Questioning Zero
POV: Alexandra
The Batiste family had always been a little more about peace than many of the other noble houses. Where another noble house would capture and kill a person for trying to assassinate a member of their house, we would try to rehabilitate where possible. I had a strong feeling that I needed to push to rehabilitate this man they called Zero. He was a product of the environment he grew up in after all, no one could blame him for repaying the ones who raised him. So, my words to him before I saw his whole face rang true in the purest of ways. I had not anticipated that, upon looking at this man, a member of my household would faint yet here we were. I left the soldiers to shackle our prisoner to the wall while I walked over to see who fainted. I looked down at the red head sprawled out on the floor and her aunt Zeb fussing over her. Dorothea just held her hand and stroked her hair. I kneeled, “Ness? Are you okay?” She had not stirred so I looked up at Derek, “Can you help carry her to my room? We need to lay her down and call for a doctor. Have Dana do that and I will stay down here to oversee that we properly lock up Zero.” He nodded and strode up to Vanessa and carried her bridal style, “You can count on me Lex but make sure while you’re down here you stay close to Jess.” He pulled out a set of throwing knives and handed them to Jess, “I’ve seen you throw knives so I know you’re deadly accurate. I cannot leave her safety to anyone else more diligent.” Jess blushed as she took the knives from Derek, “Gotcha.” He walked out of the room and the old women followed, bickering about who showed more care for their niece.
I turned back into the cell and look down into the blue eyes of the man, “Do you have any idea why my godmother, Vanessa, would faint upon seeing you?” He shrugged, “I’ve never seen her before in my life. I’m sure you are aware that I grew up around my master and only there. It is possible I killed someone she loves and she’s upset about it.” I regarded what he said, “Did you have anything to do with a dragon attack on the castle a while back?” He looked at the soldiers and then back at me, “Am I your prisoner or theirs?” I looked back at them, “You would be my prisoner, the General has said as such.” He stared up into my eyes, “Then I would like my interrogation to be in your presence alone.” I shook my head, “I’m sorry but I will always have one of my guards with me. I can assure you that what we speak of from when these soldiers leave until we decide what to do with you, will be between me and you.” He nodded, “I understand. I will tell you what I know of the dragon attack once they leave.” One of the soldiers turned to me, “We were just about to go report after actions to the General anyways. Do be careful, Your Grace?” I nodded and they left the room, closing the door behind them. I sat in a chair opposite him and Jess stood behind me. I waited until I knew the soldiers were gone, “Can you answer the question about the dragon attack?” He nodded, “I can give you this much. I was the one who stirred the dragon from her nest in the attack. Perhaps this Vanessa woman saw me come from the King’s tower that day. Did someone she love die there?” I nodded and sighed, “My uncle, her fiancé was killed trying to protect King Thierry.” He sighed, “My only goal was to kill the King, I am sorry your family got caught up in it. It is never my aim to kill those who aren’t on my kill list.”
I felt a chill at the mention of a kill list, I had wondered just how many he was sanctioned to assassinate. I wrapped my arms around myself thinking of how I would have been a name checked off a list if it weren’t for the friends I have made here. He saw this action, “It was nothing personal for me, Your Grace. I have overheard many conversations about you amongst the nobility I spy on. You seem to be a nice person but I must repay the kindness of my master so I do his bidding.” A single tear rolled down my cheek, “No, you don’t have to do anything. You are a person who thinks for himself, who can feel emotions.” He shook his head, “I am numb to emotions, Your Grace. You should not feel empathy for me as I would capture you should I ever get the chance. Meeting you has not changed the fact that my master has ordered me to capture you.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked him straight in the eye, “It doesn’t matter. I will ensure that you will understand what it is to be human again. You are not what your master made you into.” I rose from my chair and walked over to the door, “Zero, I will make sure you are well taken care of while you are with me but I need you to understand that I will not allow you to escape. There’s powerful magic guarding this cell so I really wouldn’t try.” We left the room and locked the door behind us, the rune that Zeb had carved into the door glowed and it looked like the magic activated.
We made our way up the stairs but we were stopped by Dana, “Your Grace, I have summoned the doctor as you have requested. I do hope Ms. Tannen recovers.” I nodded at her, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s likely seen the face of her fiancé’s killer so she was in shock enough to faint. Can you ensure to bring a rag and some cool water up? We can place a compress to her forehead. I’m sure she’ll have a killer headache when she comes to.” Dana curtsied and scurried off while we finished getting up the stairs and into the room, “How is she?” Zeb rose her feet from a chair she had pulled up to the side of the bed, “I’m afraid she hasn’t stirred. Did you get any information from Zero as to why she might have fainted?” I sighed and sat on the bed next to Vanessa, “Did you know she was engaged to my uncle Talon?” Zeb nodded, “We talked about him while we crafted your ring.” I closed my eyes, “Did she tell you how he died?” She nodded, “Yeah, he was killed in the tower rescuing Thierry.” I opened my eyes and looked at her, “Zero was the one who stirred the dragon. I wonder if she had seen him before and knew he was the one responsible for Uncle Talon’s death.” Zeb gasped, “That has to be it. My poor niece, it had to have been such a fright seeing him.” I nodded, “You want to know the crazy thing about this is?” She nodded and I continued, “I don’t feel like he’s such a bad person. I get that he’s killed but how much of that was brainwashing and manipulation. I feel like there something else to the way he is.”
Dorothea slapped her knee, “I could see if he has been manipulated by magic, there is a test using water magic. I’m going to go down there right now and test it. Come with me hunky.” She hooked her arm around Derek’s wrist since she couldn’t reach his elbow. He sighed, “Fine but how long will this take. I don’t want to leave for too long.” She winked at him, “Not long hunky. It’ll take five minutes tops. Let’s go.” She dragged him out of the room just as Dana entered with the rag and the basin of water. The doctor followed her in as well. I rose to my feet and greeted him, “Thank you for coming doctor. My godmother passed out and we haven’t been able to stir her.” He nodded, “Understood, Your Grace. I will check her over.” I patted Zeb on the arm, “Come on Auntie Zeb, let’s let the doctor have space to look at her.” She patted my hand back and rose from her seat and we crossed the room together to look on to the examination. A short while later the doctor rose and came over to us, “Your Grace, everything is fine. She just needs rest and don’t try to wake her again. She will need to come to naturally but I am giving you this vial to help soothe her head. You can just put it in the cool water Ms. Dana brought up. This should soothe the pain and help her to naturally wake up.” I took the vial from the doctor, “Thank you sir.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the required coins to pay him. As he left, Dorothea reappeared smiling and dragging Derek along, “I’m baaack.” Zeb rolled her eyes, “The highlight of our day, I’m sure.” Dorothea shot her a dirty look then she looked at me, “So, I have news on Zero’s results.” I inhaled sharply, wondering if he had been manipulated by use of magic, “And?” Her face went from playful to serious quickly, “His poor little noggin has been tampered with by some powerful magic. The problem is, I don’t know quite how to reverse it.” I felt a pull in my mind at that and I heard a voice, “I might be able to help there.”
