Hey, sorry about the wait. I'm nearly done this arc, and after that there may be a long wait. Anyway, have another entry in this convoluted story. If you need to keep track of everything, there are three storylines. The diamonds, the court, and Alice.
Natalya ran her knives over a whetstone mechanically. In court, supposedly, the supple nature of the world was erased. Minds were no longer so powerful. Still, it took more than that to separate her from her knives. The raw power of her will could create them even here,
Their lengths ranged from fifteen to twenty-five centimetres, making them ideal for a mêlée, not that she'd fought in one in this world. The hilts were dark blue, and the blades were silver-white, slim blood channels running down their lengths. Double-sided, more like daggers than a kitchen knife, they were the perfect weapon, in her mind.
She swiped one again over the whetstone. The sound was like the whine of a steel insect, sharp and short.
Something was about to happen. She had a feeling she might need these blades. Her brother was not liked by the clubs. She, however, liked him far more than she should. But who cares about 'should'. 'Should' does not exist. All that exists is what is and what was.
He was going to need her, soon. She would be ready.
...
Berwald stared into the shadows, thinking. It was nice and dark here, and no one would interrupt him. There was a lot to think about.
Why were they here? To get away from court. Why that? To escape the kings. Why? They were getting dangerous.
So why just us? Why did I come here, instead of staying to try and fix things?
Because I wanted an easy way out. And, well…
Feelings were deceptively simple. What was the best reason to wake up? Tino. He was kind. He didn't get scared. What was the best reason never to wake up? The same, in a different way. That was a problem.
Another problem was staying here. Everyone here had a lingering attachment to at least one person who wasn't here. There were not many people here. There was no freedom.
Freedom does not have to be taken advantage of to have an effect. The very existence of choice is good enough. Here, they were trapped. No matter where they went, they were trapped with themselves and the knowledge that any minute the kings might decide to take back the diamonds.
No matter how much you care for the people you're imprisoned with, tensions grow quickly, and escape becomes less and less likely. Lukas could just run away to the other world, but he had to take a more figurative route. Hence the closet.
Courage, also, would solve a problem. The ability to ask for and obtain a simple yes, or a no. Knowing the answer would eliminate the first problem. It may produce a host of other problems, but it would at least get rid of one.
However, in this case, stubbornness could not replace courage. Someday he would have to ask. He had a sneaking suspicion that the answer to his question would be the one he both expected and feared.
Better, for now, to remain in the darkness.