Chapter 30 -- Beaten, Broken, Rebuilt
*****
"You hit like a pussy!"
That just caused him to hit me in the side a little bit harder. "And you talk too much," the hooded man growled.
"Well, who else am I going to talk to? I get a little lonely in my cell."
He hit me again, to the other side, right into my kidneys. This was day two, or at least I thought it was. Upon arriving at the cells, I'd been stripped of my armour and thrown into a dark cell, with only a few musty blankets and a bucket for company. I'm not sure how long I sat in there for before I was hauled out, my wrists clamped to a wall, and I waited for whatever was to come.
A fucking giant walked into the room. He was even bigger than me, so that caused a little concern. The size of his arms were, frankly, ridiculous, his legs like tree trunks. He wore a hood, so I could only see the darkness of his eyes and the yellow of his teeth. He said nothing as he approached, only putting on a pair of leather gloves. "Ah, so that's how it's going to be?"
He replied by making sure his gloves were comfortable before the beating began. He knew what he was doing too. Never hit the face. I'd been lucky not to break my hand when giving Howe an uppercut. Even with his gloves, there's a chance he'd injure himself more by hitting me in the jaw. This man was an expert. Everything into the body. That first beating had been bad enough, feeling numerous bruises already forming, and I couldn't stop myself throwing up.
This was beating number two. I'd slept since then, but as I lived in near darkness, I didn't know if was the same day or not, so I figured I'd do my best to count the beatings. I knew it was nothing but torture. No-one was going to ask me questions, they wouldn't learn anything anyway. No, this was Loghain just having me beaten down so that, by the time of my execution, I'd be wanting death.
"Call that a punch! I've been with women who hit harder than you."
It probably wasn't a good idea to taunt the giant, though it never pissed him off. He knew what I was doing as much I knew what he was going to do. So, as a follow up, I spat at him. That actually earned a slap and a finger in the face. "I'll take your taunts and comments, but I won't take that. It is not honourable."
"And this is? Beating a man bound to a wall?"
"I am merely following orders. I have heard the rumours of you, though."
"Good or bad?"
"What I think does not matter. My job is to break you before your execution. Be glad Loghain does not want the same treatment you meted out to Lord Howe. So, you can continue your comments if you want, but you will not provoke a reaction. I've heard them all. Or, you can take your punishment, and it will probably pass quicker."
If that wasn't a suggestion to shut up... So that's what I did, instead taking on an air of defiance as he continued to hand out the so-called punishment, not making any sound whatsoever, swallowing down any groans that tried to escape. I did my best, but by the time he was finished, and the guards entered to take me back to the cell, I could barely stand up.
After another couple of beatings, I'd lost all track of time. All I did was sleep or try and eat a little bit of the meagre food they brought me between the beatings. I did wonder what everyone else was doing, wondering if they would try and rescue me. I hadn't really been thinking about it when facing down Ser Cauthrien. My arrogance had led me to my current position. I figured it was the Gods punishing me for being a fool.
Counting beatings instead of days, I must have had at least half a dozen, maybe more, when my cell door was opened again. The fight had well and truly gone out of me by this stage. I had tried fighting them off the first couple of times, but the guards were not stupid, and always came armed with weapons ready to beat me into submission if I was uncooperative. I sat back against the wall, wondering who it was.
"I am not to be disturbed," a feminine voice ordered. That caused an involuntary raise of my eyebrows, particularly as the cell door closed and the figure approached, holding up a candle.
"Ser Cauthrien? Well, this is a surprise."
She crouched in front of me, holding the candle to my face before moving it down my body. The gasp wasn't a surprise. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's to be expected, being an enemy of the state."
She shook her head. "No, not like this," she said softly, "I serve my lord proudly, but we shouldn't do this."
"Why are you here?"
She placed the candle on the ground, throwing back her hood. "Do you know I can tell you the exact date I was last kissed by a man. And, trust me on this, it was not recent. You are the first man to even suggest some sort of physical attraction, and you're meant to be my enemy. Go figure!"
"Well, I won anyway. I got my kiss."
"Do you honestly find me attractive?"
"Of course. The whole ally to Loghain is a bit of a downer, but on your appearance, and your skill, I'm definitely attracted."
"You're to be executed in three days' time, Ragnar. You will be hung before being beheaded. Your head will be placed on a pike above the city gates as a warning."
"And you agree to that?"
"What I think doesn't matter. The decision is that of my lord. I can only follow his wishes."
I let the silence linger before I asked, "Does he know you're here?"
The smile was genuine and rather sweet. "I'm here for my own reasons. I believe a condemned man is entitled to a last meal. I was thinking he may also be entitled to a last moment of bliss before he dies."
"You're serious?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I've heard stories about you, Dragonborn. All of them, except Howe, speak of your good nature, your willingness to help others, your..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "You should not be in here," she whispered, before meeting my eyes, "But you did murder Lord Howe. I believe you about what happened at Castle Cousland, but the regent claims they were all traitors."
