I Choose You

Two

Cal

The jail cell opens, it's cold, wet and dark, all in all, not a comfortable experience. The Silent Stone makes me and Shade powerless. If it was removed, Shade could get us out of here in a flash, or I could at least warm this place up.

I look up for the first time today when a magnetron opens the cell door, only to put a familiar face in. Kilorn. I thought he was on Tuck, or safe with the Scarlet Guard.

Once the guard gets out of earshot, Shade starts to question Kilorn on why he is here.

"Kilorn, what happened? I thought you were safe, why are you here,"

I smiled at the fact that Shade went full-on with Kilorn, I don't think Kilorn's brain can keep up with all these questions.

"If you guys didn't know, Mare's execution would have been today,"

"Would have?" Shade raises an eyebrow.

"I stopped it," Kilorn squeaked, obviously embarrassed with his pink flushed cheeks.

Shade's head fell in his hands, sighing a sigh I couldn't read.

"Is Mare okay now?" I pipe in, wanting to know about Mare's status.

"She's in Whitefire somewhere with Maven,"

I roll my eyes at "Maven". We trusted him, we all did. I trusted him.

I hope Mare was okay, Maven wouldn't kill her, even if Kilorn didn't interfere with the execution. Maven loves Mare, even though I'd hardly seen him since his betrayal, I can tell. The letters Mare got was him begging for her to return to him, to surrender.

From gossip, I heard he was to marry Evangeline, but for some reason that I don't know she was kicked out of the High Houses, even House Samos. She finally got what was coming to her.

I can't stop thinking about Mare, is she's safe, going to be in a damp cell, like everyone else, or forced to be his Queen?

Mare told me not to love her, but I do. Our relationship is complicated as is, but Maven always manages to get in between and make it worse.

But knowing she's not dead is enough for now, and knowing her, it puts a smile on my face.

Mare

I sit in Maven's presence. Across from him in the dining hall, with nothing to chew on except words. Being here hurts, I can't feel the power, the Silver Stone has taken its toll. He stares at my body, my clothes covered in my red blood. Red.

"How does it feel to be back here?" Maven breaks the silence.

"I am not here as Mareena, I am Mare and that's it, Mare Barrow,"

He rolls his eyes.

"Why do you want me here?" I stare at him back, the stare Mareena would use.

"To talk, Mare,"

"About what? My death? How drastic do you want it to be?"

He chuckles. "No, I didn't bring you here to kill you,"

"Then what was all that?" I raise my voice.

"I changed my mind,"

I slump in the chair, I'm so sick of his love, and his games.

"I want to prove to you I can change, that the man you saw in me is there,"

I scoff. "Really? That's what this is?"

He nods. "Isn't that what you want? The old Maven, for this to stop,"

"Yes, of course, I want the war and bloodshed to end,"

"Then you stay here."

I stayed silent for a moment, processing his words. Stay here, end of bloodshed. Leave, and it will continue.

"And when you're here, I'll listen to you,"

"So, my commands will be obeyed?"

"Depends on the command,"

I look at him, it visibly discomforts him.

"Fine, but don't be too ridiculous."

I smile, he smiles back. I don't let my guard down so easily though, it'll take time for me to trust him again.

"Alright then, the first order of business," I smile, he straightens out. "Release Shade, Kilorn, and Cal, and take them off Silent Stone."

"Done," He looks at some guards, and they nod their heads and go.

"Second order of business, take me off Silent Stone,"

"Done,"

He walks up to me with a key, standing up from his glossed throne. I hold my wrists out to him, chained together, feeling the weight of the Silent Stone, it's taken a toll on me. He puts the silver key in the lock, turning it as the cuff on the left falls off my wrist, he does the same to the right, making the device fall to the marble polished floor.

I could feel my electricity return back to my skin, feeling it back in my flesh and bones. Maven sits back down in his throne, brushing the wrinkles out of his robes.

"Happy?"

"Getting there." I play hard to get. I know he's trying to sway me, but my heart is taken by someone else, Cal.

"I can speak with Cal, Shade, and Kilorn before they are free, correct?"

"If you wish to do so. We shall meet them in the courtyard."

"Ok then, I wish to speak with them now, please." He smiles, but I hope he can't see through me.

He stands up from his chair and walks around the table and holds his hand out for me to take it, I take it, holding in my hate for him.

We walk to the courtyard my hand still in his hand. Through halls, turning around corners. Maven knows where he's headed, I follow. His hand warmth is the same as it was before, when I was Mareena. When Maven was my betrothed.

His warmth isn't violent, it's- I hate to admit it- but comforting after everything. Over the past months when I was hunting newbloods and escaping prisons, I'd missed Maven, the person I thought he was.

We continue to walk, hands and fingers interlocked with another. We don't say anything or do anything, except walk in the same rhythm, same pace.

***

Once we get to the courtyard, the sunlight blinds me a little, I'm not used to the sun and greenery. The courtyard was in a circle, flowers on the edges, probably done by House Welle. The stone and seats in the middle are done perfectly. I can't even see Cal, Kilron, and Shade being dragged into this scene, my mind wouldn't let me comprehend that I was most likely saying goodbye to these 3 people I can trust.

"You have 10 minutes with each of them,"