"Jaycee, long time no see." Agnar looked him up and down, gaze never wavering. "You seem to get along well."
Honestly, he wasn't sure how to approach the situation. The entire ordeal would have been much easier if Agnar was a devious tyrant bent on torture and thoughtless murder. But he wasn't. Truth be told, the man before him treated him with nothing less than respect. Though they may have had little to do with each other, their circle was small, and many times they had been in the same room. Usually, no one bothered Jaycee with small talk, but Agnar had always been different.
"As well as someone locked in a jail cell for five years would do, I suppose."
Jaycee followed him with his eyes, watching as paced back and forth. "Rumor has it you sided with a lion."
"I have my reasons."
"Be careful you don't get bit. They're known to turn on their masters."
"You know why I'm here, don't you?"
"A little birdie warned me long ago, but it's no secret that the one you work for wants me dead." He stopped moving and knelt down. "We have a history I'm not so proud of."
Jaycee watched as Arden picked up a piece of glass, its reflection changing as he stood. Without warning, he threw a piece at him. It tumbled in his grasp before he had a firm grip on it. It resembled the color of the stained glass that towered over them.
"We're in Mors Villa, where everything began, and where everything will end. Well, for one of us." Agnar pulled out his sword, a thick silver blade with a black handle. "This was once the home of The Dark Prince, an old ballroom where the royal family held parties to celebrate their good fortune. Ironic, isn't it, that this is where he murdered all of his people?"
The thought sent a chill down his back, but now wasn't the time to fear ghosts. "You believe in that fairytale?"
"Raise your sword, Jaycee." Arden held his weapon out and pointed it at him. "If you best me, I promise to tell you everything I know about Alec, and the history of this place. There's a reason he brought you here when he could have easily drawn me out elsewhere."
Jaycee raised his own weapon, the sword shaking slightly in his grasp. "Don't hold this against me, yeah?"
"I wouldn't dream of it. All of us are cogs in the machine, humans bowing and taking orders from a master we may or may not know." With his free hand, he ushered him forward. "Let's see what has become of you, Sicarii."
His grip tightened, and mind calmed. "Go easy on me."
Arden let out a huff before charging forward.