Silent in my sanity I live safe inside my cell
In the darkness my sin haunts me
I've seen my own special hell
Covered in my suffering, something warm inside this pain
My Little Box—John Frizzell
Regaining consciousness isn't pleasant experience when you know you won't like what you see. The room she's in is more like a closet, her hands cuffed to the headboard and her feet bare. Someone has changed her clothes, the comfortable ones she had been wearing replaced with a strapless Tulle dress that's pale gold with an overlay decorated with gold flower designs. The fact that someone has seen her half-naked makes her skin crawl. She doesn't even like wearing swim suits for God's sakes! The last thing she needs on top of everything else is to be body-shamed by a bunch of half-witted bastards that run wild in this village.
Scowling, Julianne shifts a little and whimpers when her cheek comes in contact with the hard mattress underneath her. She has no doubt that it's bruised and swollen, Basta seems to like aiming for the left side of her face these days. "Son of a bitch," she hisses, kicking the mattress. "Worthless, stupid, stinking, motherfu—"
"Language, Julianne," Capricorn says, cutting her off before she can really get going. He sits himself on the edge of the bed, looking out of place amongst the clutter. "I didn't think you were ever going to wake up." It's said with bored disinterest, like a conversation about the weather. "Basta says you were disobedient."
"And I say Basta is the world's biggest prick." She jerks her foot away when he runs cold fingertips over her ankle. "Don't touch me!" He turns his eyes to her face, a miniscule frown looking so much grander on his face than it would on anyone else's. Capricorn doesn't do emotions or expressions, he's a full-blown psychopath. He scoots further up the bed and turns her head to the side to observe her sore cheek.
"He hit you?"
"Twice." He makes a tsk sound, letting her chin go and pulling a tiny silver key out of his pocket. He holds it up for her to see the simple little thing.
"The key to your handcuffs. What will you do to earn it?"
"Not shove Basta's knife where the sun doesn't shine?"
"A song would be more appreciated and your voice is soothing. I'll deal with Basta later." She nods and watches closely as he leans forward to release her from the slatted headboard. "Good girl."
"I'm not a dog." He stands, holding out a hand to help her up from the bed. Julianne ignores it, getting up herself and rubbing her sore cheek. It hurts badly, and she can taste blood in her mouth from where the inside had been cut by her teeth.
"Come on, we'll go into my sitting room." The sitting room is exactly as it had been the last time she was in here, when Meggie and Elinor first came to the village. He sits in his chair, gesturing for Julianne to stand in front of him. The dress makes walking difficult, the skirt of it tangling around her bare feet. What is she supposed to sing for this creep now? She bites her lip as she thinks, glancing out the window at the watery sunrise. If he wants soothing, then the song needs to be soft. Maybe he'll fall asleep and give her time to find Meggie and bust out of here. Well hell, might as well go with Billie Eilish again.
"Thought I found a way, thought I found a way, yeah. But you never go away, so I guess I gotta stay now. Oh, I hope someday I'll make it out of here even if it takes all night or a hundred years. Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near. Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear. Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone. Tear me to pieces, skin to bone. Oh, welcome home. Walkin' out of town, lookin' for a better place. Something's on my mind, always in my headspace.
But I know some day I'll make it out of here even if it takes all night or a hundred years. Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near. Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear. Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone.
Tear me to pieces, skin and bone. Oh, welcome home."
Capricorn's expression never changes throughout the song, but his eyes have drifted closed as he sits ramrod straight in his chair like a King on a throne. Will he win or will he die? Cersei would want answers. Her fingers itch to wrap around his throat, feel the bone break under her palms, but he's speaking in monotone before she even takes a step.
"We need to go to the church." He stands, leading the way out of his house and through the streets with his head held high. The church has fewer men in it than the last time, about a dozen or so if she has to guess. He seats himself in a black leather armchair, the seat replacing the throne-like chair that used to sit at the top of the stairs. "Bring me the girl and old man," he commands, Basta scurrying to do as he was bid. "Julianne, take a seat here."
"I'm not your trained dog."
"So you've said. Sit down or I'll let Basta carve a pattern into your pretty face." She sits on the ground beside the chair with an impressive frown, shivering in the crisp morning air. Cold stone and bare feet don't mix if you want to stay warm. Early morning sunlight spills in through the windows, turning Capricorn's yellow suit even paler. It's like freshly poured lemonade, she can almost hear ice cubes clinking in a glass.
Basta returns after a few minutes, pushing Meggie and Fenoglio ahead him up the aisle. Fenoglio looks like a kid at Christmas, excited to observe his character closer as he basically runs towards Capricorn, Basta catching him just before he reaches the steps.
"What's the big idea," he hisses. "Not so fast, and you'll bow to him or you'll wish you had!" Fenoglio has the scornful glance he gives Basta mastered to perfection, daring the other man to hit him. Basta would have too if not for the nearly imperceptible shake of Capricorn's head.
The old hag joins the group, standing on the other side of Capricorn's chair with her arms folded behind her back. She reminds Julianne of the witches in old storybooks with the stern way she holds herself and the ugly sneer she shows to the world. She would be the kind of witch with a gingerbread condo that turns small children into her dinner, not the lesbian one that sings about defying gravity.
"You know, Basta," Capricorn says," I'd still like to know why you didn't bring the girls' father, too." Julianne keeps her head bowed, wrapping her arms around her knees to give herself some warmth. God, I feel so sick all of a sudden. Fighting not to throw up, she squeezes her eyes closed and takes deep breaths. There's no telling what Capricorn would have done to her for puking on his shoes.
"I told you already," Basta says," he wasn't there. Would you have had me sit around and wait for him? Soon he'll be here of his own accord! We all know how smitten he is with his daughters. I'd go so far as to bet my knife on him being here tomorrow at the latest!" He sounds like a child whose favorite parent had just scolded him.
"What good is your knife when you can't keep ahold of it," the old woman asks mockingly.
"You're slipping Basta," Capricorn says. "But let's move on to your newest unwanted guest, shall we?" There's a brief pause, the silence tense and unbroken until Capricorn decides to speak again. "Basta has told me strange things about you, Signor…?"
"Fenoglio," the old man says without a trace of fear in his voice. Is he mad? Capricorn will eat this guy for breakfast if he doesn't do something about his holier-than-thou attitude. "Even his voice sounds the way I imagined," Fenoglio whispers excitedly just before Julianne hears the sound of something colliding with a body and a pained gasp.
"I don't like whispering in my presence. As I said, Basta told me a strange story. He told me that you claimed to be the man who wrote a certain book. What was its name again?"
"Inkheart. Its title is Inkheart because it's about a man whose wicked heart is as black as ink, filled with darkness and evil. I still like the title."
"And how am I supposed to take that? As a compliment, perhaps? After all, it's my story you're talking about." Julianne cracks her eyes open, some of her dark hair hanging in her face.
"No, it's mine, you just make an appearance in it." Yes, old man, because that's really helping your case.
"Sticking to your lies, I see." Another bout of nausea hits her hard, sending the room spinning until she closes her eyes again. God, I think I caught something from standing in the rain for so long yesterday. Fucking Basta and his theatrics, kidnapping people and shit. She shifts so that her arms are wrapped around her stomach and her body is hunched forward as she fights to keep the bile down. The last thing she needs is to come down with the flu while stuck in a constant life or death soap opera.
There's the tell-tale creak of new leather as Capricorn stands, his cold fingers drifting over the bare skin of Julianne's shoulders. The next time he speaks, his voice has gone hard as marble. "What are you grinning for, old man?"
"I was simply reflecting on the fact that vanity is one of the qualities I gave you, vanity and—" Fenoglio pauses dramatically before continuing. "Vanity and a few others I doubt you'd want your henchmen to overhear." Silence reigns in the church, the absence of noise making everybody tense in anticipation of what might happen next. Capricorn's moods, subtle as they are, are unpredictable and there always seems to be a fine simmer of anger resting just under the surface of the calm façade, waiting for the right moment to spring into life. Finally, Capricorn speaks up again and his voice has the tiniest hint of a smile in it.
"You're a shameless old man and a liar in the bargain." Julianne raises her head just enough to take in the state of her sister. Meggie's trying so hard to be brave but it's taking it's toll, black smudges under her eyes from sleepless nights and an ashy complexion. Her golden hair hangs in greasy tangles, but her pretty eyes are bright with a burning rage of her own. Julianne can't see Capricorn's face, but she can see the way that Fenoglio stands without a hint of fear despite the fact that he's surrounded by men who have rifles.
"We're surrounded by idiots," she mouths to Meggie, smiling a little when Meggie gives a subtle nod in reply.
"If you're hoping to impress me with your flagrant lying and boasting the way you've done with Basta, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Your claims are absurd, and it was too stupid for words for Basta to have brought you here. Now I'll have to devise a way to get rid of you." Basta goes pale at the words and he hurries over to his boss with his head lowered. Someone's just walked over his grave.
"Suppose he isn't lying," Basta whispers to his master. "Both of them say we will all die if we hurt the old man, all but Julianne." Capricorn turns slightly to stare down at her and she lowers her head again. She knows why Dustfinger plays the coward in this monster's presence, he's so intimidating that even Sauron would wilt under his gaze. "Is the old man lying, Julianne?"
"Leave the woman be." There's no inflection of anger in his words, but Basta flinches away as though he's been struck.
"Poor Basta," Fenoglio pipes up mockingly. "You're doing him a great disservice because he's right. What if I'm not lying like you think I am? What if I really am responsible in having created all of you? Will all of you crumble away if I die or something happens to harm my person? It does seem rather likely to me." The sound Julianne hears is unexpected, one she never thought she'd hear. Capricorn laughs. The most despicable man she's ever met, the man she never thought capable of producing a sound like that, is laughing.
"Is that a fact, old man?"
"I can prove I'm the author of your story." Fenoglio's words are softly spoken so that only a few can hear them. "Shall I do it right here, in front of your men and the women? Inform them of your parents?" The last bit gets Julianne's interest, and she raises her head, barely able to make out the people in front of her through a curtain of hair. The silence is back, the tension thick enough that you could cut it with a knife. Nobody moves, nobody speaks. All eyes are focused on Capricorn and Fenoglio, waiting to see the outcome of such brazen words.
"Say what you will," he snarls," but if you truly value your life, then you say it so that only I can hear." Capricorn gestures for Basta to back up and then levels Julianne with a stare that means she should do the same thing. Julianne scoots up a few steps until she's out of whisper range.
"I suppose the child can hear or are you afraid of what a little girl might do?"
"Come on, then, let's hear your worthless words! You're not the first and I imagine you won't be the last to try and save his neck with a few pretty words. But if you continue to hedge your bets, then I'm sure we can find a viper to wrap around your neck. Or perhaps the girl's. After all, we really only need one of Silvertongue's daughters to get him to cooperate." Julianne springs up from the step and charges at the blond man, almost making it before Basta grabs her around the waist.
"Bastard—" Capricorn glances over at her as he curse is cut off, Basta covering her mouth with his coat sleeve so she can't bite him.
"That's quite enough out of you, Julianne. Sit down or your sister will be the one I punish." She deflates like a balloon at those words, her eyes locking with Meggie's as she allows herself to be lowered back to the step without fighting.
Fenoglio begins to spin his tale when the room has calmed again, his voice too quiet for Julianne to make out. She scoots over the stone, leaning forward a few inches to try and hear even a scrap of information. Fenoglio isn't whispering loud enough for her to make out anything and Basta kicks at her leg until she scoots back with an indignant frown.
"That really is an amazing story," Capricorn says once Fenoglio finishes. His voice is quiet, but loud enough for Julianne to hear. "I like it. You were born a liar, so I'll keep you here for a short while until I grow tired of your stories."
"Keep me here?" Fenoglio's grown indignant, obviously expecting Capricorn to be so scared that he'd let all of them go free. "I'm not staying here! What on earth—" Capricorn puts a hand over his mouth to quiet him, hissing his words.
"Not another word! Basta has informed me of your three grandchildren, old man. Give me any trouble or displease me and I shall send the children a few snakes in a pretty package for them to unwrap. Do I make myself clear?" Their position here, or lack thereof, seems to have finally sunk in through Fenoglio's shield as he hangs his head in despair and submission.
"Yes, clear as glass."
"You all have something you love. Children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, parents, pets... The list goes on and on, full of endless possibility. You only have to look at the girls' father as a prime example." He grabs a handful of Julianne's hair, tugging sharply until she's kneeling on the steps beside him. "He'll come here even though he knows well enough that I won't let him or his daughters leave."
"Don't hurt her, please. She's done nothing wrong." A satisfied smile has the corners of his mouth tugged upwards as his gaze lands on each of them in turn. His grip tightens just a fraction before loosening and then tightening again, a cycle of dull pain that Capricorn seems fond of.
"Basta!" The man in question takes his time in walking over, his own version of rebellion against his master. "Take the old man to Darius' old room and post a guard outside the door."
"You want me to take him to your house," Basta asks in astonishment.
"Yes, and why not? After all, he claims to be almost like a father to me. Anyway, his tales amuse me." With a shrug, Basta grasps Fenoglio's arm tightly, planning on hauling him out of the church, but Fenoglio quickly grasps Meggie after twin looks of horrified pleading from the girls. If Meggie doesn't go with Fenoglio, then there's no telling where she'll wind up.
"Let the girls come with me," Fenoglio begs. "You can't shut them up in that hole! I promised their father I would take care of them." Capricorn shows Fenoglio his back, letting go of Julianne's hair and pushing her just hard enough that she tumbles a couple of steps before she stops herself.
"The little girl can go with the old man, but Julianne is to be put back in her room. Make sure her door is locked and do not lay a hand on her the way I know you're imagining, Basta. Their father should be here soon, and I don't want to give him a reason to resist." Basta yanks Julianne to her feet, the grip he has on her arm sure to leave bruises.
Don't come and get yourself trapped, Mo. I'll find a way to get Meggie and Fenoglio out, but I need you and Elinor safe.