After a meagre two hours of sunlight, it was pitch black along the trail through the swamps of Belstar-3, save for the glowing lanterns on carriages in the Princess’ procession. Celine Henrietta Francesca II of House Lepallier idly trailed her finger along the golden frame at the bottom of the coach window, watching yet more of the same ugly neon blue plants pass by. It had been three days since she and her retinue had left the miserable frontier town of Dale’s Creek, and even longer still since she had been lodged in accommodations anywhere remotely befitting of the Heir to the Galaxy.

“Next stop is Vicereine Aurora’s Palace, your Celestial Radiance,” Annabelle whispered. Celine’s favourite lady-in-waiting, Annabelle was a low-ranking member of House Belstar herself, and thus a distant relative of the Vicereine. Still, Celine certainly couldn’t recall how she was related if her life depended on it. “I’m sure it’ll make for a better rest than sleeping in here again, don’t you think?”

Annabelle always had a near uncanny ability to know what Celine was thinking, and it annoyed the Princess to no end. It was as if she had no privacy, even in her own head. Still, she was by far the most tolerable of her many attendants, and useful too. “As soon as we arrive, I shall tell the servants to prepare the bathhouse for your arrival, if that would please you? House Belstar prides itself on its hospitality.”

In response to Annabelle’s incessant comments and questions, the Heir scoffed. “How easy that must be when its biggest competition is the nearest whorehouse, a hundred miles away.” Annabelle was about to speak up once more with a faltering smile, but instead closed her mouth and slowly sank back into her seat.

Still, Celine knew she was right. She knew that, as with the last three frontier planets she had visited on her tour of the King’s outer holdings, whatever palace the Vicereine had built here was sure to be a squalid little hovel compared to the splendour of the lunar chateaus where she had spent her youth. As soon as her father’s illness took him, at long last, she would appoint Vicereine Aurora as Belstar-3’s Duchess and never return to this wretched corner of the galaxy. Or she could always have the entire rock blasted out of the sky. Either worked for her.

She reached up and rubbed her aching shoulder. The ridiculous ceremonial outfits she was required to wear the whole tour meant she had worn nothing but the most uncomfortable, overly elaborate dresses she could imagine for months on end. What irked her most were the epaulettes. Through technology she couldn’t even begin to understand, they generated a small anti-gravity field above each shoulder, holding a detailed model of whatever planet she was currently visiting, made entirely from delicate crystal. An important symbol, her father had told her – A ruler had to bear the weight of her people on her shoulders. She just wished that wasn’t so literal, even in miniature.

The carriage shook as it ran over a particularly bumpy patch of road, nearly knocking Celine and her attendants out of their seats, before coming to a halt. The glowing lights around the rim of one of the epaulettes flickered, and the model of Belstar-3 suspended above the Princess’s right shoulder went flying. It landed on the floor with a crash and the entire carriage went silent. A moment later, Celine finally snapped.

“I am sick of this damn tour, I am sick of travelling by carriage, and I am sick of this disgusting swamp planet!” she shouted. “I don’t care how many millennia of tradition it breaks. The second we get to Aurora’s pathetic little keep, I am taking the next flight home whether Father likes it or not!”

Elizabeth, another attendant, placed a hand on Celine’s arm, in an attempt to soothe the Heir. “Your Radiance, please… It’s important for the unity of the realm that-…”

“I don’t give a damn about the unity of the realm! All these frontier planets are worthless rocks with absolutely nothing worth seeing! They can sink into a black hole for all I care!”

Celine’s ladies-in-waiting glanced at each other. It was no use arguing with her when she was in one of her moods, lest they found their families fall out of royal favour, or worse. Annabelle, ever the diplomat, eventually spoke up, although the insult to her House’s realms clearly stung a little.

“It has been quite a long tour, your Radiance. Perhaps we can return home for a break before the final stretch.” Seeing the Princess glare daggers at her, she added, “And I shall speak to the Lord Steward to see if his Galactic Resplendence the King would be amenable to allowing a hovercarriage. A small break in tradition to prevent a larger one. Would that be acceptable?”

Annabelle took Celine’s hand in hers, sliding her fingers between the Princess’ until they locked together. She looked into her eyes, almost pleading.

Celine relented. “Fine.” It was like Annabelle always knew what would work on her. Annoying. “But we leave the second we get to the Palace,” the Princess insisted. She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms in a sulk as another attendant – a new one, one Annabelle hadn’t bothered to learn the name of – pulled out a small vacuum cleaner from a cupboard under her seat and began clearing the shards of crystal from the floor.

The Princess was glad that with the model planet out of the way, she at least had room to rest her head against the cushioned coach wall. She was about to close her eyes to rest but looked through the window and frowned. “And why have we not resumed moving? I don’t want to spend another second loitering around than I must.”

Elizabeth, eager to prevent another royal outburst, quickly rose to her feet and opened the door. “I’m sure one of the carriages ahead simply damaged a wheel, your Radiance, or something to that effect. I shall tell them to pull aside so the rest of us can continue onwards.” She stepped outside.

All the attendants around Celine sat in a tense silence as they waited. She kept her eyes closed, but she knew they must be all staring at her. She wasn’t naïve – she knew they hated her. Some would probably try to quietly have themselves excused from their position when they returned home. So be it. They could all leave, for all she cared. Except for Annabelle. Despite being an annoyance, the Princess remained fond of her.

Just as Celine was about to sit back up and begin complaining once more, a scream rang out and was cut short by a loud shot. The Princess froze. “What was that?” she blurted out. Before anyone could speak up, there was another. Most of the attendants began to panic, while Annabelle grabbed the Heir, dragged her to the floor and hunched over her.

The outside of the carriage erupted into chaos. Whinnies of horses. The blast of guards’ guns. Thuds and groans, screams and cries, all muffled by the carriage doors. The cozy lighting inside was replaced by the blinding flashes of lasers streaming through the windows. The Princess curled up tight, all while her attendants whimpered above her. It was hard to tell how long it went on.

Gradually, there were fewer and fewer shots. There was a clear difference between the roar of the Royal Guard’s guns and the high-pitched shriek of the enemy’s, and from the sound of the firefight, Celine could tell her bodyguards were losing. Soon, there was only one gun firing – the enemy’s, at first distant, then getting closer.

“Your Radiance, we need to get out of here…” Annabelle whispered down to the Heir. “If we all run at once, into the dark and split up, then we can find our way to the Vicereine’s Palace and-…”

The sound of one of the carriages behind the Princess’ coach being filled with a volley of laser blasts rang out, making Annabelle cower.

“Are you stupid?” Celine hissed. “And leave me exposed like that?” She turned to the rest of the attendants. “I want all of you surrounding me at all times. Die as my shield, and I will ensure your kin will be favoured by House Lepallier for a thousand years. Run, and I will ensure-“

Another volley of blasts. This time, at the carriage directly behind them.

“Your Radiance, please… We need to go now… We don’t have time. Let me-…” Annabelle reached up to grab the handle, but as she did, Celine could hear the squelch of boots on the marshy ground outside. She ducked down and covered her head. A deafening discharge of laserfire shot through the carriage, leaving it full of holes and scented like ozone. Celine felt a weight on her back as Annabelle and the others went limp. She dared not turn her head, laying perfectly still under the pile of bodies.

She heard the door open, and a moment later, someone sighing and moving on. Reaching the last carriage and riddling whoever was in it with the final charges of their gun, the fight seemed to finally be over and an eerie silence overtook the area. The Princess could hear someone trudging around outside, back and forth, tutting. Eventually, even that seemed to fade away, and all that was left was the hum of alien swamp insects.

She lay there, heart racing, under the warm bodies of her attendants, for a while. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. It all blurred together. Eventually, she began to climb out from the pile. She heard crunching, the other crystalline model of Belstar-3 crushed underneath the woman she hadn’t learnt the name of. Without daring to look back, not even at Annabelle, she climbed out of the carriage.

“Ugh,” was all she said as she looked down and found her dress getting muddy. All around, guards lay face down in the filth, as did the bodies of the horses that had taken such effort to transport. “Utterly, utterly… pathetic…” She practically spat with rage at them, shaking a little as her eyes welled up. On the horizon, she could just about see the lights of the Vicereine’s Palace. She lifted her dress above her ankles and began to walk.

There was a familiar squelch of boots stepping in mud from behind her. Before she could turn, she felt a blow to the back of her head, and everything went black.

_____

When Celine awoke, she found herself lying on a pile of blankets on the floor, her head sore and clothes dirty. She went to sit up but her body felt too heavy to move much. She seemed to be in some sort of cell, in a cave no less, lit by lanterns. She couldn’t imagine how unhygienic this place must be.

“Mornin’, Princess,” a voice from across the cave called out. A person sitting in a dimly lit corner of the cavern had noticed her stirring. Swaying back and forth in a chair, with boots up on a wooden table was a lanky woman. She was dressed in scruffy denim jeans and a leather jacket and her face was obscured by a large hat with a feather in it, pulled low across her eyes. There was something in her hand, which she idly tinkered at with a screwdriver. She chuckled to herself. “Y’know, I must’ve said that to a hundred-odd girls before in my life, but this is the first time it’s been literal.”

“You!” Celine shouted, lifting herself onto her knees and moving to grab at the cell bars. Her right hand was dragged down by an immense weight, and as she looked down at her wrist, she found a thin band of golden metal around it. She paid it no mind. “You… You… You… Do you have any idea who I am? Why, I am the Mortal Arbiter of the Inner Covenant, the Heir to the Galaxy, her…”

“Her Celestial Radiance, Princess Celine of House Lepallier herself? I know who you are, girl.” The woman lifted the brim of her hat with the tip of her screwdriver, giving Celine a better look at her face. She was in her early thirties, maybe, and wore a smirk on her pierced lips. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“And you? Who are you? Some sort of… bandit? A vagabond?”

“Viola Cooper,” the woman stated, matter-of-factly. “People ‘round here mostly know me as Cavalier Cooper. Sometimes the Huntress of the Marsh. But just Viola works too, if you prefer. Take your pick.” She placed the screwdriver down on the table and stood up, crossing the room.

“’Cavalier’? Surely you should be supporting the monarch-“

“They call me that on account of my disposition, not any affiliation. Believe me, I got no love for your sort. That damn Vicereine of yours is a menace, and from the stories I’ve heard of your lil’ tour, you ain’t no better. No, I’m just a bounty hunter, and someone’s put a good price on you.”

“Bounty hunter?” Celine’s eyes filled with true fear, perhaps for the first time in her life. She backed away in her cell. “No, that can’t be right, I am a princess! That would be treason! High treason! I-”

Viola opened the cell door with a key from the large chain on her belt, closing it behind her before Celine could even consider slipping past her. “Don’t worry, girl. The bounty said it wanted you alive and in good condition. Ain’t gonna waste this opportunity by roughing you up too much.” The Princess didn’t like the leeway Viola left herself there.

The bounty hunter reached out and firmly took Celine by her uncuffed left wrist. She held up what she had been tinkering with and the Princess could now see that it was a cuff that matched the other, bent into shape from the remains of one of her epaulettes. “Mighty fine piece of tech, you have here. ‘Course, your sort wastes it on a fancy outfit, but with a little tweakin’…”

Before she could object, Celine felt Viola clamp the cuff around her free wrist, and a moment later, the gravitational field it generated dragged her hand down to the floor. She tried to resist, finding herself able to lift her hand about a foot off the ground before the cuff activated again and yanked her arm back down.

Celine looked up with a fury in her eyes the likes of which Viola had never seen. “You… You scoundrel! Free me this instant or when my father finds out…” A sudden shock ran throughout the Princess’ body, leaving her crying out in pain. Viola grinned, slowly circling her new prisoner, wiggling a remote she pulled out of her pocket between her fingers.

“Y’see, the bounty says it wants you alive, but ‘compliant’, and I’m thinkin’ with a temperament like that, the one who posted the bounty ain’t gonna be satisfied if I hand you over the way you are now. I figure what you need is some humblin’. Those fancy new cuffs’ll keep you on all fours, and this…” she hooked a pair of fingers into the back of the collar Celine hadn’t even noticed she was wearing and tugged, choking the Princess slightly, “…well, this’ll give you a shock when you start misbehavin’.”

She let go of the collar and circled back around, dropping down to one knee. “Course, if you’re a good girl, things’ll go a lot smoother. I might even give you a treat now and again…” Viola placed her hand on the back of the Princess’ head, tangling her fingers into her hair, and Celine stared deep into her eyes. The bounty hunter slowly moved in towards her, and the Princess did the same in return.

The second their lips touched, the Heir bit down hard until she drew blood, leaving the Huntress howling in pain. It took her a second to grab the remote from her pocket and blast the Princess with enough of a shock that she relented. She collapsed to the floor, staring up at her captor with the utmost hatred in her eyes, the taste of iron in her mouth. “I shall never do what a commoner like you tells me!”

“Oh, you ungrateful brat!” Viola shouted, kicking Celine in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her, and she lay on the cold floor of the cave, weighed down by her own adornments. “You wanna act like an untrained mutt? Fine. I’ll break you in like one…” The bounty hunter left the cell, in a hurry, locking it behind her, all the while clutching at her bleeding lip. The Princess watched her walk out of the cave with a bloody smile on her face.

_____

Celine woke up the next day to the feeling of a boot on her back. “Mornin’, Princess,” cooed a familiar voice, and before she could reply, she felt a grid of cold metal being pulled against her face. A leather strap tightened around the back of her head, and her attempts to reach up to grab at it were foiled by the cuffs holding her hands low.

“Unhand me!” she cried out, and it wasn’t until the Huntress lifted her boot and stepped away that the Heir realised the small, cage-like structure pressed against her face was a muzzle. “What is the meaning of this? Remove this at once!”

“Afraid I can’t. You were the one who wanted to prove yourself dangerous. Y’see, if you’re not gonna behave, I’ll have to make you. Simple as that.” Despite the cut on her lip, Viola’s face betrayed no particular anger nor enjoyment – This was business to her. “You’re the one who wanted to do this the hard way. Start actin’ good, and things’ll get easier.” She stepped back and leaned against the wall of the cell with her arms crossed, remote in her hand. “Let’s start simple. Sit.”

Celine remained on all fours, looking up at her captor with disbelief. “I will not…” was all she could get out before she felt a shock wrack her body, collapsing to the floor and writhing with pain. When it finally stopped and she opened her eyes, she found it unsettling to see the way Viola stood there, waiting expectantly, as if nothing had happened.

“Sit,” she commanded again.

The Princess took a shaky breath, staring up at the Huntress defiantly. “I shall never…” Once again, pain flowed through her body. She tried to reach up to the collar, to grab at it, to tear it away, but with the weight of the cuffs around her wrists, it was futile.

When the shock stopped once more, Viola unfolded her arms and lifted her coat open a little. Reaching down, she pulled out a knife sheathed at her hip. The Princess backed away a little, whimpering until she was against the wall. Her captor grabbed her by the neck of her filthy dress. “I-I’m sorry!” Celine blurted out.

A smirk worked its way across Viola’s lips, apparently amused at the first hint that the Heir to the Galaxy had even the slightest bit of humility in her. The knife slipped into the dress’ collar, and she dragged it down, tearing the priceless materials and expert craftsmanship to tatters in seconds.

It was but a moment before Celine was left naked. Her cheeks burned crimson, and, unable to lift her hands to protect her modesty, she lay her body low to the ground. She was, of course, used to being naked in front of others – With all the ladies-in-waiting House Lapellier employed for her, she had never had to remove a single garment from her body by herself in her life. But she was used to the ritual, pieces being removed one at a time, folded, Annabelle holding her hand to steady her as she did.

The way Viola stripped her, by comparison, made her nudity feel absolute and humiliating.

Tossing the remains of the Princess’ clothes aside, the bounty hunter twirled the knife and placed it back in its sheath, leaning once more against the wall. “Sit,” she commanded a third time.

Celine’s eyes remained low, too embarrassed to look Viola in the eye. After several, excruciatingly long seconds, she slowly lowered her behind to the ground, keeping her arms outstretched, sitting as a hound would.

“I knew you could do it,” Viola beamed. She stepped forward, and Celine flinched a little, anticipating a kick. Instead, the Huntress pressed the smooth leather boot into the Heir’s crotch and rubbed it back and forward. “See what a good girl you can be when you ain’t actin’ all high and mighty?” Celine’s body quivered, and she held back a moan, desperate to save as much dignity as she could.

“Roll over. Show your belly.” When Celine showed some hesitation, the bounty hunter shoved her knee forward, pushing into her chest and knocking her onto her back. Viola got down, knee firmly pressing between the Heir’s breasts. “Much better.”

Viola’s hand slowly slid behind her, along Celine’s bare stomach, finding itself between her legs. Only now did her captor’s lips betray the slightest hint of perverse enjoyment from the whole exercise.

It was bad enough when Viola kept a straight face, but seeing Viola grin down at her infuriated the Princess to no end. It was enough to snap her out of her resigned obedience. She gave a quiet growl from behind her muzzle. “Just you wait until my father finds out I’m missing. For treason of this magnitude, your execution will be agon-“

The Huntress leaned down by the side of her head and whispered, “Never said you could speak, did I?” As she plunged her fingers inside Celine, she activated the shock collar once more. The Princess’s thighs clamped around her wrist, and as the pain shot through her body again, all the mutt could do was whimper helplessly.

_____

Several weeks, or perhaps months, later – It was hard to keep track of time when stowed away in a cave – the Huntress of the Marsh seemed satisfied with Celine’s compliance. “Today’s the big day, Princess. This is what it’s all been for.”

Celine, for her part, kept any objections to herself as she was herded into a carrier sized for a large dog. Not comfortable by any means, but more spacious than she expected. The fact that she found this a silver lining disgusted her, but by now, she had realised that her protests and threats had got her nowhere. She suspected her best chance of escape would be after being handed off to someone she assumed would be less capable than Viola.

It didn’t help that regular and swiftly applied punishment had made lashing out increasingly unappealing, even for someone who loathed following orders as much as Celine did.

Viola carried the crate with the Princess inside it through the swamps with surprising ease, and Celine was grateful that she wasn’t made to crawl on all fours through the filth. She couldn’t help but wonder who she was to be exchanged with. Someone on Belstar-3, she was certain. It’s not as if Viola could smuggle someone as important as her on an interplanetary flight.

She remained silent, listening to the constant trudge of boots through the swamp and the hum of foul bugs. There was one other sound, a rattling from inside her carrier, and when she looked up, she saw a small compartment tucked away at the front, above her head. Nothing she could reach, of course, but whatever it was irritated her. Just one more thing she would soon no longer have to deal with.

As the Heir’s eyes glanced back down to the front of her cage, her heart skipped a beat. Directly ahead were the bright lights and towering spires of the Vicereine’s Palace. A moment’s confusion overcame her, and it wasn’t until the Huntress spoke upon approaching the guards the realisation dawned on her.

“Evenin’ boys,” Viola said with a tip of her hat. “Is the lady of the manor in?”

“Well, looky here. If it ain’t Cavalier Cooper. Take it you’re here for the bounty?”

“Certainly am!”

A guard bent down and looked through the front of the carrier. Celine’s lip twitched as she did her best to hold back a snarl of disgust at the way his eyes ran over her lecherously. “That’s her, alright. Never thought I’d see the day…” The guard shook his head and stood up, motioning for the Huntress to lift her arms. A quick patdown later turned up no weapons, and she was moved along into the main hall.

The hall had two long feast tables along its length, with an elegant red carpet along the centre, and the occasional guard positioned around the perimeter of the room. At the far end, there was a throne, and sitting upon it was Vicereine Aurora of House Belstar. A woman in her forties, or perhaps early fifties, she lounged with the disinterested look of a woman made to rule over a territory where nothing of note ever happened.

While she seemed to perk up upon seeing a visitor break the monotony, she could hardly disguise her disgust at a commoner being in her presence. “Did you not think to remove those filthy boots before walking in here, ‘Cavalier Cooper’?” She spat the name down at the bounty hunter

Viola glanced down at the muddy footsteps beneath her and ground her heel deeper into the carpet, much to the Vicereine’s chagrin. “Can’t say I did, ma’am. Figured you wouldn’t mind, by the time I’ve handed over what I’ve got here.” Celine winced as the Huntress loudly slammed her hand down on the carrier.

Then, a familiar voice spoke. “Oh, come now. Who cares if the rugs are ruined? You won’t be in this place much longer once this is all said and done.” The Princess pushed her face to the bars of the cage and saw, sitting at the far end of one of the tables, Annabelle, her lady-in-waiting, watching with interest.

“ANNABELLE!” She called out. “You’re alive! Please, help! I’ve been kidnapped by this scoundrel, and...”

“And how do you think that happened? Do you think she could have accomplished that without someone leaking info?” Annabelle replied. Celine went silent, staring with her mouth ajar. Her mind raced through the shootout, the way it had all happened so fast, so effortlessly. She hadn’t dared check Annabelle’s corpse, either. “For all the tutors and education in the world, you really are a fool, your Celestial Radiance.”

The Princess’ heart sank. “But… Why…?” She hardly managed to whisper.

“Because you are the most self-centred, ungrateful brat I have ever had the displeasure of serving! Years of my life at your side, and your final command was to act as your human shield?” The attendant’s eyes welled up with tears, all the while clenching her fists in anger. “The guilt I had hanging over me this whole journey, knowing what was waiting for you here...” She trailed off, swallowing and taking a moment to compose herself. “Well. You merely proved I made the right decision. If you are the best that House Lapallier has to offer, then they no longer deserve to rule.” She picked up a napkin from the table and dabbed at her eyes.

The Vicereine stood up and walked over to Annabelle, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She turned to Viola and Celine. “When the king dies with his only heir missing, House Belstar will finally prove itself worthy of ruling over more than worthless frontier planets in the chaos that follows.” She inhaled sharply. The thought clearly exhilarated her.

She nodded her head at the carrier. “Is she compliant, as I requested? Dear Annabelle deserves her reward for the opportunity she has helped deliver to me.” From the way she rolled her eyes slightly, Celine was sure that if the Vicereine had her way, she would have already been disposed of. That hardly made her any more grateful about her current predicament, however.

“Certainly is!” Viola turned and knelt down, unlocking the latch on the carrier door. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a leash, clipping it onto the collar the Celine wore tightly around her neck. As Celine was about to begin crawling forward, the feeling of betrayal weighing too heavily on her heart to fight back, the bounty hunter stopped her for a moment.

Viola’s hand reached up to the small compartment hidden at the top of the carrier, which had caused that irritating rattling noise on the way to the Palace, and opened it. Inside was a small, worn laser pistol. She tucked it into her jacket and winked. “You be a good girl, now.” She stood up, wrapping the leash tightly around her wrist, and Celine began following after her.

Aurora led Annabelle up the steps, standing before the throne, where they had a full view of Celine’s crawl. The Vicereine watched intently. A royal brought so very low was quite a sight to see, and even if having her dealt with more permanently would have been tidier, she was clearly revelling in the sight. Annabelle was enjoying it for quite different reasons, breathing heavily and staring at Celine’s naked figure, a view she had seen countless times but had never been permitted to enjoy, thanks to her position.

For her part, the Princess kept her eyes low, in a futile attempt to save herself further humiliation.

“Her Celestial Radiance, Princess Celine Henrietta Francesca II of House Lepallier, Heir to the Galaxy. Captured, trained, and delivered, as requested,” Viola announced. “And I’m sure payment’ll be fair?” As she approached the throne, she extended her free hand.

Aurora beckoned over a nearby guard, carrying a hefty bag. “The common folk still use physical currency, do they not? A bag of gold, as agreed.” It seemed sizable in her clutch. Celine could only imagine it was more money than most on Belstar-3 had seen in their life. And yet she knew it was a pittance compared to her worth. She almost wished to speak up, to take offence, but knew it was futile.

Aurora held the coin purse out, and Viola handed the leash off to Annabelle with one hand. She went to take the bag in her other, but instead grabbed the Vicereine by the wrist and yanked her in close. “Y’know, the Princess ain’t the only one with a bounty on her head, ma’am.” She reached into her jacket, pulled out the pistol, and pressed it against Aurora’s stomach. “And I don’t see no reason I can’t claim both.”

A high-pitched blast, and the smell of ozone and burnt flesh filled the air.

Annabelle screamed and dropped Celine’s leash. Guards from around the room rushed over, pulling out weapons as the head of House Belstar went limp in the Huntress’ arm. Viola spun around, firing off two more shots at guards across the room before they even had her in their sights, and blocked one with the Vicereine’s body.

Celine crouched down as the familiar sound of laserfire filled the air. She glanced up and saw Cavalier Cooper, the Huntress of the Marsh, in her element, twisting and turning, taking out men as effortlessly as breathing. It was easy to see how someone as skilled as her had bested the Royal Guard in a shootout. The Heir’s attention was soon pulled away, however, as she felt a hard yank around her neck. Annabelle was attempting to flee down the stairs but had instead caught her foot on the leash and tumbled to the floor.

Seeing the one who betrayed her so near, Celine seized the opportunity. “You!” she growled through her muzzle, crawling forward. She pounced on her lady-in-waiting, grabbing at her neck, finally in range of something her golden shackles would let her reach. “I give you a position half the women in the galaxy would die for, and this is how you repay me? Treason of the highest order? I will tear House Belstar apart with my own bare hands if I have to, starting with you!” she screamed.

The blasts of guns continued above them, shots occasionally missing and hitting a wall, leaving dust and rubble falling. Celine grabbed at Annabelle’s neck and held tight, beginning to strangle her. A blast from one guard forced her to duck, loosening her grip a little for a moment. After a few seconds, the rest of the hall went silent, save for Annabelle’s choking. Celine’s face was red with fury.

The feeling of electricity coursing through her was enough to halt the hound from killing her prey, much to Annabelle’s relief. Hooking her fingers into the back of the Princess’ collar, Viola tugged Celine away from the woman. Annabelle cowered in fear, of both the Huntress and her rabid dog. Viola bent down and whispered in Celine’s ear. “Now, Princess. I told you to be a good girl, didn’t I? A mutt who’s had free reign to do as she likes takes more trainin’ than I anticipated…”

Her attention turned to the girl on the floor. “Now, what to do with you? Mayor Weston only offered to pay for the Vicereine’s head, so I s’pose I got no reason to kill you.” She twirled her laser pistol and tucked it away inside of her jacket. “But betrayal…” Viola tutted and shook her head. “That’s a nasty thing, ain’t it?”

“Y-yes, but you don’t understand, I… I had to, you see…”

The bounty hunter unbuckled her belt with one hand and knelt down to wrap it around Annabelle’s neck as a makeshift leash. “A lot of excuses for being a bad girl. Seems you could do with trainin’ just as much as Princess here.”

Before the attendant could object, Viola stood up and tugged her two pets along behind her. On her way, she scooped up the hefty bag of gold from Aurora’s hand, kicking the body down the stairs after her. The two pets found themselves dragged to either side of her as she sat down on the throne. Annabelle stared at Celine and Viola, too shocked to speak up, while Celine’s hatred for her fellow hound burnt so furiously that she hardly seemed to notice how obediently she fell in line.

“You don’t seriously intend to keep this… this viper as a dog, do you?”

The Huntress looked down at her new pets and the budding rivalry growing between them. A satisfied smirk came across her face as she reclined back. “Oh, I certainly do. All that aggression of yours shows me you clearly have plenty of trainin’ to go, Princess.” She placed a hand on Celine’s head. “And I think havin’ another mutt to socialise with will do you good.”