The Kings Daughter

Eighteen

Aghony

I don't actually fall asleep. I cant. I want to enjoy holding her while I can, because after tonight I wont be able to for a night or two. I want to remember what she looks like when she is asleep. I want to remember the feel of her against my chest. I want to remember how she trusted me to take her innocence. I want to remember how it felt to finally take her. To finally have given us both pleasure. It is what I have been thinking about for a while now. Its what I was imagining while I was feeding off the chosen. Its what I now know is reality.

A knock pulls me out of my thoughts, I know its time. I get out of the bed carefully and I slide into my sweats. I walk out into the hall and am greeted with Beth. She has a smile on her face. I came here because she told me to. Well not fully, because I had wanted to come here too. But because she told me how hurt Lyric was. I didn't like that. I didn't like knowing I hurt her. I know I still have to explain but this Rythe has to be done tonight. When I am better, I will explain everything. I will make sure she knows what I was doing.

"Did you explain?" asks Beth as she leads me out of the mansion toward the tomb.

"No, I didn't get the chance. She let her hunger go too far. I fed her and... yeah." I say.

I don't want to tell Beth that I had sex with Lyric. I don't want to tell her that because I would feel weird. She is just like a parent to Lyric now. I don't know if Lyric wants Beth and Wrath to know, but I know I wont be the one to tell them.

"Don't blush. But the men will know what you were doing. You smell like her." Beth tells me.

I want to inwardly beat myself on the head. I should have showered once she was asleep. But I couldn't bring myself to leave her. I didn't want her to wake up alone. I didn't want to miss a moment of holding her in my arms because those thoughts would be what I need to get me through the next few days.

All eyes are on me as I walk into the tomb. I walk forward toward Wrath. I turn toward the Vishous and Quinn. I look to them both and nod. I don't know what they will do to me because I have never had to give a Rythe, but I know it will hurt. The daggers that they use during the fight are super sharp and are almost unbreakable. Forged by Vishous and his hand.

"Are you ready to give this Rythe?" Wrath asks me.

"Yes." I say.

I turn around and hold onto the holds that are protruding from the wall. I lean my forehead against the wall. I try and think of anything else. I try and think of Lyric, it works until I hear daggers being drawn from sheathes.

"You each get three slashes. One for each of his wrongs against you and one for good measure." I hear Wrath say. "Who shall go first?"

I hear someone step forward and I try not to tense up. I try not to feel the fight or flight coming over me. I hear a dagger coming toward me. The first slash lands on the side of my ribs and goes along my back. I fight the urge to cry out. I want to be strong. The next slash starts at my shoulder and crosses down to my hip. I still don't cry out. I don't want to cry out. The last slash hits right between my shoulder blades. The pain is a lot, I want to cry out, collapse against the wall, but I don't. I need to prove that I am strong. I need to prove that I can take their punishments.

I hear whoever it was step back and someone step forward. Whoever it is, hesitates. They don't strike right away. They don't move. They just stand behind me. I almost want to call out to them and tell them to get it over with, but I don't. This is their punishment for me. I am to take it without complaint because I did wrong. Because I wronged them.

The first strike is unexpected. I don't know where it hits, but I do know that it hurts. Quickly following it, I feel the second and third slashes. As soon as the last slash is finished, I collapse against the wall. The pain has weakened my muscles in my arms and legs. I cant hold myself up right now. I don't want to hold myself up. I just want to lean against the cool rock and let the pain go away on its own.

I feel someone help me off the wall and starts walking. I stumble a few steps before Vishous and Quinn step in to help carry me. I dont make a sound as they carry me out of the tomb.

"Don't let her see me like this. Don't let her see me." I say.

"Shh, we wont let anyone see you." I hear Vishous say.

The walk to the mansion is long and I hate it. I hate the pain I am feeling. I hate that I had to endure that. I hate that they dont appreciate what I did for them.

Once inside the mansion, I hear gasps and I know that someone saw me.

"What did you do to him?" I hear the one voice I hoped to not hear, Lyric.

"Nothing. Just let us take him to his room." Wrath says.

"No, take him to my room. How could you do this to him? Look at him. He is in pain. Why would you do this?" She asks. "Why Wrath, why would you do this to him?"

"I didn't do this to him. It was his punishment for breaking a direct order. He offered this. He chose this." Wrath says.

"Chose or was told to offer?" She demands.

When no one says anything, she says, "I thought so. Take him to my room."