Chapter Seventeen – The Sapphire Necklace

The Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia spent the autumn of 1754 recovering from the war. The country gave thanks to the Creator for having spared the central valley, but the province of Horkustk Ris, which had been devastated and depopulated, would take years to recover. The Grand Duke was very active in planning the province’s future, realizing that he had the opportunity to shape an entire region to fit the needs of both the Duchy and the Royal Household.

The province’s lack of defenses was a problem the sovereign needed to immediately address. He would reserve territory for a replanted forest from which Royal Guards could launch raids against any future invaders. He also ordered the official abandonment of the ruined city of Horkustk Ris. The new provincial capitol would be located further south in Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt. The southern town had been little more than a large farming village in 1754, but over the ensuing decade it would become the most important city in the region, boasting the Royal Army’s largest garrison. The Danubian Church built a new Temple based on the design of the one in Starivktaki Moskt, which signaled the Duchy’s religious leaders were officially turning away from traditional Christian architecture. Old churches and cathedrals from the “Roman” era would be left in place, but any new ones would be built according to the pre-Christian design.

The Grand Duke continued ordering heavy stones and other building supplies to be brought into the area surrounding the capitol for the planned expansion of the city wall. Throughout the winter the kilns burned non-stop and massive piles of bricks and blocks kept growing. The population, which had not seen how useless the walls in Horkustk Ris had been against the Army of the Red Moon’s cannons, happily anticipated building the new defenses and living in a more secure city.

Silvitya looked over the castle wall with a spyglass that she had borrowed from Protector Bulashckt. She studied the building materials and construction stockpiles, wondering what really was happening. She remembered the words of the wagon driver on the day she entered the capitol for the first time:

“I think the Grand Duke’s wasting our effort, if you ask me. A new wall isn’t going to do us any good. All it takes is some cannon balls and the whole thing comes crashing down… Stone doesn’t beat gunpowder… not for very long, at any rate.”

The siege of Horkustk Ris had amply proved the wagon driver’s opinion. Certainly the Grand Duke was as aware of the uselessness of city walls as anyone so, why was he still planning to build a new one around the Danubian capitol? It just didn’t make any sense.

———-

Silvitya attended the births of several children during the weeks after she returned to her normal life in the Royal Residence, including the babies of ex-concubines. It was strange to see her former “sisters” after not having seen them for six or seven months and knowing they soon would be leaving the castle and starting new lives. It was nice to get caught up on news with her old companions and tell them what had gone on in the concubine group since they had left. The new mothers had plenty of news about happenings in the capitol, since their lives in the maternity wing were not nearly as restricted as life in the concubines’ quarters.

The Grand Duke trusted Silvitya more than anyone else in the castle to oversee the successful deliveries of his offspring. He did not love his former mistresses, but was very concerned that the babies and their mothers were healthy. The women would be properly taken care of as long as their children stayed alive, but the ruler made it very clear that if anything bad ever happened to one of his children, regardless of whether or not the mother was to blame, she would be kicked out of her house, her goods would be seized, and the support she was receiving from the Royal Household would immediately stop.

The Grand Duke had fathered dozens of children over that past decade. Once a woman became his concubine, the only way she could leave the castle was to become pregnant. The Grand Duke obviously wanted as many children as he would possibly have, but why? The children were all illegitimate, so none of them could become legal heirs to the throne. Why was he spending so much time and money impregnating ordinary women and then sending them away to live out their lives scattered around the Duchy?

———-

After returning to the castle, Silvitya resumed her status as the Grand Duke’s “favorite” concubine. She could freely move about the Royal Residence and go as far as the end of the garden. The Royal Guards would not let her go beyond the far edge of the planted area, but still, it was wonderful to spend time outside the castle and be able to look out at the capitol and surrounding areas. Even as the autumn progressed and being naked outdoors became increasingly uncomfortable, Silvitya was happy to be away from the stifling atmosphere of the castle and the continuous chatter of her companions.

Throughout the autumn, supply caravans pulled into the castle to off-load food and charcoal and ensure its inhabitants had what they needed to pass the winter comfortably. Silvitya often braved the wind to watch the supply wagons off-load, to see what was coming into the castle and hear gossip and news about the rest of the Duchy.

She was surprised when several wagons entered the castle loaded down with heavy powdery black rocks. Seeing the rocks reminded her of her days in Babackt Yaga’s settlement and filled her thoughts with regret and nostalgia. Only two years had passed since she had been a Follower, but it seemed so much longer than that: an entire lifetime.

Silvitya examined one of the rocks, picking at it with her fingernails. It was still strange to think this thing would actually catch on fire. She remembered the conversations she had with the Grand Duke over the previous winter about the various inventions of the Followers. She realized the Grand Duke had listened to her seriously and had taken an interest in cave-charcoal. She talked to a castle supply-room assistant to find out that, sure enough, the Grand Duke wanted to experiment with heating. So, along with the shipment of ordinary charcoal, he had ordered several wagonloads of the strange black rocks to be transported all the way from the northern border. A wagon master explained that it came from a cave near Severckt nad Goradki and that it burned much better than wood.

“We don’t know what to call it yet, but just west of the pass to Rika Chorna there’s a mountain full of it. A single wagon of these rocks is like bringing in dozens of cut trees. If this works out, the Grand Duke is thinking about using barges to bring in more of these rocks next year.”

“Is he going to use the rocks in the castle’s fireplaces, Wagon-master?”

“I don’t think so, Servant. These rocks burn too hot for ordinary fireplaces. But, from what I have been told by one of the Royal blacksmiths, His Majesty has been experimenting with special iron stoves. He sent drawings of several designs and ordered the metal-workers to create them.”

Silvitya looked up to see Protector Bulashckt, studying at both her and the strange cargo. She had not seen him since he dropped her off at the castle at the end of September. She greeted him and would have left it at that, but she was curious about the stoves. She requested that he escort her to the castle’s blacksmiths’ shop to see the stoves for herself. It turned out the designs were identical to the stoves used in Babackt Yaga’s settlement. The foreman of the blacksmiths proudly described what his men had created over the summer:

“These designs came from His Majesty himself. They are truly amazing, don’t you think? The Creator has blessed the Duchy with a ruler who can create such wonderful inventions for his people.”

The concubine forced herself to respond: “Yes Master-Smith. We are truly blessed… that His Majesty is so creative… and he can take credit… blessed indeed… ”

A few days after Silvitya’s visit to the metal-workers, castle laborers bought one of the new stoves to install in the concubines’ bath house. The bath house would become the concubines’ favorite spot in the castle, since the room would always be warm and heating water would be so much easier. Since the reading room would not be receiving a stove that winter, the concubines would avoid it and abandon their spokeswoman’s regimen of studying and reading. The women would return to light recreation, grooming and massages. Realizing she faced opposition and a possible rebellion if she tried to force her “sisters” back into the cold reading room, Silvitya decided not to push the issue. So… her efforts to improve her companions’ intellects came to an end. She hoped to resume with the groups readings in the spring, but was not optimistic.

Silvitya continued her intimate relationship with Antonia, but she had to force herself to be responsive to her sleeping-partner’s attentions. The awful truth was that she would have preferred to be left alone. She couldn’t figure out why, but by the end of October she realized she had fallen out of love. She did what she could to not hurt the foreign girl’s feelings, but she knew that she would not be sorry when Antonia became pregnant and had to be transferred to the maternity ward.

At the end of October, she got her wish. Antonia missed her menstruation and became totally distraught. When she endured a bout of morning sickness for the first time, Silvitya comforted her and pretended to be sympathetic, but inwardly she was elated. Before long, Antonia would be leaving and the relationship would end without her having to do anything that would hurt her lover’s feelings.

———-

The weather became colder as the chilly wind blew across the East Danube River, rippling the water and pulling the leaves off the trees. Silvitya stood outside, shivering in the cold and watching the world from the isolated hilltop perch of the Royal Residence. Nothing made any sense to her. Every night she was forced to make love to a man she totally hated. Every day she had to share her meals and baths with a group of women with whom she had nothing in common. She had to speak on behalf of nine other souls and keep them out of trouble, while all she really wanted to do was isolate herself in the library and read. She felt completely alone.

I wish… I could just walk away with my collar and my bucket. That’s all I want. I’d feel more at peace walking naked through a forest full of wolves than I feel now.

The Grand Duke did nothing to put his servant’s mind at ease. The first night after he had a coal-burning stove installed in his sleeping chamber, he subtly taunted her:

“This stove, and the discovery of the burning rocks, are truly ingenious, don’t you agree, my favorite minx?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl agrees the stove and the burning rocks are truly ingenious.”

He ordered her to get on her elbows and knees. He fondled her bottom and teased her by tracing his finger around her sphincter.

“Yes, indeed. I am quite proud of having introduced this creation to the Duchy. Next year, I will provide stoves to town councils around the Duchy. The stoves will be a gift from me… only one gift out of many I leave as my legacy to this nation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. You have given much to the Duchy.”

“Yes, indeed. I have given much, haven’t I? In the instance of the stove, I sent my drawings and designs to the Royal printing press. I am publishing them, so that everyone can have the benefit of this invention. I will ask for nothing in return, except for three copper coins to cover the cost of the parchment and ink. I am happy to provide such a selfless service to the Duchy’s citizens. Don’t you agree, my favorite minx?”

The Grand Duke continued tracing Silvitya’s anus with his fingertip. The threat, while unspoken, was very clear. You will acknowledge that I invented the stove, or I will enter your bottom and be as rough about it as possible.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl agrees. The nation is blessed with the invention that you have provided.”

“Very well. Kneel, and I will give you a treat.”

Silvitya knelt, and the Grand Duke placed a piece of Turkish delight in her mouth. She hated being fed like a dog, but by now was used to it. The sovereign sat on his bed, studying her while she chewed the candy and swallowed it.

“You have served me well, my favorite minx. Now, I will serve you. If you have a wish, I will grant it, as long as it is reasonable.”

Silvitya wanted to stand up and scream: A wish? The only wish I have is to never see you again! I want to leave! I want to get as far from you and this horrid castle as I can! I want to go to the other end of the Duchy and live in the wild with the wolves, just to get away from you! That is my wish, Grand Duke!

She knew she was being tested. The words “as long as it is reasonable” indicated there really was not very much she could ask for and expect to receive. Certainly the Grand Duke was not about to let her leave the castle. To ask for that would be foolish. She thought to herself, what can I ask of him, that he’d actually be willing to grant? Finally she made her request:

“You Majesty, your humble serving girl requests, when Servant Antonia leaves this castle with your child, that she is watched over and properly taken care of. She is a foreigner, and your humble serving girl is worried that her neighbors might give her trouble.”

“Yes, of course. I will ensure Servant Antonia’s well-being and safety. As you requested, she will live in a nice house and lead a pleasant existence. So, my favorite minx, consider your request granted.”

“Your humble serving girl wishes to express her gratitude, Your Majesty.”

Two days later, Antonia left the concubine quarters. She tearfully hugged Silvitya goodbye and departed down the hallway with one of the matrons. They still would occasionally see each other when Silvitya had to visit the maternity quarters, but their relationship had ended. Silvitya watched her leave, relieved that at least one person who had loved her was not cursed by the Destroyer.

———-

Silvitya realized that she had changed over the summer. She remained traumatized by everything she had seen over in Horkustk Ris and the border fort in Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt. For a few weeks she could talk to the two companions who had accompanied her during the war, because they were equally troubled by everything they had seen. Yes, the three women now were safely back in the Royal Household, sleeping in their comfortable beds, sitting in the bath, and eating wonderful food… but the contrast between their peaceful lives in the castle and the hardships they had endured over the summer made their lives even more surreal than the lives of the “sisters” who did not go out. However, the discussions with the other two were short-lived, because Silvitya’s attitude differed from that of her two companions. She wanted to try to make sense out of everything she had seen over the summer, while the other two wanted to block out the horrid memories and resume normal lives. One of the women cynically noted:

“Sister, it was the will of the Creator that we return to the castle. Had the Creator wished us to continue worrying about the war, we would still be on the battlefield. Is that not so?”

“We have to bear witness to what happened to all those men! We can’t forget about… ”

The other woman cut her off with loud hiss.

“That’s not my concern, Sister Silvitya! What’s done, is done! The dead have held up their mirrors and we have not! Therefore, I will indulge myself in the pleasures of the Realm of the Living while I can, and not trouble my thoughts with Horkustk Ris! I don’t want to talk about it anymore!”

With that, the “sister” walked off to the bath house. Silvitya thought to herself. So. She wants to forget. I don’t. The Ancients have commanded me to bear witness, and I will.

———-

Silvitya remained the appointed leader of the concubine group throughout the winter of 1754-1755. However, her relationship with her companions changed as the winter progressed. Each month one of the women became pregnant, moved to the maternity ward, as had to be replaced. By the end of the year all of the women who had been with the group when Magdala was spokeswoman had become pregnant and departed. Silvitya now was the woman who had been in the Royal Residence longer than any of her companions.

Silvitya spent most of her time away from the concubines’ quarters. She had to deal with pregnancies and childbirths, as well as injuries and illnesses. When she was not working as a doctor, she was with the Grand Duke. She knelt by his side as he talked to his commanders, ministers, and castle staff. She shivered in the drafty throne room and cringed as he ran his fingers through her hair, petting her as though she were an animal. However, she continued to listen to the conversations and learning about the Duchy’s politics and the Grand Duke’s policies. The conversations were interesting and made up for her continuous discomfort and humiliation. When she was released for the day, she went to the library to read up on the topics discussed between her master and other political leaders. She became very knowledgeable about the Duchy and the problems facing its ruler.

By the middle of the winter the Grand Duke was aware that his favorite concubine had paid careful attention to everything discussed in the throne room and had conducted follow-up research. He took advantage of her knowledge and intelligence to test ideas and policy options. Although she was nothing more than a sex slave and totally hated him, she became the ruler’s most trusted advisor. She could provide honest opinions and assessments, without worrying about protecting her status among the nobility or defending the interests of an elite family or guild organization. If she thought an idea didn’t make sense or was impractical, she said so and explained, from the viewpoint of an ordinary citizen, why it wouldn’t work. She was able to detach herself emotionally as she spoke with her Master. She understood that it was to the benefit of people like herself that she give him honest opinions about his policies and plans, even if by doing so she was helping him consolidate his control over the Duchy.

———-

Silvitya remained troubled by the war and wondered how best to bear witness to what she had seen over the summer. She decided to write down her memories of the campaign while the events were still fresh in her mind. So, while the other concubines enjoyed their new metal stove and the over-heated bath house, Silvitya shivered in the library as she filled a stack of parchment with accounts of what she had observed during the fighting. In the beginning she only wrote down what she had seen and the details she picked up from conversations. She studied maps and read accounts of the various places she had visited to make sure her writings were as accurate as possible. She didn’t write about events in any particular order: she just wrote details as she remembered them with the intention of organizing them later. Since she really had no one to talk to about the war, writing became therapeutic. It seemed that a lot of the pain in her mind passed through her hand onto the parchment, while looking at maps and studying past battles and events in the southern region helped put her thoughts into better perspective.

At the end of the year, Silvitya was looking through the map collection in the Royal Library when Protector Bulashckt entered the room and observed what she was doing. He looked through her stack of writings and immediately realized the importance of her research. He was literate, but his ability to write came nowhere close to the project the concubine was creating. He briefly talked to her about her memoirs and volunteered to lend her his campaign maps.

That small gesture was the beginning of an unusual friendship between an elite soldier and a glorified sex-slave. Protector Bulashckt had his own memories of the war, ones of the actual fighting and following the Grand Duke around. He had seen everything war had to offer, from the ruler’s reckless bravery, cunning, and resourcefulness to his viciousness and cruelty, to his genuine concern for the well-being of his men and willingness to share all of their hardships.

Like Silvitya, he had changed over the summer. The strong confidence he had in his life, in the Duchy, and his duties as a guard seemed to have vanished. His expression was very troubled. When she looked at him, at times he tightened his lips and looked away, as though he was thoroughly ashamed of himself. Yes, he could take pride in what he had done during the confrontations with the Lord of the Red Moon’s army, but he could not take pride in his participation killing non-Danubian civilians following each of the battles and the final expulsion of all the foreigners from the Duchy.

Oddly enough, Silvitya was reassured. Her friend’s conscience was tormented by what had happened in the aftermath of the campaign. He was not a cold-hearted killer, nor an unthinking follower of the Grand Duke. He followed the sovereign’s brutal orders because he felt it was necessary for the future of Danubia, but he understood those some of those orders were immoral. He knew that he would have a lot to answer for when he held up his mirror before the Creator. He needed someone to talk to as much as Silvitya needed to talk to. He understood her need to bear witness to the events of the war. Over time, as the two gained each other’s trust, he started relating his memories of the fighting while she wrote them down. At first he only talked about the fighting and the Grand Duke as a military leader, but eventually he talked about the less heroic things done by the Royal Army. The soldier and the servant exchanged news on many of the injured she had treated. She wrote brief biographies about many of the men who had been killed, but was even more interested in finding out about the fates of the men whose injuries she had treated. The Guard asked around for information on the survivors and brought news as he was able to collect it. Everything she learned went into the growing stack of parchment.

As the trust between them grew, Silvitya and Protector Bulashckt began sharing information about their personal lives. She learned about his past, his military training, his travels, and some details about his family. She gave away some of the information on her own life, describing her life in Sebernekt Ris and her previous year as a Follower of the Ancients. Like most Christians, he knew very little about the Cult. She talked about Rika Heckt-nemat and the wretchedness of her life there. The only detail she left out was the reason she left: she let him think that she ran off to escape her family’s poverty, not because she had been pilloried. She did not mention anything about her life in Starivktaki Moskt. Protector Bulashckt was aware that she was leaving important gaps in her life story, but he never pressed her for information. He figured if it was the Creator’s desire for him to know those details, he’d find out when the time was right.

———-

Silvitya was so busy over the winter that she did not notice the months pass by. She attended births, comforted new women that had been brought into the concubine group, half-heartedly tried to encourage the others to read, and interceded whenever the matrons wanted to harass one of the girls. She spent her afternoons kneeling next to the Grand Duke as he talked to advisors. Whenever she had time, she met with Protector Bulashckt and wrote down whatever he wanted to share about the Royal Guards’ actions during the war. Documenting the events of the war and the people who participated in it provided a genuine purpose for her Path in Life, something she had not experienced since the Cult of the Ancients was dissolved.

By March of 1755, none of the girls who had been serving as concubines at the beginning of 1754 were still living in the concubine quarters, with the single exception of their spokeswoman. Concubines became pregnant and left, while new women were brought in to replace them. One girl, a merchant’s daughter from the capitol, became pregnant within weeks of becoming a “sister” and left the group for the maternity ward a mere three months after she entered. All of the others, and even some who came afterwards, carried the Grand Duke’s seed and had transferred to the maternity ward.

She watched Royal Guards escort new mothers out of the castle on their way back to their hometowns. It was particularly painful watching Magdala depart. She very much wished that Magdala could return to take charge of the concubines and relieve her of that responsibility. She felt terribly lonely, missing the companionship of her predecessor and the intimacy of Antonia. She couldn’t relate to any of the new girls. She dealt with the newcomers’ problems as best she could, but did not bother to become close to any of them. During the first part of 1755, the only friendship she wanted to pursue was the one she had with Protector Bulashckt, and the only activity that interested her was working on her memoirs about the previous year’s war.

———-

Three concubines who had become pregnant left for the maternity ward during the last half of March, bringing the number of “sisters” down to six. The Royal Household did not replace them because the Grand Duke was planning to look at some captives from Horkustk Ris province. The newly appointed governor of Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt had asked the ruler to visit the border to see some suggestions he had for improving the country’s defenses. The official reason for the trip was legitimate, but the governor enticed his ruler by adding that he was holding a large group of captive foreign women in the governor’s compound. If His Majesty was interested, he could indulge himself and take any of the girls that he wanted to the Royal Residence as concubines. The lure of southern women prompted the Grand Duke to accept the invitation. He departed the capitol accompanied by a military escort during the first Monday of April, with the expectation of being gone two weeks.

The concubines in the castle were relieved to have a break from their Master, but wondered about the trip and why the departing “sisters” had not been replaced. They received their answer when the Grand Duke and his escort returned to the capitol at the end of April. The entourage included six new concubines: all of them girls from the Kingdom of the Moon. Their families had crossed into the Duchy over the winter, trying to escape the civil war raging to the east of Sumy Ris, only to be taken captive by Danubian Royal Guards or village militias.

Between 1755 and 1764, Royal Guards routinely attacked groups of foreign refugees fleeing north into the Duchy to keep the border region cleared out for returning Danubians. The steady flow of refugees was viewed as a serious threat by the Danubian Crown, given the enormous effort to retake the region during the summer of 1754. Besides being looked upon as a threat that needed to be confronted, the foreigners also provided the Royal Guards with an extra source of income. Typically the Guards killed all the males, but took the women and girls captive and sold them as servants. The more desirable young women became the concubines of village elders, while the others were auctioned in villages or sold to farmers. The slaves had no hope of escaping. They didn’t speak Danubian, wore collars, and were forbidden to braid their hair, which immediately identified them as foreign captives. Their families no longer existed and returning to the Kingdom of the Moon was not possible because it was in the midst of a brutal civil war.

Slavery was officially forbidden in the Duchy by law and by the Old Believers of the Danubian Church, so the women were legally classified as criminals, not slaves. In many cases Royal Guards or village councils even staged quick trials in which conviction was guaranteed and the sentence was always a lifetime of servitude. The trials and sentences were total fiction, however. Convicted Danubian criminals officially belonged to the Crown, had some legal protection and limited rights, and certainly could not be sold. The foreigners were property, nothing more. The Crown officials and slave owners justified what they were doing because the women were viewed as invaders who were attempting to usurp the Duchy’s territory. The foreigners had willingly entered the Duchy: no had one forced them to cross the border (which was not true at all; they were fleeing a war in their homeland).

The most desirable young women were handed over to the governor in Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt. He treated them well and made sure they remained healthy, but to him the captives were nothing more than a commodity. He passed some out as gifts to visiting officials and kept the best ones for his own use. He set aside fifteen women in anticipation of the Grand Duke’s visit, figuring the ruler would choose the girls he wanted for himself and let his commanders take the others. The Grand Duke was fascinated by the captives’ beauty: the governor certainly did have good taste picking out the best women for him. He had a hard time deciding which ones he liked the best and only reluctantly reduced his selection to six. He would have been tempted to take them all, but nine veteran commanders had escorted him, so he rewarded each with a slave.

When the Grand Duke returned to the castle, the naked captives were forced to endure the in-processing routine from the matrons. They had to be examined, bathed, and have their armpits shaved and their hair trimmed. Also, their collars had to be removed. One of the castle blacksmiths carefully removed the collars, ensuring that the Grand Duke’s new acquisitions were not marked when the latches were released.

Each of the foreign girls had to endure a switching before they were sent to the concubines’ quarters. They hadn’t done anything wrong apart from having difficulty understanding orders, but the matrons forced each newcomer to bend over a switching bench and receive 15 strokes. The foreign girls had to understand, even though their collars had been removed, they would have no rights or privileges in the castle. Dozens of Royal Guards and castle staff gathered when word went out that six foreign women were about to be whipped. The matrons waited until the courtyard was full before ordering the girls to stand in a row and assume the prisoner’s stance, with their legs spread and their hands clasped behind their heads. Castle servants moved the switching horse to a wooden speaker’s platform that was about a fathom in height. A matron grabbed the first young woman by the hair and dragged her up to the platform. The girl cried in terror, thinking she was about to be executed. A second matron tied the newcomer’s hands and ankles to the legs of the switching bench. The matron took her time delivering the strokes, giving her victim plenty of time to feel each blow before receiving the next. She ran her hand over the girl’s bottom and patted the welts, which was an insult in traditional Danubian culture. When the matrons finally untied the sobbing captive and pulled her up from the bench, they forced her to stand on the platform and turn around several times so everyone could have a good look at both her body and the welts crossing her bottom. The entertainment lasted all afternoon, as a different matron punished each foreigner.

The Danubian concubines stood on their balcony, watching the switchings. For them the punishments were entertainment as much as they were for the castle staff. However, they knew that as soon as the punishments were over, the traumatized foreigners would be brought up to the concubines’ quarters and the Danubian women would have to deal with them. Silvitya was tempted to tell her companions that the foreigners were fellow “sisters” and needed to be treated as equals. However, she knew such an arrangement was not possible. The foreigners did not speak Danubian and presumably knew nothing about table manners and other etiquette. Besides language, they had to learn many new skills, and learn them very quickly. She correctly assumed the Grand Duke would judge her leadership on how swiftly the newcomers adapted to their responsibilities in the castle. She did not want the foreigners to be kept together and have the opportunity to converse in their own language. So, as the punishments progressed, she discussed with her companions how they should deal with the Grand Duke’s newest acquisitions. Silvitya decided that each of her companions would take a foreigner into her room and would be responsible for training her. The concubines would have to handle teaching etiquette, while Silvitya would take responsibility for teaching Danubian. To make sure all of the foreigners received the same schooling, they would be rotated every week: each Danubian girl would be assigned a new foreign girl every Sunday until the foreigners were properly trained.

Silvitya left her companions and descended to the courtyard. As much as she hated asking a matron for a favor, she felt that she had to borrow a switch. She had no plans to punish any of the foreigners, but felt that it would be good for them to see her carrying the implement when she was giving instructions to make sure they took anything she had to say seriously. The matrons ordered her to kneel while making the request, but finally they gave her what she wanted and she went up the stairs with her new symbol of authority.

The matrons did not bring up the foreigners until the sun was low in the horizon. The girls were miserable and totally traumatized. They were humiliated as well, but by that time they had learned to never try covering themselves. They kept their hands at their sides as they walked through the castle corridors, knowing they’d receive a painful swipe from the switch if their hands moved to cover their vulvas.

As soon as the foreigners entered the concubines’ quarters, Silvitya took over. Fortunately she spoke a little of the language of the Kingdom of the Moon, which was a dialect of Slavic with a lot of Turkish and some Danubian vocabulary mixed in. She didn’t speak it well, but was able to make herself understood. Directing the newcomers by pointing with her switch, she ordered them to kneel in a line. She started by asking them if anyone spoke Danubian. No… none of them spoke Danubian. How wonderful. Well, you will have to learn, and learn quickly.

Silvitya taught the newcomers several phrases they would need to know around the Grand Duke, starting with “to hear is to obey, Your Majesty”. Then she introduced the Danubian concubines and assigned a foreigner to each, including one to herself. With difficulty she explained that each foreigner would have to treat her Danubian mentor as her mistress and kneel when talking to her.

Her first trainee’s name was Mirjana. Apart from her physical beauty, there was nothing special about Mirjana: in her previous life she was the daughter of a cloth merchant. Her family fled when the Lord of the Blue Moon’s men burnt her village and killed most of the men. In that attack she lost her father and uncle, but her grandfather and brother survived and the remaining members of her family joined a group of peasants headed north. The refugees were totally unaware that the Grand Duke had retaken southern Danubia until they already had crossed the hills into Horkustk Ris province. A group of Royal Guards surrounded the group, separated the males, and blindfolded the women. Mirjana did not see her grandfather’s killing, but could hear what was going on. It turned out the Royal Guards were somewhat more merciful than the majority of the Danubian soldiers roaming the border, because they spared the younger boys. They ordered the boys to bury the slain men and then to return to the Kingdom of the Moon and warn others not to try to cross into the Duchy. Mirjana had the small consolation knowing that her brother, at least at the time she was taken captive, remained alive.

As soon as they moved the captured women and girls far enough so they could not see what had happened to the men, the Danubians removed their blindfolds and ordered them to strip. Naked except for their shoes, they spent three days walking in chilly rain under guard to a small town that had a slave market. Mirjana’s mother, aunt, older sister, and two cousins were collared and auctioned, along with most of the group’s other women, to separate buyers. The Guards kept Mirjana and one other teenager they considered particularly attractive and transported them by mule to Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt to sell to the governor. The governor handed her over as a gift to the Grand Duke two weeks later.

———-

The bell rang four times, indicating the ruler wanted four women to report to his bed-chamber. Silvitya surprised her companions by ordering three Danubians to go with her and to leave all the foreigners behind. The girls were still in shock from their predicament and from having been publicly switched and humiliated, so their spokeswoman figured it would be a good idea to give them a day to recover before having to deal with the Grand Duke. She ordered the two remaining Danubian concubines to continue teaching the foreigners how to say phrases in the language of the Duchy.

The Grand Duke was surprised to see familiar faces instead those of his newest acquisitions. He was irritated enough that he did not give his “favorite” any preferential treatment that evening: she had to line up with her companions and endure being taken from behind. However, after he exhausted himself and dismissed the others, he had Silvitya perform the usual routine of preparing his bath and sitting with him while in the water. He chatted about the worsening civil war in the Kingdom of the Moon and commented about the growing number of refugees trying to cross the border. As much as a nuisance as the refugees were, it was nice they were providing the Duchy with an ample supply of slaves, especially young women. Silvitya tightened her lips and said nothing. When he asked how the new concubines were doing, the “favorite minx” described her training regimen and her plans to make the newcomers learn to speak Danubian as quickly as possible.

———-

Silvitya brought two of the newcomers when the bell rang in the afternoon and three others when the Grand Duke wanted women in the evening. As usual, he treated them roughly and wore himself out copulating as though he was possessed. He was pleased with their training and ability to understand his commands, so much so that he forgot about being irritated with Silvitya the previous night for not bringing up any of the foreigners. He dismissed the unhappy girls after he was finished with them. As usual he kept Silvitya after sending off her companions. As usual, she bathed him and knelt, waiting to be dismissed.

“My favorite minx, I’ve just realized something. You’ve been my favorite for a year; it would seem… more than a year. You have served me well, don’t you think?”

“Your humble serving girl’s Path in Life is to serve you, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it? But, your service has been exceptional, and therefore I will do something exceptional for you, my favorite minx… ”

Silvitya’s hopes rose that maybe the ruler was about to release her or change her status in the castle. She was dismayed when, instead, he produced a fine necklace made from white gold and sapphires and placed it around her neck. He directed her to look at herself in the mirror. Yes, the necklace was a beautiful piece of jewelry that any woman would have desperately wanted. But it meant that Silvitya’s life was about to move totally in the opposite direction of what she had hoped.

She turned and knelt, placing her face to the floor. She pretended to be kneeling out of gratitude, but she really was hiding her dismay the ruler had taken a liking to her and that there was no chance, none whatsoever, he’d ever willingly let her out of his life.

“Your humble serving girl… doesn’t… doesn’t know how to express her gratitude, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, indeed. It is a nice necklace, is it not? And now, it is yours. Something to make the crown jewel of my girls shine the way she should. And how should you express your gratitude, my favorite minx? Simply keep doing what you’ve done already. You’re more valuable to me than all my ministers combined. The necklace is my gift, but also my commitment… that your Path in Life will always be here, with me, serving the people of the Duchy.

“Yes, Your Majesty. To hear is to obey.”

“Now rise, and run along, my favorite minx.”

As she turned, he gave her a very sharp slap on her bottom. She responded with:

“Your humble serving girl wishes to express her gratitude, Your Majesty.”

When she got back to her room, she struggled not to become sick. She had always entertained a glimmer of hope, unrealistic as it might have been, that some day the Grand Duke would become bored with her and release her if she did not become pregnant. The necklace told her there was no way that would happen. The Grand Duke understood how valuable she was to him and had no intention of releasing her… ever. She wondered if he was silently sending her the message: I know you want to leave, but that is not what I want. I’m keeping you forever, so you’d getter get used to it.

———-

Silvitya wore her new necklace around the castle the following day. She did not dare not to wear it. The necklace changed her status: the staff understood she now was the ruler’s favorite servant. Therefore, the others treated her with deference. Even the matrons were polite and nervous around her, because her status now was above theirs. She easily could have punished a matron had she invented an excuse, but she knew better than to try such a thing. She could fall out of the sovereign’s favor just as easily as she had fallen into his favor, so making enemies would be completely foolish.

She went outside to calm her nerves. She rapidly walked around the garden and the castle grounds to work off her stress. Fortunately the day was warm and sunny, so she was able to wander in the nude in relative comfort. It was nice to be outside and she was grateful for the chance to enjoy sunshine on her body and to exercise.

She saw her friend Protector Bulashckt, sitting on a stone bench with a supply of weapons he had brought outside to clean and sharpen. He had a favorite cross-bow and sword, but the item taking up most of his time was his cumbersome musket. Silvitya was curious to have a better look at it. She approached the guard and, because she was in a public location, saluted him. When he returned her salute, he congratulated her on her necklace. In a sudden burst of honesty she blurted out:

“Protector Bulashckt, do you truly think I’m happy having to wear this? Do you really think I’m content with my Path in Life?” Do you think I’m satisfied the Ancients have spent two years, two years, mocking me and punishing me for my stupidity?”

She covered her face, partly to hide her horror at her outburst, and partly to hide the fact she was crying. He calmed her down, assuring her that he wouldn’t repeat what she had just said. He understood what had happened; that she had spent two years concealing her thoughts and emotions, with no one to talk to or confide with. The isolation had gotten to her. He understood because the Royal Guards had to endure the same torment of silence, year after year, serving the Grand Duke and hiding their doubts from each other.

When the concubine recovered and had an opportunity to look at the Royal Guard, she noted the worried expression on his face. Because she had opened up to him, he confided with her his latest concern, which was personal. His step-daughter had just celebrated her ninth birthday. She wondered why such a thing would worry him. He was reluctant to answer that question. He changed the subject by showing her the weapons and letting her try out the crossbow. She aimed at a distant tree and surprised him by hitting it.

Protector Bulashckt talked about techniques for aiming the crossbow. He was about to let her fire a second bolt, but abruptly stopped. He thought over how he wanted to phrase his next statement, and finally asked Silvitya a question:

“Tell me this. When you are with His Majesty, what do you see in him? What do you think of him as a man?”

“As a man, Protector Bulashckt? I suppose… I would say… he’s very aggressive with all of us. There’s usually ten of us… twelve now… and it seems we spend all of our energy trying to keep him satisfied… and it’s still not enough.”

“No… no… that’s not what I mean. I’m not interested in knowing about your duties to him in bed. I want to know what you think of him as a man… as a person… ”

Silvitya thought about it. What did she think of the Duke as a man?

“He’s very restless. I’ve never seen anyone as restless as him. And he’s obsessed with learning and curious about everything. He loves to outsmart people and force them to give up their secrets. He got out of me that I used to be a Follower of the Ancients and lived with a alchemist, and as soon as he found that out, he demanded that I tell him everything that I learned from her. He was very interested in her ideas about the rat-plague and her medicine-making. The cave charcoal and the metal stoves… that wasn’t his invention: he learned that from me. The explosions from last summer… he learned that from me, and I learned it from the Cult. He uses other people’s ideas, but can do incredible things with them. He’s alert and seems to understand everything. I mean… he is a brilliant man. When I talk to him I have a very strange feeling… I don’t know how else to say it… it’s like he has the soul of an Ancient, trapped in the body of a mortal.”

Silvitya paused: “The problem is that I don’t know what he wants. He wants something, but I don’t know what it is… ”

“That I can answer. He has plans for the Duchy… huge ambitions. You’re part of those ambitions. I am too, or at least my wife and daughter are.”

“I don’t understand, Protector Bulashckt.”

“Horkustk Ris is just the beginning. He wants the Duchy to be united, a strong modern kingdom, like some of those countries to the west. He wants everything under the control of the Royal House. He has plans, and most of them are good. He wants better roads, better houses, better farming, schools for the peasants, and to end the Destroyer’s curses such as the rat-plague. He understands that we can no longer defend ourselves by hiding behind trees and shooting arrows. I hate this musket: it’s heavy, slow, and hard to use, but it is the weapon everyone else is using, so we have to employ them as well.”

“But how do I fit into that?”

“You’re a concubine. Do you know why the Grand Duke keeps concubines?”

“I suppose he’s not happy with just one woman… he wants more… ”

“That’s only a small part of it. I’m sure he doesn’t mind enjoying his privileges with you, but the concubines serve a larger purpose. You are the mothers of the future of the Duchy.”

“So… that’s why he wants all those kids?”

“Not kids, daughters. He wants as many daughters as he can have. He plans to use them.”

“How?”

Protector Bulashckt paused, trying to figure out how to explain the Grand Duke’s complicated plans. He answered with a question:

“How much do you know about the vice Duke of Rika Chorna?”

“I know he doesn’t like the Grand Duke… and that they never pay taxes or help out in wars and stuff like that.”

“That is correct. The vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna has always been a problem for the Grand Dukes, ever since the days of King Vladik. They don’t consider themselves part of the Duchy. The Grand Duke will use his daughters to change that. He has daughters and sons scattered around the country. He doesn’t care anything about the sons: they’ll just lead normal lives. He very much cares about the daughters. When each one turns 10 years old, he separates her from her mother and brings her to the castle. The girls receive special education and training to serve their father. When the time comes for each to braid her hair, he will marry her to the son of one of the families in the east who has sworn allegiance to the vice-Duke.”

“Why?”

“Yes… why. I suppose you still don’t know about that part of Royal protocol. A family that has any member married to a relative of the Grand Duke is prohibited, by the law and by the Church, to act against him. I repeat… any member. So… over time the Grand Duke will summon the sons of the east to visit him in the capitol. There will be goodwill, and then… a forced marriage. The marriage will be blessed by the Church and Royal proclamations will let everyone know how fortunate the man’s family is by having a son return to Rika Chorna with a young flower, plucked directly from the Duke’s garden. The young men will not be able to say anything to argue that the marriage was not consensual, because to do so would entail losing honor. And… anyhow… I doubt the young men themselves will fully understand what is happening until it is too late, because His Majesty is gifted with trickery and deception… ”

Silvitya responded by sadly nodding. The Royal Guard continued:

“He will do this over and over… with a steady supply of daughters coming from the wombs of his concubines, until every family from the east is allied to him through marriage. Their sworn loyalty to the vice-Duke of the east will mean nothing. When the Royal Army marches east to assume control of the vice-Duke’s palace, the nobility in the other towns will not be able to raise a hand against the sovereign.”

“But if the Grand Duke needs to secure the loyalty of Rika Chorna, isn’t that a better way than war?”

“It is, except for one problem. I married a former concubine, a beautiful young woman, just like you. Her daughter, who is from the seed of the Grand Duke, is the girl who just tuned nine. But she is not the Duke’s daughter. She is my daughter. She knows no other life, no other family, than the household she shares with me, my wife, and our sons. When I look at her, see her with her mother or playing with her brothers, I know we can’t give her up. She’s of the Grand Duke’s seed, but she’s my daughter, just the same as my sons. Now that I seen everything that man is capable of, I don’t want him touching her.”

“So you have just a year to figure out what to do.”

“That is correct. A year.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“We’ll have to escape somehow, but we must do it in a way that will make the Grand Duke think we’re all dead. Maybe stage an ambush or burn our house. I still don’t know, but I’ll have to come up with something before my daughter’s 10th birthday.”

There was a long moment of silence. Finally Silvitya spoke:

“I don’t want to bear the Grand Duke’s child. I’ve been able to prevent that so far. And I don’t want to spend another winter in the castle. When you leave, can I go with you?”

“Of course. And I’ll move your bucket to my house.” The guard gave Silvitya a mischievous smile. “I suppose I shouldn’t ask about that interesting item you have in there.”

“It’s a secret, Protector Bulashckt. I’m sworn to protect it as best I can.”

“Yes, we both have our secrets, don’t we?”