Chapter 28

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As Meggie walked towards the throne room there was an anxiety in her. It wasn't because Dustfinger scared her. Meggie was strong enough that she didn't worry about defending herself against anyone anymore. Not only that, but she was surrounded by guards who wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her. What fueled this anxiety was that it was Dustfinger. The man whose actions had inadvertently led her to where she was now. She hadn't seen him since, maybe that was why she was nervous as she prepared to see the man now. To her, another lifetime had passed. Back then, she had been a little girl. She had worshipped her father, believed everything he ever told her.

Meggie knew there were stars in her eyes then that until Dustfinger appeared, almost out of nowhere, Meggie had been scared, and sure he was up to no good. Mo had kept her in the dark and acted like the mysterious man was an old friend, but he was on edge, Meggie saw it, but in her naivety, she hadn't questioned it. She had followed along like the good little girl that she was. Meggie felt so stupid for that now because that whole time all Mo had been trying to do was hide the truth from her. Stopping just outside the throne room, Meggie took a breath, guards on either side of her, that night had started a chain of events that led her to where she was now.

"Where would I be if I wasn't here? Probably still following Mo like a puppy dog" thought Meggie as she entered the room, highly aware that without him, her future might have turned out very differently. The room was warm, a fire had been started. Dustfinger was close by it with a blank look on his face as he stared into the hotness. The only sound present was the crackle of the flames and watching him, Meggie sensed his mind was somewhere else as she came up behind him. When he realized she was there, he was visibly startled.

"What an unexpected surprise" whispered Meggie echoing the same words Capricorn had used when Dustfinger had delivered her and Mo to him. The words gave her a warm chill and for a moment, she longed for her husband. She wanted to feel him come up behind her, his arms around her, or just his presence at her side, but Meggie just stood there. She was alone now. And yet, she stood strong before him, her voice unbending like steel as he faced her, his eyes looking behind her for Capricorn.

At the sound of it, he turned, the surprise on his face visible as he looked at her.

"I wasn't expecting to see you either. I was told I would be seeing the queen. Apparently, some stupid girl has taken up as Capricorn's legal whore" whispered Dustfinger, looking at her with pity in his eyes that she didn't want as she looked at him preparing to surprise him again. For that stupid girl he spoke of stood before him, but she wasn't as stupid as he believed. Meggie felt superior to him then as she stood before him, the answer to everything right before his eyes. He only chose not to see it. For he saw a prisoner and she had never been that. She was dressed as Capricorn's queen should be, a queen for him to be proud of, and if he looked close enough, he'd see that. Dustfinger simply ignored the obvious. He spoke with hatred and distain. Like no decent woman would have Capricorn and looking at him, Meggie felt her own derision rise. Because he wasn't half the man Capricorn was. Inside, Meggie was smiling because he was making the biggest mistake he would ever make. He was already underestimating her.

"Things have changed since you were here last. I'm not Mo's daughter anymore or that little girl you left. I belong to Capricorn now" said Meggie her words very precise as she placed her hands behind her back moving with a queens grace towards him.

She wanted him to know that he was not looking at the same girl. That that girl was dead. Now, she had grown into a woman at Capricorn's hands. She was braver now, smarter too, and capable of things that he couldn't imagine. Capricorn had made her his queen and she embodied that now as she stood before him. Meggie was still smiling inside because she was so very proud of that. To be his queen. His wife. To be the woman by his side. She wanted him to see that as she told him the truth without actually saying the words just yet.

"That stupid girl you speak of is me. Capricorn made me his queen, his legal whore as you so elegantly put it" snapped Meggie suddenly, her eyes filled with contempt and anger. Dustfinger's own eyes filled with confusion then as he looked at her, beginning to really look at her for the first time since she'd entered the room. That confusion stayed, but a moment until it changed to something, she didn't want to see from him. Sympathy. Sorrow. Gloom. Meggie could almost feel his guard go up and it fueled her. Because he should be on guard because she was just as dangerous as Capricorn now.

"He made you become his queen. He made you share his bed and made you become like him. He turned you into a monster" seethed Dustfinger his voice holding that same sympathy even as he looked at her as a potential victim would an attacker, as he spoke, Meggie was moving towards him in her elusive way, like a tiger surveying her prey.

"Watch your tongue" growled Meggie then, suddenly right in front of him, her hand lashing out to slap him in the face, the blow hitting him harshly like the blow of a whip. Dustfinger had half a mind to grab her and knock her to the ground, but the guards were on him before he could. He found himself surrounded. By more men then he could fight off on his own and Dustfinger had no chance. They had him on each side, and he had no choice, but to look at Meggie. Capricorn's queen. Meggie smiled as she walked up to him, her steps sure as she approached until she was right there, close enough to touch, right in his face.

"You are a bigger fool than anyone takes you for, Dustfinger. You choose to let the truth fly by even if it's right there in your face. You can't blame Capricorn for anything where I am concerned, all he did was save me from the life my father had in store for me. He saved me and taught me what I'm capable of. He has never done anything, but love me, care for me. He's not the monster you see, but a man. The man I love, who loves me. The man who I married, who made me his queen, and I will stand by his side until death parts us" exclaimed Meggie a glee in her eyes that scared Dustfinger in that moment. There was a coldness in her voice as she spoke and a crazed look in her eyes as she raised her hand for him to see. Dustfinger saw a ring there, a diamond ring, nothing flashy, but nothing simple either. It rested like a pretty ornament on her finger and she looked at it with such pride as she stood there that Dustfinger felt himself visibly shaken. To Meggie, it reminded her of the day she'd announced her marriage to Mo; he had that same look in his eyes only then it had been so much more severe. Her wedding ring was her most prized possession. It was a symbol of their love. A sign that Capricorn loved her enough that he found this ring, put it on her finger, and made her his wife. It sparkled on her finger like a golden prize. A gift really, just like Capricorn's love, and all that was in her eyes as she stood in front of Dustfinger in that moment. She didn't expect Dustfinger to feel the same way. In fact, he looked at it with such distain it angered her even as she didn't show it. She looked Dustfinger dead in the eye and he looked back and Meggie watched as the look in his eyes turned to derision. She'd seen him look at Capricorn that way once and as he looked at her that way then, Meggie felt pride in herself. Capricorn would have been proud of that she was sure and even standing there, she longed for him to be there to see that look in Dustfinger's eyes.

"You're the fool, Meggie, if you think that man loves you" said Dustfinger finally, that look still in his eyes, and Meggie could only smile, because he was really seeing her now, seeing her for the first time as the woman she'd become, as the woman she was; Capricorn's queen. Meggie didn't pay any mind to his words. To her, they didn't matter because she knew the truth. She didn't need to be told that Capricorn loved her because she knew that he did. That's why she stood there then, unflinching in her pretty dress, a queen from head to toe, and after a moment, Meggie smiled, a large, brilliant smile.

Looking at him in that moment, Meggie just kept smiling. He looked somewhat older then as he looked at her. She suspected he was still remembering that little girl from long ago and the longer he looked the more that image faded. The Meggie back then was gone, now, there was only Meggie, the woman that belonged to Capricorn; the woman that stood before him. When that hard-glazed look returned to his eyes, Meggie knew that little girl's image had left his mind forever, and the woman she was now was all he saw. It made her proceed with everything as she suddenly found herself getting bored with the man. It was all over. He now knew what he needed to. That she would never be that little girl again. She was where she was and there was no going back. And she didn't want to go back anyway. She was happy where she was. It was because of that that Meggie found she couldn't stop smiling in that moment.

"I wouldn't be so proud of that little bobble around your finger either, little girl, you don't know what Capricorn did to get that. Some poor woman probably died, so he could put that ring on your finger" snapped Dustfinger, he wanted to see her flinch, but she didn't, that smile remained on her face the whole time. Meggie would never let him break her. Capricorn was the only man that had any effect on her anymore. That became all the clearer as she stood before him then, straight as steel, her eyes two glass balls that wouldn't shatter. She was unshakable in that moment and standing there with her all the longer, Dustfinger soon realized that. She didn't budge even as he looked down at her.

"I don't care. All that matters is he loved me enough to put it on my finger" whispered Meggie smiling as she let her eyes drift over her ring. She focused intently on him then, part of her knowing why he had come, but wanting to hear him say it.

"Now, do you care to tell me what brought you here or do I have to have it forced out of you?" whispered Meggie then her breath fanning out across his face as she stood so close to him still her smiling playful.

"I came to see Capricorn. When will he be making an appearance? Because when he does, he can bring your father here and have him send me home" snapped Dustfinger his stance defiant even as the guards held him. At his tone of voice towards her, Dustfinger felt their grip tighten, and he suddenly knew that their loyalty was no longer solely given to Capricorn. It belonged to her too now and looking at the men at either side of him, Dustfinger instantly got the sense that they were prepared to throttle him for speaking to her as he was.

"Capricorn does what he pleases and if he was here, I'm sure he would tell you no as he always does. He is in the Inkworld, your home as you call it, as you speak, and soon, I'm sure he'll own that world just as he does this one. He took my father with him, so I'm afraid you'll be staying put" whispered Meggie, her voice playful and sweet even as she toyed with him, openly laughing as he tried to move towards her.

The guards held him even as he struggled.

"I want to go home, Meggie, have Darius do it if you must. My face is already mangled, a few words strewn across it won't matter. Let me go home" growled Dustfinger attacking her, his movements violent then as the guards held him tight away. The guards led him towards the door, but their progress was slow due to his struggle. He was entertaining to watch then as Meggie watched him, her eyes holding a type of playful mischief that Capricorn had taught her. When he was standing close enough to the door, Meggie approached him again, her face suddenly stern.

"Why, so you can go there to plot against my husband? No, you'll stay here. Locked away so you can't hurt anyone. Put him in the dungeon" said Meggie, the guards already dragging him away before she had finished speaking. Meggie watched him struggle as they took him away. She felt no remorse over locking him up, but at the same time, she felt vulnerable.

The men she had sent out to reap destruction should be back in a few days, but without her full guard, she knew she was at a disadvantage. She would never make the mistake of underestimating Dustfinger. She knew he was more then a man that played with fire. He was a thief and she suspected he could kill her without thinking much about it. Watching him go, Meggie had her guard up, and for an instant she was reminded of that day when Mo had escaped. She knew Dustfinger was capable of the same thing and the more guards she had, the safer she would be. Meggie mentally prepared herself for anything that could come in that moment. Meggie wanted her guard to go down when her full guard was there again, but it wouldn't. Deep down, Meggie knew she wouldn't feel safe again. Not until she read him back. Until his arms were around her again and he was there, physically there standing next to her. She just didn't know how long it would be before she had that again. Slowly, she sat down at her throne, Capricorn's empty one next to her, and she felt something inside herself give a throb. She missed him. Even though she had just taken the potion and seen him, it didn't matter because she missed him all the same. Then she looked at her wedding ring and her heart gave another throb. This was different though because in that moment, she was proud, proud to be his wife.