The Assassin and the Sorceress Ch. 03

She made her way back to the room Morgana had prepared for her, and found the bed still made and ready for her. She pulled the sheets back and climbed on top, not bothering to pull them over herself. For the longest time she just laid there, resting her head on her crossed hands and staring up at the ceiling.

She was in such a terrible mood right now! It was spiritually draining having to pretend to be a welcome guest while knowing deep down she was a prisoner here. It might not have been much longer before she wouldn't have been able to maintain her smile. And if she had lost her temper... well, she wasn't eager to find out what her next punishment would be.

But it wasn't even Morgana, her captor, who was the source of her anger. No, it was Gwendolyn, she was starting to realize. She hated Gwendolyn! Before meeting her at supper, Adrielle had decided speaking to Gwendolyn alone would be her next task. Now, she wasn't so sure. The two of them had been fond acquaintances, at best, and it appeared that Adrielle had judged her far more favorably than she deserved.

But why was she so angry at her? What about Gwendolyn had set her off? The way she sucked up to Morgana to win undeserved favors? Her complete abandonment of the family that raised her? She went over the dinner conversation in her mind. She recalled Gwendolyn showing off her new breasts and jewelry Morgana had given her, recalled the girl's fascination with the masturbating man, her descriptions of some of their stranger forms of entertainment. Oddly enough, none of these things seemed to bother her, or at least not enough to account for her current mood. But then she recalled how dismissive Gwendolyn had been to her suggestion of using Morgana's magic to feed the hungry. That was when she felt that cringe of revulsion in her stomach flare up anew.

'Really, you would share all of this?' Gwendolyn had said incredulously, as if Morgana's limitless wealth would be wasted on the needy.

Yes, that was the source of her current anger. She thought about Gwendolyn laughing that practiced, delicate laugh of hers as she consciously disregarded the needs of countless peasants in exchange for those pretty trinkets that adorned her beautiful body. How could a loving god award such a wretched person such beauty? Gwendolyn had the makings for a perfect tyrant: greedy, uncaring, prideful, vengeful. The only thing she was lacking was power. Give her that, and you would have exactly the sort of person that Gwendolyn's father used to send Adrielle to kill.

She thought about all she thought she had known about her from before: her prim and proper mannerisms, her boundless love for all her family's subjects. Now look at her: selfish, reveling in sin... It takes more than two weeks to corrupt somebody so thoroughly. All that she thought she had known about this young countess had been an act. The Gwendolyn everyone in Lindis loved and adored was fake!

So how had Gwendolyn become so spoiled? Could it be this was a reflection of how her father had raised her? Count Bastian was hardly the best lord in the world. He kept his county from falling apart, and that was about it. True he had driven away the barbarians that had come to take Lindis, although his efforts might have been for naught were it not for Adrielle herself. A weak ruler he may have been, but he had always struck Adrielle as a good man, a good husband, and a good father; and those were things that could not be faked. Perhaps Gwendolyn had found wickedness all on her own. It's rare, but sometimes bad people are just bad people.

Suddenly an idea came to Adrielle that made her grin. The exact sort of person Count Bastian used to send her to kill... Maybe she could take Gwendolyn up on her offer to fuck her. She would sleep with that wretch, use her, have her way with her. And as soon as she had gotten her fill, she would slit the bitch's throat like so many villains before her.

But that was just a fantasy, and a dark one at that. Assuming a blade could even cut her flesh, she had to remind herself that Gwendolyn hadn't actually committed any crimes yet. All she had done was run away from home and have some fun. Once Adrielle returned her home and told her father the truth, he would punish her as any decent father would punish a misbehaving brat.

But there was the real problem. She had no idea how she would get Gwendolyn back home to Lindis. To say her quest had been compromised was an understatement. She hardly knew what her quest was anymore!

Her original quest had had three simple goals: kill Morgana, find Gwendolyn, and escape alive. As to the first, she had already decided she didn't want to murder the poor woman, assuming she even could. Guarin had alluded that there were ways to kill Morgana and her servants, but even if she found out how, it would be a last resort if it was a resort at all.

The second goal was more problematic. It was hard to rescue a woman who was perfectly happy where she was. Even convincing this wretch to go home willingly might have been impossible. There was a good chance she would need to take her home by force.

That brought her to the part about escaping alive. Never mind trying to sneak two people, one of which kicking and screaming, from the sorceress' clutches. Even getting herself out would be hard enough. Morgana seemed to know where she was at any instant, and could appear out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. If she failed another escape attempt, at best she would end up stuck to a wall again. At worst... well she didn't know how many more times she could betray the sorceress' trust before that trust was gone forever. What would become of her then?

No, she would have to make her next attempt count, and in order to outsmart her she would need to find out exactly what her capabilities were. She would have to be patient. It might take weeks, months, even years, but she wouldn't make her move until she was certain to succeed. That would be more than enough time to decide if Gwendolyn would be worth bringing with her.

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Sometime in the near future she would have to overcome an omnipotent sorceress who could control her like a puppet, and the only tool at her disposal was her own naked body. It would be tough, likely the toughest thing she had ever done. And if she failed, what then? Would she live here forever, unknown to the rest of the world?

Soon, sleep found her.

***

Adrielle dreamed vividly that night.

In her dream she was riding across a great grassy plain with her father, both of them galloping their horses swiftly toward whatever lay over the horizon. She was wearing a leather doublet he had lovingly made for her. Her dreams weren't normally so vivid, but in this one she could feel the exquisite softness of her father's leatherworking, could smell that distinct smell of freshly worked leather that always reminded her of home.

As they rode, he imparted his fatherly wisdom to his beloved and only daughter. She had no idea where they were riding to so urgently, nor did she ever remember what his actual words had been in that dream, but she knew they were words that would help her to live the best life she could, help her be the best person she could, maybe even words that would save her life someday. Words that would help her to stay strong, compassionate, and above all, faithful.

***

Adrielle awoke, feeling revitalized. She sat up on the edge of the bed, trying to remember the dream. Even though she was disappointed that it hadn't been real, simply seeing him had lifted her spirits.

She knelt at the edge of the bed and said a brief prayer, the first she had said since she had been captured. It was a simple prayer. She asked for strength, courage, and guidance. When she opened her eyes, a sudden thought came to her. Was this thought the voice of God answering her prayer? Probably not. More likely the act of praying had helped to clear her mind, but it was what she had been praying for all the same.

She remembered that following Christ wasn't really about all the things you weren't supposed to do. It was about the things you were supposed to do: being compassionate and helping those in need. As long as you do those things, your sins can be forgiven. Was that something her father had told her? She didn't remember, but it was certainly something he would have agreed with.

Adrielle stood up. She felt so joyful right now she almost laughed out loud. Whether it was the dream, her prayer, or just finally being rested again, she had finally left her fears, her doubt, and her self-imposed guilt behind. That thing she had done with Morgana didn't bother her anymore. She had enjoyed it, and so what? If it was a sin, and it didn't feel like one to her, she could repent for it later. There were things she needed to do.

In fact, she was starting to get the funny idea she had been brought here for a reason, and that reason might have had more to it than just rescuing Gwendolyn. What, then? Perhaps she would find out in due course.

As for now, it was time to get to work.