“Master, can I be your slave ... permanently?”

That was the question that began our new life together. It is a question that still rings in my ears all these years later. She asked the question of me that Saturday evening after making the statement to me the night before that she wanted to know more about the D/s lifestyle that attracted me so much.

She had tasted it and found that she too had a penchant for the ‘Dark Side’ as a submissive. And she wanted more. She wanted to take this D/s thing to the next level and I wasn’t about to stand in the way of her development!

“If we are going to do this, pet, I want to do it right,” I told her.

“Right, Master?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, “There is a ceremony called the Collaring Ceremony that is performed when a Master takes a slave. It is a lot like a marriage ceremony, but with a twist. And if you and I are going to be Master and slave, I want to have our own Collaring Ceremony.”

“Yes Master,” she said, smiling at me with her sparkling blue eyes.

“We will need to do a little shopping first though, there are some things we’ll need for the Ceremony. Plan on having the Ceremony this next Saturday, that should give us enough time to prepare for it properly,” I told her.

“Yes, Master. I look forward to it,” she said.

That week I did the necessary shopping ... going to the hardware store, the craft store, and the pet store for her collar. I gathered all the needed items for what I hoped would be something she would enjoy and something that would remove any lingering doubt about this strange new life she had experienced. Our Collaring Ceremony would take aspects of the Rose Ceremony, mixed with aspects of a Gorean ceremony with some ideas from other couples’ personal ceremonies mixed in to make ours unique and special for us both.

As the day of her Collaring approached, I took her to a website that had an example of a Collaring Ceremony.

“This is an idea of what will happen Saturday, pet. Look it over so you will know a bit more about what to expect. You will need to come up with your own vows to be read during the Ceremony. These should be your own words and ideas although you can get some ideas from this website. They are basically like marriage vows,” I told her.

“But, Master, you know I’m not good with words like you are!” she protested.

“You will do fine, pet. Just say what’s in your heart. It will only be the two of us there so you won’t have to worry about being embarrassed,” I said.

“Yes Master,” she replied, feeling better about it since she knew it would just be her and I there.

Saturday came and I went into my study to prepare. I left strict instructions, she was not to enter the room until I gave her permission so she would not see the preparations. “When we got married, I couldn’t see the bride until you walked down the aisle. Now it’s my turn to surprise you!” I said. She agreed and busied herself with household chores until closer to the appointed time of her Ceremony.

“Okay, pet ... it’s time for you to get ready. Go upstairs and prepare yourself as I have shown you and when you’re ready come back down here. I will be waiting for you here by the study door,” I said.

“Yes Master,” she said and went upstairs to get ready. About 20 minutes later she came down ready for the Ceremony. She was naked except for a bridal veil and she carried a single white rose, just starting to open up. She came up to me and we got ready to walk into the room. I was dressed in all black and carried a fully bloomed red rose.

We entered the room and she noticed my desk had a white tablecloth on it. On the table were two candles – a tall, red one on the right side, a shorter white one on the left, each unlit. Between the two was a silver plate with a collar on it.

Directly behind it was a glass dome with a wooden base and in it was a fake red rose and a fake white one similar to what we carried but without the stems. In front of the plate was a 3’ length of gold colored chain.

And off to the right of the plate in between the red candle and the plate was a small bell. In front of the desk was a small white pillow. Everything on the table had a distinct purpose in the Ceremony. We walked up to the desk and then turned to face each other.

When we were ready, I lit my candle and she lit hers. Then I began the Ceremony by ringing the bell.

“Pet,” I said. “You have expressed a desire to become a slave to me and to serve me on a permanent basis. You understand the commitment that this entails. Are you prepared to devote yourself entirely to me and serve me with all your mind, all your body, and all your heart for as long as I will have you?” I said.