Welcome to My World

Chapter 29 Viren's POV

I smile, retrieving a butterfly from my secret cabinet. The Aarpod crawls over my collar. "Sooooo. What do you intend for the elves?" Aaravos inquires.

I sigh. "Perhaps, by using their youngest against them, we may finally release you from the mirror."

"And how do you intend to do that?" The Aarpod purred.

I sneer. "You saw their faces. Perhaps they would make a trade. The information I require in exchange for something they want."

Aaravos raised an eyebrow. Not that Viren could see. "And what exactly do they want?"

I open the door to my secret chambers. "What else? I'm confident that Rapunzel will want the soul of his daughter back. I could retrieve her, pretending that it was from the dead."

A soft, low chuckle. "Ah, I see."

As I descended the stairs, Commander Gren awakened. "Good morning! At least, I assume. Come to think of it, I don't know what time it is." I ignored him. "Good whatever-time-it-is!" He called after me.

I pushed open the door. The elves did not look up. I called the ball to me, and incessant screaming stopped. "What is your name, leader?" I asked Rapunzel. Of course, from spying on them, I already knew their names, as well as the name of the one I sent away.

He did not reply.

"I asked you, what are you named?" I repeated.

"I am already dead." He said, slowly and carefully.

I shook my head, sitting down. "Then perhaps we shall make a deal."

No response. As expected. No matter. I was quite confident that he would accept the deal I had to offer. I pointed my staff at the one they called Risha. "What was the name of the youngest of you?"

Rahnd growled. "The one you killed?!"

"Her name was Rayla." Risha says quietly.

"I see." I reply pleasantly. "And did the leader of your group love her?"

Everyone looked surprised. Risha does not answer.

I sigh. "Did you not love your daughter?" I ask in frustration.

Finally, Runaan speaks. "She was not in any way related to me."

I groan. "Well, who were her parents, if not you?"

Nobody replies.

This is going to be a very long conversation. But I will do whatever it takes to get Aaravos out of the mirror.