The Forsaken Hero

Rochelle turned on Alex, frowning steeply. "My Lord, I don’t mean to question you, but we can’t stop here. Those Fatesworn, they’re called, are known to be relentless. They obsess over this slut, and won’t stop at anything until they find her. We can make it to Roann, if we push a few more hours."

"Ah, right. Roann. Do you remember which tree marked the way there?" Alex asked.

She opened her mouth and paused, looking around.

"That’s right. We barely escaped back there," Alex continued. "I haven’t the slightest idea where we’re at, and until we get some light, it’s going to stay that way. Unless you have a spell for that?"

Rochelle hesitated, grinding her teeth. "I...was more focused on combat magic. The church always ferried us around to where we needed to be. We just had to win once we got to the fight."

"Exactly. Same for us. Though Jill’s a great tracker, I might add," Alex said, ruffling the girl’s hair.

Jill blushed, but didn’t pull away. Hardly befitting behavior for a princess, or so I heard she was. Typical of a hero’s companion.

I struggled into a sitting position, resting my back against a tree. The bark was rough, but a small comfort. Something real to focus on against my fears.

"What about Niece?" Kirla asked, carefully laying her friend’s body against a tree.

Marge took a knee beside her, placing her hand on the woman’s chest. After a moment, she shook her head. "I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done."

"Damn it," Rochelle whispered, gripping her skirts. "How did this happen?"

"We all knew the risks," Jill said quietly. "She was a brave woman. A good archer. We didn’t travel together long, but I could see she was a good woman. Even if she was an elf."

"What’s wrong with being an elf?" Kirla demanded.

Jill held up her hands. "It’s nothing. We just don’t see your kind around here often, and that elf mage betraying the Throne is kinda the reason we’re here in the first place."

"I don’t like the Archmage, either. Don’t take it out on us," Kirla muttered.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough bickering," Alex sighed, sitting on a nearby boulder. "Niece’s death wasn’t in vain. It was because of her sacrifice that we were able to make our escape. I’ll make sure she gets a nice statue or something, once this is all over." He leaned his chin on his fist, eyeing me. "Marge, would you take a look at Xiviyah? She doesn’t seem to be doing too well."

I shifted, struggling into a more proper sitting position, but the Rabbitkin knelt beside me, gently pressing me back. Shivers ran through me as her magic penetrated my skin, radiating across my entire body.

"It’s okay, just relax," Marge said, giving me a warm smile. It died abruptly, and she jerked back, her ears sticking straight up. "Master, this is bad. There’s too much poison in her system. I doubt I could cure it all even if I wanted to."

He waved dismissively. "Do what you can. It’s no fun seeing an adorable face ruined by blood and tears."

Marge began to cast, conjuring several magic circles.

"You would heal her? What if she tries to escape?" Rochelle asked. She still sounded bitter about Niece.

Alex grinned, holding up his hand. "That’s what this is for, remember?"

The shock that ran through me had nothing to do with the rush of warmth as Marge finished her spell. There, on Alex’s finger, was a ring. It was a heavy golden band, a little too thick for Alex’s finger, set with a dark ruby the color of my hair.

"No, that’s not...it’s not possible," I whimpered, my breath hitching as a deep scratch closed over my ribs. "Where did you...how did you..."

Even as the words tumbled from my lips, I didn’t want to believe it. Alex couldn’t have the soul binder. He just couldn’t.

And yet, I couldn’t doubt my eyes. Or, more importantly, the subtle tug in my chest. It had appeared when the soul binder had activated, just seconds before Alex struck. It hadn’t felt like Luke, but...

Some part of me must have known. The pull was in the direction, the bond cold instead of warm. But the thought that someone had taken my bond, that someone like Alex had complete dominion over me, never crossed my mind. After all, why should it? Luke had promised to take care of it no matter what.

Alex’s grin was too wide. Did seeing the complete, utter disbelief on my face really bring him so much glee? Or was it the slow, dawning fear in my eyes, the tremor that struck my hands, that brought his smile?

"When Soltair said you had bound yourself with a curse again, I didn’t really believe him," Alex said, twisting the ring on his finger with his thumb. "You always seemed so depressed, so I kinda assumed it was because of the slave crest. Imagine my surprise when I figured out he was telling the truth the whole time, and the instant you managed to free yourself, you found the nearest man who would hold your leash."

I swallowed hard, terror constricting my throat. "N-no, I didn’t...that’s not what I--"

"What I don’t understand is why you ran so hard from me?" he shook his head, giving an exaggerated shrug. "Could it be you’ve got a thing for the rough stuff? Only gets you going if you feel forced into it?"

"Done, Master," Marge said, clapping her hands. The sound made me flinch. "I managed to heal about everything but some of the poison."

"Thank you, Marge. Now’s a good time to test it as any. Xiviyah, do you mind if I call you Xiv? I heard Korra say it once, and Xiviyah’s kinda a mouthful."

I didn’t answer.

"Your tail’s wagging. I guess that’s a yes?"

My face burned, and I grabbed my tail, pinning it in my lap. Wagging? Did he see me as a dog? Alex chuckled.

"Kneel in front of me, Xiv."

My mind flashed to that fragmented vision, of Marge crawling beneath the desk and between his legs. I bit my lip, gripping my tail so hard it ached. His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes probing mine.

Something shifted within me as he stared into my eyes. Luke hadn’t betrayed me. He hadn’t restricted my soul. He hadn’t condemned my friends and me. He hadn’t forsaken me. I was helpless, now, and completely vulnerable, but I wasn’t alone. What could Alex do that was worse than that pain? What could he do that hadn’t been done to me before?

In the past, I had been bound by the chains and broken by the whip. I had let them shape me and turn me into someone I didn’t want to be. I had submitted fully, afraid that by resisting, I would only suffer more. But even then, if that suffering came anyway, it was my right to suffer.

Alex’s eyes narrowed. "I order you to kneel."

"Go to hell," I whispered.

"Ah, damn," he said, leaning back, surprisingly loose. "Guess it’s not one of those curses, after all. I was kinda hoping it was a heart crest. Never had a slave with one of those."

"Master, you’ve only ever had me. And I don’t need something like that. I already want to be with you!" Marge said, pouting.

He chuckled, patting her head. "I guess that’s true."

"Are you done playing with the slut?" Kirla asked, tossing her hair. "If we’re going to rest, let’s do it. Otherwise, we should get moving."

"Fine, fine, you guys are no fun. Way too serious for this time of night," Alex sighed, slumping back against the boulder.

"Niece just died," Rochelle said coldly.

"Yeah, I heard you before," Alex muttered. He rose, stretching with an overly dramatic yawn. "Marge, would you and Jill make sure our little pet here doesn’t go anywhere? She might not have magic or muscles, but I’d hate to have to track her down once we wake up."

"You’re not setting a watch?" Rochelle asked.

Alex blinked, cocking his head. "Watch? You mean someone stays up the whole night? What kind of party did Ronin run?"

"The kind that doesn’t like getting their throats slit at night," Kirla muttered.

Alex snorted. "I suppose you guys spent a lot of nights out in the woods. Fine, you guys can take watch. Wake me if anything happens."

And just like that, he pulled a bedroll from his spatial ring and spread it across the ground. As he began taking off his armor, with Jill’s help, of course, Marge produced a length of slender, silken rope.

"Don’t worry, I’m good at this. I know a thing or two about rope," Marge said, taking my wrists and pulling them over my head. "You won’t believe how stiff you can get after a night in the wrong position."

"I think I can imagine," I mumbled, shuddering as she began to tie them. Not together, not at first, but with an individual loop around each one, and then binding them together. The whispered across my wrists, soft and flexible. Nothing like how a rope should feel. It was too...comfortable.

She finished her work with a few more loops around the tree, giving me enough room that I could relax comfortably against the roots, but not that I could actually reach any of the knots. If I tried to stand, I would find my hands pinned behind my back against the tree.

"How’s that feel?" she asked, her fingers dancing from my wrists down my arms. "Too tight?"

I didn’t respond, staring down at my lap. It almost felt like they were making fun of me. Soft rope? Comfortable position? Did they really think this was what bondage looked like? If only they could see the dungeons beneath Western University, or the lairs of the Circle hidden beneath Heartland. Maybe then they wouldn’t treat it like such a game.

Though, to them, it was. And given how familiar Marge seemed with rope, they must play it often. I shuddered at that, pulling my knees to my chest. That made me feel a little less exposed.

"That’s enough, Marge. As much as I want to play with her too, we all need to rest."

I looked away, catching Alex’s smirk as Marge climbed under his blanket and snuggled close. He stroked her ears, making her wiggle happily, then yawned and closed his eyes. Rochelle took a spot on the other side of our makeshift campsite, and in minutes, the only sound was their gentle breathing and the wind rustling through the trees.

"Oh, Luke," I whispered, bowing my head, "Please come for me. Please."