Silver trotted down the stairs to find Aila cleaning the tables. She looked up at him and frowned. He perked an ear at her. "What's wrong?"
She looked away a moment, then back at him. "Every time I think of you, I feel shame all over again. Just because you can let it go so easily does not mean I can."
Silver approached her swiftly. She shrank away, but not fast enough to avoid him as he leaned in. "We should talk."
Aila perked an ear. "What about?"
Silver sat on his haunches in front of the mare. "I have made many stupid mistakes before. I would prefer this not be one of them. You feel you've messed up, and the world is getting ready to punish you, right?"
Aila clenched her teeth a moment before nodding. "That is a reasonable way of saying it..."
Silver created a rope of his magic, putting enough energy to make it easily visible and tossing it over Aila's head, and tightened it just enough to feel around her throat. "Then I will claim my punishment now. You are mine until I think you have been punished enough."
Aila jerked back, but the magic rope held firm, keeping her close to him. She snorted and growled, struggling a moment before she sagged. "Fine... It's better than being put to death. Just don't take me away from Shei. She needs me."
Silver leaned in and kissed the distressed mare on the nose. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Aila gasped loudly. "Are you taking me for a concubine?" She squirmed a little. "Turning your enemy into your broodmare? I didn't think you had the nerve."
Silver flushed lightly. "That would be quite a punishment, but I'm not sure we're ready for that just yet. For now, you are my servant." He tugged, and the rope broke, but a collar of silver magic remained around Aila's throat. "Get me breakfast, and a tall glass of water."
Aila marched into the kitchen with a haughty air, as angry as she was shamed, leaving Silver to seat himself at a table and let out a slow sigh, hoping he could soothe the hurt in the mare. Shei interrupted his musing, marching for him with her own frown. "You cannot take my sister!"
Silver held up a hoof. "Peace. I won't take her anyway, I give my word. I want you both to be successful, and together."
Shei grit her teeth a moment. "You say that, and I feel you are being truthful, but I don't understand your actions. Why is she wearing your magic like that if not to drag her away?"
Silver spread his wings. "It's a show of power. She needs to be punished, if only to get past her own guilt. I don't hold a thing against her, nor does Celestia. If you know a better way to punish her gently but firmly, please, tell me."
Shei shuffled in place, clearly trying to think of something, but nothing came. She stomped a hoof. "She is my sister. If she is to be punished, I will join her. If she is to be executed, I will lay down my neck by hers. My life is nothing without her, no matter how foolish she may be at times."
Silver perked an ear. "Are you certain?"
"I am." She glared defiantly. "And if you need a mare to warm your bed, I will take that task."
Silver laughed softly. "You wanted that position before we got to this point."
Shei colored around the snout. "Beside the point. You leave my sister alone... She's saving herself for marriage."
Silver nodded lightly. "As you wish." He crafted a new collar of magic for her, but could feel the draw of having two active spells at once. "Your first task will be to go to the market and fetch two pendants with gemstones. I prefer something silver in color if you can find it, purple if not. Equestrian bits are acceptable, yes?"
"Yes." Shei accepted the coins from Silver. "I will be back. Don't. Touch. Her." She turned and marched out of the door.
Aila emerged with a tray held in her mouth. A hearty meal of potatoes and eggs adorned the plates on it, with a glass of some kind of juice and another of water. It all smelled fantastic as she slid it down in front of him. "As you requested... master."
"I have another task for you." Silver smiled at Aila. "I want you to write a letter to Celestia, explaining what you did wrong, and how it could have been handled better. Have it ready for her when she returns."
Aila departed with a soft grumbling, leaving Silver to enjoy his breakfast in peace. It was as delicious as it had smelled, and Silver savored every bite, enjoying having not a soul around him demanding his time and energy for the moment.
He pulled out his book of spells and began reviewing, relaxing the day away as he waited for Celestia or Shei to return. Celestia won the race, entering the inn with a delicate scowl. She saw him sitting there and moved for him. "Have you eaten?"
Silver nodded. "You slipped away while I was asleep. What called you away?"
Celestia sat across from Silver. "Luna awoke me to move the sun, and I decided to stay awake. I... I should apologize. I was beside myself last night, and treated you quite unfairly."
Silver perked a tufted ear at Celestia. "Do you remember what you said?"
Celestia rolled a hoof. "Please be more specific, Silver."
"Did you mean it when you apologized for forcing me to become a mare?"
Celestia drew in a wavering breath before her head sunk and she breathed out a soft 'yes.' "I realized long ago that I had been hasty, but... it did work out in the end?"
Silver snorted gently. "You know I'm not really angry at you... but that was wrong. You set a lot of painful things in motion, not to mention basically... You assaulted me, attacked me. I don't think you want any of your ponies to look at you that way."
Celestia leveled a hoof at Silver. "Are you one of my ponies?"
Silver tapped his chin. "I suppose I'm not, but that point doesn't change. You seem willing to have me as an equal, but that means listening and respecting my words, even if they do get stupid sometimes. I care about you, Celestia. Is that a one-way road?"
Celestia leaned over the table and suddenly kissed Silver on the nose, her own breath washing over him, smelling of the dawn itself. "I do, even if... my own words become stupid, as you say. I wasn't in my right mind last night, and asked you to risk everything for a moment of reprieve, and yet... you didn't run away. You even helped me. Thank you. I won't ask for your easily-given forgiveness, simply work to mend the tender spots between us. Now, what have you been up to?"
As if on command, Shei wandered in with a small jewelry box. She set it down on the counter beside Celestia and Silver. "Here you are, master." She wandered off, leaving Celestia with a raised brow.
"I trust there is an explanation coming?" Celestia's magic wrapped around the box, flipping it open to reveal two silvery hematite pendants on bright brass chains.
Silver coughed into a hoof. "Well, yes. This hasn't been an idle morning. I made Aila be a servant to 'pay for her crimes', and her sister insisted she go along with it."
"And the band of magic around her neck?"
Silver pointed at the jewelry box. "A mark to show I'm serious, but also so I know where they are. Those pendants will make it easier to keep them around. May I have them?"
Celestia gently set the box down in front of Silver. "A very curious way of handling things. I trust you are not taking them away from here?"
Silver shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't thought that far ahead. They're getting nowhere here. Taking them away might be a kindness, but that's the kind of thing I'm pretty sure I'm good at messing up. So, trusted wife, please, what do you suggest?"
Celestia looked shocked at Silver's sudden yielding to her. "Oh, hmm... If they are content, let them play the part, and expect to release them when we leave the city, but we won't put the idea aside entirely. They may be looking for a way out, and this way they could 'blame' us for dragging them away while inwardly rejoicing."
Silver smiled brightly. "That is exactly what I was thinking!" He rose from sitting and nuzzled with Celestia, a gesture she was eager to return. "Let me put these pendants to work. I'm getting a headache from keeping the spells going. Aila!"
Aila emerged from upstairs. Spying Celestia, she snorted and turned around, only to return with an envelope in her snout. She put the envelope down in front of Celestia, then looked to Silver. "What?"
Silver wrapped his magic around one of the pendants and brought it to Aila, slipping it around her neck and fastening it. "I can't have my property being any less than pampered. Wear this." He transferred the binding of the spell to the amulet, which began to glow with his silvery magic, and lessened the pressure of the spell to near-nothing. "It looks quite nice on you."
Aila blushed a bright red through her dark fur. "You're just saying that... I'm not your marefriend."
Celestia smiled gently. "You're more than that. You're his responsibility, and he takes those seriously. You're his first servant, you know. A high honor indeed."
Aila gawked at Celestia then growled, frowning at her. "You're lying! A prince must have a dozen servants of no great importance!"
Celestia gestured at Silver. "He's been shy to pick any. That you are his first, and wearing his colors... I think he likes you."
Aila squirmed in place before hopping to her hooves. "E-enjoy your letter!" She stomped off, flustered as a pony can be.
Silver looked across at Celestia. "You... just played her."
Celestia smiled. "I've had some practice. If you treat her well from here out, she will see it as an honor, as I said, and eventually... she may feel more than obligation towards you. Be careful with that, if you plan to keep her at hoof's length."
Silver rubbed behind his head. "Why would you help like that? I'm fairly sure you want me right now to yourself."
Celestia snorted softly. "And that is immature and wrong of me. Being receptive does not mean my mind dies. I had a lapse, but I won't do it again, Silver. I will do what's right, not what feels good in the moment. Besides, it would hardly be the first time a stallion had a little dalliance with a servant, and I know my sister has... plans... for you that this will only help with."
Silver let out a slow breath. "There's still her sister."
Celestia rolled a hoof. "Call her next."