Here we go, this is where the fun Really starts ;)The next chapter isn't finished yet, only about half done so there will be a longer wait for it than there has been for these last three. Dying to know what you all think of this as well, this is the pivotal point of the whole story, so please let me know!
LD x
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"What? They would never -!" The Prince protested.
"I can assure you they did, repeatedly and for many days until I was alerted to her predicament." Snow was aghast at the accusations. "My retribution was swift, and bloody" Regina stated, her anger barely in check.
"You murdered those men!" David roared and was all set to attack the dark queen, his sword drawn until Snow laid a hand on his arm.
"An eye for an eye," Regina purred as she narrowed her eyes. "They paid for their crimes before they died." Emma shifted uncomfortably but knowing there was nothing she could do to alleviate Red's pain or aid her mistress without compromising the queen's hand in the negotiations. She did however flash a concerned look towards Greta who looked upset but was seemingly holding herself in check.
"You tortured them?" Snow was aghast at the thought.
"I did, at my leisure," Regina countered. "In my dungeon while my wolf lay close to death in my rooms," she continued icily. "Or did you not see the manacles and chains when you found their bodies in the garrison?" Dark eyes were cold and hard as they pierced the two opposing royals. "They were not mine," she informed them. Eyes narrowing as a sliver of comprehension crossed Snow's face, her mind recalling the day they had found the dead soldier's mutilated bodies. She recalled the bloodstained floors of the cell and the gouges in the back of the door -. It was then Snow realised that Regina was telling the truth. She had murdered those men but they had committed heinous crimes against her childhood friend.
"Ruby -!" Snow called out, pained, but a growl from the wolf cut her off.
"Do no speak to me," Red snarled, rage barely contained.
"So," Regina continued continued into the immediate silence that followed Red's words, "is is with precedent that I seek this man. This was a barbaric attack on a mother and her child. I protect what's mine and no-one harms a magical creature in my kingdom and gets away with it. I demand reparation." Regina snarled.
"What do they call this man you seek?" The prince spoke up and
"He is Count Klars' son." Red answered abruptly.
"But he is our guest," Snow replied, shocked when the man that had arrived a few hours ago was named.
"He escaped from custody in my kingdom. It is only as a courtesy that I am here myself and not just my guard," Regina acknowledged.
"Well, you will have to return without him," David retorted defensively. "I will not allow a man to be punished for a crime he didn't commit!"
"You fool!" Regina hissed, incensed by the man's arrogance. "Red took months to gather evidence, his own father agrees with the charges. He killed a wolf, he injured a child and an old man in pursuit of his sport and murdered another man on his way here today, yet you protect him?" Her words became a roar and Emma was extremely glad it wasn't directed at her. Red nudged her horse forward to hand the Queen the scrolls she carried in her saddle bag.
"Here is a full account of the charges. Red will not surrender the pelt for examination as it is to be honoured on our return, a courtesy not given to her body." Regina spat the words and Emma was in agreement.
Snow took the documents and began to read through, finding the cases well documented and backed up by several witnesses.
"It seems in order," Snow sighed and handed the documents to her husband to read. "What do you intend to do with him, Regina?" She questioned her step-mother. Emma was confused by the familiar form of address. What were these women to each other, sisters? No, surely not? And the Queen was called Regina? She smiled to herself, it suited her, a fitting name for a queen.
"A punishment will be meted out, then death," Regina informed her nemesis.
"Death? Are you sure that's necessary?" David jumped in. "I mean it was only -," he was cut off by a snarl but not from Red as Regina had expected but by her pet who had leapt off her horse, straight onto his, knocking the prince to the ground.
"How dare you?" The blonde growled as she pinned the arrogant, insignificant man to the ground. Snow dismounted and went to pull the woman off her husband, the white queen grabbed the blonde by the shoulder and cocked her fist then released it, punching the woman in the nose but not dislodging the blonde from where she was straddling her husband.
"Moth-er fuck-er!" Emma had been totally caught off guard by the punch, not expecting the other queen to be so feisty but she was used being hit by big, burly men on the run, and the blow did not dislodge her.
"Enough!" The queen barked, rapidly gaining her pet's attention. "He is an imbecile but not to be harmed, unfortunately," she offered Snow a sickly smile. "It's very obvious who wears the pants in your relationship, dear," she simpered condescendingly at her step-daughter. David struggled to get up, Emma still on top of him.
"Leave him alone," her mistress instructed. "Come," she beckoned and Emma jumped up and went to stand by her mistress's horse. The queen leaned down, firmly grasping the blonde's chin so she could asses the damage. "Oh my," she examined her pet's bloodied nose. "Why did you go and do that, hmm, Snow?" She ran her finger through the blood dripping down Emma's face and on to her shirt. "So pretty," she turned a wicked grin on the white queen as she pushed her bloodied finger into her pet's mouth and Emma sucked it clean, turning to smirk at the royal couple, her face covered in blood.
"It's a shame to waste it? Isn't it, Emma?" The surprise at the use of her name dissolved in a moan as her mistress curled her fingers around her collar and pulled her in for a bloody kiss, feeling the queens' tongue lap at the blood on her lips, taking a part of Emma inside her, the intimacy of the act immediately getting the blonde wet.
Snow screwed her face up in disgust as the blonde ingested her own blood. Then she saw the collar, she was a slave? What disturbed her more was seeing Regina kiss her, sharing the blood. But, it was the shock of hearing her lost daughters name that cut through her disgust.
"Emma?" She heard herself echoing Regina. The blonde turned to face her, scowling. Who was this woman to use her name?
"Yes," Regina purred as she rested her hand on the blonde's head, fingers scratching at her pet's scalp, feeling her relax under her touch. She would be rewarded well tonight. "That is the name of my pet," she confirmed, enjoying toying with the sensibilities of the staid nobility that was her step-daughter and husband.
"I found her, she belongs to me. Body, mind and soul. Don't you, dear?"
"Yes, Mistress," Emma murmured the fingers on her scalp lulling her into an almost blissful state, eyes now hooded. She would do anything her queen wanted just then. Well, any time really. Red was watching the scene intently, not sure how her queen was going to play this. She thought the matter they had come for was important, maybe it wouldn't be wise to cloud their purpose with such an epic revelation?
Snow was repulsed by the evil queen and wondered how the spells she had cast on these women could be broken. Plus, she even doubted the woman was called Emma, it was just Regina playing one of her sick games.
"Take me to him," Regina demanded. "Or I will find him myself."
"He is at the castle, follow us," Snow begrudgingly agreed, swayed by the overwhelming evidence her step-mother had presented and knowing how persistent the woman could be. Regina nodded her acquiescence but remained on guard, knowing that her magic was likely to be compromised once there but she had come prepared, as always.
The ride was silent, Emma's nose felt like it might be broken, at any other time the Queen would have healed it but blood looked good on her slave and it didn't seem to bother her too much, she was strong.
The castle wasn't more than thirty minutes ride at a sedate pace and they had soon stabled their horses and been ushered, under guard of course, inside the main throne room. Emma and the wolves were on high alert as they were escorted through the castle, suspicious looks and whispers, that the wolves could hear clearly, thrown their way. The blonde was extremely tense, she didn't like this place one bit. It was clean and well kept but there was a frisson in the air that set her teeth on edge, magic maybe? If it was it felt all sorts of wrong to the slave.
"Call Klars," Snow instructed one of her soldiers once they were in her throne room and soon the man was standing before the dark and white queens. Regina felt the wards trying to suppress her magic and she was unwilling to test them, yet.
"Your Majesty, how may I be of service?" Klars questioned his hostess, a charming smile plastered on his face as he shot the dark queen a sly smirk.
"You are here under false pretences, are you not?" Snow questioned the man who failed to answer, his smug expression giving her the answer she needed.
"I claim sanctuary, Your Majesty from the lies this woman has been told about me," Klars proclaimed his innocence and at that Regina lost her temper.
"So, you think women are weak? Fools?" Regina snarled at the man. He didn't answer, just looked her in the eye, a cocky smirk on his face. She couldn't stop herself slapping across the cheek, the noise resounding in the silent room. "Maybe I'll make you a wager, hmm? Your life if you can prove that men and stronger than women? Does that sound like a good bet?"
"Of course!" He stood straighter, the smirk still there.
"Alright, then I bet that my pet can take more of a beating than you can. First to go unconscious loses." Emma tensed at the words and felt Red's eyes on her, she knew the green orbs would be full of sympathy.
"That's not fair, she's wolf," David protested indignantly
"Oh, I was not referring to Red," the queen clicked her fingers and Emma stepped forward to stand by the her mistresses side. The blonde felt all eyes in the room appraise her. She knew that it was probably only the queen and the wolves who weren't think that the queen was crazy. "And Snow will testify that my magic will not interfere," a nod from the petite woman confirmed this to the accused.
"The castle is warded," Snow confirmed and this explained Emma's discomfort.
"What is the punishment to be?" Klars queried still smirking.
"The whip," Regina announced and his smile faltered slightly. "And to avoid any accusations of favouritism I will not participate, Prince David will whip you and Queen Snow may whip my slave, that way the punishment will be fairly meted. Agreed?"
"Regina! This is barbaric" Snow protested. "I won't allow it."
"Then, I will return with him directly and he will meet his certain death. Would you deny him that chance?" The dark queen purred, knowing her step-daughter was weak.
"No," Snow sighed in defeat. "Klars?" A nod from the man and the white queen clicked her fingers. A whipping post soon appeared in the centre of the room along with two whips.
"Choose." Snow gestured to the man to choose which whip he preferred and he selected one that was passed to the Prince David. The other to the white queen. Emma felt Red's hands on her jacket as it was removed, the dark queen moving behind her and then she felt the cool air on her skin as it disappeared, now she was standing topless. There was a murmur as her back was exposed but the blonde didn't know if it was because of the tattoo or the still visible wounds from her previous beatings.
"Do you require a post?" Emma shook her head at her queen's offer.
"No, Mistress," she responded calmly.
"Me either," the man added in a show of bravado, Emma thought him a fool.
The dark queen positioned both contestants with their backs facing the room, ten paces apart. She was a little protective over her slave's assets but not enough to fully mask her from curious eyes. It didn't bother Emma, she'd been completely naked before a bigger crowd before today.
"Begin!" Regina announced and it was only a split second before the whip hit. Emma rocked with the blow but didn't stumble or cry out, unlike the man next to her. The next three lashes came in quick succession. The blonde cleared her mind and she focused on why she was doing this, for her mistress. For Red. Another two blows bit into her flesh, the petite queen certainly had experience with this, she mused before the next blow struck.
"Stop! Stop!" Klars was crying out and twisting to avoid the leather.
"Tie him up," Snow White ordered as she paused mid swing and the guards manhandled him to the whipping post where he was tied securely. The break gave the slave a short reprieve but her back was already bloody. The lashes kept coming eight, nine, ten, the guard captain was counting out. They got to fourteen and Regina sighed as she saw the man collapse, passed out. She sniffed, that had been a little disappointing but the looks her slave was receiving were that of admiration, she was still standing tall, the only evidence of the punishment the marks on her back, her face was a mask of calm. The dark queen magicked a loose shirt onto her slave who was waiting patiently for her mistress to instruct her. Yes, she was in pain but was also proud to have won the bet for her mistress.
"We are done here," Regina announced and swept out of the throne room, ignoring the other occupants and strode towards the stables, Emma and the wolves following. The blonde slave kept her mind closed off from the pain on her back and throbbing between her legs. Even though it hadn't been her mistress administering the whipping she vividly recalled the last time she had and the relief that had followed.
In minutes they were mounted and ready to return to their palace, Snow and David seeing them off, making sure they left their kingdom.
Regina had settled the dazed slave on her horse, in front of her, knowing Emma was not fit to ride by herself after taking such a beating.
"Relax," she purred as she sent a wave of magic over broken skin, her slave had made her proud and she would not let her suffer because of another. Only she had that privilege and she smiled as her pet leaned back against her chest, head lolling on the queen's shoulder, the relief from the pain making her light-headed.
Regina snapped her fingers and the Count's son appeared, bound in thick rope and tied across the back of Emma's horse which shifted restlessly under the dead weight.
"Didn't Emma do well?" Regina smiled smugly at the white queen and her prince before covering Emma's mouth in a deep kiss. "I will be sure to reward her well when we return," Regina purred as she cupped the blonde's breast with the hand which was not holding the reins of her horse. "We'll be leaving now. Oh, and she has the loveliest birth mark on her buttock, it looks like a swan, doesn't it Emma?" Regina purred, enjoying the look of shock on Snow's face as she magicked them back to the outer court-yard of her palace.
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Next on The Collar
She heard her slave fall to her knees, a look over her shoulder saw the blonde waiting on her designated spot, the rug by the Queen's favourite chair. Still dressed, face covered with dried blood, shirt too. She looked so -, so noble kneeling there in the clothes the queen had chosen for her, bloodied from battle. From a battle with her own parents. Oh, the irony.