The woman’s eyes lost that dead fish look as consciousness returned to her. There was a moment’s confusion, and then she smiled at me, clearly having succumbed to the charmed effect. That was good. It meant that she probably wouldn’t try and kill us if I took the chains off.

“Who are you?”

“I am Findelye Seharinthe, third child of Queen Siraye Seharinthe, Crown Princess and rightful heir to the throne of Silverwood.”

Melinda’s Sense Motive check: 1d20+22 = 38

A princess? An actual elven princess? My mind boggled at the revelation, but I couldn’t detect any lies. Looking to the others, I saw that they were just as shocked as I was.

Turning back to the slave princess, I began unbinding her. The collar made it so bindings weren’t necessary, for one thing, and for another, this situation made me very uncomfortable. I would be the first to admit that I wasn’t exactly the ‘goodness and light’ type, but I still remembered my old life.

Slavery existed in this world, of course, but it came in many forms. I wasn’t exactly pleased with any of those forms, but judicial slavery, where the people were enslaved by courts because they did something foul, got me to turn a blind eye. That was understandable, even if I disliked it personally.

Slaves of conquest, where one tribe took captives to use as servants and breeding stock, were equally distasteful to me, but I turned a blind eye to them, as well. After all, that was a part of war, in this world, and the alternative was putting everyone to the sword, because leaving a live enemy at your back was foolhardy. And then, you also had to motivate your warriors with plunder, if you weren’t in a position to pay them in gold. I didn’t like it, but I understood it.

I even understood the use of slaves as personal retainers. Loyal servants and warriors who were part of the household made sense, from a certain viewpoint. In general, they were far more reliable than any hired servant, since someone paid in coin might take more coin to look the other way, while a slave would only find death, or worse, for the betrayal. Sure, slaves still rebelled, like I had, but that was a question of the slaves being pushed too far.

But slavery for profit? Like actual slave trading, and selling them at markets? No, I had no understanding or patience for that. The few times I’d come across slavers in my travels, they had all met my blade. I would not be like those people, myself.

“Crown Princess? If you are the third child, how come you are the Crown Princess? And how did you come to be enslaved?”

The princess shook her head. “I am the third child, but the eldest daughter, and, in Silverwood, the inheritance passes through the females of the family before the males. And I was enslaved by the betrayal of my younger sister, Aerith Seharinthe, who collared me when I was resting, and sold me to the Thedrans.”

“I see. And why did your sister betray you?”

“Because the viper believed I was an embarrassment to the family. I am more pious than they are, having forsaken material goods and mortal pleasures in order to better serve the gods as I walk this world. My sister, believing that I would bring ruin to the kingdom if I took the throne, conspired with dark forces to get me out of the way, ever since I revealed her wicked heart when my blessed touch ravaged her skin at a touch.”

Hmph. That explained the way her hands were bound up, then. If her touch was somehow poisonous to evil creatures, then that was a problem for the slavers who no doubt wanted to ‘occupy’ themselves with her.

But now I was forced to make a choice. I could keep her as a slave, easily enough. With the collar already on her, all I would have to do is simply not act. Just… not do anything with her, and she would be mine, forever.

The thought of that kind of power over someone was dangerously alluring. Especially after how my last life had ended, the thought of being able to turn the tables, to be the master instead of the slave? The very idea was intoxicating.

And yet, at the same time it disgusted me. If I did this, if I took her as my slave, and used her like she was obviously meant to be used by the ones who had last owned her, then what made me any better than the one who had ruined my old life? Did I want to become that bastard, or the others who had seen what he did, and did nothing?

But, looking at the elf, chained up seductively, presented like a prize ripe for the plucking, it was hard to pull my thoughts away from more than just carnal desires. After all, the thought of corrupting someone so dedicated to her ideals of goodness that her very touch could damage evil creatures? The idea that I could seduce her, break her down, and mold her in my image? That was a heady drug indeed.

But it wouldn’t really be breaking her. The magic of the charm was such that, unless I did something blatant, the poor girl would always assume the best of me, and be friendly. It would not be truly corrupting her, not really, but corrupting a shadow of her.

In the end, I decided that I would not be the type of person to enslave someone’s mind like this. If I were ever to take and keep a slave, then it would be someone who deserved it, either because of a crime they had committed, or because I had conquered them in battle. I wasn’t going to be the kind of person who kidnapped someone, or profited of the kidnapping, to enslave someone’s mind like this. I may be evil, but I had standards!

“I see. By now, you have probably guessed that your old owners are dead. But I would really not have you going and trying to ravage my body with holiness or whatever. If I were to take that collar off you, can you promise you won’t attack me or mine? Even if we have just as wicked hearts as your sister, if not worse?”

The princess blinked, unsure at my words. She thought for a moment, and then nodded. “I am a follower of the gods, but that does not mean I am bound to attack those who do not on sight. You have done me no wrong, or done wrong in my presence. So long as that does not change, then I see no need to bring violence against you.”

I nodded. “That will have to do, then.” I reached forward, and pressed my finger against the black stone in the collar, willing it to open. With a snap, the collar sprang open, and dropped to the floor. With one gloved hand, I picked the wretched item up, and slipped it into my bag. I disliked slavery, for obvious reasons, but I would be a fool to leave such an item just laying around.

The elf princess looked at me in wonder as I then began freeing her hands from their thick leather coverings, and then began undoing the chains that bound her. “Truly? You would do this, when you have all the power, just on my word?”

Smiling at her, I made sure that my skin was not touching hers as I helped the elf to her feet. “I am Melinda Rimedancer, Twice-born servant of Auril Frostmaiden. In another life, another world, I was in the same position as you were, more or less. I was a slave, bound and used against my will by those who did what they wanted just because they had the power to do so. I will not inflict that fate on another woman.”

Findelye nodded slowly. “I see. And your… friends? What brought you into conflict with the Lord Mayor? I assume, since you are here and he is not, that he is dead?”

“Yes, does that displease you?”

The elf took a long breath, and then shook her head. “No. I am a little upset that I could not do the deed myself, after how the bastard has defiled me, but I will not begrudge others that pleasure. It is enough to know that he is dead.”

She took another breath, and focused on me. “Since I somehow doubt that you came here on any quest to free me from my bondage, do you mind if I ask what brought you into conflict with the Lord Mayor? He may have been wicked and corrupt, but he was not without influence, after all.”

Smirking, I said, “He was in our way.” I had to suppress a laugh at the woman’s face. “No, really. We were guided to meet in this town, and were searching for ways to gain strength. When we found that the Lord Mayor would be meeting a ship from Thedra, one that often unloads in secret, and always here, we thought it would be a good place to get our hands on a ship for not much gold, and, once the spells started flying, it would have been silly not to defend ourselves.”

The princess grimaced, but nodded slowly. “I see. And, now that the Lord Mayor is out of the way, as is presumably whoever owned the ship, what are your plans?”

“Well, our first thought was to go to Thedra, since they are having an interesting problem with a breach between planes. Fighting creatures from other planes would be a good way to grow stronger, yes?”

She nodded. “I can see that, yes.” She paused, clearly considering something. “In that case, before you head to Thedra, I would ask you to take your new ship, and bring me to Silverwood?”

“You just want us to be your transportation there?”

“No,” she shook her head, definitively. “If possible, I would ask you that you help me in taking down my sister. I can only kill her, because of my vows, and what I believe. But for what she has done, I fear that death is far too good for her. She must be a lesson for those that follow.”

“I see.” I looked at the others. The benefits of having a kingdom in our debt weren’t exactly minor. Especially if it was an elven kingdom. Everyone knew that they knew magic few others did, after all. But this was not my call alone.

The three others nodded once. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, after all. “In that case, I believe that we can come to an arrangement. But before we discuss things like price, we should see about tending to the ship, and convincing the crew to sail with us.”

The princess nodded. “I understand. I would also ask that you give me time to visit one of the temples of the good gods ere we go, so that I might receive atonement for everything I did while under compulsion.”

Siora chuckled. “Before that, you may consider finding some clothes. Not that I’m complaining at the view, but it could definitely be considered leading people into temptation, to go walking around like that.”

The princess looked down, only now realizing that she was completely naked, now that the chains and collar no longer bound her. “Ahem. Well, one of my former owners threw away what I had been wearing long ago. I don’t suppose there are any simple clothes around that I could borrow? Or even just something I can fashion into a covering?”

Fartooth chirped. “Well, there’s the clothes of the dead humans. They aren’t using them anymore, so I doubt they’ll mind.”

Findelye blanched, and quickly shook her head. “Oh, no. I am afraid that my vows preclude me something like taking the clothes off a dead body and wearing them.”

Vestele grunted. “I’ve heard of vows like that. Fartooth, see if you can find a tarp or blanket somewhere, and some rope. If she is as I believe her to be, then our princess would prefer that to even the simplest store-bought clothes we could get her.”

The princess nodded in return. “Yes, please. I am sorry for the burden I place upon you, but I wish only to return home, and then punish my wicked sister for her misdeeds.”

I shook my head in amusement. A princess who voluntarily wanted to look like a beggar? I guess that I’d seen stranger things, but not recently!

A moment later, Fartooth returned with a canvas tarp that had most likely been tied down over some crates, along with several lengths of rope. With a bow of thanks to the little kobold, the princess took the materials, and found the center point of the tarp. Forming her fingers into a knife’s edge, she stabbed through the tarp, piercing it like it were paper, and cut a hole large enough for her head to fit through.

Ignoring the looks we gave her, she slid the makeshift garment over her head, and used the rope as a crude belt to tie it around her waist. Sighing to herself, she said, “Well, it does not compare to the clothes I made myself, but I think it will do.” Looking back to us, she smiled beatifically, “Now, could one of you direct me to the nearest temple of one of the good gods? I must beg for an atonement spell, to cleanse myself of the taint I have suffered.”