Time and Chance

Both men were surprisingly skilled. As much as I wanted to, I could not force my mind to flee the situation. While those two Gargantuan "gents" worked my nipples, a third soldier fell to the floor in front of me and began expertly dining on my kitty. I wanted to be nauseated but the sensation was incredibly wonderful, that I found myself responding. While these three men worked on me, another kissed me while Rog gently ran his hands over my naked body and spoke encouraging words. The third orgasm of the night crept in like a thief, I broke off the kiss and gasped. The assembled soldiers cheered en masse. At this point, I considered myself the literal whore of Babylon. I gazed at the naked finger on my left hand and felt like vomiting. Why couldn't I have been locked into a chastity belt along with Mark? Forced celibacy I thought I could handle. But this? As my body responded I asked myself if the emperor was right about me? How could I reconcile the life I had led as a faithful Christian wife with what I was called to do in the madhouse universe? And above all, where was my redeemer in this hell hole? The soldiers forced still another orgasm out of me before Rog placed a pillow on the floor. Providing each of the naked soldiers with a blowjob and swallowing their seed was a piece of cake compared to the sensory overload of all their bodies at once. More importantly, it gave me a measure of control. I sucked all ten cocks. Then the men played cards. I was the prize. Each time one of them won a hand, I had to sit on his lap and let him feel me up while he kissed me. Then they gave me shots of some sort of potent liquor that tasted like apple cider. I'm not much of a drinker and in no time, I was feeling no pain. That made the rest of the evening much easier.

At long last, Rog restored my robe and hurried me back to the harem. The boss, God bless her, took one glance at bleary-eyed me and unilaterally decided that I was to be permitted to sleep as long as I wanted to. She led me to my bunk. I don't even remember lying down. I was immediately dead to the world.

I woke up unknown hours later to a pounding headache. Surprisingly, my slumber had been nightmare free. The boss was standing over me. "Word reached the emperor about your performance in the stockade. He is suitably impressed. In a few hours, he wants to dine with you in his private quarters. He says be in a mood for a philosophical conversation. We can use these next few hours to eliminate those bags under your eyes and get you looking your normal smashing self."

All the time the boss and her cadre of queers worked on me; my mind was doing gymnastics. How could I reconcile my faith to what I was expected to do as a concubine? I considered the first century Christians. Those wives and husbands were used as well. In fact, the faith thrived when it was suppressed. Should I welcome that I was being enslaved? Should I welcome the fact that in oppression is liberty? I was no closer to any kind of answer hours later. At the appointed hour, I was clad in a comparatively modest dress that fell almost to my knees, conservative underwear and simple flats on my feet. I was escorted int to emperor's presence. He was seated at the same level as me. About him were a collection of men and women, mostly middle-aged, whom he introduced as "The Imperial philosophers." A meal was laid out for each of us. I sat when instructed and only began to eat after he started. The food was positively scrumptious.

The emperor wanted to talk. He asked about my life with Mark but seemed more interested in my, mysterious to this reality, Christian faith. I shared as best I could. I like to think that I am secure in my faith, but evangelism was never something I was entirely comfortable with. Mark can argue apologetics all day. When he did, I mostly sat and listened. I'd like to say that I offered a vigorous defense of Christianity, but the philosophers were clearly not impressed. After the emperor finished his inquiry, he turned my questioning over to them.

It was a disaster. In short order the learned men and women were openly mocking me.

"And you believe that monogamy is a divine requisite?" one of the women asked me. I explained about the book of Genesis and that a man would leave his mother and a woman her home and the two would dwell as one forever. I could tell by her sly smile that she thought everything I had said was complete hogwash.

The discussion strayed to the topic of divine omnipotence and the power of prayer. "And yet, this Jesus, whom you claim is the creator, the redeemer, and the restorer of the universe has by apparently "marooned you here." Why don't your prayers which you claim his ears are "open to his believers always" transport you "home?"

I had no answer for that, and he knew it. At least he was polite enough not to laugh. After many agonizing hours, the philosophers filed out of the room leaving me alone with the emperor. A long silence followed.

"As has now been demonstrated, your "philosophy" is patent nonsense. I am at a loss as to where or how you and that man you were captured with cobbled it together, but if this god of yours is indeed all-powerful he has sent you to my palace for his own purposes. In light of that, it is only right that I be the custodian of your soul. Since your philosophy is essentially harmless, I will not ask you to renounce it, so long as you remain obedient. I am also quite taken with your beauty and feel that it should be preserved. I shall seek a suitably handsome soldier or slave to stud you with; when I feel the time is right." "What about my husband, Mark?" I gasped.

"The one captured with you. If he proves trainable and obedient, I see no reason why he cannot be CONSIDERED as a possible stud. It all comes down to behavior, beautiful. A suitably obedient, content, and joyous slave is often shown favors by her master. If you want intimacy with the man you were captured with, slave, you are going to have to earn it. Perhaps I will take to the idea of a little family of barbarians under my roof. It certainly would be an interesting conversation piece. I finally had a glimmer of hope!

"How much do you love that man?"

"More than anything, Sire!"

"Certainly NOT more than me?"

I caught myself, "No, Sire!"

"I thought not, beautiful one," he returned with a leer.

"Now that we have established that he is second in your heart. Let us see how much you DO love this man. I am inclined to allow you to see him when the month is new. So long as you have completed your assigned assignations to the satisfaction of myself and your supervisors in the harem, I SHALL allow you to see him, with certain caveats of course."

"Of course, Sire."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

I curtsied and turned. The boss was standing by the door.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Not well. But he did promise that I can see Mark again, so long as I remain a happy camper."

"Happy camper?"

"An idiomatic phrase of my people," I explained.

"I can tell you have had a long day, Melanie. Let's get you ready for bed."

It really came as no surprise that the women of the harem slept in the nude. It was a large women's locker room with only the gay and decidedly non-interested attendants and hairdressers for variety. The blonde on my left was still eyeing me with naked lust. She found excuses to stand as close to me as possible. I don't have anything against lesbians, of course, but I'm just not wired that way. It occurred to me that my inclinations scarcely mattered anymore. I'd be whatever the emperor of the boss or anyone in power over me wanted me to be. My moral compass was no use to me now. It was spinning wildly, and storm clouds were closing in on all sides.

To my right was a beautiful ebony-haired woman who could have come from China on the earth I knew. I thought she was the loveliest woman I have ever seen. Her skin was alabaster, her lips naturally crimson. Her modest bust was adorned with dark areolas and nipples that were chance pink. Her smile towards me was friendly and nonsexual. She seemed genuinely concerned as to how I was settling in. She introduced herself as "Pearl" I liked her from the outset. She had only been in the harem for a few months. She had been a gift to the emperor from her people, whom, I gathered, were quite far away.

"How could your people just give you away?" I asked.

"I was presented to the emperor to preserve a peace treaty," she replied, "Though I miss my family a great deal, it was no hardship to leave them knowing that my younger brothers and men who are my peers will not learn war. In light of that, coming here was a blessing. It was a great honor."

"But the emperor is..." I began.

"Not the most handsome or firmly muscled of men, but he wields great power. Giving him the parts of my soul and body that he seeks, keeps two great nations from war and keeps treaties secure. What do my minuscule needs for an attractive visage and powerful muscles count against that?" she finished, thoroughly silencing me. As I was contemplating this, she continued, "Besides, from time to time, the emperor allows me assignations with one of his handsome and virile elite guards. When my days in the harem at an end, he will pick a soldier or officer who is truly worthy of me and completely to my tastes. I shall be a late mother, but I WILL have a family of my own one day. In times of despair, I only need to focus upon my glorious future, and I am content. Patience is my friend and my counselor. Without it, I would have no hope."

I realized how whiny and unchristian I had been since arriving in the harem. Pearl made me see that my fate could be far worse and that my future, as black as it looked now, was NOT hopeless. I had certainly not arrived in this room by choice, but I could choose how I behaved here. I felt sudden deep shame at how I had been reacting. It took the words of an unbeliever to put me in my place. How often the creator uses the "foolish" to shame the "wise." I hugged Pearl for a long while both of us naked in each other's arms, and sobbed softly into her perfumed, ebony hair. Afterward I felt uncountable pounds lighter and my spirit soared. Even if Mark and I never left this parallel universe, at least SOME of the future I envisioned with Mark COULD be mine! That was, IF I earned it. I intended to do everything humanly possible to earn that prize, no matter what routes led to the finish line. For the first time since being transported here, I had a sense of purpose! After my chat with Pearl, everything became far easier. Not to say there would not be hard days and nights ahead, but I already knew that I could conquer each challenge as it presented itself. That was the moment that I knew absolutely, that my God had NOT deserted me. I ran my fingers along my collar. I was a treasured thing, a thing of great value. I was the emperor's, true. But one day I would be Mark's again. The crying jag I promised myself when Rog inserted himself into my marriage was postponed, perhaps for all time. What would all that grief earn me? Nothing more than red, bloodshot eyes and a sore throat. That night I slept wonderfully and deeply and dreamed the dreams of angels!

At the crack of dawn, I joined the other members of the harem in exercise and stretching. We used apparatuses that would not look out of place in a well-equipped gym from the earth I knew. We were issued spandex tube tops and skimpy spandex panties and worked until were we all panting heavily and soaked in perspiration. Unsurprisingly, the fabric became transparent when wet. After that, we transitioned directly to stretching and postures that were very similar to the yoga I knew from home. We concluded with basic ballet, stretching our legs and hips on a bar along a mirrored wall.

As I gazed at my reflection, I wondered what Mark was up to at this very moment. Wherever he was, I had to believe, his lot in life could be greatly improved by my actions. In this crazy-quilt universe some things remained the same. I was still called to die to myself. I was still called to pray for my husband. I was still called to be the best wife I could be. My redeemer was HERE I realized! I just had to keep my focus on him, to be "in the world, but not of it." Though I had paid lip service to that command upon all Christians before, now that I was no longer in the world I knew; that my content suburban existence was an impossibility, the phrase shined like a neon sign in fog to my soul. Suddenly, I realized how easy it would to be to follow; that no obstacle presented to me from this point on would be insurmountable.

The boss stood nearby and complimented me on how well I was performing the exercises. That made me feel very good. Far better than it should have under normal circumstances; but my circumstances were not normal, I had a powerful friend assisting me that no one else knew about! I had my redeemer guiding my path and holding me close. He would never give me anything I could not handle. He might not have any believers in this realm beyond Mark and myself, but I was going to show this reality just what Christ and his followers were made of! I may have failed utterly to convince these people with my words, but I sure as hell could convince them with my actions! By the time exercises ended and we all stripped off for our baths, I felt very good indeed!

Breakfast was fantastic. I ate beside Pearl, my new best friend. To my left, sat a woman named Jade, her dark complexion, on the earth I knew, would have placed in North Africa or perhaps the Indian subcontinent. Like Pearl and I, she was a relatively new member of the harem. She had been claimed by one of the emperor's spotters in a consignment of human tribute destined for slave labor in the empire. Like Pearl, she was relatively happy here. "Had I not been plucked from the slave pens, I'd no doubt be toiling under harsh conditions in a mine or in the fields, or perhaps a comfort woman for the miners and farm hands. From the harem, I will, most likely, be able to return to my people when I am pensioned off. Concubine pensions tend to be considerable. Sucking off the emperor is not exactly pleasing, but it beats the alternative."

Like me, Jade had been married (that's not the right term because it wasn't monogamous), or something like it, when the raiding party invaded her village. "Naturally, I miss him dearly, but life moves on. I'm positive he eluded capture and is now in the arms of a woman very like me commiserating." I began to appreciate that I could have ended up in far worse places had the police not interrupted the crowd calling for our heads. What I had learned about "barbarians" from gossip around the palace was uniformly horrifying. Apparently, they give bounties for the heads of barbarians if they were found in prohibited areas and violating a captured female barbarian to the point that she expires is almost a national sport. In a very real way, the emperor had saved both my own life and Mark's. That made me appreciate him, ever so slightly.

After breakfast it was lecture time. My instructor was a dark-haired woman wearing some kind of uniform. It was short like one of the female costumes on the original "Star Trek." She wore black stockings and black polished spiked heels. I was naked. She introduced herself as "Harmony" and began by taking my sexual history up to the point I entered the harem. She was amazed and mystified that until my night with Rog and his men, I had been with only one man in my entire life. At first, she thought I was playing some sort of game. The boss stepped in, however and explained that I was a "barbarian from an unknown region."

"I see," returned Harmony before plunging on to ask the most embarrassing questions. When she concluded, I was placed in "the remedial group," where they placed the virgins and girls who were not too bright. Talk about insulting! There was nothing I could do however to get my status changed (if in fact I wanted to) aside from diligent study and applications of the advice they gave me. Before Harmony left, she informed me that she would speak to emperor about me, to see if he knew of any way to "expedite my training." It was all I could do from bursting out with, "Well excuse me for being a moral, Christian woman!" My elevated mood from the morning began to tumble. The only bright side of my meeting with Harmony was that she presented me with a blank journal and a pen that dispensed blue neon ink for me to arrange my thoughts in. It quickly became my personal journal and I wasted no time in quickly recounting all my adventures since being transported to this world.

I progressed through my day. I learned some of the ways the girls in the harem relaxed. There was three-dimensional television that worked without the dorky glasses. The programs were ... interesting. Lots of sex and nudity but the stories were compelling and the actors first class. I imagined that a channel like this would go over very well on the earth a knew with "certain individuals" if you know what I mean. There was also a library, but this world's version of English included several letters I have never seen before as well as some rather offbeat punctuation. I spent most of my down time talking to Pearl. As I expected, awhile after lunch the emperor summoned me. I was dressed in a short clingy toga that exposed just about every inch of my legs with nothing but a gold foil thong underneath it and white sandals that tied above my slim ankles and had slight heels. My hair was done up in a series of complex braids that I rather liked. In a mixture of dread and curiosity, I followed the boss into the throne room. "Ah, the lovely barbarian," he said, "Come here radiant creature and give me the delicious kisses I am entitled to." I performed as ordered and spent something like the next twenty to thirty minutes being felt up and tonsil licked by the despot. I tried thinking of Mark, that helped a bit. At long last he finished and had me step away from him.

"I've been told of your lack of experience, fair one. Quite a fascinating development frankly. I am keen to taste your charms, but you are clearly not yet ripe for the picking. I believe I have a solution to that dilemma." He clapped his hands and a handsome middle-aged couple appeared. She was tall, blonde-haired and willowy, He was tall, dark, and lightly muscled. The way they carried themselves and the various jewels they wore denoted them as a very powerful couple.

"Barbarian, this is Larta and Tiberius Spotswood, He is an ambassador to the council of nations, and she is quite inventive and an all-around original thinker. In simple terms, I am going to gift you to them for a fortnight. You will be theirs to do with as they please. I expect that they will be more than capable of bringing you up to speed in all areas of intimacy. I would do it myself, but I have an empire to run. If you are a diligent student for these two and, in turn, impress me when another two weeks end, with the arrival of the new month I shall allow you to spend some intimate time with the barbarian you were captured with." I stood as if welded to the floor. I tried to put on my most inscrutable look. I gazed towards the power couple; an icy chill went up my spine as I noted their shared hunger for me in their eyes. Yet, if I obeyed, I would see Mark again. The emperor coughed softly, and I remembered the boss's instructions.

"Thank you, your excellency!" I stated enthusiastically as I curtsied. "The emperor is most generous."

"Yes, I am fair one, and NEVER forget that fact."

He placed a chit on my collar. "This denotes temporary ownership. It also means that I don't have to have papers drawn up for you. Obey the Spotswood's as you would me fair one, and in no time, you will be thriving under their tutelage. I have also come up with a name for you fair one. From this point, you shall be called "Laurel" the bloom and tree of the virgin. You are, of course, no virgin, but you are about as close to one as a member of my harem is ever going to get. I love the deliciousness of the irony."