Vashti Blessed - Prey/Slave

Queen Vashti was the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. Her name in Hebrew, is derived from the Persian words for 'beautiful woman'. It was an incident involving the queen's beauty that resulted in her divorce from Ahasuerus and subsequent banishment from Persia.

Vashti was summoned to appear before the king and some 3000 guests wearing only the royal headress; the king wished to display his property in all of her beauty to the noblemen of the kingdom. The queen's pride and lack of humily blinded her to the fact that she should have submitted to the will of her husband the king and she refused to appear despite many entreaties. This left the king no alternative than to punish this flangrant disregard for his authorty by stripping her of her wealth and title and banishing her along with her personal hand maiden Shanti and her personal guards, ten in number.

Her first months travelling through the arid lands were frought with many perils, though her guards were able to fight off two maurauding bands and preserved Vashti's honour and life. However, Shanti was not so fortunate and was taken captive by bandits; something that Vashti is mournful of to this day. Though her men tried to rescue Shanti, they found her ravanged body lost and broken.

Relying soley on her wits and with her gaurds to protect her, she learned to perform The Dance of the Seven Veils and, bewitching her male audiences, she was able to distract many camp leaders and generals hence allowing her men to take what provisions and animals they could in order to continue thier journey to refuge.

Sadly, and much to her chagrin, Vashti's beloved and much trusted personal gaurds were persuaded by those with whom they associated in nearby camps and trapped the former queen. Despite her brave fight, they bound and gagged her, belittled her and attempted to rape her before she eventually struggled to freedom, fleeing for her life.

To this day, legions of men whisper of Vashti's promised delights and how they would take her, strip her and humiliate her into submission. It is the wise and experienced man though who recognises that in order to win this flame haired lioness, he must 'tame' her as would a Lion until she willingly surrenders her all to him.