My breath is heavy, skin hot with sweat from the anxiety and fear. Ronon examines the sapphire necklace, eyes narrowing to observe anything wrong. I'm not afraid I got the wrong necklace. I know it's what he wanted me to retrieve. It's the secret that terrifies me.
Leitta's words run over my mind repeatedly, making my shoulders feel heavy. No amount of food has filled the empty feeling in my stomach since I saw her. It's like I have knowledge that I shouldn't, and having it in Ronon's presence makes me feel somehow that he'll know. That somehow he'll see straight through me, and I'll be done for.
"Well done, Edythe", Ronon praises, returning the necklace to a cupboard in his room. "I knew you still had it in you."
"I owe you", I offer, keeping my voice steady. "How could I say no?"
"Yes, but you still prove to be a loyal daughter is what I mean", Ronon continues, locking the cupboard with a click of the key. He turns to face me with a wide grin.
Daughter. I had never heard him refer to me as such. I have often heard I was like a daughter but never referred to as a daughter. Leitta's words come back to me, only accelerating my heart rate more. 'He believes you to be a daughter....'
Following my stunned expression, Ronon chuckles, pushing himself off the cupboard. He approaches me with slow strides. "I would like you to join us for a meeting later. A family meeting."
My mouth gaps open. "A meeting? But I'm not a family member anymore. I can't possibly-"
"You will come," Ronon commands, hands clasped behind his back as he comes to a stop. "Because I declare it to be so. I don't care that you're not a family member, Edythe. For now anyway."
My heart skips a beat. For now.
"I value your opinion, and as you know, I want to convince you to stay with us. For good this time," Ronon offers. "Besides, you still owe me one last favour. And I would rather you be in the know and prepared for when I ask it of you."
Despite my thumping heart and sweaty palms, I force a smile and nod. "We will see. But I do enjoy my free lifestyle, to live as I wish on the road...but I suppose, if it means so much to you. I can stay for a little while and maybe give some advice in court."
The words sting me, but I know what I have to do now. At that moment, I knew that I couldn't beat him. Ronon gets what he wants. Leitta is right. Doing things my way isn't going to work. I have to join the rebels if I want to get out of here.
Even if I followed my original plan, I would never leave. I see that now. Ronon will never let me go. I must fight with the rebels. I must join them. Even if that means I have to be a leader. I must join them for my own sake and my family's.
"Very good", Ronon hums. "I will see you at the meeting then."
I can't get away fast enough, my heart pounding like an army of men thundering in a march. I need to get back to Merlin. I need to tell him everything. I need to devise a plan to meet this Kohl, who I still have to find first. I need to see the knights and tell them that I have finally made some progress in their escape.
Lastly, I need to prepare myself for the war brewing and the final battle. I know what I have to do. I know that I will have to deceive Ronon as best as possible, and I will have to lead an army of rebels into war.
This is what we all wanted, to escape. But now, it has become far more complicated than that. Leitta is right. I can't let Ronon have a hold over anyone or anything ever again. I can't let him manipulate me again. No matter how frightened I may be, I have to put those feelings aside, no matter how small I feel. I need to grow up.
I rush down the dark hallway, heels echoing through the small hallways. I turn down various of them, the distant murmur of voices fading from my ears. The halls become darker, many of the touches begin to burn out. I pass the occasional guard as I continue down a flight of stairs to pursue my room.
As I turn down another hallway, I hear another set of footsteps echoing down the hallway from behind me. I slow my pace to listen in hopes I was hearing things. I wasn't.
"Good evening, Edythe", the voice of Aro greets me from behind me.
My breath hitches in my throat, restricting any airflow as I sweep on my heel. Aro stands at the other end of the hallway, leant against the corner of the wall that I had seconds ago turned. His infamous smirk plants on his lips, the leather attire having returned.
"I was hoping to catch up to you", he boasts, pushing away from the wall to take a few steps in my direction. I take a step back. Aro stops his movement, a lazy smile on his face as he looks to the ground, amused. "Don't worry yourself, love. I'm not here to hurt you."
"Funny. I don't recall you being such a gentleman the last time we met," I snicker.
Aro shakes his head, amused. "Oh, don't be like that. I thought you and I had a connection."
I snort in disgust. "That's not what I'd call it."
"Anyways. Enough small talk," Aro states, hands pulled from his pockets. "Let's address the elephant in the room."
"Please."
"Well, it is clear. Neither you nor I can do anything with the information we both have," Aro explains. He pauses an arm's length away from me. "As we are both family members under the Wolf, it would be wise for the both of us to keep our mouths shut."
"For once, I agree with you", I agree, glaring up at his haunting hazel eyes.
"You can't share the little...incident between you and me-" Aro noted, biting his lip as he looks down at me. I lean back appalled. "-out of fear, I'll tell Ronon about your little secret life. Just as I can't reveal you're a whore for those knights-" he hisses in my face, making me cringe back. "-out of fear, you'll share what I did to you. Being Ronon's favourite and all, any of that information could hurt both of us. You see our dilemma here?"
"Yes," I whisper, trying to keep a distance between Aro and me, the man too close in my space.
"So, just remember..." he chimes, backing away. "I won't snitch if you don't. And in this place, you're off-limits. So at least you don't have to worry about little old me."
"How chivalrous of you."
"Have fun with whatever little plan you have", Aro offers, turning on his heel to disappear down the hall. "I know I'll enjoy watching every one of those knights get gutted while you and that servant suffer for your disobedience."
The hallway falls silent. Aro disappears from my sight as he lets out one last chuckle. I'm left standing in the hallway feeling dirty from being in his mere presence and shrunken down like a cowering dog.
I burst through my door, slamming it shut behind me. Merlin erupts from his sleep in an upright jolt with my arrival. His hair sprays out in a tangled mess as he squints towards me. "Edythe? What's wrong?" he leaps out of bed despite his drowsiness.
"Plans have changed", I gasp. "I did the thing Ronon asked of me."
"That's good, right? What do you mean plans have changed?"
"Do you remember Leitta?"
"Yeah, the old woman from the feast?"
"Yeah, her" I take a seat by the fire, Merlin following in pursuit.
I tell him everything. I explained the horrid murders committed and everything that Leitta said to me. He sobers from sleep with each word, colour draining from his face. I tell Merlin all about the discussion I had with Ronon and the encounter I had with Aro. The warlock is taken back by each detail, his tiredness completely fading away from his eyes.
"So, you're going to join the rebels?"
"Yes."
"But what about Aro?"
"I still don't know what to do about him", I snicker. "But for now, he isn't a threat. Not until his information has value. Right now, I need to focus on finding a man by the name of Kohl."
"This Kohl is supposed to help you get in contact with the rebels?"
"Correct."
"Can we trust him?"
"I have no idea. I don't even know who this Kohl man is."
Merlin's jaw tenses. "I don't know if I like that."
"What other choice do we have?" I sneer.
"I didn't say we shouldn't do it", Merlin defends."I'm just concerned for our friends, Edythe. For Arthur. I must look after him."
"I know," I reassure. "But if we want to protect the others and Arthur, this seems to be the best option we have."