CHAPTER 7

If I lived to be a thousand, I’d still never get tired of this, Celia thought, watching with awe as Windstrider gracefully flicked the tip of his wings, sending them gliding down toward the highlands. It had been a few hours, hours that were now firmly etched into Celia's mind. She was flying! Well, she was riding a beast that was flying, which was basically the same thing. Her mind drifted back to magic, and from magic to Gella. Can she fly under her own power? Can I… The mental image of soaring through the skies, held aloft by invisible force, was incredibly tempting. She shook her head. She was a mercenary, one that would soon be back to her ordinary life. She wouldn’t be learning magic.

The jolt of Windstrider touching down brought her focus back to the present. She hadn't even noticed they were landing. They were in a secluded green clearing, with a brook running through it. The summer breeze rustled the trees, a few birds sang out, and altogether it formed a very peaceful atmosphere to land without creating too much of a fuss.

Lauren smiled at her, then slipped off with the ease of familiarity, undoing her cloak and stowing it in one of the saddlebags without looking away from Celia. She followed suit, though her motion wasn’t quite as graceful, and moved to help the pegasus with his gear. Windstrider did not seem to appreciate the attempt, and huffed, trotting over to the brook. Lauren didn’t seem to think that was an issue, though. She was spreading out a blanket on the grass, and pulling a paper-wrapped package from…

“How many of those no-spaces does Gella even have?” She asked as she sat down by the priestess.

“Only a few. She knows how to create them, but they use a lot of rare and expensive materials to make, so the rest of us don’t have ones for our personal use. We can borrow them for missions, though!” She unwrapped the package and passed a sandwich to Celia. With a start, she realized that the sun was coming down from its apex. Had breakfast really been five hours ago? It had seemed like one, at the most, when they were in the sky. And Gella had implied it would take an hour longer than that, too.

“It's chicken and watercress,” Lauren said happily, taking a bite of her own.

So this is what passes for trail rations for her Treasures? Celia shook her head. Just another way that working for Gella would have its advantages. She had gotten used to making do with hardtack, beer, and salted meat. The soft fluffy bread, the white meat, it looked as though it had just been made back at the manor. It was still warm, too. After taking a few more pensive bites, she washed it down with the clean, clear water from a waterskin Lauren had brought. I suppose that makes sense if you don’t need to worry about carrying it on the move.

“Lauren?” She asked, sighing heavily, “Is it worth it? Being Gella's, I mean.”

Celia was surprised, and a little relieved, to see that her answer wasn’t instant. From Violet, the consideration had been expected. But Lauren had come off as airheaded, so it was good to see she still could take things seriously. She watched as the priestess took another bite of her sandwich, then nodded.

“Yes. It is. Sorry for the delay,” she chuckled sheepishly. “I was trying to think how I would respond if Gella hadn't saved me. I thought you would want an unbiased answer.”

“She… saved you?” The unguarded way Lauren spoke was surprising, considering how closed off Violet had been about her… taming.

Lauren’s face flickered to melancholy for a moment, an expression that looked distinctly out of place on the perpetually cheerful priestess. It vanished quickly, and a sincere smile replaced it. “She did. I promise I'll tell you all about it, if you stay?”

Celia couldn’t help but smile back as Lauren playfully winked at her. Enslaved and controlled or not, the priestess was excellent company.

After lunch was packed away, and Windstrider had his fill of water and grass, Lauren pulled a length of wood from that no-space. It looked similar to the one she’d used to disguise herself, and seemed to have similar effects, hiding Windstrider's wings and adding some brown spots to his pure-white fur. She offered a hand to Celia, swinging up into the saddle easily herself. “Good thinking,” Celia noted, following her lead.

________________

The wind changed as they walked towards the gates of New Gyr, and they were assaulted by the odor of the packed city. Only two days, and the hustle and bustle of the city already felt alien to her. Wand's Reach had been small, but had a distinctly different feel to it. Nobody had been destitute, and the people there seemed to even be living in relative luxury. The same, she grimaced, looking at a dirt-caked man begging for alms with pity, can’t be said of here.

Gella could probably have this place running much much more efficiently. Even those baths would make a huge difference. Though for all I know, everything about that village is a facade. The argument rang hollow to her. Every time she tried to think of how Gella might be orchestrating events to trick her she ran into the same counter. Gella didn’t need to trick her. Not when Celia’s mind would fall with two snaps of her fingers.

She directed Lauren toward the stable near the candle maker’s shop she had lived above. No, that I do live above, she corrected. She was struck by a moment of panic when the groom asked for the fee to stable Windstrider. She had enough money saved up to pay for it, but that money had all been in the saddlebags of the guild mare that she’d lost, and probably would need to pay for. Lauren noticed, though, and pulled a coin purse from her saddlebag. Pulling something out of thin air would be conspicuous, I guess..

“This is for you to spend on whatever you need,” Lauren mentioned, tossing the small purse to Celia. “If not, I can always get…" She trailed off, then winked. “I can always take a loan.”

Celia peered inside the purse while Lauren paid to have Windstrider looked after. Gold gleamed back at her, Dragons upon Dragons. She hefted it experimentally, and judged it was at least twenty or perhaps even thirty. Gella had offered her that as a bribe, hadn’t she? Assuming the cargo was valuable, that had made sense, but… giving her this even if she was going to leave? The manor had made it clear she was wealthy, but it still was insane to see a small fortune given to her like pocket change.

Lauren’s paintings had been high quality, too. That kind of skill was something that took time, effort, and probably teachers to achieve. Wealth, safety, luxury, expert training, all at her fingertips, and the only thing it would cost was Celia’s… what? Not her mind, assuming Gella kept her word. There was some leeway in the contract, but it still hinged on her giving permission. She sighed heavily, then started, stopping in the street, as Lauren laid a soft hand on her shoulder. “Copper for your thoughts?” She asked gently.

She started walking again, grimacing. There wasn’t any point in hiding it. “It’s just… Gella. Staying with her. The whole…" She trailed off, gesturing vaguely to her companion, who nodded sympathetically. They reached her small room, and with a groan of frustration, the warrior collapsed onto her bed.

She immediately regretted it. Straw poked her, even through the covers, and the rough surface was unyielding and uncomfortable. She groaned. “It isn’t fucking fair,” she half-mumbled into the mattress. The words sounded petulant. They were. She knew the world wasn’t fair. She’d known that as far back as she could remember.

“What isn’t?” Lauren asked softly, taking a seat beside her.

Twice in as many days that someone had asked her to open up. Deborah and Samuel had listened patiently, they got their answer, and she found their method of handling it – get drunk, fuck, and forget about it – less than helpful. Maybe Lauren had a better one. Beneath the giggly exterior, after all, Celia had found a thoughtful, insightful person in the currently-a-brunette. “Gella shows up, drags me back to her fucking palace, and promises me everything I could ever dream of wanting. All I need to do is hand over everything that makes me me, and pray to whatever gods are listening that she doesn’t turn me into…" She trailed off apologetically.

“Turn you into the happiest, healthiest, best version of yourself you could be?”

Celia groaned, throwing a halfhearted punch in Lauren’s direction. The priestess took the hit, giggling softly.

“I know what you meant,” she assured Celia. “But I’m serious. Gella has made each of our lives so, so much better, and she wants to do the same for you.” Lauren said kindly.

Celia rolled over, meeting Lauren’s currently-unringed eyes. “By being her… what was it? Her slave, devoted to pleasure?” She laughed bitterly.

Lauren shook her head. “She felt bad, going right to that. Didn’t she tell you? That scared you, right, Celia?”

“How the fuck doesn’t it scare you?” Celia snapped. “Slavery isn’t sexy. It isn’t fun. It’s a horrible nightmare, a plague on the world. It’s evil!” She winced, realizing too late that she had started to shout, and that hot tears were running down her cheeks. The pain was suppressed, but she didn’t need an instinctive reaction to know the truth.

She didn’t have even an instant to dwell on it before she was engulfed in a warm hug. The priestess’s soft fingers ran through her hair, and her airy voice slipped out, soft and comforting as a warm hearth. “Let it out,” she reassured Celia. “I’m here.”

It was worse than her first morning at Cair Dwemor. That awful word. Slave. Something about it sent swirls of bile and hate deep into her mind, and her mind drifted back to that dark door banded in Red and Orange, and –

She shut her eyes tight, and tried with all her strength to force the feelings down. When that didn’t work she simply… stopped. She sagged in Lauren’s arms, and her tears flowed.

After a while, she felt that awful nothingness ebb and fade, and feelings started to come back. Her tears had slowed to a trickle, and while she didn’t feel better, she did feel a kind of numb clarity, like the tears had washed part of her mind clean. She shifted closer to Lauren, suddenly grateful for the warmth and contact. “Thanks,” she said softly.

“Anytime,” Lauren said, drawing back to give Celia space. “I mean it. You don’t need to keep everything bottled up like that. Vi, Tabby… even Gella is happy to listen if you need to talk.”

Celia wanted to make some derisive remark, but after this morning… Gella came off as unapproachable, but the more time she spent around the mage, the more glimpses she got of her hidden depths.

“What is she like?” Celia asked softly. “Gella, I mean. With all of you. What does she do with all that power she has over you three?”

Lauren opened her mouth, then closed it, considering for a moment. Then, she shook her head. “Honestly? Not much.” She saw the incredulous look Celia was giving her, and rolled her eyes. “Really! When she isn’t in her workroom researching, she’s working on her swordplay with Lathrion, or she’s testing some new spell. And if she isn’t doing any of that, you can usually find her in the library, relaxing with a book.”

“A book,” Celia repeated flatly. “A house with three gorgeous women whose bodies and minds are hers with a word, and she relaxes with a book.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t use her control over us just for sex, Celia. There is so much more it’s good for. It can help us, with… bad thoughts…" She trailed off, then blushed. “But yes, she does sometimes use it for sex.”

“Just sometimes?” Celia snorted.

“Just sometimes,” Lauren nodded emphatically. “If we’re feeling anxious, or nervous, or just having a not so great day? She’s more than happy to take us under her spell and let us talk it out, or even drift for a while. And if we’re really not doing well, she won’t press us. Though she does want us to talk things out even if we aren’t feeling like it. And we usually feel better after we do.”

Celia had another quip ready, but pulled up short. The idea of trance for something other than sex or control… It hadn’t even occurred to her. Every time I’ve been under, it’s been for one or the other. Except… this morning… “I… does it feel good?” She mused. “I mean not, you know… not making you feel good. Just feeling good on its own?”

“I heard the short version of what the fae did from Gella. They hypnotized you, right?”

Celia nodded, remembering the flame, and the world dissolving into colors and sensations. “Yeah. The female faerie, Deborah, already had my True Name.” Lauren winced in sympathy. “I think she charmed me with a flute, too, to make me more willing to give it to her.”

Lauren shook her head. “So, the times you have had your mind in another person's hands so far have been,” she trailed off, thinking, “a confusion spell, Gella’s rapier, a domination spell, and a sleep spell. Then, when Gella steps back for a moment, the fae jump in with a charm to make you give up your True Name ‘willingly’, then they use your Name to control you, then they hypnotize you, and…" She trailed off, looking worried at Celia.

“Then all three of us fucked, Lauren. A lot,” she sighed. “It wasn’t bad. Hells, it felt amazing, and they did something for…" She frowned. “I’m not used to talking about this, Lauren. For the last four years I just kind of… didn’t.” Seeing the question form Lauren’s lips Celia shook her head.

“Beyond four years ago, I just don’t…” Wince, wait for the pain to pass. Of course, the fae had quelled that. There was only the echo, the knowledge there should be pain there. “I don’t remember much. And I don’t want to talk about it either,” she said firmly.

Krisk had been happy to let it go with that, and he was the last person she had told even this much. She assumed she would get the same non-reaction, but once again, Lauren surprised her.

“I won’t ask you to,” she said kindly.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, taking a moment to resettle her thoughts. “As for the fae in the cave, they did help with the whole… past thing. I’m so used to wincing when I get too close to thinking about it. You probably noticed.” Lauren nodded. “They helped with that. Of course, they also helped unravel my self-control, too.” She shook her head. “It was distracting enough watching Tabby prance around nearly naked before. The next time I see her like that, I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself.”

“You don’t need to. Control yourself, that is. You’re safe with us, Celia. I can, with complete certainty, tell you that Tabby not only thinks you’re pretty, but would love to share her bed with you. I have it on good authority. By which I mean she told me last night. Repeatedly. And in great detail,” Lauren giggled.

The flush of heat that sent though Celia’s body wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Still, she couldn’t let Lauren just get away with that! “Just Tabby, huh? You weren’t harboring any desires of your own on the flight over?”

Lauren smiled softly. “I do think you’re pretty, Celia. And I wouldn’t say no if you asked. It’s not just how you look, though. You’re brave, and strong too. Gella told me you leapt right into dueling her, no hesitation, and you nearly had her.”

That was how Gella was telling the story? Celia blanched and shook her head. “I was outmatched from the start, Lauren. No way could I fight a mage one on one.”

“Just because it wasn’t very wise doesn’t make it less brave, Celia. If she hadn’t been one, would you have lost?” Celia pondered that for a moment, then shook her head confidently. “As for strong, you stood your ground against a full speed Tabby welcome tackle.” She nodded sagely. “I have personally seen her knock Violet off her feet with that. With full power to her strength enchantments, too.”

That brought a smile to Celia’s lips. “Do they fight like that often?”

Lauren nodded quickly. “Tabby and Vi? Oh, you better believe it! It’s never serious, of course. Gella wouldn’t stand for her Treasures not getting along. But they duel each other in the practice yard pretty much every day. And they challenge each other nearly every other week.”

“Challenge each other? How’s that different from dueling?”

“It’s something Gella came up with. We can challenge each other to a single contest, as long as we both agree. If we win, we get control of the other one from sundown to sundown.” As if to forestall Celia’s ire, Lauren held up her hands. “There are lots of safeties in place, and nothing we do is allowed to be permanent after the second sundown. It’s a fun reward, is all.”

Celia huffed. “And how often is it just another sex thing?”

“Depends on who wins,” Lauren said with a shrug. “If it’s Tabby, then yeah, it’s probably going to be a sex thing. But with Vi or me… not as much as you might think?”

“How do you participate, Lauren? You can’t fight, right? Priestess of Shala, and all that.”

The priestess nodded. “Nope, no wielding weapons – not if I intend to use them as weapons, anyway. But it’s any challenge, Celia. The person getting challenged sets the conditions. Last time Tabby challenged me, I agreed to a chess game.”

That was certainly an image. She couldn’t imagine the hyperactive cat-girl carefully studying a chessboard. “Is she any good?”

Lauren smirked. “Not. At. All. Her defense is atrocious and her offense is much, much too aggressive. Though I bet you could have told me that much.”

“So, you know I have to ask… What did you do with her? After you, I guess, won her?”

“Do you really want to know?” Lauren asked teasingly. She managed to hold that look for about three seconds, before she broke down into giggles. “I gave her a collar with a bell on it. Told her she couldn’t remove it.”

“So, for the next day, she had…?” Celia asked, grinning widely.

“A jingling bell that announced her before she could pounce anyone. Vi actually came up and thanked me afterwards!”

They laughed at that, and Celia once again was surprised at how easy it was to talk to the priestess. She was polite and friendly, and had a way about her that made you just want to… drop your guard. All at once, Celia’s expression went neutral.

“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked in sudden concern.

“Just remembering what you really are, is all.” She winced. “That was a lot more cruel then I meant it to sound. But…”

Lauren nodded. “But I’m Gella’s little puppet, ready to pounce on you the moment you show weakness and drag you back, right?” She asked softly.

“No… yes?” She let her closed fist fall, hitting the mattress again. “I wish I could… Argh! All of this is just so confusing. It isn’t fair,” she groaned, burying her head in her hands, fully aware of how immature that was, and not caring for the moment. “I can’t just talk like you can. I don’t know how to explain any of this.”

Lauren frowned. “Well. I do know one way to help, but…" She trailed off, sighing. “But I understand if you don’t want to. After all… I would understand if you have reservations about trance.”

Celia shot up, eyeing her coldly. “ Let me guess, I agree to this, and I suddenly realize how eager I am to get back to Cair Dwemor?”

Lauren shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. Not really. I… It’s a little more complicated than that, but I couldn’t make you do anything you wouldn’t want to, I think? And it might be good to experience a trance where the only purpose is to help, not to bed you or control you. But still…" She trailed off, eyes widening. “I’ve got it!”

“Oh?” Celia asked, still on edge. “What?”

“I’m a priestess, Celia,” she said excitedly, pulling a golden amulet shaped like a circle with two lines through it from under her shirt. “I can’t wield weapons because I’ve vowed before Shala not to. If I did, I’d lose her favor. Which means… I can promise you I won’t do anything. And you can know, one hundred percent, I won’t break that.”

That… made a surprising amount of sense. She knew that the gods demanded strict adherence to oaths, and that to break them – especially willingly – would bring divine disfavor onto the vow-breaker. It wasn’t a common occurrence, but she had seen a priest of Daray, Lord of Battle, break his vows to heal an enemy he regretted harming. This could actually work. She mulled it over while Lauren continued.

“And you’re already going to get a potion to ensure you have a clear mind before you make the choice to return, right? So that’s double the insurance against my influencing your decision. And it gives you a better idea of what you’d be agreeing to, or rejecting.”

Lauren was right. This would be her best chance to trust – truly trust – the person putting her into a trance. It was still a risk, but a very, very low one. If she was making a monster out of this when there was nothing to worry about, if trance could be something that could help her and not just control her… There were so many uncertainties, but if she really could trust Gella… then she’d be a fool to give up on the chance of a lifetime.

“Alright, Lauren. Swear to Shala that you will not influence my choice while you have me in a trance.”

Lauren held up a hand. “We need to make sure the words are entirely what we mean. Once I swear this oath, I won’t be able to break it, ever. So, how about,” she cleared her throat. “I’ll swear that I will not give you any suggestions while you are hypnotized that will influence your choices, until you give me permission outside of trance to do so.”

Celia rolled that around, looking for any possible loopholes. “Why until I give you permission?”

“Making sure the wording is exact. I don’t want to limit myself more than will help you trust me, and if you do end up staying, I don’t want to limit our options for… uh, play,” she blushed. “Not if you don’t want to, I mean.”

Well, that made sense… It left her options open, but protected her until she felt safe. What else? “Suggestions or commands,” she insisted. “That’s an obvious loophole.”

“Right, sure. Suggestions or commands,” Lauren agreed.

Celia took a few more moments to look it over. If there was a loophole, she wasn’t seeing it. Finally, she nodded.

Lauren swept her hand around her in a circle. “Serment,” she intoned in the divine language, and a faint inscribed circle appeared around her. “I, Lauren Du Mare, Daughter of Mercy, swear to my Lady Shala that I will not give any suggestions or give any commands to Celia Evergleam while she is hypnotized that will influence her choices, until she gives me permission, out of trance and of her own free will, to do so.” The circle flashed golden, then faded with a faint ringing of a bell. “It’s done.”

Seeing the divine magic brought a sense of relief to Celia. She could trust Lauren not to change her, as much as she could trust anything. She let out a tension she didn’t even realize she had been carrying. “I’ll remember all of it?”

“Of course,” Lauren agreed. “Every person reacts differently with that, but if I order you to remember it, you should.” She reached into her not-space, and pulled out a candle and a small crystal. “I can record it, too. Now. The fae used a flame to put you under. Would you like to use a flame again? It’s easier if you already have gone under that way.”

Celia nodded, and Lauren knelt, closing her eyes. “Allumez,” she whispered, and the candle sparked to life. She set it on the table and, still with her eyes closed, waved her hands at the windows. “Assombrissez.” The glass darkened to pitch, and the room was plunged into darkness, besides the sliver of candlelight.

“Alright, Celia. Are you comfortable?” The warrior took a moment to undo her sword belt and kick off her boots, leaving her in just her tunic, pants, and socks. She settled on the bed, letting her gaze fall on the flickering point of the firelight, and nodded. Lauren moved behind her, and there was nothing left for Celia to focus on but the candle. It flickered and flowed, like the light the fae had used, though it didn’t change color.

“Your eyes are already captivated, Celia.” Laurens voice flowed over her, warm and gentle. She had such a soft, sweet voice. “It’s easy to just relax, to listen and gaze at the flame.” It was.

Celia nodded along softly. Memories swirled up in the smoke of the candle, and the lightest of phantom touches across her skin pulled a tiny gasp from her. It was easy to ignore, though, easy to just let it flow over her. Like Lauren’s voice, telling her she was relaxing. She could relax here.

“The world can fade away, fed into this flame. Your worries and your cares can be left behind. Fears and doubts, far, far away.” The beautiful priestess’ voice had shifted closer. It was soft and quiet and so easy to follow.

A tiny little sigh slipped from Celia’s lips as she found the pattern. The logic of the flame returned, and she could see, yes, this was where the Blues would flow, shedding Green and Lavender wakes, Yellows curling at the edges. Lauren’s voice flowed like honey, whispering lovely things about feeling relaxed and at ease.

“How do you feel, Celia?”

“Blue,” she breathed effortlessly.

There was a pause. “What does Blue feel like?”

Words and images and sounds flickered by, ideas and meanings in the logic she could almost see. “Safe,” Celia whispered, her lips curling upwards. It dominated the flame, or at least, its logic did, drowning out the Reds and Oranges she could see.

“Where do you feel the most Blue, Celia?”

Her mind lazily drifted from one idea to the next. Her armor made her feel secure, but not safe, it was a Red mark of battle and danger. Her blade made her feel confident, but it couldn’t do that unless the Orange had already flared. Then, she remembered the endless horizon and something deep inside her resonated. It was freedom, Yellow and Blue mixing into Green. “The sky,” she breathed.

“Then close your eyes, Celia. Let yourself be in the clear blue sky, drifting among the clouds.”

Celia’s eyes slipped shut. She was suspended, the sky an infinite expanse of blue dotted with clouds, with only the flame to break the view.

“Just drifting in your sky, Celia. Feeling so very relaxed, so calm.” The breeze swept all around her, guiding with barely a touch, making the flame flutter and flare. “What would you like to do here, Celia?”

She wanted to stay, of course. Here in the sky, without a single thing trying to chain her down. “Stay here,” she insisted softly. The breeze was silent, but she could still feel it feeding the fire, making the Blues burn higher and the Greens deeper. Nothing else mattered.

The breeze surged, whispering with Lauren’s voice. “Would you like to feel like this, back here on the ground?”

That was an interesting thought. Why wouldn’t she? This felt wonderful. The idea of getting to feel this way more sent Lavender pulses through the logic, a single point of color against the Blue expanse. “Yessss,” she breathed.

“Wonderful.” Lauren’s voice sounded so happy. Celia couldn’t help but smile. “You’re drifting in the clouds, but you know where your body is, right?”

“The ground.” Her body was back with Lauren, who was looking after her. She really was the sweetest, and she idly wondered if the other girls at Cair Dwemor could be just as sweet. There was a distant reason why that couldn’t be, but in the sky, it was impossibly far away.

“So in a moment, you’ll feel me tap you twice on the shoulder. When you do, a tiny part of you will flow back into your body. Enough to open your eyes, and to move and feel and talk, but you’ll still be drifting in the Blue. You’ll just be able to be here, and experience. Understand?”

Celia nodded. It sounded like a lot of fun.

Two taps on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked around the room, dreamy and unconcerned. Why would she have anything to worry about? She was still diving through the clouds. Lauren did something which sounded like ‘a nool’, probably something magical, Celia thought with a smile, and the room brightened. “You’re hypnotized, Celia,” she said gently.

“I’m hypnotized,” she repeated, smiling. This was what she had been worried about? This dreamy, wonderful peace? She could see the worries from before, the clouds of Reddened fear and uncertainty, but they couldn’t reach her. She stood up, and it felt a little like floating. Lauren was right there at her side, her hands feather soft as she held Celia’s shoulders.

“Easy there!” Lauren said sweetly. “You don’t want to move around too much right now. You might fall, and that would pull the rest of you back here on the ground.”

That made sense to Celia. Walking around a tiny room she could do with her mind in the sky. She didn’t want to land. She knew she had to eventually, and didn’t dread it, but right now she wanted this feeling of complete Lavender instead.

Walking around the room, she paused in front of her small steel mirror. The woman looking back from the glass was so peaceful. Her blonde hair was clean and brushed, her skin soft and smooth… She looked wonderful. Her clothes were much nicer, too, comfortable spun cotton that fit her figure. “I like her,” Celia remarked.

She saw Lauren come up behind the woman, then put her hands on her shoulders. At the same time, she felt hands touching her own shoulders. “She’s you, Celia. Same pretty face, same dashing scar, same beautiful body.” Hearing herself described as both beautiful and dashing brought a flush to her cheeks. Lauren thought she was pretty! And she liked the scar, too!

“Thanks, Lauren,” she sighed, turning to face the priestess. “I think you’re really beautiful too. Your pink hair is so strange, but it suits you. This brown hair is nice, but it doesn’t really feel right. And you have the sweetest little smile. I really really want to kiss you.” She leaned in, but was stopped by a finger to her lips.

“You’re not in your right mind, Celia. You may want to kiss me right now…” Celia nodded. She very much did want to kiss her! “But when the rest of your mind comes back down, I don’t want you feeling bad about it. It isn’t sex, but I think you might not appreciate it all the same.”

As much as she wanted to kiss Lauren, she knew the priestess was right. Kissing her should happen when she was all in one place.

Lauren nudged Celia, and she met those warm brown eyes. “Now,” she said carefully, “while you are hypnotized, you can be given suggestions. Rules to follow and roles to play. They can be sensations, or actions. Anything, really. They can change you, or they can just be an experience.” She waited, and Celia nodded. It was easy enough to understand. “Would you like to try one? It can be anything you like, or nothing at all if you would rather just drift some more. I can’t do anything that will affect your choices, though.”

Her attention flitted over to her memories, finding the conversation she’d had with Lauren earlier. The slave one felt dark and angry and unpleasant, but Lauren was only asking if she wanted to try. Well, why not? This had been so peaceful and enjoyable so far. “Okay,” Celia asked. “Can you make my hair red?”

“That sounds like a wonderful suggestion.” The priestess beamed, guiding Celia to look back at the mirror. “Close your eyes, Celia.” She did, and the link between her soaring mind and body thinned. “Picture your pretty blonde hair. Picture it clearly.” Celia saw herself clear as day. “Now, you find each strand filling with vibrant red. It’s so easy to imagine, so easy to let happen. Your hair is red.” Celia nodded. It was easy. “Now. Open your eyes.”

Celia gasped softly. The woman looking back at her from the glass – no, Lauren had said it was her – had pure red hair. She tried tossing her hair, and shaking her head, but the hair refused to change from that vibrant shade. “This is amazing, Lauren.”

“It really really is. This is just a basic example of what you can do, too.” She shook her head, still smiling. “That’s a conversation for another time, though. Would you like to come back to the ground now? It’s been a few hours.”

It had been that long? She had spent so much time simply enjoying the pure Blue that she hadn’t even noticed. “Okay. Can we go back here later?” She asked. A look of longing flashed across Lauren’s face. Why did she look so sad for a moment there?

Lauren shook her head, smiling. “Let’s wait on that until after you make your choice, okay?” She was bright again, as if that moment of sadness had never happened.

Celia let herself be guided back to the bed. “On the count of three, I want you to return completely to the ground, exactly as you were at the start of the trance. Your hair will be blond again, and you will be all here. You’ll remember everything we did in this trance. Can you do that for me, Celia?” Celia nodded, feeling something tilt in her mind as she prepared to return. “One, two… three.”

Celia’s eyes slipped shut, then opened, and she groaned in discomfort. She’d fallen over, and was sprawled on the ground beside her bed, completely awake. Before Lauren could say anything Celia held up her hand, both to forestall questions and to buy time for her to recollect herself. Nothing about her memories of the trance seemed strange. They were peaceful, surreal, but there weren’t any obvious holes or patches. She didn’t feel any compulsions – at least, none she hadn’t felt before the trance. She was proud of her body, she deserved to feel pleasure, she could drop her guard and focus on pleasure completely with those she wanted to share it with. On reflection, they weren’t exactly bad ideas. They could stay. She knew she would sink with those two snaps, but that hadn’t been Lauren’s work either. She smiled in relief, secure that the priestess had kept her word.

“Thank you, Lauren,” she finally said, hauling herself into a sitting position to nod gratefully at the priestess. “If – and this is a huge if, mind you – if that’s all Gella wanted to do with my mind, I would agree. But… that’s not all she wants, and I know it.”

Lauren nodded back. “No. She will want to slip ideas into your mind, give you commands, roles to play.” She smiled sheepishly. “But it will feel wonderful. I can guarantee that.”

Celia could believe it. Believe it all too well. Lauren had made her feel amazing with just a candle and traces of fae logic. She had no doubt that Gella could do things beyond that, mold her mind until she would feel wonderful no matter what the mage did. An image of herself surfaced, collared and in chains, but with a beatific smile on her face. But. But Gella had said she didn’t want a slave, but a Treasure.

A Celia that was… How had Lauren put it? The happiest, healthiest, best version of herself she could be? A Celia that was a warrior, a champion, a hero… and had Gella’s control woven into everything she was. And how far from the truth is that? She already has control over me. She could take it with barely any effort.

“If you stare at the wall any harder, I think it might catch fire, Celia,” Lauren giggled. Celia started, looking around sheepishly. Her eyes caught on the blackened windows – but they had been lightened. Had it really been long enough for night to fall? Strangely, though, that thought didn’t fill her with dread. She knew her mind was still her own, despite the time. Lauren had used divine magic to brighten the windows, and that was all the proof she needed. The priestess hadn’t broken an oath. And that surety had let her relax more deeply than she could remember. Nothing had been demanded of her. Nothing had been expected. Lauren had been not just happy, but excited to give her this chance. She… “Lauren?”

The priestess turned, confusion evident on her face. “Yes, Celia?”

Feeling just a little conflicted, the warrior sat down next to Lauren and looked into her not-actually-brown eyes. She had trusted Lauren, and the priestess had more than shown herself worthy of it. She had admitted she wanted to kiss Celia, to… to sleep with her… but when offered up the opportunity on a silver platter, she had immediately, without hesitation, shut that down. Because she didn’t want Celia to do something she’d regret because of her. Because she… damn it, Lauren cared about her. It was hard to swallow, and confusing, and she couldn’t decide how to feel about it, except… soft? Something was soft.

“O-oh!" The priestess gasped, recovering from… Celia had just kissed her?

She blinked, blushing. “Uh. So. Remember when I said I might not be able to control myself?” Lauren was silent for a second, and anxiety began to grip Celia’s heart. Had she messed up? Had she offended Lauren? Had she…

Her worries were swiftly dispatched. “And I said you didn’t need to,” Lauren giggled. Then she leaned in.

It wasn’t an intense kiss. She’d had more passionate kisses with the fae. But somehow, the soft, almost chaste kiss was warmer and more vibrant than half of the others put together.

Lauren leaned back, blushing, then glanced at the bed. “You probably want me to find an inn, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t accusatory either. Kind, like everything else about her. Sweet, like that giggle. Soft, like – she half-winced in anticipation – like her lips had been.

Celia shook her head, failing to keep the flush off her cheeks. “No. Stay.”

Lauren frowned. “Are you sure?”

Celia nodded. She could trust the priestess not to do anything. Even without an oath, she was certain that Lauren wouldn’t do anything without asking first.

Lauren kicked off her boots, then whispered “eteins.” The divine spell extinguished the candle, leaving them in the comfortable darkness of evening.

Though it wasn’t as comfortable as the beds at Cair Dwemor. How would this feel, when they cuddled on those?

If, not when, she sleepily reminded herself. Then, there were no more thoughts, and she let herself rest in Lauren’s arms.