Goth Magical Princess Stacy

“Dordur son of Dovin of Hillstone Tower, at your service!”

The dwarf straightened from his bow and looked up at the human woman. He had come hunting for a princess in exile, one who was not just incognito but unaware of her true identity. It was a shock to find her dressed as a parody of a Dark Lady.

If this really was Princess Stacy, she was oddly disguised. Her golden hair had been dyed black, her fair complexion was made ghastly with dark eyeshadow and purple lipstick, and she wore a plain dress of black canvas and leather. Black stockings reached up from heavy peasant-boots, and her earrings had the form of little black skulls. Then there was the nose ring.

The black-haired maybe-princess looked back down at Dordur with a puzzled expression. It was as if she had never seen a dwarf before. Well, just so. This land of ‘Earth’ was inhabited solely by humans, and Dordur had already received more than a few covert stares in the past handful of days.

Dordur made himself speak. “Milady. You are Stacy Mithnarie Calderon, are you not?”

“Yes, I am. Mithnarie has always been my middle name. It’s not something I adopted as a pose.”

“In that case, your highness, allow me to congratulate you.” Dordur smiled his best charming smile. “It is an honor to reveal that you are Princess Stacy Adrienne Mithnarie Brooke, Sorceress of the House of Ar-Calderon. With your permission, I am to escort you in your return from exile.”

“My return? Return to where?” Princess Stacy asked.

“To the land of the Gold-Home. It is your birthplace, a land where your sorcerous birthright may awaken. There are only a few there who are aware of your existence here, as yet, but I assure you that you will be valued on your arrival.”

The black-clad woman considered this. “So you’re telling me that I’m some sort of magical princess?”

Dordur bowed again. “Yes, your highness. If I understand you correctly, that is exactly what you are.” He saw Stacy’s eyes light at that, and told himself not to get cocky. Her heart wanted to take his bait; he suspected that her head was harder.

“What if I don’t want to go and be a magical princess?” she asked. “What if I want to stay here?”

“If you refuse to return,” Dordur said dolefully, “I will, of course, abide by your wishes.” That was his first outright lie. The rest had been half-truths, as were his next sentences. “As I said, however, you will be greatly valued if you do return, so I would plead that you at least come with me to look upon Gold-Home. Once there, you can always ask to be sent back to your home-in-exile here in Earth-land.” He gave her a look of soulful honesty.

As it happened, he had told her the truth about being a princess of the House of Ar-Calderon. And she really did have sorcerous powers. Sleeping powers, here in Earth-land, but they would awaken once she was in Gold-Home. What Dordur had carefully avoided mentioning was that he had come here as a member of the Slavers Guild, for it was the Guild that valued her. A princess-sorceress would bring a high price on the auction block, after being trained. And after her strange dark-lady-parody clothing and makeup had been removed of course.

“OK, I’ll come,” Princess Stacy said. “When do we leave? And what should I take with me?”

“The sooner the better, your highness,” Dordur managed to say. This quick agreement surprised him even more than the dark-lady disguise. “We will need a place with privacy for the ritual of return.” The dwarf rummaged in the pack he had set aside, pulling out a burlap sack. “As for packing, take what will fit in this. You will be provided with appropriate clothing and jewelry, your highness, so my advice would be to select other necessities and luxuries.”

Princess Stacy took only a quarter hour to pack, during which time Dordur spoke the preliminary incantations and set out rope – nylon rope, purchased here in Earth-land – ready for use.

“And now we must take safety precautions, your highness.” Dordur knew that ‘safety’ was nearly a Word of Power, here in Earth-land. “You must remove your jewelry, and also your shoes and stockings. I will carry them, and keep them safe for you.”

“Shoes… Oh! Because of the steel toes. But why the stockings?”

“Wearing them would be inappropriate, your highness. If you wish, I will explain exactly why – later, when we have the time.” It was against Guild policy to allow slavegirls to wear stockings, but Dordur wasn’t going to mention that now.

Princess Stacy looked at him with sudden suspicion. “You don’t follow Axewiizee, do you?”

“Of course not,” came the automatic reply. “I follow Dee.” Then it was Dordur’s turn to be suspicious. This human woman hadn’t known she was a princess. He was sure of that. So how did she know of the Lord of Misery?

The princess smiled. “I’ll explain later, Mr. Dordur, when we have the time.” She began to unbuckle her collar. “I suppose I should give you this, too.”

Dordur felt another shock. It was a slave collar with a steel leash-ring set in front. By Dee the Master, how had he missed that? He almost told Princess Stacy to keep wearing the collar. Then he thought better of it.

He handed her a diadem instead. “Now if you will put this on, your highness. It will provide protection.” He hid a smile. The protection would be for him. On their return to Gold-Home, the enchantment in the diadem would awaken and prevent Princess Stacy from using her magic, except as commanded by her master.

“Artsy-fartsy thing,” Princess Stacy muttered. But she put it on.

Dordur bowed, and picked up a length of nylon rope. “And finally, if it pleases your highness, we must take precautions against any unintentional magical spillage. If you would be so kind as to cross your wrists behind you? Thank you, your highness.”

“Is this really necessary?” Princess Stacy asked. But she cooperated, allowing Dordur to tie her wrists, to bind her arms to her torso, and to apply a rope-hobble to her ankles.

“I’m afraid so, your highness,” Dordur said, again making sure he spoke in a doleful tone. “You may come into your birthright-power very quickly, once our return begins, and a stray Gesture or Word of Power could bring disaster.” He tamped down another smile as he stood on a chair to apply the ball gag. Wonderful things, ball gags; he had several more in his pack to bring back to the Guild. And still Princess Stacy was cooperating! ‘Safety’ really must be a Word of Power here in Earth-land.

Dordur asked, “All is well, your highness?” No sense having her choke.

“Mmmph!” Princess Stacy nodded cheerfully. Strange. But Dordur would accept this gift without looking too closely at it.

“And now we return, your highness.” Dordur rang the handbell, awakening its sleeping enchantment. He spoke the final incantation. He led Princess Stacy through the portal that appeared, into the Place Between Lands, onto the path paved with certainties, under a sky clouded with nonsense.

They walked slowly, due to the rope hobble, but that was all right. It was only a short distance to the portal into Gold-Home. Dordur stopped Princess Stacy before she could step through, untying and ungagging her. No use wasting this good rope, or the ball gag. Those ugly black clothes were another story; they could be disposed of.

“You must step through briskly, your highness. Do you see the snow falling? It is the Snow of Gnisserdnu; it may give you a chill, so you must not linger in it. It will be warm and sunny, once you are past.”

Princess Stacy hesitated. Gathering her nerve, Dordur thought. “OK,” she said at last. “Here goes!” Barefoot and black-clad, she dashed through the portal.

Dordur took a moment to make sure he had collected everything, and another to see that the Gnisserdnu Snow had stopped. Then he followed. The far side was Gold-Home again, in the sunny warmth of a northern summer. A few yards away, Jimpul Bagg waited with the slave cart and its twin ponies. The halfling driver gave him a wave.

Closer at hand, Princess Stacy turned to face him. “I’m naked!” she protested.

Indeed she was. Dordur grinned as he looked her over. Slavegirl-Princess Stacy still wore the diadem, as it was a thing of metal and stone, but her black clothing had vanished entirely. So had her makeup and hair dye. She stood barefoot on the grass, golden-haired, blue-eyed, and shining; filled with a youthful beauty, and splendidly nude.

“Now that is what a princess should look like,” Dordur told himself.

“You told me that you would provide clothing,” Slavegirl-Princess Stacy said carefully. “And explanations.”

“Quite so, your slavegirlness. I said that I would provide necessary clothing. For the moment, you are wearing all that is needed.”

“I see.”

“As for explanations, I really am Dordur son of Dovin of Hillstone Tower, and I have the honor to be a Journeyman Senior in the Slavers Guild. My superiors sent me to fetch you, as your value here is in the high price you will bring on the auction block. Once you have completed your training, that is, and I am to take charge of that, as well.” He pointed at her. “Your turn, now. You spoke the name of Axewiizee. What do you know of the Lord of Misery?”

“Only the name, Master Dordur. On my nineteenth birthday I visited a psychic. She said that I might go on a journey and find happiness in slavery. If I didn’t, Axewiizee would find me, and I would be miserable until I died.” Stacy blinked. “I don’t think she believed her own reading, but I did. Then you showed up, and you felt like a slaver. A real slaver, not just someone playing the game. It scared me, but I decided that it was my best opportunity. So I had to take the chance.” Stacy blinked again. Holding back tears, Dordur saw. “Was I wrong? I mean, I am a princess and a sorceress, as well as a slavegirl, aren’t I?”

“Yes you are,” Dordur said. “And to prove it, you will cast a spell of tranquility on yourself and hop into the cart.”

Princess Stacy started to frown. Then her hands rose and her fingers bent and straightened. She relaxed, and a smile bloomed on her face. “Oh!” she said. “Did I just cast my first real spell?”

“Yes you did.” Dordur inclined his head toward the cart, and the princess cheerfully hopped in. Dordur followed, and began to apply another tie. “Your next lesson will be in the forty-six rope ties. You must become familiar with them, your slavegirlness.” He finished binding her arms and began to tie her legs. “This is tie number six, while the tie I put you in back in Earth-land was tie number seventeen.”

Dordur finished binding Stacy’s legs, and brought out the ball gag again. Rinsing it with his water bottle, he muttered the brief rote prayer to Dee, the God of Masters. “Open wide, your slavegirlness,” he then told his captive. Once she was properly silenced, he checked his knots, repeating his rote prayer. Like most Guild members, Dordur was a lay acolyte, and the comfort of this new slavegirl was an offering to his deity.

Yes. The diadem was in place on Princess Stacy’s head, and the ball gag was secure in her mouth. Those Earth-land nylon ropes circled her torso above and below her breasts, with extra loops holding her upper arms to her sides. Behind her, her wrists were crossed and bound, with more rope deployed to hold them in place at the small of her back. Further down, cinched bands of rope circled her upper thighs, her legs above and below her knees, her ankles, and her insteps. A thinner cord tied her big toes together. All snug, all comfy, and all secure to package a captive slavegirl, a captive sorceress, and a captive princess.