Glory & Shame

Glory and Shame is set in feudal China. The characters and plot are based on a series of dreams and visions. I dedicate this story to Selene daughter of the Moon and desire of my soul.

* * * * *

I am Wei Yun. I have seen only 18 years of life and now I will never see another dawn. This is the story of my glory and my shame.

I can hardly draw on the memory of my former life. My family worked the fields gathering rice and soy. It was a hard but simple life. The town elders paid tribute to the lord of the land and, in turn, he protected us from bandits and invaders.

It was a very harsh winter. The harvest had been poor that year. I remember the smell of ash in chill air that day. Invaders from the south had besieged our Lord’s lands for several months. His army had already forced the conscription most of the men in our village.

I can still hear the thunderous sound of the horses as they charged into our village. The men clad in black armor, burning homes, destroying all in their path. I heard screams of terror, which haunt my dreams to this day. I felt a thud and then, blackness.

I awoke in the back of cart full of women, some I recognized, and others I did not. Most of us were scared into silence. Those few whispers that dared escape were of a terrible warlord who had swept the province. Nothing stood in his way.

We neared what I recognized as our lord’s keep. The walls were scorched in places, destroyed in others. The gates of this once mighty keep were broken and cast aside. We passed what had been the market place, now a place of public execution. The stench of blood and burnt flesh overcame me. I wretched, heaved, and plunged mercifully into darkness.

A splash of freezing water, rough and probing hands awoke me next. I and three other girls my age were being pulled from the cell and lined up. We were ushered through the keep. Even in it’s current state, one could not help but marvel at the incredible beauty and wealth of this place. Rich furnishings and treasures of all kinds adorned its halls.

We were brought to an opulent room. Furniture of dark wood and jade, golden censures, beautiful tapestry and rugs accented the room. The smell of sandalwood and sage filled the air. The guards stood at the door like stone pillars never moving. Had I not been overcome with fear, I would have marveled at the splendor of that which surrounded me.

A short time later, an elegantly dressed woman entered through a curtain from an adjacent room, and dismissed the guards. She circled us slowly. She was magnificent. She was not tall, but she commanded attention. Her eyes were the color of dark emeralds. Her hair was a flawless, black, deep as the night sky. Her skin had the look of fresh cream. She wore a silk robe of deep crimson; the dragon and the tiger in golden thread adorned the hem and cuffs of the sleeves.

She introduced herself simply as Madam. Her first words to us were simple. "You have been selected", she began. "Master Yao has shown you great favor. Please him, and you will know joy unimagined. Fail to do so... even the most wretched creature on earth would not want your fate."

She clapped her hands twice. From the other room appeared six figures dressed in white silk robes. Nothing of their faces or any part of them was visible through the cloth. They entered almost soundlessly. Two of them stood beside each of us. She nodded and two of the ghostly figures began to lead the first of us to the center of the room.

They began to undress the girl. She resisted, crying out. Madam stoically walked to her and slapped her hard across the face. "Be still" came the command. The she again struggled. This time when Madam struck her, it was across the back of her legs with a small bamboo rod that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The girl whimpered but did not again protest.

Madam circled the young woman, as if she were inspecting a prize horse or a statue up for sale. She began inspecting the girl’s hair, and teeth, hands and feet. Then she made a motion and the two wraiths escorted the girl to the next room. I was next in line. I did not want to rouse Madam’s anger so I stood silently, eyes cast down, as she began. A warm flush came over me when Madam’s hand brushed against my shoulders and the small of my back. A noticeable chill overcame me giving me gooseflesh. I noticed the hint of a smile cross Madam’s lips as her eyes lingered on my erect nipples and chilled skin. She motioned and I too was led away to the next room.

This room was as elegant as the last but more sparsely furnished. There were four tables of jade and dark wood, one on each wall. Mirrors burnished in gold and jade above each table. The scents of sandalwood and sage played making my head light. Here the floors were bare teak and a large wooden tub of steaming water occupied the center of the room. To one side of the room, two more of the white clad figures stood by a large pot of boiling water, ladles of which they periodically added to the tub, and on the other, a small wooden stall where I was led.

The first girl was being helped into the tub when I entered. She winced slightly as she was lowered into the water. I watched intrigued by the scene as our spectral escorts began to bathe the girl. The heat and humidity of the room formed drops of sweat on her pale skin that glistened like beads of glass. Our attendants, roughly at times, scrubbed her skin as if to remove all traces of the outside world.

My attendants soon had my full attention again. The stall where I was lead consisted of three walls of dark wood with a drainage grate in the floor. On the walls hung two vessels of alabaster. The vessels had long hoses with nozzles of silver shaped like the heads of fish.

One of my attendants held me still, the other removed a small clip from the first of the hoses and warm water began to flow from the spout. The attendant holding me guided me to bend over. Soon I felt the warm water running down my legs. I cried out in shock however, as the nozzle was slowly pushed into my anus. The sting of Madam’s rod across my ankle became an instant reminder that no protest, however small, would be allowed. One of the specters whispered in an almost childlike voice, "Hold, do not let go". I could feel the warmth of the water filling me, and my knees getting weak, as I struggled not to let go. Then as my attendant removed the nozzle, I released, and nearly collapsed from the sensation.

My attendant steadied me then unclipped the second hose. The scent of herbs in warm water filled the stall. I could feel the lips of my womanhood swell as the warm water and the hands of my attendant began cleansing me. This time a small moan escaped in my breath as the nozzle was slowly pushed inside of me. To my surprise Madam’s hand reached out and softly caressed my face. A small shudder overtook me as the attendant removed the second nozzle. A flush of water and my own juices ran down my legs and I began to tremble. The attendants rinsed me off. I lowered my head and sobbed, scared and ashamed as they lead me to the tub.

To Be Continued...