Chapter No. 5 Cruentus

For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

When Estard heard the door to her bedchamber unlatch, she sprang out of bed like a jack-o-lantern. Her breathing approached hyperventilation when the door swung open and two burly guards marched in. When she saw her father enter behind the men, her heart nearly sank to her wobbly knees.

Dressed in a lavender nightgown, she stood by her bed, folded her arms around her chest and shivered, more from fright than the chill of the night.

"Child," her father greeted her. "I am sorry for this intrusion. If I had known that you were to bed, I would have waited on the morrow."

She knelt and assumed a prone position. "I am always your faithful servant, my lord, regardless of the hour."

"Get up, girl. I have no need for your supplication. I have an assignment for you."

She got up but remained kneeling. "An assignment, my lord?"

Lord Grimsley motioned for the guards to leave. After they did, he walked over to his daughter, offered his hand. She took it, stood up but backed up a few steps and shuddered.

Her reaction brought a smile to his face. "Do not concern yourself. I only wish your service, my daughter."

"In what capacity, my lord?"

He paced a few steps to a plush chair near a large oaken chest and plopped down in it, allowing a long exhalation to leave his lungs. "I want you to assume the office of Royal Disciplinarian."

Her eyes jittered from side to side and she held a shaking hand to her mouth. "I don't understand. I have no formal training for such an office. What duties will I fulfill?"

"As Royal Disciplinarian you will delve out punishment to prisoners of the state. The prosecutor will provide you with detailed instructions for each case. You will follow them to the letter."

"I thought that such disciplines were carried out by the guards?" she said with a curious tilt of her head.

"They are in the case of common criminals and brigands, but in the case of titled prisoners, it is customary to have a personage of royal heritage carry out sentences."

"You would have me, a woman, exercise this duty?"

"I'm sure that your gender will not limit your performance," he said with a dismissing wave of his hand." He pulled a stack of papers from a satchel attached to his belt. "Here are your first assignments. I would prefer that you dispatch each case in the order they are given you."

She accepted the papers, noting with dismay how many there were. "Is there urgency in these cases, my lord?"

"No. You may see to them at your leisure, but I would not delay too long. Prisoners who languish in our dungeons often welcome death. I prefer that they are in good health when they are punished."

"As you wish, my lord." She bowed and tried her best to conceal her disgust.

"Good. I will take leave. I apologize for the disturbance."

"I am at your service, my lord."

He waved to her as he left.

She looked down at the shaking hand that was holding the papers. Sleep will not come easy this night.

###

Estard tried to sooth her queasy stomach with meditation, but it had little effect. As she descended a long spiraling staircase to the dungeon, she felt a nervous tick develop in her cheek. She did not look forward to a day of inflicting pain.

She held up two papers to the guards at the entrance of the dungeon. "I have Lord Grimsley's authority to dispose of these sentences."

One of the guards, a tall lanky older man with a long sullen face, looked over her papers. "Yes, my lady. Which one is to be first?"

"I will do the easy task first, the lady Gwenln."

The second guard opened the large iron door. The squeak it emitted ran a shiver go Estard's spine.

"Follow me, my lady," the tall guard said, gesturing to her.

She followed him down a long corridor dimly lit with torches and filled with ugly smells. He stopped at a narrow iron door, pulled a small latch back and peered into the cell. When he was sure that there was no danger, he unlocked the door and entered.

"Rise in the Lady's presence," he yelled at a young woman reclining on a hard wooden pallet.

The woman was not much older than she, but her gaunt face had patches of grime and it was obvious that her tangled blond hair had not been washed in a long time.

The prisoner arose and stood before Estard clad in a dirty thin tattered cotton sheet that covered her body from her neck to her ankles. That was the good news. The bad news was that she was barefooted and had to hold the two halves of the sheet together to prevent them from separating.

"Is this how they treat women of bearing?" she asked the guard in angry tones.

"She is a prisoner of the state, my lady, a traitor."

"Surly she deserves more than a dirty rag to cover her nakedness."

His face reflected his confusion.

Realizing where she was, Estard flashed a smile at him and waved her hand as if apologizing. "Excuse me, sir. I am not accustomed to the ways of the dungeon."

He acknowledged her with a smirk. "Do you require assistance, my lady?"

"Just tell me where I am supposed to punish her."

"There is a small chamber at the end of this corridor. You will find everything you need there."

The guard left and Estard breathed a sigh of relief.

"It appears that you have not had a good time of it," she said to Gwenln. "And by the looks of it, you have not eaten well."

"You are the Lady Estard, are you not?" Gwenln asked.

"Yes I am."

"Are you here to execute me?"

Estard raised her eyebrows. "Why, no. Why do you say this?"

"Then why are you here?"

"I am charged with executing your punishment."

Gwenln gave her a confused look. "What is my punishment?"

"You are to receive a whipping, one hundred lashes I believe." She pulled a paper from a purse attached to belt. "Wait, its only fifty lashes. That's not as bad as I had thought."

She stared into Gwenln's eyes and saw disappointment. "I'm sorry about having to punish you in this manner. It's not very pleasant." Seeing no reaction, she said, "What did you expect?"

"I was hoping for an end to my miserable life."

Estard frowned at her. "Sorry to disappoint you." She tilted her head. "Are you that anxious to die?"

"Oh, yes, my lady. I have been praying for it. This place is a hellhole. We are fed only once a day and the food is gruel filled with worms and other ugly things."

Estard's stomach lurched. She fought to control the urge to retch.

"I have an old basin to do my business in and it's seldom emptied. My bed is nothing more than a hard wooden pallet that I must share with the rats and bugs."

That was more than Estard could endure; she ran to corner of the cell and emptied her stomach.

"I am sorry if I offended you, my lady."

"That's ok," Estard said amidst coughing and sputtering. "It's not your fault. This place has a putrid smell."

"You'll get used to it if you remain here for any time."

"I doubt it," Estard said, still coughing.

"I do not look forward to being scourged, my lady," Gwenln said, bowing her head. "All that it will do is heap misery on my painful existence."

Estard stared at the prisoner for a few minutes before gesturing to the cell door. "Why don't we go to the chamber now."

After giving Estard a frown, Gwenln slowly marched out of the cell and began a slow stroll down the corridor, her bare feet slapping against stone with sharp echoes.

"What will happen to me, my lady?"

"After I punish you, you will be released?"

Gwenln's eyes grew large. "Released? But, where will I go? The other members of my family are either dead or in prison. I will be a vagabond."

Estard swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I will see if I can find you a place."

"I would be most appreciative, my lady."

Estard nodded.

"Will I suffer much?" she asked turning to look at her punisher.

"I don't really know; I've never done anything like this before."

"Do you take pleasure in hurting people?"

The question startled Estard. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. "No. I hate it, but it is my ordered duty."

"I am sorry for you, my lady."
Estard turned from her and sighed.

###

"Who is next, my lady?" the guard asked her as he watched her slowly stumbled up to him.

"Are you ok, my lady?"

"Yes, yes," she barked at him, but it came out as more of a wheeze. She held her hand to her mouth to hide her vomit-laced breath. "The boy is next, I believe his name is Elan."

"Follow me, my lady," he said, gesturing.

Elan was in a cell not too far away from where Gwenln had been imprisoned. The guard opened the cell door and gestured for Estard to enter. "If you have any problem with him, just yell."

"I will do so, thank you."

The guard bowed and backed away.

Estard entered the cell to find a naked young man seated on a wooden bench. As soon as he saw that his visitor was a female, he covered his manhood with his slender hands.

"I'm sorry about my state of dress, my lady."

Estard eyes examined the young man thoroughly. He was of average build, his upper body shaped well with delicate muscles made lean enough by lack of sustenance to reveal the shape of every rib. His long legs showed the location of every tendon. He had a long narrow face framed with dark matted hair that was too long and stringy. His dark eyes were set below bushy eyebrows. Elan's eyes seethed with indignation and his mouth twisted with bitterness.

"Why are you naked?" she asked, allowing her eyes to continue their examination of his body.

"Nakedness is a weapon of dehumanization and subjugation."

Estard frowned. "Are all male prisoners so treated?"

"Yes, my lady."

"This practice is most indecent," she said under her breath.

He stared into her eyes with curious eyes. "Why are you here in this dismal place, my lady?"

"I am Lady Estard. I have been given the duty of carrying out your punishment."

"Ah, I am to be dispatched by royal blood. I am honored." His voice reeked of disdain.

"I am not here to take your life," Estard said with anger showing in her eyes. "I am here to inflict punishment."

His eyes brightened. "I am surprised, my lady. I was certain that my life had been forfeited." His eyes narrowed and brow furled. "What punishment will I endure?"

Estard jutted her jaw at him. "I have been ordered to excise your--"

"What?" he yelled loud enough to bring the guard back.

"Do you need assistance, my lady? He asked looking into the cell from the narrow entrance.

She waved at him. "Please leave us to our discussion, sir."

He stared at her for a moment and then left shaking his head.

Elan stood up and began to pace. "Am I to understand that you are going to geld me like an old farm horse?" His voice was higher pitched than normal and broke at mid sentence.

Estard eyes followed him back and forth. "A metaphorical description of the process."

He stopped and paced in place, his face reflecting horror. "No. You must be making a joke. Surely, you are not going to cut off my--"

"I'm afraid so," she said without emotion.

His eyes began to fill and his face twisted with pain. "No! No! Do not do this despicable thing to me. I beseech you."

"I'm sorry, but I must."

He bent over and groaned. "You must not, my lady. Please, no. I would rather die."

She flashed a very brief grin. "I'm not surprised."

He jumped up and down as if he had to pee. "How can you make light of my plight?"

"Sorry," she said in a calm voice. "I don't like it any more than you do."

"You mock me," he hissed. "You will take joy in emasculating me. I know you will."

"I take no joy in mutilation."

He glared at her for several minutes before relaxing his face and sighing. "I protest this abomination, my lady."

Estard gestured to the cell door. "Come with me so that we can finish this unpleasant business."

He continued to fidget around as if in pain. Estard motioned more emphatically to the cell door but he hesitated.

"Please don't do this to me. I beg you."

"Let's go," she ordered him.

"No! No!" His face was twisted in a grotesque pate of imagined horror and he jumped around as if his feet were on hot coals.

Estard moved to the cell door. "Guard! Guard! I need your assistance."

The guard entered the cell. "What do you need of me, my lady?"

She pointed at Elan. "This prisoner refuses to come with me to the punishment chamber."

The guard grabbed him and pushed him out of the cell door. "Move, you scum," he growled.

Elan stumbled out into the corridor, nearly falling. Estard directed him to walk ahead of her. The guard's menacing scowl encouraged his progress.

His face flushed red. "You will rot in hell for this abomination, bitch."

Estard flashed a brief grin at him. "I probably will have an ignominious future, but as to my canine ancestry, I take issue with that."

He stopped and glared at her.

"Keep moving." The guard emphasized his order by stabbing a finger into his back.

###

Grimsy turned to watch his sister enter his bathing chamber and saunter over to a bench near the shallow marble pool in which he sat.

His eyebrows rose. "Dear sister, what brings you to my bath so late?"

As she daintily perched on the bench, she blew a long troubled sigh. "I am in need of cheer, my lord."

He grinned at her. "I think that you are in need of amusement."

"Cheer. Amusement. They tread a fine line." She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes moving around the parts of him that were exposed.

He tilted his head in mock coyness. "Your maidservants would never allow me to enter your bath."

Her face exploded with indignation. "You know full well that no maidservant bathes me. You're welcome to my bath anytime you desire."

"When I ascend to power, I will command you to service me."

She tilted her head and smiled. "You don't have to wait. I will fulfill your every desire this very moment. My body and my soul are yours to do with as you wish."

"I trust you are not toying with me.
Deception will earn you a beating."

"I intend no duplicity. You know me better than that."

He flashed an acknowledging grin at her before he set his face in a frown. "I did not give you permission to sit."

She jumped up and stood at attention. "I beg your forgiveness, my lord."

"I was informed that our father visited you in your bedchambers. What did he wish of you?"

Her eyebrows rose. "How did you know about that?"

"There is little that I don't know. Now, tell me what he wanted."

"He assigned me to be the Royal Disciplinarian."

His eyebrows rose. "He what? You? That's ridiculous."

"I agree, but it is fact, nonetheless."

Grimsy shook his head. "Why would he make you a disciplinarian?"

She shrugged.

He held up his finger. "Perhaps, he is doing this to torment you. He knows how much you hate seeing pain."

"You may be right. I do not look forward to torturing people."

"Why didn't he assign this to me. I would enjoy it immensely."

"These are people of bearing. I do not look forward to punishing them."

Grimsy squeezed a sponge full of water over his head. As rivulets of water ran down over his face, he turned to his sister. "Do I know any of them?"

"The first two on the list were Sir Guyan's children."

"Yes, Sir Guyan. He made the fatal error of siding with the rebels. How are they to be executed?"

"I did both of them today," she said, bowing her head.

His face blossomed with excitement. "You executed them! How?"

"No, no," she said, holding up her hand. "I only punished them."
"How?"

"I applied the whip to Gwenln--Fifty lashes."

Grimsy smiled. "Did you enjoy it?"

She turned away. "May I sit, my lord? My stomach is at odds with my conscience."

He motioned for her to sit and she wasted no time in doing so.

"What did you do to Elan?"

"I was ordered to excise his--"

"You castrated him?" he said in disbelief

"He protested most vociferously."

"I don't doubt that one bit," he said, shaking his head.

"Oh, dear brother, it was awful. He screamed so loud it did injure my ears and he thrashed about most violently."

Grimsy laughed. "You have a cruel streak that I was not aware of, my sister."

"I did not derive pleasure from it." Her face flushed. "Such punishment is cruelty beyond the bounds of good reason. How could civil men proscribe such a horrible punishment?"

"Master Elan is fortunate. Civil men of this Empire have proscribed much more horrible punishments for traitors. All he lost was his manhood."

"Speaking of manhood," she said, smiling. "I would be most appreciative if you--"

"I think I'll pass on that request, my sister. My manhood pains me just thinking about what you did."

She frowned and her eyes shot fire at him, but the muscles of her face soon relaxed in stages into a smile, a prelude to laughter. He joined in her amusement.