In another time

[thehangingtree]

The convicted women are led by the iron collars attached to their necks to the courtyard.



In the courtyard the women are one at a time freed from their collars and brought to the center of the square.



Individually they are escorted to the center of the yard by a team of soldiers.



This is more for show. The women are naked, quite defenseless, there is a crowd of Cruxton’s leader’s guests inside the court, and a very hostile crowd outside waiting to see the nude women’s march to the ‘Hill of Expiation’ and what awaits the women there.

Messaline is about to be handed the beam that she will soon be nailed to. She protests having to carry the wood to the hill but is ignored.



The beam weighs more than half her weight. She complains about its weight and that it does nothing for her looks.



Her protests are answered by the soldiers fastening the beam to her arms.



The last woman to be given her beam is Barbara. With Kathy standing next to her already weighed down by her own beam, Barbara calls the soldiers sons-of-bitches and she will not carry the wood to the hill. The guard playfully twists her bare nipple and, and Barb grimaces in pain, he says “Let’s see how willing you are to carry it once we have whipped you a few times.”



At first, Barbara complies with the guards’ orders. Somewhat staggering she carries the heavy beam out of the confines of the abbey.



As she walks out of the abbey’s gates, she sees the crowd waiting there. ‘This is not going well’ she thinks.



A side note: this does go well for the women. The story will be illustrated mostly by Markus’ art, most modified by the author. Please join the heckling crowd as they mock the prisoners…

 

[Wragg]

Barbara is not familiar with the word ‘crucified’

Archbishop Wragg, on the other hand is.

(In his dictionary, it's not that far from 'courteous'. It seems courteous to crucify her. It will broaden her education. )

 

[thehangingtree]

Carrying heavy beams on their shoulders, the women are led through Cruxton to begin their ascent of the ‘Hill of Expiation’. Though struggling to carry the beams, most worked to haul the wood to the hill.



A few are taunted by the crowd, usually just jeered but two had a crown of thorns mounted on their heads before the captain put a stop to such antics.



Kathy, the other woman crowned, tried to refuse going any farther until the crown was removed. Her protest is answered with a rope tied around her neck and a guard half again her size tugging on the other end, dragging her to crest of the hill.



Besides the awkwardness of clumsily carrying the wood bound to their shoulders, the women are mocked the whole way through town. It happens the women lining their path are the worst of the crowd. They not only yelled things at the women but often spat upon them as if the women are not worthy of respect given a stray dog.



They talk of the women in third person, as if they are not there to hear the insults.



The women, now convicted criminals of Cruxtonia, slowly make their way to the edge of Cruxton. The crowd’s harassment is unending.



After a half hour of carrying half of their crosses, they have completed only half their journey. Before them rises the ‘Hill of Expiation’.

 

[Barbaria1]

The last woman to be given her beam is Barbara. With Kathy standing next to her already weighed down by her own beam, Barbara calls the soldiers sons-of-bitches and she will not carry the wood to the hill.

True to form … I refuse to cooperate!

The guard playfully twists her bare nipple and, and Barb grimaces in pain, he says “Let’s see how willing you are to carry it once we have whipped you a few times.”

But on second thought after …OUCH … reviewing the situation …

At first, Barbara complies with the guards’ orders. Somewhat staggering she carries the heavy beam out of the confines of the abbey.

I never imagined that French Premium Wood could be this heavy. Messa must be charging by weight!

As she walks out of the abbey’s gates, she sees the crowd waiting there. ‘This is not going well’ she thinks.

… before adding … “whatsa matter with you people? Never seen Tree crucify a naked girl like me before? Believe me. You’re in for a show!

After a half hour of carrying half of their crosses, they have completed only half their journey. Before them rises the ‘Hill of Expiation’.

I’ve said it before; but after only making it halfway there … “OH SHIT!!!!!”

 

[Jollyrei]

The leader says “You have no faith in these people. They won’t kill us!”

The French woman replies “If they do, I swear I am not talking to you again!”

THAT SOUNDS MORE OR LESS CORRECT TO ME.

Jollyrei advises him “Hanging or beheading these women is far too easy a punishment for these women’s crimes. They must be put to death but in a way they can reflect on their wrongdoings as they expire.”

“You don’t mean…” Archbishop Wragg starts to reply.

“Exactly” Jollyrei murmurs.

I'm glad we understand each other. (What are we talking about?).

That’s getting by cheaply as he has no flesh and his bones are old and brittle.

HEY! I DON'T CRITICIZE YOUR LOOKS OR PHYSIQUE (NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING PARTICULARLY WRONG WITH IT, BUT YOU KNOW, ON PRINCIPLE...).

One could say Friar Tree has lost another case,

What else would you suggest we say?

A fair trial in Cruxton is not as you would expect a fair trial to be.

Fair, you mean?

None of the women were aware of what would happen to them the next market day.

Some people just don't pay attention. What you get when you have a leader that doesn't read fine print, I suppose.

 

[Barbaria1]

What you get when you have a leader that doesn't read fine print, I suppose.

 

[Jollyrei]

I’m afraid Archbishop Wragg is filled with vengeance and will not be satisfied until we are dead!”

Oh, I'm not sure he wants you all dead, but it's sort of a side-effect to the sort of thing he goes in for. It's unfortunate, but seemingly unavoidable.

What is worse, I believe the archbishop’s advisor Jollyrei is somehow behind all this” Messaline adds. “He is known to be stern but ultimately strict.

WELL, AT LEAST YOU CAN'T SAY IT'S "WORSE THAN DEATH" EH?

Barbara is not familiar with the word ‘crucified’

This sentence is incomprehensible.

As she walks out of the abbey’s gates, she sees the crowd waiting there. ‘This is not going well’ she thinks.

She knows about understatements and she's not afraid to use them.

 

[thehangingtree]

The ‘Hill of Expiation’ isn’t that impressive. It rises only about three hundred feet or ninety meters above the village of Cruxton nor is it very steep. Climbing such a hill would normally be easy for fit, healthy people. But the women are prisoners of Cruxtonia and must make the climb bearing the heavy wood beams their wrists will be nailed to and from which they will hang naked from once they are crucified. Every step they take torments their bare feet as they tread up the gravel pathway to its crest.



Losing footing and falling is not an option. Included in their sentence they will be crucified naked and will arrive at the hill’s summit already disrobed. Any stumble they take risks falling on the stone path and the heavy beam they carry landing on top of them.



Even those who understand what awaits them are hesitant to feel the rough stones against their bodies or the whippings of the guards to force them up and proceed to the crest. As the women near the hilltop the heckling crowds thin but more Cruxtonian soldiers oversee their progress.



It is obvious escape from their fate is impossible and, even if they could, there is still enough of the crowd to retain them and turn them over to the soldiers. They continue their fateful climb up the hill.



Messaline has fallen a few times and between the rocks gouging her flesh and the vicious lashes of the guards’ whips she worries she will not look her best when she is ‘crucified’, whatever that means.



Nearing the top of the hill, Barbara is escorted by female guards. They show no more sympathy towards her than the male soldiers. As she nears the summit, one of the ladies escorting her snarls “I can’t wait to see your naked body displayed on the cross.



Barbara is getting the idea that their execution will not be a quick, sudden affair.

At the crest of the hill the wood beams are removed from the women’s shoulders. Whatever relief that gave them is spoiled by the men fixing the beams to long wood beams to form the crosses that they will be crucified on.

Several of the mercenaries grab Barbara and Kathy. They are armed only with whips and a bad temper. One of them says “Not so fast, bitches. We have something special for you before you visit your crosses!”



In cold defiance, Barbara says “Do with us as you will! We are mere victims to your sadism!”

 

[Barbaria1]

The second one (center) is me, followed by Messaline, and I think that was Eul up front.

In cold defiance, Barbara says “Do with us as you will! We are mere victims to your sadism!”

I’ve no idea what I meant by that … but it sounds quite heroic.

 

[messaline]

I never imagined that French Premium Wood could be this heavy. Messa must be charging by weight!

Till now, I never was confronted to such a situation
Perhaps that for the future, I could envisage to change oak by fir ...

 

[messaline]

Barbara says “Do with us as you will! We are mere victims to your sadism!”

"Sadism ?" If it could be only sadism ...

 

[Wragg]

Barbara is getting the idea that their execution will not be a quick, sudden affair.

Told you. All very educational!

 

[thehangingtree]

Barbara and Kathy are taken to a wood structure on the hilltop. Ropes are tied about their wrist and their arms are hoisted over their heads. Kathy demands what are you doing to us?”



Barbara knows enough about crucifixion that she is aware they are not having that done to them- yet. Barbara’s wrist are secured over her head first and the mercenary works on securing Kathy. The massive bulge under his lion cloth brushes against Kathy’s pussy. In a scared, panicky voice she exclaims “Oh, my! They are going to rape us here!”

The mercenary snarls “I’ve got an honest wife at home. I don’t need to fuck a convict’s snatch!”



“No, we aren’t going to fuck you. But the achbishop’s advisor told us to pick a pair of you for a flogging. Since none of you claimed to be the leader of this group he told us to pick a pair at random” the mercenary says. “So you and this other wench are the lucky ones to get flogged!”

The commander in charge of the crew on the ‘Hill of Expiation’ shouts out “Are you asking the women for a date or are you going to whip them?”

The mercenaries figure the leader has run out of patience and winds up to deliver the first blows.



Barbara winces as the whip whistles through the air towards her back. After a few blows the mercenary takes a short break. Barbara yells at him “You can that a whipping? My father spanked me harder than that!”



“I was just warming up” the mercenary exclaims. “Now you’ll know what a scourging is about!”

A pair of mercenaries begin to whip Barbara and Kathy.



The women are no longer cracking jokes at the men flogging them. A woman stands before them fondling her breasts and pussy. She moans and contemptuously groans “It is so good to see you beaten!”



The mercenaries tireless whip the pair. Barb and Kathy cannot get words out to answer the woman’s taunts between their screams.



The mercenaries finished their scourging of the two women under the watchful eyes of the Cruxton woman. She is as pleased by the whipping as Kathy and Barbara are pained by its brutality.



But it is time to crucify the convicts. Such a scene will please the spectators but hardly so to the women nailed to their crosses!

 

[Harsh Martinet]

What perfect illustrations! Love the female watching and pleasuring herself!

 

[thehangingtree]

A note here: I'm rewriting the opening to this. You will see why soon