Lady Ragenta in The Assessment Part1

 

Artwork by TroyDM

 Lady Ragenta

In

The Assessment Part 1

 

Lady Ragenta’s Chambers

 House of Chains, Victoria

          Ragenta sat alone in her private chambers looking at her reflection in a full-length mirror. She had dismissed her hand slaves for the evening because she wanted to be left alone. The chamber door was bolted so no one could disturb her. Over a full hand had passed since her encounter with the Slave Master Franco outside one of the training rooms in the pens. At first the encounter had shaken Ragenta, being mistaken for a slave girl. Her, the Mistress of the House treated as if she was just another House slave. Granted she was in the pen area, outside a training room, and at the time she wore only a modest tunic of a house slave, as well as locked in a house collar and slave bells. But surely, he should have been able to tell that she was not a slave. The barbarian slaves she had been training had thought she was, but they were nothing by stupid barbarians. All had to be taught how to speak as they only spoke their primitive tongue and not Gorean. Even the red savages of the plains didn’t have to be taught how to speak. She had not encountered many of the red skinned female that had been brought west as slaves. They were very rare in fact and always brought a good price.

          Rising from her couch and walking over to the mirror and examining her own reflection. She had removed all her clothing and completely naked, what was referred to as slave naked as girls on the blocks are sometimes sold in auction not even wearing a collar. The auburn-haired girl in the mirror was beautiful, she would have brought at least one silver perhaps two depending on the market untrained and new to the collar. Red hair was highly desired in slaves. Men found the fire crotches to be especially hot collar sluts. That alone could increase her price to a silver tarsk or more.

          Ragenta shook her head, what was she thinking. She was not a slave, she was a Free Woman and Mistress of the House of Chains. Yet the image staring back at her was of a naked woman that looked as beautiful as her own hand slaves or the ones she sold off in countless auctions. Before she realized what she was doing she walked over to one of the chests at the side of the room. Opening it, Ragenta took out the slave collar she has worn in the training room. Returning to the mirror she watched the girl in the mirror as she placed the collar around her neck locking it there on her. She did look like a slave. Anyone seeing her like this would assume that she was one. Her thigh, not any of the common brand sites had been kissed by a hot iron bearing any of the common brands like the kef or dina. But while it was required by Merchant Law and the laws of many of the great cities, not all owners marked their slaves for various reasons. She had always thought that was foolish not to brand a slave. But then the brand and the key to the collar clenched rightly kept her were her anchors back to her life as a free woman. Only the matter of her castes and the practice of female slaver disguising themselves as slave when training other slaves in special cases legally kept her from being a slave right now.

          A free woman, who willingly placed the collar of a slave upon herself, instantly becomes the slave of the owner of that collar. It was a basic law much the same as the Couching Law of Ar in which any free woman that been intimate with the male slave of another without consent of the owner thus became a slave herself and property of the male slave’s owner. Ragenta was very familiar with that law as they were planning to open another House of Chains in Ar. As well as it was a useful trap to lure in lusty free woman and then add them to one’s slave chain.

          Ragenta was brought back to reality by knocking at her locked chamber door.

          “Yes, what do you want,” she called out slightly annoyed since she had left instructions that she was not to be disturbed.

          “Lady Ragenta, I was sent to let you know that Atilas has returned from Ar and would like to meet with Spectus and yourself in the private dinning hall.” A male voice called out.

          “Very well, inform Atilas that I will be there shortly.” She answered in a manner that it implied she was finished with the conversation. Inserting the key into the collar and removing it, she placed it in a trunk to the side and began to dress for the meeting.

 

Private Dining Hall

House of Chains, Victoria

          Spectus was seated by one of the low tables when Ragenta entered the hall. He was brash and arrogant, Ragenta didn’t care much for him and certainly didn’t trust him. But when at a time when they had needed more gold to expand their operation, Atilas had thought it wise to take on another partner in the slave house. Spectus had the gold they needed even though it was never clear where it came from. She had suspected him of being a mercenary or a pirate perhaps. In either case he was used to the taking and selling of slaves.

          “Aww, Ragenta. It is so nice that you could join us this evening.” His smile always made Ragenta uneasy. It was almost as if he could see her through her robes and veils when he looked at her. Yes, he was a slaver, and she was a female. But they shared a caste and were partners in this house. He should not be looking at her as a potential acquisition for their pens and sales.

          “Spectus, it is so nice to see you have returned,” she lied. “I trust that your journey to Brundisium was productive and profitable.” It was fortunate for her that her veils hid the contempt she held for him.

          “Very, I brought back some fine stock for our pens. The exodus of Cos from the walls of Ar has flooded the markets there with prime slave flesh. The troubles between Argentum and Corcyrus has added some prime flesh as well. I even managed to acquire another coffle of barbarians very cheap. With so many former free women of Ar in collars they were very cheap indeed.”

          More barbarians she thought to herself. Yes, they seem to be plentiful at times. But how was he getting his hands on so many of them? It was very good for their profits to buy cheap, put a little in training and then resale them at several times what their investment in each slave was.

          “I was thinking that it might be better if we were to consider being more that just business partners, Ragenta.” He smiled at her.

          “I don’t think that would be wise, Spectus.” The mere thought of sharing a couch with him turned her stomach. “It is best to keep business and personal matters separate as much as possible. Besides it would be unfair to Atilas.”

          “What would be unfair to Atilas?” inquired a voice from behind her. Turning she saw her other business partner Atilas entering the hall with their chief Physician, Dantor. Seeing both men joining them brought a smile to her lips. Atilas was not only her partner in the House of Chains with Spectus, but their families had worked together in the slave trade and went back many years. They had even been playmates growing up until both started going through puberty and it was decided that it might not be proper for them to be spending so much time alone as Atilas was being instructed on the arts of capturing and binding slave and her family did not wish him to practice his capture knots on her.

          Still, he was the only free man in the house to have ever seen her without her hood and veils with the exception for Dantor, who had been her physician since she was a girl. And in her defense, they were both young when he had seen her before she had blossomed into a beautiful woman. But she had no illusions that her old friend and partner would not be pleased to learn she had been caught in the pens and punished as if she were one of their slaves. Atilas would not be angered that it had been done to her, but that she was careless enough to put herself in such a position.

          “Spectus was just displaying yet another example of his poor sense of humor by suggesting that he and I should consider pursuing courtship.” Ragenta laughed under her veil as she smiles in Atilas’ direction.

          “I was only jesting when I said that.” Spectus retorted attempting to downplay the whole matter.

          “I would hope so.” Atilas said dryly.

          “I would never contemplate entering into a courtship or a companionship as it would mean I would lose control of my portion of the House of Chains. And to enter into one with either of you would give the other a controlling share of the House.” She said matter of factly stated as she knelt as a free woman should in the company of men around the table. Then changing the subject, “In any event, I am pleased that you are both back. Especially since you took some of my best trainers with you on your adventures. I had to actually go down and instruct one of the classes of barbarians myself.”

          “You have my most sincere apologies, Ragenta, for inconveniencing you so.” Spectus said mockingly with a lecherous smile. Then added just to further annoy both partners. “Tis a shame that I was not here to see you instructing the barbarians. I bet the view was spectacular.”

          “If you must know, sleen.” She snarled back, “I was properly dressed while I was instructing the ignorant sluts.” Then paused to finish in a low seductive voice, “As far as how spectacular my view is, Spectus, you will never know.”

          “Enough!” Barked Atilas. “Both of you. Ragenta, I know that you felt it was necessary to go down to the training areas. But I prefer that you do not go there when I am not in the House or with you. You may be Mistress of the House, but you are still female, and it is not always safe for you to be there.” Turning his attention to his other partner, “Spectus, jesting or not. I would prefer that you refrain from making such comments or suggestions to Ragenta. She is not only our partners and caste sister, but she is an old personal friend, and I take issue with such talk. Now I would like to see what you have brought us back from Brundisium.”

          The tension in the hall quickly disappeared as the two men left leaving Ragenta and the Physician in alone with the slaves present. As soon as the attending slaves had refilled her ka-la-na and brought Dantor one as well, Ragenta had dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

          “I have to agree with Atilas, Ragenta” lifting his bowl and sipping from it. “It is much too dangerous for a woman such as yourself to be moving about in the lower pens and training areas. Especially, a woman of your considerable beauty. It would not do for you to be mistaken for new stock.”

          “Yes,” recalling her on her knees before Franco like she was a house slave several days ago. “I suppose that it could be.” This gave her the opening she hoped for with the physician. “If something were to happen to me while down in the training and pen areas, would anyone believe that I am Mistress of the House and not a new piece of collar meat?”

          “Honestly no, my dear.” As he recalled the vision of the Mistress of the House standing and laying on the couch completely naked while he examined her. “Aside from your hand slaves, who may or may not be called upon to identify their Mistress in such a case. But they are only slaves after all.” Shrugging his shoulders, “And only myself and Atilas have seen your face without veils. And only I have seen the rest of you uncovered. I hesitate to say that your body could very easily be taken for that of a slave’s, my dear Ragenta.”

          This fact was now even clearer to her than it had ever been before. Franco had clearly seen her as nothing but a slave at his feet that day. Yes, the slave tunic, bells, and the House collar had not given him any reason to think she was anything else. He had treated her as such taking the whip to her when she did not respond quickly enough to please him. It frightened her and at the same time excited her as well. It scared her that she could so easily be mistaken for a slave. That she, the Mistress of the House, could be seen as a slave girl. But it also thrilled her at the possibilities that it opened up with the right precautions and measures. There had to be some means that if she got caught while disguised as one of the house slaves that she could be identified and released. Though to be sure if such a thing were to happen. Atilas would be furious with her and Spectus would be even more of a threat than he was already. She had little doubt that if he had his way, Atilas would be dead, she would be a slave, and he would own it all.

          “There is no way to prove who I was if that was to happen then?” she asked.

          “Well, you are undocumented, my dear. There are no documents on file in the House or elsewhere to verify that you are you. The body of every slave in the house is measured and recorded down to the smallest detail. Those documents are secured in the records room of the house for as long as the slave is in the house. If you were caught, there would be nothing to use to verify who you are. Your body has not been recorded and kept on file because you are not a slave.”

          “Well, there is a very good reason for that as I am not a slave.” Ragenta retorted. “We have no records for women that are not slaves? What about the free women that work for and in the House.”

          “The only women that have such papers on them have submitted themselves for assessment for their possible value as a slave. We measure and document them for the simple reason that it saves time later when they are actually enslaved. If for whatever reason they are not enslaved when the assessment is finished. We keep the records for whether they come back later of their own will or not. Everything is documented from the nipple size to fingerprints.” Dantor said matter of factly still not sure why Ragenta was so interested in such things.

          “So, if I wished, you could do such an assessment on me in the privacy of my chambers.” She asked with interest.

          “I could and I couldn’t, lady Ragenta. It is not that simple. Yes I could examine and make a rough assessment of your worth in the privacy of your chambers. But I would not have the tools and equipment to do a proper assessment, nor the assistants or scribes to record the results for a documented assessment. For that the assessment would have to be done down in the assessment and appraisal chamber.” Dantor answered.

          “Then,” taking a deep breath, “I suppose that I would have to go down there.”

          “That would be very foolish of you to do, Ragenta,” Dantor warned watching her closely with a wary eye of years working for her family. He had seen her naked many times from the day of her birth up till the last time almost a year ago. He was her physician after all and her took care of her medical needs. He had also worked for Slavers and knew that she had the looks and body of a woman who they would put in a slave collar given the slightest reason and change.

          “First off, if you feel that you need to be in a situation or could be in a situation where you might be mistaken for a slave. I would highly recommend that you either have Atilas with you or have him arrange for guardsmen that he trusts to accompany you in the pens and training areas. Do not let Spectus know of your plans or activities. I do not think that he was jesting with his suggestion of Courtship and Companionship to you. He wants control of your share of the House and will do whatever it takes to gain it.” Ragenta had to admit that Dantor had made a couple of very good points with his opinions. Before he had approached them with an offer to buy into the House of Chains as a partner. It had been rumored that he or his agents had attempted to purchase a couple of the smaller and struggling House along the river. Both Atilas and her had more than once regretted allowing him to get his foot into the door.

          “Second, your movements within the house do not go unnoticed. If you were to go down to the Assessment chamber from within the House alone and with no known House business there. It would be noticed. And within five ahn of your entering the chamber the eyes of Spectus would know and be finding a reason to be there and reporting to him.”

          “I am not wishing to have my value as a slave assessed, Dantor.” She responded. “I just want so record available on hand if something should happen.” Taking a deep breath and deciding that she needed to at least tell him what had happened. “While Atilas and Spectus were both away. They took some of my best trainers with them. I was struggling to arrange that all the classes were covered. I ended up taking the training of one of the barbarian classes on myself. Before the slaves arrived after I was in the training room, I changed out of my robes and into the house tunic of a trainer. I put on a House collar and bells so that they would not know I was a free woman.”

          “So, you choose to appear to them as another slave, a higher slave, but not a free woman whom some of them already learned to fear.” Injected the Physician. “Not an unreasonable conclusion or tactic when training slave. And not unheard of for a female slaver to do, but not without its risk. I take it that it did not go well or something happened.” It was said as a statement and not as a question.

          “I didn’t check before stepping into the corridor to check the message box outside the door. When I stepped into the corridor clad as a slave, Franco was there. He took me for a slave and was not pleased with my slow response to his questions and instructions.” She winced at the memory of the slave whip being used on her.

          “Franco,” Dantor laughed, “I am guessing that your slowness earned you the kiss of Franco’s slave whip.”

          “Yes! And given that I could not identify myself as the Mistress of the House. All I could do was kneel and say yes Master like a good slave. Which caused me to wonder what would happen if anyone looked close enough to notice that my thigh was missing a brand.”

          “And why you are interested in and wanting to be assessed and recorded. So, if you are cornered and discovered there is something to prove that you are not a spy or a lying slave, but Mistress of the House.” He interrupted her again. “But as I said before if you go to the Assessment Chamber from within the house without a justified reason. And by that I mean, more than your Mistress of the House and go where you please or are curious. It will be noticed and Spectus will be informed. I would not be surprised if he showed up while you were naked as a girl on the block still.”

          “Then it is hopeless,” Ragenta sighed.

          “Its not totally hopeless, there is a way. But I would advise against it. I would advise against placing yourself in any situation where you might be seen as a slave.”

          “If I can’t go to the Chamber and can’t be assessed in my own private chambers then what other option is there?”

          “While the assessments done on a regular basis are those of women about to be enslaved either of their own accord or with encouragement. We do have formal request by free women who wish to have a frank and discreet appraisal of themselves. If you were to say be out of the House on an errand or to attend a play or something. And you returned to the house with an appointment made under an assumed name through the public entrance. I can arrange that, and that you will be granted the assurance of the House that you will not be taken from the Chamber down to the pens for branding. But that is all I can do for you other than bringing the papers to you once you return to the House. But again, I recommend that you do not do this, Ragenta.”

          “You can do that?” she looked at him with wonder.

          “Yes I can arrange this. But once you are in the chamber you will not be treated as a free woman, but as a prospective slave. And there is nothing that I can do to prevent that without causing questions.”

          “Make the arrangement.” Ragenta finally said.