The Gift of a Fur

Aris convinced me to get out for some air and stimulation by taking a walk to the springs. He said I was pale and quiet so to shut him up I went along to humor him. I understand that too, he would have allowed me no choice in this matter, his mind had been made up. He is angry at himself for letting me motion him away. Still, I think he knows I would do it again where Reck is concerned.

The Hunter, Aslan, was at the springs and as we sat and chatted, me in the form of a free woman, I had to endure his smirks and knowing looks. I felt a bit deflated, a bit confused by it all. Has all my hard work to create three prolific wineries been for naught if only I am looked at like a robed slave? I must get these brands off soon, if only for myself, closing the door on 'that' life. I found myself watching Akil for every expression or look my way as well while his 'slave' served me less than adequate juice. I made her drink the sour drink, he felt I should be specific with the slave, next time I will be specific enough to get my own drink after all, what slave 'asks' for sour juice. I wondered if he looked at me the same as Aslan had, I am feeling very defensive.

Must I always wonder if those I meet my know who I was.. will I ever have friends, those who are interested in more than what I look like out of robes? I have no one to confide in and the funny thing is the person I would confide in sent me away from him for my safety. I might tell him just about anything after all.. am I not the keeper of his secrets? Secrets that I guard. I am not sure if I am in danger or not. I have been watching for him, I have to know he is well and safe. No word has come since that night, the nightmares lessen but I will not rest until I know he is safe.

Aslan gifted me with a beautiful fur of light brown near white. Luxuriously soft, I toss it over my feet at night for warmth. I spend more time in bed, tired.

I think I have my answer for Marcus..

Alley's Aftermath

Prologue:

Aris had found the shrieking Bela in the alley with a man having fallen to his death close by her. The eyes of the man held the terror he was gripped by when he met his untimely death, his throat with an open gash of being ripped open.. flowing free to the pavement was his life's blood. It was enough to make Aris sick as he saw Bela standing there, barely, pale and sobbing while crying out his name over and over, "Reckkkkk!" He grasped her arm and scooping the woman up, veils, gloves, and single slipper left behind on the ground, carried her to safety as she wept against his shoulder, nothing said.. she would not talk of what she had seen.

Once back at the house he bellowed rather nastily for a slave to come tend the Lady of the house. Hastily the slave made a bath for Bela and once Bela was soaking in the tub she ordered the slave to burn her clothing. Hitting the step as she did the outer garment had torn a large rent and it was not to be repaired.. she wanted it all.. burned.

As the slave did her bidding another brought her tea once back to her room. Bela curled beneath the blankets where she laid for the longest time, eyes closed and lost in her own world. Quivering lips.. warm breath, the scent of pipe tobacco. The nibble. Eyes opened and she felt queasy. She could guess, was she ill? Or was it worry over him? She tried to calm herself, her mind working over every detail of the evening.. holding to the enjoyable part.. clinging to it but behind closed eyes as the movie of her mind played over and over.. the wildness in his eyes, the change of pupils, the look in his face, the tension of his body like a striking animal... the conversation she had heard and and watching what he had done. Blood, the look in the dead mans eyes, stark terror. A cry was heard from her room, Aris sitting outside her door in a easy chair bolted into her room to find her fighting with her covers, frantically trying to get out of the nightmare she was having. When she awoke, she bound from the bed and into the bathing chamber, ill, sick to her stomach and once her gut wretched all it could, she laid to the cool floor, recovering as her tongue smoothed over that spot where she could still feel the nibbling. It was mind over matter.. seeing what she saw.. smacked away when she tried to aid him with fallen veils.. yes, she was worrying over nothing certainly. Making herself sick over it.

Getting her back to bed, sleep was lost from her.. the remainder of the night laying there staring at the ceiling wishing she knew where he was, was he in need of help. Wishing. The look in his eyes, sending her away from him by a smack to her reaching hands. She was wise enough to know he did this to save her life... how could she repay this, ever.

Finally, she slept.

Rummaging Through the Mind

Things are not as easy without Aris seeing to my safety.. I had quite the fright last night and I do not know if the hired guards have returned. It is safe to say that they have lost their employment with Silverton Estates. A rather disgusting man came up to me and said some vile things to me and so they got to their job but then let me get separated from them in their eagerness to do their job. I had thought I was safe until from the tunnel came the man that caused the situation. It was then that I felt the heavy rock like feeling in my gut and the instinct to flee for my life. When I tried to get to the guards, the man got in between us then other men came to his aid but then luck was mine. I told him I was going back to the Arena, safe and out of the rain. He allowed this so I fled to the safety of the interior of the Arena and got to the Arian Guard for an escort home. I still tremble at the idea at how fragile my existence is and I am afraid to tell Marcus what happened because I do not know what he would do. Must I always live in fear being the weaker of sexes? I find this all very frustrating. I hate it, in fact. I did not like feeling vulnerable and unsafe with this man facing me last night. I will hire on more guards.

Reck seems gone.. I asked Thalonius about him and a muttered snort with some mumbled words laced at the end with Vaako. So.... I am not sure how I feel about this. In my experience people come and go so quick it was like they were a figment of my imagination yet still at night I feel his lips against that final veil that he left in place what seemed so long ago. The work was secondary but I let that be my focus.. how clever I am...

Marcus would soon like an answer to his request for Companionship. He says he is missing something from his life but am I the one to fill it really? We don't love each other. There is an attachment there of history and regard. Friendship yet I avoid telling him much because I feel that dangle of invisible collar there when he questions me. He knows Aris was fired and questions me on my trip to Jula but I am not willing to answer anything he asks. Sadly, a companionship for me would be a business proposition, there is nothing left inside to feel one way or another about anything. He said long ago that inside I was deeply scarred. Well many people are and do they to just stop feeling much about anything? I am flawed. Maybe it was my breeding, that weakness of emotion....

Amazingly..

Finally I have made it back to Ar. It seems the only people who knew I was missing was the children. They were glad to see me and our reunion was great fun and never have I loved them more. I was frightened I might not make it back to the safety of the Estate but it seems Marcus didn't know I was missing? I have sent a missive off to Max, I would like him to visit with the children. It is time.

Aris and Claud have been fired. Aris keeps nearby and feels shifting his duties to the older two children will suffice. I can't even bring myself to speak to him. I have hired two men in their place.. I find them both annoying.

Akil... who knows when next we meet, the next shipment of wine will be delivered on time.

I don't know if Reck is to be found.. I passed by the shop and found no light on.... I was in such a rush to find him, what am I doing.. ::just sighs and snaps the book shut, shoving it away::

The Whirlwind

The day started off quietly. The winery is running smoothly since the inventory has been done. I made the purchase of a large quantity of bottles, the price was right and it will be enough to get through the barreled reserves I have. New barrels are being made for the harvest that is coming in. The new foreman is working out well and doesn't mind too much that I tend to have done what I want done. In a way he reminds me of the gardener in Port Cos that just hated me when I started to rip up the lawns for what is now a successful winery.

Reck is home. I feel so foolish spying on Thalonius now, and even sure that he had brought harm to him. And look at how I behaved trotting right over to him.. so eager. Hopefully it didn't lift too many brows. It was good to see him and though I keep fussing about business, I do want to get to know him better.... to ask him about those things the wine merchant said. While I don't look at him as a conquest, something about him. I am changing and for whatever reason, I feel he is instrumental in the birth of this new woman I am becoming. Perhaps that he lives to his own step, something I could never do yet now want to try. The strangest thing with him happened. While he was eyeing up Max and politely trying to be on his way.. I was so busy talking that I wasn't paying attention but the moment he was gone.. inside my head as the clicking of that rod against his teeth. Strange how that was. Once he was gone I heard it. During the rest of the day I heard it. Laying in my bed with my mind whirling after the conversation with Marcus, all I could hear and so loudly was that clacking of metal against his teeth. Thalonius now has a few bottles of my wine in his stock yet he is driving a hard bargain. I am being ripped off but soon the tables will turn when my wine is expressly asked for and he doesn't have it to offer. Then he will lower his percentage and we will get along fine. He is not the only shrewd merchant around.

Maximus. The chemistry is there, it always has been there and always will be I imagine. Today was so different, so odd. We sat and talked. I told him the truth, I will always love him but life.. happens. He treated me like a free woman, perhaps that was a first. Usually it was his beating his chest exclaiming that I am his woman and carrying me away. The problems would disappear for a short time but then it would all start again. I wish the man did not have such a roving eye. I had always wished he would take care of his family but no matter how we love each other and always will, perhaps it is best this way. We will meet again. He needs to see his children and our children need to meet their brother. I will not punish an innocent young boy for the mess the adults made. He has asked me to come to Port Cos on occasion to tend to the winery. He says it needs some up keep, I wonder what he has done to my winery! It will be business only and I may need the stored wine there for this contract I spoke to Keiran about. Asperiche is looking to fill a large contract. I wonder how my loved garden in Port Cos is. I made the cottage in Turmus with a beautiful garden very much like the one in Port Cos. I have not yet found where I want a new garden at the Estate. The house that Marcus built is nice but I loved the original house there and the garden that was within the crook of quiet in the back.

Marcus. Our arrangement was easy, for him. While I did not mind it at first.. I can not be that woman of the past that he looks for. He never allowed me choices but now that he does, I am making them with gusto. My choices, my life. Sadly, it is bringing me to a new phase of my life. Last night Marcus discussed with me his desire to contract Companionship for a term of a year. While I do not really understand his desire for this, I told him I would listen to what he brings to the table when he is ready. Marcus and I do not love each other. Once long ago we sounded these words to each other.. the love of Master and slave. My heart was already Max's. Perhaps it was that I loved where he put me, a place I do not desire any longer. He gifted me with a beautiful box with my name etched. Within the box is a mix of gifts that bring very mixed feelings. A necklace that he said would help remind me of the slave I am. Earrings to wear at night and a beautiful ring fitting for a free woman with a lustrous stone of deep blue. I was rather surprised by his choice of gifts as a dowry of Companionship. I do not intend on getting my ears pierced because I do not intend on being a slave again. I know what Marcus wants from me but that woman is long gone. He says the hurt and the pain has scarred me and perhaps so. He wants to see the Port Karian wench that he once owned, he wants to see the fire in my eyes again. Perhaps if he looked he would see that there is a new fire, a rebirth of a different Bela. I have been smothering in a cycle of two men that want to keep me as I was.

That brings me to Bela... my Dearest Max and Marcus.. the Bela that both of you have loved died a natural death. Never forget her. Within the ashes of Bela, the Port Karian slut is the Lady Bela Cabot. Brand new, getting to know who she is. Know her.

*fingertip touched over the last paragraph after she wrote it. Melancholy in her small smile as she put the book away. Laying there in the dark for the longest time, she mourned the Bela of long ago with silent tears slipping down her cheeks and that clacking of rod against teeth ringing in her head*

Thalonius.. Agents... and more

While I would like to do business with Thalonius, to get the vineyard's label seen in the arena, it was under this guise that I managed to get closer to the man. I was certain he had something to do with the disappearence of Reck. Finally I did ask about him and the merchant started to toss information at me that I am not sure I was meant to hear and imagine Reck wouldn't like me to know. Still, I will talk to him when I see him. Agents and Priest Kings, that is what I keep hearing over and over again. I am going to find out, or try.

I find I miss his presence. Or maybe it is that hint of the old Bela that is missing and seems to breathe while talking to this man. When I close my eyes I can still feel lips against veils, the moisture left there and the wild beating of my heart at the boldness of it all. Still, I am too old for the romantic side of life but needs are a necessary evil and a powerful.. dangerous draw.

I have to be careful with this man. On the one hand he pulls from me a long missed woman, on the other hand, I must be careful with that because of what he pulls from me. It is all rather exciting, like walking the sharp edge of a finely honed blade.

I am so tired of the quiet in my life.

Lets.. make some noise.

Coldness

A chance meeting from my past recently has brought my thoughts to what I am trying to do now. Am I trying to reinvent the old me or am I trying to forge out a new existance. Aris tells me that I work to hard and that I don't let many near me. I have already heard his feelings on Reck. I imagine I should not tell him that I will be having some work done. I might not see the light of day again.

Anyway.. to be looked at as I was today by a man that knew me before left a cold feeling inside of me. I am this fresh new person and would really like to let the past fade away and I think that is why I seek this work done, to finalize it if only in my own mind. Max.. I think of him often, he has yet to materialize like he said. Marcus.. though we live in the same house, I do not see him any longer. I have my thoughts on the matter.

Once more I went by the shop, it looked deserted, the sleen were not even there as when I knocked I was greeted with silence. I am not so adventurous that I would enter. I remember he had that snake in there, not that I would enter without invitation. I hope that he is traveling and that it has nothing to do with his fight with Thalonius. I think I will watch that man more closely.

I wonder ... yes, I wonder about that beaded tongue, what more lies beneath... "mine is...", he had said. Yes, I wonder.

A Gift Left

I had stood outside on the street for the longest time. The shop looked quiet and I had not seen Reck since he left the arena that night with a bottle of the wine from the crate. I was wary to do business with Thalonius until I spoke to Reck more on the subject, his warnings about the merchant taking root. Once Reck left I would watch Thalonius more closely, watching who approached him differently than the more common girl buying a drink for a free man or woman that was being served. I saw nothing suspicious that night but there have been times I have seen the man carrying on business other than the wines he sells. Still, I think it is important for the winery to be represented at the Arena.

Finally I walked to the door and tapped lightly. The sleen, they startled me and by hearing their racket I knew he was not there so left a gift of reserve wine hanging on the door. I imagined he drank the wine like our first meeting, from the bottle like an ale, guzzling without stopping until much of it is gone. I like the way he drinks wine, I like how different he is. I like that it will be his way..

I tell myself I go to the shop about our business at hand.. it is more...

Street of Brands

I ventured out and toward the Street of Brands last night. At first I was a bit nervous, moreso because Aris was inclined to turn back to the Vineyard when he realized where I was going. I was insistant as I had business to do and I intended on doing that business.

Once to my destination, I stood for a time looking at the face of the building, contemplating just why I was going there. Truly, was it all business that was on my mind? Honestly, no, it was not. I turned, I looked at my guards and told them they would wait for me outside. I did not give Aris the opportunity to argue. I pressed onward with a turn of the handle, entry and closure of the door before a word between us could be had. I felt somewhat emanicpated and nervous, this meeting something I had been mulling over since breakfast with Reck and knowing his profession.

While I was thinking to find an artist to design some labels for the wines, my mind seems stuck on some redesigning of my body, removal and covering of older markings. We will know better when the next appointment is made.. Beyond the business.. I left there in a delightful turmoil I had not felt in some time. I think I was encouraged to be myself in a safe environment, not by the watching eye of those that have been in my life. While I look at these men who care about me in one way or another, still I always feel like the collar is hanging like a noose where I can see it, to keep me terrified of ending there again. I will admit that it was quite nice to push the boundaries, play on that edge of excitement and not feel in a greater danger. I have forgotten how to have fun. I would like to reintroduce myself to such a word.

It is nice just to be... not worry about all the trappings.

Last night Aris looked mighty good by the time we arrived back home. As I went to my room I did turn and consider a seduction of the man .. the urges were powerful but then I decided to savor the feelings.. to let them simmer and build.

In my enthusiasm, I think I misspoke as I left. I regretted it the moment I said it.. how dare I be so assumptive. I was ashamed of myself thinking to try and be more .. than I am.

Bela.. Bela. *grins* Bellllahhhhh.

*the book snapped shut and tied with the white satin ribbon, placed back in the locked chest*

".... Mine is..."

To say the least, the shock was there or was it more... Truly, would I be daring enough to see this? I know what he meant but still I gave the man my name anyways. Hearing my name roll off his tongue.. "Belllaaaa".. Kings! It was too much wine, that is what it was. Aris yapped at me all the way home. Claud didn't dare once he saw the look I gave him. Once back to the house I ignored them both, retreating to my room with a slam of my door, throwing the lock. That made it understood I was not to be bothered.

Feeling quite flushed and tipsy I stripped down to lay in my bed and think. The idea was to sleep off the wine but I found my mind would not shut off. I had breakfast with a man I did not know but too, perhaps I have a new contact for the business. This Merchant, this acquaintance of Reck's, he seemed inclined to speak with me again. A distributor needs to be found as I saw not one vendor at the Arena selling wine from this vineyard.

Yes, the business. The business.. I wonder why then that my mind keeps drifting to this man, that charming smile and what he does for a living. What will I do if I see him again.. beyond making Aris turn red in the face! It was a first in a long time. I ordered my guards to step away from me, to give me room to breathe. Aris has been quiet since. I await for his rage, he is stewing on it for now....

A groggy half-sleep I had. I could not seem to settle and rest.

Settling In

The property has changed quite a bit since Marcus took over the winery. This house, largely built to accomodate the wealth he has acquired in owning this business. The north wing is for the four of us, Aris and Claud to live comfortably. A teacher has been hired to continue the studies of Max and Maxine, Madelaine has just started as well.

While Marcus was away it seemed he had a few employees enjoying the fruits our labors. The first that I poked my nose into the books, it was plain to see that something was amiss. Within a few days the foreman was let go as well as the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper did not know that a few people were paid that did not work there. Which was why the bookkeeper was let go. Already the receipts are fatter on the books and I have started the inventory process already making my suggestions to improve the operation overall. I have no idea where this business side of me came from but it is the one thing I do well.

I saw Ivy the other day.. Aris like he always did, has an eye for the slave. Pleasantries were had between us but how do we speak now. We were either friends or at each others throats, highly competitive but now, what do I have in common with a slave? I endured having my guard drag off the woman to the bushes, the entire area forced to listen to grunting and rutting while I pretended to read my ledger book. I did not care that he used the woman but that he had to do it as he did. Aris is a beast, uncouth at that.

Marcus and I have an arrangement.. it works for us both at this time. I am not sure if I am a ward of his or not, I am sure we will argue that line plenty. It is what we do best. After arriving back to the house with a grinning Aris, I excused myself and went to spend a few ahns with the children, early evening playtime is my favorite part of my day. Once they were settled in their beds, I took a long bath and let my mind drift to pleasant places. I was brushing my hair and about to turn in myself when there was a tap at my door. For a long moment I would look at myself in the mirror. Who did I see in those eyes so vibrant? Are they just a facade hiding a dullness within? I admit that I am finding my life a tad boring yet at the same time I still stir something in a few.. And so, each day brings new experience as I step out and seek new friends and places of interest.

Recently.. to the ire of Aris, I saw him. He looked well yet I was extremely guarded, the desire to fall into his arms was strong yet the memories too cruel. Inside my heart .. always.

::the book fell shut and tied with white ribbon, fingertips would touch lightly over the satiny bow. The book placed on top of the old one, locked in her trunk. Private sanctuary for private thoughts::

The pen goes empty

the pen goes empty .. dry of ink
much like the heart with no well to fill..
no matter how she tries..
the stops and start overs..
it always seems to come down to one..
that brings her mind back to him.

at first sight she was His..
this does not seem to change .. ever..

she will never see him again..
too many things in their way..
the trust long broken and she afraid to believe..
told she was an empty shell.. what else could she be..
there is no room inside for anyone else..

she was certain that her lack of inspiration
was the lack of men willing to Master a slave..
in reality her lack if inspiration is the lack of feeling in her heart..
long ago left somewhere else..

the pen placed down, the book closed..
not to be open again..

Max

I care for the Scribe

Today I bear the marks of my Master, upon me are three bite marks.. to my neck, my hip and to my inner wrist, the bruising there fanning out over translucent skin where the veins can be seen. While that sort of pain is not pleasant, it was like the whipping.. I offered myself for more because I was helpless to do otherwise. His control over me excites me to the deepest of places.

I must admit to feeling a bit defeated today. Carefully guarded feelings are no longer mine, my fears having to be said while he tormented me with denial of movement, everything I was experiencing at that moment with the instruction that it would be said and it didn't start out so badly until he asked a direct question for me to answer. After having to tell him that I felt things deeper than before or that I could not remember feeling things as acutely, he then asked me what that said about time with Max and now time with him. I was caught within my own trap, no movement of aroused body to rely on, my having only the avenue of speech. I tried to evade his interrogation by vagueness and I told him I felt lost before and now I did not feel so lost. He left me sitting there, his touch removed and telling he that I was still lost.

At first I was content to sit there by myself for I felt I had come a great way in conveying to him what I was thinking and feeling but knowing he was on the other side of that bathing room door and knowing that I had committed the crime again of half truths.. it was not long before I was crawling to the side of the tub and confessed what had been so hard to say to him. I told him that I had grown to care for him very much and was afraid if I told him this that he would go away, that I didn't want to wander again wishing I could not feel. This ... this.. was the hardest thing ever to say. He told me that he will not go, that I am his property and he has shown that he does not take these things lightly. I earned his touch again, he pushing me to yield to him quite beautifully and his pleasure found in his slave who cares for him very much..

So begins a new day.. I am defeated by my own entrapment. I confess to caring for the Scribe.. I confess my fears by his having this knowledge. His possession of me deepens.. each day I lose more of my defenses, I am sure he thinks this is a good thing... I.. while it is hard to face a man such as he, to strip away everything to give to him .. it is his now to take. With all the clothing I wear, I feel so naked. Naked.. something he likes to see on me....

Today I bear the marks of my Master.. some quite beyond the surface..

The Gift

There was a surprise left upon the mat for me today. Admittedly it was not expected it and it brought the biggest smile. For the longest time I sat there with the silver wrapped package in my lap, my hands running over the paper trying to guess what it might be. I just had no idea what to expect and when the moment hit that I could not wait one more moment, fingers pulled the blue ribbon free - I just could not stand the excitement any further. Within was the most beautiful writing set ever and a note from my Master. The note will be tucked in this book along with the folded paper and ribbon. Already I write this with the beautiful quill.

To me, this is the most beautiful and thoughtful of gifts. This book always available for him to read as I must hide nothing from my Master.. he has said this so I shall obey. At times I try to hide within myself but it seems he will not allow that either. I must be careful with my feelings for him, perhaps I have no control of such things but I feel him drawing me out, requiring to know more about me, to see all of the things I don't let anyone see. The day I was so angry at him I was remiss in the mention of one of the things I spoke to him about. Something I wanted to deny because he did tell me what he desire in my thinking on this and it has been very hard to shift my thinking.

Guilt. I feel guilty for being where I am, I feel guilty happy in the collar that claims me to someone else. That does not mean that I do not love Max any less but it does mean that I am finding happiness. I think of him probably every day, the hurt and anger now begins to fade.. in honesty I think that the fading of these emotions allows me to turn more to my Owner, to serve him better and to feel for the place that I kneel at his feet. I know where Max will end up .. he is a very predictable man, habitually predictable, but I am beginning to come to terms with that. My Master is teaching me many things about the man Maximus Cabot. By example he does this, he does not have to say a word. My Master is teaching me many things about the woman called bela. Speaking slave is turning out to be a very hard thing to do but the one thing very clear of this exercise is that it keeps my mind on him and the lessons that he places me under.

Yes. I am very happy at my Masters feet.

He said last that I was not to feel guilty for being happy, that I was to serve him because he now owned me and I am in service to him. Each day that passes this is so much easier for me to obey.

Last night I served in the house of Caed and was taken with him to another house to serve, it is owned by a man called Rejar. It was an interesting evening as I saw the woman Mahalah.. hopefully she will not remember that I was the bela of Jaren, or that if she already remembers this that she just could not care less. One thing a bit distressing... the Master Jaeden asked the Master Caed if he could keep me. Thankfully Master Caed said no... kings, I would just be a miserable woman if taken from my Master.

I have known this but it was last night when Master Jaeden said this that I was struck with fear of being taken away from the Scribe. That would be the worst thing that could happen to me..

Gift from her Master

The shell must have an exit

While absorbing my Masters wishes of me I would have to admit to wrestling with a few emotions on the subject. Yes, in a way I want him to want me all to himself, to selfishly keep me from another mans touch, to be that prize in which only he delights in. I do know the role of a slave in society, very well I know this. Seeing Caed once more did remind me what kind of slave I used to be. I tried to read that note that Master wrote to Caed but could not see what was written. My Master did see a bit of that flirty side and it seemed to put a smile on his face yet I do not understand it. I am so conflicted but I imagine that would have a lot to do with so many years as a free woman and Max keeping me to himself. He did say I would serve other men at the end but that was because he was off doing whatever it was he does. Now, I have a Master who is part of my life, teaching me what it is I will be to him. It is daunting but so very exciting. I wake in the night dreaming of him and turn to listen to him breathing while I imagine myself beneath him, feeling his touch .. his weight. I realize with him that there is much of me that has gone dormant.

I try to see myself through my Masters eyes. I try to see myself as he spoke of his desires for me. Over the years I have become very shy and more than likely to watch other slaves service the men, myself very content to do so. I was watching some slave girls in my wanderings and took the time to study the habits of slaves that may not have been held to one man or a free woman. By watching them I learned that I have become very reserved in personality and that I have become more of a companion sort of slave. There are many men in which I have held conversation with in recent times but I have been happy just to talk to them, to tease them and enjoy them from a distance while keeping them company by conversation. I did not seek more. One man had made comment to that by mentioning he was surprised that I was not trying to seduce him but I did not know how to answer him. I was content as I was. One man did take me away for use before my Master purchased me and though I enjoyed the conversation I was of the mind to rush off home when it came to the use of my body. I didn’t, I serviced the man and well but my heart was not into it.

More recently, perhaps I am coming out of my shell a bit. I squirmed well against Caed last night when he kissed me goodbye, but I think it is easy to respond to the familiarity, he was a man I always enjoyed serving. Too, his son I followed around the arena for a bit and was comfortable with him, in actuality I am very comfortable around men, I just do not seek more. There was a man who I served in the main room of the house, I do not know who he was but I displayed myself well for him, hoping he and my Master would be pleased. The woman Sekret was thinking about luring me with the idea of trinkets for stories of old on the heathen Master, Caed. This could be a very lucrative deal for me.

Once back to my Masters room I crawled to his sleeping form and curled at his feet. I am missing him while he works long into the nights, he is a very busy man. As I laid at the feet of my Master, that kiss still felt to my lips, it was a slave I felt like and there is such a contentment settling inside. It is good to be owned by this man, it is good to be back in Port Kar. I do miss and think of my children often, finding I ache for them constantly but I know Aris will see to their well being, he is a good man.

Rebirth of a slave

It was the hardest thing to decide in the first place. I had to give up my hard won status of a free woman, my businesses of wineries.. I was very good at my chosen profession. The hardest thing of all was my children. They would not longer be mine. I think of them and Aris often, wonder where they have gone. When I submitted to Marcus.. he was a man who made me feel like a slave but he did not have the ability to get into the places the scribe seems to find and take possession without a thought. With Max I knew that it would be the easy life of a pampered slave so the decision of being a slave really wasn't all daunting..

Now with the scribe.. there is such a mix of excitement and fright. He wants to see the slave he has not seen and said he will bring her out in me and that I will learn not to think free and as his equal. He said he wanted to see what he had not seen before, use it for his pleasure and exploit it. How can I argue with that. I want to please him, before I wanted them to please me.

I balked when he said today that he would make my use available to a few ... this makes me nervous.. for the longest time I have been a one man woman. Granted I was free and it wasn't proper, plus I was completely devoted to my Companion. Once Max's slave again, being put out for use of other men usually meant a punishment and so when he said this I was sure I had been found displeasing in some way and I closed up feeling very distressed.

My anger was challenged today.. I felt insulted that perhaps he felt I could not be trusted and that he felt that I was shopping for a Master. For the first time that I remember in a very many years, I have a home.. I think He is the best thing to happen to me in the longest of time. Why would I want to lose that.... He made me speak my anger, that I would have no secrets from him.. I insulted him as well and when he spoke his view on things... well.. I do understand.

My Master, he can be so kind... these have been the hardest three days that I can remember and wept this to him as he comforted me for just a moment while not stepping back in just who was in control. How is it I suffer so by his training, his decisions yet it draws me more to him... begging and seeking, utterly miserable in my slavery yet so glad I am here.

I have become a woman of hiding, one who sits back and watches the world, lives just on the surface. Secretly, I miss that bela of old.

He makes me hunger.

Confessions

I sit and stare at this page....

I do not know where to begin.. I am not sure what it is but yesterday something overwhelming happened to me. He studies me, he asks me questions and he holds a conversation with me seeking the information about me that he desires. He listens to what I say, he watches how I respond to him yet, I am not sure he thinks I want to be with him... he is certain that I will someday beg to be sold to a warrior.....

He took me to a place I am not sure I have experienced and when I think back to Marcus... bound to the pole, his whip of my breasts and his rape... he did not even scratch the surface of the slave that I will be with the man, the Scribe.

I feel like I have been cut open and he is reaching in and dragging out a woman who is screaming and trying to go back into her shell.. the first light in her eyes so painful, consuming to the bone and so breathtaking that I am left so confused. I feel so alive, so raw.. so needful yet maybe some parts of me tries to continue to hide.

As he spoke to me, he allowed me against him and I enticed his desires by doing what came natural.. pressing me away from him he stood and led me into his room and once there I was a woman out of control, at his feet, servicing with a hunger from the connection made on the beach yet instead of taking his fill of me he pushed me away and ordered me to the ring in the corner and by wrist I was shackled.. it is quite something to be so vulnerable and helpless to a man and I will confess that I was hot and quite willingly displaying like a whore to earn my slave rape but he instead took a kurt to my flesh.

He seemed to take great delight in this but not in a sadistic way.. Master of slave and her body, he put me though my paces and found I writhed well under he and his whip. He asked if Max had been equally pleased by my writhing, saying I yielded well. I told him Max had never whipped me amid the turmoil yet so responsive body. I think this amused him and he said it was another of Max's mistakes as in such a state, I was beautiful. I will not say I understand what makes a man tick.. I do not understand why he thought me so beautiful at that moment but I do know I felt it and begged blantantly for sexual use. He took me as he was inspired to take me as he pleased, he was harsh and business like, using me simply, nothing more with the command that I was not to release.

Afterward, he put upon me his desires, for three days I can not touch him, I shall eat from his hand.. I shall sleep shackled to the ring. I accepted this, what choice did I have and besides.. I have spent many hands away from Max at the time so three days is a pittance. Yet, why did I seem happy by all of this .. being deprived and such.

He is a man to ponder.

Silence in a Schendi Garden

The ship arrived to Schendi without incident. Master kept me belted unless with him privately in his quarters and there seems plenty of work for me to do while we travel. He has business there that he takes care of himself.

After dinner I accompanied him to a garden and while my attention seemed to be on some bushes that caught my attention as well as the rest there, he garnered that attention to him with a grasp of my hair and a turn into his thigh. Yet it was once that we were alone that he surprised me yet again. Turning me to the bench he positioned me with the instruction that I was to be silent.. that if I made a sound he would take that as my displeasing him. It was the greatest of challenges to be silent while he touched me intimately and pushed my body to speak for itself.. not to be dependent on the pleasure sounds of a slave in heat.

At first I felt it was a sexual control and his desires of me to be silent but I learned quickly it went well beyond that, I was to use my body to speak the things I might say and while I looked at this as an exercise in silence, it was my body speaking so loudly and beyond the arousal he pressed upon me. I wanted to please him beyond the physical gratification so did so with that body of a slave girl. I was not prepared for how vulnerable I suddenly was, not in a physical way but his voice whispered to my ear, his touch just right making me squirm and writhe for more of his touch.. my Master exposed a place in me that was not his to have. Yes, I am a slave with an agenda. I want to serve and like the man.. I don't wish to feel again because of the hurt that sort of activity brings. I did not plan to give him a tear in my protective layers but that flaw must have been there to be found.

He is undermining my steadfast plan to not care again. He seems to know what to do to make me slip up and show myself and the most recent crime of his was that he brought me with him to Schendi.. he didn't leave me behind. On most occasions I am left behind.. he diffused my argument that he might just disappear by not even discussing it with me... just waking me when it was time to board the ship.

When he took his slave there in the darkness, that beautiful garden of the sweetest scented flowers.. the humidity thick in the air making my skin damp and hot to the touch, without a sound I yielded to him unlike I have to him yet, it was more than a hot slave finding release, it was a body speaking for the slave things she does not wish to say. He said next he would have me speak by word and I simply dread that day.

Where did my Master come from.. was it my fate that he would simply show up in my life?

The Scribe.. .. my Master.

Canvas for an Artist

My Master excites me. He caught me primping today and teased me saying he didn't know I needed to be primped in order to be beautiful, the Scribe has a wonderful sense of humor. He said I was non-refundable so would have to deal with the playful reasons why I needed to primp! As he sat at his furs I crawled to him and crawled like a sensual beast on the prowl -- his gaze upon me told me just how he enjoyed watching me come to him in such a way and as I tipped up to kneel then, splayed and luscious he in turn placed me back to my hands and knees and as the finishing touch the camisk I wear was whisked off of me to billow around my knees to rest. He is a subtle man and touched me in the slightest yet pulled so much from me without much effort, it did not take long before I was indeed feeling his presence before he was up and walking away to his desk, returning with ink and quill.

Once he settled beside me, he began to draw and make art out of his slave called, bela. What I found was an intimacy that I had not experienced from such an activity. He took his time making his drawings just as he wanted them, waiting for the ink to dry and while he worked on this art he found his slave relaxing under his touch, approaching an arousal that is simply not comparable to sexual arousal of just sex. I think that unassuming Scribe ventured further into a woman that I did not think could be penetrated past a certain point. Once he was finished and satisfied he then got some water and a cloth and washed the ink from my body... this was done with a minor change in my position as it was obvious I was a very soft and needful slave.. my cheek pressed to the fur as he continued to touch me, washing my skin clean of the ink. Once finished he pushed me down to the fur and rolled me over to my back. As I lay there looking up at him I realized that primping was not really a needed activity for at that moment I had never felt so beautiful as I did right there, flushed, warm, writhing beneath his gaze as he stood there watching what he had done to the woman he owns.

He said perhaps when the warmer weather came that he would paint a mural of a slave that looked like me, posing as I was for him, this time on my back it would be in color with a warrior or tarnsman watching this slave. He said something exciting... as I lay there I could do nothing but look up to a man that excited me more at that moment than I had been in a long time. He is different then most of the men I have known. He is taking his time and unwrapping me from outside to in.. digging for that hidden woman that he will possess. I told him how he excited me and he chuckled swearing me to secrecy.

Why our paths met, I will never know....

A Scribe full of surprises

The scribe returned early from his trip and I found that I was more excited to see his return than I had imagined I could feel. He saw that I had managed well in his absense and was pleased with my work for him. There is however an undercurrent there and I attempt to look at him as I have other men, just a man that wants a soft and supple slave nearby for nothing more than pleasure.

The Scribe has turned the tables on me.

A man that I thought I would be timid and closed off to a slave like me, a man that I was certain that I would be the teacher... he.. is full of surprises. I had not known how to behave with him, usually I am bold and brassy with no qualms to seduce a man yet I have been so careful with him because he was so different. I didn't want to scare him away.. I am sure that was what was on my mind because I found that I wanted to be with him and this too was something I was not prepared for. And what did he do? He pricked my skin and got underneath and when he decided that he would have me as a slave beneath him.. sly man, he handled me perfectly, exacting what he wanted from me while leaving me in shock and breathless and ... hooked. He informed me that he would buy me from Aris and if not, he would steal me. I was excited yet sad at the prospect. He had read my journal and felt he had figured out much about me, the slave called Bela. He asked me about my children, my life.. This is a man that is drawing me into his life as part of his life.. this is so different from what I know. Max always felt like a visitor in my life and it is amazing that it has taking many years to finally see that.

The Scribe took control of me last night.. me, silly woman that thought I would teach him, he turned and had my body leaping in lovely submission beneath the skill of his touch and command of me in its entirety... release was swift and from nowhere.. my body writhing well beneath his. But it goes way beyond sex.. I have let him past the walls I keep up or perhaps he will not let them stand in his way..

Today he met with Aris.. today he purchased me without my being there and told me later as he used the key to unlock my collar, his collar replacing the one I wore. He said the old collar would be gotten rid of, he would not have it around as a reminder. This is permanent and I will step into a future with him. His quiet characteristics are not to be believed as he well had a handle on the woman that is now his slave and he will have me serve him in perfection. He told me I might see Aris again some day but too he told me that I would not see my children again as he is breaking all ties to Maximus. It is in the best interest of his slave...

A Scribe. My Master.