REVILED

Priscilla hugged her pillow tightly and ran her face against it, “I’m glad your happy,” she mumbled with a goofy smile. She then buried her face into it.

“My lady, it’s time to wake up,” Lana gently shook her. Priscilla mumbled unintelligibly into her pillow. Lana sighed and whispered into the child’s ear, “My lady, there’s a handsome knight ready to steal you away.”

Priscilla bolted up, “No, I’m not presentable!” she scrambled out of bed and ran to her wardrobe, “What should I wear!” Lana’s laugh struck her, and she glared at the older woman, “That’s not funny,” she said twirling a finger through her messy hair, “What if one were to show up one day.”

“Then he’ll have his hands full with a lovely young maiden,” Lana smiled running her hands through Priscilla’s hair, “And her gorgeous handmaid as well. He may even choose her instead.”

Priscilla stared dagger as her handmaid. Even if it was true, the joke wasn’t that funny, “Whose to say I’d even take you along?” she huffed as she sat down at the vanity.

“You’d have no choice,” Lana brushed the tangles out of Priscilla’s golden hair, “Or else I would have to inform your knight of all your… preferences.” A wicked smile came to her face.

Priscilla’s face turned deep red, “You’re a terrible woman,” she pouted.

“I’m simply looking out for you my lady,” Lana smiled sweetly as she pulled out two dresses. “How shall we catch your knight’s attention,” she held up a rose and creamed colored gown with frill and bows, “Shall we go with an adorable look,” she held up the second dress, a scarlet gown with a low collar, open back, and a slit along the left seam, “Or alluring?” Lana’s wicked smile grew larger.

Priscilla stared at the red dress then turned her gaze to the ground, “I-I don’t think the red one is appropriate now,” she mumbled while fanning herself.

“You’re right my lady,” Lana nodded sagely, “You don’t have the figure to pull off the alluring look.”

“Dammit, that’s enough!” Priscilla rose from her plush stool and stormed out of the room. As soon as she opened the door, a wave of horror washed over her.

“Good morning, my lady,” Kogna bowed deeply to her.

The light bathed his beautiful long black hair making it sparkle. His vibrant green eyes burned with a warrior’s fire, and her heart skipped when his deep purple iris took her in. His richly made black and gold robes accentuated his exotic nature, making him even more handsome. Which made this even more horrifying as she stood there in her wrinkled shift that barely hung on her petite frame.

Priscilla slammed the door and snarled at Lana, “Why didn’t you tell me Kogna was out there!” she squealed.

“I did,” Lana said with an absent-minded smile, “I said there was a handsome knight waiting for you.” Priscilla screamed as she tore at her hair.

After getting dressed, Priscilla walked down the halls trying to keep herself from crying. She was fully aware of Kogna following behind them. When she quickly glanced back, she saw Lana giving her a professional smile, but she recognized the devilish glint in her eyes. Priscilla was about to turn the corner, but she was suddenly pulled back, and she found herself in Kogna’s arms. Several servants rushed down the hall she was turning down. She groaned at the fact she completely missed the loud creaking coming from their carts.

“Are you alright my lady?” Priscilla looked up into Kogna’s eyes. At that moment, words seemed impossible to produce, so she nodded vigorously, “Good,” he gave her a small smile which made heart skip a beat.

Priscilla pushed herself off him. “Thank the Virtues you were here,” Lana swooned as she entangled her arms into his. Priscilla turned around grinding her teeth, “You truly are an honorable knight.” Lana’s sensual tone caused her to growl as she continued down the hall.

“I was simply doing my duty ma’am,”

“You’re too modest Sir Kogna,” Lana’s tone felt like daggers in her skin, “Are you married?”

“No ma’am,”

Priscilla could hear the smile on Lana’s face, “I see, how… fortunate,”

Priscilla stormed through the castle halls and pushed her way into the dining room. The rest of her family were already there. Her father sat at the head of the table with his plate nearly empty, and he held his wife’s hand while finishing his morning tea. Her mother stared at her husband with a warm, but sad smile. Phineas sat across from their mother with his plate completely empty, but he looked miserable due to the dark circles around his eyes. They all turned to look at her.

“Good morning, dear,” Rosalynn smiled as she came over to hug Priscilla. She took Priscilla’s face into her hands, “We were expecting you sooner. Are you alright?”

Priscilla nodded, but Lana chimed in, “She had an eventful morning,”

Priscilla glared at her which caused her mother to laugh, “So you were teasing her again,” she eyed Kogna who stood by the door, “I wonder what about.” She led Priscilla to the table.

As the servants set a full plate in front of Priscilla, “I’m sorry dear,” the Duke came over and kissed her cheek, “But your brother and I need to get to work early today.”

“I understand father,” Priscilla kissed him back, “Have a good day.”

As the door closed behind them, her mother leaned over, “So, you have a special visitor today,” Priscilla looked to her mother dumbfounded, “It’s Viscount Triemiere’s son, Olivar.” Priscilla groaned into her hands.

Meridith followed the attendant down the halls. Mina followed closely behind, but the girl was casually looking down every hall they passed. Meridith couldn’t stop the small smile as she watched the girl search for her brother. The attendant stopped in front of an ornate door and knocked on it.

“Come in,” A voice came from inside.

The attendant opened the door, “Your Grace, lady Meridith is here to see you.”

“Excellent, show her in!”

Meridith stepped past the attendant and curtsied to the two men behind the desk. The Duke looked older than she expected, with heavy wrinkles around his eyes and lips, and the hair on his head and face were a dull grey. He was still a handsome man, in a way that befitted older men.

Next to him was a younger man with the same golden hair as Maelon. However, it was cut short with fuzz around the sides and back. His deep blue eyes didn’t have the same arrogant sheen as Maelon’s, instead there was something soothing about them. Even Meridith had to keep herself from lingering on the handsome man.

“Thank you for seeing me, your Graces,” Meridith smiled.

“This is a long-awaited meeting,” the Duke smiled coming around to stand in front of her. Meridith’s lips twitched as he reached out to her.

“Father,” the young man came around and whispered into the Duke’s ear.

The Duke gazed over her and gave her an apologetic smile, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, my dear,” he gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

“Thank you for being understanding,” Meridith went to sit down, but the young man slid the chair over for her. He even helped Mina into the other chair. “Thank you.”

“So, what brings you here today?” The Duke smiled as the young man took a seat next to him.

“I’m here on behalf of my master,” Meridith smiled warmly, “He desires to renovate the lower city, and wishes to sign a public contract with the city.”

The Duke scratched his chin, “Why does your master wish to repair the lower city,” the young man asked incredulously.

“As you are aware your lordship, my master has opened a tavern in the lower city,” Meridith’s smile turned sad, “He laments the state the lower city is in. He’s done his best to help, but there isn’t much that can be done with one tavern. He’s wanting to restore order in the area.”

“And how does he plan to do that?” The Duke asked.

“For start, he wishes to create his own mercenary unit,” Meridith said. "This unit would be responsible for restoring order in the lower city, and of course, they’d be available to the city whenever you need them.”

The Duke hummed in thought, “What do you think, Phineas?”

“I’m a little weary about having an army not loyal to us within the city,” Phineas sighed looking at Meridith, “How else does your master plan to improve the lower city?”

“Well, he planned on investing in the area around the tavern,” Meridith smiled sweetly, “Setting up shops in the area so that the citizens can earn their own livelihood. The investments would slowly expand outward to then encompass housing and support services.”

“We’re just unsure,” the Duke said shaking his head, “The last time we allowed a citizen to have free reign over public services, it didn’t end well.”

“My master wouldn’t mind oversight from your lordship,” Meridith said, but then gasped, “Forgive me, your Graces, I didn’t mean to overstep. I know you two are busy ruling the domain.”

“It’s fine, my dear,” the Duke chuckled, “But you’re right, we don’t have the time to focus on a small section of the city. Even Cromwell is busy with his work.”

“Isn’t there someone though. Maybe… someone who could use the experience?”

Phineas sighed, “What about Priscilla,” he said looking to his father, “Chances are, she’ll need the experience for when she marries. Overseeing this project could make her a more valuable wife, and she could always come to us if something is beyond her.”

“Priscilla, that could work,” the Duke turned to Meridith, “Your master will be held responsible for her safety when she’s in the lower city.”

“Of course,”

“Then we should let her know about her new position,” the Duke smiled as he rang a bell. An attendant came in, “Please fetch a scribe. I need a public contract, and a writ of authority drafted.”

“My lady, you are as beautiful as ever,”

Priscilla gave a strained smile at the compliment. Due to her love of classic fairy tales, Priscilla couldn’t deny that she was attracted to men who embodied the spirit of knightly chivalry. Men like Halligan and Kogna, men the exact opposite to Olivar. He was a soft man who had never struggled a day in his life. He was sweating profusely, even though they were sitting and talking. She wanted to run away from the man who was ten years her senior, but to do so would put her family in a precarious situation.

“And you are looking… well yourself,” Priscilla tried to smile warmly at him.

“Thank you,” Olivar chuckled as he sipped his tea, “You know my dear, you should come visit me back home in Triemiere. This years crops are growing splendidly, and I believe this years wine will be the best our domain has ever produced.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Priscilla said, “But I still have my studies to complete before I can think of taking such a long trip.”

“That’s why I’ve asked his Grace if I could stay until your studies are done,” Olivar laughed.

Priscilla’s smile faltered, but thankfully Olivar didn’t notice. His gaze was drawn to a well-developed woman who had just walked in. Her hair was a mixture of gold and red like the dawn, and a beauty mark sat at the corner of her left eye. The collar of her dress showed off her cleavage and the slave mark sitting right above it. Despite being marked, she smiled warmly at Olivar as she set down a plate of sweets.

“Thank you Myraelle,” Olivar smiled, his eyes never left her chest.

“You’re welcome, my lord,” Myraelle’s smile brightened.

Priscilla watched as the woman stood to the side of the sofa, “How many slaves does your family have,” she scoffed setting down her tea.

“Don’t be that way, my lady,” Olivar sighed drastically, “This is our way of helping our subjects. Times have been hard on them since the Wight King appeared, and so, this is our way of giving back to them.”

“He’s right, your grace,” Myraelle said happily, “Thanks to my lord’s generosity, my family was able to pay off their debts and have enough money to take care of the farm,” Her eyes shone, “Lord Olivar is an amazing man.”

“I see,” Priscilla’s smile twitched. She sighed in relief when Lana stepped into the room.

“My lady, the Duke wishes to see you,” Lana said.

Priscilla rose to her feet, “We’ll speak again later lord Olivar,” she curtsied and tried not run out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, “Thanks for getting me out of there Lana.”

“That wasn’t my intention my lady,” Lana said seriously, “Your father truly did call for you.”

Priscilla stood straight as she followed Lana to her father’s office. Inside both her father and brother were sitting across from lady Meridith who gave her a warm smile. A scribe sat at the side desk scribbling on two parchments.

“You wished to see me father,” Priscilla curtsied.

“Yes,” the Duke said with a tender smile, “My dear, I believe it’s time that you take on some responsibility.”

“What kind of responsibility?”

“Lady Meridith was sent here to negotiate a service contract on the behalf of her employer,” Phineas said. Priscilla found it weird that his eyes seemed to linger on the woman, “However, due to the… incident we had previously, his grace and I felt it important to have a representative to oversee the project. We wouldn’t want what happened with Decker to happen again.”

“That is why we chose you to be our representative,” the Duke said, “This would be an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to manage more than a household. Also, I think it would do you well to understand how our people live.”

“I’d be honored, but what would my role entail?”

“As our representative, you’ll be meeting regularly with lady Meridith and her employer and inspect the lower city. During these meetings you’ll be getting updates on the project, and you’ll have final say on how the project should progress. You’ll also have access to all their records since we’re providing a portion of the funds, you’ll need to account for every coin spent.”

Priscilla gasped, “Am I to do this all on my own?”

“Of course not,” the Duke laughed, “You’ll have clerks under you to help, but most of the legwork will be done by master Legion.”

“I see,” Priscilla smiled professionally, “And when can I expect to meet with master Legion?”

“He’s available this afternoon, if you desire to meet with him?” Meridith returned the smile.

“Excellent,”

“I’ll have a carriage and guards ready to take you to the lower city,” Phineas stood and bowed before Meridith before leaving the room. Priscilla couldn’t help but chuckle at the small smile on Phineas’ lips.

“Lana, can you inform Sir Kogna that we’re leaving,” Priscilla turned to her handmaid.

“Of course,” Lana bowed and headed to the door. She stopped and undid the top buttons of her dress, “It may take him a while to get ready though,” she smiled mischievously as she closed the door. Priscilla growled trying to keep herself from screaming.

“I’m glad to see Kogna is fitting in well,” the Amu’Ryjin woman laughed, “Thank you for taking care of my brother, your grace.”

Priscilla calmed herself down and gave her a genuine smile, “Of course, your brother has proven himself to be quite skilled. I’m honored to have him as my personal knight.”

Lady Meridith rose from her chair, “Shall we head out my lady?”

Priscilla nodded and led the women out of the room. She tried her best to keep herself calm, but her heart hammered rapidly in her chest at the thought of meeting the mysterious spell caster. If only Sir Halligan had been there.

Halligan stepped into the church that occupied the upper city. The seven statues of the Virtues bathed in the colored light coming in from the stained-glass windows gazed down at him and Elizar. A few of the pews were filled with worshippers praying, but at this time of day the church was nearly empty. A priestess at the alter noticed them and quietly approached.

“It’s good to see you again master Halligan,” she said with a warm smile, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to see the others.”

The priestess led them to into the back halls of the church. As they continued, a part of the hall opened into the church’s back garden where a large fountain sat in the center. A few of the clergy rested by the fountain. The garden disappeared as they entered the back wing of the church where the offices of the upper clergy sat, and they were led into a large meeting room.

Inside, five young paladins sat at the round table. None of them wore their armor, but their coats were embroidered with the crest of their gods. Another priestess, a mature beauty, sat at the far end of the table. Her pristine white robes covered every inch of her body, leaving her face and hands exposed. Her long pale white hair shone in the light, and her plump red lips were perpetually upturned in a smile. Her amber eyes almost looked like gold, and they softened when they landed on Halligan. The priestess that guided them left and shut the door behind her.

“Thank you all for coming,” Halligan smiled taking them all in, “I’m grateful the Church heeded his Grace’s summons.”

“Of course,” the mature priestess said, “His Holiness was worried when Sir Solomon mentioned a monster lurking within Jericho, and he apologizes for not sending help earlier. I am Saint Urielle, and I have been charged by his Holiness to aid you in this endeavor.”

Halligan gasped and bowed low, “It is an honor to have your support my lady,” he stuttered, “To think his Holiness would send the Heavenly Warden herself fills with me with great hope.”

“Please raise your head,” Urielle laughed, “I came because the Virtue Shecoga told me to. Apparently, there’s more to this monster than it seems.”

“We were the ones his Holiness sent,” the paladin wearing the crest of the Virtue Elliander said, “The five of us were recently appointed to proper paladins, but that doesn't mean we won’t take this seriously.”

“So, they’re still green,” Elizar scoffed, “At least lady Urielle is a capable hero.”

“I don’t care if they are,” Halligan smiled hopefully, “They’re paladins, which means they can harness divine mana, and with lady Urielle with us there’s no way we can lose to this monster.”

Urielle’s smile faded, “Please Sir Halligan, tell us everything you know of this monster.”