Mousia

Sworn By Their Swords

Oh really? That sounds cool. I love it when people do creative things with old myths and stories. It gives them new life, if done well.

Sworn By Their Swords

“Yes, yes. You did very well. Thank you.” Alice took the book to her desk and began to rapidly scrawl yet another document, assigning Melissa Bellum as her personal guard. She finished by signing it, and set it aside in the pile of new documents pertaining to the one-eyed girl.

“Now… What to do…?” The blonde was mostly talking to herself, racking her brain for the next thing to do. That was her way. Always assessing what had yet to be done and planning on how to do it. After some thought, she came to the next step.

Alice stood up suddenly and hurried to the other side of the room, fetching a map of the continent from a pile of them she’d had produced en masse in case of a new Crusade. As it happened, they would be put to good use.

Clearing off her desk by placing all the books in piles on the ground and all the papers in drawers, she set down the map and fetched a brush because the paper was larger so a quill’s writing would be much too small.

“Here,” she said, pointing to Crescentia on the map, “is where we are. The capital is here, and the castle we’re in, which is the main castle, is right here. Now,” she looked at Melissa hopefully, “do you remember where roughly the Ultimatum is based, or any significant locations where they might be? Any common attack routes or strategies are helpful too, if you can remember anything…”

Alice didn’t want to come off as demanding, but there was a certain rush in her tone, inevitably. There was little to do about that, though.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Alright cool. Yeah, that would be interesting. It would probably have to be over a relatively short period of time so Sable wouldn't be permanently damaged beyond repair or reconciliation.

Sworn By Their Swords

Yeah, but I think he was illegitimate. Haha same. I'm reading the Canterbury Tales now because I feel like there's just a lot of old literature I'm missing out on.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Oh. I may have mucked that next post thing up. She's not the type to get super angry or lash out, but I was thinking that she'll start out with some flesh wounds that aren't very serious at all (because she doesn't want her to die), and then she'll have a medic tend to them to make sure that they heal alright. And then I'm thinking slapping, punching, etc. because that brings people back to childhood vulnerability (most people in the past were beaten by their parents when they misbehaved). And then Titania would probably continue with depersonation and waterboarding but by that point she would have realized that Sable would be an advantageous ally and would have stopped doing the torture-y stuff. It's pretty heavy stuff, though, so I wanted to run it by you first more clinically and analytically because this topic is really sensitive for some people.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

“Presumptuous girl, thinking that I don’t already know about my reputation here. But sleep to me comes easily because I’m right. Despite all you may have heard of me, I always do what’s best for my country. You’d be a fool to expect more of me. What? You want some sociable, pretty, kind, educated, just ruler for all nations? News flash, buttercup: that doesn’t exist. Best to discover that now, when you still have some life left in you, rather than when you’re old and shrivelled and yet still as naive as a young child.”

A pause.

“Anything you still think is good and just is a lie. Hear me? A lie.”

A sick, twisted smile found it’s way onto her features as laughter shook her shoulders. The sheer stupidity of this girl was amazing. In fact, Titania near fell right over at the hilarity.

“Well, alright. It is your choice, after all. It’s not me who’ll be getting manhandled…”

A pause.

“But I will have the pleasure of being here to hear you scream and to watch those pretty little eyes of yours cry. Yeah, that’ll be fun.”

She went through scenarios in her head, weighing the pros and cons of various torture methods. She didn’t think pearing would be advantageous, and she didn’t want to get into psychological torture just yet. No. She would start out slowly, very slowly. Titania decided to let Sable believe that she was strong, that she could survive. And then the shock from a sudden large increase intensity would make her break.

More maniacal laughter. Yes, yes. What a good plan it was. The best part was that she didn’t just have the stomach for it, but she had a hunger. And what better way to keep the nation peaceful than by feeding all of the sinners to the metaphorical dragon?

“I hope you’re not squeamish. I mean, that would make assassinations difficult, wouldn’t it now? So...let’s start with that, huh? We’ll see how much you can stand blood.”

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Exactly. I'm thinking at some point she's gonna probably smell something that reminds her of her brother (smells have especially strong psychological ties to memories) and just break. I saw a thing on tumblr that I think is really true like that. It said something like "characters are like geodes; you only see what they're made of when you break them."

Sworn By Their Swords

I'm pretty sure it was Mordred. Not sure though.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

Alright-y.

This is my first time in a while writing a character I would consider to be evil. I'm into it. XD But yeah I figured I should develop her reasons behind being such an awful excuse for a person, so I came up with a little breaking point for her early in childhood and that might come up later in the story. You know. Cause evil doesn't just come from nowhere and I think writing psychopaths is annoying.

Bonds of Guilded Steel

“No one else has the intelligence to match mine, so why bother with them? Besides, if I am mad, what of it? Everyone is somehow.”

Titania remembered her training in philosophy, and chuckled a bit to herself.

“Though I wouldn’t expect a simpleton to understand.”

Sable went on. The princess nearly yawned at the information spurting from her mouth, all things she already knew. What a bore this girl was! Perhaps she should have been exterminated immediately. If she kept up this boring talk, Titania would have no choice. Well, of course she would have a choice, but she really was a servant of her whims.

“Of course I know all that. It is you who is in need of some enlightenment. What an arrogant girl you are to think I want you. That anyone wants you. You’re a useless, depraved individual. All I want is your knowledge. You have some options. You can tell me all I want to know and be afforded a painless death, or you can be difficult and live out the rest of your days in a miserable and maimed condition here until you die a slow and agonizing death while we take your magic-neutralizing sword and replicate it. See, gumdrop, I was not have entirely ethical methods, but I really do have your best interest in mind.” She almost made herself hysterical with that last sentence.

Titania was telling the truth about not being ethical. When she was five, her older brother suffered a tragic accident. Well, that’s what people thought anyway. He fell off of the top of the staircase at the country house and died on impact. The nursemaids in the other room washing said they’d heard small voices and laughter before the accident. However, the princess herself was thought to have died as well because she was not seen at all for a week after the accident. She returned from the forest after the disappearance and seemed entirely unaffected by her brother’s death. Of course, the story was covered up from the public eye, and the young prince was said to have died of a horrible, sudden illness. No one contested it because the only person who knew the whole story was Titania, and she obviously wouldn’t do anything simply for justice.

“So, pick your poison, girl. Or have you already forgotten what they are? I wouldn’t be surprised, considering your primitive line of work.”