"Many of the flute girls seem pretty," said Marcus.
"Yes," I said. To be sure, we were rather far from them.
"It is a joke of Lurius of Jad, I gather," said Marcus, "that the walls of Ar should be torn down tot he music of flute girls."
"I would think so," I said.
"What an extreme insult," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"You will note," he said, "that many of the girls sit cross-legged."
"Yes," I said.
"They should be beaten," he said.
"Yes," I said.
On Gor men sit cross-legged, not women. The Gorean female, whether free or slave, whether of low caste or high caste, kneels. This posture on the part of a woman, aping that of men, is a provocation. I had seen panther girls in the north, in their desire to repudiate their own nature, and in their envy of men, adopt such a posture. To be sure, such women, reduced to slavery, quickly learn to kneel and usually, considering their new status, with their knees widely apart. The cross-legged posture of several of the flute girls was undoubtedly an insolence, intended as a further insult to the citizens of Ar.
"Why is it that the men do not punish them?" asked Marcus.
"I do not know," I said.
"Perhaps they are afraid to," he said.
"I think rather it had to do with the new day in Ar, and the new understandings."
"What do you mean?" he said.
"Officially," I said, "the music of the flute girls is supposed to make the work more pleasant."
"Who believes that?" asked Marcus.
"Many may pretend to, or even manage to convince themselves of it," I said. "What of the provocative posture?" asked Marcus. "Surely the insult of that is clear enough to anyone."
"It is supposedly a time of freedom," I said. "Thus why should a good fellow of Ar object if a flute girl sits in a given fashion? Is not everyone to be permitted anything?"
"No," said Marcus, "freedom is for the free. Others are to be kept in line, and exactly so. Society depends on divisions and order, each element stabilized perfectly in it harmonious relationship with all others."
"You do not believe, then," I asked, "that everyone is the same, or must be supposed to be such, despite all evidence to the contrary, and that society thrives best as a disordered struggle?"
Marcus looked at me, startled.
"No," I said. "I see that you do not."
"Do you believe such?" he asked.
"No," I said. "Not any more."
We returned our attention to the wall.
"They work cheerfully, and with a will," said Marcus, in disgust.
"It is said that even numbers of the High Council, as a token, have come to the wall, loosened a stone, and tumbled it down."
"Thus do they demonstrate their loyalty to the state," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"The state of Cos," he said, angrily.
"Many high-caste youth, on the other hand, work side by side with low-caste fellows, dismantling the wall."
"They are levied?" asked Marcus.
"Not the higher castes," I said.
"They volunteer?" he asked.
"Like many of these others," I said.
"Incredible," said he.
"Youth is idealistic," I said.
"Idealistic?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "They are told that this is a right and noble work, that it is a way of making amends, of atoning for the faults of their city, that it is in the interests of brotherhood, peace, and such."
"Exposing themselves to the blades of strangers?" he asked.
"Perhaps Cos will protect them," I said.
"And who will protect them from Cos?" he asked.
"Who needs protection from friends?" I asked.
"They are not at Ar's Station," he said. "They were not in the delta."
"Idealism comes easier to those who have seen least of the world," I said. "They are fools," said Marcus.
"Not all youth are fools," I said.
He regarded me.
"You are rather young yourself," I said.
"Anyone who cannot detect the insanity of dismantling their own defenses is a fool," said Marcus, "whether they are a young fool or an old one."
"Some are prepared to do such things as a proof of the good will, of their sincerity," I said.
"Incredible," he said.
"But many youth," I said, "as others, recognize the absurdity of such things."
"Perhaps Gnieus Lelius was such a youth," said Marcus.
"Perhaps," I said.
"Perhaps he may reconsider his position, in his cage," said Marcus.
"He has undoubtedly already done so," I said.
"Much good it will do him now," said Marcus.
"Look," I said, "the children."
We saw some children to one side, on the city side of the Wall Road. They had put up a small wall of stones, and they were now pushing it down.
On the wall, in the trough of the breach, we saw four men rolling a heavy stone toward the field side of the wall. A flute gild was parodying, or accompanying, their efforts on the flute, the instrument seeming to strain with them, and then, when they rolled the stone down, she played a skirl of descending notes on the flute, and, spinning about, danced away. The men laughed.
"I have seen enough," said Marcus.
There was suddenly near us, startling us, another skirl of notes on a flute, the common double flute. A flute girl, come apparently from the wall side of the Wall Road, danced tauntingly near us, to our right, and, with the flute, while playing, gestured toward the wall, as though encouraging us to join the others in their labor. I, and Marcus, I am sure, were angry. Not only had we been startled by the sudden, intrusive music, which the girl must have understood would have been the case, but we resented the insinuation that we might be such as would of our own will join the work on the wall. Did she think we were of Ar, that we were the conquered, the pacified, the confused, and fooled, the verbally manipulate, the innocuous, the predictable, the tamed? She was an exciting brunet, in a short tunic of diaphanous silk. She was slender, and was probably kept on a carefully supervised diet by her master or trainer. Her dark eyes shone with amusement. She pranced before us, playing. She waved the flute again toward the wall.
We regarded her.
She again gestured, playing, toward the wall.
I had little doubt that she assumed from our appearance in this are that we were of Ar.
We did not move.
A gesture of annoyance crossed her lovely features. She played more determinedly, as though we might not understand her intent.
Still we did not move.
Then, angrily, she spun about, dancing, to return to her former post near the wall side of the Wall Road. She was attractive, even insolently so, at the moment, in the diaphanous silk.
"You have not been given permission to withdraw," I said.
She turned about, angrily, holding the flute.
"You are armed," she suddenly said, perhaps then for the first time really noting this homely face.
"We are not of Ar," I said.
"Oh," she said, standing her ground, trembling a little.
"Are you accustomed to standing in the presence of free men?" I asked.
"I will kneel if it will please you," she said.
"If you do not kneel," I said, "it is possible that I may be displeased." She regarded me.
"Kneel!" I said.
Swiftly she knelt.
I walked over to her and, taking her by the hair, twisting it, she crying out, turned her about and threw her to her belly on the Wall Road.
She sobbed in anger.
Marcus and I crouched near her.
"Oh!" she said.
"She is not in the iron belt," said Marcus.
"That is a further insult to those of Ar," I said, "that they would put unbelted flute girls among them."
"Yes," growled Marcus.
The tone of his voice, I am sure, did nothing to set our fair prisoner at ease. Flute girls, incidentally, when hired from the master, to entertain and serve at parties, are commonly unbelted, that for the convenience of the guests.