Virgo

I wish that I could tell you this was a love story. I wish I could tell you that the characters fall in to each other's arms happily and safely, ending up married with children. I cannot though, and that is what saddens me most. So before you read this, you need to know...There will be no happy ending, and more than one will die before this is all said and done.

*

A fire burns off in the distance. The smell of smoke floods the entire village, making its way up and down every street. It was their only warning. The shop keepers have locked their doors and closed the blinds. They all sit in the corners of their homes, pretending to believe they are safe, cupper their hands tightly over their ears to block out the screams that fill the night. Their attempts are futile, as they well know. The fire will spread and burn their houses down with them all still inside, if the scouts don't get to them first. Given the circumstances, burning alive would be a blessing. Those who tried to flee would be caught and beaten, but not killed. Death was a kindness not easily offered, and the punishment in store for runner was much more severe.

Perhaps that is why she simply sat down in the middle of the road, her skirts and skin blackened from the life she lived. So dirty was she that she almost blended in with the ground, if not for her piercing green eyes and pale blonde hair. She was a rare gem in a village such as this, one of few who had all of their teeth. But she had taken pride in keeping to herself, avoiding the lifestyle of the drunken men and ruined women around her. As an orphan, she could not afford to be frivolous. Instead she kept to the church, and spent her days cleaning and her nights praying. Tonight would be no different. In fact, she was praying right there, in the middle of the road, when a scout picked her up and roughly threw her to the back of the wagon. And she continued to pray, keeping her eyes shut and blissfully unseeing as the terrors around her continued, until long after they had passed the last town, leaving only the elderly and the undesirable in their wake.

Virgo had long since forgotten her notions of escape. There was no opportunity for it on the road, as their wagons were flanked on either side by the sneering scouts, wielding weapons meant to inflict grave damage. And once they reached their destination, any flicker of hope she still had was stamped out. There were scouts everywhere, and snarling dogs standing in the empty spaces between. There would be no chance to slip past unnoticed, especially with all the wailing women begging to be set free. In addition, judging by the ache in her entire body and the starvation evident all around her, the nearest village was days away. No, she would remain here until the lord of the manner said otherwise.

"Time to go little piggy's." One of the scouts ordered, lifting the gate off the wagon and snatching at the women with greedy hands. The imprisoned men, with their wrists bound in iron, shouted their offences as their wives and daughters were groped and stolen from them. They shouted their offences to deaf ears.

Virgo held out her hand to one of the scouts standing near the side of the wagon, and he grasped it cautiously to aid her in stepping down. "What will happen to us?" She asked him in a desperate whisper, sweeping her arm around her to indicate the sobbing girls. The scout looked down at her for a moment, and she thought she saw a form of regret flicker in his dark eyes before he turned away. She nodded her understanding and, ignoring the painful clenching of nerves in her stomach, gritted her teeth and put on a brave face.

The scout began to move away from her and Virgo tentatively reached out for him. "And what of the men?" She asked. "What will happen to them?"

"They will be forced in to the lords army. Those who do not comply will be publicly whipped, as a show for the others, and then killed. As always." He replied in a gruff voice.

"That's horrible." Even he must hear the wavering in her voice.

"It is necessary."

"Is it?" She asks, tilting her chin to search for his gaze once more. He looks down at her again, towering over her noticeably, and this time she does not doubt the look in his eyes. He visibly softens towards her, and she scarcely hopes she may have a chance yet.

"No. It is not." The scout gives her a slight nudge to move her in line with the rest of the woman, while the men are literally dragged away screaming in to a back passageway, hidden deep within the shadows. He gives her one last look and opens his mouth, as if about to say something, before shaking his head slightly and walking away, leaving her to her fate.

They walk in a straight line, one by one. Little piggy's indeed, she thinks, being led to slaughter. But first, they are pampered. Their cheeks are pinched roughly by the nimble fingers of the castle maids until they take on a soft blush. Their lips are coated in a slick gloss to make them shine. Their bodies have already been washed and wrapped in a sheer covering that truly does not cover much.

Even all dressed alike in the attire of slaves, Virgo stands out the most. Her straight blonde hair rebels against the natural black curls of her peoples'. Her vibrant green eyes set her apart from the many dark browns. And she is taller than most women, especially at her young age. Not sure if her difference will save her or be her ruin, Virgo follows the line of women out to the grand hall.

She is instantly surprised by how many women from her village have been captured. She shakes her head at her own foolishness, allowing herself to believe that it was only the one wagon full of people taken. No, she knew better. All of the northern villages were attacked. All of their people were conquered.

Virgo turns slightly at the feel of a feather light touch at her back. She looks down in to the eyes of Aurora, a tiny girl just freshly turned eighteen from her homestead. Aurora had always been nice to Virgo, one of few people who had treated her as a friend, rather than an outsider. She was a sweet girl, always with a smile on her face. Except for now.

"What will happen to us Virgo?" Her innocent eyes and childlike voice made her seem even younger, and Virgo's heart nearly broke for the girl. "We will be made to pleasure the men here." She answers.

"What does that mean? What will we have to do?" "I don't know for certain. I assume it means we will have to lay with them." Virgo looks away to watch the progress of the line, slowly moving forward inch by inch through the crowded hall. Men watch them, eyes filled with evil intentions, mouths hanging open and tongues darting out in their general directions. Most of the men laugh at them, but some only watch silently. Virgo is not sure which to be more afraid of.

"I have never been with a man." Whispers Aurora behind her back, her small voice void of any emotion.

"Neither have I," she agrees.

"Are you scared, Virgo?" Aurora tugs on her bare arm to regain the older girls attention. Virgo looks back and gives her friend a small smile. Her words echo inside of Virgo's head. Are you scared, Virgo? She has heard those words before, but in a different voice. A deeper voice. The voice of the man who she owed her life to, the voice that forced her to keep going when that life became too difficult to bare. She wasn't then though, she had no fear in her at all. Because she knew what was going to happen to them both. She would run, run as fast as she ever had and never ever stop. She would run, and he would die. Now though, Virgo is at a loss. She does not know what to expect from these men, for they are not like her people in any way. More than that, they are not like the people she has been hiding amongst for all these years either, and that frightens her the most. Will these men, these soldiers of this "Almighty Lord", be more or less evil than the race she has come to know.

"Yes." She admits. She is scared.

He watches her walk through the hall, watches her move her way through the string of drunken men, shifting ever so slightly right and left to avoid their reaching hands. Her face is blank, there is no desperate sorrow there as he had expected. But then, there wasn't this morning either, when she had asked him of their fate. There was curiosity, and anger. Perhaps even hope. But she did not seem to be in despair. And now, lined up like cattle while the men survey them to choose their prizes, the girl looks frightened yes, but she stands with her back straight and her head held high.

Is it necessary?

She had asked him, and he felt compelled to answer honestly. No, he did not think it was necessary. The lord did not need their land, or their provisions. The attack wasn't even about that. He was simply bored. He wanted blood and pain, he wanted to conquer the people, feel their fear. And now that he had succeeded in that, he wanted to celebrate. And the only way their lord knew to celebrate was by doing so between the sweet thighs of some poor, terrified lass and she screamed and withered beneath him.

Jonathan himself had been the same way once. It used to be that Lord Leofrick and him had been very close, and they would share their spoils with each other, partake in their games together. Sometimes, one would even be courteous to let the other watch, and then have a turn for themselves. In time though, Jonathan had grown tired of their games. Jonathan had grown up, he had seen the world. While Leofrick stayed in Pearl to take over the thrown and began playing his games at a much larger scale, Jonathan had gone off to war and fought many battles, before returning to marry a rich lady his lord had chosen for him. Her name was Lady Alys Peronell, and she was beautiful. He loved her greatly for the entirety of their relationship, brief as it was. She had been murdered during an invasion one night, and Jonathans heart broke in many different ways. One, for the love of his dead wife, and two, for her betrayal. She would have survived and been alive today had she not been in Lord Leofrick's bed while the invasion occurred, and Jonathan found himself struggling to forgive either one of them. He had never even considered being with another women ever since her death, and instead chose to live a life of celibacy.

Until now.

He would gladly forget his oath to his late wife in favor of tangling that fine blonde hair in his calloused fingers, holding her eyes with his own while thrusting inside of her lean body. Though taller than all the others, she was still a mere slip of a girl, probably no older than nineteen, and very tiny compared to him and the other men. He imagined the sweet sound of her cries while he worked over her, bringing her to completion, and himself as well. Yes, for the first time in many years, Jonathan would participate in tonight's celebration and win himself the gem he found.

Lord Leofrick, however, had other ideas for the girl. Her haughty attitude did not thrill him in anyway, except for when he considered how he would break her spirit. She was not afraid enough now, but she would be soon. He would revel in taking her again and again, he imagined the sounds she would make while he broke her body with his own. She would not be so brave then. She would cower in fear. And then, slowly, he would bend her will until she was begging for his rough treatment, craving his possession of her. Oh yes, this little child would soon be his, in every possible way.

She figured it out after the first three women were sold, finally realizing that the men were bidding on them. And honestly, what did she expect? They were dressed to please and paraded through the grand hall for all to see.

To Virgo, it looked as if the men would state their interest in the woman they desired, and whoever had highest rank got to take that woman with him. Twice now, men of the same caliber had fought each other after claiming the same woman. The man who won that exchange then took his prize and left the room, while the loser had to wait and pick again.

It was all very disgusting to Virgo, and she had to shake her urge to vomit.

She daydreams throughout the rest of the procedure, missing how many men argue over her, until a burst of chanting shook her from her thoughts and Virgo noticed a very large man standing in the center of the room. The man must be at least over seven feet tall, and filled out so well he would have problems getting through the doors. She wondered how she hadn't noticed him before. The chanting got louder and louder as the man raised his arms in the air and shouted, grunted really. Suddenly he brought his arms down and the hall fell silent.

It was then that Virgo saw him, the man who had looked at her with such kindness before. She was hoping that he would be the one to bid on her, so that maybe she could convince him to let her go, appeal to his kinder nature.

"You outrank me, my lord." The handsome young man was saying. "If you so choose, the girl is yours." He indicates to the larger man with a placating expression on his face.

"Nonsense Jonathan!" The lords voice booms and echoes throughout the hall. "You are the closest thing I have to an equal." Laughter, mocking laughter at the young man's expense. "We shall fight for the honor of taking the virgin!" The brute claps his paw like hands together in excitement at his own words.

Virgo's stomach drops as she looks around her at the women left. Aurora, the very picture of beauty and innocence, is already gone. Virgo cannot help but feel relieved, thankful that the small child will not be at the receiving end of this large, angry man and all of his passions.

"What is your name?" The younger man, Jonathan, is standing not but a foot in front of her, reaching down to tilt her slender chin towards him.

"Virgo, sir." She whispers.

"That is a strange name." His soulful blue eyes search hers, taking in her very essence.

"I am a strange girl." She replies, and the a corner of his mouth lifts up slightly.

"I will not fight him for you. If I did, I could not stop." Jonathan bends lower so that they are almost level, his handsome face hovering just inches away from hers. She can smell his scent. He smells like the forest. "I would either kill him, or be killed myself." With those words he drops her chin and moves away from the beautiful girl. "My Lord, I withdraw my bid." He bows to the great man, but there is something sarcastic about his posture.

"Is there something wrong with the wench?" As beautiful as she was, Lord Leofrick would not touch a woman with disfigurement or disease. Not even to teach her a lesson. For a brief moment Jonathan has the temptation to say yes, so that he may still keep the girl for himself. More likely than not, though, Leofrick would have her removed from the castle. Or killed.

"No, she is flawless." He looks back at Virgo with a small apologetic smile, his eyes conveying his sorrow to her. Without knowing why, she feels her own heart breaking for him. "Almost too perfect." He says with a shake of his head, before turning back to the lord. "Which is why she is clearly best for you, Lord Leofrick. I am a man of more simple taste."

Virgo watched in confusion as the handsome man walked out of the hall, empty handed. Had he not wanted her after all? No, she saw the look in his eyes, the look of wonder. He had wanted something from her, though she was not sure what. And for whatever reason, Virgo could swear that he was apologizing to her somehow, when he was telling her he would not fight for her. Not that she would have asked him to. The Lord Leofrick was legend in these lands for his brutality in battle. He was a monster, and she could surely see why that rumour was told. He certainly looked like a monster, though a very striking one at that.

He looked at her and grunted, though she doubted it was a grunt of approval, before firmly gripping her upper arms and roughly dragging her from the room. Virgo tried not to wince or trip, but his grip was so tight and his feet so fast, she found it hard to stop herself from calling out.

He didn't even notice her struggles, and he really would not have cared if he had. He could not wait any longer. As soon as they reached the grand doors that led to his bedchambers her shoved the girl inside and began removing his clothes right in front of her.

He was so pleased when he heard that she was a virgin. And even more pleased to learn that Jonathan of all people had wanted her. Still wants her. That would make it all the more sweet to dominate not only her body, but her spirit as well. He would break her, heart and soul, and she would belong to him.

The girl turned her eyes away from his movements, looking down at the floor with a flush on her skin. She presented the most charming picture, standing there with her hands folded in front of her, long lashes fluttering and brushing against her soft cheeks. Leofrick felt himself almost softening towards her, this gentle creature. The only woman that he had heard of that did not put up a fight. No, when the scouts found her she was kneeling in the street, praying, and went along with them quietly. She even helped keep some of the other women silent on their journey, to the best of her ability. He was more curious about her than he would like to admit. But his feelings for her only made him more angry, and his anger simply fueled his desire.

"Remove your dressings." He commanded. She only hesitated for a second before beginning to unwrap her covering from her body. He knew that her slow movements were due to her nervousness, but he found it teasing his arousal and causing him to only become harder. The insistent throbbing in the front of his chinos was almost painful. He quickly discarded the trousers and moved towards her.

"Do you know what I am going to do to you?" He said once he reached her, picking her up around her slender waist and carrying her towards his bed, loving the feel of her smooth naked skin against his. Her body was so soft, with not a mark on it, while his was hard and covered in scars. Much like his heart. "I am going to fuck you, little girl. I am going to fuck you until you scream."