Artemis had a very uneventful morning. Remus was gone, so she was alone apart from Cosmas and Thaddeus, and their incessant quiet grumbling. They obediently guarded her, making sure she was fed, and comfortable while being imprisoned. They led her through the maze of hallways and to the spring when she desired, otherwise she was confined to the dimly lit bedroom. The absence of windows made it so that the only light was a collection of candles and torches secured on the grey wall.
Cosmas and Thaddeus were not the best conversationalists, especially with Thaddeus trying to silence Cosmas's constant rambling. Eventually Artemis had become accustomed to the sneezing and grumbling from the two well-mannered beasts.
When Remus did come for her, he looked slightly distressed. His hair was ruffled wildly, and his boots were stained with mud. The two loyal guards ungracefully exited the room, bumping into each other and shutting the door behind them.
"Ok you," he started to say. "I would like you to do that cute little trick of yours for me." Artemis turned away. "I don't know what you mean," she answered. Remus scoffed. "I'm not stupid, that's like one of your main things. Perpetual virginity, hunting, and turning into adorable forest creatures. So please turn into, hm, a dog? No that's boring...what about a hawk! No you'll just fly away and then I'll have to catch you, and that will be irritating. Wait, I've got it! A fox please. Now. Black."
Artemis refused, keeping her head facing away stubbornly. Remus smirked, he loved how she tried to deny him. The satisfaction he got from her defeat was unreal, and he craved more. He approached her on the bed and leaned down until he was face to face with her. "Now," he ordered again. "No," Artemis refused boldly.
"I was hoping you'd say that," he said and without hesitation slapped her across the face. Artemis winced, bringing her hand up to feel her red stinging cheek. While she was still in a daze Remus pushed her down on the bed, kneeling over her. He took both of her tiny wrists in one of his sturdy hands and pressing her down. He leaned in, close enough to graze her ear with his lips.
"Come on, do what I say." Artemis blushed, but did not obey. Anger flowed through her, clouding her judgement. Her mind said fight, but her body was powerless underneath him. Remus slapped her again, this time with the back of his hand. "Ah!" she winced, tasting a miniscule amount of blood escaping her newly split bottom lip. When she did not respond to his demands, he lifted himself off the bed, just to release her wrists and flip her over vigorously. No amount of struggling could budge him. It was like fighting a marble statue with a dead fish.
Remus forced her down, her face now buried in the messy blankets and scattered pelts uncomfortably. His long fingers curled through her thick brown hair, pulling just enough to keep her firmly in position. Artemis yelped and tried to wiggle away, but he was just too big, too strong. She was helpless in his powerful grasp.
Remus lifted his hand and brought it down on her plump backside. Artemis whimpered, attempting to prepare to endure the coming torment. Remus slapped her again, bringing his palm down harder on her soft cheeks.
She wriggled in agony under his clutches. He continued to abuse her, each spank getting harder than the last. Each one leaving painful welts and bruises. Her body started to weaken, her muscles quaking, chest heaving while she desperately panted for air. Remus leaned in close. She could feel his warm breath on her neck.
"Give up. Do it for me. Obey my command and I'll stop," he whispered. Artemis, in a haze, still refused. She had been through worse experiences during her existence on this dreary planet, but when she heard the jingling of his belt, all thoughts of keeping her dignity dissipated. "Fine! Please stop! I'll do it," she hissed through her teeth.
Remus smirked and released the tangles of hair he had woven through his fingers. He hopped off the bed eagerly and waited for her to do her adorable little trick for him. Artemis sat up and shrugged in defeat. But she did as she was told. She'd rather be an animal than spend her time like this. Remus smiled excitedly as he watched the blushing girl shrink into a black fox.
It was not a pleasant sight. Transforming is not as easy as most believe. Her bones cracked and collapsed into each other, melding and changing before Remus. Her excess skin peeled off, leaving what looked like a bloody meat shell on the stone floor. It was a painful experience, but worth it in the end. The only thing that did not change were her large swampy colored eyeballs. Her eyelids drooped until they slid down her neck, peeling off like a hideous mask. And behold, a black, gory fox popped out of the horrid flesh puddle. Nothing of a considerable size, but she did look rather fierce.
"Ok, now follow me if you want to leave this room. Otherwise you're more than welcome to stay," Remus said, sounding very aloof. Artemis couldn't answer, but she quickly trotted along next to him. She had been confined for so long. She was very surprised he would take her out now and trust her enough not to bolt out of the dreary castle. But she remembered he claimed he would always be able to find her. She wondered how, but she didn't doubt that part of the curse was real. Would he just know? Could he feel it, or was there an interdimensional map in his brain? Would he be able to find her at the edge of the everlasting expanding universe, or just this small planet in this strange dimension?
Remus led her, zigzagging through hallways, walking through various flights of stairs. It seemed like a confusing and elaborate maze. In fact, Artemis was sure it was a maze. She pondered and realized that every time she had been taken around the castle, it was always a different way. Even when Thaddeus and Cosmas led her to the spring, it was always a new route.
Their destination was the great hall. For a castle it certainly had the potential to become a magnificent and majestic place, but it looked just as dreary as the rest of the castle. It seemed like a very busy place, people rushing and yelling at each other, maps and parchments sprawled out against enormous oak tables. It was a very diverse crowd, different species bickering and yelling at each other. It all gave Remus a headache.
"Come on," he said to Artemis, appearing very annoyed and quite frustrated. Remus directed her straight to his throne, which unexpectedly was not flashy and exquisite like most royals on the continent, or on any planet. No jewels, no gold, no intricate designs. It was simply made of the twisted wood from a rare poisonous black oak that was only found in the most dangerous far edges of the forest. Hence, why it was worthy to be a throne despite its ghastly appearance.
He plopped down on the black throne and motioned Artemis to sit next to him on the dusty floor. Remus stroked the fur on the top of her head, rubbing behind her soft ears. He did look quite intimidating, all black attire, dirty mud-covered leather boots, exceedingly tall, his hair dark ruffled and messy on his head. A black fox sitting faithfully next to him was a nice little addition to his frightening appearance. He was very terrifying, yet the least regal royal she had ever seen.
Artemis scanned her surroundings, sifting through the chaos with her eyes. Well-dressed and flustered creatures practically flooded before him all at once. Though most looked human, or at least partly human, they certainly were not. And if they did physically appear to be human, Artemis could sniff out what they truly were.
Scrolls and parchments were being shoved and piled in front of Remus from panicked subjects. Remus cursed and tried to deal with everyone one-by-one, but it was very aggravating. For what seemed like hours, Remus shrinked down in his chair, huffing while approving and disapproving matters, giving direction and being informed of all the troubles of the forest. It seemed as though most of his vocabulary was just strings of insults and constant swearing. She had never heard someone cuss as much as him. It was rather unnerving.
Eventually Remus had had enough. One last individual approached Remus, a large centaur. He was the only one who could match Remus's height. They were noble and majestic looking creatures, but they weren't exactly friendly. "Fuck off, no more," growled Remus. The centaur stamped his left front hoof stubbornly. "This is a matter of most importance and needs to be taken care of this minute," he stated to Remus.
Remus groaned. "Fine. What is it?" he asked the impatient centaur, sinking further into his throne. He approached Remus and delicately handed him a small scroll. Remus grumbled and started to read it. "Fucking damnit are you serious? This is ridiculous. I will not have these one-eyed freaks causing trouble like this. I'll take care of it. Don't you dare let those sky-lizards get out of control, we do not need to have half of the forest burnt to ashes." The centaur cleared his throat and in a military fashion clearly informed, "Basil is flying in today by sunset." Remus nodded his head, "Good. Then I will meet with her first."
Remus waved the proud centaur away. Leaning down to Artemis he said, "Turn back, I want you here on my lap." Artemis looked around at the busy hall packed with people. She hadn't had clothes practically since she was arrived at the castle. He was the only man to see her naked, she couldn't handle having other people see her exposed as well.
Her transformation back to her original form was not as gruesome, but still not a pleasant sight. But it did not seem that Remus minded. He did not remove his eyes away from her. "I want you on my lap. Turn back and stand in front of me," he said, patting his leg excitedly. "Or I can feed you to Basil."
