Mousia

Bonds of Guilded Steel

“Me? Seducing you?” She took a break to laugh, as if it were the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. It wasn’t long before she sobered up, though. Her voice was dark and mysterious, yet another new side of Titania. “Trust me, sweetheart, when I’m seducing you, you’ll know it.” And just like that, the new persona had vanished with a knock at the door and she went to answer it, taking the sword without a word. At least it was less of an insult than normal. “Here’s your weapon of mass destruction, dewdrop. Where to now?” Even Titania was beginning to doubt herself, but she wouldn’t let on that she had doubts. Sable had to believe that the queen knew exactly was she was doing and that she had the upper hand, even if it was only a thinly-disguised bluff.

Sworn By Their Swords

The loud sound jarred Alice from her trance, and she bolted upright, adrenaline roaring through her veins. “We don’t have much time!” She immediately took off running, hoping that Melissa would followed behind, but she was in too much of a hurry to check. “Assemble the troops!” Alice called through the calls. “We’re under attack! Assemble the troops!” Meanwhile, she whipped through, accelerating toward her chamber, where they’d kept many of Melissa’s personal affairs. When she arrived, she ignored the mess and clutter. Quickly, she retrieved the sword and tossed it onto the ground for Melissa to pick up. She also dug around in her bureau for a while, resurfacing with a well-aged cloak. Haphazardly throwing it over her own shoulders, Alice only explained briefly. “It was my great-grandmother’s. From what I’ve heard, it amplified her magic. I’m not sure if it works, but I’ll take any help I can get.” And just like that, she’d taken off running again, this time making a mad dash for the entrance to the castle, hoping to meet the Ultimatum’s troops head-on.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. That’s my job. You said so yourself, I’m a dirty, deceiving flatterer.” Titania was rather enjoying poking fun at Sable. She was pretty funny when she bristled with annoyance. Perhaps there was more to her than pure sadism. “Send someone? Wouldn’t that be suspicious?” It wasn’t like the Queen to worry about suspicions, though, so she continued. “I’ll do it, though. Only for you, chipmunk,” she teased with a wink and a grin. “Hey!” she replied to Sable’s last remark. “Who says I haven’t been acting nice? Most people would be delighted to have my company,” she went on sarcastically, feigning insult. Leaving the unfinished conversation hanging, she went to a rope in the corner and pulled it, knowing that it would summon a servant to the door of the dungeon using a rather ingenious bell system (according to Titania, who’d invented it). After maybe thirty seconds, a rapping and call came to the door and Titania opened it. “Go get the girl’s sword.” It wasn’t polite, but it wasn’t the gruff barking tone from before either. Maybe she really was putting in some effort...

Sworn By Their Swords

Melissa was floundering, utterly drowning in her own words. Alice actually found it sort of amusing, but she forced herself not to react. That would just make her feel bad. If she was perfectly honest, she had to admit that she wasn’t sure where he behavior was coming from either. She understood Melissa’s confusion. Still, that didn’t mean that she was any less determined. “Crescentia will go on. Don’t worry about that right now. Let me do the worrying.” Still, Alice was obviously not at all worried. It probably wasn’t much comfort. “Besides, no one has to know. It’ll be our little secret.” Her voice dropped to a whisper to emphasize the point. She felt a small morning breeze brush between them marking the passage of time, but Alice was in her own world in which time and consequences didn’t exist. In her hyper-focused state, nothing existed except for Melissa and herself. Alice reached for Melissa’s face and cupped her cheek, gently guiding their lips together. She focused on the hardness of the other girl’s jaw against her fingers. She focused on the coldness of her skin. She focused on the light feeling swelling in her chest. And despite focusing on all those things and more, she felt utterly, utterly relaxed.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Titania was neither relieved nor surprised when Sable released her. It was simply necessity. She knew enough about being in a position of power to anticipate the other girl’s moves to a degree. As long as she remained a vital resource, she was safe. When Sable laid out her terms, Titania just chuckled softly. “And how am I to address you if you refuse to tell me your name, dewdrop?” Her eyes danced playfully with mischief. But the girl went on. So many questions. Titania knew she’d have to talk sometime. Finally she’d at least partially gotten through. Her lips were flapping in comparison to a little while earlier. “You really are an enigma. Most prisoners would look upon me and vomit at my eccentricity. And out of fear they would spill their darkest secrets. And I will admit that you squirmed, but handled it much better than most. I want to know how you tick, how you function, how you think.” She bounced on the balls of her feet, much like an overexcited child would. “So are we going to go or are we going to spill our guts? I’d rather the former, to be frank. It stinks in here.” The Queen paused, however, seeming to consider something quite puzzling. “Are we going to your sword first? Or to Lexi?” A sinister smile spread across her features, and her eyes darkened with mad anticipation. How would her newest subject respond to this?

Sworn By Their Swords

“It might be. I’ve heard stories about my ancestors using magic to fight during the Crusades. After they ended though, it’s been frowned-upon for us to use it. My great-uncle Robert used to do beautiful light shows for me and all of my cousins, until one day he mysteriously died of sudden illness.” Alice considered for a while, looking up at the lightening sky. “It might be the dark magic ability that made them prohibit us from using magic. It seems dangerous, and dangerous is not what Crescentia stands for. Or...stood for. Now I guess it’s dangerous all over again.” She paused again, turning her attention to Melissa. Her hazel eyes softened, and a smile played lazily on her lips. “It’s okay, though. I suppose change is good, and I certainly don’t mind this particular change,” she purred, enunciating each word intensely. Dim purple wisps swirled slowly and thinly, though Alice either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because her eyes were locked on Melissa’s. Her squeaky-clean innocences was gone and hidden away, and this version of the princess was not likely to back down. Her stare smouldered as her body slowly slunk itself a bit closer to Melissa, hanging loosely and carelessly. Ah, yes. Demure as she might seem, Alice had always been determined and headstrong, and this was no exception. “Say, Melissa, what do you say we treat ourselves for accomplishing so much in such a short time?” Her voice was not sultry, but it was quiet and insistent, and Alice’s eyes wandered to the other girl’s lips for a while before meandering back up to lock eyes.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

I knew it. The sucker punch was a bit of a surprise, but Titania had never ruled it out of the realm of possibility. With the air knocked out of her, there was little for her to do but let Sable beat her around. Yet again the air was forced from her lungs when she was slammed against the wall. A bit jarred, she couldn’t respond to the other girl’s questioning. Guess she’s really in a rush. Poor thing. Emotions are getting in the way of her good sense. The first thing to escape her lips when the air returned was a small chuckle. “How will you find out where your beloved sword is if you cut out my tongue? You see, buttercup, you can’t operate in my house without my help, unless you want to waste precious time searching around for whoever you’re looking for.” A sick, twisted smile contorted her features. “But please, leave marks on my body. That will make it so much easier for me to get the public rallying with me at your execution. No one wants their sweet, innocent queen to be maimed by a violent prisoner.” Titania didn’t struggle, instead gently resting her hands on Sable’s arm, encouraging her to release her grip. “You know what you need to do, sweetheart. You need to trust me, or be sure that the next time someone captures you, he won’t be so forgiving as I am.”

Sworn By Their Swords

Alice was just about to respond to Melissa with a smile when she felt a jerk at her wrist. She nearly fell as she was pulled away from her spot. A gruff voice warned her to beware, but her ears were already red with a mix of rage and embarrassment. “Sir, you misunderstand,” she corrected, trying her best to keep her tone neutral. “This,” she continued, pulling her wrist from his grasp roughly to motion to Melissa, “is Melissa Bellum, my newest knight and personal guard.” “Forgive me, princess, but the witch seems to have put you under her spell.” Alice struggled internally at how to respond, but her anger only built. Finally, she whispered, “she has not bewitched me, sir. Go on your way.” “I won’t go until I am sure you are safe. Frankly, I don’t trust the vixen.” “Then do not trust her! Trust me, your Princess, Lord, and employer.” “Please come with me while we replace her in the dungeon.” “She is free now, and a servant of the state just as you and I. Now,” her tone was growing steadily louder and she fiddled with her dress in an attempt to distract herself. It was to no avail. “Begone!” she shouted, looking up slowly to meet the insolent knight’s eye. Flickers of red and black danced around her fingertips. She didn’t know what they did or how to control them, but the knight didn’t need to know that. “P-princess… Since when…?” “Did I stutter?” she asked, her voice still dripping with leftover rage. “No, you d-didn’t. Um… Call if y-you need anything,” he said, stumbling over his words. With a clumsy bow, he scurried off, followed unsurely by the guards he’d brought with him. Alice watched them go intently, rooted in her spot. Once the last of them was gone, the flickers faded and she felt suddenly a bit faint. She felt her knees shaking, ready to give out at any second beneath her. To save herself of that embarrassment, she swiftly let herself drop down to a sitting position on the ground, despite its hardness. “Well, I guess I’ll need to watch my usage for a little while. It’s a little...intense…”

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Titania was just about to open her mouth to speak, but then she saw a wave of fear and dread wash over her captive and narrowed her eyes, enthralled in the sight before her. However, it did not elicit a compassionate reaction. To the queen, Sable was still a test subject, not a real person. Lexi? she thought curiously. So that’s her motivation, huh? Friend, sister, or cousin then. That narrows it down. Even without checking, Titania knew there was no one else in the room. It was just Sable overreacting to a shadow or something. But still, that was not when she’d wanted the other girl to break. It was too early. Much too early. Time to abort the experiment and see if there was a chance of recovering the subject. Let’s think. Think, think, think. Unchaining her would probably be a safe bet. With slightly shaking hands, Titania unlatched her prisoner. It took a little while, especially in her clumsy, uncalculated state. Gotta act fast. What else? I have to preserve her mental state. She finally reached a decision. I’m going to regret this. She opened her arms to the woman who had just recently attempted to assassinate her and held her in a tight embrace. It was unlike her very much, but it would be more unlike her to let a perfectly good person break before their time. “Shh, shh. Calm down. No one’s there. It’s okay. Shh.” The words seemed foreign in her mouth, but something deep and ancient within her snapped, and she blinked a few times before resuming in gently but firmly holding Sable in what served as both a comforting and immobilizing gesture. Yep. Regretting this already.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

“What do I wish to tell you? Hm… Good question.” Titania considered for a while. “Nothing. How unsatisfying is that? I’m not telling you anything. You probably already knew all that, huh? And I wasn’t going anywhere with it… Tell me, does that make you angry? Upset? Sad? I want to understand.” A pause. “You see, you’re a mystery to me. Look at it this way, if you can keep me interested, I’ll keep you alive. But if you give me nothing to work with, my dear, I’m afraid we’ll have to,” she paused and held her forearm against Sable’s neck, restricting air flow. After a beat or two, she released her pressure and stepped back, “terminate.” Her face held not the slightest hint that she’d just been talking about killing her conversational partner, her brow loose and her mouth upturned at the corners in a devilish grin. Indeed, Titania had always been an eccentric. That was not news. However, many of her victims were initially shocked at just how odd she was. People in her palace said she had two faces. People in her dungeon knew she had three. “How about this? Why don’t you clue me into just what you hoped to accomplish here by having my head? I know this isn’t about a challenge. So what is it? Is it a person? Please tell me you’re not looking for a man. Honey, they’re not worth the heartache, trust me.”