The Assassin and the Sorceress Ch. 01

"So it would seem! I can see why the count hired you, of all people. Here, let me fix those up for you."

Adrielle felt the slightest tickle along the scar that ran up her belly, the largest one she had. It had been Samson the feared bandit king that had given her that scar the instant before his death. She looked down just in time to see the mark fade away and blend in seamlessly with the surrounding flesh. The same happened for all her other scars, one by one. The sorceress continued to inspect her from all sides as she fixed any other imperfections she could find, a mole here, a birthmark there, a few fresh scrapes she had earned while climbing the wall. But as promised, she never touched her. When she was satisfied with Adrielle's appearance, she stood in front of her and regarded her once more.

"Well, now you are up to my standards, but is there anything you would like? I can make you look any way you want. Maybe you'd like larger breasts, a different eye color, fuller lips? I could give you anything you want. Don't be shy! Just because you're my slave, doesn't mean I won't treat you."

"Um..." was all she managed to squeak in response. In truth, there were many improvements to her body that she would have wanted any other time, however she wasn't in much of a mood to care right now.

"I have a mirror," the sorceress continued. "We could make a change, and if you don't like it we can go back to how you looked before. Hmm, I could straighten your teeth out a little. That front one just ever so askew. Or maybe... yes, your inner labia do protrude a bit much for my taste, though I would hardly call that a flaw."

"No... no, thank you."

"Of course," Morgana agreed. "You are absolutely beautiful as you are!" Her hands had returned to Adrielle, this time on either of her hips, slowly caressing upward. "So, would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

Disgusted, Adrielle shoved the sorceress' hands aside. "Don't touch me," she said with a sudden hint of fire. She covered her herself with her hands, well aware of Morgana's command not to.

Morgana obediently drew her hands away from Adrielle, then held her palms up in front of her, defensively. "I'll take that as a 'no,' then?"

"You'd have to paralyze me again."

"No, no. You can't force a person's love, even one as powerful as me. I won't punish you for that. Maybe it was silly of me to hope. You did come here trying to kill me, I shouldn't forget. I suppose I should lock you up like most would do with a would-be assassin. Really, who offers to play dress-up with somebody that just tried to kill her, and then offer her the warmth of her bed? Why must I always be so contrary? Come with me. I'll show you to your quarters... for now."

Morgana reached for her bed and grabbed a fancy, purple cloak which she threw around her shoulders, then pulled on a pair of black silk boots. Adrielle wondered what the cloak was even for, because it didn't close in the front and failed to cover any of her private parts.

"Come," she ordered.Adrielle hesitated for a moment. Morgana stopped and turned back toward her.

"You can follow willingly, or I can make you. You're going where I want one way or another, so you might as well go on your own two legs."

Adrielle followed. She almost paused before passing through the door to the hallway. The idea of leaving the bedroom while still naked unnerved her, but she supposed she didn't have any other options. At least she wouldn't be the only one naked. Did Morgana seriously walk around her castle like that?

The sorceress led her through the hallway, opened a heavy wooden door, and took her down several flights of winding stairs. At the base of the stairwell was a dungeon with a few empty cells. Down here looked as old as the outside of the castle with the rusted iron bars. Most of them did not look like they could be trusted to hold a prisoner anymore.

Morgana gestured for Adrielle to enter one of the cells, one of the few that was still intact. Inside were a bare canvas cot and a bucket. The cot had no blankets, but at least it wasn't uncomfortably cold in here. Adrielle entered and morgana shut the door. With a wave of her hand, the cell door locked itself.

"Will you give me some clothes, at least?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"No."

With that, the sorceress turned and walked away from her. Adrielle was now alone and stark naked in a dim cell. Morgana had graciously left a torch burning so she could see, but it wasn't much. What would she do now? What did the sorceress have in store for her? Would she be left here to rot? Would she be put to grueling work, or tortured for pleasure? She tried not to think about it too hard.

...

As soon as the sorceress was good and gone, Adrielle began looking for a way to escape. It didn't take her long. The bars of the cell were heavily corroded. If the sorceress had used her magic to keep the interior of the castle pristine, it certainly didn't reach the dungeon. She found one bar that looked like it would snap with enough force. A glimmer of hope overcame her. She smiled.

She decided she would wait a few hours before making her escape attempt. She lay down on the cot for a while to rest, though she did not allow herself to sleep. She probably couldn't have if she had wanted to, anyway.

When she decided it was time, she got up and grasped the bar with both hands. She gave a good solid yank and felt it move a bit. She heard the metal groan. This was going to be easier than she had thought. After a few more tugs, the bar snapped in the middle. She continued pulling back, bending the remainder of the bar inward towards the cell. She bent it back and forth a few times until it broke free. That had been almost too easy!

She set the bar down on the stone floor and ducked through the hole she had made. Next, she tested the door to the dungeon and found it unlocked. For a powerful sorceress, Morgana sure wasn't very careful. She began to ascent the stairs.

While she moved, she wondered what she would do even if she could escape from the castle. She knew the way back to her village. It was quite a hike, but that wasn't the problem. Would she be able to return home fully nude? Her home was in the middle of the village, and she doubted she could make it there before sunrise. People would see her. She decided not to care. She was brave Adrielle, who battled evil villains and deadly monsters alike! Surely she wasn't afraid of something so harmless! Getting free was so much more important. Besides, she would have all the time she needed on the way back to think of some way to get back home without having to walk through the village square naked.

Adrielle walked through the first door she saw. It seemed to be on the ground floor. She explored around a couple of corners until she found what appeared to be the entrance hall with a large double door. This must be the main gate! There was a slot for a brace, however there was no brace she could see in the dim moonlit room. Why had she even bothered to climb the wall?

She snuck up to the doorway and pushed. It started to swing open silently. Her heart pounded with excitement! She could see the night sky through the crack in the door! Freedom!

She pushed harder on the door, but before she had gotten it wide enough to squeeze through, she felt herself being pulled away from the door forcefully. Her hand was wrenched away from the handle as she flew backwards through the air.

She turned once in the air, and stopped just in front of Morgana, her hand outstretched towards her. Adrielle was floating in midair. Her feet grasped for something, anything to support her, but there was nothing she could reach.

"Trying to escape," she said, accusingly. "Listen to me, slave, I am more powerful than you could imagine! That little dagger of yours? It wouldn't have hurt me, even if I hadn't noticed you sneaking up on me. It was covered in something, a poison, maybe? It wouldn't have mattered. And any attempts you make to escape will be just as pointless."

The sorceress pulled her hand slightly back towards herself, and Adrielle floated closer to her until their faces were barely a foot apart. She gazed up at Adrielle angrily.

"It behooves you to obey me. You will do as I say, or you will regret it. Do you understand me?"

"Y... yes."

"You will address me as Mistress. Do you understand?"

"You are a lot of things, Morgana: a narcissist, a deviant, a monster, but you are not my mistress."

"Don't presume to know me! But very well, call me what you will. I shall return to bed now. Oh, and if I ever catch you trying to escape again, I will stick those lovely nipples of yours to the wall! Good night."

Morgana turned around and left, leaving Adrielle floating a foot off the floor. She had figured the sorceress had been maintaining some sort of concentration to keep her floating, but she continued to float there even as Morgana left the room.

Adrielle groped for anything to grab onto, even something to push off of. After a few minutes of flailing, she knew that there was absolutely nothing solid within reach of her. She managed to rotate her orientation with her flailing, but she was still hovering in the very same spot as far as she could tell. She tried to think of any other way to get down from this strange form of bondage, but nothing else came to her. Without anything solid to grab onto, there was nothing she could do.

For hours she just floated there, wondering what the sorceress would do with her next.

...

"Wake up, beautiful."

Adrielle's eyes shot open. Early morning sunlight was streaming through the narrow windows of the entryway. The next instant she was aware she was still floating in the middle of the room. Had she actually fallen asleep like that? The sorceress was in front of her, wearing that same cloak that did nothing to cover her body, though it wasn't necessarily a body that needed covering.

Adrielle's wasn't either, though she covered herself with her arms anyway for her own sake.

"Morgana..."

"What did you just call me?" She pointed one finger at her. A small spark of lightning shot out of her finger at her. Adrielle yelped, but more from surprise than pain.

"You are NOT my mistress! Torture me all you want, it won't matter."

"Ha ha! Torture? You call this torture?" Another bolt shot out from Morgana's hand at her.

"Ow!"

"This is barely a spanking for forgetting your manners. If I tried to get a captured soldier to betray his king and country with little jolts like that, I think that he would laugh at me. If you won't call me 'Mistress' like a good little servant, then I suppose you can be my prisoner instead. I came here to offer you some breakfast and to give you some chores. But, if you think eating cold gruel back in that musty cell is better than getting along with me, then who am I to argue?"

Morgana held up her right hand, palm facing up. In the empty space above her palm, a flaky pastry popped into existence, floating mid-air just as she was. Adrielle could immediately smell meat and spices, and realized she was very, very hungry. She had eaten very lightly during the two-day hike from her home in Lindis, and the delectable smells made the dry trail rations she had hidden with her other provisions outside seem like dust in comparison.

"All I'm asking you to do, Adrielle, is speak to me with some respect. Why this defiance? Why this incessant display of bravado? You aren't stronger than me, and we both know that fully well. You tried to kill me, yet I offer you mercy, even my hospitality. All I want in return is your gratitude. Is that too much?"

Adrielle eyed the bun that was suspended an inch above the sorceress' hand, and her mouth began to water. She took a moment to consider this carefully. She didn't want to get into the habit of yielding to this madwoman's will, however there seemed to be nothing to gain by defiance just now save for defiance itself. She figured being locked in that decaying cell had been a test of her obedience anyway, and that Morgana could have imprisoned her more securely if she had needed. She would have a better chance to escape if she pretended to agree. And she was so hungry!

"Be sensible, girl. Speak to me with respect and offer a helping hand, and I will treat you well in turn. I will grant you all the luxuries the rest of my servants enjoy. What say you?"

Adrielle took in a deep breath and released it, carefully considering her options.

"If I do, will you give me some clothes, at least?"

"No. No clothes."

"Whatever. If you want me to do my chores naked, I'll do them naked. Please let me down... Mistress." It hurt her pride so much to call her that, but she reminded herself that there was more at stake here than pride.

"I'm glad to hear it," Morgana said, and Adrielle found herself floating softly back to the floor. She was set back down gently on her feet. "Keep this up and I may let you meet the other servants soon. Maybe even fair Gwendolyn. But first, this is for you."

Morgana held out her hand. Adrielle accepted the plump, fragrant bun into her hands. It was warm! But as tempting as it was, she was cautious to eat it. She sniffed it twice, examining it suspiciously.

"It's just a pasty. There's no trick. If I wanted to curse you, I could just as easily place the curse directly on you. Why should I try to trick you into eating enchanted food?"

Slowly, Adrielle bit into it. The crisp, flaky crust cracked and crumbled at the slightest touch of her teeth. Its inside was soft and warm. It was filled with pork, roasted apples, and several spices that Adrielle could hardly begin to name. It was delicious, but she was too famished to savor it. She had wolfed it down in only a few bites.

"Something to wash it down with?"

Morgana held out a golden goblet, which Adrielle also accepted and drank from. It was filled with a clear, sweet nectar. It had a hint of white grapes and nutmeg. She finished that, too, in a few short seconds.

When she handed the goblet back to Morgana, it turned into a clean, folded napkin in her hands. Adrielle took the napkin and cleaned her face and hands with the fine fabric. As soon as she was finished cleaning herself, Morgana waved her hands, and it dissipated in Adrielle's hands like mist.

Adrielle hated to admit it, but she had been rather entertained by the showy demonstration. She realized with a touch of horror that she had been smiling.

"Come, follow me. I will show you what I want you to do today."

Morgana led Adrielle up several floors, and brought her to a library. Three of the four walls were covered with bookshelves, and there must have been thousands of books! Had anyone really read all of these, she wondered? It would take a lifetime to go through one wall, or at least a normal human lifetime. Perhaps Morgana had read them all.

In the middle of the room was a table with large armchair next to it. Its dark wood was elaborately carved, and the cushions built into it were a deep crimson. She had never seen designs like these before. Where had they come from?

Against the far wall was a wide sofa that matched the armchair. Books were strewn about along with some wine goblets and other various items, though by the coating of dust it looked like they had been there for some time. There was one last thing that caught Adrielle's interest, something that filled her with excitement. An open window! She tried not to show her interest in it. Was the sorceress really so absent-minded? Or was this another test of her obedience?

"As you can probably see, we haven't used this room in a while. There is a duster, a ladder, and some other supplies in the closet over there. I want you to tidy up and make the room presentable. Do you know how to read?"

"No."

"That's fine. Then just organize the stray books on the table. Try to organize them by the first letter of the title if you can. I'll have one of the other servants put them away later. Maybe I could teach you to read, if you like. Many of my other servants have learned. But that would be later. For now, I'll let you get to work. Do a good job, and I may even let you dine with us tonight. I'll check up on you around noon. Good bye, Adrielle, dear."

"Yes, Mistress. Good bye."

With that, Morgana left and shut the door behind her. She found the closet with the duster and other equipment she had spoken of. Even with Morgana out of the room, she was cautious about eying the window too carefully. Could she be spying on her with her magic? No, for the time being, Adrielle would do her chores. This would also give her some time to work out her plan of escape.

First, she picked up the ladder and the duster. Adrielle wasn't nobility, so she certainly knew how to clean a room. Top to bottom. She set the ladder against the first book shelf and began to sweep the dust away. It clearly hadn't been done in a while. She stirred up a huge cloud which made her sneeze a few times.

It felt strange to be working in the nude, but at least she was alone. She had been stark naked for maybe twelve hours now, though, and she was starting to get a little bit used to it. This was easily the longest she had ever been naked in her life, and she wondered if the sorceress intended to let her wear clothes ever again. She didn't seem to bother with covering herself. Did these other servants she kept speaking of walk around naked, too?

Even if they did, the thought of dining with them like this make her more than a little uncomfortable. No, what was she thinking? She wouldn't be dining with them tonight, because she had no intention of being 'good' like the sorceress wanted. By this evening, she would either have escaped or would be suffering the punishment for making the attempt. What had she threatened: something about sticking her to a wall? It had sounded silly.

Adrielle moved the ladder to the next bookshelf and continued her work. She was already starting to feel like she needed a bath, there was so much dust. What would be the best way to make her escape? Morgana had somehow known when she had snuck out of the cell the first time. It was entirely possible that she had some kind of magic that allowed her to spy on her from a distance. After all, the wide open window seemed too obvious. 'Just try it,' Morgana seemed to be daring her. Or was she just that trusting of her new servant?

No, it had to be a trap. But it was a trap she had to brave. She still might be able to outsmart the sorceress. What did the sorceress expect her to do? She probably expected her to make for the window as soon as the door was shut. What would she think if she didn't take the bait? Would she let her guard down, focus her attention on something else of interest? Morgana would have to get bored of watching her after several uneventful hours!

She had mentioned she would check up on her at noon. Maybe once she came back and saw that she was still here and working dutifully, she would start to trust her. She would make her escape after that. Could she drag the work out that long? There were a lot of shelves in here, and about a thousand books to dust off. There was also the floor and the furniture. If she was meticulous enough, she could probably take that long without looking like she was sitting down on the job.

And so she worked diligently for a few hours cleaning the library. After the shelves, there were the tops of the picture frames, and a multitude of cobwebs to clear out from the corners. Working downward, she began cleaning the shelves. Some of the books themselves had accumulated just a little bit of dust on the top. She decided to take each one down to dust it off individually. It certainly wasn't necessary, but she was just biding more time. This would take her well past noon.