The Wagon

Author's Note:

Henri Frederic Amiel wrote, "Destiny has two ways of crushing us -- by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them." I have found that it can do both in one fateful swoop ... changing lives and bringing peace where before there was none.

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That night in his wagon I had become that which I had successfully eluded for more than two plus years ... the wanton slave girl that I had thought I had buried so deep that it couldn't be found again. But Kidarr had managed to break through my charade, revealing just how fragile the façade had been where I had thought it had been strong enough to hide behind for the rest of my days.

And now, here I was, a collared slave in the middle of his camp and seemingly just another slut in a steel collar and I ached. Ached to be what he had given me a taste of but yet I still, obviously, had a lot to prove to him.

Maybe it was just the chase of my submission that had captured his attention. Maybe it was because I had eluded him for so long and he just wanted to prove that he could get a Free Woman to submit. Maybe it was just because I was one of many women that felt faint when he turned his attentions and charms upon me.

But now I was just a slut ... just another slut in a collar that spent all her time doing chores and ensuring that his camp ran smoothly. There were plenty of girls here and he could have his choice. Why would he choose me? His initials weren't even the one on my collar. No ... he had given me to a Free Woman instead of keeping me for himself. That in itself had been a painful reminder that I hadn't been anything special.

But I was determined to win his affections ... his attentions, despite the fact that he had given me to another. I would make him yearn to own me ... to possess me ... to ache for me like I did him; like I had ever since the first time I had met him beneath the false pretense of my robes. I would be the perfect slave girl. Instead of fighting my slavery, I would yield to it and in the process, capture his heart.

I had forgotten, however, how Kidarr was. How determined he was to revert me to complete and total submission and I found that instead I was the one aching ... I was the one yearning ... I was the one in helpless tears, sobbing and crying out his name in the middle of the night. He could have chained me beneath the moons in the middle of his camp and I would have torn up the camp just to get to him, begging for the chance to call him Master.

I was helpless beneath his mercy, trapped in the collar of a woman that I adored but I ached for the man that was just sitting mere feet away. Waiting ... waiting ... praying for the day that he would claim me. Would it ever come? Would he ever put me where I belonged? Only he knew the answer to the questions that haunted me night after night, day after day as I tried to be all that he could want and only wound up doubting myself, my abilities with every rise and fall of my chest.

It was only when I was near desperation did fate intervene one early spring day within the camp. It is here where my story continues ...

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The raid came quickly when we least expected it. It was early morn and only a few of the slaves were up, starting some chores to prepare the camp for the day to come. I don't know what happened to the slew of outriders that were supposed to be at their posts. Maybe they had been caught off-guard. Maybe there had been a conspiracy but there was hardly any warning before the rumble of kailla hooves and the cries of warriors on the hunt echoed through the camp.

I was between the supply wagon and the cooking fires when one of the raiders came boring down towards me and in that instant I knew that I was about to be taken from the one place where I wanted to be. Dropping the bowl of scrambled vulo eggs that I had been carrying, my feet went into action and I ran desperately, looking for a place to dart out of the way but the raider on the back of the charging animal had other ideas.

Screaming I felt my body being hauled up in the curve of a strong arm and I fought, kicking and flailing with slender arms and dancer's legs but to no avail. I found myself thrown across the front of the saddle, the pommel digging deep into my slave belly. I tried to push up, screaming obscenities that I would have been eating soap for in camp but the hand in the middle of my back kept me from pushing up and gaining any leverage. Tears raced down my cheeks as I tried to turn my head, looking to see where the Free were and all I could see was a mass of confusion.

"Master!! Master!!" I screamed, sobbing for Kidarr to come charging after me to rescue me from the fate that was snatching me away from the one true happiness that I was sure I could find at his feet but there was only the sound of confusion and screaming girls that were caught up the same as me.

But as the pounding of hooves and the fluidity of the animal beneath me took me further and further away from the camp, I knew that it was too late. I was the helpless captive of a raider and that my hopes of becoming a love slave to the one man I had craved for a number of years was now crushed in hopelessness. I sobbed, crying out even as I tried to wretch out from beneath his hand but I was caught and I was sure that I would never be given the chance to submit before him, swallowing my pride and begging to be his.

I don't know how long we had been traveling but I awoke to find myself sitting upright and leaning back against a hard chest as the animal below us continued to move in a smooth loping action. I stirred, shifting and felt the strong arm wrapped around my waist help me find a more comfortable position and I turned my head to try and get a better look at where we were ... where we were going. But he had other ideas, like he could read my mind about what I was doing and a sharp stinging smack to my thigh brought me up short and I looked up to get a better look at my captor's face.

He was wearing the dreaded mask of a mercenary and I could only see the dark eyes that met mine momentarily before his arm tightened around my waist, pulling me tighter to him. In that moment, I knew that he had every intention of keeping his identity from me and I wondered who it could be ... who had dared to raid Kidarr's own mercenary camp and steal me as well as two other girls that I could see with others that were riding in the formation around us.

Again, my head swiveled as if trying to look at the details around us to see where we were and again, I felt his hand slap my thigh and then his arm encircled my petite waist once more. Only this time I felt his arm squeeze tightly, stealing the breath from me. I struggled, crying out as I tried to gulp precious air but all I could see was the glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes as things became foggy around me. I beat futilely at his arm a moment, my movements becoming weaker and weaker until darkness seeped into my consciousness, claiming me in a peaceful embrace.