Sidetracked Cynthia

A little more than an hour or so later, Cynthia, surrounded by the women and armed guards, was led to a large bedroom. August had preceded them. He wore a tight shirt that adhered to his paunchy belly, twill trousers, and a shit-eating grin. All, except two guards, exited the room. Once all was quiet August began to speak.

"I'm sure you know what happens now, woman. Begging will not avail you, resisting or struggling will only cause pain to yourself and might injure your child."

"How can I serve you, sire?" asked Cynthia, the words bitter in her throat.

"You will do whatever I ask, whenever I ask, as often as I ask."

"Understood, sire."

"Unveil yourself."

Cynthia stood naked, her arms at her sides, she refused to cover herself with her hands lest August think he was intimidating or shaming her.

"Turn, so that I can see all of you."

Cynthia performed her second pirouette before a lustful royal. This one was far worse.

"That parasite, Kiron has excellent taste at any rate."

"Approach and kiss me."

August was a sloppy, wet kisser.

"You will undress me."

Naked August was no great shakes. His beer belly was gross, his ass was flabby, and he had man boobs, and bad, splotchy skin. Cynthia closed her eyes and fantasized about Kiron. She embraced and kissed August, trying to take the initiative, perhaps she could preserve herself with a charm offensive. August steered her towards the bed. Without preamble or ceremony, he forced himself inside her. Cynthia had been prepared for this. It was gross, appalling, and a supreme violation, but it could have been so much worse. August had a hair-trigger, so it was over almost as soon as it began. August grinned and said, "I've had Kiron's woman. Nothing can ever alter that fact. He slid off Cynthia, laid down beside her, and stroked her belly. Cynthia felt her unborn son stir heavily in her womb as if he were recoiling against August's touch.

"By rights, I should have this cut out of you, preserved in a jar, and sent to your tyrant lover. Rather, I like the idea of the bastard of my enemy being weaned in my household, being raised on my knee, and taught to despise his father. If it is a boy, wouldn't it be wonderful? An Heir to that throne as my foster son. I could orchestrate a coup and install him on Kiron's throne. He would have a legitimate claim. As for you? Once the child is weaned, you become superfluous. You will be assigned a berth with the camp following women, laying with dozens of my officers and soldiers every day until you are an old and dried-out husk. Then, I will reintroduce you to Kiron's son and say, this is the woman that birthed you. What man would lie with that?"

Cynthia held her tongue. She would not give August the dignity of a response.

August slapped her cheek.

"I asked what you think of that?"

"You will have your way, sire. It is not my place to object."

"Bitch! You should be angry. You should be terrified!"

"Who says I'm not, sire?"

"Oh, you will be. I am going to fuck you in every hole as often as I can tonight. Kiron will never be able to wash my taint off your flawless ivory skin."

The rest of that first night was horrific in more ways than Cynthia could enumerate, but she survived it, as did her unborn son. Only when she was back in her barred room and her female stewards deeply asleep did she allow herself the luxury of tears.

**

A party of Kiron's officers and soldiers, under a flag of truce, entered August's throne room. Cynthia was there, kneeling ramrod straight, clad only in an ornate collar and leash, at the foot of August's throne.

"As you can see, the woman in question is now my pet."

Cynthia gazed at the soldiers, her heart skipped a beat when she recognized one of them as her son, Doug! Her eyes met his. She read his anger and saw his hands gripped in rage. She also read his love and concern. The purpose of this diplomatic mission was to establish that Cynthia and her unborn child were still alive and healthy. A fact everyone in the room understood.

Kiron's soldiers were excellent poker players, not one reacted to the intentionally mocking and infuriating display.

The commanding officer received August's list of demands.

"Our king Kiron will give this due consideration."

As a unit, they marched out of the throne room. Cynthia realized that Doug had been sent along to confirm that August did, in fact, hold his mother and not some blonde imposter. She had only seen him in his uniform a few times before. He had new stripes on his uniform and a short line of awards. Kiron had mentioned, offhand, that her son had turned into a surprisingly good soldier. Part of her was proud, while part of her was repulsed by war. Yet she knew that her kidnapping and subsequent treatment could only result in bloodshed. Would her own son be killed in the rescue mission that was unquestionably in the future? The thought chilled her heart.

Once the soldiers were safely out of earshot, August allowed Cynthia to relax. "Soon, Kiron's head will be mine!"

Cynthia wanted to shout, "You don't know Kiron!" but she remained a sphynx.

**

"Damn it all! Damn it all!" raged August. All his plans had gone up in smoke. Either his initial intelligence had been faulty, or Kiron had spies within his own army! The battering rams were about to split the mighty oaken planks of his castle's doors.

"Bring the she-devil!" he raged.

August sat Cynthia on his throne and tied her there with ropes. "You will take the fusillade of arrows meant for me! That beastly Kiron will be the cause of your death!"

August had his men circle him as they all headed towards a secret exit from the castle.

The massive doors split. An arrow landed at the foot of the throne, missing Cynthia's leg by millimeters. The first soldier through the door looked imploring at Cynthia who turned her head to indicate which direction August and his sinking ship rats had scurried to.

There was smoke and noise. Cynthia had no sense of what was going on. Suddenly, the ropes restraining her were being cut.

"It's OK, mum, it's me!"

"Doug! Oh, Doug!"

"Let's not get emotional mum, we have to get you and my little sister or brother out of here."

Doug and some of his fellows escorted Cynthia out of the castle into a waiting vehicle.

"These boys will take you home, mum."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"The battle's not over yet! I want to castrate that arsehole August personally!"

With a kiss on her cheek, her son, the warrior, was gone.

**

Cynthia sat in the seat of judgment. She had just completed her tale of captivity, omitting no details. The room was quiet save for sobbing from the women. Some of the men's eyes watered as well. A very glum former King August sat in the accused box. Kiron's incursion into Heriot had become a complete rout. Heriot was now a vassal kingdom to Kiron's. Solving two problems at once, Kiron installed his uncle as the new regent of Hariot.

Cynthia gazed at August and allowed herself a smile. The others in the accused box were a mixed bag of Kiron's own people and Heriot scoundrels. The Chief Matron wept and wept. She had instituted Cynthia's kidnapping. Angered that Cynthia had completely shattered the last hold she had over Kiron, the Matron had contacted Heriot spies. It was she who arranged for Cynthia to be given drugged hot chocolate and she who orchestrated Cynthia's mysterious disappearance from the castle. Using methods that Cynthia did not want to contemplate, Kiron had turned the Matron's spy network and uncovered the entire plot. Cynthia rose from the seat of justice. All that remained was the reading of the sentences.

Cynthia sat next to Kiron, her now eight months pregnant belly preceding her. Nearly every sentence was a capital punishment of the worst kind, beheading, drawn and quartering, disembowelment, for the Chief Matron, a public ravishment before being impaled on a hot metal skewer. It was all horrific and totally at odds with Cynthia's Twenty-first Century sensibilities, but somehow none of it bothered her. Justice had, in fact, been done.

**

Lisa assisted the midwives when she gave birth. Remembering what they had watched on medical shows, mother and daughter figured out how to breathe and push. Yes, Cynthia had given birth before, but it was so long ago, that she had forgotten nearly everything, especially the pain. At last, it was over, Kiron's beautiful healthy son suckled at her breast. Preceding the midwives, Lisa rushed to the door and said, "Your highness, please come in and meet my brother, the future king!"

**

Kiron V played blocks with his younger brother and sister. The twins, coming so quickly after the birth of Kiron V, were a double surprise. Cynthia carefully explained that, in light of her age, perhaps it was best that there be no more children. Kiron did not see the problem. But being queen had certain advantages. A midwife secretly supplied Cynthia with a substance that worked very much like Twentieth-Century birth control pills. Freed of the possibility of pregnancy, Cynthia found herself even more adventurous in bed with her young king. Kiron noted and adored the change. She rarely thought of her old life these days. For one thing, being a queen kept her busy most hours of the day. Kiron continued to be a mind-blowing sensual warrior in bed, occupying virtually every night and morning. He looked with admiration at Cynthia's stretchmarks. "I gave those to you, so you could make me a father. I think they are beautiful." When Cynthia told Lisa this, her daughter replied. "Who can resist a man like that?"

"Indeed," thought Cynthia as she knelt on the floor to join in her children's play, "who can resist a man like that?"