Darkness. That’s all Aether registered when he woke. Music? Humming? He couldn’t tell but that’s what was next noticed. Slowly sight started to return to him and things appeared. First was a figure, then the chair the figure was on. Crates were stacked around him as if to fall if he tried to escape. Then pain spiked in his arms and he groaned, obviously showing he was in fact awake.
“Hey you came to for once.” Ajax giggled, getting up to inspect me. Hair framed his face as he looked down at Aether. No matter how pretty he looked Aether wouldn’t give in. Not agin. Ajax wasn’t meant to live and Aether intended to be the person he saw before he died, maybe even kill him if he’s lucky. Ajax looked him up and down before speaking again. “What? Gonna kill me by a death stare? Sweetheart, we both know others have beaten you to that. We also both know that you won’t kill me no matter how hard you try.” His hand cupped my cheek. “I want this to be fun for you sweetheart. But it won’t be if you keep messing things up. The only job I gave you was to stay away from the fatui and you would’ve been fine. But since you're here now I think I can let a couple things slide.” A knock at the door stopped his monologue and steered him away from me.
He couldn’t hear the conversation going on but by the scared face on the guard it was nothing fun. Ajax huffed and with the door still open waltzed (that’s the only way I can describe whatever his god damned walk is) over. “I’ll untie you but you have to follow me. Her excellency wants to see you and she gets what she wants. I’m playing with you after though. And if you try to leave I will have a limb cut off you. Or even send you off to the doctor.” He shivered at the thought of being a human experiment for the next decade and decided against his better judgment to follow Ajax’s request. And so off they went.
He had no clue where they were and wasn’t even going to try and memorize a way out. There wouldn’t be a point with 1) the amount of guards and 2) the blizzard currently going on outside. All Aether could hear were my own footsteps and the snow most likely trying to break the windows all down the corridor. He walked in step with Ajax as we passed several groups of shocked guards. The cold hit him as soon as they got within a hundred meters of the throne room. The walls started to coat with frost and both of their breaths were visible in the air. He could barely see the door at the end of the corridor as they walked and only now was he finally taking in the decorating, though it was covered in ice and snow it was gorgeous. Large chandeliers lit the hallway and there were many portraits of unknown people on the walls. They slowly reached the door and a guard opened it with a small shaken nod to Ajax. “Master Tartaglia” both muttered as he walked in.
Aether was almost frozen in place both literally and figuratively but then Ajax’s damn voice cut in. “Your excellency, Tsaritsa (I think)” he bowed and motioned for me to do the same. He did so as ‘Tartaglia’ started to walk away so he couldn’t see. He went to sit with the other harbingers. That’s when he took the 10 of them in. A noticeable absence of Scaramouche but that was expected. The others though, many looked gorgeous and made him question whether or not it was just a collection of pretty and strong people but others just looked strong.
He started to list off those he knew in his head. -Marionette with her giant puppet and green hair, Ajax or Tartaglia, Il dottore the doctor, La signora the crimson witch and finally one that was only mentioned once in passing Colombina (who looked like a biblically accurate angle even though they didn’t have the bible?)- The others were a complete mystery though. They all stared before someone broke the silence, the number one he assumed, “Tsaritsa why do you want the boy exactly?” The man looked to her for response, as did the others.
“His power is beyond that of our own gods. He could kill them all and not even break a sweat. I want him on our side.”