A Gilded Cage

After this Chapter there will, I'm afraid, be a bit of a wait until the next. I am away with work for some time. Expect the next around the 15th.

For those that skipped the latter part of the previous chapter, I have, as promised, included a brief summary.

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Aneira was taken from a convoy of cars by a gang of mercenaries. Rogers was shot in the ambush but survived. Aneira was badly beaten, raped, and basically left for dead. Through her tracking chip the general found and rescued her, flying her out to hospital, and taking the mercenaries prisoner. He is immensely concerned for her.

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Aneira woke in a deep comfortable bed in a modest but well-proportioned room. From her bed she could see the tops of trees in the garden and felt quite at home. That was until she tried to sit up. A stab of pain shot from her ribs and she gave an involuntary gasp. A young woman hurried in at the sound, all in white except for the red cross embroidered on the top of her apron.

"Miss you must not get out of bed today. What do you need? I will get it for you."

"No, nothing, who are you?" She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, her head hurt and she was very sore between her legs.

"I'm Beth. General Berkeley instructed me to care for you until you are well enough. How do you feel?"

"Sore, I ache, and I am a little confused."

"Sore and achey I can help with, so long as you promise not to move too much. You have some sutures down below." The woman smiled softly and took her hand, saying: "I'm sorry miss... I saw you when you were brought in... I can't imagine what you've gone through."

Aneira didn't want to imagine it, so changed the subject.

"Is the general at home?"

"He said he'd be back before supper, but he is a busy man, and a fine looking lord miss, you've had a bit of luck there."

"The man took me from my home, raped me in front of half the army, had my former lover tortured, and most recently had my father shot in front of me. Oh and not to mention that half of the marks on me where him. A fine lord indeed."

"I'm so sorry miss I had no idea. I just assumed with him putting you up in such a fine manner and the way he worried for you, that you were close."

"I am his favourite toy, a songbird in a gilded cage."

"There are worse lives miss. You'll never want for anything. Oh that reminds me, he said when you woke you were to be given this."

She passed a delicate dress of a soft green silk like the colour of apple buds with emerald satin ribbon trim. There was a parcel full of thread, scissors, needles, sewing hoops, tape measures, and everything else she might need.

"He says that the bodice is a little plain and could do with a little attention. If I might be so bold miss, I'd be inclined to use this silver and the white along with this bundle of greens."

"I would have to agree with you Beth. Perhaps you are right, he is not entirely unpleasant."

By the time he had returned she had dropped off to sleep and the nurse met him at the door so as not to wake her.

"She woke up for a few hours and ate a bit and sewed. She talked, but she is rather melancholy. Would you have me wake her up, lord?"

"No, no don't disturb her. You must be exhausted yourself. My staff are eating near the kitchens and you would be welcome to join them, then my housekeeper will show you to a room she has made up. Davies will show you the way."

"Yes, that is very much appreciated lord. I will keep my phone on all night so you can call me if there is any change, but I don't think it is likely."

As soon as she was out of sight and after having a quick check on Aneira, he collapsed onto his bed. He needed an hour before supper with his godfather. Well, he needed a week, but an hour would have to do.

"So you are only human after all Charles. Your butler let me in and brought supper. No wonder the man was unwilling to let me come straight in. Are you getting up?"

"What, oh god, sorry, it has been a very long few days."

"Not to worry, I have heard only half and even that would have exhausted me."

They sat to dinner, the general drinking coffee rather than wine, his work for the evening far from finished.

"So, Charles, fill me in. You were called to restore order to the coastal cities and it all went wrong from there. And that business with the girl..."

"Yes, I was called in by the city governors who said they had lost control of the situation and needed the army. By the time I got there it had calmed down almost entirely - the troops I had in the area had been able to get a hold of it almost as soon as I arrived. There were fires, a bit of looting, some people shot, but it was only really known trouble makers involved and the last of them were being rounded up as I arrived."

"That is very odd indeed. From the news that was reaching the capital, from official sources mind, not sensationalist gossipmongers, there was an utter bloodbath."

"There was a great deal of smoke, noise, chaos, and panic but very little actual trouble."

"That was a lot of effort to go to just to get you away from the capital."

"My thoughts exactly. I didn't understand the point of it all until I got the call about the girl."

"How is she?" The older man cut across. "I heard rumours but..."

"Worse. She was taken from the convoy by a group of mercenaries. From what we have got out of them they were hired to kill her but thought they'd have a little fun first. They raped her. The bastards took her every way they could think of for hours. I'll kill them all for that."

"You have a funny sense of honour, you are hardly innocent on that front."

"That was different" he snapped. "I never treated her like that. I never hurt her more than I had to and rewarded obedience with kindness and freedoms. They abused her despicably."

"She is terrified of you and yet entirely reliant on you. But you know my thoughts on the matter and there is no use going over old arguments. Will she recover?"

"Physically there is not a great deal wrong with her other than being rather beaten up. I'll see she gets the best care available."

"How did this happen? Why was she moved? I know a fraction of the measures in place here - it is a fortress."

"Now that is the real concern. I never gave the order."

"What!?" He choked on his mouthful of food.

"I know. I don't know how it happened though it is being looked in to. Communications network infiltration of some kind but I'm no tech. But I have ideas about who."

"So it was set up? The attack on the cars was no accident?"

"Well planned. The cars were immobilised and hit from all sides. Rogers took a lot of fire." A look of concern crossed the old man's face. "He'll survive. But it wasn't as well planned as it needed to have been. They failed to realise that I would have the girl tracked and underestimated the speed of my movements. I had special forces recover her and take the mercenaries alive, mostly. They have told everything they know, having no real loyalty to their paymasters. They are crude and unprofessional. Someone messed up there."

"You said you had an idea about who?"

"Yes. I've been tracking that boy who broke in here. I had assumed that the small group of resistance fighters from that backwater were working alone but it seems not. They reported back to handlers at a meet that I know the emperor's own agents regularly use. I had intended to use him to find the main rebel stronghold and obliterate it but this was better. On the off chance that it was something interesting I had the area gassed."

"That was overkill and repulsive."

"It was neither. My men suited up and trawled the place. They found a camp with most of the small group of resistance fighters that had escaped and a few that helped them along with four imperial agents. The documents they were carrying are being analysed now but I know enough."

"The emperor's men sent her rescuers and were presumably there to pick up the disk drive that you had allowed to be stolen. And then, I am guessing, had you fly out of the city before making another attempt on the girl. But why?"

"Can you not guess? If she dies without an heir the mining rights fall to the emperor. My position is weakened to his gain."

Understanding dawned. "And with them you are a direct rival for his power. You are popular and yet feared. You control the army and now with the girl you have a great deal of leverage over a number of major corporations. The emperor is a sickly boy. Charles the boy is trying to destroy you. It is a good thing that he is inept and ill-counselled or you may have suffered a serious blow already.

"How do I combat it without making an obvious play for power?"

"Consolidate what you have. The girl is popular - bring her out in society as soon as you can and get your personal approval ratings on side. Start talks with the mining industry at once and work with their PR departments to spin that the new ventures will drastically reduce unemployment. Then we wait. The next time there is trouble in the city I will have my agents aggravate it and call you in. Declare martial law and barricade the boy in his palace for his own protection."

"Old man you have not lost your touch."

"Not quite yet. Right, I must be off. Make sure the girl eats - she'll need it to recover. Oh, hang on, one more thing before I leave. Satisfy an old man's curiosity Charles. What is the girl to you? You seem rather taken with her."

"She frustrates me. There is something alluring in her aside from the beauty. I want her for my own."

"Careful not to hold on so tight she snaps. Be gentle with her - she is scared and vulnerable. Promise me you won't hurt the girl?"

"I'll be gentle while she recovers. But you must understand that I cannot tolerate disobedience from a slave."

"Why her? What made you take her? Did you know who she was?"

The general sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know. She was pretty and I wanted her. I had a good idea who she was, yes. The emperor started that war on a whim and I saw an opportunity. I made his victory mine and caught myself a little bonus."

"Hmmm, it all seems very convenient, but if you insist on concealing things from me then I trust that you have your reasons. Goodbye Charles."

The general sent up for tea and a light supper, sitting to mull over Sir Henry's words as he waited. He would be kind to the girl unless she made things difficult for him. He hoped that she wouldn't. The sense that he had failed in his duty to protect the girl was agonising, and he would make up for it as best he could. Perhaps this might produce better results with her behaviour which he had noticed was becoming troublingly erratic, a problem he feared would be worse now unless he worked to ground and reassure the poor creature.

Supper arrived and he took it through himself - not wanting to overwhelm the girl with too many people. He slipped into her room, drew the curtains and flicked on low lamps.

"Wake up pet, shhh, it's ok, it is just me." She woke with a jerk and looked frightened, gasping and holding her ribs as she tried to move. She saw him and took fright, edging away from him. "Please, don't be afraid, keep still or you'll hurt yourself. Shall I help you sit up? I've brought tea and a light supper."

"Get away from me. Or do you intend to beat me again?"

"No no, shhh pet, shhhhh. You've suffered enough. I'm not going to hurt you. I failed to protect you and I am sorry for that, my dear, I really am. This should never have happened."

"Why? Because only you are allowed to beat and rape me?"

"Bluntly, yes. But I don't treat you like that. I am kind to you unless you provoke me. Might I remind you that you held a knife to my cock? But it doesn't matter, I will not punish you for that. You really have suffered enough."

She was in pain, and very weary of him, but felt in no immediate danger. Indeed, having experienced life outside of his protection she thought of him as a lesser evil, but an evil nonetheless.

"What do you want with me?"

"Only to see you well again. And when you are well, I shall expect obedience, as before. Nothing has changed. You are mine, pretty thing. But for now I wish only for you to recover, since it was my failure to protect my own that allowed this to happen. I have supper here for you. You must be hungry. Would you like some?"

She relented. She had never known him to be in a mood like this, full of concern and pity. "Thank you, yes please." He lifted her shoulders gently, supporting her back, and propped her up on pillows. His fingers lingered for a few moments before he withdrew and sat on the end of the bed.

"Comfortable?"

"As much as I can be."

"I see you have started sewing?"

"Yes, thank you for sending that. It helps take my mind off of... other things."

"They will never trouble you again. Now come, you must eat or you'll fade away. I will need your company this week, I have a lot of very boring work to do."

"My company lord?" She edged away.

"Not like that. You will have time to heal before I ask that of you again." So he would ask it and she didn't suppose he would tolerate refusal. "I would just like your company. I would like you to join me for meals and talk. When you are well I would enjoy your company as I go about my work."

"I'm sure I can manage that. I feel safer with you than in the house alone." He took her hand and squeezed.

"It will never happen again. Those men will never trouble anyone, and I will see to those that sent them." He let go putting a pastry in her hand and turning to pour tea. She ate but with no real enjoyment. She felt drained and empty, confused by the comfort she felt at his warm touch but there was a lingering disgust there too, disgust with herself for finding comfort in it as much as her repulsion of her captor.

Aneira stared straight ahead, anxious and confused, fearful of everything around her, and craving the familiar and the consistent. He took her hand and held it in silence, squeezing her fingers. She fought with her mind, struggling between her fear of being alone, without protection, and with her hatred of him.

Coming to a decision of sorts, she closed her fingers around his and me his eye before speaking. "Lord, would you stay here tonight? Please don't leave." His presence was the only thing that made her sure she was safe and, though the idea repulsed her, he was certainly able to give a measure of physical protection. She wanted this more than she wanted him gone - the anxious need for security had overruled her loathing.

He looked a little confused at her request, but smiled and nodded. "Yes I will stay. It is a good job I had these deep arm chairs moved in here, I know I can sleep in those."

"No lord, next to me if you would. When you hold me I am able to tell myself not to be afraid and I know I am protected." He looked even more confused at that but sat next to her on the bed and joined her for tea. They talked little, a stilted and awkward conversation, but both appreciated the company. Eventually they settled down and he helped her to lay flat on her back with the minimum of discomfort. He rested close to her, bodies touching but separated by layers of fabric, an arm wrapped around her upper body and his head resting in the folds of her hair.

She turned to face away from him, unable to bear the sight of the brute she so despised. But she couldn't deny that his presence brought her comfort. The general was a known evil and, though no less terrible a presence than the others had been, he behaved in a way she was beginning to understand. She believed him when he said that he would protect her and when he told her that he wouldn't hurt her if she behaved. She determined to be good and please him as best she could, but not to let go of her hatred for him.

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She woke to find herself trapped in strong arms, the general's breath falling hot on her neck as he slept. Her head was clearer this morning. With him beside her she had slept uneventfully, with no nightmares screaming through the peace. She hated that she found comfort in such a demon.

The nurse came in and opened the curtains. She gave quite a start when she saw them both, General Berkeley waking with a start at the sudden brightness.

"Heavens lord I didn't see you there, shall I close them and come back later?"

"No, carry on," he yawned, stretched and looked at his watch. "I've slept longer than I should have already." He turned to Aneira and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tonight. And I want you out of this bed tomorrow even if it is only for a few hours. I will not tolerate you lying about feeling sorry for yourself." His tone was soft but stern, but he smiled before he left.

"How is the pain today miss? May I have a look at your ribs and see how they are healing?"

"Yes, please, go ahead." The nurse pulled back the bed clothes and lifted the light nightgown to reveal an ugly bruise. "It hurts to breathe deeply and it is rather uncomfortable, but far better than it was."

"That's healing very well. The wonders of modern medicine eh? This sort of thing would take six weeks to heal on its own but you should be alright by tomorrow, just bruised. Your lord spared no expense on you miss - nobody usually gives bone knitting injections for minor injuries like this, they are usually just for broken spines and injured soldiers who are needed again in a few days." Aneira didn't really want to hear any more about the general's 'generosity'. She still intended to escape or get back at him when there was an opportunity, but for at least a few days now she would have to play along.

"How long will it be uncomfortable to move? Will I be alright to walk around a little today?"

"Later today perhaps. It will still hurt with all of that bruising, but it won't do you any damage. I'm going to need to look at the rest to see if you're healing miss. I'll be gentle, and it won't take long. Can you put your ankles together and let your knees fall apart?" She did so, wincing with every movement.

"Oh much better. It's all looking very much improved and the bruising on your thighs is less too. You are doing much better than I would have thought." They breakfasted and then May came to help her to her bath. The walk was not too bad but the water stung and she cried out a little. The young nurse and May seemed to have become quite close after such a short time and were chatting amiably. Aneira enjoyed the company and though she did not join the discussion it was pleasant to hear. May brushed her hair and pulled it all into a simple braid on the advice of Beth so that it would not mat while she was in bed.

Once she was back in her room and sat up with her new sewing things Aneira felt rather better. She felt much better for the bath: though she must have been washed at the hospital, it was nothing on the deep warmth of soapy water. Her mind was clearer too, less dark and fixated on past horrors. The general was showing her a great deal of kindness all the while she behaved in a way he considered acceptable and she was no longer terrified by the notion of being his possession. If she was to be a caged bird she would at least live comfortably. There was even a niggle that half looked forward to the prospect of children - she had always wanted them after all and sharing her body with him was not nearly as bad as it might be. Her mind flashed to the terror and pain of the men that had kidnapped her but she forced it to turn aside and though that the general really wasn't as bad as some and that would have to do.

"Beth" she called over her sewing.

"Yes miss? Do you need anything?"

"After lunch I think I would like to sit in the library and read. This room is very beautiful but I would like to get out of it for a few hours."