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Reviews: Ch7

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Ch 8-Solitude

Narrator:

Glad you guys could make it back. We'll get to see Richard and Raven on their date. Well…enough of me talking. Let's get stated.

Xxxx

Karen was walking back and forth in the nursery. She was holding Sasha in her arms trying to get her to go to sleep. Sasha had been crying all night long non-stop. Bags hung under her eyes and they were blood shot. 'I really need to get a nanny.' Sasha finally calmed down much to the relief of Karen. Setting her down Karen slowly walked out of the room. Walking down the hall she made her way to her room and went to sleep.

Xxxx

Terra was racing back and forth from one room to the next. Since she was the only one on duty and everyone else was out sick she had all the chores. It was tiring with no one to help her out. 'Since when did we become under staffed?'

She was in the library shelving some of the books. By this time she was exhausted with bags under her eyes. Terra's movements were sluggish and slow. For a second she stopped in her work because she thought she heard something. 'What was that?' setting the cart aside she went towards the direction of the sound.

It was faint or it could have been because Terra was half asleep. As she went closer the sound became slightly louder. She still couldn't make out what the noise was. Turning around one corner she spotted Raven sitting on the floor with her eyes closed. Then Terra realized she was chanting something. She thought it was weird that Raven would be chanting. Then all these crazy thoughts started entering her head. Terra wasn't sure if it was because she was tired, but it sounded like Raven was reciting a spell.

Eyes growing big Terra quickly retreated behind a bookshelf and down the hall. Terra thinks she stumbled upon something important about Raven. 'That's it. I doubt even Kori knows about this. It can't be tolerated and someone needs to stop it.' With the books forgotten Terra hurried down the hall towards Karen's room.

Quickly knocking on the door Terra barged into the room. Karen looked completely pissed being woken up out of her sleep. Terra paid no mind to it and quickly closed the door.

"This better be good, Terra. I was actually having a nice dream," Karen grumbled.

"It is. Once you hear what I have to tell you, you'll be wondering why I didn't tell you sooner."

"What?"

"I found out a huge secret about Raven."

"And that would be?"

"You ready…Raven…is…part of a cult."

Karen just blankly stared at her friend. She wasn't sure if she had heard her right. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well…I was in the library minding my own business when I heard this noise. I decided to investigate and saw Raven chanting something."

"And you confronted her about this?"

"No! I high tailed it out of there."

"Then how do you know she's part of a cult?"

"It was in a weird language."

"Well she is from another country Terra."

"Karen! You're not seeing the big picture. We have to warn people."

"About what? Something you heard. People are just going to think you're crazy without any proof."

"I guess you're right. I'll try to dig up more evidence."

"What do you have against Raven? She hasn't done anything to you."

"That's not the point. I know what I heard."

Terra quickly left the room. Karen just sat there shaking her head. She still wondered why no one committed her yet. Deciding not to worry about it right now she went back to sleep.

Xxxx

Richard was in the combats compartment practicing sword skills. He was showing the new recruits the proper way to handle a sword. It also gave him the chance to practice his technique. Once he was done demonstrating Richard let them practice on their own. Watching them he thought back on the last few days. A lot of things have happened. A whirlwind of emotions consumed his mind. It was a wonder how he didn't burst already.

For some reason no one really liked Raven with the exception of his mom, Kori, and Alfred. It just doesn't make any sense when they knew nothing about her. Of course Karen didn't have anything against Raven either; just been really busy with her daughter.

Calling it a day for the new recruits Richard went back up to his room. He was really excited about his date with Raven. It seemed like the hours were ticking by slow. It was a struggle to keep everything inside. The problem would be his mother if she found out. She'd most likely try to interfere or start planning their wedding. Hopefully he can keep it a secret for awhile. Though it did feel longer than just a few days. It'd be a miracle if everyone actually got along. It was still the afternoon which gave him plenty of time to get ready.

Xxxx

The day was long and boring. Bruce was beyond tired. There was nothing but meetings back to back. All he really wanted to do was sit down and relax. He didn't want to think or worry about anything. Of course that wasn't the case for the king. He couldn't stop and rest for anything. Bruce walked into his office and sat down behind his desk. Hunching over he laid elbows on the desk and laid his head in his hands.

Things lately were getting too stressful. He just didn't know what to do. Especially when it came to Richard. He had warned him not to get close to Raven, but he could tell that wasn't going to happen. To make matters worse Diana was also mad at him for interfering. Last night she gave him an earful about saying such hateful things about Raven. She then went on to say that if he didn't stop interfering then they'd never have grandkids. Which was kind of ironic when she, herself was interfering as well. Things weren't going so well around the castle. Hopefully things will blow over soon and go back to normal.

Xxxx

The sun was now set at the horizon. Raven sat on her bed thinking about everything. She was starting to think that it wasn't a good idea to go on her date with Richard. She should already be gone from this place. There was no reason for her to stay here. Everything seemed to be going very fast. All of this thinking was making her head spin. Getting up she got ready.

A knock came to the door. Opening it she saw Richard standing there. He wore a suite and had his hair loose instead of pulled back. Raven actually liked him better this way. Of course she would never admit that to him.

"You look beautiful," Richard said.

Raven wore a flowing white dress that hugged her nicely. It showed all the right curves. Richard was actually left speechless.

"Thank you. You look handsome."

Raven put her hand around Richard's arm. He led her down the hall and downstairs. In the foyer Alfred waited for them. He led them to the carriage. Once they were settled Alfred took to the front and they were off.

"Where are we going?" Raven asked.

"To this restaurant I found," Richard replied.

The whole ride was spent in comfortable silence. Raven mostly looked out the window watching the scenery pass by. Richard looked straight ahead. He was completely nervous about this whole date. He wasn't sure how to act around her. There were a lot of things he wanted to do and say, but didn't know what to say. There was something about Raven that made him act crazy. He was actually glad they weren't talking now for fear of saying something stupid.

The carriage finally stopped in front of a small restaurant. Richard stepped out first then helped Raven out. Alfred went to go park the carriage. The restaurant looked like a small cottage and had a simple touch to it. On the inside it looked more classy-like. Tables surrounded the whole room without it looking clunky. White covered each table with a candle on it. A vase with a flower in it sat on the table to. Soft music was playing throughout the room from the small orchestra at the ack. The floor was made of stone and the walls were painted a light yellow with gold trimming.

Raven was mesmerized by everything around her. It was very classy for a small place. The waitress led them to a table near the orchestra. She never even knew this place even existed. Richard was glad that she liked the place he picked out. He was afraid that she wouldn't like it or expect something more. He didn't like to show off how much money he had.

"This place is beautiful. I'm glad you took me here."

"You're welcome."

Richard was actually jumping for joy. It made him really happy to hear that from her. It took off some of the pressure and stress that he felt. The waitress came and took their order. The place wasn't packed and there were only a few people sitting around and enjoying the music.

"Where did you find this place?"

"I was out walking and just happened upon it."

"And how long have you known about it?"

"About four years now."

"So…who else have you brought here?"

"Only my mother."

"No special girl."

"I don't really date much which is why my mom is so desperate to get me married."

"I bet."

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with me."

"I never said that there was."

"But you implied it."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"You're just imagining things."

"Fine! Make me sound like I'm stupid."

"No. You're doing fine by yourself."

"Haha…very funny."

They continued to talk the whole night. As time went on Richard became more and more relaxed. Raven was really easy to talk to. He didn't know why he was so nervous to begin with. The music helped the ease of the mood. When they were done they headed out to meet Alfred.

"Now where do we go?" Raven asked.

"Alfred! You can drop us off at the park and we'll just walk back."

"Are you sure?" Alfred asked.

"Yeah! We'll be fine."

Alfred headed in the direction of the park. The good thing about the park is that it was close to the castle. Alfred stopped in front of the entrance to the park.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alfred asked with concern.

"You worry too much Alfred. We'll be fine," Richard replied with reassurance.

"I'm more worried about what your mother would say if I left you two alone to walk back."

"Uh…."

"Exactly!"

"You can just blame him," Raven suggested pointing at Richard.

"Hey!"

"That's a good idea."

"Don't agree with her."

Alfred just laughed as he pulled off.

"Now look at what you did. You've turned Alfred against me."

"I did no such thing."

"Don't act innocent."

"It's not my fault that Alfred sees that you're a trouble maker."

"I am not a trouble maker."

"Keep telling yourself that."

They argued the whole way into the park. Lucky for them there was no one else around. It was dark, but the path was lit by lanterns. A few crickets could be heard playing their songs. A few fireflies were flying around a few flower patches.

"This is nice."

"I don't think so."

"Are you still made about me saying that Alfred should blame you?"

"Yes."

"Well…get over it."

"Easy for you to say. You weren't insulted."

"Stop acting like a baby."

"I'm not."

"Then what do you call what you're doing?"

"A strong debate."

Raven simple rolled her eyes. It was too fun to tease him. Richard was really easy to fool. She actually enjoyed it. The glow from the moon shined down onto their path. It would have been better if she wasn't wearing a long dress. A few times she actually tripped and Richard actually found that cheerful. 'He would find enjoyment in this.' Not really paying attention to where she was going she tripped over a root sticking up in the ground. Before she could fall down Richard had grabbed her and held her to him.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

A soft smile formed on his face. Raven was momentarily entranced by his smile. It wasn't like the usual smiles that he showed. It seemed more different and she couldn't explain why. It made her insides feel strange and she couldn't really place what emotion it was. It seemed like time had stopped for the both of them. Nothing existed around them. Slowly as if some force was pulling them together they inched towards each other. Their kiss started off soft and sweet then became more aggressive and passionate. A moan escaped from Raven's lips. It felt like eternity had passed before they broke apart. It took awhile for them to catch their breath.

"We should get going."

"Right."

They kept walking around the park. A few stars were shinning from above. By the time they arrived back at the castle everyone had already gone to bed. Richard walked Raven to her room then headed to bed.

Xxxx

Narrator:

Things seem to be going smoothly with Richard and Raven. I wonder what Diana will come up with to speed up the process.