An excerpt from the Welcome to the Viking Village pamphlet:
The first hard evidence of a Viking settlement in what is now Rhode Island was discovered in 1963 by Sven Olsen, an amateur archaeologist exploring his 640 acre farm. His discoveries were ignored for several decades, but eventually they were accepted and endorsed by academic archaeologists. This vindication pleased Sven, and when he died he willed the property to the Olsen Viking Village Trust.
Over the years the Trust activities have expanded beyond the excavations of the original Viking site. First came the reconstruction of the Village, which gives you a picture of what life was like here more than a thousand years ago.
Now there are also serious anthropological experiments, which try to discover more about the Viking settlers' everyday lives. There are farms and other agricultural operations, as well as workshops such as an iron smithy or a carpentry shop, all manned by volunteers who live on-site in accurate replicas of Scandinavian longhouses. Today the Village is a medieval equivalent of Colonial Williamsburg's 'Living History Museum'.
The Viking Village Festival starts in early June and runs for six consecutive weekends. This 'official' Festival takes place on the weekends and most visitors attend then, but the Trust property is open on weekdays for the entire summer, and during this time many 'reenactor' groups hold what are essentially private versions of the Festival.
The Trust rents both campgrounds and buildings to these groups and to anyone else who agrees to wear historical costumes and put aside the trappings of modern life. Weekday visitors are encouraged to take part in the anthropological activities, working on a farm or in one of the workshops.
Most of Sven's original farm has been fallow for decades and much of the property is now covered by old second-growth forest, so it is easy to imagine that you are living in a tenth-century Scandinavian settlement.
The Executive Committee of the Olsen Viking Village Trust had just started their meeting and acrimony had already broken out. Sharon Smith, newly appointed as the token woman on the six-person committee, was incensed.
"The slave market has got to go!" she declared. "It's degrading and sexist, and it has no place at the Festival."
Ragnar Grimsson, the committee chairman and one of the professional archaeologists that helped to excavate the Viking site, tried to smooth things over. "It's just for fun, Sharon. It's popular with the audience and nobody takes it seriously."
"Slavery is nothing to joke about! It is obscene to even mention it."
"You're right. Slavery is evil. But just like rape and pillage, it is an authentic part of Viking culture. The Vikings were barbarians and pirates, and we can't hide what life was like in the ninth and tenth centuries just because it doesn't meet the standards of the 21st century. The Village is more than a show for tourists, we try to do serious archaeological and anthropological research, and falsifying history because it's not politically correct is not acceptable.”
Eric interrupted, “Besides, Sharon, the slave market is a real boost for our attendance. We tried not having it one year and it really hurt ticket sales. This is important, because the Festival is our major source of funds.”
"Just because it takes in money from a bunch of sexists and perverts is no excuse. It has to go."
Ragnar sighed. "All right, let's put it to a vote. I move that the slave market not be part of this year's Festival. Anyone second the motion?"
"I do!" cried Sharon.
"Moved and seconded. All in favor raise your hand… all opposed? One vote for, five votes against. The motion is defeated, the slave market stays."
Ragnar said, "Speaking of the slave market, we had some practical problems last year, as I recall. John, you and Eric were going to work on them. Any results?"
"Yeah, one problem was the collar. It took quite a while to fasten it on the volunteer's neck, and it wasn't very secure. Eric and I made some new ones."
John lifted a gym bag onto the table and took out a six-foot length of light chain connected to a collar formed from two semicircular pieces of ½" diameter steel rods.
"I made the collar by heating and bending the rods and then flattening the ends and drilling holes through the flats. At one end the rods are fastened together and pivot on a rivet, and when the collar is closed the holes in the free ends line up. Putting a spring clip through the holes locks the collar in place. Quick and easy. The chain is separate. It has a ring on one end that slips over the collar. I made everything rusty so it'll look more authentic.
“I also found a quicker way to tie the slave girl's hands. It uses a pre-tied knot, what's called a 'zip snare' knot. The knot forms a two-strand loop. Loop size can be adjusted by sliding the knot, but pulling on the loop won't open it up. Any extra rope is used to cinch the loops. I tested it on my wife. I could tie her hands in less than a minute, and she couldn't free herself.”
Sharon exclaimed, "That collar is degrading! And tying the woman's hands behind her back is worse. You can have the stupid market without treating the victim like an animal."
Ragnar was annoyed and he showed it. "Sharon, you do realize that the women are volunteers, don't you? No one is captured and enslaved against her will. Before a woman can take part she has to sign a release."
He shuffled through a pile of papers until he found a copy. "Here, Sharon, read it yourself. It clearly states what's going to happen, but the prospect of having her hands tied and a collar around her neck doesn't discourage the volunteers. We usually have to turn women away.”
Sharon replied, “I've read the release, and it's worthless. If you're going to keep the slave market we need to revise the release form. This one won't protect the Trust if a woman is hurt or abused, and what is done now is abuse.”
“It's not abuse! One of the reasons women volunteer is because they want to see what it feels like to be a slave girl. Real bondage and a real collar are part of that. More than once I've had a 'slave girl' ask me to tie her tighter."
Sharon objected, "That can't be true. No woman would want to be a helpless slave, owned by a man, even if it's only for a few minutes."
"Sharon, if you really believe that then you've led a very sheltered life. But enough of this. We have other things to discuss."
After the meeting the male members of the committee gathered at their favorite tavern. Sharon had received a pro forma invitation to join them, but no one was surprised when she refused.
Once the beer was in hand John said, "Sharon is a pain in the ass, isn't she? Do you think she'll let the slave market thing drop?"
Ragnar replied, "Not a chance. I've run into her type before. Her way is the only way. We can expect more opposition as long as she's on the committee."
Eric asked, "Why is she on the committee? What are her qualifications? Except as a token, of course."
Ragnar replied, "We got a lot of pressure from institutional donors to 'diversify' the committee. At the time, I thought Sharon was the least-bad candidate. She's an assistant professor of anthropology at State, so she knows something about anthropology.
“All I know about her are her academic credentials, and I'd sure like to know why she's so opposed to the slave market and what she might be planning. My niece Jane is a student at the college. I'll ask her if she knows anything about Sharon."
James, another committee member and the Trust's lawyer, was looking through the release form that all the prospective slave girls had to sign. “Sharon's right about one thing. This release form doesn't give the Trust much protection. We need to revise it.
“For example, there's a clause in the release form that says the volunteer agrees to cooperate until the auction is over and to waive any Trust liability during this time. This is good in most cases, but what if a slave girl's boyfriend buys her and they go play games somewhere? We have no control over what they do, but we could be liable for anything that happens after the auction. We need to change that so the volunteer's agreement to cooperate and not hold the Trust liable for damages continues until the Festival is over."
"That's a great idea, James!" Ragnar exclaimed. "Rewrite that clause, and while you're at it add a clause that explicitly states that the volunteer consents to whatever bondage is used. That's another weakness in the present release. Also add some language that makes it less like a release and more like a contract, as though the volunteer is agreeing to be an actress in a slave girl movie."
Eric chortled, "Put in something about corporal punishment being OK. I'd buy Sharon just so I could smack her ass."
James smiled. "That might be a bit too obvious. But I will add a clause saying the volunteer consents to being treated in a manner 'consistent with the practices of the historical period'. That would cover anything, and it's vague enough to not attract attention."
After Ragnar returned home that evening he talked to his niece. Jane was living with her uncle while she attended college. Her parents were employed by the State Department Foreign Service, and they were currently in Tajikistan.
Ragnar asked, "Jane, you know Professor Sharon Smith, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. I needed some 'Humanities' credits so I took her 'Introduction to Anthropology' class. Also, one of my friends is a TA in her department, and he was telling me all about her a couple of days ago. A lot of students have complained because most of her class time is taken up by her rants about the patriarchy."
"She doesn't like men, eh? Is this just political, or is it personal too?"
"Personal too. Last summer she had a very public breakup with her girlfriend. Her girlfriend left her for a boyfriend, and Sharon took the 'betrayal' hard. There are rumors that Sharon was the Dom in a Dom/sub relationship.”
Ragnar commented, “If she was a Dom it's hypocritical for her to oppose the slave market.”
“I think it's more of a sexist thing. Anything women do is OK, but men are evil. She spent a lot of time in my class ranting against men. My friend said everyone in her department is going out of their way to avoid her.”
"I figured it might be something like that. At the last committee meeting she was very emphatic about her desire to eliminate the slave market from the Festival, even though the slave market is a big draw and losing it would hurt our funding."
Jane said, "Yeah, in one of her rants she used the Festival slave market as an example of male oppression and said she had a plan to eliminate it.”
"We've got to block that. Any way your friend can find out what she's planning?"
"I don't think so. He's not a friend of hers, and he can't afford to antagonize her. But I'll talk to her myself."
"I'd appreciate that. We're at a critical point right now, because a donor has offered to match whatever we raise during the Festival. We don't want any disruptions."
Jane visited Sharon's office the day after the Anthropology 101 final exam. "Professor Smith, could I speak to you?"
"You're in Anthro 101, aren't you? Sorry, I don't remember your name. Anyway, I haven't graded all the finals yet, so I don't know what your grade will be."
"My name is Jane Midgard. I'm not here about the class, it's about something else. The Viking Village Festival has a sexist and degrading slave market. You're on their executive committee, aren't you? Why don't you get rid of it?"
"I tried, but I'm only one vote on the committee, and the other five are male chauvinist pigs. But I have another plan to get rid of the slave market. The committee refused to take any action, so I'm gonna file a lawsuit."
"Wonderful! But do you think you can win?"
"I may not win the suit, but even if I lose the publicity will pressure the committee. They're expecting a big donation, and this might scare off the donor.
“My plan is to be one of the slaves myself. Then I'll be able to claim I suffered physical and psychological abuse, and I'll ask for an injunction to stop the slave market.
“The scandal when all this is aired in court will force the committee to eliminate the slave market even if I can't get the injunction. It might even force the other committee members to resign, and we can replace them with progressive feminists."
Jane protested, "But I was at last year's Festival and I didn't see anything like that. All the women I saw were volunteers and they just walked away without protest once the auction was over."
"True, but that was just false consciousness working. They've been so brainwashed by the patriarchy they didn't realize they'd been degraded. And a few women stayed with their 'owner'. They could have been abused later."
"But what if nothing happens to you? That seems to be the most likely outcome."
"It doesn't matter what actually happens if it could happen. My testimony will be based on what I perceive to be the true reality. And if somebody objects, it'll be my word against his. You could help me with this. If you were one of the slaves too, your story would back up my story."
"I will help you with this, Professor Smith. There is no actual 'truth'; everything is relative, and the means are justified by the ends they achieve."
That evening Jane talked with her uncle and related what had been said at her meeting with Sharon. "Can she really do that, Uncle Ragnar? File a suit and disrupt the Festival?"
"She probably can. There's little chance she could prevail in court, but the publicity would be very damaging."
"Well, I pretended to agree with her, and I told her I would be one of the 'slaves' so I could testify in court. She thinks I'd back up her story, but I'll describe what actually happened. In addition to being a slave girl myself I'll try to recruit some of my friends. I'm sure they'll all testify for us if this ever gets to a court."
"That would really help. The lawsuit would hurt us just by existing, but if she can't prove anything we'll probably be OK in the long run.”
Jane arrived at the Festival early on Saturday, the opening day. She was wearing a Viking costume; leather sandals and a tan dress that reached to just above her ankles. The dress was made of a fabric that looked homespun, and the sandals had leather thongs that wound up her calves. Instead of a purse she had a leather bag tied to a leather belt around her waist.
This, together with her blue eyes and long blonde hair, made her the archetype of a Viking maiden. She also had a pretty face and a slim but shapely figure, although at 5' 1" she was smaller than average.
Jane wandered around and explored some of the stalls that sold arts and crafts. She noticed a young man in a Viking costume who was standing next to an incongruous sign that said 'Slave Girl Sign-up'.
Now that she was actually facing the reality of honoring her promise to her Uncle Ragnar she hesitated. She wasn't a submissive, and she had never done any bondage, except for a few games of 'cops and robbers' as a child, so the prospect of becoming a 'slave girl' didn't provide her with any sort of thrill.
And while Jane wasn't really shy, she didn't like to appear before a large group of people. Walking across the stage to receive her high school diploma had made her nervous. Just the thought of being paraded through the village and then displayed on the auction block was enough to make her blush with embarrassment.
Jane's boyfriend Tom had invited her to go sailing with him and some friends on Narragansett Bay and she had to turn him down because of her promise. Jane had almost decided to leave the Festival when Sharon arrived.
"Jane! Glad to see you, and thanks for agreeing to help me."
Sharon was also dressed in a Viking costume, in her case a tan full skirt and a leather bodice worn over a short-sleeved blouse. The bodice laced up the front and was artfully arranged to display Sharon's cleavage, and the blouse displayed her muscular arms. Sharon did martial arts and lifted weights and she was strong for a woman. She was 5' 9" tall and had short black hair, so she didn't look nearly as much like a Viking maiden as Jane did.
"Have you signed up yet?" Sharon asked.
"No, I just got here." Jane realized she had left it too late. It would be hard to back out now.
Sharon wrapped her left hand around Jane's upper arm and led her over to the man by the sign. "We'd like to volunteer," she announced.
The man looked at Sharon and then at Jane. "You sure?" He didn't think Jane looked very enthusiastic, unlike most of the volunteers.
"Y… yes," Jane croaked out.
"Are you eighteen or older?"
"Yes, I'm twenty."
"OK then." He handed out clipboards holding the release form, one to Sharon and one to Jane. "This is the release form. Read it carefully and sign at the bottom of each page. It explains what's gonna happen, and that you agree to participate, at your own risk. If you want to back out, do it now, not during the performance."
Sharon exclaimed, "We don't want to back out. This will be a kick. Right, Jane?" She squeezed Jane's arm, and Jane winced.
"Yes, I guess so." Jane decided to go through with it, just to spite Sharon and her planned lawsuit. She skimmed the release form and quickly signed and returned it.
The man announced, "We're ready for the first catch. Which one of you wants to go first?"
Sharon replied, "You go, Jane. I'm still reading this."
Jane squared her shoulders and mustered all her courage. "OK, I'll go first."
The man pointed to three bearded men dressed as Viking warriors standing about twenty feet away. "Just go to those men, they'll take it from there. Have fun!" He caught the attention of one of the men and pointed at Jane.
Her heart beating wildly, Jane forced herself to walk towards the men, who moved to meet her. Usually her Uncle Ragnar was part of this group, but this year he was away at an anthropological dig at a newly-discovered Viking site in Newfoundland, and all the men were strangers to her.
The leader, a tall burly man with a long red beard, exclaimed "Here's a wench who'll bring a good price! Seize her!"
Jane stood petrified as her hands were tied behind her back and a steel collar was fastened around her neck. It took a forceful tug on the chain attached to her collar before she was able to walk after the man holding her leash.
Sharon smiled when she determined that the release form was the revised version. As soon as Jane was out of sight, obscured by the crowd of spectators, she returned the unsigned release form.
"I've changed my mind. I won't be a slave."
The man with the red beard walked ahead of Jane, holding her leash in his left hand. He had a rattle in his right hand and clattered it noisily while shouting "Slave for sale! Slave for sale! Come buy this prime slave!"
The other two men walked on each side of and slightly behind Jane, ready to catch her if she stumbled and also ready to fend off any gropers.
Jane was shocked by how quickly things had happened. She had been made a helpless captive in just over a minute. One of the men had held her hands together palm-to-palm behind her back and another had slipped a double loop of rope around her wrists and tightened it. He wrapped the remaining rope between her wrists to cinch the loops and knotted it where her fingers couldn't reach. The third man had closed a rusty steel collar around her neck and secured it with a spring clip.
Jane hadn't resisted, but she knew that it wouldn't have mattered even if she had struggled with all her strength. The men would still have easily captured her. She tried to free her hands, with no success. The rope wasn't tight enough to be painful, but it was snug around her wrists and it was unyielding.
The men led the captive slave girl on a winding path through the Viking Village, past the craft shops and the workshops. As they neared a leather works an old man in costume stepped out and blocked their path.
"Hold!" he cried. "My wife died, and I'm looking for a wench to warm my bed. This one will do nicely, if she's healthy. Show me your teeth, girl."
The old man touched her chin, and Jane decided to play along, since she had come this far. She opened her mouth.
The old man crowed, "That's what I want, an obedient wench! I won't have to beat her very often.” He pretended to examine Jane's teeth. “How much do you want for her?"
The man holding Jane's leash said, "I can't sell her here, she can only be purchased at the auction. Come to the slave market and make a bid."
He tugged on the chain and the procession resumed. By now there was a large crowd following Jane and her guards. Some teen-age boys made lewd remarks about Jane's body and their desire to fondle it, but none of them tried to touch her because none of them wanted to fight her guards.
Eventually Jane and the rest of the crowd reached an open area. There was a small wooden platform at its far side, a 4' x 4' square with a floor about a foot above the ground. A vertical pole made from a 6" diameter tree trunk was buried in the ground next to the platform. Its top was about seven feet above the platform.
Jane's escort led her to the platform, which was occupied by the auctioneer. He took the chain and helped Jane step onto the platform. There was a hook fastened to the pole near its top and the auctioneer put the end of the chain over it, chaining Jane in place.
Jane's anxiety when she was the center of attention of a large crowd reasserted itself, and she wanted out. She struggled to free her hands and she pulled at the chain connecting her neck to the pole. Without really trying she gave the crowd a perfect performance; she really was a slave girl desperately trying to escape her cruel fate. The crowd responded with cheers and applause.
The auctioneer was a large young man with a black beard. He carried a long thin rod made from a peeled willow branch. He started his routine, “Now good folk, our first offering today is this fine young wench. She's small, but she's strong, and she can work all day.”
He used his rod to lift the bottom of Jane's dress above her knees. “And she can also be useful at night. What am I bid?”
There was a roar from the crowd. A man shouted, “Ten dollars!”
The auctioneer replied, “Ten? That's an insult! Do I hear fifty?”
“Fifty!”
“Much better! Do I hear sixty?”
The bidding continued until a woman dressed as a Shield Maiden bid three hundred.
After pausing for another bid the auctioneer shouted, “Any more? No? Then sold to the warrior woman for three hundred dollars.”
The auctioneer spoke to the winning bidder, “Pay me and then collect your merchandise.” He removed the collar from Jane's neck, but he didn't untie her hands.
Jane was relieved that she was no longer a slave girl. It hadn't been an ordeal, but it had been a strain, and she was glad it was over. The woman who had 'bought' her was now facing her. Jane turned and held up her bound wrists so the woman could untie her.
Jane was shocked when the woman dropped a loop of rope around her neck and pulled it tight. “What are you doing?” she gasped.
“I want to show you to my friends,” the woman replied. “I donated three hundred dollars. That should get me a few more minutes. OK?”
Jane considered the woman's request and decided she could be a slave girl for a few more minutes. “OK. But I want to go home soon. Please untie my hands.”
“Later,” the woman replied.
She walked away from the stage and jerked the rope so the loop tightened around Jane's neck. Jane was so startled that she didn't protest. She hurried to stay up with the woman and hopefully keep the loop from getting any tighter.
For about five minutes the Shield Maiden and her captive walked along one of the improved but unpaved roads that allowed access to all parts of the site. Then they turned onto a trail that led through a thick forest. Jane was getting worried. This was longer than 'a few more minutes'. Where were they going?
That question was answered when the trail reached a clearing. A rope tied between two trees blocked the trail. There was a sign attached to the rope:
NO TRESPASSING! KEEP OUT!
Serious anthropological
research in progress
NO VISITORS ALLOWED
Jane assumed this was one of the sites rented by a reenactor group that actually did more science than partying. Jane's captor lifted the rope and ducked under it. She yanked Jane's leash and held the rope to allow Jane to follow her.
This clearing contained a longhouse and several smaller buildings. The longhouse was constructed in a traditional manner. It had a wooden frame and wooden sides and a steep peaked roof covered with sod. This longhouse was rectangular, about 15 feet wide and 50 feet long. This was small compared to most real Norse longhouses.
Inside the longhouse two parallel rows of wooden columns were located near the center, with about three feet between them. This gap formed a path that ran the length of the longhouse. Its surface was hard-packed dirt mixed with ashes. Several fire pits were located on this path, underneath smoke holes in the roof. Wooden platforms about six inches high filled the space between the path and the side walls. This was where the occupants lived.
Jane was pulled into the longhouse. She was astounded when she realized that Sharon was the first person she saw once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light.
“Professor Smith!” she exclaimed. “Why are you here? What's going on?”
Sharon hugged Jane and gave her a deep kiss on her lips. Jane squirmed and tried to escape from Sharon's grip, but she couldn't break free until Sharon let her go. Jane was stunned speechless by this assault.
Sharon smiled. “I'll explain everything, Jane. I had a crush on you from the first time I saw you, and I knew that I had to have you. I also knew you had a boyfriend, so I figured that it would take me some time to persuade you to accept me not just as your lover, but also as your Dom.”
Jane was outraged. “This is ridiculous! I'm not even bi, much less a lesbian, and I am not a submissive. Untie me and let me go right now and I won't go to the police. If you don't I'll report this and you'll go to jail.”
“I figured you'd say that, so I knew I needed to find a way to sequester you until our relationship was solid. Then I realized the perfect solution was already available. I've been a part of this group of Viking reenactors for some time. Most of us are interested in Viking anthropology and we actually do some serious research, but we also do it because it's fun and a good cover for our Dom/sub activities. If you were a member of the group I could make you disappear from the outside world.
“I then needed a way to legally, well, arguably legally, keep you here without being charged with kidnapping. Those fools on the Trust Committee provided just the thing I needed. They revised the release form so it was exactly as I wanted it to be. Legally, you're now an actress rehearsing for a movie. Anything we do, it's just part of the movie.”
Sharon pointed to the Shield Maiden. “Ingrid was acting for me when she bought you. I knew you would agree to be a slave girl to help your uncle.”
Jane nodded. “We thought you were gonna sue, and I agreed to be a slave girl so I could contradict your testimony.”
Sharon shook her head. “You poor, naive child. Catching you in my trap was so easy. I pretended to oppose the slave market because I knew your uncle would ask you to find out what I was 'plotting'. It was easy to manipulate you so you would volunteer to be a slave girl.
“Incidentally, there won't be any lawsuit. My friends and I like what we've got here, and we don't want to rock the boat.”
Jane was shocked when she realized how clever Sharon had been, but she resolved to foil her evil scheme. “I'll never be your sub! Never!” she shouted.
Sharon laughed. “You're so cute when you're angry. You will be my sub, like it or not. The release you signed says I can keep you until the Festival is over, and it isn't officially over until Labor Day. I have two and a half months to persuade you to be my sub. The release also says I can treat you in a manner 'consistent with the practices of the historical period'. Do you know what that means?”
Jane shook her head. Now that it was too late she wished that she had read the release before she signed it.
Sharon lectured, “In the Viking Age a thrall --that's you-- was just another domestic animal. Horse, cow, sheep, pig, slave girl. All were legally the same, and all could be treated the same. An owner could kill his slave girl with no more fuss than killing a sheep. If he wanted to torture her just for the fun of it nobody would object. She was his animal and he could do as he wished.
“You're now living in that Viking Age, Jane. You've traveled back in time. Because you're a thrall you might have some very unpleasant experiences, but nobody will care.
“I won't intentionally damage you, but there are many very painful punishments that don't result in permanent injuries, and I know a lot about them. Keep this in mind, Jane! If you disobey or misbehave you will be punished.
“But I don't want to hurt you. I want us to be lovers. If you've never had sex with a woman you don't know what you're missing. I can give you far more pleasure than any man could. Only a woman really knows how to please a woman.
“I will use pleasure and pain to condition you until you become my willing slave. Your only desire will be to please me. I've done this before with other women and I can do it to you. We've got lots of time.”
Jane answered, “I don't care what you say or what you do. I'll never be your lover or your sub. Let me go! You can't get away with this. People will be looking for me.”
Sharon laughed. “Who? I've carefully studied your life, Jane. I know your parents are out of the country and I know your uncle will be at a dig all summer. Your school friends have scattered. No one will miss you.”
“My boyfriend will miss me! He'll find me.”
“How? What resources does a college kid have? The police won't issue a Missing Persons notice unless a relative requests one. A boyfriend you dumped and are now avoiding claims you're missing? The police will say you're an adult, free to travel anywhere. Your boyfriend won't get any help from the police.”
Jane was scared. She had watched a lot of 'Vikings' series and movies and she knew Viking times were violent times when women were treated brutally. Would Sharon actually torture her? She had only seen Sharon in class. What was she like in her private life? Sharon said she was a Dom. Jane had seen Doms on the internet, and they usually carried whips. Jane struggled to free her hands. She couldn't.
Sharon said, “Enough talk. Let's get you properly dressed.” She removed Jane's belt and opened the leather bag. “Hmm, phone, wallet, keys, junk. You won't need any of this. I'll hold it for you.”
Sharon commanded, “Turn around so I can untie you.” Jane was happy to do this, and once her hands were free she rubbed her (barely marked) wrists and removed the rope that was around her neck.
Jane wasn't so happy with the next command. “Strip! I want everything off.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, to your skin.” Sharon waved Jane's belt in a menacing manner.
Sharon didn't threaten to use the belt, but Jane took the hint. She hated the thought of being naked but after a moment she resigned herself to doing as Sharon commanded. Resistance was futile. Sharon was bigger and stronger than she was and Ingrid could help her if she needed help. Jane stripped.
Sharon commanded, “Hold out your arms and slowly spin around. I want to see all of you.” She flexed the belt.
Jane did as Sharon commanded. It was humiliating, but it was better than being whipped with the belt.
Sharon gave Jane an off-white garment. “Put this on. This is what thralls wear.”
Jane examined the garment. It was just a tube made of thin cloth, open at both ends. “How do I wear this?” she asked.
“Just pull it over your head. The end with the strings goes on top.”
Jane complied. The top of the cloth tube fit under her armpits, and the bottom ended about two inches above her knees. She tied the strings that went across her shoulders. These kept the 'dress' from falling down.
Sharon said, “Nobody knows for sure what Viking clothes looked like. Cloth rots away so there isn't much archaeological evidence. The group uses this as our thrall dress because it looks like the pictures in medieval manuscripts and it's easy to make. They're one-size-fits-all, that's why it's loose on you. It's also easy to remove even when you're tied up.”
Jane asked, “Do I get any underwear? Can I have my sandals back?”
“Nope, underwear would just be in the way. And thralls always went barefoot in the summer. You can have some boots when there's snow on the ground.”
Jane didn't like the implications of that, but she didn't say anything. Jane still resolved that she would never be Sharon's sub, but Sharon's assumption that she could break Jane's will was ominous.
Sharon said, “You can keep your name. 'Jane' is an old English name, and Viking raiders captured a lot of English slave girls. 'Sharon' isn't a Viking name, so the name I use here is 'Astrid'.”
Ingrid said,“The previous name of my sub was Tiffany, which doesn't fit at all. Her last name is Polish, so I named her 'Olga'. Vikings raided Eastern Europe too.”
Sharon said, “Now's the time to put you to work, Jane. It's a typical thrall task, tiring and monotonous.” She tied Jane's hands behind her back and put the leash around Jane's neck.
Jane objected, “Why are you tying me up? I don't like to be tied up. Do you think I could run away while I'm barefooted?”
“Like I said, Jane, you're a thrall. I can do as I wish, and I wish to tie you.” Sharon yanked on Jane's leash and pulled her outside.
The smithy was in a small shed near the edge of the site. The smith was a large woman with very muscular arms. She paused in her forging when Sharon and Jane neared the smithy.
Sharon said, “Hello, Lena. This is Jane, my new thrall. She'll be helping you today. She's new to slavery, so she hasn't learned how to behave yet. Do you have her collar ready?
“Yep, I got everything you asked for. Bring her over to the anvil.”
Jane was alarmed by this discussion. “Collar? What do you mean?”
Sharon replied, “All thralls are collared. Like the dress, it's one of the things that marks you as a thrall.”
While Sharon was talking Lena was acting. She forced Jane to move next to the anvil and ordered, “Kneel!” She removed the rope from Jane's neck.
Jane knelt. Lena was very intimidating and Jane was tied and helpless. She was in no position to resist, and she knew it.
Lena rummaged in a wooden box and extracted two iron bars bent into semicircles. Each semicircle had two radial tabs, one at each end. Each tab had a hole punched through it, and Lena manipulated the semicircles until she got the four holes to line up.
Lena dropped two iron rivets into the burning coals in her forge and pumped the bellows so the coals glowed brightly. While the rivets were heating she soaked a rag in the water barrel that was next to the anvil and draped it over Jane's neck and shoulder. The wet rag would protect Jane from the hot rivets.
Lena took a heavy hand-forged iron chain with a D-ring attached to one end from the box. She put the D-ring around a collar bar and placed the two semicircles around Jane's neck. A large wooden clamp was used to hold everything in place.
When the rivets were orange-hot Lena used tongs to put one though the holes in one pair of tabs. She forced Jane to bend over so the head of the rivet was on the anvil.
She growled, “Hold still unless you want to get hurt,” and pounded the rivet flat. She dipped some water from the barrel and cooled the rivet. Then she removed the clamp, rotated the collar a half turn, and riveted the other tabs together. More water cooled this rivet. She removed the wet rag and the process was complete. Jane was collared and marked as a thrall.
The collar was heavy. The iron bars were about 1½" wide by ½" thick. The collar was loose enough that it dropped to the base of Jane's neck and rested on her shoulders. Jane was shaken. It was bad enough being tied with rope; this collar seemed to be permanent. And where did the chain go?
Sharon helped Jane stand up and untied her hands. She jingled the chain. “This is your new tether, Jane. The free end is stapled to the middle of that oak log behind you. That log is heavy! You should be able to drag it slowly, but you won't be able to drag it very fast or very far. This chain is twelve feet long, so you have enough slack to do most of your tasks without moving the log.
“This is for your own good, Jane. If you weren't chained to the log you might try to run away, and that is a serious offense with a severe punishment. I want to keep you from being tempted.” Sharon made this sanctimonious speech with a straight face, but she was laughing inside. She enjoyed punishing a sub.
“Your first task is to help Lena by working the bellows. She's making some artifacts to sell at the Festival, and you'll be a big help.”
Sharon said to Lena, “This is my thrall, and you can beat her if she displeases you. I've got to go now, but I'll come get her later. Bye.” Sharon left the smithy and returned to the longhouse.
Jane asked Lena, “Does she mean I'm going to be chained to this log forever? Can't you use a padlock instead of a staple?”
“Yeah, you'll be chained to the log most of the time because it's a lot of trouble to remove the staple. Viking padlocks are big, hard to forge, and easy to pick, so we don't use them. A modern padlock would be an anachronism.”
Jane complained, “This collar is really heavy. Do I have to wear it all the time?”
“Astrid, your owner, decides that. She asked me to rivet it on, so the answer is probably yes. She likes her thralls to be tied and chained.”
“How do I get it off when this is all over?” Jane asked.
“It's not too hard. I just use a chisel to cut off the rivet heads. That's not something you can do for yourself, so don't try it. You'd hurt yourself.”
“Do you have a thrall?”
“Nope, my partner and I have a normal lesbian relationship. We aren't into the Dom/sub scene. Most of this group aren't in the scene, but we don't object to those who are.”
“I'm not in the scene either!” Jane exclaimed. “I don't want any part of this! I thought it would all be over once the auction was over. I want to go home. Please help me.”
Lena shrugged. “You're not the first sub to have second thoughts about being a thrall. This is between you and Astrid. Everyone in the group has agreed to not interfere in other peoples' relationships. We all play along, so if Astrid says you're her thrall I'm obligated to treat you like a thrall. That means I will beat you if you displease me. Back to work!”
Lena showed Jane how to work the bellows and told her to start pumping. A few hours later a weary Jane knew that Sharon had accurately described a thrall's task. It was tiring and monotonous.
There was a break when another thrall appeared. She was wearing a cloth tube similar to Jane's, but she was several inches taller so that on her the bottom of the garment ended mid-thigh. She was also wearing a collar, but her collar was formed from a ½" diameter round rod. It was black and shiny and could have passed as jewelry except for the ring attached to it.
“Hello, Olga,” said Lena. “Lunchtime already?”
Olga nodded. She was carrying a wooden bucket and a wicker basket. She took a wooden bowl from the basket, handed it and a spoon to Lena, and filled the bowl with stew from the bucket.
It smelled good and Jane was hungry. When Olga ignored her and walked away she shouted, “Hey! What about me?”
Lena said, “She'll be back. Thralls are fed last, if any food is left after the free people eat. In the Viking Age this meant the thralls starved in hard times, but that's one aspect of Viking life we don't simulate. You'll be fed. Until then, back to work.”
Jane resumed pumping the bellows.
Sharon left the smithy and returned to the longhouse. She said to Ingrid, “I want to move Jane's car out of the parking lot. Can you follow me and give me a ride back here?”
Ingrid replied, “Right now?”
“Yes, please.” Sharon gathered up Jane's clothes, sandals, and bag. The two women walked together to the parking lot. Sharon got into Jane's car and they drove off.
Sharon had thought about the best place to leave Jane's car and decided to put it in the obvious spot, her uncle's driveway. If the car was in the place where it was usually parked it couldn't be considered 'abandoned'. If somebody did start looking for Jane her car wouldn't provide any clues to aid the search. No one was in view when Sharon parked the car. She quickly got out, leaving Jane's belongings on the front seat, and got into Ingrid's car.
Sharon and Ingrid drove back to the Village. Sharon had some work to do at the college so she drove there and went into her office. Sharon found that she couldn't stop thinking about Jane. When she visualized Jane's naked body she felt herself growing moist. After a few hours she stopped trying to work and returned to the Village.
Sharon went to the smithy. She said, “I want to take Jane to the longhouse. Can you help me with the log, Lena?”
Lena agreed and the two women dragged the log attached to Jane's collar out of the smithy. The log was about 6' long and over 6" thick.
Sharon said, “You pick up one end of the log, Jane.”
Jane was just strong enough to do it. Sharon wrapped the loose chain around the log, grabbed the log close to its center, and picked it up. Jane grunted as she had to support more weight, but she managed to hold on.
The two women carried the log into the longhouse and dropped it in the center path next to the place on the platform where Sharon had spread out a pad and some bedding. This was her usual place, and she had added some iron rings to the platform.
Sharon announced, “I'm gonna introduce you to girl-on-girl sex. I'll start by making you cum, and then you can do me.”
Jane protested, “I don't want to do this! I'm straight! I only like sex with men.”
“You'll change your mind, Jane. But since you're reluctant I'll have to restrain you. Hold out your hands. And please don't try to resist. I want this experience to be pleasant, not degenerate into a fight. Which you would lose.”
Jane knew she would lose, so she held out her hands. Sharon wrapped several loops around Jane's wrists, tied a knot, and wrapped more rope around the loops to form a cinch. Sharon was an expert rigger and Jane was securely tied in a few minutes.
Sharon untied the strings holding up Jane's dress, it fell to the floor, and Jane was naked. Sharon paused to admire Jane's body. Then she commanded, “Lie on your back and put your hands over your head.”
Jane obeyed, and Sharon crawled onto the platform. There was some rope trailing from Jane's hands and Sharon tied it to an iron ring located next to the outer wall.
Sharon tied Jane's ankles to rings on the front of the platform and pulled until Jane was stretched in the classic 'Y' position. Once this was accomplished Sharon returned to the platform and lay beside Jane. Sharon stroked Jane's breasts and then moved down Jane's body. Sharon's hand cupped Jane's mound and one finger slipped inside.
Jane fought against the tendrils of arousal. She thought, 'The most important sex organ is the brain. If I don't think arousing thoughts I won't be aroused. I wouldn't be aroused if this were a gynecology exam. I must think about mundane things.'
It was a struggle, but Jane prevailed. She managed to avoid any indications of arousal. Her nipples didn't harden and she didn't excrete any fluid. Sharon was very frustrated by this. Even when she licked Jane's clit there was no response. After a while she gave up.
Sharon was very angry. She snarled, “If I can't give you pleasure, I can give you pain. I'll break you eventually.”
Sharon untied Jane. “Put your dress on. We're going back to the smithy. You'll sleep there tonight. You could be here with me, warm and comfortable, but you made your choice.”
Sharon and Jane returned to the smithy. Sharon told Lena, “Jane rejected me, so I'm rejecting her. When she's finished working for the day, leave her here. A cold night sleeping on the ground will help her decide to do as I wish. Will you do this for me? I've got to go now.”
Lena shrugged. “Yeah, sure, I'll do it.” It didn't matter to her if this was the game Astrid wanted to play. She helped Sharon move the log back to its previous position.
Sharon left the site and returned to her office. She still had a lot of paperwork to finish.
Lena picked up her hammer and returned to the forge. “Start pumping, Jane.”
As the day neared its end Lena banked her forge. “I'm going now. I'll make sure Olga brings you some food.” She picked up the clay jar that Jane had been using as a chamber pot. “I'll dump this and bring it back.”
“Thank you, Lena. It's nice to have somebody treat me like a human being.”
Lena wasn't gone long. When she returned she had the rinsed-out chamber pot and a blanket, which she gave to Jane. “This will help. It gets cool at night. See you tomorrow.”
After dark Jane tried to sleep. She was in the back of the smithy, lying face up next to the log she was chained to. The ground was hard and her collar pressed against the back of her neck. She was very uncomfortable and she doubted she'd get much sleep.
Jane thought, 'I can't take any more of this. I've got to get out of here.' She rattled the chain attached to her collar. 'I can't go anywhere unless I can detach myself from this log.' She remembered what Lena had said about the chisel. 'I can't get the collar off, but maybe I can cut the chain.'
Jane knew where Lena kept her tools, and she found a chisel and a hammer. It was dark now and she couldn't see anything, but she felt the chain. 'This is a thick chain and I'll have to cut it twice,' she thought. 'It'll be easier to cut the staple. I'd better wait a couple of hours until everyone's asleep.'
Time dragged, but eventually Jane decided it was safe to cut the staple. She was startled by the loud sound the hammer made when it struck the chisel and paused to see if there was any reaction. She didn't hear anything, so she resumed chiseling until one side of the staple was severed. Then Jane used the chisel as a lever and bent the staple until she could free the chain.
'Free at last!' Jane thought. 'Now what? It's five miles to my house, but nobody's there. Tom's house is a bit closer. I'll go there. It won't be fun walking barefoot with this collar and chain weighing me down, but I can do it. I have to do it.'
Jane looped the chain, held it with both hands, and crept out of the smithy. There was enough moonlight to let her see where she was going.
She heard a sound and turned toward it. She saw a dark figure and then a fist struck her in the solar plexus and she fell to the ground, unable to move. Her hands were pulled behind her back and tightly tied. More rope tied her ankles together.
Sharon said, “I warned you about trying to escape. Now I have to punish you severely.” Sharon said 'I have to' but what she meant was 'I get to'. She picked up Jane, carried her back to the smithy, and dropped her next to the log.
Sharon made a quick trip to the longhouse and returned with a lot of rope, a candle holder, and a gag. She lit the candle and placed it so it illuminated Jane's body. “Since you're not fastened to the log, I need to tie you so you can't escape. I want to whip you tomorrow, and I don't want you to miss it.”
Sharon wrapped six loops of rope around Jane's elbows and knotted it. She untied Jane's wrists and re-tied them with six turns of rope. She took a longer rope and cinched the loops around Jane's wrists. Sharon made sure that the wrist ties were loose enough to not interfere with blood circulation.
Sharon cinched Jane's elbows with the same rope, and then formed a harness by running the rope under Jane's left arm, across the back of her neck, and under her right arm from the front. She passed the rope end around the rope on Jane's left side and pulled until it was on top of Jane's spine. The final touch was an elaborate knot that locked everything in place and also included a small loop.
Sharon next tied Jane's legs together. She placed one band of rope around Jane's thighs just above her knees and another band around Jane's ankles.
Sharon tied another rope to the rope crossing the back of Jane's neck, looped it around the rope on Jane's ankles, and back through the harness knot's small loop. Sharon turned Jane face down and pushed on Jane's legs and pulled on the rope until Jane's heels touched her hands. She tied off the rope and now Jane was in a severe hogtie.
Jane had been so distracted by the blow to her solar plexus that she was only vaguely aware of Sharon's rigging up to now, but that changed abruptly when Sharon completed the hogtie. Jane pleaded, “Please! Not so tight. This really hurts.”
Sharon laughed evilly. “If it hurts now, what do you think it'll feel like in the morning? Pain and pleasure, Jane. You refused the pleasure, but you can't refuse the pain. You'll soon be begging me to let you be my sub.”
Sharon said, “Oh, I almost forgot. You'll be screaming soon, and we don't want to disturb anybody. Open your mouth!”
Jane was too beaten down to fight. She opened her mouth and Sharon inserted a gag. This gag was made from a peeled tree branch about 1" in diameter. Cloth was wrapped around the center of the branch and this filled Jane's mouth. Ropes were tied to holes drilled in the ends of the branch, and Sharon tied the free ends of these together at the back of Jane's neck.
“See you tomorrow, Jane. I loaned out my bullwhip, so I've got to decide if I'm going to whip you with a strap or a cane. Maybe both? Good night. Pleasant dreams.”
Sharon left, taking the candle with her. Jane was crying, her sobbing muffled by the gag. She was very frightened. Sharon was acting like the villain in a horror movie. Maybe it was only an act, intended to scare her. If that was so, it was a brilliant success.
As the night dragged on Jane's pain increased. Finally she passed out, and she was unconscious when Sharon and Lena arrived just after dawn.
Lena was appalled when she saw Jane. She thought Jane was dead until Jane moaned and opened her eyes. “What were you thinking, Astrid? Do you want to kill her? Has she been hogtied all night?”
“No, I caught her trying to escape around midnight. Relax, I know what I'm doing. My ropes didn't stop any circulation or pinch any nerves. Jane's hurting, but she's not damaged. I'll let her loose, and you'll see that she'll be fine in a little while. Are the chains I ordered ready?”
“Yeah, except for some minor size adjustments. Do you want me to put them on her now?”
“Yes. And can you refasten the chain to the log? Maybe with a thicker staple?”
Sharon untied Jane while Lena stapled the chain to the log and did the usual chores that were needed to prepare for another day's work in the smithy.
Jane screamed into her gag as her body unfolded from its cramped position. She continued to cry as she experienced fresh waves of pain.
“Are you sure she's OK, Astrid? It doesn't sound like it.”
“She'll be hurting for a while. Let's put the chains on her while she hurts too much to struggle.”
Lena measured Jane's wrists and ankles and decided that the chains would fit without modification. She moved Jane next to the anvil, sat her upright, and fitted a cuff onto Jane's left wrist. The size was perfect, the metal just touched her skin.
This cuff was crude, as might be expected if it was manufactured in a primitive smithy. The cuff didn't have a hinge, it was just a U-shaped iron bar, about ½” thick by 1½” wide. There were holes punched in the ends of the U, placed so they were just beyond Jane's wrist.
Lena put a long thick rivet through a hole so that its head was against the outside of the cuff. The other end of the rivet had a flat extension that went through the other hole, which was smaller than the rivet's diameter. Lena placed the head of the rivet on the anvil and bent the extension over with her hammer, locking the rivet in place.
Lena repeated the process and cuffed Jane's right wrist. Each cuff had a half-ring welded to it, and these were connected by a single 6" link of hand-forged iron chain.
Jane had recovered somewhat and was starting to struggle, so Sharon wrestled Jane's legs and held them in place on the anvil while Lena fastened the cuffs onto Jane's ankles. These cuffs were similar to the wrist cuffs except for their size, and were connected by three 6" links of chain.
Everyone paused for breath after Jane was riveted into her chains. Jane tugged at her gag and made sounds that Lena guessed meant 'water'. “She needs some water, Astrid. Can I remove the gag?”
“Sure, take it off and give her some water. I'm gonna get my strap.”
“You're gonna whip her right now?
“Yes, there won't be much of an audience this early. And I have to leave soon. I've got to finish some paperwork that's due tomorrow.” Sharon returned to the longhouse.
Lena removed Jane's gag and gave her some water. Jane was really thirsty and gulped it down. “Thank you, Lena. She's not really gonna whip me, is she? I was tied up all night and now I'm locked in these chains. Isn't that enough punishment?”
“That's for Astrid to decide, but knowing Astrid as I do, I expect she'll whip you. Running away is a serious offense. Didn't she warn you?”
“Please, please don't let her whip me!” Jane begged. “I hurt enough already.”
“It's her call. You should have thought of this before you agreed to be her thrall.”
“But I didn't agree! I was tricked!”
At that moment Sharon returned. She was carrying a heavy leather strap. “Give me the gag. Jane won't like this, and I don't want her screams to wake everybody.”
Lena thought hard for a minute. “No, I'm not giving you the gag. Jane has had enough for now.”
“She's my thrall!”, Sharon exclaimed. “I decide if she's had enough. I'm gonna give her the whipping she deserves!”
“Be reasonable, Sharon. Sure, Astrid can whip her thrall to death. That's no big deal in the Viking Age. But what happens if Sharon whips Jane, and Jane is hurt so bad she has to visit the ER? If she's covered with welts it's likely the police will get involved. Then the story will get out, and we'll all be in deep shit. You, me, our group, the Trust, everybody. Especially you. Do you think you could keep your job if the media published a story linking you and the tortured women at the Viking Village?”
There was a long pause before Sharon said, “OK, I'll postpone the whipping. I admit I'm still angry and I might get carried away.
“I've got a lot to do today and there's a college thing I have to go to tonight, so if I don't whip her right now I can't do it today anyway. I won't whip her until she's had some time to recover and I've had some time to cool down.
“Will you watch Jane until tomorrow? There are a lot of people in the longhouse now, and I don't want Jane to disturb them with her talking. Keep her in the smithy and keep her quiet.”
“Yeah, I'll take care of Jane.”
Sharon hugged Jane and gave her a deep kiss on her lips. Then she walked away without saying a word.
As soon as Sharon was out of sight Lena said, “Now tell me how you got into this mess.”
Jane explained what had happened, in detail. She emphasized Sharon's cunning plot to capture her and make her a sub.
Lena nodded. “I can believe she did all that. Sharon has been borderline crazy ever since she broke up with her girlfriend, and now it's obvious she's crossed the line. I'll help you get away from the Village, but that may not be enough to keep Sharon from coming after you. Do you have a safe place to stay?”
“I'm living alone, but I can probably stay at my boyfriend's house for a few days.”
Lena produced a cellphone from somewhere in the smithy and gave it to Jane. “Call your boyfriend and tell him to meet you, but not in the public part of the Village. There's an access road not far from here where we can meet him without anybody seeing us. Let me talk to him and I'll tell him how to find it.”
Tom was very surprised to receive a call from Jane so early in the morning and he really didn't understand what had happened to her, but he promised to meet her.
Meanwhile, back at the smithy, Lena sharpened her chisel. There were a lot of rivet heads to cut off.
“Let's start with the collar, Jane. Kneel next to the anvil.” Lena positioned Jane so a collar tab rested on the anvil. “Put your fingers in your ears, this is going to be loud.”
A few hammer blows later, and the chisel cut through the rivet. Lena rotated the collar and cut off the other rivet. She got a two-handed grip on the collar and pulled it off.
Jane rubbed her neck and the places on her shoulders where the collar had rested. “That collar is really heavy. I'd hate to have to wear it for months or years.”
Lena held the chain link between Jane's wrists. “You hardly wore the chains at all. I designed these cuffs, and I've been wondering how functional they are. Maybe you could keep… nah, forget it.” Lena kept cutting rivets until Jane was unchained.
Jane asked, “What are you gonna tell Sharon tomorrow morning when she finds out I'm gone and she wants to know what happened to me?”
“I'll tell her someone must have carried you off during the night. I'll cut the staple holding the chain to the log and I'll hide all the chains and the collar. If she thinks you were still wearing them when your mysterious rescuer, or possible captor, took you away then my explanation will be plausible.”
“Will she really believe you when you tell her that?”
Lena shrugged. “Maybe not, but I don't care if she doesn't believe me. I'm backing away from Sharon, she's a nutcase.
“I'm gonna tell my partner where I'm going. Back in a minute.”
Lena entered the longhouse and returned carrying a pair of sandals. “A loan from my partner. You'll walk faster if your feet aren't bare.”
Lena and Jane took a trail through the forest that ended at a gravel road. This road led to a highway, and Tom's pickup truck was parked there, much to Jane's relief.
Jane said, “Thank you so much, Lena. You may have literally saved my life.” She removed the borrowed sandals. “Thanks to your partner, too.”
Jane and Lena hugged. Jane climbed over the gate that blocked the road entrance and got in the truck. She waved goodbye as Tom drove away.
Tom eyed Jane's dress. “That's an interesting outfit. What happened yesterday? I thought you were only gonna take part in the auction, not stay overnight.”
“I'll tell you later. It's a long, long story. Let's go to my house so I can get some clothes, and then to your place. Can I stay with your family tonight? I don't want to be alone.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Are you still planning to go camping out west?” Jane asked.
“Yeah, there are some national parks in Utah that I've always wanted to visit. I was thinking about leaving next week or the week after.”
“I'd like for us to leave tomorrow. I have to get out of town.”
“Us? You want to go camping with me?”
“Yes, us. As a couple. One man, one woman. That's my preference.”
The End