Alchemist’s Apprentice

Despite Cathryn's prediction, we didn't have any nobles or their bodyguards banging on our door the following day. Which was for the best, considering my sister spent the full day in bed.

The same was true for the day after, though I realized we didn't actually know when the young Lady was due to visit Lord Marcus. And for that matter we didn't know when he'd try the potions, so really there was no way to predict or guess when we'd next hear from them.

Cat finally got out of bed after a full two days of sleep, but even that wasn't quite enough to recover from how hard she'd pushed herself in the three weeks prior. I was glad to see her up and about though, and the pair of us slowly started to return to our usual routine.

A third day passed then a fourth, without any sign or word from Lord Marcus or his bodyguard. Or his guest either. And at that point I could tell my sister was starting to get a little anxious about the whole thing.

At noon on the fifth day she confessed, "I hope I didn't do something drastically wrong Val. I was pretty tired towards the end there, what if I slipped up? I could have made some kind of fatal mistake..."

"I'm sure you didn't," I tried to reassure her. "If something like that happened, we'd have the whole town guard breaking down our door right? Maybe he just hasn't had a chance to use the potions yet."

She remained uneasy as she sighed, "Maybe..."

Fortunately it turned out we didn't have that much longer to wait. Less than an hour after that conversation there was a knock at our front door. I actually thought it might be some other customer, since the first two times Lord Marcus visited he had his bodyguard pound on our door while this was more of a polite knock.

When I opened up though I was surprised to find myself looking at the Lord-Mayor's son, and the very attractive young woman standing alongside him. Serge was there too, the bodyguard was looking large and threatening as ever, but instead of taking the lead he was standing behind the two young nobles.

"Ah there you are," Lord Marcus smiled at me as he stepped past and into the shop.

That was a change too, he'd never once addressed me before. In fact on their very first visit Serge stated that his boss wouldn't talk to 'servants' like me. The smile on his face was new too, in that he genuinely looked happy. He didn't just curl his lips, his smile was also visible in his eyes.

The young Lady Philippa on the other hand seemed tense and uptight as she pushed past me without a word, but when the bodyguard moved to follow his lordship stopped him. "No need Serge. I think we'll be having this conversation in private. Please wait for us outside, see to it that no-one disturbs us."

"My lord," the burly man hesitated. "I'm not to leave your side..."

Marcus smiled, "Please, are you suggesting I can't protect myself from a couple young women? I do have my rapier with me after all. I'll be quite fine."

"Very well my lord," the bodyguard sighed as he took up a post outside our door.

I closed and quietly barred the door, and by that point Cat had already joined us. We both curtsied, then the two young nobles took their seats while I opened another bottle of the expensive wine and prepared three glasses. And as I did that I couldn't help observe our two guests.

The changes to Lord Marcus were subtle, but I realized it was more than his attitude. Unlike his first two visits this time his hair was neatly trimmed while his face bore some light stubble, as if he'd neglected to shave the last day or two. His clothes were the same sort of style, but he sat in a relaxed, rather care-free pose with his right arm leaning on the armrest of his chair while his left hand dangled down over the side.

Turning my attention to Lady Philippa I saw a very attractive young blonde who looked no older than myself. Indeed I recalled Marcus said she was eighteen, same as me. She was about ten centimetres taller than me, which still left her at least twenty centimetres shorter than Lord Marcus. Her build appeared slight, though much of her figure was concealed by her fancy silk dress. Her eyes were a pretty green, her long blonde hair was in loose curls at the back and tight ringlets to the sides, and her fair skin had just a touch of blush and make-up to bring out her beauty while her lips were painted a bright cherry red.

The thing about her that was most striking wasn't her appearance or her clothes though, but the way she was slumped in her chair with her legs spread apart. Not that anything was visible, the long skirts almost reached down to her ankles. But it certainly wasn't the posture of a Lady, a point which was raised a moment later.

"Pippa darling, what have I told you about slouching? Do sit up like a proper young lady when we're in public," Marcus chided her with a smile and a slightly condescending tone.

The Lady's face went bright red as she straightened up and brought her knees and ankles together, then she carefully straightened her dress skirt before folding her hands in her lap.

After that little display Marcus turned his attention to Cathryn and asked, "I take it I have you two young ladies to thank, for sparing me the rather grisly fate a certain someone had planned for me?"

"Correct," Cat replied. She motioned for me to serve the wine, then she asked quietly "How do you prefer I address you? As Lord Marcus? Or Lady Philippa?"

After thanking me for the wine the young lord responded, "You may call me Marc for now. And my beloved here answers to Pippa, at least in private. Obviously in public she is Lady Philippa and I am Lord Marcus."

There was no mistaking the emphasis Marc put on the 'she' when referring to the young lady seated next to him. And by using a masc name for himself even in private it seemed equally clear the young lord was comfortable as a man.

"You seem surprisingly at ease with the current situation," my sister said as she watched Marc.

He smiled, "It was a surprise to be sure, but yes I am indeed rather pleased with the circumstances. Much more so than Pippa is, to be sure."

My sister nodded slowly, then asked "I take it you and she have had some lengthy conversations?"

"Oh yes," Marc grinned. "The past four days have been most enlightening."

Cat and I exchanged a quick glance, I could tell she was surprised it took that long for the pair to come see us. That left me wondering if maybe they weren't as desperate to have this fixed as we'd expected. Or at least, Marc wasn't. Pippa was definitely uptight, but she'd been quiet so far.

My sister took a sip of her wine before addressing Marc, "I assume you have some questions for me?"

"Indeed," he nodded. He had a gulp of his drink then smiled at the goblet, "Fantastic stuff, I must find out where you got it. But moving on, my number one concern is this. Are the effects of those potions permanent? And if not, what do I have to do to make this permanent?"

I felt my eyebrows creeping up, while Cat was better at controlling her expression and hiding her surprise. She asked, "You want to stay like that? What of Lady Philippa?"

Marc glanced at the young lady and smiled, "Pippa and I have talked at length. She's confessed what she wanted to do with me, in rather graphic detail. As grateful as I am to have avoided that fate, I'm even more pleased with the outcome you arranged in its stead. Had I known it were possible to achieve this with a mere potion, I might have insisted my father send me to alchemy school so I could learn that arcane art myself."

He continued, "As for the rest of it, going from the daughter of a count to the son of a town mayor may seem like a step down in status, but frankly it's a step up for me. There's a certain freedom that young noblemen enjoy, which is all but denied those of the fairer sex."

"I see," Cat responded slowly. "I have a few questions for Pippa if you don't mind? And I'd like to hear the answers directly from her."

The young man nodded, "Oh of course. Pippa darling, I think we can trust these two young women to hold our conversations in confidence, don't you? Feel free to speak openly with them."

The young lady let out an exasperated sigh as she glared at Marc for a few seconds. Then she turned her attention on Cat and in a soft high-pitched voice she half-demanded, "What have you done to me!? And how could you?! How could you claim to be morally opposed to what I asked of you, then turn around and do something like this to me?!"

Cathryn didn't look the least bit sorry for her actions. She replied calmly, "You asked me to provide you with a permanent enslavement potion, and if that's what you'd drank we wouldn't be having this conversation because you'd be incapable of independent thought. All I did was a little body-swapping between the two of you. And your potion contained a dose of what we call 'limited obedience'. It's nothing like enslavement, it just makes you a little more inclined to follow the instructions of the person you took the potion with."

She continued, "You still have your free will, and you can resist the potion's effects at any time if you put in the effort. If you're doing everything Marc says, it's because you want to."

The girl's face went bright red as she sputtered, "That's not true!"

Meanwhile Marc laughed, "Oh that does explain a great deal! Now miss Cathryn, about making this permanent? What's involved, how much will it cost, and how quickly can it happen?"

"Before I answer that," Cat responded, "I'd like to know your intentions for Pippa. If you're taking the place of Lord Marcus, do you mean to send her back to Count Lambert as his daughter?"

The young man drained his wine glass then shook his head, "Not at all. I wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy. No, I think Pippa and I shall move ahead with plans for marriage. I've already spoken to the Lord-Mayor and he's ecstatic that his son's ready to settle down and take a bride. Plus I happen to have it on good authority that Count Lambert will be equally pleased when he finds out his most difficult daughter has finally accepted a marriage proposal that will get her off his hands. I also know we can expect a rather generous dowry, which will not go unappreciated."

"We're talking about a marriage of convenience to be sure," Marc added. "It will free both Pippa and I of both our overbearing fathers, and along with the dowry it'll afford us both the freedom to enjoy our new lives."

Pippa finally picked up her wine glass and had a sip, then grimaced "Would you believe Marc actually gets on with my father better than I do? The first time I can remember my dad saying he was proud of me, and it wasn't even me! It was her, in my body! The man's never said two kind words to me in my life, now he's acting chummy with Marc while treating me with all the respect and courtesy due the daughter of a count!"

Cat and I exchanged another surprised look. My sister asked her, "What do you think of Marc's plans?"

"Be honest dear," Marc suggested to her. Then he picked up his empty wine glass and motioned to me, so I moved forward to refill it for him.

Meanwhile Pippa sighed, then grimaced, and her cheeks quickly grew bright red again. She finally responded in a soft embarrassed voice, "Is it wrong of me to agree with Marc's plan? I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's actually better at being Lord Marcus than I was. Would you believe he's even studied the rapier? An eighteen year old girl is a better swordsman than me!"

"You're the eighteen year old girl now darling," Marc commented with a smirk.

Pippa glared for a moment, then sighed again and took a deeper sip of her wine. She was still blushing as she continued, "I have to confess, I haven't hated the pampering and delicate handling I've received these past few days. Nobody demands I spend hours practicing the sword or touring the town or inspecting the guards. Father doesn't insist I waste my mornings looking at boring accounts and tax registers with him. I've actually had time to relax and catch up on my reading. Marc even suggested we could hire a tutor so I might learn to play some musical instruments."

"There'll be other duties expected of you if you become Lord Marcus' wife," Cat warned.

Marc had a gulp of wine then chuckled, "Judging by the sounds she's made the last few nights with me, I rather think she's enjoying those 'duties' just as much as I have. Perhaps even more!"

"Eep!" Pippa let out an embarrassed squeak, and this time she blushed right down to her neck. She drained the last of her wine then took a few breaths to try and control her emotions. Then she stated in as firm a voice as she could manage, "I will not subject myself to childbirth. That is a line I absolutely refuse to cross."

Marc nodded, "I can live with that. When the time comes we'll find another way. Trust me darling, I do know all the tricks. Easiest option is we'll pay off a couple maids. One to bear the heir, the others to help maintain the lie that the child is yours."

Cathryn offered, "I can give you a contraceptive potion which will ensure you can't become pregnant. And if both of you are in agreement and wish this to be permanent, I can make that happen as well. There is of course a small matter of payment to be taken care of first. Incase you've forgotten Lord Marcus, there is a two hundred and fifty sovereign debt still open on your account."

The young lord counted out five small coin purses and set them on the table, "There's five hundred more platinum sovereigns. Does that cover making this last forever? And the other thing you just mentioned for Pippa?"

"That will do nicely," she smiled. "Valeria, please top up our guests' glasses while I fetch the potions."

"Yes mistress," I responded. And I did my best not to grin, because this was working out better than I could have ever imagined.

Marc and Pippa accepted the wine, then I carefully collected the money from the table and placed it behind the counter as my sister returned with three vials in hand. I recognized them, the first was one of the contraceptive potions I'd brewed up while the other two looked like Cat's permanence elixirs.

She placed the contraceptive potion before Pippa and gave her a brief instruction on what it was and what it did. The young lady didn't hesitate to drink it down. Meanwhile Marc was eager for the other two, but Cat kept him waiting a bit longer.

"Please understand that when you drink this next potion," she cautioned him, "It will render the transformation as permanent. You will be sealed in your current shape, and will never revert back to the body you had before."

The eager grin on his face said it all. He held out his hand, and Cathryn gave him the vial. Marc unsealed it and drank it down immediately.

Then my sister turned her attention back to our other guest. She held up the second permanence potion and explained, "Pippa, you're now under the effects of three potions. Once you drink this, all of them will become permanent. That means your body will never revert back to the form you had before. It means you'll never be able to conceive a child. And finally, it means the limited obedience potion will also remain with you. You'll always be inclined to do what Marc tells you."

The young lady hesitated, "But you said I could refuse or resist if I wanted? I'm not his slave, I have free will."

"That's correct," my sister nodded. "I just wanted to be sure you knew what this potion would do."

Pippa paused again, she glanced from Cat to Marc, then back at my sister again. She finally nodded, "Very well. If I'm to play at being his wife I'll be expected to obey him regardless. This will make that act just a little bit easier."

Cathryn smiled as she handed over the final vial. Pippa accepted it, but hesitated once more. She stared at the small glass tube in her hand for a few seconds, then closed her eyes and drank it back.

"Excellent," Marc grinned. "I think our business here is concluded? But I do rather expect we'll see you again soon Cathryn. I've heard what you did for Lord and Lady Olivier, and I admit both Pippa and I are quite intrigued."

The young lady blushed brightly again, but she didn't deny what the young lord said.

Cat smiled as well, "Of course Lord Marcus. I'm always happy to discuss new commissions."

The pair finally departed after a few more pleasantries, and from the smiles on their faces it was clear we had two more satisfied customers.