Welcome to Gelmina: City of Slaves and Magic

Gelmina's palace was a massive building; it housed hundreds of rooms and spread across as much space as a small town. It seemed to Vrasha as the coach approached that it could have been its own little self contained world in the centre of the city. Later she would learn that she had not been far off on this assessment. There were parts of the palace which existed just to house the servants and the slaves. There were kitchens and dormitories, places that had been hidden away from the great and good, where those who worked below the stairs lived their lives. Every day, wagons full of good and goods rolled up to the palace, and each day this was where the leaders of Gelmina ruled.

It was an ornate and expensive looking collection of connected buildings. Like a castle but with more panache. Crenellations ran across the balconies and large towers rose into the sky from several points across the compound. The towers were tied to one another with walkways and bridges, and Vrasha could see that the place even had internal parks, ponds and rivers. It looked like what it was: expensively extravagant. But then Gelmina was rich. It was a city state with the power of a small empire, making money from its two greatest exports. Magical wares and slaves.

Vrasha had a deep dislike for slaves. They had been one of the things which both her father and brother had delighted in. Taking and humiliating women, breaking them down with shame and embarrassment. Degrading them until they were a quivering bundle of tears and regrets. Both men had taken great pleasure in how their words could spur the slaves to fear, how the slightest motion on their part could bring terror or foretell pain.

There were no slaves in her kingdom now. Vrasha had seen them freed and it had been a difficult task. Many of them did not know how to live freely after a life spent in chains and she knew there were still those who were kept illegally. Those, she vowed, she would get to in time.

But for now, she had work to do.

They were met outside of the palace by a reception party consisting of several soldiers in gilded armour, the lone Minister of Internal Affairs and several enslaved women. As soon as she set foot off the coach Vrasha saw them. There were three of them, a blond woman with long hair, a redhead with short hair, and a brunette who had deep blue eyes. Each one of them had been stripped naked and was wearing a heavy collar around her throat. The brunette had been given nipple clamps which weighed heavily on her chest, pulling at her nipples with every breath she took. The red head was kneeling on the ground with her legs spread, her fingers working at her womanhood. Her face was flushed with pleasure and also mortification. The final one - the blond woman - was also on her knees. She was pleasuring the Minister of Internal Affairs, his cock was in her mouth and he was squeezing her breasts, fingers pressing into her skin.

Vrasha was almost surprised enough to slow to a stop. What the hell was going on? She knew that Gelmina traded in slaves and slavery but this was surely beyond any expectation! She swallowed and **** her eyes to drift over the women as if it was the most casual thing in the world. It was probably a trick of some kind. They wanted her to react, to give them an in. She was determined not to do it.

"Vrasha, Princess of Khol-Hon, Queen yet to be." The minister said. "We greet you in the traditional manner of our people."

"Is that so?" Vrasha said. "This greeting seems rather...strange to me, minister. Not what I had come to expect."

"Ah yes, I suppose it would be to an outsider," The minister said. "My name is Karden it's a pleasure to meet you and your escort."

Even as Karden spoke, the rest of Vrasha's delegation were emerging from their own coaches. There were six soldiers, hand-picked by herself, several diplomats and aids, as well as servants to tend to them. Servants, not slaves. Vrasha made a mental note to remind everyone of that later. She didn't want one of her people to suffer here because of a ''misconception''.

Karden grunted, a spasm shot through his body as he climaxed into the blond woman's mouth. She liked it up, swallowing eagerly and then sitting aside as Karden redid his leggings with no sign of shame.

"Please come with me and I will show you around the palace," he said. "I am sure you are all tired after your long journey so a proper tour will wait until tomorrow. But for now, I will show you the basics and tell you about why we invited you here."

"It's no secret," Vrasha said. She fell into step beside him as he turned and walked towards the entrance to the palace. The rest of the group - as well as the slaves- started to follow as well. " You want my hand in marriage, don't you?"

"So direct," Karden smiled. "I wouldn't say that we have any designs on that as such. It was merely our hope that if we hosted you here for a while, our peoples might get closer together. The civil war was long and terrible. Hard for everyone."

"That is true, and we are thankful for your assistance." Vrashsa said.

You didn't even join in until the final battle. You sat on the sidelines and watched us bleed and die until you knew for sure who you wanted to support, she thought.

"It was assistance gladly given," Karden said. "While you are here, you and your fellows have the upmost authority. Ask any question and it shall be answered. Go anywhere and you will be allowed. Gelmina has nothing to hide from its friends."

"I am looking forward to closer relations," Vrasha said carefully. "But there is a certain matter which might make it troublesome."

"Oh, you mean the slaves?" Karden said. "Of course, yes. I imagine that must look bad to an outsider. I believe your father and brother kept slaves as well?"

"Their use - and **** - of slaves was one of the triggering factors for the war, yes." Vrasha said. "You can appreciate therefore how we might find you, ah, concerning."

"Of course," Karden waved a hand. "That is why you have such freedom. Ask any question of us or of any ****. You will find that we are not some great evil. Merely that Gelmina had embraced a universal truth. There are sometimes people who prefer to be led, commanded, and ordered. It is their nature, and the lack of it can darken their lives and make them miserable. Gelmina does not demand that anyone become a **** - one must be willing to take the chains - but nor does it look down upon those who decide to do so. You will see."

"And the slaves themselves?" Vrasha pressed. "Do they have rights?"

"Indeed. They have the right to food, to shelter, to care. You would find that many on the outside do not even have those. However they also have obligations. Obedience in all things. A **** of Gelmina must always obey."

"Why is it that your slaves are so often naked? and for that matter, female?"

"Ah, well that is a bit delicate. Truth be told, the female gender is much more submissive we've found. There are usually three to six times more female slaves than male. As for clothes... well, many feel that it is the duty of a **** to advertise their station. Nudity is encouraged."

He gestured to the three slaves that he had brought with him to meet them.

"These three will serve as your guides for your stay. They will remain with you, living in the wing of the palace which we are giving over to your care. Ask them anything. Do with them as you will. So long as they are not harmed, it is legal within our city. Pump them for information, use them as guides to the city, have them pleasure you or your followers. It matters not. I assure you, whatever use you put them to, you will find them extremely competent within."

The rooms that they had been given were lush and well adorned, with thick red carpets and gilded chairs and tables. There were silver mirrors hanging on the walls and framed pictures of the city and its glorious past. As Karden had promised, they were given a whole wing to themselves, each member of her party was given their own room no matter how unimportant they might have seemed in terms of rank. And the biggest room - or collection of rooms - went to Vrasha herself. Not only did she have a rich bedchamber, but also a dining room full of splendour, a changing area and a hallway which led to a small indoor bathhouse which worked via magically produced heat and steam. It was a statement of power and wealth, showing the opulence afforded by the city of Gelmina and the silent promise that it could belong to Khol-Hon as well if only they became allies and friends.

Vrasha sighed, rubbing one hand across her forehead. She felt tired, the long journey had worn her down. There was much she had to do in the morning but her work tonight was still not done.

The first problem which presented itself was the slaves. Vrasha did not like their presence. They bowed and lowered their eyes, refused to look at anyone unless they were told to. And they were naked, they didn't seem to want to cover themselves even when she caught the male members of her party staring at them. Vrasha checked them over for marks of whips or other forms of punishment and yet saw nothing. Karden's words rang in her head, promising that they would even go so far as to pleasure any member of her party who desired it.

That wasn't a road she wanted to go down so she decided that all three of them would be staying with her. She would let them sleep in the dining area until she figured out something. Several of her followers objected to that idea. Some of them because they saw it as a security risk, and others for less noble reasons. Vrasha overruled them all. The slaves would remain with her until she was sure. Sure of what, she didn't know yet but she told them she would recognise it when she saw it.

After that, Vrasha called for one of her most trusted allies.

The woman called Elody had travelled with them for this very purpose. She had bright brown hair and blue eyes, a homely face with an innocent look. Her body was lithe and limber, but Vrasha knew well how toned she was and how flexible in the right circumstances. She was dressed in the robe of a sorceress, a blue cloak marked with golden sigils. Vrasha called her into the room to discuss their next move while allowing the rest of the party to disperse and do as they willed.

"What do you think, Elody?" Vrasha asked, the two of them were in the bedroom, the slaves in the main room. Vrasha was pacing, uneasy. Elody was at her ease. Elody was always at her ease. She had an unnatural grace which seemed to exude from her body. The presence of someone who knew exactly their purpose and what they were here for.

"About the minister?"

"About the whole thing."

Elody considered.

"I do not know. It is far away from what I usually deal in. My experiences elsewhere may not apply here. But..."

"Yes?"

"I feel as if we know only part of the truth. There is more at work here than the minister is willing to say. I do not believe even for a moment they merely invited you to strengthen ties."

"I agree." Vrasha said. "I still think that the Gelmina wants my hand in marriage. You know how it works, right? I can't be queen until I am married. That's the law that's been in place for hundreds of years. A stupid law made by stupid people but... now is not the time to be making trouble after we've just come through such a bloody war. My people need to feel like their traditions are being respected. Like we are all bound together."

"So you must be married," Elody said.

"That is how the world sees it anyway," Vrasha tilted her head to the side. "Are you jealous?"

"Of you? Or of the man who will possess you?"

"Either or," Vrasha laughed. "Though don't think for one moment that I intend to be ''possessed''. If I am to marry it will be to someone I trust to at least support my efforts and to help my people. I will not be some meek queen who fades into the background!"

"What about love?" Elody asked. "I remember that used to be important, didn't it?"

"To you, perhaps." Vrasha said. "But you were a girl from a village. You could reasonably expect to have some sort of bond with your husband before you married him. As for me, it's always been the case that I would marry for practicality. Before this whole war, it would have been my father's practicality. Now it is mine. I do not demand love, but I do demand that they be a partner who I can trust. Anything else can be built towards."

Elody shrugged.

"I find you very strange sometimes, Vrasha."

"And you are not?" Vrasha laughed again.

"But I am meant to be strange," Elody countered. "It is my nature. Not so with yours."

"Ah, but that's the secret. We're all strangers to one another in the end. Before the war, I did not think that my father was a monster, nor my brother a tyrant. Yet the signs were there. I simply did not wish to see them. Who among us really knows the others?"

"I do." Elody said simply. Vrasha shot her a look, but she seemed serious.

The princess turned, catching sight of herself in one of the silver backed mirrors. She looked at once both young and old. Her skin was pale and white, lack of sleep had added some darkness to the corners of her eyes. Her hair was black and bound behind her head in a ponytail. She was wearing a dress, but she hated how it felt against her body. She was using to leggings and a tunic now. It was what she had worn during the war when she was not in her armour.

"You are tired," Elody noted. "Yet you still have much to do."

"That's right," Vrasha said. "I need to talk to the slaves, see if we can figure out anything from them. I don't know how long that will take but it's an important job."

Elody nodded to herself as if making a decision.