A Valley of Shattered Hearts

Chapter 19

Chapter song - Thus Always To Tyrants by The Oh Hellos

Ruby did as April said and played a part in her father's plan. She had to be well...a trick. She had to deceive herself if she was going to be the President's niece. Her mind still hasn't quite processed the information, but she wishes to one day fully understand what the responsibility holds.

She tried not to raise suspicion as she waltzed into the kitchen after a morning of fear and dread. She clearly wasn't set out for this life, she just hoped it wouldn't be this easy to prove her mistakes.

It wasn't just because of the incident. It was for more than that. All of the pain she put up with from following what she promised herself she wouldn't do.

She stared back at herself in the mirror a little while until the cold and very real truth set back in. She had to pull through, she owed this to April. Owed this to many. And most importantly to herself.

"I am here to lead the second army," she said, chanting the words as if they were true.

She lowered her head to her reflection.

She tilted her face up to watch as another tear streaked her face with smudges of black eyeliner and blue eyeshadow.

Nothing.

That's what this world was to Ruby. Though she wanted to speak out against her father, she knew she couldn't. This world was far too troubled for her troubled soul. She braced herself for her father's cruel and cold words. It wasn't a matter of what she could handle rather than what she had to do.

His aunt's long fingers brushed past the loose strands of her braided hair, revealing the dark circles that were left under her eyes from her endless and sleepless nights. But who could blame her?

If April Wren could barely live with himself, how could she?

Ruby scanned the faces of those around her; they all seemed to be watching her with benign, if not amused, curiosity. Ruby sat down at the table, just another face in the crowd is what she is. And maybe that's for the best.

"Just keep quiet," the girl next to her whispered. "And look down, and you won't be noticed."

"She might want to kill us, but he knows better than to try to get rid of us so early on. We're far too skilled to fall for that kind of thing. Aren't we?"

"My aunt-"

"She's the villain," she said, in an English accent she noticed. "Don't be one unless you have to be."

"No matter who's telling the story."

"Well, you are now in my story..."

"I'm Ruby," she whispers.

"I know," she cracks a crooked smile.

"So, every now and then, she tries and tries some tactic or other: little tricks and what not."

"But I wouldn't worry about it- being her niece and everything."

Across the table, one of the townspeople chuckled. "Nothing's worked yet," she hears her father hiss across the table.

"I suppose that's the problem: you have to be invisible. Though...we are going to make up for lost time. The second army has fallen into our hands and it's about time we do something about it."

She whispers, "She enjoys being cruel."

"And she," she points to the girl, " knows that firsthand," another townsperson whispers back to her.

"She's had the pleasure of talking to her."

Ruby raised a brow, and Annie made a face. "Only because I'm the most charming of you lot. The President sometimes sends me to arrange the meeting days and- to try and negotiate some sort of accord between us. Thankfully, she hasn't killed me yet."

He rolls his eyes at Ruby. "She likes to be dramatic."

"That I do."

Ruby gave them both a weak smile. It had been a few moments and the girl certainly wasn't dead.

Ruby wished she could turn on her heels and run for the door. But something buried deep in the back of her mind told her not to listen to her thoughts. She also wondered why the two never shared their names.

"Ah," the girl said quietly. "They're just squabbling over which of us they want to make a bid for."

"Bid?"

Ruby leaned forward to see the followers through the crowd.

"They come here to bet how long we'll last. They make offers for us but for the most part, on us- sometimes we'll be lucky enough for a lifelong contract. Any of us are free to go, if we wish. But none of us want to leave."

"Plus- staying alive doesn't seem so hard anymore when you're bound to the President"

The boy laughed under his breath. "Personally, I like it here. And she's right, death is inevitable. I'll let the others know I'm available. For gambling purposes only..."

She glanced at the girl, and Ruby could have sworn the girl's face flushed slightly. "Until then, we've got our reasons to stay."

Ruby asked, "What are my reasons?"

"Not to be in the President's grip, if that's the sort of thing you're thinking." She ran a hand through her short, auburn hair. "But don't worry, I'm sure the President's niece thing has its own perks."

"It certainly does." She didn't know why she said it. Given what her aunt has led her to do- done to her, she felt defensive of the other townspeople in her home. Too much collective power and knowledge, and to know that her fate wasn't in her hands rather than strangers was offly terrifying in its own way.

Ruby waited in silence. She was getting good at that. The boy and the girl seemed to be enwrapped in a conversation with one of her aunt's devoted followers. Vows of silence, the girl had explained earlier, was the way to survive this prison. And lucky enough for Ruby, she has survived many prisons and even ones on her own territory. As long as she saw it fit, the next few weeks of silence were sworn amongst the pact she made to herself. The words rang in her head until she heard an echo that was far too strong for her mind to comprehend. She didn't blink, she didn't stare. She didn't speak.

She sat in silence.