“She might what?” Golar asked, his voice calm.
Vorag breathed through the swell of anger his brother’s calm demeanour brought. “Who knows what is down there? Who knows if she will even return? We should go after her and we should do it now,” he implored.
Golar shook his head. “Leave her be,” he said quietly.
Vorag’s eyes popped open wide, along with his mouth. “Leave her be?”
“Leave her be.”
Vorag shook his head. “She is to be the new queen of our people. She is right now unprotected, in the wilderness and you want me to leave her be?”
Golar looked him square in the eye and nodded. “Yes. I want you to leave her be.”
Vorag answered with a guffaw. He turned around and began walking down the hill, waving a hand to dismiss what his brother had said. “Very well. You can leave her be. I am going to rescue what is ours.”
“And do what?” Golar called after him.
Vorag stopped and turned around, putting a hand on his knee. “Do what? Bring her back!”
Golar took a few steps toward him down the hill. “Hear me, brother. Before you go, just listen.”
Vorag let out an exasperated sigh and sent his hands up into the air.
“It will take a few moments. Then, you can go rescue her if you want.”
Vorag set his jaw and eyed Golar. He could spare him a few moments. No longer, though. “Speak.”
“Think of it,” Golar said. “She is young. She is scared. Vala takes her to show her what it means to be a wife and suddenly she is surrounded by us.”
“So?” Vorag asked with a shrug.
“So?” Golar echoed. “They are not like us. They don’t all share in each other’s joy. I have been told they hide away in the shadows to fuck.”
“What?” Vorag asked with a scowl.
“You remember what Vala said? When she was first taken from the eastern lands? Before she took her husbands and became a Grahr? She told us about this, how they see shame in it.”
A vague memory formed in Vorag’s mind. Still, the urgency of rescuing the princess gnawed at him. “So what of it?” he asked, his impatience showing by his tone. “You have spoken. If that’s all you want to say then I’ll be on with it. You can sit here and wonder if it’s the right thing to do some more.”
“It’s not.”
“What?” Vorag snapped, his irritation growing at his brother’s stubbornness.
“She needs time.”
Vorag shook his head. “Time? Time to what? Drown?” he asked.
“She won’t drown in the creek we passed, she’s not a child.”
Vorag made to answer but realized his brother was right. She wasn’t a child and the creek had been shallow. “Who knows what animals there are in the forest? She is unarmed.”
Golar shook his head, unconvinced. “She grew up in the valley not far from here and these hills. That wood wasn’t big enough for even a single bear. She will be alright. She will be better if we give her time.”
“Why do you keep mentioning time? Time for what?” Vorag roared, his temper finally getting the better of him. He shuddered as the urge to fight overtook him again. That would do no good now.
“Time to think this through. Time to set it straight in her head,” Golar replied, his voice kind.
Vorag thought for a minute. Then another. It dawned on him slowly. He hated it for a little bit but then couldn’t ignore the obvious. His brother was right. “If she is in any danger…” he began.
“She is not,” Golar interrupted. “If she were she would be screaming by now.”
“What if she goes back to the castle?”
“She will not. You saw how eager her brother was to push her out the door. She has nothing to return to there. She will come back. To us.”
Vorag thought on it for a moment and realized that Golar was most likely right about that, too. “And when she does?” he asked.
“She will be punished as is the custom.”
Vorag sighed. Finally his brother was saying something he could agree with right away.
* * *
Helena ducked under a low-hanging branch and took a step further into the woods. She sniffled, clearing her nose as the last of her tears dried on her cheeks.
She had gone deeper into the forest than she’d meant to but hadn’t been thinking. She could think of very little except for what had transpired. Her mind kept returning over and over to the shameful experience of opening her eyes and seeing all of those faces standing over her and smiling as she writhed in the grips of pleasure Vala’s fingers had brought between her legs.
With her irritation at Vala still humming inside her, the woman’s words echoed over and over in her mind.
The healer will come and clean and bless.
With what had happened, Helena could only imagine what that meant. These barbarians were exactly that, she was sure of it now. How could they all have come over to watch such an intimate moment?
As she walked, searching for the trail that would lead her back out to the path she’d come from, an idea hardened in her mind. Sadon had given her to these two brutes. Perhaps she’d been taken in by Vala’s kind words but now she was sure they were false. Now she was sure that she’d meant only to humiliate and not befriend her.
And the two warriors. They’d barely spoken to her at all save for Vorag making her touch his cock. The other one seemed like he didn’t care at all.
Perhaps she had no choice. She was destined to be their bride. She would do what was necessary, bear their offspring and receive them the way that Vala had described but she would do nothing more. She would live in misery until the end of her days, serving them to the bare minimum they desired.
After what felt like another hour of stumbling around, Helena found a small path. She followed it for a few dozen yards until she saw that it came to an opening in the brush. She followed the growing light until she stepped out into the sunshine and realized she was in the meadow at the bottom of the hill.
Looking up, she could see the horses and the camp, Vala and the two warriors talking, most likely about her.
Her stomach twisted into a knot at the thought of what was going to happen when she returned. No doubt she would be thrown over an arm or a leg and spanked again, just as she had been at the castle.
She clenched her jaw in anger at the way her body reacted to that thought. The same heat, the one that Vala had drawn out with her fingers, began to form inside her.
But how can that be? That felt terrible!
Didn’t it?
She brushed the thought aside. Regardless of how it had felt, she had little choice. Returning to the castle was out of the question; Sadon would have a much worse punishment waiting for her there and besides, this was her duty now. This marriage would keep the peace in the eastern lands and keep the Grahr from raiding the villages there.
Bile rose in her throat at the thought. She was being given away so that these animals would stop attacking her people. The thought filled her with a sense of duty as much as it filled her with disgust.
Perhaps her father would never have allowed it but he was no longer there to take care of her. This was the way the world was now and she would just have to make peace with it, no matter what.
Helena took a long, deep breath, closed her eyes, and began marching up the hill.
Vorag, Golar, and Vala all turned as they noticed her walking up and stopped talking.
Helena felt a slight pang of disappointment that no one had thought to come look for her. It seemed that they really didn’t care what became of her as much as she didn’t care for them. She decided that was probably for the best. Perhaps they wouldn’t bother her once she had given them a child.
She walked straight up to the trio and stared at the two men in defiance, barely glancing at Vala, still angry at what the woman had done.
“You have returned,” Golar said, his tongue straining to pronounce the valley language.
Helena’s
back stiffened as she met the stern barbarian’s gaze. “I guess taking care of your women is not very important to you. Otherwise you might have come to get me.” The words were out of her mouth before she could reconsider.
Vorag’s expression hardened in what seemed like anger as he stepped forward but Golar reached out and put a hand on his arm, stopping his brother in his tracks. Vorag shot him a sharp look but didn’t move.
Helena looked over to meet Golar’s eyes. He seemed calm, much calmer than Vorag.
“The woods are no place for a woman alone. You should not go there,” Golar said, his tone even and stern. His mastery of the valley language seemed better than Vorag’s by how he spoke.
Helena did not abandon her resistance. A glance at Vala found her looking back with sympathy, as if she felt sorry for Helena. Her expression only served to stiffen Helena’s resolve. “I suppose I will be punished now?” Helena asked, her voice nearly breaking from the fear of what was coming.
“It is our way,” Golar replied with a nod. “Where will you take your punishment?”
Helena scowled, her apprehension getting the better of her. She wasn’t sure what the question meant. As much as she didn’t want to, she looked to Vala again.
Vala stepped forward. “He means if you want to take it here, you can. Or they will take you in the tent. There you can be alone.”
Helena’s face heated at having to make the choice. What a humiliating question to have to answer! To choose where she would be spanked like a child! She would not embarrass herself more by answering the question, though the thought of being disciplined in front of the whole group filled her with fear.
After a moment of silence, Golar stepped forward. “Very well,” he said, reaching out to take her in hand.
“No, wait!” Helena gasped, unable to stifle the response. “I… I… in the tent,” she said, lowering her eyes, her whole body burning with shame.
“Very well,” Golar repeated. “We go.”
Still staring at the ground for fear of having to meet any of the others’ gazes, Helena shuffled toward the largest tent, which was obviously meant for the two warriors. She heard them following behind her.
She ducked past the flap and into the warm, still air within and immediately realized that the thin walls would do little to shield what was happening. Perhaps the others wouldn’t see what was happening but they would still know exactly what was going on.
“Take off dress.” Golar spoke in the same even tone as before, unmoved and emotionless.
Helena’s eyes shot to Vala who had followed them inside, incredulous at the request.
Vala only nodded and Helena realized that she had little choice. Reaching down to her waist, she tugged on the fabric that hugged her body and pulled it up and over her head. A moment later she was standing in front of them in nothing but her underwear.
“Those, too,” Golar said, pointing to the thin fabric covering her sex.
Helena’s mouth dropped open, aghast at the request. “I…”
“You will do it,” the warrior commanded, taking a step closer.
Helena realized she had no choice in the matter. Her clothes would be removed one way or another. Swallowing away the tightness in her throat, she pushed the underthings down her legs and stepped out of them.
Her cheeks burned again and she dared not meet anyone’s stare. Her mind could focus on only a single thought, that she was completely bare and exposed to the two stern warriors and Vala, whom she thought would be her friend.
Golar moved through the tent until he came to a small stool in the corner where he sat down.
Helena felt her bottom heat up at the memory of his previous discipline.
“Come,” he said, waving her toward him.
Her breathing heavy, Helena moved through the tent under the gaze of all three until she was standing in front of the seated warrior. The warm feeling started in her pussy again as his eyes raked over her body, pausing at her full breasts, then lingering on the soft patch of down above her sex.
Golar patted his lap and Helena knew what he meant. Positioning herself on one side of him, she lowered herself down, bending over until her belly touched his strong legs. His hand on her back pressed her even lower until her hands dangled over one side of his legs and her legs over the other, her bare ass turned up and waiting for his palm.
“Helena,” Golar said.
The sound of his low voice growling her name made her pulse quicken in her chest. He didn’t sound angry or even disappointed. It sounded as if… he sounded almost kind. “What?” she hissed back, her nerves getting the better of her.
A soft whistle was followed by the sharp smack of his palm on her left cheek.
She stiffened, her nails digging into the dirt, even as her pussy heated up.
He raised his hand and brought it down on her other cheek in a second, swift slap.
This time a whimper escaped her.
He held his hand there for some time, keeping the heat in that he’d coaxed from her bottom with the spanking.
Helena became acutely aware of how silent it was outside the tent. There was no doubt that everyone in the party was most likely listening to what was going on.
“Helena,” Golar said again, his voice even softer.
This time she didn’t dare reply.
“I am Golar. I will be your… your…” He paused and she felt him move above her.
“Husband,” Vala offered from somewhere at the side.
“I will be your husband. Vorag, too. Together we will be strong family. But you will know… you will know to obey.”
Obey.
The word made her shudder on his lap and she wished she could have controlled the reaction. She didn’t want him, or any of them, to know that she was scared. Nor did she want any of them to know of the other feeling that lurked inside her. Lying there on his lap, ready to be disciplined, she somehow felt safe.
She saw Vorag step forward out of the corner of her eye.
“This is for running to the woods,” Vorag said. His hand smacked against the soft flesh of her bottom a moment later, then a moment after that, her other cheek.
It hurt a bit, but Helena was more concerned about something else. Once again her core had become moist and a heat had begun there. Except now there was nothing to prevent Golar or the other two from seeing her pussy dripping with excitement.
Vorag’s hand lifted, then fell, lifted and fell from one cheek to the other. Each smack felt a little firmer than the last and each time she felt more heat burning in her bottom and swelling in her sex. Soon a trickle of her dew dribbled out of her soft lips and trailed down the inside of her leg.
Helena whimpered at the stern dominance of the warrior swatting at her bottom as much as at the shame of how her body was betraying her arousal.
After a few more swats his spanking stopped but he held his hand over her ass, the meaty paw covering her whole backside making Helena realize how large it was.
The four of them settled into a heavy silence interrupted only by Helena’s heavy breathing over Golar’s knee.
“Leave us,” Vorag commanded a moment later. From the way his hand stayed pressed against the small of her back, the other one still on her bottom, Helena knew the instruction wasn’t meant for her.
“Yes,” Vala whispered, then hurried out of the tent.
The flap swung shut behind her, sealing the heat in the room.
“How is it in your land?” Golar asked, his voice low.
Helena realized the question was meant for her. Another rush of shame welled inside her at being still naked over the giant’s knee and asked to answer such a question. “How is what?” she replied, her voice harsher than she’d meant it to be.
Golar swatted her ass, causing her to whimper. He waited, perhaps for the sting of it to burn up into her extremities before asking again. “How is it when woman becomes wife?”
Helena swallowed. At least now she knew what he wanted from her. It w
as a strange question but at least answering it might take her mind off her predicament, if only for a moment. “I… I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
Golar put a hand beneath her belly and swung her up and off his lap. He set her standing in front of him and looked her in the eye until she felt she had to look away. “What happens?” he growled.
Helena’s eyes darted from side to side. He seemed to be growing impatient with the lack of answer. She took a breath and decided to do her best and try. “You mean the wedding? What happens at the wedding?”
Golar glanced at Vorag, then back at her and nodded. “Wedding. Yes.”
For a moment she forgot her shame. “It… it is not like this.”
“Then what?”
Helena sighed. “There is a courtship,” she explained.
“Court… what is it?” Golar demanded.
“Uh… it is… there is a time when a man… shows a maiden that he will… that he means to become her husband.”
Golar scowled. It was obvious he didn’t understand.
“It is different,” Helena said, sounding resigned.
Golar took a deep breath and shook his head. “Tonight the healer comes. He will clean. He will bless. You will be ours tonight.”
Helena’s blood ran cold at what he’d said.
You will be ours.
Golar sighed and stood up again.
Helena could not help but notice the massive bulge that had formed beneath his midriff, between his legs.
His cock, no doubt.
Golar swung his arm across the tent, pointing at the massive bed off to one side. “Now you will rest.”
Sweating from the heat, Helena nonetheless shuffled across the room, trying to cover her pussy and her breasts against their gaze. She was exhausted. Night and whatever the healer brought would surely come soon enough.
At least for now she could rest.
Chapter Six
The sun had just set and the fires crackled in the center of the circle of tents, warming the cool night air. The others in the group sat chewing on dried deer meat, drinking what little mead they had left, and talking quietly as Vorag and Golar walked a circle around the camp, both lost in thought.
Mated to the Barbarians Page 5
