Chapter Text
The shuffle of Ashton’s feet echoed slightly throughout the chamber as they set her down before Lord de Rolo. He turned to face the group and Imogen could see a faint glimmer of recognition as he looked at Laudna and she suddenly felt the need to point it out. Her sacrifice was not one to be glanced over, not when it was time for recompense.
“She was brought here once by a woman named Delilah for dinner with her family.” She knows her words have hit their mark when she sees Lord de Rolo’s eye twitch, though she’s not sure if it’s for Laudna or the woman in her head. He takes a step toward her body as he starts to look at Laudna a bit more respectfully than he had before.
“We’ve been traveling with her for several weeks and she is a lovely woman… can’t quite explain it,” Orym says and he is quickly cut off.
“Years for me,” Imogen adds. She knows Orym cares for Laudna, but he does not care for Laudna the same way that Imogen does. Only time and circumstance can form a relationship as strong as theirs.
Lord de Rolo stood up straight and looked to Orym.
“I am very sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you for bringing her home to rest.”
Rest?! She isn’t here to rest. Imogen tried to contain her shock at Lord de Rolo’s assumption both that they would give up on her so easily, and the fact that Whitestone had been anything but kind to Laudna. How in the world could it be home? The Bells Hells are her home… Imogen is her home… at least she hopes. Laudna is certainly hers.
“No, no, no. Not to rest. We were told that there were connections here that could bring her back.”
Lord de Rolo gives them some bullshit response about “destroying order.” Imogen has never wanted to punch someone in the face as badly as she did in that moment. Laudna already upset the order of things. It was in her nature. It was her nature and her unique outlook on her situation was one of the best things about her. Order is just an illusion.
“She’s not just any person. She was chosen.” Imogen was sure to steep that last word in as much vitriol as she could muster. She was chosen because of them. Her words seem to have struck the chord she was aiming for as Lord de Rolo’s face softened slightly and he sent the Captain to summon someone by the name of Pike Trickfoot. She remained hopeful that this person was the one who could help them.
What felt like hours, but was likely only several minutes, went by and Imogen blocked out Lord de Rolo’s voice as he spoke to Chetney. She did hear the occasional mention of wood and weird choking noises from her friend, but that happened a lot with the hard candies he carried around in his pocket so she wasn’t too concerned. Her mind could not move on from her anger at the gall of the Lord. How could he be so flippant with Laudna’s life and come to the conclusion that she is nothing but a simple girl from Whitestone and not worth the effort of giving her the life that they owe her because of something as intangible as “order.” Architect of Enlightened Progress indeed.
The sound of large doors against stone floors and mildly rusted hinges finally brought Imogen out of her stupor. Two half-elven teenagers came into the room briefly, just passing through, but were followed by a slightly older looking half elven woman wearing what appeared to be hunting gear, her hair held back, tamed by a single braid, and a black feather behind her left ear. As she entered the room, fully turning towards the other occupants in surprise, Imogen could see her face in the full light and every muscle in her body froze. The hauntingly familiar visage: pronounced cheekbones, pointed chin, large round eyes… but also eerily different: fuller brown hair and a more ‘lively’ color in her cheeks. She couldn’t help but wonder, if Laudna looked that much like the woman in her “death,” she couldn’t even imagine how similar they looked in Laudna’s ‘past life,’ as she often called it. The woman had not yet introduced herself, but Imogen knew that an introduction was not necessary. This was Lady de Rolo. The woman that Laudna inadvertently gave her first life for. Imogen could feel her jaw tighten and her teeth gnash together as Orym straightened and proudly greeted the woman.
Lady Vex’ahlia de Rolo, Baroness of the First House of Whitestone, Grand Mistress of the Gray Hunt, and Coin Mistress of the Tal’Dorei Council. That’s how she introduced herself. She got a long and lofty title while Laudna got mutilated into an involuntary effigy. The Lady then excused herself to change, following after the teenagers, and Imogen found herself glad for the reprieve. It was then that she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see Orym’s hand releasing the fabric and she bent down so he could whisper to her.
“You can see the resemblance,” he said softly. Imogen’s face fell and she couldn’t help the expanding bubble of resentment that had formed in her stomach for the woman, but she did not admit its presence.
“She’s very beautiful,” she responded, nodding. ‘Though not as beautiful as Laudna,’ she thought to herself and sighed as she stood back up straight.
A few moments later, a short gnomish woman with bright white hair jauntily entered the chamber calling “Percy! Percy!” It was very clear that the woman was quite familiar with Lord De Rolo. FCG introduced themself and asked what she did in town. To Imogen’s horror, she responded with, “I’m a baker.”
Eyes wide and worry creeping up her spine, she turned to Lord de Rolo.
“I thought you said she was supposed to be a Holy Woman, but she’s a baker?” He acknowledged the woman’s duality of interest but did not seem worried, which made Imogen worry even more. She guessed now the apron the gnome was wearing made more sense.
Pike approached Laudna’s body after Lord de Rolo explained the situation and knelt down beside her, concern written on her brow. “Oh you poor thing,” she said softly as she brushed the hair out of Laudna’s closed eyes.
“She was like that before she died…” Imogen explained. “Interesting,” was all the woman said, not requiring more information. “She.. she died in the.. In the…” Imogen struggled to form the words, not wanting to think about Laudna’s gruesome end- either of them for that matter.
“She was in the Sun Tree, Pike,” Lord de Rolo finished.
“Oh…” she said softly. “ Oh, ” she said again, realization clicking in her mind. Over Imogen’s shoulder, back toward the stairs, there was another, soft and wistful, “Oh.” She turned to find Lady Vex'ahlia, returned to the chamber, at the foot of the stairs. She moved to approach Laudna, crestfallen and hesitant.
“Percy, was this…” she looked to her husband, who remained still, and then back to Laudna. “We have to help them.” At that, Imogen felt the first tiny shimmer of hope in her heart since she and Laudna had made up after the gnarl-rock incident, and released a breath she did not realize she had been holding.
Pike scrambled to prepare the ritual as Lady de Rolo assisted, mainly with the expensive material components required for the spell. As the two women shuffled around the interior of the chamber, Imogen could feel her own anticipation growing like tiny pinpricks spreading all over her body. She felt afraid, terrified actually, but at the same time hopeful. ‘It has to work. It has to,’ she thought. She needed and wanted nothing more than Laudna’s breathing form next to her in bed at night; to hold her and tell her just exactly what she means to Imogen and every day after. She never wanted Laudna to doubt that she was loved and cared for ever again. She would spend her life assuring her of that if she had to, not that she didn’t already want to.
Pike began the spell and wind began to swirl around the room as Pike’s necklace shone brighter and brighter. Imogen could feel her heart nearly beat out of her chest. Pike’s face fell from a grimace of concentration to that of concern and confusion as she held the diamond to Laudna’s chest. Suddenly, Pike released her hands from Laudna’s body and the wind and light ceased abruptly.
“Percy?” she said, worry all over her face. Imogen looked to Laudna, her own breath frozen in her lungs and her heart stopped expectantly, eyes pinned to Laudna’s chest. It stayed unmoving.
It didn’t work.
Imogen’s stomach sank to the floor.
Lord de Rolo looked to Pike for an explanation.
“I can feel the soul of this body, but there are two of them. One is Laudna and the other…” She looked back to Laudna, “ is Delilah Briarwood.”
Lord de Rolo immediately rejects all further intent on helping Laudna at the threat of re-releasing Delilah Briarwood into the world. Imogen watched as her vision blurred and she felt her anger seethe through her chest like fire. Words being spoken around her morphed and melded in her ears to low rumbles. That. Bitch. Of course Delilah wouldn’t help her bring Laudna back because she knew she would have a chance to come back herself… She was biding her time; that must have been what Letters had stopped when he cast the preservation spell on her. Delilah was holding Laudna hostage in her own corpse. Imogen was filled with rage on par with Ashton’s and she was sure she could also feel their rage from across the room too. She wasn’t sure who her rage was pointed towards exactly, but she felt her vision and mind shift to pinpoint clarity. She wanted to kill Delilah Briarwood, and she had never wanted anything more. Through her clarity, paired with her rage, came immediate desperation. She knew this wasn’t over; not when she would do whatever it takes.
“Ca-Can we put Delilah in another body, somehow? Separate them?” Imogen offered as she looked at the white-haired gnome.
Pike’s hands brushed her hair back as she exhaled quickly. “It doesn’t work like that,” she said, shaking her head. Lord de Rolo cuts her off with a sharp crack of his cane on the hard floor. “Look, I am very sorry for the loss of your friend, but we are done here. I will see that her body is taken care of.”
‘ No!’ Imogen screamed in his head as she instinctively took a step toward him.
“What if we could end Delilah for good!?”Still walking toward the doors, shifting his shoulders ever so slightly, responded harshly, “Then do so without my aid.”
Imogen turned back toward the group, her expression shattered in panic, as she felt her mind fall into a spiral, her eyes bouncing back and forth rapidly. ‘That can’t be it. It can’t be. I am getting her back with or without their help. How dare they put their own fears before the person who was killed for them ! I will do anything. I will break the world if I have to, to bring her back.
Her eyes and her mind froze when she saw Lady Vex’ahlia slowly approach Laudna. Imogen’s instinct screamed at her to throw herself over Laudna and hiss at the other woman like a feral cat, but she composed herself and kept her feet anchored to the floor. Her eyes never left the Lady as she gingerly extended her hand and traced it along Laudna’s sharp cheekbones and down her jaw. She took her other hand to the side of Laudna’s head to cradle it as she traced her fingers around one of the golden cuffs covering Laudna’s ears. Imogen scanned Lady Vex’ahlia’s eyes and saw they were glossy, dampness gathering at the edges as she was softly pouring over her features. She looked as though she was studying them and focusing on the similarities to her own. Something akin to regret spread across her face.
“Let us try something, Darling… anything,” she paused, “We both have some fault in this don’t we?” she looked up to her husband, whose back was toward her, as he stopped abruptly on his path to the door. Silence filled the chamber as Bells Hells all waited on bated breath for the Lord Architect’s response.
Lord Percival clutched the top of his cane a bit tighter, “Then tell me if you find a way that is satisfactory, but do nothing without my approval. Delilah. Stays. Gone. ” he stated with finality, and exited through the large double doors sending an echo throughout the chamber. Imogen immediately drops her head into her hands as she exhales in temporary relief.
The Bells Hells made their way* through the streets of Whitestone following Pike, accompanied by the Lady de Rolo and her two guards, to her house. They were all making themselves comfortable as Pike went upstairs to look for more information. Imogen was sitting in a small chair near the kitchen area and watched as Lady Vex’ahlia closed the door after speaking with one of her guards. She turned around and leaned onto the door, arms crossed in front of her chest, eyes focused on where Laudna’s body lay on the table in the center of the main area near the front door. Imogen watched Lady de Rolo’s face and saw it amassed with guilt and remorse. Imogen had some time to think and calm down on the walk to Pike’s house. She had pondered what Lady de Rolo had said back in the castle.
‘We both have some fault in this don’t we?’
She was clearly speaking to her husband, but Imogen couldn’t help but feel like she was the other half of that ‘both.’ She died the first time because she happened to look like someone and fell into a trap, but she died the second time because Imogen couldn’t help her. Couldn’t save her. She died, again, because of her . Her mind filled with whispers and memories of “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” and Laudna’s last plea to Imogen in her mind. As much as she wanted to throw her anger at the Lady and Lord of Whitestone, she was as much to blame as they were, if not more so. She closed her eyes tightly and shook the whispers away. ‘Focus on the present,'' she thought to herself.
She then, almost involuntarily, rose from her seat and approached the Lady and leaned on the wall beside the door, about two feet to the right, hands behind her bracing her tailbone against the wall, eyes also drifting towards Laudna’s still form. They stood in silence for a short time as Imogen rhythmically flexed her fingers and pressed them into the wall in an attempt to burn some of her nervous energy in the silence.
“Thank you for helping her; especially despite Lord de Rolo’s,” she paused, looking for the right word, “dissension.” Lady Vex’ahlia gave a pointed exhale through her nose.
“You must forgive my husband’s indelicacy… When it comes to the Briarwoods, there is undoubtedly some trauma, even now,” she responded, sounding almost listless.
“Delilah is an evil woman. Laudna complained about her a lot.” At this, Vex’s head nods slightly as she hums in agreement. Imogen’s eyes are still focusing on Laudna, the sun peeking through a nearby window and falling around Laudna’s face. She saw as it bounced off the white streak in her hair while getting lost in the rest, and in her periphery, she could see Lady Vex'ahlia’s focus shift from Laudna to her. She could feel herself shrink under the gaze and her eyes stayed glued to the light in Laudna’s thin hair.
“Though I doubt I’ve seen anyone have the balls to stand up to him so assertively and insistent,” Lady de Rolo added with a chuckle and a slight pause. “You must love her, dearly.” Imogen felt a blush creep up her neck as she tried to fight it by digging her fingers into the wall behind her.
“Of course I do, we all do. She’s my best friend. My person,” her eyes drifted toward where the rest of her friends were sitting, then to the floor.
“While that may be true, not only were you, by far, the most insistent on our helping her back in my husband’s office, but you speak of her with a certain fervor that your friends do not. Your voice, your words… and your face tell a slightly different story.” Imogen could not fight the blush this time as it colored her cheeks.
“How do you mean?” she said, now turning toward the Lady of Whitestone, knowing full well how she meant.
“I am no stranger to death,” the Lady sighed as she continued, “I’ve watched friends die… my husband died twice, hell I’ve even crossed the threshold many times myself,” Imogen’s eyes go wide and Vex’ahlia’s line of sight shifts back to Laudna. “My brother even saved me before he too… was lost.” Imogen can see the beginnings of tears forming on the rims of her eyes before the Lady blinks them away. “I know what it is like to lose the person who means the most, and the person you love the most, and I see both of those losses in your eyes,” she finished as her eyes locked intensely back with Imogen’s. Too intensely; Imogen broke eye contact and looked back to the floor at her feet feeling like she got caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing.
Arguably her biggest secret was out, and so easily read at that, and now she felt as though she were in trouble. Her eyes slowly crept up and found Laudna again. There were many things wrong with her, many things she was not proud of, but Laudna was certainly not one of them. She was the best thing in Imogen’s life and if she was given a second chance with her by whatever powers that be, she refused to waste it.
“How did she die?” Lady de Rolo’s voice breaks Imogen’s train of thought. Her eyes instinctually go wider than Catha as her head whipped back to the source of the question. The shock of the inquiry dissipated as Imogen’s facial features relaxed and she felt that familiar sharpness of guilt in her chest as it spread up and around her shoulders. She could almost feel them slump a bit deeper from the weight.
“It’s a long story… All that matters is that it was my fault,” Imogen answered as tears pricked her eyes. She chose not to fight them this time. She’d been fighting them almost constantly for the past week and she just couldn’t fight them any longer. A large tear fell down her cheek and dropped from her cheek and onto her vest. Wanting to hide her face again, her eyes found the floor once more. She felt a light hand on her shoulder followed by a reassuring voice, “ We often blame ourselves for the things beyond our control when they hurt the ones we love.” The hand squeezes softly before it slides off the shoulder and returns to its folded position over its owner’s chest, taking a fraction of weight with it. Another tear falls from her cheek as Imogen said, just above a whisper, “There is so much I haven’t told her. So much she deserves to hear.” She takes a deep breath and continues as she exhales, “There is so much more for her. I feel like there is this gaping hole in my chest. My heart feels emptier than it ever has before.” She shut her eyes tightly, a tear falling from each, and squeezes them tighter still as she leans her head back, not caring how hard her head hits the wall behind her. Her voice cracks in a broken whisper, “it’s just waiting for the music to come back.”
Imogen paused to collect herself and calm her heartbeat. She tilted her head forward to its natural position and turned again to look at Lady Vex’ahlia, guilt and sadness changing to resolve on her face.
“I will do anything to get her back,” she said through gritted teeth. As her eyes settle over Lady de Rolo’s face, she feels a chill roll down her spine as the Lady’s skin begins to gray in her vision, her cheeks sharpen, and the tips of her ears turn gold, as her face shifts to more closer resemble her macabre doppelgänger. She snaps her head away and back toward where Laudna lies. As her head shifts, she hears thudding footsteps making their way* down the stairs as Pike returns from her research holding a sizable tome. She can then feel a light rustle beside her as Lady de Rolo kicks herself off of the door to stand upright and takes a step toward Pike before pausing and briefly turning back towards Imogen.
“I bid you caution. Without the closure of acceptance, there lies far more than lost lives down that dark path,” she turned her head back toward the stairs.
“Just look at where that got Delilah,” she finished as she walked away.