Still not mine. More's the pity. Have written this chapter about 3 times
and am still not 100% happy with it. Ah well, onwards & upwards!
Chains.
After walking me down numerous corridors, each seeming to go deeper and darker within the Palace, Veborion finally stopped outside a door.
"Inside." He said shoving me forwards as he pushed open the door.
The darkness of the room meant that I could see nothing. I couldn't even see my hand which I was waving in front of my face as an experiment to see how far forward I could see. It was pitch black.
"Hmm. So much for elves and dwarves having nothing in common." I muttered.
"What do you mean!" Demanded Veborion as he grabbed my arm. Obviously the elf had no problem with seeing in the dark.
"Eat lots of carrots do you?" I asked.
"Why do you ask?" Veborion asked, his grasp on my arm loosening as he tried to understand what I was talking about.
"Well it's like a mine down here. Mines and dwarves. Mines. Dwarves. Get it?"
Veborion snorted in response. "The carrots?" He queried.
"Carrots are alleged to give you better night vision." I answered, remembering my parents futile attempts to get me to eat healthier when I was younger.
"Ridiculous." He muttered as he walked back into the corridor closing the door firmly behind him.
"Hey! Veborion! Where the hell do you think you're... Oh. "My voice trailed off as Veborion returned carrying a flickering torch from the corridor.
Veborion ignored me and proceeded to light the torches within the room. I glanced around, looking at what the room was filled with.
"Ahh. This'll be your torture chamber then, I take it?"
***
"Don't you have minions to do all this for you?" I asked as Veborion debated between various devices.
"I will take more pleasure doing it myself." He answered as he made his choice over what I would have to endure first.
"Are you trying to insult me?" I asked as Veborion began to chain me up to a wall. "I mean really!"
Veborion's only answer was a glare as I rattled my chains at him.
Half an hour later...
"Is this the best you can do?" I sneered at him as he unchained me and tried something else. "The whole concept of torture is it's SUPPOSED to hurt."
Forty minutes later...
"I'm sorry, but quite honestly the darkness was more intimidating than this. This is pathetic."
"Shut up!"
"Y'know when I destroyed your dungeons - was there any equipment stored in them?"
"No. This is all we have." He answered through clenched teeth.
"The only thing I'll be dying of down here is BOREDOM!" I shouted, as Veborion tried yet another totally useless contraption on me.
"SHUT. UP."
"This is very embarrassing." I commented as Veborion attempted to try yet another torture device on me. "My first trip to a torture chamber and all I get is this?! I am deeply shamed."
Veborion shot me a glare. If looks could kill I'd be dead five times over I thought amusedly. This was turning into quite an interesting trip.
"Don't you have a rack? Or thumbscrews? Only chains? I'm sorry to say this Veborion but you really need to think about investing in some quality torture equipment."
"What would you know about it?" He spat.
"More than you think actually. I've got a book in the house on the history of torture. Very good it is too. Personal favourite being 'The Brazen Bull'. Suppose it's too much to hope you have one of them do you? No? Darn, I've always wondered what they were like." I paused before continuing. "This set up is really amateurish. I feel really let down y'know? There was you promising torture, which hey - is not really my choice but if you gotta go you gotta go right? And a real torture chamber!" I sighed. "Yet again my Middle Earth adventure sucks. It's just not fair!"
Veborion looked at me as though I had gone totally insane. "You wanted to be tortured?" He asked incredulously, unsure of what was going on inside my mind.
"Did I say that? No. But you were going to kill me anyway, and I'd always found it quite interesting and stuff..." I said trailing off as I saw the disbelieving look on his face. "I mean it's not like I actually like the idea of torture or anything, but... umm... well... I...er..."
Veborion looked at me amazed and dropped the metal bar he was holding. "So tell me then," He said. "What is it you really fear?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Well." I paused and thought wondering how I was going to answer this one knowing full well Veborion would probably make me act upon my fear. "The thing I most fear is..."
"Prince Veborion!" Came a voice from outside the room interrupting what I was about to say.
And as Veborion walked towards the door I did one of the most stupid things I had done in some time. I ran to the door and shoved him aside before opening the door myself. Outside the door was an elf, who looked suspiciously like Thingaladion, with a dagger and he was lunging, aiming straight for me.
Idiot.
*********************
Ooooooooh! What's going on?! Will I survive this one? Why did I open the door instead of Veborion? R&R please! Sorry for all those who thought I would be updating over the weekend - I've decided to take the weekends off for the moment - gather my ideas!
'The Brazen Bull' was/is indeed a torture device. And not a very nice one either. If you are remotely squeamish I would advise you not to read my little explanation of what it actually is. And I would also like to point out that I do not have some sick mind obsessed by torture - before anyone thinks it - I bought a book on the subject before and found it amazing just how cruel man as a species can really be.
Invented (allegedly) by a man named Perilaus it was in the shape of a bull and made out of metal with the insides hollowed out. The victim would be placed inside the bull and a fire lit underneath the bull. The screams of the victim would be transformed into the sounds of a melodious lowing via an ingenious arrangement of flutes within the bull's nostrils. However, for coming up with such a device Perilaus was given a fitting end by the tyrant, Phalaris, who he presented it to.
"Perilaus, roasted in the bull he made,
Gave proof of his own cruel trade."
Somewhat ironic, but not his complete end. Phalaris decided that such a "noble work" (Phalaris' own words - well the man was a tyrant) should not be contaminated by it's maker's body and had him taken out whilst still alive and thrown off a cliff, leaving his body unburied.
Many thanks to 'A History Of Torture' by George Ryley Scott for that particular story and quotes from Ovid. Here's hoping that no one ever comes up with as fucked up an idea as 'The Brazen Bull' again.
Chains.
After walking me down numerous corridors, each seeming to go deeper and darker within the Palace, Veborion finally stopped outside a door.
"Inside." He said shoving me forwards as he pushed open the door.
The darkness of the room meant that I could see nothing. I couldn't even see my hand which I was waving in front of my face as an experiment to see how far forward I could see. It was pitch black.
"Hmm. So much for elves and dwarves having nothing in common." I muttered.
"What do you mean!" Demanded Veborion as he grabbed my arm. Obviously the elf had no problem with seeing in the dark.
"Eat lots of carrots do you?" I asked.
"Why do you ask?" Veborion asked, his grasp on my arm loosening as he tried to understand what I was talking about.
"Well it's like a mine down here. Mines and dwarves. Mines. Dwarves. Get it?"
Veborion snorted in response. "The carrots?" He queried.
"Carrots are alleged to give you better night vision." I answered, remembering my parents futile attempts to get me to eat healthier when I was younger.
"Ridiculous." He muttered as he walked back into the corridor closing the door firmly behind him.
"Hey! Veborion! Where the hell do you think you're... Oh. "My voice trailed off as Veborion returned carrying a flickering torch from the corridor.
Veborion ignored me and proceeded to light the torches within the room. I glanced around, looking at what the room was filled with.
"Ahh. This'll be your torture chamber then, I take it?"
***
"Don't you have minions to do all this for you?" I asked as Veborion debated between various devices.
"I will take more pleasure doing it myself." He answered as he made his choice over what I would have to endure first.
"Are you trying to insult me?" I asked as Veborion began to chain me up to a wall. "I mean really!"
Veborion's only answer was a glare as I rattled my chains at him.
Half an hour later...
"Is this the best you can do?" I sneered at him as he unchained me and tried something else. "The whole concept of torture is it's SUPPOSED to hurt."
Forty minutes later...
"I'm sorry, but quite honestly the darkness was more intimidating than this. This is pathetic."
"Shut up!"
"Y'know when I destroyed your dungeons - was there any equipment stored in them?"
"No. This is all we have." He answered through clenched teeth.
"The only thing I'll be dying of down here is BOREDOM!" I shouted, as Veborion tried yet another totally useless contraption on me.
"SHUT. UP."
"This is very embarrassing." I commented as Veborion attempted to try yet another torture device on me. "My first trip to a torture chamber and all I get is this?! I am deeply shamed."
Veborion shot me a glare. If looks could kill I'd be dead five times over I thought amusedly. This was turning into quite an interesting trip.
"Don't you have a rack? Or thumbscrews? Only chains? I'm sorry to say this Veborion but you really need to think about investing in some quality torture equipment."
"What would you know about it?" He spat.
"More than you think actually. I've got a book in the house on the history of torture. Very good it is too. Personal favourite being 'The Brazen Bull'. Suppose it's too much to hope you have one of them do you? No? Darn, I've always wondered what they were like." I paused before continuing. "This set up is really amateurish. I feel really let down y'know? There was you promising torture, which hey - is not really my choice but if you gotta go you gotta go right? And a real torture chamber!" I sighed. "Yet again my Middle Earth adventure sucks. It's just not fair!"
Veborion looked at me as though I had gone totally insane. "You wanted to be tortured?" He asked incredulously, unsure of what was going on inside my mind.
"Did I say that? No. But you were going to kill me anyway, and I'd always found it quite interesting and stuff..." I said trailing off as I saw the disbelieving look on his face. "I mean it's not like I actually like the idea of torture or anything, but... umm... well... I...er..."
Veborion looked at me amazed and dropped the metal bar he was holding. "So tell me then," He said. "What is it you really fear?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Well." I paused and thought wondering how I was going to answer this one knowing full well Veborion would probably make me act upon my fear. "The thing I most fear is..."
"Prince Veborion!" Came a voice from outside the room interrupting what I was about to say.
And as Veborion walked towards the door I did one of the most stupid things I had done in some time. I ran to the door and shoved him aside before opening the door myself. Outside the door was an elf, who looked suspiciously like Thingaladion, with a dagger and he was lunging, aiming straight for me.
Idiot.
*********************
Ooooooooh! What's going on?! Will I survive this one? Why did I open the door instead of Veborion? R&R please! Sorry for all those who thought I would be updating over the weekend - I've decided to take the weekends off for the moment - gather my ideas!
'The Brazen Bull' was/is indeed a torture device. And not a very nice one either. If you are remotely squeamish I would advise you not to read my little explanation of what it actually is. And I would also like to point out that I do not have some sick mind obsessed by torture - before anyone thinks it - I bought a book on the subject before and found it amazing just how cruel man as a species can really be.
Invented (allegedly) by a man named Perilaus it was in the shape of a bull and made out of metal with the insides hollowed out. The victim would be placed inside the bull and a fire lit underneath the bull. The screams of the victim would be transformed into the sounds of a melodious lowing via an ingenious arrangement of flutes within the bull's nostrils. However, for coming up with such a device Perilaus was given a fitting end by the tyrant, Phalaris, who he presented it to.
"Perilaus, roasted in the bull he made,
Gave proof of his own cruel trade."
Somewhat ironic, but not his complete end. Phalaris decided that such a "noble work" (Phalaris' own words - well the man was a tyrant) should not be contaminated by it's maker's body and had him taken out whilst still alive and thrown off a cliff, leaving his body unburied.
Many thanks to 'A History Of Torture' by George Ryley Scott for that particular story and quotes from Ovid. Here's hoping that no one ever comes up with as fucked up an idea as 'The Brazen Bull' again.
