His gaze was pulled to the shaking rags in the corner. Roughly, he grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her to her feet.
"Don't," she begged. "Leave me alone, anything, I'll do-" She choked on the last word, voice trembling.
"You'll do anything?" he asked, eyes glimmering with excitement.
Kalasin gulped. Oh gods, this could be over for her now. No more... Her scattered thoughts collected briefly, and her breath caught in her throat. "No," she said firmly. "I know what you want, I know who you want. No."
"Oh, my pretty Kalasin," he mocked, reaching out to wind a raven lock around his finger. "You think this all revolves around you." He pulled out his knife, and sliced through the hair. "It doesn't."
"You're insane," she accused, drawing back hurriedly until her back made contact with the wall.
His face darkened. "Don't say that!" he screamed, his voice cracking.
"YOU'RE INSANE!" she shrieked back.
He took the knife in his other hand and lowered it just over her heart, pressing very, very gently so she could feel the point against her chest but he did not draw blood. "What did you call me?"
"Insane," she wept, squeezing her lids shut so she couldn't see him.
He brought his blade next to her neck, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry?"
She let out a piercing scream, which reverberated off the walls.
"Insane," I whispered to myself, hugging my blankets around me. "He's insane, she's insane, I'm insane." I repeated this again, for effect.
"I know."
I sat straight up, eyes searching the room for the speaker. "What do you mean, you know?"
Liam pushed the door open fully, letting me seethat hehad spoken. "I know," he repeated simply.
I glared at the boy who was supposed to be my younger sibling. "What do you mean? Nobody knows! I mean, he knows, I know, I'm pretty sure that she might, but you? It's not possible, it can't be, ever. You can't know, you just can't!" I finished feverishly.
Something flickered in his eyes as he came to sit on the edge of my bed. If I had been feeling myself, I would have known that something was wrong. Liam never came near me if he could help it. People had told me at the beginning that he was just nervous, because he had been so distraught over losing his beloved Kally. But he had never ventured close. I in turn had kept away from him, simply because I disliked the snivelling brat. Was it possible that his adoration for his older sister had suddenly been rediscovered after all these years?
"I know what you are."
Fear widened my eyes. I simply stared at him dumbly, desperate to collect my thoughts. He didn't. He couldn't. But he sounded so certain.
"You're not her, are you?" He spoke the words carefully, as though he was trying to understand. He didn't. He couldn't. Nobody understood me.
"How do you know I'm not Princess Kalasin?" I asked, trying to keep a reasonable, steady tone, and failing. We were so close, so close to the end of it.
His dark gaze rounded in shock and he stumbled back. "Because you just told me," he retorted, and fled the room.
My mouth dropped open.
This, this was not good.
"Is there something wrong, your Majesty?"
Lagne's thoughts were interrupted by the servant. "Hmm? No, not... not really." He traced an invisible pattern on the table. "Nothing wrong with me." That was true, but for how long? What was he to do now?
The servant nodded, and collected the cups. "Very good, your Majesty. We'll be setting off again in the morning." He bowed and made to leave.
The Gallan King held up a hand to stop him. "Actually, I believe I would like to return to Corus. I have something of my royal cousin's, which I have thus far neglected to return to him."
"Kalasin?"
Kalasin looked up, and immediately threw herself to the ground. "Great Mother," she murmured, letting her eyes examine the dirt.
"You are lost, child." The voice echoed around the girl's mind. It was everything, yet at the same time, nothing but a voice.
"I am afraid that I do not know the way home," the dark-haired girl confessed.
"Stand, child," the Goddess requested. "Things have gone wrong in Tortall. An impostor sits, poised to strike."
Kalasin nodded, scrambling to her feet. "I know, but I can do nothing." Still she uncomfortably avoided the gaze of the goddess.
"Stand, child," repeated the immortal.
In confusion, Kalasin glanced around, and then up. Their gazes locked. "I-I-I am st-standing," she stuttered.
"Stand tall," was the next command.
A dim recollection of years of training to be a young lady returned, and the shadow of a smile graced the princess' lips. She obeyed, drawing herself up to her full height and putting her shoulders back.
"I will guide your feet home."
"YOU WILL NOT DO THIS TO MY CHILD!"
I breathed a sigh of relief, finding my first good sign in ages. The incessant dreams, the mirror, Liam's sudden disappearance and finding out that Kalasin was free had combined to form a disaster in my mind. Finally, something was going the way I wanted it to. I moved closer to listen, but I needn't have bothered. I could have been at my own home, back in Carthak, and I would have heard them clearly.
"I don't want him near my daughter. Is that so much to ask?"
"Yes! You can't expect to flick a finger, and have people run whichever way you choose. You do not control my son, you-" There followed a colourful update on just what the Lioness thought of her King at that moment. At the end of the string of profanities, she drew breath, and I had to strain to hear her say coldly, "Send word when you're prepared to act like a human again, your Majesty."
I then heard a door creak open and slam shut, and began to walk towards the noise.
The Champion had stormed out, cheeks red with anger. I heard a steady flow of curses coming from her mouth.
"Something wrong?" I asked, aiming for a breezy, nonchalant tone.
Her violet eyes narrowed suspiciously in my direction, and her face showed clear distaste. I tried not to bristle; she was little more than common scum after all. Worse, actually, that husband of hers was a former King of Thieves, after all.
"Nothing at all, your Highness," she muttered, and stalked past. The imprint she made on my mind could be easily compared to that of a lioness, deadly, dangerous and protective of her young. She had been named well.
"Perhaps one day, you will learn to look at me with caution," I whispered, watching her disappear.
