Chapter 3

Interlude - The Agents (a little while ago)

The junior agent was talking, "I don't get it Sir; why are we surveilling the limey kid, he was never part of this."

"'Cos he's meeting the King. Old Moytokk's one tricky customer and I want to know what happens. Look, if the kid comes out of there with a few party favours and a smile on his face, we know we can ignore him. Let's just say it's a loose end at the moment and I don't like loose ends." The boss agent replied, carefully.

Finally, as they watched, they saw Rory emerge from the residence with Ti Ling.

"Well that's some party favour, Sir," Junior quipped.

"I'll say, but she's probably just taking him somewhere. Anyway, this is certainly one loose end that isn't getting any tighter. Oh and your security clearance had just increased. This stuff is on a need to know basis and I guess at this point you need to know.

Interlude - The King

"Well I just hope I've done the right thing old friend" The King said, speaking almost wistfully to his chief advisor, Chang Du.

"Well you know I was against it, Sire, but I have learnt over the years to trust your instincts, we will just have to wait."

"Maybe, but I am still concerned about that attack, they're getting bolder and that attack was only chance away from succeeding."

"Indeed, but I am not quite sure what they expected to gain, Sire."

"The only logic I can see is that with me and a Ni'ng Wu, they felt they might have had a chance to control her and perhaps they thought we would give them more in exchange for me."

"It is possible, Sire, but that could never have worked."

"We know that, but do they? We know that a king as old as I am, is no longer that important — well to everyone, but his heir that is. I know Suhtokk, dreads giving up his freedom to serve as monarch. It is often the case, though, that the more unwilling the man, the better the King, and so we must hope, for one way or another it won't be long, now." The king breathed a sigh and looked down at the beautiful girl kneeling at his feet, "And what say you Poi, my beautiful flower?"

"I say I love you Master and I am getting tired too. I first served Ritokk the second and I have served many kings since and I have loved them all. I do love your son, but the years grow heavy, free me at your death, I pray."

"We will talk of that later, but for now I need you insights."

"Yes Master. Well their main goal, must be to obtain two of us at least. They want to be able to breed their own Ni'ng Wu. They can't see how ultimately self-defeating that would be. We can only be used as we are, once we become an offensive tool, others will seek the same advantage and sooner or later it will just become a breeding race striving to have the most Ni'ng Wu. My sisters will then just be used to kill and die. It would be better that there were no Ni'ng Wu than that should come to pass."

"Unfortunately I agree, but still I think there is another answer in the past. I have hopes that the seed I have planted will grow fruit. I just wish I could have been there when he realised he owns Ti Ling," The King finished with a rueful chuckle.

Back to the Story

"Well Ling there's no need to buy too much, since, hopefully we'll be going back to England soon and anything we buy now, we'll have to take with us. We'll do more shopping when we get home, I promise you," Rory advised having seen Ling's eyes light up as they entered the shop.

"I'll need some jeans won't I?" Ling asked.

"Well one pair maybe, but I think you would look much nicer in skirts or dresses."

"Will I ever be allowed to wear the one pair do you think?" Ling asked, with no sign of resentment.

Rory felt horrible, he hadn't meant to start ordering her around, he was just treating her like other girls and expecting to have his suggestions overruled officially, but maybe unofficially, taken on board a bit as well.

"Sorry I was expecting to have to lobby hard to get my suggestions recognised, let alone agreed to." Rory responded.

"Pleasing you makes me happy, I don't mind, in fact I like doing what you say."

"Look this is going to take me a while, so how about a compromise until we both get to know each other better? I like being in charge, but I don't want a yes-woman for a second in command. If you have a preference or would like to do something, tell me; show some spirit. I can always say no if I really object, but it would give me pleasure to know that you were part of what we are doing."

"I think I can do that and it might be fun to act more like an ordinary girl and be a little demanding, but I am still Ni'ng Wu and I am yours and if you make it so that part of my nature is hidden, then that would not please me: I need to serve you."

"Okay you start standing up for what you want a bit and I'll make sure I stop you every now and then and tell you what I want you to do. How about that?"

"Okay I think that might work out fine. So why can't I wear jeans?"

"Because I think you'll look prettier in a skirt or a dress, but you can buy one pair and I may let you wear them occasionally."

"Well I like being pretty, but I still think you're being a bit mean." she answered with a quick smile and a cute pout.

"Go on buy the jeans you want and then we'll get some skirts and dresses." He replied slapping her gently on her bottom to encourage her forward.

Some time later, years as far as Rory was concerned they had finished shopping and were in a taxi on their way back to Rory's Hotel.

"So let me get this right baby-doll nightdresses and short bath robes are what women in England usually wear and some men are mean enough to insist women should wear pantihose even though stockings and suspenders are more comfortable and easier and you want me to be comfortable so you won't ever make me wear pantihose: is that right?" Ling asked with a knowing grin.

"Surely you can't suspect me of duplicity, not your beloved owner?" Rory answered with complete insincerity.

"Oh yes, but that's the easy part. What's more difficult, is wondering why you bother; it's clear you're going to make me conform to your fantasy requirements, whatever, so why bother trying to convince me it's for my own good?"

"'Cos it's fun and it's just too tempting. Oh don't worry you can wear what you want, within reason, when you are doing your own thing."

"My own thing?"

"Well property, Ni'ng Wu or whatever, you have to have your own life as well surely?"

"No I don't, but I might like to have a little unscheduled time, I have never really had that before."

Rory was genuinely shocked. "Hey that's not right. I promise I'll not miss-treat you like that and I have only been playing with the clothes and all. You wear what you want, if it will make you happy, well not pantihose and certainly not leggings, but anything else, okay?"

"I have not been mistreated!" Ling answered quickly. "Up until my eighteenth birthday I had been in training and that requires a lot of time and since then I have been travelling with the King, I am sure otherwise some unstructured moments would have started to occur, more than just occasionally. You have to understand, though, the Ni'ng Wu need to serve, it makes us happy, it answers a need in us, being allowed to do so is never mistreatment. Also I am really enjoying that you are helping me to dress for you."

"Okay, so I have got a lot to learn then Ling, but if you really want to serve me, never just let me mistreat you; I am ordering you to tell me if I am not treating you correctly or making you unhappy because I don't understand your role, understood?"

"Yes Sir and thank you."

It wasn't long before they arrived at Rory's hotel, not an expensive establishment, but quite comfortable.

"Well I guess we'll have to see if they have a room for you and hope we can get one fairly close to mine." Rory offered.

"Just you leave this to me," Ling answered.

She went up to the desk and when the receptionist came to see what she could do, Ling went into action.

"Hello I'm Miss Ti, Mr. Jones' personal assistant. It seems that we have some extra work to do and so I have had to join him. Please could you arrange for him to be moved into one of your large executive suites, I will of course be joining him."

"Well let me see if I have something available."

"I am sure you will have." Ling answered. "Oh and if there is a message from His Majesty King Moytokk you will see that Mr Jones gets it immediately."

"Ah yes we do have something suitable." The receptionist answered.

"I was sure you would, please arrange for my bags to be taken to the suite and for Mr. Jones things to be moved. We will be in the bar." Ling announced passing the receptionist a fifty dollar bill.

"Thank you Miss Ti, I'll have the paper work ready when you come to pick up your key. Enjoy your stay."

"Wow, you might actually be worth keeping." Rory admitted once they were out of the receptionist's hearing.

Sitting in the hotel bar and enjoying a beer and facing Ling across the small table where she was sipping her fruit drink, Rory took a few minutes to mentally catch his breath. Less than eight hours ago he had been bantering with Annalys in the park. Already that seemed an age ago. He didn't really know what he had got yet, he reminded himself. Ling was obviously very intelligent, she clearly was gifted with a raft of skills, yet he had no real idea what her role would have been before she was 'given' to him: that still didn't seem right. Sure, it was pretty much a given that most lads had at some time fantasised about just such a happening, but in fantasies it was easy, there were no rules and issues and conscience did not really come into it. The reality, as he could now attest, was somewhat different: this was for life, in many ways it was more complete than marriage and there was no test for compatibility. This beautiful girl was his responsibility and he knew nothing about her, yet he literally had the power of life and death and would set the conditions that would determine the course of her existence. And what about himself, how would having a slave, despite what she said, that's how she would appear to others, effect his life?

He became aware that Ling was looking at him strangely. "Sorry I was just letting it all catch up in my mind. I don't want to hurt you and I mean to do right by you, but you must admit this is a pretty strange set of affairs. Perhaps you could help me a little by telling me more about what it is you are and will do for me?"

"I think this may be part of the difficulty, for me it is not a strange state of affairs, I have always been owned and I have always known that Ni'ng Wu are owned and in my country this is seen as natural. So what is my role? Well I am to serve my owner and to do all that I can to protect and preserve him. My owner's comfort and well-being are the most important issues that face me. Ordinary people have goals and ambitions, they need to make a mark and to a greater or lesser extent, normally based on factors like drive and intelligence, they will follow their ambitions. For the Ni'ng Wu, ambition has no real meaning; it is not that we lack ambition, it is more that we have a complete absence of ambition. In us what would be ambition, is translated into a need to serve and to strive to ensure that we are the best tool that we can be for our owners. If you tell me to do something and I do it, I do not resent that I have been ordered around or that I am working just that you may relax; I take a real and deep pleasure that I have been useful to my owner. I need this, but it is not subservience, I know I am superior to you in many ways, that I have abilities and skills you lack and in addition I am fairly sure that I am more intelligent than you are, for instance. This pleases me and is not a cause for resentment, instead I am pleased that I have these skills and ability for you to use." Ling said speaking softly and earnestly.