Despite my earlier statement to Dietrich about needing to speak with Heide alone, I almost cried with relief to see Ulrich at the jailhouse. It was not that I was afraid of the woman herself, I was more…wary of the enigmas that surrounded her like dark clouds of wickedness.

The flute I bravely held in my hand was created before Heide had ever met the Hero; I could be sure of that. Anyone with a healthy amount of courage would run in terror at the mere thought. However, I had to know more. If we were to take her with us, I needed to break apart a few of those clouds. Perhaps there was an ounce of the true Heide within her corrupted heart. And perhaps, I, a prince of Cross, could be the one to free her from her bondage, save Lina the trouble. She’d be most pleased if I could.

Ulrich was looking at me sideways, “You doin’ alright, Mr. Prince? You’ve been standin’ there with a weird grin on your face. “

I jumped, “Ah, yes. I was merely…preparing my thoughts.”

“Uh-huh.” I could swear the horse was grinning at me, “Want me to hold yer hand to make you feel braver?”

“Would you?” I held up my hand holding Heide’s flute and proffered it. “I would be ever so grateful. Just grab it there with your teeth.”

Ulrich’s ears pinned back at my jest, “Ferget I said anythin’.”

I chuckled. Even reckless Ulrich, with his gung-ho attitude had enough sense to fear such a cursed object. But the mirth died quickly in my throat as Ulrich barked an order to the guards posted on either side of the door that led to the lock up.

“Get the girl ready fer interrogation.”

They saluted, opened the door, and entered, leaving it open for us to follow. I hesitated for a moment at the sight of the dark corridor. It had not been long since I, too, had been a prisoner within these walls. Ulrich spoke behind me.

“After you, Mr. Prince. But fair warnin’, that girl’s got quite the silver tongue.”

I gave the sheriff a princely grimace before I stepped into the lock up. Ulrich followed behind.

When I had been unjustifiably detained, the cells were all but empty, but now, most were filled; some even had multiple occupants.

“We have her locked up in the back,” said Ulrich as he walked up behind me. “Thought it best that she be as far from everyone as possible.”

There was silence as we walked past each cell. The only noise was from my boots and Ulrich’s hooves. The prisoners I could see only looked at us as we passed, some of whom I recognized as guards I had defeated. More than a few prisoners were covered in shadows, with the only visible parts of them being their legs as they sat splayed on their benches or on the floor. Still, I could feel their eyes boring into my skull as I passed them. But I chose to ignore this and kept my eyes forward.

It was not my fault that they had chosen to rebel against their sheriff. Or that they were too weak to succeed. If I had my way, they’d be the ones rebuilding Pleasance. Maybe they would, once Ulrich and Albert came to a decision, but that was not my priority, as they said.

My priority was Lina. And the False Hero.

We continued down the corridor until we reached its end. On the left side was the cell that Dietrich and I had recently occupied. This was rather easy to tell, as the door Dietrich had torn off was rather precariously held in place by a second pair of guards sitting on stools, their backs pressed against the bars.

Both looked quite bored as only a single prisoner, being Jurgen, sat within. Unlike the other prisoners, the man was chained by the ankle to a ring set in the stone floor and looked secure in his imprisonment which, in my opinion, made the “maintenance” of the door redundant.

I was not about to complain, however. So, to avoid possible glares from any of the guards who may or may not know who was may or may not be responsible for the man responsible for destroying a perfectly good cell door that had failed to hold us captive, I averted my eyes to look into the cell on the right, where the two guards from the entrance stood.

Before I could look into the cell proper, I heard Ulrich’s voice whisper into my ear, “We’d’ve had the door repaired by now, but the smith from Pleasance is too busy with other projects. We’d give it to our smith, but…well…we don’t let him handle the important jobs.”

I knew it. There was no way they would let their clown of a smith do anything this important after seeing how poor his sword work was. I was about to give a snide remark about creating swords not being an “important job” when I was distracted by the sight of Heide in her cell.

She was as disheveled as ever, and her limbs were shackled. But she did not look like a prisoner. The chains may as well have not been there as she sat eloquently upon a stool, sipping a decorative tea cup, complete with saucer and teapot, which sat on her wooden bed and atop an intricately woven doily.

Ulrich gave an irritated grunt, “What the––? This is not what I meant when I said to prepare her for interrogation. Who gave her those things!”

We looked between the two pairs of guards. The ones who sat in front of the broken doors did not look as bored as I initially thought. Neither made eye contact, nor did the other guards when we looked back at them. One even began to whistle a tuneless song in a vain attempt at looking nonchalant.

“We…tried to take them away before you got here,” said the guard who was not whistling, “But we couldn’t stand the sight of her looking so sad.”

Ulrich tossed his head at that, “She shouldn’t be drinking tea in the first place! She’s a prisoner!”

There was a guffaw from Jurgen, “Looks like you don’t run as tight a ship as you think you do, eh Ulrich?”

“Quiet you!” retorted Ulrich with a kick to bars. The noise was loud enough to send the sitting guards to their feet. “At least y’all had the sense to chain her up! Now get out and clear yer heads. I’ll deal with you later.”

The four guards left noisily, Jurgen continuing to laugh while they left. Heide did not laugh, however, but a small smile danced across her lips as she took one last sip from her teacup before returning it to its saucer and placing them gently beside the pot.

“Please don’t blame them for their kindness, my dear sheriff. Being held against one’s will can be taxing for the spirit, especially one with such an awful smell. I’ve never been fond of the stink of a barnyard.”

That was right, the cell which held Heide had once been Ulrich’s. I kept silent as I anticipated Ulrich’s anger.

However, Ulrich gave no sign of offense as he said, “Just count yer blessin’s that I didn’t make you clean out my bucket with yer hands, little missy.” He flashed his teeth at her.

Heide ignored him. Instead, her eyes continued to smile as they fell upon me. “You see how unjustly the sheriff has been treating me, Prince Anno? It’s only natural that his underlings would feel sorry for me, don’t you think? But you don’t pity me, do you?”

“Oh, I do pity you,” said I, “You truly are in a sorry state. As such, I have come to set you free.”

She did not react to that beyond a slight narrowing of her eyes. “You think of me as some helpless victim, do you not? Someone who needs to be rescued by a dashing prince, such as yourself? By all means, then, please save me.”

“Helpless is not a word I would use to describe you.” I inched closer to the bars, “But a victim? Yes. A victim of cruelty. A victim of manipulation by evil forces. I would think someone of your skill set would understand when they’ve been on the end of lies and honeyed words.”

Heide leaned forward and rested a hand on her chin, Her chains hardly made any noise, as she said, “Prince Anno, Prince Anno, what must you think of me? I do not deal in sweet lies, but in stirring hearts. Is that not my sole purpose as a musician?” She giggled in a way which made it seem as if she were stating the obvious. “I admit, it is easy to get people to do what I want. But that is only because I give people what they want. A small look here, a smile there. Perhaps even a touch to the back of the hand or a tear if their heart still wavers. But nothing stirs the heart quite like a beautiful melody. Don’t you agree?” She lowered her head and parted her lips ever so slightly.

This change in her gaze, made my heart stir. It was only a minute difference, but to me, she looked far more pitiable even as her eyes continued to mock me. I felt a shiver begin to creep up my spine.

I could see the truth in her words. She was beautiful, though she looked a mess. On the contrary, I would say her unkempt appearance made her all the more pitiable.

Heide was someone who knew how to take advantage, even in a dire situation. I need to be aware of this talent of hers…for Dietrich’s sake. I was far too princely to fall for such obvious manipulation.

As if in response to these thoughts, Heide giggled. “You think yourself immune to my charm. Don’t you, Prince Anno?” she said. I blinked and Heide’s expression had returned to its usual serenity. “And perhaps you are. After all, you did manage to resist my pull at its full power. Or perhaps you only withstood it because your heart was held by another?” Her smile widened demurely, “I consider myself quite skilled in toying with emotions, but I’m afraid I pale in comparison to dear Lina. I have yet to know a single person immune to her wiles. How is she fairing, by the by? I heard she is in quite a poor state. That’s probably for the best, I would say. Free yourself from her clutches while you still can, Prince Anno, before it’s too late.”

I felt my words catch in my throat. The longer Heide spoke, the deeper her words sank. Like a thousand parasites burrowing into my skin, each syllable pierced and crawled their way inside my flesh. I couldn't help but think of Gertrude’s words as she had berated Lina back in Pleasance.

“I am sick of you! Acting helpless! Pretending to be some damsel! He's always looking your way! Always doting on you like you're his favorite!”

My heart beat loudly in my ears, growing faster with every second. Was what Gertrude said correct after all? Was the real Lina someone who used others solely for her benefit? Was I merely a simple stepping stone to be walked over to reach her next protector? I inched closer as I stared into Heide’s dark blue eyes. I need to know more about the woman that was becoming precious to me. I felt I was on the cusp of a revelation about her true self. I had only gotten a glimpse of her before she had fallen unconscious. But if Heide knew the real Lina, then perhaps she could be persuaded to tell me. If only there was a way… my fingers tightened around the horrific flute as I was struck by a realization.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

There is a way. I possessed the thing Heide wanted most in the world.

Before I could think anything more, Ulrich’s gruff drawl burst into my thoughts like an explosion, “That’s far enough, Mr. Prince.”

I jumped and found myself pressed against the door of Heide’s cell. One of my hands was even wrapped around the bars. When did that happen? I faintly recalled moving closer, but I had not realized I had gotten this close. Dangerously close.

I regarded Heide with horror, who was leaning forward, arm extended as far as her chains would allow, reaching for her flute that I was about to proffer her. I could feel it in my arm––in the very fibers of the muscle––the desire to give her what she wanted.

As if struck, I leaped several steps back so that I was almost against the opposite cell’s bars, holding the flute against my chest. I could not take my eyes from Heide, whose face blanched as she sat back and fixed Ulrich with a furious stare. “I was so close, you driveling, meddlesome beast of burden!” Her face reddened further as she realized her break in composure. She gave a small cough and did her best to restore her poise. “Excuse me––I meant, it is most frustrating––upsetting––annoying––infuriating––!”

Heide’s jaw tightened with every word until, by the end, she was spitting them out through gritted teeth. Though I was much farther from her, I could clearly see a vein begin to rise on Heide’s temple as the rest of her body began to tense and tighten. Her shoulders rose, and her hands clasped together, thumbs rubbing against each other so quickly, I feared she’d rub the skin raw. Her teeth ground and her boots scraped across the stone floor over and over, chains rattled all the while, which created an unsettling symphony.

I exchanged looks with Ulrich, whose ears were pressed down to block out her chorus of rage.

Then, all at once, the sound stopped. Heide closed her eyes and pressed her palms together as if in prayer. In far too short a time, her body relaxed. Her shoulders lowered and the pulsing vein disappeared back beneath her skin. She then let out a deep sigh before opening her eyes, which glittered demurely. Her smile had returned, “Forgive me, it was unbecoming for a lady of Blumentau to show such barbarity. I am just a little irked that I am not able to stir the heart of such a…noble steed.” An eyelid twitched.

I would not call what I witnessed, a little anything. If anger was power, the entire prison would have been reduced to rubble. And I, a lowly––but princely––pile of ash.

Ulrich chuckled, “You ain’t got nothin’ to offer that I want, little lady.” He gave me a sidelong look, “Y’see? A silver tongue, just like I said, Mr. Prince.”

“You were not exaggerating, Sheriff.” I somehow managed to maintain my composer, even as my insides roiled with shame. How could I, a prince of Cross, allow another to shake my resolve. I had chosen to place my trust in Lina. I considered her a friend and ally. And I had to have faith that she thought the same as me. My eyes returned to Heide, “However, that was more than just a clever use of words and a seductive smile, Miss Heide. You still hold a lot of power, even without this.” I held up her flute. “And here I thought that you’d participated in a demonic rite with your mother as a ritualistic sacrifice.”

Heide’s smile faded, “I would never degrade my mother in that way! That flute was her last gift to me!”

I raised a doubtful eyebrow. “What then? A spell using the right combination of words to invade my mind?” I would persist until I knew every aspect of her abilities.

Heide fell silent, but I was not in the mood for mind games any longer. I took the ends of the flute in both hands. “Tell me, or I will snap your precious gift in two.”

Silence. The fury was back in Heide’s eyes as her lid gave another spasm. But I held firm. Pressing my thumbs to the center of the instrument to create a fulcrum I began to bend its body toward me. The bone did not have much give, but I knew I could break it with enough pressure. I certainly had the rage.

It took a moment longer for the fight to leave the woman’s eyes. She closed them and sighed once more, “Very well. You win, Prince Anno.” She paused, then said, “I spent nearly two decades mastering my craft. Music became my entire reason for being. It was a long and difficult road, a road which did indeed cost the life of my mother, but only because I was such a failure of a daughter.”

“And so?” I asked in as calm a voice as I could muster. “Get to the point.”

“So, as a result, I gained the power to stir the hearts of people, as I said. To stir sound itself and bend it to my will. And not just with my music but with my voice as well. See, a voice carries a song all its own, although it is not as obvious or as powerful as a true melody. All one needs to do is find the right cadence and people will listen. The best I can do is suggest certain emotions and ideas, then make them fester.” Her eyes opened. There was sorrow in them, and a plea. “The flute has nothing to do with my power; I could do the same with any old instrument. It is merely my most cherished possession. These past few days have been agonizing knowing it may be at risk. Please do not break my flute, my heart could not bear it. I may die of despair.”

I hesitated as I looked into her eyes as melodramatic as her words were, I sensed that they were genuine. Even if my sympathetic feelings were a result of yet more manipulation, I could not find it within my heart to destroy something so precious. Whatever monster she had become, I had to believe that a better Heide lay within this woman. I would not destroy the flute. But she did not need to know that yet. “And you are telling the truth?”

She smiled, “As I have said, I do not deal in lies. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you. ”

“If you prefer not to lie as you say, then tell me, who Lina really is? Or perhaps, you can tell me where Silva is. You know who that is, right? Where is she? What has she been doing?”

What I wanted to ask was why did Silva leave me, but I restrained my tongue so as to not give Heide another weakness to exploit. Even mentioning her name aloud was dangerous, but I could not help myself.

I knew that what I said was a mistake, and tried to correct it by adding, “What about Gertrude? What has happened to her? Is she safe?” But it was too late.

Something in Heide’s eyes changed at the sound of Silva’s name. I could not put into words what that change was, but I found myself looking at a different person. Her smile became cruelly playful. She was now a spider who had found a large fly caught in her web. “Just because I prefer not to lie, does not mean I have to tell you anything else I don’t want to.”

“Even if I break this?” I raised the flute to show her.

“Oh, Prince Anno, you and I both know that you won’t. You’re far too honorable. I have already fulfilled my end of your little bargain. I’ve told you my secret, there’s no reason for me to tell you anyone else’s, especially those that you would regret learning.”

What did she mean by that? I wanted to ask, but felt my voice catch on fear. Before I could unstick my throat, Heide continued, her smile growing darker.

“I will tell you this, though: Just because you know the secret of my power, does not mean that you are immune to it. You’ve come to take me with you, am I correct? Why else would you appear after days of avoiding me?”

She was right. I had been intentionally keeping my distance. In all honesty, I found her to be quite disturbing. A feeling which she reinforced the longer I was with her. In these few minutes, Heide easily deduced that I, as a prince, was bound by my word. In other words, I lost my leverage.

“Very good, Heide. You’ve figured me out,” I said, letting go of one end of the flute with a shrug, “We’re leaving for Alten tonight. So, prepare yourself for a long and arduous journey back to your worm of a Hero. You may not wish to tell me anything now, but you will. By the end, you’ll be begging to tell us all that you know.”

I was hoping for another flash of anger, but Heide only smiled, “Is that so? Well then, I’m looking forward to seeing you try, Prince Anno. But it will be in vain. My love for him will keep me strong.”

Not after Lina gets through with you. I looked forward to the moment Lina got her hands on her, just like she did with Gertrude.

Serene as ever, Heide picked up her teacup and took a dainty sip from it. Her eyes never once left mine.

“I look forward to our journey together… I’ll have you under my boot before long.”

We stared at each other a moment longer before I spoke to Ulrich, “Have your guards prepare her for our journey and take her to the inn. And––” I placed a hand on his shoulder, “Please make sure to supervise them closely. We don’t need a repeat of what happened to the rest of Justice.”

“I’ll make sure they stay in line,” he said, “After a hundred push ups each, that is!”

With that, I turned away and walked back down the corridor. But Ulrich spoke before I could get too far, “And don’t leave without me, y’hear. I’ve got somethin’ I wanna give ya before you go.”

I glanced behind me, “I wouldn’t dream of it, Sheriff. You’d chase me down before I could get too far.”

“‘That I would. Trust me, you’ll need it fer the journey ahead. Won’t get far without it, I promise you.”

I gave him a quizzical look, “I can’t even begin to fathom what you mean by that. Is it here in the jail?”

Ulrich shook his head, “Naw, it’s too important to be in this old place. Gotta pick it up from my house.”

Before I could try to imagine the sort of house that a horse could live in, there was a cry of shock from Jurgen of all people, “Wait a moment, horse. You don’t mean to give the prince that, do you?!”

“Yup,” was all Ulrich said.

My interest was quite piqued. “Give me what?” I asked Jurgen, who was sweating with visible fury. His black mustache bristled like an overused broom as he stared murderously up at Ulrich. The man was practically frothing at the mouth.

His response was to the horse, “You have no right to give that away, especially to some young upstart you just met!”

“That ain’t yer call anymore.” Ulrich looked down at Jurgen with an air of authority, “‘Sides, I’ve been watchin’ this here prince since he arrived. And I think Steel would agree that there’s no one worthier.”

At the mention of Gerhard’s alias, my heart quickened. And here I thought that he would have given me an extra bridle or a particularly large carrot, but my imagination ran wild at the prospect of an object related to Gerhard Holy Sword. But I dared not think of it, lest my imagination carried me into the realm of impossibility.

“Won’t you tell me what it is?” I looked between the two, the horse and his prisoner, hoping for some hint.

Ulrich flashed his teeth in response, “I’ll keep it a surprise. Consider a partin’ gift from a friend.”

Jurgen stared back at me defiantly. “Well I’m not going to tell you, pup. Maybe the steed’ll get some sense and change his mind.”

From behind us, Heide laughed, “Oh my! Now you’ve got me curious. I wonder what it could be?”

“Quiet you!” said Ulrich and Jurgen together. Both stared daggers at the woman, who fell silent.

That was the first time I had seen these two agree on something. And I suspected it would be the only time.

Ulrich turned his head to look at me sideways, “Get along, Mr. Prince. I won’t be far behind.”

He was right. I could sense I would not get a proper answer out of either of them. And the less time I spent near Heide, the better. Right now, I was beginning to regret my decision to take her with us. But I held to my conviction. Between Dietrich and I, we would find a way to keep her in line.

“I’ll be off, then.” I could not help but give one last glance at Heide. An action which I immediately regretted as she blew a kiss in my direction.

“See you soon, Prince Anno…”

I suppressed a shudder, and held the flute tighter as I turned my back on her. The sooner Lina awakened, the better.

As I walked back down the corridor, passing several guards heading toward Heide’s cell, I heard Jurgen say, “You know, now that I think of it, that girl said she can sway hearts. That’s how she got me to follow her, I swear. You know how wily she is. But I’ve come to my senses. So, you can let me out now.”

“Not on yer life, Jurgen,” retorted Ulrich, “Better get comfortable. I reckon you’ll be sittin’ in that cell fer a loooong-long time.”

I smirked at that. I must admit, I would miss that old horse sheriff. No, he was more than just a horse, he was a capable leader. And a fast friend.

I seemed to be making a lot of those on this journey. In my youth, I could not imagine such a luxury. It made my heart ache for Silva all the more. From Ulrich, to Dietrich, to even Lina, she’d be proud of my choice of friends, I just knew it.

But I could not dwell on my sadness for long. Nor could I look back until my mission to end the False Hero’s reign was complete.

The next stage of our journey was imminent. The time had come to leave Justice behind.