Nights in Rodan Ch. 06

Leni raced down the empty corridors and stairs; the dungeon was buried deep in the bowels of the castle. The walls went from white to a dingy grey as she descended the last staircase. It was dark, wet, and cold. Kieran must be miserable she thought. She listened and heard a guard coming towards her. She didn't want to kill anyone, but she had nowhere to hide. She concentrated on her hands, and when he rounded the corner, she pushed him he flew back into the wall and sank down to the floor unconscious. She checked him and made sure he was still breathing before moving on. There was a long row of cells and she didn't have time to check them all.

"Kieran?" she whispered, but heard nothing. She repeated his name louder.

"Who's there?" he demanded. She ran towards his voice, to the last cell on the block.

"Thank the gods it's you, do you have the key?" Kieran said, seeing Leni. His dirty hand reached out for it but she cursed.

"I don't, but I do have an idea." She told him. She held the padlock in her hand and replayed the events in her mind when Ferinor was in her chamber but she was able to temper her anger. She squeezed the lock and the metal melted slightly making the lock pop open.

"You're getting really good." Kieran told her, grinning from ear to ear.

"The raiders are trying to take the castle, we have to find Rayn." She tugged his arm towards the stairs.

"I kind of need a sword." He said sarcastically," I can't exactly go charging into battle without one."

"You can have the one off that guard over there." She pointed, noticing his jaw drop as she did so.

"You intentionally knocked out a guard?" he asked her in shock.

"Just get the sword!" she almost yelled at him. This was not the time for his sarcasm.

They went back the way she'd come. She noticed how filthy his clothes were, and his feet were bare. She felt awful. She had been the reason he was treated badly.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," Kieran said, heading for the courtyard.

"I'm not leaving until I find Rayn," she was determined.

Kieran grabbed her arm," I promised him I would get you out. You will listen to me."

"Or what, you'll overpower me?" she asked derisively, before heading the other direction as she pulled away from him.

"Stop it! Just do what I say for once," he said, his voice showing he was very irritated.

Leni went along with what he wanted, but they didn't get very far. As they were about to make a run for it across the open courtyard, a stream of warriors on horseback flooded in followed closely by an army of raiders. A horse's shrill whinny pierced the air, men cried out in pain or to each other. Eleanor looked frantically for Rayn but didn't see him.

"Get inside!" Kieran said, as he pushed Leni back into the castle, and waded into the fray with his sword raised.

Leni was suddenly terrified and she froze. Kieran cut down two raiders and was engaging a third when he turned back and saw her standing there alone. "Run Leni!" he screamed as he swung his sword and toppled another one. Her fear rose up inside her. She wanted to run and she didn't want to kill anybody, but she closed her eyes and concentrated carefully, building a force in her mind and sending it outward. She opened her eyes to see a raider running at her full speed. She gasped and put her hands up as if to push him. The force was so strong it knocked over everyone within 50 paces of her. The rest of the fighting lulled and everyone looked at her. She was suddenly very afraid of all the focus on her.

Run!

She turned and ran but she didn't know where to go. Her only exit had been cut off so she did the only thing that seemed like a decent idea. She headed for Rayn's chambers; she would just have to hide in the passageway until it was over even though that seemed cowardly and she'd rather be helping, but she didn't know which side to help! She was rounding the corner toward the throne room when King Mollach himself took her by surprise. She shrieked and threw her hands up again throwing him back against the opposite wall but he recovered quickly. She pulled her dagger and he drew his sword. She hadn't been taught how to fight like this so she just prayed she could escape somehow.

She waited for him to engage her; she didn't want to make the first move. He lunged at her and swung his sword in a low arc. She jumped over it as it passed close to her legs and stepped into arms reach so he couldn't use it on her again, a trick she'd learned from Riley. She pushed more magic into her hands with her mind and managed to pin him against the wall but it didn't last. Her magic was waning quickly; she'd spent so much energy already. Grey was bigger than she was, almost as big as Rayn she noticed. His armor glistened, his sword was sharp. She was no match for a seasoned warrior like him. He raised his sword and she tried to duck under his arm but he was faking. He grabbed her throat with his large hand. She tried to stab him with her dagger but he twisted it out of her hand and threw it aside with little effort.

"You thought you could run from me?" he growled in her face, his hot breath caressing her skin. His fingers pressed into her windpipe and made her vision blur. He was so strong. She tried to focus but she couldn't. Oh Gods it couldn't end like this! She kicked at him and tried to break his grip but he forced her against a stone statue of a knight in the corridor.

"You will lose your life protecting these filthy rats?" he spat.

She tried to scream again but she could barely breathe. She clawed at his hands as the sounds of a battle echoed farther down the corridor. Lukas' face entered her mind, tears ran down her face. He'd grow up an orphan, just like she had. She tried to force the magic through her veins but the little that she felt pass through her went unnoticed by her assailant. Eleanor felt Grey Mollach's grip go slack as her eyes rolled back, her head hit the floor hard and she blacked out.

**

She woke up hearing voices, many voices. The wounded were laid out on the floor around her, some moaned, several were bleeding, but many were simply resting. If the fighting was over, why hadn't someone come for her? Where were they? She panicked and got up to look around. She steadied herself on the wall and walked into the throne room. She was shocked at the sight of it. The King was slumped on this throne; an arrow stuck out of his left shoulder; that must have been why he had dropped her. His throat had been slashed; the large wound had poured blood down the front of his shiny armor but it had dried already. She covered her mouth and almost retched on the floor. If they'd done this to the King, what had they done to Rayn?

A man approached her that she didn't recognize. He was definitely Rodanian, with tanned skin and blazing green eyes. He was very striking for a middle aged man; he was in good physical shape. His clothes were a little bloodied and dirty but he was clean shaven. He was a raider.

"Who are you?" he demanded of her, firmly.

"My name is Eleanor, I was a prisoner of the King," she said, thinking maybe she could win his favor and he might help her.

"I'm Kien, are you wounded?' he asked, his hard stare as he surveyed her. She rubbed her neck instinctively.

"No," it didn't hurt that badly but she did have a headache, "where is the Prince?" she asked, dying to know.

"In the dungeon, wounded in battle." His eyes narrowed.

"I need to see him, immediately." She told him.

"He is to be tried for crimes against Rodan." He said, turning to walk away.

"No, you don't understand. He tried to stop his father." She pleaded her case.

He stopped and turned very slowly towards her, he thought for a moment.

"The King was my enemy just as much as yours. Please let me explain, let me show you. I'm Rodanian like you, I want to help." She pleaded with Kien and noticed most of the other Rodanians in the room were listening to the exchange.

Leni walked over to the table behind Kien and pulled out the papers she had hidden earlier. She laid out the portrait first and let him read it, before he passed it around the table and slowly each man read what was on it.

"What does this have to do with anything?" he asked when it finally got all the way around.

"I am the daughter of King Domnall Cormack," she said, leveling her most serious gaze on him. He smiled wide and laughed.

Leni unbuttoned the top two buttons of her linen shirt and pulled it down over her shoulder; she swept her dirty tangled hair to the side and turned around.

"Look at the birthmark. I am his daughter," she announced. The men took turns looking at it and considering the portrait of her mother. She turned back around and what she saw shocked her. Every man in her immediate vicinity had taken a knee and held their right fist over their heart in a gesture of solidarity. The rest of the room eventually followed. It was very disconcerting for Leni, but she accepted it with grace.

"Please rise," She told them.

"My humblest apologies," Kien said, his tone making it sound like he was almost groveling; it was a complete turn around in attitude.

"It's alright. I would like to see Prince Rayn now," She said persistently.

"I will take you to him," Kein said.

Leni grabbed the papers and brought them with her. She started off in the direction of the dungeons with Kien and she couldn't help but wonder where Kieran, Ramsey and Riley were too. She was worried about everyone; her hands started sweating when she went down the last staircase into the dungeon. She started imagining all the awful injuries Rayn probably had and wondered if he would be able to recover; it made her eyes well up but she held back and tried to convince herself he was alive and that meant he would be ok. Kien gestured to the third cell on the right, and she looked through the small barred window to see Rayn lying in a heap on the floor. He had been stripped of his armor and she could see he had a nasty head wound.

She turned to Kien, saying, "Open it."

He hesitated.

"Now." She commanded.

The door was barely cracked and she pushed past him, "I need to have a private conversation, leave the door open and wait for me by the staircase," she said, not bothering to turn to address him.

He nodded and retreated from the doorway. She checked to make sure he was standing where she told him to; she didn't want him to overhear. She looked at Rayn again; he was covered with battlefield grime. She lifted his head.

"Rayn," she said, shaking him gently, "Rayn come back to me, please," She begged him in a whisper. He groaned slowly. "Rayn please. Oh Gods, please Rayn wake up," She said, her voice cracking as she was crying now. "Wake up," She said, wiping his face off with the hem of her shirt. He had a large gash on his forehead, probably from a sword. It was deep and it needed serious attention. There was another wound on the back of his head, another serious blow. She checked the rest of him over; he had many nicks and scrapes and possibly a sprained or broken wrist. He felt feverish which told her he probably already had an infection from his wounds not being cleaned. Her tears fell on his face and he winced. She wiped his face again gently and whispered his name over and over. She tried to pull him into an upright position but his dead weight was too much for her. Instead she knelt and cradled his head against her chest.

She stroked his hair back and spoke softly to him," Don't leave me, I need you. I love you Rayn, I can't lose you now." She took his hand in hers and whispered, "Hold my hand if you can hear me." At first she felt nothing and her heart was shattered. She cried over him and held him as best she could. She rubbed his back. He was so clammy. She finally felt him weakly squeeze her hand. His lips were moving but she couldn't hear anything. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder and dried her tears.

"Kien!" she called to him.

"Yes, milady?" he asked, arriving in the doorway in a second.

"Move him to his quarters and call a healer," she commanded, her voice urgent.

"But-"

"Do it, now. This is non negotiable," She tossed the order over her shoulder. She'd seen Rayn use his position to boss people around before, now it was her turn.

"Yes, milady," he responded begrudgingly.

She gently laid Rayn's head back down on his filthy pad of blankets. If they could be called that, it was really a pile of old rags. She'd never seen him look so helpless, she hated it.

Kien turned to leave and she stopped him.

"I want to know who else is down here," she said, before starting to look in each cell. All of them were empty except for one other and it was not who she expected.

"Ramsey?" she asked. The elderly man was looking rather worn. "Open the door," she again commanded.

Kien did not argue this time but he did not look happy.

"Thank you for helping me, Kien," She added for good measure. The poor man was probably very used to being in charge and was now being bossed around by some unknown Princess.

She helped Ramsey up the stairs and back to the throne room with her. He sank into a chair, and was clearly disturbed by the sight of his dead King on the throne.

"This man is a scholar, not a warrior. There is no reason for him to be mistreated in any way," she told the Rodanians. She leaned down to Ramsey and whispered, "What should I have them do with the King?"

"He deserves a funeral pyre. He might have been a miserable man but he was a good King," he said, looking over his spectacles at her.

"Consider it done, my friend," She assured him.

"Kein, I want the King removed. He should be put with the dead until a proper funeral pyre can be built. The Oneandrans should be allowed to pay their respects to him; it will go a long way with them if you allow it," She said. Even if he refused, she would order it to be done. She saw him thinking it over.

"You make a good point. We will do as you ask, Your Highness," he said, before nodding and motioning his men to do it.

"Make sure the Prince is taken to his quarters and healed as best as possible as well," she reminded him. She did not want Rayn to think she had forgotten him.

"I am going to survey the casualties and I will be back in a little while," she announced to Kien and Ramsey. She patted Ramsey's hand in assurance; she hoped he wasn't too nervous to be alone with the men who had overthrown the castle. She walked the halls of the castle looking for her friends. She didn't find either of them and was starting to get upset and wonder if maybe they were dead.

"Where are the dead?" she asked a disarmed guard.

"In the courtyard, miss" he responded politely.

The sight of it shocked her. Some of the bodies were so mangled she couldn't decide if they were or were not her friends. She was very upset by the entire scene. There were half bodies, bodies without limbs, bodies with their insides pouring outside. It was enough to make her sneak off to the side wall and vomit into the grass. She cried and prayed she'd find her friends. As she looked up across the courtyard, she saw Kieran. His leg was injured and he had a bad limp. He was directing people and identifying bodies. Thank the gods!

"Kieran!" she called for him. He looked up, and when he saw her his face lit up. She couldn't get to him fast enough. She threw her arms around him and almost knocked him over.

"I am so happy you're alive," she said into his shoulder.

"I am happy to see you are alright also. They carted Rayn off the battlefield and I haven't seen him since," he said, his face showing concern.

"He's in bad shape but I took care of it. He should be set up in his room now and the healer will be there soon to help him recover. I am going to check on him as soon as we find Riley," she explained.

Kieran sighed.

"Come with me," his usually bright eyes darkened. She steeled herself for the worst.

He took her to a corner of the courtyard and knelt with difficulty. He uncovered Riley's face from under a sheet. She gasped and her hands flew over her mouth. He'd been badly beaten, his face was swollen and he had a cut over his eye. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful. She started to lift the blanket and Kieran stopped her.

"Don't," he shook his head, "You don't want to see it."

She nodded and knelt with him. She cried softly and held Kieran's hand. He was visibly upset but didn't cry. His jaw clenched and unclenched as they just stayed there for awhile, saying prayers for Riley and comforting each other. She eventually told him what happened in the throne room.

"Good," he said, nodding," I guess I have to be nice to you now."

She might have elbowed him if he wasn't already injured.

"I need to go check on Rayn," she said, standing and offered him her arm. He took it and stood up stiffly, "you need to see a healer."

"They did the best they could for me; other people need it more," he said, draping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a light squeeze, "I'm glad you were unharmed, I was very worried about you."

"I'm glad you are alright too," she said as she looked down at Riley's body one last time and then covered his face again with the sheet. She would make sure he got a proper warrior's funeral with all the other men too. They were all someone's son, brother, father, or friend. She started crying again and Kieran supported her with his good side. She needed to know if Lukas was okay but how would she ever find him now? The city was surely in chaos.

"We will get through this," he reassured her.

"Are you alright here, do you need to rest? You do need to rest you know," She told him in her best motherly voice.

"Yes, I am alright for now. Go check on Rayn, he needs you," he gestured for her to get back inside. It was very cold and the snow had started falling.

When she got to Rayn's quarters the healer was still there.

"How is he?" she asked the woman attending him.

"There was some extensive damage to his skull, and I have healed most of the internal wounds, but he will need some time to finish recovering." she explained.

"Thank you. When will he be awake?" she asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"All we can do now is wait." The plump blonde woman said, giving Leni a sympathetic look and some ointment for the smaller cuts and scrapes before leaving.

She looked at Rayn and decided to get him cleaned up. The healer had cleaned his wounds but he was still filthy from the battlefield. Leni ran some warm water in the bath and brought a small basin of it back into the bedroom with her. She slowly and carefully wiped his face and neck clean, then cut away his shirt and continued the slow process of bathing him, refilling her basin every time she finished cleaning one of his limbs. She knew the contours of his body well and felt better when she was doing something to help him. She found a clean shirt for him and re dressed him then cut off his trousers and cleaned his legs. He had lots of cuts and scrapes that she put ointment on before sliding one leg at a time into some clean sleeping pants. When she finally finished her task she was exhausted. It was very late into night now so she changed into a clean nightshirt herself and crawled into bed next to him. He hadn't moved yet but his breathing was steady. The gash on his forehead was closed up and his left wrist was wrapped. She'd forgotten to ask if it had been broken or not. She sighed and took his good hand in hers and massaged it lovingly and curled up close to him. She kissed his face several times. Oh how she wished he was awake and could tell her how he felt. Finally sleep took her away and she whispered another "I love you" in the quiet darkness.

Leni woke up and her stomach was in an uproar. She remembered eating breakfast the day before, but the commotion had started before lunch and she hadn't eaten for the rest of the day. She wondered if there would be an attendant outside the door or not. She didn't know where the castle kitchens were or she'd just go make something herself.