Ariana Sold

Ariana Sold by John Marc Thibault Cartius, First Scribe of Balderswold, sat comfortably on deep furs, sipping warm ale, nibbling on strips of tender spiced hind, feeling all was well with the world. He'd enjoyed telling stories from his most recent circuit of Balderswold and reveled in the applause and appreciation of his audience in the inn. Now he relaxed, let the music wash over him, and watched the girl as she bent and circled to the chain dance. She danced for Him—as she did every time he visited the inn. Diaphanous green silk moved with her body, emphasizing the curve of her hips, the roundness of her breasts, clinging to the moist sheen that now covered her smooth skin. She turned and tore at an invisible chain, but such was her skill that her dance gave it substance. She pulled and cried, but the chain wouldn't give. When she'd danced her capture and the locking of the collar, she'd been only a few feet from him. Her movements left no doubt that it was his collar she wore. And now, when she pulled the chain, she pulled away from where he sat, and the chain always ran taut exactly twenty feet from him, no matter what direction her dance took her. Her dance grew frenzied as she snarled and bit at the chain, eyes wild, her body bent and jerked, hands pulling at the

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collar. All of a sudden she stopped—motionless, head down, eyes pleading, a tear flowing down one cheek. Her hands caressed the chain, pulling it gently until it stretched tight. Then, abruptly, she leapt into the air, as if to run down the chain and attack him, her face distorted in a grimace of determination, hands out like claws. But in only one stride, she stopped, gave out a great cry of anguish, and sank to the floor. Taking his cue from her dance, he moved to slowly draw in the chain. She stood and struggled against it, turning in the collar, planting her feet, but to no avail. As she was drawn closer she fell to her knees, holding and pulling the chain, arched back so far that her head touched the floor behind her. Thighs spread, muscles taught and shivering, she was at once submitting and resisting. Cartius laughed at her convincing frustration, reeling her in. Finally, exhausted, she turned over and crawled on her belly to his feet, head down, reconciled to her fate. "This girl is yours," she whispered, and held her crossed wrists out over her head, inches from his boots. Again taking his cue, he gripped her wrists one-handed. Standing up, he drew her up to his level, her feet dangling a foot above the floor. Holding her chin with his free hand, he kissed her—a long, wet kiss. Then, setting her down, he sent her back to the pit with a loud slap to her backside. Giving him a conspiratorial look over her shoulder, she giggled and skipped to the center of the dance pit. The others in the inn shouted and clapped in approval. A rain of gold coins fell into the sand at the dancer's feet. Delirious with joy that she'd so pleased the Masters (and one Master in particular), Ariana, girl of Balderswold, property of Telos the Innkeeper, swept up the coins from the sand and walked from the pit toward her Master. She walked a dancer's walk on the balls of her feet, one foot in front of the other, accentuating her curves. Hips and shoulders swaying, long hair swinging back and forth across her back, breasts

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and butt moving in time, she knew she still held the gaze of every man in the inn. Breathless, kneeling at her Master's feet, she held her hands cupped, full of coins, over her head. Telos smiled at the sweaty little girl, took the coins and put them into a pouch at his waist. "You danced well, little one." Thrilled by his compliment, she saw him reach under a shelf and come out with a bundle of sparkling golden-yellow silk. She rose to his gesture and caught the bundle of silk as he tossed it to her. "Go clean yourself up, put this on, and get back here. Quickly now!" Holding the bundle tightly to her body, she scurried off to do her Master's bidding. As soon as she was out of the inn, she stopped to unfold the bundle and gasped! It was a small shift, made of the finest silk she'd ever seen, much less ever held in her hands! The silk was as light as air and seemed to be made of powdered gold, glinting in the light of the torches outside the inn. How pleased must her Master be, to give her such a gift! How happy she was, to have pleased him so! She folded the silk again, and holding it even more tightly than before, ran to the harim. She scrubbed with soap and hot water and toweled her skin to a warm glow. Dabbing the right places with girl scent, she put on the wonderful dress and marveled at herself in the mirror. The silk was so fine that she could barely feel it on her body. What she could feel made her skin tingle. Taking only a moment to revel in the luxury, she ran happily back to the inn. Skidding to a stop just inside the kitchen door, she went to her Master Telos. Moving to where he could see her, she knelt and waited for his instructions.

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Pointing to a bottle of ale, Telos commanded, "See to the Scribe!" Taking the bottle and holding it close between her breasts, she walked quickly to where Master Cartius sat. She knelt in front of him, back straight, knees spread, in perfect position. She'd been born to serve; a lifetime of tutelage and practice had taught her exactly how to present herself to a Master. "May this girl serve you, Master?" Cartius pushed his goblet a fraction of an inch in her direction. Reaching out gracefully, using only the tips of her fingers, she took the goblet. Expertly, she poured the amber ale into it, starting quickly so that it looked like the liquid would slosh out of the goblet again. Raising the bottle at the right moment, reducing the flow in a smooth motion, she filled the goblet without a single drop going astray. Putting down the bottle, she took the goblet in both hands. She raised it, kissing the side softly with full lips, her eyes closed. Lowering her head, she reached out to give it to the Scribe. Putting his hands around hers for a moment, he felt their softness. As he took the goblet, the mix of her girl scent and the strong aroma of the ale made his head swim. Feeling his hands holding hers, she trembled and felt the passion run through her body. She ached to be with Him, serving Him, not just with ale but with every pleasure that she'd learned to give. Taking a sip, he peered over the rim of the cup at the sloeeyed, brown-skinned girl at his feet. The sparkling silk only served to highlight the beauty of her well-toned body, hiding nothing. His gaze took in soft auburn hair, perfectly rounded breasts, erect nipples straining at the flimsy silk, curved tummy, smoothly sculptured legs, more auburn at their meeting. He was also aware of the small, sensuous movements of her body as she knelt, nominally still, but shouting her heat and her desire. To distract himself, he examined her brand; it was unusual and complex, almost as if she'd been branded twice, one brand on top of the other. A

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heart enclosed a small rose, both encircled within five interlocking rings. There had to be a story behind that brand; one day he'd have her tell it. Reluctantly, he dismissed her. She picked up the bottle from where she'd carefully placed it, crawled back a bit on her knees and then, in a single fluid motion, stood up and turned back toward the kitchen. She knew that He was watching her walk away and put an extra sway to her hips just to please Him. As Ariana went to the kitchen, she met Drina, another of Telos' girls, and her best friend. Drina took her by both shoulders and kissed her cheek. Smiling, she said, "This is your night, my sister. I will miss you." Ariana hugged her, certain that this night both their lives would be changed forever. Drina went to the pit, letting her silks slide to the floor as she reached the rim. She moved to the center and struck a curvaceous pose while the musicians sounded an introduction. Then, as the musicians played a slow bolero, the red-haired dancer moved, sinuously, and at times impossibly, to the beat of the music. Strong and sensuous as the melody, the naked girl danced a slow, passionate, hypersexual dance around the post in the center of the dance pit. Telos came over to sit beside Cartius and the two of them watched the redhead for a while. Eventually, without taking his eyes off the girl, Telos spoke. "You should bind her." Tearing his attention away from the dancer, Cartius turned and asked, "Why? I don't need a girl. Besides, I thought you'd bartered her off to some trader." Telos chuckled, "Not Drina—Ariana. Drina will be on the Trader Blue Devil when she lifts in the morning. Ariana will still be here, but there's a limit to how long I'll hold her for you."

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Confusion furrowed Cartius' brow as he asked, "Why would you be holding her for me?" Telos put on his most patient look. "You're in need of a girl or three, and I've seen how you react to her." "What makes you think I'm in need of a girl?" In fact, Cartius was at that moment free, or bereft, depending on your viewpoint, of household girls. Telos, not just a publican but a close and long-time friend, chuckled, "Your home is in danger of disappearing under a layer of dust, you make meals out of the snacks I serve here, and you are wearing out my girls. Take Ariana—you want her and she wants you. What's the problem?" Cartius frowned, reluctant. He had to admit to himself that, should he want a girl, Ariana would be one he wanted. "I don't know...I like my simple life." Telos couldn't help but think that the life of the First Scribe, Keeper of the World's Stories would be anything but "simple." "I will make you a good price," he countered as he signaled the girl to come closer. Ariana walked quickly to within a few feet of the two Masters and knelt, back straight, sitting on her heels, knees apart. She kept her head tilted just enough to avoid eye contact and waited nervously. Telos had told her he'd try to sell her to Cartius and that she had better present herself well. She'd feigned a properly obedient calm, but inside she'd boiled with anticipation and hope. Although Telos was a good and generous Master, what she wanted most, what her body burned for, was to belong to the handsome and witty Master Cartius. Seeing her kneeling there, Cartius couldn't help but see the need in her. Nor could he ignore his own feelings. The bond between them pulled at him. He realized that whatever one may believe about the Fates, it was fated that he should have

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this girl. He turned to Telos, "If I were interested, what price would you be asking?" As the girl sat there barely containing her excitement, the two Masters negotiated her price and her future. Eventually, they agreed, and Cartius waved her to his feet. She crawled forward and placed her head at his feet, her long hair covering his boots, arms up over her head and wrists crossed. "This girl is yours," she whispered. Her heart beat so hard she was sure everyone could hear it. Telos threw Cartius a key and Cartius, turning her head to expose her neck, opened the lock on Telos' collar. Removing the collar, he exchanged it for a length of leather thong. True to tradition, he wrapped it around her neck and tied it with a strong knot. Then he securely bound her wrists, leaving only just enough leather between wrists and neck for comfort. This left him a five-foot lead. Completing the ritual, Telos took out a small tooled-leather pouch tied with a braided leather loop. He put the loop over the girl's head so that the pouch would hang between her breasts when she got up. In the pouch was Telos' parting gift. Ariana was certain that it would be a very generous one. If they hadn’t been aware of their audience, they were made aware as the inn exploded with applause and shouting. Offering simple congratulations and lewd advice, men and girls alike voiced their approval and encouragement. Cartius nodded and thanked them all, somewhat embarrassed by the unexpected attention. It was very late, and Cartius might have left at once, but Telos ordered wine be served to celebrate the binding. Tugging on the lead, Cartius motioned Ariana to heel. The girl crawled around to a spot behind and to his left and knelt there, obedient and waiting. Now she knelt with her knees together; the First Girl of a High Tech Master wasn't for any other man's pleasure.

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Sold! And to Master Cartius! Ariana knelt quietly, but she felt her heart would explode with joy! Since the first night, many months past, that He'd watched her dance, and that later she had knelt nearby, breathing his scent and listening to His stories—wonderful stories—she'd wanted nothing but to be His. She burned with impatience as the two men sat talking and other girls kept their glasses filled with wine—while other girls served her Master, and she was forced to sit still, doing nothing for Him but being obedient. By the time Cartius was ready to leave, it was early morning and the city was coming to life. The streets were filling with people, some coming into Telos' Inn for breakfast. He waved at Telos and headed for the door, Ariana's lead in his hand. Ariana leapt up and moved to follow, not giving the lead the least chance to go taught. As they walked from the inn to His home, she walked with style and grace. She wanted to make sure that everyone they met would know how clever her Master was, to have bought such a beautiful and graceful girl!

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