Towards the end of May, Jadranka accompanied her classmates on an expedition into the wild territories to study and identify rock deposits and land formations along the northern mountains. Some of the places she already had seen when she was a Follower. The freedom of the open country beckoned her, reminding her of the previous year when she ran about the woods in the nude. Without thinking about what she was doing, she took off her dress and folded it into her saddlebag. None of her classmates even considered doing such a thing. Instead they stared at her with bewildered expressions, wondering why she would want to act like a penitent or a collared criminal. Jadranka, who had assumed a completely rebellious frame of mind, defiantly responded:
“This is what I’m accustomed to and what I believe. I am in the Realm of Nature and therefore my body must be liberated in the sun. I have spent nine months cooped up in an uncomfortable dress and locked away in my bed-chamber. Now I plan to enjoy this realm the Ancients have granted me.”
Jadranka’s statement and desire to rebel against her classmates had just committed her to spending three weeks as the only naked person in a large expedition of well-dressed elitist students. The others felt uncomfortable talking to her, so she spent most of the trip working and making observations by herself. She regretted taking off her clothes without checking to see if any of her classmates would do the same, but she was convinced that to humbly get dressed again and conform to the group would make her look even more foolish than she looked already. She tried to convince herself that she was determined to make a statement to defend the customs of the Followers of the Ancients, especially to the classmates who knew she had been a member of the Cult.
Well, let them see the freedom we enjoyed.
Whenever she was working alone, away from disapproving glances of her stuffy classmates, Jadranka did enjoy being naked; feeling the sun and mountain breezes on her uncovered body after having spent the last nine months cooped up in university buildings. She satisfied her desire to run in the nude across open fields and jump along the rocks. She loved plunging into cold streams, not having to do anything more than taking off her shoes.
She was enjoying being naked outdoors so much that her thoughts returned to her counterfeit penance collar. She would have liked to put it on, but then she’d have to leave Sebernekt Ris and go where no one knew her.
Leave Sebernekt Ris.
Why not? As long as she had her collar, she could go where she wanted and was assured of having meals and places to sleep from the Danubian Church. The collar carried with it a huge range of restrictions and limited what she could do, but in some ways it would give her much more freedom than she currently had. It would be nice to just wander and explore; not having to worry about schedules, professors’ demands, and passing the next exam.
Jadranka wondered where she could go. She couldn’t go back to any of the towns she had visited over the previous three years, nor did she have any desire to do so. She had been almost everywhere between the Rika Chorna river and the northern mountains, with an important exception. She had not yet seen the nation’s capitol, Danubikt Moskt. That would be perfect. She’d travel there as a collared stranger, rely on the hospitality of the Danubian Church, and see all the wonderful sites that city had to offer.
———-
The trip into the mountains had socially isolated Jadranka and gave her a bad attitude about her classmates. Her soul burned with resentment over having to conform to a multitude of small-minded people whose intellect obviously did not match hers. The more she pondered feeling alienated from the others, the more she was convinced she needed to get away for a while and see something not related to university life. So, she’d put on her penance collar and go traveling. Her original plan was to leave Sebernekt Ris at the beginning of July and return in the middle of August. She’d explore the capitol and the surrounding areas, satisfy her curiosity, and hopefully, after two months of relative freedom, come back with a better attitude about pursuing second year of classes.
Perhaps two months of wandering would have satisfied the craving she had for freedom. Unfortunately, Jadranka’s craving for freedom was matched by her desire to wield power and influence over others. As the third anniversary of her departure from Rika Heckt-nemat came and went, she bitterly remembered that day on the pillory and the powerless existence she had endured when living with her family. She still felt powerless in Sebernekt Ris, constantly following the orders of professors and military instructors. Although her circumstances and living conditions had greatly improved over the past three years, she remained completely unable to control anything going on around her.
She knew she was more intelligent than most people in the Duchy, so why should she settle for spending her life taking orders? Shouldn’t she lead instead of follow? It was galling to think that, as an elder among the Followers, she could have led, regardless of the fact she was a woman. That option no longer was available.
Jadranka walked by the local cathedral and noticed a Priestess administering blessings and leading a group of worshippers dressed in black prayer robes. She hadn’t given much thought to the Danubian Church as a possible Path in Life, but she knew Priestesses had as much power over their parishioners as their husbands. She thought about that haughty seminary student Starivktaki Moskt. Undoubtedly, at that very moment her first mentor was enjoying exercising power over her community.
Of course! I hadn’t really thought about it, but I can join the Danubian Church, become a Priestess, and find my place in society. I will be powerful and reign above others. I’ll put on the black dress and no man will dare disobey me. That’s where I will find my Path in Life, as a Priestess.
Jadranka didn’t give much thought to the rigorous instruction that apprentices for the Danubian Clergy had to endure in their seminaries. She was convinced the education she already had obtained would allow her to bypass much of the training the Church ordinarily gave its Apprentices. After-all, she was educated and much smarter than most people, and surly the Prophets would understand that the Creator had sent her to assume a special place among the Clergy.
The obsession took over Jadranka’s thoughts and filled her soul with hubris. For the first time since thinking that simply owning a nice dress would allow her to ingratiate her way into her hometown’s elite society, her ambitions became detached from reality. If she wanted personal freedom, she certainly would not find it in the conformist culture of the Danubian Church. Yes, Priestesses did work alongside their husbands as equals and could command any civilian man, but the only power they exercised was carrying out the orders of the Prophets in Danubikt Moskt. A large portion of the training Clergy members received in the seminary was to ensure they carried out the will of the Church, and not their own will.
Had Jadranka bothered to talk to the Priestess, her illusions about using the Church to wield power would not have survived the conversation. Subconsciously, she was aware of that. She also knew the Priestess would be very angry at the thought of a university student wanting to become an apprentice in the seminary to pursue her own desires and not those of the Creator and Prophets. From the very beginning, Jadranka would have to lie to conceal her motives for joining the Clergy.
Another illusion that would not have survived a conversation with a Clergy member would have been the timing of her plans. If she had wanted to enter the seminary that year, she would have needed to make the arrangements in April. Already it was July. Jadranka was aware of the schedule, but had convinced herself that her knowledge was so extensive that she could join the 1753 class with no problem.
———-
Jadranka understood, before going anywhere, she needed to talk to Dean Fitoreckt. However, he had become increasingly withdrawn and not very approachable. She already knew that he was very old, but until recently his features had not shown their age. By the summer of 1753, it seemed that most of the life had gone out of him. The cunning and determined man she had known over the past year had faded away, leaving behind a soul that had overstayed its time among the Realm of the Living. Dean Fitoreckt didn’t seem to want to do much anymore: he contented himself spending hours standing at the window of the dean’s office staring vacantly into the distance. She noticed he always stared east, towards the mountains and the former home of the now-defunct Cult of the Ancients.
Perhaps he should have been satisfied with everything he had been able to accomplish: running a respected university, dissolving a doomed religion with a minimal number of deaths, assuring the safety and the continuing relevance of the remaining Followers, avenging Babackt Yaga and her group of elders, and routing the Cult’s enemies from one of their most important strongholds.
None of that mattered nearly as much as knowing he was the final leader, the custodian forced to oversee the demise of an institution that had been part of his nation’s soul for 5000 years. Now everyone he cared about was dead or in hiding. Only he remained, a forlorn old man (probably the oldest person on the planet) standing alone at his window, staring out at a world where his existence no longer had any purpose. The dean knew his Path in Life had ended, even if his time in the Realm of the Living had not. Like a ghost at daybreak, he was fading in silence.
No, thought Jadranka, there’s no point in trying to talk to him. That man is already dead. And when he holds up his mirror, what will remain to keep me connected to the university? Who in Sebernekt Ris can I rely upon to help me find an acceptable Path in Life?
I don’t belong here. I deserve better than anything this university can offer me. I will join the Clergy, and from there I will fulfill my Path in Life.
———-
During her final weeks in Sebernekt Ris, the student didn’t talk to anyone at the university. She ate alone, during hours the other students were least likely to be in the dining hall. She avoided the library and the bathhouse, so her classmates were not sure if she was even still on campus.
She left the campus for several days to wander around the hills overlooking the waterfall and the cliffs that protected the Duchy’s northern border. As a true child of nature, she wore no clothing, not even shoes, and filled her stomach with mushrooms and berries.
Her path crossed with a squad of Royal Guards patrolling the border. They were bewildered by the site of a naked wild girl in the forest. When the leader asked her what she was doing, she signaled that she would be willing to have sex with him, and with all of the men, if they so desired. She had not had sex with anyone since April, and suddenly the desire hit her full-force. She didn’t know the soldiers, so she didn’t see any harm in satisfying both herself and them. When darkness fell and the men set up camp, she stayed with them and shared a meal.
She slept briefly, but then woke up thinking: what am I doing? I’m not acting like a Follower: I’m acting like a common harlot. I need to stop this. I need to leave Sebernekt Ris before I go mad. I need to pursue my Path in Life.
So, with no words of goodbye to the sleeping soldiers, she left them. She carefully made her way along the trails with nothing more than moonlight to illuminate her route. At sunrise she found her dress and returned to the university.
She returned to the bathhouse to clean up and change into a fresh outfit. When she exited, one of her professors confronted her.
“Student Jadranka, you were away from the compound for five days. Did you ask anyone for permission to leave, or permission to go up into the hills?”
“No, Professor, I did not.”
“Well, at least you’re not dishonoring yourself with a lie. You do understand the consequences of an unauthorized absence from the university.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“You are an upperclassman. You need to be setting an example, and instead you go running off, like some boy who’s just had his head shaved! Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“No, Professor, I don’t.”
“Very well. You’re aware that you’ll have to go before a discipline hearing. I’d imagine, since you’ve so thoroughly disappointed the standards we’d expect from an upperclassman, you’ll not receive much leniency. But, before I gather the others, perhaps it would help if you’d tell me why you were in the hills alone. What were you doing there?”
“I was fucking soldiers, Professor. I fucked an entire squad of them. That’s what I was doing, if you really need to know.”
The professor was stunned by the young woman’s vulgar language and defiant confession. Speaking in such a disrespectful manner would add to her punishment. Not only did her words shock him, but also the fact they were coming from the mouth of an upper-classman who, until that moment, he had considered one of his most promising students. He felt betrayed, considering the effort and time he had invested making sure she could advance through his course material as quickly as possible.
“Student Jadranka! Have you gone mad? You’re already facing a switching and several months of the collar! What are you trying to do, be expelled from the university?”
“My name is Danka, Professor. Danka Siluckt. Student Jadranka is a false name for me. And you won’t need to trouble yourself with your stupid discipline hearing and you won’t need to expel me from the university. I’m leaving on my own.”
With that Danka turned away from the professor, which was another act of disrespect. A student never turned away from a faculty member until being formally dismissed. The professor was shocked and infuriated, but there was nothing he could do. The worst thing he could threaten her with was expulsion from the university, but the girl had already decided to expel herself. He said nothing more, but would have to report the incident to Dean Fitoreckt.
Danka returned to her room in a very strange and destructive mood. Ordinarily she would have been horrified by what she had just done. However, her frustration with university life and her delusions of importance made her feel completely liberated at the moment. She had taken control! Those professors no longer had any authority over her! She was Danka, not Jadranka, and no longer subject to university restrictions!
Her bucket already was packed. She always kept her most important belongings in it, precisely in the event she needed to flee and only had time to grab one item. She thought about what to do about her dress. It belonged to the university, so she’d leave it. She threw it on her bed and put on her boots.
Students and professors stared at Danka as she walked out of the university. She was naked except for a pair of peasant’s work boots. The only item she carried with her was a battered swill-bucket. She left without saying goodbye to anyone, even Dean Fitoreckt. She walked through the busy streets of Sebernekt Ris during mid-day. She drew attention, being naked but not wearing a collar. Normally nakedness was a symbol of either shame or humility, but Danka’s gait and expression displayed neither. Her attitude seemed to be: yes, I’m naked. I am displaying myself to you, in the manner of the Old World. There is nothing you can do to stop me.
Danka continued her trek southwards until she reached a grove of trees concealing a trench that was part of the city’s defensive fortifications. Making sure no one was watching at that moment, she went into the trees, put on her penance collar, re-emerged as a penitent, and returned to the road.
She had been walking south for an hour when a farmer passed by, driving a wagon loaded with barrels of salted meat for the capitol. He asked the penitent if she would like a ride. She gratefully accepted, and with that the Path in Life she had led in as a university student Sebernekt Ris came to an end.
———-
By the time Danka left Sebernekt Ris, almost all the men from the squad of soldiers with whom she had shared the previous night were dead. Only one badly injured Guard remained alive to relate what had happened.
The squad woke up to find the strange naked girl of the forest had completely vanished. As they packed up and departed their camp, they chatted about her, wondering who she was and where she could have gone. They had been traveling for an hour when they ran into a patrol of foreign soldiers. The two groups immediately engaged in combat. It was a routine border skirmish, although it had been several years since a foreign patrol had ventured so far south into the Duchy’s territory. Two Danubians were killed immediately from the foreigners’ musket fire, but the survivors quickly retreated into the trees and deployed their crossbows. The skirmish continued the rest of the morning, as the Danubians crept up to the foreigners, fired their crossbows, and fled, hoping to lure their enemies into ambushes. The foreign commander was familiar with Danubian tactics and prevented his men from sacrificing themselves among the trees. So… the two squads simply continued shooting at each other. Every so often a foreigner fell to a crossbow bolt or a Danubian fell to a musket ball.
By noon all of the Danubians were dead or badly wounded and only three foreigners survived. The noise of the musket fire had alerted another squad of Danubians who spent nearly an hour trying to locate the source of the combat noise. They arrived in time to kill the three remaining foreigners, but too late to do anything to help their comrades.
The second squad found only one survivor who was not mortally wounded. They took him to Sebernekt Ris, where the doctors managed to save his life. However, one of his legs had to be amputated. After he recovered, the man requested not to be discharged from the Royal Guards. Since he no longer could walk, was re-assigned as a sentry to one of the cannon batteries.
The crippled guard spent many nights looking north into enemy territory and thinking about the strange naked forest girl who had seduced his unit the night before their deaths. He wondered if she was a disguised witch who had brought a curse upon the squad. The story and speculation about the seductress circulated among the Royal Guards. Over the years it became a favorite topic for songs and tall tales to help the cannon crews pass their long, boring hours watching the border.
———-
Danka’s ride approached the capitol from the north, following the main road along the East Danube River. The road was thick with travelers and trading caravans. Fine farms, nice manor houses, and prosperous villages covered the landscape. The land in Danubia’s westernmost province was the best the Grand Duchy had to offer, a rich and pleasant territory compared to the nation’s outlying regions. It was wonderful to just sit as a passenger and watch all the new sites, momentarily free of any responsibilities or worries.
The traveler was truly excited, because finally her Path in Life would take her to the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, where she would fulfill her destiny. After two days of riding in the wagon, finally, there it was, Danubikt Moskt. Long before she got to the city, she could see the Grand Duke’s castle, perched high on a hill in the distance. Over the next several hours other landmarks came into view: the steeples of several churches, the large city wall, and the high cliffs and mountains along the western shore of the wide, graceful East Danube River.
Danka had been under the impression that everyone in Danubikt Moskt lived within the city walls, but as she approached the main gate along the northern side, she realized that was not true at all. The inner city was surrounded by an outer city: businesses and residences that had been built over the last hundred years by people who did not want to live in the cramped confines of the older walled-in settlement. Along the outer edges of the suburbs there were huge piles of stones, lumber, and sand. There were several brick factories working continuously and wagon trains were hauling the bricks to strategically placed warehouses surrounding the outer city. The wagon driver explained that the Grand Duke wanted to expand the city wall and enclose the entire outer suburb, and that the stockpiling of stones and bricks was in anticipation of his ambitious project. The wagon driver let out a hiss to signal his disapproval.
“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.”
The wagon driver let out disapproving whistle and continued:
I’ve been west of the Duchy. On the other side of those mountains. I’ve seen plenty of cities that don’t even have walls, and the ones that do have them aren’t any safer. Stone doesn’t defeat gunpowder, not for very long, at any rate.”
———-
Danka jumped off the wagon, paid the driver some copper coins, and made her way to the northern gate. As soon as she passed through, she was not impressed with what she saw. Danubikt Moskt was definitely a disappointment. Danka had expected the houses inside the city to be even nicer than the ones outside, but that was not true at all. The inner city was crowded with aging and moldy wooden buildings, many of which were three or even four stories tall. The upper floors extended over the streets, so in most places a person could only see a thin line of sky between the rows of rooftops. The smell of all that rotting wood along the enclosed streets, combined with thousands of cooking fires and piles of garbage, was impressive.
The city did have a few nice buildings. Instead of going directly to the Temple, she decided to first see the Christian cathedral. The cathedral was bigger than any other church Danka had seen so far and its open plaza was a relief from the claustrophobic streets. Danka noted with interest that no buildings were standing next to the church. There had been wooden structures standing there just a few months before, but the Duke had decided to build a park around the cathedral and ordered surrounding buildings to be torn down. The occupants were evicted and had to resettle outside the city walls.
Danka’s objective, the Great Temple of the Ancients, was only a few blocks west from the cathedral. She decided present herself to the Clergy and talk to the Grand Prophet about entering training for the Priesthood. She figured that she would wear her collar until the got to the Temple, then take it off after leaving the street. She figured that she could hide it in her bucket. Assuming the Priests welcomed her with open arms, she’d simply dispose of the collar, maybe by tossing it into the river. If anything went wrong, or the Senior Priest told her she’d have to wait before beginning her studies, she’d have the option of leaving the Temple and putting the collar back on. She was convinced the Priests would want her as an apprentice as soon as they realized how smart and educated she was, but she did understand that it was possible her studies would not start right away and she might have to keep herself occupied for a few weeks.
The Temple was a massive granite structure with a marble facade that pre-dated everything else in Danubikt Moskt by more than two thousand years. It was a beautiful and solid building, designed to last forever. It was the most impressive thing Danka had ever seen. The cathedral looked like a flimsy stage prop in comparison. For a very long time the visitor stood in the Grand Plaza of the Ancients, staring at her destination with a dumb expression on her face.
Yes, this is my Path in Life, this beautiful building, this is my destiny, this is where I belong.
The traveler was so distracted that she did not notice the crowd had fallen silent and was stepping to the sides of the plaza. She heard a series of very loud whistles and then the shout:
“Doc-doc Danube!”
The crowd roared its response and snapped to attention. Realizing she was standing alone, Danka scrambled to run off the plaza and join the crowd. She would have slipped to the back to avoid drawing attention to herself, but there was no time. Everyone saluted. She barely had time to get on her knees before Royal Guards marched into view. Not knowing the capitol’s protocol, she knelt forward and placed her face to the ground. The man standing next to her kicked her ankle and angrily whispered:
“Up-right, Penitent! What do you think he is, a Priest? He’ll want to see your face!”
Trembling from the strange situation and her apparent violation of protocol, Danka reluctantly knelt upright. Everyone, including the Royal Guards, had noticed her. Being noticed before safely getting to the Temple was absolutely the last thing she wanted.
Four foot-soldiers preceded the nation’s ruler, loudly whistling to announce their presence. The Grand Duke followed, along with four Royal Guards and two of his ministers, on horseback. The entourage wore finer clothing than the populace, but the exaggerated get-ups of other European royalty at the time would not have been considered appropriate in Danubia. The only detail that really set the Duke apart from his companions was his tunic, which was embroidered with gold thread instead of blue thread.
The Royal entourage rode past the crowd, placing their fists against their chests to return the public’s salute. Then the Grand Duke noticed Danka. He rode up to her, signaling one of the guards to follow him.
“Tell the girl to stand up.”
“You heard him, Lass. Stand up so his Majesty can better see you.”
“Y, yes, Master, as you wish.”
Danka stood up, her knees badly shaking. She had no idea why the Duke had taken an interest in her. She figured that she must have committed a breach of protocol and worried she was about to be punished. The guard dismounted.
“Look at his Majesty. Lift your head. Let him have a good look at your face.”
Terrified, Danka obeyed, forcing her eyes to meet those of the nation’s ruler. Her knees were shaking so badly that she had a hard time staying on her feet.
The Grand Duke carefully looked her over, as though he was trying to make a decision. She estimated him to be about 30. It was clear that he spent much of his time exercising, because even under his clothing Danka could tell the Danubian ruler was in excellent physical shape. Apart from that, his appearance was typical of a healthy upper-class Danubian about to enter middle age. He looked intelligent and had the confident expression of a man used to getting his way in life. There also seemed to be a hint of cruelty and arrogance in his face.
The guard exchanged glances with the Duke. The ruler nodded and returned to the other horsemen. The Royal entourage continued on its way, minus one of its members. The guard took his horse by the reins and tapped Danka on the arm.
“What is your name, girl?”
Danka believed that she had to come up with a new identity. She decided to call herself “Silvitya”.
“Silvitya, Master. I’m Silvitya.”
“Follow me.”
Danka, now to be known as Silvitya, was even more terrified. She wondered if the Grand Duke somehow knew she had been a Follower of the Ancients, and if that had anything to do with her detention. Or, perhaps she had unknowingly committed some serious breech of protocol.
“Master, please, I, I don’t know what I did. Please tell me, what I did to offend the, the Grand Duke.”
“You didn’t offend the Grand Duke.”
“But, I’m not, not being arrested?”
“Arrested? No. You need to come with me, but it’s not because you’re being arrested.”
“But,”
“Listen, girl. It is not your Path in Life to ask a bunch of questions. Your Path in Life is to obey your superiors and do what you are told.”
“Yes, Master.”
The guard led both his horse and the young woman towards a side entrance of the Temple of the Ancients.
“Go in there and tell a Priest to remove your collar. Be quick about it. If he has any questions, you can show him this pendant.”
The guard took off a large pendant that was mounted on a thick silver necklace and handed it to the terrified young woman.
“Go in there, find a Priest to remove your collar, and come back out. Very simple instructions, even for a dumb peasant girl like you. I will have your head if you do anything other than what I’ve ordered.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And take those boots off and stuff them in your bucket. If you’re wearing a collar, you have no business wearing boots.”
“Yes, Master.”
Silvitya ran into the Temple. It was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside, but she had no time to appreciate it. She looked around for a secluded spot where she could take off her collar without anyone seeing her. Her fingers were trembling so badly that she had trouble with the latches. Then she had to stop for a few minutes, because some worshippers in prayer robes decided to stand within sight of her. As soon as they moved, she took a deep breath and again started fiddling with the collar. Finally it came off. She took off one of her boots and pushed the collar as far down as she could. She took off the other boot, shoved both boots into her bucket, and ran out the door. As desperate as she was to run off in the opposite direction, she reluctantly returned to the Royal Guard. Trembling, she began to kneel, but cried out when he gave her a sharp kick.
“What are you doing, you idiot?”
“Please, Master, I don’t.”
“I’m a commoner! You don’t kneel to me! What are you trying to do, get me dismissed?”
“Yes, Master, I, mean no, Master, I… ”
“And quit calling me ‘Master’. I’m not a Lord and I have a name, Alexandrekt Bulashckt. You will call me Protector Bulashckt.”
“Yes, Protector Bulashckt.”
The guard held tightly to his horse’s reins and ordered Silvitya to mount. Silvitya struggled to climb up, wincing as the sharp edges of the metal stirrups pressed into her unprotected feet. Everyone stared at the bizarre spectacle of a Royal guard leading a horse carrying a completely naked rider. Silvitya wanted nothing more than to hide. Instead, once again she was the center of attention.
Protector Bulashckt led his horse and his mortified passenger across the entire city. By unhappy coincidence the Temple of the Ancients was on north side of Danubikt Moskt, and the castle was on the south side. It took more than two hours traveling through crowded streets to complete the trip. The road to the castle zigzagged up a steep hill that overlooked the capitol to the east and the East Danube River to the west. As she rode above the city, Silvitya noted the tightly packed wooden rooftops separated by a labyrinth of narrow streets.
The hill was topped by a large castle that had been built in the Fifteenth Century and had changed very little over the ensuing 300 years. It had been the home of Danubia’s royalty over that entire time, first to a succession of kings, and then to a succession of dukes. The Royal Family’s lineage went back even further than the castle, with the current Grand Duke being a direct descendant of that very ancient family.
The Grand Duke was really the nation’s King, but no Danubian monarch had officially taken that title since 1531. That was the year that Danubia’s most revered leader, King Vladik the Defender, died in battle and his son-in-law took the throne. King Vladik’s heir was a very unassuming and humble man who preferred to be called a Duke instead of a King, and none of his descendants had the nerve to break that tradition.
The guard led his horse and his rider up a final curve in the road and emerged into a large garden. They passed through the greenery and arrived at the castle gate. The castle’s inside totally contrasted with its plain windowless exterior. There were large windows, whitewashed walls, and decorated doorways with Greek-style pillars. Balconies ran along the entire second and third stories, and in the center flowerbeds surrounded a large fountain. The contrast between the beauty of the castle’s interior and the rotting squalor of Danubikt Moskt shocked the naked newcomer.
Three older women in expensive-looking dresses approached and saluted Protector Bulashckt. Silvitya reluctantly dismounted. Not knowing what else to do, she got on her knees and knelt upright. This time the guard did not object. He picked up her bucket and started to lead his horse to the Royal stable outside.
My bucket. Please don’t take my bucket.
Protector Bulashckt noticed the desperate look in Silvitya’s eyes, silently pleading with him not to take away her belongings.
“I’m putting this away. I’ll return it to you whenever you leave his Majesty’s service.”
Leave the his Majesty’s service? What on earth did that mean?
Protector Bulashckt exited the castle with his horse and Silvitya’s bucket. She dreaded what might happen the moment he went through her possessions and discovered that she had a fake penance collar stuffed into one of her boots.
Silvitya began to tremble as the three castle women studied her. She later would find out the women were senior servants, among the most trusted and highest-paid members of the Duke’s staff.
“Stand up, girl.”
Silvitya stood up.
“Open your mouth.”
“Mistress?”
Silvitya felt a sharp pain searing across her exposed bottom. She screamed. The woman holding the switch spoke:
“Learn your lesson, girl. When we give you a command, your Path in Life is to obey. Your Path in Life is not to question. Now, open your mouth.”
With tears flowing down her cheeks, Silvitya opened her mouth. One of the women looked inside and ran her fingers along the newcomer’s teeth.
“She certainly has good teeth. Her mouth is clean.”
The women proceeded to conduct a physical exam of the exposed newcomer in the garden. Silvitya later learned that she was being subjected to a pre-inspection, to make sure her health was good enough for her to be allowed into the castle. The women looked over her skin, closely examined her hands and feet, and pulled apart the braids of her hair to look for lice.
The next part of her induction into the castle was a bath. The three women escorted her to the castle bath house; then totally surprised the newcomer by undressing. They had to bathe the younger woman and did not want to get their own fine clothing wet. The women ordered Silvitya to stand still while they covered her body with soap and scrubbed her skin, paying particular attention to her hands and feet. They put a strong-smelling detergent in her hair and spent a long time massaging her scalp. They rinsed her hair and repeated the shampoo with a much more pleasant-smelling soap.
The women then ordered the newcomer to stand with her arms above her head and her legs spread. They explained what was about to happen. They needed to completely clean Silvitya’s vulva and make absolutely sure she had no lice. That meant they would have to shampoo her between her legs and run their fingers over her most private area. They had to warn Silvitya because what they were about to do was considered an extreme insult in Danubian culture, but in this particular case there was a specific and practical reason for it.
“We’re not insulting you, unless you choose to make an issue of it. In that case we’ll insult your tender bottom with leather, many times over. Do you understand, newcomer?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Silvitya closed her eyes and tried to stand still as the older servant rubbed harsh shampoo through her pubic hair. The woman spent a long time roughly massaging her to make sure she was completely clean for her new master.
Following the bath, the servants combed her hair and stretched it out on a cloth. They noted that because Silvitya had never cut her hair, the ends were uneven and ragged. They produced a pair of sharp scissors and cut off about a third of the length. Silvitya’s hair now came down to her upper back, but it looked neater and would be much easier to comb and maintain.
The castle women clipped her fingernails and toenails, and then did something extremely strange to their ward. They ordered her to raise her arms and produced a straight-edged razor. Silvitya stood still while the woman who had hit her with the switch shaved her armpits. Well, that was certainly weird, but it was a quirk of the Grand Duke. He required all of his women to be shaved under their arms, nearly two centuries before the custom became widespread.
At that moment Silvitya still did not have a clue why she had been brought to the castle. Her terror subsided into worry and bewilderment as she realized that the fate awaiting her was not punishment or execution. The Royal staff had something else in mind for her.
The servants ordered Silvitya to dry off as they got dressed. She wondered if she had been brought to the castle to be a servant, and if so, would there be a servant’s dress for her. However, there was no extra dress in sight. The only thing she would be given was a pair of velvet slippers. She also expected the women to braid her hair, but they ordered her out of the room with her hair still loose.
Silvitya was famished. Certainly the bath made her feel better, but her mind was on eating. Fortunately the next stop of her induction was a small room with a table containing a bowl of fruit. She devoured the fruit as the women looked at her with disapproving expressions. She still ate like a peasant, which was a flaw that would have to be fixed as soon as possible.
“Do you know how to clean your teeth, girl?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Then take this salt to that water basin and do it.”
Finally, after being cleaned up and fed, Silvitya was about to learn why she had been brought to the castle. The servants ordered her to follow them to the Royal chamber. They passed through a banquet hall and entered the Grand Duke’s library. The Duke, now dressed in casual clothing, was standing at a table studying a map with one of his generals. The three women and their ward approached an empty chair. The servants motioned the newcomer to kneel before kneeling behind her side-by-side. They knelt upright and were totally motionless as they waited for their ruler to finish his conversation. Silvitya’s knees were starting to cramp when the Grand Duke and the general saluted each other and the officer left the room. The Duke took a seat.
“Greetings from your servants, Your Majesty. As you can see, the girl has been prepared for presentation. Your servants hope that you find her pleasing, Grand Duke.”
“Stand up, girl. Stand straight, arms away from your body.”
Trembling, Silvitya did as she was told. The Duke spent a long time carefully looking her over.
“Now turn around. Stand straight, arms in front of you.”
When Silvitya turned around, the Duke noted the welt crossing the young woman’s backside.
“The mark, why does she have it?”
“The girl was insolent to me, Your Majesty. I had to correct her.”
“Hmmm. Let us hope that doesn’t happen again. Turn around, girl.”
Blushing, Silvitya did as she was instructed.
“You had better never be insolent towards me, or you’ll receive far more than a single stroke. Is that understood, girl?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What is your name, girl?”
“Silvitya, Your Majesty.”
The Grand Duke gave a disapproving look at the three servants.
“Have you instructed this girl about the proper way to address me?”
“Not yet, Your Majesty.”
“Enlighten her.”
The oldest servant stood up and tapped Silvitya with her switch.
“Listen, girl. When you address His Majesty, you will always refer to yourself as ‘your humble serving girl’, because that’s what you are. A humble serving girl who lives for the pleasure of our Sovereign. If you need something or have a question, you will kneel properly and say: ‘Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know’ such-and-such. For example, if you need to know what His Majesty wants to drink, you would say: ‘Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know what you would like to drink.’ Do you understand, girl?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Present yourself to the Grand Duke.”
Danka knelt with her hands extended in front, her forehead to the ground, and her knees widely spread. Her back was arched, completely exposing her vulva and sphincter.
“Your Majesty, your humble serving girl uh, Silvitya presents, uh, myself, to: AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
A cruel blow of the leather marked her tightly stretched backside. The oldest servant snapped:
“Idiot! You’re not worthy of saying “me” or “I” or “myself” to his Majesty! You are an object of pleasure, nothing more! You’re not worthy of claiming your own identity!”
Silvitya flinched from yet another cruel stroke of the switch.
“Now, address his Majesty properly!”
Silvitya received four additional welts on her bottom before she finally managed to say correctly: “Your Majesty, your humble serving girl presents herself to serve you. Your Majesty, your humble serving girl hopes that you find her body pleasing.”
“Stubborn little minx, aren’t you? The kind I most like, the little sluts who put up a fight. That’s not a problem, you’ll earn the switch, and then you’ll conform and obey, of that you can be sure.”
Silvitya managed to choke out: “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And by the way, your desire is granted. I do find my newest girl pleasing. Very much so. I have very good taste in girls, so you are honored to serve me.”
The Grand Duke ordered the other servants out of the room. He deliberately left Silvitya waiting, to increase her tension and fear.
“Very well, my little pleasure-minx. Get on your elbows and knees on the bed. Let’s see what you have for me.”
Trembling, Silvitya obeyed while the Grand Duke undressed. She winced at the painful welts crossing her bottom. She had been hit seven times so far and was very worried about receiving more blows. Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt her new Master’s fingers fondling her vulva and pushing hard into her anus. She tried to avoid flinching. She had not permitted any man since Bagaturckt to touch or put his finger into her sphincter.
The Grand Duke turned out to be a vigorous, over-sexed, and impatient lover. He took Silvitya from behind, rubbing hard against her welts as he thrust hard into her pussy. As soon as he climaxed, he ordered Silvitya to massage his wet, sticky penis. Within a couple of minutes he was hard and ready for his next target, Silvitya’s tight sphincter. As the young woman winced and grit her teeth against the unbearable pressure on her insides, the Sovereign muttered:
“Oh yes, nice and tight. Worth it. Totally worth it.”
As Silvitya lay on the bed clutching her burning bottom, the Grand Duke rang a bell and called in two other young women. Like Silvitya, they were completely naked, and like her, they did not wear their hair in braids. The Grand Duke ordered the women to lie in a row on their backs. He vigorously entered all three mistresses while ordering them to hold hands.
Silvitya was taken aback by the Grand Duke’s seemingly endless supply of sexual energy. He copulated as though he were possessed. He had a total of seven orgasms before he finally wore himself out. When he finally tired of using the women, he ordered them to kneel in a row and clean his penis and testicles with their tongues.
“You will thank my manhood for offering you the opportunity to serve, my little objects of pleasure. Show how grateful you are that you can fulfill your Paths in Life as pleasure sluts.”
The other women responded:
“Oh yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girls are so grateful to serve your manhood. Oh thank you, Your Majesty, for letting us be the sluts we were intended to be.”
When they finished, the Grand Duke ordered yet another young woman to enter his chamber to help him bathe, while telling the other two to clean up their “little sister” and show her to her sleeping chamber.
Silvitya quickly washed off and scrubbed her teeth with fine salt, desperate to get the taste of sex out of her mouth and the smell of sex off her body. Without saying a single word, the other two women escorted her to a small, but elegantly-furnished sleeping chamber. As soon as she entered, the heavy door went shut and she heard the sound of a metal bolt securing the latch.
With anguish, Silvitya looked at herself in the mirror. The image staring back horrified her. Her hair remained un-braided, her bottom was covered with welts, her vulva and breasts were raw, and her lips were chapped from having the Grand Duke’s penis in her mouth. The image staring back at her was that of a concubine, or worse yet, a sex slave. Yes, how many times had she heard that expressed in so many different ways, just during the first day?
Minx, humble serving girl, slut, toy, pleasure slut, object of pleasure, little slut.
And to think, just one day before Danka had been a free, independent woman. She had taken pride in herself and had huge ambitions. Just one day before. What a difference a single day, a bad decision, and a moment of bad luck can make in one’s Path in Life. What a difference.
Suddenly Babackt Yaga appeared in the room, with an angry expression and pointing her finger: “… remember my words, the day you act on your fantasies, your life as you know it will be ruined. Your Path in Life will change, and you will have to begin anew. Remember my words when that happens.”
As suddenly as Babackt Yaga appeared, she vanished. Silvitya sat on the bed and held her head, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“My life as I knew it is ruined. I lived in honor, and for an idiotic fantasy I threw it away. Now, I must begin anew, as a pleasure slave of all things, in the castle of the Grand Duke. What have I done?”
Indeed, what had she done?
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