Shadow of the Past [Nimueh/Delilah]

[Delilah Kastus]

Delilah's daughter, Sasha, had returned to Uther's kingdom and the witch had taken that as a cue to go back herself. But what did she intend to do once she arrived? It was all about skillfully lying and gaining false trust... and then finally murder and betrayal. Who would she kill? Delilah intended to assassinate the Prince first, just so she could enjoy the King's reaction. That evidence would be easy to hide, because the murder wouldn't be physical. And then, after a little while, she'd put Uther under a love spell and eventually... "take him out". How would she hide all of this evidence? Same way she did with Sir Peter and her unfaithful husband before... leave as quickly as possible and travel unceasingly. There would be no way the King's men would be able to track her down and arrest her if she was on the other side of Albion and travelling further by the day, right? And just so none of her plans were screwed up, she would get rid of Sasha first thing. You can never trust someone who isn't evil and has magic abilities.

Silent travels as always, and yet she would rather nothing else than to be alone. It was her thing. Unlike her daughter at least she had a horse to ride, so that there made it a little bit more enjoyable. Somehow, she found herself gazing out at the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Wait, she knew of this valley very well. Delilah knew that an old friend of hers resided across this valley and just beyond the White Mountains. She truly gave thought into this; it would be nice to pay Nimueh a visit, now wouldn't it? Especially after not seeing her for nearly 20 years. Where did the time go? Because 20 years is a long time... since the Great Purge that Uther had brought upon all magic users. She pushed that thought away, because it made her furious inside. It reminded her of why she was returning to Camelot in the first place, to finally kill him. She couldn't understand why no one had succeeded in doing so by now! After all, he was only human. It wasn't like he had magical powers.

She rode for a long time, finally reaching the lake. Delilah climbed down from her horse, tied it's reins to a thick branch, and to make things short used the boat at the dock to reach the Isle of the Blessed. Where she expected Nimueh to still reside.

Tag: Nimueh Ó Liatháin

Timeline: Soon after Nimueh's resurrection

Time of Day: Evening (cloudy)

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Nimueh had awoken with the distinct knowledge that someone would visit her today. It had been one of her rare prophetic dreams she first hadn’t even realised as such. The dream had been disturbing, showing her pictures long thought successfully ousted: Burning stakes, people of all age, children even, drowned in lakes and rivers, and beheading… axes coming down again and again… gruesome! And then there had been a face, a female face, someone Nimueh remembered from long ago… along with the knowledge that this very woman would come to see her today. And a name… Delilah. Delilah Kastus.

The whole day the High Priestess had been on edge, asking herself over and over why on earth this Delilah would come and pay her a visit now? Oh yes, she remembered her, they had known each other before the Great Purge, though Nimueh would not go as far as calling her a friend. Nimueh Ó Liatháin did have no friends. Aquaintances, allies and enemies, those were the categories of her life. For now, Delilah belonged to the first category, but Nimueh had an inkling she might be seeking out to become a member of the second. Why else would she come to the Isle? Why else would anyone ever seek out Nimueh? It was either to fight or to join forces… well, apart from Wolf, but that clearly was another matter…

Finally, Nimueh had decided on sending the boat towards the little landing on the shore, even if she took a great risk with that. But then again, probably not. It was not like the area around the Isle was common for random passerbys to access, and even if so, who would be so sick of his own life to try and take a tour around her realm? Even with foul intentions in mind, she was sure she could deal with whatever was thrown her way. And it wasn’t like a whole army could cross the lake in the little boat. She was safe… all she needed to be was a bit careful – and wasn’t she always?

So all she could do was wait for the familiar magica jingle that would tell her her guest had arrived. It was already slowly turning dark when it finally happened. With a nervous fluttering in her stomach she never would show, let alone admit to anyone, Nimueh made her way down the steep slope and stairs towards the landing, to greet Delilah.

[Delilah Kastus]

To come to think of it Delilah couldn't exactly call Nimueh a friend, closeness wise. But she did consider anyone who was similar to herself as no threat, unless she felt a bad vibe around them. Well anyway, enough about that. It didn't matter now. Delilah had a reason to come here other than just for a visit. The witch knew Nimueh to be the darkest sorceress in all of Albion. She didn't know about beyond the borders of Albion, but she doubted anyone could think up darker things than the High Priestess could. And that was the main reason she had come to the Isle; to seek an alliance. The two could possibly attempt at killing both the King and Prince... but before she took part in any of that, she'd kill off her daughter to ensure nothing was soiled.

The boat finally arrived at the landing, and wasted no time climbing onto land. There she saw Nimueh making her way down the steps to greet her. Honestly, Delilah was lost for words... if that was even a proper sentence. She didn't know a good way to greet the priestess, anyway. She waited for Nimueh to speak first, and hopefully not let this become an awkward moment.

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Soon enough the boat and the landing came into view and Nimueh subconsciously slowed down her steps, turning them into a graceful stride, almost floating down the last few wooden steps. This was a move that took years and years of practise, but Nimueh had resided on the Isle long enough to have brough it to near perfection. Always appear your best, was her credo, whether to impress friend or foe.
When she arrived at the landing, she took a moment to examine the woman before her. Yes, many years had passed but this was still the Delilah she remembered. A little spark of lunacy always hidden there, sometimes flaming up when she got worked up about something and wanted revenge… oh yes, revenge, that was something they definitely shared. And it could be a good foundation of an alliance when you thought about it. Strong feelings always were, they just mustn’t get in the way of common sense and rational thinking.

Delilah herself seemed unusually bashful, as if she didn’t know what to say. Nim couldn’t blame her though, she even appreciated what she interpreted as a certain kind of reverence. It was only right, after all, Nimueh was, in a way, Delilah’s superior, even if it was in a more subtle way. As the keeper of magic she deserved reverence, and Nimueh was proud enough to expect and demand it. So it was only natural she should be the first to speak.
Bowing her head, she addressed the witch in a level friendly tone. “Delilah. How nice of you to pay me a visit. Tell me, how long has it been?”
Of course she would not ask her what had brought her here straight away, she would not go like bull at a gate. A little small talk first, take Delilah inside the derelict castle and then they could start to talk about business.

[Delilah Kastus]

"I would say about twenty years," Delilah answered enthusiastically. Again, she couldn't believe how fast time went. It felt like just the other day she had been twenty years old and now she was in her early forties. There wasn't really much she wanted to say just yet, as she would tell nimueh the serious things later. "It has been quite a while since our last meeting. Have you been faring well?"

"I have come to the Isle to discuss a few matters with you," she stated, a light serious expression appearing on her face but the enthusiasm of her tone unchanging. "I believe they may be of interest to you."

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Twenty years…yes… as if Nimueh could ever forget this period of time, hadn’t it been the most painful of her entire life. To her, time had not passed quickly, she had been aware of every single day trickling by, every single day watching the world she once knew being stomped on, burned and brought to near extinction. And all that for only one man’s whim.
Have I been faring well?… well, if you discount all the above mentioned and also floating around between life and death for nearly two years… yeah, then you could actually say –
“I have been faring alright. What about you, Delilah? Did you go into hiding after the Purge?”

So many had gone into hiding back then, because staying under the eyes of the world had proven well-nigh impossible. Nimueh only wished Uther’s tactic of scattering and seperating the sorcerors, priestesses and other magical creatures had not been so very succesful. Instead of ducking away they should have assembled at the one place they knew to be safe from any intruder: The Isle of the Blessed. What a strong army they could have been! Nowadays there were so little left it almost wasn’t even worth a try.
And what could it possibly be that Delilah wanted to discuss? If there was a flawless plan to get rid of Uther Nimueh was sure she would have though about it by now. But… never say never, you always could be surprised at the end of the day!
“Oh yes, I believe we should talk”, Nimueh agreed with a friendly smile. “But not here! Do me the honor of joining me for dinner tonight. There we can discuss everything!”
With that she made an elegant flourish with her hand, motioning to Delilah start up the slope in front of her.

[Delilah Kastus]

"That is good to hear," she gave a friendly smile. Delilah knew that with the Great Purge and Uther's continuous hate for magic things couldn't be going well, but it was still good to hear. "I regret not leaving right when it happened. Even before Uther banned magic in Camelot I hadn't practiced it openly." Delilah explained, spitting the King's name out with disgust. "My husband had always felt threatened by magic, so I never let anyone know. I eventually got rid of him and fled with my daughter."

"Of course," Delilah nodded respectfully. "It would be an honour." When Nimueh motioned for Delilah walk up the wooden steps in front of her, she did so. This would indeed be an interesting night, and she couldn't wait to see how it played out.

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Ah yes, Nimueh remembered that, and it filled her a little with scorn. How could anyone forsake his powers just because of a man?! What was it to Delilah if he felt threatened by it? She shouldn’t have married a man that couldn’t handle her. A witch should never bow to anyone in Nimueh’s eyes, should never bend to wishes that weren’t her own. There had been plenty of reasons to hide magic after this madness started, but before?!
This of course she only kept in her mind, while her face still showed open friendliness. Delilah needn’t know what was on Nimueh’s mind, it was always better to pretend. That was something Uther never understood. He called it honesty when he showed his dismay openly, but in the end it would leave him with more enemies than he could handle. So instead of commenting on the hiding of magic, she picked the other interesting detail.
“Oh, so you have a daughter? How nice! Is she of your blood?” With that she of couse meant if the daughter was able to use magic or had ever shown any interest in it. Probably not, though, if Delilah had neglected her gift to such an extent. Still… Nimueh’s interest was not only born of friendliness. Relatives were always good when it came to blackmailing – should the need ever arise!

She followed Delilah up the slope, indicating at the ruins above them. “Don’t worry, what you see is not always what you get. Inside, there is still a large part that houses comfortable lodgings. I might be a High Priestess in disgrace, but I still know how to reside like it befits my status.” Arriving at the walls, she turned and let her gaze wander over the Isle and beyond. “This is my home and I would not trade it for any fancy palace… besides, the derelict state of this place keeps the prying eyes away.”

[Delilah Kastus]

Delilah didn't know what Nimueh was thinking about her and her last husband; if she had, then there was an explanation. The only reason she had stayed with him... no, make that meet him in the first pace... was to fulfill her selfish cravings. Gain Peter's love and trust, and then smash it. It was nothing personal, but at the same time it was. Her first husband, the only man she could ever admit to loving, had had an affair soon after they married. Since then, Delilah hadn't dared trust a man for a minute. Instead of trusting them, she had sought comfort in killing them.

Delilah knew what Nimueh meant when she asked if Sasha was of her blood. "Yes, she is, but I avoided telling her," she answered the High Priestess' question. Nimueh would probably be wondering why, so she added, "She has shown great loyalty to Uther even as a child, and because of that would probably use it against me to protect his well being. It wasn't worth the trouble." Sasha had always been fascinated by the magic arts, but even with that her loyalty to the crown would never cease. Exactly Delilah's point! That was why she needed to get rid of Sasha, before she found out the truth. Uther hated magic -- as if that was hard to guess -- but it wouldn't stop Sasha from using it to protect the King and Prince even if it got her killed.

( I can't figure out why, but I seem to be stuck here... I can't exactly picture the scene, I guess. Can you have Nimueh lead her inside in your next post? )

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So a secret, hmm? Nimueh liked to discover secrets as it would always leave her in a better bargaining position. Secrets you kept from loved ones made you weaker than most people knew, so for Nimueh it was either not having secrets or being so good at hiding them they really were known to no one but yourself. Or of course refusing to have loved ones, that was the easiest way of not being subject to blackmailing.
Though, knowing Delilah, Nimueh highly doubted this daughter mattered so much to her a threat to her life might be of any use in bargaining. The crazy woman probably planned on killing her herself, like she had done with her husband…

“Great loyalty to Uther? Where in the Great Mother’s name does that root from? I don’t remember you being so overly fond of him”, Nimueh mused, cocking her head. Something was nagging at her mind, something like scattered parts of a puzzle Nimueh couldn’t put together yet to see the picture forming. It was something about a young girl… with a crazy mother… a dead father… and loyalty to the Pendragons… but it had not been something recent and so Nimueh let it go for the moment to deal with later.
Delilah seemed not to take part in the High Priestess line of thinking, but Nimueh didn’t care, only lead her inside without further ado. Both their footsteps echoed in the outer parts of the ruin, past the little henge with the altar in the middle. Then they reached a very nondescript wooden door that lead into the still intact part of the castle.
The scenery changed so abruptly it was almost a miracle and even Nimueh who was used to it, was surprised each time. One moment there was ruins, pebbles and rough stone, the next there was torchlight, tapestries and paned windows, as they climbed up a spiral staircase.
“Welcome once again to the place where magic still rules”, Nimueh said with a little smile, gesturing around the tasteful splendour.

[Delilah Kastus]

“She has magic, but she’s just like her father,” Delilah answered, a bit disappointment in her voice. Her daughter hadn’t even been part of her plan to kill Peter; that part had just... happened. Just as it had with John! She bore his son, and what did he do? He had an affair. She could never trust a man again after that. Although, Sasha had benefitted her plot. By her birth, Delilah was proving that she loved Peter... even if she did not. “That’s why she’s no use to me. She’s so obsessed with the Pendragons, sharing their hatred of magic.”

Delilah followed Nimueh inside, eventually reaching a nondescript wooden door that lead into the still intact part of the castle. Once she entered, she did have have to agree with Nimueh; it did look a lot better than the ruins outside. "I wish it weren't the only place where magic still rules," she said, half to herself. Sighing, she added, "I guess I've always understood your desire for revenge, but when the Purge started... I began to share it than to just simply understand it."

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Nimueh shook her head in dismay. Daughters surely should not defy their mother’s like that! But of course, it was all in the blood, just like with dogs. You had to be careful who to choose as a mate, so your own good qualities did not get tainted or polluted. The High Priestess was sure, if she ever wanted to have a daughter to take her place once she was fully trained, she would make sure to choose the father carefully. There were already a few interesting choices on her mind, but she knew the responsibility resting on her shoulders. The next High Priestess could not be the daughter of anyone, not in such troubled times!

“I am truly sorry to hear that. A daughter should always follow in her mother’s footsteps.” Something again was tugging at Nimueh’s mind, and this time she did give into it, asking Delilah: “Your daughter… what’s her name by the way?”
Maybe the actual name would help to lift the fog still clouding her mind?

Nimueh furrowed her brows slightly as she lead the way into a large hall, similar to Camelot’s throne room. It even housed a similar long table in the center of it, only that Nimueh was using this room only for taking her meals. Once magic was back to his rightful place in this kingdom, she could very well turn it into the residential hall again it once had been.
“Are you implying I have been feeling the need for revenge before the Purge? Let me assure you, this is by no means the case. Before Uther ruined my life, I even considered him a friend.” She snorted and shrugged. “That’s why I tried to help him in the first place!”

She waved her hand dismissively and then pointed at the table. “Have a seat, Delilah, I shall have arrangements made for dinner immediately.” Concentrating, Nimueh sent out a silent message to the nearest living soul she could find, giving curt and distinct orders. Returning into the present, she sat down as well, folding her hands in her lap. “And meanwhile, you can tell me why you have come here.”

[Delilah Kastus]

"It is a shame," she agreed with Nimueh. "In her earlier years I had hopes that she may follow in my footsteps, but the chances of that are unlikely." And that was the truth; she would have liked to have Sasha as a partner, doing some of her dirty work. Of course, Delilah did have a son whom possessed magic from both her and John... but she doubted he would ever forgive her for leaving him in the care of his maternal grandmother and killing his father. For one moment she felt a great pang of sympathy for him; for ruining many parts of his life. . . . No. It was all for the best. . . Was it not?

Delilah sort of wondered why Nimueh wanted to know her daughter's name -- of course not in an aggressive way. Just out of genuine, friendly curiosity. "Her name is Sasha," she answered.

That wasn't the case at all. It had sounded like it though, and that was because unfortunately Delilah sometimes didn't explain things the right way. She reminded herself that it was genetic. Even magic couldn't help it. Well, what Delilah had meant by always knowing Nimueh's desire for revenge was that she herself shared the emotion long before the Purge. Still, she'd let it go... as it wasn't a huge issue. After all, wasn't it obvious that she shared the feeling, anyway?

Delilah took a seat and watched as Nimueh did the same very soon after, and there started to explain her purpose for being at the Isle. "I have come to propose an alliance with you," Delilah spoke formally, adding a small tone of respect. "Against Uther. I myself have been truly considering assassinating him. Before I came here I'd thought of many different ways to go about it. But before I tell you the details. . . are you interested?" She ended the proposal. She felt the need to add, a slight smirk spreading across her face at the thought, "We can certainly make sure he suffers for what he's done to our kind." It was then that she remembered all the gruesome deaths that Uther had ordered. . . it felt as if something had caught in her throat just at the thought. She guessed it was similar to her desire for revenge on men, as strange as that sounded. But that was no excuse! More than ever she wanted the King dead. . . but even more so desired the Prince dead, because Uther's sorrow would be priceless. And offering Nimueh a chance to see that was something different. She did of course need Nimueh's help to reach her goals, though.

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Sasha.... Sasha??!! The name truly was the missing piece and suddenly all became very clear for Nimueh. She remembered a time almost two years ago now, before her mishap with Merlin… She had encountered a young naïve lady with the very same name, telling her about her crazy mother and that she had supposedly murdered her own father… this mother – had been Delilah?! It was all Nimueh could do to not show her utmost surprise at this twist of fate. She surpressed a gasp and her whole mindset was only shown in the slight lifting of her right eyebrow, when she stated: “A nice name,… Sasha.”
But really, why was she so taken by surprise? She had known before that Delilah was a little bit out of it sometimes, and this clearly was a master stroke! Getting rid of your hated husband and shifting the blame of your almost equally hated daughter, damaging her for life… completely crazy, but brilliant in a sick way!

At the same time Nimueh realised with a sudden surge of triumph that she herself had mastered what Delilah had given up on: recruiting her for the better cause against her will. Delilah had sought to destroy her daughter, not seeing the possibilities her denial also held. One could still use a person, exploit her, you just needn’t say what was your true intention. Beat them with their own weapons, that had always been one of Nimueh’s mottos. Too bad her near-death had spoilt most of the use of this plan.
She felt the urge to brag a little and the urge to keep this as a secret for now battling inside her. This could prove to be a useful card up her sleeve on later occasions, but then… Nimueh loved to show others their limits, their failures…
In the end, reason won out once more and she kept silent… for now!

Mildly amused Nimueh listened to Delilah’s offering. Assassinating Uther? Oh dear Delilah, if Uther was that easy to kill, you think he’d be still alive? It takes more than just the will… Still, the offer was not a totally ridiculous one. Maybe one wicked and one crazy mind could achieve together what one alone could not?
“I’m always interested in alliances”, she encouraged the witch with a nod and a thin but not unfriendly smile. “So, what are the plans you have in mind?”
Nimueh would let Delilah speak for a while and see if there was any gem hidden amongst the expected rocks. She herself would stay in the background and let Delilah run her revenge filled head against the ramparts a few times. Simple. This way she assured to not take any risks and to not lose her reputation giving her name tag to any half-baked plan.

[Delilah Kastus]

"The first thing I was planning on doing was to kill my daughter, to make things a bit easier for us. I sense that if she ever found out she had magic she would try to muck up our plans and that's just a waste of time," she paused for a quick moment, and then went on, "I feel getting rid of the Prince next would be the best thing to do." She decided to let that sink in. Now where would Nimueh come in handy? As if she didn't know! It was time for her to realize that a mere love was not enough to kill the King. It could never be enough. "He knows exactly who I am, as I've tried before. Perhaps we could ambush the Prince at just the right time and run him through?"

Yes. . . oh, that wretched night. She had 'abducted' her daughter in an attempt to accomplish these ambitions herself, but that was one of her few mistakes. The Prince had found them and in short messed everything up. Even her magic had failed, and that was honestly the worst luck she had ever had to endure. Also something she would never say, or even show. And Delilah had thought she was lucky to have the opportunity to kill both of them in one night. So pathetic. "And if all is succesful, I had in mind something for Uther," she began, starting on the subject of Uther's demise. She was reluctant to do what she was about to explain, but if it would end the King's life it was certainly well worth the trouble. "I am willing to cast a love spell on the King. He's never met me. . . well, the real me anyway. After a little while, I would be pleased to lure him to a place of your choosing to carry out this long awaited deed." Delilah would have mentioned that she wanted to put Uther through some of her torture methods, but not yet. Now was not the right time to bring it up. She wanted Nimueh to just consider her plan in general, the deep details didn't matter.

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Killing three people in the process? Nimueh was not fainthearted on the topic of casualties to achieve what she wanted, but the number was a little pushing it in her eyes. Why kill someone when you still could make use of him or her somehow, if only to manipulate him? Killing was the easy way out, and Nimueh didn’t mind to sometimes, but there were limits. That’s what she had learned and had been taught all her life: The Old Religion and its essence, magic, was about life, not death. She might be heartless, she might be cruel and she might not value life like she should be, but even she would not stoop to this level of madness Delilah was depicting before her very eyes.
Besides, even when not regarding moral standards at all, the plan had no guarantee of succeeding. One death can be a coincidence, two a tragedy but three is a blatant conspiracy that might just be stopped in its very tracks before it even began.

“You really think it is necessary to kill Sasha? Would you do it for the cause or just to get rid of her?” she asked, but stopped herself when a young, nice looking girl clad in the distinctive garments of the druid folk entered to serve two dishes with venison and fruit, a basket with bread balancing on the crook of her arm. “I’ll bring something to drink in a minute, mistress!” Nimueh nodded gracefully and waited until she had walked out of the door again. It was never good to discuss delicate matters in front of your servants.
“Anyway”, she continued then, “sometimes I think using people is far better – and more entertaining – than simply killing them. You might not know it, but Sasha is quite easy to manipulate.” A smug smile spread over Nimueh’s lips. She would give it away now, if only partially. That trick had worked once before with the girl, there was no reason why it shouldn’t work again. “You say your daughter is very fond of the Pendragons. Wouldn’t it be more of a punishment to her if you let her play a part in Arthur’s killing – unknowingly of course – and just make her realize the extent of what she’s done, right before you kill her?”

She cocked her head to look at Delilah. Now that love spell part did sound quite entertaining and it had a fair chance of winning. Seems there was a gem hidden in this heap of ideas after all, how very satisfying!
“It should be intriguing to watch Uther fall under your spell, Delilah!” she said with a smirk. “I would offer to do the same – however repulsing the thought – but Uther now would not even think about getting close to me, not that he hasn’t many times before the Great Purge.” She winked and leaned forward, her face falling serious again. “I have only one request. Let me be the one to strike the final blow. I think you will agree with me when I say I deserve it, more than anyone else.”
This was very of her liking. Staying in the background in case things went wrong but there to deal out the final punishment.

[Delilah Kastus]

A young girl in with clothes of the druid folk walked in, to serve two dishes with fruit and venison. When the girl left, Nimueh continued. A slight smirk spreading across her face Delilah agreed, "That certainly is a tempting idea. . . and I agree with it completely. I will have to ask you just one thing." She paused quickly and then went on taking notice of Nimueh's last few words, "I will have to ask you to trick her, even though it sounds that you already have in the past. I think by now that she'd never trust a word I spoke." She was never going to speak of her failed attempt at killing her and the Prince as it was embarrassing, and unnecesary.

"Haha, I would also love to make her watch the Prince die at my hands," she smiled faintly. "Because the last time I spoke with her she had shown strong feelings for him. I just cannot miss out on something like that."

She would probably change the order of her plan; to cast a love spell on Uther, then kill. . . no, wait. To have Nimueh manipulate Sasha into betraying the Prince under the impression she'd be helping him, then kill the Prince. . . and finally Uther. She'd certainly deliver some of her torture methods on the King. She deserved the right to do so, the same as Nimueh deserved the right to deliver the final blow. "I cannot disagree that you deserve it most," she dipped her head in agreement. "I will deliver a few of my advanced torture methods, you will have the final blow. Feel free to do more to him if you'd like, I certainly don't mind."

[ Kind of crappy post =/ ]

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Nimueh nodded gracefully. Of course she would be the one doing the particular task, she would not trust anyone else with it! Especially not Delilah. Not that she found the woman incapable of such cunning, it was just like she herself had said: Sasha would not trust her mother with anything. She probably would do the exact opposite just to spite her. But Nimueh herself still had some credit left from her first try to deceive Sasha… she had never been found out, just that her efforts had been spoilt by her sudden death. And the first weeks after being resurrected had been filled with adjusting to the new time. In the void, time passed like nothing and yet was an eternity. She had been shocked, but also relieved it was two years that had passed.

“I would be honored to do that, Delilah, and you can trust me!” she replied, bowing her head. Ah, sweettalk. Nothing was better to smoothe alliances. “I will pull the right strings with Sasha and she will not suspect a thing until you strike. It will destroy her, rest assured!”
Yes, Sasha had indeed shown strong feelings for the prince even two years ago. It had not been blatantly obvious, but the gleaming in her eyes whenever the prince had been mentioned had told whole tales. That’s also how Nimueh had got Sasha in the first place. Her affection to Prince Arthur was blinding her caution. Maybe that sentiment had even grown through the years? It was worth a shot!

Torture methods? Well that might have spoilt another person’s appetite, but not those of the two women. Nimueh chewed on the venison with delight, thinking the possibility over. Hmm… she had heard rumors about Delilah’s exeeding cruelty, nothing specific but enough to make her interested.
“Advances torture method you say? Care to tell details? I would like to know what awaits ‘poor Uther’”, she concluded with a grin. “Oh and by the way, I am being asked what you would like to drink” ,she inclined to the tugging at her mind. “Wine, mead, water? You can choose freely!”