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Talia's Tale (EvelynWillows x Collector of Rarities)

Armond's eyes softened and looked pained simultaneously. He took the hand nearest Talia and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry I pushed you too hard, Talia. Of course you would feel like it is too soon to be part of something new. You've recently lost your entire world, and I'm asking you to accept another as if Misha never existed." His hand cupped the side her face warmly as he studied her.

"Tell me, Talia - what do you feel like you are capable of being for me right now? This isn't a ruse to cause you to earn punishment; I really want to know what you think you can be right now, and what you hope you can be eventually."

The other bonded Blades watched quietly as they continued with their meal, interested in this new quirk in their king and wondering where the two were going to take this.
 
Talia took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts as she nuzzled her cheek against Armond's hand. "I can do anything except nothing, Master," she said. "I need... that is, I would like to be active; I don't really care what it is that I'm doing so long as I'm doing something. Preferably, I would like to continue training as your Blade, but I can learn something else if that's what you'd like me to do. I'll grieve in my own time, but I'd prefer not to stagnate while doing so." She paused and stiffened slightly, although she didn't move away from Armond's hand. "If you'll let me, of course." She bit her lip and thought about Armond's other question for a moment.

"As for what I hope to be, well, so long as I'm with you, I'd like to learn to be whatever you want me to be. I don't think I can really move on if I keep focusing on what I was for Mistress, and I think the best way to move past that is to change my goals. If I still think of myself as Mistress's slave when five and a half years are up, I don't think I'll have made any progress at all. So, I don't really think that this is about what I want so much as what I need, and I think what I need is for you to be my Master." She gently pulled away from Armond's hand and bent into a deep bow, prostrating herself before her Master. "Please, Master," she said, taking on a formal tone. "Shape me into whatever you see fit. I entrust my future and myself to you."

Talia knew that things would change if Armond accepted; he was a very different person from Misha, had different intentions for her and even different training methods. She would be thrust out of her comfort zone, but right now she didn't need to be in her comfort zone. If anything, clinging to what was familiar was what was keeping her from moving forward. It had taken her a while to accept it, but Armond was right to make her start fresh.
 
Armond took some time to look over the little half-elf. She was more humble than he had seen her in all the time he had known her, and this was a completely different side to her now. He wondered if she was this way with his sister, then dismissed it. There was no reason to care about how she was when she was Misha's slave. Talia was his slave now, and she was his to use as he saw fit.

"I see that the Hawk was able to talk some sense into you," the king said quietly. "That's good. I like this." He reached out and hooked a finger underneath Talia's collar, pulling her towards himself. "Then I will reveal to you what I want as I see fit. Until then, I want you to come and sit on my lap while I introduce you to the other Blades." He removed his grip on her collar and stroked her cheek again, then let his hand drop down to caress her neck, then her breast, before returning to her collar. He wanted to have her sit across his lap so that he could touch and feed her as he saw fit. She was a saucy, sweet little slave, and he decided that he was going to enjoy every aspect of owning her that was there for the enjoyment.
 
Talia didn't resist the tug on her collar. If anything, she enjoyed it; the sensation was a bit different from when Misha would tug on her collar, but it was similar enough to keep the positive association. Without a word, Talia nodded and climbed delicately and gracefully onto her Master's lap, shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position. She knew how Armond wanted her: she'd been in this position many times and it was one of her favorites. She sat across Armond's lap with one leg hooked over the armrest while the other dangled, leaving her crotch wide open for Armond. After a brief moment of hesitation, she folded her hands on her thigh, being careful not to obstruct Armond's access to her body, and rested her head against his chest. She did her best not to frown as she felt a bit of dissonance: she was used to resting her head against her Mistress's breasts, not Armond's flat chest. It wasn't bad, just different: something that would take her a while to get used to.

She had mixed feelings about the fact that Armond hadn't punished her. On the one hand, she was glad that he hadn't: Talia wasn't a masochist per se, but she'd gladly endured pain for her Mistress if it brought Misha pleasure, and the half-elf wasn't particularly looking forwards to learning Armond's preferred methods of punishment. On the other hand, she felt like she'd been disrespectful enough to warrant a punishment, so she didn't know how to feel about not receiving it.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Armond was in charge and he'd decide what was worth punishing. She replayed her conversation with Garrity in her mind, particularly the part where he told her to stop trying to be in control. It would be hard, especially with the implications it had for her Mistress's disappearance, but it was something she had to work towards to please her Master. The days where she'd wake her Mistress up with her schoolbag packed for the day and a schedule of her classes and daily obligations were a lifetime away now. Armond would likely have an entirely separate set of duties for her to perform and she'd have to learn how to live up to his expectations.
 
Armond pulled Talia's knees together so that they were chastely shut. He nuzzled into her hair and whispered warmly "Your body is for my eyes only right now. Just sit, relax." He drew his hand along her thigh and then rested it on her waist. "I want you to meet your brothers in arms."

The nearest man bowed his head slightly at Talia. He had long blond hair tied back, though a lock fell over his eyes. "Talon."

The Hawk leaned against the wall near the door. "Talon's our resident expert with throwing knives and close at hand fighting."

The next man had dark hair and a close-cropped beard. "Brand." His eyes bore into Talia's, and in a moment she recognized him. Brandon, the body guard who had been assigned to Misha and her so long ago.

"Our poisons expert," the Hawk explained. "You've met. Next is Fox, master of disguises." The red-haired man Garrity pointed to nodded. "And finally Ice, our expert in all things death." The blue-eyed man who was last nodded to Talia. He looked at her as if he could see her bones, and the dead look in his eyes made one wonder if he cared which side of life he walked on.

"They will be part of your training, Talia." Armond explained. "You're going to be the Blade I will take with me when I need to have a guard who can be hidden in plain sight." His hand caressed her body absently. "Among other duties."
 
Talia blushed a bit as Armond closed her legs: it appeared that there were quite a few things she'd have to learn about being his slave. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when Brandon was introduced, but a smile spread across her face soon after. She'd worried about Brandon: he'd been attracted to her during his time as Misha's bodyguard, but Talia had not reciprocated his feelings. She was glad that he'd found a place for himself and, hopefully, moved past her. She nodded to each man in turn, but didn't say anything; she wasn't actually sure if she was supposed to say anything. When Armond said that she'd be learning from each of them, she nodded once more, her smile remaining as he told her what was expected of her. She had a goal now, making her feel much more comfortable. There would be plenty of other things Armond expected of her that she'd have to learn, but she had something to work towards and it was something that she wanted as well.

"Yes, Master," she said, her voice perhaps slightly louder than she had intended it to be. "I will not disappoint you."
 
"Of course you won't. You are always the best at everything you attempt, my sweet pet. That is one reason I had to have you." He ran his hand down her thigh and up again, still keeping her legs closed but giving her a soft caress. He reached out and picked up the wine glass, offering her a sip before taking one himself.

"Alright, men. I think it's time for us to disembark. Talon, Brand, with me. Everyone else may take some time off until Dinner." He nudged Talia's legs off of his own and stood. To Talia he inclined his head. "You did well to come back and change your attitude, my dear, but you still were disobedient. I'm going to give you something to think about the next time you consider being that way again. Follow me."

He nodded at the Hawk and then briskly left the room, the two Blades following him and his slave as he made his way to the lower reaches of the castle.
 
Talia smiled and took a sip of the wine as Armond offered it to her. She was a little wary of denying him at the moment, so she didn't want to presume he was giving her an option. She accepted the praise, but didn't say anything: the last thing she wanted to do was to appear conceited. Armond didn't seem to like her being prideful, so she'd do her best to avoid it.

Her smile faded when Armond started leading her down to the depths of the castle, but she didn't say anything. She'd been expecting this: she'd been disobedient and Armond was going to punish her. It made sense, but Armond seemed like he had harsher punishment methods than her Mistress did. Misha liked depriving Talia of things as a punishment, especially depriving the half-elf of her Mistress's presence. Armond was bound to be a bit crueler, though, and Talia wasn't precisely looking forward to her punishment. Which she supposed was a good thing, since a punishment shouldn't be enjoyable.

It wasn't the pain she was worried about: Talia had been injured before and knew how to deal with pain. What didn't sit well with her was the shame and anticipation. Talia wouldn't think twice about rushing into a fight if she needed to, but the adrenaline worked in her favor then: she could fight back, meaning she didn't have to be afraid. Waiting, though, was slow and frightening; she couldn't fight, since fighting would only make it worse, and it wasn't something that'd be over in a matter of seconds. Talia did her best not to let her nervousness show, but Armond and the others could see her chewing her lip and hear her breathing becoming a bit heavier as they walked.
 
Armond was pleased at the way Talia compliantly followed him to the 'playroom'. It was how he liked to think of his own personal dungeon; after all, it was much nicer than the 'normal' dungeons and only his most favored slaves or most hated captives found themselves in this room. He knew that the presence of Brandon might add to her embarrassment, and that was right in line with what he wanted for her.

He could hear her breath getting heavier and heavier as they approached the lowest steps before the doorway. Once they were in, he lit the lanterns with word of magic and the room burst into a warm, flickering glow. He knew that he could trust his Blades to remain impassive during this little ordeal. They had been chosen because of their ability to hide their emotions in their expressions.

The room was rather large, perhaps forty by forty feet in size and with a tall, twelve foot ceiling crossed with heavy wooden beams. Some of the beams held shackles, iron rings, and even a suspended cage. There were several tables and special chairs made to hold bodies in open or exposed positions while they were worked on. It was one such table that looked like an inverted 'V' that Armond pointed to. "Strip off your clothing and gear and lay across this bench, Talia. Make sure that your ass is high up on the corner so that I can properly start off your discipline with a spanking."

The two blades stood by the wall, watching every move that Talia made. With the room so well lit it was unlikely that anything she did would be hidden from their view.
 
Talia bit her lip and hesitated for a second, but nodded and removed her sword belt slowly. It wasn't so much that she was trying to draw things out as she was fighting her instinct to bolt; her hand trembled noticeably as she began removing the rest of the gear, folding everything neatly and stacking it on the floor before moving to comply. It was difficult to have Brandon watch, but what was hardest about it was that he didn't react: he simply watched. There didn't seem to be any sympathy, interest or even enjoyment at seeing her naked in his eyes; a stark contrast to the more lively Brandon she'd known. While Brandon hadn't been the happiest person Talia had ever met, he'd been very honest with his emotions. Now seeing his face blank made Talia feel very uneasy: it was like the person she'd once known had been hollowed out and only a shell remained.

She hoped that this wasn't the case, that Blade Dancers were still allowed to have emotions, but she really couldn't be certain one way or the other with Gorea. She let out an involuntary shiver as she laid on the bench as she'd been instructed, ass in the air, as she waited for her punishment to begin.
 
Armond walked over to Talia. She was facing away from the Blades in this position, but she would know that they could see every part of her that was exposed was completely visible to them. He took a wooden paddle that had a few holes drilled in it and slid it over her ass. He teased her crotch between her legs before bringing the paddle out and smacking her butt with his hard enough to leave a red mark. The sound was sharp and hard, and the wooden tool left a stinging sensation on her ass.

"I suppose you haven't been punished properly," he said after a moment. "When you are spanked you are suppose to count off, thank me, and then ask for another. Do you understand?"
 
Talia suppressed a squeak as Armond smacked her ass and was about to count off when he spoke. She wanted to say that that was exactly what she did whenever Misha wanted to spank her, he just hadn't given her time, but bit her tongue and took a deep breath. She was in enough trouble as it was.

"Yes, Master," she said, displaying an admirable effort of will by keeping her tone polite. "One. Thank you, Master. May I please have another?"

Talia could take personal insults: they were easy. She could simply tell herself that whoever insulted her simply didn't know her well enough and brush it off. What really set her off was when someone insulted someone she cared about. While she wanted to move past her Mistress, she refused to act as if Misha had never existed; even if Misha was dead, it pained Talia greatly to let someone, even her new Master, get away with talking ill of the woman she had once loved. Perhaps that was the real punishment here? Talia hoped not: she didn't know how long she could stay her tongue if that was the case, and she didn't want to snap at Armond again.
 
"I see; you do know how to be properly disciplined." Armond smiled and then smacked her again. He continued slowly, giving her ten smacks in total before putting the paddle down. "Now that we've warmed up, come here and sit."

He indicated an inclined chair that had braces for legs that would hold them apart so that now she was facing the blades. Once she sat on the chair she'd be forced to face the others as Armond continued with her.
 
Talia took a deep breath, then stood and moved over to the chair. It was easier for her to take the pain now that Armond had stopped insulting her Mistress. After all, it was just physical pain: she could handle that. Facing the Blades was unsettling, but not as humiliating as Armond might have hoped. Really, Talia felt more like she was facing a pair of very lifelike statues than people, which deeply unnerved her. Did Armond want her to become like them? A completely blank slate, at least in outward appearance? It went against every instinct in her body: she was a performer, meaning she'd been trained her whole life to be as expressive as possible. She didn't know how well she'd be able to take to that kind of training.
 
Armond nodded to himself as she settled into the chair. He strapped her legs down to the spreader and then brought a strap around her waist, but he left her hands free. He leaned down and spoke quietly into her ear. "I want you to play with yourself, Talia. Masturbate until you cum, and don't be quiet about it. I want you to be very, very vocal as you moan and gasp yourself to an orgasm."

He smiled and stepped back. "You may proceed."
 
Talia's face went beat red, from her chin to the tips of her ears. Masturbation had never been something she was comfortable with to begin with; it was very hard to get any privacy in a circus. The walls of her carriage, when she'd been old enough to have her own carriage, hadn't precisely been thick and it tended to be positioned very close to other carriages as well. It wasn't an infrequent thing to hear the muffled sounds of lovemaking or see a rocking carriage, but it was customary to be as quiet as possible to avoid disturbing the other performers. She'd touched herself at night before, but she'd always been very quiet about it: biting down on her blanket and breathing through her nose so that no one could hear her.

The only similar experience she'd had was demonstrating her Mistress's toys for customers, but that was... different. She couldn't explain how, but she mentally separated that scenario and the one she was presently in. Perhaps it was because she'd been able to convince herself that it was just a demonstration, that it was the toy and not her that was on display when she put on a show for the customers? But she didn't have that option here: it was her that was on display and nothing else. The half-elf sat paralyzed, her hands resting on her thighs, as she tried to will herself to move. She didn't want to give Armond a reason to be mad at her, but she seemed to be frozen without any way to make herself move. She trembled, both out of embarrassment and fear for what Armond might do to her if she didn't move soon.
 
Armond crossed his arms and frowned at her as she simply sat there, motionless. He drew in a deep, angry breath through his nose. Letting it out, he tilted his head to the side. "Is there something wrong Talia? Do you not understand my instructions?"

He shifted his feet and watched the emotions flitting across her face. If she didn't begin to comply soon he'd be forced to punish her further, but he was hoping she would not force his hand in this matter.
 
Talia found her mouth parched and her throat dry. She licked her lips and tried her best to move, but couldn't. Then an idea struck her.

"May I..." she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper, her face turning an even brighter shade of red. "May I have something to use other than my hands, M-master?"
 
Armond grinned. "Of course Talia. You can use Brand's hands." He waved the Blade forward.

Brandon came forward, his face still blank and no emotions showing in his eyes. He stood to the side and slightly behind her, reaching around her waist so that she could use his hands.

The king smirked at his slave. "Now proceed."
 
Talia barely prevented herself from bursting into tears as Armond called Brandon over. She was still unable to move, but her trembling grew stronger.

"I didn't..." she choked, trying to get her voice to obey her. "That's not what I..." She took a few sobbing breaths before trying again. "May I... may I please have a toy of some sort? I... I've been trained to perform with toys in front of an... an audience. Not... not by myself. I can't... I don't... I don't know how."

Talia began focusing on taking deep breaths. It was obvious to any observer that she was in anguish; she was trembling from nerves and fear and her ears drooped low.
 
"Leave us."

Armond's voice was quiet and firm; a death knell for anyone familiar with his moods.

Brandon withdrew his hands slowly and went to join Talon, the first emotion he let leak through the stone facade he had been keeping. The two Blades inclined their heads to their Lord before leaving the room and and closing the door with a harsh clang behind themselves.

The king's eyes bore into Talia's. He looked harsh standing there, his white, short hair contrasting eerily with his tanned skin in the lamplight. The muscles in his arms twitched as he tried to rein in the fury that was boiling inside of him. "How difficult is it to simply masturbate with your hands as you're told? What is wrong with you?"

He drew back his hand and slapped her across the face. "How could you be so damned incompetent?"
 
Talia took the slap and did her best to compose herself before trying to answer. It was hard to explain, really, and hardly made any sense even to her when she tried to justify it in her mind.

"I... it's not something Mistress ever had me do," she said, hanging her head. "At least, not for an audience. She... she trained me to demonstrate her toys, but... but those were performances and... and a toy is much less personal. And... and it was about presenting the toy, not me. Well, I knew it was about me, but I told myself that it wasn't to make the performances easier." Her breathing came in heavy gasps, but she refused to let any tears fall from her eyes. "Mistress just never required me to pleasure myself that... personally for the amusement of others. It was always about the reactions she could get out of me with just little touches: always about how much I craved her. A solo performance like the one you wanted just didn't convey that message."
 
He shook his head, his eyes hard and angry. "I'm not going to discipline you right now because I will kill you if I do." He bound her wrists in place and then lashed her neck down as well so that she couldn't even raise her head to look around. "When I get back we'll try again. Think about how you will act at that time." He walked out of the door and then slammed it behind himself.

A moment later the lamps went out and the room was in complete darkness.

There was no sound other than that of Talia's breathing and her rapid heartbeat.

The air grew still, like the air in a crypt.
 
Talia cried for a while, but there was anger mixed with her fear. Armond scared her, yes, but he was also asking her to do something she hadn't been trained to do. If he was going to punish her, then he should just punish her! Beat her, lash her, take away her food for a while; all effective methods of punishment. But this was like being mad at her for not being able to recite the names of the local nobility: it was something she simply hadn't learned how to do. She could be obedient: she could learn to do what Armond wanted her to do, but that required him to teach her first. Once again, she was beginning to have doubts about how well she'd do as Armond's slave if this was to become the norm.

She didn't want to cause trouble for Armond, she really didn't, but sometimes it seemed like he went out of his way to find imperfections just so that he could punish her. Others, it seemed like he did his best to provoke a response from her for that very same reason. It was also entirely possible that he simply didn't know how infuriating he could be or, worse yet, knew precisely how infuriating he was and simply enjoyed being so because he knew that no one could do anything about it.

Try as she might, Talia couldn't stop being angry at Armond in that moment. She knew that anger lead to defiance, but she couldn't stop herself. How could Armond go from being kind and considerate during lunch to being cruel and unreasonable not five minutes later? Furthermore, what exactly was her motivation for masturbating for him? He was punishing her telling her to do something she didn't want to do under threat of more punishment; there was no reward to be had for doing as he said and the other option was more physical pain, which Talia found preferable. She didn't want to defy Armond, but he wasn't making it easy to obey him either.
 
Many, many hours later the door opened.

A shaft of light lit across the room like a dagger, lighting up Talia's naked form on the spreader chair. Firm, hard bootsteps crossed the room to where Talia was tied down. Armond looked over her face. He could see the streaks of tears dried upon her cheeks. Slowly he raised the light in the room until it was bright enough to show every niche of every corner to him. He stood between her bare legs, only a few inches from her naked body.

"This isn't about what kind of 'message' you convey or how much you crave anyone. It's about obedience. If I tell you to masturbate with only your hands and to bring yourself to orgasm you figure out how to do it. You don't ask for toys or explanations for what we are doing. You certainly don't try to relate it back to something that your mistress did to you. Everyone understands how to touch themselves to feel good."

He ran his hands up her thighs and rested them on her waist. "Now, are you ready to do what I told you to do, or do we have to take this in another direction?"
 
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