by Robin Roseau
“Thank you.” I paused. “Do your slaves love you?”
“Some do. Some resent me, even these years later. I keep them only due to how they came to me. I have never purchased one, and other than my first, every slave I’ve kept has come to me, some pretending to be far less experienced than she was. A few came with special defenses based on what was believed to be my favorite challenge.”
“You are so hated?”
“I am a judge who occasionally makes unpopular decisions,” she replied. “I stand by those decisions. But I have had people try to remove me from cases that were to come before me, and I have had people try to punish me for losses blamed on my decisions.”
“I’d hate that.”
“It takes someone willing to make difficult decisions,” she said. “It has been years since someone like you has come to me. You don’t know how that makes me feel. Thank you.”
I nodded.
We stayed there for perhaps an hour, talking for part of the time, just holding onto each other for part. We kissed a little, too, sweet kisses, comforting kisses. She was, as she said, nearly two and a half times my age, but I didn’t care.
I liked her, and I thought I could love her, if this was how she’d treat me.
* * * *
“Well,” she said finally.
“Well,” I echoed.
“Emmy and Va-va will be along shortly. They will be helping with this event.”
“All right.”
She gestured. “Can you tell what that is?” I looked at the odd contraption on the floor where a chair belonged. It looked somewhat like a bench had been turned on its back.
“No.”
“You lie down on your back with your feet in the air.”
“Not a clue.”
“That arm,” she said with a gesture, “flips over and locks.”
“It’s a stocks!”
“Very similar. You’ll notice there are sides. Once we are both locked in, Emmy will add resin.”
“All right?” I said, making it a question.
“And then they will begin to tickle our feet.”
“Oh, no! I’m very ticklish.”
“I am not,” she said. “This is typically a very short challenge, but if it goes on too long, they will tickle other places.”
“How do you lose?”
“In effect, you surrender to the tickling,” she said. “The resin begins to climb as you begin to react. But it ends when you beg them to free me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s when they stop tickling you.”
“And?”
“And then I finish enslaving you.”
“Oh.”
“Do you believe you understand the rules?”
“I imagine I do.”
“Understand. No pleading will result in mercy. Begging them to stop will not help. The only way they stop is if you beg them to release me, or if you pass out from an inability to breathe.”
“Does that happen?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to like this one.”
“You’re going to laugh your head off.”
“You’re funny,” I said. “What happens if neither of us is ticklish?”
“They start nice, with sweet caresses, but they step it up, and they’ll tickle more of our bodies. They start jabbing. No one likes that. They begin doing things that irritate. For two people who are terribly stubborn, the longest I’ve seen is about two hours. You won’t last half that.”
“And you?”
“I’ve never lost, so I don’t know. You don’t become enslaved from the tickling, or probably not, although that has happened. In reality, this is quite similar to your First. Your resistance drops, and you’ll agree to anything, so when I start doing nice things to you, you’re deeply grateful.”
“And that’s what carries into my enslavement?”
“And the pleasure combined.”
There was a knock, and them Emmy and Va-va entered. Emmy was pushing a cart with a cloth over it.
“Are you going to try to run away?”
“No,” I said. “Now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Naked?”
“Of course.”
I climbed from her and slipped the robe off. I stepped over to the device and asked her, “Which side?”
“Take the right,” she ordered. I climbed into place and did my best to get comfortable. Jessla removed her own clothing then collected something from Emmy. She moved to my side and bent down, kissing me for a moment. And then she slid a device into me, while still kissing. Then she climbed over me and took her own place.
Emmy prepared her. Va-va locked our ankles. There was a similar device for our arms, just above our heads. Emmy locked us. I thought I could pull my hands back out the holes, but she gathered rope and tied thick rope bracelets around all four wrists. The rope bracelets acted like a block, and we were stuck until they released us.
Then they pulled up small chairs at our feet, pulling the cart closer as well. On a signal, they began caressing our feet.
It felt nice.
It didn’t last.
* * * *
“Stop!” I screamed over and over, as I thrashed. I knew I was covered in the resin, and it was the blue of a house slave. At the same time, Jessla sat still, flinching now and then, but that was all. Va-va and Emmy were both giggling.
“They’re cheating!” I complained. “Emmy! Stop that!”
“They aren’t cheating,” Jessla said. “They are deeply motivated.”
“They keep switching sides. Stop it, Emmy!”
“They aren’t in competition with each other. I’ve told them if they can get me completely covered in the resin before you surrender, then for a year I’ll let them pick their color.”
“Stop it, Emmy!”
“Va-va is giving it a good go.” She flinched. “She’s biting.”
“So is Emmy! Stop it!”
“They’re doing the same things to me they’re doing to you,” Jessla said. “Really, you have so little self-control.”
“Emmy!” I screeched. And damn, but she giggled at me. But then they both looked up and over our legs. I looked at Jessla. She had a little of the resin, but almost nothing. I was entirely coated, except for my feet.
“I’m sorry,” Jessla said. “But I know you’re doing the best you can. One month. Two if you can get a single ‘Stop’ from me, but no cheating.”
They switched sides, and five seconds later I was screaming at Va-va, and then begging, and then screaming.
“Do hold out,” Jessla said. “Give them a chance, Cee. I’d love to see what they do next.”
Next, it turned out, were wire brushes. As soon as I saw it, I begged them, “No, no, no!” They got a few grunts out of Jessla, but then I was screaming, “She wins! She wins! Let her loose. She wins. Oh please stop, Va-va. Jessla wins. Jessla wins.”
“Ah, I love those words,” Jessla said calmly. The slaves withdrew their hands from our feet. A minute later, while holding me down, they lifted the bar over our feet so Jessla could escape, then locked me back in. They did the same with our wrists. And then Jessla rolled over to me.
* * * *
She made me yellow for a day, and I spent the day as a messenger. She turned me silver and then posed me as a piece of artwork at Government House, then later for a dinner party she hosted.
People hung hats and umbrellas from me.
And she colored me black, and that was an interesting challenge. She freed me early in the morning and then gently asked me to behave.
“Of course I’m going to behave.”
“You’re a free woman,” she said. “And I’m taking you to Government House.”
“To petition someone to let you enslave me permanently?”
“Is that what you really think?”
“Poor joke,” I said. “Why are we going to Government House?”
“Our event requires
judges. This isn’t a public event, not exactly, but one performed by invitation. We’ll have an audience and a panel of judges. We’re going to argue a court case.”
“Oh, please.”
“It’s actually a logic problem,” she said. “Please behave.”
“You’re afraid I’ll declare my independence?”
“Not afraid. But you could. I have no legal means of stopping you.”
“I’m fairly certain I’ll do anything you order me to do.”
“I’d rather you were willing, Cee.”
“Please kiss me,” I said. “And we can go any time you want. I have no intention of cheating you, Jessla.”
So she kissed me. Then she dressed me in the clothing I had worn a week ago for my most recent walk to Government House. But we took a closed carriage, perhaps because she didn’t want to walk, or perhaps to make it harder for me to change my mind. I wouldn’t have, and I wished she would trust me. I told her that.
“Some women would refuse,” she said.
“And how many of those women would have shown up asking for this in the first place?”
“Maybe the ones who are only interested in winning.”
We reached Government House, entering through a side door, one protected by guards. I didn’t even pretend to balk, although I considered teasing her. Jessla noticeably relaxed once we passed the guards. “I can’t run now?”
“You could, but if you were going to, you would have.”
“I’m honestly hurt you even wonder if I’d cheat you.”
“You think we’re playing games with you.”
“Sometimes I wonder, but do you blame me?”
“No. Do you blame me?”
“The stakes are a lot higher for my concerns.”
“I suppose they are.” She led me downstairs to one of the changing rooms. Instead of changing into shifts, we changed into the robes of a jurist.
“Will you tell me the rest of the rules?”
“We’ll be given some information, including both a small set of laws as well as some rules of philosophy. We then argue the merits of the case in question.”
“You take one side, and I take the other?”
“No. One of us will argue a point. The other will make a counter argument. And then we switch.”
“I’m so going to lose.”
“Yes. It’s not about winning or losing, Cee. It’s about being exposed to as wide a variety of challenge types as I am able. We earn points for our arguments. We can both earn points based on the quality of our argument. Each round is worth six points, but the judges are not required to award them all. I could make a weak argument, and you could make an even weaker argument. I might only get one, and you get zero. On the next round, you may argue quite well, and then I may argue equally well, and we each receive three.”
“I see.”
“Once I have accrued sufficient points, I may use them to handicap you.”
“How?”
“Restraints.”
“Preparing me for the end.”
“Yes. So many points to bind an ankle, then the other, then each wrist, then begin to tighten the restraints.”
“I see. And do you anticipate receiving any of these restraints yourself?”
“It is possible, but I judge it unlikely. The first restraint is the most expensive, and it decreases from there.”
“Care for a side wager?”
“You may make a proposal.”
“If I get a restraint on you, then tomorrow you turn me red.”
She laughed. “And if you lose this wager?”
“You can take from me anything you want. What could I possibly offer?”
“An extra week.”
“Those are hardly even, but even if they were, I can’t. I need to return to work.”
“It was the first thing that came to mind,” she said. “There’s something I want from you, but I don’t want to tell you yet.”
“The odds are against me,” I said. “It better be something small.”
“It’s not, so my request is this: when I finally present it to you, you will give it every due consideration. You won’t dismiss me out of hand.”
I offered my hand, and we shook on it.
* * * *
Our event was actually held in one of the court rooms. Seated on the high bench was a panel of three judges led by Olivia. Before them, facing each other from across the room, were the areas in which Jessla and I were to stand. Each space was a lower stage than the high bench, but raised for the audience. It was fenced in, after a fashion, with a railing at the front, the portion facing each other. The railing was padded and waist height. I didn’t think it was standard.
The audience area was full. I looked over the audience. I saw Olivia’s security team. Colonel Melstie was also there. I didn’t recognize anyone else.
Jessla and I were each provided paper and pencils. There was a chair and a small table, so we could sit while the other spoke, taking whatever notes were helpful.
Well, at least until the restraints became a factor, although they weren’t even visible.
Olivia explained the event, making a few comments about how she was especially looking forward to it. Then she said, “We have selected an important case from Charthan history, one that depends on different laws than Ressaline laws. If Cee were a lawyer, we would have searched further, but we find it unlikely she will know the relevant law. It is possible that Judge Jessla is familiar with these laws, but we judged it unlikely. Both challengers will be provided the full details of the case, the relevant laws that were applied, and some other aspects of philosophy and case history that may be relevant. You will make your arguments based only upon the information provided. You may also attempt to make arguments based on philosophical or moral points, but I do not promise the panel will be impressed.”
I nodded. I was so going to lose.
“This was challenging for us to arrange,” Olivia continued. “We wanted just the right case based on legal principles that are at odds with Ressaline law but involved a woman plaintiff and defendant.” She smiled and looked at Jessla. “Any arguments based on Ressaline law or Ressaline precedence will automatically score a zero for the round.”
Jessla inclined her head.
“The case is one of Grayma Elderleaf versus Warithine Bestbud.”
I knew the case. I actually knew the case! Oh, it was from fifty years before I was born, but it was quoted any time inheritance between cousins comes up. Olivia explained the basics of the case, and then Jessla and I were provided a stack of papers. “You have fifteen minutes to review the materials,” Olivia declared. “At that time, we will determine who shall speak first.”
I sat down and began to review the materials, first ensuring I knew what I had. There were the facts of the case, a summary of the relevant laws as argued by the original lawyers or quoted in the final judgment, the actual text of those laws, and then a section of philosophical points that seemed relevant.
I went back and read the case. Ms. Elderleaf and Ms. Bestbud were cousins. Ms. Bestbud’s mother married against her own mother’s wishes and was disinherited. Ms. Elderleaf’s father never married Ms. Elderleaf’s mother and then disappeared from everyone’s life. When Grandma died, her will only stated that her assets be divided between her existing grandchildren.
Ms. Bestbud argued that Ms. Elderleaf was not eligible to inherit, as there was no actual proof her father was her father, and she did not carry a last name in common with the family.
Ms. Elderleaf counter-argued that Ms. Bestbud was not eligible to inherit, as her mother was estranged from their mutual grandmother.
I hadn’t known all the details, not by far. I did, however, know how the case was decided. I wondered if Jessla did.
Olivia called time and then said, “We’ll flip a coin to see who speaks first. Cee, call it.” Then she threw the coin up.
“Lions!” I called out.
She caught the coin an
d slapped it down on the table in front of her. Then she stared at me. “What?”
“I called Lions.”
She took her hand from the coin, glanced at it, then carefully picked it up and showed it to me. “Does this look like a lion?”
“No, Lady Olivia.”
“Judge Jessla will speak first,” she declared. “Did I mishear you, Cee?”
“No, Lady Olivia, I do not believe you did.”
“Do you understand the concept of flipping a coin?”
“I believe so, Lady Olivia.”
“Enlighten me.”
“You throw the coin then catch it and set it down. Some set it down on their arm. I see you set it on the table. Someone calls which side of the coin will be up. I called Lions.”
“Is that some sort of Charthan slang?”
“Not that I know,” Lady Olivia.
“This is a Resseline coin.”
“No lions?”
“No.”
“Ah. Well, Judge Jessla speaks first.
“There are no lions on Charthan coins, either.”
“Ah. I’m sorry. Perhaps my mother had a special coin when making a decision between my younger sister and me. My mistake.”
She stared at me. “Perhaps?”
Jessla snickered. “She’s learning bad habits from us.”
“Is this conversation pertinent?” I asked.
“I do not believe your mother had a coin with lions on it.”
“I never said she did, Lady Olivia.”
“Why did you call out lions if there are no lions on Charthan coins?”
“I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, as you weren’t using a Charthan coin, although I admit that I didn’t know that.”
“Cee, why did you call lions?”
“Because I thought it was the choice that would most lead to the outcome I wished.”
“Which is?”
“For Judge Jessla to speak first.” The panel cracked smiles, and to my left, the audience openly laughed. When it died down I said, “I’ve never done something like this before, and I thought perhaps my opponent had. I thought perhaps watching her go first would be educational.”
“Very well. If you please, Judge Jessla.”
* * * *
The outcome wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone. It took a scant twenty minutes before the guard stepped forward and wrapped the first restraint about my left wrist. I had scored a few points now and then, and Jessla didn’t take all the available points for each round. Instead, she averaged about four per round, and I averaged about a half point per round. I wasn’t at all surprised. I couldn’t imagine anyone was.