Raegyn

It had been a hard winter for everyone. A particularly long and dry winter, with hardly any snow, and less ice melt than that. The wells stayed dangerously low, and everyone prayed for a wet spring, but if the past season was any indication, they were in for a hungry year.

Raegyn and her father lived on the outskirts of a small village that was so far away from their kingdom that many of the children (and some of the adults), didn't know what their king looked like, let alone been to the castle. She and her parents and brother had lived together in their small cottage, making a good enough living to be considered among the wealthier inhabitants. They were as needed by the villagers as they were feared, even loathed.

Her mother had been a healer, spending many nights midwifing at the bedsides of laboring women, or brewing restoratives for sick children. They needed her, but when hard times came, or crops failed; "witch" had been whispered in her wake, usually accompanied by the rubbing of rosaries or a great flurry of prayers and fingers to foreheads. It didn't help that she didn't look at all like the rest of the village; Flaming red hair, piercing green eyes, and a soft, lilting accent that had soothed many a feverish child to sleep.

Of course, she had been the saving grace of that place. They all had. Mother would gather edible plants, mushrooms, berries, and tubers when the harvest hadn't reaped quite enough. Father fletched the finest arrows gold could buy. Bows, too. His weapons had killed plenty of game to bring in when there was no meat to be had. Raegyn and her brother had been taught to hunt and gather, and spent most of their days doing so, stocking up for hard times to come. And all were generously given to those in need. But instead of being thankful, the other villagers became resentful and suspicious of their fortune.

Regardless of the ignorance of the rest of the town, they had lived a happy life together. Until the war came. They didn't know what caused it, or why, but the news had traveled quickly of a war between their kingdom and the neighboring one. Then came the soldiers, with bright uniforms and shiny buttons and swords. They took the men they wanted, the ones who looked like they could fight; especially Raegyn's brother, with his aptitude for the bow. They were in great need of archers, they said, and gave her father a conciliatory gold-piece, and a black eye, when he spat on their boots. It was harder to keep food on the table, with just father hunting, but they managed.

Then the fever hit. Spreading like a fire in a high wind, it ravaged the countryside, taking their elders and the young. And Raegyn's mother. She was a healer, she had patiently explained to her fearful family, and she needed to help, regardless of the potential harm to herself. She saved many lives, infants and children mostly, but when the time came... She was unable to help herself. They tried desperately, even seeking the help of the village priest, but he had his hands full with the sick and fearful seeking spiritual guidance. So they turned to their fellow villagers, beseeching. And were rebuked.

Raegyn remembered begging everyone, anyone; but even those whom her mother had saved hurried away. She was lost within days; a cold reminder that life was unfair and God cared nothing for the pure of heart. Raegyn had bolted outside, the rain like shards of ice after the intense heat of the house, and screamed. Screamed her loss at the sky, screamed her hatred and fury at God, screamed her pain; until her throat was as raw and torn as her heart felt.

But that had been years ago. Now, it was only she and her father, and the difficult spring they had ahead of them. Because of the loss of her mother and brother, her father had cast normal propriety aside and taught her to hunt; a man's job. She had long ago forsaken women's clothes, and favored breeches and a tunic, which she had taken from her brother's things. They fit well, as she had grown in the time since he last wore them.

The girls in town tittered at her, laughing behind their hands, or sometimes openly pointing at her, for she not only wore men's clothes, but she wore her hair up, like a woman. You were only a woman when you bled for the first time, and they hadn't, so, of course, neither should Raegyn. Little were they aware, she had started her blood cycle several years ago, after her eleventh birthday. She had become a woman before most of them were even distinguishable from the village boys.

"I'd rather raise a daughter who dressed like a man, and knew how to look after herself, than raise one of those clucking hens whose only thought in those daft little heads is for which cock they're to be married off to. Useless, the lot of 'em." Her father had said when she first brought it to his attention. And she paid them no mind after that.

So she grew strong, and she grew fierce. She could kill anything that moved, usually with a single shot, and she could skin and gut it almost as fast as her father could. She could survive out in the woods indefinitely, and could tell the difference between Hemlock and wild carrots. She had learned, from many scraps with the village boys, how to throw a punch and how to take one, and she could pick a pocket and a lock, given the right tools to do so. She was self-sufficient, self-assured and unafraid. Perhaps it was because of this lack of fear that she found herself a captor in the same kingdom that had taken her brother from her.

The game had migrated. The lack of water made for a lack of grazing, and the animals had been forced to range further and further away to find food. Raegyn didn't mind. Now her hunting expeditions took a few more days; an excuse to be away, alone with her thoughts, which was where she preferred to be.

She was a few hours behind a doe and her two fawns, one of which was pure white. Its obvious coloring would make it the target of other prey if not her, and would make a nice pelt to sell. She would take it tomorrow. It was getting dark, and they were bedding down for the night, so she would as well. She hummed lightly to herself, a song her mother used to sing to her, as she skinned a rabbit she had caught in a snare earlier. She would roast it and eat it with some berries and nuts she had gathered previously.

She didn't know how they snuck up on her.

A sharp knife found its way under her chin, pressed gently enough, but even slight pressure had nicked her, and she felt a trickling down her neck. She longed to scratch it.

"Well, well. It dresses like a man, but wears its hair like a woman. Which is it?"

She kept silent, unsure whether the query was directed at her, or to a hidden companion.

"Turn it around and see." Another voice answered back.

"Hands out, where we can see 'em." The first voice barked, the words tumbling from his mouth with a practiced roughness, as if this was a phrase he said often. She slowly put her hands out, balanced on the balls of her feet, and hoped she didn't fall and slit her own throat on his blade. "Stand up and turn around slowly."

She obeyed, casting a regretful glance at her bow, where it lay on the other side of the fire, then to her own dagger, at her feet. There's no way she could be fast enough, especially when she didn't know what the other man was equipped with. If he had his own bow trained on her, she would die even if she managed to take the first man with her, and she was perfectly happy keeping her blood on her insides. So she complied, turning to face the two men who had managed to catch her unawares.

"A woman." The man furthest from her said brightly. "That'll make this much easier." He didn't have a bow, but had a hand resting casually on the pommel of a sword. He seemed at ease, but Raegyn's experienced eye saw a different story. He was balanced slightly forward, ready to lunge at a moment's notice, his sword an extension of his arm. It was because he looked so well at ease while being constantly at the ready that she knew he was a highly trained swordsman and not to be trifled with. "What brings a little thing like you all the way out here?" He asked, politely enough. "You're miles away from any village."

"The game is ranging." She replied, and allowed a small sliver of hope that this was not going to turn out horribly. "It's going to be a hard winter. We need the stock."

"Yes, well, unfortunately for you, little lady, you've been stocking far enough from home that you've ranged into private lands. And as much as it pains me, pretty little thing as you are, that's something you'll have to be punished for."

"And how was I supposed to know I had entered private territory?" She retorted, allowing her anger to bury the fear that was swelling in her chest.

"There are signs up, you see, so's to warn people out."

"I haven't seen a single sign up. Besides," She raised the pitch of her voice a little higher, adding a becoming lilt to it, and cocking her head slightly. "I haven't killed anything, excepting that rabbit, but I don't need it. Why don't you gentlemen sit down by my fire and share it? Take a rest off your feet."

"Tempting as that is, we've got to get back by night fall. And seeing as we'll be bringing a juicy, if underfed, little bird with us, I'm thinking we'll be rewarded with coin and cunt tonight. Maybe even yours." As he said this, he reached out and snatched her wrists while the man behind her withdrew the knife and pulled out a large strand of cord, knotting it tightly around her wrists and forearms. All of this was finished in a matter of seconds, despite her attempts to struggle. Then she was unceremoniously hoisted over a shoulder and carried out of the glow of her fire.

They arrived less than an hour later, at a large wall with a vast wooden gate. The man who wasn't carrying Raegyn, gave a piercing, three-toned whistle and waited. After a few seconds, there was a crack and a large groan of wood, and the gates opened for them. The men called out to each other, voices rough and deep. Raegyn was suddently hit with a cold fear. This was the fabled kingdom, where the unknown king lived. She was here, and the likelihood of her ever seeing her father again was slimming. She didn't even know the way home.

"What'cher got there, sir?" A reedy voice called from the darkness to their left.

"A little poacher. She's to see the king for her punishment."

A wheezing laugh that ended in a wet, hacking cough.

"I think I can hazard a guess as to what that might be, eh?"

More laughter, coming from several directions, all floating ghost-like from the darkness beside them. The man carrying her joined in and hoisted her to a more comfortable position on his shoulder. Her arms were too short to reach the dagger on his belt. She had tried on several occasions to no avail. She glared at it.

They traveled through several dark corridors, then through several brightly lit ones, each hall containing more extravagance than the last. Woven tapestries and golden vases incrusted with precious gems of superfluous size lined the walls. A red and gold carpet led the way into a room of vast size. Raegyn craned her neck uncomfortably to catch a glimpse of the vaulted ceiling. A loud voice boomed around them.

"Donnal! What brings you here at such a late hour?"

"I found a little lamb separated from the flock, Your Highness."

Raegyn was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. She growled and straightened, attempting to get to her feet, but the back of her knees were kicked from behind and she was forced into a sort of awkward kneeling position. She looked forward. A large stone throne held an equally large man. Not fat, but broad in the shoulders, and tall, even as he sat down. A large group of well dressed men and women were grouped around him, peering with only vague interest at her.

"It's dressed like a man."

Raegyn rolled her eyes. A painfully observant lot this was.

"She was poaching on your land, Highness."

"Deer?"

"No. A rabbit. But she was taking a deer trail."

The King peered intently at her, but his courtiers had gotten bored and had begun to talk quietly amongst themselves. Only one other man seemed to still have any interest, and stared, without blinking, at her. She held his eyes boldly for a long while until the King spoke again.

"A rabbit, hmm? Well, it's hardly going to make a dent in the larder supplies... But still, a punishment is in order. Perhaps I'll give her to my son to play with. What do you think?" He turned and addressed the group behind him. There was a lot of muttering and fidgeting to hide the fact that they had paid little attention to the line of conversation leading up to this moment.

"Perhaps, Your Highness, if I may make a suggestion?"

"Of course, Ardan." The man stepped forward and spoke quietly to the King, who nodded his head and spoke back. The man handed a small purse to the King, and both men straightened. "It's decided. The girl has been bought into the service of Duke Ardan, and she will remain in his servitude until her debt to him has been paid."

"Bought?" She spat, disbelief clear in her voice. "I'm not a thing to be bought; a whore, or a toy! I was simply hunting! Hunting so my family and village would not starve!"

"Hunting on my land, which is used so we do not starve. Would you prefer a lashing and the dungeon, as befits most poachers we find? No, not for a rabbit, and you're much too pretty. Not to mention, it isn't often that we find a woman poacher. No, you can serve your punishment in relative comfort. An easy sentencing, if I do say so. Take her to Duke Ardan's rooms and get her situated."

Raegyn lunged towards the king, but she was caught by the men behind her.

"You sure you want this one, Ardan? She seems wild and prone to hysteria, if you ask me."

"All wild animals can be broken." The Duke said, his voice crisp and light. "Speak sweetly, and hit hard enough; any wild spirit can be tamed."

Raegyn struggled as two burly guards hauled her to her feet and dragged her away. She was pulled through more hallways and corridors, until they stopped in front of a set of wooden doors. They were pulled open and she was shoved bodily inside, then the doors were shut behind her, and locked.

It was dark, and even when Raegyn stopped to allow her eyes to adjust, nothing could be seen. No windows to let in any moonlight, no barely burning fireplace, just pitch blackness. It seemed to press in on her, into her ears and eyes and mouth. She sucked in a full breath and let it out slowly. What to do?

The door was directly behind her, but she had heard it lock. She backed up, slowly, carefully, until her back made contact with wood. She turned and began to feel for the handle, and the corresponding locking mechanism. Her fingers brushed against a plate of metal, and she probed further for grooves or holes. There! What she thought was a key-hole. Now, to find something suitable to pick it.

It was a fairly large hole, so she'd probably need something that wasn't necessarily small, but small enough to fit in the lock whilst being heavy enough to move the mechanism. She crouched and reached out, following the wall to her left, her movements clumsy. It was hard to balance when your wrists were bound. A table made itself known against the side of her head. She cursed and felt her way up, to feel the objects on top. Nothing that could be of help.

A creak of doors behind her, and a pool of light bathed the table, throwing shadows ahead of her.

"Well, well. Come, little one, let's see you."

Rough hands gripped her shoulders and hauled her upwards. The tramping of boots on the stone floor, and more guards came in.

"Light the fire, and keep out of the way." Duke Ardan snapped at one soldier. Then he approached her and peered with great interest at her. "Are you a virgin?"

Raegyn refused to answer. She glared impudently at him.

"I'll ask you once more, nicely. Are you a virgin?"

Again, Raegyn remained silent. There wasn't much he could do to her that she couldn't handle. Her head jerked to the side as the back of the Duke's hand connected with her cheek. She recovered quickly, shook the pain from her skull, and glared back up at him. He studied her for several seconds, then calmly cracked his hand against her cheek again. Her ears rang and her head spun. She took a second to chase the dizziness out, then raised her head again. Before she could even focus her eyes, she was hit a third time. And a fourth. And fifth.

"It's a simple question, and I can go on like this for a while."

A moment of silence, and Raegyn's world began to spin a little less violently. She swallowed the copper taste from her mouth.

"Yes." She whispered, hoarsely.

"Yes. See? Now we seem to have found our voice. We simply needed to loosen that tongue a bit."

Raegyn raised her head to peer upwards at him. She dimly noticed that she was looking up from where she had recently fallen to her knees, though she didn't remember doing so. The Duke snapped his fingers and gestured to her with a lazy flick of the wrist. The guards at his side came to her in unison, and she was once again hefted upwards, to be placed, much more unsteadily, on her feet.

"How old are you, girl?"

She hesitated, then whispered again.

"Nineteen."

"A little old for my tastes, but, presumably, inexperienced enough to be acceptable." He gestured again, and all the guards but two trooped back out. Why he needed to travel with so much protection was beyond Raegyn. "So, now it's just us. And we'll tie you to a post, like we would any other unbroken animal." These words were delivered so calmly, without any threat or inflection, that it took Raegyn a second to register what he had said. By that time, one of the two guards had approached her. She jerked away as he attempted to reach out and catch her wrists.

"Don't make him chase you, girl, it will not end with pleasant consequences. So far, no one can strike you except myself, but that can change."

Raegyn thought it over quickly. Duke Ardan was much smaller, much weaker than the guards. If they hit her, she wouldn't recover nearly so quickly. She forced herself still as the guard grabbed for her again and yanked her forward, almost off her feet, and she was pulled to a large bed with posts thicker than any she had ever seen. Her arms were raised above her head, and she was pulled upward until she was on tip-toe. The ropes that bound her wrists were attached to the post behind her and there she stood, stretched as tall as she could. This wasn't a position she was used to, and she could feel her legs begin to shake already.

"Now, we're going to get to know each other. But first, I must admit that I don't really like what you're wearing. You're much too pretty for men's clothing."

The guard beside her gripped the shoulders of her shirt and pulled. A vicious ripping came from the distressed material, and her skin stung where the seams pressed hard before they were yanked apart.

"Ah, now that's a relief." The Duke purred, after the shredded shirt had fallen away in pieces. "I was worried you had no breasts, but here they are, held captive to this binding." He gestured to the long strips of cloth that had been wound around her breasts to keep them from hurting when she ran. These too were ripped from her with a viciousness that was sure to leave bruises later. "Much better. We'll deal with those breeches later. Now..."

He sighed and procured a small dagger from somewhere, and advanced upon her with it. She struggled uselessly against her bonds.

"Oh, calm yourself. I wouldn't damage my own property. Not after having bought you so recently." He trailed the tip of the knife between her breasts. She felt it only as a tickle, but the line of fire she felt afterwards told her that the knife was sharp, and that she'd have a welt at the very least. Cold against her nipple made her hiss. He had pressed the flat of the blade against her breast. With her back pressed against the post of the bed, she couldn't retreat any further, but she tried anyway. "Hush, pet. You're fine. You may even come to enjoy this."