Aidan returned to the academy with Sora and Cythrel. Pearl remained behind to work as deterrence in case one of their 'esteemed' guests decided to go rogue. Not a big chance but Claire was a noncombatant. Dawn also stayed behind, playing Lumina full time now. A wackier, easygoing and mischievous version of Lumina but by this time everyone in the castle just wrote it off as some quirk she picked up after being hospitalized for so long.
Some foreign merchants going northward departed that very day to bring the news across the land and into the other nations of the continent. Some of them were even competing to see who would get the contract to deliver the thousands of gold coins from the mercy tribute to Gohar. There was a risk of it getting in King Jett's court before his own daughter. At Dawn's request, a Royal messenger was sent to the bakery with some gold coins to pay for the damages.
A couple days passed before one of the three siblings from Heath decided to take a step outside their guest chambers. Princess Sierra was going insane from her brother's inane drivel.
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"What are we, hostages? That is preposterous! And where is the mage to regrow my leg?" Brody was in an absolute bad mood.
Brian winced. He didn't remember a day he wasn't afraid of his elder brother. "The servants informed that Lumina herself will take care of you whenever you are ready, brother."
"The servants!" Brody tossed a silver tray on the ground. "Why do we only get butlers? Where are the maids?"
Sierra scoffed. "Of course Lumina won't let any woman from Yutis anywhere near you. And harlots won't get into the castle, Brody. I think you will have to settle with your sweet Migite for the time being. And if you try to touch my Mirtes I'll make Brian the next King."
Migite was a borrowed word from the otherworlders. Every boy's first girlfriend. Mirtes was Sierra last handmaid.
Brody roared and started to trash the expensive furniture. Sierra stood up and left the chambers.
"Your Highness. How may we help you?" One of the butlers assigned to taking care of them bowed. Sierra was impressed at how handsome those butlers were. She was even suspicious that they were Knights in disguise.
"Where are Lumina and Claire?" Sierra needed to talk to someone. Even if it meant talking to her enemies. Her captors.
"The Princesses are having tea in the gardens, your Highness. I can take you there if you want to."
"Can I?" Sierra was surprised at the sincerity she was feeling from the butler. The joy of having some female company made her drop her Princess mask.
"Of course, your Highness. I am sure the Princesses would be delighted to have you as their guest."
Now she could sense a scripted phrase. It seems the butler was instructed on what he could and could not do.
"Lead the way then," She attempted to sound regal but came out as haughty. Sierra was really out of her game.
She crossed the corridors leading to the inner castle and soon found herself entering Queen Alina's prized inner gardens. She heard chatter and her heart pounded faster.
The butler stopped after a few paces into the garden and cried. "Princess Sierra of Heath!"
Sierra held her breath as she crossed the gorgeous garden and saw the three Princesses happily chatting and sipping tea under the gazebo in the middle of the garden. The three girls turned around to look at her and instead of the scowls she was sure to get, they were all smiles.
"Sierra. Glad you could join us. Please, have some tea with us." Lumina waved a hand.
She froze. Two days ago she was screaming at her countrymen to murder them and now they were inviting her to have tea? What trickery was in progress? Was it some new kind of Princess hazing? Lumina was merciless, that was well known. After the incident with Orian in Calanthe, Lumina was a name to instill terror on the Princesses. It was a blessing that Yutis was that much out of the way, Lumina didn't attend as many parties like the other Princesses of the northern Kingdoms.
"Don't stay there, Sierra," Pearl this time called her out. "The tea will get cold."
Sierra felt her world spin. Was she a prisoner? Did the fight at the bakery happen? She took a step forward and after the first, the others were easier. Maybe she was going to die poisoned or perhaps become the butt of some new joke Lumina came up with. She took the seat assigned to her and a maid poured her tea. Sierra took the cup and sipped it without giving herself time to worry.
Nothing happened. The tea was delicious. Sierra looked up and found all three girls staring at her.
"W-what is it?" She stuttered. Sierra wanted to slap her own head. She stuttered!
"Are you afraid of poison in the tea?" Lumina laughed. "There is no poison, Sierra. There is not much sense in getting you killed now, don't you think? I don't want bad blood between us, I really don't."
Sierra looked at Claire, she nodded. "Try this petit-four. It harmonizes very well with the tea you are having." Claire took one of them at random and ate it with a single bite.
Sierra tried it and the small finger food was delicious. She didn't even realize she was hungry. They started to talk about some jewelry they bought recently, Pearl exhibiting some beautiful necklace she was using. She complimented her fellow Princess on her necklace and suddenly she was talking and laughing with them.
A lot of time went by. Sierra felt happy. Energized by the conversation. She saw Lumina and Pearl touching each other several times. They were friends, everyone knew that but that felt excessive. Sierra minded no further. She talked about dresses. About Lumina's trio of former ladies-in-waiting taking on important jobs at their fiefs after doing an overhaul of the country's finances. Lumina and Claire were sharing what could be considered state secrets with her.
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The bakery was a dream. But Brody lost his leg. Sierra wasn't even sure they were enemies, to begin with.
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Dawn was amused at how out of place Sierra looked. It felt like her when mingling with the girls. But she was losing time. Waiting for Heath to make the next move was Pearl's idea. However, it was burning time that could be used in other projects, like reviving Lumina or attaining ultimate magic for real. Or a number of others.
"Sierra, do you know how long Brody intends to remain with only one working leg?" Dawn asked, straight to the point. Very not Princess-like, she reckoned. But the sooner the better.
Sierra finished eating her pastry before speaking. A real faux pas, one Dawn didn't intend but from what she remembered from Lumina's memories, one that could be forced to make the person caught chewing lose face.
"My brother was asking when the healing mage was going to visit him before I left them at our chambers." She finally spurted. Fortunately, no crumbs were spewed.
"Well, the mage that is going to heal his leg is none other than yours truly," Dawn announced with a smile and a hand over her chest. "He only had to ask."
Sierra blinked. "You can regrow limbs?"
Dawn laughed. "Of course I can. Didn't Brian tell you? My submission to the semester practical spellcraft before my... accident was an area healing spell that can regrow missing body parts."
Rage flashed in Sierra's face, probably directed at her brother, inept to be a Prince. But that was not a lie. Lumina's Healing Mist spell was capable of doing that. Not that Dawn was going to use that wasteful and gaudy spell when she had Regrowth. But Sierra could believe whatever she wanted, so long Dawn had time alone with Brody to use magic on him.
"Well, I believe my brother will be delighted to be cared for by his own fiancée," Sierra commented with narrowed eyes.
"Excellent. My mana pool is full, we can start anytime." Dawn raised a hand and waved at the butler that brought Sierra here. "Please tell Prince Brody to go to the room prepared for his healing process."
The butler bowed, "As you command, your Highness." He clicked his heels, turned around and left.
"Well, my fellow Princesses, I got a fixer-upper to mend. Please don't mind my absence and keep on." Dawn used a napkin and stood up. She waved goodbye and followed after the butler.
"Lumina, wait!" Sierra also stood up. "I should go with you."
Dawn turned around and smiled at Sierra. "I'm sorry, Sierra. The spells I am going to use are a secret. Please stay and talk to Pearl and Claire. You spent too long holed up with those two and I am sure they were not so good at making a decent conversation."
Sierra sat back down and Dawn went off to 'heal' Brody.
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"Lumina, my dear. I am elated to know that my own bride will heal me. What a great day." Prince Brody opened his arms in a vain attempt at hugging Dawn, but unless he could fly there was no way he'd reach the girl.
"Cut the crap, Brody. My time is precious. Please lie down belly up on this bed and stand still while I heal you," She turned to the other Prince and shooed him. "And you get out of here now, Brian."
"But Lumina! I can't let you alone with Brody in a closed room."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "He is my betrothed, what is the problem? You are not my brother and what we do is nobody else's business. Out, now!" She pointed at the door where three Knights, two from Yutis and one from Heath were waiting.
"Yeah, Brian. Leave me alone with my woman. Go find yourself a princess if you can." Brody guffawed boastfully.
Brian slumped his shoulders and walked out. The Knights closed the door and Brody attempted to stand up.
"Stay on the bed, Brody. I am starting as soon as I set up the privacy wards."
"Oh. You don't want those Knights at the door to hear your moans? How modest of you, Lumina." Brody started to undress.
"I don't care what you do as long as you stay on that bed," Dawn replied while she went around the room setting the diagrams for the wards. She locked the door as she passed near it and after all was done and activated, she returned to find a naked Brody already flying the national colors.
"Do you like what you see?" Brody asked with a voice Dawn was sure he thought was sexy.
Dawn's Answer was to cast two spells in rapid succession.
"Memory Void."
"Dominate."
Two forbidden spells they learned from Astromelicus' library. The former would block Brody from creating any long-term memory from whatever he experienced under the effect of the spell. The latter transformed Brody's mind into a puppet Dawn could command as she wanted.
"Disgusting." She commented as she dragged a bedsheet over the Prince. She didn't need to see him naked to do what she needed to do.
"Soul Sight."
She looked at Brody's soul. Absolutely hale as she expected. Brody only had Earth affinity and Mana affinity at a low rank. Exactly like Claire but her Element was Light. Dawn was sure Claire didn't have any magical affinity whatsoever during their winter adventure. It meant something granted her both affinities. Dawn was sure it was the Regalia. It made little sense for entire bloodlines produce mages with absolute certainty with the same theme Element. Just like the whole Yutis Royal Family had Light and Gohar had Fire.
She knew that the Elder Fairy wings granted Mist and Mana affinities. It was not absurd to think that there were other methods of increasing one's affinities. Very rare, very hard methods.
But enough research. Back at Brody's treatment. "Stay immobile until I say otherwise. Don't talk until I say otherwise." She ordered him.
Dawn wriggled her fingers and started.
"Grant Pain Suppression."
"Soul Chisel."
The spell that allowed her to carve out the soul related to specific body parts. Dawn mentally apologized to her fellow man for what she was about to do, but it was for the best. She carved out most of the soul portion representing Brody's glans and half the shaft of his penis. Next, she hollowed out his balls. With that set, she committed the spell and it cut off exactly where she intended to. The body would be fine, but the portions she cut would stay without feeling forever.
Not that Brody had that much time to live.
With several other castings of Soul Chisel, she carved out a small part of his Achilles' tendons and other articulations from the limbs to reduce his strength. It would be noticeable but she would smooth things out before she was done.
Next up was the head. Time to shorten the intellect gap between Brody and Brian by making the former dumber. She chanted Soul Chisel and started drilling holes in the Prince's head. The severed portions of soul evaporated and disappeared. She kept asking Brody math problems to assess his intellect loss. When he started to fail basic addition operations, Dawn stopped.
"Soul Restoration."
She used the spell form of the magic. It was very mana inefficient but she cared little for that. She focused on Brody's head and to her relief, with a single casting the Prince recovered his ability to do multiplications. Good enough.
Next up was the leg. She cut off the cauterized part and immediately started the healing.
"Regrowth."
She needed two castings to fully regenerate the missing leg. A tender and discolored limb appeared. With time, it would finish healing.
Dawn turned around and gave Brody orders. "Stand up and get yourself dressed. Return to the bed when you are done."
After she heard no more rustling, she took a few leather straps and tied Brody to the bed. When he was secured, she poured Ether mana all around the Prince. Between the Ether cloud and the Soul Restoration, her exceptional mana pool was almost entirely drained.
The ether would remove the spells she cast on him, but would also remove the mana signature and any traces that magic was used on him.
The healed leg and the damaged soul were permanent though.
Brody would be way easier to goad and defeat now.
Dawn dispelled the wards and opened the door.
"Your brother is healed," She told Brian. "Take him to his room."