Liya followed her father nervously down the corridor. Six guards marched awkwardly behind her.
Liya紧跟着她父亲紧张地走在走廊上。 六名警卫在她身后笨拙地行进。
“Daddy, I … I’m not allowed down here”, she said, half peering with curiosity, half trying to avert her eyes which she imagined might keep her safe from breaking the rules.
“爸爸，我……我不允许来这里，”她说，半是好奇地盯着，半是试图移动眼睛，她想象这可能会让她免受违反规则。
“Nonsense. Someday you shall rule, and you will be one of the greatest, just like me, but not!… without an education”, said her father, his long, emerald green satin cloak creating a gulf of uncertainty between them as they walked.
“胡说八道。 总有一天你会统治，你会像我一样成为最伟大的人之一，但不是！ ……没有受过教育，”她的父亲说，他长长的翡翠绿缎面斗篷在他们走路时造成了不确定的鸿沟。
“What about Doyen Jang? Won’t she be angry?”.
“Doyen Jang呢？ 她不会生气吗？”。
“Sweet girl. Jang will do as she’s told”, he said, turning to her with a huge smile. “Today, I am your teacher, and it is long past time to meet the family. Come. In there”, he said, pointing to a large dark stone door. It seemed full of danger to the little girl, but her father put his hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her towards the door. She took a nervous step towards it, feeling the void engulf her as she stepped towards it. She was surprised by her own confident-seeming steps, belying the feeling of trolls-under-a-bridge that was building inside her. She reached it, and when she cautiously touched the stone, the shade of darkness swirled away like she’d pushed through a cloud of smoke and a strange pattern of different coloured squares that filled the stone door and swirled around before settling into an image of herself, like a mosaic mirror. The mosaic mimicked her movements and Liya played with it for a few moments, waving, pulling faces and bending her torso to the left and right, before looking round momentarily at her father with a huge smile on her face.
“可爱的女孩。 Jang会照她说的做，”他说，带着灿烂的笑容转向她。 “今天，我是你的老师，早就该和家人见面了。 来。 在那里，”他指着一扇大黑石门说。 对小女孩来说，这似乎充满了危险，但她的父亲把手放在她的肩膀上，轻轻地把她推向门。 她紧张地向它迈出了一步，当她走向它时，感到空虚吞噬了她。 她對自己看似自信的步伐感到驚訝，這與她體內正在建立的橋下巨魔的感覺相比。 她到达了它，当她小心翼翼地触摸石头时，黑暗的阴影旋转着消失，就像她穿过了一团烟雾和不同颜色的正方形的奇怪图案，这些正方形充满了石门，旋转着，然后沉入了自己的形象，就像一面马赛克镜子。 马赛克模仿了她的动作，Liya玩弄了一会儿，挥手，拉脸，左右弯曲她的軀，然后瞬间环望她父亲，脸上挂着灿烂的笑容。
“Push it again”, he said with a different smile in his voice. She did so and pushed against her own hand image in the door which felt like a hundred little square stones, and her reflection froze before the door rotated up to the left into the ceiling, revealing a long passageway which was already lit by greenflame torches. The Emperor motioned to the guards. “Wait here.”
“再推一次，”他用不同的微笑说。 她这样做了，并推着自己的手在门上的图像，感觉像一百块小方块石头，在门向左旋转到天花板之前，她的倒影冻结了，露出了一条已经被绿火火炬照亮的长长的通道。 皇帝向卫兵示意。 “在这里等。”
“Sire, I… am yours to command”, Jarrett replied hesitantly, hoping the Emperor hadn’t noticed. He had, and turned to him and clapped him on the shoulder.
“氏，我……由你指挥”，Jarrett犹豫地回答，希望皇帝没有注意到。 他转向他，拍了拍他的肩膀。
“Jarrett, how many times… I know it’s difficult for you, but there is no danger to me in Vaathu’s Chamber. The only other entrance is known to me, and my late father and grandmother. Besides”, he said, unpinning his cloak to drop on the floor and turning back to look Liya in the eyes, “Only blood may enter. Others would be eviscerated on the threshold. Princess Aathaliya Valdragon! Forward into darkness”. Something even more nervous poked at the back of her mind, but somehow his voice, loud, and commanding, like he was making a royal decree at court spurred her on. She stepped into the hallway, and immediately she felt a strange sensation come over her. A sombre feeling, like she’d entered a secret, which she had of course, but more like she’d stepped out of the world. Something like the safety and privacy of her own bedchamber, where she was queen of her own kingdom, but even more so. In all her life, she’d never felt this before. She gingerly stepped forward. The mosaic-door rotated back into place behind them, now the dull dark stone it had been, and the sconce on either side of the wall beside them brightened. She looked and saw an image of a man’s face, strong with intent, formed from hundreds of stone squares on the wall to the left.
“Jarrett，多少次……我知道这对你来说很难，但在Vaathu’s Chamber对我来说没有危险。 我唯一知道的另一個入口，還有我已故的父親和祖母。 此外，”他说，解开斗篷，掉在地上，转身看着Liya的眼睛，“只有血才能进入。 其他人将在门槛上被开舟。 Aathaliya Valdragon公主！ 向黑暗前进。” 有些更紧张的东西在她脑海中戳了一下，但不知何故，他的声音响亮而命令，就像他在宫廷里发布皇家法令一样，刺激了她。 她走进走廊，立刻感到一种奇怪的感觉。 一种阴郁的感觉，好像她进入了一个秘密，当然她有这个秘密，但更像是她走出了这个世界。 就像她自己的卧室的安全和隐私一样，在那里她是自己王国的女王，但更是如此。 在她的一生中，她以前从未有过这种感觉。 她小心翼翼地走上前去。 马赛克门在他们身后旋转到位，现在是暗淡的黑石头，他们旁边墙壁两侧的壁灯变亮了。 她看了看，看到一个男人的脸的形象，由左边墙上的数百个石方块组成，意图强烈。
“This is Jorvath Valdragon”, her father said, looking with her. “The founder of this great city. No doubt, a city was here already, but he used it as his seat of power, laying the foundations to the Empire. Arguably the most important player of our family history. Turn.”
“这是Jorvath Valdragon，”她的父亲看着她说。 “这座伟大城市的创始人。 毫无疑问，这里已经有一座城市了，但他把它作为他的权力所在地，为帝国奠定了基础。 可以说是我们家族历史上最重要的球员。 转。”
She looked on the opposite wall and saw a much larger mosaic of a bright gold creature, looking something like a giant spider, but with clawed forearms. Liya was reminded of Arkay.
她看着对面的墙壁，看到一个更大的马赛克，一个明亮的金色生物，看起来像一只巨大的蜘蛛，但有爪子的前臂。 Liya想起了Arkay。
“This is Vaathu, an earth dragon. They are as rare as they come, but for her own reasons she assisted Jorvath and his descendants for five generations. She built this palace and created this very chamber we are in, including the soulstone door.” She looked up at him as he spoke, noticing something in his voice and saw his eyes lingered on the dragon with something she didn’t recognise for a while.
“这是Vaathu，一条土龙。 他们和他们一样罕见，但出于她自己的原因，她帮助了约瓦特和他的后代五代。 她建造了这座宫殿，并创造了我们所在的这个房间，包括灵魂石门。” 当他说话时，她抬头看着他，注意到他的声音中有些东西，看到他的目光停留在龙身上，有一段时间她不认识的东西。
He led her down the corridor, which twisted and turned gradually leading downwards, naming each face on the left, giving description of their actions where they fought which king, expanded their holdings in which area, and then described each companion dragon on the opposing wall and in which way they had helped or in some cases hindered the advance of the Empire. Liya tried to commit it all to memory but there were over 30 faces, and they walked and discussed them without recess. Eventually they came to the end, where his own face was on the wall. He looked a little younger and leaner looking than she knew him, but it was him for sure, the mosaic had captured the sparkle of steely curiosity in his eyes.
他带领她沿着走廊走，走廊蜿蜒曲折，逐渐向下，命名了左边的每张脸，描述了他们与哪个国王作战的行动，扩大了他们在哪个地区的领地，然后描述了对面墙上的每条同伴龙，以及他们以何种方式帮助或在某些情况下阻碍了帝国的前进。 Liya试图把这一切记在记忆中，但有30多张脸，他们走来走去，讨论它们，没有休息。 最终，他们走到了尽头，他自己的脸在墙上。 他看起来比她认识的要年轻、更苗条，但肯定是他，马赛克捕捉到了他眼中钢铁般的好奇心的闪光。
“But what about mummy? She’s not even on the wall!”, Liya said, looking back and forth for her.
“但是妈妈呢？ 她甚至不在墙上！”Liya说，来回寻找她。
“Leisanne is not a Valdragon, child, haven’t you been listening? Only our blood appears on this wall. When I am gone, your face will appear next to mine, just as mine appeared next to my father’s when I ascended the throne.”
“Leisanne不是Valdragon，孩子，你没听吗？ 只有我们的血液出现在这面墙上。 当我离开时，你的脸会出现在我的旁边，就像我登上王位时，我的脸出现在我父亲的旁边一样。”
She looked at the empty space on the wall opposite his mosaic.
她看了看他马赛克对面墙上的空地。
“But what about Lady Lakshmi? Isn’t she a companion?”, she asked. He chuckled.
“但是Lakshmi夫人呢？ 她不是同伴吗？”她问道。 他咯咯地笑。
“What a smart young lady you are. Yes, you will make a fine Empress. Empress Aathaliya the second. I like it.” He smiled pure warmth and pride at her. “I ascended the throne on my own strength, there had been no companion dragon for three generations. Lady Lakshmi has entered the royal court since then, and a fine companion she has been. No doubt opposite your face will be Arkay. The first honey dragon on these walls. An honour for us. And for him.”
“你是一位多么聪明的年轻女士。 是的，你会成为一位優秀的皇后。 第二位阿塔利亚皇后。 我喜欢它。” 他对她露出了纯粹的温暖和自豪的微笑。 “我靠自己的力量登上了王位，三代人都没有伴侣龙。 从那时起，拉克什米夫人就进入了王室，她一直是一个很好的伴侣。 毫无疑问，你脸的对面是Arkay。 这些墙上的第一条蜂蜜龙。 对我们来说是一种荣誉。 并且对他来说。”
They continued down the corridor and down several sets of steps passing several more soulstone doors. As they continued walking, her father spoke of the duties of an Emperor, of justice, of kindness, and of strength. The first two, he told her, balanced one another, but the third was the most important because they could not be maintained without it. Her brow furrowed like a ploughed field.
他们继续沿着走廊走，走下几组台阶，经过几扇灵魂石门。 当他们继续行走时，她的父亲谈到了皇帝的职责、正义、善良和力量。 他告诉她，前两个是相互平衡的，但第三个是最重要的，因为没有它，它们就无法维持。 她的眉头皱得像犁地一样。
The castle was sleeping, but the emperor woke suddenly in the dark. The silk hangings of his royal chamber fluttered with the warm sea air flowing in through the window. Leisanne was nowhere to be seen. He called out to her.
城堡正在沉睡，但皇帝在黑暗中突然醒来。 他皇家房间的丝绸挂在温暖的海风中飘动着，温暖的海风从窗户流入。 莱桑无处可寻。 他向她呼喚。
“No, dear. She is gone”, said a sinister female voice from the shadows. He leaped up immediately towards the dressing table for the dagger simultaneously realising it was a cataclysmic mistake, having already gifted it to his daughter. He looked to the wall where the crossed swords should have been.
“不，亲爱的。 她走了，”一个阴险的女声从阴影中说。 他立即跳向梳妆台去抓匕首，同时意识到这是一个灾难性的错误，他已经把它作为礼物送给了他的女儿。 他看着那堵墙，十字架的剑本该在那里。
“Looking for these?”, said the voice looming out of the dark. She stepped forward, swinging the blades in either hand. She was wearing a red robe with temple-dragons, and her eyes were storms, intent written all over them.
“在找这些吗？”，从黑暗中隐约可见的声音说。 她向前走，用两只手挥舞着刀刃。 她穿着一件印有神庙龙的红色长袍，她的眼睛里是风暴，上面写着意图。
“Guards!”, he yelled. The woman chuckled vindictively, a cat imposing its power on the mouse between its claws.
“警卫！”他喊道。 女人报复性地咯咯地笑，一只猫用爪子把力量强加在老鼠身上。
“Lakshmi?”, he said, taking a step away from his assassin.
“Lakshmi？”，他一边说，一边远离他的刺客。
“Summoned to the spire, of course”, she said, her fierce eyes intent, circling him as he moved, the blades still swinging with menace. He glanced at the window. “Go on, make it easier.”
“当然，被召喚到尖塔上，”她说，她凶狠的眼神坚定地在他移动时绕着他转，刀刃仍然带着威胁摆动着。 他瞥了一眼窗户。 “继续，让它变得更容易。”
“The princess?”, he enquired hoarsely, dreading the answer and taking another step.
“公主？”他沙沙地问道，害怕答案，又迈出了一步。
“Asleep. Soon not to wake”, she said, almost motionlessly moving towards him like a wolf. Rage poured into him but the sound of the blades slicing through the air stopped him from making the fatal mistake he wanted to.
“睡着了。 很快不会醒来，”她说，几乎像狼一样一动不动地向他移动。 愤怒涌上他，但刀刃在空中切割的声音阻止了他犯他想犯的致命错误。
“Stop. Have you ever killed an emperor? I think not. There is ceremony. You can’t kill one in his pyjamas.” He said, not taking his eyes off her and slowly bending to pick up his cloak.
“停下。 你杀过皇帝吗？ 我认为不是。 有仪式。 你不能杀一个穿着睡衣的人。” 他说着，眼睛没有从她身上移开，慢慢地弯下腰拿起他的斗篷。
“You? Dress yourself? Do you even know how?”, she mocked. “I think not. The string is severed.” She lurched forward towards him. He parried with the cloak and simultaneously jumped back, but not quite in enough time, his weight slowed him against the agility of the woman. The blade sliced through the cloak like butter and gashed his arm. The assassin moved quickly and moved to strike again and he twisted away, but she hit home again, stabbing him deeply in the shoulder. He bellowed in pain and anger, and with his back pressed against the side of the window, he kicked her backwards before half-jumping, half falling out.
“你？ 自己打扮吗？ 你知道怎么做吗？”她嘲笑道。 “我认为不是。 绳子断了。” 她向他谄了谄。 他披着斗篷，同时向后跳，但时间不够，他的重量使他在女人的敏捷性上放慢了速度。 刀刃像黄油一样划破了斗篷，割伤了他的手臂。 刺客迅速移动，再次出击，他扭了扭身子，但她再次击中了家，深深地刺伤了他的肩膀。 他痛苦和愤怒地吼叫着，背靠着窗户的一侧，她向后踢了一脚，然后半跳，半掉出来。
“LIIIIIYAAAAAAA!”, he bellowed as he fell fifty feet before bouncing on jagged rocks and falling another two hundred feet into the sea and unseen rocks below.
“LIIIIIIYAAAAAAA！”他咆哮着，他从50英尺处跌落，然后弹到锯齿状的岩石上，又掉进了200英尺的海里和下面看不见的岩石。
“So ends the Valdragon dynasty. The string is severed”, said the woman, spitting out of the window after him.
“Valdragon王朝就这样结束了。 绳子断了，”那个女人说，从窗户向他吐口水。