The Warrior From Batuk: Chapter 15

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The Warrior from Batuk
by Aardvark

Queen Dana's coronation leaves the new queen vulnerable. Malchor's dreams for Dana place Tyra's freedom in jeopardy. A deal is struck in blood, but will it be enough?


Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Papyrus font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word 2007 installs this font automatically. It may also be obtained on the Internet through free font sites


 
The Legal Stuff: The Warrior from Batuk  © 2004, 2007 Aardvark
 
This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author.
 

This work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental.

 
Photo Credit: 3.bp.blogspot.com


 
Chapter 15
 
 
Later that morning, behind the royal entrance to the interior audience chamber, I took a last deep breath and nodded to one of my guards. He swung the door open, and I walked through to meet my vassals -- if they would have me.

“Queen Dana!” the Sergeant at Arms shouted.

Nearly a hundred dresses rustled as their owners curtsied, and over sixty lords bent from the waist. I raised my hem, stepped up to the dais by the throne, and joined the others there: the High Priest, Franco, Nikolai, and Kernul. I was Queen, but my power was limited to the palace and city until the families confirmed me. If I not were not.... It had never happened before, but I suspected that my reign would go down as the shortest on record.

The High Priest, his bald pate gleaming and gold threads in his white robe glinting, bawled an invocation to the Gods, burned incense in a silver bowl, and sprinkled me with silver dust, the Queen’s metal. I held my breath and waited for the flakes to fall where they would, for to sneeze at that point would have been a bad sign. Lightning avoided me, so he proceeded, gifting the hall with another, longer speech of the Gods’ will, and my duties and obligations to rule wisely.

After that worthy deemed me satisfactory, he stepped aside.

Nikolai took his place in front of me, his pure blue eyes looking down at me. “You aren’t the same Giovanni I despised,” he said, quietly enough so that only the two of us could hear.

“Thank you, Lord Nikolai. Truly, I feel the same way.”

He grinned. “That was a dirty trick you played on us with your slave,” he said, again too low for anyone else, “but all will be forgiven when I rule in Batuk. For as long as the Borodins are in Tulem, you will be our Queen.” He turned to the audience. “The Borodins accept Queen Dana as our sovereign!”

It had gone as well as I'd hoped, but the Borodins thought they were leaving soon. It was Franco I was worried about.

He faced me next, stepping front of me.

“I wondered if you might do this,” he said.

I stood up as straight as I could. If Franco rejected me, it was almost certain that he would wear the crown. I had to depend on where his honor lay.

“I make no excuses. When the time came, it seemed right to accept the crown. I hope that you can accept my rule for as long as I can manage it.”

“You earned it;” he said slowly. “I don’t begrudge you your victory.” He gave me long, penetrating glance, more concerned than unfriendly. “And when the time comes, I know you’ll have the courage to do the right thing.”

Thank the Gods. “Thank you, Franco. Are there many who wanted to reject me?”

He nudged his head towards the Giovanni side. “About half the ladies aren’t happy about you. Among the men, except for a few who loved Alfredo, we are all in favor. You make a beautiful queen -- and beautiful and deadly is a difficult combination for mere men to resist.”

I smiled. “Such flattery will only inflame me. Do you wish to seduce your way to the crown?”

He surprised the assembled lords and ladies by laughing. “The Giovannis accept Queen Dana as our sovereign!” he shouted.

Then it was Kernul’s turn. My Chief of Staff, a stolid man with thick shoulders and a shock of red hair worn past his shoulders, looked me in the eye. Held in the palms of his hands was the silver crown, a woman’s device, lighter and more delicate than a king’s gold headpiece, yet, in theory at least, no less powerful when worn alone.

“Queen Dana, do you accept the crown of Tulem?”

“I accept this crown,” I declared, strong enough for the entire hall, “and become Queen Dana of Tulem!”

When the jewel-encrusted crescent settled upon my head, all restraint in the hall broke free at once: spontaneous pledges of fealty, congratulations, and whoops of celebration. The Borodins, especially, bellowed and screamed. As far as they were concerned, the hated king was revenged.

My eyes roamed to the Giovanni side. As Franco had warned, a few men from Alfredo’s castle kept their tongues. I spotted Gina among the women. She cheered, waving to me in her new dress with the wide green hem. It hadn’t taken her a day to make her authority in the castle known, temporary as it was going to be. Was there a gleam in her eye, a hint of cruel intent when she thought I wasn’t looking? If there was, it was gone in an instant.

I left the audience chamber with an honor guard, and Nikolai, Franco, and Kernul, to my apartments. The blood-soaked carpets and stained curtains had been replaced with a feminine motif of flowers and placid outdoor scenes.

It was already warm and the sun was close to its zenith. The guards separated at the entrance of the balcony, taking up positions at either side. I slowed down for a moment and stopped. Franco arched his black eyebrow and looked at me.

I gestured to the view. “This was exactly where Queen Prudence sat for her portrait two hundred years ago,” I said.

Nikolai glanced at me askance. “You’ve been Queen of Tulem for five minutes. Are you already struck with nostalgia?”

I couldn’t explain the connection with the first queen I’d felt in the Gallery of Kings. It sounded silly, even to my ears: I wasn’t really a queen or, if I was, I had no intention of remaining one longer than I had to. “Perhaps a sense of history,” I said. I sighed, and started forward.

I strode ahead to the balcony, flanked by my companions, into the sun and up to the railing. Tens of thousands stood before us, spread out over the palace grounds and beyond, covering roof tops, and even to the walls of the Tulem city gates, men and women in their best clothes, farmers and craftsmen, an incredible sea of colors and faces.

A thunderous roar, most cheering “Queen Dana!” greeted me. They stood, a melange of humanity, shouting and screaming my name, and the force of it struck me like a wall.

I closed my eyes and breathed, filled my lungs with it, allowing it to roll through me; then I raised my hand slowly, careful not to strain knitting muscles, and waved, smiling proudly and regally, as I thought a queen should. I raised both hands to the sky, and they roared again, loud enough to vibrate the stone beneath our feet.

The danger was believing it. My father had inoculated me early on against adulation, telling me that it was always misplaced. He said that a true leader must always earn his followers’ trust and respect, that any other way lead to tyranny, sycophantic fawning, and ambivalence or hatred of the worthiest men.

I turned to Kernul and cupped my hand over his ear. “You were at King Bruno’s inauguration?”

He nodded.

“Was it this loud?” I shouted.

He grinned. “No, Majesty!”

“Could it be they like the dress, Kernul?”

His laugh, once released, was full and rich. “It’s possible, although I’d say it was more likely the woman who fills it! Another queen in Tulem, who would have thought it?”

That only skittered the truth.

“It’s because I’m a serum girl! They cheer, but they also look for signs of my fall.”

He tensed, but did not dispute me. I decided I liked him.

“Kernul, I know what I am! I accept it! Do not fear candor with me!”

“Yes, Majesty.”

I returned to my thousands of cheering subjects and waved some more, picking out as many as I could to meet their eyes. An intoxicating half-hour later, I left the balcony, waving one last good-bye.

The feast and celebration in the palace’s Great Hall, rarely used due to its size, was hardly that. My ascension, shrouded in death, reflected the spirit of revenge and loss. The Borodins Ketrick and I had killed had been buried the day before.

I gathered all who had fought with me to one side. As a woman, draining a flagon of siolat with them would not have appreciated, but I thanked them for their sacrifice, and read the names of the dead, honoring those brave men in my heart.

Later, I went among the Borodin women, speaking to any who wished. I had killed their husbands and sons, and in consoling them for their loss, I felt loathsome. It was actually a relief that at least half declined my sympathy. Some thought of me as a travesty; just a Giovanni they would never have to see again, a bad omen, and others, by fighting with the men, not a real lady.

By the time I returned to the infirmary to have my wounds checked, the passions, blood lust, and men doing manly deeds of the last few days left me needy. Twylls and strong men poised to penetrate me whirled through my head.

I decided that it would be far better to have my needs attended to before they showed, else my reign might not last a week.

“Beti,” I said, as she finished re-wrapping the slash under my breasts.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Take me to the craftsman who makes my brooch.”

“Yes, Majesty,” she said, and took me to an office in the administrative wing.

Master Craftsman Rastous' workroom reflected the his immaculate appearance: cases of small drawers, all labeled with a fine hand, were arranged within easy reach on his worktable, curved mirrors were placed for extra lighting. My eye was naturally drawn to the center, where a clamp held a gleaming silver circlet.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor,” he said, bowing smoothly. For a smaller man, his voice was surprisingly deep.

I lowered my head in what I hoped was regal acknowledgment. “Thank you, Rastous. I’m eager to see your creation.”

He un-clamped the circlet, showed me how the clasp worked, and handed it to me.

“I’m following your instructions and the dimensions set out from your hairdresser. If I may, I’d prefer to keep it for another day to make it worthy.”

The stones had already been added to the band, and an intricate floral design, suitable for a woman, had been worked and stamped with a master’s eye from the inside. “You do excellent work. This is much as I envisioned it already.”

He shrugged, disappointed. “This is a fast job, but if you like the motif as it is, I could finish it in a few minutes.”

“A fast job is what I need for now. Take time with the next one.” I waited until he was done, then collected it with my thanks.

“Beti,” I said right after we had left, “I need a mundane dress that fits me. I’m leaving the palace tonight.”

She opened her mouth ans stared. “Your Majesty?!”

“Oh, stop looking so shocked. Kings have occasionally wandered among their subjects to gauge their true feelings.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she replied, clearly disapproving. “Shall I obtain an escort for you?”

“That won’t be necessary. I'll supply my own.”

I had only two possibilities: Ketrick and Malchor, and one would be difficult to meet discreetly. I sent a messenger to my old castle with a sealed message, summoning Malchor to meet me at the northwest gate. Next, I met with Master of the Guards, Gherome, and Kernul, and told them what I intended. They disagreed, as I knew they would, but I overrode them. I applied ink to the circlet from a stamp pad and rolled it onto two clean pages, making two identical unique patterns. After wiping off the circlet, I held it up for them to see.

“This circlet is my pass. Give the patterns to the guards at the palace’s northeast gate and Tulem’s Gate. I mean to leave the palace grounds soon.”

A short while later, I passed through the northeast gate in mundane clothing and a veil. The sun had already descended below the western mountains, and the sky above was the deep blue and red of the true sunset. Anticipation made me wet and irritable. Malchor was late. I cursed his unreliability; there had been ample time for him to arrive. Fortunately, only a few minutes later, I spied him down the street approaching with two horses, one my old bay. I walked quickly towards him. If he took me soon, I decided, I would forgive his tardiness.

“Good Sir, is that horse for me?” I called sweetly.

He peered closely at my disguise. “I believe so.” He started to dismount to help me up, but I stopped him, climbing directly into the saddle.

“Congratulations on your ascension, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Malchor, but ‘Your Majesty’ seems inappropriate for what I have in mind.”

White teeth flashed in the dark. “I see. Are we being watched?”

“I left orders that I was not to be followed.”

He grinned. “Excellent. There aren’t many places where I may safely entertain the Queen’s innermost recesses. Fortunately, my house is one.”

We started off towards the city gate at a fast walk. I wriggled in the saddle on my royal saer with thoughts of fulfillment, but there was a nagging detail his appearance reminded me of. “I must replace Gina before she gets too settled. I was thinking of Paoli.”

“A superb choice,” he said, but as an aside, as if it weren’t important.

“Are you still thinking of leaving Tulem?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Without the Borodins around there won’t be much to guard against. Joining my father and his family in Rudyer would likely be a change for the better. What about you, Dana?”

“I’ll remain until the Borodins leave.”

“Yes. Well, perhaps we should ride faster. The sooner you get back the less frantic the guards will be.”

I reached over and touched his arm. “That goes for me, too!”

I kicked my horse and let him loose, as fast as I dared, anyway, letting the breeze take my hair. I still had to concoct a plan to get Malchor and the real Dana together, but I wasn’t going to worry about that until I could think straight again. Soon, we approached my old castle. There, I let him take the lead. We turned down a side road to an ordinary stone house with a red tile roof set some distance away from its neighbors. The windows were dark. It looked like a good place to scream with abandon beneath a man.

We tied the mounts to a post outside and Malchor opened the door for me. I had just walked into the dark interior when he took my arms and pulled them behind me. For the split second it took to secure them, I didn’t know what to think. Would he take me like a slave? Would he allow me nothing? My nipples, already firm, stiffened to hard points. If he wanted me, I would have no choice except to do exactly what he wanted. By the Gods, will he ravish me? I began to pant.

When he forced a cloth into my mouth, I knew something wasn’t right. Struggling, I ducked around him and ran for the door, but he collected me easily, and pulled me back to his chest.

“And where do you think you’re going, little bird?” he chuckled. “Your rule here is ended, Your Majesty. It’s time to become what you really are.”

I stared at him, frantically trying to spit the dry cloth from my mouth. This could not be happening! I tried kicking him, but this wasn't one of my tear away dresses, and it impeded my legs; all he did was laugh. He picked me up, still kicking and thrashing. My heart pounded, and my saer leaked through my shift. I was actually being abducted. He was really going to make me his slave!

After tossing me on the bed, he lifted my dress above my waist and smiled at the sight of my knife.

“I will enjoy taming you, Dana. You will need only one blade from now on, and when it splits your thighs, you will delight in your impalement.”

If there had been any doubt what he meant, dropping his pants removed all ambiguity. I closed my eyes, but the sight had its effect, and passion’s lubricant trickled down between my thighs.

He removed my knife from its scabbard and tossed it behind him into the door. I couldn’t do a thing except squirm. His hand made me moan like a siolat girl. I arched my back, exposing my neck and thrusting my breasts forward for the lips and tongue they demanded.

So much of me wanted to give in, to be taken and become the slave my nature demanded! He filled me, and the slut within broke free, bucking against him to bring him deeper. With my hands still tied behind my back, he forced me to wild slave orgasms. After an hour of satisfying his needs -- and mine -- most of the tension I’d built up over the past few days slid away, allowing me to think clearly.

This was bad. Malchor didn’t seem like a man who would botch an abduction. When he finished, he tied my legs around the ankles and knees. A moment later he wrapped me in a pelt and strapped me over my own bay with my head down.

He bent low to my ear.

“If you are obedient, Dana, I might allow you to keep your name,” he said.

I writhed like a lizard and cursed him, yelling as hard as I could through the gag.

He laughed, and patted my bottom as if I were a prize horse.

I wanted to wail. I had liked his hand, and was aroused again. I wanted to be free, but, by the Gods, my body, once it knew it was helpless and secure, didn’t mind being raped and hauled-off to be branded! I swore a furious oath at my brother, and especially at that long-dead bitch, Vanora. If I had to be a woman, why couldn’t I have normal urges?

He had to pass through the gate, and I figured that was the flaw in his plan. There was a good chance that I could surprise him there. A real pass would be recognized by special ink, known to few. If Malchor was using a forged pass, or was attempting to bribe his way out, he would be in for trouble. As the path leveled out before the gate, I tensed to move.

A distant voice: “Hold for inspection.”

We stopped and I heard Malchor’s dismount, his boots scratching the loose rock. I waited impatiently for the guard to move closer.

The sounds of another pair of boots approached. I wriggled for all I was worth, screaming into the thick cloth. If Malchor thought I would take this passively, he was mistaken!

“What’s that?” came the guard’s voice. I grimaced amiably around my leather gag. Now we would see!

“Oh, just a slave I’m abducting. Look at the pass and you’ll see.”

I screamed and squirmed harder, straining at my bonds. My chin pounded against my horse’s flanks, but it barely stirred my formerly faithful steed.

“This is very irregular. Wait here while I verify the pass.”

“Of course.”

There was a scuffling of gravel, and soon a hand caressed my rear end familiarly. “I am pleased that you struggle,” my former Captain of the Guards said in a low voice. “You will be a joy to collar and brand.”

I twisted wildly, but it was hopeless.

“Captain Malchor, your papers are in order. Lady Gina has approved your departure and your abduction.” The guard laughed. “If she wiggles beneath you the way she does on the back of a horse, you’ll have a fine hot slave that might cost you much sleep. Are you sure she won’t be too much for you?”

Malchor joined the guard’s laughter with his own amused chuckle and my last hope for help from the guard evaporated. “She will require training, but in the end she should prove to be satisfactory.”

I seethed inwardly and lay still, determined that I would provide no more entertainment.

We moved through the first gate, the hooves echoing sharply through the long tunnel. The outer gate was opened and we were away. I couldn’t see a thing, even had it been light, I had only a small air space that looked down. Malchor picked-up the pace as soon as we left from a fast walk to a mile-eating trot.

It was a long, miserable night. I spent my time plotting, not an easy thing with constant pressure on a bladder. I thought about letting go, presenting my abductor with a wet, stinking surprise when he unwrapped me, but in the end I gritted my teeth and opted for dignity. The rising sun warmed my legs, and from that I knew we were heading south on the road towards the river town of Fyr. If his destination was his family’s city, Rudyer, he would likely catch a riverboat in Fyr. I would have to make my move sometime very soon or risk finishing my life collared and wearing a slave tunic in a foreign city.

My tiny view of the road through the airway changed from rough gravel to fitted stone, and I heard other voices for the first time. A little further and the stone changed to light gray blocks. We climbed. The sounds of water gurgling around piers clinched it; we were on the Starshine Bridge over the Celeste River just outside of Fyr. We had come nearly eighty miles from Tulem’s Gate.

I had created a fantasy in the night, one where I was really Queen Dana, but being slung over a horse in hot pelts and close to bursting gave me no chance to reach that calm place in my mind to implement it. To my endless relief, he stopped at the other side, unslung me and unwrapped me from the pelts, leaving me helpless on the ground and half-blinded by the light.

“Do you need to pee, Dana?”

I glared at him bleary-eyed and nodded firmly.

He reached down and undid the bindings to my legs. This allowed me enough movement to slide down on my ground, forcing the dress and shift over my waist. I rolled carefully to a squatting position and released a powerful stream under his watchful eye at the end of the Starshine Bridge into the murky waters of the Celeste. A few passersby glanced at me in mild interest, but it was clear that I had been abducted, and would soon be only a slave.

I had been a Lady too long not to resent it. I stood when I was finished, feeling much better, but not, however, grateful.

As I stretched, I caught a good glimpse of the low walls of the town, square towers and busy docks before he motioned me to the ground. I sighed and lay back as he re-tied me, flexing my muscles as much as possible to ensure the loosest possible binding. Soon we were moving again, towards the town. This was good and bad. I had an idea of what he had in mind -- what I would have done in his position -- and I needed to prepare.

Using mental techniques to shut out distractions, I managed at least some sleep while Malchor bought supplies and negotiated for a room. When I awoke again, I was being untied. The angle of the sun told me I’d had about three hours. It would have to do.

Malchor was tired, but had the look of a child who had just unwrapped his birthday present. I moved uneasily in my bonds; if he tried to make me submit now, I would break. If I had any gas, or anything left in my bowels or bladder, I would have used it. I had to do something to squelch his ardor!

I was sweaty and stank. My hair was stringy and matted. It didn’t matter. Malchor’s intent became obvious all too quickly. I floundered and twisted, but it was useless; he just wanted me more. His swordsman's hands ripped my clothes away until I lay naked, with my hands tied behind my back.

Still gagged, I could do nothing save make womanly squeals of protest, something that would only encourage him. And my body wanted him! I had only been taken for one hour the previous night, not enough to satisfy my slut urges after days of denial. That I might well be a slave in fact in another hour was the finest honey to the natural slave at the center of my being. I couldn’t stop my body from flooding the hot cleft between my thighs, and my legs wanted to separate as if they had wills of their own.

Desperately, I closed my eyes and tried to recreate that place where I could become Dana in my fantasy, but it was far too late; Malchor’s hand was already on my saer, his fingers touching and stroking, relentlessly bringing my most delicate parts to life. I knew my body. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to think at all.

I moaned through the cloth of my gag. It gave me an idea for one last try. I coughed, trying my best to expel the rag. Malchor was no sadist; he would want me to fully appreciate the experience. He untied the leather bond around my mouth and removed the rag. I breathed deeply and moved my tongue, dry after so long behind the cloth. Then I did one of the most difficult things I have ever done: I managed a convincing yawn.

Malchor stopped. He frowned.

“I’m sorry, Malchor, er, Master. Please continue,” I urged. “I need you very badly!”

He stared at me for a time. Finally, he grinned. “It has been a long sleepless night, my little Dana. I have waited this long for you to submit to me; I can wait a little longer. When you cross your wrists, you will be fully conscious.”

“Please take me! Don’t leave me like this!” I wailed. I turned and thrust my saer frantically against his hand.

He considered my exquisite torture. “Perhaps you might need something to help you sleep,” he admitted. I nodded rapidly.

An hour later, he finished with me. Lying beside him on the bed, I watched him snore, tired after his exertions and the long night. He was not a cruel man; I had been well used. My hands were still bound behind my back and my legs were tied, but I smiled. Well brolled and rested enough with my morning nap, I was more than satisfied. After a few minutes of concentration, I went to that place in my mind and readied Dana. I said the keyword, and then I fell asleep.

Malchor awoke me with a solid smack to my rear. I looked up. “Wake up, Dana.”

I awoke stretching and grinning, remembering how he had brolled me a few hours earlier. It looked to be late afternoon. “Mm, yes, Malchor. Would you like me to run a bath?”

He blinked a few times at my new attitude. “Yes.” He rummaged in his pack for a collar and chain, attaching both to my neck. Then he untied the rest of my bonds and locked me to a slave ring in the bathroom, watching me as I pumped the water and then set the pot over the fire. I blushed as I thought about him, my future master.

“You're different this afternoon.”

I glanced behind me, smiling like a maid. “In my heart I'm a natural slave. You've made me see myself as I really am.”

“You led the attack on the King three nights ago. You fought warriors. You killed Marco and Alfredo.”

I sighed. “It seems like a dream now.”

He gathering me into his strong arms and gave me the master’s kiss, demanding everything I had, leaving me with nothing except who I was. When his lips left mine, I could barely stand. I held his chest and cried. He took my face in his hand gently.

“Why do you cry, Dana?”

I smiled through tears of joy.

“Is it permitted to say that I hoped it would be you?”

He grinned crookedly; clearly, my words had pleased him.

“You aren’t my slave yet. Until then you have some latitude in these matters. The water is nearly ready. Take a bath. Then heat some water for me.”

“Yes, Malchor.” I washed my hair and body and then attended him as he cleaned himself. Try as I might, I had great trouble remembering how it was; I could barely imagine myself as Drago anymore. Malchor would be a magnificent master. For this man to steal me, a Queen, and enslave me filled me with pride at his bravery and nerve. No doubt he would be strict with me and require much. My nipples turned into points; I breathed a happy sigh. He would take me precisely how he desired, and when. I would be owned; if I did not please him, he would beat me or sell me.

I handed him a towel as his magnificent body left the bath. As he dried himself, he stared at me with eyes aglow. My knees weakened and my breath quickened abruptly. Would he now teach me my true self?

He lifted me and carried me to the bed, tying my arms together above my head and then to a bedpost. I moved my naked body in the cool cotton sinuously, mostly to reassure myself that I was adequately controlled. Then I parted my lips and looked at my future master, for the last time, I hoped, as a freewoman.

“You will be mine, Dana, very soon.”

I said nothing, merely stretched my face to the side, offering him my neck and breasts. He covered me and forced my lips to meet his own. He took everything and I couldn't deny him for long. I struggled, but I knew it was useless. He stole my will, my ego, and my pride, and I began the long, wonderful journey to become what I was made to be.

A woman’s body is a reflection of her inner self. She is designed by nature to nurture. She is made to enjoy strength and to respond to it; her body is made to be penetrated, her soft skin touched and caressed. To some degree, she desires to be controlled, and a man naturally desires to control her. Any reasonable man or woman knows this. Some say that a natural slave is the ultimate ‘pure’ woman.

He wore down my resistance, until I had nothing left. I became an extension of his desires. Slave orgasm after slave orgasm rolled like thunder, closer and closer together until it became a constant wave and I ignited, sweeping away everything I had been. My wants, dreams, and the things I thought that I had desired most, my privileges, the aristocracy, the pride in being Queen, and, finally, all traces of my former manhood -- gone. I was a pure woman, and I opened my eyes and cried, weeping tears of happiness.

He brushed my tears away. A wide grin split his handsome face. My Master, my owner.

“You will make a superb slave,” he said.

“Yes, Master.” I said, trying the words on my lips for the first time, the feel of it odd and powerful, new, and exciting. I stood on the edge of a fateful precipice, and the depths beckoned my willing body!

He cut my bonds away and motioned to the floor. “I am almost your master,” he corrected me. “Assume the position.”

I rolled off the bed and knelt on the soft furs on the rug, spreading my knees and lowering my head, my wrists crossed in front of me. My pulse raced as I looked up to him, my former friend and subject, now a man who would own me utterly. I said the words I wished to say with all my heart: “I, Dana Giovanni, submit to you, Master!”

He wrapped a cool leather cord loosely around my wrists, and it was done. “Rise, slave.”

I rose and my hands went to my face. I sobbed. I now belonged to him. He took me in his arms and gave me the master’s kiss, my first as a slave. He was my life. I wished to touch him, to please him in all ways.

His low voice rumbled softly against my cheek. “You will be fully trained. I will brand you early tomorrow.”

I feared the heat and pain, but I pressed my body even closer. “Yes, Master!”

The rest of the evening I learned a few of the ways of pleasing him. He had strong needs, as did I. Some things were difficult to do and I had much to learn. He left me for a moment to buy some food. He fed me small bits from his plate on my knees, hands bound behind my back. Afterwards, he had me lick his fingers.

“In time you will become accustomed to this, my little bird.”

I was sure he was right. “Yes, Master.”

“You do this very well. You have accepted your slavery easily.”

“Master…” I stopped and waited for permission. He nodded, urging me to speak my thoughts. “Master, you were the man who triggered my urges. You dominated me well in my old apartments.”

“I might sell you, Dana.”

I lowered my head. “Yes, Master,” I said, but I didn't think a man would seriously speak of selling me with a bulge in his pants.

He touched my cheek. “I am pleased with you.”

I lifted my head and gazed into my master’s warm brown eyes. They spoke to my woman’s heart. I slept by his side that night, thinking of the wonderful life ahead.

I opened my eyes with a start in the early morning. It was still black outside, the night fire providing a wavering glow in the room. Malchor slept soundly. He'd left my hands free, only the thick leather collar and chain restraining me. Slowly, I reached up over my ear to a small flap of thin leather, tanned to the color of my skin, a trick I'd learned that even Ketrick didn't know about. I squeezed the end of it with my fingernails and broke the seal, and pulled on the tiny razor blade. It came free with a few drops of blood and a cold pain that passed quickly.

The blade cut my collar away after a half-hour of slow, agonizing sawing, remaining as still as possible, using only one hand. The tough leather finally parted and the chain clinked softly as it moved. Malchor stirred. I barely breathed until his breathing evened out again. I backed away as if I were in a den of snakes until I was off the pelt, then crawled to his weapons around the bed, praying to the Gods that the wooden floor would not betray me with a squeak. Like with most warriors, he kept his weapons very close at hand. I grasped the sword and scabbard and withdrew it from the pile. It made a small metallic sound as it slid against the mail underneath. Malchor’s breathing quickened, and I leaped back. His eyes opened and his hand snatched out for the sword. I released the scabbard and pulled back on the hilt with all my might, freeing it.

I moved in when he reached for his knife, almost skewering his hand, then kicked the weapon into the corner. When he recovered, the sword’s edge was less than an inch from his throat.

“Don’t move, Malchor! I’d rather not kill you.”

He froze and considered his position, wondered if the leather scabbard could be used to block the blade before I could kill him. I waited patiently until he made the wise decision.

“What do you want, Dana?” he growled.

“I want to go back to Tulem. I have unfinished business there. I told you that I wanted three weeks. You stole me early, using that bitch, Gina to do it!”

He shook his head, more confused than angry. “You are a natural slave. I felt your submission. You crossed your wrists!”

“A good trick.” I grinned at his disgust. “Move to the floor and sit on your hands. The blade is heavier than it used to be.”

He glared at me. I watched him very carefully as he moved, and made sure I was always within striking distance. He settled to the floor and, at my frown, placed his hands beneath his buttocks.

“What do you intend to do?”

Watching him the entire time, I recovered the knife and pulled up a chair. “I’m not angry for what you did; abducting a natural slave is the act of a brave, dominant man, but it inconvenienced me. I want your cooperation.”

“What sort of cooperation?”

“I need you to take me back.”

He tilted his head to the side. “A strange request. Do you plan to have me arrested?”

“No. I can’t tell you more, except to say that it would be to your benefit to cooperate.”

He looked at my hands curiously. I held the sword vertically in a two handed grip, an eastern style Ketrick had taught me in Batuk. “When did you learn that technique?”

I shrugged. “I’ve had to learn new things to compensate for my weaker body. It is not important.”

He shook his head coldly. “I think otherwise. You've had neither the time nor the opportunity. I’ve known your movements since you were transformed.” He rose to his feet and stood with arms crossed. I advanced a pace and snapped the sword forward into the ready position. It tested my recent injury, but the pain was tolerable.

“Get back on the floor!”

“I will if you can answer me one question: While hunting two years ago, you fell from your horse and twisted your ankle. Where did I bring you?”

“Get back on the floor,” I said, low and deadly serious.

“I think you’ve said enough. You are not Dana. Somehow, you must be Amelia, her slave twin.” His visage changed to hatred. He took a step forward, positioning his hands to use the most dangerous technique against a bladed foe, the catch of steel. “Dana is dead. You may kill me, impostor, but I will kill you before I die.”

I doubted that he could do what he said. Naked and defenseless in a dimly lit room, I was confident that I could run him through at leisure, but unless I wanted to kill him, I had no choice except to tell him something.

“Dana isn’t dead. She’s alive and well in Tulem. You need but go and get her.”

“I don’t believe you.” But his face betrayed his hope.

“She's only alive because I didn’t want to kill her. I was a warrior before. I swear this is true on my honor. I had hoped to convince you to take her far, far away. You were hasty and stole me before I could tell you. This can still work if you cooperate.”

He laugh was like the wind over the frozen wastes of Ghar. “Why should I believe anything you say?”

“What other reason would I have for not killing you now? I don’t need you to get back to Tulem. I can ride as well as you. This is for Dana, to give her a fine master. It’s also for you. I saw the way you looked at me before. You love her.”

“How long have you been her?”

“For just over a week.”

His thoughts were unknowable behind an impenetrable mask. “I see.” He dropped his hands and looked me over. “Are you of the assassins?”

“I’d hardly give a thought to Dana or you if I were. I’m only a serum girl from Batuk who wants to save her city. The blade grows heavier, Malchor. Either attack now or sit. If you would like to talk further, we will.”

He dropped to the floor and folded his legs. I took a similar position a dozen feet away. “You killed many,” he said impassively. “You killed the King, who was blameless.”

I snorted. “No noble was blameless, least of all the King. They all planned the attack on Batuk. Spies and saboteurs are already inside under the direction of the King’s spymaster, awaiting word to begin. When we discovered Tulem’s plans, we decided to stop them here, before the attack began.”

A warrior understands the obligation of the citizen to defend his city. A city whose citizens will not fight at her walls and in the streets is despised throughout Zhor.

He nodded slowly. “I can’t agree to this. I’m sworn to Tulem.” He made motions of rising.

I made it to my feet before he did and assumed the ready position. “It’s a little late to become a patriot! You were trying to make your Queen your slave, for the Gods' sake. Think about Dana. We can’t hold her silent behind closed doors forever.”

“I can’t allow you to remain Queen of Tulem. You would harm the city in revenge.”

“I swear to you that I wouldn’t. I want to end the war and leave. Franco can become King after me. I’m sick of killing. I did only what I had to do. Accept my offer, go back and abduct the right woman.” He shook his head, and I despaired for his and Dana’s lives. “Please, Malchor. By the Gods, this is such a waste!”

“I don’t know the truth. You’ve lied to me and everyone else since you came to Tulem.”

I retreated to the chair a safe distance away, allowing my arms a rest. I wasn’t weary, but I would have been foolish to wait until I was.

“Most say that truth is found through observation and reflection. Observe and reflect on this!” I picked up the knife at my feet and threw. It stuck upright, quivering a few inches away from his left foot. “Now you have an almost even chance. Choose! Fight me or agree to return to Tulem and take Dana in my place.”

He bent and picked up the knife. For a moment I thought he would fight. Then he reversed the blade and began trimming his fingernails. “Amelia, you must swear to me on your honor that you will not harm Tulem.”

“My name is not Amelia, it is Tyra l’Fay. I so swear. I’ll do only what I must to keep my home city free, and I will not harm Tulem.” I sliced my left palm with the sword blade and raised it for his inspection. He nodded.

“And I swear, on my warrior’s honor, that I will return you to the palace unharmed and will keep your secret.” He sliced his palm and showed me the dark blood. I nodded. “We had better get started then,” he said. “You’ve already been gone nearly a day.”

He started dressing. The clothes I’d come in were nothing more than rags. I salvaged the circlet, making it a necklace with a leather cord.

“Don’t worry about your dress. I’ll buy you something decent on the way.”

I glared at him, annoyed with him about that. I saw no sane reason for anyone to rip a perfectly good dress completely to shreds. “Damn right, you will,” I said, shrugging into a scented slave tunic he’d bought for his new abduction.

“You are different than Dana.”

The way he’d said that sent little icy fingers down my spine. “Dana is a sweet girl who spoke well of you. She's had a bad time of it and needs your help.”

He yanked his boots on with authority. “Yes. Dana needs my help.”

We mounted the horses a few minutes later. It was still early morning when we rode from town, and I wrapped a fur around me to keep warm. Fortunately, Malchor had taken a room outside the city walls, or else we would have had to wait until sunrise for the gates to open. The horses, still a little leg-sore from the previous night’s ride, clomped across the Starshine Bridge, their breath visible in the cold air. After a fast walk to warm them, we began the long trot that carried us through the rest of the night and most of the morning, stopping a few times to feed and water our mounts. The gate to Tulem came into sharp relief after we rounded a final foothill.

Malchor, who had been quiet for several hours, broke his silence. “Tyra, who submitted to me last night?”

“It was something I call a fantasy, the trick I referred to. I made believe that I was a submissive girl named Dana.”

“Huh. How well do you know her?”

“Well enough. It’s true, you know; you were the man who began her urges.”

“You would be more fun to break to the collar.”

I whipped my head around and reached for the sword. It offered some protection, but it wasn’t really a good defense against the man who rode beside me, who would only need to wait until I was distracted. I wondered if I had made a mistake trusting him, and moved my horse to a safer distance.

He laughed heartily, and I cursed his sense of humor. “Relax, it was a joke. Come on. If I was going to betray my oath, do you think that I would wait until we were in sight of Tulem’s Gate?”

I forced myself to laugh, but it was a weak and shallow thing. “Funny, my friend.”

We forded a stream and stood on the outskirts of Trestia, a minor village about fifteen miles from Tulem. I dismounted and waited outside while Malchor brought back a colorful dress more suited to a village girl than to a Tulem freewoman, but it covered me decently. We started for the top slowly, urging our weary steeds onward. We were the only travelers at the gate.

We came close enough for the guards to get a good look at us, then stopped. The tallest came forward.

“No one may enter Tulem without a pass,” he said.

I showed him the circlet. “Your Queen has returned.”

He turned to a guard on his right. “Damian, get the Commander.” As Damian ran off, he looked me up and down, having trouble reconciling me with the dress I wore. “Your Majesty, we will have to confirm this.”

I smiled. “By all means, take the appropriate measures. Just keep this quiet.”

He bowed. “Yes, Majesty.”

A moment later, a stocky man in a purple sash jogged towards us. I handed him the circlet. He took it inside. A few minutes later he walked back, saluted, and returned it to me.

“Your Majesty. You are permitted entry of course. May I ask how you left Tulem? We were unaware you had departed.”

It was a reasonable question. “I left with Captain Malchor here two nights ago.”

The manner of Malchor’s departure must have been well remarked. His forehead furrowed. “But, Captain Malchor left with…”

“Keep it confidential, Commander. I may need to use it again.”

“Yes, your Majesty!”

Once through the gate, we changed our worn-out horses for a fresh pair. My abductor and I left at a fast trot down to the city, past the Giovanni castles, breaking into a gallop when we could.

“Tyra, where is she?” Malchor asked me when we had to slow down for traffic momentarily.

“In the city. I’ll make sure she’s ready to leave soon. In the meantime, we have to get back to the palace right away before Gina finds out that we’re back.”

“Therefore the speed.”

“That’s part of it. As far as I’m concerned, the quicker you leave with Dana the better.”

“There is a problem.”

I looked at him curiously. “Oh?”

“I want to really abduct her. After all, what good is an abduction without excitement and danger? It was exciting with you; you could have been dangerous.”

“Hmm. I see your point. Having been on both sides of abductions, I would say that the real reward is later when she can appreciate her abductor’s determination and bravery. It has long-lasting effects, and makes the girl more grateful and submissive. I advise you to be happy with my abduction. I had no chance: you planned well and executed it superbly. It wasn’t your fault that I have an odd skill that allows me to submit without submitting.”

He chewed on that for a while. “That still leaves me with little more than a trade for Dana. She is merely a slave now, after all. If what you say is true, then she would hardly be overwhelmed by being given to me.”

I smiled. “You love her, don’t you? You could pretend to fight for her. She hates it here. She'd be most impressed and grateful if you stole her from her captors.”

“Do you really think so?” he asked doubtfully.

“I am a natural slave. Let me arrange this for you.”

He shrugged. “I am in your hands, but this still feels like I’m buying a slave, not stealing a woman. This is hardly a real abduction.”

My life seemed filled with obstinate men. “You are very hard to please! Do you have a better idea?”

He thought about it, but shook his head. “I suppose not.”

The guards at the palace gate were easier to convince than those at the Tulem gate. Some had seen me during the battle to take the palace and all had been shown the circlet. I passed through, bringing Malchor with me. It didn’t take long for word of my arrival to spread. Kernul met me as soon as I crossed the palace foyer. Lack of sleep had lined his face.

“Your Majesty, we were concerned when you did not return,” he said, his voice hinting at suppressed fury. He probably thought that I was either an idiot or a slut. He might have been right on the first and was correct on the second; my reign was not off to an auspicious start.

“Malchor, wait in the anteroom by the foyer,” I said.

He bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with just the barest trace of sarcasm.

“Kernul, are my apartments ready?”

“Yes, Majesty.”

I gestured to the stairs leading to my rooms. “Let’s walk together. I owe you an explanation.”

“As you wish.” He frowned at Malchor and motioned to a pair of guards, who moved closer to my guest. Then he pivoted smartly to stay in step with me.

I stayed quiet until I was back in my apartments. I sat heavily in a chair by the spot where I’d killed the King. I offered Kernul a seat. My Chief of Staff sat, but stayed stiffly upright.

I was abducted by Malchor two nights ago. He brought me all the way to Fyr before I convinced him to return me.”

He let out a breath slowly. “I see.”

As a man, Kernul would understand the temptation I would be for an abductor, but from where he stood, to put myself in that position had been pure stupidity.

“We swore an oath. He would return me to the palace and I would allow him to abduct another, a slave of his choosing.” I held up my left hand and showed him the slice across my palm.

“An oath made under duress is invalid.”

“There was no duress. I tricked him and had his sword at his chest. I could have killed him, and he could have escaped later if he had wanted.” I leaned forward. “Kernul, he was just being a dominant male lusting after a woman he desired — and I'm indebted to him in a way. After every succession, there are rats that hide while biding their time, and he shook one loose. His pass to leave with a secured girl was signed by Lady Gina Giovanni.”

Kernul remained impassive. “There were rumors that you had already been branded.”

I laughed. “That rumor didn’t take long to start.” I stood up. “You’ll need proof that I am unmarked.” I raised my dress above my hip on one side and then the other to prove that my thighs were still unblemished.

“Thank you,” he said, relieved. “What now?”

“Arrest that bitch, Gina immediately, and place her in a cell below the palace -- and bring her seal. Send word to Lord Franco of the situation.”

“As soon as I leave, I'll notify the Captain of the Guards to arrest her. And what should we do with Malchor?”

“I’ll need him to testify. After that, leave him to me. I will handle it personally.”

“Your Majesty!”

“I’ll handle it myself, Kernul,” I insisted. “This sad affair is mostly my fault; I will fix it.”

While the guards were riding to arrest Gina, I took a quick bath and changed into mundane clothes. Not long afterwards, I left the palace gate and headed directly towards Ketrick’s apartment. I guessed that Ketrick was at home; it was not a normal business day.

Wanda's oval face appeared in the door. “Wanda, it’s me, Tyra. Is Ketrick there?”

“Yes, Mistress. Please wait.” She left, leaving me irritated that she had to follow the protocols all the time.

Ketrick came to the door himself and let me in. “Your Majesty, it is an honor,” he said solemnly, but he had a grin, one that I had missed more than I had imagined. I rushed to his strong arms and let him hold me. He kissed me powerfully, just short of a master’s kiss.

“Tyra, what happened? Was it Malchor? Where were you?” he asked while stroking my hair.

I blushed. “Yes. It was Malchor. The lout abducted me. He ... he caught me unaware.” I separated enough to look at him, and smiled. “Were you worried?”

His face darkened. “Should I have been? I didn’t know you were gone until it was too late. I had no way to leave Tulem without a pass, and I would have wasted too much time finding you if I had one. It was fortunate that you had a foolproof way to escape. Naturally, you had everything under complete control.”

As he spoke, his hands tightened on my shoulders. Here was a man who would have saved me if he could, and his protective strength satisfied a very deep instinct that came with my body.

“I was very nearly a slave,” I admitted in a small voice.

“Errr! Tyra, damn it. Why in Hades didn't you come to me?”

I’d rarely seen him so agitated, and I enjoyed it a little. Looking up from a lowered face, I said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”

He threw up his hands. “Freewomen! You took a terrible chance. If you had come to me we could have brolled the night away. I could have protected you.”

“I didn’t want to go anywhere near you! What if someone had followed me here? A look inside your apartment would have killed us all.”

“The same thing applies if you were caught brolling Malchor. If you were lucky, you would have been sold to the silver mine overseers in Trask.”

I disliked his superior tone. “Well, at least on the road to his house, there was a good chance to see if I was being followed. How could I ever be sure that I wasn’t being followed in the city?”

His smoldering eyes slowly cooled. “There are ways to avoid tails in the city. In fact, a trained spy would find it considerably easier to lose himself in a crowd than on a lonely road in the dark. But you’re right. Given your level of expertise, it was a logical decision. You haven’t been taught these techniques. You do this so well that sometimes I forget that you’re just a talented amateur.”

There it was again, the hint of great experience. “How long have you done this kind of thing?”

“A long time. Someday I might tell you, but not now.”

“Uh huh.” I knew a brick wall when I bumped into one. “Later then. Where’s Dana?

He nodded towards the door in back. “She’s furious, and I keep her chained at all times, but she's fine. I saw no reason to kill her as long as you were the Queen. You could always send her out to the ends of Zhor with an order. Of course, if you had been gone too long, I would have had to get rid of her somehow, but not before I had to.“

“Good. Is Angel still with the doctor?”

“Yes. She’s healed well enough to leave. I only lack the authority to pick her up.”

“Easily done.” I wrote a quick note, blew it dry, and stamped it with the seal around my neck.

I started to fill him in on what had been going on in the palace since I had seen him last. When I came to Malchor, he brought his hand up so fast it was like it had always been there.

“Hold! Wait a minute. Malchor knows who you are, and he’s in the palace?”

The way he’d said it, it didn’t sound like such a good idea. “I have his oath in blood that he won’t betray me. We made a deal. He’s here to abduct Dana.”

“This was your plan to save Dana’s life, to use Malchor to abduct her?” he asked me, as if he didn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

“Well, Not exactly. I knew that Malchor wanted Dana, Dana liked Malchor, and Malchor wanted to leave Tulem. I was trying to make the pieces fit. This opportunity dropped from the sky, but I’m sure that I could have pieced something else together.”

Ketrick said nothing, just looked at me, waiting for more rope to hang myself, I supposed.

I sighed. “All right. I admit it; I am taking a risk by bringing Malchor back. I want to save them both. Of course, it's possible that Malchor could betray us, but I doubt it. He's swore an oath on his warrior's honor, and he loves Dana. If he fails to stand by his word then Dana dies. He wouldn't do that.”

Ketrick still stood watching me, silent and pensive. It bothered me to distraction not to know what he was thinking.

“Ketrick, I’m not an assassin! I could have killed Malchor, but I feel responsible for Dana, and Malchor ... Malchor is a decent man, too.” I lifted my hand to my face. “Maybe I’m too emotional for this now; sometimes I barely know who I am.” I glared at him. “Or perhaps this whole business is too far from the warrior’s code. I’m willing to take some risk to save them -- but I put you in danger, too, something I didn’t have a right to do. If you want my sincere apology then you’ll have it.”

“I won't ask you to apologize. To be honorable, one must sometimes believe in others. It’s a risk, and you will occasionally lose, but a world without honor is a world of jackals.”

“Well, at least tell me. Did I go too far? Did I risk too much?”

“I would have killed him, but after three hundred years, I try not to second guess what's already been done. As a rule, you should try to do the right thing when you can. It nearly always requires more effort, but it keeps you from becoming a jackal. This may be one of those times. Do you trust Malchor?”

“He’s honest but unpredictable, I think. I trust him to keep his word, but nothing else.”

“What were Malchor’s exact words to you? What precisely did he swear?”

“He swore, ‘I swear that I will return you to Tulem unharmed and keep your secret’.”

He grunted. “I don’t like it. It’s too vague. What exactly does he expect from you?”

I felt warm all of a sudden; then I told him about the abduction details.

“If he wants a fight to make Dana feel like an abduction then I can accommodate him.” He placed a hand on his chin and frowned. “Odd, he forgets that most abductions are by stealth.”

Flushing crimson now, I said, “Actually, the fight was my idea.”

He laughed. “You are a romantic. Is this what you dream of, two men fighting for you, the winner to own you utterly?”

My cheeks burned, but I knew the needs of a serum girl. “To be abducted so is the deepest dream of every natural slave. It demonstrates the strength of her master and her own true worth.”

He brought me close and kissed me, a demanding kiss, and astonishingly satisfying.

“Have guards bring Malchor to my apartment at the eighth bell. You should be here an hour early to make final plans. We’ll give him a chance to be true to his word, but if he decides that his honor favors Tulem, we will be ready.”

It was remarkably difficult, but I pushed myself back a foot or two. “I must return to the palace soon before anyone thinks I'm meeting a lover. You’ll have to console yourself with Wanda.”

“I will,” he said, as easily as if I had recommended the fish at a restaurant. “This will be an evening to remember. One way or another, Dana and Malchor will be out of Tulem.”
 
 

To Be Continued…

 
I could have made this the first half of a single very long chapter, but thought that this was a good stopping point. The next chapter will resolve much of what was started here, and begin quite a bit more that ends up to be extremely significant in determining Batuk's fate.

Keep those comments coming! :) ~Aardvark

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Comments

Fiendish!

Holy Cliffhangers, Batman!

Seriously, this is getting good. I'm missing work reading the latest…

rg

Masterful!!

aardvark, you have so far woven a spectacular tale. I admit even I have cursed under my breath over this cliffhanger. Bravo!! I can't wait for the rest...ummm...but I guess I'll have to, huh? (indistinct mutterings...)

Ah' the sadism of the true serum anteater emerges ...

Jezzi Stewart's picture

... more strongly as your cliffhangers become more cliffy and more hangey!

"All the world really is a stage, darlings, so strut your stuff, have fun, and give the public a good show!" Miss Jezzi Belle at the end of each show

BE a lady!

Thanks!

I hope the end of this particular cliffhanger meets with your approval. All I can say is that I had a good time writing it. :) Tyra has a lot to go through yet. I'm trying to keep up the pace of finalizing a chapter a day, and I hope to keep it up, but I can't promise it absolutely.

Thanks for all the comments!

Aardvark

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Gandhi

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Gandhi

Nice story Aardvark!!!!

.. Just started with this chapter, now Im going to have to go Allllllllllllllllll the way back and start at 1! I don't normally venture into tales like this, but it caught my eye! Great Job! Love the feminine touch you have floating in the action.

*hugs*

Sephrena Lynn Miller

Your hidden agenda

Heavens to Mergetroid, you are a hopeless romantic.

Khadija