Pathways to Submission: Lisa Pt. 01

"This is Noor, and her son Nico," says Alejo. "Noor made the mistake of trying to defy me once. So I punish her regularly to remind her of her error. She's improving. Now she obeys my commands without question. Don't you, Noor?"

"Yes, your majesty," replies Noor meekly.

"Good. Remove Nico's clothing."

Both Noor and Nico look at Alejo in disbelief. But Noor is a broken slave, and she only hesitates for a moment before obeying the command she's been given. Nico shows more resistance, but he too knows that he cannot refuse an order from his king. Once Nico is naked, Alejo orders him to stand in the middle of the room and place his hands on his head. I'm too busy admiring the size of his gorgeous cock to realise what is about to happen. When I do, I find it too horrifying to contemplate, even of Alejo. Only when Drax moves towards where Nico is standing and fastens a studded slave collar around his neck, do I realise the depths of cruelty Alejo is capable of sinking.

"See what your defiance of me has wrought," sneers Alejo to me. "Confess your submission and you will spare Nico from unnecessary suffering. The responsibility for his fate is on your shoulders alone. You have five seconds to consider."

Drax moves into position and I quickly look into Noor and Nico's eyes. Noor shows no emotion at all, but Nico is silently pleading for me to save him. I can't tolerate this cruelty.

"Stop," I cry. "I'll answer your questions."

"That's better, slave. I'm sure Nico will thank you later. Proceed, Drax."

"My pleasure, your majesty," replies Drax.

"Wait!" I cry. "You said you would spare him."

"No. I said your obedience would save Nico from unnecessary suffering. Had you continued to defy me, then his punishment would have been far worse. But you defied me to begin with, so recompense is due. It's entirely your fault. Begin, Drax."

"Then let me endure the punishment," I reply. "Spare Nico."

"How touching," laughs the red-haired woman. "But we will gain nothing by allowing Drax to reduce you to helplessness. We've far better ways to ensure your submission. But don't worry. I'm sure his majesty will allow you to enjoy Drax's attentions from time to time. Maybe Nico's too. Maybe mine."

"Enough, Giada," orders Alejo. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You can play with the slave later."

I want to move forward to shield Nico, but he is too far away. I can barely move in my heavy fetters. Drax is capable of inflicting excruciating pain by twisting the right combination of studs; squeezing tiny plates against Nico's neck; pinching nerves or restricting the flow of air or blood. In the hands of an expert like Drax, the studs won't cause permanent damage. I've never heard of a slave being killed by the collar, although that's certainly possible. The collars are designed to make a slave submit, and even the strong-willed have eventually succumbed and begged for mercy under the torment. Nico cries out in panic as Drax twists one of the studs.

"Count, Nico," commands Alejo. "And keep your hands on your head, or Drax will add more to your punishment."

"One," mumbles Nico once he's restored his composure and position.

"Louder, Nico. My new slave didn't hear you."

"One," calls Nico in a louder voice.

There's a slight hint of defiance in his tone which Alejo can't fail to have noticed. Drax moves forward to twist the second stud. Another cry of pain, but Nico holds his position.

"Two," says Nico, holding back his tears.

The third stud is obviously chosen to aggravate the effects of the first two studs. It's a common technique used by the likes of Drax. Nico makes a feeble croaking sound and collapses to the floor. He can no longer hold back his tears. Noor looks as though she wishes to run to her son's aid, but her fear and her training hold Noor firmly in her place.

"Stand up, Nico," snaps Alejo. "I'll not have weaklings in my realm. I didn't hear you count. It seems as though he requires another one, Drax."

Drax can barely hold back his glee. But he must wait until Nico is in position. To his credit Nico struggles to his feet after only a few seconds and dries his eyes. He refuses to give Alejo the belated call of the third stud. He'd be too late anyway. Nico prepares himself for a fourth. It comes with all the perverse cruelty that Drax can muster. Drax chooses a stud that restricts Nico's ability to breathe. Nico practically faints on the spot. But he doesn't cry out and he defiantly holds his position.

"Three," calls Nico, in as clear a voice as he can summon through the effects of the restriction around his throat. He's on the verge of panic, which is what the torment is designed to trigger, and the worst reaction from a victim's point of view. The golden rule to enduring the torment is 'don't panic and you'll be okay'. Of course, that's much easier said than done. On a signal from Alejo, Drax resets the four studs.

"Good," says Alejo. "You may leave and attend to your other duties, Drax."

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Chapter 8: Annalisa's submission

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I dread to think what other duties Drax might have been assigned. He seems only capable of one type of task. Nico is left standing where he is, trembling from the residue of the emotions wracking through his body. It's no fun having your airway constrained, and limiting the flow of blood to your brain soon brings on dizziness, but sometimes unconsciousness. Alejo moves across to where Nico is standing and examines the young man carefully.

"Let this remind you never to speak to me again with defiance in your voice," says Alejo once he's removed the collar from Nico's neck. "Now get out of my sight."

Nico doesn't need telling twice. Noor is ignored as she waits for further instructions. Alejo turns his attention to me.

"See how kind and generous I can be, slave," says Alejo with an insincere smile on his face. "Now I believe you owe me an answer. Do you acknowledge me as your master."

"Yes, your majesty," I reply, trying to keep what little dignity I can muster in the circumstances.

"Excellent! So let's begin your training. Who are you?"

"Annalisa Monti, Princess of Cambris," I reply, puzzled by the question.

"Wrong answer," snaps Alejo. "You no longer have a name, title or home. You are simply 'Slave' until I choose to give you a name. My slave. Mine to do as I will. So, let's try again. Who are you?"

"I will recognise you as my master, your majesty. But I am still Annalisa Monti, Princess of Cambris. I'm your prisoner, not your slave."

"Pah! I can see that we've a lot of work to do. But there's still time. Your defiance will only result in the needless punishment of innocents. You are cruel beyond belief."

"You're the cruel one, your majesty," I retort.

"Yes, I'm cruel. I admit it. It's the only way to rule the Briniates. But you are just as cruel to allow innocents to face punishment for your defiance. You only need to willingly submit to me, and I will see that their suffering ends."

Alejo only wants to replace one kind of suffering with another. But he is so convinced of his righteousness that he will never admit it.

"Return to your cage," says Alejo abruptly. "You need time to think about your situation. We'll resume your training later."

Upon Alejo's signal, two Briniates guards come rushing over to where I'm standing and haul me back to my tiny prison. The cage has been moved into a small annex of Alejo's throne room. I can't see into the throne room, but I can hear what goes on in there. The guards lock my ankle chains to the sides of my cage. I'm left alone to my thoughts. Daylight streams through the small window above my cage. Nobody comes near me and I am forced to endure hours of boredom.

Boredom is now my biggest enemy. I let my mind drift onto more pleasant matters to pass the time. If Alejo's general has kept his word, then the citizens of Cambris should now be safe from any further threat from the Briniates. Of course, I've no means of knowing if the general has kept his word, but he has no reason to continue his assault on our territory now that I have surrendered to Alejo. Despite his victory, I know enough about military tactics to understand that the Briniates army is spread dangerously thin by their recent conquests. Alejo can't maintain control over Cambris and his other conquests while at the same time invading more countries. That's why he needs me broken to his will. My total submission to his control will enable him to install me as his puppet on the throne of Cambris. In the meantime, he risks rebellion in Cambris and elsewhere.

My thoughts drift inevitably to my recent lovers. I really miss Marco. Hopefully he survived the bloody battle in Cambris. Marco is a young man with a huge cock; favoured because he could satisfy a perverted princess. I add Philippe and Nico to my list of cocks I would like to have reaming my innards. Even Drax's huge monster earns a brief moment of consideration. My perversion for sex was gained during my captivity in Quenier. Sex-for-food was a standard arrangement between slaves and pimps in those ghastly brothels. Alejo called me a whore. It isn't the first time that insult has been thrown in my face. For a year I was indeed a whore, albeit against my will. But not since I escaped from Quenier. Even my uncle wasn't above using the word, but he never liked me anyway. He rightly recognised me as a threat to his crown. Perhaps if he had paid less attention to disposing of me, and more towards Alejo's plotting, he might still be alive.

I realise too late that my thoughts are leading me into fresh problems. When Alejo's earlier trickery aroused me to wantonness, he played on the weakest spot in my defences. Thoughts of young men possessing my yielding body are what drive me into a state of wild abandon. I fear that my mind is capable of recreating those feelings all by itself. And it is doing so now. I resist. I resist as hard as I can. I think of Drax and his cruel torments. I think of Alejo forcing me to degrade myself further and further into the depths of unimaginable depravity. My resistance only works up to a point. I find myself again pressing my loins against the unyielding bar of my chastity belt. A familiar moistness wets my vagina. No! I must stop this. Stop it now. My breasts yearn for my touch. My nipples go as hard as stone, itching for some form of contact. But I resist. The moment I give in to my base desires, then I'll be unable to stop.

For half an hour I resist the urges coursing through my body. Unfortunately, it's the arrival of my next meal that breaks my resistance. The familiar sound of a chain being dragged across the floor alerts me to Noor's arrival. She opens the hatch in my cage and tosses a piece of bread into my lap. I move quickly to catch the bread, but in doing so I run my chains across my breast. It's enough to send an uncontrollable spasm through my body. Before I can stop myself, I'm eating the bread while playing with my nipples. It's a route that will lead to only one outcome.

Tears of frustration stream down my face. How many hours have I been at the brink of an orgasm but unable to tip myself over the edge into blissful release. It's dark now, and most people will be asleep. Apart from twice being interrupted by the arrival of food and water, I've spent a large part of the day relieving my boredom by driving myself insane with lust and desire. There's no easy way down from these heights without first satisfying my cravings. A cold bath would probably dampen my ardour but there's no prospect of one of those any-time soon.

Then incredibly I fall asleep.

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Chapter 9: Visit from the prince

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I'm woken by the sound of someone in the room. My sexual cravings have dulled for the moment, but they've not entirely disappeared. My bowels feel like bursting, and I long to relieve myself. But my lingering self-respect helps me to resist the degrading act of shitting on the floor. My chastity belt is shaped to allow me to perform my normal bodily functions. Nevertheless I don't want to soil my cage if I can avoid it. It would only be another step on the slippery slope towards my total degradation.

The door of my cage is unlocked. Philippe and Giada stand there looking down at me. Philippe checks my collar and chains and unfastens the ankle chains keeping me locked inside the cage.

"Get out of the cage, slave," orders Giada.

I could refuse, but it would be a pointless defiance. From his manner, I can tell that there is no prospect of my childhood friend coming to my aid. Giada looks as though she is looking forward the prospect of humiliating me. I struggle climb out of the cage and stand before them.

"I hope you are enjoying your new home, slave," smirks Giada.

"Behave and you'll be allowed time outside of your cage," adds Philippe. "Disobey us and you'll be confined to your cage. Your choice."

Philippe's offer isn't unduly surprising. Alejo wants me trained as his slave. But what is the price for this freedom from the cage?

"Today we shall resume your training," says Philippe. "My father intends to have you broken in to his satisfaction by the end of the month. You have six days, slave. If by then he is satisfied that you are truly his, then you'll save Nico from further punishment. You alone are responsible for his fate. And if he should die from Drax's attentions, then we can find plenty more handsome young half-castes to replace him."

Six days. That seems a ridiculously short time in which to break me to Alejo's will. Philippe signals for Nico to join us.

"We've made Nico responsible for your training. Obey him as though you are obeying my father or me. He will report your progress to Noemi at the end of each day. Both of you will be rewarded or punished as Noemi thinks fit, depending on your progress."

Nico waits while Philippe and Giada stroll across the room hand-in-hand towards a pair of waiting chairs. They clearly intend to watch the first part of my training. I look at Nico. He seems very nervous, but he's resigned to his task. I'm in a quandary. As Alejo demonstrated yesterday, he's more than happy to play on my guilt when I'm faced with someone else suffering for my defiance. It's a far more effective weapon than beating me into submission.

Nico begins by going through some basic rules that I'm expected to follow. There are postures I'm expected to adopt in different circumstances. Most are nearly impossible while I'm bound by these heavy chains. Nevertheless, Nico has me practise them repeatedly. Only when he is satisfied with my attempts does he respond to my increasingly urgent requests to relieve myself in the small chamber at the back of the room. I shuffle off as quickly as I can manage with Nico following close behind. It's embarrassing having to relieve myself in Nico's presence, but he is clearly expected to be in attendance. We return to the room to resume my training.

The next part of my training can only be described as physical exercises. I'm ordered to walk about the annex and throne room as quickly as I can manage in my fetters. It's difficult to say whether the purpose of the exercise is to build up my muscles, or simply to provide amusement for Philippe and Giada. If nothing else, it aggravates the sores that have formed around my wrists and ankles from my fetters. Philippe and Giada clearly enjoy seeing me suffer, and being bent to their will. Philippe even pulls out his cock so that Giada can play with it while they watch me being trained. But there's a long way to go before they break my spirit. To be honest, I don't know why Philippe is wasting his time with this performance. I might be forced to comply while I'm bound as I am, but he must know that he'll lose control of me the moment I'm free. A moment later I get the answer to my question. Giada gives Philippe a vigorous hand job, and he soon shoots his load over my body.

Finally we stop for a break. Food and drink arrive. For the first time since my capture I'm allowed to eat and drink normally. At least, as normal as anyone can eat and drink while wearing a rigid collar and fetters. Nico is looking increasingly nervous as we prepare for the next session. Philippe and Giada decide to leave us for now, and moments later Nico and I are alone.

"You must remember the lessons I've taught you so far," says Nico. "I'm not allowed to teach them to you again. Now kneel on the floor. I'm sorry for what I must do next, but I have no choice. My mother will be handed over to Drax tonight for his pleasure if I fail in my task."

I tell Nico that I don't blame him. I understand that the threat to Noor is aimed at obtaining Nico's compliance rather than towards trying to defeat me. However, I soon realise that although Nico is reluctant to be my trainer, he is nevertheless exceptionally good at the task of breaking in a new slave. He shows a familiarity with the studded slave collars that suggests he must have done this several times before. His face reveals his obvious determination to succeed in breaking me.

In days gone by, the traditional way to break a slave would be to beat and deprive him or her of the basic necessities of life until they capitulated. For the strong minded that could take weeks, or even months. Breaking in a slave using the studded collar is more subtle, and potentially much faster. In theory it's a simple matter of using the correct combination of studs in the collar until the slave is reduced to a compliant and submissive animal. In some respects each slave is unique; the exact combination of studs to achieve the goal of total submission varies from one person to the next.

Nico's plan for me is simple. Through a mixture of pain and reward he intends to break my will. If he succeeds I really will become the Briniates obedient slave; never questioning the commands Alejo gives me. With a restored Cambris army, my position as ruler of Cambris is powerful enough to sabotage Alejo's plans for further conquests. But if I'm broken into obedience and my mind is dominated by Alejo's beliefs and values, then I would never consider such an act. This is undoubtedly Alejo's goal.

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Chapter 10: Drax's Trick

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My boredom only helps Nico in his task. The very submission he is trying to imprint on my mind is being aided by my yearning for mental stimulus. If I obey, I'm rewarded; if I don't then I suffer more hours of mind-numbing boredom. The collar and fetters only serve to focus my desperation. My own weakened state is helping the Briniates cause.

There are flaws in Alejo's plan. The correct sequence of torment to achieve total submission isn't a matter of following a simple set of instructions. And even if Alejo succeeds in gaining my total submission, my life's experiences may weaken his imposition over time. His hold over me may only be temporary.

Although skilful, Nico's use of the collar's studs is not as effective as Drax's torments. Whereas Drax is able to combine the studs into generating widespread lingering pain, Nico's efforts are far more disjointed. Nico achieves something similar to what I experienced in Quenier. Sure, it's unpleasant and eventually it achieves its goal, but then, being tormented into submission is never a bed of roses. Even his use of a potion to affect my senses appears to be random in its effect. My senses tingle at the result, but I'm a long way from surrendering my freewill.

"You have a strong natural resistance," concedes Nico after an hour of seemingly fruitless efforts. "I'm sorry, but we must try another way. Stand up and face the cage."

Nico must have anticipated failure as he has an alternative plan in reserve. I struggle to my feet, careful not to reveal the true extent of his failure. I face the cage as Nico demands and wait for whatever is to happen next. To my horror I realise Nico merely needed time for the potion to take full effect. An aphrodisiac! It's the most effective weapon against me in the Briniates arsenal. My loins were already stirring even before Nico told me to stand. In a few minutes I'll be reduced to wantonness. I'll become obedient to any demand that might offer me the chance of satisfying my burning sexual desire. I hate myself for being so weak, but there's nothing I can do to prevent it.