Dragon Bride

Chapter 27 The Sacred Grove

The little precession made its way to the castle and were admitted. When they reached the keep only Karliene was allowed admission. Karliene was lead to the great hall and told to stand then after several minutes Vada and Gorm entered. "Karlie, Karlie, Karlie you look so beautiful on you wedding day. I hope the dragon appreciates the effort," Vada said mockingly.

"I hope you will remember your promises," Karliene said.

"You have the word of a king. I understand my dear step-mother has involved herself in this affair. Buried the old priest and visited you, she's been quite busy."

"You'll not harm her, I want your promise."

"So demanding and protective little Karliene, I promise, no harm will come to her either after all I'm winning. I can afford to be generous. Now for a few odds and ends. It was I that killed your parents. I alone. Had too, your father knew of my plan to take my father's throne and my plans had to wait. I could not quite finish the job. Your entire family was my target, but it all worked out for the better now didn't it." Vada laughed at her obvious discomfort and continued. "As king I will be magnanimous in my favors and ruthless to those who appose me. Now as for your roll in this little affair. You will be taken to the sacred grove and separated from you clothes and adoring friends. Gorm will preform a little ceremony and you'll be left. You will meekly submit and say nothing. Oh! Except for screaming, begging and crying of course."

"Those are mandatory," Gorm added as he leered at her, "you'll squeal like a stuck pig before I finish, then moan like a whore."

"I would like my family to help me undress not your henchmen."

"Granted, I didn't realize you were so modest!" Vada said then he and Gorm laughed at her. "I'll even send the crowd away so the village will be spared your nudity. Your ceremony too will be between us and very private and intimate too. I have been looking to your deflowering for a long long time."

"Thank you." Karliene had difficulty focusing her thoughts and was unsure of what they were alluding to but grateful that she would not be paraded naked before the villagers. She smiled shyly over her tiny victory and blushed. She refused to contemplate the ceremony.

"Now let us be off." Vada shouted for his guard and they marched out of the keep and through the castle gate. It had snowed lightly as the night air had cooled and there was a lite dusting of snow on the ground. Karliene walked barefoot in the snow flanked on either side by burly guards. The villagers followed many of them carrying torches or lanterns to light the way. Many of the villagers laughing and taunting her others weeping openly. The grove was a good three miles outside the village and progress to it was agonizingly slow. As they entered the grove Karliene saw two sturdy upright poles standing in a small clearing. This was where she would be bound between the poles. Several lighted torched were placed around the uprights. She began to have second thoughts about her plan and she shivered not only because of the cold but the little ceremony Vada had mentioned. Fear caused her skin to tingle. It was very dark in the grove beyond the area of torchlight and it was shrouded by a thick mist that slowly descended to cover the ceremonial circle and the mist was growing thicker. The snow had continued to fall and was now quite deep as Karliene walked numbly to her place or execution.

"The dragon bride has requested that her family preform the undressing ceremony." Gorm said loudly, "so would you all please not enter the inner grove. The family may now proceed."

Karliene stood between the uprights as Eleanor and Unni started to undress her. They remove her bracelets, necklace and glit circlet then her red dress and handing it to Gretchen who carefully folded it. Karliene was told to not touch anything while being undressed. Next the under white dress was pulled off over her head and Eleanor began unlacing the corset. Unni placed her hand in the corset to help pull it over Karliene's head when Eleanor stumbled bumping into Gorm who had been watching closely. In that instant Unni slipped the little black knife into Karliene's waiting hand. A few minutes later Karliene stood naked before Gorm and Vada. She crossed her arms over her chest for modesty and waited. Unni, Gretchen and Eleanor were led out of the grove.

"Now we'll have you spread your legs," Vada said as he undressed and placed his sword on the ground. Gorm was already naked.

"So you can tie me to the pole?" Karliene asked her question sounding like a squeak. She felt absolute terror as her plan appeared to spin out of control.

"We will tie you up," Gorm growled, "once we finish with you. Now lay down like a good girl." His cruel words snapped her out of her fear induced paralysis and she rushed Gorm and drove her knife into Gorm's chest just below his collar bone and slashed down passing to the right of his navel. The knife blade was short so it did not pierce Gorm's ribs and the heavy layer of belly fat acted as living armor and protected his vital organs, but she did lay him open. Gorm yelled in shock and stepped back as he bled profusely and tried to halt the bleeding with his hands. Crouching Karliene grabbed Vada's sword from the ground and turned to him screaming like a banshee. Blood from Gorm had spattered her face, hair and chest. She looked like a wide eyed feral beast as she turned on Vada.

In the thick of battle no one heard the approach of heavy foot steps, heard the mumbled words, the heavy breathing or saw the huge dark hand that loomed out of the mist to seize Gorm. The huge hand covered his entire torso as Gorm was lifted screaming from the ground. Karliene was racing to Vada as he sprinted away from her naked and in mortal terror into the grove. Suddenly a heavy weighted net fell over Karliene. Then she was unceremoniously upended and yanked into the air and thrown over a huge shoulder. She dropped her sword and wept in total defeat.