by Kay Maree
“I was just hungry. I was only passing through but the witch—”
“We get hungry. We don’t go taking what isn’t ours.”
I felt weak. I moved to sit.
“No, stand here,” Lily said. “I’m still taking in how hideous you are.”
“Bella,” she finally said to the other girl. “Touch it.” She pointed between my legs.
Bella shrieked in mock terror. “What? Make Piper do it!”
Lily turned that same glare on her. “I’m not kidding. Do it.”
“All that hair, it’s gross...”
I had unintentionally taken a couple steps back. Lily snapped back to face me and said, “If you do not get back over here and let her do it, I will have the guards lop it off. Come here.”
I moved forward, and closed my eyes. I heard them argue more. “Please, Lily. Don’t make me touch an animal’s privates!”
“Make it hard,” Lily commanded her.
Then I felt the touch of a cool hand on my flesh. It began stroking me. “Eww...” I heard Bella say under her breath.
“Well?” Lily asked, and I knew she was talking to me.
“Sorry, I’m just not in the mood,” I pleaded, hoping she could at least understand that much.
I opened my eyes. Bella had her eyes closed and her head turned away. Piper and Lily were watching without a hint of shame. Finally, Lily laughed out loud. “Well, I sure feel sorry for human females, if this is all they ever get to deal with. Limp, useless, smelly, vile. And a complete coward. I will enjoy watching a real man slice you up tomorrow. Bella? Stop doing that. Just squeeze tight.”
“What, like this?” Bella asked, holding me.
Lily kicked her arm, causing her to give me a very painful tug.
I cried out, and fell. “By the way,” Lily said over my gasps of pain, “I know a girl named Cassandra came to visit you last night. Don’t expect her to come back. She was as disgusted by you as I am when she finally sobered up. She’s been hiding in shame all day.” She laughed and walked away, the other two following behind her. Bella looked back, possibly feeling guilty. I laid on my side, trying to catch my breath. Eventually, I crawled over to my clothes and dressed myself.
I sat against the wall, and drew my knees to my chest. Tears ran down my face. I wondered where Cassandra was, wishing she would visit. I wondered if she would come at all. I didn’t believe what Lily said about her being disgusted by me but I could believe she’d lose interest in me. It wasn’t the first time that had happened. I felt like a damsel in distress. It was pathetic.
~*~
Cassandra
I had been locked in the stocks for several hours. Usually, the stocks and flogging were the most severe punishments for women and men respectively. Each had their lighter points, I suppose.
The men’s punishment was over faster, but it was done in public, where anyone who wished could see. The men would be tied to a rack, and whipped however many times they were sentenced to. Then, any others who held a grudge against them for anything were allowed to take as many strikes as they felt were deserved. Then it was over, just like that.
Women were taken to a private room where the pillory was located, and locked in. This could be for anywhere from a few hours to several days, but a day or less was standard. Once locked in, others could go in one at a time, officially for the purpose of speaking with the prisoner. However, it was widely known that anything went. This usually resulted in the girls being visited by several of their past consorts for what amounted to playful sex.
Of course with me, things were different. There were no past consorts. I would marry that hateful prince who didn’t even view me as a real princess. At least, here, I could escape that awful mattress.
~*~
Footsteps approached.
“You visited him last night, didn’t you?”
It was Lily! My stomach knotted. This could be ugly and quick.
“Who?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“Dear sister...” She walked and stood in front of me, looking down. She reached out and cupped my cheek, then raked her nails across my face.
I screamed.
“If you’re going to play dumb with me, this is going to take longer than even I want it to.”
What does she care if I visited him? “Ow...” I cried, stalling. “What does it matter?”
“No, you don’t get to ask questions.” She grabbed my hair and pulled down, choking me on the stocks. “You did, didn’t you?” she repeated when she finally let go.
Gasping for breath, I could only nod.
“You did always get along with the animals so well... Why were you so concerned about him at breakfast today? Did you fuck him or something?”
“Lily! No!”
She snorted. “Alright, alright. I’m glad to hear not even you would get that desperate. I can’t say I’d be that surprised, though. I’m thinking back, Cassandra... You haven’t ever had a consort, have you? I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
“Well, I didn’t...”
“You must be desperate for some attention, though. Father warned you and you got yourself thrown in here anyway. Don’t worry, Simon will be in to give it to you soon enough.”
My face reddened. “What do you know about that?”
Lily laughed. “I know that it was my idea, from the very first time.”
I didn’t get locked up often, but it happened on occasion. For ages, Simon had come in and tormented me whenever I did. Even knowing Lily as well as I did, to hear that she was behind it shocked me.
“So, let me ask you this,” she said, kneeling and getting close so I could feel her breath on my face. “Do you want to fuck him?”
“No...”
“See, I just don’t believe that.” Before I could clench my fist, she grabbed my pinky finger in hers. She bent it back, making me grimace. “Why else would you go see him, alone, on the night of a big dance?”
“I always go off alone when there’s a dance!” I screamed in pain. She knew that... “I felt sorry for him, okay? That was it!”
“That was it? Really?” She bent my finger farther back.
“I was curious about him!” I cried. “That’s it, I swear!”
“Hmm,” she said, letting go. “Maybe you’re telling the truth. Well, I hope so. Or else this might make you jealous.”
“What?”
She stayed knelt next to me, and got closer. She purred into my ear, “Well, Bella and Piper and I went to see him. I showed him my wings, and got him to take all of his clothes off for us. He even let Bella play with his dick...” She drew away. “What do you think of that?”
I knew she wasn’t lying, but there was always some trick to anything she said. I couldn’t picture it happening. Yet I did feel something like jealousy. Only it wasn’t, not exactly.
“I don’t care,” I said.
“You obviously do. Cassandra, you’re such a bad liar. It’s going to get you into trouble one day. Hmm. Maybe later today. Have a great time, sis. I think you’ll get out of here just in time to see your new friend skinned alive tomorrow. Simon’s been sharpening his sword. It will cut a piece of grass that falls on it, it’s so finely honed. By the way, I don’t know if you were planning to visit the prisoner today, but I made sure to tell him not to expect you. Don’t worry, now he knows how much he disgusted you.”
With that, she left.
~*~
My mind went from wondering what he was thinking about the fact that I had not kept my promise to visit him, back to pointlessly wondering what had actually happened with him and my half-sisters. Of course he’ll end up liking them better. You can’t keep a simple promise, and they’re pleasuring him. One of the worst things about the stocks was I could not escape my own mind. I couldn’t go running or lose myself in nature.
The door opened again, and the worst part about being in the stocks entered the room. My knees went weak
with fear when I heard Simon chuckle. “Hello, Princess,” he said, almost laughing at ‘princess’. He knew I was a real princess too but loved that no one else seemed to care. For the first time, I wished my betrothed prince would pull me out of here. There was nothing left for me now.
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. It was hard enough not to cry in anticipation of what was coming. Simon’s was the only touch I had known from any man, and this was the only circumstance.
He walked around and bent so he was looking me in the face. “What’s the matter? Can’t say ‘hello’?”
I looked down.
He sighed, and stood. “Well... Quite a display there at breakfast. A bit worried about your new friend, are you?”
I still didn’t say anything. His boot crashed up under my chin, knocking my head back into the stocks. I cried out in pain, and he stepped back in close to me. “I am trying to have a conversation with you here,” he said, grabbing my hair.
“What?” I whimpered.
“I want to know why you care so much about this stranger. I mean, you got yourself thrown in here with me, on his account!” He released my hair with a laugh. “Just think, it didn’t do him a damn bit of good, anyway. I’m going to fight him tomorrow. He’s as good as dead.”
Simon ran his hand up and down my back. This part was the worst, in its own way. He would touch me gently, and my body would almost want to surrender and enjoy it. Almost. But it also knew who was touching it, as well as what was really coming. So, as he caressed me, I bristled. He enjoyed that, as well.
“I’m going to have a real blast with you today. It’s been too long.” He ran his hand farther down, and lifted my dress. “So tell me. Why do you care so much about him?”
“He didn’t do anything, Simon. Why can’t we just let him go?”
“Ah, talking. Much better.” He ran his hand over my bottom, giving it a little squeeze. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
He moved in front of me, and grabbed my ears, digging his fingernails into them and squeezing. “Shut up,” he said to cut me off before I could scream. “I’m asking you for the third time now. Why do you care about him so much? Look what you’ve gotten yourself into, because of him.” He released me, and let me catch my breath.
“He didn’t do anything! That’s why!”
“No. It’s not some abstract notion of justice. I’ve never known you to take any interest in any court case. You care about him personally.” He moved just behind the stocks, and pulled the top of my dress down. Casually fondling my breast, he said, “Alright. Now tell me truly. What’s up with you and that filthy human?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Well, one of Lily’s theories is that you finally found a consort for a festival night.” He pinched my nipple, rolling it painfully between his fingers. “Did that happen? You can tell me, it’s not like I care or anything. I might laugh, though.”
“No,” I grunted.
“Hmm. Too bad. Filthy beast like that, you might’ve found someone who actually liked you. Wouldn’t that have been nice, before we ship you off to old Zane. Well, okay, if that’s not it, then why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not good enough.” He dug his fingers into my breast as hard as he could, then twisted. I shrieked. He told me to be quiet, and I couldn’t. He punched me in the ribs until I couldn’t breathe. He never let go of my breast. “I said, shut up. Just quietly answer my question, and I’ll let go.”
“I... Don’t... Know...” I gasped. “He... Just... Seemed... Nice...”
“Gah,” he grunted in disgust, but thankfully let go of me. I was hyperventilating. That was a new torture he had come up with, and now I felt dizzy with pins tingling all over my body. “Know what I think? I think maybe you don’t like him at all. I think maybe, you just missed me visiting you here. Because nothing you’re saying makes any sense.”
He stood in front of me, and took himself out of his pants. “Open your mouth.”
I just looked sideways. He grabbed my hair again. “Damn it, I’m not in the mood anymore. Open.” He pulled my hair tighter and tighter, but I kept my mouth shut. “Fine,” he said at last, throwing my head painfully to the side. He moved behind me, and I felt him push a finger into me. “If you really are here on behalf of that beast, I want you to think about how this is because of him, and how you failed to help even an animal. Just like you fail at everything.” He bent his finger, and dug around with his nail. “Come on, scream for me.”
Finally, I did scream. I couldn’t help it. I screamed, I sobbed. I begged and pleaded. He just wouldn’t stop. “Why do you always do this to me?” I cried. Then, I remembered what I’d learned earlier. Lily.
“I do it because you’re ugly, and it’s what you deserve for spoiling the look of every court function. You should have taken off into the wilderness long ago, like your mom. See? Simple question, simple answer. Why couldn’t you do that earlier?”
It was actually a relief when he stopped torturing me with his finger, and entered me. He started talking as he took me from behind. “I’m so excited for tomorrow. I still don’t get why you could possibly care about that thief so much, but knowing that you do... It’s going to make it so much more enjoyable to cut him up in front of you, bit by bit. I want to do it slow, you see. No matter how slow he bleeds, it has to run out at some point. Maybe I’ll even go down in history. How many fairies have slain a human, after all?”
I grimaced as my wings began to unfurl. It was a response of a girl’s body to making love. Or rather, to being taken, since Simon definitely was not making love. “Hey,” he said. “Fold them up, or I’ll pin them in place with my sword.”
They snapped shut. He had done that before. I could not describe the pain. It had hurt so badly I couldn’t even remember the extent of it. He did draw his sword, and made a cut down the length of my back. As he neared climax, he started making more and more cuts across my back, to hear me scream. I shuddered as he came in me, but he still wasn’t done. He spent some time punching, kicking, and insulting me. He spit on me. Then he softly kissed my cheek and said he’d be back, as if he were speaking to a lover.
But it didn’t matter. Only one thing did: Simon was going to kill Colton tomorrow.
~*~
Simon visited me again before, then after dinner. Then again before he went to bed. It was the worst I’d ever been through with him. There were new tortures he had come up with, and each time he stayed longer than he ever had before.
He visited again in the morning. “A lovely new day out there, Princess,” he said as he came in. “Just full of possibilities.” With none of his usual ceremonial torment, he lifted my dress. “I wasn’t going to visit you again on account of the fight.” He began pawing between my legs. “I thought maybe I’d better save my strength. But then I remembered, he’s just a lousy mortal.”
At least he didn’t seem to be requiring much from me this time. I just waited for him to be done, hoping I would be able to see Colton one last time.
He began grunting and thrusting, and cutting me. “I can’t wait to do this to him. I mean, look how deep I have to cut you before I see any blood.” He cut me up by my shoulder. I shrieked, and cried in frustration. “With him? Every little thing like this,” he poked the sword tip into me, “or this,” he gave me a small cut lower on my back, “will just bleed and bleed, until he runs out. Runs out! Can you imagine?”
It seemed to take forever, but finally with a long groan and an extra deep cut across the bottom of my back, he finished. “Well,” he said, catching his breath. “Guess I ought to let you go now. Breakfast is over.”
He moved to unlock me, but not before using my hair to clean himself up. I stood, and fixed my dress. He just leaned against the stocks, looking at me. “You’re actually going to go see him now, aren’t you?”
I looked at him, and looked away. The secon
d he let me go, I outranked him again. I didn’t have to say a word. “Yeah, well... Might go clean up first,” he said with a note of amusement.
There, I knew he was right. I had been awake and abused for twenty-four hours. I took some time to freshen up in my room. Then, without looking for any sort of breakfast, I went to the briars.
He’s still got to be there, I reasoned. Breakfast only just ended and the arena doesn’t start until lunch time.
My pace slowed when I remembered what Lily said, or claimed she had told poor Colton. Would he still want to see me? She told him that he disgusted me. That those were my words... Would me coming to see him again at least help to convince him that wasn’t true?
My stomach knotted as I drew near his cell. I turned the corner, and he looked up. I was amazed, and relieved, to see his face light up.
“Cassandra!” he said and stood, coming over to the bars.
“Hi, I’m sorry... I didn’t come yesterday.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’re here now. I’m glad to see you.”
Once I got over my surprise at that I asked, “Have you heard what’s going to happen?”
“Something about I have to fight Simon?”
I nodded, and when I realized that this was probably our last conversation, my eyes teared up. “It’s so unfair. He won’t lose a drop of blood, any cut you manage to make will just heal... He wants to wear you down and...” Torture you to death. Cut you until you bleed out on some messed up, impossible wheel of death.
“So why this fighting thing, instead of cutting my hand off like before?”
I snorted. “My father is a hypocrite, that’s why. He says he doesn’t want to kill you outright since that’s not the penalty for stealing. So he won’t cut your hand off, since you might die. Then he claims he wants to give you a fighting chance. So he pits you against an immortal with a sword.”
“He said he wants me to have a fighting chance, though?”
Was that hope in his voice? “Yes, why?”
“Can you hold him to that?”
“Yes. Why?”
“When they brought me here they had something of mine, a staff. A stick. Do you remember seeing it? Have you seen it?”
