A Gentle Blade Part 8

Part 7 here

Please heed the TWs just below;

TWs: Forced kiss, noncon touching, noncon kiss, captivity, gagged and bound, creepy whumper, forced to do whump

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The door swung open so widely and so quickly that Leera's male captor had no time to protect his face. If it weren't the queen being the one who stepped in, the assassin would have laughed at the dumbfounded expression on the man's face. In the laughter's stead was Rennera's gasp.

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, stepping through further and pulling the door cracked behind her before latching her hands to Sir Guard's face. She tapped lightly at his cheeks. "That doesn't hurt, does it?"

With wide eyes, he shook his head. Leera barely heard him mutter, "No, Your Majesty. It gave me more of a fright than anything." His arms were stiff at his sides, fingers twitching. So he itches, too.

"In any case, perhaps this will help." Now Leera's pupils turned to discs. The queen lifted herself on her toes, kept a hand on Sir Guard's cheek, then planted a kiss on the other. He cleared his throat shortly after and nodded his head towards Leera. The assassin finally had the sense to avert her eyes as the queen regarded her. "Oh, my assassin. I forgot you were there. I believe it's nearly time that our audience becomes the performer." Leera didn't know what the queen meant by that, but she didn't like it.

Before Rennera said anything else, she began walking towards Leera. Her lips pursed and she faced Sir Guard again. "You took her leash-gag," she observed aloud.

Leera bit her tongue, swallowed, and stayed silent. "Her cries were annoying me. She was wheezing. Guessing her nose was blocked with snot and she couldn't breathe out of her mouth with it being stuffed." He added, "I'd be happy to replace it if that's what you wished."

He lied. The assassin's lips parted. Was it for himself or for me? Leera hadn't been crying. Complaining, maybe, but that was only after he initially removed the gag. Why did he remove it, she wondered.

"I suppose that's good enough reason," the queen said, facing Leera once more. "Next time you should get me so I may hear it first. Perhaps my presence during the time will remind her of- well, you know." Leera wanted to tell the queen she didn't stick around for the king's dying breaths. She never allowed herself to hear her victims' cries or pleas. It was too difficult to listen to, even if a part of her knew they deserved death. "Anyway, she can remain without that gag for n- Actually! Yes, yes. Put it back on. It will make her introduction much more exciting." Rennera clapped like a little girl, excited she was given a new doll. It was similar. Leera was the queen's doll to throw, squeeze, toss around.

It was nearly impossible for the assassin not to question what was going on. Sir Guard certainly wasn't questioning anything, but Leera could see that he was uncomfortable. It was clear in his stance, his legs were spread too wide, like he wasn't sure what was reasonable. One foot faced inwards; he was questioning whether they should be spread at all. Maybe his legs were supposed to be tied together. His gaze had no aim. He looked in Leera's direction, but his wide eyes revealed that he was putting in his best effort to not look directly at the assassin. He did, however, glance at the queen many times. Leera saw, without a doubt, he was nervous.

There was a tsk and the assassin's attention was drawn to Rennera once again. "My future king removes your gag once and you find yourself fancying him?" Leera shook her head. "Then what was it?"

"He was admiring you, my queen," she responded cautiously. Was this a granted time of speech? "And I was observing him do so." Now I've lied for him.

The queen tutted and faced the still-nervous guard. Leera could barely see the queen's cheek gather into a ball as she smiled. "I would never believe my sweet assassin, but seeing that tension in you, my dear..." Rennera sauntered back to the guard, a wicked playful smile on her lips. "Kiss me," she said.

"My Queen, I don't-"

"Hush, now, and just do it." Her fingers began to trail up his back until her hands hung over his shoulders, her nails facing herself. "You are nervous, darling. You don't have to be. Kiss me." One of her hands moved to the base of his neck and though Leera couldn't see it, she knew her fingers were pushing against the back of his head, pushing it towards her own. Leera felt a knot in her stomach. She looked away, but her stomach twisted further as she heard Sir Guard's lips separate from the queen's. It was better than the queen finding Sir Guard nervous for no reason. That was a cause for suspicion and he seemed like he couldn't afford that by how nerved he was.

"Now," the queen sighed. She sounded as if she were floating in a daydream. "My performer needs her garb. Would you like the honours this time, my future king?"

He took a look at Leera, shook his head while the queen wasn't looking, but then said, "It would be my pleasure." Now it was Rennera who held the assassin's hair back while Sir Guard shoved the dirty rag in Leera's mouth, and fastened it in with a leather collar meant to go around the neck. When he was finished, he handed the metal chain attached to the collar to the queen, who yanked on it nearly as soon as she grasped it. The assassin gasped, cried out, and launched forward to avoid the jerk it would cause. Her head still swum at the sudden movement.

"Come, come. On your feet. We have entertainment to provide."

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Part 9 here