Primal Masquerade (Closed for Kaena)

[LucianDevine]

Zeke let out a low grunt along with the rest of the slaves in the fully enclosed wooden wagon as it hit another large bump in the road and jarred all of them in their already uncomfortable sitting positions. It wasn't the bump itself that caused them such discomfort, so much as the shackles that they involuntarily moved against with the motion, causing the unyielding steel to dig into the flesh, rubbing against it until it was red and raw. Blood trickled from the wrists and ankles of some of the captives, those that had been in the wagon longer than others. It was as impossible to tell where they had all come from as it was to even guess where they were all going. The only hint that they had that they were potentially nearing their final destination was the sound of voices that could be heard from the people up in the front of the wagon. They'd been talking about random things throughout the entire journey, but now they were talking about what they were going to do when it was done, and such a conversation would be little more than a tease of themselves if they were not close.

Zeke's' suspicions were confirmed when the wagon finally pulled to a stop.

"Ah, at last!" A loud males voice sounded from somewhere outside the wagon. "Today's entertainment has arrived! Let's see what we have first, shall we?" As the man's words faded, the doors at the back of the sturdy wooden were cast open. Everybody inside let out another groan as sunlight suddenly flooded what had been a near pitch-black space. The man looked them over before wrinkling his nose and turning to the side. "Let's just hope they can fight better than they smell!" As the man made his joke, what sounded like a fair few people let out a fit of laughter and cheers while they clapped, clearly eager for their...entertainment.

The man scanned over the group inside once more, sizing up each of them before his gaze finally settled on Zeke. A sinister smile came to the man's face. He knew what was coming, almost before the man even said it, or so he thought. "We'll start with this one." The man said to one of the fully armored guards that had kept watch over the prisoners inside the wagon. One guard reached for a ring of keys that had been tucked inside his armor and moved to unlock the set of manacles attaching the man's first choice from the other armored knight. He then grabbed the chain and took a firm grip on it before handing the keys to the other guard. That guard in turn unlocked the four shackles that had bound the man's hands and feet, holding him in place. Now only the collar around the man's neck, that was attached to the chain, was left. That part wasn't removed though. The guard holding the chain gave it a sharp tug, forcing the slave to his feet before starting to walk, paying the exhausted and emaciated slave no heed as he led him out of sight of the doorway.

That left the other armored guard with the man giving orders. The man leaned close to the guards ear and whispered something that Zeke couldn't quite make out. He caught one word though, "savage".

And so it was. Each man was pulled from the wagon one by one until Zeke was left alone in the wagon. The method of transport was ingenious in it's own way. There was no way to escape, because even when you were freed from your manacles, you were still locked and chained to a man wearing a full suit of plate armor. And no matter how desperately one wanted to escape, you couldn't pull such weight at any meaningful speed.

If the man's initial statement about wondering whether they would be able to fight better than they smelled wasn't enough, Zeke's ears also picked up the sound of combat. It sounded weird though. It wasn't the normal sound of two weapons clashing. It was similar but different... The crowd cheered constantly, but when they roared and applauded, it left no doubt in his mind what had happened. Only when the last sounds of battle and a final roar of the crowd faded did the man approach the wagon once more.

"And now my friends, I have for you all a very special treat. Our final piece of entertainment is..." The man paused for dramatic effect as the guard stepped forward to unlock Zeke's shackles. The guard holding the chain wasted no time in pulling the chain. He was pulled roughly to his feet followed by another sharp tug that had him tumbling from the wagon to the delight of the crowd. "A savage fro the farthest regions of the southern desert, freshly caught and ready to entertain all of us! Legends speak of their skills in battle and how they train from birth to kill. Let's see if this one can live up to it's name shall we?" The man roared to the crowd as they all cheered before gesturing to the man holding Zeke's chain. The man went to give the chain a tug, but Zeke beat him to the punch. His hand gripped the chain and pulled. The sudden movement from an otherwise prone man caught the guy off guard, and he stumbled forward, tripping over his feet in an attempt to maintain his balance before falling flat on his face. Zeke had been moving from the second he saw the man falling, he'd dropped the chain enough to get below the man's chin before darting forward to take the man's back. He wrapped the chain around his hand and pulled, the firm muscles in his arms tightening as he tried to choke the life out of the man.

A sudden blow to the back of his head felled Zeke sprawling in the dirt, and as he tried to get his hands and knees beneath him, a swift kick to the ribs sent him sprawling once more. The chain that bound him stopped his momentum, and he was still trying to regain his footing when a voice called out. "STOP"

The crowd of people that Zeke couldn't truly see had continued to cheer as he'd fought against his shackles, but were similarly silenced by the commanding voice. "He's got some fight in him at least! Let's see what he's made of!" The guard that had kicked Zeke grabbed the chain and gave it a pull, pulling Zeke to his feet. Zeke's violet eyes flashed with hatred, trying to memorize the man's face so that he could ensure that he died if Zeke was ever fortunate to escape.

When the man who held his chain was on his feet once more, he pulled Zeke into a large iron cage the size of an average persons house. The multiple bloodstains on the ground made it quite obvious what this large cage was for. The guard made sure that the cage door was locked behind the pair of them before stepping forward and shoving Zeke back into the corner of the cage. A man approached from either side and secured his hands into shackles, leaving him helpless so that the armored guard could unlock the collar that and chain that bound them together.

While Zeke was trying to look around and get his bearings, he heard the door on the far side of the cage open. He had thought that it was just going to be the armored guard leaving, but when he focused in that direction, he saw a lightly armored man standing across the cage from him, brandishing a sword and a cocky sneer. It didn't take long for him to understand why the man seemed so confident. Zeke's hands did get released from the shackles that bound him, but the weapon that was tossed into the cage at his feet was...a wooden sword. He stared down at the weapon for a second in disbelief, growling low in his throat when he heard the crowd laughing at his reaction. His left hand clenched slowly into a fist as he knelt down, keeping his eyes on the man across for him as he picked up the wooden training sword. His tanned and toned body was already sweaty from the long and hot journey in the wagon, and he glistened in the sunlight as he waited for his opponent to make the first move.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra moved silently through the crowd of party guests. Though most of her guests were respectful enough to give her her space, those that didn't move quickly out of the way, were not so kindly reminded of their place by the men following close behind her. It was not like she needed the men to protect her, she was quite capable of that herself. Her slight, muscular body showed her many years of training. While other women around her wore stunning evening gowns dripping in jewels, she wore a soft pair of leather pants tucked into a well worn pair of leather boots, her simple white tunic tucked into place under a leather corset. Her fiery hair was tied back in a loose braid, her alabaster skin a stark contrast to her piercing blue eyes. The only sign she wore of her position was a ivory handled knife that was strapped to her waist. She wore it more for show, the two knives strapped to her thighs her preferred weapons.

It had been her advisor's idea to throw the party that night, to celebrate her ascension to the throne. A position she hadn't really wanted, but as her father's only heir, she had no choice. Though she hated crowds, she knew she had to show a presence to her father's, no her subjects and she was excited about the blood match she had arranged in the Colosseum. She enjoyed watching the men fight to their deaths, the bodies glistening with sweat and blood as they fought for their lives. She had no pity towards the men that used for the matches, most of them captured during an attempt to attack her kingdom. Of all things her father had taught her, the one thing that stuck with her was that her duty was to protect her people and strike down without mercy those that dared to threaten her kingdom.

She could hear the cheers of the crowd as she neared the entrance of the ampitheatre. It appeared that the festivities had started without her. Moving to her seat at the side of the ring, she watched as one by one the prisoners were dragged into the ring and given mediocre weapons to defend themselves with. Most of them were dispatched to their maker within minutes of entering the ring, the sword of their opponents red with their blood. She soon grew bored and leaned back in her seat, her eyes flickering over to the men that acted as her body guards. If she couldn't get any excitement from the fights in the ring, perhaps she could find other ways to amuse herself that evening.

Her eyes were torn away and back to the ring at the announcement of the next prisoner that was to be brought into the ring. She frowned to herself at the explanation of where he came from, having not heard of any attacks on the border that touched his land. It was true that his people had a reputation of being fearless and strong warriors, but as long as she could remember their had been no animosity between her people and his. She made a mental note to question the jailer after the match how he had come to be captured by them. She moved the edge of her seat and watched with bated breath as the prisoner struggled with the guards, inwardly wincing when he was delivered a vicious kick to his side once he was down.

“Stop”, she called out, getting to her feet and moving to the edge of the cage. *"He's got some fight in him at least! Let's see what he's made of!" She could almost feel the anger emanating from the man as he was pulled to his feet and led into the cage. She couldn't help but appreciate his muscular body and thoughts of him beneath her made her blush. She looked around quickly to make sure no one had noticed her reaction, but everyone's eyes were on the cage and what would happen next.

Motioning towards a occupied seat at the side of the cage, she moved to take a seat, its occupant giving her an annoyed look before moving out of her way. Brushing an errant hair away from her face, she settled back into the seat, eager as everyone else to see what would transpire.

 

[LucianDevine]

While Zeke's people were a strong and fearless one, they weren't bloodthirsty and brutal as many would be in their position. That wasn't to say that it wasn't in them to do so, and the rage boiling inside Zeke was a testament to that.

Thankfully neither Zeke nor their audience had to wait long for the other man to act. He took the first step forward as he lifted his arm. A second large stride closed the distance, and the mans arm came down in a wicked and lethal arc. Zeke might have had a wooden sword that would never have been able to block the blade, but that didn't mean he was defenseless. He brought the weapon up and around as he rose quickly to his feet, using the momentum of the motion to strike at the man's weapon. He stepped quickly to the side as he parried the attack, pushing the man's weapon up and away from the man's center of balance. He then continued to use the momentum of the motion to twist his body into a spin, spinning as he sidestepped again so that when his spin was finished his wooden sword struck the off-balanced man right behind the knees. The man crumpled to one knee, and tried to push himself to his feet once more. Zeke wasn't done, though, and as the man tried to stand, his wooden sword swung back around, catching the man clear in the face, sending him sprawling to his back as his sword fell free of his grasp. Zeke was quick to capitalize once more, his weapon arching downward as he stepped over the man, hitting him in the face again. He started to spit up blood, or would have if he'd had a moment to do so. Zeke dropped to a knee over the man as he brought his weapon down again and again, striking his helpless opponent until he stopped moving, uncaring for the blood that gushed from each strike, even as it covered his chest and unshaven face.

By the time he was done with the man, Zeke was breathless from his efforts, having clearly over done it in his rage. Only when he was finally stated, for the moment, did he lift his gaze from his fallen opponent to stare at the crowd to see their reaction to the brutal affair.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra didn't realize she had been holding her breath until he turned to survey the crowd. The way he had fought, with such strength and agility stirred something within her. He was one of few that had managed to pass the first round in the ring. It was clear he was no stranger to a fight. She shivered as she felt his gaze pass over her, his blood and sweat soaked body a site that would draw fear into any normal woman, but for her it just excited her all the more. Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to see him fight till his death and had the urge to see how good of a fighter he really was with a real weapon.

She could tell that the guards were wary of him when the entered the cage to remove the body of his opponent. It was almost comical how they held their swords as if to protect themselves against the measly wooden sword he held. They quickly removed the body and with it the weapon his opponent had carried, leaving him at a disadvantage once again. As another men was led to the door of the cage, she jumped to her feet.

“Stop,” she called out, moving past the guards and stepping into the cage. Reaching out her hand towards one of the guards, she motioned for him to give her his weapon. Reluctantly he handed it to her and quickly moved away. Glancing quickly around the room, she ensured her archers were in place. She always had archers, with their deadly arrows at ready, during these matches, in case one of the men managed to break free. Her men were a dead shot, able to hit any moving target in a split second. Even though she had no fear towards the man in front of her, she still felt better knowing they were there.

“Your previous opponent was weak,” she said, taking another step into the cage. “Let's see how you fare against someone like me.” Holding the sword loosely at her side, she slowly walked around the edge of the cage, circling him, getting a good look at his muscular body from all angles. Her pulsed raced at the thought of fighting him, to bring him to his knees in front of everyone.

“Mistress what are you doing,” a thin man, with almost rat like features, questioned from the other side of the cage, careful not to get too close. “Your father will kill me if he knew I let you do this. You'll get yourself killed.”

“Silence Theron,” Kearra replied, her voice an icy tone that held no room for compromise. “I can take care of myself, besides, if he looks like he has a chance of killing me, my archers will dispatch him to his Goddess before he has even a chance to strike a death blow. I want to see what he is truly made of.”

Turning to the guards at the door of the cage she took a deep breath before she spoke, hoping what she was about to say would not be detrimental to her in the long run. “Give him a real weapon,” she ordered. “Let's make this a little more exciting.” One of the guards threw a sword into the ring before closing and locking the cage door behind him. Kearra continued her slow walk around the cage while she waited for him to pick up the sword, her breath held in anticipation to see what he would do next.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke stood his ground as the guards came in to remove the dead man from the cage. His face was stoic, and his body was motionless save for his breathing, which was already starting to return to normal.

While Zeke had of course been aware of his opponent's fallen weapon, and that it might be his only chance to get a bladed weapon, he didn't go for it. They could simply close and lock the cage once more, making such an effort pointless.

The sight of another man being led to the cage brought the full realization of his situation to Zeke. He was to fight to the death. Regardless of how many fights he won, they would likely keep going until he was too fatigued or injured to properly defend himself. His face twitched just a little when that realization hit him, but other than that, he didn't move.

“Stop,”

The single word command sounded for the second time that day, and it didn't pass Zeke's notice that it was the same person that had called off the guards after his little upstart earlier. Everybody in attendance turned their gaze to face the speaker,. The pale-skinned woman had fiery red hair that was pulled away from her face and secured in a braid. He, along with everybody else could only stand and watch as she moved past the guards and actually stepped into the cage with him.

The woman's command was confident, and her actions mirrored that confidence as she took her eyes off of him. He turned his head to follow her gaze. He knew immediately what she'd been looking at, the archers stationed around the cage. The second she looked at them, they readied their bows and knocked an arrow.

“Your previous opponent was weak. Let's see how you fare against someone like me.” The woman's voice brought Zeke's attention back to her. He met her piercing blue gaze and held it, not backing down as many a person would have. His stood fast, even as she circled him, holding her weapon loosely in her hand at her side.

When another man stepped towards the side of the cage to speak with the woman, Zeke turned to face her properly, but made no move to attack. He caught bits and pieces of the conversation, mostly her parts as the thin man spoke in a hushed tone, clearly trying not to anger the her.

Zeke had been surprised at a lot of things today, but none quite so much as when the woman demanded that he be given a real weapon. One of his eyebrows lifted, clearly questioning the intelligence of the command. Though the men outside the ring had similar thoughts and thus hesitations, they did eventually throw a sword into the cage before closing and locking the door once more. He turned to the woman and cocked his head to the side, wordlessly asking with his body language if she was sure about this. The woman's equally unspoken response to his body language was to circle the cage away from the blade, giving him room to pick it up. He did eventually shrug before walking over to the blade and crouching down to pick it up with his right hand. He still held the wooden sword in his left hand, and made no move to drop it as he shifted his hand around a bit, getting a feel for the blade before approaching the woman.

It wasn't until this moment that Zeke let his eyes wander over the woman, looking her up and down, sizing her up exactly like he'd done with his previous opponent. He stepped within a handful of paces from her and stopped. He positioned his right foot and hand forward with his left hand and the wooden blade back. He then cocked his head once more, as if to say. "After you."

 

[Kaena]

Kearra watched him warily as he moved to pick up the sword. She was no fool, she knew he would be a formidable opponent and she had to be careful how to she approached the battle. Her eyes never left him as he moved towards her. Though her stance still remained relaxed, she was anything but. Her muscles tensed beneath her loose shift as she raised her sword and mirrored him. Though she had her knives available to her, she kept her left hand weapon free, her hand slowly curling into a fist.

Twirling the sword so that the hilt lay flat against her wrist and the blade pointed towards him, she took a deep breath before surging forward, bring the sword back around to meet his. The air rang with the clash of steal as her sword made contact with his. The vibration made the muscle in her arm tense as she stepped back again. Moving faster than seemed humanly possible, she stepped around him, bringing her foot into a sweep towards his leg, attempting to knock him off his guard.

 

[LucianDevine]

The suddenness with which the woman moved was just another surprise to be added to the list of them that had happened to Zeke today. He was lucky that he'd readied himself too, because if she'd done that while he'd been standing in the center of the cage, he never would have had a chance. As it was though, he was able to bring the blade around to meet hers. Her speed with his strength was enough to send vibrations all the way up his arm. That was at least something he was used to though. So it didn't surprise him, allowing him to react to her next maneuver. She made to step around him and sweep his legs from under him, but he met her halfway, stepping back and facing her then moving his leg to block her leg. As he brought his leg back down he brought his left hand around, trying to strike at her with the wooden sword. He wasn't yet confident enough to try and strike at her with the real sword.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra winced at the impact of her leg against his. Recovering quickly, she moved just as the his hand came around to strike her with the wooden sword. Instinctively she raised the sword she held, the wooden blade making contact with it and splintering apart. Smirking at the loss of one of his weapons, she moved in quickly and checked him with her shoulder, pushing him back a couple of steps before almost dancing away to taunt him just out of his reach.


"Is that all you have boy," she chided. "You are going to have to do better than that if you want to leave this cage alive."


Falling back with ease into her defensive stance again, she beckoned him forward, curious to see what his next move would be.

 

[LucianDevine]

His wooden sword splintering apart pissed Zeke off, but not quite so much as the shoulder check the woman did and then the taunting that came next. It was easy for her to say such things with archers watching her back. He wondered how she'd react if the shoe was on the other foot.

Despite his reservations, if the woman wanted a fight, then Zeke would give her one. His eyes flicked over to one of the archers, and his grip on his sword tightened. He stepped forward again, knowing what he would need to do to beat her speed. It was a stupid plan. He knew it, but it was better than no plan at all. He darted forward, closing the distance between them while also bringing the blade around from his right. If she tried to counter attack it was closer to his center of balance and would be easy to get it around to defend himself while also leaving his other option more than open.

 

[Kaena]

She could sense his anger at losing his second weapon and it put her more on guard. It had been her experience that once anger got the best of someone, it could either make them very dangerous or very stupid. She wasn't sure which he would be, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

She switched her sword to her left hand as he moved in closer to her, turning her body so that if struck it would be against her side and arm and not the soft skin of her stomach. Bringing the sword around in an arc, she smiled to herself as the tip of the blade grazed lightly across the bare skin on his torso, a line of red left in its wake.

Once again she darted out of the way of his sword and crouched low, her leg moving quickly to sweep his feet out from under him before he had a chance to react.

 

[LucianDevine]

The woman's strike came before Zeke's attack could even happen, leaving a clean line of pain in it's wake before she dodged out of the way of his sword. That sequence alone told him that his first plan wasn't going to work, and he was going to have to rely on the backup plan.

Zeke saw the woman crouch low again, but this time he was ready. He shifted all of his weight to that leg so that when her attack hit, it wasn't enough to sweep his legs from under him. The position left her close to him and vulnerable, and he pivoted on that leg and swept his leg back and around in an attempt to sweep her other leg from under her before she was able to pull her first leg back and readjust.

He dropped to a knee after that then, following her down as he shifted his grip on his blade to get ready to drop his arm and try to stab her in the stomach.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra felt his leg against hers too late. She cursed herself silently as her feet flew out from beneath her and she landed uncermoniously on her back. As much as she would have liked to lay there and catch the breath that was knocked out of her, she could see him shift his stance to move in for a killing blow. Drawing one of her blades, she rolled quickly, bringing her knee up to catch his side, forcing him over with her. Moving in one fluid motion, she quickly pinned him to the ground with her body above him and the sharp blade of her knife against the soft skin of his throat.

"Nice try," she said breathlessly, her hair now loose from its confines falling down across her face. "I could kill you right now, but that is up to you. Surrender to me and you will live to see tomorrow, continue to fight and my blade stands ready to dispatch you to your maker." She deliberately didn't provide the terms of his surrendor, sure that if he knew what it entailed, he might chose death instead.

As she waited for his reply, she could hear the door of the cage being unlocked and footsteps rushing towards her. She glanced to the side to see a few of the guards approaching, their swords ready.

"Do I look like I need your help," she said angerily, her steel glance falling on the men.

"But Mistress, we thought you were in danger," one of the men sputtered, his voice tinged with fear.

"I will let you know when I need you," she said, turning back the man beneath her, her actions dismissing the men from her presence. She could hear them as the practically tripped over themselves to leave the cage.

"Now, where were we?" she asked, looking down at the man once again and pressing her blade a little tighter against his throat, causing a small trail of blood to drip down his skin. "What is your choice?"

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke heard the woman's words, but didn't respond right away. He needed a moment to think, a moment that was thankfully provided by men rushing to her aid. She turned towards them, and he briefly entertained the thought of trying to throw her off of him. It was something that he could probably do, but it would only earn him an arrow to the back. Still, his people weren't the kind to beg for their lives.

When the woman's attention was fully on him once more, her words came with a more firm press of her blade to his throat. He felt the notable sting and then the feeling of blood dripping down his neck, but he didn't so much as flinch.

"It wasn't a try..." Zeke started simply. "And if you ever challenge me without your archers you will find out, the hard way."

Zeke paused after he spoke, finally taking the time to think about the question she posed to him. "And what do I gain if I live to see tomorrow hmm? The chance to fight to the death until it ends up being me who dies? How about I give you the choice instead? You could choose to kill me and surround yourself with sniveling yes men, or keep a man alive who can tell you where you went wrong?"

It was a dangerous game, and Zeke knew it, but a blind surrender just wasn't in his nature. He didn't hope for death, but he was ready to accept it if it was necessary.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra scoffed at his words. He really didn't think very highly of her if he thought she wouldn't be able to take him without the protection of her archers. It was something she filed away mentally to ponder on at a later time. Perhaps a rematch if they were ever alone would be in order.

Her could feel her anger rise at his next words. She had chosen her men wisely and they were anything but snivelling yes men. They were fiercly loyal to her and knew what she was capable of, that is only reason they ever conceded to what she commanded of them. She could almost feel herself drowning in his dark eyes and she looked down at him and contemplated drawing her blade across his throat and ridding herself of him. But something stayed her hand. She wasn't sure if it was what was stirring inside at the feel of his body pinned beneath her, or the fact that she was curious to find out how he would react when she gave him the terms of his surrender.

"I do not need a man to tell me where I go wrong," she finally replied, easing the pressure on the blade slightly. "If I decide to keep you alive, know this, you will not be a free man. You will belong to me to do with as I wish."
Motioning to her guards to enter the cage again, she withdrew her blade and moved off him, kicking his sword out of his reach.

"Bind him and take him to my chambers," she ordered, taking a deep breath before turning her back on him in blind faith that her guards would be able to subdue him.

 

[LucianDevine]

When the woman let up on pressure with which she held her blade to his neck, Zeke let out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. He heard her words, but waited until she pulled the blade from his neck to speak.

"I'm already not a free man, what difference does that make?"

Zeke's words came just after the woman kicked his blade away. He'd had plenty of opportunities to let himself die. So when the woman made her command and the guards move to surround him, he chose once again to avoid that fate. He didn't fight them as they hauled him to his feet. Nor did he resist when they "escorted" him to her chambers. A man held each of his arms, and there was a pair of guards both in front and behind them, ensuring that the prisoner was secure and that people kept their distance.

As he was guided through the last castle Zeke tried to commit the path to memory, but quickly gave up. With the six men around him and a fairly steady group of curious and followers. The "tour" ended on the top level of the castle at the end of a long hallway with doors on either side. Their destination however, ended up being the door at the very end.

When the door swung open, Zeke was not surprised to see a large and lavish space, though he was a bit surprised to see that everything was black. The sheets on the bed were black, the canopy around it was black. Even the armoire was black. The only thing in the entire room that wasn't black was the white clawfoot tub. When the door was closed he turned in the other direction to see that part of the room was blocked by a solid black curtain. He didn't have time to think about it though, because he was quickly ushered into the middle of the room. A pulley was used to lower a couple of shackles from the high ceiling while another pair of shackles were found for his feet. When the guards were done, his hands and wrists were shackled, his legs spread about as wide as they would go without injury. The ceiling shackles had been pulled up so that every muscle in his arms and legs were pulled taut, leaving him completely immobile except for his head.

Zeke hated the position that he was in, but knew that it was essentially unavoidable unless he wanted to be dead. Still, the position was...uncomfortable to say the least, especially since he had nothing but a loincloth covering his body. With that small exception, every bit of him was exposed and vulnerable. Dried blood caked his face and chest, both from his own slight injuries and from the man he'd bludgeoned to death.

 

[Kaena]

She had to concede that he spoke the truth. He wasn't a free man from the moment he was captured by her men, so telling him that he was not to be free was kind of redundant. She watched as her guards surrounded him and quickly pulled him to his feet. She was suprised that he had not fought them, but it appeared he had enough sense to live to fight another day. As he was led from the cage, she turned to look around at the crowd that had dimished considerably since their source of entertainment had ended. The night had stretched into the early morning hours and she knew it wouldn't be long before the stragglers made their way home, therefore she didn't feel any guilt of ignoring her host duties and following after the guards and their prisoner.

As they entered her chamber, she stood silently and watched as her guards skillfully restrained him in the center of the room. She had to admit the site of his strong body stretched before her at her mercy stirred something inside her. She licked her lips slowly as she approached him, waving her guards away with a dismissive motion of her hand. They quickly backed out of the room, leaving her alone with the man.

She slowly circled him, her fingers brushing lightly over his skin as she took stock of his injuries. She realized quickly the most of the blood on his body was not his, but that of the man he had killed. Still there was the mark where her sword had kissed him and the small cut on his throat made by her knife. Her eyes travelled down his body to his loin cloth, her hand moving to the tie that held it in place. Looking up at him, she pulled the string causing his loin cloth to fall the floor as she flashed him a mischevious grin.

She moved away to wet a clean cloth in the wash basin on the sideboard and returned to run the cloth down his bare skin, washing the as much of the sweat and blood from his skin that she could. Once she he was cleaned to her satisfaction, she discarded the cloth and resumed the light brush of her fingers along his skin, trailing down his stomach and along his inner thigh.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke wasn't surprised when the woman waved her guards away with a single motion of her hand, nor was he surprised by the way she slowly circled him. The light brushing of her fingers across his skin as she did so was a bit unusual, but his face remained stoic, refusing to budge. His gaze followed her whenever she was in front of him, defiantly meeting her gaze where many, likely including some of her subjects, would be afraid to do.

The sight of the woman's eyes travelling down to his loin cloth was another thing that didn't surprise Zeke, but when her hand suddenly moved to the tie that held it in place, his face flinched with surprise for the first time. Her blue gaze showed nothing but confidence as her fingers undid the simple knot that held it in place. He swallowed hard as his cock was revealed to her. He'd been completely vulnerable before, but for some reason being completely naked before her made him feel even more so.

The sight of the mischievous grin that came to the woman's face as she exposed the full of him to her eyes sent tingles through Zeke's body. He let out a soft sigh of relief when she turned and walked away, but that relief was short-lived. The woman returned, and the fact that she wasn't carrying anything sharp made him happy. He was no stranger to pain, but being naked and immobile had a way of putting things into a different perspective.

The touch of the cloth, and the cool liquid it had been dipped into pulled an involuntary sigh from Zeke. The ride to this place had been anything but kind, not to mention the bit of time he'd spent completely exposed in the sunlight. His people rarely burned, but they also tended to take proper precautions to avoid it, something he naturally hadn't had the ability to do. The touch she used was eerily gentle, not unlike the touch of her fingers from before. It firmed a bit when she had to scrub a particular spot or another, but all in all she was curiously...kind.

Everything changed when the woman was eventually satisfied with her work and discarded the cloth. When her fingers returned, they did so with a more-defined purpose. They trailed down his stomach, grazing over the bit of hair that led to his groin on their way to his inner thigh.

Zeke was no stranger to a woman's touch, and despite the situation he found himself in, her touch had his body stirring. His flaccid cock twitched and slowly started to harden. He tried to will it not to, but his efforts were futile. His hands clenched into fists and he briefly struggled against the chains that held him so. All of his efforts were for naught though, and his body continued to tingle and pulse, even after his cock had reached it's full nine inches long and an inch and a half diameter. The small slit at the tip of it flared with each deliberate brush of her fingers. While he couldn't stop his body from responding, Zeke did try to at least keep his face emotionless, trying to keep that small semblance of control for himself, even if the rest of his body was currently doing what it wanted.

 

[Kaena]

Kearra couldn't help but smirk to herself at his body's reaction to her touch. Every man had their weakness, and it appeared like she had found his. She was impressed though at his stoic expression, his face a stark contrast to his body. When he started to struggle in his chains, her pulse quickened. She enjoyed a man that put up a fight, and his calmness had been a disappointment up to this point. When he fell still again, she sighed in disappointment once more and moved her hand away from his body.

"You confuse me boy," she said softly, her eyes raising to meet his. "I thought you had alot more fight in you than that. Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled to herself again as she moved to position herself behind him. Reaching around him, she ran her fingers lightly along his hard cock, her body pressing into him.

"What is your name boy?" she asked, her breath hot against his neck. Her fingers encircled his hard cock and slowly slid down the shaft. She wondered if he would be able concentrate enough to answer her questions as she skillfully toyed with him. "How did you come to be a prisoner in my kingdom?"

 

[LucianDevine]

A soft sigh slipped from Zeke as he once again let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. There wasn't much slack for him to take deep breaths in this position, but he did the best he could.

The woman's words were soft for the first time as she wondered if he'd given up already. He continued to hold her gaze until she moved behind him, and he reflexively tightened, expecting some form of pain. What he got was quite unexpected, even giving the way she'd been teasing him just moments ago. The combined feeling of fingers running lightly over his cock, the feel of her soft curves against his back, and the feel of her hot breath on his neck pulled a sharp gasp from him.

"What does my name matter?" Zeke asked defiantly, even as his own body continued to betray him. "You are going to do with me what you wish, by your own admission..." Zeke's words trailed off as he felt her fingers close around his achingly hard cock and slide slowly down the full of it's length. His toes curled, and his hands clenched into fists again as his body quaked beneath her unexpectedly gentle touch.

Zeke swallowed hard once more, and forced another deep breath, having to pull at the chains to give his lungs enough room to expand. "Your men attacked my village, killing who they had to, raping who they wanted, and enslaving the rest." Several deep and shuddering breaths came before Zeke spoke once more. "They feared us as a group, even as slaves. So before making the long trip here, they made a stop at a local slave auction to sell and trade. I would say to ask the other slaves in the cart, but they aren't in the position to talk right now."

The thoughts about his village brought the rage back to Zeke once more. He pushed every bit of strength that he had into his muscles as he flexed and pulled, straining against the chains that didn't budge an inch. When his body fell limp once more, his chest straining a bit to get oxygen back into his body, he spoke one last time. "The bastards kept me just so that I could be entertainment at your stupid fucking celebration, and now here we are."

 

[Kaena]

Kearra hadn't expected him to give his name freely the first time she asked so she paid his answer no heed. It was his next words that made her withdraw her hand from its expert teasing and step away from him, her anger flaring. He had to be lying, there was no way her men would disobey her like that. But then again what would he accomplish by lying to her. Maybe he was delusional and thought she would let him go if she thought he was unfairly captured and imprisoned.

“You have nothing to gain by lying to me,” she sneered, her voice turning cold and venomous. “My men are loyal to me, they would never disobey me and attack a peaceful village.” Her voice faltered for a second at her own words, something she hoped he wouldn’t notice. Perhaps she was the one that was delusional. Maybe her men weren’t as loyal as she thought. No, he had to be lying he just had to. She just had to find a way to get the truth from him.

Stepping away from him she moved quickly to her armoire and opened it to reveal an ample supply of tools she use to drag the truth out of him. Picking up her whip she unfurled it, letting the leather crack wickedly against the floor.

Moving back behind him she raised arm and brought the harsh leather down across his naked back. A couple more strokes if the whip appeased her anger enough to allow her to take a step back and think clearly again, the hand holding the whip hanging loosely at her side.

“I’ll give you one more chance to give me your name and tell me the truth of how you ended up here.,” she said running her finger lightly along one of welts the whip left in its wake. “After that I will not be as merciful.”

 

[LucianDevine]

The woman's reaction to his words were to be expected. She pulled her hand from his cock and stepped away. Her first words came with confidence and a sneer, and sadly the words were true, even if she didn't believe them. The second batch was not nearly as confident though, and his heart leapt a bit at that. If he could get her to see reason he might be able to leave.

Any hopes of being let go were dashed when Zeke saw the contents of the armoire that the woman went to, and doubly dashed when he saw what she pulled out of it. He wanted to cuss aloud, but knew that it would only make him look guilty. He watched her walk behind him, and wanted to say something to stop her, but he'd already said what he could. She was clearly pissed off, and anything he said to her in this moment would only piss her off even more.

Zeke took another deep breath, once again having to fight for it, giving the restraints. He'd heard the first crack of the whip on the floor and had no doubts as to what was coming next. The first crack of the whip against his back caught him off guard and pulled a sharp hiss from his lips. His body tensed in response, and his eyes clenched shut. Still, he forced his body under some semblance of his control. He heard the swing of the whip coming again, and braced himself this time. It didn't help with the stinging pain, but the hiss that he let out was softer. The third and final strike pulled another sharp hiss from him.

The woman seemed to be appeased with the three strikes, and Zeke was glad for it. He He did have a high tolerance but the the combined circumstances of the past couple of days had slowly started to take their toll on him. His head sagged a bit, making his short black hair hang over his forehead.

The woman's words came with a strangely tender touch as she traced one of the welts that her whip had made. Despite his circumstances, he had to actually stifle a chuckle.

"You said it yourself. I have nothing to be gained from lying, and everything I've done up to this point shows that I want to live. My name is Zeke, and I am telling you the truth." Zeke took another long and slow breath as he lifted his head once more. "What you do from here is all on you."

 

[Kaena]

The tiny bit of doubt she had that he was lying continued to grow as he spoke. He had felt and saw what she was willing to do to make him tell the truth and yet he still was adamant that he wasn't lying in the first place. For the moment she was glad she was still standing behind him so he would not be able to see the expression on her face. A mix of anger at sadness at the realization that her men, or at least those at the helm of her army, had disobeyed her so blatantly. She was new to ruling the kingdown, but, if they were already willing to disobey orders, what would happen if she allowed them to continue on this course.

Putting the whip down on her sideboard, she withdrew the leather cord that hung around her neck from where it nestled in her shift. On the end of the cord hung the key to chains that held Zeke in place. Until she was able to confront her General, she had no intention of letting Zeke go, however, she could see the his exhaustion written all over his face at everything he had gone through in the last few days. He was right, what happened at this point was on her and she hoped she was making the right decision.

"I am going to free you from the chains," she said quietly, reaching up to slide the key in the lock at his wrists. "Don't try to escape. If you step one foot outside this chamber without me, you will be killed instantly." Brushing his hair from his eyes, she looked into his eyes for a moment in an attempt to read him before bending down to unlock the shackles on his ankles.

"I will error on the side of caution for the moment," she when she finished unlocking his chains. "If I find out that you are lying to me, you will truly feel my wrath." She stood close to him as he adjusted to being free. She knew he was strong, but, she didn't know if he had the strength to stand on his own after everything. She was ready to catch him if he collapsed.

 

[LucianDevine]

The moments after he spoke felt like an eternity for Zeke. He wanted to tense up to brace for the next strike of the whip, but part of him didn't care in that moment. Did it really matter if he screamed or not? He hated that his life was in her hands, but for now, there was no help for it.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye made Zeke turn his head. He saw the woman setting the whip down and let out a sigh of relief. It didn't necessarily mean that the worst was over, but he'd take any reprieve he could get right now, even if it had only been 3 strikes. He saw her hands reach for a leather cord around her neck and pull something out from where it had been tucked beneath her shift. He couldn't get a good look at first, but when the woman stepped close and reached her hands up for his shackles he knew it was the key.

The woman spoke as she used her free hand to brush the hair from in front of his eyes, and he met her gaze and offered up the smallest of nods. When the woman lowered herself down to undo the shackles at his feet every bit of logic and survival instinct told him to pounce on her. He could see it in his head, her beneath him with his hands around her throat, squeezing and squeezing until...

Zeke shook his head to clear his thoughts. A new thought came to his mind, and he then spoke it without hesitation. "The innocent don't run, because they have nothing to fear." His words were confident, but his body wasn't. He wobbled on his feet a bit. Between the lack of food, water, sleep, the shackles, the sun, and of course the few strikes of the whip, he just wanted to collapse. Something kept him on his feet though, and he managed to raise his head up and open the eyes that he hadn't even realize he'd closed.

"What happens now?" Zeke asked simply. Things were no less in her hands than they were before, except that he was free from the shackles.

 

[Kaena]

She knew she wasn't imagining the dark look that crossed his eyes for a brief moment as she gazed upon them. If she had been in his position, she was sure her mind would be filled with resentment and thoughts on how to kill the one who put her in it. She couldn't blame him for feeling that way. Still she didn't feel like she was in any danger from him, even though his hands were free .

A soft smile played on her lips at his words about the innocent. She hadn't thought of it like that before, but in reality it made sense to her. It also made her more confident in her decision to believe him for the time being. She was surprised that he was able to stand before her without collapsing, though she could see it was taking the last bit of his strength to do so.

"For now, you need some food and rest," she replied, leading him over to her large bed. She gently pushed him back against it so that he forced to sit down against the soft covers. "Tomorrow is a new day, which we will face when it comes." She deliberately didn't elaborate on what the future entailed, because she really didn't know herself. All she knew is that she would have to confront her army general in the morning and find out if Zeke was telling the truth or not.

Leaving him sitting on the bed, she went to the chamber door and pulled it open, startling the guard that was standing there. "Bring me some food and water," she commanded, sending the young man scurrying off down the hall. Within minutes he returned with a tray laden with several meats, cheese, breads and fruit and a pitcher of ice cold water. She step back out of the doorway and motioned him to put it down on the side board. He did what he was told without question, his eyes widening at the site of Zeke sitting naked on her bed. He turned to say something to Kearra but something in her look made him think otherwise and instead he scurried out the door and back to his post.

Closing the door behind him, Kearra turned her attention back to Zeke. Picking up the tray from the side board, she brought it over to the bed and set it down beside him.

"You need to eat to get your strength back," she said softly, holding out a piece of bread to him. She held her breath as she waited to see if he would accept her act of kindness after all that she had done to him.

 

[LucianDevine]

With his more violent thoughts behind him, Zeke allowed himself to be led by the woman towards the bed. It did lead to some apprehensions about what was going to happen next, given that she'd been handling his cock just a little bit ago, but he was too drained to bother with such things right now. He was much more focused on the offer of food and a chance to actually rest.

It was impossible to not be surprised when the woman ushered him to actually sit on the bed. Given her actions and words earlier, he'd half expected her to have him sit on the floor next to her bed. He swallowed hard but didn't actually resist her as she made to push him down onto the cover near the headboard.

Zeke didn't respond to the words the woman spoke before she turned her back and headed towards the door, though her use of the word "we" did stand out as an odd choice given their positions. He heard the door open and the command she gave, and while the wait wasn't long, it was certainly awkward with him just sitting on the edge of her bed with his cock hanging out. It had thankfully gone flaccid once more though.

Things definitely didn't get any less awkward when the man returned with the things that the woman had commanded. He of course knew that Zeke was there, and didn't miss the fact that he was stark naked. The man turned towards the woman, clearly wanting to say something, but quickly thought better of it, set the tray down where she wanted it and all exited the room as quickly as he could without running.

This moment was the first time that Zeke's attention wasn't focused on the admittedly beautiful room in front of him. He was almost salivating as he looked at the plate that was full of a variety of different meats, cheeses, breads and fruit. The pitcher of water also seemed to be calling his name.

Waiting was the hardest thing for Zeke in that moment. His violet eyes stared lustfully at the plate, but he didn't dare reach for it. One could barely call what the two of them had any sort of peace. I mean she'd just taken the whip to him, even if it was only three cracks. Hell, for all he knew this could just be a test. So he waited, his tongue flicking across his chapped lips as his fingers twitched.

Even when the woman moved to pick up the tray, carry it towards him and set it down beside him, Zeke still didn't move. Even when she leaned down to grab a piece of bread, and his position might have given him an enjoyable view of her womanly curves, his gaze never wavered from the plate of food. Only when she held that piece of bread out for him did his gaze lifted to meet hers. His eyes moved back and forth between her eyes and the bread a couple times before he acted. It was as impossible to know if this was a test as before when the plate was unattended. Where he was able to resist the temptation before though, he did give in this time. His hand lifted and reached out to take the piece of bread.

"Thank you..." Zeke said in an uncharacteristically soft voice before lifting the piece of bread to his mouth and eating it.