Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 3
Overview
Trystan survives seven days of captivity by holding onto proof that Evie is alive through their gold-ink bargain. When the guards move Trystan toward the king’s unmasking, Trystan attempts an escape, only to be warned away by a familiar green-eyed guard.
Trystan’s desperation and hope collide with Benedict’s manipulation: Benedict allows Trystan to enter a room meant to horrify him. The chapter deepens Trystan’s emotional attachment to Evie while ending on a trap or revelation that threatens to break Trystan’s resolve.
Summary
Seven days after Trystan Maverine is imprisoned, Trystan clings to one certainty: Evie Sage is not dead. King Benedict’s claim that Evie died fails to break Trystan because the gold-ink employment bargain linking Trystan and Evie still lets Trystan sense that Evie is alive. Trystan resolves that, if Trystan sees Evie again, Trystan will tell Evie the bargain does not truly threaten Evie’s life.
Guards drag Trystan from the dungeon while magic-suppressing cuffs drain Trystan’s strength. Trystan notices that the new area has windows and that the chains are no longer fixed to a wall, giving Trystan the first real sense of possible escape. Trystan mocks Sir Seymore, prompting the guard’s anger, but a second guard with familiar green eyes stops Sir Seymore and says he will be the one to bring Trystan to the ballroom for the unmasking.
Trystan sees a brown door standing slightly open at the end of the hall and interprets it as a possible route to freedom. Looking at the stars, Trystan makes wishes despite knowing that wishing is irrational: Trystan wants to find Evie, apologize to Evie, reveal feelings more honestly, and even attend a tea party with Evie’s sister Lyssa.
When the green-eyed guard opens Trystan’s cage, Trystan seizes the moment and runs. The guards shout after Trystan, and the green-eyed guard desperately warns Trystan not to enter the room. The guard calls Trystan “Mr. Maverine,” revealing that Benedict has exposed Trystan’s true name to the Valiant Guards.
Trystan pushes through the door anyway, even as Benedict orders the guards to let Trystan go and “let him see.” Instead of a stairwell or exit, Trystan finds a small room. Whatever Trystan sees inside proves to Trystan that wishing was useless and leaves the chapter on an image of horror.
Who Appears
- Trystan MaverineThe captive Villain; clings to Evie’s survival, attempts escape, and walks into Benedict’s trap.
- Evie SageAbsent but central to Trystan’s resolve; the gold-ink bond proves to Trystan that Evie lives.
- King BenedictManipulates Trystan’s captivity, reveals Trystan’s true name, and permits Trystan to see a horror.
- Green-eyed guardFamiliar-seeming guard who stops Sir Seymore and desperately warns Trystan away from the room.
- Sir SeymoreHostile guard who insults Trystan and nearly strikes Trystan after being mocked.