It had been eight days since the duel. Eight long and lonely days. Amber paced in her tent. It was much too large without Vivian here. How could I have let her go like that? I knew it was a trap. Even worse, Amber still wasn't even sure exactly how they'd tricked Vivian. Everything looked completely normal when the duel started, and Amber had been replaying the scene in her mind every moment since to try and figure out what had happened.

She saw Vivian fighting to the last. Even when her opponent had her down, Vivian never stopped. That was who she was, at her core. She was a fighter. Amber didn't even want to consider for a moment what her partner was going through in Emilia's castle, but she knew that Vivian would never give up. I need to save her. We need her back. She needs us more than ever. She'd been trying to figure out a solution ever since they heard that was where Vivian was being held. How on earth do we breach that castle? I could-

“Am- Er, Commander.” a voice from the entrance to her tent.

Amber sighed. She wasn't used to anyone calling her Commander. “Yes? Come in.”

Brynn made their way through the flap. They were fairly short, only shoulder height compared to Amber, but they were wide and strong. They had curly black hair that was tied back in an attempt to tame it; today, the hairband had no chance. Amber liked Brynn. They had been with the rebellion since their founding days, and they were always cool under pressure. It had never been necessary, but if anything were to happen, she knew she could leave the rebellion to them. “I'm very sorry to bother you Commander, but I thought you'd want the report from Emilia's castle as soon as I received it.”

Amber's yellow eyes lit up. “Yes! Of course, please. Can I get you something to drink?”

Brynn shook their head. “No thank you ma'am, but I appreciate it. I have the brief here for you.” They handed over a piece of paper over to Amber.

Vivian has been spotted on multiple occasions on the parade grounds of Emilia's castle. She is almost always escorted by the Empress herself or someone who appears to be very close to Emilia. She was initially spotted by our spy in the guard when she entered the Empress’ throne room four days ago. At the time, she seemed very disoriented and deferential towards her companion. We unfortunately do not know what happened inside. Afterward, she was taken back to her quarters on the west side of the castle.

Amber swallowed. What in the world were they doing to her?

The commander was spotted again the next day out among the parade grounds, assisting various caravans load goods. What? That sounded like something she would do for the rebellion, sure, but for Emilia?

Afterward, she was attacked by one of the knight captains that were training that day. She sustained a wound, but very nearly struck the man down before Emilia intervened. Our spy has not seen her since.

Amber let herself fall into a chair. None of this made any sense. Why hadn't Emilia just killed Vivian during the duel? She set the report down on the table in front of her. I guess it makes sense that she would want to try and get information out of her, but I've never seen Vivian give anyone or anything up before. Emilia should know that. Amber stared at the map they had of the Empress’ castle with her fingers pressed to her temples. Why not keep her in the dungeon? Are they not torturing her? I need to see for myself. I need to get to-

Brynn cleared their throat. “Not to interrupt, ma'am, but is there anything else you need from me?”

Amber jumped. “Brynn! Gods, sorry, I completely forgot you were there. No, I don't…” she stopped and thought for a moment. “Actually. Did you read the report?”

Brynn nodded. “I did, ma'am.”

“What do you make of it? Do you have any idea of what they might be doing with her?”

Brynn closed their eyes to think, but shook their head. “I don't know. I don't understand it either. Letting her walk around the grounds, even with supervision, just doesn't make any sense. Her being attacked by the Empress’ men suggests that she hasn't been compromised, but it's impossible to say without complete context, which we clearly don't have.”

Amber raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think she could have gotten to Vivian? I have my doubts.”

Brynn shrugged. “Eight days ago I would have said that she could defeat any knight Emilia brought forth as her champion.” Amber winced and looked back down at the table. “I'm sorry, Commander, that was unkind of me to say. What I mean to say is that none of the events of the last two weeks have made much sense. I can't discount any possibility.”

Amber brushed her brown hair back and sighed again. “No, Brynn, don't apologize. You're right. I've been cursing myself for days for letting her even think about accepting that challenge.”

Brynn sat down in another chair across the table. “That is hardly your fault. I don't mean to say that I knew her as well as you did, obviously, but Vivian was never one to just let a challenge stand without a response. Especially when she thinks she can win.” They reached across the table and grabbed the report, looking it over one more time. “It ended up being a trap, yes, but you wallowing in self pity about it is not helpful to the rest of the army.”

“I am not wallowing-”

Brynn put a hand up. “Commander, whether you are or not, you have spent most of the last week in your tent for as long as you can afford to. Our soldiers are anxious without their leader, be that you or Vivian.”

Brynn looked deadly serious. It seemed like the rest of the soldiers weren't the only anxious ones. Brynn tried to hide their frustrations, but they were as plain as day as Amber looked into their eyes.

“Now, I must ask you: Are we going to go save your partner or not? Because we are all growing tired of waiting for her to come back on her own.”

“Of course we are! I’ve just been unsure on what the best course of action might be. It would have to be a small team. We don't stand a chance in a direct attack.” She pointed to the map. “If she's truly staying in one of these guest rooms, we can move her up onto the rampart and climb down. The forest is thick on that side and we have a better chance of leaving undetected, or at least a better chance of staying hidden. Obviously if our intelligence is bad we may have to improvise, and if they are keeping her there chances are there will be a high level of security.”

Amber put a hand to her chin and continued. “I could always try to make myself invisible. It would be too difficult to maintain that kind of spell the entire time, especially if it was for two people. But I could make my way in and get to Vivian, only using magic when necessary, and then make a quick escape with her… I should be able to maintain an illusion for that long.”

Brynn grimaced. “You’re suggesting that you, our interim leader, should be the one to break into the compound to get Vivian out?”

Amber chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment, thinking. “We don’t have a better mage than me. I think we both know that this is a difficult choice either way. I can’t just send in anyone. Vivian’s soldiers are just that: soldiers. They’re not accustomed to infiltration.”

Brynn studied the map and ran a hand through their hair. Amber could almost hear the gears turning in their head. “Okay. I trust you.” They rifled through a few other papers that were scattered across the table, picking up a calendar. “Three days until the next new moon. That will be our best chance to strike without being seen.”

Amber nodded. “We have someone create a distraction of some kind. Maybe we could start some kind of fire, draw the soldiers towards the eastern side. Luckily for us, Emilia loves her forests.” She let herself smile for the first time in days. “Brynn, thank you. And I’m sorry for keeping myself cooped up for this long. I… have been handling things poorly.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, commander,” Brynn said, shaking their head. They surprised Amber with a smile. “Honestly, I just can’t wait to stop calling you that.”

Amber balled up a scrap of paper from the table and threw it at Brynn. “Yeah. You and I both.”

***

“Miss Garnet?” Selene nudged the sleeping redhead. “Miss Garnet, please. You have spent enough time here.”

Garnet slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She seemed to still be in the room that Mistress Emilia had led her to earlier. Her throat was dry, and she felt incredibly stiff, as if she’d fallen asleep with an extremely heavy weight on her. She put a hand to her head and checked the cut she’d received on her side, but it seemed to be healed now. “Selene? How long have I been asleep?”

Selene looked through a small window on the other side of the room. “I would estimate that it has been at least six hours, though I will admit that I have not paid close attention to that.” She walked back over to the bed and gently placed Garnet’s dress back down on top of the blankets. “I have seen to the repair on your dress, and I’ve removed any trace of blood from the garment. Please, allow me to help you put it back on.” Selene gently took Garnet’s free hand in her own and helped pull her off the bed and to her feet.

Garnet felt herself following much of Selene’s instruction without thinking too hard about it. She was the Empress’ personal servant, and obviously she would know what Mistress Emilia would want her to be doing. “Thank you, Selene. I hope it wasn't too much trouble. I know that you and Mistress Emilia have been working so hard to take care of me while I’ve been having these… episodes, I guess you would call them.”

Selene smiled. “Of course, Miss Garnet. My purpose is to serve the Empress, and right now, that means helping to take care of her crown jewel.”

The thought made Garnet blush, a giddy buzz blossoming in her mind. That the Empress would consider her such a precious object as to be called her crown jewel… It was overwhelming, in a good way.

And… it felt silly to be thinking this now, but she hadn’t truly noticed before how beautiful Selene was. Her brown hair was up tight in a bun, and her green eyes shone like emeralds. Why am I just having these thoughts now?

Did it matter? She nodded at Selene and began slipping the dress back on, sheer fabric covering her completely while leaving her completely exposed. She was growing to truly love the feeling of being on display like this, the way it clung to her skin. “Come now, Miss Garnet. Have a seat at the vanity,” Selene ordered, and she happily complied. She sat down on the stool and took a long look at the girl staring back at her. Her hair was a mess, and she still had the look of sleep on her face.

But her eyes: they were different from before. She had intimidated a number of opponents with her icy blue eyes, but today they seemed to have a pinkish hue to them. Garnet leaned forward, staring into the mirror. There was no mistaking it; her time here at Emilia’s castle was slowly changing her.

She smiled. She hoped she could become exactly the sword that Mistress Emilia wanted her to be.

“Garnet, please,” Selene scolded. “Sit up straight, then stay still.” She grabbed Garnet by the shoulders and gently pulled her back from the mirror.

Garnet froze. “I'm sorry, Selene, I truly don't mean to make your job harder.” Selene didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she ran the brush through her hair once, then twice, three times, and Garnet slowly felt herself relax. She was safe here, the familiar sensation washing over her.

“There you go, Garnet. Deep breaths now.”

***

Vivian felt like she was drowning.

She had felt herself become shackled inside of her body not long after she'd nearly killed that bastard Nathaniel. She had struggled for the last week to try and wrest control back in any way she could, only managing to do so for a few fleeting moments. Even when it felt like she was close to breaking through, she'd been shoved back down. She had no idea what the Empress had done to trap her in her own body.

I’ve never in my life heard of any kind of magic like this. Amber has never mentioned anything like this in our time together. Either Emilia has some kind of specific spell or training to do this, or she’s just more powerful than any other mage I’ve ever heard of. Maybe both.

Amber knew how to weave illusions. She was incredibly skilled, too. Vivian had seen her disguise entire carts full of supplies to help move them discreetly, and she had seen her hide weapons and even people in plain sight. She could not imagine Amber ever doing something like this: suppressing an entire personality, forcing a new one into her. It was horrifying to have to watch. And she did have to watch. She felt everything that Garnet had felt, and she felt herself growing weaker every time that witch cornered her.

The worst part was the fear that she would never be able to escape. Every day felt like a challenge to even remain trapped. And the indignity of being reduced to that horrid woman’s sex toy, the way that Garnet begged to be used… It was too much for Vivian to bear. She was ashamed of herself for ever considering the challenge that Emilia had sent. Her pride had cost her everything at this point. She feared that it might also cost them the war.

***

Garnet blinked a few times. Did I fall asleep? Selene was still sitting behind her, humming quietly while she braided Garnet’s hair again. She took a deep breath. She realized that her legs were wide open, though she didn’t remember ever opening them herself. These episodes I’m having are so strange, but… Garnet stared into the mirror, looking at the woman behind her working. She really is beautiful. The song she hummed was familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Selene? I think I just had another one of those episodes…”

Selene didn’t stop her work. “You did, did you?” She tied the first braid off. “It’s nothing to worry about. You’ve been having these episodes since you entered into the Empress’ care, and she’s going to help you get rid of them. You shouldn’t think too hard about them.”

“I’ll try not to, it’s just… It seems like it’s an inconvenience to you and to Mistress Emilia. And I almost killed one of our knights today before Mistress Emilia stopped me! I guess… I don’t know, Selene, I’m just scared.”

Selene sighed and let go of Garnet’s hair. She leaned forward and put a hand on Garnet’s shoulder, using the other to stroke the girl’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Garnet. In truth, none of this has truly been your fault. And I should be more patient with you. A lot has changed in your life in these last two weeks, hasn’t it?”

Garnet whined, feeling Selene’s gloved hand against her face. “I don’t… I mean, I guess so? It’s so hard to remember. I know I gave myself over to Mistress Emilia. I remember bits and pieces. Last night I had this awful dream where I was giving this speech about how she was hurting people, and how people needed to rally together against her!” Garnet felt like she might cry. How could she even think so cruelly about her Mistress?

“Oh, Garnet, shhh.” Selene put a finger to Garnet’s lips. “You were different then. You didn’t understand yet.” She moved her seat forward, turning Garnet to face her and pulling her forward into her chest. “Your Mistress is going to make sure that you don’t have to remember things like that in the future, okay?” Selene’s hand was stroking Garnet’s hair. “We’re both going to help you get better.”

“Thank you, Selene…” she said, wrapping her arms around the other woman. “I really hope she can fix this soon. It’s so overwhelming.” Garnet buried her face in Selene’s chest. She smells nice.

“There there,” Selene cooed. “You don’t need to worry about any of that while Emilia and I are here.” She bent down and kissed Garnet’s hair. “Now, let me finish making you beautiful, okay?”

Garnet nodded without a word, turning back to face the mirror. She could see that her cheeks were bright red. She wasn’t sure where this kindness was coming from all of a sudden, but she was glad to receive it. She had felt like she’d done nothing but make Selene upset the entire time she’d been in the castle, and she couldn’t even blame Selene for feeling that way. All of these episodes, every time she’d done something foolish like getting in that fight, Selene was there to help her. Of course she’d lost her temper once or twice - how could she not?

It didn’t take long for Selene to finish braiding Garnet’s hair. Selene gestured for Garnet to stand. “You may not remember, but the Empress asked me to escort you back to your room after we finished here. Do you think you're ready to head back?”

“Oh! No, I…” Garnet blushed harder, suddenly remembering exactly how long Selene had been in the room. She'd seen everything. I wonder if she liked it? She blinked. I… Want her to like it? I want her to like it. She hadn't considered that until now. I wonder if watching Mistress Emilia fuck me like that was good for her. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Selene touching herself while she watched the Empress take her. I didn't even notice she was there after a while. What if she was? The thought excited her. She could feel herself getting aroused.

“Garnet? You're staring into space again, are you in there?” Selene was right in front of her, waving a hand in her face. “Come on now, we have places to be.” Garnet nodded, and Selene took her hand in her own and dragged her down the halls of the castle.

Garnet did her best to keep up with Selene, but it was proving difficult. Selene having Garnet's hand in hers with the pace she was moving at forced her to stay behind the other woman. Her eyes couldn’t help but wander. She looked at her immaculate hair, the way that her dress highlighted her curves. She really is beautiful. And sweet. And… She imagined herself on her knees in front of Selene, watching intently while she parted her legs in front of her, waiting for the order to pleasure her-

She quickly shook her head. Where in the world is this all coming from? Garnet did her best to stay focused while Selene took her back to her quarters. And really, she needed to learn her way around the castle better. There wasn’t any time to think about the way that Selene ordered her around, or how soft her gloved hands were, or the way she could see the top half of her back exposed-

Get a hold of yourself! You’re a mindless slut who craves defeat.

I really am. It’s so obvious now.

“In here, Garnet.” Selene opened a door and ushered Garnet through. Garnet stepped inside, taking a look around. It wasn’t her own quarters, and she had barely noticed where they were headed. Once Garnet was in the room, Selene closed the door behind her. There were bookshelves lining the walls, each completely filled, with more stacked on top of each row where they could fit. There was a desk with very neatly organized papers and a comfortable looking armchair opposite the shelves. She turned back around.

She could swear that she saw some kind of light coming from Selene’s hand when she shut the door. “Selene, what was that?”

“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about, Garnet.” Her tone was condescending. “You know you’re not supposed to be making any decisions for yourself, dear. You also don’t need to know what your Mistress and I are doing; it doesn’t matter, because we’re always right. You’ll do anything we ask of you.”

She wasn’t asking. She was telling her this. And Garnet couldn’t help but answer her with a meek nod.

“Gods, you don’t even know how far you’ve fallen, do you?” Selene stepped forward, and Garnet instinctively stepped back. There wasn’t much space for her to move, and she fell backwards into the armchair. “It’s only been eight days and you’re already our mewling kitten. I’m starting to believe that the Empress was right, you know. I thought she was wrong, thinking that you’d submit so easily. But you can’t get enough of us, can you?” She had positioned herself just in front of Garnet, leaving her nowhere to go. She was overpowering her without raising a hand.

“I- Selene, I don’t understand what you mean. What are you saying?” Garnet’s mouth was going dry while she gripped the armrests.

“You’re so foolish, Vivian. It makes me so wet every time I think about what we’re doing to you. The confident and prideful leader of the rebellion, so easily captured, so easily changed.” Selene put her hands on Garnet’s cheeks, forcing her to meet her gaze. “I am supposed to return you to your quarters. But first, I get my reward. I get to play with you as much as I want, to toy with that silly mind of yours, to make you whatever I want to be.”

“Why are you calling me that!?” Garnet cried. It hurt her. She didn’t want to be Vivian. She was supposed to be Garnet.

She’s calling you that because it’s your name! Please, Garnet, let me out! Let me help you-

Selene’s grin grew wider. “That’s it. Struggle. I want to watch you break.” Her hands glowed again, and she touched them to each of Garnet’s while they held the chair. “Try and move your hands.”

She couldn’t. They were stuck.

“Vivian. Don’t be so shy dear, come back up for me. I want to talk to you.” She traced her index finger up Vivian’s neck, tilting her chin up.

Vivian blinked, her eyes turning icy blue again. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her hands away from the chair, trying as hard as she could. They wouldn’t move. “What are you doing to me? What do you want from me?” She hissed.

“I don’t want anything from you, Vivian. I want to watch you struggle. I want to see the light in your eyes go dim, when you realize that you’re powerless. I want to watch as your new programming takes back over. I want to watch you fail, and I very much want to watch how horny it makes you. You’re a mindless slut who craves defeat. I know that about you, and I think you do too.”

Vivian looked down at herself and the chair she was in. The sheer material she was in left nothing to the imagination, and she didn’t have a good way to get any leverage from the position she was in. She tried to stand, but whatever magic Selene had placed on her arms was keeping her completely stuck to the chair.

She hated to admit it, but the more she struggled, the hotter she felt. She needed to get up. She needed to fight through this. She needed to escape, to get back to Amber, but she couldn’t. She was trapped. And being trapped felt dangerously good. She felt the arousal pulsing through her, starting in her stomach, rolling out in waves throughout her body.

Selene sat on the desk nearby, hiking her dress up and not even bothering to take her panties off while she touched herself right in front of Vivian. She looked away, trying to focus on anything else. Her arm twitched, and it suddenly felt like she was making progress. She grunted and pulled again.

Why are you fighting her? It would feel better to just do what she wanted, you know…

That voice. Garnet. She tried to suppress the urge to stop. She knew it would feel good to give up, to admit that she wasn’t strong enough to stop the two of them, but she couldn’t. This was the first chance she’d had in days to try and get out. Her arm moved a little further before snapping back to the chair. Another wave of arousal.

“You know you’re never going to get away, right? Eventually Garnet is going to be all you are.” Selene was moaning, one leg on the desk, the other dangling off of it. Vivian never would have imagined Selene doing something like this. “She’s who you want to be at your core. And, well, even if she wasn’t, I would make sure that she was. You’re beautiful when you’re that pathetic, Vivian.”

Stop calling me that! Please!

Vivian grimaced.

If you can get your arms free, maybe you could start touching yourself too-

No! She shook her head and slammed her eyes shut. She felt Garnet clawing at her. Selene’s eyes were wild watching her struggle. She was going to lose. She couldn’t win, and… Gods, it felt so fucking good to lose. She couldn’t deny it. She was so afraid that Emilia (Mistress Emilia!) was right, that Selene was right: Garnet is who she wanted to be. Every secret desire she harbored, every time she had admired Emilia’s (Mistress Emilia’s!) beauty in secret, it was leading to this exact moment.

Garnet opened her pink eyes and looked at Selene pleadingly. “Selene, please, I don’t want to be her! I want to be Mistress Emilia’s! I want to be yours! I don’t want to fight! I want to give myself up!”

Selene’s eyes rolled back while she moaned. “Gods, that’s it!” She snapped her fingers and Garnet felt the magic keeping her in place dissipate. “Crawl over here and eat me out now, Garnet. Show me what that mouth of yours can do.” She pulled her panties down and kicked them away.

Garnet dropped to her knees in front of the chair, obeying Selene. It felt so good to obey. This is what she wanted. She was so sick of being in charge. She made her way to the other woman, kneeling in front of her, burying her face in Selene’s cunt. Selene’s legs wrapped around her head, keeping her in a vice. She didn’t care. She kissed her pussy, breathing in as deep as she could, relishing the feeling of the woman’s wetness on her face. She smelled incredible, and she tasted even better.

“You’re our property, Garnet. Never- fuck- never forget that.” Her breathing was ragged, her thighs were gripping Garnet’s head even tighter. “You may be Emilia’s sword, but when you’re with me, you’ll always be nothing more than a sex toy. My pretty little doll to dress up and ruin. You’re going to crave me just as much as you crave her. I’m going to get you addicted to me, Garnet.”

Garnet barely registered what the other woman was saying. She was focused on her tongue teasing Selene’s clit, one arm around her thigh, the other touching herself while she worked. Her mind was buzzing, her body on fire.

Selene reached down with both of her gloved hands, and Garnet saw the both of them glowing. They grabbed Garnet’s braids, pulling her face into Selene’s pussy. She could barely breathe. It didn’t matter. Selene came all over Garnet’s face. Selene didn’t let go, demanding more. She put both of her hands against Garnet’s head.

You’re a mindless slut who craves defeat. Your sole desires are to serve and obey, to offer up your mind and your body. You belong to Mistress Emilia.

Pleasure built within Garnet, threatening to consume her. She couldn’t tell if those were her thoughts or something else, but they were right. They were true. She needed Mistress Emilia more than anything. She needed to let Selene do whatever she wanted with her. Breaking was the only option, and she was so glad she did. It’s what she wanted in the first place, wasn’t it?

Selene’s thighs squeezed Garnet’s head as she came again. You’re owned, Garnet. You’re property. You’re a fuck toy. You’re my obedient little doll. Now cum those last pathetic thoughts out.

Garnet came, her face still buried in Selene’s snatch. It was rapturous.

Selene slowly let go of Garnet, her legs loosening. Garnet slumped against the desk, wave after wave of pleasure rolling through her. “There’s my good girl.” Selene let her fall, getting up to put herself back together. “Gods, look what you did. Your hair is ruined,” She sighed, smoothing out her dress. She pulled Garnet back to her feet with a grin. “Come on, Garnet. We need to get you back to your room. I’ll take care of you.”