Wildwing had never expected he'd take a job as a mover. Canard was first to get hired after putting his life back in order and soon vouched for him to also be hired. He didn't mind the work much, it was a no-brainer and it kept him busy.
He glanced over his shoulder as he took one step at a time backwards, making sure the large wardrobe didn't hit the walls. The owner of the house was a rather overbearing, middle aged female who constantly squeaked and made 'oh!' noises.
He made the mistake of glancing at Canard, who made a face. Struggling to keep his composure, he lost his footing and almost got steam-rolled by the furniture as he lost his grip. Canard was pulled forward, but managed to save himself and the wardrobe as he grabbed ahold of the railing.
"OH!" The female duck squeaked, "Be careful!"
"Sure lady," Wing muttered.
Finally they got the wardrobe downstairs and out the door to a waiting truck. "One down, a whole house to go..." Canard said with a grin and slap on Wing's shoulder.
Wildwing closed his eyes. Great.
…...
The Brotherhood of the Blade
The mess hall was a large cavern similar to the Room of Reconcile. Duke sat in the corner, purposely shadowed, watching the proceedings around him.
A couple of junior members were fighting verbally over something stupid. The Blade's older members were playing cards, Duke watched as Old Rigger Covern carefully hid a card up his sleeve. Old habits never die, he thought.
Then there were the hundreds of other members filtering in and out as they pleased. Duke honestly didn't know if he had it in him to take charge again. Ches Longtale had been leader for so long and every time a leader took over, people got displaced and were expected to adjust again. And Duke was too tired to have the prospect of dealing with rebellious ducks again.
"Eat," Drebeer appeared next to him with a tray of food. "Pretty soon, if you turn sideways we won't be able to see you at all."
"Thanks."
Drebeer's amused expression was as close as he came to smiling. "Come on." He pushed a sandwich towards him.
After a few seconds, Duke took it. "Have you seen Patterrn at all?"
"Yup, he's right there," Drebeer pointed to the duck who was drooped over his chair across the hall, his eyes half open. "He hasn't asked about Fledge if that's what you mean."
"I didn't expect him to," Duke responded disgustly. "Why have kids at all if you're not going to treat them right?"
Drebeer paused, "are you still talking about Fledge or are you talking about us?"
Duke didn't know who he was referring to. Drebeer left their own home that was at the top of Ducaine City's most condemned list when he was only eleven, leaving Duke to spend another four years with their abusive drunken father and drug-addict mother alone. Duke had vowed if he ever had kids that he woud never treat them the way he was treated. It wasn't right.
Drebeer took his silence as an answer and dropped the subject.
…...
Later
Mallory opened the mailbox and shut it, flicking through the mail. She paused on a plain white envelope with no return address. She opened it, her beak slackening.
…...
Across the City: Bronze Lane
Mallory stomped past Otis, her father's appointed bodyguard. "Miss McMallard..." He began, his tone official, it pissed her off.
"Back off!" She snarled, she banged the door open and entered the sitting room, earning looks from her family's wealthy friends as they looked up from their leisure drink hour.
"What the hell is this?" She shook the paper at her father who was sitting in his chair, his half-moon glasses perched low on his beak.
"Mallory, glad you could join us," he greeted non too warmly. He glanced at her hand extended towards him. "What's it look like?"
"It's your f***ing will and a letter that says I'm entitled to none of your assets for when you die."
Her mother and a few of the wives flinched at her cussing.
Retired Wing Commander Pu'C McMallard sat frozen, watching his youngest child. "You will not speak so in front of me, your mother or our guests."
"Oh bite me, I'm an adult. Don't treat me like a child. What made you think I was ever after any of your shit?"
Her brother Kolton had his eyebrows raised so high she could barely see them beyond his lanky auburn hair. "You are making a scene Malley."
"Don't call me that," she snapped his way. "You know what I want from you? I want you to acknowledge your grandson when he's passing you on the street mom."
Ravyna looked away.
"I wanted you to teach him everything Duke and I couldn't...I wanted you to spend time with him...but I guess you're too wrapped up within your own lives to give a shit."
"Mallory, you need to go," Kolton said.
"Shut up Kolton! This doesn't concern you." Mallory was shaking from the fury inside her.
"He is the offspring of a known criminal," Pu'C finally said. "Why would I ever associate with the likes of him?"
"Not to mention he's a bastard child," Kolton muttered.
Mallory's vision turned red. She blacked out for a moment and quickly came to with Otis dragging her away from Kolton who was sporting a incredible black eye.
"Get her out of my house," Pu'C thundered. "Now!"
…...
Regla walked into the precinct, wishing he had a coffee in his hands. Since Mallory got him hooked on it, it was all he wanted lately.
Ti'Ra glanced up from her paperwork, "hey Cap, we got someone in the holding cell for ya."
"Great, I'll get to it."
Goodall appeared from seemingly nowhere. "You might want to go now Regla."
He studied his lieutenant for a minute and then changed his direction to the temporary holding cells. Goodall followed him.
The holding cells were dark, Regla vaguely thought of how lights really needed to be installed. He started observing the cells as he passed them, looking for someone familiar.
The last cell held someone with fiery red hair. As he got closer, he realized with a jolt who it was. "Mallory?"
She glanced at him and then looked away.
"She's in here on aggravated assault charges as well as..." Goodall coughed, uncomfortable.
"-as well as what?" Regla demanded.
"Home invasion," Mallory answered.
Regla sighed heavily and pulled his keys out, unlocking the cell. "Come on."
"No." She stated defiant. "If I'm going to be in here, I might as well do it right."
"Mallory," She glanced at him again. "Get out of the god-damn cell."
For a second she remained rooted to the bench, but then she got up.
…...
It took a while for Duke to be contacted since he had no form of communication on him. But when he finally appeared at the station, less than an hour later, he earned wary looks from the cops around him. He ignored them for the most part, his only mission to find Mallory who was in Regla's office.
"We'll figure this out," he said, taking her in his arms.
She wasn't crying, in fact she had no emotion on her face. "I haven't felt this good in years."
Regla shot her a dark look, "stop while you're ahead. You don't need to incriminate yourself further."
She raised her head from Duke's chest. "Don't you get it? I don't care...Kolto-"
She was interrupted to her father marching through the precinct's front doors. "Whose the boss here?" he barked.
Regla straightened, taking a breath. Goodall turned to him, uneasy. "I am." Pu'C McMallard stormed up to him and froze when he saw Mallory with Duke.
"So you're the black plague that corrupted my daughter."
Mallory pulled herself from Duke's grip and stood in front of him.
"I don't want trouble with you Sir," Duke finally admitted.
"Don't. Even. Talk. To. Me"
Regla saw this as an opening for him to attempt to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "Sir-"
"Retired Commander McMallard," her father snarled.
"Commander," Regla reiterated. "Could we take this into my office...you're disrupting the peace."
"If it's Drake Ducaine who drags me into hell, I'm not standing in the same room as that low life bastard."
"Well then you need to leave. I'm only standing for two options... either you leave or you come into my office."
"Why aren't you throwing that trash out! Where it belongs on the street!" Pu'C spat at Duke, surprisingly almost hitting him. "That's something PSF teaches you...of course you wouldn't know because you're nothing!"
"Duke has done nothing wrong. He has much right as you to be here."
"Like hell..." Pu'C turned to Mallory, jabbing a finger at her. "I'm still charging that little bitch for what she did."
"I've already dropped the home invasion charge," Regla murmured.
"What!"
"She was in your home for the most part in a non threatening manner. There's no such thing as home invasion unless she steals or murders someone in your home."
"Fine," Pu'C snapped. "I want a restraining order."
"Commander, with all due respect, she's your daug-"
"She's no daughter of mine," Pu'C snarled. "She hasn't been in a very long time."
Mallory felt her face heat up.
"Apologize," Duke growled.
"No." Pu'c returned his enraged gaze to Regla. "I expect the official documents on my desk later today."
"Yes Sir, I need your commu-"
"You can find it in your computer directory." With that Pu'C stormed out.
…...
Outside
Ravyna quickly hid the tissue as her husband came stomping down the steps of the city's precinct. She caught sight of Otis watching her in the rearview mirror and quickly dismissed him.
The car rocked as Pu'C slammed the door. "Drive."
"As you wish Sir," Otis began to drive.
"That piece of trash was in there," Pu'C's knuckles were sharply defined as he gripped the door handle.
"He was?" She asked faintly. "What did he do?"
"Coward, he did nothing...just stood there." Pu'C shook his head fiercely. "She could have been anything...anything. But she disappeared during that invasion, on some mission, remember Ravyna? And now look at her, a frickin slut running around and f***ing a criminal."
Ravyna squeaked a little at the insults. "P-Pu'C, that's a little harsh..."
"No it's not, that's how she's to be referred, a slut." Pu'C shook his head again. "I''l take her to court, I will. I'll take her to court and win."
…...
Mallory was quiet on the way home as Regla insisted on driving her and Duke. There were many times Regla wanted to break the silence, but thought better of it. When he pulled up in front of their home, neither Duke nor Mallory made a move to get out. Regla cut the engine and waited for one of them to speak, Duke was first.
"Say something kid."
Up front, Mallory's face was shadowed. "What's there to say?"
"I wish I frickin knew," Duke leaned against his hand as he rested his elbow near the window. He noticed Asher standing in the window, watching them. "We can't lie to him."
"I'm not telling him anything...he doesn't need to know."
"I'll try to soften the charge," Regla murmured. "I don't know how good it'll do."
"Don't. It won't work. Thank you for the ride home," Mallory got out, leaving Duke.
Duke reached out, resting his hand on Regla's shoulder. "Thanks."
"No problem."
Duke got out too.
…...
Ravyna sat stiffly in her kitchen, a cup of wine in front of her. Kolton appeared from the dark hallway.
"Hey mother."
"Kolt..." she gazed up at him, her appeal of having him in her presence dampened by the ugly bruise and split eyebrow caused by her daughter. "Are you going to sit with me?"
"Ah, can't see I'm seeing this girl tonight, but I have bit of a problem..."
"What's that?"
"I helped out this elderly couple yesterday...they misplaced their wallet and didn't have money for food so I gave them everything I had...could I borrow a little from you? If it's not too much trouble."
For a moment Ravyna sat, her mind blank. Kolton had been going through an awful lot of money lately. "Yes, how much?"
"Umm, say five ments?"
"Five ments? Isn't that a little much?"
"Girl's got expensive taste," he replied, jovial.
"Okay." She fished for the money. "Have a good time dear."
"I will." He disappeared.
She watched him go, loneliness hitting her hard. She knew deep down he didn't have a date, that he was going to be at the Ducaine Casino from the time he got there until the time he left.
"You know what I want from you? I want you to acknowledge your grandson when he's passing you on the street mom."
Ravyna buried her face in her hands.
"I wanted you to teach him everything Duke and I couldn't...I wanted you to spend time with him...but I guess you're too wrapped up within your own lives to give a shit."
Mallory had never asked for anything, she was always the last to ask for anything. It took weeks of reminding and coaxing before Ravyna ever got an answer for what Mallory would want for her birthday.
Ravyna knew that Mallory wasn't what Pu'C wanted. He had wanted two sons and became quite irrational when he found out Mallory had been a girl. Ravyna remembered the day her daughter was born. She had been so overjoyed as she sat in her bed, holding her hazel-eyed little girl with red hair that stood on end.
Then the shouting began, as Pu'C came into her room, his eyes enraged as he beheld his wife holding their baby daughter. He went as far as to claim she wasn't theirs, that there was a mistake. Then he subdued and resigned himself to the fact that he had a girl.
It had been hell raising Mallory since Pu'C refused to even associate with her. Ravyna had to be constantly on watch for her daughter as Pu'C would leave Mallory unattended in a room. It all changed when the Puckworld Special Forces opened their draft to women. Pu'C saw a potential to get two McMallards in the army so he started vigorously training Mallory when she was eleven.
While other girls were doing play dates and learning how to apply makeup, Mallory was doing three and four mile runs, learning to dodge bullets and scaling fences better than any boy her age. Ravyna knew she should have put a stop to it as Mallory grew distant and aloof like her father, but she didn't.
Ravyna stood, there was somewhere she had to be.
…...
There was a knock on the door, Asher got up from the kitchen table where he and Fledge were chopping weird looking vegetables as Mallory started cooking. "I'll get it."
He opened the front door to see a silver haired duck. His grandmother. "Hi."
She fidgeted with her purse. "Oh...hello." She took a few moments to study the young duck in front of her. He had his mother's eyes, soft hazel, but yet though she had never seen the legendary Duke L'orange, she knew Asher's build was his father's. Lean but yet strong. His feather were peculiar, peach colored, but yet broadly dominated by grey patches. It suits you, she thought. "Is your mother home?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I'm mean yes...I'll go get her. Do you want to come in?"
She stood for a moment stunned, she had painted such a vivid picture of a hooligan, monster child, that it was taking her by surprise how polite he was being. "O-of course...t-thank you."
As Asher disappeared, Ravyna briefly thought back to one of Kolton's ex-girlfriends. She and Pu'C had been forced to stand outside in a freezing ice storm as Kolton and the girlfriend got the house in order after forgetting the dinner date. They weren't even allowed the decency of standing within the mud room. But of course in Pu'C's eyes, his son could do no wrong.
As she waited, she was drawn to a small table of photos. Each one had Asher at a different stage of growth and each picture had a different duck with him. There was a young duck with shoulder length blonde hair wrestling gently with Asher in the snow.
A older white feathered duck with another tan colored duck about the same age, sitting on the ground with Asher who was holding a puck.
Then there was a female with a large duck who had Asher sitting on his shoulders. The last had a cream colored duck and a grey colored duck, the grey duck's face was shining as he watched his son, his hand resting on the boy's head.
Ravyna heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned to see Mallory with her arms crossed.
"There isn't one of you," she said.
Mallory's eyes flickered to the pictures and then rested back on her mother's face. "I'm not pictionary."
Ravyna blinked.
"What do you want?" Mallory asked, her tone cold.
"I-wanted...to see you."
Mallory shrugged, "I'm here."
Ravyna felt her heart sink. She had made her daughter this way. "I wanted to apologize for your fath-"
"I'm over it."
Ravyna shook her head, "no you're not. It wasn't right."
Mallory didn't move or speak. Then. "Well I'm going to have to cut this short, we're about to eat."
"I see." Ravyna headed to the door. "I'll just go then."
Mallory watched her mother go to the door, everything about her broken. A shadow shifted to her far right. Half turning, she saw Duke shake his head slightly. 'Don't do this,' he mouthed.
Mallory glanced back at her mother's retreating back. She sighed, "mom."
Ravyna looked back at her, trying to hide the hurt.
"Have you eaten?"
…...
The table was awkwardly silent as Ravyna joined them. Mallory ignored her mother's slow picking at her food.
Asher glanced around the table and then spoke, "Fledge and I got an A on our group test in math."
"That's good," Duke responded when Mallory didn't. "Your mother is a self-proclaimed genius in math."
Mallory studied her mother as the female duck glanced at Duke. "I don't know about that...Tanya's the genius." She argued lightly.
"Asher did most of the work," Fledge was first to finish his dinner.
"Yeah, but you wrote it down. Kudos to you for keeping up with me." Asher smiled at his friend who cracked a ghostly grin in return.
"What grade are you in?" Ravyna asked hesitantly.
"Sixth," Asher answered.
Sixth grade...I've missed six years of his education. Ravyna couldn't believe her own ignorance. Pu'C was the one who refused to let her be around her grandson. Seeing him now, in front of her, she was beginning to feel like it was high time she started making up her own mind about things.
She insisted on helping Mallory and Duke with the dishes as Asher and Fledge disappeared for homework. Having spent dinner with them, she realized Duke wasn't the die-hard, low life criminal that she had made assumptions over. He was instead, quiet, and had a very laid back attitude like nothing really fazed him. And from the way he watched her daughter, Ravyna knew with certainty that Duke and Mallory were very much in love.
"Well, I should go...thank you for having me. I see you're almost as good as me with cooking," she became a little mortified over the joke that she had made. What if she doesn't see it like that? She won't see it like that...
"I'm surprised I'm not worse after living on G.I rations for I don't know how long," Mallory responded, her voice warmer than earlier.
Ravyna relaxed. "I tried one of those once...they're so dry."
"Canard had us eat that before we-" Duke caught sight of Mallory shaking her head. "-we um, played a game of hockey...remember that kid? He said it would give us an advantage over Wing and the others."
"Mmm, I argued with him," Mallory continued the conversation.
Ravyna watched Duke curiously before gathering her coat and purse. "well thank you again."
"Did you drive?" Mallory asked.
"No, I-I walked..."
"You shouldn't walk home alone, I'll go with ya..." Duke disappeared into the hallway to grab his black leather trench coat.
"I'll be fine, really." Ravyna tried to brush off.
"No, it's okay." Duke wouldn't back down. "Besides, I guess you would almost be my mother-in-law...I'd feel bad if something happened."
"Oh...well," Ravyna glanced at Mallory a last time as a plead to stop him from walking her home. It was nothing to do with him, it was the fear of what Pu'C would do if he saw Duke.
"I'll be waiting." Mallory wiped the counter off. "If you want to come back again sometime Mom, feel free."
"What are you doing on Hethern?" Ravyna blurted out before she knew it.
Mallory smiled, "we'll be here."
Ravyna returned the smile. "then I will too."
…...
Duke knew enough to not pester Ravyna McMallard on the way home. If she wanted to talk then she would. Finally she did break the silence.
"It wasn't right of Pu'C to treat you the way he did. I'm as much to blame."
Duke glanced sideways at her, "your feelings are justified, I know I'm not the most lily-whited person, but I think I'm one of the only people who can walk in both worlds and be unaffected. If Mal told me tomorrow to leave the Brotherhood, I would."
Mal...interesting.
"The Brotherhood," Ravyna echoed. "How much can you tell me about them?"
Duke stopped, "you want to know about the Brotherhood of the Blade?"
Ravyna also paused, "yes, it would help me figure you out better."
Duke started walking again, "there's not much to tell...the leader is not what you'd expect. He has morals if you could believe that. Some like him for it, others not so much."
"And-" Ravyna's heart was pounding. "-how would A-Asher play into all this?"
"I don't want him apart'a it, my brother and I have worked very hard to keep the darker aspects of life and the Brotherhood from him and it'll stay that way."
"You have a brother?"
"Yeah, Arren Drebeer. We're half brothers, he's a year older although not anymore."
"What do you mean not anymore?"
Duke realized he was treading too close to the topic of Earth that Mallory had warned him away from.
"This is all tied in with that mission she disappeared on...isn't it?" Ravyna absently tugged on her gloves. "We thought she died...and then when she returned and didn't contact us right away-"
"She was kind of busy," Duke replied awkwardly.
"With what?"
Duke shifted his gaze to her, "when we returned from where we were...I was arrested give or take five minutes after I landed a malfunctioning aerowing. The cop that arrested me since then has become our friend...but I was 'executed' only I never went to the chambers for it."
Ravyna listened in rapt quiet interest.
"Mallory spent weeks trying to spring me, but it didn't do much good," he finished.
"You're alive so how-?"
"The Brotherhood got me out."
"So you are in their debt..."
"Kind of."
They were approaching Bronze Lane. Ravyna looked up and realized where they were. "We got here so fast."
"We took a shortcut."
"We did?"
Duke didn't answer. Instead he moved forward again, only to have her stop him this time.
"My house is right here...I don't want Pu'C seeing you."
He took half a step back. "Okay. Have a good night." His eyes flickered to the house, taking in the size and detail. "You might wanna get that camera checked."
Ravyna blinked, surprised, turned to the camera perched in the front of the house and then back at Duke, only to find him gone.