The Master of Her Fate

The Master of Her Fate

Chapter 4: The Resistance


Anna sat on the edge of the bed in her room, waiting with her heart pounding. Fear and anticipation mingled drove that pounding heart, for the warlord would be coming back to her soon, and the resolution to fight him that she had made that morning would be put to the test. The reason for the fear was, quite obviously, that she was about to defy a huge, powerful, barbaric man who had promised punishment if she did that. She could only imagine what sorts of punishment a man like him could devise. Would he kill her? No, she couldn't believe that he would. That was too easy. He would try to break her will. Well, let him. She drew herself up proudly on the bed and stared at the empty room as though staring at some peasant who had disobeyed a command, back in her old life. Whether the warlord accepted it or not, she was still the Duchess she had once been, and no man would break her. At least, that was what she had to keep repeating to herself, over and over again. Because, if she stopped doing that for even a second, Anna knew she might realize what had anticipation blossoming in her chest as well: a hope that she would in fact not be able to resist him, and that he would make her his again. Her treacherous body was going to make this twice as hard as it would otherwise have been.


* * *

In his private chamber across the command tent, the warlord Garshan sat in a chair made of hides stretched over wood and thought. He was thinking of his new bride, and what Tharona had told him of her. Annalyssa was fitting in nicely. That was good. He had enough of a task to make her act properly as a wife without having to force her to be courteous to the other two. His other thoughts were of the town below him. Wayguard was a very important step for him. Now that he had conquered it, and now that the process of making it his was nearly complete, he could begin his real campaign. The whole of the southland lay ready for him, for Wayguard was often called the Gate to the North. It guarded the only real pass through which an army could move. The way south was clear, and he would begin soon. Garshan smiled as he pictured the next city he would conquer. Daman, the Jewel of the Plains. The city was the center of trade and commerce for a large part of the Southern Kingdoms. Grain from the east, gold from the western mines, and weapons from the dwarven forges near those mines all passed through it. If Garshan was able to make it his, he would be able to cut the Southern Kingdoms off from it's biggest supply conduit. Also, Daman was highly fortified. Taking it would be incredibly difficult, but if he could, then it would be an impenetrable base from which to conduct the next step of his campaign. Yes, the future looked bright to the warlord at that moment, and so he had a smile on his face as he headed for Anna's bedroom.


***

Anna heard his footsteps outside the door many long seconds before he came in. At the sound of the first one her heart quickened still further, and she licked suddenly dry lips. The flap swept aside and in he came, naked save for a breechcloth. That massively powerful body was on display, and her eyes roamed over him for several seconds before she caught herself. She was supposed to be resisting him, not ogling him like some shameless tavern wench! She wrenched her eyes to his face and held them there. No, that did her no good either. His eyes were to forceful. If she looked into them for to long, she knew her will would crumble. Angry at herself, she looked back at the floor. For his part, Garshan had no idea why she was acting like this. From what Tharona had told him, she had been starting to accept her new life a bit. Perhaps it had been simply the older woman's comforting presence. Tharona was very motherly, he knew. It was her nature to comfort and protect people. It was one of the reasons he had been so pleased with her as a wife. He moved to the bed and sat down beside Anna, his eyes on the face she kept turned away from him. Those eyes narrowed as she moved away from him, sliding over to the other side of the bed.

"Come here, Anna," he said, his voice low. The smile he had been wearing when he came in was gone, and his face was that of the Master. Anna swallowed hard. Now the test would come. She looked up at the Warlord, forced herself to stare into those incredible eyes without letting them affect her, and said,

"No."

Garshan's face hardened. He rose and stood beside the bed, looking down at her, his eyes seeming to burn. For a long moment he said nothing, continuing to stare at her, and Anna shrank back, fearing an explosion of rage. However, as always, he did the opposite of what she expected and said,

"I'm in a good mood tonight, Anna, and so I'll give you one more chance. Come here." He pointed to the bed in front of him. "Sit on the bed before me and look at your Master." Anna shivered slightly. Strangely, his generosity tonight scared her worse than the rage would have. Since he was being so kind (in a twisted way) to her, how much more angry would he be when she turned that kindness down? Because turn it down she did. Looking away and seeming to shrink in on herself, she said, "No," in a voice that said she knew exactly the consequences of her actions. Garshan's eyes blazed more brightly, and he said, "So be it." In three huge strides, he came around the bed, and before she could react he had her by the wrist, his grip as hard and inescapable as a shackle of iron. "I warned you."

Anna's eyes closed tightly, her body tensed against the blow she knew would come soon. That was what her father had always done when she resisted him in some truly impertinent way. He would hit her, and the gods only knew if she would survive a blow from a fist that big. But instead of a backhand to the face, the warlord yanked her forward, causing a yelp of surprise to come from her lips. She opened her eyes as she felt the warmth of his legs beneath her stomach, and she realized that he had pulled her across his knee like a child. The size difference between them made that comparison very fitting. Anna felt his hand at her waist, his fingers undoing the laces of her barbarian skirt. He pulled that skirt off of her and tossed it aside, then quickly unwrapped the soft fur of her undergarment and threw it away as well, leaving her bare from the waist down. Her mouth dropped open as she realized what he intended to do. No! He couldn't!

His hand falling onto her bottom with a resounding slap proved that he could, and would. Pain lanced through her from that blow, she cried out, and the creamy, round cheek he had landed it on began to burn. His hand was like a piece of steel being smashed against her, and yet she sensed that he was not using his full power. He spanked her again, and then again, each blow echoing from the stretched-hide walls along with her cries. He hit her one last time and then took a generous handful of her bottom and squeezed it, making the pain of his spankings worse. She whimpered softly and then he let her go, simply resting his hand on her bottom, as he leaned down to speak into her ear.

"Call me Master," he said softly, and she felt chills chase themselves up and down her spine as his voice caressed her ear. It wasn't fair, that he should have a voice like that! His strength and size made him impossible to resist as it was. Did he have to have a voice like that too? Anna started to do as he said, and then her brain caught up with her treacherous body and she clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head. She could not stop him from beating her, but she would not let him make her a harlot again.

Garshan drew back as she shook her head, and he growled low in his throat. "So be it," he said again, and the blows resumed, cries and slaps echoing through the room until her bottom glowed red. Stopping again, the warlord began to gently stroke the tips of his fingers across those rounded cheeks. It made them hurt worse, but somehow. . . somehow this was different. Anna was horrified to find that heat was beginning to fill her. No! He was beating her! That wasn't supposed to arouse her! It was punishment! What kind of twisted creature was she? A soft whimper escaped her lips again, but it was for a very different reason now. The pain was exquisite, his fingers soft and gentle, and wetness began to form between her thighs. A rich, rolling chuckle escaped the warlord's lips, making her flush brightly with humiliation. The bastard! The warlord leaned down to speak in her ear again, and his voice made her arousal grow tenfold, so that she could not help but shift her hips on his lap.

"Are you ready to submit now, Anna?" he asked softly, his voice slightly husky. As he spoke, his hand slipped down in between her legs and began to caress the dampening lips of her womanhood with the same light, loving caresses he had given her bottom. Her breath caught in her throat, and she moaned softly, unable to help it. Gods curse him! He could make her burn so easily! Anna gritted her teeth and writhed on his lap, fighting the incredible feeling coming from between her legs. She would not give in again.

"Never," she gasped out. Her voice was shaky and husky with need, making the pronouncement lack some of the fire she had wanted it to have. It did the job well enough, however, because he growled and pulled his mouth away from her ear at the same moment his hand left her womanhood. The warlord began to spank her again, harder and faster than before, and each blow made a cry that was more pleasure than pain come from her lips. Somehow, each time he hit her only made her arousal grow. How did he do this? Was he some sort of demon, an incubus that could steal a woman's will to resist him and take her soul through pleasure? Anna writhed on his lap, incoherent now, gasping, her womanhood dripping onto the bare skin of his thigh. Suddenly the spankings ceased, and his thick, strong finger slid inside her. Anna mewled with pleasure, pressing her hips down against him. Her body refused to obey her mind, and she pumped her hips against that invading finger furiously, even as she choked out, "No!" Garshan chuckled again and curled his finger inside her. Her body spoke truly, even if her mouth lied. Pleasure flared and she all but screamed as her juices poured out of her. It was just like last night. Her world wavered around the edges, filling with bright colors, and then she collapsed against his lap as the climax ended, gasping.

For a long moment, he let her lay there, breathing hard, the last little twinges of pleasure chasing each other up and down her spine. He slid his fingers out of her, making her gasp again, and then rolled her over on his lap so that she could see him licking them off, savoring her taste. Anna hated herself at that moment. She liked watching him do that. She liked it! How her mother would sob with shame at her harlot of a daughter. Once again, her mind rebelled as that thought crossed it. She was not a harlot! She had told him no, hadn't she? He had forced her to lie there, forced her to enjoy it as he shoved that huge finger inside her, even as he had forced her to enjoy it last night. She had never given in, and she still wouldn't. The warlord finished licking his finger off and looked down at her, a smug smile on his face.

"Now are you ready to call me Master?" he whispered. It was easier to say no to him this time, because that smile infuriated her. The arrogant brute! How dare he look so pleased that he could strip her dignity away like that?! Anna's expression was hard and defiant as she stared him in the eye and said, "Never," once again. Her womanhood was still throbbing, still crying out for attention, but that was not her fault, and she would not let it become her fault by submitting to him.

Garshan's smug smile vanished immediately as she refused him yet again. What would it take to make this woman submit? She obviously loved what he did to her, as her explosive climax had proved, so why did she not just give in? Growling, the warlord lifted her from his lap and pinned her to the bed, his body resting atop hers. Anna felt his manhood pressing hard and strong against her bare slit, and she shivered, swallowing hard as she fought back the arousal. She would not beg him for that manhood as she had done last night. "Never," she repeated, struggling against him as futilely as a man struggling to push down a tree. "I will never call you master again! Let me go!"

His answering growl was fearsome indeed, and she cringed at the sound of it. Now would come the blows, she knew it. The previous punishment had been pleasurable, for all it's shame; this one would be pain. His weight lifted from atop her and she stared up at him, fearful but determined. He did not hit her, however, but instead reached for the edge of the bed, where a dozen lengths of soft fur hung. They had been put there in the night, while she slept, and she had wondered at their purpose. Now she knew. He lowered his weight onto her again, and kept her pinned down as he tied her limbs to the bedposts. Anna struggled, of course, but what could she do against strength like that? In moments she was bound to the bed securely, unable to move more than an inch in any direction. Still her expression was defiant as she stared up at him. Tying her down wasn't going to help, nor would flogging her or beating her. She would not call him Master again.

Garshan rose slowly, his eyes trailing up and down Anna's half-naked body. She was absolutely delicious, with her womanhood still wet and swollen, her chest heaving, and her lovely eyes holding such determination. It was a shame he was going to have to break her again. Turning, he walked to the door and strode out. Anna stared after him, puzzled. How was this a punishment? She would be stiff from being tied up, to be sure, but if he thought this would make her submit he was a fool. Then she heard his voice out in the hall, barking a pair of names, and her eyes widened.

"Tharona! Nakree!" he roared. "Come to me. Your new sister needs to be disciplined."


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A/N: Here it is, at long last, a new chapter! Sorry for the slow update. World of Warcraft has been devouring my soul. I'm sorry for the slightly lower quality of this chapter as well. The words just weren't coming to me today. Hopefully the next one will be better. In the meantime, please read and review!