The True Queen- Book Two

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Rayana

"I'm here to see Queen Orianna," Ray states to the guard. He moves aside and lets her go down into the dungeons. They are the same as they are in her own time. Damp, cold and dark. She shivers as she remembers all the times she was locked down there. Still, she pushes those thoughts away.

Orianna is slumped in the corner of one of the cells. Her hair is a mess, dirt stains her skin and there are tear marks down her cheeks. Bloodshot are her eyes and her lips are chapped and pale.
"Ray," she whispers as Rayana appears. A lump forms in Rayana's throat and she bites at her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I'm so sorry," Rayana whispers.

Orianna just nods her head slowly.

"I have been sent to tell you that your trial starts tomorrow."

Orianna scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"So my brother couldn't even come himself and tell me himself. How is he doing, now he has what he's always wanted?" she says, her voice hoars. Rayana lets out a humourless chuckle.

"He plays the part of distraught brother," she tells Orianna. "He pretends that he doesn't want to be doing this."

"Well, he managed to fool me all those years, he is capable of fooling everyone else too," she sighs and rubs her large stomach. "What is going to happen?" she asks.

"I am going to liaise between you and your brother, to see if you can come to some sort of agreement," Rayana tells her. "A term of surrender."

"Surrender? No."

"Orianna," Rayana says, "you need to come to this agreement."

"Why?" Orianna snaps, standing up and rushing toward the bars. Ray doesn't flinch.

"Because all this is fate? I am destined to be the Mad Queen? Well fuck that, I'm going to prove my innocence."

"It doesn't work like that," Ray sighs. 

"You could have stopped this," Orianna says, "you knew what was going to happen but you chose to let it."

"Because it has happened, Orianna," Ray explains. "What is happening now, is my history. It is set in stone and I couldn't do anything. Trust me, I wanted to. So much. But there are things out of my control."

Orianna shakes her head and sits back down, looking away from Ray.

"I don't want to surrender, it is proving them right," she gulps, her voice quivering. Ray closes her eyes and leans her head against the cold bars.

"By surrendering, you can set some demands," she tells Orianna. "It is the only way you have some power still in this?"

"Demands like what?" Orianna scoffs.

"Demands that your son becomes the next King after Niklaus dies."

Orianna stays silent for a moment then turns back.

"I'll think about it. Now leave me. Go and find out what they want."

Rayana nods her head and turns, her eyes stinging with unspilled tears.

Ray's next destination is the council chambers. She walks inside as Niklaus and his council are all having a large meeting about what to do next.

"Who said you could join us? You're lucky we aren't locking you up for conspiring with Orianna," one of the Councilmen states. Ray just takes a seat.