The slave girl kneels on the floor by a corner of the bed. She holds a wooden bowl in her lap. The bowl contains some pieces of fruit and nuts. She is wearing only a scarf tied about her hips. Her gaze is directed to the floor.
The slave girl is not happy. Since she came to my house, she has been the supervisor of my lady's bedchamber. Last night, there was a transgression of the rules and now the slave girl waits to be questioned and judged. I am the lord of this house.
I walk into the room. The slave girl silently raises her bowl and keeps her eyes directed to the floor. As I pass the slave girl, I take some nuts from the bowl and eat them as I talk to her.
"Do know why you are here? Just nod your head if you understand. Good. Imagine how I felt when the captain of my guard came to me last night to tell me that he had discovered you in the guards' chamber at the front gate. You had taken the seed of eight guards and left them near to fainting. When the captain walked in, you were on your knees before a ninth guard sucking his cock as if you were a mad woman.
"Do you know what would have happened if one of my enemies had chosen to test my defenses when half of my guards were hardly able to stand? My head would be on a pike outside the wall right now. The heads of all my family would be displayed beside mine and your pretty head would be right there as well.
"Why did you do it? Did one of my enemies promise you freedom or gold?"
The slave girl slowly shakes her head from side to side.
"No? Really? Did the guards ply you with wine or threaten you with a beating?"
The slave girl again slowly shakes her head from side to side.
"Indeed. What then? Look at me, girl. You have my permission to speak."
The girl lifts her head. Her eyes are shining.
"My lord, I could not help myself. I had not seen, spoken to, touched a man for a year. All my days and nights were spent in your lady's chamber. Last night I looked out the window & saw the guardroom's door was ajar. I slipped out after my lady had fallen asleep. My hunger drove me."
"Gods, girl, your hunger could have been the death of us all. I should send you south by the next caravan. I should let you apply your hunger to skiapods and manticores in the wilderness and see how you fare with their rough passions."
The slave girl gasps and turns her eyes to the floor once more.
"But I may choose another fate for you. If your talents are as remarkable as the guards report, you could serve in another post in my house. When I give banquets, it would amuse my guests to have a slave girl under the table, crawling from one place to the next, entertaining each as they desire. We shall see. Put your bowl down and stand before me. Let me see all of you, girl. You shall be tested. You must be silent, my lady sleeps in the next chamber and it would not do to awaken her."
The slave girl trembles as she removes the cloth that was wound around her hips. It was her only garment and now she stands naked in front of me. Her skin is very fair. Her hair is long and falls in curls to the middle of her back. She did not understand what I meant when I said that she would be tested and she is afraid.
"Hold your hands out in front of you," I say gently as I sit on the end of the bed, "you must be prepared."
The slave girl meekly complies. I open a chest beside the bed and draw out four leather cuffs. They are brown and studded with brass. When I buckle the first cuff on the girl's arm, she is startled by how heavy the restraint is and how soft the cuff's lining makes it feel. She then holds very still while I fasten the second cuff in place.
"Drop your arms, girl. Now, put your right foot on the edge on the bed."
I then fasten a leather cuff, a match to the ones on her wrists, around the slave girl's right ankle. I repeat the procedure with her left ankle. The slave girl does her best to stand motionless, her arms at her sides, her feet together, her eyes properly cast down, before me. Even thought she still has the free use of her arms and legs, the thick, heavy cuffs make her feel trapped. They remind her that she is a slave, property to be used as I desire.
As the slender, naked slave girl strives to control her emotions, I smile to himself as I plan her test. The night will be long.
"Girl, I will have more answers from you. You have my permission to speak when I ask you a question. You will look into my eyes when you speak. I can see whether you tell the truth or if you tell lies from your eyes. I should not have to remind you that it will go ill with you if you lie to me. Look at me, girl. Do it now."
Fearfully, the slave girl lifts her gaze and meets my eyes. She blinks and then tries to hold her eyes steady, tries to keep her breathing even and slow.
"Girl, you said that for the entire year you have served in my lady's bedchamber, you have not known the touch of a man. Is that the truth?"