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[Pedigree]017 A Soul And Its Seller
[Pedigree]018
The Master’s Touch
[Pedigree]017
A Soul And Its Seller
Sunlight
streamed through the window brightening the large oak desk in Nathaniel
Ellis’ office suite at his Atlanna training camp.
A steel-collared slave showed Elaina Ceazal, dressed in noble finery,
into the room.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“It
is so good of you to come by Lady Ceazal, you are looking as magnificent as
ever this morning. I believe the
sunlight brings out the lustrous highlights in your golden hair.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Thank
you Master Ellis,” Elaina said as she looked into Master Ellis’ eyes. The
sunlight brought out the yellow in the light hazel of his eyes and it was
almost unsettling how much they reminded her of the eyes of a cat.
He was a handsome man, not that Elaina had ever had much interest in
men, but his eyes were nearly inhuman. Elaina
cleared her throat, “My father is in the process of assessing and selling
nearly everything. Thank you for
giving us such a fair price for the bank.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“You
are welcome, Elaina, I do pay well for those things that interest me.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“My
father has had his accountants figuring if he has enough money to settle his
debt without loosing our home. He
wanted to keep some lands to retain some shred of a title, but even if he
sells so much land that many knights would have larger holdings, he comes up
far short of the mark.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“How
unfortunate. As you know, the
legal document your father and I signed before the bout precludes me from
forgiving even a copper from the amount of the debt.
I am afraid your father took an arrow he had meant for me.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Yes,
I know,” Elaina said sourly.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“What
of your elder brothers, have they come to your father’s aid?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
squirmed in her chair uncomfortably, “My
eldest brother Seidrich is in the process of buying as much of father’s
lands as he possibly can. Seidrich
refused to simply hand over his fortune.
He believes father was unwise and does not wish to entrust father with
his wealth. They have had a bit
of a falling out. Seidrich is
angry at father for squandering his inheritance on a wager, and for ruining
the family name with scandalous gambling.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Yes,
I can see why he might be upset. Still,
perhaps with Seidrich’s and your father’s lands combined, your family will
retain something more than a knight’s fiefdom.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
shook her head, “Father will be lucky to cover the bet if he sells all he
has remaining, including the house. He
is ruined, utterly ruined and his first-born son prefers not to talk to him
unless absolutely necessary. I
sold all of my jewels and most of my wardrobe, and gave father the money, but
it was a pittance compared to what was needed.
I feel so bad. This was
all my fault.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Come
now, Elaina, do not blame yourself. It
was not you who set out to ruin me; it was your father.
You cannot blame yourself for what his gambling has done to your
family.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
blinked back tears, “You don’t understand it was me!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Nonsense,
how could it have been you?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
am a wicked woman. I, I wanted
your girl Ashieka. I poisoned my
father’s mind against you so you would be ruined and have to sell her to
me,” Elaina sniffed through tears.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
Ellis smiled, “I have seen men perform astonishing conniptions just to get a
better look at Asheika.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
balled her hands into fists and hit the sides of her head ineffectually,
“But I am not a man!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
allowed Elaina several minutes to cry, before he got up and touched a
handkerchief to her cheek, “Yes I had noticed you are not a man, but your
lack of power has made your wit all the sharper.
I am sure you know that I own quite a number of brothels and casinos.
I am well aquatinted with the hidden desires of men and women.
Your taste for other women is not particularly unusual, but in this
case it has had very serious consequences.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Why
couldn’t you just have lost? Why
did Thundershock have to be a god among gladiators?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Thundershock
has talent, and if it is true that you did convince Lord Ceazal to risk ruin
even after so many setbacks, I must complement your skill at social
manipulations. Being a bastard, I
cannot even get Squire Raddington to put me on his list of men to regularly
invite to social occasions.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Raddington?”
I can’t say as though I have even heard of him.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“He
owns a plantation neighboring my familial Estate.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Elaina
sniffed and sat up straighter, “Well I did not come here to burden you with
my problems. After the games you
said I should come if I had some asset you might value. Well I do.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“What
is it you wish to sell?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“My
good name. A lengthy
investigation at the arena might have tarnished the Ceazal name further, but
you were true to your word, thus I still have it in good repair.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
had no idea good names could be bought.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“If
you have any doubts, they will be dispelled when every cash-strapped
noblewoman in the country attempts to win a marriage proposal from you the
minute you take possession of the billion gold my father owes you.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
really cannot imagine a woman voluntarily attempting to get herself married.
With the laws of our nation, a woman’s acceptance of a proposal of
marriage amounts to little more than selling herself into bondage.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
looked surprised, “Most women do not see that, how can you?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
am an evil man, Lady Ceazal, I have made my living buying and selling human
beings and I have grown rich on the fruits of human frailty.
I am cynical enough not to take our culture at face value.
Women in this country are little more than sometimes-pampered chattel. Perhaps that is why you have avoided marriage.
Were I a woman, I would certainly have tried to hold onto my freedom as
long as possible.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Most
women come to a man with starry eyes or out of duty to an arrangement made by
their fathers. I am coming here
of my own free will. Do you think
me a whore?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“If
it is true you would be selling me your hand in marriage, by definition that
would make you a whore and a slave, but if you were to ask me if wives are
whores or slaves in public, I would vehemently deny it,” Nathaniel grinned.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Oh
yes, in public you are the perfect gentleman.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
assure you that is just a front. Like
my father before me I am an evil slave master fulltime.
I am simply better organized than he was and do it with more science
and finesse.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Then
you have more culture than your father had, which is ironic for one born of
white trash.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Indeed.
Now as for your proposal, if you can embrace a life of harlotry and
bondage, I would be interested in acquiring a slave with your wit, reputation
and social skills. You are
talking to a man who cannot even get on Squire Raddington’s list of men to
invite to all social occasions.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Raddington?
I have never heard of him.”
Nathaniel
Ellis\
“That
is not surprising. He owns a
plantation neighboring my familial estate, but I am positive he has heard of
you.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Yes,
I suppose he has.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
I
do see one serious problem with your proposal, Lady Ceazal.
If I am to value you as a slave and harlot, I need you in a position to
use your considerable social skills to promote my house.
No one will take you seriously if they realize that you have sold
yourself into bondage to help save your family.
You would have their pity that way, but they would not take your praise
and promotion of my house and me seriously.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
do not want their pity.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“You
are an expert in social manipulations. Can
you solve the problem? Your value
to House Ellis is severely limited if the ability to stay home and make babies
is the only one you are able to use.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Argh!
How could I do this to myself? I
am a fool! Everything I have avoided all my life has been brought down
on me because I had to have Asheika.
You want to turn me into a slave?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
thought we were agreed that wives are slaves.
If you were to join my house, we would simply be a little more honest
about it than the average couple. It
occurs to me that you may not be cut out for life as a slave, Lady Ceazal. Perhaps
you should give up the entire proposal.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Do
you think I really have another alternative?
With my father penniless I will have to get married whether I like it
or not. I could marry my fiancé
Lord Haimsley. He prefers men as
lovers and would only use me to produce heirs.
At least I could have a girlfriend without worry, but I cannot abandon
my family after ruining them. I
will not! I am a Ceazal!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Then
what is your solution?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“People
have long been looking for the reason father hates you so much.
Let us give them one. We
compose a few love letters dating from before the first gladiatorial bout
between House Ceazal and House Ellis. Father
will seem to have been trying to ruin you because he knew that I was in love
with you, and I, of course, would have been too headstrong to stop seeing you
for long when he ordered me to stay away from you.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Your
plan is astute. To really pull it
off well we would need your father’s help, and he would never agree to it
unless…”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
made it his idea.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
chuckled evilly, “That is exactly what I was thinking.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
smiled, “He thinks he sent me here.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Excellent,
but of course you will tell him that I will not deal with him directly, which
will put you in charge of the deal, and that is as it should be.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
looked slightly amazed that the slave master would approve of the way she was
manipulating her father.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Time
is of the essence, the longer we wait, the more likely the public is to
believe our affair was fabricated. Somehow
we must fabricate this affair so that it is realistic, and yet the public must
not hate me for it.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
already have a reputation for being headstrong and a bit of an unladylike
hellion. The affair will be
entirely my fault. I will write
about my lust for Asheika and simply switch your name with hers.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
chuckled, “There is nothing like a grain of truth. I expect I may be writing parts of my letters to Asheika as
well, but I do think I might persuade you to find me attractive after a few
sessions in my dungeon.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Your
dungeon!?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“There
is nothing so exciting as breaking in a new slave, and you are technically a
virgin, are you not?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
Ceazal blushed profusely.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
drew a cloth tape measure from one of his desk drawers, “I shall need to
have a collar created for you, nothing so obvious as this,” He fingered the
golden circlet about his neck. “But
it must be something not easily removed or you are likely to forget it and get
killed by a guard or security device. A
bracelet perhaps?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
held out her wrists.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
took Elaina’s left wrist and carefully measured it. He spoke as he placed the tape around Elaina’s wrist and
looked into her eyes, “I do not want you to go ahead with this unless you
are sure you wish to join House Ellis as my slave and whore. It does not matter to me that you are doing this to save
house Ceazal, but it does matter that you make a complete commitment to serve
me. I cannot use a slave
who will have as much freedom as I will be obliged to give you to perform your
duties if your loyalty is questionable. In
exchange for everything you are, to be applied on my behalf, and to be used as
I see fit, I will agree to save your family’s lands and title with as few of
my millions expended in the effort as possible.
Are you absolutely sure you want to go ahead with this deal?
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
am.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Very
well, I will, of course, monitor your work.
Any legal contracts I make with your family will have harsh fail-safes
built in. My last will and
testament is likely to be a veritable minefield of conditionals, and you will
not be allowed to see it, much less study it for loopholes.
It would indeed be tragic if treachery on the part of you or your
family were to come to pass. I
would be much happier if you agree to serve me and stand by your word through
hell or high water. If there are
things you will not do for me, like killing innocent children on my behalf, I
need to know what those things are before we seal the agreement.
I warn you, however, it is a buyers’ market. You are asking a great deal of me already, and if you ask for
too much beyond saving your family, I will regrettably have to buy some other
woman’s good name.”
----
\Lord
Ceazal\
Lord
Roderick Ceazal paced back and forth across the length of his drawing room.
When Elaina came through the door, he felt a pang of guilt.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
closed the door and crossed the room, and then She sat down with an audible
groan.
\Lord
Ceazal\
“No
deal?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
think the devil would be easier to bargain with.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“I
dare say attorney Hemshark would agree with you. Will he make a deal with me for your hand?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“No.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
Bah!
Ceazal snapped his fingers, “Damn that man!”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
smiled inwardly, “But he will deal with me for my hand, and with Siedrich on
behalf of salvaging our noble house. He
is very loyal to the king. I
think he is concerned that his public will think he is capitulating to the
enemy if he were to make a deal with you, or maybe he just doesn’t have any
latitude given that contract you cooked up concerning the debt.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“Or
maybe he just plain hates me for trying to ruin him.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
cleared her throat, “Yes there is that.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“Then
he will not negotiate with me?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“No,
but when I found that out I tried to get the best deal I could.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“Ceazal
chuckled, and that must be what that sigh was about when you came in.
How bad was it?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“In
order for him to even go for this, I have to be in a position to promote his
house. He thinks that my rank and
social skills are the most valuable things I have to offer.
If I can think of a way to make it seem to the public like I am not
selling myself to him to save House Ceazal, then he is willing to make a deal,
a very minimal one.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“How
minimal?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
am sorry, daddy. I did my best,
but the most he would agree to was that he would save our lands and title with
as few of his millions expended in the effort as possible. He is willing to make Seidrich a poor Marquis with land and
debts rather than a landless baron with no debts and no assets.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
Ceazal hissed, “Damn that man, he is the
devil. Still that is better than
no deal at all, but how can you make it seem to the public like you are not
trading your hand for your family’s lands?
\Elaina Ceazal\
I thought of an idea, but it is dangerous.
If we blow this at any time then he could fail to renew the loans on
Seidrich’s lands.
\Lord Ceazal\
“How can we deal with this man if he can back out
at any time?”
\Elaina Ceazal\
“I guess his point would be that I can renege on my
part of the deal by telling everyone I traded my hand for my family’s title
and poo-poo house Ellis at any time, therefore he must have similar power.”
\Lord Ceazal\
“So he insures your loyalty by holding the debt
over our heads.”
\Elaina Ceazal\
“Ellis is no idiot, father.”
\Lord Ceazal\
“Heavens no, he’s Satan himself!
I have Hemshark’s word on that, and lawyers are about as close to the
devil as men get. I suppose I
will be obliged to ask the king to transfer my title to Seidrich, and to
insure Seidrich will be allowed and even forced to sell the land to other
nobles to settle the debt if he should, for any reason fail to make his
payments or if the loans are withdrawn.”
\Elaina Ceazal\
“He
assured me that every fail-safe would be built into any agreement.
I’m sure that will be part of it.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“It’s
a lousy deal Elaina, but to tell you the truth I doubt Hemshark himself could
have done any better. Ellis is a
bastard in more ways than one.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Yes
father, he is. He even told me
his last will and testament would be a veritable minefield of conditionals.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
Ceazal
laughed heartily. He thinks I
might stoop to have him killed, does he?
Well he’s damn right! I’d
be only too happy to rid the world of that bastard!
“Have
you any idea how you might keep everyone from thinking you have sold your hand
to salvage House Ceazal?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Yes,
but if we are to keep this from falling on us like the sword of Damocles, we
had better not tell a soul. I
came up with a wonderful plan I think. It
will make you look better to the public, and it will make Ellis look all the
sexier to those white trash women who worship him.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
Lord
Ceazal chuckled, “What do we have to do?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
smiled, “You were trying to ruin Ellis because he and I have been having an
affair since before the first bout between House Ellis and House Ceazal.
You ordered me to stop seeing him but I couldn’t help myself.
Eventually I went against your word and saw him in secret.
After a while you found out, so you decided you would destroy the
bastard for capturing the heart of your little girl. Rumors will surface, love letters will be found, and when the
press asks, you will admit the ‘truth’ and be mad as hell at Ellis, but
remember daddy, part of my job will be to promote House Ellis, and I am going
to need all the help I can get, so you cannot stay mad.
Eventually you will have to pull a grudging respect for Ellis out of
your hat, and tell your friends that you overreacted, and that you should have
had the sense to let your youngest daughter marry for love and so on and so
forth ad nauseam.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
Ceazal
chuckled, “It sounds as though Ellis wants me to marry him too.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
guess that is what marriage is supposed to be, father, the joining of two
houses. In our case it is rather
like a marriage at sword-point, but our influence is the only thing of value
we have left to sell. He is
making us work off the debt.”
\Lord
Ceazal\
“It
is a fragile alliance you have put together here, Elaina, but it is the best
we could hope to have gotten out of Ellis.
As long as you and I play our parts like seasoned bards, none will be
the wiser. With our lands and
title intact, we can rebuild our house little by little. It is a tall order, and I am sure I will die of old age
before it is finished, but maybe Ellis will grow to love you, and when I die
and Ellis becomes an old man he will forgive us our debts. This deal is the best we are likely to get.
I am so sorry to have put you children through this, Elaina.
I will do anything I can to make it right, and if that means kissing
that bastard’s boot, then here’s my pucker.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
embraced her father dearly.
----+======+++======+----
[Pedigree]018
The Master’s Touch
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
smiled; she was so pleased with herself.
Ellis had not wanted to deal directly with father and that had put her
in charge of her own destiny for once. It
wasn’t much, especially since Ellis was well aware he held most of the aces,
but nevertheless, Elaina felt that she would accomplish what she had set out
to accomplish. Her family’s
peerage would be saved. The rest
of the restoration was just a matter of money.
In time her house would be great again.
When
she arrived at Ellis’ training camp she was shown to Nathaniel Ellis’
office. Ashieka, breathtaking as
ever, played the lyre while Ellis looked up from his paperwork.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“It
is such a pleasure to see you, Lady Ceazal.
What news have you?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
told him you would not negotiate with him directly, but being a desperate man
these days, he was willing to go along with whatever reasonable deal I could
make with you on behalf of house Ceazal.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Splendid,
I would prefer to negotiate with you since your father obviously was not your
master, you are therefore the only one who can choose to sell herself to me or
not.”
\Elaina\
Elaina
nodded a bit nervously, “I have come up with a list of things I will not do
for you.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Excellent.
I have already told you what I was willing to do.
Let me take a look at these out on the veranda.
In the meantime I imagine you are curious to know what sort of master I
am. I suggest you utilize this time to ask Asheika.
Asheika, my pet, you may be honest.”
\Asheika\
“Yes
massa.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
left through the French doors, closing them behind him and walking along the
veranda.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Elaina
cleared her throat. I guess we
are going to have the same master.”
\Asheika\
“Yes
mistress.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Does
he beat you?”
\Asheika\
“Sometimes
he likes to spank a girl to watch her rump quiver, mistress.
It stings, but I like it. A
girl thinks Master is not strong enough to hurt her rump with an open hand
because she is built round, mistress.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
smiled, “Yes, I had noticed you are quite generous behind, and affront as
well.”
\Asheika\
“Massa
says a girl is too fine a slave to beat.
Asheika serves massa well. Massa
says he is an evil man, but he is a good massa. He is fair, but he can be harsh if a slave becomes a problem.
Massa lets Asheika know what to expect of him.
Massa is reasonable and organized.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Then
he is not a volatile man?”
\Asheika\
“No,
Mistress, Massa has a slow burning temper.
Mistress, if you sell yourself to massa you must obey.
If you serve him well, he will make you happy.
If you have a good idea, you tell him.
He likes innovation, but if you cross him you will never stop
regretting it. He does not fly off the handle, mistress, he, ‘solves
problems,’ sometimes very harshly, but massa is a controlled man.
Slaves that serve him well prosper.
He rewards them based on their service.”
“If
a slave makes an honest mistake, he will let them put it right, but slaves
that become a problem on purpose are sent to the mines or the bad brothels.
They are not happy there, Mistress.
They do not live long there either, unless massa orders the keepers to
keep them alive. Then they wish
they had died quickly.” Once
you put on that collar, mistress, never lie to him.
He always knows if you are telling the truth, and slaves that lie are
problem slaves.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
swallowed, “I see.”
\Ashieka\
“Massa
is a helpful man. He will help
you do what you like to do if it serves him.
Asheika loves to dance. She
has fine dance instructors. One
hated black women. He only
teaches Asheika because massa talked to him.
The instructor has never insulted Asheika, mistress, never because
massa talked to him.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“So
he is not a man to be trifled with.”
\Asheika\
“Massa
will let you question his judgment if you have a good point mistress.
You can talk to him. You
can even get mad at him, but at the end, he must be obeyed.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
sighed, “I guess having a normal marriage was too much to hope for.”
\Asheika\
“Mistress
can make her marriage seem normal. She
only needs to remember the things I have said.
Mistress is white. She
will have a lot of freedom, to do things as she wants to, as long as they
serve massa. If she is a good
wife, most things will be normal.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“What
about this dungeon of his?”
\Asheika\
Asheika
smiled, “Massa is just playing with you, mistress. He knows mistress does not like men, so he will take you in a
scene, a serious game, but a game. If
he wishes, Asheika will be in the scene too.
Mistress will be frightened, but massa will drive her crazy, she will
have lots of fun.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Will
he hurt me, Asheika?”
\Asheika\
“Yes
mistress, if it pleases him, but he will do it with science.
Mistress must experience the dungeon.
Asheika cannot describe.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina’s
expression was dubious. “So
what you are saying, is that if I am a dutiful wife and serve him well, I can
look forward to being happy, and he will only beat me if it pleases him?
\Asheika\
Asheika
giggled, “He will not beat you like you are thinking if you are good,
mistress. If mistress is bad, she
will become less free. Massa
doesn’t seriously beat a girl for punishment.
The dungeon is for sex. Mistress
must experience it.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“For
sex?”
\Asheika\
“Mistress
is a virgin, Asheika cannot explain and there is not enough time to
demonstrate,” Asheika smirked.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
stared at Asheika open mouthed, “Why you vixen!”
\Asheika\
“Yes
mistress. A girl was bred for
lust. Asheika knows sex.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
could tell that the first time I looked at you.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
came back into the room making ample noise with the French door so that the
women were sure to know he approached. I
see there are quite a number of provisions here, Elaina, and some of them I
find myself quite in agreement with. For
instance you do not wish to do any act for me that, if you were caught at it,
would land you in prison for more than five years, and furthermore you do not
wish to know about any illegal acts I might be involved with unless you must
be involved in those acts. You do
not wish to have your house or your father seriously insulted.
You wish to remain loyal to the king and the like.
Actually, most of the list is quite reasonable, however these last
issues are unacceptable.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
put her hands on her hips, “But the last part is about sex.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Indeed,
It says you wish to decide when you will or will not participate.
My Lady, you cannot sell yourself into a life of bondage and harlotry
if you may choose at all times to refuse the advances of your husband, why
even in the most normal marriage, a wife is expected to lie with her husband
except on the occasion that she is feeling ill, or that they have had an
argument. This stipulation is
unacceptable. I believe if you
had things your way, you would have sex exactly once for ever heir you
produced.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“But
I don’t like men, and besides, you have Asheika for that sort of thing.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Indeed
I do, but so do you, unless of course you choose never to touch her, in which
case perhaps I can abide by this. We
could simply inseminate you artificially as we might any slave.
It’s quite clean, you know.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina’s
mouth opened, “You, I, I can’t see Asheika if you can’t see me?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Indeed.
Either you are part of my little family or you are not.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“But
that’s not fair!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“On
the contrary, Asheika is my girl. She
has already said she finds you palatable, for I do give her a great deal of
privilege in regard to what lovers she has besides me, but she is much too
fine a slave to play with someone who I do not approve.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
bit her lip, “But how do I know I won’t find your touch revolting?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“If
you find my touch revolting, then I submit that you cannot go ahead with this
deal. Remember, your plan calls
for us to seem to be in love. If
you are revolted every time I touch you, how many of your friends will you be
able to fool for how long? I
submit that it is essential that you school yourself to enjoy my touch, for if
you do not, you will surely fool no one.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
grimaced, “Yes, I suppose you are right, but how will I learn to enjoy it?
It won’t matter how often I do it, you’ll still revolt me.
You are a man!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Have
you ever been with a man before, Elaina?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
don’t need to have been with one. I
have thought about it.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“This
is a serious problem. On it
hinges your entire ability to be useful to House Ellis.
I can help school you to enjoy my touch, but that must be what you
want. You must wish to be in love
with me at some level so that you can fool even the most discerning nobleman.
If you do not, then we cannot have a deal.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Oh
gods! My whole family’s
reputation hinges on this deal, do you think I have no willingness?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Then
you must let me help you, and it must be done before we are seen in public
together.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Damn
it! Why did I have to be this
way? Why couldn’t I just be
like other women? Things would be
so much simpler.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Do
not belittle yourself, milady. You
are as you are. If you wish to
serve me, then you must be willing to make a few little changes.
If you are willing, then I can help you make them.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“How
can you help the way I am?”
\Nathaneil
Ellis\
“I
will merely help you create an exception to the rule. The rule will remain nearly untouched. I can do this for you, Lady Ceazal. If you wish to be mine, I can make it so.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Damn
you Ellis! Take me to your stupid
dungeon. I will do this!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“And
what of this provision?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
I
shall have the right to refuse you when I am feeling genuinely ill or
especially angry with you, but not more than seven days in 30 unless I am ill.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
scribbled the new line at the bottom of the parchment, “Done.”
“What of this one, that you are not to be hurt or humiliated in any
way?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I
am not to be scarred or disfigured, or wounded in any way that would call for
hospitalization. I am not to be
humiliated in public, unless we agree on an exception for public relations
purposes, such as my appearing to have gone against the orders of my father to
see you.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
jotted down the changes, “Good, most of these others make good sense.
I would not wish you to be killing people for me unless you wished to
in self-defense and et cetera. I
am ready to make a deal.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“But
what if I cannot enjoy your touch?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Then
you will break the agreement to promote House Ellis when your noble friends
realize that you have really sold yourself into bondage and harlotry.
We can test them before we have our formal wedding.
I suggest you voluntarily void this stipulation of no sex before
marriage. If you do not get the
entire touch aspect out of the way, Elaina, you will fail at this agreement.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“How
do I know you don’t just want…”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Because
in my income bracket I could deflower virgins all day, everyday if I wished
to. Frankly I find virgins
are a bit clumsy and squirrely. They
are only appealing for their freshness. An
experienced woman is by far the better lover.
Nevertheless, if you did not have a problem with men touching you, I
would have no problem waiting until the wedding night, but if there is a
problem, we must solve it before it destroys our deal, do you not agree?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Ahhhr!
How can you reason about a thing like my virginity?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
am at times biased, milady, but I am both a reasonable, and an experienced
man. That is precisely why I had
you over the other day to check your fertility.
If you had been barren, your value would have been seriously
diminished.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“You
mean I could?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Whatever
your tastes in lovers, Lady Ceazal, you are a woman in every sense of the
word. Your fertility checked out
just fine.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Well
at least something went right today.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
chuckled, “You may believe you are giving ground milady, but I assure you
that if you had refused to modify your list, this touch issue would surely
have destroyed us. As it is, you
have given me the tools that it will take to help you remedy the situation.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“What,
you need to be able to beat me and rape me in order for me to enjoy your
touch?!”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“In
more ways than one, milady. It
may not make sense to you as yet, but I assure you, I will succeed if you are
willing. If not you will loose
your maidenhead for nothing, but after what we will be doing in the press, no
man will expect you to have it anyway, therefore it’s value as a selling
point for another marriage will be nill.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
wrinkled her nose, “Yes, I suppose you’re right. They cannot help but extrapolate my reputation as a
hellion.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Indeed.
Are you ready to sell your soul, milady?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“My
body, my freedom, my virginity, my labor –yes my soul.
You do not mince words do you Master Ellis.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Not
in this case.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
closed her eyes and held out her left wrist,
“My soul is yours, Nathaniel Ellis.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“With
this bracelet I do take possession of my property,” Nathaniel closed the
golden bracelet around lady Ceazal’s wrist.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
looked down at her wrist. She
felt the cold metal but there had not been so much as a click. She examined the delicate band of gold. There was no clasp.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“I
realized that, as a noblewoman, you would be expected to wear jewelry in
keeping with a wide variety of outfits.
If you concentrate and squeeze the bracelet with your thumb on top and
your index finger below your wrist like so, it will change to a polished
platinum color in about one minute. Repeat
the process to change it back to gold.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“This
must have cost a fortune.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“You,
milady, are the most expensive slave I have ever purchased.
It would not be fitting to equip you with a chintzy collar.
Now, I want you to look into my eyes and tell me that you wish you
would find me as arousing as you find Asheika.
You must will that this be so or it shall not work.
Do you understand?
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Yes
Master Ellis.” Elaina looked
into Master Ellis’s feline eyes. I
wish I found you as arousing as I find Asheika.
When Elaina came to, Asheika was holding her up and Master Ellis was
nowhere to be soon. “Goodness I
must have fainted for a moment there.”
\Asheika\
“Yes
sister, you did.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
squeezed her temples and stared at Asheika open mouthed.
\Asheika\
Asheika
smiled, “Don’t worry, Elaina. In
public I will still call you mistress.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“It’s
all right, Asheika, I just sold myself into a life of bondage and harlotry.”
\Asheika\
“You’ll
see, serving massa can be a lot of fun. You
just follow the rules and you will have more freedom than your friends who
married noblemen. Do you like the
gladiatorial games?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“I’m
afraid I like them as much as any man, perhaps more.”
\Asheika\
“Your
daddy let you come, but you had to be his shadow, didn’t you?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
nodded “Yes, it took enough just to convince him that I should be allowed at
his side.”
\Asheika\
“You
tell massa you want to promote his gladiators and me in the games, and I will
bet he will let you give it a try. Don’t
get all afraid about having to obey. He makes it easy. You
just be yourself and help him and he will give you more of yourself than your
daddy did. Now we’re going to
go downstairs and have fun. It’s
going to be scary, but some people need that.
You’re a strong woman, but you can’t let go. In the dungeon massa will make you let go, and you can let
yourself loose.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Are
you sure about this, Asheika?”
\Asheika\
“Massa
knows your soul, sister, he just bought it.
He will break it out for you lady.
You are wild inside, but not in bed.
Massa will fix that for you.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Will
I suddenly prefer men?”
\Asheika\
“Asheika
giggled, no girl, you’re a woman’s woman, but you will feel what massa did
for you. You will feel it in your
bones and the thrill of it at massa’s touch.”
Asheika led Elaina down below the basement of the Ellis training camp
in Atlanna to a large room lit by torches and equipped with various devices.
Asheika led her into a small antechamber where Nathaniel was waiting.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Mmm,
is this the new girl?”
\Asheika\
“Yes
massa.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Splendid.
Let me inspect her. Nathaniel
looked Elaina over with an air of assessment.
Nathaniel grasped her face and turned it.
Do you have trouble with your bite, girl?” He asked as he opened and
closed her mouth.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Uh,
yes master, my lower jaw is a little too long.
My teeth don’t fit quite right either.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Such
a pity. Your hair is so lovely,
but this jaw spoils the lines of your face.
Had you ever considered getting it shortened?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“We
looked into it, but there is just too much that can go wrong in such an
operation.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“When
I was a very young man, I attended a conference on magic and alchemy in a
neighboring kingdom. There was
this rather eccentric foreign mage who rarely visited such events, but on this
occasion, I believe he needed money. He
had the most astonishing power over bone.
I saw him use the full extent of it.
You see, his eccentricity brought the ire of another mage and there was
an altercation, a mage’s duel. Munagent
turned this other mage’s entire skeleton to jelly. Needless to say, he won the duel, but I also saw him
straighten the back of a crippled nobleman, mend rotted teeth, fix broken
bones that had healed wrongly and so on.
His prices were steep, but his talent was stellar.
If you wish, I will see if I can locate him for you.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Thank
you master.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
Ellis nodded, his gaze was steady as he meticulously began to remove Elaina
Ceazal’s finery.
\Elaina
Ceazl\
Elaina
was surprised she did not recoil from his touch. Perhaps she was already so nervous that she was expending all
her energy trying not to shake.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Your
arms are good, the muscles are youthful and your hands are graceful.
Nathaniel worked his way down and removed Elaina’s dress, and then
her undergarments. He looked into
her eyes and traced the lower outline of her left nipple with the lightest
touch.
\Elaina
Ceazl\
Elaina
gasped but her nipple rose towards the master’s fingertip.
There was power in his touch and an electric intensity.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Your
sensitivity is good.”
\Elaina
Ceazl\
“The
boys used to tell me I had a skinny man’s chest.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Your
breasts are quite petite, however they are well formed and the nipples are
good. If you wish more fullness,
talk to my alchemist, Jallan. He
can be quite obnoxious about a woman's breasts, however his fetish has led him
to collect various bits of herbal and alchemical lore on the subject.
Those boys did not have good eyes for ladies.
Your hips are fine and womanly, and your abdomen and belly are
magnificent. I believe your lower
torso is the most superior part of your body.
Nathaniel squeezed one of Elaina’s buttocks down low, in the middle
and up near the top. For a white
woman you have a good derriere. It is a pity that the fashions of noblewomen so often hide
your finest assets. Your narrow
waist and full hips can be accentuated by a dress, but many of your best
features remain hidden.”
\Elaina
Ceazl\
“Yes
master.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Nathaniel
put a silk blindfold on Elaina. It
was scented with jasmine. Put the
new girl on the wheel, my pet. I
shall attend to her in a few minutes.”
\Ashieka\
“Yes
massa.”
\Elaina
Ceazl\
Asheika
led Elaina to a large wooden wheel that was mounted to a wall. She locked
Elaina’s wrists to the rim of the wheel with shackles and then turned it so
that it lifted the noblewoman’s feet right off the ground. Asheika fastened Elaina’s spread ankles to the wheel with
another set of shackles. Asheika
stopped touching her, and she hung in a limbo of fear and anticipation for
several minutes.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Very
good, my pet.” Crack!
\Elaina
Ceazl\
Elaina
could hear the whip.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
Ellis cracked the whip a few times. It
had such a fearful sound. In an
expert’s hands it might have been used for the task at hand, but
Nathaniel’s skill was not up to the task.
The sound in the ears of the blindfolded girl had been useful, however.
He set the whip down soundlessly and took up a small willow switch.
It was a much more controllable weapon.
He began with a single strike dangerously close to the girl’s vulva.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Ouw!”
Elaina squealed.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
Ellis smiled as he worked the switch over Elaina’s body.
The pain was not intense nor unbearable, but simply a powerful,
unexpected stinging that, at most, would raise a welt on lady Elaina’s
lily-white skin. The blows were
precisely aimed and timed so as to be intense yet unexpected.
Nathaniel used the sting to erect Elaina’s nipples, flush her skin,
and to tease her vulva. When he was satisfied with the initial degree arousal he
motioned to Ashieka, “Your tongue, my pet.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
Ceazal went through various stages of fear, ire, indignation, tears, and
shaking to arrive at arousal, pure, elemental arousal, and just as she would
reach the brink of orgasm, Asheika’s tounge would stop, or the whip would
would hit someplace and distract yet arouse.
She was hanging on the brink of pain and pleasure and need.
She began to buck and stir and howl and moan.
Pain and pleasure began to fade as need overwhelmed them.
Need became her entire universe as she rode the razor’s edge of the
brink, her new master somehow knew just when she was about to go over and he
kept her there howling and snarling and bucking and then he touched her. “AuuuuAaa! Elaina
howled as orgasm trampled through her mind like an avalanche, but no sooner
had she begun to come down than her two tormenters built her up.
She became arousal, his every touch set her off only to have the
arousal rebuilt and set off by his touch again.
Her body was aflame with arousal and orgasm, pleasure and pain, heaven
and hell until she was too exhausted to do anything but slump in her shackles.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
carefully unchained his new slave and carried her to the Turkish bath where
Asheika washed her. A slave came
in and left a tray of three champagne goblets. Next to one was a small vial of
emollient.
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“Elaina
shook her head and took a drink of champagne.
Every time you touched me, I came.
Elaina shivered.
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Indeed.
Do you understand now how we can school your body to respond to my
touch?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
nodded, “I have never lost control like that, it was insane.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
grinned evilly, “And in this particular session, we were able to leave your
maidenhead intact.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
“What
a lie that is as an indicator of virginity.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
Nathaniel
Ellis chuckled, “I quite agree. Now
if you will excuse me I need to get back to work.
Asheika will give you a massage with this healing salve from Jallan’s
laboratory. You understand it was
not my purpose to break your lovely skin, only to stimulate you rather
roughly. The emollient will take
care of any slight miscalculations.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
nodded, "Thank you Master Ellis."
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“You
are welcome, milady. I will let
you know if I am able to locate this bone mage.
If I can locate him, I believe we should pay him a visit. My teeth could use work, and if he could fix your overbite at
the same time, it would make the trip that much more profitable.
He cannot actually destroy or remove bone without breaking the skin, so
perhaps he could move the excess bone from your jaw to your cheekbones.
Would that be satisfactory?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
nodded, “Yes that would be fine. I
will tell my father I may be getting some work done on my jaw.”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“Splendid,
I believe it would be a good thing to take care of before the publicity of the
wedding. I do not recall seeing
any likenesses of you in the newspapers beyond sketches that lacked detail.
If the lines of your face are to change, it is better for the public to
know your visage after the adjustment to your jaw.
In a few weeks I hope to have a coach in place and I will hire a guild
mage to teleport you, Asheika and I thither.
In the meantime we can work on this touch issue.
I believe every other day would be sufficient.”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina’s
jaw dropped as she blushed profusely, “Every other day?”
\Nathaniel
Ellis\
“You
do want to be convincing, don’t you?”
\Elaina
Ceazal\
Elaina
blinked, “Yes Master!”
The story continues in
[Pedigree]019 An Interview With The Press.
copyright 2000-2002, by Rapina
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