To wagons loaded with their other captives

Marcus was marched down the corridors of his parents' castle, still too afraid to fight. Kriss seemed able to sense the moment he thought about running, because her vicious grip on his shoulders would tighten, nails digging in to his tender skin. She was taller and stronger than the young prince, and he knew that even if he managed to pull away from her she'd catch him in moments. In all his pampered life, no-one had treated him this way, and the shock of it left him helpless.

She **** him down stairs to the servant's quarters, and from there through another door out into the cold night air. Still just wearing a silk shift, Marcus felt his teeth start to chatter. His anxious gaze flickered over the stone walls of the castle. Where were his Father's soldiers? Surely there was someone left who'd come and save him?

"Looking for your Daddy's guards?" Kriss drawled in his ear, like she'd read his thoughts. "I'm afraid they're not here. You see we arranged for a certain message to reach the King today saying that a raiding party of Orcs was attacking the villages up North. Your dutiful Daddy rushed off to protect his peasants, taking most of his soldiers with him. He left behind a token handful, and their commander just happened to be a good friend of ours. We bribed him to open the gates for us and just like that we get our pick of all the finest **** stock in this castle."

Marcus whimpered into the gag, horrified at this news. His Father was gone! Who was going to protect him now? Ignoring his distress, Kriss shoved him forward, pushing the young prince towards the open castle gates. Just outside, there were two covered wagons pulled by teams of horses. Around them were men and women in leather armor, carrying whips and shackles.

As Kriss approached, one of them pulled open the fabric over the nearest wagon to reveal a large iron cage hidden underneath. Marcus froze, his horrified gaze drifting over the cowering, sobbing prisoners inside. The castle staff, or some of them. Just the younger ones, some of the prettier maids and kitchen girls, plus a few of the grooms and squires too. They were huddled helplessly against the bars, their hands tied behind their backs just like him. It was clear these awful people had chosen their captives carefully.

"Move it." Kriss snarled, shoving the young prince towards the waiting cage. He stumbled, almost falling. There was no way he wanted to go in that awful cage. Just the thought made him sob into the gag, but she just **** him forward. One of her men opened the barred grate at the back of the wagon, standing there with a whip at the ready in case the prisoners tried to escape. None of them did. They all looked so hopeless. As Marcus was pressed against the wagon, Kriss suddenly grabbed him under his arms and easily lifted him up into the waiting cage. Before he could even wriggle away, she shoved him forward, sending him sprawling over the wooden floor. Then the bars slammed shut behind him with an awful ringing of metal. "Enjoy the trip, pretty boy." He heard the awful woman sneer. "As soon as we make it back to base, you're all mine."

The young prince shivered, lying there helplessly on the floor of the wagon. This all felt like some awful nightmare. Surrounded by the cowering, sobbing bodies of the other captives, his shivering body barely covered by the thin silk of his shift. It couldn't be real, right? Any moment now, he'd wake up in his bed sobbing and shivering. He could run and see his parents and his Mother would hug him tight and tell him everything was okay. It'd be fine, if he'd just wake up already.

Then he felt the wagon shake underneath him as the horses started forward, pulling all of them down the road away from his home. The sobbing cries of the other prisoners grew even more ****, their faces filled with blank despair. Marcus felt his heart sink in his chest and he knew that this was no dream. It was all very much real, no matter how much he might wish otherwise. Curling up in a little ball as the wheels of the cart rumbled away underneath him, all the young prince could do was sob hopelessly to himself.