(RP) Life outside the Crown

[Victoria Navarre]

"Bring in the next defendant!" bellowed the Court Magistar as he was looking over the documents for the next trial. I was led in by the captain of the court guard wearing chains on my ankles and wrists. As I was positioned in front of the Magistar he was looking back and forth from my face to the written testimony against me. "Hrrmph! Who is this lass that she is accused of smuggling contraband and withholding due taxes to the Crown?!" the Magistar said in semi-contempt tone toward me. "You are no more than...what? Sixteen...seventeen years of age?"

I was harshly pushed forward by the guard and fell to my knees in front of the Court. "My...my name is Jessica...Stone,and...I am fifteen years old" I started to stand again just to feel the shaft of the guards pike on my shoulder. "Stay down" the guard said in a low,gruff voice. I lowered myself back down to a seated position on the floor facing the Magistar.

The Magistar stared at my face for what felt like the longest time before he spoke again. "The evidence against you is substantial. The guards stationed in Vesper found known contraband on your person and a list of work orders from others we wish to question. You also,from your own book of sales transactions,owe the Crown one-hundred and sixty-seven thousand gold.....You know I can keep you in my prision for a very,very long time?"

With those words I could do nothing but hang my head and look toward the floor. I knew any words that I would have spoken then would have only infuriated the Magistar.

The Magistar stood slowly and adjusted his silken robe. Moving out from behind his place of promanance in the court,he stood just a few feet infront of where I still knelt down. He leaned toward me and gave a smile that sent shivers down my spine.

"Such a lovely lass you are to be doing such things as selling outside of the Sovernty of the Crown" with this he reached out his index finger under my chin and lifted my face to meet his. "The Court charges you with treason by act of tax evasion and aiding enemies of the Crown." After a long pause and a deep sigh the Magistar spoke so all could hear.

"This Noble Court finds you,Jessica Stone,guilty on all counts against you. This Court decrees that you will receive thirty lashes at sunrise tomorrow morning." With this ruling,the Magistar returns to his place in the Court. "Oh and one more thing...before her punishment is dealt to her. Make sure she gets a proper 'haircut' *chuckles*. Now take her away so we may be on to other business."

I was led,dragged actually,from the court room and thrown into a prison cell. "Thirty lashes...and a 'haircut'?" I spoke softly,as I stare out of the barred window,outside to the quickly fading sun.


(to be continued)

 

[Victoria Navarre]

As I lay in the bed thinking about what will happen to me in a couple of hours when the sun first comes up. Will the lashes hurt much? Will they use metal-spiked whip or maybe a studded staff? Will they let me bite on a rope or let me have a few drinks of liquer to dull some of the pain? My mind is wandering so much I can not sleep. Oh gods,just let this be over soon.

*a couple of dull clanks of a key opening the locked cell door*

"Get up now! *splush* I jumped up with a start from the shrill voice of a woman and a bucket of cold water in my face. "Time for your haircut! You guards,tie her to the bed and keep her head still! I'll do the rest!"

The two guards tied my hands and feet to the bed railings securely with long leather straps and one guard stood at the head of the bed to hold my face forward as the large woman straddled me and poured more water on my head.

"Now be still,little girl,and you wont get hurt." she says as she shows me the straight razor she planned on using. She set aside,for the moment,the razor and reached for a bar of lye in her pack and started to rub my hair with it. Quickly working up a lather,she set aside the bar and reached for the razor. My eyes went wide and I was scared for my life. I started to thrash about and tried to kick my way out of the straps but the large woman was not having any of that out of me and punched me right between my eyes as hard as she could. This knocked me out cold.

When I came to a few minutes later,she and the two guards were gone as were the straps that held my feet and hands. I was still feeling the effects of the blow to my head. "Oww....why did she have to hit me so hard?" I began to rub the place she hit me noticed that I had no hair in my eyes like I am used to. In a panic I felt the top of my head to find out that the woman and the two guards shaved my head completely bald. "Oh gods,why??" There were some wet strands of my hair left on the bed I had been laying on. Tears filled my eyes as I pulled the wet strands apart.

At the same moment that I was lamenting the loss of my locks,the Court Magistar from the night before appeared at the cell door. "It is time,are you ready?" he says with a grin when he noticed my new hair-do. I could not speak but to just look at him in disbelief with tears running down my face.


(to be continued)

 

[Victoria Navarre]

The Magistar summoned two of the prison guards and order them to bring me to the "yard" to carry out my sentence. My eyes were still filled with tears from the loss of my hair just an hour or so ago. Each guard grabs me by the arm and pulls me off the bed and out into the first hall way. It took some effort on my part to get my feet under me,because they were walking so fast.I was half-carried down the narrow hallway until we arrived at a turn to the right and ahead was a set of heavy double doors that led into a small room.

"Where are we going?" I asked to no one specifically. "Silence!!" the Magistar barked at me that made me cower even as we walked into the small room. "Blindfold her." the Magistar said after quickly clearing his throat. After I was blindfolded I could hear a 'click' as if a secret door was opened. Then I felt myself being pushed through an even smaller hallway and down some stairs that opened up into the open air.

"Take her to the two posts there and chain her up." I felt I was almost at a running pace to where these 'two posts' were. The guards assigned to me quickly grabbed each of my wrists and put them in shackles. I could hear a wheel crank start to move and I started to be lifted off the ground. One guard reached up and removed my blindfold,and I wished he didn't. The 'yard' was filled with many types of torture devices I have never seen.From the looks of it,I got off lucky by only being sentenced to lashes....maybe.

The one that was to carry out my sentence was a huge man. Standing about six and a half feet tall and looked about as heavy as a gamman. His face was masked,so I couldn't tell what he looked like. When he saw me being hoisted up in chains he seemed to look at the Magistar in seeming bewilderment. The magistar just nodded his head and said "Barbed whip,thirty lashes,no less." After receiving the instructions,the large man seemed to steel himself to the task given to him....I almost felt sorry for him.

"Wait...wait,please" I spoke barely being able to make a sound above a whisper. "Can I not have a drink,or something?" The Magistar burst out with a laugh that caused me to shudder at the thought of asking anything. "Stupid little girl! Does your greed and self-centeredness know no bounds??" "No...I have a better idea. Guard! Cut away her clothing so she can fully experence what it means to hold out what is owed to the Crown!"

I watched as the guard came up to me with a dagger in his left hand to cut away my clothing. I whispered "no...please don't" The guard just looked at me with a blank stare and continued to cut away my shirt from me. After my shirt fell off of me in tattered ribbons to the ground below the guard turned and looked at the Magistar. "Yes,yes the pants also." he said. The guard cut the rope belt and the hem,and my pants fell to the ground next to what was left of my shirt.

The guard looked me over once and stepped away,as the Magistar nodded in the direction of the large man with the whip. "Begin" the Magistar said flatly as he walked back to the stone wall and entered the secret passageway.The large man pulled back his arm quickly and the whip followed his motion. With a sigh,he flung his arm forward and snapped the whip against my body. The sting of the whip felt like a branding iron against my skin. After the fifth or sixth strike I was about to chew my tongue off. After then I believe I passed out from the pain because I didn't count any higher. All I could hear was the snap of the whip.....

(to be continued)

 

[Victoria Navarre]

I do not remember the chains being removed from my wrists,nor do I remember being taken back to my cell,but here I am. In the dim light of the Yew prison cell I have been confined. Have I not paid my "debt" to the Crown? Why am I not now freed to go about my way? I open my eyes again and come to myself a little more,and realize that I am still naked from the day before...or has it been two days? I do not know.I do know that my lash wounds have not been tended to and they are beginning to smell bad.

Is this my fate? Have I been condemned to a slow death for the sake of a chest of gold? I lift my head off the pillow to look around my cell room for something,anything,to drink. All I see is a cracked bottle of wine and a moldy- green loaf of bread on the floor. "Ughh" I tried to sit up in bed to find that my wounds on my back were sticking to the tattered linen of the bed. I do my best to lift myself straight up and pull the old linen from my back carefully.

"ohhh..." I think I sat up too fast and now the room is spinning and I feel sick to my stomach. The guard at the cell door turns to look inside my cell. To better see my nakedness more than any concern for my well-being,I am sure. "Water...please." I say in a weak whisper as I look at the guard pleading for anything to drink. In a low grunt he sets his bladed staff on the wall by the door and grabs a pitcher of water while reaching for the keys on his belt.

"clink" and the door is unlocked and pushed open by the guard. He sets the pitcher a few feet in front of me,not seeming to wish to get any closer. He turns to exit the cell all the while watching me. I could hear the door slam shut and lock but all I care about is that pitcher of water.

I stand dizzily and try to stable myself on hurting legs. I think,with how feel,I was whipped more than thirty times.More like three hundred times. I stumble forward a couple of steps and fall to my knees right over the half-full pitcher of water. I dipped both of my hands in the pitcher and brought out a sip of water. "ahhh..." I let out of my throat without thinking. I look out the door at guard thats still oogling me. I pick up the pitcher and stand on unstable legs and walk back over to the bed and tip the pitcher so I can get a full gulp of water. More water spilled out over my face than went into my mouth,not that I cared too much. It felt good on my skin anyway.

"How is our little brigand today?" a voice spoke in the hallway outside my cell. The guard snapped back around and at attention. "She is awake and on her bed,sir." The same Magistar that saw to my punishment was standing at my cell door watching me drink the first water I was allowed to have since the execution of my sentence two days ago. I stopped drinking and my eyes met his. "Yes,well,she has paid her debt to the Crown and will soon be released." he said with no emotion in his voice and he walks away from my view and back down the hall.

"Freedom?" The word had become foreign to me. I had almost forgotten what it was to walk where I want,when I want. Soon I will have the sun on my face,and food in my stomach,but for now.....I must wait to be released.

(to be continued in game)