I just realised while going over recent chapters of this story that Iko appears in the werewolf village at Jacin's questioning when she's still in Artemisia. So, I'm just going to clarify for any of you who are confused, Iko is definitely in the Royal Palace at this point in the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Scarlet's POV:

The Queen

I think it's safe to say that this is the worst moment of my life so far. Sure, being brainwashed by a vampire, being made to chop off my own thumb and puking up an ocean of black slime sucked a lot too, but I don't actually remember much of that. While I was under the vampire's control, it felt like I was dreaming. More than that, it felt like I was having a good dream, as if I was drifting just beyond the edge of sleep in that zone where you know you're dreaming, and I could just relax and let myself enjoy the pure bliss and comfort the dream gave. So, all I really remember from that experience, is throwing up, realising my hand was missing a very important piece, and a weird sense of comfortable happiness.

In this situation, I'm fully aware of every horrible detail.

Wolf guards surround our group from all sides, the closest ones walking in human form, and the ones forming a perimeter lumbering along on giant paws. Taking point is Ran, Jacin walking beside him, with the most annoyingly smug smile on his face. I desperately want to wipe it clean off. Screw the consequences, I'd be doing the world a favour! But even I'm not that rage driven. So I just walk, seething quietly, and painting a very detailed picture in my head of wrapping the chains of my handcuffs around Ran's throat. Oh, right. We're also wearing handcuffs.

Cinder is walking at the head of our group. I can't really tell, but I can imagine her studying each of the guards, calculating how hard it would be for her to take control of them, making mental notes in her head of all the different directions we've taken since we've been let into the (stupidly flashy) royal palace. Maha is doing the same, although she also looks pretty mad, glaring at the back of her son's head like she was seriously considering giving it a good hard hit. Which, to me, sounds like a brilliant plan. In fact, I say we kick him a few times as well for good measure. But Maha seems to be more rational than me, at least to point where she actually looks relaxed enough to not be suspicious. I, on the other hand, am wound up like a coiled spring.

Kai is probably the most composed of all of us, his face carefully blank, his spine pencil straight, his gaze calmly fixed ahead. Though I can only imagine how badly he must be shaking on the inside, given what little I know about his last experience with the queen of the vampires.

Although I'm guessing I'm about to find out.

At long last, we reach was must be the Throne Room. And sitting on the throne, is a woman wearing a long, dramatic veil who must be Levana.

The queen rises from her throne and makes her way towards us unhurriedly, almost lazily, like we're a minor annoyance that she wants to just deal with now and get over with.

The thought makes me clench my jaw in rage.

She pauses in front of Kai, reaching out with one gloved hand to tilt his chin upward. His blank expression twitches.

"How nice, that my little trophy has finally returned to me." A smooth, cool voice says from behind the veil. "You should know," she continues, her grip on Kai's chin visibly tightening, "I don't really like it when my pets run away from me."

"You must be disappointed often then." Kai says through gritted teeth.

Levana chuckles. "Still a bit too feisty aren't you? No matter, we'll deal with that particular problem in due time. For now," she raised her head, and even though I couldn't see through that veil, I just knew her gaze was fixed on Cinder. "I have other things to deal with."

Cinder glares up at her, but aside from that doesn't move a muscle under Levana's scrutiny, not even when the queen grabs her roughly by the chin and tilts her head this way and that. I can't help but admire the other girl's self-control. If it were me, I'd have probably bitten her hand by now.

"Well." Levana says finally, "You certainly bear a striking resemblance to my sister Channary. I suppose that was what birthed this ridiculous notion of posing as my late niece?"

"Can't pose when it's not fake." Cinder retorts, her words carefully blank and dry.

"Oh, but we both know it is. Selene couldn't have survived that fire, not unless she suddenly learned to walk despite being barely a toddler. There was no-one around the nursery that fateful day besides the foolish nurse that left that candle burning in the first place."

Cinder snorts. "Yeah, you made sure of that, didn't you? Can't afford to have anyone rescuing your only obstacle to the throne now, could you?"

Levana's hand darts down like a striking snake to grip Cinder's throat. "Watch your tongue, girl." She hisses, "You don't seem to be aware of the situation your in."

"I guess denial is a trait I got from you, huh?" Cinder gasps.

Levana drops Cinder as if she were a dead rat, regarding her with what I can only assume to be an expression of disgust from behind her veil. Seriously, what is with that veil? I thought vampires could change their appearance at will, so what's the point of covering up with a semi-transparent piece of fabric?

"Whether you admit to your farce or not doesn't matter." Levana snaps, "Very soon, your life will be cut short."
"Isn't it illegal to execute someone without a criminal charge?" Cinder asks.

Levana tilts her head in a manner that's way too mocking for my liking. "Oh, but you do have a criminal charge. Several, in fact. Disturbing the peace, assault of my soldiers, more than enough to warrant an execution."

"Pretty sure spilling wine on your shoes is enough to warrant an execution in this place." I grumble, and yelp as one of the guards jabs me sharply in the ribs. Oh, I'll get him for that later. As soon as I've got these cuffs off, I'll show him what a real jab to the ribs feels like! Well, after I've got the cuffs of and knocked Ran to the floor.

"You know," says a suspiciously amused-sounding Levana, "while Ran and Maha are here, we can get another important matter out of the way as well."

Ran immediately comes forward, like a dog going to get treats from its master, kneeling at the feet of the vampire queen. I could swear that I hear a few snorts of disgust from the guards.

"Yes, My Queen?" He says in a voice as smooth and sweet as honey, "How may I serve you?"

"Your devotion is admirable Ran." I roll my eyes as the man perks up. Can't he tell she's mocking him? "But this matter doesn't require your service. Only, your attention. My pet here isn't the only creature my soldiers brought back for me." She tells him, gesturing to Kai. Kai's face twitches again.

"They brought back a werewolf, a very powerful werewolf hiding out in the Earth dimension." Levana continues, her voice seeming to grow more satisfied as the more my heart sinks. No… no, no, no, no-

"Can you imagine my surprise, at seeing your brother here again, alive and well?"

The sight of Ran staring up at her, pale, wide-eyed and spluttering in disbelief, would have been funny if it weren't for the heavy pit that has settled in my stomach. This… this is bad. Very, very, bad.

"Ze'ev…" Ran finally whispers, the name spoken with equal parts fear and disbelief as if it belonged to a murderer. "But-but Ze'ev is dead! I-I was there when the accident happened!"

"Oh, I can assure you Ran!" the queen tells him, her tone almost cheerful as she gazes at her horrified subordinate, "This new wolf is definitely Ze'ev Kesley. Perhaps you would like to see for yourself?"

Judging by the sheer terror on Ran's face, he most definitely did not want to see for himself, but the queen paid him no mind as she turned to Jacin, who was very carefully keeping his gaze fixed to a space just above the queen's head.

"Sir Clay? If you would be so kind as to fetch the Alpha-Intended?"

A/N: Once again, I'm still alive! Again, really sorry about the delay, but I've been pretty busy, and I've also been struggling to summon the motivation to put pen to paper (er, typed-letter to word document) since I've sort-of fallen out of the fandom lately. But! I promise you that this fic will be finished if it's the last thing I do!

Please review!