Natalia has to make a choice as the princess plots behind her back.
Chapter 15

Princess Alejandra had almost fully recovered from her wounds during the battle. She was still weak and having trouble standing in her bedroom this morning. The window was open and the golden morning rays from the sun lit the room.

She had spent the past few days meeting the women in charge of the most powerful noble families in the empire. The powerful noble women in charge of their families. It had been a busy week with her meetings, plotting, and recovering from her wounds.

And now she was meeting with the powerful Rodriguez family. Lady Marie Rodriguez and her eldest daughter Cecilia. Alejandra looked at young Cecilia and nodded approvingly, “You look beautiful and elegant, Cecilia. You have adjusted well to your new life and will make a very great leader for your family when the time comes.”

Cecilia nodded, “Thank you, your Highness.”

Cecilia was cursed by being born male. She was raised into early childhood as a male. But her mother knew that he would have no future as a male in the Empire and pushed him to agree to transition. She could have laid her hopes on the younger daughters she would have later, but she wanted her eldest child to inherit her titles. She didn’t want her eldest child to be raised to just be in the background, powerless and merely obeying his sisters. It wasn't easy to get him to agree to this life. Still, he did his mother's bidding in the end and decided to begin the transition sometime in his early teens. So now, here was Cecilia, being raised to be a powerful noble woman in her mother's image.

Alejandra said to them, “The other ladies from the noble families have all agreed with this. Do you have any objections, Marie?”

“If this is really what you want, your Highness. Then I will accept this course,” Marie responded. “But what about Ms. Hastings? Has she agreed to any of this or are you planning on springing this all on her at the last second?” The two women giggled knowingly.

“She has not agreed yet,” The princess smirked. “But I am sure she will agree to make this sacrifice for the good of the people and our empire when the time comes. She will agree to do what is needed for our survival. I will personally see to it.”

“In that case, you can be sure you have the support of the Rodriguez family, your Highness. We are behind you.”

Cecilia approached Alejandra and asked, “Does Natalia really want to return to being male when this is all done?”

“That is her greatest desire,” Alejandra confirmed.

“She seriously believes she will be allowed to become Martin again?” Cecilia said in disbelief. “After everything we did for her?”

“Yes, she was born male and forced to become Natalia. She wants to return.” Alejandra said to the women. They giggled.

“That poor man,” Cecilia smirked. “She will find herself trapped here and unable to ever become a man again. It seems so cruel. But after everything we did for her. You will be demanding another sacrifice.”

“Sacrifices must be made for the good of our empire,” Alejandra said. “I made mine, you made yours, Cecilia. Martin will have to make his final sacrifice and accept it. But, for now, we have to wait until Natalia does her duty and does what we expect her to do.”

<<<>>>

Natalia had become very suspicious lately. She was not unaware of the many very secret meetings the princess was having with the powerful ladies of their various noble families. She had a feeling that something was being planned. But that was really no surprise. Something this big had to involve a lot of planning and the agreement from the noble families or else they faced a power struggle and a possible civil war once she did what they expected her to do. She had no idea where it would all eventually lead. She hoped the princess planned for and avoided a fracture of the empire and a civil war.

She knew what was expected and everything was in place for the final piece. Everything was set up, and now, it all relied on her.

However, she wasn’t entirely ready yet. One final piece had to be put in place for her. And she issued several very secret orders to the commandants of a labor camp, for a former very sadistic Baron that began this so many years ago, and personally destroyed her very life. She issued the cruel orders and smirked in the darkness. That Baron was going to get a very unwelcome surprise very soon. The clinics were set up and had their orders to receive Anthony. It was all in place.

<<<>>>

The cruel and arrogant man that Anthony Vargos had been was totally destroyed years ago. He was crushed by his capture and the increasing amount of work he had been forced to do deep in the coal mines. Anthony’s life had gone through a devastating change and he was a slave at a brutal forced labor camp. The brutal eighteen-hour shifts deep in the coal mine had destroyed his body and his strength. He was also cruelly castrated.

His quota of coal was more than double of what it was for the other laborers in the camp. He figured it was because of his size and strength. Anthony was a massive, large man. He was larger and much stronger than most other men and had little problem in totally dominating other men when needed. He assumed that was why his quota of work was so high and he had little trouble meeting it at first. But into his second to the third year, the brutal work took a toll on his body and he began to weaken. Then he began to suffer for not meeting his quota and he was subjected to brutal beatings and his work was increased for the next day, which resulted in another brutal beating for failing to meet his quota.

He knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he was beaten to death. Few lived very long in this forced labor camp. He knew he had been sent here to die.

And he knew he did not deserve to suffer this life. He had done nothing wrong to deserve to be captured and enslaved in a labor camp. He used to be a mighty baron. He was feared and highly respected as one of the most powerful and respected Barons in Aragon. His family was among the most powerful and he was feared by the people. Few dared to cross his family and when they did, they paid for it. Those found out how fiercely the Vargos family would protect what they had. Anthony never questioned if they ever went too far. He had many dealings with the Hastings family as they wanted to extend their company into Aragon and purchase some property there. He respected George and found him fascinating.

Then, George's son assaulted his sister. It wasn't anything very serious. It was just a drunken encounter at a bar when he came on way too strong one night. Martin was arrested and spent a night in jail. The assault didn’t go too far. But his sister was humiliated and Anthony was enraged. He resolved to teach Martin a lesson he would never forget. He assaulted a member of his family, humiliated her, and that was unacceptable. So he plotted and pushed George into this deal. Martin's capture and marriage were parts of that deal and Anthony was surprised to learn that George didn’t give a damn about his son. He wanted something like this to happen. He hated Martin.

Over the next year, he exacted an act of brutal and cruel revenge on Martin. Anthony didn’t feel he was doing anything wrong. Martin suffered, but he had assaulted a member of his family and seriously crossed them in ways that were unacceptable. People had to learn to respect and fear his family.

But Anthony had no idea of the seriously powerful friends Martin had. He had no idea that Martin was a personal friend of the Princess of Castile and the Empress herself. Anthony unknowingly laid the groundwork to his nation's eventual destruction. In teaching Martin a lesson he would never forget, he didn’t know how cruel Martin could become. He was captured himself by agents of the princess and imprisoned in this forced labor camp. He had no idea how this happened. But he had been here ever since then.

Then he got news that Martin had slaughtered most of his family and burnt their estate. Martin assaulted his sister again and murdered her two small children and her husband right in front of her eyes. He slaughtered Anthony's father. Martin left his sister gravely injured but alive and his mother Constance to suffer knowing their family was destroyed. Anthony then learned that Martin had become an elite member of Castile's Shadow Corps. Then Martin murdered the judge, and everyone involved in his marriage. But Anthony still didn’t feel what he did was wrong. He was only protecting his family. Martin had sexually assaulted and humiliated his sister. Then Martin totally murdered most of his family. He knew his family was totally destroyed.

His life changed again for the worst when Martin visited him about a month ago. This cruel woman comes in and the guards take Anthony to this woman. He found out that the woman was Martin. The guards unshackled him at Martin's request, and it looked as if Martin expected Anthony to try to attack him. Anthony wasn’t stupid and he knew that attacking a member of the Shadow Corps was a mistake that brought horrible retribution. And he knew the type of elite training they received and that he stood no chance against Martin. But then Martin, now Natalia, proceeded to brutally beat him. Natalia threw him down and started striking him and kicking him until he was unable to move. Natalia wasn’t finished though. She had proceeded to chop off his hand. His hand was severed from his arm. Anthony looked at the stub where his hand used to be. From then on, he was no good for work so the guards started to dress him up and use him for sex.

He got better living conditions here, being like a woman. He had his own chambers in the camp away from the other prisoners. He was no longer expected to go into the coal mines. He had a large closet full of expensive gowns and lingerie. But some of the guards came in when they wanted sex, and he couldn't refuse them. They slept with him; they raped him and sexually abused him. That is what his life had become over the last month.

His life violently changed again just last night. Sometime in the morning, the guards burst into his chambers and violently seized him. He was chained up in leg irons and shackles and taken out to a prisoner van waiting for him. They took him to a clinic where now, he was strapped down to a hospital bed awaiting something. Anthony had a sick terrifying feeling about what he was waiting for. He had heard that this is a clinic that specializes in treatment for transexual people and gender transformations. Of course, this was the fate he had planned for Martin for attacking his family. He knew this was Martin's doing and he was exacting his final revenge.

He wished he had known how cruel and brutal Martin could be long ago, so he would have handled the retribution differently. It was too late now. He could get no justice for what Martin did multiple times to his sister and her family. And to his entire family.

Sometime during his reflection, he sensed another presence in the room. He felt someone standing over his hospital bed and he had a feeling that he knew who this was. Anthony opened his eyes and looked up to see if it was who he thought it was.

Standing over him was a large woman impeccably dressed in a military officer's formal dress uniform. The solid black intimidating uniform was neatly pressed and perfect from the black pumps she was wearing to the nylon encased legs that went up to her thighs, to the dress skirt she had on to her uniform jacket and tie and her cap. Her face was meticulously made up, and her brilliant crimson lipstick stood out in contrast to the darker colors of her eye shadow and liner and blush on her cheeks. The endless rows of awards and ribbons on her chest stood out, along with her bright red sash signifying her noble house and her status as Baron. Her silver stars signifying her rank as General were also evident. What was most unnerving was this woman's eyes. Those eyes glaring down at him filled with merciless hate. He saw the cruel glare of darkness that threatened to swallow up anyone. This person had been completely consumed with an intense hate that dominated everything she did. He felt the intense hate radiating off of this person almost in palpable waves.

This was Natalia Hastings. A cruel, sinister smile spread on her face looking down at the defeated, helpless man. “I just wanted to see you for your final day as a man. You are smart enough to know what's coming, and I see it in your eyes, Anthony. You know what this is for. You were a monster, but you were never dumb.”

Anthony glared up into the eyes of Natalia and sneered, “Your father would be very proud of you. Your cruelty exceeds his by many times now. He tormented and abused John for a few long years, stripping him of everything he was and destroying him.”

Natalia laughed bitterly, “Don’t you dare try to tell me you cared anything for what happened to him. You saw what Dorothy was and wanted to do it to someone yourself.”

He shook his head, “I didn't,” Anthony admitted. “But my point is he destroyed one life. You slaughtered an entire family. You murdered innocent children in front of their parents. None of those children was over ten years ago. All of that to get back at me. And you murdered dozens of people from judges to police.”

“My father hated me,” Natalia said softly. “He was so willing to make that deal with you and allow you to destroy me. It's exactly what he wanted to happen. And despite the horrible things I did. I seriously doubt he would have approved of the many dozens of women I rescued over the years. I went into Aragon and rescued many women slaves over the years and with your wealth, helped them rebuild new lives in Castile. They may never fully recover from what they suffered at the hands of men like you, but they have families, and people who are caring for them now. They are doing a lot better. Everything that I have done was to help improve the lives of women. My father would have hated that and how I now live my life.”

Anthony said softly, almost as an angry hiss. “My sister was a woman. She was an innocent woman and what you did to her, the pain and agony you inflicted on her. What about your claim to help women?”

Natalia laughed bitterly. “She was a woman who so willingly served and helped the cruel slave culture in Aragon and did nothing to help those women. In addition, she was your sister and helped with what you did to me.”

“No, she didn’t,” Anthony replied. “She didn’t even know.”

“She had to have known and approved of it,” Natalia almost shouted harshly. “After all, it was her wedding gown I wore. She gave it to you for me to wear. And had it altered to fit my body. How could she not have known?”

“She knew I was marrying a man that was going to become my male bride. But she had no idea who that man really was or that it was going to be a nonconsensual arranged marriage set up by your father. She was totally innocent. In fact, you were the one that molested her before any of it happened. And then you inflict more pain on her and destroy her entire family and her future. She did nothing to you. It was you who attacked her and set it off. You had to pay for it,” Anthony replied.

“I did pay for it. I spent a night in jail and paid a fine. My father bailed me out for it. Huh, that’s sweet after how he treated women. But his reaction to that night had more to do with threatening his status in your family's eyes than him giving a rat's ass about your sister's feelings. But I paid for it. I just groped her and came on to her too strong during a night of drinking. I didn’t rape her. I didn’t enslave her. I didn't dominate her or destroy her will. I doubt she really remembers it and she recovered. I will never recover after what you did to me. You did all of those things to me. What I did in no way justifies your extreme reaction to it. And what you did completely justifies my reaction. Don’t expect me to feel bad in any way for what I did to your family. I don’t feel bad at all. You all deserved it and I was justified. I was raped countless times by you over a period of a year. My life was completely destroyed by your family. I can still barely sleep through the night. Your sister had many good nights of sleep after that night. I haven't.”

Another woman walked in and glared at Anthony. Her glare of hate was almost as fierce as Natalia. She was Vivian and tightly embraced Natalia. They kissed. “We are engaged, and this will be a real marriage of love, not that you understand that concept at all,” Vivian said accusingly. "And I can confirm what Natalia just said. She can't sleep through an entire night. I often hold her as she is shaking and crying after a night terror. They are persistent. I agree. Natalia was completely justified in what she did to your family. I came in to also see you on your final night as a man. You will still never be a free man. And I came in to tell you that your sister has just died. Her death was painful. No one could do anything for her as she was screaming. Cancer finally got her. Anthony, this is all because of you, and your cruelty. You brought this on your family. I hope you are proud. I am proud of my wife, Natalia. She has become such a great woman.”

Natalia and Vivian walked out, holding hands and laughing.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Natalia knew what was going to be expected of her. She knew why the Princess herself personally requested her this morning. She knew it was time for action and almost a month of preparation and planning was for this. They had discussed this before and it was now time. So Natalia had dressed her best and went to see the princess. Natalia was not surprised to see only the princess there or to be called to such a secret and out of the way location. This was very dangerous.

The princess sat across from Natalia as she entered the room. They met in an isolated cabin out in the middle of nowhere. Natalia thought this place looked familiar. It looked like the isolated building that John had her taken to so long ago during her marriage to the Baron. A place they called a spa. It was isolated, no one was around, and it was the perfect place for what John had in mind for her. And it was also the perfect place for secret plotting of coups against the Empress.

“You are looking good, Natalia,” the Princess smiled.

“Thank you, your Highness,” Natalia replied as she looked around the room. “Is this place what I think it is?”

“Excuse me,” said the Princess in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Natalia walked into a small room and looked around. It was indeed. “Yes, it is. This is the room where I was taken each night and locked in. That’s where I laid while John hired the men to come in and abuse me each night.“

Natalia walked into a larger room beside that room and looked around. “This is where the women disciplined me, trained me, and inflicted pain when I resisted or failed. This is where Tabitha and Pam and that other woman inflicted pain on me and this is the room where they questioned me and expected me to provide the correct answers. Like, does my husband have the right to have me dressed as a woman and humiliating questions like that and how I should accept the life they wanted to impose on me. I also think this is where John was taken for training during his marriage to my father.”

The princess looked disturbed, “I am sorry, Natalia. I really had no idea. This place just looked isolated and out of the way, and perfect for secret meetings and plotting of things that can get us all put in front of a firing squad.”

Of course, the princess had no idea what this place was used for. They had discussed her past and her marriage to the Baron Vargos. The princess knew about her life as the male wife of the Baron. But few specifics were really ever discussed and while her few visits to the spa were mentioned, the location was never disclosed. The princess did not know exactly where that place was. How could anyone have really known? Natalia replied, “I understand and thank you for understanding. May I ask about the Duke and how he is doing now? Is he still alive?”

The Princess giggled girlishly. “My husband, yes he is still alive. I wondered if he would be able to be trained and accept what I expected of him. I figured he would simply have to be executed. But his retraining is going well, and he is more accepting of his place than I thought he would be. This marriage may work out after all.”

“This marriage,” Natalia said in confusion.

“Yes,” the princess smirked. “A few things you may not know. You know that Castile does not recognize these marriages and can be dissolved. But, only at the bride's insistence. I never really asked a court to dissolve the marriage. The marriage is still in force. As the Duke will find out and get a very unpleasant surprise. You see Natalia, under the laws of Castile, the wife is in charge of everything, including the husband's very life, his actions and property all belong to the wife now. He wanted this marriage and wanted me to be his wife. He will get exactly what he asked for,” the princess smiled darkly.

Then she added, “The same is true in your marriage also. You never really formally asked a court to dissolve your marriage to the Baron Vargos. It is still going on, which is why you were able to have all this done to Anthony. You are his wife and you are in charge. You can legally request these changes or have him imprisoned.”

“I thought it was because I have such a high rank in the Shadow Corps,” Natalia postulated.

The princess shook her head, “That's one of the reasons, of course. But the main reason is you are his wife. Unfortunately for him, in Castile, that means you rule. You are making him a woman, but he is still male and the husband. So you still rule over him.”

“What will this mean for Vivian and me,” inquired Natalia.

“It means you will have to choose whether to dissolve the marriage to the Baron if you want to marry Vivian or keep it in force. You can choose to keep things as they are and just have the Baron be a submissive little slave girl to you two. The choice is yours, Natalia. The ex-Baron will get a very unpleasant surprise.” They both laughed. “You will have to discuss this with Vivian and find out what you two really want. So now, let's discuss our plan. You have done very well so far. You had the guards arrested, you interrogated them all, and then you had them all tried and executed. Those imperial guards were replaced by handpicked members of your squad, women you personally trained. So now we must take the next step and I think you know what that means.”

Natalia looked down. “Yes, you expect me to walk into the empress' royal chambers and personally execute her. But then, I have heard some very disturbing things about you and your meetings with various people. What will become of me If I do this?”

“Natalia,” The princess said firmly. “Listen. I will make sure you won't suffer. But with something this big, we must make plans for the future, so the Empire doesn’t split apart. But also, someone will have to be blamed. You may have to flee the empire once you do this, and I will provide a way. So the question is, Natalia, are you willing to do what is needed to ensure the survival of the Empire. It won't survive with Elsa on the Throne.”

“Why can't you do it, Alejandra, you are her sister, and you have the loyalty of the armed forces. They would gladly forgive you for this.”

“I can't kill my sister like this,” explained the princess. “I could, but then they would just see that I killed her to take her throne. There are many who would question that, and not be happy. I could not do that. It has to be someone else, and you have the training and ability to do it and get out alive. The only question is, are you willing to make that sacrifice, Natalia?”

Natalia thought for about a minute. The Princess saw the wheels turning in her head for a long time and what was being expected of her. It seemed that the princess was expecting more and more of her. Her sex was sacrificed for the good of the women and the empire, her way of life, her identity as a man. And now, her very life. She could escape and reclaim her life, but she would still be sacrificing everything she had achieved so far.

Natalia looked at the Princess seriously and replied, “Yes, I will do what is needed to preserve the Empire. I will make the sacrifice, your Highness.”

The princess saw that Natalia was serious and knew what this all meant.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Getting into the Empress’ chambers was very easy now. Natalia wore her military dress uniform. She wore her black dress skirt and her sexy nylons. She had her four-inch shiny black heels on her feet. She had her uniform top on with the rows of ribbons she had earned on her campaigns and missions. She had two shiny silver stars on her shoulders, signifying her General rank. She approached the doors to the Empress’ enormous palace. The imperial guards searched Natalia for weapons when she arrived. The red-suited guards fully searched Natalia at the door and took her personal weapons. The guards were her people but they also had a job to do. Natalia was prepared for this.

She entered the palace and was approached by her people as she went into the inner chambers of the palace. They looked her over and searched her again. And one of her people secretly slipped her a firearm into her coat and let her pass.

The door was opened, and Natalia stepped through the large wooden doors into the darkened throne room of the Empress herself. She sat there watching Natalia enter her throne room.

As Natalia approached the large throne, she rose and spoke, “Natalia Hastings, after everything I have done for you. This is my reward. Don’t think I don’t know why you have come today. I know.”

Natalia stopped and reached for her firearm.

“You have betrayed me; my beloved sister has turned on me. The military has turned against me and even our allies have turned their backs on us. This is my reward after all of my efforts to improve the lives of women.”

Natalia pulled her firearm out and leveled it at the Empress. She stared into Elsa’s eyes, preparing to fire.

Elsa shrugged. “I understand. You all think I went way too far on Aragon. But now the world knows what we can do, and they fear us just like they fear the U. S. I understand they are horrified at our use of a nuclear weapon. Just like the U. S. used a nuclear weapon on a defeated nation already on its knees. Their cities were being bombed at will. But we went too far, huh?” Elsa sneered.

Natalia chambered a round in her weapon and prepared to fire into the Empress’s head. Elsa saw Natalia was ready.

Elsa stood there looking into Natalia’s eyes. Natalia had to admire this woman. She didn’t cower, look afraid, cry or beg in terror, staring into the barrel of a gun about to fire into her head. She unexpectedly smiled.

Suddenly, Natalia felt unsure and even afraid as Elsa spoke with a tone of confidence and authority. “I understand that you are doing what you think is best for everyone. I understand that you and my sister planned this. But, Natalia, I seriously doubt that this will work out as you think it will.”

“I understand what I am doing,” Natalia replied. “Princess Alejandra spoke to me about this. I understand the plan, and I am fully prepared to make the sacrifice if it is required, for the good of the people and avoid a war. If I must make the final sacrifice for peace, I understand what is being asked of me and I will make it.”

Elsa suddenly laughed at Natalia's hubris. It was a bitter condescending laugh. “I really doubt you are. You see Natalia, I know my sister, and she is highly manipulative and intelligent. You may think you are ready. But I know her, and we are never really prepared. She has something unexpected planned. And I seriously doubt this will end how you think it will.”

Natalia didn't move. She kept her gun trained on Elsa as she closely watched her. She showed no fear at all. “If I am captured and blamed for this, which Alejandra said is possible, I am ready for it. If I must be sacrificed, I understand, and I am ready.”

“As you said before, Natalia and the point of your revenge against Constance Vargos and the Baron's sister. There are much worse things than death. The sacrifice Alejandra was talking about may not be what you expect. I think I know what she has in mind and I know her. I doubt you will be killed and I think I know your reward for killing me for her. You may find you won't be able to return to your life as Martin. You may find that to be impossible. I think she has something more planned for your future. I know my sister. I always planned on allowing you to return your old life as Martin Hastings. You sacrificed so much for me, for the women, and the empire. You fully atoned for the sins you committed as a man. Your service to us was going to be fully rewarded and you would be able to return to living as a man. But I don’t think my sister plans on allowing you to make that choice."

Elsa laughed as she saw the doubt and anger in Natalia’s eyes. “Natalia… Martin, I do not blame you and I am not angry at you. I always expected something like this to happen. And you are an innocent man, you have been abused, and your life was destroyed by those of your own family who were plotting against you. You joined us as a broken and desperate man and you trusted my sister, who used your suffering for her own gain. She manipulated you into this. I am prepared to make the final sacrifice. And it's too late to have second thoughts now, Natalia. You executed my loyal guards one by one, replaced them with your own handpicked people. You got into my royal chambers with a weapon and now you are holding the weapon on me. It’s way too late for second thoughts. Whatever my sister has planned for you will happen. There is no escape and, if you fail her, it will only be much worse. I will still die and she will probably hold you responsible. You may as well do it.”

Natalia thought about what the empress said to her and she was correct. It was way too late to back out now. This is the result of months of planning and she was nowhere, holding a gun on the empress herself. Perhaps the Empress was just trying to deceive her and make her doubt. Perhaps not, but whatever was the truth, she had to carry this out. Natalia had little choice at this point.

She saw that Elsa was fully ready and Elsa said softly, “Natalia, do not be afraid. Whatever my sister has planned for you, I know she always liked you. You must carry this out.”

Empress Elsa was right. Natalia stared at Elsa as she squeezed the trigger and a round was ejected. The blast of the muzzle was heard through the entire palace as the round ripped through the Empress’s skull and tore it apart. She flew back from the force of the impact and was dead before she hit the marble floor. The Empress was dead. If she had no choice before, she really had no choice now. Natalia had assassinated the Empress.

She left the room through a small secret opening in the side and made her way out through a hidden exit.

She planned on disappearing and sneak her way out, only to be faced with dozens of black suited officers being led by Alejandra herself. Her face was fierce.

Alejandra snarled in rage, “You are under arrest for the assassination of the Empress.” Natalia was seized and struck in the head. Her vision went black as she collapsed.

<<<>>>

The pounding pressure in her head was relentless when she began to slowly wake up. Natalia’s head was pounding in a furious headache. They must have struck her hard. She was lying on a small cot. Natalia opened her eyes to look around. It was no surprise when she realized she was locked in a small cell.

Natalia's wrists were shackled together and a short length of chain was attached to her shackles and into a hook in the floor. It probably would not be too difficult to get out of her bonds. Natalia had extensive training in escaping from captivity. She was wearing the standard prison-issue black and white striped jumpsuit. Her body was mostly the same as before.

She was very well endowed on top, and those assets remained. They would be difficult to remove, so it was really no shock that the breasts remained. Her hips were large and rounded. Her crotch area was mostly the same. Her captors had left that alone to identify her as a female prisoner. Natalia was thankful for that. She was very well endowed in the crotch area. Martin had a very large penis that he learned how to hide inside of himself to appear as a woman. No hint of his masculinity showed when he was with women. That would be embarrassing and uncomfortable and probably have a very unfavorable impact on his career as a military officer. The illusion that he was a woman had to be maintained.

The guard outside of her cell must have heard the movement and left to report. Several guards from the Shadow Corps and one red-suited imperial guard returned and unlocked the cell. The two guards walked in and unlocked the chain from the floor and led her out. Natalia knew that she was going to be interrogated. She just hoped that it was not too painful. She also had extensive training to resist interrogation and she knew what she had to do.

Natalia was led into an interrogation room. Various instruments of pain were scattered around the room, clearly to use on her. The red suited woman stood in front of Natalia as she was seated.

The woman glared into Natalia’s eyes, trying to intimidate her. “Natalia Hastings. Formerly Brigadier General Natalia Hastings of the Shadow Corps. You rose through the ranks so fast doing what no one else thought you could do. You worked hard and made sacrifices for those you helped. Now we know it was all a fraud, a ruse to gain the trust of the empress so you could kill her one day. We know all of that.”

Natalia refused to respond. She simply waited and thought that something was immediately off with this. This was not how interrogations typically began. They usually began much more brutally and painfully to soften the subject up for the questioning. They could begin with a painful beating to the breaking of small bones, so by the time they started asking questions, perhaps, maybe they would be much more likely to answer to avoid more pain.

“We already know everything. Your conspirators already confessed.”

Natalia thought that was doubtful. And still, there was neither pain nor threats. She knew it was coming but there has not been any yet.

“It is no use denying it. We know everything. All we need from you now is for you to confess what we already know. Simply confess that the women you placed as the empress' guards were with you, as well as who helped you and who set you up to do this. We already know them. We know you were working with the Princess herself. Just admit it.”

“I did it all alone,” Natalia said firmly. “The women of my squad had no idea of what I was planning. I had no meetings with the princess. She is totally innocent. I alone am to blame for this.” She would never sell out of the women of her squad. She had dedicated herself to those women and she would protect them at all costs. So was this the threat, instead of pain, beatings, and torture. They were going to threaten those she wanted to protect.

The imperial guard was not convinced. She shook her head, “We know your squad knew and supported you. We have them in custody and will begin interrogating them soon. If you won't confess, they will. There is no use in denying it.”

“I am telling you the truth. I was alone,” Natalia pleaded, “leave the women of my squad alone. They know nothing of this. Please spare them and punish me. I will pay, spare my squad.” She pleaded with the guard.

The guard cocked her arm back and slapped Natalia on the face hard. Her face rocked to the side, and she saw some stars. “We know your squad was complicit in this. Just admit it and tell us who you were working with. Confess that the princess ordered you to do this.”

The princess would make a great empress. She was strong and highly intelligent. Alejandra was great. Natalia would never sell her out. She was willing to die for the princess. “The princess loved her sister. I did this alone.”

Natalia was then struck across the face with the guard's fist. The force of the blow knocked her from the chair and she fell over backward. The guard then viciously kicked Natalia across her stomach. Natalia cried out as she was kicked a few more times.

The guard pulled Natalia up by her long hair and grabbed her. Natalia was thrown into the wall. The guard pinned her to the cold wall and softly hissed into her ear, “If you refuse to confess, we will slowly and painfully interrogate the princess. She will suffer.”

Natalia knew that was false. In fact, if she confessed, they would torture the princess.

Natalia was struck in the kidney and she nearly collapsed in pain. She was told to confess again. But Natalia remained strong. The woman ripped open Natalia's top and tore it off. She stood there shamefully topless in front of her interrogator. A vicious punch into the tender flesh of her right breast was very painful and she cried out. She had not regretted getting breasts until now. She was aware of how very sensitive her breasts were. She doubled over as the woman struck her soft milky breast again.

Then the woman tightly gripped her breast in her hand and painfully squeezed it like it was in a vice. Natalia screamed as pain shot through her whole body.

The woman’s voice was soft, “This can easily end if you just admit what we already know.”

“Never,” Natalia said without a doubt. “I will die for the princess. I will die for the women of my squad. I did this alone.”

She was brutally interrogated for another hour. She was struck in the kidneys, across the ribs, and the stomach. The woman struck her soft breasts numerous times. They were pinched and twisted. The pain was terrible, but Natalia refused to break. She was in a fog of pain by the time she was returned to her cell.

The following days were mostly the same and she remained strong. And a curious thing struck her. The interrogations were brutal but not what she thought they would be. She had expected it to be much worse. She was beaten, but that seemed to be it. Her body would be bruised from the abuse that she was taking, but she expected more.

They didn't break her bones like they would in a typical information extraction session. They would break her fingers, and arms and joints to get her to confess. She would be burnt and electrocuted. The interrogators might even use needles and cutting. She expected that and she would probably break under that. Almost anyone would. Natalia was badly bruised, but that was it. There was something going on, but she could not figure it out.

It was into the third day of her interrogation when she was stripped nearly naked and the imperial guard had struck her on her breast a number of times. Then her nipple was tightly gripped and twisted. Natalia’s knees buckled as pain racked through her body.

This was going nowhere and Natalia was nowhere near ready to break. The guards were losing patience and they seized her arms and dragged her into another room.

Natalia looked at the room and went stiff. The guard smiled as Natalia looked stunned. In the middle of the room was a cute pink heart shaped salon chair. She knew that chair well.

Natalia was pulled into the chair and tightly secured with the thick leather straps. She wondered what they hoped to gain from this.

Then she shook her head and almost laughed. “I spent many hours in this chair for Leanne. I don’t know what you hope to gain by doing this to me, but you will still gain nothing. I will die for the princess.”

“No, I just have someone I want you to meet,” said the guard confidently with a knowing sneer on her face. “I heard you and this man had many good times together. You met him during your previous bridal banquet in much the same way. He wants to see you again.” The guard walked out, giggling.

She wasn’t left alone for too long. The door to the room opened and the man she expected walked in with a smile.

He laughed and said, “So, how is working with a bunch of ruthless, deceitful fascists working out for you, Natalia.” He giggled as he walked in.

He took a look at Natalia strapped tightly in the chair. Natalia was only wearing a pair of panties. But, unlike before, John could clearly see signs of her previous beatings. Natalia was covered in bruises. Dark blue spots covered her breasts, they were on her stomach, and her ribs. Her face was even bruised. John felt very reluctant to do anything else.

He walked up to Natalia and pleaded, “Natalia, you had better give these people what they want. They are serious here. I heard that they may be planning on giving you a sex change if you refuse. They may even kill you. Just give them what they want. You would suffer just to protect a bunch of bitches that would sell you out.”

Natalia laughed, “Yes, I would die for them,” She said with no doubt in her voice. “And I am certain they would do the same for me. I know how you felt and how you treated the women you worked with. But I will protect them, so do what you want, come in my ear again if you want. I will not break.”

John reached down and squeezed one of Natalia's soft breasts in his large hand and felt it. He smiled, “So it is what I expected when I first saw you. Your breasts are real, and they are better than mine were. These look and feel natural. And your hips, everything. You look like a very natural feminine woman, Natalia. And you did this all to yourself, for this country you serve.”

Natalia smiled in pride, “Yes indeed, and I never questioned my decision. Even now.”

“But look at what they have done to you,” John said. “and what they are planning. They tell me that if they change you, they are seriously considering putting you back with your ex-husband, the Baron Vargos as his wife again. If you keep refusing. Think about this.”

Natalia just laughed confidently. It was unexpected for John. Natalia said, “If they want to do that, then go ahead. Think of this. I am a highly trained officer of the Shadow Corps. If I wanted, I could have easily overcome the guards and escaped. I doubt they would stand a chance against me. And I know the Baron stands no chance against me. He would regret ever marrying me. But I haven’t taken any action against the guards because I want to bring no more suspicion on the women that served me. Or the Princess. I will suffer for them and gladly die for them. If they need to change me to a woman, I will make that sacrifice. And I hope you are enjoying my breast, John. I thought you were gay.”

He flashed a flirty smile and shrugged. “I am gay. I simply wanted to feel them and see if they were real. I think you have a much better and bigger rack than I was given. And you enjoyed the lifestyle much more than I did.”

“I was given a lot more than you were. But it all came at a price,” Natalia said to John and then looked up at him, “Let's be honest. I think you know you were manipulated, and nothing is as it seems at all. Can you leave this country or are you being held here?”

He shrugged again, “I came in at the request of the Princess and no force or fear is being used on me. I think I would be allowed to leave if I wanted. Why?”

“I suggest you leave this country fast; nothing is as it seems and you are smart enough to know it. You were right about the Shadow Corps and this country's leadership. I look bad, but do I seriously look like someone who had been in one of the Shadow Corps concentration camps for weeks and subjected to their interrogation sessions? Is this what you really expected?”

John thought of the matter seriously. There were obvious bruises and evidence of beatings, but that was about it. There should be more. John shook his head, “No. You don’t look malnourished. Nothing is broken or beyond repair. People sent to those camps suffer much worse and are not really expected to survive. Do you know anything?”

“I have my suspicions. And one of them is because I know Princess Alejandra. I know she does not want to be empress. She enjoys the life of a princess behind the scenes. That’s why she stepped aside for her sister, and she had been planning that for months. Something else is coming, and she is planning it for me. Nothing is what it appears to be, but it can go wrong. I strongly suggest that you leave for your own sake. Just in case this all goes wrong.”

The door opened, and the Princess stepped through with a sweet smile. “I am sorry, Natalia, but I cannot allow John to leave at this time. Please understand.”

“Why in the name of God did you bring him here in the first place, what possible reason could there be to bring him here, now?”

The princess shook her sad. “Natalia, always thinking of other people. Even John, after everything he did to you and after what you did to him, you still don’t want to see him hurt. That’s sweet. There is a reason for all of this, Natalia. Things aren’t what they seem and this is dangerous. With the Empress dead, there will be a power struggle and I have a plan. There’s a reason I kept you here. I needed you, Natalia and you are right about me. I never wanted the throne. I don’t want it. And I had to know if I was right about you, and if you had the right character for it. And you did not let me down, and you would not turn on those who trusted you. But we have a serious problem, and this is very dangerous. You see, General Franco expects me to crown her. She has approached me and even used threats. She could plunge us into a serious civil war. She expects to become the caudillo, along with the nationalist forces behind her. We will have to deal with her quickly and harshly. Or we could be facing a brutal civil war.”

Natalia looked at John standing there so delicate and weak and laughed. Then she asked the Princess, “Why is he here? Seriously, your Highness, do you seriously see this man serving on the front lines in a brutal civil war?”

John looked offended and shouted, “HEY!” The two women were laughing at the idea of him serving some role in their war.

“No, but I don't expect him to,” The princess replied. “But he can support us and he knows you. But there is one thing I need from you before we can proceed.”

“You have my absolute loyalty. I thought that was shown when I refused to turn on you.”

The princess smiled, “You proved that very well. But there is one other thing. Natalia Hastings. My family needs to adopt you to make you my heir. You must become princess Natalia Primo De Rivera. And you need to make your decision now.”

Even John had a hard time suppressing a giggle. Martin became a bride, then a wife, and a lady, then a baroness, and now going to accept the title of Princess. What would his father think of this, but Natalia realized she didn’t really care. Her father set this all up in the first place.

“I accept,” Natalia said firmly.