It'd been going on for days.

"If'n ye don't do somethin' te stop all th' caterwaulin', I'll go as mad as th' mage," Montaron warned, stalking into the grandiose dining room and slumping into one of the gilded seats.

"Which one?" Bree asked, smirking as Edwin looked up from his platter only long enough to throw her a very dark glare. Montaron sniggered, his temper momentarily lost. Bree regarded him; he was even more dishevelled than usual, with large dark rings around his eyes.

"Can ye no be sleepin'?" Bree asked slyly. Montaron's kick was aimed at her, but she deftly moved her own legs to avoid it and laughed raucously. He stared at her with obvious poison.

"Can ye sleep yersel' through the racket?" he snapped. "It'll have te be ended, one way or ano'er, if ye expect us te be stayin' here fer any time."

"Ye'll no harm her." Bree scowled her warning. "She needs te be kept in one piece, mind, or we'll lose the right te the lot o' it."

"It's no even worth th' bother," the other halfling noted, sulkily snatching some bread from one of the large porcelain dishes and cramming it into his mouth. "How often de we have te keep comin' back here, anyways?" he mumbled, breadcrumbs spraying from his mouth.

"(Ugh, the manners of these simians!)" Edwin muttered, eyeing Montaron with open disgust. "(Or lack of manners, I should say, sincethat is the problem...)"

"Where're the others?" Bree asked no one in particular, ignoring the question. The conjurer shrugged disinterestedly, and she looked over to Montaron in the ensuing silence. He raised an eyebrow.

"Ye spoke at me?"

"I no be speakin' to anyone else but you or the mage, and the mage knows not!"

Montaron snorted. "Xzar be in his room, studyin' his spells. Has been, all night -- th' wailing an' weepin' has managed te make e'en the most insane o' us go madder."

"I must agree with the unwashed one," Edwin interrupted as he pushed his plate to the side, leaning back in his chair having had his fill from the breakfast spread out on the table before him. "Our rest is important for preparing for the day ahead, and the battles that will inevitably come. How can I perform to the levels you've come to expect if I cannot close my eyes for more than a few minutes at a time before being disturbed by the noise coming from the furthest tower?"

Bree sighed. "Ye've got a point, I'll give ye that." She pondered for a moment, than smiled serenely, pushing her chair back and standing up from the table. "I'll be sortin' it; that, I promise."

---

Viconia's long and slender fingers were drumming on the windowsill at the top of the main stairs. She turned on Bree in an instant when she heard the halfling climbing the stairs, her eyes glinting with anger and her whole stance implying that she was looking to pick a fight.

"Yer not lookin' se good," Bree remarked cheerfully, yet snidely. The drow's eyes widened in furious disbelief.

"Do not irritate me further, sakphul," she spat, leaning forward so she could loom over the smaller woman. "You are jealous of Viconia, and it is only as I would expect. But enough... this... this incessantly pathetic wailing must cease if we are to spend another night here, or, Shar hear me; I will personally ensure that your juluk has nothing better to offer you than his sword arm and light fingers. Do you understand me?"

Bree glared at the priestess with open hostility, then pushed her way past without answering. Viconia's taunting laugh followed her, almost as if she'd been maddened by the constant screams. "I promise you,abbil... I will have my rest somehow."

---

Xzar was, as Montaron had said, sitting in his room and staring at his spellbook. He didn't even seem to hear Bree as she entered, nor acknowledge her presence as she stood before him, a frown on her face.

"Waken up, wizard!" she snapped, causing him to start forward in his chair, dropping his book to the ground. When he noticed her, his hands shot out and grabbed her arms, and his eyes bulged in apparent fear.

"Do you see them?!" he hissed, completely still except for the movement of his lips. "Do they come? They come, don't they?! I have heard them! HEARD THEM! But they don't know... they don't know that I am ready!" And then he let go, nimbly springing to his feet and sauntering over to the mirror where he checked his appearance and nodded approvingly to himself. Then, he turned and gave Bree a slightly surprised look.

"Why, hello," he said genially. "You should have told me you'd arrived. Is it time?"

Bree just sighed and rubbed her temple. The mage had only got worse the longer they'd been on the road, and the torture he'd undergone at the hands of Irenicus hadn't helped one bit. It had taken a while, but she was almost used to it now; and he did have his uses, after all.

"It is, aye," she said quietly. "Ye'll need te come wi' me, if that be all right wi' yerself?"

"Of course it is, mummy," the mage replied placidly, bending down to pick up his spellbook and fondly stroking the cover with one of his long-nailed fingers. "Where are we going today? To Evermeet, perhaps? I am running low on quality lobes."

"Perhaps later," she muttered, ushering him out of the room and closing the door behind her. "But first," she continued, gently taking his arm and steering him down the hall, "first, I need ye te do somethin' fer me."

---

That afternoon there were two sets of voices echoing through the passages and corridors of the keep. One was mournful and sad, and one was exuberant and happy. One was female, and one was male.

---

"I need ye te speak te the guards," Bree said abruptly. Korgan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whyfor?" he asked. "There's no been one te step outta line since I recruited 'em."

She snorted. "I knows that. I be needin' ye te brief them on theLady's Condition."

Korgan grinned wickedly. "Aye, I can be doin' that. I take it we'll be able te sleep tonight, then?"

Bree looked over her shoulder at the tower behind them. They were standing in the courtyard, the full glare of the afternoon sun shining down on them in the warmth of the Amnian summer. When her gaze turned back to Korgan she was smiling.

"Aye. I'd say it'd be a good bet."

---

Edwin Odesseiron, powerful Thayvian mage of astounding intellect and amazing wisdom, was better than this. The Zhentarim wizard was barely capable of remembering the most basic cantrip on an average day, and yet he, a Red Wizard, was coddling him in the makeshift laboratory prepared for them by the irritating halfling girl.

He looked over to Xzar, the other mage combining a few potions docilely, and with a fascinated expression on his face. Edwin snorted; such a waste, in truth. The man was able to show signs of genius at the most unexpected times, but there seemed to be no way of harnessing his rationality, which meant that, despite his occasional bouts of greatness, he was nothing more than a liability. Why he still travelled with them when they had the magic of Edwin Odesseiron at hand, was completely beyond his understanding.

He muttered about the ingratitude shown to him as he continued his work. Their uneducated leader had made her wishes perfectly clear, and with the combined efforts of both the mages, there was no reason why they wouldn't achieve what she'd requested... and potentially a whole lot more.

Edwin smiled, just a little.

---

Bree stalked through the passages of the keep. The haunting shrieks had ceased only a few hours before; no doubt as the girl collapsed in exhaustion, building up her energy for another night of howling. The halfling was half tempted to cancel the food that would go up to her door, though it would make no difference. The girl was barely eating, and her health had deteriorated quite badly. The wizards had to get it right, otherwise they'd lose the holding, and Bree didn't want to give up her castle. Not now she'd taken a fancy to it.

The girl's aunt had been a bit of a problem, too. First she'd disparaged them, openly, as they rescued her from the invading trolls and yuan-ti, and then she'd said she'd it'd be an indignity to continue living there if Bree were to assume the title of Lady of the Keep. The cheek of it! The foolish young girl had offered it to the halfling; it wasn't as if she'd taken it by force! But keeping it... oh, yes. Bree'd do anything to ensure the title remained hers.

So the keep's guards had been dismissed and the Captain had died, murdered by bandits, by all accounts, when he'd been escorting the Lady Delcia Caan from the lands. Unfortunately for the girl, who'd already lost her father to the invasion on her home, her aunt was also killed, and she was left alone, with no family left to be with.

Korgan had managed to amass a new guard, using his old contacts from his adventuring days. A motley bunch, they were, but most of them were loyal enough to the grizzled old dwarf, and the ones who weren't were kept in line to prevent them from getting ideas above their station. And Bree didn't care overly much, as long as they collected the taxes from the locals, and didn't mess with her when it came to handing all of it over.

She pushed open the door leading into the library, checking that Edwin wasn't shirking away from her task and spending even more time secluded away with nothing but a book for company. The mage'd never learn; it was how he'd managed to get himself in trouble last time, spending too much time with books and scrolls and whatnot. Happy to note his conspicuous absence, she turned away and continued her meanderings along the corridors of the De'Arnise Keep.

---

"An' ye gave it te her?"

Edwin snorted. "(Will someone tell me why I continue to deal with this half-brained imbecile?) I visited the tower, yes, and administered the drug directly to the girl. It should only take a day for the addictive effects to come into place, and then she will crave for more, which we will be happy enough to provide of course."

Bree smiled widely. "Edwin, yer a genius."

He allowed himself a small, satisfied smirk, buffing his nails on the hem of his robes without realising it. "It is about time you noticed as such," he said, staying as aloof as he could manage. "I have also refined the potion so that it is easily administered by lacing food with it. This should ensure that the girl keeps eating, and does not starve herself to death in her... current state."

Bree grinned wickedly and clapped him on the back as she turned away. "Perfect... jus' perfect..."

---

"And, the Lady De'Arnise... Nalia? She will be joining us today?"

The clerk from the Amnian government had introduced himself as Wilbur, a civil servant from Athkatla. He currently looked very uncomfortable as he sat, perched on the edge of the chair in the great hall, facing Bree as she sat opposite him. She was flanked by Korgan and Montaron, both scowling darkly at him, both with their weapons on obvious show.

Slightly behind, at a small table, sat Edwin and Xzar, looking resplended in their robes, dusty tomes and large spellbooks strewn before them as they watched the proceedings from the corner of their eyes.

But the clerk's eye was, more often than not, flickering to the shadows at the far reaches of the room, where the drow priestess, Viconia, lounged enticingly, her red eyes never moving from the visitor's body in a display of barely concealed appraisal.

"She won't, no," Bree said, sympathy and sorrow exuding from her tone. "She's feelin' a bit under the weather, ye know?"

"I... I s-see." The young man began tugging at the collar of his tunic, and sweat was beginning to show clearly on his forehead. Bree continued to smile at him; predatory, sweetly.

"I w-will have to see her, of c-course, you unders-stand. The alleg-gations that have been levied against yourselves a-are far too serious for us to i-ignore. Especially when they come from someone s-so senior..."

"Aye, we thought ye might," the halfling answered, jumping down from her seat and motioning for Wilbur to follow her as she moved out to the corridor. "Ye'll have te understand, though," she continued conversationally, "that the grief over her father dyin' as he did, an' the shock o' losing her Aunt so soon after made her very vulnerable and weak."

The man nodded, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief as they walked. Montaron and Korgan walked at his side, matching his pace, while Viconia strutted along behind them.

They climbed one set of stairs, and went down one dimly lit corridor to the end. Then, Bree knocked gently on the door, opening it when a small voice called out for her to enter. A young girl leapt to her feet as they entered, offering a bobbing curtsey to Bree and moving away from the chair beside the large four poster bed.

"How is she?" the halfling asked. She saw the clerk looking over to the bed, where Nalia De'Arnise lay, her eyes closed, a peaceful expression on her face.

"Resting, ma'am," the serving girl said. "She managed to have her lunch, and then said she felt quite tired so I got some of my sewing done while she slept."

Bree nodded. "Ye can leave fer now," she said, waving to the door. "I think Master Odesseiron needs yer... attention."

The girl nodded, flushing as she curtsied once more, and then dashed from the room. Bree turned to face the clerk, smiling up at him once again.

"Would ye like me te waken her?"

"I, ah, well, it seems that, ah... I mean, I should really speak to her, to make it all official..."

"Aye, o' course," Bree said pleasantly. "I mean, ye'd not be doin' yer job if ye just accepted our say so, would ye?"

"Qu... quite..." the man agreed, hesitantly. He gulped, and Bree nodded over to Viconia. The drow swaggered over to the bed, sitting herself down delicately on the edge, and reached out to shake Nalia's shoulder, bending down to whisper in the girl's ear words that Bree couldn't make out.

Nalia opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times as she looked around in a daze. Bree smirked and sauntered over.

"How are ye feeling Miss De'Arnise?"

"I'm... I'm tired..." Nalia whispered. "So tired..."

"That's understandable," Bree said sympathetically. "This nice young man has come all the way from the city to see ye, though. Can ye manage to stay awake fer a while te speak te him?"

The girl's eyes narrowed as she peered at the clerk. He hastily moved closer, offering a weak smile. "Good day to you, Lady De'Arnise," he said, holding his hand out initially, before deciding against the action and retracting it to his side. "I'm here to check that everything is currently well with you, and that you are... that is, that you are truly allowing Miss... er, Miss...?"

"Miss Strongfoot," Bree provided.

"Yes, Miss Strongfoot, here, to take Stewardship for your lands in the light of your father's recent tragic death." Wilbur paused, looking expectantly at Nalia.

The noblewoman barely seemed to notice him as tears welled up in her eyes. "Daddy... he's... he's dead, isn't he? His corpse... his body... We need to arrange for a fu-"

"She gets confused," Bree said loudly, interrupting the girl. "Wakes in the middle o' the night and wonders where everyone is. Breaks me heart every time I need te explain it all te her."

The young man paused hesitantly, his eyes darting to Bree momentarily, before fixing themselves back on Nalia's prone form. "I... I see," he said. "A terrible th-thing, to be sure. Has... I mean, I don't d-doubt you've already tried, but... some of the p-priests in the city can do-"

"Viconia's highly favoured by her Goddess," Bree interrupted, smirking as the man looked at the drow with barely concealed fear. "She's tried everythin' she knows, and none o' it helps. We doubt there's much else that could be tried, but we'll be sure te make some enquiries."

Wilbur nodded slowly, then swallowed hard once again and pulled a sheaf of papers from his case with a trembling hand. "In that case... if the Lady De'Arnise is able, I j-just need one signature... here..." He moved forward, putting a formal looking document before the girl and offering her a quill. Bree glared over to Viconia, and the drow glared back darkly before lowering her eyes to the contract. After a few moments she looked back up to Bree and shrugged lazily.

"Will this... protect me? Protect my... my home?" Nalia whispered.

The clerk looked perplexed; but one look over to Korgan had him nodding encouragingly to the noblewoman. She smiled weakly back at him and loosely scribbled her name across the page, then allowed Viconia to remove her signet ring to stamp the seal on the agreement. Bree beamed widely.

"You d-do, of course, understand that I had to c-come and make it official," the man said nervously, watching as Viconia seductively poured the melted wax onto the rolled paper, licking her lips as she eyed the man's form. "It's j-just that we'd had s-some complaints about the activities here, and some p-people seemed to have the wrong end of the s-stick, assuming you were f-forcibly t-taking over and throwing the Guard out!"

Bree laughed politely, then gave Viconia a dark glare. Hurry up! it said.

The drow rolled her eyes, wiggling her hips as she moved to the clerk and placed the agreement into his hands. Bree quickly signalled for Korgan.

"This be the way, now," the dwarf growled, grabbing the clerk's arm and dragging him towards the door. "Wouldn't be wantin' ye te be travellin' back te the city in the dark. Who knows what might happen te ye!"

"G-goodbye Lady De'Arnise, M-miss Strongfoot," the man called, waving desperately as the dwarf manhandled him away. "I'm s-sure this w-will be enough to s-stop the rumours..."

Bree tapped her foot as the man's voice faded away, then levelled a questioning look at Viconia. "The agreement -- it was all in our favour, aye?"

The drow stretched like a cat, smirking as Bree glared at her impatiently. "It was as you'd expected, abbil. It named you as the rightful Steward of the lands, only removable by one of the bloodline, and a legal heir if anything should happen to your ward."

Bree laughed, clapping her hands together and rubbing them in glee. She looked to Montaron, jerking her head over at Nalia. "Take her back te the tower. Viconia'll help ye."

The drow cursed loudly as Bree left the room, strolling down the passages of her own Keep. It hadn't been easy -- they'd wasted precious gold bribing the right people to ensure they got someone as useless at Wilbur to examine the new leadership, and the locals would continue to protest about the taxes they now faced, naturally. But Bree didn't care -- she'd not be able to hang onto the place forever, she knew that. But she'd make the most of it while it was hers, and Nalia could go mad in the tower in the meantime.

She returned to the hall, settling down beside Edwin as he neatly scribed some arcane lore. He stopped almost immediately, looking pained at her presence but carefully avoiding any eye contact. She grinned towards him.

"So, tell me," she said. "What exactly does yer wee potion do to our noble friend?"

He put his quill down and leaned back in his chair, a smug look on his face and an air of arrogance surrounding him as usual. One forefinger and thumb idly caressed his own bearded chin. "Exactly as you requested," he said. "Her short term memory is...questionable, to say the least. She will have no recollection of our actions since we found her father's body, but will remember anything that can leave a strong impression on her mind, like the news of her aunt's death. She'll also experience mild hysteria, random bouts of fear and will not be able to separate the anxiety that will be underlying within her from the reality of how she is being caged by us except when we need to parade her before visitors to pretend she wants us to be here. Oh, and she should sleep at night, now. (At least, she'd better...)."

Bree nodded thoughtfully. "Anxiety, eh? That's a good addition..."

Edwin smiled with satisfaction. "Of course..." he said, pausing as the serving girl appeared at the doorway, clad only in a simple robe. A gleam appeared in his eye, and he stood up. "Do excuse me from your riveting company," he muttered, "but I believe it is bathing time; and Edwin Odesseiron is never late for these occasions."