THE FALL OF THE AMAZONS

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

Mikael hummed to himself as he carefully tied a knot, making sure it was quite tight.

He'd been working at his task for quite a long time-precision was important. "Almost done," he remarked as he picked up another length of silken cord-the last he had laid out for his task. He gathered a tiny cluster of hairs, braided them roughly and looped the cord around them. "Now I just have to tighten this and..."

His work was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Captain!" A voice called. "Sir..."

Mikael turned toward the door, unhappy at the interruption. "One moment, my dear." He patted the tanned flesh laid before him. "I'll be right back," he stood in one easy motion and stepped away from the last piece of cord.

Mikael was a tall, powerful man-broad shouldered and barrel chested-but despite his obvious strength, he moved with the grace of a dancer-or a master swordsman--which he was.

"You knew I was involved with some delicate work." He glared at the messenger standing nervously in front of the opened door. "This had better be important."

"Taras reports that the citadel is secure." The man sketched a salute. "He says that all the Amazon warriors are now in our hands and repairs to the portals we were forced to break through have begun."

"Has he done a full headcount? Did any of the Amazons escape?"

The man swallowed. "He thinks that one or two messengers made it over the wall before we finished subduing the last bastion of resistance."

"Good." Mikael smiled and nodded. "Very good."

"Any orders, sir?"

"Tell Taras to have the men light the beacon fire." Mikael motioned toward the platform set atop the city's highest tower. "When he's done that and secured the prisoners, tell him to get a meal and some sleep..." He pulled at his short beard and nodded again. "I'll see him sometime tomorrow."

"The beacon, sir?" The messenger's eyes widened. "But that will tell the surrounding forts that there's trouble here!"

"I've given you instructions, boy." Mikael caught the shorter man's eye, his glare enough to cause the man to quake in his boots. "Now do as you've been told-and don't disturb me again," he turned toward the white shape at the rear of his room. "Unless it really is urgent."

"Yes, sir." The messenger was still trying to regain his composure as the door closed in his face.

"Now, my dear." Mikael returned to the back of the room. "Where were we?" He smiled and returned to that silken cord, carefully finishing the knot that would hold one last cluster of hair.

Pubic hair. The pubic hair of the Princess Althea, once ruler of this citadel.

"I think that will hold." Mikael pulled the last knot tight. "Now let us see..."

Althea glared at him. There was little else she could do. Her wrists were tied tightly and attached to a wide leather belt wrapped around her neck. Her elbows were also tied together above her wrists and secured to a ring high on the wall, forcing her to sit bolt upright, her buttocks barely touching the floor.

She was naked, of course, and gagged with sodden cloth held in place with a leather strap. Her legs were spread very wide-painfully, obscenely wide-and fixed to iron stapes driven into the wall alongside her head.

Mikael, now comfortably seated between those legs, testing the multiple strands of silken cord he had tied into place. "How does this feel?" He gave a yank on the cords.

Althea didn't make a sound-but involuntary tears appeared in her eyes-tears of pain.

"I see that it hurts." Mikael smiled. "Good." He tied the ends of the strings together. "Now..." He began to tug at the joined strings, watching as they grew taut, pulling at the pubic hairs to which they were attached. "This serves two purposes." The invader Captain smiled into the Princess' pain-filled eyes. "It allows me to eliminate all this excess hair..." He yanked at one of the strings, pulling loose a small clump of blond pubic hair. "And it shows you that you are no longer in command here." He yanked another clump loose. "You do understand that, do you not?"

The Princess continued to glare at him, blinking tears away.

"I see you have not yet come to that realization." Mikael smiled and twitched one of his cords to the side. "So..." He yanked. "We'll just continue like this..." Another yank. "Until you're willing to admit your situation." Another yank. This time, he heard a low moan escape from the Princess' tightly-gagged mouth. "Ah," he grinned and chose another cord. "I see you're beginning to understand..."

Some time later, Mikael tossed the last of the cords to the side of the room. Princess Althea was weeping behind her gag, her entire body shaking with the depth of her sobs. "You understand now, don't you?" He grabbed her by the chin, turned her so she was facing him. "You're no longer a Princess-merely a female slave." He grinned. "My female slave." He released her. "And you will be required to fulfill the duties of any female slave." He ran a finger down her breasts. "Is that understood?"

Althea shook as his hand touched her nipple.

"Is it understood?!" He gripped her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. "I want an answer!" He began to squeeze.

The captured woman moaned into her gag, new tears rolling down her cheeks-and nodded once, slowly.

"Good." Mikael released her. "Tomorrow we will begin a proper course of training." He grinned. "I believe we have nearly three weeks until your sisters get here." He drew his dagger from its sheath. "In the meantime," he grinned. "I think it's time we got rid of the rest of this pesky hair..."

CHAPTER TWO

 

Princess Althea ached in every part of her body. Her shoulders ached from the strain put upon them by the bondage her captor had inflected upon her. Her hips ached from the position she was in, stretched and open to the fullest.

Worst of all, her pubic area ached and burned from the things that the aforementioned captor had done to them.

He shaved all my hair off! Althea had been shocked when he tied the cords around clumps of her hair-but she had assumed it was some kind of depraved ritual, designed to get her to talk-to tell him what he wanted to know.

But he just pulled my hair out without asking a single question! She remembered the pain of each of the yanks it took to pull it out and wondered if she would have had the courage not to tell him what he wanted to know.

But he didn't ask anything--just took out his knife and... She looked at the bare skin glowing redly around her wide-split cunt. Shaved all the remaining hair off!

She had expected him to take her then-thrust himself into her as she hung helplessly against the wall. But he hadn't done anything of the sort...

He just patted me on the head and told me to be quiet. She remembered the touch of his hand-and the odd feelings it had brought to her. He's like no man I've ever seen before...

All the invaders were like that-men like none the Amazon Kingdom had ever before encountered ...

Their attack was so sudden. So impossible! Althea had been walking the wall, checking her guards when it happened. One moment the citadel was quiet and secure, the next...

The Citadel had been designed to guard the one and only inlet on this side of the Amazon Realm deep enough for ocean-going ships. We built the place so that it would be guarded by terrain on the east and north. Althea pictured the cliffs that the Citadel had been built atop-cliffs that led to jagged breakers far below. The defenses were concentrated on the cove and seaport on the north and western sides...

The invaders had come up the cliffs, climbing the unclimbable and springing upon the Amazon defenders from a direction from whence none expected a threat.

That took us by complete surprise, Althea remembered. Especially since so many were able to gain entry to the barracks where many of my warriors were sound asleep ...

Though surprised, Althea had been able to quickly rally the Amazons on guard and turn them toward the oncoming wave of attackers. Our numbers were about even, she remembered. And we were the strongest, most highly-trained warriors in the realm...

Althea had been confident that her women would cut the invaders to pieces. I was so sure... She shook her head at the thought. So certain we would prevail...

The men had moved in carefully coordinated waves, one group using bronze-faced shields to protect the group behind from Amazon arrows. They had reached the Amazon line astonishingly quickly...

They never even drew their swords. Althea had been shocked to see the weapons the men were holding-clubs and nets rather than swords and spears. They brushed our spear-line aside almost dismissingly and then...

Althea had seen her sister warriors fall in winnows, some clubbed into submission, others snared and captured, still others merely disarmed and forced to the ground where they were quickly bound ...

I tried to rally the survivors. Althea had yelled her battle cry and charged the man who seemed to be the leader of the invaders-a huge brute of a man with jet-black hair long enough to curl from the underside of his helmet. I attacked, secure in my prowess with the sword...

Althea had won every duel she'd ever fought, her speed and strength far superior to that of any other Amazon.

Her foe this time, however, was not an Amazon.

He parried my best slash with ease. It had been like striking a rock. Her hand ached from the shock passing through the hilt of her weapon--but she knew that she could not just give up. I tried to follow with a thrust under the edge of his breast plate-but he sidestepped with amazing speed... He'd dodged the sword before reaching out and grabbing her wrist, quickly bending it back and forcing her to drop the sword. She'd seen him kick it to one side...

Leaving Althea defenseless.

He just held my wrists in one hand-as if I was a child, she remembered how helpless she had felt as she tried to kick him...

The invader had laughed at her attempts to hurt him-then slapped her on the side of her head. The blow had caused her ears to ring and the world began to whirl around her. I almost passed out! She did stagger and drop to her knees... He just pushed me the rest of the way to the ground, forcing me onto my stomach as he pulled rough cord from his belt...

He'd tied her as if she were an animal, leaving her hogtied on her belly. He handled me as if I was nothing-beneath contempt. The thought still burned. Just as his men did with my warriors. When her head cleared she had seen other women lying here and there in the courtyard, all tied hand and foot, some stripped naked.

The battle raged on for the rest of the day-some of the Amazons had managed to barricade themselves in the uppermost rooms of the citadel, forcing the invaders to batter in doors and, in at least one case, climb down the citadel walls and force entry through an unbarred window.

The outcome, despite this last-ditch effort, was never in doubt. The men would win-and the women, tied and helpless, would be at their mercy.

That night, with the battle over and his men in control, the Prince came back for me...

He hadn't said a word, just hoisted Althea's bound and helpless form to her shoulder and carried her away. To my own quarters...

Once there he had stripped her of armor and undergarments before retying her and fixing her to the wall.

That was when the silken cords came out.

He knew I was a princess, she told herself. And yet he treated me as if I were nobody-just a toy-a thing-for him to play with.

Althea had never encountered anyone who would dare do such a thing.

Hell, she thought. I've never encountered anyone like him in any way! She glanced over at her sleeping mat-her mat, specially made to hold her rather tall form. Look how big he is! His feet hung over the edge of the pillows and furs. She remembered the way he had handled her. And how strong he was... Her mind raced. How can I conquer a man like that? She remembered the conversation with the courier. He's caused the beacon to be lit...

The beacon system was designed to pass the word of catastrophe to each of the forts strung around the outer precincts of the Amazon Kingdom. My sisters will see it, raise an army and come here. She nodded at the thought, momentarily triumphant. But it will take three or four weeks. She thought of being this man's prisoner for that long-and shivered. What will happen to me in that time? Goosebumps appeared on her skin. Will he beat me? Take me by force?

She glanced at the tall form over-filling her bed. What will become of me? She swallowed hard. What will I become?

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

Mikael woke with a start, his bare feet, uncovered, tingled from the cold. Where am I...? Then he remembered. The Amazon citadel... He nodded slowly. We took it so easily-far more easily than I had thought possible... He glanced to his side. And the Princess Althea...

She was still where he had left her, bound and slumping as she hung against the wall.

Good. Mikael ran a hand through his hair. She's still secure. He yawned as he studied her bound form. She's magnificent! Those legs! Those breasts! He thought of the girls from his home country. She's so much more beautiful than any of them. He considered dragging her to the bed and using her right now. No. He shook his head. Not that way.

He had three weeks before her sisters could possibly arrive. Three weeks to teach this one her place in the world.

She will kneel at my feet, he told himself. She will come to me without question or complaint, joyfully, willingly... He smiled. She will be mine in all ways. He stretched and sat up on the edge of the bed. And if I'm going to do that in three weeks, I guess I should start...

Mikael stood up, stretched, and went to the door. It was a nice enough day, the sun had just cleared the horizon, bathing the sea in glinting gold. "Antony!" he shouted as he admired the view. "Get up here!"

There was the sound of a door banging closed and feet pounding up the stairs.

Mikael smiled. At least he's hurrying. Not like the last time...

A second later, Antony appeared at the top of the stairs. It was obvious that he had dressed in a hurry-his shirt wasn't tucked in properly and he was still buckling his sword belt.

But there was a larger problem in his attire.

"Antony," Mikael shook his head. "Never rush into a new situation without first putting on your boots," he nodded toward the young man's bare feet. "I thought I told you that before we left home."

"Highness, I was..."

"You were sleeping." Mikael nodded. "I know." He clapped the young man's shoulder with a gentle hand. "But if you're to be my aide on this mission, you must be ready when I need you." He pulled the boy around so he could look into his eyes. "You do understand that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Antony smiled and peered over the Prince's shoulder into the room beyond-right at the bound form of Althea. "Did you sleep well, highness?" His smile widened. "Or did you..."

"I slept very poorly." Mikael shook his head and watched the smile disappear. "There is no proper bed in that room and the furs the previous occupant used..." He glanced at the still-sleeping blonde. "Are far too uncomfortable for me." He held up his own bare foot. "My feet were frozen when I woke up." He looked at his young aide. "I want a proper bed-of the proper size-in this room before the sun goes down. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Antony nodded. "I'll get someone to work on it right away."

"Good." Mikael leaned closer, allowing his voice to drop to a near whisper. "Now, there are a few other things I require..."