Theresa decided quickly that she adored travelling by horse. She had always loved riding around her estate, but this was better by far.
During the first leg of the journey, each step that that the horse took gave her a feeling of satisfaction. It was the combination of the freedom of riding and the feeling that she was accomplishing something at the same time. It was a marvelous feeling.
The glow of travelling began to wear off after the first few hours and Theresa began to obsessively think about the upcoming confrontations that she would have to endure. Now that the moment was nearly upon her, she was afraid to go before the king.
Somewhere in the gradually solidifying haze of her memories from the days of her aunt's control, she realized with a start that she had already met him once when he and his party had visited Waldwick while travelling.
She had been a perfect lady and their encounter had been brief and superficial.
The vague memory told her nothing about him and all she really knew were the occasional unfavorable rumors and tales that surrounded all royalty, which meant she ultimately knew nothing.
Her aunt knew the king far better than she did. Theresa wondered if that would weigh heavily with him or if he would listen to her and judge fairly. It seemed unlikely he would since her aunt was surely already filling his ears with her serpent's whispers.
Still, she would face the king and gamble her future on hoping that he was just and not the cruel fool others might portray.
She had to try because all their other options were even more unpalatable. She could spend her life hiding from her aunt and inconveniencing Wildwood so that she could remain on the edge of being human. She would live a life of fear, running and hiding.
Or, she could give up and go back to Francine. Her aunt would likely lift the feline spell so she could resume her doting aunt façade, but it would surely be a long time before she let down her guard enough for Theresa to have another chance to escape.
Theresa could and would not live under either of those conditions.
If she could not be somehow free, she thought that perhaps living her life as a cat might be best. She would not run away in the night again. She would give everyone fair warning and she would thank them all for what they had done.
Perhaps Wildwood would be willing to continue to shield her so that Francine would not find her, and she could trust him to see to Daphne. Although they would never say it, it would probably be a great relief to be released from dealing with her problems and they could all simply focus on keeping her sister happy.
"Is something wrong?" Wildwood asked. She had not noticed that he had fallen back to ride beside her until he had spoken.
Theresa shook her head. There was nothing wrong that was any different than what was normally wrong. "I was just thinking."
"About?"
She replied, "About obtaining an audience with the king."
"You'll be able to get an audience. You're the Countess of Waldwick."
"It feels odd to be called that."
Wildwood half smiled. "It's your title. However, think of how I feel, calling a boy 'Lady Waldwick.' That is truly odd."
Theresa laughed a bit. "I'd forgotten. I hope I don't forget if we meet someone."
"No doubt you'll remember if we stumble upon danger. Perhaps attempt to make your voice sound more coarse and deep if you absolutely must speak. You still sound very much like a lady."
Theresa nodded. "I'll remember that."
Wildwood smiled again. "You needn't worry. Even if you cannot procure an audience with his majesty, I certainly can."
Theresa could not help but be interested. "You have influence with the king?" Perhaps Wildwood could help her in a political sense as well.
Wildwood smiled wryly. "Barely. He sees me as a bit of an eccentric recluse. He also thinks I'm a bit odd. Sadly, I'm no favorite of the king."
"Oh," said Theresa, feeling a bit disappointed.
"However, as I'm a marquis he's unlikely to ignore a request that I make entirely. I've also got friends in surprising places."
Theresa smiled. He certainly did have friends in surprising places; she just had to look around the group.
Theresa was also mildly surprised that he outranked her. She had become so used to thinking of Wildwood as a mere wizard that she had not bothered to consider which title he might carry.
Had she thought about it, she would have assumed that he was equal or lower rank than she was. There were not too many people who outranked a countess, even one under compulsion magic.
"It's odd that I never met you before I ran away from Francine," Theresa commented. Waldwick and Wildwood were not so far apart and it was not as if Francine had kept them hidden from members of the nobility.
"I would not say so much odd as reasonable. Weren't you essentially a captive there?"
Theresa shrugged, trying to find the words to describe her experience. "We were treated well, at least in the sense that we had everything that we needed physically. Our aunt made sure that we were fed and clothed and groomed and tutored. We played chess, I read, and I always enjoyed riding. We had free run of our castle and the grounds surrounding it."
Theresa took a breath and tried to think of how she could explain it to him. "Aunt Francine frequently had guests visit. They were people of consequence, their sons and daughters, diplomats, and I suppose anyone who could bring Francine more power and influence. Twice a year Francine would hold balls, one at Christmas and one celebrating summer. I don't remember them well, but they seemed to be well received. Many attended."
Wildwood was watching her and he nodded. He did not interrupt, so she went on.
"She would bring us out and show us off in front of everyone. She would show them how healthy and happy Daphne and I were in her care. We would be charming and polite while there was an audience and when they were gone we went back to simply existing. I can't think how to explain what it was like from the inside. It was..."
She paused to look for the right words.
"When Francine first began using her magic on me, I must not have known. Maybe it was like a small stream that I could step over. On one side was reality and on the other side was my own mind. It was barely noticeable. But before I even knew it was there, it was as if the stream became a river that I could not cross and the harder I tried the more the river raged. It was like watching my own life, my own actions from very far away. My memories from the last few years are almost entirely gone."
"Then it's fortunate indeed that you learned how to swim, my lady," Wildwood responded simply.
Theresa smiled at his words. His comment gave her a warm feeling of encouragement.
Wildwood spoke again. "What do you first remember?"
"I don't know. I just began to get a feeling of myself again."
"I've done more in depth reading on coercive magic since you arrived. The mind of the subject can develop an immunity to such magic, because the mind is from where magic stems. It's not like this disguise spell I've put on you. I could maintain that spell indefinitely and the amount of magic necessary will never change, even if you wanted to regain your true appearance," he explained.
Theresa nodded.
"What likely happened was that she had to use increasing amounts of magic upon you to keep you obedient and eventually you simply were impossible for her to control. It's almost unheard of, using a strong magic so continuously. Your aunt has done so both with the compulsion spell and now with your transformation spell."
"Is she the most powerful wizard alive?" she asked, feeling dread.
Wildwood shook his head. "I doubt it, but she is incredibly strong."
"Is she stronger than you?" she wondered.
Wildwood smiled, "I do not know. We're probably fairly evenly matched, but there is no way I can find out besides combat. I would of course hope to avoid that and all the complications inherent."
Theresa nodded, but dread was filling her. Was Francine truly unstoppable? Would Theresa never actually be free of her? Theresa's hands tightened on the reins.
He must have noticed her distress, because when he spoke it was firm and calming. "There are things that your aunt does not possess. She is isolated in her plans. When people, most especially wizards, work together, much can be done. You and Lady Daphne have allies now: the Wizard Jim, Sir Thomas, and myself, among others. It is unlikely that she has anyone with power who she truly trusts."
"You are right," she agreed, hoping that he truly was. She really wanted to believe him. His calm and reasonable tone invited her to relax and trust that he would take care of everything.
Although she could not quite believe it, it was nice to stop worrying for a moment.
He changed the topic. "In retrospect, it is not surprising that I never received an invitation to Waldwick. I would likely have noticed the compulsion spells immediately. She probably went through a great deal of difficulty to keep wizards away from you two."
Theresa nodded. It was a shame. She wished that he had come into her life sooner. She felt an odd sense of safety when he was around. She had always tried to protect and take care of Daphne, even when Daphne was exasperating to the extreme.
This was different. It was pleasant. It was a nice feeling just to trust that Wildwood could help her manage at least some of her problems.
She really hoped that her trust in him was not misplaced.
She no longer really believed that it was.