185 Difficult Dealings

With that, negotiations between Henrietta and Michael fall through. The former attempts to offer various things afterwards, such as noble titles, lands, gold, and even the commission of magical artifacts, yet Michael rejects it all.

Henrietta goes silent after realising that Michael never really intended to accept any deal she offers, and half an hour later, Louise arrives at the bottom of the hill with a good-sized entourage comprised of Agnes and her Musketeer Knights, and two squads of supporting mages.

Louise and Agnes leave the entourage as dictated by Michael in his note. The duo scaling the hill until they are eventually standing a couple meters opposite Michael and Henrietta.

"Louise..." Henrietta mutters, feeling both happy and upset that she'd disobeyed her orders and come anyway.

"Princess." Louise weakly smiles back, Brimir's Prayer Book tightly tucked into a pouch on her side. "You haven't been harmed?" she asks, sending a scathing accusatory glance at Michael who merely grins toothily back.

Henrietta shakes her head, "Aside from waking up on the floor, no. But, I would rather you return back to the palace, Louise. Tristain should no negotiate with terrorists. If this leads to me being harmed, it will only prove how unworthy they are to treat with." she states as she ignores Michael entirely. She would be left with a burn scar around her neck for the rest of her life, but that hadn't happened in Michael's care... Though, that wouldn't stop her from using it in any future negotiations... Pity was an easily manipulatable emotion after all.

Michael tugs on her bindings as he locks eyes with Louise, "Yes, leave. Honestly, I'll get what I want eventually, so letting me spend more time with the princess would suit me fine." he retorts with a lopsided leer that Henrietta can't help but turn her face away from.

"Unhand her your beast!" Agnes angrily exclaims but doesn't draw her flintlock pistol for fear of the negotiations fully falling through.

"Hand over the book and I will!" he swiftly replies, eying the rather conspicuous book-shaped bulge present on Louise pouch.

Louise scowls at his treatment of the princess but refrains from throwing explosions at him for now, "We will! But you must let the princess go first!"

Michael scoffs, "I only want the book, you can have her once I have it! Just throw it over here, and I'll let her go!"

...

Louise grits her teeth, shaking her head and breaking her gaze from Henrietta's own imploring look. Clearly, she thought the Prayer Book was more valuable than herself. Not that Louise felt the same, was it selfish to want her best friend back at any cost? Or was it selfless to give up all the opportunities the artifact afforded? Argh! Why does she even have to make this choice in the first place! "Fine! I'll hand it over, just promise that the princess will be returned unharmed!" she asks, pulling the Prayer Book from its pouch and displaying it clearly for Michael.

"Louise, don't!-Ugh!" Henrietta starts but is cut off as Michael tugs harder on her bonds.

He grins, eyes implacably locked onto the book, "Throw it over, and I'll let her go." he confirms, his grin only becoming wider as Louise finally throws it at his feet... At least, that's what would have happened.

The group are all stunned in shock as a familiar-looking hand made of darkness sprouts from the ground and snatches the book from mid-air. Michael snarls angrily while looking around for the culprit, Agnes doing the same as she'd seen this before as well, back in Albion.

"Sheffield!" Michael roars, scanning the area until he spots her lithe figure on a nearby hilltop, holding the Prayer Book with a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Oh, is it not my pet Gandalfr? How are you getting on? Things haven't been the same since you escaped... I've had no one as interesting to play with." she casually remarks whole rolling her wrist, causing the hand of shadows connected to her bracelet to mimic the motion.

"Bitch, you better give that fucking book back or I'll make the things you did to me look like a massage!" he shouts back, barely holding back from flying into a rage and charging her.

Sheffield tuts while casually flipping the Prayer Book open, her face frowning slightly as she lays eyes on the blank pages, "Now, now, is that any way to talk to your master? I have to thank you though, if you hadn't set up this, 'meeting', I'd have had far more difficulty acquiring this." she explain, now drawing the ire of Henrietta, Louise, and Agnes.

Agnes finally draws her flintlock pistol and points it at Sheffield, demanding her to hand over the book or she'd fire, but Sheffield just laughs at her. "Princess, you should leash your dog before it hurts itself. As for the book? I think I'll be keeping that."

Michael seethes but manages to maintain control of himself well enough to begin preparing his attack on her. She wouldn't escape this time if he had anything to say about it. Unfortunately, Sheffield was more than prepared for him.

She lets the shadow hand fade away as she presents the back of her hand towards the group, specifically, showing the Ring of Andvari that steadily begins to glow.

"Get down!" he shouts towards Louise and Agnes, knowing that Sheffield intended to take control of them. He forces Henrietta to the ground and covers her with his body, knowing that he'd be able to endure the artifact now that he had magical and mental defences.

A flash of light washes over all of them, taking Louise, Agnes, and even their entourage at the bottom of the hill off-guard. Henrietta is saved from its effects as Michael takes the brunt of it, but as the light fades, he quickly finds himself outnumbered by Sheffield's mind-controlled forces.