Between the Storms

Chapter Twenty-Two

22. Not The Submissive Type

Magdelena had been 'Lily' for two weeks now, meaning it had been a month since she had left for her quest, a month since she had been free, and a month since she had been in Camelot. She continued to fight the Master, refusing to call him Master and sometimes referred to him as Mason - as she learned his name was - he seemed to be growing tired of the fighting as he had thrown her into the chambers and forced her into a pair of his pants and a shirt from him. She was dragged once more through the house to a large courtyard where servants including Mable stood watching in dread. 

There were some girls dressed in nice gowns and Magdelena assumed those were his wives, there were two posts in the center seeming to have been just placed there for this moment, "Let us see how agreeable you are after this." Mason says as the two guards which seemed to have been assigned to her tied each hand to a post pushing her to her knees.

Her shirt was cut down the back and spread to show her bareback, she was unsure what was happening until she heard the crack of a whip and the sting of it hitting her sting she let out a cry of pain, "Will you submit to me?" Mason asks standing in front of her after a few of the whips hit their mark. 

"I am not the submissive type," she says gritting her teeth as the whip was hit a few times more making her scream as the whip was beginning to go over the same marks digging into them deeper. 

"Ten more lashes then take her to Chris," Mason says, "I want her back in my room before dawn." Mason leaves the courtyard she was given her lashes before taken to a large room, beds were separated by thin changing sheets between them. The room was very well lit with a chandelier hanging high illuminating the bright white of the beds and curtains. 

They walked through the rows of bed to the back where a large room where a young blonde man was sitting going over books an papers, he wore robes similar to Gaius's but were of a finer make, and this man - whom Magdelena assumed was Chris - was much younger, older than Morgana by a few years no doubt. He smiled at the sight of the guard, "Adreian, what do I owe this pleasure?" he asks coming from the room, spotting Magdelena who was stone-faced, "Is this the girl who was whipped?"

"Yes," Adreian says, "Master expects her back in his room before dawn."

"I will do my best," he says leading her to a bed, "You may leave now Adreian, I am sure we can handle ourself."

"Just watch out for her, she has a mouth on her," Adreian growls at her in warning, she sees Adreian press a hand onto Chris's shoulder as a warning and farewell before he takes his leave heading back down the long way to the door. 

"It's nice not to have guards breathing down my neck," she says laying on her back, her dress was still cut from whoever had cut it so she was whipped, "Especially that Adreian was it?"

"Well Adreian wasn't always like that, something changed when he joined the guard when we were first kidnaped," Chris says grabbing a cloth which had been sitting in some water, before he began to gently clean each wound meticulously, "He was a rather sweet boy when we first came."

"It must be hard to see what a change your brother has gone through," Chris paused his work at her words, "The resemblance was the first hint, the second is how you speak. I talk about my younger brother in the same way."

"You have a brother?" Chris asks going back to cleaning her wounds with the cool water. 

"Yes, we are twins," she says smiling as she thought at about Merlin and his goofy grin he seemed to always wear, "How long have you and Adreian been here?"

"I would say near twelve, enough time for Adreian to become the most trusted guard to the Master, and me to become the head healer," Chris explains before the sweet smell, and cold sticky texture of honey was felt being spread against her back, "I was barely ten and Adreian was one nine."

"At least you were not parted from each other," she says softly, "I was sent out of my house when I was sixteen, my brother came to me and our Uncle two years later. Now once again I am parted from him and fear my return maybe never."

Magdelena was helped up by him before he began to wrap her torso, "I have never seen the Master whip someone so badly," he mutters making her smirk a bit at the accomplishment of getting under Mason's skin.

"Mason is easy to rile up if you know the way," she says Chris can't help but snort at the woman's words, "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," she says, "I best get back to Mason's room, wouldn't want him too lonely tonight." She stands from her spot her dress back on the slit down the back still there as she begins to make her way down toward the doors where she knew that Adreian and the other nameless guard would be waiting to escort her.

"You best return at least once a day so I can check on your wounds," Chris says, "And perhaps stick to calling him Master if you can. No need to spread his real name around."

"Trying to take away my fun Chris?" she asks opening the doors to see Adreian and only Adreian standing outside the door, "Have I been deemed less worthy, now I am only to have one guard? What an insult."

"Master figured you would be less likely to fight or run since your punishment," Adreian says, Magdelena smiles at the man before motioning him to lead the way, she had never been to this part of the palace before and didn't know her way to the room she had been staying in.

"Don't forget to come back once a day," Chris says standing at the door, "I don't want those wounds getting infected and I am sure that the Master doesn't either."

"I am a busy woman Chris," she says smirking at the healer, "I shall try my best to come to your dark corner."

"My chambers are the best lit in this place," he points out making her chuckle before walking with Adreian away from Chris who seemed to be smiling at their back. They rounded a corner and her back was pressed against the wall making her hiss at the pressure and pain.

"You had better watch yourself, if Chris gets hurt because of you or anything that even slightly involves you," Adreian growls pressing her back into the wall further she bites her cheek to keep from crying out, "I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Why would I hurt the only person who has been civil to me?" she snaps at him pressing herself away from the wall, "Now hurry and take me to the chambers. I would rather hurry to sleep so morning comes and I am not forced to share a bed with him."

They arrived at the familiar doors as if sensing their presence he opened the door and dragged her in chaining her to the bed once more before allowing her to change in private as he went to the bathing chambers to bathe before they sept. 

As she laid in bed pressed away from him as he kept applying pressure to her back, she couldn't help but think of Gaius, and of Merlin and even Uther who seemed a delight compared to the man sleeping next to her. Her thoughts trailed off to the Prince with his blonde hair and blue eyes.