1.1 Part Nine: Jail cell
Chris watched morosely as Orian kicked over a chair in the cell. He saw Nate put the chair back up, then almost laughed when Orian kicked it over in fury again. Ever since they were arrested, and had woken up with a headache the size of Montana, Orian had been raging. Chris had a feeling it had more to do with Sharra being married than the fact that they were in jail. Married! Who would have thought that Sharra, who looked all of fifteen, was married! And to a duke! It was too unreal, but, then again, Gaea seemed almost medieval, he wouldn't expect them to have the same values as people in 21st century Earth. Still, it was strange.
Married! Orian thought as he kicked over the chair that Nate had put up again. To a duke! And he kissed her! What the hell was he thinking? Kissing a girl who he barely knew, he was obviously bloomin' crazy. Wait a sec, he couldn't just blame himself, if he remembered correctly, she kissed him back. A lot. He wasn't the bad guy here, he had no idea she was married, and he doubted that she forgot. So why did she kiss him back? Orian sat down and pondered this for a minute before he heard someone saying his name.
"What is it Nate?" He asked, still thinking of Sharra.
"You finished ranting?'
"Yeah, I think I got it out of me."
"Good, because we have company."
Orian looked up to see a young man, with jet-black hair and dark eyes come towards them. His eyes were cold and calm as he looked over the prisoners.
"And what are these men in here for, Gerdus?" He asked the guard.
"They are thieves, Your Majesty," Gerdus said with a thin smile, he looked at Orian with hatred. "They are also here for kidnapping Duchess Sharra, and that one," he snapped out as he jerked his hand at Orian. "That one was molesting her as we came into the camp."
Orian jumped up and glared at the guard, "You stupid, ugly git! I didn't molest her yeh horses ass!"
"Sit down." The man, the stranger, looked at Orian with his cold eyes, not recognising him. But then again, why should he? Orian sat down, and glared at the man who had given him the order.
"Well, of course, Your Majesty, wouldn't want to do anything to upset you now, would I?"
A young lady with shoulder length, dark blonde hair, came running down the stairs. When she saw Chris leaning on the bars of the cell, glaring at Van, she cried out and ran toward him.
"Chris! Thank God your okay! Why did you go off by yourself? Why are these people saying that you're a thief? And what ever possessed you to kidnap the duchess of Estat?" She turned around and started on Gerdus, "Let this man out right now! He is a personal friend of mine, and do you have any idea who I am? I swear if you do not let him out right now I will personally see to it that you experience a long and very painful death, do you understand me?"
By this time, Gerdus was very red and he was taking sputtering breaths. Chris had a large grin on his face and Van was glaring at him. Orian said only one thing; "You're all loony."
Gerdus opened the cell door, and a very sheepish looking Chris walked out, Hitomie gave him a big hug.
"I'm so happy you're safe! Now, go up to your room and have a bath, you smell."
Chris grinned and turned towards Orian. "Hey, thanks a lot for the hospitality, man."
Orian smirked, "Take care of the shoulder mate."
Hitomie went pale, "Shoulder? What happened to your shoulder?" She rounded on Orian, "What did you do to him?"
"He didn't do anything, Hitomie, I hurt myself."
"How?"
"I'll explain on the way. Talk to you later Orian."
"I doubt that." Orian muttered as he looked into the face of an angry Van.
"So, Orian, is it?" Van asked as he looked at the man in front of him.
Orian smirked, "Yeah, that's me."
"Orian the thief?"
"Orian the thief, Orian the Bastard, I have many names, mate."
"What do you prefer to go by?"
This was his chance. He could finally say it! "Why, that's easy, your majesty. If I had a choice, I would go by my true name, illegitimate son of the late King of Fenalia!"
He finished this off with a sweeping bow, mocking Van. Nate sighed and sat down in the chair. The rest of the thieves gasped and started to mutter to themselves. Chris and Hitomie had heard this and came running down the stairs again; Van's face was pale. Orian just stood there, glaring at his half-brother.
"You're, you're lying!" Van managed to get out.
"No, I'm not. Your father was not the great man he was made out to be. Two months before your mother, became pregnant with you, he impregnated a peasant woman." Orian said this all with a great calm. Nate recognised this as the same calm he had after he found out that his mother had been murdered. He had calmly, buried his mother, and then set out to kill the man who did it to her.
"The woman was my mother, Lolana Reed. She had me in secret, when I was born she went to your father and begged for him to take me in, to treat me as his son." Orian's eyes went colder, "But your mother was pregnant with you at the time, your father didn't want to ruin his son's birth with a bastard child. He refused her, told her that he could never be sure if it was really his son. He called her a "slut." He spat out the word as if it was a disgusting food. "He cast her out, and me." He walked up to the bars and put his face close to Van's. "Unfortunately for him, I grew up to look very much like his wonderful son. Don't you think, Van? We have daddy's eyes don't we?"
Van grabbed Orian's shirt and smashed his head into the bars. "You are not my brother!"
"We have the same scar, Van!" Orian yelled, "Your father was a conceited man, no son of his was going to live without the royal mark!" He lifted up his shirt. Van gasped as he saw the mark, the royal symbol of the Fenalian family. It happened to all the men in the family, they were branded, like cattle, with the Fenalian dragon.
"No, I don't have a brother, it's not true." Van's face was white as a ghost and he stumbled backwards. Hitomie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's okay Van, it will be okay." He looked at her blindly.
"My, my father?" He whispered, "Hitomie, what is going on?"
"Shhh," She soothed, "It will be okay," She glared at Orian; he glared back, his eyes filled with hurt and hate.
"Gerdus!" Hitomie snapped out. "Unlock the door, take out the man who claims to be royalty and put him into a guest room. Lock him in there." She looked at the prisoners. "Take the one sitting down too, he knows more than what he is telling."
Gerdus did as he was told, Orian didn't struggle. As he was carted out he saw Sharra standing outside the door of the jail, her mouth wide open. He gave her a brilliant smile.
"Hello luv, I can just imagine what your thinking right now. Didn't expect for me to be higher on the food chain, did yeh now?"
Sharra couldn't say anything.
Author's note: That chapter took me a bit of trouble, I didn't know how I was going to bring in the whole brother thing. I hope I did okay.
Chris watched morosely as Orian kicked over a chair in the cell. He saw Nate put the chair back up, then almost laughed when Orian kicked it over in fury again. Ever since they were arrested, and had woken up with a headache the size of Montana, Orian had been raging. Chris had a feeling it had more to do with Sharra being married than the fact that they were in jail. Married! Who would have thought that Sharra, who looked all of fifteen, was married! And to a duke! It was too unreal, but, then again, Gaea seemed almost medieval, he wouldn't expect them to have the same values as people in 21st century Earth. Still, it was strange.
Married! Orian thought as he kicked over the chair that Nate had put up again. To a duke! And he kissed her! What the hell was he thinking? Kissing a girl who he barely knew, he was obviously bloomin' crazy. Wait a sec, he couldn't just blame himself, if he remembered correctly, she kissed him back. A lot. He wasn't the bad guy here, he had no idea she was married, and he doubted that she forgot. So why did she kiss him back? Orian sat down and pondered this for a minute before he heard someone saying his name.
"What is it Nate?" He asked, still thinking of Sharra.
"You finished ranting?'
"Yeah, I think I got it out of me."
"Good, because we have company."
Orian looked up to see a young man, with jet-black hair and dark eyes come towards them. His eyes were cold and calm as he looked over the prisoners.
"And what are these men in here for, Gerdus?" He asked the guard.
"They are thieves, Your Majesty," Gerdus said with a thin smile, he looked at Orian with hatred. "They are also here for kidnapping Duchess Sharra, and that one," he snapped out as he jerked his hand at Orian. "That one was molesting her as we came into the camp."
Orian jumped up and glared at the guard, "You stupid, ugly git! I didn't molest her yeh horses ass!"
"Sit down." The man, the stranger, looked at Orian with his cold eyes, not recognising him. But then again, why should he? Orian sat down, and glared at the man who had given him the order.
"Well, of course, Your Majesty, wouldn't want to do anything to upset you now, would I?"
A young lady with shoulder length, dark blonde hair, came running down the stairs. When she saw Chris leaning on the bars of the cell, glaring at Van, she cried out and ran toward him.
"Chris! Thank God your okay! Why did you go off by yourself? Why are these people saying that you're a thief? And what ever possessed you to kidnap the duchess of Estat?" She turned around and started on Gerdus, "Let this man out right now! He is a personal friend of mine, and do you have any idea who I am? I swear if you do not let him out right now I will personally see to it that you experience a long and very painful death, do you understand me?"
By this time, Gerdus was very red and he was taking sputtering breaths. Chris had a large grin on his face and Van was glaring at him. Orian said only one thing; "You're all loony."
Gerdus opened the cell door, and a very sheepish looking Chris walked out, Hitomie gave him a big hug.
"I'm so happy you're safe! Now, go up to your room and have a bath, you smell."
Chris grinned and turned towards Orian. "Hey, thanks a lot for the hospitality, man."
Orian smirked, "Take care of the shoulder mate."
Hitomie went pale, "Shoulder? What happened to your shoulder?" She rounded on Orian, "What did you do to him?"
"He didn't do anything, Hitomie, I hurt myself."
"How?"
"I'll explain on the way. Talk to you later Orian."
"I doubt that." Orian muttered as he looked into the face of an angry Van.
"So, Orian, is it?" Van asked as he looked at the man in front of him.
Orian smirked, "Yeah, that's me."
"Orian the thief?"
"Orian the thief, Orian the Bastard, I have many names, mate."
"What do you prefer to go by?"
This was his chance. He could finally say it! "Why, that's easy, your majesty. If I had a choice, I would go by my true name, illegitimate son of the late King of Fenalia!"
He finished this off with a sweeping bow, mocking Van. Nate sighed and sat down in the chair. The rest of the thieves gasped and started to mutter to themselves. Chris and Hitomie had heard this and came running down the stairs again; Van's face was pale. Orian just stood there, glaring at his half-brother.
"You're, you're lying!" Van managed to get out.
"No, I'm not. Your father was not the great man he was made out to be. Two months before your mother, became pregnant with you, he impregnated a peasant woman." Orian said this all with a great calm. Nate recognised this as the same calm he had after he found out that his mother had been murdered. He had calmly, buried his mother, and then set out to kill the man who did it to her.
"The woman was my mother, Lolana Reed. She had me in secret, when I was born she went to your father and begged for him to take me in, to treat me as his son." Orian's eyes went colder, "But your mother was pregnant with you at the time, your father didn't want to ruin his son's birth with a bastard child. He refused her, told her that he could never be sure if it was really his son. He called her a "slut." He spat out the word as if it was a disgusting food. "He cast her out, and me." He walked up to the bars and put his face close to Van's. "Unfortunately for him, I grew up to look very much like his wonderful son. Don't you think, Van? We have daddy's eyes don't we?"
Van grabbed Orian's shirt and smashed his head into the bars. "You are not my brother!"
"We have the same scar, Van!" Orian yelled, "Your father was a conceited man, no son of his was going to live without the royal mark!" He lifted up his shirt. Van gasped as he saw the mark, the royal symbol of the Fenalian family. It happened to all the men in the family, they were branded, like cattle, with the Fenalian dragon.
"No, I don't have a brother, it's not true." Van's face was white as a ghost and he stumbled backwards. Hitomie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's okay Van, it will be okay." He looked at her blindly.
"My, my father?" He whispered, "Hitomie, what is going on?"
"Shhh," She soothed, "It will be okay," She glared at Orian; he glared back, his eyes filled with hurt and hate.
"Gerdus!" Hitomie snapped out. "Unlock the door, take out the man who claims to be royalty and put him into a guest room. Lock him in there." She looked at the prisoners. "Take the one sitting down too, he knows more than what he is telling."
Gerdus did as he was told, Orian didn't struggle. As he was carted out he saw Sharra standing outside the door of the jail, her mouth wide open. He gave her a brilliant smile.
"Hello luv, I can just imagine what your thinking right now. Didn't expect for me to be higher on the food chain, did yeh now?"
Sharra couldn't say anything.
Author's note: That chapter took me a bit of trouble, I didn't know how I was going to bring in the whole brother thing. I hope I did okay.