Serving slave

[pup]

The serving slave

The serving slave appears to be a slave either owned by or assigned to a specific free person (usually a free woman) for the purposes of seeing to their personal comfort.

"You are Susan, are you not," inquired Miles of Argentum, "who was as personal serving slave to Sheila, the Tatrix of Corcyrus?"
Kajira

"My second witness," said Miles of Argentum, "is the woman who served her intimately in her own quarters, who bathed her and clothed her, and combed her hair, who was to her as her own personal serving slave, now one of my own slaves, Susan."
Kajira

"Iwoso does not want the slave to learn the pleasures of men," said Cuwignaka. "Doubtless she fears it will spoil her as a serving slave for a woman."
"She is right," I said.
Blood Brothers

I, too, was surprised. Kneeling before us, on the wagon bed, her hands braceleted behind her back, two small keys dangling from her enameled collar was Taphris, who was one of the personal serving slaves of the Lady Florence.
"It seems you have fallen from the Mistress' favor, Taphris," said Kenneth.
Fighting Slave

Each evening five lovely, long-haired, uncollared serving slaves would come to her cell, to bathe her and perfume her, to prepare her for love. These girls, under the instructions of Cernus, were extremely deferential, save that they were continually to amuse themselves at the prisoner's expense, making sport of her shaved head, laughing and joking about it among themselves. Four times Claudia Tentia Hinrabia had attempted to kill one of the girls but the others would easily overpower her; and the Hinrabian must endure her bath and her perfuming; when finished the girls would lock her raiment in a chest and then draw a slave hood over her head, locking it in place, and the Hinrabian, stripped, perfumed, hooded, chained, must wait for he for whom she has been prepared.
Assassin


The duties of a serving slave

"Are you familiar with the duties of a serving slave?" she asked.
"Elicia!" I cried.
"Are you?" she asked. "I do not wish to spend a great deal of time training you."
"To some extent," I said, coldly.
"It is all a little thing like you is good for," she said. "I will get much use from you."
Slave Girl

Preparing the bath for the free - serving slave must know exact temperature that is preferred
Untying sandals and disrobing the free


"Prepare my bath," she said.
I went to draw water from the cistern. Too, I lit the tiny oil fire beneath the tempering vessel, on its iron tripod. One regulates the temperature by mixing warmer and cooler waters. A serving slave must know the exact temperature at which her mistress wishes the water of her bath. The Lady Elicia would tell me once, I knew. After that, if it were not correct, I would be punished. I knew she would have little patience with me. I must serve her perfectly. When the water was ready, I prepared the oils, the towels, and foams of the bath.
"Your bath is ready, Lady Elicia, my mistress," I said, kneeling before her.
"Untie my sandals," she said, sitting on her bed, "and disrobe me."
I obeyed.
Slave Girl

Remaining near in case anything is wanted

"Attend me now," she said. "I would bathe."
She entered the water gracefully, her hair bound in a towel, luxuriating in the multicolored foams of beauty. She lifted her limbs, washing herself indolently, beautifully.
I knelt beside the sunken bath, to wait upon her, her slave, should she desire aught.
Slave Girl

Combing hair and washing the feet of the free person

Then, two or three other groups of Tuchuk struggled in, each lending some wretched wench who had but hours before owned them.
These girls they forced to comb their hair and wash their feet before the tables, performing the duties of serving slaves.

Nomads

Fanning the free person in uncomfortable temperatures

They were among the gifts which Bila Huruma had sent ahead to his projected companion, Tende. I smiled and licked my lips. Though they had been bought to be the serving slaves of a woman I had little doubt that their purchase had been effected by a male agent. In the hands of each of the slaves was a long-handled fan, terminating in a semicircle of colorful feathers. Gently, cooling her, they fanned their mistress.
Explorers

Keeping the compartments of the free person -
Dusting & cleaning
Cooking and washing
Sent on errands
Brought along on errands to carry purchases

I was Judy, her house and serving slave. I kept her compartments, dusting and cleaning. I cooked and washed. I did all trivial, unpleasant and servile work for her. It was a great convenience to her to own me. Often she would send me shopping, my hands braceleted behind my back, a leather capsule, a cylinder, tied about my neck, containing her order and coins. The merchant would then fill her order, tie the merchandise about my neck, put the change in the leather capsule, close it and, sometimes with a friendly slap, dismissing me, reminding me that I was pretty, regardless of being a woman’s slave, send me back to my mistress. At other times my mistress would shop and I would follow her, deferentially, to carry her purchases, eyes cast down, lest I should be caught so much as looking upon a man.
Slave Girl

Tidying the room

"I shall tidy the room," said the girl, "and prepare it for the convenience of Mistress."
She turned about and went to the side of the room. She began to take articles from the vanity, such as, combs and brushes, and vials, and place them on its surface, before the mirror. She moved with incredible grace.
Glancing in the mirror she saw me behind her, watching her. "Mistress?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said.
She continued her work. She straightened pillows at the side of the room.
Kajira

Preparing and serving meals for free in her compartments

"Would Mistress care to partake now of her breakfast?" asked the girl.
Kajira

Selecting clothing and assisting with dressing
"Mistress had not yet dressed," she said. She then went to the sliding doors at the side of the room, and moved them aside. Thus were revealed the habiliments of what was apparently an extensive and resplendent wardrobe.
She brought forth a lovely, brief, lined, sashed, shimmering yellow-silk robe and, holding it up, displayed it for me.
Kajira

Attentive to the personal needs of the free

"Mistress' drink is cold," said the girt. "Let me have it reheated or fetch you a fresh one."
Kajira

"Oh," said the girl, softly, startled, seeing me, and knelt.
She put her head down, and then lifted it. "Forgive me, Mistress," she said. "I did not know whether or not you were yet awake. I did not knock, for fear of disturbing you."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"I have come to serve Mistress," she said. "I have come to see if Mistress desires aught."
Kajira


The behavior & demeanor of a serving slave
The slavery of a serving slave is different from that of a paga slave or a pleasure slave

"Let us hope," said Inge, "you are not purchased by the master of a paga tavern."
I looked at her, irritably.
"They can often afford fine girls," said Inge, "paying more than many private masters can."
I swallowed.
"Of all the slave girls sold, however," observed Inge, "very few are purchased for taverns."
I looked at her gratefully.
"Perhaps you will be purchased for a serving slave or a tower slave," said Inge.
I stretched luxuriously in the camisk. "No," I said, lazily, "I think I will be purchased for a pleasure slave."
Captive

Serving slaves are expected to comport themselves with dignity, in a manner much like the free women themselves
Even looking at a man will cause them to be whipped

"Bring me the whip," she said.
I fetched the whip, and handed it to her.
"Judy," she said.
"Yes, Mistress," I said.
"You are now a woman’s slave," she said.
"Yes, Mistress," I said.
"You will comport yourself with dignity," she said. "You will not be an embarrassment to me."
"Mistress?" I asked.
Suddenly she struck me with the whip, and I turned, spinning, away, and was struck again, and I fled to the wall, and was struck again, and I knelt at the wall, my face to it, my hands to the wall, and was struck again.
"If you so much as look at a man," she said, "I will whip the flesh from your bones!"
"Yes, Mistress!" I wept.
Slave Girl

Finding pleasure in being looked at by a man is cause for whipping

At other times my mistress would shop and I would follow her, deferentially, to carry her purchases, eyes cast down, lest I should be caught so much as looking upon a man. A handsome male slave had once smiled at me and I, inadvertently, had reddened and basked in his pleasure. I had been turned about and marched home, to be put under the whip.
Slave Girl

A serving slave does not kneel in the same manner as a pleasure slave


“Yes, Master,” she said. When she had knelt facing Samos, she had knelt in the position of the pleasure slave. When she had knelt facing me, she had knelt in the position of the serving slave.
Explorers

Free women do not desire their serving slaves to be sexual

"Your vengeance on the slut was exquisite," said the Lady Leta.
"It was perfect," said the Lady Perimene.
"Thank you," said the Lady Florence, regarding her former enemy, now her naked slave, at her feet.
"Will you keep her as a personal serving slave?" asked the Lady Leta. "That might be amusing."
"She is too sexual to be a serving slave," said the Lady Florence.
Fighting Slave

Here, in a camp of the caravans for the Lady Sabinas Companionship Journey among many men, the serving slave is sedate and dignified in her Mistresses presence
Once away from her Mistress, near the men, this slave transforms herself

From the striped tent in the center of the camp another girl emerged, clad like the other in the sleeveless gown, a circlet on her throat and left wrist, and made her way toward the supplies wagon. She left the pavillionlike tent sedately but, as soon as she was no longer visible through the opening in the tent she threw back her head, shaking her hair, and then, her gait transformed, sauntered like a she-sleen to the side of the wagon. I gasped. The walk could only have been that of a slave girl. I then realized that the girls in attendance on the veiled woman, who had been seated in the curule chair on the palanquin, were slaves. The circlets on their throats were doubtless collars, and the wristlet each wore was doubtless naught but matching slave jewelry. But they were obviously high slaves, judging by the fineness of their raiment. They were the slave maids of the Lady Sabina, doubtless belonging to her. I wondered how long it had been since one of them had had the hands of a man on her body.
Slave Girl

Caught by her Mistress

The gowned female slave, the circlet on her throat and wrist, reached into the supply wagon, into a sack, to find a larma. I watched her in the half darkness. I did not think she saw that, behind her, from the pavillionlike tent, the veiled Lady Sabina had emerged and followed her, with two of the other slave maids behind her, one with a switch. The girl at the wagon reached forward, extending her hand into a sack. One of the warriors of the camp was close behind her. I think she must have been aware of his presence but she gave no sign of this awareness. He put his hands on either side of her body, resting them on the wagon box. She turned, easily, not surprised, between his arms, to face him. She lifted the larma fruit and, her head up, looking at him, bit into it. She regarded him in the half darkness. She chewed at the fruit. He leaned over her. I saw the glint of gold at her throat. Suddenly her arms were about him and he was kissing her, she a slave in his arms in the half darkness. I saw her hand behind his back, the larma fruit, bitten into, still in her hand. "So, Shameless Slave!" cried the Lady Sabina, who had followed the girl, perhaps suspicious of her. The two who had been touching leapt apart, the girl crying out with misery and throwing h erself to her knees at the foot of her mistress; the man backed away, angrily, startled.
Slave Girl

Serving slave was taught proper deportment and dignity, elegance, nonility and self-respect
Not expected to act as a paga slut

"Shameless slave slut!" cried the Lady Sabina.
...
"I followed her," said the Lady Sabina, "and found her here, shameless in the arms of a soldier, touching, kissing!"
"Pity, Mistress," wept the girl.
"Have I not, Lehna," inquired the Lady Sabina, sternly, "taught you proper deportment? Have I not instructed you in dignity? Is this how you betray my trust?"
"Forgive me, Mistress," wept the girl.
"You are not a paga slut," said the Lady Sabina. "You are the slave maid of a free woman."
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"Have I not set you always a model of elegance, an example of nobility and self-respect?" asked the Lady Sabina.
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"When you were twelve, my father bought you from the pens in Ar, and gave you to me."
"Yes, Mistress," she said.
"You were treated with great kindness. You were not put in the kitchens. You were not given to tharlarion drivers. You were taken into our own apartments. You were permitted to sleep in my own chamber, at the foot of my couch. You were trained diligently as a lady’s maid."
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"Is that not a great honor for a slave slut?"
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"And yet," said the Lady Sabina, sadly, "how have I been repaid?"
The girl dared not answer, but kept her head down, trembling.
"I have been repaid with ingratitude," said the Lady Sabina.
"Oh, no!" cried the girl. "Lehna is grateful! Lehna is grateful to Mistress!"
"Have I not been kind to you?" demanded the Lady Sabina.
"Oh, yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"And yet I find you like a copper-tarsk rent slave in the arms of a retainer!"
"Forgive your girl, Mistress," begged the cringing slave.
"Have I often whipped you?" demanded the Lady Sabina.
"No," cried the girl. "No!"
"Do you think me weak?" inquired the Lady Sabina.
"No, Mistress," said the girl. "Kind, but not weak!"
...


She then approached the bound slave, who trembled. "Have I not always set you an example of nobility, dignity and self-respect?" asked the Lady Sabina.
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
Slave Girl