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Yassia did not exactly want to listen to what Cenred had to say, but she caught herself perking up her ears nevertheless. After all, he said he had found out things about Leon, things Yassia didn’t even know herself, things she yearned to know. It was a very unusual and not the most pleasant way to gather information, but she guessed she had to do with what was offered. You had to be realistic about these things…
What was it he found out? Yassia thought she sensed a certain air of angry irritation about him. So something irked him. Bad news for him? Did that mean it was good news for her? How she wished he would spill already - -

Her thoughts were cut short by Cenred suddenly slamming his fist hard against the door. Though she had vowed to herself to no batter an eyelid no matter what this cruel king would throw at her, he quite achieved his goal if he had meant to startle her. Yassia couldn’t help but flinch and shrink a bit into the wall, exhaling slowly to regain her composure. At least he was hitting the door, not her. At least he was at the far end of the room for now, not anywhere near her with this rage. Yassia felt she needed to count her blessings.
Only when she was sure her voice would not tremble all too much, she dared to reply, as calm as she could.
“I failed to mention it, because I didn’t know it”, she told him simply. “I just know his name and that he is my uncle, nothing else. He has never seen me before, he doesn’t even know I exist.”
Her fear was suddenly mixed with a certain kind of detached relief. So her uncle had made his dream come true. How very fortunate for him! She ought to be proud…

Had that been wise, mentioning it? Leverage that wasn’t known as existing wasn’t good leverage at all. Had she just signed her own death warrant with this show of honesty, because Cenred had no longer use for her?
Though, if she was completely honest with herself, Yassia didn’t care right now. Wouldn’t it be better if this was all over soon? To die quickly instead of rotting away in a cell waiting for a ransom that never came? Or was there something else Cenred had in mind?
“You like to sprout threats, don’t you?” she scoffed, clinging to her last ounce of dignity. “Just that you seem to overlook it’s hard to not step out of place if you don’t know what this place is!”

Was she beginning to bargain with him? Was that really her talking? No, she was just fathoming her chances. She was by no means giving in!
“You’re the man for scams and extortion”, she shrugged and crossed her arms, mirroring his stance. “I’m just an airhead princess, head filled with dresses and jewelry, so forgive me if I can’t follow your reasoning. You need to be more precise with me.”
She might not be the most cunning woman on earth, but even she did know you never ought to play with open cards. Being underestimated was sometimes a sharper weapon than lashing out, showing all you got.

Of course it was him. Who else would be coming? Some knight in shining armour battling her out and taking her away on some white steed? Pathetic! No, she would have to deal with what she got, and that probably was a very smug and nevertheless cranky mad king named Cenred. What might he have come up with by now? Yassia found she somehow didn’t even want to know. And then again, of course she did want to know lest the tension of NOT knowing tore her apart. Whatever scrape she had gotten herself into by now, this was by far the most dangerous and threatening to everything she was made of. Who knew what Cenred could make her do? He had all the power in his hands – for now. That didn’t mean of course she would step aside and let him do whatever he pleased. Yassia Dyfrène, Princess and designated Queen of Ailantha was not ready to give up yet. She had come too far for that!

Was it the cold down here that made her shudder the tiniest bit (to her great dismay) or was it his voice even? Fascinating news about her uncle Leon? If it pleased him it could not be anything good – for her. Trying to get control over her facial expression, Yassia listened to his short introduction. The time in the dungeon, however short or long it had been, made it more difficult to hide her emotions even now. Rats, cold and dampness were not befitting for composure and countenance as it seemed. Taking a slow, deep breath Yassia pushed the overwhelming fear in the back of her mind, so it would not be visible in her eyes. Did it work? Too bad there was no mirror down here, she might have to watch out for Cenred’s own reaction to tell.

“I don’t know what’s very civil to this surroundings to begin with”, she commented with fake nonchalance, “but don’t let me stop you. I will not be the one giving this conversation an uncivil turn, so you might as well say your piece. I’m listening.”
Was that going too far again already? Yassia couldn’t tell how far Cenred’s patience would stretch. It was a thin line between not giving in and open challenge. A tightope she now had to walk very carefully.

Would he really put a muzzle on her, something so very undignified that would turn her from a captured princess with a well said point to an annoyingly barking dog who need to be shut up to not cause a headache? Oh, it was not a question of if he would dare, Yassia was sure he would, only that then he would get no information out of her at all. And he still seemed to need her for that. That was the only thing she might be able to count on. Pillars of salt, pillars of sand…

Time was an odd thing to pass when you had no means to count it. No sun to watch moving over the sky in her graceful and determined path, no hour candle blazing and burning down steadly. Only the sporadic, inordinate trickling of water and the occasional cheeping and squeaking of a rat, which sent Yassia bolt upright and shuddering every time it happened. She had seen them out of the corner of her eyes already a few times, but until now, thank the stars, none had dared to come closer.
What might happen if she had to spend a night in here, she didn’t even dare to think of. They might get bolder when she slept, scuttling closer, maybe even crawling over her body, their naked tail swishing over her mouth - - she bit her hand hard to keep from screaming. She never had thought herself to be such a wimpy girl, but the time here – minutes, hours or what it was, had been fit to cure her of that notion.

Meanwhile her mind was also tormented with what might go on in King Cenred’s mind right now. What was he planning to do? With her? With Leon?
It was the special way of a dimly lit, damp and cold vault to send your mind and imagination into overdrive. Suddenly the worst seemed possible, even the most likeable option! And as nothing was happening right now, the visions she got became more gory and scary by the second. He could do most anything to her… she knew that now, and the problem was he knew that as well. The tiny spark of hope that he would refrain from anything because of a bit of humanity left inside him had been quenched quickly. Oh, he would do as he saw fit… and not knowing what it WAS he saw fit didn’t make this easier at all.

With thoughts like this she spent an indefinite period of time, until she heard footsteps and muffled voices outside the thick wooden door and a moment later the rattling of a key in the lock.
It cost her much to actually leap to her feet, move her stiff muscles swiftly enough, but at this moment the tiny flicker of pride she had left inside her flamed up again. Whatever Cenred would throw at her – she would face it upright, not cowering!
The cat had come to play another round with the mouse… but as far as the mouse was concerned, she would not go down without a fight!

This was so not going well. Not that Yassia hadn’t known this before, but his words just rubbed it into her face this time. She had a right might objecting to his claim of him being victorious in their struggle, just to be spiteful and show him she wouldn’t give in, but in her heart Yassia already knew he was right. She couldn’t win this battle on her own, no matter how much ‘spirit’ she showed. Cenred was on his very own ground, had a dozen men alone in this room to answer his every command, wheras she was a stranger and without any protection at all. He could mark her as a criminal as long as he wanted and keep her in custody.

Custody…! It only now dawned on Yassia what that would mean, and it made her gasp and inch away out of sheer instinct, pride having no say in this matter. He was joking, right? This was another of his cruel jokes! He couldn’t really be implying that…
“To the cells?!” she exclaimed, struggling fervently against the rough hands gripping her arms from behind. “You can’t do this! I am of royal blood, I demand some respect! You cannot shut me away in a stinking cell like a common criminal!” She might be digging her own grave with shouting at him like she did, letting her temper roll free, but in this very moment Yassia couldn’t care less. The prospect of a dark, cold cell had been one step too far. She couldn’t take this, she wouldn’t take this!

Then again, there was nothing she could really do about it, and Cenred knew that as well, apparently having the time of his life watching her futile fight against his guards. They didn’t care for what she did, just hauled her brutally to her feet and dragged her backwards, regardless if she wanted to come along or not.
“What do you mean, ‘starting’ with Leon?” she called out desperately towards the cruelly grinning king, as she was still facing him while being dragged out of the room. “What are you going to do?”
Good God, what had she done?! Had she now dragged her uncle she didn’t even know down with her as she had given Cenred his name? This thought filled her with utmost despair, even crowding out the ire boiling inside her. What sort of a nightmare was this?!

Sending one last glare in Cenred’s direction the doors were shut in Yassia’s face and she was pulled mercilessly onward, down into the deepest part of this wretched castle. All the way down she didn’t stop fighting and squirming, but it was futile. It even made her plaguers laugh, causing them to call her ‘wildcat’ and even more unseemly names.
“See you later sweetheart, and greet the rats!” One of them teased as he pushed her into a dark, damp cell onto equally damp and half-rotten straw.
Only with the greatest amount of willpower she kept from crying. She only retreated into a corner, hugged her knees and waited for the cat to come and play with the mouse once again – hoping he would come soon and at the same time dreading it.

Yassia was tempted to clap her hands in delight like a child. The sheer thought of Romily visiting Camelot while she was still there made the forced stay there all the more bearable, even to something looking forward to! She didn’t even know what to expect, her uncle might not tolerate her, King Uther might have no intentions to help her… anything could happen, and it eased her worry quite a bit to know she would be entertaining a visitor. And not just any visitor, her best and only friend, this wonderful woman she had met by sheer goodwill of fate!
“Do come! I hold you to this promise, Romily! Oh, it will be wonderful!” she exclaimed but then clamped a head over her mouth and giggled as she realized she had been way too loud.

Holding her breath, Yassia watched Romily taking out the mentioned dress. Even the small part of it she could see, the upper part of the bodice as the rest was neatly folded, made her exhale in a hiss of pure awe. She had seen many beautiful dresses alright, and as princess of Ailantha had owned most of them, but apparently she had forgotten the splendor of such a sight. The sheer simple elegance of the shimmering silver fabric took her breath away, leaving her speechless. It wasn’t as heavy as she had expected it to be when Romily laid it into her tentatively extended arms. She didn’t even dare to unfold it at first, so deep was her respect to her friend’s precious property. But then she had to, simply had to take a full look at it, and the sight surpassed her wildest dreams.

“Sweet stars…”, she mumbled as her fingers traced over the fine fabric. “And THIS to be mine? Romily, really, I cannot accept this!” But deep in her heart, she already envisioned herself wearing this dream of a dress, paying homage to King Uther in it, showing the court of Camelot who she really was. Sadly enough the saying: ‘Fine feathers make fine birds’ was a key notion to observe in the realm of the high and mighty.
“You sure you won’t regret it as soon as I walk out the door and take it with me?” she asked, still unsure.

But then curiosity won over her hestitation, and giggling like a teenage girl, she vanished behind the screen. Getting out of her riding dress was done in mere seconds, at least that she could do on her own. Getting into the shimmering silver dress wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be, the fabric was a delight to her skin, barely tangible like the touch of a feather.
The lacing of the bodice sent her capitulating though. She tried it for a few minutes, but then sighed and left it half-laced. “I’m coming”, she called out, slight annoyance in her voice. “But like I told you, bodices are my worst enemies… maybe you can help me with that?”

Had she been giving too much away? Revealing that she had not seen a man in such a fashion before was not only a personal statement, it revealed or could reveal much of the kind of world she had been living in, maybe even too much. And Yassia was not sure what Gwaine would make of her telling him she was a princess, made to be queen even. Something kept her from confiding in him, even after all they had been through. It might have spared her a lot of embarrassing moments, as Gwaine surely would watch his behavior more closely had he known he was entertaining royalty, but what was the prize of it? If she told him right now for example, Yassia feared he might die from shame or shock. It wasn’t something to be said lightly. Maybe he would think differently of her, maybe he didn’t like nobles. Few actually did, that much she had learned. And even if she felt nothing for him but friendship, she didn’t want those feelings destroyed just by who she was either.


Contrary to her own expectations, him almost calling himself a gentleman – ridiculous, truly, she probably knew no one who was further away from that than Gwaine – didn’t rile her up even more. Instead, she felt a very unladylike giggle build in her chest, rising up into her throat. The picture was just too funny. Gwaine, barebreast and only clad with a towel, talking about wronging a woman. Couldn’t he see that his very appearance was made to send any lady into either a swooning or a coughing fit? But then again, how should he know. If that what had happened last night was what he normally lived by, who was she to bask into his life and try to change his ways? She just had to make sure she wasn’t dragged down along.
“No need for that Gwaine”, she replied, much more irenic now. “I think most part of this constant wrangling between us is me being too sensitive by far. I will try to be better. Promise”

With interest Yassia listened to his explanation about the route they had to cover. It was good to finally have someone by her side knowing what was behind the next slope or the next turn of the street. She wouldn’t have to be on her toes all the time, a welcome change from the previous weeks. There were dangers ahead, he had said, but with Gwaine by her side Yassia felt much less nervous.
“Alright. We’re gonna see what awaits us then”, she concluded and smiled slightly, her eyes straying towards the butter. Just bread was a bit meager for breakfast, especially for a princess. She might be on the road for so long, but some habits had a harder way of dying than others.

His laughter once again was quite contagious, and a growling stomach was nothing to get riled up on. She had experienced that too often herself, to begrudge anyone a healthy appetite. Taking from the butter now as well, she shushed him though between two chuckles. “You might have, once or twice. But shh, Gwaine, tone it down. You’ll wake Linda!”
A part of her still felt very uncomfortable around the unreserved woman, and waking her up meant she most likely would be all over Gwaine again in seconds. Resulutions or not, Yassia didn’t want to put her new found ease to test quite too soon. With Linda still out of sight, it was so much easier to forget last night’s ‘events’.

A knight of Camelot?! Despite the tight spot Yassia had got herself into, she felt her heart leap at his words. So it was true! Her uncle had not only become what he had yearned to be after all her mother had told her about the Leon she remembered, he even was still alive – not a given with the dangerous life knights led!
On the other hand, with Cenred knowing who she was talking about, she put herself into an even more precarious position. Knowing someone meant knowing his weaknesses, even if he had only heard of him meant he could use this to his advantage. And this man would use anything to his greatest advantage, Yassia was sure of that. So she hid her excitement well, trying not to even batter an eyelid to this news.

She did roll her eyes though at his talk about circumstances. Now that was just utter rubbish to scare her. He might mean it, but then again he might not. Yassia knew enough about politics to know that leverage, if it was to be used, needed to stay alive. As bad as it would be to be used that way, at least as long as she WAS of use to Cenred, she would live to see another day.
“I don’t think anything even could offend you”, she stated with another glare. “Your pride is too big for that – be careful you don’t stumble over it!”
It was out before she could make herself shut up. Bad move, Yassia… bad…!

What in all the Gods name was on his mind? Yassia was in the weird state of wanting to know and at the same time not wanting to know, in fear of what might be revealed to her. His gaze upon her made her shiver involuntarily, and the way he placed his words of a beginning bargain right after those where he ‘appreciated’ her womanhood were not set to comfort. Yassia knew he probably was just playing another game, wanting her to think just that, fear him for what he might do to her – but for now it was also working, though she had to be careful to hide most of it.
“Yes?” she pressed on with fake nonchalance. “That sounds like the beginning of an offer to me. And as I have some difficulty in ignoring you right now, you might as well proceed!”

It was a bold act Yassia put on with the last of strength and willpower she had left, making it sound as if SHE was the one granting an audience, even if she was still kneeling on the floor. Being brought up in the snake pit the Ailanthan court could be sometimes despite her father’s leveled rule, had led to her develop these skills of concealing and deception. But she was very well aware of how close she was to crumbling. One prick with the right needle at the right place, and her charade would burst.

Yassia’s eyes lit up when Romily mentioned the silver dress. Though she had never considered herself vain, the thought of dressing up with such a beautiful gown made her heart beat faster. In her case it would not even be much of a dress UP, it was her usual attire after all, not this shabby and stained riding dress she had been walking in ever since being washed ashore in Albion.
“Oh… well if you wouldn’t mind I would love to! But let’s see you in this dream of a dress first. Silver sounds very good to me… I always liked the color!”

She nodded as she listened to Romily’s story. It was unusual but plausible, and really, it was not half as unsual as two women entering a chamber as a barmaid and a common travelor, but inside showing their true colors: being nobility and even royalty. But this truth had to stay within these walls, for both their safety. Romily needed the secrecy to have any standing in her current job, Yassia was sure Eldon would never let her live it down. He would refuse to let a noble work for him and that would leave her friend without a perspective. And Yassia herself… there were just things that better were not mentioned. “It’s befitting to you even if she didn’t know it”, Yassia commented with a grin Romily couldn’t see. “Such little jokes can light up a dull day!”

Not able to deny that she was a little jealous, Yassia cocked her head and gave a little sigh. No matter how long she had been travelling alone, she had never managed to dress quickly on her own. She had never needed to and, unlike Romily, never felt the need to learn it. In the beginning Mircea had tried to help her which had led to a few awkward scenes between the step sibilings. But there had been no possible way to bring a maid with them on their flight.

Romily’s question caught her a bit off guard. Unfold… yes she knew exactly what her friend meant, and she couldn’t wait to. But Ailanthans were a superstitious folk, it would only be bad luck to launch into detailed descriptions of what she was supposed to do once safe behind the walls of Camelot Castle.
“I wish I could”, she replied with a little sheepish smile. “And I surely planned on it. But when I got boat-wrecked while crossing the channel I lost almost everything that I wasn’t wearing or clinging to, including two ceremonial gowns. So this”, she looked down at herself with a shrug, “will have to do!”

She then smiled brightly when Romily admitted she saw Yassia as her friend. The feeling was more than mutual. Yassia, usually reserved to strangers, had never opened up quite so quickly to another soul, and yet here it was happening. Was it the oddity of two girls with similar backgrounds meeting that had brought them together? Or shouldn’t she even try to explain it, just savour this feeling of friendship?
“Well, I can only give that back, Romily! I would have never expected this to happen, and yet here we are. And I would encourage you to come to Camelot soon. Even if I heard some bad things about it, my uncle will be there so it can’t be all that bad.” She grinned. “Besides, then I will make sure YOU’ll feel at home! Got a lot to repay after all!”

His tauntings were many tiny needles pricking at her composure. He knew how to place them well, these words. ‘Poor navigational skills’, this was not only insulting, he still made it sound like he didn’t believe her, that he knew better than that, that she was lying just to save her own skin – which wasn’t working well anyway.
Cenred switched topics with alarming speed, probably hoping to catch her off guard and make her blurt out something she regretted telling him, before her mind had caught up with her mouth. But Yassia had been raised in a court, she knew well how to resist a probing mind, even though it most likely had come in the face of nosy ladies before, wanting to know who her heart belonged to for example… this was a far more serious matter.

He was right of course, she had set this trap up for herself. She had to admit now her relative was of some importance, he would not believe otherwise anyway. But it wasn’t a lie she didn’t know who her uncle Leon really was. She had to find out first when she came to Camelot, maybe he wasn’t even alive anymore… but that was a risk she had to take.
“His name is Leon Griffiths”, she replied, deciding to be monosyllabic. Maybe, though that was a far fetched hope, this name WAS even known to this wretched king, so she might find out about him before she even reached Camelot.

Him telling her she might still be of good use to him sent an indistinctive shiver down her spine. She didn’t want this, she hated feeling used. What was on his mind? And where was the possible loophole she could escape through? There had to be one!
“Of course I don’t have a death wish”, she snapped, glowering at him. Showing rage was such an easy distraction from her fear that seemed to have captured her into a fierce choke hold. “But I also won’t be game to your schemes. Not if I can help it!”

Yassia was relieved he handed the documents back, putting them safely into her bodice again, while turning a bit away from Cenred, so she upheld at least the image of privacy. It was unseemly for any man being present while a lady had to adjust her bodice!
And then his question again, did he never grew tired of them? Though a tiny voice in her head told her it was more healthy for her wellbeing as long as Cenred still was talking. Once he was out of questions and still bored, he could turn to other means of entertainment… like torturing her just for fun, she would put nothing of that sort past him.
Again she chose to be as monosyllabic as possible. “When circumstances make her!”
She couldn’t very well tell him about how she had fled from her uncle. Ailantha was far, but now she was as close to her worst nightmare than she ever thought she would be: getting used as leverage for BOTH her uncles. And the one paying the higher price would win…