Iron Chains Pt. 04

"Hmmm," Lord Grenar signed appreciatively. "Now, I think we can get started."

A strangled moan escaped my lips. I didn't think I could do this. Could I really endure this man without breaking? The tears fell freely now. It's just to convince him he's won, I told myself. They aren't real tears. He hasn't won.

The next hour was spent learning how many different tools the lord had for spanking, whipping, and hitting. I knew he was holding back. He never broke the skin and I doubted any bruising would last more than a week. By the time he set down a rather wicked looking cane, he was breathing hard and I was near hysterical. Sure I played it up a bit, but not nearly as much of it was an act as I would feel comfortable admitting.

My entire body ached and stung. My ass burned and my shoulders shook.

"Tell me why you're being punished," he growled. Winded as he was, the violence only seemed to feed the fire.

"Because... I ran..." My voice was hoarse and shook with unsteady breaths.

"Why else?"

"Because I... I laughed."

He stepped close, placed a hand around my neck and shouted. "You mocked me! After everything I did for you, you mocked me!"

"I'm... sorry!"

"I'm sure you are, and you will continue to prove exactly how sorry you are! I could have imprisoned you, or left you on the street, but I took you in and treated you like a queen! But instead of being grateful, you became spoiled. Didn't you?!"

His hand tightened around my neck and he shook me when I didn't answer. "I asked you a question!"

"Yes!" I gasped. "I did!"

"You did what? Tell me!"

"I was ungrateful and I- I was spoiled."

"You were spoiled and you acted like a brat taking everything for granted. But you aren't taking it for granted now, are you?"

"No! I'm not taking it for granted! Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

He scoffed, releasing my neck to take a nipple clamp in hand. I met his eyes and he smirked. Dread sunk like a stone in my gut.

"Tell me again."

Eyes wide I whispered, "I'm sorry."

He yanked off the clamp and I screamed as blood rushed back into the free nipple.

"Tell me 'thank you' for taking such good care of you."

"Thank you for taking care of me!" I gasped.

He yanked off the other nipple clamp and my mouth opened in a silent scream. My nipples throbbed with the rush of blood and the pain surprised me. His hand moved down to my clamped lips and I shook my head. "Please..."

"Thank me for finally disciplining you like I should have been this whole time."

"Thank you for... for disciplining me..."

He freed my left labia with a sharp tug and I was able to grit my teeth against the pain. It wasn't as bad as my nipples, but it still hurt.

"Tell me you're sorry for acting like a stubborn and spoiled little brat."

"I'm sorry... for acting like a-a spoiled brat."

My other labia was roughly freed. One last clamp remained. "Please, sir, please don't."

I looked into his eyes, pleading for him to be gentle even though I knew he wouldn't.

"You've earned this punishment, Abril. You've taken it well so far, haven't you. Now be a good girl and tell me you'll marry me. Let me take care of you like I want to. Your life could be so easy my dear, but you must let it. All you have to do is obey."

He stroked his fingers gently against my cheek, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip. His eyes followed the caress and I could see the barely constrained desire.

"I..." I should just agree. It would be so much easier to just placate him, but I couldn't. I couldn't agree to marry this monster. No matter what he did to me, at least it wouldn't be because I agreed to it. I refused to be a puppet, no matter how much temporary relief it might bring me. Closing my eyes, I took a shaky breath.

"I... can't."

His sigh brushed my cheek, but he didn't sound surprised when he said, "I know."

My mouth opened in a silent scream and my eyes flew open as my entire body jerked away from the pain. He yanked the last clamp hard and fast, setting my clit on fire as blood rushed to fill the abused organ.

My entire body trembled and I hung limp from my numb arms. I was finally roused by the feeling of the iron collar being unlocked and removed from my neck. With my arms still bound in iron and the wards surrounding the dungeon, it made no difference when it was removed.

The small freedom was short-lived, however, when a new collar was secured around my neck. I could tell it wasn't iron, but other than that I had no idea what it was made out of.

When my arms and legs were freed I collapsed. The cool stone felt wonderful against my hot skin and I laid still, savoring the moment. Without the chains, I laid naked and unadorned on the dungeon floor, except for the new collar. After all the abuse, my body was exhausted and useless and my mind was equally spent. The last thing I saw were the lord's boots as he stepped away to clean his precious tools.

~Rin~

Our tent was empty when we returned.

Immediately I turned to Chiron, knowing a guilty man when I saw one.

"I don't know where she is," he protested with raised hands to my accusatory look. When I didn't respond, staring daggers, his resolve cracked.

"Orion only told me to make sure we left her here when we left. That's all. I don't know what he had planned."

I clenched my fists so hard they shook. God, I wanted to beat him until something broke. But now was not the time. Bri was more important at the moment. I would figure out what to do with Chiron later.

I stormed out, pushing past Chiron hard enough to hear him grunt and fall back. Orion's tent was close and in a moment I was sidestepping a guard and striding into the Commander's war room.

A small contingent of Brothers looked up at me in surprise as I interrupted whatever strategy they were discussing. Orion also looked up at me, though not with the same surprised confusion as the others.

In my rage, I moved toward the table, intent on flipping it or at least making a mess of it, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me and I swung around to see Milo holding me back. Had it been anyone else, they would have lost the hand, or at the very least gained a couple broken fingers, but my youngest brother looked at me knowingly. It gave me a moment to find calm enough to think through the rage of betrayal.

Taking a slow breath, I turned back to the commander and stood with every ounce of intimidation I knew I had. A smaller man would have pissed his pants facing me down. Unfortunately, Orion held no less a presence than I.

"Where is she?" My anger was palpable.

Orion sat in his chair, leisurely lifting a drink to his lips as the entire tent silently watched the exchange unsure if they should interfere. After a moment, he set the drink down and looked back at me, his expression hard.

"The woman came to my tent of her own free will and interrupted a very important meeting with a potential new ally. When she arrived, our guest decided he wanted her and bargained for her. Seeing as she was unbound and in Brotherhood territory, I saw it fit to use her in the exchange. We now have a powerful ally and a clear path. I should thank you for bringing such a pretty little witch into the camp. Without her, I don't think we would have come to such a favorable agreement."

"You... traded her."

Orion nodded, taking another sip of his drink.

"To who?" I growled.

"It isn't your concern," Orion stood, preparing to dismiss us and resume the meeting I had interrupted.

I raised my voice, something I had never done to a direct superior, but this deception was too much. The respect I held for this man was quickly crumbling into dust. "She wasn't yours to trade and you know it! She was rightfully ours!"

"And yet you allowed her to wander and become the property of anyone who deemed to claim her. Anyway, it seemed that she already belonged to the man. I was just returning lost property."

My eyes widened and I heard Milo's shallow gasp behind me. Milo stepped forward, his anger nearly rivaling my own. "You gave her over to that little shit of a lord?!"

"What could you possibly have gained from an alliance with Grenar? He's hardly a threat to us!"

"And yet he managed to capture you, brother." Orion's patience was wearing thin. I knew there was only so much he would allow from me in the presence of his men. I tried to steady my voice and adjust my tone to something convincingly deferential.

"We were unaware of his affinity for magical accoutrement and we were caught off guard. He is not a true threat to the brotherhood, just a small inconvenience."

"He has wealth and an impressive collection of magical weapons and artifacts. But I don't need to explain my decisions to you, Rin."

"She wouldn't have willingly left our tent."

"I can't speak to the witch's decisions. Now leave before you step further out of line. I'll send Rone by later for a report on the blacksmith. You are dismissed."

My entire body was tense with unreleased anger, but I knew further argument wouldn't do us any good. I turned to face Milo and Chiron. The look of shock I saw in Chiron made me pause. Had he really not expected something like this to happen? He wasn't an idiot.

I passed them both, storming out to the edge of the camp. The sound of footsteps confirmed that my brothers had followed me. I faced the woods, trying to sort through our options. Chiron interrupted my silent planning

"She isn't worth all this."

I spun on him, squaring up so we were nose to nose. He held his ground though we both knew who would win the fight.

"How dare you..." My voice shook as I struggled to redirect my rage from my fists to my words. "We are brothers. You are tearing this unit apart for what? Jealousy?"

"Ha! Seriously?! I'm not jealous! I'm worried! We had no idea what the witch was capable of and I'd watched her worm her way into each of your good graces. Neither one of you had a single care for any woman until that little siren came along. She's twisting your minds. She tried to get into mine and I fought her out."

"So that's it then. When she got pulled into your dream that night... What did she see that scares you so bad?"

"She twisted my memories to make me care for her like my own- She's nothing and I'm not going to let her destroy what we have here. We were good before! We were just fine before. Thriving even!"

Milo spoke up then, angry, though not nearly as angry as me. He actually sounded more sad than anything.

"We weren't good, Chiron. We haven't been good for years, any of us. That's why we're all here isn't it? It's why we joined the Brotherhood. We're broken. We are all damaged, scared, and bad. Very, very bad. But Bri... Bri was good, and she was making us good again. Can't you see that? I haven't let myself care for anyone since- And I do care! I- I think I care for her and I'm not going to let you ruin that!"

I watched Milo, shocked. He cared for her? What the fuck? Did I? No, no I was using her. She was a powerful asset and that was all. Right?

Chiron was also shocked by our youngest brother's confession. He and I both deflated slightly. Chiron spoke softer, looking between the ground and Milo's teary eyes. Never in our years together had I seen the man cry, and here he was on the verge of tears as he came to the realization that he had once again lost someone he cared for.

"Milo," Chiron said quietly. "I really didn't mean for this to happen. I thought the commander would move her to the whore tent or claim her himself. I didn't think he would give her back to that creep."

"And those options would have been better?!"

"I just- she needed to go... she was getting too close. She was making us weak..."

"Fuck you, Chiron."

I stepped away from the uncomfortable emotion that threatened to spill over. "I'm going to get her."

"What?" Chiron and Milo asked at the same time.

"I'm not going to leave her there to be used and tortured. We did it once, we can do it again."

Milo shook his head in confusion. "But, the commander. Without his orders we would be breaking our oaths. The Brotherhood wouldn't let us back, it would be desertion."

"So, are you coming or not?" What had the Brotherhood really done for me but shown me every form of pain and suffering. I had joined when I had nowhere else to go and only had a heart for revenge. Their cause was never my own and now they had blatantly betrayed me. I didn't need them and they would regret losing me.

Milo nodded, clasping his arm to mine. There was gratitude and relief in his eyes and I knew he was thinking the same. Bri was what was important now.

"You can't leave me here! They will kill me if my unit deserts! You know that!"

I shrugged at Chiron. "So then come with us, or go your own way. My mind is made up."

"You're ruining everything we've worked for! Everything I've suffered for! For some girl?!"

I didn't respond.

Chiron looked at us both in disgust, shaking his head.

"Fine." I punched him hard, using a blast of magic to make sure he was knocked out cold. His limp body crumbled to the ground and Milo and I hastily made our way back into camp to gather supplies to collect our horses.

~Bri~

I woke up in a room I didn't recognize. It was lavish in its furnishings like any room on Grenar's estate. The room was quite large with a four poster bed, multiple wardrobes, a porcelain clawfoot bathtub, and plush rugs covering the stone floors. The most noticeable feature, however, was the absence of any windows. Small alcoves held gas lanterns that brightly lit the room but there were no openings except for the one large door that was locked from the outside.

I woke alone, naked under the blankets that overflowed the bed. My body still ached from the abuse it had suffered. My shoulders were stiff and my entire back half still stung where welts were just starting to go back down. More aches and pains revealed themselves as I searched the room. I wasn't tied up or bound in anyway except for the strange collar that I couldn't get off. I had searched for a clasp but it felt solid all the way around. A small mirror revealed what looked like a thin gold band with inlaid stones and markings I didn't recognize.

When I tried to summon my magic I was relieved to feel it buzz to life. I focused my intention on the door, summoning fire to burn down the wooden frame. To my surprise, nothing happened.

Confused, I shifted my focus to one of the oil lamps. With hardly a thought I extinguished and relit the lamp, my magic flowing with practiced ease. I focused again on the door, willing a small spark to light the flammable material. Nothing.

Growling my frustration, I threw everything I had at the locked barrier. When still nothing happened, I used my fists, willing my magic to pulse out of me, to do anything to make the door budge but it didn't respond and all I ended up with was bruised knuckles.

I sat back on the bed, flexing my fingers in and out of fists.

Hours later, I discovered that while I did have access to my magic once again, my abilities were severely limited. I couldn't leave the room or use my magic to attempt to in any way. I couldn't cause any real damage to my surroundings. I couldn't leave my own mind to seek out the mind of another.

More hours passed and I was growing bored and hungry. I had found clothes in the wardrobe and a pitcher of water kept me hydrated.

I was starting to wonder if the lord was going to let me starve when the sound of a lock shifting made me jump up and retreat to the far wall. A guard entered with an impressive spread of food and set it down on a table in the center of the room. When he left, Lord Grenar stepped in and the door locked behind him.

My magic had risen to my skin, cloaking me to blend in with the tapestries and wardrobes I was hidden between. Grenar looked around, frowning when he didn't see me. I watched as his hand went to a bracelet on his wrist that looked very similar to the collar locked around my neck.

"You won't use magic to hide from me, Abril." He spoke loudly while touching the bracelet. I felt my hold on my magic slip and as I lost my camouflage I pressed myself deeper into my hiding spot.

He scanned the room again, spotting me and smiling wickedly. "There you are. Come on out where I can see you clearly, we have lots to discuss."

My body moved against my will and before I knew it I was standing in the middle of the room, less than ten feet away from the lord. I looked at him in shock and fear. He just smiled wider.

"Very good, very good. Give me a spin, I want to see that pretty dress."

I spun, crying out when the movement caught me off guard. I almost fell over and had to take a moment to recover and stand straight again. My hand went to the collar and my mind tried to catch up with what I knew was happening.

"It's an effective artifact, isn't it? Finally found it not long ago and it arrived just days before we were reunited. It was like it was meant to be. The interesting thing is that it only works on magic born. On a regular person it would be just a pretty accessory, but on you it turns you into the perfectly obedient wife I've been wanting."

"Please, don't hurt me." I sobbed, desperately wanting to go hide. Fear threatened to break me down as my imagination ran wild with all the ways he could control me, all the things he could force me to do.

"No, no, no!" He exclaimed, closing the distance between us to take my face in his hands, gently wiping away my tears. "Don't you see, I never need to hurt you again! Before, well, you needed to be punished for all the grief you had caused me, but now there will be no reason to punish you again! Well, not truely punish..."

I sobbed brokenly into his hands, unable to move away. This monster had complete control of me now. There was nothing I would be able to do to get away now... I fell to my knees, the shoulders shaking as I cried, fear making me hysterical.

"Shhh, shhh... I know this is a difficult adjustment, but it's for the best. I promise you will want for nothing. You will have food, clothes, and jewelry. I'll even let you study the magic I've collected like you did before. That's what you were always so interested in. That doesn't need to change. I want you to learn. I want you to find happiness."

His hands shifted to pet my hair and I was not comforted by it.

"You will be the perfect little wife for me and I will take care of you like you were a queen."

I stiffened at the reminder. He would take me as a wife and I wouldn't be able to say no.

"Please, please don't do this. I don't want this. I want to be free!"

"As soon as you prove yourself, and we know the boundaries of the collar you will have more freedom." He stroked my neck and I shivered. "For now though, you will need to stay here where I can keep an eye on you. That's enough now. Stop crying."

I stopped, tears cooling on my cheeks.

He stood, removing his shirt and pants and his cock bobbed in front of him. "Now then, suck my cock wife."

Eyes wide, I moved to my knees and my body was propelled forward. Before I knew it my lips were wrapped around the thick rod that was slowly growing thicker. I felt his tip run over my tongue toward my throat and I pulled off before it choked me. I tried to wrench myself away, to spit him out, to bite down hard, but nothing happened.

I moaned in despair and he sighed, taking my head in both his hands to use my mouth to get himself off. My hands went up to his thighs, but they betrayed me and held on instead of pushing away like I had intended.

My eyes closed as I tried to escape this, but there was nowhere to go. When he saw me try to shut him out, he pressed to the back of my throat and I gagged. He pulled away, then did it again.

"That's right, choke on my thick dick. I always knew you would be so good at this. I've dreamed of feeling you swallow me. Swallow me."