You spare Marzena their rough conduct with a quick lie, and lay out a plan

You thought about your predicament for a minute. A very strange, unfamiliar and unpleasant coldness was growing in the pit of your stomach. Fear? Disgust? Something along those lines. It suddenly occurred to you that the possibility of you or one of your friends being **** was something you had always lightly dismissed as unlikely, pushing the ever-present danger to the back of your mind. Though a countess was not highly placed compared to a king or queen, she was still unlikely to meet more people that outranked her in a lifetime than she could count on two hands. Assaulting a 'lady' such as yourself was suicide, simply put. That was protection enough for most noblewomen; but on top of that, intimate companionship was so easy to come by in your particular county that it was hard to imagine a man getting to a point where his reason overwhelmed his senses. That isn't to say you had not allowed a few men to bed you who you didn't truly want to... but that was more of an unpleasant chore than a truly horrifying experience of true ****.

In particular it hurts you deeply to see Marzena being subjected to such rough treatment, the edges of her eyes starting to water as she fights back tears in the face of Ross groping her exposed breasts roughly, squeezing them so hard it looked like it would hurt and looming threateningly over her... She had always been so spirited and cheerful in her peculiar, mischievous and cynical kind of way. Often, it didn't take much more than a kind word and a smile (without too many teeth missing) to get her ready and willing to spend the night together. She'd even been the one to introduce you into group sex not long ago. It has never quite occurred to you until this dark hour just how much you admired and depended on her. The thought of her effervescence being replaced by hurt and sorrow makes you heartsick. Frantically, you try to push your queasiness out of your mind and think rationally about what you can do. These barbaric foreigners certainly seem to be wary of magic...

Through great **** of will, you give a long, dramatic laugh dripping with pride and arrogance. "Very well then, if you won't listen to my warnings... go ahead and indulge yourself in her flesh. Perhaps it shall serve as an object lesson."

Marzena's eyes widen and she gives you a sidelong glance filled with horror. You keep your gaze stern and lick your lips.

Aiden nudges you with his foot, not quite hard enough to be a kick. "What're you on about, woman?" he says, sounding genuinely curious. As he speaks, his mussed hair falls forward into his eyes just a little... giving you a much-needed reminder that, dangerous though he and his friend may be, he is still just a jumped-up, superstitious backwoods peasant with no understanding of courtly subtleties. Unfortunately, Ross just snorts in response to your words, and undoes his belt with a clink. You need to get through to him quickly.

"I must admit," you muse, not meeting Aiden's eyes or addressing him directly, "that I have always been curious to see such an infamous spell as the Blackening Cock-rot."

"Zoe!!" Marzena squeals, her voice losing its tinge of fear and shifting to pure indignance. "Told you a dozen damned times, I did - I keep myself clean, and if any man whom I HAPPENED to have bedded got a pox on his manhood later, it was from some other g-"

You cut her off, glaring intensely at her and silently willing her to shut up and follow your lead. "Oh Marzena, despite being an evil witch you still have a great feminine kindness in your heart. I understand you would rather suffer yourself than make this poor lad's penis rot off. But I am your lady and your keeper... and you must do as I say. As soon as he penetrates you, strike him with that fell enchantment."

Aiden's eyes go wide and he puts his legs a little closer together, as if by reflex. He looks over at Ross, eyes full of concern. Sputtering, the other mercenary looked back to Aiden indignantly; "What," Ross demanded, "you believe that? Away with ye, you dunce! The bitch-countess was talking the other way just a minute ago, is it nae obvious she's trying to make a fool of you? I mean, this bitch couldn't... she wouldn't dare..."

You dare to grow hopeful as you see Ross purse his lips and look back down to Marzena with sudden apprehension, realizing that he has no good reasons to believe she isn't capable of such a spell, but ample evidence that she IS. He breaks eye contact with Aiden, no longer confident in his own logic. You see the wheels quickly turning in Ross's mind, trying not to look frightened or lose face in any way.

With a snort, he finds his out. "This brimstone reekin' slut protesting as she did makes me realize, though, just how soiled she is. Not just a whore, but the most heavily used. Aye, I'd ken that her cunny is loose as a druid's sleeve." At that imprecation, Marzena opened her mouth and started to protest before she realized that this was what you'd intended - so she just made a face at Ross, instead.

"Come on then," Ross said, roughly grabbing Aiden by the shoulder as if to say 'If I'm not getting any, then neither are you'. "I've worked up a powerful hunger slaying so many of that arrogant cow's hired scum. Let's go and have some vittles before that fat shite of a cook eats it all himself."

The sigh of relief that Marzena gives when both of the men leave the tent and do not return is music to your ears. "Well!" your friend says, her cheer returning. "I was hopin' I'd get a chance to say 'that could have gone worse' at least once, today! Not much so far could have!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Marzena dear." you say, trying to sound playful and smug. "We have these ignorant hill-folk right where we want them."

"Oh, well done," she replies with sarcasm. "Perhaps next time you can give me a turn at using rhetoric and strategy while YOU get your dress ripped open?"

"Oh my!" Both your and Marzena's heads whip to the side - the two of you had almost forgotten that meek Hannah was here. She sounded genuinely worried. "How can you make merry at such a time as this? I-I mean, forgive me countess, but ought we not to be making our peace with the gods? The way that the other girls were put in a cage... that must mean that they intend to burn them! And then me, and Marzena as well...!"

"No, no, stop talking nonsense," you say, trying to be reassuring. "Shhh. That isn't what they're doing, I promise. Even if it IS what they were planning before, it shall not be by daybreak tomorrow."

"....what? How can you be so sure?" There was a note of hope in Hannah's otherwise distraught voice.

"Marzena," you say, taking a deep breath, "It's time you - we - make Flora's sanctuary worth our while, and make use of this nightmare-ism power."

Marzena looked as if she'd just found a worm in the apple she was eating. "What - I - You having a bit of fun with me, Zoe? C'mon, I can't believe it's me who is saying this... but be serious! I mean, I've only just been introduced to that sort of magic by Flora a few days ago! And do you even know how it works? It's not some storybook enchantment that will turn these barbarians into your devoted servants! It just... plants ideas in people's minds. Particularly ideas about fucking."

"Well, there you are." you say with a sniff and a shrug of your shoulders. "Better than being burned, I'd say."

"Not that I disagree, necessarily," Marzena says snarkily, "but you wouldn't be the one being burned OR fucked so I'm not sure if you're qualified to pronounce it so."

"Mewl all you want, Marzena," you say condescendingly, "My mind is made up, and it is an ORDER. If we can get these brutes to follow their pricks perhaps I can talk them into making a detour to Undrek, to... savor their victory. And then we can get 'round them, work on them... and get them to change sides, if fortune is with us. And if they're too stubborn for that, we can always spring an ambush."

Though she still complained, Marzena seemed convinced enough to give it a shot, even if it was a long-shot of a plan and put her soul (not to mention her body) at serious risk. For hours, you kept an eye on the tent flap, anxious that more of the pigs, or their intimidating brute of a captain, would come swaggering in, and try to claim Marzena's (or your) womanhood before you could amicably bargain with it... but soon raucous shouting, laughing, and off-key singing started floating in from outside. It seems that Cadh had gotten pulled in to the impromptu celebrations by his men.

Quite a few hours later - it felt like an eternity - Cadh does indeed come in, but looking a great deal less composed and dignified than he had during the battle, reeking of whiskey and head lolling from side to side. He stares at you and Hannah for a long few minutes, making the both of you tense up uncomfortably.

When Cadh opens his mouth, what comes out is mostly incomprehensible glossolalia, with a few recognizable words sprinkled in here and there. "Iuhaoivnoidvdjb but it's there it's there sivuhownviwnovnwvuivav it's clear scihvwohvnwoowf honestly, you know what, what's the point iuhsvohaenvoehnvoesviubev the next couple of days cohwnovwivnwoviwnvo svhoiwvniwvjeovi... hahahhahaa!" He laughs triumphantly as if he's just said something very clever.

Not knowing what else to do, you smile and nod. That seems to have been the correct response, as he looks pleased and returns an authoritative nod. Staggering over to a nearby cot, he collapses into it like a felled tree. Within a minute, he's snoring loudly. It isn't the first time in your life that you've been profoundly relieved that a man drank himself into a stupor and collapsed before he could get around to laying his hands on you. Once you're sure that he's out for the night, you quietly counsel Marzena and Hannah to seize their chance.... and resolve to get some rest for tomorrow.