Qualin
I'm not sure how long I had been asleep when the sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber.
I sat up and faced the forcefield, curious who it would be this time. Quite unexpectedly, a woman I'd never seen before came into view. She was carrying a tray of food and a stool.
"Good morning. I brought you breakfast."
I watched as she looked me over for a moment, then casually walked over to the control panel. With the stool hooked over one arm and tray balanced on the other hand, she turned off the forcefield.
I blinked in surprise as she walked into the cell, setting the tray down in front of me and the stool a few feet away.
"I'm taking this, though." She grabbed one of the pastries and then sat back on the stool.
I couldn't help but stare for a moment. I'd met a few strange beings recently, so perhaps this shouldn't have been so surprising. Though, I couldn't help notice that she seemed to be pregnant. Why would she risk coming to see a dangerous criminal?
"Who are you?"
"My name's Callie."
"As in... Queen Callie?"
"Yep. You should eat." She gestured to the tray. "I know you're hungry."
She was right. No sense in passing on a free meal. I grabbed some of the meat and took a savory bite. Now I knew where Minor had likely gotten the food we had shared. So fucking good.
The queen seemed content to sit quietly while we ate. After a few minutes, I couldn't help asking, "What are you doing here? If you don't mind enlightening me."
"I wanted to meet you. You're an interesting case. You broke into the palace as an enemy, helping people who tried to take my son. And yet, our very dear and trusted friends think you're a decent person. So I wanted to come and decide for myself."
"...And?"
"You are a good person, though a bit troubled. That's understandable, though."
"So, what? You can read my mind as well?" It's not like I had anything to hide, but it was a little unsettling.
"No, nothing like that. But I do have a very special gift."
"A gift?" I couldn't help a skeptical scoff. "What, you can just magically judge a person's character?"
"No. But I can see beyond the veil, to see the supernatural beings that influence us all. The things they say are very telling."
I studied her closely for several moments. She seemed serious. How was I supposed to respond to that? Was she crazy?
"For instance, I can hear the demons whispering in your ear, telling you that you are worthless. Not to trust anything I say. That you are irredeemable and irrelevant. Hmm. They really want to keep you broken and lost."
"W-what are you talking about? I don't need any 'demons' to tell me I'm-"
"A piece of shit?"
I just stared at her. Maybe she was just reading my mind. She seemed to know exactly I how I felt.
"The thing is, when we believe those voices, it's a lot harder to hear the other voices. They are saying that you are special, that you are loved, and that there are plans for you. They say you have gifts and that you are meant to do good, possibly even great, things."
"Now that sounds ridiculous." I chuckled and took the last bit of food from the tray. "I don't know what kind of game your running, but I'm not buying in."
"I get it. I thought it was absurd the first time I was told I actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. That someone like me was worth anything."
"You're a queen."
"Because I married a king. I started off as an orphan nobody wanted, except to exploit. Most of my childhood was spent trying, and often failing, to avoid being beaten and raped. I may not have been a slave, but I know what it's like to be at the mercy of others who treat you like trash."
"Yeah, right." It was an odd lie, but was a little too hard to believe.
Without a word, she twisted around on the stool, showing me her back. then she lifted the back of her hair and lowered her shirt to expose her neck and shoulders. It was impossible to miss the nasty scars partially visible.
"The most prominent are from a leather belt and metal buckle. And, yes, they cover my entire back. There are a few on my legs as well."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
She turned back around, looking as casual as ever. "So maybe you'll believe me when I say I understand. I know the life."
"You were a criminal?"
"I fought, stole, and ran away, survived on the streets, and saw what it took for others like me to survive. Personally, I chose to fight back, even if it meant taking more punishment, or even dying. I refused to become what they wanted or expected out of pure stubbornness."
"Then you're a better person than me."
"Not better, just different. But I was also still a child when I was rescued and given a loving home. If that hadn't happened, I would have died a looonnnggg time ago. Either by finally being beaten to death, or by jumping into a frozen river."
The surprise must have shown on my face because she nodded slowly, holding up two fingers close together. "I was that close. See, in that kind of life, there are two kinds of people: Those who fight to resist until their strength gives out, and those who do whatever they have to to survive. The former are more likely to die young if nobody saves them. The latter learn how to get by on their own, playing the game those in control make."
I realized I was nodding along absentmindedly. I knew exactly what she meant. I had known other young slaves who had tried to run away or refused to do everything they were told. Most were dead now. I wanted to live. "I'm a coward."
"That's the demons whispering in your ear. They want you to hate yourself so you won't strive to be better. The reality is, everything you did was so that you could be here, right now."
She continued casually. "So, survivors like you can be broken down further into two more groups: those who just play along and those who truly embrace the life and become the same as those who shaped them. Now you have the opportunity to decide which you are."
"Well, obviously I'm not going to choose to be evil. Especially considering my circumstances." I gestured around the cell. "But it's not as simple as choosing."
"I know. You've only lived one kind of life. That's all you know. Even if you genuinely wanted to live better, and we let you walk out of here, there's no guarantee that you'd succeed. Life is hard. There are always obstacles. And if you get too hungry, you know how to steal. If you get into a fight, you know how to kill. You have a specific skill set you know how to use to get by. It's a lot easier to fall back on that than trying to learn a whole knew way to live."
I nodded. "Exactly." I was well aware that I couldn't be trusted. I had no qualms with stealing, and while I didn't particularly like violence, experience taught me I could put that aside when needed.
"That doesn't mean your hopeless. It just means that you'll have a better chance if you have help."
"And you want to help me?" Now that was absurd.
She simply shrugged. "From what I've heard, you've already made a powerful ally. Minor may be a kid, but he's extremely capable, and could definitely keep an eye on you."
"I don't think he wants to be around me anymore. He's a nice guy, but I'm sure he'll get tired of me, if he hasn't already. I already freaked him out pretty bad and he took off."
She waved her hand dismissively. "The transformers are all kinda flighty. Don't take it personally. I have a feeling he'll be back. As long as you don't push him away..."
That was the last thing I wanted. Though, that realization was a little surprising. The understanding that I may have already screwed up with him, and that he was better off without me, caused a painful tightening in my chest.
"You should stick with Minor. He can keep an eye on you and help you figure out how you want to live your life." She stood from her seat and began walking away. "I feel satisfied with that." She turned back to me a few strides away from the cell, the forcefield still down, and looked at me expectantly.
"What are you doing?"
"You're free to go. Consider yourself on probation. I'm sure Minor will track you down soon enough."
"Are you serious? Can you even do that?"
"I'm the queen, so yeah, pretty much." she smiled and shrugged. "I know you don't trust me, so go ahead and take your time. But I promise, no one will bother you if you walk right out the front gates."
"...Why are you doing this?"
"Because there doesn't seem to be any reason to hold you, and sitting around sulking in this cell, listening to the dark voices, certainly won't do you any good. Besides, I prayed that God would reveal the right thing to do while I spoke with you. And letting you go feels like the right thing."
"No offense, but you realize you sounds like a crazy person?"
"Yes, I am aware. But I've learned to trust that small, still voice in my heart." She smiled and waved as she turned and began walking towards the stairs. "So long. I'm sure we'll be seeing you."
And I was left alone again.
"Is crazy just the normal around here?" I wondered out loud. There was a lot to process.