A/nbit of a break but still going...
Previously in The Collar
"Go to the school room, they always need help, it's either that or the library," Emma smirking as the two young slaves baulked at that suggestion.
"Can't we go train?" Greta pouting a little. "We can be still and quiet, can't we?" Looking to Belle for assistance.
"We can, please?" Belle pleading. "Like Greta said it's been very hard without you and the Queen here. It would actually be nice to be still." Emma surveying them both, they did look tired and stressed.
"Alright, the slave and I need to talk but you two can go to the training room and wait for me there. Sit quietly and do not move. Belle, I can't offer you anything else I'm afraid, not unless Mistress Red sanctions any specific training."
"I understand."
"Good. Go,"
116 and Emma watching them leave and jog back towards the palace.
Xxx
"They try so hard but attract trouble," Emma shaking her head as they disappeared inside. 116 staying silent but agreeing, she could see why that would be the case.
"I do feel sorry for Greta, the Queen has been very busy for some time now and she's not been given any relief. But, she took the collar so has to live with the consequences. Neither has been truly tested as yet. Come." 116 following Mistress Emma as she led the way around the side of the palace and in through a side door, wide and well used but opening into the kitchens and not the well decorated hallways leading off the main entrance.
116 taking in as much as she could as she walked behind Mistress Swan; she saw the looks and whispers that followed them as they cut past tales laden with pots and food being prepped, winding their way through the press of purposeful bodies and through a much smaller door. Emma pausing to ensure her shadow was still with her before slipping through.
"Cook is usually in there to keep order but she's probably in the council meeting with the Queen," Emma remarking as she had heard several whispers amongst the gossips they had passed, ones that would not have been tolerated in Cook's presence.
"Sit," Emma pointing to the other side of the bench they had encountered in the small area directly outside the door (which Mistress Emma had closed behind them) and taking a seat of her own, legs either side of the bench so she was at an angle that allowed her to keep an eye on the glass paned doors that led to the queen's study and also the door back to the kitchen they had just come through. "Do you have any questions?" Emma asking now they were alone. "You may speak freely," hands gesturing and coming to rest palm down on the weathered table top, green eyes trained on the brown of the slave.
"Thank you, Mistress. I do, lots."
"Firstly, I am not your mistress here. Calling me such will get us both in a lot of trouble. Here I am just Emma, understood?" Emma warning, tone dark and 116 nodding.
"I'm sorry, I do understand. After last night- , I just didn't know what else to call you that wasn't disrespectful."
"I get it, I do, the ranks here are confusing at the best of times and it took me a while to get used to it. But, showing me more than obedience and politeness here would show disrespect to the Queen and that could get you killed. Misplaced loyalty towards me has already had one thrown in jail and she's still there as far as I know," Emma thinking of the Amazon, Thera and making a note to ask what was going to happen to her. "Here I'm the Queen's personal slave, I outrank Greta and represent the Queen but I'm still a slave although some here forget that and I need to remind them now and again of my real status, for the good of us all. The Queen has a nasty temper and I am a trigger for it."
"Understood." 116 nodding solemnly.
"So, questions? Take your time, the Queen has given us this time to settle you in as she has business to attend to with her inner council, they are the ones who make the important decisions around here," Emma elaborating for 116's benefit and receiving a nod of appreciation.
"Can you explain how you got here and why you took the Queen's collar? And what about the others? Greta is very young, as is Belle," 116 starting with the most prominent in her mind.
"She is but she thrives here. It's all relative," Emma sighing and leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table, fingers interlaced. "It's essentially a whole different time period, I've not seen much outside the palace actually but everything is of the medieval period or broadly similar except the element of magic, of course. So, society is based on what you'd expect at that time including the age sexual maturity is reached, Greta and Belle are both above the age of consent which I was surprised to find out does actually exist here in law, in this kingdom at least. Life can be hard and adulthood comes sooner so societal norms revolve around that. Despite what some may think the Queen adheres to that when choosing her bed partners and slaves," Emma pausing to check 116 had nothing to add there, a shaking of the slave's head indicating no, so Emma proceeded.
"Within the world there are things we would only associate with fiction. I've met Maleficent and the Amazon Nation is real, as are Queen Gabrielle and her conqueror consort. None quite as they are portrayed but our fiction but strongly based in fact it seems. There are shape-shifters like Mistress Red and Greta, many of who serve in the Queen's armies. I've met fairies and a dragon although I was unconscious at the time so that doesn't really count," Emma shrugging. "The Queen tells me there are giants in the mountains and dwarfs underneath them." Emma pausing again to gauge the girl's reaction but she was listening intently (but wide eyed) and nodded for Emma to continue on.
"Mistress Red is Red Riding Hood as you would assume but her story is very different. We would know the Queen as the 'Evil Queen' and her rivalry with Snow White is also a fact but the story is different again," 116 could only nod (again, she felt like it was all she could given such overwhelming information) and absorb, knowing Mistress Swan would be telling her the truth as she knew it.
"Greta was orphaned and has grown up outside the palace but she and Mistress Red are like sisters. Greta recently came of age and the Queen likes pretty young things, especially pretty young things with magic."
"Does Belle have magic? Is that why she's here too? She dresses differently," 116 having noted the style of her dress and adornments differed from Greta's.
"Belle has been cursed, she has lost any memory beyond about two years ago from what I gather. She's been living with the Amazons since they found her wandering and was unfortunate enough to shoot Mistress Red when she was on an errand to the Amazon Nation for the Queen. Mistress Red was badly poisoned and the Queen deemed her life forfeit and gifted her to Mistress Red to repay her debt."
"Oh!" 116 blinking at that.
"Mmm, she was lucky she wasn't killed outright, the Queen was furious. Mistress Red is her heir and has been living here since she was a child, the Queen values nothing higher than Mistress Red. Only the fact the Queen sensed magic in Belle saved her life. That and the fact I knew Belle was connected to the beast from the story and there has been a beast seen in the forest."
"Didn't the Queen know the story too?"
"No," Emma shaking her head, impressed by how calmly the slave was being given the information she was being given, "that wasn't a tale she'd heard but whoever has been telling the stories we know also seems to be time travelling too. The Queen says there are many different worlds, all operating on their own timelines. Her magic tethered us to this timeline so we returned the exact number of days after we left but that is not always the case."
"And the collar? Why did you come back if you're a slave here?" 116 finally asking her most pressing question, watching Mistress Swan, Emma, lean back and look around the gardens before focusing those intense green eyes back on her and she couldn't look away, didn't want to.
"It's complicated but the gist is that I like it here and I like her, we're very alike in the way we think. You are the only one here who has seen that first hand," Emma ensuring 116 understood the weight of her words before continuing when she understanding had dawned. "I preferred the dynamic in our world but this also has its benefits as you will likely find out soon. I've never met anyone stronger than me before," Emma shrugging as she stated the fact. 116 was quiet for a moment, mind trying to organise her thoughts enough to continue.
"I heard you call this home, why?"
"It turns out I was born here, sent as a days old baby to another world, the one we grew up in. My mother is Snow White, I'm technically a princess here but should be six years old, not the age I am. I'm supposedly a child of true love, it's given me magic that I don't really know how to use yet but it's also bonded me to the Queen. It's always felt right, being with her, once I got over the shock of it but you've met her, you understand."
"I do, it's just all a lot to take in. How do you manage? I've seen how you are at home, my home," 116 clarifying. "There you control everything, everyone respects you. You seem respected here too but it's very different."
"It was a learning curve!" Emma snorting at the memory. "I thought it was all an elaborate scene when I woke up in the Queen's dungeon after getting drunk one night, then I thought I'd been sex trafficked. The Queen was clueless too, she was looking for a child and got me. I saw the games she wanted to play so I adapted to the role, at first to survive then I found myself liking it despite how cruel she was. She made me a wager before I took the collar, break me within a year and keep me or release me if I succeeded. I was arrogant, no-one had ever broken me. I lost, she won and our trip home was to give me time to settle my affairs. I don't know when I'll next go back, if I will but the Queen enjoyed her visit so I'm sure it won't be too long," Emma being pertinent in the information she shared but it still amazed her how quickly she'd adapted and normalised her situation.
They sat in silence, 116 ordering the information even as she studied Mistress Swan who in turn was studying her.
"You trusted me, why?" Emma sitting forward as she spoke.
"Because of your reputation, it is the one thing you're most known for and I asked around about Mistress Alves as well and people said the same, that she drew up safe contacts and helped people who were stuck in a bad one."
"She does, she's a good friend," Emma agreeing.
"And I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to work with you," 116 adding. "I may regret that decision but so far everything is just -. It's exactly what I was looking for."
"It's not going to be easy," Emma warning. "You've been told some stories but living the reality of what she can do to a person is an entirely different thing. She broke me, easily but not in a way I'd ever expected," Emma shaking her head at the memory.
"I want to be broken, Mist -, Emma," 116 pleading. "I need to belong to someone, to serve them but no-one has ever seemed -."
"Enough?" Emma filling in the blank.
"Yes, it's always been empty, until you and the queen." The pair locking eyes until Emma nodded.
"It will be hard but it will make you the best version of yourself if you work for it. You're already at an advantage over the young ones, they have enthusiasm and want to serve but only have the training I've had time to give them which has been the basics. Belle belongs to Mistress Red so my training of her has been very hands off. Greta is wolf so her body is stronger and she feels less pain than a human would. Neither has taken a cane or whip or been deprived of anything for the long term," Emma pausing there as she noted 116's pupils dilate and breathing increase.
"Oh, the Queen is an expert with the whip. I've seen her flay a man alive," Emma hardening her tone and 116 baulking, arousal dropping to zero. "The woman is a cold blooded killer, never forget that. Although she usually has reason and is the ultimate authority here it pays to be wary. The man she flayed stole a blanket from me when I was whipped unconscious by her after I first arrived. Another two were bled out with razor wire for putting their hands on me. Belle is very, very lucky to be alive after harming Red. As yet you mean nothing to her but she is honourable and will abide by the terms in your contract."
Emma taking a moment to observe the slave, she'd paled but looked resolute and a little aroused.
"Uh -," 116 stuttering nervously.
"Ask, you may not get another chance," Emma warning.
"Why did you speak to Mistress Red the way you did last night? Did you want to get beaten?"
"Yes. I did. I knew I would have trouble adapting so I sought punishment. A direct insult to the Queen or her heir was a sure way of guaranteeing that." Emma replying honestly.
"Can you tell me what happened, with the cane, and why you dislike it so much? I find it brutal but I can enjoy it."
"Sure, not much to it really. I was contracted to Mistress Grayson. She loaned me out one night to a sadist. He wasn't allowed to fuck me but he laid into me with the cane as soon as he had me bound, scarred my inner thighs really badly. She was intimidated by him and let it happen," Emma feeling her anger rise as she recalled her sorry excuse for a mistress watching her being beaten and doing nothing to stop him. "It was about power for him, power over a woman, the sick misogynistic fuck," the words spewing with vitriol.
"I'm sorry that happened. She is weak but the pay was worth it, she buys her reputation it is not earned," 116's mood also dropping. "I was lucky that never happened to me but I did have an exclusivity clause in my contract. Looking but no touching."
"Smart, if I'd ever have taken another contract I'd have done the same," Emma sighing and shifting on the bench.
"Is the Queen still angry with you?"
"No, Emma going quiet. "No, she's not." 116 not knowing what to say given Emma's tone. She looked upset but a stretch of her shoulders and it was hidden.
"Come, we will eat. I need to speak to Greta and Belle. What I wouldn't give for cell phone! No way of tracking them down except asking around," Emma sighing but knowing there were only a few places they were likely to be.
xxxx
Next in The Collar
"I am unsure if the Queen will attend the meeting," Red pulling out one of the chairs situated around the table Eva had propositioned as her workspace and letting out a heavy sigh.
"Why? Is she unwell?" Eva eyeing the wolf worriedly.
"Physically, no."
"Emma?" Eva drawing her own conclusion and Red nodding to confirm. "They seemed so content yesterday -,"
"Until they weren't," Red snorting as she reached to put herself a goblet of water from the silver carafe on the table, downing it in one before continuing. "I have been reprimanded for my hot headedness and Emma has suffered for her disobedience yet none are happy."