The Emperor's Pleasure

[poohlive]

He moved down, moved off of her, his legs leaving hers almost apologetically. They did not want to, leaving such a touch so intimate and carnal that it could not be spoke into words.

Still, he kneeled behind her, beneath her, running his hands down her legs now. Down her thighs, rich and round. They reacted to each touch, each finger, each probing caress of him. From above he could hear her audible excitement, pleasure as it ran down her body, or did it run up from his touch?

It seemed to do both, rippling across her body like waves in a pond, touching shore to shore, reverberating back and forth. He knelt down, his breath hot, close to her sex. She had parted her legs, only slightly, only the smallest hint of pink could be seen between such luscious thighs.

His hands worked harder, pressing down. To her calves, each one being rubbed, back and forth, his rhythm undeniable, building up. He could feel it building now, their tension, her excitement, his own growing need. It all build, adding on, touching and pulling in such selfish areas.

And then her feet. Rough calloused hands met such soft gentle feet. She became so pliant under his touch, so soft. Had she ever been so soft before? When she begged him to fuck her, when she screamed out her orgasm as he pushed her against the wall had she still been as soft? He did not know, he could not remember.

But, his hands ran up, fingers wandering, probing, running up her legs. Her inner thighs parted, only slightly once more. Just a small part, and he saw her wet dripping sex.

One finger brushed it lightly, the other bolder, running across her slit, gathering up the moisture beading along her lips, and taking it to his mouth.

Yes, she tasted sweet as honey. Sweeter.

 

[brigid_fitch]

Lost in herself, the moment--weeks of pent-up frustration, fear, anguish all coming to a crescendo as she lay upon the pillows in Tallon's chambers--Shanti barely heard his hoarse voice telling her to stop. She was so close; why should she stop? She was done making decisions for him, trying to maneuver him to where she thought she wanted him. If he wanted her to stop, let him do something about it.

And he did. Before she knew it, he had flipped her over onto her stomach, her pert ass once again in the air as though she were in supplication. However, his mannerisms showed none of their earlier roughness, his hands actually gentle on her skin, almost tentative. She could imagine what was going through his mind--he was about to commit the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate treason. For a moment, she thought about stopping him, or at least asking him to stop. He was at a fever pitch now--she doubted she could physically stop him at this point, but perhaps she could reason with him. But his voice, gruff and hoarse with obvious lust, cut off any other sound.

You must not tell anyone, I have to trust you, if this is found out I will lose everything and so will you, can you be trusted????

There was fear in that voice, too, and a pang of sympathy shot through her. Again she wrestled with attempting to stop him, to save himself, but the head of his huge cock rubbed against her swollen pussy and she longed to feel him inside of her. Selfishness won out over reason and she no longer wanted him to stop. He could trust her. He had to trust her. Because now, they only had each other. Unable to find her voice, Shanti could only nod assent before Tallon plunged inside of her. She moved back against him, her tight cunt enfolding his cock, drawing him deep inside of her as she moaned in sheer pleasure. He was gentle with her, as though afraid to hurt her. His rough, calloused hands on her hips guiding her along his shaft, building the rhythm slowly. She ground against him, wanting all of him, rocking back and forth, increasing the speed.

Once again, his hand was in her hair, pulling her head back. She offered no resistance and slowly pulled herself upright so that she was on her knees, her body against his, held by his huge arms. She leaned her head back in search of a kiss. She needed this connection more than the sex; she needed confirmation that they were together in this, equals. And when his lips found hers, that connection was made. A deep, passionate kiss, their tongues darting in and out as he continued to thrust up and into her in a steady rhythm. Their moans were all she could hear; his hands, his lips, his cock inside her all she could feel. She did not want this moment to end, but she felt herself so close. She had brought herself nearly to orgasm before Tallon had stopped her and now, with him buried inside her, wrapped in his strong arms, the intensity of their kiss, it overwhelmed her. Shanti broke the kiss as the orgasm welled up inside of her. She could feel it, a rolling wave of pleasure, slowly building at her very core as she rode Tallon's cock with renewed effort. Tight muscles constricted around Tallon's cock, clutching at him, holding him inside her as the wave became larger, consuming her. A scream of pleasure ripped from her throat and she slumped against his heaving chest, letting the wave overtake her as it never had before.

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

She felt a sudden chill as Davis moved off her. It wasn’t the air; the air in her room was comfortable and maintained for her comfort. She chilled at the absence of his heat, the loss of his skin against hers, his legs over hers. She shifted and stretched on the bed, her body moving as if seeking his again. She did not stop until she felt his warm rough hands running down the back of her leg. His touch made her warm again and she could ease beneath his soothing fingers.

Easing, soothing but no longer relaxing, each touch increased her arousal, heightened her desire. Each touch, each caress, sent thrills over her skin and deep into her belly. As before, she didn’t think while he was easing the tensing from her tight muscles, now she didn’t think as his touch began to lift her desire higher. She didn’t want to think, she only wanted to feel his hands on her skin moving down her body. She legs opened, revealing the warm pink of her sex as his hands moved into the muscles of her calves. Her hips rose from the bed, a barely perceptible instinctive reaction to the rhythm of his touch. Even her soft feet little feet were graced by the touch of his callous hands, and her pink toes curled in acknowledgement of the pleasure.

She could barely hold still as Davis’ hands moved back up the length of her legs. Finally, she tried to focus her mind on her desire. She wanted him. She felt his finger brush her pussy and another touch run along the slit where the moist lips met. There could be no mistaking that she was ready and wanted him. She tossed her head to the side, throwing her hair over her shoulder and carelessly sending hairpins flying. Unveiled by her hair, she looked over to him. Her lids were heavy and her green eyes burned with the fire of her desire for him.

“I want you, my pet. Can you tell?” She stretched her arms over her head, running her palms over the slippery silk of the bed. She pulled her hands back and raised her herself on her elbows, lifting her breasts from the bed. Her pink nipples were full, tight, and lifting higher as she arched her back and neck. She lowered her chest back to the bed and slowly pushed her body back, her legs folding as she moved until her bottom rested on the heels of her feet.

She grinned, “What shall it be? Should I let my desire for smolder while I go to the bazaar? Should I climb on your lap and fuck you while you kneel? Should I tie you to the bed and entertain myself with your beauty?” Shaking her head, she reached out and ran her hand up his thigh; her fingers barely grazed the tip of his cock. She wanted him to fuck her. She wanted to be on her knees, to feel his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips as he drove his cock into her cunt. She wanted to be wild, like an animal, she wanted him to loose control. She needed to feel… She wanted what she could never have.

With a childish scream and the threat of a tantrum, she buried her face in the pillows. It took her a moment to control her frustration if not her desire, but when she rolled over onto her back she was smiling again, almost.

“You missed a spot, my precious.”

 

[poohlive]

Davis wished he knew more of the girls in this country, their thoughts and culture. He felt sometimes as if the women had some seperate part they never told the men about, something they could keep special and precious all by themselves. And when a man witnessed something, he just stood confused, wondering how something so odd could take place.

He didn't know whether to fuck her or comfort her. She looked at him, smooth as silk, her eyes begging for sex. That moment of confusion, insanity completely lost from her. It had never happened, tucked away deep in her darkness.

Why was he here? Had no one done this to her before, no one been this close? Was she scared of him, or scared for him?

He crawled on top of her, slow and steady, his movements purposeful. Hands against the side of her body, muscles pressing into her soft flesh. He found her lips, capturing them, drawing kisses from her as he might water from a well. Never ending, deep and succulent, taking her breath from her lungs, the sweet taste from her lips.

His hands moved down to her bare breasts. She arced for him, those hardened nipples finding his hands as he kneaded them. He twisted the nipples, just painfully enough to feel her move and twitch under his touch. Then he would smooth himself, relax. He thought that was best, keeping her on some razor edge of pleasure, never pushing off too far, but never pulling back either.

Would she like it, enjoy it?

Her legs already spread for him, her cunt hot, dripping, rubbing against his cock. They stood there, bodies aligned perfectly. He reached down, guiding his cock into her heated depths.

In one simple brutal move he grabbed her hair, pulled it back, and thrust deep inside of her. She tried to scream, but he caught it, inside another kiss. Their bodies joining as one, connecting. He was on top of her, just as a man and woman should be, their true positions.

He didn't know how long it would last, but he had gotten control once more. He decided not to waste it, but take it and see how far he could go. His hips did not relent, grinding himself deep inside of her, pushing into those wonderful depths.

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

She almost felt sorry for her beautiful slave – he was always so eager to please her, yet she found it so difficult to tell him what she wanted. It angered and frustrated her. It made her afraid. One day would she vent these feelings in a way she would regret or worse, find unforgivable?

She saw the confusion in Davis’ face, it would be so easy to resolve it for him, but she wanted to see his decision, his resolution. What did he want? What did he think she wanted?

It wasn’t what she expected. The look of determination in his eyes as he moved over her was not what she anticipated. His pace was measured and deliberate as he crawled on top of her, and she considered commanding him to stop immediately before it had gone too far. Then his lips took hers, pulling kisses from her before she knew she had any to give him. He stole her breath; he stole her thoughts, and he left her with only the taste of him on her lips, on her tongue and in her mouth.

His large strong hands were rough and callused on her smooth skin but she still ached for the feel of them, her back arching, pushing her breasts to his palms. He pinched, twisting the sensitive nubs of her nipples between his thick fingers. She felt of wave a panic rise in her, and she could almost hear the screams that always followed. Instead, a heady blend of pain and pleasure heaved through her, quelling the frantic terror before it could fully strike, leaving her moaning, and writhing beneath him.

She moved and shifted, her legs open, her heels digging into the bed as her cunt searched for his cock. She could feel him, hard and throbbing, she was hot, wet, and ready. She tried to take him before…

He took her, and muffled her scream with his kiss. He pulled her back by a fistful of her hair as he thrust into her with a single plunge. He filled her cunt with is cock while she filled his mouth her scream. She did not want to be taken. Her body quaked with great waves of fury as his weight pinned her to him. He had control, and delved into her, pushing inexorably deeper and deeper. She pushed her hands against his shoulders as if she hoped to move him. She felt him beneath her fingers, warm and hard, covered by the golden skin she loved to smooth her hands over.

He was different, different from before, and different from him. He had taken control but didn’t use it to punish or hurt her. He wasn’t like the others.

Davis was her treasure.

She moaned his name into his lips as her fingers dug into his shoulders. His name, not my pet, but Davis. She squirmed beneath him, as her emotions made the subtle shift from fury to passion. She lifted her knees and pressed her feet the bed, leveraging to raise her hips to meet the grinding of his. She felt as if she had to catch up to him, and follow him. She wasn’t certain she could wrest control from him, not now. He wanted it and he took it, it was better to relent than to fail to retake it.

But he lit the fire in her and it burned for him. Her hands moved down his back and held on to those fierce hard muscles that drove him into her while her hips met his with a grinding of their own. The sound of grunts and the pounding of her heart filled her ears. She tossed her head pushing it back into the bed, into his hand. Her body arced with the need to feel him, feel all of him pressed against her, pressing her deeper into the bed, pressing deeper into her.

 

[poohlive]

She took on her role as a woman, feminine and submissive in this position. He didn't think she would do it. He thought, like before she'd tell him to stop, her eyes pleading more than her words, and he'd be once more driven to choose what to do, ride his passion or obey his mistress.

Thankfully she didn't keep tempting him with such horrible choices, and he continued.

He never waivered over her body. It was like rough surf crashing against the beach, rough and continous. Their bodies even made the appropriate sounds, he cried out hard each thrust, and she accepted it, her moans light and frothy, her sounds of pleasure sweet against him.

The way she moved her hands, as if touching some sculpture. Even now in the heat of everything her small simple touch still drove him further than anything else. How could she command him and admire him at the same time, how could she scream for help and shower his skin with kisses?

He knew so little about her. Their only connection, their only real spark was sex. It seemed to be their catalyst, their design. He grabbed her hair again, forcing her back, making her lips open as he kissed away the pain once more.

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

So different and yet so familiar, without control or the battle for it, nothing seemed quite the same to Farsiris. Without the constant struggle for dominance, there could only be submission. She could even justify it without admitting that just for once she did not to fight. She had promised him a treat, if this is what he wanted, she would not deny him.

She could not analyze or mark the differences, she was too caught by them to make note. Her hands still delighted in the feel of him but they explored his flesh with soft caresses, her claws sheathed. Without the fire of battle alight in her every sensation was different, more intense, as her body had been wrapped in a blanket that insulated her from the deepest pleasures. She felt different; she was fragile, and delicate, as if it was only now that he could hurt her. She was defenseless against him. Her body accepted what he gave to her; she did take from him. Her hips moved beneath him, meeting his thrusts, following his steady rhythm instead of driving him to her own. Her breath came in whimpering moans, accenting both the pain and the pleasure of his forceful plunges into her hot wet cunt.

She reached to press her lips against the warm skin of his neck and cover his flesh with soft kisses. Grateful, thankful kisses? His hand pulled in her hair again, she moaned as he arched back her neck, forcing her mouth open for his silencing kiss. Her tongue hesitantly searched for his, as she tasted his lips on hers. She felt new and unused as she hesitantly explored a completely fresh experience, she could feel him without the barrier of her dominance and his submission. They had reversed their roles but instinctive responses remained constant and her cunt tightened around him as he drove his cock into to her. Her arms and legs entwined around him, clinging to him as if he could protect her from the heady new experience.

“Please, Davis.” She begged before she could stop herself, if she could have stopped herself. Her skin burned, but her body felt like water and moved in waves below and around him. The tight muscles of her tunnel surged on his cock, throbbing in an undulating rhythm as she rocked against him.

 

[poohlive]

He pounded deeper into her sex. It filled, sheathing him, taking him in deeper. The soft curves of her body cushioned his very thrusts, but it left them both hampered and fatigued. He could feel his muscles getting tired, worn from such exercise.

Had he ever been worn out before, ever exhausted from one girl? What was she doing to him, how could she be so different from the others?

The cacaphony of sounds hit him. The way they pushed together, sloppy, wet, hard, pounding. It increased in tempo, as if conducting their mating, directing it into some high rising climax. It would not take long, he could feel his excitement building, coming up from deep within him.

She begged him, but for what? Harder, softer, to stop, to continue? She begged him just to beg, just to be able to beg to someone in her life. He didn't think a girl like her knew how to beg, crawling on her knees, driving her sex into someone, making them plead in anticipation.

He rocked into her once more. His cock on the verge, dancing deep inside of her, twitching with delicious delight. He bent down, kissing her, biting her, nibbling soft flesh, fucking her cunt.

And then he came. He stopped, his cock deep inside, cumming, spreading, twitching into her. It erupted, a rush of liquid sex that filled them both. He had no more to give, except this moment, no more to take except what was left behind of their fuck.

He collapsed next to her, sweaty bodies mingling, hands searching for hers.

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

The weight of him crushed her into the soft bed, the power of his thrusts bruised her fragile skin, and the pleasure of him filled her to the core. She thought of nothing, there was nothing, there was only him. She breathed his scent, she tasted his skin, she heard his grunts, and she felt him with every nerve in her body. Her cunt encased his cock; her arms embraced him. She wrapped around him, snaking her arms and legs over him, she held on to him as if letting go would mean a deadly fall.

His lips, his mouth, his teeth, found her soft flesh with licks, with kisses, with bites. Her body cried out for release as her lips cried out in pleasure. His final thrust, hard, heavy, and deep, turned her moans to a cry, a scream, and a release. The closing steps of their primal dance, anticipated and awaited, her hips jerked, and her tunnel throbbed around his cock as her body freed its flood amidst a thousand thrills coursing through her. Her voice cried aloud through great gulping sobs as her fingers dug into him. Her mind was blanked by the climactic release, there was nothing else, and she was nothing else.

Davis collapsed next to her and as he searched for her hands, Farsiris searched for herself and looked for a way to cover her weakness. She had shared too much, shown him too much. The little piece of herself she always hid beneath her strong-will and fiery temper was never meant to be revealed ands she silently cursed herself for baring it to him. Although Farsiris’ breath should have begun to slow, anger with herself kept it coming quickly, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she fought the growing urge to childishly pound him with her fists and kick him from her bed. She wanted to blame him for what she knew to be her own fault but could not, and that frustrated her even more.

His hands found hers and her fingers tentatively curled around his. With aching and careful slowness, she rolled on to her side and leaned over him. She needed to see him, to read his face, to know what he was thinking but as she looked into his beautiful eyes, she decided it was all of little consequence.

She dipped her head to pull her hair off her flushed and smiling face, then she purred, “That was very nice, my pet.”

True, for a few minutes she had been his, but what mattered was he would always be hers.

 

[poohlive]

He realized that each time she said the word pet it cut into him. Into what little mandhood he had left. Whatever ground he got from her, she kept pulling him back. And to make things worse, he allowed it. He allowed her to act in such a way, letting her put him in his place.

He understood in this moment why she would sometimes scream and cry and bang her fists against nothing. He felt like he should do it too, but would rather want to throw her across the room, break her neck.

David's eyes glazed over, as he saw her reach for him. He just smiled, unable to think of such things for longer than a moment. The flash of pain, of guilt and frustration was gone from his face as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I am here, yours as always my Countess," He said, his hand coming across that slender neck, caressing it and then moving down.

"I wish I knew what you wanted" He asked, watching her eyes flutter, her scent still fresh on his lips.

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

She smiled as he leaned to kiss her, and although she returned his kiss, the touch of his lips against hers never disturbed the pleased expression on her face.

"I am here, yours as always my Countess," He said. His large hand slid across her slender neck. Does he ever think about snapping it, she wondered. Her mental shrug was almost visible, but it was only a passing thought and her own hand reached out to touch his forearm. Her toes snuck under his calves, as if her body was seeking additional points of contact while his hand moved down from her throat.

"I wish I knew what you wanted." He asked. She thought about it as his hand moved over her skin, she wanted him to touch her. She always did, even the casual run of his hand over her was pleasant in its relaxed intimacy.

Her soft voice carries both a sigh and a little chuckle, “Davis, you poor thing, I am a woman, half of the time I don’t know what I want. Sometimes, I think I know what I want. Other times, I know what I think I want. Very rarely can I say with absolute certainty what it is I definitely want.”

She traced her hand up his arm and across his shoulder until her fingers nestled in gold curls at his neck. “When I saw you, I knew I wanted you. Not just a Northman, I had to have you. There was something about you, I couldn’t define it; in fact, I still can’t.” She reached up, lifting her neck and arching her back until she could press a soft kiss to his cheek, “You have never disappointed me, my precious.”

 

[poohlive]

"How could I, if you never know what you want?" He had never spoken so openly with a woman before. And certainly never had one speak so openly to him. She spoke like a man, her words smooth and confident. Women never spoke such words, even if they were right, even if they knew what they wanted to say. Women did what his sister did, accused and half spit words of anger and resentment, but never outright speaking.

He got up, kneeling beside her, the bed groaning with his weight. He felt sad, he would break it before too long. Already they had worn it in, it seemed only a matter of time.

"You just... seem so sad sometimes, and angry. I know it is not because of me, but you do not show it to anyone else. Sometimes, I feel as if I'm the only one who sees this side of you, and I wish I were smarter, able to know what to do about it."

He knew enough of himself to know something was wrong, but not enough to know what. It was as if he were looking at lumber and asked by someone to build a ship from it. He knew what went where, and how the lumber would go together, what was needed for a ship, but even given the best tools he himself could not do anything more than pound away at useless nails.

"Why don't we do something you've been wanting to do?" He asked, hoping to cheer her mood, "You can show me off. We will go outside, and they will see your new pet. We will go shopping. I will be by your side the entire time. Let them look, and spread rumors and get jealous."

He smiled, kissing down her neck, "Let them see what they are missing."

 

[impish_pixie]

Farsiris

"You just... seem so sad sometimes, and angry. I know it is not because of me, but you do not show it to anyone else. Sometimes, I feel as if I'm the only one who sees this side of you, and I wish I were smarter, able to know what to do about it."

Smiling, she stretched out before him as he knelt next her on the bed. Her arms and hands over her head and her toes pointed beneath her, her body a slender alabaster line on the emerald silk of the bedcovers. “I am not broken, Davis. You cannot fix me.” Her long fingers played with her red curls, “I get angry, I am sad, true enough. However, I am also happy and feel content, sometimes, too. I am a creature of moods; I have always been so.” Her smiling face became pensive and her fingers top their toying. She wanted to turn away from him, to stop revealing so much of herself to him but his patient voice seemed genuinely concerned and somehow always stole the truth from her.

"Why don't we do something you've been wanting to do?" He asked, hoping to cheer her mood, "You can show me off. We will go outside, and they will see your new pet. We will go shopping. I will be by your side the entire time. Let them look, and spread rumors and get jealous."

He smiled, kissing down her neck, "Let them see what they are missing."

She tilted back her head, bearing her throat to his kiss as the expression on her face turned from thoughtful to smiling. As was her way, her mood turned quickly as she was reminded of something pleasant.

“No…” She lifted her back from the bed and rested her weight on her elbows. “I don’t feel much like shopping right now.” There was a teasing and playful gleam in her eyes as she cocked her head to the side. “I think we should go to baths. The ladies of palace will see you; they will be jealous and frustrated with unfulfilled desire.” She chuckled, “You will see the ladies of the palace and realize how fortunate you are to be mine and not one of theirs. They are mostly old and very dignified. Even the young ones, even if they are beautiful, they rarely smile and never laugh. Only my friend Nerise is different from the others but she tries very hard to be like them.”

She curled and uncurled her limbs until she knelt in front of him. With a giggling toss of her head, she wrapped her arms around his neck, “Then I will bring you back here, to my bed. I will be jealous that you have looked at all those naked ladies and seen all that bare skin laid before you. I will make you pay for your disloyalty, real or imagined.” Tallon would hear and he would be furious, but that couldn't be helped. She kissed the tip of his nose, all she could see was the mental picture of Davis tied to her bed. “A lovely idea I think.”

Then she reached for the bell pull to summon Besan. “Come, we must dress.”

 

[poohlive]

He pulled on the soft variant cloth which barely covered him. The garment seemed so ludicrus at times, but he carefully let it sift over his muscles, watching them bulge out in places, almost obscenely.

Then he stood by her side, awaiting her own clothes to slip wonderfully back onto her figure. Most women hid behind their clothes, bulking themselves up and making their figure disappear. Her clothing did nothing of the kind. It had some effect of making her somehow more beautiful. Every line became accented, her slim waist tailored with precision.

She had told him he would be punished though. David felt unsure on that. How would she punish him, what could she do? It would not be physical, she could do nothing to hurt him. Would it be mental, another of her games which she played? Loving him and then crying or screaming at him? He didn't know if he could handle that... that would indeed be a punishment.

Still, he stood by her side, and nestled against her neck until Besam walked in, which he bowed his head and remained still, waiting to go to the baths.

 

[Stranger34]

Tallon

And there, in that chamber, Tallon took the step that was to take him away from the Emperor, away from his life of service and honour, a step down the path of dishonour and disgrace. Or, conversly, towards a freedom that he had never experienced before. Which way will the tale play out?
At this point, it is impossible to tell, as Tallon grunts and groans, plunging his thick cock wildly inside the soft, velvety trap of Shanti's pussy,a slave at last to a slave, doing something he would not never have entertained just one short week ago. And there, as she bucks and wriggles back against him, moaning and begging him to empty his seed inside her, he does just that, his huge cock almost splitting her as his cum erupts out once more, filling her with his hot liquid life, trangressing all the rules of his calling.
And there, for a few moments, there is calm. Just the heavy, laboured breathing of the man, and the occasional soft whimper from the girl.

Now, as the mist begins to clear, Tallon begins to take stock of what has happened.
Will the girl be able to keep a secret? Will he be able to trust her? Or should he kill her now, with his bare hands, while she lies helpless beneath him?

 

[brigid_fitch]

She felt his cock spasm inside her, his arms constrict around her waist as he came. Her pleasure is already at its height and it climbs farther, moans of sheer pleasure escaping her. Shanti could never imagine this possible--all the games she played with the village boys seemed so long ago. The humiliation she endured as a slave in the Emperor's court forgotten. All she could think of was right here, right now, in Tallon's arms. And she became engulfed in the moment.

When it was over, Shanti did all she could to catch her breath. In the back of her mind, she knew what their act meant to Tallon. It was treason, punishable by death. She fought to regain her senses--he depended on her now. He needed to know he could trust her. If he had the slightest misgiving, he could snap her neck without effort.

"Tallon," she said softly. She turned to face him, disengaging herself from him at last. She put her arms around his huge neck and kissed him softly. "I thank you for what you have given me. I know what it meant to you." Her mind was racing. What could she say to the Head Trainer to make him believe that she would keep his secret? Tallon's eyes were still unfocused--he was undecided, but she had mere moments to convince him.

"You'll have to mark me," she said, her voice quavering, wondering if she could bear what was to come. "If the guards outside those doors see me stride forth unscathed, rumors will abound. You'll have to show that you have done service to the Emperor by 'training' me." And she kissed him again, tenderly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

 

[Stranger34]

Tallon

So, the act of treason had been commited. Now, surely, there was no way back. And yet, here was the girl. talking swiftly, coolly, with only the barest tremor in her voice to give away the fact that she knew she was talking for her life.
The training Mark....the sign that a girl had completed her training and was ready to serve, should the call come. Each Trainer had his own personal mark, not visible when the girl was clothed, but permanently available for inspection, as all girls were before a visit to the Emperor.
Tallon stood for a moment, undecided, one huge paw still in the girl's hair. The damage was done, and if he had any sense he would kill her, kill her now.........no-one would know. The girl had been disrespectful, had not trained properly, had not taken heed of his instructions........those were justifications easily believed by others, it happened all to often. And yet he had come this far, something inside him had changed, he did not believe he could go through with killing this girl, she had made him weak.........

All the while, the internal battle raged, the girl sitting close to him, the big hand gripping and relaxing in her hair as he thought.

Then he grunted an acknowledgement, pushed her roughly to the floor, and stood up.
"This way. Lie across the stool, the one next to the fireplace. Present yourself, and make no noise when it is done."
He moved swiftly to the place where the Marker was kept, close to the fire.

 

[brigid_fitch]

"This way. Lie across the stool, the one next to the fireplace. Present yourself, and make no noise when it is done."

Wide-eyed, Shanti looked towards the stool Tallon had indicated. This was not what she had in mind. She had expected him to mark her by hitting her. They had been together numerous times as he "trained" her, yet she alone of all the slaves had not even so much as a single scratch on her. The other girls were already starting to avoid her, tittering amongst themselves as to why she alone was obviously treated well. Especially when she was being trained by Tallon himself, the most ruthless of them all. The most charitable girls simply believed Shanti to be a willing student and scorned her, while others suspected her of bewitching the Head Trainer, and were afraid of her.

But Tallon was beside himself, torn by lust and his sworn duty to the Emperor. He ought to kill her outright, spare himself the humiliation and torture that the Emperor would exact upon him if he were to discover Tallon's treason, but Tallon obviously couldn't bring himself to do that to the raven-haired girl. All was evident on Tallon's face, in those god-like eyes. Shanti couldn't find a way out. She moved towards the stool, trance-like, legs still weak from their long love-making session.

In her moment of desperation, a thought occurred to her. "Tallon," she looked over her shoulder and addressed her lover. "What will happen to me once I'm marked? Will that mean my 'training' is over and I am to be turned over to the Emperor, never to see you again?"

 

[Stranger34]

Tallon

Tallon hesitated once more. His relationship to this girl seemed to be defined by hesitation and confusion, as much as his military life was defined by action and decision. He knew as well as she did that once the mark was made, Shanti would pass from his life and into the concubine pool in the Emperor's sanctum, and he would almost certainly never see her again.
Perhaps he had been hasty in suggesting the mark be made now. But the girl was right in another sense, too - he had been too easy on her.
" I would not wish you to pass yet, to the Emperor, the time is not yet right." The voice was deep and gruff, gruffer than usual, and Shanti held very still.
"Despite your many gifts, you still have much to learn."
Was she fooled by this? Any more than he was? nothing in Shanti's gaze betrayed any sense of playing a game, she had lowered her eyes, and was nothing less than a respectful slave, waiting for her next order.
"Now, bend over the stool. Be quick."

Shanti obeyed this time, draping herself across the stool, her, pale, smooth bottom exposed, to whatever treatment was to be meted out to her. Was he going to brand her anyway?

Tallon moved swiftly away from her, and stood by the fireplace. The branding irons were there, and the embers were still hot. He paused for a moment, as though weighing up his options, and then moved a few steps to the left of the fireplace and pulled a strap from the wall.

"This I am doing, so that you will have something to show the others. It will hurt. I will expect you to make no noise. I am going to give you five strokes with the strap, and then you will dress, and leave. Do you understand?"

The beautiful raven head nodded once, in assent, and Tallon gazed once more upon the lithe, sensual body, noticing the contrast between raven hair and pale skin, and felt for a moment a surge of hatred towards the Emperor, his master, for making him give up this beautiful girl, and then the familiar lust, the ache to hurl himself upon her pale body and take her, to possess her until both were completely exhausted.

The first blow landed hard, aimed with a slightly shaky hand, connecting at the tender point where the thighs meet the buttocks, with a loud CRACK. Shanti winced, but made no noise. At first there was no pain, just numbness and shock, but as the second blow landed, steadier this time, directly across her pale cheeks, the feeling began to return, stinging like needles, and she could well imagine the bright red welt that was staining her pale skin. Blows three, four and five were accurate, and hard, and hurtful, but the only other noise in the room was the soft grunt emitted by Tallon as he brought the strap down, and the creak of the wooden stool as her weight shifted with the impact of each blow. From Shanti herself, there was no noise at all.