The haunting of the slammer

Even with its black stone structure, the inside of the slammer was just as bright as it was on the outside. There are human-made lights everywhere, making the stone walls of each prison stand out more prominent. The rods of the prison were rather unreal. Mircea was curious but not so much that she would risk touching it.

"Is every one asleep?" Mircea questions as she feels the dominating presence lingering behind the rods, but no one comes out. As they proceed to walk further deep in the shadows, Mircea hears hushed whispers.

"No. They are paranoid, your majesty." Luke looks back to the silent chambers they just passed.

"Of what?" The whispers are growing louder every second.

"Of you, your majesty." Mircea scrunches her nose at his response however, she does not say anything simply because she thinks he is lying. Why would these creatures be afraid of her?

The whispers are clear now.

"She is the most aloof member of the royal family. She will hardly make a good queen. He said she did not even cry properly after her father, the king died. She seems just fine after her elder sister killed her father. Saints must know what is wrong with her." The voice belongs to a female. There is no warmth in her voice and there is a dangerous edge to her words.

Mircea's steps halt when she hears her statement. Nothing she said was true, but everything made sense. She had not cried. She had not given it a thought even after she had promised Faustina to save her father. It all changed the moment she stood up after breaking down. After she saw Pyron's body sprawled lifelessly in the middle of the crowd.

Mircea knew a part of her died when she decided to be strong, to be the queen instead of the second princess who has a great passion for swords and fighting. She had let go of everything just like that. It had not been easy, but it was what people expected of her.

"But didn't the crown choose her?" This voice was different from the last one. Luke and Mircea both were standing still now. Even though Luke seemed perfectly composed and unfazed by the words, he looked ready to kill them. Mircea wasn't sure if he was capable of that.

"Indeed, the crown chose her. I however am telling you about her. She is a wicked thing just like her fate." There is a long pause.

"And perhaps she has a habit of eavesdropping on her prisoners." Her words cut through the thick air present in the slammer. Mircea's eyes widen in surprise, but she instantly masks her face catatonic and dull as she steps ahead so they can see her. To their surprise, she doesn't say anything to them. She passes by their chamber, keeping a straight face.

"I didn't know she is intelligent as well." Mircea gets a glance at the woman. She is an old woman. The person whom she is gossiping with is residing in the chamber next to her. They both are sitting close to the rods gazing desperately at Mircea for saints know what reason.

"Are you going to shut up, or do I have to make you?" Luke calmly glances at the old woman who smiles at his comment.

"We don't have the time Luke," Mircea warns him. She couldn't take anymore more of the old woman's words. What did she mean when she said the crown chose her?

Mircea knew it could all be a fable. She had thought the myth was a fable up until now. She didn't know what to believe anymore. However, hanging on to the old woman's words was not something a queen should do. A part of Mircea knew the old woman had answers to many of her questions and she knew the answers to it would require a price. What she didn't know was if she was ready to pay the price.

"Everything has lies and some truth; one just needs to know what to hear and where to look," Luke says when they reach the second level of the chamber. Mircea gazed up at him. An unknown expression had painted his face, which she couldn't quite decipher.

He stops and bows down. "We are here, your majesty."

Mircea looks around the chambers to find these chambers are slightly different from the other ones. Maybe Faustina has been given some privileges due to her old position Mircea didn't know about.

Mircea didn't think it mattered to Faustina that which chamber she was given. She braced herself for the worse, before stepping in front of the rod that gave the inside view of the prison chambers.

Faustina had donned a black gown that seemed rugged at the edges; she was facing the other side of the chamber. Her long, black hair was loosely braided, although it didn't look like it was combed. It felt like her mere identity was robbed from her, and all she had left was the nothing air that filled her lungs.

"Faustina," Mircea breathed so lightly. Her chest had tightened dangerously after looking at Faustina broken like this. Faustina turned her head around slowly, gazing up through her long lashes. Her face was bare of any powder or lip tint, making the dark circles below her eyes stand out.

"Mir? I've missed you…are you okay?" Faustina's voice was still the same unlike her appearance strong, soft and a little hoarse.

"I'm sorry." Mircea croaked, dropping on her knees. The thought of what Faustina had done flew out of her mind.

All anger she had against her sister vanished in the darkness as if it belonged there in the first place. Seeing her like this made Mircea hate herself. Every emotion she had been ignoring and running from hit her like a brick in the face. She had failed her father, she had failed Faustina and now she wanted to get away from the throne, leaving everything behind.

How could she be so selfish?

After everything, the least she could do is be a good queen.

"No, it is not your fault. You did the right thing by standing up to the bastards." Faustina never cussed. Mircea looked up to her sister, she smiled at her through glossy eyes. Faustina smiled back at her again.

"I'm alright." Faustina pushed herself closer to the rods that separated them. "And I think you are alright. We are alright. That's all that matters." Her smile grew small.

"Yes…yes, we're alright." Mircea straightens ups composing herself.

"Moreover I will make sure that Slyve will be alright." She continues. Faustina looks like she is searching for something, staring in her soul for some obscure answer.

"Mir, I'm sorry for not telling you about the conditions that came with the alliance. I should have discussed it with you. However, I want to ask one last thing from you. Do not break the alliance. It is very important for Slyve. Only the alliance can save it from our enemies."

Mircea gazes at her with a foreign expression thinking how fast the conversation changed into something she was dreading. Sitting on the throne was one but marrying a total stranger was another.

Mircea didn't know if she was ready. She knew it was coming however, this was too soon. She didn't even know herself and letting a stranger in her life.

It was very confusing. She wanted to do something for her family, even so, marrying someone who was likely to be manipulating and cunning was not what she had in mind.

"Why did you hide it from everyone?"

"We were still trying to root out a different way. I didn't want to marry you off, so Pyron thought it would be better to keep it a secret until things were confirmed." Faustina answers guiltily. Mircea realizes how wrong she had been questioning Faustina's actions.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find anything that could save you from this marriage. I really am. Mir, you should know Gyyza is a very powerful kingdom. Whatever, you do, think it out carefully. Our king…Slyve is delicate right now and everything, everyone has put their trust in you, including me." Faustina doesn't look Mircea in the eye. Mircea studies her for a good minute.

"Is there anything else I should know?" The words come out harsh, making them both flinch. Mircea was not angry with Faustina or anyone. She was angry at her life. Everything she prayed for was taken away from her.

"Prepare for anything and everything. Even war. We don't know our enemy yet and I want, I need you to survive this."

"What?" A war? What was she talking about?

"You are the queen now. You'll forever be in the seat of war whether you like it or not. It is the price one has to pay for wearing the crown."

"Ah…yes. Take care, Faustina. When things are a little settled down, I will find a way to get you out of here."

"That is nearly impossible even for the queen." Faustina chuckles.

"Yes, but the least I can do is, give it a try."

"Just take care of yourself Mir. Don't die before. That's all I want."

"No one is dying after father." Mircea's eyes fog with anger.

"Yes, right." Faustina looks down. They both had avoided talking about the late king for some reason. And now when the elephant in the room has been acknowledged it was hard to get past it.

"Your majesty," Luke comes to Mircea's side. "We shouldn't be for so long. I think it is time to go."

"Yes, of course," She glances at Faustina, who nods at her saying a silent goodbye.

"I will come back." Mircea scans her thin form once again before following Luke.