The Princess and the Rogue (7 page)

It was on one of these midnight excursions that she began to understand the true nature of the evil that permeated Castle Bathen. She had been moving stealthily through the corridors she had memorized when she heard footsteps approaching and voices, several men and a woman conversing. There was nowhere to hide. Quickly she had to run the other way. That hall was a dead end, but there was a stairway going up. She saw no alternative. She climbed the stairs into an area she had never been in before. It featured a wide hall with many doors. They were still coming so she ducked into a doorway that she thought opened into a storage room. Inside the room it was dark except that light came through narrow slots in the back wall. She peered through the slots. It was some sort of observation room. A person could stand here, in the dark, and observe all that went on in the adjacent room.

She prayed the people behind her would walk on by, and she breathed more easily once she heard their footsteps passing her doorway. Then she heard a door opening nearby. They were entering the adjacent room. Cautiously she peered through one of the slots. A pair of pretty girls stood in the center of what looked like a luxurious boudoir. A huge bed draped in silky bedclothes dominated the room, which contained other rich furnishings. A fireplace at one end burned crackling logs and soft light came from lamps in wall sconces. Chairs and divans of fine craftsmanship dotted the room and rich draperies adorned the walls. Plush rugs made from the hides of animals covered most of the floor.

The girls were young, about her age. They had been made to look exquisitely beautiful. Their hair had been painstakingly coiffed and their arms and wrists were adorned with golden bracelets and other jewelry. One girl had long yellow hair and a light complexion. Her figure was willowy, her legs long, her neck slender. The other had dark hair that fell in ringlets. She was more voluptuous in her breasts and hips than her companion, but also fair skinned.

The thing that startled Juliet most was their attire. They wore short kirtles made of some sheer white fabric that revealed everything beneath. It was almost as if they were naked. The top of the flimsy garment draped over one shoulder leaving the other bare. A dainty golden chain encircled each of their waists, emphasizing the curves of their hips.

When the party who had startled Juliet entered the room, she had to stifle a gasp. It was Morgaine, a female attendant, and two men whose dress left no doubt that they were wealthy Ieryn. Juliet saw the two men pace in a circle around the two girls, inspecting them from every angle.

Morgaine sat on a divan as the men continued the inspection. “Well, Prince Feyd, Prince Arak, are they not lovely as promised?” asked Morgaine. “These lovely creatures are Celeste and Thora.”

One of the men stroked his chin and nodded. “You did not mislead us, countess, they are both very comely.”

“Indeed,” said the other, “but have they been trained? Are they obedient? I do not wish to part with so much silk only to find that I have a surly she-cat on my hands.”

“We have a long journey back,” said the one called Feyd, “and I want a willing bed warmer, not a timid village girl fearful of losing her maidenhood.”

“I assure you that both have been trained according to my methods. They will do whatever you say… and enthusiastically,” promised Morgaine.

“How well do they accept correction?” asked Arak.

Juliet saw Morgaine smile broadly. “Merilda, hand Prince Arak your quirt.”

The stout mistress who accompanied Morgaine produced a short leather object from a belt worn at her waist and gave it to the prince. It had a handle and a short braided portion that ended in a large knot from which dangled three strands. “Pretend she has done something to displease you, prince.”

“You,” said Prince Arak, indicating the dark haired beauty, “bend over and lock your hands behind your knees.”

Juliet saw tears fill the girl’s eyes and for a moment she hesitated, but then she turned silently, bent forward, and locked her wrists behind her knee hollows. The posture made her buttocks stick out and the fabric rose up over her hips, revealing everything. She trembled as the Ieryn prince casually flipped the hem of her brief skirt up onto her back. She was now bare from her ankles to her back. The prince casually flicked the whip around, testing it. Satisfied, he stood beside her and drew his arm back. There was an audible whine as the quirt sped to its target, and the strands splayed out as they impacted the girl’s bottom! Juliet winced as she heard the dark haired girl make a mewling sound. Again the lash fell, and again her bottom globes quivered. The girl flinched with each lash, but did not move. He gave her six more lashes, the strands painting thin red lines on her bare flesh. She gasped at the apparent sting but held her position.

“You may rise,” the prince said at last.

The girl stood, sniffling and teary eyed as she gently rubbed her whipped backside.

“Are they versed in the arts of pleasure?” asked the other prince.

“Of course,” answered Morgaine. She clapped her hands and commanded, “Display.” The girls dropped to the floor and sat back on their haunches, knees folded beneath them. They parted their legs so that their secrets were clearly visible, their hands rested on their knees palms upward. The princes nodded approvingly.

“Would you care to sample their talents?”

“Very much,” said Feyd. “I would like the golden haired one.”

“As you wish,” said the countess. “Sit. They will come to you.”

The princes sat on a pair of low divans and waited.

“Thora and Celeste, go to them on your hands and knees and pleasure them orally.”

The pair moved to obey, crawling like lithe cats across the room. They knelt between the knees of the men and with their hands deftly extracted members already stiff. With delicate motions they stroked the erect penises and then lowered their lips to take them into their mouths. The men leaned back and let them continue, obviously enjoying their ministrations.

“Very talented indeed,” said Feyd, practically groaning with pleasure.

Juliet watched, fascinated and horrified. She’d heard of such practices, but these girls had been trained to do this. And now what? Were they to be sold to these men?

“Ahh,” said Feyd. “Be careful, my little pet.” He looked at the countess and explained, “This one has teeth.”

“If she displeases you in any way, you should punish her. She expects it. Go ahead. A brisk spanking should teach her to be more careful.”

Feyd nodded and pulled the girl’s head back. “Across my lap, girl. I’ll have to teach you to be more careful.” He pulled her up and over his lap, flipping back the little flap of skirt. For the next several minutes his palm rang out as it struck the girl’s bottom in a barrage of brisk spanks, making her writhe and gasp. He spanked her hard, not holding back. She fluttered her long legs but did not try to wriggle away, knowing that any such action would likely earn her a worse punishment. When Feyd had reddened her bottom to his satisfaction, he put her back on her knees and let her continue pleasing him with her mouth.

When they had finished, Arak spoke again. “Very nice, countess. You have trained them well.” He paused, then asked, “But am I to understand they are virgins?”

“Their maidenheads are secure,” said Morgaine. “But, there is another entrance that is available to you while you decide what disposition you wish to make.” That information elicited broad smiles from both men. “You may wish to make use of a special article made just for this purpose.”

She turned to her attendant. “Merilda, fetch a pair of the training benches.”

From a closet Merilda dragged a pair of benches of a curious design. They had upper and lower sections. The lower section was for kneeling. The upper section had a flat padded top that angled toward the floor. Morgaine commanded the girls to kneel across the devices. With their torsos flat on the upper sections, their buttocks were raised to a position of prominence. Juliet could see immediately that the posture was perfect for administering a whipping or for anything else to be visited on their backsides. Juliet shook her head in disbelief when she saw what happened next.

A broad strap was fastened across each girl’s back by Merilda and their wrists were locked in cuffs, low on the bench in front. The men moved behind the young women and loosed erections that had arisen once again in contemplation of new pleasures to be had. Both men guided their stiff cocks to the rear entrances of the girls’ bottoms. The girls shifted uncomfortably as they felt the presence of the men’s cocks nestling in the crevices of their bottom cheeks. Juliet saw Feyd spit and rub the spittle over the head of his prick before placing it at Thora’s rear orifice.

“We use the benches as training devices,” said Morgaine casually. “Once they get used to it, there is no need.”

Juliet watched transfixed as the men thrust roughly with their stiff cocks. The girls squirmed, but were chided by Morgaine to relax as they had been taught. When the men were in to the hilt, they started a slow rhythm, alternately thrusting and withdrawing, while the objects of their desires moaned at the shame to which they were being subjected. Limbs quivered, necks arched back, and muscles were tensed as the two maidens tried to cope with the invasion of their most secret places.

It was an awful sight for Juliet to behold. So this was what the dreaded training regimen was all about—learning to pleasure a man in every way imaginable and accepting punishment if it was not perfect. Juliet had seen all she wanted to see. She had to get out of here before they were done, and it seemed like a good time to leave while they were all so preoccupied. She slipped quietly out of the observation room and made her way back down the way she had come.

Chapter Nine

Not much escaped the watchful eye of Rand LaFlors. The tall, rangy outlaw hid in the shadows, nearly invisible, and watched the girl on horseback pick her way along the creek. Rand could tell she was a good horsewoman—and that the horse she was riding was a fine animal. It would make a very nice addition. He didn’t have that many horses, and his band could certainly use another. As for the girl, well, maybe he’d find a use for her, too. She looked a bit out of place. The plain clothing marked her as a mere servant girl. If that were the case and she’d stolen that horse, she was in big trouble indeed.

At any rate, the girl was a rare beauty. Young, about twenty or so, she had the face of an angel and long, flowing red hair. It seemed odd to LaFlors. Wasn’t she that girl from Kern, the one who lived with the sisters? He decided that she was. Then what was she doing on a horse headed deeper into Darkwood Forest, seemingly all in a panic? No one rode headlong into Darkwood Forest. Not even Morgaine’s men, at least not alone.
Morgaine.
The mere thought of that witch made Rand grind his teeth.

The girl cast worried glances over her shoulder and attempted to spur her mount along, her movements bearing the look of someone in flight.
She’s running from something,
thought Rand. If she thought to throw her pursuers off track by going down the creek, it wasn’t working, because Rand could hear hoof beats in the distance. Riders were approaching. Soon they rode up right next to him, but he was concealed and they never saw him.

There were three of them. The red livery identified them as Morgaine’s men. They would be on her in minutes, and she would be back in Morgaine’s clutches for whatever purpose that witch had in mind. Rand didn’t hesitate. He nocked an arrow and loosed it at the trailing rider. It struck and he fell. The other two never noticed. They kept bearing down on the girl. Rand raced through the woods to catch up with the remaining two.

She tried to spur the horse forward, but she faltered in the creek. The two riders reached her and one tried to grab the reins, but she slashed him across his face with what looked like a switch. He howled a curse and the other one tried to grab her.

Rand launched himself at the second rider, grabbing him and pulling him off the horse. The soldier gave a surprised yell, but it was cut short by Rand’s slash across his throat with a dagger. The third man looked stunned at what had happened to his partner, then turned around to look behind him. All he saw was the empty horse of the third man.

“They’re both dead,” snarled the outlaw. With his other hand he had drawn a sword. “Care to try your luck?”

The third rider eyed the man who had killed two of his party, standing in the creek, sword in one hand, dagger in the other, and apparently decided he wanted no part of LaFlors. He turned tail and ran. The outlaw watched him go, then sheathed his weapons and turned around, thinking to secure the girl’s horse.

The girl had not moved. She appeared stunned, startled by the sudden violence erupting around her. He reached for the reins, but she snapped out of her frozen state, and slashed him right across the cheek with her riding switch.

“Get away! This is my horse,” she shouted. Then she turned and headed out of the creek and down a trail through the forest.

Rand put a hand to his cheek where the girl had struck him and watched in stunned amazement as she rode off. Well, she wouldn’t get far. This was his forest.

* * *

Juliet rode for what seemed like a long time before she let herself relax and slow down. While she was grateful that this brigand, whoever he was, had come along and saved her from her pursuers, she was not about to be taken prisoner by him. That would be trading one jailer for another. She followed the trail, not knowing where she was headed. Her only thought was to put as much distance as she could between herself and that awful woman.

Her carefully planned escape had worked. After the close call with the countess and the two Ieryn princes, she had been more careful. She still carried with her the image she could not erase from her mind—the sight of the two village maids used so callously.

She had bided her time. For days she had waited for the right opportunity. It had finally arrived in the form of a grand ball to be given by the countess. The night of the event, which was attended by a large group of foreigners and their servants, there had been enough general confusion that she had been able to walk into the stables, saddle the horse she had befriended, and ride out.