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“Don’t worry, pet.” Livia’s voice was indulgent as she manhandled Meriwen’s limp body. There was a shadow of gentleness as she locked one arm in a shackle, held up and linked by a chain to one of the posts Meriwen had seen in the floor. Livia gave her hair a brief stroke before shackling the other arm up to the next post, leaving her hanging and vulnerable between the two. Livia couldn’t resist running her hand through Meriwen’s hair again. “This isn’t a punishment for you. You’ve been a good girl. It’s just like any old game, just like any other duty which involves your pain.”Meriwen managed to nod, breathing despite the tautness across her front. She couldn’t stop shivering, not just because of the cold floor seeping into her legs as she knelt on the ground. She was bare. She had nothing to protect her from the cold—and nothing to offer even meagre protection from her mistress.“But, of course, today is a little different.” Livia stood behind Meriwen, invisible, just the possessive touch clawed in her hair and clamped over her neck. “We’re going to play a game with one of my favourite toys—but for you, I’ve only used it in punishments so far.”Meriwen’s shivering got worse.“I think you’re good enough a pet now that we can start using it in games, too. So today is going to be our first try. Isn’t this exciting, pet?”Meriwen managed to nod despite the trembling, clenching her hands into fists. She could grab onto the chains to brace herself, maybe, if the pain got too bad. If her mistress let her.
“Good girl. Good little knife-ear.” Livia’s fingers trailed up the line of Meriwen’s cheek, a gentle trace, before they trailed up to grab onto Meriwen’s hair. “Good little degenerate,” she hissed, voice pressing into Meriwen’s ear.Meriwen’s shivering managed to get even worse.Then Livia was drawing back, and Meriwen couldn’t help but mewl as the brief scraps of warmth she’d been graced with were taken away. Livia laughed, said something about her being adorable, pathetic. Meriwen was struggling just to breathe through the thick fog of fear.She knew what was coming. She didn’t want it to be true, but she knew it would be.When Livia lit a stripe of fiery pain in Meriwen’s skin, gouging through flesh, Meriwen knew exactly what it was as she screamed.
She wanted to beg her mistress for forgiveness like the beaten dog she was. She wanted to scream and apologise and cry for it, promise her body and mind away to get it. As the whip came down on her more times than she could count she did scream for it, lost to her delirium.In the eventual pause, Meriwen initially didn’t realise there was one as the pain pounded away in her back. She sobbed and heaved in air, oblivious to her mistress’ presence until hands threaded through her hair.
“Hush, pet, hush. Poor, sweet thing...
You’ve done nothing wrong, remember? Nothing yet.”
Meriwen could hear the smirk in her voice as she said it, felt her mistress’ fingers caress at her skin and neck.“I think you deserve a little break.”Meriwen sobbed out her thanks, leaning her head to the side into her mistress’ hand. Livia gave it purchase, rewarding the affection with affection in turn. She stroked Meriwen’s hair, soft, gentle, a small interim reward. Livia leaned in closer, voice just as soft and gentle as her hand. “Can you remember that it’s just a game, pet? Can you do that for me?”Meriwen nodded, frantic, coughing and gasping. She struggled for air, trying desperately to suck in a voice. “Y-yes, m-mistress!”“Good girl.” Livia’s voice was indulgent as a warm drink on a frozen day, a treat in and of itself. “I won’t blame you if you can’t. I did train you well, after all.”Meriwen managed to nod again, earning her a loving caress before Livia drew away again. The warmth was put out as fear swamped her again.Meriwen tried to remember it was just a game for her mistress; she really, really did. But the pain itself was too much, without even factoring in its connotations. The only positive was that the pain addled her mind so much that she couldn’t voice her mistaken begging.Then mercy.It stopped.Meriwen cried and cried and cried, doing anything to wrangle air back into her so she could rush out thanks upon thanks and receive gentleness in reward. Livia drew close, holding her head gently, giving her the time she needed to choke it out.“There’s a good girl,” Livia murmured. “You thanked me, and you remembered like I asked.”Meriwen couldn’t bear to let the lie hold. “N-no, m-mistress,” she sobbed. “I c-couldn’t r-remember. I w-wanted to b-beg f-forgiveness just like b-before. I c-couldn’t d-do it.”“My. Honesty from a slave.” Livia’s voice was warm, not just rich and full of mirth. “...Such a good girl. I’m very proud of you, pet.”Meriwen felt the smile in her face as she leaned her head back, blinking dreamily into her mistress’ gentle touch. Even though the pain echoed in her back… Moments like this, she wished she could hold onto forever.Livia’s hand stroked, up and down her hair. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down…...She grabbed.Meriwen spluttered, eyes flying wide. Even from behind, her mistress’ hand was placed perfectly on her throat to press on her windpipe and shut out air. It was reminiscent of a kitten being scruffed in just such a way that she was intimately reminded of what she was. A pet. A degenerate little knife-ear who deserved the pain, who didn’t deserve this reward.“The game isn’t over yet, sweet thing.” Livia was closer now, almost as if—she’d knelt down, her lips pressed too close to Meriwen’s ear. She released her grip, drawing back until there was only one finger left on Meriwen’s skin, trailing down the back of her neck. It eventually drew back too, leaving only the ghost of pleasant touch behind. “I’m not satisfied yet.”Then Meriwen felt her mistress’ hands return.Her breath hitched.Livia ran her arms up Meriwen’s mutilated back, pain bubbling and burning at her touch. Meriwen couldn’t hold back the wail, couldn’t stifle the whimpers and gasps as Livia dragged her fingers back down. It was almost gentle, almost like a soothing, loving caress; but it was targeted to smear blood over her skin and heap pressure on raw, burning flesh.“You’re much prettier like this, pet.” Livia’s voice slithered straight into her ear, so close, too close. “Bleeding, skin torn to pieces. You’re like my little work of art.”Meriwen managed to turn a sob into a whimper, but she didn’t manage to stop herself shrinking away from her mistress. She mumbled pleas and apologies, an incoherent babble through pain. She could feel the tension in her arms, shoulders, neck, barely; under all the pain, she didn’t know why. She could feel her own tension rippling down her back, sparking pain each time the muscles ran into an injury.“Aww, don’t be shy. Such beauty should be appreciated,” Livia whispered, soft. Her hands ran up Meriwen’s uninjured sides, smearing blood over more skin. “Imagine showing you off like this… Oh, it would be wonderful. Don’t you agree, pet?”Meriwen dearly wanted to agree, to make her mistress happy. Oh, she wanted to. But there was so much pain. She didn’t want to agree, she didn’t want this to happen to her again.She didn’t really get the chance to voice her opinion either way. As she drew breath to speak, her back stretched and warped. Pain shot through her and forced her voice back out in a thin wail.“Aww, you can’t even speak like this…” Livia’s sugary pity settled on Meriwen’s ears and made her shiver. Livia’s hands continued to run up her back, forcing more pain into her overloaded mind. “You’re such a sweet pet like this. Like the little animal you are.”Meriwen was struggling to keep her head upright. She could barely breathe through the bindings of pain over her torso. But she managed to nod.
Livia hummed, before she stood and moved away. Meriwen just tried to keep breathing, panting through the pain.Livia moved around to the front.She was there, Meriwen could see her, behold her. At the edges of her vision, she saw the ghosts of her mistress’ smile. White-grey robes over dark skin. Red blood flecking across it. Dripping from her hands.One bloodied hand reached for Meriwen’s face, tilting her chin up. She held it there for a moment, simply studying, holding.Then the hand pressed against Meriwen’s lips.“Lick, pet.”A sudden, foreign surge of revulsion shuddered through her from her throat down her spine. She could feel her eyes fly wide, feel the tension seize her.Her mistress’ voice grew dark. “Lick, pet.” Her hand pressed into Meriwen’s face, blood smearing over her lips.
“You’re a little animal, aren’t you? My little animal.”Meriwen’s heart beat against her ribcage. Something in the back of her throat was screaming not to, a sick, vomit-feeling, but she did it anyway.She licked at her mistress’ fingers.
Blood coated her tongue, her blood, metallic and unbearably bitter. Meriwen ignored it, lapping at the bitter dark red even as she knew it was her s. She kept going, even as the taste saturated her mouth and it almost felt like she’d never get rid of it.And her mistress was laughing. Giggling.When Meriwen had licked at most of her fingers Livia suddenly pulled away. Her palm snapped over Meriwen’s mouth, holding her lips closed.“Swallow.”Meriwen almost did the opposite and vomited.Livia’s hand shoved, sending Meriwen’s head back. “Swallow, pet. This is the second time I’ve had to repeat myself, and you know how I hate having to do that.”Meriwen swallowed.The slick taste seeped into the back of Meriwen’s mouth, down her throat, coating her all the way inside. Meriwen didn’t know how she managed not to throw up.“Good girl. Open.” Livia tapped her thumb against Meriwen’s lips. Meriwen opened them.Before she could take a breath in, Livia’s fingers shoved into her mouth.
Meriwen choked and spluttered, actually trying to jerk back and get away. She nearly gagged on them, nearly put all of her efforts not to vomit to naught.“Ah ah ah, stop it. Stop it. Stay. Still.”Meriwen brought herself to a tense halt, trembling beneath her.
There was no smile in her mistress’ voice, now. “You didn’t get all the blood off in one go. You need to clean up your mess.”Meriwen couldn’t lick at them like this. She could barely stop herself drooling. She could barely swallow.
Another shock of revulsion, even worse than before.
...She had to suck on her fingers.
Meriwen closed her eyes and tried not to think about the taste, or what she was doing. She tried to ignore the feeling of drool dripping down her chin and dribbling down her chest. She tried to think about what would happen after she finished, the reward if she got through this and played her mistress’ game well.Finally, her mistress was satisfied. She tugged her fingers free and Meriwen hunched over as far she could could, coughing and hacking. The urge to wipe away the drool, even more of it now, itched like hell at her arms.“I thought I’d established the rules, pet.”
Panic shot through Meriwen as her mistress’ hand clamped over her mouth again.“You swallow it. I told you to clean up your mess, not make more of it.”Meriwen didn’t need to be told twice. She swallowed.A hint. The barest hint of a smile. “There we go. That’s better.”Her hand drew away....Then the other came in, just as blood-soaked as the other. Worse.
“Again, pet.”Blood had stuck to her fingers, and just lapping at them wasn’t enough. That and not wanting to choke on her mistress’ hand was enough encouragement to try harder; she reached forward, sucked on one finger at a time, tried her absolute best to not think about the present.This time, Livia didn’t clap her hand over Meriwen’s mouth. She just said it; “Swallow.”Meriwen nearly choked as her mind tried to follow her mistress’ command and her body tried to vomit. She managed it barely, swallowing down bile and heaving for breath. Her throat stung. Her arms felt numb. Her back burned.
Her mistress’ hands, slick with Meriwen’s own spit, were soft against her face. The touch was gentle even when Livia wiped her hands on Meriwen’s body, a dismissive but not forceful action. It was both soft and gentle as Livia stroked down Meriwen’s face, caressing her body with that rewarding touch.
“Good pet. Very good pet. You can rest, now. You did very well.”“Th-thank you, mistress,” Meriwen gasped. She could barely breathe, barely think. Her head was going numb too, blood trickling down her back. “Thank you…”She’d never get the taste out of her mouth.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A boot in Meriwen’s stomach jolted her from her sleep. Meriwen gasped, eyes flying open, consciousness wrenched into focus.“Up, pet. We have a lot to do today.”Meriwen’s blood ran cold.“Oh, how sweet. You’re shivering like a little bunny rabbit!” Livia giggled. A pause, then another kick, her tone dark with disapproval. “I don’t like to repeat myself, pet. Up.”Meriwen gasped and retched, limbs shaking as she forced herself to all fours. The convulsions of pain worked their way through her stomach, but she was sore all over when she stood. The hard floor was a poor bed.Livia knelt down. Her hand came up to the side of Meriwen’s face, thumb caressing her cheek, supporting Meriwen’s head and neck. Nausea shuddered through Meriwen’s stomach for a moment, but it was replaced quickly by a flood of relief; this was the best sensation Meriwen would ever feel, this gentle, almost loving touch. Meriwen wasn’t sure why she was struggling internally; so much of her just wanted to sink into it, to think of nothing else and let it take over, so pleasant, a much-needed relief…“That’s a good girl,” Livia said softly. “Say thank you.”“Thank you, mistress,” Meriwen breathed, unthinking.“Very good girl.” Livia’s other hand stroked her hair, before she suddenly drew away. Meriwen whimpered as her sense of vulnerability spiked. These scraps of gentleness were her only remaining comfort. If Livia got bored of it, then Meriwen could only pray that the game her mistress had planned was one she could handle.Without warning, as if on a whim, Livia reached out and grabbed the front of Meriwen’s damaged dress. Meriwen was wrenched to her feet with terrifying ease—it seemed like to Livia, pulling Meriwen up was as easy as picking up a rag doll.“Undress, pet. Then, get on the table, lie there and wait for me.”Meriwen’s muscles locked up. A wordless protest formed on her tongue, lips parting. Livia released her dress and Meriwen stumbled back, arms clutching around her chest.“Pet.”Livia’s warning tone was all the spurring Meriwen needed. She grabbed fistfuls of her dress, clumsily pulling it over her head with trembling arms. Fear, cold, weakness; could have been all of them. Livia liked her trembling.When Meriwen had finally prised herself from her thin excuse of clothing, she found herself bunching it up to her chest—a fruitless attempt to stop the horrible clammy feeling of vulnerability that came with exposing herself. Cold, pure air could touch every inch of her skin—as could Livia’s wicked knives.“That’s better.” Livia drew closer, and it took everything Meriwen had not to recoil. She wasn’t sure why that urge was so strong, why the sensation of her mistress' nails raking softly down her chest felt so awful. Livia had every right to her body—to her mind, her emotions, even. Why weren't they obeying?“Pet,” Livia’s voice was still soft as she tore the dress from Meriwen's hands and threw it away, hints of danger curling around the edges. “Have you forgotten what you have to do next? Are you that stupid? Or are you disobeying me already?”Meriwen startled. “I-I’m sorry, I—” A slap crashed across Meriwen’s jaw, sending her stumbling and crying out in terror.“I don’t have the patience for your begging now, bitch. Get on the table now, beg later.”Getting on the table. Livia wanted her to get on the table. If she did that, she’d be hurt. It would make her mistress happy—and that was good, wasn't it? That was why she existed?Gods, she just didn’t want to be hurting any more…Meriwen’s cheek stung with pain. She pressed her hand to her face. Her heart pounded; she couldn't think. Her lips parted and sound came out before she could...“…No.”A frigid hand clenched on the back of Meriwen’s neck. “What was that?”Meriwen’s heart leapt to her throat. She knew better than to reach up by instinct and try to pry Livia’s hand free—that would only earn her a worse pain. Her hands clawed at the skin over her racing heart instead.“What. Was. That.” Livia’s low hiss sent terror shooting down Meriwen’s spine. “Pet? I asked you to do something. And when I ask you to do something, do you do it? Hm?” Her grip tightened.“Y-yes!” Meriwen gasped. “Y-yes, m-mistress!”Livia pulled Meriwen closer. She towered over Meriwen, pressed so close—and somehow still as freezing cold. “So why didn’t you do it, pet? Why didn’t you do as your mistress ordered?”Nausea wormed through Meriwen’s core at that reminder of her weakness, of a time when she didn't want this. It was quickly swamped out by fear. "I don't know," she sobbed, broken. “I—I’m s-so sorry m-mistress, I— I don't know why, mistress, I— p-please, I was scared, I swear I know better, mistress—”Livia let go of Meriwen’s neck—only to adjust her grip to clench down on her throat from the front. Meriwen’s voice cut off into a wheeze. She struggled to breathe in—and her heart lurched with panic as she realised she couldn’t.“You pathetic little girl.” Livia let go, only to grab Meriwen by the hair—and start dragging. “And this, pet, is why I set aside today for a very important lesson.”Meriwen shrieked, stumbling—but she couldn’t do anything except quiver in fear as she was dragged steadily to that looming, terrifying table.“You see, pet, I like pain. I like it a lot—in fact, that’s why I bought you.” Livia shoved Meriwen forward into the table, then grabbed her by the throat. “If you’re a bad girl, it’s all I’ll use you for. If you’re a good girl, then I can treat you. I can do all sorts of nice things for you, like letting you sleep and eat and giving you easier duties. Don’t you want that? Of course you do. But to get that, you have to understand a basic rule of your life. I own you. And I love your pain, sweet thing. A good girl understands all this. A good girl understands that pain is a duty, that punishment is sometimes necessary, and that as your mistress your pain is mine to inflict whenever I desire. You don't understand this, pet.”Meriwen's eyes widened."You simply remember it. You repeat it to yourself, over and over and over, but you don't really, truly understand it. Today is for helping you understand. I'm doing you a favour, pet."With that, Livia lifted Meriwen up and shoved her onto the table.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Listen closely, pet. This is how it’s going to work.”
Cold fingers brushed against Meriwen’s cuff. She expected the clink of metal as it was fastened—but instead the strap was pulled to bite against Meriwen’s wrist. She flinched, gut lurching in fear as Livia trailed her finger up Meriwen’s arm and across her collarbone.“There are two options.” Livia’s touch ghosted over the skin of Meriwen’s breasts, dragging out a shiver. “The first involves you staying on your back, cloth and some water. Can you put two and two together, pet?”Meriwen swallowed, trying to even her breathing. Livia’s hand came up, soft over her neck, gentle as it tucked some hair neatly behind Meriwen’s ear.“Clearly not.” Livia made a derisive sound. “Waterboarding. You’ll think you’re drowning, pet. You won’t be able to breathe, the water will be over your skin, and you’ll really feel like you’re dying. Trained soldiers don’t last twenty seconds. The best part? I’ll let you breathe every so often, but never for long. I know you so well, pet—I know exactly how far to go before you lose consciousness. It’ll be like a little dance! How long do you think I could do it before I lose you, pet? A few minutes? An hour? More?”Cold fear shot through Meriwen’s chest. Her lips parted. Her breathing shuddered.“Aw, does it sound scary, pet? You don’t look like you want that, do you.”“No, mistress,” Meriwen breathed, biting the inside of her lip with chattering teeth. “Please—”The sting of a slap crashed across Meriwen’s jaw.“Hush.” Livia worked her hand through Meriwen’s hair, curling it into a tight fist and pulling it taut against her skull as her cheek throbbed. “I asked a question, you answered it, do you speak more than that? Hm?”“No, mistress—””Exactly.” Livia punctuated the word with a sharp tug on Meriwen’s hair. “Being cute when you beg only gets you so far.”Meriwen squeezed her eyes shut and tried the tiniest little nod.“Now, what was I saying before my slave so rudely interrupted me? That’s right, I was telling you about your options. You want to hear about the other one, don’t you? You didn’t like the sound of the waterboarding, did you? Are you going to be good and let me speak?”Meriwen nodded again as quickly as she could with as much eagerness as she could muster.“That’s a good girl. The second option, I get you on your stomach and I cane you until I get bored. And you know how much I love caning you, hm? So that might take me quite a while. We’ll definitely have you all nice and bloodied. Might even leave some pretty scars! Imagine how raw your flesh would get. I could beat your flesh to the bone and heal you back up to start all over again. That sounds nasty, doesn't it, pet? You know how the cane tastes.”Meriwen did. It tasted like failure. It tasted like fear and desperation and begging for forgiveness. She hated that taste. It meant she’d made her mistress unhappy, and that was the worst thing she could possibly do.“Now, here’s the fun part. You get to choose, pet! Waterboarding until you shut down, or caning until I get bored. Just the one you choose, pet.”Wh— what—?Meriwen’s breathing stuttered. “M-mistress, I d-don’t—”Livia’s hand crushed Meriwen’s throat, cutting her off with a splutter.“Choose, you useless knife-ear bitch. Or you get both.”Livia released. Meriwen tried to drag air in through her burning throat, coughing and hacking. Which could she even choose? Which would be over faster? Which would be worse? Each was terrifying—the cane, how bad she knew it was, just how much Livia loved it and how long it would be before she got bored, versus the complete, sheer unknown terror of the hell that waterboarding promised.“C-caning, mistress. Th-the caning.”Livia raised her hand and Meriwen flinched. Her mistress smiled, sweet as anything, and ran her fingers gently across Meriwen’s hair.“Is that what you want? Are you sure?”Meriwen bit the inside of her lip. Her teeth were chattering. All of her was trembling. “…Y-yes, mistress.”“You don’t sound so sure, pet.” Livia tilted her head to the side, smile broadening. “If you really are so sure, I suppose you’ll have to beg for it.”Meriwen stared up at her, shaking.“Go on, pet.” Livia leaned closer, voice soft. Her smile showed teeth. “Beg for me to hurt you.”Meriwen took in a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes.She had to choose. She had to. That’s why she was begging. And… And she’d done something wrong. So it was… Right…“…P-please, mistress. Please, c-cane me.” Meriwen dragged in a breath, voice aching in her chest. “I-I’m begging you, mistress, please cane me.”Livia shook her head, clicking her tongue. “Come on, sweet thing. You’ll have to do it better than that.”Meriwen dragged in the best breath she could, and the tears started streaming.“Please, m-mistress, please cane me, cane me until you’re bored of me, I-I need to learn, I need to be punished, I, please, I just want to be a good girl—please, mistress, I’m begging you.”Livia’s eyes flashed with dark, burning glee.Meriwen’s body went stiff with fear.”Good girl. I hope you don't regret your choice.”