Reborn as the Villainess of the Mary Sue Novel I wrote when I was 16

Chapter 7: The Negotiation

I didn't lend Valarie all of the bucket-heads. I brought six with me so I can look intimidating while I parlay outside the palace walls. They all stand behind me in a row while I sit at a little table and sip tea.

Dyamance, Gerald, and Roanoke sit across from me. Roanoke was out of his mirror, and I can't feel any control over his brain. Dyamance must have imagined something that could cure him. He glares at me harder than usual.

"I'm still mad at myself for not realizing it was you," Dyamance said.

"You're definitely at that age, but it'll pass once you hit twenty-five."

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why do you hate the people of Diz so much?" she asks.

This was going great. Dyamance would never run out of dumb questions, so I could keep her here for hours until the plan came together.

"This is a waste of time, let's just charge in and finish everyone inside," Roanoke says with a sneer.

"No, it might be a trap. Better to be prepared and head in at our full strength," Gerald says.

The way they're sitting on either side of Dyamance reminds me of a little angel and devil on someone's shoulders. I imagine Gerald and Roanoke with a halo and horns.

"Both of you need a vacation together," I say. Three sets of teenage eyes turn toward me.

"What are you talking about?" Roanoke says. There's a deep panic behind his eyes.

"I think you know. Deep down you both have a vision of a cold winter night, a small fire, and only one blanket."

Even past the age of thirty I still knew what slash fiction was. It's a hard thing to forget, even if you'd like to put it behind you. Some nights I can't fall asleep because I'm stuck remembering all those awful websites.

Roanoke turns toward Dyamance. "She's lying. It's just a trick to turn us against each other."

Dyamance shrugs. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. She was in your brain after all." There's color in her cheeks and hunger in her eyes. I don't like what that look reminds me of, so I turn my attention back to my tea.

Gerald looks completely confused. I don't think he has the brains to really grasp what we're talking about. "Dya, I thought you'd want one of us?"

She's not composed enough to answer. It takes Dyamance a minute to fit her tongue back in her mouth.

"Well, there are all kinds of love. There's love between families and friends. You two taught me about love between comrades," she looked up at Gerald's confused face, "and possibly something deeper. However, there's a type of love higher than all of those, and it's forbidden."

Halfway through her speech I'd gotten up from the table and went to lean against the wall of my palace. It was suddenly much more interesting than the parlay. The other bucket-heads were suddenly interested in how wobbly my table was. It was too difficult to listen to, so I let her wear herself out. The boys didn't even notice that I'd left the table, they were so busy trying to wrap their heads around what Dyamance was saying.

They argue for a while, and once they quiet down I walk back to the table. The mood is heavy but I try my best to be the adult and make the kids stop arguing.

"I'd like your army to turn around and run back into the woods. In exchange I'll spare everyone's minds."

That gets their attention. Dyamance closes her eyes and a small dagger materializes into her hand. She points it at me, and I have to try really hard to stay still in my chair.

"I'll never surrender to you. The free peoples of Diz will fight to destroy your empire or die trying. That's the oath I made over the ashes of my village."

Roanoke and Gerald give her approving looks. This they can understand: threats and vows.

"Very well. Our final battle will be at the walls of this palace. Be prepared at twilight for the true might of the empire," I said.

The bucket-heads and I head back into the palace. By the time the sun was creeping toward the horizon the fortress would be a stone. Every lock, deadbolt, latch, and barricade would be ready to keep Dyamance out for as long as possible. 

Finally got over my head cold. Spring really kind of sucks. 

-SleepEasy