The Ballad of The Grand Prisoner

Time slid by so slowly in the darkness. He had spent an eternity in this cell, his thoughts slowly slipping into the abyss of madness. Rhapsody wanted so badly to keep his wits about him. He clung onto the edges of his sanity by imagining what freedom might taste like. Sometimes, it was the sweetness of fresh air and the tang of soil. Other times, it was the bitterness of blood and the sour crack of bone.

Rhapsody dreamed of ripping out throats. Well, in particular, the Vasser's throat. His perfect throat, of smooth dark skin. Covered in crimson blood, sharp marks rippling down his flesh. Rhapsody had once kissed that throat, lavished it with all his love. Hatred would suit them better now.

All of a sudden, he had company. He sat up on his wooden cot, wondering if he had summoned Tes. He waited for the darkness to part and the man to emerge, in his cloak and his insufferable smirk. But no, no, it was a much friendlier face. Rhapsody sighed when his cousin appeared, silent and swift, as usual.

"It's time," Zanya said, pushing down her hood. Her white hair was pulled into a tight plait, not a single curl out of place. Her voice was a sweet song against the dreary darkness.

"Time?" Rhapsody tilted his head. "For what? Did you bring me any treats?"

"It's time to leave, you imbecile," she said. "We're finished with the Pit. I've been planning this for ages, and the time is now."

"We're...we're escaping?"

"You've gone dull in here," Zanya snapped. "Yes. Tes has ordered your execution, he just told me. We have not a moment to spare. I have this all worked out, but we must quickly and we must do this perfectly. Do you understand?"

He nodded, as his heart began to thump rapidly. As Zanya explained as quickly as she could, Rhapsody ttied to hold onto all the pieces. The Cinnamon Child was to be a player. She would use her wish (Rhapsody could not believe after all this time, Zanya had clung onto that wish) and set the Child to destroy Tes. They would flee, as the Pit began to fall into chaos. They would escape into the Ballads, and find starshine, and finally go home.

"This is insanity, Zanya," Rhapsody said.

She grabbed his chin, yanking him down, so they were eye to eye. There was certainly madness in her gaze, but also filled with the determination that had carried her through Tol Tava, through the horrors of the Pit, and kept her fighting for his freedom. Rhapsody swallowed down.

"Do not doubt me," she said. "All you must do is follow."

"Of course. Always."

So, the great escape began. It was a colossal cacophony of chaos, with monsters let out of their cages and screams echoing against stone.

It was glorious.

~

The wagon was far too warm. As Zez explained everything she could, her face felt flushed and she kept wiping her palms on her thighs. Maybe it had to do with the brightly burning candles. Perhaps it was the pressure to speak the total truth. Or maybe it was because she was pinned between a rock and a hard place by a supposed madman.

Although, to be honest, Tes didn't seem very mad. (In either sense of the word, that is.) After he declared that they would wait for the Viper to appear, Tes had taken Zez by the shoulders and guided her to the floor. He told her to sit. He left, returning quickly with a very bewildered Dosie in tow.

They sat in front of her and listened as Zez laid out her whole story. She didn't know if she should be telling them this. Who to trust more, the Viper or the Vasser? It'd probably be wise to just run screaming into the lake and make a break for it, but...well...here she was.

When every detail was wrung from the overwhelmed Zez, Dosie nodded and stood up. She swept a scarf over her neck, her birtmark catching in the orange light.

"I shall keep watch," Dosie declared. "If the Viper is truly on the move, and the Cinnamon Child is roaming about, we'll need a guard," she actually winked, despite the somber scene. "And who better than me?"

As she made to exit the wagon, she turned back. Her mischievous expression hardened.

"Oh," she said. "And Tes? You might want to tell Imogen Zez Zezinger everything you know. Or she's really just going off what the Viper said. She can choose to believe whoever she pleases then," she paused. "I'll be outside."

Just like that, Zez was once again alone with the Vasser. He sat with his legs stretched out, forming a horizontal barrier between Zez and the door. He still held onto the stuffed bunny, his long fingers toying with the ears. In her story, she had briefly mentioned Zanya's children, but Tes had clung to that detail. She had a sinking suspicion as to why.

"I have spent the majority of my life surrounded by liars," Tes said. He chose each word with great precision. "I have married them. I have befriended them. And I have imprisoned them. I never saw them as liars, not until it was too late."

Tes looked up. His eyes swam with sadness.

"I cannot put my trust in another pretty face," he whispered. "It's how I've lost everyone."

"Good thing I'm not pretty then."

The words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. Tes stared at her. She wanted to sink into the ground and die from embarrassment. Then, to her immense relief, the barest ghost of a smile flickered on his face. His shoulders relaxed, every so slightly. The grip on the bunny loosened.

"You truly are not from Tol Tava," Tes said. "No one speaks the way you do. And I desperately want to believe that Zanya has not sunk her claws into you. That as soon as I turn my back, you won't have a knife through it."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm pretty useless, to be honest. Can't do anything like that. Zanya mostly just dragged me around. I think she was more interested in," she paused, flustering herself. "In, well, you know. Then actually thinking I could do any damage. I think I came here by mistake and she had to make do."

He tilted his head back. "You have no idea, do you? Of my side of the story?"

"Well, no. You've just been strangling that rabbit. Not much storytelling going on."

"I don't think you ran away from Zanya," he said. "She ran away from you."

Both of these lost souls leaned on their humor as a crutch, unable to properly cope with the pain and confusion threatening to crush them. Do not judge them for exchanging smiles in the face of the unknown. Do not scoff at their shared glances and flushed cheeks. Not every story reveals its secrets in a grand flourish. Not every truth is declared with pomp and circumstance.

Sometimes, the truth spoken as a young woman lays her hand on the arm of a young man. Sometimes, it is a soft and delicate thing, each strand woven with great care. Sometimes the story is very long and aching, each layer filled with more agony than the last. Sometimes the young man weeps for what he has lost, and the young woman keeps her hand upon his wrist.

Sometimes, the story sounds like this.

"I was born in the Skeleton Spire," Tes began. "We guard the city of Pirn, in the Spire. It is made of bone, which grows from the ground, and is considered almost a sacred place. When I was young, and foolish, I worked the grounds of the Spire. And a stranger wandered in, and he caught my eye. We became lovers."

"Oh," Zez said, rubbing her thumb against his warm skin. He trembled beneath her touch. "I see."

"His name was Rhapsody," Tes said. As her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, he swiftly continued speaking. "Yes, the same Rhapsody you mentioned. loved him fiercely, as only the young and innocent can. But he had come from the Garden of Grace, to steal our secrets, and this was discovered. When they took him to be punished, he murdered my family. My father, my uncles, my brother. My mother. All held rank in the Spire and he destroyed them all, in order to escape.

He didn't get far. He was caught in a small village not far from my home, and was thrown into the Pit. I decided that I would win a position at the Pit, so I could forever see Rhapsody punished for his crimes. I went to Youngstone, do you know Youngstone-"

"Yes," Zez said. "The training place, in the mountains. Or hills. Zanya mentioned it."

"Anyone is accepted, but most fail the trials and tribulations of the place. Every lofty position in Tol Tava is won at Youngstone," he shook his head. "It was there I met Zanya. I had no idea she was related to Rhapsody. They share almost nothing but their twisted souls. I became friends with her. We became partners in everything," he paused. "Well, almost everything. She never truly explained why she wanted a position at the Pit, though she knew mine clearly. She became Viper. I became Vasser. It seemed everything had worked out beautifully."

Tes paused again, as if collecting his thoughts. Zez stayed silent. He continued.

"I married the daughter of the former Vasser. Omara. It was all lovely, until one day, I found Omara slashed in our bed. Her throat," he swallowed. "Her throat had been torn. And I was lost. I didn't know what to do, or who had done this, or where to look. Zanya comforted me. Omara's sister, Moniv, comforted me."

"I'm so sorry," Zez said, her own throat tightening with these horrible images.

"It's not your fault," Tes said. His gaze had gone glassy. "I married Moniv. I thought she would help me. I didn't love her, but...she was there. And I was wandering off into my own grief, unable to take care of anything. But not too long after we were married, Moniv died, in the exact same way as her sister. Both of them, murdered in my bed.

That's when rumors began to grow. They had always been there, you see. But now it had grown worse. One dead wife was a tragedy. Two dead wives was an accusation. People began to believe I had gone mad," he laughed without humor. "The Mad Vasser.

lost my patience. During this whole time, I'd relished having Rhapsody under my thumb. Being the Vasser of the Pit, while he rotted in the darkness, it was sweet revenge. I thought making him suffer in silence would be enough. And for a long while, it was. But after losing my family, and then my wives, I lost it. I needed him out-"

"But he didn't...I mean, your wives, was-"

Tes reached over and placed a finger against her lips. "No, he didn't. But I ordered his execution. And that's when things began to collapse. Before I could send the Viper to execute him, she decided to free him. Are you following, Imogen?"

She nodded. She appreciated his straight-forward storytelling. Not the winding road of lies that Zanya so enjoyed feeding her. Not just Zanya, for that matter. Everyone she had come across in this forsaken land had an upside down way of speaking.

"I'm not quite sure on all the details, but this is what I know. I was standing in my study, preparing to go and tell Rhapsody that his time was over, when I heard something," Tes said. "I don't remember screaming, but I know I must have, for the Cinnamon Child stood in my doorway. She had somehow crawled her way up through the depths of the Pits, past the guards, into my personal quarters. She was filthy and terrifying. I had never visited her, always been afraid, and for good reason.

She attacked me. She ripped at my skin, tearing at tendons and bones, intent on destroying me. She nearly did. She made a terrible mess of my legs," he gestured to his trousers. "It's why sometimes I have trouble walking. It's a miracle I can walk at all. And she was about to kill me, when one of my most loyal guards burst in and tackled that horrible creature."

"Dosie," Zez whispered.

"Yes. It was the bravest thing I'd ever seen. She tamed the Cinnamon Child, as I was bleeding on the floor, and she wished for...for something. Dosie says she can't remember, she was so terrified and shocked. But the Cinnamon Child fled. It's a blur, except for this," Tes hesitated. "When I was on the ground, as Dosie tried to save me, Zanya came in. And still, I thought Zanya had come to help.

She had Dusk in her arms. And Rhapsody followed her, holding Dawn. I remember screaming then. She bent down, with my son in her arms, and she looked me right in the eye. She sneered," his voice broke. "She sneered and said that I was a fool. That the Garden of Grace always wins. That my wives had gotten in her way. That her cousin had suffered enough. I begged her to leave the children. She could go, she could take Rhapsody and flee, but I screamed for her to give me my children.

She merely laughed. And they disappeared. She disappeared with Dusk and Dawn and Rhapsody, and left me for dead. Dosie was exhausted from the Cinnamon Child, but she...she saved me. I don't remember how we got out of the Pit. Dosie says it's all a blur as well. But my legs were mangled and my heart broken and I woke up in an inn. And life with Dosie became...became my life.

We never looked back at the Pit. We let everyone assume that the Vasser had been killed in the chaos of the escape. I didn't know what happened to anyone else. I didn't care, truthfully. My only goal was, and is, to find Zanya and the Garden of Grace, and to rescue my children," Tes said, shakily. "We didn't know anything, but we've been traveling and searching for ages. I didn't even know if my boys were still alive, or if she had done something horrible with them. I've been living off the slightest, smallest grains of hope."

"They're alive," Zez said, her words wobbly as could be. "Dusk and Dawn are fine. Their mother might be crazy-"

His eyes flashed. "Their mother?"

"Wh-what?"

"Zanya Selstonia is not their mother!" Tes's calm demeanor exploded into fury. "She murdered their mother! She murdered my Omara and she stole my children and she has raised them to think she is their...their..."

Instead of punching something, or jumping up in rage, Tes broke down into sobs. He held the stuffed bunny close to his chest and wept. Zez's heart shattered. This was the truth. She had been told to trust her heart and now she knew. It was the sharpest of pains, the greatest of sorrows. This man was real and hurting and honest.

Zanya had been nothing but a poisonous flower.

Zez did not know much, but she knew that. Oh, what a fool she had been.

"Tes," she said, gently taking his hands. The bunny fell into his lap. He looked at her, tears streaking down his face. "I'm so sorry for what has happened to you. No, shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay. Your sons...I swear they are safe. She has lied to them, yes, but they are healthy and happy," she squeezed his fingers. "And it seems fate has brought all of this together."

In all honesty, it was a stupid thing to say. Zez felt corny saying it. But his eyes widened and his trembling stilled, just slightly. His fingers laced against hers pulled them together.

"Imogen," Tes said. "Please. Help me get my boys back. Please. You know where the Garden is, you know about Zanya, please, and anything you want in return-"

"What?" she said. "I-"

"I'll...I'll help you get home," Tes said, wildly. "Please, I'm begging you-"

"You don't need to beg," Zez said. "She stole your children. She murdered your wives and told me that you were a monster. You...you seem like a good guy," she paused. "Though I may not be the best judge of character, I see the difference between you and Zanya. It's clear as day."

Tes blinked.

"It's obvious," she clarified. "That she is the liar and I got caught up in her insanity. I don't know how I can help you, but no one deserves what you have gone through. And Dusk and Dawn should not have to live in a household where their life is a lie."

"Thank you," Tes said. He refused to let go of her hands. "I still have so many questions."

"As do I," she said.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier," he said. "I did not mean to."

With that simple apology, they fell into an alliance. The truth was laid bare between them. The music from the lake played softly under their words. They did not let go of each other's hands, sitting together on the warm floor of the caravan wagon. Zez answered every question he had about the twins. The sadness lingered in Tes's eyes, but he did seem delighted to hear about his children.

"Why did Dusk give you his toy?" Tes asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "He took a shine to me, I suppose. He...um...he doesn't-"

"Speak," he finished for her. "I know. He has not made a sound since he was born. Omara was always worrying over him."

"They look like you," Zez said. She resisted the urge to touch his cheek. "They have your eyes."

He almost smiled. "Can...can you tell me about the Garden? I do not know much about it. There are legends, of course, but I...I never knew what to believe."

Zez thought for a moment. It was hard to explain the Garden of Grace, as it already seemed like a distant memory. She felt as though she could break this journey into chunks. Her time here with Tes was the most vivid. It felt the truest, the most like reality. She felt steady holding his hand, whereas Zanya's touch left her dizzy and muddled.

Mordomus seemed like a dream. Not a nightmare, for her time had been fine there, but a dream where the lines are blurred and the pieces do not quite fit together.

"There is a manor where the family lives," she began. "Called Mordomus. I suppose it's been in the Selstonia family for a long time. They told me a little of it, but all their little tales jumble together. The Garden itself is deep, deep in the hills, and Mordomus is deep within the Garden. It's surrounded by a forest, by these trees that look like bone. There are these women that serve Zanya, I guess, called the Maidens. Her constant companion was in charge of them. Esphina Emerento. She is with Zanya now."

"I thought you and Zanya..."

She winced. "We did. We were. I mean, it only happened once. I mean, she's very alluring. Very charming."

"She is," he agreed. "Rhapsody is the same. Snakes in the grass."

"Oh," she slapped her thigh. "That's another thing. She has all these little pink snakes crawling around the place. The boys seem to like them..." she paused. "I'm sure you're worried about Rhapsody being with them, but..."

"I can't worry anymore," he said. "I can't think about that. I need to focus on the fact that they are alive and well. And that they will stay that way until we can get to them."

Zez pushed herself off the floor, taking Tes with her. She noticed how his legs did hesitate, how they seemed a little awkward, and she felt there was one more thing to say.

"Tes," she said. "Um. I did mention that the Cinnamon Child got me away from Zanya, didn't I? Like, I didn't leave that key detail out?"

"You did not."

"Okay, so, you seem awfully nonchalant about that."

"I'm deeply terrified," he said, mildly. "So let's not talk about it."

She stuck out her hand. The one he had held during his terrible tale. "Allies?"

"No," Tes said, taking it. Instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of her hand. "Friends."

"Friends...don't go around kissing each other's hands."

"Nor do they walk around in each other's shirts," Tes said, heading for the door. "But alas, here we are."

"You are a strange man."

"I could say the same of you."

"Ah, but I'm not a man."

"Certainly not," Tes said. "Are you coming or not? I'm not keeping you prisoner in this wagon," his gaze hardened. "I have no interest in playing Vasser once more."

She nodded, following him to the door of the wagon. All of her time in Tol Tava had encouraged her to be wary and afraid and on her toes. She was sick of it. She liked how easy it was to speak to Tes. She had once thought that the Vasser to be a treacherous villain, but he was just a sad man who tried a little hard with his jokes. He was kind. He was...normal.

In this world of dangerous nonsense, Zez could appreciate a good dose of normality. 

--

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The Vasser's story laid bare, the truth about Zanya and the twins...

To clarify, Omara and Tes are the parents of the twins. Tes married Moniv so his kids would have a mother, after Omara was found dead. Both of his wives were murdered by Zanya, because they were messing with her plans to free Rhapsody. Zanya had grown attached to the children and stole them away. 

Anyway, I truly hope that you enjoyed. There is more chaos to come, more secrets to be spilled, and much more to explore! Thank you so, so much for reading!