Chapter Five
"So, little one, I think it's time for part two of this particular magic lesson - the part where you learn what happens when you can't follow the rules."
A shudder waved through Regina's body at Maleficent's words, and for a moment she was glad she was still blindfolded and unable to see what Maleficent was doing, as she got off the bed.
Then again, she suddenly wished she wasn't blindfolded, because as she heard the clink of something metal a few yards away from her, she realized that not knowing was much, much worse.
And much more exciting.
After a few more moments, Regina could feel Maleficent back by the side of the bed, right before she leaned over her and unclasped the shackles that were still holding her wrists.
"Are you ready, little one?"
Regina's mouth was dry, but she forced herself to answer in words, like she was supposed to. She badly wanted to ask, ready for what? But she knew better than to test her limits right now, and instead came out with a whispered "yes, Mistress."
"Good girl," Maleficent praised, as she took both of Regina's hands in her own, and gently urged her up into a sitting position on the bed. She let go of one hand, and used it to guide Regina's legs toward the side of the bed, so her feet could find the floor. Regina hadn't realized how disoriented she was, not being able to see, and she was grateful that Maleficent had at least taken that into account, and she rose to a stand.
"Come along," Maleficent instructed, pulling Regina's hand to urge her to walk a few short steps behind her, before stopping somewhere in the middle of the room. Maleficent put both her hands on Regina's shoulders, turning her slightly to get her into the right spot, before sliding her hands down Regina's arms and finding her wrists again, lifting her arms up so that they were outstretched above her.
Maleficent didn't let go of her wrists, but Regina felt the icy electricity of magic in the air, a split second before a new set of shackles affixed themselves to her wrists, of their own volition. Maleficent released her hands, and Regina realized her wrists were now chained to the ceiling above her, her body forming an under-pronounced Y shape.
"Now," Maleficent spoke in a sultry, low voice, her mouth near Regina's ear now, "I told you any transgressions would be punished, did I not?"
"Yes, Mistress," Regina agreed, fighting the urge to nod as she attempted to maintain her composure, as difficult as it was.
"Yes, I did, and I always keep my word."
As she spoke, Maleficent trailed her hands down Regina's back, and over the swell of her hips, pulling her back so that she could press herself slightly against Regina's back, her hard nipples grazing the skin between Regina's shoulder blades.
And, suddenly, Regina realized Maleficent was still naked.
She couldn't see her, but her heart rate still quickened.
Regina focused on Mal's scent and the feel of her breath against her ear for a moment, and then suddenly she was gone. As she moved away, Regina felt cool air replace the warm body that had just been against her back, and she drew in a sharp breath of anticipation, wondering what was about to happen next.
Moment later, she felt something else against her back. Mal was stroking her with something that felt like soft leather or suede.
"It's called a flogger, little one," Mal said, anticipating the question Regina wanted to ask. Regina felt Maleficent lift the flogger and drape the falls over her shoulders before running it slowly down her back. Without seeing it, Regina could feel that there were several strips of cool flat leather. "Tell me how many lashes you would like?"
"I get to choose?" Regina asked, surprised. "...Mistress?"
Maleficent let out an amused hum from behind her. "Nice catch, dear. And yes, I will let you choose."
"Five?"
This time, Mal let out an actual laugh. "Five? That's barely enough to warm your flesh. Try again."
"I… I don't know," Regina admitted. "I don't know how it will feel, Mistress."
"Hmm… how about this, little one? I will give you fifteen. It's really not a lot - not even close to what I could take. But if it's too much, you can tell me to stop, just as I said before. As much as you are learning, I'm learning about you, and that includes your limits, little one. This is uncharted territory for both of us."
Mal's decision seemed final, but still Regina nodded her agreement. "Fifteen. Yes, Mistress."
She wasn't sure what to expect, but she braced herself anyway, anticipating the first lash. When it landed between her shoulder blades on her upper back, it had a sort of thudding force and a little sting that made her gasp, but it didn't quite hurt the way she'd expected. In a surprising way, she liked the way it felt, and as the next lash landed, she found herself exhaling and relaxing.
Mal picked up a steady rhythm, landing the swipes of the flogger in a criss cross pattern, one after the other. Each one had a little more biting sting than the one before it, and though Regina could feel her skin heating up and she knew it must be fairly red by this point, somehow she didn't mind.
In her youth, Regina had experienced physical torment from her mother, and the rational part of her brain told her she shouldn't be enjoying this quite as much as she was. But somehow, despite the chains and the blindfold, the little bit of control Mal had given her - the power to make it stop at any time - was something new to her.
In her life, Regina had never really experienced much power. Even in her magic lessons, she was still at the mercy of her teacher, and she had yet to grow nearly as powerful as Rumple was. She was no match for him and she knew it, and she knew that should he ever try to exert that power over her, she'd be defenseless.
But this - as odd as it seemed to her - felt liberating.
Before she knew it, however, fifteen lashes had been landed and it was over. Regina drew in a breath of surprise as she anticipated a blow that never landed.
"All done, little one," Mal cooed from behind her, her voice a little throatier than before, Regina guessed from the exertion. "How do you feel?"
"I… I…" Regina stuttered, trying to gather her thoughts. "I… thank you, Mistress."
Regina felt Mal's hands at the sides of her face, and a moment later, the blindfold was lifted. Regina blinked against the light, getting used to it again as her eyes focused on Mal's smiling face before her.
"Such a good girl, you are," Mal drawled, running the backs of her fingers over Regina's flushed cheek. "I think I was a little too hasty in trying to send you away earlier. I think you may be just the student I needed."
Regina felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as Mal magically released the shackles that had held her wrists, catching her hands as her arms fell back down. She rubbed Regina's arms gently in long slow strokes, up and down, helping the circulation return to normal, before taking Regina by the shoulders and turning her around so her back was to her again.
"As pretty as these marks are," Mal said, slowly tracing her fingertips over the fresh pink lines on Regina's back, "it's getting late and I can't let you keep them when you return to the King."
Regina swallowed hard as she felt Mal's magic. She'd been around magic from her mother and Rumple enough to know what it felt like, but there was something a little different this time - something more tender and caring in the energy the older woman was putting off. Something she'd never thought to expect from a dragon.
Still, she couldn't focus on that as her mind was back on the King that she'd all but forgotten about being with Mal. For a brief, fleeting moment she wondered if she could just never go back. Perhaps she could just stay in the Forbidden Fortress forever.
But it wasn't feasible, she knew. The King had the fairies on his side, and despite Mal's power, she was still only one person. Regina was no match against a seasoned magic user and she wouldn't be able to stop anyone, not just yet.
So she'd have to leave.
"Get dressed, little one," Mal instructed as Regina turned back around, and for the first time, Regina had the presence of mind to look at the other woman. She was disappointed, however, to find Mal had already magically redressed herself. It was a trick Regina wished she'd learned already, as she picked up her clothes and redressed herself as quickly as possible.
"So, I am able to return?" Regina asked, albeit a little nervously, and she stood near the entrance of the Forbidden Fortress. Mal had used her magic to fix Regina's hair and make sure her clothing was still pristine after laying on the floor of her bedchambers.
"Oh, I expect it, little one," Mal said with a wink and a small smirk. "Now, I'm going to send you within walking distance of your palace. Return to me once you've learned how."
Regina opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get the words out, she was engulfed in a cloud of magic. Once it had dissipated, she really was standing within walking distance of her palace.
She let out a long sigh and began the trek back. Going back was always the worst part, she found. When she was out in the Kingdom, or even with Rumple, she could let herself forget that she was still essentially a prisoner of the King and a nanny to his insipid daughter. And now she couldn't go back to the Forbidden Fortress until she learned how.
She supposed Mal must have done that intentionally. Despite the fact that the dragon had never asked how she got there or even what magic she knew, she supposed that she could sense the strength of her abilities and knew she had a lot to learn. Regina guessed she must be using this as a motivating factor to get her to work harder.
Regina also realized, it was likely going to work.
To be continued…
Next chapter, back in Storybrooke with Emma and Regina :)
Also, I have a persistent request to make this a DSQ endgame rather than an SQ endgame, and I think I might just have to comply with that… but the DSQ part is still a little while away, since Mal is still trapped, but I've been more inspired to work on this story lately, so… :)
And, as always, you can find me on tumblr as rowark-sq :)