Olivia slipped into the room, balancing a tray bearing food and drink in her arms. She shut the door as quietly as she could and set the ray down on the desk, taking care not to make a sound. Rubbing her hands, which were freezing cold from the morning air, against the thighs of her pants, she made her way to the bed, where slept the daughter. She paused and gazed down at the sleeping form thoughtfully, then reached out and shook the girl's shoulder gently, "Savina?"
Savina sat up suddenly, her silver hair sticking up in odd places and red marks on the side of her face from where she had been resting her head against her arm. She glared at Olivia in confusion and suspicion for a moment, then realized where she was and relaxed. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Savina leaned back against the headboard and smiled at Olivia sleepily, "good morning."
Olivia nodded, "good morning," she glanced toward the desk, "I brought you breakfast."
"Thanks," Savina sat up, looking interestedly at the tray.
"It's kind of my job," Olivia joked as she grabbed the tray off the table and handed it Savina. She sat down on a high-backed wooden chair and watched Savina start to eat. Noticing that she was eating slowly, as if savoring the hot breakfast stew, Olivia cleared her throat and gestured to the window, "you may want to eat a little faster than that."
Savina put the tray down, her appetite gone, "what's going on today?" She rose to her feet and made her way to the window.
The sky was gray, as it seemed always to be in this dreary land, but the sun shone brightly and warmly and even the gray seemed a little bluer than usual. Gusts of wind occasionally ripped through the valley, but all in all it was a nice day.
Savina glanced below her at the courtyard and gasped.
In sharp contrast to the chaotic mass she'd seen yesterday, everyone now seemed to have a place. Soldiers were in straight lines, facing their commanders and giving stiff salutes. Workers and slaves were also organized in a precise fashion, divided into rows and columns of efficient workstations, forging swords or carrying wood and tools.
"What happened?" Savina leaned further out the window.
Olivia raised an eyebrow, "when the," she paused and looked as if she had something nasty in her mouth, "Master thought his lovely daughter was dead, he kind of lost will and let things fall into a bit of chaos. Clearly he's found his strength again," she finished with a short laugh.
Savina bit her lip and stared down at the slaves, trying to spot her friends.
Olivia gazed at her broodingly for a moment, then crossed the room and put her hand on Savina's shoulder, "what do you plan to do?"
Her first reaction was to chop that offending arm on her shoulder off, but she reminded herself that Olivia was a friend and shook herself. She turned her head to face the pretty, dark-haired girl, "what do you know of the group I mentioned before?"
"The human, the elf, and the dwarf?" Savina nodded. Olivia continued, "They will probably be put to work today," she glanced down, "they might be down there now."
Savina winced, seeing how the slaves where manacled together and forced to carry heavy load and do work no one else would do. Her heart ached as she pictured Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli manacled together, filthy and starved. Her heart stirred as she thought of Legolas, as she remembered how strongly she felt for him in particular, how she loved him. She bit her lip, thinking she could slap herself for such thoughts, she had been a stupid little girl with a crush on someone way out of her league, it was time to move on. Of course that made sense, but no one said the heart was sensible.
She noticed Olivia watching her and moved away from the window, toward the cabinet and opened it, "what do I have to do today?" She asked as she pulled another one of the black dresses out of the closest.
Olivia shook her head, "you aren't going to need a dress, that's for damn sure."
"Oh," Savina put the dress back in and glanced at Olivia uncertainly, "what am I to wear then, I can't put back on…" she trailed off as Olivia pulled open a drawer she hadn't noticed and produced black pants and a black tunic, complete with black boots. Savina pulled the pants on and started on the tunic, glancing down at herself and laughing, "well, we're certainly fond of black aren't we?"
Olivia laughed, but it sounded strange in her throat, as if she hadn't laughed in a long time, "it's the official uniform," she explained, "we don't always wear it, especially those of high rank," she raised her eyebrows at Savina, "but I suggest you wear it for today."
Savina laced up the boots and straightened up, feeling that something wasn't right. Her hand flew to her side and she realized she'd grown accustomed to wearing her sword and belt. She glanced around, "where is my sword?" But then she spotted it on the ground next to her dirty clothes. She was about to buckle it on when Olivia stopped her.
"You can't wear a sword today," Olivia took it from her and laid it on the bed.
"Why not?" Savina reached for it again, "I'll need it with all those dark creatures around."
"That's just it," Olivia gestured to the window, "all of those creatures are loyal to the dark lord and know that you are his future body…they worship you."
"What about those not loyal to the dark lord?" Savina asked coldly, "they might try to attack me, correct?" She held Raliayatau in her hands; liking the smooth feel of the handle and the warmth and confidence it seemed to give her.
Olivia's face colored intensely, "they have been informed…" she stammered.
"Fine," Savina sighed and tucked the sword carefully into the back of the cabinet, "I guess you would know better than I."
"The Master will formally announce you today," Olivia smiled bitterly, "even though everyone already knows about you, and he'll show you around the Dark Tower…"
Savina turned quickly, "will I be allowed to walk around on my own? Anywhere I want?"
Olivia shrugged, "I'm sorry, I really don't know."
Suddenly Savina shuddered, "when…when will I become…when will he try to take…"
Olivia seemed to understand what she meant, her eyes darkened, "he needs the ring, so as soon as the ring is in his possession he will switch bodied," her black eyes turned cold, "I let you know now that I will not let your body be taken, I will kill you before I let the Dark Lord rise to power. If you are deceiving me…"
"As you have demonstrated," Savina rubbed her throat at the thought, then smiled weakly, "don't trouble yourself, I am on the side of good. I would not have my body taken anymore than you would."
Olivia relaxed a little and glanced toward the door, "we should get going…"
Savina ran her fingers through her hair and splashed a little bit of water from the washbasin into her face. "I'm ready," she announced.