Many centuries ago, when might made right to rule and knights roamed Europe, there lived two rival lords whose names have been lost to time. Their lands bordered, so naturally they fought constantly for power. Finally, one lord gained victory over the other lord.

The lord who gained victory over the lord who lost his lands knew that he could not allow his enemy to regain his lost power. To ensure that his power remained undisputed, Lord Gain severely punished and humiliated Lord Loss.

Lord Gain ordered his men to seize Lord Loss. They stripped him naked and threw him to the ground. Then, two of the men gouged out his eyes while another castrated him with a red hot dagger.

“Now, you’ll never pose any threat to me again, and my enemies will think twice before following your example,” Gain told Loss as he whimpered in pain and shock.

However, Lord Loss’s humiliation did not end with the loss of both his sight and his manhood. Lord Gain took Lord Loss to his castle, where he left Loss to roam free about the courts and halls. At parties, Gain’s guests mocked Loss. In private, Loss was spat on, pissed on, and often beaten for the guards’ amusement. They fed him table scraps, and over time, he began to act feral, like an abused animal.

But it was only an act.

Eventually, Lord Loss gained familiarity with the castle’s grounds. He learned to navigate every hallway, court, corridor, and tower. He became better at navigating the castle than Lord Gain.

One day, Lord Gain’s wife gave birth to a son, a long awaited blessing. Lord Gain and his wife had tried for years to have a child with no success.

They welcomed the child’s entrance into the world with a week’s worth of feasts, and every night, they both drank kingly portions of beer and wine.

On the final night of feasting, Lord Gain and his wife handed their child to one of the servants and stumbled away to bed. In the middle of the night, Lord Gain awoke to one of his guards shaking him awake.

“What the hell do you want?” Lord Gain demanded, still slightly drunk.

“My lord, please come with me,” the guard said urgently, “That madman has taken your son!”

Both the lord and the lady followed the guard. They ran to the highest tower, where Lord Loss stood holding the baby.

“Don’t come any closer,” Lord Loss demanded. He stood with his heels dangling over the tower’s edge. He held the baby by his ankles and dangled him over the steep fall.

“What do you want?” Lord Gain demanded.

“I want you to lose what you took from me. I want you to cut off your cock.”

Lord Gain stared at Lord Loss for a brief moment. His face was neutral, and he gazed at Gain with his empty eye sockets. “And if I refuse?” he asked.

“Then I guess you’ll have to try for another heir,” Lord Loss threatened. “Though, given your history of siring offspring, I would recommend that you do as I say.”

Lord Gain pulled up his bed clothes and ordered the guard to draw his dagger. The guard gave Lord Gain a confused look, but he obeyed the command. When he drew his knife. Lord Gain motioned for the guard to stab his left thigh. The guard did as his lord commanded.

Lord Gain yelled, and his voice pierced the quiet night. He yelled even louder than his cold, fearful baby boy did. The guard pulled the knife from Lord Gain’s leg, and warm blood spilled onto the top of the tower.

“Tell me, my lord, where did it hurt the worst?” Lord Loss asked.

Lord Gain took deep, steady breaths to control his pain. “I’ve never felt such a pain,” he whimpered.

“Where?” Lord Loss asked again.

“In my groin, of course.”

Lord Loss reached out with his other hand and tightly grabbed the baby by his neck. “Do not lie to me! Do it now, before your baby suffocates!”

Lord Gain quickly motioned for the guard to stab him in his right thigh. The guard did as he was told, and again, Lord Gain cried out in pain.”

“Where did it hurt the most?” Lord Loss yelled.

“My heart!”

Lord Loss let go of the baby’s leg, and held the child over the side of the tower only by his tiny neck. “Last chance, my lord. No more tricks. Your child’s cries are growing silent, and his face is changing color.”

Lord Gain surrendered then. He motioned for the guard to emasculate him. It was slow work, for the guard’s knife was dull. The guard cut Lord Gain all the way from the top of his penis to the bottom of his testicles. The entire time, Lord Gain squealed like a frightened pig. He bit down on his fists to avoid trying to stop the guard. Blood flowed down his hands and arms, and it poured from his groin like a fountain.

“Where does it hurt the worst, my lord?” Lord Loss asked one final time.

“My teeth. It hurts my teeth the most,” he sobbed, his vision blurring as he began to grow faint from the pain and blood loss.

Lord Loss smiled then, finally. “Now, you know,” he said. With that, Lord Loss jumped from the top of the tower, still holding the newborn baby.