by John Evans
“What are you doing?” shouted someone from behind him. Per spun around to see that Cedric had entered the room from a door underneath the gallery.
"The tile was loose, my lord, and it must have moved the table,” Per replied.
“I don't believe you!" said Cedric, hotly. “There are no loose tiles in this room. Do you know that vase was priceless? It is irreplaceable. How do you expect to pay for that?"
“But the tile was loose!” exclaimed Per.
“Which tile?" asked Cedric sarcastically.
“This one,” said Per, pointing at the tile.
Cedric walked over to the tile and stepped on it. It did not move. Cedric then stamped his foot on it. It remained rock solid. “So you are also a liar. How are you going to pay for the vase?" smirked Cedric.
“I don't have any money,” said Per, confused about what was happening.
“Because of your clumsiness, I'm going to add another year to your service to pay for that vase. Get out of here!" yelled Cedric.
Per ran out, bewildered and confused. Later that day, Georg, Baron Cedric's steward, told Per that his service to the baron would be extended one year unless he could pay 1,000 gold saurers for the loss of the vase. Per had nowhere near that amount of money and did not want to involve his mother or Tenan. Instead, Per accepted the extended service, but resolved to get an answer as to what had happened.
A week later, Georg had Per carry several heavy trunks up to rooms in the north wing. Baron Cedric had invited several guests to stay at his castle.
“The guests are in the ballroom and dining room,” said Georg. “I don't want you in their way. Take the trunks up through the gallery in the audience chamber.”
Per heaved up one of the trunks and started on the roundabout route to the north wing. As hecarried the trunk across the unlit gallery, he looked down into the room and stopped, amazed at what he saw.
On the round oak table was a vase, exactly like the one he was supposed to have broken. The room was empty, but Per was certain that it would not stay that way for long. As fast as he could, Per carried the trunks up to the north wing. He took time on each trip, however, to enter and pass through the gallery quietly. When he was finished and released by Georg, Per started back towards his room but, as soon as he was out of sight, he raced up to the gallery. The light from the windows did not reach the gallery so Per secreted himself in the shadows by a column where he could see the entire room.
Per waited only a short time before the door leading to the main corridor opened and a girl who Per had not seen before stepped into the room. She was about 5' 8" tall with straight honey-brown hair falling down to her waist. Her face was pretty and her dress did not hide her lush figure.
Per watched as she walked around the room. He held his breath as she stepped on the tile he had stepped on and he saw it move. The vase once again toppled over and crashed to the floor.
“What are you doing?" Per heard Cedric shout.
The girl spun around and fell to her knees. Per, from his vantage point, could not see Cedric but he could hear him perfectly. “What are you doing?" demanded Cedric again. “Do you know that vase was priceless?"
“Milord, I don't know what happened,” stammered the girl.
“The vase was worth 1,000 saurers. How are you going to pay for it?" shouted Cedric.
The girl looked up stunned. “Milord. I... I can't.... I don't have 1,000 saurers.”
“Then you'll have to work it off in service, won't you?" asked Cedric. Getting no reply, he shouted, “Won't You!?”
The girl hung her head. “Yes, Milord,” she said weakly.
“I'm sorry, girl. I didn't mean to yell. I suppose I could tax your parent's farm for the gold,” said Cedric, walking into the room to look at the broken vase. Another well-dressed man followed him. “Don't you think so, Felinor?"
“Of course, Milord,” answered Felinor, with a smile.
“No, Milord!" cried the girl, spinning around. “They would lose the farm. I'll do anything. Tell me what I need to do.”
“There is a broom in the cupboard over there. Clean up the broken vase and then I will tell you what to do.”
Per watched as the girl swept up the pieces of the vase. Cedric and Felinor walked over to two chairs and sat down. “What is your name?" asked Cedric.
“Melinar," was the reply.
“Melinar, my guest here is going to stay awhile. Your service will be to dance for us for a week,” said Cedric. “Behind that screen is a costume. Change into it and then you will dance for us.”
Melinar went behind the screen where she stayed for only a couple of moments before coming back out. “Milord, I can't wear that in front of you,” she cried.
“I see. You won't fulfill your service,” sighed Cedric, standing up. “I will inform your parents.”
“No, Milord! Don't do that.”
“Melinar, you broke a priceless vase. You have to pay for it. The decision is yours. Taxation or dancing?" asked Cedric.
“I'll dance for you,” was the subdued reply.
“Good, but you have insulted me in front of my guest. Your service is now two weeks and I will extend the time and punishment if you insult me again. Do you understand?"
“Yes, Milord.”
With that reply, she went behind the screen and Per could hear the rustle of clothing. Shortly, Melinar stepped from behind the screen and Per could see why she did not want to wear the costume.
The costume consisted of a halter top and a bikini bottom made of gauze and silk pieces. The halter top barely contained her large breasts. Per, even from the gallery, saw her hard nipples poking through the silk that was covering them. Per realized that the metal in the top and bottom were just frames that held the gauze and silk in place to cover her body. Silk pieces covered her breasts and ass while streamers of gauze flowed off the halter top and bikini bottom, barely concealing the rest of her body.
Cedric and Felinor, meanwhile, had moved their chairs close to the oak table. Cedric pulled a lute out of the cupboard and gave it to Felinor. He then pulled out a small hand drum for himself. As Melinar stepped out from behind the screen, Cedric offered her his hand.
“Step up on the chair and then up to the table,” he commanded. “You will dance for us on top of it.”
Once Melinar was standing on the table, Cedric took his seat and said, “This is the tune you will dance to.” Cedric began to beat out a rhythm on the drum and Felinor joined in with the lute. The tune had a heavy sensuous beat. “Begin.”
Melinar began to dance, awkwardly at first, but soon she was caught up in the heavy beat of the music. Her dance became more seductive and her body swayed to the rhythm. Cedric nodded to Felinor and they increased the pace of their playing. Melinar's dance became more sensuous. She closed her eyes, her body moving instinctively to the music. At this point, Cedric, without missing a beat, reached up with one hand and plucked one strip of gauze off her bikini bottom. Melinar's eyes flew open and she slapped one hand to her hip where the gauze had been before.
“Milord!" she cried out staring at Cedric.
“You have interrupted the dance,” snarled Cedric, staring back at her angrily. “For this, when you dance again, you will remove all the gauze off the halter top. Tomorrow, you will remove the gauze off the bottom while you dance. Or do you wish to be sent home?"
“I will do as you ask,” she said looking down.
“Begin again.”
Melinar's dancing was now jerky and clumsy as she removed strips of gauze off the halter top. Cedric continued the music even after all the gauze had been removed from the top and only the two pieces of silk in the frame remained to barely cover her jiggling breasts.
After a time, Cedric stopped the dance. “That was inadequate,” he told the panting Melinar. “Tomorrow, the gauze will be reattached to the halter top and we will see if you can do a better job of removing it. Get dressed now and return to your room. Come back here tomorrow at the start of t
he third watch. Felinor and I will join you here after that. Your punishment will be increased if you discuss this with anyone.”
Melinar climbed off the table, changed clothes behind the screen and left the room. After she left, Per saw Cedric and Felinor both break into laughter. “I was wondering why you sent me that song to learn before I came here,” laughed Felinor.
“Rank does have its privilege,” replied Cedric.
“Why did you stop so soon? We could have had her do anything!" asked Felinor with a smirk.
“She might have balked,” replied Cedric. “Slowly does it best. Her service was extended because of the mistakes she made and she knows that she has to dance better to work off this extra service. Besides, I have another reason to take it slow.”
“And this other reason is....?"
“Another girl reported to the castle today for her year of service. A half-elf named Nyrandurril. Where Melinar is pretty and lush, Nyrandurril is lithe and heart-stopping beautiful. The trouble is Nyrandurril is very intelligent and won't fall for the vase trick.”
“The vase trick?" asked Felinor.
Cedric looked slyly at Felinor and said, “You don't think that vase fell on its own, do you? Or that Melinar really broke it? There is a trick tile in the floor. A person steps on it and the vase falls off the table. When the tile is released, it locks back into place until I set it again. The switch for setting it is beside the door we came in. I've used this trick for a couple of years to get extra service out of the strong or pretty ones.”
“But it won't work on this half-elf?"
“No, she'll see right through the ruse and her parents could pay for the vase. I want to get both her and Melinar in here to dance for us and eventually do … other things. Something will come up to force Nyrandurril into extra service. It always does. Come! Let's see if there is a flagon of wine waiting somewhere for us.”
A few moments after Cedric and Felinor left, Per climbed over the gallery railing and dropped quietly to the floor. Quickly, he crossed over to the wastebasket, took out three large pieces of the broken vase and left the room. Walking back to his room, Per knew that even with the shards, he did not have any proof showing that Cedric was forcing people into slavery. He needed to find out where the vases came from and to get some witnesses. As he went to bed, Per decided that the first person he needed to see tomorrow was the half-elf, Nyrandurril.
Unfortunately, Per got his wish early the next morning. Just as the sun was rising, Per walked around a corner in the courtyard and literally ran into Nyrandurril. He caught the girl before she fell and got the impression of wide hazel eyes, delicately pointed ears and bright blonde hair. Nyrandurril saw a seven and a half foot tall creature with green hair and violet eyes reaching for her and reacted normally: she screamed and hit him with the water pitcher she was carrying. The pitcher hit Per's elbow, broke and sliced part of his forearm. She ran off as Per yelled and clutched his bleeding arm.
Shortly and with his arm bandaged, Per found himself standing next to Nyrandurril in the audience chamber facing Cedric. “From all reports," Cedric said looking at a sheaf of papers, “you, Nyrandurril, attacked Per and injured him. I will not tolerate fights or violence here. As punishment, your service is extended and you will have to work with Per. You are dismissed. Per, you stay.”
Nyrandurril's mouth opened once as if to protest, but she curtsied and left.
“Per, I want you to do something for me,” explained Cedric. “Concentrate and understand. I want you to scare Nyrandurril. Leer at her. Lick your lips while staring at her. Grab your cock and rub it in front of her. I will take a month off your extra year for this. Do you understand?"
“He thinks I'm as stupid as a post,” thought Per. “Big and stupid. No need to dissuade him now.” He adopted a vacant expression. “Uh... Yes, sir,” he answered, slack-jawed.
Afterwards, Per was met Nyrandurril out in the courtyard. “I am sorry I injured youbut you scared me,” she said, approaching him. “Please forgive me. I did not mean to hurt you.”
Per noticed that a couple of guards were lounging nearby and felt that Cedric probably had the guards watching them now. He reached down and grabbed his crotch. “Pretty girl. Fun time,” he growled, smiling to show off his extra large incisors and leering down at her lithe body.
Nyrandurril's face took on a frightened expression and she backed away from him apprehensively. Not wanting to scare her away completely, Per turned and walked out the front gates, motioning Nyrandurril to follow him. He looked back to see one of the guards motion her to follow him.
Out in the fields, Per and Nyrandurril worked side by side with the foreman standing right over them. Per did nothing more to frighten her and waited, knowing that the foreman would be called away. A shout soon came from the far side of the fields and the foreman left to see what had happened. As soon as he was out of earshot, Per turned to Nyrandurril, who was looking at him with large, frightened eyes.
“Don't be afraid. I had to scare you back there because we were being watched,” he said. Per then quickly told her about the trick Cedric had played on him and how Melinar had been forced to dance. Understanding flooded her eyes as Per told her what Cedric wanted him to do to her.
“He is trying to scare me so that I would do anything to get away from you … and his plan would have worked. I was that scared of you. He figured that you must have gotten your brains from the ogre side of your family," Nyrandurril said out loud, her mind lost in thought. “The Baron must keep extra vases somewhere. All potters mark the bottom of their work to identify it as theirs. He would not keep them in the treasury. Is there a storeroom which is always kept locked and that no one enters?"
“Yes," said Per, remembering the layout of the castle. “There is a small storeroom in the back of the basement. As far as I know the only people who have entered it are the Baron and the steward.”
We need to get in there and find out who the potter is,” Nyrandurril said. “I think we should also tell Melinar. We may need her help. But the biggest problem is that we need someone outside the castle, someone to find the potter and get help. We could run away but that would leave the Baron in charge to enslave others and take retribution on our relatives.”
“Tenan is coming to see me in two days,” said Per.
“Who is Tenan?"
“Tenan is the man who helped my mother and me. He is like a father to me,” said Per. A thought suddenly came to Per's mind, but he set it aside to think about it later. “He is a ranger working in the forest. He can help us, but, as I said, won't be here for two days.”
Nyrandurril took a deep breath and said, “We will have to keep up this subterfuge. I would not put it past the Baron to kill us and cover it all up to save himself. We are going to have to do everything he asks of us until your father can come with help. Where is Melinar today?"
“She is waiting on the Baron's guests,” Per replied.
“I will meet with her. I am going to have to go to the Baron and pretend to be frightened of you. I do not know if I will be able to meet you later. If you can, go to the gallery and I will try to meet you there. Remember: every time you see me at the castle you are supposed to try to scare me.”
Nyrandurril moved away from Per and kept working. After awhile, Per looked up and saw the foreman coming towards them. Nyrandurrilscrambled up and ran towards him. “Please, sir. Take me to the castle,” she cried out in a frightened voice. “I cannot stay with him!" gesturing at Per.
“Get back t’ work. You'll go in wit’ der rest o’ dem.”
They continued to work the rest of the day in the fields and went back to the castle at day's end. Nyrandurril immediately went to the foreman.
“Sir, please! I need to see the Baron immediately,” she asked in a timid voice.
“He's wait'n fer you at der audience chamber. G'wan," the foreman replied.
Per put his tools away, washed up and went to supper. After dinner, he finished up his duties and then
sneaked down to the basement where he found the storeroom that he had told Nyrandurril about. A heavy wood door reinforced by steel bands was locked, and it would take time, effort and noise to break it down. Per left the basement and carefully made his way up to the gallery where he hid in the shadows.
As the guards changed for the third watch, Per saw the door to the corridor open and watched Melinar enter. As she paced around the room, the waiting seemed interminable. Finally, Per heard a door latch click and saw Cedric, Felinor and Nyrandurril enter the room for the corridor. Melinar turned to face them and sank to her knees.
“You are not dressed,” exclaimed Cedric exasperated. “Another week is added on. Change at once.”
Melinar got up and went behind the screen to change whilst Cedric and Felinor pulled out the lute and drum. They then moved their chairs to the table and Cedric motioned to Nyrandurril to stand in the corner.
Melinar soon came out wearing the complete costume and Per heard a gasp from Nyrandurril as she saw what she was wearing. Melinar climbed up onto the table and Cedric started the music. Melinar's movements were much more fluid as she peeled the strips of gauze off her halter top. Per's cock hardened as he watched her dance. She continued to dance as she pulled the last piece of gauze away, leaving only the halter frame with its two patches of silk to cover her bouncing breasts. Melinar danced until Cedric stopped the music.
“You have forgotten that you are supposed to remove the gauze off the bottom,” he said looking at Melinar intently. “Another week is added for your forgetfulness. Tomorrow, you will start removing pieces of silk in addition to the gauze. Yes?"
“Yes, Milord,” Melinar replied with downcast eyes.
“Dance and remove the gauze from the bottom.”
The music started again. Melinar danced, stripping the gauze off her bikini bottoms until all she was dressed in was the silk patches held in place by the top and bottom. Per saw that the bikini bottoms were also only a frame, holding three bright pieces of silk which covered her ass and pubic area. As the last piece of gauze was pulled away, Cedric stopped the music.