SHACKLED BY ROYALTY

Chapter 3 - The dance of pain

As Andrey's hand reached out for the knife, Noah's heart raced like a wild beast trapped in a cage, its frantic beats echoing in his ears, each pulse a drumbeat of impending doom. The glint of the blade sent a shiver down his spine, his mind swirling with horrific visions of what was to come.

"Please... don't..." Noah's voice quivered, barely audible over the thunderous pounding of his own heart. But his plea fell on deaf ears as Andrey's cruel smirk widened, relishing Noah's fear like a sadistic predator savoring its prey's distress.

With agonizing slowness, Andrey dragged the tip of the knife along Noah's chest, the cold steel leaving a trail of icy dread in its wake. Noah's breath hitched as the fabric of his shirt parted under the blade, exposing his vulnerable skin to the mercy of Andrey's whims.

Relief washed over him momentarily when Andrey placed the knife down, only to be swiftly replaced by dread as Andrey's hand reached for the whip. Noah had almost forgotten about the whip... almost.

The crack of the whip split the air, causing Noah to flinch violently at the sound. He couldn't fathom the agony of that thing lashing against his body.

"You're all bark and no bite, huh? Look at you," Andrey sneered, creeping up behind Noah, tracing his back with the whip. "You were cussing me out only a few minutes ago. But you're just a little pest, waiting to be squished when brought in front of fear."

"I'm not... I'm not just some... some pest..." Noah's voice trembled with defiance, but it was a feeble flame struggling to burn against the gale of Andrey's cruelty.

Andrey's laughter echoed in the chamber, a chilling melody that danced on the edge of madness. "Oh, but you are, pet," he taunted, his voice dripping with venom as he circled Noah like a vulture eyeing its prey. "A pathetic little pest, begging for mercy from its master."

With a snarl, Andrey brought the whip down upon Noah's back savagely. The crack of leather against flesh echoed through the chamber, sending shivers racing down Noah's spine as pain exploded across his body like wildfire.

He had never experienced anything like this before. His whole back was on fire, and he felt as if he couldn't do something as simple as breathe.

Before Noah could recover from the brutal hit, Andrey brought the whip down again, making Noah scream out loud from the searing pain.

"Not so mouthy now, are we?" Andrey mocked, bringing the whip down once again.

The crack of leather against skin echoed through the room followed by Noah's raspy screaming. His body convulsed with each brutal strike, his muscles tensing and contorting in agony. He bit down hard on his lip, the metallic tang of blood flooding his mouth as he fought to stifle the screams clawing at his throat.

Tears flowed down his cheeks, blurring his vision as he hung suspended in the suffocating darkness of his despair. Every fiber of his being screamed for Andrey to stop. To stop all of this. He just wanted to go back home to his mother. Was that too much to ask for? To have freedom?

Unfortunately for him, it was too much to ask for. If by any chance Noah had found the courage and lung capacity between the lashes to speak the same, Andrey would've probably left him half-dead in the chamber.

"With every lash, I will give you a rule to follow, and you will repeat after me. Understood?" When no response was given except for small sobs, Andrey grabbed Noah's hair, pulling his head back as the other cried out.

"Understood?"

Noah managed a weak nod, blinking through his blurred vision. Andrey decided to let the lack of a vocal answer slide, sensing Noah's unfamiliarity with his twisted game.

Another lash landed on Noah's back with a harsh crack. "You will address me as Sir. Using my name will only land you with more punishment."

Noah could hardly think, let alone be expected to repeat these sick rules that Andrey was concocting for him. A sob tore from his throat. Andrey only rewarded him with two consecutive lashes when hr decided Noah was taking too long to speak.

"I-I will address you by Sir."

"You will not show me any attitude."

With every rule, a white-hot searing pain overcame him from the whip.

"S-STOP! PLEASE!"

Andrey rolled his eyes, delivering another lash "Not what I want to hear, pet."

Noah felt his fingers growing numb, the cuffs digging into his wrists, raw and bleeding. "I-I will n-not show... atti-attitude," he stammered, his voice fading into a broken murmur.

"You will speak only when spoken to unless it's absolutely necessary."

A strained groan escaped his lips as his head lolled forward. A broken scream tore from his lips when Andrey dug his finger into one of his wounds. "Wake yourself up."

"I will- I-I will only speak when spo-spoken to..." Noah stuttered, his words muddled by tears and pain. He tripped over slurred words, simply breaking down into more sobs.

Each lash of the whip seared into his flesh, each command drilled into his shattered psyche, stripping away every ounce of his humanity until there was nothing left but a hollow shell, a puppet dancing to Andrey's twisted desires. Noah's eyes eventually closed, his head slumping forward as the much awaited unconsciousness welcomed him.

And in that suffocating darkness, Noah prayed for a miracle, a glimmer of hope to break through the despair that threatened to consume him whole. But in the heart of Andrey's chamber, hope was a fragile whisper drowned out by the cruel laughter of a tormentor who reveled in the suffering of his prey.