  |
Back to Chapter
19
Chapter 20 � The Downfall of the Duchess
Program
Director Cecilia Sanchez spent the following day with her normal
routine. On Saturdays she always met with her students to receive
updates on their studies and how they were handling life in Danubia. The
majority seemed to be adjusting well, and as for the few who were having
problems, those problems were routine and manageable. There was no
reason for Cecilia to feel uneasy that day.
However Cecilia did feel uneasy, a feeling which only increased every
time she met with one of the 13 students who were wearing a collar on
behalf of Maria Elena. Earlier in the week she had lied to the group,
allowing them to assume that their friend would be better off in the
Royal Residence than she possibly could be at the university. She showed
them old reports and articles that talked about how well Royal Servants
had been treated under the old Grand Duchess and the rulers who had come
before her. She had wanted no further trouble from her students, so she
deceived them by telling them that Maria Elena was fine in her new home.
Carmen�s counseling session was almost at the end of her schedule, and
out of the collared group she was the last. By the time Carmen came in
for her appointment Cecilia was so guilt-ridden that she could not look
her student in the face. Carmen looked at her director, wondering if she
was going to be sick.
�Yeah� yeah. Truth is I must have eaten something� don�t feel good at
all��
Great. Now she was compounding lies with yet more lies, something that
was considered highly dishonorable in Danubian society. She figured that
she would tell Carmen the truth after Maria Elena was returned to the
Ministry of Justice, but her motivation for waiting was purely selfish.
What she wanted was to avoid any further public spectacles from her
students and thus avoid any further headaches for herself. She knew what
she needed to do, simply tell Carmen what really was happening and also
tell her that it was likely Maria Elena would be extracted the next day.
But to do something like that was not in Cecilia�s character. She was by
nature a secretive person who always felt that the less people knew
about her affairs, the better.
When Carmen left, Cecilia decided to cancel the remaining appointments.
She repeated what she had said to Carmen, that she was feeling ill. She
stepped outside into the cool late summer air. At first she thought
about going home, but she could not face Victor and the sight of Maria
Elena�s empty room. Instead she decided to walk in the direction of the
campus Temple, which was an old church that was being used by the
university. She knew that her fianc� Jason would be there, working on a
routine maintenance project with several other students who were
performing Public Penance.
Jason was not scheduled to get off work for several more hours. However,
the Priest overseeing the maintenance crew took one look at Cecilia and
knew that she needed Jason much more than the Church needed him. He
released Jason and told him to return on time the following day. Jason
knelt, touched his head to the ground, and said goodbye to his superior.
Cecilia had a hard time putting into words what was bothering her so
much. For several minutes she spoke incoherently about Carmen and other
protesters. She hardly expected her fianc� to understand what was going
on. She looked at Jason�s youthful innocent face, assuming that the
person listening to her was the same naive freshman she had seen
standing in the hallway of the second floor of Huntington Hall five
years before. However, she had underestimated him, because during his
four years in Danubia he had studied under the Priestess and had taken
the teachings of the Danubian Church seriously. As a result of his
efforts, he had acquired insight and understanding about life that few
people from the US would ever experience. It wasn�t long before he
gently cut off Cecilia and bluntly asked her:
�You feel guilty about all the lies you told this week, don�t you?�
�Yeah, I �spose. I �spose that�s it.�
�Or maybe it�s not just the lies, Cecilia. Maybe it�s that you told all
those lies because you were just worried about protecting yourself,
trying to save yourself some embarrassment?�
Cecilia became defensive: �I was doin� it for the program. I don�t want
Carmen doin� a bunch of shit that�s gonna embarrass the university
that��
�� and so you thought lying was the best way to handle it? You never
thought that if you took the time to explain, in detail, what�s really
going on, that Maria Elena is in the Royal Household because it�s her
Path in Life to go there, that she had to go there so the Prime Minister
could get the other servants out� that maybe Carmen might not have
reacted the way you thought she�d react?�
�Carmen would�ve wanted to protest. I just wanted to shut her up.�
�You know that for a fact? Did you ask her?�
�No. I didn�t ask her. I just knew she was gonna stir up shit and I
don�t need it. I don�t need her shit, Jason.�
�So it all comes back to you, doesn�t it? You don�t need her shit. You
don't want to be embarrassed. So you dishonored yourself by deceiving
her and all the others wearing collars. Next week they�re gonna know the
truth, and the Church is gonna know the truth. Next week everyone's
gonna see you for what you are.�
Cecilia angrily turned away. Tears welled up in her eyes.
�Look. If you�re gonna insult me, then you can go fuck yourself. I don�t
need you.�
�I�m not insulting you, Cecilia. I�m just telling you that you�ve dug
yourself into a big hole with your students. You lied to them, and next
week they�re gonna know that you lied to them. And I�d bet they�ll
figure out real fast that you lied to protect yourself, even though you
keep talking about protecting the exchange program, which is total
bullshit. You dishonored yourself by lying to people who are wearing
Church collars, to people who trusted you as their leader. The
relationship you might have had with them is now broken, because once
you break trust, you�re dishonored and you can�t fix that.�
Cecilia was horrified to hear her normally docile fianc� speak to her
with such cold confidence, as though he were a Priest who had spent
decades in the Temple. The worst part of it was that she knew he was
right. However, she couldn�t bear hearing such a harsh assessment from
Jason. Her reaction was typical of her when she felt cornered, she
counter-attacked. She tore off her engagement jewelry and threw it at
him.
�Call me dishonored? Then you can take this shit and you can shove it up
your ass!�
Jason said nothing, which infuriated Cecilia even more. Not knowing what
else to say, she stormed off, assuming that she had just broken off
their relationship. Jason calmly picked up the engagement necklace and
hair-piece. It took him a few seconds to spot her ring, almost buried in
the grass. He did not follow her and he did not try to shout anything
after her. The truth was that Cecilia had indeed dishonored herself by
lying to Carmen and the others, and she needed to understand that
reality before she could attempt to repair the damage. He simply had
told her the same thing that any Priest or Priestess would have told
her. It was not his Path in Life to try to comfort her, because all that
would accomplish would be to prolong her own self-deception. He loved
her too much to tell her that her behavior was acceptable or that
everything was going to be fine, when it wasn�t.
Cecilia walked about 100 meters and stopped. She was totally horrified�
how could that have happened? Jason� he was the only man she had ever
loved� five years they had been together� and now� it was over� gone�
just because she was pissed at him�
She looked back. He was calmly standing right where she had left him. He
had not chased after her, but he had not walked off either. He was still
there, if she wanted to go back to him. But that decision would be hers
to make. She would have to return to him. He would not be coming after
her.
She knew that she had to go back. Without Jason her life really had no
meaning, but to go back to him would be the hardest thing she could
imagine doing. To go back would be to admit that she was wrong. She took
a deep breath, summoned her courage, and slowly retraced her steps. As
she got closer she could see him quietly holding her engagement jewelry
in his hands. So, all along he had known she couldn�t leave.
He waited until she was within arms� length before holding up her
hair-piece. She stood quietly as he worked it back into her hair. After
her engagement necklace and ring were safely restored to their proper
places on her body, he announced:
�I�m taking you to the Temple. Then you�re gonna need to go to Carmen�s
place and tell her what�s really going on.�
----------
The Priestess was at her usual post in the Temple of the Ancients when
Jason Schmidt brought in his forlorn-looking fianc�. As usual, he was
completely naked and she was wearing a simple one-piece dress that was
typical of the informal attire young Danubian women wore during the
summer. As he had over the past four years, he knelt and put his head on
the ground, rising when she gave him permission. Cecilia simply knelt
upright, staring ahead with sad glassy eyes.
The Priestess had seen Cecilia and Jason together and separately many
times over the past four years, so she knew both of them well. What was
interesting to the cleric was that Jason had changed so much, while
Cecilia had changed so little. The Priestess knew why. Jason had been
performing Public Penance almost the entire time he had been in Danubia,
while Cecilia had not. From the beginning it was obvious that Jason
desperately wanted to free himself from the burdens he carried from his
past. He understood what he needed to do, and he was willing to take any
measure he or the Priestess felt was necessary for him to achieve that
freedom. The most important part of the break from his past was his
collar. Officially he might have declared himself property of the
Danubian Church, but in doing so he had liberated his soul from all of
the guilt and burdens he had brought with him from the US. He never
could have experienced such freedom had he not accepted the collar.
Cecilia
Sanchez�s concerns were always much more worldly. She was a competent
and skilled program director, a good student, and a dedicated caretaker
for host Victor Dukov and her nephew Pedro. She had learned a lot during
her time in Danubia, but unlike Jason, her character had not undergone
any real changes. After four years of being in Danubia, she was the same
person she had been in the US, while Jason had grown and had become
totally different. The Priestess could see that so clearly that she
wondered how it was possible that Cecilia could be so blind to what had
happened to her partner.
Even before Cecilia began speaking, the Priestess knew that, at the
insistence of her fianc�, the Dominican had come to her to confess
something she had done wrong. She also could tell that what Cecilia was
about to do would be difficult for her. The Priestess decided not to
immediately address whatever it was that was bothering Cecilia, but
instead talk about what was going to happen the following day. Even
though the stated purpose of the trip would be to obtain a simple
confession and counseling for Criminal # 101025, everyone involved in
the affair knew that the real purpose would be to find legal
justification needed to get Maria Elena and the other Royal Servants
away from the Grand Duchess and her predatory assistants.
The Priestess had her sources within the Royal Household, so she also
knew about the strange meetings between Anyia�s two Lords and mysterious
groups of visiting foreigners. She momentarily let down her guard when
she commented:
�The Creator has enlightened me that our task may be much more important
than merely addressing what is going on within the Royal Household among
the servants. It is not my Path in Life to make idle speculation about
the people I work with and the tasks I must accomplish. I have access to
information. I am fully aware of what is going on in that house; a
dwelling that has become a refuge for the Destroyer. For that reason, I
have asked the Prime Minister to accompany me, along with his son
Vladik. The father and the brother of the Grand Duchess will be
witnesses to her full disgrace.�
The Priestess turned to Cecilia: �The Destroyer has been active in the
life of your friend. You must understand that tomorrow you will be
speaking to a person who will be traumatized by what has happened to
her. You must summon your strength and not be shocked when you see her.�
Cecilia understood that the moment had come for her to confess her own
problem. In just a few sentences she related that she had lied to her
students about Maria Elena�s situation to keep them from protesting and
causing her embarrassment. As a result, the following week she faced
being dishonored when Carmen and the others found out that their program
director had deceived them about their friend�s situation. She concluded
by saying she was deeply sorry for what she had done.
Cecilia expected the Priestess to give her an angry lecture about the
evil of lying, but all she said was:
�You are kneeling here before me, so to me that means you are aware of
the dangers of deceit. You understand what you did; you broke trust. I
need not say anything more about that. I do know what you must do to
minimize the damage you have done, and to regain the confidence of your
students. But before I tell you what I believe you should do, I would
like to comment about something, something about your country that has
always troubled me.�
�What�s that, Priestess?�
�You Americans have a custom that strikes me as strange. A few minutes
ago you used the word �sorry� to express how you felt about the betrayal
against the trust of your students. It is not a word I took seriously
because I have heard it too often from the people of your country. You
are always saying �sorry� for things, for things both trivial and
significant. I understand that �sorry� is even posted on signs and
recorded telephone messages. If one feels remorse over something one has
done, how is it possible to express such sentiment on a piece of paper
or a recorded device? How is such a thing possible?�
�I� it�s just kinda the way we do things, Priestess. I guess� so people
won�t be mad��
�So, in your country, people normally say �sorry� when they want a
problem they have created to disappear, for a wrong they have committed
to be forgotten. But not to actually correct that wrong through their
own initiative. Is that not so?�
�Yes, Priestess. That is so.�
�I asked you the question because I expect you to understand that the
American word �sorry� is a concept with no meaning. You would do well to
abolish �sorry� from your vocabulary and thoughts. There is no point in
expressing remorse if that expression is not supported by action to
remedy what you have done. Do you understand that?�
�Yes, Priestess.�
�The Creator does not forget, Cecilia Sanchez. A problem will not
disappear unless you take specific action to correct what you have
done.�
�Yes, Priestess.�
Cecilia cringed slightly, because she knew what was coming. She already
knew she would have to put on a Temple collar and perform Public
Penance. Wearing her collar, she would have to go over to Carmen�s house
and confess what she had done. As difficult as it would be to appear in
front of Carmen and her host family naked, approaching her while
performing Public Penance would solve one problem for Cecilia. She would
not have to try to find any words to apologize, because the collar would
do that for her. All she needed to do was tell her student what had
happened. Under the traditions of Danubian culture, because Cecilia was
collared, it would be Carmen�s responsibility to forgive her.
�Stand.�
Cecilia stood up and the Priestess put her hands around her throat to
measure her neck size. She wrote a number down on a small piece of paper
and handed it to a Temple attendant.
�Kneel�
Cecilia knelt. The Priestess looked at her severely.
�Before we go to the firepit and before I ask you to surrender that
dress you are wearing, I wish to make you understand something
important. My impression is that you expect that I would allow you to
perform Public Penance for a short time, as I have allowed for your
students. You hope to properly express remorse for your deceptions, and
then after the equinox, to resume your life as it has been up to today.
That is your hope, is it not?�
Cecilia hesitated in answering, because that was indeed what she was
expecting.
�Speak, Cecilia Sanchez. Answer my question.�
�Yes, Priestess� that is� kinda what I was hoping.�
�Then I want you to understand the condition of your Penance will differ
from that of your fianc�. He is wearing the collar of his own free will.
After knowing him for four years, I trust that he has the maturity of
spirit to determine for himself when it is best to ask for release from
his Penance. I do not believe that you have such maturity of spirit.
Therefore I anticipate the Creator will communicate to me about the
length of your Penance, not to you. If you accept the collar, you will
wear it for a long time, not just a few weeks. The winter will come and
the cold wind will punish your exposed body. Everyone in your life will
see you, day after day, week after week, month after month, in your
condition of Penance. It will be up to the Creator to enlighten me when
you are to be released, and you are not to inquire about being released
until that moment comes. Do you understand me?�
Cecilia was horrified. She had come to the Temple simply wanting to get
her problem with Carmen and the other students resolved. What Jason had
told her really seemed to make sense: just display remorse by being
collared and tell the truth about what she did and what her motivations
were for doing so. She would be naked for a few days, participate in the
Day of the Dead ceremonies, and then she would get dressed and
everything would be fine� or so she had thought�
To the Priestess however, Cecilia�s deception was the manifestation of a
much deeper problem in her soul. Cecilia Sanchez obviously suffered from
an over-developed concept of self-worth that could only be addressed
through a lengthy time of Public Penance that had no fixed date for
ending. The first thing Cecilia would have to surrender was the idea
that she controlled her own future. She would remain collared for a long
time; months, maybe years, maybe the rest of her life. She had to accept
that reality and in doing so submit to the Will of the Creator.
�You will come, Cecilia Sanchez. You will come and you will submit.�
Cecilia followed the Priestess to the back of the Temple, with Jason
trailing behind. The trio emerged onto the large platform in the rear
and approached a circular fire-pit. Cecilia felt a pang of regret about
the dress she was wearing, because it would be torn and burnt as part of
the age-old ceremony submitting to Public Penance. Cecilia and Jason
knelt as the Priestess took two items from a Temple attendant. One of
the items was a small knife; the other was the collar that Cecilia would
be wearing within a few minutes.
Cecilia stood as the Priestess quickly slit her dress down the front.
The Priestess nodded to Jason, quietly ordering him to pull the ruined
article of clothing off his fianc�'s body. Another quick slash cut
Cecilia�s panties, which Jason picked up. He handed both pieces of
clothing to Cecilia. The Priestess prayed for a moment before ordering
Cecilia to toss the ruined articles of clothing in the fire-pit. There
was a flash as the burning coals consumed the cloth.
Cecilia also had to take off her shoes. A Temple attendant took them
away. Unlike clothing, shoes were not tossed in the fire-pit, but still
they were permanently surrendered to the Church. If the shoes were in
good condition they were given to people who could not afford to buy new
footwear.
Cecilia knelt and held the collar in front of her, contemplating the
pending surrender of her freedom. She felt totally helpless, much more
so than the first time she performed Penance four years before. She
began crying as the Priestess placed her hands on her shoulders. A few
minutes later the collar was locked on her neck.
----------
Cecilia
Sanchez had two tasks to accomplish upon receiving her collar. The first
was to go to Carmen�s house and explain what had happened with Maria
Elena. Cecilia was extremely downcast as she confessed. Not only was she
admitting to behaving dishonorably, but also the lack of clothing
completely took away her self-confidence. She felt vulnerable and
exposed, even though Carmen was just as naked as she was. Carmen quietly
accepted Cecilia�s explanation. When the director finished, her student
had a question:
�I was just kinda curious� how long are you gonna keep your collar?�
�I� I�m not sure. The Priestess said I wasn�t �sposed to ask about it�
how long, I mean. I�ll have to wait until she says I can take it off.�
�Then I�m gonna keep mine, as long as you have to keep yours.�
Cecilia tried to hold back her tears.
�Carmen, I don�t want you to do that. You�ve got your own life to live.
I fucked up� that�s what the Priestess told me. That�s not your
problem.�
�You fucked up. But you�re trying to fix it. That�s what matters. So I
will keep my collar as long as you have yours, and I will tell her that.
The Priestess, I mean��
----------
Cecilia had to return to the Temple. The Priestess released Jason, but
flatly announced that Cecilia would not be going home that night.
Instead the two women took a trolley to the outer edge of Dan�bikt
M�skt. They got off at the last stop and boarded a light-rail headed
towards the provincial capitol of Rika Heckt-nemat. They got off at a
junction leading towards Dagur�ckt-T�k and in the darkness walked past
several blocks of houses. Cecilia was terrified, being alone in the
middle of the night in the countryside with the intimidating
Clergy-woman. When they passed the last house, the Priestess stopped.
Cecilia immediately knelt. The Priestess then did something that totally
shocked the American: she pulled her dress over her head, exposing her
statuesque figure.
�Rise, Cecilia Sanchez. Rise and fold my dress. We will walk, and you
will carry my garment.�
Cecilia did as she was told. She took the dress that was the Priestess�s
only worldly possession. Once the dress was folded, the Priestess showed
Cecilia how to use the sash to properly tie it into a small bundle. With
the dress safely folded, the two naked women set out walking in the
direction of the Royal Residence along a dark country road. Adhering to
Church protocol, Cecilia followed about five meters behind the
Priestess.
They spent the entire night walking in silence. At daybreak they stopped
at a small Temple where they were greeted by two Priests. The Priestess
put on her dress and prayed while Cecilia was allowed a breakfast of
buttered bread and blackberry punch. Her feet were sore and raw from
being without shoes, and she was desperately tired after having spent
the entire night walking. However, there was no indication there would
be any rest.
The Priestess took a satchel of papers from her fellow-Clergy members,
tapped Cecilia on the shoulder, and took off her dress for a second
time. She handed her garment to the American. The two Priests approached
Cecilia, stripped off their robes and also handed them to her to fold
and carry. Cecilia would have to carry their hats as well. Cecilia later
learned that it was common for Clergy members to strip off their
garments if they had to walk long distances, and it was also common for
Temple attendants or persons performing Public Penance to assist by
carrying the clothing. The vestments were expensive and the Clergy
members were expected to conserve them as much as possible. From the
point of view of the Church, it did not make any sense for a Priest or
Priestess to walk on a dusty road in Temple clothing, so the garments
had to be taken off and carried.
Following ancient protocol the three naked Clergy members and their
attendant continued their silent trek towards the Royal Residence. They
walked in single file along the quiet road as the sun came up and the
mist lifted from the countryside.
----------
As Cecilia continued on her painful and tiring journey with her
Priestess, Officer Vladik Dukov put on his police uniform. He kissed his
wife goodbye before getting into a police van that he had signed out
from the National Police motor-pool the night before. He drove downtown
to pick up his police partner before he retrieved his parents from the
Prime Minister�s residence. The van stopped at the Temple of the
Ancients to pick up Grand Prophet # 4. On their way out of town, the van
stopped one final time, at the house of Spokeswoman Kimberly-Lee
Dolkivna.
Within a few minutes, Vladik drove up the same road that Cecilia and the
Priestess had spent the entire night traversing on foot. They approached
the front gate of the Royal Residence, where the three Clergy members
were waiting with their exhausted attendant.
The Clergy members had put their garments back on and quietly standing
by the roadside. Cecilia was kneeling. Everyone stepped out of the van
and knelt, including the Grand Prophet. The Priestess, because she was
the one leading the group, remained standing.
�Oh Creator. We have come to you seeking the truth. We ask only the
truth. We seek only the truth. You know what is in our hearts. We ask
that we may proceed with humility, but also with the strength of will to
carry out this tasking.�
The group knelt forward, touched their heads on the ground, and knelt
upright. The Priestess continued:
�I ask something specific of you, Oh Creator. I ask you to speak to us
through Criminal # 101025, the woman who was formally known as the
Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres. I ask that you speak to us
through her, and that once you have spoken to us through her, you safely
deliver her into our hands. That is my request, Oh Creator.�
The group knelt forward a second time, and then stood up.
The Priestess took the satchel, pulled out a copy of the letter granting
permission to speak to Criminal # 101025, and with Cecilia walked up to
the guard-post. She introduced herself to the guards. Cecilia expected
an argument, but the gatekeepers immediately opened the gates to allow
the group to pass.
Cecilia realized the operation had been carefully planned and had the
support from several people working inside the Royal Residence. Two
uniformed guards showed up and saluted Officer Dukov and the Prime
Minister. They led the Prime Minister, his wife, his son, and his son�s
partner to the courtyard, pointing to a badly beaten young man hanging
in the pillory. Vladik took several pictures for evidence before
ordering the servant to be taken down and moved to the infirmary. As was
typical, the punished servant had been left there all night.
Meanwhile, the Clergy members entered the Royal Residence along with Kim
and Cecilia. Naked servants and uniformed staff rushed into the main
hallway to see what was going on. The servants immediately knelt, but
guards ran up to the group with their pistols drawn. The Priestess
calmly passed out copies of the order allowing her to see Criminal #
101025 for a confession. The Priestess stated:
�I will pass unimpeded. If any of you wishes to shoot me, I challenge
you to do so. I will fall, as any human will fall. But then the world
will clearly see which Master you serve.�
The guards looked at the four Clergy members, then exchanged frightened
glances with each other. Suddenly they holstered their weapons and
knelt. Vladik and his partner entered the room leading several more
guards.
�All guards, rise! Under the authority of the National Police of the
Republic of Danubia, you are deputized to serve under the orders of this
nation�s Prime Minister! You will do his bidding!
�Doc-Doc!�
The guards turned towards Vladim Dukov, who was just entering the room.
The men saluted the Prime Minister. He saluted back.
�Secure this property immediately! I want no one to leave! I also expect
that you will detain anyone attempting to enter! I am placing my trust
in you, and I expect you not to fail in your duty to the nation!�
�Doc-Doc Dukov!�
Cecilia was dumbfounded by how quickly and how thoroughly the Royal
Guards switched sides. They were not stupid; they knew the game was up.
It was obvious the Prime Minister and the Clergy had defeated the Royal
Couple, because otherwise they would not have dared set foot on the
Royal Estate with such audacity. What certainly helped the Prime
Minister was the presence of Grand Prophet # 4. To oppose the Prophet
was to oppose the Church.
The Priestess turned to a couple of the trembling naked Royal Servants.
�Where is Criminal # 101025?�
One of the Royal Servants, the tall German girl with the tattoo on her
ankle, pointed towards the holding cells. The Priestess did not wait.
She ordered Kim, Cecilia, and two Royal Guards to accompany her. With
the others trailing behind, she strode down a corridor, turned a corner,
and descended a flight of old stone stairs.
The Priestess and her four companions quietly opened a thick wooden door
leading to the main basement hallway. As soon as the door was open they
could hear a broken human voice attempting to bark.
Crack!
�Speak, you foul dishonored creature! Speak!�
There was another weak bark, followed by a vicious crack of the belt.
The Priestess silently pointed at the cell door, ordering one of the
guards to open it. He snuck a key into the door, and quickly pulled it
open.
The scene shocked the Spokeswoman and Cecilia, but it was typical of
what Maria Elena had been enduring over the past week. She was strapped
to the copulation table, her body covered with fresh welts. She was
bleeding at the lip from having been slapped several times. Her hair was
undone and her dark eyes full of tears.
Lord Vidmarkt�s other servant was quietly kneeling, but she also had
been slapped several times and, like Maria Elena, her hair had been
undone. She looked up, bewildered, as soon as the door opened.
The Lord was naked as well. He struggled to pull on his pants and
screamed at the guards:
�What is the meaning of this? What is that Priestess doing, violating
the sanctity of Royal Household? What is she doing on this property?
Remove her, immediately!�
One of the guards responded:
�My Lord, the Prime Minister of Danubia is upstairs, along with Grand
Prophet # 4. We escorted the Priestess and the Spokeswoman to this room
at their behest.�
�What is this madness? You are Royal Guards! Your duty is to serve the
Grand Duchess! I order you to arrest those women! They have invaded��
�My Lord, we will not. We are no longer under your orders. We are
serving under the National Police, with the blessing of the Church.�
The Priestess held up a copy of the Criminal #101025�s confession
letter.
�Lord, do you recognize this document?�
The Lord went pale, but denied ever having seen it. The Priestess
commented:
�Lord Vidmarkt, you are a dishonored liar. You have indeed seen several
documents similar to this one, documents we sent with servants that have
been called upon to live in the Royal Residence. All of those documents
disappeared. We of the Clergy tired of the tendency your staff has for
losing things that are important to us, so this time we took the liberty
of making copies. That is what justified my coming here today with my
translator. This woman will be released, and I will hear her confession
and counsel her. You will adhere to your duty, just as I will adhere to
mine.�
The two guards pulled out their pistols and pointed them at the still
incredulous Royal Official:
�You will do as the Priestess has ordered, my Lord. You will allow the
criminal to be counseled by the Clergy.�
The Priestess stood straight, with her hard eyes tearing into Anyia�s
confidant. The full wrath of the Church was in her expression.
�Let me repeat what I just told you Lord Vidmarkt, in case you missed
it. You are a dishonored liar.�
The shock of hearing a member of the Danubian Clergy calling him the
worst thing a person could be called in Danubia momentarily stunned Lord
Vidmarkt. Before he could react, the Priestess ordered the guards to
grab him and push him into a holding cell, the same cell where Maria
Elena had been kept. Meanwhile, Kim ordered Cecilia and the other
servant to unbuckle Criminal # 101025�s bonds and help her off the
table.
The
Priestess led her entourage towards the exit, minus one guard who would
remain behind to secure the area and keep the Lord from attempting to
escape from his holding cell. Kim was relieved that Maria Elena was in
such bad condition; because there was no doubt that the Priestess had
plenty of justification to transfer custody back to the Ministry of
Justice. Maria Elena had endured a week of horror, but it now was over
and she would have the rest of her life to recover.
The main hallway of the Royal Residence was empty except for a couple of
deputized Royal Guards. The guards told the Priestess that the Prime
Minister had ordered everyone to assemble in the throne room. When the
group entered the ornate chamber, it was obvious that the Prime Minister
was completely in control. The Royal Servants were quietly kneeling in
formation along one side of the room, while the uniformed members of the
household staff where standing on the other side of the room, opposite
the servants. It was clear that many of the regular staff were angry or
upset but, like the guards, they fully understood it would be foolish to
oppose the Prime Minister if he had the support of the Church.
Kim and the Priestess saluted the Prime Minister, who saluted back. Kim
motioned for Maria Elena and the other servant to kneel. When Cecilia
remained standing, Kim snapped:
�You too, Cecilia. You�re collared, so get on your knees.�
Embarrassment swept over Cecilia, because she had totally forgotten that
she was naked and collared� and here she was, in front of the nation�s
Prime Minister. Of course, Cecilia�s state of undress was the least of
his concerns at the moment, but that did not make her feel any better.
She knelt with the two servants; feeling totally exposed and remembering
that the Priestess had told her she would be collared indefinitely.
At that moment Vladik and his police partner entered the room with the
Grand Duchess, followed by four deputized Royal Guards and three
additional Royal Servants. Anyia was completely naked, because her
brother had pulled her out of bed. Her hands were cuffed behind her
back, totally exposing her attractive body. The Grand Duchess was livid
with rage and struggled viciously as she was brought into the throne
room. When she saw that her entire staff had been assembled in the
chamber she screamed:
�What are you dishonored creatures waiting for? Kill them! Kill them!
Don�t you see what they�re doing to my Divine Honor? KILL THEM!!!�
The staff was terrified. Their instincts told them that they needed to
rush to the aid of their Mistress, but a quick glance from Grand Prophet
# 4 let them know they needed to stay silent.
Vladim and Maritza Dukov quickly tired of listening to their daughter
screaming that they needed to be killed. The Prime Minister ordered his
son to take the Grand Duchess outside and chain her to the whipping
post.
�She can scream all she wants out there. Once she calms down we�ll bring
her back inside and I will talk to her.�
Maritza accompanied the two cops as they took the Grand Duchess outside
and chained her. Her arms were immobilized above her head and her feet
were spread and chained to the ground. She was chained facing the post,
leaving her backside exposed and totally vulnerable. She was incredulous
over what was happening to her and still did not realize that now she
was as helpless as any of the servants she had flogged over the time she
had worn her crown. Undeterred, she screamed with blind rage and
continued to hurl insults and threats.
----------
Anyia�s distant shouting in the courtyard reminded the Priestess that
she had not yet taken care of Maria Elena�s confession. That confession
was extremely important, because it was to be the justification for the
Church�s authorization for Vladim Dukov to move against the Royal Family
and occupy their estate. Already the day was not going according to
plan, because originally it had been the intention of the Church that
the servants would be removed from the Royal Estate before any action
was taken against the Grand Duchess.
The criminal still was in shock over the treatment she had received from
Lord Vidmarkt and her sudden rescue. The Priestess instructed Cecilia to
tell Maria Elena that she would need to calm down as quickly as possible
so she could confess and be counseled. Cecilia added:
�Whether or not we can get you out of here depends on how badly you�ve
been treated. If you haven�t been treated badly enough, we�re gonna have
to leave without you. So make sure you tell the Priestess� in as much
detail as you can remember, what they did to you over the past week.�
What Cecilia had told Maria Elena was a stretch of the truth, because it
was obvious that even without a formal statement she had been treated
atrociously. The Priestess walked in on her at the moment she was being
raped, which was enough justification for an immediate transfer of
custody. However, Cecilia wanted to be sure that Maria Elena shared
whatever salacious information she had on the Duchess, partly to justify
the release of the other servants and partly to make sure Lord Vidmarkt
could be formally prosecuted.
Maria Elena tearfully nodded. One of the accompanying Priests found a
small reception room with a thick door that could be locked. Although
the original plan had been to counsel Maria Elena off-site, the
Priestess decided that there was no time to move the servant and that
her statement needed to be taken immediately. She ordered Kim, Cecilia,
and the Priest to accompany her and serve as witnesses. She ordered
Cecilia to bring a pitcher of water and a glass. Although by that time
Cecilia was about to collapse from fatigue, she knelt, placed her head
on the floor, and then rose to go to the kitchen to get water for Maria
Elena.
Cecilia entered the room and knelt with the water in front of Maria
Elena, who was sitting on an elaborately carved wooden chair. The
punished servant gratefully took the glass and emptied it. It was the
first time in nearly a week she had not been forced to drink out of a
bowl. The Priestess spoke and Cecilia translated:
�The Creator asks only one thing of you, that you tell me of you
experiences over the past week in this house. You must tell me what has
happened to you. No detail is too trivial. Something that you think is
small may turn out to be extremely significant.�
Maria Elena sadly nodded. Under normal circumstances the Priestess would
have chided her for nodding instead of answering properly, but she knew
that protocol was not something to worry about at the moment. She
ordered Cecilia to take a seat. Then she knelt in front of Maria Elena
and took her hands. The other Priest and the Spokeswoman sat on a sofa
with notebooks and pens, because they would be serving as official
witnesses.
The Priestess began by getting Maria Elena to talk about what was
happening the moment she was rescued. Within a few minutes the complete
story of Lord Vidmarkt�s cruelty and debauchery had been documented. Kim
realized that there easily was enough information in Criminal # 101025�s
statement to press charges against him for sexual abuse. Additionally,
there were other witnesses, the other servants with whom she had been
forced to humiliate herself.
The Priestess moved on to the first day Maria Elena was in the Royal
Residence and her treatment at the hands of Anyia. The Priestess was
especially interested in hearing about the incident with the two male
servants and the fact one had been forced to perform oral sex on the
other, on the direct orders of the Grand Duchess. Kim knew that there
was plenty in that incident alone which would allow charges to be filed
against Anyia, and the Colombian had witnessed several other incidents
that were only slightly less perverted.
The conversation moved onto the more trivial details of life in the
Royal Household. Even in the most mundane activities of daily life at
the Royal Residence, Anyia�s utter contempt for her servants was clearly
evident.
Maria Elena�s portrayal of the Grand Duke was more neutral. The Grand
Duke was totally detached from what his wife was doing, eager to go out
with his three servants and play golf, or polo, or play soccer with
nobles or Royal Guards. Undoubtedly he was at least vaguely aware of
what Anyia was doing with the other servants, but he did nothing to rein
her in. He was attached to her and did not want to offend her, but more
importantly, his mind was lazy and he had no desire for any
confrontations. However, she never had seen him act abusively towards a
servant, which was why those three favored women so desperately stuck
close to him.
The Priestess then sought information about the various meetings between
Anyia�s assistants and their business associates. She allowed Maria
Elena to go at her own pace, because she knew the meetings were far more
important for the future of Danubia than anything else Maria Elena had
witnessed. The Priestess extracted, in minute detail, everything the
servant had seen that proved the connection between the two Lords and
Mega-Town Associates. She teased out of the girl�s shattered memory
physical descriptions of the visitors and even some names. As she
desperately copied Maria Elena�s statements into her notebook, Kim was
amazed at how skillfully the Priestess conducted the interview and
extracted information.
Kim had expected the interview to end with lengthy prayers, but the
Priestess kept that part of the confession brief. There would be plenty
of time to pray later. Instead she asked her superior, Grand Prophet #
4, to enter the reception room. With him present, she signed the
document that officially sanctioned the return of Criminal # 101025�s
custody to the Ministry of Justice. Kim put a metal tag on the ring in
Maria Elena�s collar which had the Ministry of Justice emblem on it.
Cecilia explained to Maria Elena that, as of that moment, Spokeswoman
Lee-Dolkivna was her provisional custodian. The custodianship would
become permanent during a court hearing the next day.
Maria Elena was surprised that she did not feel much emotion at that
moment. She would have expected to be elated, or angry, or vengeful, or�
something. But she really felt little because she was exhausted and
psychologically drained. The only thing in her mind was that it was
extremely important not to get separated from Kim or Cecilia. Until the
actually left the Royal Residence, the promise of transfer would remain
only that, dream based on a promise.
----------
Kim decided to send Cecilia and Maria Elena to the infirmary so they
could get some rest. It was obvious that Maria Elena was terrified of
being separated from Kim, but the Spokeswoman and the Priestess had a
busy day ahead of them. Cecilia entered the infirmary and passed out on
one of the medical beds. Maria Elena sat next to her sleeping
translator. She was terrified of being seized and pulled away from
Cecilia. If it had been possible, she would have chained their collars
together to make sure one could not be moved without the other. She
waited, curled up on the foot of the bed with her arms around her knees,
for the final order that would take her away from the mansion where she
had spent the most hellish week of her life.
Criminal # 101025�s statement had been taken, but now Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna
had to obtain corroborating statements from other Royal Servants. She
and the Priestess had planned to transfer all of the servants from the
Royal Residence based on the initial testimony of her client, but she
could not remove them as a group; she had to interview them one by one
and the Priestess had to sign release documents one by one. That meant a
total of 30 interviews. The local Temple helped out by sending over five
additional Priests and Priestesses to help with the confessions and
taking statements. The Clergy members would work in two-person teams,
one conducting the interview and the other transcribing. If there was
anything of legal interest for the Ministry of Justice, Kim would have
to be called in.
Dukov was concerned about the paltry representation by the Ministry of
Justice at the Royal House; just one Spokeswoman and a few police
officers. However, he wanted to keep the affair as quiet as possible and
transfer the servants before any scandal broke out. The following day
they would be returned to their former Spokespersons and more detailed
statements could be taken later in the week. At the moment the only
issue that concerned the Prime Minister was obtaining Church sanction to
dispossess his daughter of her slaves.
The Clergy members stood in front of the kneeling servants and explained
that they had come to take confessions. Several of the servants had
waited to confess for months, but to their dismay had never seen a
member of the Clergy. The Priestess told the criminals what had
happened, that the Royal Household kept �losing� the confession
requests, and used the lack of documentation as an excuse to turn away
Clergy members that had shown up at the gate. Then she held up a copy of
Criminal # 101025�s letter and explained how the Church finally had
outwitted the Grand Duchess and her advisors. When she asked which
servants wanted to confess first, the majority immediately raised their
hands.
Prime Minister Dukov took a deep breath. There was no doubt his
daughter�s reign of terror was finished. As he looked at the forlorn
group of servants, anger swept over him at that thought that his own
daughter had been capable of treating people entrusted to her in such a
despicable manner. He remembered what he had said to Kim, that for the
good of the nation and the tradition of the Royal Family she would
escape the punishment she truly deserved, Life without Honor. However,
she would pay for her crimes; he and the Clergy would see to that.
----------
While
the Clergy members collected confessions and statements, Anyia remained
chained to the whipping post in the courtyard. She screamed insults and
threats at her captors, still indignant that she was immobilized naked
to the same post where she had so often beaten her servants.
The young woman�s mother and brother stood by, sadly watching her.
Maritza finally tired of the spectacle and decided to attempt to get her
daughter to calm down by reasoning with her. All Anyia had to do was be
quiet and stop threatening everyone, and she would uncuffed and
released. Maritza approached her and placed her hand on the younger
woman�s shoulder.
�Anyia� Anyia� please� you must stop this nonsense. I assure you that��
At that instant the Grand Duchess made a mistake that considerably added
to her troubles. She spat at her mother. As soon as she felt the spit
hit her cheek, the last of Maritza�s patience vanished.
�Vladik, please remove your belt and pass it to me. Your sister has
sufficiently dishonored herself and our family name.�
The officer did as his mother requested. He took off his heavy leather
belt, removed the various police items that were attached to it, and
passed it to Maritza. She calmly doubled the implement, tapped it to
Anyia�s bottom, and struck hard. There was a tremendous CRACK and an
enraged scream coming from the Grand Duchess.
�No daughter of mine will spit at me, Anyia! I don�t care what title you
have! I don�t care that you are an adult! You remain my daughter and I
am not to be dishonored in such a manner by the child I carried in my
womb!�
With that Maritza struck hard a second time. The Grand Duchess pulled
hard on her chains, as though she expected that her title would force
them to give way. However, the whipping post and the belt did not care
about Anyia�s title. The cuffs held her as tightly as they held her
servants and the leather stung just as viciously. There was nothing more
for her to do but scream. Unfortunately for her, she foolishly continued
hurling insults at her mother and tried to spit at her again.
�You are the one who is restrained, my daughter. Not me. Spitting in
your circumstances is stupid, but I guess I raised a stupid child.�
Maritza struck again, laying a third cruel welt across Anyia�s bottom.
The helpless Grand Duchess screamed, but this time the scream was from
pain, not rage.
�Anyia, throughout your adolescence your father and I were patient with
you. We treated you with restraint and kindness, even though you were a
willful, selfish, and difficult child. We believed that kindness was a
trait that we could pass along to you, because your father and I had so
little of it in our lives when we were young. Obviously, we were
mistaken.�
CRACK!
Anyia screamed and sobbed, while her mother continued: �You chose not to
pay attention to the lessons we tried to teach you. You left our
household and turned into a person whose behavior far exceeds the simple
definition of dishonorable.�
CRACK!
�You chose the Dark Path, my daughter. The Creator gave you everything
you possibly could have wanted, and the only thing you did with all
those gifts was to squander them and trample them.�
CRACK!
Maritza had no desire to stop flogging her daughter anytime soon. She
was a patient woman, but she harbored nearly a decade of resentment,
disgust, and anger at Anyia�s behavior. Even so, she would have stayed
her hand, because the only reason Anyia was chained to the whipping post
was to keep her under control and force her to calm down. No one had
planned to inflict corporal punishment on her, but Anyia had done two
foolish things. The first was screaming at the Royal Guards to kill
Prime Minister Dukov and the others. It was a terrible shock to Maritza
to realize that Anyia would have been perfectly capable of murdering her
own parents and brother, had the guards acquiesced. However, what
finally broke Maritza�s patience was the spit. To spit upon her own
mother was the ultimate insult, the ultimate statement Anyia could have
given to show how little regard she had for her parents.
�My child, you will suffer for spitting on me. I will make you regret
that, just as I will make you regret trying to kill me. You will learn
all about regret, Anyia.�
CRACK!
While Anyia screamed and let out a pitiful cry, Maritza turned to
Vladik.
�Bring the Royal Household staff. Bring everyone in this household who
is not in confession so they can bear witness to what is happening to
their Mistress. Remind them that under the rules of the Crown, no one
may raise a hand against a member of the Royal Family except a relative.
I am this girl�s natural mother; therefore I am within my rights and my
obligations to punish her.�
A few minutes later, almost everyone from the Royal Household, staff,
servants and guards, had entered the courtyard to watch the Grand
Duchess being punished by Maritza. Anyia wailed with despair and
humiliation, but she no longer tried to threaten anyone. Her imperious
facade broke; she ceased being the Grand Duchess and returned to being
Anyia Dukov. She became nothing more than a dishonored young woman who
had insulted her mother and was being punished for her misdeeds.
Everyone present clearly saw the change in their Mistress.
CRACK!
Anyia cried every time her mother struck her, but no longer did she
threaten anyone. She realized that the others no longer saw her as
Divine and that no one was coming to her aid. Her mystique had been
broken, broken by her own parents. The only reality in her life now was
the belt and the pain tearing into her bottom� and the sobs and tears
rolling down her cheeks.
Vladim Dukov came into the courtyard just as Maritza was finishing their
daughter�s punishment. The young woman�s bottom was deep red and
swollen. Maritza quietly handed the belt to Vladik, who put it back on.
Anyia continued to sob while Vladik reattached his police gear to his
belt.
Maritza touched her daughter on the shoulder for a second time:
�Anyia� I�d like to release you from your punishment. It is painful to
me to see you like this. But I need to know if you are ready to change
your behavior. You have no right to threaten me, or your father, or your
brother. And you certainly had no right to threaten and abuse those who
tried to serve you.�
Anyia continued crying, but tried to nod. Maritiza continued:
�My daughter, a period of your life has come to an end. I want to loosen
your bonds, but you have to understand that your Path in Life has
changed. You must acknowledge that before I release you. Now� are you
ready to be released?�
�Yes� yes, Mother��
�Very well, my child� I will let you down from the whipping post.�
Maritza unhooked Anyia�s cuffs. The broken young woman no longer was
restrained, but she had to remain standing in front of her household.
She was naked, her bottom covered with painful welts, and her face
covered with tears. The servants saw their former Mistress as they had
seen each other after their beatings. The only difference was that,
unlike the whippings administered to her servants, Anyia�s punishment
was well-deserved.
----------
A few minutes later a city bus that had been commandeered by the
Ministry of Justice pulled up in front of the Royal Residence to take
away the former Royal Servants. They would be transported to the Central
Police Station and kept overnight in holding cells. The following day
they would be formally transferred, re-collared with Ministry collars,
and turned over to their Spokespersons to resume their lives as ordinary
criminals. They would not speak about their ordeal to anyone outside the
Ministry of Justice, for a simple reason. Dukov announced that as long
as they all stayed quiet about had gone on in the Royal Residence, their
scheduled judicial switchings would be cancelled for the remainder of
their sentences.
Once the bus departed, Vladim Dukov addressed the uniformed staff:
�I want this whipping post taken down and disassembled. I also want the
pillory taken down. Take the lumber back to the carpenter�s shop and see
if it can be re-used for something more productive.�
----------
Maritza took her stricken daughter to a small guest room in the Royal
Residence and ordered a guard to lock both her and the Grand Duchess
inside the room. Maritza would take charge watching over Anyia until her
situation was resolved. Anyia did not resist. She quietly let her mother
take her into the small room where she would be kept as a prisoner. She
asked if she could have a dress, but Maritza replied:
�My daughter, a dress is not something you should be concerned about
right now. I doubt you will ever wear clothing again.�
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was busy talking on the phone with various
police officers. The Grand Duke was on a hike and still needed to
located and brought back to the Royal Residence. The second Lord
assisting the Grand Duchess also needed to be located and detained,
along with the Mega-Town executives. Later Dukov would need to figure
out what to do with the salaried staff of the Royal Residence. Resolving
custody of the Royal Servants and locking up Anyia was only the
beginning.
----------
While he waited for his police officers to return his calls, the Prime
Minister entered the throne room with the Priestess. The ornate chamber
was now totally empty. The two officials contemplated the thrones,
especially the one that had been used by Anyia.
�They�ve been with us so long, Priestess� ever since the Epoch of the
Ancients� the same family� 3,000 years� in their time they were heroes,
they were considered Divine� and now� what has become of all that� an
empty house� a dishonored girl locked up in a room with her mother� a
couple of treasonous Lords who will face the firing squad� and a
dilettante on a hike. This is how 3,000 years will conclude��
�Everything comes to an end, Prime Minister. Three years or 3,000 years�
long or short� In the end it doesn�t matter. Ultimately it is the
Destroyer who is tasked to bring closure to all� to all life, to all
material goods, and to all dreams. The Destroyer concludes everything.
You were a fool to think the Royal Family would be any different. You
are also a fool to take blame upon yourself.�
Chapter 21
|