"Well?"

Mari looked up and swallowed. She struggled to find her voice. A small noise scraped her throat. Dainan didn't seem to hear her. Dainan moved, and Mari's thoughts were distracted further by a strange, grating sound. He asked, "Are you just going to stand there?"

"No," Mari said, gripping the headpiece. Her voice surprised herself. Mari's hands shook.

Dainan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Then what do you want?"

Mari hesitated again. She wanted answers, but it was more than that. She didn't want to stay in that room. Not like she had been. What did she say? She peered through her hair. "I want... I desire to... to not be..."

She wanted to act like Rekema would, but she wasn't Rekema. She couldn't help herself. Stepping forward, letting her face reflect herself, whoever that was. She was herself, speaking her own words. Staring him down, Mari asked, "Is there a word for when you are without others? When you have no one but yourself, even when you don't want to be?"

Dainan pushed off the wall. He eyed her, and Mari wondered if she shouldn't have said anything. He bowed his head for a moment before speaking softly, "Yes, there's a word for that. It's called being alone."

Mari shut her eyes. That word. She shivered; her heart shuddered. So cold. She drew her breath, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "Then what I desire is to not be alone."

From the way he looked at her, Mari had the feeling he didn't believe her, but she chose not to say anything. She couldn't be sure, and what could she say anyway?

"So you came to me. As you can see," Dainan said. He stepped back, raising his arms up. Mari squinted at the odd, bulky gray object around his wrists. He said, "I'm not exactly in a position to refuse you. I'd offer you a seat, but I don't have any."

Dainan dropped onto the ground. The scraping noise hit Mari's ears, causing her to wince. She took a moment before following his example and sitting down from him. "I, uh, didn't mean to come here... but... I am, uh, not good with words."

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem to have any trouble before."

Mari shook her head, searching for the right way to explain it. "Before was different. Those words weren't my own."

"What do you mean? I clearly remember them coming from you." Dainan propped up his chin on his hand. Mari was distracted by the object on his wrist for a moment.

"I don't know how to say it. It may have been my voice, but they weren't my words." Mari frowned, running a hand over the headpiece. "Can I ask you a question?"

Dainan was silent for a moment, staring at her with his brow knit together. He blinked and said, "Alright, but I have one condition."

"Alright," Mari said. She didn't know what a condition was, but he would let her ask questions. That was all that mattered.

She started to lift the headpiece, but was stopped by Dainan's voice. "Wait, you're not even going to ask what it is before you agree?"

Mari paused, unsure of what was happening. She masked her confusion and played along. She set the crown down, "What is it?"

Dainan eyed her, and she thought of when Rekema would eye a rat before deciding whether or not to kill it. She swallowed thickly as he said, "Here's my condition: for every question you ask that I answer, I'll get to ask you a question and you answer."

Mari stared at her hands. It sounded fine to her, but one thing made her hesitate. She fidgeted. "What if I can't answer your questions?"

Dainan's face twisted; Mari wished she understood what his expression meant. He said, "Then we can move onto a different question. Agreed?"

Mari tried to read him. She wasn't good at it, but she didn't think he was trying to trick her. She also told herself the even if he was, what would he accomplish? At the end of the day, he would be in the dungeon. She would have the headpiece; which meant something, she just didn't know what.

"Agreed." Mari nodded. She lifted the headpiece, making sure the light hit it. "You wore this once; does it have a name? What is it for?"

Dainan drew in a sharp breath. He reached out his fingers, taking his time, and let them skim over the edge. "You don't know what it is? It's called a crown; you're supposed to wear it on your head, like you did when you came in."

"No." Mari frowned, frustrated with the idea she should know. "I didn't know. I've been calling it a headpiece in my mind."

There was a pause before Dainan spoke, "My turn. How come you didn't know what it's called?"

"I have never seen one before." Mari's grip on the crown tightened. "Why did you give it to me, that day, in the throne room?"

Dainan's eyes widened. "Because you're the queen."

Mari groaned, dropping the crown. It was all too much. This was a bad idea. The burning sensation that rose in her chest. She should have stayed away. She was... she was... Mari felt like Balak did. It was awful.

Her voice rose as she said, "I don't know what that means! Why do you and other humans expect me to know what's happening when I don't? I can't know, not when everything is new to me and no one bothers to explain anything to me. I don't even know the proper words for anything anymore!"

Mari stared at him. The only sound filling the room was her labored breathing. Her vision blurred slightly. She shut her eyes, clenching her fists.

"Take a deep breath. You're not helping yourself by getting all worked up." Mari opened her eyes to see Dainan had one hand out as if to stop her from doing anything else. She glanced down, and small red droplets ran down her palms. She wiped them off and looked back up. His expression was much different now than from before. Mari couldn't put a name to it, but she was certain she had the unpleasant sensation written on his face. He said, "I didn't mean to upset you. I was caught off guard. From now on, I will do my best to answer clearly without any judgment. Feel free to ask any questions about anything I say that confuses you."

She took a deep breath, trying to erase her emotions. Dainan was right; it did her no good to yell at the only person she had to answer her questions. She clasped her hands together in her lap before giving Dainan a restrained nod. He smiled slightly; it was nothing at all like when the Seven smiled, not even when Muraad did. Dainan gestured towards her; the object around his wrists clanged as he moved. "How about you ask me another question?"

Mari opened her mouth and was about to ask more about the crown, but her mind went elsewhere. She couldn't help but stare at his hands. Without meaning to, she asked, "What is that around your wrists?"

Dainan blinked and followed her gaze. "They're manacles; they keep me from being able to run or attack the guards if I had the intent."

Mari nodded, understanding the idea even if there were a few words that she didn't quite get.

At her silence, Dainan looked up and asked, "You say everything is new to you, why?"

Mari wanted to stare at the ground, but the look in his eyes kept her from moving. She didn't want to talk about herself, but she did agree to answer the questions that she knew the answers to. She sighed, saying, "Everything is new to me because, before now, I was always in the same place. Where I used to be is nothing like here."

Dainan didn't respond, Mari thought he was confused, but he chose not to ask at the moment. She stared at the manacles again. "What are they made of?"

"Metal," Dainan said. Had she heard that word before? He shifted his legs. "Where did you live before here?"

Mari leaned against the wall. She closed her eyes; she could see it perfectly. How long had it been? It seemed like an eternity since she had last seen it. "It was a cottage. Behind it was a stream, and it surrounded by trees. So many trees. Occasionally, they took me out and we walked around, but I never saw where the trees ended. For the longest time, I just thought they went on forever. Muraad called it the middle of nowhere."

"They? Muraad?" Dainan asked. Mari opened her eyes, and her heart sank.

"I, uh, believe it's my turn." Mari stuttered, keeping her eyes from his.

"Right," Dainan said, ducking his head, "go ahead."

Mari saw the crown sitting in front of her lap. She picked it up again. "You said you gave this to me because I'm queen. I vaguely remember being called that once, but what does a crown have to do with being a queen?"

Dainan reached a hand towards it. Instinctively, Mari let him take it. He held it between them. "Being a queen means you are the ultimate authority. Kings and queens wear crowns because of that. The crown is a symbol of your authority, of your power. Come here. "

He lifted the crown, and Mari bowed her head. Dainan carefully slid the crown back onto her head. Mari didn't know why, but it felt different when he put it on as opposed to when Rekema did. It felt... right.