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CHAPTER SIX

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A/N: This story was never meant to be a 'Lala - lovey-dovey - everything is alright with the world' fic. For the next few chapters, this story will take another dark and violent twist. It is what is right and what was intended for this story. I am sorry if it turns a few of you away from No One Else, but I will stay true to how this story was begging to be written. I am not a 'Lala – lovey-dovey – everything is alright with the world' person and this does become reflected in my writing. I do hope, though, that you will stick with me through these next few chapters, as I promise, if you do, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Caliko sat on the horse and stared at the burning village before her. She could hear the screams of terror and smell the sickly scent of burning flesh. The heavy smoke burned her eyes and made her already drug-heavy head even heavier. She knew that this was real, that the death and murder before her was real. And she knew it was all done in her name. By her doing. She couldn't fight it anymore and let her body go.

She felt herself falling…..

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Caliko awoke, freshly bathed, her hair still damp and she stretched. She knew she was back in her room, and she knew that Jereth had sent Jacobi to fetch her the night before, but after that it was only a blur of faded, shaky images and brief snatches of screams. "Nel?" She called out.

Nel stood up from the chair she sat in beside the bed. "M'Lady?"

Caliko sat up. "What happened?" She asked, even though she knew Nel wouldn't answer her.

Nel merely smiled at her. "I'll have some food brought up to you M'Lady, and the King asked me to have you sent to his quarters when you awoke. I will send for Jacobi after you eat."

Caliko watched as Nel opened the door and left. She threw back the satin sheets and stood up. She crossed the bare, cold floor to the window and looked out. She could see faint wisps of smoke coming from further down the mountain. Could her nightmare have been true?

Surely not. She thought to herself as she sat down at her dressing table and brushed through her hair.

Not counting her time in the dungeon, Caliko had been here two weeks, it had been ages since she and Hawk left the Gaian's and she almost felt like she would never see her loved ones again. How long had it been since she had last seen Lynx? She had thought and re-thought her last minutes with him. She had been cold and cruel and she knew it. And regretted it. She told herself, that if ever she saw him again and was able to hold him in her arms, she would make up for that night. Show him that she really loved him.

And Oriel, once she got back to her daughter, and every fiber of her being told her that one day she would, she would never let her out of her sight again. She was stupid to have left her. Who knew if she was safe and fed and happy. What if these Executioners had gotten her too?

The Executioners…it was the first time she had thought of them since she had been brought out of the dungeon…. Did this mean that Jereth and Jacobi were the leaders of these horrible murders?

A knock on the door interrupted Caliko's thoughts. She muttered an "Enter." And set down the brush. She turned and watched as two servants brought in the table and another pair laid food down upon it. They nodded in acknowledgment and then left Caliko alone once again.

She had just sat herself before the table and starting picking at the food when another knock came on the door. "Enter." Caliko said, not bothering to look up.

"Is that how you treat your King?"

Caliko looked up, surprised to see Jereth standing before her. She stood up and bowed her head. "Sorry, your Majesty."

"It's nothing…. For you at least." He looked at Caliko and smiled. He crossed the room and reached out, rubbing his hand against Caliko's cheek.

Caliko kept herself from recoiling from his touch.

"If only you weren't the Sorceress of Tryst, I might have made you my Queen." He chuckled and turned away from Caliko, sitting down in an armchair near the fireplace. "Sit. Eat."

Caliko did as she was bid and sat back down and helped herself to some browned meat. She looked at her plate, trying not to make eye contact with Jereth.

"I can to talk to you about last night. Do you remember?"

"Was it true then?" Caliko whispered, her appetite suddenly gone.

"Was what true?" He crossed his arms.

She looked up, her eyes bright with tears. "The village?"

"Yes." He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting his chin on his now-interlaced fingers. "You did very well, you know. The others all tried to run the first time."

Caliko swallowed. "Why?"

"Because we must. We must drive out the supporters of Jameson."

"Jameson?"

"My brother." He stood and crossed over to the window, gazing out he continued. "Before the virus, my brother and our friend Natalie, used to come here to the castles and stay summers with our uncle and Natalie's grandfather. They are the ones who had the castles built…. I am sure you have heard of the story." He looked at Caliko, who nodded her head. "When the virus hit and the adults died, we came here. We stayed in Caer Paravel, Natalie's grandfather's castle." He smiled and chuckled. "It wasn't really called that. It was called Urbany Estate, but she loved those CS Lewis books so much." Jereth turned back to the window, leaning his head against the stone of the wall. "She used to run around, swear she was a sorceress, that every castle didn't need a princess, but a witch or wizard. She was something else."

"What happened to her?"

Jereth sat in silence for a moment before punching the wall. "Jameson stole her from me and then killed her."

Caliko didn't know what to say or do. But she knew that most likely her best course of action was to remain silent.

"He took her and then killed her. I was King of Caer Paravel. He took my crown and threw me into the dungeon. But I got out and when I did, I burned all of Caer Paravel as I could. Someday I will show you what I did. I burned it down. If I couldn't be King then no one else was going to be. So I took half the tribe and left for Tryst. Jameson and Natalie left for Durentoo. A few months later, Jameson's 'Winged Dragon Army' attacked one of the villages in my kingdom. So I sent my Executioners to attack one of Jameson's. Natalie sent a messenger, asking for me, ME, to stop this madness. Like I started it or something. Ha!" He laughed and walked back to his chair, sitting down. "I killed the messenger and had his body returned to Durentoo. Natalie then sent another, saying she would meet with me, but not here at Tryst. I agreed to meet with her and did, but while we were talking, Jameson's army attacked us and killed Natalie. I swore that day; I would do two things. One I would always make sure there was a sorceress in this castle and two, make sure my brother and his kingdom are murdered the same way they murdered Natalie."