A cruel little tale with an evil twist...
*
Talla cowered before the king. She waited for the blow that would end her life. Her husband's fists trembled with rage as he glowered down at her from the throne. 'Your betrayal is a crime punishable by death!' he snarled. 'I should summon the axeman, but death would be too kind.'
'Mercy, husband!' she whimpered hopelessly.
'No. If this were merely the treason of adultery, I would have given you a swift death with my own blade, but your crime is far worse. With herbs and witchcraft you have made yourself infertile, as if you were a slum-dwelling whore. You were my wife, my queen, mother of my future son and heir, but now you are nothing. You have shown utter contempt for me, and now you will be treated likewise.
'Guards! Strip this filthy whore of those garments. She is not worthy of fine lace and silk. Take her into the banquet hall and chain her to the wall by the fire. See that she is treated well, but according to her new status.'
He waved his hands in command, and Talla screamed as the guards cut and ripped at her corset and her silk gown, taking even her undergarments, until she stood naked, exposed before all the nobles of the court.
She pleaded with them for help, but their eyes reflected rage and horror and lustful delight. They stood silent and watched as she was dragged wailing from the throne room.
Talla was not the first person to be chained by the fire, but she was the first to be naked. As soon as they fastened her collar and released her, she curled up in a corner, as close as she could get to the heat, and covered her breasts and her intimate place. The floor was hard, cool but not cold, and the edges of the fireplace were a little too rough, a little too sharp.
The guards struggled not to look at her more than necessary, but Talla caught them trying to see her nipples and look between her legs. She hugged herself tightly. One of them kicked a bucket over to her. ''Ere. You may need that.' She looked at it in horror, realising that there would be no privacy at all.