Chapter 2

Evryn felt far more superior than a prisoner should while standing before King Hadrien.

It could have been the large expanse of marble stretching out in all directions beneath her. The ceiling far above sending colorful beams of light to surround her. Or it could have been the simple fact that there she was, standing in the middle of it all for the first time in forever.

Though she eventually decided it must have been the sudden change of the King's features. Not a major change, but it was enough. She had struck a weak spot in his armor with her question. A muscle in his shadowed jaw twitched and his eyebrows lowered.

But his dark eyes still showed nothing.

Patiently, she waited for a reply. Around her, guards shifted uncomfortably. She expected them to be confused, but not the King. As time wore on, it was evident that he too was not getting something.

Any confidence Evryn previously had fell apart as a terrifying thought crossed her mind. What if he was faking his confusion just for a reason to decline her request? And what if he said—

"From what I've heard, you know perfectly well how to take away a life using just your hands. Without the help of a king."

His words spread throughout the room with an unsettling ring behind them. They struck her like a punch to the gut. Everything seemed to freeze before her. She felt her legs shake beneath her. With desperate effort, she tried to stop herself from collapsing, but she was much too weak. Much too hopeless. All it took was one blow to shatter her fragile strength. Her knees hit the ground in a puddle of red sunlight.

She scolded herself for ever having hope, for ever asking her question. And, like any other day, she scolded herself for ever killing those four innocent children. Even if it was best for them. Even if it had prevented them from suffering as she had.

For a long moment, she stayed on her knees with her head ducked in shame. Tears threatened to spill down her face, but Evryn used all of her remaining strength to hold them in. She would not cry before her king. It was bad enough that she collapsed before him in anguish, she had to stop herself from breaking down entirely.

She had spent countless years pushing all thought away. Eight years of trying to achieve immunity to feelings, to try and stop herself from going insane. Now, the one day it mattered most, everything she had tried to forget came back to her with astounding force. Enough force to knock her to her knees.

It took great effort to raise her head once again. Her tear filled eyes met King Hadrien's. She searched for anything in those eyes. All she could see were deep pits of emptiness. She marveled how such a barren man could call himself king. He looked down upon her without a single trace of guilt in his features.

As the guards around her began to move towards her, she desperately racked her mind for something else to say. To somehow convince him to agree to help her. The thought of going back down to the dungeons defeated terrified her. But she could do nothing to stop the armored hands from gripping her arms with fists of metal. She was absolutely helpless.

They pulled her to her feet. Pain shot down her body as they yanked her bound arms. She squeezed her eyes tightly together, refusing to look at the King any longer. It would have been a relief for her then, to lack feeling as he did.

Evryn refused to move her legs. Or maybe it was actually that she couldn't move them. The guards moved them for her, kicking her heels and the back of her knees. When she was about to fall, their grip on her arms just tightened. She could already feel the bruises forming.

It was truly a shame to be seen as she was then. She knew this, but couldn't get herself to care. Why should she care? Her only hopes had been crushed by the hand of an empty king.

Servants rushed about the stone corridors of the castle, glancing downwards as she passed by them. There were guards escorting guests. Women dressed in elaborate gowns of silk and velvet with hair pulled up and curled in all sorts of ways.

And there were windows. Vast windows sometimes stretching for almost the entirety of a corridor. Evryn couldn't look away from the windows. The beautiful blue sky filled with thin white clouds. An endless land of green hills and figures of mountains far off. She hadn't seen the world in far too long. Rays of pale sunlight ran across her features and, if her heart hadn't been crushed and her mind filled with hopelessness, perhaps she would have smiled.

There came a point when the guards gave up on trying to make her move forwards herself. Two of them lifted her up by her arms and carried her that way. She didn't mind. Not even when she could feel their armor digging into her skin.

Soon, much too soon, they descended the narrow stairwell back down to the prison. She closed her eyes then, imagining the eager faces that would meet her. And then they would droop. Nobody knew exactly what she had done, but most of them knew the general purpose of her misadventure. The mere fact that she was coming back down to her cell would be enough to upset some of them. For if she had succeeded, then maybe they could too. But she hadn't, and neither will they. Not with a king such as the one they were given.

•••

Hadrien remained in the room for a long while after the girl left. His elbows rested upon the solid arm of the throne. He had dismissed his guards, telling them to wait outside the doors. He had craved silence and solitude. Perfect conditions to let his emotions float to the surface, if he had wanted to let them. Which he did not.

He kept himself contained while his thoughts flew every which way. Evryn Valiere had begged him to kill her. He had refused. Why?

The answer to the latter statement was simple. He needed her alive. If Evryn died, so did his plans. But that still left one important question? Why —if she had wanted to die so badly— didn't she kill herself?

Was it a matter of weakness? Of cowardice? Surely not.

There were thirty-one prisoners held in the prison, all of them still alive. He had never assumed that to be unusual. Now, it absolutely was. He hadn't given any orders for the guards to specifically prevent them from killing themselves. He hadn't thought it necessary. He had thought they wouldn't want to kill themselves. Obviously, he had been wrong.

"Sire, Lady Terra has arrived."

Abruptly, Hadrien was pulled from the depths of his mind. He hadn't even noticed the guard come in. How long had he been alone? The guard shifted uncomfortably.

"Tell her that I will meet her in the east gardens. I should be there shortly." Hadrien said, standing up and making his way towards the doors. The guard scurried out before him.

With the unexpected event of the morning, he had nearly forgotten of his meeting with Lady Terra, daughter of general Landolyn. He was in no state to go, but he had declined last time she was sent and knew Kendric would be furious if he declined again. Not that he was currently on good terms with his advisor.

He took on a brisk pace as he walked back to his chambers. There was no good reason for him to go back to his rooms, but he went anyway.

The sun brightly lit his bed chamber. He allowed himself to sit down on his deep blue comforter for only a moment. Nothing more. His head fell into his hands.

Control. He needed to control himself, his feelings. At least for now. Let Terra have some hope with him. He'd give her some hope. He'd charm her.

When he got himself up once again, he noticed just how beautiful it was outside. There must have been many children outside playing, just as he would have done when he was younger. When life was so easy. As a child, he had no bounds or chains.

Terra Landolyn was stunning. Hadrien met her at the entrance to the garden. She rose from the stone bench she had been sitting on and curtsied before him.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Terra." Hadrien said, taking her gloved hand and kissing her fingers. "I have heard rumors of your beauty, but it seems simple words can not truly capture your stunning appearance."

She smiled brightly, her dark eyes shining in the sunlight. She really was beautiful, Hadrien had not been lying. Her dark hair was carefully braided and her velvet green dress settled low on her chest.

It seemed they both intended to charm.

They began to stroll, Terra noted things she liked about the castle and the gardens. Hadrien listened, willing his thoughts to stay solely on what she was saying. Sometimes he made comments or answered the simple questions she asked. He often caught himself losing focus, more often than he would have liked.

It was a more serious question that brought him back to reality. "Do you wish to marry?" Terra asked.

He turned his head to see her eyes carefully measuring him. Surely she saw nothing in his expression. "It is a kings duty." He replied. He had lost his charm, it had been evident in his tone. He should have smiled before answering, lighten up the mood.

"Well, yes, I suppose you must eventually. But is that what you wish?"

It was obvious that she was displeased with him, though her content expression was considerably deceiving.

Hadrien had never thought of that question before. Marriage was simply a game. He would court until he found both a respectable and beneficial match. Kings didn't marry for love, they were lucky if they could ever find it. It was especially hard for kings who hid behind a layer of stone, as he did.

"Why wouldn't it be what I wish?" He replied in a worse tone than the first time. There was a moment of silence.

"I don't wish to marry, but I will anyway. "

What a ridiculous thing for a lady to say before a king. Let alone a king she could potentially marry. What gave her the mind to say such a thing?

The look of content never left her face. It had to be fake.

"And," She continued, "I think you know that true love isn't an option even more than I do."

"What point are you trying to make?" Hadrien asked, his voice was too low.

Terra smiled anyway. So fearless and open before him. "I was simply trying to make you think, your highness. I thought that maybe then I could get you to talk. It seems I was wrong. I'm still talking to a stone wall." She paused briefly. "I had a word with your royal advisor before coming here. And I heard the rumors. Surely there's more to you than what meets the eye. Even a king has some sort of personality."

Hadrien stopped walking. She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. There was no regret in her eyes.

Those eyes, he realized, were the same eyes he had expected to see from Evryn. Defiant and fearless. Just like the little girl in the courtyard.

Of course. Terra figured she had nothing to fear. Her largest concern was getting him to show emotions. Hadrien smiled. "As the daughter of a general, I would have thought that you'd have better strategy."

He had meant to end it there, to wound her with his words. Take away her courage. But when she smiled right back at him, her dark eyes locking onto his, the king knew his weapon had missed its mark.

"Lucky for you, your highness, we've only just met." Terra said, her voice still holding it's pretend flirtatious tone. "I shall look forward to seeing you at the autumnal ball in two days time."

With that, she turned and made her way back to the castle, unaccompanied. Hadrien didn't move a muscle, not even a turn of his head to watch her go. He looked up at the clear blue sky and wondered how it truly felt.