Three more days of training had left Amber exhausted. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to learn from someone as talented as her Mistress, but she wasn’t used to trying to maintain her magic actively like this nearly as often as her Mistress wanted her to. Emilia was much more talented than she could have ever predicted. She was shocked to learn that the Empress didn’t even need to use a channeling glove to cast her spells. Amber had been allowed access to her channeling glove after their first lesson had left her unable to practice for a full day. Garnet had still been Amber’s test subject, though the Empress had admitted that there wasn’t going to be much to learn from the poor thing. It was already so completely devoted to the both of them that there wasn’t much that Amber could even do to it. That said, it still felt incredible to open its mind and find nothing but its love and lust.

For all that Amber could tell, her Mistress was over the moon to finally have someone she finally considered worthy of learning from her. She fawned over Amber constantly, and Amber could tell how much Selene hated it. That made it even better. I do wish I could tweak her just a bit… The day before, Amber had tried to reach out and touch Selene magically. It hadn’t gone well. Selene at least knew how to defend herself now, though Emilia had told Amber that her attendant didn’t work out as a proper apprentice. Mistress had tried to teach her, but Selene wasn’t able to live up to Emilia’s lofty expectations.

Garnet moaned from the corner of the library. She’d been left to touch herself while Amber finished her lesson for the day. Emilia told her that it was to help her practice staying focused on her tasks even when there were loud and distracting emotions in the room with her. Amber suspected that it was also because Mistress Emilia loved making Garnet humiliate itself. She may not have been strong enough to read the Empress magically, but she didn’t need to be; the look on her face every time she gave their toy an order made it obvious. I can’t blame her for that though, can I? She’d been giving Garnet orders of her own the last few days, too.

Amber looked up from the book in front of her. “Mistress, how did you collect all of these journals? With the way you talk about things, I’m surprised they weren’t destroyed years ago.”

Emilia turned to face Amber instead of Garnet. “I’m a woman with many talents. And, once the empire was mine, I was a very wealthy woman as well. With those resources at my disposal, I pursued every feasible lead I could find. There are a great many books here that have been gathered only in the last few years.” She sat down on the desk right next to Amber. “But you’re right. A greater number than I ever want to think about have been lost, either to time or to the fear of people who know we’re better than them.”

Amber frowned. “That’s…” She still wasn’t completely sure she thought of herself that way. Her Mistress had talked about how it was their right to do as they wished, but there was a part of Amber that resisted the idea greatly. “That’s terrible. I can only imagine how much has been lost.”

Emilia smiled at her. “You still don’t completely trust me yet, do you?”

“Of course I do!” Amber pouted. “It’s just… A lot has changed in the last couple of days. You must know that I mean it!”

“I do. I can tell.” Emilia placed her hand on top of Amber’s on the table. “And, to prove my trust in you, from today on I’m going to allow you to wear your channeling glove even outside of my supervision.”

Amber’s eyes widened in surprise. It hasn’t even been a week yet! “That’s… incredibly generous of you, Mistress! Are you sure?”

“There is a condition. The servants in my castle here are all mine. I want you to begin practicing on them, Amber. Superiority will feel more natural to you the more you exert it. I can tell that you’re still uncertain about that. So, next time we meet, you’ll tell me about at least three of my servants you’ve bound to yourself. The toy doesn’t count, but I do expect you to use it while I’m gone.” She looked at it. “Garnet, relax.” It stopped touching itself and went limp in the chair.

“While you’re gone?” Amber asked.

“Yes. I have business to attend to elsewhere, but I will only be gone two days. That should be more than enough time for you to complete my assignment.” Mistress stood up from her seat and walked over to Garnet, placing a hand under its chin and tilting its head up to look her in the eye. Amber was in awe of how completely Garnet had become Mistress’ toy. Amber saw every last ounce of will leave its body as the two of them made eye contact.

I want to make it feel that way. That’s my Garnet. She shook her head, trying to shake off the thought. We’re both Emilia’s. I shouldn’t think like that.

“Garnet will take you back to your room now, Amber. I’ll be leaving in about an hour; I expect not to be disturbed. If you need anything, Selene will help you.”

“Selene doesn’t trust me!”

“And yet, she will help you.” Her Mistress’ words were firm. “No more arguing.” She nodded to Garnet, who was standing behind Amber. Suddenly, Amber was swept off of her feet, Garnet holding her in a bridal carry.

“Yes, Mistress,” She said. Garnet was already turning to remove her from the room. “I’ll see you when you get back!” Whenever they’d finished a lesson, Emilia had ordered Garnet to remove her like this. At first, she felt awkward about her partner carrying her around like this. But today, Amber could feel how excited Garnet became while holding her. Maybe Emilia is right. Maybe I do deserve to be treated this way. She smiled. They all come to love it. Why shouldn’t I take what I want?

The walk was largely uneventful, though Amber did reach out to a few of the servants she saw roaming the hallways. None of them ended up appealing to her, but she was surprised at just how easy it was to get a read on them as Garnet carried her past. None of these people are mages, let alone witches. It’s no wonder they’re all so easy to play with. She tried to think about which servants she’d try and corrupt first. There was a cute errand boy. He was a well built blonde with short hair who had come by with food or books at Amber’s request. Certainly a candidate.

Garnet carried her back into the hall they stayed in, and immediately Amber noticed that the security detail that had been assigned was either removed or on break. No one was in the hall. The couple entered their room, and Garnet set Amber gingerly down on the bed. Amber sighed. It’s always so much harder to think when I’m not near Mistress Emilia. It’s strange.

Garnet went around and laid down on the other side of the bed, cuddling up to Amber. She ran her hand over its pretty hair. “Garnet, is there any servant you think is particularly appealing?”

“Appealing?” It sounded confused.

“Yes. Physically or otherwise.” She paused, thinking of how to phrase it. Small words. “You know, who do you think is… hot, I suppose.”

“Oh, well… There is one of the girls who drops messages from Mistress Emilia off sometimes who I’d love to play with…” Garnet smiled, and Amber watched its eyes close. She reached out to touch Garnet with her magic and was immediately greeted with the lust it was associating with the servant.

“Ah, well, I suppose that makes sense.” Amber made a mental note to try and manipulate them when they eventually made their way back to their chamber. “I don’t know why I even asked you,” she laughed. “I don’t think your taste is anything but what we tell you it is. I could make you fall for anyone who walked through that door if I wanted to.”

“Is that… A bad thing?” Garnet asked. It sounded genuinely concerned.

“What? No, of course…not…” Amber trailed off, blinking her eyes a few times. Her expression shifted, suddenly remembering what she’d been doing the last few days. “Gods– Garnet, I’m sorry!” Mistress Emilia has been… Gods, what have I been doing the last few days!? She wrapped her arms around Garnet and squeezed it tightly against her. “I– I don’t even know what to say! She can just… She doesn’t take control necessarily, but that might be worse! Every idea she has just sounds like the best course of action, it’s unbelievable!”

“Amber? What are you talking about?” Garnet untangled itself from its partner. “I thought you were enjoying the lessons? I mean, I have been…”

Amber sat up and rubbed her head. I’ve just… let her take me in as her apprentice?

The only way to win is to stay. You need time to figure out an escape plan.

She tried to focus and ignore the impulses she felt. Right. An escape plan. I wish I’d known Mistress Emilia was leaving sooner than– Em– Mistress Emilia. She stopped. I can’t– Why can’t I think of her as anything else? She was starting to panic. How much damage had been done in these short few days? Amber stood and started pacing, chewing on her lip. “Garnet, how long has it been since I got here?”

“What? I don’t know… Six days?” Garnet was sitting up herself now, frowning with worry. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Amber swallowed. “Either you’re wrong or I’ve completely lost a day. Was there a day where I was asleep, maybe? How long did it take me to recover the night I got here?”

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t sleep like that. Mistress Emilia took you away for herself the day after you showed up. You were gone for a while, but that night they brought you back.” Garnet stood, putting its hands on Amber’s shoulders. It’s always so warm now. It’s nice. “Is that such a bad thing? It’s not even like you were gone that long!”

It– She! She doesn’t even understand anymore. Gods, what did I help them do to her? I need to fix this. If… If I can keep myself sane, maybe I can get Mistress Emilia to teach me how to undo this. Or maybe I can try… Amber tried to reach within herself, but couldn't feel the same connection. I guess I can't just fix this myself. Not like that. She chewed on her lip again, trying to think quickly.

“Amber? You're making me worried!” Garnet looked like she might cry, and Amber sat back down on the bed next to her.

“I'm sorry, love. I don't mean to scare you.” She took a breath and locked eyes with her partner. “Take a deep breath for me.”

She did. Amber immediately saw Garnet begin to relax.

“Good. You're focused on my eyes.”

“I'm focused on your eyes.” Garnet's shoulders sagged.

“That's right, Garnet. And where are you now?”

“I'm in your soft hands,” Garnet whispered. She was all but under again already. Amber felt herself getting aroused, but tried to ignore it. If I indulge myself like this I'll be gone again. Business only, Amber.

“That’s right, my loyal knight. Exactly where you belong. It's time to serve your Lady Amber now.”

Garnet went limp, and Amber guided her back down to the bed. “Garnet, can you hear me?”

“Mhm.” It was more of a hum than an actual reply.

“That's good. I want you to relax for me. You're safe with me here. No one is going to disturb us. It's just me and you. You haven't told anyone about being my loyal knight, have you?”

“No, Lady Amber.”

Amber breathed a sigh of relief. She'd almost forgotten about it herself, being around Mistress Emilia as much as she had the last few days. “Good girl, thank you. You're doing so good for me. I want you to continue keeping that secret.” Garnet nodded back at her. Now what? There has to be something I can do. “Garnet, do you remember leading the rebellion?”

Garnet frowned. “Yes. It was foolish of-”

“Shhh.” Amber began gently touching Garnet's arm with her gloved hand. “Not foolish. Brave. You're a brave warrior, my loyal knight. I wouldn't lie to you.”

“But… But Mistress EmiliaXX said…” She stopped speaking. Amber's gloved hand had a gentle glow. “What's going on?”

“I'm giving you a new secret to keep. This one is very, very important. You're not to think about it unless I tell you to. The thought will never surface in your mind again until I call upon you, my loyal knight. Do you understand?”

“I think so…?”

Amber could feel just how difficult it was for anything she said to compete with Mistress Emilia. Her words were deeply entrenched in Garnet's mind. I can't even stop thinking about her as Mistress Emilia. How can I possibly reverse this? She can't even defend herself. I can barely defend myself. “I need you to remember how things were before you came here. I know those memories are scary, but I can help you.”

She felt Garnet's anxiety rising. Amber reached out and tried to help quiet it. “My knight, it's okay, I promise. Deep breaths. They're just memories. They can't hurt you.” I hope. She listened to Garnet inhale and exhale, holding one of the hypnotized girl’s hands between both of her own. She spent a few minutes gently caressing Garnet’s memories, trying to make them easier to bear. “You’re doing wonderfully, Garnet. You… You don’t have to be her again if you don’t want to, okay?” Garnet didn’t say anything, but Amber felt her become a little less tense. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. I want you to focus on those memories. You felt an incredible drive then, didn’t you?”

“I did…”

Amber couldn’t help but smile. “You did. That’s still in you, even now. I want you to imagine a bottle. You’re going to put all of that drive you felt, every bit of that fight you had in you into that bottle. Can you do that, my loyal knight?”

Garnet nodded.

“That’s going to be the very important secret I’m giving you. Mistress Emilia doesn’t want you to think about that, so you won’t while you’re with her. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my Lady…”

Amber looked Garnet up and down. Gods, she’s perfect. “That’s my good girl. There’s one more part to this secret I’m giving you. Your mind will remember this, but you won’t be able to think about it yourself. If you ever hear me call you ‘Vivian’ again, you’re going to feel all of that drive come back to you, no matter where we are, no matter who we’re with, no matter what we’re doing. You will feel all of that come back to you. There will be nothing more important to you than to act on that feeling if I ever call you that again. Do you understand, my beautiful knight?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“That’s perfect. Are you ready to come back up?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Good. Come back to me, Garnet. You can wake up now.”

Garnet’s eyes opened slowly, and she stretched in place. Amber finally began to disengage her magic, letting go of Garnet’s emotions. I can only hope that I have a chance to use that. I can’t even guarantee I’ll be able to remember it when we’re with Mistress Emilia. She’s just so–

It’s just your personal fuck toy.

Amber groaned and leaned forward, feeling the sudden weight of her Mistress’ words on her. It was like the command was just waiting for her to lower her guard. She looked at Garnet and felt a hunger growing inside of her. No, I can’t just–

It’s your property.

No, she’s–

It should be your plaything. It can’t think on its own.

It can’t even defend itself. If I didn’t take it, someone else would. The need was consuming her. She looked over at Garnet, who seemed a bit confused.

This is what you want. This is what it wants.

Amber put her gloved hand on its throat.

“A-Amber, what… What are you doing?” it asked.

Amber looked into its pink and blue flecked eyes, then stopped. “I'm using…” She stared at Garnet. What am I doing? She pulled her hand back quickly. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. She pulled the glove off with her other hand and threw it across the room. They both sat in silence for a few moments. “Mistress Emilia is so strong, Garnet. I can't do anything to resist her. I'm… I'm scared she's going to make me become something that I don't want to be.”

Garnet tilted her head. “But doesn't it feel good to let her?”

It can't think on its own.

Amber gritted her teeth. “Well… yes. That's a part of the problem. I don't want to let her do this, Garnet. I know it's hard for you, but I still intend to save you. To save us. I just need to figure out how.”

“But Amber, I told you! I don't want to leave!” The reaction was instantaneous, and Garnet had tears in her eyes again, raising her voice. “I thought you were starting to understand! Your lessons are important! And she's right, you know. You deserve to have someone as talented as Mistress Emilia training you!”

“I'm sorry Garnet. I didn't… I don't mean to upset you, I swear.” It needs you. “I know that you want to stay. You trust me, don't you?” She let her magic touch Garnet after she said it, caressing the trust Garnet felt towards her and encouraging it to grow. Shouldn't have tossed the glove. I should have expected this.

“I… Of course I do, Amber. I love you.” Garnet relaxed some. “I just couldn't bear to see you go. I've been so happy watching you learn from Mistress Emilia, and… And it makes me feel so good when you use me.” Her voice lowered for the last part of the sentence, and she couldn't meet Amber's eyes anymore.

Wow. I didn't think there was a trace of shame still left in her. “You've been a perfect toy for me to practice on, Garnet.”

We deserve to be in control.

“In fact, you belong to me, don't you Garnet?”

It blinked at her. “Of course I do, Amber!”

Amber stood and walked to the discarded glove, picking it up off the floor. “That's right.” She slipped the glove back on. “You're mine. And you've been good. But there's something I've been meaning to do. I've been much too kind, letting others control you. You're my toy.”

***

Garnet's breath hitched in its throat. “I'm your toy…” it whispered. Of course it was. It had always been Amber's toy, even before Amber knew about that side of it. It had wanted to belong to her entirely since their first kiss. Garnet remembered the sound of a campfire crackling, the glow of the moon upon them, and how soft Amber's lips had been. They were greedy, too, trying to claim as much of Garnet as she could manage.

“You belong to Mistress Emilia and I. No one else is as important as either of us. Isn't that right?”

“Yes, Amber!” Garnet felt itself getting aroused again. It loved when Amber took control, when she was using what she'd learned from Mistress Emilia. It would never say, but it was sure the words felt even better when they came from Amber's mouth.

“Answer me truthfully, then. How do you feel about Selene?”

It looked at Amber, clearly confused. “I… I love Selene. Why wouldn't I? She's done so much to take care of me since I got here. I wish you got along better with her… but I don't think she's made that easy either.” Garnet hoped that was a good answer.

Amber sat back down on the bed next to it and caressed its cheek with her gloved hand. The fabric was so soft, and Garnet leaned into her hand. “Of course you do. That's what Mistress Emilia wants you to feel. But… I don't like Selene. She would take you from me if she could.”

“No! Do you really think… I would never let her do that, Amber! I would never let anyone take me from you!”

“Calm down, doll.” Garnet felt its cheek tingle where it met Amber's glove. A wave of relaxation came over it. “I know you won't.” The gloved hand left her cheek and groped Garnet's breast. “I make you feel too good.”

“You do, you do, you do…” It sighed, feeling itself go limp. When Amber was in these moods, she preferred that Garnet be completely relaxed for her. Always relaxed for Amber. Its legs began to part without Garnet thinking about it, and it heard Amber giggle.

“You're such a slut. Stand up for me.”

Amber stood first and took a few steps toward the wardrobe. Garnet stood after, brushing itself off as it did. It was wearing the sheer blue dress today, and it felt Amber's eyes on it. It could feel her scanning, looking up and down, appraising it.

“Good. You live to obey me, Garnet.” Amber was grinning, staring at her prize. “Strip, then put your back against the wall.”

It immediately pulled the dress over its head, leaving it completely on display for Amber. Garnet backed itself up against an open area on the wall across from the door. If it opens, it's possible that someone might see me like this. The thought sent a shiver of pleasure through it. Amber moved in and began to pose it, moving its arms above its head and locking them there. Amber didn't used to enjoy restraining me so much, Garnet thought. I should thank Mistress Emilia later.

With its arms locked in place, Amber took great care pulling its legs apart. They opened quickly and easily for its partner, her hands around one of Garnet's ankles. She bound the left, then the right to the wall, smiling. “I think I love you like this, Garnet. You're beautiful. A work of art. An object to be enjoyed. On display for your owner, already dripping wet. You really put on quite the show for someone so mindless.”

The joints that Amber bound to the wall tingled pleasantly. Garnet looked at its owner in anticipation, praying she would touch it soon. It could feel just how much stronger Amber was than it now, and that only made it hornier. I need her. I'm hers. I don't want anything else. Amber stepped towards it, peeling her glove off of her hand now that it had been properly restrained. She put her bare hand against Garnet's cheek. It whined, opening its mouth. It wanted to speak, but something was stopping it.

“No words, Garnet. Dolls don't speak.”

Garnet whined again, desperate to communicate its desire to her. Every word Amber said stoked the fire inside of it, and the bindings didn’t let it move an inch.

“You’re perfect, Garnet. You’re a beautiful doll. I’m so glad you’re mine. I’m going to use you for the rest of our lives, love. It’s wonderful how eager Mistress Emilia has made you. Eager for me to reduce you to my possession.” Amber kissed Garnet, hands on each of its cheeks. She pulled back, and Garnet looked into her eyes. It had been in love with Amber for so long now, but something about staring into her eyes at this moment made it truly understand the meaning of devotion. Mistress Emilia is important, but…

“She was right about you. I just can’t imagine you as a leader anymore. Not when it’s so clear that you were made for me to use.” She put her hands on Garnet’s thighs. It moaned, unable to manage more. Garnet closed its eyes for a moment, lost in another wave of pleasure. When it opened them again, it was sure that it had seen the door closing. Nothing in the room seemed different, but something in the air had changed. If Amber had noticed, she didn’t act like it. She put her hand against Garnet’s cunt. “Mine.”

I’m Amber’s. I’m hers. I belong to Amber.

It felt something against its leg, and its vision began to swim. It wasn’t sure what had just happened, but it had lost all ability to focus. “Garnet?” Amber’s voice. It wanted to answer her, but it couldn’t. “Garnet, answer me.” Garnet felt its consciousness start to slip away.

“It can’t.”

***

Selene grabbed Amber’s face with her gloved hand. There was very little regard for whether or not it might hurt the girl. She felt Amber fighting back against her magic, but Amber had stupidly taken her channeling glove back off. She resisted for a moment, but after a moment, she collapsed to the ground. A second later, Garnet fell to the floor as Amber was unable to maintain its bonds against the wall. Selene didn’t pick it up off the floor. She was here for exactly one reason: to remove Amber from her life.

She picked up her Mistress’ new student. I can’t believe she thinks this useless nobody is better than I am. That she might deserve an education more than I do. She moved through the door with the girl, then locked it behind them. She didn’t want Garnet to try wandering out while she was taking care of the exchange.

They snuck out of the castle. Emilia had been gone for about an hour now, and the sun was slowly making its way down out of the sky. She sat her captive down against a tree and locked her arms against the trunk, then woke her up. “Get up, Amber. I need to fix you before I send you away from here.”

Amber groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, then tried tugging on her arms. “Where… Selene? What do you think you’re doing? When Mi-”

Selene cut her off magically, forcefully attacking Amber’s feelings of devotion towards her Empress. She could see the confusion on Amber’s face, and she smiled. She might not have been the perfect student that Emilia wanted, but she was more than capable of the basics of this kind of manipulation. I’m just as good as Amber is. I’m better than she is. “I’m getting rid of you. Emilia may think you’re worth something, but I know that you’re only trouble. You shouldn’t be learning anything the Empress knows.” She attacked every positive emotion that she’d gained towards the Empress in the last week she’d been in the castle. She attacked the positive emotions she’d felt towards Garnet. She can never, ever come back.

Amber struggled to pull her arms away, to mount anything resembling a defense against Selene’s onslaught. Selene pressed the attack further. She knew that Amber was going to be tired today. The Empress had been spending all of her time with Amber the last few days, pushing her to the limits of her abilities. And here now, it was obvious that she was overpowering Garnet’s partner. “I’m going to tell the Empress you ran. I don’t want to see you in these castle walls again in my life. I will be the one to inherit her knowledge. You deserve nothing more than to spend the rest of your pathetic life desperately trying to fight against her inevitable rule. If she ever takes you in again, I’ll kill you. Consider this your one and only warning. You’re not the Empress’ apprentice.”

Amber’s motions stopped for a moment as she took Selene’s words in. Selene felt them sink into Amber’s mind, and she knew that she wouldn’t have anything to worry about from here on. “I’m leaving you here. Your people are coming to find you, and if you’re lucky, there won’t be any wild animals who want to attack you.” Selene turned, walking back towards the castle. She wasn’t interested in negotiating anything for Amber’s release. Having her out of the castle would make Selene’s life easier in every possible way.

Two days until the Empress is done with her trip to the north. I’ll make sure Garnet has forgotten Amber by the time she returns. That will prove that I’m worthy of being her apprentice.