Cherry was still reeling from the sight before her. She’d spent all her time in captivity wondering what had become of her allies, but now that she had seen one of them with her own eyes, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see the rest. Watching Bellwyn getting pleasured by the very woman who had imprisoned them from behind the cell bars was hard enough. It pained Cherry beyond words to see her beloved in such restrictive bondage, while dancing like a puppet for Zenith’s whims. 

Bellwyn had always been willing to support Cherry, no matter what the situation. But now instead of being at her side she was passed out at the feet of Zenith. She had fully submitted to the sorceress and her perverse whims, seemingly without any hesitation. It was possible that she was under a spell or being threatened in some way, something that would deny her agency. And if she had seen it when she was first imprisoned, that’s what she would’ve believed.

However, since her initial imprisonment, Cherry had spent plenty of time pondering the motives of Zenith. There didn’t appear to be any weaknesses to her powers. Any attempts at fighting her off just ended up being another part of her game. As much as she wanted to believe that Bellwyn would remain as resolute and strong as herself, another part of her couldn’t help but wonder if she had simply given in. It wouldn’t be the most insane thing Zenith had managed.

“What do you want with me.” Cherry spoke in a low tone, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. “You brought Bellwyn here as part of your sick and twisted display, to get me to do something. Right? You’re still trying to get something from me. Not information or any real power, but to do something of my own free will.” As much as she hated it, Cherry was starting to understand the motives of her foe.

Zenith responded with a slow clap, the sound echoing through the dungeon walls. “Well done, you’re finally getting the hang of things. Although you shouldn’t be asking what I have planned for you.” She leaned forwards in her seat, a wide grin spreading across her face. “I need a court jester. Someone to amuse me and make me laugh while I sit upon the throne. Don’t you think you would be perfect for it?”

Cherry snorted in indignation. “You can’t be serious. You think I’m going to willingly debase myself to be a… a laughing stock for you? Now I know you’ve gone mad.” Cherry was starting to see red, the sheer audacity of Zenith finally getting to her. “I am the Crown Princess of Tirencia. This is my land by birthright, and I have worked my whole life to defend its people. I will not betray their trust, no matter what cost. So long as they have me to look up to they won’t fully submit to you.”

It was a gambit, but Cherry felt it was the best chance she had at an advantage. Zenith wanted her alive and submitting of her own will, that was part of her core ideas. Sure, she could use her magic to turn Cherry into a brainless puppet. But she knew that she wouldn’t. Zenith would try and crack her willpower, to break her resolve. It was why she had brought Bellwyn down here. If she wasn’t able to win in a contest of raw strength or magical prowess, Cherry just had to be stronger in her mind to compensate.

Unfortunately, her inspired speech appeared to have little impact. If Zenith was surprised she didn’t show it. “You’re in for a shock when you see just how readily the people turned on you and your mother. From your perspective you’re the dashing hero ready to save the townsfolk, but from their perspective it’s just replacing one monarch with another. But that’s not what we’re going to focus on today.” She snapped her fingers, and Bellwyn’s prone body began levitating in the air, growing brighter and brighter until she disappeared in a small pop. “You’ll see her again, don’t worry. She’s moving on to the next phase of her training. As are you.”

Out of thin air, Zenith began weaving some sort of shape. Strands of magic began to coalesce into a solid form. It looked similar to a human torso, both in terms of size and overall shape. “Tell me, how familiar are you with voodoo magic?” Cherry blinked in surprise at Zenith’s question. “It’s a rather unique form of spellcasting. Much more focused on medicine and healing bodies. Really, it’s closer to science than actual magic.” 

The spell was finished, and Zenith was holding in her hands a replica of a torso. The harsh lights of the dungeon reflected off the pale material. It was about the same size as Cherry, with stumps where the limbs and the head would be. And of course it had a pair of soft breasts that were clearly exposed. However, the entire thing was completely smooth. Cherry was reminded of something she’d seen in a tailor’s shop once, a model of the human body to show how a corset would look when worn.

“Voodoo has a bit of an unfortunate reputation. Because there’s one specific type of spell that people constantly associate with the practice, even though it wasn’t particularly common. Regardless, I’ve used the ideas to whip up a wonderful new spell, just for you.” 

Cherry wracked her brain to figure out what Zenith was playing at. She’d heard of voodoo magic before, but only rumours from distant lands or foreign travellers. The name was still familiar though. All at once, she remembered it - a story Bellwyn had told her from a recon mission. Someone had tried to create a voodoo doll, an object linked to someone else and able to transfer sensations. And while the mage in question had failed, Cherry had a horrible suspicion that Zenith’s new toy was an indication of her success.

“You’re… are you going to make a voodoo doll?” She tried not to let fear creep into her voice. “What’s even the point? I’m already completely at your mercy, so it’s not like this will change anything.” Cherry was deflecting in the hopes that Zenith could be dissuaded. Although she had learned that reasoning with the sorceress tended to be a waste of time.

“Well, I’m not strictly following their template. I’ve got my own spin to put on things. One that should make you a bit more… intimately connected.” Before Cherry could respond, Zenith began casting a rather complex spell. One that was directly targeting Cherry. She tried to muster a counterspell, but her prison had some sort of a runic barrier that prevented her from channelling any of her magic. All Cherry could do was wait for the spell to resolve.

She closed her eyes and braced for impact, waiting for the inevitable. The magic washed over her, and she felt the sparks running through her body. However, once it washed away, Cherry didn’t feel anything different. She opened her eyes again. Although she wasn’t naive enough to assume the spell had failed, there was no clear indication of what had changed.

Unfortunately, she soon found her answer. The torso replica Zenith was holding had started to glow. Specifically, the area between where its legs would be. Cherry watched in horror as the smooth and featureless space in what would’ve been the nether regions was replaced with an actual, real vagina. Its folds were clearly exposed, and the clit was just barely poking out from under its hood. Zenith traced her finger along the inner lip.

Immediately Cherry knew something was wrong. As Zenith touched the vagina on her bizarre talisman, Cherry felt it directly on her own body as if she were being touched herself. She tore her rags off, not caring for decency as she got a look at her own nether region. Sure enough, it was just as she had feared. Instead of a vagina Cherry had a flat blank area. She pressed her finger against the surface, feeling the cool rubbery material that had replaced her body. It melded seamlessly with her skin, resulting in an uncanny blank slate where her vagina should be. 

“Quite a wonderful toy, this one is. Now I can do all sorts of fun things with you.” Zenith began slowly moving her finger along the insides of Cherry’s vagina, her motions methodical and deliberate. “Not only can I play with you from anywhere, but you can’t even touch yourself without my express permission. I’m not sure which part I like more.”

Although she was trying to keep her composure, Cherry was finding it difficult to remain stoic while being actively fingered. “This, urgh, doesn’t change anything. I’m still not going to submit.” She had seen Bellwyn’s corruption for herself, but that didn’t mean she was giving up hope. So far Zenith had been awfully quiet about Valia and Jinta. It was possible that even if they weren’t mounting a rescue mission, Zenith was having a harder time breaking them. Cherry knew she had to remain determined as well. “Don’t think I’m going to give up my duty as Princess just because of some fancy new trick.”

This time, Zenith outright cackled at her defiance. “Oh, you are just too funny. You’ll make an excellent jester. Go ahead and fight back all you want, it’ll just make your inevitable breaking so much sweeter.”

Zenith snapped her fingers, and a stone pedestal rose up from the ground. She placed the talisman bearing Cherry’s nether regions on top, and strangely enough, it simply floated in place. “Well, I’m going to be going for now. I’ll check in with you in a week or so, to see if you’ve still got that fiery spirit. For the record - I really hope you do. It’s no fun if you all break early.”

Cherry opened her mouth to spit back a response, but Zenith was no longer paying attention to her. She teleported away, out of the dungeon and presumably back to the throne room. Now with the sorceress gone, Cherry was once again left alone, but this time she had something to focus on. Something to stare at. She dressed herself once again, taking small comfort in her privacy. Even as she pulled her tattered clothes on, she felt the cool air of the dungeon against her vulva, as if she was fully exposed with her legs spread wide. Which made sense, given the talisman across the room.

The hopelessness of her situation had sunk in long ago. In her days since imprisonment, Cherry had accepted that any victory wouldn’t come from brute force or magical skill, as they’d tried before, but from somehow managing to outmanoeuvre Zenith. A demon of lust and pride, one who was far too full of both for Cherry’s liking. Seeing the cruel fate Bellwyn had been left to was a harsh blow, there was no denying that. It was possible that Bellwyn was only acting or being coerced into following Zenith. But after everything she’d seen, that wasn’t a possibility Cherry could count on. Her own Mother had apparently given up the throne. One thing Cherry knew for certain was that she couldn’t count on anyone else, just herself.

Unfortunately, Cherry didn’t have long to ruminate with her thoughts. The stone pedestal across from her cell started to rumble, with something rising up from the sides. It was a metal rod of some sort, but with a large bulbous end at the tip. A tip that was pointed directly at her sex.

Cherry grimaced at the situation. She could clearly see her nether regions on the talisman, but she wasn’t able to interact with it from behind her bars. All she could do was watch as the bulbous part pressed against her vulva, unable to protect herself in any way. 

She felt the pressure as if it were right between her legs. However, instead of penetrating her vagina as she’d expected, the rod began to vibrate. The bulb was soft, and it was large enough that it couldn’t really fit inside her. At first Cherry was worried it would try to force its way in. However, much to her surprise, it came to a stop while only pressing against the outer parts, without any penetration. She had to wonder what exactly Zenith was planning with this thing.

Her question was soon answered. Cherry let out a gasp in shock as the device started rumbling, its vibrations clearly audible from across the room. The odd shape suddenly made perfect sense to her. The bulbous head was the perfect shape to stimulate her entire groin, causing her to double over from the sensations. Of course, even with her hands clawing at the space between her legs, Cherry was unable to protect herself. The vibrating rod continued to pleasure her, and she could only watch it happen. The only saving grace was the fact that it wasn’t buzzing at a particularly strong level, just enough to keep her wet and aroused. 

Evidently that was part of Zenith’s plan. She wanted to wear Cherry down, to play the long and slow game. That was something Cherry could do. Even if she was no longer capable of direct combat, willpower was an entirely different story. All she had to do was endure.

Several hours later, Cherry was starting to fully comprehend the effectiveness of Zenith’s plan. The vibrations hadn’t let up, and the constant buzzing was beginning to wear on her. They still hadn’t amped up in intensity, although by this point, Cherry almost wished that they would. Her sex was dripping with arousal across the room. Once again, Cherry furiously rubbed the space between her legs, and once again she felt nothing from it. It gave her no relief and only served to emphasise how helpless she was. 

“Ugh. Fuck!” She was shouting at nothing, which she recognized as a bad sign. But at least it was something. Pressure was building inside of Cherry, and she was at least aware enough to acknowledge it. She tried to gather her thoughts. If she was this wound up already, waiting out Zenith would be even tougher than she’d anticipated. She had to come up with a grounding factor, something to keep her mind intact while enduring this torment. 

Bellwyn had always been her grounding factor. Unfortunately, when she thought of Bellwyn now her mind was filled with images of her grinding for Zenith’s amusement and prostrating herself to their enemy. It was hardly the encouragement that she needed to make it through. Even worse was how the vibrations were tormenting her, keeping Cherry constantly aroused no matter what she did. Whenever she tried to think of a plan her mind inevitably turned to sex and getting off. They were still buzzing at a dull pace, frustratingly low enough to keep her on the edge and wound up.

Surprisingly, it was her thoughts of Valia that Cherry ended up using to stay focused. Her maid was one of her closest confidants, and was someone she had always counted on when times were tough. Only Cherry hadn’t been returning the favour. Something had been bothering Valia on the day of the ceremony, and she hadn’t really bothered to find out what. If she gave up now, she might never find out. 

Cherry flopped down on her mattress, tossing and turning in place. There was no way to get comfortable. The only thing she could count on was that her torment would continue, but now she had a tangible goal in mind. She needed to see Valia, to be there for her. Cherry had already failed Bellwyn. She had failed her mother. Jinta… if she was being honest, Cherry half expected Jinta to have run away. She couldn’t even blame her cousin if that was the case. But Valia, wherever she was, still had to be holding out and fighting for the kingdom. There was a good chance she was still trying to rescue Cherry herself. But Cherry knew better than to expect a rescue mission, not against the overwhelming force that was Zenith. 

If she could endure, she could find a way to fix things. She could talk to Valia and thank her for everything she’d done. She could even try to help Meredith and Bellwyn get back to their old selves. 

The vibrations pulsed with even greater intensity, shattering her train of thought and forcing her mind to once again focus on her arousal.

Even though it had been a few days, Zenith hadn’t once come to visit her. Cherry was left alone with her talisman, watching her sex get pleasured from the confines of her cell. The vibrators had long since stopped. They had been replaced by a pair of dildo’s thrusting into her, which had been replaced by something else. The constant assault on her vagina hadn’t let up for a moment, always tormenting her in one shape or another. At the moment there were a group of lewd tentacles toying with her, thrusting in and out with reckless abandon. 

The only thing constant was how no matter what sexual depravity she was subjected to, it was never fully enough to let her cum. Sometimes she would be kept on a dull throb for hours on end. Sometimes she would have to put up with a slow yet steady fucking. And sometimes, like the present, she would be relentlessly pounded right to the brink… only for her climax to be ripped away at the last second.

Cherry could feel the tentacles writhing inside of her. She could see it from the other side of her bars, the talisman with her vagina still floating on a pedestal, the mess of tentacles below it eagerly groping upwards. She could feel their slimy bumps and ridges. She could see a small one reaching up and squeezing her clit, and felt its grasp in real time. 

Her thoughts of rebellion and escape were growing fewer and further between. It took all of her mental strength to endure, to try and figure out how she would outlast Zenith. Part of her had accepted that this wasn’t going to stop. The only way she could be content is if she accepted that this would be her fate for an indeterminate amount of time, and if she could be satisfied with her current state, she’d be able to outlast anything. Like Sissyphus finding contentment in his punishment. 

Had she been allowed a single orgasm every once in a while, this might’ve been possible. Except the constant edging and teasing was fully getting to her. Cherry had spent countless hours fruitlessly rubbing where her vagina should be, grinding it against the mattress and trying to finger herself through the soft material. It never worked. She could only rub the flat plate of the talisman and watch her real vagina get pleasured just beyond her reach.

The tentacles picked up the pace. Cherry moaned as she braced for what was coming, feeling the intruder pump deeper inside of her at a rapid pace. It was going to stop before letting her orgasm. She knew it, and she didn’t have any way to stop it from happening. Her grounding thoughts were growing fainter and fainter as hope of her salvation slowly slipped away. Even her thoughts had transformed, and thinking of Belwyn simply fueled her own arousal. She thought of her love bound and helpless, used as a sex toy and a weapon for Zenith, trapped in her own perverse nightmare and completely at the lustful sorceress’s mercy…

The tentacles pulled out, leaving her sex twitching and desperate for the tiny amount of stimulation it would need to bring her over the edge. Cherry screamed in frustration.

She didn’t know how long it had been. Certainly days, but weeks? There had been no visitors. No more taunts from Zenith, and no reprieve from her punishment. Cherry lay on her mattress, the tattered remains of her clothes thrown in a corner. 

Today’s punishment was possibly the cruellest of them all. Feathers. Simple feathers, lightly and gently tracing around her cunt. Her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat from the unending arousal. She was flushed and breathing heavily, a state which she had been in for far longer than could be healthy. All she wanted was to cum. One simple orgasm, one to let out all the tension that had been building, and she’d be okay. But it never arrived. 

A mix of laughter and cries dribbled out of her mouth, echoing through the stone walls of her prison. She’d been foolish for thinking she could wait it out. Even more so for thinking she could be content like this. This was punishment, pure and simple. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. No goal to work towards, no point to enduring. Valia? She couldn’t help Valia. If she wanted to talk to her, the only way she’d be able to was to give in. To become Zenith’s Jester. 

There was, unfortunately, another plan brewing in Cherry’s mind. One that would potentially allow for her freedom. One that could reunite her with Bellwyn, and right all the wrongs she had done. Or at least some of them. There was no chance things could ever go back to how they were before, and Cherry knew that her days as the proud and brave Princess and defender of the Kingdom were over. But that was part of the problem. This whole time, she’d been thinking about things the wrong way. She’d been trying to fight like she would fight any other foe, through force or through cunning. 

That simply didn’t work with Zenith. This was a monster who didn’t care for power or wealth, or any other reasonable motivation. She was doing this for fun. And as a feather tickled her clit extra hard while the others continued to dance around her vulva, she cursed herself for not figuring it out sooner. The answer was obvious, and it had been right in front of her the whole time.

“I give up.” 

Her voice was soft, filled with defeat. Cherry didn’t speak loudly. She knew that she didn’t need to. Zenith had said it herself, she wanted Cherry to fight back. Because that’s where she found her fun. Once she gave in, when she stopped being entertaining with her resistance, maybe Zenith would leave. “You win. I give up. I’ll become your court jester.”

She hated herself for saying it, but there was no other way. Her mind was a constant cloud of lust, never able to reach the orgasm she needed for clarity. All of her pride had been thoroughly stamped out and diminished. And if she was giving in anyway, maybe she’d finally be allowed to cum. Considering how much she was giving up, Cherry didn’t feel bad in the slightest about her one selfish desire. 

“Do you hear me? I’m giving up. I’ll play whatever sick and twisted game you want.” Cherry expected the sorceress to materialise, a sadistic grin on her face as she prepared for whatever cruel game was next. She stared at the other side of her cell, watching the feathers dance in anguish around her inflamed cunt. 

Anger started to boil inside of her. “Hey, I know you’re listening! You hear me? I’m giving up!” Tears were openly streaking down her face. This was her one chance at reprival, a way to relative safety. She wasn’t even lying. “You can make me into your jester, I’ll obey you as the new Queen. Is that what you want to hear?”

Still, nothing happened. Cherry slammed her fists against the bars, letting out a primal scream of anger, of frustration. She had lost everything, everyone, and she wasn’t even given the dignity of surrendering.

The feathers continued to flutter around her cunt, unbothered and undisturbed by the quiet sobs that filled the dungeon.