White Knight

Part 2

Chapter Two

The cells down here are colder than ice. She thought, her mind sluggish due to the cold. They had stripped her down to just her cream slip when she arrived. The men across the hall had whistled and jeered at her. She sat down, covered her ears and waited for it all to stop. Hours later the guard had shook her awake. She saw the menace in his eyes, knew it instinctively almost as though she knew the man himself. He hit her, harder than her fiance ever had. Her head spun, making the walls and floor whirl until she felt sick. Then he hit her again, harder this time, she could feel blood spilling down her chin. She didn't dare move to wipe it clean, knowing the action would get her hit once again.

"Do you know who I am, Highness?" The name was called in mockery, though he did offer a slight bow of his head. He knew she would never be Queen. She would not live to see the day. The young, timid girl sitting on her haunches in front of him shook her head slowly, her eyes growing ever more fearful.

"I'm yer whole fucking world. You'll not eat, sleep or even piss without me knowing it. Do ya wanna know why, pretty girl?" He asked, snatching her golden locks into his brute-like hands, yanking her upwards until her toes barely touched the ground. "Because ya did something wrong. Now ya gonna pay for it with every second of the rest of ya life. However long that may be. Got it?" He watched a silent tear run down her cheek, it wouldn't be the first, nor the last. He would make her scream in ways she didn't think were possible. He had it all figured out in his head, he would start with the parts of herself she loved the most. The most feminine aspects of her beautiful body. Then he would cover the rest of her in bruises and burn the Queen's mark into her skin until she learnt her lesson. Whatever the hell that may be.

He was preparing the ice water when the Prince walked in. Little brat who could do no wrong in the eyes of his mother. He watched while the guard prepared the metal tub full of ice and water. The boy Prince remembered this torture fondly. At first the cold was moderate, but as the heat of your skin melted the ice you became colder and colder. Just when you thought the torture was over the guard would pull you under as you thrashed and struggled. He wouldn't let you up until you were almost to the point of death.

His little whore of a wife was sent for. Wearing nothing but a cream slip that barely covered her knees. He moved deep within the shadows so that she wouldn't know he was there. Holding his breath he waited for the ugly brute to grab his bride-to-be. He shoved her into the tub, tying her limbs to the wooden posts as she shivered. Her lips turned blue much quicker than he would have expected. The cold was already seeping well into her bones. With a quick glance at the Prince the guard added his final slice of torture; a blindfold so thick the poor girl would believe her eyes had been plucked out of her skull. If the freezing water didn't drive her to breaking point, than the darkness in front of her eyes certainly would. The guard wanted so badly to hear the girl scream, but the Queen had given him specific instructions, so instead he moved aside - letting the eager Prince take his place.

The Prince took her golden hair in his hand, remembering all the times he had stroked it as she slept, the times he had grabbed it roughly to pull her to her feet. With a deep breath settling into his lungs the Prince pushed his love into the water, watching her mouth open in surprise before she shut it quickly. She struggled helplessly, thrashing about and spilling water over his suit. If this was any other day then she would have been punished. But watching her drowning slowly drove the Prince to an excitement he couldn't describe. He wanted to drown her. Leave her under for just that minute too long, watch as her body became still and the fighting spirit left her. He barely controlled the urge, letting the girls nose break the surface before forcing her back under.

The guard made a noise in the back of his throat. The Prince barely glanced at him, his concentration was fully on the girl in front of him. The guard recognised what was happening. The Prince's breath was slowing, his body syncing with the girl in the tub. The guard could almost hear the Prince's heart becoming deathly slow. A few more moments and they would both be too far gone to save. The guard considered it momentarily... was it better to save the brat and his bride and be richly rewarded, or let them both die? He cleared his throat a little louder, the vivid image in his mind's eye of the Queen standing over his gutted body. The Prince startled, letting the girl rise to the surface. She was unconscious, her heart barely beating.

"Majesty, may I?"He indicated to the brand waiting by the side of the tub. This would either disconnect the bond between the two, or it would be the death of them both. The guard didn't really care which. The Prince was far too focused on his task to notice the guard pick up the brand. All I have to do is slip...Brand the little brats face off. The thought almost made him giddy as he prepared the glowing hot piece of metal. The searing heat paired with the sizzling cold would cause most of the brands to scar instantly, the rest would blister and become far uglier. One look at the guard could prove that. He slid the iron hot piece of metal into the water, hoping the ice wouldn't cool it too drastically before it bit into the girl's skin. Just as the metal was a hair's breadth from the girl's left breast the Prince struck out grabbing the brand and looking dead straight into the gaolers flat black eyes.

"Who gave you permission to touch my girl there?" Jealousy, deep and unbidden filled the Prince's voice and the guard decided this would be the perfect time to take advantage. Kill two birds with one stone.

"Ya mother." The guard replied, hiding his eagerness behind his fake accent. The Prince and Queen thought he was a simple boy from the country. He would show them. He would prove he was more than they ever expected.

With a huff the Prince turned to leave, before remembering himself and turning back to the guard. He was suspicious, as he should be. The Prince remembered the guard before the one standing before him. A stout man, with burly hands scarred from wars no-one knew anything about. That was the guard that had been given the honour of turning him from a seven year old boy into a ten year old man. The Prince had lasted almost three years before he broke, killing the guard where he stood. That was the moment his mother had allowed him back into her life.

"You will not touch her." The Prince warned, red hot anger and something a little more primal, more beastial lined his voice. The guard nodded as though he was frightened of the boy. The Prince waited a moment, to see if there was a lie hidden within the guard's eyes. It was hard for the guard to keep still, but he knew he was telling the truth; he would not touch the girl further. No, he had something much worse planned for her.

As the Prince bolted up the stairs the guard whistled, the sleek underdressed figure appearing from the shadows, hands shackled to ankles just in case. With a gleaming smile the guard nodded at the passed out girl in the tub. He was going to shatter the girl. He would throw everything at her and watch her world fall right out from underneath her.