by 
Ellery slid her hand along the cold stone wall, steadying her descent. Her eyes were locked on Hurnith, and the reddish torchlight that flickered off her and along the stairwell. She was getting way over her head.
Hurnith halted. “Just ahead, hon.”
Ellery grimaced. Her fingers itched to grab the torch and whack Hurnith right over the head- perhaps that would knock the ‘holier than thou’ attitude from her. Just as Hurnith stepped aside, Ellery lifted her head and swept past without a second glance.
She was not about to let her see how annoyed she was. Or how nervous.
The torchlight shone on a barred door, and barely illuminated the cell within. A lone figure sat against the wall, his head bent down over his knees. He didn’t move. Just spoke. Low, growly, and angry, but he spoke. “Back so soon, Hurnith?”
Soon? Hurnith had her wait four hours! Ellery bit her lip. “A-actually, no.”
Lochannar stiffened. “What do you want, Gingersnap?”
Ellery pressed her hands against the bars of the cell. She squeezed it tightly. Again with the condescending nicknames! “I’m not Hurnith. And I’m not your father. I’m not here to force anything upon you, to berate you, or even lecture you. All I want to do, is speak, and for you to listen.”
Lochannar slowly raised his head. The light flickered over his face, and Ellery almost shuddered. Gaunt, pale, and sickly, he didn’t look any better than the last time she saw him in Ledra. Maybe worse. But he didn’t respond; merely dropped his head again.
“Don’t listen to them.” She pressed her forehead against the bars. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Don’t listen to what they tell you. You aren’t delicate. You’re a fighter. You aren’t losing your mind. You just forgot what was in it. You didn’t turn into a beast, you just gave into the ideals of a twisted, wicked woman. You are not your sister. You are not your father. You are loyal. You are loving. And you are gentle. And you have something Iridia could never, ever understand. I know there’s a certain little girl, Lochannar, out there who misses you very much. She often asks about her Mister Joy. The love of a child is a blessed thing; I think you know that. That is why you protected your sisters to violently. Because you know how much they loved you. Because you know what, Lo? Love is a powerful thing.
“No! Don’t speak, Lo. I know what you would say. ‘How could anyone love me?’ And, well, you’re right. Logically speaking, not many people- if any- deserve love. But that’s the great thing about love. You don’t have to deserve it. That’s something that everyone forgets. They think that to love someone, they must first be lovely. But true love is to love the unlovely. To forgive those who will not forgive themselves. To show them what real love is.”
Ellery sighed and slid to a sitting position. She stared at the floor, her face still pressed against the bars.
“Look at Raina. She loves everyone. The lovely and the unlovely alike. She doesn’t care what you have done, just what you are doing. She only wants you to be good and kind now. I think she is one of the best examples of love.
“So tell me now, Lochannar. What are you going to do about it? Continue to wallow in self pity and despair, and listen to the degrading accusations of your family? Or are you to grow a backbone and stand up for what’s right? Yes, you’ve gone through pain and disappointment, yes, you’ve faced horrible loss and ridicule. But is that any reason to give up? To throw your life away? You are young, Lochannar. Older than me, yes; but you are too young to give up, give into anger and bitterness, and to throw it all away. Because you know what?”
Ellery sat up and stared at Lochannar, her voice now firm. She knew Hurnith was still behind her, but she didn’t care anymore. She’d said enough to bash the entire Tanalramae clan into tomorrow, and she wasn’t ashamed.
“No one is worthless.”
No response. He was silent. And after two whole minutes, Ellery’s hope began to wane. Until, finally, he slowly lifted his head.
“You didn’t by any chance bring Raina with you, did you?”
