Innocent Prisoner

PART 6

The dining hall was enormous. The height matched that of the mansion's height, but the width of it only came to half the mansion's size. The legnth of the room seemed to disapear into a dark shadow as the storm clouds rolled in for another downpour. Candles placed in multi-armed candlabras lined the tall and darkly painted walls as well as the long solid oak table that had been draped in a shiny white cloth. Servants stood as keepers, as they were like statues poised at either side of the two doors at oppostie ends of the room.

Remy admired the shiny china plates and fancy silverware. "Nice. I wonder how much you get fo' dis collection, non. De petite fille and her beau sure live de high life." He was now leaning back in the chair and resting his boots on the table just to the right of a place setting. He had crossed his ankles and folded his hands behind his head as Rogue walked up and scooted his boots off the table.

"Remy, you're such a pig sometimes." She huffed just before they were forced to look over at the opening door at the brightly lit end of the corridor.

The Queen entered, elagantly. She was followed by the Prince, who was now dressed in a cream coloured tunic and matching leggings. And finally, Logan sauntered in. Illyria took her place at the end of the table, while Rheyne and the others sat on either side of her. She clapped her hands and twelve bras carts were whisked in, filled with food.

Remy had taken a seat next to Logan, and Jean inbetween Rheyne and Rogue on the other side of the table. They were all hungry, starving in fact. Yet, the Queen was simply picking at her food and remained in a quiet mood. She watched as her husband and guests ate, with a mild control over their manners, but it was crystal clear that they were starving for more food.

With a loud clap of her hands, food was escorted in and placed on the table in front of them. As much as she enjoyed dining alone, she also enjoyed dining with company on nights when the sky's fury was more than she could bear. Her eyes surveyed each one of them. Logan, who sat to her right, was staring at his filled plate and seemed content to clear it of the hot food. Remy was also staring at his plate, but glanced up occasionally to admire the huge paintings on the walls that patterned in between the tall multi-coloured windows. Rogue was also glancing up to look at the paintings. Her eyes kept coming back to focus on a huge painting of a man standing tall behind Remy. The queen followed her gaze to the painting she had known to be Rheyne's father. She looked at the red-headed woman next to her, Jean. Illyria was taken in by the calm and composed woman. Suddenly, Jean stopped and looked over to see the Queen admiring her. Jean smiled faintly and continued eating. And finally, her eyes rested on her husband. his hands still shook and his pale skin and over exhaustion forced his appearance to look meager and ill. She watched as he held his fork now with both hands in an attempt to stop shaking long enough to place the fork in to his mouth. Calmly, she reached over and took his hand in hers and guided the fork into his mouth. A satisfied expression came over him as he forced himself to chew the piece of meat before swallowing.

On that note, the Queen stood and pushed herself away from the table. "You may fill your stomachs until full. There is plenty more. After you have finished, a servant shall show you to your new quarters. Please, enjoy." She announced to the table before turning to speak to the Prince. "My pet, your bedchambers await you when you feel like retiring for the night." She leaned in closer so that only she and the Prince were in conversation. "My chambers are always open to you too, if you prefer." Standing again, she excused herself and exited the room from the same door as she arrived in.

After the door closed behind her, Remy nudged Wolverine and leaned closer to the still eating man. "Jus what took you so long, henh? Yo fo'got what yo was doin, mon ami? Or, did you and the royal hosts wan to play??" Logan stopped eating and grabbed at the collar of Gambit's shirt. Remy guessed something did happen and that Logan wasn't interested in talking about it, to him or anyone. Remy sniffed and leaned even closer so that the girls and Rheyne couldn't hear. "De petit ami, he is all over you, homme. Just what you do in dere, mon ami?" Gambit snapped back to his side of the table when he heard Wolverine start to growl low. Discussion was closed.

Rheyne had noticed that the Queen was no longer listening in, and her guards were no where in sight. The opportunity had come for him to thank these generous strangers for remaining with him. Standing, he reached for a crystal wine glass, filled with red wine and raised it in the air. "I thank you, all. You did not have to stay, but you did. I shall see to it that you all receive a fair payment of your choice before you return to your home. The Queen has allowed me to return to my former bedchambers, and I have arranged for you all to have the best guest chambers in the palace. Please, enjoy the meal and anything else to your liking." Raising his glass in a traditional toast, the others joined in and raised their glasses in response. The Prince smiled faintly, and returned to his seat feeling somewhat of a weak shiver come over him.

As they finished their meal and stood to stretch and yawn, the women had gathered around the still sitting Prince and examined him. Jean noted that he was burning with fever, and Rogue had dipped an unused napkin into a glass of water and began to pat the cool water about his thin face and neck. The girls were wrapped up in the Prince that they didn't see or hear Gambit and Wolverine having their own discussion of sorts across from them.

"Come on Logan, you and dat boy have a lover's spat?" Remy chided. Gambit smiled to himself and then recoiled when he saw the half worried, half sickened expression on his friend's face. "Hey, mon ami, wha's wrong? Yo not yo cheerful grumpy self tonight, non?"

Logan fixed his gaze on the pale and barely conscious boy at the table. He then got up and made his way around the table to his side. Without saying a word, he picked the Prince up and started walking to one of the doors. He told the servant to show him to the boy's room and followed him out, leaving the others to stare at the retreating figure in awe and confusion.

Jean led the rest as they followed Logan and the servant to a grand bedchamber. The room was nearly as big as the Queen's and bathed in elegance just the same. Drapes of long magenta material were drawn over the vast windows that looked down in to the heart of the town square. Fine white painted oak wardrobe cabinets and dressers were neatly placed against the walls around the room, and plush chairs sat just feet away from either side of the huge bed that was also draped in a deep blue satin.

Logan laid the Prince down on the bed and got him ready for bed. As he was tucking him in, the boy grabbed on to his sleeve and begged him not to leave the boy alone. Logan had removed the boy's shoes and leggings and his shiny silver belt, leaving him in only his cream tunic. Adjusting the comforter around the boy, he whispered to him, "I aint leavin ya, kid. I'll be right over there, okay?" Logan pointed to where the others had been standing, just 15 feet from the end of the bed. He waited for the Prince to nod and close his already drowsy eyes and realx, before he moved another centimeter.

"He's restin now." Logan stated calmly, as he rejoined the group.

Jean looked at Logan and tried to probe his mind for any idea of what might have made the boy sick. What she saw in return before Logan gruffly shoved her out, was more than what she had anticipated. A shocked expression came over her, and she moved closer to Logan. "What happened in the Queen's bedroom, Wolverine? Did you--," She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, let alone the sentence.

"Just like what Gambit say, de kid, he all over Wolverine. I didn't know Logan had a t'ing for young boys, non?" Remy spoke up and began shuffling cards.

Logan abruptly took hold of Gambit's wrists and pulled him close while letting the cards fall to the floor as he growled. "I don't have a thing for little boys. What happened in there was HIS idea, not mine. Don't tread on thin ice, Gumbo."

Rogue gasped and blinked at the Prince's restless form. "We should check on him every few hours, just to make sure he's ok." They all had agreed and decided to assort the rooms around the prince so that they could also listen to what was going on in the room.

"Perhaps having someone he knows and trusts to spend time with him would assure him he is ok." Jean said, thoughtfully.

"Jareth. My best friend and guard. Please. In the Throne room." The Prince had sat up and was rubbing his eyes, content on focusing on the blurry figures around him.

Rogue thought for a moment. "He must mean the other boy in the cell."

"I will bring the other boy here to remain with him." Jean spoke up and started for the massive white door.

Logan stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "I'll go get him. The guards might have other orders, and we aint gonna risk anything." Jean nodded and went to sit beside the Prince on his bed. Logan watched her for a moment as she held a damp cool cloth to his forehead and tried to calm his restless twitchings. Logan told Remy to stand beside the door in case anyone that wasn't him tried to get in. And then, he promptly left to retrieve Jareth from the cell.

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

As Logan made his way back to the Throne Room, he overheard two people chatting in hushed voices, coming from the Queen's chambers. Logan stepped forward and knelt beside the door, he noted that it had been cracked just slightly, but it was more than enough space to see that the two figures were the Queen and the head guard. His senses had picked up the strong scent of testosterone in the air. His ears picked up faint gasps inbetween the words of the Queen and her guard. He knew it. The Queen wanted Rheyne out of the way so that she could have her affair with the head guard and not have to worry about him finding out and imprisoning her.

"My Queen, if these strangers stay here any longer, the Prince will become King and you will have to obey his rule. Allow me to end the Prince's suffering. The poison in his food should already be making him insane by now. And that brawny man will do almost anything for him. We could fix it so that the Prince goes insane and in a fit of rage the one called 'Logan' ends the Prince's life for us. Our child will be able to grow and become a feared ruler, with the Prince out of the way." The guard said, inbetween smothering the Queen with kisses and undressing her and himself, in the process.

"It could never be believable that he killed the Prince out of rage. The redheaded woman would know something isn't right. The Prince could never hold them all at bay for long. We'll have to find another way, and fast before the Fate shows up again. His father was a fool and he has inherited that from him. These outsiders are clever, we need to be even smarter than they are if we are going to succeed." The Queen, reveling in the guard's embraces, let herself be laid down on the bed and her body be invaded by the guard's hungry erection.

Just as Logan started to cross the doorway, he heard the guard moan and tell her, "The Prince has no knowledge of how to please you right, m'lady. Our child will know how it is done. Even if I have to kill that brat myself." Logan let out a low, inaudible growl and made his way across the Throne room to the line of cells, and stop in front of Jareth's.

Reaching the cell, Jareth sprang up from his corner and cringed at the dark figure who was approaching. "Who are you?" The young man, at about 25 years of age had asked in a hoarse voice at the man who was now working at the lock with one shiny steel claw that came from his bare hand.

"I'm the man who's gonna take you to rejoin your Prince. Let's go, kid." Logan hissed as his unlocked the door and opened it just enough to let the young man slip out. "Can you walk?" He asked, as the boy started to wobble around and force himself to stand up straight.

"Yes. Take me to his Majesty. Please."

"Done. Is there another way to his room, other than through that hallway?" Logan pointed to where the Queen's chambers were.

"Yes. His Majesty and I grew up together. We know every inch of this Palace. Follow me." Jareth led Logan to the first cell and felt around the wall, along side the bars until a stone moved back and a thin space opened up revealing a dark corridor. Striking a- what appeared to be- match, Jareth lit a torch that had been sitting in a holder on the wall, just inside the doorway.

The two men made their way down the dark corridor, lit only by the small torch that Jareth was holding. They came to a stop after walking for what seemed like a half a mile, and another door opened in front of them. Jareth had led them to the hall just yards away from the Prince's bedchambers.

Jareth had started to proceed to the Prince's door when Logan grabbed his arm and halted him. "You said you knew him growin up, huh? Ever met his mother?"

"She died when he was born. His Majesty, the King, never really talked about her to him. No memorials or any visable evidence other than her tomb. The Prince and I have had many talks about what she might have been like. And on his wedding day, The Fate, herself, came down and blessed him with his gift that would become one of his keys to his own demise. After that day, I lived in shame of telling the King about the Queen's plot." Jareth's eyes lowered to the floor. "The chamber maid was murdered in her sleep, and I was imprisoned for treason.

"So you were the guard the maid told, huh?"

"Yes. And if I had to do it all over again, I would have. I love the Prince, dearly. He was my best friend and confidant. Since she took over, he has been forced to live in shame for his gift and his royal name has been soaked in blood. Before you came, he'd tell me what the Queen forced him to do in her chambers. Her head guard would beat him and rape him while laughing at him. He told me, she would watch in interest as he was forced to bring himself to orgasm under the guard's hand, and then she would place him inside her as his climax exploded into her in a ball of bright blue. On the day his father was murdered, he was forced to stand tied to a pole in the middle of the town and let the people of Mallent throw rotten food and sometimes human waste at him. But, he said nothing, nor did he dodge their attacks on him. He did nothing wrong, but the people only believe the Queen out of fear. They loved the King and he loved them. Until you and your friends came, he had lost all confidence in himself and his love for her. He loves the Queen, and I truely believe that somewhere, she loves him. But, I am only his guard." Jareth sighed and then headed for the door.

As Logan opened the door, a flash of red bounced off the doorframe and exploded into a black cloud as Remy had started to charge another card. "Cool it, Gumbo. Just me and the kid."

Jareth pushed passed him and rushed to the Prince's bedside. "My Prince, what has happened to you? Who did this?" Jareth knelt infront of the weak Prince who had now opened his eyes to see his friend before him.

Rheyne had been resting on his left side and had now forced himself to sit up and throw his arms around the relieved guard. "My good friend, tell me, how do you fair? Are you hungry? I shall have my servants bring you some food. And my private bath shall be at your disposal. Please, rest yourself." Rheyne motioned for his guard to have a seat on a chair beside the bed and waited for his friend to oblige him.

While Rheyne and Jareth were talking, Logan pulled Gambit, Jean and Rogue off to the far corner of the room and filled them in on the conversation between he and the guard.

***********

As the night drew to an end, the Prince was sleeping soundly in his huge satin bed, and his trusted guard lay on the floor just feet away from the bedside. Rheyne kept the carrosine lamp burning on the other side of the bed.

Logan had propped himself up in a chair, leaning back on the hind legs with his feet crossed at the ankles and resting on the end of the bed. His arms were folded against his chest and his head was bent in drowsiness. He had convinced himself that he would protect the Prince from anything who tried to make their way through the door or any other way in, to get to the Prince. His ears perked at every cricket noise and wood settling, but he never heard a faint brush of wind of a footfall. Instead, his ears picked up the faint moaning of the sleeping Prince.

When dawn broke, Logan had awakened to an empty bed and a thick blanket had been draped over him. Letting the chair dropped backwards to the floor, he sprang up and started searching for the boy. The guard was missing too. Logan was clueless at how they could even breathe without him knowing it, let alone move about the room. But they had. And he apparently, was so tired and drained that he didn't hear them or feel them.

As Logan closed his eyes and listened/sniffed/tasted the two boys' scents, he had heard soft laughing and chattering coming from the balcony behind him. Making his way to the entry way, he listened to what they were talking about. They were talking about their childhood and what Rheyne remembered about his now estranged wife.

"Jareth, she is the only woman I could ever love in my lonely life. Yet, she wants me dead for something my father has done. It is getting so confusing to me. Not only was I imprisoned, but you, as well. I thank these strangers for staying and convincing the Fate to release me. But, I fear it won't last. I know her and her guard have something planned. My mother was from Medagon, as well." Rheyne stared forward, searching the horizon for a sign of good.

"Your Majesty, I know these outsiders will help. The man in the room- Logan, I know he is a good man. They will beat her at her own game." Jareth was standing beside him, looking at his friend's profile.

Logan was about to say something to let them know he was awake and had been there for most of their conversation, but a knock at the door interrupted him. All three turned and stared at the door.

A knock again.

Drawing his claws, Logan cautiously made his way to the door and asked in a gruff voice, "Who is it?"

"I wish to speak with my husband. It is time for him to address his people." The Queen's firm voice came from behind the door. She jumped back as Logan threw open the door and stared at her with cold eyes.

Rheyne had come to stand behind Logan, who had forced himself to stand between them no matter what. "It's all right, Logan. I will deal with her." Giving him a pat on the shoulder, Rheyne stepped around him and stepped out into the hallway to speak to the Queen.

Just before the Prince had shut the door, Illyria had glanced over his shoulder to see the guard she had imprisoned, to be standing by the window. "I wasn't aware your guard was released, Rheyne." She smiled to herself as she saw his eyes met hers in shock. She had done something she had never done before, not even on their wedding day. She had said his name. "I have called your kingdom to the courtyard. You must address them about your condition and prepare them for the Fate in 2 days. Are you ready for that day, yourself, my liege?" She had placed a hand on his chest and watched him shiver at her touch.

"I shall be ready. In one hour, I shall address the people of Mallent." Rheyne reached up to place his hand over hers, just before she pulled away from him to acknowledge her guard to be standing a short distance from them, waiting for her.

She looked to her guard and then back at him. "I shall be waiting for you on the terrace." Illyria gave him a kiss on his cheek and then walked over in the direction of her guard.

By now, the other X-Men were up and coming out of their rooms. Jean and Remy were coming down the hallway to meet Rheyne, and Rogue was not far behind them.

Logan had opened the door and waited for the Queen and her guard to be completely out of sight before he turned his attention back to the immediate group before him.

"I must get ready to speak to my people. Please, I shall have my servants prepare you something to eat, in the dining room and then show you to the terrace. I thank you for staying with me last night, Logan, but I must get ready for them. My guard will escort me there." The Prince started to go back into his room when Remy grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Mon ami, you should not be alone. Logan can get somet'ing to eat. I stay here and make sure de femme don' come back to finish de job." Gambit said as the others and Jareth were waved away.

As Rheyne bathed and dressed himself, Remy took the opportunity to glance around and familiarize himself with what the Prince was really like. As Remy wandered around the bed, he accidentally kicked under the bed and heard a soft thud as something fell. Kneeling, and looking around for the Prince, he picked up the object and found that it was a small chest. Opening it, he found a necklace like the one on the figure, in the painting, in the throne room. The necklace in itself was interesting, it had a shiny blue ball for an ornament, and a thick silver chain. The ball seemed to glow eventhough no light was hitting it. Also in the chest, were several letters with a wax seal holding them together. A faint smell of perfume rose off of several amongst at least 20.

"My father gave me that box when I was 14. He told me to only open it on my wedding day. But, after the wedding, everything went mad and I couldn't get back here in time. He explained to me before he died that everything I needed to know about was in that box. I never told the Queen. Now, I leave it for my child." Remy turned to see Rheyne, dressed in a white tunic and white pants with a long white cloak, standing at the washroom door.

"What d'you t'ink is in dere, homme?" Gambit stood up and placed the chest on the bed.

Rheyne shook his head slowly and cast his eyes from Remy, to the floor. "Come, I'm afraid the Queen hates to be kept waiting."

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

to be continued.........