Fractured Youth

Fire Breathing Bitch Queen - 4

Age: 12

No one noticed me as I slipped into the dungeons. My father had brought in a rather interesting prisoner, according to the guards. I've always done the best I could to free any prisoners trapped for unjust reasons. So I needed to hear for myself who this female was.

I held myself still against the wall, closing my eyes and bending the light around me to create a shadow dark enough that no one would see my red hair, my golden eyes. The Night Court could manipulate and control shadows yes, but shadows don't exist without light, so I could create them too, if I tried.

My father had a young looking female chained to the wall. Red sand dripping from her hair, which had been disguised. It didn't do her much good, if she ended up down here. Her real hair was brilliant, blinding white. Her eyes crystal blue, within them burned a fire lit with pure rage. Though what she was angry about, I didn't know.
Most would think she was just angry at being caught, but this fury had roots deeper than that. This fury had been a part of her heart for a very long time.

"Knowledge is power, Helios." She said, sarcasm and ice lacing her voice. It was pretty easy to guess that she was of Winter blood, but due to our war, it was impossible to tell which court she swore fealty to.
"No. Power is power, Spymaster." He replied heatedly. 

I tilted my head as they continued to argue with one another. This female didn't look a day over 18, and yet she was the spymaster of one of our enemy courts? It didn't make sense.
Maybe that's what Father has taught you to think. My thoughts whispered. I had to bite back a sigh. It sounded like something he would do, despite all my efforts to avoid his manipulation.

"That may be. But I know many things that you would rather the world not know. I know things that you would torture me for." She baited him. My father was many things. Smart was not usually one of them, so I wasn't surprised when he fell for it.
"Like what?" He kept a bite in his tone, but curiosity warred in his voice.
"I know about your bastard. I know about the female who gave birth to him. I know what you did to her." she smirked. "I also know your son's current whereabouts."
My father snarled, which made me pause. Was she telling the truth?
"That boy and his mother died over seven years ago."
"Correction, Zoë Nox died. Your bastard son did not. An assassin of his mother's court found and saved him. He is very much alive, Your Highness." she spat at his feet, and didn't speak another word for the rest of the day.

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I snuck down to her cell at midnight. She was awake, and grinned at me when I arrived.
"I wondered when curiosity would get the better of you, Princess." unlike to my father, she said my title with some respect. Despite me being her enemy.
"You knew I was coming?" I raised an eyebrow
"I guessed. I know how to spot a magical shadow better than almost anybody. Knowing my own court, I assumed it was you or your sister hiding within it."
I had to give it to her, she was intelligent. "Will you tell me what I want to know?"
"Depends, what are you going to do to me if I don't?" All playfulness had vanished from her tone. She knew what kind of male my father was, she wasn't ready to dismiss the possibility that I was the same.
"Nothing. But I will get you out of here if you do."
She raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Deal. What do you want to know?"
"The boy you spoke about. Tell me about him."
"Ah. Your brother." She murmured.
"I have no brother. My father failed in having a male heir."
"Heir, yes. Child, no. A year after you were born, a Night Court spy gave birth to your father's bastard child. A boy she named Caliban. Upon learning of his existence, your father set a bounty on his and Zoë's lives. Zoë died when you were five, an assassin I know found Caliban sobbing over her body and took him to a war camp. He's safe and cared for." She said softly, watching my every move.
I slowly nodded. "Thank you." 
"Keep what you know a secret. And convince your father to do the same. I don't want the blood of an innocent boy on my hands if your father tries to kill him again." she warned, her voice deadly serious.
"I will."
"Good. Now let me out please."

I melted her chains and she flexed her wrists.
"Go. I don't want you to face the consequences if your father finds out you helped me." she said, checking to make sure none of her things had been stolen before getting ready to leave.
"Wait, what's your name?" I asked quickly.
She just grinned. "Long live the High Lady."

Then she knocked me out with a blast of ice.