I’m Innocent

Summary: Set during God Emperor of Dune. Nunepi claims he’s innocent of trying to assassinate Emperor Leto. Leto decides to interrogate him in a more personal way
Warning(s): Spanking (dictated); spoilers up to and including God Emperor of Dune; AU; violence
Pairing: Leto II/Nunepi

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“I’m innocent!” Nunepi raged, as two Fish Speakers grabbed his arms to drag him out of the hall. “I’m innocent!” he repeated.

Leto knew what the Golden Path demanded of him. He’d made his peace with necessity so long ago, it was barely a blip in his memory now. Every interaction he’d ever had, he’d experienced thousands of times before. Every person he’d met, he’d met a million like them. Exactly like them. He could predict, without fail, how people would react. And he’d had so many attempts on his life, by so many people who pretended to be trustworthy, that he now expected treachery everywhere he turned.

“You expect me to believe you are innocent?” Leto could have been angry; could have raised his voice. The first time they’d made an attempt on his life, he’d allowed his temper to rule him. The only one still living who remembered his reaction to the attempted rebellion was Leto himself, although it was a well-known part of the Face Dancer history. “You are the ambassador of the Face Dancers and therefore, you are responsible for the crimes that have been committed.” His voice wasn’t as steady and calm as he would have liked it to be. The Golden Path was a necessity, but it was far from his desired destiny.

Nunepi shook his head, but then lowered it, closing his eyes as a defeated look came over his face. He didn’t voice another protest, instead moving closer to the Fish Speakers, who prepared once more to drag him away.

In spite of himself, Leto looked towards Duncan’s face. It wasn’t often he turned to another for advice, not even Duncan. The burden of responsibility lay on Leto and always had done. But this moment of weakness, although fleeting, was strong enough for him to turn to the one man he could trust to some extent.

Duncan’s eyes were narrowed and he appeared almost thoughtful. Still clearly on his guard, but there was a certain air of reluctance as he eyed the three of them.

Leto’s eyes snapped to the two Fish Speakers and he ordered, “Release him. Leave us.” He raised his voice on the second instruction and watched as the Fish Speakers filed out of the hall, leaving him alone with Nunepi and Duncan.

The ambassador dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “My Lord.” His voice was firm, if a bit quiet. “I know of the attempt on your life, but I was only made aware of it after the attempt had been made and failed.” He hesitated, raising his eyes to Leto’s face without making eye contact with him. “I am not responsible for the attempt on your life. But I am guilty of not wielding enough influence to either stop it from happening, or to be told about it by my people.”

Leto stared hard at Nunepi, who lowered his head and stared once more at the floor. Then, he looked at Duncan once more. “I need you to be my hands.”

“Do you want him executed?” Duncan asked, his voice carefully modulated.

“No.” Leto’s eyes lingered on the kneeling man. For the first time in over two thousand years, he was experiencing other emotions than just boredom or mild curiosity. Still speaking to Duncan, he continued, “He needs to be punished. I can’t do that myself, so I will need you to carry out my directions.”

“My Lord?” Nunepi spoke with his eyes downcast. “It wasn’t my intention to protest the punishment you decreed I deserved. You are my Lord and Emperor. I will submit to whatever punishment you choose.” He hesitated, then blurted out, “But if you choose to let me live, I will ask that you don’t send me away. That you let me stay by your side.”

The earnest note in Nunepi’s note sent an unfamiliar feeling through Leto’s body. Since starting on the Golden Path, he’d ignored his body’s urges, his wants and desires, until they no longer troubled him. Nunepi’s words and submissive actions were both awakening those desires and wants once more.

“If you’re choosing not to have him flogged and to give him a more personal punishment, what do you want me to do?” Duncan asked.

Leto considered his actions, looking between the kneeling Nunepi and his most trusted advisor. In all of the possible paths open to him, this one hadn’t surfaced. This was entirely new territory for him; something he’d never experienced since before he’d bonded to the sandworms. He’d only ever been this ignorant as a child. It reminded him of a far simpler time.

“Remove his clothes.” Leto’s voice was low, but it was still an order.

Giving a single nod, Duncan walked over to Nunepi, who stood up and stared straight ahead as Duncan began to remove his thick, heavy coat. After placing that on the floor, he turned his attention to Nunepi’s tunic, unlacing the ties and pulling it free.

The man’s chest was smooth and hairless, but more muscled than his loose-flowing clothes would suggest. He didn’t move or speak as Duncan knelt down, lifting first one foot and then the other to remove each boot.

The long, loose-flowing trousers were the next thing to be removed. Duncan pulled them free and dropped them onto the floor on top of the rest of his clothes.

Nunepi stood, tall and straight, clad only in his white underwear. He glanced at Duncan and then at Leto. “And these as well?” he asked.

“Duncan.” Leto nodded to the third man.

Duncan raised his eyebrows, but didn’t voice a protest as he moved once more into Nunepi’s personal space. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of the underwear and pulled them down, lifting one leg and then the other to pull the underwear free, finally dropping it on top of the pile of clothing.

Nunepi let out a long, slow breath and then slowly turned in a full circle, arms spread out to either side, so that Leto could see his whole body.

Once again, Leto felt those stirrings. Had he been in a fully human body, he would have been reacting in a much more visible way. But the only part of him still human was his face. He couldn’t touch someone he cared for with his own hands. He looked at Duncan once more. “I want you to sit down on the raised dais in front of me. I want you to take Nunepi over your knee.”

Duncan opened his mouth, as if he was about to protest, but then seemed to think better of it. He sat down on the dais and looked towards the other man. “You heard him. Come here.”

Still with his hands spread out either side of him, not trying to hide anything, Nunepi walked over to Duncan. He paused by Duncan’s knee, allowing the other man to grasp his wrist and draw him down, settling him in position across his lap.

Leto waited for Nunepi to be settled fully in position, his bottom the highest point of his body. Duncan rested his hand on Nunepi’s lower back and then glanced back over his shoulder at Leto. He raised his eyebrows and waited.

“Spank him,” Leto directed. “Go over his entire bottom, down to his thighs. Make sure you swat his sit spots, too. Where he’ll feel it every time he sits down.”

The first crack of bare hand to bare bottom echoed loudly in the hall. A pink handprint bloomed on Nunepi’s right buttock, followed by a matching print on his left.

The smacks were firm and hard. Duncan made sure to cover every inch when he spanked, shifting Nunepi forward to expose the creases between bottom and thighs.

Leto watched and listened as Duncan turned Nunepi’s bottom a darker pink and the other man’s breathing began to hitch. Another full circuit of smacks and Nunepi’s bottom started to border on red as he began jerking his body, as if he was trying to get away from the spanking.

When Nunepi’s bottom was a darker red, almost bordering on scarlet, Leto began to speak. “I could have chosen to execute you today. I’ve chosen to spare your life. Punish you in a much more personal way.”

Nunepi let out a quiet sob in response to that. “I don’t know everything, but I know there’s more to your actions than just being a tyrannical Emperor. You want to be overthrown. I…I have spies, who are….” He let out a whimpering gasp as Duncan began to steadily smack his sit spots and thighs. “Ow. You can’t tell me you weren’t aware of that!”

“No. But Duncan’s right. That admittance needs something a bit extra.” Leto nodded to Duncan, who delivered several more smacks to Nunepi’s sit spots and thighs before returning his attention back to the other man’s bottom. “What did your spies tell you?”

“They…you….” Nunepi gasped, before whimpering, “A…pause? Please? Hard to…talk….”

Leto nodded to Duncan, who paused the spanking, his hand resting on Nunepi’s lower back.

It took a few minutes, but Nunepi’s tears died down and he whispered, “I know you’ve been forced into following this path. This Golden Path. I…studied the histories. Your sister’s writings. My spies…they say you’ve been breeding. Seeking the person to head the rebellion against you. That you’ll die.”

The end of the path had been so clear. Was still so clear. But it had never shown him that someone could or would understand. That someone could see past the tyrant. Leto turned his face away, wondering if tears would come if he wasn’t trapped in this form. “Every living thing needs to die sometime,” he whispered.

“Let me be by your side?” Nunepi whispered. “I won’t stand in your way. I’ll just be there, with you, until the end.”

Leto turned his gaze back to the two men; one laying across the other’s knees with his bright red bottom on display. With everything on display. “I can’t change the path I need to follow,” he warned. “You have two choices. But if you choose to stay by my side, you will witness things difficult to allow to happen. And nothing you can say or do will dissuade me from the path I have to follow.”

“I understand,” Nunepi replied. “But it will change nothing. I…want to stay. By your side. I can’t promise I won’t protest…but I figure that if I do, there’ll be a repeat of this.”

“And more, if needed.” Leto watched Nunepi for a few moments and then said, “Nunepi, stand up. Duncan, you will give him three strikes with your belt. And, Nunepi, that will be a taste of what will happen to you if you try to stop anything that needs to happen.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Nunepi pushed himself up slowly, reaching back to rub gingerly at his bottom.

“Hold onto me,” Leto ordered.

Nunepi nodded and leaned forward, bracing his hands on Leto’s large body.

Duncan took up position behind the other man, pulling his belt free. He folded it double and then brought it down in a firm strike across the centre of Nunepi’s bottom.

The cry that Nunepi made was muffled as he pressed his mouth against Leto’s body. His arms weren’t wide enough to encircle in a hug, but he clung to Leto, body shaking.

The second crack of belt to bare skin was louder, if that was possible. Nunepi gave a sharp cry and pressed against Leto, fingers gripping at the scales covering his body.

The third and final strike sounded much harder and Nunepi began to sob quietly. “I’m sorry, my Lord. For everything.”

“I believe you.”

Nunepi raised his head, sniffling and blinking back tears. Leto’s head was low down now and Nunepi stood up on tiptoes, kissing him quickly on the lips.

Leto stilled and then found himself kissing back. He couldn’t hold or caress Nunepi, but he did the one thing he could do and kissed the man back.

This wasn’t part of the Golden Path; but for the first time in over three thousand years, Leto couldn’t bring himself to care.

The End