The Darkness

==CHAPTER TWO: THE DARKNESS==
Leaving the shocked crowd behind, Amy stormed up to the castle and into River's and her bedroom, before rummaging around through draws and cupboards. 
'Beloved, what are you doing?' River asked when he entered the room. He pulled off his cloak revealing his pale and shaken face. 
'What does it look like?' snapped Amy. 'I'm going to the Shadow court and getting my son back!' 
'But Amy, we don't know that's where he has been taken -' reasoned River, but he was soon interrupted. 
'River, this is the Shadow Court's doing. So where else would they take him?' said Amy as though she was talking to an idiot. 
'That's what they want you to think.' argued River. 'Trust me; I know more about them than you do. If you go to the Court you will be walking into a trap!' 
'I don't care!' 
'Fine. I'll come with -' 
'No.' 
'No?' 
'No, you're not coming with me.' Amy said firmly. 
'But Amy -' 
'Don't "but Amy" me!' Amy said sternly. 'They are angry with you and are likely to torture you and kill you if they get their hands on you.' 
'That's not what I'm worried about.' 
'I know. But you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine.' Amy said gently. 
'No matter what I say or do; you're not going to let me come, are you?' River sighed with defeat. 
'Nope. I'll tie you to the bed or something to stop you coming.' said a serious Amy. 
'Fine. You win.' River unwillingly sighed. 'Just make sure you come back!' 
'I will.' Amy smiled, before rummaging through more draws and cupboards. 
River watched her quietly for a few minutes before saying, 'Your old questing items are in the chest at the back of the wardrobe.' 
'Oh, I forgot I put them there,' muttered Amy as she hurried into the wardrobe before returning moments later with a heavy chest, which she dropped to the ground with a loud bang. 
River watched as she undid her hair letting it cascade down her back before she took off her clothes. He then watched as she walked to the bathroom, in her underwear, with a dagger in her hand. River sat patiently on their bed waiting for her to return. When she did exit the bathroom, he couldn't help but get up and embrace her. 
'I always did think that you looked more beautiful with short hair and only little bit of make-up with your Will lines showing and tattoo.' he murmured in her ear. 
'I missed being able to have short hair and not having to plaster my skin with make-up to hide my Will lines and tattoo.' admitted Amy. 'I'm glad that I no longer need to hind my past, but I wished I could have revealed it under different circumstances.' 
'I know, beloved,' River muttered, before allowing her to get dressed. 
'I hope I can still fit into my old clothes,' muttered Amy as she began to put on her short, brown hot pants. 
'They should. If anything, they probably would be too big after all that celery you ate after Logan's birth.' commented River. 
'I didn't eat that much!' exclaimed Amy. She was happy to see that her pants did fit. 
'Yes, you did,' argued River. 'Just ask anyone.' 
'I'm not going to argue with you about this.' stated Amy, now putting on her corset. 
'As you wish.' 
Moments later Amy was ready to leave, as was Storm. 
'I'm sorry, Storm, but you can't come with me this time.' Amy said, bending down and patting her dear dogs head. 'Look after River for me, won't you?' 
Storm barked sadly as if to say, "If I must". 
'That's my boy.' smiled Amy before standing up and embracing River. 'I'll be back before you know it.' she said, before kissing him briefly. With one last look at her husband's worried face, Amy took off, ready to find her son. 
River and Storm walked out onto the balcony and watched as she flew across the courtyard, before running back to pick up her hat, then running off again. River chuckled. He always had hated that green and red highwayman's hat. He had hated it the moment she appeared in their Bloodstone Manor wearing it. 
'I guess it's just you and me now, Storm.' River said quietly to his furry companion, only he wasn't there. 'Storm?' River said looking around. He soon found Storm trying to sneak something into his bed. 'Storm, hand it over.' River said firmly, holding out his hand. 
Storm seemed to grumble before dropping the object into River's hand. It was Amy's Guild Seal. 
She must have had it in the trunk, thought River, before turning his attention back to Storm. 
'Storm, this has to stop.' River began quietly. 'You have to stop -' 
'Hello Reaver,' a calm voice interrupted. A voice that sounded a lot like... 
'Theresa!' exclaimed a shocked River, jumping to his feet and looking around for the blind Seer. She was nowhere in sight. 
'You can stop looking around for me, Reaver.' Theresa's voice said. 'I'm talking to you through the Guild Seal.' 
'I knew that,' muttered River, ceasing his search for the Seer. 'And I wasn't looking around.' 
Silence followed his statement. The kind that says, "I don't believe you". 
'Er, if you are after Amy, she's not here at the present time, but I can let her know that you called -' said River before he was interrupted. 
'I am not after the Queen of Albion. I am after you, Reaver.' said Theresa. 
'Oh, er, is there a particular reason you wanted to talk to me?' River asked hesitantly. 
'Yes. I need you to come to the Spire.' Theresa said, getting straight to the point. 
'I would love to go back to that - er - charming place, but I have a slight problem of my own -' 
'Reaver, the reason I am asking you to come to the Spire is to do with your son.' Theresa interrupted again. She seemed to like doing that to him, not to mention scaring him. 
'Logan? You -' 
'Come to the Spire and everything shall be explained.' 
'But Amy -' 
'Is where she is meant to be and is doing what she is meant to do. Now come.' 
River didn't argue, though he didn't have the faintest clue about what Theresa meant about Amy's task. Anyway, he quickly went and changed his clothes, then rushed around the room grabbing everything he needed while Storm laid sulking in his bed. 
'Okay, I think that's everything,' mused River, before looking down at Storm. 'Are you ready to go or are you just going to lay there sulking for the rest of the night?' 
Storm jumped up barking and ran from the room, only stopping every now and then to make sure River was following him. 
In order to get to the Spire, River had to take care of a few things first. The first order of business was who was going to run the kingdom in his and Amy's absence and he knew the perfect man for the job....Walter. River found Walter in Bowerstone, still trying to settle the crowd, though they did go silent when they spotted the hooded River walking towards them. 
'River, Amy went flying through here only moments ago in the direction of Bower Lake -' Walter began, but River cut him off. 
'Yeah, I know. She's off to Wraithmarsh.' said River. 'Listen Walter, I'm going to be gone for a while so I'm leaving you in charge.' 
'If that is your wish,' mutter Walter. He didn't look to happy about it. 
'It is. I do not know how long I will be gone nor do I know how long Amy will be gone.' said River as he scanned the crowd. 
'Is there anything else you would like me to do?' asked Walter. 
'Now that you mention it, yes. Please round up a dozen or so soldier that can leave at a moment's notice. We might need them to find Logan.' River said, still scanning the crowd. 
'I'll do it the moment I get this crowd under control,' answered Walter. 
River nodded his head to Walter and began to move through the crowd to the man he had been looking for; Norman, one of his most trusted men. River had found Norman barely alive when he was five years old and had taken him in. Since then, Norman worked loyally and even became River's first mate (ship speaking). 
'Norman,' called River, motioning for the man to follow him somewhere private. 
Once they were away from the curious crowds and were somewhere where they wouldn't be interrupted, River took off his hood. 
'It is good to see you again, Reaver!' grinned Norman, clasping River's hand, though his grin didn't last long. 'I'm sorry about your son. If there is anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask.' 
'That's what I wanted to talk to you about.' admitted River. 'I need you to get the men together ready to sail for the Spire as soon as possible.' 
'Of course, but why do you want to go to that cursed place again?' asked a horrified Norman. 
'I don't have a choice. That blind Seer has information about Logan, so I can't pass it up.' explained River. 
'But, didn't Lionheart go after the boy?' 
'She's got it stuck in her head that he's being held in the Shadow Court.' River sighed sadly. 
'But you disagree,' noted Norman. 
'Of course I disagree. You know better than anyone how long I've known them. It just doesn't seem right. Then again, this entire situation doesn't seem right.' said a worried River. 
'You'll get your little boy back.' Norman said confidently, before leaving to kick the crew out of the Cow and Corset. 
-----THE HAPPENINGS-----
Hours later, the Reaver II had made port in the Spire and River was walking towards the great white light where the room Lucien had met his demise laid behind. The moment River entered the room, a familiar voice met his ears, and he inwardly groaned. 
'...but why do we need him, Theresa?' demanded Hammer, the Hero of Strength. 
'I agree with Hammer,' commented Garth, the Hero of Will. 'He helped us once, but it was unwillingly. He has betrayed Hero a number of times already, so what is stopping him from betraying Hero or us again? Or even taking advantage of her misfortune in some way? We all know how much he fancied her.' 
'You are worrying for no reason, and everything will be revealed in time.' Theresa said calmly. 'Welcome Reaver,' she added without turning around, but Hammer and Garth did whip around towards the door. Both of them held dislike, distrust and distain on their faces as they glared at him. 
'Hmm, I didn't know that we were having a reunion,' River said accusingly to Theresa as he walked towards them. How he hated these people, but he would try to be civil to them...for Amy. 
'We're not here for a reunion, Reaver!' snapped Hammer. 'We're here to -' 
'I'm very well aware of the reason why we are here, my dear.' interrupted River coldly. 'So may I suggest we get down to business?' 
'Shouldn't we wait for Hero?' asked Garth. 
'She will not be coming.' Theresa stated calmly. 'She is currently in Wraithmarsh slaughtering the Shadow leaders in the Shadow Court.' 
'Then why did you call us?' asked Hammer. 'If Sparrow is already there then that means she will have her son and will be coming back.' 
'Logan isn't with the Shadow Court.' 
'I knew it,' muttered River. 
Garth glanced at him curiously, but chose to ask Theresa a question rather than ask what River meant. 
'If the Shadow Court doesn't have him, then who does?' 
'It is a terrible enemy, the Lord of all Darkness. For years it has lied low in Aurora, waiting for its chance to seize hold of Albion and Aurora. It has now obtained its chance.' explained Theresa. 
'You know I hate it when you speak in riddle.' stated Hammer. 'What has this got to do with Sparrow's son?' 
'The Shadow Court was angry with Reaver for breaking their contract and still being able to remain young, so they called for help with fellow darkness and the darkness in Aurora told them that they should use Logan to get back at Reaver.' explained Theresa. The moment that River was mentioned, Garth and Hammer's glares increased dramatically. 'However, they see Logan as the key to taking Albion and they know that his parent's would do anything to get him back, and with the King and Queen of Albion out of the way, it believes that it can conquer all with its biggest threats gone.' 
'Well it got that wrong,' mutter Hammer angrily. 'So, where exactly in Aurora is it?' 
'It is on the far coast of Aurora in the darkest cavern. It is surrounded by desert on three sides and ocean on the fourth.' 
'So we'll go by sea then.' River said. 
Theresa nodded. 
'You should go and go back to Bowerstone Market.' said Theresa. 'By the time you arrive, you should meet Sparrow there. And Reaver,' she added. 
'Hmm?' 
'Take this. It will allow me to talk to all four of you at the same time and for you to communicate with each other.' She said, handing him a Guild Seal. 
'Thanks,' River muttered, before leading the way back to the Reaver II. 
'Reaver, is all your business here done?' asked Norman as River and his companions climbed back on deck. 
'Yes, take us back to Oakfield.' 
'Yes, sir.' 
River went and stood leaning on one side of the ship, leaning on the rail hoping that Hammer and Garth would leave him alone...he wasn't in luck. 
'Listen Reaver, before we see Sparrow, we want to get a few things straight.' Hammer said seriously, joining him at the rail with Garth right beside her. 'Firstly, if you hurt Sparrow, or take advantage of her in anyway, you will get my hammer -' 
'Don't you dare lecture or threaten me!' hissed River, turning to glare at them. 'It has been twenty-seven years since both of you have seen her and me, and in those years a lot has changed!' 
With that said, River went to storm way but before he had even gone ten paces he heard Hammer give a little scream as something furry ran and jumped up at her knocking her to the ground -with his sudden appearance - before licking her face. 
River turned around and looked at what had happened before smirking. 
'Come on Storm, hop off her.' River said calmly. 
Storm obliged and went and stood to the side of her. 
'Storm?' muttered a surprised Hammer. 'But - how is that possible?' 
'Lucien only seriously wounded him,' explained River. 
'Okay, then what is he doing here with you and how do you know that?' asked Garth. 
'Storm's dear mistress told me and left him in my care.' shrugged River. 
'You lie! Sparrow would never leave Storm with you.' snapped Hammer. 
'Why don't you ask her when you see her,' suggested an expressionless River, before he went and joined Norman at the wheel. 
When the four companions eventually arrived back in Bowerstone Market, they all glanced towards the Bowerstone Bridge and saw an angry, upset and muddy Amy walking across with people bowing to her politely and giving he their sympathy for the loss of Logan. 
Storm gave out a bark and ran towards her, before leading her back to where the other three Heroes were standing. Amy gave River a funny look and he knew that she was wondering if he was River or Reaver, so he decided to tell her by acting like Reaver. 
'Well, if it isn't the Queen of Albion,' he said mockingly. 'How nice to see you again, my dear.' 
'Nice to see you too, Reaver.' Amy said in a dead voice. 'Hammer, Garth, what are you all doing here?' 
'Where here to help you rescue your son.' Hammer answered gentle. 'Theresa called us and told us all what happened.' 
'Of course Theresa would know what has happened,' Amy said with a hollow laugh. 'But I don't know where Logan is.' 
'We do,' said Garth. 'He's in Aurora.' 
'Aurora? But what is he doing there?' asked a shocked Amy. 
'We'll explain later,' promised Hammer. 
'Well, this reunion has been a real joy, but if you don't mind, I'd rather we go now seeing as I have better things to do with my time then rescuing snotty little brats.' River said making the people around them, Hammer and Garth glare at him in shock and anger but Amy got the message. River was telling them that they had better hurry up and save Logan before anything bad happened to him. 
'You're right, we should leave now.' agreed Amy. 
'Amy!' yelled Walter as he hurried over to her. 'Did you find him?' 
'No. The shadows knew that I would turn up. It was a trap. They were just disappointed that River wasn't with me.' answered an upset Amy. Hammer went and put her arm around her old friend. 'How are things here?' 
'There have been no dramas so far and I have assembled a dozen soldiers to go with you to find Logan as River requested.' Walter reported. 
'In that case, can you go get them and tell them to meet us in, um...' 
'Oakfield.' finished River. 
'Very well. Do you have any messages for me to give River?' 
'No.' 
'Very well, I shall go get the soldiers.' 
'Thank you Walter.' Amy said. Walter gave her a slight bow and hurried back to the castle. 'Well, we might as well head off.' Amy added to her companions. They all nodded and together they walked back to Oakfield. 
The whole journey back to Oakfield ended up giving River an enormous headache seeing as Hammer did not shut up. She spent the whole time talking to Amy about the warrior monks, what had happened to her since their last meeting, asking continuous questions about the Temple of Light, live as a Queen, about Albion, about Logan and when they finally reached Oakfield she asked Amy about her husband. 
'River? What about him?' asked Amy, with a slight glance at River who was walking ahead of them with Garth and Storm. 
'Come on. I want to know all about him. How you met. What he looks like. And all those other details.' laughed Hammer. 
'I met him while I was questing in Bloodstone twenty-seven years ago, no sorry, I lie. I first met him in Bowerstone's Cow and Corset, shortly after I met you.' said Amy. 'At the time I thought he was an arrogant, vain whore, but at the same time is was very handsome, funny, charming and a tease. However, I ended up seeing a side to him that he had always tried to keep hidden to protect his social imagine. However, after I saw that side, he never acted arrogant or vain again, nor did he except invitations from people to sleep with. Anyway, we started spending nearly every waking moment together and we fell in love.' 
'Hmm, he sounds like Reaver, but Reaver wouldn't know what love was even if it came up and bit him on the bum.' commented Hammer, missing Amy's pointed look. 
River however, turned around and glared at her. 
'Are you going to insult me the whole journey?' he demanded. 
'Probably.' 
River glared at her for a bit longer before facing the front once more. 
'You didn't tell me what he looked like. You only said that he was handsome.' realised Hammer. 
'Well, he is tall, taller than me. He has dark brown hair and dark green eyes -' 
'Hello there Reaver!' yelled Norman, interrupting Amy as they arrived at the Reaver II. 'Are you ready to leave again?' 
'Not quite yet, Norman. We just have to wait for some soldiers to come and then we can leave.' answered River as he walked on deck. 
They didn't have to wait long for the soldiers for they arrived around an hour later, and the Reaver II set sail to the far coast of Aurora. While Hammer and Garth were down below deck, River walked over to Amy and embraced her from behind. 
'You might want to come straight out and tell Hammer and Garth that we are married, cause if they see me stand near you, hugging you or even talking to you they are likely to attack me.' River told his beloved wife. 
'Why would they do that?' asked Amy. 
'They think that Reaver is going to take advantage of you.' 
'I was actually going to see how long it would take them to figure out the truth,' admitted Amy. 'It will entertain me.' 
'Well, can you tell them that they aren't allowed to take any shots at me or kill me in my sleep?' 
'I think I can do that.' smiled Amy, before turning and capturing his lips in her own, before they quickly pulled apart when they heard Hammer's voice. 
'Does anyone know how long it will take to get to Aurora?' Hammer asked, walking over to them, looking suspiciously at River. 
'Roughly a day,' answered River. 
And he was right too. It took almost a day to get to Aurora. 
'Land ho!' One of the sailors yelled out, when the land mass of Aurora came in range. 
'Finally. I can't wait to get off this bloody ship.' grumbled Hammer, looking a little green. 
'We should be at our destination by nightfall,' River announced happily, walking down towards the other Heroes. 
'Nightfall? But that's hours away!' complained Hammer. 
'No use whining to me, my dear. I can't magically make the ship speed up, and nor would I want to.' said River. 
'But, couldn't Sparrow or Garth make a stronger breeze to speed the ship up?' Hammer asked desperately. 
'No.' 
'But -' Whatever Hammer was going to say, they did not know, for at that moment, she ran to the side of the ship and vomited. 
'If you got any of that on my ship, you will be the one cleaning it off.' River said seriously. 
'Oh...shut it, Reaver!' Hammer snapped half-heartedly. She was too sick to put much hate in her tone. 
Chuckling, River walked back to Norman, while Garth went below deck, leaving Amy with the sick Hammer. 
'Hey, we're nearly there,' Amy told Hammer as the land mass came closer and the sun began to set. 
'Thank goodness,' Hammer sighed with relief. 
Amy smiled, but it shortly vanished as she saw something big and black moving towards them in the distance. 
'Hey Garth, do you know what that is?' Amy asked when Garth joined them at the railing. 
'Probably a whale or something,' he shrugged. 
'Can whales get that big though?' 
'I - no, now that you mention it.' Garth said, looking at the big black shape underneath the water. 'Nor can they move that fast.' 
Amy was about to yell out to River, when the thing came and knocked into the ship, sending Hammer, Garth and Amy flying backwards. They weren't the only ones. The whole crew practically fell over. 
'All right, what was that?' asked River, climbing back to his feet. 
'Some sort of creature,' answered Amy. 
'Impossible. The only creature big enough and brave enough to attack a ship would be a giant sea serpent, kraken or Leviathan, and they don't live in this part of the sea.' said River. 
'You better tell that to this Leviathan,' said Norman, pointing to the creature in the water. It was a Leviathan. An angry one, at that. 
'Shoot,' muttered River, drawing his Dragonstomper, before putting it back away. 'Garth, Amy. You're going to have to attack it. Bullets and hammers will be no use against it.' 
Amy and Garth reacted immediately. They shot lightning, fire, blades and wind at it, forcing it away from the ship. It was no use. It was just too strong for them and it eventually, broke the ship apart knocking them all into the water. Thankfully, the land wasn't that far away and even more fortunate, only a handful of River's men were lost. 
'I never what to travel by sea again!' declared a shaken Hammer. 
'After that experience, I don't think I want to either,' admitted Garth. 
'We shall camp here for the night.' announced Amy as she sat down on a nearby rock, with a drenched Storm next to her. 'We will set out in the morning. Garth, do you know where we are?' 
'I can't be sure, but I think we're near the cave entrance.' answered Garth, looking around. 
'Okay, everyone else, set up camp and try to get some rest. I'll take the first watch.' Amy said, before walking a short distance away where she had a good view of the camp. 
That night, nothing happened, and when everyone was asleep, River went and sat next to Amy, before putting her in his lap, and holding her tightly as she sobbed quietly about how she wanted Logan back in her arms. 
'We will find him, beloved.' River said gently, yet confidently. 
'I hope so, River. I couldn't bare it if anything happened to him.' sobbed Amy. 
'He's a strong little boy; he'll be fine as long as we don't give up hope.' 
Next chapter: 
Written: 4 October 2011