Rogue of Gor

26. Florence; Miles of Vonda

"Florence!" I said. "Master!" she said, pleased.

"It isyou?" I laughed. "Yes," she said. "How wonderful to see you," I said."Doubtless it is wonderful for a man to see me as I am now," she laughed.

It was the 18th Ahn, two Ahn before the 20th Ahn, the Gorean midnight, when we would hold our secret meeting inthe back room of Tasdron's tavern. I had finished my supper in the room and had, leaving Callimachus and Tasdron in conversation emerged through the now-opened door into the main room of the tavern. I intended to walk until the 20th Ahn.

"I see that you are well secured," I said."My Master has seen to it," she said.In Tasdron's paga tavern, as in many, along one well there is a set of slave rings to which one may chain or tie orn's slaves while drinking or dining in the tavern. This is a convenience for the customers.

"How beautiful you are," I said. I crouched down beside her. "Thank you Master," she said. "I see that slavery agrees with you," I said."Yes Master," she said softly.

I turned her face toward me, gently, with my hand. "What an incredible transformation has come ovr you." I said."It is only that you are not used to seeing me in the tunic and collar of a slave," she said. "No," I said, "it is far beyond such things." I loered my hand."Yes Master," she smiled.

I examined her with attention as a man does an enslaved woman, as she put her head down shyly. She wore a brief slave tunic of gray rep-cloth. It was demure as such garments go, but it left little doubt as to her charms. I saw that her master was proud of his slave's beauty. She knelt with her back to the wall and slave ring, her knees wide. Her hands were braceleted about and behind her head, the tinkling chain on the bracelets passing behind the slave ring. She also wore an ankle ring with a chain which looped up to the same slave ring, and was locked about it. The soft, rounded flesh of her forearms, below the steel,and the sweet swelling flesh of her palms above the steel were lovely. I examined the lineaments of her body, the beauty of her breasts held high, as she was braceleted, the latitudes of her belly, the flare of her hips, the sweetness of her knees and thighs, the lovely curve of her salves, her ankles, the left clapsed in steel and her small feet. She was barefoot of course as slaves are commonly kept.

"You are astonishingly beautiful, Florence," I said."Thank you Master," she said."You are doubly chained," I said. "Yes Master," she said.

This type of chaining, a double chaining, is usually done only by a man who is in a strange city and does not know fully what to expect. If one is familiar with the city, a single chaining is usually regarded as sufficient. Indeed, sometimes the girl is merely told to grasp the ring and to remain there until the Master returns. She may not release the ring until given permission by a free person. Some girls have been raped at such rings, as helplessly as though they might have been chained to them, so great is the fear of their Master, and so strict is the Gorean discipline to which they know themselves subject.

"Are you always, in a tavern, chained in this fashion?" I asked. "Yes, Master" she said. "It would be very hard to steal you," I smiled. "Yes Master," said smiled. "Your Master must find you very precious," I said. "I am only a slave," she said putting her head down smiling."You have become very beautiful," I said. "Thank you Master," she said.

"Who is your Master?" I asked. "Miles of Vonda," she said. "I thought he might be," I said."He purchsed me at a secret auction." she said, "held in the camp of Tenalion the Slaver." "What did he bid?" I asked. "A hundred pieces of gold," she said smiling, not lifting her head.

"Vain little she-sleen," I laughed."It is true," she smiled."Marvelous," I said, "I myself received only ten silver tarsks for you when I told you to Tenalion." "The gold was doubtless much more than I was worth," she said. "Not to Miles of Vonda," I smiled. «No» she said smiling."Are you happy?" I asked. She lifted her head happily, "Oh yes," she said, "yes, yes! I am so happy, Master!"

"Wonderful," I said. "He stripped me and put me under his whip and taught me instantly that I was his slave, his total slave."

"I am very happy for you," I said. "I have never dreamed, when I was free, that he could be such a man. Had I even suspected it, I would have torn away my clothes and thrown myself to his feet, beggin ghis collar." "Had you been free," I said, "he could not have been such a man." "That is true," she said. "Had I been free he could not have handled me and treated me as he wished, and as I wished, as his lovely beast to be ravished and trained and taught her duties."

I nodded, Enmeshed in legalities, negativities and socialized expectations, it was difficult to relate as biological human beings. But the slave girl, standing outside the protections of such devices, stands before her master as an exposed, raw human female, without rights, his to do with as he pleases. Similarly the master, owing the slave nothing, and knowing that she is completely his, his very property, may relate to her freely in the order of nature. In his treatment of her, he is untrammeled by either conscience or law, and this she knows, and loves, and accordingly hastens to obey and be pleasing. She knows that she is owned, and that he is her unqualified maaster. The order of nature and the obdurate and thematic equations of dominance and submission, denided through they might be, and even if hysterically repudiated, will continue to lurk in the microstructures of every cell in the human body. The master/slave relationship is the institutionalization of dominance and submission. It is, under the enhancements of civilization, the institutionalization of the primitive biological relationship of the human male and female, he the master, she the slave. How lonely is the woman who has not yet found her master.

"I am pleased that you are so happy," I said. "But he is strict with me," she said. "I must obey him in all things."Of course," I said.

"I fear only that he will tire of me or sell me," she said. "I try so hard to please him."You do not wish to be whipped," I said. "I love him," she said. "I love Miles of Vonda!" With the love of a free companion?" I asked."No," she said, "with the helpless and total love of an owned slave girl for her master." "He is a fortunate man," I said.

"I am his fully," she said. She smiled shyly. "The auburn-haired beauty was radiant. I looked at her. How marvelous is the transformation which slavery works in a woman. "What are you called now?" I asked. "Florence," she said."He put your old name on you as a slave name," I said. "Was it not appropriate?" she asked. "Yes," I said.

"Yes," she laughed, delightedly, "it was fully appropriate. I was a slave before, when I was free. I knew it in my heart, even then, that I was a slave. It is thus fully appropriate that I now wear my old name openly, and with full explicitness, as a slave name."That pleases you doesn't it?" I asked. "Yes, Master," she said happily. "It pleases me very much."

"Florence, the slave," I said. "Yes, Florence, the slave," she said.

"How is Miles of Vonda?" I asked. Her eyes clouded. "He has fallen on hard times," she said. "Warriors of Ar made hostel in his holdings int heir withdrawal to the south. He in anger spoke ill of Ar in their presence. Accordingly, the burtned his holdings and scattered his hurt and tharlarion."

"What is he doing in Victoria?" I asked. "He is on his way west on the river," she said, "to Turmus, where he has friends that he may negotiate a loan to rebuld and replenish his holdings."

"It is now danberous to travel on the river," I said. "River pirates are now bold and active." "We must take our chances," she said. "How large is his retinue?" I asked. This could make a difference with respect to the security of his venture.

"Only myself," she said, "and Krondar, a fighting slave."Only two?" I asked."Yes," she said. "He sold his other slves to obtain money for the journey." "But he did not sell you," I said. "He kept me," she smiles, moving in the chains. "And Krondar," I said."Yes," she said, "He is fond of Krondar, and a fighting slve may be useful upon the river." "That is true," I said.

I remembered Krondar. Indeed I had once fought him in the pit of leather and blood, when I too had been a fighting slave. Krondar was a veteran of the fighting pits of Ar. He had fought even with the spiked cestae and the knife gauntlets. He was a short, stout, thick-bodied, powerful man. His face and upper body were disfigured with masses of scar tissue, lingering records of a bloody history in the pits.

"You should not leave Victoria," I said, "until several ships in convey are prepared to move westward." "My Master is impatient," she said. "It has been wonderful to see you," I said, adding, "Female slave." I stood up."It has been wonderful for me to see you too Master," she said. I turned away.

"Master," she said. I turned back to regard her. "Thank you," she said "for long ago having captured and sold me. It was you who first taught me my womanhood. It was you who first taught me, incontrovertibly, that I belonged to me."I shurgged."If it were not for you," she said, "I might never have come into the possession of my Master, Miles of Vonda."

"I wish you well, Slave Girl," I smiled. "And, I, too wish you well, Master," she said.

I then left the tavern. Outside looking about, I saw a burly crouched figure, one crouching near some bundles by the tavern wall. I grinned. I approached the figure, and it lifted its head. It growled, and opened its hands, warning me not to approach more closely."Krondar!" I said.

The heavy head, scared, whiteishly streaked in the moonlight by the wall, looked at me puzzled. On its throat was a heavy metal collar. "Master?" it asked.

"Do not call me Master," I said. "I am Jason, now free, Once near Vonda we fought. "Free?" asked the brute. Then it knelt. I drew him to his feet. "I am Jason," I said. "Can you remember Jason?" I asked.

It looked at me in the moonlight. Then there was a heavy chuckle in its throat. "It was a good fight," he said. In the moonlight then we embraced. We had shared the fellowship of the pit of leather and blood."It is good to see you, Krondar," I said."It is good to see you — Jason," said he.

I turned suddenly for I heard steel slipping from a sheath behind me. Miles of Vondak angry, stood there his sword drawn.

Behind him, frightened, in her breif gray slave tunic, stood his lovely slave, Florence.

I stepped away from Krondar, and backed up a step. Miles of Vonda, sword ready, advanced a step. "In the tavern," said Miles of Vonda, "was it not you who accosted my slave?" "I spoke with her," I said.

"Draw your weapon," said he. "Do you not know me?" I asked. "You are Jason," said he, "who was once a fighting slave."Yes," I said."Draw your weapon," said he.

"Please Master," begged the slave. "He meant no harm! Please!" Be silent slave," he snapped."Yes, Master," she said miserably.

Two or three other men had now gathered about."Will it be necessary to slay youwith your sword in your sheath?" inquired Miles of Vonda."Please no Master!" wept Florence, falling to her knees beside him, clutching at him. He spurned her to the side with his foot. She lay there then on the stonres weeping. She had spoken without permission. She had sought to interfere in the affairs of men. Tonight she would doubtless be whipped.

"Draw your weapon," said Miles of Vonda.

More man had now gathered about. One of them had muttered something angrily, when Miles of Vonda had spoken as he had. I saw the hands of severl on their swords. I sudddenly realized with a certain amount of gratification, that these fellows were not pleased with what was ensuing. I had learned from Peggy that I was not unknown in Victoria. Men, I now gathered, knew me from the docks. Too, perhaps they had learned of my dismissal of Graat, the Swift, the thief, from Victoria, and how I had entered the tavern of Hibron to extract Miss Henderson from her danger there, though in this I had been unsuccessful. Perhaps they knew too of my outspoken displeasure at the sharves when the pirates had looted and burned there, punishing Victoria for having at that time refused their demands for tribute. With some of these fellows I had drunk and worked.

"Draw," said Miles of Vonda.

I do not think Miles of Vonda knew the danger he was in. My major concern now was to safe his life.

"I had thought you to be a man of honor," I said. "It is my hope that I am," said Miles of Vonda.

"I work on the docks," I said. Out of the corner of my eye I noted Krondar squaring about, to face several of the men tensed about us. He at least knew the danger in which his Master stood. I had little doubt Krondar would charge against several of these men, though he might take five swords in his chest doing so. "How then, as I am a worker on the docks, could I have had the leisure to develop skills with the blade which might be the match of yours?"

Angrily Miles of Vonda thrust his sword back in its sheath. He need not know that I had taken the leisure and much of it, as it pleased me, to develop blade skills, nor need he know I wask fo rmy times of training, reasonable adept with theblade. Callimachus was a master and he had lavished intelligence and time on my development. Too, I had discovered, as did not displease me, perhaps asaresult of my relfexes and aggressions, that I possessed something of an aptitude for the m anipulation of that wicked Gorean blade. Indeed, I suspected that I might find myself at no disadvantage in bladed contest with the proud Vondan. Indeed, I was curious to know if I might kill him. One the other hand, I had no wish to do him injury. And beyond these things, I did not wish for those of Victoria to know of my skills with the blade. Jason, the worker on the docks, and a fellow of some popularity in Victoria, was not thought to be skilled with the blade. As Callimachus pretended sill to dereliction to further our projects sok too, I must pretend to ineptness with the blade.

"I shall not kill you, " said Miles of Vonda, irritably. "That is welcome news," I said.

I saw the men about relax. Miles of Vonda, although he did not know it, had just saed his own life, and that of Krondar, and possibly that of the slave. Before he could have reached me, a dozen blades might have cut him down.

I felt a fondness then for the men of Victoria.

"Krondar," said miles of Vonda, indicating me, "beat him." "I shall attack him if you wish Master," said Krondar, "but I cannot beat him."

"How then," asked Miles of Vonda looking at me, "is my honor in this matter to be satisfied?" I do not know," I said.

He walked up to me and, with the flat of his right hand, gave me a stinging slap. He then drew back and spit upon me. Men cried out angrily. Krondar gasped. Florence cried out with misery. I tensed but did not respond.

Miles of Vonda then turned about and gesturing to Krondar to shoulder the burdens he had been buarding, left, walking down the avenue of Lycurgus, followed by Florence, and then later, a few feet behind, by Krondar, bearing his gear.

I wiped my tunic and then whiped my hand on my thigh. "Why didn't you break his neck?" asked one of the men about. "He is really agood fellow," I said. "Besides," I added, "look at the slave girl." We looked after her, the scantily clad, auburn-haired beauty heeling her Master. "Who would not be jealous of such a slave." I asked."Perhaps you are right," grinned the man beside me.