Friends Who Became Villainesses

By Henry Cobb

Chapter One: Substitute Kitten

I had long ago given up counting my days of hungry misery alone on the streets of the slums of the grand royal capital. Every day was the same, begging or stealing to attempt to find any food to not fill my belly, but to try to make it a little less empty. Whenever some excitement occurred I made sure to scurry off as best my frail legs could take me and hide as best I could.

That was my initial plan when I saw Princess Amesombra leading three other girls, all four of them around my age, and all dressed as the nobles they were, into the slums. I looked the other way down the narrow dusty lane but saw that it was already too late to escape as the local thugs had already started to gather. I quickly scanned my surroundings to find some route out, then turned back as I heard Amesombra shout out something and saw a bolt darker than any shadow fly from her hand to down one of the thugs. At the same time, Lady Yeuxpera drew two hidden daggers and tossed each in the eye of a different thug, while Lady Depecia drew a shortsword from under her cloak and began to slash at others. Lady Malheurfla was the last to act as her chant was lengthy, but the effect matched her effort as a circle of flames surrounded the four of them and myself.

The remaining thugs fled and seeing no escape for myself I reverted to the behavior I knew best. I knelt on the ground, bowed my head, and held my right hand up in a begging gesture.

Princess Amesombra grabbed my hand with hers, yanked me to my feet, looked me straight in the eyes, and asked: "Are you Angelica Pureheart?"

Stunned, I stood there for a moment staring into her unusually dark eyes, then slowly nodded and lowered my head.

"Angelica, do you have any possessions that are worth gathering?"

"No, your ladyship."

"That's highness. I'm Princess Amesombra."

"My apologies, Your Highness. I have nothing I do not carry on me."

Amesombra turned to her friends and they chatted in that strange language that only the four of them seem to know. Each of the noble girls took turns to carefully study my face and then nod.

Amesombra then turned back to me. "Angelica, follow me."

"Follow you, Your Highness?"

"I will feed you, and clothe you, and house you. You will want for nothing. And all I shall ask in return is that you train every day to the limits of your strength to face unspeakable horrors that will claw at your body, mind, and soul should you fall the least bit short of all that you can be. Are my terms acceptable?"

"Your Highness, surely nothing could be worse than the life I have lived."

Amesombra silenced the not-very-nice laughter of her friends with a glare then turned back to me. "Are my terms acceptable?"

"Yes, Your Highness, but why me, and how do you know my name?"

"Never question how we know what we know," she gestured at her friends, "Only if we do not know something that has occurred to you. Now follow me."

The four of them surrounded me and I was forced to match the stride of the princess. I dared not try to escape, now that I could see how dangerous each one was.

When we emerged from the narrow alleyway onto one of the major streets we were suddenly surrounded by a dozen castle guards on foot, who parted to make way for a knight who then dismounted and stepped up to Princess Amesombra. "Your Highness, where have you been?"

"You needn't have worried, Sir Morey. We were just shopping." Amesombra gestured at the storefronts along the street.

"And that sudden fog earlier, was that your doing?"

"Perhaps."

"Your father the King has given me strict orders to return you to the palace should you try any of your tricks."

"Well, that is exactly where I intended to return to, as I have completed my errand and my friends need to return to their estates and townhouses."

"And who is this street urchin?"

"Miss Pureheart is with me, and none of your concern."

The knight and guards stood to the side as the five of us boarded the carriage that then set off. I was directed to the seat next to Amesombra, with a picnic basket between us, as the other three girls sat opposite us.

Amesombra opened the basket. "Here are some sausages, biscuits, cheese, pastry, and tea. I know it's quite modest fare, so have a little of whatever you fancy, but don't spoil your dinner, as I'll do that later." She then turned to her three friends and they resumed their conversation in that strange language.

When we reached the palace we disembarked. I clumsily returned the more practiced curtsies of Yeuxpera and Depecia, then froze as Malheurfla dashed up to hug me. Then the three walked over to separate carriages. Malheurfla opened the curtains of hers to wave back at me as she left.

"Why are all of you so nice to me?"

"Well only the four of us are fans of your work," Amesombra answered me. "You might say that we've each spent almost as much time being you, as being ourselves. Now come along so I can get you washed and presentable to my family. Ah, speaking of the prince of hell himself. Good afternoon, brother!"

"Amesombra, just when I hoped you had finally gained some semblance of humanity you went and pulled yet another of your tricks. I was just about to mobilize the Shadow Guard and turn the entire city upside down when I saw your carriage return. Who is this new girl with you?"

"Prince Tenecoeur, may I introduce Miss Angelica Pureheart."

"Pleased to meet you, Your Highness." I bowed to the boy who was a year or two older than Amesombra.

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"Some urchin you've scraped off the streets? I do hope you're less cruel to this new pet than that kitten you drowned last year."

"That was the old Amesombra. As you have noticed, I have changed, and now practice a more refined form of villainy. Honored brother if you would please excuse us, I do need to bathe this new pet. But feel free to join us, if you'd like."

Prince Tenecoeur turned and marched off, without a further word.

The changing room was as big as some apartments I had seen in the slums, and the bath beyond was bigger than most buildings I had been in.

As Amesombra undressed me I looked nervously at the water. "Your Highness drowned a kitten?"

"I was not myself, at least not my current self. I pledge not to bring any unnecessary harm to yourself, while I can. But yes, Princess Amesombra has the most marvelous backstory. I consider my small group fortunate that each of us became the villainesses we most admired, but there's no accounting for taste."

"Became, Your Highness?"

"Yes, we four may and will act in ways that seem most bizarre to you. Please pay it no heed." She then said a few phrases to me in both their shared strange tongue and then in another equally unfamiliar language. When I just stared at her in confusion she returned to the common tongue of the kingdom. "Yes, that is most unfortunate. It would have helped to have a fifth, but we can make do with the MC as an NPC."

"An NPC, Your Highness?"

"It just means that when one of us four tells or orders you to do something you can be assured that we are operating on the basis of knowledge that we have gained by means that would take your lifetime to scratch the surface of. Just do as way say and know that we seek the best possible outcome. We have already cheated our training to advance beyond the capabilities we ought to have at this point and grabbing yourself so early is of course another cheat."

Amesombra washed my blond hair as a maid washed her black hair, and then Amesombra scrubbed me all over with soap before rinsing the two of us off. She then had me join her to lie back and soak in a heated pool.

"Bliss, isn't it?" she asked and I nodded in response.

When we got out Amesombra had towels wrapped around the two of us and she set to work with a brush to attack the accumulated tangles in my hair. I cried out at this and she stopped. "Angelica, you must let me know when I am hurting you. The main trade-off is that I lack your abilities and so must rely on your feedback to know such things."

"My abilities, Your Highness?"

"Yes, we'll cover those as they arise. I do need to finish fixing up your hair, but please tell me to stop when it gets too painful."

Afterward, maids wheeled in a dress rack.

After Amesombra dressed us two she led me to her room, sat at her desk, and pointed at her bed. "Feel free to rest until dinner. I have some reading to catch up on."

"Your Highness, is it proper for me to sit on your bed?"

"When we are alone, or with those three friends of mine you should just call me Amy. Even the one second saved can be the difference between life and death. And I will call you Angie. Angie, do you know how to read?"

"No, Your ... Amy."

"That's right. It's only after the events that would have otherwise occurred today that you would have been taught to read in a few months from now. Angie, let's speed that up. Sit in the chair beside mine and I'll start to teach you to read."

"But, ... Amy. You said that you had important matters to attend to."

"Let me be the judge of which things are important and which things are more important."

"Your Highness, er Amy. You called yourself a villainess and now that I am very important to whatever you have planned. Should I be afraid?"

"You should be very afraid. I'm terrified. The graphics were graphic enough, but this time I can't turn it off and walk away. This scenario gave me the first real nightmare I'd had in a dozen years, but now it's my own life on the line. While I mean you no harm I will sacrifice your life if needed to save mine, or my friends, or my new family. But understand that my friends would be quite cross with me should I do so and that I would always blame myself for any such mistake."

"Surely, your Highness isn't a dozen years old?"

"That was a dozen years before ten years ago. I am in a very important sense almost three times your age. With your assistance, I intend to live out the entirety of this next decade and several more after that. Now sit, and let's get started on my version of your adventure."

At dinner Amesombra had me sit between her and Prince Tenecoeur.

The King looked at me, and then his daughter. "Princess Amesombra, who is this young lady?"

"Your Majesty, Miss Angelica Pureheart is no lady, but a mere common-born subject of your realm."

"And why is Miss Pureheart here tonight?"

"Father, do you recall that thanks to my warning about the border trouble you pledged to fulfill any one proper wish of mine that was within your power at my next birthday? I'd like to call in that favor two months early and have Miss Pureheart assigned as my ward to be with me always until such time as I trade her for some slight advantage."

"Amesombra, it was later as I recalled your true nature that I worried about what you would ask of me. This request strikes me as a trifling thing that you could have asked for at any time, so why do you invoke my oath? Have Miss Pureheart's parents agreed to this arrangement and what do you really know about her?"

"Father, Miss Angelica Pureheart was born at Easter sunset ten years ago (making her six months younger than myself) to Sharon Pureheart and an as yet unrevealed father. She has lived in the slums of this capital all of her life and her mother went missing one night four years ago. As both of her parents are currently unavailable they cannot object to this arrangement nor is there be any cause for them to do so."

"Currently unavailable?" The Queen mused then turned to me. "Dear, are these facts that you have told Princess Amesombra?"

"No, Your Majesty, but she seems certain about those details of which I am unaware." At this point, I couldn't resist turning to Amesombra. "Your Highness, are either of my parents alive?"

"Well, they're certain to take more interest in a daughter who is suddenly living in the palace. When each of them (and the three pretenders) show up please report this to me. Know that whatever they threaten you with, I am much more of a threat."

The King frowned at his daughter. "It's all when, not if, with you, Amesombra. I have kept from The Church that my black magic daughter has foresight."

"It shall continue to be to your advantage to do so, Father. But should there be a prophetess at this table then rest assured that she is not me."

"Again with that strange wording. But my word is my bond. I shall abide by your demand, Amesombra. Know however that the watch on you shall be increased. Especially given how you outfoxed Sir Morey today."

"Will he be punished, Father?"

"No, he was just out of his depth. I shall have to think of some other suitable bribe to retain your good graces on your birthday."

"While Etanuit can easily carry we two young girls for now, I shall require a suitable steed for Miss Pureheart to ride."

"All you want for your birthday is a pony?"

"No Father. No common horse is worthy of having Miss Pureheart sit on it. I shall require an expedition to a location inside our kingdom that I shall name on my birthday."

I managed to just barely eat my fill at dinner as Amesombra corrected my dining etiquette at almost every bite.

As we left the dining room Prince Tenecoeur walked up and looked down into my eyes with his of much deeper blue than mine. "Miss, let me know when you need to escape. I've seen my sister this obsessed with a pet before."

Amesombra stood behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Brother, if you are so concerned for Angelica's safety, then I will gladly trade her to you now, for a price to be named later, once you understand her true value."

"And what use is she to me?"

"As your fiancee."

"You would make a common street urchin our queen?"

"Few here or abroad will call her queen."

"I can imagine what they would call her."

"You won't imagine it until the title springs unbidden from your lips, to be echoed throughout the world. In every route that is your role, and I shall not deny that to you here."

"Must it always be puzzles wrapped in riddles with you? I've had more than my fill of you today, Sister. Please excuse me."

"Yes, come along kitten. You seem a bit worn out yourself."

Back at Amesombra's room, she changed us into nightgowns and then had me lie down on her bed beside her. I watched her sitting next to me, silhouetted by the lamp on her nightstand as she silently read a book. I closed my eyes and counted the pages she turned as I drifted off to sleep.