She was stirring the tea in her kettle when the door opened. A smile spread on her face as she had been expecting him to visit. It had been two years since he had last approached her but little did he know that she had kept looking out for him even then.
"My dear boy," she turned to face him, that eccentric smile playing upon her lips as usual, "it's been so long since you last came to see me."
Icy blue eyes locked with those mysterious black irises, "it's always a pleasure to see you, Miss Vikander."
He took the seat she had gestured him too and could her feel inquisitive gaze on him. It felt as if she was waiting for him to speak up.
"I gave your words a thought," he took in a deep breath as he started, "in fact, I've given it a lot of thought these two years. And you're right... This city will disintegrate very soon if things keep going like this."
Something sparked in the woman's eyes but she nodded patiently, "then what have you decided?"
"There was a reason I hadn't died that night from the trapeze," his features were masked with an unreadable expression, "and I think this is my reason..."
"I still don't get what you're implying, Richard," she poured tea in two cups and handed one to him, eyes not leaving his face for even a second. "What are you going to do?"
He stiffened as if he hadn't thought about telling her that directly. His eyes showed he was searching for words.
And she was observant enough to figure that out but didn't interrupt.
"All I'm saying is that if I ever get in to trouble, the only one I've turned to is you, Miss Vikander. Please trust me on this one. I'm doing it all for Gotham but I can't tell you more. Both for my safety and yours."
Her wise dark eyes searched his face for any trace of a lie but found none and a soft sigh escaped her, "my boy, I've kept helping you out because you never kept any secrets from me. This once you're not even telling me what's going through your head, what made you take this decision, what is this decision even... I have to know at least something."
He thought for a while then spoke up, "all I can tell you is that this city needs to be saved and I'm willing to do it on my own."
Her features that had been concerned before immediately turned unreadable, "oh... So you're doing this for Gotham?"
"And for the innocent people who suffer from the crime that flourishes here."
"You want to protect Gotham..." She pondered on his words for a while then stated, "by becoming what? A criminal itself?"
"A criminal? No..."
"You're defying the law, dear," the voice that had been somewhat cold had turned saccharine again and her hand reached out to gently rest upon the back of his palm. "All I've understood till now is that you wish to become some sort of a protector for this city. But by doing so, you will at one point or another have to go against the law. And trust me, it is very difficult to do what you're planning to on your own. Just one man can do nothing, Richard."
The words cut him to the core but he. kept his calm, not wanting to be angry at her, "one man is enough to bring a change."
"No change can be brought until the masses are willing," her reply was resolute.
"But Miss Vikander..."
"Let me tell you a story then," she rose gracefully from her chair and he was about to stand as well but her hand on his shoulder indicated otherwise, "finish the tea first. I'll be taking you somewhere. And promise me you won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
He looked up at her, unable to fathom what she was going to do, but nodded his head, "I promise."
"The tea, Richard, don't let it go to waste," she had patted his shoulder gently but stood there, waiting for him to finish the tea.
He found it odd but didn't question it. Lavina Vikander was the only person he could blindly trust and had been doing so ever since he had met her.
Even though he knew the woman was a coalesce of secrets, there was something in her that made him trust her without question.
Little did he know that blind trust would eventually become his downfall.
***
He followed her down the vast halls of her mansion until they reached a colossal door. She took a key and turned it in the lock, pushing the door open to what seemed to be an enormous gallery.
Portraits, sculptures, frescoes and murals decorated the place and it seemed as if Richard had stepped into a museum right then and there. He looked around in awe at the collection of historical art and valuables displayed in the gallery.
"Miss Vikander, this is magnificent," he exclaimed as he couldn't decide where to look as all the art pieces were rather captivating.
"I thought you would say that," she smiled softly, "come, what I have to show you lies at the very end."
He followed her to the very end where black silk curtains hid a mural. She parted those curtains and a mysterious painting swirled into view.
It included people shrouded in black, all looking as if they belonged to notable and wealthy families, yet gathered together in what seemed like a cult like meeting. White feathers were painted here and there over the mural and though Richard was no expert in guessing bird plumage, the sharp eyes that stared down from the very top of the mural looked a lot like those of an owl.
Piercing and dark. Intimidating yet wise.
He turned to see Lavina Vikander as if asking for an explanation but it was then he noticed how much those eyes in the mural resembled her irises. And when he looked back at the painting, he could clearly spot another man that held the same piercing irises.
"Miss Vikander, is this a family portrait?" He asked carefully, seeing that the expression on her face was unfathomable as usual.
"Not exactly," she replied, "but yes, that man you were looking at so intently is my grandfather."
"Then what exactly is this painting?"
"This is a mural of the founding families of Gotham," she resumed pointing out to the different people one by one, "the Vikanders, my family, and then the Kanes, the Burkes, the Waynes, the Linseeds and the Hills."
He looked at the faces carefully, "and you have brought to me to see this because...?"
"Because you have taken a vow to protect the city these families founded. It is imperative you get to know them and their motives first."
He turned towards her, a slightly confused expression on his face, "I don't understand."
"When you left me and I had told you to return when you find the reason to your existence, I already had a task for you in mind," she spoke up though by every word she uttered, the questions in his head increased, "I let you go because I was confident that you would return but not have a specific decision worked out for yourself. I had planned to put that task before you then and offer you to accept it."
"What task?"
"But now, you have chosen a different path altogether," she released the curtains and the mural was concealed from view again, "and I am willing to give you time to see if it works. However, I need you to promise me that if it doesn't go as you want it to, you will take up my offer."
He shook his head, feeling an odd dizziness take over him, "I have so many questions... What is this task? Why are you not telling me...?"
He blinked twice, feeling her hands on his shoulders but darkness was clouding his vision.
"Sit down, Richard."
And in that moment he realized that tea she had given him was drugged and the realization sparked him up as he refused to let her make him sit down, "what did you put in the tea?"
"Nothing, dear, sit down please..."
"What the hell did you drug me with?" His voice rose but it shook violently and he felt the dizziness overpower him, "was it poison? Are you going to kill me? What was in the damned tea you..."
She sighed softly, dark eyes almost sad as she reached out to steady him, "my dear boy, I would never even think of hurting you."
"Lies..." He stumbled as he tried to get away from her but knocked down a sculpture in doing so, going down with it as well since it was getting hard to stand up even.
Exhaustion and drowsiness was spreading over his senses, numbing him to the pain but the intense helplessness that had captured him was making him feel outraged.
But there was nothing he could do as his eyes were drooping shut and he felt her cold hand rest gently on his forehead as she closed his eyes.
"I am sorry, Richard, but believe me; I am doing this for your own benefit."
***