Ceri

((This is a work of fiction.))


It was hard to believe that a mere two weeks ago she sat on the other side of the square laughing with her friends and getting teased. "Ceri wants a collar!" they laughed when one of the big warriors gave her a wink and she showed a bit of ankle to him.

He just laughed and moved on. She was still barely into her sixteenth summer and he was at least twice her age. The girls giggled and laughed and she laughed to telling them "I don't want a collar! You do!"

Truthfully she didn't. Unlike many girls her age she liked to talk about boys, looked at boys. She knew some of her friends would soon be taking Free Companions. She had looked at herself naked in the mirror and liked what she saw. But she never once thought of wearing a collar.

Now she did, and it scared her.

That was two weeks ago and the sun was just starting to peek out from behind the leaden clouds. "It's going to be a wet cold day" she thought and curled up into a fetal position. Then despite herself laughed, amazed at how she could think of the weather on the day of her sale into slavery. She sighed and tugged on the chain on her ankle. It was not going to budge she knew that. There were no more tears. Although she knew there would be fresh ones soon.

She was young, pretty, untrained and because of her fathers debt, cheap. "A bargain," the slaver had said "give me 3 months and I could get a silver for her!" But the debt to the city was not even half that. So she would be sold to a another slaver hopefully. Where she might be trained to serve well, a rich man's house or pleasure garden.

"I am already thinking like a slave" she thought and cursed. For what they wanted for her she would most likely end up in a paga tavern somewhere. Serving food and drinks to ugly mean men that could use her for a price of a cup for paga. She shivered and blamed the cold morning air. At least the Market was still empty. At least her friends would not see her shame.

"Did you hear about Ceri? She's a slave now, sold this very morning. Her father was such a low life, never paid the city taxes! Would rather spend it on wine and song in the taverns!" She started to cry anew thinking these thoughts. Oh the horror of possibly serving one of her fathers friends!

The cuff on the back of her head brought her back to reality. "WE HAVE CUSTOMERS KAJRIA! ON YOUR KNEES!" Ceri quickly went into nadu. She felt the slaver's quirt on her back once and straitened, thrusting her breasts out and sucking in her tummy.

"Buy me Master" was the refrain and it started on her left. Ceri started to quake...but the man and his free companion never made it to the little brown haired girl. They stopped three shy of her and purchased a blond they named Dina on the spot.

Again Ceri looked across the square, cursing her father and how she got there. She traced the Kef with her finger, how it had burned!

"Buy me Master."

Ceri looked over briefly and saw the man, he was of the wine makers. He looked over each girl, talking in a light and good natured voice to the slaver. "Someone for the fields I should think. I want to give the Free men that work their an incentive."

He stopped and examined a red head named Lana and made some inquiries, fondling her breasts and examining her teeth. Then moved on down the line. Closer and closer.

Ceri started praying to the Priest-Kings for what she was not sure. To either be passed over or bought? She was afraid and confused and a hundred other emotions all bundled into one. He was getting closer.

Ceri was startled by the voice that came out of her body. It sound soft and sultry. "Buy me Master."

He stopped. "And who might you be eh? Stand." His voice was deep and rich in timbre.

She stood. Or rather the girl stood, for Ceri had stepped outside herself and was looking at the scene. "Certainly a pretty little beast" the man said.

She watched as if a dream as he examined her teeth, her eyes. Fondled her breasts and felt her buttocks. "Worthy of more coin then your getting for her slaver!"

"I know," the man she come to hate said through crooked teeth, "but she is being sold for payment of back taxes. You know how the city is." He spat on the ground.

Ceri looked up at the man briefly...saw the kindness in his blue eyes, then quickly looked back down. She did not wish to be beaten again. The man and the slaver talked. She halfheartedly listen. She knew the outcome.

The snap of the leash on her collar confirmed it.

The slaver undid the ankle bracelet. Her Master asked her a question, "What is your name slave?"

Ceri answered him, the way she had been taught. He then gave her a new name. "Ceri."


"Yes Master." she said, pleased with her new name.

A tug on the leash, and Ceri followed.