Silver Snow

Chapter 8: Captivity


A roar echoed throughout the palace halls, and Edelgard held back a shudder.

"…"

She had thought capturing the archbishop would prove a point; that it would benefit her greatly to show the world the truth that had been hidden from them for so long.

Perhaps it still would. However, the constant unease in her stomach spoke to the contrary.

She warily approached the chamber where Rhea was being held, in the utmost depths of the Imperial Palace. They had taken every precaution to ensure that she could not transform or break out, but Edelgard still slept poorly at night knowing the monster that rested below.

Rhea had been greatly weakened in the battle at the monastery, but that did little to deter her from attempting to free herself. She twisted and snarled, tugging at her chains with enough force to create small cracks in the wall.

Edelgard took a step forward, ignoring Hubert's concerned objections. The dark-haired advisor had refused to let her out of his sight for the last month, and for the first time, she did not even bother to protest.

Immediately, Rhea's head snapped toward her, revealing slitted pupils and the most hateful expression she had ever seen. Not even her uncle showed such rage when speaking of the beasts he so detested.

The dozen-odd guards she had at only a moment's notice away did nothing to ease her worries.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should attend to other… more pressing matters instead?"

Edelgard shook her head, dismissing Hubert's blatant bid to remove themselves from the archbishop's presence. Facing Rhea, not as a student, but as someone who openly opposed her ways, was something she needed to do.

This time, without her teacher to stand between them.

Rhea must have heard their exchange, because she let out a bark of laughter, completely different from her regular persona. With her tattered clothing and unkempt hair, she looked truly mad.

"You should listen to your servant, heathen." she spat. "It is only a matter of time before I escape these chains… and bring down the wrath of the goddess upon you."

She then tilted her chin upward, looking at both Edelgard and Hubert as though they were maggots to be crushed beneath her heel.

"There is no need for you or your goddess any longer. Soon, all of Fódlan will know the full extent of the church's lies."

Rhea tugged again at her chains; the cracks in the wall growing slightly larger.

"Foolish, ignorant girl! I shall delight in choking the life out of you."