Posted by Moore on April 20, 2004 at 16:27:53:
In Reply to: Introduction posted by Moore on April 20, 2004 at 16:25:36:
The author would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Diana B.; for the idea of Diana at the slave auction and her encouragement to write more of the story based on her namesake.
Journal Entry ------------
Two weeks after the proposal.
Diana said yes, and for a few days, all was well. I told her of my real reason for coming to the frontier, and found out about her as well. But she seemed restless. I had been neglectful in my business dealings, and there were urgent matters that needed my attention. Even though I had much to do, I made every effort to spend time with her. But the mystery, the uncertainty seemed to have gone out of our relationship. She found other things to do; drink with the mercenaries, attend the theater, and sample the other entertainment Perpignan has to offer. Everyone has the same amount of time in a day, if they are a King or a slave. When Diana continued to spend her time in other pursuits besides me, I found myself planning the wedding by myself, putting all the effort into it. Diana barely replied to the complicated decisions we had to make. I knew I had lost her.
After a week, the sharp pain of losing her again had lessened to more of a melancholy ache. In a last ditched effort to steer things back on course, I asked her not to neglect me. To my surprise, she agreed, and we spent that night together. A glorious night of give and take and passion. My hope was reignited.
But it was short lived. That was the last night we spent together, the last night I think we will ever spend together. She has gone back to neglecting me ever since. I have halted all wedding preparations. At this point, the pain has faded further to a wistful, what could have been feeling.
End of Journal Entry ------------
Count Perpignan has three children. The oldest is Charles. He was raised from an early age to take command of the Province. No expense was spared in teaching him the arts of rulership and statesmanship. Due to the rigors of life on the frontier, he was trained in the art of combat as well. Charles excelled in his combat training most of all.
He learned the lessons well, surpassing even his teachers with his raw skill. Although he mastered the bow and lance, he truly excelled at the sword. Several of his opponents were dazzled by his skill with a blade, even as his sword licked the life out of them. In combat he is a thing of beauty; graceful, fluid, and always pressing the attack.
Count Charles Perpignan is tall and dark haired, with cool blue eyes. He is a lean, quick man, with powerful, ropy muscles. His face is beautiful; the scar on his chin from a beast's talons adds to his rugged good looks. He carries himself with a aura of command and presence assumed through noble birth and earned with his ability with a sword. He had grown up commanding men through his birthright. Charles now commands monsters with his skill at arms. He is confident and assured no matter where he is, either a fine Court or a savage battlefield.
Count Charles Perpignan returns to the town of Perpignan a few months after the rainy season. After a great feast in his honor, he surveyed his Province. Something disturbed him. A merchant named Sardana was organizing merchant guilds, which would give rise to a middle class. This could threaten the power of the nobility. Charles could have challenged Sardana to a duel and kill him as easily as blowing out a candle, but where was the sport in that?
Charles decided to make it more interesting. Charles would teach Sardana a lesson in humility by taking his woman. Charles would casually walk over to her, throw her over his shoulder and bring her to his lavish manor house. If Sardana's mercenary guards didn't respect his divine right as a Count to do as he pleased, Charles would teach them a lesson as well.
Charles wanted to stir up his circle of pleasure with a new addition. It would be amusing to train this new woman Diana; and mold her into a proper slave devoted to her his pleasure. She would likely resist at first, which would make breaking her all the more enjoyable. He would be coarse and bestial with her training. Charles planed to spank her for every offense, every resistance. If her training went very well, Charles planned to give her to others at the Court for additional training.
Count Charles Perpignan knew Diana will not want Sardana when he is done with her. She will not be able to bear Sardana' love, his tenderness, his tentativeness, his inability to govern her. She will despise Sardana's weakness, and crave only Charles' strength.
===================
Sardana tried one last thing to return his beloved Diana's interest towards him. He had his mercenary guards seize her and haul her to the weekly slave auction. Sardana planned to auction her off, a fantasy of hers, then buy her from her new master before any harm was done. Sardana had planned for almost every contingency, except for Count Charles Perpignan's direct meddling.
Diana was surprised when the mercenary guards turned on her. They bound her hands behind her back, and marched her to a large courtyard despite her protests. A wooden platform had been constructed in the center, and slaves were being auctioned off. Diana felt a growing fear, but also a strange excitement.
Diana recognized the slave auctioneer, a woman named Roquelaure.
Roquelaure approached Diana. She drew a knife and cut Diana's clothes off. "You won't be needing these anymore," Roquelaure said harshly. Roquelaure pulled a meek Diana up onto the platform where the crowd could see her nakedness. Diana could hear admiring comments about her body from the people. Again, the humiliation was mixed with a tingling anticipation.
There was a great turmoil in the crowd as the Count arrived. The commoners parted as he strode to the front of the throng of people. Diana blushed furiously as his piercing gaze raked over her.
Roquelaure began Diana's examination while the Count and the assorted mass of people watched. You know how it is on the slave market. Roquelaure examined Diana just as they do with horses: opening her mouth to check out her teeth, weighing her breasts if they are firm enough, looking at her nails to see if she's are healthy, pulling on her hair - rather harshly - to see how she behaves, trying to shove three fingers up into her - if they go in too easily, the price will go down by points, then controlling her eyes from nearby and spitting into them to see how she reacts, and testing her reactions by giving her a totally unexpected a hard slap in the face.
Diana knew she had better not be too pleased with this, because if she takes on any airs of being great or making tantrums there will be hell to be expected for later than night with her new master.
Diana was surprised by the intensity of her arousal at her treatment. Charles seemed surprised with her as well, and watched the proceeding with great interest. Count Charles Perpignan needed to bid for Diana only once. No one dared to bid against him.
Sardana watched from a courtyard window. He had changed his mind several times about the slave auction. When he saw how Diana was treated, Sardana wanted to rescue her, not humiliate her. But Sardana realized that this is what she really wants. He sees the excitement on Diana's face, the anticipation, her arousal, and knows he is not the man for her. Sardana opens his hand, and lets her go. Although his guards looked at him expecting him to counter bid the Count, Sardana just watched as she was leashed and forced to follow Count Charles Perpignan at a trot on her hands and knees.
Diana briefly wondered how Sardana was going to rescue her. But she stopped thinking of him quickly as she came to relish being the Count's full time slave, being humiliated and punished at his whim for no other reason then it amused him. Diana devoted her entire life to pleasing Count Charles Perpignan thereafter.
A tiny seed of hatred for Count Charles Perpignan has taken root in Sardana's heart.