We travelled for a few days. It was a routine; in the morning, Sir would get me out of the cot, tie me to a tree, feed me, cover my body with the protective cream, pack up the camp, then lead me away. We'd walk most of the day, stopping for a simple lunch (in which I would not be fed - the jelly he fed me had strange restorative properties).
At the end of the day, he would make camp - tie me to a tree, then build my cot and a campfire, then feed me and cover me with cream again. He would then take me over to my cot where I slept the night. The next morning, we did it all again.
We met many people on our trip through the forest. Many of them fell into fits of giggles as soon as they saw me; a lot pointed and laughed; some of them were deeply curious. I did nothing to hide my body when we saw them. Sometimes, Sir would tell me to turn around so they could see different sides and parts of my body.
Most of them, upon hearing my crimes, agreed that I was a naughty bint who deserved to be paraded around nude. I didn't argue. I just did what I was told. I was going to move through this as fast as possible.
But there
was
one issue on my mind.
"Sir?"
He paused. He was feeding me at the time; my arms were tied above my head by a rope which was, itself, tied to a tree branch.
"What is it, Erica?"
I carefully considered how to ask this. "... Permission to make a request?"
"Permission granted."
"My hair is getting long. It's starting to fall over my face. Can I get a haircut at some point?"
"Hmm. You've been a good girl. I'll think about it next time we're in town." He patted me on the head, then returned to feeding me. As I ate the jelly, my hair fell into my eyes. I shook my head to get it out.
What a thing to consider. My only hope to have my hair the way I like it was to play the good girl for Sir. I was confident I could pull it off; to sacrifice my dignity and go where he told me to go. I almost liked it as practice for the long-term goal of getting out of here.
I put that out of mind.
The next day, he packed up our camp. When he tied me up to go, he chose to tie me with my elbows in the air and my wrists tied to my back. It was a snug fit. I was slightly terrified, having my armpits exposed at all times, but it wasn't like there was anything I could do about it.
We travelled along for a few hours when we met a group travelling the other way. We heard them before we saw them, all engaged in loud conversation as they rode their horses. When they came around the corner, I was shocked.
They were a very visually diverse group. A short and stocky man with a big beard and bald head, wearing a giant hammer over his back, riding a very muscular pony. A handsome man with a light beard and medium-length brown hair, wearing a sword, riding a horse.
A muscular woman with brown skin and very sharp-looking eyebrows, covered in tattoos, with an axe on her back, riding a horse. A very short woman with big glasses wearing a combat skirt covered in stars, riding a smaller pony.
What really surprised me was the elven man. His skin was light blue, his ears were long and pointed, and his eyes were white. He wore a white shirt with a black vest, black pants, and a fancy hat with a feather in it. He had a lute slung over his should and rode a horse.
"By the gods!" cried out the little woman, spotting me almost immediately.
"A naked woman, tied up!" yelled the short bearded man.
