A/N: This is the last detailed chapter that I am going to write for this story. There will be an epilogue posted as well for this story so I can finish this story without it becoming like a million chapter with no end in sight and we all get bored with it.
Just a reminder, I don't own anything that you might have seen in the movie, but I do own most of the plot and Aerinha. And if there is anything in this story that seems like it couldn't be true, either it isn't, or I got it from the special features on the movie. Enjoy and R&R.
While I got ready to leave, putting on my armor, contacting my father, and getting all of my weapons situated on my body just the way I like them, Riddick spent his time cleaning and sharpening his shivs. While I was trying to find the cuffs that I had brought with me especially for Riddick, which I seemed to have misplaced in the process of hiding them in a place where Riddick could never find them, Riddick slashed through the air with his shivs, practicing his techniques. With each slash he grew fiercer and faster. By the end, I could almost see the Lord Marshal standing in front of him as Riddick slashed his throat and spilled his blood everywhere.
Once he finally settled down, I came into the living room, where he had been practicing his moves, from the spot I was hiding in, watching his every muscle rip as he moved about the room. As I approached him, I began to pull the cuffs from behind my back, hoping that he wasn't too possessed by his fury to remember that I am on his side. When he locked eyes on the cuffs, I could see the animal within him and I slowed my approach, so I could move away if he came at me in a blind rage.
As I came within arms length of him, I braced myself for his attack, but it never came. The only thing that he did was stick his hands out, shivs in hand, waiting for me to make my move. When I reached out to retrieve the shivs from him so I could put them in place of my own, so not to seem conspicuous, he grabbed my hand, spun me around so that he had easier access to my neck, and pulled the cuffs out of my hands.
"So what are these for? I thought we didn't have time for another round, especially if you want to get kinky on me."
"I already told you before. We have to show up like you are a prisoner, and that means that you have to be handcuffed. Plus, if you aren't cuffed and we pass by any of the guards, which we will pass the entire armada in order to get on Necropolis, I will be questioned to no end, and we don't have time for that."
"I know, I just wanted to get to hold you again before all of this shit takes place. And, I was able to find out that I can still inflict fear in you. I can't have you trying to betray me." he said trying to be as menacing as possible.
I slammed the cuffs on his wrists the moment he handed them back to me, with me still wrapped up in his massive arms. "Come on, let's go, you big bully."
When I tried to get out of his grip and get this whole thing over with so I could get on with my own life, Riddick tightened his grip on my waist and whispered in my ear, "But isn't that why you love me?"
"No, that's the reason why I'm attracted to you. I love you because… because… Oh! It doesn't matter. Let's go." He could tell I was frustrated, but he never gave up until he got what he wanted, and this time, it was an answer he wanted.
"No, it does matter, and I'm not leaving until I get my answer. Why do you love me?" Because it's not as if I've given you all that many things to love, or even like, about me. And most recently, I've given you a good reason to stay away from me.
"I love you, because you are the only man in my life who has tried to protect and take care of me, even though you had no reason to and I was a complete stranger. No one, not my father, not even Irgun, has ever cared about me that much and shown it like you have. Irgun's idea of caring about me was a night of sex after the conquest of a new planet."
"I do love you, and I care about you even more deeply than I have ever cared about anyone, even Jack. That's why, when the fighting starts, I don't want you anywhere where he can see you and get to you. I want you hidden and safe. I'll come find you once everything is over with. Promise me, Raina!"
He had turned me around to face him at his profession of love for me so I could see with my own two eyes just how serious he was. I looked him deep in his gorgeous silver eyes, and said, "I promise." With my fingers crossed the entire time. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. I promise to keep you safe no matter what it takes. If my death helps to bring down that maniac, than so be it.
Once he was sure that I meant what I said, he allowed me out of his arms, and I led him to Necropolis. On the way there, we passed by many people, most were uncaptured New Meccans, but there were a few Necro Warriors still patrolling the nearly vacant streets. Most were new converts, but none bothered us as we passed by them. My armor being far more rusted, stained, and all around battle-wore, signified that I was not only an older Necro, I was also one of the great warriors in the armada. (A/N: I didn't make that little tid bit up. I actually read that on the movie the other day in the end fight scene when Riddick is hiding in the Quasi Grotto. It's part of the Special Features thing.)
It wasn't until I actually got to Necropolis that I had been asked any questions.
"Halt!" we halted. "State your name, rank, and your business inside of Necropolis."
"Aerinha Vaako, First Among Warriors, I have a prisoner for the Lord Marshal. He is expecting him, he is the Riddick and if I'm late getting to the Lord Marshal with him, it will be your head, not mine."
"Aerinha! It's me, Alister!" he removed his helmet to reveal the fresh faced boy that Irgun had tried so hard to keep out of a helmet. Alister was Irgun's younger brother, and he adored Irgun. "I was beginning to think that I would never see you again. Where were you?"
"I was out hunting down the man that killed Irgun. He also happens to be the one person that the Lord Marshal is most wanting to see kneel before him, so if you don't mind." He quickly moved out of my way and we replaced our helmets before I went to leave.
"Aerinha," I halted my movements, "I hope he doesn't bow."
"I hope so too." we continued on our way. I hope he kicks the Lord Marshal's ass to oblivion.
When we were well out of range of anyone's hearing or sight, Riddick pulled me into an empty corridor, "Why did you say your name was Aerinha, I thought it was Raina?"
"Aerinha is my given name, Rinha is what my father has always called me, apparently it is easier to pronounce than Aerinha, and Raina is just what I told you to call me. Believe it or not, that is the name I would prefer, so don't be angry with me. I didn't tell you because I would much rather you call me Raina." I pulled him into a kiss for the brief moment that we had. "Now let's go before we're late and they try to start the party before we get there."
We reached the Basilica without further incident. As I approached the throne, my father was the one who greeted me, with a mere smile that showed only me and Riddick that he was happy to see me.
"I bring the Riddick for the Lord Marshal!" and I presented Riddick before the both of them.
The Lord Marshal got up from his throne when he saw me push Riddick in front of him. "Vaako, who is this girl? And what is she doing in a suit of armor?"
"My Lord Marshal, she is my daughter and she is First Among Warriors. She also brings you the Riddick."
He came past Riddick and approached me. He gave me a good once over with his eyes before he remembered who I was. "Aerinha, I was beginning to wander if you were ever going to grace me with your presence again. You do yourself, and your father, a great honor by bringing him here like this. You have truly earned your honor, and the honor of becoming my new bride." He came up behind me and squeezed my ass, while Riddick watched and attempted to show no emotion.
He decided after that, that it was now time to avert his attention to the prisoner I had brought him. He looked him up and down, not in the sexual way he had done to me, but in a mockingly, gloating way. When he was satisfied enough by the image in front of him, he stood in front of him and began his converting speech all over again.
"Consider this, if you fall here, now, you will never rise. But, if you choose another way, the Necromonger way, you could achieve a greatness unlike any other. You could become the greatest warrior in a vast armada, or maybe even a Necromonger Commander. So, you can either convert now and become an even better warrior, or fall forever."
I couldn't believe this garbage. I had never converted, and I was a better warrior than any of them, excluding dad, I was First Among Warriors. How could Riddick even begin to contemplate this fucking pile of shit?
Just when I thought Riddick might actually convert, he said in a barely audible tone, "You killed everything I know." At that, I released the restraints on the locks, teleported the blade he received after killing Irgun into his hand, and hid myself in the middle of the ever growing crowd and awaited for the time when Riddick would either need me to help him or when he would need his shivs.
In one fluid motion, Riddick had slipped out of the chains and thrown the blade at the Lord Marshal. But the blade, being a half-gram heavy on the back end, didn't fly true and missed it's mark, only scratching the Lord Marshal's right earlobe and cheek, nothing even slightly fatal.
The Lord Marshal had fallen to the ground next to the blade, and as he got up, he picked up the blade. He looked at it then at Riddick and said, "Been a long time since I've seen my own blood." He makes a wide sweep with his hand and the entire crowd backs up to make plenty of space for them to fight in, and it causes them to back up over me.
When you're not as tall as all of the men in an armada and you're standing in the middle of a crowd of them, all trying to watch a fight, you have to come up with some inventive ways to be able to see above the crowd. I already knew that my father would be up on the Mezzanine watching the entire thing with mom, so I cast my mind's eye up there with him so I could get a live action showing of what was happening.
It was horrible! Riddick was getting his ass handed to him! He was stuck in one spot while the Lord Marshal circled around him hitting and kicking him at every turn. It was almost as if Riddick were fighting five men, all of them attacking him at the same time. Everytime Riddick would turn in one direction, the Lord Marshal would move to another place and hit him yet again.
So I did the only thing I could think to do. I "told" Riddick to "…stand in one spot and wait for him to land behind you, which is where he's going now. I'll slow down time long enough for you to catch up a little, but I can't be sure when time will resume, so make the best of it."
He did what I told him to do, and he was able to see the Lord Marshal fly through the air and land behind him. Riddick might have been able to pull off a great punch, at least, had it not been for the great oaf in front of me who stepped back, landed on my foot, and broke my concentration, causing me to have to end the spell before I had planned. Because time sped up so suddenly, Riddick missed his target because the Lord Marshal saw the hit coming and was able to dodge it.
After that, I could do little more to help Riddick. The only thing I could do was stand there and watch as the Lord Marshal attempted to beat Riddick into submission. The Lord Marshal threw punches, Riddick threw punches. Riddick got hit, he dodged. The Lord Marshal got hit, he dodged, and he knocked Riddick to his ass, out of breath and attempting to get to his feet.
I broke contact with my father and made my way up to the front of the crowd, right there in Riddick's line of vision. We made eye contact for a brief moment and he turned his gaze back to the ground as I turned my attention to the Lord Marshal, who was walking over to Riddick, gloating the entire time.
"These are his last moments." He makes his way over to Riddick and attempts to take Riddick's soul from his still beating heart. Riddick resisted with every fiber of his being. "Give me your soul, Furyan."
I began to believe that Riddick would need my help to keep his soul, but this was not unlike any other time when Riddick had proved me wrong. Riddick resisted with all of his Furyan Strength, all of the strength bestowed upon him by his mother, his people, and their entire planet, after this pathetic excuse for a man had destroyed everything, and the Lord Marshal didn't have the power to take on the entire race of people which he had destroyed.
Riddick was able to pull his soul back to his heart and as he knocked the Lord Marshal away from himself, he yelled out, "FUCK YOU!"
When the Lord Marshal recovered from the sudden impact, he raced to the top of one of the monstrous statues in the Basilica and retrieved a spear from it. Once he was within range of Riddick, he began attacking Riddick with it. Luckily, Riddick was able to dodge all of the attacks, until the last one, when Riddick got a little too cocky and the Lord Marshal was able to spear him in the gut.
The Lord Marshal lifted him into the air and carried him halfway across the room. Once he got far enough down the room, he stopped, removed the spear, and knocked Riddick the rest of the way down the room with the butt end of the spear. He then, threw the spear away, it landing at my feet, took another spear from one of the men down the line, and commenced to choking Riddick to death.
He had Riddick just high enough off the ground to prevent him from reaching the blade that he had thrown at the Lord Marshal at the beginning of the fight. I could tell that Riddick needed help, so I picked up the spear at my feet and ran over to where they were to help Riddick.
As I approached them, I could hear the Lord Marshal whisper to Riddick, "Your not the one to bring me down."
I bring the spear above my head and back down into his body with such force, that I managed to pierce him all the way through the side, but punctured nothing vital. While I am down close enough to the Lord Marshal's ear, I whisper, "Well, if he's not, than maybe I am."
My father saw my little display, and knowing how cocky I can get when I fight, he jumped down from the Mezzanine, just as the Lord Marshal knocked me back away from him so he could pull out the spear, and caught me in mid-air and brought me down to the ground with only a thud of out armor.
"Are you alright, Rinha?"
"I'm fine dad, but stay back. Riddick AND I have some business to take care of."
After the Lord Marshal dropped the spear he had pulled from his back, he turned to look at both my father and I. "Vaako, help me. Take care of your little brat, while I take care of this Furyan scum."
"Sorry Lord Marshal, but 'my little brat' has a mind of her own, and right now, she wants a piece of your ass."
I lunged at him with the same speed that he had used to fight Riddick. He turned his attention away from Riddick and put all of what was left of his energy into fighting me.
The Lord Marshal and I fought in hand-to-hand combat, while Riddick had a chance to catch his breath. Since I was allowed to use my powers, I was able to fight at the same speed as the Lord Marshal, so he couldn't pull that extra speedy crap on me. Everyone in the Basilica and the Mezzanine watched on as the First Among Warriors and the Lord Marshal fought for the rights to the soul of a breeder and the title of Lord Marshal.
We were both moving at lightening speed, punches and kicks were being thrown, and he was bleeding heavily from the wound I had caused him, but it didn't seem to diminish his fighting abilities. We fought for what seemed like hours to our bodies, but was mere minutes as far as the onlookers were concerned. Riddick attempted to rejoin the fight so no harm would come to me, but we were going too fast and my father held him back, knowing that I would be alright, but Riddick kept his blade in hand the entire time.
After about five minutes, real time, of pure martial arts moves, the Lord Marshal had finally gotten me around the throat and thrown me across the room towards the throne and Riddick. The Lord Marshal had picked me up off the ground, as high as he could get me, and threw me with all his might. Because of the height and force I was thrown with, I couldn't slow myself down, and I was heading straight for the pillars of blades next to the throne.
As I was flying through the air I heard a deep, baritone voice shout out, "Nooooo! Raina!", and then two massive arms surrounded me and I was brought down to the ground, and the only damage sustained was to Riddick's right shoulder. "I thought I told you to hide and I'd find you, not you take over the fight and end up in my lap."
"Sorry, I had other plans." I gave him a quick peck on the cheek as I got up from his lap to return to the fight.
The Lord Marshal had been watching that little scene, and became infuriated. He walked slowly towards me, keeping an angry eye fixed on me, and didn't notice as Riddick got up after me, blade in hand, and made his way behind the Lord Marshal.
I had the full attention of every Necromonger in Necropolis as I pulled my two double edge swords from their sheaths on my back. No one, not a single Necro paid any attention to Riddick as he came closer and closer to the Lord Marshal, blade raised in anticipation of attack.
Along the way, the Lord Marshal had picked up the multi-bladed spear off of the ground, thinking that now he would be ready for any attack I might have planned with my swords.
We met eachother in the middle of the Basilica with a loud crash of metal against metal as our weapons collided.
"What makes you think that a weak girl like you could ever defeat me?" the Lord Marshal smugly asked me as we came face to face with our weapons at a standstill.
"Because, I'm not weak, I am more powerful than you could ever dream," I pause for a dramatic effect so I know he is listening, "and because I am a full blooded Furyan Warrior who hates everything you stand for!"
As I said that last part, I backed away from the Lord Marshal a step and both Riddick and I stabbed him at the same time; Riddick's stab was in the head and mine was in the heart, or at least where his heart should have been. With my remaining sword, I spun around once to pick up enough speed, and chopped his head off, for good measure.
The moment that the ex-Lord Marshal's head fell to the ground, Riddick stepped over the headless heap on the ground, closing the distance between us, put his hands on my hips and lifted me into the air, wrapping my legs around his waist, and pulled me into a long, slow, deeply passionate kiss. We hadn't noticed as the crowd of Necros formed a mob all around us with my father right behind Riddick, or that they had all bowed before us to show their loyalty to us, but we did notice after we broke the kiss, that the entire lot of them were clapping and shouting, "Long live the Lord and Lady Marshal!"