Chapter 17

~Two years later~

Lady Carolyn, from the House of Riddick, Realm of Furya, formerly of The Three Realms, stood on the balcony watching in horror as her entire village appeared to be simultaneously on fire and overrun by men. Riddick was away visiting another Realm on business and as she had been unable to travel, had been left in the care and protection of Sir James.

An infant's wail reached her ears from the room behind her. Dragging her eyes over the countryside one last time, she pushed her way through the thick drapes making her way to the cradle beside her bed.

Picking up her infant son, Carolyn gathered him to her breast, tucking his blankets around him as she clicked her tongue at him. She held his tiny hand in hers, smiling as he clutched one of her fingers.

James startled her when he burst into her room. "What? What is it?"

"It's Lord William, Milady." James said causing to Carolyn to go pale with terror. "We must get you and the child out." He said stuffing a cloth bag with things for his Lord's son.

Carolyn stood looking around the room in a daze. Williams' attacks upon them had begun to taper off to the point she hadn't heard his name mentioned in the last few months. After her marriage to Riddick and their return to Furya, William's men had made themselves a nuisance, slaughtering livestock, destroying fields and setting fire to a few empty cottages. There had been the occasional attack upon Riddick as well, until he had the last group of men killed and their heads put on spikes at the border to the badlands.

"I should go down, James," Carolyn said as the baby's fussing snapped her back to the present. "The villagers' need me with Riddick away."

"Nay, Caroline." James said glancing up at the frightened woman. "You don't want to do that. Lord William has become even more sick and twisted since you last saw him in Enchantment. I fear for your life should he get his hands on you. I've sent Agnes down in your stead. She'll see to it."

Wrapping a cape around her shoulders, he took the child from her, placing him in what Carolyn called his Moses basket. He tucked the bag of belongings down at the child's feet before picking the basket up and taking Carolyn by the elbow, ushering her out of room. They stopped on the landing overlooking the main hall where Carolyn got her first look at William in over two years. The man look crazed. His hair long and matted; his fine clothing that he had been so very proud of, dirty and soiled. He looked much the same as any of his men. The only thing that stood out was the large signet ring he wore on his right hand. Carolyn could still remember the imprint of that ring upon her skin.

James struggled to keep Carolyn on her feet, his hand over her mouth and a hand on the child's basket as they watched Agnes stabbed to death when Lord William became angered at Carolyn's continued absence. "We must go while we still can!" James hissed in her ear as he dragged her towards the servant's stairs.

Carolyn kept quiet when James removed his hand from her mouth, grasping his arm as they flew down the stairs.

Exiting out through the kitchens, James ushered her through the gardens keeping to the shadows. Stopping at a hidden gate in the wall, Carolyn watched as he tapped on the door in a pre-set rhythm. One of his men pushed the gate open towards them. Letting go of Carolyn for a moment, James grasped Sir Gregory's arm. "There are two horses waiting just beyond the tree line as you asked, James. If you head due east you should avoid most of their men."

"East?" Carolyn whispered. "We can't go east. My husband's path lies to the west. We must inform him of what has happened here."

James turned back towards her. "I ask you to trust me to do what's best, Milady. Richard put me in charge of your protection for a reason."

Hearing James call Riddick by his first name made Caroline instantly contrite. "Of course, James, pray forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive. Now, we must go." He urged, guiding her through the gate.

James was thankful that it was a moonless night as he helped Lady Carolyn and her son up the hill leading to the edge of the forest. He was able to breathe a bit easier once they entered the tree line and were out of the view of anyone who might happen to glance in their direction. They traveled along the wooded ridge for a few minutes before coming upon Carolyn's mare and a steed she recognized as belonging to James, saddled and laden with provisions. Setting the babes basket upon the ground, James lifted Carolyn upon her mare, before lifting the babe in his basket, tying it to the saddle horn. Carolyn moved the blankets around to check on him only to discover he was fast asleep. She was thankful, as she knew the dangerous situation they found themselves in would not be helped by a crying child.

She didn't argue as James took her reins and led them away from her home, heading east towards the mountains.

They rode throughout the night, only stopping once in order for Carolyn to fashion a sling out of a blanket to keep the child close to her so that she could easily put him to her breast to suckle without the need to stop. The sun was rising over the treetops and Carolyn swaying in her saddle when James spotted an abandoned barn in the distance.

"Just a bit further, Milady and we'll stop for a few hours of rest."

"Thank you, James," she said with a tired smile, cooing at the child in her arms.

Leaving Carolyn on her horse, James dismounted, drawing his sword as he cautiously searched the broken down barn and the nearby surroundings. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he returned, leading both animals into the structure so that they were out of sight. Helping Carolyn down from her perch, he held her for a moment as she gained her balance. "Are you alright, Milady?" he inquired as she removed the blanket from around her neck, settling her son into his basket.

"I'm fine, James. I simply need a privy and a place to rest."

"Of course. Do you need assistance?"

Carolyn chuckled. "If you can watch the babe for a few moments, I think I can handle it by myself."

James nodded, taking a step back.

Carolyn walked out of the barn and he lost sight of her as she rounded the corner. He sometimes forgot that Riddick's Lady was no delicate rose. She had been a feisty wee lass since the day their Lord had rode through the gates looking like hell had just spit him out, pulling a stretcher behind him, her broken body lying upon it. Shaking his head out of his memories, he grabbed a broken pitchfork and set about fixing up a stall for her and the babe to seek their rest. Carrying the child over to the pile of hay he had arranged, he had just spread out a blanket for the two of them when she appeared beside him.

"It looks heavenly, James," She said squeezing his hand as she moved to settle upon the blanket. Taking the babe out of his basket, she covered them with her cloak and began to nurse him, in the hopes he would sleep so she could get some much-needed rest as well.

James unsaddled the horses, feeding and watering them before seeking out his own bed.

Carolyn was sleeping when James touched her shoulder to wake her. She blinked sleepily at him.

"We need to go," he said setting down a cup of wine along with some bread and cheese. There was also a wild apple he had found growing on a tree just outside. "I'm sorry I don't have any water for you but we can't risk a fire."

Carolyn nodded. "It's fine, truly."

James nodded, moving away to ready the horses.

Carolyn quietly ate taking a few sips of the wine before tossing it out. She had stopped drinking wine or ale when she found out she was pregnant. She had drunk only water since then, insisting that it be boiled before hand. Riddick had never questioned her motives, but they both knew that no matter how much he loved her, even Riddick the Dragon-Slayer wouldn't be able to protect her if the truth ever came out. She would be condemned as a witch if not worse.

She turned her attention to her son, quickly putting clean cloths on him, wrapping a softened piece of leather around them. She would ask James to stop by the stream so she could rinse the dirty one out. Dressing him in clean clothes, she picked him up kissing his soft cheeks before wrapping him in a blanket to hold off the autumn chill, placing him back in his basket.

On their way once again, having stopped by the stream, James rode beside her for a ways.

"I don't understand, James. Why does Lord William have this obsession with me?"

James looked at her and then down at the basket holding his godson, wondering why he had to be the one to tell her. But for the events of today, Riddick had been determined that she never know. "There is a tale. Older than even my parents, parents, that every child learns at the knee of their mother. It says that one day, a woman, marked by the very heavens themselves, will be spit out of their realm to live amongst us mere mortals. She will live among us, protected by the fiercest of dragons who will let no harm come to her, and will eventually give birth to a male child who will hold the future of the stars themselves."

As he finished speaking Carolyn turned her head so that her hood shielded her face from his eyes as she tried to get her panic under control. She looked back at him with a smile on her face. "Do you really think that Lord William has even heard this particular child's tale?"

"Yes, I do. There could be no other explanation."

"Has Riddick?"

"But of course."

Both falling silent, they traveled quietly a few leagues before James spoke again.

"I know of the mark you bear, Milady." He said quietly as Carolyn turned her head to look at him.

"Twas not long after you arrived, you were still feverish from your wounds and Lord William had arrived insisting on seeing your injuries for himself. I had accompanied him to your room."

"I remember," Carolyn whispered.

They lapsed into silence once again, the only noise made by the babe nursing hungrily at Carolyn's breast. She smiled, running a hand over his head. "Just like your father," she whispered to the boy whose eyelids fluttered open at the sound of his mother's voice.

"Where are we going, James?"

"To my home. It's not much to look at but it's safe. Richard is the only person from Furya who knows of its exact location. I have a caretaker who comes several times a week to protect my interests. You can trust him to look after you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's my brother."

Refusing to stop again, they simply paused out of his and Carolyn's necessity. At one point, afraid that she would fall off her horse, he pulled her over to his lap, ignoring her protests. It wasn't long before she was asleep in his arms, the child nestled between them. His Lord would simply have to understand.

It was deep in the night when his home came into view. With a large smile on his face he woke Carolyn. "Milady, we're here." He said softly as not to startle her. The child had been awake for a while now, content to suck on his fists.

"Tis a good thing, James, as I do not think I'll be able to move for some time," she told him as she slowly stretched her back trying not to wriggle in his lap.

With a chuckle, he spurred the horse into a trot.

As they approached the house, the door flew open as a man wielding a sword stepped outside.

"How fare thee, my brother?" James called to the man.

A smile broke out on the mans face as he propped his sword against the house before walking towards them.

"It's good to see you, brother!"

"And you as well, Phillip!"

Slipping the blanket sling from around Carolyn's neck, James handed the baby down to his brother.

"And who do we have here?"

"That would be the wee Lord Riddick, Richard's son."

"That ugly old dragon slayer has a bairn? May the Gods help us all."

Carolyn smiled at the good-natured bantering as James slipped off the horse leaving her in the saddle as he embraced his brother.

"Aye brother, this be the Lady Carolyn."

Phillip clucked his tongue. "I've known Richard since he was just a wee lad. I have no idea how he was able to find himself such a lovely lass."

As James lifted her down, settling her on her feet, Carolyn clung to him as her legs threatened to go out from under her. "You might say he slayed a dragon for me."

"Well, however it happened, tis a pleasure to meet you."

Carolyn nodded with a smile.

"Do you think you can walk now?" James asked.

"Yes, thank you, James," She said reaching out for her son.

"I'd like to get Carolyn settled." James said the look in his eyes telling his brother they would talk shortly.

"I'll just see to the horses." Phillip said taking the reins.

Carolyn's only request was water and a fire to heat it so that she could bathe herself and the child. James was happy to oblige before leaving her to her privacy.

He settled in the kitchen with Phillip.

"Furya was attacked. I had to get Carolyn and the child out or they would have been taken."

"Nay! By whom?"

"Lord William Johns."

"Lord Johns?" Phillip questioned. "The last I heard he was crazy as a loon."

"They are looking for a woman and her child, 'The Woman of the Fallen Sky'."

Phillip scoffed. "But that is nothing more than a legend. A silly myth that's been passed down through the ages."

"Perhaps," James said looking out a window at the coming sunrise, "but he believes it's real."

"And you believe that its Richard's woman?"

James shrugged. "All I know is that my liege lord left me to watch over the two things most important to him and I will not fail him. No one knows of this place other than Richard, himself. Remember, we were here visiting when the fever ravaged Furya taking his parents."

"Aye, I remember."

"I want to leave Carolyn and the babe here. Now that they're safe I can make faster time getting to Richard. I need to know that you'll keep watch over them."

"Of course, brother!" Phillip said slapping James on the back.

Nodding, James pulled out a map of the Realms.

In her room, Carolyn heated the water in the tub just enough to bathe her son, talking to him as he fussed. He was eight weeks old and already getting so big. Riddick had been gone almost half his life so far she thought sadly.

After drying and putting a new diaper on him, Carolyn laid him in his basket as she undressed herself. The room was toasty warm and it wouldn't hurt for him to be undressed for a bit. Pouring more hot water into the tub, she climbed in, moaning as the water soothed her aches and pains. Hurrying through her own bath she wrapped the cloth that James had found for her around her body rinsing out their clothes, hanging them over the backs of chairs to dry.

Never one to be modest, much to Riddick's dismay at times, Carolyn settled on the bed with her son, wrapped in nothing but the cloth.

Looking in on Carolyn and the child, James found them both sound asleep, snoring softly. Shutting the door quietly, he headed to the kitchen to make them some breakfast.

Carolyn awoke to the most delicious smell of roasting meat and a gurgling baby.

"Are you hungry as well, little one?" Carolyn asked as she sat up reaching for her son to feed him. "After you're finished, we'll see what your Uncle James has cooked up for us."

She found him in the kitchen, kicked back in a chair, his doublet off, and a tankard of ale at his feet.

"James?" Carolyn spoke softly, watching as he sat staring into the fire.

"Milady," he said standing as he pulled out a chair for her. "Did you sleep well? And how is the wee lad?" He asked poking a finger into the blankets.

Carolyn turned the blankets so that James could see the boys face. "Your Lords son is alive because of his Godfathers quick thinking. Thank you, James. I will forever be in your debt."

James waved her off as he tickled the boys chin, grinning as the lad latched on to his finger. "His father would have done the same for me."

"You and Riddick have been friends for a very long time, have you not?"

With a smile James returned to his seat. "I can not remember a time when we were not. Our Realms have had a long and everlasting peace with each other. Our parents were friends and visited with each other often. As my eldest brother, Arthur, was to take my father's place, I was sent to Lord Riddick, Richard's father, when I was still a lad to determine my place in life. My father had dreams of the temple, I had dreams of a sword. Oh, the trouble that the two of us got ourselves into," He said with a chuckle.

"You shall have to tell me, sometime, of your youthful exploits."

"Oh no," he said with a laugh, "I shall let your husband tell you. I mayhap tell the wrong story and get him into trouble."

Carolyn laughed with him. "I am not so innocent, James. I know that you and my husband were nothing short of scoundrels, in and out of the bedroom."

"You have made Richard proud as his wife."

Carolyn smiled as she looked down at her son. "I hope to always make him proud." She said as James put the meat he had cooked on a trencher, setting it in the middle of the table. "Do you mind sharing?"

"Of course not," Carolyn replied.

"Phillip will bring you some supplies this afternoon, including a maid. No arguments." He said pointing a finger at her.

"Fine, but I can get rid of her if she will not do things the way I like. Agreed?"

"Agreed," he said after a moment.

They ate mostly in silence until unable to eat another bite, Carolyn sat back in her chair.

"When do you leave?"

"Now. I'll circle around Furya to determine if Lord Johns is still there and it will take days to get to Richard."

"So a fortnight or more, before I can expect to hear anything."

The morning had dawned cool and crisp as Carolyn stood in the small courtyard wearing nothing but a mans nightshirt, her dress slippers and a blanket tied around her, holding a bundled infant in her arms.

James led his steed out of the barn dropping the reins as he approached Carolyn. Bending on one knee in front of her he took her hand, placing a kiss upon it. "My Lady Riddick."

"Sir James, my husbands faithful friend, may your journey be swift and free of harm."

Standing, James took the infant boy from his mother. "Be good for your Mother, wee laddie. Your father and I shall return soon." Handing him back, James squeezed Carolyn's arm before mounting his steed and riding away. Turning back once, Carolyn was where he had left her. Raising his arm in farewell, he put spurs to horse.

Carolyn had instantly liked the young woman, Sara, whom Phillip had brought from town. She wasn't put off by the odd way that Carolyn did things, just simply did as she was asked. She made a nice companion in the evenings and didn't mind watching the babe while he napped so that Carolyn could get outside for a bit to clear her mind.

Phillip rode out every day to check on them and stayed for either lunch or supper. There had yet to be any news of Riddick or James.

Every day Carolyn made both Sara and Phillip tell her the story that James had referred to, until she knew it by heart. And every night she dreamt of her life before, her life before coming here to this world, to this time, but now, Riddick was a part of that world.