“Careful now. We want her looking presentable.” Corliss turned her head, giving me a cold, appraising look.
I was not planning on making it easy for them. I lunged, trying to break free.
Then my gaze landed on Sally, who obediently followed Corliss with her hands clasped together, as if already bound.
“Why are you staying? Run!” I shouted.
She turned her head slightly, her glassy eyes still brimming with fear. She reminded me of an animal trapped by a predator. One who already knew that death was near, and forgot how to fight, surrendering to their terrible demise.
A couple of servants pressed their backs to the wall as we passed them. One woman blessed herself with a shaking hand. No one, not one person, was willing to stop Corliss.
We went up stairs that did not look as clean or well kept. Then my legs almost gave out and I was partially carried upstairs. I grabbed onto the railings and tried to kick one of the soldiers as they dragged me forward.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to see your queen?” Corliss asked, her quiet voice full of poison. Instead of answering, I attempted another wild, desperate move. “I thought you wanted to see the queen,” she insisted.
“What are you planning to do with me?”
“It was a crazy idea from the start, to bring you here. They should have left you to rot in that prison. But Adger got soft, sentimental. And who was stuck cleaning everyone else's mess? Me!” Corliss shook her head.
“Does the queen know what you’re doing? Is she a part of it?”
“Maybe you should ask her.” Corliss turned to face me.
Sally sobbed even harder behind me.
“Go now! Get to the window. What are you waiting for?” I shouted, but she only averted her eyes.
The hall was partially lit, the walls looked dusty, thecarpets were missing, and there was no furniture. It looked as far from the royal quarters as it could possibly be.
“What is this place?” I pushed against the sentry and my voice broke.
“Open the door.” Corliss commanded.
One of the soldiers produced a set of keys. When the door was finally opened, a heavy moist scent hit my nostrils almost at once.
“Take them in.” Corliss commanded.
With a last attempt to resist, I dug my fingers into the side of the wall, but still got pushed inside.
The space looked smaller than it probably was, divided by a worn and soiled, red carpet leading up to an empty dias. A movement made me turn my head and I watched Sally just walk in obediently.
“Why are you even listening to them? Get out of here!” I struggled against the two burly men.
“She knows there is no place to go.” Corliss responded, giving me a complacent smile as she led the sentries toward the back of the room.
“Why bring me to Talman? Why not just leave me where I was?”
“Because the rumours about your existence had made it all the way to the heads of clans. We could not afford one of them getting ideas of claiming you for themselves. The kingdom needs to be ruled by a strong head, there is no room for the ambitions of any of the clans.”
“But there’s plenty of room for ambition – if the council is involved.”
“What do you know about ruling a country? There are no simple decisions. Everything we do is for the good of the dragonborn.”
“Then prove it. Let me go, and I will go back to where I came from. I don’t want the crown. I don’t want to rule.”
“That would be a good solution. A great solution, indeed... but there is no guarantee that you will not change your mind one day and unleash war and chaos on us all. The blood of the red clan should end with the queen.”
I was pushed close to a metal door that was behind the dias. Corliss pulled out a key that she wore on a chain around her neck.
