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A young servant girl bustled in and rushed the fair-skinned girl to a hot bath, scrubbing her and tugging her and coating her with sweet-smelling oils. Aethyra hated the cloying scent of the flowers, but it was "proper" that she be presented before the courtiers and guests as a true princess, whether or not she liked it. After being bathed, she was dressed in a long dusky blue gown, her chest constricted from a corset, waist tied with a ribbon of golden-coloured silk. Glittering jewels adorned her neck, and some were placed in her hair after it was dried and twisted into a terribly feminine cascading fashion. Was it overdone? Yes. Did the servant girls all gasp and coo upon seeing her dressed as a proper lady of her stature? Yes. Did Aethyra pine for the comforts of men's clothing? Yes.
Before abandoning her room, she snatched a heavy satchel of gold from beneath her mattress, and hurried out. Her silk-coated footsteps were muffled, but still loud enough that people could hear her coming, and she hated it. Her limbs stung from the harsh scrubbing the servants had given her with a pumice stone, her eyes and lips itched from being painted with all sorts of beauty products, her scalp pained from having her hair tugged and pulled as they fashioned it from her usual comfort of having it loose around her shoulders. Though she looked stunning, her lips a gentle red, her eyes outlined in a charcoal paint, cheeks defined with rouge, and looked a proper Heir, it was obvious the girl was not happy.
"Where is Parthenia?" she gasped, still unused to the corset holding her ribs tight, and was informed of her helping deliver the duke's child. "Inform her that I must speak to her privately once she has finished with that. It is of upmost importance, and it can not wait." Rounding a corner, she noticed Alain again, and had her cheeks not been covered already in a false pink, all would have noticed the mottled flush creeping into her skin. "There you are." She tossed the coin purse to him, trying to look at him as a diplomat would a common man, "I believe that shall be sufficient. Or do you require more? Come, we shall see the lord, if he is available." Bustling away from the dawdling women surrounding her, she hurried as well as she could towards the throne room.
He paused here, for just a moment, before a small smirk split his face, "But there is always the matter of food. Feel free to make your decision after food." He said, walking back to her, "We need not have more drama until food is in our stomachs. The outside world, and myself, are not going anywhere just yet. And it would be rude to leave a goodbye banquet waiting for guests who would never eat it, would it not?" When he was right in front of her, he put a hand on her shoulder again, "And you do not look hideous. Ridiculous and painted, yes. But not hideous. The court would coo and swoon over your appearance, fall head over heels for you in a heartbeat, I have no doubt. But I...well, I have seen the girl under the paint. She is not one for frilly dresses and ridiculous paints, I think. This is why you look ridiculous to me. Imagine me in a suit and gussied up as though I were some important bureaucratic. Would you not laugh as well?"
"Would I laugh? No, but I do not often laugh. You would look a bit silly but, you may also look quite dapper." She let her words hang in the air before continuing to walk, "Now, as you said, we've a meal to get to. Come along, don't be so slow."
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Her first kill? She had to think back to that. She had been only 13 when she had killed something on her own. "It was...a rabbit, the first time. I accidentally struck it through the throat when I loosed an arrow. The next was a pheasant. Then another rabbit. A squirrel. A fox. A doe, once. That was the biggest. I dragged it home myself. I was a sight when I got back, I was covered in twigs and blood." She grinned faintly, "The serving woman in charge of me at the time screamed. Put me in the bath for hours. But it was worth it. I've killed many animals, bludgeoned a few humans who set upon me in the forest. I'm not very strong though, still. My shot is steady, my aim precise, but I've hardly done anything with a knife."
“You should also be careful. You are not yet back at your full strength. If you need assistance then all you should do is call. I will be there as quick as I can be, even if I must break my guise for it.” After Alaizabel was gone Trifect just began down the halls. He could hear the beginning of the storm rage outside. How sweet a sound. The servant girl seemed to be busy though, as his magic had told him. Well there wasn’t a need to be too hasty. After all, he didn’t want to cause unneeded attention. Instead he just walked around the halls. Never really could tell what he’d find. Maybe who, but not what. His magic wasn’t really very specific.
The female demon was proving difficult to keep a track on, her strength really was fading. But as long as she was in the shadows she could temporarily draw on their power to keep her sustained and despite what Trifect had said she needed to inspect this demon for herself... partially to assess her as a threat but mostly to find out what had happened to their race. She had come through alone five hundred years ago, when did other demons start living among humans?
A small smile creeped across her face.
Trifect had told her to be careful and offered assistance... like he actually cared about her. Then again, she had known him most of his life. She had taught him magic. To him she had always been some kind of angel.
To her, he was a project.
She suddenly let out a hiss of pain, louder than she had intended so that a few servants passing her location jumped slightly. The darkness had stirred... the darkness from around her prison.
Moving through the shadows she soon returned to that same room she had occupied for 500 years. Alaizabel knelt down slowly, picking up a shard of glass as her eyes turned black. She took in the scent of the last creature to have touched it... the princess...
"She's been here, but why?" Her eyes trailed to the writhing shadows, suddenly smiling with genuine affection at the mass of dark coils and tendrils. "My beloved friends, have you been preparing her for me?"
Putting a hand to the shadows, she allowed them to enter her mind and show her the entire scene... oh how wonderful this was. The princess had been drawn to the shadows, she had been entranced by them. And... yes, they showed her the dreams. The girl thought she had freed Alaizabel. She went through the scene more, realising that the man with her had been able to sense the shadows, he had freed her. But he would be no issue, he was... no! They were leaving! She couldn't let that happen, not yet.
"The other demon can wait." She muttered, moving back into the shadows and drifting towards the sense of the princess and her companion, some kind of rogue she could see now. It didn't take a demon to see what would get this man's attention.
Part of her said to wait, to wait until she had taken the heart of this servant and become more powerful but... if she didn't make sure they were where she wanted them, things would be so much more difficult.
Without moving outside the shadows, she projected her voice into two messages.
First, into the ear of the man her soft, pretty voice whispered, "Whether she likes it or not she is a Princess, surely she should have the grace to reward you handesomely from the treasury for all your trouble."
Then she sent another message into the ear of the princess, giving her voice a desperate and innocent edge as she pleaded "Please don't leave me, you have freed me physically but I am still trapped... I need your help."
Neither would hear the other's message and neither would see her, all she needed was for them to stay inside the castle and she could do as she pleased. So patiently, she waited.
Mr Slenie came in at this point and Parthenia was silenced by the abundance of love and adoration on the new parent's faces. As Ms Slenie sang the boy a little lullaby and handed him to his father (who kept whispering that fact to himself over and over) she thanked everyone in the room by name, saving Parthenia's name for last. But she didn't just thank the servant girl; she went on. "Paige," she adressed the surpirsed serant girl by her favored nickname, "Thank you for everything you've done for us." Parthenia curtsied politely and very low to show her humbled appreciation, but nearly fell over when Ms Slenie said, "What should we name him?"
Now this seemed like a huge shock and perhaps even an outrage if Paige didn't know what Ms Slenie meant. See, she and her husband had been debating on names and had three selected for their child if he happened to be a son. Aland, Darren or Harding. They couldn't seem to agree as the Mr wanted Harding and the Ms wanted Darren, but Mr Slenie refused to ask another person's oppinion. Fortunatly his wife wasn't as stubborn and had prediscussed this with Parthenia, coming to an agreement.
Hesitantly the servant girl neared the baby, looking at his face, imagining what a great man he would someday become. "He looks like a Harding Darren Slenie to me, Ms Slenie." she said slowly and Ms Slenie nodded before looking at her husband and asking, "What do you think dear?" As was to be expected the man could only nod in a shocked silence before handing the baby back to a nurse maid who would care for the child temorarally while his real mother recovered. Then all the servants were dismissed and Ms Slenie gave Parthenia a knowing smile, which the girl returned, before they parted ways.
Parthenia immediatly went to change and wash herself as she, like all the other maids who had been involved, were entitaled to a period of resting afterwards, sort of like a recovery time from the labor. Once she got out, smelling again like the flower she so loved to be around, she dressed a simple white dress with lace. It was moments afterward when there was a frantic rapping on the door. "Lady Aethyra wishes to see you!" then the footsteps fled. Paige smiled as she liked to be around Mistress Aethyra and was always honored to be called into her presense. The girl quickly left the baths and went to find Aethyra, asking around until she discovered her location.
Entering the small dinning area, Parthenia saw her Lady Aethyra eating with another man she did not recognize, but never the less would need to respect as he seemed to be a guest of her Lady. Parthenia approached the table, keeping a short distance as a matter of respect, curtsing low and keeping her head bowed. "You called for me, Mistress Aethyra?"
"Yes, I have an important matter to discuss with you. But first, why not break tradition and eat with us?" It was improper, almost rude, and could get the girl in lots of trouble, but with Aethyra as her mistress, none would touch her if she said not to. "I already break my fast with a man escaped from the dungeons, so let us create more of a stir!"
Turning back to Alain, she gestured to the girl beside her, "This is Parthenia, my closest and most trusted servant. We have been together for years, since I was small, and she is a close companion to me." Then to Paige, "This is Alain. He was imprisoned for stealing a small bag of coin from the treasury, and had just escaped when I happened to meet him in the dungeon." Secrets were rarely kept from Paige, who knew all about her nightmares, her childhood, her need to escape these walls.
Trifect headed straight for the dining hall, missing Paige in the hallways by just a few moments. Things would have been easier had he been able to intercept her in the halls, but it was of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. He heard the heir invite the servant girl to eat with her and the thief. Quite an odd gesture, one that could have gotten Paige severely punished, but again that was if anyone that actually cared wanted to punish her. The Lord was wrapped around the heir's finger with that kind of stuff, so she was relatively safe as long as Aethyra chose to protect her. The more interesting thing he found about the room was the hidden presence inside. What exactly was Alaizabel doing? Well in the end it didn't really matter, he could sense the presence of no other demon inside.
Before Paige had the ability to respond to the offer, Trifect made his own presence known. Of course once entering the room, he got the strong scent of darkness from both Alain and Aethyra. It was a familiar darkness, had they been down to the cursed chamber where Alaizabel had been trapped for so long? They must not have found much to be eating calmly here. He didn't make mention of the darkness' scent, as to smell it you really had to be quite in tune with dark magic, and anyone that was that in tune with dark magic, could hide the smell of it easy. "Quite the interesting meal we have today, isn't it? The Heir to one of the greatest kingdoms to ever live, a rogue whose talents were wasted and locked away even if it was apparently futile to try and do so, and the ever loyal servant girl. It almost sounds like the start of a bad joke, if you think about it." Trifect slammed his book shut, and looked at Paige for a moment. "I believe our lady heir requested you eat with them. Do you need to take so long to decide if this is the request you refuse her? Seems like quite an odd choice to me."
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Then her poker face broke and Parthenia smiled kindly, all the fake seriousness gone from her once again as Aethyra introduced her. "This is Parthenia, my closest and most trusted servant. We have been together for years, since I was small, and she is a close companion to me." Paige was flattered by the title and description Aethyra gave to her and curtisied to the man, greeting him with a small, "How do you do?" before Aethyra went on. "This is Alain. He was imprisoned for stealing a small bag of coin from the treasury, and had just escaped when I happened to meet him in the dungeon." "Imprisoned is a bit of a harsh word, do you not think? I would rather say inconveniently detained, but even this implies I could not leave at my leisure."
Parthenia laughed again, softly. She enjoyed this relaxed atmosphere and knew quite well that this type of comfort and companionship was one of the things Aethrya desired, while she liked to admit it or not. Although she hadn't seemed to escape the preening and dress up before coming. Reguardless, Paige was glad to be here, as she was always glad to be of use or even a pleasant presense. "Well, it is a pleasure meeting you Master Alain and it would be an honor to eat with both of you." Taking a tentive seat, she could see she was not the only one hungry as Alain had already been reseated and now eyed the food ravenously. "What is the important matter, or would you care to discuss it at a later time and place?"
She had barely finished speaking when another presense was made known. "Quite the interesting meal we have today, isn't it? The Heir to one of the greatest kingdoms to ever live, a rogue whose talents were wasted and locked away even if it was apparently futile to try and do so, and the ever loyal servant girl. It almost sounds like the start of a bad joke, if you think about it." Parthenia jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion and nearly fell over in the chair as she made her way to her feet. The man who Paige recognized as the king's advisor, slammed his book shut, and looked directly at Paige for a moment. She was frozen, though could not explain why. "I believe our lady heir requested you eat with them. Do you need to take so long to decide if this is the request you refuse her? Seems like quite an odd choice to me."
"I-I apologize. You are completely right Master Trifect. I did not mean to be so dimwitted and slow. I beg yours and Mistress Aethyra's forgiveness." Parthenia said quickly. She knew this was a man of great power and had no desire to offend him. Really she didn't want to offend anyone, but especially not this man. She always got a strange chill when he was near and try as she did to be light hearted, he always struck a tune of fear in her soul. It was almost like... well, Paige wouldn't ever bring herself to say it outloud. Quickly she took a seat and became very quiet, looking down at her hands, her knuckles white.
"Parthenia may decide at her leisure, Trifect." Putting on a cold smile, she bowed her head to him, an improper gesture to be sure. Women were to curtsy, never to bow, particularly the heir to a kingdom. "A bad joke indeed. Do tell it, I would enjoy to laugh today. It's been entirely too...what word will I use? Demonic." Her eyes twinkled mischievously for a moment, then returned to her usual stone gaze. "The greatest kingdom is by far a stretch, and I'm sure you know that, being the advisor and all. Will you give me no greeting, then? Am I not deserving of one?"
She manuevered herself between him and her guests, her stance protective, gaze steady. The Lord rarely listened to Trifect, which was a definite sore spot for him, that such a "high ranking title" such as himself was ignored. "In fact, could you do me a kindness, Trifect? I believe it is about time for my sister Setia to be awakening and wandering through the halls. Could you find her for me? Bring her here to me? You know how I do adore my lovely sister." Her tone was challenging, daring him to scold her, refuse her, say something dark against her. She would not call for the guards, no, but she had been waiting for years to give him a smack.
He stopped for a moment to look at Paige, before scoffing, "Knock it off with the 'master' shit. I am nobody's master, just as nobody is mine. You gotta think for yourself, kid, or you are going to die with more regrets than you can count on those hands of yours." Masters, slaves, it was all a bunch of stupid bullshit. People born to power without having to work for it. It was annoying. He had met more kings and queens that he could talk the money out of their pockets if he so chose. Sick, frail, weak, cowardly, corrupt, it all spun around in a circle, and the honest, working man got screwed because of it. He was honestly glad he wasn't part of that cycle, nor was he the honest, working man. He'd rather fight for his money and bread than be throw crumbs like some beast on a leash, "You are a dog on a leash, girl. Open your eyes, most of the people you work under could not care one bit about you. You are disposable. You and every other servant in this castle, and every other castle out there. The sooner you learn that, the better off you will be." He turned his gaze back on Trifect to wait for the man's answer.
With a snap of his fingers, a servant was there to fulfill any demand he made, naturally within reason. “Her highness wishes for her sister, Setia. Please retrieve her and bring her here.” As quick as the servant came, he was gone to find the princess. Trifect still said nothing to Aethyra, and instead poured himself a glass of wine, followed by pulling a seat out for himself. “You complain I have not given you a greeting, yet you’ve not offered me one either. I could ask you the same questions, but it would be quite the useless notion, would it not?You have made your voice heard on the matter, but you really don’t need to pretend with me that you really wanted one. In fact I’m not even sold that my very presence here is wanted, however when you’ve done the job as long as I have, you get used to that feeling. Oh and you’ll have to forgive me, I don’t know many jokes. Though describing the day as demonic, begs the question on what you’ve been up to.”
Finally Alain had put everything together, although he may have just been waiting his turn to speak as well. Trifect didn’t interrupt the man, even when he scolded Paige for her behavior. Perhaps it was words she needed to hear, though it was most likely words that would at least set her uneasy for a bit, making it easier for Alaziabel to get to her more harshly later. “I will not pretend that I knew nothing of your being locked up, in fact I had full knowledge of it. I also knew you were down there, since the day it happened. Of course you do have certain facts mixed up. I never wanted you locked up, I would have much rather employed someone with your unique talents. It’s not often that we see someone with the balls or talent to break into a castle to rip it off. That kind of thing would be quite useful for a man of my stature. After all it’s my duty to know whatever information I can, and someone that could very well blend in as a spy as I’m sure you are capable, well it would be just the person I would love to hire. Alas, the old keepers, as you put it, saw fit to lock you up, leaving us both quite unhappy. Although I must say, I am surprised you hadn’t broken out much sooner then this, let alone allowed yourself to be caught.”
Trifect placed the cane in his hands, through one of the arms of his chair. Then he picked up an apple, from the basket in the middle of the table, and sat in the very same chair. A cup of wine in one hand, the apple in the other and a Thief that could quite possibly want to end his life any minute. To be honest it really wasn’t that out of the normal, seeing as he didn’t get along with many people. “I don’t believe you will kill me now, I believe Alain was your name, correct? Why don’t I think you’ll kill me? A simple reason. It’s too much of a hassle for you. Having to deal with the fallout from it, poor Paige right here will likely be the one to clean up the mess, need I go on? Plus you are a man of opportunity, yes? I would still like to employ you for jobs that would make use of your talents. All you would have to do is name your price.” After he had finished his quite long winded statement, he took a sip of wine, and a bite of the apple. He wasn’t too worried for his life at this point. He’s been up against much scarier things before.