Chapter Text
When Rhea was 21, she left home and didn’t look back.
It had been the middle of the night, and she’d been coming back to the guest quarters. She’d been training, trying to get rid of the pent-up energy that always seemed to plague her when visiting the capital. After all the deaths her family had suffered, usually here, her mind could never rest. Danger lurked around every corner. She had ever right to feel the way she did, but that didn’t mean she liked it.
Her paranoia, as it turned out, was right. It was chance she’d been passing by what should have been an unused office that night. As no one used this hall, she tended to use it was a short cut back to the guest rooms. While walking, she ended up catching the sound of voices. Rhea wasn’t one for eavesdropping at home, but here? If they were stupid enough to be over heard, it was fair game. And it was suspicious indeed, when she knew that only she would come this way. She took up a place just beside the doorway, and simply stayed where she was. They were loud enough to hear, for her anyways.
“-And the girl?” Said an older man’s voice, one that was familiar to her, but she couldn’t place.
A second man cleared his throat before speaking, “She’ll be framed for his death of course. A coup to take over the family name. A crime she’ll be put to death for.”
Her face pinched, and she had a sinking feeling that she knew what they were talking about.
“Good. With the last of them gone, my family will be just that much closer to taking power.” The man older man sounded smug as he said this. “And that brat will finally be out of my hair.”
The words filled her with fear and repulsion. Though she didn’t have time to dwell on it, as she then heard their footsteps coming toward the door. Silently she walked toward the end of the hall and went around the corner. She wanted to see who it was, and so waited until she could hear them in the hall. When she was sure they were there, she peeked around the corner. Here eyes widened upon who she saw.
One of them was Caligo. It wasn’t a terrible surprise, as they suspected that he was one of many who’d helped reduce their family. No, the surprise was at his side.
“Ravus.” She whispered in horror, forgetting for a moment he had the same range of hearing as her.
He paused in his step and turned around, but she was already back behind the corner. Her hand was pressed against her mouth and she tried to think of where she could go from here. If she ran, the noise would draw them to her. She could only hope that he would think it had been nothing.
But luck wasn’t on her side, as it turned out.
“What is it?” Caligo asked, also turning to see what stopped Ravus’s steps.
“I thought I heard something.” As those words left his mouth, she could hear him approaching.
Silently she cursed herself. Right now, the only thing she had was a knife in her boot if it came to a fight. She swallowed hard and prepared to be caught. She was as still as stone, waiting. She could try to outrun him, but she knew she wouldn’t get far. He was faster. She could also attack him outright. But then there would be a witness that she had attacked first. Two against one, she’d be subdued, and they’d be able to frame her for an attempted assassination on Ravus possibly. That would leave Myshka on his own. No, the best thing to do was wait and see what he would do and go from there.
As soon as he rounded the corner, their eyes met. Hers were accusing, and his were passive. Though his eyebrow did quirk upward for the slightest of seconds. They stood for a few moments in silence, just staring at one another. But then, his slid away from hers and looked around the rest of the hall. When they returned to her, there was meaning behind them when he said, “Must have been nothing.”
She didn’t understand. She looked at him with a frown, trying to puzzle out what he was playing at. Conspiring to kill off her house, and yet sparing her now?
“Seeing as we shouldn’t be seen together Caligo, I’ll continue going this way. It’s closer to the guest quarters anyways.” Ravus continued, and she recalled once, when they had been younger, that she had shown him this hall.
Luna had nearly died then, a result of a misstep in this den of snakes. An attempted assassination. It was only chance she had been around and managed to save her. Just like it was only chance she had been in this hall at the right time. She’d hidden Luna here, in one of the unused rooms while she went to fetch Ravus. She recalled that he’d thanked her for helping them, and then cursed her younger self for being so trusting. They’d been friends in training after that. Or so she thought.
She went to take a step backwards, to also retreat to the guest area herself and warn Myshka, but his hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder before she could. For the first time in a long time, she was scared. And what made it worse was that she feared Ravus. Someone she thought she could trust. From Caligo’s point of view, it would look like he placed his hand on the wall.
“Right then, general Ravus.” Caligo, turned back the way he was going, and gave a dismissive wave. “Until next time.”
He stepped around the corner with her and she waited for him to do something. But he remained silent, seemingly waiting for Caligo to be gone. She shifted uncomfortably and glanced down the hall. Ravus was faster, but all she would need to do was get to the guest area and shriek before he could kill her, right? That would get some attention, and Myshka would know to be on his guard. Or perhaps even leave the fortress.
“How much did you hear?” Ravus said then, breaking her thoughts.
She swallowed before answering, gathering her courage in case they did end up fighting, “Enough to know you’re planning to kill Myshka.”
His face was unchanging as she watched for any trace of regret, guilt, or denial. There was none though. With an angered huff, she knocked his hand off her shoulder.
“Why?” She said quietly, she looked down at the floor, unable to keep looking at the man for his betrayal.
He was silent for a few moments more, and then said, “A life for a life.”
That surprised her enough to snap her head up to look at him again, disbelief and anger in equal measure on her face.
“A life for a-“
“You’re the only one who uses this hall.” Ravus cut her off, “The only one who could possibly stumble across this meeting.”
She was slow she knew, it was why Myshka was the one who handled political matters. But then it clicked into place.
“The only one you owe a life debt to.” She stated, realizing that he was repaying her for saving Luna all those years ago.
He nodded, his eyes holding a trace of sadness in them for a moment, before he forced them back into their neutral state. There was nothing more to be said then. She knew that he was risking everything by giving her this warning. That since Caligo ranked above him, and still was in control of Tenebrae, he couldn’t disobey. He was showing her she couldn’t trust him any longer. But he was also giving her a chance.
It hurt, knowing that she was losing one of her very few trusted friends, but she was also grateful that he was letting her go. She took a deep breath, realizing that it was no longer safe for her family here.
She took a step back from him then, and another, before turning around. She paused then and called over her shoulder, “Ravus. Thank you.”
And then she ran down the hall, now that the only two people were them there she didn’t have to worry about noise. She kept going until the hall merged into the path to the guest area. It was then that she slowed and only walked at a brisk pace. She didn’t stop until she arrived at their rooms and was inside. Rather than go to her room, she went over to Myshka’s, opening the door without knocking.
Myshka sat at the room’s desk, going over papers from the day’s meetings. He looked tired, but smiled at her when he saw her.
“Rhea! You’re really late tonight.” He pointed out. Then, he noticed the look on her face and the smile tapered off, “What’s wrong?”
“I… There’s an assassination plot. This time it’s us.” She stated, walking across the room and behind the desk with him.
Myshka closed his eyes and sighed slowly, as if steadying himself, “We knew it was going to happen eventually.”
She had to swallow around the small knot in her throat as she looked at him, and said, “Do you trust me?”
Not even a moment passed before the 14-year-old boy frowned and nodded vigorously, “Of course!”
“Then we’re leaving. Tonight.” She said, pointing to where his things were, “Pack only what you need.”
“Where are we going? Back to Oceanwall?” He asked, and she helped him to his feet before he went to do as she said.
“No.” She replied, waiting for him to finish. “I don’t know where. But we’re leaving.”
She stressed the last work, and he paused for the slightest of moment, realizing what she meant. “Oh.”
They were leaving the empire. He glanced at her, and then nodded, “Alright then. But if we go back to Seaside, then we can try and catch a boat. And one of the retainer’s family lives there. They can pass on a message to him and he can keep our lands from falling into disarray.”
She thought it over, and the nodded, trusting him. He undoubtedly was already forming a plan. “Good idea.”
“Aside from that…” He finished with his bag and looped it around his shoulder. “Here.”
He walked back over to the desk and flipped through some of the papers there before pulling one out. “I need you to sign this.”
She grabbed one of his pens and did as he asked before asking, “What is it?”
“It basically a legitimized way to pass the power of our house to our retainers. No one can make a claim then. They’ll be ruling in our place, and have a time period of about a year to develop a system in which the people will be able to govern themselves.”
“We’re allowed to do that?” She asked, stunned. In response, he pointed at the bottom of the paper, where the emperor’s signature was already written.
“This was a failsafe incase an attempt on us succeeded. All it would require is our signatures.” He said as he signed as well. “The emperor agreed, as it would keep that part of the land stable should we pass. He’s quite fond of me you know.”
That was an unsettling thought. If he allowed those he was fond of to be nearly assassinated, what did he do to those he disliked?
“There.” He held it up and showed her that it was signed. “When we pass through, we can ask that his family see this to him. It’ll be in his hands then. Though, I’ve already laid most of the ground work, so most of their work will be putting it into place, and ensuring the happiness of our people.”
“That’s amazing.” She said, fully meaning it. She knew that he was politically savvy, but often forgot just how far into the future he could plan. “So, are you ready?”
He nodded, “Yeah.”
It was only a simple matter of going to grab her own bag, as she kept one packed just in case. They then snuck out of their room through the servant’s passage, and stole away into the night. There was, just by chance, an airship going out. Luckily for them, it was the mercenary crew that the emperor had hired. Aranea, she believed her name was.
It was a simple matter of bargaining with the woman. As it turned out, she had a soft spot for the young noble. She didn’t charge them, but got information from them about the empire’s state of things. Which was enough for her to drop them off in the town of Seaside when on her way to the eastern fortress. It had only been a matter of hours. She couldn’t take them all the way out of the empire without a substantial payment, but was more than happy to get them to the edge of it at least.
From there the pair boarded a boat bound for Lucis after dropping the document off with their retainer’s family, and never once looked back.