The scars of your love leave me breathless

Chapter 10

"There's something you should know." Vaako spoke up next to him having made no effort to see to his wife.

Riddick looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Come with me."

Vaako lead him to a space that he used near the war rooms. Opening a safe in the wall he pulled out a thick notebook and another book that appeared to be some type of photo album or sketch book. "When we retrieved Lady Riddick there was a battle. She fought beside us, fighting her way to their leader. A woman, your Mother. Lady Riddick killed her in cold blood in front of every man there.

Riddicks nose flared. "Did she say anything?

"I was not able to hear what she told the woman."

"Wait." Vakko said as it was obvious he was about to march straight to Carolyn's door.

"The young man that I told you about. He handed these to me and said to give them to his uncle."

"And it's taken you this long to give them to me?" Riddick demanded.

Vaako didn't answer.

Carolyn entered her quarters and Rhiannon took one look at her mothers blood splattered hands and arms and immediately went hysterical. "Take her," she told the Nanny. "Take her to Dame Toal."

The wide eyed Nanny picked up her screaming charge and headed to Dame Toal's quarters encountering Riddick along the way. Trading the Nanny the books for the child he tried to comfort his daughter. "What's wrong Sweetheart. What's got you so upset?"

"Mama," she sobbed and he was able to understand the word blood.

"No, Rhiannon, it wasn't your Mama's blood."

"Not Mama's. Mean woman make Mama do bad things." She cried laying her head on his shoulder. A dark look covered his face making the Nanny take a step back.

"Where were you taking her?"

"Lady Riddick instructed me to take her to Dame Toal."

Riddick nodded and lead the way.

"Can you keep her?" Riddick demanded of the woman who immediately took the child into her arms.

"Of course," she answered before turning back into her quarters talking quietly to his daughter.

Taking the books away from his daughters Nanny he dismissed her and headed back to his own quarters.

Opening the door to their quarters he merely lifted an eyebrow at the destruction.

He found her hidden in the shadows.

"You can't hide from the animal within, Carolyn. I know. I've tried."

"Because you were born different, men will fear you and try to drive you away," she murmured, the words barely reaching his ears.

He tossed the books in his hand down upon a table drawing her eyes to them as she circled away from him. He turned with her. "But I know you weren't born that way, Carolyn. You were made."

"Doesn't matter," she replied her voice low and rough from the screaming she had done to release her frustration from having been denied the kill. "I am what I am. It doesn't matter how. Nothing that came before matters."

She made the mistake of cornering herself with him in reach. The next thing she knew she was shoved up against the wall with her hands pinned over her head his mouth close to hers. Both of them breathing raggedly and she realized that she was never immune to him. Never.

He snarled in her face causing her to struggle to get away from him as he began to fumble with the belt to her robe.

Turned out it was also the distraction she needed to get away from him.

Carolyn stood on the other side of the room. "Made, not born. Remember," she sneered, "Just get out Riddick. Get out."

Turned out Riddick was actually faster than her and had her pinned on the ground sitting on top of her in the blink of an eye.

She was trying to buck him off even as he pinned her hands under his knees.

She sounded like a wounded animal by the time he reached up and grabbed her gown by the neck rendering it in two down to her hips.

The breath whooshed out of him as he saw the jagged scar down low on her belly.

Reaching up she grabbed a fistful of shirt with a now freed hand. "Don't," she hissed. "Don't ruin this."

Looking into her eyes he quickly decided and slipping his hand under her arms picked her up as he stood holding on as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Throwing her down on the bed they wrestled her ruined clothes off of her before attacking his. Falling onto the bed with her he ran his free hand up and down her body, his other holding her close as he nuzzled her ear. "Carolyn" he murmured tilting her chin up to look at him.

Her eyes met his and after searching his face for a moment her lids fluttered close as she rubbed his nose with hers, searching for his lips.

Restless, Riddick left a sleeping Carolyn in bed. He not only wanted answers he needed answers. Why did she call herself Ryder, and although he knew what must have caused that scar he still needed to know, needed to hear the words.

Setting down on a couch he put aside the picture book and opened up the journal reading the inscription. "To my eldest son, Richard. I have never forgotten." It was signed "Rainier Riddick." Turning the page he looked at the date. The journal had been started just a few days after the attack on Helion Prime

~Because you were born different, men will fear you and try to drive you away. Furyans were born to be kings. Royalty of the entire Universe.

You have inside you the blood of kings.

But instead of ruling, thanks to my wife, your mother, we are simply fighting to survive in this darkest of worlds because of a prophecy. A prophecy stating that a male Furyan child would kill a leader of men. A leader of killers.

"My wife cannot get past the horror and distress of learning that it was in fact our child to whom the prophecy referred. That our child was responsible for the destruction of our world, the deaths of millions."

"I will not do you the discourtesy of referring to her as your mother again, for no mother should actively seek the death of her own child."~

Even though the journal had only spanned the length of six months it was very detailed and he found himself having to stop periodically to regain his composure.

Hours later, having read the last page he quietly closed the cover knowing even without asking why the journal had ended.

Pacing the room he stopped with a huff to glare at the unopened album in front of him.

He threw back the cover only to be confronted with a note. ~ Uncle. I feel as though I know you, having seen you through her eyes. I would like to return the favor and let you see her, through my eyes.~ Your nephew, Bandi

Under the note there was a picture of Carolyn and a young man standing beside each other. Carolyn's face was void of emotion and Riddick had to wonder under what circumstances the picture had been taken. The rest of the album was a combination of photos of Carolyn and Rhiannon. In a few there was an older man and he wondered if this was Rainier. His breath was taken away at pictures of a pregnant Carolyn and the happiness he saw in her eyes as her hands caressed her swollen belly, he had to smile as he saw Rhiannon with a look of wonder on her face as she pressed her ear to that same belly. In another he had to choke back his rage at a photo of her leaning out a window staring at two lone graves pure grief etched into every line on her face, Rhiannon's head tucked on her Mothers shoulder. Photos of her before the tattoo and after. Pictures of her battling men and beast alike.

Two thoughts circled inside his head.

What had these people done to her?

And how dare she keep this from him.

Picking up the journal and the album he was more determined than ever to get answers.

"Nothing that came before matters?" He snarled in her face causing her to struggle to get away from him as he trapped her on the bed.

"What the hell, Riddick?"

"Nothing that came before matters? What about Baron?"

Carolyn stilled in his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do. It's all right there in that journal. Rainier's journal."

He watched Carolyn's eyes flick over to the book and the moment recognition hit them.

"My mother did this?" he demanded from her yanking the covers back to revel the long ugly scar on her belly, his voice vibrating off the walls.

Carolyn could only nod her head in agreement, suddenly sobbing as he stood standing over her before moving away sending everything on a nearby table flying.

Carolyn knelt on the bed in front of him in the face of his anger. She hadn't felt this small, this out of control, this weak, since Bellona struck the fatal blow to her son.

Riddick watched in a combination of horror and fury as she had a complete breakdown.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed from her spot on the bed as he towered over her, "I'm so sorry that I was too weak to help him. I'm so sorry I let her kill your son, Riddick." She stretched out her hands. "He was my baby too. He was so tiny. I can still feel his blood on my hands."

"Jesus, Carolyn. What in the hell did they do to you?" he asked before he reached down scooping her up into his arms and setting back down on the bed with her. He held her as she continued to sob, the scene that Rainier had described replaying over and over in his mind.

~When I arrived home that morning after making some early morning visits a clearly agitated Bandi was waiting for me in the Courtyard.

"Grandfather, come quickly Grandmother had the doctor take Aunt Ryders baby!"

"Take it?"

"Yes, Grandfather! They strapped her down to a table and the doctor cut her stomach open. Grandmother has the baby now and refuses to untie Aunt Ryder or give the baby to her even though the doctor has already sewn her back up.

"Dear Gods," Rainier breathed rushing up the stairs.

When he reached the room at the top of the stair, he saw Bellona standing over a bloody, hysterical Ryder with the crying newborn, tormenting her with the child's cries. Rhiannon was crouched down in a corner across the room.

"Oh good, you're back," Bellona said pulling out a knife and holding it to the child's neck. "I will not suffer yet another child of a traitor in my household." She said dragging a knife across the child's neck before laying him facedown on a screaming Ryder's chest."

Pure fury surged through his bloodstream at the thought of that moment and the hell that Carolyn had been put through because of him.

Focusing his attention back on her as he realized she still blamed herself after all of this time, he soothed her, reassuring her that he didn't blame her and that it wasn't her fault. None of it was her fault.

~Ryder has completely shut down. It was a struggle to get her to name the child and I had to resort to bullying to get it done.

"The child should not go nameless. Is that what you want? Riddick's son to go to his grave without a name so that no one will remember him."

"I'll remember him. Always."

"I know you will my child, now lets make sure everyone else does as well."

I arranged a short service for the boy. Baron. My Grandson. I had to restrain Carolyn from throwing herself into the grave with him. I have scheduled Bellona's punishment for tomorrow. I am not such a fool to think that she will not seek revenge, but I could do no less for the son of my eldest child and this woman I have to come to love as my own. I fear what will happen to Ryder when I am gone. I sincerely hope that she lives long enough to see my son once again. ~

Her mumbled ranting finally quieted. Exhausted from the turn of events she fell asleep in his arms. He lay her down gently and pulled her close, protecting her with his body.

He felt the moment she came awake as she stiffened before recognizing his scent. Turning in his arms without looking at him she pressed her body to his, wedging her face in between his neck and arm.

"Who am I?" He asked gruffly.

"You're Riddick." She whispered. "Just Riddick."

Good enough for now he thought as he rolled her onto her back his mouth lowering on hers.

A knocking on their door got Riddick's attention and slipping from the bed he slipped on his pants that were lying on the floor beside the bed. Picking up his t-shirt he tossed it to Carolyn who had sat up and was watching him, her eyes still slightly red and swollen from crying and her lips red and swollen from his.

Answering the door a three-year-old brunette threw herself into his arms. "Daddy!"

Riddick couldn't help the grin the appeared on his face. Lady Toal was smiling as well and giving a slight curtsey bent down to pick up package handing it to him.

Riddick looked at her. "Lady Riddick must make an appearance today. It is our way. I brought some items that she might be ready to wear."

Riddick nodded and shut the door. Tossing the package on a table next to the door he looked at his daughter. "Do you want to see your mama?"

Rhiannon nodded her head setting her curls to bouncing. Carolyn was sitting up in bed looking at the picture of she and Bandi when they entered. "Mama!"

"Rhiannon!" Carolyn answered holding her arms out for her. Riddick placed his daughter on her mothers lap kissing her head.

"Is the mean woman still here, Mama? How did she find us?"

Tears slipped down Carolyn's face as she smoothed her daughter's unruly curls away from her face. "No baby. The mean woman is gone and she'll never bother us again, Ok."

"Promise?"

Carolyn nodded her head furiously. "Yes baby, I promise. Do you want to see something Daddy found?"

Smiling shyly in her father's direction, she nodded.

Picking up the picture she had laid face down on the table next to her she handed it to the girl whose whole face brightened. "Bandi" she said reverently looking at the photo. "Mama," she said pointing to Carolyn standing next to him. "Love Bandi, miss Bandi," she said sadly.

"I know baby," Carolyn said pulling the girl against her. "I miss him too."