v1 note: Sorry it's a little short. This chapter is surprisingly difficult to write and I'm encountering a lot of writer's block, so I figured I'd at least post the first part of relieve the cliffhanger. Vote please! Comment too and if you want to keep reading it you should fan so you know the second I post! Thanks for all the generous comments and votes! Enjoy!
Sherlock Holmes was also an incredible inspiration, and I think the music is amazing, and I also think it fits in with my story nicely
Chapter Three
Rafe's Revenge
Cedric sensed something tap his foot as he came back. His head felt as if it had shattered and was throbbing uncontrollably, which made it unbearable for him to think. Cedric groaned, trying to block out the pain enough to comprehend what type of situation he was in.
"Rise." A voice commanded him. Cedric recognized it as Rafe's and struggled to obey. It felt like trying to stand in a thick mud. He felt himself fall to the ground again, but in his second attempt he managed arise on his feet. Though he swayed, Cedric stayed upright. He could feel Rafe take both hands, then the sensation of thick irritating rope around them. Cedric felt fear creep up his throat, and a panic begin to kick in. He could feel his hand grow warmer as his mind led him to remember that time he was bound, gagged, and strapped to a chair, that time that would haunt him forever. He felt his space close in over him, and claustrophobia settle. He didn’t want to be here, in this situation, his hands bound. The fear was overwhelming him. He had to stay calm. He let the pounding in his head take him for a moment, the pain washing over him and replace the panic. Rafe pulled the ropes tighter, so Cedric couldn't escape. Not like he could if he wanted to.
Rafe wordlessly kicked Cedric's heels to urge him forward, and Cedric saw his surroundings move behind him as he walked. Everything swirled around him as his head pulsed. Cedric felt as though he was going to vomit from the intense pain, and once in a while Cedric felt like he was going to fall, but Rafe would kick his heels again to remind him what the stakes were. Cedric had no doubt that if he allowed himself to fall, Rafe would kill him at that moment. Cedric still knew that he would be killed eventually, but he held onto every moment of life he could. The moments passed singly and agonizingly, yet Cedric was under the impression that a handful of time was passing. Although he paid no attention to the area around him, or which way they were going, Cedric experienced a sudden perception when they came through the castle doors. Cedric struggled to raise his head in a bitter determination to search for the faces of Jack, Emily and the cook. He needed to see them just one more time before he died. Even a glimpse of them would do, but he couldn't leave this world without at least saying good bye.
Around him nobles and ladies alike gazed at him with disapproving expressions. They assumed that Cedric had broken a rule and now was justly going to pay the price. Cedric pitied them to think that what was happening was considered justice. It was only the concerned, solemn faces of the other servants that let him know they understood what was really going on and knew the truth. They had seen their campaigns culled. It wasn't justice. It was a form of slaughter. Where was Rafe taking him? He had seen others dragged away, but he never knew where they were taken. And how exactly would he be killed? Without pain? Or would Rafe take his revenge and drag it out? Emily's face abruptly appeared, shining amongst the rest of the faces. She had tears in her eyes, and had a look of distress resting on her expression. Then she was gone. At first Cedric thought his vision had blurred, but no, she was simply gone. It was as if she had evaporated through the walls.
Many more minutes passed as the swell of numerous people stared at him as he and Rafe went by. The rope was itchy against his skin, and cut into his flesh. But the pain reminded him that he was still alive. Despite the fact that death still hung above his head, he was still breathing. And as long as he was breathing, that was all that mattered.
Rafe suddenly stopped. Cedric looked up. And blinked. Blinked again. Was he hallucinating? In front of he and Rafe stood Jack, wearing a furious expression. Emily was slightly behind him a smile playing on her lips when their eyes caught. There was something hopeful in those eyes that shouldn't be there. Why did she look at him as though everything was going to be alright?
"What do you think you're doing with my servant?" Jack demanded sharply. What the hell was he doing? Rafe would tear him apart! He'd take him too and kill-wait. Jack was the duke's son. And Rafe, though the king's personal servant, was still a servant. Jack had authority over Rafe. Cedric couldn't help it-he grinned.
"This servant has broken the most prominent law in the castle. On the king's laws, he is to be put to death immediately." Rafe explained with only the slightest hesitation.
"I don't care." Jack snapped. "I want to keep him, and my word is above a law."
"But the king-"
"The king doesn't care what happens to dirt, and neither does he care what happens to lowly servants. This servant is mine, and I'll do with him what I wish. If I want to kill him, I'll kill him. But I don't want him dead. So I demand you give him back to me." Jack played his part expertly-it was almost humorous to watch, knowing his true feelings about servants.
"Surely you don't want this servant-he's horrible at obeying orders and breaks every rule he comes across. Why, he's probably stolen half your valuables already."
"I don't steal!" Cedric exclaimed angrily. He had never stolen anything in his life, and he wasn't about to let Rafe add more blemishes to his honor. Cedric gasped and arched his spine in pain as he felt the tip of a dagger move across his back. He could feel tendrils of warm blood slither down his flesh. That silenced him, as he moaned softly in pain, and looked around at the nobles who watched him with subjective interest. Didn’t they understand that he was human, just like them, that he could feel pain as much as they did? He tore away from their gaze and focused on Jack.
Jack decided to ignore the pain inflicted on Cedric, which was the smarter choice for him to make. If he betrayed any emotion toward Cedric as a human being, his attempts would quickly fall apart. They would discover that he harbored feelings of friendship toward the slave.
"We can get you another servant." Rafe offered. "One that will listen without speaking out of turn."
"I don't want to train another servant. I want this one. And I insist you return him immediately."
Cedric could sense Rafe's mind turning rapidly as he tried to find a way around this upper's demand. There was nothing he desired than to end Cedric's life and be rid of him. "Shouldn't your father have a say in this?" Rafe asked suddenly.
"My father?" Jack's voice was guarded, hiding his surprise by the turn of events.
"Yes. You may not care that this servant should be put to death, but Duke Christopher would want to know. He wouldn't want his son's servant causing mischief under his nose. I say we ask him what he thinks about this particular situation."
"I suppose that's fair then." Jack reasoned, fists clenched apprehensively. "Give the servant to me while my father decides."
"I think not." Rafe replied with a smile in his voice. "Since this one has already tried to escape, we'll keep him in a cell until the duke decides what his fate should be."
Cedric felt the urge to voice the fact that he had not in fact run away, but the blood running down his back reminded him that now would not be the time. Cedric watched as Jack looked over Cedric's face carefully, trying to find a better way out than what Rafe had proposed. But there was none; Cedric could read that in Jack's defeated poise. "All right." Jack relented. "But you better keep him alive until my father settles on a decision."
Rafe clicked his tongue in agreement and steered Cedric around. Concentrating was becoming difficult again, but his mind could still grasp one simple fact: Cedric was to live a little longer. He wasn't sure how much longer, but he felt as though he had still beat Rafe. Rafe wouldn't receive the pleasure of killing him yet. They descended down flights of stairs. The air felt cooler down here. There was a clicking sound and Cedric was pushed into a room. The door closed behind him.
"Don't think you're going to get out of this." Rafe hissed through the door. "You've wiggled out of a lot of traps in your time, but this one is going to swallow you up before you can scream."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Cedric muttered under his breath as Rafe's footsteps moved away. "After all, I've already wiggled loose."
Stone surrounded Cedric from the floor to the walls, to the ceiling. The room was relatively small in diameter, and circular, but the ceiling rose high. A metal door faced Cedric, with a little hole in the middle covered by thick bars. Once again Cedric was clutched by a small feeling of panic, though it was less of when his hands were tied. The space was bigger now than it was then. He wondered if this was the same room he had been in the first time he was here, when he was nine. Pushing down the fear, Cedric walked over and kicked the door softly. It was extremely solid, as was the walls. Cedric doubted he'd be able to get out on his own. Guess his only choice was to hope that the duke would believe Jack instead of Rafe.
Cedric sat on the edge of the cell, facing the door, his back touching cold stone. His head felt like there was a mitten over it.. At some point he realized how exhausted he was and fell asleep.
Cedric opened his eyes in the morning to stone. His heart sank after a moment, remembering what had happened last night. His head still ached with pain, confirming that what had happened wasn’t a dream. It was reality. Cedric was in the prison of the castle for a crime he had accidently committed. He was to die unless Jack could convince the duke to spare his life. Cedric sighed, not sure what to think of the situation. He wished all of this would go away, and return to the way things were before.
It wasn't long after Cedric woke up that the cook came to Cedric's cell.
"Cedric?" the cook's voice called from behind the door.
"Yeah Cook. I'm here." His said the words as though they were admittance.
The cook sighed, but whether in relief or in frustration Cedric couldn't tell.
"Cook, it wasn't my fault that I was out after dark. Some men-"
"I know you weren't trying to run away Cedric. You aren't stupid and you wouldn't blatantly try anything like that when Rafe could just track you down. I just wish you hadn't made Rafe so determined to kill you."
Cedric chuckled. Despite everything that had happened, he found that he didn't share the cook's opinion. Breaking rules was the only thing that kept him sane in this place, the only thing that reminded him that he was still his own person, and still had free will despite the cage that surrounded him. Now it was going to come back to get him, if Jack didn’t save him.
"How did Jack know that I needed him?" Cedric asked curiously. The question had been bothering him for some time now.
"You have Emily to thank for that." The cook replied. "Once she spotted you and Rafe, she rushed up to Jack's room to explain the situation, and as you know Jack came down to try and convince Rafe to spare you the only way Rafe would understand."
"And now what's happening?"
"Both Rafe and Jack are presenting the duke their cases. He'll decide and Rafe will have to act accordingly." There was something in the cook's voice that Cedric wished he didn't hear.
"You think they're going to kill me, don't you." Cedric dreaded but at the same time knew what the cook's response was going to be.
"Yes, I think you will be killed. I've never wanted to be wrong more in my life, but that's what I believe will happen." There was a sad smile on his face.
Cedric let the thought settle for a moment, and the meaning of his words. "Why? Jack is the duke's son after all. Why would the duke take Rafe's word over Jack's?"
"Because I know what Rafe will tell the duke. He'll tell him all the pranks you've pulled, how much trouble you've caused, and explain that you have been pushing Jack toward unwanted behavior as well, which is why Jack wants to keep you so badly. Duke Christopher won't want to take the chance of producing a troublesome son and execute you just to be sure that never happens."
"You make me sound like an annoying mosquito that needs to be killed simply because it is irritating." Cedric joked. The humorous insight was what crossed Cedric's mind first, but at the same time he felt a staggering defeat. Cedric trusted the cook's judgment completely, and the cook never lied, even when a lie would be kinder. Despite the shock he felt however, at least the cook didn’t try to lie to Cedric. Cedric wasn’t stupid; he knew the chances of being spared were slim.
"Don't look like your head is already at the chopping block." The cook tried to comfort him. "I could very well be wrong; believe it or not, I have been wrong before."
Cedric smiled. "You're certainly right about that."
The cook smiled warmly, but there was something mournful in his eyes that troubled Cedric. It told him that the cook was wondering if he was going to see Cedric alive again. But it also said how much he loved Cedric. And perhaps seeing that was worth the concern about the other. "I'm proud of you Cedric." He cook told him with a small smile. "But I'm afraid I have to go now."
"I understand." Cedric sighed. He wished the cook could keep him company until the final decision, but he still had work to do around the castle. That was the only thing that never changed.
The cook's face left the window in the door, and Cedric was left alone with his worries. They surrounded him at all sides like hungry wolves waiting to spring. They just wouldn't leave him alone no matter how hard he tried to think about other things. There was nothing interesting to look at in the cell. All of the stones seemed conformed to a uniform shape, and Cedric began to dream for completely unnecessary things to keep him busy, while still trying to stay rational. First he wanted a clock to see how much time had passed, for the achingly long minutes seemed like hours. But at the same time he knew that watching the minute hand pass by heart-breakingly slow would be even worse. His eyes longed to trace something moving for entertainment; the lack of it made him want to scream. In the end he settled on staring at his moving arm, and his legs, wondering how long he would still be able to shift them. He wondered how Rafe would kill him, and what they'd do with the body. Cedric found himself hoping uselessly that they would give it back to his parents. Or at least to the cook so he could be properly buried. Or cremated. He wasn't partial to either one.
Then he scolded himself for assuming he would be killed. The odds were against him, but the odds were always against him. There was nothing that promised for sure which way the duke would go. The duke seemed to approve of Cedric before, so perhaps he would use that predetermined notion to judge. After that Cedric grew bored of his thoughts and peered out the window of his cell. There were several doors like his arranged in a semi-circular pattern, with a flight of stairs leading upward in the middle of the circular shape. Cedric imagined there was a door on top of the flight of stairs, for noises were muffled and could not be made out.
"Hello?" Cedric called, hoping there was someone in another cell to answer him. But the only thing that echoed back was his own voice. There was something chilling in the air, haunting almost. Cedric backed from the door, sat in the middle of his cell, and laid on the hard floor. His stomach was beginning to voice a need for food.
The day after that, Cedric's ears perked up in anticipation as he could hear someone descending the stairs. After a moment, Jack's face lifted into the hole.
"Hello Cedric." Jack greeted cheerfully.
"Hello." Cedric replied.
"How are you?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm doing fantastic. Can you believe I finally have a room all to myself? And I don't have to do any chores. It's like being on vacation, actually. I may have to upset Rafe more often so I have more chances to come here."
"That sounds wonderful. I, on the other hand, have been frantically trying to convince my thick headed father that you're not as insanely arrogant and troublesome as Rafe makes you sound so that you're not murdered!"
"The term is culled. 'Murder' sounds like you're killing a real person."
"I'm sorry, how rude of me."
There was a small pause as Cedric thought about the fact if Cedric was killed, it wouldn’t even be considered murder. Just a necessary act to keep peace in the castle. "So how is it going? The decision, I mean. Which way do you think your father will swing?"
"I'm sure he'll see the story my way." Jake promised with a sly smile.
"Why do you sound so sure?"
Jack looked away. "I...well...I just have good persuasive skills."
"Really. Because you're not persuading me. What's wrong? What aren't you telling me?"
"It's nothing to worry about. I've just been going at convincing my father a different way than Rafe, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been promising some pretty heavy agreements, to be honest. There's a lot my father wants from me, so I proposed to give it to him."
"You mean you agreed not to be a general."
"We're still working on that one. But that is one of the terms."
"Jack, you can't do that for me. You've worked too hard. This is my fault, and if I die for it, I die. I don't want to take away your life so I can have mine." He couldn’t ask Jack to give up what he wanted most just for his life. It wasn’t Jack’s fault Rafe was determined to kill Cedric, it was his own. Jack didn’t deserve to suffer for his mistakes.
"I don't care." Jack said stubbornly. "I'm not going to watch you die when I have the power to stop it. You're my best friend, and I'll keep fighting as long as I have a weapon to fight with."
Cedric bit his lip, but sighed away any remaining arguments. That look in Jack could refute any point he brought up. "Thanks." Cedric relented, then laughed. "Who knew that an upper would save my life!"
Jack smiled in reply, but didn't speak. Though Jack hid it, the prospect of not being a general was clearly tearing him up inside. Cedric wasn't aware of any words that could help, but he felt he should say something out of guilt. He opened his mouth to speak but the any words hid in his throat and refused to come out. Cedric closed his mouth again. He wanted to say the words, at least you're free, but he knew very well that Jack was not free. He may look as though he was free, but in reality he was just as bound as Cedric. Maybe more so now, all because of him.
"I'm sure you'll still find some way to become a general." Cedric encouraged, trying to cheer Jack up and at the same time convince himself just as much.
"Yeah." Jack's voice was extremely unpersuasive, but Cedric decided to ignore it.
"You can always back out of the deal with your father." Cedric muttered quietly after a handful of silent minutes. 'It's not like you owe me anything."
Jack shook his head. "Don't be silly." He murmured dreamily, still pondering his empty future.
Cedric, though he refused to admit it, was relieved when he heard Jack's answer. "Do you know if Emily's going to come see me?" Cedric asked, trying to change the subject.
Jack shook his head. "We tried to see you this morning before breakfast-it was the only time she could miss her chores without Katherine noticing. The guard wouldn't let her in."
"Why the hell not?"
"Technically no-one is allowed to see you until the final decision is made. I pulled rank on the guard to get past."
"What about the cook? He was in here earlier."
Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he did the same. I'd imagine being the king's personal cook gives you a lot of rank. Look, I really have to go, but come a little later alright? As soon as I can get away from my father."
Cedric sat in the middle of his cell, shoulders hunched over, deliberating his fate. The Cook had told him he thought Cedric was going to die. Jack had tried to mask his concerns, and was using everything he could to pull the duke his way, but Cedric knew his situation still wasn't hopeful. He wondered how much time he had left before he would be murdered.
The sound of the door to the cell opening echoed around the room, bouncing upward and around the cell. A man's shadow lingered over Cedric. He looked up to see Rafe at the entrance to the cell. Cedric wondered what Rafe was doing here. There was something in Rafe’s eyes Cedric didn’t like. It was rage. But rage for what? Cedric found himself rising to Rafe, his legs shifting to a standing position. Cedric studied Rafe in a way that suggested he was Cedric's equal, rather than his superior, without nodding or bowing to him as he usually would have. Cedric's chin was lifted, and his eyes flashed with defiance. He wouldn’t bow to Rafe this time, not after all the pain he caused Cedric. If this was his end, his death, Cedric would not nod or bow to it. Cedric would accept any punishment placed upon him, for he was a slave. But he would not die without dignity, for he was worth more than that. Rafe's face was twisted with rage. He strolled over to Cedric with a bitter step. Cedric would not flinch away from his glare.
He awaited Rafe's words.
Cedric barely saw Rafe's fist before it slammed into his face. Cedric collapsed to the ground from the violent force, pain erupting, blood spouting from his nose. A thread of crimson blood streamed down his face. One side of his head felt cold stone. The sound Cedric's surprised breaths combined with his deep ones. His head was spinning.
"Get up."
The second Cedric heard his command he knew that obeying would only bring pain. He didn’t want to stand more than anything in the world. He wished he could just lie here in a pool of his own blood until Rafe left him. Yet Cedric refused to show Rafe he was weak, and would take whatever blows Rafe gave him. If he stayed on the ground, that would only show Rafe that he was weak. He wasn’t weak. He could take it. With shaking legs, Cedric regained his standing position in front of Rafe. Cedric eyed Rafe apprehensively, yet boldness still gripped his position. Cedric straightened his back before Rafe, struggling through the pain to keep a stance at attention.
Cedric felt a blow to the stomach, and staggered backward. He was heaving, but didn't fall. Cutting off the whimper rising up Cedric's throat, he rectified his back into a proud pose and almost immediately Rafe hit him again. Cedric groaned, and felt his legs give.
"Get up." Rafe ordered without emotion.
And Cedric obeyed.
That went on for quite some time.