Mystic: Hilda has a dark side, and I like writing it.

Coffee, Tea, Or...?

Regent Cid did not sleep very well. He spent half of the night either tossing and turning in his bed, or pacing the floor outside his chambers. His curious side wanted to demand a search of the sorcerer's quarters, but his cautious side feared that each belonging burned with magic that would leave an innocent servant in the infirmary. Maybe visit Hilda...?

...No.

Just, no. Going to her chambers would likely end with a slap to his face or hot cup of tea down his lap. If she was even there ...no, stop. Cid did not, did not want to entertain the possibility that his wife -well, kinda wife- might be out and about with the plague doctor. The citizens relied on her; he relied on her. The regent suddenly felt very nauseaus. "A whore accompanied him," Artania had said.

After the pub incident, Lady Hilda placed a ban on prostitution in the city districts. Men, pimps, and madams faced arrest and heavy financial fines, while the women themselves traveled to a convent for rehabilitation and counseling. The written edict was heavily ignored, as sex for sale went underground in Lindblum. When Cid questioned his trusted advisor on the whore's appearance, all Artania said was, "Blonde. Pretty."

Visitors from all over the continent described Hilda as a 'pretty blonde'. She was his pride so many years ago.

Groggy, sleep-deprived, stressed to the point of suffering a stroke, Regent Cid stumbled into the dining hall for the morning meal. Sitting calmly near the end, legs crossed and hair brushed, sat Lady Hilda. Beside her sat that man, laid back in his chair with his arm over his eyes. He mumbled something along the lines of, "...too early and better coffee..." Hilda chuckled lightly, gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.

It had been months since Cid saw his wife with her hair down, the strands cascading over her shoulders. He plopped down in his chair at the head of the table, poured himself a mug of hot coffee. "Where were you, Hilda?"

"Oh, good morning to you too, sugar cup." She glared at him, baiting him.

Kuja muttered, "Yes, it is." He reached for his cup of coffee. "I don't know about you, regent, but I slept beautifully last night. Never before have I awakened so refreshed."

"Hilda," said Cid. "Please tell me where you were." A pit of dread settled in his stomach.

Her grin turned dark. "Out."

"Did you have an escort?"

"Of course I did." Green eyes flickered toward the silver-haired mage sipping his tea.

Dread turned to anxiety. "What were you doing?"

If Hilda's smile was dark and grim, then Kuja's went down the rabbit hole and emerged from the other side. "Once again, sir." The sorcerer had the amazing ability to make a title of respect sound like an insult to the male genitalia. "I do believe that is between myself and the lovely Lady Hilda."

Regent Cid abruptly stood, hands slamming down on the table. "I told you -!"

The mages were on their feet just as quickly; Kuja's palm outstretched and sparking with a thunder spell, but Hilda grabbed his fingers to neutralize the chant. "I'm not your wife, Cid!"

"You are until the judges declare otherwise!"

Kuja blinked. Every lantern in the room shattered, glass raining down on the floor and furniture. He wrenched free from Hilda's grip. "Raise your voice to her again, regent. I dare you."

Unless a person trained in the magical arts, they'd miss the black eyes of the blood mage. Or ...unless the blood mage specifically meant for the victim to see it. Cid recoiled in his chair when not one, but two pairs of black eyes stared at him. "Hilda, please," he said, voice much quieter. "You are still a part of this household."

"And I can destroy this household with one snap of my fingers. You realize that, do you not?" The air in the room stank of powerful magic, heavy on the heart, crushing on the soul. "Are you so jealous that I spent my night with Kuja, caught up in his arms and writhing in his bed?" Cid gripped the armrests so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Hilda, " he choked. "How could you?"

"How could I?" she teased. "How could I? I could have been a courtesan, Cid; lived a life in comfort and luxury; been a mother to a few illegitimate children, but instead, I married you. You, Cid, a man incapable of fathering children. Your seed is rot!"

At her final word, the lanterns burst high with orange flame. Even Kuja stood back in amazement, then wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well-played, lady, but could you tone it down a touch? The guards will blame me for this."

"So destroy them," she said without hesitation. "Let the regency fall."

"Hilda!" pleaded Cid.

"And here's your evidence." She all but threw him the parchment scroll. "If I had known that you'd want our union annulled, I'd have stayed with him and let you remain a wart-covered toad." Another blink, and her eyes returned to their usual color. "Do not search for me. Ever."

Cid glanced back and forth between the mages, breathed hard. "And Eiko? What of her?"

"She stays with me, her mother."

"Where?"

"That's no longer your concern. I'm not your wife."

Kuja chuckled, grim and amused. His eyes back to their lighter hue. "This entire scene will make a grand opera, don't you think? And the only happy endings are the ones in bed." His laugh grew louder, a bit maniacal; he started to sound like his old self from previous years. "Are we to go out among the people again and save some lives?"

"No." Hilda tossed back her hair, and Cid saw every single bruise along her neck.

"No?" Kuja asked, hardly surprised. "You wish to turn your back on the people and let the black death swarm the streets?"

Her smile was the opposite of happy and pure. "Precisely, and tonight, like last night, I shall have my back turned to you." She caressed his cheek, then left the dining hall in uncomfortable silence.

Cid nearly lost all the contents of his stomach. "You corrupted her, sorcerer."

"Hardly." Kuja finished the remains of his morning beverage. "You corrupted her; I just took advantage of it and made it better."

Not completely heartless to the plight of the people, Lady Hilda did stop by the servant quarters to check in on Freema. The maid still rested in bed, but sat upright with a book on her lap. A mug of warm tea nestled in her palms. "Hello, milady," she grinned. "Catherine and Billie told me all about your fun yesterday evening."

Hilda returned the smile, moved to sit on the corner of the bed. "You look well, Freema." Slightly pale, with dark circles under her eyes, but better than expected.

"I feel well. A bit fatigued, but well."

"That's very good."

Behind her drink, Freema arched an eyebrow. "So, tell me about the sorcerer. And don't leave out a single detail."

"That's part of the reason I'm here, Freema. You, along with Billie and Catherine, have served me loyally for many years." Hilda reached out to touch the girl's hand. "I wish to grant you ladies freedom."

"Yes, yes; that's very nice, but I want to hear about the sorcerer."

"Freema!" Hilda attempted to scold her, but she burst into an immature giggle. "Alright, let me find the other two and we shall sit down together for some girl talk."

Freema beamed. "Brillliant."

" ...and that's what he has beneath his codpiece." The three maidens giggled like schoolgirls who first saw the word 'penis' carved in a desk. Well, except Catherine, who laughed the loudest and almost squirted water from her nose. She grew up seeing not just words for certain body parts, but crudely drawn pictures.

"Is it pierced?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Hilda nearly fell out of her chair. They were all crowded in Freema's chambers, discussing things no proper woman ever wanted to think about. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Is it pierced?"

Billie sometimes wondered about her friend and fellow servant. "You can pierce that?"

"Duh! In ye olden days, many men of magic pierced their genitals." Catherine spoke very calmly, with an air of professionalism. "It's supposed to increase their prowess, or, so my mother said."

"No, he ... it's not."

"Has he thought about it?"

"Kuja never discussed that." Girl talk was quickly making its way down the gutter to set up a shop that charged fifty gil for a kiss. "Listen, ladies; you three are young and smart, and I'd rather not see you waste your remaining years in these palace walls. Freema, I know you have magic in you, white magic. There's an academy nearby; I can pay your tuition if you like."

The girl smiled. "Many of my ancestors were mages."

"I'll write your mother -"

"Please don't." Freema's smile disappeared quickly. "This senator of yours, is he hiring?"

Catherine choked on her drink. "I thought you must be a trained mage."

"You do," said Hilda. "Freema, just wait a minute."

"You said he arranges good marriages, did you not?"

"In exchange for your virtue."

Billie mumbled, "High price."

"My virtue was stolen from me a long time ago." Freema dropped her gaze into her lap, fidgeted her hands. The memory no longer haunted her, but every so often, she'd recall the rough hands clamping over her mouth, dragging her behind a rowdy tavern, ripping down her dress. In that part of Lindblum, no one cared that a maid screamed. "It's why I don't travel alone anymore."

"Oh, honey..." Hilda took her hands, squeezed them gently. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Freema breathed. "It was a long time ago, before my mother sent me here. She ordered me not to come back home unless I found a husband and, because I've been 'soiled', she doesn't believe I'll find one at all."

"She sounds like a bitch," piped Catherine. "What mother tosses her daughter out because of a rape?"

"My lady, please?" asked Freema again. "Can I not work and study in your village?"

Hilda nodded. "Alright, I will see what I can do." The smile returned. "Billie, Catherine? What of you two?"

Catherine shrugged. "I'll probably return home. Mom's living comfortably outside of the city."

"Didn't she retire a few years ago?" Billie queried.

"Yeah, she's set. There's a savings account with my name on it. She never squandered her earnings."

"Then why are you here?"

"Eh, I don't think mom wanted me to follow in her footsteps." Catherine stared off for a moment. "A few of her clients propositioned me as I got older and filled out."

"Mm," agreed Hilda. "Prostitution is technically illegal here."

Billie said, "You know, there's an entire underground sex ring -"

"I know, I know." If anyone asked, the men were just purchasing drinks for the women. "Don't you think you should return home to your father?"

Billie nodded. "I should, but..." She trailed off.

Hilda pressed on. "Yes?"

"I'd like to get married, too."

Unlike Freema, Billie held no magic in her blood. "Billie, I'm sure your father can find a good man."

The girl twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "I ... well, I ...might have my eye on a bloke here." Pause. "Not Cid!" Because that'd be gross and wrong and incur her lady's wrath.

"It's Artania, right?" Catherine laughed and almost slid from the bed.

"Shush!"

Hilda sighed, but smiled at her loyal servants. "I shall speak to him on your behalf."

"Okay!"

Girl talk: the never-ending saga of women discussing men, love, and life, complete with laughs and a few tears. In a few more years, Eiko will be old enough to join the conversation.