Master of the Kingdom Ch. 06

Prioress Gabrielle stalked the halls of River-of-the-Lilies Cathedral like a leopard out for prey. The news from her informants had been dire- Houses Amrien, Nessane and Oculi, all visited in turn by the king and the savages he called his royal guard. Although her spies confirmed that only Lord Oculi had been arrested and charged, all three have had their personal guards suddenly "volunteer for the Royal Army". Amrien's moronic trophy wife, Lady Nessane and her sheltered little brat were hauled off somewhere, likely the castle so the king could keep them as hostages.

The nun was still in the fullness of youth and beautiful to look at, with raven-dark hair and matching eyes, contrasting against her pale skin, and a shapely figure that her habit was not quite able to hide from the hungering eyes of the capital's priests. Though she had kept true to her vows of chastity, Gabrielle was formerly a base orphan, raised on the streets, and thus knew well how easily the wicked hearts of men could be lead by a pretty face and a shapely body.

Rank and authority among the sisters was determined by age and piety, but with a seemingly native talent for politics and deceit, and the favour of the priests and bishops who did not quite dare to try and tempt her from God, Gabrielle ruled over spinsters and retired ladies alike in spite of her youth. Having grown up within the intrigue of the church, she knew it very well indeed, and until now had navigated it without fault or foul.

As Gabrielle moved through the halls, her face a thunderhead of barely-restrained fury, novices quailed from her, scattering out of her way. When she arrived at the door to her cell, she clawed aggressively at the handle and then slammed it shut behind her. It had to have been that perfidious witch. The king had access to her at all times, and Gabrielle herself had warned their little conspiracy against trusting that pagan whore! And now, everything was falling apart like a paper parasol in the rain.

She reached into the armoire that all nuns were allowed to hold her spare clothing and what little grooming supplies they required, and tugged free the leather satchel that was hidden behind the layers of black fabric. She had packed the bag as a precaution, not truly believing that one day she would come to need it, but it contained a simple homespun dress to allow her to pass among the laity, some money, and handful of other things that Gabrielle would need to make good her escape. She was too important and had too much authority for anyone within the cathedral to dare stop her. All she had to do was make her way to the edge of the grounds, where the ancient, crumbling wall sat low in the earth, change her clothes, and then....

She was startled out of her plans by a hammering upon her door. "Prioress Gabrielle!" came the muffled voice of her supposed superior, Bishop Mathys. "Open this door! King Roland is here, and he demands to see you this instant!"

Gabrielle took a moment to compose herself, before returning her satchel to it's hiding place and silently closing the armoire. So much for the possibility of fleeing. Things were beginning to look grim, but perhaps there could be some other way out of this. She answered the door, a sweet smile prepared for the fat old bishop, but when she saw the black-armoured giants accompanying him, her look immediately soured.

"What are these pagan brutes doing, standing on holy ground!" she demanded, accusing, "Is it the habit of the church to give in to the demands of a mortal king who surrounds himself with witches and brutes? You know where this path leads, Mathys! If we begin bowing before secular authority, it weakens the church as a whole. Are you prepared to fail the Saviour in your grasping for secular favours?"

The Bishop nodded, then turned to one of the royal guards. "Pardon me, sir, but perhaps I could be more convincing to the Prioress if we spoke in private?"

The royal guard rubbed his chin a moment, then nodded. "That can be allowed. You have five minutes." He cracked a cruel grin. "Us 'pagan brutes' will wait here for that long, but then we will come in after the 'holy' Prioress." The sarcasm behind his words set Gabrielle's teeth on edge.

Bishop Mathys pushed himself into Gabrielle's cell, closing the door behind him. At this proximity, Gabrielle couldn't help but wrinkled her nose at the wine on his breath, and the stink of his sweat.

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, Gabrielle," he hissed at her, keeping his voice low, "And how funny, how damned hilarious it is to see you fall on the authority of the church now, when you've been subverting my authority for years!" His expressed turned cruel, and hungry. "But perhaps, you're right, perhaps it would be best for the church as a whole if we were seen to protect our own." The fat wino licked his lips lewdly. "But I would need some... proof of your renewed piety and devotion, if that were to be the case."

The bishop reached for the belt on his elaborate holy robes and began to undo it, and Gabrielle shook her head. How painfully predictable. She reached out, and slapped the bishop, hard, across the face. "I may be caught, but I still have some pride," she spat, "You take that sad cock of yours out, and I'll happily bite it off. Perhaps you could attend your holy duties better without it to distract you."

Mathys returned her sour look, then simply opened the door to the cell. "Forgive me, good sirs, but I could not convince her. She is yours to remove as you see fit."

The guards moved with an alacrity that belied their massive size, and she was dragged bodily out of her cell, in front of the Bishop and a crowd of her fellow sisters. Rather than fight and scream, embarrassing herself in front of her former peers, Gabrielle instead chose to go limp. She was already forming a plan in her mind, and she would be no easy prey for this arrogant, petty king. He had never experienced the full wrath of the church, and when word reached the Papess it would come down on him with a vengeance. Then Gabrielle would seek out that perfidious little whore of a witch and make her pay, dearly.

Bishop Mathys could not resists giving her a parting shot. "No doubt by your countenance you already know the measure of the charges laid against you," he said, "The king's carriage is without. In the next few days I'll examine the evidence laid against you, but I am a firm believer that secular charges should be dealt with by secular law. Perhaps God will see fit to show you a better way while in King Roland's tender care."

"Shut your mouth, you fat old whoremonger," she swore, "God and the Papess will see justice done, and your time will come. Mark my words."

The bishop's face darkened. "Perhaps you do not understand," he told her sternly, "Among your vows to God was one to stay away from the petty realm of secular politics, to never seek authority that is not granted to you by God. If you are found guilty, the church will have to side with King Roland against you. And I, for one, do not see the need to trouble Her Holiness the Papess with news of what has transpired here... surely, even you wouldn't have manipulated some poor soul into aiding your ambitions by sending a letter on your behalf?"

Gabrielle was fit to spit. "Cross me if you dare, old man," replied the nun, "But I will be back within days, you just see."

The royal guards hauled her off, the heels of her shoes clicking as they bounced on the stones of the cathedral's floor. They dragged her out the front gates, and Gabrielle could only thank God that they had come for her in nearly the dead of night, where the only ones to see her shamed were other sisters. The proud nun didn't know if she could take being hauled off in front of the common folk.

When they reached the royal carriage, a guard was already there to hold the door open for her while her escorts unceremoniously tossed her in like she was a sack of beans. Gabrielle quickly scrambled to her knees, but when she took in the contents of the carriage she was startled.

Lady Desiree and Lady Angeline sat on either of the king, with his arm around either as they looked upon with obvious adoration. The king himself was looking upon Gabrielle with a satisfied smirk, while a brown-haired maid knelt between his knees, pleasuring him with her mouth like a common slut. Gabrielle felts hands fall upon her shoulders, and looked back to see Lady Marie with a sorrowful expression, and with her....

"You!" Gabrielle shrieked at the witch Adeline, "I should known better than to trust you, you heathen bitch!" But the witch and Lady Marie together proved more than sufficient to pull the outraged nun back in her seat and hold her in place despite her struggles.

"You don't understand," Marie said sadly, shaking her head at Gabrielle in pity. "We all agreed his grace's lust would be his undoing, but he took all the rope we fed him and used it to capture us all within an eve. He seduced Adeline into making his hunger into a tool of control, and one by one we all were defeated. It didn't even take that much to ensnare Lord Oculi. Once his grandson had heard of his lord's betrayal he was eager to help the king deliver him to justice." Marie looked at King Roland with adoration in her face and voice. "He has bested us all. He is the king. We stood no chance. Soon you will see."

Gabrielle scowled at the obvious ensorcelled Lady Marie. "The church will still punish him for detaining me," she spat, "Doubly so if I show signs of rape or torture. He'll not get away with this, fool, and if you help me you can save yourself, Lady Nessane."

The witch Adeline chuckled darkly. "He has all the evidence he needs, for when the high priest comes to survey the evidence laid against you, he'll have your full confession, and you'll bear no signs of torture."

"If you think I'll simply sign anything you put before me you-" she startled as the king grunted and tensed, and the maid between his legs moaned lewdly with climax. The witch as well, moaned out a response, smiling lustily at her king. Gabrielle eyed the situation with distaste. Doing such things in front of a sister, never mind the virgin girl, widow and the married lady....

"Katarin, if you please..." King Roland ordered vaguely, and the girl picked herself off the floor of the carriage. That's when Adeline reached over to take the nun by the shoulders and pin her down, while Marie seized her by the head and chin, attempting to wrench Gabrielle's mouth open. Gabrielle began to panic. "What... what is the meaning of this!?" she demanded.

"You'll see," was Lady Marie's reply as the maid leaned over the nun. Gabrielle was expected some kind of torture or foul sorcery, and was shocked when all the maid did was kiss her on the lips. She was too surprised to resist when the maid's tongue pushed the wad of salty cum into Gabrielle's mouth.

The unnatural orgasm that followed shook Gabrielle down to her very soul.