Time was beginning to pass quickly in Morgana's castle. She had begun her time here as a prisoner: desperate to escape, scheming, every minute as precious as gold. In truth she was still a prisoner, but that was a fact that was sliding farther and farther into the back of her mind. The sense of urgency was gone. She was enjoying her time here. She had become a welcome guest, and was now being treated as another member of the family.
She was getting quite acclimated to life in this strange, secluded Eden. She no longer missed wearing clothes. There was no more modesty in showing off her naked body, nor was it the least bit distracting to interact with someone else who was naked. She would have been lying if she said there wasn't something sexual about it, but that was another thing she wasn't ashamed of anymore. She wasn't shy about her sexual nature anymore, and the sense of freedom it brought was refreshing beyond description. She had always thought clothing was a fundamental part of human nature, but now she wondered if any cultures in the world had done away with it entirely. It didn't seem so far-fetched to her. Though this current gathering was far too small to be called a 'society' it was somewhat of a paradise all the same.
She vaguely recalled a parable, she couldn't remember if it was even from the Bible or not, of a man who was given the privilege of glimpsing Heaven for a minute while he was still mortal. He lost himself in the secret wonders of the hereafter. When his guide told him it was time to leave, he begged for just one more minute. Several times his guide insisted he had already stayed too long, and when he finally did decide to return he discovered thousands of years had passed.
With Adrielle being practically immortal within the walls of Morgana's castle, was she in danger of making the same mistake? Her thoughts of escaping were becoming less and less frequent. Thankfully, Adrielle had been meticulous in counting the days. By now her parents must surely be worried sick about her, but at least everyone she knew back home should still be alive for quite a while longer.
Morgana seemed to be opening up to Adrielle more than she did to anyone else in the castle; however she was still closed off about some topics. Morgana had refused to tell Adrielle anything meaningful about her past, most notably where her magical powers had come from. This was a story Adrielle felt she needed to hear. Though she wasn't even sure what her mission was anymore, she had a strong inkling that hearing this story would be critical to it.
Thankfully, Morgana wasn't her only hope for getting such critical information. As she did what she could to gain Morgana's trust, she also went to work on Susan, that aloof girl nobody ever seemed to speak to. She had supposedly been living with Morgana longer than anybody else in the castle. Ever since she had first met the girl up on the terrace over the bath, Adrielle had suspected that the quiet recluse might know something special.
The problem was that Susan was like a ghost. She would show up during meals and other large gatherings, but disappear again as soon as she could. Adrielle had tried to introduce herself to Susan a few times, but she said frustratingly little in response. Susan hadn't even bothered to thank Adrielle for the time she had talked Morgana out of tormenting her.
Adrielle had some dangerous questions for Susan. She needed to get her alone, but Adrielle didn't dare chase her down too deliberately. If Susan knew any of Morgana's secrets, Morgana surely knew it, too. If she were to chase Susan down after supper, it might not take a leap of logic for Morgana to guess what Adrielle was after.
Wandering the castle, it didn't take long for her to find Susan's bedchamber: it was the only chamber in the entire castle, save the dungeon, that wasn't vastly more luxurious than her own bedroom, her real bedroom back in Lindis. It had a bed and a single armchair; that was it. However, Susan's chamber wasn't nearly private enough and was too close to some of the higher-ranking servants' chambers for secret conversations.
Susan was rarely in there anyway, except to sleep. It was like she didn't want to make it easy for people to find her. Adrielle hardly blamed her, seeing how Morgana treated her. Even some of the servants looked down on her, and those that didn't openly scorn her seemed to ignore her instead. Only Cateline, the loving soul she was, made any attempt to reach out to her. Even Cateline didn't have much luck.
It was on Adrielle's twenty-ninth day in the castle when she finally got her chance to speak to the girl alone. It was purely by chance. She simply happened across her in a seldom-traversed hallway as she was exploring one of the farther corners of the vast, labyrinthine castle. She was scrubbing the floor, and taking her time no less.
As soon as Susan saw her, she dropped her brush, darted to her feet, and stood with her back against the wall to make way for Adrielle's passage, avoiding eye contact all the while. But Adrielle did not pass by.
"Oh, Susan! So is this where you go during the day?"
Susan's eyes met Adrielle's ever so briefly, returned to the floor, then back to hers. "Ah, good afternoon, Adelle."
Adrielle chuckled warmly. "It's Adrielle, but don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry! I beg your forgiveness!" She sounded frightened, as if expecting punishment.
"I said it's okay," she said, smiling. "So... is this what you do all day?"
Susan finally found the courage to look Adrielle in the eyes for more than a moment. Susan's eyes were bright green; sad but beautiful. She had voluminous, curly red hair that fell down over her shoulders, truly a rarity in Adrielle's experience. She had freckles on her puffy cheeks, cheeks that Adrielle thought might have formed adorable dimples if she would actually smile. She had a voluptuous body, though just enough imperfections to look natural. Her ample breasts hung naturally and comfortably, rather than sticking straight forward like so many of the breasts here. Her breasts made Adrielle wonder if Susan was the only other woman here besides herself whose appearance hadn't been magically perfected.
Wide, light pink areolas filled up a good portion of the front of Susan's breasts. They were smooth and puffy, with pea-sized nipples. Adrielle imagined she would love to caress that soft, pink flesh. It looked so much different than her own nipples, which were giant and hard, with a circle of bumps all around her areolas.
Susan had a strong and fit build, though just enough fat covering her to give her skin a soft and smooth appearance: the kind of skin that just beckons to be caressed and embraced. She had a slender waste with wide hips. She had a wide crotch with a nice gap, and a modestly small slit between her labia majora.
"I... Yes, I clean the unused parts of the castle."
"I see. Is this all you do? I never see you around except at meals."
"No, I just..." She finished that sentence with a shrug instead of words.
"Well, Cateline and I were at the bath. It was mostly just the two of us. I think she's still there. You are welcome to join us and make three if you want."
"Mm, thank you, but I already bathed this morning," said the girl covered in dust and grime from her chores.
"Okay, suit yourself."
Susan was already looking like she wanted to get back to her cleaning and be alone again.
"So, why does Morgana make you scrub the floor? Couldn't she just magic the dust away? Just like that?"
"No, it would take her some time. Not as long as it takes me, but I don't mind."
"I'll help you with that. It'll go faster."
"No, that's fine, but thank you."