Nadri sat in the Blanchard apartment whilst the group decided on going about daily business and activities to not alert any further suspicion on what was going on. Liam back to work which Nadri was thankful for, not wanting to be around his energy any further. Snow White and David had gone to find Cruella DeVil in some hopes on finding the key to the Sorcerer's Mansion, something that had been neglected to the discussion earlier on when they were all in the apartment together due to Henry disappearing out while they were planning. Emma had hoped that getting inside the Sorcerer's Mansion would then lead to them being able to break into the library and find the Storybook if it was hidden there at all.
Nadri had no choice but to stay cooped up inside, she sat on the sofa with her knees up to her chest as she comfortably enjoyed being able to sit on the furniture without her master yelling at her not to do so. Her dress was laid out across the three seater, draping off the sofa. She knew that she couldn't leave in case any of Hades' hellhounds would be able to sniff her out and bring her back into his domain, dragging her there if they had to. Her arms were folded and resting on her knees while her chin sat on her arm, her intricate eyes watching through the window of the apartment and out to the souls wandering the streets.
All that was occupying her mind was telling Killian what would happen if they defeated Hades. There would be no contract, nothing to bind her to the human body that was conjured for her. Nadri would be who she truly was, a Dovah occupying a lonely mountain.
It sat in her thoughts for hours on end.
Henry came bursting through the door after a few hours, ushering Killian, Nadri and Robin to hurry because Snow had managed to grab the key. They had rushed out with him, meeting with the others outside of the Sorcerer's Mansion. It was one of the biggest houses in the Underworld. When they had all met there, Nadri's first thought was how classy and elegant the large house was. It had been built with cypress wood and has red pine wooden decorations with small, rectangular windows allow enough light to enter the home. It was beautiful, she greatly admired something she never had, a real home.
"I guess old White Beard was telling the truth, it really is here." Killian stated, looking at the building and then looked over to Henry who rummaged through his pocket and showed the tiny, battered silver key and dangled it in his hand. "There's a protection spell on the door, it could be dangerous to open it." Nadri smiled, shaking her head and feeling the cool air tickling her bare shoulders and neck. She took the key from Henry and approached the steps of the house, her dress dragging gently along the steps as she approached the solid door with a matching lock.
"I've been dead a long time, muz. I don't think this spell applied to dead Dovahkiin." Nadri gave a nervous smile back to them as she placed the key in the lock. She apprehensively turned it, bracing herself for the magic to shove her backwards with a harsh push.
…
…Nothing happened.
Nadri sighed with a relieved smile, twisting the handle and slowly opening the door. The others approached from behind her with caution of what could be lying behind the door and in the house. Nadri stepped in first, being greeted with a deep plum coloured hallway runner that had a few shades difference in her own dress. She looked around at the dark surroundings and up at the sparkling, crystal chandelier.
"It's brit." Nadri was in awe as she looked around at the expensive furniture, moving towards the spiral ebony stairs. "I've never been in a hofkah like this before." Killian let a small smile appear on his lips as he watched her touching her surroundings.
"We should split up... move fast." Liam cut in, Nadri glancing back at him and feeling uncomfortable again.
"Uh, yeah. I guess. Henry, uh, you got to stay here." Emma turned around to Henry, whose expression looked as if she had kicked a puppy right in front of his eyes.
"But this was my idea. I'm not gonna stand behind and do nothing." Henry reacted defensively and Emma put on her protective parenting mode. "You're not doing nothing. You're the lookout." She made it sound less unfortunate than it actually was, even Nadri knew that it meant that Henry had the most boring job in the group.
"Lookout?"
"Don't argue with your mother." Regina scolded as Emma approached a doorway on the ground floor.
"But..."
"Or your mother." Regina said again, Henry turning around with a huff and Nadri couldn't help but smile, Henry was such an inspiring child to Nadri. She liked his wit and his positive attitude, she could imagine him well as a cheeky Dovah.
Regina and Liam went in separate directions, Liam picking up quite a pace as he went whilst Killian and Nadri headed up the stairs together, beginning to look around all of the cabinets and display cases that were laid out throughout the house. It had become a museum.
"What you said earlier, love…" Killian began as he and Nadri moved into one room, Nadri getting down on the ground and searching through cupboards and doored display cases. "Did you er-"
"Did I mean it?" It was like Nadri could read his nervous mind. They had spent enough time in each other's pockets to know what the other was like and when the other was afraid to speak. "Of course, Killy." Nadri looked back at him from her position on the ground, smiling. "I couldn't lie to you." She looked back down, leaning in the cupboard and frowning when it constantly came to a dead end. Killian felt like the conversation had immediately shut down, frowning to himself as he continued to walk on. She had been acting so strange since her dream, apart from earlier on, she had been consistently trying to avoid conversations to do with any sort of emotion between the two of them.
They both continued to look around the room and eventually came to a defeat.
"I've found it!" Liam yelled throughout the house, Nadri and Killian both looking at each other before he came over and helped her off of the ground and they headed back downstairs with a rush.
The group were all standing around the book that was laid on the table, beautiful gold etchings on the front cover and perfectly displayed for them to find. Regina went over to it first, desperately opening the book and flicking through the thick, decorated pages. Nadri stood in the back of the group, swallowing hard. Nerves crept through her, could this have been it? Finding the key to defeating Hades, liberating her forever.
"There's nothing." Regina slammed her hands down on the book with frustration, making Nadri jump. "There's no mention of Hades' story anywhere. Why am I not surprised?" Regina looked down, her hands on both sides of the book and sighed heavily. Emma slipped the book away from Regina, opening up and seeing that there was three heavily ripped paper lines running down the spine of the book.
"There's some pages that are missing." Emma stated the obvious, her fingers resting on the torn paper. Nadri's emotions had gone from a high to a low and back to a high within seconds, she was exhausted of hearing more and more evidence that they were going to get nowhere with defeating Hades. She wanted to be done with her deal, she wanted these people safe and she wanted Killian safe.
"Back during the first curse, I tore my story out of Henry's book so he wouldn't know I was the Evil Queen." Regina looked up, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Well, if Hades has done the same, we don't stand much chance of finding it." Killian put his hand (and hook?) on his hips, also stumped in the situation.
"You found it, Liam?" Nadri spoke, looking towards Liam suspiciously. He simply nodded in return. "Surely they must have been something to indicate that it had been vuldit….er…tampered with?" Nadri tried, still looking towards Killian's brother with a quizzical expression.
"No and until I find any, I'll choose to have hope." Liam returned her suspicion with sickly over-confidence. "Those pages could have fallen out and still be in this house, and I, for one, won't give up without trying to find them." Liam stormed past Nadri, acting as if he was bravely walking out but Nadri didn't believe the atmosphere around him. It was almost as if it was unnerving. She knew how that felt more than anyone.
"Are you coming, love? We need to find those pages." Killian began to follow Liam who was already gone from the room, earning confused looks from the others. Nadri's eyes darted back to the Storybook, curious of her own fable that lied inside. She pulled herself away and began to follow Killian quietly. "You have barely said a few words, Nadri. What's wrong?" Killian brought up against as the both of them headed down the stairs, Killian looking back at her every so few steps.
"I've had a lot to occupy my mind, raaviir." Nadri replied as Killian stood down in the hallway at the last step, spinning on his heel to look back at the woman that he had grown so fond of.
"I know you, Nadri. You can't lie. It's like soon as you try to lie your voice gets high-pitched and you start trying to divert the subject." Killian crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Nadri as if she was a child about to be told off. He broke the tension with a gentle smile and Nadri was still trying to avoid his eyes. "Nadri."
"I think Liam is hiding something." Nadri suddenly spilled out, having enough of Killian repeatedly saying her name in a pleading tone. "He got here after I did, Killy. He made a lot of trips into the domain, those that I had to escort him to." Nadri spoke to him and he began to make an outrageous expression, as if he didn't believe a single word that came out of her mouth. Nadri couldn't help but snort with a small laugh at his face, this man was hellbent on trying to convince her he knew the truth and then why she tells him her concerns it's not believed.
"That's preposterous. My brother wouldn't lie." Killian shook his head in utter disbelief, watching as Nadri walked towards the front door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm not going to fahbo this conversation, Ruveyzun. You do not believe me." Nadri said simply. "I wouldn't lie to you, Killy. You already know that."
"That's why you've been acting out of character since Liam got to the house. Look, if something happened between you and my brother before I got here-" Nadri almost choked on her own salvia at Killian's accusation. "-But that's no reason to accuse him of being dishonest." She looked at him with wide eyes, any wider they would have started to hurt. Nadri couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth, did he forget everything that she had told him the last few days? She couldn't even leave the throne room without having a reasonable excuse and this pirate in front of her was accusing her of having a sordid affair.
"I don't believe there is a word in the Dovah language for this." Nadri wondered, still in a state of shock of Killian's reply. "Asshole." Nadri spat nastily, Killian returning her surprised look after the curse left her mouth. Before Killian could stutter any words of justification, she disappeared through the door and slammed it with such a force the whole building rumbled behind her.
Nadri turned the corner, heading around to the garden where she could hear a faint voice, almost whispering to himself. She listened closer and she could see that Liam was by a well-made of stone and bricks around the back of the house, mumbling to himself. Her anger flared further, eyes squinting at him and immediately stormed up to him.
"You have some pahsu." Nadri angrily vented as Liam spun around hurriedly, as if Nadri had caught him in the act of doing something he shouldn't of. "Killian thinks we were having a trun…an affair!" Nadri exclaimed with a high voice, still upset that Killian would have suggested such a thing. "This is your fault!" She shoved him with force, almost knocking the taller gentlemen over.
"What are you so upset about, Nadri? You were going to tell him the truth about something regardless." It wasn't what Liam seemed to think it was. Nadri had been so confided within herself that she knew the consequences of what would happen the moment that Hades was destroyed. It wasn't something she was able to feel hopeful towards in all the years she had been in the Underworld. She wanted to be given the choice on what would happen, not have it forced upon her.
"I know a liar when I see one and I also see one of Hades pets when I see one." Nadri snapped, her words becoming poisonous. She read Liam's face, she could almost see a flicker of fear. "That's why you were down there, there was a deal. Killian knows, I told him."
"He wouldn't believe you." Liam approached her, trying to put on a bravado persona in front of the smaller woman. "Maybe you should tell him about your own deal." He was trying to cover the fear with cruel toned words. Nadri stared at him, her eyes searching through his soul and she could see that small glint of darkness just beaming back at her. She couldn't believe a single word he said. It was almost as if her dream was a warning. Hades was in her mind to warn her about Liam coming to the house and since then, things have been a complete magical hindrance everywhere they looked.
"Does Hades know? Was there a krolurend? Take the pages, give me to him and all will be forgiven?" She cocked her head, determined with seething words. Liam refused to answer, stormy blue eyes glaring back at her. "Does Hades know I'm here?!" Nadri's voice came out into a yell, clutching at Liam's jacket fiercely and held him close.
"What the bloody hell is going on out here?!" Killian's yelling was heard from behind them, hurriedly pacing towards them as Nadri shoved Liam back against the well, Liam grunting as his hip collided with the bricks. "Nadri?"
"I was telling you the truth, raaviir." Nadri was still fuelled with anger towards Liam, beginning to pace around with this brimming anger. "He took the pages, a deal was made. He is nokin." She tried to convince Killian but Liam just stood there shaking his head, beginning to put on his big brother protection.
"She's lying, Killian." Liam fought back, placing a hand on his little brother's shoulder reassuringly. "Nadri has been using you." Nadri felt like her neck was going to snap from the amount of whiplash she endured from so suddenly looking around to Liam as the words left his mouth. "As soon as Hades is defeated, there is no contract. Which means she will turn back into her original form." Liam looked back at Nadri, Killian next to him with a heart-broken face beginning to appear on his features. "She's using you to gain her power back."
"No!" Nadri refused his lies, her eyes forming tears that were threatening to spill when she realised that she could see Killian was actually debating the possibility of her playing with his heart. "My suleyk is irrelevant, Killian."
"Why didn't you tell me then? You were just going to keep this going until you were suddenly powerful again?" Killian brokenly replied, his brother still supportive at his side.
"By the Gods, Killian Jones!" Nadri wanted to throttle him by his shoulders for believing such lies. She comprehended how much of a hold Liam truly had over his brother's influence. "I hadn't thought of what would happen. If I was so concerned about power, why would I save you? Why would I tell you the things I have?" Nadri's tears fell from her eyes regardless. "You saved me." She could have sobbed. She didn't understand the immense emotion that was piercing through her heart would have affected her so much.
Killian swallowed the lump in his throat as Liam patted his shoulder, looking back at the woman standing there with tears running down her cheeks and feeling like she could have let the earth swallow her whole.
"Did you think that making my brother out to be a villain would mean that it would give you more time to lie to me?" Killian was close to her, Liam moving away as Nadri reached out for the man she felt so strongly for but Killian caught her wrists.
"He is twisting with my words, Ruveyzun. He is not the man you remember." She wanted him to hear the truth that her words were soaked in. Her eyes glanced across to Liam who was standing behind Killian with such a devious demeanour. Nadri covered her mouth, pushing back the sob trying to emerge as Killian's hand still lingered on one of her wrists. "I wanted to do this but not here and now, like this."
"Then when? You told me you could never lie to me."
"When I felt ready to talk about sacrificing my power for someone I love!" Nadri cried back at Killian raising his voice towards her. Killian stared at her in a daze, still assessing the words that had come out of her mouth in sobs. "I was going to tell you when I knew I wasn't going to back out of my decision." Nadri stepped away from Killian, unable to take anymore. She pushed past him, Killian ghostly trying to reach out for her hand but she had past him quicker than he anticipated, retreating past Liam.
Nadri couldn't bear to continue the conversation anymore when it meant breaking the heart of someone she had cared so deeply for. Even hearing Killian calling after Nadri gave her more reason to choke back her sobs as she headed off the property and out onto the main road.