Black Dorn [submission/punishment/bondage] (2 page)

The duna shook her head.
"Listen, Dune Branwyn. You must learn total obedience. You are now
a dune. To become a duna you must lose all inhibitions."

"When will I become a
duna?"

"When you’re
taken."

"Taken where?"

Duna Trea sighed. "Not taken
where, child, taken how. When a man takes you. When that which
makes you a dune is lost, you become a duna." Trea continued, "Did
no one teach you anything about relations between a man and a
woman?"

Branwyn shook her head. "It
is not right to speak of these things. One must be pure on
one’s…"

Trea brushed a stray hair
from her face. "When a young girl becomes ripe she must learn to
serve. You have much to understand. You cannot properly serve your
master without knowing the ways of your body or his. Your
instruction begins tomorrow."

"I am to be married
tomorrow?"

"No, your master does not
want you until you have been trained. You are useless to him
until—no." She put her hand up. "Wander about the castle. Do not
speak to anyone unless they speak to you first. Go."

Branwyn stood, curtsied and
left. Her steps sounded hollow as she descended the staircase. Leah
waited at the bottom. "Come, Dune Branwyn. Some refreshing tea and
a relaxing sit by the flower gardens. You have heard much, and are
confused. You need time to think."

"Leah, you are a magical
person. You seem to read my very thoughts." Branwyn sat on a bench
beneath a large shade tree. She looked up at the great castle
called Black Dorn with its dark, grey, stone walls and four
towering turrets dominating over the landscape. The power and size
of Black Dorn contrasted against the peace of the fragrant and
colorful flower gardens near where she sat.

In a few moments, Leah
returned with a cup of sweet tea, some small biscuits and a piece
of cheese. When Branwyn finished eating, she turned to Leah who
knelt beside the tree. "May I wander about the garden?"

"Oh yes, enjoy yourself,
Dune Branwyn."

The scents and colors
distracted Branwyn from the puzzling information she had learned
that morning. A path through the rose garden led her to a maze. She
remembered enjoying running in and out of a maze's paths when her
aunt and uncle had taken her to a spring festival at the duke’s
manor.

After going around only a
few corners of the hedge-lined paths, Branwyn thought she heard
voices. Had she reached the end so quickly? She turned a corner and
put her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp.

Before her, stood a woman
tied to the bush with arms and legs stretched wide. She was naked,
except for a cloak that shielded her back from the hedge. Two men
stood before her each suckling a breast like a young babe, with
their hands frantically moving in front of them and grunts escaping
their filled mouths. The one on the right gasped, and a stream of
fluid shot out from him and sprayed the woman’s belly. A moment
later, the same occurred with the other man. Branwyn retreated and
raced through pathways. She brushed against the rough hedge,
stumbled and fell. Breathless, she stood, ran forward a few feet
and turned at what she prayed to be the exit.

She skidded to a stop.
Before her were two naked men locked in the same position she’d
seen with her uncle’s dog and bitch. The kneeling man gasped for
air as he mercilessly pounded himself against the other. The
blindfolded man on his hands and knees screamed as the kneeling man
arched his back and emitted a long howl. Branwyn tuned, bounced of
the hedge and fled in whatever direction the path before her
went.

She raced through the maze,
hoping the next path would lead her to the exit. Her heart pounded
as her legs grew weary. She slowed her pace. Before her, a small
opening appeared where a section of hedge was dead. She forced her
way through, glad to be free of the terrifying place, but concerned
as to where she now stood. The maze she just passed through now
blocked her view of the castle and gardens. With no one around,
Branwyn fought back tears as a cold shudder of fear raced through
her. She refused to re-enter the maze and make her way back to the
entrance. Which way to turn? Left or right? She collapsed onto the
ground and heaved a troubled sigh.

A horse's snort startled
her. She rose and hurried toward the sound. Two magnificent
beasts—human and animal—stood beside a small creek. The black
horse, dusty from the trail, drank as the man wiped his chin and
returned a wineskin to his horse’s saddle. The man stood in profile
to Branwyn but seemed a fine specimen. His face had a pleasantly
formed brow, nose and chin and curly, black hair skimmed his
shoulders. His arms and chest looked strong enough to easily manage
the large sword hanging at his side. The horse turned an ear toward
her, lifted his head and whinnied. Startled, the man returned from
his reverie and looked at her.

Branwyn scurried over. "Oh
please, sire. My name is Branwyn. I come from Black Dorn. I am
newly arrived and have gotten lost. Can you please direct
me?"

His brow wrinkled. "If you
live at Black Dorn, who is your serving girl? Your
duna?"

"Leah serves me. Duna Trea
is to…to…instruct me."

"Explain why you’re so far
from Dorn."

"I wandered about the flower
garden and entered the maze. Once there, I got lost." Her eyes
filled with tears and she lowered her head.

"Did you enjoy the maze?"
His voice made her want to giggle.

Branwyn shook her
head.

"No? But it is a place of
games and pleasure. Did you not go there to seek
pleasure?"

"No, I found no pleasures
there. Only games I do not understand." She wiped away a tear.
"Please sire, I am tired and hungry and feel I may soon collapse.
Which way must I travel to return to Black Dorn?"

His horse nudged him in the
back with his nose. The man placed both strong hands around her
waist and lifted her to his saddle. He mounted the horse, tugged on
the rein and directed his horse back to Black Dorn.

When they entered the
courtyard, Leah ran across the cobblestones, skidded to a stop and
dropped to her knees. The horse halted a few feet in front of her.
Branwyn slipped down from the stallion, curtsied to her escort and
walked to her serving girl.

"Leah." His voice boomed
across the courtyard. Still kneeling, Leah quivered. "Do not let
your dune wander about freely. She needs guidance." As he turned, a
stable boy reached for the reins. He tossed them over, dismounted
and strode toward the castle.

When the sounds of his
footsteps faded, Leah stood.

"I do not need guidance,"
Branwyn snapped. "I got lost. What a rude, arrogant man. He did not
have the upbringing to know to introduce himself."

"Dune Branwyn," whispered
Leah as she led her into the castle, "That is Gon Lacke’s eldest
son. He will inherit the castle, lands and people. There will be a
feast tomorrow to honor his safe return. But now, I must get you to
your room. You must be exhausted from your day. A bowl of mulled
wine will soothe you."

Tiredness did not creep up
on Branwyn, it ambushed her. Yawning, she followed Leah to her
room. Sitting on the covers, she waited for Leah to return with her
mulled wine. "Leah, stay and talk with me. I am so tired. My mind
is awhirl. Please sit." She sipped the warm wine. Its fragrance
swirled about her head.

"I cannot sit, dune. It
would be wrong."

"Please. No one else is
here. I have seen many things I do not understand, and I have no
one to confide in. We’re of the same age. This is your land. You
can explain things to me."

Leah gingerly composed
herself on the floor.

"Are you injured?" asked
Branwyn. "You sit as if it is painful."

"I received instructions
twice today."

"Explain." Branwyn placed
the empty wine bowl upon the table and slipped beneath her soft
sheets.

"It is a serving girl’s duty
to serve her dune, and if she fails she must be
instructed."

"What is
instructed?"

Leah stood, turned and
raised her skirts. Her buttocks were tinged with red.

Branwyn put her hand up.
"Cover yourself. Who did this to you, and why? You did not fail me.
I am most pleased with your serving."

"I failed you by allowing
you to err. You refused to bathe this morning. Cleanliness is
important. It prevents disease and increases the pleasures between
a man and his woman."

"You were punished because I
did not bathe?"

"I was instructed, Dune
Branwyn. I have learned I must help you to understand that bathing
is important. Tomorrow, I will help you bathe in a way that is
pleasing to you and proper for our customs."

"I saw you being spanked.
That is what it is called in my part of the land. It is done to
disobedient children to teach them to listen to their
elders."

"That is how you seem, a
disobedient child. It is my job to help you understand. I was also
instructed because you spoke to Gon-Dra Malack."

"The stranger who rescued
me? But I was lost. Alone. I needed assistance."

"Duna Trea told you to speak
to no one unless spoken to first. I should have watched over you. I
was wrong in allowing you freedom when you do not understand our
customs."

"Forgive me Leah. I did not
know." A yawn escaped her lips.

"It is not for me to
forgive. I erred, and have been instructed. Tomorrow is soon upon
us. Sleep now, dune. Forget about the confusions of today. Dream of
pleasant things."

Branwyn’s eyes closed.
Wondering what tomorrow would bring, she fell into a deep mulled
wine-induced sleep.

Chapter Two

"I shall not climb into that
basin!" Branwyn crossed her arms. She glanced down at the empty tub
then back at Leah and shuddered.

Leah stepped into the tub.
"Dune, please. You stand here and I shall pour the water from this
pot over you and cleanse you."

"It is unsafe."

"I shall not pour the water
too deep."

"I will not remove my
clothes." Branwyn raised her chin and wrung her hands. "It is wrong
to be seen naked by another."

"You may leave your shift
on." Leah inhaled, released a deep breath then held out her hand.
"Please, dune. Let me help you enter. It is my duty."

Reminded of Leah's
discomfort from yesterday's instructions, Branwyn climbed into the
tub covered in her white shift and stood next to her
servant.

Leah stepped out and dipped
her pitcher into a large barrel then poured the warmed, fragrant
water over Branwyn's body. Lifting a section of the shift, she used
a chunk of soap, made from mutton fat, potash, and natural soda, to
rub into a lather to clean her dune.

"Leah, tell me about my
rescuer. He is a handsome man. Brutish, but handsome."

Leah giggled. "The other
serving girls have heard their dunes say he is the handsomest man
in all the land. His name is Gon-Dra Malack. He will become Gon
Malack when he inherits the castle and rules all."

"You said the gon will
inherit the castle, lands and people. How can he inherit people?"
Branwyn knelt so Leah could pour water down her back. "As gon, he
will rule you. That I understand. But, own you?" She sighed. "Alas,
again, I do not understand."

Leah rubbed soap into a
towel and carefully wiped Branwyn's face then rinsed it. "The land
is his to inherit."

"I understand. What is a
king without land."

"What is a gon without
people. Did your family not sell you?" Leah sat back on her
haunches. She brushed the sweat off her forehead."

"Yes." Branwyn chewed her
bottom lip. "Although I refuse to think about it that is exactly
what happened to me. I was sold as my uncle would have sold one of
his cows." She sat quietly mulling over what Leah had told her.
"Leah?"

"Yes Dune."

"I am a dune and will become
a duna. Gon-Dra Malack will become Gon Malack. But you have no
title, or is Leah a title?"

She giggled. "No, Leah is my
name. I have no title. I was not title born. I serve. I was trained
to serve a dune. That is what I am."

"How many dunes have you
served?"

Leah picked up the towels
that were warming near the fire. She placed them next to the tub.
"You are my third. But my first from a different part of the land."
She poured three pitchers of water onto Branwyn's hair then wrapped
a cloth around it to catch drips.

Branwyn stood. "Please, help
me out." Leah held out a hand to help her. As water dripped onto
the floor and puddled around her feet, Branwyn glanced down at
herself. Her shift clung to her, revealing her body's
curves.

Leah offered a towel and a
fresh change of clothing. She brushed Branwyn's long, wet hair and
placed it in braids, and let it hang down her back. When she was
ready, Branwyn followed Leah to Duna Trea’s to begin her
instruction.