Iron Chains

Iron Chains Pt. 03~Bri~

The unit was called out to a small mission, leaving me alone in our tent until they returned. Rin said it wouldn't take more than a day and left me with enough food and water for three.

"Don't leave the tent until we return. Here, you're under our protection. If someone were to steal anything from our tent it would cost them their life."

"That seems an extreme punishment for thievery."

"When you build an army of thieves and killers, the punishments for some crimes need to be extreme. Promise me you won't wander."

I promised, nervous about being alone in this camp, but I trusted that they didn't seem too worried. Only Milo gave me a nervous look, kissing me passionately before leaving with the others.

During my time in the camp so far, I had very little time to myself. Occasionally they would leave me alone to bathe, but even that was rare. When they left, the isolation felt immediately overwhelming. The tent felt way too big without the three large men crowding it.

I mended clothes and cleaned the table. I read one of Rin's books, a boring exposé of medicinal and magical botany. I tried for a nap but sleep wouldn't come. Instead, I reached out with my magic, touching the minds of Rin and Milo without entering their consciousness. Just feeling that they were still alive without distracting them from their mission. They were in a small town a few miles from here.

I entered the mind of a stable boy there, looking through his eyes to watch the brothers talk to a blacksmith. Chiron and Milo looked just as bored as I was and Rin seemed to be negotiating with the man.

A voice from outside the tent pulled me back to my own body. The cloth that served as a door was pulled aside and a brother I recognized from the training fields stood outside the entrance.

"The commander requests your presence," he said gruffly, impatient.

I hesitated, remembering my promise not to leave the tent. "Now? Can it not wait-"

"The commander orders your presence. Immediately."

I shouldn't leave, but I would be in more trouble if I didn't follow a direct order from the commander of the Brotherhood... right?

Reluctant, I followed the brother to the Commander's tent, checking that my knife was still secured to my thigh. Milo had given it to me a few days ago and had been teaching me to throw it. I was getting pretty good.

How long had it been since Rin's unit had left? Four hours? Five? I reached out again and located the brothers. They were still at least a three hours' ride from the camp.

Outside the commander's tent, the hair on the back of my neck rose as a familiar aura came into focus. That couldn't be right...

When we entered the commander's tent, my step faltered and my escort bumped into me.

Sitting beside Commander Orion was a man I had hoped I would never see again. Lord Grenar grinned at me with crooked teeth, half of which were made of silver.

In my shock, I didn't notice the two guards who approached from either side, iron in their hands. Cold metal locked around my neck and I was yanked back to the present. Screaming, my hands flew to the iron collar, trying to claw it off. I turned to run, but they were already on top of me and my escort blocked my only exit.

They grabbed my arms, forcing me to turn back to the man who I had already escaped twice. I doubted he would allow me to escape a third time.

"Hello Abril," Lord Grenar greeted me smugly. "Will you be civil, or do my guards need to further restrain you?" The lord's voice was as sweet and smooth as honey. I had fallen under its spell once before. Never again.

I nodded, not trusting my own voice. Lord Grenar motioned to his guards who released me, stepping back but staying close.

Commander Orion looked me over with a greedy gaze of regret. "All this for one little witch. Is she really such a good fuck? My men seem to think so-"

My hand moved under my skirts and gripped the knife hidden there. Pulling it free I took quick aim and shot the blade forward, aiming at the lord's head. The guards took my arms, tightly restraining me again between the two of them, but it was already over. The knife swerved low, and hit the lord square in the chest.

Only, it didn't hit him. It stopped short, hovering a moment, tip pressing against his loose shirt, before falling gently into his lap. The lord picked up the knife, examining the simple weapon. He was unharmed and entirely unphased. Whether or not my move had surprised him, I wasn't sure. He hadn't even flinched.

Commander Orion was half out of his chair, sword drawn, when he realized his guest was unharmed. Surprised morphed into impressed confusion as he relaxed back into his seat.

"Good aim," the lord complemented. "Search her for more weapons."

The lord's guards' hands felt over every inch of my body, completing a thorough search. I stood still as my cheeks heated at the embarrassment of being publicly fondled. They found the second knife in my boot, and confirmed there were no other weapons hidden under my breasts or between my thighs.

As I was groped, the men watched on, picking up a conversation that had started before I arrived.

"300 men."

"I'll give you fifty. You have your own army and we can't spare the numbers."

"You're asking me to betray one of my oldest allies and don't offer adequate protection?" Lord Grenar asked, not nearly as angry as he pretended he was.

"A troop movement like that would draw more attention than you would want. Fifty of my men can move unnoticed and are as effective as five hundred of your own."

"100." Grenar tried to haggle.

"50 and you get the witch. Don't forget that we are the ones doing you the favor. You came to us." Commander Orion was growing tired of the bargaining and the lord sensed it.

Lord Grenar grumbled to himself for a moment, then the two men shook hands.

I felt numb when he ordered me to be shackled. Even though I remained silent, refusing to beg, the guards shoved a length of cloth into my mouth. One of the guards tied the gag uncomfortably tight. He grinned at my discomfort and I realized I recognised him as the guard who stood outside my room at the lord's estate. He was the one I drugged to sneak past during my first escape.

The iron locked me in my own mind. My connection to the Brothers was severed and I could do nothing but follow the tug of chains that led me to a small carriage. The inside was lavish, velvet cushions, expensive cloth interior, intricate beading on the curtains with comically large tassels.

Lord Grenar shoved into the small space across from me, his knees pressed against mine. The door closed and we were alone. He leaned forward. I leaned back, the wall of the carriage preventing much posterior movement. He took advantage of the small space, leaning toward me until I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. I grimaced. There was no need to hide my disgust for the man. There were no illusions between us anymore.

"You've been very difficult to track down, Abril. Put me in a distasteful bind to get you back. But you should have known that I would. Becoming a whore for the Brotherhood wasn't going to stop me. In fact, it opened opportunities for alliances." His eyes found my lips wrapped around the tight gag. His touch flicked across his own lips, moistening them.

"I offered you the honor of becoming my wife, but you spit in my face. I hope the Brothers taught you a thing or two, because I'm going to fuck you until you can't scream anymore. You won't be leaving my bed for a month."

A shudder wracked my body and a tear leaked down my cheek. The lord smiled wickedly.

~Rin~

Something was wrong. It wasn't just the fact that Orion was making the unit stay close after the issue with the dragon or the insultingly low level errands he had been sending us on. This unease was making my heart race and my palms sweat, like that sixth sense when an enemy is about to attack. But I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"A contract with your brotherhood will get my entire family killed," argued the blacksmith we had been sent to hire. Anyone could have done it. It should have been a job for some of the freshly minted boys. The commander was being petty, but I wasn't surprised. He knew we were keeping secrets and he knew our unit was fractured. He would apply pressure until one of us cracked.

"Refusing the Brotherhood will get your entire community killed," I threatened. It was a bit dramatic, but sometimes the reputation of our kind was a useful motivator. The blacksmith's face paled from sickly gray to ghostly white. A deal was struck and we prepared to head back to camp.

We should have brought her with us. It wasn't a dangerous mission and leaving her alone in that camp had all three of us itching to get back. Even Chiron seemed off-kilter. As we collected our horses I reached out to Bri, attempting to establish the now familiar connection. There was nothing.

It might not be my natural proficiency, as it was Bri's, but this should have been simple. Our auras knew each other and we weren't too far away. No, something was wrong.

"We need to get back," I called to Chiron and Milo. "Now."

They both responded to my urgency, pushing their horses to a gallop. Before I turned away, I saw the look of guilt Chiron tried to hide. What the hell had he done now?

~Bri~

The lord's estate was the same as when I had left it. Stark, cold, and more resembling a military fortress than the elegant palace lord Grenar pretended it was.

I was escorted to the same tower I had resided in the last time I was held here, only this time we took the stairs that led down, not up. Toward the dungeons. Even in iron, I felt the weight of the wards that suppressed my magic.

I was led past long hallways of cells into a larger room filled with the many implements of torture Grenar was so fond of. First hand experience told me that these tools were not just for show. Each and every tool here had been extensively used for its made purpose.

My arms were secured to the ceiling above my head and I was left standing in the middle of the torture chamber. Shivers wracked my body from both the cold and the fear. I knew the lord was mad at me for running and I knew he would have been planning all sorts of creative ways to punish me.

I had been given a tour of the dungeon by the lord as part of my education and I had woken many nights to the screams from under my tower. When he was angry or frustrated, he would disappear into these halls for days at a time. Those were long, sleepless nights.

He had punished me once before, near the end of my first stay on the estate. It was after he proposed marriage and I laughed, not realizing he was serious. After that, he became bitter toward me, more demanding in his requests for displays of my magic. When he told me to levitate a table in front of one of his guests I only managed to make it shake a little. He hadn't expected me to succeed.

When I failed to perform for his guest, he had stripped me, spanked me over the table, and made me stand with my reddened ass on display for the rest of the night. That was the week I ran.

Now I was where I always feared I would end up. The metal bit into my wrists as I struggled to keep balance on the balls of my feet. I was alone long enough for my arms to go numb. I tried to push past the iron and wards to find Rin, but it was useless. The creaking of an old metal door drew me to the present. Fear consumed me. Lord Grenar entered the room.

He took his time inspecting his many implements of torture, not looking at me, circling me, moving in and out of my field of vision. I knew he was enjoying my fear but I couldn't keep from whimpering when he finally stopped behind me, leaning in. I felt his nose brush my shoulder. I heard him breath in and felt his breath move the hairs that were standing on end.

Feeling him so close, I swung my head back, hoping to break his nose or at least give him a headache. He easily dodged me and laughed darkly. I couldn't decide if it would have been better or worse if I had hit him. Was his anger or dark amusement more dangerous to me at this moment?

At least if he was angry it would end quickly, even if it did end in my death. In a good mood, he would draw it all out, making sure I survived far longer than my broken sanity. My heart pounded and I was light headed. My survival instinct struggled to keep me from passing out.

When Lord Grenar finally spoke, his words were gentle and calm. He came to stand in front of me, placing a hand on my cheek. I flinched, but the bonds didn't allow me to move far. His clammy hand remained against my cheek.

"Welcome home, Abril. I've missed you."

Bile rose in the back of my throat. I refused to call this home or to call this man anything but a monster. I spit, hitting him just below the eye. I saw the amusement in his eyes darken. Fuck.

I was suddenly blinking stars away, the swinging chains the only thing keeping me from hitting the ground. My cheek stung and my vision swam. He had hit me. Hard.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not very wise, Abril. I know you're smarter than that."

He laughed at my fury, watching me struggle to get my footing. His amusement outraged me and I finally broke my silence. "I'll never marry you," I spat.

He laughed louder, throwing his head back, shoulders shaking. My confusion warred with my anger and fear. It was what he wanted... wasn't it?

"Your cooperation was never needed, Abril," he laughed, catching his breath. "Maybe preferred, but never necessary. There are other ways to get what I want from you, though you will probably wish you had agreed to the marriage. It would have been much more pleasant for you."

"So you, you don't want to marry me?" My head was still spinning and I was struggling to put the pieces together. After all the abuse for the insult of rejecting him, was he really so wounded that he didn't want me anymore? No, he had tracked me down, more than once. There was something he wanted.

"Oh you're still going to be my wife, willingly or not. It isn't necessary for what I want from you, but I think it would be good for you to know who you belong to. Now then, let's teach you some manners."

He picked up a polished knife, holding it up to let it gleam in the dim light. When he pressed the knife to my neck I lifted my chin and leaned away as far as I could. He grinned wickedly at my struggle. There was no more attempt to hide behind a friendly facade. I had seen the cracks but now it had crumbled and the real Lord Grenar was revealed.

The knife traced down my neck, the pressure barely less than what was needed to break the skin. When he reached my shoulder he shifted directions, harshly cutting away the fabric of my sleeves. He moved down, cutting away the seams of my clothes, pulling them roughly from my body. Way too soon I was naked. The bindings kept me from covering myself and the lord looked at my body with a terrifying proprietary lust.

He reached toward me, as if he were about to caress one of my breasts. His hand shook. With wide eyes he stopped just short, then pulled away shaking his head. He was having some kind of inner conflict that I couldn't begin to decipher.

I was hot with shame and anger, but I held my tongue. He was going to hurt me regardless, but I didn't want to give him any more reasons for punishment. Closing my eyes, I took a breath attempting to compose myself.

Be smart. My chances of survival rested in the lord's hands. Without my magic or freedom, I would need to rely on my ability to fool this man into believing he had broken me. There was a chance that Rin and Milo might come after me but I couldn't rely on their loyalty to me over their loyalty to the Brotherhood. As much as I hated it, I needed to play the part that lord wanted for me.

When I opened my eyes again he had moved over to a table and stood organizing his implements of torture, choosing out what he wanted to used on me. I swallowed hard knowing I couldn't break too fast or he would suspect I was being deceitful. I would have to endure whatever he had planned.

He faced me with a sadistic glint in his eyes. "I don't want to damage you, but I will break you. You will learn to obey."

First came the clamps. My nipples were already rigid in the cool dungeon air and he gave each a sharp pinch before attaching the small clamps to my sensitive breasts. The sharp pain made me whimper and my nipples were soon consumed with a dull ache. Dread filled me when I realized that three clamps remained in his hand.

He reached down and roughly fondled my womanhood. A pudgy finger forced its way between my lips and brushed over my entrance. His smirk confirmed what I had feared. The rough handling and intimate touches were confusing my body and against my will, I was getting wet.

His fingers shifted to pinch the right lip. It was pulled wide, cool air hitting my moistened hole. Struggling for balance, I couldn't do much to fight to keep my legs closed. He pressed his elbow against my thigh to keep me spread open and attached a clamp to my spread labia. The next clamp was attached snuggly to the other side.

He reached for a new implement and grabbed one of my ankles, holding it firmly when I tried to kick it out of his grasp. Now balancing on one leg, the other was cuffed to a long metal bar. Once secured, he pulled out my other foot and I cried out when all my weight was put onto my bound wrists. After only a moment I was released, but I had trouble getting my footing.

Looking down, I saw that the lord had secured my ankles to a wide spreader bar. My legs were now spread past shoulder width and he had to adjust the chains so that both feet were touching the ground once again. Unfortunately, this left my clamped labia exposed and easily accessible.

The lord attached a slim chain to either thigh, linking them with the corresponding clamp so that I was pulled wide open. The final clamp was still in his hand when he kneeled in front of me. Two fingers traced over my stretched lips, searching until they found the sensitive bud now fully exposed to them. He scraped his fingers over me and I gasped. There were so many sharp sensations all over my body, but the friction on my clit was searing.

He moved his fingers over me again, eliciting another gasp. As much as I didn't want this from this man, the pain melded into pleasure and I could feel my spread hole grasp at the empty air. He did it again, and again, leaving less and less time between strokes. My hips tried to move both toward and away from the stimulation but the motion pulled harshly on the clamps chained to my thighs so I tried to stay still.

When my hips bucked again, pulling my lips painfully open I cried out. "Please. Please, stop!"

He only chuckled and moved faster, viciously rubbing my exposed clit between his rough fingers. I screamed at the fiery overstimulation and my womanhood gushed. I could hear my only moisture when he finally stopped and slapped my mound.

I sighed with relief and took deep breaths. I hadn't realized I'd been holding it for so long. His fingers returned to me again, but this time they pressed down on either side of my clit, pulling back the hood so it stood out, hard and engorged. As much as I wanted to close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else, I couldn't look away as his head leaned in and he took into his mouth. He sucked it into his mouth where his tongue danced over it with quick darting movements.

By the time he pulled away I was again struggling to keep my hips still. He sucked so that it was released with a pop. With his fingers still holding the hood back and forcing my clit to stand up, he brought his other hand up to join his first.

My eyes went wide when I remembered the fifth and final clamp. I screamed when the clamp closed around my most sensitive spot. It held on firmly when his hand left me and my head fell back, tears moistening my cheeks, legs shaking.