Tales of the Huntsman

by M Palmeri

  “‘The Huntsman’s tale was true, to a point. He did take me to the grove and tell me what fate you had consigned me to, and I did bargain for my life. I even let him tie me to that rock and have me, but on my own terms. You see, I am not the naïve girl you thought. I have long roamed the secret passages of this castle, watching and learning. And for years I was indeed able to seduce my way past the guardsmen you posted until you ceased to trust their sex with my care and banished them. But perhaps you did not expect that I would have a taste for seducing your maids as well. And now, I have made my ultimate seduction, to your ultimate undoing: while you masturbated before your mirror thinking of me being tortured to death, I was making a pact with Duke Charles and with the Church. In exchange for you burning as a witch, I receive your title and your lands despite the lack of a male heir. And in turn, I offer my savior all that is mine to give.’

  “Rosalie went to the Huntsman and took him by the hand.

  “‘His Grace will marry us on the morrow. The Duke has agreed to give him title—in exchange for certain favors—and he will be my husband and my love, for he has earned that not only by his mercy but by his skill, his understanding, his attentiveness and his tenderness.’

  “And so it came to pass that the Skillful Huntsman married Rosalie and became a nobleman; and the evil Sorceress watched her own beauty broken under torture and ultimately consumed in flame for her crimes.”

  Marie was crying quietly when he finished, though she did not know why. She let him come close and hold her, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Was that the end?” she asked him after a time.

  “No, my love,” he told her softly, “that was the beginning.”

  Chapter Ten: The Dark Fortress

  Marie was called late to dinner, something Richard had warned her meant Rose had plans to hold court long into the night.

  Attending dressed were Richard, Rose, Ella and Claire, as usual. Their “guests” (naked) included Marie, Harriet, and seated side-by-side, Sofi and her younger look-alike, which Richard introduced as Juli.

  The kitchen maids presented an impressive set of courses, including a wide range of wild birds, and rich, gamy flesh that Marie did not recognize (Richard later explained they were eating bear, a delicacy courtesy of Claire’s efforts afield today).

  “One day I will tell you her tale,” Richard promised, “so you will know how she came to be such a fearsome huntress.”

  “But not tonight, my love,” Rose interrupted. “I have games planned, and I’m sure your lady is much more curious about how this place came to be.”

  Claire, far from annoyed, raised an approving cup to Rose, who began:

  “The Baroness we have told you of, whose name was Therese, made her fortunes in many ways. Skilled in the bedroom arts from a youthful age, she seduced and married a baron, the former master of her Keep, only to debilitate him with her insatiability.

  “Bringing him to an early grave by what means we can only guess, she enjoyed the luxury of her estate, living off the tribute of the silver and ruby miners—a half-dozen or so dwarfish ruffians who worked the mountains of her land—while gathering a company of female servants, which she kept to serve her whims through terror. The males that served her late husband were slowly but steadily driven off—or perhaps done away with at her pleasure—as she found she had less and less interest or tolerance for their sex, until only a small force of guardsmen were left, and her husband’s huntsman, a pretty youth who proved skilled and attentive between her legs. Her women she shared with the guards for a time, until she became disgusted with the thought of how men polluted them. And further she found that any of the male sex were too easily manipulated by any skillful mouth or available cunt to be faithful. One by one, the guardsmen also disappeared.

  “As for the dwarves, she would appease them by sending as a ‘gift’ a serving girl who had offended her, so that they could use her as they liked. The poor girl would be pressed into both household and bedroom servitude, and those sent did not return. But the more the Baroness grew to loath men, the fewer dealings she had with the miners, and in turn, the fewer the tributes they provided her.

  “To compensate for her dwindling fortune, the Baroness would provide well-trained and willing courtesans to the Duke and other nobles. This provided her estate protection (in lack of its own guard) and an occasional income. But as years passed, her treasury shrank. By the time of her arrest, she was nearly bankrupt, leaving Rosalie of the Red Dress little inheritance, other than the castle and its lands, and the shroud of sinister myth that had spread through the local population: The Witch of the Dark Fortress could bring a poor young girl wealth and comfort as a courtesan or bride, or horrible tortures and unspeakable deaths.

  “Yet hard were the times, and many were the poor, desperate girls who wandered through the gates. All were tested. Not all passed those tests…”

  Rose paused then, specifically eyeing Marie, before she continued with a wicked grin:

  “As an example, there once was a poor farm girl named Mayleen.

  “Mayleen was the younger of the two daughters of a poor woodcutter, who—despite his poverty—spent most every coin he made in the taverns drinking and whoring. He seemed to care little for his starving wife and children. Worse, he demanded that there be dinner for him every night when he finally did come home, despite the fact that he never provided them with the means to produce it. When his wife finally risked a beating by confronting him on this disparity, he coldly suggested ways his daughters could earn his dinner in the world of men.

  “The woman, driven to desperation by her poverty, and to spite by her husband’s infidelity, did indeed pass her husband’s demands onto her now grown daughters.

  “The oldest, Aileen, had inherited enough of her father’s selfishness to refuse, looking to others to continue to meet her needs. But Mayleen chose the trials of the road to try to find her way in life.

  “And it was when Mayleen presented herself—fresh and innocent—to the matron of the nearest inn, that she was told the tale of the Dark Fortress (for even an aged whore can still feel pity).

  “As quickly as her legs could carry her—and without any food for the entire journey—she made her way as she had been instructed. It was more than a week later, starved, half-frozen, and with bleeding feet, that she came to the gates. Falling to her knees, she pleaded for the mistress of the castle to accept her, offering herself without reservation. She was to discover later that she need not have pleaded.

  “The young Red Baroness welcomed her like a sister, and offered her rest and food. Yet despite her weakened condition, Mayleen insisted on earning her keep, and set herself to work in the kitchens without being asked. Though offered a warm and comfortable bed for the first time in her life, she did not linger in it, but was always up before first light, working the stables and pens, tending the stock, then back to the kitchens and bakery.

  “Over the next weeks, the Red Baroness showed Mayleen the other businesses of the castle: brewing, milling, tailoring, candle-making. And more, trades usually considered the domain of men: blacksmithing, woodworking, armory. Even hunting.

  “To each new task Mayleen took with the thrill of a child, and the Red Baroness opened new worlds to her, even teaching her how to read and write. In the next months, the frail girl grew into a strong and confident woman. And beautiful.

  “And then, one evening in the Spring, her mistress came to Mayleen in her bed and offered to teach her one final set of skills.

  “The young woman, despite her innocence, had developed a deep affection and trust for her mistress. And she had not been blind to other activities in the castle. Thus her mistress was pleasantly surprised with how receptively Mayleen allowed her to undress and explore her body, and how eagerly the young maid returned her attentions.

  “And while it would have been a simple matter to conclude this tale with a ‘happily ever after’ for the two women, there were other matters to consider. Th
e Red Baroness, after all, had ‘responsibilities’ to her other charges that could not be ignored. Nor had she lost her love and lust for her husband, who did miss her even though he had more than enough ‘distraction’ available to his whims.

  “Mayleen, in turn, had come to the castle to become a force in the world of men, and to that end she had skills to master. So in short order, the Red Baroness presented her new lover to her husband, and was again pleasantly surprised with how readily she took to her ‘training’.

  “It should be noted that it was in these very days and nights that many of the current rituals of this estate were developed and refined, including the ceremonies of bathing and binding.

  “Within a year’s passing, Mayleen had mastered the arts of the bedroom with both sexes, and was presented with two gifts: a magnificent wardrobe fitting for a court lady (though designed to be ‘accessible’) and a beautifully polished crystal phallus, secure in a velvet pouch that would conceal it beneath her skirts. In short order, she would indeed become a lady of nobility, but that is a story for another night.”

  Rose paused again, this time for another goblet of wine, poured by a petite strawberry-haired kitchen maid. But when the maid began to withdraw, Rose caught her by the wrist, pulled her close, and guided her to kneel at her feet. Needing no further cuing, the maid slipped a hand up inside Rose’s skirts, and dutifully began to massage her mistress’ sex as Rose leaned back in her chair and tilted her pelvis up. Sipping her wine, her grin rippled as she chewed her lips, closing her eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were locked intently on Marie again.

  “However, there is the matter of her sister.

  “Mayleen, despite her successes, and perhaps because of them, still thought of her family. She took a coach one day to seek them out, and found her mother and sister still living in the same poverty. Taking pity on them, she gave them a bag of coin, all that she carried with her for the journey, and offered further support. She was shocked to find that her mother was disdainful rather than thankful, angry that Mayleen had not come sooner to offer her sister the same opportunities she had found. Aileen, too, was jealous, and demanded that Mayleen take her back to the Red Baroness so that she would be made into a lady of means as well.

  “Not willing to reveal the extent of her true ‘education’ to her family, or even her current social rank, Mayleen reluctantly gave in to her mother and sister, and took the selfish Aileen back to the castle of her former mistress.

  “Upon arrival, Aileen demanded a soft bed and rich food and fine clothes. She made no offer to work and turned her nose up disdainfully at the various trades offered to her, considering them unladylike and sure to damage her delicate skin. In fact, it was only after her first night that she forwardly demanded a fine gown and a position with a court noble. It was, perhaps, unfortunate that she did approach the Red Baroness in the castle chandlery to make this demand.

  “‘An appropriate garment we shall provide,’ the Red Baroness purred, and at her nod, her maidservants seized Aileen and stripped her naked on the spot. Before she could do more than sputter in protest, she was hauled across a solid worktable and tied down to it, tightly spread-eagle. ‘Let me introduce you intimately to the craft of chandlery.’

  “The Red Baroness spent the next hour dripping hot candle wax over the helpless girl’s body, covering Aileen from chest to thighs, paying particular attention to her breasts and her sex, parting her lips to make sure the wax found her most sensitive areas. Probing the girl with her fingers, the Red Baroness chided her on her negligent hygiene as well as the conspicuous absence of her maidenhead. Torturing the girl with a combination of masturbation and scalding, the Red Baroness obtained Aileen’s confession: she had indeed been selling herself for coin to travelers, keeping her earnings secret from her family.

  “Once the wax had dried into a hard corset, Aileen was unbound and dragged into the Great Hall. Hung by her wrists from a chandelier, the backside of the poor girl’s ornamentation was applied, in the form of lashes from a short horse whip, which striped her from shoulder blades down to mid-thigh. Aileen wailed for mercy, but to no avail. The only thing her struggles accomplished was to begin separating the hard wax shell from her breasts and belly. But to her dismay, the wax was held fast to her by the hair on her sex, which it began to tear at with its weight.

  “To relieve this, the Red Baroness had the girl’s feet separated with a spreader bar and had one of the servants fetch one of her husband’s sharpest hunting knives. With this, she shore Aileen of her nether fur, relieving her of the wax shell. But to compensate for the loss of one ‘garment’, another was applied: Aileen was made to endure a whipping of her heat-reddened breasts, belly and freshly shorn sex.

  “‘And now, my dear,’ the Red Baroness taunted the nearly delirious girl, ‘we shall discuss that position you wished with a court noble.’”

  Rose suddenly came up out of her chair, pulling away from her servant’s ministrations. She pulled the girl to her feet and whispered hastily into her ear, then kissed the hand that had been masturbating her gently as an afterthought. The maid hurried to clear the table, her coworkers appearing promptly to assist her.

  And if the maids responded to Rose so automatically, those “closer” to her were even more attuned: Ella was on her feet and around the table, hauling Marie to her feet. Cords wrapped Marie’s torso above and below her breasts, pinning her upper arms to her ribs. Tied between her shoulder blades, the long remaining tails were then threaded forward under her arms and looped the horizontal cords between arm and breast on both sides, compressing the cords together as they were snugged, so that the cords pinched her breasts between them. These loops were pulled hard backwards, forcing her upper arms and shoulders back, thrusting her chest out. Then her wrists were cranked up and tied high behind her back to where the cords crossed, almost up between her shoulder blades. The remaining cord ends then came over her shoulders and down between her breasts, and the lines above and below her breasts were cinched together in the middle as well. Under the pressure of the bindings, her breasts began to swell, the cords thrusting her nipples straight forward.

  “I told you I had interesting ways of binding even your girl’s teats,” Rose taunted, taking hold of the makeshift harness where it crossed her sternum with one hand, the fingertips of the other teasing Marie’s swelling and increasingly tender nipples. “The things one learns trading with the Orient…”

  A directive glance at Ella resulted in Harriet being hauled to her feet and bound the same way, her fuller breasts reddening once the compression was applied. Then Harriet was led to Marie’s side.

  “I think we should give you another chance in our little contest,” Rose purred. “But this time I think we will change the conditions a bit.” Another commanding glance summoned Richard, who seemed a bit more wary than previously of Rose’s mood. This was replaced by a certain bemusement when Rose produced a scarf and blindfolded him.

  “Given your recent favoritisms, my love,” Rose hummed in his ear, “I think we will need to restore a certain balance to the field of battle.”

  Rose and Ella then marched the bound girls around each other, only to return them to their original positions side-by-side, and then ordering them to kneel on the cold stone floor.

  “Do I need to tell you that uttering a sound will incur my displeasure?” Rose warned. Then she returned to her blindfolded husband, standing him before them. Experienced hands undid his trousers and drew out his member. While one hand stroked it gently, her other hand reached inside her dress to finger her own sex, withdrawing after a moment to thrust her musky fingers under his nose. Richard seemed to convulse with intoxication at her scent, and she slipped those fingers into his mouth. His cock rapidly hardened.

  “First a bit of a distraction,” Rose explained her strategy. “And also inspiration. My husband knows my perfume quite well.” Her fingers returned to her sex briefly to be re-anointed, feeding him another taste of her. “And after two
decades, he still responds to it as intensely as when I first introduced him to it. Without eyes, his nose and tongue will conjure visions of me. But to fool his cock, I have other methods…”

  Without a word, Ella stood behind Harriet and took her face in her strong hands. Forcing Harriet’s mouth open, Ella pushed her head toward Richard’s groin. But it was Rose herself that inserted Richard’s member between the helpless girl’s teeth. With one hand holding the root of Richard’s cock and the other taking hold of the back of Harriet’s head, Rose took control of the rhythm and depth of the fellatio.

  “Remember,” Rose warned, “let spill a drop and you forfeit.”

  Horrified, Marie watched Harriet gasp and struggle as Rose fucked her mouth roughly with her husband’s cock. But then suddenly Harriet was released and Marie found herself seized, and Richard was being fed into her own mouth now.

  “Remember, darling,” Rose purred at her, “you still have control of your tongue…”

  Her subtle change of tone made Marie struggle harder: Rose was using a harsh voice toward Harriet and a tender one toward her, attempting to further confuse Richard. Even her rhythm seemed different: Rose was focusing the thrusting of the cock in a quicker, lighter rolling motion against Marie’s tongue, and seemed to be sparing her the gagging that she had inflicted upon her own lover. But Marie dared not make a sound in protest.

  Then it was Harriet’s turn again—Rose was not using the timer, just following her whims—and she received even rougher treatment this time. Watching the ordeal, it seemed to Marie that Rose was getting quite a bit of pleasure out of inflicting this abuse on her lover, or perhaps it was more that her lover was willing to endure it for her.

  The tables turned once again, and the contrast became more intense: Rose feeding Marie Richard’s sex with an almost tender precision, then turning to nearly choke Harriet with it. Indeed, tears were beginning to run down the former tavern maid’s cheeks when Richard inevitably spilled his seed into her mouth. Harriet was then left to her own devices to drain him, and Rose, with unrestrained delight, removed the blindfold to show him the victor.