Supper

The dining room was on the first floor of the fortress, several large, imposing doorways down from the cold entryway Katonah had come through not an hour earlier. It was a large chamber with a high ceiling, and accommodated a table meant to seat more than a dozen people.

When Katonah was escorted inside, she found that the table's only occupant was King Xander, the hard line of his shoulders thrown into sharp relief by the roaring fireplace. He stood at the rattle of the soldiers' armor and the jangle of Katonah's manacles. His eyes were critical as he scanned Katonah.

"Hmm," he commented after a moment. "Am I correct in assuming that I stand before the woman I know as General Katonah?"

He'd changed clothes since she'd last seen him: the heavy plate armor was gone, replaced by black slacks, a high-necked silk shirt, and a leather burgundy vest, tightly banded around the waist by a bolt of white silk. But the swap in clothing did little to detract from the hard lines of his face or his intimidating height, both of which made Katonah automatically avert her eyes; she focused on the glowing logs of wood burning in the fireplace. For some reason, looking into the king's eyes felt as dangerous as looking into the gaze of a territorial bear.

A hard pinch from Camilla made her straighten.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth, replying to his last comment.

"My maids assisted in her...transformation," Camilla told him. She, too, had changed for the evening meal, dropping her armor in favor of a black evening gown, the sleeves and hems rimmed with silver lace. Her waterfall of violet hair was held back into a high, elegant ponytail; they accentuated the silver droplets swinging from her ears.

"I see." Xander studied Katonah with narrowed eyes; she was surprised at the sudden appreciation in his tone. "They're skillful women — they never fail to impress. She's cleaned up well." He nodded to the table. "Take a seat."

A soldier grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the seat a couple of chairs down from Xander — she had to grind her teeth to keep from wrenching herself out of his grip. Daintily, Camilla took her seat in the chair opposite.

A minute later, several footmen came streaming in from the doorway that led to the kitchen, carrying trays of food; two of them trudged under the load of a massive bird, cooked golden-brown and peppered with an assortment of delectable spices; another carried a large pitcher of tea in one hand and a large pot of soup in the other.

As the servants bore their load down onto the table, the scents assaulted Katonah's stomach; the diet of the Earth Tribe was light to begin with, but she hadn't seen the likes of a meal this generous in the months since the campaign started. As a footman placed a steaming loaf of bread before her, fresh from the ovens, her stomach gave an obnoxious rumbling, one that probably could've been heard from the moor. She turned bright red as several sets of eyes turned towards her — Xander's expression remained neutral, but the corner of Camilla's mouth tipped upward, and she saw several of the servants hide their amusement behind skillfully timed coughs.

"I suppose there's no need for grace," Xander said with one slightly arched eyebrow. "Eat, Katonah — lest your stomach implode."

A low rumble of laughter from behind — but when Katonah looked, the footmen were all silent and straight-faced.

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled, chagrined.

"Speak up," Xander commanded as he motioned one of the footmen forward — the boy obediently began cutting up the bird and distributing it across their trenchers.

"I'm not hungry," she repeated, a little louder.

"Hmm." Xander sound unconvinced. "Your stomach says otherwise."

Katonah hunched again, blushing furiously — her belly was still growling lowly, sending the ache of hunger reverberating painfully up through her abdomen. Xander and Camilla watched her expectantly as the footman placed the sliced turkey in front of her, the warm, savory scent of cooked meat clouding the air. She swallowed, gathering her resolve.

"I...want to talk about the prisoners," she said a little shakily.

Xander's brow furrowed. "Prisoners?"

"Camilla told me that you've taken several of my tribesmen captive." Katonah couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. "Why?"

The king's eyes flashed to Camilla, who had begun to busily consume her portion of meat.

"Did my sister," he replied, "also mention my intent to use them as leverage?"

Katonah paused, the sudden proclamation of relation throwing her off. Sister? She glanced between them. They look nothing alike... Except that they did, though not distinctly in their physical characteristics, but in their bearing. They both wielded that same disarming stare, and both skillfully exuded both hostility and condescension in an intimidating way. "Yes," she answered.

Xander propped his elbows on the table. He seemed to come to a decision. "Truly," he said, steepling his fingers together, "my intent is to use them to keep you in line."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, more specifically, your cooperation." Xander's eyes narrowed. "You see, when your father appeared with his troops at our fort days ago, I grew suspicious as to how exactly he was able to locate us, especially when you informed me that he was supposedly over two hundred miles away, moving in the opposite direction. I don't know how, but I suspect you tipped him off."

Her insides grew cold — My Communion with father. Does he know? No, it was impossible — how could he? It was a skill exclusive to those of the Earth Tribe, which Xander, as far as she knew, knew little to nothing about.

So why was he staring at her with such cold certainty?

"I see I'm right," he said, sitting back.

She bristled. "You are not right." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I didn't contact my father during my incarceration in your fort. I couldn't. Your guards saw to that."

"Hmm." She was beginning to hate when he said that — she could never tell whether he was angry or unoffended; he, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble reading her — at his prolonged gaze, Katonah had the scary thought that he could see the truth in the shadows of her face. She looked away.

After a moment, the king continued: "Regardless of how Tormod found us, I've decided that extra measures are needed to ensure that your stay in the Nohrian court is free of conspiracy or treason."

"Treason?" Katonah interrupted.

"Yes, treason. Punishable by death in Nohr. And the last thing I'd want for my bride-elect."

"Treason implies..." She paused as Xander's penetrating stare intensified — glancing away again, she tried again: "T-treason implies that I have some degree of loyalty to Nohr."

"And so you do," Xander said, voice acidic. "That is, you do if you want to ensure the safety and comfort of your tribesmen."

"What he means," Camilla said to Katonah's shocked expression, "is that your cooperation is paramount to the well-being of your clansmen. Do as you're told, when you're told, and they stay warm, fed, clothed, and relatively comfortable. Resist, protest, or disobey, and your friends lose meals. They lose water. They lose accommodations."

A harsh tingle went up Katonah's spine, and suddenly, her horror at this development made it hard to focus. "You...you're b-being paranoid," she protested. "None of this is—"

"Necessary?" he finished for her. "I wish it wasn't, General. But if there's one thing I've learned about the Earth Tribe thus far, it's that your clan can be more unpredictable than the others. And one thing I've learned about you is that your innocent bearing belies a lack of integrity."

She dug her fingers into the soft material of her dress. "I've never lied to you," she said, her jaw tense and her voice shaking. "Y-you asked for the truth and I gave it to you."

Xander's lips were thin. "Perhaps, but you gave me your truth, General — and not the whole truth. And parts of the whole you failed to mention were the facts that Tormod is your father, and that his piece of the army was heading towards our position. Forgive me if that makes me a little cautious of your supposed sincerity. For all I know, you could be in contact with him right now."

"I'm not!" she cried.

Xander nodded. "The truth," he said, pleased. "This is a start, Katonah — a positive step in the right direction. And these prisoners will ensure that you keep moving in that direction."

She tried to keep a level head, tried to swallow the slow rage that was vibrating in her bone marrow and pushing her nails into the skin of her thighs. "It was supposed to be me," she said, voice evolving into a hiss. "It was supposed to be only me for my people's freedom."

Xander sat back; the thinly veiled vehemence in her voice had captured his attention. "Are you angry that I broke my word to your father?"

She didn't dare confirm his guess — just looked down at her trencher, where her slice of turkey was slowly growing cold.

"Be angry if it pleases you," Xander said, voice icy. "But your father is the leader of an invading, enemy country: I owe him no integrity, no obligations, even if all of the Earth Tribe would hold me to such a standard. Such are the privileges of being the head of the stronger nation."

Katonah didn't meet his eyes.

After a tense silence, Xander continued: "Now that I've finally established a temporary truce with your tribe, I don't intend for it to fall apart just because I let my guard down around their mousy general, and I intend to keep you pliant by way of your fellow tribesmen. Do what you are told, and they will be fine. Those are the terms. For the sake of the lives of your friends, do you agree to them?"

"Yes," she gritted out. No choice... It took Katonah a full minute to appreciate how clever the king of Nohr was. Now that she thought about it, there were a variety of ways to get her to cooperate, but this method was far more diabolical. He'd seen how hard having to yield to his authority back at the fort had been — how much she'd hated having to treasonously offer him information about Tormod and the Earth Tribe, just to preserve the lives of those taken prisoner. And now he was doing it again, forcing her to take responsibility for others as a means of manipulation.

And how could she refuse? Especially if he has Iseabail... She remembered seeing the prison carriage before she was dragged inside, seeing that withered old face in the tiny window. She shuddered at the thought of anything happening to her, or any of the other captives.

"Good." Xander sat back, for a minute studying her set teeth and clenched fists. "Rest assured," he continued, "I'm not a man without mercy, General. Cooperate, and there'll be a reward."

She looked up. "What kind of reward?"

He smiled. "You'll see when the time comes."

(/\)

Katonah ate not one bite of food. She claimed that it was simply anxiety, but a small part of her thought of it as the one rebellious act that she could have to herself, one way to defy Xander, albeit at her own expense — she felt weak and dizzy with hunger when supper finally ended and she was escorted out of the dining hall and back into the main entryway.

In Camilla's room, the maids were busily dressing one of the long chairs in the sitting area with blankets and several pillows while another tended to the fire. Camilla gestured to the blanketed chair.

"Your bed for tonight," she said. "Before dinner, Xander informed me that he'll decide where you'll more or less be permanently housed tomorrow after breakfast." When Katonah didn't reply, Camilla snapped two fingers in her face. "Speak, General. I expect you to answer when I tell you something. This shy and somber act is annoying me."

Katonah's teeth pressed together; she hated how the woman — her and Xander both — so liked to order her about like one of the footmen. "All right," she said reluctantly.

Camilla's smile was full of contempt. "Good. Now let's dress for bed."

The maids helped undress the both of them, leaving each woman in her shift, the long, airy gown that was their primary layer of clothing, and a heavier nightgown. The female servants helped them both into bed, pulling the blankets up thick and proper to Katonah's shoulders as she lay down on the chair. The blankets were so thick they were stifling, but she saw why they were necessary a minute later, when one of the maids finally smothered the fire. The following chill was nearly immediate, and Katonah quickly began to burrow under the spreads but then paused.

"What about these?" she asked, holding her wrists forward. Her shackles jangled in between.

"The chains stay on," Camilla said. The woman was fluffing out her hair, undoing some of the braids that had been woven in the back. "Oh, and don't think about trying to tiptoe out during the night, either. If I don't hear the chains, one of the three soldiers stationed outside the door will. I hope you consider that fair notice."

Katonah smoldered. Xander really didn't trust her. Which made his claim to her all the more puzzling. Marriage was sacred, after all — the blessed union of a man and a woman who loved and supported one another. How could he conceive of marrying a woman that he did not trust or even like, even if it did end the rebellion of the Earth Tribe? Perhaps the people in this dark land saw the union differently — as a bond of convenience, rather than love.

"Is he serious about all of this?" Katonah suddenly blurted. But she couldn't help it — she was truly curious as to whether Xander would keep his word on such an unpleasant matter. And who would know better than his sister?

Camilla didn't answer right away. In the candlelight the maids had left behind, Katonah saw her slowly comb her fingers through her curly hair, expression thoughtful. "All of this? I assume you mean the marriage?" To Katonah's nod, Camilla sighed and said, "Let me be truthful with you, sweetie, and say that nobody knows Xander's intentions save for Xander. Though I wouldn't hold your breath if you're hoping that he'll suddenly change his mind. If he believes that this is the only way to bring the Earth Tribe to heel, then he will most certainly do it." She smirked. "So if you need to, pray to your dragon and prepare yourself for what lies ahead. You'll need whatever help you can get."