A/N: Yeah, it's kind of been a hot second since I updated this. Oops. I'm just slow and lazy. Anyways, enjoy!

Once Ro had finally left to guard outside the room, Keefe and Tam got off the floor and went to the mirror to fix their hair.

"How many times is she going to call us out?" Tam asked.

"Trust me, it will never end."

In the process of smoothing his bangs, Tam accidentally bumped elbows with Keefe. They both let out small laughs, smiling at each other in the mirror. Suddenly, there were noises at the window.

"What was that?" Keefe asked.

"I don't know," Tam replied, backing up against the wall. Keefe did the same, grabbing Tam's hand.

"Just in case," he said. Tam nodded. "Ro?" Keefe called out.

The second Ro came through the door, she was blasted by a beam of light that threw her against the outside wall.

"Not again," Tam groaned. Sure enough, Glimmer darted into the room, followed by another figure. Tam quickly let go of Keefe's hand the second before they were seen, not wanting to give anything away. Glimmer immediately bound Tam's wrists with the same power-dampening cuffs as before and pulled him away from Keefe. The figure who had entered with Glimmer walked up to Keefe and removed her hood, but both Keefe and Tam knew who it was from the beginning.

Lady Gisela.

"Get out of here," Keefe growled. Lady Gisela laughed.

"Good to see you too," she replied. "And I will get out of here. Well, not just me. I'm not just going to leave without seeing if the transformation was a success with my own eyes."

"Good luck with that," Tam scoffed. Lady Gisela turned to him.

"Which is exactly why you're leaving too," she said, pulling out a leaping crystal. Glimmer did the same, grabbing Tam. Gisela took hold of Keefe and held the crystal out the window to catch the light. They all leaped away to darkness.

Once Tam's eyes had adjusted to the dark, he twisted his head around to find Keefe, but he and Lady Gisela weren't there. Glimmer cackled at his confusion.

"Sorry, but your friend won't be joining you for some time," she laughed.

"Where did she take him?" Tam demanded.

"That's not important. It's not like you even know where you are. Have fun!" And she had left, locking the door.

Tam took in his surroundings, although there wasn't much to see. He was in a faintly lit cell with black walls and nothing else, not even a cot of some sort. Tam shivered, fearful of what Lady Gisela was doing with Keefe. He lost the concept of time as he sat in the back corner and waited, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Keefe reappeared with his mother in a strangely lit chamber. His jaw clenched when he realized Tam and Glimmer weren't with them.

"Well Keefe," Lady Gisela began. "Are you enjoying my gift to you?" Keefe said nothing. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

"Anything?" Keefe choked. "In that case, I'll tell you that you won't get what you want. So please just let Tam and me go." It was a worthless plea, but Keefe was done with letting his mother win.

"Keefe, do you not appreciate what I've done for you? I unlocked who you were always meant to be, fulfilled your legacy-"

"I don't care about the stupid legacy you made for me!" Keefe snapped.

"You don't understand what I need you to be."

"No I do," Keefe retorted. "What I don't understand is how you think I would ever listen to what you say after all you've done to hurt me and my friends, the innocent people you've killed."

"I don't want to be harsh on you Keefe, but I need you to show me your ability."

"So you can take over the Lost Cities and destroy everything? I don't think so."

"The elven world is changing, Keefe. Aren't there rules you wish you could change, decisions you didn't agree with?"

"Of course, but no one is going to agree with everything. As much as the council is sometimes a pain, they still keep everything from falling into chaos. But you don't need to go all psycho and try to change things overnight."

"So I'm psycho now?" Lady Gisela laughed, but then snapped. "No more mind games. Show me."

"No," Keefe stated bluntly.

"Then I'll force you."

"You can't. It won't work."

"Really? Then I'd like to test that." All of the fake sweetness was gone from Lady Gisela's voice, replaced with a harsh, impatient tone. She walked behind Keefe, grabbing his right arm. Extending it forward, she demanded: "Show me."

Her voice was powerful and controlling, but Keefe easily resisted her. It's not like he could actually use his ability on his own anyways.

"Show me," she demanded again, even more epower in her voice. But Keefe still wouldn't give in. "It seems words aren't enough for you." She slapped him in the face. Hard.

"Ow," Keefe muttered, trying to play it off.

"It's not that difficult Keefe," Lady Gisela taunted, inches away from his face. "But eventually I will see what you are capable of." She grabbed Keefe by the collar and dragged him over to a small circular device on a table. Keefe was afraid to ask what it was.

"You can't force me to do this," Keefe tried again.

"This device is the final straw. We're not there yet, but hopefully we'll never have to get there. Understand?" Keefe nodded slightly. "Now, I'll ask you to show me again."

Lady Gisela drank an electric colored serum and placed her hands on Keefe's temples. A raging pain seared through his mind. His thought went blank, only his mother's command screaming in his brain. Still, he would not comply, and forced a scream back down his throat.

And so it went on. Lady Gisela tried countless methods, each progressively more painful, but Keefe still resisted. His insides began to go numb with pain, but he still persisted. It wasn't until Lady Gisela forced all the previous methods at once that Keefe finally let out a cry of pain. All he saw was red and white flashing in front of his eyes. His screams got louder until he was released from the pain. He spat out blood at his mother's feet. He was shaking and completely drenched in sweat.

"Well Keefe, it looks like you've reached the end of my tricks," Lady Gisela remarked, picking up the device. "It's time you learn what this does."

She tapped the device and revealed what appeared to be live footage of Keefe's friends in a meeting, presumably about him and Tam. Keefe's heart rate increased.

"Yes, that's right. One click and your friends are gone."

"No," Keefe gasped.

"I won't hesitate. You have five seconds to make up your mind. Five."

"You can't do this!" Keefe whispered, his voice unsteady.

"Four."

"No, no, no, this isn't fair!"

"Three."

"You're insane!"

"Two."

"Don't you understand?"

"One."

"I CAN'T!" Keefe yelled.

"What do you mean?" Lady Gisela's voice was dangerously quiet. She grabbed his wrist to make sure he wouldn't lie.

"I can't use my ability," Keefe mumbled.

"Why not?" Keefe was silent. "TELL ME!"

"I'm…" Keefe tried for an obscure answer. "I'm not strong enough."

"Glimmer saw you using it!"

"She did." Then it clicked in Lady Gisela's brain. She took a deep breath.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to reorganize our plans now, doesn't it?"