[hider=Flashback: Night Sola 23, 1739][center][h1][b][color=00F8FE]Callum[/color] & [color=DAF6C7]Riona[/color] Part 6[/b][/h1][/center]
[color=LightGray][hr][right]with [@princess][/right]
To be honest, Riona expected a library with towering shelves crammed with musty old books and classified documents… not a storage filled with forgotten relics and curios from who knows when. Not that she was complaining. If anything, Riona was intrigued. Someone had gone to great lengths to conceal this trove. [color=DAF6C7]“It’s a lot of effort to hide stuff… Think any of it’s magic?”[/color] she asked Cal as she approached the colored scrolls. Her fingers traced over the one tied with a green ribbon. Carefully, she tugged it loose and unrolled the parchment to [url=i.imgur.com/JNjGlJW.png]see what was written on it.[/url]

Riona’s eyes widened and lips parted as she read. [color=DAF6C7]“Cal…”[/color] She spun to face him. [color=DAF6C7]“Cal, look.”[/color] Thrusting the paper his way, she pointed at the incantation, barely able to contain her excitement. [color=DAF6C7]“Spell scrolls!”[/color]

Callum took a few cautious steps toward the mirror in the center of the room. Dust that had accumulated on the glass obscured his reflection, but a strange handprint was burnt onto the mirror. He slowly reached out his hand, letting it hover but never quite touching the burnt print as he measured the size of the hand. He wondered what would happen if he touched it. [color=00F8FE][i]Probably something bad,[/i][/color] he struggled to keep that in mind. His eyes moved to the strange crown, glowing and gilded with sharp spikes that clearly warned not to touch, and yet before he realized it, his hand was already reaching towards it.

Riona’s voice broke his trace and he turned to scan the scroll she’d opened. [color=00F8FE]“Curse scrolls.”[/color] He whispered, a gleeful grin spreading across his face. [color=00F8FE]“Do you think anyone else knows about this room? Doesn’t seem like anyone’s been here in ages.”[/color] He eyed the other scrolls for a moment before reaching past Riona and taking the red one. Opening another couldn’t hurt, and even as [url=i.imgur.com/pZBZZRe.png]he unfurled the scroll[/url] his eyes wandered around the room again. [color=00F8FE]“What do you think would happen if I drank that?”[/color] His attention turned to a small glass bottle with a shimmering liquid. 

Riona moved through the room, her maid’s eye taking in every detail. The air hung heavy with neglect, undisturbed by any hint of ventilation. The layer of dust that blanketed the floor was untouched, save for the footprints she and Cal made. She walked over to the pedestal topped with a pair of gloves and a wooden box, and examined the accumulation of grime before swiping a finger through it. [color=DAF6C7]“Even if they did, they haven’t been here in a decade. At least.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Looks like these curse scrolls have a fire theme going for them.”[/color] He commented as he read the spell’s effects aloud. [color=00F8FE]“And I’m liking the sound of this one.”[/color] He added before rerolling the scroll and stuffing it into his pocket. 

She picked up the music box, brushing away the dust in search of markings, but it was a plain as a box could be. The hinges creaked as she opened the lid and peeked inside. There was a tiny wooden dancer figure, ready to twirl upon the box being wound up.

Closing it again, Riona cranked the handle as her gaze flickered to the mysterious bottle.  [color=DAF6C7]“Besides getting sick from drinking something that’s probably well past it’s expiration date?”[/color] She shrugged. [color=DAF6C7]“Your guess is as good as mine. But if you’re dead set on chugging it, can we do it in or next to an infirmary, just in case?”[/color] Maybe a sip first, to be extra safe. If it the effects were powerful in small doses it’d be a terrible idea to drink it all at once. And taking a sample to study it’s components wouldn’t hurt either.

[color=00F8FE]“If it’s anything like these scrolls, probably best not to.”[/color] He agreed with a disappointed sigh. 

Her hand suddenly jerked to a stop when the small handle refused to turn further. With a flick of her wrist, Riona opened the music box again.

A [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCRin095-Lc&ab_channel=R3MusicBox]sweet, lovely tune[/url] began to fill the air. The song would lure both Riona and Callum in with its enchanting sound. However, Riona would begin to hear the music shift into something more sinister that only she could hear. The song gradually became a nightmarish cacophony of the screams of those most dear to her. Those she loved most would scream in agony and cry her name with desperation.

It was a tune Riona knew all too well—agonized screams, shrieks of pure terror, the wails of the heartbroken, desperate cries for help. A song that had seeped into her dreams and waking thoughts for fourteen long years. Familiarity didn’t make it any easier to listen to, but it let her endure, listening far longer than she should’ve.

The chorus of suffering changed, voices from people she met after the massacre joined the ensemble. And when she heard his voice among them—Riona slammed the lid shut.

Her first instinct was to smash the music box against the floor, to shatter it into a thousand splintering pieces. Instead, she fumbled it back onto its pedestal and backed away, her breath coming ragged and shallow. Tears tracked hot trails down her cheeks, and she scrubbed at them frantically with shaking hands.

As soft music filled the room, Cal continued to look around while absentmindedly humming the tune that played. For a moment the music lulled him into believing maybe everything in here wasn’t entirely dark after all. So when he reached a shelf containing a compass whose needle spun erratically, he thought nothing of picking it up for a closer look. The compass seemed to point at the mirror momentarily before moving straight to point at the crown.  Then he heard the quiet thud of the music box being slammed shut and turned to see Riona wiping tears away. 

[color=00F8FE]“What happened?”[/color] He asked. [color=00F8FE]“You alright?”[/color] 

For a while, Riona just wrapped her arms around herself and said nothing. The words seemed to stick in her throat. [color=DAF6C7]“No,”[/color] she managed at last, [color=DAF6C7]“I heard… screaming. Endless screaming. My family, my friends—everyone I love crying out in agony, begging me for help…”[/color] Her voice cracked and faded away. She walked over to Cal. [color=DAF6C7]“Sorry, I just…”[/color] she sighed and tried again. [color=DAF6C7]“I could really use a hug right now. Please.”[/color]

Callum set the compass back on the shelf, the needle continued to spin only to rest in the direction of the crown once again. But the strange device was momentarily forgotten, his curiosity tempered by the anguish in Riona’s words. [color=00F8FE]“You are helping them, right now, and every day. Keeping them from being forgotten, seeking justice for what happened - that’s the most meaningful way to help them now.”[/color] He said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. 

Riona clung to Callum, her arms tight around his body, fingers digging into his back to anchor herself and chase away the echoes of those terrible screams. She needed this, the solid reassurance of someone real and present, someone—[i]something[/i]—-who wasn’t just another voice in her head. Pressing her face against Cal, Riona inhaled deeply, breathing in the smoky scent of the bonfire that lingered on his clothes, mixed with the earthy musk of the forest undergrowth he’d trekked through. Each inhale, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and the rise and fall of his chest, brought her closer to composure.

As the tension drained away, self-consciousness rushed in to take its place. Riona sniffled exaggeratedly, grabbed a fistful of Cal’s clothes and blew a loud, wet raspberry against the fabric. Pulling back, she made a show of wiping her “dirty” hand on him. Cal only laughed at that and patted her shoulder. 

For a beat, she just stared at him. Then a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. [color=DAF6C7]“Thanks,”[/color] she said. Her voice was still a little rough around the edges, but the gratitude in her eyes was genuine.

Turning to face the room, Riona sucked in a long breath. [color=DAF6C7]“Okay,”[/color] she huffed, her brow furrowed in thought. [color=DAF6C7]“I’m starting to think these were hidden for a reason. Maybe they’re cursed. Or just too dangerous that not even the people who knew about this place wanted to touch them with a ten-foot pole.”[/color] The cobwebs and dust coating every surface were proof enough that no one had set foot here in a long time, and it stood to reason that no one used the artifacts either.

[color=00F8FE]“I touched this,”[/color] He said, grabbing the compass again and offering it to her. [color=00F8FE]“And nothing bad happened, it just points out stuff.”[/color] He shrugged, it couldn’t all be bad, something here had to be useful. Tonight couldn’t just be a waste. 

She glanced at the entrance, toward Wystan’s room. [color=DAF6C7]“Why stash all this behind the Royal Battlemaster’s bedroom? What if it’s not just about preventing the artifacts from getting stolen? What if it’s about protecting people from them?”[/color] Her shoulders sagged as she grimaced, [color=DAF6C7]“But if that’s the case... this isn’t the scandal we were hoping for. It makes it sound like the Crowns were actually doing their jobs, locking this stuff away so no one, not even they, can use it.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“If they wanted to protect people from these things, why not destroy them?”[/color] Callum refused to accept that the crown was ever capable of doing anything good. It wasn’t even a possibility. [color=00F8FE]“It was hard to get here, sure, but not [i]that[/i] hard that they could reasonably expect them to never be found.”[/color] He wasn’t willing to let all this work be for nothing, something here had to be useful.

[color=DAF6C7]“Cal… you do realize the only reason why it’s easier for us get in here is because we live in the castle, right? That’s not the same for everyone.”[/color] 

[color=00F8FE]“Castle’s can change hands. Or have traitors living in them.”[/color]

She felt her heart jump slightly. [color=DAF6C7]“... And when’s the last time the Castle changed hands?[/color] Riona didn’t think Cal knew the exact answer, but she wanted to make sure. [color=DAF6C7]“Traitors, sure, but you’re missing the point: it doesn’t matter if there’s traitors in the castle. What matters is how much the Crown knows about this room and what’s in it.”[/color]

Riona started to walk around the room again. [color=DAF6C7]“Look, I’m not saying that the Crown have been protecting it’s people from dark magic this whole time. But it’d be easy to spin that story in this situation wouldn’t it? Even if we tried to use the items to incriminate Edin and Alibeth.”[/color] What would be the ramifications if people actually bought that tale? And what if the only reason why these items were untouched until now was because the Crowns never knew about it? Her eyes focused on the music box. [color=DAF6C7]“As for destroying cursed items… it might be more complicated to do that than we think.”[/color] Especially old, powerful ones.

[color=00F8FE]“So this isn’t the room we really need…”[/color] Callum trailed off, distracted by the compass as it pointed at the crown. 

[color=00F8FE]“Still could be something here we could use against them.”[/color] He was mumbling now, paying more attention to the compass than the conversation. Even when the needle spun it eventually landed back on the crown again. Callum decided that had to be it. Without any more thought, he moved towards the crown. There was no denying that it looked sinister; it held an unnatural glow, made of twisting metal branches covered in dramatic spikes. Sharp too, even as he carefully lifted it from its cushion he still managed to slice a small cut in his finger. Just holding it he could feel its draw, a powerful presence radiated from it, called out to him to wear it, just for a moment. 

[color=DAF6C7]“Cal.”[/color]

He shouldn’t, he’d never desired a crown of any kind, why start now? Or he hadn’t until he picked this one up. [color=00F8FE][i]Just for a second[/i][/color], he could take it off and leave it in this room after. A second or two couldn’t hurt, just a small indulgence. He didn’t know why he wanted to wear it so badly but it felt like it was here for him, like it called to him. 

[color=DAF6C7]“... Cal?”[/color]

With a quick impulsive motion, Callum lifted the crown above his head.

[color=DAF6C7]“CALLUM!”[/color]

And then he sneezed. The sneeze came without warning, powerful enough that Callum dropped the crown and it clattered across the dusty floor. [color=00F8FE]“Huh,”[/color] He mumbled, and waited a moment to see if he sneezed again, it was probably all the dust. After a moment passed he moved to pick the crown up again. 

Suddenly, a blur of brown came flying out of nowhere, smacking his hand aside with a sharp crack. Another one—the matching leather glove—whipped through the air and struck the crown, sending it skittering further out of reach.

Using the glove as a makeshift barrier to avoid touching the headpiece directly, Riona pinched it off the ground. She fixed Cal with a withering glare, [color=DAF6C7]“What made you think wearing a creepy crown would be a good idea!? Did you miss the part about us being in a room full of mostly harmful magical artifacts? The crown is literally one of the two things here that unambiguously looks like it will curse you!”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“The compass pointed at it!”[/color] Callum immediately replied while rubbing the hand the glove had hit. [color=00F8FE]“And I was only going to wear it for a second. Just to see.”[/color] He added, and it still sounded like a mostly reasonable thing to do. 

[color=00F8FE]“I’m keeping the compass.”[/color] He returned to where the compass rested and picked it back up. Its needle spun; glove, mirror,  and eventually pointed at the crown again. [color=00F8FE]“I think it’s saying ‘Callum wear that crown and know all the king's secrets,’ how can I pass that up?”[/color] He asked. 

[color=DAF6C7]“... Cal, you’re not making me feel reassured by telling me the compass is trying to tempt you.”[/color] Riona shoved the crown into the corner before retrieving the gloves. [color=DAF6C7]“And you know ‘just a little’ can lead to a lot more.”[/color]

When she returned to Cal, she looked down at the compass in his hand and watched it carefully. [color=DAF6C7]“That’s pointing at a lot of things. How are you sure that it’s saying [i]touch this[/i] and not [i]don’t touch this[/i]?”[/color] 

[color=00F8FE]“If we don’t touch things, how will we know what they do? If they’re useful?”[/color] He asked, but now he suspected he’d only decided the compass pointed to things he should touch because that’s what he wanted it to mean. [color=00F8FE]“It does always land back at that crown…but I’m not going to touch it again.”[/color] He noticed she was still armed with the gloves she’d thrown. 

[color=DAF6C7]“I’m all for studying them so we can harness their full potential without it backfiring. What I’m not for is using random super suspicious magical on yourself and hope for the best.”[/color] The jolt of fear Riona had been holding onto suddenly left her body and her shoulders dropped. 

[color=DAF6C7]“When I saw you trying to put that crown on… I got scared. I get you don’t care about what happens to you but what if it was cursed? And you died or you started committing indiscriminate genocide or something? What then?”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Then I trust you’d put a stop to my evil plans. But point taken, no crowns for Callum. I won’t test anything else on myself.”[/color] He said, despite still wanting to take a sip of the potion that sat nearby. 

Riona’s eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Cal’s gaze flicker to the side. She rubbed her eyes as she sighed. [color=DAF6C7]“Take the potion if you want. But like I said, if any ingesting is going to happen, we’re doing it in an infirmary… and in small doses.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“What do those do?”[/color] He asked looking at the gloves. 

Riona removed her fingers from her eyes and looked down at the gloves. Then she hit him lightly with them, [color=DAF6C7]“They give those who wield it the power to stop boys from doing stupid things.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Like you need magical gloves for that.”[/color] He paused and took another look around the room. [color=00F8FE]“This room could still be useful, if we ever need something incriminating against [i]them.[/i] Under the right circumstances, show this room to the right people, clean up the dust…we [i]could[/i] make it look like the crown keeps dangerous magic here for their own uses. I’m not saying it’s honest but hey, neither are they. Just something to keep in the back pocket.”[/color] Cal spitballed his thoughts, thinking up scenarios where the idea could work. 

The idea hadn’t even crossed Riona’s mind—she’d been so focused on uncovering the untainted truth to expose the Danroses and see them face the consequences of their crimes. But how feasible was that, really? The possibility that they might’ve already destroyed everything incriminating always lurked in the recesses of her mind. But, if that was the case, she’d assumed she would just activate the spell and be done with it. The truth would be lost forever, her mother’s family name never restored, but at least she would have exacted her—everyone’s—revenge.

Could they fabricate it, then? Spin the narrative, just as the Crown had done? [color=DAF6C7]“Hm. It’s worth considering,”[/color] Riona mused. [color=DAF6C7]“Let’s keep digging up some proper dirt to bury them with. But if that doesn’t work out…”[/color] She let the thought dangle in the air, unfinished.

She surveyed the room, then glanced toward the exit. They’d been here too long already, and Wystan could return at any moment. [color=DAF6C7]“We should go,”[/color] she said. [color=DAF6C7]“We can figure out what to do with all this once we’re somewhere safer.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Yeah, good idea.”[/color] He agreed, if they stayed any longer he was going to touch, or ingest, something he probably shouldn’t. 

Riona turned back to Cal, a thought striking her. [color=DAF6C7]“Do you want to take the sword that opened the door to this place or should we leave it where we found it? It’ll prevent others from taking this stuff.”[/color] A shrug, [color=DAF6C7]“Of course, we’ll need to find a decent hiding spot… And hauling a blade around every time we want to pop in for a visit won’t exactly be inconspicuous.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“As much as I want to take it, make sure no one else can get in here…Wystan would notice. Best not to alert the Watchdog.”[/color] Cal suggested.

[color=DAF6C7]“You think he actually knew about the sword and the fake wall?”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“I think it would be a mistake to underestimate Wystan and how much he knows. Knowing things is his job, and this is in his room.”[/color] He paused for moment. [color=00F8FE]“Or…this might be a good way to see just how much Wystan knows. If we take the sword and he seems on edge in the next few days, we learn a little bit more about the Watchdog. I’m willing to risk it if you are.”[/color] He offered. [color=00F8FE]“Wulfric and Auguste wear swords all the time, I could pick up the habit.”[/color] It wouldn’t be that strange to see a prince wandering the palace with a sword, he’d just have to make it seem less strange for him.

[color=DAF6C7]“I am,”[/color] Riona said after giving it some thought. [color=DAF6C7]“As long as you promise me you won’t use the artifacts on yourself.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“I will not drink any strange potions or place any evil hats on my head.”[/color] He promised. [color=00F8FE]“Well, not in this room.”[/color] That received a look from Riona and she slowly raised the gloves like a warning. [color=00F8FE]“And I won’t come here alone either.”[/color]

She stared at him for a little longer before lowering the gloves. [color=DAF6C7]“Okay. Let’s get out of here then. Did you get everything you want?”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“If I say no are you going to hit me with a glove again?”[/color] He teased. 

[color=DAF6C7]“Only if you use them without thinking.”[/color] Riona teased back, [color=DAF6C7]“Or if you ask nicely.”[/color] 

[color=00F8FE]“Would I like to test everything in this room until I find something terrible enough to ensure the demise of Edin and the aristocracy? Absolutely. But you’re right, that’s a bad plan and there’s probably little good in this room. Better to look elsewhere another night.”[/color] He shrugged, held up the compass with one hand, and patted the scroll he’d tucked away in a pocket with the other. [color=00F8FE]“Something’s better than nothing though.”[/color] Callum said before placing the compass in a pocket. [/color][/hider]

[hider=TLDR]Riona and Callum inspect some of the magical artifacts in the secret room. Callum is prevented from placing a very evil-looking crown on his head. Riona leaves with a pair of leather gloves while Callum takes a scroll with a curse and a compass before they exit the room.[/hider]