Captive of the Red Vixen, Part Fourteen

[jeriendhal]

Five days later, Rolas stepped out of the shuttle’s boarding tube and into Vulpine Prime’s highport, where a port official met him with a, “Welcome back home, Lord Rolas, this way, sir.” Thus was neatly sidestepped the gaggle of reporters and news cameras that were waiting at the liner’s main docking port some hundred meters forward, well away from this relatively secluded cargo dock. Somehow it seemed appropriate that he was skulking home, like a thief in the night rather than a conquering hero.

When he was ushered into the private VIP lounge, he didn’t even have a chance to say hello before Salli barreled into him, her arms grabbing him tightly as if to hold onto dear life.

“Oh, dear brother, I thought I’d never see you again!” she sobbed, half her face, the side that had functioning tear ducts, already wet from weeping relief.

“I’m fine, Salli, I’m here. Everything is fine now,” he murmured, hoping his tone, if not his words, would be able to reassure her as she sobbed into his shoulder. His hand hovered, wanting to stroke her head to reassure her, but not daring to touch her even with that chaste bit of intimacy. There was no telling what might set off one of her panic attacks. Even now he could feel the trembling in her body as she warred between wanting to stay close to him and cringing in fear at being so near a male. Damn you, Kev Highglider. Damn you to the Cold and Dark and may you forever wander lost within it. “Are you all well?”

“We’re fine, son,” his mother said, taking them both into her arms to hug them briefly. “Everything is fine now.” Her eyes were wet too, though she was keeping control better than Salli. “I’m so glad to have you home.”

He eased Salli back, letting her hold onto his hand. She kept it in a death grip, as if fearing to lose him again. “I’m sorry I lost the cargo. I’m sorry you had too…”

“The cargo doesn’t matter, son,” his father said. “You’re home, you’re safe.”

“But I lost the cargo,” he repeated. “And you had to ransom me. That means we’re…”

“Not as bad off as you might think,” his mother said. She gestured to a corner of the room, where someone was standing the shadow of the lounge’s viewport, haloed by the light of Vulpine Prime’s cities, as the station traversed the planet’s night side. “Meet our House’s savoir.”

The figure stepped forward. She was a vixen, about Rolas’ age, with elegant features and a fine, tri-colored coat of red fur, black paws and cream running from her chin down to her busom. She was dressed as a modest noblevixen of a minor house, her only jewelry a bejeweled pin clipped to her pelt between her ears. “Good evening, Lord Rolas,” she greeted, giving him a polite curtsey. “I’m the Lady Melika Softpaw. It’s such a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Milady,” he greeted in turn, bowing automatically. He glanced over at his mother and father, the obvious question in his eyes.

“She knows,” his father answered. “She knows everything, and in turn we owe her everything. Her house granted us the loan that allowed us to secure your freedom and keep the plan on track.”

“Oh! Many thanks, Milady,” Rolas said, bowing more deeply, even as his mind skidded about in confusion. She already knew about the plan? Who had told her? Why would she help them? Five million credits had to represent a considerable portion of her own House’s assets. It was certainly not something to be given away on a whim.

“I could do no less for your family, once I became aware of the terrible dilemma all of you were in,” she said.

“I’m not sure I understand though. How did you ever find out?” he asked. “The Softpaws are vassals to the Countess Brushtail, are you not? What’s your interest in our poor House?”

“We are indeed under the Brushtails, whom I’m happy to say have treated us with far more honor that you have received under the Highgliders. A fact which has... not gone unnoticed.”

Rolas blinked. “Are saying that the Countess Brushtail…”

“I am saying nothing of the sort,” Lady Melika said primly. “It would of course be a gross violation of etiquette for one House to interfere with another’s relationship with their vassals, as I’m sure you understand.”

“Ah.”

“In turn it would extremely imprudent for a vassal of one Countess to attempt any contact with another Countess to discuss… well, anything really.”

The wheels in Rolas’ head, apparently jammed since his capture over a month ago, finally managed to start turning. “I’ll keep that in mind. Though of course one might speak freely to a Lady whose stature is equal to one’s own, even if they are under a different Countess.”

“Of course,” Lady Melika said, her eyes twinkling.

“So one’s expression of deep thanks might, eventually, reach the proper ears one hopes.”

“I believe that would be a safe assumption, yes.” She offered her hand to him, and he took it with his free paw, the other still being clutched by Salli. He touched his lips to the back of her hand. She tasted… clean and pure, was the best way to describe it. Certainly she lacked the overpowering perfume that his captor had habitually worn.

“Again, I must thank you,” he said, releasing her hand. “You’ve saved both my House from shame and myself from a questionable fate.”

Her green eyes flashed briefly in anger. “Pirates are vile creatures. One could hardly let you languish in cell, or be sold to slavers.”

“I, er, don’t think it would have been as bad as that,” he said. At her questioning look. “I would speak about my experiences with you another time, if that would please you. For now, I am overdue to reacquaint myself with my family and catch up on what has been happening in my absence.”

“Of course, Lord Rolas.” She bowed to him, said a brief word in Salli’s ear, which made his sister nod briefly and wipe the tears from her eye, and bowed politely to his parents before leaving the room.

“Remarkable female,” Rolas said.

“She’s wonderful,” Salli said. “She saved us, she saved you. Oh, Rolas, I thought I had lost you forever.” She snuffed and wiped her nose clean with a handkerchief.

“I’m here, Salli, I’m not going anywhere now,” he reassured her. It must have taken an extraordinary act of will on her part, to leave home and travel publicly to meet him. She’d seemed much like a ghost to him the past two years, inhabiting the space of their home, but seemingly forever walled away from both him and their parents by the trauma of her experiences. He looked over to his mother and father, both of whom were looking back at him as if they wanted to snatch him up and coddle him like he four years old again. “What now?” he asked.

“We go home,” his father said.

“And after that?”

“After that, we’ll see,” his mother said. “The loan from the Softpaws has kept the plan from being scuttled, but we’re still going to need the insurance money from the loss of the Sallivera if we’re going to complete it.”

“Right,” Rolas agreed, feeling the weight of their dread purpose fall across his shoulders once again. Strange, that he hadn’t felt its burden when he was the Red Vixen’s captive. Of course then he’d been a prisoner, with no ability to really affect his own fate. Now, it was not just his fate, but Salli’s, his parent’s and the fate of all out commoners under them that depended on their success. And if we are discovered, or we try, only to fail, our Countess’ wrath will be terrible. But he kept those dark thoughts to himself. For now, his parents and even Salli were joyful for his return, and he would not spoil that for them for all the world. “Let’s go home first, we can talk about it all in the morning. For now, I just want to sleep in my own bed.”

“Of course, Rolas,” his mother said, hugging him tightly. “Let’s go home.”

TBC

Comments

[badasher.livejournal.com]

Nicely done as usual. Can't wait to see how this winds out...particularly after some of our discussions. Heh. :-)

[moonshadowed.livejournal.com]

Very nicely done!

And ...uh oh!.... if Badasher is getting in on the plotting... heheh, just saying he can be quite devious.

[lennan.livejournal.com]

I'm liking this...I had to try very hard not to smile while reading this (at work, y'see).

[mjkj.livejournal.com]

[quote]“Of course, Lord Rolas.” She bowed to him, said a brief word in Salli’s ear, which made his sister nod briefly and wipe the tears from her eye, and bowed politely to his parents before leaving the room.[/quote]

I am wondering what she had whispered to her...

mjkj