Anything For Rachel – Episode 12
{ S.v Painter }
#EPISODE_12
I closed the door behind me and I heard the lock click shut on the other side.
“Babe?” I heard Logan call from the bed.
I walked over and sat beside him. “Sorry.” I said simply, knowing that it was a loaded word.
“Where’d you go?” He asked, brushing my hair away.
I laid back on the bed. “Calvin came to talk to me.” I said truthfully.
“Calvin?” Logan repeated, dislike painted all over his tone.
“Yeah. He wanted to talk.”
“About what?” Logan demanded.
I shook my head. “Nothing really.”
Logan narrowed his eyes. “Then why did he come then?” He asked. “Just to talk to you about nothing?”
I nodded, keeping my eyes ahead of me. “I guess.”
Logan shifted next to me and I could feel his glare on my face. “Look at me.” He demanded and I turned my face to him, my eyes still not focusing on him. “Did something happen with you two?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then why are you being so weird right now?”
I finally looked him in the eyes and sighed, guilt tearing at my insides, making me feel sick to my stomach. “Because something could have happened.” I said softly. “I stopped it, but it could have.”
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Logan leaned away from me, the mix of pain and anger on his face making me drop my eyes back down to the bed. “Rachel.” He said my name, his scruffy voice not wrapping around it the way that his does. “You told me I didn’t have anything to worry about with you coming here.”
I blinked hard, getting the tears out. “I didn’t think you did.”
He widened his eyes. “But you do now?”
“I don’t know…I feel…conflicted, Logan.” I croaked out.
Logan threw the blankets away from him and got out of the bed, stomping to the other side of the room. “Conflicted?” He shouted. “You feel conflicted? Rachel, we are supposed to be getting married, we are supposed to be a family!”
The tears kept coming. “I know, Logan.” I whimpered. “I know that, and I still want that, I just…Seeing him again just brought up a lot of stuff for me, and I don’t know how I feel about it all. I thought I was passed it, but…”
“Just stop talking, Rachel.” He snapped. “Just stop.”
“Logan, I’m sorry, I love you and I wanted to be honest with you.”
I cried, wanting to go to him, but knowing he would turn away from me if I tried.
“Honest with me? Honest like when you didn’t tell me that you were already married, or that you still had feelings for some bloodsucking asshole?” He turned on the lights and I could see how red his face was with anger. “Call Octavia.” He snapped. “I want out of this goddamn room.”
I got out of bed and tried to go to him but he gave me a look and pointed to the counter where the pager was. “Logan, please, I don’t want you to go anywhere, and it isn’t safe. Just stay here. I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to keep anything from you because I want to have a future with you. I meant what I said when I told you I would marry you.”
“Oh yeah? And where does your husband fit into that future you want with me?” He yelled then stomped over to grab the pager himself, dialing Octavia’s number. “Get me the fu.ck out of here.” He yelled into it. “I don’t care, I want to get out of this room.” He said slamming it back down on the counter and then going to wait by the door.
“Logan!” I yelled. “Please, don’t go!”
“Next time, Rachel, just lie to me.” He sighed when the door unlocked.
Octavia glanced in at me and saw me crying then looked back up at Logan’s red face. “Where are you wanting to go?” She asked him.
He pushed out the door passed her. “Anywhere that is away from her right now.” He snapped.
Octavia glanced back at me again and I just nodded my head to her. If he needs some space from me, I will give it to him. “Keep him safe.” I told her and she nodded her head once.
The door clicked shut again and I walked slowly back to the bed, laying on top of the covers. This is all harder than I had expected it to be. I love Logan, and all he has been for me over the last two years, but…There shouldn’t be a ‘but’. I should be able to just say, I love Logan. Leave it at that, and be happy, but I can’t.
Seeing Calvin again…
I felt things in me I hadn’t felt in ages.
I closed my eyes as I hugged up to a pillow, but sleep wouldn’t come.
I laid there until the knock came and two girls came in with things to help me get ready a couple of hours later, Octavia following behind them. “Good evening.” She cheered as she walked in.
I rolled out of the bed and walked over to the vanity and plopped down in in the chair. “Yep.” I nodded and she rolled her eyes.
“Logan is staying in a room near mine.” She said. “I’m watching out for him, and he chose not to leave.”
She said. “He just wanted to get some distance.”
“Yeah, from me.”
She nodded her head. “What happened exactly?” She asked.
“Calvin says nothing happened between you two, so why is Logan so angry?” She twirled her long hair around her fingers, her sculpted eyebrows lifted high.
I leaned back in my chair while the girls brushed out my hair.
“Because I’m an idiot and I told him that I pretty much wanted something to have happened.”
“Did you want something to happen?”
I sighed, and this time I ignored the question, taking Logan’s advice to learn when I should just lie. “How long until the meeting?” I asked instead.
She lifted her arm, checking the time on her watch, then she fanned out her black knee length dress. “They are already gathering now, and we are just going to get you ready then you will head on up.”
“Great.” I muttered unenthusiastically.
The girls curled my hair and pulled it all to one side, tying it off with a deep blue ribbon, then they applied some make-up, more than I have worn in a long time since I rarely ever use it anymore. When they finished with that, Octavia helped to zip me into a blue cap sleeved, V-neck, knee length dress that had a gold belt that wrapped around my waist, and I slipped into a pair a tan pumps and we were ushered out of the doors.
My entourage of guards was smaller this time, five instead of dozens.
“Your majesty.” Cromley bowed to me then followed to my right, while Octavia stayed on my left.
“Don’t be nervous.” Octavia whispered as we climbed onto the elevator.
“I’m not.” I lied, feeling my palms starting to sweat.
She smiled at me. “Your heart is pounding.” She said with a tilt of her head.
I smiled back, faying confidence. “Hearts are supposed to do that.” I winked.
“Very well, your highness.” I gave her a look and she ducked her head. “Rachel, I mean.”
I tried to prep myself for what was coming, but I knew there was not really anyway to do that. I was glad that I am pretty much just telling the truth here, because my skill in lying is still pretty low. What made my jitters worse was knowing that Calvin would be there.
We got off on level five, and we worked around, taking a corridor near the library and wrapping around to an area I had never explored before until we reached a room with double doors and two guards standing outside.
They pulled open the doors as we approached and the other guards stopped in the hall, leaving only Octavia and I to walk into the room together. There was a long mahogany table in the center, with nine people standing around it, all bowing as I walked in. I recognized Miss. Angela, and Master Tullis, but the rest were strangers, expect for Calvin, who stood at the front of the room in front of a podium. His eyes roamed me carefully, and I felt the heat from them making me blush.
“Let’s begin.” A man at the head of the table said courtly, taking a seat and looking up towards Calvin to nod, then looking back to me as Octavia pulled out a chair for me and then sat in the empty spot beside me. “Your highness, it is a pleasure to have you back in Castrum de Petra.” He smiled. “My name is Master Marco, and this is the council. I know we didn’t have a council in place when you were here, but
we help to make governmental decisions so that the weight of our entire population doesn’t ride solely on the shoulders of our young king.” He explained. “You’re here today because you face a very serious charge of desertion of your seat in the royal procession. I do hope that you realize how seriously we take a charge like this one, and I promise you that we are all going to go into this with no predetermined notions, but you will be judged, and a verdict will be handed down. Do you promise to accept whatever decision is made?”
I gulped slightly and looked up to Calvin and he gave a discreet nod. “Yes.” I muttered and the council men and women nodded.
“And how to you plea to this charge?” Marco asked.
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I bit my lip and looked around at everyone’s expectant eyes. “Um, not guilty?” I shrugged and everyone covered their mouths and Calvin shook his head trying to hide his smile. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, your highness.” Marco shook his head. “Your delivery was just a bit…”
“Comical?” Octavia offered and he nodded.
I rolled my eyes. “Ok, I plead not guilty of these charges.” I said firmly, more confident.
“Very well,” Marco nodded. “King Calvin, please proceed.”
Calvin pulled a paper out of the pocket in his white button down and placed it on the podium in front of him, fanning it out.
“Thank you all for being here tonight.” He said. “We are here to discuss the charges of desertion that have been brought upon Rachel here.” He said, holding a hand out in my direction. “As most of you have already heard from me, I take full responsibility for her absence here at court.” He nodded his head. “She took no part in her leaving here, and therefore should not be charged with any wrongdoing in this case.”
“You claim that you sent Miss. Rachel away from here without her knowledge?” A man clarified and Calvin nodded.
“I did.” He said firmly. “I was, as you all know, unwillingly forced to participate in my late father’s little court game that would lead to my marriage and I resented being forced into a marriage that I didn’t want.”
His words stung my heart, but I knew that Octavia had told me that he had been proclaiming this, but it did still hurt to hear it come out of his mouth, even if I knew it wasn’t true.
Story_Continues
