Chapter 12

She continued her travels after leaving the boy Giovanni with his mother to recover from his abduction, stripping and beating. Her white horse continued to lead her towards the region where she was to spend the winter. The further south she went, the more arid and parched the land was becoming and she appreciated more and more how fortunate she was to have her by now beloved steed to carry her provisions for her, even if she did continue to attract amazement not only at her continued nakedness, but the fact that she walked by his side rather than rode him. And not only her provisions did the horse carry, but another victim of life's misfortunes.

A few miles outside the town where she had deposited the lovelorn youth, she spied another unfortunate. As this poor man had staggered home from a long night of drinking not wisely but too well, he had been attacked and robbed. Although this particular set of thieves had been good enough to leave their victim him with his clothes on, the poor man was so badly injured as to render him totally immobile, lying semi-conscious by the roadside. With much straining and sweating, the Princess had contrived to lift the fellow's dead weight onto the white horse's saddle and transport him to his own village.

With the thanks of his grateful wife still fresh in her ears, she had resumed her journey, returning at the horse's bidding to her ordained route, and feeling somewahat virtuous at the way she was helping out lifes's victims in this way!

It was a few hours later that the worst disaster of her exile and wanderings occurred.

The horse led her straight through a small town, right along the main street. She noticed that the townfolk were looking angrily at her and felt gravely threatened for the first time in her travels. Thus far, something about her had ensured that she had not been subjected to serious violence, despite the disapproval many obviously felt for her nudity. She had never lost a kind of innocence in her demeanour, and this artless charm, together with the air of authority appropriate to her high and noble rank, had won many hearts and appeased much puritanical wrath. The people of this town were different. Very different. Why has the horse led me through here, she asked herself as the atmosphere became more and more menacing and she began to be jostled by the gathering throng of citizenry who seemed to be pouring out onto the street to vent their rage against her.

"Go on, you can't help me. Save yourself, old boy." she muttered to the horse, which, since she was still forbidden to mount it, could be of no assistance to her as a way of escape from the people's increasing wrath. The animal did as she bid, leaving her alone to face whatever fate the angry citizens might have planned for her.

"Shameful."

"Wicked"

"Whore"

"Harlot"

"Scandalous behaviour"

"Make an example of her. Whip the skin of off her back and throw her carcass to the wolves!"

At this last cry, she was seized by two of the leading citizens and dragged to the main square where, her hands above her head, she was securely tied to the whipping post, a device much used by the civic leadership in this small community to ensure the maintenance of moral rectitude. She wondered what would happen to her and she did not have long to wait before she found out!

A strong and muscular man, merciless of feature with an ugly glowering face, stripped to the waist, revealing a powerful, hairy chest and phenomenal arms, as thick as many a strong man's thighs, came and stood in front of her, holding a long whip made of some kind of hide, knotted along its length. It was a devilish implement and, if used on her would be sure to leave her lovely back horribly scarred until the end of her days, if it did not kill her outright, which she feared it surely would.

"Do you wish to plead for mercy, harlot?"

"I do not plead with the likes of you. I only give commands to my inferiors, and I command you to free me, or it will be the worse for you!"

Enraged by this defiance, the crowd became more insistant in their growled demands that condign punishment be visited on the shamelssly revealed body of the unfortunate Princess. The man went round behind her and she heard the voices of the watching people die away as they silently waited for the show to begin. They were very moral and upright citizens and loved to see sin receive its just desserts.