Queen Nichole and Page looked at Dainara, surprised by her sudden decision.

- "Join the Resistance?"- said the Queen- "Are you sure you want to do this?"

- "Yes"- replied Dainara firmly- "He…needs to be stopped".

Page crossed her arms and sighed.

- "I really appreciate that you want to help us, but being part of Bowerstone Resistance is a dangerous thing. I mean no offense, but you don't look like a woman who can handle herself in battle".

- "I know some sword fighting"- said Dainara, trying to sound reassuring- "And I have been involved in battles…some time ago".

Page and the Queen looked at each other, showing concern in their eyes.

- "Dainara, you don't need to do this…"- started the Queen saying.

- "Please, give me one chance"- begged Dainara- "I want to do this…I need to do this".

Page sighed deeply.

- "Alright, you'll have your chance"- said Page- "Welcome to the Resistance".

Dainara smiled.

- "Thank you very much"- she said- "I swear I'll do my best".

- "But if we see that being part of the Resistance becomes too dangerous for you, you'll be out of it, alright?"- added Queen Nichole in a motherly tone.

Dainara nodded.

- "Don't worry, Your Majesty".

Page approached the two women.

- "This evening at eight o'clock we are having a meeting in our headquarters to decide what to do about the firings of sick workers"- she then turned to the Queen- "Take her with you; it will be a nice opportunity to introduce her to the rest".

- "We'll be there"- said the Queen.

Page nodded and walked towards the door.

- "I need to go now. See you both later".

As soon as Page left the room, the Queen looked at Dainara and sighed.

- "Being part of the Resistance is not an easy thing. You need to be very careful, Reaver won't hesitate to kill any of us if he has the chance".

Dainara nodded sadly and remained silent. Queen Nichole noticed her sadness and immediately tried to cheer her up.

- "And most importantly, being part of the Resistance means getting out of your room, so I believe it is time to get some beautiful dresses for you. What do you say about going shopping to Bowerstone Market this afternoon? I'm sure we'll find something nice for you there".

Dainara looked at the Queen, unsure of what to say.

- "I…This is very nice of you, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I have no gold on me".

- "That's not a problem"- said the Queen- "I'll buy them for you".

- "Oh, no, Your Majesty, I could never…"

The Queen held her hands, interrupting her.

- "Consider them a way to thank you for helping us in our fight against injustice".

Dainara smiled shyly.

- "Very well, but now if you don't mind I'd like to rest for a bit in my room".

- "Of course"- said the Queen- "We'll go after lunch".

Dainara bowed to her and headed towards her room. As soon as she arrived, she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, sighing deeply.

- "What have I done?"- she thought- "Can I really fight against him? Can I really hurt him?"

He had hurt her so much, he had destroyed everything she ever had, everyone she loved…She hated Reaver with all her heart, but every time she looked at his eyes, she could still see the eyes that used to look at her with so much love many years ago…She could still see Lucious inside of him.

Dainara walked towards her bed and held the hooded robe that lied on it, untying a shiny golden brooch that was attached to it.

- "Nana…"- she thought, feeling how tears gathered on her eyes.

She still remembered the day when Lucious had given this brooch to Nana and how happy she was. She remembered how much Nana loved her, how much she took care of her…She still remembered how she found her lying lifeless on the ballroom's floor, along with the bodies of Captain André, Morgan and her servants.

She closed her hand and pressed the brooch tightly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

- "I'll make him pay, Nana"- she whispered- "I'll make him pay".

Lunch time arrived and Queen Nichole went to Dainara's room to ask her to join her at the table.

- "Come, everyone is waiting for us"- said the Queen.

- "Everyone? What do you mean?"

Dainara had spent most part of her days in the Castle locked in her room, not even leaving to have lunch or dinner with the Queen, so she had no clue about the people the monarch was referring to.

- "Come and you'll see"- replied the Queen smiling.

When they arrived to the dining room, Dainara saw a long table filled with delicious food and a lot of servants getting ready to join the Queen at the table.

- "I usually eat in the kitchen, but sometimes I like to join my servants and have lunch with them"- said Queen Nichole- "I hope you don't mind".

- "Of course not, Your Majesty"- replied Dainara observing the scene happily.

The two women sat by the table along with the servants, who talked to each other cheerfully. Dainara looked at them and smiled. This scene brought her back memories, happy memories from her palace in Oakvale. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined that nothing had changed, that she was still back in her palace with her servants and Nana was sitting by her side. She would later go to the lake, and there she would meet her beloved Lucious, where just the two of them would witness the sunset from the lake's shore…

Knock, knock

A knock on the door made her go back to reality. Dainara opened her eyes and saw an old butler entering the room and approaching the Queen.

- "Your Majesty, you have a visitor"- he said.

The Queen, who hadn't even had time to taste her food, looked at the butler and sighed.

- "Can't it wait? Is it urgent?"

- "I think it would be better if you came, Your Majesty"- replied the butler a bit concerned.

- "Very well"- she turned to Dainara and her servants- "I won't take long. Please, start without me".

The Queen got up and followed the butler to her office, where her visitor waited for her. She entered the room and frowned as she saw an elegantly dressed man looking through the window.

- "Reaver? What are you doing here?"

Reaver turned around and smiled.

- "Good day, Your Majesty"- he said, bowing his head- "I'm very sorry for interrupting your delightful banquet. I promise I won't take a lot of your precious time".

- "What do you want?"- asked the Queen coldly.

- "I need to see…Dainara".

Saying her name after all this time still felt strange for him.

Queen Nichole crossed her arms.

- "After all you have done to her, why would she want to see you?"

- "I do not know what she might have told you, Your Majesty, but I can assure you that the last thing I would do is harm her".

Queen Nichole was surprised by that comment. Why was Reaver so interested in Dainara? Why did he still insist on talking to her when it was obvious she hated him? Dainara was a beautiful woman…could it be he wanted to sleep with her? Maybe she was like a challenge to him and he wouldn't stop until he got her.

The Queen frowned even more.

- "What do you want from her? She hates you, you know?"

This comment hurt him, but he tried to conceal it.

- "I just wish to talk to her, that's all".

The Queen sighed.

- "Very well, I'll tell her you are here, but I doubt she'll want to see you".

- "Thank you, Your Majesty"- he replied, bowing to her politely.

The Queen left her office and went to the dining room, where everyone enjoyed their lunch, and approached Dainara discreetly.

- "Would you mind coming with me for a second?"- she whispered to her.

Dainara looked at her, feeling a bit confused, and followed the Queen to the corridor.

- "Has something happened?"- asked Dainara with a hint of concern on her voice.

The Queen sighed, unsure of how to say this to her.

- "Look, I know I shouldn't have even bothered you with this, but I just wanted to let you know so that you decide what to do"- the Queen paused for a bit while Dainara looked at her confused, waiting for her to go on- "Reaver is here and he wants to see you".

Dainara's heart started beating so fast and she felt like a pair of invisible hands was pressing her neck, trying to choke her.

- "I don't want to see him"- she managed to say with a trembling voice.

- "I know and I'm sorry for telling you this, but he insisted and…"

- "I won't talk to him!"- said Dainara, almost shouting.

The Queen stopped talking and nodded.

- "I'll tell him that"- she said finally- "Go back to the dining room, I'll join you in a minute".

- "I lost my appetite"- replied Dainara, not even looking at her- "I'm going to my room".

Dainara turned around and made her way towards her room while Queen Nichole remained still, watching her leave and feeling so bad to see her so upset. When Dainara disappeared from her sight, the Queen turned around and made her way to her office, where Reaver waited for her impatiently.

- "I'm afraid she doesn't want to see you"- she told him as soon as she arrived.

- "So I have heard"- he replied sarcastically- "You weren't exactly discreet when you were discussing about me in the corridor".

- "Then you must know that she doesn't want to see you or talk to you"- she replied coldly- "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my lunch".

The Queen approached the door and opened it, inviting Reaver to leave the room. Reaver smirked and made his way towards the door.

- "I'm very sorry to have disturbed you, Your Majesty. Have a pleasant day!"

When he left, Queen Nichole went back to the dining room and joined her servants at the table. She really wanted to go to Dainara's room and make sure that she was fine, but she thought that probably she wanted to be alone for now.

It was already afternoon when the Queen decided to check up on Dainara. She knocked on the door of her room and opened it slowly, finding Dainara right in front of the windows, looking through them thoughtfully.

- "Are you alright?"

Dainara took a few seconds to reply.

- "I will be".

Queen Nichole closed the door and approached her.

- "I'm very sorry for ruining your day. Had I known this…"

- "It is not your fault"- she interrupted her- "You did what you had to do, Your Majesty".

The Queen went by her side and looked through the windows as well.

- "What puzzles me is his insistence on seeing you…I wonder what he wants".

- "He wants me to forgive him"- said Dainara firmly.

The Queen frowned.

- "Forgive him?"

- "For killing my husband"- she went on.

The Queen scoffed.

- "Reaver has killed more people than he can remember and he has never shown any remorse for his actions…Why would he want you to forgive him?"

Dainara remained thoughtful for a moment. If what they all said about him was true, he didn't seem to be a person who would ever feel sorry for anything and he seemed way too proud to be begging anyone. Yet, despite her rejection, he still insisted on seeing her and talking to her. Could it be he still loved her? Could it be Lucious was still inside of him?

- "No, this man has no heart, he can't love anymore"- she thought- "Lucious, my poor Lucious, is dead…"

Dainara turned around and went towards her bed, where she sat down.

- "I appreciate your concern for my well being, but I'd like to be alone now if you don't mind, Your Majesty".

The Queen approached her, frowning.

- "I'm not letting you stay locked in your room again!"- she said firmly- "This afternoon we were supposed to go shopping and we will! I won't let Reaver ruin your mood or our plans".

- "Your Majesty, I really appreciate it but I feel like being by myself right now, I would be terrible company".

- "Then you'll go by yourself, but you will get out of this room"- insisted the Queen.

- "I don't…"

- "That's my final word".

Dainara sighed deeply and nodded.

- "As you wish, Your Majesty".

Queen Nichole smiled and opened the door, getting ready to leave the room. She took a little seal from her pocket and handed it to Dainara.

- "Take with you this Royal Seal so that you can buy whatever you want and they send me the bill. Enjoy your shopping and try to forget about everything else!"

Dainara looked at the seal and placed it in one of her pockets. She really didn't feel like doing anything, but the Queen was right…What would she do in her room apart from feeling miserable all day? And now, she couldn't allow herself to be depressed, she had a goal to fulfill: she would make Reaver pay for all the harm he had caused to her and her loved ones, for having separated her from her beloved Lucious…

She tied the little golden brooch of Nana on her black dress and opened the door, making her way towards the back door of the Castle, where she would avoid having to explain to the guards where she was going.

She crossed the kitchen quickly, feeling thankful that only two young maids were there washing some dishes from lunch. She opened the back door and made her way to the gardens, walking around them calmly now that she had managed to leave the Castle unnoticed. She closed her eyes and smelled the delicious aroma of the flowers, remembering the sweet aroma of her own garden back in Oakvale.

Suddenly, a gloved hand covered her mouth from behind and took her quickly to a hidden corner in the gardens. Dainara struggled and tried to shout but her screams were muffled by the firm hand that still covered her mouth tightly. Who was holding her? The last time someone had held her like this…it had been Lucious, that day when she was trying to sneak out of her palace. She stopped struggling and, despite not being able to see her captor, she started feeling a familiar warmth next to her.

- "If I uncover your mouth, do you promise you will not shout or try to run away?"- asked a familiar voice behind her.

Dainara pushed the arm and turned around angrily.

- "What are you doing here? How did you know I would go out?"

Reaver smirked.

- "Well, a lot of years may have passed, but I'm still as good at sneaking as I used to be, my sweet"- he replied teasingly- "Such a lovely room you have, I'm glad our Queen is treating you so nicely".

Dainara frowned.

- "So you were spying on me?"

- "Spying, contemplating your beauty…Let's not get bogged down in semantics, my dear"- he approached her slowly, prompting her to step backwards- "The truth is that I want to talk to you and since you so kindly refused to see me earlier today, I was forced to take more…drastic measures to see you".

- "I didn't want to see you earlier and I don't want to see you now, my opinion hasn't changed"- said Dainara, trying her best to sound firm- "And now if you'll excuse me I have more important things to do".

- "Dainara, please, wait…"

- "I have nothing to talk to you about!"- she shouted, turning around and walking quickly towards the gate to leave the premises.

Reaver frowned and followed her.

- "When are you going to face reality and accept that you are my wife whether you like it or not?"- he said angrily.

Dainara stopped walking and looked at him.

- "I have already faced reality and I have accepted that my husband is dead. Leave me alone, Reaver".

Despite the pain he felt deep inside, Reaver remained still with a smirk on his face and looking at her defiantly as she left the gardens.

Dainara walked quickly, not daring to look back, until she reached the colourful and busy Market. She was still feeling restless, but the happiness of everyone around her made her feel much better. She looked around: Reaver was nowhere to be found and she felt relieved…or was it disappointment that she felt?

- "I don't want to see him ever again"- she reassured herself- "He's an evil person, he's not Lucious".

She approached the window of a store that had beautiful dresses on display. They were really astonishing, just like the ones she used to have so many years ago. Dainara approached the door and entered the store shyly. Soon, a middle-aged woman dressed in fancy clothes approached her with a wide smile.

- "Good afternoon, my lady. How can I help you?"

Dainara smiled politely.

- "I'm looking for a dress…for me".

The woman looked at her black dress and raised her eyebrows.

- "Something more colourful than the one you are currently wearing, I assume".

- "Yes…I guess".

The woman approached some mannequins that wore elegant dresses and looked at Dainara.

- "Well, how about these ones? These are the best you can find on Albion, the Queen herself has some just like that!"

Dainara really liked them, but they seemed quite expensive and she didn't want to waste a lot of the Queen's gold.

- "Something simpler will do"- she said.

The shop assistant walked towards some other mannequins and looked at her.

- "Like these? Every noblewoman on Albion loves them!"

Dainara sighed. They looked way too ornamented and she didn't really like them. Suddenly, she turned her head and spotted a beautiful dress hanging from a wooden hanger. It really looked like the dresses she used to wear back in Oakvale, beautiful and simple, but this one was blue instead of green, like almost all her dresses used to be.

- "How about this?"- asked Dainara walking towards it.

- "Oh, well, it is a bit outdated but it's not so bad"- replied the woman.

- "Do you have it in green?"

- "Let me check in the back store".

The woman opened a door and disappeared behind it while Dainara looked around the store.

A long time had passed and the woman hadn't come back, making Dainara worried. She was about to check the back store to see if the shop assistant was fine when the door suddenly opened and the woman appeared from behind it holding the green dress she wanted.

- "I had started worrying about you"- said Dainara.

The shop assistant looked at her with wide-opened eyes, her hands slightly shaking. She left the dress on the counter and took something from behind it.

- "Are you alright, madam?"- asked Dainara.

The woman made her way quickly towards the main door and looked at Dainara sadly.

- "I'm sorry"- she said, leaving the store and locking Dainara inside it.

Dainara ran towards the door, feeling so confused, and hit it loudly.

- "Wait! What are you doing? Let me out of here!"

The woman didn't reply.

- "What's happening? Why did you lock me?"

- "Because I asked her to do so".

Dainara turned around quickly and found herself in front of Reaver, who walked towards her slowly.

- "Why did you do that?"- she asked angrily.

- "Well, my dear, you didn't leave me much of a choice, did you?"- he scoffed.

- "Why don't you leave me alone?"

Reaver approached the green dress that lied on the counter and looked at it.

- "You will look ravishing wearing this dress, my darling"- he said, ignoring her question- "But, to be fair, you would look ravishing even if you wore some dirty rags".

- "What do you want from me?"

Reaver looked at her and smirked.

- "You know? I could buy every single dress displayed in this store for you if you wished. As it happens, I could buy for you anything you desired".

Dainara scoffed.

- "So you think you can buy me with your dirty gold? You think that some fancy dresses are going to make me forget everything you have done to me?"

Reaver approached her.

- "Of course not, my sweet. I wish it were so easy…"- he remained silent for a moment- "But I want to show you that I may not be Lucious anymore, but I still…love you. I want you to know that my love for you has never changed".

Dainara's heart ached after hearing his words. He was lying, he couldn't love her, he couldn't love anyone…The man standing in front of her had no heart and no soul. She remained in front of him, unable to utter a word.

- "And I know you love me too"- he went on- "I can feel it, I can see how much you struggle to convince yourself that you don't love me anymore every time you look at me".

Dainara frowned. How dared he say such lies? She didn't love him at all…did she?

- "I will never love you, Reaver"- she said firmly- "The only man I will always love is Lucious, and you are not him".

Reaver got even closer to her.

- "Yet you can still see him in my eyes, can't you? And it fills you with doubt…"

The pressure came back to Dainara's chest, forcing her to step backwards.

- "You are not Lucious…Lucious would hate you…He even hated your name"- she said in a shaky voice.

- "I know…That's why he gave me this name, because he hated me, what I had become".

Reaver went right in front of her and caressed her hair sweetly.

- "Lucious died that terrible night back in Oakvale, but his love for you still lives in me".

A tear rolled down Dainara's cheek.

- "I don't love you…I can't love you".

Reaver wiped her tear with his hand and raised her chin softly.

- "Then I'll make you love me"- he whispered, making her shiver- "I'll make you remember".

The city's clock rang seven times. Suddenly, Dainara remembered her meeting with the Resistance an hour later.

- "I have to go"- she said as firmly as she could- "Open the door for me, please".

Reaver smirked and handed her a little bronze key.

- "We'll see each other soon, my dear".

Dainara took the key and opened the door quickly, leaving the store and heading towards the Castle.

- "I'll make you pay for what you did, I won't rest until I destroy you"- she thought- "Even if it kills me deep inside to hurt you, I will…"