The first thing Leto felt when she regained consciousness was the horrible pain that felt like her head was splitting in two. She let out a groan and cradled her head in her hands. She was vaguely aware of the soft bedding she laid in and how it wasn't her own but she didn't quite care at the moment. She slowly but reluctantly opened her eyes and cringed when the light blinded her. A series of lit candles were scattered throughout the place and gave the room a yellowish glow. Leto narrowed her eyes. This was a tent, judging by the material of the walls and the heavy flaps working as an entrance. If she had to guess she was no longer in Khona.

 

"Gods..." she sighed, troubled. What happened after she got knocked out? Was her father safe? How would she get out of this mess? So immersed in her thoughts Leto didn't notice the figure entering the telt until he spoke up.

 

"Glad to see you're still with us, Oracle." The man spoke in Madronian.

 

Leto didn't need to look up to know who it was.

 

"Great, you again..." she grunted, "mind telling me where I am?" She answered in her own language, knowing he understood it after their encounter in the temple.

 

"Well, at the moment you're laying in my bed. I must say, I thought I'd at least buy you dinner before we found ourselves here." He chuckled.

 

Leto couldn't say she had missed his dry humour for the time she had been out. Nor did she miss the fact that he was avoiding her question. She sat herself up and glared at the peculiar man.

 

"Why have you abducted me, snake?" her voice was low but menacing. The man rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue. He obviously didn't like the tone she used towards him. 

 

"I would appreciate if you'd stop calling me by that name." He walked up to Leto and held out a glass of water to her, "Especially when I'm being so considerate." 

 

Leto wanted to throw out a snarky remark of her own but the dryness of her throat and splitting headache made her think twice. 

 

"That's right, if you want this you'd better behave." he waved the cup in her face.

 

Leto wanted nothing more than to misbehave but she wasn't going be act rash. But she was dangerously dehydrated. Noticing her silence, the man nodded, content with himself.

 

"I take it you'll behave then. Here," he handed her the glass, "drink up." 

 

Leto snatched the cup and drank the water in one go. The blonde smiled sickly at her. 

 

"Good girl." 

 

Leto glared daggers at the man but kept quiet. She was in no shape to fight back. But knowing that the purple bruise that covered a great deal of his face was because of her did bring a great sense of satisfaction. Her only regret was that she wasn't able to do more damage. Her stare didn't go unnoticed by the man. 

 

"Thanks to you, my slight failure is for the world to see," he gestured to his bruising before turning his back and stalked over to a table with a pitcher and poured himself a glass of what looked like to be wine. 

 

"Slight failure?" Leto's lips twitched up slightly. That's one way to call it.

 

The man unfastened his leather jacket and shrugged it off. 

 

"Quite, because of our little...mishap, I was unable to follow through with my orders." he took a big swig of his drink and turned back to Leto on the bed. His eyes looked more serious now. When Leto had asked what he was doing in back at the palace he had mentioned he was looking for the King, does this mean he never got to him? She felt a little spark of hope in her chest. Maybe her father was safe after all. 

 

"Does that mean my Ki-" 

 

"Yes, yes your precious King is regrettably safe in his dingy little castle," he interrupted as he waved his hands in annoyance with his gills flared. Those gills caught her attention again. No doubt that he was part Siren but the troubling part was that he had infiltrated the Imperial Palace in plans to presumably kill the King of Ammeris. Could this guy be working for the Madronian Emperor? Leto grew more wary by the minute.

 

"But don't think I left empty-handed, dear," he threw the cup on the floor, the remaining wine staining the carpet and sauntered over to the bed. "After all," he paused and leaned down with one arm on the mattress and the other grabbing Leto's chin, "I got you, didn't I?" 

 

"You swine-!" 

 

"Sir." Another sharp voice interrupted them. Leto jerked her head towards the person. They were wearing the strangest thing, a tightfitting leather jacket, similar to her captor and a black robe that hid their frame. But what really caught Leto's eye was the mask covering half their face. It was pale and fashioned as a skeletal bird face, the beak stretching over the nose. Whoever they were, Leto was thankful they came when they did, she feared what would've happened otherwise.

 

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" The blonde grunted and dropped his hand. He had spoken in Madronian this time. It had been a long time ago since Leto last heard or spoken that language. She was a bit rusty. 

 

"My apologies, General, but you are needed in the planning tent."  

 

Leto's nervous gaze shifted back on Aquilus. This man was a General? Her blood ran cold. Someone had sent their highest-ranking officer to infiltrate her home. It didn't help that he was Madronian either.

 

"Can these imbeciles not be trusted to do anything on their own?" The man, Aquilus, stomped over to his subordinate. The masked person looked remarkably calm in they're leaders presence. Although it was hard to see with the mask. Aquilus was fuming, almost like a child throwing a tantrum. He threw a look back at Leto.

 

"At least I don't have to worry about you making any trouble," he gritted his teeth, "It is at moments like these I wish I could sedate my so-called officers as well." And with that, he left. What did he mean by that? Suddenly Leto felt a wave of dizziness overcome her and the glass slipped from her hand.

 

"Of course..." how could she'd not seen that coming. Aquilus had tampered with the water. Sly bastard. Leto couldn't believe the luck she was having, she had been kidnapped presumingly by her greatest enemy.

 

-----------

 

Leto bolted awake from a rough jolt. Panic filled her senses when she noticed she had been blindfolded and arms and legs tied to some kind of pole, making her pretty much immobile. Judging by the constant rocking movements and the muffled sound of seagulls she was definitely on a ship. Leto felt her anxiety steadily rise. Where was she now? 

 

She tried to listen for any clues but all the voices she heard were muffled. Leto sighed, she was exhausted. She'd been knocked out of conciseness enough for a lifetime. Her stomach growled and her lips were cracked from dehydration. She resisted the urge to lick them because she knew it would only make it worse. Her thoughts wandered back to the whole bizarre situation. She knew she was either being taken to her kidnapper's leader but what they would do to her she didn't dare think about it. 

 

It continued like that for at least half a day, her mind and stomach doing flips about her near future, until she heard footsteps behind her. Leto's ears perked up. They sounded too light for it to be Aquilus and she couldn't help but feel relieved. The person kept walking towards her but said nothing. Leto gently reached out with her aura for the person's own aura, whilst being careful to not further exhaust herself. She sensed no hostility from them and their aura felt surprisingly soft yet there was a strong sense of resentment blended in it. 

 

The ability to read another person in this way was something Leto learned to harness in her early years as a priestess but she tends not to use it because it feels like invading the persons deepest parts of themselves and it can become very personal and uncomfortable.     

 

She felt her ties being undone. Then her blindfold was taken off and Leto was greeted by the same strange mask from before. They were kneeled in front of her, hands outstretched. It appeared they were holding a loaf of bread and in the other hand a waterskin. 

 

"Eat, you'll need the strength. I'll come to fetch you when we're close." They talked in a rather flat voice and in a somewhat fluent Ammerian, which surprised Leto but she tried not to show it. Leto carefully grabbed the loaf and waterskin from the soldier.

 

"When we're close to what exactly?"

 

The masked person tilted their head slightly, "I'd thought you'd figured that out already," they stood back up and looked down at Leto, "You're being taken to Caralis." She stated plainly and left before Leto could respond. 

 

Leto felt a new sense of dread come over her. She was going to the Capital of Madronia, the very heart of her people's enemy. She didn't dare imagine what suffering would fall upon her in this place. She cursed silently. Why didn't she use her ability to foresee this? Leto couldn't help but feel as if her powers of foresight were absolutely for nothing at this moment. They helped others but when it came to herself, not so much. 

 

"What am I going to do?" She whispered helplessly. Leto glared at the bread in her hand and suddenly made up her mind, she couldn't give up, especially not know. Her people were counting on her, even if they didn't know that. She would get out of here. Whatever it may take.

 

As she tore into the bread she cringed at the weird salty taste. Looking down she noticed it was covered in seaweed. Yet another reason to get out of here. In a matter of seconds, she finished the loaf and drank all the water and she could finally feel some life coming back to her. Later the masked person returned as planned and brought Leto to the upper deck. The ship they were on appeared slim compared to the ones back in Ammeris which were large and bulky. She noticed the two soldiers at each end of the ship, Leto assumed they were steering but it certainly wasn't with oars. It appeared as if they were controlling the currents of the sea to steer the boat. It was quite mesmerizing to watch, their sleek bodies moving fluidly and precise, almost like a wave. 

 

The masked person never let go of Leto's arm as they stood on the upper deck. When Leto tore her eyes from the soldiers she noticed Aquilus were nowhere to be seen. 

 

"He had other business to attend to." The masked person stated next to her. Leto let out a silent sigh of relief. She really did not have the strength to face him at the moment. 

 

Leto sneaked a glance at the masked person. Even with the mask, they had a dignified air about them. The hood was raised unusually high when they wore it. They probably had some form of horns under there. Leto assumed they weren't of Madronian descent but it was hard to tell with all that leather and fabric covering almost their entire appearance. 

 

Leto turned back to the vast ocean that surrounded them and a small rueful smile formed on her lips. Last time she saw this much water was with her mother when they used to practise sword fighting by the coast. She cast her gaze downwards, staring at the rippling made by the ship. She tried not to dwell on those memories for too long. For awhile the two stood like that, side by side until the masked soldier spoke up again. 

 

"Were here." 

 

Leto looked up again and what she saw made her gape. How did she not notice it sooner? In front of them loomed the great port of Caralis. Two gigantic statues of their sea goddess stood at the two ends of the port, watching and protecting her people from harm. At their hands fell two heavy man-made waterfalls that glittered in the sun. As they sailed past the statues, they're greeted with white alabaster buildings as far as the eye could see. At their right, there was a large building with a high roof and an enormous entrance where other ships sailed in and out almost constantly and where loud voices could be heard in more than a few languages. It had to be some sort of marked or trading place. Leto's gaze continued onto the large pillars that formed the outline of the port. On top of them stood more statues but she couldn't identify what diety it was. 

 

In the distance loomed mountains that spewed even more waterfalls. In fact, it appeared that there wasn't a single space which there wasn't water in any form. The roads appeared to be of water and most people walked without shoes. But they didn't really need shoes when they walked on smooth and snow coloured stone, unlike the rough earth in Leto's home. 

 

Their ship continued forward towards the grand entrance to the city. The two largest of the pillars stood at the entrance, much like the statues in the beginning, and a robust gate connected them. Bellow them were guards, unlike the rest of the people who appeared to wear mostly loose-fitting linen clothing, the guards wore tight leather, similar to that of Aquilus and the soldiers on the ship but not as fine. 

 

They halted the boat and the masked soldier stepped forwards with Leto still on her side. One of the guards stepped forward as well and frowned when they saw Leto.

 

'Yikes, I guess this is the treatment I need to get used to from now on...' Leto thought.

 

"Captain Eeira here to report to General Aquilus," they said in perfect Madronian and showed the guards a badge of some sort and the guard clasped his arm to his chest like some sort of greeting and Captain Eeira mirrored his move. Leto shook her head, it would take some time adjusting to this language. It sounded so strange to her ears.

 

"Welcome back Captain. General Aquilus came by a few hours back. I believe you'll find him at the Palace."

 

Leto heard Captain Eeira click their tongue, they clearly weren't pleased with this information. 

 

"Thank you, Alair." They greeted him goodbye and turned her head towards the soldiers steering the boat, "Take us to the Palace and make haste." 

 

The soldiers regained their positions and the water surrounding the boat glowed a light blue. So this was sea magic, huh? Leto knew she was knee-deep in enemy territory but she couldn't help but marvel at this new form of magic. They were moving faster this time despite the traffic of the watery roads. Leto's only support was the steel grip of Captain Eiira's hand on her arm. As they soared through the large city Leto only caught glimpses of it but she thought it lacked in colours. Everything was merely white and blue and not only that when the sun shone on the alabaster stone, it almost blinded her. So far Leto was not enjoying her stay in the famous sea city.

 

Soon they found themselves on a different path, it was wider and no other ships seemed to be sailing here. When she looked forward she noticed why. At the end of the huge bridge was another tall yet slim tunnel-like gate, like the one at the port but this one was decorated with engravings. When they reached the opening, the boat seemed to gently bump against something. Captain Eeira let go of Leto's arm and moved to the front. She raised her arms and it seemed as if they were writing with her fingers in thin air except the movements were copied in the air and glowed in a light blue. Then an almost transparent wall appeared. And it occurred to Leto that it was a shield to protect the Palace from outsiders and to keep the people inside. 

 

'Great, how the hell am I supposed to get out now? My own magic can only do so much when it came to water. It was as far from my element as possible.' Leto let out an annoyed sigh.

 

When the Palace itself came into view you could see how the main part of the building stood on lower ground, close to the water. Yet the other two wings were raised on higher grounds with tall elegant bridges connected them to the main building. Just like the city, the palace shone bright with its white marble and its gold statues spread across the place. Behind the palace roared a gigantic waterfall that created a misty and dramatic background to complete the scene. The architecture was like nothing Leto has seen before, it was quite remarkable how they managed to balance such heavy material on such small pillars. 

 

The boat came to a stop at the bottom of a large set of steps that kept going down into the water, which made it easier to step out of the boat and onto land. The cold stone beneath her feet felt nice in the hot sun and when she closed her eyes she could almost imagine as if she was standing back at the temple in Khona. Then suddenly she felt cold metal entrap her wrists.

 

"Wha...?" 

 

"It's nothing personal, Oracle," The Captain said before pulling on her restraints, "Now move it."

 

Leto sighed and followed, it's not like she had a choice. They entered the smaller entrance, the one reserved for the servants. After a couple turns they entered a large open hall.

 

This place was huge, even for Leto's standards. No wonder Aquilus thought her palace was puny but it didn't mean she still wasn't offended by his comment. Leto threw her head back and marvelled at the ceiling, they were covered in colourful scenes of pieces of Madronian history. Leto didn't recognize a lot of the murals but she certainly understood the more recent ones. Scenic scenes of bloodshed between Madronians and her own people. Leto was still a young girl when the first Ammerian-Madronian war had ended but she always felt such sadness when her grandfather retold stories from those dark days, she had truly hoped to not witness another war...

 

"Are you quite finished yet?" Captain Eiras voice rang out.

 

Leto quickly snapped out of her haze and returned to the Captain's side. not that they were very far away from each other, the restraints made sure of that. They continued walking in a brisk pace, to what Leto had no idea but she was trying not to think about it too much. The farther in they walked the less decorative it became. 

 

"Where are you taking me?" Leto furrowed her brows, not knowing if the Captain would give her a straight answer or not. They quickly glanced back at her.

 

"The baths." They said no more and continued their way through the maze they called a palace. Leto quirked her eyebrow. The baths? Was she really that filthy? As she thought this a servent walking past them stoped in their track and covered their nose in disgust. Leto carefully took a whiff of her armpit and let out a silent 'oof'.

 

'Fair enough...' She thought.

 

"Alright so maybe I need a bath but why bother to pamper your prisoner? Aren't you just going to throw me into a dirty cell anyway?" 

 

Leto could see the Captain's shoulders rise and fall with a silent sigh.

 

"I'm only following orders. Now, please stop talking to me."

 

Leto huffed, she hadn't talked that much...had she? She was prone to rambling when she was anxious and she was in the literal home of her enemy. Or maybe it was the Captain's calm aura that made her feel more at ease? After a couple turns in the blinding white halls they seemed to have arrived at their destination. From the opening, Leto could feel the mist from the hot baths and a couple presumably servants washing after a tough days work. 

 

"Come on." she felt the Captain tug on her restraints. As they entered the room, a few servants looked up for a brief moment before resuming their washing. 

 

Leto felt her restraints being undone and she massaged her wrists. 

 

"Strip." The simple command made Leto choke a little and look back at the Captain. They looked back at her through the hollow eyes of their mask.

 

"Well?" They shook their head in slight annoyance. Leto cleared her throat. It wasn't as if Leto was uncomfortable with other people seeing her naked, she was practically nude when doing her Oracle work and growing up in the army she quickly adjusted with being seen bare in situations such as these. It was just really awkward and strange doing it around, well, her supposed enemy.

 

"Alrighty then..." She started with taking off her sandals and her baggy trousers before moving on with her upper garments. Once naked she looked over to the Captain's smaller form and back down at the pile of clothing in her arm.

 

"So, uh, where do I put these?" 

 

The Captain simply took them from her and gave her a bar of soap before plopping themselves down on a nearby bench.

 

"Be done in 10 minutes or you walk out of here wet." They almost commanded before adding, "I trust you know how to wash?"

 

Leto nodded slowly and made her way to the hot bath with her bar of soap. As she sunk herself in the water she felt her body relax for the first time in what felt like days. Leto leaned back with her arms out of the bath and let out a long sigh. Before her mind started wandering she suddenly felt more than a couple of eyes on her and she opened her own. It was the servants, many of them were starring at her but not in disgust as Leto thought they would, they looked on her almost bashfully.

 

'Why...why are they looking at me like that? Am I that weird-looking for them?'

 

Leto slowly started cleaning herself with the soap and noticed how some were even blushing now, especially the women? What was going on here? 

 

"My, what a sculptured body she has..." 

 

Leto stopped in her tracks. The women across from her where whispering quite loudly.

 

"She's quite the sight, isn't she? She actually looks like the statues in the courtyard."

 

'Oh...Oh!' They were talking about her or rather her body. Now it was Leto's turn to turn bright red. That's what everyone was so bashful about? Leto knew she was more toned than the average woman, at least compared to the women here. It wasn't the least strange for women to be muscular in Ammerian culture. They were, after all, a warrior culture. They were all so thin here, Leto was almost worried about their health. She tried to hide in the water but it hardly helped.

 

Leto quickly finished and stepped out of the bath and grabbed one of the towels and dried herself before wrapping the towel tightly around her body. The Captain stood up and walked out of the baths and Leto quickly followed them.

 

"What now?" She asked.

 

"You need new clothing. We can't have you walking around in Ammerian clothing, it would cause an outrage. Beside they smell." 

 

"Oh." Leto fumbled with the hem of the towel she was wearing as they walked away from the bath, people still gawking at Leto from the room but they weren't on her mind at the moment. The idea that someone just wearing clothes from her homeland would cause an outrage made her realise just how deep the hate for her country and people ran here, not that it wasn't as bad back in Ammeris. She'd grown up with the hate so it shouldn't bother her, but it did and it always had. 

 

"Right. Of course." 

 

"Don't let it get to you, the Madronians are sensitive people and overreact over the smallest of things." the Captain said with annoyance but Leto couldn't help but feel as if they were trying to cheer her up. Leto smiled slightly at the Captain's back. Despite her situation, Leto was glad to have them with her, even if they were technically enemies. 

 

They entered a new room, close to the baths, except this one had fewer people. 

 

"Wait here." They said and walked up to a woman behind a counter. They exchanged some words and the lady looked over at Leto and tilted her head to the side before nodding and pulling out something from under the counter and handed over it to the Captain. 

 

"Here, it's man's clothing but it should fit you well." 

 

Leto untangled the white fabric and was surprised to see that it looked almost like her priestess clothing. She shrugged off her bathrobe, earning her a blush from the counter lady and pulled on the clothing which was easier said than done. Limbs got tangled and the Captain had to help but she got it on in the end. Leto looked herself in the small mirror and wasn't sure how to feel. It was comfortable but seeing herself in Madronian clothes was a rather weird feeling. It felt silky smooth on her body and wasn't restricting at all, maybe almost a little too unrestricted. She could almost not believe the men here wore this. What surprised her the most was how elegant it looked for a servents dress. 

 

The Captain seemed to take notice of her surprise and answered, "The Emperor enjoys surrounding himself with beautiful people." 

 

"Ah, I see." Leto turned around, "Now what?" 

 

"My orders are to deliver you to my General."

 

By their General they meant Aquilus.

 

"Oh yay," Leto whispered and she felt the Captain put a hand on her shoulder. They turned their head upwards to look Leto in the eyes.

 

"You're strong. Don't worry too much."

 

Leto blinked in surprise. Was that a compliment? But before she could say anything the Captain brought out the restraints again and Leto sighed and raised her wrists. They went back to the nicer part of the palace and soon they found themselves outside of Aquilus quarters. 

 

The Captain knocked on the heavy wooden door and they heard a faint 'Enter'.

 

"This is where I leave you." They mumbled and left for whatever other duties they had. 

 

Leto took a deep breath to steady herself and then opened the door and took a few steps into the room. She was instantly met by ominous energy. The inside of Aquilus office was dark and lit up with dim candlelight, just like his tent. There were lots of red fabric draped around the room giving it a regal touch. Leto scanned the room further and noticed a golden pitcher on the table and a goblet laying tossed on the floor, some of its content spilt. Red wine. This was Aquilus quarters alright. 

 

"Well if it isn't my favourite Oracle." The cold familiar voice came from a dark corner of the room. Leto kept her eyes forward as he stepped up behind her. She felt his hand glide sensually from the small of her back up to her neck, giving her goosebumps but certainly not the pleasant ones. He lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered. 

 

"Look at you all dolled up, all this for me?" Leto flinched from the horrid smell of alcohol coming from Aquilus hot breath. 

 

'Urk, just great.' 

 

"Ignoring me are we? You're no fun..." He sighed as he dropped his hand.

 

'Oh I'll show you fun...' Leto clenched her fists so hard they almost turned white. She knew, logically, that Aquilus had the upper hand and making a move would be incredibly stupid but it took all of Leto's willpower to not punch him in the face right there and then.

 

Aquilus glanced down at Leto's restrained hands and smirked. 

 

"They look good on you. Sadly we can't put them to any good use."

 

"And why is that?" She asked with gritted teeth. 

 

"Ah! So you do speak!" He clapped his hands together and stepped in front of Leto. 

 

"To answer your question dear, we can not stay long for the Emperor awaits our arrival."

 

Leto scoffed, "What would the Emperor of Madronia want with an Oracle?"

 

"Why, to tell the future of course! I bet the sovereign would love to let his people know the outcome of this war. You do give the most accurate readings, no? I saw that for myself back in that cave." Aquilus said as he picked up the discarded goblet and poured himself a cup.

 

Leto narrowed her eyes in confusion, she remembered quite clearly after her fainting spell that Aquilus was definitely not there.

 

"How? I never told you about my vision..." Aquilus got a glint in his golden eyes.

 

"Has anyone ever told you that you speak in riddles in your trance? I happen to be fluent, you see. Being part Siren has its perks at times"

 

"So, what do you know?" As she asked, Aquilus grin only grew.

 

"Total destruction of Khona. Bodies stacked, blood running down the streets. The usual really."

 

Leto's eyes widen, scenes from her vision came flooding back to her. They couldn't be true, they just couldn't. She wouldn't let it become a reality.

 

"You're wrong..." She whispered as she bawled the fabric of her clothes in her fists.

 

"What was that?" Aquilus raised an eyebrow.

 

"You're wrong!" Leto raised her voice, her blood boiling. This seemed to spark something in Aquilus. His eyes turned menacing and in a flash, he grabbed Leto's neck with such force that her back slammed into the wall behind, forcing the air out of her lungs. Aquilus sharp nails pricked at her skin. This man had no principals, he could kill her with no care in the world. Leto's own hands flew up to his around her throat in a desperate attempt to claw it away. 

 

"Now, you listen to me, little girl, if you ever raise your voice to me again, it will not end well for you. Madronia will succeed, and Ammeris will be nothing but ruins once we're done." He hissed in her face, his bruised face twisted in despise.

 

Ever since Leto woke up in his tent, she knew, of course, the situation was dire but she probably didn't realize just how dire. Now, with Aquilus hand wrapped around her throat forced her face the brutal reality she was in. For the very first time since leaving Khona Leto truly felt afraid. 

 

He tightened his grip and leaned in closer, his sharp teeth bared. 

 

"You are nothing but Ammerian scum. Know your place." He then cast Leto aside so harshly she fell on the floor in a coughing fit. She gripped her sore throat and focused on taking deep breaths as the room spun around her. 

 

"Get up. We don't have all day." Aquilus stared down at her with disgust, his head held high. Leto quickly recovered from her dizzy spell and stood up. She refused to show weakness, especially in front of him. But she would have to be careful with her temper, it wouldn't do her much good here. The only suitable place for it was on the battlefield, it kept her alive. But here? It would probably get herself killed. 

 

Aquilus suddenly seized her restraint and pulled her with him and entered the bright hall. As they walked, undoubtedly to his Emperor, Aquilus was quiet and his face was sharp, a look Leto was sure she mirrored. He walked at a fast pace. The closer they got to the throne room the more luxurious each hall became. Rich coloured drapery and exotic flowers covered every opened window and an exquisite fragrance filtered the air, but this did nothing to calm her nerves, she could feel her anxiety rise for every stride they took. Then they were there. A huge set of purple drapes separated them from the other side. 

 

"Behave yourself." He warned before dragging himself and Leto along with him into the room. The enormous room was overwhelming yet familiar to her, the sight mimicked memories of lavish celebrations from when she was a girl. Drapery of all kinds with intense colours swung from each high pillar to the next giving the room a dramatic effect and between them, you could catch a glimpse of the vast alabaster city and the setting sun. The air in there was filled with the rich aroma of incense and the sweet smell of freshly prepared food which she could spot on the different tables around the room and it looked sublime. The room was crawling with well-dressed people, Leto had never seen so much fabric in one place before. These people stood around these tables eating, drinking and enjoying the music. At the edge of the circular room were pools set into the floor filled with people but they didn't bother with their intricate clothes like everyone else. 

 

When they noticed Aquilus and her, the festive people stopped and stared, suddenly all eyes were on them. Their gaze followed Leto's every step, she even heard a couple of gasps in the crowd. At the end of their path stood a large throne that stood taller than anything else in the room and in it sat the very man responsible for the atrocities that have been executed against her people and country over the long years. Emperor Romulus. There he sat, head leaning against his palm, his long dirty blonde hair falling over his shoulders and his eyes filled with raw power. Those eyes were focused on Leto and her alone as they came to stand at the end of the impressive throne. 

 

He lifted his free hand and the music came to a halt. For a moment the hall was dead silent. The Emperor broke their staring contest and slowly rose from his throne, and almost immediately did Aquilus drop to his knees in a deep bow, dropping Leto's restraints in haste. When the guests saw that nobody was holding her back many of them backed away in caution. But Leto wasn't stupid enough to try anything now, she knew what would happen.

 

The Emperor slowly made his way down the steps and his impressive figure toward over Aquilus, his stale gaze now on Aquilus form on the floor.

 

"My Emperor..." He uttered the word almost as if it was holy to him, it surprised Leto a bit, was this man really that important to him? Not that it mattered to her but it was hard to imagine this reaction from Aquilus.

 

"My soldier, you have returned to me at last." The Emperor's deep and powerful voice carried out throughout the hall and everyone was listening intently. He crouched down to Aquilus and gently gripped his chin.

 

"Rise, my beloved soldier." 

 

And so he did, yet his head was still cast downwards, which the Emperor noticed. He tipped Aquilus head up gently and Romulus eyes widen slightly when noticing the large bruising covering Aquilus pale skin. He gently traced a finger down his face and Leto could see Aquilus shudder slightly. 

 

"My poor soldier," the Emperor whispered, "It pains me to see you in this state" Emperor Romulus cupped Aquilus cheek and he leaned into his touch without hesitation. 

 

Leto raised her eyebrows. Whatever relation the two had they sure wasn't afraid of showing it, or maybe this was the norm when it came to displaying affection in Madronia?

 

Emperor Romulus turned back to Leto, he didn't seem a bit worried that nobody was restraining her other than the thick lock on her wrists. 

 

"Well, who might we have here?" Slowly he walked over to Leto, easily towering over her with his height. The Emperor was a very well built man and he wasn't ashamed of showing it off. His chest was exposed, save for the right side covered by a crimson fabric drawn over his shoulder. 

 

"Aquilus dear, pray tell, why have you brought me this Ammerian girl?" 

 

"Sire, she's the famed Oracle of Dione," Aquilus shifted awkwardly in his place.

 

"This girl is? But she's so," the Emperor waved his hand, "unimpressive, not at all what I expected." He lifted his hand up to Leto's face and she flinched away from him. His facial expression remained the same. 

 

"I can assure you, sire, it's her. Her reading was quite satisfactory."

 

"I trust your judgment Aquilus." He seemed to ponder awhile before speaking again. "What is your name, barbarian?"

 

Leto only glared at him. Just the sound of his voice made her skin crawl.

 

"It is quite rude not answer when someone is addressing you, child. Or perhaps you do not speak our language? I shouldn't expect too much from an Ammerian after all." The Emperor turned away and laughed heartily with the people nearby.

 

"I understand quite well, Emperor." Leto spit out the words as if they were venom. Gods she hated this guy. 

 

Emperor Romulus only smirked, "Well, well how...impressive. You must be the first cultured Ammerian I've meet so far." He snickered slightly and some in the crowd joined him.  

 

Leto clenched her jaw, gnawing her teeth. These Madronians were really testing her patience, which was none at this moment. 

 

"Now then, should we put this so-called 'famed Oracle' to the test, hm?" He addressed the crowd and they cheered.

 

"Oracle, tell me, how long before I seize my victory? This war has been dragging on for quite some time now. I grow weary and I would like to finally claim my rightful land, even if its nothing but deserts and barbarians." He smirked, but this one was reserved for Leto alone. he was trying to rile her up and it was working. 

 

Leto was now quite literally shaking from anger. She could feel herself slipping farther away from her senses, which was dangerous. She wouldn't be able to control herself if her wild side were to slip out. Her claws were cutting into her own skin now and her breathing was laboured.

 

Emperor Romulus noticed and amusement danced in his dark eyes.

 

"Look at you, trembling like a child. Not to worry I'm not gonna hurt you-,"

 

"You take one more step closer and I'll make you regret it," Leto snarled, her voice filled with fury.

 

Everyone in the room gasped and the somewhat relaxed mood was now icy cold. The Emperor scoffed at her.

 

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner, barbarian! I have heard enough of you. Guards! Get her out from my sight. You'll be executed in the morning. Too bad you couldn't live long enough to see the downfall of your own country."

 

This is when Leto snapped, all caution she once had, had now been thrown out the window. Her senses blurred and her feral side had been forced out spurred on by the panic and anger now coursing through her veins. 

 

Two guards came running up to her and Leto went low and slid her leg behind the first guard's legs, making him hit the floor, knocking his head against the hard stone floor. The other guard tried grabbing her by the hair but he was too slow. Leto raised her arms over the guards head, trapping him with her restraints and headbutted him hard in the head. He fell to the floor and remained there. Leto looked around the room filled with people but it was all a haze and all she felt was the intense feeling of wrath that controlled her, telling her to attack and that's what she did. 

 

She barely registered the hard blow that made her fall to her knees. She somehow broke the chain connecting her hands together to the shackles and tried pushing herself up but a pair of strong hands twisted her arms behind her back and forced her to stay down. She growled at the person and swore in her own language.

 

"By Eona, kill this beast now!" Emperor Romulus commanded as the party-goers went into a frenzy of panic.

 

"Yes, Sire," The man behind her drew his sword and Leto kept trying to push him off and when it didn't work she growled louder in annoyance. The man raised his sword and even in her rage drunken state she knew there was nothing she could do to save her own skin. 

 

"Stop! Stop, I say! " A new voice bombarded the hall, the voice took control of the room and it was as if everything came to a stop. The blade was only inches away from Leto's neck when it suddenly halted. Leto looked towards the voice, although everything was still blurry for her. She tried shaking her head and taking steady breaths to regain her normal self, after a while, she seemed to come down from her high and she dreaded what she saw. 

 

The guards she seemed to have fought laid in their own pool of blood and the room was in disarray with tables knocked over and the crowd looked on her with terrified faces, or rather at the person that made everything pause. Leto forced her head up and she saw the sea of people parting ways for somebody. Everyone looked upon them with both amazement and fear and when Leto's eyes finally laid upon the source of her saviour, so did she.

 

It was a young woman, no older than Leto. Her abundance of pink hair swayed with her movements and so did her flowy dress. She moved with an air of elegance yet restrained power, every step entrance the onlookers. Even from a distance, Leto felt her pale piercing gaze fall on her. 

 

"Daughter! What are you doing here?" Emperor Romulus expressed with clear shock in his voice.

 

Leto's eye widened. This was the Emperor's daughter? That would explain the crown on her head then. The young woman came to a stop just a few steps from Leto. She looked down on her and Leto almost shivered as she stared back at her pale and unchanging face. 

 

"I thought I'd stop by for a drink, Father dear." Her delicate lips moved and her voice was sharp. 

 

Emperor Romulus frowned at her as he answered.

 

"You aren't supposed to be here..."

 

The woman broke eye contact and turned to her father.

 

"I couldn't very well sleep with this ruckus going on, now could I?" The air became cooler with each syllable that fell from her mouth. 

 

"I-" Emperor Romulus flinched as she directed her attention to him.

 

"Tell me, why is it you are allowed to gorge yourself on delights such as these? Yet, all I get is a pale imitation of the rich mirth from your nightly festivities." She drew closer to him as she spoke.

 

"Am I not the Emperor's daughter? Do I not have the same claim to entertainment as you, father dear?" Her voice was practically dripping with ice and it was clear it was effective on everyone in the room, but especially Emperor Romulus. He looked uncertain and slightly embarrassed by being spoken in such a way by his child.

 

"Yes, but dear you are not yet ready for such excitement-"

 

"I have stood out with this numbing boredom for too long. I have come to find something to stimulate my senses." 

 

Her father looked on her with confusion.

 

"What could you possibly want? You have everything you can think of at the tip of your fingers."

 

Her pale green eyes landed on Leto again and her father's realisation dawned on him as he also looked on her crumbled form.

 

"Surely you can not be serious-"

 

"You want me to stay in my tower? Out of sight? Then give me the Ammerian." Her demand made him gulp. After a few tense moments, he relents and sighs.

 

"Do as you wish, but don't come crying to me when she tries to slit your throat in your sleep." He motions for Aquilus to let her go. He then addresses the crowd.

 

"My lovely subjects, I think I speak for everybody when I say this feast has been spoiled. We shall commence it once again at a later convenience. If you'd please follow the servants." 

 

His voice grew fainter as the people filed out the room leaving Leto alone with the intimidating heiress. Once alone she sank down to Leto's level and ran a deadly chill finger down her face and gripped her chin, much like how Romulus did with Aquilus. Leto was forced to look into her sharp stare.

 

"Welcome to your new home, pet."