“It’s quite safe, Princess. These ships are made for comfort. Well, at least the part you’ll be visiting is. Besides, Hakim is quite ill. Your mother wishes that he be given this courtesy.”

Princess Kumiko made small deliberate steps as she boarded the trading vessel. She stopped once, halfway through, as she momentarily lost her balance. Hsu, her advisor and bodyguard, followed close behind to block off any attempts at escape. They were greeted by two guards.

“Welcome to the Namur, ladies.” Both men bowed low as the older one spoke. “The Sheik has been eagerly awaiting your arrival in his cabin.”

The ladies offered a shallow bow and proceeded down the long deck. Kumiko spotted a woman scrubbing the floor on the other side. Her clothes looked well worn and her long, black hair was tousled. Kumiko could make out scars on her lower black as she knelt and worked with her shirt riding up her back. Hsu noticed her as she watched the girl, who looked to be a little older than the princess.

“This shouldn’t surprise you, child. You’ve studied these people enough to know that man and woman are enslaved alike.”

“But… they do to women what we do to men? They beat them, and… oh no.”

“Oh yes. These women are expected to please their masters, or mistresses, in every way. This is why our people very rarely set foot on these ships. It’s best not to dwell on it.”

Another two men guarded the private chambers of the sheik, and silently opened the double doors for the ladies. It wasn’t very large, but the floor was covered in pillows around the wall, and the ceiling had been painted to commemorate the victory that began this man’s tribe many hundreds of years ago.

The sheik himself was large of belly, and well into his sixties. A finely combed beard dangled halfway down his chest and then dropped off to the floor as he lay on the velvety pillows. His clothing was garish and bright, having been sewn with golden thread on a blue background that painted a picture of waves on the sea.

“Welcome, welcome!” he bellowed. “You two look more lovely than my finest girls! Please, please, sit with me and enjoy breakfast.”

“Many thanks, your highness,” Hsu said.

The ladies bowed and took seats on the floor next to sheik. Kumiko took a small fruit out of a bowl and nibbled on it.

“May I ask what these are?” Kumiko said.

“Those are dates, my beautiful princess. A common food eaten in my lands. I’ll have something more exotic brought in for you.”

Four slaves had been attending him when they walked in, two of them men. They immediately excused themselves for the galley upon hearing the sheik’s desire.

“My mother sent me to ask why you’ve raised the price of salt, Sheik Hakim. We were paying an exorbitant amount before, and now…”

“Please, child, try and understand that it is difficult to mine salt when your people buy up so many of the slaves, male slaves might I add, who actually mine it. We mine less: you pay more. There is little I can do to reign in the prices merchants in my kingdom charge.” He offered a shrug as a mock apology.

“Well, we could always buy from another kingdom. The Kiriti have been eyeing our steel for some time.”

“Ha! You have much to learn, young one. Your mother would never allow that. That tribe does not enslave men. Oh, by the look on your face I see you didn’t know that. No, only women wear chains in that realm. And where do you think we get all of the men we sell you? But enough talk of business and politics, child. It’s well past time for my meal.”

The four servants walked into the room with plates which they laid on the floor for the group. They dined on almond pancakes, which were thin and rolled up. The spices in the recipe were a bit hotter than the princess was accustomed to. The sheik chuckled as she kept drinking to stop the burning.

“I usually eat with my guests before taking care of business. It was quite considerate of me to speak with you first, no? Besides, your mother didn’t expect you to win any arguments with me. This was just a… lesson, I think.

“No matter. I have a special gift for you, princess.” He clapped his hands and a dozen naked men entered the room with their legs and hands bound. They all shared the light-tan complexion of the sheik and his people, with jet black hair. “With this being your eighteenth birthday, I offer you your choice of one slave from this ship.”

Kumiko’s eyes went wide as she looked at the men displayed in front of her. Each one of them was completely intact. Muscles bulged from their abs, arms and chests. They would have seemed surprised to see that Kumiko was taller than they were, with the blood of a western man in her veins, had they not been well disciplined. Her bright blue eyes also seemed out of place on her. If not for her rigorous training, she would most likely be waiflike, but her physique was noticeable through the tight pants and sleeveless blouse she wore. She stalked her way towards the men slowly.

“I must confess, sheik, these men are fine specimens.” She smacked the behind of short, completely shaved, tan-skinned slave. “Like a rock. And yet… not…,” she grinned as she noticed that the men had the discipline to remain limp in the presence of two beautiful women.

She put her hand to her chin and squinted her eyes. “And you say I have my pick of slaves on this boat?”

“Ship, Princess, ship. Please do not insult the sheik’s vessel.”

He waved the comment off and shook his head at Hsu. “Oh it’s quite alright. I am used to the games that young ones play with words. I have twenty-three children myself. And yes, your highness, any servant here will be yours if you but ask.”

Her head slowly turned towards the window looking out on the ship’s deck. “I want that one out there. I want her.”

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The sun was beginning to dim in the late afternoon sky. Kumiko had changed into a skintight leather cat suit, dyed dark purple, complete with spiked heels and a black cape. She sat next to her mother high in the stands watching the competition which had been raging in the arena below for several hours now.

“I think Kazuko’s student will win the audition. She seems to have more strength than any of the others,” Anasi said to her daughter.

The audition was down to the sixth round now, and four women were left in the huge arena. As she spoke the unknown girl in the yellow blouse and long beige skirt sent her opponent to the ground as a burst of sunlight erupted from her staff.

“Do not discount that one, your highness.” Suzu, Anasi’s mage, had a habit of chiming in. “The sun magic is known to very few, and she seems to have a talent for it.”

“What is her name?” Kumiko asked.

“Let me see…” Suzu flipped through the roster to find the contestant’s name. As fascinating as magic duels were, they had been sitting here for several hours. The ladies’ attention had wavered until this round began. The gentle fanning provided by the eunuch’s had nearly put them all to sleep. “Ah! That would be Ona. She hails from the countryside far to the west, by the mountains. She has had no formal education, it says. I hope you needn’t have to take her as part of your entourage!”

This competition was held on every princess’ eighteenth birthday. Over a hundred women gathered to compete for the right to be a member on her staff, a very prestigious and well-paying position. No one over the age of twenty-five was allowed, as it was feared that someone older, more experienced, would be able to wield too much influence over her.

Suzu, as the High Magician of the Empire, took her spot on the dais next to the Empress to announce the final round. She banged her staff sharply upon the ground, and her magic amplified the thuds so that they filled the coliseum. She had everyone’s attention by the second strike, but the drama queen made three more.

“The final round is ready to begin! To my left we have Mistress Keiko, student of Mistress Kazuku and daughter of Mistress Ran. To my right stands Mistress Ona…” she peered at the woman not much older than Kumiko, “of whom we have precious little information.” Most of those in the crowd snickered, and all of the former contestants outright laughed at her. “But… this is a competition of skill, not lineage. You may begin!”

Keiko’s first move would be her best. The magic released through her gestures enraged the sands of the arena and darkened the area, depriving Ona of the source of some of her most potent magic. But she had seen the privileged woman’s skill at ranged combat, and a simple shifting spell moved Ona within feet of her opponent.

Their staff’s struck each other in an unusual display of melee combat for a magic duel, but it was an assault Keiko had not anticipated. Still, a simple thought gave her the ability to jump far from Ona’s reach and into the folds of the dust cloud. Neither could see each other at the moment, but Keiko had known where her opponent was. A thin whip of flame extended from each finger, and one, by chance, found Ona’s arm.

Keiko returned to the ground and smirked when she saw her adversary wincing in pain from the burn. The tendrils came for her again, and she shifted once more, far from Keiko. She was not far from the Princess when she raised her staff above her and spun it around by its center. Ancient words of power came from her mouth, and most were on the edge their seats as Keiko moved out of the cloud and towards her desperate prey.

As Ona completed her incantation she dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Keiko was certain that this fight would soon be hers. Without warning, five pools of light formed on the ground around Ona. A grey, winged, tiger-like creature sprang from each portal.

“Impossible,” Suzu whispered under her breath.

“What is she doing?” Kumiko asked.

Suzu seemed to be in a hypnotic trance as she stared at the creatures for a few seconds. She shook her head and turned towards Kumiko and Anasi. “The girl can summon beasts from the Spirit Realm. None have done so for decades. It was an art thought long-lost.”

The demons chased a terrified Keiko into the cloud, some charging along the ground, some taking flight and diving down. Shrieks were soon heard as Keiko was mercilessly attacked. She would live, but as a cripple. Her right leg had little muscle left, and her face was horribly scratched. The victor was cheered by the crowd, and would meet her Princess at her birthday feast later that night.

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The fat, ugly man from the desert lands stood on his toes in front of the Princess. She still wore the leather and cape, and paced the room impatiently. His wide eyes followed her from left to right and back again. He had not been sold, and knew that his future lay in the mines. The chains that kept him on his toes bit into the dark skin of his wrists, and his gag stifled all but his whimpers. He looked on the tall, young woman with fear, but her form still forced the blood into his manhood. His eager pole stood at full attention despite his fate.

Kumiko shouted, “Come in!” at a knock on the wooden door. The hinges creaked as it was pulled open. The flickering torchlight of the dungeon room revealed Hsu and Sara.

“Where have you been?!? I have the feast to attend soon. You should not be wasting my time!”

Sara moved to kneel in front of her. She was now dressed in real clothes, wearing a crimson shirt, grey pants, and shoes, which made her a little uncomfortable. “Please forgive me, Mis…”

“Stop! I’m not angry at you, sister. Hsu, you were to be here half an hour ago.”

Hsu knelt down in front of her. “My apologies, Princess. The language potion took some time to affect her. She seems to have some resistance to magics.”

“Very well. Let’s have a look at you.” Kumiko paced around the scared girl, admiring Hsu’s choice of clothing. “Red is definitely your color. It works very well with your dark skin. But now to more important matters. Do you know why I took you?”

“No…no Mistress, I do not.”

“I want you to know that I did not buy you. I bought your freedom. It disgusts me to see women enslaved to pigs like this.” A leather-clad finger pointed at the chained man. “You are now a free woman, and a citizen of this empire. Do you understand that?”

“I suppose so, Mistress.”

“Hmmm… stop calling me that. You can call me Kumiko. Most everyone else,” she glared at Hsu, “shall call me Princess. But none of them have suffered at the hands of men.”

“Thank you… Kumiko. Does this mean that I can go now?”

Kumiko’s hand stroked her chin. “If that’s what you want. All women are taken care of here, so you needn’t ever worry about being mistreated again or having food when you’re hungry.” She slowly stalked towards the girl and only stopped when their faces were inches from each other. “But… if I’m right about you I will make a place for you here. Under my wing you can become a powerful woman whose actions decide the fates of many. I see more in this former slave-girl than I do in hundreds of pampered sycophants.” She turned away from her and walked towards the captive. “But that door is still open. Walk through it if it suits you better.”

Sara did look at the door for the moment. It was tempting. But she thought she owed Kumiko a little more than that. “What would you have me do?”

A smile played across the Princess’ face with her back still towards the girl. Her hand pointed at the man again. “Look at him.” She turned back to Sara. “What do you see?”

“I see a man.” Her gaze drifted to his crotch. “A very excited man, at that.”

“Oh!” Kumiko exclaimed. “Do you wish to relieve his pressure, woman? Perhaps you would like to get down on your knees and suck him off? Does that sound pleasing to you?”

Sara stammered a bit and her eyes darted in every direction. She was not quite sure of what she was to say. “Is that what you want me to do?”

“Would you if I asked?”

Her fidgeting betrayed the answer to the Princess. “Yes?”

Kumiko’s put her hands on her hips and tapped her boot on the ground. After a moment she pointed at the door. “Get out of here. I was wrong to bring you here. You should have been left on the deck of that ship. I think you sucked a lot of cocks there, no?” Sara’s eyes narrowed a bit and the fidgeting stopped. “I assume you were fucked often. Tell me, did they leave their seed inside of you or let it drip all over that smooth skin of yours?”

“Both, princess, both.”

“You must have liked the taste. I’m sure you savored their slime as it slid into your mouth. I won’t be trying any, but call me curious: was it any good? I bet you even begged for it.”

Sara’s hands were clenched into fists. “No. I never begged for it.”

“Did they restrain themselves to two orifices, or was your ass raped by their cocks as well?”

“They did that, too.” Her voice was quiet now, but very steady. Anger was welling inside of her. “And when I tried to pull away from the pain… they would beat me. They would whip me and spit on me and…” Sara’s hands covered her face as she cried into them. Memories of years of torture raced through her mind.

“I wonder…” Kumiko drifted to Sara’s side. Her right hand held her by her right shoulder as she whispered into the girl’s left ear. “Did you ever imagine about how good it would make you feel to visit such acts upon them?”

Her hands dropped and she looked right into the man’s eyes. “Yes.”

“Excellent!” Kumiko’s voice changed to a more cheerful tone. She walked to a rack on the wall behind the man and pulled a small flogger from it. She inspected it for a moment and then tossed it to Sara. The girl looked at it for a moment and then glared at the man.

“No.” She walked to the rack and put the flogger back. Her fingers danced upon all of the other whips, canes, and various torture devices displayed there until they rested on a large silver and black phallus.

The Princess’ eyes went wide. “I thought we would start with baby steps, but please, be my guest. It will attach itself to your skin.”

Sara almost tripped over her pants as she quickly took them and her panties off. She did as she was told and the phallus became a part of her crotch. She rubbed it as a man would and the pleasure began to swim to her head. She looked at the plump ass in front of her and licked her lips.

Her hands grabbed his hips without warning and she quickly slid her cock into him. It was enchanted to slide in easily, but the sudden pressure in his virgin hole brought a muffled scream out of his lungs. His cock soon went limp as the phallus robbed him of any pleasure.

Sara’s thrusts were neither slow nor gentle. “How do you like this, hmm? How many women did you do this to?” The silent screams and tears were his only answer. One hand grabbed around him to hold his belly as the other grabbed his balls and squeezed them. His pain and her pleasure increased together. The waves of pleasure flowing through her were the first she had ever really felt. His face turned beet red. Her hand closed like a vice. And her body shuddered as Sara enjoyed her first real orgasm. The first to truly be hers.

Kumiko bent over beside Sara as she knelt on the ground behind the slave with sweat dripping down her body. A knife was in her hand. “The castratrix will be here soon to fix this thing. He soon won’t be a man. We should go to the feast.”

The girl’s hand darted out and grabbed the weapon. “Let me do it. Please, Princess.”

A smile flashed on her face. “I was hoping you might say that.”

Sara’s other hand grabbed the swarthy man’s sack and pulled down. It stretched as his tears welled up once more. “Some women like to give the man one more moment of pleasure with their hand. It’s up to you, but you might want to let him cum.”

The girl’s eyes looked back in a sarcastic little “Riiiight.” Part of her, the animalistic part, wanted to savagely cut right through in an angry flash, but she slowly sawed the knife into his flesh. His screams of terror echoed through the dungeon, even through his gag. His cock stood at attention, untouched by her hand. Within half a minute the sack came free with its cargo in her hand. She threw it into the far wall, and the man watched as his testicles hit and then fell to the ground.

“I will never let them cum.”

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A dozen eunuchs cleaned the dining hall as the two young women lounged on a couch in the corner. Two husky barbarians served as the women’s footstools with the collars restricting their manhoods. Sara was in the opposite corner having fun with Kuni. He was a pirate who traded slaves. Mostly women. He had not enjoyed a release in five years. On occasions like this his cock was set free while he was trussed up as an interactive decoration.

“Will you never give up your secrets, Ona? I though Suzu would explode tonight with you dodging her questions at dinner.”

The young mage looked at her new employer and looked away. “They’re my secrets to keep for now, Princess. I will tell you someday, though, but I’m not sure I’m ready yet.”

Kumiko squinted at her. “Those blue eyes of yours are just another layer. You don’t see those very often. But I’ll respect your wishes. What did you think of the musicians tonight?”

“I liked them. Very sad music. Almost as if they put their pent up frustrations into sad songs for us. Very beautiful, indeed. Perhaps it was their way of begging for release. I would say that they earned it.”

“Hmm… I agree. I’ll ask mother to reward them tomorrow. Would you like to take one of these slaves for the night?”

“No thank you, Princess. I plan on buying one of my own in the morning.”

“Suit yourself. I suppose I’ll have to use them both then.” A wicked grin played upon her face as she eyed the two barbarians. “I’ll see you in the morning, Ona. Sleep well.” Kumiko gave her new friend a kiss on the cheek. “Come with me you two!” Kumiko exited the hall with the two behind her, her cape flowing as she proudly strode towards her chambers.

Ona rose from her seat and walked towards a middle-aged slave she had been eyeing for the whole night. His balls dangled between his legs and an angry scar was where his cock had once been. His job was to mop the floor, perhaps a mild punishment for some minor indiscretion. He dropped to his knees as she approached.

“How may I help you, Mistress?”

“I take it your job is done here once this floor is clean?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

She began to motion with her hands and the mop snapped out of his hands. It danced across within the floor, cleaning and rinsing itself faster than he could have hoped to have done it. He seemed unsure of how to react to such kindness.

“Rise,” she commanded. He bowed his head as low as he could and still stand straight, but the western man still towered over the 5’3” woman. Her hand gently moved his chin up so they could look into each other’s eyes. “What is your name?”

“Yoshi, Mistress.”

She smiled at him. “That’s what I thought.” She had to lift herself a bit with her toes, and she placed a warm kiss on his cheek. “Have a good night, Yoshi.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” The slave bowed to her and excused himself. She left for her own chambers soon afterwards.

No one had noticed the tan-skinned girl in the corner, who had watched the whole event. She raised an eyebrow as she wondered what, is anything, it meant.