Chapter 1

Strained Will

Arianna straightened up from bending over the fireplace. Her back hurt, and she was covered in soot. As she rose to her feet, she placed her hand on the mantle and hauled herself upwards…

She hesitated. Wasn't her hand covered in…

Oh no. Please no. I just cleaned that!

As she lifted her hand she saw her black handprint against the pale mantle.

Soot took forever to scrub off of the pale granite. The surface was rough, unpolished, so dirt, dust, and anything else would wedge itself down in the crevices and refuse to budge. So much for supper. She had to work fast, because if Berwick saw this, he would certainly punish her.

His punishments usually ranged from verbal abuse to beatings. Since he practically owned them, he could do as he pleased. There was no way the guards would interfere in his business, and the Captain of the Skingrad guard from time to time would receive a rather large… "gift" in order for him to 'not see' the many petty crimes Berwick committed. Unruly behavior, starting fights, and occasionally theft.

Although her master was abusive, Arianna did not complain. There was really nothing she could do. She was bound for life; he could do with her as he pleased. Her silence was part of the reason Berwick had allowed her to live this long.

As Arianna ran to the kitchen, she wiped the soot off on her apron. It left a black smear across the fabric, but she paid no mind. Her clothes were already stained from all the work she did. As she burst through the wooden door, she narrowly missed colliding with Kitty.

"Hey! Ari! Watch out!"

Kitty was the only one who called her that, except when she was demanding something of her. To everyone else, she was 'girl'.

"Sorry! I got soot on the mantle; I need to get it off before Berwick comes home."

Kitty regained her balance and stepped sideways. "Then you had better get a move on. He'll be home any time now."

Arianna raced down the winding stairs, and tripped lightly into the kitchen. The cook barely saw her coming, she was in so fast and out again with a wet dishcloth gripped in her hand.

"Stupid girl! I need that!"

Arianna, however, was to the top of the stairwell before the cook had time for any other sort of reaction. Her feet carried her lightly across the floor and back to the fireplace, where she immediately began to scrub furiously. Most of the black stain came up, but the rest remained, a stubborn reminder that she would be in trouble.

The front door opened. She heard Berwick's voice yelling for Kitty.

Arianna scrubbed harder. She had to get it off.

Please come off! Only heaven knows what he'll do!

She took one last look at it right before Berwick burst into the room. The rather large Nord paused for a moment. For once, he was pretty sober.

"I thought I told ya to be outta sight when I came home. Go away girl, I'll punish ya later."

She gripped the cloth in her hand tightly and walked towards the door. Maybe he wouldn't see it…

She heard the shout as she stepped out the hall door.

God help me. She thought, squeezing her eyes shut. Here it came.

"Girl… Get back in here."

She slowly turned and went back inside, head bent downwards.

I could run. I'm faster than he.

But I must not.

I could fight. Maybe, just maybe…

No. I must remain obedient.

She glanced up for a fleeting moment and saw his dark angry eyes as he glared at her.

"Did you do this?"

She muttered "Yes."

"Speak up girl!"

"Yes sir! I did. I'll clean it up now."

"Oh, you'll do more than clean it." He took a few steps over to where she stood. By the fact that he could walk in a straight line told her he was sober. At least she had that on her side.

He stood right in front of her. "Why are ya s'damn stupid?! Didja just not think?! You're here to clean, not make messes."

"I'm sorry sir."

"SORRY DOESN'T FIX IT!" he seized her by the shoulders and shook her violently. He shoved her backwards, hard.

She tasted blood as she bit her tongue. Part of her wanted to fight back, but she knew she shouldn't. She must suffer in silence.

I must bear it.

"What value do ya have anyway? You're WORTHLESS! I could kill ya and nobody would care!"

He struck her across the face. Her cheek stung and burned with pain, but she did not cry. She did not even flinch.

Frustrated at her lack of reaction, he threw her easily to ground.

"YOU'LL CLEAN IT!" He roared. "YOU'LL CLEAN IT, AND YA WON'T GET ANY FOOD TODAY OR TOMORROW! YOU'LL CLEAN THE ENTIRE HOUSE BY YOURSELF!"

And saying that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Arianna sitting on the floor.

I must bear it.

She climbed wearily to her feet and once again began to scrub.

I must bear it.



When Arianna finally finished, she returned to her room only to find Kitty not there. She prepared herself for bed, and sat up to wait for her. Berwick was worse to Kitty than he was to Arianna. He harassed her, sometimes in very inappropriate ways. As much as Arianna feared the idea, she wished it was her instead of Kitty who had to deal with the torment. Kitty was a sister to her, and when she was hurt, Arianna was hurt too.

Arianna opened up the book she was reading. The Art of War Magic. She hoped that by reading it, she could improve her use of magic for things that were actually useful.

The door creaked open, and Arianna looked up. There stood Kitty, very frazzled. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were torn, and she was covered in bruises.

"Ari, I…" and Kitty broke down crying. Arianna ran to her, guiding her to sit on her bed and stroked her hair.

"Kitty, what did he do to you?" She asked, her stomach twisting. But she already full well knew.

"Oh Ari, he… well, I don't know how to explain… it happened so fast, he was so angry…" she broke back down into sobs.

Arianna pulled her close as Kitty sobbed into her shoulder. Seeing her friend like this was almost too much to bear.

"Kitty, he won't come in here. You're safe for now. He won't touch you. Kitty, I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I'm the one who made him angry…" her stomach twisted tighter and tighter, guilt flooding her soul.

They sat there for a while until Kitty finally cried herself dry, at which point Arianna laid her down on the bed and covered her with the covers. Kitty was asleep within seconds.

As she turned back to her bed, she threw one last glance at the poor wretched girl. She had it rough. Serving Berwick had aged both of them beyond their years. Arianna was twenty, Kitty nineteen. But they had both been put through things by Berwick that the average forty-year-old had not encountered in their lifetime.

She did not sleep that night. She once again sat, staring out the window. She could not cry though. She just sat there, looking out at the empty street.

I must bear it.

I must bear it.

She looked at Kitty, sleeping. Though bruised and worn, she looked peaceful in sleep. She thought of Berwick, how cruel he was to Kitty and wished desperately it was her in Kitty's stead.

Or should I?