A/N Emma is an idiot, harsh but necessary to move forward. Warning for corporal punishment. Short chapter but more to come soon as things come to a head between Emma and Regina (next chapter!)
Previously in The Collar
"It seems so, Mistress," Emma having reached her own conclusion, particularly the way Red was avoiding her eye. "I'm sure it will be enjoyable for you both to reconnect." Her inflection garnering Regina's attention and a snarl from Red.
"You forget yourself!" She growled at her friend, the wolf in her rising. Leaping to her feet and standing over Emma whose face was set in that infuriating, impenetrable mask and Red just wanted to smack it right off her. Fists clenching but not making a move as her queen was the ultimate authority.
"You know that cannot be ignored?" Regina raising her brow as she turned to her pet, Emma's hair now fisted in her hand, pulling her head back at a painful angle but the slave did not flinch.
"I do," Emma nodding her acceptance as best she could against the hold, locking eyes with the queen who new exactly what her pet wanted to achieve.
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Eva and 116 had been silent observers of the confrontation, neither fully understanding Emma's behaviour, at odds to her usual obedience (Eva) and against basic slave training (116).
The stand-off was broken by the return of Greta and Belle carrying trays of food. Their approach to the queen's chambers had been cautious due to Greta's link to Red, a sudden spike of anger alerting her that all was not well and warned Belle to follow her lead.
"My Queen?" Greta speaking up and waiting to be told where to place the trays.
"Over there," Red gesturing to the main table in the room rather than the low tables between the chairs. The young slaves doing what they were told and following Miss Eva's beckoning to come and stand behind her, out of the way behind her chair.
"You are a fool," Regina muttering in Emma's ear before releasing her hold, the change causing Emma to waver in her balance, Regina both disappointed and conflicted. "Up!" Emma obeying the command and coming to stand before her Queen and the heir, shoulders square, eyes down, posture overall perfect.
A wave of the queen's hands had Emma's bra removed, another and her wrists were cuffed to a chain now hanging from the ceiling, stretching her body taut, only the balls of her feet on the ground in the centre of the circle of chairs providing all with a perfect view.
The only reaction Emma showing was a slight flicker, a flinch, when a cane appeared in the queen's hand.
"Do not wound her enough to scar, anything else is fair game," Regina holding her pet's eye as she settled back in her chair, holding the cane out to Red who took it and hefted its weight thoughtfully.
"Eyes on me," Red growling, anger still burning, her wolf pacing; it wanted revenge from the one who had slighted her once again in front of the queen. Red's free hand snapping forward and slapping Emma across her face, not holding back on her strength, much, the force of the blow turning Emma's head and beads of blood blooming on her lip. Yes, they were friends but Emma had crossed a line and she knew it, Red knowing the breach was purposeful and had a good idea why the slave was acting out but still angered by her insinuation, albeit that it was true.
Greta heard herself whimper as the sound of the impact ricocheted around the room; she clamped her mouth closed unsettled by what she was seeing, Red holding a power over Emma that had been implied since the queen's announcement but never demonstrated in such a way. Belle was on edge, hating to see her mistress angry with Emma, she thought they were friends? Eva was stoic, her presence throughout and understanding of the dynamics giving her an advantage over the young slaves but did not mean she was comfortable with the turn of events. 116 was watching without guise, fascinated by everything but unknowing of the underlying relationships.
Emma took the blow and immediately re-focused on Red as she'd been told, seeing the wolf's eyes yellow and teeth sharpen.
Red lashed out fast and without warning, the first blow falling cruelly across both breasts, Emma crying out as she always did with the cane, Greta flashing a look at Belle who was also concerned. Emma always took her punishments silently. Even Red paused before striking again, eyes flicking to the queen.
"She hates the cane, it is her one weakness. Is it not, Pet?"
"Yes, Mistress," Emma's reply tight but controlled, emotionless, but she saw a waver in Red's gaze and knew her friend was uncomfortable with the knowledge.
"Some brute beat her, scarred her, did he not?"
"Yes, Mistress."
Red now regretting her anger but unable to back down as Emma answered the queen. Instead she hit again, this time across the slave's stomach for that is what she was, a slave who had insulted the heir to the throne and not her friend who had severe self-preservation issues. This time there was a flinch but no cry, Red seeing Emma shut off and her eyes deaden but not breaking contact with her own.
"That will not do!" Regina seeing the same as Red and sending a jolt of magic into her pet sending Emma writhing in her bonds and losing her footing for a moment as it was the painful and not pleasurable kind. "You brought this on yourself, you are not permitted to disengage!" She hissed angrily, frustrated that this was even occurring and that she was not the one enacting the punishment. It had to be Red.
"Yes, Mistress," Emma answering dutifully. 116 still confused by Mistress Swan's behaviour but understanding what she was doing, it was something she did herself when not invested in the scene or its participants. Whatever the queen had done must have hurt as Emma was sweating now, a light sheen on her upper chest visible even in the low light that caught the reflection of the lamps making her skin glow.
"Twenty, she knows better." Emma's underwear vanishing leaving her naked except the cuffs and her armbands.
"Yes, My Queen," Red dipping her head in acknowledgement of her wishes. Emma twitching at that, knowing she was going to struggle.
"Begin." Red taking a step back to free up the arc of her arm and began as instructed, the blows falling steadily first across Emma's front, thighs, stomach, breasts. She took these without further sound, not because Red was using less force but because she wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her cries. It hurt, badly. It burned and stung but she knew Red was being as careful as she could not to hit the same spot twice, the wolf extremely focused and no longer lashing out on anger. Then her back; first Red pushing Emma's hair out of the way first so she had the best access, calves, the back of her knees, thighs, ass and all across her lower back and shoulders. This hurt more for some reason, each blow crippling her with pain and she lost her footing more than once but there were no cries. When Red was behind her Emma kept her eyes on the queen, unable to read her in her pain ridden state. When the last blow had fallen, only Emma's laboured breathing was audible.
"Dismissed," Regina gesturing towards the young slaves and Eva but she did not take her eyes off her pet.
"Good night, My Queen," Eva offering a polite bow before slipping out with the slaves, all shocked and unsure of how they were feeling as they left the older women alone.
"Come, leave her." Regina vanishing in a puff of the intangible purple smoke and after a last look at Emma Red placed the cane down on the queen's chair and followed her through to the bedchamber leaving the two slaves alone.
Now she was able Emma was cataloguing her injuries, nothing too severe but she may have a cracked rib on her left side where Red had hit randomly harder, so actually pretty severe but she's had worse.
She'd wanted worse,
She'd wanted oblivion.
She'd wanted a way to deal with the conflict in her head and in her heart.
Her lip was swollen and she could feel a trail of blood on her chin but that had already begun to heal. The rest would heal in time and although welts had been raised and the bruising was starting to form Red had not broken the skin deeply anywhere she could see. She was in pain and she was tired, settling herself in the best position she could to wait out the queen's desires for her punishment.
116 felt her own arms begin to ache, realising that she had been tensing her body as she watched. Mistress Swan had been well and truly beaten. She'd obviously seen such beatings before and been hit with a cane herself but to understand how Mistress Swan's weakness had been played -. It both disturbed her and turned her on. The whole time she'd been here she'd had a low burn of arousal, peaking now and then as she'd witnessed the goings on below her, particularly the queen's casual dominance. She had been promised 'more' and had already witnessed such having only been here a few hours.
Emma turning where she stood and looking up at the slave, suspended from the wall as she still was. She didn't speak, knowing implicitly it was forbidden but the slave's expression told her everything she needed to know. She was smart and would do well here, she'd not made a sound of protest once she'd recovered from the shock of seeing the wolves shift. Emma giving her a nod then settling herself in for the duration, mental shields up, body shutting down leaving 116 alone so she did the, same having developed very similar coping mechanisms. Breathing rate lowering (to synch with the faint sounds of Mistress Swan's breaths), muscles relaxing where possible and her mind slipping into the fuge state where thoughts were incoherent and time passed more quickly.
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Next in The Collar
"Pet." The queen's greeting startled her, she had been too focused on the outside world to pay attention to the inner.
"Mistress," Emma stood, still wrapped in the blanket as she faced the queen.
"You are a fool!" Regina hissed a she stepped forward. "Why? You know I could not let a slight to Red go unpunished, not now she is fully recognised as heir." Emma didn't answer, instead looked out over the grounds once more. "And you know it had to be the cane, anything else may have caused enjoyment and that was against the point." That garnering a tilt of Emma's chin in acknowledgement but nothing else.