Through the underground passageways they went, slowly.
The rock formations here were bizarre and wondrous to look at. Graceful, slender stalactites and sliverlike formations clashed with bulbous, thick, misshapen, weird-looking stone shapes that came up from the ground. Near the high ceiling there were even formations that looked eerily like bones, ribcages, the pipes from church-organs, others like daggers.
Magical glowlights shone and played in amongst the rock formations, giving the most eerie beauty to it all.
To the thief-girl who now crawled along the stone floor, wearing a saddle and bridle and carrying this mad rider astride her back, the vista of the caverns was yet another bewilderment of her senses. It truly felt as if she were entering his world, his strange underworld domain.
Sumbissive for now at least, tired from the full on earlier struggles, a little bit in shock from her defeat and the utterly alien feelings of what her captor had done to her, Eleria obeyed the commands of rein and heel. Left, around a corner, speed up her slow pace... she couldn't obey that one very well, temporarily worn out from the wild bucking as she was, but she tried, somehow not quite knowing what else to do. What else was she to do, just stand still? So she obeyed.
Even though his large frame was feeling more and more crushing by the minute. She was breathing hard, wobbling a little but still driven to continue.
He seemed amused at this and his grating laugh echoed around the cavern. His heels drummed against her thighs, urging her on almost mockingly.
Somehow this brought a thought into Eleria's mind... what was she going to be doing in these 'two weeks of servitude'...? Her mind boggled. Physical drudgery? Sex? More of what was happening right now? Target practice for goblins?? She had no idea, and she knew she would rather not find out.
These thoughts gave her back her mind once more, as well as a little bit of strength. Unbeknownst to Kardan she began to plot as she crawled. How was she going to try to get free? She'd failed to buck him off before, even when she wasn't so worn out.
Think, girl, think! she urged herself. She couldn't rely on some opportunity just presenting itself. She had the use of her arms and legs. What could she do?
...What was that one incredibly annoying thing that her real horse, Dapples, sometimes did that always had her flying off his back to land in a heap??
*****
Kardan was enjoying himself thoroughly. The girl was worn out, her body weak now as she struggled to carry him. He drummed his heels hard into her thighs, once, twice, again and again and heard her moan softly through the bit at the feel of it. He shifted in the saddle, almost wishing he could press against her bare back instead. It was arousing somehow to ride her like this... he would have to play more such games with her in the confines of his underground home. For now, he raised his hand and delivered a sharp smack to the curve of her butt, hard enough so she would feel it even through her leather pants.
This seemed to give the girl a tiny bit more energy. She gasped and her back straightened a little; her slowing pace picked up to a proper crawl. Encouraged, Kardan slapped her ass again, then again, enjoying the soft bit-muffled sounds that resulted from his treatment of her.
They weren't far from the entrance to the caverns that had been made into his underground home.
"That's right, pretty pony. Carry me home..." He continued to urge her as she crawled towards the cavern opening to the lived-in areas.
To his delight she pulled together every last shred of strength and went into a fast crawl under him. Was she trying to please him so that he would be less harsh...?
The fast crawl suddenly became a wobbly, lurching gait that resembled a very rough canter as she pushed herself to her absolute limit, throwing herself forward with all her strength.
And then her upper body suddenly collapsed! Kardan grabbed at the saddle pommel, hair, anything, but too late, and he found himself hurtling forward over her shoulders. Crash! He tumbled in an ungainly heap on the stone floor, just outside the entrance to his main hall.
Eleria struggled to her feet as fast as she could, adrenaline now gushing through her veins once more. Seizing her opportunity, she rushed back the way she had come, still saddled, still bit-muffled, stirrups and reins flailing.
Only to run right into Kardan's final trap.
A wall of shimmering force sprang up in her path and she ran right into it; it threw her back across the stone on her butt.
"You do not carry a Wardstone," said the magical wall of force, politely, cheerfully. "You may not pass."
"ARRRGH!!" Eleria yelled in infuriated frustration.
Kardan's laughter sounded behind her, loud and amused in its merriment.
"Hah, it seems our little pony had some fight left in her after all!" he laughed as he picked himself up and dusted himself off. "Perfect!"
She scrambled to her feet, backing away, eyes wild as she took him in. He didn't seem at all concerned or humiliated that she'd thrown him. He was amused. Somehow this was worse than if he had been angry.
He approached her now, eyes alight with the obvious desire to capture her once more. She let fly with a high kick, aiming at his face, hoping he would be caught off guard. But he was waiting for such a move. He caught her foot and pulled, and she went down on her butt again, hard.
And that was that. Despite her struggles, she was soon bound once more and being hauled unceremoniously away.
