In Darkness

Chapter Six

Willow was so deep in slumber that she didn't even rouse when King Kieran returned to their room long after she had fallen asleep, and climbed into bed. He moved silently as he pulled the cover down, trying hard not to wake her, as he thought she looked peaceful.

He laid there and stared at her for a while going over the events of the day in his head. My wife. He thought. The concept seemed so foreign to him, yet here he was lying next to the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with.

King Kieran would be the first to admit that he was surprised when Willow walked through those throne room doors. When Queen Isadora had made her offer, he hadn't expected any heir from her womb to be so meek and naive looking. Willow was attractive, with her long dark hair, a contrast to the Queen's golden mane, her eyes were a deep green that reminded him of the sea during a storm. She was definitely a suitable choice for a wife. But underneath her beauty were signs of someone that was abused. He had recognized the signs because he was once abused. Her skin had a sallowness to it. Dark circles were evident under her eyes despite efforts to conceal them. Her collarbone was a little too prominent, revealing that she probably didn't have regular meals.

While he thought she was being neglected, he never imagined the severity of her abuse or that it was also physical. The scars on her back showed years of frequent beatings and he wondered if those marks were only on her back or if they were in other places as well. He swallowed back bile that burned his throat.

Seeing the markings on her back had prompted him to go have a chat with his advisor, so he left the room, finding a maid on his way out to request food for Willow, then headed on towards Alaric's chambers. He needed someone to talk him down. To soothe the anger that burned in him. King Keiran wanted to spill the blood of whoever had marked such a young woman since childhood over something as ridiculous as leaving a room and whatever else they had deemed worthy of punishment.

"You didn't see them." He had countered to his advisor, Alaric.

"I know, Sir, but we are in their kingdom now. Spilling any blood here would be an act of war." Alaric tried reasoning with the king.

"I knew when I saw her that there had been neglect, but f**k, my father never even beat me that severely and you know what a bastard he was." The king plopped down into a chair in the corner of Alaric's room and dropped his head into his hands.

"We leave here at first light tomorrow. You can help make this place nothing but a distant memory for her." Alaric suggested, placing a wrinkled hand on King Kieran's shoulder.

"And how do you suppose I do that?" He asked, meeting Alaric's gaze.

"Show her kindness." was his only response.

King Kieran left Alaric's room and wondered the halls of the east wing. He knew he wouldn't be able to find seep tonight, not with the way his mind was racing. Rage still thrummed in his chest that would only be quelled with violence.

He was just about to head back to his own room when he spotted a Queen's guard with a familiar face.

"Hey, you." He called, making his way towards the guard station. "You escorted the princess to the throne room this morning, right?"

"Yes, your Grace." Michael said with a bow, despite his still bruised ribs protesting the movements.

"Could you tell me anything about the Princess's injuries?" The king asked, his voice low.

Michael looked around, unsure of whether he should speak up for fear of his own safety. He swallowed the lump in his throat and began, "It was her punishment for sneaking out last night. She had gone to the garden and I found her and returned her to her room. I didn't tell anyone but I guess someone saw us and reported it." a darkness flashed through his eyes at the recollection of finding her wounded and bloody.

"Who was tasked with dealing out her punishment?" The king asked.

"The Queen's favorite, Baron. The one that was at her side this morning. He is the one that always does it. The other guards all talk about how he gets off on it." Michael couldn't hide the disgust in his voice.

"I am guessing those bruises are your punishment for not turning her in yourself." The king guessed.

Michael just nodded.

The King had begun to walk away when Michael started to speak again. "I had heard stories of the Queen's coldness before I started here, but I never imagined....." he trailed off. "I found her this morning. Just laying lifeless on her bed. Her back was bloodied. I tried to clean her up and put a salve on it that the healer said was good for pain, but the damage that was inflicted..."

King Kieran clenched his jaw, his fists balled up at his side so tightly that his nails were biting into his flesh.

"Thank you for telling me." He said before bidding the guard goodnight.

He headed back down the hall, away from his chambers and towards the main part of the palace. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he needed to get it out of his system.

Kieran knew that the gods were with him tonight, because after a few twists and turns through the palace, he came face to face with the man he was looking for.

"Baron, right?" Kieran said coolly, hiding the anger that was burning his insides.

"Thats right, your Highness." Baron's words were slightly slurred.

Of course this pathetic excuse of a man is a f*****g drunk too. Kieran thought.

"I guess the girl wasn't up to your expectations if you're already out here roaming the halls. The kitchen wenches are the way to go if you need to get your c**k wet." Baron's crudeness amplified Kieran's anger.

"Do you always make it a habit to speak crudely of your Princess?" Kieran asked, narrowing his eyes at Baron.

"Ha, she's hardly a princess. That girl is nothing more than a nuisance and the Queen would tell you that herself," Baron snorted. "I will miss our private times together though."

Kieran's nostrils flared and before he knew it, the drunken guard was splayed out on the ground unconscious. He looked around and was relieved to find no witnesses, then picked up the guard's feet and dragged him into an empty room.

He sat the guard up in a chair backwards, so that his arms were thrown over the back of it and Baron's back was fully exposed. Kieran found some clothes and ripped them into strips he used to secure the guard's hands to the chair and then bound his mouth with the rest. Don't want him waking up the rest of the palace. He thought.

Kieran threw some cold water on Baron's face to rouse him. The guard looked around, panic in his eyes as he took in his situation.

Leaning against the wall across from him was King Baron, a wicked grin on his face. Baron followed the King's eyes down to his hands and noticed that the King was fidgeting with a whip. With Baron's whip. The one usually kept at his side. His eyes widened with horror as he realized what was about to happen.

"What's wrong?" The King tilted his head, his eyes dark. "Not so tough when your faced with a grown man, are you?"

Kieran stepped forward and began circling Baron, who was now struggling against his restraints.

"I do not like bullies, Baron. I also don't like it when someone speaks about my wife in that manner." The king spit.

"I saw what you did to her and I can't let that go. So, for every lash I give you, I want you to think about all the pain you caused her."

Kieran was now at Baron's back and, without any hesitation, he brought the whip up and back down with a crack that reverberated through his bones. He did it over and over again until Baron no longer moved and the flesh on his back resembled nothing more than ground meat.

Now covered in blood and the anger in his veins sated, he tossed the whip down and headed back to his chamber, leaving the guard on display for whoever had the misfortune of finding him.

**********************************************************************************************************

Now that he was back in his chambers, and all traces of blood had been cleaned off of him, he settled down between the silk sheets. He finally turned away from Willow and sent a silent prayer to the gods that they would be long gone by the time the guard was found, knowing the headache it would inevitably cause. He closed his eyes, focusing on the soft, even sounds of her snoring at his side, and finally drifted off.

The beast inside him was satisfied.

For now.