Whatever, girlfriend.

Only the beginning of the castle, to be exact.

But before moving on to the part where Larkin prevents Tic from escaping, we'll explain what our wicked Governor had mostly been up to that previous day.

As usual, Larkin's counsel wanted to know what he had been up to. They were an annoying bunch of old skin bags, and Larkin disliked looking at them. Much less even meeting with them. They followed him through the halls this day, all dressed in their orange and black robes (Larkin in his orange and white), wringing their hands together and bombarding him with nervous questions. Most of them Larkin did not bother answering. The majority had merely to do with money and a few financial situations, which Larkin found so horribly boring. If they'd only put their heads together, and think a moment before coming to him and whining...

"What is this? This request for wood and metal?" asked one.

"Mister Grub is building me a wonderful new machine-" replied Larkin, seeing the opportunity to express how annoyed he was, "-and unless you would like to be the first for a test run, you had better scurry around elsewhere and leave me alone!"

All ten of them paused in the long hallway as Larkin walked on. They looked at each other, faces taut in anger, but their eyes quivering with fright. The eldest motioned with his hand to be followed, and they left in the other direction.

Really, Larkin was being such a useless ruler as of late. He never wanted to take charge of anything. At least, that's what the counsel thought. Until an hour later they were called to a meeting. They feared for their lives, and wore breastplates under their robes.

The meeting place was, as usual, a large barren room with books of law and history on the shelves, and a single round table with one side cut flat, where Larkin sat. The table was made of marble, as was the floor, and the ceiling was painted to depict some of the more popular fairy tales and bedtime stories mothers told to their children.

After everyone was settled in, Larkin spoke, leaning over the table on his elbows, hands cupped around his beautiful face, "Invite all the currently allied Governors, their families, and noblemen to the ball. Which will be in exactly five days. I leave all of you to the arranging. That night we'll post extra guards and set some of them as servers."

"Who would you like to accompany you to the ball?" said a younger counsel member. As young as they were. He was maybe eighty or more. He was taking notes, like many of the others.

Larkin immediately took on a look. One of those looks, and the counsel knew he was up to something, "Don't worry about that; I have someone in mind. Oh, and make sure everyone knows that 'Important announcement to be made - could improve upon the Good.' Or, make it sound better than that."

The counsel glanced at one another. They wrote this down.

That night, invitations were sent out in all directions. No doubt this party would be a very large one, with handsomely and beautifully dressed women. No one refused an invitation from Larkin the Shrike. During his ruling over Galesing, he had put two cities out of the picture. They had been Galesing's only enemies at the time, and very bad ones at that. But ever since then, Larkin was almost deemed ruler of all cities. It was sort of an unspoken law. He was ultimately the most respected and feared man alive - aside from the Master of it all, The King, the real Dictator. But he hadn't made himself known in a very long time. Rumors said that he was dead, but the dark men that delivered the news from the Capitol said otherwise.

Larkin went to bed, and did not arise until very late the next day - as usual, but odd, seeing as this day he did not awake in the company of anyone. Climbing out of bed, he dressed himself and found a large silver platter of fruit and delicious breakfast foods waiting for him. Yes, he thought, the new maid is better than the old one. He grinned knowingly, and took a large bite out of a red fruit, speckled purple. He took it with him out onto his balcony, chewing and examining the stone moondial there. He had expected to wake much earlier than this, but no disappointment at all. He had relieved himself of the morning schedule... so that he could pay his new acquaintances a visit. He still had an hour.

Before he went to pay Tic and Miraye a visit, he had himself made beautiful. It took five women, but not that his face must be painted to make him decent. In fact, he didn't much need the dark red paint they put on his lips, or the black that they put around his eyes. Most of his hair was braided and pulled into a crown shape atop his head, the rest of the hair hung down his back, lessened.

Then. He arrogantly strode down the hall, where at the end was the flight of stone stairs that took him down into the dungeons. What he saw there surprised him, a rare occurrence.

Tic and Miraye appeared, flying down the hall so fast that neither of them saw what awaited. Larkin's arm flew out and snatched Tic's. He was jerked to a stop. Miraye was going to run on, until Tic gave a cry for help - which Larkin stifled with his gloved hand.

She spun around, hand going over her mouth. Her face paled, and she was about to go back for him, when the guards chasing them appeared in the hallway. Like idiots, they stopped as they saw Larkin.

He mouthed to Miraye, "Better run." Then shouted, "Fetch her back here!" And the guards took off running past him, for Miraye. She turned and ran, after a look in Tic's eyes told her to go on.

She could help him better outside than inside. Best she escape and come back for him. Yes. She would find help and come back for him - who was it he said to find? Someone from the Sink?