Warning!

This chapter contains depictions of survivors of sexual slavery and their recovery. No non-consensual activity is depicted but the survivors make it clear what has occurred. This is not a sexy chapter and if such themes, or lack of sexiness, are not to your taste, please skip this chapter.

...

In preparation for her employer's two-day romp with Severa, Beruka decided she would take Liv to Hoshido so they could see friends and family there. She had enjoyed her two days with her as she liked looking after her niece and she got to see Oboro for the first time in a while. For her part, Oboro was glad to see her and spent a lot of time with her and the adorable toddler, enquiring whether the assassin was dating as it was clear she would be a very good mother. Beruka assured her she wasn't but found that such praise made her happy and she realised she would quite like one of her own, someday.

She of course made sure Lady Caeldori and Soleil got to spent plenty of time with Liv and passed on the message Lady Camilla had given her but was unable to provide answers to the barrage of questions from a massively over-excited Soleil. After Lady Caeldori managed to stop her, she instead asked if they could visit to hear it all first hand with her liege reluctantly agreeing, but it could only be an overnight visit.

After returning home and taking Liv away from her mother and the inappropriate conversation, she found one of the maids asleep in the living room but decided she would only be there by Lady Camilla's invitation so left her sleeping as she played with Liv. Later in the evening, she received her mission and the background behind it so went to prepare her equipment to leave at first light. It had been a long time since she'd been tasked with an assassination but, knowing who they are and what they'd done to their own daughter, she was glad she would be the one to remove such people.


The town Jenny was from and where her parents still lived, as far as the girl knew, was far to the south, close to the border with Nestra its capital Cyrkensia, which would take around a ten-hour flight to reach which, with the shortening autumn days, meant she would have little daylight left when she arrived to scout her targets. She circled the town, finding the landmarks Camilla had directed her to before flying out into the woods nearby and leaving her wyvern and her armour before walking in wearing unremarkable clothing, her daggers beneath her cloak and her poisons and two extra cloaks in her bag. She wasn't anticipating doing the deed tonight, but it pays to be prepared.

She found the street and the house she was directed to and could see two people matching her targets' descriptions through the windows. She made several passes along the street and the small access road used by the night-soil men behind the row of houses, using her reversible cloaks in different colours to conceal her repeated movements. Her targets at one point had a visitor, a male, late forties, but after entering she couldn't spot him again while she could see both her targets sitting in their living room. When the visitor left and it seemed her targets had settled in the living room for the night, she settled in to watch, utilising one of her greatest concealment skills, the art of standing entirely still. People often say animals can't see you if you don't move but the same is true of humans, she could stand so still for so long she was mistaken for scenery, even Camilla often missed her when she had been standing in the same room as her for hours. Eventually, her targets went to bed and she returned to her wyvern to eat and rest.

She was back with her targets before dawn, watching their morning routine and looking for suitable delivery methods for her poisons. The male target left for work while the female remained at home for a while before leaving, giving her the chance to pick the lock on the back door and enter to gather more information. She explored the house, noting the layout. There were two bedrooms upstairs, theirs and Jenny's with all her possessions still there, likely to play the role of upset parents missing their daughter. Downstairs there was the living room with a large fireplace, a sofa and two chairs, a well set up kitchen and access to the privy. There was also steps down to a basement which, in houses of this style, would be a small cold room for keeping food fresh.

She didn't examine their belongings at this time, that takes time and is easier done after the deed, but she acquired useful information and more options for poison delivery through daily medication the male took and an easily tampered with bottle of perfume that, by the heavy scent in the room, the female may bathe in.

She continued to observe the two unseen for another two days, in which they received another male visitor in the evening that she lost track of when he entered but there was a seat in the living room that couldn't be seen from outside. On her third morning, with her delivery method chosen, she made her move, breaking in and lacing their salt, which was heavily used in every meal, with her favourite poison. It was colourless, odourless and a safe dose left the victim paralysed for four to six hours, depending on size, and was perfect for this as she was going to stage it as a murder-suicide and would need them to bleed correctly at the scene so would need to position them before killing them.

She waited for evening to arrive and the female began cooking, using plenty salt in the dish, and, when the male arrived home, they sat at the table and applied yet more salt to it. Beruka could see the poison taking effect and the targets noticing it but it was already too late, they made to get up but their bodies weren't responding and both fell to the floor. She waited another couple of minutes to be sure before entering and setting her scene. She closed the curtains in the living room first before dragging the female through and hefting her onto the sofa before arranging her to look as if she'd been pushed down into it, making sure everything looked natural including her long brown hair being thrown out. She then returned to the larger male and, with some effort, got him into his chair, positioning him normally.

With her still conscious victims' staring eyes on her, she now had one more thing to do before killing them. "I have been sent on behalf of your daughter," she said, as Camilla had instructed. "You are to know that she has found those who care about her and that you will never harm her again."

With her message delivered, she took up the kitchen knife she had brought through and stood over the female, angling the knife to mimic her being stabbed overhand by the taller male and driving the knife between her ribs repeatedly to present as an enraged attack. She made sure to nick her ribs as well so that should there be any suspicion and a detailed autopsy carried out, the nicks would confirm the angle of attack and further point to a tall assailant. With the female bleeding out, she turned to her male target and, having observed him to be right handed, slit his left wrist cleanly before making a shaking, jagged cut to his right, mimicking a wounded, weaker hand, and dropped the knife at his feet. She then dabbed up some of the female's blood with a brush from her bag and flecked the males clothes by flicking blood from the bristles. With the scene set, she waited in the room for each to die, checking their pulses to confirm her mission was complete. With confirmation, she removed her waterproof cloak and bundled it tightly to prevent any blood transfer onto her other possessions and put it in it's own watertight bag.

Leaving the corpses, she went upstairs to begin searching the house for valuables to take and donate to charity, though only taking a small amount that wouldn't be immediately notable and divert suspicion away from it being a simple murder-suicide. This was something Camilla encouraged her to do if possible as the people she killed were often wealthy and corrupt and her liege didn't want all that money to just go to the heir. She rooted through the jewellery and sat a few items aside, being sure to leave the most valuable as they would likely be recognised by friends and noted as missing, before checking all likely hiding places for a hidden stash of gold coins, finding a significant amount beneath a floor board beneath their bed and taking it all, knowing a hidden stash isn't something other would see as missing.

She then moved on to the wardrobe and found their files in a box. She looked through but there was nothing much, though she did wonder if she should take Jenny's birth certificate for her. The last folder was labelled 'clients' and was the one she was most interested in. It contained detailed listing of dates, names, money paid and information on the 'clients' that was presumably gathered to aid in blackmailing. She flicked through years' worth of rapists and, seeing the same names come up repeatedly, she decided she would take notes to ask Lady Camilla if she wanted them removed too. As she flicked the last few sheets closed, horror struck and she reopened the last page and saw the last date, it should have been over a year ago when Jenny ran away, but it was two days ago. They had another girl.

There was only one place in the house they could be and she ran down to the basement. While it would have been built as a small cold room, it could easily be dug out and, when she arrived at the door, having remembered there was a lock and retrieved the keys, she found a lever that would likely turn on oil lamps inside telling her it wasn't a cold room anymore. With the lever on, she unlocked the door and careful opened it. As it swung open, she experienced a new emotion: rage.

In the room before her were two beds, one on the wall to her left and one on the right, and on each bed was a girl, naked and chained to the wall by heavy iron collars but the worst part was that both were presenting to what they must have assumed to be their next rapist, they had been broken. Struggling to contain her rage as she mentally yelled at the gods to turn back time to let her make those monsters suffer for their actions, she was snapped out of it when the girl on her right, seeing a petite woman instead of the usual, sat up.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice weak.

With this grounding her, Beruka managed to calm down. "No one," she replied. Taking a logical look at the girl she could tell in a moment she'd been here for a long time, her skin was incredibly pale and she was half-starved with her ribs showing and the condition of her skin and shoulder length brown hair showing serious malnutrition. There was also a lot of bruising across her body, it was clear they'd suffered horribly. The blonde girl on her left, seeing this wasn't normal, turned her back and curled up.

"Are you here to free us?" asked the brunette.

"I came to kill your captors," she explained, taking out her lockpicks and going to the other girl who clearly needed help first.

"But are you also freeing us?" asked the brunette from behind her, her fear clearly audible.

"Yes," said Beruka as she brushed the long blonde hair of the other girl out of the way of the collar's lock, realising the girl may have feared she was going to be killed too. It took a couple of seconds before the lock opened on the collar, but the girl didn't so much as move. "You're free," she pointed out but to no reaction.

"Amy," called the other girl. "I think it's real, please get up."

Beruka could hear the hope in that sentence but also the fear that hope could be false. Thankfully, the blonde girl, Amy, got up and stood by the bed, looking at the brunette who turned her collar so the lock was facing her hoped-for saviour as she approached. After a second, her collar popped open and she winced as she took it off, the cuts hurting as the pressure was removed.

"Are we really free?" asked the brunette again, not yet daring to fully believe it was over.

"Yes, please come with me," said Beruka gently and headed upstairs with the two girls following after her. "Please get yourself something to eat and some water," she said gesturing to the kitchen. "Only something simple, a starved body can't handle much. Do not use salt, it's poisoned."

With the girls going to the kitchen on shaky legs, she went upstairs to retrieve the items she'd set aside to give to charity and checked the list of 'clients' to see when they had restarted. She then went to Jenny's room to take some clothes, underwear and shoes for the girls and, with her arms full, went back down to find the girls at the table with a sandwich each and a glass of water. The brunette had clearly eaten half of hers quickly but had found she was now full from so little food while Amy was sitting hunched over against the world taking little bites.

"Clothes," squealed the brunette and got up to take them from Beruka and put them over a chair before putting on panties and one of the dresses. "I feel like a human again," she said and found a couple of shaky breathes following as she felt she was about to break into tears but knew she couldn't.

Seeing this, it was clear to Beruka that the girl was forcing herself to be strong for the other one and that, beneath that act, she was moments away from breaking. "What are your names?" asked Beruka as the brunette sat down and took another bite of her sandwich as she sat opposite the two.

"I'm Kate," said the brunette, "and this is Amy."

"Can you tell me how you came to be here?" she asked, knowing they might not want to talk about it.

"Yeah," agreed Kate, already feeling herself getting closer to breaking down at the thought of talking about it but their saviour had asked. "I'm from the next town over, my mom's a dressmaker and I was riding here to pick up some fabric she ordered but I was attacked and… and they tied me up and kept a bag on my head. I think they waited 'till night to bring me here. Amy was already here."

"Can you tell me?" asked Beruka softly to Amy who looked up for the first time and looked as if she was attempting to speak as her jaw quivered. "You don't have to."

"I…" began Amy but couldn't.

"Can I tell her?" asked Kate and got a very small nod.

"She's an orphan and she was looking for work when they said she could clean for them but they… they took her down… to… to the…"

"I understand," said Beruka as it was clear Kate couldn't continue and still stay strong for Amy. It was also clear Amy had been brought inside thinking she would get a little money for cleaning but had been taken down to the basement and held there for six months, according to when the dates in the 'client' list restarted.

"But we're free now," said Kate, attempting to be cheery but her voice, the fake smile and the tears in her eyes gave her true feeling away. She'd gone to place her hand over Amy's but scared her, causing her to flinch and snatch her hand away. "Sorry."

With clear nerves, Amy moved her hand back to Kate's so they were just touching in no more, the first consensual physical contact she'd had in a very long time.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" asked Beruka of the orphan.

"She comes with me," said Kate immediately. "We agreed when we got out, she would come home with me, my parents will take her in and we'll be sisters."

"I know what it's like to be broken," said Beruka out of nowhere.

"You do?" asked Kate wondering if the girl who saved them had been through the same.

"I was taken as a child and broken down until I wasn't human anymore, I was trained to be nothing but a weapon, an assassin, an unthinking doll." She remembered Camilla's description of her after her attempted assassination, a doll whose windup mechanism had broken. "But I know it's possible to be fixed, at least partially. I can feel now, I can make my own choices about who I like, I have friends and a niece that I love. You just need someone who can love you as you are and want you to heal. Please don't give up hope," she said to Amy.

"We'll be sisters," said Kate turning to her sister, "we'll be happy together. I'll introduce you to my friends and we can be normal again."

"Take it slow," advised Beruka, knowing Amy wouldn't be able to handle too much too quickly. "And take this," she added taking the bag of gold and jewellery and placing it in front of Kate. "I would usually give some of my victims valuables to charity, but these go to you."

"I don't want anything from them," stated Kate with barbs in her words.

"I can understand your reasoning, but this was earned from your enslavement, it is yours. Consider that your parents will have another body to feed and clothe, should you not take all you can from the monsters that took you and use it to rebuild your life?"

"Alright," conceded Kate, seeing the sense there. "Can I see them?" she asked.

"I'm not sure if that's wise."

"It's just… if I see their bodies, I know they're dead and won't always be worrying that maybe you lied and this is all some cruel trick, that they'll come back and take us again."

"This way," said Beruka as she got up.

Both girls followed their saviour through to the living room and were hit by the smell of iron as the door opened before seeing their captors, their skin pale and lifeless, sitting in red stains of their own blood.

"Don't touch anything," warned Beruka as Kate entered the room.

Kate stood before the two that had abducted her and made her life a horror for months, their cold dead eyes staring at nothing. "Good," she snarled. "It's what you deserve."

Beruka bit her tongue instead of letting her wish for them to have suffered more get out. "Do you wish to enter?" she asked Amy and got a small shack of the head. "I know you feel you will never recover, but please believe that you can, in time."

"Yeah, I'll help you ever step of the way," said Kate, leaving behind the monsters' bodies.

"Are you ready to go home?" asked Beruka.

"Yes," said Kate, her relief nearly bringing on tears.

"Yes," said Amy quietly.

"I'll fly you home but you will need to hold on. If you go behind me," she said to Kate, "then you can hold onto her," she said to Amy, feeling she'll find it easier to touch the girl who's been her rock than a stranger.

"Amy?" asked Kate to get her attention. "Please promise me you don't want to die any more. We're free and we can be happy again so please hold on tight when we're flying and don't let go of me, okay? I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Okay."

"Promise," demanded Kate.

"I promise I won't let go," said Amy barely loud enough to hear.

"We'll have to walk out of town but it's not far," explained Beruka. "Amy, please dress."

As Amy returned to the kitchen and dressed in the provided clothes as Kate put socks and shoes on, Beruka double checked the scene, removed their evidence from the kitchen and then poured out the poisoned salt to dissolve in the sink before refilling the cellar to its previous level.

"Ready," said Kate as the two were now dressed and ready to go.

"Wear these," said Beruka taking the spare cloaks from her bag and giving it to the girls. The sun was going down and with so little body fat the two would get very cold very quickly. "I'll keep that in my bag," she said to Kate and took the pouch of gold from her. "Lean on me if you need support," she said as she led them to the back door and outside for the first time in months.

Locking the door behind them, she then led them out of town. It was a slow walk given the condition of both girls but they did make it out of sight of the town and within range of a wyvern's hearing. With two fingers in her mouth, Beruka gave a series of whistles and waited for a few seconds before wingbeats could be heard and her mount landed in front of her, with her armour in the bag she'd tied around her neck that morning.

"She won't bite," she assured the two. "Let me help you up."

With both girls mounted, she climbed on and Kate held her by the waist. Three people would normally be a little much for a wyvern but given its rider was petite and both girls were about average height but so underweight, there was no issue getting airborne. The next town wasn't long by air as they could go straight rather than following the twisting road through the forest and they soon landed on the road Kate directed them too.

Having helped them dismount, the two girls stood looking at her. "Go."

"We don't know your name," pointed out Kate.

"You never will. As I said, I am no one. Go to your family and promise me you will try to heal," she asked of them, particularly Amy.

"I promise," said Kate.

"I promise," whispered Amy.

Their saviour waited in the street as they walked a few doors up, supporting each other, before Kate knocked on the door

Watching from the darkness, Beruka saw a woman answer the door and scream in delight at seeing her daughter, throwing her arms around her but getting Amy in the hug as well who, even from this distance, Beruka could tell, froze up. Kate's father was swiftly at the door too and their daughter fought them back to explain who Amy was and held them off her. With both parent's crying, the two girls were taken inside.

Beruka watched the house for a little before mounting and flying to the town centre until she saw the symbol of The Watch and informed them that their missing persons case had been concluded and any further investigations would be carried out by the crown, presenting the royal seal as her authority. With no one going to be looking into Kate's abduction, she flew a little way into the surrounding forest to find somewhere to camp for the night. With a site found and a fire lit, she ate some of her rations and took out the list she had copied from the folder of 'clients'. She would ask Lady Camilla for permission to kill all that she could find but there was one name she wasn't waiting on permission for, he would be dead tomorrow.


The following morning, she found the large and expensive home of her target and waited for him to leave for work. Wearing a hooded shawl and using a walking stick, she met him in the quiet road he lived on and had a blade in his stomach before he knew what was happening. With his wallet stolen as a motive for the attack, she moved on, keeping up the act until she was out of sight of anyone who may have witnessed the attack, before dumped her shawl and stick and walking out of town entirely unnoticed.

She arrived back at her home shortly after nightfall that day and, after seeing to her wyvern after such a long flight, reported to Camilla, telling her every detail of how she'd done it and then about Kate and Amy and how she'd handled them.

"You did the right thing," assured her boss. "Those poor girls."

"I think they will recover given enough time," said Beruka.

"How long were they there?"

"Amy, almost six months, Kate, approximately five and two weeks."

Camilla only wished she'd befriended Jenny sooner and saved them some, or all, of their suffering. Time can't be turned back, of course. "You are forbidden to tell anyone about them," she ordered, "especially Jenny. She must not even suspect there were other girls involved. They were only taken because she ran away, she'll blame herself for their suffering and I fear it would destroy her."

"Understood. Milady, there is something else."

"Please not more awful news?"

"When I discovered them, I thought highly unprofessional thoughts, I wished I could have made my targets suffer, I felt… enraged. I wish to apologise for this lapse."

"Oh, Darling, no," said Camilla moving to hug her petite retainer who, since Liv's birth, had been hugging her back. "That's completely understandable given the awful situation. It's also another sign of your growth, the Beruka I took in wouldn't have been phased."

"I… I would like to take leave to check on them occasionally," said Beruka. "I feel… protective of them."

"Oh course, my dear," approved Camilla with a warm smile, proud of how human Beruka now was. "Now, I want you to have tomorrow all to yourself to relax after your mission, though if you want to talk, you know who to come to."

That night, Beruka found sleep evasive, her thoughts consumed by the two girls.


A long way away, sleep was also evasive for the two girls. Despite being where she thought she would feel safe in her own room, in her bed, wearing her own pyjamas and with a lamp left on at low light, Kate woke repeatedly throughout the night screaming, yelling or sobbing at the nightmares that had plagued her for months. Amy, when she had actually been asleep to be woken, froze in her bed expecting to be raped. Kate's parents had made the mistake of running through the first time but, when you're waking from a nightmare of being raped, figures in low light to unfocused eyes are threats and she had lashed out at them. They learned that they just had to leave their baby girl to suffer as they would only cause more harm by trying to comfort her.

Early in the morning, while her father, Roger, stayed at home to guard them, Kate's mother Jessica left to go to her dressmakers shop and collect some garments to work on from home. Her husband was a carpenter so couldn't bring his work home and, as they had decided last night, Amy may not cope with a lone man in the house. It was mid-morning before she heard movement from upstairs and, given it had been quiet for nearly four hours, she hoped that meant the girls had gotten some sleep. She made sure to make her approach known as she went up to see them and Kate met her in the hall with a big hug, glad yesterday had been real. With a little coaxing from Kate, Amy came downstairs to have breakfast and, though neither girl could manage much, they were both thankful for fresh, tasty food.

Now awake and not wanting to be idle, Kate helped her mother with her work while Amy watched the two. Sadly, after only twenty minutes, Kate's weakened condition was getting to her as her body was aching from the effort and her mind felt fuzzy, she could barely hold a needle, never mind thread it. With another small bite to eat, Kate returned to her bedroom with Amy to rest while her mother finished off the project Kate had suggested to hide their scars.

Things were quiet upstairs for a while but eventually her worry grew too great and Jessica had to go up to check on them, again making her approach heard. Thankfully everything was alright, though she had woken her daughter, and took the opportunity to give them their completed chokers.

It was a little after one in the afternoon when there was an excited knock at the door and Jessica knew exactly who would be there. "Hi girls," she said as she opened the door.

"Is she home?" asked three voices in unison, in both timing and excitement.

"She is," answered Jessica sternly to calm them down. "I know she'll want to see you three but before I let you in, I need you to know that she has gone through something truly horrible and I need you all to swear to me you will respect her wishes." She got a clamour if immediate agreements. "You also need to know she's not alone, the people who… who took her also took another girl and we've taken her in. She's… suffered, even more than Kate so please be respectful of her. Understood?" She got another three-voiced agreement but this was subdued as it seemed to hit them how bad the last five and a half months had been for their friend. "Go on up," she finished with as she stepped aside.

The three girls, with their excitement quashed, made their way upstairs and knocked on Kate's bedroom door. "It's us," the three called. There were footsteps, the key turning in the lock and then Kate exploded from the room, throwing her arms around her friends and squealing in delight.

"It's so good to see you," she said after she'd squealed enough and let go. "Before anything else," she continued as she saw them eyeing Amy over her shoulder, "this is my sister Amy." She walked backwards into the room, using herself as a barrier to stop her touchy-feely friends going to hug Amy who she knew wouldn't cope with it. "Amy," she said gently turning to her terrified sister, "these are my best friends in the world. It's okay, I trust them with my life so trust me when I say they're safe."

"I trust you," whispered Amy so only Kate could hear.

"This is Maria," her sister said, gesturing to the one on the left, a taller than average and very pretty blonde. "Lorena," she continued to the middle one, a more muscular looking girl with dark brown hair in a bob cut and wearing overalls. "And Gwen," she finished on the right with a lighter brown-haired girl who was wearing a waitress uniform. She assumed that they'd all been at work when they'd heard their friend was back and rushed over.

During the introductions, Amy had clung onto her sister, half hiding behind her but now something was expected of her. "H-hi," she managed to get out.

"It's really nice to meet you," said Maria with a small curtsy, hoping that might help them all seem less threatening to the girl who was clearly afraid.

"Yeah," added Gwen, unsure of how to interact with someone who's scared of you.

"We're friendly, I promise," finished Lorena, wishing she'd changed out of her work clothes before coming over.

Kate turned to Amy, shutting her friends out. "Are you alright with them staying a little?"

"I'll try," whispered Amy.

As Kate turned away, her three friends saw how painfully thin she and Amy were with her ribs visible through her dress and, as she turned back to them, how gaunt her face looked compared to the round face they'd always known. Maria, the only one of the group to truly care about hair, also saw how dry and lifeless Kate's glossy brown hair had become and that Amy's blonde hair could be mistaken for straw.

"Grab a seat," suggested Kate as she threw the pillows off her bed.

With a pillow each, four sat down in a circle with Amy, who couldn't let go of Kate, kneeling slightly behind her, clinging to her sleeve the entire time.

"Your room hasn't changed," observed Gwen for something to say.

"It's so nice to be back. My bed's so comfy and I missed my clothes." There was a long pause as no one else knew what to say. "So, what are you girls doing now, how did your exams go?"

"All As and Bs," declared Maria proudly.

"Seriously?" questioned Kate. "That's awesome. Did your parents stick to your deal?"

"Yep," confirmed Maria, sitting up straight with her ample chest thrust out in pride, "You are talking to a professional singer. I'm working with a band right now, just touring round taverns and such but we're playing on stage at the winter festival next month."

"That's so cool," gushed Kate.

"She's been talking about that for weeks," teased Lorena.

"It's big news," countered Maria, "how can I not keep talking about the biggest thing in my life?"

"She's a seriously good singer but her parents wouldn't let her try to do it professionally if she didn't have good grades to fall back on," explained Kate to Amy. "She'll probably end up as a lead in operas on a massive stage in Windmire. Can you sing a little for her?"

"Of course," agreed Maria instantly.

"Hey, don't get her started this early," protested Gwen.

"Cheeky," accused Maria who lightly smacked Lorena on the arm, who passed it on to chuckles from all but Amy.

Maria sang a couple of verses from one of her favourite songs and, for the first time, Amy made eye contact with her but then quickly buried her face in Kate's shoulder.

"Good, right?" asked Kate of her sister.

"Ah-huh," mumbled Amy, only now daring to look up again.

"Lorena?" asked Kate. "With our dads I guess," she said, gesturing to the overalls.

"Yeah. Mine and her's dads own a carpentry business," she explained to Amy in case she didn't know. "I like working with wood," she went on, hoping that sharing with Amy would help the girl warm up to them all, "the feeling of making something with your own hands is just the best. They're not letting me do any of the big stuff unsupervised, but they know I'm fine making furniture."

"Oh, and that wooden doll on my windowsill, she made it," added Kate as Amy had been looking at yesterday.

"Gwennie?"

"Waitressing," admitted Gwen who had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.

"The world'll always needs waitresses," pointed out Lorena.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's really a whole-life kinda job. Wish I knew what I wanted like you two do."

"You're smart, I'm sure there'll be something," said Kate.

"Why not push further in waitressing, work your way up and end up as a hotel manager," suggested Maria. "That's not a bad job. Plus, you'd be in charge of booking the entertainment and could get me some work."

"I think by the time I'm managing something, you'd be way out of my price range, Miss Diva."

"It's a nice thought but there's loads of talented singers who never get discovered and play in taverns all their lives. Promise you'll help a friend?"

"Always," agreed Gwen. "If I end up as a hotel manager anyway, can't think a chocolatier could book you."

"Could give us free chocolate then," suggested Lorena.

"Whatever job I end up with, it shouldn't just be to give you people freebies," protested Gwen but her annoyance, part real and part joking, was interrupted by Kate's laughter.

"I've missed you girls so much."

"What about you?" asked Maria. "You missed the end of school so are you going to repeat it?"

"Nah, I was always just going to be a seamstress and work with my mom so I can't think I'll need to."

"What about you Amy?" asked Gwen. "What's your plans for the future?"

"I didn't think I had one," said Amy quietly but loud enough for the others to hear.

Realising she'd put her foot in her mouth, Gwen tried to move on and found herself focused on their chokers, each a strip of black cloth with a button at the front featuring a bird design on Kate's and a cat's face on Amy's. "I like your chokers, they look good on you," she said more to Kate than Amy as she'd never seen her wear one before.

"Well, we sort of have to wear them to… to cover the scars," said Kate, feeling herself choking up.

The girls could feel the blush coming from Gwen as her record streak for poor conversation marched on.

"Can I tell them?" Kate asked Amy. "They're my best friends and I would need to tell them eventually." She got a nod and turned back her friends, unfastening her choker.

The three girls gasped in horror as Kate's scarred and scabbed neck was revealed. None knew what to say.

"I was… was taken to this house," began Kate, already feeling her control slipping. "They took me to the basement and chained me to the wall," she said rubbing her neck. "Amy was already there and, and we…" she stopped to fight back the sobs that were threatening to erupt. "Men would come and, and they would rape u-us," she wailed, turning and clinging to Amy as her sister had been clinging to her and howling into her shoulder.

Maria, always the first to hug someone who's upset, made to go to her stricken friend but Lorena grabbed her and held her back. This wasn't for them. The three sat crying in silence, knowing they couldn't possibly understand what their friend had been through and that only her sister could. Through their tears, they could see Kate's chest heaving with her sobs but also that Amy was utterly still, barely even breathing and certainly not crying. The three realised this was how she had coped, she simply stopped existing.

It took some time for Kate to cry herself out but when she regained control of herself again, she could feel how exhausted she was, her body shaking at the effort of crying. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, turning back to her friend and finding them all crying too.

"It's not your fa-ault," wailed Lorena who would usually try to stay strong but was always the worst when she got started.

"None of it's your fault," said Maria who had a little more control of her breathing as a singer.

"It ends well," croaked Gwen, looking for the one positive thing in her friend's horrific experience, "you escaped."

"We didn't," corrected Kate, "an angel saved us."

"An angel?" questioned Lorena, who'd never been religious.

"Our guardian angel," said Amy, surprising all four of them.

"She'd came to kill our captors and she found us and brought us home. She saved us but we don't even know her name."

"Even if your guardian angel is still watching over you," began Maria, "I hope you know we're here for you, both of you, in any way you need us."

Amy looked up to see the blonde looking right at her and smiling, causing her to bury her face again in Kate's shoulder.

"I promise I'm not a threat," she said to Amy. Seeing a way to defuse things, she spun round to lie on her back in the middle of the circle with her arms and legs in the air, having clamped her skirt between her legs.

"What are you doing?" asked Gwen.

"Showing I'm not a threat," explained Maria as Amy now looked up to see what was going on.

"I think that's how cats do it," suggested Lorena.

Maria gave a realistic meow and batted at the air with her front left paw and was rewarded with the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen; Amy smiled and laughed. She felt her heart stumble over itself for several beats at the cutest smile and most adorable, if brief, laugh she'd ever heard. She'd known she liked girls since she was fourteen and she'd had a couple of crushes but this, this was something much bigger than those little infatuations. She was snapped out of the lovestruck daze as both Lorena and Gwen rose from their seats and lunged onto her. "Heavy," she groaned.

"Catpile!" shouted Kate and leapt on top of both.

"Help me, Amy," cried Maria, "splash some water on them." This brought out another cute smile but Amy held her distance. "But seriously, get off you three, you're heavy."

"No I'm not," protested Kate, trying to make light of her malnourished condition.

"So heavy," moaned Maria as the other two got off her and she could sit up. "You have such a cute smile," she said to Amy. "I hope we get to see it again."

Amy, again clinging to Kate now she'd had returned to her seat, looked Maria in the eyes. "I want that too," she said quietly, knowing she had promised her angel she would try to heal and that these girls might be able to help her.

"You're looking kinda tired," observed Lorena at seeing Kate's strained smile and the shaking in her arms. "After all you've been through, you can tell us to go and let you rest."

"I'm fine," insisted Kate who didn't want her friends to leave. "Alright, I'm exhausted," she admitted, "give me five more minutes."

"Five minutes then you go and sleep, alright?"

"You okay for five minutes?" she asked Amy who nodded. "Deal."

For the remaining five minutes, the four talkative girls chatted about the others from the school and what they were doing, explaining to Amy about the town and what she'd need to go and see once she was strong enough. About seven minutes later, Lorena insisted they should leave and, having left Amy with the key to lock herself in the bedroom, Kate saw her friends to the front door.

"Do you want to see us tomorrow?" asked Gwen as they stood on the doorstep.

"Of course. I just think, for Amy's sake, it might be better one at a time."

"That's a good idea," agreed Lorena. "We'll work out a schedule so you get at least one visitor every day."

"You girls are the best," said Kate going for a group hug.

"Alright, someone'll see you tomorrow," said Lorena before trying to get the others to leave to give Kate some rest.

"I need a word with you," said Kate to Maria. "You two can go."

"Rest up," said Lorena.

"See you soon," added Gwen as the two headed off.

"You have a crush on Amy," accused Kate once they were alone.

"Yeah," admitted Maria.

"You know you can't do anything about that, right?"

"Of course I know that. After all you've been through, I'd be a monster to try and romance her. I do like her and if there's ever a day when she's strong enough to think of love, I'll tell her, but until then, all I want is to be there for her, same as you."

"So long as that's clear," said the protective sister. "She needs kindness more than love right now and I know you'll be really good for her recovery."

"Thanks, now go and rest."

"Will do. Now catch up with Lorena and Gwen, don't walk alone," she said earnestly.

"See you soon," said Maria as she turned and jogged after her other friends.

Having watched Maria until she was out of sight, Kate shut the door, locked it and turned towards the stairs but couldn't move. The empty hall in front of her seemed so much bigger than it ever had, the doorways and shadows seemed threatening and her skin was crawling as if there was someone behind her but she couldn't turn round to see she was alone. "Mom!" she cried. After a clatter from her mother's sewing room at the back of the house, a symbol of safety appeared in the hall at speed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing her daughter alone and distraught, tears streaming down her face and shaking uncontrollably.

Kate ran for safety, throwing her arms around her mother and sobbing into her shoulder.

"It's okay," cooed her mother, "I've got you, you're totally safe." She held her daughter tight and stroked her hair, soothing her worries. "What happened?" she asked after Kate had calmed down a little.

"I don't know," said Kate as she managed to stand up and look at her mother. "I was alone and I panicked."

"It's alright. After all you've been through, it's understandable. You know," she said, wiping away her baby girl's tears, "you don't have to act strong for us. Dad and I can be your strength."

"But I have to be strong for Amy," protested Kate. "She needs me."

"I know, but you can lean on us too."

"Thanks mom," said Kate with a hug. "Can you take me upstairs?"

"Do you want to hold my hand?" asked Jessica.

"I'm not a baby," chuckled Kate but took her mother's hand anyway and walked upstairs with her.

"I'm right downstairs if you need me, just shout and I'll come running," reminded her mother.

"Thanks," said Kate one final time before letting go of her and knocking on her bedroom door. "It's me and mom, she's not coming in."

After a few seconds, they heard the key turn and waited a few more for Amy to retreat, as agreed, before Kate entered. Amy was standing in the far corner and stayed there until the door was closed and locked. A locked door had been their tormentor for months but, when you hold the key, a locked door can be a great comfort.

"You did really well."

"You've been crying," accused Amy, advancing on her sister.

"I panicked a bit in the hall," admitted Kate. "I'm fine now, it was just because I was alone."

"Don't pretend you're alright when you're not, I can support you too."

"I panicked a lot in the hall," she said truthfully. "So long as someone I trust is there, I'll be fine."

"Alright," conceded Amy.

"Sorry about my friends coming here so soon. I had planned on introducing them at some point later on when we were both stronger."

"I know you wanted to see them."

"What did you think of them?"

"They… seem nice."

"Glad you liked them. They're going to keep visiting but only one a time to make it easier for you." She could see the relief in her sister's face. "I know you'll be great friends before long."

"I… want that too," agreed Amy. She'd lost her friends when her parents had been killed and she'd been moved around foster homes. Now, after so much suffering, she had the chance of a family and friends again. This was the recovery her angel wanted from her.


Over the coming weeks, the two survivor's recovery progressed well. They kept themselves occupied with Kate helping her mother and teaching Amy the basics so she could help out too. This exposure also helped her become a little more comfortable around the woman who had taken her in and, though she still called her Jessica instead of mom, she felt that she may be able to, one day.

Maria, Lorena and Gwen kept up their frequent visits, though keeping them short so as not to overwhelm Amy or tire them both out. The three had been very helpful for Amy who could now converse with each them without fear, but she would always stick close to Kate and didn't want to be left alone with anyone. Almost a month after her freedom, the first exception to that was Maria, who Amy had found to be the kindest of the group and the one most attuned to her emotions and seemed to know exactly where her limits were. When Kate had needed to go and help her mother with something, Amy had decided to stay in their room with only Maria and, although she was afraid, her friend had managed to put her at ease. Following this, Maria was the first Amy would go to and a week after, when her fellow blonde had been talking about hairstyles, she had asked if she wanted to style hers, having complimented her long hair previously. With a great deal of apprehension and perhaps regretting taking this step, Amy sat in front of the mirror with Kate next to her for support as Maria carefully styled her crush's hair, combing it out and trying out various positions of pony-tails and plaits, ensure she was coping all the way.

Their appetites had begun to regrow as well and, come a month after their rescue, both were now approaching a healthy weight again. With their appetites returning, it also meant they had more energy and, as Amy hadn't wanted to leave, they had spent their freedom indoors and it was now feeling somewhat stifling. Six weeks after being freed, Amy was feeling restless at being indoors and Kate was nearly bouncing of the walls trying to burn off all her extra energy after five months of exhaustion. It was decided it was time for them to go outside and, with their parents as a front and rear guard, the two left their home. For this first foray they were only walking up the road and back again to see how they would cope. Kate was a little nervous but coped well as it was her home and her street that she'd known all her life while Amy was scared and walked half behind her sister, clinging to her arm with one hand and grasping the back of her dress with the other, but otherwise managed without issue.

From there, the two got more exposure of being outdoors and around strangers with short forays into the world, be it accompanying their mother for groceries, going to visit their father and Lorena at work or visiting their friends' houses. Today, however, was the biggest test yet, they were going to the market with their friends. They were going early so there wouldn't be much in the way of a crowd, but it would be by far the most people they'd been exposed to. Kate was scared initially but, upon seeing all the stalls and the traders she'd known since she was a kid, she quickly reacclimatised. Amy could barely be classed as coping, she clung to her sister and peered over her shoulder or buried her face in it, but she refused to give up and went along with them. Maria, Lorena and Gwen spent most of their time making sure they were forming a barrier to stop anyone from touching either of them as even a light, accidental brush in passing would have Amy freezing.

They had been looking over the stalls for a little while and the crowd was starting to grow so it was decided it was time to leave. Only Maria had bought anything, a necklace she had saw and loved, but the first task of this trip had been achieved, now it was the second part. The girls walked Kate and Amy as far as two streets from their home and stopped at the junction.

"Are you sure of this?" asked Maria, looking to Amy who was clearly still scared.

"We can do it," stated Kate with confidence. "It's only two street away, we can do it."

"We'll stay here, just yell and we'll come running," assured Lorena.

"They'll be fine," insisted Gwen.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," repeated Kate as she turned towards home. The street she'd known was still the same, there was no threat here. She'd be fine. "Can you walk beside me?" she asked Amy who was still clinging to her back.

Amy wordlessly moved out to stand beside her, but still holding onto her arm.

"We'll see you girls tomorrow," said Kate as she took her first step towards home. "See?" She said to Amy. "The next left and we'll can see our house, no problems." Her own heart was racing but she needed to stay strong for Amy who was looking around, clearly looking for threats.

They had turned the corner when Amy's roving eyes, seeing everything as a possible threat, saw a face in the shadows that she knew could never be one. "This way," she ordered pulling Kate towards an alleyway between two houses.

Retreating down the ally, Beruka knew she had been spotted and was tempted to leave but remembered Camilla's words saying she should befriend them since she's so concerned about them. She wanted that too, she wanted to be able to talk with them and make sure they were doing alright without having to lip-read from the shadows, so she waited.

"Angel!" declared Amy at having caught up.

"It is you," said Kate. "I didn't think we'd ever get to see you again."

"I had not intended you to," clarified Beruka. "I'm glad to see you are doing so well. You look much healthier."

"Did you come to check up on us?" asked Amy.

"I have visited a few times to ensure your wellbeing."

"You have? Why didn't you come and see us?"

"I did not want to intrude on your lives," admitted Beruka who had feared her presence would only serve to remind them of how they met.

"We only have them thanks to you," pointed out Kate. "You have every right to intrude."

"We want you to, we want to know the angel that saved us."

"Why do you call me angel?" asked Beruka, quietly glad she was welcome in their lives.

"Our guardian angel," explained Amy.

"And you never told us your name," added Kate.

Beruka thought for a little as her attachment to these girls won over her profession detachment. "My name is Beruka."

"Um, would you like to come home with us? Mom really wants to meet you too and thank you. We could have tea?" Kate suggested.

"Very well," accepted Beruka.

"Come on," insisted Amy, taking Beruka's hand and leading her to their home.

Kate, astonished that Amy had let go of her, followed on, glad there was someone else in the world that her sister trusted implicitly.

"Mom," called Kate as they arrived back.

Jessica darted through from her workshop to check on her girls and found a third standing in her hall. "Were you alright?" she asked of her two girls.

"We coped," said Kate.

"I was scared the whole time, but I stayed," admitted Amy.

"And this is Beruka," explained Kate seeing her mother's concern, "our guardian angel."

Jessica dropped to her knees before the petite woman and took both her hands. "Thank you, thank you for bringing my baby back to me."

"I would never have left them there," stated Beruka, unsure why she was kneeling.

"We don't have much but is there anything I can give you or do for you as thanks?"

"I do not need anything."

"I'm a dressmaker, I could make you something?"

Seeing the woman felt indebted and would not be at ease until she had been able to do something for her, Beruka relented. "May I have some tea?"

"O-of course," stammered Jessica. "I'll go and put the kettle on. Girls, please take her into the living room."

As their mother ran off, likely to look out the good china, Kate and Amy led their angel into the living room.

"Have the chair," suggested Kate gesturing to the comfy chair rather than their old sofa.

"Thank you."

"Have you really been coming to check up on us?" asked Amy.

"This is my fourth visit," admitted Beruka.

"The day after you saved us," began Amy, "the magistrate was found dead after a mugging. One of the men who… who… he said he was a magistrate and that's why we'd never be free. Did you kill him?" She'd wanted to know the answer to this thought since she'd heard of his death.

"I did," admitted Beruka. "For someone in a position of power to use that position to commit such horrific acts was not someone I could allow to live. I'm working my way through the rest on the list of 'clients'," she added with venom on the last word.

"Not just out guardian angel, but our angel of vengeance," said Amy with glee.

"It's good to know those monsters aren't still free and… tormenting other girls," added Kate more sombrely and a little concerned at how excited Amy was about it.

Beruka could see that while both girls had come on so far, neither could casually say aloud anything about what happened to them.

"I've a question I want to ask too," continued Kate. "You said you were sent to kill the two monsters who took us and didn't know we were there. Why?"

Beruka looked at the floor, unsure if she could or should tell them, Lady Camilla hadn't forbidden her from talking about the mission in general, only that Jenny should never know of Kate of and Amy. "They were the parents of a maid who works for my employer. My employer had recently grown close to her and learned that they had worked her as a prostitute from the age of twelve until she ran away at fifteen." She could see the shock on the girls faces.

"They did that to their own daughter?" questioned Kate, utterly horrified that parents could ever do such a thing.

"Is she okay?" asked Amy.

"She is safe with my employer," confirmed Beruka. "Safe and happy."

"Can we meet her?"

"She does not know about you, all she was told of my mission was that her parents are dead."

"Why not?" questioned Kate, wondering why their existence would be denied.

"Because she would blame herself for you being taken."

"How could that ever be her fault?" questioned Amy, angry at the mere suggestion. Kate took her hand to calm her.

"My employer believes that if she were to find out about you, she would wish she had remained enslaved to them to spare your suffering. The guilt towards your suffering that her freedom caused would hurt her for all her life."

"I… I understand," conceded Amy.

"Me too," added Kate. "If she ever does finds out about us, please make it clear she has no blame at all in this."

"I will."

Having been waiting on the other side of the door for this rather dark conversation to end, Jessica came in with a tray containing the teapot and four of her best cups along with a small selection of baked treats that she'd thankfully had. "Here we are."

The four women talked for a while, though it was mostly Beruka happily listening as the others talked about the girls' lives. She was glad to be able to sit here and speak with them as her brief observations of them could never give her all she wanted to know.


It was almost two hours later when Beruka was preparing to leave for her long flight back home but there was something she had to leave first. "I would like to leave you my address," she said to the mother and daughters.

"Of course, let me grab my address book," said Jessica as she darted out to receive it.

"If anything ever happens to you," explained Beruka as she took the book and the pencil, "I want you to contact me immediately and I'll be here as soon as possible."

"That's very kind of you," said Jessica, noting that the address was a town far to the north.

"Use the fastest messenger service you can, I'll pay for it on receipt."

"You really are our guardian angel," observed Kate.

"Can we write to you even if it isn't an emergency?" asked Amy.

"Of course, but I plan to continue visiting regularly so you don't need to spend money on postage." The delighted smiles on the girls faces at this news brought out one of her own.

"It's a long flight for you isn't it?" asked Jessica and got a nod. "Then stay for longer, we'll gladly put you up for a few nights."

"Very well," accepted Beruka, her heart beating faster at such kindness. It was a tiring event to check up on the girls as it took a full winter's day to fly each way. "I shall send a letter if I plan to visit but the weather will play a factor in when I can come."

"Don't risk flying in bad weather just to see us," insisted Kate.

"I won't," assured Beruka, feeling a warm glow that they worry about her too. She picked up her things and the pack of treats Jessica has prepared for her journey, before all three escorted her to the door. As she turned to say her goodbyes, Amy clamped her arms around her.

"Fly safe," she said quietly at her angel's departure.

"And we look forward to seeing you again," added Kate joining the hug.

"Me too," said Beruka softly.

"Once again, thank you for everything you've done for us," said Jessica. "You're welcome any time."

"Thank you. Goodbye." She opened the door and headed off to where she'd left her wyvern, ready for the long, lonely flight home.


Since receiving the news of her parents' deaths, Jenny had been feeling freer and happier than ever before in her life. This had been noticed by her friends and fellow maids but they attributed it to her friendship with Camilla, the full nature of which was not a secret. During these weeks of great happiness, a little niggle had appeared at the back of her mind and it had been growing, eroding her happiness as it did so. She'd been having bad dreams that had now evolved into nightmares, of herself and other, faceless girls being held by her parents. She knew the cause of this, she'd been trying to deny it all this time, but she couldn't, only the truth could end this. It was over two months after gladly becoming an orphan that she confronted Camilla in the living room.

"All finished work?" asked Camilla she entered, hoping for an enjoyable evening with her.

"I need to know the truth," declared Jenny and could see the immediate worry on Camilla. "I asked if my parents took anyone else and you said no. You lied, didn't you?"

Camilla stood and took both of Jenny's hand in her own. "Only to spare you," she confessed.

"They did take someone," clarified Jenny, feeling herself beginning to crumble as the truth hit her.

"After Beruka did the deed, she found two girls chained in the basement," said Camilla, knowing how much this would hurt her.

Jenny's chest felt so tight, so tight she was struggling to breath as her vision blurring with the tears in her eyes. "I did that to them," she gasped.

"No!" roared Camilla, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her upright to look her in the eyes, the shock snapping Jenny out of her crippling anxiety. "You are not to blame for anything those monsters did, not to you and not to the two girls." She then held Jenny in close, holding her tenderly. "You are innocent, you're such a wonderful girl and you are not responsible for any of it. I'm not letting you go until you realise that."

Jenny didn't want to be let go, she clung to Camilla as she gently cried at the horror of the truth.

"Let it out," encouraged Camilla. "They're safe now, they're recovering well."

"That's where Beruka keeps going, isn't it?" asked Jenny, looking up. She hadn't known Beruka to take leave like that until after that mission.

"It is," confirmed Camilla, wiping away Jenny's tears. "She's very protective of those two, I think she's loves them like her little sisters."

"Do they know about me?"

"Beruka told them on her last visit."

"Would they want to meet me?"

Camilla smiled to try and cheer up her red-eyed friend. "They do. They also told Beruka to tell you that none of what happened to them is your fault. They see you as a victim and a survivor, the same as them."

"Can… can Beruka arrange for us to meet?"

"I'm sure she'll be delighted to. May I ask why you want to meet them?"

Truthfully, she knew it was mainly to apologise for her parents, but she knew she couldn't say that. "To make sure they're doing alright. We've been through the same thing, I guess I feel like we're supposed to be friends."

"Well, everything I've heard of them from Beruka would suggest you'll get on famously. May I come with you?"

"Yes please. I wouldn't want to go without you," admitted Jenny.

"I'll always be by your side when need me," promised Camilla as she leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "Now, I say we make ourselves a nice snack. How does that sound?" she suggested as a method to keep Jenny's mind off those thoughts. She had been thinking about asking for sex tonight but that was out of the question now.

Camilla made sure to keep Jenny's mind occupied that evening. She gathered up Beruka, Severa and Liv to keep the evening lively with more conversation, some games and, of course, heaping attention on Liv. She was a year old now and had taken her first teetering steps unsupported last month when her father had arrived unexpectedly and she had gone to walk to him, so there was a lot of time spent encouraging her to practise. Beyond the handful of words she could now say, she would babble along with conversations, doing her best to copy the speaker and often distracting them with her cuteness as she did so. Time spent with friends and an adorable child is a very good way to lift the spirits.


Camilla drafted a letter the following day to ask Kate and Amy if they would accept their visit and suggested a date for it, signing it merely 'Beruka's employer'. She received a reply two days later, paying on receipt due to using an expensive express messenger service, saying they would be delighted to receive them.

As Jenny had only been for short flights with Camilla before, they decided doing the full ten hours in one go would be a bit much so left the day before and made frequent stops. The three spent the night in a hotel in a town that would leave only one hour flying to their meeting the next day.

Jenny was rather nervous about meeting them and wanted to make a good impression so had brought the nice, and expensive, dress Camilla had bought her on their first shopping trip together. She had bathed and dressed before Camilla applied a little make up for her. She was perfectly capable of doing it herself but she always found that having Camilla pamper her like that with her gentle touch and her warm breathe so close was very relaxing, she had once fallen asleep when they were preparing to go out dancing, and it was just what she needed to calm her down before the last leg of the journey.

On arrival at the livery yard Beruka used on her visits, Camilla first sorted Jenny's hair before changing out of her armour, which she has to wear to fly any great distance due to the sitting position causing strain on her back and it needed the help, and into the cute purple dress and low heels she'd brought. With Camilla changed and her hair sorted, Beruka led them to their destination with Camilla chatting the whole way to keep Jenny's mood up.

As they arrived at the house and Beruka made to knock, Camilla took Jenny's hand. "You'll be alright. I'm here," she said softly and felt Jenny squeezing her hand.

After a few seconds, footsteps and then the key turning could be heard before the door opened to reveal Kate and Amy, both wearing cute dresses having clearly thought the same as Jenny about making a good impression, with their parents standing a few paces behind them, clearly letting them take the lead in meeting their fellow survivor.

"Welcome," said Kate, taking in Beruka, the girl about the same age as her and Amy who was presumably Jenny and the stunning goddess of a woman behind them both who was easily six feet tall and who's short sleeved dress showed off how muscular she was.

"This is Kate and Amy," introduced Beruka. "Kate, Amy, this is Jenny and our employer, Cammy." Camilla had wanted to hide her identity so had adopted the nickname Selkie had often used for her before being told to call her mom.

"It's really nice to meet you both," said Kate, pulling her eyes away from the goddess. "Please come in."

"These are their parents Jessica and Roger," continued Beruka as they entered.

"Pleased to meet you," said Jessica with a curtsy. She wasn't sure why, but Cammy seemed like a woman that should be shown respect. She also had trouble not checking her out as her body was perfection and there was a strong urge to touch her.

"It's an honour to have you here," added Roger, bowing and having the same struggle as his wife, each knowing the other was as into her as they were. Such thoughts are not for this setting of course, so they were put aside.

"A pleasure," assured Camilla, aware of the eyes upon her. "We've brought some treats from a splendid bakery near our home."

"That is very kind," gushed Jessica, aware she wasn't hiding her attraction well. "We have some things prepared too. Please let me go and-"

"Nonsense, I'll give you a hand," cut in Camilla. "Let's leave the little ones to talk."

With the three adults gone, the three children and Beruka, an adult but slightly smaller than the teenagers, stood in slightly awkward silence.

"Beruka told me about you," said Jenny. "I'm glad to see you're looking so well after… after it all."

"You too, you look great," replied Kate, glad there was a topic filling the silence. "I love your short hair, it's really cute."

"Thanks, Camilla says the same," said Jenny, running a hand through her pixie cut and failing to see Beruka trying to warn her non-verbally about using the wrong name. "I'm really sorry abo-"

"No!" barked Amy. "Don't you dare apologise for what your parents did."

"I know but… but if I hadn't ran away then…"

"Are you okay with hugging?" asked Kate.

"Yes," replied Jenny who found herself enveloped in Kate's arms.

"You did nothing wrong, even if you hadn't saved yourself, they may have taken us or other girls anyway," added Amy, unable to hug her but placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm still sorry as human being for what you had to go through," affirmed Jenny as Kate let her go.

"You went through worse," retorted Amy.

"No I didn't, I was never kept locked up like you or starved."

"But it was your parents doing the same awful things to you. The two people on earth who are meant to love you more than anyone and protect you from harm were the ones hurting you all your life. That's much worse than our few months."

"I'd never thought of it like that," admitted Jenny. "Anyway, I'm sure well agree they were monsters and deserved to die."

"Agreed," answered Kate and Amy in unison.

"I'm so glad I had sex with Camilla," said Jenny, about to continue to explain how she got the chance to have them killed.

"You what?" blurted out Kate.

"Did you want it?" questioned Amy who couldn't believe anyone who'd suffered as they had would ever want that torture again.

"I did, I really did. She was the first person I was ever aroused by, the first I started thinking about like that and the first I knew I wanted to be with her."

"You want it?" continued Amy.

"I know how you feel about it," assured Jenny. "That sex is some awful thing that you hope to never experience again. That's what I felt before Camilla but someday you'll meet someone you really like and you'll want to be close with them, touch them, hold them, make love to them. When you want it and they want it, it's the most amazing thing ever." Neither looked very convinced at this possibility. "You hated every orgasm and some awful man claiming that meant you wanted him all along, right?" she asked the two and got confirmation. "When it's something given by someone you love, who's showered you with affection and your body wants them and what they can give, an orgasm is the best feeling you'll ever have. It's pure, all-encompassing bliss."

"Really?" asked Kate.

"Yes. It often feels like I'm trapped when I'm with Camilla just because she's so big and strong but I like her so much that being trapped by her actually makes me feel safer. Just being in her arms makes the world go away," she said dreamily.

"Do you love her?" asked Kate.

"I think I do," admitted Jenny for the first time with a glance to Beruka who would likely tell Camilla all this. "We can't be a couple though, we have totally different standing standings in life, I'm a former slave and she's a princess." She was then puzzled by the anger in Beruka's expression and the shock on Kate and Amy.

"A what?" asked Kate.

Only now did she realise what she'd done. "I mean that, that she's just so much, um, better, you know?"

"She is Princess Camilla of Nohr," clarified Beruka, knowing there was no way out. "I am her retainer and Jenny is a maid at her country mansion."

"You work for the princess?" questioned Kate of Beruka, her excitement rising.

"Yes. We were not supposed to tell you who she was though," she said with an eye to the embarrassed maid.

"Please don't tell her I love her, I know it's so inappropriate."

"I won't tell her," promised Beruka and saw the relief. "You should tell her."

"I can't, she's a princess and…" she then wondered why Beruka would encourage her to do that. Beruka certainly wouldn't be trying to make a fool of her. "Does she like me?"

"I… I am not good at reading people's emotions, but her affection for you is clear, even to me."

"If you like her, tell her," encourage Kate thinking about what she knew of romance from her parents and books. "The uncertainty is the always said to be worse than rejection."

Amy had been quiet as she was still struggling with Jenny's assertion that, one day, she may want sex with someone she likes. Kate's last words also made her realise that she was being cruel to someone who liked her and she needed to talk with her.

"What was I saying?" asked Jenny. "Oh, I was glad I sex with her because it was that that let her figure out I had something bad in my past and when I told her, she offered to have my parents killed which led Beruka to you."

"So sex saved us," chuckled Kate at the irony.

"Beruka saved you," said Jenny, moments ahead of Amy.

"I hope you're right," said Amy, "that we can still love."

"I know you will," assured Jenny. "It just takes time and finding someone special. If you ever want to talk to someone who's been through the same thing, please feel free to write to me."

"I knew we'd like you," said Kate going for another hug.

"I'm glad to have met you," added Amy, keeping her distance.

"Let's help the adults prepare," suggested Kate and led them through.


Having left the little ones to talk, Roger, Jessica and Camilla had gone to prepare some drinks and snacks for them. They'd talked about their girls as they had done so but, when Camilla had gone to place a tray of snacks on the living room table, Roger pulled Jessica away from the door.

"I think that's Princess Camilla," he hissed.

"What?" she squeaked. "How do you know?"

"Remember? I saw her once and you don't forget a body like that."

"Oh, don't you?" questioned Camilla from the door.

"I didn't, um…" he began but couldn't continue in the aura of authority that was emanating Camilla as she stood tall with her arms folded, observing them.

"Well, no use denying," she admitted with a smile at seeing them both so worried. "I am, Beruka is my retainer."

"We're so sorry for our conduct, milady," began Jessica with another curtsy.

"It's fine, I assure you. I am here to support Jenny, I am nothing but her friend today."

There was giggling at the understatement of their relationship from behind from Kate and Jenny behind her but the girls felt it would be better not to make the reason known.

"Can we help?" asked Kate.

With seven people, everything was taken through swiftly and they settled in the living room to talk. With Camilla's true self being known, there was a lot of questions about her she tried her best to make the day about the girls.

Later in the day, Maria, Lorena and Gwen arrived, as arranged, to meet them and to thank them for returning their best friend and giving them a new friend.


Camilla, Beruka and Jenny left shortly before dinner time, feeling that would too much of an imposition and flew back to the hotel they'd stayed at the previous night, ready for the journey tomorrow. Lorena and Gwen had to go home for dinner but Maria's parents were away for the day so she stayed for dinner then went up to Kate and Amy's room with them.

It had only been about twenty minutes since dinner, during which they'd talked mainly about Camilla and Jenny, when Kate was already feeling a little thirsty. "I'm going to get some juice, you coming?"

"Actually, we could stay here, if that's alright?" asked Amy.

"Sure, back in a bit."

"I'm glad you're so comfortable with me," said Maria, who'd immediately sat cross-legged with her arms folded in her lap, a position she believed the least threatening as it requires a few seconds to get up from.

"Do you have a crush on me?" asked Amy, deciding to end Maria's uncertainty.

"I do," she admitted. "I would never act on it, I know you wouldn't want that."

"Well, Jenny said that, given time, I'll probably find someone I like and want to do things with."

Maria just sat listening.

"I really can't even think about dating or… or more than that but if there's ever a point where I do want to date and you still like me and you're single, I'll ask you out."

"Do you even like girls?" asked Maria, feeling Amy was just trying to say something nice for her.

"I don't know," admitted Amy, "but we could find out? You… you mean more to me than Lorena and Gwen."

"I would love to take you on a date, when you're ready," confirmed Maria.

"Don't wait for me though," insisted Amy. "You're amazing and so pretty so I'm sure you'll easily find a girl you really like who likes you back. Don't ignore her because there's a chance I might ever want to date."

"Understood. I really do like you."

As she tried to marshal her courage, Amy took a series of progressively deeper breathes. "I want a hug," she demanded, pushing herself up from the cushion on the floor to stand on her knees with her arms out ready.

Maria uncrossed her legs and got up, shuffling forward on her knees and carefully moved into Amy, making sure to take it slowly and trying to keep contact to a minimum. As she placed her arms around her, the tension in her crush's body was evident but she hugged her back, holding surprisingly tight.

"I like you too," whispered Amy. "I just don't know how much." It would be a long time before it became clear.

...

Author's note: I know this was a huge departure from anything that's came before, even in the plot focused chapters, so I hope it didn't cause any discomfort. Chapter 25 started with the thought of wanting Camilla and Severa to hook up, everything else, including Jenny and her backstory, was made during dreams and day-dreams with the dark ending of Beruka's mission growing to the point of being it's own chapter. I hope I've done justice to the girls and what they've suffered. We will be back to check on them in a later chapter.