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Once Merthyr had rectified the misshap and personally offered excuses and well wishes to each of the honorable households, the damsels and the chaperones, which took some time in its own right given the sheer number of girls involved, he finally returned back to Simon keen and eager to spend time with his father to talk about the mistery Simon had earlier referred to and to talk about his girl

"Your grace, all the damsels were very sympathetic, properly excused and amends made to show no preference for any yet courtesy to all, with the utmost diligence" assured Merthyr

"Now then... are we going to talk about what you referred to earlier? I am curious to know..." admitted Merthyr with an honest smile "Once we have the important matters discussed we can then focus on the less important matters of mine, like this girl I happen to like and all the things I have learned about her... but that is not as important as whatever you wanted to share with me in the first place" assued Merthyr happy to leave the personal stuff to focus on the king's stuff instead.

Lilim would enter the room with Voletta, Elesa, and Crow close behind her. Once the door was closed, Lilim would sigh and whisper, "Well... That was unexpected... But now I do need to explain. Elesa? Please seal the room." she whispers calmly so the guards outside wouldn't overhear.

Elesa would nod and bring out a pair of her charms, "Seal of Ground... Mineral lock..." she whispers as she manipulates the door to be thoroughly secured shut with no way to get it open without thoroughly busting it down. Next was for the whole room, "Seal of Sound... Barrier of Silence..." she whispers again as she then ericts a barrier within the walls of the room that prevented sounds from within from leaving. The combination of these enchantments would see to it that the 4 of them had complete privacy.

Elesa would test the bubble and find it sealed tight as a drum, with no one on the outside the wiser, giving Lilim a nod. Lilim would sigh and speak as normal, "Ok... Now I can explain everything. But Sir Crow?... Please be aware that what I'm about to tell you is to remain our little secret. If you tell anyone else in the castle, I'll be forced to take action against you... You understand this I hope?..." she says calmly, hoping that she was clear.

Shaking her head, "Please dont get me wrong... I've grown very fond of you just as Elesa has, so I will not be doing you harm if you stand as an ally to Voletta, as that is what I aim to remain." She adds in quickly, just to make sure The Hanged Man had no reason to suspect that Lilim had any intent on doing Voletta or him any kind of harm.

Once the spells had been cast, the Hanged Man stormed over to the door and hammered on it with his fist. "Help! The duchess is being ab-abducted!" He waited for a moment, then: "And y-your mother's a pox-ridden stargazer!" Only when he was satisfied that the guards outside couldn't hear did he turn and round on Lilim. His eyes were untrusting, and he sneered when she said she'd grown fond of them.

"You needn't patronize us, my lady. We have known you for l-less than a day, so f-forgive my skepticism that you are 'fond' of us."

His lips thinned. The highborn interests were all at war with one another and Voletta was caught up in the middle with no voice of her own. They'd tear her to shreds. Lilim, Merthyr, and Simon all wanted to keep her for their own, though for different reasons, and Lilim's was the only one that Crow didn't understand. He lowered his voice on the off chance that the guards did hear, but were choosing to keep their silence. "You say you want to take Voletta. What is to become of her? Will she be your pampered pet? And ..."

Crow looked away. He had the demeanor of a cornered animal, pushed to the point of lashing out. He stepped over towards Voletta and stood protectively towards between her and Lilim.

"... and do you truly wish to start a war?"

Voletta would watch as Elesa cast two spells on the room: One to seal it and one to make it soundproof. She would do a test of her own, letting out a high pitched, shrill scream to see if guards came running. When nobody came she would sigh in relief and rub her eyes, staring at Lilim as she explained she was fond of them, as well as their ally. Though she also watched Lilim threaten to take action against The Hanged Man if he stood in their way. She would stare between the three of them, pulling her knees to her chest as she watched them talk. She wanted to be free, but the three of them would use her for different reasons, even if she was unaware of Merthyr's future intentions to propose to her.

However, there was one thing she also wanted an answer to. She wanted to know what would happen to her once she was gone. To phrase it as The Hanged Man did, she wondered if she would be treated like an actual person, but the The Hanged Man said something that would grab her attention as he moved to stand between her and Lilim. Why would he say that taking Voletta away from here would start a war? As far as she knew, Voletta was just the king's favorite play thing. His favorite slave. She was used and abused, and she surely wouldn't be missed. So for The Hanged Man to say that Voletta's absence would start a war, thoroughly confuse her. She would look at The Hanged Man with a look of confusion and worry on her face.

"Crow...Why would me leaving start a war? I'm a nobody...I wouldn't be missed...besides, I want to leave and have my freedom...I've never been outside the castle walls. I want to feel the sun on my skin and run around in the grass and pick flowers and live the life I never got to...Are you really going to stop that from happening..."

Elesa would flinch as Crow snapped at Lilim, backing away and bringing herself to rest in a corner of the room. She'd start shivering as The Hanged Man seemed to lose all trust in them now that he could speak freely, and after a few moments, Elesa would huddle into a fetal position and start to cry.

Lilim would sigh calmly to The Hanged Man's words and take to her usual hover now that they were alone, approaching Elesa and picking her up to hug against her, using her Trans magic to change their outfits back to normal again, "Sir Crow... I fully understand your concerns, but allow me to explain..." she says calmly, moving to the table and chairs in the room to take a seat since she wasn't currently allowed to sit on the bed with Voletta.

After a moment of situating herself and Elesa in her lap, Lilim would show off her creamy flesh colored tail and continue speaking, "I have no intention on treating Voletta as any kind of pet. I want to free her from her life of enslavement and offer her a place with Elesa and myself... As a traveler. I myself am no longer associated with the kingdom of Biblia, nor do I call myself a princess from that kingdom anymore. I am no longer Princess Lilim Nebula Lilithia, daughter of the Immortal Goddess, Queen Lilith of Biblia... I am simply... Lilim, a traveling Succubus. And Elesa here is not my Duchess at all. She is a former slave from the kingdom of Vampira, where the now former Lord Shadow resides. A little over a year ago, I rescued Elesa from that place. And we've been traveling together ever since, and as you can see, I've done my absolute best to take care of Elesa, and to raise her the best I can. That is what I want to do for Voletta, Sir Crow... I want to give her the freedom she deserves and personally see to her needs and to help her grow as a person. I wish to treat her as an equal, and to give her the chance to outright say 'no' to things that are demanded of her." she says before pausing briefly, moving Elesa into the seat in her place as she gets up and takes to her hover again.

Turning to face The Hanged Man again, "And if giving her this freedom means I will be putting her into harms way, then I will protect her and I will prove that right now. Come at me, Sir Knight. Draw your sword and cut me down where I stand. Plant your blade in my shoulder and stain the room with my blood. I will demonstrate to you here and now that I do have power enough to protect Voletta as I have protected Elesa all this time. Strike me, Sir Crow... And bare witness to the power that is my natural magical armor." Lilim says confidently, opening her arms to allow Crow to strike her as she requested.

The Hanged Man's stony face weakened when Lilim declared that she was estranged from her kingdom. "I-I ..." He looked broken. When she announced her royalty in the dungeon, he had been angry at her deception, but had come around to it--it certainly had its uses, as was indicated by the stunts she'd pulled at the banquet. But now he realized that the reveal had been to manipulate him when he had posed his worries about the unconscious guards.

Horror suddenly electrified him and he began to pace, limping back and forth along the side of the bed and swearing softly. "B-bones ... bones and ashes, bones and bloody ashes ..." Simon was a cunning and calculating king--he wouldn't let just anyone into his castle. Any minute now some scribe would realize that there was no princess of Biblia set to attend their banquet, that this woman was some stranger, some impostor ... and they knew exactly where she was. The room had no windows, for safety, the only door was guarded ... the knight pulled off his gauntlet to expose his mangled hand and ran it through his hair as he paced.



Voletta's softly-spoken question made him pause, and he looked down at her with pain in his eyes. He was clearly stalling, nibbling his lip and wringing his hands. "V-Voletta, I ... you ... th-there is more to this than you know, I ... I know you desire f-freedom, but ..." He grasped her hand in his shaking, scarred one and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

Crow paused when Lilim invited him to attack. He squinted at her incredulously, as if she had just denied that his blood was red. "What ... are ..." It took him a moment to formulate a response. "... do you jest, my la--mistress? Truly, in this dire hour?" He shook his head at her then turned back around to face Voletta, but he still spoke to the woman with the tail. "Y-you are about to be killed, Lilim, or imprisoned," he said, "and possibly us along with you. So for your sake, and Elesa's ... just do whatever it is you plan. Surely I cannot stop you." His hand fell limp, releasing Voletta's. "A-and Voletta ... you may do as you wish. I-I will cover your escape."

She would look to Lilim and watched with surprise as she offered for Crow to have a swing at her. He was to honorable for that, and if she knew him at all, she knew he would take offense to it...Though what Crow would do left her wondering and shocked. She stared up at him as he struggled to find the proper words, taking her hand in his, she would glance down to his scarred hand as he stroked his thumb over her hand. She would begin tearing up, wiping the tears with her free hand as she stared at him curiously.

"W....What do you mean there's more to this than I know....what....."

She says, stopping mid sentence as she stared at him, more tears filling in her eyes as she finally realized. She realized why The Hanged Man was the one who always stayed by her side, never let her out of his sight. And at his words that suggested at first that he was going to stop her from leaving, she would retract her hands out from his and just stare at him, her expression blank.

"There's a reason.....Isn't there....a reason that he keeps me so closely guarded and treats me horribly....and you know what it is...p-please....just tell me what it is...what do you know....what have you been hiding from me...."

She says, before looking at Lilim from where she stood. She knew that The Hanged Man would react this way, but what she didn't expect was what he would say next. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. He was going to cover their escape, but something about this didn't sit well with her. Surely he would be dead or worse if she left, and she knew it. There was no way around it. He was supposed to watch her all hours of the day, so if she disappeared, they would know that he helped her escape. She shook her head and stood up, hugging him as tightly as she could as she cried into his breastplate.

"You have to come with us...you'll be killed if I go without you...Crow, your my best friend, and I can't leave without you....I won't leave without you knowing what will happen to you if I do....If you won't come then I'm staying to....we both deserve our freedom, don't you think??"

Lilim nods and slowly hovers closer to them both, "My thoughts exactly. Now, there's only one thing that could possibly stop us. And that's one of my dire weaknesses... The sun. I have no idea how much time is left in the night, but if we're going to go, we have to go while it's dark or I'll be out of commission... I cannot use my magic while I'm asleep, so while we've got the chance, we have to get somewhere safe before the sun comes up. Voletta, you're already in dire need of rest, and Elesa will have to sleep soon as well, and I have reasonable doubt that Sir Crow can carry all three of us. But I cannot help either of you at all unless you trust me... And Elesa too. Do you think you can?" Lilim asks as she holds out her hands slowly for Voletta and The Hanged Man to take.

Elesa would crawl out of the seat and look on while holding her breath, hoping that they'd both say yes and take Lilim's hands. The child held high hopes that the ones she saw as new friends would be willing to come with her and her adopted Big Sis and discover the freedom they deserved.

The Hanged Man flinched as Voletta gazed up at him dolefully, her eyes bleary and pained. "Voletta ..." He wasn't sure what to say. There were two truths unspoken, and they burned his tongue. "... you are important ... my lady," he finally said. "And now it's time to go."

He looked back at Lilim. Her plan seemed to be unraveling in front of them. It was probably around midnight, perhaps just after, which gave them around five hours to make their escape and get far enough away. There was no time to waste. He did not take her hand.

Voletta then flung herself at him, clinging to the unyielding steel of his breastplate. He placed his hands, one gauntleted and one not, upon her shoulderblades. "It's time to go, do you understand?" he repeated, voice very soft, before looking up to Lilim.

"T-tell me how you plan on escaping the castle grounds," he said to the succubus. "I will do what I can t-to ensure your success."

Voletta would feel his firm hands on her shoulder blades, and she would look up at him before wiping her eyes once more. He said she was important, and yet she had no idea how, or just how important she actually was. She looked to Lilim who was holding her hands out to them, and she would slowly take The Hanged Man's unarmored hand and placed it into Lilim's palm, giving him the look he knew all to well. It was the look that said she was going to have it her way or now way at all. Though he was set on helping them escape, but she didn't want to leave her best friend behind. The point of her placing his hand in Lilim's was to show him that he was going with them, whether he wanted it or not. Because she wasn't going to let him die by the feet of the king at her expense.

She would then place her own hand in Lilim's, but also thought back to what The Hanged Man had said. He would refer to her as "My Lady", and she hadn't heard him refer to anybody else like that other than royalty. Though she would try not to jump to conclusions, as her imagination ran rampant as it yearned for sleep. Though now wasn't the time. No. Now was the time for the four of them to escape. She would look at The Hanged Man sternly, taking his free hand in her own and gripping it tightly.

"Our success...If you think I'm leaving without you, then you are sorely mistaken..."

She says before looking at Lilim.

"What do we have to do..??"

Lilim smiled softly before looking to Voletta, "Grab the sheets off the bed. Where we're going, there's not gonna be any soft bedding for a while. Plus, I want to spoil you guys a little with the materials. When you're ready... Stand close together, take a deep breath, and close your eyes. And try to be silent again, Elesa's barricades are about to be let down. Elesa, please send me some Light and Psychic energies." Lilim says quickly.

Elesa would let out her breath and jumps excitedly as Voletta and Crow accepted Lilim's offer. Elesa would nod and gave the sound barrier one last dose of energy, then she acted to replace her charms and grab the ones Lilim asked of her.

Only when Voletta got the sheets gathered up and they seemed ready did Elesa chant into her seals and activate them, "Seal of Light... Seal of the Mind..." she whispers as she aims the charms at Lilim, sending the energies to her as she scooted closer to Voletta and Crow and did as Lilim instructed, taking a breath and holding it and shutting her eyes.

Lilim would make sure they were all ready before activating her spell, "By the combined energies of Light and Telekinesis... I envoke the spell of freedom... Evac..." Lilim chants quietly. As of the last word, Voletta and The Hanged Man would find themselves engulfed in a golden light, and when the light faded they'd find themselves standing just outside the palace gates where they had first met Elesa and found Lilim sound asleep in the covered wagon.

Elesa would giggle as she releases her breath and replaces her charms on her belt, "Heeheehee, I love doing that." the child whispers with a series of excited bounces, looking back to see the donkey and covered cart still waiting for them, "Alphys?... Wh-what are you still doing here?" Elesa asks curiously to the donkey, speaking to it as though it too was a friend.

((After this I think it's time to wait for Merthyr and Simon, who had plans for the guards I think? I'm trying to leave this post open for them to pick up, and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes. ))

The Hanged Man's hand was forced into Lilim's, and he smiled down at it sadly. "I am t-trusting you," he told the succubus. He had none of his usual fluster, and there was a certain finality to his demeanor that Voletta would not recognize as normal.

As Lilim drew on her magic, so too did Crow, a faint tingle to prepare him for what was to come. The other three would feel the faintest press against their minds, the tingling sensation of being watched. Lilim spoke her words of power, but just as she uttered the final one, the knight twisted both of his hands free and stepped backwards out of the circle. His timing was impeccable. "Take care of her ..." His words warped and twisted in their ears as the spell finalized, sending them to the gates without him. Hopefully Lilim would do the sensible thing and take Voletta somewhere safe before the sun could rise.

It seemed so deathly quiet in the room after they left. Crow had the impression of where they had gone, and it made him curse softly. Maybe that was the only option--he didn't know how Lilim's magic worked. Muttering a swear, he focused on the ruse he was trying to spin. He jammed his armored thumb into the eternally half-healed scar under his eye, flinching as he broke the weak skin and made it bleed anew. He smeared it across his face, hopefully giving him the appearance of having been in a scrap. Then he flung open the doors and strode out into the hall, summoning all of his resolve to exude an aura of command. "They have gone!" he thundered. "They are headed out by way of the underground passage! Quickly, t-to the dungeons! All of you!"

---

Now that it was night, those front gates were heavily guarded, especially after Simon's orders. The sudden appearance of three girls caused quite a stir within the gatehouse, and the shouts of the men-at-arms began filling the night. Armored footfalls clattered down the gatehouse steps as they hastened to pursue the girls, though hopefully Crow's interference would cause enough chaos within the castle that reinforcements would be slow to arrive ... hopefully.