*The Chronicles of F.R.E.E. Atania's Knight - Raquel Festow* Part 2

Chapter 8 - The Cold Hard Truth

*Ruth Watson POV*

I broke through the surface of the water and pushed the water back through my hair, away from my face, as I breathed in deeply ready for another dive.
I had already managed to catch two fish for tonight's dinner, but the fish had grown smart to my antics now and were getting harder to catch.
I swam forwards a little before I noticed Raquel jumping about, waving frantically at me to get my attention. I furrowed my brow and swam to her.
"What's up?" I called out when I got close enough.
"We've heard from Hunter!" She squeaked.
"What!!" I swam closer as quickly as I could.
Regina helped me out and wrapped a blanket around me. It was half way through the afternoon and we had decided to take a quick break when we saw the lake.
I sat beside Green and Hewitt, ringing the water out of my hair.
"What did he say?" I asked eagerly, noticing that Green was crying.
"Perkins is in Swindmore! And the kids are in Narthwich with Rebecca and Hodgson." Green told me, sobbing happily.
I let out a laugh of relief and yanked her into a hug. "Oh that's great news!" I cried. "See? I told you they'll be safe!"
"Hunter was a bit croaky though." Raquel said, looking worried. "I hope he's ok."
"He's fine!" I assured her, flippantly. "He's a big boy. Did he say where he was?"
Raquel shook her head. "No. He was more interested in finding out who I was with."
"Probably because he hasn't heard from any of us." Regina mused.
"How long will it take us to get to Swindmore, Clem?" I asked, feeling elated that we had been given an update and everything was alright in the Realm again.
"I think we should be there by sundown." Clemency pondered. "Although, we can probably leave now. We need to head off in this direction."
She pointed behind her and we all nodded, gathering our things.
Rosalie looked at me with her eyebrows raised.
"What?" I smirked then looked down. My underwear had gone see through from the water. I clutched the blanket around me tighter. "Sorry." I smirked, sheepishly.
She made a silent laugh and picked up her bag.
"Very impressive way of getting things done, Ruth." Regina said to me, chuckling. "I've never seen anyone fish without a rod before."
I laughed. "Yeah. I did that on the first day out of Ozryn. Never thought I would have to do it again, though. Thing is, little fishy caught on to what I was up to and made their escape towards the end."
Green laughed. "Record is still yet to be broken. You caught three that time, this time you caught a pathetic two."
I nudged her as I reached for a white dress that we had taken from Rusper. "I'd like to see you try, Miss know it all!"
It was great seeing Green smiling and laughing again. It had been a very depressing few days travel from Rusper to here. Seeing as we hadn't been able to get hold of anyone, that had made matters worse.
"Let's get going then." I quipped, getting the dress on and putting the short sword around my waist. After I was dressed again, I linked my arms with Green and Hewitt and swaggered off with them into the forest.
It had taken me a while to fall back to the 'less effective' sword I had taken from Rusper, but it was enough at the moment. I couldn't wait to get to Narthwich and have a new sword created for me. The thought alone was sending electric excitement through me.
It was a good thing all of us knew how to fight. Seeing as most of us had experienced battle, it had certainly made things much easier.
Raquel had come a long way too. She was very quick with her movements but preferred to stay in one place and let her foes come to her. She mostly did this because she was protecting Hunters mum, but even Veronica had learnt how to defend herself over the past few days.
Most of our run-ins were with Coffinhounds and Razorsnares, but we did come across a creature none of us had ever seen before, and they'd attacked us quite a few times.
It had the torso of a very muscly male, with big strong arms that had sharp claws on the end instead of fingers, and the hind legs of a horse. Its spine had torn through its back and every few inches, or so, there was a sharp spike. It had red, boney plates around its neck, covering the back of its head like a huge collar and it's head was a lions without the mane.
Even Regina hadn't come across it before, so we had no idea how to fight it. At first, there was only one. But this morning, there had been a group of about sixteen of them. They were savage, sly and brutal in combat and we quickly learnt that you couldn't behead them easily, thanks to the collars on their neck.
The Coffinhounds, though, had become more feral. Their risk taking had increased significantly from when we were last here. I supposed it was because of the new competition in Astrovia. Their packs had dramatically grown too, making them all the more dangerous. We had had to resort to using Raquel's Aura abilities on plenty of occasions when things had got too out of hand, and having her with us was proving to be a godsend.
I was surprised how well Green and Hewitt remembered how to fight. Especially as neither had picked up a sword for over ten years. But it goes to show, when there's danger, the survival instinct kicks in. They were excellent at fighting, but Hewitt did admit to me that it helped being around experienced Knights like us.
Raquel had also made a small progress with Rosalie too. She had noticed that, when we were faced with danger, her Aura glowed from her tattoo, showing it desperately wanted to be free, but when she would try to release it after the battle was won, it wouldn't budge. It was far too risky to attempt to release it during a battle.
This had given Rosalie a huge confidence boost, though. She would make funny faces that fit in with what we were talking about, silently laugh, even attempted to communicate with us by her hands or expressions.
Regina had been overjoyed by her progress and was eagerly encouraging Raquel and Rosalie to spend as much time together as possible.
Clemency stuck close to Regina at all times. With Regina being her ancestor, they had had a lot to catch up on. Regina had told her everything in more details, even on her assumptions that us doppelgängers were more than just connected to the chreek reeds and the lands. Raquel and Clemency had been ecstatic to hear that.
"I assume that, when the doppelgänger dies, they would be reincarnated again, as our blood is linked to the soil of the Realms." Regina assumed, one day. "So, it's possible that we would all be reborn if we were to die."
"So, we're practically immortal?" I had asked, earning a slap from Regina.
"No we're not! I'm saying it's a possibility not fact!"
We were now filing through the forest, talking animatedly among ourselves, when we heard a cry for help.
"FIREZ!" Raquel screamed, and ran in the direction of the cry, as well as where the latch was leading her.
We all closely followed, and emerged in a small clearing.
Fabian was surrounded by Coffinhounds, and looked utterly exhausted. He was desperately trying to fend the large pack off while changing their Auras to leave him alone.
Raquel didn't hesitate in running to his aid. She left Veronica behind, pulled out her sword as she went and charged at one of the beasts, crying out as she drove her blade into it.
The rest of us followed suit, Green opting to stay with Veronica and keep her safe. It was like organised chaos as Regina, Rosalie, Hewitt, Clemency, and I all leaped in to help Raquel and Fabian.
Within minutes, the deadly dogs were all dead and Fabian was being given a healing and energy potion to get him back up to speed.
Once he had rested enough, he looked up at Raquel with overwhelming pride.
"My biqirez has become a Knight of FREE!" He exclaimed, launching to his feet and holding his arms open wide for Raquel.
Raquel squealed in delight and threw herself at him, the both of them falling to the floor again, laughing happily.
"Have you been alone all this time?" Hewitt asked in wonder.
Fabian nodded. "I came through the portal and heard shouting. But when I tried to follow, it was too late. The fences of the town I came to had been barricaded shut and surrounded with those creatures."
Green gave him a sympathetic look before reaching into her bag and handing him an apple. "Here. Eat this."
"Rac iai!" He said, gratefully. "You all turned up just in time."
I smiled at him. "We're heading into Swindmore now. We shouldn't be too far away now." I said, looking back over my shoulder.
"We should be very close, actually." Clemency quipped, looking in the same direction.
"You alright to move out, Fabian?" I asked, readjusting the bag on my back.
"Ready when you are." He grinned at me.
Clemency led the way through the forest for a couple of hours, when we finally saw the fence of Swindmore.
"We're here!" Green cried. "PERKINS! WE'RE HERE!"
She screamed out as she ran, full speed, towards the fences. We all followed close behind her.
There was a loud clunk as we reached the gates and they swung open to reveal Micha, Sawyer, and Perkins along with mine and Darren's parents.
"Thank fuck you're ok!" I cried running to my mum and Steve. "I've been worried sick!"
"You've been worried sick?! No one could get hold of you! I've been pulling my hair out!" My mum snapped, but pulled me into a tight hug.
After a while I was released before getting engulfed by Steve. Once we had had our embrace, I turned to Alex and Fiona.
"I hope they've been looking after you." I smirked, looking over at Perkins, who was kissing Green in a fit of passion.
They both laughed and nodded.
"They have. I have to admit, though, I've never been more terrified in my life until I came here." Fiona squeaked, her eyes wide. "When I saw that monster take Darren, I-"
"What?!" I cried, grabbing her shoulders in horror.
"He's ok, Watson." Perkins called over. "Sawyer spoke to Rebecca earlier and he's in Narthwich with her and the kids." He looked down at Green with a loving, affectionate gaze.
I sighed with relief and put a hand to my chest to calm my frantic heart. "That's alright then. What was it?"
"A moon strike?" Alex said, scratching his head.
"A Mournestrike?!" Green, Hewitt and I blanched together.
I looked around the town and noticed the footprints in the ground.
"Holy shit!" I breathed, following the trail through the town with my eyes. "You actually saw it?"
Mum nodded, looking traumatised. "I've never seen anything like it before! It was taller than a skyscraper."
"Taller than any building, even any mountain!" Steve said, shuddering.
I let out a low whistle before looking at a terrified Green.
"At least it's already gone. We should have another few months before it passes this way again, right?" I said, optimistically.
Regina hummed, a finger to her chin. "Not necessarily. It depends what attracts it. It looks for large groups or places of lots of activity. That's why I was surprised that the Coffinhounds had grouped up into such large packs."
Micha came over, his hands on his hips. "It passed through Narthwich too but was apparently heading across the east side of town from what mother told me."
I chuckled. "Yeah... How is your mother surviving being a babysitter?" I smirked.
Micha let out a booming laugh. "Shes really out of her depth!" He chortled, sending me into fits of giggles.
"Oh how I wish I was there to see her struggle! Any news on Maria or Danielle's whereabouts?"
"Both in Mournstead." Micha smirked.
"Both of them? Hmm. Who's with them?"
"Goaxaw, Oren, your friends, Ashdown and Dean? Then finally, Ruby and Rhianna."
I gaped at him before snapping my mouth shut and grimacing. "Someone's checked they're still alive, right?" I asked, slowly.
Micha laughed again. "Father is keeping me updated. They left Mournstead yesterday for Narthwich."
"But Danielle is definitely still alive?"
"Yes."
"Hundred percent?!"
"Yes." He chuckled, shaking his head at me. "She's a hundred percent still alive."
"Oh good... how often are these updates?"
"Relxa, Watson!" Xavier made an appearance, grinning widely at me.
"XAVIER!" Raquel squealed, dashing over to him from where she was standing with Fabian and Veronica.
Fabian arched away, holding his ear but Veronica just smiled.
"Bloody good thing she's deaf, she's getting her as a daughter in law." I leaned to Micha who roared with laughter, bending forwards and clutching his stomach.
"There is such a thing as fate." He wheezed between his laughing.
Xavier and Raquel slipped into an excitable conversation in Atanian and was soon joined by Fabian and Veronica. Veronica was looking around, hoping to see Hunter. Raquel noticed this, taking her hand and giving her a promising smile.
Micha left to speak to Regina and Rosalie, leaving me with mum, Steve, Fiona and Alex.
"So other than the Mournestrike and being cornered in Swindmore, enjoying being on Astrovia?"
Before she could answer, though, there was a shrill scream from further back in the village.
I quickly withdrew my sword and ran with Micha, Regina, Rosalie, Green and Hewitt towards the scream. It had been Clemency.
"Look what it's done! My beautiful village!" She cried in despair.
She was pointing at the fence around the farming fields at the back. I slowly approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Clemency. It was a lovely village." I said as sincere as I could.
"Come on, geebiqirez. Let's have a cup of tea to calm those nerves." Regina suggested in a motherly tone, putting an arm around Clemency's shoulders and leading her to the large hut.
I turned round then noticed someone had disappeared. Sawyer was no where I could see. I definitely saw him when we arrived, as he had been standing at the gate. Where had he gone?
Rosalie stood with Green, Perkins and Hewitt and she beckoned me over to join them. I gave her a warm smile before running back to them, skipping the last few steps.
"You're in a good mood." Hewitt mused.
"What can I say? I prefer familiar surroundings and this village holds the most precious memory of Goodwin." I smiled.
Green nodded in agreement. "I wonder how Hunter is doing and where he is."
"We can call him if you like? I know Hunters in Ozryn. Sawyer has Hodgsons phone. He dropped it during the Mournestrike attack. Thank god he was found by Rebecca and not something else!" Perkins said, a glint of relief on his face.
"Where is Sawyer? He was here when we arrived..." I asked him, looking around.
Perkins shrugged. "Said he had something he needed to do."
I rolled my eyes. "Would have been nice to come over and say hello rather than avoid us."
We all went inside the large circular hut where Sawyer, Hewitt, Green and I had stayed during our last visit. I chuckled as we walked inside and sat beside the fireplace.
"You know, P. During that memory Raquel showed us of Goodwin's, Green was sitting where she was now, daydreaming about you." I laughed.
Perkins laughed too, as Green blushed.
"Shut up, Watson." She poked her tongue out at me.
I looked at mum. "You better not have taken my bed!" I snapped at her.
"What bed?" She frowned.
"The bed by the door on the left was mine. You better not have taken it. And while I'm at it, the bed opposite was Hewitts and the bed over from mine plus one was Greens."
Mum blinked at me. "I didn't know you claimed it as your own." She shook her head at me.
"She's been sleeping in it with Steve." Fiona told me, trying to light the fire pit but struggling.
My eyes widened. "You can have it." I told mum, quickly.
She laughed. "Oh for gods sake. It's not like we've been doing anything in it! Fiona and Alex have been sleeping in the same room. Micha, Sawyer, Perkins and Xavier have been sleeping in the other room." She explained, watching Green show Fiona how to light the fire a better way.
"That's because they're sleeping in the men's quarters. You're going to have to sleep in separate rooms from now on. It was bad enough we had to sleep in the same room with Dean and Hewitt sleeping together."
"Fuck you, Watson." Hewitt snapped.
"You were too drunk to try anything, anyway." I smirked at her and ducked away from the cushion she threw at me.
"I must say, it's very strange coming to the place you were all taken to and seeing how you would have all had to adapt back to old fashioned ways. How did you do the washing?" Fiona asked.
"Darren calls it the 'front back, inside out, front back, throw away' days." I smirked, Alex threw his head back and laughed. "But yeah, the washing was hard work. In Ozryn, we didn't get any soap, so that was nasty staying there. Who's Hunter with then Perkins? Is he ok?"
Perkins nodded. "Yeah. He's there with Natalia, Clive, Clara, Grace, Edwards and Ryder. Oh and your friend Harry."
I grimaced. "Do you know if they've left yet?" I asked him.
Perkins shrugged. "Don't think they have."
"They will take two months to get here. I don't really want to be here that long..." I thought for a moment. "Regina, do you have a phone?"
Regina shook her head as she looked over from sitting beside the wall with the Atanian's, Rosalie and Veronica. "Never liked phones. Although, I regret not having one now."
I made a low noise in the back of my throat. "I'm going to find Sawyer." I said, getting up and stretching. "Won't be long."
I left the hut and looked around for possible places where he could be hiding. I saw him on the top of the tower by the gates and marched over.
"Sawyer!" I called.
He looked over his shoulder but spun straight back round when he saw it was me. I frowned at him, why did he do that?
"Heya, Watson. It-it's good to see you." He grunted, not looking down at me.
I folded my arms and shook my head. "Will you get down here? I want to speak to you."
I saw him tense, but then slouch and obediently came down the ladder. He stood facing me, awkwardly looking anywhere but at me.
"Sawyer... what's happened?" I asked him, slowly.
He finally looked at me, and his cheeks went bright red. Once again he turned away and cleared his throat. "Don't know what you're on about." He huffed.
I heard footsteps behind me and looked round to see Hewitt with Green. They had come to say hello to Sawyer too, but were looking as confused about his behaviour as I was.
Suddenly, my stomach turned over. Dark memories filled my minds eye as it reminded me of the last time Sawyer had acted like this. It had been when we were travelling back from Swindmore and he was feeling conflicted about whether to tell me that Alpin had been talking about me like a piece of meat or not.
I took a shaky breath in and glared, defiantly, at him. "Sawyer, what's wrong? The last time you acted like this around me was because of Alpin. Why am I getting the feeling something has happened and you don't know whether to tell me about it or not?!"
He flinched and my heart started beating faster as I mentally prepared myself for some bad news.
"I think... I think we should have a chat in private." He huffed, very quietly, almost like he was ashamed.
I looked at Green and Hewitt with a foreboding feeling coursing through me.
"The last time you were like this was bad enough, so... will I need their moral support for this news?" I asked, apprehensively.
He finally made proper eye contact with me, and it was a grim, apologetic, sorrowful look.
I nodded. "Girls, please stay with me. I may need you. Let's go in here." I head towards the closest hut and pulled the curtain back for everyone to pile in.
We all sat around the unlit fireplace and I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.
"Ok. What's up?" I asked, leaning towards him with my elbows on my knees.
"I have no idea how this started, ok? But last night... something really... disturbing came through Hodgson's phone." He said, very slowly and carefully.
I frowned. "In what way was it disturbing? What was it about?"
He winced and looked away again. He then looked at Green and Hewitt, and his face became very conflicted.
"Are you sure you want them to hear this too?" He asked me, wincing slightly.
I looked that Green and Hewitt and nodded. "Yes... I'm sure."
He sighed. "It was... it was about you.. or at least, I think it was you."
My eyebrows rose up. "In what way was it about me?"
He started to stammer and was wringing his hands, looking like he would do anything to have the floor swallow him up right now instead of have to tell me what Hodgson had received.
I realised he was more being secretive because he didn't want to say it in front of the girls. I relented.
"Ok. Fine. Green, Hewitt could you stand outside for a moment while he tells me?"
The girls nodded and left, casting suspicious looks at Sawyer. I waited until they were gone before I looked him dead in the eye.
"Come on then. Spit it out." I said, anticipation almost killing me.
"They were... dirty drawings... of you."
My eyes widened so much I thought my eyeballs would pop out. I didn't know what to say. I was speechless.
"Right..." I said after a long pause. "Wh- who sent them?"
"Natalia." He grimaced at me, and looked so apologetic and ashamed that he had the task of telling me about it.
I gaped at him. Natalia had been doing... drawings of me?! I shook my head.
"Are you sure they were of me?" I asked.
He fidgeted about awkwardly and looked around the hut. "Well, that's why I couldn't believe it. I-I thought they were actually of Rebecca but then I thought, why was Natalia sending Hodg pictures of... Rebecca?"
I felt physically sick. What the FUCK?!
But Sawyer wasn't finished. "I then thought it best to call Rebecca because I thought it had been sent by mistake." His face went pale and he looked sick too. "She asked me to send them to her straight away and delete them off the phone."
"Did you?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I can't. It won't let me."
I groaned. Our phones won't allow anything to be deleted without authorisation from the user. Because Hodgson wasn't here, he couldn't delete them.
"Where's the phone?" I asked, quickly.
I needed to see what these drawings were. A part of me were hoping they weren't as bad as I thought. Or more like praying they weren't as bad as I thought.
He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to me, shaking.
I apprehensively took it from him and unlocked the phone.
"Where can I find them?" I said, dreading what I was going to see.
"On the messages." He croaked, looking down, barely able to speak.
I took a very deep breath and opened the messages, selecting Natalia's name. I saw she had sent him over thirty pictures.
Shaking myself now, I opened up the pictures before screaming and dropping the phone, my hands clamping over my mouth and staring at Sawyer, mortified.
Nothing would have prepared me for that! The pictures were crude, humiliating erotic drawings of me in all sorts of suggestive posing. I was showing off my most intimate area in all of them. And Sawyer had seen them!!!
So many questions were flying through my mind right now. Why would Natalia draw things like that and send them to Hodgson? Were they of me or Rebecca? What possessed them to do it in the first place? Did Hodgson need his kicks that much? Did Natalia?
I picked the phone back up and flicked through the other pictures, all getting more and more disgusting and... revealing with every one. but I noticed that the drawings weren't like how Natalia would draw them. She was a lot more artistic than this. I then stopped on a hand written page.
A quick scan of the page revealed it to be a fantasy of what someone was doing to me and how I was reacting to it all. My nausea became unbearable and I retched, clamping my hand over my mouth to stop myself being sick.
Sawyer was watching me with such a hurt, sorrowful look but I couldn't bear to look at him. I felt so humiliated and... on show, even though I was clothed.
I spluttered as I tried to think of what to say before I just broke down. Sawyer moved to hold me, but I recoiled away from him.
"Green! Hewitt! She needs you now!" Sawyer called, his voice broken and strained. "Watson, I'm... I'm so sorry."
I shook my head, wanting him to know I didn't blame him, but I couldn't help it as he had seen the images too.
He looked helpless as his arms fell limp into his lap and Green and Hewitt came into the hut.
They both gasped seeing me in such distress and ran over, both comforting and trying to reassure me.
"I'll leave you alone..." Sawyer mumbled, getting to his feet and moving in a shameful way.
I reached out and grabbed his wrist, looking up at him with my eyes drowning in tears.
"Do you know if anyone else has seen them?" I asked, my voice so thick, it was almost unintelligible.
His face became even more guilty and apologetic, before he nodded slowly.
"Who?"
Sawyer gulped. "Hunter. He... he actually didn't want me to tell you or any of the others about it... He actually begged me not to tell you. I-I don't know what to make of it..."
I didn't either. Hunter knew, Natalia had sent them to Hodgson, and Rebecca knew about them too.
I stared at nothing, my mouth gaping open in thunderstruck humiliation, frozen in place for god knows how long.
I could hear voices around me talking but I couldn't focus on them. All I could think of was why they thought it best not to tell the rest of us. To not tell me!
Someone sat in front of me and grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me, when I finally snapped out of my stupor.
"What am I going to do?! I will never be able to look at Hunter, Natalia, Hodgson or Rebecca in the same way ever again!" I exclaimed, gripping the person shaking me back, and looking at them to realise it was Green.
Green gave me a sympathetic look and yanked me into a tight hug. But I needed my mum. And, for the first time in almost twelve years, she was actually here for me when I needed her.
"Get mum." I whispered to her. "I want to see my mum."
Hewitt dashed out of the hut to get her while Green sidled down beside me, holding onto me tightly.
"We will work it out. Whatever it is Watson, we will work it out." She murmured to me.
I looked up at Sawyer who was torn while deciding whether to stay or go. I reached out my hand to him and he took it, a hint of gratefulness crossing his face for a split second because I wasn't shunting him away.
"Sawyer, pretend you didn't tell me. I want to know why Hunter, Natalia, Rebecca and, above all, Hodgson wanted to keep it from me, but I want to see if they will do the decent thing, like you did, and tell me."
He nodded and kissed my hand, silently promising me he will help in whatever way he could.
My mum arrived at the hut, and cried out when she saw me in a crumpled mess.
"Oh my god! What happened?! My poor baby girl, what's wrong?"
I pathetically looked up at mum, and couldn't hold it in any longer. I wailed into my mums shoulder just like I would have when I was younger.
I didn't have to put on a front around her, I could finally be myself and have someone I could rely on.
Sawyer left the hut while I told mum, Green and Hewitt everything.