For the second time in recent memory, I am once again a prisoner.
They took everything from me. My clothes, the luminodiamond in my pocket, even my fucking collar. That one stings the most. I'm now dressed in a light gray tunic that extends to the mid thigh, and that's it. Strangely enough, they don't have me chained or bound, and there's even a window that looks out over the puffy clouds and beautiful blue sky of the Heavens. It's barred, of course, but it's a nice view for a prison cell.
And this cell is hardly what I'd consider to be carceral. I have a soft featherbed on a pine frame, two big fluffy pillows, multiple blankets, a desk and a nice chair, a little kitchen sort of thing with a small table, a separate room for bathing and such, and plenty of Church approved non-seditious books I could read to kill time. As if. It's cozy in here. Homey. Comfortable.
But I cannot leave it.
I already tried shifting forms to break out. It didn't work. They must have some serious barrier protections here, wherever this is. It makes sense, if this is a prison. I can't use my magic either. So again, I'm on a cursed chain. It's just that this time it's metaphorical.
I'm sitting on the floor with my legs crossed beneath me, staring at the door with my ears perked up. All I hear is the soft breeze outside and the gentle timber of chimes jingling from somewhere in the distance. Every once in a while, I catch a whiff of bread being baked too. I don't know why. We're all carnivores.
The minutes drag by. Then the hours.
Footsteps. I'm reminded of the caverns.
I miss Umbra so much… But I'm mad at her.
My cell door is unlocked and creaks open.
Hilde slips inside, locking up behind herself.
I'm mad at her too. I avoid looking at her.
"Hi." She attempts a weak smile, lifting a tray of food. "Lunch?"
At the table, I start scarfing down red meat. It's strange, having to feed myself again. I can't say that I like it. It's a lot more exciting with a beautiful woman doing it for me. Hilde wouldn't even consider doing it, but I'm sure as Hells not going to ask.
Picking at her own food, she lets out a sigh. "Can we talk?"
"Sure! What the fuck, Hilde? Why am I here?"
"They're calling it quarantine." She uses her back teeth to chomp through a bone to get at the marrow. "Because you're… You know. They want to make sure you're not still Wretched. It raised a lot of eyebrows, hearing that the Fell let you go free like that. All the higher ups are wary of any potential… schemes. Plots. Tricks. It's just due diligence."
"I'm not diseased…" I chew on some gristle, shaking my head. "I meant… What is this place? And why am I locked up in it? What in the Hells are we doing here?"
"Oh. Sorry. Um." She moves her plate aside and falls quiet for a minute, stealing glances at me. "It's something I set up. Sort of. Not entirely. But it was my idea. I went to my superiors at the Spire and fought fang and claw to establish… Well, a rehabilitation system. It's purely experimental, of course, but the idea is to do exactly what the Fell has been doing for thousands of years, but in reverse. Capture, convert. She takes dracs and makes them Wretches. We take Wretches and make them dracs again."
"That isn't possible," I grumble, tossing back some bloody chunks of seared steak. "It's Umbra's divine power. You can't destroy or remove it."
"You're right. Not without another divine entity's power."
I slowly pause eating, then lift my head to look at her for the first time. "What are you saying, Hilz?"
"The Goddess graced me with a solution." She looks happy. She looks proud. "With Her power, I'm able to untangle the thorn vines around draconids' hearts. I can save them. I can save them all. Every slave the Fell has ever put in her Wretched chains. I can set them free. That's what we're doing here. I brought you here to help you. To heal you. To save you, Crimson."
I'm touched by her intentions, at least. "Really? Aurora gave that power to you? That's… kind of incredible." I frown in thought, chewing some more gristle. "But she's drawing you in. She gave you more power, sure, and it sounds like a huge promotion too, but those aren't gifts, Hilde. They're payments to buy your favor. And now you're personally indebted to her too."
"Hm." Her radiant expression falters, and her claws tap on the table. "See, it's things like that… You keep talking about Her as though She's some malevolent fiend like the Fell. That's why you're still here. I was trying to have you transferred to my place to continue rehabilitation, but you're still saying things that are sympathetic toward the Fell and antagonistic toward the Goddess. I have to follow protocol. That vile fucking snake may have dispelled her control over you herself, but we need to be sure it's gone for good."
My dorsal plates bristle. "Don't talk about Umbra like that."
"There you go again. Mmm. I've cleansed you five times now." She sighs, mindlessly toying with her braided hair. "Maybe some parts of it are still lingering in the way you think. Like a lasting withdrawal, maybe? Or something like a hangover? Mmm. Damn it. If Penny hadn't gone for that extended leave, I'd bet she could solve this in five minutes. Oh well. This is all experimental. We'll just keep trying until it works. Sorry, red, but you'll have to stay here until you're at least remedied of this odd obedience to and defensiveness for the Fell."
Hells. They got to her. Before I could, the Church got to her.
"Why are you doing this to me, blue?" I plead, grasping her hands across the table. "What did they tell you? How did they convince you of all this? What have they promised you? Hilde, how in the Hells did this happen to you? You were there. You were with me. The Archives, the Lifespring, everything between and after… You believed me then. Right? You believed me. So how…"
"I don't know what to tell you, red." She squeezes my hands and kisses them both. "Theories are just theories. We never found proof. Primarch Serenity refused to answer, and that was that. Remember? You had that one book. One. And one source just isn't enough to prove anything. If Penny wasn't convinced, how could it be true? Right?"
"Penny is…" I was about to lambast her with the truth, but thankfully I caught myself. Penny hasn't been made Wretched yet. And if they just think she's on vacation, she might still have access to the Heavens. We could use that. So long as I don't let it slip that she switched sides. "Um. Penny is… always right, isn't she?"
"Always," Hilde snickers, brightening up some. "See? That's more like it. Maybe you'll just need time to get adjusted. And don't worry, you won't be going through any of this alone. I'm going to be with you every step of the way. I can get you anything you need or want too. Don't hesitate. But I already have a few ideas of some things you might like, so those will be here shortly."
"Oh. Um… Thanks."
I don't know what else to say, and she doesn't respond aside from a small nod and a smile, so the two of us hold hands across the table in silence. The wind and the chimes. That's all that can be heard. If I close my eyes, I can make this feel like a dream. If I let go of everything, I can take solace in the fact that I don't appear to be in danger here. If I try my best, I can make this into an opportunity to convert Hilde.
Wouldn't that be ironic?
So long as I play along, I think I might have a chance. All I have to do is act the part of an atoning sinner, lie through my teeth about where my allegiances lie, and behave like the good pious Fable I used to be. I've done that. I have experience in it. It's just a matter of slipping on the mask and submerging myself into this game of chess.
My opponent right now is Hilde. If I do well here, she'll take me to her place. From there, the gambit begins. But first I have to put my pieces on the board. To do that, I need to accept my place here, or at least pretend to. But there's another factor I need to be wary of. If I switch too suddenly and go all in on redemption, Hilde might catch on that I'm faking it.
I have to balance this. Very carefully.
But I think that's why Umbra let go of me.
She knows I want to do this. Now, here I am.
I trust her. I believe in her. I know she's coming for me.
Until then, I'm going to work on Hilde.
Tapping my hand with a claw, she hums in thought before asking, "Is there… anything you'd like to do today? Maybe I could show you the rest of the facility. There's an outdoor courtyard with a garden and some fish ponds you might like. Or you can look around the library, maybe?"
Well. Hilde does know me well.
I manage a genuine smile. "Fish ponds?"