Flashback
She wasn't. Ready that is. Psyche stared up at the imposing faces of the village elders who seemed to sniff at her disapprovingly. 'No wonder', she thought as three days in the dried-up well that served as prison and punishment for the small community wasn't likely to leave anyone smelling of roses. Psyche smiled guilelessly up at her tribunal and more than one townsperson watching had to look away. 'Serves them right' Psyche's mind whirled at the possibilities for her wrongdoings.
"Psyche of Ambrose, you are hereby declared guilty of heresy and witchcraft. Of reading banned texts provided you by the same devil who provided you the means to seduce the hard working men of Ambrose" Psyche was tempted to laugh as a murmur went through the crowd, but the elders weren't finished yet. "Further more, for pagan worship this tribunal charges you as a heretic for which the sentence shall be death by fire four days hence". She burst out, "Who would condemn me? You speak of my supposed misdeeds, yet where are your witnesses?" Her very father, one of the councilmen sat very still in his chair and crossed himself. Only Psyche knew he was not praying for her salvation, but for his. A father to thirteen children, half of them boys he was not worried for her loss, simply that the charge of witchcraft be dropped as it would cast a dark blemish upon the family and ruin many a ring-bearer's alliance with the familial clan.
Very well she considered manically. 'If I am a pagan for reading words on a scroll, so mote it be' she tried not to think of the fate that awaited her. The council considered her for a moment before one of the men stood up. Psyche recognized the brown robes and thin frame of the Christian high priest who proceeded to cite the instances during which his god had imparted to him on no uncertain terms that Psyche possessed evil powers. After a rather rushed accounting of a certain number of rushes being carried off by birds, and a several impressive sounding recitations in Latin, the priest ground his way into a stop, his malice for her formed of a dozen misogynies and mistranslations. Psyche caught her breath when she looked at the next person called forth to testify against her. Mithros help her, it was her own sister...
A/N Thanks to Batblover93 for reviewing! I know I should write longer chapters. Alas uni and work keeps that but a faint wish. I'll try to update more often though.