Crown of Gladiolus Chapter 3, an inheritance cycle fanfic

I do not own the Inheritance Series.

I've edited most of the last chapter and realized that I made a mistake: the baby's name isn't Connell but Conan. I was trying out different names and forgot to change it. Sorry about that.
You're getting this chapter so soon because it's been done for a while, I just had to add the first bit. I'll continue to edit it over the next few weeks to work out the errors and probably add bits and pieces as I review it. Right now, I have no patience when it comes to sharing this story so you're getting as is... I'm enjoying it too much.

Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts,

Chapter Three
A Primrose Upon an Ashen Brair

During the winter months, when they had to rely upon the stored food to survive, much of the storage was emptied and the food supply diminished until its prosperity was little more than a memory. It didn't happen all at once but jar by jar, and sack by sack until it seemed completely empty. Until it seemed as if they would soon starve if the season did not soon shift, and the children would search the land for whatever they could forage.

This is what it felt like after Eragon and Papa had left with the elves but there was nothing that could be found in the forest that would help fill that emptiness. The liveliness of the place seemed tapered, like the hearth when there was no fire laughing along the charring logs. It was an emptiness that seemed to the swallow the small cabin and the small valley around it. And no matter what part of the woodlands Meri traveled to, its shadow dogged her footsteps threatening to pull her into its belly.

With that shadow came Elida, quietly at first as if uncertain that she would be welcomed with her amongst the trees and then later as her confidence grew, she would scout the trails ahead. Her sister, who had always followed behind Eragon, happy to join in on whatever hijinks he had thought up, seemed lost without him. Sometimes she would turn around, searching between the trees for any sign of his wayward brown hair or impish grin, and when he was not seen, she'd freeze and remain that way for a long time. She began to smile less as well, and the songs she had sung throughout the day were taken over the songs of the forest.

Meri saw this, and had encouraged her company. She was uncertain of what else to do. Without two of her younger siblings, she had more time alone that she was comfortable with and Elida was a balm to that loneliness. Elida was the only one left besides the baby but he didn't count. Conan couldn't even speak in full sentences yet.

Once their chores were done, the girls would gather Sympathy and Splinters, and gather beneath the magnolia tree the elves had sung into strength. They spoke to it sometimes, as if they could speak to the girl it had planted in honor of, and other times when they could not, they sat under its shade and later, since it was the only thing that the girls would ever agree on doing, they'd take up their arms and sparred.

Later that summer, Meri handed Elida the short sword and drew out the long knives her mam had enchanted to be dull, choosing to fight with those instead. She never took back the sword, not truly, even if she used it occasionally having found that she preferred having a weapon in both her hands. That she liked to move her body around the long blade that her sister and work to outthink her rather than go in with blunt force. She liked the way she had to move her feet and twist- how she felt like she was dancing with blades and the wind.

Elida made it clear how differently she felt about it. She liked hitting things, namely her sister, and never held back her strength. She did not care if she was graceful or not, or how she felt about things so long as she got to move and hit and hurt. There was something that flashed in her eyes like fire whenever they fought, and if Meri were truthful, she was more than a little afraid whatever that fire was. Meri thought that whatever it was might be a passion that burned her sister up one day. Burned her up and left nothing behind but charring cinder and smoke.

When Mam learned of what the girls did near the tree, she did not put an end to it as Meri thought she might but rather asked them to continue their work in the meadow in front of the cabin. She would come out and join them whenever she could, giving them pointers or fixing their positions. With her help, both girls grew in skill.

One day she came out carrying two swords that Meri had never seen before. Mam enchanted both of them and gave one of the blades to Meri before taking up the other one. She said that Meri could keep that blade, if she left her sister Sympathy which she agreed to. It had a silver and blackened twisted handle and was studded with black gems. Mam said that it was named Aconitum but when asked where she got the blade, she discarded the question completely. It was enough for Meri to understand that the blade hadn't come from Papa had come from somewhere else and she held it with some reservation.

"I want the both of you face me," Mam told them that afternoon. "You will work together to see if you can get past my defense, and if you can I'll make you a whole batch of sweet buns as a treat. How does that sound?"

Meri had agreed to it instantly, thinking that since she had sparred with her mother before and won more than one match. That if they both faced her now, it would be no trouble. She learned that day that her mam had deceived her before by letting her win. It didn't take long for both of the girls to find themselves in the dirt and frustrated. Elida was close to tears with her anger and Meri didn't know what to do. Mostly she was hurt that her pervious victories were a falsehood.

Mam sat down on the ground next to them. "Even the most skilled warrior will not conquer if they do not learn to strategize," she told them, "but the weakest warrior can win a war if they know how to think correctly." Their mam touched their heads with the tips of their fingers. "You girls are both intelligent enough to think and skilled enough to fight well. It honestly amazes me, Meri, that you and Eragon taught Elida how to use a sword. I shouldn't be surprised knowing how passionate the three of you are but I am."

"Neither of them are good to teach me how to fight well. I learned more by watching you with Mimi," Elida supplied. "And we sparred in the barn all winter."

Meri elbowed her sister. "But you're still not skilled enough to defeat me now are you, you mooncalf?" she hissed and, seeing the warning look her mam gave her, quickly added, "How do you do that though? Think through stuff before fighting. I don't understand."

Mam thought about it for a time. "You'll need to learn to strategize first," she said. "There's a game my father would play with my brother and I when were young that helped me learn. Perhaps we can see about making it and I'll teach the two of you." She looked between the girls. "Elida will help me get the wood and craft it. I'm no elegant woodworker but I think we'll manage. While we do that, Meri, would craft us some paints? We'll need a good verity of colors and quite a bit of it. Hopefully by winter we'll have everything we need to be finished and we'll have a new game to play while we wait out the snow."

Meri was happy to agree to this. It had been quite a while since she had the excuse to create paints and since she had last painted. Even longer was the desire for her to paint, which to her no longer seemed to exist. She didn't know what had happened to it or where it had gone but she missed it dearly. The longing for it stirred with her not unlike a starving man who ached for a good meal.

…
…

By the time winter came they had crafted their mother's childhood game as best as possible. Mam called it 'The High King's Table' but Meri only referred to it as 'the Butchering Block' because of the way that her pawns were swept from the board. Where her younger sister took the game quickly, she did not, often spending far longer than necessary agonizing over the possibilities of both her moves and her opponents. As her frustration grew, she felt herself give up, and eventually she ended up moving a piece at random, no longer able to care, and this led to her defeat.

Mam tried to help. She tried to talk her through it, saying that it was a game of risk and measuring out the price of each move. It didn't help her though, and instead she watched her sister and Mam play, studying their tactics, before eventually joining back in. After this she did better, having learned more about what moves her opponent might take.

The game wasn't the only new activity within the cabin. That winter Elida learned to sew, and the women made a quilt to send to Eragon. It had been Meri's idea, but she hadn't wanted to shoulder all the work, and had convinced her sister to learn the skill at last. Elida enjoyed it more than she thought she would but it was certainly wasn't her favorite activity. She preferred to be active, but at least sewing starved off the worst of the boredom. Far too soon the quilt was finished, so the girls decided to make another for their papa to give to him in the spring when he had promised to return.

As winter began to wane, the girls would all take walks along the trails searching for any sign of his return but found none. When they passed Tessie's tree, they would place their hands on the trunk before continuing on. Either of them talked to it now or lingered long.

As spring took control of the land, Meri planted tresses and strawberries beneath its shade. She had been careful about her timing, and so days later when she heard the Song of Forest in the wind at night, she knew that the plants would flourish. That next morning, when she checked she found the tree in full bloom along with her other plants and, feeling a sense of pride, she returned home to finish her chores.

Papa came a full week after the songs had ended, entering the cabin around supper time. Elida dropped the dough she was supposed to be kneading onto the ground and flung herself at him, sticking her tongue out at Meri as she rounded the corner with a broom in hand. When their papa let her go, he wrapped his arms around the older girl, and held her for a long time.

"When did you get so tall, little flower?" he asked, before pushing her back to look her over. "Weren't you the same size as Elida the last I saw you?"

Mam stepped in behind him from outside with Conan tagging along behind her. Whatever greeting they had was already long past. It seemed likely that Mam had met him somewhere along the trail. "Meri's always been a weed," she said. "But I suspect that she'll be taller than I am by the time she's grown. It won't be long now before she's no longer a girl."

Papa shook his head. "That's not possible," he muttered. "It shouldn't be possible for either of you girls to be so grown." His hands fell to his sides and stepped over the table, looking over the game that had been abandoned that afternoon. He raised an eyebrow at Mam. "Did you not swear never to play King's Table again?"

"I thought that it would do the girls good to learn," said Mam with a shrug. She picked up the ruined dough and pointedly looked at Elida before tossing it into the fire. "They're both quite good at it. You should play with them while you're here."

Elida looked away from the burning mush and gave Papa her brightest smile. "Can we play tonight, Papa?" she asked cheerfully. "It'll be faster than playing against Mimi. She takes an age to get anything done."

"Aren't you supposed to be making the morning bread, Lark?" Meri shot back, eying her narrowly. "You're taking an age to get that done."

Elida scrunched up her face and, when Mam told her to finish that first, she stomped off into the storage room where they kept the baking supplies. She popped out her head after a heartbeat, and called, "I need help. I don't know all that I need."

Meri ended up helping her but only because Mam was busy with another more important task, and Papa had setting himself at the table. He was looking over the Butchering Block when the girls returned to the table with correct ingredients.

"Whose playing who?" he asked as Meri began measuring out the barley flour.

"I'm playing yellow and Meri is red," Elida supplied happily, not helping with the bread at all. She looked over the board and stood taller. "I'm winning."

Mer dropped the flour into the bowl. "You can do the rest. I'm not doing it for you, and you know how," said she, shoving the ingredients at her. "When did you learn to play, Papa?"

"When I was child," he said, picking up one of her pieces. It had been a peculiar move on her part and it showed but it was part of bigger plan. A distraction. Meri wanted to see how it would play out, and if it would work in her favor. "There were a number of moves that one of my old tutors taught me. They were coded moves of sorts. When I played against your mother, I taught her many of these moves. Did she show you girls any of them?"

Both girls shook their heads but it was Mam who answered. "Don't, Brom," she called from within the sleeping room. "Don't you dare show them anything. The whole point of me teaching them that accursed game is for them to figure it out."

To Meri's surprise Papa laughed and set down her piece. She felt like she was missing something that was vital to the conversation but didn't know what it might be. "Can you teach us anyhow?" she whispered so Mam wouldn't hear. "I don't like figuring it out on my own. It's not fun losing to Mam all the time."

Elida agreed to this. "Please, Papa," she added softly.

But Papa shook his head and put the piece down. "If either of you girls win against me, I'll teach you," he said and then stood to see what Mam was doing.

Meri huffed in annoyance. "That's how this stupid game started," she growled, kicking the bench. "And we still haven't gotten any sweet buns!"

…
…

Papa told them that he would stay a full moon cycle, which would be the longest time that he would be home in years. He told them that Eragon was well, and drew out a letter from him for each of them from within his saddlebags. The one he handed to Elida was the thickest, and when he gave it to her, she fled from the room and into the byre to read it in private.

Meri watched her go with a ping. None of her siblings were close to her like Eragon was with Elida. The two of them were nearly inseparable, and had been for as long as she could remember. It was a strange bond, and she wondered if maybe, if she had a sibling with both of the same parents, would she have a similar relationship? She wasn't certain. Elida hadn't been very close to Tessie. It was Meri who, despite the age difference, had been closest with Tessie. But there was no way to send the dead letters.

She set the sealed parchment aside to read later when she was alone. In all truth, she didn't want to know about his dragon or the elves or all the things she would never see or know. What she wanted was for time to reverse, and for everyone she had ever loved to return to the cabin. It was a wish that could never happen. The dead could not come back to life, and the dragon couldn't unhatch.

Meri sighed and rested her head in her arms, watching her mam read whatever Eragon had written her. After a time, Mam refolded the letter and placed it in a small wooden box at the edge of the hearth. "Is there any way the elves would allow us to speak with him?" she asked. "It's been a year, surely by now he's settled enough that we can at least scry each other. I miss my son, Brom, no matter how many letters I receive it pales in comparison to the boy who wrote them."

"Just as I've missed my family here," countered Papa, digging through his bag some more and pulled out a package. He handed it to her. "It's something I've been thinking long about, Selena. I don't believe that I'll be returning to my mission south for a time and we should have means to speak to each other until then. The elves wouldn't approve but if Eragon happens to be in the same room when we speak, I'll not turn him away."

Meri frowned. "Why wouldn't the elves like it if Eri spoke with us?" she asked thinking of their yearly visitors. The elves had always been kind to them, even going to far as to sing a tree for Tessie. "We're his family. He should be able to talk with us."

"It's not that they won't like it, Meri, but there's a good chance that it will make it harder for him to focus on his studies," Papa explained. "Your brother had responsibilities that exceed even the loyalty to his family. There are many people relying on him."

"That's no excuse for why we can't talk to each other," Meri said pointedly and stood up. "It's not like he'd even have to travel all that far if he wanted to see us anyhow. We're all in the same forest. It sounds like a bunch of excuses they made up so they can keep him away!"

She hurriedly stepped toward the door wanting to leave the cabin and find somewhere high to climb and, ignoring her parent's calls, she did just that. Staying in the highest branches she could safely climb until the sun vanished from the sky. It was only then that she returned and went straight to bed. The letter she had left behind was on her blanket, she shoved it aside and curled onto her mattress.

…
…

It was not long after Papa handed out the letters that he took her town. It was a simple trip. One where they replenished their supplies and she was measured for new boots. He told her that he would return before winter to retrieve them, and that she would have to do with what she had until then. Her boots were getting snug but weren't uncomfortable if she didn't wear stockings. Often, she didn't wear boots to begin with.

After they left the cobblers, they went to the stables. Meri could faintly recall that she had been there before with her papa to sell a pony but she wasn't completely certain if that had been a dream or not. In the end, she decided that it hadn't been a dream but that was only because dreams didn't stank. Most of the town held an unpleasant smell but the reek that came from within the sables was something even time couldn't make her forget.

As the man talked with Papa, she did her best not to cover her nose but focus instead on the horses. There many more working stock ponies and mules than there were palfreys. She wandered the stables searching for those knowing that her papa preferred them and forgot for a critical moment that she was meant to stay beside him. It was a mistake a young child would make, which she no longer was, and when she realized this, she nearly stumbled into a finely dressed man.

He wore clothes of the like that she had never seen before; fabric both thick and elegant. The sleeves of his surcoat were quilted and the edges of it embordered in an intricate design. Pale hair was shined in the light and hung loosely around his shoulders from beneath a puffy hat. His boots seemed as if they were molded to him reaching just below his knees.

Meri backed away when he turned to her and, averting her eyes, she hurried to where her papa was still talking. He didn't pause his conversation or even acknowledge her beyond placing his protectively hand on her shoulder. She stayed with him the rest of their time within the sable, walking beside him as he examined the horses before at last turning to her and asking what she thought.

"I like that paint and the dapple," she said softly, not looking at the stable owner. "They both seem to be gentle and fairly calm."

"The paint is from my own stock," said the owner honestly. "Her dam is one of my wife's favorites. She's always been an intellect one that horse. But the dapple, I don't know enough about. He was only recently sold to me by a traveler looking for a fresh mount. Seems to be of a good disposition but I've yet to seen him ridden."

Papa nodded. "What about the roan?"

"He'd made just a good steed as the paint," he said. "I've planned on breeding him. Since you're local, if I sold him to you, I'll be asking you to return with him to be bred with one my mares before the end of the year."

Meri didn't need to look at her papa to know what he thought of that idea. No matter how fine, the horse was, it wasn't worth the hassle of having to return with horse for anyone especially if they couldn't come in time and the man pursued them with the king's men.

"We'll take the mare and the roan as well as the pony you mentioned," said Papa surprising her. "If all goes well, I plan to be back in town before winter and can bring him by then. Should I not, I'll be around in the year following."

The owner agreed to this, and after a longer conversation over the pricing, Papa paid what she thought was too much for the inconvenience of having to return with the roan. With the gold exchanged, the horses were handed over and her papa handed her the reigns to the paint. He didn't speak until they were away from the stables.

"She's yours now, Meri," he told her. "It will be a relief for your mother that both of you girls will have a steed should you need to leave the area in a hurry."

Her grip tightened on the lead. She didn't know what to say to that. For as long as she could remember she had wanted a horse of her own but Papa hadn't allowed it saying that she was still too young, and when she wasn't that it wasn't a good time. "I thought that you wouldn't want to return with the roan," she said instead.

Papa shrugged. "I'll be in the area so it won't be too much of an inconvenience. With the situation being what it is, I plan to be around home more than I was before. Not as much as I like but enough that it will be more than a few days a year," he told her offhandedly, and then winked at her. "But the truth is, your mother loves roans. I'd be willing to pay twice over to deliver this fellow to her just to see the smile that horse will give her."

"Oh, I didn't know that." She glanced at the roan. It was a lovely creature with a soft brown coat and dark mane but she didn't see anything particularly special about it. Nothing that would deserve such a reaction. "What about Oakfoot?"

"Oakfoot is getting old. When I next go into town, I'll sell him," said her papa. "Its something I should have done years ago but haven't yet had the chance. It's important that when you live a life such as ours, my flower, that you keep young steeds who can travel great distances without it straining them. You never know when you'll have to take an unexcepted trip."

Meri nodded and looked back at her horse. She wondered how long she would have with her. Just how many years they would be riding together through the forest or if perhaps they would travel far one day beyond the cocooning of trees and birdsong. What she didn't know was that her time with would be short as the life she lived within the forest of the elves was soon to end.

…
…

Little happened in the year that passed, and life went on as it had the years before. Meri had lived fourteen years, and many of them were beneath the emerald crowns of Du Weldenvarden. Everything she had ever needed was there, and the forest held all her memories. She did not remember a life when she hadn't dwelled between the large trunks, running and laughing through the ferns, creating adventures no one else saw but were written upon random page of parchment and sewn together.

In the forest she learned to many skills that girls her age could only dare to dream, and wielded a blade of black and silver with great skill. It was a life she would one day reflect on and ache for with all her being. Wishing with every part of her being wanted to remain in that forest along the leaves and blossoms and songs she knew so well for an eternity.

The day this changed happened was meant to be her first true taste of independence. Meri had ridden with Elida and their horses to the lake beyond the forest where the best berries grew. It was to be a day trip and the girls would be back that evening before dusk settled over the land. Even so, Mam had fussed over then and ensured that they each had a sharp sword and that the bow was well strung. She had held them tightly and whispered honey sweet words before telling them that she would see them both that evening.

Meri had pushed away the worry that coiled within her, telling herself that nothing bad would happen. This was a trip that she had taken often with her papa, and after he had left, her mam and siblings. They relied on the sweet berries that grew in the meadow for jams and treats, and she didn't want to go the winter with only hard butter for her bread. So, she assured her mam that they would be back soon with bags of berries, and seated herself upon her mare Asrai.

Soon the girls urged their horses down the path, and after a short time they began to chatter amongst themselves. It hadn't been long since their papa had left for the heart of the forest where their brother trained, and they were comparing the letters Eragon had left them. Meri learned more of her brother's life from her sister's lips than from the short note she had been given a fortnight ago, and wished as she had many times that she could speak with him in person.

They had spoken briefly a number of times within an enchantment of a mirror but the conversations were tremendously brief and it was never long before another took over his attention. It wasn't long before she gave up the monthly conversations all together and instead listened. Meri learned more about listening than she did asking questions, so that's what she did. She learned about his life amongst the elves and how very different they were than their family; about the homes song from trees; clothes so soft that they kissed the skin and felt like air; his dragon so lovely and great. It was then that he moved the mirror to show them his dragon, his blue gem of the twilight forest, and it was then that Meri would leave. Hurry away into the barn where her horse stood calmly stitching her white tail. Sometimes, she would saddle her and take off into the forest until the rush of green leaves whisked away her fears and thoughts and sorrow. She'd come back later, calmer, and sit near the fire and found some work to keep herself busy.

Meri patted Asrai's dark brown and white splattered neck as the talk of their brother ended, remaining hidden within the shadows of the forest. The girls talked little after that, both too busying looking at the land around them. Elida looked around in wonder at the rolling hills lathered in soft flowers and peppered with blushing trees but Meri was paying close attention for landmarks. It was her job to get them both to the meadow and home, and she wouldn't allow them to get lost now.

They arrived at the meadow midmorning, and unsaddled their steeds before picketing them nearby to allow them to graze. Meri was first to suggest that they go for a swim before getting to work. It wasn't often that either of them had a chance to lay within the emptiness of water. She did not stay in the lake long, swimming only long enough to feel refreshed but unable to dive into its depths. Whenever she did, she felt as if she were about to be swept away. Tossed and turned in a great rush of water. It was when this feeling became overwhelming that she sat in the shallows, running her hands through the water.

Elida had no such reservations and happily swam in the water until well past noon. Meri kept an eye on her from the shore, prepared to run into the water if anything went amiss. When her sister swim ashore, she visibly sagged with relief.

They spent the rest of that day picking berries, though neither girl pulled on their dresses over their damp shifts, and left their boots and stockings beside the saddles. Neither of them wanted to get their outer clothes wet and so they allowed themselves to dry off in the warmth of the sun as they filled their bags.

Meri had decided to take a break to eat when she heard it. It was like the thundering boom of a storm but when she looked up all she saw was the crystal blue sky. At first, she thought there was a rainstorm in the distance, its mass of clouds unable to be seen but then she turned her head south and saw what had made the sounds. Dread washed through her like winter's water, and the bread in her hand fell into the grass.

"We need to run!" she said jumping to her feet and dashing to where Elida stood. She had her short sword out and was looking to the sky, her blue eyes narrowing in on the dragon and looking as she were ready to charge the monstrous beast if it dared come any closer. Meri shoved her sister's chest and Elida stumbled- the spell broken. "You won't win, Lark! Get to the forest! Hurry!"

Elida looked from her to the dragon and, before Meri could blink, she took off into the meadow towards the horses. Meri sprinted after her, catching up with long strides, watching the ground for stones or thistles. The last thing she wanted was to end up with hurt feet. She cursed herself for not getting dressed and for leaving the horses so far from the bushes.

When she got to her horse, she grabbed her sword and, not bothering with anything else, she flung herself onto Asrai's back. Elida had already ridden ahead. She urged her mare after her, and once they close to the path, she looked to the sky and saw the dragon swooping towards the ground. Towards them. Her eyes widened, and she yanked on the reigns hard. Too hard.

Asrai wasn't used to the harsh treatment and bellowed, throwing Meri from her back. She tumbled to the ground and rolled across the grass, losing her blade somewhere in the process. The mare bolted away as The Beast landed in front of them, shaking the ground. Its massive wings beat the air once and then twice, powerful gusts of wind smacked into her, wiping her hair across her face. Meri blocked her face with her arms, tears fall from her stinging eyes.

When she looked up, she saw a man kneeling in front of her, Aconitum resting on his knees. What stood out to her most were his eyes and how they seemed to pierce into her very being. He reached out his hand, ignoring her when she flinched away, and wiped the blood that dripped down her face.

"So, you are alive," he said, watching the red drip from his fingers into the grass. "I've searched everywhere for you."

Meri twisted around, her fist coming in contact with his nose. Pleasure coursed through her when she saw blood dripping down his chin but that quickly faded his eyes met hers. Quicker than she thought possible, his hands grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides, forcing her deeper into the grass. She twisted in his hold trying to swing her legs around and free herself but the more she moved, the tighter his grip became until it felt like iron.

"That it enough, my child! Be still!" he heckled into her ear, tossing her effortlessly onto her back. She looked up at him and with spit at him. It flew into the air across the meadow as if tossed away by an invisible hand. His eyes flashed dangerously, and she felt a burning across her mind as a simple word dove into her; "Slytha!"

And the whole world went black.

…
…

When Meri woke up, she found that she was in a dim room. The thin shafts of sunlight gleaming gold from windows set high in the wall were the only light. She sat up and looked over the stone walls. They had been carved so finely that they were smooth and she could see no hold from which she might be able to climb. Just to be sure, she ran her hand over the wall finding that fears were confirmed.

She looked around the room at the disheveled coverlet on the bed to the wardrobe and then to door near the fireplace. It seemed to be only way out of the room. Where ever that might be. Somewhere. Somewhere far from home, this much she was certain of.

Meri felt tears spilling from her eyes before she could stop them. Every part of her being wanted to wake up and find that was still within in that forest along the leaves and blossoms and songs she knew so well. In a place where her mam's arms were never far, offering comfort and safety and warmth. She wanted to sit in the between the leaves of her garden now in full blossom and listen to the horses knicker from their pin beside the byre, even see the goat chomping on grass as it followed her sister about her chores, the pale flowers of Tessie's tree peaking in the distance behind the cabin.

Who's going to protect Tessie's tree if I'm not there? she thought but as the thought crossed her mind, she knew that the memory of the girl wouldn't needed protecting. Whatever memories were left of her sister were guarded by the forest, veiled beneath their great crowns. That every year in the spring, her tree would be song to life by the songs of the forest for the rest of eternally, whether she was there for it or not.

But Meri didn't know where she was or how to return home. All she had were faint memories of what had happened in the meadow, they seemed far off as if from her a dream, but nothing of what happened after.

She had never had she had magic used to make her body do something against her will, to make her sleep, and she didn't know that it could be used so crudely. It was rare that her parents had used magic on her, using it only when needed or if the situation called for it.

The pull of sleep -that spell Morzan, for she was certain that the man had been him, used had been instantaneous. There had been no chance to fight it. No weapon that she could have held, or years of training that would have made a difference. And this is what scared her the most. If someone could spell her to sleep and keep her that way, they could take her anywhere. Past any distance of land and she would never be the wiser. If this was possible, then what else was?

Meri shivered at the idea but she didn't know enough about magic. It was something she had never asked about because of how it disturbed Mam and, by the time she knew to ask, Papa wasn't around consistently enough for her to remember to talk with him. If he were here now, she wondered what he would have to say.

The door opened and, light tumbled into the room, and she readied herself, ready to fight whoever came inside. It was woman in a long gown and no-nonsense face. She merely looked Meri over and tsked at the stance she had taken. The woman told her to follow her, and when Meri didn't obey, she withdrew from the room, shutting the door behind her.

After a time when she was certain that the woman had left, Meri checked the door certain that would be locked but found that it was not. She pulled the door open, and stepped into a warm sitting room, looking around. The walls were mostly unadorned, baring stone walls, with a single tapestry near a wooden desk. There was short divan and a matching high-backed chair across from a polished fireplace. A soft looking rug lay beneath their legs.

She had just taken this in when the door, the one that she hadn't walked though, opened and Morzan came in with the woman following closely behind. Their eyes met and his narrowed. For no reason that she could identify she felt herself go completely still.

"It's good to see you awake at last. I trust that you're well rested," he said conversationally as if he hadn't wrestled her into the grass and magicked her sleep for some unmeasurable amount of time. As if he hadn't taken her far from her forest and family. From where she belonged.

"I didn't ask you for that sleep," she told him stiffy, "or for you to bring me here. I want to go home."

"This is your home, Muirgheal. There is no place else you belong," he told her, dismissing her words with a wave of his hand. "You've been away for quite some time but you'll adjust. Regardless, it's time to prepare yourself for the day. Pechel-" Morzan gestured the woman behind him "-will be able to assist with that, as well as direct you to the dining hall."

"This isn't my home." Meri clenched her jaw, glaring at both him and the woman in turn. "We both know that you took me from there."

"Muirgheal," he said soothingly, as if she were a daft child still suckling her thumb. He came and stood in front of her, bending down to her level so that they could look each other in the eye. "You were born here, and would have been raised within these walls had you not been taken from me. This is more your home than whatever hovel you have lived in for all these years."

"No!" She went to shove him away but he caught her hands in an iron grip, and turned them over. Studying them. "Let me go!"

"You are a child," he growled, eyeing the scar that ran from the joint between her two of her fingers to the knuckle on the middle. She didn't know when she had gotten it but it was some time around when she had fallen into the river. "Be quiet, and do as you are told!"

Something shifted within her, a memory of something her papa had told her years ago, and she forced her emotions aside. When she pulled her hands away, and he released his hold, she backed into the room behind her. Pechel came into the room not a moment after the door swung shut, and began sorting through the wooden wardrobe pulling out masses of fabric. Meri only eyed her from her seat on the bed, not helping her at all as the woman began dressing her as if she were doll. She hoped that she made it as difficult as possible by doing so.

Her mind was elsewhere, thinking of the games of the Butchering Block she had played with her parents and sister. Mam had taught her how to calculate risks with that game knowing that there might be a day she would need the skill. She doubted that her mam thought that this would be how it was used. That she would have ever been found by Morzan and taken to his fortress, and forced to find her way home.

Right now, though, she needed to think and figure out what she needed to do because arguing would get her no where fast. It was like the river where she had nearly drowned, there was a force she could not fight, threatening to pull her beneath the current. Meri only had to keep her head above water until she found a way to swim to shore. She could do that. If it had been done before, it could be done now.

Only, and here she thought of Tessie, she hoped that she wouldn't parish in the process.

…
…

Meri took a personal vow of silence that night, and did herself proud by keeping it. Ignoring Morzan's questions when he came around to talk with her. If he wanted her silent then she gave it to him, obeying to the point of absurdity. There were moments she thought that it nettled him, and he'd sigh before walking away with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. Yet there were other times, she was convinced that he was only humored by her tactics. Whatever he thought, he did not say or fully express, and she could only guess at so much.

To Morzan's credit, he was pleasant enough, not fitting into her version of who she thought him to be, and allowed her both the freedom and space to explore his home. So, she spent most of her time exploring its corners and had discovered a library so vast that it took her breath away. She spent more then one afternoon between the bookshelves, reading passages of books to take back to her rooms to hide away. Her rooms were where she spent the most time, hiding there whenever she saw Morzan coming.

There were other parts of the castle she found that she could squirrel away as well, namely the garden where she watched the sky from behind high stone walls, and the men who patrolled them. There was a large sable as well, and she would hide amongst the rolls of hay chattering to the horses whenever the stablehands weren't around. She knew none of the horses' names but knew them all well, and enjoyed their company more than the two people she had met who lived there.

There were many people within the castle but none would talk to her, and she wondered if they had orders not to. It was fine by her. She wasn't here to make friends and had plans on leaving soon enough.

Most of that late summer, she spent outside watching the guards, and watching out for Morzan's dragon who she simply called The Beast. It would come around at times, and rest amongst the flowers like a dog lazing in the sun. If The Beast came around while she was watching the guards then she took the book she had been pretending to read and either left or moved elsewhere. It all depended on where it lay. Something within her told her stay well enough away; as if her terror anytime, the creature was seen weren't enough for her do so. That if she dared to wonder close that The Beast would hurt her. She didn't risk it. The nightmares of the creature were bad enough not to have to witness it in the waking world.

Over the handful of weeks of watching, she found a gap in the patrols and thought that if she left through the stable doors during that time that she could get a good way away before anyone was the wiser. Meri had learned where she was now, within the region of Greynsi Castle, far far south from her home. It would take her an age to return but she knew that she could. That she needed to.

She had taken a map from the library and hid it away within a discarded sack she found in the sable. There were other things she had taken as well, when no one was looking; trousers, a tunic, some coins, and hardtack. She had stuffed the bag with food she hid away in her skirts during supper, as well. It took her weeks to prepare but it felt like a lifetime.

…
…

When it came time to leave, it had been two moon cycles since she had awoken within the castle walls. It was muggy outside, and she felt like she had walked into a hot, wet blanket. The stone walls must have been enchanted to keep the air inside cool. Meri took in a shallow breath, her lungs aching against the thick fabric of the gridle. The run through the castle hadn't done her any favors. But she thought that she would be breathless with or without the blasted thing, and that the skirts of her dress were no better. Everything felt heavy against her skin as if they were meant to weigh her down.

Lifting the skirts, she slid on the stone path in the garden. The burnt rose bushes cast skeletal arms around her, and she wondered what it had been like before The Beast set everything aflame. She knew that Papa had planted these flowers, cared from them in a place of wickedness and now there was nothing left. If she did not leave too, she was certain that she would share their fate. That she too would become an ashen rose amongst the bramble of dead thorns.

Her footsteps quickened. Bare toes against stone. Despite the fact that she tried to be as quiet as possible, she could still hear her feet the ground. The wind stirred the burnt branches, and she freezes, looking over her shoulder. There's no one there. It was just her and the dead flora.

Meri takes in a slow breath, hoping to still the rapid pounding of her heart. She continued forward, hiding in the archway of the fortress walls. There was a hidden doorway, here somewhere but she could not see to find it. It was easy enough in the daylight but without light to guide her, she fumbled around until her hands hit wood.

The door unlatched and swung open. A cool breeze blew from the east, stirring her hair, and she breathed it in. It smelled sweet like wild alfalfa and lavender and fresh water. She stepped out into it, glancing around for the guards patrolling the walls.

None were there. She had been correct about their shift change. This also meant that she had little time.

Meri quietly shut the door and took ran into the empty field as fast as her legs would go. It was easier in the flat plains than in the hills of the forest, and she went quite a distance before she ducked into the tall grasses. When she looked between the stalks, she saw the lights of lanterns slowly pass over the walls. Signaling that the guards had returned to their patrol. After adjusting her makeshift knapsack, she continued forward.

As the night darkened and overcast sealed away the moon and the stars, she felt out the ground with her feet. She walked until dawn in the direction of the wind toward Leona Lake, when she couldn't continue any longer. Her whole body shook and unable to stand any longer, she sat down. For a long time, she rested her head in her hands, and then looking up at the bright glare of the sun reflecting in fragments off of the water's surface. She winced.

Meri knew that Morzan had chosen the most isolated region of the Empire for his home. And that there were few towns and hamlets dotting the countryside, and that most of his wealth came from mining within the Spine. There were settlements there in the mountains, hidden within the peaks, where valuables were extracted by slave labor. Most communities here were not free. And the chances of her running across any hamlet this close to Greynsi Castle was little to none.

She shifted, looking back toward the castle and found that she could not see it. Somewhere in the distance, it loomed over the land. That distance wasn't far enough for her to feel safe to rest now. She didn't know how far she had traveled that night but Morzan and The Beast would cross it a fraction of that time.

Meri pulled her pack from her back and dug through it for the trousers and tunic she had stolen. As quickly as she could, she shed off the dress and the unlaced the gridle discarding them on the ground. There hadn't been time for her to find a good pair of boots that fit her, so she would have to travel barefoot. Hopefully the gold she taken would solve that issue once she came across a decent town. Maybe it would be enough to buy a horse.

She braided her hair and tied it off with a scrap of fabric she tore from her skirts, before looking in the sky. Her hand grasped the handle of her kitchen knife from her bag, and felt better grounded. It was the closest thing to a weapon she could find. Morzan had made it hard for her get anything of real value like a dagger or a bow. He hadn't wanted her to leave, and if she were honest, she couldn't believe that she was free from his clutches now.

It felt too good to be true. Perhaps she was dreaming. She certainly wished that she could be dreaming, and that she'd wake up in her home surrounded by her siblings. Instead, she was stuck in a waking nightmare.

Meri thought that Morzan would wake soon. Now that the sun was now fully risen over the lake. He awakened and find that she was gone. Him and The Beast would come after her, and she needed to be far from here before that happened. It didn't matter how tired or hungry or thirsty she was.

She set her jaw and stood. There was water in her pack, she sipped on it as she walked. The cool liquid woke her some but she felt the heaviness of exhaustion. It slowed her steps.

For the remainder of that day she walked, only stopping in the early evening when she could go no more. Her body refused to move and she sat at the shores of Leona and ate a meatpie before laying down. She was instantly asleep. That night she dreamed no dreams of fire breathing beasts.

Meri continued north along the lake for four more days before she began to run low on food. There were no berries here or forgeable greens, at least none that she knew, and she began to ration her food out more. It would last her a week if not longer if she was smart about it.

There were no hamlets or towns in sight and her feet hurt, and were riddled with cuts and blisters. In the evenings she walked into the late and let her feet rest in the cool water before looking over the skin for infection. The bottom of her feet hurt and red but she thought that nothing had shown yet. She thought that she should have wrapped her feet in the fabric of her dress before dumping it. It was too late now.

Her body ached all over but her neck throbbed painfully from looking over her shoulder at the sky for Morzan and his dragon. She saw nothing but birds and felt herself calm, falling into the easy rhythm of walking. Still, she kept an eye out just in case.

Meri walked another five days before she saw the bend of the Toark River far off in the distance, and beyond that a wisp of smoke a town or a farm. She didn't care. It meant people, and people meant food. She was dangerously low on her supply now, having perhaps enough for a snack tomorrow. That morning she had forsaken breaking her fast.

Now she walked with new vigor, her eyes focused in the distance, and walked late into the evening and waking at dawn. The town was very close now. She could see a bridge and people. Real people who had things to trade for with coin, and maybe if she was luck, help.

Meri ate a hard roll as she walked toward the road. People began looking toward the sky. She did too, and when she did, she took off in a run, her heart beating in her throat. The Beast was circling her from above and when she ran, it dived toward her.

Without warning, her legs locked up as if they were stuck together and she was flung across the ground, rolling in the loose dirt. A small stone cut through her tunic and into her shoulder. She turned her head when she stopped rolling, and saw that the Beast landed nearby, its wings hovering over the ground as it didn't want to fold them away. It swung its massive head toward her, and opened his jaws. Morzan slid from The Beast's back and stepped toward her.

"Don't look so shocked. You cannot possibly be foolish enough to know that I wasn't aware of your whereabouts this whole time, and that I've been letting you have your little adventure," he said lightly. "Did it not cross your mind for even the briefest of moments that have a way to track you? Arrogant girl. Idiocy doesn't suit you."

Meri bit her tongue to keep from speaking (she wouldn't break her vow even now) and struggled against the spell binding her legs. It was like a rope had wrapped itself tightly around her, and she couldn't move them. It was a spell she couldn't break, she realized, and instead of fighting against it, she rolled away into the grass.

"Where exactly do you think you will go, rolling in the dirt like an animal? You cannot go anywhere that I will not find you. I've indulged you long enough, it seems, but no more. You are my daughter and you will start acting as such." He stepped over her, effortlessly stopping her with his feet. She blinked up at him, her lips mushed together, and kicked his knee with both of her feet. It buckled but he caught himself before he fell. Morzan bent down and hauled her up by the tops of her arms as she were an indignant child. "Let's go home, Muirgheal."

Morzan's hands slid down to her wrists. As he pulled her towards The Beast the spell on her legs loosened and she stumbled forward. His grip was unbreakable as he dragged her behind him. He walked too quickly for her to properly keep up, and she fell to the ground. When she did he didn't stop but lifted her painfully back to her feet.

When they got to the dragon, he boosted her onto its back and quicker than she could blink, both of her wrists were gathered in his hands and into the binds at the front of the saddle. He tightened them so tightly she thought that blood wouldn't reach her finger tips. Her fingers couldn't reach the buckles to loosen them so that she could free herself. Morzan pulled himself onto The Beast behind her and it rose into the air. Meri watched the ground fall away into the distance vacantly, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Don't start crying on me now," Morzan hissed into her ear, just loud enough for her hear over the wind. "You brought this on yourself."

They reached the castle sooner than she thought it ought to be possible. The trip that had taken her days to travel, took The Beast little more than an hour. Had she truly covered such little distance?

The Beast landed in the courtyard and as Morzan got down, it remained as still as a statue. Morzan released the binds, and pulled her from the dragon's back to the ground. His fingers dug painfully into her shoulders as he guided her into the castle proper without a word.

He remained silent until they arrived outside her rooms, and then he said, "I have business to attend to and will be away for a time. While I am gone, you will remain in your rooms, do you understand, Muirgheal?"

She nodded curtly. His fingers dug deeper into her skin where the cut was and she gasped painfully. "Yes," she squeaked as he pushed in deeper.

"Speak in full sentences, Muirgheal. You are not a churl whose incapable of speaking properly."

They stood there for a moment. Meri shuttered and looked down at her feet. "Yes." His grip tightened painfully into her cut and she twisted under his grip. Quickly, so to stop the pain, she added, "I understand you."

He released her and opened the door, forcing her inside. She balanced herself before she could fall and heard his steps as he walked away. When she tried the door, it wouldn't budge, and it was then she fully realized her mistake. That Morzan had let her leave just to see how far she was willing to go.

…
…

Morzan remained away for over a full moon cycle.

During that time, the door did not unlock and Meri remained sealed inside her rooms with nothing to do and no one to talk to. The rooms still held furniture but otherwise it was bare of any real comfort. During her absence the books and parchments she had squirreled away had gone missing, and she could not find a single pen or ink well. Her writings and drawings were also gone, and she had torn apart the rooms looking for them. They were gone and she didn't know where they might be.

And there was no one to ask. Not a single soul came into her chambers while she was awake. In the night, after she had gone to sleep, someone would come to leave food and empty the chamber pot but she never saw them. It didn't matter how long she stayed awake waiting either. They became the ghosts and she the haunted.

With little to do, she paced the room repeating lines from the books she had memorized or songs or stories Papa used to tell or made-up stories. But as days passed and nothing happened, this began to happen less and less. Instead, she spent most of her waking hours staring at the stone wall watching how the shadows played over the rough stone. It occurred to her at some point that she was a prisoner, despite the comforts that she had been given.

On the tenth day she could not think properly and remained in bed the entire day. There were some days she cried and some she had no energy to do anything but sleep but there were rare days when she woke with some cheer. After a full moon cycle passed, she stopped keeping track of the days or checking to see if the door unlocked. It never did. Meri stopped caring as a monotonous pattern quickly overtook her life.

…
…

Silence was endless and unbroken; it was overwhelming like the deepest and darkest depths of the ocean. It surrounded her, cocooning her in a blanket created of muted unlife. She thought it to be a wasteland that stretched from horizon to horizon where the barest stretches of earth were patched with dead and melancholy tangled branches. This dead land existed without birdsong and wildlife; the once flourishing lakes and rivers had long ago dried away. Fossils of long dead species lay forgotten in layers of dust. In the end, it would be this forsaken kingdom that broke her as it's ruler, Silence, took her sanity. It would take it and all that she held dear and crush it into a fine powder that would be sprinkled over the solitary landscape.

Silence's hold on her was firm, and like a wild animal caught in a trap, she fought against its hold, gripping onto the slightest of sounds and revering in it. She was able to escape by yielding the rhythmic pulsing of footsteps against stone; the steady whisper of her breath the slight whistle of breeze through a tiny gap high up in the stone walls; the constant beating of her heart thumping in her chest. They became her weapons in a battlefield as she fought against the never-ending muted wasteland.

Even so, her meager weapons often weren't enough. Silence was too strong an enemy; it took what little sound she wielded and drowned them, throwing its own vast emptiness at her. When Silence hit it was physical, painful, and she was forced to retreat and the battle she fought was lost. There was no victory for this war in sight.

In time she would gather her friends once more, rescue them from Silence's icy clutches. When she did, they would be stronger than before. This time they would fight Silence again, and they would win! Victory would be theirs! But this conquest would take time, and at this moment, she was too weak and needed to regain her strength.

Meri sat now, in the aftermath of her most recent lost battle, under the flickering glow of a sunbeam. Her thoughts were loud enough to alert Silence of her presence, and so she did not think. In this place, she could not allow Silence to find her so close to its territory. It would trap her in the dark with those which she had lost.

As she peered into the dimness towards the Door of the Beyond, her mind wandered silently so that the thoughts weren't caught by Silence. She wondered over sharp shadows created by the sunlight, creating shapes and creatures in the darkness. Darkness was one of Silence's allies but their allegiances were strained, held together by nothing more than a thin thread spun long ago. It could break at any time just as it could grow stronger.

At the moment, Darkness - the fickle fellow that it was- did not mind her presence but she didn't know how long that would last. She whispered to Darkness softly telling it tales of dragons and magic, heroes and villains, and mighty kingdom bathed in sunlight and forgotten dreams, in hopes that it would turn to her side. Alas, Darkness did not waiver, not yet, but she held onto the hope that it would sooner rather than later.

Perhaps her whispers were too loud or perhaps it was Darkness that gave her away but Silence found her all too soon. It descended on her as Darkness blew away the merger flame of light and cast its shadow over her completely. She was helpless to it and could do no more than stare at the large oaken door as it faded into the nothingness of Darkness.

In moments like this, the door seemed too small to open into the world beyond, to allow the freeing floods of golden light. It certainly hadn't not in a very long time. As a young child her papa had read a memoir about a political captive and his much later freedom, and it had frightened her then to think that someone would be trapped in such a small, dank place with nothing to look at save for rough stone walls. That a human could be treated like a caged animal.

Not once as a child had she believed that her fate would parallel those poor souls in even the smallest of ways. She was aware of this now however, far too aware of it in her own opinion. The cold, damp, musty air and the stench of human waste hung around her like a damp blanket. Someone would empty it tonight, long after she had fallen asleep, as they did every night.

The fire in the hearth had remained unlit, and there were no logs to feed the flames even if there was one. The chilled air had long ago dug through the dress and the blanket she had been left with, lounging into the very marrow of her bones. Her clothing was not made for cold but it was enough to keep her from freezing to death. It was something she did not feel grateful for perhaps she should but if Death took her than she could escape this dreadful place, she wouldn't mind it too much.

Meri pulled the blanket over her head and leaned against the cold headboard. A part of her wondered when Silence would ebb away, letting her out of its grip but it didn't seem like this would come any time soon.

Silence had become an overwhelming force, what, three meals ago? She couldn't remember. It had been too long since she last had been fed well, and her body ached for something to fill it. Her mind was sluggish and heavy, her movements were slow and almost painful, and her eyelids were heavy as if they were being pulled down by bricks. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she slept, she could escape even if it was only for a short time but this was not to be. Sleep invaded her and she was left to the nothingness that was Silence.

And Silence though unconquerable as it was, could be taken by surprise and the only time this happened was when the Door to the Beyond opened. Her eyes opened and she blinked, blinded by the sudden light. As her eyes adjusted, she watched wispy silhouette of a young woman step into her rooms. The figure moved about the room quickly, and left without a sound. the wooden door clattered shut behind her and the click of the lock echoed off the stone walls.

Meri rubbed her eyes, thinking that she might have been dreaming, and peered around. She noted that the sky high above in the windows was painted a rosy pint and though it wasn't much light but it was enough to keep Darkness at bay. Her muscles ached as she pulled herself out of the nesting of blankets, and knelt beside the opening of the door.

"Hello?" she whispered, pushing her fingers against the small gap beneath the door. No one answered; Silence and Darkness were too strong so she called out again in a louder voice. Again, there was no answer but footsteps sounded beyond the darkness, and she pressed herself completely against the door. "Hello? I know you're out there! Someone answer me!" Her voice could be heard echoing off the walls, sounding extraordinary loud compared to Silence. This time there were no footsteps, and she swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Please!" Meri called out once more, her voice cracking.

When she heard nothing, she crawled away from the door and sat against the wall, laying her head in her arms. She had given up on anyone answering, and had only just closed her eyes, she heard the door crack open and something slide on the ground before it shut again. The sound of the lock driving home, echoing in the room, startled her.

Meri raised her head and saw that a small cloth bag. Snatching it, she saw a small pile of candied walnuts inside its depths. She took her treasure to her bed and curled beneath the blanket, eating each one slowly, savoring the treat. The sack was hidden under her mattress at the foot of her bed after she finished them off.

Now with the sun's light having banished Darkness and she was forced to surrender to Silence. Even so she sang softly under her breath, and watched the shift of sunlight. She found that it was hard to concentrate on much. And hunger didn't help her cause, her belly was tight and coiled, angry from its lack of food. The meals she had been given in the mornings didn't fill her, and often she felt hungrier and more tired than before. She felt dizzy most days and nauseous on others but sometimes she felt nothing, just a dull emptiness that could not be filled.

Thoughts of how little she knew of her mother's recipes flooded her him, those few that shone throughout her childhood as culinary gems. She wondered if she would taste them again instead of having to bask in the memory of the simplest of dishes. Thinking of different tastes and textures, the sauces and sweets relaxed her in some small, strange way. It was often the thought of her mamma's cooking that she would fall asleep as she did now.

It was a number of days before she saw the Door to the Beyond being opened. Until that time, Silence reigned steadfast over its kingdom, having won the war. It ruled with an iron fist.

…
…

It was the sound of the door being pushed open that pulled her from the warm folds of slumber. The chill in the air nearly took her breath away, and she curled in on herself as much as she could before forcing her eyes open. Through squinted eyes, she saw a blurry figure come towards her.

The blanket was ripped away, and tossed onto the ground by the hands of Silence's ghastly overlord. The foul sorcerer who had bewitched Silence to do his bidding. He had come for her at last, and her allies had left her. The treacherous loggerheads.

The villain narrowed his eyes, and growled out in a menacing voice, "Get up, Muirgheal."

Meri blinked at him and turned away, covering her face with the pillow and muttering incoherently into the fabric. She didn't know how she'd win against him or if she even could. Chances were high that he'd just use trickery against her. Trap her into some war she could not win.

"I don't have the patience to deal you, you ridiculous girl. Get up or I'll leaving you in here until I decide otherwise."

The Kingdom of Silence fell away as its true overlord banished it. With its downfall, she scrambled from the bed and stood on shaking legs. Her whole body ached from the sudden movement. "No, don't go," she breathed, forgetting her vow of silence. "I'm up."

Morzan looked her over and clenched his jaw as if he were annoyed. "Make yourself presentable and be quick about it," he told her, stepping away. "I'll be waiting." The door to her bedchamber shut behind him, and she hurried to it. When she checked to see if it was locked, she found that it was not, and leaned against the wall in relief.

Meri took a deep breath, and glanced around the room before making her way to the wardrobe. She dressed slowly, still not familiar with the items inside, and brushed out her hair. It was tangled, despite her keeping it in braids, and took longer than she would have liked to comb through it. When she finished, she let it fall loose down her back and stepped into the small parlor.

The room glowed with golden light someone having taken the time to light the oil lamps. While Silence had ruled alongside Darkness, she hadn't the resources to light them herself and so she had left them untouched. Sitting in the chair within the lamps' glow was Morzan. He didn't look up from the book he was reading but held up a finger as if her were telling her to wait. Her steps faltered.

Morzan placed the book on the table beside chair and glanced over her before standing. "I suppose that you're adequate enough for the moment," he said, gesturing towards the open door. "Come, I have work to do, and you shall accompany me. I'm certain that you do not wish to remain in here a moment longer."

She did not. The last thing she wanted to stay inside her rooms alone nor did she want to spend any length of time with Morzan. His company was the lesser of two evils, she decided, it was certainly better than being left alone with only her thoughts. Even so, she didn't have to make conversation with him. She thought that it would be likely that he would talk enough for the both of them.

Meri stepped toward the door, and as she did, she felt Morzan place his hand on her shoulder. Against her wishes, she felt herself lean into his touch as he guided her through the Keep to a large door. He did not speak.

Morzan ran his fingers over the door where a keyhole might have once been. Now there was large plate of gold, emblemed with a signal. A shield with dragons encompassing it, flames danced from their mouths behind a wreath of leaves. Whatever significance it held was lost on her. The metal gleamed in the dark red light from Morzan's spell, and a soft click was heard. He held open the door to her.

Meri stepped through the archway, freezing when she heard the lock slid into place. She sucked in a breath and turned around. Morzan met her eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. "Enough of the theatrics, Muirgheal. I'm not locking you in," he said, walking pass her onto the stairway. When she stepped behind him, he continued, "This is my private tower. No one enters unless I allow it, that is why I lock the door. I am not the villain you make me out to be."

She doubted that, still not forgetting what he had done to her in the last months. Even so, she followed him up the tower feeling that there was no place else to go. It felt like hours before they reached a landing and stopped. They had passed other landings and doors but this one seemed to her to be at the top, there were no other stairs. Morzan opened a worn door, and held it open for her waiting until she stepped inside. When she did, he shut it behind them. This time he did not lock it.

Meri looked around at the shelves of books and scrolls, most were untitled and bound with leather. Between the shelves sat a wooden door, a plate of gold with the same symbol she had seen before. On side of the room closest to her, was a large desk, piles were parchment piled and neatly tied off with ribbons. All seemed to be written by the same neat hand, and a number of them had detailed drawings. An armed chair sat across from the desk, a book laying open on its seat. On the far side of the room, bathing the light coming through from the small windows, were several small creatures in cages.

Meri walked over and watched the creatures. They were unlike anything she had ever seen before. There were colorful snakes coiled at the bases of orange stones, creeping critters with many legs that curled their tails with sharp prickles at the end, and odd looking, rather tiny spiders.

Morzan placed his hand on her shoulder and she startled, not having heard him step behind her. "Your mother was rather fond of these creatures," he told her. He opened a glass lid to one of the cages and placed his hand at the bottom. When the curly tailed creature crawled into his palm, he drew his hand out and stood in front of her. With his free hand he grabbed her wrist and brought her hand toward the creature. Something about the way the creature moved told her that it was dangerous, and she tried to pull herself out of his grip. As she did, it raised its tail into the air. "Don't move, Muirgheal, unless you want it to harm you."

There was a harshness to his overwise quiet voice that put her on edge. She froze and as she did so, the creature relaxed its tail. It crawled onto the back of her hand, scratching her skin with its many legs. "What is it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"It's good to see that you're finally breaking your silence. I wasn't certain how long you would continue your quiet rebellion," he said, a smirk crossing his face. "To answer your question, it's a scorpion. This particular specimen is found within the Hardarac Desert, and is considered a pest among the tribes that roam it sands. It's sting while excruciatingly painful is not often lethal." He stepped away from her, towards the desk, and she heard him draw back the chair and sit down. "Even so, it would be best if you remained as you are. I doubt that you want to succumb to its venom, and wither on the floor for the next handful of days. It would be vastly unpleasant for me to have to watch the whole ordeal."

Meri wasn't certain how long she stood there watching the scorpion but her hand soon began shake and her legs ached. She had no intention to test if Morzan's words were truth or not. And so, she didn't dare move to sit down and focused instead on her breathing. Eventually the creature crawled up her sleeve and squatted on her shoulder, so she could only see it out of the corner of her eye. Its tail raised twice when she opened her mouth, as if it were readying to strike and when she pressed her lips together, it calmed. She did not try to say anything after this, thinking that it would disturb the creature and that if she did that the action would push her luck.

From behind her, she heard the turning of pages and the scratch of a quill against parchment. Every so often, Morzan would mutter under his breath and get up to walk to the bookshelf, pulling a book or scroll seemingly at random and return to the desk. He did not speak again, nor did he acknowledge her but rather went about his work as if she were not there.

After an impossibly long time when the sun's light had faded from the windows, Morzan stirred. "When your mother stayed here, she studied the uses of different venoms having found them useful. She was quite fond of these creatures, so I've kept them alive for her whenever she might return. That scorpion's ancestor was her most beloved pet and she found it to be most useful when retrieving information." Meri heard him stand and step behind her. "I've no doubts that she kept the knowledge of her past from you and that you know very little of the woman she truly is. Perhaps someday I'll share that with you, along with her research. Most of her findings are still here even if she has left her home, and her husband, behind." And here he paused, she felt him run his fingers over her hair. She stiffened, and fought the urge to swat his hand away. "By all rights and laws, I could hunt her down and bring her here, even have her punished and later executed for her infidelity. It is my right as her husband and no one would rise against me for bringing my wife to yield. Lesser men than I have done so on smaller terms yet I will not. For now, I will let her live her life with her children and her lover, and leave them in peace. It would be cruel to take their mother from them now, when they are so young and still needing her. However, do know I will do so if I must, should you require the influence of your mother during your life here but I believe that you are grown enough to do without, don't you think so?"

Her heart seemed to have crawled up to her throat and pounding against her neck, and her legs felt as if they were about to give out beneath her. Her eyes were on the scorpion, it had risen its tail as he spoke and now its stinger poised dangerously. Even without the creature's silent threat, the true meaning of his words was not lost on her. He was expecting an answer but she could not find her voice. Instead, she breathed, "Yes."

"You will not run from me again, Muirgheal, and you shall behave as a proper daughter should, do we understand each other?"

"Yes," she exhaled slowly.

The creature slowly relaxed. Morzan held out his hand to it and it crawled onto his palm. He stepped around her, and returned it to its cage. When he returned, his hand rested the same shoulder the scorpion had been moments before. "I'm glad that we have come to an agreement," he said happily, directing her to the door. "I'm done with my work for the day. Let us go enjoy our supper."

Meri let him guide her to the dining room, and into her seat at the table. She sat down heavily, her body aching and fingers still shaking. That night she picked absently at her supper, her mind churning. She looked uncertainly up from her dinner at Morzan. He was drinking from the crystal goblet more than he was eating, pausing only to refill it. His expression growing darker with each emptied glass.

The man was too clever for her, and she did not know enough about him or how his mind worked. She hadn't grown up in this world where words and actions have different meanings than the ones portrayed but she knew that she was a quick learner. Her papa often told her that she was smarter than she gave herself credit for, and maybe he was right. Perhaps she could learn how to navigate this new world and learn what she needed. But for now, while she was figuring still it out, she would give Morzan what he wanted.

She knew how to pretend, how to act like one of her characters from her stories. It was something she had done many times throughout her childhood when bored and now would be no different. It would like hunting, she thought, while playing pretend she could learn the lay of the land, and where the wind blew and if it gave away her scent. How her prey lived and thought, and then after she learned all that could. She just had to wait for the right moment. When that time came instead of striking, she would run. She wasn't going to remain here any longer than she had to and she had no illusions that she could harm Morzan. Even her papa hadn't been able to kill him, and she didn't know if it was possible.

More than anything she wanted to go home but she had no doubt that her papa had moved the family somewhere new. Somewhere Morzan wouldn't find them. They were safe as long as they remained hidden, and he wouldn't go looking for them until she ran or he felt that it was justified (and she wouldn't give him a reason). So, for now, they were safe. They just had to remain that way.

By the end of supper, she decided that she would return to Du Weldenvarden and the little cabin with her garden and hope that the elves would come by once again. They would help her and return her to Papa. But she had to leave first. Her failure to escape weeks before rose to her mind, as did Morzan's anger and the way he so easily hauled her back to Greynsi. There had to be way to free herself from him that would put no one she loved in danger. She just didn't know how yet.