The Trikingdom Ch. 06

Careena angrily slammed the book she was reading closed. It was a treatise on magic that she had borrowed from her brother's library. Unfortunately, the author was so long winded in his explanations that by the time she reached one of his conclusions, she forgot what question he had originally posed. She was forced to reread everything several times to understand every single point.

That was not her only frustration with the book. While it was very comprehensive on nearly all magical concepts, she had learned nothing to help her overcome whatever was blocking her from her power. She had been reading it for days and was no closer to solving her problem than she had been before.

At least she was no longer plagued by those overpowering sexual urges. She looked appreciatively at handsome men, and now women since her experience with Trian, but she was able to look without having to act.

She let her mind wander back to the previous night with her husband and the pleasures they had enjoyed. He had provided more than enough satisfaction for her every night since she had returned from her trip to Lesquia. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he was trying to get her pregnant. The thought of children made her smile, but they had decided to wait until their city was under control before they started a family.

Kalas had spent the past few months planning the construction of a paladin temple. The foundation was just getting started and would help stability in Genoise in a couple of ways: it would draw paladins to the city, and the construction was providing work for the impoverished citizenry. The duke and duchess were also trying to promote business owners to remodel or replace some of the older buildings and storefronts in the city.

There was one matter upon which the young couple disagreed on however. Now that much of the lawlessness had come under control, Kalas had wanted to turn their efforts towards eliminating prostitution. Careena wasn't as sensitive to prostitution as her husband was, and she knew that it was one of the reasons Genoise had been a popular vacation spot in the past. It was illegal in most of the Trikingdoms but traditionally had been welcomed in their city.

The problem with prostitution lately had been the lack of oversight and the lack of money flowing into the city. The flesh peddlers were always looking to find ways around the regulations that had been in place, and often cheated the girls who worked for them. They needed to get travelers to come back to the city again, and in order to do that they needed to restore its reputation, not outlaw prostitution.

Lately she had sensed that her arguments were beginning to sway Kalas. He seemed less adamant each time they discussed the problem. She believed that if a woman wanted to offer a man the use of her body for some coin, then that was her choice. Who were they to tell her that she couldn't? And was it any different than some of the things they had done recently to secure the new marriage arrangements?

Her musings were interrupted as her husband burst into the room panting. "My brother is on his way here!" the Duke cried as he ran to change out of the muddy clothes he had been wearing.

"Now?!" she asked in confusion. "Why didn't we have any warning?"

"I don't know," he responded, "but a rider was sent ahead of his retinue to announce his approach. He must have left on short notice."

That was the most likely conclusion she could come up with as well. The crown prince of Galin didn't just wander about and happen to visit. He must have a very urgent matter to discuss with them. "Is my sister with him?" she asked hopefully.

"The rider didn't say, only to expect the prince," he responded as he pulled on a clean pair of boots.

Careena frowned. Her sister most likely had not come if no mention of her had been made. She watched her husband stand and straighten his garments and then followed him out to greet the prince. They made it outside just in time to see the prince arrive on horseback and not in a wagon. It alarmed Careena at first, but she quickly realized he was not wearing his armor which meant his business was urgent, but that they were not at war.

Prince Duran leapt off his horse and handed the reins to a retainer before climbing the steps up to the Duke and Duchess two at a time. He embraced his brother jovially and Careena relaxed at the prince's attitude. He embraced her next and kissed her lightly on each cheek. "Seline sends her greetings, and regrets not being able to come herself," the prince said, "but there was no time."

"What is this all about Duran?" Kalas asked.

"Let us go somewhere where we can talk more privately and I will explain, little brother," Duran replied.

The three of them went to Duke Kalas's study and had some refreshments brought. Once that was done all the servants were excused and ordered not to disturb them.

"Now, what brings you all the way out here?" Kalas asked again with a smile.

"An emissary, from Remar, arrived in Coderra two weeks ago," the prince began, "and was quickly sent to father. He's asking us to send an ambassador back to Remar to negotiate terms of an arrangement. They have asked for you, Kalas."

"What kind of an arrangement?" Kalas asked, shocked.

"They are asking for aid to protect their city. They have lately seen an unprecedented amount of pirate raids in their harbor and a short time ago what appeared at first to be a coordinated pirated attack nearly crippled their docks," the prince explained. "But it soon became apparent that the ships weren't manned by pirates."

"Does it matter who attacked them?!" Careena exclaimed. "We can't seriously be contemplating negotiating with them. They're slavers!"

"What the Remarians do inside their own borders isn't our concern. They have wealth and are willing to exchange some of it for help protecting their city," the prince said calmly.

"Wealth earned off the backs of their women," she proclaimed. Remarian females were enslaved at birth and raised to serve men. Their culture had evolved this way over centuries. Women were treated as any other resource or animal; bought and sold in markets, and used in any way their owner saw fit.

"Nevertheless, we will treat with them, or rather you will, little brother," the prince said.

"Why me?" Kalas asked, perplexed. He felt much the same as his wife about Remar.

"The two of you have suddenly become known as capable negotiators, and despite your moral objections to their way of life, Father knows that as a paladin you will not interfere with their laws, and at the same time do what is best for the Trikingdoms," his brother explained.

Kalas nodded in understanding. He would follow the laws of the land he was in, no matter how distasteful he found them.

"If you're going, then I'm going," the Duchess proclaimed.

"No Careena, I'm afraid you can't," the Prince said. "The Remarians don't allow females from outside, into their city. They feel it would contaminate their slave population."

"You mean it might educate them, if they saw a free woman," she spat angrily.

"Yes," he said, a little embarrassed.

"I'll stay outside the city then," she said.

"No, that would seem like an insult," Kalas told his wife. "They would be put on the defensive if they knew you were out there waiting."

Careena fumed for a bit, but she knew he was right. If he was going to negotiate in good faith he would have to do it alone. "Besides, he said, I feel the same as you do. Perhaps if we develop a good relationship with them, over time our influence will cause them to change their ways."

She wanted to believe what he was saying, but the Remarians had been practicing slaver for thousands of years. She doubted it would change any time in the near future.

"There's a ship waiting for you in DuGuerra," the prince said. "You must travel their quickly as the ship will not wait forever."

"Why DuGuerra? Why not Coderra? It's much closer," Kalas asked.

"Father wishes for your departure to be somewhat covert. If you leave from DuGuerra, your ultimate destination may be in doubt to watching eyes," his brother explained.

"I'll go with you to DuGuerra, at least," the Duchess told her husband. "I can borrow some more books from my brother."

The Duke nodded and smiled at his wife, pleased that she was taking everything so well.

***

The trip to DuGuerra was uneventful. Prince Duran had returned home the day after he arrived and the duke and duchess had left the following morning. Since speed was a necessity they all rode horseback, including the duchess, who began regretting her decision to join her husband the second day in the saddle. She was a competent rider, but she had never ridden for such long stretches of time.

The duke did not wish to tarry in DuGuerra but consented to stay for one night so Careena could give him a proper goodbye. That evening, before dinner, she excused herself so that she could take a look at the books in her brother's personal library.

King Lastel was waiting for her when she opened the library door. "I received your message little sister, and I must say that I do not agree with you foolish plan," he said sternly.

"But you're going to help me anyway, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, Careena. I'm going to help you," he said with a touch of exasperation, "but I wanted you to know that I object first."

She smiled and hugged her brother. "I heard you, but I will not change my mind. Now, what have you got for me."

King Lastel produced a simple gold ring and held it out to her. "Slip this ring on your finger," he said, "and it will transform you into a man in his later years."

"Illusion?" she asked.

"No, reality. Anyone perceptive enough would eventually see through an illusion. I must warn you that once you take off the ring, its magic will be gone for good."

Careena nodded in understanding. "What else?" she asked.

"I have clothing like the garb one of the local merchants would wear, and enough coin for you to act the part you wish to play," he told her. "I still would like you to reconsider."

"I'm sorry, big brother, but I have to see Remar for myself," she told him firmly.

So the next day, after a passionate farewell to her husband, Careena found herself joining him on board the ship heading for Remar. At one point, she looked him straight in the eyes and he showed no hint of recognition. She spent most of her time during the voyage with the other merchants who were heading to Remar to purchase goods made by the slaves, but she had concocted a different story for herself.

She had decided to play the part of a retired merchant, recently widowed, who had chosen to spend a portion of his remaining wealth on purchasing a Remarian slave. It was often done by the wealthy. While slavery was illegal in the Trikingdoms, they made the perfect wives for those men who had enough coin, and didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a mate through conventional means. The women were docile, obedient, and beautiful, and of course you never had to pay your wife a wage.

Slaves were also often sold to flesh peddlers; a practice the Remarians also delved in too. The docks were said to be lined with brothels, waiting for sailors to come spend their hard earned coin. Careena knew that quite a few of the prostitutes in her own city had originated from Remar. You could always tell which ones they were; they never looked you in the eye, never complained, and never turned away a customer no matter how vile and disgusting the man may be.

She told herself that they were the true reason she was taking this risk. She wanted to help the ex-slaves in her own city, but she needed to know what was done to them first. If she could help those women become more independent it would go a long way into cleaning up the prostitution in Genoise.

Cilas Grantham and the paladin Jareth were also on board the ship, as aids to the Duke. Jareth spent most of his time with Kalas, but Cilas spent his time with the merchants. Careena got to see a side of the steward that she hadn't before as he drank and joked with the other men. The man may have appeared meek, but in the proper setting he could drink and swear with the best of them.

The first time Careena had to pee she nearly laughed out loud as she held her penis in her hand. She found it odd that the sight and touch of her own member failed to arouse her. After she finished peeing she stroked it for a minute and marveled at the sensation as it stiffened up. She reluctantly put it away before anyone else saw what she was doing.

The few times she was around her husband during the voyage she also found that she wasn't sexually attracted to him. In fact, she wasn't sexually attracted to any of the men on the ship. She reasoned that whatever made men attractive to her before was gone now that she was physically male. She hoped it would return after she took the ring off.

After a few weeks at sea, the harbor at Remar came into view. Even from a distance, the damage was visible. Whole sections were burnt and only a few ships could dock at one time. They were moved to the top of the list of waiting ships and were soon disembarking.

Careena almost didn't respond when her name was called. She was unused to responding to Jackus Rial, the name she had given herself for this adventure. She had to explain her business to the dock master, and was directed to head towards the nearest Office of Slavery to have the options explained to her, while the duke and his party were whisked away to a nearby estate.

She watched her husband leave and wished she could go with him and at least witness the negotiations, but she reminded herself that she had other business here that she needed to attend to. She passed by several brothels on her way to the Office of Slavery and was surprised how different they seemed than the ones she had seen back home. In Genoise there were always women outside yelling at and flirting with any man passing by, trying to get their attention. Here the women stood silently with their heads lowered in submission with their naked bodies on full display for every passerby to see.

She found the office and was delighted to see that the long line she expected didn't exist. There were a few men being helped quietly at desks scattered around the office, and another man behind a large counter. Careena walked up to this man and smiled broadly.

"How may I assist you today?" the man asked.

"I'm looking to purchase a slave," Careena responded.

"Very good, sir," the man said with a smile, "I'll have one of our agents come out and explain the options to you."

He rang a bell, and shortly a rather large man came out from the back. The two exchanged a few words Careena couldn't hear then the large man turned to her and gestured for her to take a seat at one of the desks. He moved from behind the counter and joined her.

"You're looking to buy a slave?" the man half asked, half stated.

"Yes," Careena said.

"I see that you're a foreigner. May I inquire if you intend to take this slave out of the city? I only ask, because once a slave leaves the city, it cannot return. Any purchase, in that case, would effectively be without recourse if you were in any way dissatisfied."

"How do you mean?" Careena asked, confused.

"There is usually a return policy with any slave with deductions for time spent, and other considerations. If you purchased a virgin slave, and it was no longer a virgin when you returned it, there would of course be a deduction."

"Ah, I understand," Careena said, bewildered at the matter of factness this man used when talking about selling humans.

"Can you describe what you are looking for?" the fat man asked.

"I'm recently widowed and retired, and decided that instead of wasting time trying to find a wife my own age, I would save myself the hassle and headache and purchase a much younger and more obedient wife here," Careena said, trying to sound convincing.

The man nodded as if this were an everyday occurrence, and she realized to him it probably was. "Well there are generally two options for slave purchase," the fat man said. "You can buy from a private owner who's trying to sell, or you can attend the slave auction. There are advantages and drawbacks to both. If you buy from a private seller you generally will know what you're getting before you purchase. The seller can tell you what the slave is good at and will often let you test the slave out prior to payment. However, the slave will generally be older and well used. The other option is the slave auction."

"Auction?" Careena queried.

"Yes, every week the city auctions off slaves that it has acquired. Most of these are slaves that have just come of age that were sold to the city as infants. The one drawback with the auction is that you never know what's going to be there. You could go to the auction for several weeks before you find a slave that fits your taste and just when you do someone could outbid you."

Careena wasn't concerned about being outbid, and she really wasn't that picky about the slave she purchased, but she did think that younger would be better. "I'd like to try the auction," she said.

"Very good," the man said. "There's a small fee for admittance to the auction that will be applied to the purchase of your slave."

Careena paid the fee and the man gave her a ticket for the auction. "The auction is tomorrow at noon. Just show them this ticket and they'll set you up with everything you need. Is there anything else I can help you with? Accommodations? Brothel recommendations?"

"I do need to find a room," she said.

The man gave her directions to the quarter of the city with the most upscale rooms for rent, and she thanked him and left. As she walked through the city she found herself becoming aroused by all the naked women walking around on errands for their various masters. Most of the slaves she saw were very beautiful and well developed. She supposed that the uglier slaves were probably used for more menial labor, while the attractive ones were put to less strenuous work, except in the bedroom.

After she found herself a room she went back to the ship to retrieve her belongings. As she walked past the rows of brothels again her penis was straining painfully in her trousers. She wondered how men could stand it, and then she saw one excited sailor pick out a woman and quickly usher her into one of the establishments and she realized that they couldn't. If a man was aroused he found a way to take care of it.

When she got back to her room she sat on the bed wondering what she should do. Without thinking about it she leisurely opened her pants and pulled out her prick. Before she knew it, she was stroking it quickly and seconds later experiencing the most intense orgasm she had ever had. She found that afterwards she was able to think more clearly as if a big distraction had been removed.

She cleaned herself up and went out for a walk. She passed by the estate where her husband was staying and noted its location from the room she was renting. Guards from Genoise and Remar were posted outside the gates. She watched from a distance for a while and was surprised when Cilas came out alone. Curious, she followed him.

He walked briskly back towards the dock, and the duchess thought that maybe he was sent to retrieve something from the ship, but when they got to the brothels he slowed down and stared openly at the slaves on display. After a time, he chose one and took her inside.

The duchess would have normally been appalled at his actions, but since spending the day there in a man's body she understood the torment the man must have been in. Despite relieving herself a short time before, she was sorely tempted to take one of the slaves inside herself. There was one who reminded her of Trian that she thought would be particularly good to try...