The voices were growing louder around Belwyn. She was used to discussions around her, sometimes even involving her. If she was lucky somebody would even talk directly to her. But most of the time, she was simply there in ambience - a figure in the background, something to be admired, but with no agency of her own.

By this point she was used to Zenith changing up the form of her bondage. Sometimes she had more agency while others she was fully immobilised, but there were a handful of factors that always remained constant. She was covered head to toe in latex, her mobility was extremely restricted, and her mouth was thoroughly covered. Her role was to be seen and not heard. At first, Belwyn had despised everything about her punishment. She had yearned for freedom and spent her days wishing to go back to the independence from before.

But now? Belwyn found her mind looking at things from a different perspective. She had always done the best she could as Cherry’s aid, taking on dangerous missions and putting everything on the line to protect her lover. And now she was still doing the same thing, just in a different fashion. Zenith had made herself abundantly clear in that listening to her and following orders would help Cherry out. And now that was all Belwyn could think of - she was helping Cherry, and no cost was too great, no task insurmountable.

Not to mention she’d found ways to amuse herself in her new lesser station. Although it was always disorienting, Belwyn had found that she was rather skilled at determining what she was being used for whenever her bondage changed. It was almost a game, using contextual clues from the people around her as well as her own position to put the pieces together. Granted, it was a far cry from the sort of intelligence gathering and deductions she’d used to do as a ranger, but it was a useful way to stretch her brain regardless. 

This time, she had a couple of clues to go off of. The fact that she was laying on her back, knees pulled against her chest and feet pointed up in the air, was enough to tell her that she was supposed to be used as a chair. She’d figured that much out before she’d felt the weight of someone sitting on her thighs. However, given the snippets of conversation she’d heard, she knew that she wasn’t an ordinary chair. There was talk of a coronation, and the body weight on her earlier had been none other than Zenith herself.

Belwyn was being used as the royal throne.

“That’s it Valia, I did what you asked! Now will you let me see her?” Belwyn’s heart leapt at the voice. She’d heard it speaking before, along with others. More voices than she was used to. It had been difficult to make out what they were saying, especially with the thick hood covering her face, but this time she was certain of it. It was Cherry’s voice. Her guiding beacon, and the one thought that kept her going through the toughest of times.

“Alright, fine. But remember, Zenith will return at any minute. And when she does you are fully expected to play your role.” The words swam around in Belwyn’s head as she tried to comprehend them. She had never gotten a full and proper explanation of the scenario, but from what she could understand, Valia was working with their enemy. And now she was ordering the Princess around like she was in charge. Under other circumstances Belwyn would’ve been furious at the betrayal, but her mind was primarily occupied by one thing - from the sounds of things she was about to be reunited with her love.

A soft pair of footsteps echoed through the room, growing louder with each moment. They were matched by a strange jingling of bells. Belwyn was confused, but she decided not to question them. Her heart was pounding as she imagined Cherry getting closer to her. It had been so long since the last time they’d been reunited in the dungeon. Part of her was worried this was all another one of Zenith’s elaborate tricks, but she had to hope for the best, or else there was no point in hoping at all.

“Hey there, babe. Are you doing okay?” Cherry’s soft voice cooed in her ear, and all of Belwyn’s troubles washed away. She felt a hand gently caressing her latex encased cheek. “This is quite the tough spot we’ve found ourselves in.”

Belwyn nodded in agreement. Or at least, she attempted to, as her neck was hardly able to move from the angle she was trapped in. But it didn’t matter. She was back with Cherry again, and that was the only thing she cared about. 

She wanted to reach out and respond to her lover's touch, but with her arms pinned at her sides in the latex bodysuit, it was no use. Instead she resorted to shaking her body as much as possible. Her legs were flailing back and forth in the air, grunting incomprehensible sounds from behind her gag, anything to show that she was listening. That she was responding as best she could. And hopefully, Cherry would get the message.

Thankfully, it felt like Cherry understood. She felt a warm embrace wrap around her, the same jingling from before ringing in sync with the movement, mixing with the squeak of rubber on rubber to create a unique musical sound. “I’m so happy you’re alright. Or at least as alright as you can be given the circumstances. When Zenith brought you to the prison before I… I didn’t know what to think. I assumed the worst.”

Belwyn knew better than to try and respond. Even if she wasn’t able to reply with her words, she’d been learning her place as an object, something for others to use for support. Belwyn had no issues providing the support her girlfriend desperately needed, letting her vent her frustrations and anger. “Fuck, you have no idea how badly I missed you. Your touch, your body, your…” Cherry’s voice trailed off for a moment. “I-I can’t get off anymore. Literally. She’s been tormenting me, withholding my orgasms as a punishment of sorts for not giving in sooner. I dream about you almost every night, that we’re together again and everything is back to normal.” There was a slight crack in her voice. “But now I just don’t know what normal could be anymore.”

She began choking back tears. Belwyn felt her own sorrow well up inside at the sound of anguish in Cherry’s voice. “Gods, I’m so sorry I… I failed you. I failed you all. It’s my fault you’re trapped like this now, and there’s nothing I can do to help you.

It was painful, knowing just how limited her ability to offer comfort was. Nevertheless, Belwyn did what she could to nuzzle inwards. She heard Cherry bang her fist on the ground twice in a row, sucking in her breath at the sudden pain. The frustration of everything was clearly getting to her. She gave Belwyn a series of slow and sensual strokes on her bottom, every trace of her fingertip setting all of Belwyn’s senses alight. “I’m happy to be here with you for now, but I really wish we could just talk again as normal.” She banged her fist one last time while giving her butt a final stroke.

 Belwyn fluttered her legs. Although they were bound together at the ankle, she had a small amount of wiggle room at the tips, which was ironically almost more frustrating than having no movement at all. It made her want to get up and run into her lover's arms, to wrap her in a hug and just never let go. Instead, she had to settle for throwing what was left of her voice into the gag in a cry of passion, before frantically kicking her feet again until they grew sore.

It was enough to remind Belwyn of why she was willing to put up with everything. Up to this point she’d sacrificed her freedom, her identity, and even her dignity to please Zenith. She had done it all in the name of helping Cherry. And despite everything they were going through, it had worked. Now she was here with her girlfriend, and she had no idea when their next opportunity would be. Cherry had gone through so much, and this ‘coronation’ was sure to be another brutal experience for her. She wasn’t going to hope for Zenith to give them mercy. Instead, she hoped she would be able to do her job as best as possible - supporting the royal family from the sidelines, and offering whatever help she was able to in order to make Cherry smile. Just like she’d always done.The circumstances couldn’t be more different, but Belwyn was gradually viewing her status as simply an extension of her previous duties. 

She hadn’t faltered in them before, so why should she now? If her job was to be a throne for her betters to sit upon, she was going to be the best damn throne possible. For the sake of Cherry.

A crack of thunder marked the ending of their reunion. Zenith’s booming voice echoed throughout the room, to the point where even Belwyn had no issues hearing it. “Alright ladies, I hope you’re all ready for the main event. The guests have gathered. The stage is set. It’s time for a new Queen of Tirencia to be formally crowned, don’t you think?”

It all finally clicked into place for Belwyn. Zenith was officially and formally taking the crown, that’s what the coronation was for. With everything that had happened, Belwyn hadn’t really processed the specific politics of the castle. She just assumed that the sorceress was in control of everything. And while she clearly was, evidently she wanted a more formal title as well.

They might have been defeated, but that didn’t absolve Belwyn from her duties. Either in a professional or a personal manner. 

The sounds of marching footsteps swiftly began to fill the room. Belwyn knew it was the sound of Zenith’s new guard, the former knights of the castle. Cherry’s nervous voice spoke up over the march. “W-wait, what are all these people doing here? I thought it was just to hand over the crown.”

“What, before a mere half dozen individuals?” Zenith let out a fierce burst of laughter. “You really are the perfect jester, with silly ideas like that. No, today is going to be witnessed by everyone. I’m here to show off what became of the former royals, after all.”

In addition to the footsteps, Bellwyn could make out the sounds of murmuring growing in the distance. She had no way of knowing the details, but from the sounds of things, it was a rather massive group of people, all chattering at a low buzz. 

“Who… all is going to be watching?” It was easy to hear the meek nature of Cherry’s question, as well as the indifference in Zenith’s response.

“Everyone! Nobles and commoners from the kingdom alike. Political allies, political enemies, jealous thugs and bandits… Everyone gets to witness what’s become of the formerly beloved Queen Meredith and her personal entourage. Now don’t disappoint me, it’s your job to keep the spirits light and the people laughing. I trust you’re up to the task, yes?”

Of course she was. Bellwyn knew that Cherry could do anything she set her mind to, she just had to believe in herself as much as Bellwyn did. She might be trapped within the throne, or perhaps as an art piece down the line, or a bedwarmer for Zenith or Valia. But no matter what, she was happy to do it all for Cherry. For her Princess. Nothing else mattered, and she would go through anything in order to support her wherever she was able.

And given the ceremony they were about to partake in, Bellwyn knew her love would need all the support she could get.