Early the next morning, I was escorted out of my cell and upstairs to where the abbess was waiting for me with two of her sternest nuns. "Sister Maria and Sister Georgia will be accompanying you," the abbess told me. "They have instructions to see you reduced to a mindless shell should any attempts at rescue be made. If necessary, they will kill you themsleves, but don't think that is an escape - your soul will be held in limbo until the threat has passed, and then you will be brought back to life."
I hated Sisters Maria and Georgia. They were two of the strongest nuns in the castle, and they had gone to extrodinary lengths to turn me into a pliant little doll. My resistence had angered them to the point where they often made me go without food or water for days on end to force me into compliance, and when that hadn't worked, they'd made me stand naked in front of the other residents, whipping my hands every time I tried to cover myself. They'd told me I had no right to be embarrassed or ashamed; I had only to admit guilt, and then they'd let me go free. Any punishments were my fault, they'd told me, and I shivered in revulsion. "I'd rather die here and now," I said.
Sister Maria slapped me across the face. "You brought this on yourself," she told me. "You have no right to feel revulsion. You are happy to be given a second chance at redeeming yourself and confessing your sins."
Years of practice had taught me a few things, and I countered her forced emotions with ease. "Stop trying to control me," I said angrily. "You can slap me all you want, you can starve me, make me go to the toilet in my cell, and you can make me walk naked through the castle. I am not in the wrong; my parents are the arseholes for putting me through this hell all because of a casual run in with criminals I'll likely never see again this side of the Wheel. So send me to this new place that will supposedly cure me. You're wasting your time and energy; I will not be muzzled or abused into silence!"
The abbess sniffed. "You will be begging to be brought back here within a week," she predicted.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIVNAFZYYL
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The journey was a long and uncomfortable one, made worse when Sisters Maria and Georgia refused to stop for breaks until I'd begged them with tears in my eyes. Evne then, they'd made sure the breaks were only as long as they saw fit, until by nightfall, I felt ready to pass out from hunger. Luckily the hotel's restaurant was still open, and, rather than risk being called out in public, the nuns "graciously allowed" me a chance to sit down and get some proper food in me. Their silence told the story; had they their way, I'd be eating nothing but a packet of crisps, with a single swallow of water. I made sure not to eat or drink too fast, lest I be sick, and the nuns were singularly disapproving of my resilience in the face of their abuse.
Once we got upstairs, I was once more given "gracious permission" to visit the facilities, but Sister Georgia insisted on having the door open while I peed, so she could make sure I wasn't doing anything untoward. I had no mobile phone in any case, but Sister Georgia nevertheless inspected me very closely as I washed my hands. Then I was made to undress in front of both nuns, suffering a humiliating experience as they searched me from head to toe, as if I'd had a chance at hiding anything from them during the agonising drive. They took their sweet time doing so, and only when they were completely satisfied was I finally allowed to go to bed. Of course, they then had to climb into bed with me, and I shuddered as I felt them press against me from either side. I couldn't turn without brushing against one bony woman or the other, and that sufficed to give me a very sleepless night indeed.
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