Queen Nichole waited in the Resistance headquarters for Kidd and Dainara's return impatiently. It was the first time that Dainara went to do a mission by herself and, despite her conviction that Reaver wouldn't hurt her, the Queen was really concerned about her safety.
"I hope she's alright…"- said the Queen walking all around the room nervously- "Maybe we should go and check if everything is fine".
"We can't do that, Your Majesty"- replied Page- "We would endanger them if someone saw us".
Queen Nichole sighed.
"But what if she is already in danger? What if…?"
Before she had time to finish her sentence, the door opened and Kidd appeared behind it, looking quite disappointed.
"Kidd! Did you find it?"- asked Page getting up from the barrel she was sitting on and approaching him immediately.
Kidd shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid it's not there, Page".
"Are you sure it was not there? Did you check everything?"- asked Page desperately.
"I did…It's not there, I can assure you"
Page kicked a wooden box which stood beside her, breaking one of its sides. Suddenly, Queen Nichole noticed something and got really alarmed.
"Where is Dainara?"
Page ignored her question and started walking around the room angrily.
"We will check every single factory in Bowerstone Industrial, we will check every single corner in the area".
The Queen approached the group and repeated her question.
"Where is Dainara?"
Page went on walking.
"We will find this document even if it is the last thing we ever do…"
"Where is Dainara!?"- the Queen shouted loudly.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her for a moment before turning their looks to Kidd.
"I don't know…The last time I saw her she was leaving the main factory with Reaver, but I don't know where they went"- he replied- "When I was done, they still hadn't come back".
Queen Nichole turned pale after hearing these words.
"What? Do you mean that right now she is alone with Reaver somewhere we don't know? How could you allow that to happen?"- she asked desperately.
"Well, I couldn't do anything…I had to sneak into his office, you know?"- replied Kidd- "Besides, she seemed to be willing to go with him".
"I need to find her!"
The Queen left the headquarters and ran along the streets of Bowerstone Industrial, looking around nervously for any sign of Dainara. Reaver was a very dangerous man and she knew that Dainara was not safe with him…What if she said something he didn't like and he hurt her? What if his goal all this time had been to be alone with her to take advantage of her or even to kill her? She searched around all the area that surrounded the factories, but there was no trace of either of them.
"Maybe she went home"- she thought, trying to reassure herself-"Maybe she's already back in the Castle".
Queen Nichole made her way to Bowerstone Castle, checking every single area she went through just in case Dainara was around. As soon as she arrived to the Castle, she crossed the main hall and immediately approached a young maid who was cleaning the stairs.
"Clara! Have you seen Dainara?"
The young maid turned around and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty".
The Queen made her way quickly to Dainara's room, hoping to find her there, but was quickly disappointed when she found the room empty. Another maid passed through the corridor and the Queen approached her.
"Kate, have you seen Dainara?"
"Not since this morning, Your Majesty".
Queen Nichole started making her way to the main door as fast as she could. His manor…the only place she hadn't checked was his manor.
"Your Majesty!"
The Queen turned around and saw a young servant approaching her quickly.
"Your Majesty, are you looking for Dainara?"- she asked.
"Yes, have you seen her?"- the Queen asked, really eager to know the answer.
"She came back a while ago. She's in the back gardens…she seemed upset when she arrived".
The Queen frowned…Upset? What did Reaver tell her this time?
"Thank you"- she said, turning around and making her way to the back gardens as fast as she could.
She didn't have to walk for long before she saw Dainara sitting on a bench in a hidden corner of the gardens. She was holding a little purple flower, looking at it thoughtfully. Queen Nichole sighed and approached her slowly.
"I was worried about you"- said the Queen, getting close to her- "No one seemed to know where you were".
Dainara kept on looking at the flower and playing with it.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to be alone".
Queen Nichole went by her side and sat down next to her.
"What did Reaver do to you this time? If he dared to hurt you, I swear…"
"He didn't do anything to me"- Dainara interrupted her- "We just talked about trivial things and then I came back to the Castle".
The Queen frowned.
"Then why are you so upset? What did he tell you?"
"Nothing he says can upset me anymore, Your Majesty. I just…remembered some things".
Queen Nichole's expression changed from anger to sadness.
"About your husband?"
"About my past".
"I don't know much about your past"- said the Queen-" But I guess that living in the Wraithmarsh all your life couldn't have left pleasant memories".
The two women remained silent for a moment. Queen Nichole didn't know much about her life, but it was obvious that something really painful had happened to her and she didn't want to inquire further.
"I haven't always lived in the Wraithmarsh"- said Dainara suddenly, surprising the Queen.
"Oh? And where did you live before?"
Dainara remained silent for a moment again, like finding it difficult to remember her past.
"I used to live in a beautiful village surrounded by green forests and crystalline lakes"- she looked at the Queen and smiled faintly- "I lived in a palace".
Queen Nichole raised her eyebrows, surprised by that revelation. She didn't look like a maid, her way of speaking and her manners were way too refined to be just a servant, but she couldn't be a noble either…She knew all the nobles of Albion and she had never seen her before.
"Are you a noble?"- she asked with curiosity.
Dainara looked back at the flower and sighed.
"I used to be…"
"You used to be? You lost your title? What happened? If you tell me where you are from, I can restore it if you wish".
Dainara chuckled sadly.
"I don't need any title…I never did. All I ever needed to be happy was my Nana…and Lucious".
Queen Nichole looked down.
"You really loved him, didn't you?"
"More than words can describe"- she replied, smiling as the sweet memories of her times with Lucious came to her mind- "He used to travel a lot, you know? He was all the time going on missions with his crew and I would miss him dearly…Always so worried about him and his safety".
Listening to her, the Queen could feel how much she loved her husband and this somehow made her feel a mixture of happiness and sadness.
"We had just got married, you know? We had just celebrated our wedding the night he died…"- Dainara went on, now with tears in her eyes- "We had so many plans, so many things to do, and then suddenly…I lost everything, I had nothing left, no reason to live for".
Queen Nichole approached her and hugged her tightly as Dainara cried inconsolably on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll make Reaver pay for all the harm he has caused you. I swear we will".
Days passed, turning into weeks, and soon almost a month had passed since that eventful day.
In Lake View Manor, Reaver's behavior had surprised his servants. Since the day he had talked to Dainara, the day when he realized that he had lost her forever, it seemed almost impossible to him to find happiness again. He had spent two weeks feeling very disappointed, almost sad, to the point that his servants wondered if he had got sick for the first time in his life. He would spend his days inside his manor, mostly locked inside his office or his bedroom, always drinking his usual wine and refusing to see any visitors. Later on, he started going from time to time to his industries and trying to go back to his normal self, even resuming his weekly parties, but both Barry and Mrs. Norrington knew that something was wrong with him.
Not very far from there, in Bowerstone Castle, Dainara had been thinking what to do with her life. She tried to find reasons to go on living, to find the strength to go on and make Reaver pay for all he did…But at the same time she kept wondering what was the point in that. Would Nana and Captain André approve of this quest for revenge? Was she becoming like him by doing so? And even if she managed to destroy him, what would be the point? Nothing could bring her loved ones back anyway… And Lucious was dead, thinking that there was something of him still living inside of that despicable man was just an illusion, one that was hurting her deep inside way too much.
One day, while being in her room, she made the decision: she would go back to the Wraithmarsh, she would give her soul up to the Shadow Judges and join once and for all her family and friends. Where she was going, she didn't need any belongings, so she just wore her black robe and made her way to the War Room, where Queen Nichole was with Kalin. She didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, not after everything the Queen had done for her.
Dainara knocked on the door of the War Room and opened it slowly. Queen Nichole and Kalin were discussing something and they didn't seem to have noticed Dainara's presence. She didn't know what they were talking about but, whatever it was, it was upsetting them greatly. Dainara remained behind the door and listened to them.
"I'm out of ideas, Your Majesty"- said Kalin holding the Eye of Avo- "The book said that the amulet can only be used by someone whose heart is pure…I would have guessed mine was, but apparently it is not pure enough to make it work. If you can't make it work either, we need to find someone real fast. A few nights ago, some shadows entered the village…They are becoming strong again, Your Majesty, and the loyal citizens of Aurora are in danger once again".
Queen Nichole took the amulet and frowned.
"I don't understand, Kalin. I don't think there's anyone in the world whose heart is purer than yours…I really don't understand why it doesn't work".
Dainara opened the door completely and approached the women slowly.
"That's because it will only obey someone whose heart is pure…and whose soul is shattered".
The two women looked at Dainara and remained speechless for a moment.
"Dainara…What are you doing here?"- asked the Queen.
"I came to…talk to you and I overheard your conversation".
Kalin frowned.
"Who are you? What do you know about the amulet?"
Queen Nichole approached them and sighed. She didn't want to involve Dainara in this matter, but it seemed like they didn't have much of a choice.
"This is the woman who was using the amulet in the Wraithmarsh"- she said- "I'm very sorry I lied to you about her, Kalin, I just didn't want to cause her more pain than she has already suffered".
Kalin took the amulet and approached Dainara slowly.
"So you know about the amulet? Can you use it?"
Dainara nodded.
"I have used it for…years".
"And how does it work? What do you mean with shattered soul?"
Dainara remained silent for a moment.
"I mean that only someone whose soul has been tormented will be able to use it…Just like mine".
Queen Nichole got sad by that comment.
"Thank you for the information, but don't worry about this, we'll find a way to solve this problem"- said the Queen sweetly- "Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
Dainara looked at the Queen thoughtfully. If what Kalin was saying was true, some shadows were threatening the peace of Aurora, and she seemed to be the only one who could help stop them by using the amulet. Maybe she could just delay her visit to the Shadow Court a little longer…maybe she could still do some good before departing this world.
"Oh, it was nothing"- she said, trying to force a smile- "I just…"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door loudly and Page and Ben appeared behind it. They seemed very distressed.
"Your Majesty, I'm very sorry for interrupting your meeting…again"- said Page bowing to her politely.
"What's wrong? You both seem upset".
Page sighed.
"We have been searching all the factories of Reaver Industries and there's no trace of the document…We have wasted a month for nothing, and we need to find it fast: the workers were fired a week ago, some of them really need their medicines or else they'll die soon".
Queen Nichole sighed deeply, feeling a bit disappointed by the news.
"Well, not all is lost yet, we can still find it"- she said- "We still haven't even checked his manor, probably it is there".
"And that is actually the problem here, my lovely Queen"- said Ben Finn- "Sneaking into his factories was a difficult enough task, but sneaking into his manor is just impossible. It is extremely well guarded, trying to get there would be suicide".
"We got inside his manor once and we'll get there again"- replied the Queen firmly.
Page crossed her arms and frowned.
"And what do you suggest we do? Wear fancy clothes and a mask again and pretend to be guests of one of his parties?"
Queen Nichole remained silent for a moment and then smiled.
"Actually, yes".
"Your Majesty, neither me nor anyone from the Resistance can go to the party with you…They would recognize us immediately and there would be trouble again"- replied Page.
"But I can go, and I don't even need to wear a disguise…Reaver sends me an invitation to his parties every week, I just need to take it and go there".
Ben chuckled.
"Yeah, he won't find it suspicious at all that suddenly you decided to attend his ridiculous parties…"
"I hate to admit it, but Ben is right, Your Majesty"- went on Page- "He would be watching you all night, and you wouldn't be able to search for the document".
Queen Nichole sighed. Page and Ben were right; she had never attended Reaver's parties and if she showed up just like that, he would become suspicious immediately. She needed a distraction, something that would attract his attention…She looked at Dainara: she didn't want to make her feel bad, but she was her only hope.
"Then I'm afraid that Dainara will have to come with me".
Dainara looked at the Queen with wide-open eyes. Was she really suggesting that she went with her to Reaver's party? It had been almost a month since she had last seen him…Was she ready to see him again?
"Your Majesty, I don't think that's a good idea…"- she said nervously.
"I know Reaver is the last person you want to see, but we must do this, we must get this document"- said the Queen in a begging tone- "And I know that seeing you there will really keep him busy".
No, she couldn't do this. She couldn't see him again, she needed to forget, she needed to think that he was dead…
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I can't do this"- she insisted- "I told him I never wanted to see him ever again, I just can't go to his party now".
"Please, Dainara"- said the Queen softly- "The workers need us…We are their only hope".
Dainara sighed deeply and nodded.
"Thank you"- said Queen Nichole happily- "The party will be tomorrow night…I'll get some nice gowns for us".
Everyone in the room started planning what the Queen would do once she arrived at the party, but Dainara couldn't hear anything. Seeing him again…Was she ready to do that?