Althea rested an elbow on the table, her head propped on the back of her hand. It was nearly eleven o'clock now and the crowd of people had slowly started to disperse. The ones who remained though, reeked of stale wine and sweat as they shuffled around dancing and yelling over the booming orchestra in the corner.

She was waiting for Jasper to return from the powder room. For when he did, Althea would ask if he was ready to retire for the night. Although it was still early in the evening, these events drained the energy from her like a spider sucking the life from its prey. She did enjoy the dancing and the music and even the laughter and chatter, but she could only take so much before she needed a break.

"Excuse me madam, I noticed you may be lonely... would you like to accompany me for a dance?" the nasally voice of a male beside her questioned.

Althea's eyes lifted up, up, up, to a tall, older gentleman. His brown hair was speckled with grey and drifted so far back in the centre that she couldn't even see his hairline as he looked down at her. He looked old enough to be her father… possibly even her grandfather now that she studied the deep set lines in his face.

It was times like these that Althea wished she had the power of Zella, turning invisible on command wouldn't be such a bad thing. Nevertheless, Althea allowed a thin smile to spread across her lips as she said in the polite, airy voice her aunt had instilled into her during those weeks at her manor, "oh thank you sir, but I'm quite alright. My dancing partner," she spoke the words with swivel elegance, "should be returning from the powder room any moment now."

“I’m certain he wouldn’t mind you sharing one dance with me… after all he did leave you here by your lonesome,” the man drawled, reaching out a hand for her to take. That air of calm refinement faltered slightly as Althea clenched her jaw, her smile growing tighter.

“And I am certain that he would mind, very much…” noticing that he didn’t quite look convinced by her words she added tersely, “he can be a bit possessive and I only fear that if he happened to see the two of us together, he may make a scene. I would simply hate for you to be caught in the middle of that.” The words tasted bitter as she spoke them, likely because they were not entirely untrue. Jasper could be a bit possessive, she knew, and though she should enjoy the idea of having a male claim and protect her like that, something about it made her slightly uneasy. And there was a small, insignificant part of her that was tempted to dance with the man, just so she could witness how far those tendencies rose within Jasper, how far he would take that need to lay claim to her, that she knew lie within him.

The man's confidence wavered slightly, but he nodded, looking around the ballroom as if seeking out the next victim on his poaching list.

"Very well," he gripped the edges of his tweed tailcoat, pulling it taunt as he stared off into the expanse of room, "if you do decide you'd like some company while you wait, I'll be around," he glanced back down at her now, "my name’s Leonard Swavel."

Althea nodded her head, raising her eyebrows as she stifled a laugh within herself. These were the encounters that made events like this all the more exhausting... somewhat amusing, but exhausting.

"I'll keep that in mind," she continued nodding and he hummed a huffed sigh before walking past her.

"God save the next woman who he seeks out," she muttered aloud to herself resting her chin back on her hand. She resumed watching the couples dancing, now to a more upbeat tune.

She did wonder where Jasper had gone off to... he'd headed for the powder room nearly twenty minutes ago... for a woman to take so long was one thing, they had layers and layers of skirts to lift or remove and then put back on... but him? He had only trousers and undergarments, and she knew from experience just how quickly those could be ripped off. Althea smirked at the memories.

"Sorry it took me so long," as if hearing her own thoughts, Jasper appeared beside her taking a seat in a vacant chair, "I got caught up talking with Monique about finding new recruits."

Althea turned to face him, taking in the wisps of brown hair that had fallen from his tie and the set of his jaw, which, despite his calm demeanour, made him look a bit tense. Perhaps he too was feeling the exhaustion brought on by all of their dancing and the loud music. Althea released a yawn just thinking about it.

The hand in her lap was met by a warm touch as Jasper caressed it in his.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked, knowing her all too well. An easy smile spread across her lips and she closed her eyes, feeling the tension behind them ease at his words.

"Would you think less of me if I said yes?" she replied, hating that she always felt like such a spoilsport when she opted to leave early. Especially when she knew many enjoyed staying into the early morning hours.

"Most definitely not... in fact I was planning to ask you on my own accord before I even noticed you yawning," he sent a wink in her direction that made her smile grow. She really had met someone who was meant for her, hadn't she.

She took his extended hand and stood, feeling the cape of her blue, shimmering gown trail behind her. Once she stood, Althea looked around the ballroom scanning the space for a dash of black and white atop a red gown. She wanted to say goodnight to Zella before she took her leave for the evening.

"Have you seen Zella around?" Althea asked, still eyeing the room full of people. Zella stood relatively tall for a female, especially for her age, so it was normally easy to spot her distinctive, multi-coloured hair in a crowded room.

Something in Jasper's face twitched slightly at the mention of her friend, but then he nodded quickly, "oh yeah, I did see her on my way back from the powder room, she appeared to be headed upstairs with a group of her friends."

Althea nodded, perhaps she was getting something from her room... Althea knew she enjoyed staying late at these events, dancing and chatting with some of the other girls in the cadre, it wouldn't be like her to leave before even Althea. But she just nodded and began walking with Jasper up to her room.

Outside of the ballroom the air was a welcomed breeze of cool. She hadn't realised just how unbearable the air in the ballroom had been until she was greeted by the freshness of the corridor.

Her and Jasper moseyed leisurely up the stairs to her bedchamber. Althea wasn't exactly sure she had the energy for anything more than sleep tonight and silently hoped Jasper felt the same.

When they made it to her bedchamber Althea unlocked her door and stepped into the cold, dark room.

"Allow me to light the hearth," Jasper said, using a candle from the corridor to begin lighting the fresh wood in the hearthstone. Althea lit the sconces around her room, hoping it would warm up quickly in the frigid space. She set the candlestick beside her window, looking out beyond the frost lined glass. Her eyes widened with wonder as she looked out at the full moon lighting the field beyond. Just barley, she was able to make out the flecks of white that fell in flurried gusts past her window. The first snow!

"It's snowing!" Althea beamed, looking out the window. Already, it had begun to gather in the grass in an uneven layer of white.

Jasper was at her side now, staring out at the scene she beheld.

"Would you look at that," he breathed out, "it looks like we may have a white Yuletide after all!"

She turned to look at him, an open mouthed smile spreading over her lips. Although winter was not her favourite season, and she much preferred the warmer weather, she had to admit that it was beautiful... and the idea of spending time cozying up with Jasper and drinking warm hot chocolate in bed gave her a boost of serotonin.

"I put the kettle over the fire to make you some tea before bed," he smiled down at her and Althea could feel her heart swell for him. He was so considerate.

Suddenly the bathing chamber door creaked open. Archibald's small head peaked around the corner causing Jasper to shift quickly, holding Althea as a shield in front of him. Ever since that first night Jasper had slept in her rooms, the relationship between he and the feline had been... very slow going to say the least. She didn't know why the cat had taken such offence to Jasper's presence. The only thing that graced her mind was the possibility that their first encounter had left the animal scarred. Even now the small cat grumbled lowly upon seeing him, before sulking to hide beneath the raised bed.

Jasper let out a sigh of relief, relaxing his shoulders now and causing Althea to chuckle slightly at his fear of such a small thing.

He must have noticed the half smirk as he chuckled and said, "what? You can't blame me, that... creature, is out to get me." Althea bellowed out a laugh at that, walking closer to the fire now, feeling the warmth radiating from the flames as they wrapped around the black iron kettle.

Jasper reached over, grabbing the fresh pot the servants had placed on the mantle, along with two delicate glass cups, placing them on the tea table in front of them.

"I got this special blend I think you'll rather enjoy," Jasper said, swallowing as he pulled a small bag from his pocket. Althea smiled, wondering what kind of tea it would be.

Jasper's hands shook slightly as he lifted the lid from the pot and sprinkled in the mix of leaves and ground herbs. He almost looked... nervous as his eyes flickered up to look at her, then quickly back down at the teapot. Using a towel, he unhooked the kettle from its place atop the fire and poured the scolding water into the pot.

Althea removed the heels that had been pitching her feet all night, as well as the stockings she wore beneath the beautiful gown that draped down her legs. Her feet had deep indentations from where the heels had pushed into her skin and she winced slightly as she rubbed the area.

"Would you like me to help you out of your gown?" Jasper asked. She looked down at the beadwork and crystals that reminded her so much of snow. With a sigh she shook her head.

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"Not quite yet... I'd still like to enjoy feeling like a queen for a while longer." Her eyes fluttered to look at him. He just smiled, his eyes trailing down her body.

"You don't need a ballgown to feel like a queen you know?" She nodded, still admiring each stitch of lace as her fingers ran over the embellished details.

"I know... but it certainly helps," she whispered, a light laugh escaping her lips.

After a few moments of steeping, Jasper poured the tea into two cups, handing one to Althea as he said, his voice a bit hoarse, "I hope you enjoy it."

She took the warm teacup in her frigid fingers and blew gently over the amber coloured liquid. Jasper watched as she put the cup to her lips. The flavour was light, it had a delightful floral taste with a bit of cinnamon. But after she pulled the cup from her lips, a bitterness filled her mouth.

"Hm," she raised a brow, "it's good, but I think I'll take a bit of sugar with mine." Jasper smiled, breathing out a quiet chuckle through his nose as he passed her the sugar dish. She plunked a few spoonfuls into the glass and was about to take another sip when a sound from behind them alarmed her.

It was Archibald... he clawed his way from beneath the bed and growled lowly, looking at Jasper with those glowing green and blue eyes.

"Nice kitty," Jasper said through clenched teeth as he tried motioning with his hands for the cat to back away, "we're just enjoying some tea."

Althea chuckled and reached out to pet the rogue cat. She took another sip of the hot tea and the cat let out a yowl nearly causing her to drop the teacup from her fingers.

"Now Archibald!" she scolded the cat but he did not seem to notice as he looked wildly at Jasper. The feline’s ears were flat against its skull, and the hair along its spine stood, making the cat appear as though it had been struck by a lightning bolt. "Calm down!"

"You just drink your tea my dear, perhaps if we just ignore him he will relax."

Althea nodded, taking a bigger gulp of the tea. It tasted much more delightful with a bit of sugar added to it. In the quiet room she could still hear the orchestra booming in the ballroom so many floors before them. It sounded like they were playing one of her favourite Yuletide melodies.

Suddenly Althea felt a heaviness begin to take effect over her body. Perhaps the exhaustion of the night had finally begun to take its toll on her.

"Are you feeling tired, my love?" Jasper asked, and as she looked up at him, it was difficult for her eyes to make the shift.

"Um..." the sound felt foreign to her as it left her lips, "yes I think I am."

"Come, let me take you with me."

Suddenly Jasper's hands were around her. She hadn't even noticed him get up... when had he—

Jasper hoisted her up and the room spun slightly. The teacup she'd been holding fell from her fingers and shattered on the wooden table, spilling the remaining contents of her tea. That tea... what had been in that tea to make her feel so... strange?

"Jasper, I think..." she paused, trying to get the words out, "I think I may be having a reaction to whatever was in that tea you made."

Her body was slumped against his and she could hear the boom of music from downstairs as the melody began picking up. That familiar thrum of the Yuletide song she’d danced to since she was a child was now warped and distorted in her ears. Jasper was carrying her towards the door to the corridor. Why? Why was he taking her out of her room?

"Wait where are we—"

Suddenly Archie flew out from beneath her chair and latched onto one of Jaspers legs, digging his sharp claws through Jaspers trousers. He let out a loud yell that echoed through the room, and let go of Althea. Her body swayed as she felt like she may faint.

Then the room was spinning, no that was her, she was spinning, falling, she realised once it was already too late. Her knees hit the wooden floor with a thud and sang out in delayed pain a few seconds later. Perhaps it was the motion of the room spinning, or her falling, but Althea braced both hands on the cool wood and relinquished the contents of her stomach, the dinner, the sweets, the wine, the tea, it all came up in a pale pink heap on the dark stained wood. But somehow in doing this, she was awakened slightly.

When she was able to scramble to her feet once more, Jasper's face was contorted with an anger she'd never seen in him before as he took the small feline in his hands and threw him into the post of her bed. Hard. So hard that Althea's mouth opened wide and her heart dropped into her stomach as she wondered what impact like that could do to such a small animal.

"Jasper!" she screamed with such rage that she startled herself. Her body was still sluggish but she took steps towards the cat who appeared to be okay as he stood slowly, clearly in pain.

As she was about to bend to pick up her poor feline friend, Jasper's hand wrapped around her wrist tightly and he hoisted her from the floor in a movement that felt unnaturally strong for him.

"Come. We are going." His words were sharp. None of his earlier sentiment was present in them, she'd never heard him sound quite like this before.

"Going? Going where?" she snapped, pulling her wrist quickly from his grasp.

He turned and there was a fury in his eyes that made her take a step back from him.

"Jasper what has gotten into you?" Althea asked as she used her other hand to rub the wrist where his fingers had gripped so tightly, too tightly.

He rolled his eyes as he muttered more to himself than to her, "you should have drank all of the tea."

Suddenly his arms wrapped around her thighs and he lifted her, flinging her over his shoulder.

"Jasper!" she yelled. What was he doing? Nothing made sense to her but she knew that right now... he was not the person she'd grown to love and care for so much over the past months.

She attempted to still her mind, she would have to use her ability, even though it was risky to use it outside of training, she needed to get away from him… now.

As if feeling her attempt to summon that power within her he laughed wickedly and said, "don't bother trying to use your time tricks on me Althea, the herbane tea stunts all magical abilities. She furrowed her eyebrows as he opened the door to her bedchamber, starting to carry her out of her room.

Herbane? She'd never even heard of it. Althea's blood went cold as his words sank in. He had purposely given her a tea that wouldn't allow her access to that power within her... why would he have done that? Unless he knew she would attempt to fight him on whatever it was he was about to do.

"Jasper," her voice was low and raw with both fear and anger, "where are you taking me?" Her words came out slow, it was the only way she could keep herself from screaming at him.

"Just stay quiet. This entire ordeal will go over a lot easier if you just remain calm and don't ask questions." His words were utterly calm, and his tone was cool. It was at that moment that Althea realised she had no idea who she had fallen in love with all those months ago. The man she'd loved was no longer visible in the man that held her now. The way he was able to effortlessly switch between personalities made her skin crawl. If able to keep such calm now, imagine how many emotions he'd been able to hide from her for the entirety of their relationship.

Her thoughts bubbled up in her mind like water boiling over a kettle. Althea closed her eyes, letting the burning within her simmer and then boil until it was so close to spilling, that her body shook. Although she still felt weak from whatever Jasper had given her, she knew her only way out of whatever this fate was, was to fight. Arsalan had taught her so much more than just her ability, he had taught her to be courageous, and brave, and confident… he had taught her how to be a warrior.

Althea opened her eyes once more and assessed the situation she was in. Jasper was carrying her towards the elevator rather than the stairs. She couldn't let him take her off of this floor, as she didn't know who else may be waiting when he got her to where he planned to take her. Right now, she only had to worry about him, but once he got her into that elevator and to wherever he was going, she knew it likely wouldn't just be the two of them. This was her chance.

In a quick movement, Althea raised one of her legs. Jasper had loosened his grip around her thighs now, and she used this to her advantage as she lifted her knee as far as she could despite the restriction of the gown she still wore, and pounded it into his abdomen with as much fury as she could muster.

Althea felt his breath exit him in a wind at her back. She knew she had to act quickly, while she still had the element of surprise on her side. While his hands faltered around her thighs, she used this to her own ability and flipped herself over his shoulder. Her landing was far from perfect as her foot caught on the fabric of the white gown, tearing it away to reveal her legs. She wasted no time mourning the torn fabric as she scrambled to her feet without skipping a beat. The corridor around her spun slightly, and her vision was not as clear as she knew it should be. Whatever he'd given her still took effect over her body but not nearly as much as it had before she'd thrown most of it up.

"Why you little—"

As Jasper began turning towards her, Althea struck him in the chest with her palm. She knew she could hit harder but the strength was zapped from her muscles. Even still, the shock of the jab was enough for Jasper to careen backwards, sending him stumbling slightly at the impact. She knew she had to keep going if she wanted to keep the upper hand.

"You’re gonna—"

Arsalan had told her that many people's reaction to shock was always anger, and they were usually prone to speak or to curse. His words echoed in her mind now, as she recalled him telling her to use this distraction to her advantage when in a fight. Althea cut him off as she swept her dominant leg out from under her, leaning her upper body back as she delivered a kick of her heel to his jaw. She silently thanked Layanna for adding the wide slit up the side of her dress. The kick landed hard enough that Althea knew her foot would be sore the next day. Even with the slit in the dress, the movement further ripped the fabric at her waist, sending beads and loose thread scattering through the air and across the corridor floor as she herself fell to the hard wooden surface.

Her head spun, and her stomach whirled with what she wasn't sure was adrenaline or the urge to vomit again. She'd heard the click of his teeth slamming together at the impact of her foot, but as she turned to look at him, he was already scrabbling to his feet, a look of pure rage evident on his face as he growled lowly.

It was as if the face of the man in front of her was entirely foreign. She no longer recognized him as the man who had made love to her and caressed her body with such a light delicate touch that he could have been an angel. And those angelic features she'd grown to adore, that she'd grown to love… they were all gone, hardened by whatever new feelings had clouded over them. Or maybe they were feelings that weren't new... but rather hidden from her until now.

Althea blinked and quickly got to her feet. The once beautiful gown now hung tattered just above her knees in some spots, the torn tulle soft beneath her feet. As he neared her, she took slow steps away from him, studying the corridor for anything to aid her in fighting him off. There were only the sconces that lined the walls. Something inside of her still ached, for the man who she loved, from the betrayal which invaded her mind, and despite her better judgement she opened her mouth to speak.

"Jasper please, you do not have to do this... you do not have to ruin what we have built together. I... I know everything could not have been fake," tears began clouding her already blurred vision, "I loved you Jas—"

Suddenly he let out a wicked laugh. "You think I actually loved you? You really think I cared for you? You were a mission, Althea, a means to an end." His words hurt her more than they should have. But despite the hardness of his voice, Althea could just barely make out the quiver of his lips, and the way his eyes twitched as he neared her. She knew that somewhere, deep within himself, some of those feelings he'd displayed over the past months were real. Even if he wouldn't admit it to her, or to himself, they had been. And even though she knew they would never in a million lifetimes rekindle that, she silently hoped she may be able to distract him with her words of what they had shared, for long enough to flee him and get out of this place.

She had no idea where she would go, but once this poison wore off she would at least have her ability to use to aid her in her escape.