"Morgana," said Arthur through the door.
"Why, Arthur, what a pleasant surprise," she said as she invited him in, unfazed by his visit at this hour.
"You have got to stop doing this."
"Doing what?" Morgana cocked her head to the side in amusement.
"The druid boy. You have got to stop putting yourself at risk." He told her, wearily.
"I would not let a child die at your father's hand, Arthur. You know I never will." She moved closer to him and put her arms around his neck, moving her mouth up to his.
"I'm serious. You're lucky he didn't have you executed, Morgana." He detached her from him and stepped back, causing a slight look of disappointment to fall across her face.
"And what? I'm supposed to be grateful. Someone's head is on the chopping block almost every week, Arthur, do you think that just because I'm safe with his promise that I'll let others be slaughtered?"
"Of course I don't, Morgana… I… I love you. I couldn't bear to see you killed," said Arthur, softly, sensing her anger and trying to soothe her.
"I love you, Arthur, with all my heart. But I can't stand by… I just can't…"
"You have to, Morgana. I can't lose you."
"Don't try to change me, Arthur Pendragon."
"I have to stop you from getting yourself killed, Morgana."
"What are you talking about?"
Arthur was silent as he grabbed her wrist in a firm grip. As expected, she struggled to wrench it free, shock written across her face. But he was a knight and he was far stronger than her.
"You're hurting me," she protested.
At this he loosened his grip slightly, enough for her to pull free and wince at the pain. She didn't have any further plan and he soon encircled her waist and pushed her down on the bed, face down, placing a hand on her back to keep her down.
"Arthur, what the hell are you doing?" she questioned, furious.
"You have to learn, Morgana. I'm saving you from yourself," he replied, as he rummaged in his pocket awkwardly.
"I don't need saving. But you will if you don't let me up this MINUTE!"
"My father won't take any more disobedience. I can't always protect you."
"I'm a grown woman, Arthur; I don't need a man to protect me from anything!"
"You need to learn the consequences of your actions."
"NO I DON'T!"
Her struggles heightened when he pulled her arms in front of her and fastened manacles he had stolen from the dungeons around them. She kicked backwards but collided with nothing but empty air.
"So you're going to keep me chained up in my bedchambers for the rest of my life?" she asked, mocking him bitterly.
"I am going to spank you, Morgana," he said, calmly.
"WHAT? You are NOT spanking me, Arthur. I am not a child!" she protested, indignantly, already straining against the chains sharply.
"Yet you act like one!"
"I'll tell Uther, Arthur."
"Go right ahead, Morgana. The mood my father's in with you, he'd ask me to repeat it."
Knowing he was probably right, she going to pull against the iron, ignoring the pain. There was no way in hell she was letting herself be SPANKED by Arthur. No way in hell. She'd never hear the end of it.
"You're doing yourself no favours, Morgana. Why cause more pain?" he said, pointing to
her chains when she looked up at him, face red and hair askew and then straining more wildly, to prove a point.
"GUARDS!" she screamed wildly and with urgency until Arthur clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shut up, Morgana!" he ordered.
Under his hand, she shook her head, a smirk playing on her lips, hidden from his view though. He slowly removed his hand and she resumed her shouting, milking it.
"Gods, Morgana, you're so infuriating!"
"No, you are. Now let me go!"
"This is just another example, Morgana. You need to learn what's good for you!"
"I'm not a child, Arthur! I will not be beaten into submission! I'm not another bootlicker!"
And her screaming continued.
"Damn you, Morgana!" he cursed, grabbing a cloth and wedging it behind her teeth, tying it behind her head, careless and tangling it in her mane of dark hair.
For a second, fear flashed through her eyes before she resumed her defiance and glared at him while trying to push the gag out.
Silence followed as he sat down on the bed and pulled her light body over his lap, trapping her legs with his own, pushing her forwards so that her hands rested on the stone floor and she was on her tiptoes, ass in the air.
"I'm sorry for this, Morgana," he said before hauling up her dress to reveal milky, unblemished skin.
As he cracked his hand down, she jumped before tensing her buttocks. He continued to rain them down, all over. She bit her gag as she rode it out, her ass turning from white to pink in less than two minutes. It was starting to sting but she refused to give him the satisfaction of jumping around on his knee. This humiliation was bad enough.
Arthur looked at the beauty over his knees. Her ass was red all over, from her buttocks to her thighs, but she was still resisting. He didn't want to hurt her badly but this was Morgana – stubborn, wilful, strong Morgana. She had to learn what not to do or she could get into serious trouble and then what could he do. A painful spanking wouldn't kill her after all. So, he crashed his hand down on her upper thigh and alternated between left and right, the same spot over and over.
Morgana screwed her watering eyes shut and dug her nails into the stone as the fire built up, stinging and burning. It was the worst pain she'd ever felt and it kept getting worse. Arthur was concentrating on the exact same place with every swat and she didn't think she could bear it much longer. She tried moving but his hand always found its target. The tears were so close but somehow she managed to hold them back as she jumped and squirmed and silently willed it to end.
She still wasn't crying although she was close to breaking down. He felt immense pride at her. His Morgana. No-one else could take this; he certainly hadn't as a child. As he gave her a break, he saw her sigh of relief and felt pity surge his heart. She thought it was over. He was close to relenting but he stopped himself. Instead, he reached forward and pulled the cloth from her mouth.
"Would you mind unchaining me?" she spat.
"It's not over, Morgana," he said.
"No, Arthur, no!"
"Why am I spanking you?"
"How the hell should I know? Let me go!"
Reaching over to her dresser, he retrieved a hairbrush and cracked it down in the centre of her ass, causing her to jump and yelp simultaneously.
"Why am I spanking you?"
"Because you're a controlling bastard who thinks you can change me! Well you won't! You never will!"
Two more swats which she jumped for but didn't yelp.
"You have clearly not learned your lesson."
"Clearly I have not!" she retorted, furious.
The hairbrush hit her and the pace increased. Her mental vow lasted all of a second before she let the tears flow, whimpering and crying out, the shame not burning half as much as her ass. It was red hot and it kept being attacked by her wooden brush.
"I'm sorry!" she wept.
"Please, Arthur!"
"It hurts!"
"Arthur…"
"I'll behave!"
"I'm sorry, ok!"
"ARTHUR!"
"I won't do it again!"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears and she started struggling even more wildly, kicking and rolling and even lifting her arms from the ground and almost falling. She continued to plead with him in between screams and whimpers.
"I'm sorry, 'Gana!" he apologised.
She stopped shaking and the hiccupping slowed as the tears stopping. She'd regained her composure surprisingly quickly but her butt felt like someone holding a torch to it continually.
Arthur helped her to her feet and unlocked the shackles, pulling her close. She wanted to pull back, tell him she hated him, that she'd never change but she sought comfort in his embrace and pushed closer, burying her wet face in his shoulder.
"It's alright, sweetheart, it's alright."
He rocked her backwards and forwards as she sobbed before pulling her back and pushing the hair from her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hurt you like that. I had no right," he apologised.
"Shhh. And you didn't really hurt me," she lied, his puppy dog eyes making her feel bad even though she'd done nothing.
"All is forgiven."
"Uh-uh. You owe me something in return."
Playfully, she pushed him onto the bed and straddled him, trailing kisses up his neck, careful of her tender bottom which still felt on fire. Somehow, the pain was more bearable as she felt the warmth of him. God, she loved him.