Ashes of Revenge

Everyone stood there, frozen in shock and disbelief. Well, almost everyone; Colt and Richard didn’t even react in the slightest.

“That’s impossible,” the Queen said, still in a faint daze from Death controlling her. “The Princess and Queen disappeared years ago. How do you know this is her?”

“My Queen, I used to watch Elizabeth. I never told a soul she was capable of escaping my gaze, even if locked in a room.” Fernando quickly turned to face Raven. “And what of your mum?”

“Dead,” Raven said. Her face dropped, and the emotion seemed to come at a delay.

“How did she pass?”

Raven gave a closed-mouth smile that seemed to go down at the corners. “I think it would be best if yeh don’t know.” Raven knew how much Fernando loved her mum, and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him how she suffered.

“Very well,” Fernando said as he bowed his head in respect.

Raven turned her attention to the Queen and Prince. “Tha King married yeh a month after we went missin’?” Raven asked, despite knowing the answer.

“Yes,” the Queen said.

Raven pursed her lips and nodded. She wanted so badly to take her sword and drive it through the Queen and Prince and then drag their corpses to the King.

The Queen could almost sense Raven’s anger. “There was a threat of war . . . a King without a Queen or an heir to-” She stopped when she noticed Raven’s glare.

“Why isn’t tha King here?”

“Some of the Monstro villages were destroyed, so he decided it would be best if we turned around, and he passed through to the Farian Kingdom.”

Raven definitely hated her. “What’s yer name?” she asked.

“Dara.”

Raven turned her attention to the boy. “I take it yer her son?” The boy nodded. “What’s yer name?”

“Victor.” Raven nodded. “What brings you on this path anyway?” he asked.

“Frankly, I have no idea how we got here.” At the mention of “we,” Fernando looked back at Colt and Richard, who were talking to each other in hushed tones.

“Princess Elizabeth-”

“Raven . . . that’s my name. No Princess attached to it either.”

Fernando nodded, almost sadly before he proceeded, “What species are they?”

“The older one is Farian, Richard, an’ the younger one is a Shifter, Colt.” She could tell they all valued honesty as much as she valued a sharp dagger. Vaguely she wondered what principles she - or even Richard and Colt - would currently have if their lives had taken a different turn.

Fernando was slightly surprised for a second. It was rare to have a Mundus be with either a Farian or a Shifter, rarely both. “Friends?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“Why don’t you come back to the Castle with us? You can even bring your friends,” Dara said with a warm smile.

Raven stayed silent for a moment. “Let me talk to ’em.” She walked back to Richard and Colt.

“How’s it goin’?” Richard asked.

“They asked us to come back to tha Castle.”

Everyone pursed their lips as confusion washed over them.

″What are yeh goin’ to say?” Colt asked.

“You have to say yes,” Death said. He was standing directly behind Raven, and his breath fanned across her neck, naturally sending shivers down her spine.

“I’m gonna say yes.” Her hand brushed up against her nose.

Death smiled.

“So are we just goin’ to abandon tha Monstro Kingdom?”

“We have to. We are not even in tha Kingdom anymore. We don’t even know if Bram an’ Mark are ok.”

“We should’ve weakened ’em enough to damage ’em,” Colt remarked. “We’ll find a way to send back letters.”

“Bram an’ Mark are in tha bushes watchin’ us,” Richard remarked. Neither Colt nor Raven turned to give anything away. The two had probably tumbled out another side of the mountain. “So are we makin’ this our new target?” Richard asked, knowing the answer. It was too dangerous to travel back through the remaining Mundus and Monstro Kingdom with no horses or supplies. They were in so deep it would be easier to change tactics than turn around.

Raven and Colt nodded, and they all walked to the other group.

“Oll right, we’ll go,” Raven said.

“Will you need a horse?” Fernando asked.

Richard and Colt shook their heads.

“Nah, we’ll walk.” They didn’t want to take their help.

Two Knights gave up their horses to Victor and Dara, seeing as how the carriage was currently a pile of burned wood.

Fernando led the way with Knights surrounding Dara and Victor. Richard, Raven, and Colt were last. Bram and Mark continued to creep through the foliage.

“So what happened to yeh guys?” Raven asked.

“We were trapped in a room,” Colt said.

“Nothin’ attacked yeh, or none of yeh were hurt?”

“You don’t believe me?” Death pretended to be offended.

“No,” Colt said, slightly confused. “We were fine.”

“What about yeh?” Richard questioned. He didn’t know what it was, but Raven was acting slightly differently than usual.

She shrugged. “Nothin’.”

***

Raven’s feet dragged behind her as she walked. They had been walking all day, and night had fallen. More blisters were forming on her feet, and she couldn’t feel her toes, those being the only reasons she didn’t jump for joy when she saw the village. Colt was on the verge of collapse as well. Richard was the only one who seemed fine; they both greatly resented and hated him for it. At one point, they had almost jumped on him and forced the Farian to carry them - the only thing keeping them from doing so was his intense stares and possibly real warnings.

Fernando turned his horse around and faced Dara and Victor. “I will go find the Palace Official, my Queen, and Prince.”

Both nodded, and he rode off. Richard, Colt, and Raven walked past them.

“Where are you going?” Victor asked with genuine curiosity.

“To get drunk,” Raven remarked. “Tell Fernando he can find us in a pub.” With that statement, they walked off into the town.

“Mum?” Victor asked.

“Yes?”

“What do you think of Elizabeth?”

“I don’t know what I think of her. She’s different from the stories I’ve heard.” There was a long pause as she opened her mouth faintly. Strands of her hair blew in front of her face, and her crown weighed down her head. “But,” she began, “she seems to have been through a lot. I can’t imagine how she got those burns.”

“Do you even think it’s a good idea to have her in the Castle?”

“I don’t know.”

***

“I don’t like ’em!” Raven spat out.

“Yeh don’t even know ’em,” Colt reminded.

“Yeh are right, I don’t. But” - venom laced her voice as her teeth gritted together, and her accent thickened - “then yeh have to think about tha fact that she began to sleep with tha King a month after I went missin’!” Raven leaned across the table. “That an’ he decided to marry someone who has a son! Without me, he was goin’ to receive tha throne! Now there’s a competitor!”

Now that Raven was back, there was a rivalry for the throne. The King would decide who would get it, and Raven knew she wouldn’t be chosen. Blood wasn’t a factor in choosing, only a suggestion. The only requirement was that they were in the Royal Family; unless the Ruler was assassinated, and his crown, sword, and ring were taken.

“They seem kinda nice.”

“I don’t care! Victor was supposed to be my replacement! Tha King can choose who he weds! He knew exactly what he was doin’!”

Richard placed their drinks on the table, and Raven quickly grabbed hers. She began to drink the Birra that wasn’t as sweet as the Farian beverage or as bitter as the Monstro one.

Richard took a sip of the drink and coughed at the tartness. He preferred the Farian Birra to this. It was sweet and highly addictive, not even tasting like alcohol - it was what got Raven hooked on Birra in the first place.

Richard slid his drink over to the middle of the table and sat back.

“Yeh ok?” Richard asked Raven.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” Richard stared at her, and she shifted in her seat. “I don’t like ’em, ok?!”

“Poor Raven,” Death crooned in her ear.

“Just calm down, Raven,” Richard said. “My goodness, I haven’t seen yeh this mad in years.” Raven sighed before she placed her head on the table. “Look,” Richard’s tone was now more serious, “maybe in tha mornin’ yeh will feel better about this situation.”

Raven didn’t say anything. She knew she would most likely never stop hating them.

She noticed Richard wasn’t drinking his pint. “Yer not drinkin’?” she asked, changing the subject, her head still on the table.

“Nah. Too bitter for me.”

“Yeh Farians have sensitive taste buds,” Colt said with a laugh. The alcohol was beginning to kick in.

Richard raised his eyebrows as a response.

Raven smiled at Colt’s remark, and she took another swig of her drink, managing to finish the pint. Reaching across the table, she grabbed Richard’s Birra.

Richard faintly smiled at them, though neither saw it; he didn’t know if it was in pity or something else. The drinking would start after they had a nightmare or another factor had triggered it. He knew Raven was drinking because of the discovery of Dara and Victor. Colt was drinking because they had been in the cave.

Colt never did particularly well in cramped spaces or rooms in which he was trapped in. Richard understood why, and because of that, he allowed him to drink.

He allowed both of them to drink.

***

Fernando walked out of the Inn after stationing the Knights at every entry or exit way. The Palace Official that had been sent to the town in advance to make sure the entire Inn was empty and that the Queen and Prince had the biggest and most comfortable rooms in the village.

It was late at night, and he was trying to find Raven. Dara had told him they had gone to a pub, but finding the group was another issue.

Finally, his eyes landed on Richard, who was leaning against the outside wall of a building.

Fernando opened his mouth to speak. Within the next second, Fernando’s face slammed against the wood with his arm locked behind him, and a cold knife rested against his throat.

When Richard saw it was Fernando, he sighed in relief and released him, putting the knife away again. “Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“It’s fine,” Fernando said as he breathed out and paused for a second. “Where’s Raven?”

“Soberin’ up.”

Fernando’s eyebrows knitted together, and his forehead wrinkled. Richard motioned with his head for Fernando to follow him, which he did. They walked behind the pub and finally stopped when they saw Colt and Raven.

Raven was on the ground, practically dry heaving, seeing as how she had nothing left to throw up. Colt was propped up against the side of the building, half-conscious.

“Are they ok?”

“Yeah, they are fine. Happens oll tha time.”

Fernando looked at him, shock on his face. “When will they be sober?”

Richard walked over to Raven and gently kicked her leg. When she cursed and swatted at his leg, he then walked over to Colt. He lightly slapped Colt’s face. His eyes shot open, and looked at Richard, more alert than anything. Richard walked back over to a confused Fernando.

“They’re sober.”

Fernando opened and closed his mouth, not particularly knowing what to say next. “I got rooms for you guys.” Now it was Richard’s turn to look confused. It had been so long since anything had been done for any of them that Richard almost declined Fernando’s offer so he could do it himself.

“Thanks,” Richard finally said. He walked over to Colt and grabbed his shirt, yanking him to his feet. Richard, still holding Colt’s collar, walked over to Raven. He leaned down and grabbed the back of Raven’s shirt before heaving her to her feet. She grunted and stumbled as Richard pushed Raven forward and dragged Colt behind, up to Fernando.

Fernando began to walk in the direction of their rooms, Richard following.

“How did you learn to fight?” Fernando asked. The hold and speed Richard had used on him wasn’t something one learned on the streets.

“I don’t know . . . natural reaction, I guess.”

They walked into the building and up the stairs, Richard struggling with Raven and Colt.

“I got three rooms.”

“Thanks,” Richard grunted as he opened a door, dragged them into it, and gently tossed Raven onto the bed.

Richard went to the next room and gently placed Colt onto the bed, who grabbed his arm. Despite not saying anything, Richard knew he was scared. He knelt next to Colt and brushed the sweaty hair off of the Shifter’s forehead, earning a flinch from the boy. Slowly, he placed his forehead against Colt’s.

“I’ll be in tha other room, ok?” Colt slowly nodded. Richard squeezed his arm and stood up.

Colt fell on his back and closed his eyes, exhausted. Richard took off the Shifter’s boots and top layers of clothing before he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Fernando was looking down at the ground, not wanting to be awkwardly staring at them.

Richard walked into Raven’s room. She was sitting up on the bed, her hands against her forehead and her mouth open, breathing heavily. Richard knelt in front of her and gently removed her hands from her face. She tensed and flinched at his touch. Fernando almost felt relieved that she didn’t only do it to him.

“Yeh need to go to bed,” Richard said in the kindest tone he could muster.

“I don’t want to,” Raven mumbled.

“Scared, are we?” Death taunted across the room.

That smile returned.

“Yeh have to. Yer goin’ to feel like crap in tha morning if yeh don’t.”

“I’m gonna feel like crap regardless.”

“Then yer goin’ to feel less like crap if yeh go to bed. Yeh need rest. Yeh walked tha entire way here, and we were in that cave right before we fought, then yeh got drunk and threw up for hours.” Raven remained silent. “At least promise me yeh will try to rest?”

There was a moment of silence as Raven looked at Richard. He looked exhausted, and she knew the only way he would go to sleep is if he knew that she and Colt were doing the same.

“Ok,” Raven finally said. “I’ll go to sleep.”

A faint smile fell upon Richard’s face. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before he stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Richard began to walk to his room.

“Do they not sleep?” Fernando asked.

Richard turned around and leaned himself against the wall. Whether it was in tiredness or casualness, neither knew.

“They both have nightmares.” Richard knew Fernando only asked about both out of politeness - he wasn’t concerned about the Shifter.

There was a moment of silence as the two men looked at each other.

Fernando could tell Richard was more than exhausted. He wanted so badly to ask the Farian what the nightmares were about or why they had them - despite having a good idea. He wanted to know everything that had happened to Raven that he didn’t get the chance to see, but just the pure tiredness Richard displayed halted all of them.

“I’m sorry.” Was all Fernando could think of to say.

Richard nodded, pushed himself off the wall, and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

Fernando went to stand guard at a spot around the building as he thought. It seemed the more he got to know Elizabeth - Raven - the more he didn’t want to know. He truly loved Raven and hated to see her burned skin, getting beyond wasted to the point of barely being able to function or the fact that she didn’t want to sleep because of nightmares. And while he found similarities between her and the Shifter, he didn’t know if he felt sorry for him.

While Fernando had seen the Shifter’s scars and could take a decent guess as to why he got beyond drunk, he had watched too many of his men be mercilessly killed by Colt’s species. However, if Raven trusted him and he had helped her, he was willing to give Colt the faintest benefit of the doubt; besides, the boy had flinched and seemed to have more emotion than anything Fernando had seen from the Shifters before.

And Richard; he had to take care of both Raven and Colt, and from what Fernando had glimpsed, it was a handful. Fernando remembered a time when he loved Elizabeth as much, but now he didn’t even know her.

Sighing heavily, he allowed his thoughts to drift away from the group.

***

Raven sat where Richard had left her, having only taken off her boots and overshirt.

“How long were we in tha cave?” Raven asked.

“A week, but I made it feel like an hour.” Now the timeline of the Royals going through the Monstro village added up.

“Yeh killed my men an’ made Oliver fight me?”

“Yes, what gave it away?”

Raven shrugged. “His eyes had this lifelessness to ’em an’ yeh had blood on yer clothes.” Raven thought back to the language that had been whispered in her ear, it had spoken, and she had listened like a Siren luring men to their deaths.

That stupid smile was plastered on his face.

Raven just glared at him. “Aw, come now!” Death exclaimed. “Tell you what, tomorrow I’ll give you and the group of misfits a little surprise.”

“If yeh hurt ’em-” Death grabbed her throat and wrists with unnaturally fast reactions. He held her body with her arm held above her head, her sword ready to strike.

Death slowly lifted her in the air. Raven had to let go of her sword and latched her hands onto his arm.

“I’m a being of my word, Raven!” His voice was laced with anger, and he jerked her towards him more. “When I say that I won’t hurt them, I mean it!” Within seconds, his face softened, and his grip loosened.

That smile returned.

“Don’t worry. You’ll like the surprise. I promise. Now” - he shoved Raven away, and she collided with the edge of the bed - “I think you should go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“I don’t want to go to sleep unless yeh have taken away tha nightmare.”

“Of course, I haven’t. But it also doesn’t matter what you want.” His fingertips fell upon her forehead. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and her body fell back.

“Sweet dreams.”

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