Allow her to live

"Give me the sword, Trina," you say quietly.

"You need not do the deed yourself, Xavier. I failed in my duty; I should have protected you from her. My soul must bear this burden, not yours."

"I do not intend to use this blade upon Corinne unless she gives me no other choice," you say. "She will be taken back to the castle. I need you to bind her hands; as the manacles which held me would be too large, that silk sash will do."

Trina hesitates a moment. "I cannot."

You turn to her, an eyebrow raised; even under such circumstances, it is surprising for Trina to refuse instructions from you. Before you can speak, though, she goes on.

"I must ask you to trust me, Xavier, without understanding... as I did for you when I looked through the window and beheld you with her," Trina whispers, and when you glance at her you can see both the pain and understanding in her eyes - there for the briefest moment, and then gone again when she looks back at the woman cowering upon the floor. "I will keep her covered so that you may tie her hands. She knows already what awaits if she should make a single false move!" This last part is spoken louder, and you can see Corinne shiver when she hears it.

You pick up the sash, approach Corinne carefully. "You know that I am not a cruel man, Corinne," you say to her in as reassuring a voice as you can muster. "Please, place your hands together behind your back. I do not want to harm you by forcing you to comply, but I will if that is the only choice you leave me with."

For a long time she does not respond, does not seem to have heard you... but then, her trembling arms lift on either side of her body and she crosses her wrists behind her. You wrap the silk sash around her wrists, knot it and wrap once the other way, and then tie it firmly enough so that she will not be able to slip her hands out without a good deal of struggling.

"Now, I will help you to stand. Do not try to run, you must know you would not get far."

She nods slightly, and with one hand under her bound wrists and another at her shoulder, you help Corinne to her feet. She keeps her head lowered as you take her discarded robe and drape it about her shoulders.

"Trina, I presume your clothing was left in the meadow?"

"So it would seem."

"The giant brought my garments here with us; you should wear them," you insist, indicating the pile on the floor. "I will take the rags off his body, as they would be so large on you as to make it difficult for you to ride. I would prefer not to strip a corpse, but our options are few. I will return shortly, and soon we will be away from this place."

The ride back to the castle proceeds in silence. Corinne rides upon Steelheart, which the horse allows as you guide him by the reins. You have taken the precaution of tying Corinne to the saddle; even though jumping off Steelheart's back with her hands bound behind her would likely lead to a broken leg, you would not put it past her to try it. Trina rides the horse which you found grazing outside the church, presumably the one Corinne used to get there. It is slow going, as the horses must walk at your pace, but it seemed best not to try and share Steelheart's saddle with Corinne. There is no way she can try to ride him to escape; Steelheart only tolerates her on his back because you walk beside him.

"Ho there!" calls out a voice from ahead on the road, and you see two of the City Watch riding toward you. They pull up in front of you, and one of them shouts, "State your business, travelers!"

You step forward. "My business of late has mostly been about running the Kingdom," you tell him.

"Sire!" one of them blurts out, scrambling down from his horse and bowing his head; the other seems too surprised to do anything but stare in shock.

"At ease, watchmen. I am glad to have met you on the road, for we will need an escort."

"Of course, Sire! Are you injured?"

You look down at your bloodied tunic. "This is from the previous owner," you tell him. "I am unhurt, thanks to Lady Trina."

"My Lady," the men both say, bowing to her.

"We have a prisoner who must be brought to the castle," Trina says. "Dustin, you will ride just behind her, and do not take your eyes from her for even a moment; she is far more dangerous than she appears, and will take any chance to escape. Armand, the King will require your horse. We will send someone to fetch you so you need not walk all the way back."

"His name is Erebus, Sire," Armand says, dismounting and passing the reins to you; he offers his riding cape as well, but you wave it away, as it would not serve to cover you much anyway and there is no point staining it with blood.

"My Lady, there are dozens of patrols out looking for you and the King," Dustin says to Trina. "May I ask what it was that befell you?"

She looks over at Corinne, brows slightly knitted, but says nothing.

"A soul in turmoil," you reply. "And, a heart shattered. Let us away."