I faked a moan of pleasure, and smiled as I felt the man between my legs fill me with his hot seed. He wasn’t the best lover I have ever had, but he wasn’t the worst either. I quickly repressed unpleasant memories.
He kissed me on the cheek tenderly. “Thank you, Adyta, I’m sorry I don’t have time for pleasantries, but I have to run or the General will have my head!”
I nodded in understanding as he slid out of me, his juices oozing out in a way that made me wish I had something handy to wipe them away with. He quickly stuffed himself back in his pants, and briefly tipped his hat to me respectfully. He was one of the sweet ones.
Three years ago, I had no idea what it meant to be a woman. I was the sheltered and pampered only daughter of a high-ranking lord. I celebrated my 18th birthday excitedly, knowing that I was soon to be given in marriage to a wealthy man and would have babies to fill my days with happiness.
Then… the Emperor decided that my father was a traitor – which I will never believe! He sent an absolutely evil man to punish my father, and I was punished too. Humiliated, beaten, raped, tortured… For as long as my father still lived and had the breath to deny the accusations, I was made to suffer.
The absolute worst part was the relief I felt when my father died. My beloved father who had never harmed anyone. My kind and gentle father… I was so happy when he died that I actually wept! With him gone, my abuse was over.
Of course, I was no longer suitable for marriage, and no longer a Lord’s daughter, so I prepared to die too. Only that was not my fate. Instead, I was considered a slave, and sold to the highest bidder.
My only saving grace was that General Grey needed a few more slaves, and I was bought by one of his men. My official duties were cleaning, but the man who bought me assured me that I was chosen specifically for my looks. If I didn’t spread my legs for any man who wished me too… well… I was just a slave, and slaves who refused to do what they were told usually suffered for it.
So, here I am, still spreading my legs for any man who wanted to poke me for a bit. Most of the men were pretty quick, and so long as I didn’t resist them, I had no real reason to complain. A lot of the men were even kind, and brought me gifts. When General Grey found out that I was more useful as a toy to keep the men happy than as a maid, he told me not to bother cleaning. I was to maintain my beauty and spread my legs.
I can’t say I have enjoyed my life here in this stronghold the General occupied on behalf of the Emperor, but at least it hasn’t been too hard. I’m treated pretty well… most of the time. It’s the other bit of time that hurts.
I finally used my skirt to clean myself, and then checked to make sure that my hair and makeup hadn’t been mussed. I picked a random direction, and started walking. I was free to do as I liked so long as what I liked to do brought me to the attention of the many soldiers in this keep.
“No! Please stop!” I heard a girl protest. I turned the corner to find a man trying to force himself on one of the younger maids. She had worked here for years, but only recently had she grown up enough to start interesting the men.
“Hey there,” I purred, rubbing the man on the back. “Perhaps I can help you?”
“Maybe in a bit, thanks, but this slave has my attention at the moment.”
I laughed throatily. “She has no tits! Wouldn’t you prefer someone with an ample bosom?” I bared my assets for him to see.
He grinned at me appreciatively. “As I said, wait your turn.” He had one hand around his exposed hardness, and used his other to pin the girl to the wall.
I suppressed a sigh. This was going to take more effort than I thought. I stepped closer, and wrapped my hand around his length. “I know how to please a man like you. A girl like that wouldn’t have the foggiest idea what to do.”
“Exactly!” He growled. “I’ll be the first. I’ll show her what a real man is like and no other man will ever be able to compare.” He pushed me away, but his action freed the girl, and she was smart enough to run away.
This infuriated him, and he decided to take his revenge on me. I saw the punch coming, and turned my head away at the last moment to avoid the worst of it. As I said, I was treated well… most of the time. The rest of the time, I usually had at least a few cuts and bruises to heal from.
I knew that General Grey would punish me if I let too much damage happen to my face – I was supposed to be pretty, after all – so I used my arms to protect my face and let his next punch knock me to the floor. I had practiced this maneuver a couple of times, and could usually manage to land with my skirt flipped just right.
The sight of my exposed womanhood usually made an angry man opt to stop hitting and start banging me instead. Except that this time, it didn’t work. He kicked me in the stomach.
“Do you think that I’ll leave her alone?! You’re just delaying the inevitable!”
He kicked me once more, and then grabbed me by my hair. I felt another punch to my face coming, and tried to shield myself.
“That’s enough, soldier!” A new man commanded.
I felt the man hold his breath for a moment before he exhaled in frustration. “Yes… sir.” He tightened his grip on my hair for a moment, and then let me fall to the ground.
The new man glanced at me ever so briefly, but I still felt the sympathy he conveyed. “I know you are new here, so I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but listen; this slave in particular belongs to everyone, and I know there are quite a few men that will be upset to see her abused. If you don’t wish to find yourself suffering a series of strange and painful accidents, I suggest that you fuck her a bit more gently in the future.”
“I wasn’t after her, sir!” The man responded in military sub-ordinate tone. “She got between me and the one I really wanted.”
“I see. In that case, in the future, try to make sure not to bother the other slaves until after they have finished their duties. They are usually less resistant then. It’s just that they know they will be beaten if they do not finish their tasks as quickly as possible.”
The would-be rapist left us alone then, and my rescuer frowned at me. “You would be smarter to stand back and let men like that do as they please. They usually finish in a matter of seconds anyway.”
I nodded, not looking directly at him.
“Then why did you interfere?”
“She was only 13, if she was even that,” I muttered, still not looking at him because I was sprawled on the floor waiting for him to leave me alone. I hurt a lot; I don’t think anything was broken, but I was practically holding my breath to avoid the pain.
He held out his hand, and helped me to my feet. “You’re just lucky I was on my way to find you. I have about an hour of free time.”
He half guided half dragged me to my small room. I stumbled and fell face down onto my bed, and the next moment my skirts were pushed out of the way so that he could enter me. I assume close to an hour passed, but I don’t know for sure. Thankfully – aside from the rough beginning – he was more concerned with stamina than with banging into me with all his strength. As a result, I was able to endure.
However, my stomach hurt, and I have to admit that my moans were of pain rather than pleasure, but he didn’t know the difference. All in all… this still wasn’t the worst sex I have ever had. Not even close!
After he was done, I passed out. The next thing I knew, Gabriel had come to check on me.
“How are you, Adyta?” He asked. “I heard that you saved a slave girl from rape yesterday.”
I was tempted to lie, but lying to Gabriel was pointless. “I hurt, but I think I’ll be fine. It’s better than it was yesterday.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ve brought you something to eat to say thanks. You might be happy to know that we’ve assigned her to a much more out of the way area of the castle so she’ll be hard to find. He won’t be able to get to her – nor will anyone else – unless he has enough time on his hands to thoroughly search for her,” Gabriel informed me.
“That’s good! I’m glad,” I replied in relief.
“I have to go now,” Gabriel stated. “I’m having a uniform pressed for a guest, and it should be ready by now.”
I watched him leave, and then groaned as I shifted until I could push open the shutters on the one small window in my room. My room was positively tiny compared to the one I grew up in, but I was still lucky and grateful to have it. All the other slaves and servants had to share one large dorm for each gender.
Now that I had air to freshen up the smell of my room, I carefully ate my food. Then, I slowly got to my feet, and used the water in the basin – left over from yesterday because I had been interrupted – to wash my body as best as I could. It had been sheer torture to strip out of my dress, but the worst part was looking at the bruises on my stomach.
Yep, that’s pretty much how I felt!
After I was done, I put on a clean dress. I only had three dresses, but they were all kept clean and replaced when necessary. After all, it was my duty to be appealing, not dirty and smelly. I knew that I was supposed to go let men find me, but I just couldn’t. It was hard to walk without flinching, so I decided to lay down for a while. If any men wanted me, they knew where to find me.
Only three men sought me out, and I was able to get quite a bit of rest. I fell asleep sometime around dinner, and when I woke up, my whole world had changed!
“Adyta? Are you all right?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes,” I groaned. “I feel much better.”
“General Chelindra has retaken QueensHeart Castle, and killed the Master. She wants everyone to assemble in the yard.”
“Are you serious?!” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Gabriel confirmed. “Here, I brought you more food. Hurry please.”
I nodded as he left, and gulped down my food. I didn’t have time to bathe or change, but I did take the time to make sure that I looked as pretty as I could. Well, aside from the fact that I had a bruise on my face.
I had a much better view of General Chelindra than I expected because the crowd kept shifting while we waited for her. When she finally arrived, I was standing in front of everyone. I expected the General to sneer at me, but she seemed almost sympathetic.
I focused on hiding my pain as she explained that all us slaves were now free, and that all we needed to do was go see King Collin. He would hand us papers of freedom. I could see how excited everyone was, but I felt my heart sink. Free or not, I had nothing. I was always going to have to spread my legs just to survive.
*****
Some of the soldiers that had served General Grey came with us when we left QueensHeart Castle. They were now pledged to serve General Chelindra, and she was bringing them to train in her army. To my relief, all the men who had ever been abusive on occasion had either died or been taken prisoner.
“Adyta, my pretty,” one of the dead master’s soldiers drawled. “It’s been at least three days.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Of course it had been at least three days, we’ve been traveling for that long! I smiled, and waited for him to push up my skirts.
There was no privacy, but we weren’t in the middle of everyone either. The travelers were assigned to tents in groups of 20, and we were currently both sitting outside my assigned tent. He was assigned to another, but it’s not like it was forbidden to visit the other tents.
He unlaced the back of my dress, sweetly kissing my neck as he did so. Most people looked away, but this was not the first time I had been naked in front of others, and it’s not even the first time I have spread my legs in front of an audience. It made no difference to me.
Of course, now that the pain from the bruises on my stomach had faded, I’d forgotten about them, otherwise I would have insisted that this lover leave my dress on, but it was too late to stop him now. The bruises may not hurt, but they still looked horribly nasty.
Each tent housed a mixture of people. My fellow slaves all kept their gaze firmly on something else, they knew that this was my fate, and were trying to respect me by looking away. The Armintan soldiers – on the other hand – seemed indecisive. They looked like they wanted to stop us, but I wasn’t protesting, and sex wasn’t forbidden.
“You there,” a higher ranking soldier pointed at me. “Did he do that to you?”
I looked at the bruises on my stomach, and then back up at the soldier. “No sir.”
My would-be lover turned red from anger and embarrassment. “Colonel, I swear that I have never abused a woman!”
The Colonel nodded at him, and then faced me again. “Then who did?”
“It doesn’t matter, he’s not here,” I shrugged. “He’s part of the soldiers that were confined.”
“I see.” The Colonel frowned. I think he thought I was lying to protect my attacker, but I wasn’t. “You are not a slave anymore. You do not have to let any man touch you unless you want him to.”
I nodded in understanding, but did not move to cover myself. I couldn’t afford to let the soldiers think that I was going to start refusing them now. They were the ones who brought me things. How would I ever feed myself and keep clothes on my body if I didn’t have men coming to me when they wanted sex?
The Colonel sighed. “Also, if you are going to do that, at least seek out the relative privacy of the tent.”
“Yes sir,” I replied in my meek slave tone of voice.
“Come on, Adyta,” my lover invited with a grin. I nodded, and let him guide me into the tent.
Later on, I quietly ate my dinner, and tried my best not to stare at the handsome Colonel. I couldn’t understand why he had asked me who had bruised me. What did he plan to do if I had told him?
“Adyta!” A fellow slave woman whispered urgently in my ear. “There’s a man harassing that poor girl again.”
“One of Grey’s men?” I wondered. None of the violent types had come with us.
“Yes. He’s somehow gotten drunk.”
Alcohol certainly made some normally gentle men into beasts. I nodded, and rushed to follow her. I did not notice the Colonel frown as he watched me rush away.
Almost everyone was eating, so there weren’t too many people around to see what was happening.
“No!” the girl begged quietly. I could only assume that she had been told not to attract attention or else it would be worse for her. I sighed in relief. Even drunk, this man should be fairly easy to handle.
What was his name again? Oh yeah! “Roy,” I purred. “Why are you bothering that girl when you could be having fun with me?”
“Adyta!” Roy slurred happily. “Come to join us?”
“Join? No. Listen… She keeps saying no. Why don’t we go to my tent, and leave her be?” I suggested.
“But she’s just a slave! What does it matter if she says no?”
The girl whimpered. “Please let me go.”
“Let her go Roy, and come with me,” I added encouragingly, stepping closer.
“But Adyta,” Roy whined. “Just look at how pretty and innocent she is. I don’t think she’s ever been touched before, and I want her.”
The girl sobbed. I’m sure she thought that I wouldn’t be able to save her this time. I remember what it was like to be pure. Perhaps this was her ultimate fate, but not today if I could help it.
“Roy, listen to me, I promise you, she can’t please you like I can,” I told him.
“Besides, touching an unwilling woman has serious consequences,” the Colonel stated. He casually leaned against a tree as he watched us.
Roy sneered at him. “I don’t know who you are, but you had best mind your own business. This doesn’t concern you.”
“My name is Randy, and I am the Second in Command here. This is my business because you are drunk and not listening to reason.”
I suppressed a gasp. I knew he was a Colonel because that was what he had been called earlier, but I’d had no idea that he was the Second in Command! Why was he here? Had he followed me? If so, why?
I was puzzled, until I realized that he had probably followed me because he was a man and I was a woman. That made sense. He was probably disappointed to find me already with another man.
Roy sighed in defeat, and let go of the girl. “Fine… Come on Adyta.” He took me by the hand, and I pointed toward my tent.
“Not so fast,” the Colonel insisted. “There’s still the matter of getting drunk. You’re going to be spending the night in confinement.” He took hold of Roy, and led him away.
The girl clutched my dress, and cried on my chest for a moment, but I had no idea how to comfort her, so I handed her over to the woman who had come to get me.
“Thank you,” she gushed as she left with the woman.
I felt a tiny bit good… Like I had actually made a difference to someone.
*****
I looked at the woman warily. She smiled pleasantly enough, but she also looked tough as nails. Women usually treated me in one of two ways; they either were grateful to me for attracting all the men, or they looked down on me for spreading my legs several times a day. I was afraid that this woman would be one of those.
“I’m in charge of helping the new members of society find a place where they can be useful. In order to do that, I need to know what your skills are,” she told me.
I hesitated. What could I say?
“Come one, dearie. What did you do before you were a slave?” She asked.
I smiled as I let myself remember the good times. “When I was 18, my father threw me such a grand ball. I was sought after by every man, and my fate was to be married to someone with just as much wealth and power as my father, or more. Someone who would give me everything my heart desired, but all I really wanted was children. My life was a wonderful series of parties and … and then the Emperor declared that my father was a traitor, and everything I had ever known was stripped from me.”
I paused to push away the painful memories. “No longer a virgin and now a slave, I had no value. I didn’t know how to do any of the many things that most slaves do, except spread my legs. That’s all anyone wanted me for anyway, and now it’s all I know how to do. So… if there’s a spot somewhere in this kingdom for someone like me, please let me know.”
The woman gave me a look of sympathy. “Your story is not so different from my own. My father wasn’t wealthy, but I was raised in a loving home before I became a slave. When I first came to Arminta, I didn’t truly believe that I was free. I certainly wasn’t as complacent about men using my body as you are… If you want to learn something different, now’s the time to say so.”
I sighed. “This may sound spoiled of me, but I wasn’t raised to cook and clean. I was raised to be a wife someday and let a man take care of me. The only thing that changed when I became a slave was that instead of letting just one man do as he pleased with me, I let them all. I can’t imagine choosing to be a maid or some other hard working woman.”
She chuckled softly. “Perhaps not, but there are other things you could do. Surely a well bred lady such as yourself knows how to do needlework. Perhaps you could join the Queen and her ladies as they work?”
I couldn’t help the way I nearly curled into a protective ball. “Why would the Queen tolerate someone such as me in her presence?”
“A lady who has been sorely used and abused?” The woman brushed a hand along the fading bruise on my cheek. “She knows that many a slave has had to do things they really didn’t want to do. It will be alright, you’ll see.”
I still couldn’t look her in the eye. “But… what if I… somewhat like… spreading my legs for men.” I mumbled the last bit quickly.
She smiled. “What you do when you are alone – or not – is no one’s business but yours.”
This completely shocked me. I thought for certain that she was going to tell me to choose between needlework with the Queen and sex with men. It’s true that in the Empire, married women often had discrete affairs, but generally unmarried women were supposed to focus on getting married before they let men between their legs.
“Is this kingdom really that accepting?” I asked incredulously.
She inhaled deeply, and then sighed. “No, you will need to be discrete, and maintain the appearance of purity, but it’s already well known that you were a slave. So long as you don’t do anything inappropriate in public, what you do in private is up to you.”
I nodded, and then followed her as she led me to a small room. It was bigger than the one I’d had at QueensHeart Castle, and I was confused. “Why are you assigning me this room? Surely I don’t deserve this much space.”
“KingsSoul Palace is a big place, and because of the war, there aren’t as many residents here as there used to be. I could actually assign you a large suite, however, I think you’ll be better off here. This is one of the rooms set aside for the Queen’s ladies. Here, you’ll be near the other ladies, and I think you could use some time away from men.”
“I see,” I murmured. The room contained a mirror, and I briefly checked my appearance. I was still well groomed from this morning when I had had a real bath and donned a clean dress.
Next, she brought me to a brightly lit room full of women. I followed somewhat shyly. As I have said, women were usually either grateful to me for attracting men, or they looked down upon me. To be honest, more women looked down upon me, and there were no men around to cast me admiring glances to put me at ease.
“Queen Haylee,” my guide addressed one of the women – who was obviously the Queen by the way she was dressed.
“Yes?” The Queen asked, a girl by her side also looking up with interest.
“I have brought one of the newly freed slaves with me. She was once a high born lady, and I feel that she would be a good addition to your ladies,” my guide explained.
The Queen studied me for a moment. I had wavy shoulder-length black hair which I had styled to accentuate my face. My face was smooth and flawless, and pale white. My hands were also smooth and pale, and it was obvious that I had taken care of them.
Perhaps it was unusual for a slave to have such delicate hands, but it was not unusual for a lady. They told my story more than anything else about me. I really was born and raised in a way that never roughened or damaged them.
Queen Haylee gesture for me to take a seat. “We are embroidering the Armintan crest on these blankets. It seems that there are never enough blankets for all the soldiers in the army. Please get comfortable, and help us out.”
“Yes, my Queen,” I responded obediently. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so please forgive me if my skills are rusty.”
She nodded. The girl at her side looked at me curiously. I smiled hesitantly.
“I hope I’m not being rude, but if you were a lady, how did you become a slave? Were you kidnapped? Do you wish to be returned to your family?”
“Good question, Amara,” Queen Haylee praised. “Is there someone we can contact for you?”
I noticed that all of the women were silently listening to us, and bit my lip. I didn’t like to talk about it, but it would be rude not to answer. I decided that doing so now would save me from being asked by all of them separately later on.
“My father was a good man. Too good, I guess, because someone told the Emperor that he was a traitor, and the Emperor believed it. The Emperor’s favorite lover is an evil man, and he came to interrogate my father… and me,” I uttered the last two words softly.
“Our interrogation lasted for days, but eventually my father could take no more, and died. I was tossed into a slave pit to wait until I could be sold. The man that bought me worked for General Grey, and I was brought to Queensheart Castle. Recently, General Chelindra rescued us, and now I am here. To answer your other question, no… My only family was my father. There’s no one left now.”
The ladies all exchanged indecipherable looks. They were clearly all well raised, and couldn’t truly imagine what I had been through, but were also survivors of a long and deadly war, so they knew that when I said interrogation, I really meant torture. They all probably had loved ones out there fighting, and I wondered what scared them more; their loved ones dying in battle, or being captured and subjected to “interrogation.”
“Well,” Queen Haylee said with a sympathetic smile. “You’re welcome here. We need all the people we can get.”
I nodded my thanks.
*****
Time passed, and I was continually impressed by the court ladies’ willingness to accept me as one of their own. I was given food, shelter, clothes, and work that suited my skills. Even so, I was not rich – in fact, I had no money at all. My fate was dependant on the generosity of the Queen, and that made me feel like a slave.
So, as a way to provide for myself, I took a lover; one that gave me a generous gift to prove his affections. His affair with me did not last long at all, but he must have talked about me to others for soon I had a string of men give me gifts in exchange for being their lover for a time. It was nowhere near what I had once owned, but I think I would be quite comfortable if suddenly tossed out on the streets.
One day, I stood discretely near the Queen – a lady in waiting must wait on her from time to time after all – when General Chelindra returned. She had Gabriel with her – I hear he had managed to become her lover at some point – as well as her Second in Command and a man I did not recognize. The stranger was breathtakingly gorgeous, and looked somehow… alien…
I won’t deny that it was the Second in Command that held my attention. He was as handsome as ever, and I hadn’t seen him since he had helped me save that girl from rape. She was currently working as a maid in the area of the palace occupied by the ladies in waiting, so I knew that she was still safe.
The Royal family disappeared along with the General and her entourage. I had nothing to do, so I wandered the Palace for several hours. Normally, I would encourage a lover, but I was not in the mood tonight. I was strangely restless.
A few hours later, I heard a slurred drunken voice call out, “You there, don’t I know you from somewhere?”
I looked around, but saw no one.
“You, the black-haired beauty,” the voice clarified. I finally noticed the Colonel walking towards me. Or should I was swaying?
“Are you talking to me, Colonel?” I asked.
“Yes, where have I seen you before?” He demanded.
“I was one of the slaves from QueensHeart Castle,” I answered. I pulled one of his arms over my shoulder without a moment’s thought, and then wondered why I was supporting him when I could easily find someone to do so for me.
“Oh yes! I remember you,” he announced. “You were the really pretty one who offered your body in exchange for that girl to go free, but the fool refused to take you up on such an excellent deal. Did I ever tell you how brave I thought you were? Any other woman probably would have gone to get help from a soldier, but not you.”
“Where is your room?” I asked so that I could make sure that he got to bed without upsetting or harassing anyone with his drunkenness.
“I like the way you think, my pretty!” He laughed suggestively, and then pointed the way.
I eventually located his room, but only because a few helpful soldiers pointed out the way once we reached the barracks. I sat him on his bed, and then pulled his boots off.
“There that’s as much help as you are going to get from me,” I stated.
He responded by grabbing my arm, and pulling me onto his lap. “Don’t leave yet,” he insisted, and then kissed me. Something strange happened; my heart started pounding, and I felt hot.
He pulled up my skirt, and then shifted me so that he could unfasten his pants. The next thing I knew, I was impaled by him. I moaned in unexpected pleasure.
He dug his fingers into my hips and maintained a firm grasp as he guided me up and down his shaft. I found my fingers tangled in his hair, and used it as leverage to tilt his head so that I could kiss him. He pounded into me powerfully, and I felt like there was lava running through my veins.
Suddenly, he picked me up, faced the bed, and then we sort of fell. I landed on my back with an extra deep thrust that startled me and made me squeak. He banged into me in a way that made his bed move. It made a terrible racket, and I was afraid that someone was going to come see what the hell was going on in here.
Suddenly, he roared, and I felt him fill me. For the first time ever, I felt disappointment that the man between my legs was finished. I felt like something was about to happen, but then didn’t. It was baffling!
I waited for him to get off of me and then tell me what he wanted. Most men wanted me to return to my own room, but a few liked me to stay with them until morning. A moment passed in silence, and then I heard a snore.
Great! I was laying sideways across a narrow bed with my feet dangling to the ground with a man on top and inside of me. This is why I hate having sex with drunk men!
I don’t know how, but I eventually managed to fall asleep.
“Um… good morning.”
I groaned at the words, not wanting to wake up yet.
“It seems I should apologize to you for getting drunk and then dragging you back to my room with me.”
I groaned softly once more. “No, that was my fault. I knew you were drunk, and decided to help you get to bed.”
He chuckled ever so briefly. “If I remember correctly, you don’t know how to tell a man no. I bet you’re just telling me that it’s your fault to cover my forceful nature.”
I smiled after I opened my eyes to find him staring at me. He is so handsome that I just want to hold him tight and never let go. It didn’t matter to me in the slightest whose fault it was, happily, the result was the same.
“Can you do me a favor?” I asked.
“What’s that?” He wondered.
“Next time, can we take all our clothes off and then sleep in the bed properly?”
He looked at our situation. We were still in pretty much the exact same position, and both fully dressed. I’m sure the only reason he knew he had even done anything is that our parts were still pressed together in a way that made it clear they had been joined at some point.
He grinned. “Next time, huh? How does now sound?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I smiled encouragingly. He kissed me, and my body tingled with anticipation. I know I had just told him that I wanted to get undressed and get comfortable, but the need to have him inside me was overwhelming! Since he was already poking me with his hardness, I wiggled to encourage him to enter me.
There was a knock at the door. “Sorry to wake you, sir, but the king wishes to see you.”We both groaned in frustration, but understood that it couldn’t be helped.
It was probably for the best. In fact, the other ladies in waiting had probably noticed my absence by now. I was not forbidden from taking male company, but the Queen had asked me not to let it interfere with my morning needlework.
“Colonel?”
“Yes, I’ll be right there!” He barked as he lifted himself off of me. I got to my feet and smoothed my skirt. It was definitely wrinkled, and looked like I had slept in it. I was going to have to change before anyone saw me.
“I’ve brought you something to eat, Colonel,” the soldier outside the door informed us. The doorknob rattled, and a strange look crossed my lover’s face.
“I’m sorry!” The soldier apologized after he opened the door to find us standing there. He held a large tray, and averted his eyes as the Colonel finished fastening his pants.
“It’s fine, please, set the tray on the table, and then give me a moment.”
The soldier complied, and then shut the door behind him as he left.
“I now know how Chelindra must have felt…” he muttered quietly. He smiled at me. “I seem to have forgotten your name, it’s ita something, right?”
“Adyta, Colonel,” I confirmed.
“Listen, I have enough people calling Colonel and sir because they have to. You can call me by name, Randy.”
“Yes sir… uh… Randy,” I replied, and then blushed that I had almost disobeyed him because of my habit of obeying men. I smiled, and then left his room. My stomach growled, and I covered it with a hand as I passed the soldier waiting to attend the Colonel.
“My Lady,” the soldier greeted respectfully as I walked by. I nodded, and then rushed to return to my room, clean up, and change into something that didn’t reek of sex.
Later that day, after I had finished my needlework, and dinnertime had passed, I strolled through the palace garden. I had nothing better to do and often found a gentleman willing to give me something nice in exchange for a night in my bed. My thought dwelled on Randy, but he had not asked to see me again. In my experience, that meant that I wouldn’t see him again until he wanted more sex.
“Adyta,” a man purred my name. I found it strange that I was considered a lady, treated like a lady for the most part, but called by name by the nobles inhabiting the Palace. It was almost as if they were subtly saying, “We’ll let you walk among us, but you’re not really one of us.”
“My Lord,” I half-purred in return since I couldn’t remember his name.
“Are you free tonight?” The Lord asked.
“Actually, she’s not,” Randy stated, startling us both. Where had he come from?!
“I see,” the Lord murmured, and then rushed off.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized automatically. “I didn’t realize that you wanted to see me again… so soon.”
Randy smiled. “I find that I have a bit of free time on my hands, more or less, so I figured that I may as well spend it with someone soft and beautiful.”
My heart was thundering in my chest, and I blushed because I was afraid that he would hear it. Why is it doing that, and how do I get it to stop?! I concentrated on my breathing, barely remembering to smile in encouragement. The last thing I needed was for him to think I wasn’t interested in him!
I slipped my arm through his, and let him guide me wherever he wanted. I expected him to take me directly to his room, but he surprised me.
“Have you ever watched the sun set?” Randy asked.
“Not specifically,” I replied with a shrug.
“Then you’re in for a treat!” He led me to a spot on the palace roof that looked like it was made for people to have a picnic. We got comfortable, and even though I had never cared about the sunset before, I was in awe.
“Oh the colors!” I gasped incredulously.
Randy waited until the show was over before snatching me onto his lap. My heart was so loud again that I wanted to cover my ears. He pulled me close so that he could kissed me, but stopped just as our lips were about to touch.
“How do I know that this is what you really want? I’ve never once heard you tell a man no, and I find it hard to believe that you wanted them all to kiss you… touch you… bed you…”
I closed my eyes, and pondered what to say. “You’re right; I didn’t really want all of them to touch me. There’s been a few that I’d really rather hadn’t touched me, but please believe me when I say that no one has ever made my heart pound this way,” I informed him as I guided his hand to my chest.
I expected him to fondle my breast, but he didn’t. “Men have kissed me, but I’ve never kissed them.” I prayed that he understood the subtle difference as I pressed my lips to his.
His arms were around my back, and they tightened in response. I maintained our kiss as I shifted on his lap and tugged my skirt out of the way. Now, if he wished it, he could unfasten his pants and slip right in.
He pushed me away slightly, and smiled. “If I remember correctly, you asked that our next time be unclothed and properly in a bed.”
“I did, but… I’ve never done it on the roof of a palace before,” I explained.
He chuckled. “Is that so?”
I nodded eagerly.
“Well, in that case…” He opened his pants, freed his rigid shaft, and then took advantage of my readiness.
I let him set the pace as I concentrated on kissing him. My skirt covered everything, so if we heard someone coming, we could easily pretend that we weren’t doing quite as much as we actually were. My body got strangely hot again, and I started panting in between kisses.
I started to feel like something wonderful was going to happen, but then it never did. I was confused, but it didn’t really matter because I loved every thrust. Every moan that came from his throat made me want to kiss his neck. His touch was driving me crazy!
*****
“Queen Haylee, I simply do not know what to do about my son!” A woman complained the next morning. I ignored her as concentrated on my embroidery. It was pretty standard for the ladies of the court to join the Queen and her ladies in waiting each morning, and the talk was always gossip or complaints.
“Randy is a fine man. He’s Second in Command of the entire army,” the queen pointed out. “What more could you ask?”
His mother sighed. “He practically refuses to get married. He’s hinted there’s someone specific that he’s interested in, but he won’t tell me who!”
I realized that I had paused in my work, and resumed before anyone noticed. It’s no real surprise that he is interested in women, I just hadn’t realized that he wanted someone in particular. Doesn’t matter, I knew better than to get my hopes up about any man.
His mother made a sound that sounded like she was pretending to suppress a sob. “And then I hear that he was seen diddling some strumpet on the palace roof last night! Of all places!”
I’ll admit that it was extremely hard not to gasp at that, but I managed. I couldn’t stop myself from looking in their direction though. The Queen briefly glanced at me, and I quickly placed my attention back on my work.
The Queen sighed. “Duchess, I must protest! Such a statement is hardly fit for – anyway, your son is a grown man. I’m sure he can handle his own affairs.”
The Duchess continued on. “This is the last straw! I positively insist that he take a bride as soon as possible!”
This caused the unmarried ladies in waiting to chatter excitedly. I gather that they all considered my lover a fine catch. I caught myself nodding in acceptance of the situation, and realized that my eyes were wet. I was not actually crying, but my eyes watered.
I surreptitiously wiped the moisture away, and then plastered a faint smile on my lips as I forced myself to focus on my embroidery. I lost the right to marry a good nobleman when I was tortured. There’s no way his mother would ever consider me anything but a strumpet.
“Do you have someone in mind?” Queen Haylee asked curiously.
“No, but I’m sure my husband does,” the Duchess replied.
*****
“There you are!”
“Randy,” I gasped. I was trying to hide from him out here near the palace gardens, but apparently not very well.
“You would not believe the evening I’ve had!” He stated, obviously agitated. “My mother has this notion in her head, and she won’t let it go already! Anyway, how would you like to take a walk through the gardens with me?”
“Are you crazy?!” I hissed quietly in an attempt to not attract attention. “The garden is so very public, and being seen with me is only going to cause you problems!”
He scratched his head. “What kind of problems?”
I was not going to say it out loud because then he might realize how much the idea of him getting married bothered me. “Never mind that, just… just take me back to your room. Quickly, before someone sees you with me.”
“Wait a minute,” he protested. “What if I want to be seen with you?”
I gaped at him. Was he an exhibitionist or something? I closed my mouth, and shrugged.
“Fine, we’ll walk through the palace gardens. I’m sure you can find a decently secluded spot for us to have our fun in,” I nearly purred.
He looked confused. “That’s not what I had in mind. I was hoping that you would tell me how you became a slave. I want to get to know you better.”
“Why?” I wondered. “What does it matter how it happened? It simply did,” I stated, and then started walking away.
“Wait, where are you going?” Randy asked as he followed me.
I didn’t know what to say. It’s not like I had a destination in mind.
“Why are you upset?”
I stopped cold. That’s a good question. I wasn’t going to say anything, I was just going to continue walking, but my mouth opened, and words came out.
“I’m upset because you won’t take me somewhere private so we can… but I’m also upset because you won’t leave me alone. You made me admit to you that I really do want to kiss you, but then I find out that you want to and have to marry someone. Fine, I get it; I’m just a fling, so why not get it over with already? Letting others see us together now is just going to make whomever you marry upset, and I don’t want anyone mad at me!”
I can’t believe I said all that! I covered my mouth, and started to run. He caught me pretty easily, and I was grateful that no one seemed to be watching us.
“Will you just wait a damn minute?!” Randy demanded.
I held still, but I stared at the ground. Mentally, I was curling into a ball to protect myself from the blows I was about to receive. Some part of me wished that they were real punches rather than emotional ones. Real ones heal faster.
“I don’t know how you know – strike that, I’m sure my mother was talking about it in front of everyone, but you’re right. My mother is demanding that I get married, and my father agrees. In the past, I’ve resisted because I was waiting for someone special, but she’s never going to be mine,” he sighed.
“I told my mother to let me get married when I’m ready, but she refuses. If I don’t choose someone soon, she’s going to choose for me,” Randy informed me sadly.
“So then choose someone. It’s not hard. Just pick someone pretty, sweet, young, and born to the right family. There’s probably at least half a dozen of them in the palace just praying you’ll pick them,” I pointed out.
Randy took a deep breath. “The thing is… I’ve had one woman in my mind for years, or so I thought. I realized that I’ve actually thought about you quite a bit too. Your one act of bravery made me ask about you, and I’ve heard that you often show up when women are fighting off a man. Most of the time it worked out, but there have been times when you got a good beating for your trouble, yet you never complain.”
I frowned. He made it sound like I was… good. I always thought I was bad for spreading my legs, but he seemed impressed.
“I often wondered; what kind of woman could be brave enough to go into a situation knowing that she might get beat? I wondered why you didn’t defend yourself? Why not complain to someone in charge?” Randy question.
I laughed. “You’ve never been a slave! A slave does not complain! A slave does not try to stop her master from abusing her!”
He nodded solemnly. “The point is, I’ve thought about it… a lot. Which means I’ve thought about you. You are literally the only other woman I’ve wanted to get to know.”
I was ready to melt into his arms, but I stood firm. “Thank you, but what does it matter? You need to choose a suitable bride.”
“Whoever said you weren’t suitable?”
I gaped in astonishment once more. “Me?!” I pulled my arm free of his grasp, and started walking backwards. “No… You can’t marry me! I’m a slave. I’m a dirty woman that spreads her legs for any man that wants her to. I’m worthless! I have nothing!” I was practically crying now.
“Do you hear yourself?” Randy asked. “Is that really how you see yourself?”
“How could I not!” I nearly yelled. “The Emperor sent his favorite lover John to make my father and I confess to a whole host of sins we’ve never committed. He made sure to tell me how worthless I was. He spelled it out for me very carefully. Every time he touched me I knew that he was right. I’m lucky people deign to speak to me!”
Randy looked pale. “You… you were at the mercy of John?”
I nodded, wiping tears away from my eyes.
“And you survived?! Do you have any idea how amazing that is? I have a friend that nearly died at his hands, but you… a woman… you lived through it…”
I was frowning again. “You seem to think I did something special. I didn’t.” I took a deep breath, and told him everything that John had done to me. I gave as much detail as I could remember. I didn’t try to edit anything to make it sound less horrible, but neither did I embellish it to make it sound worse. I didn’t need to.
Finally, I was numb. “So, as you can plainly see, I am not fit… I am the daughter of a wealthy lord and I’m not even fit to speak to the nobles in this court. Everyone has been so kind to me, and they should be calling me names and throwing me into a brothel!”
“I disagree,” Queen Haylee stated, startling me. She, the King, and Randy’s parents stepped into the little alcove that we had wandered into. “Sorry to intrude, but you were being a little loud. Anyway, as you have just described, you are the victim of terrible abuse. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
I started crying. Why did everyone make me repeat myself? “Yes I have!” I wanted to bury my face in my hands and run away. I looked around to see if I could somehow escape.
The Duchess looked shocked to her core. “I can’t imagine…” She gave up trying to put herself in my shoes, and shook her head. “I can’t say that she would be my first choice, but if you truly want to marry her… I won’t object.”
Randy smiled. “You see? No one thinks you’ve done anything wrong. Now, will you stop trying to run away, and let me ask this properly?”
I was practically sobbing by now, and covered my ears as I slowly shook my head side to side. “No… no… you’re all wrong about me…” I closed my eyes, and prayed for the Gods to strike me down and put me out of my misery.
Randy carefully wrapped his arms around me. I resisted, but he simply held me tight. Eventually, I ran out of tears, and rested my head on his chest. All I had ever wanted in life was to get married, and have children, but now the thought was terrifying.
“Looks like things might work out after all,” the King observed. “Let’s give them a bit of privacy.”
The silence was deafening for a few moments, but then Randy whispered in my ear. “Will you marry me?”
I started crying again, but this time I was relieved. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this! “Yes,” I mumbled into his shirt.
“What was that?” He asked with a chuckle.
“Yes,” I practically shouted. “I’ll marry you!”
He squeezed me tight, and then we were kissing. I felt my heart race and couldn’t believe my good fortune. Never once had I ever imagine that I would love the man I married, but if my erratic heartbeat was any indication, I think I just might love this man.
I wanted him so badly. I honestly didn’t care if we did it right here in front of everyone! Thankfully, I had just enough presence of mind to stop myself from unfastening his pants.
“I know of a private alcove not too far from here,” he whispered. “What do you think?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
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