Running away gave Liz the freedom she always dreamed of along with the dangers she had not. Not aware of the dangers of the capital Liz sought out those in need in turn for food or shelter. The trade was working well as the word reached people a skilled healer was helping those in need. with out the need of religious affiliation. Truly a blessing to those in the capital who were in dire need. There was no shortage of offerings from the masses. Soon Liz ad a months supply of food in the mater of a few days. Not asked to work in the brothel they did offer her a room for aid.

The room was empty and was formally a storage room. A bed was moved in for her and a wash station. Here she could still see to the people and keep all of her gains from the tips she received. All of your business was diverted to the first floor while the other girls worked above. The sick and injured forming a line to the brothel leading to a name change. "The Blessed sister". The name spread like wild fire in the capital. Liz always had some one coming to see her. The capital actually improved health wise and the brothel business improved as well. However the places that were hurt were the churches.

People no longer had to feign piety to receive healing made the donations to the church drop off sharply. The church was not amused by being upstaged by this healer in a brothel. They soon set plans in motion to return the people to the rightful place for healing. Not in dark rooms or back alley but in the mid day in front of the king they made veiled threats on behalf of the gods. The gods saw lust and sin on the people demon worship was to blame in the pit of evil growing each day the king stood by and did nothing. The king sent three platoons of knights to cleans the evil of his kingdom. They surrounded the building without a word they stormed the doors and swarmed inside. The knights butchered the brothel girls and those patrons inside. Three men came into the room where you were and threw a large sack over you. "Forgive us." Was all you heard before a blow to your head knocked you unconscious.

You awoke in a cart with other people dressed in rags and chained. They were heading to a strange land, they traveled east. As you arrived to a small town they dragged you out one by one and stood each of you against a wooden pole. Above your head was a metal hook. The chains binding your hands were raised to catch on this hook. The bidding began....

Liz looked around as she dangled from a hook. Her arms hurt. As a healer she knew that this position was dangerous to the slaves. She hoped the slavers didn't intend to make them hang around long. She wondered why they choose to display them like meat. Probably to make them less human. She wasn't sure whether to hope someone bought her. Or hope they didn't. She didn't see it going very well for her either way.

Shout from the crowd could be heard in different languages. In a few minutes the man that put you on the hook took you off and carried you off the stage left. You were lead to a group of three men waiting for you with a four horse drawn carriage. The horses were white and well kept. The money exchanged hands and you were put inside with the two men leaving the third to drive. No words were exchanged and they didn't look directly at you the entire ride. The chains on your hands and feet were heavy. Inside of the coach was very elegant push seats and cushioned walls covered in red fabrics the curtains were a thin white lace and leather covers on the outside of the windows blocking your view. All the wood held some type of carving depicting horses in various positions. The ride was smooth and long taking the rest of the day. The air outside became cool letting you know the sun was now gone. At last the carriage came to a stop and the door was opened from the outside. The grounds of this place was over grown and the shackles from your wrists were removed. The ones from your ankles were replaced with a different lighter pair. They were smaller and lighter but a metal cord attached them. The cord was only a foot across and caused you to shorten your steps. One of the men pointed to the front door. They returned to the carriage and rode off leaving you to your fate.

Light could be seen through the windows. The night air was cold and your rags were not helping against the wind. You had no foot wear or food. the stones were marble and in no way natural to the surroundings. if they were cut and carried to be set in place it must of taken decades to complete. The fountain was creating its own water at the top and spilled down the levels but never overfilled. This palace had stood for many years judging by the over growth. It had no gates or walls surrounding the grounds. The statues were very detailed and had remnants of gold on them. Turning to the doors of the building they were brass and had a dull shine to them. Carvings of strange symbols adorn the edges and a lager image is carved into the center of each door.

LiZ looked around. Yea this place was an improvement, she thought to herself. She could hear the carriage driving away. It looked like she had two choices. Either follow the road and hope to find someone to take pity on her or head for what looked like an abandoned building. She hadnt seen any signs of life in awhile. Which meant it would be a ways before she reacted not her town. She had no good or water. She hadnt had anything to eat or drink all day. Had some purchased her just so she could die? That seemed like a waste of money but why else bring here here? She looked up at the sky. It would be dark soon. She would need shelter. It looked like the abandon building won by default. She headed towards it

The doors had no obvious lock the brass doors looked heavy but the smell of food dared you to touch them. The door silently glided inward as you could see the inside. It was larger some how then the outside construction had indicated. a small set of marble stairs guided to the main floor from the door way and once you were inside the door close by itself. The floor was cool to your naked feet and very smooth. The air inside was warm and gave no inclination to the cold air outside. Inside was well lit, though were all this light was coming from remained hidden from you. The scent of food lead you down the large foyer and to the left was a long oaken table with only two chairs at opposite ends. On top of the table was a large banquet. There were multiple dishes of various foods some you could identify while others simply smelled too good not to try. there was a place setting at the end of the table closer to the hall you came from.

Liz jumped when the door shut behind her. "Ok that's not creep or anything." She said out loud. Her voice echoed through the empty room. She decided to follow the smell of food even though she was pretty sure that it was a figure of her imagination. She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked. When she found found the table she stared at it in shock. "This keeps getting creepier and creepier."

In the seat of your chair was a note.
It read as follows, Welcome to your new home. I am your owner, and I trust you journey was safe. I am Marcus, You are the only other person in this my home. I want you to eat and rest. Tomorrow we shall meet and discuss your duties. For the time being eat and rest. You may sleep in any room you wish with an open door. There will be a closet with more appropriate clothing. The ankle shackles are magic and will shorten the further you roam from the grounds. They will bind together at a certain point. As you are inside the cord binding them together will disappear.

Liz looked down. She hadn't even noticed that the chain connecting the two bands was gone. "Well I don't understand this at all." She eyed the food warily. She was confused by all this. She didn't know a lot about the world but she was pretty sure that this wasn't normal. She sat down and eat. She didn't eat much. She was too nervous but she was too nervous not to eat. Once she had eaten all she could she went looking for a place to sleep. She was overwhelmed by how big the place as. She found a charming room done in soft pink. She curled up on the bed and went to sleep.

The night was quiet and restful after your ordeal yesterday the large soft bed you had found was a small blessing. The bed was clean and had curtains you could close for privacy. As you rested on the pillows sleep came quickly. After a good nights rest and the sun pouring through the windows of the room you awoke lazily to find the previous day was not a dream. The magic bracelets still held your ankles but the tether was gone. You sat up to look at your surroundings.

There was a window and an assortment of wooden furniture to include a large standing wardrobe armoire. Inside the armoire were an assortment of common dresses in various colors. They looked to be the right size although slightly small at the waist. A large ornate floor rug lay flat in the room. By the bed a lantern was on the night stand but it was unusual it had no oil base no wick. It was glass in the shape of an oval with a four inch diameter. The glass was resting on a ornate wooden base. As you touched it a small light appears, touching it again extinguished the light from within. The scent of breakfast could be smelled through the door.

Liz felt rested when she woke up the next morning. She was hoping to get answers today. She didn't know what to think about any of this. But it was her new life so she would have to find a way to do with it. She stripped out of the rags she was wearing. She washed up in as best she could before changing. She chose the simplest outfit she could before leaving her room. She headed back to the room where she had seen the huge table about the night before.

Before reaching the dining room you could smell the sweet aroma of breakfast. When you entered the dinning room you were not disappointed. The table was modestly full of food. Bread, ham, eggs, cheese, fruit, a pitcher of milk and a second pitcher of water. At the head of the table was a man covered in white fur with the head of a white tiger. He wore a simple shirt and clothes. The jewelry he wore was ornate. The smile he displayed when your eyes met gave you goosebumps. At the opposite end of the table from where he sat was set for you with a set of silverware and a silver plate. A gold ring was in the center of the plate.

Liz stared at everything in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had never seen anything like it.she eyed the strange beat man warily. She wasn't sure that getting closer was a good idea. He was uncountable stronger then she was. Most likely he was spfadter too. She would need a head start to have any hope. "I dont understand. What is this? Who are you?" she doubted that he would answer her. She was only a lonely slave after all. He didn't have to tell her anything.

"I am Markus. Welcome to my home. The ring on your plate will allow you to open most of the locked doors. I bought you because I need someone to complete various tasks that in my current form I am unable to do. your term of service is forty years after such time I shall release you with a horse and a small bag of gems. There will be no beatings I assure you. You are free to go and walk the grounds. You may do whatever you like at night. During the day you will do as your told. Most of these tasks are rudimentary and simple I have various animals that require feeding and looking after. I cant go near them but some one has to take care of them. I need some one to also tend the grounds. Do this during the day. At night you may do as you wish the dishes are all magical and will provide you with any type of food you can think of. Just place the cover on the dish and think of what you want. The drink is from the cellar. I have enchanted items to clean. So don't be alarmed if the rude broom tries to push you to get a spot of dirt. You may ask your questions and I will answer the ones I believe relevant to you duties."

"In forty years I wont need gold or a horse." Liz said softly. She would be in her sixties. Most of her life would be gone. Not that she had much of a life now. She wasn't sure how much of what he said she believed. She had no problem with the chores he described. Except that do as I say thing. She wasn't the resisting type but she loved asking questions when she could. She enjoyed learning. She knew that would get her in trouble eventually. "What if I don't do as you say?" She asked when he mentioned no beatings. How else would he keep her under his control? He had to do something. If not beating would he do something worse?

"Well honestly no slave ever thought the conditions were harsh enough to refuse the terms. I suppose I could lobotomize you, removing your higher brain functions. Making you help me but then some one would have to clean up after you. And I did pay well for an intact slave. Mostly the money went in the shipping charges. Money I can create but servants who can perform tasks with out wasting my time to do research are rare." He put a paw to his chin. "Although I suppose it would be easier to humiliate you by burning your cloths until you complied. There are always options to any problem life presents." He smiles again and narrows his eyes.

Liz blushed at the man's threat. She was shy by nature. She would definitely not like being around him naked. "I am not saying that I wont obey. I just like to know what all the rules and consequences." Not knowing the consequences of her actions was how she had ended up in the slave market in the first place. She wasn't doing anything without doing anything without knowing the details. She slowly made her way to the table. She touched the ring gently. She hesitated to pick it up.

"Of course. I think you will find as far as being a slave goes this would be one of the more favorable places. Please don't fear anything in the house or myself." He started to select certain pieces of the food on the table. "I work during the nights so your tasks should be unhindered by my presents. I do have breakfast before retiring to sleep in the day. I admit this fur makes the heat in the day so munch worse. If other questions should arise then please ask them in the morning you are free to join me for breakfast." He began to eat his portion of breakfast. Occasionally glancing up at you.

Liz watched him. "You aren't like anything I've seen before." she explained. She could understand why he would want to be more active at night when it was cooler. That meant that she wouldn't see much of him. Which could be a good thing. But she wasn't used to being alone. While she was shy by nature she was used to being surrounded by others. It would be hard to adjust to the silence. But if that was the worse thing she faced her she supposed she could deal with it.

He washed down a bite of food with the wine in his cup. "I've worked hard to become so. A lot of research went into this transformation. The tiger is superior to the human from in every way, completely adaptable and versatile. With my keen mind and all this potential then it seemed a logical conclusion that combining the two would produce a next step in evolution. It didn't occur to me that there would be drawbacks to continuing the research after using the transformation. Sometime sacrifices are required to further the research. Now being a tiger I can experience them first hand."

"You did this to yourself on purpose?" Liz asked in dismay. She couldn't imagine doing anything like that. There was no way the benefits would be worth it. It wasn't possible. She shook her head. It was probably she would only see him once or twice a day. He was crazy. She hoped he didn't decided to experiment on her. She like whoband what she was for the most part. She had no desire to try to figure out how to live in another body.