Heart of Darkness

Roxana was going about her day as usual. Disguising, deceiving. Earning or stealing. Whatever worked. But since she had to repay Connor, she wasn't getting much left and it was becoming tiring. She needed to save money and have a good amount left that she could use to find her family. The bounty hunter she had hired, proved to be useless. She needed to find someone else or put more of her time to search for herself. 

"My Lady, these jewels bring out the color of your eyes," Roxana said holding the necklace in display. 

"What about mine?" The other buyer asked. 

"Your eyes are already jewels, My Lady. You don't need any." Roxana remembered the blue eyes that invaded her thoughts for days. She was usually focused on her mission. What was happening to her?

The woman waved her hand dismissively with a giggle. "Oh Rocks, you should stop with the sweet talk." 

"It comes out naturally in your presence, My Lady." Roxana smiled as charmingly as she could. 

Oh! If she was only a man. How lucky would she be with women? 

In no time, Roxana made more than enough money for the jewelry seller. She counted the coins. "I am taking fifty percent this time." She said. "I helped you sell what you would have sold the whole week." 

She put the coins in her pocket.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" the seller asked her. 

"Maybe," She shrugged. 

Leaving the jewelry shop, she went to buy something to eat. 

At the tavern, she ordered food and enjoyed her meal despite the loud chatter of men and the smell of liquor. She then went to the kitchen to meet another good person she had gotten to know. "Do you want me to take out the garbage for you?" She asked the cook Dean.

He knew she wasn't doing him a favor. "You will find it outside." He said. "I would be happy if you took it all." 

"Don't worry. I will clean the place up for you." She said and regretted it immediately when she saw how many sacks of garbage awaited her outside. Since she had promised to clean it up, she did her job, and then took one of them with her to the cats. 

Upon her arrival, they came running toward her knowing that she always brought them food. Roxana sat down near the tree and laid out the leftovers that filled the sack. Then she watched them eat while she rested. She left a few leftovers to feed the birds later. 

"Shall we take a nap, now that we are full?" Roxana asked them. A few of them came to snuggle and cuddle. Others yawned and rested in place. 

Roxana closed her eyes for a short nap and sometimes when she did so, her mind would go back to that day. The day she was separated from her family. The day she was taken away from the love and warmth of her home. She remembered the fire burning down their village, the blood, the screams, and the cries. It haunted her until today. 

Roxana opened her eyes again, not wanting to see those images. She tried to think of something pleasant instead to distract herself and the angelic face that saved her came to mind. She closed her eyes again, repeating that memory in her head until she was warm with a pleasant feeling and she was able to take a short nap. 

When she woke up, a few of the cats were still sleeping beside her. She stroked them gently and bid them farewell. When she went back home, she tossed the rest of the leftovers to the birds near the ocean. Uncle Benedict was fishing in the distance when he took notice of her. 

"Did you apply for the job?" He called. 

Oh, no. "I will." She called back. 

"Don't be late." 

She nodded. 

Her leg had healed now after five days. Maybe she should think about it. 

When she went home, she stared at the application with a battle in her mind. 

"What are you doing?" Fanny came into the kitchen went to stand behind her. He read what was on the paper. "Don't tell me…" He began. 

"The salary is good." She said. 

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Is it worth your life?" He asked. 

"What is my life worth?" She asked in return. 

"Don't use your smart tongue on me." He warned her. 

She gave him a playful push. "What is with you these days? You only complain. Is something bothering you?" 

He sighed and went to sit down. "I am just tired of this. I don't want to do this anymore. I want to live like everyone else." 

"You think I want to keep doing this? But what should I do? We don't belong anywhere. Our homes have been burned. Our villages were taken. Our kingdom invaded. In our own home we became slaves and no matter where else we go, we are foreigners. We don't belong anywhere and these are not my words." He had said those things to her many times before. 

"I know," he whispered looking down. 

"You know I have tried everything," She was even close to marrying a wealthy man once until he saw her scarred body. Her past was imprinted in her skin. He had called her a thief who only wanted his wealth. 

Well, he wasn't wrong. It wasn't like she was marrying him because of his looks even though he looked quite decent. Or for his hideous personality that she was willing to put up with. 

"So I have decided, I am going to make a good steal once that will make us comfortable for the rest of our lives." She said and Fanny frowned. "I will go into the castle and steal the king's crown." She added with humor.

Fanny shook his head with a smile. "Be careful Roxana. You are the only one I have." 

He was the only one she had to. He was a family. They had grown up together, cried, and laughed together. Saved each other. 

"I will be very careful," she promised. 

In the afternoon she went outside this time as Roxana. It was always easier to steal as a woman. People were not suspicious of her, but it was also easier to distract them. She would bump into men and while they apologized and eyed her, some even tried to flirt, she would slip a few things into her pockets. 

It wasn't easy stealing items as it required for her to sell them to get the money and she would have to be careful of who she could sell it to. She often disguised herself as someone else entirely when selling the stolen items. 

Roxana walked around in the market, waving at a few people she knew on her way when suddenly a hand grabbed her arm. Roxana looked to her left and found Ulric looming over her with his big frame. His eyes burned with fury, "You thought you could run away from me." He said.

Roxana's heart skipped a beat. She had been doing her best to steal so she could repay him but she still didn't have enough for him to leave her alone.

"Come with me!" He said harshly dragging her by the arm in a discrete way.

"Let go. I will repay you." She said.

"I already gave you that chance. You ruined it. Now you will follow me quietly or I will let the whole world know that you are a thief." He squeezed her arm hard causing her to grimace in pain. 

"Where are you taking me?"

"To teach you a lesson."

"That will do you no good. It's better if you let me go so I can work and pay you back."

"Don't tell me what to do!" He hissed pulling her closer as he continued to take them away from the market.

"Now you're forcing me to protect myself from you."

He chuckled. "What will you do?"

Roxana prepared herself to create a scene. She cried out "Ouch you're hurting me. Let me go. What have I done to deserve this?" She called out loud for people around to hear.

Ulric froze and then looked at her with a stern look. "What are you doing?" He hissed, trying to take her away fast but she fought him and refused. "What have I done to you? Let me go!"

A few concerned people gathered around them. "What are you doing young man? Where are you taking the lady?"

"Stay out of this! She's a thief!" Ulric said.

"What have I stolen but your heart? You said you would honor and cherish me. Now that you found out that I'm a poor girl who can't pay you dowry you call me a thief?" She cried.

More people gathered around them and some shook their heads at Ulric. "Don't listen to her! She is a liar. She's a thief. She borrowed money from me that she refuses to pay back."

"I have burrowed nothing. I am a woman to be wed, yet I don't even have money to buy a new dress. Look at me." She said. "He could not even buy me a decent dress." 

People began to whisper and shake their heads. "You should be ashamed of yourself young man." A woman said coming to her side and pulling her away from him. "Leave now!"

Ulric looked around confused and astonished. Why did no one believe him? Roxana continued to cry on the woman's shoulder. "Who will marry me now?"

The old woman patted her on the back. "You will find much better men than this one." She told her.

Ulric wasn't willing to give up. "This woman belongs to me as long as she doesn't pay back my money. I am going to take her to the Lord of the manor and you will see that she's a thief." He promised.

"I will go to the Lord of the Manor and let him know that you're bothering this young lady if you don't leave now!" The woman said.

Suddenly heads turned at the sound of clopping hoofs nearing. Roxana looked up from the woman's shoulder and found four men approaching on their horses. One of them wore a cloak with a hoodie that covered his face. The other one sat tall and proud on his horse, his dark eyes assessing the situation as he moved closer. "What is happening?" He asked with a dark powerful voice. The man was strikingly beautiful. 

"Lord Rayven! I am glad you are here!" One woman spoke up. 

Lord Rayven? So this was him. The beast who turned into a beauty. Indeed. He was beautiful, so were the other two men behind him.

"This man is harassing this young lady!" 

Ulric came forward, thinking he finally got his chance. Roxana felt nervous. "My Lord." He bowed. "I am not harassing any lady. If my intentions were bad, I would not be here in bright daylight. This woman borrowed money from me and she refuses to pay back." 

Lord Rayven's dark eyes shifted to her and Roxana's heart skipped a beat in fear."My Lord. Why would he lend money to a poor lady like myself knowing that I can't pay him back?" She sobbed. 

"This man should be ashamed, trying to drag a young lady in the market. He.." people began to complain in her defense, all of them talking at the same time. Ulric spoke in the middle as well, trying to defend himself. 

Oh well, this escalated fast. She looked over at Lord Rayven and his expression worried her. He looked displeased, almost angry. 

"Be quiet!" Lord Rayven demanded and the voices died immediately. His gaze turned to hers, "you young lady…" he began and she knew she was in trouble for some odd reason but he stopped and looked at the cloaked man. Then exchanged a look and then he turned to Ulric instead. "You will leave the young lady alone." He told him. 

Roxana let out a breath of relief. 

"But my lord…"

"And I will hold you accountable if any harm comes to her." 

Ulric blinked in disbelief. 

"You should be lucky I am not punishing you for lending money outside of what the rules allow. There is a restriction to whom you can lend money too and only if no interest is included, which is not your case."

Ulric's eyes widened and looked fearful. "My Lord. I did not know." He lied. 

"The matter is settled now. Everyone go back to work." Lord Rayven turned his horse and left. Roxana looked at the cloaked man and felt like he was watching her before he turned around and followed the rest as well. 

Everyone began to go back to their duties and Ulric gave her a hateful look before leaving. 

"I think that was the King." The woman beside her said. "Did you see how Lord Rayven was looking his way for permission?"

"Why does he hide his face?" Roxana asked. 

"It is safer if only a few people know what he looks like." 

Roxana had this strange feeling that the King somehow helped her. She didn't know why or how or if she was even right.. But she couldn't shake off that feeling.