Mr Vengeance

“Must we really travel tonight father? You know it’s awfully dangerous at night.”

The young red haired girl averted her gaze from the carriage window to her father’s aging face.

“Victoria dear, we must if we are to reach the manor on time.” he replied stiffly.

Victoria slumped back down into her seat sighing at her father’s stubbornness. The carriage continued along the stony road, either side of the passage shrouded by trees which cast dark shadows upon the road.

The horses of the carriage were suddenly startled by a distant gunshot, in their panic they broke free of their reins and ran off into the night leaving the coach and it’s passengers stranded in the woods. It’s driver lay wounded on the floor. The sound of horses came, they soon stopped. Footsteps could be heard approaching the carriage.

“I say, what have we got here Reverend?” a smug voice came from outside the stranded coach.

“Looks like a great opportunity to get some extra pay Synyster.” came a second voice.

Not a moment later the curtain of the carriage door was swept aside and was replaced with the chiselled face of a young rider, his eyes covered with a black mask.

“Evening good sir, and where might you and your beautiful daughter be travelling at this late hour?”

The young girl blushed , hiding her face behind her hand. Her father exhaled angrily.

“We were travelling to the Romford Estate until some buffoon decided it would be a wonderful idea to shoot at my horses.”

“Oh really.” he replied sounding intrigued.

“Mr Christ, apparently you are a buffoon!” he called to another man.

“Is that so, well then maybe this buffoon should give him a taste of lead?”

The sound of a pistol being cocked could be heard in the distance.

“No no please! Take what you want, just please don’t kill us!” he begged causing the young man to grin.

He swung open the carriage door and dragged the shaky passengers outside where they were greeted by four other men all in masks and armed with pistols.

“Bloody Highwaymen!” the old man seethed
.
“What did you say?” the shortest man asked angrily .

“I said bloody Highwaymen, you’re all good for nothing thieves with no real benefit to society!”

The short, blonde haired man glared at him in hatred aiming his pistol in his direction.

“Mr Christ it’s not worth the bother, we don’t want the blood of innocents on our hands do we really?”

”What about our coach driver, he’s bleeding to death!” the old man retorted.

All of the men looked towards the driver seeing that he was in fact bleeding, they quickly turned their gaze to long, black haired gentleman as he spoke.

“He’s been shot in the arm and his hand is covering the wound stopping the bleeding, he’ll be fine, now…”

He then looked towards the taller man.

“I say we just get this over and done with, don’t you Mr Shadows” he nodded in reply

“Right Synyster take the girl.”

Mr Shadows pushed the girl towards Synyster allowing him to hold her body close to his, he held his pistol at her temple.

“Reverend, search the girl.”

Reverend smirked as he approached only to be slapped in the face.

“Why you...” Reverend raised his hand only to be stopped by another dark haired man.

“You should learn to treat women with a little more respect Reverend, go search the carriage, I’m sure Synyster can handle the girl himself.”

“That girl’s ruined you Mr Vengeance, someday you’ll see she’s not worth the trouble!” he spat before heading off to the open carriage door. Mr Vengeance stood seething at the Reverend as he walked away only to be pulled from his thoughts but a second later.

“Mr Vengeance, a little help.” Mr Christ called.

He stood but a few feet away the old man being held at gun point. He made his way over, searched pockets and asked him to hand over any jewellery he had on his hands or round his neck to which he willingly obliged.

Synyster held the girl close to him and leaned in so that his lips were beside her ear.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to know if you have anything of value, jewellery, those sorts of things.” he asked softly.

She nodded nervously, removing anything she thought he may want from her. He took the items from her hand placing them in his own pockets. Once he had done his wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist.

“What’s your name?” he whispered.

“Victoria.” she whimpered remembering the pistol was still at her temple.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” he said huskily pressing his lips to her neck.

He removed his arm and took the pistol away from her head.

“Go and get back into the carriage.”

She nodded and without hesitation ran back into it. Her father now sat in there also. Both them and their carriage was free of any valuable possessions.

“Thank you for kind offerings and now we must be leaving.”

And with that the five men rode off into the night.

They soon stopped once they found a small clearing in the woods. They dismounted their horses, all of them gathering together so that they could split the loot fairly. Mr Vengeance quickly grabbed a small, heart shaped, gold locket and shoved it into his pocket.

“We’re supposed to discuss the split, put that back Vengeance!” Reverend snapped.

“Just remember what I took and split the rest of it fairly, I have to go.” he replied angrily

Mr Vengeance headed over to his dark steed, mounting it speedily.

“Off to see dear Ophelia?” Reverend mocked.

“I am as a matter of fact.” he said shortly.

“Hoping she’ll run away with you this time? Forget her Vengeance!”

“I love her and one day she will come away with me!”

With that he rode off into the night to spend but a few precious moments with his love.

Inside the manor Ophelia sat at her dresser, combing her sleek red/brown hair looking at her pale complexion in the mirror. She sighed placing her combing back onto the dresser. She got up from her stool and made her way over to the bed, laying down on it, her eyes still wide open.

Mr Vengeance rode his horse into the Moorcroft estate and up to the manor house. He dismounted his dark steed, making sure that the locket was still in his breast pocket. He made his way through the garden so that he was just below lover’s window.

“Ophelia.” he hissed towards the balcony.

“Ophelia!” he hissed loudly, fearing that his beloved would not have heard his call.

Hearing the faint sound Ophelia dashed from her bed towards the window, a length bed sheets knotted together in her hand. She pushed open the balcony doors looking down into the garden to find Mr Vengeance standing below. A beaming smile crossed her face at the sight of him in his Highwayman style clothing, the dark blue of his attire and the black of his hat helping him to blend into the night, only his golden buttons and pale flesh were clear to the eye.

Ophelia threw the end of the length of sheets to him after tying one end to the balcony railings. Mr Vengeance took hold of the sheets, the knots in them helping him to reach his destination. He hoisted himself over the edge of the balcony. He removed his hat and mask unveiling his young face, he placed them down on the ledge before looking up toward Ophelia. He smiled at her lovingly. She soon ran into his arms, both of them embracing each other tightly as if they never wanted to be parted again.

“God I thought something awful had happened to you, you never came two nights ago, I thought you were dead, I...” she was cut of by Mr Vengeance placing his finger to her lips.

“Ssh, there is no need to think of such things, I’m here now and very much alive.”

“I missed you so much Zachary!”

“I missed you too Ophelia.” he smiled remembering his gift.

“Here, I brought you this...” Zachary swiftly pulled the locket from his breast pocket, offering it to her.

“Oh Zachary! It’s beautiful!” he smiled at her delight.

“You know I save the most beautiful things I come across for you.”

“I can’t accept this Zachary, you could use this for food, shelter or anything else you might need, you have to...” Zachary cut her off once again.

“I won’t take it back, it is a gift, a small token of my love for you, keep it please.”

She nodded reluctantly, admiring the beautiful, golden locket.

“Here.” Zachary opened his hand.

Ophelia dropped the locket into his hand. She turned around and moved her hair out of the way. Zachary unclasped the locket’s chain, gently passing it around her neck before closing the clasp once more. Ophelia dropped her hair as Zachary’s left arm made it’s way around her waist. He pulled her body close to his, his right hand brushing the hair away from her neck. Her body almost melted into his as he placed sweet, butterfly kisses on the tender flesh of her neck. A small moan of pleasure came from her lips caused him to remove his naturally pouted lips from her neck. He quickly spun her round so that their faces were but centimetres apart. Their eyes connected for but a second before their lips connected in a fiery kiss. Mouths soon opened allowing their needy tongues to caress each other in the height of their passion.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lovers parted to regain their breaths, their foreheads resting together.

“I wish I didn’t have to wait so long for those kisses.” Ophelia sighed.

“If you did one simple thing, you could have those kisses everyday, for the rest of our lives” he breathed.

“What would I have to do?”

“Come away with me.” Zachary looked at her hopefully.

“Come away from this place, so we can be free together.”

Ophelia looked away sadly, clasping Zachary’s hand in her own.

“I wish I could run away with you but you know if I left they’d come looking for me and I can’t put you in danger Zachary, I love you too much.”

Zachary cupped Ophelia’s cheek gently, causing her eyes to lock once more with his, before pressing a soft kiss to her delicate lips.

“I love you too Ophelia, more than you could ever know.” he looked at her longingly.

The moment was soon broken by the sound of horses and a voice calling to Zachary from below.

“Mr Vengeance, we have to leave now before we are found.” Mr Shadows whispered loudly.

Zachary nodded his head towards Mr Shadows then looked once again toward Ophelia

“You have to leave now.” Ophelia said sadly.

“You know I do, I will see you again soon I promise you that.”

Zachary pulled her body towards his, embracing her as if this was the last time he would ever hold her again. As they separated their eyes connected once more, eyes travelled to lips then back to eyes as the lovers leant in to share a passionate kiss. As they pulled apart slowly but surely the sensation of each other’s lips remained and tingled, the butterflies in their stomachs now in a frenzy.

“I will see you again I promise.”

Ophelia nodded, biting her bottom lip, her eyes diverted to the floor. Zachary removed his hands from hers making his way back over to the length of knotted sheets, making sure to pick up his hat and mask on the way. He climbed over the edge of the balcony ready to make his way back down to the ground. Ophelia made her way over to the edge to make sure he got down safely.

“Ophelia?”

Their eyes connected once more

“Promise me you’ll wait for me, no matter how long it takes, promise me one day you’ll run away with me.”

“I promise.” she whispered in return.

Zachary pressed one last gentle kiss to her lips.

“I love you.”

She smiled.

“I love you too.”

Zachary smiled replacing his hat and mask before climbing back down. Ophelia watched on as her lover made his way down to the ground and back towards his horse to be greeted by the rest of his gang of Highwaymen.

Zachary, now Mr Vengeance once again, mounted his horse, mouthed one last ‘I love you’ to Ophelia before following his fellow Highwaymen back out into the night.

Ophelia brought the knotted sheets back up, untying them from the balcony. She quickly made her way back into her room, hiding the sheets under her bed. She quickly changed for bed then proceeded to clamber in, sighing as the back of her head hit the pillow.

Her slender fingers played the locket Zachary had brought to her, she knew it had once belonged to another, but that was beside the point. He could have used that to buy food, shelter or the company she or his fellow Highwaymen could not provide but he gave it to her as a symbol of his love.

She sighed once again shutting her eyes, her every desire fulfilled in her dreams. She longed for adventure…she longed for freedom…and she longed for those things with Zachary by her side.