Where do I take this pain of mine?
I run but it stays right by my side.
So tear me open, pour me out!
There's things inside that scream and shout.
And the pain still hates me.
So hold me until it sleeps.
Until It Sleeps—Metallica
It's dark when the door of Julianne's room is opened again, Capricorn silhouetted in the silvery moonlight spilling in behind him. She sits up in bed as her nerves wind around her heart like vines, the nausea still raging on despite the afternoon spent dry-heaving out the window.
"Get up and follow me," he commands quietly. He doesn't wait to see if she'll listen, just begins to walk away. It would be so easy to run, but to run away right now means she can't take Meggie with her and she can't do that. So she gets up and follows Capricorn into his room again, lagging behind as she struggles with her dress. He leads her past his sitting room and to a large bathroom. "Bathe and change into those clothes there, then come out. Be quick about it."
Tucked into the corner of the large room is a shower with sliding glass doors and a faux-gold bar on the front of one of the doors, a fluffy red towel hanging from it. Making sure the door to the bathroom is locked, Julianne undresses and kicks the tulle monstrosity into the corner of the room with a satisfied huff. She likes dresses and skirts as much as anybody else, but not when they tangle up around her feet. The longest she goes is to her knees because she likes showing off her legs, they're her greatest asset aside from her…. Well, her ass. She does squats and she likes to show off how well that particular torture pays off.
"I believe I said be quick," Capricorn calls through the door.
"Oh, shove it," she grouses.
"I heard that, Julianne."
"You were meant to!"
"Should I remind you that your sister is right down the hall and I'm not above feeding her to you piece by piece?" Jesus Christ, this guy is like a rude version of Hannibal Lector. Will Graham would have a field day in this village. Instead of saying any of that out loud since she does have some common sense on occasion, she starts the shower and steps gratefully under the spray of warm water.
Her tired muscles begin to unwind as she runs a loofah over them, even her stomach seems to unfurl from the bowline it's knotted itself up in. She takes her time as she thoroughly washes the grime of the day away, working her fingers thorough her hair until if falls in one long sheet down her back. It'll be wavy when it dries and knotted back up by the morning.
Once she's all bright and shiny and new again, she dries off and pulls on a dress that belongs in a special prom episode of a Disney Channel show. It's a powder blue with a design of diamonds around the bust, across the edge of her cleavage, and over the halter straps. It's also long enough to make her trip over it. Freaking joy. Accompanying the dress are a pair of heels that are actually cute, pale pink with the top stopping low on her ankles and the thin laces tied in neat bows, the heels fairly thick.
She makes quick work of the lipstick and eyeliner before tackling her hair. It's easy to brush out and she settles on a hairstyle she'd been fond off as a little girl, one section braided on either side of her head and joining together in a braid at the back with the rest of her hair hanging loosely. Lastly comes the hummingbird necklace that Dustfinger had given her, the pale gems matching the dress nicely. She runs her hand over the charm, smiling softly as she remembers the sound of the sea and the way the sunlight made Dustfinger's eyes look like moonstones.
Letting out a shaky breath, Julianne finally steps out of the bathroom and makes her way into the sitting room where Capricorn has seated himself in his chair. He's looking out the window when she comes in, features softening as he daydreams. What is he thinking of, she wonders. Ruling over a kingdom with his subjects kneeling in fear? Kicking puppies? The softness leaves him when she clears her throat, his face all sharp edges cast in shadow.
"Yes," he nods, giving her a cursory glance," that dress will do nicely. You look more like a court minstrel now." Then those silver dollar eyes land on her necklace, his lips pulling down in a frown as he stands and walks over to her. "That necklace does you no justice. Who gave it to you, Julianne?"
"Mo." The lie comes easily, one hand coming up to cover the charm. "He bought it in Fenoglio's village for me. Meggie's got one too, but it's back in the apartment that Tweedledee and Tweedledum dragged us out of."
"Who?" Julianne arches a finely plucked brow and Capricorn has to think for a whole ass minute before he catches up. "Oh." She knows that pop culture isn't a big priority for this village of idiots, but would it kill them to watch a movie every now and then? Half of her sass will go right over their heads otherwise.
"It's like dealing with a herd of old people." And she should know, she worked in a nursing home before this last move. She loves her residents though, even if a good twenty percent of them are homophobic racists that prefer Gunsmoke and chicken livers.
"You're treading a very fine line here, Julianne. Be sure you don't cross it." And you're tap dancing on my last nerve, so who's the real asshole here? Once again, she keeps that thought safely in her head. Capricorn acts while she's distracted, ripping the necklace off quicker than she can stop him.
"What the hell?"
"Think of it as punishment for your lie. Dustfinger gave you this necklace, didn't he?" She honestly debates whether or not to lie for a good five seconds, but then he raises his plucked eyebrows and she realizes he probably wasn't lying when he mentioned cannibalism earlier.
"Yes."
"We can't have you accepting gifts from the likes of him, not when I can give you so much better." He reaches into his pocket and brings out a new necklace, the chain and backing made of sterling silver that creates a beautiful swirling design with diamonds set in the front to catch the light. Actual diamonds, not cubic zirconia. He'd make some unlucky girl a pretty nice sugar daddy.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to buy my loyalty? 'Cause I've never had a dude take my measurements in my sleep and have clothes tailored to fit me before." He lets out a quiet snort, Julianne's necklace still clasped loosely in one hand.
"I didn't take your measurements. One of my past mistresses had a similar body type and I had her old clothes brought in for you. Mortola let the dresses out a bit to accommodate your size."
"Mortola?"
"The woman who clips my nails and gives Basta the occasional tongue lashing." Oh right, the Wicked Witch of the West. Boy, I really wish I had a bucket of water handy. "She's good with a needle, makes all my suits." He walks past her to the fire burning in the hearth, watching the flames. He tosses the necklace in there, pushing it further into the fire with an iron poker. "Never lie to me again, Julianne. Next time I'll burn your precious sister."
He turns to look at her, the fire reflecting in his eyes and the tiniest of smirks making the left side of his mouth twitch upwards. She thinks of the Mad King in that moment, when he had Rickard Stark suspended and set on fire in his throne room. She remembers the words that gave her nightmares when she first read about his atrocities, realizing that Capricorn isn't too different from Aerys Targaryen.
"Come on, it's rude to make our guest wait for so long." As she follows him out into the night air, she recalls what Jaime had revealed about Aerys, his last words that fit so well with Capricorn. It makes those vines tighten around her heart even more, strangling it. Burn them all.
Dustfinger
Dustfinger has to bite back a curse as Capricorn drags Julianne into the church, her dress and his robe the only really bright spots inside apart from the fire burning in the brazier and the lamp beside Capricorn's chair. He had hoped Basta's taunts had all been lies to get Dustfinger riled up, but now he sees that the knife-loving bastard had been telling the truth about kidnapping Julianne, Meggie, and the old author.
Basta holds Dustfinger's arms tight enough that he can't escape no matter how much he tries, and he had tried rather hard on the way here. He just needs to get his little bird to safety, far away from these fire-raisers.
"Dustfinger," Julianne gasps upon seeing him. She tries to run to him only to have Capricorn pull her back to him, his grip on her arm shifting to the soft waves of her hair. "What's happening?" Her pretty blue eyes glance briefly at Basta before they dart back to Dustfinger, studying his face for any damage. She won't find anything new, Basta had strict orders to bring him before Capricorn uninjured.
"Good evening, little bird. I see you're being treated well." He tries to keep his voice even, but it shakes despite his best efforts. "I suppose being a singer comes in handy from time to time, doesn't it?" But her worried expression never changes, a small crease forming between her brows the longer she stares at him.
"Isn't this a nice reunion," Capricorn asks, walking Julianne up the aisle towards the steps where Basta and Dustfinger are standing. "I know how close the two of you have become." The pale man leans in to whisper something in Julianne's ear that has the poor woman flinching. "Yes, see the way he looks at you? There's no hiding the affection in his eyes, they can't lie and neither can he." Dustfinger's struggles begin again, trying desperately to just get to the woman he dragged into this mess.
"Leave her alone!"
"Oh no, you see, I own her, Dustfinger. She's my property to do with as I please, and right this minute, I would be very pleased for her to see how much of a craven you are." Basta laughs at this, a quiet rasping thing that reminds Dustfinger of a pleased cat. "Let him go, Basta. Let's see if he will fight for the chance to call Julianne his." Basta shoves Dustfinger forward roughly, the fire-eater stumbling and nearly falling before he manages to correct himself and straighten up. "Go on then, Dustfinger, fight Basta. If you win, I will allow you and Julianne to go free right this minute."
"It's not fair," Julianne calls out, wrenching herself out of Capricorn's hold. Dark strands of hair remain tangled around his fingers, the same moleskin shade as her father's. For a moment, before she speaks again, he finds himself wondering where Meggie inherited her blonde hair. "Basta's stronger, Dustfinger won't stand a chance!"
"Juli," Dustfinger hisses, sending a nervous glance at Basta.
"No! I've had enough! I'm tired of being scared all the time, I'm tired of being tired!"
"Sit down somewhere, Julianne," Capricorn demands, his voice holding a warning. She shakes her head stubbornly in return, jaw jutting out much like Meggie's does. Capricorn lunges for her, but even he's not quick enough to avoid her nails scraping down his cheek.
"Keep your hands off me!" He lets out a growl, pushing her away from him and clutching at his bleeding cheek.
"If she wants to be with the traitor so badly then they can share a net!" Flatnose grabs Julianne before she can rise from where she tumbled, the larger man's arms trapping hers against her side as Mortola lowers a fisherman's net from the ceiling of the church.
"No," Dustfinger shouts. "No, leave her be!" His protests, no matter how loud, get him nowhere as he's pushed into the net. Julianne is thrown in next to him and the ropes tighten as they're raised back up again. The sides of the net forces him and Julianne to lie next to each other closely, Julianne lying half on top of him.
"I'm beginning to wish I had more common sense," She says quietly.
"We would have ended up here anyway." Below, the people turn to little specks as they're raised further from the ground. "I hope you're not scared of heights." Julianne doesn't answer, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Well, that answers that question. "At least Capricorn will have a scar to remember you by." That gets the laugh he's angling for, a breathless sound that's more a sigh than anything. "I'll get us out of this somehow."
"I know," she whispers back, closing her eyes. "If anyone can, it's you."
Julianne actually manages to fall into a light slumber at some point, but it seems like it lasts only a few minutes before she jerks awake again. Their net is being lowered from the ceiling and it take her a second to realize that's what woke her up. She reaches for Dustfinger's hand, winding their fingers together. His face is pressed against the ropes just like her back is, sending sharp pains spiking through her nerve endings like illegal fireworks. Wincing as the ropes dig in further, she attempts to shift a little bit only to bump against her net-mate.
"Sorry," she says, going still again.
"S'no problem," Dustfinger says. One of his feet kicks hers as he tries to get comfortable, but it causes the heel of her shoe to scratch his ankle. "Ow, fuck."
"I know, heels are basically a weapon." They make her legs look even better though, so she's not going to complain. The net slowly comes to a stop and Julianne can make out the scared expression on her sister's face if she wrenches around enough.
"Don't you recognize your old friend and sister," Capricorn taunts, his hands disappearing in his dressing gown pockets. From here he looks like a peacock that's over compensating. Tinkling, faint and barely heard, catches Julianne's attention and her gaze shifts to the tiny person in Basta's fist. Is that Tinker Bell? "I see you do, little miss. That's what happens to filthy little traitors who steal keys and set prisoners free."
"I didn't do that, Jackass."
"No, you just assaulted your master." She scoffs, flopping onto her back again with her eyes on the ceiling. At this point, she's seventy percent spite and thirty percent instant noodles.
"Hello, Meggie," Dustfinger greets, his tone light and joking. "I'm supposed to give you love from your father. He'll be here soon, and he won't be coming alone."
"You'll make a teller of fairy tales yet if you keep that up, fire-eater," Basta calls," but even the girls don't believe that tale. Try and think up a better lie before opening your mouth again."
"Basta, let go of that fairy! Send her up here, it's been far too long since I last laid my eyes on one."
"You'd like that too much. This fairy is mine to keep, and I plan on doing just that." Julianne rolls her eyes at the expected answer, grabbing the ropes above her head to pull herself up off one of the knots that's digging into her lower back. "I've heard tell that fairies bring good luck when you keep them in your house. I'll put her in one of those big glass wine jugs. Say, fairy expert, what do these things eat? Grass or worms?" Dustfinger stays quiet and Julianne doesn't have to see him to know that he's sending the fairy a sad, longing look.
Sometimes when I went to wash early in the mornings there would be small fairies skimming above the water, he had said what feels like ages ago now. If you catch one and let it out before you went to sleep, you had beautiful dreams.
"Do you know why I had the girl brought here, Dustfinger," Capricorn asks. "She was supposed to persuade you to tell us something about her father and where he might be hiding, though I sincerely doubt you know anything about that. Thankfully, I don't need Silvertongue now."
"Oh no," Julianne breathes, her fingers tightening on the ropes as she realizes how Tinker Bell must have gotten here. There's only one way for that to happen and she has a sinking feeling that Darius isn't responsible since the fairy has no noticeable flaws. Not Meggie, too.
"Meggie here will take her father's place, and just in time, too! I've decided that we need to do something special for your punishment, something the men will remember for ages. Can you guess who my new reader will bring forth from the pages of our story, Dustfinger?" Dustfinger shifts to lay his scarred cheek against the net. Julianne's fingers begin to lose their color as she white-knuckles the ropes.
"Indeed, I can," Dustfinger replies dejectedly. "How could I ever forget him?" A monstrous, writhing mass of blackness that kills everything its master points at.
"The fire-eater's not the only one getting punished," Mortola reminds Capricorn sternly. "Don't forget our mute maid, Resa, and your little songbird." Resa? Julianne looks to the other net, the dark making it hard to see anything beyond the fabric of the other person's dress. Could that be our Resa? Is that Mama? "The maid's treachery was as bad as his and the other woman marred your flesh."
"Yes," Capricorn says with something akin to regret in his tone. "A shame, that. Why did you have to pick those two, Dustfinger? There were plenty of other women here for you to choose from, yet you had to pick the ones I actually had a fondness for. Resa once had hair like spun gold."
"I remember Resa's hair," Dustfinger mumbles. "You've turned it darker."
"Nonsense! Perhaps some fairy dust would return the color." There's a long sigh and then Capricorn speaks once more. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it now since all of you are scheduled for execution." Julianne begins to twist and wiggle at that, maneuvering onto her belly so that she's looking down on everything below her. The dizzying sensation of the height difference almost makes her lose what little is left in her stomach.
"You won't get the chance," she shouts. "Mo's going to stop you!"
"Do be quiet, Julianne. If I want to hear your voice, I'll have you sing."
"What are you going to do to stop me, you bastard?"
"I'll be saddened if I have to cut out your tongue."
"Cutting out someone's tongue just shows your men that you're afraid of what that person might say." Thank God for Tyrion Lannister. Capricorn shifts in his seat to stare up at her, pale eyes shining with his fury.
"Do I need to prove a point, Julianne?" That's about when her common sense kicks back in and she bites down on everything she wants to say to him. "That's what I thought. How long until we can have everything ready?" Mortola steps closer to Capricorn, her bony arms behind her back and her chin jutting out proudly.
"Two days if you want to bring the men in from the other bases," she answers.
"Why not? We'll have this the day after tomorrow and show the men that discipline will be reinforced." He sends a hard look in Basta's direction, the other man looking as though he's just been kicked. "It will happen at dark. Have Darius do another test with the girl to make sure the fairy wasn't a fluke. I don't care what book she reads from as long as she can bring something out of it.
"I won't read aloud for you," Meggie protests, her voice ringing out in the mostly empty church. "Not a single word! I won't do it! I most certainly won't read out some kind of…. Of executioner!" Capricorn looks unconcerned, playing with the belt of his dressing gown.
"Take her away, Basta. It's late and the child needs to get some sleep." Julianne watches as Basta pushes Meggie towards the door, not taking her eyes off the girl as she glances back over her shoulder at the net.
"Move," Basta snaps, giving her another shove.
"I won't do it," Meggie calls out again, a steely resolve in her stance. "I won't ever do it!"