Utter Devotion

The Scales of Justice

************************************⚠️Trigger warning violence⚠️

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"How bad is this going to be?" Sagira whispered, her hands shook as she nervously tried to hide the shaking by grabbing her skirt.

Ciannait tried to speak but a lump had formed in her throat, silencing her voice.

"Bad, there is no way around this." Ratana grasped both of their shoulders and pulled them together,  their foreheads touching.

Reaching up she put her arms around her sisters as Ratana kept speaking, "We go thru this, together as always."

The sisters kept their embrace, each drawing strength from the other presence.

The doors flew open and Njords guards strode in without a word, their armor clanking as they walked over, broke their embrace around Sagira and yanked her away from them.

Sagira sagged in their grip so they simply lifted her between them as they walked back out without a word and a third guard came, "King Njord demands both of you presences now."

Nodding to the guard Ciannait kept Ratana's hand in hers and together they followed him down the hall and into the cavernous room where the majority of Njords court stood waiting.

As they entered the room, Ciannait and Ratana both squared their shoulders and steeled themselves, meeting every glance that came their way boldly, refusing to cower or be ashamed, these people knew Njords cruelty first hand, they were only glad that it was not directed at them this day.

"Now that my daughter's have joined us, we will commence with the judgement."

Sagira stood alone in the center of the room, her eyes on the floor, her entire body now shaking.

Ciannait could only watch in abject horror as Njord lithiely stepped  towards Sagira and drew his sword pointing it at her.

She had expected he would shame them publicly but never before had he so openly beat them, preferring to physically punish them in private.

"No!"

Her feet were moving, she stepped in front of Sagira pushing her behind her, "Punish me instead."

Njords eyes almost glowed with rage, his sword still raised, "Get out of the way daughter."

"I could have stopped her, I did not, I admit guilt. It was me."

A gasp echoed around the room, and the nobles immediately began whispering amongst themselves as Njord angrily glowed at her.

He paused for a moment looking around at everyone whispering amongst themselves before he spoke again.

"Seize her."

"No!" Sagira finally spoke, nearly screaming she clutched her arms around Ciannait, as the guards in the room all converged on them, cold dread filled her as she wrapped her arm around Sagira's arm.

"Sagira, go you don't need to be here for this."

She spoke softly and soothingly, as she stared Njord down as his glare slowly transformed into a sick twisted grin.

Arms grasped the two of them and yanked them apart, Sagira had to be bodily lifted away as she screamed, tears streamed down her face.

She turned only briefly to see a single guard with dark hair and dark eyes, twist her arms behind her back and lift her over his shoulder as Sagira thrashed and lashed out at him like a wild animal.

The crowd melted away from in front of him and Ratana quickly followed, good, Ciannait thought turned back around to face, she doesn't need to see this.

The remaining guard returned to their places, all but two who stood next to her, by claiming guilt, under Vienhiem law she waived the right to a Judgement in a court of law, and there by Sagira could not be tried or punished, she saved her sister that but now she placed herself at the mercy of Njords whims.

Rubbing his chin softly, Njords eyes gleamed with a special sort of malice as his eyes roamed up and down her body.

"How shall I punish you, sweet girl?" He whispered, just low enough that only she and the guards could hear him.

"The flogger I think."

Distantly she barely acknowledged someone was fetching his flogger, she tried retreating inward, she had seen him flog people before, he was going to tear her to shreds.

Almost disinterested, she watched Njord pull on a pair of black leather gloves on with exaggerated slowness, dragging out the time before the actual punishment would begin to make everything worse.

"Expose her back and hold her arms out."

The ripping sound of the fabric of the back of her dress was the first thing that registered with her before she quickly tried to hold the fabric up from exposing her breasts to the crowd, but then the guards, both men she knew yanked her arms away from her, high enough that the dress kept her covered.

Distracted by her dress she missed the sound of Njord approaching, the smooth coldness of leather stroking up and down her back, startled her.

"Oh, what this does to me my girl... Seeing you like this, helplessly bound before me, such pale beautiful  unmarked flesh displayed almost wantonly before me. It's almost more than I can bare, but I shall hold myself back, only the knowledge of yout flesh will be forever marked by me."

His words ate at her soul, terrifying her to the bone and she earnestly began to struggle, barely succeeding in budging her guards from their stances.

"Now now, settle down," Njord cirled around her again, and stopped right in front of her, he began reaching and pulling her hair over her shoulders, "Wouldn't want your hair to marr the work of my flogger." Njord answered as if she had asked.

"Njord what are you doing?"

Ciannait looked up in time to see Freya and Frigga both marching forward, the crowd melting away in front of them.

"Lady Ciannait is being punished, she claimed guilt for kidnapping the princes and she is responsible for the assault on Prince Thor of Asgard, you know the law. If she isn't punished Asgard would

Freya took Ciannait's face in her hands, tilting her face up so she was forced to meet Freyas cool blue eyes that held only compassion for her.

"Oh my poor girl"

If the guards hadn't been holding her up she would have held on to Freya as a child clung to its mother.

"Freya... stand aside."

Njords voice hissed from behind her, Frigga stood to the side, horror etched over her features as she looked around at the myriad of people around the room of people in the room all of whom suddenly looked ashamed.

For a brief moment there was almost a fission of power in the air and Ciannait wondered if Freya would defy him as she used to, Freya looked over her head at Njord, "This is wrong and you know it Njord."

"Remove the queen."

"There is no need, I refuse to stay and watch this travsity. Ciannait, be strong."

"Brother what if I offered my word as queen and Allmother of the Nine Realms that Asgard would not seek retribution against Lady Ciannait? I do not believe she purposefully intended harm and put her own life at risk to save Thor?"

Hope threatened to blossom in her chest, till she heard an amused chuckle from Njord.

"Only the Allfather can promise that. Now step aside. Go tend to your son."

Frigga looked as if she would argue further when Njord spoke again.

"Now leave sister, or I shall punish Lady Ciannait twice as much."

The sound registered, the tails whistling thru the air before the pain hit her, as determined as she had been to keep silent, the scream ripped from her as if Njord had pulled it from her very soul.

After that time became hazy, limited to only the sound of the flogger slicing thru the air and the burning of the flesh being torn from her back till the small black spots in her vision blossomed and she embraced unconsciousness as a blessing.