Back to Chapter 21
Chapter 22 � Anyia�s transformation
As
soon as Cecilia and Maria Elena departed for Merchant Victor Dukov�s
house, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna asked Officer Vladik Dukov to drive her
to the Central Police Station. She ran upstairs and returned to her
office with a list of tasks that she needed to accomplish to be ready
for the next day. She began by notifying the former servants� respective
Spokespersons of their release and that they needed to show up to court
the next morning to re-assume custody of their clients. The other
Spokespersons, in turn, would have to notify their clients� family
members and make sure each had a home to go to Monday night. Former
employers also would have to be notified, to make sure each of the 30
criminals was gainfully employed within three days.
After notifying her co-workers, Kim called the Ministry of Justice
doctors and the single psychiatrist who worked at the Central Police
Station. Before returning to court the criminals needed to have their
medical histories updated� and the women needed to be checked for
pregnancy. Kim desperately hoped the Royal Couple or Anyia�s two Lords
had forced the female servants to take birth-control pills, but she had
no way of knowing for sure without seeing whatever medical records had
been kept at the Royal Residence.
The psychiatrist had a busy night ahead of him, because he would have to
interview all 30 criminals before 8:00 the next morning. There were a
bunch of psychological issues to work out. Kim reflected that an
outsider such as Cecilia might have felt that it was unfair to keep the
former Royal Servants overnight in the Central Police Station, but she
remained convinced they needed to have at least one night of transition
before returning to their previous lives. Some of Anyia�s slaves had not
used their voices for over a year, so even the simple act of talking or
participating in a conversation would be difficult at the beginning.
Most of them were traumatized and full of fear or hatred, some more than
others. She knew that some would be full of self-loathing and might
contemplate suicide.
Six of the former Royal Servants had been Kim�s clients. She felt that
she needed to see them right away, so for her there would be no rest
upon finishing her phone calls. She went into her outer office, opened
six case files, and asked one of the cops on duty to go to the holding
cells and bring up her clients. All six were foreigners; five young
women convicted of drug charges, and one young man who had been part of
a clandestine missionary group and was convicted of proselytizing a
foreign religion. The six clients quietly knelt while their Spokeswoman
explained what had happened.
�I don�t think anyone would have imagined that one person could have
done so much harm in the position of Grand Duchess in such a short time
as Anyia Dukov. I don�t know what to say to you, because that woman�s
behavior went way beyond dishonorable. I�d like to be able to hold out
some sort of reward for you, but I can�t offer much. I will tell you
that the conditions of the remaining part of your sentences will
improve. Tomorrow each of you will get a collar with a brass ring, which
means you won�t be restricted to the Dan�bikt M�skt collar zone. Also,
the Ministry thinks you�ve had enough whippings, so that�s over as well.
All of your remaining scheduled switchings will be canceled.�
Most criminals would have been elated to be told that they would be
issued brass rings for their collars. Criminals who wore brass rings
were the most privileged of anyone under ownership of the Ministry of
Justice. The brass ring normally was issued under special circumstances
to criminals considered exceptionally trustworthy or who had performed
an act of heroism, or to criminals who in some way had assisted the
Danubian police. Criminals who wore brass rings were forced to remain
naked (nakedness was automatically required of anyone wearing a collar)
but they were free to move about Danubia and did not have to worry about
corporal punishments. A criminal wearing a brass ring essentially held
the same status as a person performing Public Penance.
Kim looked at the reactions of her clients. The former servants looked
at their Spokeswoman impassively, their faces devoid of any expression.
She was not surprised, because Royal Servants were forced to hide their
emotions. It would take several weeks and some counseling to convince
them that it was all right to express themselves. She continued:
�You�ve been through a lot, and I think that issuing brass rings is the
least we can do to compensate you. Now, you will understand that in
spite of your brass rings, you are still criminals serving sentences. I
expect you to remember that. If any of you violates protocol, the
conditions of your original conviction and sentencing will be restored.�
The tall German girl with the tattoo on her ankle shyly raised her hand:
�Spokeswoman, Lee-Dolkivna, I request permission to speak.�
�Yes Criminal # 100904?�
�What�s going to happen to the Grand Duchess?�
�Well, her parents will have to deal with her. To be honest, with the
way they feel about her, I wouldn�t want to be in her shoes. The Prime
Minister is so mad that he wanted her to be sentenced to Life without
Honor. That won�t happen, mainly because of the public scandal that it
would cause. The Grand Duchess is going to have some restrictions in her
life, however. A lot of restrictions, from what I understand.�
----------
Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna spent the afternoon locked in a guest bedroom
with her daughter. She wanted to talk to Anyia about her situation, but
the only thing the younger woman wanted was a dress and to be let out of
the room. Several times Anyia demanded a dress and her crown, props that
could have given back some of her self-confidence and feeling of
authority. However, Marizta repeated the ominous news that it was
unlikely she would ever be allowed to get dressed again. The Grand
Duchess found that hard to believe.
If Maritza was not willing to quit blocking the door, Anyia had nothing
more to say to her. For a long time neither woman said anything, so the
room was full of tense silence. Maritza finally gave up trying to
communicate. She simply sat reading, with the hope that her presence
would keep her daughter from trying anything stupid.
Anyia remained shocked and incredulous that her mother would have been
capable of punishing her with a belt on her own whipping post in front
of her household staff. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her soul burned
with humiliation. She sat on a chair looking out the window, every so
often shifting uncomfortably on her bruised backside. She hated her
mother for the crime committed against her, but said nothing because for
the time being she was concerned about suffering another punishment. She
wanted to avoid that, but as soon as the Grand Duke got home and could
straighten everything out, she fully planned to get even with her
parents.
Maritza could tell by the girl�s behavior that she did not feel any
remorse over what she had done, but instead harbored a smoldering rage
that fueled fantasies of revenge. She sadly shook her head. Anyia, you
just don�t get it� it�s over.
----------
Shortly after Cecilia and Maria Elena left the Royal Residence, Vladim
Dukov approached the room where his wife was watching over his daughter.
He knocked. When Maritza opened the door the Prime Minister whispered to
her everything that had transpired that afternoon, concluding that he
and the Clergy members were ready to confront Anyia. Maritza whispered
back that it was obvious that she still did not recognize how serious
her situation was. He pushed open the door and raised his voice.
�Our daughter does not think I am serious. Very well, I will persuade
her otherwise.�
The tone of her father�s words unsettled Anyia. What happened next
unsettled her much more. Vladik and his partner entered the room,
grabbed the Grand Duchess, and cuffed her hands behind her back. Anyia
struggled and screamed indignantly. Vladim stepped out for a moment and
returned with a finely crafted leather switch. It was her favorite
switch, the one she kept with her at all times so she could punish her
servants on the spur of the moment. He held the switch to her face,
touching it to her cheek like she had done so many times to her
servants. Anyia took the warning and calmed down.
�Grand Duchess�� (He pronounced the title using a contemptuous tone of
voice� ) �� you will come. I believe you wish to see your two advisors.�
With her brother and his partner firmly grabbing her by the arms, Anyia
was led out of the room and downstairs to the main entryway. She felt
her heart stop when she saw two prostrate figures in burial robes lying
near the door. She was terrified and did not want to go any closer.
Vladim signaled to his son to force her forward. The Grand Duchess
struggled to get away, but she was no match for Vladik and his partner.
They lifted her off the floor and carried her to the bodies.
�NO! You murderer! You��
Anger swept through the Prime Minister. He trembled with rage as his
normally quiet demeanor snapped:
�Take a look at them, Anyia! Take a good look at the dead traitors! Take
a look at my enemies, the enemies of my government, the enemies of our
people, the enemies of Danubia! Take a good look at men who betrayed
Danubia, who attempted to sell this country for Euros!�
�No� NO!�
�Take a good look, Anyia! These two are dead, because they wanted to
sell our country! Sell it, Grand Duchess! They negotiated a selling
price for Danubia and they signed a contract with Mega-Town Associates!�
Dukov grabbed a folder that had been taken out of the car belonging to
one of the Lords. He pulled out an official-looking document. He held it
in front of Anyia and pointed to a figure in the text, an agreement that
the two Lords would receive five hundred million Euros in exchange for
conceding Danubia�s natural resources to Mega-Town.
�Those two tried to sell Danubia for five hundred million Euros! They
tried to sell the Realm of the Ancients, the land of your ancestors, the
home of the people who love you, who are na�ve enough to think you care
about them! If only the public knew, Anyia! If only they knew what a
vile, contemptuous, dishonored creature you have become!�
The Prime Minister moved in front of his daughter and slapped her hard
across the face.
�Oh! Did I defile your Divineness? well� just so there is no doubt� let
me defile your Divineness again!�
Dukov laid a second fearsome slap across the young woman�s face. Before
she could react, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her
face within centimeters of the grayish face of Lord Vidmarkt.
�Maritza, go get her crown and bring it to me!�
A moment later Maritza returned with Anyia�s finely-crafted crown. It
was not the antiquity traditionally worn by Danubian Grand Duchesses; it
had been special-ordered the year before from a jeweler in Monaco for a
scandalous price.
Dukov released Anyia�s neck, but Vladik and his partner still held her
arms tight. What the Prime Minister did next shocked everyone in the
room. He threw Anyia�s crown on the floor and repeatedly stomped on it.
He kicked at the pieces, scattering diamonds and sapphires.
�If you think you will avenge yourself against me, Anyia, you are sadly
mistaken! You will not have me killed, because no one will ever follow
an order from you� ever! Dishonored traitors like you are not in a
position to issue orders!�
To prove his point, Dukov grabbed Anyia�s switch and viciously struck
her across her thighs. Anyia screamed from pain and fright. The Prime
Minister struck her four more times before tossing the implement across
the room. As Anyia continued to sob with terror, her father screamed:
�And that�s just the treason! How do you justify defiling your servants?
How do you justify destroying Church documents? How do you justify
trying to have your own parents killed? How do you justify spitting on
your own mother? How do you justify all that? With your crown? Take a
look at your crown! Take a look at what I did to it!�
Everyone present stood in terrified silence. In all the years he had
served in public, first in the courtroom and then as Prime Minister, no
one had ever seen Vladim Dukov lose his temper. He paused, noting the
reddening welts crossing his daughter�s bare thighs. He took a deep
breath and tried to calm down. He felt ashamed of his outburst, but he
knew there was no way to undo what he had just done.
However, everyone noticed a change in Anyia. She slumped in the grip of
the two police officers. Tears were streaming down her face as she
contemplated the corpses of her friends and the scattered jewels of her
crushed crown. Her father may have felt ashamed of his behavior and
striking her across her legs, but it turned out that was precisely what
was needed to break her. The illusion she had of her own grandeur melted
away in an instant. Dukov noted the change as well. He resumed his
normal tone of voice.
�Take my daughter to the sitting room and present her to Grand Prophet #
4.�
As Anyia was being led away the Prime Minister turned to the various
servants and cops standing in the room
�Officers, please remove the corpses from this property and return them
to their families. And gather up those jewels and crown pieces. They
need to be taken to the Ministry of Finance and secured in the vault.�
----------
Vladik and his partner dragged Anyia into the smaller reception room
where the Priestess, Grand Prophet # 4, and several other Clergy members
were waiting. The Prime Minister and his wife followed. They immediately
approached Grand Prophet # 4 and knelt, touching their heads to the
floor. It was strange to see a man in a business suit and a woman in a
formal dress kneeling before a member of the Clergy, because normally
anyone not performing Penance would be wearing a prayer robe. However,
under the circumstances at the moment prayer robes were the least of
anyone�s concerns. The Grand Prophet blessed the First Couple and told
them to rise and take a seat.
Vladik and his partner forced Anyia to kneel. The Clergy members
immediately noted the same change in Anyia that the cops and staff in
the main reception hall had noticed, that the Grand Duchess�s spirit had
broken. She no longer was the cruel imperious mistress of the Royal
Household, but instead a miserable and frightened young woman who was
just beginning to understand the awful consequences of everything she
had done over the past three years.
The Priestess rose, carrying a folder full of confession statements from
the Royal Servants, as well as statements from several members of the
salaried staff who also had requested interviews with the Clergy. She
picked out five of the statements, the ones that she considered the
worst examples of abuse that Anyia had inflicted on those tasked to
serve her.
What followed was a formal hearing that would strip Anyia of her Royal
Immunity. For the next two hours, the Priestess read the five statements
in their entirety. She only interrupted when she came to a particularly
grievous action or order the Grand Duchess had given, asking her if
indeed the statement was true. Anyia, who knelt quietly with tears still
streaming down her cheeks, repeatedly answered: �Yes, Priestess, that
statement is true.�
Anyia�s parents and brother listened in appalled silence to the steady
stream of protocol violations and bizarre behavior that had constituted
Anyia�s daily routine since she assumed the crown. Listening was
especially painful to her parents. They had known for several weeks what
was going on in the Royal Residence, but to hear the details made them
physically sick.
After two hours, the Priestess concluded by asking:
�Anyia Dukov, do you feel that your servants did anything to deserve the
way you treated them?�
�No, Priestess, they didn�t. They didn�t deserve it.�
�Then� why? Why did you constantly beat and defile people whose only
wish was to serve your desires and needs? Why were you so desperate to
treat your servants as sexual toys and strip away their honor? How can
you justify what you did to them?�
�I can�t justify what I did them, Priestess. I just did it because it
was what I enjoyed doing. That�s the only answer I can give you.�
The Priestess looked hard at the Grand Duchess. Anyia�s simple response,
along with her subdued behavior, indicated that the young woman�s
transformation already had begun. The shock of her detention, being
punished by her parents, seeing her co-conspirators lying dead, and
finally hearing her own actions read to her by a member of the Danubian
Clergy, had broken the imperious view of herself that she had developed
over the past decade. There was no need to break her any further.
The Priestess read a series of passages from the Texts of the Ancients
concerning the plight of evil rulers. According to the Texts, it was
clear that Anyia had violated the trust the Creator had placed in her.
The violation of that trust superseded the Royal Protocol that had
protected her up to that moment. Therefore Anyia�s Royal Immunity would
be canceled. She would return to being an ordinary citizen, and thus be
subject to trial.
�There are two separate sets of violations that you have committed. The
first is the one that has brought you before me, the way you treated
your servants. The Church will cancel your Royal Immunity so your father
can address the second issue, the fact that you provided assistance to
the enemies of the Danubian people.�
Dukov spoke next.
�Anyia, you will recall that four years ago Danubia was invaded by
Mega-Town Associates. We placed the leaders of that operation on trial.
Do you remember what happened to them?�
�They were sentenced to Life without Honor, Father.�
�That
is correct, Life without Honor. A life of serving the pig. Do you
consider their crimes against this country any more heinous than what
you and your confidants were planning? I consider what you planned
worse, because your predecessors attempted to take over the Realm of the
Ancients through an honest force of arms. Nations have done that since
the beginning of time. But your plot was not through force of arms. Your
confidants wanted to sell Danubia. Sell it. And you intended to use your
title and your relationship with your husband to assist that sale. So,
my daughter� answer the question. Can you think of any reason you should
not be put on trial, your actions and intentions publicly exposed, and
you sentenced to Life without Honor?�
Anyia cried. For the first time she truly understood what the two Lords
had been planning. They had befriended her, but the purpose of that
friendship was to use her to take over the country so it could be sold,
for what was a paltry sum of money. Five hundred million Euros for an
entire country� really that was nothing.
�I� I don�t want to continue with my life, Father� I� couldn�t� couldn�t
you have me executed instead?�
�But do you think you deserve something as simple as a clean execution?
Because I don�t. What you deserve is not a simple separation of your
body from your soul, Anyia; what you deserve is to spend the rest of
your life serving the pig.�
Anyia sobbed and nodded. Dukov turned away, because his own eyes had
filled with tears. He had said what he needed to say to his daughter,
but it didn�t make him feel any better.
The Priestess realized that Dukov would not be able to speak again
without his voice cracking. She came to his aid� with the offer from the
Church that would spare Anyia her life, her title, and most of her
honor.
�Anyia Dukov, you need to listen to me. You need to fully comprehend
what you have done, and the extent to which the Destroyer took over your
life. You need to understand the fate that you deserve. I believe you do
understand.�
�I� I don�t know what to say, Priestess. I don�t know whether I
understand or not� why� what happened to me��
�I believe you understand more than you realize, which was one of many
requests I had for the Creator that concern you. Now, there is something
else that you must understand. The door has not closed on your life,
Anyia Dukov, at least not yet. For a person with a damaged soul, you are
extraordinarily lucky. You have a chance to be spared from everything
you have done. Few people with damaged souls have such an opportunity.
You do.�
The Priestess and the Prime Minister exchanged glances. He wanted her to
continue:
�You will understand that the Danubian people do not know anything about
your behavior and your intentions for the country. They are under the
illusion that you are an honorable sovereign who cares about the
well-being of Danubia above anything else. You have the opportunity to
make that illusion become reality. You can assume a simple life of
service to your country and to the Church and escape from who you have
been up until this morning. You can set an example of humble service by
accepting a collar from the Temple, an example for your fellow
countrymen to follow. If you take the collar, you will escape from your
sins, because you understand that once you are collared, no one will ask
you about your misdeeds. You will be protected from yourself, from your
own past.�
Performing Public Penance had been the farthest thing from Anyia�s mind,
but she realized it did offer her an opportunity to escape from the
multitude of crimes she had committed over the past several years.
�If you submit to Penance, you can remain in this house and continue
your life as Grand Duchess. Your relationship with your subjects will be
preserved. In fact it will be strengthened, because you will show
yourself as a servant of the nation. You have the opportunity to redeem
yourself.�
Anyia was silent for a long time. Finally she asked:
�Father, if you say what I deserve is serving the pig, that I am
unworthy of even being executed, then� why are you sparing me?�
Dukov turned back to face her. His eyes were still full of tears, but he
managed to maintain control of his voice.
�I can justify sparing your title by saying that the Danubian people
have suffered many changes and many traumas since I became Prime
Minister. Right now is not the time for our nation to lose the Royal
Family, not on top of everything else that has been lost. I can say
that, but that is not the main reason. The main reason is that you
remain my daughter. In spite of everything, you are still my child and I
still love you.�
�Even though I tried to have you killed?�
�Your mother and I are hurt, but� I want to forgive you. I can forgive
you if you make yourself worthy of being forgiven. I believe you can do
that, if you wish. That is why we are sparing you.�
Dukov changed the subject slightly.
�I think� we all need to start over� and you need to start over with
your husband. Redeem yourself and then go meet him for the first time.
He is a weak person, but he loves you and is willing to sacrifice for
you. No matter what you do, he will strive to accommodate your desires.
You are destined to influence him and the future of the Royal Family.
Why not make that influence something from the Creator instead of from
the Destroyer?�
Anyia sobbed again, but managed to respond:
�Yes, father� I�ll do� what I can� to help my husband. I� what do I have
to do?�
The Priestess responded:
�Anyia Dukov, you will come with me. We will walk to the church that is
just outside the Royal Residence. We will arrive before daybreak so no
one sees you. Tomorrow night we will walk again, and the night after
that we will walk yet again. On the third night we will arrive at the
Temple of the Ancients. Once we arrive at the main Temple, you will
submit to the collar. During the days you will rest, but we will also
talk to you, so that you understand what the Creator is asking of you.
You will not assume the collar until you are ready. That is the purpose
of our journey. During three days and three nights of traveling, you
will prepare yourself for your new life.�
Dukov spoke next.
�I will tell your husband where you are and what you are doing. I don�t
think you should see him until you have completed your journey and
assumed the collar.�
�Father� will anything happen to him? Please� he didn�t do anything� I
was the one��
�You will be held responsible for your own transgressions, but your
husband has committed transgressions as well. He will have to come to
terms with his actions, just as you will come to terms with yours.�
The Priestess and three Priests stood up. Vladik un-cuffed his sister
and helped her to her feet. She was unsteady after having knelt for such
a long period of time. After a short prayer, the four Clergy members led
the naked young woman to the door of the Royal Residence. They stripped
off their garments, folded them, and handed them to Anyia to carry. The
group silently set off into the darkness, walking in single file, to a
small church that was about ten kilometers to the west.
As they watched the departing group vanish into the night, Grand Prophet
# 4 addressed the Prime Minister:
�Your daughter will be traveling with my Clergy for three days, Prime
Minister. I understand that during that time you will be promoting your
constitutional changes for the Royal Family?�
�That is correct, Grand Prophet. Three days should be enough. The Grand
Duke already assured me that he will accept my proposals. I�ll have the
legislation passed before Anyia returns to this house.�
The Grand Prophet smiled slightly.
�You didn�t think it would be this easy, did you Prime Minister?�
�No, Grand Prophet, to be honest, I didn�t. I was convinced Anyia would
put up more resistance.�
�Then maybe you didn�t know her as well as you thought, Prime Minister.
Did it ever occur to you that, in her conscience, she knew that her soul
had been occupied by the Destroyer, and that perhaps she was deeply
frightened? That maybe, even as we speak, her spirit is uplifted with
joy at having been released?�
�I don�t know, Grand Prophet. I don�t know what is going on in her head
right now. I�m sure she is relieved at being spared a fate of serving
the pig, but I don�t know how much remorse she really has.�
�Remorse� no, Prime Minister� that will come later. But I can tell you
that over the next three days she will feel the joy of being liberated
from the grip of the Destroyer. I believe� that she must have felt she
controlled everything around her, but in reality it was everything
around her that controlled your daughter. Now, we have removed all those
burdens and the only thing Anyia needs to worry about is herself. She
will control nothing, and nothing will control her. That is the
understanding she will achieve during her walk.�
�Grand Prophet� the thought of my daughter worrying only about herself
is nothing new. Throughout her life, the only thing Anyia has ever
worried about is herself� she never gave any thought to anyone else� or
anything� unless it brought her pleasure�
�Ahhh� but when you say that your daughter only thought about herself,
what truly concerned her was the material items in the Realm of the
Living she could control. I repeat, she now controls nothing of the
material world, and thus the material world has completely released its
grip on her. When I say she will worry about herself, what I mean is�
really worry about herself� her soul� the meaning of her presence in the
Realm of the Living. I believe that will be a new experience for her.�
Dukov did not reply� he found it hard to accept that he did not know his
daughter as well as he had thought, that perhaps his negative opinion of
her was not justified. Noting his skepticism, the Prophet concluded:
�Three days from now Anyia will stand in front of the Temple of the
Ancients and she will perform her first act of service to the people of
this nation. Right after her Public Penance begins, she will present
herself in front of a camera and speak to the Danubians. Following the
advice of my Priestess, the Grand Duchess of the Danubian Republic will
tell our people that she is wearing the collar to escape from the
control that the material world attempted to place on her. The public
will accept that explanation and respect her even more than they do now.
Your daughter will be happy and liberated, not subdued and miserable as
you anticipate. Most importantly, by presenting herself as an example of
austere and honest living, she will assist you in your battle against
Mega-Town Associates and everything they stand for. She will become an
enemy of consumerism, and in doing so help move this country even
further from what your enemies envision for its future.�
Dukov contemplated what the Prophet had just told him.
�You will witness illusion as it becomes reality, Prime Minster. Your
daughter has been cast down, but now the Creator will lift her up. She
will serve our people in ways you never could have imagined.�
----------
Anyia followed the four naked Clergy members away from her house, across
the Royal Grounds, and finally through the gate that led to the outside
world. Her backside was still sore from the punishment her mother had
given her earlier that morning. The welts on her thighs continued to
burn. She could feel the aching numbness in her cheek where her father
had slapped her. Her legs were tired and her feet hurt from walking
barefoot on open ground. Her arms started to ache from carrying the
clothing of the Clergy members who were leading her away from her old
life and towards a new one. None of that mattered.
In spite of her fear and her physical discomfort, Anyia was increasingly
happy as her journey progressed. She had never been outside in the
country at night before, so everything she was experiencing was totally
new to her. Bats chirped over her head and owls hooted in the distance.
There were few lights during that first leg of her trek, so she could
see the stars in their full glory. The cool night breeze caressed her
bare body. Her life was one of pain and pleasure, and now a life of
silence and peace.
For the first time in her life Anyia Dukov felt that she could clear her
mind. She no longer controlled what was happening to her, so she could
let her spirit relax. For the next three days her Path in Life would to
obey whatever the Priestess told her to do. Finally she would arrive at
the Temple, take her collar, and start over with her life.
After a night of peaceful walking, Anyia could see a small church in the
distance, the first stop in her three-day journey. She was immensely
tired, but happy. The words spoken to her earlier in the evening
repeated themselves in her mind:
�The door has not closed on your life, Anyia Dukov, at least not yet.
For a person with a damaged soul, you are extraordinarily lucky. You
have a chance to be spared from everything you have done. few people
with damaged souls have such an opportunity. You do.�
