From Betrayal to Joy - The Novella

The men present unanimously believed that the woman's breasts were, quite possibly, the finest that they had ever seen in person. King Rupert was reminded of an alabaster statue he had viewed in a museum. This woman was, if anything, more beautiful than that marble goddess. He could feel himself becoming fully aroused and was glad for the presence of his cod piece.

Wanda crossed her hands over her chest and tried to catch her breath. She knew that nothing short of total nudity would placate these men, but she hoped to delay it if possible. For a long moment, Wanda stood there, like one transfixed by a serpent, before King Rupert emitted a small cough.

Wanda's breasts returned to view as her hands went to the string holding up her lower silks. King Rupert observed, enthralled as his new gift's alluring hips and long and shapely legs were exposed to male eyes for the first time. Rupert, despite himself, licked his lips when he saw the expanse of thick red curls that adorned her pelvis. Almost as enthralling was the view of the Sisterhood tattoo on her right thigh. No man had ever seen one, fresh and vibrant on a living woman. King Rupert noted how wonderful the contrast between the woman's pale skin and the inky black tattoo. The silks at last reached the floor and Wanda stepped out of them then stood there shivering, one hand across her chest, the other trying to shield her sex.

"We have no secrets, woman," stated King Rupert firmly, "unveil yourself fully to me."

With a sigh, Wanda's arms fell to her sides. King Rupert strode about her several times, appreciating her wonderful buttocks, sweetly arched back, wide hips, magnificent legs, and flame of radiant hair. It was clear that the Sisterhood intended for their gift to be appreciated. Rupert certainly did. As he gazed at her, Rupert realized she still possessed one item from the Sisterhood. On the third finger of her left hand, the simple gold wedding ring.

Rupert pointed and stated, "Woman, your wedding to the Goddess Selene has ended in divorce. I would have that memento."

Wanda clasped her left hand in her right fist. Her ring was the most sacred thing she owned! It had never been off her finger, even for a fraction of a moment since her induction ceremony. Once, she had burned her left hand and the doctors worked around the ring rather than remove it. When a soldier fell in battle, her ring was returned to her home stockade. When a soldier died of old age, it was the only thing she was buried in. Aside from death or dismemberment it was never to come off. Now, just like that, she was expected to turn it over.

"Must I, Sire?" asked Wanda with as much humility and sincerity as she could muster.

"Woman, if your comrades captured me, would they allow me to keep my crown?"

Wanda's tears were profuse as she forced herself to remove her most important treasure, one which symbolized her entire life. Inside, her name and date of induction were inscribed. It a very real sense it was the very thing that made her a soldier. Without it, she felt beyond naked.

King Rupert peered at the band of gold. "Wanda, not an unpleasant name, but you shall not be permitted to keep it."

Wanda accepted that information blankly. King Rupert gently placed his hands on each of Wanda's soft shoulders.

"We are not quite finished yet, my lovely. Open your mouth."

Wanda had heard stories of what happened to women who fell into male hands. Apparently, it was not all propaganda. Meekly she opened her mouth, exposing fine strong teeth. King Rupert inspected Wanda's mouth, having her raise her tongue to find any concealed suicide pills or weapons. To his delight, he found nothing.

When King Rupert finished that task he announced, "There are only two other places where a woman may hide contraband or weapons. Do not resist me."

Even though Wanda knew it was coming, the sensation of King Rupert's long wide fingers, first in her buttocks and then in her womanhood was most disconcerting. Unbidden, horrible things she had been taught about men by the Sisterhood flooded her mind. "Men were bestial brutes who will take by force anything within their grasp." "No woman was safe from the excesses of men." "Only among her own kind are woman truly safe and free to love." These and a thousand other tenets of her education all fought to be heard by her inner mind simultaneously. And then, King Rupert was stepping away from her.

"There now, that was not so bad was it?" he stated soothingly.

A page arrived toting a bowl of water and a towel. The King washed his hands and whispered something in the lad's ear. In a nonce the boy returned hefting a pillow on which sat an object concealed by a silk cloth.

"Now, my pretty little gift," said King Rupert soothingly, "We need to keep you safe, protected and warm."

With a flourish, King Rupert withdrew the bit of silk revealing a collar! Wanda gasped. "Everything the Sisters said about men is true!" she cried as she tried to slink away. The generals immediately cut off her exit, they pressed their armor together, creating a wall through which she could not pass.

"You misunderstand, dove!" interjected King Rupert. "This is the symbol of my authority and protection, wearing it, no man in the realm will lay a finger upon you, even in your unclad state. Wearing this, every person in my kingdom will know that you belong to me and will treat you kindly as if you are an extension of myself."

Wanda was quite sure that she believed none of those words, but the generals continued to impede her every avenue of escape. King Rupert loomed into vision. Wanda squirmed in the grasp of the generals, but they held her too firmly for her to escape her fate. Wanda felt the warm hands of her enslaver upon her neck as they parted her lustrous red mane. Immediately after, Wanda felt the cool metal and leather collar encircle her slender neck. Wanda heard the catch of the lock to the device close with a soft, yet profound click. For a moment, she stood there, wondering if her soul had fled her body. Her hands went to her neck, unsurprisingly, the ring of steel and leather remained firmly about her neck.

Rupert laughed softly, and Wanda replied hotly, "You are a tyrant!" This caused King Rupert to laugh even harder.

"I see that, in your case, the flame red locks, truly do mark great passion." His eyes took a lingering tour of Wanda's slim form before "Right now you may consider me a tyrant, or any monster of your imagination, but I assure you that that WILL change!"

King Rupert clapped his hands and a large tubby man appeared, two swordsmen in tow. Rupert gestured first at Wanda and then at the tubby man.

"Pretty one, this is Canter, the keeper of my harem. You WILL obey him."

Turning to the tall tubby man, King Rupert stated, "Canter, be gentle with this one. Get her situated and then prepare her for my pleasure. The two of us shall dine in my quarters."

"As you command, Sire." stated Canter as he bowed his head and gestured to his swordsmen. Knowing it would be suicide to challenge their blades, Wanda had no choice but to allow herself to be led away. Reluctantly, she grasped the harem master's hand. As they made their way deeper into the labyrinthian castle, Wanda tried to summon her military training. With the guards' blades glistening in the corner of her vision, Wanda considered simply throwing herself on one of them. "Would it not be better to end it all now than to suffer the touch of a man?" she thought. Immediately, Wanda realized that she was such a bad soldier that she could not even obey its prime command as to how to handle herself in enemy hands. Disconsolate, she noted the faded line where her wedding ring had resided until a moment ago. "Am I STILL a soldier? Am I still required to kill myself?" she asked herself. There was no answer to her questions. It was all so confusing.

Wanda was loathing to admit as much, but part of what stayed her hand was curiosity about her captor. King Rupert was the most handsome man she had ever encountered. He was also turning out to be a gentleman. Stripping a captured soldier was standard procedure in every country, Wanda did not take that personally, as humiliating as it was. Then Wanda realized that she had ceased to be a soldier the moment she had been assigned to the peace delegation. She could just imagine Captain Willow and the other officers, giggling in their tent as Wanda rode off. "One soldier's sacrifice is for all." had been the Sisterhood dictum but it was supposed to work on the individual level, NOT the command level! She'd been picked, Wanda now realized, because of her innate gullibility and because she would appeal to King Rupert's taste in women.

This brought her mind back to the King. So far, he had been kind and patient. Perhaps a wholesale reevaluation of the opposite gender was in order. She had heard so many negative things about men from the Sisterhood but her recent service with so many during the war and her journey to this castle had proved to her that at least SOME of what she had been taught was in error. Some women seemed to get along well with men. She recalled her own mother. Until death had torn the family apart, her father and mother seemed to be very much in love. Had her mother not died, would she and Bonnie be married women now? Perhaps, she would already be a mother or an aunt. What would she be now? For that matter, what was she now?

Wanda tried to rein in her thought when the trek deep into the castle terminated. Wanda found herself in a well-lit room with fountains and pools. Soft music filled the air from the throats of dozens of caged exotic birds. A phalanx of female eyes and forms turned as one as Wanda was led in. Even though she was in an entirely new world, Wanda recognized the familiar glances of appraisal and assessment. "Women are women." she found herself thinking, "For better and for worse."

Only now did Wanda note that the women gathered before her were all remarkably healthy and beautiful. Each wore a collar matching her own. They owned every hair shade, but none possessed Wanda's deep, almost crimson vibrancy. There were a few women from other races as well. Wanda spied dark brown women from the southern realms whom Wanda knew from the emissaries they sent to unite the southern and northern Matriarchy. There were even two or three ebon haired women with oddly slanting eyes, from the far western steppes, where the Matriarchy ruled over the men who worshiped them and delighted in serving their natural betters. Wanda recalled that those women were not disciples of Selene. They worshiped Venus and looked down upon the Sisterhood for opting to worship so fickle a mistress as the moon. "Venus rules both day and night and never varies her brightness." Wanda had read in her textbook on comparative religion. The Daughters of Venus also took husbands who raised the children and taught their sons always respect and admire women. Perhaps it was because of the young age that she had read about those mysterious women of the east, but Wanda had always wondered if their way was better.

Wanda could tell that at least some of the women gathered in this room, were eyeing Wanda with more than curiosity. Wanda, as slow on the uptake as she sometimes felt she was, could read quite easily amorous interest in a woman's countenance. Wanda was forced out of that line of thought when Canter pulled her to a stop before a much older, kindly-looking woman.

"Huldah, this is a new acquisition. Can you give her the standard treatment, find her something pretty to wear, and have her ready for dinner time? She will be dining with the king."

"Of course, Canter. You caught me at a good time."

The gray-haired but handsome woman took an appraising look at Wanda and asked laconically,

"What is your name sweetheart?"

"Well Ma'am," replied Wanda slowly, "Apparently I no longer have one, but before I arrived at the castle I was known as Wanda."

"That's good enough for me, Wanda, welcome." Huldah's eyes riveted themselves on Wanda's tattoo.

"Those markings ... I've never seen them on one of the king's women before."

"It shows that I am a Sister of the Moon."

"And you were taken alive?" marveled the older woman.

"I wasn't captured in battle my commanders made me a present to King Rupert without my knowledge or consent! I was in no position to take my life and things transpired before I scarce had time to breathe and now, I am here, naked and collared and at the king's mercy."

"Will you try to kill yourself the moment my back is turned?" asked Huldah with concern in her voice.

Wanda met the older woman's penetrating gaze before looking away. She bit her lower lip and forced a bitter confession from her throat, "Much as it pains me to say, I am a very bad soldier, I lack the will to end my life. In this, like nearly everything else I swore to do as a soldier, I failed." Wanda's eyes filled with tears anew.

"Now, now," stated the older woman gently, "There is no shame in loving life, and it also does not seem as though you owe your former superiors anything. After all, they betrayed you. What would your death achieve now? Would they see it? Would they award you a medal posthumously? Would you know or care? I would not trouble my thoughts anymore with what they expect of you."

Huldah allowed her words to sink in for a moment before she continued, "Besides, King Rupert is a tender and generous lover as well as a kind and noble gentleman. We're something of a sisterhood of our own here. All of us covet our time spent sharing King Rupert's bed. Other times we relax together, confide in one another and share intimacies. Yes, there is occasional cattiness and conflicting personalities, but you will find those in any gathering of females."

Wanda absorbed the matron's words. Huldah noticed her caught up in contemplation, strode closer to her and stated sincerely, "Would this face lie to you Wanda?" after a pause she uttered, "Now let's see to your bath."

As Wanda soaked in a luxuriant bath in sweetly scented water, she was full of questions.

"Who is that man who brought me here?"

"Canter? He's the king's eunuch. He likes to think that he runs the harem. It is a conceit we woman allow him. He does do a very good protecting us and making sure that it is never too hot or too cold in our chambers. He keeps leering guards at bay and makes sure the chief gives us only the finest food. I would advise you always stay on his good side." stated Huldah firmly.

"But surely the king cannot use so many women at once, how all spend their days?"

"We are up at dawn for two hours of stretches and exercises, followed by an hour of ballet. Then it is breakfast and being prepared for our day. If he is not involved affairs of state or war, King Rupert usually stops in about noon to gaze, chatter and make his selections. Most days he selects three girls for three distinct rendezvous. Sometimes he is feeling very amorous and makes use of as many as six a day, sometimes two women at once."

"After the king's appearance is lunch and then most of the girls are free. There is a huge library, some practice calligraphy, other knit or tat, some of them are trusted with the task of designing fashions that will help a girl capture the king's eye. A few of us are not only concubines but translators as well. King Rupert is apt to receive visitors from all corners of the globe. No two of us do the same things. We will find out what you do best and find a place for you. Dinner ends our day and, those not designated to warm King Rupert's bed, turn in early."

Wanda looked intently into Huldah's deep blue eyes and confessed, "I have only lain with women, I know nothing of the love of a man. I have no idea how to behave or even if I want to suffer a man's touch. What should I do?"

Huldah replied, "Surely, the Sisterhood taught you basic biology?"

"I know that men have something like an eel at the juncture of their legs. My teachers taught me that this eel was dangerous and has a mind of its own. They also told me that if I ever needed to battle a man in close quarters, I should focus my attack there. There were pictures in my textbooks, but nothing was especially clear."

Huldah chuckled softly and replied, "Well that is NOT entirely inaccurate. A man inflamed by passion can sometimes be dangerous and greedy and will take what he should have asked for politely. HOWEVER, most men, like King Rupert, are patient and careful with a woman. His desire is for her utmost pleasure as well as his own. Men also make love with their tongues, lips, and touch. Some can dine on your womanhood with more skill than even the most talented woman. I would not worry, Wanda. I believe that King Rupert is quite aware of your pure status and is delighted with it. I have no doubt that he will be gentle and excessively patient with you."

"But what should I do?" asked Wanda in consternation.

"Do what you know how to do. Kiss, embrace, stroke. All men desire the licking and suckling of their manhood."

"Take a live eel into my mouth?" spat Wanda disgustedly.

Huldah giggled once more, "Oh, the king is going to ADORE you! So long as the man is clean, it is in no way disgusting. In fact, it is rather fun, and you would be amazed at the pleasure it gives men. A woman who owns that talent is highly desired by every man in the entire world no matter her looks or her age."

"How does one acquire that skill?" asked Wanda.

"The same way one learns to knit or to read or to do most anything, with practice. Don't fret. I am sure that King Rupert will not be expecting expertise in that area. He will expect you, however, to be willing to learn and eager to obey his commands. If you relax and just let things come naturally, I have no doubt that you will have a wonderful time. There is something about being intimate with men that cannot be equaled with women. I have no idea why that is true, yet it is."

The conversation continued as Wanda was supine on a comfortable table while Huldah minutely examined the former soldier's skin to make sure that it was smooth and hairless. With a practiced hand, she trimmed the edges of Wanda's crimson crotch to create a perfect triangle. Wanda reveled in Huldah's massage skills; she was far more talented than any of the girls in her unit. She watched with fascination as lacquer was applied to every one of her nails. She felt some pangs of guilt, soldiers were supposed to shun pampering and luxury and unnecessary ornamentation. Those passions were put into keeping their armor dazzling and making their dress uniforms perfect.

"What does King Rupert like?" asked Wanda as Huldah began to elaborately braid her hair.

"Beautiful women!"

"No, but what will he expect me to talk about?"

"Whatever comes to mind, your life, his life, certainly you've chatted up a conquest before."

"I wasn't very good at that, either" replied Wanda softly. "I could never keep women interested in me for very long."

Huldah paused in what she was doing faced Wanda and replied, "That is very interesting! Is it possible that your goddess, or fate, or whatever you want to call it, has delivered you here because you were unsuited to your old life? Perhaps your destiny is the arms of a man. If that is the case, destiny has been very generous to you as there are few men as kind and handsome as King Rupert."

"But why would Selene abandon me. Why would my officers simply give me away?"

"From what you have told me, Wanda, you were not much of a soldier, as tribute to seal a peace however, few women's beauty compares to yours! Would you have volunteered for this fate if you had been asked? We both know the answer to that. I don't claim to know all the answers, Wanda but I do know that life is so much better when one is happy. My heart tells me that you will be far happier here than you ever would have been as a soldier."