travelling? Were you afraid I might refuse you? You know full well that I support anything you wish to do Boa, and would not have said no. As it is, you have left me very disappointed in you, and reduced to requesting an explanation as soon as you feel you are able to give one.

Boa shook as she opened the last. She almost felt like crying.

Boa,

I am coming to Midnight, by the time you read this I will be halfway there. We need to talk, and I must have answers.

Your Finnegan

Boa started at the coldness of the letter, but could not blame him. She did not know why she had not told him, only that she was a coward and afraid of what he would say. Only now she wished she had, for she had made it worse. But there was something she was not prepared to take the blame for.

She crumpled the letters up in her fist and wiped her eyes. She was ready to scream in anger. How dare he!

"Liar!" she shouted into the silent room, filled with all Carrion's peers. "Liar, liar, lair!"

Carrion, composed and indifferent as ever, looked at her blankly. This only enraged her more, why could she never embarrass him?

"Please excuse me," he said to the room. No one was about to refuse.

"Yes, they will excuse you, because I will not wait! You are a liar Christopher Carrion!" she spat his name out as if it made her sick. "You said you had already asked my father for permission! You hadn't even seen him!"

Carrion shut the door behind him. It made little difference; the people in the room could still hear everything.

"I thought you wanted to leave immediately?"

"I did!"

"Well, he would have waylaid us, and what do you think you are doing coming barging in here when I am working? I could have you in the dungeons for that, princess or not!"

"Well go on then, you'd like that wouldn't you? And anyway, I'm not finished! Not only did you lie about that, you lied about that list too. Those people weren't going to die, they were applicants! You should apologise!"

"For what?"

"For everything! Everything you do, it's always so mean. You haven't even asked if I'm comfortable here, you just threw me in a room, and locked the door. You said you'd look after me, well you haven't!" Boa couldn't shout anymore, her throat was too sore.

Carrion looked momentarily ashamed.

"Why are you even surprised? I am cruel to you, you are spiteful to me. That's the way it has always been, why change now?"

"I am not spiteful," Boa replied like a child.

There was a trumpet blast in the distance, interrupting their conversation, or rather; argument. Boa huffed and walked to the window.

"What now?" she asked irritated.

Carrion joined her at the window.

"Someone important has arrived," he told her.

"They never sounded any trumpets when I arrived."

"That's because you're not important," Carrion replied so seriously that it took a while for Boa to realise what he'd said, and then another second to realise he was joking.

"Hey!"

"They only sound when I'm here to hear them, I wouldn't signal my own arrival would I?" he said in such a manner that made Boa feel stupid, as if she should have known that already and that it was perfectly obvious.

Boa blushed, as once again, she felt like the dumb one.

"A visitor will please my grandmother, like all old people she likes watching others from her window."

Boa shuddered, she had forgotten about the old crone. She had not seen her since she was a child, and she had been ancient then.

"That reminds me," Carrion continued again. "We have been invited to join her for dinner this evening."

Boa gripped the windowsill tighter.

"Do we have to?" she asked before she could stop herself. This apparently was the wrong thing to say.

"Yes we have to!" Carrion snapped. "Where are your manners?"

But even as his words made Boa flinch, she couldn't be scared, for in the corner of her eye she was sure she saw him smile at her as if they were in on the same joke.