Invincible (closed for Powerdog16)

The heavy rain delayed the dawn, and beat heavily upon them, saturating them as they looked down across valley at the stronghold of Caslterosse nestled by the river below. It was still occupied, but now leaderless, and vulnurable, and given the fertile lands of the county, and the strategic stronghold position the Caslte occupied on the river, it was not only desirable, it was ripe for the taking.

Sorcha, astride her horse, at the front of the army was indistinguishable from the men, save for her diminutive size, petite build, and delicate features. At the age of 20, she was the head of the house of the Connell's, and led her men in battle, had done since her father took ill, and, while initially the men followed her out of loyalty to her father, they now followed her for her battle strategy, her cunning, her unbroken record of victories, her indomitable spirit.

Her destrider was stomping the ground, eager to charge into the dawn She held her sword aloft, and, when she saw the flashing light from the castle's gates, she whistled the command that sent them all in on the attack. One hundred and fifty strong, they galloped down the valley toward the Castle, the chunks of earth thrown up from the horses flying hoofs, the earth seeming to shake under the force of the stampeed.

In short order, they had breached the portcullis, and were across the drawbridge, and inside the castle walls. Quickly, the occupants of the castle surrendered, and the Connor men cheered their success. She sent a hundred of her men home, keeping a force of 50, to hold the castle, lest someone else decide to attack.

She allowed her mind to drift. With this, perhaps she could persue a marraige with Neasa Mac Domhnaill, the man on whom she had set her sights. He was everything she wanted in a man, but he had been fighting Donnacha Mac Neill. Her thoughts turned to the unpleasant subject of Donnacha Mac Neill, probably the greatest risk to her ability to hold Castlerosse, as his lands bordered these to the North. At over six foot, he was significantly taller than those around him, and over a foot taller than her five foot one, and he made her feel threatened. She had met him only once, two years previously when he had carried home the dead body of her fallen brother, and although they had exchanged but a handful of words, she knew him to be a man who would ride roughshod over all around him.

The men were drinking and whoring in the keep, and she went inside to see what she had claimed as her own, and then exhausted, she slept.

Donnacha Mac Neill sat in his keep, 10 miles to the North, eating on a leg of boar and drinking Perasian Red Wines that his own men had captured in a raid of the Perasian border. His men sacked 6 villages to the east and brought home boxes of treasures, enslaved women, barrells of wine and whiskey, fresh horses and surrendered warriors.

He had known the way to ensure the loyalty of the men that had sworn their swords to MacNeill. He would bring out all the enslaved women... many of whom were of the men that had surrendered. He would pick one out of the bunch... if he was lucky a Captain's wife... then he would run her through with a sword in front of the men. When the husband would scream out... he was run through as well... He would turn his attention to the rest of the men and said, "Any questions?" Of course... there were none. They knew they fought for MacNeill or their wives would pay.

"YOUR LIEGE!!!" a man burst through into the dining hall... instantly silencing the soldiers and knights of his table. Donnacha turned his eyes slowly towards the scout. It was his younger brother, Denaultra and one of the finest scouts in the land! He could ride faster and longer than any two men combined...

Donnacha said, "Come... what news do you bring?" He offered his brother a cup of wine, for which his brother declined. Unlike the warlord himself, his brother was a man of the spirit. He believed the goddesses themselves would protect him... if he remained true. It was the reason he was blessed with speed and endurance. Though Donnacha would argue it was the fresh horses and the weed pouch he kept on hand.

"Caslterosse has fallen brother!" Denaultra blared out! He said, "The warrior Sorcha led her forces in and took it the last night!"

The rage grew in the warlord as he realized that it was an act of aggression! The castle had been pleading with the Warlord for protection for years now... fearful of the monster known as Sorcha! One of their diplomats themselves sat in his very dining hall now...

"No!!! You swore allegience!!! You swore to protect us!!!" The diplomat screamed out in desperation! He said, "Please!!! Please... Your grace!!! Please help my people!!!"

Donnacha only too about 5 minutes to decide. He turned to his brother and said, "You ... are the general now brother. What fortunes you possess... with the grace of the goddesses will pass to the armies... I want 200 of my finest knights ready to ride by morning. Make it happen brother..."

Denaultra smiled, shocked by the sudden promotion and the immediate job at hand. It was through these actions would he finally learn earn his stripes and become the leader of men! He gave a nod and said, "It shall be done!!!!" He jumped up and called for volunteers... all 25 of his finest in this court... raised their hands without hesitation.

And by morning... 200 of his warriors... the finest in the land... were heading south... to free the castle stronghold of Caslterosse

Sorcha slept deeply, her mind filled with the knowledge that she, SHE had taken Castlerosse. It was something she had dreamed of for such a long time, the pinnicle of her achievement! This was a prize worth dying for!

Then she heard it, the whinny of a horse, the dogs barking, hoofbeats!

In a moment, she was on her feet, her heavy broad sword in hand, and her dirk tucked into her belt.

She ran from her chamber, a piercing whistle leaving her lips, and a loud cry.

"At arms!!! We are under attack!!"

At once her men lept to their feet, arming themselves, and rushing to the gates. The portcullis was lifted, and the outer bailey already breached. Sorcha cursed herself for sending home three quarters of her men, leaving her outnumbered, it seemed about four to one.

Her archers took up position high on the battlements, and with great accuracy, picked off the attacking soldiers one by with their longbows. But the odds were agaisnt her, and shortly after dawn, she knew she had lost the prize she had so recently snatched.

Worse, the victor, it seemed was Donnacha Mac Neill, a man she hated, not least of which because he was a mighty adversary, but because he had laughed at the idea of forces led by a woman! She continued to fight, as her men fell one by one, defeated by the element of surprise, and the disproportionate strength of thier forces. When half her men had fallen, she knew she would have to swallow the bitterest of pills, and surrender, for they were doomed, and she needed to save those she could, men who had followed her loyally, whose families she knew. Perhaps if she surrendered Castlerosse to Mac Neill, she would not be conquered, and she could retreat to Caslteconnell, her own family stronghold.

"Lower the standard, fly the white flag!"

The words were the hardest she had ever had to utter, but she knew she had no choice. The fighting ceased, the swords lowered, the strongbows laid aside. She walked to the centre of the inner bailey, surrounded by Mac Neill's men, and bowed.

"Terms!" she called out clearly, and waited for Donnacha to advance, and when he did so, she took an involuntary step back. it was her first time seeing him so close. He was huge, six foot four or five, with massive shoulders, and he dwarfed her. The smirk pulling at his mouth, did not win him any favours either!

"I will surrender Caslterosse to you, but I demand the safe and immediate release of my men, and myself, we will return at once to Caslteconnell, and I will give you this Caslte in return!"

She was pleased with herself, it would be making the best of a bad situation, and when all was done, she would be loosing nothing save that which she had gained but a few hours before. Her pride was smarting, but it would be a lesson well learned.

She looked up at him, the silence stretching, and she found she was tapping her foot impatiently. She stopped, the moment she became aware of it.

"Well Sir, do we have an agreement?"

"Well Sir, do we have an agreement?"

Donnacha Mac Neill laughed at her and said, "An agreement? The last I heard the terms of surrender were dictated by the victor... not the pathetic excuse of a loser!!" He watched her confidence lag a bit as he walked around her and said, "What would stop me from just sitting here and picking them off one at a time, till they were all dead... including you... hmmm?"

He could see her mind racing and as she started to speak... he back handed her most unexpectedly!!! He sent her flailing into the ground and could see the remaining dozen men under her command flinch and want to fight! She raised her hand and he could see her men stop.

He said, "How pathetic! Didn't I tell you before... women were never meant to lead forces! They are too weak and brittle!! Their minds are too soft! Women should never leave the kitchen!"

Donnacha was a bit surprised when he saw her pull herself to her feet and glare at him. He said, "Want more eh?" He looked at her men... and then looked at her and said, "Here are the terms of surrender. Take it or leave it. You face me in unarmed combat... just you and me... If you win, you and your men will be allowed to walk from this place and return home. You will pledge a treaty of peace with me before you do... I know your people are honorable and if they sign, they will follow. However, if I win..."

He walked towards her, then circled her again... he said, "If I win... You will come with me back to my castle and take my place at my side as my queen." He watched her shoot a glare at him and then said, "Your men will return home with the story that you have surrendered yourself to me."

Donnacha could see her mind was racing and he said, "You only have a moment to decide. If you decide not to accept terms... I kill your men and take you with me anyways..."

He slapped her ass as he walked around her and said, "So... what is it going to be...?"

"An agreement? The last I heard the terms of surrender were dictated by the victor... not the pathetic excuse of a loser!!"

She bristled at his words, furious that he was to show her so little civility and absolutely no chivelry!

"What would stop me from just sitting here and picking them off one at a time, till they were all dead... including you... hmmm?"

She didn't answer, knowing that he was saying nothing more to her that she had siad hours earlier when she had taken the stronghold!

She didn't see it coming, the blazing heat to her cheek, as he knocked her to the ground, but if he expected her to grovel and whimper in front of him, he was in for a rude awakening!! Pride alone would not allow her to remain on the ground! She was back on her feet in seconds, determindly keeping her hand from her burning cheek, ignoring the burning handprint that was now there.

"How pathetic! Didn't I tell you before... women were never meant to lead forces! They are too weak and brittle!! Their minds are too soft! Women should never leave the kitchen!"

Well, he hadn't said it to her, in fact, but it was a well known, dearly held view of his!!! Perhaps all women were interchangable to him?? However, she needed to pick her fights, and much as his words infuriated her, she was not in a position to argue with him, so she held her tongue!

"Here are the terms of surrender. Take it or leave it. You face me in unarmed combat... just you and me... If you win, you and your men will be allowed to walk from this place and return home. You will pledge a treaty of peace with me before you do... I know your people are honorable and if they sign, they will follow. However, if I win... you will come with me back to my castle and take my place at my side as my queen."

She was caught between a rock and a hard place, and she was obviously going to accept his terms, however, she was a tougher opponant that he might credit her with being. She had trained extensively, and her one strength was that she was taken for granted. Her actual physical strength much greater than her opponant anticipated.


He slapped her ass as he walked around her and said, "So... what is it going to be...?" Sorcha had to bite her tongue so hard that she drew blood!

She remained silent, but inclinded her head slightly to him, and began to remove her cloak, outer battle garments, her leather breast plate, her scabbard, her trappings of leadership, until she stood in just her wool tunic and leather pants.

She watched, as he did likewise, annoyed at the little smirk that tipped his mouth up a little at the corners. They circled one another, and she waited for him to make his move.

Donnacha Mac Neill slowly circled her ... watching her... when he stepped forward she back... when he back... she forward. It was a dance for nearly a minute before the large warlord said, "Okay... let's do this..."

He lanced out with a massive fist... and she ducked it easy, kicking at his thigh! He side stepped and retook his footing! He said, "You are quick woman... not very powerful though... barely felt that whemp of a kick!"

He lanced out with his fist again... and then she ducked and spun out again... kicking into his gut... he caught her ankle with one hand, grabbed her inner thigh with his other... and lifted her entirely up and off the ground, throwing her over his head and smashing her back into the ground!

He stood back and watched her strain to get up... the crash knocking all the wind out of her. He said, "You can yield if you choose. No shame is giving up..."

He laughed as she slowly dust herself off... He said, "No... you won't give up? Okay..."

The warlord lunged at her again... which she sidestepped easy enough tripping him on the way!!! He barely hit the ground when he was up and spinning around... only to get a boot to his head... sending him flailing into the ground again!

Now he was getting pissed. He said, "Okay woman... this game has gone on long enough... it is time to get to the end game!!"

"You can yield if you choose. No shame is giving up..."

His words insulted her more than he might have imagined! Yeild??? To him?? Not while there was breath in her body!!

"No... you won't give up? Okay..."

As he got up, she could see that he was upping his opinion of her as an opponant.

"Okay woman... this game has gone on long enough... it is time to get to the end game!!"

She was small, and she needed to use her size to her advantage.

She was quick, and moved along side, kicking the back of his knee, as she pushed him back, sending him to the ground on his ass once more. She allowed herself a triumphant grin, before taunting him a little.

"The great Mac Neill on his ass once more, and all because of such a little woman! Ha!!"

He was riled, she could see it! He came for her, and she feignted right, and weaved left, but he had anticipated that, and he sent her flying into the dirt.

Momentarily stunned, she saw him lunge for her again, and she brought back both her heels, in tight to her body, and, at just the right moment, she kicked her legs out, which met his own body's momentum, as her heels crushed his balls, sending to the ground!.

She wriggled out, and jumped to her feet, her fist in the air, as her men began to chant "O'Connell Abu!! O' Connell Abu!!!" In anticipation of victory, as Mac Neill still on the ground, struggling for breath, struggling to his knees, his hands clutching his balls.

He hadn't anticipated her move. He was used to wrestling men, and that was a move few men would do to another!

"Behold the mighty Mac Neill, brought to his knees by a woman, and such a little one at that! See him submit, see him bow before all to the House of the O'Connells!!! I claim victor............UGH!!" She was cut off, a deep roar preceeding the blunt force that drove the air from her lungs, catapulted her to the ground, and crushed her beneath it! She couldn't move! She was pinned to the ground, unable to so much as twitch her toes, and she chastised herself for forgetting that a wounded beast was the most dangerous!!
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Donnacha Mac Neill laid literally on top of the woman, his massive hand driving her head into the dirt! His legs drove through the middle of hers, then wrenched her legs apart! His other hand wrenched her right hand into the small of her back and pinned with his hard ab! He watched her struggle and strain under his weight, but he was at least 125 pounds more than her.

He leaned used his right hand, grabbing her hair and jerked her head back, her face forced to stare at her men! He said, "You claim nothing!"

He winced a bit from the pain that he was still feeling from his sack being nailed. He said, "You claim nothing woman!!! Look! Look at your men! Say it! Say you yield!"

"Never!!" She screamed out at him and he drover her head back into the ground hard! He pulled her head back... to find she had a new and fresh bloody lip!!! He whispered, "You are going to lay in my bed tonite and I am going to fuck you till you scream..." He chuckled and then took his tongue and did a long drooly lick along the side of her face!!

She tried to spit at him, but he didn't give her the chance to direct it at him! He yelled out to her men, "Look!! Look at this woman! This one you allowed to lead you into war!!! Look at her now! Defeated!! Destroyed!!! You were fools for letting her bring you to battle!!! You were all fools for letting a woman lead!!! I should kill you all for your stupidity!!!"

He wrenched her head back even harder and said, "Yield woman!!!"

He could feel her body stopping the struggles and her ferocity starting to ebb. There was no place she would be going today but his bed. He yelled out again, "I SAID YIELD OR A SLAY YOUR MEN WHERE THEY STAND!!!!"

From somewhere deep inside her throat, he heard it... it was faint... it was weak... it was barely audible even to someone as close to her as he was. "i yield...."

He looked down at her and wrenched her head towards her men and said, "Say it again!!!! Yell it so all know that has happened!!! SAY IT!!!"

"I SAID YIELD OR I SLAY YOUR MEN WHERE THEY STAND!!!!"

That was something she could never allow. She prided herself on putting the needs of her men before her own, and though her own personal sacrifice would be great, it was also inevitable, and she would not send her men to thier graves pointlesly.

"I YEILD!! Bastard!!!"

She was furious, and her hatred for him at that moment outweighed all else! She thought of the words he had hissed in her ear.

"You are going to lay in my bed tonite and I am going to fuck you till you scream..."


Spitting blood from her mouth, she hissed "I'll be screaming when I go to your bed, Mac Neill, for I will never do so willingly! And you best sleep with one eye open, lest my dirk find its mark".

He muttered something and got off her, and she stood up, brushing herself off. She turned to her men, thanking them for their loyal service, and managed a smile, although it was marred by the blood dripping from her lip.

"There is to be union of the houses of O'Connell and Mac Neill. I have accepted Mac Neill's proposal of marriage, and he has won my hand!"

Not strictly speaking true, but she needed to save face, and publicly at least, she would try to give the impression that this was not the worst thing in the world.

"There is to be union of the houses of O'Connell and Mac Neill. I have accepted Mac Neill's proposal of marriage, and he has won my hand!"

Donnacha Mac Neill moved closer to her... taking her hand and raising it up high for all to see! She was to be his bride and would be his bride by nightfall! He looked at the citizens starting to creep out of the walls of the city as her men were stripped of their weapons and said, "Is there a man of the cloth here?!?!? I require a marrying!!!"

She looked at him and he to her and said, "I am not wasting one minute more than I have to. You will be in my bed tonite..."

The dozen soldiers that were left of Sorcha's party were stripped of weapons and armor and then told they had to run home.... He knew that the trek would take a minumum of 4 days without horses and by then, the castle would be refortified and even stronger. After coaxing even more citizens out, a man of the cloth appeared and said, "I ...understand you require service?"

"Me and my lovely bride here need to be married!!!" The warlord barked at him...

"Sir... may I have some of the ladies of the town clean her up first?" the preacher asked... eying her filthy clothes and bloodied lip...

Donnacha looked at her and said, "If you try anything foolish... your men will be run down and slain... Do you understand?"

She gave a nod and he pushed her to a bunch of ladies... they took her to the bathhouse talking about putting her in a dress and cleaning her injury... In the meantime... Donnacha returned to his men and said, "There is surely going to be a counterattack within the week! There is no rest for you men!!! I want those walls fortified and reinforced with archers placements! I want tar buckets placed above the gates!!! Move!!! Brother!!! Come to me!!!"

Denaultra made his way to his brother and said, "What I do for you my liege?"

"Brother... you will return home... bring a battalion of archers to fortify the walls. Tell the Taskers that I want slaves brought here within the day to begin digging a moat around this place and fortifying walls... now go... now... I want this place inpenetrable!"

Sorcha was led away, a number of women, all strangers to her, took her to the bath house, and she disrobed. There, before a blazing log fire, was a copper bath, into which water, boiling in a cauldron above the fire, was poured. Cold water was added, and a few sprigs of lavender, and Sorcha steppedd into the thigh high water, sitting down, bringing it up to her ears.

She leaned her head back, soaking her long, long hair in the water, allowing it to be soaped and then lathered. She stood, and her body was scrubbed from head to toe, lathered, and then rinsed. Finally, she stood, her head right back, and her long, coal black hair, which fell to mid thigh, was rinsed with first with warm water, and then, the final couple of rinses with cold water, a little red wine added to the final rinse to add shine, and then she stepped out.

She was dried off, and she wrapped herself in a blanket, and sat before the fire as the women worked the snarls from her hair, and then plaited into into an ornate style. One of the women approached her.

"There has been no love lost between our families, but you cannot marry in men's fighting clothes! Will you accept this dress?"

The woman held out a plain linen dress, with the neckline beaded with pearls, and yet another presented her with a thin, silk dress for her wedding night! Finally, she was presented with two bangles, coiling around, and around, designed like a snake, which she wore wrapped around her biceps, and she put a torc around her neck, finishing her appearance.

She was not dressing up to entice her husband, but rather to show him how beautiful she was, and she would remind him later, that she would never willlingly warm his bed!! She would keep up appearance for the people, but Donnacha's ambition was spoiling her plans for Neasa, whom she had hoped to marry shortly, and she would make him rue his determination to take her!!

Finally ready, she left the bathhouse, to see that bonfires had been lit all around, a sign of both deference and of celebration. Clearly the people were pleased at the proposed union, which would bring stability.

She stode toward the centre of the great hall, where the priest was standing.

"Are you doing this willingly girl? Tell me now, for perhaps we can smuggle you out, away from him!!"

For a split second Sorcha considered his proposition, and then she discared it. It would end the lives of her men, she had not doubt about that, and to publically jilt Mac Neill would would bring horrendous repercussions she could not even being to comprehend.

"No, Father, I am marring him of my own free will!"

The Priest stood before the fire, Sorcha and the warlord standing there side by side. He had his arm around her back tucked in behind the small of her back... He listened to the priest say his words according to the faith. When it came to the priest asking if anyone interjected... of course no one came to her rescue. He smiled and then when the priest asked if he took her as his wife, he said, "Yes..."

The priest looked at Sorcha and said, "And do you take your Donnacha as you lawful husband and promise to obey his every command?"

Donnacha turned towards her as she heard the command. It was a special twist in the vows that her darling husband put in place just for her. He could see the look of anger flash across her eyes... then subside realizing she had no choice. She nodded and said she did...

"Then I give my blessing on this marraige of husband and wife as bound by the laws of the land and the laws of heaven! You may kiss your bride..." The priest said.

Donnacha turned towards her and found her trying to push away from him a moment. He glared down at her and said, "Come on now... kiss me... honey..."

He gave a yelp when he went to kiss her and she bit his lip though!!! It was in the same place as her own bruised lip! He pulled back and spat out blood... then looked at her and laughed... he said, "We are even now... HA HA HA HA HA HA!" The rest of the group laughed with them... only after they saw how the warlord was taking it.

He grabbed her by the arm and said, "Okay my blushing bride... time to consumate this marraige..."

Donnacha laughed heartily as he literally pulled and tugged her along... heading into the castle, up into the chamber of the Warlord... He pushed her into the room... pushing her hard into the floor and then slammed the door shut... sealing it with a cross bar... He turned and looked at her and said, "Get naked... Now..."

"And do you take your Donnacha as you lawful husband and promise to obey his every command?"

Sorcha's eyes flew open! What????? Obey??? Over her dead body!!! Still, everyone was waiting for her reply, so she pulled her face into a facsimile of a smile, and ground her teeth, as she answered in the affirmative

"Then I give my blessing on this marraige of husband and wife as bound by the laws of the land and the laws of heaven! You may kiss your bride..."

There it was. Done! She was bound to him before God for the rest of her life! She didn't feel the sense of martyrdom she had expected, to be throwing herself on her sword, so to speak. To sacrifice herself for the greater good. Still, perhaps it had simply been quashed by her fury as his tinkering with the vows! Still, bow to him, obey him....... it was something he would never see!!

He kissed her. Hard! And she sank her teeth into his lip. Hard! As they broke apart, she grinned triumphantly, and there was an awed hush from the assembled people, as Donnacha spat out blood. Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath, and even Sorcha was a little shocked at what she had done, but he laughed it off.

"We are even now... HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Oddly, she was annoyed that he took it in such good humor. it had been her intention to make him acutely aware of her displeasure, and his laughing it off felt like he laughed at her!

"Okay my blushing bride... time to consumate this marraige..."

The entire assembly heard that, and smiled indulgently, as she was virtually dragged off to thier chamber. Once out of sight, she dug her heels in, doing her damnedest to foil his efforts. But the disparity in their size made her obstructions nothing more than a minor inconvenience for him. Within little more than the blink of an eye, she found herself shut into a bedchamber with him, a blazing fire in the fireplace, and the door barred. She supposed that she should be grateful that the didn't have an audience for the consumation, which was often the case for nobles, so that no one could call the validity of the marriage into question.

"Get naked.. Now!"

"No!"

"I agreed to marry you so that our lands would be joined, so that there would be stability for our people. I did not marry you to warm your bed, and I have no intention of doing so! Go find a whore to serve you needs!"

With that she strode toward another door hoping to find it open, so that she could escape! She would not be a wife to him in anything more than name!

Donnacha laughed as she tried to a side door to what appeared to be to the base of a circular stairwell which led up into a tower. It was cliché and kind of a waste money and effort to have towers like this for any other point than to keep prisoners and perhaps offer a means of early warning against invaders. He looked at her as she darted up the stairs. He only chuckled. There was no place to go up there. The room was empty save for some bedding. The only openings in the tower were arrow notches no more than a few inches wide. Nothing wide enough to let anything in or out... save for arrows and parchment.

He took his time walking up the stairs, the hollow chamber echoing through the corridor that continue to span upwards. He heard her feet comes to a screeching halt and her mutter something in her native tongue before hearing everything go quiet. He stopped and listened a moment. He could hear her breathing shallow and he barked, "Might as well come on down my queen. There is no place you can go as you can see."

He waited a minute longer before continuing the climb up the stairs. He said, "This is really starting to irritate...."

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" echoed through the chamber as he saw her foot lance out hard, trying to catch him in the face. It was a move he had taught his own men when he was raising his first armies to when they fought up and down the trenches of this land!

He caught her foot in his wrist and used her momentum to flip her past him into the wall next to him! She went limp instantly and he actually got scared as he watched her fall to towards the stairwell! He reached out and caught her by the dress and kept her from having serious injury. When the echoes silenced, she was unconscious.

He flung her body over his shoulder and he turned and walked back down the stairs. Returning to the bedroom, he tossed her body on the bed. Using a length of rope, he bound her hands over her head to the metal and wood head board. He turned to her left leg and ran more rope to it, securing it in place. He left her right leg loose, because he would only have to untie it later anyways.

He sat down beside her, pulled out his knife and slapped her face... "Get up woman! Get up!!! I want you to experience this!"

Slowly but surely, she came too and when she got her bearings and she saw the knife, her eyes darted to him. He knew she knew the knife was not going be used to kill her. He moved it under the dress... and slowly started cutting it away from her...

Sorcha ran up the stairs, and screeched to a halt, horrified when she found herself in a dead end!

She lay against the wall, listening to the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and as Donnacha breached the doorway, she kicked with all her might!

féin truaillitheoir (Wanker)

But even as she swung her leg, she knew she had misjudged and he grabbed her leg using her own momentum to hammer her off the wall, and then everything went black.

Slowly she floated to the surface of her consciousness, her eyes fluttering and opening. He could tell the second she was aware, and she began to stuggle madly, but only until her eyes focussed on the blade. Mother of God, was he to kill her??

She lay stock still, as he twisted the knife, the sharp blade glittering in the evening sunlight. She had one leg free, and she waited until he had cut her dress almost half way down, and then she sucked in a breath, and kicked her leg full force, hitting Mac Neill in the side of the head, knocking him sideways, and struggling like a lunatic, trying vainly to get free.

Donnacha fell back off the bed when the foot connected with his head! He should have seen it coming! That had been foolish of him to leave the leg loose! He felt the knife clatter to the stone floor and he slowly stood back up, picking up the dagger once again and watched her struggle to get out of the ropes that had her.

Walking over to her again, he caught her leg this time, hooking it under his arm! He glared at her, putting the knife on teh edge of the bed, he lean in... and SLAPPED her hard!!! The fight in her ceased almost instantly as her head spun to one side and then snapped back at him in rage. He smiled and said, "We are even... again."

The warlord reached towards ropes once again and ran some around her free ankle, only rather than tying it to the foot board, he tied her ankle to the head board, which forced her legs fully spread apart for him! He sat down next to her once again and said, "I told you that you would warm my bed tonite... and you are. I promise you will wake up in the morning not knowing good from bad... friend or foe... I am going to take you and you will spend the rest of your days... thinking about the glory of the moment."

With that, he finished tearing off the dress... exposing her naked body to him. He let his fingers trace her form and smiled, "You do have a very pretty body! I am going to take great pleasure in using it."

Despite her curses and swears at him, her renewed rage, he shrugged it off... and began to peel from his clothes... one layer at a time...

Sorcha screamed, impotent fury breaking her control!! Then she shut up. The last thing she wanted was for people to hear her scream, and think they had heard the moment when she had lost her virginity!

Donnacha had her spread wide, one leg tied to the post at the foot of the bed, and both hands to the headboard, with her other foot dragged back up and tied to the headboard. Now her violent struggles served only to rock her hips into the air.

She was totally shamed to be so exposed, to be treated in this way! She cursed him, she mocked him, she, no doubt, infuriated him, but ultimately, she could not escape him!!

She watched him strip, totally naked, his muscles, and many battle scars, delineated by the flickering fire light.

She kept glancing at the knife, wonering if she might get the opportunity to use it!! To be a bride and a widow in the one day hugely appealing!!

"You bastard!! Is this how you treat a woman?? Did yer mother not teach you no decency??!! Ha!!" she began to laugh maliciously, "No doubt you're well practised at tying a woman down, 'tis the only way ye Mac Neill's can get them!!"

She could actually hear him grinding his teeth!! Delighted to know she was infuriating him, she ramped up her insults!! "so, is it true yer mother was a whore?? And that she was sister to yer father??"

In actual fact the Mac Neills were highly respected, albeit feared, and she was simply enjoying the way the vein popped at the side of his head, as she berated him. He had been sipping from a challis , and there was a loud crash, as he threw it to the fire place, and advanced rapidly on his bride.

The massive warrior with his large erect shaft listened to her... and it did piss him off pretty bad! When she started talking about his parents, he had had enough! He reach out with the knife and and pushed it into her nipple! He flicked it back and forth, letting the sharp edge of it scratch roughly at the growing shaft!

Immediately... things got quiet. He expected that she thought grabbing his knife, he would put it to her throat... perhaps giving her the chance to drive her head onto it and kill her. He was not that dumb. Their culture has a very specific code of honor in which they all would follow to the death. In one of those codes, it was designated appropriate for a woman to kill themselves than to allow a man she did not choose to bed her. One of the only other codes he could remember off the cuff was something about doing everything in one's power to protect the sanctity of an unborn child, even if that meant breaking all other codes. To be honest, he had never really understood it all that much.

He moved the knife from her right nipple to her left... poking it hard... scratching it and flicking it back and forth, watching it harden to the stimulation. He turned his eyes towards her as he left the knife move down her body to that sensitive clit area... poking at it... and scratching hard. Donnacha said, "Not so mouthy now... are you woman?"

He took the knife along her thighs... exploring her shamelessly... even going so far as the partially shave one section of her pubic region. Her anger and rage shifted into whimpers and pleas to stop... which was much more enjoyable to him.

The warlord climbed up onto the bed, her eyes looking down at his massive tool and then he said, "Answer me woman... has another man bed you before me?"

She stared at motionless. He said, "No man after you will either..." He eased watched her hips start rocking once again, pleas to stop the madness... which he quickly ignored! He took his tool and plunged it deep inside her!!!!! There was a pop... and the red tinge of blood on his cock! He looked down at her and said, "Now we know... don't we... my bride..."

Brutally... mercilessly he drove into her again and again... pumping into her like a common woman of the night!!!

The fire died down, the chamber got progressive colder, and then the fog, and the grey of the dawn lightened the horizon, and it was at that point, and only at that point that Mac Neill collapsed.

Sorcha was raw! She felt as though her two legs would never again meet! She felt as though he had ripped her in two! The brute!! She was swollen almost completely closed now, and while he had eventually untied her legs, her hands hand been stretched up over her head all night long, as the warlord Mac Neill braced himself above her, taking what was now his.

She could barely talk, her throat hoarse from all her screaming, only a portion of which had been in protest, must to her eternal shame.

He was alseep now, his body dwarfing hers, as he cuddled her into the shelter of his broad frame. She began to fiddle with the binds securing her hands, but she was startled, when Donnacha's big hand settled over her right tit, cupping it and weighing it as he slept.

Exhaustion took her, sweeping her under, and her planned escape fell by the wayside.

Donnacha Mac Neill woke to find his blushing bride passed out under him. He had found himself half rolled up onto her, his hand on her tit and her shoulder covered in his drool. The large warlord checked and found the sun to be high.. mid day perhaps.

He got up from the bed... turned and walked to the water room and sat down a moment taking care of his business. When he was done, he walked back to Sorcha and looked down her beautiful naked body and said, "Now is this not a site for sore eyes..." He looked between her thighs, finding them raw and chaffed... even her clit region was chaffed something bad. He recollected the last night's events. How many times did he cum in her? 6? 7? He had always been blessed with the loin of the gods...

Donnacha Mac Neill reached to her wrists... untying them from the headboard and then pulling the rope off her wrists. He realized he had left his knife out and he quickly took it and sheathed if before she woke up and got any ideas. He then watched her roll onto her side... and he slapped her ass hard!!! the smack echoing through the large bed chamber! He barked, "Get up woman! We have work to do today!"

"Now is this not a site for sore eyes..."

Sorcha groaned, pulling her aching legs together, trying to shield what she could from him. She was raw!! Her nether region stung like mad, and she winced.

She was embarrassed, as she recalled the previous night! He had ridden her throughout the night, making her cry out in ecstasy on several occasions, despite her best intentions!! She hadn't known what was happening, and had been upset, fighting to prevent him from seeing her fear, not wanting him to see any vulnurability, but he had seen through it, and know that it was the first time that her body had convulsed in climax!!

As the night wore on, she had become less insulting, less aggressive.

He released her wrists, and she rubbed her skin, pain shooting through her stiff arms, as she examined her chaffed skin. She glared at him, before turning onto her side, giving him her back. Then she yelped in a combination of pain and surprise as his big hand walloped her ass, leaving a stinging, red, handprint!!!

"Get up woman! We have work to do today!"

She was outraged!!! How dare he say that to her, as if she was the only one lolling in bed this late. She glanced at the window, shocked at how high the sun was!! It must be midday! Good God, people would think..... people would think she was.... engaging in acts of a carnal nature with her new husband!!!!

She jumped from the bed, and, after quickly washing , dressed, stoically ignoring the looming presence of Mac Neill behind her! She turned around, to see he had just completed hanging the bed linens out the window!! Blushing profusely, ground her teeth!

"Was that necessary?"

She didn't know why she even asked, for she knew it was a tradition that the bed sheets be hung from the window, the blood stains confirming that his wife had gone to her marital bed a virgin. She knew it would be something that would shame both their houses, had there been no bloody stains to display, and that would be the popular assumption, if no evidence to the contrary was put before the people.

She marched out the room, descending the stairs, being far enough ahead of him to demonstrate there was no love lost between them, but not so far ahead as to be utterly disrespectful to him. She did not wish to shame him publicly, not for his sake, but she knew that he was quite capable of chastising her publicly too, and she had no desire to make a spectacle of herself.

In the great hall, the men were eating their mid day meal, some drinking, the remainder from the celebrations last night. A great cheer went up, welcoming the newly weds. She looked for a place to sit, and found one, mid way down the table, but the important thing was it was one on its own, and he would have to sit elsewhere!!

Donnacha Mac Neill didn't care wear she sat. All that mattered was wear she bed at night. Seeing her sitting amongst the very men that she had been fighting the day before. They all seemed to give her demeaning smiled and knowing glances as she tore off a piece of bread and a chunk of cheese and a mug of water and ate...

Donnacha Mac Neill went to his place at the end of the table in an elevated throne like chair. Three slave women, each wearing outfits of modesty, a simple white line dress with a red sash around their waist brought their king fruit, bread, cheese, a mug of mead, and a large chunk of roasted pork. As he ate, the women knelt at the sides of the throne. He watched Sorcha glance up at him several times, curious as to the meaning of the women.

One time honored tradition was when a maiden was taken ... turned into a woman through the pleasures of the night, they become the property of the man that took it. It was well known that no body every attempted to take another man's property, lest they risk the blade of the owner. He had taken these women's maidenhood from them and therefore, they belonged to him. He had four more at his main castle up north. It was expected for a man not to take on more women than he could afford and all his property had to be treated with decency.

Now that he was married to Sorcha, he would have to ebb the sexual needs a bit with his property. He tended to hurt women when he fucked them... due to his insatiable sexual lust partnered with his relatively massive size rod in his pants. He gave a wink to Sorcha who looked at him with disgust. He could have called her to his lap and she would have to comply, but he opted not to. It was in every man's best interest at this table to see the leader of the opposition to break bread with them. It was a benefit that was well worth the slight she made towards him by not sitting at his side.

The meal carried on... and he loved it... though she would quickly learn when he brought up his next plan... that she was going to quickly learn the meaning of true loathing...

Sorcha glanced down the table, and saw the three slaves dancing attendance on her husband. She smiled, ignored him, and returned to her meal, surprised at the magnitude of her hunger. Her nether regions hurt like hell, raw and abraided, but she would never admit it! Nor was it easy to eat with her fat lip, and slight bruising on her face from where they had fought yesterday, both in the baily and in the bedroom.

Cold meats, cheese, and bread formed the mainstays of the meal, and she supped some wine. There was plenty of venison, and she ate a hearty meal.

When she was done, having stared down most of his men, she got up,somewhat awkwardly on account of her aching thighs, and abraised pussy, and walked out the room, struggling to get her knees close to each other as she walked, ignoring Donnacha completely. She went out to her men, and assured that they were released, and on thier way back to Castle Connell, before she had her own horse prepared, and she climbed onto his back, adjusting her seat, as the stallion pawed the air, before bolting forward a little. She spoke to him, calming him with her voice, bringing him under control.

She had decided that she would ride out inspect the property and the tenants they had acquired, so, spurring her mount, she cantered for the gate, over the drawbridge, and up the hill, riding wildly, the wind whipping her long hair around her, making it fly like a flag behind her.

She was sore, very much so, but it was worth it to get out!!

Donnacha watched his new bride leave and he glanced to his brother Denaultra Mac Neill and tipped his head her direction. He immediately slipped from the table and quietly followed Sorcha to keep tabs on her. When she got onto her horse and took off outside the gates, Denaultra sent word back to his brother for further actions....

The warlord told his brother to stand down and wait... He knew that his blushing bride... no matter how badly she would want to kill him or maim him, was honor bound now to honor, love and protect him at all costs. He was sure he was going to test those limits later on though...

Sorcha's people had a very strict sense of honor and in order for her to save face with her people, honor her family, and ensure her place among the warriors of the great battlefields in the sky, she would have to stick to her sense of honor. One of those rules was to ensure that her vows to him were met... which was why he had slipped obey into the vows AND had told her she was not able to leave the site of the castle. He also was aware that she was a caged animal now and that is when they are most dangerous, so giving her a chance to let loose and run free for a little bit would surely keep the danger at bay.

Denaultra would find himself sitting on the top of the gate walls for nearly 4 hours, watching Sorcha with his monocle device. She was still within site of the castle but oh how she was pushing that limit to the extreme. He did get a kick however of watching her slip off her horse, tie it off, then walk to a nearby pond, slip from her dress and examine herself more closely. Of course he would never let his brother know he was watching her in this condition, but it was amusing to see her checking to see how bad the damage of the last night's romp with her husband had been...

Eventually, she redressed and got back on her horse and returned to the castle. The warlord's brother was relieved...

"Lady Sorcha..." a guard said as she reached the gate..., "Lady Sorcha a word..." The kid was young and nervous... giving a bow as she approached him on her steed. The boy said, "The warlord Donnacha Mac Neill has sent me to escort you to the war room immediately..."

The rain had soaked her to the skin, and darkness was encroaching, when Sorcha began to wend her way back to the castle. She had done all she had set out to do hours ago, and in truth, she had been avoiding the inevitable of meeting Mac Neill again.

Her teeth had been chattering with the cold that had soaked into her bones from being both cold and wet for so long. Her horse was no better, and her concern for her mount over rode everything else. Still, she was subdued when she rode across the drawbridge. She had seen Mac Neill's brother atop the tower, looking in her direction as she approached, and she had see the light flashing off his looking glass periodically during the afternoon, and knew that she had been observed.

She wondered idly if he had watched her as she bathed in the pond, and examined her chapped and abraded nether parts. She ought to have been shamed by that thought..... but she wasn't.

A young guardsmen at the gate called to her as she rode under the portcullis.

"Lady Sorcha a word..."

She halted her horse, and looked at the young guard, who was no more than 14, and she smiled.

"The warlord Donnacha Mac Neill has sent me to escort you to the war room immediately..."

"Indeed? Give me a moment to tend to my horse, and I shall accompany you then."

She went to the stable, and rubbed the horse down, giving him some oats, and brushing out his mane and tail. He was well kept, and she took pride in tending to the mount herself. Ten minutes later, she was done, and she exited the stable, and crossed the courtyard, to where the young soldier shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"Now! I am at you disposal. You may escort me to your master!"

She followed him across the inner bailey, through the great hall and through the back of the castle to the war room. She chatted to him, aware that he was nervous, and also aware that despite his youth, he wished to be spoken to as a man, and not as a child.

He spoke of various battles he had fought in, men he had slayed, displaying a knowledge of battle unusual in one so young.

They reached the door, and he knocked briskly upon it, and when Mac Neill roared out "Enter" he bowed to her, muttered "My Lady" and swung the door wide, leaving her to enter alone.

"What is so urgent that I must report here immediately upon my return to the castle, may I ask???" There was a puddle of water dripping from her clothes onto the flagstones that formed the floor.