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Power struggle of a Ward

As I have previously reported, since the termination of my FC with the former Emir of Oasis Seven Palms, Darian el Nairad, I have been under the protection of the Pasha of Cartassa, Sir Abu Harun Ibn Jabari.
If I had known beforehand that this pasha was also a notorious pirate from Port Kar, presumably even with ties to the Captain's Council, I don't know if I would have ever agreed to the protector contract.
On the other hand, these men are said to be excellent fighters.
However?
I'm stuck in this contract now and I have to make the best of it.
It's not the first time my pride and his dominance and ego have collided, and no matter how much I resisted defying his will, he somehow always managed to get his way, which always annoyed me.
So far I have reluctantly given in to the love of peace and fulfilled Abu's wishes, which only served to test HIS power on me.
Be it the request not to wear the veil in his presence or this compulsion to use the chair behind the desk, my own office and on my property. or be it Oasis of Opals trying to collect heavy taxes.
But as the saying goes! The smart ones give in!
But I wouldn't be Bryjana if I didn't fight back and keep my pride.
So I gave a damn about removing the veil, which is tantamount to face stripping and an outrageous request. BUT as a Torvie I'm used to showing my face, feeling the wind on my face and breathing deeply. He was just doing me a favor. Only I didn't show him and reacted with defiance and rebellion, because the law of the south is on my side.
Yes, and while I hate that "nose bump," as I still call the veil in my heart, I saw the benefit of the Veil to a FW. It's very often of great benefit when men don't recognize a woman's face.
On the one hand it protects you from male desires, on the other hand it conceals some cheeky facial expressions.
Well, and as for my office chair. I gladly let him preside, although at first I rebelled against it, pointing out that he was in my country, in my office and under my hospitality.
This chair has a defective spring in the seat, which even I can sometimes feel with my low weight. I hoped that with his heavier weight the spring would finally break and pierce his butt.
Unfortunately we were happy too soon, the spring held!
And as far as the tax demands are concerned, I had long since developed a concept. The founding of a merchant guild and the opal mine.
A kind of retail chain where everything from production to retail is in one hand.
All for one and one for all!
There are no middlemen here, the opals go straight to the dealers and the profit margin is thus the highest.
I have offered Cartassa a 45% share of the profits if this guild is formed.
And that eliminates all tax requirements.
Sir Abu liked this idea and he agreed, now it's a matter of convincing the HoC Merchant Lady Leotie and drawing up the contracts together.
I just hope it's quick as the Cartassa Merchant Fair is coming up soon and it would make sense if the guild already existed so other merchants should be able to enjoy the guild as well.
We will see!!
I will not me do get down!!

The fight goes on.........now it's getting dangerous for me

The Merchant Fair in Cartassa is only a few weeks over, the founding of the guild is signed and merchants and goods manufacturers are being recruited. Large scrolls across the land proclaim the guild and the benefits of being a member of our guild.
Darian finally left Cartassa and very quickly got a new FC again, he even kidnapped this woman from Thentis and is now wanted by arrest warrant all over Gor.
But that doesn't interest me anymore, I have a lot to do in the editorial office of the Gorean Moons Gazette, which is constantly growing, new branches are being opened and the first is already in the north, in Ravens Fjord, where my first local reporter is also based.
A Scribe from the south he has now settled in the north of the country and hopefully finds his fortune there.

So far so good, actually I could be happy with the progress, but I get stomach cramps every time I go to the Pasha for the meeting.
At every meeting in the palace, he demands that I unveil my face, but my defiance and pride always contradict him.
I hate this veil because it still suffocates me and robs me of my freedom to be a Torvie woman, and yet here in the south I have learned how valuable such a veil can be.
I wouldn't mind taking off the veil and smiling in his face, but something in me always defies this man and his will.
God knows why!!! Every time he makes that demand, I go on the defensive, everything in me fights back and becomes stubborn.
Is a protective posture? I do not know what's up? I should be glad to get rid of that thing on my face for a while, but I'm fighting back.
At the last meeting, the Pasha Abu even went so far as to threaten me with a collar if I disobeyed. He claims I'm in debt...which isn't true as I haven't received an invoice from him for payment requests.
He was not to get very far with this threat and blackmail, I explained to him the law of the free woman, asked him to send me his calculations, which I will check very carefully for accuracy and the stolen opal, which he secretly put in the opal mine in hoping I wouldn't notice,,,,,,, oh yes I deduct the opal's value from his bill.

A COLLAR???????????????WHAT IS THIS MAN THINK?
In addition to my pride and defiance, my rebellious behavior towards Abu, I now also have tremendous anger.
NEVER will I kneel. NEVER in my life, I swore to myself, and NEVER to this man.
I don't know why, but Abu always manages to make me angry. WHY am I reacting like this?
Ok my temper sometimes gets away with me but I'm usually a peaceful person and diplomatic which I learned from my father but my mother's hot temper also lies dormant in me and makes me go on DEFENSE especially at ABU .
"I am not your property, your slave, your FC or your toy"! I called after him as he left the palace.
Damn, angry I stamped my foot on the ground before walking down the many flights of stairs from the palace, having only informed him that Sir Arix, the guild master, has left the country and the guild is finding a new one I'm looking for a merchant if possible, as a representative I am more responsible for everything contractual.
But there was also something good about the meeting, should none of the merchants agree to take the post of guild master, Sir Abu will do so as he is well versed in the merchant caste.
I only mention "The Naked Merchant of Port Kar" in passing.

Now I'm sitting here at my desk in my office waiting for the messenger to bring me the bills......... ...well, do the gods know what this man is up to?
Does he want to see me broke and depressed?
No matter what he does... he won't win.

I would rather live the life of an urt than kneel!!!
I am free and I want to stay free!!

The Twins

Gold and Veil
 

I'm sitting in the office at Cartassa, absorbed in the writings, and didn't hear the door open. I looked up in shock when I heard Abu's voice in greeting. The first impulse was to jump up and run away, but then I sat still, and looked proudly into Abu's eyes, tried a smile: "Tal, Pasha, how is your day?"
"Day is fine....how are you?" he asked "did you need me for something..i thought I saw a bunch of scrolls my slave girl brought to me...whats up?"
 
"Ai, there, I pushed them under the door, they are the new contracts and forms for the guild, with your name as the guild master, they are for your records and in case someone applies for the guild""Alright..i had not looked at them yet..." he said and glanced to her "How is Opals doing..I did not get any updates..or news..or taxes..are you fully ignoring me? Your protector?"Abu stepped close to my desk chair so I could feel his breath on my head. Unnoticed, I slid further to the right in the chair until I bumped into the armrest and stifled a soft curse."I'm very busy and I think you are too, Pasha, so why bother you unnecessarily?""Aren't you forgetting something mhm?"  he noticed her getting uncomfortable "but you are supposed to give me weekly updates..you are supposed to come looking for me...here, instead the Pasha is here...." he smirked "This calls for a punishment"There, there it was again those threats and blackmail, I wanted to jump up and scratch his eyes out, but that would only make me more distressed, so I tried to ignore the threat and tried to keep my voice calm ,but couldn't help the anger flashing in my eyes and hitting him. I looked straight at him and met his gaze, "Want to make me broke, see me poor, well, you can have it, I'm working for new silver again" !
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"Working for new silver... what does that mean?"
"I will work as a lawyer and as a scribe for which services will be paid, as I am not a member of your city I can do what I please in the oasis of opals, I will give you gold once and never again, I will you'll do anything to appease your pirate-addicted soul, you insatiable one"!
I got up from the chair and went to my office safe and opened it, took out 10 bags filled with 100 each, the reward for my people and their work and everything I owned, and threw the pirate Pasha at his feet. “Hopefully you can look people in the eye when they are starving and the Oasis are left behind with the next caravan.
When he got up, he sat down in my seat...and I can feel his eyes stinging my back as he watched me walk to the safe. Then Abu Pasha pirate heart looked at sacks of gold at his feet "You don't have to be so arrogant..." grinned the gold "and give it to me nicely...if not...I won't take it...and I will you." still considered indebted."
"Take it or leave it, I've paid taxes for 100 years with this, so what more do you want, the greed in your eyes is hard to bear"! I was shaking inside with anger, what have I done to this man that he always wants to see me suffer, why does he keep hurting and hurting me?
"You need to learn some manners. You need to learn to respect your guardian. You need to learn to humble to the Pasha of Cartassa..." but then the attraction of gold was too hard to ignore, he kicked it to the side "My slave boy come pick it up later..so how is the guild going...give me updates""oh i think" gasped "i had a very good upbringing from my father, the one who lacks manners and respect for a free woman is you yourself. and what's up to you guild, the work isn't mine, it's to your Merchants in your city, whether and how much they sell, you are the Guild Master not me, I am not a Merchant,
and I expect a letter from you that all taxes are paid for the next 100 years !"

"Really you call this good up bringing" he smirked "are you accusing the Pasha..do you know you are breaking the Law here..I could put you in jail for that...next 100 years..you paid taxes for ten weeks " he gave her a look of surprise..."i can barely buy bread with that kind of gold...i need more..get back to work..and pay pay pay..."
" i gave you everything i have, i won't be able to pay my people in opals anymore, your children will starve, so they will leave di oasis to find work elsewhere, i hope you sleep well pasha, and i shall respect you , do you respect me. just ask for one more gold and I'll end up as She Urt?"
"Well..then be humble..you are a free woman because i am generous.." he stood up "have a seat...then..i am so great I am not putting you in collar..so, say thank you to me"

"1000 gold pasha that's tons of bread" I turned and glared at him with increasing anger. Calmly and decisively I try to answer: "No......... I don't thank you for what you did to me, I am not your property, or your slave, or your FC, or your toy, not a puppet Whose strings you can pull and the puppet will dance at your will............no....take the gold and leave me alone, otherwise Will we meet again in court, Pasha!"His eyes bored into mine "If you are not nice to me, i will companion you off to a fat ugly man of Schendi, and you will spend the rest of your life cooking Vulo for him for the rest of your life" he extended his hands to her "so now kiss my hands..go on..don't be shy"
I stood frozen and a wicked smile under the Veil met the Pasha: "Well maybe that old ugly fat man is nicer than you who comes across as handsome and strong. Not every treasure chest filled with diamonds also contains a treasure, it can also be full of charred ones wood, whereas an ugly burned chest can be full of precious stones.Maybe this Schendi man has more heart than you ever had!""i know..you think i"Why should I do you a favor, you shame me and then I should humbly kiss your hand, no, it would be like a submit for me and I won't fall for it Pasha, you have to look for another stupid one!"
am a bad man..." he said "strip your veil and kiss my hand..." he demanded.
"Why should I do you a favor, you shame me and then I should humbly kiss your hand, no, it would be like a submit for me and I won't fall for it Pasha, you have to look for another stupid one!"

He looked to her and smiled "there is no shame..it shows humbleness..it does not mean you are submissive or slave.." he said "but though taming someone like you is fun....that is not my intension..i am too old for that, i am too tired of that..such life is in the past..."

"Self-awareness is the best way to get better, so apologize to me for trying to force me and I will forgive you, but not for leaving me here a poor woman, me will never forgive you
  "Sorry," he looked into her pretty eyes, "you're so sweet and you're pretty when you talk to me like that..." he took one of my hands and brought it to his lips and kissed it... "You see ...it's not that hard," he said, then let go of my hand
When he took my hand and kissed it, I shuddered and went pale, red, pale, alternately, and all of me stiffened in this resistance to this man. I quickly pulled my hand away and stuttered slightly, "gggg good apologies accepted but you're the one who brought suffering to the people of Opals, you're going to have to look every man in the eye who's out of work and this the family has to hang, you will see every tear of the children who cannot fall asleep from hunger in the evening, you will wake up with these pictures every day and go to sleep in the evening. safe paths Pasha "!
"I said..apologize to me..but then you are pretty without your veil...." he tried to reach and take it off from her face.."and your lips are pretty..i am pretty sure men would pay great sum of dowry to me..to get your hand companionship" he smiled and then released her.."I will see you soon..Bry..I wish you well."
I was startled when I felt his hand on my face, tearing the veil from my face. I quickly turn around so that you can't see my tears and hiss another one; safe paths.

I AM BROKE !!

Days later, my anger at this man rising to immeasurable proportions, I climbed the stairs to the palace to confront the Pasha and break the protectorate's treaty, which was still only a verbal agreement: I would rather be left unprotected than I add to more blackmail and threats.
As expected, he did not agree and one word led to another, quarrels... nobody wanted to give in, nobody had witnesses and so I could not prove anything to bring him to court a court, especially the magistrate of Cartassa, who future FC is his niece and would soon be part of the family so biased and probably on the Pasha's side.. Abu got very close to me, I didn't want him to touch me and stepped back......and then happened it.........the stairs......my foot stepped into the void and twisted my ankle, i fell down the stairs and couldn't get up anymore no more: my ankle was swollen and hurt like hell . Suddenly Abu was worried at my side and helped me up and carried me to a chair, his face very close to mine as I heard his place in my ear: I didn't take the gold, it's still in your office, take it it "How can a man be so changeable as if two people lived in his soul. He called guards who took me to the infirmary by Lady Mae the doctor, treated my foot. I won't be able to walk for a couple of hands and need to rest my foot because the ligaments at the ankle are probably torn.
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