In the next two hundred years, Lydia and Zyphre learned a lot about each other – mostly that they completely and utterly hated each other. Every single thing that one of them did aggravated the other. Lydia hated how rude and blunt Zyphre was while he hated how proper and reserved she was. The best part was that they were forced to be together except when they were sleeping. If either one were caught without the other, Zyphre would be reprimanded harshly. Zyphre was never bothered by the arguments, laughing at them even, but Lydia was usually struck instead of yelled at, and after two hundred years this stopped being quite as entertaining.

Lydia got along famously well with Draesen from the first time she met him, mostly because of how he had openly laughed at Zyphre's predicament of having to be a babysitter. After that she was rather warm to him while at the same time making some rather condescending comments about Zyphre. She was so nice to him, in fact, that Zyphre almost thought she was flirting with him. Apparently it looked that way to Nerull too, for it prompted him to come over and begin to beat her so severely that Draesen stepped in and tried to get him off her. Zyphre found himself unable to answer Draesen's questions as to why he didn't try to help. Saying that it was a daily occurrence only made Draesen give him a disgusted look.

Much as he disliked her, even Zyphre had to admit along with everyone else in the castle that Nerull treated her like little more than the dirt he walked on. He completely ignored her existence most of the time, except when her hit her. He lashed out at her whenever she did something "wrong," which translated to anything he didn't like. This could be, and usually was, something as insignificant as speaking.

Lydia remained strong throughout her torment, at least in front of Zyphre. Every now and then she'd disappear to the bathroom and return with the scent of tears on her, but this happened rarely. She never cried in front of Zyphre because she knew this would prompt his taunts.


"I hate him," Lydia said to the handmaiden who was bandaging Lydia's arm. She was fairly certain it was cracked due to how dark the bruises were and how much pain was radiating from it.

"Who, milady?" asked the handmaiden, wetting the bandages so that they would dry stiff. "Master Nerull or Lord Zyphre?"

"Both of them," she said. "Nerull for obvious reasons. But Zyphre just infuriates me! He's so rude and coarse and arrogant! I can't stand his cockiness and his delight in violence sickens me!"

"Lord Zyphre has always been a bit crude as long as he's been here," said the handmaiden.

"I've tried to be nice to him," said Lydia, wincing as the bandages were tightened. "I've even tried to be friends with him…make this place a little more bearable…"

"That didn't work out in your favor, milady?" said the handmaiden.

"I think it made him hate me more," said Lydia. "I don't know what I'm gonna do. I would rather die than stay here forever…"

"Lord Zyphre isn't as bad as he seems," said the handmaiden. "If you're around him enough, you're sure to grow on him. I'm sure he likes you well enough and is just reluctant to show it."


"I fucking hate that bitch!" yelled Zyphre, driving his fist into the wall.

"You seem a bit agitated, my lord," said Draesen.

"I can't help it; she just sets me off!" he shouted. "She makes me want to kill small innocent things!"

"Was she the reason I watched you slaughter that poor squirrel last night?"

"I couldn't help it! She had been bitching to me earlier about my attitude," he said.

"You could be a little nicer to her, my lord."

"Don't you start with me too!" snapped Zyphre. "And she says she wants to be friends. I would love to be her friend if she weren't such a pompous, proper bitch!"

"I don't know what your problem is," said Draesen. "Miss Lydia seems like a lovely young woman to me."

"She's nice around you!" said Zyphre.

"Would you like to know my opinion, old friend?" asked Draesen, a little shortly. "I would hope so, since you hired me for my opinions."

"Fine."

"I think she's lonely."

"…How do you figure that one?"

"Well," said Draesen, "she's the youngest of three children, had both parents, and dozens of servants, so she always had someone. Here, she has no one. Her husband is neglectful and abusive. She's forbidden to speak to any of the servants except her handmaiden, and the only person she sees on a daily basis - you - hates her. If I were her, I'd be pretty starved for affection. Thus, she's reaching out to you, but you, being the arrogant, stubborn mule that you are, keep slapping her hand away."

Zyphre looked rather stunned. "Did you figure all that out on your own?" he asked.

"Yes," said Draesen. "And I also figured out that she's so nice to me because I was one of the only ones, if not the only one, who was kind to her when she first arrived here."

"How can you see into a woman's mind like that and where can I learn it, you clairvoyant fag?" asked Zyphre.

"The wonderful woman I'm engaged to has been instructing me on the minds of the fairer sex since we were small children to reduce the number of inevitable miscommunications."

"So what do you propose I do?"

"Accept her friendship. She'll be less lonely and you can stop going at each other's throats every ten minutes. Worst thing that can happen is that nothing will change." Draesen grinned. "Plus it will be interesting to see how this transpires."