A/N: For all of you still with me, thank you. There's only 4 more chapters...it's almost over! This chapter is a little violent, but I think it sets the tone for the upcoming chapters.
xoxoxo
Shanny
This chapter includes rape.
Deals with the Devil
The hours spent waiting were excruciating. He had promised to be back before the sunset on the day after he left, yet when the Baroness of Helmsley looked out of the window, her husband's caravan was nowhere in sight. There was so much at risk. If his meeting with the rebels was not favorable, Hunter stood to be killed for treason or slaughtered at the hands of the rebels themselves. If Lord Jeffrey could not be persuaded to aid in the quest to rid the kingdom of the House of Orton, then the promise of returning a McMahon to the thrown would have been in vain. And though these problems plagued the noble house of Helmsley, the Baroness could only concentrate on one thing, Aurora.
Stephanie had watched from the secret chamber within the modest cottage as Candice doted over her young daughter. She listened to the raven haired woman promise the sleeping baby that her father would come for them soon and when he did, they would leave Helmsley and live in the Royal Palace. Candice spoke with a giggle in her voice knowing that she would be Hunter's chosen queen and live out the rest of her days in luxury and love.
Though she had yet to tell Hunter the identity of the rebel leader, that did not stop her from telling her child. The secret between mother and daughter would remain between them for all of their days. "I have wronged those I love." Candice spoke as she watched the babe in her arms nurse at her breast. "I have sacrificed my sister's happiness and killed her one true love. I have driven my other sister to a life of service and one more to a life of hiding. You have been born away from the comforts of the home my father's father built. Never will you know the wonderment of Nitro, nor shall you see the way the river shines cobalt in the summer night. But know this, Aurora, all that I have done has been out of love. My love for you and your father has led my actions. I would do anything for you both." As Candice stood to place baby in her cradle, she touched her raven hair. "When he returns, I will not tell him. He must never know that my father is the man he seeks. I can not allow anymore heartache to be dealt at my hands. But do not fret, I will make this right. You will have the life that he has promised us."
The Baroness listened to it all. A slow smile crossed her lips as she watched Candice leave the room. It was too risky to spend time alone with the baby, not with her mother roaming about. But with Hunter gone, she had no other choice.
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Sweat ran down Prince Randal's face as his breath became harder to catch. The metal from his sword, clicked with that of Christopher's with such force it created a spark. Both men danced about the floor, blades crashing upon each other. Both were on a mission, destroy thy enemy. Christopher was skilled, there was no doubt, but the Grand Prince did not trust that he was ready.
"We have only a few days, is this how lenient will be on the Arch Duke? Fight like you wish to win! Care not that I am the Prince! Envision my cousin's face with each blow you strike!" Randy charged at Christopher with full force, his blade actually hitting the older man in the arm. "He will take no mercy on you and you shall not with him. You have been granted life with his Lady at the promise of his death. Do not break that promise."
Christopher doubles his efforts and stepped one foot in front of the other, crashing blows against Randal's sword. "All shall pay for taking my love." Using both hands he griped the Metalingus and swung hard enough to break Randal's tine in half, the shear force alone threw the young Prince to the floor. Gazing down at a stunned Randal, Christopher smiled feeling the black run through his veins. He held his blade to the Prince's throat and let the words of the Baron of Helmsley wash over him. Randal had lied, he kept him prisoner, away from his love, allowed her to fall in love with another. Everything that happened had been Randal's fault; killing him would be easy. All it would take is one push of the blade. Placing his foot on the chest of the soon to be King, Christopher leaned his weight down and heard the gasps from the man below him.
"Your Highness, forgive the intrusion." The Baroness Stephanie walked into the room and curtsied. "The need for an audience is great."
Christopher looked up at the woman and released his hold on the Prince. Instead of helping the other man from the floor, he sheathed his sword and retreated from the room.
Randal lifted himself into a seated position, touching the cut on his neck. He looked toward the door to see if he could recognize that look in Christopher's eyes. He was familiar with the black, but not like he had seen in Christopher. The time had come where Christopher was no longer the student, but would now become the teacher. That look, that raw abhorrence, was at a level that Randal had only dreamed of. Too much time had been spent showing Christopher the beauty of madness and not enough giving into his own. The thought of what he could learn from Christopher brought a smile to his face.
"Your Highness?" The Baroness walked over to where Randal sat and looked him in the eye. "I have a request for you. Tis not my place to ask, but you are my only hope."
Randal let his gaze slowly fix onto Stephanie. She was a beautiful woman, one that he could easily break. "And what is it you request?"
"In the carriage house there is a woman, Candice. She has born the child of Lord Hunter. That child has been promised to me, but as long as she lives I will never get to be her mother." Stephanie's eyes welled with tears and her heart broke for the fate that she was casting onto the unsuspecting woman. "Hunter has promised me that he will take the babe and we will raise her as ours. But with him gone…and the Fall Brawl approaches, what if he is not successful? What if I lose a husband and a daughter? I must ensure that his legacy live on."
A sardonic laugh escaped from the Prince. "Affairs of the heart are of no concern of ours. We are Prince, next in line to the Thrown. Do you know to whom you speak?"
"Forgive me, Your Highness." Stephanie lowered her head. "I know the whereabouts of the Princess Ashley and who the leader of the rebel army is."
Randal roughly grabbed Stephanie and pulled her body flush to his. "We could make you give us that information, right now." He crushed his lips against hers and closed his eyes at the gasp she made. "But we feel generous. We will make a barter; your child and its mother's life, for the knowledge of our sister and the capture of the rebel leader."
Stephanie nodded slowly, now afraid that she had made a horrible mistake. "Please, Your Highness, I am not a vile woman… I only wish to be a wife and mother."
"We care not. You do realize that now you have sold your soul to the devil himself. You will now do our bidding as we see fit." Randal lifted himself from the floor and looked back at the woman still sitting there. "Won't the Baron be so proud of you?"
As she watched him retreat from the room, Stephanie lifted her eyes to the heavens and cried. "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."
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Candice busied herself over the cooking fire, humming the song that she sang to put her daughter to sleep. In less than a day, Hunter would be returning from his trip to Nitro and once again she would find comfort in his arms. Even if only for a brief time, she, her love and her child would be a family. She could not help the smile that tickled her lips thinking of how it would be when they could finally stop hiding their love. All of the patience and the sneaking about would finally pay off. She would have everything that her parents did; a child to watch grow and a loving man that adored them both. And with any luck, they would live out their days in the Palace as the next King and Queen of her beloved country.
She felt her breath catch in her lungs as a large hand covered her mouth and another wrapped about her waist. Afraid to turn, she dropped the spoon from her hand and tried to grab onto the hearth to prevent herself from being carried away. The tears and fear came faster than she could control. She had no idea who this was, but when she found herself thrown to her bed, she gazed upon the crystal blue eyes of Christopher.
She did not speak to him, she only looked. He looked like the Christopher that her sister loved, but there was something in his eyes that she did not recognize. She tried to run to protect her child, only to find herself being roughly pulled back; that is when she noticed the Grand Prince lying by her side.
"Your Highness…please?" She knew of the reputation of Randal. She had heard how he enjoyed his torments. "I know not why you are here."
Randal smiled. "But I think you do." He turned his attention to Christopher. "Take the babe to the Baroness. This peasant will have no more need of it." He nodded and watched as the fair haired man left the room.
Candice felt her world closing in. All of the lies and the treachery had caught up to her. For sacrificing Christopher and Maria, she would now get her payment. "Your Highness, that is my child. Please…do not take my babe."
"That, is the offspring of the Baron of Helmsley. He belongs to me and surely what belongs to him does to me as well. I have chosen another mother for that child; one that you will have to live with. And if you choose not to, then, I see no point in you living at all."
Against her better judgment, Candice jumped in an attempt to run and save her child. She felt herself roughly slammed against the wall and she cried out in pain. Her mind raced at a thousand mile per minute for an answer to this predicament. "My sister is a Lady in your court. She carries an heir to your family. Please…my child is subsequently your family as am I. I am at your mercy…do not take her away."
"You are Maria's sister?" He smiled sickly as he turned the raven haired woman around. "Beauty truly does run in your family." He let his hands roam over her throat before tearing away at her bodice. "I have had the privilege of meeting both the Lady and her Lady in Waiting, but found myself thwarted in my attempts to have them. Mayhaps a sample from you will enlighten me to the wonders that your sisters hold." With an amused look on his face he grabbed her arms and used them to fling her onto the bed.
Candice watched in horror as he loosened his chausses and climbed on top of her. Kicking her legs wildly and scratching at him, she begged him not to harm her.
Randal found her display of bravery endearing and it only heightened the maddening of his mind. "Beg. Beg me not to hurt you." He roughly whispered as he pinned her legs with his strong arms. He let out an animalistic growl as soon as he entered her.
Candice screamed. "Please! No!" She fought him with everything she had.
The more she hit and the louder she yelled, the more he enjoyed it; however her arms and legs moving about made it harder for him to concentrate. With one hand, he closed around her throat and looked her in the eye. "If you do not hold still, I shall make this very unpleasant."
Candice could feel the air cutting off from her lungs. She tried to still her body and let the Prince do what he wished. With any grace from the Heavens, after he was done, he would leave her in peace and then she could focus on getting her daughter back. But though she was still, his hand never left her throat.
"Scream…" He snarled moving through her with force. He needed to hear those screams, it was the only way he could enjoy it.
She tried to gasp for air, but only a shrill squeak come from her throat. No longer could she concentrate on what the Prince was doing, but only on the pain in her neck as his hand blocked the air that she need to breathe. Clawing at his fingers, she could feel the blood from his hand drip onto her skin and his skin under her nails. He was not going to stop; there was nothing she could do.
Randal licked his lips and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Look at me. I want my face to be the last one you will ever see." He kissed her lips but never let his eyes leave hers. With one final thrust, he tightened his grip hearing the cracking beneath his hand. When he finished he sat up and righted his garb before looking over at the lifeless woman lying on the bed. "Such a shame…you were so beautiful." He allowed his eyes one more look before he exited the chamber.
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The Baroness sat in a frenzied state waiting for the Grand Prince to return. If he did what she had asked, she had no idea how to explain it to her husband. How could she tell Hunter that she did not trust his plan to have no consequences? How could she tell him that she wanted that child more than the thrown, when he had worked so hard to get it for her? He often told her all he did, he did for her, yet her asking the Prince for help was not for Hunter's benefit, only for hers.
She almost bolted toward the door when she heard the handle being turned. Christopher stood stoically holding the small child in his arms. Stephanie reached out to grab her, but was stopped by Randal's smile.
"We believe you owe us information." He stepped in between Stephanie and what Christopher was holding. "She is a beautiful baby. Mayhaps we should keep and her raise her, then teach her how a woman in this court is to behave."
"We made a pact… you promised."
Randal shrugged. "We do not feel like keeping our promises today." He casually walked over to the chair and sat. "We feel you must do something to change our mind."
Running over to his feet, Stephanie threw herself down at his mercy. "Anything, Your Highness. What do you wish to know? The Princess is in Enigma, with the Earl Jeffrey. The leader of the rebels is the man called, The Undertaker…he lives in Nitro and is father to Lady Maria. What else? What else, must I do?"
Randal looked over at Christopher and let out hardy laugh. "So easy this is." Touching his hand to the face of the Baroness he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He replayed the sounds of Candice in his mind and felt himself grow to life. With Patricia gone back to Northumberland and growing tired of Gail, Randal needed entertainment. "Show your gratitude…then we might consider your request."
Stephanie looked over at Christopher and the baby who had started to cry. She would do anything for that child. Holding her breath, she untied Randal's chausses and ignored the scent of Candice on his flesh. She paid her respects, trying to keep the contents of her stomach from rising to her throat with his tight grip on her hair and every violent push of her head on his length.
"Give that thing to a woman of the house. It disturbs me." Randal looked up at Christopher and smirked. "Once that is done, you will return to this room. The Baroness has to thank you properly."
As Stephanie did her ungodly task of thanking Randal and Christopher, she prayed that this choice was worth it. She was so close to having her child; she did everything that Randal requested and everything is what he demanded.
When it was over, Randal walked out of the room, leaving the broken, bloody body of the Baroness of Helmsley on the floor. He returned a short time later, holding the baby in his arms. He knelt down beside Stephanie and whispered in her ear. "Enjoy her while you can. You never know when we may decide to collect her." He left the small crying child next to the semi-conscious woman. Closing the door behind him, he turned to his comrade. "Make yourself ready. We travel to Enigma at nightfall."
