by Ann Rice
But she was not alone. Beauty realized that only yards away, other doubled bodies hung from the same beam just as helplessly.
Princess Lizetta's face remained colored with rage, but she had quieted somewhat and now she turned and tried to conceal her expression against her leg, but the Page nearby adjusted her face forward.
Quickly Beauty looked at the others.
Not very far to the right a young man was mounted in the very same fashion. He appeared very young, no more than sixteen at best, and he was blond with curly hair, and his pubic hair was slightly reddish. His organ was erect, its tip glossy, and there exposed to all the world was his scrotum and again the tiny opening of his anus.
There were more of them, another young Princess and another Prince, but these first two engaged Beauty completely.
The blond Prince was moaning painfully. His eyes were dry, but he appeared to struggle, to shift as he hung from the black leather manacles, and he caused his body to turn a little to the left as he did so.
A young man, meantime, looking somewhat more impressive than the Pages, and differently costumed in dark blue velvet, came down the line of doubled and manacled slaves and appeared to inspect each face and each configuration of mercilessly exposed organs.
He smoothed back the hair from the young Prince's forehead. The young Prince moaned. It seemed he tried to thrust himself forward, and this man in blue velvet stroked the Prince's penis causing the Prince to moan all the louder and more with the sound of one imploring.
Beauty bent her head but she continued to watch the man in velvet as he approached the Princess Lizetta.
"Stubborn one, most difficult," he said to Lord Gregory.
"A day and night of punishment will subdue her," Lord Gregory answered. And Beauty was shocked to think of being exposed for so long, and so uncomfortably. She knew at once she would do anything to prevent this punishment, yet she had the terrible fear that despite all her efforts it might befall her. She at once imagined herself hung in this position, and she let out a little gasp, though she pressed her lips together to stop it.
But to her amazement, the man in velvet had begun to stroke Princess Lizetta's sex with a small instrument that was, as so much here, covered in smooth black leather. This was a three-pronged rod that somewhat resembled a hand, and as soon as he teased the helpless Princess, she began to struggle in her bonds.
Beauty understood at once what was happening. The Princess's pink sex, terrifying to Beauty as it hung so unprotected, appeared to swell, to ripen. Beauty could see tiny droplets of moisture appear on it.
And even as she watched, she felt her own sex ripening in this same manner. She felt the hard plaster that had been placed over the kernel of feeling there, and it seemed to do nothing to prevent the increased throbbing.
As soon as the helpless Princess had been so awakened, the man in velvet left her with an approving smile, and continued his movement back down the row of slaves, stopping again to tease and torment the young blond-haired Prince who without pride or dignity pleaded from behind his leather bone gag.
The victim beside him, another Princess, was even more abandoned in her wordless entreaties for satisfaction. Her sex was small, thick lipped, a mouth amid a thicket of brown curls, and she twisted her entire body struggling to gain some greater contact from the Lord in velvet who left her now to tease and torment yet another.
Lord Gregory snapped his fingers.
Beauty went down on her hands and knees again and followed him.
"Need I tell you that you are well-suited for that sort of punishment, Princess?" he asked.
"No, my Lord," Beauty whispered. She wondered if it was within his power to punish her this way for nothing. She longed for the Prince, and for the time when he alone had power over her. She could think of nothing but the Prince, and why had she ever displeased him by looking at Prince Alexi? Yet she had only to think of Prince Alexi and she was pitched into helpless misery. But if she could be in the Prince's arms, she would think of no one but him. She craved his tender punishment.
"Yes, my dear, you would speak?" Lord Gregory asked, but there was something ruthless in his tone.
"Only tell me how to obey, my Lord, how to please, how to avoid this discipline."
"To begin with, my precious," he said angrily, "stop admiring the male slaves so very much, staring at them at every opportunity. Don't revel so much in all I show you to frighten you!"
Beauty gasped.
"And never, never again think of Prince Alexi."
Beauty shook her head. "I will do as you say, my Lord," she said anxiously.
"And remember, the Queen is none too pleased with her son's passion for you. A thousand slaves have surrounded him ever since he was a young boy, and in none of them has he found an object of devotion such as you. The Queen does not like it."
"O, but what can I do?" Beauty cried softly.
"You can show perfect obedience to all your superiors, and do nothing to make yourself seem rebellious or unusual."
"Yes, my Lord," Beauty said.
"You know that I saw you watching Prince Alexi last night," he said, his voice now a menacing whisper.
Beauty winced. She bit her lip and tried not to cry.
"I could tell this to the Queen at any moment."
"Yes, my Lord," she gasped.
"But you are very young and lovely. And for such an offense as that you would face the most terrible punishment; you would be sent out of the castle to the village, and that would be more than you could bear..."
Beauty trembled. "The village" – what could this mean? But Lord Gregory continued:
"And no slave of the Queen or the Crown Prince should ever be condemned to such disgraceful punishment, and no favorite slave ever has." He took a deep breath as if to cool his anger. "And when you are properly trained, you shall be a splendid slave. And there is no reason finally why the Prince should not enjoy you, why everyone here should not enjoy you. I am here, therefore, to make something of you, not to see you destroyed."
"You are most kind and gracious, my Lord," Beauty whispered, but the words, the village, made their indelible impression. If only she might ask...
But a young Lady had come into the room, passing through the door in a great rush, her long yellow hair in thick braids, her dress a rich burgundy color trimmed in ermine. Before Beauty remembered to look down, she caught a full glimpse of the Lady with her ruddy cheeks and large brown eyes which swept the Hall of Punishments now as if searching for someone.
"O, Lord Gregory, how nice to see you," she said, and as Lord Gregory bowed, she curtsied gracefully. Beauty was stunned by her loveliness, and then overcome with her own shame and vulnerability. She stared at the Lady's pretty silver slippers and the rings on the fingers of her right had which gathered her skirts easily.
"And how may I serve you, Lady Juliana?" asked Lord Gregory. Beauty felt desolate. She was thankful the Lady never looked at her, and then again she felt abysmal. She was nothing to this woman who was dressed and a Lady and free to do all that she pleased, while Beauty was an abject naked slave who could do nothing but kneel before her.
"Ah, but there she is, that wicked Lizetta," said the Lady, and the cheerfulness when out of her face as her lips quivered slightly. There were two little dots of color in her cheeks as she drew near the doubled Princess. "And she has been so spoilt and bad today."
"Well, she is being severely punished for it, my Lady," said Lord Gregory. "Thirty-six hours here should greatly improve her disposition."
The Lady took several delicate steps forward and peered at Princess Lizetta's exposed sex. And to Beauty's amazement, Princess Lizetta did not try to hide her face but stared into the Lady's eyes imploringly. She gave several imploring groans as clearly supplicating as the earlier moans of the Prince beside her. And as she writhed on her hook, her body rocked slightly forward.
"You're a bad girl, you are," whispered the Lady as though reproving a small child. "And you disapp
ointed me. I had prepared the Hunt for the amusement of the Queen and chosen you specially."
Princess Lizetta's groans grew more insistent. She seemed now without hope or pride or anger. Her face was knotted and pink, and her gag looked most painful, her huge eyes flashing as they implored the Lady.
"Lord Gregory," the Lady said, "you must think of something special." Then to Beauty's horror, the lady reached out delicately and fastidiously and pinched Princess Lizetta's pubic lips hard so that they exuded moisture. Then she pinched the right lip and the left, and the girl winced with pain and misery.
Lord Gregory had meantime snapped his fingers for the Lord with the iron clawlike hand, and whispered something Beauty could not hear. "It will strengthen her punishment."
And now the Lord appeared with a little pot and a brush and as the Lady stepped back, he took brush and bathed Princess Lizetta's naked organ in a heavy syrup. A few droplets fell to the floor, and the Princess again made known her misery. She sobbed softly and shook her head. "It will attract any flies we have about," Lord Gregory said, "and if we have none it shall produce its inevitable itching as it dries. It is quite uncomfortable."
The Lady did not seem satisfied. Her pretty and innocent face was smooth however and she sighed. "I suppose it will do for now, but I wish she were bound with her legs apart to a stake in the garden. Then let the flies and the little insects of the air find her honeyed mouth. She deserves it."
She turned to express her thanks to Lord Gregory, and again Beauty was struck by her bright ruddy face. Her braids were done with tiny pearls and thin strands of blue ribbon.
But Beauty, almost lost in her contemplation of all this, was suddenly shocked to realize the Lady was looking at her.
"Oooooh, yes, it is the Prince's lovely one," she said, and now she advanced, and Beauty felt the Lady's hand lifting her face. "And how sweet she is, how truly beautiful."
Beauty shut her eyes, trying to restrain her heaving breaths. She did not believe she could endure the imperious touch of this young Lady. And yet there was nothing she could do.
"O, I should so like to have her take Princess Lizetta's place, it would be a treat for everyone," said the Lady.
"But that is impossible, my Lady," said Lord Gregory. "The Prince is most possessive of her. I cannot allow her to participate in such a spectacle."
"But surely we'll see more of her. Will she be run on the Bridle Path?"
"I feel certain, in time," said Lord Gregory. "There is no accounting for the whim of the Prince. But here, you may examine her if you wish. There is no rule prohibiting it."
He lifted Beauty by her wrists and forced her hips forward with the handle of the paddle. "Open your eyes and keep them down," he whispered. Beauty could not bear to see this lovely Lady's hands as they moved towards her. But Lady Juliana touched her breasts, and then her smooth stomach.
"Why she is radiant and so full of tender spirit."
Lord Gregory laughed softly. "Yes, she is, and you are so discerning to value it."
"They turn out all the better for that," said Lady Juliana with quiet wonder. She pinched Beauty's cheek as she had Princess Lizetta's secret lips. "O, what I would give for a quiet hour alone with her in my chambers."
"In time, in time," said Lord Gregory.
"Yes, and I bet she fights the paddle so, with her tender spirit."
"Only with her spirit," said Lord Gregory. "She is obedient."
"I can see that. Well, my girl, I must leave you. Be confident that you are exquisite. I wish I had you over my knee. I'd paddle you until sundown. You'd play a lot of little games running from me in the garden, you would." And then she kissed Beauty warmly on the mouth, and left as quickly as she had come, in a flurry of burgundy velvet and flying braids.
Just before Beauty took the sleeping potion from Leon she begged to know the meaning of what she had heard. "What is the Bridle Path?" she asked in a whisper, "and the village, my Lord, what does it mean to be sent there!"
"Never speak of the village," Leon cautioned her calmly. "That punishment is for incorrigibles and you are the slave of the Crown Prince himself. As for the Bridle Path, my lovely, you shall know soon enough."
He laid her down in her bed, strapping her ankles and wrists far away from her so that not even in sleep could she touch herself. "Dream," he said to her, "for tonight the Prince will want you."
DUTIES IN THE PRINCE'S CHAMBER
THE PRINCE was finishing his supper when Beauty was brought to him. The castle hummed with life, torches flaring in the long, high, vaulted corridors. And the Prince sat in a library of sorts, eating alone at a narrow table. Several ministers were about with papers for him to sign, and there was the sound of their soft leather sock boots on the floor, and the crackling of the scrolls of parchment.
Beauty knelt by his chair, listening to the scratch of his pen, and when she was sure he would not see, she looked up at him.
He appeared radiant to her. He wore a blue velvet surcoat trimmed in silver and emblazoned with his coat of arms above a heavy silk girdle. The sides of the surcoat were loosely laced and through them Beauty could see his white shirt, and she admired as well the firm muscles of his legs in the long tight fustian breeches.
He took a few more bites of his meat as a plate was set down on the stones for Beauty. And quickly she lapped up the wine he poured in a bowl for her, and ate the meat as delicately as she could without using her fingers. It seemed he was watching her. He gave her bits of cheese and more fruit, and she heard him give some little sound of satisfaction. She cleaned her plate with her tongue.
She would have done anything to show him how pleased she was to be with him again, and quite suddenly she remembered she had not kissed his boots, and she made up for this immediately. The smell of the clean, polished leather was delicious to her. She felt his hand on the back of her neck, and when she looked up, he fed her a handful of grapes one by one, lifting each one a little higher so that she had to rise off her heels to get it.
He tossed the last grape in the air. She darted up to catch it in her mouth and succeeded. Then overcome with shyness she bowed her head. Was he pleased? After all she'd witnessed during the day, he seemed her savior. She could have wept for happiness now that she was with him.
Lord Gregory had wanted her to dine with the slaves. He had shown her the hall. There were two long rows of Princes and Princesses, all on their knees, hands clasped behind their backs, eating with their quick little mouths from plates on a low table before them. They were bent over so that, as she passed, she saw the row of sore buttocks and felt herself shocked by the sight of so many of them. They were all alike, and yet each body was different. The Princes showed less of themselves if their legs were together, as the scrotum couldn't be seen; but the girls could do nothing to hide their pubic lips. It had alarmed her.
But the Prince had wanted her immediately in his chamber. And now she was with him. Leon had removed the small sealing wax from her secret core of pleasure, and she felt the first stirring of desire. She did not care about the servants moving about, or the last minister waiting nearby with his petition. She kissed the Prince's boots again.
"It's very late," the Prince said. "You've had a long rest, and I see you are much improved for it."
Beauty waited.
"Look at me," he said.
And when she did, she was shocked by the beauty and ferocity of his black eyes. She felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Come," he said, rising and dismissing the minister. "Time for lessons."
He walked fast towards his bed chamber and she followed on her hands and knees, rushing before him as he waited for her to open the door, then going in behind him.
"If only she could sleep here, live here," she thought. And yet she was afraid as she saw him turn with his hands on his hips. She remembered the whipping last night with the strap and she shuddered.
Beside him was a high pedestal table, and he reached into a cloth-covered casket there,
and took out what seemed a handful of little brass bells. "Come here, my spoilt dear," he said softly. "Tell me, have you ever attended a Prince in his chamber, dressed him, groomed him?" he asked.
"No, my Prince," Beauty said, and she hurried to his feet.
"Kneel up," he said. She obeyed, hands behind her neck and then she saw the little brass bells he held and that each was fixed to a little spring clamp.
Before she could protest, he applied one very carefully to the nipple of her right breast. It was not tight enough to hurt; nevertheless it bit down on her nipple, pinching her, and causing the nipple to harden. She watched as he clamped the other to her left breast, and then without meaning to, she took a breath that made the bells ring ever so faintly. They were heavy. They pulled on her. And she flushed, desperately wishing to shake them loose. They weighted her breasts, made her painfully conscious of them.
But he was telling her to stand up and spread her legs. And as she obeyed she saw another pair of brass bells taken from the casket. They were as large as walnuts. And, whimpering slightly, she felt his hands between her legs as he clamped these bells to her pubic lips quickly.
It seemed she felt parts of herself which she had been unconscious. The bells touched her thighs. They tugged on the lips and cut into the flesh tightly.
"O, come now, it isn't so dreadful, my little maid," he whispered, and he rewarded her with a kiss.
"If it pleases you, my Prince..." she stammered.
"Ah, that is lovely," he said. "And now to work, my beautiful one. And I want to see you work fast, yet gracefully. I want to see you do all things correctly, yet with some artfulness. In my closet on a hook you will see my red velvet scapular and gold girdle. Bring these things to me quickly and lay them out on the bed. You are going to dress me."
Beauty rushed to obey.
She had the clothing down from its hooks and hastened to bring it back, moving on her knees, the clothing in her arms. She laid it out on the foot of the bed, and turned waiting.