I don't entirely remember Kaust getting up that morning, I just fell back to sleep. I think he woke my brother up a little more, since he stroked my side as I drifted off again. I guess that was to be expected.

It was much later that we were woken up. They let us sleep in until well past noon. I was very thankful for that. I had never been as exhausted, physically and otherwise by the time we were done that night.

It was Kaust that got us up. He gently rocked my shoulder until I stretched, and he said, "It's time."

I felt it in the pit of my stomach, that dread. I knew from the look on Kaust's face he was not much looking forward to it either. So when my brother yawned, and sat up, and said, "Good" we both just stared at him.

Now, it's rare that we are not on the same page, so to speak, and even when we aren't, we can almost always figure out what the other meant and is thinking. This is one of those rare times.

He looked at us two and said, "What?" He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, and said, "there is nothing more that I can accomplish as a free man. Last night, we did the last thing we needed to do. And... I've been dreading this moment for weeks. I'll feel a lot better when it's over and done with."

You know, looking at it that way, I agreed with him.

Kaust brought us out to the back room where there was... stuff. I didn't know that slavers needed this much stuff to do their job. To this day, I have no idea what most of it was. Some of it, however, I was about to find out.

His father was there, too. That made me blush, and I pressed closer to my brother's side. I mean, I was not afraid of him, but I was still nude. With Kaust, I mean, that had stopped mattering last night.

Sitting on the table was our papers. The documents declaring us slaves being on top of them, with his Lordship's seal on them. Turns out Kaust had gone and run that errand while we slept in.

In truth, we had woken up slaves. The collar was just a formality.

That didn't exactly help.

On top of the papers were our collars. I had expected the simple metal bands that I seen on every slave I had met. They were made of two shiney metal bands twisted around each other, and then bent into an almost loop. Where it was to join there were two plates that looked like they went together.

Radam explained that the nicer collar would help place us in a better home. More expensive, but he wanted us to have as comfortable a life as we could.

I asked, "we will sell for enough to pay for those?"

He looked at me for a while before saying, "I'll not take a single copper from your sale. It will all go to your family." It took a moment for that to sink in, and it was my brother who managed to get out "thank you, both of you." I just found myself nodding and looking at the floor.

Considering how tight things had been for everyone, and I know it was no different for them... it was going to be a hardship to them. A kindness to ourselves and our family.

My brother changed the subject by volunteering to be first. Radam asked which one of us he was, and he said, "does it really matter?" He clearly could not believe that he was refusing to tell him, and I thought he was going to be angry. Instead, he burst out laughing, and he says, "No. I suppose not. Keep your little secret then."

Being partly open, he was able to slip it over my brother's head, squeezing his ears back and hair in the process. Radam had him pull his hair free and hold it to the side, and kneel next to.. Ok, I'm not sure what it's called. It looked like a small anvil nailed to the side of the wall.

Seeing my brother on his knees with that shining metal around his dark neckfur... Again, the pit of the stomach.

The collar was squeezed shut around his throat, and a rivet was put through it. Then it was pressed against the anvil, and Kuast held it in place as Radam used a hammer used to flatten the head of the rivet. Clang, clang, clang, and it was done.

He asked, "Can I stand up?"

Radam lifted his chin to make him look up at him, and he said, "Slave, the proper way to ask that question is: May I stand up, Master. If it's something your not sure if they will say yes to, it's wise to be more formal, such as Master Radam, may I stand up? Try again."

I swallowed, and I could see Kaust's cheek twitch. But we all by now knew it had to be this way.

My brother said, "may I stand, Master?" He was given permission, and I went to him, and hugged him. Radam let me take a minute to examine the collar around my brother's neck. It looked a lot better than I had thought it would, honestly. Little comforts, I suppose.

"Come, it's your turn."

I nodded and got on my knees. I didn't have to be told what to do, now that I had seen it done. I held my chin up so they could slip it over my head, got my hair out of the collar and out of the way, and bent my head forward to give them room to hammer.

I kept my eyes closed through the process, I didn't want to see it being done. Even still, every moment of it added to the finality of it.

Slaves being bought and freed were the thing of fantasy. Especially considering what we were likely to be worth.

Clang.

There was no where a slave could really escape to. And what would you do if you did? Starve?

Clang.

At least we would be together.

Clang.

"Master Radam, may I stand?"