Bound And Chained

CHAPTER 17

Zerifenia walked quietly by Thalin. She had known that she was going to be required to have children, but not as soon as this. "Ma, I mean Thalin. Do you want a child? If not, I can't share time with you. The Healer has already told us, if we did. I would be carrying your child by morning."

Thalin stopped in the hall, looking down at her. "I already knew of the likelihood of you coming away from me with child. Yet I was willing to accept the responsibility of it then. Why do you think, now, that I know you aren't a slave I would change my mind? I will escort you to my lands. My wife will be more than happy to see you. She has been at me for over the last seventeen cycles to put her aside. She does not dare get pregnant. If you are willing to come and stay with us in my home. She will treat you like a sister, and stop nagging me. I won't put her aside. Like I told Kaj, I don't care about the crown, Dannis can have it for all I care. I love my wife, and would never do anything to hurt her."

"But won't some of your people see you as forcing her to live with your whore?"

"Not more than once. Then it isn't you or I who will have to do anything about it, but Reba. She is a mother at heart, and hasn't held a babe in cycles, not since Miri and Rook became toddlers. And then neither of them wanted to be held. You let her help raise any child I give you, and she will be your sister at heart and treat you as such, and God help the man that says anything to you." He led her on down the hall.

"It really doesn't hurt? Every time they sent me to the dogs, it hurt so much, every time. It won't be like that, will it?

Thalin opened the door before turning to look at her again. "Listen to me Fenia. I am a man not, a, dog. On my word as such, if at anytime you feel any pain, even the slightest twinge of it. All you have to do is tell me, and I will stop. Remember that I am a man, and I can control myself."

Zerifenia giggled as he led her into the rooms that he had been given during his stay. "What is so funny, Fenia, I haven't even begun to undress?"

She shook her head, still giggling. "No, Master, it's just that when Sasha finds out that I won anyway. That even after all she did to destroy me, I survived and prospered. Oh she is going to be so upset."

"Well, if it wasn't for the fact that none of us want you to ever see that madwoman again, I would gladly escort you to your house to let her see you. You wouldn't even have to tell her the truth, just hiss and spit at her for seeing to it that you were taken away. But I happen to agree with Kaj. You don't need that kind of stress so soon after being freed." He touched her cheek. "The offer is still yours if you are not afraid of me Fenia. I would like very much to hold you for the night, and if we work well together, who knows perhaps for many more nights to come."

Zerifenia stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms over his shoulders. "You saved me from the hell I had been living for over a cycle. I don't think I could be afraid of you, not even if you tried to make me. Nothing you could do to me. Could ever compare to what has been done already. So no, I'm not afraid of you. And if you are still willing to touch me, knowing what I have done, then yes, I want to share your bed with you." She leaned up and kissed him.

Thalin smiled down at her. "There is something else I happen to agree with Caytin on. The dogs don't count. As far as I am concerned, you are still just a maid, and I am going to be your first."

"It's almost a pity." She stepped back to begin pulling the rags from her. "If you were unwed, well it is considered lucky to conceive the first night you share in bed with a man, and even more so if he is your consort. But you have a wife, so I suppose I am just going to have to accept the smaller good luck."

"The laws are different here Fenia. And even though I could never see you at home as anything more than a very dear friend. There are going to be times when I come here to visit. Like when my daughter finally conceives and goes to give birth. I have already been warned that she will be delivering here. That man of hers won't have it any other way. And just as soon and the Danes teach those sadistic madmen what it means to hurt what she claims, I can bring Reba here and hopefully one of their Healers can see to it that she is healed. Then the two of you can share the joys of motherhood together. So no, in Merican you can be nothing more than my friend. But here, if it would help you, I will consent to be your man. Just as long as you understand, I'm not wearing a collar."

She snorted as she began to help him disrobe. "Of course not. You are a FreeMan, and as such will wear a thin gold chain instead of a collar. Think of it as jewelry." She whimpered at the scars she found on his chest and sides. "First thing, please, have Trinna tend to these. Wed to me is, going, to, have many hidden assets. Healers, that are able to heal almost anything, are one of them."

"At the rate I am going with my daughter's in-law's, I will end up owing her my Kingdom."

Zerifenia pushed him back to the bed, being stronger than he was. It was nothing for her to see to it that she made him sit down. "I don't think you understand how we work here. You risked war to see to it that I was finally allowed justice. For that, any help she can offer, she will. And do so gladly." She worked on his boots. Unlacing them, before tugging one and then the other off. "Is your son really her third consort?" She moved up to begin working on the fastenings of his trousers.

"Yes." He watched her as she methodically removed his pants to expose a rapidly hardening cock. She giggled.

"Good sir, I do believe it is happy to see me."

"You have no idea Fenia. It has been over seventeen cycles since he has seen anything, but my hand. Believe me my dear, he is far from just being happy to see you, he is bloody thrilled."

Zerifenia was far from innocent. Even if the only males she had ever done like she was preparing to do to Thalin had been dogs. She knew what to do. She finally pulled his pants from him. Freeing his leg's one at a time, throwing the discarded garment back behind her. "This is going to be such a wonderful changed for me." She was talking to no one as she moved up between his legs. Licking his balls, nibbling one and then the other.

Thalin stroked her head as he felt her lips open to slowly pull him inside her mouth. "Be warned my dear." He moaned. "I don't think," he gasped at the slow tongue that bathed the head of his shaft, poking at the opening there. "I don't know how much of this, I am going to be able to take." He was almost whimpering as she pulled him deep into her throat.

She pulled back, kissing the head. "It's okay, you're not that old, I am sure that between the two of us, we can figure out a way to make you rise to the occasion again, please, just enjoy." She lowered her mouth back to where it was. "I know I am." She went back to what she was doing with an almost aggressiveness.

Thalin moaned softly, he had never had this done to him. Reba, his lady wife, who he loved more than life, had never been willing to do this, and after the doctor had diagnosed her unable to bear children anymore. It just wasn't something that ever came up. But now with this sweet young, girl, he was finally at long last able to experience what he had been missing for so long.

He tightened his fingers in her hair, and he held her head to him, as his orgasm, that sweetest that he had had in cycles, rolled down his spine to explode from his cock into her warm and hungry mouth.

It had been so long for him. His orgasm just kept cumming and cumming, he knew that he surely must be choking Zerifenia with the amount of seed he was pouring into her mouth. But she just kept pulling and swallowing, greedy for more. Hand lifting to squeeze his balls gently to see that he gave her all he had for her.

Thalin lay there, struggling for conscious thought as he hung in the haze of bliss that he hadn't felt for oh so many cycles. "You are a witch, girl, you do know that, don't you?

She crawled up onto the bed beside him. "That is what your people call our Temple Priestesses isn't it?" She smiled at him. "I'm no Healer, but my mother was, so I do believe that I can take that as a compliment." Her smile turned a bit mischievous. "And even if I'm not a full Healer, I can do a little healing work, that was why I assured you that we could see that you were able to rise to the occasion. If that doesn't bother you, that is if you aren't worried that I would do something I shouldn't to you."

He laughed at her. "My sweet witch, you can do anything you think to do to me. I trust you. You were judged completely innocent, of all wrong. So by all means if the thought of an old mans child does not repel you, have your way with me."

She giggled. "You're what, fifty, sixty cycles old? That's not old. We have men here that have reached the two hundred, mark, and still do their duty by their mistress. True as a woman, it is frowned upon over a hundred to try to carry a child, but it can be done. It's very dangerous though. That is how the Chieftesses mother died. She was a hundred and twenty, when, she took her last consort and carried and delivered the Healer Trinna. She was just too old to do that. If it had been a cycle or two earlier, who knows, but the timing was all wrong."

"I am almost sixty-two. Was thirty-one, when, I wed Reba. Who had been such a sweet young thing back then, she was nineteen. Emily was born almost eleven moons to the day of our wedding. Dannis just over a Cycle after her. Kerri was born when Emily was ten. The Twins were born when she was twenty. The war stared five cycles later, and the twins were seven when they watched their sister tortured to death before us all. That, was, just four moons more than thirty cycles ago.

Zerifenia wrapped her arms around him. Heart going out to this man for the pain she knew he had lived through. But she would change the subject, if only to see to it he forgot his pain. "You're only sixty-two, that's not that old at all. And that would make your wife, what, fifty or so? If the Healers can help her, she should with support have at least one or two more for you in her." She, propped, herself up on her elbows. "And if you mean what you said, about making me make an honest man out of yourself, while you are here, and take you as my consort. Be your lady. Then I will gladly give you as many children as you wish."

"You do know that if this gets out in my lands. There will be other men who will demand the same. Why should I have two wives, when there are so many women left without men," he sighed.

"I'm not sure how our chieftess will see that. But if you present the bear facts to her, she might. Just make sure you take Caytin aside and get a copy of the laws that we live by. On the lands ruled by us, we have been practicing true slavery for more cycles than you can imagine. Caytin is not only the lead consort of this house, but head of all the slaves in our land."

"Remind me to do just that tomorrow. I'm not positive that I want the extra women in my city enslaved. But for many of them, who have suffered so much already. It might be the only thing that will give them a feeling of stability." He turned on his side to meet here. "But enough talking for now witch, if you can help me to 'rise' to the occasion as you said, I will be eternally grateful."

Zerifenia laughed. She had laughed and smiled more in the last hour than she had in more than a cycle. But it was different. She was free. Had at long last been allowed to plead her case to the chieftess, and been found innocent of all counts. Her mother's death hurt her, but now that she was the eldest daughter of her mother. She was the heir, and all that she had grown up around would be hers. And this man, as strange to her as he was. It was all because he believed her to begin with. So 'yes' she would take him as her consort. She would bear young by him, even going to his lands for ten cycles, more if their mating was a good one. "Why is it do you think I was engaging in conversation with you Thalin. I'm not a Healer, so the little gifts I do have, take a little time to take effect." She grinned down at his hardening cock. "But it does look like I have revived you."

Thalin looked down at his manhood that was standing at half-mast, and gaining length. "I do think you are right." He pushed her over to lie on her back. "Shall I return the favor, witch?"

Zerifenia pushed him away. "You can't. The last thing that touched me was a dog. I would have to be cleaned completely before I could ever think of allowing that."

"Then I am going to have to wake that girl up a second time. Because, as, much as I want you. You do have a point there. I won't go where there is still remains of a dog."

She looked worried. "Don't you think she will be upset with me? She's been woken once already tonight, I don't want to bother her again." Too many moons of bowing prevented her from just acting without worry.

"She has a problem with it, she can take it up with me. But she was the one that assured us that if we were together tonight and did more than just sleep together, you would come away from it with a child. And believe me my lovely little witch, I want that child." He got up, looking down at his full erection, chuckling. "Well, pants are out for the moment, but my night robe should at least make this a little less obvious." He looked at her still on the bed as he pulled on a deep purple velour night robe. "Come on Fenia, time to get dressed. I will not have you parading around the house as you are now."

Zerifenia struggled back into her prison garb. "Are you sure this is going to be okay?"

He just chuckled at her. "And precisely what is she going to say. Regardless of where I am, I am still a King. What is more, the Chieftesses first born son is wed to my heir." He watched her finish the hurried dressing. "Now, come on with me. I think I know where the Healers room is. If not, I do know where my daughter's room in this sprawling place is. And I will go there and see to it that boy wakes up long enough to lead me the way."

In the end, he ended up knocking on his daughter's door. Because he could not find the Healers rooms. Tallin opened the door, a sheet wrapped around his waist. "Sire?"

"Not right now boy, you are my daughter's husband. That does entitle you to call me father."

Tallin smiled sheepishly. "Thank you Father, now what has you seeking Miri's bedroom at this time of night?"

Thalin pulls Zerifenia forward. "This one does. I need to seek out a Healer for her, and well, I don't know this place as well as I originally thought."

"Is she hurt Father?" Miri with the blanket covering her so that there was nothing exposed stood up moving to where Zerifenia stood.

"Yes and no. I won't go into what she still needs from the Healer, but suffice to say, we were told if we shared our time together tonight, I would be a father again. But as she is right now, I will not go there."

'I don't think now is the time to surprise him with all that has happened between us.' Miri knew that look on her father's face. He was very upset.

Tallin nodded. No this, wasn't, the time. "Give me just a moment to put on something so I don't run around the halls like just a pleasure slave. And I'll take you."

"Well while we wait. I am very pleased to tell you both," then he noticed Gabe curled up on the bed, a pillow between his legs. "All three of you. Fenia here has been finally allowed to see her chieftess, and has been judged innocent of all the crimes she was accused of. Her trial was not a real one. Kaj wasn't there, neither were any of the Priestesses from the Temple. She was tried and convicted in a mock trial for fraud and sentenced to ten cycles."

"Ten cycles?" Tallin was tying the knot at his waist. "Who ever heard of a woman being sentence to ten cycles for fraud. It's not like she killed anyone." He turned and leaned over the bed to kiss Miri. "Be right back, beloved. Gabe keep her company while I'm away."

"Yes, Master." Gabe pulled Miri close.

"Okay, Father, let's get you where you are needing to go. I understand why you are hesitant to talk about why the lady still needs a Healer again, with Miri here. I don't want her upset any more than you do. But perhaps she will be willing to explain it to me on the way."

Zerifenia hung close to Thalin as they followed Tallin through the halls. "What happened Father? I would have thought, in the situation she found herself in, she would be terrified of you."

"He believed me. Put me under his protection so that he could take me to my chieftess so she could hear my side. Then when the lady Healer came to see to my wounds, I was judged innocent." As worried about this stranger as she was. Thalin had protected her, had seen to it that she was allowed to come and plead her case. She would do anything for him, anything at all.

"Well, if Trinna healed you once already, if it is not rude to ask, why am I taking you to see her again? I know my aunt, and when it comes to healing, she is a bit of a perfectionist."

"There are some things that she didn't have with her in her healing of me the first time." She looked down. "I need to be cleaned inside from over a cycle worth of weekly to daily trips to the dogs."

Tallin stopped. "Miri and I weren't going to say anything tonight, not with as upset as Thalin is. But I am a slave no more. By Soul-Matching my lady, I am a FreeMan. And on my oath as such, I will kill who ever did this to you. You were a woman, falsely accused, and abused and humiliated for Goddess only knows how long. If my father, as a slave can't see to it that there is justice. Then Kerfan and I as FreeMen will be more than happy to do it. We will be overjoyed.

"I will congratulate the two of you later, when I don't have as much to worry about, Tal. But you don't have to worry about your father being a slave. He is head consort of all slaves in your lands. And before tonight, my pretty little witch here was a slave. That places her under his protection. All the men of his house, all of them, fertile or not. Will seek justice for what was done to her. But it will happen after we leave here. Fenia, nor Miri need to see what is to come of her."

"Well, here is the door to Trinna's room." He knocked softly. "She is probably not asleep, what with Jerrick taking a new Lover, he and that boy of his are probably keeping her awake with all the activity they are up too. Had you showed up at Miri's door just a few minutes earlier than you did, you would have been snarled at, I was just as busy with mine."

The door opened, and Jerrick stood there, quite nude. "Now what?" He snapped, and Trinna and Steffon in the background giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry Master, what can I do for you." He went to his knees.

"There is nothing you can do for me Jerrick. Fenia has a rather delicate problem that she needs to seek a Healer for." He helped the younger man back to his feet. "So, Tallin was right, my apologies soldier. My word that as soon as your mistress sees to Zerifenia, I will not bother her again for the night."

"She is the Healer of our house, Master, I am getting used to these late night visit's. It's one of the reasons I took Steff as a Lover, so that when she had to be out. For hours at a time, I wasn't alone." He grabbed his pants and her gown from the floor. "Mistress, there seems to be a problem with the little mistress."

"Intercourse paining you dear?" Trinna threw on her gown.

Zerifenia blushed. "No, we haven't gotten that far yet. I can't, not with what is still in me. I was taken from the kennels. Bathed quickly, to, be sent here. I still have that in me."

Trinna shook her head. "This is my promise, as the Healer of your Chieftesses house. It will be a long time, her dying. I will see to it that she can't pass out, no matter what is done to her. And will heal her enough to keep death away every night. By the time Caytin finally lets her die, she will be madder than she already is. To think, a woman could do this to a child of her mother's." Trinna took her hand. "Come on dear, let's go see to taking care of that."

"Master?" Steffon looked around blindly from the bed. "May I be given permission to help in this. I know I'm blind, but as I have proven, I have very talented hands. They can bring pleasure, or in this case, I can hurt this madwoman almost as much as the whip did you." There was ice in the boy's tone.

Jerrick moved to sit beside him. Taking his hand in his. "Caytin said all the men of his house. Are you not one of us? You are my Lover and your mistress's second consort. Yes, you can help."

Tallin laughed. "Goddess, Jerrick, this night has been a busy one for the men of my father's Men's Quarter's. I accept a mistress and she up and Soul-Matches with me. Has taken my Lover, a bedwarmer or not, as her second consort as well. And here, you nagged yours into taking your Lover as hers too."

"Must be in the water here. Because, before I leave here, I have given my word, old man, or not. I will consent to be Fenia's consort too. Or at least I will be when we come here to visit. A lot of things are going to change in Merican. We have almost no men, and all these women, who are alone and defenseless. I am going to have to talk to your mother about how she would feel about us trying it in reverse. With the women as slaves instead of the men. If she agrees, then your father and I are going to have to go over a lot. I do not think that the rules we have for the few slaves we have, or should I say had. Are the same rules? Here it is a way of life, and is very firmly regulated. If I am to go home and do this, that is what I want for my women, solid rules that protect them and promise a future that they have so far been denied."

It was about another half-hour before Trinna led Zerifenia from the infirmary that was off her rooms. "There we go. That should see things put to rights." She hugged the girl. "Now you go and take that man of yours and see what you can do about making a baby."

"Once again, Healer, thank you." Thalin took Zerifenia into his arms. Noting her tremble. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just I never knew that there was that much in me. But I'm clean now."

"Yes, and you can take her back to your rooms and see to it that you make her forget her past." Trinna yawned. "And I can get back to my men, and try sleeping again."

After they left, Trinna broke down into tears. "Damn her, damn her to the ninth hell of ice."

"Was it that bad, baby?" Jerrick's protective streak rose in him. His mistress, the woman he loved, who was carrying his child, was hurting.

"I had to do like I did with Cay, three times, it was like there was more than a gallon, and when I cleaned her womb, it was almost as much. I missed the infection there, if I hadn't caught it this time, the child she will carry this time, would have been her last. That sick bitch would have seen to it that if her little sister didn't die, that she would never have a child of her own." She just lay against him sobbing. "It was so much, I couldn't believe it. It was just so fucking much." She had been picking up Jerrick's vocabulary. And though usually that was one word that no matter what the situation was, she considered it a strictly one used by the men, but after seeing and feeling all that she had, it come out without a thought.

* * *

Thalin was glad to make it back to his rooms. He had, had, to practically carry Zerifenia most of the way. She was shocky. "I think it is probably better if I just put you to bed for the night Fenia, we can worry about the rest later. You've had five or six too many horrors tonight." He helped he to lie on the bed.

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "No, something you don't know is that when the Healer helped me, she found I was suffering from an infection our ancestor's once called ovarian cancer. We haven't seen the likes of it, in, I don't know how long. But had she not found it this time. The child I carried this one time, would have been the only child I would have ever carried. Not even a Healer, as talented and gifted as they are, can force life back into dead tissue. Stop it from spreading, always, but by the time my child was born. Too much of my ovaries would have been dead to ever give me the chance to bear again. So, no matter how foggy I am right now, trying to deal with what that woman who I had loved as a sister for the first sixteen cycles of my life did to me. I will not give her the satisfaction by letting her be the cause of me pulling away and hiding." She lay back, holding out a hand to him. "Now, I'm clean and healed. If the thought of touching me does not repulse you, please. I've fought hard to get to this point."

He smiled at her, dropping his robe from him, to stand before her, as naked as he had been just about an hour before. "If that is how you feel, then my dear, I am at your disposal."

She moaned as Thalin helped her from her clothes again. Being naked was something that she had become accustomed to over the past cycle. It no longer embarrassed her like it once did. Thalin parted her legs smiling. "Where was I?"

She giggled. "I think you were about to make me scream."

"Oh, yes, now I remember." He lay over her bending to kiss her inner thigh, before moving up to look down upon her sex. It was hairless, but as far as he had seen, everyone was here, so it wasn't an issue to worry about.

His tongue ran up the folds of her sex, parting them to nuzzle against her labia smiling to, himself, as her little clitoris began to poke out of it's protective hood. 'Make her scream'. Oh yes, he had every intentions of doing just that.

She tangled her fingers in his hair as her hips lifted to encourage him and his actions. No one had ever done anything like this for her. Oh the guards used to be amused when she was tied down and the dogs would lick her to the point that she was sobbing, but he wasn't a dog. He was a wonderful man, who had saved her. And she would be willing to give him anything he wanted for that help. Even if it came down to her being his willing slave for the rest of her life, giving him everything she owned.

She caught her breath in her chest as she felt him lock on to her clitoris and suck, licking teasingly. "Yes, please." She held his head to her, lifting her hips even higher to meet his mouth.

She wanted this. His worse fear was put to rest. He had been so sure, after all that he knew this poor girl had been forced to live through that she would never welcome anyone, man or woman to her again, but she wanted him. He felt her jump a little, as he bit her lightly, getting a good hold on the tiny bud so he could continue to toy with her. Lifting his hand to add his fingers to the play. Listening to the music of her mindless whimpers as she held his head even tighter to her.

"Ease up there dear." He had to stop. She was crushing his skull in her desperate search for pleasure. "Don't let go, I don't ever want you to let go, but my dear, I do want to live through this night, so remember. I am not a Dane."

She giggled, letting up on her hold, but not letting go. "I'm sorry, it's just, Goddess you make me feel . . .."

"High praise, Fenia." And he lowered his head, trusting her to remember that he wasn't quite as spry as he was in his youth, and she was much stronger, even in her weakened state, than he was."

The pleasure just kept building in her as he continued to love her with his mouth and fingers. "Oh, oh, Goddess, yes." She screamed as a wash of heat took her and she thrashed with her first, human induced orgasm.

She bucked so hard that she threw Thalin to the floor. Laughing as he pulled himself up off the floor to return to the bed. "You are going to be the death of me love."

She said nothing, only pushed him over on his back so she could mount him. She looked down into his eyes as she lowered herself on him. Moaning softly at the feel of him inside her. "Let's make a baby, shall we, my Lord?" She began to move over him. Sliding up and down. "I want your child, know that. No one is making me be here. I could have went with Caytin, but I want 'your' child."

He grabbed her hips as she worked over him. "Then by all means, M'lady, let's make a child." After that, words were not needed.

If he thought it was odd for her to be on top, he only had to remind himself where he was, and who was the dominant sex here, and it all made sense. Besides, having her on top gave him ample freedom with his hands to move over her body, her breasts that were still small, even at her age, but quite firm. Her belly and the dip to her sweet sex, which drew his hands, much as it had drawn him, mouth only moments ago. At least this way, with her on top, she couldn't throw him off.

She cried out as his thumbs zeroed on her clitoris again, rubbing it with such purpose. He was going to drive her mad before he was done with her. She leaned over him, picking up her pace as she kissed him, with true passion.

Thalin broke the kiss, gasping for air. "Best you cum again love, I don't think this old thing can keep up for much longer." He warned her.

'Cum.' Yes she was indeed cumming, she threw her body back crying out mindlessly as her second orgasm took her. Her exposed position only enabled Thalin to grab her hips and begin his own as it rolled down his spine and out of his balls. His voice joining hers as they came together.

She rolled off him, curling up beside him. "I really should probably go clean myself up, but great Goddess, I am tired."

"Just stay here, love, I'll sleep in the wet spot tonight. I am after all, just a man in a city run by women." He moved her over on the bed, but stayed by her "Now, go to sleep Zerifenia. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. I start to make my plans to leave, and we still have to go to that Temple of yours so we can be wed here. And we won't be the only two. My daughter will not be allowed to leave here until she weds Kaj's son. And I will not leave here until she does the same for Rook. And while I'm here, I will see to it, for Mer. That she weds Fain as well. And Jerrick, I am not overly worried about that soldier. I think he is going to be a bit peckish unless his mistress does the same with him and that boy of his. He did take a little time to speak to me earlier when I cornered him to see how they were being treated. His mistress is pregnant with his daughter. He is going to be such a proud papa."

"That isn't going to take as long as you think it is, milord. Usually taking a man as your consort doesn't take more than a few questions and the man submitting to this mistress. The cuffing, no time at all, and the marking, though that takes a little time. There are many of the Healers who know how to do it. Trinna, being one of them. All in all, it should take no more than three hours or so, for Trinna maybe six or seven. I am sure she will insist on marking her two." She yawned and snuggled closer.

"There is still no way I can leave tomorrow. But before light the next morning, we will have to be ready. So that we can move at the first hint of light." He kissed her. "Now, go to sleep."

She snuggled even closer, closing her eyes. Giving in to the fatigue that she was feeling. "Yes, Master." A whisper as she finally gave into sleep.

Thalin lay there, stroking her hair. Thinking about all the things he was going to have to take back to his world. Taking these women with him, as slaves to start to create another generation of his people. They would force him to change so much. He would in the end have to put his women in chains. Not his wife, or daughter, of course. But any that were not of noble birth. That worried him as he began to slip down into the void of sleep. Following Zerifenia into sleep. "Night my Little Mistress." Then silence, as they slept.