Yet this oblivion was not to last, the numbness had begun to fade. She felt something reaching out to her very soul and like a fish caught on a line, she was ripped out from the clutches of death itself. Immediately the burning pain of life returned and she tried to scream, yet her mouth couldn't move, and all her senses screamed in a concerto of miserable agony. The stinging pain crawled all over her, as she attempted to open her eyes, but even the faint glimmer of light blinded her. Struggling to move even a little bit she fainted from the shock, before awaking once more. The pain wouldn't leave her, but she became accustomed to it. 

Gradually she began to be able to move her body, first her tongue, then a toe, then she moved her hands, trying to feel anything as they adjusted to her new surroundings. The taste of iron filled her mouth, then an intense thirst and hunger. She couldn't feel her own stomach yet the pangs still hurt. Her vision was still blurred, but she could tell the room was dark, save for the light left in front of her. Though she was able to move more, she continued to faint from the shock anytime she pushed it too hard. Eventually, she regained movement of her head and torso, though she dared not move too much, as to not stir the pain once more. Her stiff muscles stretched and cracked as she began to look around, now feeling a new sensation, not the numbness nor the pain, it was warmth. She realized the blurry light she had been looking at was a fire place. A flood of warmth eventually evolved into a burning sensation, and the flames of the fireplace, though distant, became yet another pain, before it eventually dulled as well. After a little while longer, her eyes could finally see. 

The fireplace burned bright, and it had a wonderfully ornate design, marble carvings, and a clock on it's mantle showing it was around 4 o'clock in the morning. A variety of flowers decorated the mantle, hydrangeas,wolfsbane, even some irises seemed to bloom. She supposed it was still summer, then she looked down at herself. She was sat on a large leather chair, immaculately made, with soft animal furs lining the bottom, but she was also completely nude. her skin had grown pale, and the freckles across her body were faint, even her oldest scars had faded, yet something stood out. On both her thighs was a golden scar, it traced all around her leg, shimmering in the fire light. It resembled the cracks that might be seen left on a porcelain doll that had once shattered. It was then she also noticed similar golden scars on her biceps feeling and pinching the scars, as they folded like normal skin. She considered attempting to get out of the chair, but she knew she couldn't walk in her current state, and so instead she began to twist her body around, hoping to peek behind the back of the chair, and maybe see what else was with her in that dark room.

Though the fire was dim, she was able to see the massive room she was in, the walls were built with fine wood and painted a tasteful shade of yellow, with a floral pattern stretching all along it. The curtains on the windows were shut, but they were intricately woven and seemed to be of fine silk. The floor had a massive carpet with yet another intricate design, one the thief couldn't recognize as Irisian, but she knew nobles loved importing custom carpets from the southern nations, she'd seen similar odd designs when she'd broken into other mansions, but this room showcased the grandeur of the man or woman who resided there, and the thief began to realize she might already know who it belonged to. The bed in the back of the room was large, but empty, and when she finally turned back, another chair had appeared next to hers, resting in front of the fire place. There laid the grand duke, smoking on his pipe, blowing a puff of smoke into the air before finally setting it down on a small table, before looking at the thief with that same dominant gaze. 

"Back from the dead I see? Hope it was pleasant, very few can say they've truly felt death, so what was it like?" The duke smiled.

She tried to speak but her throat still ached, and was too dry to say anything. She tapped on it gesturing towards it, as the duke realized what she meant.

"Oh my I forgot to hydrate you, let me fetch some water." He stood up and walked behind her out of sight.

The thief really couldn't understand his attitude at all.

"Here we are."As quickly as he left he returned, he placed a glass cup filled with water in her hands. It was cold to the touch and she drank it slowly.

"Now, if you couldn't tell i've done something a little bit taboo, or at least taboo by Orian religious standards." The duke looked at the thief, as if he had something witty, but the thief did not respond, she simply kept drinking her water, and looking at him with her unimpressed gaze.

"Either way, you have been granted life once more in order to fulfill a personal wish of mine." He looked into the fire.

"Remember what I told you? That we both wish for the same thing? Though you managed to die, I feel we can both still help each other." He looked at the thief who had stopped drinking her water, as she spoke in a weak raspy voice.

"Can you-" she coughed "Can you get me some more water please?" She raised the glass to him. Slightly annoyed he snapped and the water glass began to fill. 

"I hadn't known the grand duke to be a heretical magician, I'd have been more careful with my words back then." She said jokingly, finishing her second cup before he refilled it again.

"A magician? Of sorts I suppose, magic is what I used to bring you back to life, though you needn't worry, those words won't affect the contract I plan to make with you quite yet." 

"Not yet? So ripping me from death and committing the ultimate taboo was just something you did for the fun of it?" She said

"No, I told you I need you, but I can't force you." He said looking at her directly in her eyes. He was being serious.

"I never knew magic to require consent."  She scoffed looking away.

"It doesn't but trust does, and I'd rather we speak and make a contract on equal terms." He said, but the thief continued to avoid his gaze.

"Equal terms are a noble's fantasy, you say these things, yet here I am here nude and barely able to move, all while in your house." The duke looked away for but a moment at those words, before once more standing and moving out of sight. This time it was a bit longer, but he came back with a long nightgown. 

"May I help you put it on?" The thief rolled her eyes.

"Help me stand and I shall do it myself." The duke held the nightgown in one arm and easily helped lift her up from the chair. Now being held up close to him, she could feel the strength emanating from every inch of his body, this was a man who had known true combat and she felt that though his grip was soft now, it'd take little effort for him to crush her skull with his bare hands. 

She slipped the night gown on, it was soft, and definitely a few sizes too large for her, she guessed he had grabbed it form his own closet. It felt more like a blanket then clothing, but she accepted it either way.

"I apologize for my treatment of you so far, you are correct, we are not equals, but you are the only person in the empire who can help me, and that gives you the power to ask anything of me, a power few in the empire have." He kneeled before her, and held her hand softly, an earnestness burned within his gaze.

"This changes nothing, but I will give you a chance since you've caught my interest ." She relaxed her body in the chair, though it still stung with pain and a sharp ache, she acted as calm as she could. The duke sat back in his chair, and stared at the fire "I want you to steal my heart".