Kaiji entered the first carriage she could. As soon as she sat down, she stared at the slender little box. She ran her hands over the little golden latch that sealed it shut. There was no lock. She traced her fingers over it, the smooth wood had a perfect polish to it, and it shone lightly, reflecting some of the sun that came in through the window of the carriage in which she now rode.

A lump took form in her throat. Her fingers trembled and she felt emotion swell in her breast as she looked at the little box that contained the written proof of the ascendancy of her owner. Her finger moved back and forth over the top of the latch, The little curve that secured it closed through a loop went in and out over and over again.

“Look? Or don’t look?” She asked herself quietly. She reached up and tugged at the horn on the left side of her head in frustration as she stared into the surface of the sealed little box.

She flicked the latch open and placed both thumbs on the side of the lid, then lifted it up.

There sat the expected document, sealed and ready to be opened. However what Kaiji truly wished, if it were there at all, would be below. With her fingers still shaking, she held one hand out, touching the smooth silk of the proof of nobility. It gave under her touch, and she closed her fingers over it to lift it up in her fist. ‘Don’t do it. Don’t look. If it’s there, read nothing into it, if it isn’t, read nothing into it.’ Her thoughts flew but despite her warning to herself, she lifted the end of the decree and looked down at the red silk fabric beneath.

Her free hand came up to cover her mouth, the corners of her eyes shook. There below, centered with the latch, were two purple tags.

She lowered the document down again onto the red silk, then sealed the box. Her lower lip trembled so hard that she had to bite down on it to keep it still. Her thoughts however, stilled her heart far more quickly than her thoughts stilled her trembling lip. ‘Priceless will be so happy… this will be the safest she’s ever been. Nobody will hurt her, nobody will even speak cruelly to her. She can walk with her head held high…’ The thought came and went, and she indulged herself in a brief fantasy.

For a moment it was all laid out in her mind, having served their mistress well… Nua’s right hand removes the latches on their collars… they fall away, clattering to the ground… they are free, free and together… Kaiji shut her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief, touching the bronze and playing with the little loop where the purple would be secured.

It made the ride back go swiftly, the echoing screams of the man who was going to experience the pain of death, the tearing asunder of his flesh by the wrath of hungry dogs, until the healers could heal no more… a queasy sensation rose in her stomach and she touched the place gingerly. ‘The Prince of Pas’en... I never imagined he could be that way…’ She thought and shook it off.

She recentered her mind on the coming joy, the carriage rolled through streets that had begun to seem grim beyond all measure. The boisterous and loud people of Pas’en who walked with heads held high were sullen and muted with the mood of their Prince.

She set her elbow at the dark wood of the window and turning it up, rested her hand in the dark purple palm to look at the city pass her by. ‘I wonder what errand she’s dispatched Priceless on? Will we have to wait till we’re together to take the purple tag? Will she just slide it on and give us a set of orders? Or will she make a show of it?’ Kaiji felt the questions form over and over in her mind as she tried to predict the often contradictory actions of her mistress. The cut she never let fully heal on her hand, the behavior that waxed and waned between cold and arrogant, to almost kindly understanding.

Kaiji furrowed her brow and gritted her teeth, but ran her hand over the box in her lap, her thumb played over the little latch, her eyes occasionally darted down to it. Her breasts rose and fell in time with her frustrated whirlwind of emotions until she recognized she was drawing closer.

‘Learn to love her.’ That had been Priceless’s advice, but to that she could only say to herself, ‘How can I? I find myself… respecting her. Tough, hard, intelligent. But love? No. Priceless is wrong about this, I can’t. It’s only my Priceless that I want to love. But… I can be grateful. Grateful that our mistress saved my life. Grateful that she lets me find comfort with my companion, grateful that she doesn’t hurt us or torment us… what a way to be.’ She snorted derisively as the brief memory, fleeting, ephemeral, of her former life as a mistress herself, a noble of Komestra with the ear of the Prince, came to mind and vanished then like a dream remembered only for seconds before she fully awakened to the real world again.

And then the carriage stopped and she departed, the door opened and Kaiji’s face became a neutral mask, her head high enough to see the bronze collar that showed her status, but not high enough that anyone might think her arrogant. The step creaked lightly under her foot, and then she heard the sound of her other foot striking stone. She bowed politely to the driver and began to cross the grounds to the great hotel.

She saw tables being laid out, long ones with long, backless benches to go with them. As the tables were being put into place, the scent of hot food struck her sensitive demon-elf nose. ‘The chef outdid himself.’ She thought and watched as large tureens of Komestran soups were laid down, and long silver trays of sumptuous pig heads and thick long loaves of bread were laid end to end. A rich smelling red sauce with fist sized balls of meat with dark green leaves was ladled out over the long stringy pasta that was put on plate after plate. It was all Kaiji could do to walk past it, but it was all laid out in sight of the caged slaves. Her long dark ears twitched at their hungry mutterings and the collective salivations of the unit of men and women who could only wait for the chance to dive on it.

She left them behind and out of sight, returning swiftly to her owner’s quarters, and she found precisely what she expected. Nua was at her table talking with her bodyguard, the maid and monster named ‘Solution’. ‘The mistress confuses me, but that one does not. A monster and a sadist, she would kill me and savor the fear and the pain.’ She suppressed her shudder and forced her mind to focus.

Kaiji bent her knees and sank to the floor, she raised up the little box. “Mistress Nua Calen Aiwenor… you are elevated to the purple. The Prince of Pas’en conveys to you the title of Duchessa. With it comes the right to your own official militia, an estate within the city, and a manor in the largest of the towns beyond. Those towns you may govern or tax as you see fit so long as they do not conflict with the laws of the city of Pas’en or the edicts of Prince Rasgen.”

She reached with dark, trembling fingers over the top of the box to the little latch, and slid it out of the way, then using her thumbs on either side, she opened the box to reveal the official document. Nua broke the seal and the silk document unfurled without so much as a sound. She read over the letters inscribed in golden ink that glowed faintly with magic to make counterfeiting impossible, and a slow, broad smile formed over her face.

She set the document down on the table, then taking the box and setting it next to the certificate, she removed a purple tag.

Kaiji heard the sound of the little tag’s metal clink against its companion.

She swallowed hard but did not look up. Her eyes were centered on the surprisingly dainty feet of the woman who seemed larger than life. Her long calf length boots were of the finest make, and there were unfamiliar markings that gave off a very faint black hue.

‘Unfamiliar magic’ She thought rapidly and recalled the mystic left hand that instinctively made her skin crawl and filled her with terror.

"My Kaiji... raise your head... it's alright. You are safe." Nua said in a hushed voice and reached out to touch the dark purple cheek of the demon-elf she had acquired. 'Let her go.' Nua's mind demanded as she saw the faintest tremble that disguised the deep seated fear that Nua knew lived in every slave. 'You're lying to her. She's not safe.' She told herself, but she told the lie again, but struck by the moment, Kaiji's head did not move, though it was evident she tried, the former noble was frozen in the moment, lacking power even over her own flesh.

Nua chose how to break the struggle, shattering it like a fist of iron breaking ice. Kaiji felt the gentle giving hand, and the strength that was revealed by the callouses over the surface, moved down to her chin. She began to close her solid red eyes so that she didn't have to see anything, until she saw the impossible.

Nua went down to a knee in front of her, and lifted Kaiji's face to meet with hers. Slowly, with unyielding strength, her mistress lifted Kaiji's chin to bare the bronze collar and the little empty front loop. With her solid red eyes wide and staring, she could not miss the golden glow of the new Duchessa Aiwenor's eyes staring back at her.

“It’s alright. This will do.” Nua held up the purple tag in front of her.

Nua’s words were soft, gentle, and pounded into Kaiji’s heart with power. Like her voice had synced to the heart of the demon-elf, all the slave could do was look into the golden pupils and lose herself while she listened. “You have shown me loyalty in my absence, I have spoken with the staff while you were out, they praised your diligent work, and said that both you and Priceless have been faithful in every respect. I was going to wait to do this till you were both here… but you have waited long enough.”

Nua lifted Kaiji’s chin slightly more, exposing the collar, and slipped the tag into the loop and closed it shut. “You are now of the purple elites, you speak with my voice, act as if your body were my own, and represent me in all things when I am not present. You are the voice and will of your mistress.”

Prince Sado stared from where he was on the floor. ‘What did they do to Kaiji? Kaiji was a fierce magical combatant, she probably killed a dozen before she was brought down. Yet she can barely meet the woman’s eyes?’ The golden glow and the way the voice of the death worshipper pounded in sync to the heart and forced them to listen, it set his pulse to racing.

He found himself reevaluating the woman once again. ‘She took down Bracer. Her soldiers fought and won while outnumbered and suffered only a single death. She is beautiful… so ungodly beautiful that I can’t look away…’ He kept his face neutral to hide his thoughts, but when the mistress stood again, Kaiji placed her head to the floor and kissed the surface of the lady Aiwenor’s boot.

He swallowed hard. Nua reached down to stroke the dark hair that hung loosely from Kaiji’s head, “No need for demonstration like that… you prove yourself, by actions. That is the creed of my god. Continue to prove yourself, and you will have my trust.”

Then the moment was done.

A knock at the door saw Sado rise to the occasion himself, he shot to his feet as if eager to escape the impossible moment and rushed to answer it.

A thin young woman stood there at the front and said, “The feast has been prepared as ordered. My name is Kara and I am assigned as your escort and liaison if you require any further support while the meal goes on.”

Sado bowed his head politely, “A moment.”

He returned into the open space of the room beyond the short hall and went to his knees. “Mistress, a servant of the hotel is here, Kara, she’s to act as your attendant if you require anything during the banquet. If you are ready to attend, it is ready to be served.”

‘Kara? What happened to Karlo?’ Nua wondered and threw the question away as fast as it came to mind.

“Let’s go, no sense in letting good food go cold.” Nua shrugged and headed for the door. Just beyond it, a slender dark haired woman stepped back to allow their exit.

There were no words exchanged, the woman in a dark red and bright white uniform cut to accentuate her curves and femininity, simply led them to the steps.

“So, what happened to Karlo?” Nua asked with a tiny frown on her face.

The woman did not look back, though her already straight erect body tensed subtly for a moment, “My lady, if I do not please you, then I will find another, but I promise I will do my utmost to see you satisfied.”

“I’m sure you’re quite competent.” Nua brushed a stray strand of fallen golden hair behind her, “However I expressly requested him for the duration of my stay.”

Kara swallowed, she felt eyes boring into the back of her head, intense, not hostile, but watchful. “I-I see, yes ma’am, however Karlo has not come to work. He left one day and… well he just didn’t come back. I am sorry, My Lady.”

“I see, has nobody been by his home? Is he well?” Nua asked without so much as a break in her voice.

“I’m a friend of his. So I have been, My Lady. He wasn’t there.” Kara replied when they exited the hotel and returned to where the preparations for the feast were complete.

“Prince of Chains…” Nua said as her entourage took their positions at her back and she looked out over the long dark wooden tables and benches, the sumptuous meal that, even free, was beyond anyone but a handful of those who were present.

“Yes… Mistress?” Sado asked with a furrowed brow from her back, the name grated, but before any frustration could rise, he saw her hand come up to remove something from around her neck. She held her hand out to one side, and let it drop, it was a key, it bounced from the force of the yank when it tugged itself against the end of the chain she still held. It swung before his eyes, back and forth as it expended its remaining force.

“Take this, go let your people out of their cages, and have them form up.” Nua didn’t look back at him when she spoke, she didn’t see, or care to see, if he was on his knees or not, her eyes were to the twenty-five. ‘No… twenty-seven, including the two children I can see peeking out from behind Freyjin.’ She corrected herself and watched the Prince stride over the grass, one by one he went cage by cage and swung the door open. Each one he opened, he helped the man or woman out, and embraced them, thanking them for his rescue, and when he reached Freyjin, he crouched down to be on eye level with the two little girls.

They clutched at her clothing desperately, but to Nua’s surprise, he was patient, “Go on… it’s safe, there’s food…” She heard him whisper, and when Freyjin put her hands on their backs, she guided them away from their uncomfortable confinement.

‘No wonder he was a popular Prince, he knew exactly how to connect with them.’ Nua pondered that as the last were let out and began to form ranks.

Vargas was quick to bring them to order, and the Prince moved in front of the sergeant. After they traded salutes, the Prince spun around to face the Mistress and her remaining party. “Mistress Aiwenor, your soldiers are prepared.” He said in the proud, booming voice that Nua recognized as one that could only come from an experienced commander.

Foot traffic slowed from in and out of the hotel at the unusual spectacle.

Nua approached and tapped the Prince on his shoulder, she leaned forward and whispered, “Go on, fall in behind them.” Her breath was cold as death where it touched his ear, and he nodded sharply before obeying.

“I won’t waste time on long speeches, with hot food.. Instead I’m just going to say this. You worked hard, and this is the fruit of all that. Eat, but eat with dignity. Don’t scrap like dogs in an alley fighting over a bone. Remember who you are. Savor this moment, and think about what got you here. When the meal is over, I will have a special reward for you. Now fall out, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die!”

She snapped out the last words and they rushed with whoops of pleasure for the table, the sound of scrambling arms and legs for places was quickly followed by the sound of spoons, forks, and knives, the slurping of soup and those odd stringy pasta things.

Nua kept her back to it all until she heard the last begin to eat.

She then returned to where Solution and Kaiji stood in attendance, waiting. Nua put her hand on Kaiji’s lower back, “Go on slave, eat. You earned this too. But save some for when Priceless gets back. I think she deserves it as well.”

Kaiji’s eyes welled up. “Mistress, of course… you think of even her… even me… but may this humble one beg a question…?” She sank down to her knees and turned her gaze upward.

“Ask it. I may not answer, but ask it.” Nua said in a clipped tone while she surveyed the great devouring. The sound of meat tearing off of bone, the scent of rich wine flowing and the sound of it sloshing in cups. The slaves she’d bought, lifeless or wrathful, were now filled with rich vigor and speaking among one another passionately. A male and female each darted a hand beneath the table, teasing one another playfully and shamelessly. Nua rolled her eyes. ‘What pleasures they can… and this place, this city, doesn’t seem to care anyway. Bizarre still, but… at least it’s honest.’ She thought, shrugging it off before Priceless’s next words brought a chill to her core.

“Mistress, where did you send M- ah, send Priceless to, she’s been gone most of the day, she doesn’t usually take this long, if she needs help, maybe I can go and make sure she comes back sooner?” Kaiji bit her lip as she asked the elven woman who was surveying her living possessions.

That surveying did not change until the question began to trail off and Nua’s face slowly turned down to look Kaiji in the eye. “What do you mean, ‘where did ‘I’ send her. I thought you sent her somewhere.”

All Kaiji could hear was a roar in her ears as terror swept through her body from top to toe tip, as the beautiful face of her mistress began to twist into a snarl of wrath and fury.

Kaiji’s mind immediately leapt to the obvious, ‘Karlo… you damn fool. What have you done…?!’