Needing a break from the story that I began for NaNoWriMo and then a distraction from the sequel to Death, I've been sorting through all my rough drafts and thought I would post the first eleven chapters of "King Rides By," which eventually turned into "The Ghosts that we knew," when I developed a case of writers block and couldn't figure out how to continue Kings.

I tried to clean it up a bit, but didn't try to hard, nor did I go through and put in scene breaks.

Its a few days late, Buttercup, but Happy Valentine's Day.

King Rides by

Prologue

A light kiss, the touch of your hand

A million things I will never understand

Oh, what a fuss when the King rides in

Riddick was beyond pissed as he made his way through the bustling city streets of New Mecca. When he got his hands on Imam the man was going to wish he had never heard of Richard B. Riddick.

He knew that Imam was the only person that would know where to send Tombs. He had purposely kept the information from Carolyn all these years in case someone thought to use her to get to him. It had become even more important in the last few years.

If he had in any way endangered Carolyn, he would simply kill the man, he thought without blinking an eye.

Checking his surroundings, he slipped into the sprawling house hidden behind tall vine covered walls, on the very fringes of the city.

The house was silent as he made his way into the kitchen, tearing off a hunk of bread before heading towards the back of the house.

Leaning against the doorframe to his bedroom, he found what he was looking for napping in the middle of the large bed.

Knowing she wouldn't stay mad at him for the hair and dirt, he quietly slipped off his boots, cloak and weapons before climbing onto his side of the bed. He reached out caressing Carolyn's cheek, before turning his gaze to their daughter. This was the second time he had been back to see her since her birth and he hadn't planned on being back this quickly, the last visit having been just three months ago. It was dangerous and put both their lives at risk.

Yup, he thought, that settled it. Imam was a dead man.

She was definitely bigger and her blonde tufts were quickly turning into a full head of brunette curls, her cheeks were rosy pink and her limbs had lost some of the baby fat that she had just a few months ago and with her mothers blue eyes he couldn't be more enamored of her now than he had been the day she arrived.

He felt Carolyn nuzzle into his hand. "She started walking just right after you left." She said sleepily placing a kiss upon the palm of his hand.

Ahh, that explained the lost baby fat.

Leaning down he smelled her hair, gently kissing her crown before reaching over to find Carolyn's lips. Pulling back she tugged on his beard and dreadlocks. "I thought we talked about this last time?"

"I'll cut it later," he growled capturing her lips with his before she could fuss anymore.

They laid in bed as their daughter napped, talking of recent developments and what had brought him back before venturing from the bed down to the kitchen to feed him food, before he feasted on her.

They re-entered their bedroom to find a baby girl sitting up in the middle of the bed sleepily rubbing her eyes. Carolyn held back and watched as Riddick gently sat on the bed and picked their daughter up holding her out in front of him as if to inspect her before pulling her in close, doing his best to keep his beard from rubbing her tender skin.

Carolyn assumed that a sensitivity to smell was an inherited trait as their daughter looked at her father with a sleepy smile, laying her head on his shoulder as if she had been doing it every day of her life.

Carolyn moved to their side of the bed and stroked her daughter's head. "Richard, when this is all done, when this danger with the Necromongers has passed, I want you to think about coming home for good."

"Carolyn, you know I can't. You know I'll always have someone after me."

"We can go anywhere you want." She said even as he shook his head. "Richard, we need you," she told him taking a hand and placing it on her belly and holding it there.

His eyes met hers and she reached out touching his face. "Just think about it, ok?"

Pulling her to him he kissed the spot where his hand had been and drug her onto the bed with him and their daughter. He stayed another few hours until dusk, before gathering Carolyn in his arms with a kiss and taking in his baby girl's smell one more time before leaving as silently as he had come.

Carolyn was just getting ready to put Rhiannon down for the night when it seemed as though all hell broke lose. A loud explosion could be heard before the entire house shook so hard she thought it would come down around her as she struggled down the hall with her daughter.

Moment's later, men that she had never seen before burst in through her front door snatching her daughter out of her arms. The last thing Carolyn remembered was screaming Rhiannon's name before the world went black.

When Carolyn awoke she scrambled back in the bed in which she was resting taking a moment to let her eyes focus before seeing her daughter on the lap of an older man, babbling happily. Carolyn looked wildly at the man and back at her daughter making sure she was in fact unharmed. The man stood up slowly and approaching the bed held her daughter out to her. Leaning forward Carolyn took her and held her close savoring the weight of her small body in her arms.

"My name is Rainier. This," he said with a wave of his hands "is my grandson, Bandi."

Carolyn eyed the young man before turning back to his grandfather. "Where am I? Why have I been brought here?"

"This is my home." He said before being interrupted by the door flying open and the entrance of an older female and two men, older than Bandi, yet younger than Rainier. The woman was statuesque in her build. Thicker than was probably socially acceptable but it looked good on her. Her hair was worn in the same style as the men, braided back away from her face and then falling down her back.

"Don't you mean our home, husband?

"Of course, Madam," Rainier said as the woman sneered at him.

Rainier turned back towards Carolyn. "May I introduce my wife, Bellona and our sons Raynor and Bhaltair.

"And you are?" the woman asked Carolyn, eyeing her and Rhiannon.

"Carolyn Fry."

"And the child?"

"Is none of your concern." Carolyn answered the woman steadily; the threat implied should her daughter be brought into this. "Where am I?" she demanded.

"The planet we are on is called Furya. It is our home and it shall be your home for the foreseeable future."

"And just why is that? I'm a medically discharge docking officer that receives a small pension. My daughter and I are, for lack of a better phrase, completely worthless to you."

The woman continued to smile at her in a way that was slightly creeping Carolyn out. "You may be monetarily worthless Ms. Fry, but I assure you, you are quite valuable to certain people."

"Should you need anything," the woman continued moving towards the door, "simply knock and tell the guard."

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Carolyn asked, perplexed at this entire family's behavior.

"I want my son, Ms. Fry, and you're going to help me get him."

"I don't understand. Who's your son?"

"My son is the father of your children, Ms. Fry, and as soon as we find him, we'll make sure he knows you're here."

Carolyn could only look at the woman dumbfounded as she and her sons exited the room before turning back to Rainier.

"Her son?"

"Our son actually. The man you know as Richard Riddick."

"Why does it sound like she's more eager to kill him than to mother him?" Carolyn asked.

Making eye contact with Bandi, Rainier looked back towards her.

"Try to get some rest; I'll have some dinner, clothing and other necessities brought up. I'll be back tomorrow to visit with my Granddaughter and we'll talk more then. May I ask her name?"

"Rhiannon."

"You're both named after Queens. How very fitting."

Riddick was infuriated when he finally made it back to his home just to find it deserted. Other than the splintered front door nothing had been touched. The only things missing were his lover and his child.

He personally looked at every prisoner that had been taken, and searched every shelter in the city.

It was if they had simply disappeared off the face of the planet.

Returning to their home one last time, he pocketed a few items before setting fire to the structure. The thought of anyone else living here in this place that she had done her best to turn into a home for him was unacceptable.

Once the house had collapsed in on itself from the flames, Riddick walked away, not once looking back.