Sleep didn't claim her for what seemed like a long time once her captor had left. Selia tossed and turned during most of the night but no matter how tight she tried to shut her eyes, the reality of the cold stone around her and the heavy weight of the iron cuffs burdening her ankles wouldn't disappear. She longed for the comfort and warmth of her chambers, anything remotely familiar that would make this horrible nightmare come to an end.
"I love the ones who are wild and show temper. The spit fires who just can't get enough. Their defiance drives my blood boiling to feel the whip cut into their skin, listen to their obscene moans and desperate cries at the brink of their limits," he had said, "But you are not like them, are you my little deer? I can hear your heart pounding in fear. Just think about it, I will make you lick your own sweat off the deerskin and they will all see. Watch you closely twist and buck against the handle of the whip as it stretches your cunt and fucks you into oblivion ... and you will tell them, all these man, what a filthy little whore you are. Watch the wench closely for when the full moon rises you will stand in her place. Perhaps sooner, just give us a tiny hint how much you crave our discipline and it shall be yours instantly, My Lady."
The words her scar-faced captor had whispered into her silky hair still gave Selia chills. She remembered the young woman tied to the wooden pole like a picture of a surreal dream. Impressions of terror, disbelief and panic haunted her thoughts that night as she wept herself silently to sleep.
* * *
Even in her dreams she was haunted by the cries of tortured women, scar-face's cruel laughter and the rustling of chains accompanied her into the early morn. She struggled against strong arms holding her in place, tearing her worn cloak and dress off her body, persistent touches exploring her every curve. Naturally, she woke in a tired state of mind, the impressions of her dreams mingling with the hushed voices that sounded close by.
"At the full moon rise? Are you certain?"
"The Wise had sent the word at night. That cold-hearted bitch had surely made the official announcement by now. Our time to rise is perhaps closer than we originally expected."
"Less than a fortnight left then ... What about the chosen one? Have you heard any news who it shall be?"
"Oh, Halem. If I saw a chance for change without there flowing blood I would not hesitate. But I am not willing to gamble all that we have built up on your foolish hopes for an unhappy pup at the court being chosen for that spoiled brat. I have no doubt the Regent will make sure that whomever the girl shall bond with will not cause any trouble to her interests. Do you think the Wise would have let us know if there was any hope for such in sight?"
Selia squinted against the bright light that hurt her eyes only to see scar-face's triumphant smile greet her.
"Talking of spoiled brats ..." She didn't realize what he was doing until the soft warmth surrounding her body suddenly turned into a chilly spell. The young woman shrieked with mortified panic when realizing that she had been completely naked underneath the blanket scar-face had just pulled off her so roughly.
"I think our little deer is awake," he commented with a chuckle, his eyes wandering over the young woman's ripe curves from her delicate ankles, over the contour of her smooth calves and ample thighs, right up to the patch of curly brown triangle she so desperately tried to hide with one hand while tugging at the blanket with the other. Gorren chuckled and licked the edge of his scarred bottom lip, his eyes devouring the faint pink peaks of her jiggling breasts as much as her struggle. The girl may not have been a spit fire but she sure was a stubborn little handful!
Putting most her weight against the man's strength who held onto her only covering with the ease of one hand Selia tugged with all her might one more time. It was the very moment Gorren had chosen to let go of the blanket. The young woman lost her balance and fell off the bed, landing with her curvy backside on the floor craved into the cold stone. Her thighs fell open for a moment, providing both man with a hearty glimpse of her most secret charms.
"That's enough!" Halem spoke with an anger that raised his brother's eyebrows in surprise.
He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around the girl with a stubborn frown on his face, pushing her gently back onto the bed.
"If that is your idea of training I may need to change my mind ..."
"No! We have a deal. She is mine. You are not to touch her. I mean it Gorren!"
Halem wondered for a moment just how funny his warning might sound to his brother but it was the truth. They had made the deal, first thing in the morning as he wouldn't let the warrior have a bite of his breakfast until he was willing to discuss their captive's future with him.
"Indeed. We have a deal." Gorren repeated with careful measure, talking more to the girl huddled up on the bed with the frightened look of a deer on her pretty face than his brother.
"And our deal is on as long as I see that you keep your end of the agreement. If she is not getting proper training to be presentable for the next gathering I will take over for you." He leaned close to her face, the scarred edge of his mouth still not quite touching her cheek though. "He doesn't have it in him to make you cry out it desperation the way I would do. Be patient, my little deer, perhaps a week, at most two and you will learn the caress of my whip."
Selia couldn't reply, couldn't even breath with this horrible man standing so close by. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and she clutched the edge of the worn blanked in her hands as if her life depended on it.
"As for now, watching him fuck you will have to suffice."
"Gorren!"
"What's the matter? You haven't as much as touched her since the taking. Your captive, your pace, your training as we had agreed. All I would like to see is a proof that you provide what it takes to tame such a spoiled little thing. A good, hard fucking Halem. Or have you forgotten completely how it is done?"
The tension was palpable in the air and watching Halem's face turn dark only made Selia hate scar-face just a little bit more. He not only demanded to witness her assault, he was also hurting his brother in a way she couldn't quite understand but non the less saw reflected in the sadness of the younger man's pale blue eyes.
Halem still didn't move, like a tense statue he stood in the middle of the room, paralyzed by the memories of the past.
Gorren growled impatiently and sat down at the side of the bed.
"Perhaps it was cruel of me to ask, I can take over for you anytime, it takes but a word brother," leaning close he inhaled of Selia's scent, long and hard with a predatory smile appearing on his face. "Or should your mute consent suffice? By the smell of things, our little deer here can hardly contain her lust for me."
"That's enough!" Halem's voice sounded calm and composed as he moved towards the bed with a steady stride.
Right that moment Selia wanted to jump into his arms, praise his courage and shower him with gentle signs of her gratitude for saving her from that monster ready to pound on her any minute.
"Get up Gorren."
His brother complied and watched the scene unfold with close attention.
Pushing his little brother beyond the limits he was comfortable with was one of the few challenges Gorren never quite felt up to. Saving his life, nursing him back to health and protecting him from actual harm was an easier task for the warrior than to mend the damage the years spent in slavery had caused on the inside. To his present knowledge, Halem had not as much as touched a woman since his release. Gorren knew of nightmares of the torture he had been put through still haunting his nights and even though they never spoke extensively of the years Halem had spent locked away in the fortress, he was a good enough judge of character to suspect that his little brother still held an unhealthy affection in his heart for the cruel mistress who had toyed with him almost until his grave.
And now here was a girl, a mousy little thing barely worth a second glance, a frightened little deer entirely lacking the air of power and confidence that made man usually cringe in the presence of most matrons. A girl so nonthreatening that she stirred even his brother's interest who had been emerged in the world of the most perverted submissions for the most part of his youth. Gorren saw a chance in this attraction, a possibility to draw is brother out of the shell the years of humiliation had degraded him into. This frightened little deer even a man of his past could possibly rule, if given the right encouragement. Halem had made so much experience with varied qualities of pain, torture of body and mind, that the mere the thought of inflicting such upon another had become abhorrent to him.
Gorren knew that he had started a risky game of measuring Halem's fear of hurting someone against the girl's fear of being hurt.
He leaned in close and whispered for both of them to hear.
"I want it hard and rough. Don't disappoint me."
Selia shuddered in disgust and then in fear when she turned her face to Halem's dark features. Their eyes met and locked for a long moment, each of them pleading with the other in what they believed to be in their best interest.
The kiss he placed on her cheek lingered for a long moment. Her mind flooded with confusion and the warm caress of his silky lips, it took some time until the words whispered against her blushing skin sank into her mind.
"Fight me."
Then her eyes widened in shock when he tore away the blanket from her.
Halem was upon her in a moment, his hands roaming all over her body, his weight pressing her petite frame into the mattress with a persistence and strength she wouldn't have expected from his lean form. She kicked and hit him with a panic never known before, her cries for help and the sounds of the struggle echoing in the room.
"No! Get off me, you brute! Let go!"
"Now, now! Is that the way to talk to your lord and master, little deer?" Gorren's taunting chuckle hurt her even more than the fingers digging into the softness of her naked hips. She wanted him to stop, wished for this nightmare to come to and end but more than anything in the world she wanted scar-face to disappear.
"I believe the Lady needs a lesson in good manners." he said in a challenging voice.
