A carriage was traveling from Wrightshire to the desolate wastelands. The lush forest road would soon change into an arid desert. It was a place no one would ever willfully go. Yet the Wasteland held precious minerals and jewels in the rocks. Prisoners toiled in the hot sun uncovering jewel encrusted rocks from the earth. Giant carrion birds hovered in the sky, ready to swoop down and abduct the emaciated workers the moment they fell. This was a labor camp like no other, no one ever sentenced to this fate ever returned. Death was usually slow and torturous.
Inside the carriage was a young woman, she was completely nude. Her blonde hair unwashed and tangled obstructed her view. Her large blue eyes welled up with tears.
"I didn't do it!" She shouted through the mesh window that separated herself from the carriage driver.
"Of course you didn't, that's what they all say." The carriage driver replied back.
"I can't do this! Why didn't she just execute me outright?" The young lady shouted.
"I can't answer that with certainty, but my guess is that she wanted to humiliate you, to make you suffer, to make you know in your last days that she was all powerful and that you had no power, that you were nothing."
The young lady trembled, her chin quivered, she brushed her hair out of her eyes, revealing her strikingly regal face. She held her chin up and sniffled, holding back tears. Her full lips closed and she slowed down her breathing. Still she covered her nudity. Her legs crossed, her right arm pressed against her full breasts.
Just a few short days ago she was brimming with pride, she wore the most elegant dresses in the kingdom. She lived in a wonderful palace, filled with every luxury imaginable. She was popular and revered, she was important.
She had a dozen suitors trying to impress her, all of which she enjoyed humoring but did not want to lose her power through marriage just yet. She was enjoying her youth, beauty, and power, a husband would stifle her, she would have to obey him, she didn't want that.
She effortlessly ordered her servants around, never looking them in the eye, flippantly commanding them with an elegant flip of the wrist or a brisk word. Her servant's feared her, she punished them harshly for not obeying her every word, even when they did she sometimes punished them. Her life was grand and exuberant, flush with luxuries and curiosities. Now she was nude, stripped of her dignity, cast away like she was nothing.
"She can't do this to me! This must be some sick joke, I am nobility."
"Not anymore you're not. I think all your rights and properties were stripped when you tried to overthrow Queen Astrid."
"I NEVER did anything of the sort!" The naked woman said, seemingly offended by the accusation.
"Must have did something." The carriage driver whipped his horses, causing the carriage to pick up speed.
"After her coronation, I made a passing remark insulting the flower arrangements. How was I supposed to know Queen Astrid personally and meticulously selected those flowers."
"A small mistake can get a big consequence from the Queen."
"Especially if she is jealous of your beauty." The naked woman said haughtily.
"Well, no one's jealous of you anymore, not a soul in the world."
The naked woman looked down and let out a huff of indignation.
"You're not going to be beautiful for long either."
The naked woman's eyes opened, she couldn't believe this commoner was talking to her like he was.
"You'll work until your skin and bones."
"I will refuse to work!" The naked woman said angrily.
"Oh, you'll work, they always get the prisoners to work. They will use you in the worst possible ways." The carriage driver let out a cruel laugh, he was reveling in her demise.
"What...do...you...mean...use...me?" The naked woman was scared now.
"Do I have to spell it out, they'll rape you, they would love to tear apart a noble piece of meat like you! Right now they are probably chomping at the bit. Hell, Astrid probably gave them special instructions. That Queen is a cruel woman."
The naked woman put her head in her hands. The carriage driver laughed as he whipped the horse again.
"You know, you could probably make it a few years out there if you willfully service those guards, they could use some companionship. It's not a good deal for them either, no one wants to be stationed in the Wasteland. Yeah, if you just dirtied your knees up a bit and serviced them on a daily basis you could probably last a long time. I'm gettin' randy just thinking about a nice young woman of high birth like yourself servicing those men like a common whore." The carriage driver whipped his horses again.
The naked woman was now crying, her fate now finally sinking in. There were no good options for her. There was especially no use in talking to the sadistic carriage driver, he had no sympathy for her. It seemed as no one in the whole kingdom had sympathy for her, no one spoke up in her defense when she was accused of treason and no one would stand up for her now. It seemed as though the world cruelly believed that she was getting her comeuppance. "How could anyone wish such cruelty on anyone, especially someone as special as me." She thought to herself as the carriage rode onward towards her demise.
Suddenly the naked woman was tossed across the carriage. The carriage had abruptly stopped. The sound of arrows sailing through the air was everywhere. The carriage guards yelled other voices could be heard as well.
"What is happening!" The naked woman yelled out, no one responded. The naked woman saw the carriage driver slumped against the mesh window. She stood up to investigate, putting her eyes up against the mesh. She heard a soft gurgling and saw that the carriage driver had an arrow embedded in his neck. He was still breathing, but not fully aware of his surroundings, the naked woman saw his right eye was glazed over, his hand twitching. Suddenly an arrow stuck directly into the carriage driver's forehead. The naked woman huddled up into a fetal position on the carriage bench, she was terrified. Her eyes were opened wide, she was rocking back and forth in stunned disbelief.
The chaos died down, the naked woman could hear voices outside of the carriage.
"Oh drat, it seems like a simple prison carriage, there shan't be any bounty here."
"Oh, but there may be. There must be a prisoner, maybe if he is not a scoundrel he can join our ranks." Another voice spoke out.
"They are always scoundrels, and Rycroft will make us do the deed, the bloody messy deed."
The naked woman shuddered as she heard the carriage door open, she closed her eyes as she pulled her knees closer to her naked chest.
"...WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE!" A stunned man shouted.
"Why it's a naked lady, a pretty one to be exact."
"Goddamn, JACKPOT!"
"Get Rycroft, he is going to want to see this!"
The naked woman spoke softly, "Please don't hurt me."
"I can't guarantee that we won't hurt you." one of the men said laughing.
"Please...I am... I am... Lady Lillian from the house of Wright."
"Hmmm Wright, never heard of that name."
Lillian opened her eyes to see a handsome man push aside the two brutes and reach out his hand towards her.
"My name is Rycroft, leader of this band of merry bandits, I am pleased to meet you, Lady Lillian."
"Get away from me you scum!" Lillian spat, still scared.
"Why such hostility? It seems as though myself and my men just saved your life! You were traveling towards the Wasteland, and judging by your attire you were not going there to vacation."
"I demand clothing at once!" Lillian yelled out, causing Rycroft to step back.
"My lady, you are in no position to make demands. I, of course, would conjure some clothing up if you had asked me nicely. However, you have chosen to forget your manners." Rycroft put his hands on his hips.
"Return me at once!"
"Return you where?" Rycroft shrugged.
"You bandit scum! Heed my demands." Lillian yelled out.
"Why is she so ungrateful?" Rycroft looked around confused.
"I will have you arrested!" Lillian said looking Rycroft directly in his eyes.
"Oh...I see...You are embarrassed, you are nude and we are but lowly cockroaches, gazing at your naked body."
"That's right!" Lillian said red in the face.
Lillian was humbled and mortified to be rescued by a group of bandits. Her flesh was exposed to commoners, which was not acceptable in her eyes.
"It seems to me that you must have done something horrible, to someone even more important than yourself. So I don't think you are in a position to negotiate. You may very well be of noble birth, but in this forest at this moment you are anything but noble. You are under my command...This is my forest and as long as you are in this forest you bow to me! Not your phony royal family, no royal connection or high status sways me...In fact it is just the opposite, I rob and murder your kind to feed the oppressed." Rycroft said getting frustrated.