Emancipation

[Corwin]

Seira laighs outright at that question! "I've found that as a mortal! It's actually a pretty funny story, where I was drawn to Amaryl as I served as a diplomatic envoy to her nation. I found her interesting, but fate wouldn't let our paths cross for a while. Once we had met outside of political deliberations, we became friends and I invited her to visit a traveling circus near Balmuria. We kind of realized it was a date midway through, and things went from there."

Gazing fondly at her wife, Seira adds, "I'm skipping over a lot. We had to overcome opposition from her family, and there were other problems as well. She truly decided to stand at my side when I narrowly escaped from Sharran hospitality with my limbs intact, but little else. And in the end, here we both are."

[Anastasia]

A silent look at Amaryl, who laughs as she chats with Waukeen and Emily.

"...was it...that bad?" Ianvasah asks, quieter. "The Sharrans."

[Corwin]

"I approached the local princess with a warning that her brother was involved with Sharrans. I've traveled alone, beyond the reach of regular teleportation spells, to chart uncharted lands and track him down after he directed an attack on us."

Seira sighs. "She was in on it, as was her other brother. The rest of the family were their victims, driven to insanity, hence why I gambled on her. Unfortunately, I'd used up all my top spells to discover that information and told her as much. They blitzed me, and I woke up chained in a dungeon without any of my things and a fucking Sharran trying to interrogate me."

She puts a hand on Ianvasah's shoulder to pull her closer, and brings her index and middle finger on her free hand together and pointed at Ianvasah's eye, so close that they're almost touching the retina. "That's when they decided I was too uppitty and I didn't really need my eyes."

[Anastasia]

That makes Ianvasah pale. Her color drains out of her in an instant, transfixed on your fingers.

[Corwin]

"I might've used up my spells, but I had power in reserve. I set the Sharrans on fire, immolating myself in the process, and my bonds were burnt away. And then...."

Seira pulls her hand away, and places it on the girl's other shoulder. "I've hidden myself away. I waited for them to give up, held myself together as they sacrificed my familiar, and when I saw my chance I did what I could. I found clothes, and I found a dagger. I found the prisoners... I knew then that what I feared hadn't come to pass only because they wanted me awake for it, to despair. On the end, I escaped to another Prime, leaving those tortired souls behind, hard as it was. They almost caught me again, but I made it out with enough strength to collapse at a farm on some other world."

[Anastasia]

"Barely," Ianvasah murmurs, "She...." Closing her eyes, "She let me live so I could suffer and they could see me suffer."

[Corwin]

"And that's why Shar will lose," Seira tells her firmly. "For all her power and insight into the mortal mind, she just can't understand the value of hope. Because we can and do recover from her mind games, while our broken bones heal. And when we're at our lowest points, our friends, companions, loved ones... even deities," Seira adds with a wink, "...we're always here to help pull those who stumble back up."

Her face grows hard. "Because I managed to return to Balmuria, and then I went back. I killed the Sharrans with my friends. I recovered what I'd lost with their invaluable aid. They got me going when I flinched back. And in the end, under the occupation of my forces that land and its people prosper, while the victims of the Sharrans received the care they needed."

[Anastasia]

"It's the same for myself," Ianvasah admits, "It not for them, I never would have survived." She looks away, "It makes me so angry."

[Corwin]

"It took me a spiritual quest to truly put it behind me," Seira tells her. "In a way, the battles were the easiest part, and I kept myself busy trying to help the other survivors. But there remained this cloud, of wondering whether I was truly strong enough on my own to win and lead others to victory, and not only escape. I imagine you keep wondering whether you'll keep on needing to be rescued? Of whether you have the strength to escape on your own, or avoid capture in the first place?"

[Anastasia]

"...that and...sometimes something...it reminds me of it," Ianvasah says, "And I'm there again for a moment, running or suffering or screaming." Her voice is shaky, "Then I realize I'm not but my heart is still racing."

[Corwin]

"Would you like my help?"

[Anastasia]

"I have to be strong. I...I...I'm supposed to be stronger, everyone's counting on us now and and and and and..." she gasps for air, "I'm angry and my heart's racing and I can feel it happening again." She looks to you, eyes wild. "It's supposed to get better with magic but it's not."

[Corwin]

"Magic can't fix this," Seira says gently, squeezing Ianvasah's shoulders. "It is a battle over your soul. Shar has struck first, and it is now up to you to drive her out of your heart."

[Anastasia]

"How?" Ianvasah looks into your eyes, hopeful.

[Corwin]

"It's a bit unconventional because you're not one of mine, but I can send you off on a spiritual quest similar to one I undertook to get a grasp on my fears and my strengths alike. And just as I took Amaryl with me, you'll be allowed a trusted companion to complete it. Will you challenge your fears in this way, Ianvasah?"