NOTE: Once again I am soooooo sorry this chapter has been so long in
coming, forgive me, Please bear with me on this one!
CHAPTER 9
PARENTS
"Oh please do it again, my daddy always does that before I go to bed, please," pleaded the little girl. Marguerite sat down on her bed and watched the comedy of the two together.
"Ok but this is the last time," said Roxton as he lifted the little girl, spinning her round in his arms and then placed her back down onto her bed. "There, now go to sleep," he whispered, as he tucked her into her blankets. Her head drooped onto her pillow and soon she stared to breathe heavily, her eyes flickering in a dream state.
"I think she's asleep," he commented as he turned to see Marguerite. "At last." He laughed at their little escapade with her.
He walked over and sat next to her on the bed, placing an arm around her waist.
"You're a natural," she said, teasing him with her beaming smile.
"You know you're not so bad yourself, Miss Krux," he teased. She smiled faintly as she absorbed into her thoughts.
Roxton casually slipped his arms around her, starting to kiss her neck. "I missed you," he whispered.
~*****~
Dawn arrived early through the cracks in the window panels. Marguerite stirred first, reaching out to Roxton who lay beside her. She grabbed his hand and lay comfortably on his chest before falling back into a dreamy sleep. Roxton awoke to find her soft hair covering his chest. He stroked it lovingly and placed a hand around her waist. She stirred, moving toward him.
"Morning," he whispered.
Marguerite flung her eyes opening wondering where on earth she was for a few moments, before her surroundings became familiar again. She looked up at Roxton, her body sticking slightly to his in the humid room. Suddenly she realised her state of dress and quickly pulled the covers over herself. Roxton smiled at her actions. 'One day she'll be comfortable with us,' he thought momentarily before waking into reality once again. He sat up, moving away from her slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked, taken aback.
"Nothing. Just that it's not always going to be like this. You'll be married to some man you don't even know and I'll have to leave you all over again."
She looked at him, stroking his face. "But not right now, I want every moment with you to be special." He smiled at her and kissed her longingly before realising that they were being watched. He broke the kiss and looked over at the small bed in the corner.
"Morning," he said cheerfully.
Gemma placed her head back under the covers and sighed. "Obviously not a morning person," joked Roxton to Marguerite. "You know, I think I know somebody else like that." He smiled at her and tightened his arms around her waist. Suddenly a thought came to his mind. "You're not making breakfast this morning are you Marguerite? You know if you were we could always use the leftovers as poison for our invaders."
"Very funny Roxton, I'd like to see you try and cook once in a while. Oh no, I'm sorry, Challenger banned you when you made coffee using one of his experiments."
"It was a simple mistake Marguerite, how was I supposed to know Challenger had left dry beetle droppings in his mug?"
She smiled at Challenger's antics. She was really going to miss this family.
Roxton noticed Marguerite's sudden change in mood. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.
"I'm fine Roxton," she answered with oblige.
"You know it's going to be alright," he comforted her, though he hadn't a clue how.
"You know I have been married before John, I'm not exactly new to this."
"I know, but..."
"No John, you don't have a clue what marriage is." She sat up, making sure that she was covered. "And you have no idea what it does to you." She looked down, feeling a lump build down in her throat. "I don't want to John, I want to stay here with you, like this."
Roxton looked at her, as she sat undressed in the bed. "Exactly like this?" he said, gently lightening the mood. He could see that Marguerite was finally letting go to him. Telling him things she had never told anyone before. Letting go of feelings and emotions that had been locked up inside her for so long. Just before he was to lose her.
"John please there are children present," she said with a smile. "I just want things to go back to the way they were."
"I know." He paused in thought. "You know, if we can fight off million year old T-Rexes, ape men, jungle savages and every other unknown thing else in this damn jungle, I'm sure we'll be able to fix this somehow." She smiled at his every ready optimism and then looked over at the lump in the bed sheets over in the corner.
"Come on then Gem, get up and we can take you to your parents," begged Marguerite, as she pulled on her dressing gown and walked over to the bed. She smiled, remembering something. "Or else I'll be forced to get some water on you."
"Ok then," she sighed reluctantly.
After the three were up and dressed, they headed downstairs for an early breakfast before a day of searching. "I hope Veronica's alright," pondered Marguerite. "Did they say anything about where they were taking her?"
"Not a thing," replied Roxton. "But we will find her." He looked at Marguerite, gripping her shoulders tightly.
They moved into the small kitchen. It was early and the air was still cool. Elita was already up, a warm smell of meat rising from a pan. "Morning, it's nearly ready."
Marguerite was not in the same mood she had been in the night before. She wasn't ready to talk to her mother unless she had that pressing question answered. Of course there was no way to ask it without simply asking it.
"You know, we've been on this Plateau for about three years now," she stated, "Why did you only look for me now, now that you need me?"
Marguerite's mother turned to stare at her. She certainly hadn't been expecting that one so early in the morning.
She took Marguerite by the hand and sat down next to her at the table. "Marguerite," we had no idea that you were even on the plateau until now. We knew that you would have found your way here by the time of the new Protector but nobody knows when that day will come, not even the Protector." She looked at Marguerite's disbelieving eyes. "Even if we had known where you were we could never have found you, the only way we could find you was by your locket on the night of the Protector when the forces here are at their strongest." Marguerite was still wary of this tale.
"I thought you had dreams, surely they would have shown you where I was?" She paused. "Or wasn't I important enough?" she asked receptively.
"Marguerite, of course you're important." Elita reached to touch her daughter but held back when she saw the look on her face. "You were told why we gave you up weren't you?"
"Yes, by what's-his-name, you know I don't even know his name, but there are just a few things I need clearing up."
"Yes?"
"Firstly, I don't see why you had to give me up, couldn't you have just taken me to the next village or disguised me, or something, until the war was over?"
"Marguerite, I would have loved it to be as simple as that," she replied. "But when you were born Pentanious' father would not rest until he found you. He knew that with his small army he would never be able to beat us that time. He wanted his son to have the best possible chance. He would have stopped at nothing to kill you. He knew about the birthmark. He searched each baby in the five villages for you. When he found out we had sent you away to come back, well, he was furious. He was later killed by our men. That's why Pentanious wants to win so badly, in revenge of his father's death."
Marguerite was momentarily overcome by all this information. "So my ability with languages?" she questioned.
"That was to help you get back to the Plateau, it was all planned very carefully, it was your destiny. Veronica's mother gave you that power before you were sent away. It wasn't like we didn't try Marguerite; you lived here until you were ten months old. We loved you," she paused. "And we still do."
Trying to hide a deceiving smile, Marguerite sat and stared into the open air for a while. Her and Veronica had been connected before they met on the Plateau three years ago. They had to find her soon. Suddenly she remembered another question she needed answering. "So this birthmark," she said fingering her shoulder blade. "What's that all about?"
"Well, that's a whole different story, but if you have time?" She stood up and walked over to fetch the breakfast. As Elita approached with a tray of food, Marguerite silently nodded. "Well, you see, that's the family birth mark. It is burned onto our skin when we are born. It shows the Protector that we aren't the enemy, that we are here to look after them. If you ever have any children...."
Marguerite stood up. "If you ever think I'm going to have children with that..., that man then you're mistaken." She calmed herself taking a deep breath. "I'm going to get ready."
She ran back upstairs leaving Roxton and Elita in an uncomfortable silence. Roxton stood up, "I'll go make sure she's alright."
Elita stood up suddenly. "No, let me, please," she asked compassionately.
Roxton sat back down to his breakfast as he signalled with his hand for her to go. "She's all yours," he said as he smiled. Elita smiled back at him and walked slowly upstairs, contemplating what she would say.
As she reached the door, she stopped, knocking quietly. "Can I come in," she asked. Silence.
"Please Marguerite," she said as she opened the door slightly ajar. She could see her little girl sitting on the edge of her bed. She walked in further and Marguerite looked up. "Just leave me alone, like I should be, ok?" she attempted to shout through the lump in her throat.
Her mother went to sit next to her on the bed. "You're not alone," she whispered, placing an arm around her daughter. "What about that young gentleman downstairs who thinks the world of you, Veronica, all your friends."
Marguerite stood up. "You just don't seem to understand do you?" she shouted. "By coming here. I've lost everyone. Veronica, presuming we ever find her, has to stay in the Treehouse which is God knows how many miles from here, Malone and Challenger will stay there too, Finn's gone, and John...." she paused. "I have to marry someone else."
Elita looked at a spot on the wall, not knowing what to say or do next. Then a story came to her mind. "You know I was just like you?" she whispered as she walked over to Marguerite.
"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but somehow I don't think you've been married four times and widowed at the age of.... you know I don't even know how old I am. And I don't think you've lived without a family your whole life, without knowing your parents, why they abandoned you, why people keep leaving you, hurting you...." She trailed off, braking down in tears at the thought of her past life, before she had come to the plateau to finally find happiness. Her mother took her into her arms and gently stroked her daughter's hair.
"Ok so maybe I haven't been through everything that you have, but that's all in the past now Marguerite and I'm so sorry that we had to take you away from your friends, but you have to understand it was the only way. It's meant to be this way. I know it's wrong. You know your father wasn't exactly my first choice either." She smiled as she reminisced. "No, I had my heights set much higher on the man I'd known from the stables, but that wasn't to be. I made such a fuss about marrying Eamon, I almost collapsed at the alter. But, it's not that bad, your father's no angel but I wouldn't change him for the world." She smiled at Marguerite who was looking at her warmly for the first time. "So you and Lord...?"
"I love him," she whispered into her mother's shoulder, as they tightened their embrace.
~****~
Thanks for all your reviews, luv ya! Plz lemme know what you thought of this chapter! xx
CHAPTER 9
PARENTS
"Oh please do it again, my daddy always does that before I go to bed, please," pleaded the little girl. Marguerite sat down on her bed and watched the comedy of the two together.
"Ok but this is the last time," said Roxton as he lifted the little girl, spinning her round in his arms and then placed her back down onto her bed. "There, now go to sleep," he whispered, as he tucked her into her blankets. Her head drooped onto her pillow and soon she stared to breathe heavily, her eyes flickering in a dream state.
"I think she's asleep," he commented as he turned to see Marguerite. "At last." He laughed at their little escapade with her.
He walked over and sat next to her on the bed, placing an arm around her waist.
"You're a natural," she said, teasing him with her beaming smile.
"You know you're not so bad yourself, Miss Krux," he teased. She smiled faintly as she absorbed into her thoughts.
Roxton casually slipped his arms around her, starting to kiss her neck. "I missed you," he whispered.
~*****~
Dawn arrived early through the cracks in the window panels. Marguerite stirred first, reaching out to Roxton who lay beside her. She grabbed his hand and lay comfortably on his chest before falling back into a dreamy sleep. Roxton awoke to find her soft hair covering his chest. He stroked it lovingly and placed a hand around her waist. She stirred, moving toward him.
"Morning," he whispered.
Marguerite flung her eyes opening wondering where on earth she was for a few moments, before her surroundings became familiar again. She looked up at Roxton, her body sticking slightly to his in the humid room. Suddenly she realised her state of dress and quickly pulled the covers over herself. Roxton smiled at her actions. 'One day she'll be comfortable with us,' he thought momentarily before waking into reality once again. He sat up, moving away from her slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked, taken aback.
"Nothing. Just that it's not always going to be like this. You'll be married to some man you don't even know and I'll have to leave you all over again."
She looked at him, stroking his face. "But not right now, I want every moment with you to be special." He smiled at her and kissed her longingly before realising that they were being watched. He broke the kiss and looked over at the small bed in the corner.
"Morning," he said cheerfully.
Gemma placed her head back under the covers and sighed. "Obviously not a morning person," joked Roxton to Marguerite. "You know, I think I know somebody else like that." He smiled at her and tightened his arms around her waist. Suddenly a thought came to his mind. "You're not making breakfast this morning are you Marguerite? You know if you were we could always use the leftovers as poison for our invaders."
"Very funny Roxton, I'd like to see you try and cook once in a while. Oh no, I'm sorry, Challenger banned you when you made coffee using one of his experiments."
"It was a simple mistake Marguerite, how was I supposed to know Challenger had left dry beetle droppings in his mug?"
She smiled at Challenger's antics. She was really going to miss this family.
Roxton noticed Marguerite's sudden change in mood. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.
"I'm fine Roxton," she answered with oblige.
"You know it's going to be alright," he comforted her, though he hadn't a clue how.
"You know I have been married before John, I'm not exactly new to this."
"I know, but..."
"No John, you don't have a clue what marriage is." She sat up, making sure that she was covered. "And you have no idea what it does to you." She looked down, feeling a lump build down in her throat. "I don't want to John, I want to stay here with you, like this."
Roxton looked at her, as she sat undressed in the bed. "Exactly like this?" he said, gently lightening the mood. He could see that Marguerite was finally letting go to him. Telling him things she had never told anyone before. Letting go of feelings and emotions that had been locked up inside her for so long. Just before he was to lose her.
"John please there are children present," she said with a smile. "I just want things to go back to the way they were."
"I know." He paused in thought. "You know, if we can fight off million year old T-Rexes, ape men, jungle savages and every other unknown thing else in this damn jungle, I'm sure we'll be able to fix this somehow." She smiled at his every ready optimism and then looked over at the lump in the bed sheets over in the corner.
"Come on then Gem, get up and we can take you to your parents," begged Marguerite, as she pulled on her dressing gown and walked over to the bed. She smiled, remembering something. "Or else I'll be forced to get some water on you."
"Ok then," she sighed reluctantly.
After the three were up and dressed, they headed downstairs for an early breakfast before a day of searching. "I hope Veronica's alright," pondered Marguerite. "Did they say anything about where they were taking her?"
"Not a thing," replied Roxton. "But we will find her." He looked at Marguerite, gripping her shoulders tightly.
They moved into the small kitchen. It was early and the air was still cool. Elita was already up, a warm smell of meat rising from a pan. "Morning, it's nearly ready."
Marguerite was not in the same mood she had been in the night before. She wasn't ready to talk to her mother unless she had that pressing question answered. Of course there was no way to ask it without simply asking it.
"You know, we've been on this Plateau for about three years now," she stated, "Why did you only look for me now, now that you need me?"
Marguerite's mother turned to stare at her. She certainly hadn't been expecting that one so early in the morning.
She took Marguerite by the hand and sat down next to her at the table. "Marguerite," we had no idea that you were even on the plateau until now. We knew that you would have found your way here by the time of the new Protector but nobody knows when that day will come, not even the Protector." She looked at Marguerite's disbelieving eyes. "Even if we had known where you were we could never have found you, the only way we could find you was by your locket on the night of the Protector when the forces here are at their strongest." Marguerite was still wary of this tale.
"I thought you had dreams, surely they would have shown you where I was?" She paused. "Or wasn't I important enough?" she asked receptively.
"Marguerite, of course you're important." Elita reached to touch her daughter but held back when she saw the look on her face. "You were told why we gave you up weren't you?"
"Yes, by what's-his-name, you know I don't even know his name, but there are just a few things I need clearing up."
"Yes?"
"Firstly, I don't see why you had to give me up, couldn't you have just taken me to the next village or disguised me, or something, until the war was over?"
"Marguerite, I would have loved it to be as simple as that," she replied. "But when you were born Pentanious' father would not rest until he found you. He knew that with his small army he would never be able to beat us that time. He wanted his son to have the best possible chance. He would have stopped at nothing to kill you. He knew about the birthmark. He searched each baby in the five villages for you. When he found out we had sent you away to come back, well, he was furious. He was later killed by our men. That's why Pentanious wants to win so badly, in revenge of his father's death."
Marguerite was momentarily overcome by all this information. "So my ability with languages?" she questioned.
"That was to help you get back to the Plateau, it was all planned very carefully, it was your destiny. Veronica's mother gave you that power before you were sent away. It wasn't like we didn't try Marguerite; you lived here until you were ten months old. We loved you," she paused. "And we still do."
Trying to hide a deceiving smile, Marguerite sat and stared into the open air for a while. Her and Veronica had been connected before they met on the Plateau three years ago. They had to find her soon. Suddenly she remembered another question she needed answering. "So this birthmark," she said fingering her shoulder blade. "What's that all about?"
"Well, that's a whole different story, but if you have time?" She stood up and walked over to fetch the breakfast. As Elita approached with a tray of food, Marguerite silently nodded. "Well, you see, that's the family birth mark. It is burned onto our skin when we are born. It shows the Protector that we aren't the enemy, that we are here to look after them. If you ever have any children...."
Marguerite stood up. "If you ever think I'm going to have children with that..., that man then you're mistaken." She calmed herself taking a deep breath. "I'm going to get ready."
She ran back upstairs leaving Roxton and Elita in an uncomfortable silence. Roxton stood up, "I'll go make sure she's alright."
Elita stood up suddenly. "No, let me, please," she asked compassionately.
Roxton sat back down to his breakfast as he signalled with his hand for her to go. "She's all yours," he said as he smiled. Elita smiled back at him and walked slowly upstairs, contemplating what she would say.
As she reached the door, she stopped, knocking quietly. "Can I come in," she asked. Silence.
"Please Marguerite," she said as she opened the door slightly ajar. She could see her little girl sitting on the edge of her bed. She walked in further and Marguerite looked up. "Just leave me alone, like I should be, ok?" she attempted to shout through the lump in her throat.
Her mother went to sit next to her on the bed. "You're not alone," she whispered, placing an arm around her daughter. "What about that young gentleman downstairs who thinks the world of you, Veronica, all your friends."
Marguerite stood up. "You just don't seem to understand do you?" she shouted. "By coming here. I've lost everyone. Veronica, presuming we ever find her, has to stay in the Treehouse which is God knows how many miles from here, Malone and Challenger will stay there too, Finn's gone, and John...." she paused. "I have to marry someone else."
Elita looked at a spot on the wall, not knowing what to say or do next. Then a story came to her mind. "You know I was just like you?" she whispered as she walked over to Marguerite.
"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but somehow I don't think you've been married four times and widowed at the age of.... you know I don't even know how old I am. And I don't think you've lived without a family your whole life, without knowing your parents, why they abandoned you, why people keep leaving you, hurting you...." She trailed off, braking down in tears at the thought of her past life, before she had come to the plateau to finally find happiness. Her mother took her into her arms and gently stroked her daughter's hair.
"Ok so maybe I haven't been through everything that you have, but that's all in the past now Marguerite and I'm so sorry that we had to take you away from your friends, but you have to understand it was the only way. It's meant to be this way. I know it's wrong. You know your father wasn't exactly my first choice either." She smiled as she reminisced. "No, I had my heights set much higher on the man I'd known from the stables, but that wasn't to be. I made such a fuss about marrying Eamon, I almost collapsed at the alter. But, it's not that bad, your father's no angel but I wouldn't change him for the world." She smiled at Marguerite who was looking at her warmly for the first time. "So you and Lord...?"
"I love him," she whispered into her mother's shoulder, as they tightened their embrace.
~****~
Thanks for all your reviews, luv ya! Plz lemme know what you thought of this chapter! xx