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Lacuna Lily: I’m back with chapter 2 and much quicker than I had anticipated! I’m so proud of myself, lol! And yes, I did change my name.
I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to the two people who have supported the story from its original state and are continuing to show their support now. Highwayman Myth and Kyuubinoheru please stand up and take a bow. -crowd applauds loudly- I would also like to thank my new readers Orzhvo Patriach, mastersam, and DEGxMDM for their support as well. You are all amazing and I appreciate your encouragement.
One more thing before I let you at the chapter. I do not own the song that Blanche is going to sing in this chapter. It is called Before the Dawn and it is the property of one of my absolute favorite bands, Evanescence.
How disgraceful, he thought with a heavy frown.
It wasn’t until he heard a beautiful sound that, due to it’s fine quality, seemed out of place in a desolate place such as this. Picking up his pace, though only slightly, Raphael made his way toward the sound. When he arrived near the source he was surprised at what he saw.
The source of the voice was a young woman who looked remarkably identical to Blanche. After examining her attire, a simple yellow dress, he immediately dismissed the idea. After all, Blanche was a noble and would probably be dressed accordingly. He also didn’t think that any noble would be singing to a group of battered and starving children as they were eating.
Hold on, Raphael thought quizzically, Where did those children get so much food?
"Sing us another, Blanche!" a dark haired boy cried when she was finished with the song she was singing.
Raphael was shocked, what would a noblewoman like Blanche be doing in a place like this? It even appeared she was trying to hide her nobility. It seemed he was right that night they spoke in the garden- she was different than the other members of the House of Riviére.
"What shall I sing for you, Antoine?" asked Blanche with a sweet smile.
She even knew them by name and the children addressed her by her first name. It was apparent to Raphael that Blanche was genuinely concerned about the well-being of those children. If she had been in it for her image she would have been dressed in a more gaudy manner and made a big deal about being addressed as some redundant title such as ‘Lady Blanche of the House of Riviére’. In Raphael’s opinion Blanche was a breath of fresh air in comparison to her wealthy counterparts.
"It doesn't matter, I just want to hear you sing,” replied Antoine with an eager grin.
Blanche thought for a moment before finally deciding upon a song.
Meet me after dark again and I’ll hold you
I am nothing more than to see you there
And maybe tonight
We’ll fly so far away
We’ll be lost before the dawn
Raphael was touched by the song she was singing. She seemed so melancholy. She worked so hard to comfort those children while no one made the slightest effort to do anything for her. It seemed apparent to him that Blanche sang of sorrow because it was all she knew and for some reason it troubled him. He quickly hid himself from sight knowing that it would only cause more trouble for her if she saw him there.
And maybe tonight
We’ll fly so far away
We’ll be lost before the dawn
"Why are you always so sad?" Antoine asked when she was finished.
"Yeah! You're rich enough to take care of yourself and buy things for leisure. We're jealous!" added a frighteningly thin young girl.
"You'd hate to be as rich as me, Yvonne,” stated Blanche with a lonely smile, “Although it's true that money can buy a lot of things, it can't buy what is it that I want most."
"What is it that you what?" questioned a perplexed Antoine.
"I want a family. I want to be loved as you are. Money can't make people love you. It can, however, be used to aid the ones you love," explained the young noble as she placed her hands over her heart.
"You have us, Blanche. We love you like an older sister."
Antoine gave Blanche a hug and the other children followed. She was moved to tears by the boy's words and the actions of the group of children. Unfortunately the joyful moment was cut short by the sound of hoofbeats and masculine voices calling for "Mademoiselle Riviére". Instinctively, Raphael ran for Blanche, grabbing her arms behind her back and clasping his hand over her mouth, he dragged her into a nearby "house". When he'd released her she turned in fright to face her captor. A look of relief overtook her face when she saw Raphael.
"My Lord Raphael! Oh, thank God it's you! I thought that you were one of them!" Blanche exclaimed before becoming saddened once more, "I wish they'd leave me alone..."
Before Raphael could respond, they heard the voices of the soldiers demanding Blanche's location from the children. Blanche immediately ran to the window to check on her ‘family’. She screamed in horror at what she saw- a soldier bearing the crest of Riviére plunging his sword into Antoine’s chest. Before Raphael could stop her she ran out of the shack and toward Antoine’s limp body. Unfortunately before she could reach him she was caught by the arms by two soldiers.
"You killed him, you bastard!" she shrieked at the soldier who stood before her, "It's me you wanted, these children did nothing to you!"
"You call these children? I call them disgusting little rats!" the soldier scoffed.
"You're a cruel-"
"And you're disgracing your father's name by being here. It's time for you to come home, Mademoiselle Riviére,” the murderer stated, cutting her off.
Before the argument could be carried out further the soldiers of Riviére dragged Blanche away. Irate, Raphael ran out of the shack in which he hid and was immediately surrounded by the group of children.
"Monsieur, why are they so cruel to us and why did they treat Blanche that way?" asked Yvonne with tears in her eyes.
"I hate those soldiers! They want to take Blanche away from us forever!" cried a young boy.
"They're hurting her! Can't her father see that she loves and we lover her?" cried a young girl.
"What will we ever do without her?" Yvonne wept.
Raphael couldn't stand to see the pain reflected in the children’s eyes. In a way they reminded him of Amy. She had lived there once but never got to feel Blanche's love. Without responding to Yvonne’s question, Raphael began traveling toward Duke Riviére's manor to check on Blanche.
“Wait!” Yvonne cried after him but to no avail.
It began to storm as Raphael traveled, getting progressively worse the closer he got to Riviére Manor. Upon arriving at the desolate place the usually stoic Frenchman examined it’s exterior. After a few moments observation he noticed a balcony. Following some unexplained instinct he scaled the building to reach it. The pouring rain made it a difficult task to accomplish but he was too determined to allow that to stop him. Once his feet were firmly on the balcony floor Raphael looked to its entrance. There was no door to shield from the rain or the cold, only a see-through veil.
Raphael looked through the veil and into a rather large and overly decorated bed chamber. In the center of the room was a rather large, comfortable looking bed with many pillows littering the surface of the mattress. However it wasn’t the bed that caught Raphael’s eye but rather the figure that lay crying into one of the many pillows. It was apparent that Blanche was taking the boy’s death pretty hard. Raphael really couldn’t blame her for feeling that way. Those children loved her and that affection had brought a smile to her sorrowful face. Unfortunately her lineage and rank in society would not allow it and that smile was taken away from her after the time it took for it to form. The heavens must have been sad too because the rain poured like the tears from Blanche's eyes when the child died.
Raphael watched in silence as Blanche got to her feet sometime later and dragged herself toward the balcony’s entryway. She pushed through the veil and was greatly surprised to see Raphael staring at her. Unable to find a single word to say the noblewoman threw her arms around her companion and buried her face in his chest. Raphael held her tightly, able to feel the pain surging through her body. She must've been afraid she'd lose him too, for she tightened her embrace slightly.
"It's all my fault… My nobility go Antoine killed…" Blanche sobbed quietly.
"You are not to blame for your lineage or the actions of your father's soldiers,” stated Raphael causing her to look to his face, “That boy could have told them where you were, he saw us hide. He chose to chance death because he loved you."
"Those children... they need someone to love and care for them. Their parents have given up hope and lie and wait for the day of their death, leaving the children lonely and trying to fend for themselves. I had to do something but now I see that all I can do is bring them pain..."
"You could never be the cause of their pain as long as you love them so. I used to live there and my foster daughter as well and I assure you that a little affection goes a long way for those children,” explained Raphael reassuringly.
"It must have changed you as a person, you're not as cold as they say,” stated Blanche. Placing her hands over her heart she asked, “Are you two holding up alright?"
What could Raphael say to her? Surely he couldn't tell her what had happened to Amy's parents, she'd be devastated. She already blamed herself for what had happened to Antoine though no one else felt she was to blame. If she were to find out the truth about Amy it would break her heart even further.
"Is Amy, by any chance, the name of your daughter?" asked Blanche with a look of guilt in her eyes, "The children told me of a girl named Amy who left the slums after being adopted by a renegade nobleman. Her parents had been killed by my father's soldiers…"
Blanche reminded Raphael so much of Amy. They both hurt in ways that seemed impossible to heal. They each felt anger toward something; for Amy it was the Riviére soldiers and for Blanche it was her lineage, seemingly to the point of self-despise. There was one difference, however, Blanche's heart was open- and bleeding heavily- while Amy had tried to force hers closed.
"I've prayed that Amy would find peace and love wherever she may be but that will never be enough to atone for my sin..." Blanche continued, her voice nothing more than a weakened whisper at that point.
"I know that you would never do anything to hurt Amy, Blanche. You love people too much to allow such deeds," Raphael assured her, placing a hand on her face.
"I wish that I didn't love. My kind of love only brings pain to the ones I care about…"
"It's not you hurting those people, it's those who are hurting you that cuts them so deep. I wish that I could take you away from this, mon amour."
"Raphael-"
Before Blanche could say another word, Raphael had taken her into a passionate kiss. He wanted to erase the world around them and take away such suffering. There would be nothing, nothing but Blanche and Raphael. He could take her away from this life, far away without looking back. He would take her for his bride and they could live happily ever after with Amy...
"Raphael, please," Blanche pleaded after she broke the kiss, "We must stop this; our love is forbidden."
She was right. This love would only bring more pain and suffering to Blanche. Raphael couldn't bear to be the cause of her agony. It cut her deeply, judging by the pain in her eyes. He'd have to leave her, for good this time. Looking at her one last time he tried to engrave her image into his memory despite how bad an idea it actually was.
"Raphael," Blanche said as he turned to leave, "I'm sorry."
"No, I am the one who's sorry."
Having spoken that last sentence Raphael disappeared from the balcony and into the stormy night. With him he took what was left of Blanche’s heart and possibly any faith she had left in humanity as a whole.
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