Valencia drank the potion, her head spinning as she stared at Katherlynne. The world must've spun too–for it was flashing left and right and fading in and out–but she couldn't tell.

"Goodness, Katherlynne." She murmured. "What is this?"

Katherlynne gulped as she watched Valencia, barely sitting on her chair in the kitchen. "It is the potion that your Nai drank. The one—" She jumped out of her chair and raced to Valencia's side, who was ready to hit the floor.

"You were saying?" Valencia asked and sighed. Her vision was stable now, unlike the tilted stage she just saw.

"Oh." Katherlynne bit the inside of her lip as she noticed Valencia. "It's the potion that's..." Katherlynne slapped the heel of her hand onto her forehead. Gah! She couldn't say it to Valencia; and writing wouldn't be any different, she knew.

Valencia still stared, expectant.

"Nevermind."

This was the potion Agate and Dolos used to trick the public. The one that should make you look like her. Or at least, for a long while.

#

Agate and Dolos opened the door for Valencia as she stepped into the garden, minimal still.

"Valencia, you will go to the Throne House and stay there for the day and come back, alright?" Dolos commanded. He licked his fingers and wiped it on his oversized jacket. "And try training while you're at it. Your skills are still so dull."

Valencia stared quietly at then before heading off into the Throne House. The Oceanuris Throne House. The Throne House. It was a place where Valencia would sit on the Throne while life was going on behind her. Every day, she felt trapped there, and it made her sick. And Agate and Dolos' schemes and plans, they made her sick. Like the potion they made for her yesterday. It made her all sick. How she wanted to wrangle Agate's neck at times and slap Dolos. How she wished she reacted whenever Agate used her sweet tongue on her. But, if she did, she would die by Dolo'' sword and a million other things.

Valencia. Dead.

No.

Survival is the most important thing.

#

"Ah, you're back." Agate said as Valencia opened the back door of the Manor. Agate licked her lips and wiped it with her hand, a light crimson red staining her fingers. She stared at Agate with a cold look. Like her mother's. But Agate knew she was too soft for that. If Valencia wasn't soft, she'd already be a master in the Art of the Qa. She wouldn't need this extra harnessing. She would've dropped the dolphin early on–which Agate disposed of while Valencia was at the Throne House. She narrowed her eyes at Valencia with a sour frown. "Oh, drop the act here. We already know what you're like."

Valencia felt a stab in her heart and glanced down.

"Whatever," Agate turned around with one of her arms clung to her side, the other one hovering and gesturing. "How was it today?"

"Why do you ask?" Valencia snapped. Agate turned her head behind her and glared her up and down.

"Don't question me. You know what happens." She started walking at an ambled pace, a slow one as Valencia followed in the hallway.

Valencia didn't want to tell what happened. There were these two boys, Heski and Kario. They were there on her first night of ruling Oceanuris.

Over and over, they made her question everything. She could hear Heski's voice yelling in her mind. ("Are you going to stand up and do anything or just sit on your cracked Throne? What happened to your humanity, Valencia Qa? What happened to your sense of life and justice?")

She didn't do anything about it, and she most certainly didn't want to do what her Nai had done to his. But they were still alive and glowing bright, even when she pointed her sword.

In the public, they were labeled as crazy.

But their maniacal ways didn't reach the Manor's ears. Valencia chose to stay quiet about it.

"Valencia," Agate's voice was ringing. "Did you even hear me?"

"I did," Valencia simply replied, and quickly added, "I didn't do anything of interest."

Agate turned around again for the last time and glared. "Whatever." Agate was hoping to hear more from Valencia. But Valencia turned away, as Agate did the same with a scoff.

It was all so you survive. Survive, survive, survive.

And she and Valencia continued to walk in silence. For the days that would come would be in the theater of Oceanuris and the Oceanuris Throne House.

And the play must go on in order for the theater to stay.

#

It was another day. Another day. Another day.

And Valencia smelled a plum-smelled liquid–there were some remnants of lillums, that she could almost taste with her nose- as she strolled by in the kitchen. Katherlynne mixed the liquid with a smooth, ceramic spoon–which was a red-dusted color, much like the bowl- and she gave a shy smile as Valencia glanced over.

"What is that?" She asked with an indifferent expression. She stared coldly, and bit her lip at the thought of it.

"It's, well." Katherlynne sighed. "It's a drink."

"Is this another one of Agate and Dolos' poison?" The thought of it made Valencia fiery and ready to burn them alive. The kind of fire that was a mere replacement for a lost, cold soul.

Katherlynne bit her lip. "I suppose. But I think you might like it."

"Huh." Valencia scoffed. "What if I don't feel like drinking it?"

Agate and Dolos entered the kitchen from the hallways, Agate shaking her hand to a man with green hair before he turned away and headed the other direction. And now, the Apatia Ones (or a pair of the Apatia Ones) were walking to where Valencia and Katherlynne were.

"Did you feed her the potion yet, Katherlynne?" Agate asked with a piercing glare. She was like a Satchrel, shoving plants down the throat for food. So was Dolos.

"Not yet." A bead of sweat ran on Katherlynne's forehead. "But, I was actually going to right now!" Katherlynne hopped from her chair and held the liquid in front of Valencia, giving a low sigh.

"I..." Valencia stared at the liquid with a frown and a raised eyebrow. Her pursed lips were slightly squiggled and she stared at it. Now, it probably wasn't poison, but Valencia didn't see why she had to drink the potion. Why? Was there any meaning to it? Any value that would come out from drinking a liquid she hadn't seen before? Agate crossed her arms as she examined Valencia, while Dolos was getting ready to pull out his sword.

Valencia eventually glanced down and reluctantly drank the liquid–bittersweet, like honey and bittermelon. She realized the answer. Katherlynne already knew it too–even when her heart pinched as she watched Valencia drink the flower milk from the Milkara of Birth, as she had seen many times before.

She had seen this scene before. From the Valencias that died before her to the Valencia that sat with her now.