Pain. All she could feel was pain.
Caitlyn had no idea for how long she had been out before she started gaining consciousness. But she sincerely wished she had remained asleep.
She didn't have the courage to handle the mental pain that was killing her.
Once her senses were back, she expected to feel under her skin the harsh surface of the road. She was surprised when she felt something soft underneath her body. She was surprised when she didn't hear the sound of sirens ringing in her ears. She was surprised when a slight smell of humidity inserted her lungs.
Where was she?
She didn't open her eyes immediately. She preferred to get a better image of her surroundings by using her other senses. Humidity was mixed with the smell of decay in the air. Definitely not a hospital. But she was certain she was laying on a soft bed. In the distance, she could hear the characteristic sound of candles burning in the darkness. She was confused.
Finally, she decided to open her eyes, just to meet a brick wall. She blinked several times, trying to adjust her eyes in the darkness. The only source of light was those candles. Nothing else.
She pushed herself up with slow moves and realized some parts of her body were covered with bandages. Whoever brought her here was cautious enough to treat a few of the injuries she had received.
But where was that «here»?
Caitlyn couldn't recognize the place, she definitely hadn't been there before. But that wasn't what bothered her. What bragged her was how such an expensive piece of furniture ended up in a place like this. As if someone had brought it here to prepare the room just for her. There wasn't another explanation.
Caitlyn noticed a table where the candles laid. Someone had gotten in the trouble to prepare some tea for herself, as if she was their special guest. She furrowed her brows in suspicion.
Abandoning the comfort of her bed and finding her boots underneath it, she approached the table to examine the tea better. No signs of poisoning. So, they weren't trying to kill her. Yet.
She was determined not to take a single sip of it but the whining of her stomach convinced her otherwise. She needed some energy if she really wished to keep going.
Before she could take action, she heard a metalic door opening behind her, a door she hadn't noticed before due to the darkness. She turned around to see who her visitor actually was.
Between two huge men in the size of a gorilla stood a tall man with black hair swiped behind. His also black eyes held no emotion in them. He was dressed in an expensive dark suit, in contrast with his pale skin. Caitlyn had to admit that he looked somewhat handsome, even so if he got rid of that much black.
"I see you're awake" he spoke, his voice not betraying a single hint of emotions "I've been waiting for this meeting for so long"
"Finally we meet, C" Caitlyn responded.
C's lips moved to a way that was supposedly and imperceptible smile as he walked towards her.
"Take a seat" he said, drawing a chair for her "And I shall explain everything through tea"
She stared at the chair and after accepting that she had no other option, she sat. C drew a chair opposite her and served her tea.
"How many sugars?"
"Two. Thank you"
For a few more moments, they sat in silence, having a staring contest between each other. Black against blue. Until C put his cup down. He started tapping his fingers on the wooden table. More of a signal that he wanted to start rather than nervousness. Caitlyn got the hint and placed her own tea down.
"You're allowed to make as many questions as you want. I'll answer all of them" C spoke
"Where's my father?" was Caitlyn's first question. C chuckled softly.
"I'm not gonna lie, I expected that" he shook his head "Worry not, he's fine. I cannot promise you'll meet him soon though"
Sigh. Of course. She couldn't get her hopes too high.
"What exactly is your plan, C?"
"I think you already know the answer to that. Perhaps though it's better if I elaborate"
»I'm building an army, as you probably know. An unbeatable army that will help me rule Valoran, the dream of every tyrant out there. I'm pretty sure you have noticed how many citizens have mysteriously disappeared the past few months"
Of course Caitlyn knew very well what he meant. Another burden to her shoulders, another unsolved mystery. There were no trails left. It was just as difficult to locate these people as finding her father. Some of them were found but in a shook situation and couldn't speak of the terrors they had witnessed. Another failure to the sherrif's list.
"So, you're building up and army for the causes of the Black Rose, I suppose?"
"Well spotted" C nodded "Since I'm a member myself, I must obey to the commands of my superiors. I gladly took responsibility to accomplish such a task"
"It must be a redemption for you, turning from a little thief to a man with... A vision of the sort"
"I always admired your ability you use words, Caitlyn" he praised "Yes, I do have a vision, a vision I share with many others. The Black Rose is one big family may I add. We are all aiming to create a better world, without suffering due to man's flaws"
"By completely surpressing people's freedom" Caitlyn spat "I'm afraid I found your view of a better world somewhat twisted"
"That's because you're narrow-minded, my dear. You are lucky enough to acquire a brilliant mind but you refuse to use it wisely, I'm afraid"
"That is not up to you to decide" Caitlyn clenched her jaw "Freedom is an invaluable possession. Man is just a puppet without it"
"There are still things you don't understand, my dear"
"True" Caitlyn nodded "Like, why you abducted my family all these years ago. Or whether you're a mage after all. Or perhaps why you killed Vi"
The last part made her heart ache. It was a painful reminder of what had happened but she couldn't allow to show weakness in front of him.
"Touche, Caitlyn dear" C bemused "Truth be told, the whole plan with the black roses has been caring about for years now. Back in the day, we needed your parents knowledge to move on with our plan. The whole rival clan was just a facąde to hide the real purpose of their abduction. Your interrupting by locating them was unpleasant, I'm not going to lie. Still, we got all the information needed. As for my being a mage, I'm afraid I'm not blessed with such a charisma. Others pull the strings, much more talented people than I am. And as for the third part of your question..."
»Vi was a great nausea to our plan. She wouldn't let anyone approach you, remind me of how many times she has saved your life the past few months? She was a great help for you too. We've been trying to get rid off of her for a while now, but you, my dear,took her under your protection. We could only set up a trap to kill her"
"Kill us both you mean" Caitlyn interrupted "Because had it no been for her, I'd be long gone now"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. We don't want you dead, not yet anyways" he assured her, but Caitlyn had every reason not to trust him "Anything else?"
"When are you planning to unleash those puppets of yours in the city?"
"Soon enough, dear. Soon enough...
But I believe it's my turn to ask you a few questions now. Wouldn't that be fair?"
Her unlimited questions had a price. Clenching her jaw, she nodded.
"I'd like to know the reason why you became a sherrif in the first place. I've heard rumors that this wasn't your intention at first, but through the years you've made quite the name for yourself, in a point that simple people refer to you as «the sherrif», despite that there are several others in the Wardens"
"I realized that I could potentially get closer to discovering your identity" Caitlyn huffed. Oh, the irony "And I'm still not aware of it. I only know your face. Nothing else. While you, on the other hand, seem to know almost everything about me"
"I'm C" he said "I go around using this letter, maybe because I've forgotten what my real name is. I've spent so much time using the letter «C» as a name that I've forgotten, perhaps it doesn't even matter anymore. It is what it is"
"I still don't understand you. As a human being I mean. You're an enigma"
"Oh I see it now. I've always been a puzzle to you, haven't I, Caitlyn? And you never left puzzles unfinished"
"That's one thing I'm good at"
C chuckled, a real smile this time. Caitlyn thought it was impossible for him to move his muscles in such a way "You're such a beautiful and interesting woman, Caitlyn. If only you weren't so stubborn and narrow-minded, perhaps the two of us would create something great" he paused "We still can"
"I'm afraid that will not happen" she shook her head "You killed Vi. I would never work with you on something so twisted and unacceptable. My parents spent a lot of time teaching me what is right and what is wrong. I never dissapointed them and I won't now"
"Foolish" C shook his head "There's no right and wrong. There are only our actions and how each of us perceive them"
"Maybe you're right about that one" Caitlyn agreed "Maybe there's no right and wrong. But our ethics defy who we are and what decisions we're going to make. And I'm afraid that our ethics do not align in the slightest. You can even ask Mr Kumar to confirm it"
"I won't forget to do so" C nodded before he raised off his chair. He was quite tall and imposing "I'd love to spend more time with you but I'm afraid there are duties that demand my presence. Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't feel lonely for as long as I'm gone"
"You won't achieve anything by torturing me"
"Why would you think I'd do that? I don't want to harm you, Caitlyn. You're more valuable than you can possibly imagine. For now, no one is going to harm you"
"We'll see about that" Caitlyn whispered to herself while C walked out of her prison. Kind of.
Once the door was shut, she closed her eyes, feeling her head heavy. All this new information plus her grief over Vi's death were exhausting.
Vi. She didn't want to think about her because she knew she'd hurt herself more. But how couldn't she? The enforcer's frame was there whenever she closed her eyes. She was haunting her. The guilt sat on her chest like a brick. Vi had died because of her.
"I'm so sorry, love" she whispered to no one in particular "I'm going to make things right, I promise. I won't let your sacrifice go in vein. You don't deserve that. You deserved so much more..."
She choked on her breath when a sob rose in her throat. But she refused to cry again. Vi wouldn't want that. She needed to create a plan to stop this massacre from happening. Those monsters couldn't be stopped even from the Institute. She had to stop C's plan before unleashing them to Valoran.
But was there anything she could really?
With those thoughts swirling in her mind, she fell asleep on the spot in a deep sleep without any dreams until she suddenly woke up by the sound of the metallic door opening again. She sincerely hoped it wasn't C again.
And it wasn't.
Caitlyn jumped. The two huge men that were accompanying C before now stood on the doorstep again holding an injured middle aged man by his armpits. They pushed him in, dropping him on the floor and closed the door shut once again.
"Father!" she exclaimed as she rushed to his side "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
"They have been hurting me since months dear" Harold Fitzwilliam coughed as he stood up with the help of his only daughter "But I'm good, I guess"
Caitlyn helped him stand and then lead him towards the bed, where they stood next to each other. Caitlyn remembered his face from the message he had sent months ago. He hadn't really changed. Perhaps a few more bruises and cuts. He was in desperate need of a shave and medical treatment.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see you again, Caitlyn" he said sincerely, his eyes meeting the similar blue ones of his daughter "But I wish we didn't come to that. I always lived in the dreamland, believing you'd be safe but I guess I was mistaken. I was foolish enough to believe that there were people around you strong enough to protect you from this madness..."
"They were father" Caitlyn said. Her heart ached again as the image of Vi appeared again "But how could they possibly protect me when they're dead?"
"So, they really killed Vi after all, huh?" Harrold sighed.
"How did you know? I doubt C reports to you about his plans"
"She was the last one standing, dear. With me and Jayce gone, who else would be so eager to protect you? It's a pity she died, she was a great friend"
"I was under the impression you didn't like her"
"I don't" he confirmed "But that doesn't change the fact that she's been good to you, far better than I've ever been to you. I dragged you into this while acknowledging the dangers this had. And here we are now..."
»Say, how's your mother doing?"
"She's been poisoned father..."
"Oh"
"...and it was rather my fault, really. I guess we got one thing in similar, we are both unable to protect the people we love the most"
"Don't ever say that again" he scowled "Perhaps, we both made the same mistakes but that doesn't mean we are the same. You're a far better human than I'll will ever be"
"You're probably right" Caitlyn paused for a moment "It's clearly impossible to be as evil and inconsiderate as you are, Emilia"
The corner of his lips turned into a grin, not a humorous one rather than a somewhat evil one.
"What gave it away?"
"Father has a mark on his left wrist. He was bitten by our family dog when I was eight. Also, C mentioned that I wouldn't be seeing father soon and he doesn't look like the guys who changes his mind so easily"
"I'll remember it for another time"
Before Caitlyn's eyes, her «father» transformed into a woman with short, raven hair and dark purple cape that was capable only to cover her back. Not that it bothered her. She wasn't wearing any shirt, exposing her bra at Caitlyn. She only wore pants of similar colours and holding a long stick. The grin remained quite the same though.
"I see you got quite a few tricks under your sleeve, LeBlanc"
"Just to be sure. It seems that those tricks don't work with you though, dearest Caitlyn"