Lily and Ivy chose to sit by my sides when they reached the throne, but faced the audience, as Rose and Peony had done. They stared at the tile. I turned to face the nobles. I, again prostrated myself, allowing for a strange symmetry in the arrangement of dancing desert flowers.

The emperor moved behind me, then began to speak. I did not understand his words, I would not learn the language for nearly a year. His words flowed, calm but strong, and the nobles began to leave the room. The woman with the harsh eyes stayed, until he commanded her in a harder tone.

I heard him call something out, and lifted my eyes enough to see our captors come into the room. I shuddered, dropping my gaze and letting my mind fill with the green and blue. We were forced to our feet, our chains linked together again, and led through a small, decorative door next to a waterfall, at the side of the throne. The Emperor followed.

The dim lighting made it hard to see, so I closed my eyes for a moment. I didn’t want to open them again.