Her Changes

I had never imagined that in a single week I could become so enraptured with someone else. The time that I spent in the Duchy of Arkesh was disconcerting and enlightening. I uncovered a side of humanity that frightened me and I met someone who shined a light on my own faults.

When I first met Mari she appeared as if she had walled herself off. She was stoic, unyielding, and indifferent. I worked to open up her dwarven forged iron shell like a professional blacksmith attempting to reach rare minerals. And I succeeded.

It wasn't obvious at first. A subtle turn of the corner of her lips here, a slight pause in her movements there. But I could see it. In just a week Mari went from reserved and unwilling to talk to trying to speak to me secretively and sharing small moments of happiness.

When I left I was worried that her life would return to how it was before and the conditions she had to endure would come flooding back. I thought the only protection she had from the stormy seas that were the Duchy of Arkesh was me and my parents. I had her assure me that she would write as frequently as possible and I promised that I would do the same. I even got a promise from her that she would try a cake for me and write to me about what it tasted like. I used her misunderstanding regarding my reaction to her laughing about my enjoyment of cake to squeeze that out of her before I left.

We exchanged letters regularly. Sometimes we would write about trivial things, sometimes it would be about her lessons and swordsmanship, and sometimes I would just tell her some of the jokes I had been saving for my mom.

At first the letters I received from her were largely positive. The happiness about the changes to her health, her optimism over the new schedule with her tutors, and her excitement about being allowed swordsmanship training were all evident.

After about two months she became subdued again but our exchanges were still friendly and she hadn't completely closed herself off from me. I was concerned when she mentioned trouble with her sword training and exercises being occasionally difficult though. I hoped she wasn't pushing herself too hard.

There was a concern that maybe my attachment to our discussions would be fleeting and that I would eventually grow bored and forget about her. But that never happened. I enjoyed our exchanges and found myself looking forward to her letters that would come two to three times a week.

I wanted to be able to get in contact with her faster but I had never set up any direct communication circles before leaving so I had to rely on our Kingdom's letter exchange system. I don't think the Duke would have allowed it anyway. It wasn't bad but some days I found myself impatiently waiting for a response. My mom would often laugh when she'd find me pacing in front of our letter exchange circle.

I had to take my entrance exams for the Tower and the Academy on the spring of my sixteenth year. I was a year and about a month older than Mari so I would have to spend an entire year without her at whichever one I was accepted into. Sadly I failed on my first attempt to get into the Tower but I was easily accepted into the Academy. It's uncommon for Elves to join the Tower and rarer still for one to apply to the Academy so my acceptance was expected no matter my results. I still managed to place highly on the admittance test though.

Mom told me I could have just used my name to get in but I said that Mari would be disappointed in me.

After I was admitted to the Academy the letter exchanges became more frequent thanks to it being located within the Kingdom of Lestryal. I applied for direct communication with the Duke of Arkesh, which he surprisingly accepted. We exchanged letters almost every day even if sometimes they were short. Once she even sent me just a recipe for a strawberry shortcake that she had found. I didn't have the heart to tell her that there was a bakery near the Academy that made them. Or that I had never baked anything in my life and wasn't really interested in trying.

Almost a month ago, at the start of winter during my first year of the Academy, the letters from Mari stopped for over two weeks. Then I received one letter from her with her thoughts on a piece of cake she had tried and simply 'Lizabeth has been removed as my Lady's Maid'. After that she continued writing but everything was perfunctory and it seemed almost like she felt obligated to do it. Even the cakes would simply be a list of ingredients that she believed they were made with. No thoughts on what I might like about them.

This isn't why I wanted her to write to me. I applied for leave from the Academy, gained the approval of the Duke to visit, and rushed over to the Duchy of Arkesh.

On my arrival Mari met me at the foyer and had her Lady's Maid escort us to her new room.

There were several immediate changes that shocked me. The first of which was that the north wing of the manor was completely closed. No one was going in or out and the door itself was roped off.

The next thing was that Mari's bedroom had been moved to the south wing where the rest of her family was. She was right next to her younger brother's room and across from her parents.

The room itself seemed alarmingly different. The colors and layout were all done in a completely different way than her previous room and it seemed like care had been taken in making sure that not even the smallest piece of furniture was in the same place. There were a lot more bookshelves with books covering not just educational material but also novels about adventure, mystery, and even some on romance. Everything looked brand new and none of the books looked like they had been touched yet.

I had an eerie feeling about everything that began to settle into me, one that was different than the last time I visited and was bothered by the restrictions on the north wing. This feeling was made worse by my observations of Mari.

The biggest changes were to Mari herself. At first glance it looked as if everything was for the better. Her face had filled out making her already beautiful features more pronounced and the improvement to her health made her eyes appear clearer and more striking.

She was muscular, with the visible parts of her neck and shoulders standing out more then the rest of her concealed body. You could still spot the changes to her arms, thighs, and waist when her tight dress shifted though. Her arms and legs appeared toned when she moved gracefully around the room and I could sometimes catch a glimpse of abdominal muscles when the dress shifted as she sat down. There was somehow still an impossible softness to her curves and the pale white of her skin.

When I finally allowed my focus to shift away from her body's appearance I began to take in the rest of her changes. The subtle difference between her physical health and her new disposition towards everything was conspicuous and made the possibility that things weren't actually well all the more obvious to me.

Some of this took me a bit of time to notice though, maybe because of how long we had been apart. Or maybe I was just making excuses for how distracted I was by certain things.

Her mostly expressionless face from our first encounter had become an almost completely unreadable one. In the past I had thought I was good at reading her gestures and expressions but now it feels more like I'm viewing her as she's seen by everyone else. My notable ability to analyze her behaviors and set myself apart from the people around her feels markedly lacking.

Had she closed herself off from me completely?

While we were seated in her room around her tea table I tried to start a conversation on what's happened.

"Mari it's good to see you. You're a lot healthier. You'd have to be after eating all that cake I wanted you to try."

"I'm doing well Venna. I've put on plenty of weight and I exercise regularly now."

She's still stiff and distant. Is it because it's been so long since we've talked in person or are there other reasons?

"At least you haven't forgotten to leave off the 'lady' from my name. I'm definitely less of a lady now than I was in the past."

"I would never forget. I've always thought of you as just 'Venna' since before you even left."

Finally there was a change in the tone of her voice, miniscule but still present to my ears. A softer and gentler way of addressing me. Thank the Gods for my Elven hearing.

"I've noticed the north wing is closed off and it's obvious that your living arrangements have changed as well. Everything seems improved since I last came." Except for your mood Mari.

I left that last bit off for fear of upsetting her.

"It was almost three years ago after all. Things were bound to change, though I suppose that they have changed quite a bit more than most would expect."

Her tone shifted again to one more somber. I still couldn't pick out any changes in her expression, subtle or otherwise.

"I think maybe we could use some time alone Mari. What do you think?"

A slight pause and then, so small I almost missed it, a quirk at the corner of her lips.

"I think we could. Rebecca, could you leave."

Rebecca left without hesitation. I can't be sure but I think she was the maid that was assigned to Mari when I was here before and the one that Mari was also the most cautious of. Her obedience and behavior seemed a little different than what I remembered.

"Is Rebecca a new maid?"

"No, she was assigned to me when you were here last. She's taken over the position as my new Lady's Maid and she'll be in charge of any maids or servants that are assigned to me from now on."

A bit more of that somber tone seeped in gently around the edges of certain words. Just a slightly quieter quality with things like 'Lady's Maid' and 'in charge'.

Since we were alone I decided to scoot closer to her and hold the hand she had laying near the edge of the table. Her hand twitched when I grasped it initially but then she relaxed and allowed me to rub my thumb across the back of it.

Her expression finally showed a little bit of what I knew of her in the past, slackening just enough to be evident.

I tried to broach the subject delicately but delicacy isn't exactly my strong suit.

"Sooo… Do you want to talk about all of… This?"

A very long and oppressive silence settled between us. She didn't remove her hand or show any sign of ignoring my question but she certainly let the silence contain her hesitation. Even if her expression wasn't exactly showing it.

"If you don't feel up to talking about it yet then…"

I was interrupted at that moment. There was a hint of anxiety in her voice this time.

"About a month ago it was revealed that the person who was responsible for starving me, for manipulating me into working too hard, and for excessively punishing me was Lizabeth."

I knew something had to have happened with Lizabeth as her name in that letter was the first indication of what could possibly be wrong. I thought maybe Lizabeth had stood up for her or tried to help her in some way and had been stopped by the Duke though. The chance that Lizabeth could be responsible for anything I saw while I was here hadn't even crossed my mind. She was incredibly kind and accommodating whenever I was with Mari.

"Are you sure this isn't something that…"

I was interrupted again. This time there were finally strong emotions contained in her voice and an almost fervent anxiety that I might finish that sentence.

"Yes. There is a multitude of corroborating stories as well as plenty of evidence that she was directly responsible for everything."

The last few words trailed off, almost too quiet to be heard. I could see teardrops staining her cheeks while her expression somehow managed to remain impassive.

Standing and pulling Mari up as well, I led her over to her bed. She lifelessly followed my lead as I pulled off our shoes and had us lay down. I grasped her hand tightly in my own, still stroking the back of it with my thumb, and situated myself close enough for our foreheads to touch.

"You can talk about it or you could just allow yourself to cry for a bit. I'm not gonna judge you."

She made the choice to cry. There weren't any sobs or loud sounds, just some tears and the occasional hiccup. I waited for it all to finish.

"I've missed you Venna. I needed you but I didn't want you to know that things had become worse. It started two months after you left."

She then explained to me everything leading up to today. Her studies and Professor Henry, her punishments returning, her constant effort to change her circumstances but seeing very little results. It was heartbreaking but I didn't want to make Mari think I simply pitied her. She was still amazing for all the things she managed to accomplish despite everything.

It all culminated in that bastard Henry being caught because he decided to take her 'punishment' into his own hands, which of course uncovered everything that Lizabeth had done. She wouldn't explain to me how exactly Lizabeth's deeds were tied into the discovery of everything and kept the details of her punishments vague. She said that she was given plenty of food though.

When I asked her if she had also faced punishments in the past before I came she only quietly nodded.

Amusingly enough the whole reason that Henry decided to punish her was because he wanted to stay so that he could live a more luxurious life at the Duchy for as long as possible. Apparently he was given the finest foods and wine and was allowed to use all of the things the Duchy could offer and he didn't want to let that go. He might think it ironic that he's now staying in a prison cell instead of enjoying the finer things in life. I just find it hilarious.

"How were all the punishments decided and what is the fate of everyone involved, if I can ask?"

"Henry requested a duel to defend his honor and my father agreed. Instead of appointing a knight to fight him I was chosen instead. He told Henry that if he wanted his honor to be restored he had to land a hit but if he wanted his lands and titles back then he had to win."

"Your father wanted you to fight in a duel!? What was he thinking?"

"My father and my sword instructor were adamant that I had the ability to win without ever taking a hit. My sword instructor, Sir Verret, is a good man and he taught me a lot about the rapier. I trusted his judgement and that proved to be the correct choice as I won against Henry easily without him getting a single strike in."

"That's impressive that you've become so adept with the rapier in just a few years."

"Henry was inexperienced with combat, probably because the people he had to face were sycophants that feared he'd hold any loss against them."

"What about everyone else?"

A long pause occurred again, this one shorter than the last.

"The maids not involved were released and given letters of recommendations and declarations of their involvement. The maids that participated were fired and a letter of non-employment will be circulated. And…"

She looked upset but took a deep breath and continued in a rush.

"Henry, the head chef, and Lizabeth will all be executed for their direct involvement tomorrow at the afternoon bell."

Lizabeth's fate is probably what is causing her so much distress. Her tears returned at the end of that sentence.

"I trusted her for years, Venna. She cared for me, bathed me, taught me everything until the tutors were hired. When my parents weren't there she was. She brushed my hair, tucked me in at night, and held me when I cried."

Her breaths were coming quicker now but she managed to choke out what she wanted to express.

"I believed in her and she was my only solace in this house. But it was all a lie to get me to rely on her and attract my father's attention! She only sought out my affection because she couldn't get my father's. She loved me, but it was a selfish love motivated by greed and loneliness."

She looked at me with trepidation.

"I'm worried Venna. Worried that I won't be able to trust anyone ever again and that I might end up feeling like Lizabeth. I'm also scared that she's not guilty of what she did and that I'm making a mistake in allowing her punishment to happen."

"You said it yourself that there's more than enough evidence to prove her crimes. Do you want me to look into it?"

"No, everything has been settled and I've seen and read everything. I'm almost certain she's guilty. But there's always a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. How do you stop irrational fears like this?"

"I can't say I've ever had to deal with them, but if I did the first thing I would probably try to do is confirm it with someone who isn't involved. I can still check Mari. As a matter of fact I think I'm going to do just that, and you can't stop me."

Sticking my tongue out I waited patiently for her response. There appeared to be a bit of appreciation on her face this time. Hopefully I'm slowly getting her to open back up to me.

"… Thank you Venna."