"That was close"- said the Queen as soon as the group arrived at the Resistance's headquarters- "But at least we managed to delay the firings, and that's something".
Page entered the room angrily and removed her robe, throwing it on the floor.
"What on Skorm was Reaver doing there?"- she then turned to Malya and looked at her suspiciously- "I thought he had left his supervisors in charge…"
"And he had! He was not supposed to be there, I swear I told you the truth, Page!"- replied Malya trying to reassure Page.
Page crossed her arms and crossed around the room nervously.
"He knew we were going, he knew our entire plan…"- she stopped walking and looked at the group- "Can someone explain to me why he knew everything?"
The group looked at Page, not knowing what to say. Queen Nichole sighed and approached Page slowly.
"Page, you shouldn't mistrust your people. You know how much they have suffered because of Reaver, and how hard they have worked by your side to fight his tyranny…This is what Reaver wants, to create chaos among us so that we get weaker; don't allow this to happen".
Page frowned.
"Then how do you explain the fact that he knew every single detail of our plan?"
"He's a resourceful man, he has his ways to find things out"- replied the Queen.
Page shook her head sadly.
"And what better way to find things out than inserting a spy in our group?"- she looked at the group again, unsure of what to believe- "We have a mole among us, Your Majesty…And I won't rest until I find out who it is".
Suddenly, Zachary approached the two women and frowned.
" Why do you accuse us when it's so bloody obvious who the betrayer is?"- he turned around and pointed at the Queen aggressively- "Everything was going fine until her friend arrived! Dainara is the traitor!"
Everyone looked at the Queen with suspicious looks, making her feel very uncomfortable. She approached the group.
"Dainara didn't do anything. She was in the palace all the time and I can assure you she's innocent"- she said firmly- "And let's stop blaming one another, by the Light! We must remain together and as strong as possible, otherwise who is going to fight for what's right?"
Everyone remained silent for a moment, including Page, who seemed lost in her thoughts.
"I think it's time to go home and rest"- the Queen went on- "It's been an intense morning".
While the rest of the group removed their robes and got ready to leave, Queen Nichole left the sewers, making their way quickly towards the Castle. She was quite concerned about Dainara, who had left the area quite upset earlier.
As soon as she arrived to the Castle, she saw Dainara waiting for her by the entrance.
- "Your Majesty"- said Dainara approaching the Queen- "I'm very sorry for running away like that, I was just not feeling very well".
- "Do not worry, Dainara. What you witnessed this morning was not exactly a pleasant situation, I understand how you must feel".
Dainara remained silent. If only she knew how hurt she was feeling inside…
"Everyone in the Resistance is wondering how could Reaver know about our plan. They believe we have a mole within our group"- said Queen Nichole sighing- "Zachary was accusing you of being the mole…"
Dainara looked at the Queen with alarmed, and started shaking her head.
- "Your Majesty, you know I'd never…!"
- "Calm down, Dainara!"- said the Queen smiling kindly- "I know you'd never do such a thing, I trust you".
Dainara looked down nervously. If the Queen knew that she had been with Reaver the previous afternoon back in Bowerstone Market…what would she think?
"It wasn't my fault, I didn't seek it, he was the one who chased me all over Bowerstone"- she thought, trying to reassure herself- "And I really want to destroy him, I want him to pay for everything he has done…don't I?"
Dainara's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an old woman who was approaching them quickly.
"Your Majesty, I found it! I found what you were looking for!"
Queen Nichole turned around and smiled happily.
"Mrs. Grace! Did you really?"
"Yes, I did! It wasn't easy, but hopefully it will be useful to you, Your Majesty"- she replied, handing her a document.
Dainara observed the scene confused, not knowing what was going on in front of her.
"What happens? What is this document?"- asked Dainara trying to understand something.
Queen Nichole went on reading the document carefully, ignoring Dainara's question.
"I knew it…"- she said finally- "Oh, by the Light!"
"What's going on?"- asked Dainara nervously.
The Queen looked at Dainara and sighed.
"Last evening I asked Mrs. Grace to look for the document that my brother signed in order to give all the industries of Albion to Reaver. I wanted to see what clauses it contained and if there was something we could do to prevent the sick workers' firings…"
" And? Is there anything we can do?"- asked Dainara really eager to know the answer.
"There is…but we need the second copy of this document in order to do that"- replied the Queen- "If we get the copy Reaver got, his powers over the workers will be reduced considerably".
Dainara smiled. She liked the idea of helping the poor workers of Bowerstone without the need of hurting him or using drastic measures.
"That's great"- she said- "Do you have any idea where he may keep his copy?"
Queen Nichole shook her head.
"Unfortunately I don't…We must check every possible location until we find it, starting with his office in the main factory of Reaver Industries"- she turned around and got ready to leave- "Excuse me now, but I must tell Page immediately. This very same afternoon, someone must go and try to find the document there; we have no time to waste".
Dainara looked at the Queen as she walked along the corridor. This task that she had mentioned seemed a very dangerous one, especially considering that Reaver did not hesitate to kill whoever bothered him. Unless he had a distraction…She could have saved that man in the morning, and now she was not going to let another person die if she could avoid it. Maybe she could even try to convince him not to fire the sick workers…
"Your Majesty!"- she shouted as she walked quickly towards her- "Wait for a moment, please".
The Queen stopped walking and looked at her.
"Your Majesty…I will go too, I will go to the factory and distract Reaver while someone else tries to sneak into his office. He surely is still there…"
Queen Nichole frowned and crossed her arms.
"Dainara, I know you want to help, but this mission is way too dangerous and…"
"You have seen how much he wants to talk to me"- she interrupted- "I can pretend I went there to talk to him and, while he's busy, they will be able to break into his office safely".
"This is way too dangerous, Dainara…What if he realizes the whole thing? You would be in danger, you could die!"
"Don't worry about me, Your Majesty. I know how ruthless he is, but I don't think he would ever hurt me…"
The Queen remained thoughtful for a moment. It was true that Reaver seemed to have a special interest in her and he didn't seem to wish her any bad…Why did he behave so nicely towards her? Why was she so sure that he wouldn't hurt her?
"Is there anything about Reaver and you that you haven't told me?"- asked the Queen suspiciously.
Dainara blushed and looked down, unable to look at the Queen's eyes.
"You know the whole truth, Your Majesty. I'm not hiding anything".
"Then why are you so sure he won't hurt you?"
Dainara looked up slowly.
"Just trust me, Your Majesty".
Queen Nichole sighed and nodded. She didn't like the plan, but Dainara was right: if someone was to sneak into Reaver's office successfully, they needed a good distraction, and Dainara seemed to be the perfect person for the job.
"Alright…Come with me, we need to go back to the Resistance's headquarters and tell Page all about it".
As they made their way back to Bowerstone Industrial, Dainara felt so nervous about seeing him again. She knew that she hated him, she didn't want to see him ever again and this meeting was only going to be to help the Resistance, to help the workers…They hadn't had the chance to talk properly since they had seen each other after all this time, and maybe now it was a nice opportunity to tell him how she really felt about him, how much she despised him…to tell him to leave her alone once and for all. Lucious was dead, that was clear for her; Lucious would have never killed an innocent man so cruelly…The Shadow Court had not lied to her after all.
Soon, they arrived to the Resistance's headquarters and made their way quickly towards the meeting room, where Page and some members still lingered.
"Your Majesty…is something wrong?"- asked Page approaching the two women quickly.
Queen Nichole handed her the document she was holding and smiled.
"Look what I found".
Page took the document and started reading it with curiosity.
"Your brother is a bastard…"- she scoffed- "How could he hand over all the industries to such a criminal?"
"Go on reading, Clause 28".
Page went through the document and stopped to read the clause.
"This permission will be effective as long as the beneficiary holds the official copy of the deal, which bears the Royal Seal, and shall be revoked if lost or destroyed. Should this occur, the Monarch of Albion will become the owner, fully or partially, of all of Albion Industries".
Page looked at the Queen happily.
"We need to find his copy! All of our problems will be over!"- she gave the document back to the Queen and approached the map quickly- "We must search all his factories until we find it".
"We must be really careful, Page…Reaver must still be there"- said the Queen, approaching her- "I think that it would be better if just one of you go into his office while Dainara distracts him".
Page raised her head and looked at the Queen frowning.
"Look, Your Majesty, after what happened this morning I don't really trust anyone anymore. I don't doubt that Dainara is a nice woman, but in truth I don't know her at all…"- she looked at Dainara, who lowered her head sadly- "I like your idea of only one of us going there, we'll attract less attention this way. Kidd will go, he's the only one I can trust completely".
"Page, we need a distraction, Reaver is bound to be in his office or around it"- said the Queen firmly- "He seems to be interested in Dainara for some reason, if she goes to talk to him I'm sure he'll be distracted for a while".
Page raised her eyebrow and frowned even more.
"Interested in her? That makes her even more suspicious, you know…"
"He also seemed interested in using your "fierceness" this morning…Does it make you suspicious too?"- replied the Queen in a defying tone.
Page took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"Alright…I'll give her a chance. But if something goes wrong now, I'm blaming her".
"Nothing will, Page. You'll see".
Soon after, Dainara left the headquarters by herself, looking around to make sure that no one saw her leaving from the sewers. She walked along the dirty streets of Bowerstone Industrial, making her way towards the main factory, the very same factory where she had been the first time she had come to the area and she had been thrown away so brutally. She wondered if the same man who was mistreating the workers so much would be there and if he would recognize her, but she didn't really care…She was way too anxious thinking about seeing Reaver again. She wondered whether she would have the courage to tell him all the things she had on her mind.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that the big factory stood right in front of her with wide-open doors, waiting for her to come in and face reality once and for all. She had to keep talking for a while…Kidd would come soon, and she had to give him enough time to search his office thoroughly. She took a deep breath and caressed Nana's brooch, which was tied to her dress.
"I can do it, I need to be strong".
Dainara entered the factory slowly, almost afraid to find Reaver nearby. She looked around and saw dozens of workers standing in front of a long mechanical assembly line working tirelessly. She went on walking around the factory until the man who had thrown her out the previous time approached her angrily. He had wounds all over his face and he seemed to have trouble walking, and Dainara wondered whether his condition was caused by the Resistance's fight or if Reaver had punished him later…
"What do you want?"- he asked harshly.
Irons didn't seem to recognize her since the previous time she was wearing her hooded robe, and Dainara was grateful for that.
"I'm looking for Reaver…I need to talk to him urgently"- she said, trying to control her shaky voice.
Irons frowned.
"Look, woman, today is not the best day to talk to Reaver, so just turn around and leave".
Irons turned around and started walking away, but Dainara followed him.
"Please, sir, I really need to talk to him. It is really important".
"I'm sure your life is more important than whatever thing you have to tell him, so take my advice and leave"- replied Irons, not even looking at her.
Dainara was so nervous. Was this man going to ruin all the plan? She had to do something, she couldn't let the Resistance down.
"And I'm sure your life is more important than ignoring me"- she said, trying to sound threatening- "I don't think Reaver is going to be so pleased when he learns that I came here and you threw me out".
Irons stopped walking and looked at Dainara. Could it be this woman really had something important to tell Reaver? If she was just bluffing, he was going to be in trouble, but if she was telling the truth and he threw her out…
"Wait here"- he said, making his way to Reaver's office.
Irons stood in front of the door, still unsure whether it was the wise thing to do. Finally, he knocked.
"Enter"- said a voice coldly from inside.
Irons opened and door and looked at Reaver, who was going through a lot of documents, still in a foul mood after the incident in the morning.
"Master Reaver, there's a woman who insists on talking to you".
Reaver looked at him from above the document he was holding and frowned.
"A woman? What woman?"
"She didn't tell me her name…But she said that what she has to tell you is really important".
Reaver left the documents on his desk and frowned even more.
"The last time someone came telling me that someone really needed to see me…it proved to be far from the truth"- he replied with annoyance- "It had better be worth it this time. My patience is wearing thin with you people".
"I don't know, Master, she…"
"Go back, ask for her name and then come back to me"- interrupted Reaver.
Irons left the office quickly and went downstairs, where Dainara waited nervously.
"Master wishes to know who wants to speak with him"- he told her.
Dainara remained silent for a moment.
"Tell him Dainara is here".
Irons sighed and went back to the office, entering it quickly.
"She says her name is Dainara, Master".
As soon as he heard that name, Reaver left all the documents he was holding on his desk and got up. Dainara…could it really be her? He walked around the room and stood by the window, looking through it. He couldn't be happier to know that Dainara had come to see him, but he couldn't let anyone know about his weakness for her…
"Tell her she may come in"- he said coldly.
Irons bowed to him politely and went to Dainara to tell her while Reaver looked at the busy streets of Bowerstone Industrial and smiled. Could it be that she had finally accepted that she still loves him? Soon, Irons came back to the room with a confused look on his face.
"Master, she says she wishes to see you downstairs".
Reaver frowned.
"Downstairs?"- he remained thoughtful for a moment- "Very well, I shall indulge her".
Reaver went downstairs and smiled as soon as he saw his beloved Dainara waiting for him shyly.
"My dear, I'm very glad to see you"- he took her hand and kissed it softly.
She quickly pulled her hand away and sighed.
"I want to talk to you. I think you were right…it is time to face reality".
"Oh, I'm really pleased to hear that"- he replied happily- "But don't you think we should discuss about it in a more…private place".
"I don't want to be here, I want to go somewhere else"- she said firmly.
Reaver raised his eyebrow.
"Very well…Do you have any place in mind?"
"Anywhere where I cannot see the sadness and misery of your poor workers…or may I call them slaves?"- she said defiantly.
Reaver tried to keep the smirk on his face and nodded.
"Come with me, I know the perfect place".
Reaver and Dainara left the factory and left Bowerstone Industrial until they reached a little quiet forest. As soon as they arrived, Reaver removed his hat and coat and sat down on the floor while Dainara remained standing up a few feet from him.
"Come here, my dear. I promise I won't bite"- he said smirking.
Dainara remained still, thinking how much the scene reminded her of older times when Lucious and her would go to the forests around Albion to enjoy each other's company, but how different she felt now.
"I'd rather stay here"- she replied coldly- "I don't trust you".
Reaver chuckled.
"Darling, you know I would never do anything to hurt you…Deep inside you know I'm telling the truth".
"Of course, and what better way to show me that you would never hurt me than firing some sick workers or killing a man in cold blood, isn't that lovely?"- she said bitterly.
"I see news fly fast"- he replied, getting up and walking towards her- "My love, there are things that you do not understand, I know they are not the best things to do, but some things are necessary…"
Dainara walked away from him.
"I understand everything perfectly, now more than ever"- she replied firmly- "And now I'm sure that I don't know you…For me you are just a murderer who deserves to die, just like all the innocent victims that have died by your actions".
Reaver walked slowly towards her, trying to keep her calm.
"My dear, in this life sometimes certain things need to be sacrificed in order to achieve greater goods…That's how nature works".
Dainara scoffed and she caressed Nana's brooch, which seemed to keep her strong.
"And may you tell me what greater good you achieved when you killed Captain André and Morgan? When you killed Nana?"- she looked down and caressed her belly sadly- "When you killed your own child?"
Reaver looked down and closed his eyes. His child…he had tried to forget all these years about the baby that Dainara was expecting when the disaster happened, it was way too painful to think that his unborn child had perished so that he got his selfish wish.
"I lost it, you know? I lost our child as soon as the shadows attacked me"- said Dainara, unable to hold her tears- "Getting your immortality was more important than your family's lives!".
"I didn't know…I didn't know…They lied to me…The shadows lied to me"- said Reaver, with a broken voice.
Dainara wiped her tears quickly and took a deep breath.
"You have hurt me more than anyone has ever done before"- she said firmly- "I don't want to see you ever again".
Dainara turned around and got ready to leave and Reaver followed her quickly.
"Dainara, please, listen to me. Now everything is different, everything is better than it used to be…Come with me and start a new life by my side, forget about the painful memories".
Dainara stopped walking and looked at him with hate.
"If you ever loved me, respect my wishes and leave me alone. Do not seek me, do not talk to me, do not even look at me".
Reaver remained still, hurt by her harmful words. He sighed.
"Very well…I shall leave you alone".
As soon as Dainara disappeared in the distance, Reaver felt how a tear tried to leave his eye. It was the first time in many years that he had felt like crying, not even when he would awake from his nightmares would he cry…He wiped it carefully and made his way to his manor.
When he arrived, he opened the door and was immediately welcomed by Barry, who greeted him happily.
"Good evening, Master Weaver. Did you have a nice day?"
He wanted to feel rage, to shout at him, to unleash his anger with everyone in the manor…but somehow all he could feel was sadness.
"I'll be in my bedroom"- he said in a quiet tone- "Do not disturb me, please".
This attitude surprised everyone in the manor, who looked at him with a worried look.
He went up to his bedroom and lied down on his bed, taking a bottle of wine from the night table by his side and drinking from it directly.
It was over, he had lost her forever…It hurt him so much when he thought she was dead and he wouldn't see her again, but somehow knowing that she was alive and so close to him but he couldn't have her hurt him even more. He wanted to get drunk, he wanted to forget that Dainara was not his anymore…
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and opened.
"Master Reaver…I came here to ask you if you'll be having dinner tonight".
A beautiful young maid stood by the door, not daring to look at him directly. Reaver looked at her and smiled.
"Come in, my dear, don't be afraid. I can barely hear you from there".
The maid smiled and entered the room, approaching him slowly.
"Now, what was it that you asked me?"
"I asked you if you'll be having dinner tonight, Master"- she repeated shyly.
Reaver looked at her and smirked, taking another sip from his bottle.
"Actually, I may eat something…"
"What would you like to eat, Master?"
Reave got up and made his way towards her, still holding the bottle of wine.
"That depends…What do you want me to eat first?"- he approached his mouth to her ear and caressed all her body with his finger- "Your lovely ears…Your delicious lips…Your delightful breasts…Your sweet belly…Or perhaps your juicy…"
"Master, please!"- she interrupted him, almost out of breathe- "I don't think we should…"
"Enjoy ourselves? But, my dear girl, why shouldn't we? She doesn't love me anyway! She doesn't want to see me ever again! She's not going to forgive me…"- he said loudly.
The maid looked at him confused.
"She? Who is…she?"
Reaver took the maid's hand and threw her on his bed, climbing on top of her.
- "Let's have some fun, shall we?"- he said as he untied her dress.
He looked at the young woman lying below him and he remembered his beloved Dainara lying on her bed as he touched her soft skin, as he kissed her, as he made love to her…He remembered how beautiful she looked under the moonlight, how happy he felt being by her side.
Reaver moved aside and lied down on his bed, touching his forehead. He couldn't do this, he couldn't sleep with another woman because he couldn't stop thinking about Dainara.
"Leave…just leave. I have a headache".
The maid looked at him confused and left the room as Reaver went on drinking.
Maybe she was right. Maybe he was a criminal with no feelings, a man she could never love. Maybe it was time to let go, to give her a chance to be happy…even if it was without him.