Strange Bedfellows Ch. 01

She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't seem to be able to find the courage.

"Speak girl." Kalus said.

She mumbled something too quiet to hear.

"Speak up."

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and bit her lip before opening her mouth to respond. "Are you going to rape me?" She asked in almost a whisper.

Kalus considered how to answer.

The answer was of course no; he wasn't going to rape her. Illuminar -- blessed be He -- had forbidden sex outside of marriage in the Book of Light, so he wouldn't. He would consider it entirely wrong even without that, but she couldn't know that yet. He needed to make it sound good from the outside of the tent so a report would reach the king that he had indeed accepted his gift.

He highly doubted that this girl had the acting skills to pull off such a deception, especially if she was a virgin, because she simply wouldn't know what kind of sounds to make. He thought he could tease those sounds from her without taking her virtue, but it would be much harder if she knew in advance.

* * *

Shara waited with bated breath for the answer to her question. If he did take her, if he did force her, the odds of her marrying well would drop precipitously. There were too many virginal women to choose from and she would no longer be a princess by the war's end. The only thing she had left to entice a husband was her virtue. If that was lost... if it was stolen from her...

She could feel her throat beginning to get tight.

Still, he was silent.

She couldn't take it. He surely would've spoken by now if he wasn't going to rape her, right? Maybe he was a cruel kind of man? Maybe she had misjudged him earlier and he liked to play with his conquests as a cat plays with a mouse before eating it?

After nearly a minute, he finally spoke. "Are you a virgin?"

She nodded as the lump in her throat got tighter and she could feel a knot forming in her stomach. There was no reason for him to ask unless he was going to take her.

What if she got pregnant?

What if he finished inside of her and she carried his child out of wedlock? The world could be very unkind to such women and she would be spoiled beyond redemption, especially after her father lost the war and she was no longer a princess.

He narrowed his eyes. "Speak truthfully. If you lied and confess now, there will be no punishment. If you lied before and lie again..." He set his jaw hard as he let the end of the sentence trail off.

He would what?

What would he do?

"Are you a virgin?" He repeated.

She was a virgin. No man had ever touched her in all of her eighteen years, nor even seen her undressed. But his question almost made her doubt herself. He seemed willing and able to inflict great harm if she lied, but she wasn't lying. She was a virgin.

She nodded again, then tried to compose her face into a brave expression.

"Good." He seemed to relax slightly, then pointed to the tray of food next to her. "Eat; I doubt you've had a decent meal in the tumult of the day."

She nodded and then meekly took the plate.

It wasn't appealing.

The knot in her stomach seemed to grow tighter. He had confirmed she was a virgin; why would he ask unless he was going to take her virtue tonight?

Her stomach roiled.

She put the plate down.

"You're not hungry?" Kalus asked.

She shook her head.

He shrugged and took a bite of his chicken, tearing it off the bone without a utensil. She looked away. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be forced. It had occurred to her as the enemy's army had encroached ever deeper into her father's kingdom. But now...

She sniffled.

He made a thoughtful noise. "I suppose we should get this over with."

She instinctively flinched away before he moved.

"Relax girl, I won't hurt you." He said.

She didn't believe him.

He rifled through a travel pack on the ground and then stood with some kind of sash in his hand. He walked over to her, his large frame towering over her and making her feel even smaller than she was.

"Give me your hands." He ordered, rather more loudly than she thought was necessary. She swallowed hard. He was going to tie her up so she couldn't even resist. Once she was tied, it would be all over. There would be no way she could resist.

"No, no please sir. Please don't--"

"Your hands!" He barked loudly.

She flinched at his volume. This was it; there was nothing she could do. She only hoped he would be gentle with her, but that didn't seem likely looking at him.

She slowly, haltingly held out both her hands.

He took them rather more gently than she thought he would. He pulled her to the top of the bed, then held her hands on either side of one of the internal posts that gave the tent its shape. She realized he was going to tie her hands around the post and she started fighting to get away.

"Stop moving girl!" He thundered, but the expression on his face didn't match the anger in his voice.

For some reason, his tone and demeanor shocked her and for a few moments she was too stunned to move. Those few moments were all he needed. By the time the shock wore off mere seconds later, her hands were already securely tied to the tent post. She pulled, she tugged, she jerked, but they were securely fastened.

She couldn't use her arms.

He got up, fished out two more sashes, and then approached her left leg. She instantly jerked it out of the way, but he was too fast. She tried to kick him with the other leg but he caught that too. He used one of the sashes to tie her ankles together, and the other sash to tie her ankles to another tent post.

"Help!" She shouted. "Somebody help m--"

His hand clapped over her mouth. She tried to bite him.

He responded by pulling a long bit of cloth out of his belt and slipping it between her teeth when she next tried. He pulled the cloth tight around her mouth and tied it behind her head -- all while she was fighting -- and then stood up.

Shara tried to move, but she really couldn't move much. Her arms were tied above her head and her ankles tied together and below her feet. She was gagged and an impassive man was standing above her looking disapproving. She tried to get out. She tried to hurl all the insults and abuses she could think of, but the gag prevented her. It came out as a set of muffled and incoherent sounds instead.

He sat down on the bed next to her, and she tried to scoot as far away as possible with her hands and feet bound as they were. He placed his hand over her stomach and she flinched away as far as she could.

She wasn't going to let him touch her.

She wasn't.

Not if she could help it.

Without warning, both his hands shot out and fastened on either side of her stomach; above the hips and below the ribcage. She tried to scream and wiggle away but couldn't; not with how she was tied. His hands began to move, but the movement didn't seem to be sexual.

It felt like--

She involuntarily flinched as his hands moved across her stomach; never going higher, never going lower. She began to wiggle all the more fiercely as she realized what he was doing.

He was tickling her.

She tried to protest, but all that came out was a set of muffled moans and sighs through the gag. She tried to yell 'no' and 'stop', but he just kept going. Her gut began to clench and the noises coming out changed. She began to blush as she realized exactly what those noises sounded like through the gag.

To someone outside the tent, it might sound like they were doing... it.

He did this for a minute or two and then stopped. She tried to catch her breath as she was exhausted from first fighting him and then the intense tickling.

He stood up, grabbed a cup from the desk, and then pulled out a large dagger.

Her eyes went wide.

* * *

Kalus took the knife and gently prodded one of the shallow wounds he had received earlier in the day. It started to slowly bleed, and he let several drops fall into a shallow cup. He then added several more drops of water to the cup.

He walked over to the very confused girl.

"I'm going to untie and ungag you." He said quietly. "When I do, I'm going to turn my back and you're going to pour this over your nether regions and in between your thighs. Make sure some gets on the sheets as 'proof' I took your virginity. Do you understand?"

She didn't move for several seconds, then nodded hesitantly. Kalus sheathed the knife, untied her hands and feet, and then ungagged her. He held out the cup, which she accepted almost automatically.

"Tap me on the shoulder when you're finished and decent again." He whispered and then turned around.

About a minute later, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see her standing with an empty cup looking extremely confused.

"Why?" She whispered.

He glanced at the bed and saw a small bit of blood on the sheets, about where it would've dripped if had he taken her virtue.

He looked at her. "Because Illuminar forbids a man from bedding a woman who isn't his wife."

"Blessed be He." She quoted quietly with relief all over her voice.

"Blessed be He." He echoed nodding.

She bit her lip and stared at him for a moment. "Thank you."

"I'm not done." He quietly. "I am sorry, but I will need to give you a rather large, visible bruise."

"Why?" she said as she shrank back.

"Think about what someone outside would've heard." He explained. "It will be much more convincing if there's proof other than a little blood on the sheets."

She trembled slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said with a sigh. "Unfortunately yes. I have a reputation for not tolerating insubordination. I'm not a cruel man, but I don't tolerate challenges and deal with them both immediately and strictly. It must appear as if I did the same with you."

The girl nodded but clearly wasn't happy with the idea. He didn't blame her, but it would likely save her from a much worse fate.

"Lay down on the ground." He instructed. "I will give you a bruise with as little pain as possible, but it cannot be done without some pain."

She hesitated.

"Katia, I could have your virgin blood on my cock right now if I wished." He whispered impatiently. "I'm defying my king to preserve your honor and virtue, and the consequences if he discovered the deception would be severe. If I wished to harm you, believe me; you would know it."

She nodded, then laid down on her back.

Kalus grabbed a small peening hammer and a piece of thick leather. He had the girl lay with her head turned slightly to the right, so her left cheek was facing up. He set the piece of leather on her cheek, right where his fist would've landed if he was the sort of man to punch or backhand a woman. He wasn't.

Her eyes widened when she saw the hammer in his hands, small though it was.

He didn't blame her

"Close your eyes." He instructed.

She looked scared, like she was having a hard time believing that he wouldn't hurt her. Again, he didn't blame her. He was far larger than she was and was leaning over her holding a raised hammer. A small hammer to be sure, but a hammer nonetheless.

"Trust and close your eyes. It'll be over in a moment."

She looked him deep in the eyes as if searching, then her lovely eyelids fluttered closed. The moment they were shut, he gave a single measured swing of the hammer and hit the piece of leather, which was forced into her cheek.

She cried out in pain.

He winced.

He'd hit it hard enough to leave a good-sized bruise, but not hard enough to do any real damage. Plus, using the leather would greatly reduce the pain and chance of damaging her beautiful skin. She pressed her hand over her cheek and winced. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him with a strange look.

They stared at each other for several moments before she spoke. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but let's not make this a habit."

She nodded. "Agreed."

"Now that you know your virtue is safe, are you hungry?"

"Starved."

* * *

Princess Shara -- or Katia as she had disguised herself -- ate the cold chicken and slightly stale bread as if it was a feast, for it was the only food she'd eaten since the morning. Her cheek hurt quite a bit, and even more so as she chewed, but she understood why he'd done it. She'd even thanked him for it, though it did seem strange to thank someone for giving her a large and visible bruise.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she ate. He looked like he had passed at least thirty summers, perhaps a bit more. His face had a day's worth of stubble covering a strong jaw. He was muscular, strong, and seemed like a good man. She had been helpless and yet he'd risked displeasing his king to protect her.

"Copper for your thoughts?" He asked.

"Why are you helping me?"

"It's Katia right?"

She nodded, though the new name felt very foreign to her.

"As I said, Illuminar wrote in the Book of Light that a man isn't supposed to bed a woman that he hasn't married."

She nodded, trying to decide if she should ask more.

"Katia." He lowered his chicken to look at her. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell my men: speak your mind. Do it respectfully, but make your opinion known. I might take your advice, or I might choose to completely ignore everything you say. You'll never know unless you loosen your tongue."

Shara bit her lip.

She looked at him for a moment and then decided that if he'd wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already.

"I don't understand." She said. "There's nothing you can gain from helping me and you stand to lose the favor of your king, so why do it?"

He got a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at her, and she somehow felt like he was sizing her up before he spoke. "Let's say you're walking down the street and you see a man in front of you drop a gold coin without knowing it. Would you pick up the coin and keep it, or give it back to the man?"

"I would give it back to the man, obviously." Shara said, trying not to feel offended.

He leaned forward in his chair and said in rather a good imitation of her voice: "I don't understand. There's nothing you can gain from helping him and you stand to lose money if you do, so why do it?"

A small smile appeared on her face as she got his point. "Because it's the right thing to do."

"Exactly."

She cocked her head to one side. "I didn't know there were men like you in King Tyso's army."

"There aren't many of us -- and most of them are in the king's guard for obvious reasons -- but there are some."

"That is good to hear." She nodded. "I must ask, how are my fellow handmaidens? They are wonderful women and I would hate to see them fall victim to others in this army."

"They are safe." He replied. "I installed a good man under my command as interim governor of the city. He moved the noble women, ladies-in-waiting, and handmaidens into some housing near the castle. It likely won't be up to the standard the women are used to, but they will be safe, well-fed, and as comfortable as possible given the circumstances."

Shara breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"I could not sleep at night if I did anything less." He replied and then took another bite.

They both fell silent.

They ate without a word for the next few minutes. She glanced at him occasionally, noting that he was a rather handsome fellow, if somewhat older than she was. He also seemed like a good man, so if she had to be stuck in this dreadful position, she was glad to be stuck with him.

"You're not what I expected." She finally said.

"What were you expecting?"

"Well, King Tyso's army does have a certain reputation." She had never heard anything good about it and the castle gossip made them out to be savages intent on raping and pillaging throughout the whole land. She assumed that was somewhat exaggerated, but also knew there was much truth behind the rumor.

He nodded. "It does, though neither I nor the men in my legion have ever contributed to that reputation."

"I'm afraid that besides a few whispers that you were a capable commander, I've heard nothing of you."

He frowned slightly. "King Tyso has put me in charge of several cities we've captured, and I hoped my dealings with them would've at least softened my reputation."

"Perhaps they did, but not among those who the princess was around."

"What is she like?" Kalus asked. "The princess I mean."

Shara had to resist laughing at the question's irony but decided to answer honestly while being careful to maintain her handmaiden disguise. She purposely hesitated a few moments before speaking and was careful to maintain a slightly 'guarded' tone.

"She's... I think she tries very hard to make her father proud. She loves her father and her country more than almost anything else and wants to be a good princess for them. But she's also..." She hesitated.

"Also?" He prompted.

"She lets her emotions rule her sometimes, though she's often reserved about how she expresses them." She finally replied. "And while I think she usually means well, she can overreact, and that can get her into trouble sometimes. She does love her father and her country though."

"A patriot, I can respect that." He nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm... I'm not so different from her as you might think." She replied.

He made a thoughtful sound but didn't say more.

"You're not going to ask me about the defenses of the king's castle?" She finally said to break the silence.

He shook his head and only spoke when he'd finished chewing. "No. If you're 'not so different' from the princess and she is a patriot, then I wouldn't do you the dishonor nor ask you to betray what you so clearly hold dear."

"You're awfully principled for a man in King Tyso's army."

"You're awfully outspoken for a handmaiden." He countered. "One can sometimes find unlikely people in unlikely places."

She nodded her head in concession.

* * *

Kalus watched the girl as they ate, noting her concern for her fellow handmaidens and that she'd asked about them immediately after learning that there were good men in his army. That spoke well of her character and concern for others. She was a good woman, or at least gave every appearance of being a good woman.

"I would enjoy a bit of entertainment with my meal." Kalus said. "Are you familiar with the game Pente?"

The corners of Katia's mouth edge upwards slightly. "Very."

She clearly was.

The game was played on a leather board with a grid of lines. To win, each player took turns placing colored stones on the grid trying to get five stones in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally while also preventing his opponent from doing the same. However, you could also 'capture' your opponent's pieces if you put two of your pieces on either side of exactly two of your opponent's pieces, and could win by capturing five times.

About midway through their first game -- which was about two minutes in since they usually weren't long games -- he looked at her. "You fight like a woman possessed."

"It's easy." She replied, placing another one of her stones on the board. "I merely imagine that we are dueling armies and I'm fighting for my homeland against an invader." She gave him a challenging look, though there was a hint of reserved playfulness to her tone.

"I can respect that." He nodded, placing one of his stones. "Tria". He said, announcing that he had just gotten three stones in a row, as the rules dictated. The goal wasn't to win by stealth or trickery but by sheer skill. Because of that, you announced "tria" when you had three stones in a row, and "tessera" when you had four in a row.

"Clever." Katia nodded, studying the board for several long moments before not only blocking his tria, but also setting up one of her own. "Tria."