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When I woke the next morning, everything was pretty much went the same as yesterday. I freshened up, put on a dress Caius provided me with and then I ate breakfast provided by the human cooks.
After thanking her, Caius took my hand and began to lead me through the castle. I was nervous, wondering what was in store but my mind relaxed as we went opposite of the throne room.
Soon, we were going to a part of the castle that looked completely untouched. The flooring was unscratched, the walls looked new. It looked hardly travelled and the deeper we went, I saw why.
Eventually the cobblestone walls led us to a flight a stairs, and at the stairs four guards guards were posted. None of them were moved an inch until they saw Caius, and when they did they promptly moved aside.
He rolled his eyes at them but we continued walking until we reached a thick, wooden door. Outside of that door were four more guards.
"What's in here?" I asked, beginning to get curious. What was behind this door that was important, it needed eight guards?
"Not what," Caius said simply. "Who."
He didn't elaborate, only pulling out a golden key to unlock the door.
When he did, it swung open and I finally saw what was so important and heavily locked away in a tower.
A woman.
My eyebrows furrowed as she turned around, getting up from her seat near the window. She had long, waist length black hair and red eyes that seemed somewhat kind. Upon seeing us, her face lit up.
"Oh my," Her red eyes met mine and immediately I felt like I had been put on the spot.
"Um, hi?" I said, confused. Who was this woman?
Caius greeted her like she was an old friend. I was surprised; Caius never greeted anyone that warmly. He never addressed someone in a voice that wasn't venomous, either. But as I watched, he seemed to have a somewhat....normal interaction with her.
She kissed his cheeks and exchanged a quick greeting before flitted towards to me. I backed away a little at her close proximity.
"My, my," Her red lips curled up as she surveyed me, though I wasn't sure what she was looking for. "This is her? Nadine Cullen?"
My name was smooth on her lips, like Caius. I nodded.
"That's me," I said weakly, still wondering who this woman was, and why we came to visit her. "And you are...?"
"Splucia," She answered her name and it was like a lightbulb going off in my head. "I am..."
"Aro's mate," I said breathlessly, everything clicking in my head now.
Of course. The tower. The guards. She was the woman in the tower. The Queen in the Shadows, many people called her. For Aro was so paranoid of losing her he kept her locked up in a tower.
"Yes," She gave me a tight lipped smile. "I see you know of me already."
"Of course!" I stumbled a little, looking at Caius. "I just didn't think I'd ever get to meet you, that's all."
"Aro has requested that you meet once and for all," Caius informed us. "For one Queen to another."
Splucia and I shared a looked. Her red eyes lit up with excitement.
"If that is what the King requests," She said, "Then we shall be left alone and talk as Queens."
* * *
"So how is it? Living in this...place?"
After Caius had left and Splucia and I were left to our own devices, she had sat me down and we began talking.
First, she asked me about my family. And then I told her about Forks, Reneesme and I's unique story, and then finally how Caius and I had met on the brink of war.
She interested to say the least, but I was the one intrigued by her. The Shadow Queen, forever locked within the walls of her palace. I shivered.
"It is not so bad," Splucia answered after a moment of silence. "It is...not as dreadful as people perceive it be, I can assure you that."
"But- surely it's not...entertaining," I said, looking around. The only thing I could see in the tower was a large bookcase, doors that looked like it led to bedrooms, a small common place, and then the window. That was all. "I mean, you're the only one here, aren't you?"
At this, Splucia's face suddenly dropped and she looked away. I frowned.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, wondering if I had offended her. Splucia pursed her lips.
"No, no, nothing is wrong little bird," She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's just..." Her eyes flickered to the two extra rooms. She sighed. "I was not the only one here once," She admitted.
My eyes widened. "You weren't?" I said in shock.
Splucia shook her head. "No. Once- long ago, there were three of us," She said sadly.
Of course, three doors.
I glanced back at the other bedrooms, hoping to get a clue. "And the others...?" I asked cautiously.
I didn't mean to pry, but no one had ever mentioned there being two more women that lived here. And if the only woman that was up here was Aro's mate-
My stomach dropped, realizing that I might be hearing something I wasn't quite ready for. My heart panged, wondering if my suspicions were true. And if they were, why did the thought of Caius with another woman leave a bitter taste in my mouth?
Splucia pursed her lips. If she were human, I was sure that she would be on the verge of tears. "Their names were Diamyond and Athenadora," She began, taking an unnecessary breath. "Once, it was all three of us that lived in this tower. Of course, it was because our mates had been so terrified of our enemies getting to us that they built this tower just for us. I was the first to reside in it, then Diamyond, and then..." Splucia trailed off as she looked at me, "Athenadora."
I sucked in a breath.
"We three lived and breathed behind these walls for five hundred years before anything happened. We were happy," Splucia bowed her head, "We were...content with our lives. We were sisters. But then- Diamyond died and Athenadora betrayed us to our one true enemy."
At this, I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips. I looked at Splucia with wide brown eyes, not expecting the sudden turn of the story. "She...betrayed you?" I asked quietly, and Splucia nodded with grief in her eyes.
"I remember the night it happened," She said solemnly, "A five hundred years ago Demetri came rushing up to the tower to get Athena and I. He said we had to hurry; for Children of the Night had marched upon the castle."
"Like the werewolves?" I gasped. She nodded.
"It was the upmost ridiculous thing I had ever heard," She said. "Children of the Night had not been seen for a thousand years before that. I thought it was one of his pranks, until I looked in her room realized that Athena was not there. After that, I remember being truly panicked; for neither of us left without telling the other, or our mates. Not since Diamyond. But she had snuck out under the blanket of night and I was informed that she was the one that let them passed our walls. She was the one that allowed them to killed our guards — our friends — and nearly my mate," Splucia spit in disgust. She looked at me and I held my breath, not daring to interrupt this part.
"That night was the night we nearly lost everything," She continued, "But luckily we had Alec and Jane by then. They served us well, and the Children of the Night were driven away by morning."
"And after that?" I wondered, engrossed in the story. I was practically on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how this story ended.
Splucia sighed. "After that-" She paused hesitantly and it looked like she was actually debating on continuing. I wondered why she had stopped — slightly disappointed — but as she said her next words, I understood.
Maybe too well.
"After that, Caius only waited a single moon to get his revenge," She whispered. I immediately at perked up. Caius—? "He took all of our best soldiers and waged a war that lasted for nearly a year. He led charge after charge as he had sworn one thing- that he would wipe out the entirety of the Children of the Night and would not stop until he had one thing," She finished.
I gulped. "What was that?"
Splucia smiled bitterly. "Her head."