Melani Rising Ch. 02

Today was Melani's eighteenth birthingday. It had started as a great day, her family arriving from the neighboring villages to join in her celebration of womanhood. Even her aunt Trudi had come from Vail, a distant city Melani had only heard of from travelers and any correspondence aunt Trudi took the time to send their way.

Melani had always loved her aunt Trudi and looked forward to the rare times she would come to visit. Trudi was never afraid to state her mind and had the eclectic personality of one who refused to conform to anyone's lifestyle in order to gain their respect. Trudi had the full body that came from mature womanhood and Melani had always envied that.

Melani had been in this very room when Trudi arrived. She had been fastening the last button on her birthing dress when the knock came at the door. She opened it wide to come face to face with aunt Trudi's glorious smile. Trudi bustled through the doorway and wrapped her arms around Melani.

"Oh, look at you," Trudi went on, "You have grown into a perfect woman! Has it been so long since I saw you last?"

Melani blushed. "It hasn't been that long aunt Trudi. A few summers. You were here when Momma passed. You and father were up 'til dawn making arrangements for us."

Trudi averted her eyes for a moment. "Yes, your dear mother," Trudi began, "Merin would be proud of you, Melani. You have been through so much. And there is so much ahead of you. I have something for you."

Trudi led Melani over to the window seat and sat down next to her. She removed a small, neatly wrapped package and handed it to Melani.

Oh, aunt Trudi," Melani smiled, "I am so happy to see you! That is gift enough."

"Hush, child," Trudi replied smiling back, "I could not come to you on a day like today and not offer something of myself. Open it before I jump out of my skin from the wait."

Melani tugged the ribbon from the package and unwrapped the box. Inside stood a small box crafted from leather. Lifting the lid she gasped. Inside lie a tiny silver dagger hanging from a chain. She lifted it out of the box and held it up to the light.

The dagger spun on its chain as it caught the light and cast it outward. At first glance it appeared silver but as it captured the light it seemed to cast all the colors of the rainbow forth. There were runes carved into the small silver sheath the blade was nestled in. Melani gazed intently at the symbols but did not recognize the language.

"Aunt Trudi, it's wonderful! Thank you," Melani placed the silver chain around her neck. The dagger nestled between her breasts, chilling her flesh from the cold metal, causing her nipples to momentarily harden with the change in temperature.

"I thought it might come in handy," Trudi said, "In the days to come."

Melani frowned at Trudi. "What do you mean, in the days to come?"

Trudi gripped her hands. "Your father has surely told you," Her voice trailed off.

Both women jumped as the door flew open. Melani's father stepped in to the room, a sneer on his face. Trudi and Melani rose to meet him. Melani felt the cold sting of his hand against her face as she fell back on the bed.

"Father?" Melani's voiced trembled as she touched her aching cheek, "What is the matter?" She struggled to rise from the bed but she could not. Something was holding her in place. It took her a second to realize Trudi had a hold of her shoulders.

"It's best not to fight this, my dear," She said. Trudi moved her hands off of Melani's shoulders and wrapped them under her chin. Trudi's forearms touched Melani's cheeks and her hands linked under Melani's chin to hold her immobile.

Melani did not understand what was happening. Her father stepped to the foot of the bed. "You evil little bitch," he spat as he spoke, "Your mother's death is all your fault. Had it not been for your evil ways none of this would have happened."

As he spoke she could feel Trudi's fingers working their way down her throat, along the curve of her breasts. Her hands followed the curves of her breasts, trailing along the underside of them and lifting them up slightly. Melani could feel the warmth of her hands even through the fabric of the birthingday dress she wore. Trudi's forearms continued to lie across her shoulders and neck, forcing her down into the mattress.

Suddenly her father reached out and grabbed the dress where her beautiful breasts met. He took one side in each bear like paw and pulled with as much force as he could muster. The material ripped as the buttons pulled loose, flying away to the four corners of the room to strike with such an impact she thought they must have lodged in their surroundings. Although her mind was reeling from all that was going on, she continued to look at those hands and think how little they looked like the ones her father had used the evening before to slice the bread.

"No more," Her father panted as aunt Trudi continued to fondle her breasts and speak in hushed tones of the greatness to be bestowed upon her. "You took my love away from me," Her father snarled as he gazed down at her, a desire she had never seen now present on his face, "And I shall have that love back. You shall take her place in the kitchen and in our bedroom."

Melani blinked and her father was over her, no longer dressed, his weight pressing against her. She could smell his breath, like something filled with rotting meat. His flesh seemed to change as he spoke to her.

"You will learn to love what I am doing," He sneered, spittle running down his lips to land on her cheek as she fought his grip. She could still feel Trudi's hands on her breasts, somewhere between her father and herself, Trudi's nails digging in to the soft flesh of her breasts the more she resisted. She shook her head to try to dislodge the spittle and her father was gone, replaced by the Brayer.

She felt the beast forcing her legs open. Its massive hands held her wrists against the mattress as Trudi continued to caress her breasts, occasionally tweaking a nipple, a smile of rapture on her face.

She felt the tip of the Brayers maleness along the inside of her thigh, so hard and insistent. She felt wetness between her legs. Why was she so wet? The Brayer reared up over her as its hardness thrust into her. She tried to scream, it was so large, but she felt Trudi's lips covering her mouth, quieting her efforts to be rescued.

The Brayer's massive hard on slid into her, spreading her so far she thought she would be split in two. She felt it thrusting in to her as the tips of its fingers dug into the flesh of her shoulders. Trudi was no longer touching her but she could still hear her voice whispering of the greatness to come.

She struggled to rise, bucking her hips and thrashing her head from side to side. The creature took it as a sign of encouragement and thrust deeper, harder than before. Melani felt as if she were in a dream, outside of her body, as her hips rose to take the beast ever deeper into her body.

As the creature exploded into her body, filling her with its seed, she felt her own orgasm overtaking her, spilling warmth into her, and a satisfaction she had never felt. The beast collapsed on her, its weight threatening to steal every breath that remained in her body.

Its lips brushed against the side of her cheek as it spoke. "You will always belong to me, little slut."

That voice.

She opened her eyes to gaze into the face of the emperor. Melani screamed. She struggled to rise from his weight, the weight of her father, the weight of the beast........

Melani gasped as her eyes flew open. Darkness was everywhere. She was in the cave. A dream, it had all been a horrible dream. She was covered in deer skins, the weight pressing against her and filling her with warmth. She struggled to work her way out from under them, sweat covering her body.

As her eyes adjusted to the light she noticed a pile of something next to the skins. She gagged as she realized what it was. Deer meat, left out for who knows how long, raw and rank. She had no aversion to eating meat; she could not eat it raw. She used her foot to scoot it as far away from her bedding as she could.

Her eyes searched for the Brayer. It was nowhere in sight. She was surprised that it had gone to the trouble of covering her, trying to locate food for her. She shuddered as she remembered her dream, of the beast forcing itself into her, and of the previous day when the creature did take her. Anger filled her as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Stop this," She thought to herself, "Crying will not save you. The emperor no longer has you. While this beast may think that it now owns your flesh you have a mind, and the flesh is still yours to command. You are a free woman if you choose to be."

She searched her surroundings for a way out. She walked toward the opening she had used to enter this cavern. It sat on a ledge far above her head. She could not reach it from the floor of the cavern. Nor did it appear as large as she remembered. She did not think her body could squeeze through it now.

As she walked around the cavern floor looking for a method of escape she thought of her dream. It had seemed so real, yet most of those things hadn't happened. Trudi had come to her and given her the necklace. She still had it, the only possession she still owned from her previous life, and only because it pleased the emperor. She wore it around her waist now, as he had ordered.

Her father had never attacked her, never tried to have his way with her. Her father's biggest betrayal had been when the guards came. He had allowed her to be taken by them, away from her family, to become a slave to the emperor for the rest of her days. While not the same, she did indeed feel violated.

Melani stopped. She found herself standing on a platform not far from the pool of water she had bathed in before the beast took her. The limited light cast shadows along the corner behind the pool, leading downward. She walked over to that far wall and found a path leading away from the pool, down into the unknown. Placing one hand against the cold stone of the wall, she stepped down into the blackness.

The path curved downward at a narrow degree, so slight that it would not be noticeable by most. Melani was attuned to everything that was going on around her now, her fear and desire for freedom so great. Down she went, surrounded by darkness and the occasional glimmer of light from a pool or a crack in the high walls allowing the faintest trickle of sunlight to enter and be swallowed.

Her foot slid on loose pebbles as she turned a corner and sunlight poured over her. An opening in the cavern ceiling allowed a small area of light to flood the cavern. She squinted and blinked, the light too much for her now that she had become accustomed to the darkness. As her eyes adjusted she noticed another path veering off to the right. This could be her chance. She quickly made her way toward it.

As Melani made her way toward the path she heard a skittering noise over her shoulder. She turned, her eyes taking in her surroundings quickly. She saw nothing and sighed, her nervousness overtaking her other senses. As she stepped into the passageway she ran into something hard. She gazed up into the face of the Brayer.

Quickly Melani hopped back and began to run for the opposite side of the cavern. She made her way up a ledge and turned to watch the beast behind her.

The Brayer lumbered in to the cavern, a distant, confused look on its face. It carried a bundle of something in its arms. It staggered as it entered the cavern, shook its head, and stepped forward again. It stopped suddenly to turn and look directly at her. Melani could feel its eyes burning into hers. The beast made a mewling noise and collapsed, its bundle spreading across the cavern floor like flotsam carried in with the tide.

Melani knew this was her chance, if she was only brave enough to take it.