Learning To Love From Another

[Britwitch]

Closed for myself and Stephanie4play ~ we hope you enjoy our story

The journey had been long and uncomfortable. The carriage rocked and bumped on the uneven road, jerking its passengers back and forth with a less than graceful motion. Diana knew part of the problem was that she could not relax, her muscles were taut and her eyes alert and had been ever since their journey began. The rope around her wrists was coarse and tied tightly, biting into her skin. She supposed she should feel some degree of relief in that her only binding was that one. As a prisoner, and one as prized as she was, her captors could have made her far more uncomfortable.

Diana was the youngest and only daughter of Lord Roberto Fieral and Lord Fieral was dead. He and her brothers had been killed in the latest clash between their people and those of the neighbouring lands. Diana was one of the many prizes claimed by their commander, Lord Marcus Ducan. Her father’s lands, his castle, his armies, all of it was now the property of Ducan and now, so was she. She tried not to think about what that might mean for her.

Her whole life had been snatched from her in one afternoon, her world destroyed. Her mother had died not long after her birth and she’d grown up with her older brothers and a father she adored. She had hoped one day to marry a noble and create a helpful alliance for her land and her family, a marriage she dreamt that would be happy and full of love. Now she was a prisoner and her future couldn’t have been more uncertain.

The carriage rolled into the walled city within which Lord Ducan lived. Buildings built of warm yellow stone lined the road, with a castle built of the same towering in the centre. Flags and banners danced in the breeze atop the battlements, it would have been a beautiful and awe inspiring sight in other circumstances.

The room to which Diana was less than delicately taken was ornately decorated with a vaulted ceiling and various opulent tapestries hanging on the walls. At the far end was a raised platform upon which stood what could only be described as a throne. Stood behind it were several women, none of which appeared to be his wife given the lack of rings on their fingers. Diana wrinkled her nose in disgust as she tried not to think too much about the role these women might play in Ducan’s life.

Lounging in the throne was the man Diana presumed had to be Lord Ducan. Given the position he had adopted it was hard to gauge his frame but his shoulders were broad. His eyes were sharp like a hawk’s and followed her from the instant she set foot through the door. She was pushed rather unceremoniously onto her kneels in front of Ducan.

“The Lady Diana,” came the announcement as she struggled back up onto her feet.
She squared her shoulders and tried to make herself appear as tall as possible as he approached, tilting her chin ever so slightly towards the ceiling, making sure to keep her violet eyes trained on his.
“You don’t scare me,” Diana said flatly as he drew nearer.

“I’m not trying to scare you,” came the reply. His voice was low and soft, dangerous. He circled her slowly and she could almost feel the prickling heat of his gaze as it roamed possessively over her curves. “You’re a guest here.”
“Somehow I don’t think I’m going to like how you treat your guests.”
“Don’t judge me before you know me…” Fingers took hold of her chin and turned until her eyes met his.

“Thank you but I don’t want to know you, in any way.” Diana shook her chin out of his grip, feeling a twinge of revulsion at the possible meanings of his words. To her surprise Lord Ducan smiled, before his hand quickly wrapped in her ebony tresses and pulled her face towards his. Whispering hoarsely in her ear.

“You will know me in every possible way, my Lady, for that’s what you are now…mine.” Diana shivered felt her skin ripple with goosebumps of nervousness.
“I think Lady Diana needs a little help to understand her position here…” Lord Ducan eventually announced, releasing her hair and pushing her back, signalling for one of the women upon the raised platform to join them.

 

[Stephanie4play]

"The Lady Diana."

The announcement was made and Bethany could see a subtle smirk cross her Lords face as the girl was brought forward. She looked defiant and strong.

Bethany heard the girls declaration, "You don't scare me." but she heard nothing more over the giggling and chattering of the harem. She shushed them quickly, but the youthful girls were to excited to control themselves. It looked like the Lord was going to have fun with his one.

I think Lady Diana needs a little help to understand her position here…” Lord Ducan eventually announced, releasing her hair and pushing her back, signaling for Bethany to join them.

Bethany stepped forward and knelt before him speaking in crisp, clear tones to be sure the harem would hear every word. Her light blue silky dress barely covered her curvaceous form, and covered less as it billowed out around her. "Yes Lord. If it pleases you, I will take this one to my own room for the time being. These girls are too weakly trained for her to be sent to the dormitory and be influenced by their chatter." She glanced back at the harem to see which had the sense to hush up then before continuing. "Lord, if your servant may ask, Which shall you choose this evening? Will you spare me so that I might get the new girl settled in?"

Lord Ducan looked at Bethany for a moment before answering, "Send me Anelle tonight, and have her prepared early. There is still a part of her I have not taken, and tonight I will have her completely." He said the last in deep rising tones as he looked at Diana.

The harem heard every bit of that and it was obvious who Anelle was because she knelt low to the ground and thanked Lord Ducan with perfect grace. Her training had gone well, though Bethany thought it likely she would not be able to do much tomorrow.

Bethany ordered the guard to bring Diana along behind her and strode to a tapestry hanging on the wall near the throne. She brushed it aside and entered a doorway behind with Diana being hurried along behind her.

They entered a large well furnished bedchamber sifh *buge bed and went straight through it to a door at the opposite side of the room where they entered another bedchamber. Here there were large luxurious pillows covering the floors and a gentle stream of water fell through a wall into a large pool which then overflowed out a slit in the outer wall of the castle. Next to this was a large stone bathtub and a fireplace that 10 men could easily stand in which blazed high and warm. There was little decoration other than the fact that everything looked rich and of the highest quality.

Bethany led them to a post in the center of the room which the guard then lifted a chain from. This chain he attached to bindings on Diana's wrists. He then put cuffs around the girls ankles and attached them to the post. Diana had enough freedom to lay down on one of the large cushions, and the guard laughed as he pushed Diana down onto one. Bethany swatted at his head and told him to leave with a giggle of her own as she left Diana alone in the room.

After a very long while she returned and looked at Diana appraisingly. "Well Lady, welcome to your new home. May I offer you some wine." She said with only the mildest hint of sarcasm.

 

[Britwitch]

Diana listened in disbelief to the exchange between Ducan and the beautiful woman who moved to kneel between them. She couldn’t make her mind register and accept what it was seeing. Feeling her cheeks blush indignantly as he made his desires of Anelle all too clear. She looked away, determined not to let him know just how much he sickened her.

Before Diana could react, she was being pushed towards the side of the hall and through a concealed door. She felt her mouth drop open slightly as the rooms behind the door were revealed. It was all exceedingly well furnished, with the richest fabrics covering the cushions and the bed.

Diana struggled in vain as the guard fixed her bindings to the chain suspended from the post and added shackles around her ankles. She landed heavily on one of the cushioned after his less than gentle shove, a sound of surprise leaving her lips as she looked up angrily, hair falling over her face. Then she was left alone.

After wasting a good hour trying to pull and pry her way out of the bindings and shackles, doing little more than managing to make angry red marks around her wrists and ankles, Diana lay upon the cushions with eyes fixed on the entrance. Her fear was rapidly giving way to anger at her treatment.
Eventually the beautiful woman returned, Diana sat up and straightened, squaring her shoulders slightly. "Well Lady, welcome to your new home. May I offer you some wine."

“No, you may not” came her brusque reply. Diana narrowed her violet eyes and looked up at the woman before her. “This is not, nor will it ever be, my home.”

“I am Lady Diana Fieral and you will untie me…” She held out her wrists until it became painfully clear that her wishes were not going to be granted. She dropped her hands into her lap heavily. A frown developing on her pretty face.

“So, who are you? Or should that be, what are you?” Diana asked, leaning back against the post that prevented her from leaving.
“I assume you must be a woman of position given that Lord Ducan has given you responsibility of me but what I don’t understand is why a woman of position would ever kowtow to a man like you did to Lord Ducan in the hall?” Disbelief ringing in her voice before she added bluntly.
“I can tell you one thing, I shall never grovel and kneel as you did before him…ever!”

 

[Stephanie4play]

“No, you may not” came her brusque reply. Diana narrowed her violet eyes and looked up at the woman before her. “This is not, nor will it ever be, my home.”

The woman before her smiled.

“I am Lady Diana Fieral and you will untie me…” She held out her wrists until it became painfully clear that her wishes were not going to be granted. She dropped her hands into her lap heavily. A frown developing on her pretty face.

Bethany continued to smile, even more softly than before.

“So, who are you? Or should that be, what are you?” Diana asked, leaning back against the post that prevented her from leaving.
“I assume you must be a woman of position given that Lord Ducan has given you responsibility of me but what I don’t understand is why a woman of position would ever kowtow to a man like you did to Lord Ducan in the hall?” Disbelief ringing in her voice before she added bluntly.
“I can tell you one thing, I shall never grovel and kneel as you did before him…ever!”

Bethany sighed, wondering if she had exhausted herself, but still remembering her own indignation at being brought here in a fashion all to similar to what Diana had just experienced.

"I am Bethany, the Lords girl, and if it pleased his Lordship I would call myself a whore." She smiled at the thought of the last time he had called her just that.

"Well, a whore of position actually. Many positions if I am so blessed. Let me tell you one thing young lady, though you will not believe it now. His Lordship is the kindest and most just man I have ever laid eyes upon, but he will not suffer insolence. You will remain here until you are ready for him, and at that time, you will indeed kneel for him, and then beg the favor of his company.
And once you have enjoyed that favor, you will indeed beg for more."

Bethany sat down on a cushion just out of reach of the girls chains and lectured further, "You should rest my dear. You have your work cut out for you. There is but one way out of here and that is the through the Lords bedchamber. The only other way is to plummet to your death or be killed by his guards."

"We will be guarded at night for our safety and protection. The mere fact that you are here means you are among the Lords most prized possessions. There are many who would steal you away and sell you into the slave trade for a fortune."

Bethany lay down and looked at her, knowing that she had no chance of escape, and that the path to understanding was to let her exhaust herself into submission. She liked the girl already, for exactly the stubbornness that was going to make her an excellent slave. She tried once more before attempting to take a nap, "Are you sure you don't want some wine Lady? It would be a sad thing for you if you chose life here without it. Especially the first night." She smiled to herself, knowing that this struck fear into some girls and anger into others, Bethany had no doubt which would greet her ears from this one.

 

[Britwitch]

"I am Bethany, the Lords girl, and if it pleased his Lordship I would call myself a whore."
Diana's eyes widened at Bethany's frank admission. Her cheeks colouring a little at her choice of words. Diana was not completely naive to the ways of the world although she was, as her rank dictated, untouched and to hear another woman speak of such things without a trace of embarrassment was something of a shock.

"Well, a whore of position actually. Many positions if I am so blessed. Let me tell you one thing young lady, though you will not believe it now. His Lordship is the kindest and most just man I have ever laid eyes upon, but he will not suffer insolence."
Diana scoffed slightly, thinking this woman must be slightly unstable to believe such things. A man who made women kneel couldn't possibly be kind or just.

"You will remain here until you are ready for him, and at that time, you will indeed kneel for him, and then beg the favor of his company.
And once you have enjoyed that favor, you will indeed beg for more."
Diana watched as the other woman sank down gracefully onto a cushion nearby, noting the revealing nature of her clothes that providing glimpses of the smooth flesh beneath. She tried not to stare and trained her eyes on the other woman's face.

"You should rest my dear. You have your work cut out for you. There is but one way out of here and that is the through the Lords bedchamber. The only other way is to plummet to your death or be killed by his guards."
Diana wanted to say that death would be a welcome release if all her life held for her now was to play whore to the man responsible for the deaths of her beloved family members but the idea of falling from one of the tall towers or meeting her end at the point of a sword made her shudder. She was the last of the Fieral family and she knew she would not give in without a fight.

"We will be guarded at night for our safety and protection. The mere fact that you are here means you are among the Lords most prized possessions. There are many who would steal you away and sell you into the slave trade for a fortune.

"Are you sure you don't want some wine Lady? It would be a sad thing for you if you chose life here without it. Especially the first night."
Diana was about to turn down the offer when an idea filtered into her brain. Perhaps she should befriend Bethany. It was not wise to be in such a place as this without a friend on her side. She couldn't believe Bethany was where she was out of choice.

"I will have some wine, thank you..." Diana replied tightly, her throat prickling as if to remind her how little she had eaten or drank since leaving her home. "Can I ask how you came to be here...?" She asked, genuine curiosity ringing in her voice as well as the desire to try and befriend the person she saw as a potential way out of the nightmare she was just beginning.

 

[Stephanie4play]

"I will have some wine, thank you..." Diana replied tightly.

Well, that was a quick shift in attitude Bethany thought to herself. She got up and poured a large portion of wine into a silver goblet and handed it to Diana, careful not to step within the reach of her chains.

Bethany returned to her rest on the cushion, choosing a spot where she could watch Diana.

"Can I ask how you came to be here?" Diana asked in subdued, almost friendly tones.*

Bethany waited before replying as she considered the potential motives Diana might have for this sudden shift in attitude and this inquisitive posture. Diana was not the first girl Bethany had trained and she realized that this was very likely simply an attempt at gaining her favor.

Diana answered her question honestly and simply, "I came here very much like you did but his Lordship was much younger and did not have the skills he possesses now. I was his first slave and in those days he was selfish and did not understand the value of submission. He was rough and had an uncontrolled appetite.*

"I was not a girl of position then, as you call it. I was a daughter of a peasant and it was easy for me to be grateful for all that his Lordship provided.

"Let me tell you young lady, that it is easy to judge your circumstances and not see the value, but if you are patient and are willing to learn you will find not only happiness here but pleasures that are beyond your understanding. If you fight, you will in the end gain nothing and will still have given all that the Lord demands."

Bethany subconsciously reached for her neck realizing she was missing the one thing that symbolized his ownership and dominance of her other than his presence. It would be good for Diana to see and Bethany often felt naked without it though over the years she had finally decided that to take it off for a short while each day would feel good too.*

It had been years since he had required her to wear it, but she never went more than a few hours without the security it provided . She got up and disappeared into the Lords bedchamber and did not return for a long time. When she did, she was adorned with a beautiful choker of different colored woven metals. It was thick and strong looking and when Bethany walked past Diana could see that a small and equally ornate padlock held it closed around her neck.

Bethany did not speak, but she had a smile on her face that said*
many things as she went to a further corner of the room and laid down on a small pile of cushions.