No Shame in This Walk

She froze when he reached a paw towards her. She did not believe him to be a wolf that would hand out punishments easily, but perhaps she had stepped a line in his mind. She belonged to him and she had not fought. So, she froze, and let him move her head as he pleased. Let him look into her face, though she still had trouble meeting the gentle gold of his gaze. The intensity in his gaze burning her in a way she imagined the sun must if a wolf strayed too close.

It wasn’t until he relaxed his paw that his gaze softened and she could breathe again, free from the trapping heat of his eyes. She glanced at his paws, and then hesitantly back at his face again. His question was gentle, and if there was any punishment to come, he gave no indication of it now. Assault and rape weren’t the labels afforded to a slave. punishment and deserving of were the ways it was described to them.

His stew seemed to be forgotten, and he couldn’t stop touching her. His paw this time went to touch her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “It’s not your fault, Artorias, My Lord” she whispered it’s mine went unspoken. She had a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate the words. “I… a part of me did think you would come. But, you are not a god, and this isn’t a fairy tale. My Lord, we are limited by the logic of the world.” She was grateful when he remembered his stew and dug in. She no longer felt steam rolled by the weight of his gaze.

She was surprised at his next question, especially considering how shy and awkward he had been when she had accidently propositioned him in their first meeting. “When you take off the sugar coating, it was the entire reason of my slavery, it was what I was desired for. Prized for. There are many times in my life I was left cowering and in pain in a corner somewhere. I… I don’t know, did I enjoy any of it? I mostly remember the pain.”