Capítulo 3: A Lesson In Cruelty
Ellamir's visitor sat by the gazebo, she watched intently as the Amazon practiced her sword swings in fine form.
She wasn't a practitioner of the sword, but even she could appreciate the beauty of someone who has mastered their craft. With how graceful and refined her movements were, she could tell that the Amazon had done just that.
The person she was waiting for arrived shortly after.
Ellamir greeted her visitor with a genuine smile borne from gladness, something she rarely did these days. "It's been a while since you visited, Sister."
The said visitor was a spitting image of Ellamir, White hair, attractive face, and a splendid figure. Except for the Eye-patch and the fact that she's a little bit shorter.
"I wanted to personally congratulate you on your campaign victory. Did our mother finally invite you to move back into the palace?"
Ellamir's smile vanished. She knew her sister meant well, when she was kicked out by their mother for being branded as a disgrace, her sister was the one who would always check up on her.
"No, mother did no such thing. I thought winning that campaign for her would be enough of an incentive for her to finally take me back in, it seems I have to jump through more hoops for her. Not only that, she also denied me my right to oversee the Amazon lands, told everyone in that meeting that Shahira would be a better fit for that position."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. It's probably because she's the queen, she's in no position to show weakness."
Ellamir let out a bitter laugh.
"Maesha…You know how powerful our mother is, she's a queen with nothing to fear, out of all the queens that came before her - mother was the one closest to Lolth. She had everyone in that room whipped. She only did it to screw with me."
Ellamir was quite sure, her remark about her personal Amazon slave along with her eye was proof enough.
"I don't understand. How could mother treat you like this?"
Maesha knew the ironclad rule in their kingdom, power stands above all. It was mind boggling for her that her mother wasn't using an ounce of her power to help her own flesh and blood, her very own daughter.
"It's simple. It's because she's cruel, like the rest of us. Something you need to constantly exhibit or everyone will think you're a bleeding heart. Which reminds me, why haven't you taken a slave yet?"
Even outsiders would attest that slavery was synonymous to Drow culture. It's a way to express their sadism, inflicting whatever pain they want to inflict or any forms of torture they could imagine.
"Don't underestimate me, I can be cruel whenever I want to be, dear sister. Also, I have no need for a slave, I have my own ways to excercise my ruthlessness." Maesha gave her doubting sister a ferocious stare.
Ellamir grinned, looks like her sister was a bonafide dark elf after all.
"Oh, and what might those ways be?"
"It's none of your business."
Maesha's eyes wandered once again to the Amazon swinging her sword. She was there 3 years ago in Elaria's grand arena, a tournament where all races would compete. Manifesting her shadow armor for the first time, their mother immediately made Ellamir their representative, every dark elf had high hopes that they would win that year.
Almost did until her sister met the Amazon during the final round. It wasn't the fact that she lost, the rest of their race found it shameful how she wasn't able to land even a single blow. What's more, she lost her right eye and immediately squirmed on the ground, writhing in pain.
She wanted to rush into her sister's side. She turned to her dark elf compatriots to see if anyone else was willing to do the same, only to find that their faces were scrunched in disgust. Even their own mother did the same. In their words, it was a pathetic display of weakness.
Maesha thought that after what the Amazon did to her sister, Ellamir would have already skinned her alive or preserved her decapitated head as a trophy. Aside from her bandaged left hand, the Amazon seems to be in pristine condition. The fuck is her sister doing with her in this mansion, playing house?
"Speaking of cruelty, how come your slave looks untouched? Knowing you, I expected her to have been crippled or even mentally traumatized by now."
"I….uh…. It's not fun playing with a broken toy. She will break eventually, I just want the process to be slow."
Maesha gave her sister a skeptical look. There was something odd with her sister's answer. She could sense the bullshit in her sister's tone.
"What efforts have you made to slowly break her so far?"
Ellamir smiled, what a fine opportunity to return her little sister's words back at her, "It's none of your business."
Maesha didn't probe any further. Her sister backed away from her case, it's only right that she should do the same.
"Hmm. Fair."
+++
Her master's sister.
The visitor's identity caught Antani's intrigue.
Once she was done with her sword training, by her own volition she went and prepared two cups of tea.
She was a bit pensive on how Ellamir's sister would treat her. Oddly, she received no hostility as she gave the cup to Maesha, only an inquisitive stare.
Her master however, was still as predictable as ever. As soon as she handed her the tea cup, she immediately looked at the Amazon as if she's going to pop a blood vessel.
"You reek of sweat, go and take a bath!"
Antani responded with a coy provocation, adding fuel to the fire.
"Is my sweaty body getting you all hot and bothered, master!?"
"Fuck you!"
"Yeah yeah, I know you will, sooner than later."
Antani winked at her master's little sister, before heading to the bath house.
As much as Antani wanted to annoy her master some more, her sister's must have meant a lot to her. She's not heartless enough to rain on her parade like that.
Maesha was perplexed. What did the Amazon mean? Is she and her sister….
It can't be, she refuses to believe that her very own sister would engage in carnal activities to the person that caused her to be shunned.
Better to just change the subject.
"She's strong. Is she still stronger than you?" Maesha gauged how her sister would respond.
She knows it's a sore spot. She wasn't trying to poke at her wounds, she was trying to see if it was already healed.
"Yes. Just sparred with her yesterday, knocked me out in one punch. Her control over mana is more advanced than mine."
Maesha's interest was piqued. As a spellcaster, how well they could control mana was their bread while how large their mana reserve is was their butter.
"Think she's reached Aeon already?" Maesha asked.
"If she did then that would make her as strong as mother. She's strong, but she's not that strong."
"Can you lend her to me? Just for a day, I just want to see how I would hold up against someone like her."
It was a simple request from her sister, given how close they are you would think that Ellamir would have agreed in a heartbeat.
"NO!" Ellamir's voice rose. Maesha was surprised at how quickly and forcefully her sister shut her down. "She's a handful. You won't be able to handle her."
"It was just a request, no need to get all worked up. It's been fun catching up with you but I have to leave now. By the way, our mother's birthday celebration is next week. You plan on coming?"
Ellamir sipped her tea, thinking of a reply. Or maybe an excuse. For the past 3 years she had avoided that occasion. Every high profile dark elf would be there, ever since she was labeled as a failure she wasn't sure she could handle their judging glances or the amount of flak they would throw at her.
"Wasn't invited."
"Like you have a need for that. Come on, sis. I think you've done enough."
It's as if her sister saw right through her, would have pissed her off if it was anyone else.
With a sigh, Ellamir relented.
"Fine. I'll go."
Satisfied with Ellamir's answer, Maesha surprised her sister with a hug, something they would be judged severely for if others saw them. Hesitant at first, Ellamir's hands hovered right above her sister's back. She realized that her sister had been the only one who hadn't lost faith in her since 3 years ago, it's only proper to hug her right back.
+++
On her carriage ride back to the palace, Maesha stared at the window.
Deep in thought, there was something strange about her sister today, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Until everything clicked.
The perfectly healthy Amazon, her coy provocation towards her sister, Ellamir's possessiveness out of nowhere.
The realization formed a sly smile on her lips. She didn't want to believe it at first until the evidence stacked up.
The Amazon and her sister are definitely banging.
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