Beauty was only in a short white silk shirt, when she heard him at the door. It was obvious that she was not dressed like she was told. Sitting in front of the mirror she had completely lost track of time. Was there anger in the face of Severus? She turned her head away from the mirror and rushed to the big comfortable bed. Her clothes were waiting for her.
"No time for dressing, we are late already. It will be a long ride, so let's go!"
His powerful voice sheared through her body, as he spoke. Grabbing at what clothing she could, she scurried out the door, gazing in his eyes at the stern look on his face, she whispered: "Yes Master Severus Sir, forgive this one, I lost time Sir," as he held his hand to grasp her upon his horse.
Holding her tight as they galloped threw the woods, she could feel his breath upon her neck as he whispered: "This is important, you must be ready when I demand so! Do you understand girl?"
"Yes, yes," she whispers, feeling his grasp upon her waist tighter, as they trot through the forest.
The horse obviously was in high spirits. The air was full with his neighs. Severus and Beauty both were silent. Severus seemed to enjoy the ride, and so did Beauty, although in the beginning she was not too happy to wear nothing but a cape and a corset. She knew that nobody was to blame for that than herself.
By the time they left the woods and came to the grassland her butt was sore. Now the horse increased his speed, and each gallop pushed her bust over her corset, and each gallop slapped her bare arse. Severus was aware of that and noticed her excitement.
They rode his prize horse, Phantom he was black as the night, yet it was if they could read each others minds. Sometimes Beauty thought they had the same eyes, both could pierce through her mind. Phantom rode fast and hard, yet was gentle like the wind. With each gallop her bare arse rode him, and it excited her, Severus knew this and it excited him also.
Dusk was approaching and soon they needed to end their journey for the day. They had travel miles and miles, and it was time to rest. Soon they approach a stream. As they reach it and Phantom slows his trot, Beauty can feel Severus move her hair to the side as he whispers: "A few moments for a drink, then we are off... we must reach our destination by dusk," and with that she felt him bite her neck gently at first but suddenly harsh... as if to remind her he means what he says. She slides off his horse and takes her cape and scoops some water, walks over to Severus still on the horse, and offers him a drink from her cape, or to cleanse his face, whichever he prefers. She watches him slide off Phantom and walk his horse to the stream, then carefully takes her cupful of water and wipes his brow, she smiles and with the cool water he touches her face.
In the sky above them a storm was building up, dark clouds swiftly changing their forms, their shadows running over the grass and the stones like a herd of primeval beasts. Beauty looked around, but there was no place where they could find shelter.
"Oh, you don't be afraid to get wet, my darling?" Severus chuckled. "Let's go then, dear!" said he and off they were. Phantom ran fast as an arrow, there was thunder on the mountains and there were lightings in the sky and suddenly the clouds burst and heavy rain was pouring down. Beauty flattened herself on Phantoms back, her arms around his neck. Severus tried to shelter her, but soon gave up: It rained so hard that in no time both were soaking wet. Three more lightings in the sky and faraway thunder and then the rain was over.
"We are lucky, it was a warm summer rain, my sweetheart, winter storms here may be pretty wicked, they often come down with hail and snow," a drop of water dripped from Severus' nose as he spoke. Around them beautiful flowers were popping up on the wet soil, their blossoms red and blue and yellow, and small pools of water were shining with the beams of the sinking sun. A dragonfly was dancing around Beauty's head as she looked at Severus and he brushed back here wet red hair.
"Look, Beauty, over there, that dark mountain, that's where we heading to."
Her eyes gaze upon the mountain top, still wet from the heavy rain as the moon glows in the dusk. Severus brings Phantom to a slow trot as they approach thick woods. It seems they have made at least a mile of further progress before they come to a path that leads to the opening of a cave, dark and narrow, yet some light pierces through as they find their way. Phantom has been here before, he remembers. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a white horse stud in their way, neighing and shaking her mane. Phantom answered her all excited. The mare turned around her head and rammed her nostrils into Severus' thigh. "All right, all right, Weewhite, Phantom will be yours in a second," Severus laughed and got down from Phantoms back. Beauty glided into his open arms.
There were small flying spots all around them in the air, when they entered the cave, they could hardly see them, although they were very close. "Nothing to worry, just bats, dear," Severus said. Though the bats still frightened Beauty.
As it seemed, the cave opened into several caverns and tunnels. In one of the arcades on their left was something like a stove. Three women were sitting close to it on wooden stools, their backs turned to the stove. Obviously they enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Their hair was grey, their faces were wrinkled and they probably were older than the mountain they lived in. One of them held a spindle in her hands, the other turned the ball, and the third, who was dozing, had a pair of scissors on her lap.
Severus waved. "Hi, girls, how are you doing?"
"Oh pretty well, son. At least myself... Lachy here is suffering from gout, and Atrophy, she is dozing most of the time, no harm to her... But how are yourself, let me have a look at you..." She rose from her stool, passed the spindle to Lachy and hugged and kissed Serverus. "And there you bring along a pretty child..." Her left hand touched Beauty's cheek.
"That's Beauty, Klothy... "
"And a beauty you are, child," said Klothy and smiled, and Beauty was blushing.
Lachy laughed and said with a shake of the head: "Oh, come on, Klothy, you can't call her a child... she is a lady!" Beauty, standing there with nothing on but her corset and a cape, did not know what to say.
"A lady of course she is... and so beautiful ... and the thighs so pretty..." Klothy was going on, "...do you know, child, there will be a rose on your left inner thigh, a red blossom and black thorns... you will enjoy it there, but you better plant a rosebush in your garden too, dear..."
"Ahh, cut it, Klothy", said Lachy and shook her head again, "the girl needs no advice, but a hot mug of tea, look at her gooseflesh and her wet hair."
They had their tea and then Severus asked for Vulcanus.
"He is busy in his smithy, you will find him there," Lachy replied.
Vulcanus was hammering on a red glowing horseshoe. His skin was dark and his chest was very hairy, his black hair wet with sweat. As soon as he noticed them, he put the hammer down and laid the horseshoe on the red hot coal.
"By Jove, my dear Severus, you will love what I made for you -- or should I say: for this lovely lady..." He gave Severus a hard friendly slap on his shoulder and chuckled. And then he turned to Beauty, smiled as he became aware she was just in her corset and then looked into her eyes, chuckled again and took her right hand, lifted it up, kissed it and said: „Enchanted, Madame."
He opend an iron closet and found a small dark wooden box. "You don't have to open it and spoil the surprise, I checked it before, its all there that you told me to make. And now, guys, let me return to my work, I have a horseshoe waiting." By that he took a lantern from the closet, lit the candle in it and gave it to Severus. He looked at Beauty, measuring her with the eye of an artist (or was it that of a primordial man?) and said: Mind your head, Ma'am, when you enter the shaft, the ceiling is low, so you better bend your neck, and you too, Severus, haha."
They heard the echo of his chuckle, when they slowly walked away from him into the darkness of the narrow tunnel. Beauty was more than happy they had at least the light of the candle in the lantern that was a wonderful specimen of Vulcanus' craftsmanship.
They progressed in silence, time lost its meaning for them... There was only the sound of their heartbeats in their ears and the echo of their steps... and then the tunnel ended and they were in a place that looked like a big cave with a lot of crystals on its walls and probably on its ceiling that was somewhere high over their heads in the darkness.
In the centre of the cave was a small stone table. Severus put the lantern on it, then looked at Beauty. "You are almost naked, pet." He smiled. "Take now your corset off too."
"So this is the place then..." she said.
"Yes it is, but hurry now, and take the corset off."
"Yes, Sir", she whispered and naked she was.
She was going to kneel for him, but he stopped her: "Just stand and put your arms behind your back, I don't want to bend down, when I have to fix these on you." By that he opened the small box Vulcanus had gave him. "Close your eyes for a moment." Beauty did what she was told. Suddenly there was a pressure on her right hard nipple, then a short sharp pain. "Do not open your eyes, Beauty!" A tear was running down her cheek and she bite her lip. There was the same pressure and pain in her other nipple. This time she almost screamed. To calm her Severus touched her with the palm of his hand on her forehead, brushing her hair back and the pain diminished slowly. "You now can open your eyes." She looked down to her nipples. They were both clamped with ring clamps that looked like snakes with wicked teeth, their small red eyes made of precious little stones.
Severus took her by her right upper arm and led her to the small stone table in the centre of the cave. "Bend over it and let your chest rest on it." The stone was cold and some relief to her clamped nipples. Severus slowly moved his palm along her spine, till she pressed her breasts and her belly so hard down to the stone she could not tell anymore where her body ended and the rock began. Her chin was close to the rim of the table, she did not know what to do with her arms.
