Fable - Ask The Baron of Stonewatch

[Keia Merrenia]

Christian called out when he reached the gate, "Keia. I trust you were successful?"

Keia heard him call, she wasn't at the gates at the moment, but she heard him loud and clear. And she went with all possible haste, ordering her creatures to unlock the gate so the men who saw what was happening would open the gate for the army outside. And Keia came out, looking quite pleased.

"Indeed I was." She said politely and with a smile, "With no small amount of assistance from the men who were imprisoned here. They fought well too."

She stood aside and allowed the baron and his soldiers to come in and see what had been done. She kept her creatures out of sight until directed otherwise, but the secret was already out among the rescued men, so it was only a matter of time.

The first thing she did was drag the bandit's leader out, the Holly the others in the old castle were speaking of, bound as thoroughly as could be and gagged so that no comprehensible words would leave her mouth. She was thrown to her knees at his feet and Keia said, "This is the one who organized this women's rebellion. She's the one who lead their resistance against you."

 

[Christian Vide]

"Indeed I was." She said politely and with a smile, "With no small amount of assistance from the men who were imprisoned here. They fought well too."

He rode into the camp and listened to her report. He nodded to the men she indicated and then waited while the leader was brought before him.
Holly, every bit the Amazon with the physical stockiness to boot.
He dismounted and stood over the kneeling woman as she growled like a ravenous animal behind her gag.
He looked her over dispassionately while his guardsmen continued to file in.

Once all the guards were inside the camp he turned to Keia.
"It's time to rip off the bandage, Keia. Don't be shy, show the men your artwork."
He grabbed Holly by the ropes tied about her chest and pulled her up to her feet. He then turned to address the guardsmen.
"With this final victory, the bandit rebellion will be finally put to an end. We can return home and finally proceed to progress and the future. But first you shall truly know who it was that led you into battle and brought you victory..."

When Keia brings forward her monsters he would throw Holly to Keia's feet.
"Carry out my judgement, Keia. Remember the instructions that I gave you for this mission and what I commanded you to do with its leader."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

He rode into the camp and listened to her report. He nodded to the men she indicated and then waited while the leader was brought before him.
Holly, every bit the Amazon with the physical stockiness to boot.
He dismounted and stood over the kneeling woman as she growled like a ravenous animal behind her gag.
He looked her over dispassionately while his guardsmen continued to file in.

Once all the guards were inside the camp he turned to Keia.
"It's time to rip off the bandage, Keia. Don't be shy, show the men your artwork."
He grabbed Holly by the ropes tied about her chest and pulled her up to her feet. He then turned to address the guardsmen.
"With this final victory, the bandit rebellion will be finally put to an end. We can return home and finally proceed to progress and the future. But first you shall truly know who it was that led you into battle and brought you victory..."

When Keia brings forward her monsters he would throw Holly to Keia's feet.
"Carry out my judgement, Keia. Remember the instructions that I gave you for this mission and what I commanded you to do with its leader."

She cracked her neck and knuckles in a show of intent. And with that her creatures came forward, all six of them.

One went straight for Holly. "So tell me Holly. Which do you value more? Your mind? Or your soul?"

It didn't much matter, she intended to destroy and rebuild both to suit her Master's needs, she just wanted to make the bandit understand that there would be a much more existential pain to deal with than simple knives and whips.

 

[Christian Vide]

The guards drew their weapons when the Monsters appeared, but made no move when Christian gave no order... Was this to be there lot now? In service of a one man army and possible Psychopath and his necromancer consort?

Christian watched Keia's handiwork but he didn't care about that anymore. The captain rode up to him and asked, "My lord... What is this? Who or what are you? What sort of Baron do we serve?"
Christian turned his dead blue eyes on the man.
"I am the baron that will bring prosperity to your home."
He turned his attention back on Keia. "Fun's just about over... It's time to go home. Bring the prisoners and everyone else that would like to come."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

He turned his attention back on Keia. "Fun's just about over... It's time to go home. Bring the prisoners and everyone else that would like to come."

She didn't complain and bowed her head saying. "Yes master."

She turned to the liberated men, who were a little less appalled by the creatures than the soldiers seemed to be. "If you would please."

They complied immediately, taking the women from their cages and tying them in lines by their necks, So that they might be marched to wherever they were to be kept more easily. As for Holly, she was dragged behind one of the creatures as they marched, one of the hindmost hands gripping her bonds, dragging her with her arms above her the whole way.

Keia remained faithfully and loyally at his side the whole way. Ready to receive his orders.

 

[Christian Vide]

The return to Stonewatch was uneventful. The prisoners were squared away and the guards were finally given time to rest and process everything that's happened.
Christian returned to the keep with Keia but he seemed more distant than usual. His persona of the Baron was still complete and convincing, but he no longer dropped that persona when they were finally alone.

The next few days were spent explaining things to the captain of the guards and getting things back to business as usual. They convinced him and the guards to remain loyal and keep the secret, and they were able to reopen trade between Stonewatch and the other surrounding villages.

Christian was hard at work fulfilling his duties as a Baron and taking progressive measures to build up the village economy. Expansion was on the planning board and he wanted his province to be wealthy and strong to handle such an undertaking.

The next time he had a break and was alone was nearly a month later. And he was seated alone in his study, reading.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

The return to Stonewatch was uneventful. The prisoners were squared away and the guards were finally given time to rest and process everything that's happened.
Christian returned to the keep with Keia but he seemed more distant than usual. His persona of the Baron was still complete and convincing, but he no longer dropped that persona when they were finally alone.

She returned with him gladly, but when he didn't drop the mask, even when they were alone, she felt a little worried. He had usually dropped the persona when they were alone, and it had become normal. So when it didn't happen, she saw it as cause for concern, but she didn't ask about it. She wouldn't ask for information if he decided not to give it to her.

The next few days were spent explaining things to the captain of the guards and getting things back to business as usual. They convinced him and the guards to remain loyal and keep the secret, and they were able to reopen trade between Stonewatch and the other surrounding villages.

Christian was hard at work fulfilling his duties as a Baron and taking progressive measures to build up the village economy. Expansion was on the planning board and he wanted his province to be wealthy and strong to handle such an undertaking.

Keia herself was also hard at work, improving her creations, creating new ones, and most importantly, she made progress with her Soulbound project. She managed to fully separate soul and body from one another, and keep the victim alive for almost three days. She gleefully informed Christian of this, and it's implications. It was possible. She redoubled her efforts, and she ran herself ragged trying to succeed.

The next time he had a break and was alone was nearly a month later. And he was seated alone in his study, reading.

She opened the door behind him quietly, intending to come and speak with him about her progress, but she saw what he was doing, and upon realizing it was probably the first time in a long time that he had himself some time to alone. So she wordlessly turned to leave again, her report could wait.

 

[Christian Vide]

Things were moving forward, things were going well. The Soulbound project had a breakthrough, once they worked out the bugs he would have the immortal soldiers he needed to combat the family if they ever found him again.
Keia was loyal, devoted even, that much had not changed and he relied on that. She was excited about the progress she made and he encouraged that with the personality that was Bruce the Baron. He didn't break character and there were many layers to that some of which he might have even found entertaining if he could.

Bruce cared about Keia, therefor Bruce couldn't go away and show Keia how much Christian had regressed when he knew she had been trying to make him feel again. Bruce cared, Christian couldn't care less.
He looked up from his book when he heard Keia open the door and saw him there, and while Christian would have continued his isolation and let her walk out, Bruce called out to her.
"Please, Keia... Come in. Tell me your latest progress."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Bruce cared about Keia, therefor Bruce couldn't go away and show Keia how much Christian had regressed when he knew she had been trying to make him feel again. Bruce cared, Christian couldn't care less.
He looked up from his book when he heard Keia open the door and saw him there, and while Christian would have continued his isolation and let her walk out, Bruce called out to her.
"Please, Keia... Come in. Tell me your latest progress."

She smiled. But then looked unsure. "Are you sure master? I can always come back later if you'd rather keep reading, I'd hate to cut in. I know how little time you have nowadays and I'd hate to cut into what free time you have."

If he stood by his command she'd come in happily and sit on her knees beside his chair, and tell him of the progress. "It's going well. These two latest tests weren't completely successful but they were enlightening. They still died but I think I'm on my way to figuring out how to keep them alive. In which case you'll have your almost unkillable army. I would say another couple of months at most before I have the procedure ready for widespread use."

He hid it well, but she'd been with him long enough to notice his one, subtle, tell that he was acting. But that also brought up the thought, if Christian couldn't care less, then why was he pretending to be Bruce for her sake?

 

[Christian Vide]

"Are you sure master? I can always come back later if you'd rather keep reading, I'd hate to cut in. I know how little time you have nowadays and I'd hate to cut into what free time you have."

"Nonsense, I'd rather spend my free time with you anyways..."
He turned to look at her with a smile, "... You're a lot more pleasant to look at than the pages of a book."
She came and knelt by his side. So subservient, so inviting to the human emotions of Bruce. Slavery suited her so well and for a normal person it was honestly surprising to think that way about anybody.

"It's going well. These two latest tests weren't completely successful but they were enlightening. They still died but I think I'm on my way to figuring out how to keep them alive. In which case you'll have your almost unkillable army. I would say another couple of months at most before I have the procedure ready for widespread use."

He nodded, it was good to get more of her thoughts than a mere report.
"I'm pleased to hear things are moving forward. But I've been having thoughts on our overall plan. When we were formulating this plan we planned on keeping the heart or core of the soldier on their person for ease of process, but I would like to explore again the possibility of keeping the phylactery in a separate and safe location apart from the body... It seems to defeat the purpose of having a killable army if the means of their death are so accessible. I'm curious how a lich is able to accomplish this, and I want to know if it would be possible to replicate that process in a streamlined way."

The thing about an assassin's persona, it took over every aspect of their lives, they essentially could become that person without truly being that person. Christian didn't care, but he had made a personality that cared enough to shelter Keia from the original Christian... The original Christian? no, the man he was hiding from Keia wasn't Christian... The man he was now hiding from Keia is the Phantom Rose.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

"Nonsense, I'd rather spend my free time with you anyways..."
He turned to look at her with a smile, "... You're a lot more pleasant to look at than the pages of a book."
She came and knelt by his side. So subservient, so inviting to the human emotions of Bruce. Slavery suited her so well and for a normal person it was honestly surprising to think that way about anybody.

She smiled happily when he said this. and came in, "You flatter me, master."

He nodded, it was good to get more of her thoughts than a mere report.
"I'm pleased to hear things are moving forward. But I've been having thoughts on our overall plan. When we were formulating this plan we planned on keeping the heart or core of the soldier on their person for ease of process, but I would like to explore again the possibility of keeping the phylactery in a separate and safe location apart from the body... It seems to defeat the purpose of having a killable army if the means of their death are so accessible. I'm curious how a lich is able to accomplish this, and I want to know if it would be possible to replicate that process in a streamlined way."

"A lich is basically a necromancer, they don't separate soul and body while keeping the body alive, they simply turn them into undead. It's a little different than what we're attempting. But you are right, it would be fairly stupid to keep their souls on them if it means that it would still be possible to kill them if the core is destroyed." She mused thoughtfully. "I'll probably need to run a couple more tests to see exactly how that would work, if it's even possible to move the soul too far from the body, or if distance affects them in some way. I'll certainly look into it master."

The thing about an assassin's persona, it took over every aspect of their lives, they essentially could become that person without truly being that person. Christian didn't care, but he had made a personality that cared enough to shelter Keia from the original Christian... The original Christian? no, the man he was hiding from Keia wasn't Christian... The man he was now hiding from Keia is the Phantom Rose.

She was completely unaware of this inner battle, to know that Christian had what could only be properly described as several minds, several people in one body. If Bruce genuinely tried to protect her, that meant he was real to an extent, but she also knew that Christian was real. So the only explanation she could have for this would be that he has many minds battling for dominance in his head.

She subtly tried to scoot a little closer to him, doubtless he saw it, but she also didn't want to press him for attention.

 

[Christian Vide]

"A lich is basically a necromancer, they don't separate soul and body while keeping the body alive, they simply turn them into undead. It's a little different than what we're attempting. But you are right, it would be fairly stupid to keep their souls on them if it means that it would still be possible to kill them if the core is destroyed." She mused thoughtfully. "I'll probably need to run a couple more tests to see exactly how that would work, if it's even possible to move the soul too far from the body, or if distance affects them in some way. I'll certainly look into it master."

Christian shook his, "I beg to differ. A lich is certainly a type of undead, but it's undeath created by the use of a phylactery, a vessel that contains their soul. They protect this phylactery and keep it hidden because as long as it exists they will keep coming back no matter how many times or how thoroughly they are destroyed. But the ritual to create a single lich is lengthy and expensive. But either way, thank you for researching this."

He noticed her scooting closer and Bruce smiled, he reached down and lifted her chin up to look at him.
"Come sit on my lap, Keia. I think we've both earned a moment to relax."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Christian shook his, "I beg to differ. A lich is certainly a type of undead, but it's undeath created by the use of a phylactery, a vessel that contains their soul. They protect this phylactery and keep it hidden because as long as it exists they will keep coming back no matter how many times or how thoroughly they are destroyed. But the ritual to create a single lich is lengthy and expensive. But either way, thank you for researching this."

She gave this some thought. Perhaps she was rusty in her knowledge, she'd need to reread a few books. But she nodded, "It seems I need to do a bit more research to make sure my knowledge is spot on. I haven't done much research into liches truth be told. I've always had to deal with books I could find in some less than likely places."

He noticed her scooting closer and Bruce smiled, he reached down and lifted her chin up to look at him.
"Come sit on my lap, Keia. I think we've both earned a moment to relax."

She smiled, and obeyed instantly. "Thank you."

 

[Christian Vide]

He shifted to give her a more comfortable seat and put his arms around her waist when she sat down and then he just held her to him.
She was super light, but then she was also not a tall woman. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"We've been through so much to get her, Keia... And it seems like our work has only just begun. For now things are going well but how long will that last? How long before another band of brigands moves in or before a new monster starts stealing livestock? We think we're in control but isn't that simply an illusion?"

Bruce loved the silky touch of her skin, and she dressed in a way where he could touch as much as one could want. He never asked what sort of life brought her to where she was now, he was interested to know what sort of childhood brought her to such a lewd choice of clothing, what sort of upbringing did she have to cause her to wander from village to village and to be hunted by that Duke and his hound when he found her... What decisions led up to her giving up her freedom utterly and completely and submitting willingly to the existence of a slave.

How much did he really know about her that wasn't deduction or conjecture?
"Tell me about yourself, Keia... Before we met, who were you?"

 

[Keia Merrenia]

He shifted to give her a more comfortable seat and put his arms around her waist when she sat down and then he just held her to him.
She was super light, but then she was also not a tall woman. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"We've been through so much to get her, Keia... And it seems like our work has only just begun. For now things are going well but how long will that last? How long before another band of brigands moves in or before a new monster starts stealing livestock? We think we're in control but isn't that simply an illusion?"

"Only to a point. The only things we're guaranteed control over is ourselves, but so long as we work hard at it and make sure that we don't alienate the people, we should be fine. Besides, we have some monsters of our own to keep livestock safe, livestock they can't eat. They can help with brigands too. Besides, with how easily you took care of these bandits, I'm fairly certain people considering it would know the consequences if they get to be a real problem. It will take time, and work, but it's achievable master. Besides, ruling is a lifetime job, and it goes down the generations. It never truly ends, it's maintenance not construction."

How much did he really know about her that wasn't deduction or conjecture?
"Tell me about yourself, Keia... Before we met, who were you?"

She sighed. "In all honesty I was a criminal. At least from the age of sixteen to when I met you. My family was a Khavosh family, we were nomadic, wandering from place to place selling oddities and harvesting berries for food. It was a simple life, but enjoyable. Especially since my parents taught me the fundamentals of magic. See I'm not a wizard, witch or warlock, my family has long been attuned to magic, a family of sorcerers, so I caught on fairly well."

Her gaze turned sad, "But a few days before I turned sixteen we were attacked. My parents fought well, but in the end they died, and at the time I'd never been faced with anything like that, and a fiteen year old me cowered in the wagon. Like a child."

Her tone told him everything he needed to know about that, she hated herself for that, for letting that happen and doing nothing. But she took a breath and kept going. "I suppose it's the reason they didn't kill me, they didn't think I knew magic, at least not enough to threaten them. So they brought me back to their camp and kept me there for quite a while. But they didn't manage to fence everything my parents had, specifically they couldn't get rid of their books of necromancy, written in our language, which I understood, so I snuck in an hour or two each night reading some of it. And when they killed a pack of wolves I tested what I'd learned, and I killed them with the undead pack. The wolves didn't last long, the soul binding spell wasn't done properly, but it freed me from them. So I continued to practice that magic, bringing dead people to life in order to defend myself from anyone else, and I frequently took shelter outside of villages, going in for food every so often, putting on shows for some lonely men for money to buy bread. But whenever they discovered my necromancy they always attacked me, to which I responded to by having my ever growing horde of undead raze the village, and I'd bring the corpses back as more soldiers. Until the Duke, Eberwolf, caught me and dragged me to his keep as a prisoner for around a year or so. He set me free as a deal for helping him in his war, with a restriction that I couldn't leave the limits of a certain city. But his people weren't happy about me being around and chased me out, they told him that I'd run off and you know the rest."

 

[Christian Vide]

She had a lot of good points, and not one's he necessarily wanted to hear just then... The subject of mortality and legacy... Probably the one thing that got him to leave the Phantom Rose behind for nearly two years was his own mortality, a fact that Bruce could identify as selfishness had it belonged to a person that were capable of such a thing.
Self preservation was something instinctual, primal, probably one of the only things that effected his unaffected mind.

He listened while she recounted her story, and it honestly gave him a lot of insight into the petite girl on his lap.
An unwitting criminal, hunted on a misunderstanding, found him and got him dragged into the entire mess. He could certainly blame Keia for putting him in this situation, but really it came down to incompetence on the part of the Duke... And Bruce really couldn't decide if his goal was to make that man pay, or to pursue his original goal of evading The Family indefinitely... Perhaps once he's built his legacy he could do both?

"Thank you, Keia... I never really got the full story, you were really treated unfairly."
The next thought made him smirk a little, "But all of this doesn't exactly explain your willingness to become my slave. All of this backstory is usually indicative of one that values freedom and a strong sense of independence."
He ran his fingers through her hair and then up her back and neck to her collar, "But instead you've sold yourself into a permanent cage, neither my death or yours will free you from this." He slides his fingers under the edge of the collar to touch her soft skin beneath.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

"Thank you, Keia... I never really got the full story, you were really treated unfairly."
The next thought made him smirk a little, "But all of this doesn't exactly explain your willingness to become my slave. All of this backstory is usually indicative of one that values freedom and a strong sense of independence."
He ran his fingers through her hair and then up her back and neck to her collar, "But instead you've sold yourself into a permanent cage, neither my death or yours will free you from this." He slides his fingers under the edge of the collar to touch her soft skin beneath.

She smiled, and purred while he touched her, leaning into his touch. "It might seem that way. But the truth is that I value safety, not freedom. Under the bandit's yoke I was constantly in danger of being killed or tortured, and not in a pleasant way. Wasn't much better when I was roaming from town to town. I was safest when I had an army of undead, and a few creatures of my own design, guarding an old manor that I took over. It kept people away until the Duke came along, he was still only a knight back then. You should have seen him. I know you don't take him very seriously, but he tore through eight of my creations, creations that were basically larger versions of our centipedes, and a few spiderlike creatures too, and he got out nearly uninjured. He's a much bigger threat to deal with than you give him credit for. And so, of course when he dragged me back to his keep as a prisoner, I always felt threatened. It wasn't until that night in the tree that I truly felt safe again."

She wiggled a little closer to him happily, "And in truth, my parents had an arrangement basically identical to ours. If I remember correctly, she even wore a collar for him." She giggled with this memory. "The family doctrine was always that a woman exists to serve her man, and the man's purpose is to provide for and protect his woman. So when you offered to protect me, and in return you'd own me, so far as my family customs go, it would be almost exactly like asking me to marry you. An offer I was all too happy to take."

She snuggled up as close to him as physics would allow, and made sure to give him the most revealing view she could at the same time.

 

[Christian Vide]

"It might seem that way. But the truth is that I value safety, not freedom. Under the bandit's yoke I was constantly in danger of being killed or tortured, and not in a pleasant way. Wasn't much better when I was roaming from town to town. I was safest when I had an army of undead, and a few creatures of my own design, guarding an old manor that I took over. It kept people away until the Duke came along, he was still only a knight back then. You should have seen him. I know you don't take him very seriously, but he tore through eight of my creations, creations that were basically larger versions of our centipedes, and a few spiderlike creatures too, and he got out nearly uninjured. He's a much bigger threat to deal with than you give him credit for. And so, of course when he dragged me back to his keep as a prisoner, I always felt threatened. It wasn't until that night in the tree that I truly felt safe again."

The Duke was certainly imposing and it would be dangerous to underestimate him. But while Bruce may have had his doubts the Phantom Rose was more than prepared.
After their first fight Christian had taken the measure of the man, he had assessed the skill he'd shown and the skill he may have held back with a wide margin for anything beyond had he drastically under or over estimated him. The man may be the finest warrior known to the world, but the Phantom Rose was the finest assassin the world never knew.
"Perhaps you are like me in that regard... Valuing safety while I value survival. Turns out we are both chronically selfish."

"And in truth, my parents had an arrangement basically identical to ours. If I remember correctly, she even wore a collar for him." She giggled with this memory. "The family doctrine was always that a woman exists to serve her man, and the man's purpose is to provide for and protect his woman. So when you offered to protect me, and in return you'd own me, so far as my family customs go, it would be almost exactly like asking me to marry you. An offer I was all too happy to take."

He scoffed a little as she cuddled into him, "So you tricked me with your family custom. I never imagined my partner to be subservient to me, to enjoy being made less of, degraded and dominated like an animal. I suppose it's this custom that encouraged you to service the eyes of men with your choice of clothing... Or lack-there-of... Just waiting for one to take you by force like a savage, it's a wonder you didn't attach yourself to the Duke."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

The Duke was certainly imposing and it would be dangerous to underestimate him. But while Bruce may have had his doubts the Phantom Rose was more than prepared.
After their first fight Christian had taken the measure of the man, he had assessed the skill he'd shown and the skill he may have held back with a wide margin for anything beyond had he drastically under or over estimated him. The man may be the finest warrior known to the world, but the Phantom Rose was the finest assassin the world never knew.
"Perhaps you are like me in that regard... Valuing safety while I value survival. Turns out we are both chronically selfish."

"Maybe. But I hope you know that I want to be anything but selfish with you. I live to serve, ask any sacrifice of me and I will make it without hesitation." She said firmly, "I truly wish to be as selfless as possible towards my master."

He scoffed a little as she cuddled into him, "So you tricked me with your family custom. I never imagined my partner to be subservient to me, to enjoy being made less of, degraded and dominated like an animal. I suppose it's this custom that encouraged you to service the eyes of men with your choice of clothing... Or lack-there-of... Just waiting for one to take you by force like a savage, it's a wonder you didn't attach yourself to the Duke."

"I might have, but a few factors kept it from being that way. One, he was the biggest threat, two, he hated me thoroughly and would never claim me, and three, he already had, and still has, himself a little pet. A red haired barbarian woman, I think her name was Kyla, Kyla Scathach. She even wore her own collar of steel, enchanted much like mine too, it's actually where I got the idea."

 

[Christian Vide]

"Maybe. But I hope you know that I want to be anything but selfish with you. I live to serve, ask any sacrifice of me and I will make it without hesitation." She said firmly, "I truly wish to be as selfless as possible towards my master."

"Even selflessness is selfish because a reward is the result of selfless actions, whether that reward be physical or an internal sense of satisfaction from doing a good deed. There is a return for selfless acts."
He put one arm around her shoulder and held her close to himself, his other hand on her bare thigh and caressing her soft skin up to her butt and hip.

"I might have, but a few factors kept it from being that way. One, he was the biggest threat, two, he hated me thoroughly and would never claim me, and three, he already had, and still has, himself a little pet. A red haired barbarian woman, I think her name was Kyla, Kyla Scathach. She even wore her own collar of steel, enchanted much like mine too, it's actually where I got the idea.

He gently kissed the top of her head, "Well, your plan for safety only partially worked... While I imagine your family and culture had erotic sensibilities when it came to enslaving their women, the women enjoying the ability to tease and antagonize their master to arouse there dominant sexual side. I needn't remind you of the consequences for anything less than total submission."
He didn't make his point with a physical threat or stimulus verging on killing her, he let his word be his bond. He simply hugged her against his chest and relaxed with a sigh.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

"Even selflessness is selfish because a reward is the result of selfless actions, whether that reward be physical or an internal sense of satisfaction from doing a good deed. There is a return for selfless acts."
He put one arm around her shoulder and held her close to himself, his other hand on her bare thigh and caressing her soft skin up to her butt and hip.

She shuddered with anticipation at his touch, and bit back a desperate moan. "Maybe you're right master. So do you plan to reward my selflessness? Or punish my selfishness?"

He gently kissed the top of her head, "Well, your plan for safety only partially worked... While I imagine your family and culture had erotic sensibilities when it came to enslaving their women, the women enjoying the ability to tease and antagonize their master to arouse there dominant sexual side. I needn't remind you of the consequences for anything less than total submission."
He didn't make his point with a physical threat or stimulus verging on killing her, he let his word be his bond. He simply hugged her against his chest and relaxed with a sigh.

"And I needn't remind you, that I intend to give you anything less than my total submission." She said with a smile, reaching down and pulling aside some of the cloth of her lower garments, for the very purpose of antagonizing his dominance out into the open.

 

[Christian Vide]

"Maybe you're right master. So do you plan to reward my selflessness? Or punish my selfishness?"

He smirked, "Neither. Although indulging in my own selfishness had crossed my mind... Would that be punishment or reward for you?"

"And I needn't remind you, that I intend to give you anything less than my total submission." She said with a smile, reaching down and pulling aside some of the cloth of her lower garments, for the very purpose of antagonizing his dominance out into the open.

He leaned down and locked her lips in a deep kiss, one hand held her by the back of the neck to keep her close, the other hand slid up the inside of her thigh.
In the next moment he had her on the floor in front of the fireplace between her legs and removing her scant coverings and then his own before passionately and mercilessly making love to her over and over while the sun sank down in the sky.

When he was done they were tangled in a blanket and some pillows on the floor in front of the fireplace and he still lay atop his petite and pale skinned slave, still locked in the embrace of desire.
He was rough with her, but not more than usual, not enough to make the marks on her body last longer than a day or so.
He was panting with his lips next to her ear, his warmth, breath, and sweat washing over her and he murmured to her in a low tone.
"Keia... I'm building something here out of this barony, working toward a goal... But I wonder what goals you might have? What might you seek to accomplish aside from serving me with the situation we find ourselves in?

 

[Keia Merrenia]

He smirked, "Neither. Although indulging in my own selfishness had crossed my mind... Would that be punishment or reward for you?"

"I think we both know that they're all one and the same for me~" She purred.

He leaned down and locked her lips in a deep kiss, one hand held her by the back of the neck to keep her close, the other hand slid up the inside of her thigh.
In the next moment he had her on the floor in front of the fireplace between her legs and removing her scant coverings and then his own before passionately and mercilessly making love to her over and over while the sun sank down in the sky.

She immediately gave in to the kiss, without any hesitation or holdback. Her arms folding behind her in a submissive pose and spreading her legs for him while he pinned her to the floor and removed her "clothing". And so she laid there, serving her master in the most primal way, and remaining his obedient pet.

When he was done they were tangled in a blanket and some pillows on the floor in front of the fireplace and he still lay atop his petite and pale skinned slave, still locked in the embrace of desire.
He was rough with her, but not more than usual, not enough to make the marks on her body last longer than a day or so.
He was panting with his lips next to her ear, his warmth, breath, and sweat washing over her and he murmured to her in a low tone.
"Keia... I'm building something here out of this barony, working toward a goal... But I wonder what goals you might have? What might you seek to accomplish aside from serving me with the situation we find ourselves in?

The comforting, domineering, protecting weight of her master made her quite content, and she kept herself exposed even after their "dance". He asked her a question, and she gave it some thought. After a few minutes of silence she replied with a simple, "I don't know. I honestly don't know, I've never really thought further ahead than the immediate future if I'm being honest. My life having been too hectic and my skills too abnormal to see the future clearly enough to have a good plan or idea of where I want to end up."

 

[Christian Vide]

"I don't know. I honestly don't know, I've never really thought further ahead than the immediate future if I'm being honest. My life having been too hectic and my skills too abnormal to see the future clearly enough to have a good plan or idea of where I want to end up."

He closed his eyes and sighed into her ear, "So I am your only purpose. And when you find one of your own, what then? Any goal you might find is now out of your reach because of me."
He brought a hand up to cup her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb while he kissed her neck, allowing Bruce to enjoy this girl he owned inside and out.
"You cannot even dream or wish upon the stars because I am your every future and every fate. Every god or demonic overlord is fiction to you."

He put pressure on a nerve that immediately paralyzed her from the neck down so long as he put pressure there.
"After the storms and relentless hunters... After all your years of running and hardship... Your life ended in the hollow of a tree."
He rose up slightly so his face was in front of hers, his forehead against hers and his blue eyes gazing into hers while his chest pressed against her bosom.
"You have no life anymore, it's mine. You said you would sacrifice yourself for me as if you had a choice."
He slowly rose up, still holding the pressure point on her, keeping her body totally immobile and at his mercy as he rose to his knees between her legs. The blanket fell to the floor revealing them both in all their naked glory with their bodies glowing from the sweat glistening in the firelight.

He regarded her with his cold stare, but it was still Bruce. No mask was dropped, this was the deeper layer of the personality that Christian had meticulously invented.
"But you already know all of this. Yet saying it aloud has some finality about it, doesn't it?"
He released her from her paralysis, but not before he picked up one of his knives from the floor and touched it against her, wetting it with the fruits of their lovemaking.
"Now I want to hear the depth of your loyalty from your mouth, confess to me everything. I want to hear it."

 

[Keia Merrenia]

He closed his eyes and sighed into her ear, "So I am your only purpose. And when you find one of your own, what then? Any goal you might find is now out of your reach because of me."
He brought a hand up to cup her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb while he kissed her neck, allowing Bruce to enjoy this girl he owned inside and out.
"You cannot even dream or wish upon the stars because I am your every future and every fate. Every god or demonic overlord is fiction to you."

She nodded affirmatively, and despite the implications, she didn't seem to be, in any way, upset or saddened by this fact. She had opened her mouth to speak but her master had other plans.

He put pressure on a nerve that immediately paralyzed her from the neck down so long as he put pressure there.
"After the storms and relentless hunters... After all your years of running and hardship... Your life ended in the hollow of a tree."
He rose up slightly so his face was in front of hers, his forehead against hers and his blue eyes gazing into hers while his chest pressed against her bosom.
"You have no life anymore, it's mine. You said you would sacrifice yourself for me as if you had a choice."
He slowly rose up, still holding the pressure point on her, keeping her body totally immobile and at his mercy as he rose to his knees between her legs. The blanket fell to the floor revealing them both in all their naked glory with their bodies glowing from the sweat glistening in the firelight.

He regarded her with his cold stare, but it was still Bruce. No mask was dropped, this was the deeper layer of the personality that Christian had meticulously invented.
"But you already know all of this. Yet saying it aloud has some finality about it, doesn't it?"
He released her from her paralysis, but not before he picked up one of his knives from the floor and touched it against her, wetting it with the fruits of their lovemaking.
"Now I want to hear the depth of your loyalty from your mouth, confess to me everything. I want to hear it."

His monologue paired with his actions were exciting. She'd shudder if she could, but she could not, since she was currently paralyzed. The blanket fell and exposed her well shaped body and pale skin to the air, and her legs were spread apart, further exposing her. The knife was just adding to the suspense.

"Y-yes master. I would do anything if it meant pleasing you. Everything I am, my body, my heart, my soul, everything is yours and yours alone. Should the gods themselves turn on you, and we be left alone to them by all others, I would remain beside you through all of it. There are no words in all the earthly languages to express what I would do and endure for you. And even if you decide I am inadequate, and that my life is no longer beneficial to you, I would gladly end it with my own two hands. And I would make it as long and as painful a death as you'd desire for me. I am yours, in everything that I am, and I am happy for it."