First draft.

"Lady Elizabeth." Someone said. The voice sounded familiar.

"Let me sleep." She mumbled.

"Lady Elizabeth!" The voice became more urgent.

Elizabeth struggled to lift her head and open her eyes. All her body was aching, her eyelids heavy.

"Dinah?"She croaked.

"Yes, my lady." The handmaid helped her to sit on the bed.

Elizabeth realized that she wasn't wearing the silk dress anymore but something much more modest. She rubbed her eyes, confused.

"What...what happened?" She glanced at her maid, but Dinah was looking everywhere except at her.

"I-I..."Dinah lowered her head, "I failed you, my lady. I should've known that something was wrong, but he told me that he wanted to surprise you, so I..."

"He?"

Elizabeth froze. A wave of fear washed over her as her hazy memories suddenly became more vivid.

"My lady..." Dinah looked at her with sympathy.

She started to reach out to her, maybe intending to console her, but Elizabeth jerked away, her eyes wide with fear.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed.

Dinah recoiled like she'd hit her, but Elizabeth couldn't care about her at the moment. She gripped the crisp sheets in her fists, her panicked gasps filling the bedroom.

"S-Sy..." She stammered, "Where...is he?"

"My lady, don't worry." Dinah spoke kindly, "He can't hurt you anymore. He is in the dungeons."

"In...in the dungeons?" She looked stultified, her mind a jumbled mess, "Why?"

"When lord Symon came back..."Dinah sneaked a glance at her, "...he seemed different. He mumbled incoherent words and many of the guests thought he had too much to drink, but when he saw Lord Darmoor, he...he took out a dagger and tried to stab him."

"...What?" Elizabeth's throat went dry, " And did he...kill him?"

Elizabeth was holding her breath but Dinah shook her head, "No, he stabbed him in the shoulder but it wasn't a fatal wound. Ser Jonah, Lord Darmoor's brother, tried to stop him, but..."She trailed off.

"But?" Elizabeth urged her.

"Lord...lord Symon killed him, my lady. Ser...Ser Jonah is dead."

"Dead?" She stared at her handmaid blankly, as if she had spoken in a foreign language, maybe the old tongue of the elves or an obscure eastern dialect.

"Yes, he is dead." Dinah confirmed, "And that's not all."

Elizabeth looked dazed, "There is more?"

"Yes, my lady. It's about Lord Symon. He...forgive my bluntness, but he was completely out of his mind. Even when lord Bernard's knights finally managed to stop him, he kept hissing and biting like a beast. Many...many people said he was possessed."

Elizabeth's expression hardened. She could see the question in her maid's eyes. Dinah didn't dare to ask, but she was afraid of her. She could sense it.

She took a deep breath and asked, "What happened next?"

"Lord Symon was barely conscious when they carried him to the dungeons, but he kept repeating the same word. It was..." Dinah slid her a guarded look, "...your name, lady Elizabeth."

"Who..."Elizabeth swallowed down a lump in her throat, "Who was there?"

"Your knights, me and...Lord Bernard."

Elizabeth paled, "My father was there?"

"Yes, my lady." Dinah confirmed, putting the last nail in the coffin.

"And what did he say?"

"Lord Bernard wanted to barge inside your room but Lady Ada stopped him."

"Lady Ada?" Elizabeth repeated, dumbfounded.

The same vain Lady Ada who spent most of her time painting her nails?

Dinah nodded, "She was very...decisive. Lord Bernard threatened and cursed, but when Lady Ada didn't budge, he was forced to desist."

Elizabeth was too surprised to talk. It was hard to believe that Lady Ada stood up to her father.

For my sake. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

"My Lady," Dinah's anxious voice brought her back to the present, "Lord Bernard wanted to see you as soon as you woke up. This time, I am afraid that even Lady Ada..."

"I will go to see him." Elizabeth tried to keep her voice firm and stood up. "But what about...my brother?" She couldn't say his name, "How did my father punish him?"

Dinah looked uncomfortable, "I am not sure, my lady but...I heard that lord Symon would lead the Holy raid's vanguard. They will depart immediately, without waiting for the main force."

Elizabeth looked stunned, "Now? In the middle of winter?"

"That's what the other servants are saying. I'm sorry, my lady." Dinah apologized, "I don't know if it's true."

Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively, "I bet it isn't. He is the apple of my father's eyes," She said, her voice filled with bitterness, "Lord Bernard would never do something like that."

"I'm not so sure, my lady" Dinah contradicted her, "Maybe he has no choice."

Elizabeth gave her a strange look. Dinah could be unusually perceptive from time to time.

"No choice? What do you mean?"

"Lord Darmoor is a powerful noble." Dinah reminded her, "He has many concubines, but no son. Ser Jonah was his heir."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly. "And my brother killed him."

She was starting to understand where Dinah was going with this.

"Yes, my lady. Probably Lord Darmoor demanded justice and Lord Bernard decided to send your brother to lead the Vanguard."

Elizabeth mulled it over in silence.

"You may be right." She said eventually, "Right now, my father needs all the support he can get. He can't afford to offend lord Darmoor."

Elizabeth nibbled on her bottom lip, her stomach knotting. But if this is true and he's ready to risk S...my brother's life, what will he do to me? My father knows that I'm involved in some way or other.

Panic assailed her when she thought she had to face her father. Alone.

"My lady...are you alright?"

"No, Dinah, I'm not alright, not by a long shot. I have to thank you for that." She lashed at her, converting her fear into anger.

The handmaid looked shocked, "Me, my lady?"

"Who else?" Elizabeth glared at her, "You think I forgot what you did?"

"Forgive me, my lady." She knelt on the cold floor, prostrating herself before her, "I failed you."

Dinah was old, but her movements were smooth. Too smooth.

Almost like it was rehearsed.

"I didn't know what he wanted to do." She continued in a broken voice, "Lord Symon is smart. He fooled me."

Dinah sounded convincing, her guilt palpable, but she was talking with Elizabeth. She knew that underneath the guilt, the distraught look on her face, something rotten was hidden. It was her gift and her curse, but Elizabeth knew without a doubt that her maid was lying. All emotions had a smell and a color, and Dinah's thread was black, the stench of her lies lingering in the room like a carcass left to rot for too long.

"Fooled you?" Elizabeth snorted, "Don't sell yourself short, Dinah. You're cunning, wise, knowledgeable...but are you loyal?"

"My lady! I've served you for four years!" She looked wounded, "I admit I made a mistake but..."

"A mistake? Really? Is that why you replaced my wine with Wyvern's nectar?"

Dinah's expression changed, and for the first time, Elizabeth saw a trace of true fear on her face.

"I was right then. It was you."

"M-My lady, please, don't send me away!" Dinah pleaded, groveling at her feet without a shred of dignity, "I need this job. My daughter..."

"Your daughter." She gave her a bitter smile, "What about me, Dinah? You used to say that I was like a daughter to you."

Dinah opened her mouth wide.

"What? Now you have nothing to say?" She cornered her, but Dinah reacted quickly.

"L-Lord Symon threatened me! He said he'd kill my daughter if I..."

"Stop talking about your daughter!" Elizabeth yelled.

She lifted her hand and Dinah instinctively flinched, covering her head, but Elizabeth didn't hit her.

"I suppose that this is my fault. I've treated you like family, and that's why you forgot your place." She crouched down, watching her face, "But this ends now. You are just a serf. You'd better remember that."

She turned to leave, but Dinah grabbed her arm, "I-I'm sorry." She cried, tears shining in her eyes, "P-Please, give me another chance."

Elizabeth jerked her arm back and headed for the door. Dinah was still sobbing when she left the room. Her watchdogs followed her quietly as if last night never happened, but Symongale looked different, the festive atmosphere of the previous day replaced by a strange stillness. It was as if the castle and its inhabitants could sense the lord's grim mood.

Although servants and guards appeared to be affected by it, Elizabeth was both surprised and relieved to note that none of them treated her differently. For a brief moment, she believed that what happened was merely an illusion, maybe a nightmare caused by the Wyvern nectar she'd drunk. However, when she saw her father standing before the stone fireplace, his arms crossed behind his back as he stared at the flames, Elizabeth realized that she was only deluding herself. More than sense it, she could almost see the gloomy mood surrounding him like a black cloud.

Her father's study was nothing more than a small warehouse, though the servants called it "The Reliquary Room". Elizabeth had to admit that it was an apt name for the vast assortment of elven artifacts and relics of the age of magic her father had collected over the years. As she walked through the door, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder why a man that harbored such visceral hatred toward the elves surrounded himself with such things.

The shrine on her left, in which were stored the fingerbones of Saint Eusebius, was a sacred object, but most of the trinkets scattered around the room seemed completely useless. Useless and dangerous. Bernard could afford to collect such things because he was the Highlord of the Green Valley, the Lord of the Morning's favorite son, but he was an exception. Anyone found in possession of anything related to the ancient elves was branded as a heretic and burned at the stake. Elizabeth, for her part, was curious. She found those relics fascinating, though a few of them were bizarre. The black stick lying in a corner, in particular, was ominous.

No, not a stick. A scepter.

The inscriptions carved on the ebonwood handle were bad enough, but the ghastly skull at the top end chilled her. It scared her, but at the same time she couldn't help but look at it. Before she knew what she was doing, she had moved closer to it. The two rubies embedded in the eyes' sockets started twinkling when she reached out for it.

I have to touch it. Her father, Symon, Lord Darmoor and the Temple - everything she'd deemed important became inconsequential. The scepter was calling her. The light springing from the skull's eyes became stronger and stronger, and when she finally touched it, the entire room was bathed in red, a cold light chillier than winter. The scepter's surface was smooth but cold, so cold that her fingers started turning stiff like they were covered by a layer of ice.

At the moment of pain, sanity returned. Elizabeth pulled back, but even when the light disappeared, she could still feel a gust of wind brushing against her skin like a violent storm, raging in the distance.

"Do you know what you have done?"Bernard suddenly said.

Elizabeth stiffened.

Did he see it?

However, Bernard hadn't moved a muscle. Unfortunately, that was the only good news. When Bernard finally turned, Elizabeth's breath shook. Her father wasn't the man that had charmed the crowd the night before. He had deep dark circles under his eyes, and his mouth was warped, his face twisted with rage and hatred. Elizabeth had never seen him like that.

And that's not all.

Her gaze fell on the brandy bottle lying on the desk. Her father had been drinking.

"Do you know?!"Bernard snarled at her.

Elizabeth lowered her head, "I don't understand, father."

"Father?"He sneered, "You are no daughter of mine."

Elizabeth fought back the tears.

I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"Are you happy now that your brother is locked in the dungeon?" Bernard asked, "Answer me!"

Elizabeth flinched when her father picked up the brandy bottle and tossed it into the fire. The flames rose high, fueled by the alcohol, the sudden blaze as violent as Bernard's anger.

"He has to lead the raid. He may never come back." He gritted his teeth, "Because of you."

So it's true.

"A sinner must atone for his sin." Elizabeth said. "It was you, father, who said that."

Bernard's eyes became two slits, "What about your sins?"

"My sins, father?" She asked innocently, "I don't understand. I'm not involved in this. I wasn't even there when it happened."

"Not involved?" Lord Bernard snorted, "Stop lying, I know the truth. I know what you are." He pointed the finger at her, "You're just like your mother."

Elizabeth clenched her fists, "Thank you, father. I'll take that as a compliment. Everyone knows that my mother was a good woman."

"Good?" He let out a sardonic laugh, "She was a whore and a witch...just like you."

Elizabeth finally panicked, "You're wrong. I am not one of them. I didn't do anything wro..."

Before she could finish, Bernard was on her, his fingers tightening around her neck.

"Did you think I am an idiot?"His breath reeked of alcohol,  "You two left together, and when Symon came back he waslike a beast."

"Let go of me!" Elizabeth shouted.

She tried to push him away, but Bernard was too strong for her.

"If it were for me, I would hand you over to the Seekers. Do you know how the Black Gowns make little whores like you confess their sins?" He sniggered, "They wedge your mouth open and force a funnel down your throat. Then they start pouring water until your stomach is swollen like bagpipes. You would tell them everything to make them stop."

"Why don't you call them?"Her voice was feeble but defiant.

"I still have a use for you." Bernard sounded regretful, "But don't delude yourself, little whore. You will get what you deserve. Lord Darmoor will see that you do."

Elizabeth looked startled, "Lord Darmoor? What does he have to do with this?"

"What indeed?" Bernard smiled sadistically, "Lord Darmoor demanded reparations, and it's only appropriate that you pay with your own body, don't you think?"

The pit of her stomach fell.  

"A whore and a libertine, a fitting union." He mocked, tightening his grip.

Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore. She was suffocating.

"Let go of me!" She hissed, using her last ounce of strength in a desperate attempt to push him away.

The effect was immediate and completely unexpected. Bernard loosened his grip, and she fell on the floor. Then she coughed, rubbing her neck as she glanced up at her father. However, Bernard just stood there with a blank look on his face.

"Father?"She asked tentatively, but Bernard's eyes were hollow, his face devoid of expression.

That's when she felt it: cold. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, but it was useless. Her body was a block of ice. Her right hand, in particular, was frozen, completely numb. She looked down, her eyes widening as her gaze fell on the scepter's ghastly skull. She was holding it in her hand for some reason. It looked shorter than before, the skull at the top as wide as her palm. However, the light springing from its eyes sockets was much stronger.

"No, it's not a scepter." She whispered, half fascinated, half horrified by the thing in her hand, "It's a wand."

It was an instrument of power, the tool of witches. For obvious reasons, magic petitioners were very secretive, yet even someone like Elizabeth, who had lived most of her life in seclusion, knew that wands were used to amplify the powers of a witch, use the elements to create wonders...or unimaginable disasters. She'd heard the gruesome tales of people who tried to wield a wand, only to be cursed by the spirits of magic. Elizabeth had an inkling that something like that was about to happen to her.

When the fire went out and her breath misted in the air, she attempted to drop the wand, but her hand was a block of ice. What's more, even trying to pry her fingers open was useless as they were stuck, firmly attached to the wand's handle. She searched for a knife or a tool of some kind, prepared to do anything to save her life, but by then, the light emitted by the wand wasn't red anymore but colorless, a bright blinding glare that pierced her eyes like a dagger. She covered her face with her hands, a scream rising in her throat, when the pain suddenly disappeared.

Slowly the numbness receded, and that chilly light turned into a soothing warmth. She looked around the room but everything looked oddly normal. The fire was burning brightly in the hearth, the cold just a memory, but Elizabeth knew that something was different. She knew that the wand had accepted her. She could feel the magic, the power buried deep inside her flowing through her veins, heightening her senses. She felt invincible, and for the first time in sixteen years, she looked at her father without fear. Bernard was standing just as she'd left him, motionless like a big puppet. Elizabeth aimed the wand at him and used her power consciously. Another first for her.

"Can you hear me?" She asked.

"Yes." Bernard answered, but he kept staring into the void. 

"Who are you?"

"Bernard Summermer."

"Before this accident, did you want me to marry Lord Darmoor?"

Elizabeth frowned when Lord Bernard didn't answer her.

"Did you want Elizabeth to marry lord Darmoor?" She rephrased.

It was odd to talk about herself in the third person, but it worked.

"No."

"Who then?"

"Thandruil Alhstrom."

"Highlord Alfric's son?"Elizabeth raised a brow, "Why? Everyone knows that lord Alfric doesn't like his son."

"Stoneface is using us." Bernard pupils slightly moved, "He has an agenda."

"An agenda? But he gave you safe passage." She objected.

"He is against us. He is planning to attack the Red Tails."

"The pirates?" Elizabeth looked confused, "What do they have to do with this?"

"They are important to weaken the Anchorvys."

Elizabeth opened her eyes wide, "Weaken them? How?"

"Blocking their trade routes. They can't fight if their coffers are empty." His mouth curled into a cruel smile, "They'll run out of coin sooner or later, and when they do, we will crush them."

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hands, "You want to start a war." She whispered, "Ann will not allow it. You know that right?"

"The Thornless queen?" He snickered, his eyes shining brightly, " She is powerless. She has no army, and with the barbarian's support, we control the council. She'll marry Rory if she knows what's best for her."

"That's why you wanted Elizabeth to marry Thandruil Alhstrom, right?"

"The Wildlanders are hard to control." Bernard mumbled, "We need time to convert the pagans to the true faith."His face contracted, "But it is all ruined now. The little whore ruined everything!"

Lord Bernard was starting to sound more articulate. What's more, that red light was waning.

The effect is wearing off! Elizabeth panicked. I have to get rid of the wand!

She thought about putting it back, but there was no time. Luckily, her sleeves were wide enough to hide it and when her father blinked his eyes, the wand was gone.

Lord Bernard looked about him in confusion, but his expression changed when his eyes fell on her, "What are you still doing here?"

"Father, you still haven't dismissed me." Although beads of sweat were dripping from her forehead, her voice sounded calmer than expected. "Don't you remember?"

Bernard squinted his eyes, looking at her with suspicion.

"Besides," She continued, exploiting his confusion, "We still haven't talked about the dowry. Lord Darmoor is one of the most powerful lords of the realm. The dowry should be commensurate, right? "

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Bernard sneered, "You're an opportunist, just like your mother."

"This marriage was your decision, not mine." She reminded him.

Her tone was mild, but blood was trickling down her hands, her long nails digging in her palms like tiny blades.

He humphed, "Fine then. Guards! Escort lady Elizabeth to the treasury!"

"Wait." Elizabeth added, "I want Dinah, my handmaid, and those two knights to follow me to Darmoor."

Bernard narrowed his eyes, "I don't care about your maid, but those men are Temple Knights. You can't have them." His tone was definitive.

"Really, father? But I am doing this for you." She said with a saccharine tone, "Think about your position, father. I'm your only daughter. You mean to send me off without knights?"

A muscle in his father's jaw twitched, but she pretended not to see.

"I think that two knights are the bare minimum. Besides," She gave him a sweet smile, "I know how important I am to you. Those knights can keep an eye on me."

Lord Bernard grimaced like he'd eaten something sour, "Enough, Elizabeth. What are you playing at?"

"I'm not playing." She said without an ounce of sarcasm, "I know that I have to marry Lord Darmoor. The decision is already set in stone. I'll need someone to escort me to Darmoor anyway. If that's the case, better those knights than someone I don't know."

Her father furrowed his brow and stared at her for a long time.

"Fine." He grunted eventually. "Take them."

"Thank you, father." She curtsied, "Then, I'll ask Peter to help. He knows the treasury better than anyone else."

She was halfway out of the door when her father warned, "Choose carefully, Elizabeth. This is all you get."

She halted.

"You understand what I mean, don't you?" Bernard's voice was colder than ice, "From now on you are on your own. You're not my daughter anymore."

Elizabeth turned to look at him, but her father wasn't even looking at her. His nose was wrinkled, his face warped with disgust. The anger was gone and what was left was just contempt.

Elizabeth gnashed her teeth, "May I go now, Lord Bernard?"

"Go," He waved his hand, "get out of my sight."

The guards opened the door, and Elizabeth left without looking back.