Ghazan: Part 8: The Eclipse
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 8:53 pm
Hello everyone. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to deliver this part in time for the Christmas gifts, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless. 
This part is probably more plot-heavy than others, but I needed to set up everything for the climax. I can hardly contain my excitement, as I'm reaching with this upload the developments I've been itching to show you ever since I began the pilot... Without further delay, here is the chapter.
**************
******* Prologue *******
Aisha, Yasmin, and Zaïde studied the map in front of them.
Louise’s personal estate, built in the outskirts of the United Lands's capital city Beaufort, looked like a miniature version of the Sun Castle. Though in that case, it meant the building complex was merely ‘huge’ instead of ‘immensely huge’.
“There are most likely secret passages, but I don’t know of them.” Dominique mentioned. She pointed at a room in the middle of the palace. “Her personal office room is there.”
“We may be summoned to the seat of her power, but we’ll also be close to her secrets.” Yasmin remarked. “Your sister is taking a risk.”
“Why did she do it like that?” her twin added.
“Because her mother's commemoration is the only feast in which inviting me would be an insult. Our Father won't come too - he has excused himself every year, this one won't be different.” Dominique explained. “This time, you’ll be on your own...”
Zaïde finished her sentence. “… in the middle of Louise’s stronghold.”
“I’m sorry.”
******* Three days later *******
Louise quietly fanned herself as she was listening to her daughter Madeleine’s harpsichord recital. Her eldest child finished playing the last piece, then stood up and saluted.
“A flawless performance.” Louise allowed herself a smile of approval.
The child beamed and curtsied. “Thank you, Mother.”
Gabrielle entered the room.
“Dear, why don’t you go with Claude and eat something.” Louise told her daughter.
Madeleine curtsied a second time, then left the room with her governess.
Once the door was closed, Louise stopped smiling. “So. Is everything ready?”
“All the preparations for this evening’s celebration have been made. The guests have been given their bedrooms. The servants your father has sent to help your staff have been put to work. This feast should be even more lavish than usual.”
Louise raised one eyebrow. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were attempting to crack a joke.”
Gabrielle shrugged. “I figured out you wanted the commemoration in honor of your mother to be flawless in spite of your other operations.”
“Indeed I do. Crushing my enemies doesn’t mean I want my party to look bad.”
“We’ve given the Ghazanite retinue the rooms you asked. Aisha’s bedroom is separated from her sister’s by Mariko’s bedroom. I suspect Dominique has already found a way to still communicate with them.”
“I’d be disappointed if my sister hadn’t. Did they check for secret passages?”
"I'm quite sure it was the first thing they did. They have realized there wasn't any in the rooms you gave them or nearby. We have no possibility to enter their rooms by surprise."
“Therefore, they’ve deduced my plan is to sabotage the party and pin the blame on them.” Louise chuckled to herself. “Is the team ready?”
“Yes.”
“Tell them to begin. I’m going to get myself dressed for the ball. We win tonight.”
**************
Ezgi was rummaging through the drawers of Aisha’s bedroom.
The plump handmaid was feeling a mixture of anger and frustration.
Did they think she was stupid? Did they think she wouldn’t figure out what was going on? The reason why they were all giving her the cold shoulder? The reason why they always grew quiet whenever she entered the room?
She thought better of them!
But if they were going to underestimate her, it was their loss.
Aisha was with Zaïde and Yasmin. They were planning how to anticipate Louise's next move. Beatrix and Rasha were most likely with them.
Hopefully, she would find what she was looking for here while everyone was distracted. Hopefully, she could-
“Looking for something?” a voice suddenly exclaimed in her back.
Ezgi froze.
Rasha was nonchalantly leaning against the door frame.
“Or maybe planting something?” the thief added with a mocking smirk. "I was expecting you to show up while Aisha was busy talking with Yasmin and Zaïde."
“Y- You...”
**************
Wearing the plain outfit of a servant, Mathilde glanced at the group of soldiers. The women were clearly all from Ghazan – brown hair, dark skins, and green eyes.
The former musketeer was smiling to herself. “I didn’t know how exhilarating these undercover missions could be...”
Eloise wasn’t sharing her enthusiasm. All she could see was that she had become a pawn in the high aristocracy’s games.
Mathilde didn’t notice the former pirate’s grimace. “Let’s regroup with the others. Princess Louise wants us to act before the guests begin to go to the reception hall. We’ll make our move soon. Louise changed the schedules of the patrols for us. It’ll be easy.”
“You seem awfully confident. Perhaps too much.” Eloise retorted. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about these girls, it’s that there is ALWAYS a spanner in the works with them…”
**************
Aisha returned to her bedroom after her long talk with Yasmin and Zaïde. Her sister and cousin had given her last-minute advice about the upcoming party.
The afternoon was nearing its end. The party in honor of Louise’s late mother would begin in a few hours – the young princess merely had the time to groom herself.
The room which had been attributed to her during her stay was a corridor away from Yasmin’s.
Aisha opened the door of her bedroom. Her eyes widened when she saw the scene taking place inside.
Ezgi was lying motionless on the floor, unconscious. There was a knife near her hand, and some blood on the blade. Rasha was standing near her.
“Rasha! What happened?!”
The thief was holding her left arm. It had been grazed by the weapon.
“I’m sorry, Aisha.” she said with a grimace.
The young princess checked Ezgi. The plump servant was breathing softly. “Rasha, you’re hurt? Did you two- Did she… try to harm you?”
“I saw her searching your drawers. She had this on her.”
The thief gave Aisha an envelope. The latter quick-read its content. Those were instructions.
Instructions to fetch fake proofs in Louise’s personal office room, and plant them in Aisha’s drawers. Then, Ezgi was meant to drug her princess. Louise was apparently forswearing subtlety, and intended to frame Aisha with a crime during the party.
The young princess felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. “So it was her all along…?”
“I’m sorry.”
Aisha glanced at Rasha’s bleeding arm. “Do you need a healer?”
The thief ripped a strap of sheet to wrap it around her wound. “Nothing serious. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting to get in a brawl with a street kid. She has the smarts, but not the brawn.”
Aisha passed a hand in her hair. She was feeling overwhelmed.
“What do we do know? We should warn the others-”
“Wait!” Rasha showed Aisha the letter. “There’s a window of time during which Louise will think you’re out of commission. We even know where to look for. We’ll take advantage of the party to sneak into Louise’s office room, and find proofs of her wrong doings.”
“Don’t you think it’s dangerous? Maybe we should regroup with Yasmin and Zaïde.”
“We won’t have the time. We’d lose the element of surprise. Plus, you can be sure they have a watcher near your sister's door ready to snitch on us. Our best shot is to take action now, before they realize Ezgi has failed!”
“But then they won’t be able to help us. Beatrix neither.”
“You can change the color of your skin, the color of your hair. Who will suspect you? And once we have the proofs, how we found them won’t matter anymore.”
“What about you?”
Rasha smiled. “Wouldn’t it be the greatest challenge?”
“And what about Ezgi?”
“We’ll restrain her to the bed until we’re done.” Rasha proposed. She glanced at the few trails of blood on her tunic. “I’ll also take her outfit. It’s best if I look like one of your maids… and wear clothes that don’t have blood on them.
Aisha nodded. She was feeling numb.
She couldn’t bring herself to strip Ezgi, so Rasha did it alone. The handmaid was left clad in a knee-long pink sleeveless underdress with white shoulder straps fitted around the waist with a white piece of cloth.
Aisha looked away. How many times had she caressed Ezgi’s soft skin? She wanted to curl up in a corner, and cry.
With Rasha’s help, she laid Ezgi’s unconscious body onto the bed. She then used strips of one sheet to tie each of her lover’s limbs to one bedpost. The young woman was no stranger to binding Ezgi to the bed. The previous times, though, it had been part of their love games. Now, those happy times seemed like they were part of an other life. The chubby handmaid was left bound spread-eagle on the bed. Aisha made the knots tight, but also made sure they wouldn’t hurt Ezgi.
Rasha wrapped a thick scarf around the plump servant’s lower face to gag her. Then, she concealed the trussed up young woman with an other sheet, covering her from feet to head.
Aisha sniffed.
“Don’t worry. We’ll give Louise what’s coming to her.” Rasha said, briefly squeezing her shoulder with an encouraging smile.
Then the thief slipped into the Ghazanite servant outfit. It was too wide and too short for her, but she didn’t intend to wear it for long…
“You have a plan?” Aisha asked her.
“Always.”
**************
There were many guests from all around the continent attending to Louise’s celebreation. Among them, Mariko was probably one of the most exotic-looking, with her porcelain white skin, deepest black hair, and monolid dark brown eyes.
The woman came from the Land of Kin. She was the daughter of a rich merchant who traded with the Crown. For the party, she was wearing sumptuous garments of her land of origins.
In the bedroom which had been attributed to her, Mariko was checking herself in front of a mirror
She was clad in a blue kimono with long baggy sleeves and a pattern of deep purple stylized bindweed flowers. A scarlet red cloth sash was tied around her waist. She was also wearing white long socks and brown sandals. The clothes were highlighting her busty chest and flat stomach.
Mariko’s companion, a plain-looking young woman called Sakura, used a gold hairpin encrusted with a jade stone to put the finishing touch on the merchant daughter’s haircut, a sort of bun typical of her homeland called a wareshinobu. Mariko was also wearing precious gold bracelets and earings.
“I heard some noise in the Ghazanite princess’s bedroom on my way here.” Sakura gossiped. “And I saw two different girls sneaking inside at the same time. I think the three of them were… ‘busy’.”
While checking her make-up on the mirror, Mariko frowned slightly. “A shrine maiden shouldn’t eavesdrop. What this girl does in her privacy, no matter how indecent, is not our concern.”
Sakura was indeed a priestess of the Land of Kin. The shrine maiden was clad in the traditional clothes of her priestesshood: a white robe with wide long sleeves called a kosode, with a scarlet red trouser-skirt with baggy legs called a hakama tied around the waist with a string. She was walking in white long socks and black sandals.
The young woman’s hair were the same shade of deepest black as Mariko’s, and her dark brown eyes were similarly shaped. Both physical features were typical of Kin. She was a bit taller and thinner than her charge, with sharp cheekbones. Her haircut was a waist-long long ponytail.
Mariko’s comment made Sakura shrug. “Traditional shrine maidens don’t work for merchant houses.” she objected.
“Fair enough.”
The two women’s conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Sakura smiled shrewdly. “Looks like you already caught the attention of a western suitor…” she joked.
Mariko refrained herself from grinning from ear to ear – a proper high-ranked woman of Kin was supposed to keep her composure. However, she was indeed feeling giddy with excitement. “One can hope. Why don’t you greet him while I check my make-up?”
Sakura giggled, and went to the lounge room to open the door.
Mariko applied a little more red on her lips, and more white powder on her face.
From the half-open bedroom’s door, she could faintly hear a brief exchange.
Then everything went quiet.
“Sakura? Who is it?”
No answer.
“Sakura?”
Mariko exited her bedroom.
“Is there anyone?”
A woman hit her neck with her hand. Mariko couldn’t help but notice she was using a technique imported straight from her homeland of Kin.
Of course, the thought wasn’t of any solace when she fell unconscious into her mugger's arms.
**************
Satisfied with her neck-chop, Rasha laid Mariko onto the carpet.
Aisha dragged the unconscious Sakura by the undershoulders, and laid her next to the rich merchant’s daughter.
“Did we have to mug these two?”
“The less we use our real appearances, the better. And they were the closest to your bedroom.”
“Why not grab a bunch of guards? Or servants?”
“No guard or servant of Louise would allow us to get close to them. And you can bet they’ll be reporting our position the moment they see us wandering around.”
“And how did you know about these two?”
Rasha winked. “Thief’s secrets.”
She then unlaced and unwrapped the cloth sash tied around Mariko’s waist. She grabbed the woman’s legs, and pulled off the sandals and socks. Finally, with Aisha’s help, she delicately opened and peeled off the precious kimono.
The black-haired woman was left clad in a luxurious green sleeveless calf-long slip adorned with lace flowers and gold threads.
Rasha and her accomplice took all her jewels as well. Aisha also had to steal Mariko’s hairpin and various other hair ornaments, making the woman’s collarbone-long hair fall on her shoulders and back.
“Well, well, look at that…” Rasha showed her some box filled with a white powder. “I could use it to conceal my face.” She glanced at Sakura’s clothes. “And then I can wear her clothes.”
“Shrine maidens don’t wear make-up.” Aisha remarked.
“And how many people do you think know enough of Kin’s traditions to notice that detail?”
“A lot of the guests actually.”
Rasha was briefly taken aback. “Fair enough. But we’re not supposed to mingle with the guests. And I bet you the guards and servants barely know where the Land of Kin is, let alone what their customs are.”
“Fair enough.” Aisha conceded.
Thus, they stripped Sakura as well, taking off her sandals, her long socks, her hakama, and her kosode.
The shrine maiden was left clad in a white cloth fundoshi and a matching white strap of cloth wrapped around the breasts.
Rasha and Aisha cut strips of Mariko’s bed’s sheets and curtains, and twisted them to turn them into ropes. They bound each woman’s wrists, upper-arms, thighs, and ankles. Balled up pieces of cloth were shoved into the unconscious women’s mouths. A few more strips of sheets were turned into makeshift cloth-gags.
Then they dragged Mariko and Sakura into the bedroom, and laid them together on Mariko’s bed, facing each other. They concealed the two women under the last remaining intact sheet, and locked the door.
Aisha got dressed in Mariko’s precious kimono and cloth sash, and copied the woman’s hairstyle. She used her shape-shiftting powers to mimic Mariko’s hair, skin, and eye colors. At the same time, Rasha put on Sakura’s outfit. Aisha helped her put on the white powder and make-up.
"Maybe we should try and contact Yasmin and Zaïde, now that we've changed our appearances..." Aisha proposed.
Rasha shook her head. "Louise's watchers will find it odd if the girls from Kin visit Yasmin for no reason. They'll immediately suspect something. It's best to stick with the plan."
Once they were ready, they exited the room to ‘take a stroll’.
**************
Jeanne was bored. Patrolling the private corridors of Louise’s estate was always the most tedious guard duty.
This estate was the seat of Louise’s power, in the heart of the High Kingdom. No threat would ever be able to reach it.
And, contrary to the other parts of the palace, there were no servants with whom to chat, and no fancy-looking guests to admire.
Odd that Gabrielle would change the patrol routes right before the big ball... the guard thought to herself.
However, like all the women under Louise’s employ, she had learned to not question her princess’s decisions. The less she knew, the better. The princess often altered things seemingly on a whim. And almost every time, it was later revealed her decision was actually motivated by some complicated scheme.
Jeanne yawned.
Maybe I should regroup with Isabelle and have a chat… It’s not like anybody would notice us slacking off. Everyone’s attention will be focused on the celebration.
“Excuse me. I think I may be lost.”
Jeanne was interrupted in her daydreaming by the shy voice of an exotic-looking woman from the Land of Kin wearing a kimono and make-up typical from her nation. She could only be a guest of Louise.
“I was looking for the ball room, but I must have taken a wrong turn.”
The young woman looked like someone important – at least her outfit was fancy. Jeanne figured out it was best to be polite.
“It’s not a problem, madame. I will escort you.”
“Thank you. And sorry.”
Jeanne frowned. “Sorry?”
**************
Rasha hit Jeanne’s neck with a metal candelabra.
The guard grunted. Then, with a moan, she collapsed onto the floor.
The thief inspected the unconscious woman’s physical features. Jeanne was a blue-eyed blonde with a white skin and a short square-shaped haircut. Her face was round, and she was of average size. Her hair were tightly tied into a neck-bun.
The guard was wearing a crimson red tabard, shiny brown high boots, black trousers, a white button up uniform shirt with puffy sleeves, brown gloves, a black wide-brimmed hat with a red feather, and a rapier and a dagger strapped onto the belt.
“It’s best you take this one’s appearance.” she told Aisha.
The latter nodded silently.
Suddenly, they heard a female voice in the corridor next to them.
“Jeanne? Is that you? Who are you talking with?”
Rasha smiled, and wiggled her fingers around the candelabra playfully. “Looks like mine’s just arrived as well. Be right back~”
She turned around the corner.
Aisha began divesting Jeanne of her boots, belt and weapons. She heard some small-talk, as Rasha was playing the part of the confused foreign shrine maiden.
Then, there was a punch, a hit of candelabra on the skull, and the soft groan of a woman being knocked out cold. And finally, the sound of boots scraping on the floor as a limp unconscious body was dragged by the undershoulders.
**************
Rasha’s burden was a brown-haired guard with a slightly tanned skin and whose haircut was a tight neck-bun. The thief laid her burden next to Jeanne, dusted her hands, and smiled to herself. “Mugging guards. We finish with the classic.”
“I’m still not quite sure it’s a good idea to attack so many women…” Aisha commented as she was pulling off the blond guard’s trousers, revealing grey knickers.
Rasha dropped her current robe and trouser-skirt onto the floor. “It’ll be a moot point once we’ve searched Louise’s drawers.” She began to take off the brunette’s uniform.
Aisha took off Jeanne’s button-up uniform tunic, leaving the guard clad in a white short-sleeved undershirt. “I hope you’re right.”
**************
The brown-haired guard was wearing undergarments a bit similar to Jeanne’s – although her knickers were a faded shade of blue and her short-sleeved undershirt was light red instead of white.
Strips of Mariko’s kimono and Sakura’s robe were turned into makeshift ropes, gags, and blindfolds. The two trussed up guards were concealed in a small storage room. Their wrists were bound behind the back. Their ankles were immobilized as well. They were cleave-gagged and blindfolded. The fit was tight. Jeanne and her friend were squeezed together in a rather awkward intimate fashion. Aisha closed the door in a way that would still allow the captives to breath fresh air.
Rasha adjusted her belt and her gloves. The brunette’s outfit was a bit too big for her, but from afar the disguise would work. Aisha changed the color of her hair, skin, and eyes to match Jeanne’s.
Rasha nodded. “Now, we’re ready to pay a visit to Louise’s office room.”
**************
Louise’s personal office room was surprisingly plain-looking. No lavish paintings, fancy ornaments, or exotic-looking furniture. There were several bookcases filled to the brim, but no vapid romance novels or poetry collections. All the books were about diplomacy, war, strategy, and politics. The desk and chairs were functional. On one wall, there was a gigantic map of the known world.
Aisha felt as if she was getting a glimpse at the real Louise – the woman hiding behind the fancy dresses, fans, and balls. She felt uncomfortable to see many annotations were stitched around the kingdom of Ghazan on the map. There were also colored nails representing her father’s fleet and Louise’s pirate ships.
Aisha realized she missed home. She missed her parents and her brother.
“The desk.” Rasha reminded her. “The documents should be here.”
“Right!”
The search was fruitful. Aisha quickly skipped through the letters in the drawers.
Her hands were shaking ever so slightly when she found the detailed correspondence between Louise and don Esteban Mendoza, as well as reports from various pirate captains about the naval fights with Ghazan’s fleet. Finally, she got her hand on reports about the latest assaults of the past few weeks – a clear proof Louise was behind those fake ‘foreign acts of sabotage and espionage’ – including the assault on the High King’s personal cottage.
“This is exactly what I was looking for! We’ve done it, Rasha!”
There was no answer.
“Rasha?”
A figure walked out of the shadows.
It wasn’t Rasha.
“Gabrielle?!”
Aisha’s heart skipped a bit. I have to run away! Now!
But the bodyguard was faster. She grabbed Aisha and twisted her arm behind her back to immobilize her.
“Looks like everything went as planned.”
Louise of Dechaine also stepped out of her hiding spot.
Aisha’s eyes widened. A trap! It was a trap!
“Rasha!” she called for help, figuring out there was no point in being discreet anymore. “Rasha!”
“Right behind you, princess.” the thief answered.
But she didn’t sound worried. On the contrary. In her voice, there was a mixture of amusement and satisfaction.
Aisha started to feel deathly cold. “R- Rasha?!”
Louise chuckled lightly. “The look on your face… makes this entire plan worth it...”
Rasha walked next to the blonde, and tilted her head on the side. She looked Aisha in the eyes.
“Why so glum, Princess? Didn’t you once said you admire me because I’m always myself? That’s what I’m doing right now. Being myself.”
“But why?!”
“For the money, of course. More money than you could’ve ever given me. Nothing personal by the way. It’s just good business.”
“You were the mole the whole time?”
“From the moment I got Esteban’s letter.”
“But you warned me about his message! On your own volition!”
“And what better way to win your trust? A bit convoluted, I concede. Some would even say ‘twisted’. But efficient.” The thief winked. “I guess I’m better than you at court intrigues…”
Aisha was staring at the thief. Rasha wasn’t her friend… Rasha was a traitor… How could it be? She had always been so upbeat, so supportive…
… she had always encouraged her to stay on her reckless path too… had always advocated to keep on with the infiltration schemes...
Gabrielle tightened her hold. The princess winced in pain. Louise was witnessing the conversation with a small smile.
“I admit it was harder than I expected.” Rasha explained. “In hindsight, perhaps I was too careful... When we were in Ghazan, I was surrounded by people favorable to your parents. So I had to be subtle, just in case you came out on top. Zaïde never fully trusted me, so she always kept an eye on me. With your cousin breathing down my neck, I didn’t have much room to maneuver. Even when we planned to break into the temple of the Great Goddess, I was barely able to send a message to the guards. I certainly couldn’t risk getting caught myself! When we reached the Gabrielle Islands, I thought I’d have an opportunity. But I quickly realized most people here were on Dominique’s side. So I preferred to help from the shadows. I suspected nobody would bail me out if I was caught helping the pirates...” Rasha turned towards Louise. “I hope you don’t take offense, Your Majesty.”
The blond princess chuckled. “Not at all. I appreciate when my underlings are smart.”
Aisha was starting to understand Rasha’s plan. “You were playing both sides… Helping Louise, but still pretending to be loyal to me, so you’d be on the winning side no matter who came out on top...”
“Pretty much. I first tried to make your cousin look like the culprit, but when she panicked and tried to save you at the Gabrielle Islands, I knew it wouldn’t work. So I deflected your suspicions on Ezgi instead.”
This time, Aisha got angry. “She’s always been on my side! You tricked me into doubting her!”
“Of course. And you made it easy. I just had to steal a bunch of her ribbons, say a few calculated lines at the right moment, and frame her today with a fake letter... and you took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker…”
Aisha fought back tears. “But why did you… I thought you and I were-”
“-kindred spirits?” Rasha shook her head. “We’re not the same. I maybe like the thrills. But I like the money even more. I don’t care about your noble ideals, about the kingdom, or if the women I mug are fine afterwards. I only care about the one person who truly matters. Me.”
“I thought you were my friend! I trusted you!”
“Well, that was a stupid move. But then again, you never were very bright, were you?”
Rasha got closer.
“After all, you believed Ezgi wished you harm… She fought for you, by the way. She suspected me. She was searching for clues when I grabbed her. She knew she stood no chance, but she still fought me. For you. Some lover you are...”
Her words hit Aisha like a hammer blow. What could she even say? Dejected, she fell silent and lowered her head.
Louise took a deep breath. “Ah… The sweet scent of victory…”
Aisha’s lips twisted into a grimace of hatred. She fought back her tears. She wouldn’t give Louise the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “No need to humiliate me further. If you want to kill me, then do it.”
Louise put the tip of her fan under Aisha’s chin, and forced the young woman to look her in the eyes.
“Maybe I should… You’re under my power. I can stage whatever I want. I can claim you tried to murder me, and were killed by my guards. It’d be easy to plant proofs. But I’m a civilized woman. I’m not fond of killing fellow blue-blooded people. Plus, you may have some use as a hostage... There will be people to testify you assaulted a dignitary from Kin. I could spread the tale you tried to spy on me, and were put under house arrest...”
Louise let go of the young woman’s chin.
“Of course, no matter what I choose, I first need to deal with your sister and your cousin. And your pretty servant too. They know too much.”
Aisha attempted to lunge at her, but Gabrielle blocked her. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on them, you disgusting witch!”
Louise didn’t flinch. She blinked once. Then she slapped Aisha with the back of her hand. Hard.
However, the blond princess didn’t raise her voice when she spoke again. “You don’t have the right to judge me as an equal, girl.”
She made a gesture of the hand.
“Escort our guest to her room. We’ll tell tonight’s party-goers she’s indisposed. Tomorrow morning, we’ll decide which tale we spread. First, I need to deal with the rest of her family.”
**************
Yasmin was heading to the main reception hall with Layah. They intended to arrive among the first guests of the party. Zaïde and Aisha would regroup with them later. The former had proposed to pick up the latter and be her chaperon.
Both women were clad in fancy-looking outfits – as befitting of their status of a royal princess and her personal handmaid.
However, on their way, something caught their interest.
“Have you heard the latest news?” they heard from around the corner.
Yasmin frowned, and mentioned Layah to pause. She was maybe a model princess, but her mother still was a shape-shifting former spy. And her daughter had been taught to have some… reflexes.
For instance, Yasmin knew all the benefits of eavesdropping. She discreetly hid behind the corner of the wall, and listened.
A group maids and valets were discussing together.
“Some thieves dared to trespass! They even robbed esteemed guests of Kin!” one man commented.
“The nerve! I bet they’re part of those spies who’ve assaulted so many people lately!” a maid exclaimed.
“Well, this time they’ve been captured, and swift justice will be dispensed to them!”
The young princess immediately understood what was going on. She’d call it a hunch. Yasmin was more her father’s daughter than her mother’s, but she did inherit some of Yuka’s intuition.
If Aisha had been caught… if Louise had made her move… then Yasmin would be the next on her list. She needed to hide!
And for that, she didn’t have a choice. She was in the middle of a crowded building. There was no hiding spot. She needed to disguise herself.
“Layah, go back and warn Zaïde and the rest of our retinue.”
“What about you? I can’t leave you alone.”
Yasmin pointed at her regal-looking dress. “I will attract too much attention wearing that. Your outfit is lucurious, but it’s still a servant uniform. Nobody will pay attention to you.”
Layah was still hesitating.
“I’m a shape-shifter, Layah. I’ll find a way to blend in. I’ll regroup with you later.”
The handmaid finally nodded.
Yasmin watched her walk away. Of course, she hadn’t told Layah she intended to also find Aisha once she was in disguise...
**************
Zaïde was supposed to go to the main ball room with a handmaid. She was supposed to… But of course Zaïde wasn’t the sort of woman who’d willingly agree to be told what to do.
She had noticed her cousin hadn’t showed up for quite some time now. She didn’t like much the idea of leaving Aisha unsupervised for too long. Therefore, she had told Yasmon she’d go looking for her cousin and accompany her.
The busty noblewoman opened the door leading to Aisha’s bedroom.
“Cousin! I hope you’re decent!” she joked.
She was interrupted by frantic muffled cries from the bed. A woman was restrained to it, though in her struggles she had managed to make the sheet covering her fall onto the floor.
Zaïde’s jaw fell.
“Ezgi?!”
The plump servant was bound to the bedposts, stripped down to her underclothes, and tightly gagged. Ezgi was squirming and shaking her head widely, tears streaming on her cheeks, but whoever had bound her was very good at it.
Zaïde reflexively went to ungag her.
“What happened?!”
“I think the answer is obvious.” a female voice commented behind her before she could loosen Ezgi’s gag.
Zaïde turned. “Beatrix?”
Ezgi moaned and cried in her gag.
The redhead was looking grim. Weirdly enough, for some reason she wasn’t dressed as a janissary. She was wearing the uniform of one of Louise’s guards.
“Aisha’s in trouble.”
Zaïde’s eyes widened, the time for her to process the information.
“Then why are you standing here? We have to help her!”
The redhead didn’t flinch.
“Beatrix! I’ve got no time for-”
“She knew you’d react like that.”
“What is the meaning of-”
Beatrix moved too fast for Zaïde, with the precision of a trained soldier. She decked the busty noblewoman in the stomach, then hit the back of her neck.
Zaïde barely had the time to register any pain before she lost consciousness.
**************
Layah rushed to the wing of the estate that was lent to Yasmin’s and Aisha’s retinue – near Yasmin’s bedroom and a few corridors away from Aisha’s and Zaïde’s bedrooms. She was relieved to see a group of six janissaries standing in the hall.
The sight of their elite soldier uniforms – bright blue sleeveless calf-long tabards, bright red tunics, brown belts tied around the waist, red puffy trousers, white turbans adorned with a golden yellow metal feather, and brown leather boots – was a relief to anyone from Ghazan.
Layah rushed towards them. She knew that, with an armed escort, it would be easier to ask Louise for an explanation.
“Thank the One True God! Princess Yasmin needs your help! We-”
The women turned towards her. They weren’t Layah’s countrywomen.
Layah gasped. “You’re not-”
Mathilde grabbed her before she could dodge, and twisted her arm behind the back. “Indeed we aren’t.” she joked.
Eloise put the tip of her knife under Layah’s chin to threaten her. “But don’t worry. You’re about the join them.”
The handmaid was quickly led into the big bedroom that had been lent to the Ghazanite escort of guards.
Two other fake janissaries – a blonde and a redhead – were watching the room.
Layah’s eyes widened when she saw most of the soldiers and maids of Yasmin’s and Aisha’s retinue were already gathered inside.
The women were all bound hands and feet with ropes, and gagged with thick rags. The janissaries were lying unconscious – most likely drugged. Eight of them had been stripped down to their undergarments – light grey sleeveless thin undertunics and matching knee-long undertrousers. The maids were sitting lined-up against a wall. They were also tied up and gagged, but still conscious and fully-clothed. They glared at the newcomers with fear. A few of them mewled in their gags when they saw Layah, but one quick glare from a fake janissary was enough to silence them.
Only Beatrix, Ezgi, Rasha, and Zaïde were missing. And Aisha and Yasmin, obviously.
“There’s been a change of plan for the party.” Mathilde mockingly commented. “We’ve been tasked to escort you to an other part of the estate.”
“How…” Layah couldn’t help but whisper.
“You’ve underestimated Princess Louise. Again. Even after all this time. Even after you were given all the proofs. You still expected she’d let social conventions restrain her.”
Layah was indeed realizing the extent of their mistake. They had expected Louise to keep using the same tactic – social sabotage and slander. They weren’t expecting a frontal assault.
They should have remembered the kidnapping attempt of Dominique… They should have remembered Louise had the means to order violent attacks, and then re-write the truth...
Perhaps Louise’s week-long campaign of staged sabotage acts and slander had only been a diversion. A way to make them lower their guard, to make them think they had figured out her strategy, and to set everything up for this one assault.
“I hope you’ll enjoy your new accommodations.” Mathilde summed up.
Eloise used to hilt of her knife to hit Layah’s neck and knock her out.
**************
Isabeau finished storing a bunch of wine bottles in the palace’s cellar. She was using a lantern to check each of them.
I can’t believe Lison got promoted to personal handmaid of Princess Dominique… And what did I get? I was denied my day off because they sent some of the Sun Castle’s staff to help for Princess Louise’s commemoration! It’s so unfair… What did Lison do to deserve such preferential treatment? Whatever she did, I’m sure I can do it! Whatever it is!
“I’m sorry, but I need your clothes.”
“What?” Isabeau frowned.
Then something conked her on the back of the head, and knocked her out instantly.
**************
Yasmin put away the bottle she had used to knock out Isabeau, grabbed the unconscious maid by the calves, and began to drag her out of sight. She was feeling a little bad for the unlucky servant she had knocked out.
“Apologies for being so rough. It’s an emergency.”
The servant was a lean dour-looking young woman with a crooked nose and sunken cheekbones. She had shoulder-long dark blond hair, green eyes, and a white skin. Her hair had ringlets. She was a bit thinner than Yasmin, but the clothes should fit her. The unconscious woman was wearing a black long skirt tied around the waist with a belt, a blue tunic with white sleeves and a golden yellow collar, a white apron, black mules, and a white maid bonnet with golden yellow frills.
Yasmin dragged her burden inside a nearby storage room. Then she dropped the maid’s legs, and went to retrieve the lantern.
Next, she rolled Isabeau onto her stomach. She untied and removed the apron, took off the bonnet, and pulled off the mules. Then, she rolled Isabeau onto her back, loosened and slid the skirt down the maid’s legs. Finally, she held the servant’s arms up and slipped her tunic off.
When she heard Isabeau moan, Yasmin remembered she had to make sure the servant would stay put.
She used the cloth sash wrapped around her waist as a makeshift cleave-gag. There were ropes and strings in the storage room. She used some to bind Isabeau’s wrists, ankles, thighs, and upper-arms above and below the breasts.
Yasmin wasn’t an expert at ropework – but she still had some memories of Azeneth’s lessons. She figured out her knots would be enough to restrain an untrained woman such as the maid.
There were some unused table clothes lying in a corner. She rolled Isabeau in one and tied a rope around her waist to further restrain her and muffle her cries for help.
Yasmin left the unlucky servant resting in a corner of the room, and dropped her clothes onto the floor before slipping into the maid uniform.
By the time Yasmin was putting on the bonnet, Isabeau had woken up. The young princess could hear her whimper and squirm in the tablecloth restraining her.
“Very sorry. But I need to save my sister.” Yasmin said to the trussed up woman.
Of course, this didn’t convince the woman to stop moaning for help.
Yasmin repressed her guilt, reasoning somebody would find Isabeau before the night was over. She used her shape-shifting powers to change the color of her hair, skin, and eyes to match Isabeau’s. Like Aisha, she wasn’t able to change the shape of her face, but she hoped it’d be enough.
She took a spare lantern from the shelves, lit it, and hung it onto the ceiling out of Isabeau’s reach so that at least the maid wouldn’t be left in the dark.
Then she grabbed her own lantern, and left the storage room.
**************
Jan, Jill, and Eloise entered Aisha’s bedroom.
“Rasha said she had left the brat’s handmaid bound to the bed.” Eloise explained. “She’s the last one we need to collect.”
Jan and Jill shared a smile.
“Gotta thank the thief later. I quite enjoy the sight of a girl bound to the bed... And I did get a look at the handmaid. She’s quite the catch, that princess is a lucky bitch. I also like my girls round…” the former commented. “You think Louise will mind if I have some fun for a couple of minutes?”
“As long as you don’t damage her, probably not.”
Jan wiggled her fingers. “Don’t worry captain. I’ll be very gentle… I’m pretty sure I can do a lot better than the princess brat!”
The bed was covered with some sheets, but it was easy to discern the figure of a bound-and-gagged woman underneath the piece of fabric. The three pirates could hear some faint muffled whimpers.
“Hey, gorgeous!” Jan removed the blanket. “Hel…” she trailed off when she saw the woman bound spread-eagle to the bedposts. “...-lo?”
Indeed, the woman tied spread-eagle to the bedposts with ropes and gagged with a strip of sheet wasn’t Ezgi. She wasn’t even from Ghazan.
She was a guard from the palace, a plain-looking light-skinned brunette with a short ponytail and hazel-brown eyes. And she was currently only wearing light pink underdrawers and a white brassiere.
“Antoinette?”
Eloise frowned. Antoinette wasn’t one of the guards Aisha and Rasha had mugged to get to Louise’s office. And yet, she was here, trussed up and half-naked after – most likely – having gotten her uniform stolen. But by who?
She roughly took off the woman’s gag.
“What happened?!”
“The scary woman of the retinue! She took my uniform!”
Eloise’s eyes widened when the realization dawned upon her. “The redhead?”
“Yes!”
“That bitch! She’s going to slip through my fingers!”
Eloise indeed hadn’t forgotten who was responsible of the deaths of most of her crew.
She turned to Jan and Jill. “Quickly! Warn Gabrielle! We have a breach of security!”
**************
Zaïde groaned as she woke up. She could feel she was seated on something soft and comfortable.
At least I’m in a luxurious cell... she thought to herself.
Or maybe not a cell. She could feel the place rock slightly.
Some sort of carriage then.
Zaïde stirred, and realized only her wrists were restrained. And even then, it wasn’t a complicated knot. They were merely tied behind her back. She wasn’t gagged. Her legs were still free.
Odd. Are they that confident?
She opened her eyes to assess her predicament.
She was indeed inside a moving closed carriage, seated on soft cushions.
Beatrix was sitting in front of her, still clad as one of Louise’s guards, clutching her jezail with her hands.
Zaïde’s blood boiled. “You-”
She immediately moved to attack her. Of course, with her wrists bound, she couldn’t do much. The readhead easily pushed her away. The busty noblewoman fell back on the soft cushions.
“Where is Aisha?!” she screamed.
A soft hand gently grabbed her arm. “Please calm down. She’s on our side. We’re safe here.”
Zaïde recognized the voice. “Ezgi? What’s going on?!”
“We’re being evacuated.” the plump servant explained. Oddly enough, she wasn’t clad in her usual uniform, but in plain grey clothes.
An other woman intervened. “I apologize on Beatrix’s behalf. I’m the one who asked her to be rough if the needs arose. I knew you wouldn’t think straight.”
Dominique was sitting next to Beatrix. She was wearing plain and discreet clothes – a far cry from her usual gentleman outfits or lavish princess gowns.
Zaïde coldly glared at her. “I suppose there’s an explanation… Am I allowed to listen with my hands free?”
“Of course. I apologize for that too. I had to make sure I could explain the situation before you did something rash.”
Ezgi released Zaïde’s wrists. The busty noblewoman noticed that, for some reason, the handmaid wasn’t wearing her usual servant outfit. She seemed to have put on whatever casual clothes she could find in Aisha’s wardrobe – the ones Aisha wore when she wanted to look innocuous.
Then Dominique began to explain:
“Louise has made her next move. Unfortunately, she’s been faster and bolder than I expected. I barely had the time to mount a rescue operation. You were the only ones Beatrix managed to evacuate in time.”
Zaïde glanced at Ezgi. There were no other member of their escort.
“How are the others? Our guards? Our servants?”
“They’re mostly unharmed. Some of them were a bit manhandled, but they’re all alive and well. Louise isn’t stupid enough to hurt a foreign delegation. However, they won’t be able to help us. They’ve been confined to isolated quarters.”
“And Aisha? Yasmin?”
“Yasmin’s vanished. Impossible to know where she went. And Aisha…” Dominique hesitated.
“Aisha’s been lured into a trap.” Beatrix bluntly intervened.
“What? How?!”
“There was a traitor.”
“But who-” Zaïde interrupted herself. She understood. “Rasha.”
Dominique nodded. “Rasha.”
“That little rat! If I get my hands on her-” Zaïde shot Beatrix a nasty glare. “Why didn’t you do anything?”
“Me?” The redhead snarled, and retorted: “Who hired her? I’m not Rasha’s guardian! I can’t watch her all the time, and I’m not responsible of her choices! In case you didn’t notice, I abode by our contract! I stayed loyal!”
Zaïde took a breath. “You’re right. I’m overreacting. I’m sorry. Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Right… Beatrix was a soldier… She had sworn an oath to the king... Zaïde remembered.
“Aisha was a fool to trust Rasha so much, you know it as well as me.” the readhead added. “I’m the closest thing to a friend Rasha has, and even I knew to never trust her if she wasn’t at arms length.”
“Things are getting out of control.” Dominique intervened. “Aisha is now under Louise’s thumb. My half-sister’s people are loyal to the death. They’ll cover for any lie she tells. She can have Aisha murdered, get rid of the body, then pretend the princess left on her own. Or she can stage a fake assassination attempt on her, and blame it on Aisha.”
Zaïde couldn’t bare the thought of knowing her cousin was under the clutches of such a woman.
“Then help me find a way to rescue her!”
“This is the reason I’m here. Our position is dire, but in every crisis, there’s an opportunity. I believe we can still turn the situation around.” Dominique smiled harshly. “My half-sister is smart, but she’s also arrogant. And it’s when people are about to win that they’re at their weakest...”
*************
Aisha was held prisoner in a spare bedroom of the wing the furthest from the feast. She was surprised to hear the door being unlocked.
A dark-blond-haired white-skinned green-eyed servant entered.
Aisha frowned and leaned forward. The maid’s facial structure looked familiar...
“Yasmin?!”
The maid took a small breath. Her hair suddenly turned brown. Her skin and her eyes darkened.
“But how?”
Yasmin shook her head. “You’re the one asking? I knocked out a maid, and stole her clothes, of course.”
“But- You said you hated infiltration!”
Her twin sister looked embarrassed. “I figured out if I had to do it, I might as well do it right.” she justified herself.
Aisha tried to blink away a few tears, to no avail.
“Now, we-” Yasmin started to say.
She was interrupted when Aisha rushed towards her, and hugged her tightly. “I’m so relieved to see you…” the latter whispered with a few sobs. “I was so scared…”
Yasmin hugged her back. “I’m relieved too.” For once, she had a hard time controlling her emotions. Her voice was shaking ever so slightly. “I thought you were-” She didn’t finish her sentence, probably because she didn’t want to choke and sob too. She regained her composure. “There’s no need to dwell on that. I came in time. We’re together.”
Aisha took a deep breath. She wished she never had to break this embrace. For the first time since what looked like forever, she felt a deep connection with her twin sister.
Years of disputes and misunderstandings were swept away in an instant…
A sarcastic clapping interrupted their moment.
“Very touching.”
Louise of Dechaine was fanning herself condescendingly. Next to her, Gabrielle was pointing two flintlock pistols at the sisters.
“Also, very predictable. Princess Yasmin El’Haroun. First Heiress of the throne of Ghazan. You should have announced yourself. We’d have been happy to accommodate you.”
And then, Louise grinned. Not ‘smiled’. Grinned. Grinned frankly. Grinned widely. Grinned triumphantly.
And that grin terrified Aisha to her core.
This part is probably more plot-heavy than others, but I needed to set up everything for the climax. I can hardly contain my excitement, as I'm reaching with this upload the developments I've been itching to show you ever since I began the pilot... Without further delay, here is the chapter.**************
******* Prologue *******
Aisha, Yasmin, and Zaïde studied the map in front of them.
Louise’s personal estate, built in the outskirts of the United Lands's capital city Beaufort, looked like a miniature version of the Sun Castle. Though in that case, it meant the building complex was merely ‘huge’ instead of ‘immensely huge’.
“There are most likely secret passages, but I don’t know of them.” Dominique mentioned. She pointed at a room in the middle of the palace. “Her personal office room is there.”
“We may be summoned to the seat of her power, but we’ll also be close to her secrets.” Yasmin remarked. “Your sister is taking a risk.”
“Why did she do it like that?” her twin added.
“Because her mother's commemoration is the only feast in which inviting me would be an insult. Our Father won't come too - he has excused himself every year, this one won't be different.” Dominique explained. “This time, you’ll be on your own...”
Zaïde finished her sentence. “… in the middle of Louise’s stronghold.”
“I’m sorry.”
******* Three days later *******
Louise quietly fanned herself as she was listening to her daughter Madeleine’s harpsichord recital. Her eldest child finished playing the last piece, then stood up and saluted.
“A flawless performance.” Louise allowed herself a smile of approval.
The child beamed and curtsied. “Thank you, Mother.”
Gabrielle entered the room.
“Dear, why don’t you go with Claude and eat something.” Louise told her daughter.
Madeleine curtsied a second time, then left the room with her governess.
Once the door was closed, Louise stopped smiling. “So. Is everything ready?”
“All the preparations for this evening’s celebration have been made. The guests have been given their bedrooms. The servants your father has sent to help your staff have been put to work. This feast should be even more lavish than usual.”
Louise raised one eyebrow. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were attempting to crack a joke.”
Gabrielle shrugged. “I figured out you wanted the commemoration in honor of your mother to be flawless in spite of your other operations.”
“Indeed I do. Crushing my enemies doesn’t mean I want my party to look bad.”
“We’ve given the Ghazanite retinue the rooms you asked. Aisha’s bedroom is separated from her sister’s by Mariko’s bedroom. I suspect Dominique has already found a way to still communicate with them.”
“I’d be disappointed if my sister hadn’t. Did they check for secret passages?”
"I'm quite sure it was the first thing they did. They have realized there wasn't any in the rooms you gave them or nearby. We have no possibility to enter their rooms by surprise."
“Therefore, they’ve deduced my plan is to sabotage the party and pin the blame on them.” Louise chuckled to herself. “Is the team ready?”
“Yes.”
“Tell them to begin. I’m going to get myself dressed for the ball. We win tonight.”
**************
Ezgi was rummaging through the drawers of Aisha’s bedroom.
The plump handmaid was feeling a mixture of anger and frustration.
Did they think she was stupid? Did they think she wouldn’t figure out what was going on? The reason why they were all giving her the cold shoulder? The reason why they always grew quiet whenever she entered the room?
She thought better of them!
But if they were going to underestimate her, it was their loss.
Aisha was with Zaïde and Yasmin. They were planning how to anticipate Louise's next move. Beatrix and Rasha were most likely with them.
Hopefully, she would find what she was looking for here while everyone was distracted. Hopefully, she could-
“Looking for something?” a voice suddenly exclaimed in her back.
Ezgi froze.
Rasha was nonchalantly leaning against the door frame.
“Or maybe planting something?” the thief added with a mocking smirk. "I was expecting you to show up while Aisha was busy talking with Yasmin and Zaïde."
“Y- You...”
**************
Wearing the plain outfit of a servant, Mathilde glanced at the group of soldiers. The women were clearly all from Ghazan – brown hair, dark skins, and green eyes.
The former musketeer was smiling to herself. “I didn’t know how exhilarating these undercover missions could be...”
Eloise wasn’t sharing her enthusiasm. All she could see was that she had become a pawn in the high aristocracy’s games.
Mathilde didn’t notice the former pirate’s grimace. “Let’s regroup with the others. Princess Louise wants us to act before the guests begin to go to the reception hall. We’ll make our move soon. Louise changed the schedules of the patrols for us. It’ll be easy.”
“You seem awfully confident. Perhaps too much.” Eloise retorted. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about these girls, it’s that there is ALWAYS a spanner in the works with them…”
**************
Aisha returned to her bedroom after her long talk with Yasmin and Zaïde. Her sister and cousin had given her last-minute advice about the upcoming party.
The afternoon was nearing its end. The party in honor of Louise’s late mother would begin in a few hours – the young princess merely had the time to groom herself.
The room which had been attributed to her during her stay was a corridor away from Yasmin’s.
Aisha opened the door of her bedroom. Her eyes widened when she saw the scene taking place inside.
Ezgi was lying motionless on the floor, unconscious. There was a knife near her hand, and some blood on the blade. Rasha was standing near her.
“Rasha! What happened?!”
The thief was holding her left arm. It had been grazed by the weapon.
“I’m sorry, Aisha.” she said with a grimace.
The young princess checked Ezgi. The plump servant was breathing softly. “Rasha, you’re hurt? Did you two- Did she… try to harm you?”
“I saw her searching your drawers. She had this on her.”
The thief gave Aisha an envelope. The latter quick-read its content. Those were instructions.
Instructions to fetch fake proofs in Louise’s personal office room, and plant them in Aisha’s drawers. Then, Ezgi was meant to drug her princess. Louise was apparently forswearing subtlety, and intended to frame Aisha with a crime during the party.
The young princess felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. “So it was her all along…?”
“I’m sorry.”
Aisha glanced at Rasha’s bleeding arm. “Do you need a healer?”
The thief ripped a strap of sheet to wrap it around her wound. “Nothing serious. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting to get in a brawl with a street kid. She has the smarts, but not the brawn.”
Aisha passed a hand in her hair. She was feeling overwhelmed.
“What do we do know? We should warn the others-”
“Wait!” Rasha showed Aisha the letter. “There’s a window of time during which Louise will think you’re out of commission. We even know where to look for. We’ll take advantage of the party to sneak into Louise’s office room, and find proofs of her wrong doings.”
“Don’t you think it’s dangerous? Maybe we should regroup with Yasmin and Zaïde.”
“We won’t have the time. We’d lose the element of surprise. Plus, you can be sure they have a watcher near your sister's door ready to snitch on us. Our best shot is to take action now, before they realize Ezgi has failed!”
“But then they won’t be able to help us. Beatrix neither.”
“You can change the color of your skin, the color of your hair. Who will suspect you? And once we have the proofs, how we found them won’t matter anymore.”
“What about you?”
Rasha smiled. “Wouldn’t it be the greatest challenge?”
“And what about Ezgi?”
“We’ll restrain her to the bed until we’re done.” Rasha proposed. She glanced at the few trails of blood on her tunic. “I’ll also take her outfit. It’s best if I look like one of your maids… and wear clothes that don’t have blood on them.
Aisha nodded. She was feeling numb.
She couldn’t bring herself to strip Ezgi, so Rasha did it alone. The handmaid was left clad in a knee-long pink sleeveless underdress with white shoulder straps fitted around the waist with a white piece of cloth.
Aisha looked away. How many times had she caressed Ezgi’s soft skin? She wanted to curl up in a corner, and cry.
With Rasha’s help, she laid Ezgi’s unconscious body onto the bed. She then used strips of one sheet to tie each of her lover’s limbs to one bedpost. The young woman was no stranger to binding Ezgi to the bed. The previous times, though, it had been part of their love games. Now, those happy times seemed like they were part of an other life. The chubby handmaid was left bound spread-eagle on the bed. Aisha made the knots tight, but also made sure they wouldn’t hurt Ezgi.
Rasha wrapped a thick scarf around the plump servant’s lower face to gag her. Then, she concealed the trussed up young woman with an other sheet, covering her from feet to head.
Aisha sniffed.
“Don’t worry. We’ll give Louise what’s coming to her.” Rasha said, briefly squeezing her shoulder with an encouraging smile.
Then the thief slipped into the Ghazanite servant outfit. It was too wide and too short for her, but she didn’t intend to wear it for long…
“You have a plan?” Aisha asked her.
“Always.”
**************
There were many guests from all around the continent attending to Louise’s celebreation. Among them, Mariko was probably one of the most exotic-looking, with her porcelain white skin, deepest black hair, and monolid dark brown eyes.
The woman came from the Land of Kin. She was the daughter of a rich merchant who traded with the Crown. For the party, she was wearing sumptuous garments of her land of origins.
In the bedroom which had been attributed to her, Mariko was checking herself in front of a mirror
She was clad in a blue kimono with long baggy sleeves and a pattern of deep purple stylized bindweed flowers. A scarlet red cloth sash was tied around her waist. She was also wearing white long socks and brown sandals. The clothes were highlighting her busty chest and flat stomach.
Mariko’s companion, a plain-looking young woman called Sakura, used a gold hairpin encrusted with a jade stone to put the finishing touch on the merchant daughter’s haircut, a sort of bun typical of her homeland called a wareshinobu. Mariko was also wearing precious gold bracelets and earings.
“I heard some noise in the Ghazanite princess’s bedroom on my way here.” Sakura gossiped. “And I saw two different girls sneaking inside at the same time. I think the three of them were… ‘busy’.”
While checking her make-up on the mirror, Mariko frowned slightly. “A shrine maiden shouldn’t eavesdrop. What this girl does in her privacy, no matter how indecent, is not our concern.”
Sakura was indeed a priestess of the Land of Kin. The shrine maiden was clad in the traditional clothes of her priestesshood: a white robe with wide long sleeves called a kosode, with a scarlet red trouser-skirt with baggy legs called a hakama tied around the waist with a string. She was walking in white long socks and black sandals.
The young woman’s hair were the same shade of deepest black as Mariko’s, and her dark brown eyes were similarly shaped. Both physical features were typical of Kin. She was a bit taller and thinner than her charge, with sharp cheekbones. Her haircut was a waist-long long ponytail.
Mariko’s comment made Sakura shrug. “Traditional shrine maidens don’t work for merchant houses.” she objected.
“Fair enough.”
The two women’s conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Sakura smiled shrewdly. “Looks like you already caught the attention of a western suitor…” she joked.
Mariko refrained herself from grinning from ear to ear – a proper high-ranked woman of Kin was supposed to keep her composure. However, she was indeed feeling giddy with excitement. “One can hope. Why don’t you greet him while I check my make-up?”
Sakura giggled, and went to the lounge room to open the door.
Mariko applied a little more red on her lips, and more white powder on her face.
From the half-open bedroom’s door, she could faintly hear a brief exchange.
Then everything went quiet.
“Sakura? Who is it?”
No answer.
“Sakura?”
Mariko exited her bedroom.
“Is there anyone?”
A woman hit her neck with her hand. Mariko couldn’t help but notice she was using a technique imported straight from her homeland of Kin.
Of course, the thought wasn’t of any solace when she fell unconscious into her mugger's arms.
**************
Satisfied with her neck-chop, Rasha laid Mariko onto the carpet.
Aisha dragged the unconscious Sakura by the undershoulders, and laid her next to the rich merchant’s daughter.
“Did we have to mug these two?”
“The less we use our real appearances, the better. And they were the closest to your bedroom.”
“Why not grab a bunch of guards? Or servants?”
“No guard or servant of Louise would allow us to get close to them. And you can bet they’ll be reporting our position the moment they see us wandering around.”
“And how did you know about these two?”
Rasha winked. “Thief’s secrets.”
She then unlaced and unwrapped the cloth sash tied around Mariko’s waist. She grabbed the woman’s legs, and pulled off the sandals and socks. Finally, with Aisha’s help, she delicately opened and peeled off the precious kimono.
The black-haired woman was left clad in a luxurious green sleeveless calf-long slip adorned with lace flowers and gold threads.
Rasha and her accomplice took all her jewels as well. Aisha also had to steal Mariko’s hairpin and various other hair ornaments, making the woman’s collarbone-long hair fall on her shoulders and back.
“Well, well, look at that…” Rasha showed her some box filled with a white powder. “I could use it to conceal my face.” She glanced at Sakura’s clothes. “And then I can wear her clothes.”
“Shrine maidens don’t wear make-up.” Aisha remarked.
“And how many people do you think know enough of Kin’s traditions to notice that detail?”
“A lot of the guests actually.”
Rasha was briefly taken aback. “Fair enough. But we’re not supposed to mingle with the guests. And I bet you the guards and servants barely know where the Land of Kin is, let alone what their customs are.”
“Fair enough.” Aisha conceded.
Thus, they stripped Sakura as well, taking off her sandals, her long socks, her hakama, and her kosode.
The shrine maiden was left clad in a white cloth fundoshi and a matching white strap of cloth wrapped around the breasts.
Rasha and Aisha cut strips of Mariko’s bed’s sheets and curtains, and twisted them to turn them into ropes. They bound each woman’s wrists, upper-arms, thighs, and ankles. Balled up pieces of cloth were shoved into the unconscious women’s mouths. A few more strips of sheets were turned into makeshift cloth-gags.
Then they dragged Mariko and Sakura into the bedroom, and laid them together on Mariko’s bed, facing each other. They concealed the two women under the last remaining intact sheet, and locked the door.
Aisha got dressed in Mariko’s precious kimono and cloth sash, and copied the woman’s hairstyle. She used her shape-shiftting powers to mimic Mariko’s hair, skin, and eye colors. At the same time, Rasha put on Sakura’s outfit. Aisha helped her put on the white powder and make-up.
"Maybe we should try and contact Yasmin and Zaïde, now that we've changed our appearances..." Aisha proposed.
Rasha shook her head. "Louise's watchers will find it odd if the girls from Kin visit Yasmin for no reason. They'll immediately suspect something. It's best to stick with the plan."
Once they were ready, they exited the room to ‘take a stroll’.
**************
Jeanne was bored. Patrolling the private corridors of Louise’s estate was always the most tedious guard duty.
This estate was the seat of Louise’s power, in the heart of the High Kingdom. No threat would ever be able to reach it.
And, contrary to the other parts of the palace, there were no servants with whom to chat, and no fancy-looking guests to admire.
Odd that Gabrielle would change the patrol routes right before the big ball... the guard thought to herself.
However, like all the women under Louise’s employ, she had learned to not question her princess’s decisions. The less she knew, the better. The princess often altered things seemingly on a whim. And almost every time, it was later revealed her decision was actually motivated by some complicated scheme.
Jeanne yawned.
Maybe I should regroup with Isabelle and have a chat… It’s not like anybody would notice us slacking off. Everyone’s attention will be focused on the celebration.
“Excuse me. I think I may be lost.”
Jeanne was interrupted in her daydreaming by the shy voice of an exotic-looking woman from the Land of Kin wearing a kimono and make-up typical from her nation. She could only be a guest of Louise.
“I was looking for the ball room, but I must have taken a wrong turn.”
The young woman looked like someone important – at least her outfit was fancy. Jeanne figured out it was best to be polite.
“It’s not a problem, madame. I will escort you.”
“Thank you. And sorry.”
Jeanne frowned. “Sorry?”
**************
Rasha hit Jeanne’s neck with a metal candelabra.
The guard grunted. Then, with a moan, she collapsed onto the floor.
The thief inspected the unconscious woman’s physical features. Jeanne was a blue-eyed blonde with a white skin and a short square-shaped haircut. Her face was round, and she was of average size. Her hair were tightly tied into a neck-bun.
The guard was wearing a crimson red tabard, shiny brown high boots, black trousers, a white button up uniform shirt with puffy sleeves, brown gloves, a black wide-brimmed hat with a red feather, and a rapier and a dagger strapped onto the belt.
“It’s best you take this one’s appearance.” she told Aisha.
The latter nodded silently.
Suddenly, they heard a female voice in the corridor next to them.
“Jeanne? Is that you? Who are you talking with?”
Rasha smiled, and wiggled her fingers around the candelabra playfully. “Looks like mine’s just arrived as well. Be right back~”
She turned around the corner.
Aisha began divesting Jeanne of her boots, belt and weapons. She heard some small-talk, as Rasha was playing the part of the confused foreign shrine maiden.
Then, there was a punch, a hit of candelabra on the skull, and the soft groan of a woman being knocked out cold. And finally, the sound of boots scraping on the floor as a limp unconscious body was dragged by the undershoulders.
**************
Rasha’s burden was a brown-haired guard with a slightly tanned skin and whose haircut was a tight neck-bun. The thief laid her burden next to Jeanne, dusted her hands, and smiled to herself. “Mugging guards. We finish with the classic.”
“I’m still not quite sure it’s a good idea to attack so many women…” Aisha commented as she was pulling off the blond guard’s trousers, revealing grey knickers.
Rasha dropped her current robe and trouser-skirt onto the floor. “It’ll be a moot point once we’ve searched Louise’s drawers.” She began to take off the brunette’s uniform.
Aisha took off Jeanne’s button-up uniform tunic, leaving the guard clad in a white short-sleeved undershirt. “I hope you’re right.”
**************
The brown-haired guard was wearing undergarments a bit similar to Jeanne’s – although her knickers were a faded shade of blue and her short-sleeved undershirt was light red instead of white.
Strips of Mariko’s kimono and Sakura’s robe were turned into makeshift ropes, gags, and blindfolds. The two trussed up guards were concealed in a small storage room. Their wrists were bound behind the back. Their ankles were immobilized as well. They were cleave-gagged and blindfolded. The fit was tight. Jeanne and her friend were squeezed together in a rather awkward intimate fashion. Aisha closed the door in a way that would still allow the captives to breath fresh air.
Rasha adjusted her belt and her gloves. The brunette’s outfit was a bit too big for her, but from afar the disguise would work. Aisha changed the color of her hair, skin, and eyes to match Jeanne’s.
Rasha nodded. “Now, we’re ready to pay a visit to Louise’s office room.”
**************
Louise’s personal office room was surprisingly plain-looking. No lavish paintings, fancy ornaments, or exotic-looking furniture. There were several bookcases filled to the brim, but no vapid romance novels or poetry collections. All the books were about diplomacy, war, strategy, and politics. The desk and chairs were functional. On one wall, there was a gigantic map of the known world.
Aisha felt as if she was getting a glimpse at the real Louise – the woman hiding behind the fancy dresses, fans, and balls. She felt uncomfortable to see many annotations were stitched around the kingdom of Ghazan on the map. There were also colored nails representing her father’s fleet and Louise’s pirate ships.
Aisha realized she missed home. She missed her parents and her brother.
“The desk.” Rasha reminded her. “The documents should be here.”
“Right!”
The search was fruitful. Aisha quickly skipped through the letters in the drawers.
Her hands were shaking ever so slightly when she found the detailed correspondence between Louise and don Esteban Mendoza, as well as reports from various pirate captains about the naval fights with Ghazan’s fleet. Finally, she got her hand on reports about the latest assaults of the past few weeks – a clear proof Louise was behind those fake ‘foreign acts of sabotage and espionage’ – including the assault on the High King’s personal cottage.
“This is exactly what I was looking for! We’ve done it, Rasha!”
There was no answer.
“Rasha?”
A figure walked out of the shadows.
It wasn’t Rasha.
“Gabrielle?!”
Aisha’s heart skipped a bit. I have to run away! Now!
But the bodyguard was faster. She grabbed Aisha and twisted her arm behind her back to immobilize her.
“Looks like everything went as planned.”
Louise of Dechaine also stepped out of her hiding spot.
Aisha’s eyes widened. A trap! It was a trap!
“Rasha!” she called for help, figuring out there was no point in being discreet anymore. “Rasha!”
“Right behind you, princess.” the thief answered.
But she didn’t sound worried. On the contrary. In her voice, there was a mixture of amusement and satisfaction.
Aisha started to feel deathly cold. “R- Rasha?!”
Louise chuckled lightly. “The look on your face… makes this entire plan worth it...”
Rasha walked next to the blonde, and tilted her head on the side. She looked Aisha in the eyes.
“Why so glum, Princess? Didn’t you once said you admire me because I’m always myself? That’s what I’m doing right now. Being myself.”
“But why?!”
“For the money, of course. More money than you could’ve ever given me. Nothing personal by the way. It’s just good business.”
“You were the mole the whole time?”
“From the moment I got Esteban’s letter.”
“But you warned me about his message! On your own volition!”
“And what better way to win your trust? A bit convoluted, I concede. Some would even say ‘twisted’. But efficient.” The thief winked. “I guess I’m better than you at court intrigues…”
Aisha was staring at the thief. Rasha wasn’t her friend… Rasha was a traitor… How could it be? She had always been so upbeat, so supportive…
… she had always encouraged her to stay on her reckless path too… had always advocated to keep on with the infiltration schemes...
Gabrielle tightened her hold. The princess winced in pain. Louise was witnessing the conversation with a small smile.
“I admit it was harder than I expected.” Rasha explained. “In hindsight, perhaps I was too careful... When we were in Ghazan, I was surrounded by people favorable to your parents. So I had to be subtle, just in case you came out on top. Zaïde never fully trusted me, so she always kept an eye on me. With your cousin breathing down my neck, I didn’t have much room to maneuver. Even when we planned to break into the temple of the Great Goddess, I was barely able to send a message to the guards. I certainly couldn’t risk getting caught myself! When we reached the Gabrielle Islands, I thought I’d have an opportunity. But I quickly realized most people here were on Dominique’s side. So I preferred to help from the shadows. I suspected nobody would bail me out if I was caught helping the pirates...” Rasha turned towards Louise. “I hope you don’t take offense, Your Majesty.”
The blond princess chuckled. “Not at all. I appreciate when my underlings are smart.”
Aisha was starting to understand Rasha’s plan. “You were playing both sides… Helping Louise, but still pretending to be loyal to me, so you’d be on the winning side no matter who came out on top...”
“Pretty much. I first tried to make your cousin look like the culprit, but when she panicked and tried to save you at the Gabrielle Islands, I knew it wouldn’t work. So I deflected your suspicions on Ezgi instead.”
This time, Aisha got angry. “She’s always been on my side! You tricked me into doubting her!”
“Of course. And you made it easy. I just had to steal a bunch of her ribbons, say a few calculated lines at the right moment, and frame her today with a fake letter... and you took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker…”
Aisha fought back tears. “But why did you… I thought you and I were-”
“-kindred spirits?” Rasha shook her head. “We’re not the same. I maybe like the thrills. But I like the money even more. I don’t care about your noble ideals, about the kingdom, or if the women I mug are fine afterwards. I only care about the one person who truly matters. Me.”
“I thought you were my friend! I trusted you!”
“Well, that was a stupid move. But then again, you never were very bright, were you?”
Rasha got closer.
“After all, you believed Ezgi wished you harm… She fought for you, by the way. She suspected me. She was searching for clues when I grabbed her. She knew she stood no chance, but she still fought me. For you. Some lover you are...”
Her words hit Aisha like a hammer blow. What could she even say? Dejected, she fell silent and lowered her head.
Louise took a deep breath. “Ah… The sweet scent of victory…”
Aisha’s lips twisted into a grimace of hatred. She fought back her tears. She wouldn’t give Louise the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “No need to humiliate me further. If you want to kill me, then do it.”
Louise put the tip of her fan under Aisha’s chin, and forced the young woman to look her in the eyes.
“Maybe I should… You’re under my power. I can stage whatever I want. I can claim you tried to murder me, and were killed by my guards. It’d be easy to plant proofs. But I’m a civilized woman. I’m not fond of killing fellow blue-blooded people. Plus, you may have some use as a hostage... There will be people to testify you assaulted a dignitary from Kin. I could spread the tale you tried to spy on me, and were put under house arrest...”
Louise let go of the young woman’s chin.
“Of course, no matter what I choose, I first need to deal with your sister and your cousin. And your pretty servant too. They know too much.”
Aisha attempted to lunge at her, but Gabrielle blocked her. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on them, you disgusting witch!”
Louise didn’t flinch. She blinked once. Then she slapped Aisha with the back of her hand. Hard.
However, the blond princess didn’t raise her voice when she spoke again. “You don’t have the right to judge me as an equal, girl.”
She made a gesture of the hand.
“Escort our guest to her room. We’ll tell tonight’s party-goers she’s indisposed. Tomorrow morning, we’ll decide which tale we spread. First, I need to deal with the rest of her family.”
**************
Yasmin was heading to the main reception hall with Layah. They intended to arrive among the first guests of the party. Zaïde and Aisha would regroup with them later. The former had proposed to pick up the latter and be her chaperon.
Both women were clad in fancy-looking outfits – as befitting of their status of a royal princess and her personal handmaid.
However, on their way, something caught their interest.
“Have you heard the latest news?” they heard from around the corner.
Yasmin frowned, and mentioned Layah to pause. She was maybe a model princess, but her mother still was a shape-shifting former spy. And her daughter had been taught to have some… reflexes.
For instance, Yasmin knew all the benefits of eavesdropping. She discreetly hid behind the corner of the wall, and listened.
A group maids and valets were discussing together.
“Some thieves dared to trespass! They even robbed esteemed guests of Kin!” one man commented.
“The nerve! I bet they’re part of those spies who’ve assaulted so many people lately!” a maid exclaimed.
“Well, this time they’ve been captured, and swift justice will be dispensed to them!”
The young princess immediately understood what was going on. She’d call it a hunch. Yasmin was more her father’s daughter than her mother’s, but she did inherit some of Yuka’s intuition.
If Aisha had been caught… if Louise had made her move… then Yasmin would be the next on her list. She needed to hide!
And for that, she didn’t have a choice. She was in the middle of a crowded building. There was no hiding spot. She needed to disguise herself.
“Layah, go back and warn Zaïde and the rest of our retinue.”
“What about you? I can’t leave you alone.”
Yasmin pointed at her regal-looking dress. “I will attract too much attention wearing that. Your outfit is lucurious, but it’s still a servant uniform. Nobody will pay attention to you.”
Layah was still hesitating.
“I’m a shape-shifter, Layah. I’ll find a way to blend in. I’ll regroup with you later.”
The handmaid finally nodded.
Yasmin watched her walk away. Of course, she hadn’t told Layah she intended to also find Aisha once she was in disguise...
**************
Zaïde was supposed to go to the main ball room with a handmaid. She was supposed to… But of course Zaïde wasn’t the sort of woman who’d willingly agree to be told what to do.
She had noticed her cousin hadn’t showed up for quite some time now. She didn’t like much the idea of leaving Aisha unsupervised for too long. Therefore, she had told Yasmon she’d go looking for her cousin and accompany her.
The busty noblewoman opened the door leading to Aisha’s bedroom.
“Cousin! I hope you’re decent!” she joked.
She was interrupted by frantic muffled cries from the bed. A woman was restrained to it, though in her struggles she had managed to make the sheet covering her fall onto the floor.
Zaïde’s jaw fell.
“Ezgi?!”
The plump servant was bound to the bedposts, stripped down to her underclothes, and tightly gagged. Ezgi was squirming and shaking her head widely, tears streaming on her cheeks, but whoever had bound her was very good at it.
Zaïde reflexively went to ungag her.
“What happened?!”
“I think the answer is obvious.” a female voice commented behind her before she could loosen Ezgi’s gag.
Zaïde turned. “Beatrix?”
Ezgi moaned and cried in her gag.
The redhead was looking grim. Weirdly enough, for some reason she wasn’t dressed as a janissary. She was wearing the uniform of one of Louise’s guards.
“Aisha’s in trouble.”
Zaïde’s eyes widened, the time for her to process the information.
“Then why are you standing here? We have to help her!”
The redhead didn’t flinch.
“Beatrix! I’ve got no time for-”
“She knew you’d react like that.”
“What is the meaning of-”
Beatrix moved too fast for Zaïde, with the precision of a trained soldier. She decked the busty noblewoman in the stomach, then hit the back of her neck.
Zaïde barely had the time to register any pain before she lost consciousness.
**************
Layah rushed to the wing of the estate that was lent to Yasmin’s and Aisha’s retinue – near Yasmin’s bedroom and a few corridors away from Aisha’s and Zaïde’s bedrooms. She was relieved to see a group of six janissaries standing in the hall.
The sight of their elite soldier uniforms – bright blue sleeveless calf-long tabards, bright red tunics, brown belts tied around the waist, red puffy trousers, white turbans adorned with a golden yellow metal feather, and brown leather boots – was a relief to anyone from Ghazan.
Layah rushed towards them. She knew that, with an armed escort, it would be easier to ask Louise for an explanation.
“Thank the One True God! Princess Yasmin needs your help! We-”
The women turned towards her. They weren’t Layah’s countrywomen.
Layah gasped. “You’re not-”
Mathilde grabbed her before she could dodge, and twisted her arm behind the back. “Indeed we aren’t.” she joked.
Eloise put the tip of her knife under Layah’s chin to threaten her. “But don’t worry. You’re about the join them.”
The handmaid was quickly led into the big bedroom that had been lent to the Ghazanite escort of guards.
Two other fake janissaries – a blonde and a redhead – were watching the room.
Layah’s eyes widened when she saw most of the soldiers and maids of Yasmin’s and Aisha’s retinue were already gathered inside.
The women were all bound hands and feet with ropes, and gagged with thick rags. The janissaries were lying unconscious – most likely drugged. Eight of them had been stripped down to their undergarments – light grey sleeveless thin undertunics and matching knee-long undertrousers. The maids were sitting lined-up against a wall. They were also tied up and gagged, but still conscious and fully-clothed. They glared at the newcomers with fear. A few of them mewled in their gags when they saw Layah, but one quick glare from a fake janissary was enough to silence them.
Only Beatrix, Ezgi, Rasha, and Zaïde were missing. And Aisha and Yasmin, obviously.
“There’s been a change of plan for the party.” Mathilde mockingly commented. “We’ve been tasked to escort you to an other part of the estate.”
“How…” Layah couldn’t help but whisper.
“You’ve underestimated Princess Louise. Again. Even after all this time. Even after you were given all the proofs. You still expected she’d let social conventions restrain her.”
Layah was indeed realizing the extent of their mistake. They had expected Louise to keep using the same tactic – social sabotage and slander. They weren’t expecting a frontal assault.
They should have remembered the kidnapping attempt of Dominique… They should have remembered Louise had the means to order violent attacks, and then re-write the truth...
Perhaps Louise’s week-long campaign of staged sabotage acts and slander had only been a diversion. A way to make them lower their guard, to make them think they had figured out her strategy, and to set everything up for this one assault.
“I hope you’ll enjoy your new accommodations.” Mathilde summed up.
Eloise used to hilt of her knife to hit Layah’s neck and knock her out.
**************
Isabeau finished storing a bunch of wine bottles in the palace’s cellar. She was using a lantern to check each of them.
I can’t believe Lison got promoted to personal handmaid of Princess Dominique… And what did I get? I was denied my day off because they sent some of the Sun Castle’s staff to help for Princess Louise’s commemoration! It’s so unfair… What did Lison do to deserve such preferential treatment? Whatever she did, I’m sure I can do it! Whatever it is!
“I’m sorry, but I need your clothes.”
“What?” Isabeau frowned.
Then something conked her on the back of the head, and knocked her out instantly.
**************
Yasmin put away the bottle she had used to knock out Isabeau, grabbed the unconscious maid by the calves, and began to drag her out of sight. She was feeling a little bad for the unlucky servant she had knocked out.
“Apologies for being so rough. It’s an emergency.”
The servant was a lean dour-looking young woman with a crooked nose and sunken cheekbones. She had shoulder-long dark blond hair, green eyes, and a white skin. Her hair had ringlets. She was a bit thinner than Yasmin, but the clothes should fit her. The unconscious woman was wearing a black long skirt tied around the waist with a belt, a blue tunic with white sleeves and a golden yellow collar, a white apron, black mules, and a white maid bonnet with golden yellow frills.
Yasmin dragged her burden inside a nearby storage room. Then she dropped the maid’s legs, and went to retrieve the lantern.
Next, she rolled Isabeau onto her stomach. She untied and removed the apron, took off the bonnet, and pulled off the mules. Then, she rolled Isabeau onto her back, loosened and slid the skirt down the maid’s legs. Finally, she held the servant’s arms up and slipped her tunic off.
When she heard Isabeau moan, Yasmin remembered she had to make sure the servant would stay put.
She used the cloth sash wrapped around her waist as a makeshift cleave-gag. There were ropes and strings in the storage room. She used some to bind Isabeau’s wrists, ankles, thighs, and upper-arms above and below the breasts.
Yasmin wasn’t an expert at ropework – but she still had some memories of Azeneth’s lessons. She figured out her knots would be enough to restrain an untrained woman such as the maid.
There were some unused table clothes lying in a corner. She rolled Isabeau in one and tied a rope around her waist to further restrain her and muffle her cries for help.
Yasmin left the unlucky servant resting in a corner of the room, and dropped her clothes onto the floor before slipping into the maid uniform.
By the time Yasmin was putting on the bonnet, Isabeau had woken up. The young princess could hear her whimper and squirm in the tablecloth restraining her.
“Very sorry. But I need to save my sister.” Yasmin said to the trussed up woman.
Of course, this didn’t convince the woman to stop moaning for help.
Yasmin repressed her guilt, reasoning somebody would find Isabeau before the night was over. She used her shape-shifting powers to change the color of her hair, skin, and eyes to match Isabeau’s. Like Aisha, she wasn’t able to change the shape of her face, but she hoped it’d be enough.
She took a spare lantern from the shelves, lit it, and hung it onto the ceiling out of Isabeau’s reach so that at least the maid wouldn’t be left in the dark.
Then she grabbed her own lantern, and left the storage room.
**************
Jan, Jill, and Eloise entered Aisha’s bedroom.
“Rasha said she had left the brat’s handmaid bound to the bed.” Eloise explained. “She’s the last one we need to collect.”
Jan and Jill shared a smile.
“Gotta thank the thief later. I quite enjoy the sight of a girl bound to the bed... And I did get a look at the handmaid. She’s quite the catch, that princess is a lucky bitch. I also like my girls round…” the former commented. “You think Louise will mind if I have some fun for a couple of minutes?”
“As long as you don’t damage her, probably not.”
Jan wiggled her fingers. “Don’t worry captain. I’ll be very gentle… I’m pretty sure I can do a lot better than the princess brat!”
The bed was covered with some sheets, but it was easy to discern the figure of a bound-and-gagged woman underneath the piece of fabric. The three pirates could hear some faint muffled whimpers.
“Hey, gorgeous!” Jan removed the blanket. “Hel…” she trailed off when she saw the woman bound spread-eagle to the bedposts. “...-lo?”
Indeed, the woman tied spread-eagle to the bedposts with ropes and gagged with a strip of sheet wasn’t Ezgi. She wasn’t even from Ghazan.
She was a guard from the palace, a plain-looking light-skinned brunette with a short ponytail and hazel-brown eyes. And she was currently only wearing light pink underdrawers and a white brassiere.
“Antoinette?”
Eloise frowned. Antoinette wasn’t one of the guards Aisha and Rasha had mugged to get to Louise’s office. And yet, she was here, trussed up and half-naked after – most likely – having gotten her uniform stolen. But by who?
She roughly took off the woman’s gag.
“What happened?!”
“The scary woman of the retinue! She took my uniform!”
Eloise’s eyes widened when the realization dawned upon her. “The redhead?”
“Yes!”
“That bitch! She’s going to slip through my fingers!”
Eloise indeed hadn’t forgotten who was responsible of the deaths of most of her crew.
She turned to Jan and Jill. “Quickly! Warn Gabrielle! We have a breach of security!”
**************
Zaïde groaned as she woke up. She could feel she was seated on something soft and comfortable.
At least I’m in a luxurious cell... she thought to herself.
Or maybe not a cell. She could feel the place rock slightly.
Some sort of carriage then.
Zaïde stirred, and realized only her wrists were restrained. And even then, it wasn’t a complicated knot. They were merely tied behind her back. She wasn’t gagged. Her legs were still free.
Odd. Are they that confident?
She opened her eyes to assess her predicament.
She was indeed inside a moving closed carriage, seated on soft cushions.
Beatrix was sitting in front of her, still clad as one of Louise’s guards, clutching her jezail with her hands.
Zaïde’s blood boiled. “You-”
She immediately moved to attack her. Of course, with her wrists bound, she couldn’t do much. The readhead easily pushed her away. The busty noblewoman fell back on the soft cushions.
“Where is Aisha?!” she screamed.
A soft hand gently grabbed her arm. “Please calm down. She’s on our side. We’re safe here.”
Zaïde recognized the voice. “Ezgi? What’s going on?!”
“We’re being evacuated.” the plump servant explained. Oddly enough, she wasn’t clad in her usual uniform, but in plain grey clothes.
An other woman intervened. “I apologize on Beatrix’s behalf. I’m the one who asked her to be rough if the needs arose. I knew you wouldn’t think straight.”
Dominique was sitting next to Beatrix. She was wearing plain and discreet clothes – a far cry from her usual gentleman outfits or lavish princess gowns.
Zaïde coldly glared at her. “I suppose there’s an explanation… Am I allowed to listen with my hands free?”
“Of course. I apologize for that too. I had to make sure I could explain the situation before you did something rash.”
Ezgi released Zaïde’s wrists. The busty noblewoman noticed that, for some reason, the handmaid wasn’t wearing her usual servant outfit. She seemed to have put on whatever casual clothes she could find in Aisha’s wardrobe – the ones Aisha wore when she wanted to look innocuous.
Then Dominique began to explain:
“Louise has made her next move. Unfortunately, she’s been faster and bolder than I expected. I barely had the time to mount a rescue operation. You were the only ones Beatrix managed to evacuate in time.”
Zaïde glanced at Ezgi. There were no other member of their escort.
“How are the others? Our guards? Our servants?”
“They’re mostly unharmed. Some of them were a bit manhandled, but they’re all alive and well. Louise isn’t stupid enough to hurt a foreign delegation. However, they won’t be able to help us. They’ve been confined to isolated quarters.”
“And Aisha? Yasmin?”
“Yasmin’s vanished. Impossible to know where she went. And Aisha…” Dominique hesitated.
“Aisha’s been lured into a trap.” Beatrix bluntly intervened.
“What? How?!”
“There was a traitor.”
“But who-” Zaïde interrupted herself. She understood. “Rasha.”
Dominique nodded. “Rasha.”
“That little rat! If I get my hands on her-” Zaïde shot Beatrix a nasty glare. “Why didn’t you do anything?”
“Me?” The redhead snarled, and retorted: “Who hired her? I’m not Rasha’s guardian! I can’t watch her all the time, and I’m not responsible of her choices! In case you didn’t notice, I abode by our contract! I stayed loyal!”
Zaïde took a breath. “You’re right. I’m overreacting. I’m sorry. Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Right… Beatrix was a soldier… She had sworn an oath to the king... Zaïde remembered.
“Aisha was a fool to trust Rasha so much, you know it as well as me.” the readhead added. “I’m the closest thing to a friend Rasha has, and even I knew to never trust her if she wasn’t at arms length.”
“Things are getting out of control.” Dominique intervened. “Aisha is now under Louise’s thumb. My half-sister’s people are loyal to the death. They’ll cover for any lie she tells. She can have Aisha murdered, get rid of the body, then pretend the princess left on her own. Or she can stage a fake assassination attempt on her, and blame it on Aisha.”
Zaïde couldn’t bare the thought of knowing her cousin was under the clutches of such a woman.
“Then help me find a way to rescue her!”
“This is the reason I’m here. Our position is dire, but in every crisis, there’s an opportunity. I believe we can still turn the situation around.” Dominique smiled harshly. “My half-sister is smart, but she’s also arrogant. And it’s when people are about to win that they’re at their weakest...”
*************
Aisha was held prisoner in a spare bedroom of the wing the furthest from the feast. She was surprised to hear the door being unlocked.
A dark-blond-haired white-skinned green-eyed servant entered.
Aisha frowned and leaned forward. The maid’s facial structure looked familiar...
“Yasmin?!”
The maid took a small breath. Her hair suddenly turned brown. Her skin and her eyes darkened.
“But how?”
Yasmin shook her head. “You’re the one asking? I knocked out a maid, and stole her clothes, of course.”
“But- You said you hated infiltration!”
Her twin sister looked embarrassed. “I figured out if I had to do it, I might as well do it right.” she justified herself.
Aisha tried to blink away a few tears, to no avail.
“Now, we-” Yasmin started to say.
She was interrupted when Aisha rushed towards her, and hugged her tightly. “I’m so relieved to see you…” the latter whispered with a few sobs. “I was so scared…”
Yasmin hugged her back. “I’m relieved too.” For once, she had a hard time controlling her emotions. Her voice was shaking ever so slightly. “I thought you were-” She didn’t finish her sentence, probably because she didn’t want to choke and sob too. She regained her composure. “There’s no need to dwell on that. I came in time. We’re together.”
Aisha took a deep breath. She wished she never had to break this embrace. For the first time since what looked like forever, she felt a deep connection with her twin sister.
Years of disputes and misunderstandings were swept away in an instant…
A sarcastic clapping interrupted their moment.
“Very touching.”
Louise of Dechaine was fanning herself condescendingly. Next to her, Gabrielle was pointing two flintlock pistols at the sisters.
“Also, very predictable. Princess Yasmin El’Haroun. First Heiress of the throne of Ghazan. You should have announced yourself. We’d have been happy to accommodate you.”
And then, Louise grinned. Not ‘smiled’. Grinned. Grinned frankly. Grinned widely. Grinned triumphantly.
And that grin terrified Aisha to her core.
