The Reaper's Trust

Fight for Frostylia

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Asked Frostylia's Goddess. Her voice was calm and gentle, but that did nothing to soothe Violet's fear.

She took a deep breath and steadied her voice, thinking before speaking. At last, she said, "I'm here to speak with Reverie. I assume that's you." There was no mistaking the overwhelming magic Violet was sensing from the woman before her. The throne too proved that she was indeed the Goddess of Frostylia; the one her father and grandmother answered to.

"Yes, I am who you seek. And who are you?" Reverie replied.

Violet took a moment to let her pulse relax. There was nothing to be afraid of. "No one really, just a visitor," she said. "I have a request."

A small smile crept onto Reverie's face and she giggled like a child. "I'm interested to hear what kind of request made you take out my guards and sneak into my palace," she said.

"That's why I didn't hurt them – because it's just a request. I've got no hostile intentions," Violet explained. She looked up at the Goddess in the throne of white branches. "I need your divine key."

"What could you possibly need a divine key for?" Reverie asked. "Someone like you has no business in the affairs of Sages."

"I disagree. Please just lend it to me briefly," Violet persisted. She knew her negotiation skills were painfully lacking and that she had little chance of receiving the key through this method. She had no excuse or reason as to why she needed it. There was nothing that could fool Reverie, so she could only hope to get lucky somehow.

The Goddess shook her head. "I could never go against the king's trust that way," she muttered. Her sharp, silver eyes narrowed. "Who are you...?"

"That doesn't matter," Violet said. "Is there anything I can do in exchange for it?"

Without warning, Reverie leapt from her throne smoothly and landed before her visitor. She straightened and slowly approached the dark mage, making her step back. Violet was surprised to see that she was an inch or two taller than the Goddess, but she was still intimidated by those calm, focused grey eyes which scanned her relentlessly.

"You seem so familiar," Reverie said, ignoring the question. Then, her eyes widened. "You're...Ace's daughter."

Violet felt her muscles tense as her breathing grew shallow. Nervousness began to prod at her but she kept calm, saying nothing beneath the ominous blue glow that barely lit the space. Reverie crept closer and muttered, "No...but you're the spitting image of your mother."

"You knew my mother?" Violet breathed. Chills assaulted her spine and she was almost afraid to learn more. But curiosity overcame the fear, and she listened intently for the answer.

Reverie nodded, her movements as slow and eerie as the blue flames above. "I met her once, yes. You look a lot like her; you have the same cold hate in your eyes that she did."

"Hate?" Violet gasped, now more focused on the topic than the key. "She was a therapist, she helped people!"

"Her job, her kindness, her smile – they were all masks meant to hide the sick darkness within her mind. She helped others because she knew she couldn't help herself," Reverie said.

Violet clenched fists at her sides and glanced away. The words were similar to Willow's, but she still didn't acknowledge them. It couldn't be true that Vivian was such a dark person.

Violet's irritation was growing, but she hadn't forgotten how foolish a fight would be. She shook her head and said, "Well, I'm not like that. So can we please come to some compromise?"