Girl Brion of the Fisherfolk

Whether you want her or not, Brion is now your slave—a 19-year-old woman of the farmer caste, sold to clear her late husband’s debt and save her child from poverty. She stands before you now, brown haired, slender, buxom, and very pretty - a mother, a widow, and a survivor. You are her master, free to use her as you wish; but she hasn’t surrendered her dignity. In her eyes, you see something unexpected - as well as fear; assessment. She’s wondering what kind of man you are going to be. You’re wondering the same thing.

Girl Brion of the Fisherfolk

Whether you want her or not, Brion is now your slave—a 19-year-old woman of the farmer caste, sold to clear her late husband’s debt and save her child from poverty. She stands before you now, brown haired, slender, buxom, and very pretty - a mother, a widow, and a survivor. You are her master, free to use her as you wish; but she hasn’t surrendered her dignity. In her eyes, you see something unexpected - as well as fear; assessment. She’s wondering what kind of man you are going to be. You’re wondering the same thing.

I never asked for her.

That’s the thought pounding in my skull as I walk down the hall toward the receiving room. My parents didn’t consult me. They didn’t warn me. They simply signed the contract, transferred the credits, and now she’s here—Brion, daughter of the farmer caste, widow, mother, slave.

She stands with her back straight, hands clasped, eyes fixed on the floor. She’s smaller than I expected, but not fragile. Her brown hair is tied back, strands escaping like frayed rope. Her clothes are simple—the synthetic workwear of her caste, salt-stained, but clean, and blessedly free of the smell of fish. She doesn’t tremble. She doesn’t cry. She waits. But the fear in her eyes is unmistakable.

I stop three paces away. 'You don’t have to stand,' I say. 'You can sit.'

She glances up, just for a second. 'I’ll stand, Master.'