<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Khalida the slavegirl</strong></span><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/android1966/Decorated%20images/hunter_002a-1.jpg)</div>The Prince first congratulated Khalida and her former mistress on the skills that she had acquired during her years in the collar. Then he stopped and turned to his slave and those omniscient seeming eyes locked with her own and appeared to bore through her flesh and evaluate her mind and soul. Khalida felt a tremor of apprehension run through her nubile body as once more she found herself frozen to immobility by the Nesstran's scrutiny.<br/><br/>The Nesstran required more of Khalida and he detailed the subjects that he desired from his slave. Some she knew to some degree already, but others, like philosophy and politics, Khalida was entirely ignorant of. She was promised both reward and punishment, harsh punishment. Khalida felt a stab of fear and excitement as his words conjured the image of herself sobbing for his mercy.<br/><br/>Khalida blinked as the Prince's hand suddenly held a small key. She recognised it instantly as the type that fits a slave collar such as was around her neck. The Nesstran offered her freedom and Khalida looked around her uncertainly as the unfamiliar notion was considered. She was given the choice to choose slavery to the Prince or go free.<br/><br/>The slave's first thought was to fall to her knees to please her master, but she hesitated. The Prince wanted her to make this choice, not simply to react through her conditioning. Freedom, though the concept was daunting Khalida knew that she would survive as a freewoman and most likely prosper. The training she had already received were an almost unique skillset for a freewoman and could be turned to profit. Any of the great slaving merchants would eagerly hire a freewoman trained in the qu'ellar d' orlinggrothen. Instead of being the slave Khalida could easily become the slaver. She imagined herself riding the great desert once more, of caravans raided and villages sacked as she was the one placing slavecollars around throats. She saw herself walking through cities, finely dressed with her own beautiful slaves trotting obediantly at her heels.<br/><br/>But if she chose to kneel, as once she had chosen before. The Prince promised not that Khalida would be a simple slave or even a gifted one, that she knew without conceit that she was already. What he offered was that she became the perfect slave, a slave fit for Ssinringg herself. Freedom was the easy option, slavery the option that meant suffering and unimaginable trials that she would have to overcome.<br/><br/>Once Khalida had chosen slavery through cowardice, choosing to live collared rather than be slain. Now freedom was the coward's path.<br/><br/>Khalida dropped to her knees, her legs parted wide to expose her hairless mound and her chest thrust forward to offer her breasts to her master. Her hands were behind her back and her head lowered in submission, the Takrin slave's stance.<br/><br/><strong>"Master!" </strong>Khalida said firmly and with confidence.