10 days later:
Emperor Geh'lien Rus said nothing as he was escorted to the main hall of the Garhemian fortress. Even captured, he would still hold his head high. Should he die, he knew he would do so proudly. After all, he was the face of the Eldians. He did not wish for their country to appear weak.
He couldn't help but wonder when his death would occur. Sooner? Or later? Surely that was what was intended for him. One wouldn't go to so much trouble to do anything else, he figured. The emperor hoped to the gods that he wouldn't be tortured. As much as he would will himself not to shout out, he knew that they would still see his pain. He grimaced for a moment at the thought and then regained his composure.
After a bit of walking, the two men that had captured him opened two big doors, leading him to a dimly lit room. At first, he could make out nothing. But... as he was brought further inside, he saw a man. Robed completely in black, the pale figure sat atop a sort of throne.
"Ah! At last... my company has arrived!" the man said, with a sort of strange... cheer? Delight? The emperor was confused. The man on the cathedra stood up, his black hair falling down his waist. He walked closer to the emperor, clasping his hands together.
"Hello there, Geh'lien. I hear that that is your name," the strange man said with a smile, "Am I mistaken?"
"Names matter not," Emperor Rus answered, head held high, "Not in this situation, at the very least. Why am I here? Death, I assume."
"What an ill-boding conversation," the man smiled, "An ominous greeting, if you will. I'd hoped to begin on a lighter note. It helps with... hmm, concord? Is that the word I seek? Yes... I believe it is. And as for names, they matter to me. They make situations closer --more personal, I should like to think."
The emperor was taken aback at the man's very nature, but did not show it. As he stared into his enemy's eyes... he saw something. Insanity, perhaps. Tranquil insanity.
"Is that so?" Geh'lien's voice was indifferent.
"Yes. It is so. I will give you mine. I am Erodyne. Erodyne Maug-Rin."
"Well, Erodyne," the emperor said, voice even, "Concord may be in your interest... but I would not form any sort of camaraderie with anyone in this organization, not after the Tokens have so carelessly ended the lives of innocents. And, since you desire such a personal atmosphere, I would say this directly to you: even if you portray kindness to me here, you are a false man. I know, even without meeting this Tokenmaster, that he did not bring me here to simply trade words with you. I am not sure what position you hold here... perhaps a councilman? A magistrate? I can only assume you are higher up due to the very nature of your room. But, regardless, no matter who you are, I have no desire to keep speaking to you. You can tell your master that if he wishes to kill me, he can come and do it himself. You can tell him that I have no time for a fool's niceties."
Erodyne's eyes widened for a second, and for a minute, he was at a loss for words.
"Brave words for a captured man," he said, and looked at the two men holding Emperor Rus, "Leave us. Everything is under control. Your mission is complete."
The emperor felt them remove their hands and then listened as the two infiltrators made their way out. However, he did not remove his gaze from Erodyne.
"I believe there has been a lack of understanding between the both of us, Geh'lien. I would fulfill your request... were it possible. I would simply be talking to myself, for I am the master of this fortress. This army," Erodyne said.
If the emperor was surprised, he did not show it.
"Hmm," he replied, still stoic, "By what I have gathered of you already, Tokenmaster, I would find the idea of you talking to yourself not so far-fetched."
This was not a reaction Erodyne expected. Even so, he managed to keep the serene smile etched onto his face.
"I find it amusing that you are so bold in your words," the Tokenmaster spoke, "You know your fate. You have spoken it. Death. Yet you would taunt me, the one who controls that aspect of your end, and you would do it so fearlessly --courting your future like one would court a lover."
"Death is easy. Quick. A path that we all must walk eventually. I do not fear it. Therefore, do not expect me to quake and tremble at the sight of you. Because if there is another thing that I do not fear... it is a lunatic."
"I see," Erodyne's eyes narrowed, and the smile turned into a frown for the first time in ages.
The very room seemed to darken at the Tokenmaster's next words.
"If you mistake my kindness for insanity, then you are the fool here. Not I. I am not generally hostile in my dealings as you seem to be. But, if it is hostility that you desire, then who am I to refuse? After all... you are my guest," Erodyne paused, eyes blazing, "I can say this to you, do not expect death to come quickly for you. That was never my intent. For I do not fear death either."
"Ah, torture," the emperor answered, "Somehow I assumed that this was part of the plan."
"You're right," Erodyne said, malice swirling in his voice like a shadowy storm, "Torture. But not the kind you're thinking. I will not have you beaten with a whip or burned with metal. No. I know your biggest fear even without knowing you personally... because it is my biggest fear as well. Failure. I will torture you with failure."
The emperor stayed quiet, expression still gallant.
Erodyne continued.
"You will live here for a while... and you will live lavishly. I will supply you with the finest foods I have to offer. You, in addition, will be given the best service possible. I will give you a lavish room with all the finest furnishings. I will give you the softest clothes --the softest sheets. A warm bed... and a woman to warm it even further. It all sounds nice... but know this: you are not allowed to leave. Eldia will burn, and you will live to watch it. You will be laid up in the comfort of your room to drown in the simple guilt that none of your civilians are experiencing the same luxury. You will watch as your soldiers are brought in and slain. And they will see you.
Yes, they will see you. In fact, I will ensure that they will look directly at you as they fall.
With all my gifts I have given to you, they will die thinking you as nothing but a traitor to them. Their last emotion will be one of hopelessness --one that feels your betrayal to the highest degree. You will have to live with that. You will have to live with that for as long as it takes to finish every last one of your men. In time, you will come to me --you will ask for me to simply kill you. And you may come more than once. But I will not kill you until the rest of your country is wiped away. Otherwise, you will not understand just how terribly this went for you. I will not kill you until you are kneeling -bowing even- at my feet... with your country and mind completely broken... and your soul shattered into fragments.
Insanity will be a word fit for you, and not I, by the time your death bell tolls. And I will make sure to speak it."
The emperor did not speak now, but simply clenched his jaw shut. There was nothing that he could say. Erodyne knew this and spun on a heel. Once more, he took a place on his throne. With a hand, he reached toward a small bell near his seat and rung it. Moments later, a man scurried in.
Erodyne was smiling again.
"Yes, master?" the man said quickly.
"Retrieve the woman I picked for the emperor. She is the one locked in the biggest room... the one kept away from the rest of them," he instructed, "have her show him to his room."
Erodyne tossed the man a key.
"Very well, sir."
The man scampered off into a door that Geh'lien had overlooked.
"You should consider yourself lucky, emperor..." Erodyne snorted, "For the young lady I have for you is one that I just happened upon not even a week ago. She is lovely... very beautiful indeed --and so eager to live in such a grand place. She has such passionate eyes and such an avid attitude. In fact, I didn't even have to ask her to stay. She offered her service upon seeing my fortress and learning my name. She was rather surprised to learn that she'd be serving an emperor. Such a wonderful prize, she seems to be. One that I have given up... for you."
A second passed... and the door opened again. The emperor noticed the same man walk through... but this time, he had a woman with him. The Tokenmaster was right when he'd called her lovely --for she was. But it wasn't for her slender curves or moon pale skin, both of which were accentuated by the dress she wore.
It wasn't even for the dark curls that fell past her shoulders.
No. It was because of her face --or more particularly, her eyes. Even though they were brown, they were brighter than any he had ever seen. He stared at them for a second and noticed that they were constantly flicking towards the door behind him, as if she were waiting for something.
She was brought out in front of him, faced away from Erodyne to look at the emperor directly.
"I will do nothing to this woman," Emperor Rus pointed out, "this is pointless."
"What a shame for you, then," Erodyne brushed it off, "I'm sure you'll change your mind. You would be a fool not to."
Now the Tokenmaster addressed the girl from behind her.
"This is the man you are to tend to... until I say different. Treat him well, for he is Eldia's emperor. His name is Geh'lien Rus."
Something flashed on the girl's face. Geh'lien didn't quite catch what it was, however.
"Geh'lien, my Eldian friend," Erodyne lingered on the last word, "she is yours, for now. Treat her well. Leave me."
They began to walk out, the girl leading the way.
"By the by," Erodyne began speaking again. Both the woman and the emperor turned to face him once more.
"The girl," the Tokenmaster pointed in their direction, "her name is Gwen."