Nevermore

A witch in the dungeons

Sophie ran a brush through her hair, waiting for Rafal to return from the Murmuring Mountains. The day of training had gone well ; Bianca had helped a lot although she wouldn't admit it. If she had to be perfectly honest though, something was wrong. Inside of her. A gnawing, festering creature that seemed to exist in the dark of her soul and drag her down. So many things. The war, Rhian, the dreams...Agatha. 

She missed Agatha. She missed her terrible fashion sense, her goodness and strength. Everything. It was like a part of her was missing, like a part of her had been ripped out. Lady Lesso had said she and Agatha needed each other. That she would never be happy with Rafal. Could she of been right? Sophie remembered then what Agatha had done to her - kissed Tedros in front of her eyes, called her a hag, tried to banish her to Gavaldon, loveless and alone, that she had wanted Tedros for herself all along! Not that she wanted Tedros anymore. She had Rafal. 

"Sophie?" 

She turned towards the window to see Rhian climbing through. 

Sophie bolted upright, feeling self concious. She was only in her black nightgown. 

"You can't be here. You're a student." She said, hurriedly coming forwards. 

"My brother's back."

Sophie stopped in her tracks, green eyes wide. "Oh?" This was an interesting turn of events, to say the least. 

" He has someone with him."

Sophie's mind raced - he had been told to capture Hester and Anadil but seemingly had only got one. She wondered who. 

"Who?" She asked breathlessly. 

"Hester."

Hester, the witch with a demon tattoo. The daughter of the witch in Hansel and Gretel's story. The girl who had betrayed Sophie too many times to count. Siding with Agatha over her, so much. 

"Okay-" She began to reply but Rhian cut her off, looking at her with his blue-green eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about something else."

Oh. "Yeah okay," she mumbled "talk away." 

Rhian took a deep breath. "I like you Sophie." I know you're engaged to my father." He laughed bitterly. " But don't you want to be with someone real? Instead of a centuries old man, someone your own age? It's obvious we have something Sophie."

Sophie was silent as she absorbed this information. Yes, she knew she and Rhian had chemistry. Was it worth giving up her true love for? No. She had sacrificied Agatha's life and so many others to be with Rafal, someone who matched her dark soul. Looking at Rhian, she knew he wasn't it. She wasn't his and he wasn't hers. He'd think he wanted to be with her now but the truth was Rhian was not evil. He shouldn't even be here really. Sophie on the other hand was the Queen of Evil. It wouldn't work. The suggestion seemed ludicrous to her. 

"It would never work," she said eventually, "and I love Rafa- I mean your father."

"No father to me." 

"I'll meet you at the bottom of the tower. I need to get changed." 

Rhian nodded and soon he disappeared from view. She sighed, touching her flushed pink cheeks. Only princesses flushed and she was not a princess. 

"Pull it together," she muttered to herself, "You're not acting evil."

She dressed efficiently, pulling on a leather dress, boots and gloves which were both equipped with sharp studs. She pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail and looked in the mirrror. Cold. Deadly. She quirked her lips up into a smile and suddenly felt more like her old self - which was good.

She was about to climb down the tower when she squinted into the distance and saw...something. She pulled back and knew. It was Rafal coming at top speed and her lips turned upwards into a smile she could not suppress. 

It might of been only a day since she'd seen him but it felt like an eternity. They'd barely had any time to themselves lately with all this war preparations. 

As soon as he flew through the door, Sophie enveloped him into an embrace, breathing in his familiar scent. "I've missed you," she breathed.

"I've missed you too."

Rafal pulled back and kissed her passionately. "I've barely seen you."

"Sometimes I wish the world could stop and we could just have some time to ourselves." 

"You know we can't. Anyway, you're going to be a great asset in the battle, I know it. My evil queen."

Sophie smiled dreamily before snapping back to attention. "Rhian's waiting for us."

"Why?"

"Japeth's back, with Hester."

Rafal's blue eyes gleamed. "Brilliant. She'll be a lot of use right now - I've heard she's a main person in the war meetings."

"Yes."

"Shall we go?"

Sophie nodded and followed Rafal down the tower, trying not to get lost in her thoughts. It didn't work. 

Rhian was at the bottom as he'd said but his eyes clouded when he saw the school master. For good reason really - Rafal hadn't exactly been a good father. 

"Rhian," Rafal said curtly. 

"Rafal," Rhian replied. 

"Where is she?" 

"Old school for evil. Doom room."

Rafal took the lead while Sophie and Rhian trailed behind, the silence thick and tense like a woolly blanket. "Is your brother back?"

"He is."

She wasn't afraid of Japeth - but there was no question that she didn't like him. He was snake-like, deadly, much like Sophie herself. Being unpredictable was the most dangerous asset a villain could have. 

When Sophie entered the doom room, a flood of memories came back. The beast, who she had killed in cold blood, a day that had haunted her ever since. She bit her lip, hard, drawing a small trickle of blood that she wiped away with her hand. Her finger glowed slightly, because of course, magic responds to emotion. Hot pink light flickered around the room. 

Rafal and Rhian were standing at the end of the dunegeon with a blue lit lantern and she hastened to catch up. 

The cell was dark, the floor and walls stony with a grubby orange blanket lying at the side, unused and dusty. Hester was at the back, her head between her knees, motionless. 

"If it isn't our evil queen," Hester laughed, "so far you've come from wishing to be a princess."

Sophie didn't flinch. "Tell us what you know." 

"As if it's going to be that easy." A cruel voice remarked. Japeth was leaning against the wall, amused. "She has nothing to lose."

"Here's the deal," Rhian began, "We brought you Hester. Camelot is ours. We'll fight beside you."

Rafal smirked. "Hester and  Anadil. You brought me one. Our deal is not done."

The atmosphere was thick with tension - Sophie and Rafal vs Rhian and Japeth. 

"I'd like you to do something else for me instead."

"Oh?" Japeth remarked. 

"I'd like you to capture the Lady of the Lake."

Japeth smirked. "Done. She's lost her powers."

"I hope you're not lying."

"Never."

"Very well. I'll think of something you can do for me."

Rhian considered this, unsure of what to say and do. Sophie guessed he didn't like the idea of still not having Camelot. But what could he say to protest? Absolutely nothing.

There was no questioning who was in charge here.