Beneath the ruins of Adiranthe - Part 6b

Eleria sulked along silently through lit corridors and long hallways, flanked by four of the chalky-skinned, misshapen Goblins, keeping a careful eye on the route they took and any distinguishing features she saw. She noted that they too could move in silence when they wanted.

She wondered what would happen today. Hopefully it would amuse her host to have her clean floors or armour or something like that, still 'subservient', but she could keep her focus and handle him laughing at her without becoming enraged if she tried, she thought.

She was also scanning for hiding places. An improbable idea went through her brain - knock out the food-goblin, leave it locked in her "cell", move from hiding spot to hiding spot until she found a way out. But then there was the problem of the magical barrier, which she would need Kardan's "ward stone" to bypass. That would mean... probably stealing the magical pendant from around Kardan's neck.
Unless the loose stone in her little room led to anything...

The Goblins herded her into... what looked to be, or have been, a soldiers or workers mess hall. Several buckets of warm water sat on the very messy floor next to the very messy table.
Eleria glowered. She heard the odd almost coughing sound that was the goblins' laughter. But part of her was relieved. She released a breath, realising that she'd been holding it and that her heart rate had been up.

She was left alone, but with two of the creatures standing guard outside in the hallway. She considered her chances against them, but decided that it would be too risky, better to try one of the other two options first, tonight or tomorrow morning.
"I should just kick these over and refuse to be his scullery maid," she said aloud. Then she sighed and got to it. Might as well not invite more punishment just yet.

Stay calm, Eleria told herself as she cleaned the mess of Goblin-food, dirt and worse off the table and floor. Let him wonder what was going on in her head, not let him bait her.
The work at least gave her something to do other than think, and she ignored the little voice in her head that laughed at her saying she was acting like a good little slave girl, and instead threw herself into the task, feeling her sore muscles protest and then warm up as she scrubbed and washed.
However, her vigor meant that the cleaning was all finished sooner than she would have thought, and she sat on one of the chairs, wondering what next.
She waited... and waited. Eventually she stood up and began to pace the floor, her treacherous mind beginning again to replay the scenes from yesterday. The unspoken question of what might happen with the rest of today burned higher in her mind. Would he...?

"Arrgh!" She threw one of the buckets to the ground in frustration, making a noisy clatter. The Goblins peered around the door, but seeing her then just turn and pace the floor once more, they made no comment and went back to their watch.
A few more moments passed, in tension. Eleria sat down to rest.

Heavy footsteps approached, just outside the door! She sat up straight, her mouth going dry, her skin prickling, the blood pounding through her veins in reaction, despite her earlier promises to herself that she would remain calm and aloof and deal with him with a cool head. Adrenaline pulsed through her, a deep pulse clicking through her veins.
She heard him hiss commands to the Goblins in their own strange language for a moment. Then the door thudded open! She jumped to her feet, staring at him defiantly, wild eyed.


Kardan stopped in the doorway, seeing her primed and agitated, chest rising and falling visibly with her quickened breath, those eyes staring intensely into his. Something primal clicked inside of him at the sight. A rush of adrenaline went through him. The game was on!
"Come to me, pony," he teased with a smile, "play-time..."
Her eyes flashed and she threw her cleaning rag at him, followed by a bucket when he avoided the rag. He ducked, then laughed as she bolted past him in an attempt to make it out the door. He caught her around the waist and hauled her back.
"Uh uh..."
Anything else he might have said was lost as Eleria hooked a foot around behind his knee and hauled hard at his left arm, using her full weight, tripping them both so that they sprawled on the ground. She came down on top, and she scrambled to recover first, intending to drive the breath from him if she could.
But he recovered swiftly, grabbed her and rolled, driving her to the ground with a thud. She gasped and he slid up and planted his weight hard on her abdomen.
Her legs swept up high, and then around him, forcing him backwards.He grabbed at her legs. They rolled on the floor, struggling for dominance.

Adrenaline surged through her, lent her strength, sharpened her senses. She got half free, saw an opening, grabbed his dark hair and pulled, scissoring her legs tight around his chest and throat. A sharp thrill went through her, she'd managed to at least temporarily overwhelm her powerful opponent!
"Ouch!" he said in surprise, and laughed. He grabbed Eleria's legs and unfortunately for her was able to overpower her hold with the sheer strength of his arms, muscles standing out under the skin as he peeled her legs apart and away from his body.

Stunned at his strength, Eleria abandoned the attempt to push back against his arms and instead tried to slither and jerk her legs from his grasp, kicking and wriggling, instinct telling her to get free before she could attack again.
She felt a thrill again when she managed it and surged forward, scrambling on all fours, then managing to get back to her feet!

But her success was short lived. With an agility that belied his size, he sprang up and tackled her to the floor from behind, landing on top of her, slamming her wrists down.
Eleria gasped at the impact of her body under his on the rush-matted floor, then growled in frustration.
Kardan laughed, sat up so he could straddle her back as she lay prone, and grabbed her arms, drawing them back behind her in a way that put serious stretch and strain on her muscles, bending her under him, eliciting a gasp.

"Do you give?" he growled.
"Never!" Eleria wriggled and tried to shove upwards under him.
Kardan grinned, she was still fighting. He drew her trapped arms back further.
"Submit to me," he commanded. Eleria moaned but refused to speak.
Further still he pulled her arms back behind her. She gasped, high pitched.
"Submit!"
Goddess, was he going to pull her arms from their sockets??! She snarled and gave in.
"Have it your way," she hissed.
The pull on her arms eased just a little. "That's not very respectful," he teased. "Say my name."
"Goblin breath!"
He didn't bother answering that one, just re-tightened his grip until the thief-girl was gasping with the sharp discomfort and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Master," she hissed, grudgingly.
"Very good."
Kardan loosed her arms, raised himself just enough and turned her over, then sat astride her belly, sinking into her a little, pinning her arms. And looked down at her.
"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" he taunted. She looked up at him, breathing hard, refusing to speak. She pushed her belly up against his backside.
"Goblin breath," she whispered again, and suddenly she smiled a little, half glaring, half smiling. It was almost like an invitation to play.

"Naughty pony," he said, with a grin, and bounced a little on her stomach. She gasped but seemed to take the cue, bucking her backside and belly up and down. He pressed heavily into her, liking the feel of the movements.
Eleria wasn't done yet. She shoved hard and high, bridging her body under him, lifting him, and tried to push him off to the side. But Kardan managed to react quickly, defeating the dismount. For a long moment they struggled, Eleria fighting to dismount him, to catch his leg with hers to try and assist the attempts.
She nearly managed it a couple of times, giving her renewed energy and determination! But nearly was not the same as victory, and eventually Eleria lay quiet on the floor with her antagonist still sitting on her stomach.

Kardan slid his fingers through hers as they rested on the floor, locking her hands tight.
"Well, that was definitely what I'd call disobedience," he said with a dark, teasing smile, "what am I going to do with my pony slave now, hmmm?"
Her shiver could be felt clearly against his legs and backside as they pressed firmly against her.

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The end for now. Imagine a curtain coming down between this chapter and the one soon to be published. (The old Chapter Seven is no more.)