Chapter Text
Corona’s dungeons were nothing like Equis’. They were clean, they were well ventilated, the guards patrolled continuously, their footsteps echoing down the stone corridors, but they didn’t say anything—they just did their job. The beds were hard, the food bland but edible. Not that Mirror-Captain cared much for the food. He didn’t need to eat, and nothing about the dry bread and butter made him want to try.
He sat on his bed, staring at the wall, replaying his mistakes in his mind. He’d been foolish to stay in the palace longer than necessary. He’d trusted that the Guardian of the Spire’s domain would be safe, but he should have known better. The guards had stormed in, and Calliope had shouted as they dragged him away, but her protests had fallen on deaf ears. He wasn’t sure how they’d known he was there, maybe he’d slipped up, maybe he’d been careless. Either way, here he was.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. He looked up, expecting the king, an adviser, or a guard coming to question him about the whereabouts of Queen Arianna’s body or what he knew about Zhan Tiri. He knew better than to talk. Zhan Tiri wouldn’t come to save him, but if he betrayed her, she’d come to end him.
So he kept his mouth shut.
Let them believe he was their ex-captain.
And waited.
In the end of the day, mirror creatures didn’t die. His sentence would end sooner or later, then he’d be free to roam the world, find his companion, and live a fulfilling life outside of the mirror dimension.
But it wasn’t a guard this time.
Calliope, the Guardian of the Spire, stood opposite the bars to his cell, a look of guilt and upset. In her hands was a basket filled with cookies that smelled deliciously sweet.
“How are you doing?”
Captain looked away, his jaw tightening.
“I’m so sorry… they’ve never done that before, raid my space like that?” She put the basket down. “It was wrong of them. It goes against my rights as Guardian. And you don’t deserve to be locked up. You’ve given so much for this kingdom, yet they turned on you so fast…”
“I agree.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s… it’s not your fault.”
“But you’re angry with me.”
“I’m not angry with you.”
“You are. You haven’t even looked at your favourite cookies.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“The guards told me you haven’t eaten in days. I’m really worried about you, Capulet.”
Captain turned at the name, a name that was meant to be his but wasn’t.
Calliope looked helpless. But he knew she was Guardian of the Spire and she was on his side. She was his best chance of escape. So he threw his legs over the side of the bed and came over, taking a cookie from the basket.
Calliope wiped a tear from her eyes, a forced smile appearing on her lips, hopeful.
Mirror-Captain took a bite of the cookie. It was soft, chewy, and bursting with sweet flavour. For the first time, he understood why humans ate food. “These are amazing, Calliope.”
Her smile became more genuine. “I’m glad you think so.”
“I don’t blame you for this.”
“I know.” Calliope nodded. “We’d have a problem if you did. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Mirror-Captain frowned as he finished his cookie and grabbed another one.
“I know you won’t tell the guards or the king, and I’m sure you have your reasons, but… you can tell me what happened to the queen’s body, right?”
He hesitated, intending to lie, to tell her he couldn’t, that it was too traumatic, that he loved her too much to hurt her like that. But instead, the words spilled out: “There is no body. There never was.”
Calliope’s brows furrowed. “Whatever do you mean?”
Captain blinked. “It was all an act to push the Moonstone to fulfil her role. The queen never died, she’s in the mirror realm. There was never a body, just some wax and magic.”
“Created by Zhan Tiri?”
“By her disciples, Sugracha and Matthews.”
Calliope leaned closer. “This mirror realm—how can we get someone out of there?”
“They have to switch back with their counterpart?”
“For Capulet, that would be you, correct?”
“Correct.”
“What is Zhan Tiri’s objective?”
“I don’t know.”
“What is her plan for the Moonstone and Sundrop?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is there any other useful information you can give me?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“She makes use of the tunnels. She counts on the loyalty of both her disciples and many animals. She has magic in other realms, usually those of shadows. She can shape-shift into just about anything. She wishes to destroy Corona.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all.”
Calliope nodded. “Thank you for your time.” She picked up her basket turning around as Varian stepped out from the shadows.
“Well, you were right,” Varian said, holding out a fist. “Mirror-Monsters are just as obsessed with my cookies as everybody else in this palace. I mean, baking is just chemistry and—”
“And your potion did the trick,” Calliope smiled, placing a hand on Varian’s outstretched fist, not understanding the concept of a fist-bump.
Varian just accepted the gesture as though it were the correct response. “So now we start working with mirrors?”
“I have some theories already on how to get the Captain and Queen back. Which of us is informing the king his wife is likely still alive?”
“All yours,” Varian said. “You need it more than me.”
“What does that mean?”
Varian blushed. “Umm… well, I’m in really good standing with the king right now. And you… you… I don’t think this. But apparently… some people think you’re annoying.” Varian frowned. “Oh! And you did let the mirror monster back into the palace before realising it wasn’t Captain.”
“How dare they…” Calliope muttered, her expression indignant. “Annoying?”
Varian shrugged. “I used to be called the same thing until I got the princesses’ favour. Don’t worry about it.”
Calliope sighed. “I suppose we have bigger issues. Fine. I left the mirror in the vault. Do not, under any circumstances, look into it or touch it. I’ll be down as soon as I’ve talked with the king.”