The sweetest honey was the one they daubed on his lips.

This wasn't really torture; not in the traditional sense. Instead of pain, he was given touches of pleasure.

Simple pleasures - gentle whispers, the smell of bread, the touch of soft wool against his cheek.

After a few days, he wondered if they really wanted him to talk, or if they wanted him to stay. If they wanted him to remain there, relying on them, content to be with them until the end of his days.

To call him a pet would be too extreme, but the principle was there.

He knew that if he escaped nobody would believe the story - that he was treated with kindness, sweetness, tenderness.

And they would never believe that was the worst torture they could have given him.