by Randi Darren
“So to speak.”
“Then yes, I agree to that as well and do swear.”
“As do I,” Alex said and nodded his head. “Next, your time spent here is going to be rather simple. Your case will be heard and judged accordingly, on its merits and nothing else. I will weigh it fairly, and as close to the law as I am able.”
Lady Griffon nodded her head at that. He would do exactly as he said, as well. The whole point of this was to make it so she would receive fair treatment and not be pressured into anything.
That it was all of her own free will.
“During your time here, I will make you offers, or deals. Perhaps for certain items, changes in your living quarters, eating, or other things. An extra pillow, more blankets, a hand maid.
“Each time, I will ask a price in exchange. Perhaps a simple oath not to harm the guards, or maybe for you to address me as Master during your stay,” Alex said. He was watching her carefully, trying to gauge her response.
She seemed intent on his words as she listened.
“The price is of course negotiable, and you may decline at any time. Should you decline, nothing will happen. No harm will befall you. You will not lose anything. Nor will it impact your case or standing.
“It won’t even stop me from making you other offers in the future.
“Saying no to something will simply negate the current offer. That’s it.”
“As an example, then,” Lady Griffon said, choosing her words carefully, “you could offer me a private apartment, and perhaps in exchange you’d want…?”
“Your word you will not harm my guards or attempt to escape. As an example.”
“And if I wanted more than that as a meal?” she said, pointing at the tray on the table.
“As an example? I’m not sure. Maybe calling me Master. Maybe telling me your darkest secrets that I promise to never reveal to anyone. Price is negotiable.”
“And if I said no to that deal?”
“As I said, nothing would happen. I’d rescind that deal, and that deal alone. Perhaps I’d come back the next day with a similar deal, but a different price.”
Lady Griffon folded her hands in her lap and looked to the corner of her cell.
“Think on it. I need to see to my other guest. I’ll return later. For now, do eat your meal and perhaps take a nap. Rest. No harm will befall you. No one is allowed in your cell without your permission, barring the head of the guards with a valid reason, or me,” Alex said.
Not waiting for a response from her, he went to the door that led to the next cell.
Unfortunately, it was not completely shut. Apparently Douglas had accidentally left it open.
Need to talk to him about procedure. I imagine he was in a hurry.
Entering the next cell, Alex closed the door and made sure it was shut. Looking around the cell, he quirked a brow.
Riley was sitting in her chair, a thin blanket draped around her shoulders as she busily ate her meal.
“Riley, hello,” Alex said, walking up to the bars.
“I heard you in the other cell,” she said, looking up from her food. “I swear to the oath you made earlier on Leah’s name and all that stuff.”
Alex felt the deal settle into place, the exact same way it had for Lady Griffon.
“Now, I want to barter for warmer clothes first,” she said, watching him.
Alex thought on her request.
Riley wasn’t going anywhere. She was going to be a long-term prisoner here. Her fines alone were astronomical and she wouldn't have any way to pay them off.
Let alone the other charges leveled at her.
Responding to her request now would only be giving her the power to negotiate first. No… best we change the power structure here.
Her debts are her weak point. And I wouldn't lose anything by removing those debts, as it wasn't my money.
What is your dignity worth, Miss Riley?
“I accept your oath, and swear the same to you. But… I think not on warm clothes for the first deal,” Alex said. “Let’s be frank here, Riley.”
The woman had stopped eating, her eyes hard as she glared at him.
“You’re not… going anywhere. You’re mine. I could have you hanged on your debts alone, let alone the other charges. So… you’ll be starting from a different position than my other guest. She has the means to pay her fines, and probably negotiate her case in a reasonable manner. You… do not.”
Riley blinked rapidly at that, then licked her lips.
“Now,” Alex said, before she could start talking. “I’ll make you an offer. I won’t have you hanged for your debts, if you agree to call me Master.”
“What happened to being fair?” she asked.
“I am being fair. You can call me Master instead of any other appellation. Or not, and decline the deal.
“If not, then you’ll suffer the fate you were already going to suffer. The law has already ruled against you. I am merely completing sentencing.
“I have not affected your case in any way. You can clearly say no and proceed to your foreordained ending. As if I never intervened at all.”
“I…” Riley stopped, her lips quivering, causing Alex to wonder how much pride she had. “I agree, then. I accept your deal and will call you Master, Master.”
“Done,” Alex said.
He felt the deal strike, and that it weighed in his favor. Apparently Riley did indeed have some pride, even if it was paltry, and he’d just forced her to sell part of it.
“Now, let’s talk about the sentences for those previous charges you incurred. I believe the penalty you were carrying was death. I think we’ll hang you tonight.”
“What? You just said you weren’t going to hang me!”
“No, I said I’d not hang you for your debts. Not the crimes. Those are two separate things.”
Riley’s face went from bright red to ghostly white, then to red again.
“Don’t worry, I’d like to make you another deal,” Alex said, smiling at her.
“I’ll expunge your death sentence. In exchange, you’ll disrobe whenever I visit your cell,” Alex said.
“I’m not going to sleep with you, I’d rather die!” Riley shouted at him.
“I’m not asking you to sleep with me. Only to take off your clothes when I come to call on you. I’ll even put a limit on it for you. If I visit you more than twice a day, you don’t have to strip after the second time.
“You can always say no and face your sentence. I’m not forcing you to do this.”
Riley’s jaw flexed as she ground her teeth.
“Will you at least warm up my cell? If I die from getting sick standing here naked, it’s pointless.”
Alex thought on that, then nodded his head.
He didn’t want her to choose death, and her request wasn’t a power play but more of an extension for being naked.
“I’ll add a hearth outside your cell on my next visit. I’ll be sure to have wood always stocked so I or a guard can raise the temperature when needed. Otherwise, there’ll only be a few coals in the bottom.
“Do we have an accord?”
Riley sighed and hung her head.
“I agree to your deal and swear it on Leah’s name,” she mumbled.
“I agree, and swear on Leah’s name to the deal,” Alex replied.
He immediately felt the deal settle into place.
He smiled with the realization that this plan would work. That he could keep himself alive at the expense of another's pride.
And it isn’t like I’m harming them.
Alex tapped on the bars suddenly.
“I’m waiting,” he said.
Part of this is having power over her. To bend her slowly to going deeper and deeper with my demands.
So… we must demonstrate that power at times.
Riley stood up, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders.
Reaching down, she took hold of the hem of her tunic and pulled it over her
head.
She stood naked before him. Getting a good eyeful, he couldn’t help but be impressed.
Damn, she really is put together rather well.
“Lovely. I’ll be back later with another deal, Riley. Oh, and no one can enter your cell without your permission, except for myself and the head of the dungeon guards, but he’d need a very valid reason to do so,” Alex said.
“Yes, Master,” Riley said.
Chapter 4
“Good work, Douglas,” Alex said, looking over the thirty guardsmen Douglas had brought into the keep.
They were clearly veterans, one and all. Either having served in the guard or the military. He couldn’t tell which service at a glance, but they all had the look of people who knew their business.
“Douglas gave you all the details?” he asked loudly.
Everyone nodded their heads up and down.
“Great. First, I see you’re all sworn to me in loyalty. That’ll remain,” Alex said. “Your next oath is to secrecy. That everything that happens here in your new job and anything you find out regarding me will not be revealed to anyone. On pain of death, and the loss of your soul.
“I call upon your loyalty oath now to leave, if you feel you cannot swear to that.”
To a man, they all remained still. All feeling that they could and would keep the oath he’d just described.
“Wonderful. Then approach me, swear to it on Leah’s name, and pick up your first week of pay from the paykeeper behind me,” Alex said, waiting. “You’ll be paid in advance every week for the next week, rather than a week behind.”
One by one, each and every guard made their allegiance and swore to the oath. Including Douglas.
When it was all done, Alex checked in with Walter and then went back down into the dungeon.
Only to find his new guardsmen already performing their duties. Five of them stood outside the door, armed and armored in full gear.
Nodding at them, Alex stepped through the door when they opened it for him.
Pausing just on the inside of the entry, he fished out Leah’s crystal and glanced at it.
Murky shadows fluttered throughout.
It’s working already. This is working beautifully.
Grinning, he pocketed the crystal, opened the door to Lady Griffon’s cell and entered it.
Lady Griffon looked up from her table, the tray of food untouched except for the piece of fruit and a half-filled glass of water.
“Ah, Count Brit. I’m glad you returned,” Lady Griffon said.
“Oh?” he asked, walking up to her bars.
“Indeed.”
“Hoping I’ve come with a deal for you?”
“Of course, but I’ll not be so foolish as to reveal what I want,” Lady Griffon said with a smile for him.
It seemed she’d turned some corner in her psyche and was now in the mood to play this game.
Alex was, too.
Especially since I get to make the rules.
“Delightful. At least this will be entertaining. Let’s start with something basic,” Alex said. Pointing to her tray, he grinned. “Not to your liking, Lady Griffon?”
She glanced at the tray and sighed.
“Not in the least. It's less than what I feed my servants. And please, call me Sylvia.”
“Right. Sylvia. Shall we start with better food?”
“I think that’s where I’d start if I were you. I’ll make this easy as well. I want for a meal. Whatever it is you’re eating would be preferable,” Sylvia said, folding her hands in her lap.
That neatly prevents me from cheating her on what the definition of meal is, putting it squarely on whatever I eat.
Then again, I could always choose my meal as horse-shit.
Alex couldn’t help but smile in appreciation of her choice.
“I can agree to that. Now, the price. My meals aren’t exactly cheap, you realize.”
Sylvia smiled at him, waiting, betraying nothing.
“We’ll start with the simple stuff. Your oath that you won’t try to escape, or harm me, yourself, or anyone in my employ while your case is in review.”
Sylvia blinked, her smile becoming false for a second.
She was expecting a heavier price. Good. Keep her off balance.
“I agree and do swear,” she said.
The deal settled into place.
“Wonderful,” Alex said.
Sylvia smiled at him, seemingly waiting.
She expects another deal? Well, we can’t have that, now can we? Need to keep her off balance, after all.
“Have a good afternoon, Sylvia.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?”
“Indeed. I only feel like offering the one deal today. I’ll come back tomorrow with another. Maybe.”
Smiling at her, Alex walked away from her cell.
Without looking back, he opened the door to Riley’s cell, entered, and closed the door behind him.
Immediately, he could feel a difference in the air temperature. The hearth had definitely increased the ambient room temp by a few degrees, even with just coals.
“Ah? My lor-Master?” Riley asked.
She was seated on the bed, fiddling with her toes.
A beat later she got up from her bed. Before he could respond to her question, she pulled her tunic up over her head and set it down on the bed.
She stood naked, her hands held in front of herself. They fluttered in front of her privates and then drew away. She seemingly wanted to cover herself but was unsure if it would violate the deal.
“Hello, Riley. I wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing. Are you warmer now?” Alex asked.
Reaching down, he picked up a small log and contemplated dropping it into the hearth.
“Much, Master,” Riley said, her eyes slowly traveling up towards his own.
When their eyes finally did meet, he waited for a few seconds to see if she’d look away.
She didn’t.
Still has some spine left. Good. If she’d broken already, she’d be worthless to trade with, I imagine.
Having kept his eyes on her face until this moment, he deliberately scanned her from head to toe, his eyes lingering on her well-endowed chest, hips, and nethers.
Her hands flexed, as if she wanted to immediately cover herself, before she mastered the urge and put her hands behind her back.
Filthy as hell, though. Might as well call her Dirt.
“How would you like a chance to clean yourself off? A new set of clothes and a new set of linens, since you’ve already stained those,” Alex said, gesturing at the bed.
“I… yes, I’d like that, Master. Quite a bit. Though I worry for the price…” Riley said.
“Mm. For the bath, I want to watch you bathe. For the replacement clothes, I pick out what you wear and get to dictate when you wear it. As for the new linens… a new pet name just for you,” Alex said, nodding his head. “And that pet name is… One.”
Need to keep working at breaking down her self-worth and her sense of self.
“One?” Riley asked.
“One.”
The first of many, we hope, but no longer a name.
“Watch me bathe, pick out what I wear, and you’ll call me One,” Riley said, repeating each clause.
“That’s right.”
“Before I agree… when do you plan on starting with the charges against me?” Riley asked, then belatedly remembered her oath. “Master.”
“Tomorrow. Your first meeting will be in the morning, shortly after breakfast. We’ll be discussing each charge, the circumstances, and a plan on how to proceed.”
“Ok… and if I say no?”
“Nothing happens.”
“Then… I’ll pass on the bath, but accept the new clothes and linens, Master,” Riley said. “I swear on our oath for the clean bedding and clothes, as you listed the arrangement.”
The deal was struck.
She’s going to use the water pitcher to scrub her
self up behind the privacy curtain, isn’t she?
Whatever.
“As you wish. You may use the old bed linens to scrub yourself and sop up the water that spills from the pitcher, One. Do try to manage your cell appropriately. No one else will clean it for you.
“I’ll have the items for our deal taken care of tonight, by dinner. Just pile up the discards in the corner. I’ll have them removed tomorrow morning,” Alex said.
Riley’s eyes were glued to him. Clearly wondering what would happen having said no to him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, One,” Alex said, waving a hand at her.
Part of me wonders if it’s good or bad to walk through the other cells to get back out… but that might just play into the psychology of it.
There’s always the hall if I change my mind.
I wonder if Sylvia will speak or call out to me as I pass.
“Goodnight, Master,” Riley said, immediately snatching at her tunic and holding it in both hands.
Entering Sylvia’s cell, he glanced over to her.
She was watching him without disguising it, her eyes curious what he was doing. But she said nothing.
Not acknowledging her beyond that first look, Alex left the dungeon.
He’d be back tomorrow morning after he made the arrangements for Riley.
***
Douglas and two guards followed Alex into the dungeons.
“My lord, I don’t think this is wise,” Douglas said.
“Don’t worry about it. Just put the trays down on her table, leave the box next to the door to Riley’s cell, and close the main door while I entertain my guests,” Alex said for perhaps the third time.
Sylvia was already up and moving by the time he cleared the doorway and entered her cell.
“Ah? My lord, what…” She paused when she noticed the second dome-covered tray.
“I thought you wouldn’t mind having a breakfast companion, Lady Griffon. We can discuss a few things before I start my day,” Alex said with a smile.
“Of course not, my lord. Please, join me; I would be pleased to have company,” Sylvia said, gesturing a manicured hand at a table.
Except Alex noticed one of her nails was chipped.
In fact, when he directed his attention toward her, he noticed her hair was slightly matted and tousled, with a somewhat oily sheen.