"I was born 87 years ago. For 65 years I've ruled as Empress. But for all these years I have never been the ruler of my own dreams. I have seen the Gates of Oblivion, beyond which no waking eye may see. Behold, in Darkness a Doom sweeps the land. This is the 27th of Last Seed; the Year of Sothis 433. These are the closing days of the 3rd Era, and the final hours of my life." – Empress Rhea
Shez was no stranger to hardship. Raised by a single mother in the rural highlands, then being tragically orphaned during her developmental years, Shez was used to toughing it out simply because she had no choice.
But getting tossed in the Imperial Prison was a new one, even for her.
Her cell was dark and dingy, out of the way and far from any other prisoners. Shez didn't understand why she'd been placed here, but didn't really think it mattered. All there was to do was lay on the threadbare linen atop the slab of stone she called her bed and whittle away the hours with whatever she could.
As the insipid monotony of day gave way to the droning tedium of night, Shez did her best to keep still and wait for sleep to claim her.
But then she heard voices. Quiet at first, but growing louder as the speakers approached. Driven by curiosity, the prisoner stood and crept over to the bars of her cell.
"My children are dead, aren't they?"
"We don't know that, my lady. The messenger only said they were attacked."
"No, they're dead. I know it."
"…My job is to get you to safety. We can address other concerns later."
Shez tilted her head curiously. Just what the heck was going on?
Torchlight streamed from around a corner and it wasn't long until four figures came into sight. Three of them were garbed in heavy armor, but the last was regal, attired in fabrics and fineries Shez could only dream of someday possessing. Faded green hair poked out from behind an ostentatious golden headdress, the woman's face weathered with age yet still the very picture of resilience.
The lead escort turned to Shez's cell, her eyes widening at her presence before she whirled to another of her fellow guards. "What's this prisoner doing here?" she barked. "This cell is supposed to be off-limits!"
The second guard's face turned stony as he looked at Shez. "A mix-up with the watch, most likely. Incompetent loafs, the lot of them."
"Never mind. Just get this gate open," ordered the leader shortly. She turned to Shez, a storm gathering behind ice blue eyes. "Stand back, prisoner," she hissed, "I won't hesitate to gut you myself if you get in our way."
Shez wisely retreated to the wall as the heavily armed and armored soldiers entered her cell. She watched in silence as the swordswoman triggered a mechanism in her cell that retracted an entire wall to reveal a deep, dark passage into the underground.
"Shit, wish I'd known about that," she muttered to herself.
As the small party fell in, the powerful matriarch of the group stopped short, looking at Shez intensely. She stepped over to the prisoner, much to her escorts' confusion.
"You... I've seen you... You are the one from my dreams," she concluded with a gasp. "Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Seiros give me strength."
"My lady?" interrupted the swordswoman.
The matriarch ignored her. "You… You are here, just as you should be," she breathed. "Perhaps my nightmares can be avoided after all. You'll help a frail old woman, won't you?"
"Frail? Lady, I don't know who you are, but you're clearly not frail," retorted the purplette.
A small chuckle of amusement fell from the woman's lips as she found a glimmer of humor amidst the darkness. "How irreverent," she commented nonchalantly. "To answer your unspoken question, I am Empress Rhea the Immaculate, ruler of the Empire and servant to its people. By the will of the Gods, so too will you serve the Empire."
Shez arched an eyebrow in skepticism. "Little hard to do that from a jail cell."
"Indeed," agreed Rhea pleasantly. "That is why you should follow us."
"My lady!" exclaimed the swordswoman in shock. Next to her, the other guards looked equally shocked. "We know nothing about this prisoner, nor her crimes! She could even be one of them! If anything we should cut her down now and-"
"No." At Rhea's quiet command, the swordswoman looked down, chastened. "We will not harm her." She sighed. "But I suppose I have spent enough time in idle conversation. Let us continue."
The group of four headed off into the passage, but not before the swordswoman shot her a vicious glare telling her to stay away. As soon as their footsteps began to fade, Shez quietly crept after them.
"Close up left! Protect the Empress!"
The shout echoed down the passage and Shez quickened her pace, bursting forth into a chamber just in time to see the rude swordswoman get gutted by an assassin.
Unarmed as she was, Shez ducked back against the stone walls, fading into the background as she skirted the chamber in hopes of remaining undetected long enough to find a way to assist. Or run away, Shez wasn't picky. Thankfully the melee was over shortly, with the Empress standing tall between her two remaining protectors.
"My lady, are you okay?" asked one of her knights.
"I am unharmed, Sir Alois. Is Catherine…?"
Alois shook his head. "I'm sorry, my lady. She's dead."
Rhea closed her eyes, despondent. "I pray to the Gods that her soul finds peace."
"She will," said Gilbert abruptly, taking Catherine's place at the front. "But we must keep moving, my lady."
"Yes…" breathed Rhea. "Let us be off."
As the trio departed behind an iron gate, Shez heard Gilbert call out.
"Lock the gate behind you, Sir Alois!"
As they disappeared once more into the distance, Shez went up to the gate and gave it a rattle. It wouldn't budge.
"Figures," she sighed. "Now what do I do?"
Just then, one of the chamber walls crumbled to pieces as a rodent of unusual size burrowed its way through. It scurried its way over to one of the dead assassins and began sniffing at the body, before its beady little eyes looked up and saw Shez. It squeaked at her menacingly.
Snatching up Catherine's finely crafted blade, Shez christened her new weapon with rat blood, leaving the would-be predator lifeless as it unexpectedly sizzled with enchanted lightning.
"Hmm." Shez took note of the word 'Thunderbrand' carved intricately upon the hilt as the lightning finally dissipated. She held the blade before her. "You are Thunderbrand no longer," she declared, speaking to the sword. "From now on, I declare you: Ratslayer!"
With a proper weapon now secured, Shez headed into the new passage.