The Last Princess of Lorrea Ch. 11

A rider galloped through the night, his cloak flying behind him as he urged his horse on. He had been riding at breakneck speed for hours, but he could not take a break, time was of the essence and a life hung in the balance.

The man removed one hand from the reins and placed it over his chest, pressing the scroll beneath his shirt against him. Confident that the scroll was still there despite the speed and jarring movements of his steed, he once more grasped the reins in both hands, encouraging his horse to ride like never before - for there never had been so much at stake - a girl, the crown, the kingdom of Kravaolia - the fate of all three lay pressed against his chest in a small, hastily-written message.

On he rode, the remnants of the day melting around him, flickering like the wick of a dying oil lamp through the bare branches of the surrounding trees. On he rode.

****

Elena woke slowly, moaning contently as her body sunk even deeper into the soft bed. She stretched - or at least that was what she tried to do, before she realised that she could barely move her arms or her legs.

Her eyes snapped open. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar, dark blue hangings originating from a circular golden sphere, flush against the ceiling. She raised her head off the pillow and looked down to see her legs spread wide, her feet tied with some sort of silky material, to both corners of a very large bed. She looked over at her wrists and found a similar arrangement: Silky restraints keeping her arms far away from each other. She had just enough slack to bend her elbows slightly, but that was all. She gathered by the pain in her shoulders that she had been laying in that position for quite a few hours. But why? Elena tried to remember the events that lead up to her current situation, but only small, short and blurry memories came to mind. She seemed to recall a drink, a desk and a tall figure...

She pulled hard on her restraints but all that accomplished was the tightening the restraints even more. She looked around but saw no one, Elena was further confused that the room itself didn't even seem familiar.

Elena raised her head off the pillow. "Hello?" she called out tentatively, her voice hoarser than usual. She cleared her throat and called out again. "Is any one here? Hello?" her voice returning to it's normal pitch, even though it was slightly high from anxiety.

When no one answered, she let out a small sob. "HELP!" she yelled, pulling on her restraints again. "Please, somebody help me!"

Elena's head dropped back onto the pillow, her eyes swimming with tears. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears to leave her eyes so she could see properly. She silently berated herself for letting her emotions get the better of her - it was not the time. Think, she said to herself, figure this out rationally, leave the hysterics out of it. Elena took a deep, calming breath and looked around again.

The stone walls were decorated with paintings depicting furious battles or important looking men, sitting in their military splendor. From this Elena deduced that the owner of the room had a rich family history and a fondness for battle. Looking around, she spotted a large fireplace in which a few embers were glowing softly. Obviously the fire had been lit hours earlier and had not been tended to since.

On the opposite wall, there stood a very large, ornate mirror, tarnished in a few spots but impressive nonetheless. Beneath it lay a handsome rug, with intricate patterns - the person who owned all this was no pauper, she decided.

Elena looked down at her dress. Although Elena recognised the emerald green dress she was wearing, it felt to her like a superficial familiarity, as if it were not really hers. She managed to maneuver the silk material so that it covered her splayed legs, but was unsuccessful in covering her breasts completely - the material covered very little of her ample decolletage- it barely covered the area just north of her nipples.

Elena closed her eyes, trying to remember something, ANYTHING - but nothing came to her. She knew she was Elena, Princess of Lorrea - but other than that, it was all a blur. The only thing she was really sure of was that she had a pounding headache.

Elena's eyes snapped open as she heard the creaking of a door hinge. She looked up to see a tall figure step into the room, making it's way toward her.

As the figure drew closer, the dying fire cast a flickering light over his features. Elena's stomach clenched - she didn't recognise him, but he made her feel extremely uneasy.

"Who are you? I demand that you release me at once!" she said to him, pulling herself up as much as her restraints would allow.

"You are not in the position to make demands, Princess."

"Who are you?" Elena repeated, her eyes following his slow approach.

"You don't remember who I am?" the man asked quietly.

"NO! I don't remember anything - where am I?" she said, shifting her hips away from the man as he sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

"Interesting... very interesting," he mumbled to himself, his fingers playing softly against the silky fabric at her thigh.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted at him, twisting in vain to avoid his touch.

"I'll do as I please," he said, flashing her an evil smile.

"By royal decree, I order you to untie me this instant!" her tone not as forceful as she'd like, but forceful enough.

"So I'm to understand that you have no idea where you are or who I am - but you remember that you're a princess?" he asked, ignoring her request, a frown forming on his face.

"Of course I know who I am - I'm Princess Elena of Lorrea. But who are YOU?!" she asked haughtily.

"I am Lord Caspian of Kravaolia."

Elena looked back at him blankly. "Never heard of you."

Caspian's eyes flashed dangerously. "This will not do, it simply will not do," he murmured to himself, running a hand through his hair. "The dose must have been too high."

He looked back at Elena. "Unfortunately, my little plan seemed to have worked too well - you were not meant to have such memory gaps, only minor ones. I suppose you'll have to take the antidote- what a waste of an afternoon."

Caspian stood up, and walked towards the doors.

"Wait!" Elena cried out, "You can't leave me here like this!" she said, yanking her restraints once more.

"This is my home Princess - I do as I please and seeing you spread and tied pleases me greatly at the moment. Now, behave yourself and I'll be back shortly with the antidote to reverse your memory lapse."

Elena gaped at him, a flush creeping across her face in response to his words.

"Don't go anywhere," he chuckled, closing the doors behind him.

*****

The rider was exhausted, his horse even more so, but still he urged it on. It was late in the evening when he caught his first glimpse of a neat circle of tents with a relatively larger one in the middle, dimly lit by small flickering torches.

He let out an audible sigh of relief as he slowed his horse to a trot, to allow the sentries enough time to notice him without being startled.

After passing the security check, he made his way quickly to the central tent. He mumbled a few words to the guards outside and waited as one of them ducked inside the tent. The guard emerged moments later, pulling the flap aside, indicating to the rider that he may enter.

A large man stood in the middle of the tent, his muscular arms folded over his breast plate.

The rider kneeled before the man, bowing his head slightly before straightening up.

"What is so urgent Private, that you left your post at my castle?" asked the man.

"My King, I come bearing a letter from the maiden Catherine," he said quickly, pulling the scroll from beneath his shirt with a flourish and handing it to the king.

Henry slit open the wax seal, his eyes narrowing as he read on, the colour draining from his face.

"The Princess is gone", he mouthed Catherine's words, over and over, as if reiterating them would somehow bring forth a deeper meaning or an explanation.

"Explain," he said, looking at the Captain with a furious gaze.

"Yes my king," he said, his voice a little shaky as he could feel the anger in Henry's voice. "The maiden Catherine, as part of her duties, discovered the Princess's vacant bed in the morning. At first she was not alarmed as she reasoned that the Princess must be wandering the castle as on other occasions."

The Captain took a deep breath and continued. "She became worried at noon as no one could report that they had laid eyes on her that morning - no one, my king - not the guards, the kitchen staff, no one."

"I do not understand - my orders were clear, she was to be guarded every hour of the day! Who was the last guard to see her?" he barked, making the soldier jump slightly.

"A Private, he was manning the evening watch. He reported that Captain Damian relieved him of duty for the evening. When he returned the next morning and found the guard missing, he did not worry for he assumed - as we all had, that the Captain was accompanying the Princess somewhere in the castle."

"And what does Captain Damian have to say - I would have expected him to deliver me the news of her disappearance," he said angrily.

The private swallowed and shifted his weight. "That's just it, my King. No one can find the Captain."

The King stepped closer to the soldier, his face growing red with rage. "Do you mean to tell me, that Captain Damian kidnapped MY Princess?"

"That is one explanation, sir."

"What other explanations do you have soldier?" Henry asked seriously.

"It's just that... sir..." he paused, before continuing. "There was no sign of a struggle - one of your cloaks was even missing, sir, indicating that she had enough time to prepare for her journey- wherever that may be. It is possible that she left willingly, sir."

Henry grabbed the startled soldier by the front of his robes, his angry red face an inch from young soldier. "The Princess did NOT run away - she has been kidnapped I tell you."

"Yes... Yes sir!" said the soldier quickly.

Henry released his hold on the Private. "Inform the men, we are to leave at once! Hopefully we will find their trail before it rains again. Come! We have much ground to make up!"

****

An hour after his departure, Caspian returned, bearing a goblet in one hand. Elena watched him warily as he approached the bed.

"Drink this," he said, his hand pressing the goblet to her lips as his other hand supported her neck.

"You jest - you tell me, not long ago, that you poisoned me and now you want me to drink some strange beverage?" she scoffed, twisting her head away from the foul smelling liquid.

"You will do as I say, Princess," he said, a bite of impatience in his voice. "Anyway - you couldn't really be worse off could you? You have nothing to lose," he said jeeringly.

"What am I to gain if I drink this foul potion?" she asked, looking up at his annoyed face.

"Your memory, Princess. Or would you rather not remember that last few years? I wouldn't blame you," he said wickedly, pulling the goblet away from her lips.

"Years?" Elena said hoarsely.

"Yes Princess - years."

Elena bit her lip, her eyes moving from the goblet to Caspian's icy blue eyes. "All right," she shuddered. "I'll drink it."

Caspian brought the goblet to her lips and tipped it upwards. Elena sipped the liquid, shutting her eyes at the foul taste of it. It took a minute, but Elena drained the goblet of it's contents.

"Good," Caspian muttered, looking down to confirm that she had indeed drunk all the antidote.

"How long before it works?" Elena asked timidly.

"Not long, a few minutes actually." Caspian said, rubbing his thumb over her lips, wiping away a little residue.

Elena pulled her head away. "Don't touch me like that," she said forcefully.

"You know, I think i'll tell you a little what has happened over the past few years... you should know what you've been up to, Princess," he said, a cruel smile flickering across his face.

Elena's heart quickened, her instincts telling her that she needed to brace herself for the tale- even if she didn't remember it.

"In a nutshell, you rejected me as your suitor - quite rudely too, I might add. I promised retribution and Kravaolia went to war with Lorrea because of it. I killed your family, your country fell and you spent two years hiding in the trees before my idiot cousin Henry caught you. You've spent the past few weeks serving him, playing the part of his prized whore - until I stole you away. I told you years ago that i'd have you - and now you're here," he concluded, his blue eyes sparkling.

Elena stared back at him, her chest heaving, her mouth dry. "You LIE!" she yelled at him, tears forming in her eyes.

Caspian chuckled, revelling in her despair. "Trust me Princess, I say nothing but the truth."

"I wouldn't... I wouldn't..." she said, a white mist clouding her senses. "I wouldn't trust... trust... you..." she said, before drifting off into the dark once more.

****

Elena awoke to the enticing aroma of roasted lamb, her stomach growling loudly. She opened her eyes and raised her head off the pillow as much as she could and spotted Caspian sitting at the foot of the bed, tucking away at a plateful of food.

Her head dropped back onto the pillow, tears starting to form as she realised where she was. Her memory was fully restored, there wasn't anything that she thought of that didn't present itself - yet a small part of her had wished that the potion had not worked and she remain blissfully ignorant of her past.

"Good evening Princess," Caspian said through a mouthful of food.

Elena remained silent, her main focus was keeping her breathing slow and deep, preventing the panic cascade that was just around the corner.

Caspian chuckled. "I take it from your silence that you now remember who I am."

"A murderer," Elena hissed, staring stoically at the ceiling.

"I prefer the name, Man of VIsion, myself."

A minute went by as Caspian continued eating, Elena staring silently up at the ceiling.

"Why don't you just kill me?" Elena asked, her tone flat and unemotional.

Caspian put down his knife and fork and looked at Elena. "What would be the fun in that?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face before he resumed his meal.

"Henry will kill you for this."

"Princess, do you really think I fear my worthless cousin? I expect his gormless mind to eventually make the connection, and I relish the chance to finally wipe that smile off his face."

Elena lay back, her thoughts centered on Henry and his reaction. She knew his rage would be terrifying - he regarded her as a possession of his own, the thought of another man's hands on her body was probably driving him over the edge right now. Elena doubted very much that even a superb swordsman like Caspian could withstand Henry's intense passion when it came to her.

"Are you hungry? Would you like to eat?" Caspian asked, indicating to an extra plate next to him on the bed.

"No," Elena lied. Her stomach chose that precise moment to growl loudly. Caspian grinned at her, taking a rather large chunk out of his lamb.

"You're not a very good liar - did anyone ever tell you that?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"You'd know a thing or two about lying wouldn't you?" she spat. "And considering your offer earlier, I'd rather not eat out of the palm of your hand," Elena said, pulling on her bindings.

"Oh don't you worry Princess, you'll be eating out of the palm of my hand soon enough," he chuckled softly.

"In your dreams," she hissed.

"No," he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and putting the platter of food on the floor. 'In the very near future."

Despite the fact that he had just eaten what appeared to be half a leg of roasted lamb, Caspian looked at Elena with a hungry look in his eyes, the meaning behind his ravenous gaze causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"I think it's time we get to the entertainment portion of this evening festivities, don't you agree Princess?" he asked, running a long finger down her arm which she tried to pull from his reach.

"Now, where were we? I think we'll continue our evening from that moment in the forest of Lorrea, so many years ago that you rudely brought to a halt. So inconsiderate of you Princess."

Caspian pulled out a small dagger from inside his sleeve. Elena tensed as he moved the blade lazily across her skin. She shut her eyes as she felt his other hand roam over her stomach and delve beneath her back.

"Oh no, Princess. You'll keep your eyes open if you know what's good for you." he said, adding a little pressure to the bare skin of her neck, making the tiniest cut.

Elena's eyes snapped open. "Good girl," he crooned.

Caspian sliced through the top part of her dress, making his way downwards. The sound of the ripping fabric tore through Elena's heart. She found herself wondering if Henry even knew she was missing.

After a while Caspian became frustrated with the slow progress of his dagger. He tossed it aside, the metal blade falling with a clatter to the floor, and grasped the already torn fabric of her dress and ripped it open. The ripping sound caused ELena's heart to beat faster, the animalism of his actions, ripping her dress to shreds with his bare hands, scared her far more than his use of the dagger.

Within moments Elena lay bare before his eyes, her silk dress hanging off her shoulders in shreds.

Caspian looked down in triumph at her naked figure. His eyes roamed her fair skin, marred only by the recent bruises she had acquired from her journey to his home. He looked lower and grinned as he caught sight of the small patch of curls hiding her pussy from view.

Elena blushed deeply from such close scrutiny, yet she looked back at him defiantly, refusing to plead or beg as she knew he expected her to.

Caspian's smile widened when he noticed her defiant look. "Where to start, where to start," he mumbled to himself.

*

A fear like no other tore at Henry's throat as his scouts crisscrossed the nearby area. They dared not look at him directly, for fear of being called upon to give an accounting of the current situation. Henry was afraid, because the rain had washed away any hoof marks or other signs of disturbed earth. He was no closer to finding his princess than he was a few hours earlier.

A whistle sounded somewhere to his left. Henry steered his horse in the direction, coming quickly out of the dense woods and onto a narrow path. A short but stout foot soldier stood kneeling over a black mound of dirt. As Henry drew closer, he realised it was not dirt but a pile of clothing.

Henry dismounted heavily from his horse and lifted the familiar garment. With a jolt, he recognised it as one of his traveling cloaks- it was the one reported missing! His heart beating painfully, he examined the cloak closely. It wasn't torn or ripped, so it must have been voluntarily discarded- perhaps it became too heavy in the rain, he mused, holding the water-logged cloak.

Invigorated by finding a clue, however small, Henry called his men to his side.

"The Princess was here!" he shouted to the gathered men. "Search everywhere - any field, cottage or castle - leave no stone unturned!" he ordered, before urging his horse forwards onto the path.

*

"I have an idea of where to start," Elena answered.

"Oh really?" Caspian said softly, his cold fingers circling her navel, as he sat between her open legs.

"Yes."

"And where would you like to begin?" he asked mockingly, as he grasped her hips firmly.

"How about untying me?" she said to Caspian, her gaze unfaltering.

"Hmmm," he murmured, his mouth inches from her nipple, his hot breath another reminder for Elena that things were not going the way she wished. "I think we'll save that for later, when you learn to control yourself. You see, I remember only too well what happened last time you were flat on your back and had your legs spread wide for me. It's not something I wish to repeat. In fact, I think you owe me an apology," he hissed, before taking her prominent nipple between his teeth and biting down slightly.