Chapter 2 I Am A Slave Girl

There are legends that a group of travelers from ancient Qin arrived in this land a thousand years ago bringing with them their culture and their language.

It is a small community which practices syncretized versions of the Ru school of thought, and the teachings of Zhuang Zhi and Mozi. Some of them worship a dark god who came from a land of even more ancient wisdom. They dare not speak his name for fear of offending the Seven Gods of An. How they managed to harmonize such divergent and often antagonistic philosophies is anyone's guess.

I have walked in the halls of the Qin in the Flaming Mountains, and have seen how they have preserved the architecture of my own birthplace in a form which had not been seen for over a thousand years.

The Qin exist in several small settlements across the continent but the most famous of these lies in those mountains towards the Northwest; a place the Qin of this world have named Emei though it is nothing like the original Emei of Ki. That parched inhospitable landscape has proved to be ideal for the storage of innumerable scrolls and bound paper books, the latter invention of which was first brought to this world by these Qin travelers.

The libraries of the Qin are divided by subject and author with each section separated by walls of hard stone. Only the light of fireflies is allowed in these caverns. There the Qin spend their days writing, transcribing, printing, and cataloging.

In this world, I was considered one of the hermetic Qin, a rare sight outside the capital cities of the continent.

When I awoke once more, I was chained to the wall of a small room. Someone had kicked me lightly in the side but the injuries I had sustained made me bend over in pain.

A dark haired woman in flowing robes sat a short distance from me. I was tightly leashed and was not able to reach her even if I tried.

I studied her closely. A vaccination scar at her left shoulder suggested that we had similar origins from Ki. My own scar had long since vanished with my transformation.

“Good morning and welcome to An," she said in [English], a major language of Ki.

“I am sorry for the restraints but your habitual violence left us no choice. My name is of no great importance but my organization and I would like to engage you in a great enterprise. You will be paid handsomely of course, both in kind and in gold.”

“And you thought kidnapping me and killing my friends would get us off on the right foot,” I replied.

“We had nothing to do with that,” she said apologetically. “We had asked for a spirited Qin girl with the necessary qualifications to be a serving maid and they brought us your good-self.”

I assumed this was a lie but held my tongue.

“I serve a small duchy forced to endure the whims of our much larger neighbors. The information we require - and we cannot tell you its exact shape or form - is necessary for the political stability of the continent. If I sound cold and amoral, it is because the times we live in demand it. As we speak, the signatories to that peace are arming for war. The Qin have sworn to protect small states such my own but have gone back on their promises. Do not assume their nobility simply based on the similarity of their skin to yours.

“The Qin consider themselves pacifists and adherents of universal love but what they really are is an insignificant people group with the largest spy network on the continent of An. You will be happy to know that what we need from them is simply information, primarily on the neighboring kingdom of Thamud and also on the Qin. Once you have insinuated yourself into the Qin household you will attempt to access any information profitable to our cause. In your present form, one assumes that you will find suitable employment as a maid when the time arrives. The Qin have not made slaves of their own kind for quite some time. The more's the pity. Suffice to say, we have several irons in the fire of which you are but one.

“Upon the completion of your duties and at the appropriate time, we will endeavor to extract you and return you to Ki – in your original male form if you so choose. Or not. After all, the female form can be quite addictive if you allow it to be, or so I've been told.” She covered her mouth as she chuckled.

I glanced at her witheringly.

“And will I be sold into their household as just such a serving maid?” I asked.

“Nothing quite so crude,” she replied. “As a group, the Qin are xenophobic and utterly paranoid. I say this as a compliment by the way, it is exactly the way in which the organization to which I belong is run.

“A Qin girl suddenly appearing in their midst or even being brought to their attention would not be acceptable. Accepting gifts such as yourself from traders would be anathema, which explains the pathetic price women such as yourself fetch on the auction block. And yet rumors abound that the Qin have surreptitiously brought in the odd stray into their fold, perhaps in their quest for knowledge of other worlds or out of some crude ethnocentricity. As you might have guessed, you will have to become that stray, and we will endeavor to wash you so clean that not even the Seven Gods could find fault with you.”

I was not a fool and could easily guess what this meant. Like a debased coin, I would be placed into the system, shuffled around to create distance between my body and those of my captors, and then somehow brought to the attention of the Qin.

“I agree to being bought and sold as a household maid as part of your schemes,” I replied calmly.

The nasty sight of that grown woman giggling brought a scowl to my face. It was as bad as I had assumed.

“I will not risk stating the obvious but you will be trained, prepared, and sold at the appropriate time. This will be the last time you will see me for many cycles. If you choose to forfeit our deal through your actions – and I assure you we have ways of knowing – then we will be done with you.

“Perhaps you think that death is preferable to any of this. That can be arranged. If escape seems more palatable, I assure you that a small Qin girl without means would be quickly swallowed up by this world even with your set of skills. I do not urge you to roll the dice on that. But if you decide to serve, you will not only be richly rewarded but have the firm assurance that you will be serving the cause of peace. If that does not entice you, then you should consider your own self-interest.

“Do not be afraid, my child. Many free women will find you strange and exotic I assure you. As for the men you will undoubtedly be forced to serve, this will not be a problem as you will find out yourself with time.”

With that, our interview was over.

She had provided me with scanty information and only enough to point me in the right direction.

An over-educated slave girl would be highly suspicious and I would thrown into the rough like any other abductee – completely illiterate in the ways of this world and devoid of almost all knowledge of it except that it treated human life with contempt.

Over the next few days, a servant girl would tend to me, applying balms to my body to heal me as soon as possible. It was impossible for us to communicate. Once my wounds were healed, my new life would begin.

[Scribe's Note: The imperial censors have removed the following section from the few extant copies of Lady Zhou's journal.]

My Master has a prurient interest in the lives of slave girls and has admonished me not to leave out any details of my life before I came into his possession. I have acceded to his command as is my duty and in my nature.

The life of a slave girl is not hard if she simply obeys.

I did not known this at the time, but the serum which I had been injected with was one derived from a natural slave. In my case, the blood of a Qin girl from eons past who had displayed exceptional tendencies towards submission. While my face remained uniquely my own – a lottery derived from the blood of my female ancestors – it was molded to be symmetrical and pleasing. The first time I saw myself in the mirror, I realized that no man would be able to resist me.

My dark lustrous hair reached down to below my shoulder and I would allow it grow further like other Qin girls. My breasts were firm and bounced alluringly whenever I was led around naked by my collar. My waist and hips were beautifully proportioned and seemed almost unfathomable to the men I would soon service; I had a desirable teardrop posterior; and lower lips which were utterly delightful to behold.

My training in the slave school began the moment I was physically able to.

I was the only Qin girl in the school and perhaps the first one any of my fellow slave girls had ever seen. They would touch my hair and gaze into my almond shaped-eyes and nod and smile knowingly.

The methods of breaking down a slave girl's defenses are time tested. In the mirror room specially designed for this purpose, we were first to observe ourselves naked and repeat our new status as slave girls until it became an indelible part of our being. In my dreams, I would no longer recall my days as a mercenary but my naked body and call to servitude.

It was only then that the lessons proper would begin – first with slave positions, then a smattering of dance and instruction on how we should display ourselves on the auction block. I was a quick learner and a favorite of my slave mistress. Throughout this, I was picking up the basics of Talosian, the main dialect of the largest kingdom of An. Apart from basic sustenance and needs, the first complete sentences I learned were in relation to obedience and submission.

We were expected to help each other in all aspects of grooming.

I was “born” anew with an exceptional coverage of pubic hair to be taken back as a master saw fit. We were instructed to remove all the hair on our labia and leave the rest to our new masters.

When I was man of Ki, I did not take the eroticism of pubic hair at anything more than face value. The Qin librarians, on the other hand, were avid transcribers of ephemera including the erudite thoughts of certain scholars from Ki who dwelled at length on this obsession with depilation - once the preserve of only the most elevated of women in society, now adopted by the lowest dregs of society, namely us slave girls and the pornai.

Much later, upon visiting the slave taverns, I found that the vast majority of men left their nether hairs in their natural state. Hairless pudenda in males was reserved only for the enslaved. It was only women who shaved and waxed themselves to look like prepubescent girls of little consequence in society. A free woman bares her genitals only to her husband and her female servants. When I knelt nude in front of my masters, my naked mons served to advertise my youth, weakness, and availability

In my first week, I was paired with a olive-skinned beauty with exceptionally large soft breasts and wide hips. Neela and I practiced massage techniques on each other and I certainly enjoyed the feel and touch of her body. She would giggle whenever I pinched her nipples or brushed my hand against her nub. As newly transformed girls, we were nearly the same age. She had once been a brigand and had reached her current state through ceaseless plunder and insurrections; so much so that the authorities had no choice but to put a bounty on her head. Her unconscious and natural femininity seemed inexplicable - I could not understand why our mental progressions to full slavehood had diverged so greatly.

Neela was my first friend on An and I enjoyed cuddling with her at night when we were sent back to the stables to be chained. The other girls were no exception. I enjoyed pressing myself into their backs and rubbing my firm nipples against them. Certainly this was the case after the odd baths we were allowed, but also after a full day's training and when we were drenched in perspiration. I would often place my head on my partner's soft breasts, tweaking her nipples absentmindedly, and fall asleep right there. The keepers did nothing to discourage any of this eroticism.

It was only after my first moon cycle that I finally experienced what the woman of Ki had hinted at during our interview.

The whispered gossip during training after the second week was almost exclusively of this change but it had taken me a full three weeks after this for me to reach this epiphany. I dreaded it and hoped it would never come, even if it meant being the runt of the group.

Edan was the first among us to succumb. She had once been a young nobleman and judge who had perverted the course of justice – she of course protested her innocence. I was training my new body to a constant state of alertness even at night, when I noticed her pleasuring herself when all others had long since drifted off; sometimes closing her eyes and at other times looking into the distance. The next day, I caught her looking up longingly when her knees were kicked open by one of the slave trainers.

Instead of slapping her for insolence, he lifted her chin and spoke to her with an even voice, “Congratulations, little Edan. You are the first. But you will not look up at your master without permission again - even if you are in torment.”

With that Edan bowed her head and spread her knees even wider. The rest of the girls fell one by one after that.

Each night was now filled with the stifled grunts and sighs of my fellow slave girls. At training, there was a distinct difference in the obeisance paid at morning greetings. There were the haves and the have nots.

Nixie was one of the girls upon whose breasts I used to lay my head on each night. She had merely stolen some bread and fruit and hardly deserved to have her male sex undone.

I heard her whimper in lust one night as I lay with her. I fingered her and played with her nipples to give her some relief but she would not be satisfied till the next morning when she was commanded to lick the feet of a slave master. This she did with relish and devotion. As she did this, I saw my old friend Neela licking her lips with a look of unbridled carnality on her face. I wept inwardly when I observed her engorged labia and nub; more when my eyes were led to the small drops of feminine moisture beneath her.

The serum is both pleasure and punishment but the victim is unaware of the latter. I swore that I would find and kill the alchemist who devised this evil. It was horrible to behold.

It was 2 weeks after my first moon cycle that the changes began in me.

Kai, was a boyish youth who used to serve us food each morning, a strapping lad with handsome features.

“How are we doing this morning, ladies?” He would greet us each morning at breakfast, and always with a kindly voice. Surely he was more like a farmhand feeding the livestock but he was not a cruel master.

Once, when I was a solider back on Ki, I would have addressed such a boy as I would a young inexperienced brother. That morning I no longer looked at him as I did previously.

I admired his large arms and chest as he carried the heavy food bucket to our feeding area. That little indention between his clavicle and chest seemed particularly delectable as I spied it through his half open shirt. As he passed me, I tried for a moment to move closer to him to take in his masculine scent. I half lifted my arm thinking of a way to pull aside his shirt discreetly.

I spent so long admiring him that he stopped ladling the food for a moment to look at me and asked, “Anything I can do for you, Amber?”

He had no idea that the stable was host to twenty rutting females.

I looked down and answered, “No, master.”

“If you need any extra food, don't be too shy to ask,” he said chirpily.

Neela crawled over to me and whispered, “You see it now, don't you?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Men are wonderful, are they not?”

“Yes.”

Neela reached down discreetly and touched me there. As confined slave girls, we had long since stopped being embarrassed about our new body parts. It was a natural part of a slave girl's armory. My vagina being wet was no more unusual than a man licking his lips at the sight of food in a banquet hall.

“So wet,” she giggled licking her fingers. “Naughty, Amber.”

Then more seriously she added, “The slave needs get better once you submit fully for the first time. Once the master allowed me to lick his cock, I could think clearly again.”

She soon went back to eating breakfast which was thin gruel and some vegetables.

Of course, the really strange thing at that point was that I felt no overpowering “slave needs” at all. The stable boy was indeed beautiful and I did want to suck his cock, but no more so than when I, as a man, observed an especially fetching and available woman on Ki. My desire to be penetrated by the boy was certainly greater in intensity than anything I had experienced as a man but I did not find all men attractive or desire to be taken by all of them. In essence, my female libido was set at a very high normal point. I wanted the boy that morning because by any standards he was eminently fuckable. I have only experienced the “slave needs” once, and that was in the presence of my true Master.

To be sure, the slave masters and mistresses were not entirely pleased by my lack of groveling but since I was completely obedient, they paid me little attention.

As for myself, I would exercise in private to maintain what little musculature my frame would allow. I now focused on moves that relied less on strength and more on the use of lighter hand held weapons. If a man now looked beautiful to me, it did not mean I could not find it in my heart to kill him should the situation require it.

On Ki, there is something known as the myth of menstrual synchronicity, a situation in which prolonged contact with an alpha female determines when the entire group menstruates and ovulates.

This was known to happen consistently with serum girls kept in the same stable. Edan was our alpha female and leader – and we all followed her cycles. She was not only the first to develop the slave needs, she was also the very picture of femininity in both word and deed.

It was clear in training that she was exceptional as far as block posing was concerned. She would be stern and sexually unavailable as she strode on stage purposefully, then switch in seconds to a coquette, then grimace playfully as if displeased with something in the distance, and then return to the disposition of a sweet little girl. She would raise her hands to her chin, flick her hair, and bat her eyelids completely naturally, as if this was part of her entire being.

The slave house was certainly very pleased with what a fine catch Edan presented, and she would get many treats from the masters as first girl. The price she sold for would easily dwarf mine on the day we were placed on the auction block..

The day before our sale, we were all given a liquid prophylactic and would continue to be given this once every month to prevent pregnancies which had not been assigned by our masters.

Edan was among the top five lots of the day and would be among the first to be sold. She knew I was nervous and walked over to give me some words of encouragement before it was her turn to be sold.

“I am sure you will fetch an excellent price, Amber. I hope we'll be able to meet again.”

It was rare to find a first girl with such a sweet disposition. She looked exquisite in red flowing slave silks and did in fact sell for the highest price that morning.

As with most auctions of this nature, the winning bids had been decided long before the circus of actual bidding. I knew quite early on that two slave traders were interested in acquiring me. They were the two who examined me the most thoroughly – my face, mouth, limbs, and skin naturally; and of course my genitals. We had been trained to expect this and to respond accordingly. My virginity was then attested to by an adjudicator and a chastity belt affixed to my person.

They were both interested in exotics and were intelligent enough to agree not to bid against each other in order to get the best price. The loser on this round would get free rein when the next Qin girl arrived at market. They agreed on a secret maximum bid and shook on it. The slave house was happy not to have to pay the commission to the auctioneer and agreed to sell me for an acceptable profit. I didn't even need to step on to the auction block like Edan. That evening I was shackled at the back of a cart and sent off to my new owners; thus bringing an end to the first step in my mission.

The Story So Far: A story taken from the Journal of Lady Zhou Yu, (known to us as Amber) – a slave girl living in the capital city of Thamud. A war currently rages between Talos and Thamud. Amber is a former Chinese military contractor from Earth (Ki) who has been kidnapped and transported to the planet, An. Now transformed into a slave girl, she has been tasked with infiltrating the Qin (the Chinese-like people of An) in order to regain her male body and return to Earth.

Last Chapter: Amber has been trained at the slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. She discovers that she now likes men but does not have the slave urges of her fellow classmates. At the end of the last chapter, she was sold and is now being transported to her new owner.

Chapter 3 A Servant Girl in Gaius' Household

Dear Reader,

It has been three months since I last wrote in this journal.

The first snows fell last night and there was no possibility of taking a walk after the morning meal. My Master has told me that I should practice my written Thamudi again instead of spending endless hours at swordplay or with my war bow. He hinted that it was behavior unbecoming of his consort, much less someone in my condition; and that he did not wish to be known as a ruler who approved of illiterate women.

As always, I have been obedient.

The armies of Talos have been in full retreat since late autumn, and our scouts have reported only a small rearguard action. Of the 100,000 men who marched against us, about half remain. At least half of these have been taken by food and water borne diseases introduced into their supplies trains by my spies - this service largely performed by the women in their mobile brothels; apparently a necessary evil to curb the unhealthy appetites of these would be conquerors. My Master has ordered the mounted archers to harass any stragglers all the way back to Talos.

We will spend the winter resting and strengthening our defenses against a possible Spring campaign. Every family remains involved in war production whether it be in arrow making or siege defenses, or the standardized spears used by our female conscripts. Once the thaw allows, new wells will be dug within the two border fortress to detect any attempts at tunneling underneath our walls. My Master and I have visited most of the noble families to discuss the new taxes which will be levied in the new year. I have reason to believe that the silver requested will be delivered without much complaint.

Almost all of the frail and elderly have been moved from the border towns to encampments and new villages; and resupplies of wood, stone and food are gradually being transported from inland forests and quarries to the front now that the siege has been lifted.

When my Master returns home each day after surveying our defenses, we take our evening meal alone. He has forbidden any extravagances as long as a Spring war is a possibility. I read to him for about an hour from illuminated texts each evening so that he can properly judge my pronunciation of the High Thamudi expected of courtiers. I have also begun teaching him the basics of weiqi but he always resigns within twenty moves in frustration.

My Master who has been reading my journal over my shoulders is nonplussed that I have not said anything about my life after being sold. As I have indicated previously, his tastes run towards the salacious.

I will continue where I left off.

If you will recall, I was sold privately in the depths of the auction house without the need to ascend the auction block. I soon surmised that I had been deemed unsuitable material for the slave taverns

Instead I had been sold into the house of a feudal lord of Albion, called Gaius. Like much of the nobility, Gaius was born into his riches but he also dabbled in the market place and had fingers in many commercial pots. For this reason, he entertained frequently and was in need of an efficient household. He barely glanced at me two days after I was brought to his villa saying distractedly, “She is rather plain but I think she'll add color to our serving staff.”

Most of the pleasure slaves treated me with disdain as well. I was merely a servant girl, and it was I who served them. My duties were to bathe them, wash their clothes, and serve them at meal times.

In my second week at Gaius' household, I was assigned to a statuesque beauty who would make any man hard with desire. Her long golden tresses reached down to the middle of her back and she had a delightful posterior and hips. She had light blue eyes, a small upturned nose, and a few freckles running across this on to her cheeks. She was wearing a long silk loin cloth but her sizable breasts were bare with each of them crowned with alluring bright pink nipples and puffy areolae.

I knelt and bowed deeply to her saying, “My name is Amber, Mistress, and I am here to serve you.”

She did not reply and the room was absolutely silent for an uncomfortable period of time. As such, I looked up slowly only to see her startled face.

“Do you speak Qin?” she asked me in one of the ancient languages of Ki.

I had not heard anyone speak in my mother tongue for months and was similarly startled but kept my composure. “I do speak Qin. You have an excellent accent, mistress. May I know where you learned my language?”

“I am from Ki just like you. Do you come from [Szechuan] ? That is my hometown as well.”

My accent had given me away. There were many foreigners in the vast lands of the Qin on Ki, and she was hardly unique.

“I am so pleased to hear someone speak my mother tongue,” I told her with a smile. “Perhaps, we could use it in conversation in the privacy of your room. But only it pleases you, Mistress.”

“It would please me very much, Amber,” she said “Please call me, Eumelia. You do not know how happy it makes me to hear your voice.”

We exchanged information on our kidnappings and soon discovered that we had both been taken around the same time. And that we were both serum girls. We had no cause to be embarrassed by our shared fates, nor of our previous livelihoods – we had both been soldiers in our previous lives. I assumed at the time that this was a pattern of behavior, and that our captors intentionally chose men trained to violence for their inexplicable purposes.

“Amber, I do not want to deceive you so I will say this now before I lose the courage.” She looked down and averted her eyes from me. “My name on Ki was [Ma Jun] and I used to be a Qin person just like yourself.”

She looked up again when she heard my sobbing. I could hardly breathe for all the emotions this caused to rise in me.

“Please don't cry, Amber. I have come to accept this.” She hugged me and wiped away my tears.

I was sobbing and gasping but managed to say, “ You don't understand. I'm [Cheng Yi].”

And then we were both crying. What a strange sight we would have seemed to anyone who happened upon us. My old comrade in arms who I had assumed to be dead, now found. My last connection with my old life on Ki. A fringe benefit of my own capture and taken to cover expenses I assumed at the time.

Eumelia's memories of her old life were largely intact and it had taken her months to accept her new body. The slave urges had helped greatly in this respect. When she realized that her new body made her especially attractive to men, she had marched down the road of acceptance with abandon.

“It is not so bad. Our master's guests have a thing for blonde barbarians which is what they take me for considering my poor Talosian.”

I was a servant girl but one who had received training in the arts of the passion slave. Eumelia was no different and more experienced than I was in this respect. She had a tremendous attraction to men and did not shrink from describing her desires – for she assumed that I too could barely quench my thirst.

If anything, she told of her sexual exploits with considerable pride. Her virginity had been given to one of Gaius' honored guests who had then described her sexual abilities to his friends the next day at breakfast even as she knelt by his feet like a cat. She had been fed by hand with morsels from the table and looked forward to seeing him again when he next attended one of our master's feasts.

I would help her manicure her nails, perfume her body, and irrigate both her nether holes for use by the guests. She did not find this troubling for the slave urges had fully taken; but I did.

Where once we helped each other in our preparations for battle, I was now helping my old friend to look her best to service men. Unlike myself, Eumelia had lost all interest in her old abilities. Those were things of the past, and she was eager to cultivate the arts which would serve her best in her new life. She was being given instruction in stringed instruments and conversation; and also gleaned knowledge from the rest of the pleasure slaves in the harem with regards pleasing men.

If she returned early from servicing her guests, I would be ready to bathe and groom her again so that she looked her best. If we had time, we would cuddle and pleasure each other. Our former lives were the furthest things from our mind at these times; and Eumelia was absolutely ravishing, a prime candidate to be given as a gift to men of wealth and distinction.

My own progress was more mundane. I would be employed throughout the household mainly as a cleaner - in the slave quarters, at the dining table, in the boudoir, and in the many private rooms in the villa. Here I was tasked with providing service before and after copulation. There was always food and drink to be served, clothes to be folded and arranged, and detritus to be disposed of. I would clean both the men and women with warm towels if so commanded; and if a master or mistress wished to see me use my mouth to clean up the sexual emissions on their genitals, I would do so unhesitatingly. I knew this much from my days at school.

I was only a servant girl and certainly of less value than then the redwood furniture which adorned Gaius villa. But unlike the furniture, I was privy to every conversation and every indiscretion disclosed in the heat of passion. My owner, Gaius, would question me and the other girls at least once a week concerning these things; though this was often of little help due to the education level of the average servant.

It will not surprise you to know that while the Qin were politically and communally reputed to be wealthy and devious, the Qin as individuals were considered strange, illiterate, and feeble minded. Certainly, they were not considered to be especially civilized. I conformed to all of these stereotypes at least in my early days. The slave school had started me on the road to understanding the main languages of this world but it took me a while longer at Gaius' house to be reasonably fluent – not least due to hours with a tutor at Gaius' expense. If Gaius' wanted spies, he would need to train them, and what better person than an individual who everyone assumed to be a “retarded” Qin girl.

Gaius did not assume I was an idiot but he did expect me to conform to the low cunning my race was often derided for in this world. He would pump me for information at every hour of the day once my level of language acquisition was deemed adequate. I would hand him my neatly written reports on slate boards, and the information would be memorized, sieved, and confirmed to the best of his organization's ability. Sometimes, whatever news I brought him would be the corroborative evidence he needed for a business venture; most of the time it was completely useless and filed away for future use.

At various points during our interviews, Gaius would mumble or curse under his breath. I would politely ask him the reasons for his distress in the tones of warm honey that had been inculcated into me since my days in the school. I would then bow my head while kneeling and offer suggestions as they came to mind in the way of small talk.

When rumors of war were whispered by a minister post-coitally, I would remind him to consider a larger stake in the hitherto humdrum sulfur and saltpeter mining industries. I later described a method to use these ingredients with gum and wooden splints to make matches – an item which I had not seen used in my short time in that land.

A poor crop report hidden from his eyes but not my ears, prompted me to remind him to enjoin his tenants to increase their use of 'horse-hoeing husbandry' and row cultivation, a practice which for some reason was not widely used in Albion.

I would help him sift through reams of old reports from across the continent on various new sightings or technological wonders. The fire wells reported near the Qin homeland certainly caught my attention and I suggested that he could consider a barter for know-how in its transport and use. It was clear to me that the Qin had been extracting natural gas from both shallow and deep boreholes, and transporting the gas across large distances with bamboo and wooden containers. Gaius sniffed and said he would consider it.

Gaius was a well kept middle-aged man but he had no interest in women. He did display some enthusiasm for boys half his age but his main pleasure was money. He kept me permanently in a light wooden chastity device saying crudely that both my brain and my cunt had value, but that he didn't have the time to exploit the latter just yet.

It was only a matter of time before he divined that I had other abilities as well. When one of his business rivals threatened violence in the privacy of his study, I quickly brought the sharpened knife I had stolen from the kitchen to his neck. The aggressor had no reason to consider the small Qin girl serving drinks a threat. He hurled abuse at me and attempted to reach behind to grab me. I simply kept my calm and divided the skin at his neck exposing the subcutaneous fat. He was a small fleshy man and took little convincing of his diminished options.

So it was that I became Gaius' favorite servant girl. At some point, he started treating me less like a servant and more as an inconspicuous bodyguard and a conversation partner. I told him what I deemed to be less important details about life on Ki and he was happy to reveal the workings of his own world.

It appeared that transportation between worlds was uncommon, as was the presence of alien serum girls such as myself and Eumelia. The vast majority of serum girls were derived from men of the large continent which dominated An. As such, I was considered more useful as trading material with the Qin then a pleasure slave. I asked him if there was any way to remove the slave urges which dominated the lives of slaves like my friend. He was non-committal but told me of legends of jungle women called panthers who staved off the effects with a regular intake of herbs. He clicked his tongue and called them man-haters.

To my mind, there seemed little reason for these women to spend their days in a hot sweltering jungle when the more comfortable jungles constructed by men could offer safer refuge. He shrugged his shoulders and repeated that they hated men, and that some of them were marked. Perhaps they were a secret society with occult rituals just like the acolytes of the Seven Gods.

I was marked as well of course and quite early on. By my second week in the slave school, my ears, nose and navel had all been pierced. Ear piercing was considered the most degrading of these for it immediately marked one as a slave girl. I, on the other hand, resented all of it. I knew quite well that these adornments were meant to make me more attractive to men, and seethed with shame and anger at these overt attempts to make me more feminine. I merely tolerated them and my need to be submissive as part of my mission; the completion of which would free me from my female body.

The other girls could not understand my bitterness for the slave urges were fast upon them. I was only partly mollified when I began to find men attractive some weeks later.

Of course, today I gladly wear all the jewelry that my Master lavishes upon me. Indeed, he will be pleased to know I have become like many natural born women in this respect. In the slave school and the harems I have resided in, clothing and jewelry took on an element of ritual display in lieu of physical violence. The aforementioned panther girls would have nothing to do with this.

A number of the slave girls in Gaius' stable had also been branded – this was thought to be especially fitting for barbarians like Eumelia who had been marked on her mons with the Imperium Rose also found on Gaius' heraldry. I myself was tattooed with the same rose on my left hip, it's thorn and tendrils extending and curving around my left thigh. Gaius had decided that this would be more appropriate for a Qin girl. By this time, I had been so thoroughly debased that I no longer cared about being marked as property.

And thus, I spent twelve months with Gaius in relative calm; a calm which I knew could not last. For his lands and coin had grown considerably in that short period; as had his rivals. And Gaius had carelessly failed to placate or dispose of his enemies; nor did he care to be generous with his good fortune as I had repeatedly advised. Even worse, he had foolishly begun to use me far too liberally.

The first sign of this was guests becoming more leery in my presence. There was also the odd shipping agent or manager who would refuse to be served by that “filthy” Qin girl. Gaius’ business rivals were previously quite happy to simply ape his agricultural and commercial plays. For instance, he would buy into spices from the South Eastern Archipelago at immense prices on the open market the moment he received word that a shipment had failed. The other feudal lords were happy to play along and pick up the crumbs at a moment's notice. When he started encroaching into their vested interests in continental agriculture and heating, on the other hand, they had no choice but to bring him down.

First to be displaced were the informants he had cultivated in various government ministries; then select members of Gaius' street gangs who he used as enforcers. Soon a whispering campaign began against me, first among the pleasure slaves and then the general household. It was only a matter of time before I was considered a usurper by both the majordomo and ikbal. Even Eumelia began to treat me more coldly suspecting that I was badmouthing her to Gaius in the privacy of his chambers. The Qin already had a reputation for being ingratiating backstabbers and I could not escape their prejudice.

When items started turning up missing among the pleasure slaves, it was I who they first cast their eyes upon. I protected myself as much as I could but there was only so much a servant girl could do. By the time, I was accused of stealing a noble woman's pearl necklace, there could only be one culprit. Inevitably, the piece of jewelry was found among my clothes. Gaius had no choice but to turn me out. I was whipped, banished to the outer courtyard, and sent to clean the lavatories and chamber pots.

It was an entire month before my sacrifice paid dividends.

Now fully isolated, I had only to wait for my accusers to attack me directly. Only when I had been fully humbled would their confidence be at its highest.

I kept note of anyone who sought to humiliate me further and, even more, those who wished to be rid of me entirely. I was now insignificant enough to be killed off quietly. At first, I only encountered the personal maids of two odalisques who took the time to kick and demean me, but finally after nearly a month, my servant's hovel was visited by two men determined to string me up in an act of assisted suicide. I could not take too many chances with two large males even if they were unsuspecting. I slit open the femoral artery of one of them and allowed him to exsanguinate; the other I crippled by slicing his heel tendons.

This man, and the two odalisques and their serving girls were brought before Gaius for questioning. He needed to know which of the other feudal lords he could ally with in a war; and which others he would punish with violence - for war seemed inevitable, all it required was an opportune time and a valid excuse. We had only to wait and prepare.

I stressed to Gaius the variable if not poor information resulting from torture but he would have none of it. As with his business dealings, he would take whatever information they offered and confirm it by other means. From indolent passivity, he had swiftly shifted to maniacal hostility - he planned to wage a campaign of terror. His spies would infiltrate the towns of the feudal lords who has been fingered and prepare incendiary devices of oil and gas which would destroy the entire grain reserves of these towns – an act which I knew would lead to immense suffering in the winter.

It was I who had given him the knowledge and means for this act of vindictiveness; I who had brought the suspected household spies to him. If thousands now died as a result of famine, it was I who would be chiefly responsible next to Gaius. I suspect that in my previous life on Ki, I might have reacted with a certain amoral nonchalance, but something had changed in me. Was my new perspective the result of a year in chains or the more empathetic viewpoint of a woman, or both?

The die was cast when Gaius was accused of consorting with a Qin witch from whom he had derived largess in exchange for his eternal soul. I would now need to decide whether I would participate in Gaius' war, enjoining him at every turn to mercy; or kill him outright and save the lives of thousands.

Synopsis: A story taken from the Journal of Lady Zhou Yu, (known to us as Amber) – a slave girl living in the capital city of Thamud. A war currently rages between Talos and Thamud. Amber is a former Chinese military contractor from Earth (Ki) who has been kidnapped and transported to the planet, An. Now transformed into a slave girl, she has been tasked with infiltrating the Qin (the Chinese-like people of An) in order to regain her male body and return to Earth.

Previously: Amber has been trained at the slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of the good will of his neighbors. Gaius now seeks to annihilate his enemies with fire and famine as his main tools.

Chapter 4 Messengers of the Gods

Dear Reader,

It is eventide and my master has fallen asleep by the fireplace after returning from a week long survey of the fire villages.

The winters of Thamud are bitingly cold but I have refrained from partaking of the warming effects of my favorite rice wine; at least not yet. Why there is so much snow in this desert landscape still eludes me.

When last I wrote in this journal, a decision had been placed before me.

Would I be able to temper Gaius' wrath by joining in his war of terror, or would I betray him; perhaps forfeiting my life and consigning the better part of his fiefdom to unknown retribution. The former was the easier path but which would be the greater act of mercy?

Neither choice required much preparation. Killing Gaius would be as easy as turning one's palm – I would simply slit his throat in the privacy of his study. He had no reason to suspect me apart from my periodic entreaties not to follow his most violent inclinations. This seemed strange to him for he knew that I had killed more people in my short life than all the members of his household combined.

A week before Gaius planned to ignite hostilities, all the servant girls were called upon to prepare the audience room for some unexpected guests. Gaius had indicated that I and two other servants would see to the three visitors he was expecting on an individual basis. We were made to kneel unobtrusively at the sides of the room with refreshments neatly arranged on trays by our sides. As always, I kept a small knife on my person bound to my inner thigh.

At the appointed hour, Gaius led the three guests into the room. He did not take his place on the dais but watched with his head slightly bowed as the leader of the three sat upon the small throne.

They were not dressed in the natural fibers of the nobility of An but what seemed to be the artificial fibers of my homeworld of Ki. They appeared to be men of our great continent but were surrounded by a faint glow emanating from their very beings as if they were made of light.

{My master is keenly interested in my first meeting with the emissaries of the Seven Gods having never met them in person. I will thus attempt to record theirs words as accurately as possible.}

“Lift your head, Gaius. It is wise that you did not hide her and I encourage you to avoid all artifice in our conversation,” the leader said.

“Of course, your holiness,” Gaius answered.

“You will withdraw your men from the cities immediately and commit no more evil.”

“Of course, your holiness.”

“Your greed is unbecoming of one of the nobility. This world is in a perfect balance, and we will not hesitate to amputate any source of corruption. I foresee many hours of moral instruction and contemplation in your future, my son.”

“Of course, your holiness.”

“The female is the source of much of your new fortune and has led you astray. We will now discuss whether she should be destroyed.” Then turning to me the leader said, “I would like your opinion on this.

“I will continue after which you will answer. As a woman of Ki, you should know well that the displacement of a single [electron] or the removal of a single grain of sand could disrupt the entire system; to say nothing of an entire human being. Why have you sought to gratify yourself at the expense of this civilization?”

“I have only tried to survive like everyone else,” I replied.

“That is where you have failed and why you will be chastened,” the high emissary announced dispassionately. “Did you intend to kill the man, Gaius?”

“Yes,” I said. I saw no point in lying. Then a bit desperately I asked, “Will you give me time to learn? Will you give me time to change?”

The emissary looked at me with a blank expression. Looking back, I saw little indication that he was interested in my personal growth.

He continued. “Perhaps you consider us overly paternalistic. We do not deny this; neither do do we intend to change our ways. This world will progress when that progress has been earned. Your own civilization will cease to exist within the next three hundred years. We will not make the same mistake twice.”

With that, they were gone.

Did these acolytes really believe that the medieval society I had found myself in was the ideal form of human civilization? Half the population remained in subjugation to the other, and each day brought more rumors of war, misery, rapine, and death. Was this the best of all possible worlds? I was incredulous at the thought.

Since our first short meeting, I have searched the Qin libraries for more accounts of their visitations. Surely, the acolytes had little interest in the travails of a mere slave girl, but they would not overlook so blatant a violation of the blockade that they had instituted between Ki and An.

The Seven Gods or at least their priests allowed for some wars. They would only intervene if revelation allowed them to foresee that this would disrupt the acceptable peace of the continent. The scholarly among you will know already that there are no discernible patterns to these interventions – neither the size of these wars nor the suffering that ensues seemed to be at issue. The conflagration between the three large states that sit astride the great lakes was permitted, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of men and women. Yet a minor border dispute would be deemed sufficiently dangerous for them to intercede. Only the high priests of the Seven were privy to the sacred calendar the gods had laid out for this world.

Any attempt to physically harm the emissaries would have resulted in the annihilation of Gaius' entire household. No building would be left standing and not a single servant or slave left alive. It was truly a kind of divine punishment.

“Were you really ready to kill me?” Gaius asked as I was leaving.

I did not answer him. As I left the audience chamber, I felt myself dissolve into the ether.

Previously: Amber has been trained at the slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion.

Chapter 5 - A Slave Girl Meets Her Master

I awoke to the sounds of dripping water echoing through the cavernous halls of the Temple of Ea. I had not the strength to move my limbs. A middle-aged woman with skin seasoned by the desert sun and dry winds was wiping down my face as if I had a fever. Each stroke of her cool cloth seemed to wipe away the fog that enveloped my mind.

“I am a priestess in the Temple of Water dedicated to Ea, who is one of the Seven Gods,” she said.

She spoke to me first in Thamudi and then in Talosian to elucidate which I understood. I was too confused to answer so she continued to clean my body. I heard the sound of women chanting and then breaking into unaccompanied song.

The priestess paused when she reach my left thigh saying, “A very lovely mark but sadly still that of a slave.” Then lifting my face and turning it from side to side she smiled and said, “You are quite pretty.”

She informed that I had been found on the temple steps not two hours ago. She said she was sorry that I was a slave but the laws of this land dictated that if I remained unclaimed for two weeks, I would have to be sold by the local administrator through an assigned merchant.

“We have no choice in this but we will try to ensure that you will get a good owner,” she promised. “We have also removed this,” she said, holding up a belt of leather and wood. You will not be touched until the day you are sold.”

It was the chastity device which I had worn almost daily while I was owned by Gaius. She then offered me some food and water, and told me to wait in the sanctuary until she returned.

As I searched the harvest calendars in the temple, I realized that I had lost two weeks of my life. I had no memory of what might have happened between my disappearance from Gaius' villa and my reappearance in the temple.

In what way had I been punished by the high emissary. My body seemed unchanged as were my inclinations and feelings. I did not seem to have lost any memories apart from the past two weeks.

I was without means in a strange land. The only way in which I could effect an escape would be through violence; and my memory of the events at Gaius' villa made me hesitate on taking that course. It seemed improbable that they had judged me based on any kind of simple morality but I could not take that chance.

My only chance of becoming a man again and to return to Ki was through being moved through the system to my ultimate goal. If the woman in Aix was to be trusted, they would be the ones to guide me to a fateful meeting with the Qin.

As expected, I was unclaimed after two weeks and was moved to a slave merchant's establishment to be sold on one of the city's market days. Here, once again, I was reacquainted with the frightening nature of the continent's slave trade – something which I had shielded my eyes from while in Gaius' retinue. I counted myself among the lucky ones – I had chosen this course seeking uncertain liberation.

I was chained in the main business area of the merchant's shop with other women – the majority designated for agriculture or household labor; and a small selection including myself for potential employment as passion slaves. My body and youth marked me as such. The slave merchant made no distinction between “born women” and serum girls - he had no means to do so. Our personal histories were however recorded on our sales sheet.

In the distance, I saw a tall man with dark hair and brown skin dressed in the guild robes of a date merchant. It was early in the day and customers were few.

This was the first time I laid eyes upon my Master...[...]...

[Scribe's Note: Here the text diverges from Lady Zhou's journal entry. A hand written account on silk has been found in the libraries of the Qin. ]

My Beloved Prince,

As you have commanded, I have prepared an account of our first meeting solely for your eyes.

This was the first time I laid eyes upon my Master.

He was about five years older than me and strongly built. I had never seen a more attractive male since I had become a slave girl; this I will admit. I am indeed a fortunate woman to be able to wake each morning with my face pressed against his magnificent chest and abdomen.

My Master is, however, incorrect in thinking that I was practically salivating at the sight of him. I will allow that my nipples were hard and engorged, and I will not dispute and I was already wet by the time he placed his hands upon my nether regions. He had insisted on placing his fingers to my mouth and nose to ensure that there was no doubt in my mind that I was captive to him.

He browsed haphazardly as the slave merchant trailed him like a helpful dog, sometimes stopping before some local delights before moving on to the section offering a small selection of blonde barbarians. I was recommended as something a bit more exotic and mysterious - a masterless Qin girl found naked near the temple of Ea

“Perhaps, she is a gift from Ea,” offered the slave trader. “She indicates that she was trained at one of the finest slave houses in Albion.”
“She would, wouldn't she...,” my master commented, looking bemused.

{If my account appears too glowing with regards this prince of Thamud, I will add here that my Master has been continually offering corrections since I began my account of our first meeting. I assure you that this annoyance will not affect the accuracy my account. I have therefore retired to my bedchambers where I now write undisturbed.}

My Master affected a certain levity when he first cast eyes upon me. He took a quick glance before moving on to the rest of the merchant's wares. But as a trained passion slave, I knew this was an act. I have been taught to look for the slightest spark of arousal in a male and fan it with all my wiles; and I knew quite well that he wanted me there and then.

I was not, however, prepared to display myself in the traditional manner of slave girls to the consternation of the slave merchant. Instead I affected haughty indifference in front of him, tracking him out of the corner of my eye even as he circled the establishment.

He soon made to purchase a few trinkets, some collars, and a few training devices which slave girls are intimately familiar with. And then with his back to me, he began to negotiate my price with the same distracted air. The merchant wanted a better price but, in the end, he was happy to be rid of an arrogant and difficult girl even if she was white silk. The priestess had already told him that I was not to be sold to a slave tavern if he wanted his commission.

I was placed in a small slave shift of embroidered silk which my master had purchased for my transportation. It was clear that my new owner was quite wealthy from this choice alone; a fact which was made abundantly clear when I was delivered that very afternoon to the palace whose multitude of turrets towered over the city itself.

I was made to sit on the ground in a small alcove with a group of male and female slaves, all recently purchased. I could tell that some were manual laborers and others were destined to be servant girls as I was previously. None were dressed as finely as myself.

“His highness wants to deal with this one personally,” the majordomo said, stopping his underling from escorting me into the slave quarters with the rest.

My heart sank when I heard this. For almost a year, I had been spared the indignities of being a slave but it was now all returning. I was bound very tightly with leather straps and a spreader bar attached to my ankles. I was then led by a leash to a small room. I knew what was about to happen, the moment I saw the brazier and branding rack.

My new owner stood at the center of the room and asked the servants to leave once I was made to kneel in front of him.

He spoke to me in perfect Talosian. “I see more anger in your eyes than fear. That would be unusual in a girl of your age; and even more in a trained passion slave. That cold murderous look you have – I presume that is what the Qin call 'killing intent'? Will you at least hear me out?

“This is necessary for your safety. An unmarked girl could be taken without consequence or legal repercussions. You could be taken at any point and by anyone, if not within the palace then without. Even the king my father is beholden to the laws of this land; and the royal mark provides the greatest safety of any in this kingdom. I have not as yet placed my mark on any woman and I would like to get your permission for this. Do you understand?”

You may well ask - did I even have the right to refuse? The conversation was occurring in private for his sake, not mine. In this barbarous medieval world, a master did not ask his slave's permission to brand her – he would be held a laughing stock if word of this ever got out. I only knew that the decision had to be made now. What would happen to me if I rejected his brand?

I only knew that I could not remain here without his mark. I would have to be killed or more likely discarded; given to one of his underlings who would then brand me without hesitation. Did I prefer to be the property of a prince or one of his retainers – that was my only choice. Which option would give me the best chance of entering the world of the Qin, and at least some hope of becoming male again.

“I will accept your mark,” I said evenly.

“Thank you,” he replied.

I think he must have seen my shoulders slump slightly in resignation. He lifted me up to the rack gently and pulled my shift up. Then he tied me down as firmly as possible with straps across my pelvis and thighs leaving only the area to be marked exposed. The branding iron was red hot and finely made. He gave me a word of warning and I felt searing heat as he pressed the hot iron to my mons. I grit my teeth; I dared not move for fear of causing further damage to my person.

I did not scream; but my tears flowed liberally not simply out of pain, but frustration, and anger at my lot. It had been months since I was so thoroughly humiliated – certainly not since my early days in the house of Gaius. I swore in my heart that I would harm this man the first chance I had.

When it was done, he stroked and soothed me, applying a cold balm to my brand which lessened the pain within moments. I was still bound hand and foot, or I would have struck him there and then. Looking back, I must have seemed like a wild animal; struggling to no avail in his strong immovable arms, each of which seemed larger than my own tiny waist.

As I was now the prince's slave girl and sole concubine, I was assigned my own group of attendants who bathed me and dressed my wounds. I instructed them to provide me with boiled water and white rags, highly distilled alcohol, and honey. My master came to see me every three days and I would lift my dress to show him my progress. By the middle of the third week, my wounds had largely healed. I was now ready to serve him as he saw fit.

I do not think I was a cruel mistress to my servants having once been in their position. Even today, I have a bit of a reputation as a light touch, and the one person in the royal household who can be taken advantage of. The idea of beating one of these young girls that they might better remember their mistakes has been recommended to me on more than one occasion, and still fills me with fury and indignation. Instead, I brought them into my confidence with a combination of treats and compliments and they soon plied me with gossip from the palace halls.

“The crown prince has not taken a wife, and his ailing father is beset with worries that he never will. It is rumored that he is only interested in men. Perhaps your boyish figure attracts him?”

This was the first time I had heard my sizable breasts and fleshy ass as “boyish” to be sure, but compared to many of the women of the continent, I was certainly slight of figure.

The women of the harem would look at me and whisper and it was easy to surmise that as the only marked woman of the prince, I was now the subject of gossip and envy. This was not helped by my being a Qin woman who seemed in every way unequal to the charms of the other pleasure slaves.

My attendants at least seemed to be loyal and had been personally chosen by my Master. On the night I was to be taken to his bedchamber, they offered suggestions on hairstyles and bed attire. My ears and belly were adorned with jewels, and my nails neatly filed and painted. The servant girls had cleaned and perfumed my entire body paying special attention to my armpits, pudenda, and my bottom. All of these and more were tended to at length to ensure that I was smooth and soft when he chose to touch me. They rouged my lips, nipples and lower lips so that I seemed to be in a state of perpetual arousal. I will admit that by this point, I was eager to feel my master's lips and hands on my body.

That night I entered my Master's bedchamber for the first time.

I could see him quite clearly lying on the bed for the room was not too dimly lit. His torso was quite bare and he motioned for me to come closer to him and disrobe.

I undid the clasps of my silks and let my dress slip to the ground with a light elegant motion. I now stood naked before him with one leg slightly bent and my foot extended.

“The slave merchant called you Amber,” he said breaking the silence.

“My name is whatever my Master wishes.”

“I have thought about this and have decided to call you Shasa . Do you like it? It means 'enchanted water' in the ancient tongue of my ancestors.”

“I am Shasa, Master,” I said, my head still bowed.

He was eager to put me through my slave paces as he would a newly acquired mare. I had so thoroughly imbibed the lessons at the slave school that the movements came instinctively as if I were a trained athlete. I had forgotten nothing and my movements were performed swiftly and sensually.

Starting from a standing position and at each command, I knelt, spread my legs wide with my hands palms up on my thighs, and placed my hands behind my head to better display my breasts. I then reclined with my knees bent before spreading them receptively Then I was on all fours, then bent down with my ass lifted towards him before lying face down with my arms behind my back as if to be bound. There were many slave positions and he knew all of them which seemed highly unlikely for someone who didn't own any slave girls. I presumed he patronized the many taverns and brothels scattered across the main commercial district.

I had maintained a regular regimen of exercise in my quarters and kept pace with his commands without difficulty. He first watched me while reclining on the bed, then while sitting upright when he found that I did not fail to keep up with his commands. Finally, when I once again presented my posterior for his scrutiny, he placed his large palm on me and massaged my labia and nub lovingly. In the silence of his room, there were only the modulations of my light breathing and the sopping sounds from my cunt.

“Amazing,” he finally said. “It is hard to believe that you were once a man.”

I was surprised that he knew of my former state and that he had chosen me despite knowing this.

He now joined me on the carpet, holding me tightly from behind as he massaged my breasts and worked my nipples. I arched my back as he did so and felt his manhood pressing firmly against my buttocks. That feeling drove me wild with lust

I remained strongly attracted to him despite myself. I recalled how I, in my past life, would seduce the women of Ki with gifts, humor, and displays of masculinity. It was second nature to me, just as it was second nature for me now to entice this man. I ached for his touch and was thrilled that my body pleased him.

Perhaps it is hard for a man of Thamud, who has never experienced what it is like to be a woman, to imagine my feelings at that moment. I will attempt to assist you in this. Remember back to the first girl you were infatuated with and how merely her scent would fix your attention, and the sight of her bosom and the soft skin of her thighs would make you hard with desire. And if this woman was so high above your station that you could never have her, imagine your daydreams of taking her, and enjoying her cries of ecstasy. Now imagine that your dreams were completely fulfilled, and that she wanted you to take intimate possession of her.

That was the position I was now in.

My Master was now that object of infatuation for me; his power over me had suddenly become an aphrodisiac. The humiliation of my branding lasted but a few moments, my anger a few hours more. What followed was a state of constant arousal at the thought of being this man's rightful possession to be used as he saw fit. When he commanded me into increasingly erotic positions, I was glad to do so – knowing that each and every move I made heightened his desire for me. This was my power over him and it sent slow waves of pleasure coursing through my body.

A man feels pleasure in making his woman respond helplessly to his touch, and then penetrating her. Now I was that woman. How can I explain my overwhelming desire to be filled by my Master and to be thoroughly fucked. Instead of taking I would now be receiving. I reveled in my passivity in bed, and I absolutely craved his touch – those large rough hands on my soft skin, on my breasts, and on my cunt; the way he used me and controlled my every movement when he was in the heat of the moment; the way he held me as he thrusts into me and made me mewl.

I had been a woman for over a year but it was only now that I realized what it meant to fully inhabit the mind and body of that most feminine of creatures - a passion slave. My days as a soldier and even as Gaius' slave girl had been marked by discipline and exactitude – a stringent control of word and action. In my Master's chambers, I chose docility and surrender – I yielded to his every command and to his every touch.

I submitted fully to my Master that night.

“You are an amazing slut,” he told me, half gasping.

Instead of shame, I felt pride in this statement. Consider a male lover who is hardly embarrassed when he is praised for his skills at lovemaking and his staying power. I was no different now as a woman. My lessons at the slave school had now been brought to fruition. They had taught me how to be a matchless female lover and now it was paying dividends. He was enraptured by every part of me: my utter shamelessness in displaying my body to him; my sensitiveness to his touch; my obvious arousal when I saw him naked; my screams and grunts as he took me firmly; and my quickness to orgasm and to do so repeatedly.

He soon realized that this aspect of my being was exclusively his preserve. I had far greater control of my emotions and drives when it came to other men – all of whom paled in comparison. I abdicated all memory of old self when faced with my Master who I was besotted with

[The Lady Zhou's journal continues where it left off.]

My Master will smile if and when he reads this but my love for him has only grown in the intervening years; for I have seen the true measure of him in his interactions with his fellow men. And I know that he loves me.

Previously: Amber has been trained at a slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion, and awakes in Thamud where she is sold into the royal household. A break in the narrative follows.

Chapter 6 - Old Friends and Enemies . On Serum Girls . I Meet My Master's Family

Dear Reader,

I have finally found Neela; Neela who I loved best from when I first trained as a slave girl. I wept when I received the news, and was determined to meet her myself despite my Master's protestations. I have managed to find almost half of the girls who trained with me and released them all from the slave urges which ruled their lives.

Why it has taken this long I cannot say but she was privately sold to a rich but insignificant marquis, a gift from his long suffering wife who I understand prefers the company of women. With her amiable disposition, humorous anecdotes, and political savvy, she quickly worked her way up the ranks and is now her master's favorite.

I arranged to meet her at a Qin dressmaker's shop which dealt with embroidered silks woven and sewn by the young women apprentices of the Flaming Mountains. Here I posed as a serving girl. Of course, she recognized me the moment she set eyes on me in one of the private suites reserved for the nobility.

We hugged and kissed, and spoke at length as we once did back in the slave school. I asked her if she wished to be free – she did not. She was in love with her mistress who cosseted her; and she could be found between the marquis and his wife on many an evening. To add to this, she had a new role as the primary carer for the marquis' new heir, born to her mistress earlier in the year. It was clear she loved the new babe and her mistress was encouraging her to have one of her own that their children might be friends.

We had far too little time. I offered her the antidote for the slave urges which she quickly accepted. It would take a week for the changes to take effect. She thanked me and told me that I should approach her if I ever wanted for anything. Afterall, she was now the favorite of the Zeeshan Emperor's chief military advisor, a post to which that insignificant marquis had risen to in the intervening years.

I kissed her and told her that the only thing I wanted was the opportunity to meet her again in the not too distant future to rekindle our friendship. I did not ask her to become a spy in my network as is my practice after releasing any slave girls I have encountered and vetted. I could not bear to stain our friendship in this way.

Of more immediate interest is my capture of Anais, the woman who I first met in Aix. A creature of habit, she was easily found and taken. The loss of one Qin spy (myself) dictated the acquisition of another. When a new Qin girl fitting my own background and qualifications came into the possession of the traders, we merely waited patiently for her to turn up.

I did not torture Anais nor did I enslave her. That is the way of this world, not mine. We merely had conversations about her travels between Ki and this world, and her reasons for choosing this line of work.

Her value as a bargaining tool is negligible but we intend to send her to Talos in the Spring as part of a prisoner exchange. A Qin delegation, acting as our intermediaries, intends to revisit diplomacy again at that time as a cure for all our ills.

I return to my original narrative.

When last I wrote, I had become the slave of the Crown Prince Of Thamud. I spent a year with my Master in his house. I had not known such happiness in my previous life as during that time. It was in that year that the seeds were laid for my eventual decision to remain a woman and his bond slave.

You may be wondering how it is a mere serum girl of no distinction could become the favorite of a young prince. Was it simply fate and good fortune? Or did this betray the hand of a certain Talosian spy or the ever watchful Qin? Perhaps your disbelief stems from my softening of the account of my suffering, and the depredations I experienced in the slave school and in the house of Gaius. Whatever your viewpoint, I urge you to remember that the fate of this world is not simply in the hands of the women and men who inhabit it.

The casual reader may wonder as well what exactly the status of serum girls were in the continent of An. To answer this, I will attempt here a potted history of the transformation serum as I have gleaned from conversations with the historians and nobility of Thamud.

The oldest recorded history of the serum is a fragment by the overlord who once held sway over the great continent. Almost all of this was lost during the great scouring of An. These are the words preserved on some burnt parchments found in the tomb of the great conqueror:

“.... [the] serum was an adaptation of this process. It was created by a bio-chemical genius whose pay mistress and director was the slaver Vanora...[...]... She required [the serum] to achieve certain aims, such as allowing transformed men to conceive and bear children and a psychological sexual reorientation to female heterosexuality. But as a slaver she was intrigued by the idea of producing a superior type of slave girl.”

As you might imagine, the disruption to the communal and political life of this new invention was extreme with the serum used for punishment, deception, and assassination. The efficacy and ease of its administration ensured that all men were vulnerable, there were no agreed strictures placed on its use. If not for the limited supplies of the serum, one could imagine entire families or towns transformed into submissive slaves.
Yet if the users of the serum had constrained themselves to the dregs of society or at most the lesser nobility, no one would have lifted a finger to curtail its use. Its liberal use in the decimation of the highest houses in the land, however, spelled the beginning of the end.

Soon registries documenting the features of all potential serum girls were disseminated through all the nine kingdoms - that any attempt at espionage could be thwarted and social division quelled. Then through various alchemical tests, the royal houses began to push back on the moles hidden in their midst – transformed nobles without a trace of royal blood in their veins were taken and extinguished.

The discovery of an “antidote” to the original serum led to one of the darkest times in living memory. This was the Great Scouring where all traces of the serum was hunted down and destroyed; and decades of genetic and biochemical knowledge burnt on pyres in all the “civilized” kingdoms of the known world. What followed was a kind of chemical genocide. Serums girls were rounded up and forcibly returned to their original forms. Many chose death over this return to unwanted former lives as men. Only the intervention of the Seven Gods through their emissaries prevented a more devastating conflagration. What serum girls remained migrated to the desert basin which lies to the far West of our great continent.

The world I was transported to had emerged from this age of moral decay; a world where the serum was seen as punishment and not as reward or cure - to inflict the curse of womanhood on malcontents and social deviants.

The serum still exists in limited and dwindling quantities at the peripheries of society. The rest are controlled by the nine great families of An, under the watchful eye of the gods themselves. They were forbidden on pain of death from using it beyond their borders or as instruments of war, but they were still deployed against their political enemies within the confines of their own kingdoms. Yet on rare occasions, the serum presented itself as the perfect solution to longstanding dilemmas.

When my Master had claimed me in his bedchambers over several nights, his family requested that I be brought before them that they might know me better.

His father, the High King of Thamud, was bedridden and frail and I was simply brought to kneel beside his bed to pay my respects. The Queen on the other hand was hale and healthy and determined to know everything about me.

I was brought before Her Majesty and my lord's three sisters dressed in the robes of a royal concubine to pay my respects following a morning ritual honoring the Goddess of Water. I surmised that as a Qin girl and a slave, I was not ideal material as a consort; yet even then I knew that I was expected to produce an heir for the kingdom.

With only the chancellor by their side, they told me to reveal my entire history without omission. This I did save for my meeting with the Talosian spy mistresses – I had not earned enough of their trust to do that just yet. Nor did I go into any details regarding my life as a slave girl, for they all considered it an ignominious but necessary evil.

Even as I sat there reciting my history, I did pause to wonder why I felt so nervous and so anxious to please. Was it simply my eagerness to be a pampered woman in this court or was it fueled as much by my desire to be by my Master's side? Why did these four women seem so composed as they listened to a former male warrior express his wish to accept a future of feminine subservience at the feet of the prince.

“Do you love my brother?” asked my lord's eldest sister, the Princess Farah.

“Yes,” I answered truthfully. But I wondered why love was even an issue; how could she even believe my statement? I was overcome with emotion as I said this and my eyes brimmed with tears.

Then the Queen said, “I sense some hesitation on your part to tell us about your former existence as a man; that you feel that this will prejudice us against you. You are not wrong to be so concerned. But I also sense something else, that you wonder why we should act so calmly when you state so boldly that you would gladly remain a woman for the sake of my son. Perhaps you have forgotten that we are women just as you are, and have all known what it means to be in love. But could it be more than that? Is it perhaps because you consider the status of women in this world so abhorrent that you feel that no one would knowingly choose to be one?

“Yes, I admit that this is the case.” I was downcast.

“I am glad that you have spoken the truth, and it is easy to understand why your experiences have led you to think as such. But you will find in years to come that there are many compensations for this new life you have chosen. You have already foregone the joys of growing up a young girl, you now have the rest of your life to understand what a pleasure it is to be a woman.”

Then pointing to her left with her outstretched hand, she said, “Perhaps you have taken note of the portrait which hangs on the wall to your right.”

I had not (as was my usual practice) for I had been consumed by an unfamiliar restlessness throughout the interview. I turned my head to inspect it. It was a life-sized family portrait of the royal family done in a style similar to what was known as [tenebrism] back on Ki. I saw the king and queen at the center surrounded by their devoted daughters on each side. The eldest daughter stood as tall as her father and wore plate armor with the royal crest emblazoned; but it was not Farah who I saw.

I knew then that the gods had truly sifted me like wheat.

Previously: Amber (later known as Zhou Yu) has been trained at a slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion, and awakes in Thamud where she is sold into the royal household. There she meets her Master and learns of his "secret."

Chapter 7 - My Master's Story . Another Old Friend

As with many of the medieval kingdoms of Ki, Thamud had long practiced male-preference primogeniture.

By the time, the Queen, had given birth to her fourth child, a daughter, my Master was already a child of seven and already showing the stature which his father's side of the family was known for.

He had, of course, been born a girl and was brought up to be the First Princess of the land. He had his first moon cycle at the age of thirteen and bloomed into one of the most beautiful young women in court. At least from all outward appearances, he seemed to enjoyed his girlhood under the loving care and tutelage of his mother. He did not seem to disdain the beautiful gowns he was made to wear, nor did he completely resent the buds which grew on his chest in due time. He was brought up to be an obedient child and that was what he was.

Yet, there is little doubt that he took surprising delight in activities thought solely the preserve of the designated male heir of the line – of which there was none as yet. He excelled at swordplay, the bow, and horsemanship, and would spend hours hunting in the woods with the trackers. It was clear he preferred the loose shirt and baggy trousers worn by the stable hands to the usual finery expected of female royalty. In secret expeditions outside the palace, he would wear a thawb and head cloth to disguise his blossoming figure.

It is hard to say when he started thinking of himself as a young boy but it was clear that he was acting the part of one.

The first sign of any trouble, his mother recalls, occurred during a courtship ceremony when he was fifteen. He wore a beautiful green dress in the style of Talosian women and dutifully danced with a number of boys that night.

Only when the Queen praised him later that night, gushing that he would make a wonderful wife and mother, did a faint sign of resentment cross his face. He knew that to be married and bear his husband's children was an essential part of his function as a princess of Thamud; if only to solidify or forge new alliances. This was his lot in life and he was, as noted, obedient.

Soon after, he could be found in the palace library looking into any text concerning the Great Scouring and of the original concoction which transformed the most manly of men into the most feminine and subservient of women. The treasury of Thamud was stocked with a small selection of these, all with the permission of the emissaries of the Seven Gods; but they had not been used for decades.

When my Master's father had ascended the throne he had decreed that the serum would never be used again as a tool of punishment but instead be reserved for those of Thamud who wished to live life as one of the other sex. Having made this announcement, the King promptly erased the edict from his mind, and neglected to establish any mechanisms for the proper use of those alchemical wonders. The duty he owed to his people was one of fairness in justice and not to encourage their fantasies – or so it seemed to him. It was the Queen who felt that the serum denigrated the place of Thamudian women in society – as if it was a punishment to be attractive and vivacious. But, like her husband, she seemed altogether less interested in those who desired to experience everything that she had enjoyed since her birth as a baby girl.

The scientists and alchemists of An had long since distilled and recreated the original serum so that new formulations no longer engendered overwhelming female libido. Further, they had crafted antidotes and sera which could turn a woman into a man with all the characteristics of her family line. There were precious few records of any women who had been injected with this “Anti-Vanorian.” No one could tell what manner of male would emerge upon its use, or what effect it would have on the the recipients personality. Would they retain a love for men or would their tendencies gradually gravitate towards women. The original serum was once seen as an instrument of discipline; a method of turning strong, aggressive, and dangerous men into helpless damsels eager to spread their legs. Would they also turn women into strange caricatures of the male sex with hyper-aggressive tendencies? And what conditions would need to be in place for the lords of the land to use this serum on a female – when was it a punishment to become a male in the patriarchal world of An?

It is telling that the Thamudian judicial system almost never punished women in this way. What reason would there be to give a female criminal the chance to become a much more formidable and dangerous man?

There was one recorded instance in Thamud of an actress who worked her maid servant to death and who was transformed into a man, and sent to work in the sulfur mines in the east. The hard labor had lasted 15 years before she was deemed rehabilitated and released into society. She had once been a handsome man in keeping with her genetic potential but the years in the mine had damaged her physically and she was now plagued with an assortment of bony and respiratory issues. Now, thirty years later, he worked as a stage hand for a traveling troupe of actors. On questioning, the now elderly stage hand, it seemed that the once pristine beauty had taken on most of the characteristics of a man of Thamud. There was not an ounce of daintiness about him - he scratched himself distractedly while he was being questioned and was not particularly concerned about his personal hygiene.

During their conversation, he swore unceasingly, and thought nothing of threatening violence against those who annoyed him - this was completely understandable considering the deplorable conditions of the labor camps. The once beautiful young woman had learned to protect himself over the decades – and he still appreciated the sight of the young male actors he served. Yet his countenance became more solemn when he saw the young actresses prancing about in their costumes. My Master could almost hear the stagehand whispering the lines of the ancient plays to himself probably in memory of what could have been. For all intents and purposes, it seemed that the serum had largely preserved the actress' mind in the body of a menial laborer. This merely confirmed what my Master knew from the start, that the use of the serum as a form of retribution should never be allowed.

My Master was now faced with a simple choice - to continue living a lie, or gamble with a largely untested serum. Of course, he chose the latter.

My Master has desisted from describing his adventures following his transformation for fear of causing me offense and envy. He is right in so thinking for I am indeed as jealous as the Seven Gods, and he knows this. If he desires the company of another woman – and why shouldn't he, he has an entire harem of idle women at his disposal – then I insist on being there together with her pleasuring him.

In light of this, I prevailed upon him to purchase and send for my old friend Eumelia from Gaius' household, thinking that a new life in the palace would be preferable to one of endless toil in the fields of sexual avarice. My Master was eager to acquire her once I described her attributes.

As I have previously intimated, she was thoroughly callipygian and had the immense bosom of a typical barbarian maiden. Her flesh was that perfect blend of softness and firmness, and her pudenda exceptionally well sculpted. The distance of a few months, made it apparent to me that there was now little trace of the solider I once knew, but she was still my friend and she still remembered aspects of her old life as if they were daydreams.

While I was once her servant girl, I now stood several stations above her as my Master's favorite (and soon his imperial consort). I soon realized that she gained great relief if she was made to perform household chores for myself or my Master. It was not as if she could not be my friend but the serum had made service an erotic activity in itself. When the slave urges were upon her, she would be uncomfortable in anything but a position of obeisance. I knew that a cure for her ills might be found in the serum vaults of the kingdom of Thamud but my status at the time was not sufficient for me to access it with impunity. But even this seemed beside the point.

I had thought to spare my old friend a life of sexual servitude but this was not to be. She had told me in no uncertain terms that she had no wish to be a man ever again; and wondered why I sought to punish her in this fashion when I merely suggested a return to her old form. She was almost inconsolable and I dared not bring the matter up again. I could understand her desperation but only if I thought first and foremost of my Master.

Notwithstanding my earlier suggestions concerning my Master's mischievousness as a newly made young man, he had in truth retained a conservative attitude towards marriage and courtship; a vestige from his days as a young woman taking instruction at the feet of his mother. This was compounded by his unparalleled affection for Talosian courtly romances in which the hero remained devoted to his virginal bride through various perils – clearly always seeing himself in the knight gallant who was strong, immovable and loyal. His watchword to this day is fidelity.

I am sure some of you are wondering whether I found it especially humiliating to sexually acquiesce to a man who was once a woman. To be sure, all forms of submission were alien to me.

It is only with my Master that I find it absolutely correct that I should submit. I had somehow found my place in this world, or at least in his bedroom. I have told him in no uncertain terms that there is no comparison between being made love to as a woman, and making love as a man. Unlike him, I had experienced both and the former was far superior in every respect.

[Scribe's Note: Here the imperial censors have been at work again, preserving the reputation of Lady Zhou for posterity; not taking into account that these journal entries are foremost a love letter to her husband the King Idris II of Thamud.]

At first, I kept Eumelia as one in an ivory tower, shielding her from the men of the court. My Master would not touch her without her explicit permission, but I soon realized that she was in no position to offer it.

The familiar scene which I once observed in the slave school now repeated itself again in the bedchamber I shared with Eumelia. She had not been with a man for two weeks when the signs first appeared. The frantic rubbing at night when she could not be distracted was the least of it. She would beg to worship my feet and suck my toes, and after some hesitation I agreed to this. She was truly beautiful and irresistible to both men and women.

I could not resist squeezing her soft white breasts and kissing her pink teats, but this only made her more hungry, and her tongue made its way to my nub bringing me to orgasm after orgasm. All of this I did with my Master in attendance. I finally begged him to take her and quell her needs, which he did. He, of course, dominated her utterly. I stroked her body even as she was being penetrated, ensuring that her eager tongue still had access to my cunt. In short, I made sure that she was satisfied in every way to make up for my mistake. Her screams of contentment must have been heard across many hallways that night.

Henceforth, I did nothing to deprive her and we would share our Master's bed together at least once a week.

It was only too easy to forget that this was my old comrade in arms. Eumelia would reminisce with me about Ki in the tongue of the Qin, recalling places, people, and most of all the food. She would recollect all of this and even prior acts of murder, and then slip quite easily into her obsession with men. This was all of her being - my friend had not disappeared, she had merely emerged into this new form; like a colleague not seen for many years now much changed.

From my Master's statements and the histories I have read, I have come to the conclusion that both Eumelia and I were given only mildly altered versions of the original serum. I was meant to be, in every way, a helpless supplicant to any male who took command of me forcefully. This was obvious from the way my body moved reflexively whenever I was distracted or heavily intoxicated. I knew even then that the slave girl deep within me would dominate my entire being if ever I forgot who I once was. That path was easy, pleasurable, and instinctive; the other less traveled one which I have chosen more winding and treacherous.

Months later, when I left my beloved for the first time, I chose as my parting gift the elixir to reverse the slave urges in Eumelia. I would not see her again for almost three months.

Now as I write before the warm fire in my room, I can say that I have done all I can for her or at least as much she will allow me to. The woman who received me at the gates of the palace three months later still invited envious stares but was now a keen swordswoman. When sometimes she drank and caroused with the servant girls, I could still see aspects of the man I once knew on Ki. Her love of finery and seduction had not abated but I could see that some of her athleticism had been rekindled. She never lost her taste for submission - it had taken root firmly in her.

My final duty as a friend was to find her a partner who could care for her as she deserved. My Master is not a petty man and thinks nothing of letting others plough where he has sown; I being the sole exception to this rule. In the end, she was given to my Master's third sister who had always admired her from afar.

This evening, before I retired to the tower to write this entry, I saw them leaving through a side gate for a ritual at the Temple of Ea. They had promised to return with a tincture of holy water from the priestess that I might anoint myself and the life that I carry. They held hands and kissed thinking no one was about them. They made a handsome and very loving couple.

Previously: Amber (later known as Zhou Yu) has been trained at a slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion, and awakes in Thamud where she is sold into the royal household. There she meets her Master and learns of his "secret."

Last night I dreamt I walked in the halls of the Seven again. Here the emissaries are in a constant state of worship and guardians stood silently in rows watching over rivers of mercury. The walls were made of burnished bronze and studded with beryl, rubies, and lapis lazuli; and the pavements lined with silver and gold. The chosen enclosed my body in a sarcophagus of light and instruments more advanced than anything in Thamud or even Talos groaned in the background probing my my soul. My mind was a swarm of thoughts - a myriad realities where every consequence of my actions and inaction played out. I held them in my hands and then lost them as they evaporated into nothingness. I was asked questions which I have since forgotten, and I gave answers which I no longer comprehend. All I know is that I was given a choice.

My Master gave me the slave name, Shasa, when he branded me. He is a creature of habit and tradition, and it is common knowledge that this asserts a master's complete dominance over his property. I can attest to this both during my time in the slave school and with my Master here in the Grand Palace of Thamud. For the natural slave, not having a name and then acquiring one from her master is humbling and erotic.

When my Master first saw me displayed in the souk, he had been filled with lust and thought only of dominating me, which he did. It is an experience that I will never forget and which I still cherish. Months later, I sensed he felt a modicum of regret in enslaving the woman he had grown to love; perhaps he had been persuaded that words of affection and loving action form far stronger bonds then a brand and a collar.

As a soldier back on Ki, my name had been Cheng Yi. Since my days in Gaius' villa, I held a new name in my heart that I would not completely lose myself in the ignominious acts I was made to perform as a servant girl.

One night, as we lay in bed after lovemaking, my Master asked me whether I had a name in the language of the Qin.

“I do, Master,” I said softly. “My name is, Zhou Yu.” This was the first time I had told anyone my real name.

He repeated it a few times, finally managing to get the pronunciation correct. This is the name by which I have come to be known in the land of Thamud.

I told him that he could call me, Xiao Yu, if he wished – a diminutive which means “little fish” in one of the languages of the Qin. He liked that and did so constantly when we were alone. He was even more excited when I begged him to call me Shasha when I was with him in bed that he might better master me and make me yield.

I knew by now that I would never give up the body I now possessed. I had no more use for my bargain with Anais, the dark-haired Talosian spy who I met during my first days on An. The very idea of becoming a man again and returning to Ki had become unthinkable in the space of two short years. Every time I played the wayward slave girl in his bed; every time my Master tamed me and crushed me in his strong arms; every time he took me and brought me to ecstasies - I knew I did not miss my old life.

But then, as predicted by Anais, the Qin found me.

The Talosian empire had reach its present size by absorbing two of its smaller neighbors. It was only a matter of time before hostilities between Thamud and Talos would boil over. There was every sign that the war of words would progress to something more physical. The Talosian border patrols were now larger and more assertive, and the threats from petty satraps were getting bolder with each passing day; as if they knew they had license to make mischief.

All small states learn to consult the Qin in times like these and Thamud was no different. The Qin would provide information, strategies, supplies, and even new and inventive defensive implements in times of need; but they are nothing if not mercurial. My Master, the Crown Prince of Thamud, negotiated with the Qin alone. They came armed with maps and plans of the Talosian border towns; and with suggestions for defending ourselves.

And of course they asked to see me.

I was brought before them in the robes of a royal concubine, whereupon the Qin ambassador – a woman in her forties - promptly informed my Master that I was a spy. My entire history, including much of what I have written here, was then laid bare including my agreement with Anais. They then offered to take me and rehabilitate me in the temples and academies of Emei, in the Flaming Mountains.

My Master would have none of this and replied to them saying, “I trust her completely and I will not let her go. This is my final word on the matter.”

The ambassador replied calmly, “We are sure you have excellent reasons for trusting the girl beside you, Your Highness, but you must understand that she was brought to An explicitly to undermine Thamud not to mention ourselves. Now that a gathering storm approaches, you would be wise to reassess your affection for this woman.

“You have until tomorrow to consider our generous offer. A king should not let a mere slave girl hold captive the fate of an entire kingdom.”

She then proceeded to enumerate the occasions when the Qin's own dynastic kingdoms had fallen when kings were led astray by cruel, duplicitous, or wanton women. As a Qin woman, I knew many of these stories - they were in fact from the historical annals of my homeland on Ki - but what a difference it was to hear these stories from my new perspective. Was my sex truly so poisonous, or were these histories simply written by men?

That night, I told my Master that everything the Qin ambassador had revealed about me was true save one – that I would never betray him or Thamud. I no longer wished to be reacquainted with my old body, at least not any more than he did with his. I would go with the Qin to convince them of my innocence. In exchange, the Qin would assist in the defense of Thamud without qualms.

My Master understood that the Qin could not take a chance with a potential spy in their midst even as they planned to repel the Talosians; but he still resisted the idea of giving me up. He protested and pleaded with me at length but, in the end, he knew from experience that I would have my way. While I looked every bit the innocent slave girl, he knew that I came to him with experience well beyond my years - I was intimately acquainted with deprivation, cruelty, and violence. If my love for my Master was at stake as it was here, nothing would deter me from my course.

“Return to me,” he told me. He held a goblet to my lips and bade me drink, something no master should do for his slave.

[Scribe's Note: The following section has been redacted in the few extant copies of the Journal]

I made love to him, covering his entire body with kisses. His muscular body was a delight to touch and I ran my fingers softly over him making him squirm. The sensation of the ridges and valleys of his firm male abdomen made me hot with desire. I followed the trail of bristly hairs down to his groin and licked his manhood lovingly before proceeding to suck it with abandon. Whenever I sensed he was about to lose control, I would desist and roll his cock over my cheeks and nose; I could not get enough of it. I made sure to let out sighs of pleasure as I did so – it was not difficult, it tasted absolutely delicious. Once he had regained control, I used one of my small hands to massage him eliciting groans of pleasure which filled the room. My fingers were dwarfed by his stout tool, a fact which never ceased to amaze me whenever I had a chance to worship it as a slave girl.

Then I felt his hand in my mane pulling me off; he could wait no longer. He lifted me with the ease of one lifting a small kitten. So small was I in his arms. He had not touched me but already my nipples and lower lips were swollen with lust. Then suckling desperately on my breasts, he let me fall decisively on to his penis, filling me to the brim. We thrusts against each other as I wrapped my thighs around him for leverage. I assure you there is nothing which a man experiences in love that can compare with this – the feeling of being filled with the pulsating flesh of your Master; his lips nipping and pulling at your teats; and the glorious friction of his body against your nub. I lost control and orgasmed twice while still impaled on him.

Then still within me, he flipped me over My posterior was now lifted towards him as it was on our first night together. He slapped my flesh lovingly - I knew he liked the way it briefly wobbled - and began to take me from behind. I was left sucking my fingers to prevent the volumes of my screams from getting any louder. Then with two firm thrust, he ejaculated and filled with me with his warm cream. Like a trained passion slave, I gripped him tightly with my nether muscles and massaged his member. By now, we were both covered with a sheen of fine perspiration; I was still gasping when he fell forward lightly on to my back and started licking my ears and neck, and playing with my breasts.

We remained like this for several minutes before he softened and slowly withdrew from me. Then as if reminded of something, he straightened up while holding me in that position of submission. I felt his fingers on my labia pinching them close, then felt myself flipped on to my back as my legs and pelvis were lifted upwards to ensure my womb would be inundated with his offering. I should have suspected that something was amiss, but my eyes were shut tight and I was still lost in the fading ripples of my last orgasm. It was only 6 weeks later when I missed my moon cycle that I recalled this strange ritual.

[Scribe's Note: Lady Zhou's journal continues.]

Thus I left Thalmud both a contented woman and miserable one.

On the morning of my departure I was dressed to look like any of the other servant girls in the halls of the Qin. My hand was pinned up in an elaborate coiffure. I had been given a loose diaphanous silk dress typical of an ancient dynasty from Ki and [huadian] make-up applied to my forehead.

I could see that my master was surprised to see me dressed in this fashion. He was probably wondering why I had never dressed like this for him before. The answer being that I would not have known where to begin in the first place; my sole expertise being in the slave tunics and dresses of the women of Talos and Albion. Everything had been arranged that morning by the two servants who traveled as attendants for the Qin ambassador.

I knelt before my master one last time but he lifted me up to my feet and hugged me reminding me in whispers not to forget my promise to return to him. I was then ushered into a waiting carriage. It would take us nearly a week to reach the Flaming Mountains.

I sat alone with the ambassador; she did not seem especially concerned that she sat opposite a former Talosian spy with a history of violence.

As if she read my thoughts she said, “Don't be surprised my dear, didn't you protest your innocence just yesterday. And wouldn't killing me in this carriage destroy all that you hope to accomplish?

“Let me see your face, dear,” she said pleasantly, holding out her fingers to lift my chin, turning my face slightly. “And now your hands, if you will. I will need some of your blood.”

A few drops was all she needed for the two small tubes she produced from a wooden carrying case. Upon contact with a few drops of my blood, the clear liquid in one of these tubes slowly turned red, while the other turned blue.

“Thank you. Now that I've ascertained that you do in fact come from Ki and were once a man we can continue our discussion as we make our way to Emei. Do you prefer to speak in Mandarin? I have studied the vernacular Mandarin of Ki from other visitors to this world, and wouldn't mind some practice. You may call me Diaochan.”

It was a clearly a false name for no Qin woman would have the gall to claim that appellation. Diaochan was one of the four legendary beauties of ancient Qin, and while my interlocutor was certainly beautiful - looking at least 5 years less than her actual age – one wonders if she was truly worthy of being named for someone who brought down the the greatest despot and warrior of her time.

“The process which you have just witnessed analyzes the humors in the air which surround each city of the continent. From this we can tell in which parts of this world you have stayed longest. As you know, the Seven gods have chosen to keep this place a backwater of knowledge and alchemy but they have tolerated these minor advances in biochemistry.

“We know much about you but would like to know more. I will divulge what knowledge has come to us after which you will answer whatever questions I have. I am sure you will be cooperative; Gaius tells us you were an obedient girl during your time with him. Except for the part where you almost killed him, of course.

“As you must have guessed by now, we have known of you ever since they day you were brought to An by that dear lady of Talos, she of the dark hair and miserable sense of humor. She sometimes goes by the name of Anais. The servant girl who tended to you on your first day was one of ours and she gave you everything you needed to survive in this world.

“Don't look so shocked. Did you think you resisted the slave serum because of some innate ability of yours? I'm afraid the science of the serum has been perfected and its effects quite reliable. I do not doubt you have a strong will but that would only get you so far in the face of the perfection of that science.

“Do not look so downcast, your efforts have not been completely wasted. If nothing else, think of what you have done for the kingdom of Thamud.

“And why have you taken me only now?” I asked, guessing already at the answer I would get.

“Could we have judged your character better if we had taken you earlier? As for why, well, perhaps we are not completely sure that we can trust you not to return to the Talosians and their promised rewards. We are ever cautious in our ways, though my servant girls have intimated to me that you would not consider becoming a man again any sort of reward. Judging from the way you've enjoyed dressing up and the way you comport yourself, you have truly become a woman in every sense of the word.

“Perhaps I should strangle you here and prove otherwise.”

She clicked her tongue and said, “That would hardly prove your lack of femininity. In any case, have you not considered that you are of greater value to us as the Talosian spy you once were? I am sure that scheming little brain of yours has worked it all out. It is one of the reasons why you agreed to join us on this trip to Qin, is it not? In this you will serve the cause of the prince of Thamud and that of revenge if you so wish. Yes, I think you will prove quite useful in the grand scheme of things.

Six months ago I left my happiness in Thamud behind to enter the service of the Qin. At the time, I feared it would be forever. For three months, I served the Qin and sought to prove my loyalty to them and to Thamud.

While the Qin believed that man was by nature good, they also took very much to heart selfish human nature. It was already in the nature of the Qin to help small states overcome aggressive large ones in times of war. It was their way of managing the peace in An. They had lost track of me when I disappeared from Gaius' villa and their worst fears were realized when I reappeared on the arm of the crown prince in the palace of Thamud.

To the Talosians (if they even had knowledge of my sojourn in Thamud), I was simply a little girl lost found by her own kind. As for the Qin, once a presentable amount of time had elapsed and I was firmly established as a servant in the Qin palace, they would proceed to feed Talos whatever information they desired. Their advantage in information was everything in this game.

I was made a servant girl to the youngest daughter of the Qin emperor – the Third Princess called Pingyang; that name presumably chosen that she might draw inspiration from her famous historical forebear. She was a very well behaved and precocious woman of sixteen who cultivated a reputation for frivolousness and naivete; all this to shield her from the machinations of the Qin court and her power hungry siblings. Writing now in the comforts of the women's tower in Thamud, one wonders whether the Qin ambassador had hoped I would form a bond with the Princess while in her service, for this I surely did. Even now we exchange letters detailing our experiences while leagues apart. Her kindness during my short tenure in the Qin mountains has emboldened me to help her in any way which might improve her standing in the Qin palace.

As part of my duties, I was sent on delivery trips first to small villages and then to the larger cities on the continent. They made me do the rounds of the various Qin communities and merchants which ran businesses in all of the capital cities. On my first trip to Albion, I finally made contact with the Talosian spy network and promptly handed over whatever paltry information I had, allowing them to put pressure on me to deliver something more substantial.

Soon I was communicating the internal gossip of the Qin courts. Nothing was left out, including the power struggles in the inner court reserved solely for women. Finally, I began to ladle them major revelations about troop compositions and readiness but always leaving out critical pieces of information, thus painting an incomplete picture of Thamudian strength and placements; breeding overconfidence and hubris. The Qin and I did all we could to make them ill-prepared for a long siege.

But it was not always this way; most of my days were spent in the company of the Third Princess and tending to her needs. She had clearly been informed that I had a way with violence for she would often smilingly remind me me not to be too quick to pull out my weapon whenever we found ourselves in any crowded spaces.

I had been in her presence barely three days, before she told me that I was the strangest serving girl she had ever had in her few short years on this plane. She said I was very beautiful and even seductive in my movements, but it was as if I had never really been taught how to be a woman. Then touching my hair she wondered aloud, “What a strange childhood you must have had, Zhou Yu.”

She quickly apologized and said that she had no right to judge someone who didn't have the advantages that she had; and that there was no single way a woman should act. But it was clear that, from that day, she had secretly undertaken to teach me how a lady-in-waiting of the Qin court should act and to interest me in more feminine pursuits.

She would take time each week to visit the forests of stele and take rubbings from the many inscriptions there, after which we would practice calligraphy together and recite poetry first in her tongue and then in mine. Deeper still in the mountains, are the distant cousins of the Qin known as the Balhae who have constructed gargantuan woodblock libraries dedicated to the teachings of the dark god of enlightenment whose cult can be found throughout the continent. I spent two days here in the company of my mistress, not understanding a single word as she conversed with the monks behind screened compartments. I have wondered since whether this too was part of the Qin network of spies.

In my two years on An, I had mostly been in the service of men or engaged with other women in servicing them. This was the first time I had been ensconced in a community of women concerned only about their own thoughts and desires. When I returned to Thamud and my beloved after the space of three months, he did suggest that I seemed somehow different. I simply smiled and turned away to speak with his mother and sisters, showing them the gifts I had brought for them from the land of the Qin.

Previously: Amber (later known as Zhou Yu) has been trained at a slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion, and awakes in Thamud where she is sold into the royal household. There she meets her Master and learns of his "secret." Discovered by the Qin and accused of being a spy, she is forced to spend three months as a servant girl at Emei in the Flaming Mountains.

Chapter 9 - Homecoming . An Argument

Dear Reader,

I have tried my best to forget every evil thing that was done to me since I arrived on An. Better this than to wallow in despair or the desire for revenge.

If you wonder why I write nothing about being whipped in the slave school or in the house of Gaius, than this is the reason why. Nor have I written about using my mouth to please men to whom I was not attracted in Gaius' villa, though most would have assumed this was the case. I had no problems with the many kind and beautiful guests – both men and women - who attended Gaius' banquets but a slave girl of my standing could not choose. I was trained to an exacting standard in the slave school in Albion and I performed as a passion slave is expected to.

Without the slave urges, it was left to me to fully expose the Submissive who is always at the periphery of my soul. Only because I managed to forget myself and enter fully into the role of a pleasure slave were those times bearable. That and seeing everything as punishment for the men and women I have murdered as a mercenary on Ki.

So it is that write about my return to Thamud and my first night with my beloved. The first time I was reminded what it meant to be a woman in the hands of men in many months and, worse, by the man I loved. For a moment, I knew once again my status in this world and what was expected of me.

Once I finished conversing with my beloved's family, we retired to his bedchamber where I proceeded to tell him of everything that I had done while with the Qin including all the information I had conveyed to them concerning the defenses of Thamud. I, of course, explained that this was all a deception and in service to the defense of the realm. Yet I could sense his growing anger as I gradually revealed all the information I had revealed to the Talosians, clouding his initial joy at seeing me again. He finally reached his limit when I informed him that the Talosians knew about our poor harvest and the Horse Fever which had ravaged the Thamudian calvary. The next moment, he kicked a chair clean across the room furiously.

I fell to my knees instinctively in deference and fear; such is this body I now possess and its reflexes. I fought through my slave instincts which gripped me and spoke.

“I have done everything for the sake of Thamud and you, Master. The Qin have already arranged for us to obtain horses from the nomadic steppe tribes, and have undertaken to send us grain from their own stores.”

“Do you understand that our every weakness has been revealed to the Talosians.” he told me sternly.

“It was necessary so that they would trust me and the information I plan to give them even now as the battle draws near. If you do not trust the Qin, will you not trust me?

“I trust you Shasa but you have gambled with all the lives in Thamud.”

“I would give my life for Thamud – whether they see it or not, they are my people now just as you will always be my Master.

My Master was not quick to anger but once ignited it would take some time for him to regain his composure. I knew it was my duty as his consort to calm him, just as the Queen would calm her own husband in times past. I was the only one who could do this but now I was the object of his displeasure. He glowered and would not speak; and my own irritation grew - as a woman, as his companion, and as a person whose devotion and service had been spurned. Neither of us would repent of our actions.

“And what about this?” I finally said, with an edge in my voice, pointing to my slightly swollen belly. I was at that time three month pregnant but, in all honesty, with my small frame, one would have thought I had merely had too much to eat that day. “Did you intentionally impregnate me?” I asked indignantly. “Were you so concerned that I would open my legs to the first Qin man I saw and bear his child?

“Should a master ask his bitch's permission in matters like this?” he said under his breath with a vicious authority that startled me. He clearly had enough of my slave defiance. I was perhaps the only slave girl in all of Thamud who would dare to speak to him like this. This was not the man I loved but some monstrous male.

His words were as daggers through my heart. I could see the regret on his face within moments of his irritable outburst. He knew that he had hurt me. Tears welled in my eyes and then I felt my anger rising. I had almost forgotten that, all my experiences with my Master notwithstanding, this world was medieval and barely civilized by the standards of Ki.

My love for him seemed to evaporate for a few moments. Could I love this man who could call me – the woman who bore his child - a mere domestic animal to be used as he saw fit? Was this what truly lay in his heart? And what would happen if he struck me in anger? I was prepared to defend myself but I did not know if I could disable him without also killing him. And in spite of everything, I knew I could not kill this man who I still loved.

Suddenly, I felt him reach out to me and his fingers on my arm.

“Don't touch me!” I shouted. I do not think he had ever heard me raise my voice in all my time with him, and he knew then how serious this had become.

A few tears streamed down my face and I spoke shakily but audibly, “I am delighted to bear your child. It is the greatest gift you could have given me, and yet you treat me like a common animal. Have you forgotten everything from your childhood, and will you have the people you love treated like objects, mere things to be used and discarded?”

“I love you, Zhou Yu. Please forgive me,” he said, with a certain tremulousness in his voice.

He was on his knees holding my feet and then my waist from behind. I could feels his tear through my silk dress.

“Please forgive me, I beg you,” he said softly as he wept.

My anger still burned in me. I turned around and we held each other. He kept saying sorry and I wished my anger would abate. I had never seen him so vulnerable as at that time. Time of course heals all things but I knew for certain then that, the difficulties in this world notwithstanding, even a woman who has been taken must maintain her own independent means and security to the best of her ability.

Since then, my beloved has never raised his voice to me again or shown any violence in my direction. Master, if you read this, do not assume that our relationship is irreparable. Just because I am independent in means and mind, does not mean that I cannot love with all my heart.

Let me speak to you in the poetry of the world from which the Seven Gods brought me to you.

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.

Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages;
let us go out early to the vineyards
and see whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.”

[Scribe's Note: A redaction occurs here.]

I was clear that my master feared thatl our love had forever been tarnished, so I gave him varied assurances that I would always be by his side.

I had taken to wearing simple silk underwear when a guest of the Qin in the inner courts of the Third Princess. I continued with this even when I returned home so that when next I disrobed for my master, removing my sirwal, he saw my nether regions enclosed in tight silken fabric. I had also used a translucent silk cloth to bind and lift up my breasts as if they were gifts. He was enraptured when he saw this - my labia were outlined by the silk as was my nub, my posterior seemed even more inviting when enclosed in that tight material. I saw that he was hard with desire and pressed my breasts to his face, then sat lightly in his lap rubbing his member through his loin cloth with my thighs.

By now the silk which I wore was stained with moisture from within me. He pushed his fingers into me and made me gush even more. Then as I playfully shook my head in protestation, he tore my silken loin cloth off and placed it gently in my mouth to stifle my screams. Then he placed me on my back and took me.

He played with my breasts with one hand, and with the other held my chin lightly. I was now whining through my silken gag and my eyes pled with him to take me harder; which he did. When he knew that I had lost all reason, he pulled the gag from my mouth and allowed me to grunt even more obscenely – our eyes fixed ever on each other until I could do nothing but close them as an intense spasm cascaded through my body.

I have no idea whether this was his idea of an apology but in lieu of conversation, he licked and fingered me to even more ecstasies until I could take no more; so exhausted was I by his ministrations. He held me, and stroked and kissed my hair and my face until I fell asleep contented in his arms.

[Scribe's Note: The journal continues again.]

I return now to a time adjacent to when I began this journal.

Our scouts had informed us of the encroaching armies of Talos who would cross our border in a matter of weeks.

When they had finally made an incursion, I used the Talosian networks to convey the exact placement of the Thamudian armies and their composition. Further, I gave them information as to where we planned to ambush the invading armies enroute to our border, and how we intended to do so. The mounted attack on their column occurred just as I predicted giving the Talosians even more confidence in my material – all of which was entirely fabricated to our advantage. We would hit them with force where they least expected, poison their supply trains, then retire to our border fortresses to wait and defend against their cloud towers and earthworks.

Our only concern were the emissaries of the Seven Gods and whether the use of gas, oil, and “fire medicine” in warfare would violate the restrictions that they had placed on this pre-industrial civilization. As I have written previously, it was never entirely clear whether the scale of the violence or methods by which this was accomplished moved their hearts one way or another.

In the capital city, I had set out on my own light armor so that I could accompany my master, at the very least, to a walled town in the rear which harbored supplies. When he saw me so dressed, he immediately made to unbuckle my armor starting with my breast plate.

“There is absolutely no reason for you to join me. You have done more than enough for me and Thamud. Please desist from your irresponsible behavior and remain in the city,” he said. He was clearly harried and exasperated.

“It is unbecoming for a master to request things of his slave. Can I assume this is your command?” I asked sweetly.

“It is a request,” he grumbled under his breath. “Will you be more obedient if I asked this as your husband?”

“In case my Master has forgotten, when we first met, you branded me in lieu of a ring.”

“You will be risking two lives instead of one,” he said. I was of course now fully showing.

As you already know dear reader, I obeyed. I accompanied him no further than the walled town before returning to the capital to while away the summer and autumn in worry and writing.

My Master's sisters kept me distracted as did Eumelia, dissuading me from my studies with the bow and sword once I had reached my fifth month. Instead they encouraged me to return to my lessons with the guzheng which I had not touched since returning to Thamud from Qin; and when that failed to distract, engaged me in lessons in embroidery. I do not know if that suited my frame of mind any better.

It is a strange thing to carry a life within your belly and I certainly had no expectations of doing so as a young boy. My nausea had thankfully ceased by the time I returned from Emei but I had begun to notice some swelling in my feet on prolonged standing. I would watch as my sisters instructed the maids on the preparations for the baby's room. They had even engaged a wet nurse for me. My breasts were already growing and I was looking forward to breastfeeding my child since I experienced my foremilk, but they were ever cautious.

There were a number of things I knew to expect from my body once I became a woman on An; if only from the experiences of others. I expected my moon cycles to be painful, and they were at least some of the time. I also knew that I would have to start examining my breasts more regularly in years to come because my mother had developed lesions there. What I did not expect was to feel an intense desire for my Master even halfway through my pregnancy. I had expected the opposite though I presume at least some men find a pregnant woman desirable. I do not know if it is simply this body or something quite natural - no one was quite prepared to discuss this with me, save one.

I asked Eumelia about this since she was clearly the most shameless woman in the court and the most experienced sexually speaking. As expected, she had not only heard of these urges but seen them occur in a slave who had been bred at Gaius' house. The women of the harem would service each other in these instances; especially when no men cared to take them later in their pregnancies. She described absurd tales of women fornicating and sharing their breast milk with each other which I thought...[...]...

[Scribe's Note: This next section has been lost.]

Previously: Amber (later known as Zhou Yu) has been trained at a slave school in the ways of a pleasure slave. Sold into the house of a feudal lord named, Gaius, she has proved useful in enlarging his fortune; but at the cost of enraging the emissaries of the Seven Gods who have promised to chasten her. She disappears suddenly from Gaius' villa in Albion, and awakes in Thamud where she is sold into the royal household. There she meets her Master and learns of his "secret." Discovered by the Qin and accused of being a spy, she is forced to spend three months as a servant girl at Emei in the Flaming Mountains. Returning to Thamud, she begins preparations to meet the invading armies of Talos. She is three months pregnant with her Master's child.

Chapter 10 An Uneasy Peace . Motherhood

Our late Winter negotiations with Talos ended in indecision and suspicion; and the Qin negotiators arrived in the capital of Talos to replace them and begin their own entreaties one week ago. Messengers continually arrive from across the border with days old news of what has transpired.

The Qin first appealed to the Talosian emperor's military acumen.

They reiterated that the forces of Thamud, without the conspicuous aid of the Qin, had annihilated the invading armies of Talos last winter.

They added that they had just returned from the emissaries of the Seven and received word that the Qin's personal intervention in the conflict would not be impeded. At their disposal, was a more extensive knowledge of the transport and use of the fire medicine derived from saltpeter and sulfur, as well as the gas and oil normally used to heat the cities of the Qin. The Talosian already knew of the Qin's ability to fight off siege engines and this would only add to their worries. In essence, they promised to make Thamud a poisonous frog which if consumed would only make Talos vulnerable to all its neighbors

They then appealed to the Talosian Emperor's reason reciting a story from their own ancient history, a story about an imminent war between the much larger state of Chu against the state of Song which was but a tenth of its side.

[Scribes Note: Here a meeting between Mozi and the King of Chu is given in a translation by a scholar of Ki by the name of “Johnston.”]

“Suppose now there is a man who casts aside his own decorated sedan and wishes to steal a broken-down carriage which his neighbor has; who casts aside his own embroidered coat and wishes to steal a short jacket of coarse cloth which his neighbor has; who cast aside his own grain and meat and wished to steal chaff and dregs which his neighbor has. What sort of man would this be?

The king replied: “He would certainly be a pathological thief.”

In relating this they allowed the Talosians a moral and face saving excuse to forego a new invasion of Thamud. And so the Emperor of Talos, after a period of deliberation, relented, and an uneasy peace has settled upon us. The negotiations continue as I write and our preparations for war proceed as planned but now at a slower pace; we dare not assume that Talos is done with us.

Dear Reader,

My first portrait on An was done when I was first married to my beloved; we were both dressed in all the finery of the royal house and stood before an imagined Thamudian landscape. Later, I would sit for portraits with the entire royal family and once again when I was pregnant.

In the latter work, my husband and I can be seen standing in our bedchamber while wearing the attire of Thamudian royalty. The room was decorated with fine silks, gold ornaments, and decorative colored glass, a specialty of the Northern “Barbarians.”

I wore a headdress which largely covered my hair, and also an ear ring on my left ear lobe which peeped out from underneath my veil; indicating that I had once been a slave. My husband's large mastiff sits obediently in the background between us on an elaborate Thamudian rug. A convex mirror above this reflects not only us but a distorted map of all the historical borders of our land; even those which had been previous annexed by the Talosians. I am looking down demurely and at my beloved as he looks out towards the viewer, his hand lightly and possessively touching my pregnant belly.

My first born child arrived in the Winter and he was a boy. We named him, Safin.

It has been a week since he was given to me. He now sleeps in a cradle by my writing table after his feeding. He is so well behaved and the joy of his father. My delivery was, thank the Seven, uneventful or so the midwife has told me. I have not seen any woman in labor but I can truthfully say that it is as painful as it is rumored to be; I have been told that it will get easier with my third child if not my second. The kingdom is always in need of more heirs and I am willing and happy to perform my duty.

It is tiring but fulfilling to be a mother. I had hoped it would be so but still harbor doubts about my fitness to take on this role. I am much too young, too lacking in the milk of human kindness, too selfish. More than ever, I wish that I had grown up as a girl; I feel that would have better prepared me for my obligations as a mother.

The Queen and my sisters have helped me considerably – delighted as they are with the first new life in the royal household in years. I am sometimes tearful, and they have spent long hours waiting on me and talking with me when I am willing. When I drift off to sleep only to be awakened by my son's cries, one of them is always beside me, to help me. I have told them to leave but they will not as long as they see the unaccustomed sadness on my face.

I know this will pass. I still dream of life with my son and my beloved. What a joy it will be to see him grow. I now know, more than ever, that I was given the greatest gift in the world on that day, over three years ago, when I was taken to this world and made a woman.

If I am tardy with further entries into this journal, all new mothers will know why.

[Scribe's Note: It is unclear if any other entries were written by Lady Zhou between Chapters 10 and 11 of this transcription. But if there were, they have either been lost or excised. The following section occurs in the third year of the reign of King Idis II of Thamud. It has been four years since the last entry transcribed.]

Chapter 11 Three Years Later . Absent Friends

Dear Reader,

I take up my pen again with some reluctance. But I must write.

Eumelia is dead.

It has taken me nearly six months to write these words.

My last connection with Ki gone (or so I thought).
Oh my dear friend, why did you leave me so soon?

She left with a smile on her face as I placed her daughter in her arms. Her face was ashen, her vision dimmed, and she fell away without a word.

Her wife, the Third Princess, would not be consoled for months, wracked with the guilt of having made her bear a child. Which is, of course, nonsense and I told her so; for Eumelia wanted a child more than anything else. She was familiar with my own happiness at childbearing and this was something she had dreamed about since she fully accepted her new gender.

The child is a beautiful baby girl with green eyes and her mother's blonde hair. Her father is my Master, the King of Thamud. The Princess has named her, Amal.

Even now, I sometimes see the Princess walk the palace gardens alone, always choosing the path through the labyrinth which was their favorite. They say that time heals all wounds. I can only hope that this will be true for both of us.

Why have I only written of this now? Because now, more than ever, I feel acutely the pain which the Seven have sent my way, and their cruel humor.

As always, I found this pain in Talos where my son was to be betrothed to the daughter of Princess Sabine of Talos. He is four and she is three. They met quite unaware of what their selfish and uncaring parents had arranged for them; for it is the way of this world; that our kingdoms may at least tread softly into a long peace.

A minor emissary of the Seven was in attendance to witness this event, as was an ambassador of the Qin. The meaning of this seemed plain - that no one should lightly tear asunder the bonds that were being laid down that day.

I have come to the other reason why I must write, if only to assuage my guilt. Now, months later, I can write about what happened in Talos more dispassionately, with an eye to my own poor justifications and faults; with a more even assessment of my own impoverished morality and thinking.

It was as always Anais who led me to this point – that woman who had brought me to An, forever altering the trajectory of my life. I had not seen her for four years and had been glad to see the back of her; except that as usual she found me.

As I walked the strangely deserted streets of Talos with my guards, I saw a slight figure dressed in flowing silks. She approached us with a nonchalant gait and a smiled which reeked of her usual confidence. Anais enticed me with an offering – a gift in thanks for being returned little harmed to Talos; she having been my prisoner following the conclusion of the last war.

We spoke in the corner of an establishment called somewhat incongruously, The Eudaimon, possibly the most renowned slave tavern in Talos. Suffice to say that the place had nothing to with reason, ethics, or self-actualization.

Leaning forward conspiratorially, she pointed towards a sinuous shadow making its way across the large room.

“Do you recognize her?” she asked me

“No, I do not,” I answered.

I saw a typically beautiful Talosian slave girl glide towards a young and clearly wealthy patron who hurriedly cleared his table of unwanted guests and attendants as she approached him. I looked more closely and saw that she had the facial features and light brown skin of a Thamudian woman. I remember thinking to myself that while I could not save every tavern girl in Talos, I could at least attempt to do something for one of my own countrywomen.

I could see she had lightly toned but fleshy limbs, a magnificent belly and hips, and, of course, ripe breasts which fell attractively on her torso. She had clearly been born with tremendous advantages but I knew from experience that she had spent many hours cultivating and maintaining her appearance. This was no ordinary serving girl.

She seemed at times innocent and demure but would then shift her posture revealing the undersides of her breasts or her inner thighs. She would occasionally caress her patron's cheeks with her nipples when she served him drinks, or bring her hand down to affectionately squeeze his crotch if she noticed that he was becoming hard. To my shame, I felt my own lust for her growing in me.

“She is incredibly skilled. I almost envy her.”

“Aisha is all that and more - the first girl of this tavern and one of the most famous pleasure slaves in the quarter. She commands a very high price for a night's amusement. And there is something else which might interest you - I understand she speaks the language of the Qin of Ki. Do you take my meaning? ”

That made me scowl. “You are a disgusting liar, Anais, and always have been. What have I done to deserve your hatred? Did I not release you when I could have listened to my husband and had you put down?”

Anais affected a look of exaggerated shock and continued.

“I am quite sure that you are as pure as the driven snows of Thamud, my Lady. But let me remind you that by all accounts, you are especially deserving of my hatred and wrath considering how you misled me, decimated the army of my paymasters, the Talosians, through your intrigues, and then plotted to capture me. Now look at me, reduced to weeding out pathetic insurrectionists within the borders of the Kingdom.”

The fact that she spoke the [Chinese] of Ki strongly suggested to me that she was a woman from my home world and, from the way she held herself, very like a serum girl. It is said that the serum slows the pace of aging but this has never been studied. The life of a slave girl is so hard that whatever benefits which might accrue to her constitution are quickly erased with years of difficult service. I, however, saw no signs of wear on her.

Anais, interrupted my train of thought. “This is a gift; a peace offering. It is well known, even in Talos, that your Highness has charitable instincts towards slave girls having been one herself. Now that I have assisted you, perhaps you will think of me in the months and years to come should I be in need.

“I have already told the tavern owner that he should expect a potential customer for one of his girls. He will drive a hard bargain but will be more forgiving now that he knows that you have my imprimatur. The drinks have been paid for.”

With that, Anais took her leave of me. But before that, she leaned down and whispered a name in my ear.

The name was one that I had not heard for seven years, the name of the leader of the group of mercenaries I once belonged to on Ki; the man who had trained me and whom I had respected since I was brought into the fold.

The last time I had seen him was in the back of a wooden cart where he lay asleep with Eumelia [see Chapter 1]. I had not recognized them then as my brothers in arms. I had not even bothered to look for any of them.

It had been seven years since I last saw him.
He had been a slave girl for seven years.

I resisted the urge to weep then; I would not as long as Anais stood within sight of me. I had on me a pair of heavy chainsticks fashioned after those favored by the [Ryuku] islanders of Ki. I gripped them tightly in my palm to prevent myself from losing control.

The moment I saw Anais leave the tavern, I got up and made my way to the back rooms to make my bargain with the owner. I had on my wrist, a bracelet of exceptional craftsmanship encrusted with rubies and sapphires given to me by my Lord. The owner did not hesitate for one moment – he knew I was of the Thamudian Royal House; the price was more than adequate; and my face clearly indicated that I would not tolerate any further bargaining.

Once I had Aisha's ownership papers and the seal designating her release, I walked back into the main room of the tavern, gripping my chainsticks tightly. I do not remember much else except being pulled off a bloodied man by my bodyguards. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aisha huddled in a corner screaming in terror.

Previously: It has been four years since Zhou Yu has written in her journal. Her friend, Eumelia, from Earth (Ki) has died in childbirth, and she has just discovered that the two women held captive with him when she was first brought to An were actually her male mercenary counterparts from Earth [see Chapters 1 and 11]. Zhou Yu has just managed to retrieve her formerly male friend (now called Aisha) who has been working as a slave girl for the past few years.

It has been seven years since Zhou Yu was first transformed into a woman and brought to An.

Chapter 12 - Aisha's Story

Anais' Surveillance Notes: Albion-04-010 [In English]

The Chinese girl (note: now named Amber) is on her way. I have assigned Marcus to keep an eye on her. My expectations are low. Infiltrating the Qin in this fashion seems doomed to failure. For the record, this is our third attempt and against my explicit written dissent; the first died within the year, and the second disappeared into the Flaming Mountains never to be heard from again. This is an utter waste of time and resources but I'm a merely cog in this big fucking machine.

My bottom line on this: Always, always use the locals.

Want to spy on Albion, then get a girl from Albion! Want to spy on Trowulan, then get a girl from Trowulan for Christ's sake. WTF is wrong with these people. You get at most 2-3 shipments per year and you choose to get this lot? Ok, I understand getting someone from China, they're in short supply here, but why not just get a real Chinese woman who can take care of herself and pump her with the serum for desired effect. Oh, tried that before? Then try it again! You think some transformed guy will have more motivation than a real life woman? My bet is that he'll kill himself within a year.

Fuck them. At least I get to earn some extra bucks with the surplus girls.

[Scribe's Note: Written in Lady Zhou's Journal]

“Fortune is ever most friendly and alluring to those who she strives to deceive, until she overwhelms them with grief beyond bearing, by deserting them when least expected. If you recall her nature, her ways, or her deserts, you see that you never had in her, nor have lost with her, aught that was lovely.” [A fragment of Boethius found in the Library of the Qin.]

Shouldn't I be happy to have found her? To have saved her. Then why does my heart feel so heavy. Aisha's story could have been my own. Why was I chosen for this task and not my two sisters? Was it simply chance or was it because I was the only who fought back? Surely the latter would have consigned me to the worst fate of all of us. Why did the Gods choose to take Eumelia from me?

[Scribe's Note: A letter found clipped within the Journal of Lady Zhou]

My dearest friend Zhou Yu,

We have talked but you have not listened to me. I have tried to comfort you but you will not be comforted. I have heard from your servants that, since you found me, you have not been your usual self and have been quick to anger and even violent.

You would think I would be the one weeping and who would need all the comforting. I know that you feel guilty for not having found me earlier, perhaps for thinking me dead; perhaps for not realizing until now that it was Eumelia and I that you left behind in that wooden cart seven years ago.

You feel guilty for having been the only one – or so you assume - to have reached a safe harbor, to have found love on this cruel world, to find a family and to have children. That is your arrogance talking. I say this as one who has known you longer than anyone on An.

From your stories, it seems that Eumelia was the happiest of us all in her brief time in this world. But I have had some happiness myself or do you think that there is only one way for a woman to feel happy and content in this world?

I have known love even if it was quickly taken from me; I have the friendship of my sisters; I have a certain pride that I am exceptional at what I have been trained to do; not to mention my hold over the men who desire me. Having a husband and a child is not the only path which leads to happiness.

Do not be too proud of your own success – not every woman wants to be a wife and have children. Not everyone wants to be a queen or princess.

Why do you think you needed to save me?

Do you think the idle life of a pleasure slave so horrible? Do you think that seeking one's own gratification while earning one's way in this world is somehow demeaning? I never thought to escape and I never assumed anyone else had survived. That was what I was told by the woman, Anais, and I believed her. Perhaps you now think that I was at fault for this self-centeredness.

Wake up, Xiao Yu! Learn to forget and learn to live in the present.

You told me that you have sought out almost all the girls you trained with in the slave school in Albion. I understand why you did this and I might have done the same if I had been in your position. Yet did you know that the serum which induces the slave urges in “new” girls fades with time? All that remains after that moment of pure bliss is the woman that is within your soul. And I know I was always meant to be a woman, even on Ki where I dared not admit it.

Your family are waiting for you to return to them. I am waiting for you to return to me. Do not abandon us.

Yours with love,

Your sister, Aisha.

[Scribe's Note: An account written by Aisha to entertain the Third Princess, and to allow her to remember times past.]

My dear Princess,

Our long hours together talking about Eumelia has led us to this. How I wish I had known her more fully as a woman and as a sister.

As you have requested, this is my story.

I was alone when I awoke, just as I suspect she was all those years ago.

I was chained by an anklet to a pole, and an upright mirror stood a short distance from me as if my captors wanted me to know immediately what I had become. I assumed that I had gone insane or that my mind had been transposed into that of a young [Middle-Eastern] girl - there seemed little difference between the two at the time. While I had doubts about my mental state, I delighted in my appearance. I had long black hair, large brown eyes and a pair of full lips. My skin was light brown, soft and delicate; and completely unmarked.

A woman stood over me and explained my situation and my choices.

I could either be sold to a slave brothel or given to a Talosian lord as a gift. I chose the latter thinking that it would provide me with a better opportunity to escape. I was promised considerations in exchange for whatever information I could provide once ensconced in his household. Perhaps a return to my male body; perhaps a return to Ki.

But I could not be given to him directly - he had to ask for me and I had to make him want me. I had much to learn in a single month but the body I now possessed helped considerably. It was clearly derived from a female of low virtue who derived gratification from the seduction of men. My movements were always fluid and sensuous, my hips moved with unrestrained ease. My whole body seemed to be made for pleasure.

I first met my Master not as a slave but as a poor serving girl. He was a man of the South with skin the color of onyx. Tall and toned like the demi-gods of myth and legend. Perhaps even you, my Princess, might have found him attractive, though you will undoubtedly titter at the suggestion. But let me clear on this point, even as a man I would have humbled myself before such a magnificent specimen of the male sex.

I knew I had him the moment I stepped forward to dance.

I knelt and presented my naked belly to him inviting him to touch me if he was so moved. He did not hesitate for a moment and touched me gently around my jeweled belly button, before reaching down to caress my labia though my silken thong. I knew that I was already moist with desire and smiled at him to show my appreciation for his attentiveness.

By this time, all his dinner companions had the good graces to leave us alone in the room. When I heard the dining hall door close behind me, I crawled forward on all fours, my posterior seductively shifting from side to side as I did so.

As far as phalli were concerned, I had only seen the lesser specimens bandied about by the slave masters. My Master's manhood was magnificent and my two small hands would hardly suffice to take full control of it.

I pulled back his foreskin to reveal his shiny red glans, and held his muscular shaft in my dainty hands. I knew what had to be done - I had been trained to it and was eager to perform. First I inhaled his musk and licked the clear emissions that he was already producing. Then I put my delicate face flush against his manhood, kissing him and taking in all of his sublime odor. I made sure to look up at him every now and then to show him my appreciation for granting me access; played with myself to demonstrate my unbridled desire for him. I enveloped him with my mouth and tongue while massaging his organ. I had been whipped a few times while in training because of my carelessness with shielding my teeth but I made no mistakes here.

I took nearly all of him in and he was clearly shocked by my abilities and could not help but compliment me while in the throes of passion. I spent an inordinate amount of time worshiping his manhood, and my gullet was thick with his scent for the rest of the evening.

Was it an act? No, I truly loved this. It was something I had always longed to do, and now I had been given permission to do it without shame and without constraints. After all these years, my experience is that most men are constantly surprised to find a woman who enjoys intercourse as much as I do. I knew that this was now acceptable where once, back on Ki, it would have been embarrassing, at least for me. He wanted me as I was, the woman I was meant to be and dared not hope of becoming.

My vulva had become even more slick and engorged the moment I placed my lips on him. I rubbed myself against his manhood even as I licked his nipples. For some reason, he was content to lie back and let me have my way. But his forbearance soon gave way, and I felt myself lifted up and placed on my side. He held my left leg and separated my thighs, and thrust into me with a smooth sliding motion. I am ashamed to say that I let out an ugly guttural grunt at that point – it is impossible to describe what it means to be so thoroughly filled for the first time. I had imagined being taken as a woman frequently on Ki, but a man simply cannot fathom what a woman feels when she is full penetrated.

He took me several times that first night.

He slept noiselessly beside me once he was spent, his huge arm still draped across me while my head rested on his chest. I licked playfully at his nipple like a kitten even as he slept, admiring his body which seemed to be carved from stone, tracing the ridges of his musculature with fascination and barely contained lust. Yet, it was not enough that I had been filled and inseminated; I clung to him as if he was some prize for enduring so long in my old body on Ki. I only wish that the gods had granted me more time with him.

Perhaps it is hard to understand what it means to have been given this gift – to have been made to take this step which I would never have taken by myself otherwise. To be an attractive and desirable woman has always been my dream – a fantasy which I knew I had no possibility of fulfilling for lack of courage. If someone had told me then that the cost of my dreams would be two years with a man I would grow to love, and twice as long as the mere plaything of strangers, I wonder what would have been my answer. Many women on Ki have done much more than this to achieve their dreams.

My days with my husband passed uneventfully and with much joy, but I will relate a visit to a petty feudal lord of Albion which I now recall more fondly. It was here that I met my sister, Eumelia, unknowingly.

I do not know if this is the nature of this world – how it toys with us - or the hand of the Seven.

My husband had been provisioned with a blonde virgin who we joined in deflowering that night. My old friend may have been untried but was exceptionally responsive. It was I who guided my husband's cock into her cunt while playing with her nipples to tease her. She was such an innocent – so sweet and startled by her own responses. I could tell immediately that she had only recently begun to enjoy the company of men. I taught her exactly how to please my husband, how to take her own amusement from his body, and how to use her pussy to grip him at just the right moment.

When my husband had fallen asleep, I continued to kiss and caress her – she was irresistible. I remember well our tongues playing and my lips on her perfumed neck and ears. I had no idea she was my old friend of course – her blonde hair and ungrammatical Talosian marked her as a barbarian from the North. But she did reveal that she was a serum girl which made me concerned that being with a man that night would be troubling for her

She told me she had fought for days with her captors refusing to entertain any idea of servicing men or even submitting. She preferred pain and death but the slave masters would only grant her the former. For unlike Xiao Yu and myself, Eumelia has always preferred the company of women exclusively. Of course, the slave masters did not countenance any permanent damage to their own valuable merchandise but merely encouraged her to sleep with her sisters in the slave school – the better to discover the improvements and pleasures her new body offered.

What happened then was of course the slave urges – which effectively reversed all her innate preferences. She woke up one night to find that she found men even more desirable than she had women. When a few years later, she was freed from her master by Xiao Yu, she became the woman she was always meant to be – in your arms, my Princess, and deeply in love.

As for my husband, he was killed on the battlefield in the last war. Or should I say more bluntly that he died defecating blood in his tent. I am sure you remember that this was orchestrated by Xiao Yu herself. My husband was, after all, Talosian and an officer. I have not told Xiao Yu how my husband met his end for I know it will send her into another prolonged period of melancholy.

Like much of the minor nobility, my husband had debts, and these debts had to be settled upon his death. Hence my sale to the tavern where I was found.

It is not always easy servicing men. I enjoy their company and the way they look at me and treat me. I had my choice of them in later years but my early days were marked by toil and many adjustments. I always knew there was a price for being a woman in this world; now I had to make the best of it. The woman's - Anais' - promises of freedom were now all for naught. I could no longer earn my freedom through deception and eliciting information.

The slave urges had long since left me and I dealt with this as any woman of An. This was a job I could enjoy on many days and merely endure on several others. I did what I could to survive. Only when I became first girl did my troubles begin to dissipate. I had become as one of the [oiran] of my homeworld of Ki; and the tavern owner was eager to ingratiate himself to me because of the income I brought in. He knew of my former status as one of the minor nobility and all the upbringing this entailed – a sense of etiquette and [je ne sais quoi] which the most powerful men of Talos had a taste for.

I had become akin to the finest and most beautiful of Talosian women with one exception – I was available; but only at an astronomical price and at my discretion. I would not frown if propositioned by an impecunious baron or lady if there features were to my liking; and many were.

Xiao Yu doesn't realize that I am now a wealthy young woman who has chosen her profession because it is what she is most accomplished at. Of course, my choices have been limited by my circumstances and my sex; but I have considered the alternative of retiring to a nunnery and decided against that quite categorically.

Let no person pity the woman who has made her choice.

[Scribe's Note: The rest of the account has been destroyed.]

Previously: It has been seven years since Zhou Yu was first transformed into a woman and brought to An. In order to solidify the peace between Thamud and Talos, her four year old son has been betrothed to the daughter of Princess Sabine of Talos [see Chapter 11].

Chapter 13 - Succession

[An entry from the Journal of Queen Zhou Yu]

Dear Reader,

My son's future mother-in-law arrived in Thamud barely six months after the betrothal in Talos.

It was a beautiful Summer's day and her disposition was that of a woman who had just returned home from a strenuous walk ready for the morning meal. There was not a drop of perspiration on her and she looked every bit the visiting relative; not the political exile that she actually was. This was the result of a typical Talosian succession battle which had been brewing over the past year. Allow me to explain.

The Talosian order of succession was largely commonsensical. Upon the death of the current King, the crown prince or his male offspring, would ascend the throne. Next in line was the Second Prince, Alaric, and his male offspring if any.

Then came, the Second Princess, Sabine, our guest of two months now, daughter of the ailing Emperor of Talos. Barring any protests or contests by the Talosian nobility, she was third in line to the throne. Obviously, she had my future daughter-in-law in tow and a small retinue of servants and bodyguards. Her husband had been killed in the last war between Talos and Thamud some four years back.

Others who had once been in the line of succession (since deceased) included the King's only brother and the first princess who died at the age of 10. Some strange events which had occurred over the course of the past year had led Sabine to this point.

First, the Emperor's eldest son, the Crown Prince has begun suffering non-specific symptoms of abdominal discomfort and loose stool, as well as subjective feelings of paraesthesia affecting his limbs. He seemed very much to be on his last legs – a sad ghost of a man or so my spies tell me. He could barely sit, much less ride a horse during the hunt organized in our honor at my son's betrothal some months back.

I had read enough mystery novels back on Ki to immediately consider foul play, but the symptoms could easily have stemmed from any number of gastro-intestinal diseases resulting in various forms of deficiencies. The Qin had long known of nutritional deficiencies and had been treating them appropriately for years, but they have yet to understand their underlying pathology. It was going to be a case of trial and error if this was the cause of his ailments. The Thamudian royal physician who had guided me through the births of both my son and my daughter concurred, and said that this was a likely cause and that any capable physician would consider the possibility.

There were other complications. The Crown Prince's two offspring had expired some years back soon after attaining the age of majority as defined by the Talosian legal code; and The Second Prince's only son had died of the pox at the age of five just this year. He of course suspected his sister or at least used this as an excuse to be rid of her. And who could blame him - members of the Talosian royal family seemed to be dropping like flies and someone had to take the blame. Hence her flight to Thamud, seeing as she was the future mother-in-law of my own son.

Sabine had all the airs you would expect of the most powerful woman in Talos. Some would describe her as an older woman and she had in fact given birth late in life by the standards of Talosian women, and only at the instigation of her father. I did wonder if she felt somewhat slighted by the fact that her only daughter would be married to a prince and possible future King of Thamud as a kind of peace offering; for she demonstrated in both action and speech that she thought Thamud a backward kingdom which should be thankful for her good graces.

For instance, on my last trip to Talos, she expressed surprise that any of us had ever partaken of the delicacies of the sea or even common Talosian game birds – almost all of which were part of the barter trade which existed across our extensive borders. I considered snidely remarking whether her tutors had lapsed in her geographical and economic education but decided that discretion was the better part of valor (on in this case, diplomacy).

A few days later, she turned her head away from me with disdain when I wore a pair of leather trousers to the hunt organized by the Crown Prince in honor of our visit. Pointing towards my clothing she remarked, “Is that really advisable for the Queen of Thamud?”

“They are practical, comfortable, and the King certainly has no complaints,” I replied.

“It is a bit lacking in decorum for a noble woman, don't you think?” she said clicking her tongue. “Did you actually expect to do any hunting today?”

The men and the women had clearly been separated during this part of the festivities, with the former directed towards larger game. I gathered I was meant to watch in wonder as the huntsmen brought me rabbits and game birds.

It is not as if organized or ritual hunting was unheard of in Thamud – it was regularly undertaken for estate management and occurred in conjunction with feast days when the food would distributed to the poor. It was simply that my husband would never think of separating me from the main hunt. Or if he had at some point in his life, he had quickly learned better of it – my accuracy with a bow was certainly better than his, as were my abilities with a light spear. And I was already thoroughly submissive and obedient to him in his bedchamber.

Sabine seemed to show more interest in me when I wore one of the flowing robes typical of one of the ancient dynasties of the Qin at the banquet the same night. At least she patronizingly stated as much to me. Like certain Talosian gowns, the dress showed substantial amounts of cleavage and flattered my figure.

As future members of the same family so to speak, we retired to the women's drawing room for drinks alone. Sabine bade me sit beside her on a large couch and plied me with spirits and unwelcome conversation.

“Is it true that you were once a man?” she asked with all the tact of a viper.

“I prefer not to speak on that subject,” I replied.

“You enjoy dressing this way now, do you? I've heard that former men often make the most feminine of women, though I assumed that was a lie until I saw you this evening.”

“This Talosian whisky is really quite fine,” I said, ignoring her.

“The men in my family feel that Qin women, in general, leave very much to be desired but I am of the opposite opinion. I have not detected any of the strange scents and odors said to emanate from your people – perhaps it is a question of the food you have consumed or rather not consumed in Thamud.”

“Have you never met a Qin woman in all your years?” I asked, a note of irritation entering my voice. It seemed that the woman was determined to be rude. She had been consuming copious amounts of wine and liqueurs throughout the evening.

“None as lovely as you, my Queen.”

She did not say this out loud but had leaned forward to whisper it in my ear. I smelled the acrid stench of alcohol on her breath. and almost jumped to one side in shock and mild revulsion. It is not that Sabine was especially hideous, but I was not in the habit of being seduced by my son's future mother-in-law.

“Please, stop,” I said turning to face her, restraining myself. If she had been some common man, she would have been lying on the ground unconscious at that point.

Instead, she grabbed my head and kissed me full on the lips, using her other hand to squeeze my breast through my evening dress. I pushed her away and stood back from the couch.

The princess flopped down on the couch and looked up at me

“Does that feel any different?” she asked, without a trace of remorse. “Please sit, I promise not to touch you again, or at least not without your permission.”

“Control yourself, Princess,” I said with an exasperated air as I sat across from her on a large cushioned chair. “Our children are to be married.”

“Your son - is he the type of person who is inclined to share? When my daughter takes her place in this world, she will want to exercise power with him.”

“Isn't this discussion somewhat premature?” I said guardedly, “He is only four years old. In any case, I have every hope that my son will be generous, dutiful, and respectful to his wife when he becomes a man.”

“It would be good if they had more time together as children.”

“I'm sure that can be arranged,” I replied non-committally.

Looking back, this seemed to be a premonition of things to come. Now some six months later, my son was spending many hours with his betrothed both at school and at play.

We left Sabine to her own devices for nearly a week.

When she was fully settled into the Second Princess' former chambers, I told my husband that I might have to do something unseemly but that it was necessary for the sake of our son. It did cross my mind that I might have to let that harpy touch me, though even the thought of this made me shudder.

He kept asking me whether it was completely necessary, in the way that men say to women when they think they know better. I told him to stop fussing and let a mother get on with her job. After all these years, he knew exactly what kind of woman he had married, and just kept quiet after that.

That evening I plied Sabine with all the vices the dinner table allowed, her wine glass was filled the moment it was half empty and she was provided with an array of spirits and absinthe once dessert was served. We soon found ourselves back where we once were some six months back - in a drawing room alone, except this time in my own house.

I decided to forego any small talk and simply asked her the most obvious question at once. “So before we carry on with our conversation, would you like to say for the record whether you did in fact having anything to do with the death of your five year old nephew?”

I was referring to the Second Prince's son who had died just that year - the likely reason for her flight from Talos.

“None at all,” she said without hesitation or any signs of deception. “Do you believe me?

“By the way, thank you for ridding me of that abominable man – my husband I mean. I always knew that Qin women could be conniving bitches but it definitely makes you more appealing in my eyes at least. I know perfectly well what you're doing but I don't care. You've seen me drunk before, and I have nothing to hide - everything I've done benefits Thamud. If anything you should be kissing me on both cheeks in admiration and gratitude.”

“I simply want to talk, mother to mother,” I replied.

“Your spies should be informing you quite soon of what nefarious deeds I am purported to have done,” she said, releasing an unladylike belch as she did so.

“Won't you save them the trouble and simply tell me?” I pressed.

“A powerless woman in exile can hardly be blamed for the misfortunes of her siblings. I have simply given my brother what he has always desired. Alaric is weak and undeserving of the crown – I have simply shown him the truth of these words. His proclivities will see him disowned within a year if not sooner. The only difference between my brothers and I is that they lack the will to do what is necessary.

“Have you done something to Alaric?” I asked innocently.

“It is already done. Do you think I would tell you about this if there was even slightest chance that it could be prevented? Oh my dear Zhou Yu, for someone who has personally arranged for the deaths of tens of thousands of men, you seem so full of scruples when it comes to the future of your son. I do not know what your husband thinks of you, but in Talos you are perceived quite differently. Do you know how?” she asked with a slight slur in her speech.

I shook my head to suggest ignorance but I knew quite well my reputation.

“A monster – a hideous beast and a butcher of sons and fathers.

“Our generals did wonder what had happened to the gallant prince of Thamud who would meet challengers in single combat on the field of battle, and would brook nothing which would stain his reputation for chivalry. Had he merely matured with the years and put aside childish things? They did not consider, at least at first, that slight female slave by his side.

“But I know what kind of woman you are, because I would have done the same given the chance. Incidentally, I know what you arranged in Albion despite the warnings of the emissaries of the Seven; why they seem so unenthused about joining us against Thamud despite our petitions.

“If they did not spit on you in Talos, it is simply because they did not have the chance [see Chapter 11]. They will never forget what you have done. Your son will need my daughter's help if he is to rule both Talos and Thamud in years to come. And if I do succeed, I will certainly become your son's best friend; for I have every intention of making my daughter the Queen of Talos and Thamud.

Sabine mumbled a few more indistinct sentences and was soon snoring on the couch. The alcohol had certainly made her more loquacious than ever but there were limits to its effectiveness. Still, her circumlocutory explanations seemed to suggest exactly what she had done and why she misguidedly thought that I would approve.

All Dates Approximate

0 Years

Amber (Zhou Yu) arrives on the Planet An.

She was a man of twenty-five on earth but regresses to a biological age of seventeen due to the serum.

She begins her training as a slave girl.

3 months

Amber is sold to a feudal lord of Albion called, Gaius.
She remains there for approximately 1 year.

1 year and 3 months

Amber is visited by the emissaries and taken to Thamud. She loses 2 weeks of time.
She becomes the slave and partner of Prince Idris of Thamud for 1 year.

2 years and 3 months

Zhou Yu (Amber) is taken by the Qin for 3 months and becomes a lady in waiting to Princess Pingyang.

2 years and 6 months

Zhou Yu returns to Thamud and is 3 months pregnant.
The preparations for a war with Talos are ongoing.

2 years and 8 months

The war between Thamud and Talos rages.
Zhou Yu begins writing in her journal in the Autumn.

2 years and 11 months

The defeated Talosian army is in retreat.

Zhou Yu gives birth to her first child, a boy called Safin.

3 years and 2 months

A peace treaty between Thamud and Talos is signed.
Zhou Yu appears to stops writing in her journal.

4 years

The old king dies and Idris is crowned the new King of Thaumud
Zhou Yu's daughter, Zeinab, is born a year following.

7 years

Zhou Yu writes in her journal again.

* * *

Map of the main continent of An

An – The alternate Earth to which Zhou Yu is transported

Ki - The name given to Earth on the planet An

Seven, The– The pseudo-gods of An, based partially on Mesopotamian deities. They are served by the emissaries who reside somewhere in the Tocharian Desert.

Qin – The homeland of the Chinese-like people of An. Apparently late arrivals to this alternate world.

Talos – The largest kingdom of the main continent of An. It has reached its current size through military conquest.

Thamud– A kingdom in the Western part of the main continent to which Zhou Yu has sworn fealty. It has some similarities to the Middle-Eastern states of Earth.

Zeeshan Empire – A small conglomeration of states of which the largest is Ajanabha. Corresponds to the Indian civilization of Earth.