by Robin Roseau
“I’d like that,” Melistara said with a caress of Tess’s cheek. “It’s a big chair. Sit with me.” Melistara sat back down, then pulled Tess into her lap. The two curled up together, and then Va sat down at their feet, touching both of them and laying her head where Tess could reach.
“Lyeneru, you said you would trust me,” Olivia said. Lyeneru nodded. “Mellta, I think this would be a very good fit.”
Mellta smiled and stood, then invited Lyeneru to her feet. The two greeted, and then Mellta sat down in the place Tess had vacated. Lyeneru sat down beside her, and then Mellta took her hand. “Whatever makes you comfortable,” Mellta said.
“Well, that leaves Rosaniya,” Olivia said. Tess’s sister stood, Bee slipping under her arm. “If I weren’t taking care of so many other details, I’d have taken you for myself. But I can’t give you the attention you deserve. Rosaniya, I don’t know you very well, but I have the impression you’re a very calm, reliable person.”
“She is,” Tess said.
“I considered Mellta for you. She’s very creative, but I decided she was the best fit I could imagine for Lyeneru. I considered some of the most nurturing people I know, but I wonder if you would like a more daring choice.”
“I don’t know,” Rosaniya said. “Daring, how?”
“Wells,” Olivia said. One of the women I didn’t know stood, and then Rosaniya did, too, Bee with her. “Wells, Rosaniya is married, and a mother. She is Tess’s older sister, and her family grows citrus in the southwest of Flarvor. In spite of being married with children, when she learned of this mission, for the good of her family, her region, and her country, she volunteered. That should say something about the type of woman she is.”
Olivia paused. “Rosaniya, of those in this room wearing leather, Wells has the least experience with practice challenges, less than Gionna, possibly less than Va, and most certainly less than Bee and Dee.”
“I tend to lose,” Wells said.
“But you’re a citizen,” Rosaniya said. “You had to win once, right?”
“I don’t always lose, I just tend to lose,” Wells said. “Um. I sort of cheated to become a citizen.”
“How do you cheat?” I asked.
“You approach your best friend in the whole world, and you ask to lose a 24-hour practice challenge. The friend in question is already a citizen with two young and very voracious slaves. And you ask the friend to use you very, very hard.”
“Um. Ouch?” Rosaniya said.
“You do this to end the evening before your real challenge,” Wells said. “And you arrive very, very sore already.”
“Oh, no,” I said. “Ouch?”
“Yes. Quite ouch. The woman in question could have backed out, but I already had such a reputation for losing that she thought she could beat me, anyway.” She paused. “Afterwards, the queen intervened. She let me remain a citizen, but she suggested that maybe I should free the woman I had won, and she forbade me from ever again using the same trick.”
“Mother was amused at your creativity,” Gionna said. “She wasn’t mad.”
“I thought it was a pretty obvious trick,” Wells replied.
“Rosaniya,” Olivia said. “In spite of everything just discussed, Wells has another reputation. She is known for being playful and very kind. When I want a particularly clever challenge match, I’ve asked Wells for suggestions. This may be the wrong match. I can provide nurturing, if you like, but I thought you might enjoy playful.”
“I’d treat you well,” Wells said.
“I think I’m confused,” Rosaniya said. “If you come up with clever challenge matches, I would think that would be an advantage.”
“Yes, well. The problem is simple. I pretty much beat myself. I make matches the other woman should lose; they play away from her strengths. And I know I should win, so I start thinking about what we’ll do after.”
Rosaniya began laughing. “And that is how you beat yourself.”
“Yeah,” Wells said. “I would take very good care of you.”
“Wells, I think I could use playful. Would you take me for my First?”
Wells smiled broadly. “I would be deeply honored, Rosaniya.” Rosaniya stepped closer, and the two exchanged a greeting and a kiss, and then Wells drew her to a waiting loveseat. They didn’t cuddle, but they sat, pressed together, with Bee on the other side, three of them in a space for two.
“All right,” Olivia said, sitting back down. “We only have a few more things to decide. First, if anyone is terribly frightened, we have a tonic we can give you. It takes your fear away. I use it to ensure a calm First, but it dulls your mind, and a lot of women prefer remembering all the details, at least to the point that they succumb.”
“I’m fine,” Tess said from Melistara’s lap. The other two also seemed calm.
“We have it available if anyone grows nervous,” Olivia said. “Two more questions. Which order should we do this, and witnesses.”
“They can decide,” Tess said. “Can Va stay with us?”
“Va,” Melistara said. “When it’s time, will you help me prepare Tess?”
“Yes, Melistara.” She turned to look at Gionna, who told her to obey Melistara.
“I just want to do it,” Lyeneru said. “But I think a more intimate audience is better.”
“We can go,” said one of the remaining women.
“Come back tomorrow,” Olivia said.
“We will.”
They left, making a little more seating room. “We can do paperwork, and then Jessla can leave.”
“She can stay,” Lyeneru said, looking around. She paused, her gaze settling on the judge. “Darfelsa told us about you. She spoke in glowing terms.” Jessla inclined her head. Lyeneru adjusted her gaze. “I don’t know you at all, not even third-hand.”
“Colonel,” Olivia said. “As we’ve discussed?”
“Whatever you need, Olivia.”
“All right, then. Thank you, Melstie.”
“It was a pleasure meeting all of you. This is a magical, amazing time. I understand you may be nervous. I was nervous for mine, but excited, too. You’re going to be fine.” She stood and slipped from the room, pulling the door closed.
Lyeneru nodded. “Unless one of them is going to ask, I’d like to go first.”
“Fine by me,” Rosaniya said.
“Sure,” Tess added. “Do you want to watch me, Sis, or have me watch you?”
“Oh, you’re definitely going first. It was your idea to rush.”
“You didn’t have to jump on my bandwagon. Don’t blame me for that. But I don’t mind going after Lyeneru, or going first, if she wants to watch.” Lyeneru shook her head. “Then I’m second.”
“All right,” Olivia said. “Once we stand up, I require the three of you to obey any orders from me, the woman who is to take you for your First, or the pleasure slave currently attending to you. Are any of you going to fight us?” The three women shook their heads. “Jessla, can you handle the paperwork?”
That took a few minutes. I signed everything as a witness. Then Olivia said, “Hold your seats.” She stood, walked around the back of the sofa, and collected black scarves from a side table. She walked around, handing them to the three slaves, who got up and stepped behind their charges.
When Lyeneru realized she was about to be blindfolded, she said, “Wait.”
“You said you would obey.”
“I don’t want to break any rules, so if I’m out of line, I apologize. Dee is about to blindfold me.”
“She is.”
“Would it be inappropriate to ask for a kiss first?”
“No,” Olivia said.
Lyeneru looked over her shoulder. “Dee, may I have a kiss?” Dee looked at Olivia, who nodded, and then she smiled broadly. She bent over, using the scarf to caress Lyeneru’s cheek. She initiated the kiss, and it was a really, really, really good Dee kiss.
And while she was kissing, she applied the blindfold, then adjusted it afte
r breaking the kiss. She whispered something to Lyeneru, who smiled and whispered, “Thank you, Dee. That may be the best kiss I’ve ever received.”
“I’m glad,” Dee said. Then she stayed where she was, her hands on Lyeneru’s shoulders.
“All right,” Olivia said. “Last chance for questions? Let us guide you, then.”
We rose. The blindfolded women accepted assistance. Olivia led the way, and then we were in threes, each of the First candidates guided with her new owner on one side, and a pleasure slave on the other.
They walked compliantly. Then Gionna grinned and took my arm. Allium grabbed my other arm, and they walked me the way the others were. “Need a blindfold?” Gionna asked.
“I’m good.”
“I imagine,” Gionna replied.
“You are such a naughty tease,” I complained.
“I know. Allium, as soon as we sell off all of Darfelsa’s charges, how about a three-day challenge?”
“Sure,” Allium said. “If you let me pick the event.”
“Nothing where someone starts with a clear disadvantage. And no coaching from Bee or Dee.”
“It’s going to be a grappling event, isn’t it?” I asked.
“It sure is,” Allium said.
“I thought the negotiations were an important part. Why are you giving in so easily, Gionna?”
“Because I need to work on winning against an advantage,” she replied. “And Allium is just good enough that I can tell if I’m improving. If she were too weak or too strong, then I wouldn’t be able to really learn.”
“Shouldn’t you be a citizen by now?”
“I would be, if I were willing to trick some child into accepting a permanent challenge.”
“She tried tricking Valsine into one,” Allium said.
“The brat laughed at me,” Gionna muttered. “She saw right through me.”
“Maybe don’t pick someone who grew up around court intrigue.”
Gionna shut up. We made it to the ballroom before she pulled the three of us to a stop. “Are you kidding me?”
“She’s my cousin, Gionna. And you know what Ahlianna says about her. I’ve gotten to know her a lot better, and she’s not that person anymore. But she wasn’t only around the intrigue. She was frequently a cause of it. She wasn’t that good, but she’s good enough to identify something as obvious as a permanent challenge.”
“I’m an idiot sometimes.”
“True,” Allium said. “That’s why we love you.”
“As long as you love me,” Gionna replied. “Darfelsa, you and I could have a little challenge tonight.”
I laughed.
* * * *
Olivia got the three candidates settled then turned to me. “This is the first time you’ve witnessed a First, discounting your own.” Then she dangled a blindfold.
“I’m fine, Olivia.”
“I’ve got it right here. It’s no trouble to use it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Where are we sitting.”
“Over here,” Gionna said, tugging my arm.
The three of us settled, and Olivia stepped to the front, between all of us and the waiting equipment. “Mellta.”
“I want to talk to my candidate,” she said. “Lyeneru, there is a traditional way to do this. Olivia has prepared for that, but she has also set things out for a somewhat different approach. Darfelsa, I imagine you experienced the traditional style.”
“She did,” Olivia said. I pointed to a bench, over which a woman could be bent and bound, and Olivia nodded.
“Was it that very one?” I asked.
“That very one,” Olivia confirmed.
I climbed to my feet, walked around Olivia, and examined the bench. It was just above waist height, sturdy, and when I’d been bent over it, my feet had dangled in the air. It had made me feel very vulnerable. I said nothing, but returned to my own seat. Gionna and Allium each took a hand, and I realized they were worried about me. They didn’t need to be, but I wasn’t going to turn them away, either.
Mellta had been quickly talking to Lyeneru, but then Lyeneru asked, “What do you think is best?”
“Mine was done traditionally,” Mellta said. “It is… intense. Honestly, it never occurred to me it would be done any differently.”
“Then why are we talking about it?”
“Because I grew up with this. The tradition is partly for show, and the anticipation of the tradition is part of the excitement for a woman’s First. But it’s intense and a little harsh at the same time. There are gentler ways.”
“Could I ask Darfelsa?”
“Yes, Darling.”
“Darfelsa, was it horrible?”
“No, Lyeneru. Mellta is right. It was intense, and I felt quite vulnerable long before things grew truly serious. I think.” I paused. “I think it would be easy to panic, but by the time that would begin, it no longer would matter. Events were in motion.”
“I don’t want to panic,” Lyeneru said. “Darfelsa, you are my princess. I barely knew who you were when you came to us, but I’ve grown to love you. If I do it the way you did, will I stop loving you?”
“No, Lyeneru. There is a period of… disbelief, I suppose. At least for me.”
“For most of us,” Olivia said. “That’s a good word.”
“Lyeneru, they gave me a choice, to be gagged with thick leather. I accepted. If they hadn’t, I would have asked them to stop.”
“Your sister, too,” Gionna said quietly.
“But that was brief, and I’m glad I couldn’t ask. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, once it advanced a little further, and it lasted, for me, a month from that moment, a magic month.”
“Is that what you want to do, Mellta?”
“I want to do what is right for you. I have done challenges that were staged very similarly to a traditional First, and enjoyed them.”
“With gags?”
“Once, and I was the one gagged.”
Lyeneru nodded. “Tradition.”
“Tradition, then” Mellta said.
“I want soft,” Tess said. “Can mine be soft?”
“Yes, Darling,” Melistara said.
“Tradition for me,” Rosaniya said. “If that’s what you want, Wells?”
“I want what is best for you,” Wells replied. “Mine was traditional, and I didn’t even know there were other ways.”
“I thought you were the creative one.”
“For practice challenges, which are normally somewhat different. There is more event, more sport. It is a challenge.”
“Tradition.”
“Mellta,” Olivia said, and she stepped aside.
“Obey me, now,” Mellta said to Lyeneru. She slipped away and stood. Then she and Dee guided Lyeneru to her feet. The drew her to the front, and then Mellta said, “We are going to change your clothing.”
“In front of everyone.”
“Yes,” Mellta said. “Darfelsa and Allium, please come hold her arms.”
I didn’t argue. Allium and I stood. We each took an arm. Lyeneru was shaking a little, but she didn’t fight as Dee and Mellta undressed her then pulled a shift into place. But then Mellta moved in front of her and gestured Dee behind her. They both closed, and Mellta drew a kiss from her while Dee pressed against her back, soothing her. “I’ll take such good care of you, Darling. This part is scary, but you’re going to love it by the end. I promise.”
“You promise.”
“I promise,” Mellta echoed. “Darling, once we start the next step, sometimes people fight.”
“I’m not going to fight.”
“Sometimes people fight,” Mellta said. “There are four of us, and from the moment you take the gag, we’re not stopping.”
“I’m not going to fight,” Lyeneru said. “But kiss me once more before you gag me, and if I ask for kisses from everyone helping you, will I get them?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Mellta kissed her first, a long, deep kiss. T
hen Dee pulled her chin backwards and kissed from over her shoulder. Gionna gave her a lovely kiss. And then I turned her to me. “I am your princess,” I whispered. “And responsible for you.”
“I trust you, Darfelsa. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you.”
I drew her to me for a kiss, one hand on the back of her head.
And the other on her bottom. She laughed into the kiss, but then she kissed back, a warm, lovely kiss.
“It’s time now,” Mellta said gently. “Darfelsa and Allium, you control her arms. Dee, you will assist me.”
“Yes, Mellta,” Dee said.
We turned Lyeneru towards the waiting bench. Allium took firm hold of her arm, wrapping both of her arms around and hugging tightly, so I did the same thing. Lyeneru didn’t fight us, but she managed to find my hand and grabbed hold.
“Allium, let her hold your hand,” I said. And so there was shifting.
“I’m ready now,” Lyeneru said. She opened her mouth. Mellta had a leather gag ready. With Dee’s help, they pulled it into place and did the buckles. It was a particularly effective gag. Lyeneru would be able to make ample noise, but the words would be quite difficult to understand.
I could feel her heart pounding, but she didn’t resist as we began drawing her forward. We brought her against the bench. Dee handed the restraints over the top. Mellta applied one to a wrist, then Dee did the other before kneeling down and doing both ankle restraints.
“Keep holding her,” Mellta ordered. She walked around behind me and began to work the crank that pulled Lyeneru’s arms across the bench.
It wasn’t until she began being pulled across the top that she began to struggle. I had lost control of her arm, but Allium and I pressed against her sides, clasping hands behind Lyeneru’s lower back. Dee tightened the ankle restraints.
Lyeneru’s breathing grew more rapid. She didn’t call out, and her struggles were weak.
“I’ll call you Le-le,” Mellta said gently. She paused to caress a cheek. “This part is scary, and the scary part lasts a while, but I’ll take such good care of you, Le-le.” She continued to speak soothingly as she and Dee finished tightening the restraints.