Betrayal Bk. 01

Betrayal: The Trap is Set (Book 1)

Author's words: There is a large focus on story here. So prepare for that. Hopefully it is enjoyed and makes the other scenes better for it. With regards to the fetishes involved... there is at least one standard vanilla sex scene, but there will be some non-consent, bondage, domination and humiliation type themes. I have the story itself planned out already so can add to it in the future. I have done more editing this time to try and improve the story further and ended up writing more than I probably should have. Hopefully I leave you wanting more though... Disclaimer; all characters are fictional and as such couldn't give genuine consent even if I wrote them that way. It's all fiction, fantasies and fun etc.

"The blurb": The world is broken. The lands are poisoned. And life is tough. Ruling houses lord over their claimed lands. Leaving the unclaimed lands for gangs of marauders to ravage. Emily is the daughter of such a lord and preparing for her engagement with her arranged fiancé. Her father worries that their house is close to financial ruin and is making one last play to try and bring it back from the edge of disaster. Meanwhile, Gan, the leader of one of the, so called savage, gangs is troubled by something that could mean the death of those he is supposed to protect.

Contents

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 3-2

Chapter 4-3

Chapter 5-5

Chapter 6-6

Chapter 7-9

*****

Chapter 1

"Miss Crawford?" The voice called out, cutting through the vague notions of dreams that exist been sleep and reality. Emily stretched and blinked her eyes open, all thoughts of where her mind had wandered whilst her body rested, slipping away. There was a gentle knock on the door as her maid's head slipped into the room moments before the rest of her entered, "Miss Crawford?" She said a second time in a mixture of 'can I help you?' and 'are you okay?' intonation.

Emily sat up and smiled softly in a sleepy fashion. She pushed back her long, naturally straight hair from her bright blue eyes, "Good morning Sadie." Her voice crackling ever so slightly from its lack of use whilst she'd slept.

"I have made you some tea." She said, walking over to the bed with a tray. She placed the tray over Emily's lap before walking over and opening the large thick curtains, letting the light into the spacious room. "The tailor has finished making your dress for the treaty signing ceremony." Emily cringed as the light poured in through the large windows, burning her eyes. She idly checked the ends of her hair for split ends, the morning light causing her hair to vibrantly come alive, glimmering a coppery red.

Emily nodded to acknowledge Sadie's comment as she poured some tea from the pot to the cup before taking a small sip with a grimace. It tasted awful, but then it always did. This was at least better than taking the herbs without any taste modifier. She remembered how petulant she'd been as a child, refusing to drink her tea. But without the herbs people would become very sick, they'd lose their hair, they'd develop skin lesions and eventually they'd die. It was a horrid and slow death and she'd seen a few people in such a state whilst on the outskirts of her father's territory. She had been told that there were never enough of the herbs to keep everyone healthy and that there was nothing that could be done. Especially with the raids on the outskirt villages.

Sadie kept talking, "Mrs Harrison sent her apologies that she won't be able to meet with you regarding the engagement."

"A pity." Emily replied with a tight lipped frown, her younger sister had yet to find a suitable match and since the death of her mother it was her responsibility to find one. It was becoming a harder task as tensions continued to rise between neighbouring lords. Even her own betrothal, made years ago, was looking more and more under threat. She was already nineteen, it was common for marriages to take place when the girl turned sixteen. However the last few years had been tense, even before her mother's death. The black liquid that powered every town was becoming more and more scarce. One of the wells in the region had been depleted, leaving only two. She'd been told that a hundred years ago there were twelve and until her birth eight had been in operation. The accelerated loss of the vital resource was making everyone understandably nervous.

Sadie came to collect the tray as Emily finished, "Oh and Miss Crawford..." She hesitated for a moment, giving what looked like an almost apologetic smile, "...your father wishes to see you this morning."

Emily nodded before sending Sadie out to perform her other duties, whilst she held back a shiver. Her father had grown darker and darker since the loss of her mother two years ago. He scared her sometimes, but she knew he loved her and was just afraid of losing anyone else. The assault that had killed her mother had also taken his only son, her half-brother, and the position of their house was made much less secure. Their carriage had come under fire whilst passing through unclaimed territory. It was made to seem like marauders, everyone knew that they roamed the unclaimed lands and would take and kill without discretion. But they were not known for being sentimental, they'd never been known to take their dead with them, even on occasion leaving the wounded behind. She couldn't believe that five of her father's best men hadn't been able to take one of those savages down even with the rifles they carried. Losing those five had been a blow too, though her father had been too upset about his wife and son to make much noise regarding it. Or perhaps he just feared how weak it could make the house appear. They were originals, from the old days. Even today they couldn't effectively reproduce weapons of that quality. More accurate, less likely to jam, never rusting, they knew a little about the technology that created them, but so much had been lost. It was like being told that to fly, one simply had to levitate, it didn't make it any less of an impossibility.

She threw back the covers and got up out of bed to walk over to her dresser. She undid her night gown and let it fall to the floor around her feet. She glanced at herself in the mirror and turned around a little. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled happily. She knew it was vain, but then why shouldn't she be? She had a petite and slender build and the only weight she'd put on had gone towards giving her pleasing curves, to her hips, buttocks and breasts. She lifted her breasts up in cupped hands, though they didn't sag far, finishing her self-admiration she leant in towards the mirror to check her face.

Her blue eyes scanned her face; she had high cheekbones, a delicate jawline and a small nose that turned up ever so slightly at the end. She smiled, her full lips curling upwards and causing two small dimples to form either side of her mouth. It wasn't really anything special to be beautiful as a member of a holding house. It was partially why they always married their children off to one another. They always tended to be more attractive, athletic, intelligent and less prone to illness. Partially because of their more privileged lifestyle, but the archivists said it was more than that, that the ruling houses were designed to be that way and that they were 'genetically superior'. The houses had used that to further their claims to leadership and after the first few generations everyone had sort of just gotten use to the fact that they were in charge.

She slipped on a pair of light blue silk panties that covered her modesty. She then began the task of fastening herself into a corset of a matching colour. It left her shoulders bare but cupped her breasts and gave them support, not to mention that it amplified her cleavage, though she wasn't lacking in that department. She had found that a distracting flash of cleavage had the most remarkable power to sway discussions in her favour from time to time. A small knowing smile, a laugh, a touch on the arm and she had men doing exactly what she wanted. It bordered on inappropriate for someone of her station, but she was unwed so it was technically okay for her to act in such a flirtatious way, though usually girls were married before they fully developed into women. Though, she'd never even been in the same room alone with a man who wasn't her father or brother so it was not like anything would progress to anything unseemly. The very idea brought colour to her cheeks.

As she fastened the corsets last hook at the front she scrunched up her nose. She didn't like wearing it, it was uncomfortable, constricting and made breathing a chore. But she had meant to meet with Mrs Harrison today and although the meeting may be off Sadie had prepared her clothes the night before. Not that it would be appropriate for her not wear any under garment, even if it was never seen by anyone other than her maid. She did on occasion get away with it growing up, but it was past the point where it would be obvious. The colour of her clothes was part of social order. As a direct member of a ruling house, she could choose any colour other than purple, which was reserved for the leading family of an alliance. There had been very few of those, most alliances formed of equal members.

Several decades ago so many families had been united in an alliance that there were four tongues in total, the meetings had required translators and took months to arrange. However as they got larger the interests of the members had diverged to the point that they just became arguments. The last action had called for a vote to elect a leader at the next meeting. It never came, people didn't like to change and the leading families never liked the idea of being deferent to anyone. Although she could choose any colour other than purple, she'd never choose to wear the colour red. That was a colour chosen by women offering sex for money; one of the brighter colours available to the common classes. Brown and grey was available to anyone and as such was avoided by most. Though she knew that much, it became complicated after that, more colour choices available depending on the profession, wealth and title of the person's family. It didn't affect her and she paid it no mind.

There was a quite knock at the door, three small quiet taps. "Come in." She said authoritatively. She had expected it to be her sister, coming in with a bright and cheerful smile on her face.

"Morning Emily. Need a hand?" She asked with a cheerful voice.

"Good morning Lisa and yes that'd be very helpful." She replied. Nobody other than her sister or maid would be knocking on her door this time in the morning, hence why she'd invited them in, even whilst she stood in just her underwear. Her sister came over and started to tighten the laces at her back. She preferred when her sister did it as it left her a little more room to breathe, Sadie always insisting on pulling a little too tight; perhaps she'd force that woman into one and show her just how it felt not to be able to breathe!

"Are you meeting with Mrs Harrison today?" Lisa asked. Ah, so that was what she was here about. Lisa had just turned eighteen; it was unusual not to be married at that age and almost unheard of not to be engaged. It was an insult to her family and to her father especially. Their house had fallen more and more out of favour and it was becoming harder to make trade agreements and even to make meetings with members of other houses. She did worry about their financial security from time to time, but she trusted her father would know what he was doing.

"She had to delay the meeting to next week due to health reasons." Emily said, she'd make sure to let Sadie know about the small lie before Lisa found out. She would vie for a chance at another meeting between now and then and hope she could get one. To be turned down after an offer was one thing, but to not even have it heard was insulting, so she'd at least try to spare her sister that dishonour.

"Oh, I see." Lisa said, sounding disappointed, moving to take a seat on the bed. Emily sat down on a chair and lifted her leg, somewhat awkwardly to start slipping on her black stockings, she couldn't bend much at the middle so she had to be rather flexible to achieve the move. She pulled the stockings up her slender legs, holding her leg out straight as she checked for ladders and wiggling her toes slightly.

"I'm sure it will be fine Lisa. Don't worry about it, it is a very tense time at the moment. We will find someone soon." She said as she dressed. It was Emily's job to arrange a proposal now that her mother was dead. She'd had to take on a lot more responsibilities, being the oldest sibling. Her sister had managed to stay much the same, uncaring about much outside of the house and her own engagement. She still seemed like a child most of the time, even though she was only about a year younger than herself, she felt a strange need to protect her. She finished putting on her second stocking and stood, clipping them to the bottom of the corset with the straps that hung down from it to hold them up.

"Father said he needed to speak with you." Lisa said, Emily sighed and nodded, her shoulders slumping in reluctance to the knowledge she was trying to forget right now.

"Yes, Sadie had mentioned it." She replied walking back over to her dresser and slipping a darker blue dress over her head and struggled her way into it.

She could almost hear the pout on her sister's lips, "Sorry." She said as she helped Emily pull the dress down over her head. As she finally won her battle against the fabric, her head pushing free, she widened her eyes at the sight of her sister directly in front of Emily's face, making a greatly exaggerated pouting face.

Emily blinked and laughed, pushing her away a little, "Didn't mean to sound so exasperated, it's just that I was worried about what it was he might want to talk about that he'd want to see me so early. We usually meet later in the day with his heads of staff to discuss event, it must be something urgent."

Her sister smiled reassuringly and hugged her. She hugged her back tightly. Perhaps her little sister had grown up more than she'd realised as she was comforted by her. She was similar to Emily, though a few inches shorter and whilst Emily had rich, red hair like her mother, her sister had light blonde hair like their father. She hadn't filled out into such a womanly figure, as Emily had, Lisa's form was more slender. Lisa moved around to help do up the back of Emily's dress.

"I'm sure it will be fine Emily, he probably just meant to say something about the meeting with Mrs Harrison and hadn't heard she'd cancelled the meeting." Emily nodded.

"Yes, that's probably-" She bit her tongue realising that she'd been too occupied by her thoughts to not fall into the hole her own lie had dug. She turned around slowly with an apologetic look.

Lisa stared blankly at her for a few moments before her voice cut the silence, "You don't have to treat me like a child anymore Emily. I won't wither up at the first sign of clouds like a flower left to collect rain. If it's cancelled just tell me, don't feed me stories." She turned with a stomp of her foot and headed out of the room.

Emily hesitated, meaning to give an apology, but her sister left and closed the door before she could. She sighed and shook her head, she'd forgive her soon she hoped. They didn't argue often, she loved her sister and would do anything for her. She went back to dressing, putting on a pair of black leather boots with a small heel that brought her height up to near six foot. She looked at herself in the mirror again; her dress followed the line of the corset underneath, giving her a narrow waist, before flaring out a little at her hips and falling down to her ankles. It rested on the edges of her shoulders, with short sleeves that fell to mid upper arm. It left most of her shoulders bare and came low enough to show the top of her breasts, cut straight across her chest.

Sadie knocked on the door before coming in. Emily smiled at her though she didn't feel like smiling and wandered over in silence to sit at her mirror and think about what she would do next regarding Lisa. Whilst she did Sadie came to apply the small amount of make-up she wore and sort out her hair. Most importantly Emily tried to keep her mind off what her father might have to say. She thought back to their last private meeting though, against her better judgment. The last time he'd requested to speak with her like this, he'd asked her to kill a man.

*****

Chapter 2

Bodies lay everywhere he looked, blood, screaming, chaos, loud rhythmic sound of rifle fire. There was nothing he could do, he couldn't save her, he ran as fast as he could but he kept falling he kept feeling too weak and the flat ground felt like running up a hill, he'd lose them all, their lives would be ended he'd-.

He woke with a start. His knife moved in a flash, pressing to the throat of the man standing above him.

"G-Gan, it's me." The old grizzled man stuttered. He had a scar over one eye that left it a milky white and kept it from opening as wide as the other in his startled look of fear. He had a roughly trimmed grey beard and a mostly bald head. He was the oldest man Gan knew and he had served as wisdom to the gang since before Gan had been leader.

"Sorry, bad dream." Gan said. He stood up and stretched, putting the knife back in its sheath and strapping it around his waist so it sat at the small of his back. In the unclaimed lands you never went anywhere without a knife. It was at your side when you slept, when you washed and when you fucked. There was a common joke among those who walked the unclaimed lands, about a couple fucking with knives at each other's throats; neither slowing down and neither disarming. She'd apparently left him dehydrated until his life had ended... okay there was more to the joke than that, but he admitted to himself, being screwed to your grave wasn't a bad way to go, not out here.

A knife was sometimes referred to as your first wife and at the age of thirteen you'd be given your own blade to carry. It was a ceremonial rite of passage from being a child to an adult and marked the end of a freedom that those below the age never privileged as much, until it was gone. Ending the life of anyone under that age was death. Whilst ending anyone above that age was merely frowned upon. If you had reason and gave them sufficient warning to defend themselves it was fine. You'd take on the wealth and responsibilities of the one you killed. However that didn't stop someone from stabbing you whilst you slept and paying a witness to say you defended yourself. Or slitting your throat whilst you slept and leaving you to be found by someone else. However, to be found guilty of that crime meant death. 'Death' and being dead are not the same thing in the gangs. When you stopped breathing, you were at an end, you were dead. However death was punishment, you had no name, no wealth, no responsibility, no freedom, you were a slave, you would be seen as no more than a beast of burden or property.

Gan was wearing only a pair of tight shorts that he slept in. He was well muscled and the lack of much body fat showed the definition of his build. He wasn't a bulky, brawling type of build, he was much more meant for quick fast strikes and getting out of the way, any weight you had, had to be carried with you. If you could accomplish the same thing by dodging and striking fast with a lighter build as you could by brawling with a bigger one he didn't see the point in wasting the energy. He knew some men would lift large rocks and try to get their muscles larger and more intimidating, but he was happy with his more reserved, well-toned body. Besides, he was already quite tall for a man, half a head above most; he found that that served as intimidation enough for most. He took the cup wisdom offered him, and he tipped it down his throat and winced at the taste. Somehow it cut through even the spirits they mixed it with.