XII - The Hanged Mare
The valley was wide and narrow, sheer cliffs hemming it in and giving the vast expanse an impossible sense of claustrophobia. Somewhere far in the distance came the lonely cry of an eagle, amplified by echoing across the cliff faces Luster wiped the thin layer of sweat from her brow and soldiered on. Yula and Yasha followed close behind.
It had been over a week since they had docked at a small, unnamed port in the eastern Griffon Empire and scattered into the countryside. Unlike Equestria, they enjoyed relative anonymity amongst the Griffons, who by and large treated the trio with a mixture of distrust and disinterest. Luster - or Golden Sun, as she had begun to call herself - had quickly settled on Griffonstone as their first destination. Being the only sizeable city in the entire empire, it was the perfect place to pick up on rumours, whispers and anything else that might help nail down Cozy's location. She could only hope for the best.
In the meanwhile, they were reduced to hiking once more. Now that they had left Yakyakistan, Yula's mood has markedly improved, and she delighted herself by immersing herself in the new world around her. Even the normally cynical Yasha devoured his surroundings with wide eyes, raptured by the new flora and fauna that surrounded him. Luster had visited the Griffon Empire before, but even she had never before had the chance to delve this deep into its unexplored depths.
Retrieving a water pouch from her saddlebags, Luster took a deep swig and squinted at the road ahead which seemed to go on and on. According to her map, they were less than a day's trek from Griffonstone, but they had yet to get so much of a glimpse of the city. Her stomach turned over unpleasantly as she wondered what would become of them if they had gotten lost.
She'd have failed herself... failed Yula... failed Cozy.
Yula glanced down at Luster, her cheerful expression creasing slightly as she took in the mare's expression.
"Pony okay?"
Luster glanced upwards, quickly hiding her look of concern. "Yeah. Just taking a break."
"Pony should try hiking in all this fur!" Yula chortled, wiping her brow. "Griffon lands amazing. Yula never see so many different creatures." She lifted a hoof, showing Luster a small scorpion she'd dug out of the dirt, snapping it's claws angrily. "Look! Yula never see anything like it in Halcyon."
With a weak smile, Luster gently levitated the scorpion off Yula's hoof and set it down on the ground, where it scurried off into the undergrowth. The pair set off again, Yasha trailing shortly behind. "This as exciting as you dreamed, huh?"
"Well... Yula want to spend more time with Griffons. Even if they not like Yula and pony. Yasha can't wait to see Griffonstone. Yula too. She hear it ten times size of Yak City." Her eyes gleamed at the prospect. "Pony know how much further?"
"Another day or two." Luster's stomach turned unpleasantly. "Yula, I think we should - "
Her voice was cut across by an excited bleat from Yula. "Look!"
Luster glanced in the direction of Yula's hoof, confused. "What?"
Yula sighed, then picked Luster up in one powerful hoof and slung her onto her back. From her new - and precarious - position, Luster could clearly make out the unmistakable, pointed spires of -
"Griffonstone!"
Luster felt her chest swell as the enormous anxiety that had burdened her for the past few hours was instantly lifted. Beside her, Yasha galloped forwards for a better view, whooping like a calf with excitement. The capital couldn't be more than a few hours walk. Dismounting from Yula - almost breaking her forelock in the process - Luster charged after him with a roar of enthusiasm she hadn't felt in weeks.
Flurry Heart couldn't help but feel her stomach turn as she took in the haggard, gaunt features of the stallion opposite her, who was bleakly shuffling through a stack of papers, his expression pale and sickly. Despite her protests, she had been assigned a public defender and denied an opportunity to select a lawyer to represent herself. Presumably, Gallus wanted to control every facet of her trial from start to finish. Clearing her throat, she tried to break the stony silence with what she hoped was a cordial, commanding, measured tone.
"So... how do things stand?"
The stallion's eyes flickered upwards from the tome of loose papers he was shuffling through, looking incredulous. When Flurry Heart cocked her head inquisitively, he sighed and pushed the stack away, setting his thick glasses down on the table.
"Princess, I... this is not good." The right side of his face twitched irritably. "You attempted to commit treason in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses. Even under ordinary circumstances... my advice is to plead guilty. Maybe there will be some leniency."
"Admiral Gallus can call it whatever he likes." Flurry Heart found herself snapping at the floundering stallion. "I am the rightful heir to the Equestrian throne. Any legal scholar would agree with me. Are you saying you don't want to present a case in my defence?"
Her lawyer said nothing, merely ran his tongue along his lips in apprehension before muttering to himself and resuming his paper-shuffling, infuriating Flurry Heart. Finally, he looked up and caught her gaze, causing him to quail slightly.
"I'm saying you have no chance if you decide to plead not guilty. You'll be signing your own death warrant. But if you choose to show some humility and deference... and if you're willing to return home, to the Crystal Empire... then maybe, maybe, you'll be spared the death penalty."
Those final words sent a chill running through her bloodstream, but she refused to allow it to take a hold on her. "You think Gallus would go that far?"
"Gallus? No, the courts. Bearing Justice will be presiding over your trial and administering the final sentence if... when... you're found guilty. Who just so happens to sit on the ruling council headed by..." He gestured pointedly. "But I don't think there'll be much public appetite for an execution if you plead guilty. It would seem too vengeful."
A few minutes passed before Flurry spoke again.
"A Princess should never back down from that which is right." She spoke slowly, the distaste in her voice clear. "I'm not going to run away from my destiny, and I'm not going to cower and snivel in some public stunt just to save my own flank. Gallus wouldn't dare execute the crown Princess of the Crystal Empire. It's all a bluff. If you don't want to represent me, then I'll represent myself."
"I - I never said I didn't want to represent you. But I must strongly advise against - "
He faltered, then stopped. The determination in the Princesses' eyes made it clear arguing would be a fruitless endeavour.
"As you wish." He slid a sheet of paper across the table. "I've made a summary of the evidence the prosecution is likely to level against you. It's fairly concise; there are hundreds of witnesses of you making a full confession of your guilt. But I'm repeating myself."
There was a pause before he continued. "You'll be examined during the trial by the prosecution. I would advise you to refuse to testify, but I'm sure you have other plans."
"Of course."
"Normally, this would be a jury trial, but owing to the ongoing state of emergency it's likely the judge will be passing judgement. A guilty verdict is incredibly likely."
"I know."
The lawyer felt his frustration rising in the face of Flurry Heart's dispassion. Before he could continue, he was interrupted.
"Do you think I'm right?"
He had dreaded the question. "That... isn't relevant. I'm not here to pass moral judgement, I'm here to represent my client."
"Please. I want to know."
Internally, the stallion sighed. What did he have to lose? "I... Gallus is right about a lot of things. He's done a lot for Equestria. You're young, inexperienced, and a foreigner to hoof. Maybe, if you'd tried a more diplomatic approach, things could have been different." He shrugged. "But you didn't, and here we are."
"Even though I am, by law, entitled to - "
"Entitlement is not a trapping that befits a princess, Flurry Heart." The stallion's voice was terse, and his omittance of her title was new. "Even as my client, you have been stubborn, refusive of advice and self-assured that your position will immunize you from the consequences of your actions."
He fell silent, looking slightly dazed. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, he spoke again.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to a client like that. Perhaps we should take a break."
"Perhaps we should."
As the door shut behind him, Flurry Heart felt that same cold chill run down her spine once more.
Ivory Brilliant was not the most nervous of stallions, but right now the sweat was pouring off his muzzle in a stream, matting his fur and running down his forelocks. The troop of guards that had escorted him everywhere looked as if they'd like nothing more than an excuse to run him through with their spears. Before him, Gallus reclined on the former Princesses' throne, but nothing about his posture indicated relaxation. His feathers were ruffled, his eyes bagged and bloodshot, and there was a constant tremor in his claw. Mustering all his courage, it was Ivory who first spoke.
"Admiral G-Gallus. I'm here on behalf... on..." He swallowed. "On behalf of the Crystal Empire to demand the immediate release of the Roy-royal f-f-family from your c-custody."
Gallus smiled thinly, cocking his head to the side, as if considering the request. "I see. And if I refuse?"
"Then we will have... have to seek..." His voice cracked, as if physically refusing to complete the sentence. Gallus beckoned him closer, and when he refused to move, he found himself pushed forwards by the point of a spear. Gallus' claw wrapped around his neck, and he found himself drawn yet closer.
"Are you threatening Equestria, Ambassador?"
Ivory shook his head frantically, eyes bulging as the Griffon's grip tightened.
"I think you would do well to leave. Tonight. Crimes against Equestria will be punished in Equestrian courts, and outside interference will not be tolerated." He relaxed his claw, and Ivory collapsed, spluttering. Gallus spoke once more, to the room at large. "Escort him back to his ship."
Ivory allowed himself to be ushered from the throne room without resistance. Gallus leaned to his side, directing his words at an Earth mare who had watched the whole affair with an unreadable expression.
"General Sprint, send ten thousand soldiers to the Crystal Empire's border. We should be ready to respond to any further provocation with a real show of force." His voice dripped with disgust. "We'll show them Equestria won't be threatened or coerced."
"Admiral, our forces are spread thin enough as it is. To say nothing of the undue provocation - "
"Then conscript more." Gallus snapped the response, his voice hoarse. "On my authority. Equestria's children should leap at the opportunity to defend their country."
"I... as you wish, Admiral." General Sprint bowed. "I'll get the order out tonight."
Gallus nodded, barely listening. "Traitors and collaborators everywhere I turn." Even with her head bowed, Sprint could feel his eyes on the back of her neck. "The time will come for all to prove their loyalty to Equestria. I hope, when that time comes, you'll make the right choice."
The sun had finally set by the time Luster, Yasha and Yula treaded into the city limits of Griffonstone. The city impressed just as much up close as it had from a distance, a sprawling of metropolis that seemed to stretch as high as it did wide. Luster's heart sank in her chest as she realized how herculean a task it would be to find anypony here, let alone one actively trying to remain hidden. Even the normally bold Yasha seemed somewhat subdued by the city's scope, casing his gaze down at each passing guard.
After booking a pair of rooms in the cheapest inn she could find, Luster gave her companions to some time alone and spent the next hour wandering around aimlessly. She had no real hopes of stumbling across Cozy by sheer coincidence, but she needed time to clear her head.
The hunt for Cozy had mercifully occupied her mind up until this point, but now that she had arrived at something loosely resembling a destination, she found herself confronted with the unpleasant void that was likely to be her future. She couldn't imagine anything less palatable than living the rest of her life as a fugitive in the Griffon Empire, with the possible exception of being dragged before a court and executed. Even if she were to return, what awaited her? She'd heard little of developments in Equestria during her exile, only that Captain Moonlight had managed to string together some kind of ad-hoc ruling council. In all honesty, she no longer cared.
More monotonous streets. She stopped a few times, asking probing questions about the goings-on in the city in her rudimentary Griffionian, earning a few raised eyes from griffons who were clearly unused to outsiders understanding their language. Though friendly, they were uneasy and unwilling to divulge much. Then, on her fourth attempt, she struck gold. A burly, scarred griffon who had been sharpening axes hadn't seen anypony matching of Cozy's description, but...
"There's a lot of street foals - fledglings too. Happens sometimes, parents have one too many mouths to feed and..." He sighed. "They mostly keep to themselves, don't come out in the open a lot - risky, you know. So most don't even know they're here." A sad look crossed his face as he held another axe to the grindstone.
"If you're looking for a filly, I'm afraid you might be too late. Even after Galdur went missing, they don't usually last long. If it's not somegriffon who gets them, it's hunger, thirst, disease..." His beak snapped shut.
"Where would I look for her?"
The griffon looked uncomfortable, shuffling his weight from one claw to another. "There's an abandoned warehouse in the railway yard where a whole group of them live. They don't take too kindly to strangers, mind. You'd be better off leaving them be, but..." He caught a glimpse of the burning fire behind Luster's eyes. "Something tells me you're not the type to leave well enough alone."
Luster had bowed her thanks and left with a hopeful jitter to her step. Even if Cozy wasn't holed up in the railyard, there was a good chance one of the foals there would have seen her. She tried to push the Griffon's warning out of her mind, refusing to accept such a grim possibility. Cozy was no ordinary filly.
She would have gone immediately, but she was too tired to trek all the way there, and didn't feel like risking teleportation to a place she'd never visited before. Besides, she would be well-minded to bring Yula and Yasha along with her. She figured the presence of two burly yaks would mute any hostility her unannounced arrival might engender.
The two yaks had already returned by the time she arrived at their inn. Luster could hear them laughing and talking enthusiastically through the thin walls of the inn, and hadn't the heart to break up their fun with anything serious. She collapsed onto the thin, straw-stuffed bed and tossed and turned over and over, desperately trying to fall asleep. As her mind slowly numbed and sleep claimed her, she could feel the beginnings of an intrusive and unpleasant nightmare pulling her in.
The following day, Luster bought Yula and Yasha up to speed.
Yasha said nothing as she explained their plan. Yula, on the other hoof, had complaints enough for the pair of them.
"What if pony recognized? What if pony attacked? Sound very risky. Even if they meet Cozy, they not know it her if she wearing amulet."
"I know what Cozy looks like when she's wearing that amulet. I enchanted it myself. All I need to do is ask if any of them have seen a filly matching that description."
Yula still didn't look happy. "Even if they have, they no reason to tell you. No money to offer them either. They not sound like they trust others very much." She tapped her chin. "Yula go along. But she hope it not end badly."
Yasha gave a grunt of agreement. "Yasha join too. Help pony."
Luster smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. I really appreciate it."
"Yula appreciate pony taking her so far. Griffonstone amazing. We never see anything like it. Yasha think we only Yaks in city."
Luster could believe it easily - Yaks weren't well known for their wanderlust - but humoured Yula with a wide-eyed gasp of astonishment. Finally, after twenty minutes of listening politely to Yula detailing everything the pair had seen and done within the city walls, she rapped her hooves on the tabletop and nodded towards the door.
"It's already midday. We should head off if we want to be back by dark."
Griffonstone's railyard was located well beyond the city limits, yet beyond the walls it seemed to loom over them no matter how far they were from it. Its architecture was truly ancient, probably as old as the invention of the railway itself - in fact, it was hard to believe the first trains had been invented in Griffonstone, given how untamed and wild the country's landscape was. The trek there was filled with an unpleasant apprehensive silence, punctured only by a few lame attempts at lightening the mood by Yula.
There were plenty of warehouses scattered across the railyard grounds, but the only occupied one would have been immediately obvious even if it hadn't had a small cluster of foals and fledglings clustered around its doors. The walls were coated with graffiti and drawings, and a few crude makeshift tents had been pitched outside.
The youngster's mouths dropped as they took in the sight of a lone mare approaching flanked by two enormous yaks. Seconds later, survival instinct kicked in, and those lucky enough to have wings shot off into the air, leaving the unlucky few flightless scrabbling their way through the door, which was promptly slammed behind them. Luster groaned internally.
"Maybe pony not as welcome as pony think - " Yula began in a light-hearted, joking tone, but stopped when she caught a glimpse of Luster's expression.
Striding forward, Luster seized the door in her magical aura and wrenched it open, causing the unfortunate foal behind it to collapse forwards with a yelp. Seeing Luster towering in front of him with her horn lit, he scrabbled to his hooves and bared his teeth in a gesture which would have been intimidating, had it not come from a colt half her size.
"Easy." Luster was pleased to find her voice was neither uncertain or shaky, but cold and commanding, causing the colt to wince and lower his head. "I'm not here to start any fights or take anything. I want to ask about a filly."
The colt - long-maned with a black-and-white patched coat - eyed her nervously. "Who?"
"I don't know what she's calling herself, but she's a unicorn filly with a lilac coat and an amber mane, like mine. About fourteen. She'll be wearing a plain glass amulet."
"I don't know anypony like that." He looked like he might bolt any second. Luster nodded slowly.
"If anyone can tell me where I can find her, or anything... anything that will help me track her down, then I'm willing to pay them." The colt's eyes narrowed at that, and he nodded slowly.
"Give me a minute."
The door was slammed in her face once more. Luster sighed and glanced upwards towards the roof, where she could make out the outline of two teenage griffons glaring down at her.
Flurry Heart exhaled slowly, not budging an inch. Meditation had the distinct advantage of being easily practiced anywhere, and right about now it was the only thing keeping her sane. The solitude of her tiny cell would have been a prison to most, but to her it was an inspiration. It was easy to empty the mind when the surroundings were devoid of stimuli. She took a slow breath in, holding perfect posture. Slowly, unbearably, the image of an executioner's noose floated into her mind.
Keeping the mind empty was quite another task.
Death was not something she had expected to come for many years - if, as she suspected, she was to live as long as her great-aunt, it was not even something she would taste for millennia to come - yet the death of Twilight seemed to have changed everything. The death of an alicorn at the hooves of a mundane unicorn meant that their race were no longer inviolable in the eyes of Equestria. Perhaps Gallus intended to wipe them from the face of the earth, to ensure no further challenge could ever come to his power. Would her mother suffer the same fate?
Desperately, she grappled against the rising tide of guilt and shame that welled up inside her, stifling her serenity and clarity in a wave of emotion and regret. Pushing it down, she forced her mind to contemplate more mundane matters - such as her upcoming trial.
Her earlier assurance of safety had been shattered. It seemed there was no line Gallus would not cross in pursuit of total power, even putting down the leader of another country. In fact, Gallus was probably drawing up invasion plans for the Crystal Empire as she waited.
She wasn't afraid of death, though she had rather hoped it would not come this soon. Was it selfish to die so meaninglessly? Then again, if she was to plead guilty, to scamper back to the Crystal Empire with her tail between her legs like a coward, she would have lost all legitimacy. Forcing Gallus to martyr her was the right decision. She was certain of it. Not that certainty made the decision any easier -
Suddenly she winced and drew her eyes tightly closed as her serenity was interrupted by the grinding sound of metal against stone, and a flash of unbearably bright light as the door was forced open. Before she could react, a small bag was forced over her head, muffling her cries of protest, and she was forced to her hooves. Still dazed from the sudden interruption, she found herself half-marched, half-dragged down an unfamiliar network of corridors. Lights flashed and faded from behind the bag, and unfamiliar sounds were drowned out by the unbearably loud sound of her own breath, gasping for what little air she had under the thick hood.
Eventually, her captors came to a stop. There was a muffled sound of talking, then a pause. Flurry Heart took the opportunity to speak up.
"Where am I - "
She had barely managed three syllables before she was cut off by a blow to the ribs that knocked the air completely out of her and left her unable to do anything but wheeze. She'd never been struck with such force in her life. The voices sounded angrier now. She could make out the words "orders", "Gallus" and "Princess", but -
Then words quickly gave way to roars, and flashes of light as her captors and the others began to exchange spells. The sound of bodies crumpling to the floor. Wasting no time, she was seized once more and this time bodily dragged along with considerable force.
They flew down flight after flight of stairs, not stopping until she could clearly hear the laboured breaths of her abductors even through the thick material of the bag. As they reached the final floor of her prison, there were more shouts, and a roar of pain to her right as one of her abductors collapsed, struck by some unseen force. Another of them swore and fled, before coming to an abrupt halt. The sound of hooves clattering against the floor was growing louder... louder...
Then there was a sensation of weightlessness as she was lifted into the air and the roar of shattering glass. The familiar sense of falling filled her every sense, and she instinctively thrust outwards her wings, catching the breeze and taking full flight. The remaining shreds of the bag that had not been torn apart by her exit through the window slipped from her face, and she could once more see the full moon set against the star-studded night sky, feel the wind rustling through her mane and her wings beat against the breeze.
Swooping around in mid-air, she glanced back at the window she had left from, just in time to see another shape slip out of it. A pegasus - but not just any pegasus. As he drew closer and closer, there was no mistaking the iridescent coat nor shimmering mane of her kin.
The crystal pegasus fluttered up to greet her, before rapidly jerking his head pointedly towards the dense forest beneath them. Gracefully, the pair glided downwards before landing in a small clearing and vanishing into the woods. As soon as they were back under the cover of the trees, they collapsed onto the ground, panting from exertion. Flurry Heart was the first to rise, and quickly knelt over the pegasus to examine his injuries. Sensing what she was trying to do, he waved her away.
"Your highness... worry... about yourself. You're bleeding." He struggled to his hooves with considerable effort, leaning against a tree for support. Flurry Heart cast her eyes downwards, feeling her stomach turn slightly as she saw the blood from dozens of tiny cuts trailing down her coat.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do. Our disguises were meant to last the whole hour, but they wore off as we were trying to talk out way past that checkpoint. Red Quartz was supposed to tend to your wounds, but she's..." He trailed off. "We have a camp a few minutes flight from here. We can get you treatment there before we head home."
Home. What a wonderful word. "What about my parents?"
"Can't..." He winced, and doubled over. "Couldn't... get to them. Too risky. Our orders were... to rescue you. Get you back to the Crystal Empire."
"Orders? Whose orders?"
"Ivory Brilliant, ma'am."
Flurry Heart felt her misgivings about the meddling bureaucrat soften slightly. "I won't leave Equestria without my parents. Not while Gallus is in charge. Where are they being held?"
"Canterlot Castle's dungeon. It would be suicide to try and get them out."
Flurry Heart was inclined to agree, but the thought of leaving her parents trapped in the clutches of Gallus repulsed her. The pegasus clearly understood, for when he next spoke, his voice was warm and understanding.
"Your parents are tough, Princess. I've no doubt they'll be okay. But we have to go now. If they catch up to us, everything we risked tonight - everypony we lost tonight - it'll all have been for nothing."
Blinking back the first pinpricks of liquid shame, Flurry nodded.
"All right. Let's get out of here."
The colt re-emerged ten minutes later, ushering a tiny filly forwards who looked as if she couldn't be more than ten. Luster raised an eyebrow.
"This one says she met a filly like what you described." He pushed her gently forwards. "Go on, tell her."
The filly looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else, but squeaked her answer dutifully. "I saw her when I was in Griffonstone a week ago. She was... she was arguing with a griffon. About money. Then I ran off."
Luster's heart swelled with elation at the news. Cozy was in Griffonstone - and had been since last week! The colt nudged the filly once more.
"I saw her again. Three days ago. She looked... worse."
"Worse?" The words fell heavily from Luster's lips. "Worse how?"
"Just... worse. She had a lot of bruises. And cuts. And sometimes she'd... she'd talk. But not to anypony. Just to... the air. Like there was someone else there."
Luster felt her elation melt away at this new revelation. "Where in the city did you see her?"
"In the Diamond Quarter. Both times. I think she lives there."
"I... I see. Thank you." Luster's emotions churned within her, no particular feeling rising to the top. "I'll go and look for her now. If I find her, I'll bring you something. I promise."
The filly nodded, then turned around and fled back into the warehouse. The patched colt eyed them suspiciously, before disappearing and slamming the door shut behind him.
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That pathetic defense lawyer is completely wrong. Gallus has turned into a monster in a Griffon body. Flurry heart is the better choice by a landslide.
Come on Luster, you're so close. Just a bit more!
Yay, an update!
Nice to finally see Luster in Griffonstone, even if its at a state where its seemingly even worse off then in the show. Can't wait to see her reunite with Cozy before something horrible inevitably happens to them again!
How is Gallus getting all that support? At this point he is clearly a madman for all the world to see, has practically no allies and is actively threatening various important figures. At this rate, he's well on his way to plunging Equestria into a multi-front war that he can't possibly win alongside a full blown rebellion and multiple assassination attempts. One has to wonder what his old friends would think. I just hope Cadence and Shining won't end up as martyrs.
How is what she did count as treason? Equestria is a monarchy that she had clear right to succession and even if she didn't, she still did not use any sort of force when she declared her intention to take over the throne nor did she say that Equestria would have no choice in the matter.
Just imagine the sheer amount of defectors.
I hope that isn't a sign of something bad about to happen.
I’m sorry to tell you this, Gallus, but you’re the traitor here not them.
I highly recommend you either write a spinoff or dedicate a chapter to explain the backstory of your version of Gallus, because I just can't see how he got to this point, and neither can most of your readers. At least the Star Wars prequels showed how and why Anakin became Darth Vader.
Another nice read.
Thanks!
Btw ... noticed one small typo:
"was" maybe?
Fantastic story! Haven't reached the latest chapter yet, but I love how you characterise Cozy Glow as someone who is sympathetic without having really changed her outward behaviour. I'm also chuffed that you've added a new chapter while I was still reading. Double hurrah!
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In a word? Fear. His subordinates fear him, and their subordinates fear them, et cetera. His concern is making sure it stays that way.
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An interesting possible explanation can be found from the IDW comics (FIM#17). They introduced an "opposite universe" where the good characters in FIM were evil and the opposite was true. It was accessed through a mirror (which was broken).
If somehow Gallus' opposite got through the mirror, that pretty much explains everything (except what happened to the "good" Gallus ...).
Makes headcanon anyway.
Considering you want to murder your former queen's niece, for assuming her rightful place on the throne, I'm pretty sure that's not the case.