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| Harsh Accusations | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alexander reached Chilandrea's door and started to have doubts. He began to wonder which he valued more -- making amends with his brother and confessing; his life; or Chilandrea's life. He swallowed pushing his heart back into his chest. He thought of what could happen to Chilandrea if he confessed, picturing each scenario in his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merrick smiling and hugging him, telling him that he understood that she was irresistible, and allowing their affair to continue under the noses of the order -- but that thought was stricken from his mind as soon as it had entered. Then he saw the All High Priestess, an expression of hatred and disgust on her face while Chilandrea explained that Alexander had seduced her unknowingly and that he should be put to death. Chilandrea said that she had been bewitched by some unknown power to consent to his pleas, and she had only come out of the spell during the wedding. He pushed that picture away in horror. It was what he'd asked her to do, but to say so before he even confessed? It would mean that the whole affair was a lie. Then he saw the worst: Chilandrea was sitting, forced into watching Alexander's execution, Merrick and Molandra sneering down at him, and Horace looking horrified as the axe blade went down. Chilandrea was weeping as she was cast out of the country, alone and helpless, eventually contracting a horrible disease and dying by the side of a dirt road in a distant land. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alexander was terrified. He had never thought his actions out that far before and it was worse than he had wanted to believe. He leaned his head against the door and heard muffled grunts. He assumed that Merrick and Chilandrea had begun their lovemaking and were not to be bothered. He would rather see her live without him than have them both die horrible deaths. He turned to make his way back to his chamber when a sound made his hair stand on end. He crept closer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| He could hear feet shuffling across the floor, more muffled grunts followed by a whimper, and he thought that maybe he had imagined it. But no. He heard it again: a dull smack like skin hitting skin. He stood perched in terror, listening in disbelief to the scuffle. "You no good, stale, dirty whore!" he heard Merrick shout. Alexander was mortified. How could he say that? Chilandrea must have told him and was obviously not as merciful as she'd hoped. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Then, suddenly a shrill scream rang out that moved swiftly from one side of the room to the other, ending with a loud thud into something hard. Alexander could let this go on no longer and kicked in the door. "Chilandrea!" he cried, drawing his sword without thought. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merrick turned to him, standing by the doorway to her private library, his face and neck purple with anger. "You," he growled. "You did this." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Alexander, no," he heard from behind him. Turning, he saw Chilandrea, a small heap in the corner of the cold room. Her mouth and nose were bleeding profusely, her cheek and eye had swollen to the point where her eye was no longer visible, and there were rips throughout her wedding gown leaving nothing but a tiny shadow of cloth to cover her. Blood streaked tears were streaming down her face and she instinctively kept her hands up to cover herself. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Chilandrea," he gasped and rushed to her side, gently brushing the hair out of her face uncovering more gashes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Don't! You must leave before anyone finds you here!" she whispered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It's already done, Chilandrea. We are discovered." He turned to Merrick, stood, and huffed with fury. "No one dares to harm a priestess in such a way!" he barked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You have broken the Divine Law. No punishment could possibly harm me as much as what you will experience. I will certainly hand you both over to the order-- but not without my revenge first!" He roared with rage lunging out towards both of them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alexander flung his sword up before him in protection. In Merrick's madness, he'd not realized that Alexander was armed. He halted abruptly at the sword's point, leaning back as it was firmly pressed against his chest. "You know as well as any other man, brother, that I am a war general and have fought my way through many battles without being harmed. Men across this land fear to ever land on my bad side knowing that they would not escape this blade. Care to try your luck unarmed?" he asked pressing harder. A small trickle of blood drew forth from the blade's point. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alexander felt Chilandrea stand at his back and grasp onto his shoulders for support. She leaned in close to him sighing with great relief. Merrick's eyes blazed at the sight. "I love this woman and would never touch her in anger. That, at least, will allow us in a place high in the afterlife. The divine will smile on us even if the earth will not. You, however, would marry her to win her and increase your popularity and prestige. You only want her body for your own satisfaction. Nothing could ever redeem what you have done to this woman." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Keeping his sward at Merrick's chest, he reached back to hold Chilandrea. Not once moving his eyes, he said to her, "Are you alright?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I will heal, but we must leave at once," she burbled. Her lips were beginning to swell, inhibiting her speech. "We cannot risk anything more." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But how?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Do not ask, just trust me." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| She held him tighter and everything became a dull blur. Merrick spun out of focus and grew smaller as they disappeared. All he could feel was the unsteady whirling around him and Chilandrea at his back. As soon as it had started, the whirling stopped. Darkness slowly came into focus and he soon saw that they stood in the West wing. Feeling dizzy, he stumbled clumsily, only steadying to catch Chilandrea as she started to fall. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why are we here?" he asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It is only temporary. I have to think of someplace we can go to hide," she sighed adding, "and I must attempt to heal myself." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Well we can't go anywhere with you like this," he said, sliding his sword back into its sheath. "Here." He removed his cloak and threw it around her shoulders, tenderly fastening it to hide her nearly naked body. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Thank you," she whispered, looking cautiously around her. "Now try to stay quiet for the moment." He nodded. She closed her eyes, lowered her head, and held herself muttering inaudible words. Alexander saw little blue lights begin to float and dance around her head and shoulders in a blur, and each time one passed in front of her, another wound or bruise would fade into nothing. It soon stopped and she stumbled forward into his arms. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing that many of her cuts were still visible. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I cannot finish because of my marriage. It forbids me from using my powers against my husband. Healing is practically impossible. It weakens me." She was breathless. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We must get you to safety, but where could we go where the order couldn't find you?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| She looked up with an expression of realization. "Of course," she whispered. "Varadorn." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Varadorn?" he asked. "I thought that place was a myth. How can we travel to a place that doesn't exist?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But it does exist! People do not believe because no one has ever ventured there. No one really knows where it is. Not even the order believes in it. But I've read books, historical books..." she stopped. "I'll explain later, but now we must leave. Do not let go of me, and if you get dizzy, close your eyes.? | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| He wrapped his arms protectively around her and closed his eyes even before he felt the whirling begin. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Merrick watched the two of them vanish and screamed out with anger. "MOLANDRA!" he cried. He knew she would be able to do something about the treason they had committed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| She appeared beside him instantaneously. "Lord Merrick, what is the meaning of--" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "She's gone! Chilandrea's gone with that bastard, Alexander! He took her!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What are you talking about?" Molandra asked astonished. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "My wife and I were together and then Alexander barges in here and seduces her right in front of me! He took her by force -- he touched her! And they disappeared! Get her back, Molandra, or by my life I will make you pay!!" He raised his hand to strike her but she stopped him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "May I remind you, Lord Merrick, that the only priestess you are allowed to touch is your wife and that any harsh violence toward any of us will be severely punished?" He put his hand down. "Now tell me slowly what happened in detail." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merrick told her a story that was far from the truth. He said that Chilandrea was in the process of pleasing him when Alexander took her against her will. He even said that Alexander had beat her into submission. Merrick didn't want Chilandrea taken from him, but since it was done, he wanted Alexander to pay dearly for it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Molandra only believed him because she wanted to. She believed that Alexander was nothing but a fiend who took what he wanted. She wanted to believe that Chilandrea wanted nothing to do with him, that she was just an innocent young girl with enough mind to know what was right for her. Molandra was as na�ve as she thought Chilandrea was. "We will find them, Lord Merrick. Do not worry. We will get your wife back and persecute your brother justly for his crime." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| On to the next chapter! Back to the start... |
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