A Slave to the Servants Ch. 03

No real sex in this chapter, just story - fair warning! DW

*********

I knelt on a pad in a small room filled with hanging clothes as the men dressed around me. They talked and laughed as they fitted themselves with white linen shirts and brown leather pants. Each of them had several sets of boots and they seemed to pick out the nicer pairs to wear.

I recognized the symbol they each pulled across their chests. Thick leather criss crossed them and a metal breast plate held a replica of the mark I carried everywhere. I wondered if the intricate design had meaning past the simple explanation they had given me.

From a cabinet inside the room they pulled out weapons. Each of them took out a wicked looking sword and put it in a scabbard at their waist. Master Christof also had several small knives that he placed in the small of his back. Master Bane carried short knives in holders that strapped tightly around his thighs. They each were armed like they were going to battle.

I wondered what I would wear. They never addressed the issue. The men just finished and directed me to the door that led out of their rooms. I stood naked and shocked as they opened the door.

"I can't go outside without clothes, Masters," I said hoping someone would appreciate I had pointed it out.

"You have no need for clothes, Ciara," Master Damien patiently explained. "We are going to purchase ornamentation for you. Come, we must leave."

"Like this," I shrieked. "I can't go out like this. Everyone can't see me like this. I'm, I'm..."

They looked baffled by my refusal to step out the door. Tears started down my face again. I couldn't bear the shame of my nudity being displayed.

"Ciara, I do not care that the other Warriors look upon you. They will not touch you as long as you follow our rules. We will shield you from the eyes of the greedy shopkeepers with a cover. There is no reason for all this fuss," Master Damien said looking exasperated.

"No!" I pleaded, "I can't walk outside naked! Please dress me in something. "A shirt, Master Damien," I begged, "please, just give me a shirt."

Fear battled with my shame in my mind and shame was winning. I screamed and fought as Master Damien started to pull me out the door. He stopped when I resisted, perhaps I had won this round.

Master Evan spoke as they stood and watched me, "I do not wish to carry an out of control slave through the courtyard. We are a respected regiment, our discipline is legendary, such behavior from our slave would bring dishonor," he said harshly crossing his arms.

The rest of the men agreed with him. They didn't want to carry me kicking and screaming through the yard. For a moment I had hope and then Master Bane raised his arm.

My uncles had hit me before, so had my mother. Suddenly I remembered how strong these men were, my whole being cowered waiting for the blow. I was a slave and I was being an idiot. Now the beating would start.

The hit never came and I opened my eyes to look at Master Bane.

He spoke to me. "We will never hurt what we own. If you continue to act this way we will have to punish you, though."

He had only run his hand through his short hair in frustration.

Punishment scared me and I figured that they could do anything they wanted. If they weren't beating me yet, I should do what they asked. I stepped out the door and wiped the tears from my face. My will to fight wasn't nearly as strong as my will to survive.

My arms sought automatically to shield my most private places. This displeased Master Damien and he demanded I stand straight and carry my hands at my sides. He and his brothers never cowered. I would never stand with such dishonor.

Thanking him politely for the rebuke I dropped my arms and straightened my back. Shame was not as important as survival, I tried to tell myself. I'd learn to deal with the nudity.

Their lodging was on the fifth floor. There was a single metal rail that ran along the edge of the walkway in front of the door. Beyond that I saw a girl about my age in the middle of a group of five men down in the courtyard.

I stared at the girl. She was dressed, sort of, with a panel attached to a chain at her waist. It covered the apex of her thighs to about half way down her legs, another panel covered her buttocks. Her hips were bare and so was her top.

Master Damien walked to me and I looked up at him. "I will walk in front, you will follow me. The rest of my brothers know their place. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Damien," I answered quietly.

"You will look at no man save us and speak to no man except us. This is an important rule. Do you understand?" he asked sternly.

"Yes, Master Damien," I softly replied.

I followed Master Damien down the steps and through the courtyard looking down. I used what my Uncle Bob had called my 'peripherals' to check out everything around me. The courtyard was full of men. They didn't seem to pay me much mind. Apparently a naked woman walking around wasn't such a big deal here.

There didn't seem to be much vegetation in the courtyard just a couple small patches here and there. Otherwise ,it looked like it was very dry here. The walls to the courtyard were all lined with something though. It grew low to the ground and looked pink.

Despite the bright sun light the smooth cobblestone under my feet wasn't hot, which surprised me. I had expected searing heat on my feet, but it was just mildly warm. Since I was obviously not going to be getting shoes, I was grateful for that.

Master Damien was stopped by a large man addressing him in the center of the courtyard. They started to talk, but I didn't look up. The men shifted suddenly and two tiny feet appeared in my frame of vision, "Hello, cousin," she said.

A small cushion for my knees was dropped at my feet. A similar cushion was laid down for her. The men stood talking in a tight circle around us.

"Kneel, Ciara," I heard Master Bane command.

"It's okay, cousin, you can talk to other slaves, they don't mind," the girl said as we knelt down.

I looked back and found the feet of my men behind me and looked up hesitantly. Master Evan reached down and patted my head. I was ready to cry I was so happy. I turned and looked into bright aquamarine eyes. She blinked and her eyes closed side to side. It was a little disorienting.

"You're human?" she asked me.

I nodded but couldn't manage to talk, she just continued to speak. I was fascinated as wispy bright red hair fluttered in the light breeze.

"My name is Fuji," she said. "Is this your first day cycle here?"

"Yes, where are you from?" I asked her.

"Oh, we didn't have a name for the whole place. The village I lived in was called Batra. The slavers came and paid money to the men for their extra female children. My people got more for me than sending me to another village. Did your people get more for you?" she asked.

"I don't think anyone got anything for me. I just walked into a bright light and woke up at the auction. I fell asleep there and ended up here."

"You look sad. I have human friends. You look like they do when they say they are sad," she said taking my hands.

Her hands were cool and I noticed her skin glittered in the light, all of her skin. Besides the engraved collar and cuffs, Fuji only wore several shiny gold chains around her waist and a bright purple sash over each shoulder. She was essentially nude.

"I'm not sad. I'm scared. I don't know what's going on. These men are all so large and strong. Are they going to hurt me?" I whispered to her.

"Ciara," Master Damien sighed above me. "We have already told you; we will not hurt what we own."

God, did they have supersonic hearing, too? "Yes, Master Damien," I answered him quietly.

Fuji threw her arms around me and the cold feeling got more intense. She was like an iceberg.

"This is called a 'hug' according to my friends. It will make you feel better. You were free before, yes?" she asked me.

I choked up a moment before I answered. I had made a point not to think that word yet.

"Yes, I was free," I answered her.

"It was different for me. I am allowed more liberty here than I had at home. The treatment is better also. I cannot understand how it must be for you. When you come to the Keepers you will meet other humans. They will understand," she said.

A male hand came down and tapped Fuji on her shoulder and she bounced up. I felt the same tap and tried to rise as quickly. Fuji knew how to act, so I wanted to copy her.

In my haste to rise my gaze went up and I locked eyes with one of Fuji's Masters. I was stuck; he looked more terrifying than the men that had bought me. I felt a hand on the back of my head forcing my eyes back down. I flushed pink in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered out.

"Walk behind me Ciara and keep your eyes down," Master Damien ordered.

I felt awful for not doing the right thing and making them angry again. I was paranoid they were going to punish me. The whipping post had been brought up once, I wasn't sure they wouldn't do that. They could do anything to me.

My breathing etched up another notch when I realized they could just resell me if I displeased them. I couldn't go through being sold again. That was the worst feeling ever. Nausea started to overwhelm me. I always got nauseated when I got nervous.

My steps faltered and I stumbled slightly. I wrapped my hands around my stomach and pressed my nails in. Anything to distract from the horrible sense of dread I was feeling. If they let me, I would curl up and die right here.

Being owned was awful, being sold to new owners would be worse. At least these strange men seemed to care about my well being. If I was sold again, there was no telling how bad it could get.

I followed Master Damien's heels until I almost ran into his chest; he had turned around. I looked up and we were standing in a round alcove at the edge of the courtyard. My owners literally surrounded me.

"What are you so scared of Ciara?" Master Evan asked harshly pulling me to face him. "You are radiating fear. Our slave should be proud and defiant, not nearly falling over itself in the middle of the courtyard."

"I'm afraid you'll whip me or sell me, because I looked at that other man. He looked terrible. Please don't sell me, Master Evan," I begged him.

"You fear that we would sell you Ciara?" Master Damien asked. "Do you believe we would make such a mistake as to buy the wrong slave?"

"There is no right answer to that, Master Damien," I answered him honestly still trembling.

He appraised me silently for several long moments with an unfaltering stare. I started when I felt Master Kein and Master Bane inspecting the small wounds I had made with my nails. When I looked up again Damien was softer.

"You have harmed yourself due to your...upset. That is inappropriate. We would discipline you for this infraction, but I feel it would not have the intended effect," he said thoughtfully. "Instead I will tell you this, we will not sell you. My brothers and I choose you and we will keep you. We will only discipline you physically when it is clear you need more guidance than mere words provide."

The other men murmured agreement.

They softly admonished me not to cause myself harm with my nails. If I insisted on doing that they would wrap my hands. I would only get one warning, so I best not do it again.

I apologized like I felt a good slave should. The men petted my hair and shoulders in response. They weren't unreasonable, I soothed myself. I just had to learn the rules before they reached their limit.

I breathed easier and followed them to the main gate feeling more relaxed.

They dressed me to go to market. Why they couldn't have done this upstairs, I could not discern. I would not have fussed at all if they put me in this to walk downstairs.

The brown outfit they put me in was handed to them by a man at the large stone entrance. He placed their mark in the outfit, because it was theirs now. They would put it on me whenever I left the Warrior's compound, they told me.

Getting into the outfit was complicated. The first thing they did was strap my kneeling pad around my waist with a tie. Next, soft dark brown covers were laced up each leg to my knees. Master Evan slipped soft fingerless mittens on my hands that reached my elbows. A bulky dark brown tunic was pulled over my head. Lastly, a hood with a long veil was fitted over my face.

The outfit I was in went down to my feet and the sleeves covered my hands. Oddly the fabric was cool inside, I didn't feel overheated. From inside the veil I could see very well. It was like having on sunglasses, which I didn't mind because it was bright in the sunlight. I imagined I must look like a brown lump from the outside.

"Ciara," Master Damien said facing me, "outside these walls are others who will not appreciate you. Having a slave is a privilege, most cannot afford it. Speak to no one, including us. You will be punished severely if you speak in the village. Can you do this?"

"Yes, Master Damien," I said.

We walked out a thick door nestled low in the wall. The men allowed me to follow Master Damien out and then took up positions. The men were on either side and behind me; I was surrounded.

The way they moved and the tight grouping they held told me two things. First, I couldn't run from them out here. It wasn't like I had anywhere to go anyway. The second thing was that no one else on this street was going to touch me. Since running was out of the question and I felt safe, I was able to just look around.

The area was alive. There were men everywhere standing outside the large buildings that lined the narrow streets. Everything looked like it had been made out of putty colored sand. Strange paintings adorned the outsides of the buildings. I wondered if that wasn't their language.

I had shopped a lot at flea markets and it felt like that. The street itself was crowded with tent vendors outside the main buildings. No one said a word to our entourage. I made good use of my 'peripherals' and noticed almost all the vendors held something out toward my owners. It was a silent request to look. They never got in our way or spoke to us.

One man up ahead with a stand had what looked like earrings and they got my attention. Despite my circumstances, I still noticed the beautiful jewelry. Shiny things always grabbed my eyes. My mom had teased me about that.

I tried not to turn my head as we passed the earring vendor's cart and sort of succeeded. One pair had a silver loop with a blue stone floating in the middle. I liked those.

From behind me Master Bane made a sound and Master Damien stopped. He came to a stop in front of the vendor's cart and my owners rearranged themselves around me.

"Point to what you are looking at," Master Evan said gruffly under his breath.

I had tried to be sly, but I must have been obvious. I quickly gestured with my mittened hand to the set I had seen, but retracted it quickly. The salesman had looked curiously at it; like he wanted to touch me.

Master Damien bartered with the man and handed him several pieces of stone from inside his belt. He retrieved the earrings from the salesman and passed them to the back of our group. Master Christof placed them in a small pouch at his waist.

As we walked away Master Evan quietly asked Master Damien, "Do you know what we just bought, brother?"

"No, but it does and the things are in our colors," he answered and kept his brisk pace through the vendors.

We came to a large wall and Master Damien didn't even have to knock, it just opened to us. I followed him past the guard at the gate. We were in a courtyard with what seemed like little shops all around.

I saw other groups of armed men present with little brown bundled creatures in their midst. It was quieter here and only Warriors with slaves seemed to be present. These shops must cater to them, I thought.

The guard relaxed a little around me as we walked toward a large storefront. Light colored fabrics blew in the breeze outside. Now I was sure those symbols were a language. They looked different on every building.

We entered the store with all the fabrics and Master Damien was warmly greeted by an older man inside.

"So you finally gave in old friends. I wondered when you would," he laughed grabbing Master Damien's arm.

The room was full of fabrics and shiny metals. It looked to me like a woman's shopping paradise.

"So this is better than the life of a Warrior, Fredrik?" Master Evan asked curiously looking around.

"Ah, there is peace here for my brothers and I. No more raids, no more fighting, and we spend all day with our Mia. It is a blessed life, cousins," the man said.

As the man talked to my owners a brown bundle approached me with an outstretched appendage. I wasn't sure what to do, but Master Evan encouraged me to go with the other slave.

We went into a little room in the back. It was opulent. There seemed to be a sitting area around a little stage. The little brown bundle took off her robe quickly and revealed a very humanoid looking creature.

She had huge oval eyes in a dark face. Right away I noticed she was bald. The woman wore a collar like mine, as well as, wrist and ankle cuffs. She smiled broadly at me, but I was too stunned to speak as I took her in.

Her clothing was all yellow gauzy fabric. Two strips passed over her shoulders and covered her breasts. On her waist hung an ornate golden chain, it held up a panel that covered the apex of her thighs and her buttocks. The same yellow gauze started at her waist and cascaded down her legs in strips that gathered at the ankles. Each time she took a step a beautiful dark leg came between the fabric.

"Do you speak, cousin?" she asked politely, starting to remove my covering.

"Yes, who are you?" I asked her.

"I am, Mia, the slave of these shopkeepers. They serve the Warriors and the Administrators. I have never seen your Warriors before, so you must be new. I will help your Warriors pick out ornamentation for you," she explained as she rapidly removed my gloves and boots.

"Thank you," I said as she pulled my body covering over my head.

The last thing to go was my kneeling place which she threw beside one of the chairs in the room.

I went from feeling totally dressed to totally nude. When I heard the men come in the room, I moved behind Mia instinctively to shield myself. I had the feeling it was a blunder. I just couldn't stop myself from doing it. Mia cooly covered it up by turning and leading me to the stage.

"Don't be so shy human, I'm sure they have seen all of you already. My Masters have seen every slave in the compound," she whispered. "They will probably buy ornamentation to partially shield the places you would want covered. If you have pleased them, they will try to keep you happy."

I knew she was correct but the fitting was still horrible. I stood on a little lighted platform as Mia wrapped me in different blue, silver, and white fabrics. It felt like I was back at the auction as I modeled the filmy fabrics Mia wrapped me in.

The shopkeepers were five friendly men that rushed in and out of the room bringing in samples. They offered articles of translucent fabric and shiny jewelry to my owners. If the object was approved then Mia would take it and dress me in it. The shopkeepers never touched me, but I didn't like them looking.

Nothing was ignored. Ornate pins and combs were used to decorate my hair. Mia demonstrated how it could be pulled and designed. For a creature with no hair of her own, she knew what to do with it.