Stiff with apprehension, Arabella held herself immobile during the all too brief seconds of tension-filled silence as Henri crossed to the fence, perching on the topmost rail to view the proceedings. Arabella heard Lord Thayer moving quietly into position behind her, sensed his dark appraising gaze upon her. A cold shiver of fear coursed unexpectedly down her spine. She shuddered, setting the little silver bell to jingling softly. "A bit skittish, isn't she, Henri?" Lord Thayer called over his shoulder. "Just anxious to do you proud, m'lord." Henri replied. Another tense moment. . . . .and then, the first crack and sting of the riding crop kissed her buttocks. Arabella leaped suddenly into motion, remembering Henri's instructions to lift her knees high, as Lord Thayer commanded, "Fast trot around the perimeter of the fence so that the men may get a good look at you." His rich, deep voice was not unkind, but his tone was one of a man who expected to be obeyed without question. Arabella made her way around the inside of the fence, a feeling of dread passing through her as she neared the knot of men gathered outside the gate. She became conscious all over again of her nakedness, the slight jiggle and sway of her breasts as she trotted prettily before Lord Thayer, her buttocks aquiver as she waited for another stroke of the riding crop against her backside, her body flush with heat from the intent look on their faces as she neared them. As she drew abreast of the small group of male bystanders, Lord Thayer ordered her to halt. Instinctively, she spread her legs apart, so that her sex was open and in full view of the group who edged closer, leaning over the fence for a better look.She could almost feel Henri's relief, even from this distance, that she had assumed the proper stance without further command. Arabella wondered at herself, even as her body opened, seemingly of its own accord, for their perusal. She had not yet been here a day, and already, Henri's training was taking effect. She still felt a lingering sense of shyness, of embarrassment, and yet, at the same time, she wanted to please Lord Thayer, for Henri's sake, as well as her own. There must have been a reason, she felt now, for his lordship to have chosen her over the other girls at the inn. She had never given much thought to her body or to her looks before this day, but Henri's expert ministrations earlier made her more fully aware than ever before of her own body, her own sensuality and sexuality, her own sense of herself as a female.She became aware of the lustful gazes of the noblemen, felt their admiration emanating toward her. Arabella discarded her inhibitions, if only for a moment, tossing her head proudly, preening slightly before them. The men chuckled at her display of insouciance. With the handle of his riding crop, Lord Thayer nudged at her pink, naked sex, ordering, "Spread your legs wider." Obediently, Arabella widened her stance, but Lord Thayer pressed the handle against her. "Wider." he insisted. "Yes, like that. And thrust out your hips. I want my friends to see what jewel I captured in the woods in this morn." Satisfied with her pose, Lord Thayer stepped aside so that the others could look first-hand at his most recent prize. Arabella felt somewhat awkward with her legs stretched taut on either side of her, thigh muscles quivering from the tension of maintaining the appropriate stance. A collective sigh of male delight arose from the group as they gazed their fill of her. However, no one reached out to fondle her or to otherwise touch her. Lord Thayer allowed no one but himself and his trusted staff to touch his prized mares for fear of 'spoiling' them. "Quite lovely." This statement was issued from the back of the group. "Is she a virgin, m'lord?" another inquired. "'Tis rumored so." "She is indeed, Lord William." Thayer replied proudly. "I had Henri check her thoroughly as soon as we brought her in." "Ah!" one nobleman sighed wistfully. "'Twill be quite an event, to see the stallion mount her! We've not had the opportunity to deflower a virgin in many years." "Then, you will all be my honored guests at the mating ritual!" Lord Radegund spoke up. "In two months time, my Sajan will mount Lord Thayer's Arabella, and we will have a celebration worthy of the event!" An excited murmur arose among them, until Lord Thayer interrupted, "Gentlemen, I am glad that you are pleased with the mare, but we must proceed with her training. We still have quite a lot of work to do this afternoon and I have yet to introduce her to the other mares in the fold." He snapped his riding crop against his thigh, turning his attention back to Arabella. "Stand upright, and once more around the fence, my little jewel. I want to see you stretch your legs this time." Catching Henri's eye, Arabella threw her shoulders back, her high-pointed breasts jutting out proudly, as the stable hand smiled and nodded approvingly. The sting of his lordship's riding crop almost caught her unaware. Startled, she gave a tiny leap of surprise as she began a turn about the paddock, knees lifted high. "Faster!" Lord Thayer ordered, the riding crop licking smartly at the tender flesh of her buttocks. Arabella picked up her pace, trotting briskly around the paddock, following each of Lord Thayer's commands as they came. "Knees higher!" "Stretch those pretty legs!" "Slowly, now. I want to see those lovely breasts of yours bounce." "Fast trot!" And so on, until, "Begin the jumps!" The bite of the riding crop directed her toward the first of the low jumps. Having lost some of her earlier inhibition and reluctance, Arabella trotted toward it eagerly. Her male audience had cheered her progress around the fence and she was still basking in the glow of their praise and admiration. Yet, just as she prepared to jump over the white-painted board, the lash across her rump sent her leaping ungainly over it with a sharp yelp of surprise and unexpected pain. Tears welled unbidden to her eyes, not because of the stinging welt raised on the cheek of one buttock, but because of her less than elegant jump over the board. With her arms constrained behind her back, she barely managed to regain her balance on the thin, too-high heels. She heard the laughter of the men as an overwhelming sense of shame at her failure engulfed her. Surely, Lord Thayer was unhappy with her graceless maneuver over the board! And here, it was only her first one! How could she have been so clumsy? Arabella nearly turned to glance over her shoulder, fearing his lordship's angry visage, but before she could do so, his riding crop caught her again, a little harder this time, continuing to drive her forward to the next board. Arabella blinked the moisture from her eyes, and tossing her head proudly in defiance of the men at the fence, she faced the obstacle in her path, vowing that she would not disappoint his lordship again. With little licks of the lash, Lord Thayer prodded her on. This 'jump' was set slightly higher above the ground than the first had been. Arabella trotted forward, and bracing herself, she jumped just as the lash caught her backside in mid-air. But this time, she landed artfully on her feet, and a rousing cheer arose at her accomplishment. "This one has spirit!" one of the men called out to Lord Thayer as he followed behind her toward the next board set firmly in the grass. "Yes, but she also needs to learn who controls her reins." Thayer responded arrogantly. "And she will, before the day is over." Arabella's face flushed with pride and pleasure at her endeavor. Marching forward, knees high, the little bell tinkling on the still air of the meadow, she began to understand what it was like to be one of Lord Thayer's bevy of mares. His lordship wanted her to please him in all tasks she was asked to perform for him. But more than that, she must want to please him, and she could do so only if she willingly surrendered herself to his will. Henri was right. She must leave off all prudish inhibitions and shyness. Those traits were of no use to her here. She must never hide her body from his lordship's eyes. He derived his greatest pleasure from the beauty of each one of his mares. Even as she again felt the sting of the lash, which he wielded so expertly, she understood that pain and punishment were not his ultimate goal. He was not using the lash to punish in this instance, but to make her more aware of her body, to assist her in surrendering her body and her will to him, and to encourage her to do her best for him. With this realization, the pain she felt began to melt into pleasure, and her fear of him began to subside, though not altogether. Arabella sought to anticipate the bite of the riding crop on her naked buttocks, rather than to dread it. She accomplished the rest of the jumps with ease, sensing that neither Henri nor Lord Thayer were disappointed or perturbed with her. Half an hour later, Lord Thayer ordered her to halt. Henri jumped down from the fence rail, loping forward at a gesture from his lordship. "We've finished here for the day, Henri." Lord Thayer told him. "Go over to the holding pen and warn the men that I am introducing a new mare into the fold. If any of the mares have been ill-tempered today, have them removed before I arrive with Arabella." "Yes, m'lord." and turning, Henri gave Arabella a wink before leaving to do his master's bidding. Her heart instantly warmed at the gesture. "She's splendid! Simply splendid!" someone exclaimed from the group at the fence. "She did do well, didn't she?" Lord Thayer permitted a pleased smile to cross his lips as he ran an approving hand down her flank. "She was somewhat wild out in the forest this morn, a beautiful woodland creature ripe for the capture." Lord Thayer stated. "But she's taming nicely." "What will the other mares think of her, Thayer, now that you've decided on Arabella as the festival mare?" pondered another. "They've all been on their best behavior, hoping you would choose among them for the honor." "They will accept her," Lord Thayer returned and his tone brooked no argument, "most assuredly. Or they will answer to me." "Better yet, what will your stallion think of her, Radegund?" "I think he will find her too lovely to resist!" Radegund commented. "And of course, her virginity is an added enticement. I've starved Sajan of sexual release for these many weeks now. He will be more than eager to mount the mare when the time comes." "Excellent!" Lord William remarked. "The festival promises to be quite an extraordinary celebration this year!" "Gentlemen, with your permission, I must bid you farewell for the day." Lord Thayer interjected. "I want to introduce Arabella to the other mares, and regretfully, I must do so without an audience. The females become a bit temperamental, even suspicious on occasion, when a new mare enters the fold. I'm sure you understand?" They made their adieus, drifting off, talking enthusiastically about the upcoming festivities, leaving Arabella at last well and truly alone with Lord Thayer for the first time since her capture that morning. Silently, thoughtfully, with his hands folded behind his back, Lord Thayer regarded her, his black eyes unreadable, assessing. Arabella trembled slightly beneath his dark perusal, but she maintained her stance, keeping her head up, eyes forward, as she had been trained to do. "You did quite well today for your first time, little mare. Quite well, indeed." He circled around her slowly, pausing to observe the criss-cross of tiny welts on her buttocks. "And you are quite lovely." He stepped around to face her once more. "If I did not need you to stud with Lord Radegund's stallion, I would mount you myself. His eyes narrowed on her face, almost as if he were caressing her with his hooded gaze. "You are frightened of this morn. That is good. Your training is taking effect. I do not like my mares timid, only to be afraid enough that they show the proper respect." He held up the riding crop before her eyes, smiling as he watched her gaze rivet on it. "You have learned already to anticipate this, haven't you, my sweet?" He touched the handle of the riding crop to her cheek, trailing the outline of her delicate jaw to her lips, where he rubbed it gently back and forth. . . . .back and forth. "During your training, this little instrument will become your most fervent and intimate lover, Arabella. You will look forward to it eagerly, even beg for it on occasion, and I would that you make obeisance to it." He stepped back, folding his arms over his chest, ordering her quietly, "Kneel. . . . .on your knees before me. With your thighs spread apart." Hesitating only a fraction of a second, unsure what was expected of her, Arabella knelt on the soft grass, the tender green spears tickling her naked vulva as she spread her thighs before his lordship. His shrewd, penetrating gaze caught her tiny hesitation, the second of doubt which crossed her expression. "During the course of your training," Lord Thayer informed her pleasantly, "you will learn to obey instantly. You will experience no feelings of hesitation or doubt as to whether you should do as you are told. You will simply," he lightly tapped the handle of the whip against her soft lips, "obey. Look at me." Arabella slowly raised her eyes to his. He grasped the handle of the riding crop, caressing the tip of the thin strap from her forehead, down to the tip of her nose, and again, letting it hover lightly just before her parted lips. "Kiss it." he ordered softly, his hooded gaze burning into her own. Arabella opened her mouth upon it as he gently, but insistently forced it between her lips, brushing it across her teeth. She closed her lips around it, tasted the sharp tang of leather upon her tongue. She curled her tongue around the end of the lash, remembering all the times throughout this first day that it had been used on her. She suckled upon it now, imagining its bite on her tender flesh. Very slowly, Lord Thayer removed the riding crop from between her lips, gazing broodingly down at her as the pink tip of her tongue licked the taste of the leather from her lips. "After the festival, you are destined for the Lady Xaviera." he informed her. "You will obey her as you would me. If I hear any complaints from her about you, you will answer to me." He caressed the side of her face with the tips of his fingers and Arabella shivered delicately, causing the tiny silver bell between her thighs to tinkle softly. "In a few moments, I will take you to the herding pen and introduce you to the mares. However, until your training is complete and festival is over, you will be kept separate from them. Until that time, I have given Henri sole charge of your care. I have full confidence in Henri's abilities to train you well. But I can see he is beginning to develop a soft spot for you, which is not wise for a trainer to do. You might take advantage of him, and therefore, your training would be less than its best. You could become easily spoiled and petulant. Belsoie is famous for its beautiful and disciplined mares. I will not have that reputation marred by one self-indulgent female. For now, I will let Henri remain as your trainer, and as long as you do not take advantage of any affection he may feel for you, I will let it be. If I observe otherwise, I will give over your care to another of my stable hands who will prove to be not so kind of heart or soft of hand as Henri." His warning was given politely, even kindly, but she detected the veiled threat that lay beneath his words and she had no doubt that he would do precisely as he said he would. Lord Thayer smiled down at her then, slapping the riding crop against his thigh. "And now, Arabella, you must meet your sisters in captivity! They will be jealous of you at first, especially when they learn you are to be mated with Radegund's prized stallion. They've all vied for the honor of festival mare and the rare chance to be mounted, since they've learned I've been on the hunt for a suitable mare for the mating ritual. I fear Henri and I must keep a close watch on you whenever you are with them. You're far too vulnerable to defend yourself against them at this point in your training. Come." He positioned himself behind her. "You will go before me on all fours across the stable yard to the mares' holding pen. Too fast, and I will use my riding crop on you." he warned. "Too slow, and you will feel its sting."

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