Tea with the Queen
As seen in
Set during Silver's Shadow, but happening away from the pov character, this scene takes place after Nidra surrenders herself in the name of Silunsei. She has resisted the Secret Guard's interrogations, so Queen Elena has summoned her to perform the interrogation herself. While this is occurring, Marelena is regrouping and planning for a more direct assault on the queen herself.
Elena heard the door open behind her, followed by the scuffling of a resistant prisoner who had yet to accept her fate as she was dragged into the room. "We have the one who claims to be Silunsei as you requested, your majesty." "How wonderful," she mused, finally turning from the mirror to see a young Reicaro woman with hands bound behind her back being held in place by two of the Secret Guard. It was clear from the woman's stony face that she was not going to make this an easy interrogation. She had seen things, lived through things, and the choice to give herself up was not made lightly. More accurately, the choice to falsely give herself up as the leader of the rebellion was not made lightly. But that was all fine. It was more fun to watch the strong ones buckle under the knowledge that nothing they could do would allow them to defy a queen's Command when she chose to finally take the metaphorical gloves off and dig into the heart of what they were trying to hide. "Do untie her. She is a guest after all," Elena said, turning to stand beside the armchair in the center of the room. "A guest who will take a seat on the settee because we have much to discuss." The guards untied her hands and the woman slowly walked from the door to the sitting area in the center of the room. She was fighting the Command in the only way she could. It brought a smirk to Elena's lips--this really would be an amusing and potentially informative diversion. As the woman sat down on the settee her back remained straight, her eyes momentarily glancing to the tea spread on the table in front of her before looking back to Elena. Her face was still emotionless except for her eyes which burned with rage. Rage at being Commanded, rage at being so close to the monarch she sought to overthrow, rage at the situation she must have known she would find herself in eventually. It was delicious. Elena stepped around the arm chair, settling herself down on the opposite side of the table. "Please, help yourself," she said gesturing to the tea spread, before delicately pouring herself some tea. "Some of the best compisceanes in the queendom prepared this tea for us. Take whatever looks best to you." It was clear the woman wouldn't have touched any of the pastries, finger sandwiches, or fruits if left to her own devices, and the Command would share just the smallest bit of information about her preferences. Elena leaned back with her full teacup and saucer as she watched the woman assess the spread before her. After a moment she delicately removed a cranberry cream scone from the multitiered tray and held it in front of her, not making any motion toward her lips. Her eyes trailed back to Elena, a dare to issue a Command that she eat it. "My dear, you can eat that scone or you can sit there with it for the rest of our conversation, it makes no difference to me," Elena said, taking a sip from her teacup. "I just assumed you might prefer something more. . .pleasant than whatever they deem to give you in the Keep." The woman didn't respond, nor did her hand holding the scone move. Elena sighed. "As much as I do love a rapt audience, a one-sided conversation is horribly dull. I had hoped you would at least tell me your name." There was a long pause before the woman answered. "Nidra Akshay." Elena gave a gentle smile. "Nidra, that's a pretty name. Too pretty of a name for the leader of a rebellion. But I suppose things are rarely what they appear. Because you are Silunsei, are you not?" Nidra gave a curt, unprompted nod. "There is only one problem with that," Elena continued. "I don't believe you are who you say you are. Do you want to hear who it is I think you are? I think you are a part of the rebellion. You recognized that your comrades and helpless bystanders were going to be executed one by one and you couldn't stand the idea of having that blood on your hands, so you stood up to stop the bloodshed. A noble cause, I must say. And to hear you haven't broken under the interrogation techniques of my Guard. . .you are a very impressive young woman." Nidra didn't react. Elena leaned forward. "But I think there's more to the story. You aren't Silunsei, of that I am certain, but I have my suspicions that you know who Silunsei truly is, and that you stood up in that square as much to prevent the massacre of your comrades as you did to protect the identity of your leader." Nidra's face remained emotionless, but Elena caught the split second of uncertainty in her eyes. Elena leaned back again, taking another sip of her tea. "As I suspected." "If you think I'm not Silunsei, then why don't you just Command me to tell you the truth?" A smirk crossed Elena's lips. "Ah, you do know how to hold a conversation. I was so worried this entire endeavor would be for naught." She set the teacup down on her lap. "Of course, you could save us both the trouble by just telling me the truth, but we both know you won't do that. And I respect that. But you must realize that this conversation will end with you telling me the truth one way or another. You get to decide the circumstances, but you don't get to decide the outcome. Personally, I'm inclined drag this out as long as possible--I so very rarely get involved with interrogations, only the difficult ones. I find the difficult interrogations are with the most fascinating of people. The ones with the most compelling stories to tell and the most captivating secrets to hide. And the knowledge that they will eventually tell me those secrets, that there's nothing that they can do about it. . .it slowly eats away at them the longer the conversation goes on. It's fascinating to see at what point they break." "You really are a snake." Elena raised an eyebrow. "Am I, now? I could have you executed for such a slanderous statement, but I will pardon you as a sign of my benevolence. You'll be executed for other reasons--treason comes to mind--but that's beside the point." Nidra had no response. "Come now, we've gone off down the wrong path. We're not here to talk about your crimes against the queendom, we're here to talk about you, Nidra, as a person. I want to know all about you, who you are, where you come from, your story." Elena glanced to the enmantic tattoo below the woman's ear, noting the presence of two symbols rather than one. "I see you're a compis efflucist. Tell me what you do for a living." Nidra closed her eyes as she inhaled slowly. "I'm a hair stylist." "Fascinating. I have to assume you must practice muldryo." Nidra's eyes opened to show a look of surprise. Elena smiled again, this time genuinely amused, as if this were merely a conversation between equals and not an interrogation. "Yes, I'm aware of the traditional Reicaro enflux hair coloring technique. You would probably be shocked to know I am very knowledgeable about many of the cultures that call Leland home. There's an old Linguasta saying: Our strength comes not from what drives us away from them, but from what binds us to them. The original Linguasta were individuals driven away from their homes, their families, and their cultures for their golden tongues. When they came together as one, they brought with them the traditions, the languages, the foods, the stories, essentially everything from their cultures with them. They found strength in that diversity, and, in similar fashion, not having knowledge of the peoples I rule can only serve to hinder me as a ruler." She picked up the teacup from her lap and took a sip. "This probably disappoints you. You must see me as some dark, evil figure, sitting on high and taking pleasure from the suffering of my people. But I don't. I take pleasure in the downfall of my enemies, but I want my people to thrive." "That's a lie." "Excuse me?" Nidra was quiet for a moment, as if she was surprised by her own declaration. "You say you want your people to thrive, but they live in fear of being taken to work camps for daring to say one wrong word in front of the Guard. You let the Golden Nobles freely duel using innocent bystanders on the street, painting the snow on the streets of Harmonil red with their blood. You outlawed an entire line of enmanates, essentially murdering people for manifesting a power they didn't choose for themselves. You--" "I did not outlaw visaurants," Elena interrupted, ignoring Nidra's other accusations. "But you could reverse it. Your mother could have reversed it. Her aunt could have reversed it. Her cousin could have reversed it. But they never did, and neither have you. How can you call yourself benevolent when you openly allow a policy of genocide for the simple reason that they could defy your Command? For centuries, the queens of Leland ruled with honor and the knowledge that an inefficient rule would result in an uprising. They didn't depend on their golden tongues to retain their power. But suddenly the very idea that someone existed in this world that couldn't be controlled became a threat, and instead of ruling in a way that would remove thoughts of rebelling from that person, it was easier to just remove them from the picture altogether." Elena tilted her head to the side, noting just how the topic had set Nidra off when getting her to say two words before this point had been like pulling teeth. "You seem very passionate about that particular point, almost as if you've been personally affected by it." Nidra said nothing, but there was worry in her eyes. "You knew a visaurant, didn't you? Perhaps a childhood friend? Is that why you joined the rebellion?" "I joined the rebellion because of my brother. He was unjustly sent to the work camp in Akawood." "Unjustly? Well, my apologies for that," Elena said, noting how quickly Nidra was to offer information to change the subject. "You should know as well as anyone how fierce the undercurrents of rebellion are right now. The Guard must act quickly if they intend to keep things peaceful. Unfortunately, that does mean collateral damage sometimes." "How do you not see that arresting innocent people just fans the flames of rebellion?" "It may fan the flames of rebellion, but in equal parts it encourages law-abiding citizens to report suspicious activity," Elena replied, taking a sip of her tea. "So you're shifting your own paranoia onto your people." "Why do you assume I'm paranoid?" "Because of your increasingly restrictive policies the closer the rebellion grows to Harmonil. The curfews, the increased Guard presence, the requirement of identification papers to enter the city. Why oppress your people further if you're fully in control?" Elena's lips drew into a thin line. She hadn't expected Nidra to take the offensive, but perhaps the woman had realized with the inevitability of her secrets being spilled she might as well get in a few jabs of her own. "If there was no rebellion, there would be no need for me to impose restrictions, so perhaps you should ask yourself why you are inflicting this need on innocent bystanders," Elena said, setting her cup and saucer down on the table. "But we're getting off topic. We were talking about you. You mentioned joining the rebellion because of your brother. What about the rest of your family? Your parents? Other siblings? Aunts and uncles? Tell me, does your family know you're a traitor to the queendom?" Nidra frowned. "No. And don't you eve--" "Silence," Elena interrupted. "Do not confuse my civility and hospitality with a willingness to accept your empty threats. I already have you in custody and I have the ability to extract any information from you I desire. If your family has no involvement in the rebellion, then I have no interest in them. I'm far more interested in your rebellion contacts, particularly those here in Harmonil. Tell me, how long have you been in Harmonil?" "About a year and a half." "Tell me, were you a member of Silver's Claw before you came to Harmonil?" "Yes." "Tell me, did you come to Harmonil alone?" "No." "Tell me, did you come with a group of people, or just one person?" There was a moment of hesitation as Nidra began resisting again. "Just one." "And this other person. . .tell me, were they also a part of Silver's Claw?" Nidra's resistance began to register in the slightest twitches of her lips. "Yes." "Tell me, what was the nature of your relationship with this person?" "We were. . ." Nidra hesitated again. "Romantically involved." Elena made no attempt to hide her surprise. "That is so. . .poetic. Two rebel lovers coming to the heart of the queendom on the eve of its imagined climax. Tell me, are you still together?" "No." "How sad. But, tell me, do you still have feelings for him?" Nidra remained silent. "Oh, I see," Elena said with a knowing smile. "Tell me, do you still have feelings for her?" "Yes," she whispered. "Oh, you poor thing. Tell me her name." Nidra fought this Command harder than she'd fought any other so far, but it made no difference in the end. She hung her head in shame as she whispered, "Marelena Thiboust." "Marelena. . .such a pretty name. Irocai, if I'm not mistaken." Elena paused as an unexpected thought came to her. "Those of Irocai descent have the highest chance of manifesting Power of Aura, though still rare. Perhaps your lover is visaurant. . .perhaps that's why you feel so passionately about the Aura ban? Tell me, is Marelena visaurant?" More resistance. "Yes." Elena watched Nidra with eyes filled with pity. "My, she must be very smart to have avoided detection for so long. Well, no matter. Now that I have her name, the Guard should be able to track her down and handle the situation." "Please, don't," Nidra whispered. "Nidra, put yourself in my position. Marelena is a visaurant member of a rebel group. She is a threat to myself and others--I can't in good conscience leave her to her own devices." Nidra did not reply. Elena took Nidra's silence as a sign of defeat. "You've been through a lot in the last few days, dear. I won't make you suffer through much more of this. I have just three more questions for you. . .unless you care to just tell me what you know I want to hear." As expected, Nidra said nothing. "Tell me, are you really Silunsei?" "No." "Tell me, do you know Silunsei's true identity? "Yes." Elena reached to pick up her teacup from the table, taking her time so as to let the dread fully sink in. "Tell me Silunsei's real name." Nidra trembled as she fought to resist again, but the answer eventually came in a whisper. "Marelena Thiboust." Elena paused with her teacup halfway to her lips in surprise. "You. . .you are Silunsei's lover? That means. . .Silunsei is visaurant." Nidra responded with only a choked sob, not looking up. What a surprising turn of events this was, one that Elena's mind was already twisting to her advantage. "You volunteered yourself up to the Guard to not only give your leader a chance to escape, but in an attempt to spare the one you love. Nidra, it would seem you are far more valuable than I first gave you credit for." Elena set the teacup down on the table and stood from her chair. "You must have expected to have Silunsei's--sorry, Marelena's name Commanded from your lips," she began as she slowly walked around to the other side of the settee. "But you had no idea you would talk your way into being her undoing." She came to a stop behind Nidra, placing a comforting hand on the top of her bowed head. "Don't worry, though, you won't be going back to the Keep," she said, petting Nidra's hair. "You and I are going to be spending some more time together, I think. And you will see your beloved one more time before you're executed. On that you have my word. But for now, do eat your scone."
Elena heard the door open behind her, followed by the scuffling of a resistant prisoner who had yet to accept her fate as she was dragged into the room. "We have the one who claims to be Silunsei as you requested, your majesty." "How wonderful," she mused, finally turning from the mirror to see a young Reicaro woman with hands bound behind her back being held in place by two of the Secret Guard. It was clear from the woman's stony face that she was not going to make this an easy interrogation. She had seen things, lived through things, and the choice to give herself up was not made lightly. More accurately, the choice to falsely give herself up as the leader of the rebellion was not made lightly. But that was all fine. It was more fun to watch the strong ones buckle under the knowledge that nothing they could do would allow them to defy a queen's Command when she chose to finally take the metaphorical gloves off and dig into the heart of what they were trying to hide. "Do untie her. She is a guest after all," Elena said, turning to stand beside the armchair in the center of the room. "A guest who will take a seat on the settee because we have much to discuss." The guards untied her hands and the woman slowly walked from the door to the sitting area in the center of the room. She was fighting the Command in the only way she could. It brought a smirk to Elena's lips--this really would be an amusing and potentially informative diversion. As the woman sat down on the settee her back remained straight, her eyes momentarily glancing to the tea spread on the table in front of her before looking back to Elena. Her face was still emotionless except for her eyes which burned with rage. Rage at being Commanded, rage at being so close to the monarch she sought to overthrow, rage at the situation she must have known she would find herself in eventually. It was delicious. Elena stepped around the arm chair, settling herself down on the opposite side of the table. "Please, help yourself," she said gesturing to the tea spread, before delicately pouring herself some tea. "Some of the best compisceanes in the queendom prepared this tea for us. Take whatever looks best to you." It was clear the woman wouldn't have touched any of the pastries, finger sandwiches, or fruits if left to her own devices, and the Command would share just the smallest bit of information about her preferences. Elena leaned back with her full teacup and saucer as she watched the woman assess the spread before her. After a moment she delicately removed a cranberry cream scone from the multitiered tray and held it in front of her, not making any motion toward her lips. Her eyes trailed back to Elena, a dare to issue a Command that she eat it. "My dear, you can eat that scone or you can sit there with it for the rest of our conversation, it makes no difference to me," Elena said, taking a sip from her teacup. "I just assumed you might prefer something more. . .pleasant than whatever they deem to give you in the Keep." The woman didn't respond, nor did her hand holding the scone move. Elena sighed. "As much as I do love a rapt audience, a one-sided conversation is horribly dull. I had hoped you would at least tell me your name." There was a long pause before the woman answered. "Nidra Akshay." Elena gave a gentle smile. "Nidra, that's a pretty name. Too pretty of a name for the leader of a rebellion. But I suppose things are rarely what they appear. Because you are Silunsei, are you not?" Nidra gave a curt, unprompted nod. "There is only one problem with that," Elena continued. "I don't believe you are who you say you are. Do you want to hear who it is I think you are? I think you are a part of the rebellion. You recognized that your comrades and helpless bystanders were going to be executed one by one and you couldn't stand the idea of having that blood on your hands, so you stood up to stop the bloodshed. A noble cause, I must say. And to hear you haven't broken under the interrogation techniques of my Guard. . .you are a very impressive young woman." Nidra didn't react. Elena leaned forward. "But I think there's more to the story. You aren't Silunsei, of that I am certain, but I have my suspicions that you know who Silunsei truly is, and that you stood up in that square as much to prevent the massacre of your comrades as you did to protect the identity of your leader." Nidra's face remained emotionless, but Elena caught the split second of uncertainty in her eyes. Elena leaned back again, taking another sip of her tea. "As I suspected." "If you think I'm not Silunsei, then why don't you just Command me to tell you the truth?" A smirk crossed Elena's lips. "Ah, you do know how to hold a conversation. I was so worried this entire endeavor would be for naught." She set the teacup down on her lap. "Of course, you could save us both the trouble by just telling me the truth, but we both know you won't do that. And I respect that. But you must realize that this conversation will end with you telling me the truth one way or another. You get to decide the circumstances, but you don't get to decide the outcome. Personally, I'm inclined drag this out as long as possible--I so very rarely get involved with interrogations, only the difficult ones. I find the difficult interrogations are with the most fascinating of people. The ones with the most compelling stories to tell and the most captivating secrets to hide. And the knowledge that they will eventually tell me those secrets, that there's nothing that they can do about it. . .it slowly eats away at them the longer the conversation goes on. It's fascinating to see at what point they break." "You really are a snake." Elena raised an eyebrow. "Am I, now? I could have you executed for such a slanderous statement, but I will pardon you as a sign of my benevolence. You'll be executed for other reasons--treason comes to mind--but that's beside the point." Nidra had no response. "Come now, we've gone off down the wrong path. We're not here to talk about your crimes against the queendom, we're here to talk about you, Nidra, as a person. I want to know all about you, who you are, where you come from, your story." Elena glanced to the enmantic tattoo below the woman's ear, noting the presence of two symbols rather than one. "I see you're a compis efflucist. Tell me what you do for a living." Nidra closed her eyes as she inhaled slowly. "I'm a hair stylist." "Fascinating. I have to assume you must practice muldryo." Nidra's eyes opened to show a look of surprise. Elena smiled again, this time genuinely amused, as if this were merely a conversation between equals and not an interrogation. "Yes, I'm aware of the traditional Reicaro enflux hair coloring technique. You would probably be shocked to know I am very knowledgeable about many of the cultures that call Leland home. There's an old Linguasta saying: Our strength comes not from what drives us away from them, but from what binds us to them. The original Linguasta were individuals driven away from their homes, their families, and their cultures for their golden tongues. When they came together as one, they brought with them the traditions, the languages, the foods, the stories, essentially everything from their cultures with them. They found strength in that diversity, and, in similar fashion, not having knowledge of the peoples I rule can only serve to hinder me as a ruler." She picked up the teacup from her lap and took a sip. "This probably disappoints you. You must see me as some dark, evil figure, sitting on high and taking pleasure from the suffering of my people. But I don't. I take pleasure in the downfall of my enemies, but I want my people to thrive." "That's a lie." "Excuse me?" Nidra was quiet for a moment, as if she was surprised by her own declaration. "You say you want your people to thrive, but they live in fear of being taken to work camps for daring to say one wrong word in front of the Guard. You let the Golden Nobles freely duel using innocent bystanders on the street, painting the snow on the streets of Harmonil red with their blood. You outlawed an entire line of enmanates, essentially murdering people for manifesting a power they didn't choose for themselves. You--" "I did not outlaw visaurants," Elena interrupted, ignoring Nidra's other accusations. "But you could reverse it. Your mother could have reversed it. Her aunt could have reversed it. Her cousin could have reversed it. But they never did, and neither have you. How can you call yourself benevolent when you openly allow a policy of genocide for the simple reason that they could defy your Command? For centuries, the queens of Leland ruled with honor and the knowledge that an inefficient rule would result in an uprising. They didn't depend on their golden tongues to retain their power. But suddenly the very idea that someone existed in this world that couldn't be controlled became a threat, and instead of ruling in a way that would remove thoughts of rebelling from that person, it was easier to just remove them from the picture altogether." Elena tilted her head to the side, noting just how the topic had set Nidra off when getting her to say two words before this point had been like pulling teeth. "You seem very passionate about that particular point, almost as if you've been personally affected by it." Nidra said nothing, but there was worry in her eyes. "You knew a visaurant, didn't you? Perhaps a childhood friend? Is that why you joined the rebellion?" "I joined the rebellion because of my brother. He was unjustly sent to the work camp in Akawood." "Unjustly? Well, my apologies for that," Elena said, noting how quickly Nidra was to offer information to change the subject. "You should know as well as anyone how fierce the undercurrents of rebellion are right now. The Guard must act quickly if they intend to keep things peaceful. Unfortunately, that does mean collateral damage sometimes." "How do you not see that arresting innocent people just fans the flames of rebellion?" "It may fan the flames of rebellion, but in equal parts it encourages law-abiding citizens to report suspicious activity," Elena replied, taking a sip of her tea. "So you're shifting your own paranoia onto your people." "Why do you assume I'm paranoid?" "Because of your increasingly restrictive policies the closer the rebellion grows to Harmonil. The curfews, the increased Guard presence, the requirement of identification papers to enter the city. Why oppress your people further if you're fully in control?" Elena's lips drew into a thin line. She hadn't expected Nidra to take the offensive, but perhaps the woman had realized with the inevitability of her secrets being spilled she might as well get in a few jabs of her own. "If there was no rebellion, there would be no need for me to impose restrictions, so perhaps you should ask yourself why you are inflicting this need on innocent bystanders," Elena said, setting her cup and saucer down on the table. "But we're getting off topic. We were talking about you. You mentioned joining the rebellion because of your brother. What about the rest of your family? Your parents? Other siblings? Aunts and uncles? Tell me, does your family know you're a traitor to the queendom?" Nidra frowned. "No. And don't you eve--" "Silence," Elena interrupted. "Do not confuse my civility and hospitality with a willingness to accept your empty threats. I already have you in custody and I have the ability to extract any information from you I desire. If your family has no involvement in the rebellion, then I have no interest in them. I'm far more interested in your rebellion contacts, particularly those here in Harmonil. Tell me, how long have you been in Harmonil?" "About a year and a half." "Tell me, were you a member of Silver's Claw before you came to Harmonil?" "Yes." "Tell me, did you come to Harmonil alone?" "No." "Tell me, did you come with a group of people, or just one person?" There was a moment of hesitation as Nidra began resisting again. "Just one." "And this other person. . .tell me, were they also a part of Silver's Claw?" Nidra's resistance began to register in the slightest twitches of her lips. "Yes." "Tell me, what was the nature of your relationship with this person?" "We were. . ." Nidra hesitated again. "Romantically involved." Elena made no attempt to hide her surprise. "That is so. . .poetic. Two rebel lovers coming to the heart of the queendom on the eve of its imagined climax. Tell me, are you still together?" "No." "How sad. But, tell me, do you still have feelings for him?" Nidra remained silent. "Oh, I see," Elena said with a knowing smile. "Tell me, do you still have feelings for her?" "Yes," she whispered. "Oh, you poor thing. Tell me her name." Nidra fought this Command harder than she'd fought any other so far, but it made no difference in the end. She hung her head in shame as she whispered, "Marelena Thiboust." "Marelena. . .such a pretty name. Irocai, if I'm not mistaken." Elena paused as an unexpected thought came to her. "Those of Irocai descent have the highest chance of manifesting Power of Aura, though still rare. Perhaps your lover is visaurant. . .perhaps that's why you feel so passionately about the Aura ban? Tell me, is Marelena visaurant?" More resistance. "Yes." Elena watched Nidra with eyes filled with pity. "My, she must be very smart to have avoided detection for so long. Well, no matter. Now that I have her name, the Guard should be able to track her down and handle the situation." "Please, don't," Nidra whispered. "Nidra, put yourself in my position. Marelena is a visaurant member of a rebel group. She is a threat to myself and others--I can't in good conscience leave her to her own devices." Nidra did not reply. Elena took Nidra's silence as a sign of defeat. "You've been through a lot in the last few days, dear. I won't make you suffer through much more of this. I have just three more questions for you. . .unless you care to just tell me what you know I want to hear." As expected, Nidra said nothing. "Tell me, are you really Silunsei?" "No." "Tell me, do you know Silunsei's true identity? "Yes." Elena reached to pick up her teacup from the table, taking her time so as to let the dread fully sink in. "Tell me Silunsei's real name." Nidra trembled as she fought to resist again, but the answer eventually came in a whisper. "Marelena Thiboust." Elena paused with her teacup halfway to her lips in surprise. "You. . .you are Silunsei's lover? That means. . .Silunsei is visaurant." Nidra responded with only a choked sob, not looking up. What a surprising turn of events this was, one that Elena's mind was already twisting to her advantage. "You volunteered yourself up to the Guard to not only give your leader a chance to escape, but in an attempt to spare the one you love. Nidra, it would seem you are far more valuable than I first gave you credit for." Elena set the teacup down on the table and stood from her chair. "You must have expected to have Silunsei's--sorry, Marelena's name Commanded from your lips," she began as she slowly walked around to the other side of the settee. "But you had no idea you would talk your way into being her undoing." She came to a stop behind Nidra, placing a comforting hand on the top of her bowed head. "Don't worry, though, you won't be going back to the Keep," she said, petting Nidra's hair. "You and I are going to be spending some more time together, I think. And you will see your beloved one more time before you're executed. On that you have my word. But for now, do eat your scone."
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