Tears, Traitors, and Tethers

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Iriana was staring out the window of the manor, her eyes roaming around the village below. She was clean now and she'd napped for a while. Erebus supplied her with clothes and she'd chosen a simple violet colored sundress. Her blonde hair was curled in ringlets, falling to mid-shoulder. The bruise on her cheek was new, a purple color running along her cheekbone. She had the remains of a black eye, a yellowish-green color peeking out under the cover of her makeup. I cleared my throat, heading into the room and toward her.

"I made you some tea." I said with a small smile, handing her the mug.

She took it from me but stayed stoic as I took up the part of the window seat across from her. "Thank you." She whispered, her eyes returning to the village outside.

I followed her gaze. "It's nothing like we thought, huh?"

She slowly shook her head, lifting the mug to her frail lips. 

I smiled at the village, my eyes roaming over the pointed rooftops and the people down below going about their day. "I love it here."

"What are you doing here, Auden?"

I met her curious gaze. "The Dark Lord brought me here." I lifted my tea to my lips, blowing on it briefly before taking a sip and then a second.

"Why?" She watched me.

My brows knitted together, confusion lining my features. "I'm the... Protector of the Ouroboros."

"They thought I was."

"I know." I whispered. "They were wrong. It's me."

"So why did they keep me for so long?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think they figured they could just put you back in The Wall."

"Right, so chain me to a wall like a dog?" Tears sprang to her eyes as she said it, a little hostility lingering along her words.

"I'm sorry for what they did to you."

"You have no idea what they did to me." She bit out through clenched teeth. "What they did to me because they thought I was you."

I opened my mouth to interject, but she stopped me.

"They raped me, beat me, hurt me. They injected me with things that I wasn't even sure what they were. I don't think they even know what it was." She said as tears slid down her cheek. "The stuff they put inside of me felt like a fire inside of me."

"What was it for?"

"They said it was a serum. That's all I know."

I nodded. "I'm sorry."

She turned her eyes back to the village, the sadness consuming her as she cried. 

"I have someone who would like to see you."

She didn't move, just brushed away her tears. "I don't want to see anyone."

"That's not the Iriana I know and love. She wanted to see everyone." Amos said as he crutched into the room.

Her head snapped in the direction of his voice. "Amos?" She asked, choking on the tears.

He beamed at her, pausing in the middle between them.

She set down her tea, stood, and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around his frail body and cried as he held her. 

"My dear Iriana." He whispered as he rubbed her back. 

I glanced down at the two cooling mugs of tea and decided to leave mine. I stood, heading for the door where Erebus leaned against the frame. 

Iriana pulled away from Amos, just a little bit, glancing in the direction of where I was headed.

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