From the Witchfinder's Files, Tale I: Snake in Chains

[Belinda35]

"No, no, please..." she got in a crouching position and grabbed his knee.
"maybe... would you like to hear some more of my story?"

 

[Knightmare27]

He felt her cling to his leg - giving a most pitiful impression of a puppy dog. Strange... she had told him she did enjoy it, but it still held such fear for her. The memories from there had to have scarred her for life.

He carefully patted her on the snakes and said, in the softest, deepest voice he could manage: "Yes, please continue your story."

It was less the story which interested him. At the moment, he mainly wanted to allow her to do something she knew. Something she did not feel threatened by. Poor girl... she had seemed so much stronger out there, braving tortures that would have felled weaker women. Now he saw how scared she was; a brave facade with a terrified girl behind it. Her acting had been good - she had certainly taken him in.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss leaned against his leg.
"Well... years later, the girl was old enough to marry and she was indeed the greatest beauty anybody has ever seen her. But she wasn't really keen on marrying, not because she did not like men, but because she wanted to be free. Her father couldn't force her into marriage so she spent time wling round. One day a few merchants came to the village, what was quite an sensation. The told about the bigger cities. The girl was fascinated and thought this would be the place to go. Of course her father would not let her go, and she wasn't one who would run away. So the merchants left and she went for a walk, sad and along she had walked far and a different way, and she recalled that old tower from her childhood memories. Was it really there, still standing? She was curious.
As she hadn't returned the next day, everybody serched for her. As there were no large predators, and she was a good swimmer and knew all slopes and dangers, it was unlikely she had an accident. The people found a abandonded campsite from the merchants, but they were already out of reach. So everybody thought she had left with them to the city. But they were wrong. She wouldn't have done such a thing." She could control her voice very feel, but the movement of her snake and even her voice showed sign of hidden exitement and tension in her.

 

[Knightmare27]

She was still so tense. Even now that he was peacefully listening to her doing the most harmless thing in the world, she was afraid of him. Normally, this would have made him feel proud and powerful - fear alone probably kept many people from turning to witchcraft - but he was not doing his duty at the moment. He wanted to enjoy some time with a beautiful woman, not a frightened and cowering one, but one who was as relaxed as the circumstances allowed.

In order to help her calm down, he started rubbing her shoulders and back. It felt strange to his hands, more accustomed to harming than to this, but eventually, he found a rhythm and concentrated on his movements and her voice. Even on her back, he could feel a bit of her heartbeat. Still fast and fearful. Poor girl.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss relaxed a little at his touch and went on.
"Later, she did not know how much later, the girl staggered hrough the wods. She felt dazed and confused, and she could not renember where she was, where she had been and even who she was. She didn't even recall her name. Faintly she recalled she had run away from a tower, but not why, and what had happened inside. Some time later she came to a village, early in the morning. No one was outside yet. It looked somehow familiar, and instinctively, she walked in a certain direction. She wasn't sure what she did, but she thought somehow she would be coming home. There was an old man in front of the house, and she moved into his direction. His eyes widened in terror and fear, and she suddenly recognized him.
Dadfday, dddy, it is me? Don you know me?
But he staggered backwards horrified, and as she came closer, he screamed..and told her to go away... and then he called her a monster..." the gorgons eyes filled with tears, and she paused a moment before she could speak on.
"As he screamed, other people came outside to look, and they started screaming as well. The threw stones at her, and the girl had to run to save her life, and she went back..."
Phyliss stopped, as she could not go on, as she had started to cry.

 

[Knightmare27]

Comforting was not what he was good at - quite the contrary - but he tried his best, patting her on the back and holding her as she sobbed. Impatience mixed with a newfound empathy in him as he spoke: "Now, now, girl! You take the worst tortures imaginable in stride, but you cry over a little story? If I had to guess, I would say that the girl in the story was you... or you say so, at least. If you tell the truth - and remember that you confessed otherwise! - then you are indeed just a girl who is, herself, to be pitied."

Had he guessed right? And if so, was she telling the truth? He neither could nor wanted to free her. Practically, she would be open for persecution with those snakes of hers, no matter where she went. And emotionally... he did not want to let her go. Was it love? It was fondness at least. Enough fondness that he did not want to let her go. Keeping her prisoner was also too cruel. And he could not be seen with a woman, and a demonic-looking one at that, of course. What to do?

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss allowed herself to lean her head against his shoulder, as she was weeping. She calmed down a bit, and and stopped sobbing, her tears flowing less.
"I have any memory left of my time... before. Some washed up in my dreams, much later. And I don't know anything of that what happened in the tower, I only faintly recalled when I was brought away from it."

 

[Knightmare27]

"Maybe you were created by the devil... it looks like him, creating someone who does not even know she is a demon! That would make denying everything easier. Maybe you do believe yourself innocent, but are not. I have stopped caring. To me, you are pretty, and sweet, and" - he blushed, another first for him - "incredibly good at pleasuring me. If you go outside, you will be hunted wherever you go; I am sure you realize that. A witchhunter in the next town over, or maybe the one after that, may not fall for you, like I did. All the same, I can not show myself with you at my side. A monk and a demon? We would end up burning together, and I have better things to do together with you than that... much better things. I am offering to hide you, and there will be no more talk of duties."

The words he had said almost scared him himself. What was he doing? Offering refuge to one of satan's creatures? Violating his vow of chastity even more flagrantly than he was used to? And, to top it all off, almost confessing his love to a witchcraft suspect? He was losing his mind, but he had to admit it was not all that unpleasant a feeling...

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss had stopped crying, but kept her head leaning against him. There was no way to reason with him... she had been at other places, and in other times, and she had travelled alone and managed to get along...surely the dumb pears had been a threat everywhere, but some of the nobility and wealthy citizens had opened their houses for her... it was that insane religion that posioned their minds, But she knew better to tell that.
"I am not so evil and demonic as some may think." she said low and softly, while she kept leaning against him, having her eyes closed.

 

[Knightmare27]

"I can not fully trust you, still...but do I have to? You are here, and you are helpless, and I want you to stay with me. I offer you the best protection there is - who would expect someone like you hiding out with someone like me? It would be impossible for me to let you go in any case - you officially drowned from the inside, remember - all I am asking is for you to be a companion, not a servant or a prisoner anymore. If you want to go back to the life of a prisoner, I will not stop you... but I would prefer otherwise."

The threat to keep her imprisoned anyway no matter what she chose had brought back a little of the old witchfinder, all cold and merciless. Still, he desperately wanted her to see that his feelings for her were real, and he wanted her to return them. Could she ever forget that she had nearly died under his torture instruments? More than once even? He hoped so, and it was this hope that made him kiss her.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss kept her eyes closed, but did nor resist, she even put her arms around his neck and kissed him bck, opening her mouth, so that their tongues could touch.

 

[Knightmare27]

The surprise only lasted a moment. Then he happily returned her sudden advance. His lips opened, and his tongue darted out, playing with hers. He closed his arms around her and felt her lips against his. Finally, she was not cowering in fear every time he approached! She was starting to trust him, to see that he was serious in his feelings for her... all this infused the kiss with so much joy, he wanted it to last forever.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss went one kissing him passionately, he was much less hateful now. They could have just been lovers for a start, without all that religious lunacy and inhumane torture. Could she soften him, bring him back to mind, using her skills?

 

[Knightmare27]

Eventually, the kiss ended, but the feeling lingered on his lips as he gently put his hands on her neck and pulled her closer to his chest. He started stroking her, not caring that he was actually stroking snakes - especially as they were still mirroring her emotions, and so felt docile under his touch. They only squirmed a little, and he even thought he could hear them make a contented hiss... if that made any sense. So little made sense anymore. He wished he could just stay here and hug her forever, but he could not and so he settled on holding her as closely as he could, for as long as possible.

"When you wake up tomorrow, we will both be very different people, I think. Who knows what the future holds?"

 

[Belinda35]

"I don't know..." she whispered softly, and snuggled up to him. This was insane, but better then anything that happened before.

 

[Knightmare27]

It felt so strange and yet so right as he pressed her closer, and got used to her in ways he had not expected. He had done so many things to her - horrible, terrifying things - that he had thought he knew her. And yet, she was like a completely new woman. He would not turn her back; he liked this new side too much to change even one bit of it.

"I have to attend to other duties now, sadly. The other..." - he stopped himself - "I mean, the prisoners need to eat. Sleep well, my dear demon"

Reluctantly, he unwrapped himself from her arms, kissed her on the lips again and turned to leave.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyllis laid down. She was sorry, for herself, for the unlucky prisoners, and even - for him. He could be so nice and tender - what insanity drove him to this unspeakable cruelty? She knew what the others had to suffer now, from her own experience; but there was nothing she could do. She had to save herself. Even if she wasn't in suh danger from him now, her situation was vacant. She was dead officially, she was locked up, fully at his mercy and surrounded by lunatic villagers.

 

[Knightmare27]

He could not stay away from her for long, even though he was trying to. Gain some distance from the girl who was so obviously bewitching him. Try to find some clarity. He had promised to himself he would, yet here he was. His resolve in ridding himself of her influence had only gone as far as bringing her the same terrible mush for breakfast that all the prisoners got. It had not been enough to keep him from visiting her cell last, and now he was sitting here, sharing a bowl of the awful stuff with her as if they were some couple simply eating together... well, maybe they were.

"You confuse me. I have had all manner of witches here. Pretty young ones, even. Yet I have always found the fortitude to resist their charms and eradicate the witch brood. Until...you. Either you have bewitched me, or you have...enchanted me. At first, I was only taking pity on you. Something else I have never done before. Pity keeps us from doing our duty. Now, I am feeling more about you. Somehow..."

Before his speech had a chance to completely deteriorate into confused gibberish, he decided to concentrate on his food instead. Eating it with full awareness of the taste nearly made him gag, but it was better than making even more of a fool of himself.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss didn't complain about the food, she hadn't eaten anything for so long that anything would have done. So she te up before she spoke.
"I am not really a witch, either. Surely I have seen mages, wizards, sorcerers and witches. But they all had learned magic like a profession, from different traditions... I am just a gorgon. a woman with snakes on her head instead of hair."

 

[Knightmare27]

"That is the most obvious thing about you that is different, yes... it did not escape my notice." - he gave a dry chuckle - "There is something different, though. I can hardly describe it..."

Instead of trying to hide his loss of words by eating again (he was not too eager to gag again), he decided to pull her closer for a sudden kiss. What his words had not been able to say, he tried to put into this. His feelings for her had bloomed so early, and now he had to admit it had not been mercy which had stayed him from burning her. He never showed mercy. Yet he had tried to hide his feelings - from him, from her, from the world around him - by redoubling his efforts to make her suffer. See, I am hurting her. I am doing My Duty. He did not want to lie anymore. He did not need to. He had revealed his feelings to her and to himself. As for the world - it was to never find out. The one girl he had let get away would remain his secret. It was all so clear to him now, but he could not bring himself to say it; instead, he hoped to get all of this across to her in this single, passionate kiss, into which he put all his emotions.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss leaned forward, and offered her mouth as he kissed her.
"We should have started as lovers instead."

 

[Knightmare27]

"We should have, my little snake. We should have. We were brought together in the most unfortunate of circumstances. If everything had gone 'right', you would be a heap of ashes now, and I would have moved on to the next witch. Yet here you are, most decidedly not a heap of ashes - and I am very, very glad about it. We did not start out as lovers, you are right; but nothing stays the same forever. We can still be lovers."

There it was. The word he had dreaded to speak to her. He was relieved that she had used it first. It was like breaking a ban; suddenly, he could allow himself to say it, to make it a reality. Love. It really did bloom in the most unlikely of places. Sometimes even in a dark, damp dungeon.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss put one arm around him and leaned her head against him slightly. She waited a moment before she spoke.

"Will I have... a bit more comfort? If I behave well?"

 

[Knightmare27]

He laughed. "You still talk like a servant, my girl. I will have to hide you down here - but of course I will make you comfortable. I do not have to pretend that you are just another witch anymore. We will make your new home as comfortable as we can. I promise you."

He sealed his promise with another kiss, then continued. "The guards know about you, but they still think you are my servant. We have to pretend in front of them - but in here, our secret is safe. These walls will hide everything. We can even go outside, if you pretend to be a monk until we are alone. We should do so very soon. I am sure you are longing for the sunlight after so much time in this dark hole... you poor girl."

 

[Belinda35]

"Yes, I would like to go outside." She looked down at her body and wasn't sure if anyone would fall for a disguise as a monk, as she thought about it. A wide robe could surely conceal her female shape, but was there any chance to hide her large bunch of snakes?
"We could also go out in the night, when nobody will see us." she hesitated another moment.
"Could I have my clothes back down here? I had some more in my luggage."