by Alta Hensley
The next several hours were spent on learning how to properly hold, aim, and throw the knives. To Cinder's surprise, she was actually pretty good at it. Even Nico stopped and observed for some time, and then complimented her aim before he walked away. Just as one of the knives she threw hit the bull's eye, a much needed break was called.
Elbi must had been just as anxious to speak with Cinder, because she rushed over and said, "Are you doing all right after what happened the other day?" Cinder wiped the sweat off her brow as they walked away from everyone so they could talk.
She nodded. "Yes, but what about you? You're the one who got the worst of it."
"I'm fine. I applied some sort of ointment, and I feel a lot better. Okay… actually, the commander applied it." Elbi smiled at the memory. "To be honest with you, I enjoyed the extra pampering I received from him that night."
Cinder giggled. "My night wasn't so bad, either."
Elbi gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my! So you belong to Prince Donte now?"
Cinder shrugged. "I suppose so. It's hard to say. All the harem rules and customs seem to have been thrown right out the window now. I don't know about anything anymore."
Elbi nodded. "I often think about what will happen if we do get the palace back. Everything is different. We are different."
"Do you think you’ll join the harem again? Or do you think you will only belong to the commander?"
Elbi smiled. "I only belong to him. What that means in the palace, I’m not sure. But I know we’ll figure it out together." Her smile grew even bigger. "He speaks of wanting children." She paused, her smile faded, and she looked at Cinder with a serious expression. "It's hard to fantasize of love when we’re training to kill and about to go to war."
Cinder sighed. "I know. I'm trying to become that fighter, but I'm just not certain that I can." She took a deep breath. "I overheard Donte and the commanders talking."
Elbi nodded solemnly. "I often do, as well. It terrifies me. Even news that is supposed to be good is still terrifying. We’re caught in this nightmare, and I just want out."
"They spoke of rain."
"I know." Elbi's voice sounded so fragile.
"Why does that make you sad? Is that what has been bothering you? I don't understand."
"It makes me sad that something that should be news of celebration is actually news of even more impending wars. Men will fight for those areas—the ones with rain—with even more vengeance than our precious Lazar commune. I hate hearing about it. I hate hearing all the plotting, all the closed-door secrets, all the plans to kill. I hate what we all are." Elbi sighed loudly. "I guess I’ve been upset, because I wish we didn't have to have victims to be victorious."
Silence sat between them as Elbi's words sunk in.
Elbi was silent for a few moments. Then she took a deep breath and asked, "Did you hear what happened to Mistress Tula? Or I guess I should say… Tula." It was obvious that she wanted to change the subject and the tone of the conversation.
"What? Tula?"
Elbi smiled. "Prince Donte was so angry with her about what she did to us that he punished her. But then it gets even better! The prince stripped her of her Mistress title. She is just Tula now, and is expected to train and be treated no differently than the rest of us. He also gave a strict warning to the other two sisters to never get overzealous in overseeing the harem again."
"Really? I can't believe he did that!" Cinder wasn't saddened by the news. Mistress Tula was far from a leader or someone they should have to respect. A sadist, yes, but a leader, no. "How did Donte punish her?"
Elbi laughed. "How do you think? This is Donte we are speaking of."
Donte's voice boomed over the courtyard. "Cinder, Elbi, can you follow us?"
Cinder turned to see Donte and the commander standing near the main building. She looked to Elbi for explanation, but when Elbi simply shrugged, they both walked toward the men.
When they approached, the commander placed his hand on Elbi’s lower back and led the way to the main building. Donte reached for Cinder's hand and followed. Cinder swallowed back her fear. She scanned her memories for anything that could have gotten her and Elbi into trouble. Did Mistress Tula say something? Did she make up lies to get herself out of trouble?
As they entered the living quarters, Cinder was surprised to see Mistress Tula—Tula— waiting in the middle of the room. She looked nervous… even humble.
Donte was the first to speak. "I brought you girls in here so that Tula can rectify the incident that occurred."
Tula looked down at the ground and took a deep breath before steadying her shoulders and staring Cinder directly in the eyes. "I apologize, Cinder, for my behavior and treatment of you yesterday." She then looked at Elbi. "Elbi, I should have never punished you so severely."
Donte cleared his throat.
"I should not have punished you at all," Tula clarified. "I hope you both can forgive me."
"Tula was whipped in the same manner in which she whipped Elbi yesterday," Donte explained to Cinder. "Elbi was able to observe the punishment. She is no longer Mistress Tula, at least until she can prove her leadership abilities once again."
"But she still has one more punishment in store," the commander added. "And we’ll allow both of you girls to administer it."
"Bare your ass," Donte commanded Tula.
She quickly did as he asked and bent over the back of a chair. She clearly knew what was to happen. Cinder could see the leftover signs of her punishment criss-crossed across the globes of her backside.
Donte pulled out an anal plug and a jar of lube from his pocket and handed them to Cinder. "Place the plug in her. Tula knows she is to wear it for the remainder of the day and must join the rest of the harem for training." He looked at Elbi. "You can help in whatever way you choose, as well."
Cinder froze, not sure she even wanted to do this. But then the excitement of the idea of finally giving Tula a taste of her own medicine won over. She tightened her hold on the butt plug and lube and walked over to the bent over Tula with Elbi right beside her. She could only imagine the anxiety, and humiliation that Tula must be feeling right about now, and Cinder was loving every moment of it. She handed the lube to Elbi to hold so she could smear some on the plug. Elbi bit her smiling lip, clearly holding back the laugh that threatened to escape. Cinder didn't make eye contact with Elbi because she knew it would lead to a fit of giggles.
"Bend over a little more, and spread your legs wider." The firmness in her voice surprised her. Cinder had never spoken to anyone with such command before.
Tula did as she asked, giving easier access to her anus. Cinder walked up, spread the woman's cheeks with Elbi's assistance and placed the plug right at the rosette. She pressed it in, but stopped just as Tula's hole was beginning to allow entrance. Cinder held the plug there, knowing that Tula wanted it just to go in at that moment and be done with it. Having it rest on the puckered flesh, spreading the most sensitive of entrances, added to the punishment. Cinder decided to move the plug from side to side and up and down, further stretching Tula's anus.
When Tula gasped and clenched, Cinder could only smile. Finally, Cinder allowed the plug to go all the way in, but then she pulled it all the way out and repeated the process all over again. Tula huffed and moaned with each motion. Cinder decided that Tula needed a little ass fucking herself, and happily did so.
After enough time had gone by, Cinder finally pushed the plug all the way in. Elbi released her butt cheeks, and Tula was left alone with her tender anus and full ass. Cinder walked away feeling a sense of strength. A little bit of sadist blended with her submissiveness, and she liked it… a lot. Maybe a little too much. She looked at Donte and felt a sense of pride when she saw his smile. He gave her a small nod, acknowledging that she had taken control. The lesson today; she had the power to master if she so chose.
29
Cinder stared at the contours of her nude body in the full-length mirror. In the
past, some would have called her waifish, fragile, and slight. But now she looked on with pride. After weeks of daily training, her body had become muscular, lean, and even better… strong. And along with her growing physique came skill. She truly was becoming the warrior Donte wanted her to be. She had learned to use a sword—begrudgingly—but she had truly mastered the art of knife throwing. Even Nico said he had never seen such precision on hitting the target. Her days were filled with pride of her accomplishments.
Each day more and more reinforcements arrived. Casen was quickly outgrowing the space. Cinder had heard murmurings between Donte, the commanders and other soldiers about planning the attack on Jaden soon. There had been a time that Cinder would have been terrified to hear such news, but now she stood ready. She wanted to help take back the palace she so desperately loved. At the same time, she didn't want the old life she'd once lived. She had yet to figure out what would happen if they did return. What did that mean for her and Donte? Would they still reside in the same quarters? Was there a future for them?
So many questions and no answers.
Not even a hint from Donte as to what he was thinking or wanting. The only thing she did know was love. She loved the Prince of Lazar… was in love with him. Of that much she could be certain.
Cinder had noticed that as the weeks went by, she had seen less of Donte. Both were gone all day and when they returned to the quarters, they were extremely exhausted from the day's events and sleep was all either craved. When she awoke in the morning, Donte was always long gone. They each had their duties, and for the first time in Cinder's life, she was thriving. She had been given a gift: the gift of strength.
The sound of footsteps entering the room snapped her from her thoughts. "It is a beautiful sight," Donte said as he walked up behind her. "Your body represents hard work, dedication, and fortitude." He placed a kiss on her shoulder, then continued to kiss up her neck and nibbled on her ear.
The Cinder of the past would have been embarrassed at being caught staring at her naked body. But the woman of today felt pride. She had grown stronger every day through blood, sweat and most certainly tears.
She turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "I even have muscles on my inner thighs." She giggled and kissed him again. "I think I can thank you for that."
Donte smiled against another kiss. "I plan to maintain those muscles long after we have reclaimed Lazar." He tightened his grip on her hips and kneeled before her. "I enjoy the muscles very much."
He began to place soft kisses along her inner thigh, slowly working his way up to her sex. Kiss by kiss, breath by breath, he snaked his way to his final destination. Licking up one pussy lip and back down the other, he moaned against her.
Cinder gasped and reached down to curl her fingers in his untamed hair. "Donte," she panted. She flung her head back and closed her eyes as he continued to lick, thrusting his tongue deeper into her pussy.
"Mmm, so wet for your prince."
Cinder's heart skipped. "Yes… so wet. I need my prince’s cock—"
A loud knock on the door broke the erotic spell. Donte shot up and headed to the main room, and Cinder scrambled for her clothes. The knock pounded again, followed by, "Donte, open up. Jaden is approaching!"
When Cinder joined Donte in the front room, she saw Donte, the commanders, Nico and a few other soldiers engaged in a heated discussion.
"The scout said they are about five miles out," Nico announced.
"I think we should head them off before they get to Casen," a commander suggested.
Another commander shook his head. "We’re stronger here. We have defenses and are prepared."
"And what if they are victorious? Then they succeeded at capturing our only other commune," Donte countered. He turned to Nico. "Did the scout say how many?"
"Hundreds. They are definitely coming with the intent of conquering," he answered. "But that's good news for us. If we are victorious, we can storm Lazar when Jaden is at its weakest."
"Exactly," Donte agreed. "That should be our plan. Fight now and win, and then counterattack as quickly as we can. Before they can build reinforcements."
A commander turned to one of the soldiers. "Prepare the men for battle."
"Gather the women and secure them in the main building," Donte ordered Nico. "I want several men surrounding them at all times."
"Wait!" Cinder interjected. Everyone turned, noticing her standing in the room for the first time. "We can fight as well. We’re ready."
Donte shot her a stern look. His face made it quite clear that he didn't like his directive to be questioned.
Cinder continued, "We can't help if we’re locked away."
"We’ll be fine with the men we have," Donte said, with Nico nodding in agreement.
"But what about the women you have? We have been training daily for over a month. Elbi can shoot a bow better than anyone. Nico said himself that my aim is precise. And the rest of the women all have their own talents. Isn't this what we have been training for?" Cinder wasn't going to back down. Even though she was trying to sound courageous, she was avoiding Donte's stare. The daggers coming from his eyes were more lethal than any knife she could throw. She looked at Nico for some kind of reinforcement. "Nico? Are we not soldiers?"
Nico looked at her, to the men, and then back at her. He didn't respond at first, and seemed angry for even being put in this position. Finally, he turned back to the men. "I believe that Jaden will be looking for the harem. Killing the entire harem will send a powerful message. I think the best thing would be to disperse the women amongst all the soldiers. Have them fight, rather than be sitting ducks in one space."
Nico's answer wasn't exactly the support Cinder was looking for, but at least he was agreeing the harem shouldn't all be locked in a room waiting to see if they would die or not. Thankfully, he was allowing each woman to take her own fate into her own hands.
"Very well," Donte spat out.
Donte nodded, as did the commanders. "Prepare for battle."
Cinder was about to follow everyone out of the house when Donte grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. The fury on his face seemed more daunting than the battle about to happen.
He pulled her so close to his face that she could almost feel the heat from his anger. "Never," he growled. "Never question me in front of others."
She squared her shoulders, swallowed back her fear, and stared directly into his eyes. "Then never question my ability."
Donte remained quiet, but his face softened, as did his tight grip on her arm.
"I’m not the same woman I once was, Donte. Let me prove to you that I can be that warrior you believed I could be."
"I know how strong you are. You have no need to prove anything to me. What you do not understand is that the thought of you in battle makes me afraid."
"Because I’m not strong enough?"
"No. Because I love you. Because I don’t want the woman I love to die by the blade of a sword."
His words punched at her gut and stole her breath. He had declared his love. Prince Donte of Lazar loved her. She'd known he cared for her, had sexual desires for her, and wanted her to be near him. But she hadn't been sure that love was anything he felt.
Tears clouded her eyes as she whispered, "And I love you."
"Then allow me to protect you. Allow me to keep you safe. I could not live with myself if you were killed."
"How? By hiding in a hole somewhere, shaking in fear of the unknown? Should I have another panic attack while I wait to see if someone comes to murder me? Should I cry? Should I break down and fall to my knees?" Cinder took a few steps back and asked, "Is that the woman you love?"
He walked toward her, closing the distance between them once more. "That’s not the woman you are."
"Exactly! What you don't realize is that you gave me the greatest gift I could ever ask for. You gave me the ability to fight. You healed the beaten soul inside of me. You made me realize
that I can do this." Tears threatened to fall, but Cinder refused to let them. "Please don't take that gift away."
Donte nodded, looking sad. He then cleared his throat and his expression grew firm. "You’ll do as I command. You’ll fight where I say, and stay near me. I’m one of the commanders of this army, and you are a soldier. You’ll follow my commands and never question. It is your duty as a soldier in this army to do so. Do you understand?"
Cinder smiled. "Yes, sir."
Donte gave her a weak smile in return. "Then let us prepare for battle."
30
Can anyone ever be ready for battle? Cinder pondered that question as she stood in position, fingering the heavy bag of throwing knives at her side. Her other side was weighed down by the sword she was forced to carry, even though she hated to do so. Donte had told her to stand ready by one of the entrances. He told her that once the door was breached, to throw the knives and aim at their eyes. She'd also been instructed to remain behind the protective wall, and not to engage in hand-to-hand unless absolutely necessary. He then kissed her softly and left. Cinder hadn't seen him since, but she had no doubt he was nearby.
She stood there for what felt like an eternity. Waiting. Waiting for Jaden. She looked around and watched the hundreds of soldiers waiting as well, worry obvious on their faces although none would speak of it. With all the soldiers ready for the attack, she could see no sign of Elbi or anyone else she knew, but she wasn't going to disobey Donte and leave her post to go searching.
