Medieval Hell: The Crime
Writhing in pleasure, arms and legs splayed taut and bound tightly to the corners of his massive mahogany four-poster bed. The young prince flexed and strained against the masterfully applied braided horsehair ropes on which he had spent the equivalent of a peasant's annual pittance. In a state of ecstasy equal to his own, riding astride the seventeen year old nobleman, was a fair maiden of such remarkable beauty that she was said to have no equal throughout the vast territories of the kingdom. The forbidden young lovers were nearing the apex of their passion when the seemingly impenetrable timber barring the chamber's arched entryway shattered with almost shocking force.
Panting uncontrollably, all the prince could do was crane his neck toward the splintered remains of the door to his expansive sleeping chamber. Cowering on the floor at the side of the bed, having made an instinctive leap of self-preservation, knelt the trembling maiden.
"GET OUT! GET OUT!" shrieked the frantic and frightened prince. He pulled wildly against the tightly knotted ropes. His athletic form was pushed to a previously unmatched level of exertion as he strained against the incredibly resilient bonds in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy. "As prince of this realm, heir to the throne, I ORDER YOU FROM THIS ROOM!"
It's hard to project an air of authority when helplessly bound, naked, to your bed. It was no use. No fewer than a dozen of the king's elite personal security detail, armored and bristling with weapons, had spilled through the wreckage of the heavy oak door. Having entered in full attack posture, the highly trained mercenaries were now slowly lowering their swords, daggers, maces, and battle axes. Bemused grins spread over some of their faces, while others gaped, open mouthed, at the spectacle before them.
A hulking brute, apparently the leader of the almost comically out of place throng of muscled warriors, stepped toward the helpless, blushing boy. Try as he might, the soldier was unable to wipe the slight smirk from his face. "My apologies, uh,..... your majesty, but you're both under arrest per order of his highness, your father."
"FOR WHAT?" screamed the boy, almost senseless with rage, embarrassment, and fear.
"For conspiring to jeopardize his highness' plans for an alliance with King Edward." stated the smirking soldier, matter-of-factly. "By associating with this... harlot," he gestured toward the still shaking girl, "you risk the nullification of your future marriage to the princess."
"DON'T call her a harlot you brainless dolt! And you can tell my dear father that I WILL NEVER MARRY THAT DISGUSTING PIG!" spat the prince furiously, his chest heaving as he panted. "Now get out of here and leave us alone before I order you to your death!" He knew he was pushing it.
"That, your majesty, isn't going to happen," the soldier growled. He gestured toward the girl and two subordinates advanced in her direction. She shrieked, and then began to cry.
"Don't you put your hands on her!" shouted the prince. "I will be king before too long!"
"Ignore the boy," said the commanding soldier. "Lust has clearly clouded his judgment." The two soldiers roughly grasped the wide-eyed girl by her arms, pulling her to her feet. Tears streaked down her face as the prince thrashed in his bonds like a creature possessed. One of the arresting soldiers removed a tightly coiled leather strap from a sheath on his belt. The other man wrenched her delicate arms behind her back while her hands were crossed and secured with the strap. She stood there, stark naked, looking imploringly at her lover, rendered helpless by her own hand. Without a moment's hesitation she was marched from the prince's bed chamber.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" the prince screamed. "I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"
The soldier snorted. "Looks as if she had yours!" The men remaining within the chamber laughed heartily. "By the way, the orders were to place BOTH of you under arrest." He gestured again. Four of the powerfully built young men advanced on the boy. Two of them held him while the ropes were untied from the bed posts.
"Leave the ropes on his wrists and ankles, as the boy seems to have an affinity for them," the commanding soldier instructed. The men forced the prince into a sitting position. "Bind his wrists at his back." The soldiers did as commanded, then roughly pulled him from the bed.
Yet another soldier stepped forward bearing a wooden pole with metal rings affixed to each end. This pole was forced behind the prince's arms where it was bound to his biceps with a long coil of his own luxurious rope. His upper arms, as well as the wooden pole, were then bound to his torso. Lead chains were locked to the metal rings, and the struggling, naked prince was led to the dungeons, ropes dragging from his ankles.
To be continued...