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—Ravenna sweeps into the great hall

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—Ravenna sweeps into the great hall. The generals and Finn snapped to attention at the sound of her footsteps. She stops and stares at two men, the captured insurgents. Thomas, a grizzled old rebel, looks badly bruised and beaten, while his handsome son, Iain, is unmarked. They both stare at her defiantly.

She faced the two rebels, a soldier stepping up.

"My Queen," the soldier said, "these two were captured leading an ambush of our supply caravan."

Thomas grunts in pain, "Because under your rule we have lost everything. We will not stop until this kingdom is free."

Ravenna seems intrigued. She steps forward, eyeing the two rebels.

"Lost everything?" she asks Thomas. She, then, moved to Iain, right up to his face. "Your son, yes? Very handsome. Obviously a debt owed to your wife."

She reaches out and touches Iain's strong jaw. He struggles against the guards that hold him back.

She continues, "There was a time I would have lost my heart to a face like yours, and you would have no doubt broken mine."

In a flash, Iain grabs a guard's dagger and rams it into Ravenna's chest. She makes a pained face, looking down at the dagger, then up to Iain.

"You would kill your Queen?!" she says furiously.

She pulls the dagger out with a pained moan. There is no wound, no blood, nothing to show she was stabbed. She drops the dagger on the ground, Iain and Thomas shocked.

She speaks in admiration, "You have beauty and courage, of course. But how strong is your heart, Iain?"

She smiles, almost regrettably, placing her hand on his chest. His heart starts to hammer, louder and louder. He grimaces in pain as she squeezes, the hammering filling his ears. His heart finally bursts and he drops dead. His father falls to his knees in horror, trying to revive his son. Finn draws his sword to behead him when Ravenna raises her hand.

"No." she demanded, "Let him return to the Duke and speak of the generosity of his Queen."

With that she sweeps out, followed by Finn. He notices the lines on her face—she is aging. He takes her by the arm as she falters.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Ravenna pulls her arm away furiously. The general and the others stare, armed by her behavior. "Out!!" she yells.

They quickly exit, all except Finn, who watches, concerned, as Ravenna leans against the wall for support. She pulls herself together, though, looking at Finn.

"Magic comes at a lofty price." he says with sincere eyes.

Ravenna sighs, "And the expense grows."

Finn pulls his sister into a loving embrace. She stiffens for a moment, but gives in to her brother.

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