The Torturer Wearing his usual pitch-black robe, Ayden made his way down the spiral staircase, the sound of his shoes echoing off the stone walls surrounding him. As he did every day, he glanced out the arrow slit in the wall on his right, getting his only glimpse of the sun for the day. Its morning brilliance shone through the narrow, vertical gap in the stone, casting a white line on the central column of the staircase. The whole area darkened for a moment as his robe absorbed the light, and then he was past it, continuing down the stairs into the torch-lit twilight. "Lovely mornin' isn't it," commented Jake, the burly watchman who was waiting at the entrance to the dungeons. He chuckled at his own joke, for down here beneath the castle it was always cold, and the only light was from the torches burning on the walls. "As always," Ayden replied, smiling. "Got any news for me today?" Jake always seemed to know everything that was going on despite never seeming to leave his post outside the heavy wooden door. "Well, lemme see…" Fumbling at his waist, Jake collected the key ring hanging there and turned to open the door. "The Princess 'as gone on one 'o them sabbatical wot'zits, so ye won't 'ave her to drool over." Jake grinned toothily. "I have better taste than that," Ayden replied, chuckling. His daily walk to and from his room meant that he would pass by the royal gardens, and usually caught a glimpse of the young Princess when she wasn't surrounded by a dozen retainers. It was every man's dream to get the Princess in bed with them, and whilst Ayden agreed that she was beautiful, he had met her once or twice during a meeting with the King, and she had acted like a spoilt brat the whole time. She had lost some of her charm after that. "Oh, Giles lost 'imself a prisoner last night, too. A fairly important sorta fellow, he was." With a thud the bolt slid back, and Jake pushed the door open with one hand. "Sloppy," Ayden said, rolling his eyes as he walked through into the staircase beyond. "Does the King know yet?" "Furious, he is. I bet Giles'll be gettin' a visit from his re-placement soon." "No doubt he will," Ayden said, turning around to shake his head. "Let's hope the Guild sends someone competent." "Like yourself, Sir?" Jake grinned again. "Not quite, I don't want to be out of a job!" Jakes' laughter followed him as he started down the next set of stairs, cutting off as the door closed behind him. It was deathly silent now as he descended, as if the torches burning brightly on the walls were afraid to make a sound. Even the air seemed to grow oppressive, filled with the fear and despair of the people who lived below. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ayden took a deep breath, drawing in the familiar scents of the air; the smell of the torches, the wood of the heavy doors along the short corridor before him, and the heavy smell of the stone surrounding him. The Torturer was home. Plucking a key from within his robe, he slotted it into the first door on the left and twisted, hearing the bolt slide back into the mechanism. With a tug it opened, and replacing the key in his pocket, he stepped through and shut the door behind him. A further set of stairs lay before him, curving down to the left around the outer wall of a large, circular room. To his right, set into the wall as the steps moved down, were a series of cells cut into the bedrock, heavy iron bars and an equally heavy door blocking in each one. The light of the torches burning around the walls turned them into shadowy holes, and as Ayden passed on his way down, the quiet sound of chains rubbing against stone could be heard as their occupants stirred at his arrival. Ayden eyed each cell as he walked, noting the empty bowls that sat just inside the door of each one. There were only four cells currently occupied, and as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he paused outside the last one, smiling at the bowl that was still full of food. "Smells delicious, doesn't it," he said into the shadows, and leant down to take a deep, dramatic whiff of the stew that was rapidly cooling at his feet. An angry growl answered him from the back of the cell, rough and yet distinctly female. "Now, now, remember how you got here," he told her reproachfully. His sharp ears picked up her soft whimper, and he smiled. "Perhaps tomorrow you will be in a better mood," he said, straightening up. "I'll leave this here for you… in case you get hungry." He turned away as the girl inside squealed pitifully, and launched herself at the bars with a clatter of chains. Her pale skin shone in the torch light as she tried to claw her way past the iron bars keeping her in, but with the chains that connected her shackled wrists to the heavy band locked around her waist, she could do little but wave them futilely. Each ankle carried a similar shackle, which was joined to its twin by a short chain, effectively hobbling her. A shining, steel collar encircled her neck, trailing a chain that Ayden knew was locked to a ring set into the stone at the back of the cell, meaning that even were she able to squeeze through the bars, which had happened before, she couldn't go very far. But it was the leather harness that was strapped around her hairless head that really stood out. A thick layer of black hide covered her face from the bottom of her nose down underneath her chin, held there by straps around the back of her head and up the ridge of her nose and over her bald scalp. The thin chain that lay almost hidden underneath the straps belied the presence of the wooden ball filling her pretty little mouth underneath the leather, ensuring that she remained silent and completely unable to eat. She would have looked young even if her head had not been shaved bare, with her small breasts and slender figure. Her blue eyes were filled with tears as she watched her tormentor walk away like she was nothing, instead of the daughter of a man who hadn't paid his debts. Each day that passed, she hoped that he would pay the money so she could be free, and each day she remained in her cell, fearing that she would be the next unlucky girl to spend her waking hours in the company of the Torturer. Ayden would never starve one of his clients, because even though a strong and healthy person was harder to break, a strong and healthy person could also take more punishment, and in the end he thought it evened out. He was making her hungry to make her miserable, which was exactly what he was required to do until her father paid up. Reaching the bottom of the room, Ayden slipped off his robe and laid it down on the small bench by the base of the steps, revealing an outfit of a loose shirt and pants that was purely practical. The air was cool on his skin, but he was used to it and seemed perfectly comfortable as he picked up the sheet of paper lying on the bench beside his robe. Turning around, he surveyed the four wooden circles set into the stone of the floor. Each one had a hatch in the middle, through which a heavy chain ran right up to the ceiling and down to one of the winches directly across the room from him. On three of the circles, the hatches lay wide open revealing the dark pits below, but the fourth one was closed with its chain running through a cut-out in the corner. Nodding to himself, Ayden looked down at the sheet in his hands, its neatly handwritten message giving him the instructions for his new client. He shook his head when he saw that she was to remain blindfolded so she could not be identified. It happened every now and then, usually the daughter of a rich merchant sent into his care for a few days after refusing a marriage or something equally foolish. He just took it in his stride and ensured that the client would do her best to avoid his company in the future, wondering who exactly he was going to tell if he recognised the girl. Having absorbed its typically vague contents, he put the sheet down and walked over to the closed hatch. Catching the ring on the top with one hand, he pulled it open, allowing the chain to swing free below. If the pit's female occupant made any sound, he didn't hear it as he walked over to the correct winch and began to turn the crank, slowly drawing the chain up from the pit. The chain went taut quickly, and with a grunt he began working harder, lifting the girl up from below. Her hands emerged first, knuckles white as she held onto the chain that was joined to the shackles around her wrists. Her slender arms showed her straining muscles clearly, the peachy pink skin looking soft and cared for. The top of her bald head appeared soon after, her scalp slightly red underneath the thick leather straps digging into her flesh. Ayden had seen enough girls in the same situation to tell that she would have looked stunning back when she had hair, and even without it was still beautiful. Starting at the back of her skull, the lowest strap around her head was holding a wooden ball back between her pearly white teeth that kept her quiet. From there the straps ran up the back of her head and over her scalp to her nose, where it split and ran down her cheeks and met up again under her jaw, ensuring she could do little but bite down on the ball. A third strap with another padlock at the back went around the top of her head, holding two heavy, padded ovals over her eyes which ensured she remained blind. On either side there was a steel buckle that joined with two more straps that curved up from her cheeks to meet at the top of her head, ensuring she was unable to push the pads out of the way. Judging by the red skin around the buckles themselves, she had certainly tried. The rest of her body emerged through the hatch soon after, full breasts pulled flat against her chest from the strain on her arms and pink nipples hard in the cold air. Her waist had a heavy iron band encircling it, but unlike the girl now watching quietly from her cell, there was nothing attached to the d-rings spaced evenly around the outside of it. She was holding her legs together as the last of her body began to appear, her soft and freshly shaven labia nestled fearfully between her thighs, and a buttocks that Ayden couldn't help but admire. Her feet came out last, ankles shackled together with a short chain between them that rattled quietly as she swung in mid-air. With a click the winch came to rest and Ayden stepped back, sweat covering his bare arms and forehead. Turning, he began to walk slowly around the girl hanging before him, deliberately making sure she could hear his footsteps. Despite her position of helplessness, she had an air of confidence about her that amused him. He already knew she was someone who was used to being in control, and she would try her best to act like she still was. She would struggle with her modesty for a while, pulled between trying to be indifferent and the shame of her nakedness. Then as the days went on, her confidence would fade and she would give up trying to hide her self from him as she realised it was pointless. It was predictable, and yet his enjoyment of the whole process never wore off. Bringing his path in closer to where she hung, Ayden reached out and let one hand brush across her tightly stretched belly. He smiled as she twisted minutely before she caught herself and let him touch her, shivering as his hand slid around and across her lower back. Her skin had a silky softness that remained untouched by the cold of the pit, and he couldn't wait to cover it with the lines of the whip. But he was patient, and he had all the time in the world. "First, I will break you," he whispered, keeping his voice just loud enough so that she could hear. "There is nothing you can do to avoid it, and nothing you can say." He brushed his hand across her lower face, touching the gag filling her mouth and causing her to lift her head from resting on her chest. "Then, when I have your mind as well as your body…" His fingertips ran across her breasts, gently touching her hard nipples. "Then you will tell me everything." He continued to circle her in silence for another minute, watching the tiny movements as she tried to get comfortable. She would conserve her energy for a while, and then he knew she would start to resist as the reality of her situation sank in. "I don't know what you know, or why you are here. You will tell me all of that in good time." Moving in close, he stood in front of her so she could feel his breath on her face. "And once you tell me what you know, you will tell me all about it. I will find out about the guy you kissed behind the garden shed, where your father hides his money, and your darkest fantasies." He leant up close to her ear, making sure he remained in a position where she could not hurt him with her legs. "You will tell me everything," he whispered, and smiled at the tiny whimper that escaped her throat. And then with a swift movement he stepped away from her, and stood back with his arms crossed to let his words sink in, remaining totally silent. The leather pads over her eyes became useful at this point, because they meant she was never sure where he was standing. He watched the minute movements of her head as she tried to work out where he had gone, imagining the million different thoughts going through her mind. Where had he gone? What was he doing? Was he still watching her? Just when he thought her arms would begin getting tired, she whimpered, and shifted her failing grip on the chains. He knew that desperation would begin to set in as she realised she couldn't hold on forever, and that eventually she would have to surrender to the bite of the shackles around her wrists. He had waited almost the whole day once, standing in silence until the woman had let go and hung limply, sobbing helplessly. But he could already tell that this girl wouldn't last that long; she didn't have the muscles in her arms to keep holding herself up indefinitely. With infinite patience, he waited until with a rattle of chain first one and then the other hand slipped. She squealed in pain as the shackles bit into her soft skin, and much to his surprise was able to lift herself up with one hand long enough to take hold of the chain again. She was panting visibly as she hung there, swaying gently as her fingers screamed their fatigue. She lasted barely another minute, before again her grip failed and her full weight was placed on the shackles. The heavy iron cut into her skin as she squirmed weakly, her cries of pain suppressed by her defiance and the gag. He knew it hurt, but she wasn't prepared to admit it yet so he decided to wait a little longer. Ayden watched her through two failed attempts to regain her grip, before her defiance broke and she simply hung there and sobbed. The sound as he moved was enough for her to realise she wasn't alone, and her sobbing was instantly choked off. He smiled as he walked to the winch, seeing the dismay that briefly passed over her delicate features. He had won the first battle. With a series of clicks from the mechanism, he lowered her down so that her feet hung through the open hatch. She swung her legs forward and feeling the wooden planks beneath her feet, stood on them and sighed quietly as the strain on her wrists eased. In a position of relative freedom, she became angry when he didn't lower the chain far enough so she could put her hands down. Taking small steps, she turned around to where she thought he was and shook the chains urgently, trying to get his attention. Ignoring her, Ayden shut the hatch on the pit with a deliberate bang, making her jump. Whilst she stood in silent defiance, he went over to the base of the steps and selected a collar and one of the leashes that were hanging on pegs driven into the stone. He saw the tiny shiver that went through her chest as the chain rattled in his hands. "Lift your head," he said, his voice deceptively gentle as he stopped in front of her, the collar open and ready. At once she straightened up, but it was defiance and not obedience that made her move. He smiled at the almost regal way she held her head up high, as if snubbing him despite her position of inferiority. The defiant ones were always so much fun. He knew she tried to hide it, but the unexpected touch of cold iron on her throat made her breathe in sharply. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but Ayden knew it was just another chink in her armour as he closed the collar around her delicate throat. The heavy padlock closed with a definite click behind her head, ensuring it was permanent until he said otherwise. He remained silent as he slotted the key into the padlock joining the chain between her shackles to the winch, allowing her to finally lower her arms. He didn't bother warning her not to try and run away; she would try it eventually, and with the harness and shackles would soon learn how pointless it was. Instead, he simply clipped the leash onto her collar and with a tug that made her choke, started walking towards the stairs. "Watch out for the steps," he warned her as she reached the bottom. Keeping a firm pull on her leash, he waited as she struggled with the chain hobbling her, trying to get her feet up onto the first step. Remaining patient, he walked in silence and watched her frustration growing with each step she had to climb. She quickly worked out that she could hop up each one, but she stopped after only one step and resumed shuffling up each one, the shame of her breasts bouncing around too much to bear. Ayden knew he could have forced her to hop her way up, but her method was equally as spirit crushing and so he was content to walk slowly and look at the girls cowering silently in their cells. They knew better than to make any sound whilst he was with another client, but he could almost hear their despair at seeing another girl join their grim ranks. Reaching the top, she had a brief moment to rest whilst he opened the door before he was pulling on her leash again, compelling her out of the living quarters and across the hallway through another locked door. If his client was worried as he led her into the low, circular room beyond, she didn't show it, walking at an unhurried pace with her head held high as if she was following a servant instead of her captor. The centre of the room was surrounded by a series of stone pillars that were more for him to hang the hundreds of implements he had on, than for supporting the low roof. There were several ornate wooden cupboards spaced around the outside wall, looking almost out of place amidst the steel frames and cages of various shapes and sizes that rested between them. Directly across from the door was a fireplace that was burning steadily, sunken back into the wall and curving up towards the chimney above. Several large buckets of water that had been carried down earlier by the servants lay nearby, waiting to be poured into a pot and swung out on a swivel over the fire to boil. Ayden brought the girl out into the middle of the room and unclipped the leash from her collar, leaving her to stand there as he hung it up by the closed door. She was trying hard to remain calm but as he walked around the outside of the circle of pillars he could see the way she drew in on herself slightly, moving her legs closer together and holding her arms in against her body. Pausing beside one of the stone pillars, he took a leather flogger off its peg and started in towards the centre. The floor sloped down as he approached her, curving down towards the middle where a thick, iron grille covered the small drain, its' surrounding stone darkened with years of grime. Several iron rings in the floor were spread around it, providing plenty of positions to chain her to when the time came. "You're very beautiful," he told her softly, and brushed the very tips of the flogger across the top of one pale breast. He gave her credit for managing to remain impassive, but he knew she would be wondering what it was he touched her with. "I'm sure all the boys look," he said, keeping his voice low and intimate as he began to circle. He brushed the flogger across her buttocks this time, and smiled at the way the muscles tightened ever so slightly. "But you're a good girl, and you don't let them any closer," he whispered conspiratorially, and was rewarded with a derisive snort from behind her gag. With a well practiced movement, he swung the flogger and landed it with only a fraction of his strength across the backs of her thighs. Its suddenness and her obvious inexperience with pain was more than enough to make her gasp though, and her knees had already started to bend before she caught herself and stood tall once again, a soft pink coming to the back of her legs. "Or maybe you've let just one touch you," Ayden said gently, and again ran the numerous tips of the flogger over her breasts. He smiled as she trembled now, and knew she was almost ready for him to begin. "Was it there, on your breasts?" Being careful of her hands, he brushed the flogger softly against the front of her left thigh. "Or maybe it was down there, where it's all damp?" She breathed in slightly then, his trained eye catching the involuntary movement even as he brought the flogger around to tap against her tight buttocks again. "Or was it back here, where it's nice and soft?" He swung the flogger as hard as he could past her face, making her flinch as she felt the breeze of its passage on her cheeks. She made no other move to protect herself though, causing Ayden to decide to wait before chaining her arms to the roof above; he needed to make her react first. Once he broke through her passivity, he was almost certain she would go wild and the chains would be required. "How long can you stand there in silence?" he asked, draping the flogger across her breasts and slowly pulling it back. "How much pain can you take, before it gets too much?" With a flick of his arm he landed the leather flogger across her bare behind, and this time she was a lot better at hiding her reaction, a tightening of her shoulders the only movement she made. "Will it be a minute… or maybe ten… or will you last until my arm gets tired?" He lashed the flogger across the front of her thighs, and again she barely moved. He was deliberately hitting weakly though, but not enough so that it didn't hurt and she got suspicious. "Will I cover your naked body with red marks whilst you do nothing to stop me?" He hit her across her buttocks again, the dozen strips of leather slapping against her bare skin. "Are you afraid?" he whispered in her impassive ear. She would be feeling confident that she could withstand the flogging now, even if she realised that he wasn't using his full strength. He had shown her what he had and she had remained strong, and that would reassure her, making it so much easier to drive her to despair when she realised how wrong she had been. With a whoosh the flogger landed across her back, surprising her. She would be expecting him to talk now, but instead he swung again and hit her across the backs of her thighs. He saw her stance change slightly when she realised that the time for talking was over, and began to flog her in earnest, keeping his swings harder than before but reserving the majority of his strength. His hits were regular and even, letting her anticipate where the flogger would land next. She remained quiet as he turned her skin a soft pink from the backs of her shoulders down to her knees, the quick hiss and slap of the leather striking her filling the small room. The tension was growing in the way she was standing though, and her breathing was getting shallower, letting him know that the pain was slowly having an effect on her. It amused him that she was just standing there and enduring a flogging without trying to stop him, clinging to her chosen method of passive defiance. It seemed so silly, but to her action would mean acknowledging that he was in control, and her only protection was refusing to admit it. Once he forced a strong enough reaction from her, it would be only a matter of time before she would be begging to tell him everything she knew. Ayden switched smoothly from her back to the front, and although her belly and loins were protected by her arms, he had free access to the front of her thighs and chest. With practiced accuracy he kept the flogger away from her bare, slightly quivering breasts as he started to redden the other side of her body. He began to switch randomly to flogging her backside again, giving her bare arse a few swats before returning to beating her across the legs. He could see her face start to wince with each hit now, and knew she would not be far from cracking. Slap. Slap. Slap With three hard strikes to her buttocks she visibly trembled. Without missing a beat, Ayden swung the flogger around and hit her hard across her breasts, the leather flattening the tender flesh for a split second before he pulled it back to land in exactly the same spot once more. This time she whimpered and her hands jerked upwards before she was able to suppress the reflex. Smack. The flogger struck her hard across her behind, the force of it overbalancing her slightly. Just as she was trying to maintain her balance and deal with the pain he had caused her, he landed the flogger across her breasts almost as hard as he could. She cracked, and with a pained scream she lifted her arms to cover her breasts and bent over slightly as she started backwards, shuffling away as fast as her hobbled legs would allow her. Grinning happily, Ayden dropped the flogger and caught her by the chain between her wrists, pulling her back to the middle with his other arm already reaching up for the chains dangling directly over the drain. "MMH!" she cried, shaking her head blindly and trying to tear her arms from his grip. He was more than strong enough for her though, and with a pull that almost lifted her off the ground, he brought her arms up to the waiting padlock hanging from the end of the chain above. With a click he closed the lock in his other hand, securing her arms above her once again. "I knew you were in there somewhere," he said to her, sliding his hands down her arms to touch her face. She fell quiet as he ran his right hand over her bald head, his fingers tracing the strap over her head down to the base of her skull. "Are you scared now, Elizabeth?" he asked, using the name he had seen on the sheet for the first time. She began to pant fearfully around the gag as he hooked a finger through the ring at the back of her harness and pulled, forcing her to lean her head back. "Are you frightened because you're not in control anymore?" With his left hand he traced the ridge of her nose with his fingers, following it up until it disappeared under the leather straps that flowed down to either side of her mouth. She whimpered and tried to pull away, the deliberate tenderness of his touch disturbing her. "Are you afraid of being so naked and helpless?" As he spoke, his fingers brushed across her shaven pubis, mere millimetres away from the soft lips of her sex. "What if I was to flog you down here, would you scream for me?" "Mm," she moaned in terror, her fear blooming now that she had let it free. Ayden could feel her trembling now, and he was forced to suppress the familiar urges that were rising in him. He had a job to do here, and he was well aware that it was against the laws of the Torturers Guild to engage in sex with a client. He regularly skated close to those laws, and he knew that if he broke them, they would know. The Guild was in the business of truth, and it was never wise to lie to them. "Don't answer me," he whispered. "I'll find out soon enough." As soon as he let go of her harness she began to sob, but it was incoherent and Ayden knew she was not at the stage yet where she would try and beg with him. Picking up the flogger from where he had dropped it on the floor, he smiled and for the first time there was a hint of sadistic lust in his eyes as he swung it hard, curling the leather strips around Elizabeth's back. She cried out in shock and pain, the wooden ball filling her mouth muting a lot of the sound. His next swing landed across her buttocks, cutting into the soft skin like a thousand knives. He could see the skin turning red, but her reaction was like he had actually torn her skin, and she screamed loudly. Again he swung and lashed the backs of her thighs, but whilst she jumped forward slightly, she managed to suppress her yell of pain this time, making him smile at her continued resistance. Changing his position smoothly, he slashed her across her belly with the flogger, bringing a muffled cry from her as he explored this virgin territory. The previously unmarked skin rapidly began to grow pink as he lashed her slightly higher than before, and then again before landing a solid strike across her naked breasts. Elizabeth cried out this time and twisted around, trying to turn away and protect her sensitive flesh from the rough leather. Without missing a beat, Ayden curled the flogger sharply across her buttocks, reminding her that no matter how she squirmed, there would always be a part of her in range of his flogger. She seemed to realise this after a few more painful swats to her breasts and gave up trying to escape, returning to her passive ignorance of him. Ayden knew this attitude wouldn't last long though, as the pain and desperation grew worse she would eventually start struggling again as her natural instincts forced her to try and get away. The cycle of passivity to resistance would repeat itself over and over, for days and weeks if necessary, until eventually she cracked and gave herself to him in the hope that it would end. She was strong though, and Ayden had to admire how good she was at tuning out the pain he was inflicting on her. If she continued to be this strong, he guessed it would take him most of the week to get her to the point of really breaking, and longer still before he could extract any usable information from her. The sheet he had been given hadn't specified what he was to find out, and they rarely did; it was normally unnecessary when the client already knew exactly what it was they weren't supposed to tell. Slashing the flogger across her back, he wondered just how many secrets she really had. Was she really just someone sent in as punishment for something, or did this pretty little girl have some dark secret that she refused to reveal? Her defiance lacked the edge to it that people who were being tortured for information had; there was no determination to die before talking, or faith that she was doing the right thing. She seemed to be resisting on nothing more than principle, and that usually indicated a punishment. But he knew that there was little point in wondering, when he would soon find out everything whether she wanted to tell or not. And if she really was being punished, then he would make sure she would do everything she could to stay away in the future. His next swing of the flogger caught her across her breasts, and the full force of his arm was behind it. Stepping around in front of her as she gasped in pain, he began to swing the flogger down from above, hitting one soft mound and then the other. She cried out from behind her gag with each loud slap, and twisted to try and avoid this new method of attack. Ayden had no trouble keeping up with her, and switched direction to strike each of her breasts from underneath, causing them to jump upwards from the impact. He wasn't holding back anymore as the flogger hit her across her back again and again, shifting to keep her in range as she squirmed like a worm on a hook. He worked his way down until he was hitting her arse with the leather strips, and then changed angle to strike each bright red cheek from underneath, making her shriek each time one of the tiny strips disappeared between the cleft of her buttocks and sliced into the soft and untouched flesh hidden there. Ayden continued until she was screaming with each hit, and then he stopped suddenly and let the flogger hang loosely at his side. He let her stand there for a minute as she sobbed freely, expecting to feel the lick of the leather across her skin again at any moment. Her skin had turned an angry red colour, and Ayden noted the dark patches in several spots where he knew she would bruise badly. She would be grateful when he shackled her arms to the roof of her cell tonight, so she didn't have to lie down on her abused flesh. "I knew you couldn't stay quiet forever," he said, looking pleased by her reaction as he walked over to hang the flogger back on its peg. "And it won't be the last time you scream for me." He heard her whimper from across the room as he poured one of the wooden buckets of water into the heavy iron pot and swung it out over the fire to warm. Putting the bucket down, he opened one of the cupboards nearby, and pulled out a gleaming set of clamps connected with a thin network of chains. The fine ring of their steel made him smile as he carried them over to where she stood blind and quivering with fear. "Your breasts look lovely when they're all red and sore," he whispered to Elizabeth, and holding the clamps by their chains with one hand, he used the other to gently start rubbing her around one nipple. She shuddered, but remained hanging heavily on her shackled arms as the soft bud grew under his touch. "Am I the first to touch them?" He twirled her nipple between his fingers, and then caught one of the hanging clamps and with a squeeze to open it, he brought it up so that her nipple rested inside the mechanism. He let go and driven by the spring inside, it closed down hard on the sensitive flesh. Her scream filled the small room, the wooden ball gag doing little to mute her expression of agony as it felt like her nipple was cut off. When she realised that there was now something hanging from her breast, she began to shake her chest violently, trying to dislodge the clamp that hurt so much. "You can't escape, young Elizabeth," he told her, his voice barely audible over her cries. When he began to stroke her other nipple she went berserk and he had to step behind her and place one foot on the hobble chain to keep her from injuring him with her legs. He picked the matching clamp from where it was hanging beneath her breast, and closed it on her remaining nipple. Her screams filled his ears with renewed agony and he took a step back, letting the three clamps that were left hang loosely from her breasts by their chains. She shook and threw herself around, crying freely in her attempts to protect her breasts from the cruel clamps. The chain between them was short, and pulled both soft mounds towards each-other, maintaining a constantly painful pressure on them that was made worse by her struggles. "You're only hurting yourself more," he told her in amusement. Even if she had heard him, she still kept thrashing around for another minute before she ran out of steam and went limp, sobbing once more. Picking a pair of chains from off one of the pillars, he crouched down beside her and secured the first one to one of the rings in the floor. Catching her ankle, he pulled her over until she was standing on tip-toes, and then secured the other end to her left shackle. Moving to the opposite side of the drain in the centre, he attached the other chain to a ring and after undoing the padlock joining her shackles together, locked it to her other leg, forcing her to stand on her toes with her legs spread wide. "I could flog you now, and there is no way you could get away," he said softly, coming around in front of her. He reached down and cupped her sex, smiling as she tried to squirm away. "I could flog you down here. I could beat the most female part of you, and you can't do anything." She began to sob loudly in terror, and he smiled, knowing he had no intention of doing that… yet. He gave her sex a gentle stroke, and then stepped over her spread leg to stand behind her. Reaching up, he unlocked the chain connected to her shackles and let her put her arms down. It only took her a second before she was reaching for the clamps adorning her breasts, but his firm grip on the chain between her shackles prevented her from succeeding. "Even if you take them off, I will just put them back on," he reminded her as with his free hand he unlocked her right shackle, freeing her arm. Pulling both arms up behind her red-striped back, he closed the shackle again and locked her arms behind her. She began to pant in fear as he left her again to lower the chain hanging above her head, the loud clicking of the winch echoing around the stone room. She tried twisting her arms around to reach the clamps tormenting her breasts, but Ayden saw that when she eventually got a hold on one, she froze. He knew that she remembered the pain when they had been put on, and she was debating whether it was worth going through it again. Making a decision, she squeezed the clamp and let it drop away. She stiffened as first the full weight of the clamps and chains was placed on her other breast, and then the blood returned to her nipple. She took a deep breath as the pain stabbed through her chest, but somehow she managed not to cry out. Ayden knew she would when he replaced the clamp. When the pain was manageable again, she twisted her arms around to the other breast, but she delayed even more this time, frightened of the further pain of removing them. Ayden saved her from deciding by catching her arms by the chain between her shackles and pulling them away. "I warned you," he admonished, and forcefully lifted her arms up, bending her over as the pull on her shoulders became too great. Padlocking her arms to the hanging chain again, he returned to the winch and began to raise it slowly until she started to squeal with each click. When he thought she was stretched enough, he walked over slowly, letting her adjust to the stress of her new position. Bent over at the hips with her arms forced up above her, her buttocks and sex were fully exposed between her widely spread legs, and as he moved past he ran a hand up the inside of her thigh to make sure she was aware of her exposure. Her terrified sob left little doubt. Crouching down, he collected the gently swinging clamp. He waited for a moment as she panted rapidly in anticipation of the pain, and then closed it on her nipple again. She screamed and thrashed around as much as the heavy iron restraints would allow, but the clamp refused to let go of her dangling breast. Her screams died off eventually, turning into pitiful sobbing as she tried not to move and disturb the clamps hanging from her chest. Ayden walked around behind her spread legs and reached underneath to collect the three other clamps that were almost scraping the stone floor on their chains. "Do you know where the rest of these clamps go?" he asked quietly, and circled around her labia with one finger. He smiled when she shook her head weakly, but he knew it was more a plea for him to stop than anything. Taking one of the clamps, he slipped a finger between her lips and closed it on the strip of flesh. She jumped in her shackles and made a pained gurgle, but he knew it hadn't hurt as much as she had been expecting. He added the second clamp quickly to her opposite labia, the weight of the chains hanging freely between them and her breasts stretching the soft flesh. He could tell by her pained panting that she had no idea what he was doing probing with his fingers until he closed the last clamp on her clit. Her entire body convulsed in shock, and she screamed in agony, bucking and throwing her hips around as much as her restraints allowed as pain shot through her loins. Ayden ignored her though, walking in silence over to the cupboard where he had taken the clamps. He stared blankly at his fingers as he moved, rubbing them together and feeling how damp they were. She was aroused… her clit had been engorged and yearning for attention… she was getting off on it! He didn't know what to do, so he did what he was good at, picked up a set of weights from the shelf and returned to the girl. Crouching down, he hung first one and then another from the chain between her sex and her breasts, adding more and more pull to them until she was squirming in pain once again. "Mm-ph!" she begged with drool falling from her mouth around the gag. There was an almost far away look in his eyes as he hung all the weights he had from the chains, painfully stretching the soft flesh they were attached to. He had never had a client who had enjoyed his attentions, and even though she screamed and cried, her sex was warm and sticky with arousal. Almost on autopilot, he left her side and pulled the iron pot off the fire, a steady cloud of steam rising from the water within. Filling a large jug with half of its contents, he opened one of the cupboards beside the fireplace and selecting one of the jars from within, added a fair amount of the glycerin inside. Placing a fat, cylindrical object from the cupboard underneath his arm, he carried the jug over and placed it behind her next to the drain. She was whimpering quietly, the sounds of water filling her mind with fear at the possible torments he had in store for her next. Her bald head hung low, turning as she tried to work out where he was standing now. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked slowly, confusion reigning in his thoughts. She didn't react until he touched her sex again, feeling the moisture that lay between her tormented lips. She fell quiet then, and Ayden knew that she was aware of her feelings. "It arouses you when I hurt you," he stated, trying to understand. Taking the brass cylinder from underneath his arm, he got a grip on the handle at its base and inserted the other end into the jug of hot water. "I've… never had someone react like this before," he admitted, pulling back the handle. The cylinder filled with water as it was sucked up through the nozzle, the shiny brass becoming warm in his grip. "But I'll find out why soon enough," he told her, the edge coming back into his voice. Bringing the cylinder up, he inserted the damp nozzle into her exposed anus without ceremony and as she squealed in shock, pushed the handle back in and forced the liquid up into her rear. She froze in surprise as the warmth flowed up inside her, but before she had a chance to process the strange sensation he had filled the cylinder again and jammed it up against her tight little ring. The warmth burst into her again, forcing itself deeper as the pressure built. Her whole body shuddered, and she groaned as a sudden and painful cramp shot through her belly. "Mm-ph, mm… mm-ph!" she cried, and Ayden knew she was already starting to feel the glycerin he had added. Filling the brass clyster syringe, he added another load of liquid to her insides, but it was almost an automatic action; he was torturing her because he didn't know what else to do. Her whimpering quickly began to take on a frantic note, and he could see the twitching of her anus as she tried to hold the water inside and preserve her dignity. It was almost fascinating to watch the pulsing as her bowels tried to void themselves, like there was a living thing inside trying to burst free from its confines. With almost the entire jug churning inside her, Ayden was being cautious as he filled the syringe with the last of the water. Disturbed by her reactions, he still had no intention of getting caught in the way if she lost control suddenly, and quickly had the brass nozzle buried between her buttocks once again. She groaned loudly as the pressure grew inside her again, the last of the water jetting up into her bowels. Unable to help himself, he reached down and ran a finger across her slit, seeing just how damp she was. His fingers moved back slowly and then slipped up into her passage, feeling the throbbing of the thin wall between there and her tormented rear. Would she orgasm if he was to start rubbing? He knew it was against the Guild laws, but he didn't care anymore. Plunging his fingers into her sex, he began stroking around where he knew there was an extremely sensitive spot. He had tormented a girl more than once on that intimate spot, but this time it was for pleasure as he circled it a few times and then began to rub vigorously. "MM!" she moaned shamefully, struggling to hold the water inside as she cramped. He wondered how intense it must be for her, to feel both pleasure and pain at the one time. With his other hand he took hold of the clamp on her clit and released it, making her shriek in pain as the blood returned to the tiny organ. She nearly lost control then, allowing a small amount of water to escape and run down her thigh. Ayden began to rub her clit with his thumb, fingers still stroking inside her sex. She was panting loudly as the pain of her clamped nipples mixed with the pleasure of his touch, ignoring the saliva dripping freely from her open mouth as her head hung down. As she shuddered and pushed her hips back at him, he decided he had to see her face. Her vagina clamped down on his fingers then and she moaned loudly, and he realised that she had just come. Unable to wait any longer, Ayden pulled his hand away and wiping it dry on his pants, stood up and almost ran around to her front. Fishing the keys from his waist, he slipped it into the first of two padlocks at the back of her head harness and opened it, releasing the strap that held the pads over her eyes. Pulling the thin leather through the buckles either side, he tore the blindfold off her face and lifted her by the chin. "Oh, shit," he swore, the blood draining from his face. As if he wasn't in enough trouble already for pleasuring a client and removing her blindfold, there had to be a set of brilliant green eyes looking back at him. A familiar set of brilliant, green eyes of a shade that belonged to only one family. "Princess Elizabeth," he breathed. She closed her eyes guiltily, and then Ayden watched as her cheeks turned red. "W…What are you doing here?" He could already see his head on the chopping block. He had just tortured the royal heiress; his life was over. Elizabeth moaned around the gag, spurring Ayden to quickly undo the remainder of her harness and free her mouth. "Who sent you here? Was it your father? Were you kidnapped?" "I… I came here m… myself," she managed, unable to look up at him. "You… came here yourself… of your own free will?" Ayden stared as she nodded. "I… I wanted to know what it was like. Nobody takes me seriously up there; everything I want is done, even if I don't say anything." She lifted her head and met his gaze. "It's so b…boring." "So you came down here?!" he exclaimed. "I… I wanted somebody else to be in charge," she said sadly, hanging her head again. "I tried to… find someone to teach me… swords, like the guards. They said it was hard, but… they were all too nice…" She paused as her belly growled loudly, her pretty face crinkling with pain. "I never got in trouble… they never pushed me like the others… I was always the princess," she continued, the words flowing from her mouth. "I tried to sneak away… I tried everything…" Elizabeth lifted her head to look at him. She had never spoken to anyone about this, and it felt good. "But I wasn't the princess to you… I was another girl to hurt, and it was so exciting… I was free to be myself…" "I cannot torture you any more," Ayden interrupted, shaking his head. "Please… D…Don't stop now…" It was the hardest thing she had ever had to say, and her eyes filled with tears as she did it. "I can't," he said, trying to sound firm. "I have already done too much by pleasuring you; it's against the laws of my Guild." "Please… I want you to!" She sounded desperate, and Ayden had no idea how to respond. That she would deliberately give herself up to be tortured was something he couldn't understand, but there was no law against torturing a willing client, and the briefing letter he had read was technically a royal command. He couldn't ignore it. "Your wish is my command, your highness," he said quietly, his eyes closed. "I will do ask you ask." He didn't have to look at her to feel her displeasure at him deferring to her, and so he opened his eyes and looked steadily at her. "However, you will not be able to order me to stop," he told her, starting to smile. "And if you try, there are many different gags I can use on you." "Are you still going to try and break me?" she asked, sounding nervous even though he could see the happiness in her eyes. "I'm not just going to try," he whispered, and pushed the wooden ball back into her waiting mouth. "Morning Ayden," greeted Jake from his post as the Torturer approached the doorway. "Lovely day, isn't it?" "As always," Ayden replied, smiling at the same old joke. "Any news today I should know about?" "Well, no more droolin' again this week," Jake teased as he unlocked the door. "The Princess 'as gone on ano'vah of 'er sabbaticals, so I hear." "I'm crushed," Ayden replied sarcastically, smiling for a totally different reason. He made his way down into the dungeon, eyeing the closed pit at the base of the room. He wondered how she had managed to get here this time; she had refused to reveal that little secret to him when they had last met, and it had been bugging him all month. Every time he saw her, radiant with the pretty blonde wig covering her bald head, he had thought of nothing but their short time together in the dungeon. Her letter had specified a week and he had obeyed it to the letter, allowing the guards to take her away naked and restrained to be released. He didn't know how she kept her identity from them, or whether they knew and she had convinced them to be quiet. He wondered if she would recognise him when they met in the garden as usual, since she had spent the remainder of her time there blindfolded, but he only had to see her start blushing as their eyes met for him to know for certain. Opening the hatch on the pit, Ayden slowly winched out the hairless female form from below, letting her hang squirming weakly from the chains. Coming up in front of her, he placed a hand between her legs and stroked her freshly shaven sex. The Guild had pardoned his breaking of their laws when he informed them it had been by royal order, and they had not pursued it further. He had free reign now, and he planned to make full use of it. "We meet again," he whispered in the girls' ear as she whimpered. "Princess Elizabeth." ---- Well, this story was certainly hard to assign codes to, so I hope I got it close enough! I have a big thank you for slavelucy's assistance in putting the finishing touches this story. Hope you enjoyed it! LD ----
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