The very existence of her beguiled any truth Kaid had known. Not just everything in the past months, nearly a year, outside Caladin but also those thirty years inside it. Mara. Mara Wayser. Born in Lungor, raised in Lungor, imprisoned by Lungor. And from what Kaid had thought, killed by Lungor Caladin guards, just like anyone else who failed a Trial or broke the rules. She had done both simultaneously. Kaid had spent months, perhaps years contemplating her death, coming to terms with it, and most of all trying to rid the guilt of not being at the right place, at the right time.

The very idea of the 'right time' was folly, even for a man like Kaid.

"Tea?" Mara asked, pouring him some beside the table.

Kaid was cuffed, enchanted of course but they were more like bracelets than the cuffs he was used to seeing in Vitross. It allowed the freedom of movement with his hands but still held the same magical effects of a Blocker. Kaid knew it was a slight freedom that most of these Confederates despised, given they knew he could fight. But Mara insisted it was more of a sign of trust, that while his hands weren't bound, he posed no threat. Still, that didn't stop some of them from bruising his face and jaw with a few hits when they escorted him here. Wherever here was. The air was still hot and dry, so he assumed it was still a part of Uhkhtar. Perhaps higher elevation given the air almost felt harder to inhale, but he didn't know if that was mere geography or his injuries.

Kaid glanced at the teacup in front of him, the waft of mint and sugar all too familiar with his senses. The mocha color of the tea also gave it away.

"It's from Uhkhtar, Shay-"

"Shay Al-Bahr, I'm familiar with it," Kaid interrupted her, his first words to his former cellmate. His eyes were full of confusion, but also anger. How could Mara have escaped? Why did she not reach out to him, make some sort of contact that she was alive? None of those answers were easy, of course. They weren't rational, none of this was. So, Kaid knew his anger was misplaced. He also had to remind himself, the events of the past twenty-four hours were much more than a normal human could really bear. Yet men and women like him had borne such misery time and time again.

"The fact you didn't even need to taste it makes me assume you're quite familiar with it," Mara gave a weak smile. She was hesitating, wondering just how friendly he might be.

Kaid Al-Yami was not the same Kaid she had met in Caladin. While Vitross had blessed him with a bit of youthfulness, a decent trim and clothes, it had poisoned him. She could see it in his no longer soft brown eyes. She missed how they gleamed with adoration under the bright white lights of prison. Now, they held a sting to them, a tired shell shocked gaze that could commit murder under the wrong circumstances. Mara had seen the actions against her cause, the numerous dead and slaughtered from Kaid's blade alone. He was no longer the peacekeeper of Caladin, the unspoken warden, but rather a fighter of suppressed rage and bloodlust.

Vitross had done far worse to him than Caladin ever had.

Kaid took the cup of tea and took a sip, finding the tea to be a bit more sweet than he was used to. The taste instantly reminded him of Jessamine, his lover, his Empress. The zing of the mint immediately tasted almost metallic to Kaid, reminiscing blood: the never ending blood flowing from Jessamine's side as she clutched that wound. Kaid had no idea if she was even alive. The portal had been good timing, but Kaid knew portals could worsen wounds instantly, enhancing their pain. If she was alive, she was no doubt incapable of fighting.

Which meant he was stuck here, unless some other companion deemed him worthy of rescue. Kaid knew however that with Mara here, his chances of being tortured or killed were slim. She still cared, given she offered him tea and seemed very understanding during these trying circumstances.

"How have you been?" Kaid asked, a bit of sarcasm dripping from his voice, however he genuinely cared. Perhaps Kaid wasn't lost completely to the darkness, there was still a part of his heart that cared for people. Even Mara, who was seen as his very enemy, was to be treated with some respect. However that was given their past, and nothing more.

"Tired. But it is a relief to see you, my old friend," she answered honestly, "I know you must be feeling a thousand emotions all at once. I know you have questions, and hopefully I have the answers."

"What the fuck happened? How the hell did you escape Caladin?" Kaid asked, rather quickly.

"Escape? I think you can perceive very well that I didn't escape. As the entire Continent knows by now, you and Jessamine were the very first, and probably very last to escape such a place," she explained, "No, I suppose the answer is far more devious and deceiving than you think. I didn't escape. Nobody here in the Confederation escaped, we were chosen. Caladin is not just a prison, it's an experiment. The Warden, the same man who defiled me, was also the one that 'saved' me, if you could call it that. He's the one really responsible for this Confederacy, a group of very elite, strong, Oblivionists for Lungor to use, under secretive means, to gain control and power.

"Caladin was originally designed as a means to control, but with the pouring in of Oblivionists, the idea began: How do humans grow? What defines them, makes them stronger? What turns an ordinary person into extraordinary? Trials and tribulations. Oblivion was once thought to be a box, organized like a tree diagram of all the known powers and wizardry. The Warden saw Oblivion as a never-ending line, a continuous, always growing and expanding quality. You've known this line, became familiar with it. As a child, you were able to freeze time. As a teenager, you learned to walk with it, control it. And now, look at you. You can revert it, go back, change anything you like within reason."

Kaid's hand quivered around his tea, trembling as he could hardly grasp the cup, "And? You traded one chain for another? You take orders from the man who raped you? All because he gave you freedom?"

"We have an obligation based on contracts. But we are given the freedom to move around, the freedom of funds, the freedom to sleep in whatever bed we choose, eat whatever we want, fuck whomever we want, and use our powers as we see fit. I saw this as an opportunity to raise my child in a much safer place than those prison walls. You can judge me all you want for my decision, Kaid. But I made the best one I could, otherwise the Warden would have killed me. My defiance against him, that scar I gave him, he saw it as the belief I could fulfill this contract, lead these people, and also provide safety for my child."

"I do not judge you, Mara," Kaid shook his head. He knew by now the world was no longer full of black and white, it was a disarray of gray. Choices always held consequences, the good, the bad, and the in between. A good choice for one person could not always be seen the same from another. This world was inherently selfish, its policies selfish, and the people inside trying to justify living in such a place.

"Nor do I judge you. The others here might have opinions of you, but you were my friend. You are my friend," she clarified, "you are not my enemy, not some experiment to me. I never expected you to ever escape Caladin. Part of me felt relieved, that you were able to obtain a freedom I knew you craved so desperately. And the other part knew you set things into motion, blindly. The fault is not your own, of course. The choice-"

"The choice was mine, as people so mistakenly disbelieve," Kaid corrected her, "I don't need your sympathy, or support, Mara. Whatever your men think of me, it is most likely true. However, if you think I walked into all of this blind or ignorant, you're mistaken."

"Then why are you so surprised about all of this?" she asked, seeing him clench his jaw, "Caladin was a soft lie. Sure, people died after Trials. But some proved their worth and managed to join us, to obtain freedom. You were never meant to obtain such, sadly. Everything about Caladin, about all of this, was carefully crafted, derived from lies and deceit that eventually it all became truth. You walked into this blindly and still do, not because you close your eyes shut, but because you don't realize the blindfold around them."

"Jessamine-"

"Precisely, let's start with her," Mara leaned close, not out to intimidate him, but to be straight with him, knowing the truth would sting, "she could very well be the victim she claims to be, but her family history leaves little to offer. You spoke with her Aunt, Ingrid Monnier, in the Southern Isles. Monniers, a family of destitute history, who found their fames and fortunes sailing the globe for history and artifacts. And when the world no longer cared, when money didn't come pouring in, who did they send to fix it all? Alexandra Monnier, the Siren Singer, to lure Emperor Kristoff into romance. The entire love story was a scheme for the Monniers to join the royal family and all its wealth. A goddess of deceit such as Jessamine didn't just develop those traits on her own, she inherited them.

"Perhaps I too, gave her the benefit of the doubt. The real measure of our contract was to remove Payne the believed root of her strength, her wickedness, and the only person preventing her from accountability. But the longer she enabled him, the moment she rescued you, you really think she has nothing to do with any of this?"

"So that's the contract, you were taken out of Caladin to destabilize Vitross? Doesn't seem like I've been blind at all, that's exactly what we knew you to be. You claim me to be some blind tool, take a look in the mirror, Mara," Kaid insisted.

"You clearly don't see the threat, Kaid. We're talking about tyranny: an empire built on lies, violent suppression that's a faux based on security, and a political climate that hungrily feeds on blackmail!"

"Blackmail? It was you who helped Persephone, wasn't it? And you held it over her father's head, that if he betrayed your trust, you could revert her back," Kaid retorted.

"A veiled threat and nothing more. We gave that girl back her life, a life Jessamine stole-"

"Jessamine didn't mean to steal it, you have no idea what happened."

"How can you continue to defend her, Kaid? How much more can you withstand before you finally realize that everything wrong right now has been because of her? She is a poisonous snake, lurking in the grass, infecting everyone around her. And now, I'm afraid she bit you too, but you let her do so willingly," Mara spoke softly.

"You don't know Jessamine, you don't know her at all," Kaid shook his head.

"And you do?"

"I love her," Kaid admitted, looking Mara in the eyes. He expected surprise, but all he saw in his friend's eyes was a deep sorrow. It was a trench of pity, with no bottom in sight. A fool's pity, not the pity of a friend. She closed her eyes for a moment, sipping that tea. She hesitated, again, but she came into this discussion with one goal in mind and that was the truth. Mara just had no idea how badly it would hurt her dear friend.

"Behind every plummet of a powerful man, is a beautiful woman," Mara exhaled, looking at Kaid, "I'm sorry, Kaid."

"For what? Falling in love?" Kaid asked, "Or for wanting to kill the woman I love?"

"Did you really think it was mere coincidence? Out of the hundreds, no, thousands of cells in Caladin, how in the Divines did she manage to get thrown into yours?" she asked, seeing Kaid grow silent, "Vitross was stumbling, economically and politically. Jessamine was not well liked, most of that against her own doing, given her coming to power. Vitross needed something to save them, something to hold against the others, to give them meaning and a sense of power and purpose. Payne provided Jessamine with one final, do or die, last frenzy attempt to keep that power: you. Jessamine was not thrown into Caladin, she went in willingly, in the hopes of exiting with you."

"No," Kaid immediately refuted, feeling his lips and throat go dry, "no, that's not true."

"It's not? You've seen it first hand, Kaid, all the lies, the turmoil. Jessamine needed leverage and she got it in the most unique way possible, stealing Emperor Bashir's bastard from beneath his nose. Everyone has secrets, and as you know very well, Jessamine is very very good at obtaining such secrets, secrets people like Bashir would take to the grave. Secrets your mother took to her own grave. I'm sorry, Kaid, I know this is not what you wanted to hear, especially from me. Thirty-eight years of your life have been a lie, and this past year, you actually thought things were different," she whispered, guilt in her voice, "You've become so used to the lie, you don't realize how much you've been lying to yourself."

"You have no proof," Kaid defied, although his shaky voice gave it away.

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

"What will you do, ask her? You think she'd tell you the truth? Kaid, if you gave your heart away to her so willingly, you have to wonder, how easily did she get into your mind? Or were you just as awestruck as her father once was? Did you really believe yourself to be so unlovable that the slightest notion from a beautiful woman quenched your parched heart?" Mara scoffed, "I will get you your proof, Kaid. I have a man on the inside of Caladin, who has records and proof that their Guards were bribed into letting Jessamine in, that Payne infiltrated. It's all there. He can give it to you by the end of this week, if you'd like."

Kaid shook his head, running his tired, war torn hands through his hair, fingers massaging his temples, "No. No, you've got it all wrong. You can't just make shit up to get me to be on your side. Fuck, Mara, I watched your men blow up an entire compound, of not just innocent men, but also Lungor men. I thought you were on the Emperor's side?"

This wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Jessamine would have told him, hinted at it. Kaid knew that he loved her, that what he had with her was real, and most of all that she loved him too. The very fact that not only Jessamine could see it, but Kaid's friends as well, proved that their love wasn't in just his head. Jessamine couldn't force love, Persephone was proof of that. None of that love felt like a lie, but Kaid also knew he had never felt a love like he had for his Empress ever before. He doubted he ever could feel such for anyone else.

"He knew about it. It was the only way we could see the objective being completed," Mara refuted.

Bullshit, Kaid thought.

"Did the Warden make you believe that?"

"I haven't spoken with him in over a year. He's not known to leave Caladin, ever. As of late, Emperor Bashir himself has given the direct orders, mostly in letters, rarely in person. And, no, I haven't gone to Lungor myself. Our operations are based out of here, the territory where it all started, one Bashir is quite familiar with," Mara answered, "I have all the answers to your questions, Kaid."

"So, what now? You disrupted Jessamine's plans. What about me? You're going to hand me back to my father, who's just going to toss me back into Caladin," Kaid laughed, "Maybe I'm not the ignorant one here. Perhaps the Warden knew about our friendship and he's the one actually using you."

Mara bristled, shaking her head, again, "I won't let that happen. We can make a deal. If Vitross falls, that's all Bashir will care about. You don't want to be his heir, Kaid. You don't want anything to do regarding him or his family. If we move past that, we vow your secret stays as such, I know we can come to terms. You don't have to go back there, Kaid. I won't let that happen."

She had absolutely no power in believing that, in holding that against her commanders. Jessamine at least could protect Kaid, and not based on false promises and premises. Mara was not a safeguard, as much as she believed herself to be. There powerful men and women didn't care about friendships, only profit and security of such profits.

"If he doesn't see me as a threat, Vrah certainly does. I'm sure he's spoken very highly about Caladin to you."

"The Emperor's son? We've never had the pleasure of meeting," Mara answered. Kaid's thoughts went back to that meeting. It was clear that Bashir was growing frail, that his health was coming to question, and maybe Jessamine had taken advantage of such. However, Bashir didn't go anywhere that Vrah did not. Vrah was not only his shadow but also his bodyguard. There was no way in hell that Vrah would even let his father speak alone to former prisoners of Caladin. Vrah saw Caladin as corporal punishment, not experimentation.

Who was his father, Emperor Bashir? Who was Jessamine? Hell, who was Mara when Kaid wasn't around? The only thing that made a person's character certain was their cornerstone, and Kaid was beginning to feel he still didn't have one.

"Do you have anyone from Uhkhtar in your party?" Kaid asked, wanting to change the subject for now.

"I do, why?" she asked, curious about such.

"There's a blade amongst my possessions. I was told it was from here and wanted insight on it," Kaid explained, seeing her slight surprise.

"Alright," she nodded, rising from her chair. Mara figured it was the least thing she could do for her friend. Mara could tell the news she gave him was troubling him, as it should. Yet he still tried to remain resolute in his truth. Mara knew she had to rebuild the trust, especially once her contact returned with the necessary evidence to sway him. She was foolish to think he'd turn away so easily and trust her, but she had no idea that Kaid was in love with Jessamine. And she obtained no evidence to suggest she felt the same towards him.

Mara left Kaid momentarily, Kaid beginning to feel his ear's ring out of annoyance. His body ached, his face slightly swollen, and his limbs and joints bruised heavily. He was beginning to feel the effects of the fighting, and not just of a physical nature. When Mara returned, she spoke softly with an older man beside her, handing him the emerald curved blade. The man looked at it, then glanced at Kaid, then immediately back to the blade.

"This is his?" he asked Mara, seeing her nod, "Where did you get this? From whom did you get it from?"

"I don't know," Kaid answered. He doubted he'd ever know whom that wretched corpse belonged to, what soul once possessed it in life and not in death.

"You found it? Stole it?"

"No," Kaid shook his head, "It's a long story."

The man bristled, glaring at Mara, "This blade means everything to my people. It is a ritual blade-"

"A ritual for what?" Kaid interrupted, not having the patience to be talked around as if he wasn't sitting here.

"Who did you steal it from?" He asked, letting Kaid know he would not get an answer until he received one as well.

"An undead soul, unknown, possessed. It tried to kill me with that blade. That's all I know. I didn't steal it."

The man didn't like the answer, given it was a rather confusing one. But he could see Kaid's honesty and curiosity, which meant maybe it wasn't so unbelievable.

"The Blade of the Usurper. The ritual was one to enact vengeance for our people. It is a blade to right wrongs, to enact with wrathful retribution. In our culture, the emerald green represents life. This knife will take a life to save the lives of others and for no other purpose," he explained.

Vengeance for what? How many wrongs could be righted by this blade? Was it against Vitross who created the flood, devastating the lives of thousands? Or was it for Lungor, who would eventually betray its allies, kill those who tried to hold on to the truth? It was for both, it was for all the lies of the past and all the ones still laid ahead of them.

"The blade sounds important to you, to your people. Keep it. I was not meant to have it," Kaid acknowledged. He would be rid of the blade, the very same one in his nightmares, which might just resolve it entirely. It was not his to possess and he would rather return it to the rightful people.

"Your mother possessed the blade, before she handed it to you. Presumably, it was confiscated by Caladin and thought to be lost forever. The blade returned to you. It is yours," the man bowed his head slightly, out of politeness. Kaid sucked a harsh breath, feeling the ache in his ribs as he did so. The blade was his mother's, and not only that, he wasn't capable of getting rid of it. If this was a blade his mother had given him, perhaps one last sense of protection against Lungor intruders, Kaid didn't know if he wanted to get rid of it.

"Did you know my mother?" Kaid asked, seeing him nod.

"I did. And I knew you as well," he swallowed slightly, holding the blade tightly. Knew, not know. The man seemed to believe the Kaid Al-Yami before him now was not the same child he had known him to be. Whether Caladin changed him, or Kaid wasn't who he was meant to become...the man was disappointed.

"Thank you, Esthero. Are you sure you don't want to keep the blade?" Mara asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"I'm sure. It seemed to find his way back to him," he replied before handing her the blade, stepping out of the tent. Mara glanced back at Kaid, handing the nearest guards the blade to return to his small collection of belongings.

"Your tea looks cold, would you like me to reheat it for you?" she asked, moving back to her seat. She could easily do it simply by holding the cup, but by the shake of his head, he lacked the appetite.

"No, thank you."

"Mommy! Mommy, you're back!" a young boy ran into the tent, eagerly running to the raven haired woman, wrapping his arms around her frame. Mara smiled widely as she embraced her son, rocking him back and forth before slowly pulling him into her lap. The boy was probably around six years old, his hair just as black as his mother's, but eyes dark brown. It was unlike the grass green of his mother, more presumably inherited from his father, this Warden. The Warden who possessed a burn across his face.

"Kaid," Mara cleared her throat, glancing over at her friend, "Son, I want you to finally meet the man I named you after. Kaid Wayser, meet Kaid Al-Yami. This is the man I've told you so much about, the man who helped me in Caladin, a very brave, passionate man. Just like you."

Kaid didn't know how to feel. He could clearly see and feel the overwhelming love Mara had for her child, a child borne from a punishable hate. Yet, Mara had not seen her son as such, but a gift, a light in her dark world. It reminded him of his own mother, who might've viewed her own son the same way. Kaid saw all the innocence children possessed, the same as those orphans he tried to look after, and knew very well there was nothing quite like a child's purity. Even more, there was no greater devotion than a child's love for their parent. He didn't feel honored enough to be named after what Mara considered her savior. He hadn't even made it in time to save her and was not deserving of such preservation.

"Wow, you're the man who can control time!" Young Kaid shouted in excitement, Mara smiling as she pinched him gently.

"Not so loud, but yes. He can control time, just as I can control fire," Mara laughed.

"Kaid, a pleasure to meet you," Kaid forced a smile towards the small child, who still held a fascinated grin.

"Son, I think our guest is tired. Let's give him some rest. You two can get to know each other more in the next coming days. Go get ready for bed, I'll be there shortly," Mara whispered to her child, seeing him pout before taking off. The boy certainly had the same passion as his mother, but not as much defiance. As young Kaid left, Kaid felt the painful memory of Sebastian hit him with full force. Both boys were too young to be in a place like this, a place so full of battle and war. One was named after Kaid, and the other had looked up to him.

Kaid failed them both, in one way or another. Kaid couldn't save Sebastian, and he wasn't so sure if he could save Mara's child as well.

"You possessed a mind witch, a male mind witch," Kaid spoke with severe confidence, surprising her slightly.

"There was only one mind witch on that battlefield. You already know who that was. While I may be in charge of the people here, not every Oblivion is shared with me. It is possible I did have someone in my ranks that did, but I don't believe we've ever known a male to possess such Oblivion. Do with that information as you will," she replied, standing slightly, "now, you need rest. This tent is yours to occupy, there are plenty of books I left behind for you to read. I kindly advise you don't leave this tent, otherwise you'll be giving the guards stationed outside this tent something to do. I wouldn't test them."

Kaid remained silent, glancing at the small tent around him, wondering how long he'd have to stay here. How could Mara treat him as a friend, yet imprison him so similar to Caladin?

"Good night, Kaid. I know it'll take time to process everything I told you. I promise that everything I said today is true, and I will find all the proof in the world to make you wake up," Mara whispered, "And as another show of my good faith, that I still value you as my friend, I have a gift."

Mara exited the tent, Kaid sitting there with a full, cold cup of tea in his hands. Mara could easily reheat it for him, but he wasn't in the mood for her assistance, nor for her tea. The same tea that reminded him of his lover. Kaid couldn't believe anything Mara stated. But what if, what if there was a small part of him, something that believed she might be right? What would it change?

Everything.

When Mara returned, she gently pulled the bronze arm of a young girl, one Kaid was all too familiar with. The worried smile on the Royal Seamstress' face lit up upon seeing her friend. Christine looked well. She didn't look out of sorts, looked tortured or anything of the such that Kaid worried could happen. In fact it looked like they didn't lay a finger on her.

Christine ran across the tent, Kaid rising from his seat before she jumped into him, arms wrapping around him tightly. Kaid returned the friendly embrace, squeezing her gently.

"Divines, I missed your hugs," she laughed, "It is so good to see you, Kaid."

"You as well, Christine, I'm so glad you are alright," Kaid smiled.

"Yes, you must tell me everything," she pulled back slightly, her smile slowly withering away upon the firm realization he was here. Which meant...what exactly? Her friend didn't appear in the best shape, and she knew a battle had arisen somehow given the camp's injuries and death.

Kaid was about to give the briefest summary he could before shouts could be heard outside the tent. It alerted Mara, who was just about to leave the two friends to reunite. But those shouts soon turned into cheers, yells for celebration. The word spread quickly, men and women running over, whispering with wide smiles. The entire camp seemed uplifted, Kaid easily feeling the radiance even if he couldn't see it.

One of the guards poked his head through the flap, an overjoyed grin on his face as he looked at Mara.

"Bring out the Arillian wine, Mara. The Empress is slain," he jeered.

"What?" Mara asked, green eyes widened, her skin growing pale.

"Empress Jessamine. Our scouts were able to gain sight of the Vitross camp, and they're already spreading that Jessamine died in the battle. Payne is taking over, for now, and beginning to prepare everyone to return to Vitross immediately. We won-"

"Only half the fight," Mara interrupted, feeling a knot in her stomach. She got what she wanted, half of what she wanted anyways. Why did she feel so ill then? It was the gaze Kaid possessed, as if his heart had stopped beating upon hearing the news. Kaid couldn't hear anything else after that, Mara ordering her troops to not get too drunk off the wine. There was still work to be done, after all, as Payne was still alive and well.

Christine held Kaid's hand, gazing up at him, asking if he knew Jessamine to be hurt or maimed in the fight. Kaid only heard a murmured echo. The only thing he could hear was his heartbeat in his throat and the only thing he could feel was the sensation of a dull blade sawing at his heart, breaking it into two. Kaid wanted to enter an everlasting sleep and never wake up. He wanted to find the nearest blade, slit his own wrists and bleed. He couldn't withstand the thought of not having her by his side.

He couldn't bear to think his last words to her were a broken promise that he'd return to her, that they'd see each other again. It was the same broken promise he gave to Mara, when he said he'd protect her from all things evil in Caladin. He broke the oath he swore as her Guardian. The worst of all was that she must've died alone, without him. He couldn't be there to wish her goodbye, to comfort her in whatever existed after death. It didn't matter if what Mara told him was true or not. None of it mattered. His entire life, which had only just begun upon meeting Jessamine, no longer meant a damn thing. He'd give it all up now to give her life.

The pain in his chest was too much to handle, the sensation alone feeling like death itself had its cold black fingers around his throat. Kaid's sense of hearing finally came back to him, the invisible sphere of white noise that had been in his mind was cleared. All he could hear was laughter: the sounds of cheers for joy echoing inside his empty brain. Each jeer, each shout for wine and ale only made the rage inside Kaid louder. The most dangerous of men were those who had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, and nothing to no longer fear. Fear is just a constructed worry for the future, and right now, Kaid knew he didn't have one.

Mara had taken away the one thing Kaid loved in this world, the purest thing he had ever felt in his life that he felt least deserving of: love.

Kaid vowed to himself he would take the same from Mara, no matter the cost.