Lord Acklem paced his quarters. He was upset. That damn slip of a girl had just let his own servants tell him that dinner would be served at eight o'clock. Never had he been this close to shredding his furniture to pieces. He approached the window and looked out over the darkening sky. The horizon burned as usual, fires that refused to relinquish their hold of their kingdom. He had been out there, fighting them, but it was no use. The only thing that had been able to contain them thus far was the rain, and preventive burning. He knew it wouldn't be enough. Their days were counted, the world was ending.

His anger dissipated into submission, it was the only feeling he was able to feel while looking out into the world these days. What did it matter that Lady Darra was here to pester him? Nothing, it meant nothing in comparison. He had locked himself up here in his house, waiting to die, determined to live out all those twisted fantasies he had never dared to act upon before. Perhaps he would take this opportunity to act on his last one, the one enticed by that wretched woman. Yes, that was it, that was why she was here. The thought that surfaced in his mind vibrated throughout his body. His skin seemed to burn with excitement and he smiled, the first true smile he had ever worn.

-----

Vigilante stood with her arms out, staring discontentedly at nothing. She was being measured for the clothing she had ordered and as always, she hated it. She hated to stand in nothing but her undergarment, being prodded and pinched by uncaring hands. As a child this had held some sort of excitement: the promise of a new dress. Later on it had been something that she needed to put up with for the sake of an appearance that would tell others a story, a story that wasn't true.

She felt strangely vulnerable. She hadn't liked Lord Acklem's eyes, nor his smile, and now she was alone in his house without her weapons close. That thought made her look down on the fabric that was being pinned onto her body. She smiled smugly and snatched one of the long needles that held the dress in place. She watched as one of the girls, now fully clothed, gave her an astonished look. She must have seen her hide the needle in her hand, perhaps she was wondering how Vigilante planned to use it.

"Would you care for some refreshment milady?" the girl asked, and it was impossible to tell if she was frightened or just timid. Vigilante scowled, showing off all her bad sides to discourage anyone from getting too close. She didn't want anyone feeling comfortable enough to ask questions, or even look at her if she could avoid it. She had to keep the act intact, otherwise they would be so screwed.

The girl's eyes wavered, and finally they found something interesting on the floor instead. She relaxed slightly, but couldn't allow herself to give in to her fatigue just yet. The strain from the earlier conversation kept her tense and she would much rather have stayed put in this room, eating alone, than having a dinner with the Lord. However, she couldn't back out now, and there was a chance that they might gather some invaluable information.

She wondered where the others were. They had been shown into a different room and she hadn't found a good reason to alter that decision. Now she regretted it, they had been so close during such a long time that it felt awkward to be separated.

"Where are my servants?" she asked before she had time to consider what she was actually saying.

"They are with the guards milady," the girl answered, her eyes still surveying the floor.

"Tell them I need their immediate assistance."

"Yes milady," the girl said hurriedly as she curtsied, leaving the room in a rush.

 As she did, Lord Acklem entered, waving his hand to get the last servant out of the room before barring the door. 

Her initial reaction was to cover up her half-naked body, but she knew that any rapid movements would tell him that she was uncomfortable, that she wasn't in charge of the situation. Instead she strode over to the side of the room where she saw a robe upon its hanger, begging to be used. She saw how he followed her movements, but she refused to acknowledge the fact. She laughed to herself. To her he looked like a dog watching its bone being carried away, mouth open and drooling. She could have been frightened, but his awkward appearance reassured her: he wouldn't stand a chance.

She took the robe, but changed her mind. She started to undress instead, knowing that it was too late to find a peaceful solution to this. He was all but too obvious with his intentions. She smiled and turned towards him. He gaped as she started to devour him with her eyes as she removed her last piece of coverage.

He seemed totally dumbstruck, this was not what he had expected. He had expected a fight, and she would give him one, just not on his terms.

He started move, approaching her step by step. She lured him in, showing off her tantalizing body. She sauntered over to a table littered with strewn pieces of fabric. She saw how his eyes followed her, and it seemed like he got the point. His face became distorted with another wicked smile. 

"You're eager aren't you, you little whore. Who would have thought?" the Lord said, voice demeaning yet filled with dark desire.

She chose not to answer, instead she turned her back on him, taking a piece of the fabric then twisting it into a short cord, careful not to alert him of her intentions. A second later she felt his breath on her neck, which sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. To make it worse it held a putrid stench of rotting teeth. 

She heard him shift and she knew what would come next, to avoid his grasp she turned around, and as he lost his balance she shoved his face into the table. The crushing sound of a nose breaking enticed a smile on her lips before she quickly twisted the corded fabric around his neck.

He made a gurgling sound and she leaned in and for good measure she stuck the long needle into his left eye.

"Not so eager now, are you?" she whispered before she tugged it tighter, squeezing his last breath away. The familiar feeling of the Destroyer closed in and went.

Lord Acklem slumped to the ground before her and she instantly regretted that she had messed up his face. It would be a lot harder to explain this untimely demise. 

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Lady Darra?" Milo

She went over to the door, unlocked it and let him into the room. He stopped in the doorway, staring. That's when she realized that she was still naked. Fuck

"Get in here!" she said quickly then ran for the robe she had thrown away.

He must have seen Lord Acklem next, "What the... what happened?"

"You really want to know?" she said as she wrapped the robe around her, determined not to reveal how embarrassed she felt all of a sudden.

"No, just as long as you're okay." She met his eyes then, and she had to restrain herself from falling into his arms. She couldn't show how much she craved his comfort. What was the matter with her, why was she acting like a child?

"I'm fine, but we need to get out of here," she replied, forcing her voice to be cold and unaffected.

He was silent for a moment before nodding in response. "I guess we will have to find another way to get clothes," he said after a while.

"Yeah..."

"I'll get Qumo, then we're out of here."

"Sure."

He stood there for a few seconds longer, watching her. She cringed a little, this idea of hers had proved to be a very dangerous one. They would have a hard time getting out of here alive if someone found out what had happened before they were safe outside the castle walls.

"Do you like playing with fire?" he asked then, as an afterthought. She saw the accusation and it didn't make her feel any better.

"Not particularly..." was the only answer she could muster.

"I'll be back in a moment," he said walking out and closing the door behind him.

She threw the robe to the ground, wanting to rip it apart. Her emotions were all over the place, and lastly anger took over. This wasn't her fault!

There was another knock on the door.

"Lady Darra?"

This time it was one of the maids. She quickly pulled on the discarded robe again and went to the door.

"YES, what is it?" she spat out, anger still holding her hostage.

"We have prepared a dress for you, I'm sorry to say that it's an old one, but we understood you were in a hurry?" the maid's timid voice barely carried through the wooden door.

"That's fine... are you alone?"

"...ehh, yes milady"

"Do you enjoy life here?"

"...yes milady"

"Are you sure about that, I can release you from your duties here. You wouldn't have to pose naked again, which I'm sure you'll have to once we're gone. I'm fairly sure Lord Acklem likes to do more than watch you too."

She paused to wait for an answer, but it never came.

"You have a choice to make, and you'll have to do it real quickly. Do you wish to leave with us, this is your only chance..." she said impatiently.

"nn...yes milady" the maid finally said. Vigilante opened the door and pulled the girl inside.

"Don't look!" she said quickly, guiding the girl to the other side of the room, away from the body on the floor. That didn't stop the girl from gawking. Then the girl looked back to Vigilante with a frightened expression.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I need your help, that's your ticket out of here; and now you don't have a choice anymore."

She knew that she was being hard on the girl, but this had to be quick. There was no time for lengthy explanations.

"I will answer your questions later, we need to leave as you might understand. You will help us get out of here, and then I promise that you'll be compensated accordingly. We're not monsters: he is," she said and pointed towards Lord Acklem.

That seemed to do the trick. The girl nodded. "I'll help you."

"Good, I'll hide the body, you clean."

Together they cleansed the room of evidence. Together they dragged the Lord into a wardrobe and washed away the the blood on the table. Lastly the girl helped Vigilante into the silk dress. It was totally unsuited for the travels they would undertake, and the rich red color would mark her out like a beacon. There was no use complaining about it now, she had more pressing problems to deal with at the moment.

Just as the last strands of her hair were braided into a neat coiffure the others announced themselves.The maid ran to open the door at Vigilante's command, then backed away as she saw the two Gaians enter.

"Why are you not in your veils?" Vigilante asked, now irritated rather than angry. No, she was still pissed at how Milo had blamed her.

Qumo hurried towards her, unfazed by her accusation. "How are you child, Milo haven't been able to tell me anything."

Her tension fled instantly, disarmed by his question. Now she just wanted out of here, away from trouble.

"I had no choice, I didn't want to alert the entire place... are you ready to leave?"

"Who is this, is she coming with us?" Milo asked, disapproving once more.

"Yes she is, I need a maid," she turned to the girl. "What's your name dear?"

"Sarah," the girl answered, still frightened, but with a sparkle growing in her eyes. Vigilante couldn't blame her. Who would want to live in a place like this?

"Well Sarah, we will try to keep you safe," Milo muttered, but the girl didn't seem to hear his tone. Instead she looked at him again, clearly a bit awestruck. Vigilante sighed, great.