Castle Keep Ch. 05
Date: 09.07.2008
Keywords: Ch., 05, Keep, Castle,
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*The Forgotten Sons*
Danielle purposefully stopped at each vendor, examining the vegetables. The goods they offered were loaded on two-wheeled hollow wooden carts and they readily pitched the products. It had been a good year, she decided, for there was abundance and much of it looked very appealing. Men noticed her presence, for she was unusually beautiful. She had long black hair, striking green eyes, a lovely face, and a slender, shapely form that her clothing could not hide. She was a familiar icon in the village for it was her home, unlike others that simply drifted through.
Others had noticed her as well, in particular Lord Chadwick. He ruled with an iron fist and had earned the fear and respect of every subject in the province, be it man, woman, or child. There was no shortage of rumors surrounding him. The Chadwick family controlled the surrounding land and villages for five generations, and each son that took the place of the father was nearly identical in appearance. At one time a villager claimed that there were no sons and Chadwick himself had ruled for that period of time and would continue to do so, but the whispers died along with its purveyor.
Once she'd walked past the food vendors, she paused at the blacksmith's shop. She watched as he heated what would become a sword, placed it on an anvil, and pounded on it with a heavy hammer. He had immensely powerful arms, and she was impressed by the sheer size of the muscles. His smoke-streaked skin was wet with perspiration and shimmered. The blacksmith felt her eyes on him, glanced up, and smiled at her. She smiled back, as she always did.
She had been of marrying age for several years, but the seemingly endless conflicts with bordering provinces had claimed the lives of many of the village's young men. It was disheartening for a young woman who yearned for love and to raise a family of her own. These were dark times indeed.
The sound of heavy hooves approaching from the north caught Danielle's attention. She stopped, turned, and watched as six horses came into view, two each side by side. The first four carried mounted guards, undoubtedly from Lord Chadwick's castle. The lead guard on the left carried a flag bearing the Lord's crest and confirmed her suspicions. The last two horses pulled a small, enclosed horse-drawn carriage. The passage of the animals stirred up a cloud of dust on the narrow dirt road in their wake, which resettled after their passing. She wasn't sure why, but the sight of them made the dark hair on the back of her neck stand up as a dreadful chill coursed through her flesh.
The lead rider on the right dismounted and approached a vegetable vendor. Several words were exchanged but the gesture of the vendor and apparent anger on the face of the guard made it clear that the vendor was unable to provide whatever request the guard had made. In retaliation the guard overturned the cart of food, and as the vendor scrambled to recover his valuable goods a drawn sword was thrust through the back of his chest. As blood streamed from the corpse and muddied the earth, the soldier placed his right foot on the dead man's shoulder and removed the blade from his lifeless flesh.
When the next vendor was approached, fear filled his eyes. Even before the question was posed he pointed in Danielle's direction, and after he did the guard indicated that he could claim the property of his deceased competitor as his own in payment for his cooperation. When she realized where he had pointed, her green eyes nervously glanced around and saw no others nearby. Her mind raced in confusion as the strong, stout, armored man advanced and rapidly closed the distance between them. She saw the vile look of evil intent in his eyes as they locked onto her, and the vicious grin that appeared on his face.
"I've done nothing wrong!" she pleaded with him as she extended both arms in a defensive posture. "Please, you must believe me!"
Her hands attempted to push him away. He laughed as her fists battered against the heavy steel chest armor, succeeding only in bruising her own flesh. He sheathed his sword and grabbed onto both wrists. She squirmed with all her strength but there was no escaping his powerful grasp. He kicked the feet out from under her and she helplessly collapsed to the ground.
Danielle was frightened and disoriented as she hit the dirt at his feet. She struggled for breath as dust filled her lungs. She broke out in a fit of coughing and desperately glanced at her fellow villagers, the strong blacksmith in particular as she sought help that would not be forthcoming. She cried out as her arms were painfully twisted behind her back. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized where she'd be taken and perhaps would never return from. She longed to see her family one last time, and she cried out for them despite knowing they could not hear.
Heavy iron shackles were placed around her wrists and pinned shut. Her heart sank as the last fading hope of rescue dimmed and disappeared altogether. Her body collapsed on the edge of the road and vibrated as she sobbed. Danielle lamented a life lost before it ever truly began. She grieved for the children she'd never have, and for the family left behind. In a final act of defiance she gathered all the energy she possessed and furiously rolled on the ground, wildly kicking her feet and struggling against the shackles even as they chafed her wrists. When her strength was gone she lay on her side in a fetal position, tears streaming down her face and onto the ground.
"Are you done?" he asked as he leaned down and lifted Danielle to her feet by the hair.
She shrieked loudly, both in pain and protest. Her efforts were rewarded by a sharp slap across the face that knocked her to the knees. The second time when she was lifted to her feet by the hair she grimaced and softly whimpered but caused no scene. Danielle shuffled her feet in the direction he led in silent surrender, knowing in her heart that all was lost. She stopped as he opened the carriage door and helped her in. He sat directly across from her.
His hand slapped the side of the carriage and it started with a rough jerk that jostled her unprepared form. She lived in one of farthest outlying villages and knew it would be some time before they reached the castle, if that was indeed their destination. Danielle held nothing but contempt for her captors and did not believe any of their wicked words.
He lunged for Danielle, pulled her from the seat, spun her around, and sat her upon his left knee facing away from him. Her wrists again struggled against the shackles in vain as he successfully separated the top of her clothing and reached his right hand inside. He laughed in a deep voice as she helplessly shifted and squirmed. He was the first to touch her bare breasts; the dirt and bloodstained hands were reviling to her as they lifted and squeezed on her silky soft swell and prodded the nipple that shamelessly hardened.
"I've done nothing wrong!" she repeated her earlier proclamation. "Why am I being treated in this manner?"
"You've done one thing wrong," he revealed. "You struck the fancy of the Lord, and he sent us for you."
"I'm not the first, am I? Other girls have disappeared from the village, never to be seen from again." There was no point in hiding her suspicions any longer. Her destiny was sealed the moment she was singled out by the frightened vendor. In her eyes he was blameless and she felt no ill will toward him. But Lord Chadwick and his soldiers were a different matter entirely.
"You'll share the same fate as the others before you, and more shall follow in your wake," he confirmed. "You'll please the Lord for as long as he fancies, and then be relegated to the stable. Few last long there. If you know what's good for you, you'll start by pleasing me."
"Why would I please an animal like you?" she questioned in a hateful voice and with a scowl on her otherwise pretty face.
"Because I'm Captain of the guard, and as such I accompany Lord Chadwick into the dungeon. It's where he first takes his women to break their spirit; once broken they are much more compliant. He watches as I wield the tools of torture. Displease me and you'll suffer in agony beyond your worst nightmare."
His left hand grasped her head, moved it towards him, and kissed her full lips. She initially resisted and pulled her head away. When his angry evil eyes looked directly into hers, they were like windows into his very soul. Danielle saw blood-curdling visions of naked women in various stages of torture, and could hear their unbridled wails of terrible pain and humiliation. Her heart momentarily stopped in fear, and she gasped aloud in dread.
"I will please you," she whispered in desperation, for it was the last hope that remained.
His lips formed a bone-chilling smile, and his mouth returned to hers. Despite the stench of death on his body and foul breath, her sweet lips parted and her tongue joined with his in repulsive intimacy. For her the taste of his saliva was gruesome, but for him hers was wondrous and almost immediately the flesh sword swelled beneath his clothing. Both hands reached inside her clothing and fondled the succulent mounds. He roughly pinched on the swollen tips and delighted as her body squirmed on his lap and she groaned into his mouth.
The carriage violently rocked on the uneven road and tossed their bodies from side to side. The reluctant kissing continued unabated, the frightening images in his evil eyes motivating Danielle to give him all he desired. Once beyond the village, wild grass had grown high between the wheel ruts and the insistent thump-thump of thick brush striking the bottom of the carriage drowned out the revolting grunts of pleasure that the Captain occasionally uttered.
Within a couple of miles his excitement outgrew the kissing and fondling. His mouth withdrew from hers and he anxiously pushed Danielle onto the floor of the carriage on her knees.
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Keywords: Ch., 05, Keep, Castle,