How Hearts Can Change

Safana looked annoyed at Jasper. She must have expected him not to agree. His words lingered in the air as they all stayed in silence, waiting to see exactly what Jasper could do to appease Safana.

She played with a loose thread from her dress, then sighed. "Do you know what this means to me, Jasper?" Safana demanded. Viella swallowed, worried for her brother.

"That I've betrayed you. But it is not a betrayal to save you from yourself. You will hate yourself for this cruelty; I am sparing you from it," Jasper said, then raised his hand towards Finn, who had Viella's dress tucked into his leather belt.

"Give it to me," Jasper said.

Finn handed it over to his twin brother. Catrina and Tara had lost interest, leaning against the cushions, annoyed at the fact that they had come for a show that would never happen.

"I'll be the judge of that," Safana said curtly. She folded her arms in front of her chest. "Well, I still haven't said what you can do to help Viella."

"I'm waiting," Jasper said.

"See if she's lain with her lover or not," Safana said, unbothered by the resounding gasps from all her siblings, including Viella.

Viella looked at Safana, disgusted. "What does that mean? How does one see if such a thing is true or not?" she demanded.

Beside her, Jasper was stunned. Her dress fell to the floor as he stared in shock at what he heard. "You don't mean that," he said.

"But I do. That thin fabric isn't that hard to discard, is it? Do it, right here, right now. We'll see whether she is or isn't." Safana smiled, malice in her eyes as the two siblings stared at each other in silent conversation.

Both Tara and Finn looked deeply disturbed, while Catrina looked surprisingly pleased.

"I think it's a wonderful idea. That way we can get an answer, and our sweet Jasper can learn to express his love for Viella—in a way that doesn't stand in our way. Brilliant." Catrina poured herself and Safana another cup of tea, each with one spoon of sugar.

"I knew you would like it. You've always understood me," Safana remarked.

"No, you have always understood me," Catrina replied. The two clinked their cups gently before sitting back, waiting for the show.

Viella's breath was short and sharp. Even if he did it with an object, she would rather be whipped. Angry and afraid, Viella let her mouth run in sync with her heart.

"Just whip me and get it over with. Follow your original plan, Safana. You can do what you want; you always do," Viella said bitterly, almost spitting.

Jasper looked over to her, then went to retrieve a doctor's bag. The sound of glass bottles clinking against one another was loud as he placed it on the ground.

"These are the potions Safana wanted you to make ointments from," Finn explained in place of his brother, who was still in shock. Jasper stood farther away from his siblings, almost leaning on the wall.

"Oh, very well. But all of this excitement has made my original plan rather boring. What do you think?" Safana asked, specifically to Catrina.

Next to them, whatever glee Tara had had vanished with what Safana had offered. She looked rather pale and sick.

"Uhm, I don't want to be rude, but I need some fresh air," Tara said, her voice weak.

Safana looked disappointed. "No! Stay! You're going to miss the best part."

"I think my bowels disagree with the duck meat. I really should go. I'm sorry, dear sister. But you can tell me all about it tomorrow," Tara said, setting her empty cup down before Safana could stop her.

As if being thrown a bone, Jasper leaped at the opportunity. "Actually, I think that duck meat was too spicy. I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The two siblings left the room before anyone could say anything. From the tempo of their footsteps, Viella could tell they were almost running.

The door slammed behind them, sinking the room into silence. With this, Viella hoped Safana would lose interest, but she looked angry.

"Oh, those two babies. Finn! Turn the pillory around; I'd rather her lay on her back," Safana said. Finn didn't protest. Instead of releasing Viella so that he could turn it easily, he brutally turned it without letting her go.

Viella felt the heaviness of the wood pull at her neck, twisting her backbone as she adjusted herself, instinctively trying to cover her bare bosom but unable to.

"This one," Safana said. She offered a three-headed whip to Finn, who took it like the trained soldier that he was. "Don't forget to burn the tips of it," she said.

Unconsciously, Viella shook her head. She stared at Finn as he drenched the whip with oil, then lit it on fire with a candle, exposing the burning wire at the end.

Viella held her breath, determined not to give Safana or Catrina the satisfaction.

But the first touch of the whip on her chest made her squeak.

The second one made her squirm on the floor, and the third one made her recoil.

What followed was a brutal series of burning whips, like knives cutting through the delicate skin of her breasts.

"I've always been jealous of her because of that. Aim better, Finn; how are you going to be a knight if you can't aim this close in front of you?"

"Finn, no! No! Finn, please stop! Finn! No! No! NOOOO! NOOO!" Viella cried as her skin began to part open, leaving a deep wound that bled warm blood against her skin.

Her back was drenched in the liquid, the air smelled of copper, and her forehead was drenched in sweat.

"All right, enough. Let her go," Safana said.

Viella was half-unconscious when her head hit the floor. She heard both Safana and Catrina whispering among themselves, now contemplating whether they had gone too far.

But Viella felt they should have known; fresh tears left her eyes at the thought of what Gideon would think when he saw her scarred chest.

"Well, since you're so confident in your skill as a herbalist, make an ointment for yourself," Safana said cruelly.

They all knew it was an impossible task. Viella was much too hurt and weak to even move. Having lost a lot of blood, Finn knelt next to her to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"I think it's a good time for us to take her to the healer. Blood loss can easily kill," Finn said. Right then, she felt her feet and hands turn cold, shivers starting to shake her body.

"Actually, if you don't want her to die, you need to take her there now," Finn said.

"Me? I can't take her there; her blood would dirty my dress," Safana said, almost angry at the suggestion. Catrina nodded in agreement. Finn sighed, momentarily confused as to how he was going to cover Viella without causing her any more pain.

Viella started to lose consciousness when she heard multiple heavy footsteps running down the stairs toward the room.

She heard them asking one another who it could be, who had ratted them out by the time the door swung open aggressively and slammed against the wall.

King Peter, her father, stood at the door, his eyes widened at the sight before him—at his children, the pillory on the floor, at Finn stained with blood, and at Viella, naked and whipped bloody. His chest heaved in anger.

"Children! What have you done?!" he screamed from the bottom of his stomach, almost like an animal.

Safana, Catrina, and Finn started to move behind the settees. Around her, Viella felt eyes staring down at her, shadows of people who whispered concern.

Jasper and Tara apologized profusely for not being fast enough, and for failing her.

"How could he do this much damage? We weren't gone that long," Tara said to Jasper, who sounded disappointed in himself.

"We couldn't find them, remember?" he said.

"Children, step back. This is no place to argue. We must hurry," Raden said.

His soothing voice was gentle but still strong against the roaring anger of the king on the other side of the room. He whispered words that, if not for the results, would have simply sounded like gibberish.

Viella felt a warmth enveloping her like a silk cocoon. It covered the nakedness of her body as she was lifted off the ground, floating in the air.

Both Jasper and Tara voiced their amazement and wonder at the sight of such visual magic, but also their need for urgency to take Viella to the healer.

Now that Viella was sure she would be taken care of, she let herself drift away to sleep, where she dreamed of a fierce dragon rising from an ocean of flames.