[A/N]: And FINALLY, the Robyn anthem. Gods, I've been holding on to this one forever.
Emperor's New Clothes - Panic at the Disco (I. Love. This. Video.)
I watched his smug smile from across the table.
He was damn pleased.
I was shaking. Not from fear but from the absolute anger I felt at his actions towards my parents. They struggled against the invisible grip that held them to their chair. They were trying to talk to each other but nothing would come out. It was as if he had taken their voice as he pinned them.
"Let them go," I growled. "They don't have anything to do with this."
Robyn smiled. "On the contrary." Damien's voice was like ice -it chilled me to the bone. "I will keep them as long as necessary so that you behave." He inhaled deeply. "Besides, their human fear is quite delicious. Such a high."
His words fueled my anger. I mustered my power within me and was able to stand raising my hand in front of me. Another wave of power from him and I was slammed back into the chair so hard the chair leaned back on its hind legs. The power he was using was oppressive, heavy and dark.
Once all legs of the chairs were back on the floor, he laughed. "My, my you have gotten more powerful. I haven't had to use my nephew's power this extensively yet." His smile didn't falter. "Who took you from me all this time, dear? Who has been training you, nursing you back to health?" He laughed. "Whoever it is, you two share a powerful bond. There is no way you would have become this powerful in such a short time without them. Tell me, who is it?"
He only laughed. "Is it Asmodeus? I learned about the bargain that you two made - don't worry, he won't be able to bring that to fruition."
It was the way he said it that made me worry about him. Despite whatever bargain he made to benefit himself, he had tried to help my parents. "What did you do to him?" I whispered.
He shrugged moving the glass in his hands to his lips. "I took him to the dungeon. He's either dead or hanging by his thumbs by now, who knows?"
My parents exchanged a glance with each other then looked at me.
Robyn took a long drink. "In any case, he won't be a bother for much longer." He looked at me pointedly. "You're welcome. I know you didn't want to be a part of that bargain."
Had Asmodeus told him everything? I licked my lips. "How did you know, Robyn?"
He smiled. Putting his glass down on the table, he crossed his long legs over each other and folded his hands in front of him. "The copy, whoever it was glamoured as you - her power was waning while she physically got better. It was little things as well. At first, I dismissed them as you not being yourself after the 'traumatic events' but I knew better. Your copy was doing Dust, I knew the symptoms - Tianna taught them to me." He placed his folded hands on the table and leaned towards me. "I could sense your power - I knew you were training to take me down. Whoever was helping you was speeding up the process in ways I couldn't do on my own." He smiled. "I played my part so that your copy wouldn't suspect until I knew you would come back. I needed to give you enough time to become as strong as possible."
I was shaking with fury still fighting against his power. It was useless. I couldn't move.
He frowned. "I didn't think you'd come back under my very nose though. I expected pomp and circumstance and an ultimate battle for your triumphant return. This was quite unexpected but fit into my plans very well despite it." He smiled. "When I knew you were back, I had to test you. You killed those faes perfectly. I was incredibly pleased. For the record, now that I have my nephew's power, it would have been very easy to defeat you." He signaled towards my parents. "I had collateral, after all. There was a guard on them at all times - they would have slit their throats at my word. They're all very obedient."
