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A Long Hard Rain - The Story of Autumn of Fallon - Completed: 8/14
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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 2966245" data-attributes="member: 11"><p>The next day I took two buckets to the barn to collect some milk and wondered how I might discover ahead of time when my husband approached or what his mood might be at the end of the day. As I held the cow's udder in my hand and squeezed the milk into the bucket one of the slaves entered the barn. He was tall, bronzed and muscular. His hair was short and had tight curls. His back was latticed with the scars of many strikes from a whip. He looked at me and I nodded to him. His expression became bewildered.</p><p></p><p>He went over to recover a bail of hay. An idea hit me. "Excuse me," I said to him.</p><p></p><p>He did not respond. The slave had never been addressed in such a manner and so assumed that I was talking to someone else. I waited a minute and almost forgot the whole thing, but Fallon must have been with me that day and pushed me just enough to assert myself more than I usually did.</p><p></p><p>"You there," I called to him again. He turned as he hefted the bail onto his muscular shoulder. He did not speak.</p><p></p><p>"Do you come to the barn for hay often?" I asked him and his eyes widened and still he did not speak. I did not know that the males slaves were not permitted to talk with free women.</p><p></p><p>"Do you not speak?" I asked again. He shook and then nodded his head. Now it was my turn to be confused.</p><p></p><p>"Are you mute?" I asked. He looked puzzled. He began to walk out of the barn.</p><p></p><p>“Wait," I said and not knowing what I was doing stood and grabbed his arm. Such assertiveness was very unknown to me. I was shocked that I had done it. The slave spun around and now glared at me.</p><p></p><p>"I heard of you women,' he said in broken common. "Not worth getting cut like a horse's gonads."</p><p></p><p>I was very confused. He stomped out of the barn. I watched him walk up the path to the fields, past the cottage that Eric and I shared and tried to figure out what he had meant.</p><p></p><p>Many days passed and every two days or so I would see this slave in the barn when he collected hay and I was milking a cow. I tried to speak to him a few times, but he would only glare at me and go away. Once he paused as if he were going to say something, but before he could an overseer entered the barn and seeing the slave standing these facing me yelled at him.</p><p></p><p>"Morn! Get that bail out there before you force me to do my job," the overseer said nastily. His hand reached for his whip. I noticed the slave's glare intensify for a second and he turned and hurried out.</p><p></p><p>"Are you okay, Missus Storm?" the overseer asked me, he did a bad job of hiding his wince when he looked at my face. </p><p></p><p>"Yes, of course, " I told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"</p><p></p><p>“Don't trust them savages," he said to me. "If I can speak plainly, only this here whip can keep their savage lusts in check. " He hefted his weapon.</p><p></p><p>I stepped back in horror. It was all coming into place. The slave thought I was trying to become involved with him carnally and feared the consequences to himself. No wonder he would not speak to me even when no one was around. I had to convince him that I had no such intention. I knew his name now, Morn. Perhaps that would make it easier to get him to help me. I thanked the overseer and collected my milk buckets and returned to the cottage to do some chores and prepare the mid-day meal for my husband.</p><p></p><p>During this time Eric beat me occasionally. Always for what I considered must be a good reason. When the duck or ham was too tough or when the wine was too vinegary. Once when I asked him not to drink so much when he went out almost every night. That last time he knocked me unconscious. I awoke on the floor in the dark and he was gone. One black eye or harsh bruise would barely heal and he would deal me another one and I just withstood it and did not complain. </p><p>Every couple of days his demeanor would change and he would bring me a gift and apologize and more times than not want marital relations afterwards. I had to find a way to gauge his mood when he returned from the fields. Morn was going to help me, at least that was my plan.</p><p>I thought a lot about the problem of talking to the slave. I needed his help, but I did not want to get him in trouble. He seemed intelligent enough and if he really was a victim of "wild lusts" why did he avoid me'? I knew it must be some false rumor about them. Anyway, who would do such a thing with a slave? The slaves were rarely in a position to force themselves upon a woman. It must not be true. The only time I had ever known of a slave alone with a woman was when I was in the barn with Morn and he hardly had the time. Any delay and an overseer would come looking for him and he hardly seemed to have the disposition. </p><p></p><p>Again, I was wrong. I was naive as to the nature of people and to the boredom of the rich that leads to immoral curiosity and occasional cruelty. I would soon learn of this and Morn would be a victim of it all.</p><p></p><p>One night Eric and I were invited to his father's house for a dinner party. I actually got Eric to take me into town a few nights before so that I could get a new dress and he even refrained from striking me (whether by design or coincidence I do not know) for some time before the event, so I was able to show myself in public without a bruise or mark on my face, though I still was nursing a bruise on my hip from when he had knocked me into a table. As nice as I thought my dress was I felt as if I were wearing a sack when I arrived. The dresses of the women there were gorgeous and as people milled around talking and my husband went into the den to speak with his brothers about the situation with the Kingdom of Neergaard (1), I noticed I was being ignored. The other women talked among themselves or chatted with the local priest of Set (2) who had been invited. He stood dressed in blood red robes lined in green, his nose was flat and his eyes serpentine. I did not like the way he scanned the crowd as if looking for a meal. I felt bad that I thought such awful things about a holy representative of our patron deity, but I guess even then Fallon was trying to show me truth through my instincts. I did not trust him. </p><p></p><p>Finally my sister-in-law, Sarah, began to talk with me. She spoke to me in a tone as if I were a charity case and her few superficial words were manna from the gods to sate my hunger. I think she noticed that I wasn't listening to what she had to say and asked me if I wanted to go out and get some air. I agreed, for a minute before the priest of Set had turned and looked right at me and suddenly the room's air had seemed oppressive.</p><p></p><p>Outside the air was cool and the night was clear. I could see the constellation Cat's Eye winking in the blue-black darkness. I wondered if this were the right time of year to see Bazel's Chariot. </p><p></p><p>"It is a cool night for mid-Ter," Sarah said. (3)</p><p></p><p>"Uh-huh, " I mumbled, figuring that she was going to continue with more of her superficial chatter. Not that it was so bad, I didn't have many people to talk to and even the most inane chatter was a great relief to me in those days. I guess I was just disappointed that my sister-in-law (who I understood was the daughter of an important land-owner on the southern island) could not be a true and close friend. I guess we were too different.</p><p></p><p>"I know a good way to work up a sweat,” she said and I could her the mischievousness in her voice.</p><p></p><p>"Huh?" I questioned looking up at her. She was one of these tall elegant women that towered over even men and had a way of walking on those long legs of theirs like a leaf carried by the wind.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, come now, Autumn," she said with increasing condescension. "I know you are simple, but even you cannot be satisfied with this life here. From what I understand you even fetch your own milk in the barn like a slave. I know Eric is not in good favor with his father, but that must really anger the both of you. I know you must want more. Even more than Eric can give you."</p><p></p><p>"I. . uh.. " I did not know how to answer her. I did not know what she meant.</p><p></p><p>"Is Eric good'?" she asked, again with mischievousness in her voice and now a gleam of it in her eye.</p><p></p><p>"Eric is a good husband. He provides for me and even bought me this dress,' I pulled at the hem of it awkwardly. "He works hard and get a little cranky…" I whispered the last part afraid even there of his overhearing me. "But he is good to me in his way."</p><p></p><p>"I don't mean that! " Sarah almost hissed. "I mean - " She paused and lowered her voice. "Consummation. The ole give and take." She grinned lasciviously. “And don’t give me this ‘good in his own way’ line, broken noses and black eyes are helping you get any prettier.”</p><p></p><p>I was shocked that anyone, especially a woman, would speak so crassly. No one but my husband had ever brought up that topic so directly before and I was struck speechless.</p><p></p><p>"Oh come on, don't look so insulted, Autumn," Sarah said. "Do not act as if you are some pristine flower. I know that bugger of a husband of yours must have an insatiable appetite. All little men do. But I also know that more often than not men with insatiable appetites are terrible and selfish lovers."</p><p></p><p>Again, I did not know what to say. Part of me wanted to argue in Eric's defense, but mostly I knew what she was saying to be true. I did not know about other men, but making love with Eric did not bring me any carnal pleasure. On occasion I could appreciate the affection he was showing me when he actually stuck around long enough to hold me as we drifted to sleep, but was that true enjoyment'? Not really.</p><p></p><p>"Okay, I know you are too delicate to talk of such matters openly, even to another woman, and I know you very plain and not much to look at, but you we have certain options that I have partaken of once or twice and tonight seems like a good night for it," Sarah said looking off across the fields.</p><p></p><p>"What are you talking about'?" I finally brought up the nerve to ask.</p><p></p><p>"The slaves,” She said as if I were stupid. "They are ours to do with as we please. They tend our fields, pull our loads, handle the beasts and even <em>you</em> must know that our husbands, on occasion, pleasure themselves on their women. "</p><p></p><p>She paused. I was shocked at what I was hearing "Why can we not do the same?" She looked across the fields again and now I realized that she was looking in the direction of the slave quarters. "All you need to do is exercise some caution and take care to always do it at the right time as to not become heavy with child and you can get away with it too. "</p><p></p><p>It all came together. No wonder Morn had showed so much fear. It was not that he was afraid of the consequence of some imagined act, but of real acts that must happen more often than my naive mind could imagine.</p><p></p><p>"And they want to?" I asked.</p><p></p><p>Sarah laughed loudly and I could hear the conversation in side die down at the laughter. She took my arm and pulled me off the porch and whispered. "Of course they do," She said. "Why would they not want the thrill of coupling with a free woman? And even if they did not want to there are ways to get them to do it anyway. It is all about your pleasure, forget about them. Think about it. If you ever need me to cover for you I will and don't think that I might not look to you confirm my stories."</p><p></p><p>I was bewildered.</p><p></p><p>"I think it is time for you and I to go for <em>a walk</em>, " she said. "Or, at least you will go for a walk I am going for something else." And with that she walked off across the field towards the slave quarters and I stood there dumbfounded. Eventually I wandered around until her return. When the others asked where we had been, Sarah said we had gone for a walk and looked at me. I nodded in agreement. That night after the party Eric forced himself upon me again and I lay there and took it. I felt a sudden anger that dwindled away to a profound sadness and long after Eric was snoring I lie there weeping and wondering why the world seemed as cruel and crazy as it did.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p></p><p>(1) These were the years leading up to the Black-Neergaard War, when the Kingdom of Neergaard rose up in arms to fight again Black Islands privateers that kept waylaying their ships and impressing their men into service.</p><p>(2) In the Black Islands Barony, Set is worshiped as the god of Power and Rule. The Church of Set is the official religion of the barony, though it tries to separate itself (at least publicly) from the cultists found throughout the rest of Aquerra.</p><p></p><p>(3) Ter is the third month of the year and the first month of summer in Central Aquerra. Summers tend to be very hot and humid on the Black Islands.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 2966245, member: 11"] The next day I took two buckets to the barn to collect some milk and wondered how I might discover ahead of time when my husband approached or what his mood might be at the end of the day. As I held the cow's udder in my hand and squeezed the milk into the bucket one of the slaves entered the barn. He was tall, bronzed and muscular. His hair was short and had tight curls. His back was latticed with the scars of many strikes from a whip. He looked at me and I nodded to him. His expression became bewildered. He went over to recover a bail of hay. An idea hit me. "Excuse me," I said to him. He did not respond. The slave had never been addressed in such a manner and so assumed that I was talking to someone else. I waited a minute and almost forgot the whole thing, but Fallon must have been with me that day and pushed me just enough to assert myself more than I usually did. "You there," I called to him again. He turned as he hefted the bail onto his muscular shoulder. He did not speak. "Do you come to the barn for hay often?" I asked him and his eyes widened and still he did not speak. I did not know that the males slaves were not permitted to talk with free women. "Do you not speak?" I asked again. He shook and then nodded his head. Now it was my turn to be confused. "Are you mute?" I asked. He looked puzzled. He began to walk out of the barn. “Wait," I said and not knowing what I was doing stood and grabbed his arm. Such assertiveness was very unknown to me. I was shocked that I had done it. The slave spun around and now glared at me. "I heard of you women,' he said in broken common. "Not worth getting cut like a horse's gonads." I was very confused. He stomped out of the barn. I watched him walk up the path to the fields, past the cottage that Eric and I shared and tried to figure out what he had meant. Many days passed and every two days or so I would see this slave in the barn when he collected hay and I was milking a cow. I tried to speak to him a few times, but he would only glare at me and go away. Once he paused as if he were going to say something, but before he could an overseer entered the barn and seeing the slave standing these facing me yelled at him. "Morn! Get that bail out there before you force me to do my job," the overseer said nastily. His hand reached for his whip. I noticed the slave's glare intensify for a second and he turned and hurried out. "Are you okay, Missus Storm?" the overseer asked me, he did a bad job of hiding his wince when he looked at my face. "Yes, of course, " I told him. "Why wouldn't I be?" “Don't trust them savages," he said to me. "If I can speak plainly, only this here whip can keep their savage lusts in check. " He hefted his weapon. I stepped back in horror. It was all coming into place. The slave thought I was trying to become involved with him carnally and feared the consequences to himself. No wonder he would not speak to me even when no one was around. I had to convince him that I had no such intention. I knew his name now, Morn. Perhaps that would make it easier to get him to help me. I thanked the overseer and collected my milk buckets and returned to the cottage to do some chores and prepare the mid-day meal for my husband. During this time Eric beat me occasionally. Always for what I considered must be a good reason. When the duck or ham was too tough or when the wine was too vinegary. Once when I asked him not to drink so much when he went out almost every night. That last time he knocked me unconscious. I awoke on the floor in the dark and he was gone. One black eye or harsh bruise would barely heal and he would deal me another one and I just withstood it and did not complain. Every couple of days his demeanor would change and he would bring me a gift and apologize and more times than not want marital relations afterwards. I had to find a way to gauge his mood when he returned from the fields. Morn was going to help me, at least that was my plan. I thought a lot about the problem of talking to the slave. I needed his help, but I did not want to get him in trouble. He seemed intelligent enough and if he really was a victim of "wild lusts" why did he avoid me'? I knew it must be some false rumor about them. Anyway, who would do such a thing with a slave? The slaves were rarely in a position to force themselves upon a woman. It must not be true. The only time I had ever known of a slave alone with a woman was when I was in the barn with Morn and he hardly had the time. Any delay and an overseer would come looking for him and he hardly seemed to have the disposition. Again, I was wrong. I was naive as to the nature of people and to the boredom of the rich that leads to immoral curiosity and occasional cruelty. I would soon learn of this and Morn would be a victim of it all. One night Eric and I were invited to his father's house for a dinner party. I actually got Eric to take me into town a few nights before so that I could get a new dress and he even refrained from striking me (whether by design or coincidence I do not know) for some time before the event, so I was able to show myself in public without a bruise or mark on my face, though I still was nursing a bruise on my hip from when he had knocked me into a table. As nice as I thought my dress was I felt as if I were wearing a sack when I arrived. The dresses of the women there were gorgeous and as people milled around talking and my husband went into the den to speak with his brothers about the situation with the Kingdom of Neergaard (1), I noticed I was being ignored. The other women talked among themselves or chatted with the local priest of Set (2) who had been invited. He stood dressed in blood red robes lined in green, his nose was flat and his eyes serpentine. I did not like the way he scanned the crowd as if looking for a meal. I felt bad that I thought such awful things about a holy representative of our patron deity, but I guess even then Fallon was trying to show me truth through my instincts. I did not trust him. Finally my sister-in-law, Sarah, began to talk with me. She spoke to me in a tone as if I were a charity case and her few superficial words were manna from the gods to sate my hunger. I think she noticed that I wasn't listening to what she had to say and asked me if I wanted to go out and get some air. I agreed, for a minute before the priest of Set had turned and looked right at me and suddenly the room's air had seemed oppressive. Outside the air was cool and the night was clear. I could see the constellation Cat's Eye winking in the blue-black darkness. I wondered if this were the right time of year to see Bazel's Chariot. "It is a cool night for mid-Ter," Sarah said. (3) "Uh-huh, " I mumbled, figuring that she was going to continue with more of her superficial chatter. Not that it was so bad, I didn't have many people to talk to and even the most inane chatter was a great relief to me in those days. I guess I was just disappointed that my sister-in-law (who I understood was the daughter of an important land-owner on the southern island) could not be a true and close friend. I guess we were too different. "I know a good way to work up a sweat,” she said and I could her the mischievousness in her voice. "Huh?" I questioned looking up at her. She was one of these tall elegant women that towered over even men and had a way of walking on those long legs of theirs like a leaf carried by the wind. "Oh, come now, Autumn," she said with increasing condescension. "I know you are simple, but even you cannot be satisfied with this life here. From what I understand you even fetch your own milk in the barn like a slave. I know Eric is not in good favor with his father, but that must really anger the both of you. I know you must want more. Even more than Eric can give you." "I. . uh.. " I did not know how to answer her. I did not know what she meant. "Is Eric good'?" she asked, again with mischievousness in her voice and now a gleam of it in her eye. "Eric is a good husband. He provides for me and even bought me this dress,' I pulled at the hem of it awkwardly. "He works hard and get a little cranky…" I whispered the last part afraid even there of his overhearing me. "But he is good to me in his way." "I don't mean that! " Sarah almost hissed. "I mean - " She paused and lowered her voice. "Consummation. The ole give and take." She grinned lasciviously. “And don’t give me this ‘good in his own way’ line, broken noses and black eyes are helping you get any prettier.” I was shocked that anyone, especially a woman, would speak so crassly. No one but my husband had ever brought up that topic so directly before and I was struck speechless. "Oh come on, don't look so insulted, Autumn," Sarah said. "Do not act as if you are some pristine flower. I know that bugger of a husband of yours must have an insatiable appetite. All little men do. But I also know that more often than not men with insatiable appetites are terrible and selfish lovers." Again, I did not know what to say. Part of me wanted to argue in Eric's defense, but mostly I knew what she was saying to be true. I did not know about other men, but making love with Eric did not bring me any carnal pleasure. On occasion I could appreciate the affection he was showing me when he actually stuck around long enough to hold me as we drifted to sleep, but was that true enjoyment'? Not really. "Okay, I know you are too delicate to talk of such matters openly, even to another woman, and I know you very plain and not much to look at, but you we have certain options that I have partaken of once or twice and tonight seems like a good night for it," Sarah said looking off across the fields. "What are you talking about'?" I finally brought up the nerve to ask. "The slaves,” She said as if I were stupid. "They are ours to do with as we please. They tend our fields, pull our loads, handle the beasts and even [I]you[/I] must know that our husbands, on occasion, pleasure themselves on their women. " She paused. I was shocked at what I was hearing "Why can we not do the same?" She looked across the fields again and now I realized that she was looking in the direction of the slave quarters. "All you need to do is exercise some caution and take care to always do it at the right time as to not become heavy with child and you can get away with it too. " It all came together. No wonder Morn had showed so much fear. It was not that he was afraid of the consequence of some imagined act, but of real acts that must happen more often than my naive mind could imagine. "And they want to?" I asked. Sarah laughed loudly and I could hear the conversation in side die down at the laughter. She took my arm and pulled me off the porch and whispered. "Of course they do," She said. "Why would they not want the thrill of coupling with a free woman? And even if they did not want to there are ways to get them to do it anyway. It is all about your pleasure, forget about them. Think about it. If you ever need me to cover for you I will and don't think that I might not look to you confirm my stories." I was bewildered. "I think it is time for you and I to go for [I]a walk[/I], " she said. "Or, at least you will go for a walk I am going for something else." And with that she walked off across the field towards the slave quarters and I stood there dumbfounded. Eventually I wandered around until her return. When the others asked where we had been, Sarah said we had gone for a walk and looked at me. I nodded in agreement. That night after the party Eric forced himself upon me again and I lay there and took it. I felt a sudden anger that dwindled away to a profound sadness and long after Eric was snoring I lie there weeping and wondering why the world seemed as cruel and crazy as it did. -------------------------------------------------------- [b]Notes[/b] (1) These were the years leading up to the Black-Neergaard War, when the Kingdom of Neergaard rose up in arms to fight again Black Islands privateers that kept waylaying their ships and impressing their men into service. (2) In the Black Islands Barony, Set is worshiped as the god of Power and Rule. The Church of Set is the official religion of the barony, though it tries to separate itself (at least publicly) from the cultists found throughout the rest of Aquerra. (3) Ter is the third month of the year and the first month of summer in Central Aquerra. Summers tend to be very hot and humid on the Black Islands. [/QUOTE]
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A Long Hard Rain - The Story of Autumn of Fallon - Completed: 8/14
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