Dimension Shifter

by T. M. Nielsen

  Alric turned to Kyrin and frowned, “Why did you assault him?”

  She shrugged.

  Finn grabbed her shoulders and shook her, “Tell me!”

  “Let’s hear her out,” Alric said, and pulled Finn away from her.

  “He…”

  “What would be so bad that you’d try to kill him?” Finn screamed.

  “He put his lips on mine,” she whispered, watching the ground.

  “A kiss earned him death?”

  “It’s…”

  Alric sighed, “She doesn’t know what a kiss is, Finn. I’m sure it seemed like an assault to her.”

  Finn moved to her and grabbed her shoulders roughly, “Listen here! No one is out to get you. You aren’t about to be sold to the highest bidder! Women aren’t oppressed or tortured! When are you going to understand that you aren’t in danger!?”

  She had to fight not to use magic to make him let her go. The pull was strong to defend herself, but with Alric watching, she couldn’t deny the magic use later.

  “Finn,” Alric said softly. “Let her go.”

  She stepped back and watched the Captain with wide eyes as Alric tried to calm him.

  “She had no right! He liked her.”

  “You knew she wasn’t going to deal with that well. You should have been with them or warned him not to touch her.”

  Finn finally calmed some, “I did tell him that.”

  “Is he ok then?”

  “Yes, he’s going to be talking higher pitched for the next week though.”

  Alric turned to Kyrin, “You have to calm down and stop lashing out at everything.”

  “He shouldn’t have touched me.”

  “It’s common here, and usually doesn’t result in a beating.”

  “He just caught me off guard,” she said to her hands.

  Finn spun and stormed off, leaving just Alric and Kyrin in the dark road.

  “Let’s go to the castle,” Alric said, and mounted his horse.

  She nodded and began to walk beside it until Alric reached down and put her on the horse in front of him. He then kicked the horse to move faster back toward the castle.

  Chapter 6

  “Now cross your ankles,” Genessa said, and demonstrated.

  Kyrin followed her lead and crossed her ankles beneath the dress. As much as she hated dresses, now that she knew how to move in one, they were becoming more manageable. The hardest part was the overly tight corset. It took Genessa and the Knight both to get it tight enough, and Kyrin found it painful and almost unbearable.

  Genessa sighed, “I guess that’ll do for now. Try not to act like an oaf.”

  “What’s an oaf?”

  “Just don’t,” Genessa said. She reached out and took a small tea cup daintily in her hand, “So let’s try the tea again. Try not to spill it this time.”

  Kyrin sighed and picked up the delicate glass, and then brought it to her lips and took a small sip.

  “Too loud,” Genessa snapped.

  Kyrin began to wonder if the reason Genessa’s Knight punished her every time Alric left was because of how moody Genessa was. In front of Alric, she was pleasant and happy, but without him around, she was prone to yell and often shouted insults at Kyrin.

  Kyrin tried again to take a drink, this time she didn’t even drink any, but just brought it to her lips.

  Genessa sighed, “You can’t do it quietly, can you?”

  “I’m trying,” Kyrin said through clenched teeth.

  “Don’t talk to me like that, or I’ll have Alric punish you.”

  Kyrin nodded and took another sip. The last thing she needed was for Alric to get mad at her. He seemed intent on Kyrin acting more like Genessa, so she held her tongue and did as she was told around the Lady of the house.

  “You’re getting your hair in the tea,” Genessa said icily.

  “That’s because you won’t let me put it up.” Kyrin was required to wear her hair down during training, although it often got in her way and Genessa threatened to cut it on a daily basis.

  “Ladies wear their hair down.”

  “You don’t.”

  “Do not talk back to me!” Genessa snapped. “I swear. You are all but un-trainable aren’t you?”

  Kyrin held her tongue.

  “Now get your hair out of the tea and take a scone.”

  She did as she was told, but winced when Genessa slammed down her glass.

  “Do it correctly! Your pinky goes up when you pick up a small pastry. I’ve told you this and told you this. I’m going to tell Alric to sell you as a wife. I can’t put up with this.”

  Kyrin stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She hadn’t even bothered to change out of the richly embellished silver dress. The Knights posted throughout the castle took a double look when she passed, never having seen her in a dress with her hair down.

  Just as she headed out the front door, Finn and Alric came up on horses.

  “All done training, Kyrin?” Finn asked, crawling off of his horse.

  “I’m done!” she screamed.

  “What happened?” Alric asked, walking up.

  “I can’t take it anymore! She’s going to suggest you sell me, and I’m almost ready to let you…”

  “Wait, she said that?”

  “I can’t breathe! My hair’s in my way! I hate this! Sell me. It has to be better than this.”

  “Calm down,” Alric said, taking her arm. “Let’s start off simple. If your hair is in your way, why don’t you put it up?”

  “Genessa said ladies wear their hair down.”

  “She did?”

  “Yes”

  “Ok,” Alric said, wondering at what he was being told. “Why can’t you breathe?”

  “This corset is too tight. It leaves bruises, and it’s not worth it.”

  “You have on a corset? Why?” Finn asked, looking down at her abnormally tiny waist.

  “I have to wear a corset to get into the dress! That Knight pulls as hard as he can to get it on. I can’t take it.”

  “A Knight laces it up?”

  “Well I put it on, but once training begins Genessa’s Knight tightens it.”

  Alric frowned, “I didn’t know Genessa had a Knight assigned to her anymore.”

  “Of course she does. It’s the same Knight who is her punisher.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “About what?” she asked, still irate.

  “Genessa doesn’t have a Knight and most certainly doesn’t have a punisher.”

  “Of course she does. I hear them sometimes when I go for training.”

  “What do you hear, exactly?”

  She sighed, “You know! He’s yelling at her to take it. She’s groaning in pain.”

  Finn gasped and looked over at Alric, who was becoming furious.

  Kyrin wasn’t sure why he was looking so enraged, “She knows she needs punished. She asks for it to get harder.”

  “How often do you hear this?” Alric asked her.

  She shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s when you’re out of the castle.”

  Alric looked at Finn, “Did you know about this?”

  “No, Sir!”

  “Who is this Knight?”

  “I didn’t know she had a Knight, my Lord.”

  “Who is it?” Alric asked Kyrin.

  “When Genessa’s in pain, she screams for Falon.”

  Alric pulled Kyrin over to the wall of the castle, followed by Finn, “Tomorrow, I’m going to head out to the temple first thing in the morning. What time do you normally go up there?”

  “She gets punished around 8am. So when I hear it, I leave and come back around 10.”

  “Go up again at 8am, if you hear them… well… punishing her,” Alric said, grinding his teeth, “you will meet up with Finn in my bedroom.”

  “I don’t know where your bedroom is,” Kyrin told him.

  “It’s at the top of the stairs. Keep going up until you
get to the top floor and my room is the only one up there.”

  “Ok.” She frowned slightly, “Did you not know she’s being punished?”

  “No, I did not.” Without another word, Alric stormed into the castle.

  “It’s odd to punish her without his consent,” Kyrin said to Finn. “He owns her and should know.”

  Finn grinned, “You have no idea.”

  ***

  Kyrin sighed and headed up the stairs, already in a dress with her hair down. She didn’t want to go to training today, and especially didn’t want to see Alric mad if Genessa was being punished without his knowledge.

  She cringed when she heard Genessa moan loudly. Doing as she was told, Kyrin turned around and then walked up the stairs to the top floor. She knocked lightly, and Finn opened the door.

  Kyrin walked in and was surprised to see Alric in his room, “She’s getting punished.”

  Alric rushed past her and down the stairs, followed by Finn and four of the Knights. Kyrin ran after them, wanting to see what happened to Genessa.

  When Alric opened the door, Falon jumped to his feet, completely naked. Genessa screamed and grabbed for the blanket lying next to her on the couch.

  The Knights rushed forward and held Falon still while Alric walked over to Genessa. Kyrin had never seen him this mad, and she wondered if he would kill her on the spot. She peeked around Finn long enough to see where Alric was going, but caught sight of the naked man in the room.

  She frowned, “What’s that?”

  Finn gasped and spun, taking her with him. He began to haul her down the stairs quickly. She thought she was going for a punishment too, but wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until they were in her room that she saw Finn’s face and noticed he was blushing and grinning sheepishly.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  “Nothing, I just… I think we needed out of there.”

  “What will he do to the Knight for punishing Genessa then?”

  He looked at her oddly, wondering how she could still think Genessa was being punished after seeing both her and the Knight naked, “Well…”

  “I suspect he’ll be hung.”

  Finn almost choked on his own saliva, and began to cough violently. Kyrin slapped him on the back, “Are you ok?”

  He nodded, laughing too hard to answer her. When he had his laughing under control, he smiled at her, “I love having you around, Kid.”

  She watched him, still not sure what was so funny, “Good to know.”

  Finn sat down to wait and see if Alric needed Kyrin at the trial. He figured they all had seen enough without Kyrin’s account of her involvement. He watched her, confused, as she tried to sit down, but stood up immediately.

  “Are you ok?”

  She sighed, “I can’t breathe.”

  “Come here.”

  Kyrin walked over to Finn, and he spun her and reached up under her dress. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he already had a firm hold on the corset and was untying it. She stopped struggling when air flowed back into her lungs.

  When he was done, he pulled the corset out from under her dress, and she sighed, “Thank you.”

  “Bruises does it?”

  “Yes, bruises where the buckles are.”

  He reached over and tossed it into the trash.

  Kyrin picked it up and brushed off bits of lint, “Genessa will want me back in that.”

  “I’m thinking your time with Genessa is done.”

  “Really?” she asked, looking over at him.

  “Yes, really.”

  “So I can change?”

  Finn nodded and stood up, “Sure.”

  She waited until he walked out and then pulled off the dress and immediately changed into more comfortable clothing. Once done, she opened the door for him and began to tie her hair up.

  “You really should leave that down,” he said, taking his seat again.

  “It gets in the way.”

  “So cut it.”

  “No”

  “Well I like it down.”

  She turned to the door when trumpets blared from outside, “What is that?”

  “That means a verdict has been reached.”

  “So the Knight is being punished?”

  “So is Genessa.”

  “Why? It’s not her fault that she got punished.”

  He debated trying to explain the truth to her, but figured she didn’t need to hear that from him, “It’s a long story. Want to go see what’s happening?”

  She nodded and walked out of the room. Finn led her up to the courtroom, and they took a spot standing at the back. Falon and Genessa were both standing before Alric. Falon looked terrified, and Genessa was sobbing into a dirty handkerchief.

  The only other people in the room, were the four Knights who were with Alric during the capture, and Trox. Alric was deep in thought as he watched the two angrily.

  Almost 20 minutes later he leaned forward, “I’ll sentence Falon first.”

  Falon nodded and stepped forward, his eyes down.

  “I’m almost madder at you. You were one of Valhara’s elite! My own Knight.”

  “I’m sorry, my Lord,” he whispered.

  “You are to be hereby stationed to outpost Zeta for the duration of your life.”

  “Zeta?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  “Yes”

  “Sir, it’s often attacked by Qualsax and has no defenses.”

  “I’m aware of that. You will be taken to it immediately.”

  Two of the Knights moved forward and escorted him out.

  Alric sighed and looked at Genessa, “I guess I’m just glad we aren’t married yet.”

  “We were never going to get married. Not with… her… around,” Genessa said, glaring.

  “Who?”

  “That girl! You bring in a young, beautiful girl for what other reason than as a mistress when we are married.”

  Kyrin frowned, not quite sure Genessa was talking about her, but she suspected she was.

  “You are wrong, and are hereby banished from Valhara with no possessions. You go in only what you’re wearing.”

  Kyrin had to stand on her tip toes to see, and then laughed when she saw that Genessa was wearing only a sheet wrapped around her.

  Genessa gasped, “You can’t do that! I’d have to travel through Qualsax!”

  “I’m aware of that, but you are no longer any of my concern.”

  “Don’t do this!” she screamed as two Knights came to escort her out. “I still love you! You can bed her while we’re married! I don’t care!”

  “I hereby ban Genessa from these lands, and this incident will never be spoken of again,” Alric said, watching her.

  On the way out the door, Genessa screamed at Kyrin and pointed at her, “You did this! I hope you’re happy you little tramp! Has he already had you!?”

  The Knights pushed her out the door and Kyrin looked up at Finn, “Has he had me do what?”

  “Nothing,” Finn said, and took her arm when Alric motioned them forward. She walked up with him and then glanced back when she heard Genessa scream again.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Alric said to her.

  “What does it mean to bed me?”

  He smiled, “I need to decide how best to explain that. For now, don’t worry about it.”

  She thought for a moment, “Why is she getting banished for being punished?”

  “Again, it will all be explained in time.”

  “Ok,” she said hesitantly.

  “For now, I will take over your training, starting immediately. Things need to return to normal.”

  She froze and pointed at Finn, “He threw away the corset!”

  Finn grinned.

  “The corset is unnecessary, as is the dress, and your hair down. Come as you are,” he explained.

  “Ok,” she said again, but it was obvious she wasn’t sure about what was going to happen.

  Alric smiled and then stood up and wa
lked to the library. Finn followed with Kyrin, and they all sat down when the doors were shut.

  “I want to start over on your training,” Alric explained. “I don’t know what all Genessa told you, but forget it. It seems she was out to harm you rather than help you.”

  “Forget it all?”

  “Yes”

  “What if she was right?”

  “Then you will re-learn that with me.”

  “You know I could go take care of her for you, right?”

  Alric frowned, “Do what?”

  “Well you’re the King. You can’t kill her because it would look bad. I can kill her without anyone knowing.”

  “You have to stop talking like that, Kyrin.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s not right!”

  She thought, “So am I killing her or not?”

  “No, you are not,” Alric said, sighing. “I want to start with some traditions that we’ve noticed over the last two months that are in conflict with what you already know.”

  “Is this really worth it? I’ll be out of here in 10 more months anyway.”

  “Yes, it is worth it.”

  “Ok then, what traditions?”

  “Let’s start with Children,” Alric said, and then sat back on the couch. It didn’t escape his notice that her nose wrinkled at the mere mention of them, “In Valhara, and even in Qualsax, for that matter, children are nurtured and cared for. They are special in their own right.”

  She frowned, “Here maybe. In my world, and in others, they are vile and disgusting. They are born of an evil act and are punished until they are old enough to be a benefit to society.”

  “Not here. Here, we treat them with kindness and respect, and have patience and understanding with them.”

  “Treat them how you will.”

  He realized this was going to take more than one explanation to get across, so he moved on, “Now marriage.”

  She tensed, “What about it?”

  “Here… and again in Qualsax even… marriage is consensual between both adults. No one is sold into marriage, and wives aren’t routinely beaten or punished.”

  “Why not?”

  “There’s no cause for it. They are rational, thinking adults and the relationship was mutually agreed upon.”

  “It’s still a barbaric practice.”