Arwick (A Light Of Roria Sequel)

Chapter Ten

Addisyn

The sound of the gate to my cell swinging to an open startled me from my sleep. I quickly sat up from the stone, with my eyes fixed on Ahaz, who was smiling down at me.

"Dax was a fierce beast, and yet you brought him down with ease." He motioned for me to come forward before turning to the guards who stood beside him. "Take her to my slave girl. She will be bathed and formally dressed. I want her as elegant as royalty before she is presented to the Trade for betting."

The guards cuffed me at once while Ahaz moved to Azie's cell. With a twisted grin, he snapped his fingers, silently ordering Pilot to unlock his cell.

"What a joy to see you standing another day longer," Ahaz said with sarcasm. I was sure he wanted nothing more than to see Aziel perish but allowed his survival considering the bets that were likely placed on such an unbeatable opponent.

Aziel waited for the gate door to open; his large eyes fixed on Ahaz. "It is as you say, Prince Ahaz, the riches I provide are well worth my existence."

As if used to Aziel's bold mouth, Ahaz smirked. "And yet your precious divinity has not provided your escape," he started out. "No one man can survive a lifetime of battle. You will perish eventually, and another champion shall take your place." When Ahaz motioned his guards forward, they moved toward Aziel cautiously. "The same is to be done for him," Ahaz commanded, already walking away from us.

***

"It is good to see you still live," Agatha said with her back facing me. I placed the green dress over my head, the smooth velvet soft against my skin as I slid each arm into the long trumpet sleeves.

"I hope my friends are okay," I said in response. To me, it was their lives that mattered more than my own, and if I couldn't save them, everything I'd faced would be in vain. "Okay, I'm dressed," I told her.

"You are a handsome young fairy," Agatha declared with wide eyes, staring at my bare neck and shoulders. She placed her hands on my shoulders before guiding me toward the mirror that had been placed in the same room I'd bathed in previously.

As Agatha began to fiddle and tighten the laces that lined the spine of my back, I took in my appearance. The markings on my face and neck were as prominent as the day they'd first been revealed to me in John's backyard. The indigo design traveled in a serpentine motion along the right side of my face until it reached my neck and under the hem of my dress, with the left side of my face almost bare, the only mark being a small curve like a crescent moon. The dress lay beneath my shoulders, revealing a jagged mark that moved like mountain peaks on my left shoulder blade.

"This dress fits you perfectly." Agatha smiled, having finished tightening the laces. The long velvet gown almost swept the ground, with a single band of yellow that started at each corner of my waist and curved downward in a V-like shape until meeting in the middle several centimeters below my navel. "This shade of dark green is making your emerald eyes quite vibrant," Agatha added.

I smiled, fiddling with my hands before inhaling. I wasn't looking forward to being treated like a prized stallion under the scrutiny of such evil men and women, and it made me wish I could tear the dress to shreds.

As if reading my thoughts, Agatha began to speak. "It will be over quick. I give you my word."

Nodding, I gave a weak smile, watching Agatha's hands as she continued to fasten my hair into a braided crown around my head. When she finished, she placed several small white flowers throughout the braid before squeezing my side affectionately.

"What do you think?" She beamed, proud of her work.

"I only wish it was for prom or something and not this," I replied, feeling as if she'd turned me into a princess.

Agatha's head tilted to the side, pursing her lips. "Prom?"

Gesturing for her to ignore my comment, I snorted. "Never mind."

She shook her head with a playful grin. "As I said before, you are a strange one, Addisyn." She paused before standing before me. Her eyes focused on my own before she spoke. "It is time."

With a deep sigh, I nodded. "Okay."

"The guards will be waiting, along with the reigning champion, Aziel, in the map room. They will escort you from there."

"Agatha?" I started out as we made our way toward the door.

"Yes, Addisyn?" Her eyes stayed on my own as she opened the door for me to exit.

"Thank you," I said before lowering my voice to a whisper. "You're a good person, and I've enjoyed your company."

Agatha closed her eyes for a moment. I sensed whatever she'd been suspicious of before could no longer be contained, and it had her pulling me away from the door. "Agatha, what are you—"

"Are you the fairy we've been waiting for?" she whispered, her eyes hopeful.

Not wanting to endanger her life, I looked around the room, afraid the walls might speak of my secret before moving to whisper in her ear. "Yes," I admitted. "I'm here to find the light of Roria."

With a small gasp, Agatha grabbed both my hands, her eyes instantly welling and her hands shaking in mine. Neither of us spoke. She had become so overwhelmed with emotion it seemed to be contagious as I found myself tear up. Agatha began to glow, her eyes a window to a single thought formulating in her mind: freedom.

Shaking away the emotions, she let out a forceful breath before squeezing my hands one last time. "We mustn't linger," she said before continuing. "Come."

"Okay," I replied with a smile, following Agatha back out the door.

I was happy to give Agatha the obvious hope she'd been yearning to experience, but the more people who seemed to discover who I was, the harder the task seemed to get. The prophecy was what had given so many of Arwick's people the strength to keep going, and if I gave up or lost faith in divinity, then I would most certainly be their doom rather than their rescuer, and that was a terrifying thing to consider.