Selvina huddled in the corner of a small, narrow room, cloaked in shadow. The tiny space had a cot alongside one wall, a chair in the corner near the door and across from that, oddly, a tiny bookshelf with a handful of books. Underneath the bed was a lidded chamber pot that Selvina had yet to use and rather hoped she never had to. Lighting up the entire room was a single oil lamp on a tiny table at the foot of the bed, beside the bookshelf. The room also had a small, narrow window on the wall across the bed.
Of course it's too small to fit through, Selvina thought, glancing at it now as she heard the rumble of thunder outside.
She hadn't slept since she woke up in her prison, too terrified to do anything but hug her knees to her chest and find solace in the darkness. Knowing that she was now in the empress's domain, whether a castle, mansion, or whatever it may be, made her tremble. Her quest had always been destined to lead her to the empress but with friends at her side. Not alone. Never alone.
She had also been under the impression that she would reach the empress on her own terms, and perhaps with a comfortably large army behind her. Now, however, everything was changed. She was here on the empress's terms and there was no army and no friends coming to save her. How could they? Storming the city was suicide.
As horrifying a reality as it was, Selvina was completely on her own. She'd have to use her own wits and wiles to survive, both of which she doubted would be sufficient.
For the umpteenth time since she had waken up, Selvina wiped at tears. Crying made her feel weak and yet, in some strange way, it comforted her. It released all the tension her body had built shivering in fear and, for a few moments, threw responsibility and care away. As she wept, fear gave way to submission and she felt ready to deal with whatever cruel fate Empress Rhiannon had in store for her.
But, mercilessly, the tears did eventually end and her resolve slowly returned alongside the fear for her own life. During those times her mind cycled through measures of escape, tactics for battling the empress—such as using that oil lamp to burn her to a crisp—or words and phrases she could use to talk her way out the situation. They all sounded perfectly feasible as she thought of them but soon after memories of the battle on forest road would flash in her mind and her confidence crumbled. The tears were then never far behind.
Selvina wasn't entirely certain how long she had been in the room but she guessed it was probably almost a whole day, perhaps longer. Only once had anyone come to meet her, and that had been when a short and stout fellow with a great beard had briefly opened the door and slid a plate of food into the room. Selvina had initially refused it but, as if in betrayal, her stomach had begged her to eat. The food had smelled rather delicious and had tasted even more so. A pitcher of water and a cup had been delivered with the food and she still had some of the water left, saving it for later. Food and water may be infrequent delicacies and she didn't want to slowly die of starvation. A part of her wondered if that was such a bad fate but she remembered her time aboard Peter Pan's ship and how her denial of food there had done nothing. If she wished to escape she'd need all the strength she could gather.
I escaped Pan, I can escape Rhiannon, she thought as her tears ebbed away. A moment later, her brows furrowed as she asked herself why should she? She may not have her friends with her or an army to back her up but she was here, with the empress. Amalthea herself said that she would need to speak to her about The Writer. Why escape only to come back again? The empress would come for her eventually, for whatever reason, be it torture or something more terrible Selvina hadn't thought of, and when she did would be the time to talk to her about her destined quest.
"I'm not here to stop her from conquering anything," she reasoned aloud, courage and confidence building with every word. "I only need her help. King Arthur can deal with her armies. I only want to talk. She should give me that. She has to, otherwise all her conquering will be for nothing if The Writer wins." Selvina nodded in determination. Yes, that seemed right. She shouldn't be afraid. The empress had only done her a favour.
If only I had my elf-arrow, she remembered, her resolve cracking. She wouldn't be able to hurt me then... She had been an utter fool to leave it behind. An utter, careless fool...
Just then, footsteps.
Selvina's bubbling courage popped into nothing and she sunk her head behind her knees, hoping it was just the short, bearded man returning with more food. Her eyes were glued to the door across the room, specifically the narrow line of light between it and the floor. The footsteps, silent as they were, echoed in her mind and felt like tremors.
Shadows blocked the light under the door as a figure approached it. A moment later, the door swung open slowly. It was indeed the short man again but he had no plate of food and standing behind him, tall, dark, and beautiful, was the empress.
The empress eyed Selvina, her brows furrowed, as if in confusion. She glanced at the door and then back at the girl as the short man, the top of his head only coming to the empress's chin, stepped aside.
"The door was unlocked the whole time, did you not know?" Empress Rhiannon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Selvina blinked, her face reddening with embarrassment. She could have left long ago. She could have run off as soon as she had woken up. She could be miles away by now, racing back to New Avalon, if only she had overcome her fear sooner!
"I see you enjoyed last night's supper," the empress went on, gazing at the empty plate on the bedside table. "Mountain elk is a favorite dish of mine. I am glad you liked it."
"What do you want with me?" Selvina blurted, taking a note from Jack's book. Enough with the pleasantries, why am I here?
The empress sighed and gave her escort a quick glance. He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him after the empress stepped in. She moved to the chair and sat down slowly, her long black dress shuffling silently. "Get out of that corner, Selvina. At the very least, sit on the bed. You have nothing to fear from me."
Yeah right. Selvina didn't move.
"Everything I told you before King Arthur and his knights arrived was true. You are welcome here, Selvina. If you would only come with me, I can show you to your proper room. This was only a small holding room of sorts to acclimatize you to the higher elevation and to keep you until your room was properly prepared for you. I am here to tell you that it is."
Selvina had been too terrified to realize that the air felt different. She had been out of breath upon first waking up but she had cast it off as simple fear. Was she on some mountaintop then? The window had revealed little other than a stone tower rising up from far below.
The wall vibrated suddenly and Selvina whimpered, hiding her face. Be done with me already! Stop toying with me!
"That wasn't me," said the empress. "There is a rather fearsome storm outside. It is quite late in the season to be having thunderstorms but, as you can hear and feel, there is one nonetheless."
Selvina, frowning and startling herself, spat, "Probably because you're screwing up the magical balance, like Merlin says."
The empress, surprisingly, appeared to take no offense. "I will not deny that I am partly responsible for its imbalance. Storms are more powerful and stay later in the season, snow is taking longer to arrive, and some of my northernmost provinces report having a summer hotter than ever experienced. If nothing is remedied the weather will only worsen. I know of this, Selvina, and it deeply saddens me to know that I am the one responsible."
Selvina eyed the empress for a few moments, judging her sincerity, and then said, "Well then stop doing whatever it is you're doing to mess it all up. It's that simple."
Rhiannon smiled lightly, gazing down at the ground. "I wish it were so." Her gaze lifted and met Selvina's and then glanced at the bed. "Come into the light, dear. Sit down and let us talk, you and I."
Selvina couldn't deny that a comfortable bed would be better than the hard ground. The empress didn't appear threatening in any way and, slowly, methodically, she rose up and sat at the edge furthest from Rhiannon.
The empress's small smile faded and eyes furrowed with concern. "You were weeping?"
Selvina didn't look at her, instead focusing on the narrow window.
"I once again assure you," she started, "that what I told you at the road was all true. You need not weep in fear. I did not bring you here as a hostage."
Still staring at the window, Selvina said through clenched teeth, "That's sure what it feels like." She then slowly turned her head and glared at the empress, her green eyes aflame. "You kidnapped me! You held me against my will and then grabbed me!"
Astonishingly, the empress appeared ashamed. Was it all a lie? She had deceived her once before, Selvina kept in mind, and she may be doing so once again. Her guard wasn't going down this time, she promised herself.
"Yes, you are right," Rhiannon admitted. "I could have chosen a far less invasive and threatening manner to transport you here but I only did what I thought was best for you."
Selvina sniffed in disbelief. "You're just like King Arthur, always thinking you know what's best for me."
This time Selvina was sure she saw the empress's face blush red. The older woman blinked and sat straighter, inhaling deeply. "For that, I am sorry, Selvina. Truly, I am." She then eyed Selvina unwaveringly and, to the girl's confusion, pleadingly. "May I be truthful with you for a moment?"
Selvina was too bewildered to say anything but, "Um, sure..."
Empress Rhiannon smiled briefly and glanced aside. "Very well. I must admit to you that I was rather smitten of the thought of having you here. I may be the empress of the greatest empire in Faeryum but the thought of having someone of your calibre living at my side was nearly too much to bear. I showed you a weakness in taking you here without your consent and for that I apologize. If you wish it so, I can take you back to New Avalon."
Selvina was at a momentary loss of words. Why was she being so kind? All she had ever heard about the empress had painted her as a cruel and terrible witch of a woman bent on global domination. The woman that sat before her seemed like none of those things. She was even offering to take her back. Selvina highly doubted that, however.
"How can I believe you?" she asked the empress. "What if I do want to go back to New Avalon? Would you really bring me back?"
Without hesitation, Rhiannon nodded, her gaze unbroken. "I would, Selvina. I will not list you the reasons I believe that to be unwise but, if you would wish it so, I would grant it to you."
"Why?"
"I betrayed your trust by taking you here without you wishing it so and I will not force you to remain here. I know of your quest, Selvina, and I will not be the one to hinder it."
"Wait, you know about it?"
"I do."
Of course she knew, Selvina thought. If Rhiannon already knew who she was then she'd know about why she was in Faeryum, wouldn't she? In that case, going back to New Avalon was, by all accounts, a step back. If the empress knew about her quest then perhaps acquiring her aid would be that much easier. Selvina would never know if she went back to King Arthur. She was here now and she may as well make the most of it.
"How do I know I won't be tortured or hurt or worse if I...if I decide to stay here?"
The empress smiled a genuine smile that once again made Selvina envious of her incredible beauty. "All I can give you is my word, Selvina, that if you decide to remain here that you will do so only as long as you wish. I will make your stay as enjoyable as possible and I will ensure that any and all of your needs are met. You are my guest here, not my prisoner."
Selvina had serious doubts about anything the empress was telling her but something in the way she spoke the words and the light in her eyes made her seem trustworthy. Like it had been before the battle in the forest, Selvina felt like she could place her trust in this woman.
She considered her options, debating what would be the safest course of action and then which would be the best. For safety's sake being in New Avalon was possibly the best choice as she had friends and allies there. On the other hand, the empress had defeated those friends and allies on her own. The best course of action would be the one that saw her quest fulfilled soonest. No plan had ever been formed on how to acquire Empress Rhiannon's aid in the battle against The Writer. Staying here with her, however, may allow Selvina to gain her trust and perhaps, subsequently, gain her help as well. Having the empress as a willing ally against The Writer seemed like a better option than having her as a forced one.
Is it even possible for me to be friends with her? Selvina asked herself. She was reminded of Ruslan's tale of how the empress had burned his beloved wife and unborn child alive. Then there was the fact that she had attacked her friends as they tried to flee Arababyl. The woman had many flaws and she was terribly dangerous but...perhaps, she could be given a chance.
"If I change my mind," Selvina started, staring at Rhiannon's face, "after a few days or weeks or however long and want to go back to New Avalon, you would still take me?"
"If that is what you want, then that is what I shall give to you," was the other woman's reply. After a few quiet moments, she added with a gentle smile, "Though I do hope that will not come to pass."
Selvina took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and pondered. As much as she wanted to deny it, the empress sounded genuine. Selvina wanted to believe her, she truly did, but voices of warning and caution screamed at her from within. She wasn't certain if it was completely safe to remain so close to one of Faeryum's most dangerous beings. She could be willingly falling into a terrible trap and never realize until it was too late.
And then, unannounced and uncalled for, a memory of her brother surfaced. He was there, standing before her, tall, strong, and smiling. Selvina could hardly believe it. She knew it wasn't and couldn't be real but it felt so much like it was. She was back at home, standing before the front door, blocking her brother's path.
"Selvina," he was saying, his voice firm. "Get out of my way, I need to go."
"No," she had fired back, scared and determined all the same. "It's a warehouse fire, Sebastian. It's too dangerous! I have a bad feeling about this one. Don't go, please."
"I have to." Sebastian had then gently placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them a soft squeeze. "I know you're worried for me, sis, but this is what I do. You have to come to terms with that. Those people in that warehouse need my help. They could be trapped."
"Someone else will save them." But even then she knew that it could only be her brother. He was the best one in the hall but always too humble to admit it. Reluctantly, she stepped aside. Her brother flashed her a wink before racing outside to his car.
"How are you not afraid?" she had called after him before he drove off.
"I am," he had called back. "But sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."
That had been the last time she had seen her brother alive as that fire had been the one to claim his life. It was a painful memory that she had buried deep and now that it had revealed itself once again, she could feel tears leaking down her cheeks.
Sebastian had been afraid and had run into danger all the same. He had saved lives knowing that his could end at any moment. He had done it despite all warnings and protests.
"Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."
Selvina wiped her eyes and looked at the empress, who was silently watching her. With a deep breath, she then said, "All right...I'll stay."
The empress's smiled a sincere smile. "Wonderful."
Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be a mistake like that warehouse fire... Selvina thought grimly as she rose to follow the empress out of the room.