Finally they reached the customs courtyard and the outer gate. There was a long queue of carts and caravans waiting to be processed. A guard pointed Shaggy to a numbered spot where he should wait his turn. He dismounted and led the sisters to where the guards told him to go. Once parked-up and booked in he unhitched Madelyn and Velma from the cart, sat them down and passed them some food and wine.
"Like, not long to go, Scoob's ahead of us so we'll meet up outside way out of sight of the walls." He whispered, the sisters gave a weary nod. While they ate Shaggy cleaned their glasses and generally clucked and fussed over them, sorting out their hair and rubbing lotion into their skin which was beginning to look a bit sunburnt. He knelt down, ostensibly to check their foot bindings, in reality it was so the sisters could look him in the face. They gave him a tired smile, Shaggy had delivered; their nightmare was almost over. The affection they felt for him was detected by the pleasure system, magnified and rewarded.
Horns sounded from outside the gates, a collective groan went up amongst the crowd waiting to leave as the gates were opened and a huge caravan of wagons and pack animals entered. From the flags flying from the caravans they were emissaries of the empire, people on the personal business of Lord Zarquad. Custom dictated that they were processed first. Shaggy and the sisters shared a worried look, were the emissaries looking for them?
A group of nearby travellers and merchants decided to make the best of things. When at market they wouldn't give each other the time of day, but when on the road they shared a communal bond. The road could be a lonely place and company was always welcome. No-one wanted to pass up one last chance to meet and talk before the solitude of the road. A fire was started and wine brought out. Shaggy was invited to join them, to sit, share food but more importantly to share in tales and stories. New stories were prized above all, to be retold on the journey and at their destination, easing the monotony of the journey and enhancing the prestige of the teller.
"You'll need to bring a seat." A merchant called out, Shaggy sighed as he realised that meant the sisters.
'We can hide in the crowd,' signed Velma 'we'll be less obvious that way, remember to treat us like the other slaves.' Shaggy nodded, he replaced the bits in their mouths and led them over to the group gathered round a fire. Shaggy rolled out a reed mat, guided the sisters to the mat and used the posture control device to make them adopt into the seat position from earlier. Madelyn and Velma went down as before, bowing their heads like the other slaves. Shaggy noticed that those slaves being used as seats were blindfolded. One merchant passed Shaggy two wide strips of cloth.
"Old travelers trick, stops ash from the fire getting into their eyes."
Shaggy bowed in gratitude "Thank you friend." He quickly blindfolded the sisters, tying the strips tightly in place, hiding their glasses in his robe. It was a small humiliation for the sisters but it meant their identities were hidden from prying eyes. He sat down on them crossed legged like he'd practiced earlier. The sisters bit down on their bits as he adjusted his position, it was uncomfortable and painful. Despite this the pleasure system meant they felt immense contentment and satisfaction at being used in public as a seat by Shaggy.
So the stories flowed, Velma and Madelyn paid careful attention to what was said, picking up all kinds of information that would help them survive and fit in as locals. Someone told a joke, Shaggy slapped Velma's backside as he laughed. But it was Shaggy who stole the show with his tales of 'The Illuminators' and their Caravan of Mystery, a group of adventurers who, at the command of Lord Zarquad, travelled the land solving mysteries, writing wrongs and helping anyone in need. While this was going on word reached the group that the emissaries were enquiring about slaves sold recently and if there had been any trouble involving slaves. The emissaries passed by the group and gave the slaves the once over but were satisfied that all was in order. Finally the caravans ahead began to move. The storytellers broke-up, final greetings were made, the ritual prayers of departure and travel were said and the name of Lord Zarquad was extoled and blessed. The emissaries were still within earshot after all.
Shaggy released the sisters from the posture control, his hand went to remove their blindfold "The wind's picking up, best keep those on," a passing guard pointed at Madelyn and Velma's blindfolds "You going far?"
"No sergeant, just to one of meditation caves."
The guard nodded, a few monks, nuns and the like had left ahead of the lockdown.
"Let's get you on your way then."
The guard helped Shaggy secure the sisters to the cart, it was close to the end of his shift and he wanted to get to the nearest tavern. He looked up at the wall and the flags flapping in the wind.
"Southerly wind, weeping wind," he muttered, he went to the side of the cart, opened a leather pouch Shaggy hadn't really noticed and pulled out several long strips of unbleached cloth, each nearly a foot wide. He bundled some up and passed them to Shaggy,
"This will keep their faces from the sand and stop it getting in their mouths and ears." The guard showed Shaggy how to wrap layers of cloth around the sisters heads.
"There," the guard stood back, Madelyn and Velma's heads were entirely swaddled in cloth; only the ends of their bits poked out from the bindings "no need for them not to put their backs into it now. They look a little bit skittish, guess they've never pulled a cart with face wrappings on before, you'll just have to prod 'em more." The guard signaled that Shaggy was clear to leave and the gate opened. Shaggy quickly climbed back on the cart and pressed the discipline stick into the sisters' backsides to get the cart rolling again. He kept up the pressure up on them, fearing that the gate would be closed at any moment.
Madelyn and Velma stumbled blind, mute and faceless into the unknown. Being reduced to the status of mere pack animals was the ultimate humiliation. They didn't understand why Shaggy was using the discipline stick on them so much or why it now hurt more than before. Then they felt the breeze on their skin, there was a sense of space about them, the ground underneath their feet had changed, even the air smelt different. They heard the nose of the city diminish and the sound of the gates close behind them. Then they understood why, they were outside the city, they were free.