Chris's Chronicles Book 1: Part 3:
Dealing with the pain
Lyon, France: 1667- Two months Later
POSSIBLE GRAPHIC SEX WARNING: This a warning. This gets somewhat descriptive of Jordan's rape. Some may consider it graphic, some not. You have been fair warned!
Amanda and Duncan had spent two months training Jordan, and even though she was starting to come out of her shell, she was still wary around Duncan. She had seen first hand what is was like to take a head when she was with Amanda one day. They had been walking in Paris and Amanda was challenged. She easily took the guys head, and Jordan watched the Quickening. It wasn't until that point that she fully understood what being Immortal meant.
Now they were living in Lyon. It was early in the fall, and the memory of being raped and killed still haunted Jordan at night. Amanda tried to get her to open up more about what happened, but Jordan would try to change the subject. One day, Duncan was out and Amanda and Jordan had a chance to talk.
"Amanda?" Jordan asked looking at her teacher with a very concerned look on her face.
The two had been sparing when Amanda withdrew her sword and looked at her student. "Is everything ok? You're not fighting like usual." Jordan had never held a sword until the day Amanda gave her the broadsword, but she had become very skilled. She was a quick learner, and after two weeks of training and learning from her mistakes, Jordan fought with the broadsword as if she had had it for 100's of years.
"I am worried. I think I may be..." she stopped. Amanda looked at her puzzled.
"May be what? Is everything ok?"
Jordan sat down on the ground in the forest where the two women had been sparring. "The past is catching up to me. I have not felt good in the morning lately and I am gaining weight."
Amanda looked blankly for a moment, then realized what Jordan was talking about. "Your talking about being pregnant?" Jordan nodded. "Oh god." Amanda said. "I knew there was something I forgot to tell you that day. There is no need to worry about that, it can't happen. Immortals are sterile, unable to have children."
"But tis happened before I became Immortal." She said as a tear rolled down her face.
Amanda sat next to her student and put her arm around her shoulder. "It doesn't matter, no one knows why we can't have them, but children are not in it for us."
Jordan looked at Amanda "You mean I would not have been able to have a child with Alexander? I wanted that very much."
"I'm sorry." Amanda said. She never had the motherly instinct so she didn't know what it was like to want a child so badly and learn you couldn't. Children was something she never thought about. It just wasn't part of who she was. She accepted and didn't mind.
"I thought after all the times I had been with Alexander and not have a baby and then to think I may have one by the bastard that put me through this." She stopped. "It would have been my fault."
Amanda wiped away the tears falling from her face. "Rape is never the victims fault. Do you want to talk about it? It might help you feel better."
Jordan nodded and was about to say something when she grew silent and shook her head. Amanda stood up and was about to walk away when Jordan walked up behind her. "I was scared."
Amanda hugged her student and they sat back down. "It's ok to talk about it, you may feel better."
"After he knocked me out, I woke up the next day tied to his bed naked. He was standing over me with a whip hitting me. I told him to stop...."
***
"Please stop, I have not done harm to you."
"You bitch!" he said as he whipped her again. "You won't listen to me, that's what you have done. You waste all your time on a dead man when you can have a real lover."
"Alexander would be alive if you had helped me." She said flinching as she was hit again. Her legs, arms, and stomach already were bruised with red whelps forming at every place of impact.
"Don't mention that name. I'll show you what a real lover can do for you." He said as he laid on top of her, the whip still in one hand.
"No, please get off me."
"Why, I know for a fact your not the innocent girl you act like. I've seen you with your lover, he's a baby compared to me."
"Please!" she said as she struggled to break free of him, but it was to late, he had already plunged deep and hard into her causing her to scream in pain.
"Oh come on bitch, you should like it rough." He said as he slapped her.
Jordan tried to break free, but she had no luck. Everytime she moved, he would either slap her or beat her with the whip. He raped her repeatedly whipping her each time she tried to break free. Finally, Jordan just laid there giving in. She had lost all of her energy to fight him off. With the struggle over, he lost the excitement and pleasure and stood up.
"See, I told you I'd show you what a real lover could do for you." He said as he walked out the door locking it behind him.
Jordan laid on the bed covered in her blood shivering. She wanted to get out of there, but didn't have the energy to move. She just wondered why anyone could be so cruel. A few hours later, Jordan was awaken by the door opening.
"Come on bitch," he said as he untied her. "People are looking for me." He said as she picked her up by her hair and drug her out the door and onto the back of his horse. Each time they stopped, he would tie her up and rape her over and over until she passed out from sheer exhaustion. Finally, somewhere around London, she didn't wake up until a few hours before Amanda and Duncan found her.
***
"It's ok. The man who did this to you will be found and Duncan or I will take care of him. It wasn't your fault."
"Thank you for listening, I feel better. Do you think he may come for me?"
"It's possible, but Duncan and I will prepare you. You're pretty good you know."
"Can we continue some more? I want some more practice."
"I think you've had enough for the day, why don't we head back to the cabin. Duncan should be home in a little while and he may begin to worry." Amanda said as they stood up and started walking towards the cabin.
"Are you and Duncan in love?"
Amanda tried not to laugh. "We love each other yes, but in love? Duncan? No."
"Then why do you stay with him. Is he your master?"
Amanda looked at Jordan and laughed. "We really need you to break you of this master thing. A woman is nobody's master except to themselves. Duncan and I have been friends for a while now. He's still a young one really."
They got close to the cabin when the buzz hit. As usual, Jordan turned pale and looked as if she was going to faint. She drew her sword as Duncan walked out.
"Sorry." She said as she withdrew her sword.
"It's ok, you'll get use to it. I'm glad to see your reflexes are improving though."
"I think I'll go start supper now." Jordan said as she walked into the cabin. Duncan looked at Amanda.
"Is she ok?"
"She's been through a rough time. She finally opened up to me, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She's scared and confused, but I think talking about it was just what she needed. I think she will be ok if we give her time to heal."
"Unfortunately, that may not be an option."
Amanda looked at Duncan blankly. "What are you talking about?"
"The man that did this to her is John Mars. I met him in town earlier and I think he may be looking for her."
"Damn, I thought Mars would be dead by now. Does he know where she is?"
"No, not yet. But he has ways of knowing things. We need to keep a close eye on her. She's not ready to fight someone that powerful."
"But we can't interfere, you know that. Duncan if he comes for her, we have to let it happen. And we both know she won't be the one to walk away."
"We'll work harder with her. She's learning quickly and she has a fair chance."
"We both know John Mars does not fight fair. Duncan, I've been around a lot longer and I've almost lost to Mars many times. If something hadn't happened, we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation. I think maybe it would be best if Jordan and I left town for awhile. I could take her to Rebecca."
"Amanda," Duncan said "You can't teach her to run from her fights. If everyone ran to Holy Ground when they were challenged, then what's the point of the Game?"
"You're right." Amanda said as she sighed. "We just have to wait and see what happens."
The next day, the waiting was over. Amanda and Jordan were walking in town together when they got the buzz. Jordan turned pale and Amanda was at her side. There standing across the street was John Mars. He pointed to an alley between to buildings and Amanda and Jordan followed.
"Amanda..." Jordan said.
"I know. That's John Mars. Duncan told me he was in town yesterday."
"You knew and did not tell me?"
"Amanda this is not your fight, you have no right to be here, my challenge is with Jordan." Mars said as he drew his sword.
"I'm just here to make sure you play nicely." She said as she smiled a cocky smile.
Jordan looked at Amanda and then at Mars and drew her sword. Amanda stood by and watched as her student was being beaten. She knew she couldn't interfere, but part of her wanted to. Jordan was pretty good and had gotten in a few good shots, but within minutes, Mars had her down on her knees. Jordan looked at Amanda with fear in her eyes. Mars raised his sword, and as he was about to make the final blow, they heard the sound of a horse galloping towards them. Mars withdrew his sword and ducked into the side door of a saloon.
The man on the horse got off and ran to Jordan's side. "Is everything all right?"
"No." Amanda said as she noticed the man's sheriff badge. "That man who ducked into the saloon attacked us." She said as she went to Jordan and helped her up. "We want him arrested for rape."
"When did this happen?" he said looking at the two women. The younger one had looked beaten but not raped.
"A few months ago. I assume he attacked us to do it again."
"Is this true miss?" he said looking at Jordan. She was still in shock and just nodded. "All right, I'll see what I can do." He said as he entered the door.
Amanda helped steady Jordan and they left. They mounted their horses and headed back to the cabin as fast as they could. Jordan was silent most of the way.
"I let you and Duncan down." She said as she slowed down.
"No, you didn't. You're not ready yet. There was nothing you could do, you were challenged and I couldn't interfere."
"But I should be ready. You and Duncan have been training me for many months now, and I am not learning as I should. I have disgraced my Masters."
"Jordan," Amanda said as she stopped her horse. "We are not your Masters. We are your friends and you did not disgrace us. It takes a long time to train, and not even the best can handle someone like Mars. He's been around for over 1,500 years. It takes time, and you will learn. I promise you, one day you will be the best student I have taught." The words she spoke echoed through her mind...
***
Rebecca's Castle- 851 AD
"I give up!" Amanda yelled as she threw her sword on the ground. "I will never be as good as you are Rebecca."
"If you give up now, you will not live long enough to find out how good you are." Rebecca said as she picked up Amandas' rapier and handed it back to her. "Now, let's try it again."
"But why? What is the point? I will just loose my head." She said as she tried to block Rebeccas' blow. She had been with Rebecca for a little over a year, and each day since Rebecca had tried to train her. It was doing her no good.
"You have to loose your stubbornness first. Block into the attack, not away from it." She said as she jabbed Amanda in the shoulder with her sword. "If not, your stubbornness will cause you to loose your head, not your skill."
Amanda withdrew her sword and looked at her teacher. "And then I will have disappointed you because I have no skill." She said as she hung her head low.
Rebecca looked at her student and lifted her chin with her finger to look into her eyes. "It takes time, and you will learn. I promise you, one day you will be the best student I have taught."
***
"Maybe we can go and visit Rebecca." Amanda said coming back into reality. Duncan's buzz as the approached the cabin brought her back.
Duncan came out and looked at the two women. "Do I want to know what happened?" he said noticing the blood on Jordan's shirt.
"No, but I've decided I'm taking to Jordan to Rebecca..."
"We've been through this, Amanda. I don't think..."
"I don't care what you think!" Jordan yelled as she dismounted from her horse. Amanda and Duncan looked at her amazed. Not once in the two months had she been with them, had she yelled, let alone said that many words to Duncan in one sentence. "I almost lost my head to John today, and if Amanda thinks Rebecca can help me than I want to go see her!" she left Duncan holding the reins of the horse in his hands, and stomped off into the cabin.
"I told you that you didn't want to know." She said as she also handed Duncan the reins and headed towards Jordan.