(A/N Meet Eridiah (prounounced Eerhedaya), the rebel. Why did I even say that? oh, very well, here's the chapter...)

Chapter 25: Eridiah Beth Appears

The capitol of the Eastern Snowplains were named Capriolium. It was a beautiful city. The houses were mainly white, just as the snow that covered the land for the most of the year. The houses among the more rich parts often had marble facades, but the other ones were just white-washed and simple. Here and there, scattered along the ways through the city, were shops. There were sledgesellers, people who sold food, shoemakers and people who sold clothes. There were expensive shops, then there were shops where basically anyone go and buy whatever they needed. At the end of each street, basically, there were statues of Emperors or Empresses, or other important people, such as Gerinda the Slayer, Decimus the Dry, Estacia the Radiant, and so on. Here and there, there were also statues as wolves. Marcia had never noticed that, or wondered about it, but now she knew. It was the middle of the night. Here and there, someone peered at them through a window, but no one actually seemed to wonder what they were doing there, or why. Which was good. The way to the port where Milo had his boat was far enough. They didn't need anyone- or anything- to interupt them. Colum had fallen asleep for a long while ago, and Joseph didn't dare to wake him up. The group did not dare to speak at all. Besides, they were all rather tired. At last, Marcia did dare to speak. "I think that I won't forget this wedding, at least." she said, and Cashmére giggled.

"No, it ought to be rather hard." she replied.

Back at Ambrosia, the guards was about to win over the rebels. Some of them had already retreated, but some of them were hanging on. One of them, were one of the rebels very own leaders, Eridiah. "Cowards!" he yelled, as another group of rebels departed, leaving him and five other rebels to fight against the palace guards. It was over. He was still standing, but he was no match to the very well trained guards. He and his group got captured in less than ten minutes. Then, they were put in the dungeons.

Cashmére Tanner- rather Overstrand- had indeed been very correct about Eastern Snowplainian prisons. They were horrable. Mostly, they were built underground. There were foor floors; the first floor was for suspects and not so dangerous prisoners. The second was was room for torturechambers, rooms for executions and rooms for interrogations (they were, in the Eastern Snowplains, pretty much the same thinf). The third was for highly dangerous prisoners, and the fourth and last was mainly isolationcells, and cells for the most dangerous prisoners there was. The last floor was not used very often.

Eridiah were sent to the second floor. The other rebels were sent into the prisons at the first floor, but, since he was their leader, he got sent to one of the interrogation rooms. This particular one that he was sent to, was not every different from the torturechamber he had just passed by. He was roudhly pushed onto a chair and then strapped onto it. It was, in his opinion, rather unnecessary. Where would he go, after all? A several minutes passed, but then, the Emperor entered. Eridiah had never liked him; they had, back in their youth, had some kind of fued. Over Erianna, a woman whom Eridiah had loved since they were little. But Erianna had got sent away to Capriolium to study- her father had been an wealthy salesman- and she had met Tantibus, or rather Augustus, as he had been called at the time. Eridiah had regretted that he had not told Erianna about his feelings before she went away; they had been good friends, and he had been sure that she would have felt the same way. But, to be honest, Eridiah was not... beautiful, or pretty, or handsome in any way. His ears were far too big, his eyes far too small, his nose far too... snub. Sure, looks wasn't everything, but he wasn't especially nice, either. He hadn't turned any prettier with time, either: he didn't care the least bit about his heair, so it had grown down to his shoulders and he had big, bushy sideburns. His red velvet cloaks (all rebels wore these) was greasy, dirty and- this evening especially- bloody. He was, as mentioned, not a pretty view. Not at all... back to the room. The Emperor were flanked by two men, who Eridiah recongized as Darius Pollock and Oberon Woodall. After them came Naomi Porter, Eric Goddwin and Errol Nolan. Eridiah raised his eyebrows. One was missing: Lucian Ramasotti. That man had always puzzled Eridiah. He had, quite recently, neglected becoming a rebel. Why? They had never got any realy explanation.
"Eridiah Beth." Tantibus's voice boomed in the narrow chamber. "Leader of the rebels, am I correct?"

"Partly." Eridiah replied.

"Partly?"

"I am partly leader."

"How can you partly be the leader?" Naomi Porter asked. As all rebels, Eridiah had one opinion on women: they should be seen, but not heard. They could cook, but not lead. Not teach. Thefore, he did not answer. Tantibus sighed, he appereantly understood why Eridiah didn't answer.

"How can you partly be the leader?" he asked. Eridiah smirked.

"We are more than one." Eridiah answered. The others exchanged worried lookes. Appereantly, they did not know that the rebels had not one, not two, but three leaders. If one of them were killed or abducted, the rebels would not be without leaders. The others would just simply pick out a new one, then carry on. The rebels will never die, Eridiah though, and smirked while thinking so, but the Empire shall.
"What are you smirking at?" Naomi hissed, "You think it's funny? You think it's funny that-"

"Naomi, please, calm down." Oberon said. Naomi shot him a deadly glance.

"Yes, go back to your housekeeping, woman." Eridiah scoffed.

"Mockery," Naomi replied, dryly, "Might cost you dear, rebel, especially when you've done what you've done."

"I've done what?"

"You kil-"

"Naomi, enough!" Darius and Oberon said, in unison.

"I killed who?" Eridiah licked his lips, almost hungrily. "I've killed many, you see."

"E-"

"Naomi, please-"

"Erianna?" Eridiah stared straight into Naomi's eyes, "So? Yes, I did." Yes, he had killed Erianna. He had. And he had regretted it ever since. Indeed, he saw women as he saw them, but Erianna was something different. These rules that he had thrust upon himself, they did not apply to her. They certainly did not. She could talk as much she'd like, he'd listen. If he just could hear her talk again... he wanted to hear her voice. He wanted it badly. Why had he killed her? Or, well, he knew exactley why:

They had been standing on the battlefield. She had been looking so beautiful in her golden armour and red cloak... Her family-colours. The chest of the armour had had an eagle engraved onto it. Suddenly, anger had overwhelmed him. She wore Tantibus's familycolours... and where was he, anyways? Which man let his woman fight his battles? To Tantibus's defence, it must be said that it was not the case. He had not even been emperor at the time; he had been one of the Wise Seven, just as Erianna. Erianna had been responsible for taking care of all kinds of ward, fueds and fights. Tantibus had been respnsible for culture. What would be be doing on a battlefield? Eridiah had been furious, no matter what.

The battle had been raging on for a while, when the former friends stood face to face. Erianna had been shocked. She had not known that he had turned into a rebel. Eridiah had not know what he had done. He had just.. just hexed. Hexed her with an horrable, deadly curse. He would never forget her face. Shock and sorrow, mixed with fury. He had then ran of. She had died, later on, and the rebles had rewarded him by making him their leader.

"You killed her?" appereantly, Tantibus did not know that. Indeed, Tantibus was rather old, but he was still strong. He grabbed chokehold of Eridiah. "You killed Erianna?"

Eridiah managed a smirk. "Yes." he hissed. Tantibus slammed him against the chair. Nobody stopped him.

"Why?" he hissed, "Why?"

This time, Eridiah could not give a cheeky answer. He could not answer at all. "I think that you're killing him, lord." Oberon said, entirely calmy. "No one would blame you, but this man may have some vauluable information."

Tantibus let go of Eridiah's neck. "This is more than what you deserve." he snapped, then he turned to the others. "Take him to the torturechamber." he said, "It's time to get some real information out of him; we won't get a thing out of him this way."