was silence. Theodine looked at the red mark left on her husband’s face. She could not read the expression on his face but fear raced through every part of her body. What sprite had possessed her and come up with this fool idea?
‘How dare you talk to your princess in such a manner when she’s put herself in the path of dangerous men in order to get a present purely for your pleasure?’ There was a sharpness to Frost’s voice, undercutting the sweet exoticism of her accent. ‘Get on your knees and beg her forgiveness.’
Asdern continued to stare at the outlander with the same unreadable expression.
‘On your knees now, worm!’ Frost slapped her hand across Asdern’s other cheek. ‘That’s for not obeying me immediately. You continue with this dumb behaviour and I’ll do worse.’
Theodine watched, the breath trapped in her throat, as her husband fell to his knees in front of her. The sun shone through the window and glinted off the roaring lion melded onto the front of his chest piece.
‘Please forgive me for the way I spoke to you, my love,’ Asdern said in a humble voice Theodine barely recognised.
‘Kiss her boots,’ Frost ordered.
Theodine looked down at the rough leather of the maid’s boots she wore; they were covered in dirt and dust from the long run through the streets but the prince did not pause. His pink tongue lapped at the brown muck of her boots.
Frost grabbed a handful of the prince’s beautiful hair and yanked his head up as if he was a mangy dog begging for scraps. ‘Ask nicely and the princess may tell you how she paid for me.’ She released him and his head fell down to the floor as if he had no strength of his own.
Asdern kept his forehead pressed against the cold ground as he spoke. ‘Dear Theodine, my princess, please tell me how you purchased such a beautiful outlander slave.’
Theodine took a deep breath; things were going better than she’d hoped but still she felt nervous. ‘When I saw there was an outlander, all the tales I’d heard of them, their bravery and strength, I knew it would be perfect. I wanted a slave we could secretly train to dominate you far better than I’ve ever managed.’ She glanced over at Frost. ‘Not that it appears you are in need of any training or encouragement, but I didn’t know exactly how it’d be. You’re the first outlander I’ve met.’ She swallowed again and looked back down at her husband, prostrate before her. ‘I gave the trader gold but he said he needed more. And when I saw Frost I knew I needed her. He said I had to suck him off.’ She rushed the final words out.
Asdern raised his head and stared at her, but still she could not read his expression. Was he teasing her by playing along? She knew he could attack her with his full force in any moment and she’d be totally helpless. Her heart beat fast and her mind filled with images of the ways in which he might punish her.
‘I dropped to my knees in the middle of the whole market.’ Theodine spoke slower now as she gazed into her husband’s eyes. ‘The men around were laughing and shouting crude things, but I took the trader’s cock in my mouth. It was tiny and it stunk, but it gave me pleasure sucking on him with all those eyes watching me. My cloak hid my face but – but it excites me that someone could have recognised me as a princess kneeling before a filthy trader.’
Frost laughed. ‘Thank me, worm, or your beloved would have whored herself to every man who would have her. They would soon have known she was a lady when their rough hands were pawing at her lily-white naked skin.’
‘Thank you for protecting my wife,’ Asdern said, shuffling his body around to face the outlander.
‘And are you grateful, princess? Or would you rather I’d run by myself and left you to start a new life as a whore?’
Theodine blushed and Frost laughed, then she turned her attention back to the prince.
‘Remove your armour.’
Asdern struggled to remove the