What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.

~T.S. Eliot~

Chapter 4

By the time they reached the orbit of Furya,Vaako had her face and the message memorized. He had woken up only this morning to realize that he had been dreaming about her as well. He was in a surly mood at best when they broke orbit and landed on the planet.

People were running, screaming. The village was in complete chaos as the small ship slowly made its decent, landing in a field a few hundred yards away from the largest structure in the area. Widespread panic ensued as Necromongers poured out of the hold.

Leaving Rhiannon in their rooms and giving her maid instructions not to open the door for anyone but Bandi or herself, Carolyn bolted down the stairs stopping another servant as she ran past, grabbing her by the arm, "What is it, what's going on?"

"Necromongers! Come back to finish us off," the woman shouted to be heard over the commotion in the hall before wrenching her arm free and running away.

"Riddick," Carolyn murmured just as Bandi appeared at her side.

"There you are! Grandmother is having fits and wants you in front of her now!"

"Big surprise," Carolyn said dryly as she headed towards the dais at the end of the hall.

Bhaltair grabbed her arm pulling her up upon the dais behind his mother's chair. "It's about time," he hissed in her ear.

"At last," Bellona said as the doors to the hall flew open and a group of Necromongers came marching in, lead by a man sporting a dark Mohawk, Riddick no where in sight. Carolyn wasn't truly surprise and leaned back on her heels getting comfortable.

"Where is he?" Bellona demanded. "Where is my son? Where is Riddick?"

"The Mohawk man," as Carolyn was now thinking of him raised an eyebrow at Bellona's demands causing Carolyn to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"I am acting as an intermediary for the Lord Marshall Riddick. He wishes to ascertain that that the woman you claim is his wife is in fact not an imposter."

Bellona harrumphed at that. "He would doubt his own Mother?"

"Madam, as far as Lord Marshall Riddick is concerned he has no mother. I am here to speak to the wife only."

As Bellona fumed in her chair, Carolyn stepped forward. "I am the one you seek."

Vaako looked her over. She certainly looked like the woman from Riddick's mind, the only difference was a series of what appeared to be decorative tattoos starting at the arch of her right eyebrow and extending down to her neck flowing down to her shoulder.

"Well step forward." Vaako called from where he stood. Carolyn made to step down but was stopped by Bhaltairs hand on her arm.

In response, Necromonger weapons were lifted and prepared to be used. "If you don't mind?" Vaako said to Bhaltiar while holding his hand out to Carolyn.

Carolyn looked at Bhaltair who reluctantly turned her loose and she continued making her way to the man.

Once she stood in front of him he placed his hands on her face turning her head this way and that until he was convinced that it was in fact the woman whose face he had memorized.

Something about the entire situation nagged at Carolyn until she finally spoke only loud enough for him to hear. "Riddick doesn't now a thing about this does he?"

The man pursed his lips together as he looked at her and kept one eye on dais. "No. I felt it was better if I came to retrieve you myself."

"Can you get me out of here?"

He looked at her dryly.

"The men over my left shoulder are not to be harmed in any way. The woman is mine. You can do whatever you wish with the one who touched me."

He nodded and taking her hand turned the troops raising her arm. "Lady Riddick!" he announced to the Necromonger troops who broke out into a battle cry causing the Furyans to realize that their prisoner was about to liberated. Breaking out into a battle cry of their own, they attacked.

Carolyn lost sight of Bandi during the quick but bloody fight and realized the Mohawk Man had been true to his word as Raynor was being held by two Necromongers away from the fighting.

Vaako and his men watched with interested detachment as stepping on Bhaltairs body in order to get to Bellona, Carolyn snatched the woman up out of her chair shoving her to her knees. Walking around to her back, Carolyn ran her hand down the woman's spine until she found the spot she was looking for. Wrapping her arm around the woman's shoulders Carolyn drew her body back towards her. "This is for Rainier," she said softly into the woman's ear before shoving a knife into her back at just the right spot. "And this," she said gripping the woman's chin as the woman struggled, "Is for my son. Riddick's son." before dragging the knife across the woman's throat, holding on to her until she no longer moved.

Turning loose of the woman's body she let it fall joining the body of her dead son on the stairs. With the still bloodied knife in her hand she moved to stand in front of Raynor. "I hope you can learn to be a better leader than her. Someone Rainier would be proud of."

They stood looking at each other an understanding reaching their eyes, until someone touched her shoulder. It was the Mohawk Man. "We need to go."

Turning her back on Raynor, she discovered herself surround by this mans soldiers. Using her cape to wipe the blood off of her hands she nodded and as bodies separated to form a pathway, Carolyn walked out of the hall for the last time. Stopping outside the building Carolyn turned to the soldier, "We can't leave yet. I need to retrieve my daughter and I have to find the boy that was in that room. Did you see what happened to him?"

Vaako nodded in the direction over her shoulder and Carolyn turned to see Bandi running towards them calling her name, Rhiannon in his arms. Running to meet them Carolyn gathered Rhiannon close and threw her other arm around him. "Oh Bandi! Come with me, please."

The boy who had grown into a man, and who was now much taller than she, took her hand kissing the back of it before kissing her cheek. "I shall never forget you, Aunt Ryder. Perhaps one day I shall have a daughter and will name her Carolyn to remember you by. Take this," he said placing something in her hand, "should you ever need my assistance." Reaching out he stroked Rhiannon's hair and placed a kiss upon her forehead.

Carolyn's eyes filled with tears and she blinked furiously to keep them from falling. "We shall never forget you." She whispered pulling him to her once again, kissing his cheek before letting go and walking towards the ship that would take she and her daughter away from here, not once looking back.

Removing a bag that was draped over his shoulder Bandi shoved it into the arms of the man in front of him. "These are for my Uncle. Make sure that he gets them."

Vaako nodded at the boy and followed Riddick's warrior woman onto the waiting ship.