Chapter 5

title: Urgah the Magnificent - The Caravan

Selected scenes from The Caravan episode:

Talia and Urgah were shoulder-deep in happy, hot water in the inn where they were staying. "Mmmm, this is wonderful," Talia told him. "It would be hard but I could stand doing this every night."

"Enjoy it, because we're leaving in the morning. No more beautiful baths like this for a moon or so. You could have asked Morgan to take you with him. His house has a bath, probably better than this one."

"I couldn't do that. I'd be a souvenir, a trinket he picked up in his travels."

"He'd buy you pretty gowns, good wine, food that someone else cooks."

"I'd still be his property. No. I'd rather stay with you. You rescued me and saved my life." She looked at him with a level gaze. "I'm serious; you saved my life."

"No one was going to kill you."

"Not deliberately. They never let me in the kitchen and they made the customers leave their weapons behind, so the only thing I could think of was making a customer angry enough to lose control and kill me. I almost made it once but he just beat me up. I wanted a big, strong man who'd get his hands around my neck and choke me to death. Until you started gambling I thought you might be the one."

Urgah sat up straight and his eyes grew wide. "By all the Gods, Talia, don't talk like that."

"Why not, if that's the way I felt? Then, I mean? I don't feel that way now; I definitely don't anyone killing me now. I have a lot to live for. There are books to read and places to go and people to meet and bad guys to kill. Now, it's time for us to get out and look for some dinner." She stood with her back to the camera. The scars on her back were more obvious against skin flushed from the bath. Urgah deliberately looked away as she turned and dried herself.

"Urgah." He looked back at her. She was wrapped in a towel. "Urgah, you set my body free when you tore my chain out of the wall and led me out of that tavern and then again when you made sure I would stay free by teaching me to fight for myself. Morgan set my mind free when he taught me to read and write. I was tempted to go with Morgan because he has lots of books." She looked down and bit her lip. "Urgah, I don't mind if you look at me. I like for you to look at me since it pleases you." She looked up at him with an anxious expression. "You haven't wanted anything else. You can if you want, you know that. Just ... there are places where I'm still a prisoner, still chained and locked up." She looked near tears. "I tried to let Zoltan's son kiss me. I tried to let Zoltan's daughter kiss me. Just friendly kisses, nothing more. It was like being back..." She closed her eyes and hugged her towel closer. A tear leaked out of each eye. She shook her head. "Enough of this. I need dinner." From her tone of voice the subject was closed.

Urgah and Talia were in looking at things in separate sections of a shop when Talia overheard two tough-looking young women talking. One, a blonde, was saying to her redheaded friend, "Hmmm. Now there's something I'd like to try out," nodding toward Urgah.

The redhead replied, "Looks good, but big guys like that usually have absolutely no technique or staying power. Or their, uh, equipment is disappointing."

Talia moved closer and said in a low voice, "Girls, I have it on very good authority that my friend over there is excellent in all respects." Grinning at their surprise, she continued, "I happen to know that he has no plans for the rest of the evening, so if either or both of you would like to try him out I'm sure that he'd be happy to oblige."

The blonde asked Talia, "You're his friend? You're not..."

"No, we're not. I was a slave from the time I was twelve until he set me free. I would if he wanted to but..." Her voice trailed off.

"Goddess," the redhead breathed. "For you it would be like being back in a brothel, so you find other women for him. You must really love him."

Talia was startled. "Love him?" She bit her lip. "Yes, I guess I love him," she said softly, then shook her head and said in a playful tone, "So, come with me and I'll introduce you." Talia introduced Urgah to the two, who turned out to be caravan guards in town for a half-moon holiday, then sent the three of them off to the inn. Her final words were, "Urgah, I'll see you at the stables in the morning. Girls, please don't damage him too much, our caravan's leaving tomorrow."

Talia continued to look into shops, buying a pen and ink and a blank book to copy Morgan's messages into. She found a magical tablet and stylus to practice writing on - one end of the stylus made marks while the other end erased them. Thus equipped, she went back to the inn and talked the innkeeper into letting her curl up on a cot in a storeroom because "My lout of an employer brought a couple of women back with him. We have a strictly business relationship and I'm in absolutely no mood to be in the same room with them." She smiled herself to sleep.

During the first days on the caravan trail Talia thought about how she felt about Urgah and Morgan. She summarized her feelings in her first message to Morgan:

Morgan, it is hard to describe how I feel about you. You are kind, thinkful thoughtful, have quick wit. We traveled together, fought together, bleed bled together. You own some of my heart. But, dearest Morgan, Urgah own owns all the rest of it. You and I never had chance to talk about this, but I think I love him and I am going to get over my problem with show it. I was not always owned by brothels. Most of time I was house slave, used for sex only some time. After I was sold to first brothel, not all my customers were rough. I am going to think about the customers that treat treated me well. I am going to be as close to Urgah as I can stand and hope my fear go away. I know he will not hurt me. I have to feel he will not hurt me. Wish me well in this. Talia.

Talia started deliberately being close to Urgah - sitting next to him around the campfire, standing close during the day, sleeping back-to-back with him. Eventually he noticed and asked what was going on. She answered, "Urgah, I want you to put your arms around me and kiss me every night. I know you won't hurt me and I want to get over being afraid. Will you do that for me and not be unhappy if I don't respond?"

"Why?"

"Because I love you. Because I want to make you happy myself instead of other women. Can you understand that? I can find women here with the caravan to keep you from getting too, uh, irritated."

Urgah replied in a tender tone, "Yes, I understand. A kiss every evening as a promise of things to come." He smiled and winked at her. "I'll let you know if I get, uh, irritated."

Talia explained her project to an amused trio of wagon drivers. One of them asked, "Now, you're gonna give that beautiful man to us after you've gotten him all hot and bothered? And we have to give him back? Honey, this is going to be an interesting trip."

By the middle of the trip Talia was able to kiss Urgah with considerable expertise and enthusiasm. They still slept back-to- back, he under his bearskin and she under a blanket. If she awakened in his arms during one of her infrequent nightmares she would smile instead of panic. She didn't cry herself to sleep and if she woke during the night she would snuggle backward or reach out to reassure herself that he was there. The three wagon drivers developed satisfied smiles that turned a bit wistful when they saw Talia and Urgah together.