Plans of Evil

The six were being led towards the Imperial Capital by a division of troops. Their pace was much faster now, the troops were good on the march, knew the territory better, and were not going to slow down to make their captives comfy. But nor were they abusing them either, Falkner, always a man of honor even to his enemies, refused to allow his men to strike them, especially the women.

When they arrived at the capital, two days later, they were taken right to the Empress. She sat atop her throne, an older woman in her mid 40's with black hair and eyes, red dress accenting the shade of her lips, and gold crown glittering in the sunlight. Ceilia and a man around 38 with black hair and red eyes stood on either side of the throne. Reina wondered if the man was a Dragon as well.

"So, these are the little troublemakers who tried to sneak into your fort at Foxfire," stated Sabrina, "What a crew they are too. A Kitsune rebel, a farming girl, a young Prairie mercenary, a Woren who I've wanted captured for a long time now, the prince of Wyndia, and a little Dragon. Tell me child, which side of the Clan are you on? Light Dragon? Or are you a Dark Dragon?"

"What are you talking about? First I get told that I'm a member of the long forgotten Dragon Clan, and now you're asking me if I'm a what? Light or Dark, what in the heck is this?" she inquired.

Celia replied, "Fool, our clan is composed of two halves, Light Dragons and Dark Dragons. It all dates back to a schism that occurred several thousand years ago. Light Dragons have been the heroes in all major wars with mad gods and demons, while Dark Dragons are much more willing to abandon their clan for personal gain by serving said evils. Not that our purpose is evil or anything, we just want to create a utopia where all the clans can live together in peace and harmony. But that can only exist if we unite under one banner, and the banner of Moradis is the right one."

Sabrina finished sitting there looking bored, and turned back to Reina. "Light or Dark, hero or power hungry, Healer or Fighter Mage. Which one are you, Dragon child?"

"If all Light Dragons are Healers, then that's what I must be," deduced Reina, "That's it, I'm a Light Dragon. All I've got to do now is to find out why my parents abandoned me, and I'm set."

"So you were abandoned too. We share much Reina. If it wasn't for the Empire taking me in out of the ruins of my village, then I might never have lived. I hope the Empire will be able to treat you as kindly as they did to me. So lay down your resistance and serve our glorious Empress," Celia demanded.

Reina screamed, "NEVER! I'll never serves someone who will take over the world. I've got a score to settle with your Empress, her troops killed my whole foster family thirteen years ago."

Sabrina began thinking. "Oh, you mean that Woren group. Quite a feisty little bunch. Put up a lot of resistance. Those fools died because they refused to give you up to the Empire. Dragons shouldn't run loose like that without proper training, or they might accidentally destroy the world. I needed you to come to the capital where you and Celia would be trained to serve me and fight for me. But your foolish father refused to give you up. So, my men had no choice but to torch the place."

"Monsters!" yelled Katrina, "You killed my family for something like that?! Just because my dad loved my foster sister and refused too let you use her?! Truly despicable behavior indeed."

"If that's how it was, then you just angered me to no end. You think you had a small shot of getting my help before? Well, that .00000001% chance just turned to zero," Reina said.

Celia retorted, "Fool, you don't know what you're saying. Light Dragons are supposed to be heroes, and you're turning your back on a chance to become the hero who united the world."

Sabrina's gaze met Reina's. "You will take time to crack, but in the end you will serve me. Until then, you and your friends can live in the dungeon. Guards, take them away!"

* * *

"I still don't understand how we could get caught," Reina muttered, "We took every precaution, and I made sure I wasn't seen as I snuck towards the gunpowder. So what happened back there?"

"I fell down and made a loud noise. One of the guards came to check on it, and grabbed me. The others tried to save me but the guard made threats. So he informed Falkner quietly of what was going on, giving the general a chance to sneak up on you. I'm sorry," apologized Nida.

At that moment, they saw the man from the throne room come down. He asked, "Where is the little Dragon urchin? I would like to speak with her alone in my quarters. Guards, unchain the Dragon, and let her come with me. I've got big plans for her, so hurry it up."

Reina's body was paralyzed with fear as he said those words. The look on his face was quite crazy, and she feared what he wanted to do with her. She'd heard stories about men who got that very same look. Was he going to rape her, or find some other means to force her to bend to his will?

The man was given the end of the chain that was still attached to her neck. "Come, Dragon girl, we've got much to talk about." He began leading her down the corridors to his rooms.

Once there, he flung her to the floor, chain and all. The man then picked her up, and sat her in a chair. Using some chains, he attached her to said chair, so she couldn't move an inch.

"Let's get down to business, my dear," he said, "My name, is Marino. What might yours be?"

"Reina," she whispered. But fear was in her heart even more than before. For Reina could remember Falkner's conversation about how a man named Marino had come to the Empire twenty years ago, and the Empress had changed so drastically after that had happened.

- - - -

A rarity in my fanfiction, scenes of fear and darkness. Yeah, I tend to be miss light and cheery. Well, we'll see what Marino wants next time.