Patience had never been a strong suit of hers, not when her life lay in the hands of another. And as it stood, Barnabas Tharmr was good at pushing her patience.
For two arduous days, Eirene was escorted across the continent via Chocobo to the north. Two dozen Royal Knights in black and golden armor from the capital stormed Salacia once she and Caesaria were detained. Along with their king, they were taken to the impenetrable walls of Ravenwit, then brought into Stonhyrr. For a brief moment, she witnessed the magnificence that was Drake's Spine off the shore of Frigg's Calm before being locked in the castle dungeons.
It was the last beautiful thing she had seen for days. Her patience was running thin. Eirene did not know if she was a prisoner set for execution, or if she was steadily being conditioned for her new king. The latter made more sense to her since her strength as a Dominant was valuable, but the longer she was made to wait, the longer she wasn't sure. It irritated her. If Barnabas wanted her dead, then he needed to act, not keep her in the dark. And to make matters worse, she wasn't sure if Caesaria was alive; she hadn't seen her since she had been locked up.
Groaning in frustration, Eirene rose from the thin mat on the floor and stretched her sore limbs. She was exhausted and with the thick cuffs around her wrists, lying down was hard. Walking over to the bars of her cell, she peeked around the dungeon for signs of life, however, there was no one around. Where was Caesaria? And where was the king? The only guards she saw were the ones who took turns bringing her food and after ignoring her questions every time it became clear that no one was willing to tell her what was going on.
Within the next few hours, Eirene attempted to rest her eyes. She chose to sit in the corner of her cell where she could lean her head against the adjacent wall. This position didn't put much of a strain on her arms, but it was not as comfortable as the mat, no matter how shoddy it was. In and out she slept; the sound of heavy footsteps woke her at some point. She turned her eyes to the door to see a Knight rummaging with the lock, however, he wasn't carrying a bowl of whatever slop the cooks put together in the kitchen for her, so she raised a brow.
"Get up, mangy cur. The King would have a word with you," the Knight ordered.
It's about fucking time, Eirene thought.
She considered asking about her sister, but she knew the man would never answer her. Standing with a grunt, her ankles popped. She rotated them a moment as she waited for him to open the door and then followed the guard from her cell. As she had thought there was no one else around. Eirene grew a bit worried for the well-being of her older sister but cast the thought into the back of her mind and allowed the guard to escort her from the dungeon.
He was brisk, yanking her along like a domesticated animal as he led her down a stone balcony that overlooked the courtyard. It was brief, but Eirene swore she saw an execution block in the center. Her concerns grew more.
At a set of ornate doors, the Knight halted a moment before walking in with her. It was a massive and well-decorated room with a throne at the forefront, but its beauty was disregarded as Eirene saw her sister; their paunchy king was kneeling beside her at the base of the stairs leading to the throne, but she paid him no mind. She was relieved that Caesaria was alive.
As she approached briskly, a kick at the bend in her knee knocked her off balance and dropped her to the floor. Eirene shot a look of irritation over her shoulder, noticing Benedikta. She didn't hear her saunter in. The blonde smirked and ordered the Knight to move Eirene beside Vero, as she ascended the stairs, standing near the throne.
Eirene offered her sister a sympathetic look before the sound of heavy footsteps drew her attention to the throne. From the corner of her eye, she witnessed Vero visibly tense up as Barnabas Tharmr, Ruler of Waloed sat before them.
He was handsome, in Eirene's opinion, with shaggy dark hair in a fringe, but the look in his stony eyes unnerved her. The thought of letting her live based on her usefulness was starting to sound like false hope. She had no idea what Barnabas' intentions with them were.
"Vero Clineas, former king of Salacia," Barnabas addressed. "What were your intentions with the Empire of Sanbreque?"
Eirene raised a curious brow. The said empire inhabited the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm. And while it was cordial with Salacia, it took a fair amount of negotiating for them to even raise a finger in aid.
"Sanbreque, my grace? I have no intentions with them," Vero stated with a soft laugh.
Barnabas turned his eyes to Benedikta, who hummed.
"Then it was not your Stolas my intelligencers intercepted near Gjallarhorn?"
Eirene widened her eyes. She didn't want to believe what Barnabas was accusing Vero of, but the terrified look on his face spoke volumes. Her stomach churned in dread.
"Are you fucking serious?"
Caesaria narrowed her eyes in sympathy.
"What have you done, My Lord?"
Vero tightened his jaw, directing his glare at Barnabas.
"What choice did I have? Salacia was no independent kingdom. It was a fucking foothold for Waloed; its only purpose was to combat beastmen so this country could focus its strength where it was needed, to one day expand onto Storm."
"So, you negotiated with Sanbreque? What did you offer them in exchange?" Caesaria asked.
Vero took an uneasy breath.
"Our crystals…and Siren."
An air of contempt surrounded Eirene. If her hands were not bound, she would drown him.
"My sister for an independent fucking kingdom? Have you no idea the lives you've put into jeopardy?"
Not just hers, or Caesarias', but the lives of the people who lived in Salacia. This was the reason Eirene hated the Mothercrystals. All they brought was misery and war. Even if Sanbreque agreed to this negotiation, it was only for control of the Mothercrystals on Ash. She clutched her hands into fists.
"And he would have you fight against Waloed with your sister as a bargaining chip to keep you obedient. Riling, isn't it? Knowing that you would be forced to fight a battle you could not win," Benedikta asked with a grin.
She had no idea. This entire ordeal was making her stomach churn.
"Your efforts, Vero, were in vain," Barnabas stated. The tone in his voice chilled Eirene to the bone. "And that being so, you are no longer useful to me. I expected much more from one of my puppets."
Vero narrowed his eyes in disdain.
"You tyrant…y-you emotionless fucking beast! May you perish in Bahamut's holy light!"
On orders from Barnabas, a Knight seized Vero and pulled him from the room. Eirene was not sad to see him go. Witnessing the Waloeder King rise, she watched him descend the stairs towards them.
"Siren and Leviathan first emerged in battle against the beastmen at the southern coast a decade or so ago, am I correct? Was it a fierce battle?" He asked. The aspect of war made his voice hitch.
Vero was right. Barnabas was a beast, but to humor him, Eirene nodded.
"Many perished to their clubs and axes before we acted. It was gruesome, more so the stench."
She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the smell of burned and rotting flesh, human and creature alike. It was something she would never forget.
"The stench of war is divine," Barnabas stated with a hum, as though he too were thinking back to it.
Once he returned from his thoughts, his expression went aloof.
"What are your desires, Wardens of Sound and Water? Tell me."
"To never be apart," Caesaria uttered after a moment.
Eirene narrowed her eyes. She knew her sister would not want them to always remain together, but she also knew that this was not the answer Barnabas wanted to hear. She took an uneasy breath.
"To be useful."
Barnabas hummed.
"We shall see."
He ordered the twins to be taken to the dungeons. As Knights escorted them across the balcony, the scent of rancid smoke filled the air. Further down, Eirene noticed Cid with his back to the courtyard. He lifted his gloved hand as they approached, pointing over his shoulder.
"Hope you managed to convince him."
Eirene looked out into the yard with wide frightened eyes as she witnessed Vero Clineas lose his head to the executioner's ax.
For the sake of her sister and herself, she hoped her words convinced Barnabas too.