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He released and squeezed again, pulling his head away ever so slightly, and she whimpered at the strange feeling. It was... unsettling. Her whole body seemed to have snapped to life, all her nerves on high alert, preparing for his next move.
But he was in no hurry. He opened his mouth and blew on the wet spot. A field of goosebumps blossomed on Sabine's skin and her head tilted back, a moan escaping her lips. Her eyes closed, causing her to miss his smug grin.
So much for indifference. Then he attacked her opposite shoulder and her thoughts turned to mush.
"Do you wish to talk now or shall I continue?"
Roland's words brought Sabine back to the harsh reality. She stared at the candle on the desk, trying to estimate how late it was. Not quite late enough. She considered asking him for the time, but acknowledged that it might raise his suspicion. She wasn't sure of the exact location of the King's camp. If she had guessed right, it was grossly equidistant from the town and the village where they had caught her, about five or six leagues. Speaking too early would be risking his men arresting her friends. She had to stall, and that meant enduring his attentions.
Her mind and body were locked in a battle of will on the subject, the former determined to resist and the latter more than eager to surrender. Her defiance had been pointless so far; worse, it seemed to amuse him. To keep him distracted, she had one option left, and she didn't like it one bit: pretend to be willing.
It was debasing, and she still had some pride, despite having little use for it. The church and her peers had cast her out as a sinner, a soiled woman, and she would never be able to marry honorably. Retiring in a convent didn't appeal to her, and nuns wouldn't welcome one regarded as a whore. It was unfair, but it was the way of the world. And from his treatment of her, it was clear the courtier shared the common opinion.
Yet he had not harmed her, and he did stay true to his word. He wouldn't take her unless she asked him to.
Why should she care of his judgement? She would never see him again after this day. She had been raised to be a maiden bride and a dutiful wife, and the guilt and shame of her situation had been gnawing at her for the past couple of years. Nothing could redeem her lost honor. One more dent in her sense of worth was a small sacrifice to save her friends' lives, and was still better that than being torn apart by the executor.
Resolutely, Sabine shook her head, her throat too tight to form words. So be it. She did her best to relax and waited.
Her silent refusal was met with a sigh. Why did she have to be so headstrong? Couldn't she understand he was offering her a way out? Well, she would be sorry.
Roland's lips traveled from her collarbone to the opening of her shirt, where he deftly untied the laces. He felt her tense and smiled against her skin. However, her hands remained where he had placed them, and he took it as his cue to continue. Brushing the linen aside, he reported his attentions on a pale breast, lavishing it in kisses and nipping the tip.
He heard her sharp intake of breath and repeated his actions at random, alternating sides.
Sabine struggled not to push him. Her chest felt tense and swollen. The sting of his bites burned with scalding heat, preventing her mind to wander away. She groaned and heard him chuckle in response.
Her shirt slid out of her belt and inched up, Roland's fingers bunching it up until it was stuck under her arms, leaving the entirety of her flanks and stomach his for the taking. Roland wasted no time exploring this new territory, reveling in her slightly salty taste, and the firmness of her taught flesh, resisting the pressure of his mouth, unlike the soft padding of more voluptuous beauties. He lingered there a while, musing around, creating a mental map of the spots that caused the most attractive sounds to escape her pretty lips.
He reached the waistband of her breeches and moved his hands to the ties.
Sabine jolted. "No, please, not this!" Her entire face was flushed, from both shame and heat. Her body was pleading for her to let him, encourage him, beg him to go on, but she just couldn't. She was on the verge of losing control to him, her captor and prosecutor, and she couldn't handle it. Could this man not have mercy?
"Answers, Sabine. Give them to me, and I will stop."
She desperately glanced at the candle. Too soon. She mustn't. "I can't. Please..." A lone tear ran down her cheek. There was no path out, she would be submitted to this torture once more.
"Then you made your choice."
Her laces were undone, the chill of the room reminding her of her state of undress, as her breeches were lowered to her knees without haste. Sabine didn't react when he bent her legs, brought her thighs to her chest and locked them there with his hands. It was useless. Her limbs might be untied but she was still leashed to the wall. She bit her lips, wondering what he would do if he couldn't touch her.
And at first, there was no touch. Just a strange warmth, and then cold, and warm. His breath. Then he ran his tongue on her inner thighs and blew again. Sabine shuddered. This wasn't right. This wasn't what she needed... feared... wanted... She didn't know anymore. She was close to bursting out of her skin.
A pitiful mewl broke free, catching Roland's attention. He grinned and dove into her velvety folds.
Sabine's world exploded. Her legs shook violently as the intense sensation spread like wildfire, making her see stars and leaving her utterly spent. Her deepest desire was to roll on her side and rest, but Roland had other plans.
He didn't stop, merely slowing down. Sabine thrashed, her hands frantically trying to bat his head away from her oversensitive flesh, but he didn't relent. He forced her to the edge and over time and time again, until she was keening and babbling incoherently.
Getting up, Roland splashed his face with cool water, and wet a cloth, which he used to wipe Sabine's tear stained cheeks. "Silly girl," he spoke softly, his voice nearly tender, "whoever they are, I'm sure your accomplices don't deserve such loyalty. Will you tell me now, or do you think they are worth enduring The Question? Even the toughest men break under it, Sabine, you are wasting your time."
As she knelt to fix her clothing, her shaking hands struggling with the simple task, she stole a look at his desk. The candle was burnt half-through. She had won. She had both delayed him, and ensured that whatever she said now, he would gobble without a doubt.
Eyes to the floor, she uttered in a strained tone: "Very well, I will talk."
- COMMENTS
Anonymousabout 3 years agoTruly exceptional! Love the historical details it brings the whole thing to life. Honestly I’ve never been happier that I was born in the 20th century. Life still isn’t a picnic for women even though most don’t see the prejudice in western countries, as for the rest of the world well no change there.
Tess (uk)
Sexinatiabout 6 years ago-foot soldiers and militia, peasants lured into enrolling (many recruiters would get them drunk or trick them into signing), who then got a crash course training.-
With two years of experience she could definitely fight against such foes, at least on a one-to-one basis, though she should be careful in doing so, since you have said that she lacks experience with hand-to-hand, which without training she would be at a disadvantage even against untrained males.
Interestingly enough, In the High and Late medieval period, Militia were sometimes just as well outfitted as soldiers. At Wisby, The Gotland militia were armed with coats of plates, mail hauberks and gambesons in quite staggering numbers.
- and fencing didn't include hand to hand combat, something most masters of the time would have regarded as demeaning. When given, the latter would have been limited to basic boxing/wrestling-
This is interesting in that it seems that, based on fighting manuals (Which I've looked through on Wiktenaur.com) that there are treatises which show only rapier fencing without any action involving the hands, but others such as Cappo ferro's treatise which show images where the main combatant is gripping onto the opponents arm or hand of the opponent's sword arm.
It seems that during the 16th and 17th century there was a lot of disputes over how one should fight with a weapon.
The German masters seemingly stuck to their traditional style of Longsword, messer and polearm and borrowed some other weapons including the Rapier. Seemingly they were very much a 'Kill by any means' type of people. It seems that the German fighting mentality at this period is very similar to the first German master Johannes Liechtenaur. These would be the people in an uproar about Sabine not being taught grappling and wrestling. It seems that there wasn't a lot of scorn by other masters about the German styles, and how could they... I for one would not want to shit-talk the German masters because they would literally laugh before hacking me to pieces.
The Spanish had their own styles of rapier fencing, whilst also retaining some traditional fighting styles, such as Figuerdo's montante (Greatsword) treatise, which was seemingly reviled in the mid 17th century. I'd say they reviled it because everyone else likely kept getting their asses whooped by a guy with a huge sword, but who can say! ;P
The Italians also had their own rapier techniques and it seems that Italian rapier schools had successfully dismantled most native Italian longsword and polearm techniques into obscurity, whilst retaining the Rotella shield for figthing along with the rapier.
There are also people like George Silver who disliked the Italian rapier style and chastises the Italian master Vincentio Saviolo who lead a school in London. It is said that George Silver also had a duel with the Italian master, though It doesn't say who won.
So it is possible that Sabile couldn't have learnt any form of hand-to-hand... but at the same time there were other masters who would literally be howling about how idiotic that is. It largely depends on who is teaching you.
It's pretty funny how even today there are big disputes over how martial arts should be taught, though Ironically this is largely from within Japan. It seems that there is a movement who wants to know the traditional art that is most likely to have been used by the Samurai which has been lost in Kendo. There are also rivalries between Dojo masters.
In Europe and America, there has been a large push since the late 90's to rediscover the martial arts of the Late-medieval and Renaissance periods. The group known as HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) has classes that range from Roman-period gladiatorial combat up to Victorian backsword.
Personally, I've overcome a stupendous amount of misconceptions by watching Hema practitioners showcase their fighting styles. When Victorian fencers said that medieval combat was likely just thrashing and bashing each other or that medieval swords were clumsy and stupidly overweight, they were largely speaking out of their asses. Roland Warzecha, Arne Koets, Matt Easton, Michael Chidester and many others are literally bringing back lost arts from the precipice, either because they are distributing books or translating four hundred year old or older manuscripts into multiple languages or because they are constantly training and sparing out a system that is most likely to be 'Medieval' fighting that the old masters wrote about, and I think that this is a very good thing.
-Archers were still part of the French army, the Archer's Company was only dissolved in 1789, but the bow wasn't very used on the battlefield, despite most foot soldiers only wearing thick leather vests.-
Well that is very interesting. As far as I know the English quickly abandoned Warbow archery in the mid-17th century during the Civil war because their effectiveness was brought into question by varying commanders, who noticed that over a period of a military campaign they could no longer draw their bows to full draw due to fatigue, likely aided by long marches and lack of sufficient food, whilst men equipped with muskets or calivers were fully capable of using their weapons with the same level of fatigue.
It is quite funny given that the English have a big cultural emphasis on Archery and yet they withdrew them from service a hundred or more years before the French.
****End Note****
Well this went on for a lot longer than I intended. I have no idea how I can manage to recall all these things from memory.
MProstabout 6 years agoAuthorWould it help if I replaced 'mastered' by became proficient at'? Because really, that's what was meant here -and incidentally, what the verb actually means-.
Of course she wouldn't become a sword master in two years, but she would still hold her own against most foot soldiers and militia, peasants lured into enrolling (many recruiters would get them drunk or trick them into signing), who then got a crash course training.
Sabine isn't trained by a master but by a noble friend who was likely taught by a good fighter (true sword maestros did cost a fortune), and fencing didn't include hand to hand combat, something most masters of the time would have regarded as demeaning. When given, the latter would have been limited to basic boxing/wrestling -they weren't ninjas-, offering her a small chance against a much stronger opponent.
She must not have been an absolute beginner with the crossbow or pistol, as noblewomen did take part in hunting, and a lot of them were very good shots, but she wouldn't have practiced while in the nunnery. Same goes for fencing, to which she might have been initiated. A few ladies of her time were highly skilled with the sword.
Archers were still part of the French army, the Archer's Company was only dissolved in 1789, but the bow wasn't very used on the battlefield, despite most foot soldiers only wearing thick leather vests. Chest plates were too expensive for canon fodder, only foreign mercenaries wore them.
Archery games were popular in France up to the end of the previous century, and with the story set in 1619, it's likely that many in the countryside still kept bows, especially for poaching. Crossbows were expensive and couldn't be home made or repaired. Firearms cost a fortune and easily misfired or exploded. Bows cost nothing to make and maintain.
I'm personally terrible with a bow but I know a good few people who managed to hit the bullseye in no time. Sabine would have used it for hunting game in the forest -not a longbow but a smaller French or Burgundy bow- , and for back-up. Crossbows and firearms took time to recharge, when a bow doesn't. She wouldn't need to be a competition archer for that, just an average one. Does it make sense?
I never intended to paint her as a historical Wonder Woman, but I do maintain that two years of daily training with a strong motivation can achieve a lot in terms of fighting skills.
Sexinatiabout 6 years agoI'm sorry, but I think that two years to master sword-fighting, knife throwing, arbalest, bow and pistol shooting is not very believable.
The arbalest and the pistol would be much quicker to attain proficiency at, but mastering swordfighting and the bow takes much more than just two years.
Someone with two years of experience with sword fighting might be able to overpower the normal footpad, but it will not do you much good against properly trained troops, and being that the 16th and 17th century were defined by Early professional soldiery, there are plenty of these. Mastery of swordsmanship requires a life-long dedication in their art to truly be functional at such a high level as to be called 'masters'.
Additionally, hand-to-hand combat was virtually universally taught alongside sword training just because of how central it is in the art of combat, that I am sure a master would refuse to train someone if they wouldn't first learn about wrestling and grappling because no 'Master' or trainer wants to be known as the guy who got a student killed because they didn't know how to fight in a brawl. Even in the age of the rapier, grappling was still an important skill to know. The sword is an extension of the hand and so knowledge about how to fight in hand to hand is very important, because swordfights can just as quickly turn into a brawl whenever a sword gets put into a bind or whenever someone grips onto a sword. Medieval and Early-modern master swordsmen were every-bit as brilliant fencers as they were martial-artists. With an emphasis on arm and finger breaks, eye-gouging, leg-locks and grappling they can kill with their hands as well as with their swords or polearms. This is just as true with the Samurai as it is with an Ancient Egyptian warrior from 1000 B.C.E.
Archery is also a craft that takes many, many years in order to reach a level
approaching anywhere near 'master' level. The bow was also considered a fringe weapon by the 17th century in Europe and was barely used in any context, excepting the English who brought Longbows with them to the Colonies in America. The very fact that armour forms such as the jack-of-plates was common on battlefields in the 17th century by even poorer troops renders weapons such as bows ineffective and near-useless. They were practically useless even in the 16th century. Even the arquebus has difficulty against munitions-level armour of the 16th and 17th century, with estimates of 200-500 joules being attributed to them. The Spanish musket was the first hand-held weapon that could reliably pierce even the best armour of the period, with estimates of around 2000+ joules of energy being attributed to such firearms based on the weight of shot and the muzzle velocity. What in the hell is a bow going to do when the heavier warbows can only deliver around ~150-180 joules with a heavy arrow?
Bows were thus phased out except in England within the Early-modern period. Even in the High and Late medieval periods bows were uncommon in all of Europe except within Andalusian Spain and England, as the crossbow had supplanted the bow both as a war weapon and a hunting weapon.
Knife throwing wasn't a thing in the 17th century except among Native American Indians. If you also want to consider the Bo-shuriken and Shurikenjutsu as knife throwing you can also list that down.
Mastering all of these things together in just two years? That's preposterous.
I think that a re-phrasal would ensure that the story sounds much more believable. She had trained in such and such skill or became proficient in such and such skill et cetera sounds much more plausible than 'mastering'.
This might seem like I am going off on a tangent, but I am giving you my thought on how it sounds as it is and I think it sounds ridiculous at the moment. As it seems to me, Sabine isn't Mark Stretton, nor is she George Silver.
