A/N So here it is! The next chapter. And I'd also like to share something with you. So far, my story has gotten 4134 hits. And only 126 reviews. Not very good odds. Also, in my last chapter I got 65 hits and only 4 reviews. Again, not good odds. So! I'm expecting more! And since I'm so greatful to those of you who did review (all four of you), this chapter is dedicated to you!
Chapter Twenty-Four: Opening
"I'm telling you, you should have seen this girl!" Darren stopped before opening the door to his room to turn to Merric and make some… obvious hand motions about the said girl's figure.
Merric laughed and shook his head. "I don't know how you do it! Women drive me nuts! I mean, you try to do something good for them and they take it out of context, get angry, and storm off! I mean, take Blaine for example!"
"Better not go there, my friend. I'm biased on all Blaine subjects. And besides, as long as you treat them with the respect they deserve, don't do anything they don't ask for, and they'll love you. And the rewards are… most pleasing," Darren laughed, then gave a sigh. "Yes, most pleasing."
"Still, the rewards are few and far between. It's too much hassle if you ask me," Merric shook his head again then punched Darren lightly on the shoulder. "Are you going in or not?"
Darren gave his devilish grin, which didn't actually look devilish so much as charming and unlocked his door, then pushed it open and stepped in.
"Dear Gods! Blaine!" he shouted and rushed into the room, wanting to reach her as fast as possible and scoop her up into his arms. Something was wrong, he saw it the instant he looked at her. But he stopped before touching her. Yes, something was terribly wrong.
She was sitting perched on the edge of his bed, her feet side by side on the floor, heels and toes together. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap in a dress that had been smoothed over and over again until it was perfect. Her posture was impeccable, her spine straight, her shoulders level, her chin raised to the perfect height. She was the image of propriety. But her eyes… they were empty. Of everything.
They stared straight ahead without seeing, the line of vision landing on the opposite wall. She didn't blink, didn't move, didn't even acknowledge the fact that someone had entered the room. What was wrong?
"Blaine!" Merric shouted and tried to run forward to her also. Darren gripped his arm, hard, and stopped him before he reached her. Merric struggled a little, but Darren won out.
"Stop. Something's wrong. Don't touch her," Merric looked like he was about to protest and wordlessly Darren motioned towards Blaine with his head. She had yet to move, had yet to blink, had yet to show any signs of life.
"What do we do?" Merric asked and together they kneeled down in front of her. Darren raised himself up a little so he was at eye level. She continued to stare right through him as if he wasn't there.
"Blaine?" Nothing. No response. Not even a flicker of the eye. "Blaine? Sweetie, hey, look at me! Blaine? Come on! Blaine!" Still nothing.
"That's not working!" Merric growled. His throat felt tight, chocked. He couldn't seem to get in a full breath. Everything seemed strained. What was wrong with her? Had he gotten to her? Had he done something to her after she had left him this morning? "I swear if that bastard did anything to her…"
"Now's not the time to worry about that. We have to focus on Blaine. Sweetie! Come on Blaine, look at me! Come on! Look at me Blaine! Please!" Merric was right, this wasn't working. But he didn't want to touch her, didn't want to startle her. But maybe that was the only way.
Slowly, gently, he lifted his right hand and placed it softly on her knee. She flinched, but continued to stare at the wall. Just as slowly and just as gently, he placed his left hand on her other knee. She flinched again, jerked her knee slightly, but she still stared at the wall.
Her eyes were so lifeless, so dead. It scared him, the way they could be so empty. Something so full of life should never look like this, ever. He had to fix it. He had to fix her. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't fill her eyes back up with that spark.
"Blaine, look at me," he said in a firm, commanding voice. He squeezed her knee and hoped for a reaction. She had always hated it when he had used that tone of voice on her, usually to scold. She always said, he smiled now thinking about it, she knew what was right and wrong, she didn't need him to tell her so. And then she would frown, this mean, ugly frown, but her eyes would be smiling. What he wouldn't give to see that on her face now. "Blaine!"
She startled, just a little, but it was enough. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes moved from the wall downwards in a long arch until they met his gaze. They looked confused, but at least they weren't dead. It was because his hands were on her knees that he felt the long shiver run through her body.
"Why is it so cold in here?" she asked in a tone he had never heard her use before. It was hard for him to understand exactly what the tone was, but he knew he didn't like it. It was too high, to lilting, to… belittling. As if, as if he was out of his place, or he had done something that he shouldn't have, and she disapproved and she wanted him to know.
"I'm sorry?" he asked, confused. He tilted his head to the side slightly, and looked at her, asking with his facial expression what he was supposed to do about it.
"You should be! Now, go turn the heat up. It has to be at least sixty-five degrees in here! I want it to be eighty! No more no less! Do you understand?" She asked. But she didn't wait for an answer. Instead she turned to Merric, dismissing Darren as if he wasn't there. "The servants are so hard to deal with aren't they? Why, I was just talking to Lady Witherferd. She had to fire three of her servants: a gardener, a maid, and her driver. They just didn't know their place I guess. Oh! Is that the call for tea? I do hope they have those lemon biscuits today. I do fancy them the best."
Merric and Darren exchanged glances after that little outburst. Clearly, Blaine wasn't quite herself yet. Darren would just have to try harder.
"Blaine! Stop this nonsense and tell me what is going on! Blaine!" he shook her legs harder, but she didn't look at him. She was staring off at the wall again, mumbling to herself.
"Gotta remember these lines, gotta remember! Mom will love me, if only I can get this part. Gotta get this part! I'll be a star, a real one. Everyone will know my name. My fan base will soar and I'll not just have the kids anymore, but I'll hook their parents too. Gotta remember these lines!"
"What is she mumbling about? Darren, shake her harder!" Merric ordered.
"Blaine!" Darren moved his hands from her knees to her shoulders, shook harder, until her head was jumping backwards and forwards. She pulled away from him, stood and paced away.
"Blaine?" Merric called softly, hoping she was back to normal. She whipped around so fast he thought she would lose her balance. But she didn't. Her eyes zeroed in on him, and froze over. He thought he could feel the temperature drop in the room the instant that their eyes met.
"So," she said and her voice was dark, foreboding, filled with thousands of emotions, but at the top of it all was disgust. "You've finally come crawling back have you? How was she? Huh? Always heard Amanda was great in bed, but now I've got someone to tell me the truth. Well?"
She seemed to be expecting an answer, but he didn't know what to say. What could he say? He didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Who was Amanda? And who did she even think he was?
"No answer huh? I guess her stupidity rubbed off on you. Not surprised though," she stopped to gather her thoughts and Merric saw tears gather in her eyes. It wrenched at his heart. And he couldn't stop himself from rushing to her and trying to gather her into his arms to soothe. But she struggled out of his grasp, screaming at him. It wasn't until he was standing a few feet away that her words registered. "Don't even think you can touch me Chris! How could you do that to me? I loved you! I gave you everything I had! And you took it all. And then you crushed me. You slept with my own best friend. My best friend! And now you're trying to apologize? Take those apologies and shove it up your fat, white a—"
SMACK.
Blaine's head flew to the side as Darren's hand fell back down. She turned her head back just as fast, cupping her reddening cheek. Her eyes were welling with tears, but they were her eyes. She was back, back to herself. But things were still wrong. He could see it in her face.
"I'm sorry Blaine," he whispered, but she only shook her head. Her eyes were filled with understanding, and he watched that understanding cloud with those tears and slowly spill down her cheeks.
"I tried, Darren. I tried so hard," she sobbed, her hands curling into fists and pressing against her open mouth.
"I know hun, I know. Shh, it's okay. Come here," he opened his arms and she pressed herself into them, her shoulders shaking with her silent weeping and the cold that was seeping into her bones. For a while, the cold had left her, and she had hopes that it would be gone for good. But now… she shivered and pulled herself closer to Darren, seeking his warmth.
Blaine tried to stop the sobs. But she couldn't. She tried to control her emotions. But she couldn't do that either. How was it possible? How? Her mind flashed back to what she had seen when she had opened the chest, but she couldn't manage to grasp the truth. She couldn't seem to understand. Didn't want too.
How was it possible?
"Blaine, I need you to calm down and tell me what's happened," she could hear Darren's words. She could hear them, but she couldn't register them either. Her mind felt dumb, dead, a pile of useless flesh sitting inside her head. How? How was it possible? She shuddered with cold and disbelief. No, she must be wrong. She must be!
"Blaine? What's wrong?" Slowly, she lifted her head, just enough that she could peek over the top of Darren's shoulder as he was holding her. One sharp green eye focused on Merric, and she felt her stomach turn. She may not be able to understand what was going on with the chest in Lord Rhys's room, but she remembered what Merric had done today, the betrayal he had served her.
"Get him out of here," she whispered quietly, her voice shaking with her chattering teeth and her sobs. She felt Darren nod and buried her head back into his chest. When he tried to pull away, she held close. She couldn't seem to make herself let go of him. She needed someone to hold onto, something to ground her. Otherwise her world would spin away from her, into a black void filled with nothing but ice, like it had when she had looked inside that chest. How was it possible?
"Merric, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It's what Blaine wants," she felt more than heard, Darren say, and she faintly heard Merric's protest and the following argument. How? How? HOW?
Then the door was closing, and with the sound of it slamming into place, the floodgates opened. Her sobs reached new heights as the amount of tears reached an impossible magnitude.
"I tried! I tried so hard! I did my best! I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I just don't know."
"Shh, it's okay. Come on, let's lay down on the bed," Darren whispered and led her over to it, sat her down, then laid down beside her and pulled her in close, held her there. Her tears were soaking through his shirt.
"What am I supposed to do? He never said something like this was possible! He never said! And how am I supposed to ask him? He hasn't…" her voice was lost in the sobs, but her thoughts were loud and clear in her head. How was she supposed to know what to do next? Gainel, the God that had started it all had abandoned her. Four years ago he had given up on her, left her out on her own. And now this? What was she supposed to do? What? There was only so much she could do!
How was it possible? "What am I supposed to do? I tried. I tried."
"I know, I know. Shh," Darren whispered, stroking her hair, pulling her closer to his own body. She was shivering, as if she was cold. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, up and down, up and down, trying to bring heat to her body. Her sobs were weakening now, her words growing faint. The tension in her body was slowly releasing.
Darren continued to stroke her back, up and down, until with a final whisper of, "How is it possible?" she drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Blaine moaned at the pain in her head, and rolled over in her bed, trying to settle into the pillows. But something was different. The pillows were different. She managed to struggle one eye open and peak out at the room. No, this wasn't her bed. This wasn't her room. Where was she?
She moaned again and tried lifting her hand to her head. It was pounding like bloody hell. And her eyes felt swelled, itchy, sore. Yep, she'd definitely had a crying jag last night.
But who could blame her after the surprise she'd been given last night? For crying out loud! All her preparation, all her suffering, all her hard work, every punch, kick, bite, scratch, strike she had ever endured. All for naught. Wasted.
She had struggled so hard and the second she had opened that chest it had all crumbled out from under her. The second she had opened that chest and seen—
"Blaine? Are you awake?" with another moan she cracked her eye open again and saw the overly cheerful face of Claire. Just what she needed.
"No," Blaine grumbled and closed her eye again. Why couldn't Darren still be here? He would protect her from Claire. Now that Merric had spilled the beans about her situation, there was no doubt in Blaine's mind that Claire would try and do something to fix it. That was just the kind of person she was. And frankly, Blaine didn't want that. She didn't want, or need for that matter, to be fixed.
"Ah Blaine, you're so funny. I brought you freshly baked bread. I figured you would be hungry as you didn't make it to dinner last night," Claire said and pulled a chair up to the bed. At the mention of food Blaine decided it was an opportune moment to wake up. After all, Claire was right. She hadn't eaten in a while.
Blaine pulled herself into a sitting position and reached out for a hunk of bread. It was warm in her hand, soft, inviting. As she broke it open, steam rose from it. She sniffed curiously and sighed. It smelt delicious. She took a bite and nearly melted in joy. Yes, it was delicious indeed.
"Do you like it?" Claire asked eagerly. Blaine nodded enthusiastically and took another bite. "I'm glad. I made it myself this morning." At Blaine's lifted eyebrow she offered and explanation. "Nervous energy."
Suddenly, the bread didn't taste so good. It hardened in her mouth, became hard to swallow. Oh, so that was it. Carefully Blaine placed the bread in the palm of her hand, then passed it back to Claire. Nervous energy huh? More like anxious to stick her nose in where it didn't belong. This was all because of what Merric had told her the day before.
"You don't want it? But I made it for you!" Claire sounded heartbroken, but Blaine was immune to it. It wasn't her fault Claire was overstepping her bounds.
"No. If you'll excuse me, I have to be going. My fiancé will be wondering where I am," Blaine watched Claire flinch at the word fiancé. Typical, she thought. Everyone always winced when the unmentionable was mentioned. Expect for the person most directly involved.
"Oh, well, alright. I brought you a dress! I heard from Merric that you slept in your clothes. So I brought you something to change into," Claire said and stood up, almost rushing at helping Blaine. With a sigh, she accepted Claire's dress and then waited, pointedly watching, until Claire realized she was supposed to leave.
"I guess, I'll be seeing you," she whispered and gathered up the breadbasket and stood to leave. Blaine gave her a formal, impersonal smile, and waved her away. Claire seemed to want something else, and she stopped at the door, turned back, frowned. "You know, if you ever need anything, you can come to me."
Blaine nearly gagged on the cliché. How typical was that? The fiancé to the man who had betrayed her and lied to her and given away her most prized possessions was offering to help with the fact that she was being abused. Well, so it wasn't exactly typical. But it wasn't exactly every day stuff either.
"Alright," Blaine answered then made another shooing motion. Claire nodded then left and Blaine held up the dress for inspection. She hadn't lied when she said her fiancé would be wondering about her. And she didn't want him to get any ideas about further punishments. Yes, it was best all around if she were to hurry back to her rooms.
Resigned to the inevitable she crawled out of her clothes from the day before, now wrinkled from her sleep, and into the dress that Claire had left for her. It had been quite some time, she realized, since she had warn a dress. She had figured, if she wore pants, she would seem more masculine, more tough, and maybe he would leave her alone. Obviously that hadn't worked, she thought with a snort as the dress settled on her shoulders, long enough that it nearly touched the ground. No point in clinging to that hope now, she thought as she reached for the door.
With a last sigh and look around the room that was so much a hidden sanctuary, she slipped out the door and down the hallway, heading for her rooms. She should probably get changed into clothes suitable for training, she figured, as Merric would most likely want to see her today. Not that it was be very productive, she thought, as she was in no mood to accommodate to his wishes. Not after the way he spilled her secrets so easily to Claire.
She let out a huff of a breath and stopped before the door to her rooms. How easy would it be to just walk away? Who would know? And why would they care? No one knew that the fate of the world rested on her shoulders. So if she were to take off, to leave it all to someone else, what would it matter? Gainel had left her… left her with this… this… chaos of a life. He had taken her out of her own world, put her into this one, with the unspoken promise that he would be there for her, help her through when it was hard, tell her what she was supposed to do! And he had left her. Not a word from him, not a hint that he was even still there, not a whisper that he still believed in her, in her purpose here.
So what was the point in continuing?
"There is no point to it," she whispered heavily, then just as heavily said, "it's your duty and that's all that matters. So quit day dreaming and get to work," she nodded then firmly pushed her door open and stepped inside.
"So, the missing princess returns," came a dark whisper from the other side of the room. Blaine squinted and tried to see who it was. Shadows encompassed the space inside the room, chasing away nearly all the light. The only light that came inside the room was from where one of the curtains didn't quite meet and a slash of light angled into the room. She followed its bright trail and saw two feet resting in its path.
"I hadn't realized I was missing," she said in a slightly condescending voice and tried to figure out how she would be able to maneuver into her room. Where he, whichever one he was, was sitting was in the direct path that lead to her room. If she were to get to her room, she would have to walk within reaching distance of where he was sitting. And that just didn't seem like a good option to her. Neither did locking herself into a room that had only one easy exit. The one that he would likely stand in front of. She would be cornered. And that wasn't a place she wanted to be today. Best find a good excuse to get out of here. And fast.
"Oh yes, you've been quite lost, since yesterday morning. Where were you Blaine?" the voice took a dangerous voice. And she recognized the pitch in that. Lord Rhys. But she had to be sure. She had to be sure it was him. With a lofty sigh, she walked over to the far wall that held several bookcases, taking a chance by distancing herself from the door, but she had to be sure.
With an absent gesture, she ran a finger down the spine of a book, then turned to face Lord Rhys in his chair, angling her chin down. The light wasn't any better from this side of the room, but there was nothing she could do about that. She would just have to get closer. It was risk. But she needed to be sure. "Funny thing, really. I could have sworn I knew exactly where I was last night," she shrugged and turned back to the books, pretending to look but seeing nothing but her thoughts. "My mistake."
"And just where was that?" the voice whispered huskily. She considered her options just as she pretended to consider the books. What was best to tell him? What would he believe and what could she get away with? Who could she drag into her mess without conceivable pain on her part or without feeling guilt for theirs? Who indeed, she whispered as her mind focused on one particular blonde with a nose that liked to go where it didn't belong.
Well, Blaine thought with a pondering face, she had said she wanted to help if there was any way. And now there was a way in which she could help. And who was Blaine to stop someone from helping her when she needed all the help she could get at this point in time? Fact was she was standing on shaky ground right now. And besides, the guilt would be minimal.
"I was with a fellow female knight. Claire, I believe you've heard of her?" She turned and gasped when she nearly ran into him. He had crept up on her while she had been thinking. And now he was standing just inches from her. She tipped her head back and looked up into the dark face, the even darker eyes.
Yes, it was Lord Rhys, and the look in his black orbs in that pale face had her shivering. What was it, she wondered, that she was seeing in them? A memory shivered up her spine, from long ago, when she had looked into stranger's eyes and seen this look before. And it scared her. Because she realized she knew exactly what that look meant. Danger.
"You're wearing a dress today, Blaine," Lord Rhys whispered as his hands ghosted up her arms and settled on her shoulders. To an outsider it would have looked like a friendly gesture, but she knew what this was. His hands were there for one reason. To hold her back from running. From escaping. "It's been a long time since you've looked so feminine."
"My clothes were dirty. I borrowed these from Claire," she needed to get away, Quick. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go change," she tried to take a step, but his hands gripped brutally and slammed her back against the shelves behind her, sending some books crashing to the ground. She winced and cried out a little.
"Oh, I don't see any reason why you should change, Little Blaine. You look quite fine to me," he leaned in to whisper at her neck, and she tried to contain the struggles. But as his lips pressed against her neck, disgust and panic curled inside her stomach and she couldn't stop herself.
"Let go!" she hissed and struggled, futilely. She realized it was useless even as she tried, tried so hard, to get away. But she succeeded in only trapping herself more.
Then before she knew it, her dress was torn and he was pressing up against her, his hands and lips places she didn't want them too be, touching her in ways that made her want to scream. She opened her mouth to just that, and he slammed his hand over it, strangling it before it began.
Blaine had promised herself once, she thought as tears fell down her cheeks and he pressed her hard against the bookshelf so that each individual shelf bit into her back and every part of his body was touching every part of hers, that if it ever came to this, she wouldn't struggle. She'd let him have his way, let him do what he wanted, then be done with it. But then she hadn't thought he was capable of this.
And now she knew he was.
She tried to scream past his hand, but her voice didn't reach past their own two ears. She tried to struggle, tried to claw at him with her nails, but it only seemed to egg him one. Oh God, she screamed inside herself as she continued to struggle, continued to waste her energy uselessly, there was no escape. He would do what he wanted and she would be powerless against her.
Then her mind stopped thinking. She made it stop thinking. If her mind didn't register what was happening to her body, then it wouldn't hurt, right? Then it wouldn't matter, she wouldn't know. She wouldn't feel it. And therefore she would be fine.
Blaine startled when the door burst open, and banged against the wall. She thought for a moment she was saved. But the figure standing in the doorway brought her no hope. Why would King Terry try to save her? Yes he was her brother, but he hated her nonetheless.
"Lord Rhys! Leave off!" Terry shouted, and closed the door behind him. He strode to the curtains and pulled them open as Lord Rhys kissed Blaine's mouth savagely then pulled away.
"Why were all the curtains pulled like that? It's too fine a day to block out the sun," she heard Terry say faintly, as her legs gave and she crumpled to the floor, a mass of tattered cloths, bruised flesh, and panicked thoughts. Every limb in her body was shaking, trembling, quacking with the fact of what had almost happened to her. Her breath was quickened, and she gasped, trying to slow it down, make it even. If she could even her breath, maybe she could regain some order in her mind.
"I was waiting for your dear sister to return. So we could have our… fun," Lord Rhys took a seat in his chair once more, then looked at where said sister quivered on the ground. He licked his lips maliciously before looking back up at King Terry. "Too bad you had too go and interrupt us."
"Don't worry about that, I'll leave you too it soon enough," Blaine slowly regained her feet and started to drag herself to the door. If only she could get out, she could calm down. She could regain her sense, figure out a plan of action. Figure out what she would do now that returning to her rooms was no longer an option. "But first I thought I should tell you."
"Tell me what?" Lord Rhys asked as he leaned farther back in his chair and watched Blaine's progress towards the door. She might run, but she couldn't run forever. And when she returned for her things, he would get her.
"I've found it. The second book."
A/N there you gooooo! Now, I had better get some reviews! Or I won't be updating for some time. And this is a crucial time to not update. Yes indeed. You guys wouldn't want to be without the next chapter would you? I didn't think so! So Review review REVIEW!
-Nubia