Keys to the Kingdom (2 page)

At this, the other princes laughed heartily.

"Can't be tamed?" said Kier. "Are you daft, brother? Their own father said they are simply overindulged. I'd wager neither of them has ever tasted the strap. Once they do, they'll settle well enough. One or two trips over my knee and the eldest will be so well-behaved that her own papa won't recognize her."

"You're awfully sure of yourself," Justin said with a laugh.

"And why shouldn't I be?" Kier asked. "I succeed in all my tasks."

"Like breaking that filly last summer?" Justin reminded him. "As I recall you were the one who ended up with a sore bum after being dumped on the ground."

Kier frowned. "Perhaps she got the best of me once or twice," he said defensively, "but in the end I prevailed, did I not? She is now the most obedient broodmare in the stable." He smiled confidently. "Princess Lenora will soon be the same."

"Women aren't horses, brother," Ivan reminded him.

"No, they're not, but the principles for training them are the same," Kier said. "Think about it - a strong hand, tight rein, judicious use of the crop - are these not all things that yield good results?"

"They can be," Justin said, "but some fillies are just too spirited to ever trust. Just when you think you've broken them in they go and throw you."

Kier gave his brother a dark look. "And I suppose you glean this insight from your vast experience with women?"

"Mine is as vast as yours, brother," Justin shot back. "Only a year separates us and the village wenches are plenty."

"Village wenches aren't highborn princesses," Kier said. "Princesses are like thoroughbreds. They need to be reminded why they are here. They are here to be beautiful and to make their masters' proud."

Justin shook his head. "Bloodlines don't matter," he said. "Horses are horses and women are women. You can't ever really predict what they are going to do."

"True," Kier conceded, "which is why we must start off with the firmest of hands where these spoiled little royals are concerned."

He turned to his siblings, his expression earnest. "When it comes to women it is far easier to start off stern and relax after you've achieved your goal than it is to be indulgent and then try to reverse the effects. If these princesses are as spoiled and ill-mannered as their father says - and even half as beautiful - then they may indeed be a challenge. That is why we must take them in hand immediately."

"How?" asked Leo, who as the youngest lacked the experience of his elder brothers.

"Lay out the rules," Justin said. "Enforce them with the sternest of punishments. Don't back down, not for reasoning, tears or pretty pouts. Spank them until their bottoms are red as the sunset and drive any grain of pity from your hearts. Reward only sincere obedience."

"They will hate us," Ivan said.

"Initially, perhaps," Justin said thoughtfully. "But drawing on our eldest brother's analogy, does not the spirited filly show the strongest loyalty to the one she recognizes as master? Does she not respect he who dominates her completely?"

The brothers nodded. Even the youngest knew horses.

"Then that will be our strategy," Kier announced. "Strict but firm rule from the start."

"And we stick together," Justin said. "Women are tricky. I wouldn't put it above them to try and get us fighting amongst one another."

"Just let the try," said Ivan hotly. "They'll get spanked together if they do. We've been through far too much to let some women come between this, even beautiful ones."

"Here, here," said Leo, standing and raising his cup in a toast.

"To unity," he said.

"To unity," said his brothers and raised their glasses as well.

* * *

The five daughters of King Elgar took breakfast in their room the following morning and then received word from their father to don their very best dresses, as they would soon be summoned to meet their guests.

As Lark lamented that she had nothing suitable to wear, her sisters stood while maids drew the stays on their gowns. Eventually, after some prodding from the others Lark selected a violet gown that matched her eyes and the princesses filed from their suite of rooms looking descended the stair like a living rainbow.

The five sons of Salazar rose from their chairs when the princesses entered the hall and quickly exchanged relieved, appreciative glances. The old king was true to his word; never had the princes of Randor seen such beautiful women.

"May I present my daughters," King Elgar said as the princesses filed past to stand before their guests. Lenora, Fiona, Angelica, Luna and Lark."

He then turned to his daughters.

"And to you, my daughters, I now introduce the five princes of Randor. Kier, Justin, Quentin, Ivan and Leo."

The girls looked at each other and then at their father.

"Randor?" asked Lenora. "Father, do you speak of the late Salazar's conquered kingdom?"

"Yes," her father said.

"Then they aren't really princes, father, for Randor is no more."

"It was defeated, yes" Kier said, his eyes burning with anger at her words. "But one day it will be reclaimed."

"By an army of five exiled princes?" Lenora asked, and there was mirth in her voice that angered Kier even more.

He started to speak up, but before he could, the eldest of King Randor's daughters again addressed her father.

"So why are these sons of Salazar here?" she asked. "Do you offer them sanctuary now?"

Her father smiled patiently and nodded. "Yes, my daughter. I offer them sanctuary. And more. I offer them marriage to my daughters."

"WHAT?" The girls erupted as one. "Marriage? To us? Are you mad, father?"

King Randor put his hands up in an appeal for calm but the girls were in an uproar now, their voices raised and their color high as they looked from one to another, their eyes flashing with fury and indignation.

"This is about male heirs, isn't it, father?" Fiona spat, her green eyes narrowed. "You'd give us and your kingdom to the sons of a failed king who couldn't hold his own lands or life before you'd trust you own blood with it!"

"Daughters..." King Randor began, but he was drowned out again by Angelica.

"You never loved us, did you? Poor mother. At least she died before she could see us so betrayed."

"Please, girls..." King Randor tried again.

"You're mad, father! These men have nothing to offer us. And yet you hand us over as chattel!"

Meanwhile, Lark had burst into tears. "I can't marry a poor man, father. I simply cannot!"

But it was Lenora who continued to speak the loudest.

"This is an outrage father, and it will not be borne. Do you understand? We will not marry these five unworthy princes who have nothing more to offer us than their fine looks."

"Daughter...."

"No," she said, raising her voice now. "The five sons of Salazar are nothing more than fortune hunters who have obviously done a good job convincing an addled old man to hand over all that he has..."

"Lenora, be silent," the king bellowed. "That is not true. I summoned them!"

"If you did then you are truly daft!" Lenora shot back.

And now Kier was on his feet and striding towards her. When he was inches away from Lenora he stopped and stared down at her. He was a handsome man, with shoulder length black hair and a strong, square jaw set in anger.

"Your father did invite us, Princess Lenora," he said. "And now you will apologize not just to your king for embarrassing him in front of guests, but also to me and my brothers for calling us fortune hunters."

Lenora looked at him with a mixture of disgust and disdain. "Me, a daughter of Randor, apologize to you? I shall not. And you, sir, may go to hell."

"Is that your response then?" Prince Kier asked.

"Yes," Lenora seethed. "It most certainly is."

"Very well," he replied and took her by the arm and began dragging her across the room to where a chair sat. When her other sisters made as to rush to her aid they found themselves similarly restrained, each by the man to which she was being betrothed. And thus held fast they could only watch in horror at what happened next.

Prince Kier sat down and threw Princess Lenora across his lap. She fought him vigorously, her blonde hair tumbling from its pins to spill across the floor like a shining golden cover.

Kier adjusted his grip and made sure it was fast before lifting her skirts to reveal her thin, delicate pantalets. He considered removing them, but then decided against it. This was to be his future wife, after all, and some things are only for the eyes of a husband. Besides, the fabric of the undergarment was so thin he was confident that it would afford not protection against what he was about to do.

Kier raised his hand and began to spank Lenora. Hard. She screamed in pain as he did so, for she had never been struck in her life. Within moments her bottom was burning with pain and the ears of everyone in the room were being assailed with the sounds of her curses.

"Son of a whore!" she cried. "Son of a failed dead king!" "Son of a donkey and a goat!"

But Kier ignored her insults, his only response being to strike her even harder until her taunts turned to tears.

Her sisters cried out at the sound of their eldest sobbing.

"Brutish bastard!" Fiona screamed, and Justin pulled her close to him, his mouth just inches from her ear.

"Curse my brother again and you'll find yourself similarly thrashed," he said.

His brothers had delivered similar warnings, and now all the girls were crying, though none louder than Lenora, whose bottom now glowed a deep dusky pink through the thin fabric of her pantalets.

"Help me, father!" she cried through her tears. "Please! Please! Please!"

But when her father only stood watching approvingly from the side without responding, Lenora finally broke down and began to beg mercy of her captor.

"Please stop!" she cried. "It hurts so! Please!"

"Are you ready to apologize?" he asked.

She cried for a moment more, trying to muster enough strength to endure, but she could not as his hand continued to rain punishment down on her helpless bottom.

"Yes!" Princess Lenora finally cried. "Yes! I will!"

Kier stopped. "Very well, but let me warn you, Princess. If you do not stand and apologize to first your father and then me and my brothers I shall return you to this spot and thrash you another fifty times."

He stood her then and she swayed, but held herself upright from force of will.

Lenora was a mess, but even so she was beautiful, even with her blonde hair tear-plastered to her reddened face.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry!" she said between catches of breath. "I'm sorry father."

"And?" Kier boomed.

"I'm sorry, sons of Salazar."

Her sisters gasped. None of them had ever apologized for anything.

From the side their father nodded.

"A good start," he said.

He moved over to where they stood and looked at them, his face suddenly sad.

"It is my failure as a father that has brought me to this decision," he said. "And you are free to hate me. But one day you will thank me for choosing for you just the kind of husbands you need."

When the girls refused to answer, he sighed.

"Very well. Back to your chambers then. There are things I would discussed with your future husbands, and I am sure you would all prefer now to go and comfort your eldest sister."

The girls said nothing, but only shot their father hurt, furious looks as they filed from the haul, their eldest sister in the middle of the flock.

"Will they be all right?" asked Leo.

"That's none of our concern," said Kier. "They need to realize the only peace for them now will come through obedience."

And the old king laughed. "Exactly," he said. "As I said, I have chosen for them well."

Chapter Two

Princess Lenora's younger sisters huddled together, watching wide-eyed as their elder sibling stalked the floor. As soon as they entered the ornate circular parlor ringed by five doors that lead to each princess' separate room, they'd rushed to comfort her. But she'd rounded on them with such an expression of rage that they'd backed off as one.

Now they stood waiting to see what she would do next, for they themselves did not know. None of them had ever known pain, save for the occasional slip and fall or needle prick or tummy ache. Never had anyone in the castle dared raise so much as a finger to them. And now their sister, their
de facto
leader, the strongest and fiercest of them all, had been reduced to tears and babbled apologies by a stranger who had meted out a child's punishment.

When Lenora continued to pace and fume even after her sobs had subsided, the sisters looked from her to Fiona, who understood that she'd been silently designated to try and communicate with the firstborn on their behalf.

Fiona stood, uncertainly and made her way over to Lenora until she was standing in her path.

Lenora stopped and looked at her and then Fiona - who always chose her words carefully - knew just what to say to make things better.

"We will avenge you," she said, and Lenora responded by throwing her arms about Fiona's neck just as the other three sisters ran over to embrace the pair, offering assurances that they would not let this Terrible Thing go unanswered.

When Lenora unwound herself from her sister's clutches, her demeanor was calmer, but her face was just as grim.

"We will need to think this through," she said, "for I fear, sisters, that our normally amenable father will not be moved on his decision to marry us off to these, these...robber princes."

She looked at them, from one to the other, determined that the import of her next words would not be lost on any of them.

"And these men," she said, "are not to be trifled with. They are determined not just to marry us, but to have us follow meekly from day one. However, while our father may have forgotten his greatness as King Elgar, we have not forgotten our greatness as his daughters? Have we?"

Her sisters all shook their heads in earnest.