The Knight's Prisoner (Medieval Discipline 1)

He loved her. He felt it so strongly, even as he spanked away, turning her pale skin to pink and then red. The way she'd held his scarred face and called it hers had un-dammed some part of him. All his emotions were swirling now—the state of grace at being loved by someone, his fears and jealousy around her mission, and the remaining hurt that she had meant to betray him—to go behind his back and offer her body up to the King. The grief over the Duke's death was still there too.

Dani was weeping, and though she'd taken the initial stage of the spanking well, she was starting to wriggle around so that he needed to scissor her legs between his to keep her from kicking. He paused and rubbed her flaming bottom. With his other hand he stroked her back and found, as he'd suspected, a sheen of sweat was forming. He picked up the belt and doubled it, bringing it smartly down across the middle of her reddened cheeks. She screamed into the blankets. He continued to strap her, and she thrashed around frantically, reaching back with her hand and trying to buck off him. It seemed more panic than disobedience, and he was torn between giving her a break and hurrying to get it over with. He opted for a break and pulled her up to stand in front of him, cupping and rubbing her hot bottom. She was crying, and she did not meet his eyes, staring fixedly at his tunic instead.

He stroked her thigh. “You're taking your punishment well, Dani,” he soothed her. “Go and stand in the corner for a rest.”

She met his eye then. “Stand in the corner?” she asked incredulously through her tears.

All he had to do was raise his eyebrows, and she dropped her chin and went promptly to the corner. She rubbed her bottom and leaned her forehead against the wall, her shoulders hunching as she cried. It pained him to see her that way—he wished he'd just finished it. He gave her a few moments before he called her back, and the fear in her face as she approached was pure agony. He stroked her thigh again. “It's almost over.”

She nodded tearfully, and he pulled her back across his lap and picked up the belt. He strapped down her bottom and back up again, watching as the welts rose. He gave her another ten to make it memorable and then tossed the belt on the ground. “I'm finished,” he said and lifted her off his lap and into his arms, walking around the other side to pull back the covers and lay her down. Then he pulled off his boots and laid next to her, taking her into his arms and stroking her back and her hair. “I love you, little flower,” he said.

“Oh, Ferrum,” she sobbed into his chest.

“Dani, my love. My little flower.”

He held her until she fell asleep and then slipped out to let Phillip know he had agreed to the poisoned needle plan. He brought supper back to their room and woke her, feeding her in bed, before he curled his body around hers and held her as she fell back to sleep.

* * *

Phillip left most of his troops in Umbria to defend it, riding out with only twenty men. It would be easier to blend in that way, and stealth was of the utmost importance. They camped on the outskirts of Camelot, safely hidden in the forest. She changed into a fine green silk gown Phillip had found for her in Umbria, and she'd made a wreath of honeysuckle for her hair.

Ferrum had sharpened two bone needles to the finest points, and Phillip's page Edwin dipped them in poison. Ferrum tried to hide them in her braid, but his fingers were too large. “Let me,” she said, holding out her hand. “'Tis better I do it so I know how they lie and which end to grasp.” She tucked them into her hair.

Ferrum wouldn't look at her—he'd been quiet for the entire journey.

“We'll send Edwin as your escort,” Phillip said. “They won't be threatened by him because he's just a boy, but Ferrum's trained him his whole life. He's as lethal as any of my men.”

She looked at Edwin, and he lifted his chest, looking quite honored at being her protector.

“How do you suppose you'll get in?” Phillip asked.

She pressed her lips together. “I'm not sure. I imagine I just go knock on the gates and offer my services.”

“Not to anyone but the king!” Ferrum snarled, taking everyone aback.

She flushed. Did he think whores get to pick and choose their customers? “I'll do my best,” she muttered. Edwin looked at her sympathetically.

“Well, I supposed this is it,” she said nervously, looking at Ferrum, who was still avoiding her eyes.