By Callipygian
The alley was alive with colour. The fields were a pool of poppies, if not a shimmering lake of red. The light breeze carried poppy petals airborne so a million butterflies had risen to meet the noble party out of St Germaine. The two outriders, normally hardened warriors grinned at the sight and exchanged looks that said they had drawn down a decent duty for once. The drover with the party, his servant and the two maids also felt the wonder and knew that they were truly in the land of Naris and close to Castle Beaux Visage et St Marie.
The one of their party who was not impressed was a young woman glorying in the name Deidra Annaliese de Marchmont di Piccolo, but then Deidra was rarely impressed by anything. She was a headstrong girl with brown-gold hair twisted into a braid that hung over her right shoulder to obscure, but not quite hide her impressive bust. This was set off so comely under her fine blue bodice. A gown fit so tight to the impossibly narrow waist that she was as a bell downwards, offering the world volumes of pleats.
“Why are we stopping?” she looked up from her thoughts and scowled.
The young noblewoman sat side-saddle on a fine horse that she had at once taken a disliking to. Her demands for a carriage had been entertained, as most of her less than humble requests usually were, but alas for the fine steed, none was to be had that could manage the arduous journey, so the fine mare was literally saddled with the girl.
The food at the inn was less than acceptable and that too had caused a delay. So it was with some relief that the drover indicated that castle was not far.
“Milady, your new home,” one of the girls said excitedly as the mighty castle rose beyond the rise to dominate the valley.
Of this great castle that had had been envied by kings Deidra sniffed, “I expected something grander.”
***
The Duke was an old man, or so it seemed to Deidra, who had yet to see 20 summers. Although tall handsome after a fashion, she grudgingly conceded, he was grey of hair and beard and wearing the most ridiculous clothes; in particular a shabby red velvet waistcoat.
“My lady,” the Duke said smoothly and bowed lower than a duke should, or so Deidra thought.
“Your Grace,” Deidra curtsied as she should, but her face carried disdain.
“I do hope your journey was fair, I sent my best men to…”
“Your best men, really, and no carriage?” the young woman interrupted.
“Forgive me Lady Deidra, but the road from St Germaine is not clement for a carriage and my men know the best route I am certain,” the Duke countered.
“Hmm,” Deidra snorted.
“I must say your attitude is less appealing than it might be,” the old man said, “If you won’t respect my rank, then at least respect that I am your legal guardian and you are my ward.”
“My footpad and dissembler you mean,” Deidra said bitterly.
The duke was taken aback, “How so madam?”
“You have taken my lands to milk them dry and now what, you plan on selling me to the highest bidder?”
The Duke looked about to find faces and eyes to meet his or anyone who could enlighten him. “I don’t understand; your family lands are all but worthless or were until I sent a steward to replenish its treasury and make good decay. They remain yours when you marry or reach a recognised legal majority. As for your claim; I am Lord of Naris and master of the Duchy of Asquith, your estates are quite modest as I have said, but I will grant you a dowry at my expense for any marriage to match your lands… very few will pay me… much at all. So where, do pray tell, are these high bidders?”
Deidra opened her mouth and then thought better of it. He had a point, yet everyone knew that wardships were robbery. She wished now she understood more of politics and economies. But she had set her mind to be confrontational and she frowned at him. “Why then did you seek to be my guardian?”
“Your father fought with me at Talon Bridge and I made him a promise,” the Duke said simply.
“Well…” she stamped her foot, “I don’t trust you.” With that she turned and demanded to be taken to her rooms.
The Duke sighed, “I am too old to go through all this again,” he said.
***
Later that night the Duke was awoken by the captain of the night watch and roused from his bed.
“Are we attacked?” he yelled and seized his sword.
“No your Grace, the outer guard captured your ward trying to leave,” the man told him.
The night was still and beyond the flare of candles all was dark and that blackness was an all screaming silence that hushed in his ears. Now he was awake his distant breakfast nibbled at his belly and part of his mind begged for his bed.
The Duke sighed and closed his eyes for a very long moment. “Very well, have her brought to my day chambers,” he said at last.
The Duke hauled on his coat against the night chill and in lieu of getting full dressed. Then tossing his sword back onto his bed strode at a furious pace to his chambers.
“You see, I am your prisoner,” Deidra screamed at him. “I demand…”
“You demand nothing,” the Duke yawned, “Where did you think you were going?”
“Home,” she pouted.
“This is your home,” he sighed.
Deidra frowned and folded her arms as she looked defiantly off to her right and refusing to look at him.
“Look, I am very sorry that your parents died. I am very sorry that they left you penniless and without marriage prospects,” the Duke pulled his coat tightly around him and drew himself up. “The first is beyond my power and lies with God now. The second, as I have already explained, I have addressed, if you would but know it. The third, well as it happens I have someone in mind… a loyal and worthy young man… but I am beginning to see he does not deserve you. In any case you would have the last say, as is the law.”
“I should think so, I am not some trifle to go to any young man,” Deidra felt a buzz at the prospect of marriage, even if she would reject it.
“I was meaning I would not wish such a horrid brat on him,” the Duke told her.
Deidra dug deep for something foul to say and every word she found within seemed feeble and childish. She had attacked as a defence and now she was losing ground. “Well, I do not know what to do or say to that,” she dug her heels in for a final stand.
The Duke nodded and sighed long deep and very wearily. Then he slowly shook his head as if at a complete loss. “I have it,” he said feigning revelation, “I have three daughters, all married now, but I just remembered what to do to make this well.”
Deidra was taken aback. She had not remotely expected the Duke to be reasonable.
The Duke took two strides forward and lifted Deidra from her feet and carried her as a ragdoll under his arm to the stool by the fire. Then as he sat he deposited her face down across his lap and like a yuletide wrapping peeled back the layers of her gown, petticoats and shift.
“No your Grace,” Deidra squealed, “You are not to… no, no, nooo… don’t you dare.”
The shift bunched and knotted at her hip and she being devoid of any underclothes as was the fashion, she was now quite bare of comely bottom so that the guard sniggered.
“You may leave us,” the duke said, “But send in a maid… with a hairbrush, if you will.”
Deidra struggled helplessly, her face scarlet and panic seizing her. “I see your point your grace, I mean perhaps I have been a little… testy say and… and… oh sweet mother this is so… the guard… he will tell everyone,” she babbled.
“Did your father not spank you?”
“Yes your grace but…” Deidra whispered.
“Very well, we will start here and work our way up,” the Duke told her, “My daughters were spanked until russet apple red and quite unseated for half a week… that if they were meek. My belt rendered them purple plum if they were defiant and once contrite I set them to face the wall in the great hall where all could see their shame. Their shame being left undraped, if you take my meaning.”
He let the tale set in her mind and then continued. “At times, the spanking all disregarded, I sent them to the fields in short shifts to cut willow withes. These for the lashing their tender bare bottoms until weal worms welted them sore until for days upon weeks they could not hope to sit upon stool or saddle. Thereafter being set again for the viewing of all in the great hall, I found them biddable beyond all hope.”
“That sounds quite strict,” Deidra said meekly.
The Duke’s hand descended sharply, belying any idea that he was old and Deidra let out a little squeak. The spank landed across both comely bottom cheeks and then was followed by sharp swats falling ever lower. These until his hand assailed the lower curves of her behind and burned where her rump usually touched a stool to linger there. In response she yelled and squealed so that all within the near castle heard her plight.
“You can’t do this, you can’t do this, please… please… alright, I am sorry… I am…” the rest was lost in childish bawling, she might have done anything about then, but it was no longer for her to say.
By the time the maid entered with a hairbrush Deidra’s bare bottom was the colour of the poppies she had seen that day, although the day’s sunshine had been replaced by the fall of rain from the noble brat’s eyes.
“Wait there,” the Duke commanded the maid, “I will have need of that presently.”
Deidra was lost from the conversation, focussed as she was on the searing application at her seat. She responded with bottom bouncing to meet the Duke’s punishing hand; that part of the spanking now being almost half done.
“Do you have any more insults or demands to make?” the Duke finally asked her.
“No your Grace, no…” Deidra said emphatically, she was laboured of breathing and quite committed to a cascade of tears, “May I please apologise?”
“Is the purpose of your apology to escape further chastisement?”
Deidra swallowed hard. She was agile of mind and knew consequence was now destined for her behind whatever she said. She knew too that the Duke’s attitude was paternal, so like her father who would have spanked her so for insulting his friend. It is a curious thing when such clarity comes to the mind from the application of pressure to the other end.
“No your Grace, my purpose is ask your pardon so I may thank you for my education thus far,” Deidra said meekly.
“Well said,” the Duke chuckled.
“I therefore apologise unreservedly and thank you for correcting my manners… thus far,” she added quickly, “It is no excuse, but I had heard… I was scared… there are stories of the nunnery and of maiden’s being parcelled out to callow youths… I see now the error of my… ooh, please I am sorry,” she had no more strength for fine words and explanations given the bottom burn and the shame.
The Duke took the hairbrush and for honour’s sake spanked his ward for five more minutes until she extremely sorry and her bottom verged on the purple plum he had spoken of.
“Now we are almost done,” the Duke said as he set her on her feet.
Deidra stood with steel fingers gripped to her hind cheeks as the devil assailed her there with fiery needles.
“The morrow will find you standing in that corner as you are now and after I break my fast I shall spank you thus again, that for your foolish departure this night. Thereafter I will punish you thus and more vigorously for any transgression. Is that understood?” the Duke said.
“Yes your Grace,” Deidra said.
“Is that fair?”
“Yes your Grace,” Deidra agreed.
“Are we still friends?” the duke asked softly.
Deidra nodded and allowed a smile to touch her lips, “Yes your Grace, I’m sorry.”
Her guardian leaned forward and kissed her chastely on her forehead. “Now go to bed,” he said.
***
It was many days before Deidra was able to sit down at table, especially after her second shameful spanking. By then of course the whole castle knew that Deidra had been tamed. However, as days turned to weeks she live down the mockery and smirking and learned to be a true lady.
Not that she went unspanked. Although she had thus far escaped being sent to the fields for a willow switch, a possibility that maids assured her was very real. Nevertheless, she was spanked many times as the days passed and learned her place; her place more often than not being over the Duke’s knee or much more shamefully standing in the corner before the court.
Then one day at the change of season Deidra was upon the high walls looking out across the land at the fall of leaves, at the golden, red and brown cascade of colour. She longer missed home, well how could she? It was here and she sighed.
Her hand strayed to her bottom under her skirts; it had been almost a month since the Duke had spanked her, the longest time yet between chastisements. She was obviously learning, but not too quickly she hoped, she was not ready for more change.
Years later when she thought back to this moment, she knew that this was the moment her life had changed and somehow that day she had known.
“What do you see?” the Duke asked as he suddenly appeared beside her.
Deidra curtsied, “Your grace,” she bowed low as was his due. Then he bid her stand and he nodded towards the autumnal woods.
“Yes it is beautiful,” she smiled.
“I will be sorry to see you go,” the Duke said.
“Go your grace?” Deidra whirled around to confront him.
“The young man I spoke of all those months ago… he will arrive in three days. I want you to meet him. If all is well between you… then in the spring perhaps…” the Duke spoke gently.
“And what if I don’t wish to marry,” Deidra snapped.
“Then you won’t be wed, I ask only that you meet him, after all you are well past marriageable age… these things are seemly,” Duke was treading softly, but his big stick was not far from them both.
“I won’t see him, send him away,” Deidra stamped her foot.
“Afraid of change again little one,” the duke sighed and then seizing her up he carried her from the battlements.
“Your grace, please, I misspoke…” Deidra offered: this a challenge as by now she was dangling under his arm.
Passers-by in the castle chuckled and some openly laughed at her.
“W-where are we going?” Deidra asked as the Duke passed the turn for the steps to his chambers. They were heading for the great hall.
“N-no, no please your grace, I am sorry, I was scared again as you said I… I… oh… look I agree I should be spanked, that is fair but… spank me in your rooms, with a brush or… anything… I deserve it… the corner too… all day…” bargaining was impossible from the position of baggage under her guardian’s arm; truly for her it was impossible at the best of times with the Duke.
The Duke carried her effortlessly through the doors of the great hall and over to the grand lattice windows. There were servants and a few guards and many turned to look.
“Please your grace, please… not here,” Deidra wailed.
“You challenged my authority and displayed bad manners in public, so honour demands consequences young lady,” the Duke told her.
Sitting down on the window ledge her draped his mortified ward across his lap and began lifting the layers of her gown. “A hairbrush if you please,” he bellowed.
Deidra’s face was lost in consternation and she could see faces of others watching, her eyes even touched eyes with a grinning page boy. He can see my bare bottom, she thought and a small part of her died of shame.
Her bare arse was uppermost in the Duke’s lap and everyone had stopped to watch as the maid arrived with the brush.
“Please let me die now,” she begged and tried so hard not to cry already.
“Not today,” the duke chuckled, “You need a lesson in manners first.”
“I will rebel, I will refuse, I will mess up all your plans, I will… I will…” Deidra threatened impotently.
The brush struck her bottom hard and she yelped, and then two more spanks landed in wide sweeps to sear her low first on one cheek and then the other.
“You will take your spanking like a good girl and thank me for it,” the Duke told her and the spanking commenced in earnest.
“Stop, stop, please, I’m sorry, so sorry,” Deidra protested and kicked her heels, this was too awful.
“Still giving orders are we?” the Duke said.
“Nooo, I’m sorry,” she sobbed and realised that he had only just begun.
“I had hoped that you were a grown up,” the Duke sighed, “Now I see you are too much the child to marry… perhaps a spanking a day will curb you.”
The spanking was a thorough volley, a near endless succession of hairbrush swats that landed all over her tortured arse until she was hopelessly bawling for mercy.
“I will meet him, I will…” Deidra pleaded.
“You certainly will, do I now need your consent? You are outrageous,” the Duke bellowed and renewed his attack, the spanking somehow becoming harder still; and fast.
Deidra shrieked and begged God not for mercy, she had forsaken all hope, but for the words she could say that would not anger her guardian further so that he might forgive her.
“I’m sorry, so sorry… I will be good,” she begged.
“Yes you will,” the Duke sighed as he set her on her feet, then to everyone he yelled, “Get on with your work.”
The castle servants scattered like twittering birds, still laughing at the show they had seen.
“Go and stand in the corner with your bare arse facing the main doors,” the Duke told Deidra, “Think on girl, for you may still be there when Sir Galen de Vere arrives.”
“Yes your grace,” Deidra said meekly and scurried like a little mouse to the corner he had indicated.
Her bottom felt hot and tight and she feared it might burst. Worse still everyone could see it, even lowly page boys. She even heard people muttering that it ‘was so red,’ and she quailed. She was defeated again and utterly humbled. So she cried, and then cried a little more until the floodgates opened and she howled. She was longer afraid and by-and-by she felt better. Ashamed, incredibly embarrassed, but better… her boiling arse, well not so much. The Duke had won and all was right with the world. She only wished he could have just spanked her in his chamber as usual and then she might have kissed his boots and yielded and that might not have been so bad.
Deidra pouted, and that would never do, the Duke knew that. Damn the man why was he so wise? She trusted him and was beyond grateful, and all she could do was behave like a child when things got challenging. Why must I always learn the hard way, she chided herself? Then she thought on. Sir Galen de Vere, the name turned over in her mind, it has a good sound to it. Lady Deidra de Vere, she liked that too.
***
Three days later Sir Galen arrived. A young man not above 25 and tall from the looks of him, although it was hard to be sure since he was sitting on a very high white charger. He wore silks and velvet, but of muted colours and in a manly style and wore his hair longish but not too long and not pudding-style like most young knights.
Deidra observed all this from the barbican and resisting the urge to run, still knew that manners dictated that she should greet his arrival. She took a deep breath; she would try to like him and hoped he would like her. It was what duty demanded and what the Duke wanted.
Each step upon the stairs flared in her bottom and anyone but a fool could not fail to miss that she had been recently spanked. The sniggers and side-glances of the servants was enough to announce that for her. She blushed and cursed again her bratty manners and skill at courting the soundest of spankings. The day after the spanking her bottom had turned from red to plum, which had persisted for two days. Only this morning had the smooth burgundy shade begun to break up into yellows, blues and browns.
Finally she reached the courtyard and waited. There were still smirks and sniggers, as well there might be. It occurred to her that the only person in the castle who had not seen her arse was her intended. She giggled. She decided to own it.
The man was tall and more handsome up close than he had looked from afar. He bowed low and perfectly just as she curtsied to a bow. She gasped at this, having forgotten that her bottom still held the Duke’s spanking.
“Are you alright my lady?” he was concerned.
“Yes and then maybe no,” Deidra said sheepishly, “The Duke spanked me soundly but three days ago and I can barely sit, barely… you see I am wicked, I lie, I cannot yet sit at all,” she blushed deeply, wondering if she babbled too much.
“Spanked you?” Sir Galen said, his face was edged in concern but also something else.
“Indeed yes Sir, very soundly indeed… but know I deserved it, truly,” Deidra blushed, “You don’t approve?”
“Oh, I think I approve, I have sisters, they benefit from time to time. He spanks you often?” Sir Galen took her arm and they went deeper within the castle and into the inner garden
“Oh quite often, I am a bit of a handful and require taming. So I suppose I will not do,” Deidra teased, “Your sisters are spanked, how delicious, you get to watch?”
“I get to spank, my father is dead you see,” Sir Galen chuckled, “I am not supposed to enjoy the duty you know.”
Deidra stopped and suppressed a chuckle. “It seems to me that you may enjoy the duty so long as the young lady concerned does not.”
“Well put,” Sir Galen smiled, “I see you understand me already.”
“Do I?” Deidra chewed at her lip. “And do you intend to spank me when we are wed?”
Galen took a step back and glared at her intensely as he shook his head.
Deidra sighed inwardly. Here comes the speech… ‘how dare you impugn my honour, I would never do such a thing…’ she thought.
Galen folded his arms and his expression reminded her of the Duke. “How dare you?” he said right on cue, “Are you implying that I am a weakling or a dolt? Of course I will spank my bride when we are wed, honour dictates…”
Deidra rushed at him and kissed him hard.
“Unhand me… what are you doing… are you?” Galen was astonished.
“So sorry, so, so, so sorry,” Deidra clapped her hand to her mouth, “I don’t know what came over me.”
“This is a test, I see it now,” Galen said pompously and seizing Deidra’s arm dragged her to a garden seat. There she was easily tumbled across his lap so that his hand pounded down upon her skirts.
“Ow, careful I am still tender back there,” Deidra yelped.
“You will be tenderer still once I am done,” Galen growled.
Deidra felt a thrill and something more; embarrassment probably, as she should. “Can I suggest… oh God this so humiliating… but a spanking is only properly carried out on the bare bottom.” There was a pause and the wind dropped to allow for silence. Deidra winced at her own forwardness, “Unless you are too courtly bound to do the duty properly,” she added recklessly.
A determined Galen threw back her skirts one by one, waiting a beat at each layer to see if she would protest. These were dangerous waters they were sailing now. At the last veil he stopped, “Is this seemly, I am not a brute?” he said.
“Not really, I suppose, but everyone else in this castle has seen my arse by now and since it will be yours, you might as well… ooh,” Deidra was cut off by the sudden breeze at her bottom and a sharp hand striking her rump.
“You speak crudely wench now be silent… oh my…” he gasped.
“Pretty damn red eh, now you know why I can’t sit down,” Deidra said ruefully.
“Oh… eh… yes that too, a fair job I suppose, my sisters have had worse from me… but you are a goddess, you arse… behind I mean…” Galen gushed.
“Oh thank you very much,” Deidra simpered, “Hey what do you mean… a fair job? You can’t possibly spank harder than… yikes oh Jesus our saviour,” she screeched.
“This could take some time and you will learn,” Galen told her as he spanked the most glorious bottom he had ever beheld.
“I learned, I learned, go easy… please,” she wailed, “Oh it hurts, please spank me another day…”
“Oh I will, trust me, and right now too,” Galen scolded her.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God save me, oh Christ oh lord… yaaaah, aieeee,” Deidra screamed as the spanking got going.
The Duke who had been about to approach stopped and smiled. “I see they are getting along famously,” he said to the castle housekeeper.
“Indeed your grace, it couldn’t happen to a nicer girl, shall I offer Sir Galen a hairbrush or something stronger perhaps?” the housekeeper sniggered.
“Not today, let nature take its course, but stay and watch… in the interests of being a chaperone, of course, I think this could take a while.” The Duke chuckled as he walked away.
Across the garden Deidra kicked and bawled as the spanking continued, “Galen, Galen, please… eeeee, oh my lord,” she cursed and wailed for a good while.
It was the first of many spankings from Galen and it became common knowledge that she was unable to sit down for the rest of their courtship that autumn. They were married in the spring.
Leave a Reply