by Van ©2015
		Chapter 9

Either by lucky coincidence or as a result of elaborate planning on the part of the Mistress of Tauton house, Hayden's next day off was the start of a three day weekend.  Hayden realized, of course, that while Sharon was both Mistress of the House and the Omnipotent Umpire of all games therein, it was somewhat unlikely she had the ability to manipulate time in general, and the calendar in particular.  Also, while Hayden was still the junior Librarian, she was out of her informal probationary period, no longer pulled more than her share of weekend duty, and just happened to not be in the rotation to work any of the three days in question.  That could only be coincidence, Hayden was sure.

Anyway... tomorrow, Saturday, would be the day of the Third Trial—the one with Chloe in charge—the one in which the tall blonde (compared to the towheaded Pink Hobbit) would be the one rendering her utterly helpless and doing unspeakable things to her.  At least I'll have two full days to recover, Hayden thought as she strolled home from work.

Was Hayden worried?  Yes, of course, just like before, before Dorothy strapped her to her bed and "tortured" her with repeated orgasms.  And was she... aroused?  Also yes, although aroused might not be the right word.  That aspect of Hayden's emotions was rather complex.  Perhaps something like "nervous expectancy" (with a side of tingling dampness between the legs) was a better descriptor.

Andrea had used rope.  Dorothy had used leather straps (mostly).  What would Chloe use?  What would Chloe use to render her helpless?  And what would she do to her afterwards?

Well, I'll find out tomorrow, Hayden thought with a sigh as she passed through the unique Celtic knot-pattern fence and iron gate Chloe had crafted for Tauton House, strolled down the walkway and up the steps to the porch, and reached for the knob of the front door.  Hayden paused.  She could see distorted movement through the sidelights of rippled glass on either side of the door, and then the door opened on its own.

Sharon and Dorothy emerged.  Both were dressed in heels, skirts or dresses, and overcoats.  Obviously, they were going out.

"Ah, there you are," Sharon said, and gave Hayden a quick kiss.  "Dorothy and I are visiting a friend of mine, so this evening you'll have the place to yourselves."

"Meaning you and Chloe and Andy," Dorthy explained, unnecessarily.  She then went up on her toes and also kissed Hayden.

"Welcome home, dear," Sharon added.  "Don't wait up for us."

"Girls night out!" Dorothy added with a wink, then followed Sharon down the steps.

"Uh, bye!" Hayden called after them, then turned and entered the house.  I wonder who this friend of Sharon's might be, she thought as she removed her coat and hung it from a coat hook, and what's for supper?  "Oh!" Turning to head for the kitchen, she'd almost walked directly into Chloe.

"You're home," Chloe observed.  She was dressed in her usual at-home uniform of sneakers, jeans, and a tank-top.  Her welcoming smile was just a tad... sinister, but Hayden decided that was probably just her imagination.

"Uh, hi," Hayden said.  "What's for—"

"Go upstairs and take a shower," Chloe ordered.

Hayden frowned.  "I'd just as soon—"

"Your Third Trial has begun," Chloe explained, still smiling.  "You may address me as Mistress."  She stepped aside and indicated the stairs to the upper floors with a sweeping gesture. "Go.  Shower."

"Uh, yes... Mistress."  Hayden passed her Mistress-for-the-evening and headed for the stairs.  Well, she thought, this is unexpected.

"And be sure and take a tinkle," Chloe called after her.

Hayden felt a slight blush burn her cheeks.  "Yes, Mistress," she muttered.

Hayden took a quick shower, as ordered.  She didn't really enjoy it.  Her apprehension had built to something of a crest, or a peak, or... whatever.  Anyway, Chloe's attitude was unexpectedly harsh, gruff, and very much in charge.  The Hobbits had been playfully wicked.  Chloe was being just plain... wicked.  Hayden turned off the water, opened the shower curtain, reached for her towel, and began drying herself.  Her body quickly transitioned from wet to damp to dry, but her hair would be another matter.  She used the towel to start the drying process, but it would take her brush and hand-dryer to finish the job.  The towel was draped completely over her head and she was using both hands to dry her hair.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, someone entered, and Hayden's hands were seized and pulled behind her back.  "Hey!"  Naked, the towel still over her head, she felt cold steel close around her wrists with a pair of solid clicks.  "What the hell?"  Her wrists were now permanently crossed behind her back by some sort of metal cuffs, and the restraint was one piece and not separate cuffs joined by either a short chain or a hinge. The cuffs were rigid and locked her wrists in the crossed position.

The towel was jerked from Hayden's head and she tossed her head to clear her still damp locks from her face.  The mirror was still fogged, so she had to turn to see who had perpetrated this outrage.  It was Chloe, of course, and she was standing behind Hayden with a sinister, gloating smile on her face.  Hayden frowned.  "What do you think you're—Mrrrpfh!"

Chloe had grabbed Hayden and spun her around, then stuffed a wadded cloth into her mouth.  And now she was winding a long, narrow cloth bandage around Hayden's head, across the cloth, and between her teeth, cinching and tightening it into a thick, tight, multi-layered cleave-gag.  She paused to pull the tangled strands of Hayden's damp hair free of the gag, gave it a final cinch to tighten it even further—"Mrrrf!"—then tied a redundant square-knot.

Hayden squirmed and continued mewling through her gag, but Chloe had a firm grip on her arms and was pinning her against the bathroom sink.  Chloe was doing something to the cuffs trapping her wrists and she turned her head to try and determine what, but between her tangled hair and awkward position she couldn't see much of anything.

"These things lock automatically," Chloe purred, apparently noting Hayden's interest, "but it's best to double-lock them with an Allen-wrench.  Hold still.  This'll only take a few seconds."

"Mrrpfh!"

Chloe was correct.  It did only take a few seconds, then Hayden's captor took a handful of her still damp hair in her right hand, and led (meaning dragged) her from the bathroom and down the hall to Chloe's own bedroom.

Hayden was plopped down on Chloe's bed and she watched as Chloe knelt and locked heavy steel shackles around her ankles.  They were similar in weight and design to her wrist cuffs, but were separate and connected by five links of heavy chain.  They had one more thing in common with the wrist cuffs: they required double-locking with the Allen-wrench.  Hayden watched as Chloe spun the L-shaped tool in a tiny hole in the edge of each of the shackles.  The butterflies frantically fluttering in Hayden's stomach very much hoped her trust in the beautiful blonde wasn't misplaced.

Chloe, having finished with the Allen-wrench and satisfied with the security of the shackles, lifted Hayden to her feet and led her to the middle of the bedroom.  Needless to say, Hayden's steps were now severely abbreviated.

"Wait here," Chloe ordered, then released Hayden's arm and strolled to her closet.

Hayden watched Chloe open the closet door, stoop down, and rummage in a cardboard box.  Hayden glanced at the closed bedroom door, considering the prospect of making a break for freedom.  She'd agreed to the Trial, but... Captured damsels are supposed to make escape attempts, weren't they?  Maybe Chloe is expecting me to 'sprint' for the door.  More likely, she decided with a gagged sigh, I'll trip on the chain and do a face-plant.  She turned back to the closet and her eyes popped wide.  "Mrrrk?"

A wicked smile curling her lips, Chloe was returning with a steel object in her hands, and that object was unmistakably a chastity belt!

Staring at the gleaming metal device in wide-eyed horror, Hayden backpedaled towards the bed as swiftly as her shackles would allow, which was not very swiftly at all.

"I told you to wait," Chloe chuckled.  "Disobedient damsels are punished.  I'd really hate it if you made me punish you."  She pointed at the center of the carpet, again.  "Right here, Titian," she purred.

Hayden sighed, again.  The butterflies wanted her to continue fleeing, but it was pointless.  She clinked and clanked her way back to her former position.

"Feet apart," Chloe ordered.

Her heart hammering and the butterflies fluttering at a new level of Lepidopteral panic, Hayden separated her shackled ankles until the connecting chain lifted off the carpet and went taut.  A shiver rippled through her body as Chloe closed the belt around her waist.  It was cold (okay, cool) and locked with a solid click in front, directly under her navel.  And the shiver intensified when Chloe lifted the belt's centerpiece dangling between her legs until it cleaved her butt-cheeks and cupped her pussy.  It also clicked as it locked in place.  Still shivering, she watched as Chloe inserted the Allen-wrench in another of the tiny holes and spun it several times, double-locking the belt, like her wrist-cuffs and shackles.

"First time wearing steel panties?" Chloe inquired.

Chloe's gloating smile was truly infuriating, but Hayden was preoccupied by the sensation of the "steel panties" in question.  Her heart was still pounding and now her pussy was throbbing with the same rhythm, just a little.  Her labia were pressed against the steel—not squashed, but definitely pressed.  Also, the section cleaving her butt was something between snug and tight, but nowhere near punishing.  The feeling was... unique... unique to her experience, anyway.

Still smiling her gloating smile, Chloe began combing her fingers through Hayden's still slightly damp, tangled hair.  "Metal is my artistic and professional life," she purred, "so the Third Trial will be one of steel."

Her green eyes locked with her Trial Mistress, Hayden continued to shiver, although she wasn't cold.  As always, the air of Tauton House was adequately heated and her hair was nearly dry—seriously tousled, but nearly dry.  The chill, if she could call it that, was in her soul.  She was naked, captured, bound and gagged—a damsel-in-distress—and her "distress" was simultaneously real and pretend.  This was a game, but more than a game.  She tugged on her rigid, unforgiving cuffs.  More than a game.

Chloe returned to the closet for one more item: a steel collar with an attached chain.  The collar closed around Hayden's neck with another click, then was doubled-locked with the Allen-wrench.  It was heavy and smooth, with well-rounded edges, like the rest of Hayden's steel bonds, and its pendant chain was something like five feet in length, long enough for its last few links to form a pool on the carpet at Hayden's shackled feet. 

"Mrrrpfh?"  Chloe had grabbed hold of the end of the chain and was leading her from the bedroom.

"Come with me," Chloe said (unnecessarily).  "I have something special to show you."

Hayden minced after her smiling mistress as quickly as she could.  Chloe was walking at slightly less than her usual pace, and fortunately, the chain connecting Hayden's shackles was just long enough for her to keep up.  They left the bedroom and headed down the hallway for the stairs.

Bondage-wise, Hayden found that she had three issues to deal with: (1) her shortened steps, thanks to the shackles and their connecting chain, (2) the belt hugging her crotch as she took those shortened steps, and (3) the chain tugging on her collar.  Progress was somewhat slow, especially on the stairs, but she could tell Chloe was taking care that she didn't trip and fall.  Hayden had to admit her restraints were "comfortable," including the belt, meaning nothing pinched or scraped against her skin, but the sensation of walking with her loins clad in unforgiving steel was... different.  Hayden needed time to process the situation, but first, she had to see where Chloe was taking her.

They made their way to the kitchen, then down the stairs to the basement.  The only lights glowing were over the stairs and in front of the sauna and its neighboring shower, and Hayden could see the telltale glow of the red LED that indicated the sauna was powered up and in its heating cycle.  They passed the sauna and continued down one of the basement's side-corridors.  Hayden had never gotten around to exploring the labyrinth of subterranean rooms past the front area, but apparently tonight was the night she'd get to at least partially satisfy her curiosity.

As Hayden had noted earlier, once past the laundry and sauna areas in the front, the cleanliness level of the basement left much to be desired.  There was dirt and dust underfoot, not enough to cut or even irritate Hayden's bare feet, but it was clear a good sweeping was way overdue.  The soles of my feet will be filthy, she realized as she shuffled along in Chloe's wake, then heaved a gagged sigh.  Make that my feet are already filthy.  There was light—a very weak, very dim light—emanating from weakly glowing bulbs in cobweb covered, widely separated fixtures overhead.  They struggled to illuminate door after wooden door on either side, all secured with hefty hasps and modern padlocks.  Hayden knew her unused furniture was stored in one of those rooms, but down one of the other corridors.

The parade of two, Chloe and her steel-bound and gagged, naked prisoner, made a turn and the light of the front area was left completely behind.  By this time, Hayden's vision had adjusted to the semi-darkness, but there was nothing much to see, simply more dirty floor, more weakly glowing lights, and more padlocked doors.  This place is huge, she thought.  Of course, Tauton House itself, meaning the structure over their heads, could also be called huge, or maybe just large; but the maze-like nature of the back basement seemed to be playing with Hayden's sense of scale.  At least, that's what she thought might be happening.  Either that or the underground complex extended beyond the actual footprint of the house and under the back garden.  Hayden decided that was unlikely.  In any case, Tauton House had a lot of storage capacity, that was for sure.

Finally, they negotiated another turn and Chloe paused before a door much like all the others.  Hayden watched as Chloe pulled a key ring from her pocket and unlocked the door's padlock, then flicked a switch and opened the door.  The space beyond was small but brightly lit, relative to the dim corridor, and appeared to be empty, except for a decrepit, freestanding wooden wardrobe pushed against the back wall.

Chloe tugged on the collar-chain, Hayden entered the room, and the grinning blonde closed the door behind her.  She then strolled to the wardrobe, turned to smile at her prisoner, then reached her hand behind the edge of the back-right side.  Hayden heard a quiet click, then Chloe gave a heave and the entire wardrobe swung open like a door.  Its left side was mounted on heavy-duty hinges set directly into the wall, and as it completed its opening arc, Hayden beheld a second door, a door unlike any she'd yet seen at Tauton House.  It was normal in size, but constructed of heavy timbers reinforced with iron straps and studded with heavy bolts.  The straps were in the same Celtic knot pattern as the fence and front gate and Hayden surmised they were more of Chloe's handiwork.  The door was secured by a very hefty iron slide-bolt and a modern high-security padlock.  Finally, there was a small port with a wooden cover set in the door at viewing height.  The portal all but screamed "Dungeon!"

"Sharon said you're a fan of the Stone Tower at Foxwood," Chloe said as she unlocked the padlock and threw back the bolt.  "We can't compete with Jillian's dungeon cells, torture chambers, and oubliette, but we do our best."

Her eyes wide, the butterflies in her tummy frantic and fluttering, (and her steel-encased pussy tingling), Hayden beheld the space beyond.  It was something like five feet wide, ten, possibly twelve feet deep, and with a low, six foot ceiling.  And everything—floor, walls, and ceiling—were rough-faced stone, or possibly concrete blocks made to resemble stone.  A modest scattering of straw or hay was piled against the far wall.  Finally, a hefty iron ring was set in the far wall about two feet above the floor, directly opposite the door.  Hayden turned to Chloe.  "Mrrrk?"

"Yes," Chloe purred with a sinister smile.  "Your Third Trial will be to languish in Sharon's dungeon, also known as the 'Time Out Room' or the 'Bad Hobbit Hole,' until early Tuesday morning."

"Nrrrf!"  Hayden took a step back, nearly tripping on her shackles, but was checked by the taut collar-chain still in Chloe's hands.

"Easy there, Titian," Chloe chuckled, then pulled in the slack until captor and captive were face to face.  "High-roll categories can also have a temporal element.  I could pile on the chains until you were a steel mummy and call that category-six..."  The chain held close in her left hand, she began gently combing her fingers through the tangles in Hayden's tousled hair.  "Or, I can lock you in steel in what is arguably only a category-three or four, then can lock you in Sharon's dungeon and leave you to rot."  Her smile became a mischievous smirk.  "And by 'rot' I mean languish in true, medieval, damsel-in-distress style."

Hayden's heart was pounding, and the butterflies seemed to have collectively fainted and dropped to the floor of her stomach, where they formed an unsettling lump.  She shook her head (and ignored the delicate thrill rippling through her steel-encased pussy).  "Mrrpfh."

"Don't blame me," Chloe chuckled.  "You're the one who wants to play the advanced game.  C'mon."

"Nrrrf!"  Hayden resisted as best she could, but Chloe was dragging her into the cell!  "Mrrf!"  She stutter-stepped, her shackle chain rattling and scraping on the stone floor, but could do little to impede either Chloe's progress or her own.  She watched as Chloe used an antique padlock to lock the end of her collar-chain to the iron ring, then—"Mrrf!"—her Trial Mistress pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her gagged lips.  Hayden's bonds prevented her from returning the embrace, of course, just as the gag prevented her from returning the kiss.  She squirmed and mewled as Chloe continued kissing her face and nuzzling her neck, as well as squeezing her breasts and caressing her arms, tummy, and hips with her strong hands—"M'mpfh!"—then, Chloe released her and was striding out the door.

Hayden screamed through her gag and tried to follow—"Mrrrrrf!"—but was checked by the collar-chain while she was still several feet from the door.  She watched in horror as the door swung closed with a loud thud, plunging her into total darkness!  This was followed by a second, muffled thud, which she took to be the sound of the bolt sliding home.  "Mrrf?"  Suddenly, the viewing hatch opened and she beheld Chloe's smiling face.  The inside of the hatch was covered by a grid of hefty iron bars.

"There's a wooden bucket in the corner, in case you need to relieve yourself," Chloe purred.  "I'm afraid there's no room service, so you're going to get a little hungry and thirsty.  But don't worry, it's only three days and three nights.  I'll wake you up early Tuesday morning in plenty of time to shower, get dressed, and enjoy a hearty breakfast before work.  Pleasant languishing!"  And with that, she closed the hatch, once again plunging the cell and its incredulous occupant into darkness.

Hayden's heart was still pounding, and the lump of unconscious butterflies still occupied her stomach.  She stared at the closed and locked door for several seconds—or rather, she stared into the darkness in the direction of the closed and locked door—then shuffled back to the wall, carefully, so as not to run into its rough, unforgiving stones.  She then settled into the straw underfoot and got as comfortable as she could.

Well, she decided, if ever there was a 'be careful what you wish for' situation... this is it.

An hour passed, at least an hour, possibly two.  The stone floor was hard, and the straw under her naked and chained body was of limited value.  If her hands weren't locked behind her back, Hayden though she might have been able to gather most or all of the straw together and form a proper cushion, but Chloe's rigid cuffs made this exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.

Hayden found her sense of time beginning to drift.  She knew she had something like seventy hours to go until Chloe said she would return, but bound as she was, and in total darkness, how could she possibly keep track of the time?  All she could do was... languish.  That was the word Chloe had used, and Hayden-the-librarian knew it to be entirely appropriate.  Languish.  But languishing in darkness wasn't something she'd previously imagined, meaning fantasized about.  Chained to the wall in one of Jillian Foxwood's "Princess Cells" in the Stone Tower?  Yes.  Wearing her medieval gown with her hair properly arranged in French braids, helpless in the iron collar and long chain securing her to the wall, the tower cell's door properly locked, forced to make do with the rustic furniture so far beneath her station, perhaps sadly gazing through the bars of her cell's narrow window at the lawn and forest below?  Yes.  Waiting for her knight-in-shining-armor to rescue her, or Robin Hood and his Merry Men to storm the Keep, or for Xena and Gabrielle to sneak in and set her free?  Yes.  That was supposed to be "languishing," not—

Hayden's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the dungeon door's latch sliding back.  Then, the door swung open on oil-hungry hinges, Hayden blinked in the sudden light, and she beheld a female figure silhouetted in the bright light of the ante-dungeon, and soon realized that figure was—Sharon!

"Mrrrf?"  Hayden noted that Sharon was wearing the same heels, skirt, and blouse she'd been wearing when she'd left the house with Dorothy and abandoned Poor Hayden to Mistress Chloe's tender mercies.

"You didn't really think we'd leave you down here for three days, did you?" Sharon chuckled, then entered the cell and unlocked the end of Hayden's collar-chain from the wall.  "I know you missed dinner," the Mistress of Tauton House continued, "so I have a snack waiting for you upstairs." 

Hayden was overcome with relief.  She was hungry, and she had thought Chloe was going to leave her chained in the dungeon until Tuesday.  Sharon helped her to her shackled feet, then led her from the cell.

"There, there, dear," Sharon cooed, brushing tears from Hayden's cheeks.  "Can you walk?"

Hayden nodded.  She could walk.  She was walking.  Sharon had the end of the collar-chain in her right hand and was leading her through the wardrobe-secret-door, out into the hallway, and now they were returning to the front basement, or so Hayden assumed.  The journey continued, and finally, the lights of the front area glowed ahead, and they were there.

Hayden's eyes popped wide—"Mrrrf?"—and she froze in place.  There had been a few changes.

1. The red LED on the sauna's control panel was dark and had been replaced by a green LED, signalling that the sauna was at target temperature.  The distance was too great for Hayden to read the setting depicted on the thermostat's LCD screen.
2. In addition to the light fixtures over the sauna door, shower, and stairs, a fixture was shining over the center of the space.
3. And standing under that new pool of light was a very naked and very bound and gagged Chloe Brandt!

Hayden decided the word "standing" might be technically correct, but was inadequate.  Chloe was up on her toes, bent forward at the waist, and with her arms behind her back and elevated towards the ceiling.  Hayden recognized the notorious strappado torture of the Holy Inquisition!  Generous bands of thin, white rope bound poor Chloe's wrists and ankles, as well as her lower legs, across her shins and calves, above and below her knees, her mid-thighs, her arms, above and below her elbows, and the elbows in question were very nearly touching.

In addition, an elaborate harness of rope encircled her torso from shoulders to waist to crotch, bisecting her butt-cheeks and labia!  In addition, strands of the harness encircled the base of each of her breasts, causing them to bulge and take on an uncharacteristic dark shade of pink, instead of their usual vibrant tan.  Vertical or near vertical ropes stretched up to the rafters from her wrists, elbows, the torso harness, and her braided, folded, and bound blond hair.  All of the ropes were equally taut, and it was they that were keeping Chloe up on her toes, especially the crotch-rope!

The suffering blonde—and by her expression, it was clear that Hayden's supposed "Trial Mistress" was suffering—had something substantial crammed in her mouth, and it was held there by a tight cleave-gag of several more strands of white rope.

Oh-by-the-way, there was an additional detail:  Chloe's nipples were captured in the steel grip of a pair of spring-loaded, self-tightening nipple clamps joined by a light steel chain!  Also, her big toes were tied together with thin white cord, and a vertical length of the same cord linked the middle of the nipple-clamp chain to the toes in question!  And that cord appeared to be—to coin a phrase—as taut as a fiddle string!

Finally, a leather whip, a cat-of-nine-tails, if Hayden wasn't mistaken, was on the floor at Chloe's ankle- and toe-bound feet, where the helpless prisoner could see it.  Actually, Hayden noted, the hideous thing had more than nine tails, possibly as many as twenty, but there were no knots or iron barbs and spurs worked into its tails and designed to turn the victim's back to mincemeat, as was common with many of the historical examples of "cats" Hayden had read about.  The tails of this flogger's tool were all long, smooth ribbons of gleaming leather.

Meanwhile, while Hayden had been absorbing Chloe's plight with horrified eyes, Sharon had wrapped the end of her collar chain around a steel support column and formed a loose hitch.  "Stay," she ordered, obviously addressing Hayden, then walked past Chloe to the sauna and opened its door.

Hayden heard the familiar soprano chorus of "Close the door!" from inside the sauna, followed by giggling.  Obviously, the cedar-lined furnace was infested with sweaty, naked Hobbits.  Hayden would have smiled, but was still too horrified by Chloe's plight.

"You girls are about done," Sharon stated, addressing the unseen Hobbits.

"Actually, Mistress," Andrea's voice answered, "we've only been in here about ten minutes."

"Eight," Dorothy's voice corrected her lover.

"Okay, eight," Andrea conceded, "and—"

"I said," Sharon interrupted, "you girls are about done."

"Yes, Mistress," the Hobbits answered in unison, followed by more giggling.

Sharon closed the door, cutting off the giggling, and shook her head and smiled as she strolled to Hayden.  She released the collar-chain and led Hayden past Chloe and up the stairs.  "Mrrrf?"  Hayden looked back at Chloe's naked, stringently and precariously bound body for as long as she could, but had no choice but to follow.

Sharon's destination was her own bedroom, the master (Mistress) suite on the second floor.  She sat Hayden on the bed, then untied and released her cleave-gag, eased the cloth stuffing from her mouth, and tossed them away.

Hayden worked her jaw and licked her lips.  "Chloe!" she finally managed to gasp.

"Don't worry about Chloe," Sharon chuckled, smiling and combing her fingers through Hayden's straw-infested, tousled hair.  "What you saw was a demonstration for your benefit.  There are high-roll situations I'm willing to let you experience, and some for which I think you're not yet ready."

"But," Hayden objected, "they're torturing her."  Sharon's fingers continued combing her tangled locks, removing straw and restoring some semblance of order.

"Chloe is more than up to a little predicament bondage and butt-flogging," Sharon purred, "and afterwards, the girls will take her to bed with them and extract a few orgasms from her helpless body."

"But..."  A shiver rippled through Hayden's pussy and up her spine.  "Orgasms?"

"Orgasms," Sharon confirmed, "and I'm sure she'll return the favor."

"But... she's all tied up," Hayden objected.

Sharon smiled and stood, leaving Hayden still sitting on the bed.  She then turned and strolled into her walk-in closet.  "There are ways," Sharon's voice carried back into the bedroom.  "And we're going to teach you."

Hayden blushed.  Actually, she realized she was already blushing.  "T-teach me?"  Then, her eyes popped wide and she gasped.

Sharon was reentering the bedroom, and now she was naked, as naked as Hayden or Chloe and the sweaty Hobbits down below—even more naked than Hayden and Chloe, as Mistress was neither in chains nor bound with rope.

Hayden had seen Sharon naked before.  Mistress did use the sauna now and then.  She also sunbathed in the backyard, on occasion.  Sharon was in remarkable shape.  I hope I look half as good as she does when I'm in my sixties, Hayden thought, and not for the first time.  The captive-in-chains did her best not to stare as Sharon arranged the bed's many pillows in a pile against the headboard, gracefully reclined, then motioned for Hayden to join her.  Soon, despite her chains and with her Mistress' help, Hayden found herself similarly reclined against the pillows at Sharon's side.

Sharon reached over to the bedside table opposite Hayden, poured red wine from a carafe into a stemmed glass, took a delicate sip, then held it to Hayden's lips.

It was a delicious and most welcome burgundy.  Hayden took a somewhat more generous sip than Sharon's, then watched as Mistress returned the glass to the table, then removed a silver cover from a small tray, revealing a neatly stacked plate of finger sandwiches.

"Roast beef, Black Forest Ham, and smoked turkey breast," Sharon purred, "and I think there may be a few corned beef and pastrami in the mix.  Which would you like?"

Hayden's mouth was watering.  "All of them."

Sharon laughed, selected one of the tiny sandwiches at random, and fed it to her prisoner.  "Now, about the rest of the Third Trial..." she purred.

The sandwich was roast beef on French bread, with just the right amount of creamy horseradish sauce.  Hayden savored the flavors as she chewed... then swallowed.  "Third Trial?" she asked.  "I thought it was over."

"Silly girl," Sharon chuckled as she selected another sandwich.  This one appeared to be a tiny club: ham, turkey, and bacon, with cheese, lettuce, and a slice of tomato.  "You will be spending three days in our dungeon."  She presented the sandwich and Hayden took a generous bite.  "But not three nights."

Hayden chewed and swallowed the first half of the sandwich, then the second half before responding.  "The dungeon?"

Sharon nodded, then gave her captive another sip of wine.  "In the morning, Chloe will replace your cuffs with a pair of manacles more-or-less the same as your shackles.  She really is a talented metalworker, don't you think?"

Hayden's mind was still focused on her looming fate.  "The dungeon?"

Sharon smiled and fed Hayden a third sandwich: corned beef on rye with stone-ground mustard.  "As for the nights..."

Hayden chewed and swallowed, her eyes locked with her Sharon's.

"Tomorrow night you'll be the property of the Hobbits," Sharon explained.  "You'll be wearing Chloe's belt throughout the entire trial, day and night, except for showers and bathroom breaks, but there's all sorts of things they'll be able to teach you."

Hayden's blush deepened, but she couldn't think of anything clever to say... or anything stupid, for that matter.

"Sunday night," Sharon continued, "Chloe will continue your lessons.  And Monday night, you'll show me what you've learned."  She fed Hayden a ham sandwich.  "Think of it as an oral final exam... pun intended."

Sharon's final remark did not help Hayden's blushing problem.

"To sum up," Sharon continued, "you get to languish in the dungeon by day, and learn the art of making love while bound in chains by night."

"W-what about tonight," Hayden said in a near whisper.

Sharon smiled and combed her fingers through Hayden's hair, again.  "Think of tonight as your entrance exam," she purred.  "This way, I'll be better able to gauge your progress Monday night.  Have you ever made love to a woman with your lips and tongue, Hayden?"

Hayden's entire face felt like it was going to burst into flame, and her steel-clad pussy was tingling, again.  All she could manage by way of reply was to shake her head.

"No worries," Sharon chuckled.  "I guarantee you'll pass this trial and join the ranks of AD&D players.  Now, still hungry?"

Hayden nodded again, then accepted a sip of wine and a tiny pastrami on rye.  She was finding it difficult to form coherent thoughts, and the butterflies in her tummy were awake and fluttering, although they were now less frantic than... happy?

Sharon kissed Hayden's forehead.  "You have your first annual vacation coming up in a few months, if I'm not mistaken."

Hayden nodded again as she chewed the delicious mouthful of pastrami, rye bread, and mustard.  All city employees enjoyed annual vacations, no matter what their seniority.

"Good."  Sharon kissed her forehead, again.  "We'll coordinate with the others.  I have a trip planned I think we'll all enjoy."

Hayden's plate was full, and she didn't mean the sandwich plate.  That one was now half full.  Hayden meant her plate for the evening... and the next three days.  She'd worry about vacation trips later.  A shiver ran through her body when Sharon reached down and stroked her steel-clad loins.  Mistress' fingers brushed her inner thighs, but all her pussy felt was the usual embrace of Chloe's cleverly designed steel panties.

"I know it's frustrating being locked in this thing," Sharon purred, "but we can't have a damsel-in-distress without distress, can we?"

Hayden continued shivering.  "Languishing in chains in a deep, dark dungeon isn't distressing enough?" she sighed.

"Not for your Third Trial," Sharon responded, then gave her newest tenant and playmate another sip of wine.

One thing's for sure, Hayden thought as Mistress fed her another tiny roast beef sandwich, come Tuesday morning, at work, I'm gonna be one horny librarian.