Medieval Punishment

This is a work of fiction. Even the country is fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people, events or places is accidental.

*****

Julie gave her passport and reservation to the check-in agent.

"Buram. That's exotic," the agent commented as he typed on his computer. After a bit of typing, he apologized: "I am sorry, but I cannot check you all the way to Buram. You will have to claim your bag in Delhi, and then check in again for the rest of the way."

"That is probably best anyway, since I will spend the night there," Julie answered. She got her boarding pass, and walked towards security.

...

Julie queued at the gate. She looked at the passport in her hand, with the boarding pass sticking out, and the travel plan neatly folded inside. Buram, capital of Rhotan. A month ago she had not even heard of the country. She had a return ticket, but that was mainly to appease the border control. If all went according to plan, she would not return. Not anytime soon, at least. Of course all her plans depended on her interpretation of old laws in a kingdom halfway across the globe, a country she had never visited, and a culture she did not know. What could possibly go wrong?

Julie was separated from her husband, but they had not yet got around to getting an actual divorce. It was almost as if their stale marriage was not important enough to dissolve, but now she could turn it to her advantage. She thought at her husband. Their marriage had probably been a mistake, and they had quickly grown apart. The discovery that she was infertile had been a disappointment, but not something that would have driven them apart. But her discovery of bondage and S/M had.

At first it had been a spice in their sex-life. But as the novelty of it wore off, Peter lost interest. Julie, on the other hand, wanted more. And a little more extreme every time. Eventually, Peter had had enough, and now they lived apart.

The queue began moving. She felt her heart beat strongly in her chest. "Fear and anticipation." She had not intended to say the words loud, and a few people turned and looked briefly at her. Fear and anticipation, when had she last felt such emotions? Or any other strong emotions for that matter...

...

"Welcome to the Royal Airport of Buram," the loudspeaker glared. "Travelers from Delhi can claim their luggage at Carousel 1." Julie looked around. There was only one carousel. But then the plane from Delhi was the only plane arriving today. Monday was the busy day, with two planes arriving, from Beijing and Bangkok. This was a indeed tiny airport, in the smallish capital of one of the smallest independent countries in the world.

The Kingdom of Rhotan was a strange mixture of old and new. It was a modern democracy with a head of state elected for five years. But he was not president, he had title of King. And their old laws were never repealed nor replaced, instead new laws were made that supplemented or reinterpreted the old ones - or even made them optional. The Buramese were very reluctant to let go of anything ancient, even ancient law. Which was exactly why Julie was here.

...

She had spent a week getting the lay of the land, now she was ready to act. This morning she had send an anonymous email to the authorities. Now the sun had set, the bars were opening. She went to the bar she had carefully selected. The regulars were already there. She selected two young men sitting at a table. They were perhaps ten years younger than her, but she knew that here light skin and long blonde hair would catch their attention. She smiled as she sat at their table, and began chatting.

Julie carefully nudged the conversation towards more and more daring subjects, until she thought they were ready. "Why don't we get some fresh air?"

She led them through the warm night to a small, dark alley, deserted a part from a parked car. Once they were out of sight, she began removing her clothes, and soon she was giving one guy a blowjob while another took her from behind. She gradually moved closer to the parked car, until they almost touched it. Then without warning the doors opened, and two men jumped out, shouting "Police!"

...

The judges had heard the accounts of the witnesses and the three defendants. The lawyers had finished their procedure, and now the time had come to hand out the judgment. It was an easy case, as all three had pleaded guilty. Then the door opened, and a policeman entered with an apology. He went to the lawyers defending the two men, whispered to them, and showed them a paper.

"Your Honor, I know it is unusually late for this, but I would like to present new evidence, showing quite clearly that my client and that of my colleague have been set up."

"Your Honor, I must protest!" Julie's lawyer stood up. "It is most irregular to introduce new evidence this late. It is my clear impression that my honored colleagues are colluding to place the blame on my client, just because she is a foreigner and a woman!"

"Protest rejected." The judge looked sternly at the three defense lawyers. "Any evidence possibly showing the innocence of a defendant must always be considered. As for collusion - I will keep your comment in mind, but I will be the judge of that! You may present this new evidence."

"Your Honor, we have already heard that two policemen were waiting in an unmarked car because they had received an anonymous tip that a large drug trade was about to be finalized. The drug dealers never showed up, we presumed these people disturbed them. But now we have found the draft of the anonymous email on Mrs. Eastmann's ipad. It look like she carefully arranged that our clients would be caught with their pants down."

"Mrs. Eastmann, that is quite a serious charge against you. What do you have to say to that."

As Julie rose to speak, her lawyer counseled her to refrain from answering the question. She ignored him. "It is correct, I wrote the email."

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't really know." She smiled at the judge. "I guess I was bored."

"BORED?" The judge looked angry. "Be careful. You risk getting ample time to be bored!"

The judge consulted with the two lay judges. "I guess we are ready to pronounce the sentence."

He asked the two young men to stand. "You have both been accused of public indecency, and have both pleaded guilty. However, it seems that there are serious mitigating circumstances. This woman has taken advantage of your inexperience to set you up and make sure you were caught. Nevertheless, you are guilty of public indecency. We therefore sentence you both to three days of imprisonment. You have already spend the night in custody, and I suspend the remainder of the sentence on the condition that you commit no similar crime within the next two years. You may therefore leave this courtroom as free men once these proceedings have closed. Do you have any comments?"

"No, your Honor."

"Thank you, your Honor. We appreciate your mercy."

"Mrs. Julie Eastmann, please rise. You have been charged with public indecency. Furthermore, you are by your own admission married, and is therefore guilty of transgression against your marriage wows, which is still a crime in this country. Finally, I find you guilty of attempting to frame your co-defendants. For these crimes, I sentence you to six weeks of imprisonment, after which you will be deported from the country, and barred from reentry for ten years. Do you have any comments to this sentence?"

"Yes, your Honor. I do. It is my understanding that by article 143 section 3 of the Rhotan penal code I am entitled to choose between a punishment under modern law and under the old law. I would like to hear what my punishment would be under the old law, so I can make my choice."

The judges looked at each other in slight bewilderment. "You are mistaken, Mrs Eastmann. The new penal code replaces the barbaric old punishments, that is clearly the intentions of the penal code of 1989. There is no choice."

"It may be the intentions of the law, but it is certainly not the words of the law." Julie then quoted article 143 section 3 from memory. "Clearly, these words give me a choice! I would like to be given that choice."

The judges whispered together. Then the main judge spoke again. "This court will recess for 30 minutes, while we consider this most bizarre and unusual request."

...

The judges returned to the courtroom with somber faces.

"Mrs. Eastmann, we agree that you may be offered an alternate punishment under the old law. But remember that the old law is from 1450, it is harsh and barbaric by modern standards.

"The charge of framing your co-defendants has no equivalent in the old law, and the penalty for that part shall be two weeks of imprisonment.

"By the old law, your main crime is adultery. That is a crime of treason against your husband, and is also a crime against the public order. As the wronged part, your husband can demand the most severe punishment under the law: death by public crucifixion. However, such a request must be made before the start of the trial. He has not done that. In the absence of such a request, the punishment is public torture and humiliation.

"Not only are you guilty of adultery. Under the old law, there are three severe, aggravating circumstances. First, you were with two men, not just one. Second, your adultery was visible from a car and therefore public."

At this point the judge took out his notes, and looked at them. "Adultery is public if it is done so close to a public path or road that it can be seen from a carriage. I judge that the police car fulfills that criterion.

"Third, you gave both men a blowjob. Since sex in that orifice cannot lead to pregnancy, it is a crime in itself under the old law."

The judged looked at Julie before continuing. "The punishment is therefore cruel and severe. First you shall be taken to a stage on the main square, and stripped naked for all citizens to see. Then you shall be given thirteen whiplashes, seven on your back side, six on the front."

The judge continued to list the humiliations and tortures she would be suffering, before continuing, reading from his notes. "And the final and most severe punishment: You shall be chained naked to the outer wall of the Temple of the Goddess. The chain shall be so long that you can both lie down and stand up, and walk three steps away from the wall, but not any longer than that. Any free man, and any slave (not that we have them any more) who pass you may have intercourse with you, without the normal restrictions of the law and without transgressing against his marriage vows, as in the eyes of the law you shall no longer be a person.

"You will remained chained to the temple wall until you give birth to a living child. The child will legally be an orphan, and shall be given to the temple, to be raised as a priest or priestess, and you shall be sent into exile.

"This is the fate you will bring upon yourself and your coming child."

Julie almost asked what would happen if she never got pregnant. But it had taken the doctors several months to discover why she was infertile, there was no chance anyone would find out unless she told them herself. She guessed that the punishment would be lifelong.

The judge smiled at Julie. "But you could of course just choose the modern punishment, in which case your sexual activities will be an additional four weeks in prison. You will be in the women's wing of the prison, so you will not be raped."

The judge looked at Julie again before continuing. "Of course if you get 'bored', you can request to visit one of the male prisoners and fuck him, if he consents. That will not even be adultery, since the moment you have been convicted of extra-marital sex, you marriage is by the laws of the kingdom null and void."

He paused before asking, "So what is your choice, Mrs. Julie Eastmann."

"I choose punishment under the old law."

"I protest, your Honor!" Julie's lawyer rose, with a pale face.

"I am sorry, Jamal. Your task is to defend your client against the prosecution, not against herself. You cannot save her from her own madness."

Then he spoke to Julie again. "So be it! You shall be taken to the main prison, and serve two weeks there. Then on the sixth of May at noon, you will be taken to the main square for your final punishment.

"However, we do not execute our prisoners here in Rhotan. Nor do we punish the mentally ill. During the two weeks of imprisonment, you will be examined by a doctor to see if your body is strong enough to survive this treatment. And a psychiatrist will examine your mind. If he gives you any diagnosis recognized by the law, then the rest of your punishment will be commuted to ordinary prison."

...

It was noon, and the main square had filled up by people wanting to see this crazy foreigner who had requested to be punished under the old law. A large wooden scene had been set up, and a small crane had been placed on the stage, almost as a gallows.

Julie was led onto the scene. She was barefoot, dressed only in a simple, unadorned brown dress made of some coarse cloth. She wore neither chains nor handcuffs, but two strong policemen walked by her sides. She was placed under the crane. Then the judge approached. He was given a microphone, and addressed Julie.

"Julie Eastmann, you have been found guilty of adultery under severely aggravating circumstances. You have chosen to be punished under the old law. This is the punishment you shall receive."

The judge then proceeded to read the same list of tortures he had already described in the courtroom, but this time interrupted by gasps of horror (and shouts of anticipation) from the audience.

"One last time I give you a choice: To be punished in this barbaric way, or to be punished by four weeks of prison under the modern law. Choose wisely!"

For the first time in her life, Julie felt fully alive as she shouted "I choose the old law!"

The judge nodded to the two policemen, who grabbed her dress and pulled it apart, until she stood naked on the stage facing the excited crowd. She was thirty years old, and beautiful. Her long, blonde hair reached halfway down her back, and was smooth as silk. In contrast, the hairs between her legs were dark, and unkempt.

One policeman tied her arms together in front of her, and attached them to the line from the crane. Then the crane was activated until she was forced to stand on her toes. She was then turned so her back faced the audience.

The policeman took a large whip from a box. Julie screamed in pain and shock as the first lash landed on her back; this was far more painful than any whipping her husband had given her in the bedroom. She screamed again as the second stroke hit her buttocks. This was no whip made for safety in a kinky bedroom setting. It was made to do real damage. But the policeman did not feel comfortable whipping a naked woman, and did not put his full strength in the strokes, otherwise the whip would have left deep wounds and given her permanent scars.

Julie screamed again as the whip hit her on the top of the thighs. Then another stroke on the middle of her back. And again. And again. And again.

Then Julie was turned so she was now facing the crowd. The policeman grabbed her between the legs. "She is all wet! The bitch is enjoying this!"

Then the first whiplash hit her on the belly. She bent over and screamed. As she straightened out, the second lash hit her on the breasts. She saw two red stripes on her body, and a bit of blood running down her left breast where the whip had broken her skin.

Then the third whiplash landed on her crotch. She screamed in pain, and almost fainted. She had hardly recovered when the fourth landed on the thighs, and then the fifth on her belly again. The sixth and final whiplash hit her partly on the lower part of her breasts, partly on the upper belly. She almost fainted as the crane lowered her to the floor of the scene, and did not see the thirteen young men who now entered the scene. They lined up to her right, and the first one walked in front of her and removed his trousers.

She screamed again as he entered her pussy, but this time more in pleasure than in pain. He fucked her hard, but withdrew before either of them came. Then he grabbed her hair, and forced her to take his cock into her mouth. He fucked her mouth until he came, while Julie fought to keep her gagging reflex under control.

Then the second man came. He flipped her around, and took her doggy-style. When she came, he pulled out and instead rammed his large cock up her ass. She screamed in pain and excitement, never had she been fucked there before. A moment later he shot his load deep into her.

The third man also started fucking her vaginally, before continuing in her ass. But after only two or three trusts, he pulled out again and began fucking her mouth. She could taste her own shit on his cock, and almost vomited as he came in her mouth.

Then the fourth man came. And the fifth... By the tenth man her pussy and ass were so sore that she screamed more in pain than in pleasure no matter what they did to her. But still, in the moments before the next man came, she smiled. This was more painful than she had expected, but she did not regret her choice. Never had she lived this intensely before!

After the thirteenth man had raped her, she could not stand unaided, and was dragged to a pole on the scene. There she was placed sitting with her back against the pole, and her hands were tied above her head. She would spend the evening and night like this, to recover before the next day. A policeman stood by her side to prevent unauthorized raping during the night. But he did nothing to keep the mosquitoes away.

...

Next morning she woke up at dawn. A police car came to pick her up, and to her surprise she could walk down to it unaided. The car took her to the eastern city limit. As the judge had explained, the law required her to walk naked through the streets of the city, for all to see her shame, from the easternmost gate to the westernmost. Without any doubt the original lawmakers had meant the gates of the citadel, a rather moderate walk. But the text left little room for interpretation, it would be interpreted as the modern city limits. Buram was not a large city, from north to south perhaps only two miles. But from east to west it stretched for more than fifteen miles. Julie did not know what circumstances had resulted in this weird geography, nor did she care. She just knew it would be a long walk, naked and with bare feet.

It was weekend, and the inhabitants of the city had nothing better to do than lining up along her route. A policeman walked ten meters before her, and a second ten meters behind. The first one carried a large gong, and every hundred feet or so he would strike the gong, and shout "Shame!". The first time Julie giggled; they obviously watched Game of Thrones here, too.

She had only walked a short distance when an egg hit her back, and shattered. Throwing stuff at her was banned, but she had been told that the occasional tomato or egg would be tolerated. A rotten tomato splattered on her shoulder. She waved in the general direction it had come from, and smiled. People were shouting curses at her.

...

After walking for two hours, Julie was tired and covered in egg and tomato. She was bruised from the occasional harder fruits. Then something heavy hit her shoulder and splattered liquid all over her face. The smell was disgusting. Somebody had pissed in a plastic bag and thrown it at her. She walked on.

...

Sometime during the afternoon, she reached the western city limit. She was hosed down and a police car took her back to the stage on the main square. A wooden horse had been erected there, she was told to stand next to it, and her hands were tied behind her back.