Forgive me that I took so long with the update, but I am struggling with writing emotional stuff quite a lot and the whole Lisbeth situation has kept me on my toes.

Many thanks to all my reviewers, though they are not many! You make my day every time I am allowed to read one of your work, so to say. Every word is highly appreciated, be assured of that.

Sorry guys, no Vlokarion in this chapter yet! Sometimes I think that this whole story has a will of its own...

I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 13

Trials and Travails

"Do you know what it is when you must question your every action in light of what punishment it may bring?
Do you understand what it is to feel the eyes of your owner upon you even when he is not present?
That is what it is to live in fear, to live the life of a slave."
— Archon Ysclyth of Talon Cyriix

I REALISED THAT I had not noticed when my master had come to bed, as I awoke on the next day. On one hand, this was nothing new, since I only very rarely did, on the other, considering where he was lying now, it was quite astonishing.

Why?

Because he was lying right between Lisbeth and me. That bastard.

So much for shielding my friend.

He had each of us lying on one of his shoulders, which was even more astonishing, because I also knew that Lisbeth was quite a light sleeper. Then again, the agility and motor skills of the Dark Eldar were quite unmatched and Vect had already proven that he also aced most of his kind in that regard.

As he noticed that I was awake, he flashed a smug smile at me, completely ignoring my annoyed stare. When I tried to say something, he covered my mouth with his hand of his left arm, which he had lain around me. Vect slightly shook his head and gestured with it faintly to Lisbeth, who was still sleeping quite deeply.

As he was sure I had understood, he lifted his hand from my mouth and let it slide back again to my side, where he started to gently stroke me. Though the touch was gentle and quite pleasant, it was also yet again another little test, because he tickled me on purpose and made me pit my willpower against my body not to utter a single sound. I was ready to ignore his little test and laid my left hand on his belly under the blanket to return the favour. Of course, I was aware that it was futile, because tickling him was impossible, but I basked a bit in the notion of not yet again letting myself be reduced to the level of just some toy.

I looked at him, he stared back at me and a slow smile graced his features, underlining his handsomeness yet again. He understood what I was trying to do and apparently, I amused him with my futile attempts of defiance. I was absolutely positive that I was allowed such things by now; otherwise, I would have never dared to do it and he would have already made me feel that I should rather leave them be.

Somehow, I enjoyed the moment, for we reached some kind of silent understanding and truce, which was rare, yet, the moment passed away quickly, for Lisbeth awoke.

She did not do well.

It took her some seconds to fully awake, to remember where she was and to understand the situation she was currently in. As she realised who was lying beside her and that it was no longer me, she was apparently appalled. Lisbeth tried to draw away from the Overlord, but he caught her by her nape with the crook of his right arm, forcing her back down, again showing how terribly strong he was. He was still smiling.

I could not keep quiet, "Lisbeth, please, stop it!"

It was no use. Lisbeth yelped, because, as she did not stop to fight against him, he apparently started to hurt her. She was too afraid to react properly.

I knew that she was in trouble as I looked at him, for the smile had now fainted from his features. I was aware that he did not like too much of a struggle and Lisbeth now defied him too greatly for his taste.

As I expected, he pushed me a bit away with his left arm and then completely turned towards Lisbeth. He bolted upwards and let go of her nape, and as she tried to back away, he backhanded her hard across the face with his other hand. The hit stunned her for a second, it had been a sincere one, because her lower lip burst open and started to bleed.

However, he was not done with her. Vect now grabbed her by the throat and started to choke her, as he boomed at her, "Will you now stop struggling, you obnoxious brat!"

That was quite the harsh tone from him. Lisbeth stared at him out of wide eyes, dazed by the sheer force of the hit and all-too-apparent fear and her struggling got weaker by the second, as he choked the life out of her.

Our master continued, snarling this time, "Make no mistake, slave, just because Temira here got away with as little as she did, it does not mean that you will too if you stay as dumb and annoying as you are right now! I will enjoy beating and humiliating you into the mould I want to have you cast in and it will not matter how hard you struggle."

Vect only let go of her as her face started to change colours. Lisbeth fought for air, curling up in front of him, but yet again, he did not let her be. The Overlord grabbed her hair and threw her out of the bed, so she landed quite unpleasantly on her back, again shouting at her forcefully, "Now, get lost! Stop pestering my eyes with your idiot face and my nose with your nauseating stench!"

That was even blunter for him than the first insult. I feared that this was not over for Lisbeth, for I knew that he only was this rude when he was profoundly irritated.

She would now sleep in that cage, no matter what.

She struggled to get to her feet, still fighting for air, managed to get up in a hunched manner and then stumbled away, into the bath.

As she was gone, my master took a deep breath, snorting forcefully as he let out his breath, and shook his head. "This is highly disappointing. She is nothing like you, Temira," he said, without looking at me.

Though I was scared, I felt obliged to answer, "Absolutely. We are completely different."

Vect again shook his head. "I do not think that you quite understand what I mean."

"True, I guess I don't even see even half of the facets you do. Nevertheless, her reaction does not surprise me at all. She had it a lot worse than me in her childhood. I only started to get mentally abused when I was a teen, she got beaten and sexually abused when she was only a child. Those wounds possibly never healed properly," I tried to explain.

I winced as he snapped, only looking at me from the corner of his eyes, "Do I look like I care?"

Curling up like a beaten dog, I replied meekly, "I am sorry, my lord, I was careless, I didn't mean to annoy you even further!"

I exhaled in a relieved manner as he chuckled softly. My master turned now towards me and I was surprised to see a rather soft expression on his face and in his eyes as he looked at me. God, his emotions were so hard to figure out; by now I was aware that the emotions of Eldar were not only more intense but could also change far more rapidly than those of a human. I closed my eyes as he gently stroked my hair once, but opened them, again taken aback, as he said, "Do not be scared of me, my little one, I know very well how to direct my anger. I will not lash out at everybody around me just because one dim-witted individual irritated me. Revert back to your usual calmness, I have found that it is quite soothing sometimes and this is one of those moments."

Vect lied down again, placing his head in the well I created with my curled-up body. I did not know how to react to that at first, since he showed me a gentleness and... familiarity I was not used to from him. The moment Lisbeth had gotten here, he had somehow changed his behaviour towards me and I was not sure whether it was another test, to see if I could react to him correctly if he was unexpectedly nice to me, or if he now truly saw how good I was at what I did.

I decided to happily roll with it and started to gently stroke his hair. I was confused and had a million questions.

We stayed like this for a while, then he sighed all of a sudden, "Just ask already! I can feel that you are proverbially exploding because of holding back!"

Again I was stunned for some seconds because of this highly unexpected permission, but then I burst out, "How am I different from Lisbeth? Did I handle myself really that much better in the beginning? Will you punish her additively for her failure? Can I do something to ease down your anger towards her?"

He smiled. I was astonished, he really was in a playful mood today. "Full of questions, are you!" he chuckled. "Very well, I allowed you to ask them, now I have to answer them, right?"

I said immediately, "Not at all, my lord. After all, you can always choose what you want to give me and what you want to keep from me."

Again, he chuckled. I was utterly confused by now. Was I right now really lying with the same Vect I usually knew? I was not sure if I should like this new face he showed me and whether he was trying to make me feel safe to lure me into making a mistake. "Ah, little one, stop showing me with all your might how well-trained you are! I know you are, there is no longer need for you to jump at every hint I give you, so ever-careful not to make a mistake, well, at least when it is only the two of us and only then. When your stupid friend is around, still do it, to show her how a slave has to behave. Additionally, when we are out on official business, I do not have to remind you to be at your very best."

"I will, my lord."

"Good. Now, back to your questions. I'll start with those quick to answer. Yes, you did a lot better than her in the beginning, but I guess that came to a huge part from the education you were subjected to. Vlokarion has taught you really well, I only had two slaves or so before you that were so well-trained. The rest I had to teach myself in a rough manner. Will I punish her additively?" He shot me a quite meaningful look. "Do you truly have to ask that question?"

I sighed. "I just had hoped that you would remit at least some sentences for her, like you undoubtedly did with me in the beginning. It was a stupid question, my lord. I apologise."

Vect smiled. "You still manage to intrigue me with your perception, for I truly was quite gentle with you in the beginning. Then again, you did not irritate me from the very first second I had you. Hmm, Temira, Temira, you go to great lengths here to shield your friend. Be careful not to destroy yourself with that, you will not be able to shield her always. So, no, you cannot do anything to ease down my anger towards Lisbeth, the only thing you can do is train her good, so she does not act that stupid again." His smile now got a vicious touch, while he stared at me with his obsidians. "Are you truly so afraid of having to spectate her punishment?"

I could only nod to that truthfully.

I shivered as he stroked my hair gently. "Ah, this is such an effective way to extract the finest mental suffering out of humans, since you care so greatly for each other. However, this will be not due for you if you manage to educate Lisbeth properly."

"What?" I said. The word just slipped out, sheer surprise blowing my restraint away. I had expected that he would go there with me by default.

Vect laughed. "My dear, you should know by now that I am a fair man. Though you are quite sharp, you

sometimes still do not understand the simplest rules, do you, hmm? If you do nicely as my personal slave, you get spared from the most intense things. If you fail me, you get to feel the consequences. I am fully aware that I will push you exceedingly close to your breaking point if I make you watch when I punish Lisbeth. However, I do not want you to break... yet. Lisbeth has to gain that favour still, then again, you need her and I had her brought here to be there for you. So, here is the deal, girl: Lisbeth's punishment will be a night in the cage, but nothing else, so she will only be lightly wounded and can still assist you. However, if she fails me again in such a witless manner, she will feel my full wrath and you will witness it, for then you, too, have failed me."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord." I was aware that he could do a lot worse things to her and me. She would suffer, but it would be a light punishment compared to what he would usually do to her for such a grand defiance like she had shown earlier.

"Ah, my sweet, little, well-mannered Temira!" he chuckled and ruffled my hair.

What the hell was going on with him? Why was he so damn nice to me?

"So, be a good slave and do not tell her. I want her to smother in dreadful anticipation of the nature of her punishment."

"I will do so, my lord."

"Good, now show me that you truly will. You know that I will sense whether you heeded my command. However, there is one question I left unanswered, the one how you are different from Lisbeth." He sighed. "Where do I start? Apart from the apparent differences like looks and demeanour, there are a million things to consider. Though both your basic mindsets are similar, you face things in a completely different manner and react controversial to each other. Despite both of you being survivalists and fighters, Lisbeth is a mindless fighter, not knowing when to stop; you, on the other hand, know when you are beaten and do not struggle when it is useless. In crass contrast to that, she is rather fragile and volatile; you are sturdy and determined. And..." He took a deep breath. "You smell and taste completely different. It is, in general, a thing that has intrigued me with you. Usually, humans are not always easy to bear for my kind when it comes down to olfaction and flavour, in fact, most of you smell and taste nauseating for us, which is also one of the reasons why we enjoy torturing your kind so much, because the musk of adrenaline and fear is intoxicatingly sweet and make your kind quite delicious for us. However, you, my dear child, have always been easy on all my senses, which is also one of the reasons why I was able to behold you with more than pure contempt right from the start. I do not know why you are so different in all those facets, but they sure add to the notion that I do not always want to see you in pain and fear, though, of course, you feel and smell mind-bendingly sweet when you are."

I was not sure whether I should feel repulsed or charmed by his words, for they invoked both feelings in me.

And I surely did not like how he talked about Lisbeth, though I understood why he did. Until now, she had not done too well and had made a lot of mistakes. Yes, she was a tough and stubborn fighter, but she certainly was not stupid, just scared out of her skull. I did not dare imagine what she had to go through, since she had been spared until now from her worst nightmare: rape. Having been severely mistreated as a child, I was not able to comprehend what she must have felt and thought when she woke up, lying next to him, naked, helpless, defenceless. I was not surprised that she had acted the way she did.

After finishing his explanations, he sat up again, but turned once more around to me, gently stroking my left cheek. Unexpectedly for me, he bent down to me and kissed me shortly – I was not surprised by his kiss, but rather by the gentleness of it, and as he did this, I again wondered what had brought him to be so nice to me all of a sudden.

When he had drawn away again from me, he smiled, then softly whispered, "I have to admit, I missed that. However, let us keep this our little secret."

I smiled back at him, though I was by now contemplating whether I had changed into a parallel universe whilst sleeping, where Vect was actually a nice guy and Commorragh was made up of fluffy clouds, but I replied dutifully, "Of course, my lord."

My master sat back up again, still smiling, then said to me, "Well, child, we better get you out of bed. Lisbeth will still need to spend some time in hiding. I can hear her crying and her panicked heartbeats."

Determined to show him that I was not a weakling, I tried to sit up. I managed very ungracefully and as I was upright, I was completely engulfed in terrible vertigo and I was panting like I just had run a marathon. I closed my eyes, concentrated on stopping the spinning, but I was barely able to fight it. I hated how feeble I was.

I got surprised as I was about to fall back again, for I felt an arm reaching around me, stabilising me, and as I opened my eyes again, I looked into those of the Overlord. Without being able to put up any kind of resistance, I sunk against his shoulder. It was awkward for me and I felt embarrassed because of my weakness. Not able to bear it any other way, I closed my eyes again and cursed myself vividly on the inside, as I felt that I blushed.

Vect sighed. "Take it slowly, child! You almost died, there is no need for you to prove to me how tough you are." He took me around my waist and leant me against the head of the bed. Gently stroking over my cheek once, he said, "You stay here and stabilise, I will ready myself for my day. When I am gone, you will take your time with Lisbeth's help."

He let me stay where I was and got out of bed in one, fluent movement. Only now I realised with surprise that he had not slept completely naked today, as he usually did, but still wore tight boxers. My master went to the cupboards and dressed in a light tunic, then went to the table and started eating, still eyeing me critically.

I panted, "This... is so... embarrassing."

He shook his head. "No, it is logical. I take it you have never been injured so badly before?"

"No," I replied arduously, "The most severe thing... I... had to endure... was a rather routine operation."

"I see. Do you remember how you had felt after that?"

"Yes. I also needed a month... to be back... on track. I, too... hated this."

"Good. And now use that clever brain of yours and extrapolate how much worse it is this time." Again, Vect shook his head. "You silly, young things! Always thinking that pushing all the time is the way to go. You need to learn when it is time to take a step back and review your situation. Take this as a well-meant piece of advice from someone who has learnt that lesson a long time ago."

I saw the wisdom in his words, but still, I hated my feebleness so much.

The Overlord chuckled. "Ah, Temira, stop being so delicious! Your evident self-torment is exhilarating to watch and feel for me."

Sourly, I replied, "Well... at least... I entertain you... with that... my lord."

He tilted his head. "Always so dutiful. You are lucky that I know you so well by now, from any other slave I would have reviewed it as meaningless flattery, and you know how much I hate that."

I wanted to reply something, but it was in these seconds that Lisbeth came back.

She stepped out of the bathroom, very unsure of herself, but she apparently had showered and changed clothes; she now wore the usual bra and hot pants I also got to wear most of the time. It was apparent that she had cried and her lower lip had stopped bleeding, but it was a bit swollen and the wound was easily visible.

With lowered head, she said, "I humbly ask for permission to enter your presence once again, Supreme Overlord."

For a while, he just stared at her, his gaze as cold as ice and his facial expression was like the one of a statue. I really was not sure what he would do next.

Then, finally, as Lisbeth had squirmed almost visibly under his relentless stare, he said, "Alright, slave, you may stay. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?" The dangerous undertone was apparent.

Lisbeth was clever enough to get the hint. She continued, "Yes, my lord. I wanted to sincerely apologise for my utterly inappropriate reaction and I beg for your forgiveness."

Vect laughed at her for her last words. "Forgiveness... a thing rarely received from me. You are even more naïve than I thought. No, my little idiot slave, you will not receive my forgiveness. I will punish you when I have finished today's duties, so you remember very closely what it gets you if you dare to disobey or even fight me. You are mine and you will learn to obey me, no matter how little you like what I ask of you."

She barely kept from crying, I could see it, but she answered with trembling voice, "Yes, my lord. I will await my punishment."

"Yes, you will. Stop pointing out the obvious! Now, join me for breakfast, I hate it to eat alone and Temira is not fit enough to manage it without your help. The next time you neglect your duties because of your obnoxiousness, I will harshen your punishment. Are we perfectly clear on that, slave?"

Lisbeth nodded. "Yes, my lord."

"Good, good, I see that you are starting to learn what your role is about. Now, come here, and look me in the eye from now on when I speak to you."

Lisbeth obeyed, yet, it was apparent how little she wanted to be near him again. I, of course, understood her fear and her reluctance, but then again I was wondering if it was really so much harder for her to adjust to her situation. She still did not do too well. Showing him too much reluctance could easily piss him off again.

Silently, she sat to his left and started to eat; her body language was the one of a beaten dog and apparently she expected him to hit her again. If she did not stop this reluctant demeanour, he surely would. I watched the scene with growing dismay, and I would have killed for being a telepath right now, though I knew that being a psyker in the Dark City was a death sentence. I would have loved to scream at Lisbeth to pull herself together and show him some calmness and gratitude that he still wanted to have her at the table with him after what she had done.

Apparently, she did not understand how kind he actually was to her.

Vect finished his meal quite quickly, then left for the bathroom without saying a single word.

As soon as I heard the shower, in a faint hope he would not overhear what we would say when he was in there, I said, "You have to stop to show your reluctance. He hates that." I was happy that I had gathered enough strength by now to speak properly again.

Lisbeth snorted angrily. "Why? He knows that I hate him and what I am to him anyways."

I shook my head. "Yes, but there is a great difference in him having to read it from your feelings or you showing it outright and showing how ungrateful you are."

Now she got angry. "For what, in the world, should I be grateful?"

I would not have that. "For not being his sole torture slave, for example? Geez, Lisbeth, are you really that naïve? It could be a lot worse for you as the slave of the Overlord! Look on the bright side!"

Lisbeth crossed her arms. "I really don't see the 'bright side' here."

My annoyance grew by the second. "So, not having to be in constant pain and subjected to his eternal mockery is no bright side for you?"

Lisbeth did not see reason whatsoever. "Temira, we are goddamn slaves!"

"So what? Complaining about it and daring him all the time does not make this better in any way!"

"True, but being a loyal dog is better?"

My jaw dropped. "How dare you!"

"It is true, Temira, just look at yourself! You try to please him with everything you do, don't you see that?"

By now, we both were panting with rage.

I snapped, "Yeah, because I treasure my skin a bit too much to piss him off in everything I do. I have not survived so well around here, because I pissed each leg I could find. Get that into your stubborn head! Besides, did you not tell me yesterday that you were so stupid in the beginning with struggling against everything they did? And now you start that again, with the most dangerous one around here? Clever, really clever!"

I saw in her eyes that I now had pushed through to her, though I had not forgotten what she had thrown at me. She had not been here and she certainly had not endured the mental pressure I had been subjected to the past months. How could she be so judgemental all of a sudden?

Angry silence filled the room for a short while.

Then, all of a sudden, Lisbeth sighed deeply, shaking her head. "I am sorry, Temira, you are right. You are just trying to protect me, as always, and in return, I snap at you."

"Damn right, you do!" I hissed at her.

"Come on, don't be like that now!" she said, her gaze filled with pain.

I sighed too, seeing that I was unreasonable. I snorted and said, "Damn it, Lisbeth, I try not to, I really do. But I had rather hoped that we could try to help each other, not fight each other. We are surrounded by enemies; do we really have to be also enemies to each other?"

She nodded. "Of course, you are right. I sincerely apologise. Please, help me out here! You know how I am!"

I sighed. "Okay, but you have to listen closely to me and stop pissing his leg with every damn move you make."

"I'll try."

"No. No trying. Do it!"

She nodded. Then, she got up and went to me, hugging me gently. "Okay, I will do it. Forgive me for calling you what I did, it was not my place."

I sighed and hugged her back. "No, it was not, but you are right in a way and I know that. Still, it helped me along. He will not be nice to you if you keep annoying him. If you get the hang of dealing with him, you will find that he is not that bad, after all. But if you keep pushing against him, he will be even harder on you. Resistance only merits you punishments around here."

We both jumped as Vect exited the bathroom again and shot us a meaningful stare as he passed us on his way to the armour rack, where he donned bodyglove and armour.

I sighed. Of course, he had heard it all. I felt Lisbeth hugging me tighter, pressing her face against my chest, and I gently stroked her hair. I felt her trembling, she was terrified.

I tried to give her at least the illusion of safety, though I knew that if Vect decided to go for her, that there was nothing I could do, if I was not suicidal, or rather, fond of sharing her punishment.

However, this time, we got lucky. Vect just shot me a stare that warned me one more time to keep my mouth shut about what we had discussed earlier, then left swooshing through the door, letting it snap shut behind him.

Lisbeth visibly relaxed once he was gone.

"Damn it, Temira. How am I to survive this? He will kill me!" Lisbeth said, her voice breaking in tears.

With that, I understood that Vect had played his gambit also on me, because I already had a hard time withholding from her that he would 'just' lock her up in the cage. But I was determined not to let it slip out, because the last thing I needed right now was him being angry with me.

Therefore, I just said, "No, he won't and you know that. Relax, it is your second day in his service! Though he is a cruel and evil mastermind, he tends to be fair with his punishments."

Lisbeth looked at me in disbelief, then shook her head. "Whatever you say. After all, it is you who has spent months with him, not me." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away, her actual toughness showing. "Alright, sorry, I will now stop complaining. Let's get you to that table, you poor thing must be starving!"

I smiled and replied, "Now that you mention it, I actually am. I sometimes forget about my appetite, as it seems."

Lisbeth drew a face. "I can't blame you."

With that, she helped me to the table and we both had breakfast. Apparently, Lisbeth had a lot easier time eating when Vect was gone. I understood that.

As we were done, I said, "Alright, now off to the shower and then I will start teaching you. We have little time and you have a lot to learn, for I figure that he will take you to the throne room with him as soon as I can walk without help again. And the Circle will not be easy on you if you blow it."

Lisbeth sighed. "I had hoped that we could take a break from all this shit around here, as long as we are together."

I drew a sad face. "I totally agree with that, but I would rather know that you are safe first and then we can reminisce on the past."

Lisbeth nodded. "You are right. Let's go!"

I was relieved. She seemed to find back to her old, strong and determined self.

We joked and smiled as she helped me into the bathroom.

It felt good to feel human for a change.

We had spent the morning highly concentrated. I had gone into the details of discerning armour correctly, greeting phrases and movements, correct service and had told her the names of the Circle members. I had Lisbeth repeating everything I had said, so I could be sure that she would remember, even when she was stressed out.

In the lunch break we made, I tested my physical fitness against the stairs in the quarters again, but still lost after one-half. Nevertheless, I felt that I was getting stronger and I was relieved about that. Feeling feeble and useless was the most terrible notion for me.

At lunchtime, the slaves that cleaned the Overlord's quarters and provided fresh food for the two of us came around. I introduced Lisbeth to them, since they would meet each other on a regular basis. As always, I felt awkward talking to them, since they were so scared out of their skulls that making any kind of jest with them was impossible.

Lisbeth noticed that also quite quickly, because after they were gone, she said to me, "Geez, they really lost any sense of humour."

I shrugged and replied, "Does it surprise you? Where we have it bad, they have it much, much worse. I don't want to know how many times they have been mistreated and raped just for fun. We at least only get punished when we make mistakes."

Lisbeth shuddered, then nodded. "Right. I somehow tend to forget that we both were somewhat sheltered."

I sighed. "In a way, yes. In another, we are as exposed as we can be. Don't let him twist your mind, Lisbeth. He is really good at that."

"Any advice on how to resist that?"

"Not really. Just keep constantly asking yourself whether you are still human and if you would have done things the same way before you came here. I am aware that I was not able to stay completely unchanged and that I am more like them as I would like to admit, but I try hard not to become completely like them."

Lisbeth took my hand. "Don't be so hard on yourself! You defied one of the most ancient beings in this universe, whilst trying to stay as true to yourself as you can. That is a major achievement, Temira!"

"Did I really? You said earlier that I was a loyal dog and you are right with that and I know it," I said, feeling all of a sudden mentally quite weak.

"Hey, don't take this like I said it! I was angry and I was mean, okay?" Lisbeth tried to put me at ease.

I smiled sadly. "Alright." Nevertheless, I thought to myself that she had put more truth in those words than I would have liked to hear. "Ok, let's get going again. I will now show you how you massage an Eldar properly, since it is all too likely that he will want to test your expertise in this manner."

Lisbeth's gaze darkened. "Can I expect that this will be sexually connoted in no time?"

"Not necessarily. If you refrain from touching his ears, where a shitload of an Eldar's erogenous points lies, it is just for relaxation most of the time." I thought about it for a minute. "Actually, he rarely wants to be massaged when he is out for sex. As far as I have gathered, he is quite straight to business when it comes down to that. A lot of foreplay, but most of the time you play the passive part there."

My friend took a long and deep breath. "Alright. Let's cross that bridge once we get there."

I nodded. "Agreed. All the advice I can give you, is: roll with it and try to relax. If you don't piss him off, he most likely will make you enjoy it."

Lisbeth just nodded. I was aware that I could do little to make this easier on her.

So, we went to the couch and I said with a smile, "Well, lie down, I will show you on your body how it works. Try to remember it and then try it on me!"

"What did you show me yesterday, then? I thought this was basically it about massages?" Lisbeth asked.

I had to chuckle. "No, this was just a quick brushing of the surface. I will try to show you the most important points and techniques this afternoon, but we will need a lot more time still until you know everything."

So, I taught her and thus passed the afternoon...

I had felt my strength waning a lot quicker than usually and therefore, we had spent the last hour just chatting and sitting on the couch. I had figured that I should spare some strength for my master, should Lisbeth blow something and he wanted me to take over. Leaving him wanting was not an option here and my condition, as severe as it still may be, was not a proper excuse.

The later the day grew, the more nervous Lisbeth got, I could easily feel it as I showed her the massaging techniques. As her fear grew, her concentration also waned, which was the second reason why I figured it was wiser to take a break.

We used half of this "break" to devise a plan on how to maybe make Vect ease down Lisbeth's punishment a bit. I know it would change nothing, but I primarily did it to calm Lisbeth down a bit and to maybe make things more elegant for my master, to have a pretend reason why he would choose a rather mild punishment for her. I figured he would like that after all.

Currently, some unpleasant silence had grown between us.

Lisbeth now broke it with saying, "He should be back soon, right?"

I nodded. "Any time now. You know what to do?"

She nodded. "Yeah. God, give me strength!"

I said jokingly, "You never believed in that guy, why start now?"

Lisbeth had to giggle, but it still sounded nervous. "Right."

I laid my hand upon her shoulder. "I will help you and give you all the strength you need. You will be fine, you will see." It tore me apart that I could not tell her what he actually had in store for her and that it was not so bad as she might think.

However, the waiting was now over.

The Overlord came back.

His expression was blank, therefore, it was hard to discern whether he was in a good or bad mood. As always, caution was the way to go, so we both greeted him appropriately and I asked, "How was your day, my lord?"

He shrugged, as he donned his sceptre and helmet on the armour rack, revealing his lavishly decorated hair. "It was nothing special." Then, he smirked and shot us a mischievous side glance. "However, considering what still lies ahead of me, it just can get a lot sweeter."

I almost felt Lisbeth paling beside me. This was no good.

Therefore, I took point again and said, "My lord, Lisbeth has a suggestion to make, if she may."

An evil smile curled his immaculate lips. "Does she now? Very well, speak, my little newcomer!"

Lisbeth stood after I hit her lightly into her ribs, bowed and said, "My lord, I know I won't escape my punishment for my failure in the morning, nevertheless, I wanted to try to make it at least a bit up to you by offering you a thorough head massage? Temira was so kind as to share her knowledge with me."

Vect tilted his head and shot her a long, contemplative stare. My heartbeat accelerated. This was good, but Lisbeth had to stay calm. I knew she was struggling with returning his gaze and the Overlord took his time.

I almost let out a relieved sigh as he finally said, "Very well. I will give it a try. However," he turned towards me, "you are aware that this will test your skills as much as hers and if she fails in her task, there will be repercussions for you too?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, my lord. Nonetheless, I have full confidence in Lisbeth's skills."

Vect chuckled. "Let us hope for your sake that your trust is not misplaced." He slipped out of his bodyglove. "Alright, first things first. I need to eat, I am starving. Come, children, join me!" He put on a tunic and went to the table.

With that, Lisbeth came to me, helped me up and stayed at my side until I was seated at the table. Though I could by now walk again by my own, I was still feeble and did not trust my strength completely.

Vect looked at me contemplatively as I was seated, and said to me, his head tilted, "It pleases me to see that you are making good and quick progress. Hmm, maybe I will not be as long without a personal slave in the throne room as I thought." His gaze wandered to Lisbeth. "Let us see whether you are up to the task. Currently, I sincerely doubt that."

I smiled in a rather tormented fashion and said, "We are currently still working on it."

The Overlord nodded. "Good. I expect that you do so. You do not want to lose your good reputation, now do you, Temira?"

I continued my tormented smile. "I wasn't aware that I had one."

Vect chuckled and gently ruffled my hair a bit. "Ah, Temira! As always, far too modest." He shook his head and started to fill his plate.

Lisbeth and I exchanged gazes. Hers definitely showed pure confusion and again, I could not blame her. Vect seemed to be in one of his unpredictable, playful moods again and she was far from being used to him. I portended her to relax, she shrugged and also started to eat. Now realising how hungry I actually was, I joined the meal.

We ate in silence, Vect with a faint smile on his lips, Lisbeth as tense as she could be and me eyeing both carefully. Though I was aware that my master noticed my watchful eye, he let me be without confronting me for it.

As we were done with the meal, the Overlord got up and went to the divans in front of the fireplace, saying, "Well, Lisbeth, I am awaiting your efforts with great anticipation." She got up immediately, however, he smiled and added, "But first, bring Temira here."

Lisbeth obeyed and helped me up. As she walked beside me when she brought me to him, I could feel her trembling. I gently stroked her with my left hand, which I had laid around her shoulders for stabilisation. I feared that it would not help her much, but it was all I could do right now.

Vect had her seating me beside him, then he let her go to fetch a brush for his hair.

As Lisbeth was in the bathroom, Vect loosened his complex looking hairstyle by removing two large hairpins and two decorative blades that were woven into his hair. By now I had figured out how this particular hairstyle was done and the simplicity of it was surprising, but ingeniously well-hidden.

I said, "I have taught her how to do that, my lord. No need for you to bother with it, then."

He smiled. "Good. However, I did it for you too the first time you massaged me, remember? Let us give her a fair chance."

"I would very much appreciate that, my lord. After all, I had the advantage that I was taught by Maester Vlokarion, who used a mind-accelerating poison on me. Lisbeth will inevitably take a lot longer to know what I know and will possibly never speak your tongue. If I had not been 'upgraded' by the Maester, so to say, I also would not have been as good," I said carefully.

"True, true." Vect smiled viciously at Lisbeth, who came back in these seconds. "Let us see how well you do as a teacher, Temira!" He leant against the back of the divan, and drew me against him, my head now resting on his shoulder.

We spent the next time in silence, as Lisbeth carefully brushed his hair and untangled it gently. I closed my eyes, tired and feeling a bit light-headed, as I lay on his shoulder, my left hand resting on his belly, his left arm around my waist. I was relieved to feel that he was relaxing; apparently, Lisbeth did well.

As she was done, she reluctantly sat beside us, putting the brush aside, laying a cushion into her lap and saying shyly, "My lord, everything is now set for the massage. If you were so kind as to place your head in my lap, I could start now."

Vect nodded and said to me, "Temira, you will lie down beside me. I like the warmth of your body right now. Although," he gently placed his hand on my forehead, "I think you are a bit feverish."

That explained my light-headedness and that I felt a bit cold.

However, he did not seem to be concerned too much by that, because he continued. "Nothing to worry about. Your body still needs to adjust to being awake again and I figure that your immune system has to adapt too. Just take it very easy the next days, I do not want you to get severely sick."

"Yes, my lord. I don't plan on overdoing it."

Vect nodded, then laid down and I placed myself beside him, again my head was resting on his shoulder and our arms were in the same position. I was grateful that his body was warm. I did not jump at that, though it could always be an indicator for arousal, but by now I knew that he could also regulate his body temperature at will. He had told me once as he had seen my confusion about it.

I closed my eyes again and listened to his breath and heartbeats; though it relaxed me, I was on the inside at least as nervous as Lisbeth, for I sincerely hoped that she did not blow it.

I was lucky, however, because shortly after Lisbeth had started with the massage, he let out a relishing sound and I felt his muscles relax beside and under me.

With a smile in his voice, he said, "Children, calm down! Your nervousness is tensing me up again whilst Lisbeth is doing such a nice job here!" He gently patted my side. "Well done, Temira! You seem to be a good teacher too."

"Thank you, my lord," I said. I could now relax at his side. Since Lisbeth took a while, I almost fell asleep, because fatigue was now washing over me.

I was wide awake again, as Vect said, "Alright, enough, my lovely newbie!" He lifted me too as he sat up. With again tilted head, he said to Lisbeth, "Good, I like very much how you are progressing at this point. Hmm, you have angered me quite a lot in the morning, but you have also pleased me quite a lot right now. What to do with you, what to do with you..." He seemed to be contemplating for a bit and I was relieved as Lisbeth did not flinch away as he reached for her face to gently stroke her with his thumb.

Unexpectedly, he started to chuckle, then said, "Alright, Lisbeth, here is the deal: if you can show me that you can be as obedient and well-mannered while lying naked beside me in my bed, I will be merciful this time and not discipline you. I liked what you did and how you feel to me and I know that I will punish Temira as much as you when I hurt you. So, keep in mind that if you misbehave and I still have to penalise you, that you are not the only one to suffer."

Lisbeth replied, her horror apparent, "I will do my very best, my lord."

So, he had also played me nicely there. I was quite sure that he already had planned not to punish Lisbeth, but he had told me that he would. He had tormented me by not allowing me to tell her that it was not so bad and he had tormented her by thinking that he would torture her soon.

He really was despicable.

Nevertheless, I pushed the thought away for now.

I chuckled and she yelped, as he grabbed us both around our hips and lifted us, carrying us to the bed and seating us gently onto it. With a vicious, yet playful smile, he left for the bathroom.

Lisbeth was still out of sorts and said, "Damn, why did he let me squirm the whole day?"

The answer to that occurred to me and I said, "Well, that was your punishment, as it seems." If I did not have to tell her that he had also played me, all the better. The last thing she needed was to feel betrayed by me. I continued with a lopsided smile, "Hey, you are lucky! A punishment by his hand usually does not take the form of a sole mind game, as it was today."

Lisbeth snorted, but smiled. "Yeah, you are right."

I sighed and said, "Well, let's get undressed." I lowered my voice to a whisper and added, "Relax! I'm pretty sure he won't sleep with any of us. However, be prepared that today he will be naked too and that he will kiss you again."

Though Lisbeth was apparently not happy about that, we both obeyed and huddled together under the blankets. Both of us did not mind that our bodies touched, though the two of us had never had a romantic relationship with each other. As we lay for a while like this, Lisbeth behind me, both of us turned onto our left side, she said, "I think he is right, Temira. You really seem to suffer some elevated temperature."

I sighed. "Yeah, I don't feel so well..."

I wanted to say more, but the Overlord came back at that moment, and as I had predicted, he was naked today, as I was used to. I felt Lisbeth gasp behind me. He chuckled, as he saw us huddled together like that and said with a mocking tone, "Ladies, let me lie in your charming mid, I need a lot of warming, for it has been a quite cold day in Commorragh."

Since I knew that he expected me on his left side – he wanted to have Lisbeth at his main hand, if she was disobedient, I figured – I shifted my position to the other side of the bed. Vect then climbed into the bed from the foot of it and laid between us.

I cringed on the inside as he grabbed Lisbeth by the hair, drew her against him and forced her into a deep kiss. She struggled at first, but apparently she remembered what he had said to her and she then obeyed him, though I saw how she trembled and how hard she fought against herself.

Vect took his time with her, gently explored her body with his left hand while he kissed her and he held her in place with his right. Though she had to feel a deep kiss and his touch this time, he refrained from touching her breasts, bottom or genitals. It was hard enough for her as it was and I was sure that he knew that.

At some point, he drew away from her, staring into her unbelieving, wide eyes, gently stroking over her right cheek once and whispering to her, "See? It was not so bad after all, my dear child. You even might start to enjoy it if you would relax a bit." Luckily, he did not seem to mind her revulsion. With a chuckle he let go of her, leaving her to her trembling self and turned to me, licking his lips and saying with an inflexion that showed he was lost in thought, "Now, from the reluctant one to the willing one..."

I closed my eyes as he bent down, laid his right hand upon my cheek and his mouth upon mine.

Vect was a lot gentler with me as he kissed me and by now, I fully enjoyed when he did it. I put up no resistance whatsoever as his tongue slid into my mouth and started to softly explore it and I returned the favour passionately. I felt that I was not quite alright as he started stroking my belly, because I felt with this that my skin was neuralgic and it hurt a bit. Though I knew that he could feel what I felt, he did not seem to mind, because he kissed me for a while, apparently enjoying it.

I smiled at him as he drew away again from me and he said, "Mmh, my dear Temira is as sweet as ever. Good to see that you have not lost your touch. Nevertheless, I see that you need to rest, you are indeed feverish."

The Overlord rolled onto his back and drew both of us to him, letting us rest on his shoulders like he had done in the morning. Without saying a word, he grabbed Lisbeth at her nape and I could see the terror in her eyes as he pressed against a point back there that made her muscles relax, whether she wanted it or not. I knew this treatment, he had done this to me in the beginning during intercourse too, because he hated it if someone was uptight when he tried to relax. Though she dreaded how easily he controlled her body, it was effective, because, in some twisted way, it helped her wind down a bit.

"Easy there, child. Let it go, I will not sleep with you today. I am aware that you need some time to adjust to this, yet I suggest that you now start winding down or I will still have to administer that punishment. And you do not want to hurt Temira too, now do you, my little one?" He let go of her.

Lisbeth wagged her head and replied, "No, my lord. Please, forgive me, I will no longer annoy you with my tenseness."

Vect patted her head. "Good. Now, close your eyes, both of you, and sleep! I want you to be always well-rested."

We both obeyed.

I said, "Good night, my lord."

Lisbeth added, "Sleep well, my lord."

He chuckled. "Good girls. Have a relaxing night."

I knew that Lisbeth most certainly would not have that, but for now, I was too tired to really care.

Shortly after he had said his last sentence for today, I doze off to sleep.

The next month passed in a similar manner.

I educated Lisbeth during the day and in the evening, she had to tend to the needs of the Overlord, who tested her bit by bit as time progressed. By now, she was no longer shivering in fear when she had to lie in the same bed with him and did not resist when he kissed her. Vect made clear to her that she was doing alright, but also that she should not let it go to her head, because she was not that good.

In the moments I was alone with him, he told me that I taught her well, but that I still was his favourite. His words made me proud and happy.

I also had made clear to Lisbeth at some point, that she had not swayed his mind about her punishment, but rather that he had already been set on not punishing her beforehand, and I reminded her repeatedly that she should never believe that she could make him do anything he did not want to do in the first place, no matter how well she did or how hard she tried.

She was thankful for my advice.

I was surprised to see that Vect kept his advances towards Lisbeth on a quite light level, he just kissed her on a regular basis and touched her a bit, but never went deeper. Lisbeth and I were both grateful for that. Though I did not mind lying naked in the same bed with my friend, I was not sure how our friendship would feel if we ever experienced a threesome with him. Luckily, until now, he had refrained from that.

We both also were never sure how much Vect had heard of our conversations, because he never said a word about them, though I was sure that he at least eavesdropped on us when we talked whilst he was in the bathroom. I tried to interpret some of his gazes and facial expressions, but as always, I failed miserably at it.

The Overlord sure played his cards close to his chest.

It was another day full of teaching, by now I was quite fine again and no longer really needed Lisbeth. I was sure that the Overlord would take her to the throne room anytime soon and I knew that during the last month, I had been able to teach her everything that was important for her to know.

Our time together was good for me, I felt a bit more human and less stressed out, since quite a long time had passed in a quiet manner and Vect had somehow tempered himself when it came down to unnecessary cruelty. I had the feeling that he wanted to go easy on me for some time, to give me time to recover, before the trials that still awaited me.

Since I could now see that Lisbeth was able to be strained a bit mentally again, as she had adjusted somewhat to her situation, I told her about Vlokarion's payment.

"Oh, my god! You have to sleep with that creep?" she exclaimed.

"Shhh! Don't call him that! If it wasn't for him, I would be dead and calling him names is not wise, you know that!" I reprimanded her.

"Sorry, it slipped out!" she said, unnecessarily loud. We both looked around in the quarters, afraid that an annoyed Vect would jump down on us and punish us for our insolence.

Since nothing happened, she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need some way and ideas to manage that and I thought that maybe you could help me along with it," I explained.

"Hmm. Let me think about it for a bit, this is hardly a scenario that can be solved so quickly. I'll tell you when something comes to mind," she said.

I nodded. "Yeah. I know that brushing up on my mediation skills will possibly help me, but I really don't know whether it will be enough."

I would have loved to talk more about it, but it was already quite late in the evening, and Vect came back in just that moment.

With a malicious smile, he said, "Since Temira here no longer is in need of your assistance, you, Lisbeth, will come with me to the throne room tomorrow. It is only fitting, since a meeting with my Circle will take place and Temira also had her first day in the throne room with them. I want to measure your skills equally and this will be the perfect opportunity."

It was apparent on Lisbeth's face that she lost heart there, but she was by now well-trained enough to say, "Yes, my lord. I will not disappoint you."

"Hope for your own sake that you do not." He looked at me. "As for you, Temira: I figured that you are by now strong enough for Vlokarion's purposes. I will give you to him the day after tomorrow. Prepare for that. After you have served him, you will come back here for two days and then you are due for your time in the Crucibael."

He was as unsettling as ever.

It was an uneasy night for both Lisbeth and me.

On the next day, I was to help Lisbeth to get ready for duty in the throne room. I helped her with her make-up and hairstyle.

As we were in the bathroom and I was braiding her hair, she said to me, "Temira, I am so fucking scared! I will fuck up, oh damn it!" She tended to swear a lot when she was nervous.

"No, you won't, stop doing yourself down! You are good at what you do and you will see, everything will be fine! Just take your time, think carefully about what you are doing, and then you will ace it," I calmed her down.

She sighed deeply. "You know that this is the main problem here. I tend to fuck up when I am nervous."

"As I said, it is important that you take your time to think about every step you take."

"And what about Ea'nash? He will eat me whole from what you have told me!" Lisbeth was about to panic.

"You don't know that. Just because he takes such interest in me, does not mean that he will do the same with you. Lisbeth, you are no longer a complete newbie. Just roll with it, as I told you!" As she did not calm down, I hugged her from behind and said into her ear, "If you don't stop panicking, I'll have to tickle you!"

Lisbeth started giggling as I said that. "Oh, damn it! Alright, alright, you are right!" She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths.

As she meditated, like I had taught her, I continued braiding and styling her hair. By the time I was done, she had calmed down considerably.

I smiled and said, "See? Better, isn't it?"

Lisbeth smiled and nodded. Then, she looked at herself in the mirror. "Thanks for helping me. Damn, you make me look good, girl!"

I giggled and said, "You always were a looker, not much to do here!"

Lisbeth hugged me, then took my face in her palms and said, "No, I mean it. Thank you for everything. You helped me so much and I helped you so little."

I shook my head. "That's not true. You helped me to feel like a human being again. It feels good to be together. Thank you for that."

Our idyllic moment was ruined, as Vect entered the bathroom and said, "May I shower or shall I leave the room to the lovebirds?" Though his words suggested a jest, his inflexion and facial expression entirely showed his annoyance.

I drew away from Lisbeth and said, "Please, forgive us, Overlord! We will be off right now!"

He made a dismissive gesture and we left.

We waited for him, sitting on the bed and killing time, chatting. He did not take long and we went silent as he passed us on his way to the armour rack. Quickly, he had put everything on.

Then, he came back to us, grabbed Lisbeth at her right arm and dragged her to her feet. With surprising sleight of hand, he produced a collar for her and donned it around her neck. She, too, had been relieved of the collar in the quarters, but not until three weeks in his service had passed. Before that, he had only taken it off if she had to sleep or shower.

I saw in her face that she did not feel comfortable wearing it again, but he did not give her time to process it. He donned a chain on her collar and on his belt, smiled falsely at her and said, "Let us go, child! I am interested to see how you will do compared to Temira."

With that, they left me.

I sighed deeply as I was alone. It felt awkward to be alone again, I had gotten used to Lisbeth's presence.

With weary steps, I went to the glass wall to look out. Heavy, black rain was falling down today and though the sound of it pounding against the glass had always made me feel at ease and as if I was back on earth, it did not work today. Though I had tried to encourage Lisbeth as well as I could, I was not as sure that she would not blow it as I had told her. She had been a good student, yes, and she had learnt a lot considering the little time I had had to teach her, but I knew that Lisbeth was someone to experience a blackout when she was severely stressed. I just hoped that she would heed my advice, trying to take it slow and keeping her wits about.

It drove me crazy that I could not be there to help her.

I spent the whole day running in circles, trying to distract me by reading and studying, but nothing of it really helped. I would have killed to be with her in this trial and I sincerely hoped that Ea'nash was not interested in her in the slightest, because I knew how hard it was for her to stand Vect's advances, when we were only amongst ourselves. I was not sure how she would do if she got touched in front of an audience.

Hours turned to years for me.

I skipped lunch. I could not bring myself to eat even one bite.

The worst thing and the finest torment about it was that I knew that the door was not locked. If I was stupid enough to do so, I could leave and walk down to the throne room. But only a fool would have dared that, for several reasons. First of all, I did not know what my master would do to me if I ever left his quarters without permission and additionally, I was sure that this was one of the ways to get myself killed with ease. I had not forgotten about the Mandrakes around here.

As I was thinking that I would go mad if I had to wait one second longer, they came back.

It took all of my restraint not to immediately ask how it went and for the first seconds, I was just confronted by Vect's blank face.

Then I beheld Lisbeth and I gasped.

She was littered with cuts and bruises and it was apparent that she was exhausted.

Still, with this blank expression, Vect took off her collar, she stumbled a few steps forward, and then fell to her knees.

I could not hold myself back any longer and took a step forward to rush towards her to help her, but Vect barked at me, "Do not dare, Temira!"

Now I was utterly confused and scared. The signals I was getting were so controversial, I could not make heads or tails of it. He had taken off her collar, which meant, that it could not have been too bad. However, Lisbeth looked worse than I had after my first day, and Vect seemed to be annoyed.

I said, "Forgive me, my lord, but I have to know: how did it go?"

With this, Vect started to laugh evilly, but wholeheartedly. He took his time with answering my question. Lisbeth did not show any reaction, she just knelt there, still panting heavily and apparently gathering her strength, her gaze empty.

As the Overlord finally was able to answer me, he said, "Well, where do I start? I saw that you have taught her well, and little Lisbeth here did adhere nicely to the rules of serving. However, she does not know a thing about social interaction with the members. She treated everyone exactly the wrong way and she got to feel exactly that. It has been a while since I have seen Ea'nash hating a girl so much."

I sighed. I had feared that too. At least, she had been spared from Ea'nash's advances, though I did not want to know what he did to people he hated.

There was not much I could have done to prepare her for this. I had told her a bit about their personalities, but I had known that Lisbeth was not too good when it came down to social intelligence. How bad she apparently was with it, I clearly had had no idea about.

"To make matters worse for her, dear Lisbeth seems to react quite strongly to the poison. Let us see what secrets she will reveal to me in a short while," Vect added with a mischievous smile.

I cursed silently on the inside. I had hoped that the truth serum had only been a special treat for me, but as it seemed, Vect liked to do that to every single one of his personal slaves. I dreaded what Lisbeth would spit at him under its influence.

Despite my wish to help, there was nothing I could for her at the moment.

By now, Vect had rid himself of armour and bodyglove, and went to Lisbeth to pick her up. She did not struggle, but I guessed that came mostly from the poison. My master said to me, as he left with her for the bathroom, "You, my dear Temira, stay here, no matter what you hear."

I did not like that sentence at all.

After they had vanished into the bathroom, I fell onto the bed and buried my face in my palms. I was sure that she would say something wrong under the influence of the truth serum and now he would hurt her. It was inevitable, of that I was sure.

I hated it to be right.

It only took half an hour or so until I heard her first scream.

I closed my eyes and lay trembling on the bed, as I also heard his terrible laughter. Though I could not hear it, I knew exactly what he was whispering in her ear right now.

How much he enjoyed it.

That tears or pleas would only make things worse for her.

That she would scream for him until she saw her mistakes and started to apologise for them.

And she would, I knew that she would, whether she wanted it or not.

And he would not stop there. No, he never did.

With this terror, again the thought occurred to me that I would be given to Vlokarion tomorrow, and that I would witness his work. I still did not know how I could manage it without snapping...

Another scream ripped me out of my pondering and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I really wanted to go in there and make him stop, but I was aware that the only thing I would manage with that, would be that he would also torture me and make us watch alternatingly as he tormented the other one.

As always, Vect took his time. After all, it was his most favourite thing to do.

When he came back, with an unconscious Lisbeth on his arms, I looked at him in pure horror. It puzzled me for a second that Lisbeth was immaculate after the torture, but then I realised what he had done to her. The tub had apparently been filled with the regenerating fluid, and I now knew how he had tortured her. That thing burned like fire and I was sure that the fresher the wound, the more painful the healing process would be. Apart from that, he was a true master with a blade.

Without taking notice of my shocked stare, he tucked her in.

Then, he turned towards me, "Oh, do not look at me like that, Temira! You and I both knew that it was inevitable." He shook his head. "You have taught her well, but she is far too reluctant. I took it slow with her up to that point, but she will learn it the hard way now. Either she bends or she breaks."

I dropped my gaze and said, "I had really hoped that my training would have changed something."

Vect snorted. "It only delayed the inevitable. That ungrateful brat showed her true colours under the truth serum. She will never be as good as you, Temira, and you know why?"

I shook my head, my eyes widened.

An evil smile graced his immaculate features. "Because you, my dear, like what you do and admire me, when it comes down to it. She just hates her situation and me. I am done being easy on her. Just be grateful that you are not here to see it."

Vect was as frightening and as evilly magnificent as ever. I knew that he was right with what he said, though I hated to admit it. I had feared that things would turn out this way. I was only able to change Lisbeth's education, not her nature, and I was aware that she would possibly be destroyed because of it. I wanted to cry, but I swallowed down the tears. The last thing the Overlord wanted to see right now was another weak slave.

Therefore, I mustered all my remaining mental strength, kept calm, nodded and replied, "Yes, my lord, I am grateful. When will the Maester take me with him tomorrow?"

"I will send for him as soon as we are in the throne room. Now, child, let us eat and enjoy the remainder of the evening in a relaxing manner."

The rest of the evening was relaxing for him, but not for me. I feared for Lisbeth, I feared for myself and I still had no idea how to face Vlokarion.

Yet, I would.

The next chapter might come up a lot faster. I already had it ready somewhat. Yeah, I like writing about Vlokarion too. ;)

Read and review, please, or write me a PM with your thoughts!