A Nightmare Marriage

by Bethany Hauck

  Fiona and Edith continued with their day, shopping at the various merchants and trade shops. Fiona smiled, nodded and greeted almost everyone they passed; it was rare when she got more than a polite nod or a scowl back in return.

  “Do you think the villagers here will ever like me?” Fiona finally asked Edith as their morning trip continued.

  “Of course they will,” Edith said, trying to reassure her. “They’re the ones acting horribly. Everyone that gets to know you loves you.”

  “Obviously here in Dunnottar, Isobel is more loved than I,” Fiona said, sighing as they walked past the fletchers workshop. “Let’s stop for a quick rest,” Fiona said, stopping and sitting down just as an arrow shot out of the building, just missing her and sticking into the wall of the structure behind her.

  “What the hell,” Seamus said, running into the building. He wasn’t in the hut long when they heard the sound of heated voices.

  “It was an accident,” Fiona heard, she recognized the voice immediately, Gregor Stewart.

  “You could’ve killed the lady,” Seamus said.

  “Well we sure wouldn’t want that to happen,” Gregor sneered.

  “I’ll be talking to the Laird about this,” Seamus said to Gregor before walking back to Fiona and Edith, “I really think we should return to the castle now.”

  “Alright, Seamus,” Fiona agreed, “the village doesn’t seem very safe today anyway.”

  Seamus helped Fiona up, and they slowly made their way towards the castle. “Where are all the men going?” Fiona asked, seeing the large group of guards walking together.

  “They must be done with archery practice for today,” Seamus said. “Laird Stewart said they would be training there this morning.”

  “Oh,” Fiona said, she didn’t say anything to Seamus, but her hopes of getting in some target practice seemed to be possible again. She really needed some time alone to work through the things that had happened in the village that morning.

  “I’m just going to go up to my chambers and rest for a while this afternoon,” Fiona said to her guards, once they returned to the castle.

  “Would you like me to come with you, Lady Fiona?” asked Edith.

  “I would,” Fiona said, “thank you.”

  Fiona and Edith climbed the stairs to the chamber she shared with Logan. “Would you like me to get you anything, Fiona?” Edith asked.

  “Just my bow and arrows,” Fiona told her.

  “What do you need them for?” Edith asked.

  “You and I are going to go over to the archery fields so I can get a little practice,” Fiona answered.

  “I thought Logan said you couldn’t go today,” Edith said.

  “He said I couldn’t go because the men were training there today, but you saw yourself that they’re done, so the field will be empty,” Fiona explained.

  “Should I get Seamus to accompany us?” Edith asked.

  “Nay!” Fiona said. “We won’t be gone long; no one will even know we’ve left the castle.”

  “This isn’t a good idea, Fiona,” Edith voiced her objection. “I don’t think you should go against your husband’s orders.”

  “Don’t worry so,” Fiona said. “The field isn’t that far away, so we’ll be perfectly safe.” Fiona grabbed her bow and the arrows her Da had specially made for her; they snuck quietly down the hall and the back stairs undetected. Soon they were outside and had arrived at the archery fields, Fiona felt happy as she notched her first arrow and took aim.

  **********

  “Where’s my wife?” Logan asked Seamus as he came back down the stairs. He had missed Fiona that morning and returned to the castle looking for her. Logan wasn’t even sure why, he just felt he needed to see her. He had gone to their chamber looking for her after being told she had gone for a rest and found it empty.

  “She isn’t in your chambers? She said she was going to rest after the near accidents in the village this morning,” Seamus answered.

  “What near accidents?’ Logan asked, becoming concerned.

  “First one was a runaway mule and cart,” Seamus said, “my Blair would have been killed if not for your Fiona.”

  “Explain,” Logan said to Seamus.

  “The ladies were standing and talking and out of nowhere came a cart being pulled by an out of control mule. Fiona pushed both Edith and Blair out of the way before just jumping out of harm’s way herself. The cart grazed her as it went by; knocking her down,” Seamus told him. “She refused to come back to the keep and said she was fine.”

  “You said accidents?” Logan said to him. “Was there more than one?”

  “The second was because of Gregor,” Seamus told him. “Lady Fiona had just sat down to rest when an arrow came flying out the door at the fletchers. Gregor said he was testing a new bow and the arrow slipped when he notched it. If the lady hadn’t stopped when she did, that arrow probably would have killed her.”

  “What happened after that?” Logan asked, the more he heard of Fiona’s day, the harder it was to contain his anger.

  “We headed back to the keep,” Seamus said. “Lady Fiona told me she was going to go upstairs and rest.”

  “And there were no other incidents?” Logan asked.

  “Nay, Laird,” Seamus said. “We saw the men heading back to the training yard from the archery fields, and that was it.”

  “Would you like me to help you search for her?” Seamus asked.

  “Not necessary,” Logan said. “I know where she probably went; you can bet when I find her I’m going to make sure she never leaves without her guards again.”

  “Where is she?” Brody asked.

  “My guess is the archery fields,” Logan said.

  “What do you think about all the accidents Seamus said happened today?” Brody asked.

  “I don’t like it,” Logan said, “and I’ll be talking to my brother later. I’m not liking this new found friendship between him and Isobel.”

  “Have you seen Edith?” Brody asked. “I couldn’t find her either.”

  “My guess is she’s with my wayward wife,” Logan answered, turning and walking out of the hall.

  “Looks like we both need a talk with our women,” Brody said, following Logan out of the castle.

  Chapter 10 Punishment

  “Don’t you think we should be getting back to the keep?” Edith asked nervously. “What if Logan goes looking for you?”

  “Just one more shot,” Fiona said, she was having a grand time and hated for it to end. “He’s busy with his men for a while longer yet.”

  “If your husband finds out you were out here alone he isn’t going to be happy,” Edith said.

  “How will he find out?” Fiona answered.

  “He’ll find out when he comes home early and finds you gone,” a male voice said from behind them, making Fiona jump as she released her arrow, making it go wide and miss the target.

  “Logan,” Fiona said, spinning around and smiling nervously at him. “Hello, husband.”

  “That would be me,” Logan said. “You do remember me, the husband who told you to never leave the keep without a guard?”

  “We’ve only been out here a short time, Logan,” Fiona said, she was nervous now that she had been caught. “We were coming back to the castle soon.”

  “What do you consider a short time, wife?” Logan asked.

  “Less than an hour,” Fiona said.

  “Since one hour is such a short time to you, that’s how long your punishment will last when we get back to our chamber,” he said calmly.

  “Nay,” Fiona said. “That’s too long, Logan; I just needed a little time away.”

  “Laird Stewart,” Edith said, “we were cautious on our way here.”

  “Be quiet, Edith,” Brody said from where he stood next to Logan. “Did you know Lady Fiona wasn’t supposed to leave the keep alone?”

  “I knew,” Edith said truthfully.

  “Then you and I will also be having a pr
ivate discussion when we get back to the keep,” Brody said to the maid.

  “It was my idea to come here,” Fiona said to Brody, not wanting Edith to be in trouble too. “Edith tried to talk me out of it.”

  “You’re in enough trouble already,” Logan said to her. “I’d be quiet and say no more if I were you. Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” Fiona said. “I need to collect my arrows before we go. My Da had them specially made for me.”

  “Let’s do it quickly then,” Logan told her, walking with her to the targets and helping her pull them out. Even though he was angry with his wife, he couldn’t help but notice the difference in the design of her arrows. He made a mental note to ask her about them later.

  “You have them all?” Logan asked her, looking around at the targets for any they might have missed.

  “I do,” Fiona said. “I don’t know why you’re so angry with me, Logan, nothing bad happened to us here. We were perfectly safe.”

  “Nay, you weren’t,” Logan said as he led her back towards the keep. “We’ll discuss this in the privacy of our room.”

  “Why can’t we discuss it now?” Fiona sassed back at him, tired of his attitude. Nothing bad had happened to them while they had been out on their own.

  “Trust me,” Logan said quietly as they walked through the gates and into the keep, “you don’t want to discuss this here where others can see.”

  “Maybe I do,” Fiona said, not sure why she was picking a fight with him.

  “Fine,” Logan said, grabbing one of her arrows with one hand and her arm with another. He walked over to a bench that sat in the middle of the keep, in view of everyone that was there. He put his foot up on it and flipped her over his knee so fast she didn’t even have time to stop it from happening.

  “Don’t you dare do this here, Logan,” she screamed at him, struggling to get up and drawing, even more, attention to the pair.

  “You wanted to discuss this out here, so let’s discuss it,” Logan said. “I told you to never go anywhere without a guard didn’t I?” he began to bring the arrow down across her gown covered thighs. Swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat.

  “Logan, stop,” Fiona yelled, even though her legs were covered it stung more than she expected. “That hurts too much.”

  “You wanted to discuss it out here remember, Fiona?” Logan said to her. Swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat. “Is that still your wish, wife?”

  “I wish I had my bow and that arrow so I could shoot it right through your heart,” she yelled at him, although Logan fought back a grin, the villagers who were watching gasped. No one had ever dared talked to their laird that way.

  “I’ve found a much better use for this arrow,” Logan said to her. Swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat. “Would you still like to continue our discussion out here, wife?” he asked her. Swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat, swish, splat.

  “Nay you brute,” Fiona yelled at him.

  “I’ll show you a brute,” he said, flipping her back up onto her feet, then placing a shoulder into her midriff, he slung her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

  “Put me down, Logan,” She said, smacking him on the back. “I can walk.”

  “I like you right where you are,” he said, landing a few well-placed swats on her bottom cheeks. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Fiona was quiet the rest of the way to their chamber, Brody and Edith followed behind as Brody led Edith into her own small room.

  “Strip,” Logan said, as soon as he lowered Fiona to the floor and stepped away.

  “Why?” she asked him. “I thought we were going to discuss this.”

  “That’s five extra,” Logan calmly said. “Once again, strip, Fiona.”

  Fiona went to protest, then thought better of it since her thighs and arse were already sore. She peeled off her clothes until she stood in front of him naked. “Happy now,” she said to him.

  “Nay,” Logan said. “I’d rather have you naked for loving, not a punishment, but it’s a punishment you’ve earned, and you’ll be getting.”

  “I wasn’t in any danger, Logan,” Fiona again tried to explain to him.

  “What about the accidents in the village today, Fiona?” Logan said. “Something doesn’t seem right. I warned you never to leave the keep without a guard, and you did so anyway.”

  “But we were careful,” Fiona argued.

  “No more talking, Fiona,” Logan said. “You were warned what would happen if you defied my rule. You did it anyway so let’s get this over with.” He walked over to a desk in the corner of the room and grabbed the chair that was in front of it, pulling it into the middle of the chamber. “Get your hairbrush and bring it to me,” Logan said, sitting down in the chair. Fiona groaned, her Da had used her hairbrush on her more than once growing up, it was never pleasant.

  “Can’t you just use your hand?” she asked meekly.

  “Not this time,” Logan said, “get the brush or I’ll add more extras, and trust me, you’re going to be sore enough without them.”

  Fiona brought the brush to him and placed it carefully in his hand; her own hands were shaking slightly. “Over my knee,” Logan said, nodding down at his lap. Fiona sighed and placed herself where he wanted her. “These first twenty are for going against my orders. I may be your husband, but I am still the laird of this keep, and my orders will be followed, especially when it comes to your safety.” There were no more words as the brush began to make contact with her arse and thighs. Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.

  “Ouch, Logan,” Fiona yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I’m sorry. Please stop, I’ll listen from now on.”

  “You most certainly will,” Logan said, looking down at her now bright red cheeks. “I’m going to make sure you don’t ever want this punishment repeated. These next twenty are because you knew how I felt about you going off alone outside this keep, and you did it anyway.” Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat. “Stand up, and I want your nose in that corner,” he said, pointing to a corner of the room.

  Fiona went to the corner willingly; her Da had made her stand that way many times after a spanking. “You’ll stand there and not move for the next fifteen minutes, I want you to think about all the things that could have happened to you,” Logan said to her. Fiona was surprised to hear the door shut behind him. She let out a sigh of relief and stood quietly, glad the punishment was over.

  Logan reentered the room as her fifteen minutes of corner time was just about up. “You can come over to the bed now,” Logan said. Fiona turned and at first smiled at him, until she noticed the pillows he had stacked there. “Lay over the pillows.”

  “I thought we were done,” she said to him quietly.

  “Not quite yet,” Logan said to her. “I told you I’m going to make sure you never leave here unescorted again.”

  Fiona sighed, seeing he wasn’t going to change his mind, she walked over and did as he asked. “I’m already very sore, Logan. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

  “You’re going to be much sorer by the time I’m done,” Logan assured her, pulling out a strap and standing behind her. He began rubbing her arse gently, “I’m going to need you to relax,” he said to her, putting what felt like his finger on her bottom hole.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him, trying not to tense up as she felt him pushing inside her.

  “This is part of your punishment,” Logan said to her, giving her four hard swats with his hand, making her unclench her anus. Smack, smack, smack, smack. She felt his finger push fully into her, then she felt the burn and realized it wasn’t his finger.

  “That burns, Logan,” she cried, “what is that? Take it out.”

  �
�It’s ginger,” Logan calmly told her, “my Da used to say it was the best way to get a woman’s attention, today I’m taking his advice. Am I getting your attention?”

  “It’s burning me,” Fiona said, “please, take it out.”

  “It feels like it’s burning you,” Logan said, “but it’s not. You have fifteen coming with the strap, it would have been ten, but we have the five extras to take care of.”

  “Please, Logan,” Fiona pleaded, “I’m already sorry, this is too much. Please take it out.”

  “When we’re done here,” he said. “Now what did you think about why you were standing in the corner?”

  “That I should have listened to you,” she answered, having a hard time concentrating with the ginger inside her.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because you’re the laird here,” she answered.

  Smack, smack. “I am,” he said. “Is that the only reason?”

  “Nay,” she cried out. “Because you’re my husband and only want to keep me safe.”

  Smack, smack. “I told you about my parents, Fiona,” he said. “I won’t take chances with your safety.”

  “I won’t do it again, Logan,” she cried out again. “I promise. Please take the ginger out.”

  “Soon as these are done, the punishment is over,” Logan said firmly but not unkindly. He raised the strap and began. Swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack. “That was the original ten, just the five extras to go,” Logan said to her, looking at her very red arse and thighs. He was dreading giving her more but knew he had to finish what he’d started. Fiona was sobbing now; he just wanted to gather her into his arms and hold her. Swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack. “We’re done,” he said, throwing down the strap, pulling the ginger out of her bottom hole and lifting her into his arms where she buried her head in his chest and cried.

  “That was awful,” Fiona said when she could finally talk again. She was shifting around on Logan’s lap, still feeling the burn in her arse. He tried to ignore his hardening cock as her naked body squirmed on top of him.