The Hypnosis Ring Ch. 01

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sexual situations.

*

The castle steps loomed before Steve, winding their twisty way up a tower that had not seen the passage of human footsteps in too long. A blackbird chirped angrily at the young man as he ascended the steps, ignoring the safety barrier that should have kept mere visitors to the historic site at bay from that which could be dangerous to them. Just what did that mean to him? There wasn't anything in an old castle that could really pose any danger to him as long as he was careful enough about where he was stepping, the curious voices of the others from that particular university lecture group falling away, leaving him but alone with his thoughts and the whispering of the wind.

He was not the smallest of gentlemen, it had to be said, and Steve huffed as he squeezed through a narrower gap, the worn steps not all that stable beneath his trainers. A cobweb or two was to be expected and he brushed them impatiently from his musty, blonde hair that never quite seemed to make up its mind what shade it wanted to be. His size made things a tad more difficult than they strictly had any right to be but it wasn't something that was going to overly throw him off or concern him as he worked his way through and up, stone crumbling away from the walls too as he brushed his way by impatiently.

He shouldn't have been there with the wind whistling by the ramparts, up higher and higher until he stepped into that little, round room that held so much promise. A young man like him did not know the power of the olden times, the castles and the artefacts held within that one could unleash on unsuspecting victims -- or lucky ones too -- at a moment's notice. The aged stones did not care nor did they judge what he was there to do or even understand that the passage of time had teased them away from the steadfastness of reality.

The ring had been intended to go downstairs to an exhibit at some point but it had never made it there, perhaps being seen as something that would not be all that interesting. There was no legend or history to it, just something that had been found when excavating and renovating the castle for the heritage site chain, and it would not have drawn many eyes. It was not even all that interesting, despite being gold, a rounded band that may have passed for a wedding band if not for its relative thickness. It was 'clunkier' than such a band and covered a chunk of his finger as he slipped it on, words appearing faintly as he rolled it around his finger, squinting to see what was there.

Outside, the wind howled but he paid it no mind.

"Control the minds of the fairer sex," he read out loud. "And..."

But the rest of the words blurred together, seemingly smudged but they didn't become any clearer, regardless of how much he rubbed with his thumb, pursing his lips in annoyance. What a silly thing indeed to find a ring and then not be able to read all of what came with it. And yet the inscription didn't seem to matter, one word standing out at him and stirring the need deep down in the recesses of his own mind. What word was that, indeed? Why, it was 'power' and the greed for said power went hand in hand just as a finger went in the ring.

Steve laughed and shook his head, glancing about briefly only out of habit as he pocketed the ring. Others would be looking for him soon and, well, there was no one there to see him take the ring. He could consider it a little memento of a dismal day out with his lecturer who hadn't even seemed all that interested in the history she was supposed to be teaching, although how that tied into the nature of his joint honours course he would never quite know. They tried to join things that didn't belong into the history of the country, preaching the importance, but there was only so much that could be done on that count when the topics did not line up just so.

Still... He would be missed and there was no harm in one little trinket. No one would miss it.

The power to control minds would have been interesting indeed but to believe it, hah -- now that was a jest! Steve smiled to himself as he re-joined his group, no one actually having noticed that he'd left despite him being rather hard to miss at the best of times. As if to compensate for his size, he was quieter than most and didn't reveal all that much to either friends or acquaintances. Truly, for him, there was not all that much difference between the two of them.

"What have you got there, Steve?"

His lecturer, Mrs Beckett who went by Julie for those more comfortable on a first name basis, leaned over, although she was respectful enough to not take his hand or touch him, eyes curious. She was middle-aged and just right for being a lecturer with enough dignity to her to be respected and youthful vitality to cope with an ever-changing university and course system that had to be kept up with even as her own research continued. Smiling, she pressed her red lips together, the coat of lipstick needing to be reapplied already, black hair hanging loose around her shoulders. It was lighter at the base as if she had dyed it, although Steve was not a man that would have ever have thought to ask whether it was dyed or not, the roots showing through. Maybe that's just how it was but hair was by far the least interesting thing for him about the human body.

"Just something...I brought with me."

It was not much of a lie and she must have seen through it for those perfect lips turned down in a frown even as he stared at them, transfixed. His stomach sank and churned and Steve knew that he was in trouble but the events that then transpired seemed to flow too quickly, all out of his control even as that very control neatly placed itself in his hands, ready to be utilised to the very best of his ability.

Sucking in a breath, Steve stared wide-eyed at the ring as it glowed blue, illuminated around the edges as if by an aura of light without any true source, the halo ringing it perfectly. What was that? What was happening? The wind picked up, a gale that drew the rest of the lecture group away from them, moving deeper still into the castle, the parts that were, of course, open for visitors, leaving them alone as the ring allowed itself to be used.

Yet gaping like a goldfish wasn't going to do him either very much good or get him anywhere as his eyes snapped back up to Mrs Beckett, the woman leaning forward with her lower jaw just as slack as his, although her eyes were unfocused. Fear crossed his heart and, for a moment, he worried that she had been struck by a sudden illness that he would then have to do something about, but it was nothing of the sort. Swaying like the walking dead, her gaze landed on nothing at all, even her tongue loose and pliable between her teeth, nearly sliding out slickly over her bottom lip. Despite her position, taking her weight forward, she did not appear to be in any danger of toppling over and he approached her cautiously, heart beating in his chest as frantically as any abruptly trapped and caged bird seeking that oh so elusive freedom.

"Mrs Beckett?"

He was not one of those that preferred to use her first name, as awkward with authority and, more accurately, women as he had been in his younger days. He'd never really grown up in that regard, seeing women as something...else. No, there was no way that he could understand that even to himself but not feeling the true touch of a woman other than his mother in her so-called 'care' of him in his childhood was most likely one reason behind it. He didn't want to explore that part of his life, however, gnawing anxiously at the inside of his cheek, staring at her as the ring continued to glow, the eerie essence of it pulsating lightly as if it was controlled by an otherworldly force.

Slowly, his eyes dropped to it, the lump in his throat dissipating as if an ice cube had melted there, softening something that had been held tense and taut for so very long. What had... No. His eyes widened, comically for anyone watching and there was no one, lips clamping closed as if against the dread and fear of the unknown, which had landed itself right there in his lap as if it should have always been with him.

Could the ring really work? What had it said? Slipping it off in such a hurry that he fumbled and nearly dropped it, he hastened to read the inscription again, the words about 'power' and 'control' blurring together. If only it wasn't so worn that he could read the full inscription! But maybe it was all that he needed to know as something warmed in his chest, breathing through his mouth as the woman before him stayed perfectly still, waiting and not even watching.

As the ring said, she was under his control.

A test! He needed something to use as a test, something that he could use to tell whether or not the ring had any power or if it was him that now had that power -- something, anything at all. He cast about his mind and drew a blank, shaking his head but swallowing a groan that may have alerted others to something just a little untoward going on. They were far enough away by now that words passed between him and his lecturer would not draw attention but someone would notice sooner or later that the lecturer who was meant to be guiding them on the tour of the castle was missing, even though they may also well have decided that that just mean that they had more free time for themselves. Whereas the university students were all adults, that did not meant that they did not have the capacity to, sometimes, act like cheeky children too.

"I... Uh..."

Mrs Beckett's chin lifted, lips pressed into a soft, light smile that did not seem natural on her face. Without saying anything, she merely waited, the puppet that was now her body knowing without truly knowing that something was coming, the command that her trance had called her to with the glow of the ring.

Think!

Well, if it was just a test, it didn't really matter then what he asked her to do, did it? Steve shook himself off and tried a smile himself, easing just a little of the tension held in his throat and shoulders as he relaxed his jaw. There was nothing to worry about, no shame and no awkwardness either. It wouldn't come back to haunt him -- he just had to tell her to do something.

"Okay..." He readied himself, standing up tall. "Lift your arms!"

He raised his voice as if he truly was giving a command and, for the first time in his life, his tone rang through with an air of power that shocked even him. There was no dramatism to the result, of course, but it could not be denied that there was something more at play as Mrs Beckett raised her arms immediately and obediently, her expression not changing in the slightest.

Oh... Oh, now, this was very interesting. Very interesting indeed. Steve knew what he should have done, having been obedient to women in positions of authority throughout his entire life. He knew that he should have turned in the ring and told someone higher up of its powers, if only so that it no longer became his responsibility. And yet the responsibility seemed somewhat lessened when it came with such a hefty dose of power and possibility, easing the burden of carrying such a thing along with him.

Just one more test. All to be sure. That would do no harm...

All the while, Mrs Beckett's arms stayed perfectly level and horizontal with her shoulders, outstretched with her palms facing down as if she was performing some strange sort of exercise. Steve cleared his throat and pushed his shoulder blades back, drawing himself up to his full height -- something that he never usually achieved -- as if he had, in all actuality, grown a touch in size in the right way. Maybe he was powerful. Maybe he was capable. Maybe the ring would give all of that to him and so very much more too.

"Alright then..." Steve had always had to prepare himself, now more than ever. "Show me... Show me your tits."

It was a crude term that, somehow, still managed to be childish in how it was delivered. And yet everything moved too quickly for him to worry and languish in his word choices, Mrs Beckett wordlessly obeying as she lifted up the long sweatshirt that had sleeves down to her wrists, revealing her blue, cotton bra to him. It wasn't even anything special and a twinge of disappointment would not have at all been out of place as he leaned forward, hungrily drinking in the sight of her with his male gaze, a spot of drool at the corner of his lips.

She did not react, staring straight ahead with that beatific, serene smile on her face as if she was the most content women in the whole, wide world. Perhaps she was. There was no real way for him to know.

And yet his needed more, pushing the limits of what he'd found, the ring glowing, clasped in the palm of his hand. No, that was not right -- it was on and over his finger again, the rounded band back where it belonged. And if things were all going to go along for him so exotically, Steve doubted very much that he would ever take it off ever again for fear of losing what he had so very suddenly uncovered in the strangest of places.

"Y-your..." He shouldn't have stammered, he was in control now. "Your bra too."

Maybe that was too far. Maybe it was all some great, big joke. Maybe she would scream at him. A part of Steve would not have blamed her.

The bra was unclipped and he watched as if in a dream himself, her hands flashing behind her back with neatly manicured nails to obey his will. Mrs Beckett did not know, truly, what she was doing as she undid the bra and allowed it to slide free, forced to remove the sweatshirt entirely in order to get at the straps that ran back over her shoulders. Steve had never before seen a lady in just her bra before and much less her breasts alone and nothing else but she was not to know that either, obeying him so simply that it came too easily to her, one motion softly and seamlessly following the other without a single little bit of resistance.

The sweatshirt fell to the floor and then the bra as he sweated, twisting his hands together over and over again, the ring rolling around his fingers. He'd never seen real breasts before -- not in real life. He'd never even seen any accidentally at the leisure centres he'd gone to with his mother and the public swimming pools, although he hadn't been all that interested in them once his weight had gone up, hiding himself away. Digital boobs were about the most that came his way and his sexuality, well... That was a story for another time in how it still needed to develop, a lingering crush on the wrong person stunting him in ways that he was still very much ashamed of.

But Mrs Beckett was before him right there and then with her tits hanging out, pulled down under the force of gravity, letting him look as much as he liked. Her nipples perked up in the cool air, hard, little nubs that drew him in, lips wanting to close around them for a strange desire that he could not have said just where it came from. There were a few freckles on her breasts too, the imperfection perfect as it was, skin pale and creamy without the touch of sunlight in the Autumn months of the year. He imagined that she sunbathed topless in the summer. All those in sexy movies did that. He didn't like to call them by what they were.

His fingers twitched, aching for more. How far could he go?

"Julie? Julie?"

Not far enough, it seemed. Someone was calling her and Steve cursed under his breath, still chiding himself in the moment that immediately followed for boasting a word that his mother would have smacked him for daring to say. Still, she held some measure of control over him as much as he had sought to distance himself from her, worry clawing at his heart as he held one hand over the hand that bore the ring, protecting it as if it was going to be ripped from him at any time.

But they couldn't see their lecturer there with her breasts out! Hell!

"Put your clothes back on! Quickly!"

Thankfully, she did so, moving even more swiftly than she had in the first instance, not even fumbling in her rush. He would later understand that removing that part of human interference in the realm of mind control allowed such things to happen flawlessly but that was only something that, in that moment, he could marvel at, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, although the drool there had already dried.

"Good... Wow... That's good."

Something in his tone must have told her that the 'session', as it was, was over and she blinked several times as soon as her sweatshirt was back on, tugging a frayed sleeve a little further down over her wrist as if she had become uncertain at a time where that certainty could have really done her some good to have.

"Steve..." Rubbing her temples, she shook her head. "What was that? I feel quite faint..."

But he now knew what to do and stepped up to her confidently, taking her by the elbow and leading her towards where there a flurry of worried voices rose from, down a wide hallway with views looking out over the castle grounds. The wind caught at his coat but it could not chill him, not with the knowledge that he had uncovered when he had least expected it and most needed it.

"Nothing... Nothing at all. But tell me about the duke that used to live here..."

Suave. Cool. Like nothing he'd ever been before.

Steve liked the power the ring gave him. And he had every intention to use it to its full potential too.

*

'Reading Week' was a strange concept at universities and one time that most students just seemed to use as an excuse to party and laze about, not really getting all that much reading done. Steve hadn't really understood why they hadn't done away with the concept altogether during the course of passing years prior but, nevertheless, it still offered something of a break in a semester and he usually welcomed the catch-up too.

Not this time. This time, it made more sense to see just what that wonderful little ring could do, exploring its powers -- the powers that now, very much, belonged to him -- in a more private setting. For that case too, he could think of no better place than his home back south to explore that concept and all the possibilities there, as tentative and tenacious as that thought was in itself. And the fact that Asha was there too made things all the more stimulating, riding the train home with knots in his stomach, twisting and turning together all for the crush on his sister that, for good reason, he could not tell anyone about.

It was not his sister, however, that was his first target for she was just one who wanted to be like their mother. Rachel had always been a hard-headed career woman and pushed everyone in her family to do more, to be better, even at the expense of their own health. Steve had never lived up to her expectations, of course, and wasn't even in the ball park of what she wanted from a son, putting Asha up on a pedestal, although she was just as much in the rat race to please their mother as he was. Still, to control Asha he would have to take his mother in hand first and that came with its own set of problems.

Or maybe not too. Maybe everything was coming right at long last, the man given his dues simply for how he was treated during his childhood and, due to his mother's illicit control, into his adult years too.

He waited until the first night had passed, working on his studies in the glow of the lamp light, but his shaft was hard for something more that he would not quite yet explore, cheeks glowing with a blush that he most certainly no longer had to attest to or even acknowledge. No one would be there demanding him explain himself, what had gotten him so worked up, for there was only so much that a woman under his control could do and he knew just a little about that already.