Why Hold Back?

GAIUS CHAUMOUX | PUNISHER 

[gaius-chaumoux]

@a-royalblog

After the ball, Gaius had felt something he rarely did: regret. His head throbbed after everything and he once again vowed to never drink again. However, he was also certain such a promise would be broken. In general, he hated drinking because of the loss of control, but how could he refuse when sitting next to a king. Oh, right. He should probably ensure his uncle wasn’t upset with him for anything he had said, most of which the punisher did not remember clearly.

Stepping into the dinning hall, he made his way over to where his uncle was seated and sat down across from him. All he really remembered was inviting the man to his dungeon. “Did you sleep well?” If the king didn’t bring it up, Gaius would not either.

[gaius-chaumoux]

of-pinned-wings​:

She wanted to lie, every part of her should have lied. But she simply remained silent, stubbornly she told herself. Using words and situations to her advantage had been a small part of her life previously, but since spending so much time with him, she had come to find it rather useful, fun even. It was harder to play that game with him, he was far better than she was at it, but the others in the castle, now they were almost as easy to mold as clay. It was useful, but infinitely less fun. No one played the game that she wanted except for him. Cocking her head slightly she forced an air of confidence. “It’s been going remarkably well, who knew so many people were scared of you.” She was not one of those people, not in the slightest. But she’d had mixed results, some people brushed her off, some people did what she wanted, and others gave her such wicked looks like they were simply waiting for her to drop dead by his hand. 

The two of them fed off of each other’s chaotic energy, both were happy to use and abuse the other if it meant gaining something for themselves. Even growing up she was to learn the history of the fae as a court noble but it had never held any interest for her. “I don’t care for history. It’s boring and dull.” Nyx was far too impulsive to sit down and really study, it hadn’t been for her, she preferred learning by doing, that was how she’d learned most of her magics. A lot of it had been trial and error, and a lot more burnt dresses and fingertips on her part. Perhaps that was why she was so stubborn and determined, she’d always had a need to be able to do things herself, to not rely on anyone. Yet here she was, in a bath with him.

Her eyes widened as he spoke, shit was he really going to put him in a sheet again. Yanking on her wrist, trying to pull it from his grip she turned to him, looking every bit as defiant and fierce as the day she was captured. “I swear to the gods if you put me in a sheet again …” Leaving her very obvious threat open ended her eyes narrowed. “I don’t care about what your Uncle wants, put me in proper clothes. A dress, or shirt and pants. NO BEDSHEET.” She yelled in his face leaving the confines of the bathroom and storming into his room like it was her own. She could feel the heat in her hands as her anger bubbled just beneath the surface, her fire was always so wild and uncontained but she had been doing her best to keep it suppressed while in the castle, she didn’t want people finding out.

The new shift toward confidence might have fooled others, but he knew her too well, knew it was forced rather than a natural thing to slip into. His own foray into manipulation had been a natural one. He had learned as a child and simply continued to twist people around. Very few noticed and even fewer had the authority to do something about it. She was special to him, in a way. He felt as though he had molded her into what she was now. Perhaps the old her would be horrified at the her of now, but he truly enjoyed having someone else to play his games with, someone who would push back at him. She kept him sharp. Too many easily manipulated people and he would lose his skills. “Hm, I would never have guessed people were afraid of me,” he chuckled. “Who would have thought such a thing? Are they afraid of you now?” 

“It’s necessary,” he stated with a small shrug. History was very important. The old adage of repeating it if one did not learn was extremely true. How many times had he punished her for acting out and yet she never seemed to get that through her mind. However, he enjoyed that fact far too much. If she suddenly became completely submissive and compliant, he would lose a playmate. “What do you think this place was before?” Perhaps this would be an entertaining conversation while he got ready for dinner. Whatever happened, he was sure to find something he could use and twist around to his heart’s content. Her answers were not important for what they meant, but for their words. Ignoring an implied or true meaning in favor of breaking it all was much better. 

Ah, she was getting better. Dress or shirt and pants. A less experienced person would have said ‘or’ and he would have been perfectly happy to oblige. For now, he could work perfectly well with ‘dress’. Now, the specifics were up to his discretion and that was wonderful. Hearing her scream at him had the punisher nearly doubled over laughing. Her hand slipped from his as she walked off and he waited a few beats before following her back into his room. “You really have no faith in me,” he mused, almost sounding hurt but he was sure both of them knew it was an act. “I will be perfectly happy to provide you with a lovely dress for dinner.” Walking over to his closet, he began to rummage around before taking out one of his own shirts. “This should be long enough on you.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

crowndprnce‌:

“mm. good. i’d have to find a way to get you executed if you did doubt.” teasing again. he is back to his old self. “for me, loyalty and obedience are one in the same when it comes to my father. he is the only parent i have left. i owe him a lot.”

“do you design your own? i fear, cousin, that i do not know enough of your interests. you must divulge. GUSH your hobbies to me.”

“I’m sure,” he chuckled, although he knew his cousin was serious. Being executed wasn’t high on his list of things to do, not soon anyway. Gaius had already concluded that he was either going to die as a feared man or be executed following a revolt. “You and I have slightly different takes on loyalty and obedience, but I digress.”

“I do,” he continued, “You wish to hear about how I spend my time? Creating the maximum amount of pain for a prisoner while keeping them conscious is a delicate balance.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

a-royalblog‌:

Ben drags his fingers from the top of her head to her hose, while his other hand patted the side of her neck to calm her down. “She’s weary of strangers and new people, but she won’t bite.” He cast a glance over at Gaius. “Unless I tell her too.” A smirk is on his face as he goes back to petting her gently. “Oh, yea? What about her, did she do something to you on the battlefield? I’ll pay for your armor to be fixed if that’s the problem.” Benjamin looks back over at Gaius.

“Of course,” he sighed. Dragons, obedient to their riders. While generally a good thing, it was times like these that he was more or less certain he was going to get eaten someday. “She has done nothing to me,” he continued, “it is more of my own issues with her kind in general.” How was he going to say this without pissing off the large lizard? “I’m not overly fond of dragons and am looking to change that.” 

[gaius-chaumoux]

fxck-thx-king‌:

Con

“My vote is torture first.” He hummed with a smirk, more than happy that Gaius was allowing him both - that he was willing to indulge. The excitement of the slave being cut and broken before them would surely only excite them more anyway - it would certainly excite Con, at least.

“And I’d like to pick the slave.” He grinned, already having one in mind - there was a young boy who seemed unable to know when enough was enough. He could certainly do with being taken down a notch or two.

“Much more efficient,” Gaius chuckled. He would have done the same. There was no reason they had to choose one or the other, not when there was plenty of time left in the day. The anticipation of another opportunity to break a slave was wonderful and he could hardly contain himself.

“Of course,” he replied, “who would you like to have today?” Considering how new many of the slaves were to their position, there were always plenty who needed reminding that they were no longer serving the same people. Gaius himself enjoyed punishing the former nobility the most. They were so much fun to tear apart.

[gaius-chaumoux]

a-royalblog‌:

Bejamin had decided today was as good as any to go visit Kimba. The first couple of days here was quite busy. New roles and duties were handed out and getting acquainted with the new grounds left him little time to check on his dragon. But today his schedule was cleared and he needed some bonding time with her. He was feeding her a scrape of meat, petting her nose gently as she nibbled away from his hand. “Atta girl…” He cooes at her. Benjamin only looks up when Kimba snorts angrily at the person approaching them both. He smiles and looks over his shoulder to see Gaius. “No, she was just finishing her meal. Though she’s not happy about the disturbance. What is it that you need?”

Oh wonderful, the dragon was upset. This was going exactly as he expected it to. With humans, he was perfectly content to have them angry with him. It often led to people doing something stupid, entertaining, or both. With a dragon, he knew very well that he would lose in even the simplest of fights. Glancing over to the animal, he hummed. “Have I done something already to offend? Aside from walking over?” His words were half sarcasm, half genuine. So far, the dragon he interacted with most belonged to Louis and he was on shaking ground at best due to his less than stellar relationship with his younger brother. “I wanted to speak to you about her, actually.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

a-royalblog‌:

She takes a deep breath and lets it out. This shouldn’t hurt too bad, then again he makes even the most trivial things hurt. It was his job as a punisher to do so. Alexa nods at his explanation and readies herself for his little game. “As you wish, sir.”

Taking the first pin, he traced it over her skin. They were necessary so he decided that the first few should be simple so she could actually get her work done when he became bored. Taking the first and second, he placed them near her wrist where there likely was less skin to grab and hurt.

[gaius-chaumoux]

of-pinned-wings‌:

For the longest time now she was looking anywhere but his face, which given their closer proximity was rather hard to do. Instead, she watched in the rippled reflection on the water. Nyx remained silent, a selfish move given that it would likely end in someone else being under his blade. But her own stubbornness kept her from admitting anything to him. “I’m sure they’ll tell you the same thing.” There was nothing about that she truly believed. Regardless of who he picked to put on his table, they wouldn’t last forever, she couldn’t and she was stubborn as hell. He would return to his room with her shackled in the corner with the answer he sought. Perhaps a compromise would work, “Ok fine, I’ve used it once or twice.”

The only time she’d thought about before him and his family, was when she wished things to go back to how they used to be. She’d never really given any thought to those that came before them. “Who knew you were such a lover of stories.” Her tone was flat and dry, very little interest, a hint of sarcasm tainting her words. There was a small gasp just as she felt his lips against hers, the warmth, the tease as his teeth trapped her lower lip. Nyx leant into him for the smallest moment, almost imperceptible except to those that knew her, to him, making the kiss last a fraction of a moment longer. As the space between them grew she felt the colour staining her cheeks and wanted nothing more than to sink beneath the water.

Feeling his hand around her wrist she wasn’t at all surprised, but instead of arguing she quickly tried to climb out of the water, dragging him with her as she wanted to move on, move away from that kiss. She hated how easily he got to her, whether by knife, words or a simple kiss. Her eyes narrowed as he said she’d be presentable, the only thing she could rely on him for was to have more than the surface meaning to his words. Carefully watching his face for any telltale sign of his plan, like a skittish kitten watching a toy. “Something more than a sheet this time I hope.” While she wasn’t particularly fond of bringing that up, she desperately hoped that she’d not have a repeat of that evening.

“They’ll tell me that you haven’t been using my name? That you don’t belong to me?” He wanted to laugh in her face. Too often, he had seen how the other slaves acted around her and how the attitudes had changed. It was exactly as he wanted everything. She could be in denial all she wanted, but there would come a point when she had no one left to turn to. Hearing her actually admit that she had used his name was extremely satisfying. He was sure that it had been more than the ‘once or twice’ she claimed, but this was enough for the moment. “And how has that gone for you?” he asked. She was clearly learning something about manipulation from him. Perhaps someday she would be successful in goading him along. However, that time was not today. She would have to become much, much better. 

“It’s important to know history. Even a slave should learn that much.” He felt her lean into him, knew every movement her body made in response to his touches and he was confident she knew his just as well. That was the one downside to letting himself be more open with her. As much as he learned about her, he was leaving himself open to her learning of him. Someday, that could backfire on them both. However, he would not let her get away from him even then. Never. Someday, perhaps, his family would be overthrown and on that day, he was going to kill her or take her with him on the slight chance he managed to escape. Gaius had little interest in being called a coward. The purpose was to survive and eventually win. That victory could be anything from how the war had ended to simply continuing to live. He laughed softly. So many would see him merely breathing at the end of a revolt as a loss. 

He grinned, so happy she remembered that sheet. Part of him considered it one of his finer moments with her, a game he had twisted and turned until the words were so jumbled that he was able to humiliate her without the need for a single blade. “You should know not to leave your requests so open,” he chuckled. ‘More than a sheet’ could mean just the simple addition of a necklace or broach and he would have done exactly what she wanted. Malicious compliance was one of his most entertaining weapons. Those on the other side had no one to blame but themselves for the situation they found themselves in. “I will be very certain to give you more than a sheet. Presenting you in bed-linens would be disrespectful to my uncle.” The king was the only person that the punisher respected in any way.

[gaius-chaumoux]

of-crowns-and-kings‌:

Shaking his head Tristan willed himself to ignore the manipulative man before him. If there was one thing the Kings nephew could be relied on for, it was his manipulation. Of people, or words, of weapons. They were all just tools to him. “And yet to those that know me, they’d never believe I’d say something so barbaric.”

Looking around he did nothing but shrug for a while, walking up to Gaius he did his best to smile politely but he could tell it was strained. “Well, I’ll be getting back then.” He has nowhere to be but knew that he would find some comfort in the kitchen with his wife. Anywhere but here where he knew it was just a matter of time until he punched the smug bastard.

“Do they know you?” he asked. It had taken some time, but even those that had known HIS fae slave, were turning against her. Perhaps he could do the same with the former king. It would be a fun experiment, although it would take a much different approach than with her. Getting rid of the wife would be a start, but she was useful. He was very sure his uncle would not want him outright killing a good slave just to further one of his own games. He would need to think of another plan. 

He held Tristan’s gaze as the man walked over to him. “No,” he hummed. Whatever the other was doing, unless it was ordered by the king himself, Gaius was not going to let him return to it. So far, all he had seen was a slave wandering around. “I did actually come find you because you can be a bit useful to me.” 

[gaius-chaumoux]

@a-royalblog​

Gaius despised dragons and he blamed his younger brother for it. In general, he respected the beasts and knew they had been pivotal in winning the war. However, that did not mean he enjoyed being around them. Still, it was something he was going to need to get over considering two of his close family members were riders. Arguing with his younger brother was all that would happen if he tried to find him and his uncle had a kingdom to run so there was no sense in bothering him. That left Ben. The punisher stepped outside in search of the rider, finding him soon enough. “Are you occupied?” he asked, making his way over.

[gaius-chaumoux]

fxck-thx-king‌:

Con

They knew each other - he and Gaius - though not well. Both were vicious in battle, and Con considered the man very lucky to have the job he did, where he could still exorcise what he got out of him on the battlefield. It had been building in Con for too long now.

“Two things.” He lifted two fingers to indicate. “We can do one, or the other, or both. Your Choice.” He paused before continuing. “Number one - come fuck me against this wall, rough and hard with no mercy. Or Two - bring in another slave and let me take care of this one.”

Gaius hummed, waiting for the options. Generally, he would have simply walked away, but he was rather curious now. So few people actually wanted to be around him and he knew that he and Con had similar dispositions when it came to violence.

When the two were listed out, he chuckled softly. “I see no reason not to indulge in both. The question is then which to do first and what matters is will doing one leave enough energy for the other. My suggestion would be to deal with a slave first and then I shove you over a bench in my dungeon and you can feel what the slaves feel for yourself.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

fxck-thx-king‌:

Nynam

“Alright.” He agreed willingly enough, looking at the man who stood tall over his form. The elf assumed the game was ‘guess the torture device’, and paused in thought for a moment.

“I’m assuming it leaves cuts? Stabs things pretty cleanly?” He suggested, not particularly giving much effort to the answer. Either way, he knew he would find out what it did regardless.

“Most blades are for stabbing so I commend you for at least having that much sense,” he replied, “although that is not the point of this particular one.” Of course, he was going to show the former king what it did. That was also part of his game.

Shifting the man’s sleeve up, he placed one side of the knife against the skin and then began sliding it down, slipping under the first few layers like butter and peeling them back. “Another question, how long does it take a person to day from being flayed?”

[gaius-chaumoux]

of-pinned-wings‌:

With him so close she could feel herself getting both nervous and excited. What was it about him? “It’s too early to tell.” Another lie, she’d used everyone elses fear of him to her advantage on a number of occasions now, and every time it had worked. At the time she’d only thought it a triumph, but now reflecting back on it, she was starting to think that perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea, her smug grin faltering a little. Pushing herself flush against the edge of the bath she didn’t like being cornered, it put her on the defensive and things never ended well around him when she did.

Her teeth clenched together as he dragged out the ‘when’, clearly he didn’t think that would be overthrown. The downside to stealing power, was you had to constantly fight to keep it. They’d never be able to let their guard down, and if they did, it would be the end of the human tyrants. “Maybe not at first, but they will.” If there was one thing she could count on, it was her own stubbornness, she wouldn’t stop until they did. They had to, right? No matter what she did now, they would see it as trying to survive… she still clung to that idea, however foolish it might be. Her grin returned ever so slowly as she closed the distance between their faces, her lips hovering just in front of his. “That’s where you’re wrong Gaius, I will be the one standing over you.” A threat, a promise, a fantasy. 

Those last words stung more than she would have liked, and more than she’d care to give credit. She did keep coming back to him, no matter how stubborn she was and how much she willed herself to stay away, she always wound up in front of one of his doors. Pressing a hand to the centre of his chest she pushed him back, not hard, but hard enough to move him out of her space. “You should go.” Like she had any real power here, like this was her bath in her room and she was simply asking him to leave. She was done talking about ‘whta ifs’ and 'maybes’, while it gave her some degree of hope for the future, it was pointless because somewhere deep down she did believe that this was her life now. She’d already surrendered to it now she just had to surrender to him and stop denying it. 

“With how long I have claimed you, it is most certainly not,” he replied. Gaius was very sure she was not being honest with him. “I’ll find out how well it has been going for you. I’m certain one of the other slaves will be happy to tell me.” His entire job for a decade had been to pull information from the unwilling and he had no issue with doing it again. He would find out just how much Nyx was using him to smooth her own life. Whether or not he allowed it to continue would be determined by what she was using him for. Would she tell him herself or simply wait for another slave to be put under his knives? He really didn’t care either way, but if she chose the second option, he would make very sure that the slave knew exactly who had sent them to him.

“Do you ever wonder about those who were in power before us? Where did they come from?” In a few generations, if his family held onto power, they would simply become normal. It would be a ‘we have always been here’ rather than a ‘we are the fresh conquerors’. Slaves and humans would become used to them. That was what they needed, but until then Gaius had no problem keeping his eyes out for those who would overthrow his family. He still remembered seeing his family’s old villa for the first time, seeing it filled with half breeds. His family’s history was in this land even if it was not directly in this castle. During the war, watching over his shoulder had been normal and now that continued. Very little had changed for him and he couldn’t help but laugh at that fact.

As she closed the distance, his grin grew and he pressed his lips to hers, teeth biting at her lower lip as his hands slid down her shoulders. Whether she would admit it out loud or not, the whole castle knew she was his. From what she was saying, she had even used his name and that only solidified it more. Without a fight, he let her put distance between them. “We should go,” he whispered to her, hand snaking around to grasp her wrist, fully intending to drag her out of the water with him. She was going to this dinner, even if he had to knock her out and carry her over his shoulder, she would be there. “Don’t worry,” he chuckled, “I’ll make sure you’re presentable for the king.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

escapxsms :

     “ can i help you ? ” tone tips apathetically, eyes quick to appraise her approaching company - she’d just settled down. the day had proven to be quite difficult, the halfling flitting from one wing of the castle to another, barely pausing for a moment to breathe. she was lucky enough to even attempt to relish the minute of peace she stumbled upon before returning to work. exhaustion evident in her posture she cants her head, the female clearly absolved of any intention to maintain her usual compliant facade. lips downturn. “ or are you so desperate that you can’t even bother to find someone else ? ”   //   @castlefalencentral​

“Actually yes,” he stated, ignoring her tone completely. Gaius decided to deal with the disrespect later. For the moment, he needed some assistance and this was the first slave he had found. “Why would I search for someone else when there’s a perfectly decent one right in front of me?” His lips pulled into a slight smile, although the expression did not reach his eyes, not completely. “Come. Now.”

[gaius-chaumoux]

faevalena :

   “ what do you want ?? ” the man demands, looking up from his boots but continues to unlace them with a single-minded purpose.  it’s alexandre’s first time indoors in about two weeks, and he plans to enjoy it just as soon as he can unpack.  he’s glad to sleep in a bed, but he forgets, with distance, how fucking anxious everyone in this kingdom makes him.  the threat that someone will discover his heritage casts a pall on the aesthetically lovely place.  “ i didn’t – fuck, i wasn’t trying to snap.  i’m just tired.  what do you need ?? ” he asks, a touch more gentle this time. 

Gaius hummed, leaning against the door frame as he watched the man unlace his boots. He enjoyed watching the people who entered and left. It was a secondary hobby that was much less...overtly aggressive than his usual pastimes. “I wondered if you had brought back any interesting stories,” he replied, shrugging one shoulder. “Although I can see that you’re tired.” The unfortunate thing about slaves slowly coming to terms with their new station was that there were times when the punisher became incredibly bored.

[gaius-chaumoux]

a-royalblog‌:

Alexa clenches her jaw. She should have expected this, something doesn’t come from nothing. Hesitating for a moment she holds her arm out for Gaius, after rolling her sleeve up for him. “Sir.”

He was patient while he waited for her to comply with his order. Rather than tell her what was going to happen, it was much more fun to let the anticipation build. When she finally held her arm out, he set the box down next to him and took one pin out. “You can take as many as your arm can hold before you make noise.” 

[gaius-chaumoux]

fxck-thx-king‌:

Nynam

A groan was wrenched from him - stifled and smothered as best as he could manage it, but still heard. It was only one finger, he had to remind himself - the man would do so much worse to him and he would Damn well take it. He was burned regularly by dragons. He’d been whipped before - had scarred over gashes all over his back to prove it.

“Get More Creative.” He spoke, just a little breathless. “I dare you.”

Hearing the groan told him he was on the right track and he decided to savor the sound for a few seconds. Gaius worked at his own pace, going as fast or slow as he wanted. It was not for the prisoners to decide when and how he did things. Allowing them any sort of control defeated part of the purpose of them being there. “I could...” he mused, standing and setting the pointed blade aside.

At his table, he let his hand hover over a few blades as ideas continued to run through his mind. Finally, he settled on a flat blade, sharpened on both sides. “I’d like to enjoy a game,” he continued, “if you’re going to talk throughout. What do you think this is for?”