Slaver of Gor – Chapter Four

 

 

“I understand you recently bought a silk slave,” said Bryssius as he escorted me through the opulent and ornamental public Gardens of Abrogastes. It was a bright sunny day in Argentum, perfect for an afternoon stroll in the company of a distinguished captain of Tharlarion cavalry. Bryssius wore a smartly pressed red tunic, and a crisp white cape as he walked by my side, making pleasant conversation. Other ladies strolled through the gardens with their own escorts, occasionally glancing at me in envy, for Bryssius cut a spectacular dash as he walked by.

 

Every Lady is attracted to a cavalry officer, and I am no exception to that rule.

 

“That is true,” I said. “His name is Julian. I bought him three weeks ago.”

 

“May I ask why?” Bryssius did not seem happy that I now owned a male slave.

 

“He is useful to have around. He takes care of many things and is a decorative talking point when I meet Ladies for lunch.” I was careful here with my phrasing, for I knew how prickly free men could be on the subject of male silk slaves. A free woman has every legal right to own a man, and indeed, put a man to use,  but free men seem to resent the idea.

 

“Some women…” Bryssius chose his words carefully, too, “some women might buy a silk slave for…”

 

“For what?” I asked sweetly, my hand lightly resting on the crook of his left arm.

 

“It is said, not by me, of course,” remarked Bryssius, “that free women at night chain their silk slave to a couch and then…” his voice trailed away, to save me the embarrassment of hearing a more lurid description.

 

“Do they?” I must have seemed amazed. 

 

“Yes,” Bryssius looked troubled. ”Some women, you understand. Some women.”

 

“I am not really an expert on the preferences of some women, dear Bryssius. But let me tell you why I bought Julian. My business dealings have mostly been the acquisition and sale of girls. You know that, of course. It is my livelihood. I have occasionally facilitated the sale of work chains of male slaves for construction purposes, but by and large my expertise is with kajirae.”

 

“Of course,” said Bryssius. “My own girl, Carmina, has proven wonderful. I am grateful for the assistance you showed in procuring her for me. You have an eye for such women.”

 

“So I do. And I’m pleased to hear you are a satisfied customer. But markets change, and I have seen how well silk slaves sell these days to a certain kind of Lady. I’m considering widening my business model to include such stock, and thought it wise to familiarise myself first with the beasts in question. And so, Julian is my pet project. I am getting a feel for what the training and upkeep of a silk slave is like, not to mention their moods, sullen petulance at times, and signs of passive aggressive resistance. The male psyche is very complex when you put that man in a collar. It’s quite an education in itself.”

 

“I see. So, Julian is simply…”

 

“I am studying the market, or rather the product.” I smiled sweetly. “Goodness, did you think…”

 

“Of course not!” Bryssius brushed the suggestion aside. “Forgive me if I alarmed you in any way, gentle Lady. I suppose I thought the worst, instead of remembering your fine character.”

 

“Now Bryssius, we have discussed this before. You do know I am not ‘glana’. I have lain with a man in the past in honourable arrangements. I am ‘metaglana’. You understand that?”

 

“Of course.” He seemed uneasy with the mention that I had once had sex. “But that was in the past and with a free man. It was an honourable state of affairs.” He paused. “I wish you might tell me his name though…”

 

I laughed softly. “And have you seek him out, manipulate a reason for a duel, and then kill him?” I wagged a finger in his face. “Don’t pretend you wouldn’t.”

 

“Forgive me, Lady, but the thought that a man once…”

 

“Once?”

 

“Once… pawed at you… it angers me.”

 

He did a lot more than simply paw, I thought to myself. “Your concern for my well-being is touching, sweet Bryssius, but it was an honourable arrangement when I was much younger. That time is long past. He doesn’t enter into my thoughts at all.”

 

“Well, he does in mine. You will tell me his name when you are my free companion, Amicia, I will insist.”

 

“If we are free companions. You know I am a difficult Lady to woo.”

 

“How many gifts must I present to you! How many days must I wait for your decision! Do you not see how I love you, how precious you are to me! I am a Captain of the White Capes! A warrior! You will rise in caste affiliation. See the way other women glance jealously at you even now.”

 

They did, it was true. I smiled sweetly at the ladies as they passed by. Bryssius was quite a visible prize to walk beside my arm. He was a commander of the elite White Capes of Argentum. 

 

“And it is not just the propriety that concerns me,” said Bryssius.

 

“Oh?”

 

“There is the safety aspect as well. A man in a collar is not a pet. He is not safe for a woman to be around. You may as well have a wild sleen in your chambers. A man could turn on you at any time!”

 

“All beasts can be tamed and trained,” I said sweetly. “I have experience in such matters.’

“With girls,” said Bryssius.

 

“Yes, true, with girls, but the same principles can be applied to a man. Punishment and reward. Julian is coming along very nicely. He knows I am his mistress. He takes food from my hand. He is quite sweet.”

 

“But he could snap at any moment. He is a man. The first you would know is when his hands are upon you and you try to scream but he forces cloth into your mouth, gagging you.”

 

Again I laughed. “Julian? You think Julian would seize me? Oh, Bryssius, how little you know. I am conditioning him to fear and love me in equal measure. It worked with my girl, Beth, and it is working with Julian. I intend writing a thesis on the subject as an aid to other ladies who wish, in time, to procure and train their own silk slave. I’m hoping it will become the preferred reference text on the subject for my caste to offer as a training resource.”

 

“But if he did seize you… he could kill you.”

“And he knows what would happen to him then. His death would be slow and very painful. There is nowhere for him to run and hide within Argentum. All slaves know that, whether male or female. He has a collar. No one will unlock it. He would not be able to escape the city walls. He would be hunted and tortured to death. Julian does not wish to die.”

 

“I do not approve of women owning silk slaves. It is simply too dangerous,” said Bryssius again.

 

“And I note your concern, and I love you for it, but I am the expert on such matters. I would not presume to advise you on military matters. Slavery is my profession.”

 

Bryssius grumbled, but couldn’t deny that I knew more about slavery than he did.

 

“Is there news of Corcyrus?” I asked, changing the subject as we walked through a flower grove.

 

“They continue to posture close to the border, marching their pike regiments around as if on a training exercise. They seek to provoke us, skirting close to where our silver mines lie. We are considering our response. I am pressing for a strong response.”

 

“How exciting!” I squeezed his arm just a little. “You look so dashing on your tharlarion, with your lance pennant flying in the breeze.”

 

“Of course!” he smiled. “And when, not if, we go to war with Corcyrus, I will tie a piece of silk from one of your gowns to my pennant. You will guide my lance arm, true and straight as I cleave through the enemy ranks like a thunderbolt from the Gods!”

 

Like many people I was surprised by the recent belligerent overtones coming from Corcyrus. It was generally accepted across central Gor that Corcyrus was a diminished state after the first war. It takes a city a long time to recover from the deprivations inflicted upon it by a military defeat of the scale they suffered. It was true that they had rebuilt their armies and repaired their city walls, but no serious military commander considered them a match for the professional armed might of Argentum. Every way you looked at it, they were outclassed. Perhaps in another couple of decades Corcyrus might pose more of a threat, but today I felt sure our armies would easily prevail.

 

We were also backed by the city state of Ar, whereas Corcyrus was traditionally an ally of Cos, and Cos is a maritime power, which makes it difficult for them to intervene in land locked disputes. 

 

“It is just posturing” I said brightly. “Men and their boastful ways. They will not dare to provoke us further.”

 

“I hope they do, Lady, for a blade needs to be drawn from its scabbard every once in a while, or else it grows idle.”

 

“You are so handsome when you are arrayed for war,” I said. “So dashing.”

 

“I think,” said Bryssius with affection, “that if I were to return from the field of battle with trophies and accolades from my Ubar, you would not refuse me your hand.”

 

“Perhaps,” I smiled softly. “You might be hard to resist in that case.”

 

A military hero, decorated and feasted by the Ubar would be the ultimate prize for a woman in my social circles. Yes, Bryssius would be hard to refuse if that were the case. 

 

Assuming he survived of course.

 

Victory in war is one thing, but personal survival is quite another. And Bryssius would be in the thick of it, charging at the head of his cavalry. But risks go hand in hand with the greatest of prizes. A war hero, demanding my hand… well, I couldn’t refuse such a thing. My answer would be expected, and it would be foolish of me to decline.

 

Bryssius bought me a sweet pastry as we walked further, but of course I didn’t dare eat it. For one thing it is difficult to eat in a dainty and feminine manner while walking and wearing multiple veils. It is possible at a table, but even then there is an art to the gentle lifting of a veil just long enough to take a small nibble. And so I simply walked with the tempting treat in my hand, wishing I could at least lick a little of the sugar. I sighed. Men don’t understand the practicalities involved.

 

After a while Bryssius noticed the uneaten pastry. “You are not hungry, Lady?”

 

“It was kind of you, but I should decline. It is so rich and fattening!”

 

He laughed at that and accepted it as the reason. When he wasn’t looking, I dropped it in a hedge. 

 

“When we are free companioned,” said Bryssius again, “you will travel around the city on a gold inlaid palanquin with eight mighty slaves to bear its weight. Your gowns and robes will be the softest most exquisite fabrics, and you shall want for nothing. Just tell me you will accept my hand, fair Amicia?”

 

“You rush me, kind Sir,” I said as I squeezed his arm again with my hands. “It is so unseemly! You know women get flustered when they are put under pressure like that!”

 

“It is gentle pressure… Amicia, for I know that slaver also courts you.”

 

“Tywin?” I laughed softly. “You’re jealous of Tywin? Oh, please, don’t be. He is simply of my caste and it is necessary for me to be seen with him. Imagine how I might suffer, how my seat on the caste council might suffer, if I snubbed his boorish advances. You, I court for love and pleasure. Tywin is simply a necessity of my caste. Tywin will never lead tharlarion cavalry into battle!”

 

“That is true,” admitted Bryssius. He seemed a little less anxious now that he had heard me say that. “Are you seeing him again? You are always so mysterious, gentle Lady. I know so little of your dealings outside of our moments together.”

 

“He will undoubtedly call upon me. He always does,” I said with a sigh. “What can I do? He is so influential on the council!”

 

“Take my hand, put such concerns behind you. As the free companion of a warrior, your caste position will be irrelevant. There is no need to burden yourself with the politics of your caste.”

 

“And what if you tire of me after a year?” I pouted. “Men can be so fickle. Must I take such a risk, knowing there are pretty Ladies desperate for your attention.”

 

“There is only you, Amicia. Only you.”

 

“Hardly. You have your slave,” I said, nudging him.

 

“A slave doesn’t count.” He sniffed. ”You know that. You are a slaver – it is your business.”

 

He was entitled to a slave girl, of course. Men insist on such things. A free companion might not like the presence of the girl, and she might resent the nights when she lies alone on her couch as her man takes the slave in the furs in another room, but she has to live with the arrangement. 

 

And so I in turn choose to take my own silk slave and enjoy him, the way Bryssius might enjoy Carmina. 

 

I think it is only fair. But I knew such things would change the moment I accepted a man’s hand in free companionship. I did not know of any man who permitted his Lady to retain a silk slave after the companionship ceremony. It was unheard of. 

 

Free companionship for a woman offers many advantages, but it also closes many doors on her, trapping her within stifling conventions and protocols. She is no longer her own woman, for she has surrendered herself to her man for the space of a year. He is now her master, in a legal sense that is different from the legality of a slave, but equally as binding. He of course has to respect her, and never embarrass her in public, but she in turn must always remember that his word is now final towards her. 

 

The more I thought about it, the less motivated I was to decide on a companion. But the patience of men is not infinite. Bryssius was pressing me constantly now, as was Tywin. Soon their impatience might turn to anger and resentment if I continued to prevaricate, and that was never a good thing. 

 

Time was clearly running out for me to play with them in this way.