Royal Secrets (BoyxBoy)

©Jenny Bertel

I think I was about six when I was sold into slavery by parents I can no longer remember. The mother I'm told was a farm girl, poor and simple. The father a local blacksmith, sly and deceitful with women. Whatever the story I was sold like livestock. I stood, hands tied in front of me and tears streaming down my face as I waited to be gelded by a man with a very sharp little blade in his hand. That was the tradition with male royal house servants. I did not even know what my balls were for yet and I was about to lose them. I remember that day very vividly even now. I was terrified and I was bawling. They had me behind a building where they slaughtered animals and if not for the king's young son riding by my blood would have joined that of countless sheep and pigs.

He was around twelve with red hair, regal already on his black horse wearing fine clothes. I had red hair too but I was in rags and filthy from neglect. He stopped the men surrounding me. His eyes regarded me with curiosity.

"Not that one, leave him intact. Send him to Ann I am interested to see what he grows into." He had said...I would not see him that close again for years.

I was deeply relieved to keep my stones however I received a very painful branding of a crown and sword emblem on my left inner forearm. When the hot iron was pulled away from my flesh it took the skin with it and the scar it left was a bold declaration of my servitude that I could never remove.

I was eighteen now. I'd grown up very fortunate to be well cared for under his watchful eye. I worked but never too hard, I ate well and I was given enough free time to think for myself still. They even taught me to read and write but he had not spoken to me or come close enough for me to speak to him in all those years. I had never been able to thank him. I'd never been able to talk to anyone my own age very often or interact very often with the staff outside the senior staff that had raised me. I'd never stepped foot inside the palace either. For a slave life was very good, I was never able to forget that I was indeed a slave however. I am often impulsive and careless. I have found myself at the end of a whip more than a couple times. I also spent a very, very long day and night in stocks once. Once was enough for me.

This day I found myself escorted in by a royal guard and left standing alone in his room surrounded by dark rich wood walls decorated with fine paintings. A big empty bed dominated the room, buried in black satin and overflowing with pillows. I sat down on a gilded black brocade bench at the foot of the bed wondering why I was here, I shook ever so slightly all over. I didn't like the situation I was in nor the feeling of unease it produced in the pit of my stomach.

I felt as if I sat a long time before finally he made an appearance. I knew it was him when he walked in but he looked nothing like the little boy on the horse from so long ago. He was tall and graceful and his eyes were dark green. A woman would more than likely have described his face as beautiful, it wasn't quite hard enough to be called handsome. His hair had become a dark glossy auburn that lay in thick ripples, ending at the small of his back. Wide shoulders, deep chest. He was a very imposing man. I was shorter than him, slender and weak compared.

He smiled patiently. "Stand...don't be afraid." He ordered gently. His voice was much deeper than I expected.

I stood but I was afraid. I was in his bedroom, that probably wasn't such a good omen. I had no clue what he wanted me for. All these years he bided his time with me for something. Something he had no intention of rushing evidently.

He drew very close, lifting my chin very gently with a curled finger. "Look at me Aysha." His voice sent a shiver down my back. I wished he wouldn't touch me.

I was dressed very plain but my clothes were clean. White linen shirt and brown leather pants laced tight down my legs. He was dressed like a king's son. Sheathed in form fitting red embroidered fabric, velvet and warm sable fur. His trousers were heavy almost polished black leather that weren't quite as snug as mine. To finish it all off he was dripping with gold and wore a large ruby on his hand.

As I looked up into his deep green eyes I wanted to push him back a few steps so I could breathe. No one, let alone men normally got this close to me but I didn't dare push him back.

"Forgive me Prince Bannon. I am at a loss for words." I said softly. My voice was weak and faint. He chuckled, his laugh warm, open and very unsettling.

"You have grown up into a very lovely young man...have you been happy here?" He offered. I blinked at him, uncertain.

"Yes, given my drawn lot in life I consider myself very fortunate. Thank you, sire." I was almost whispering. It had been a while since I'd faced such a poignant reminder of my position in life.

"You have very pretty blue eyes. Those piercing blue eyes and the fact you had red hair like me was what caught my attention that day, when we were children. That and the wailing." He commented as he turned my face in his hand to inspect me closer.

"Our hair is not the same color at all now." I could hear the tremble in my voice. My hair had remained a bright shocking red unlike his own darker locks, it was also fine and rather straight. It had been as long as his but I'd cut it recently, it fell to brush my collarbones slightly.

His thumb brushed along my bottom lip very lightly and I fought to not back up a step. His smile was trying for reassuring but to me was just disconcerting. A chill shuddered its way down my back. I was beginning to think I was exactly right about what he wanted me for and the idea was a little terrifying.

"Have my guards done their job in keeping you chaste?" He asked. I felt the blush creep into my face. I didn't feel like a man with his gaze on me this way, his words so direct. Touching my face so reverently.

"Yes sire, I have never known a woman...or man. Several guards and two slave girls have tried over the past few years, all have been executed before they could succeed. Your orders I assume?" I answered, I felt light headed and sick.

He chuckled, a dark almost alarming sound. His hand rustled softly in the hair at the back of my neck. "All the slaves and guards knew full well the punishment if they touched you. They ignored the danger and tried anyway. They met the fate they were warned they would." He shrugged it away.

"Why do you want me to stay so pure?" I asked, being slightly bolder. He smirked.

"Because I would have you be so." He walked around me in a slow circle, assessing me with steady eyes. Dark emerald gaze sizing me up.

He finally settled his eyes back on my face and smiled once more. "I must go Aysha. Please enjoy dinner and meet the other pretty boys and girls in my stable. We will talk again soon enough." He said ominously and then he left me alone again.

I sagged onto the bench at the end of the bed once more, shaking a little harder now...His stable! Those words made a cold heavy feeling leak into my belly, not throwing up on his floor became a struggle. Taking slow, deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth I forced myself to calm as much as possible. So I was to be nothing more than a harem boy. Why then had he never touched me though?

The same guard who had brought me in opened the door. "Follow me boy, the others are sitting down for supper." He ordered. I stood shivering and followed him through a series of long richly decorated hallways until the sound of laugher and conversation became clear.

The guard gave me a serious look as he paused with his hand on the door. "They are spoiled, don't let them influence you. Start acting like them and your privileged life could come to a swift halt." He warned me.

When he pushed opened the door all conversation ended abruptly. All eyes were on me. Two young men with long, curly dark hair and feminine faces sat to one side of a large table. One was bare from the waist up, wearing a collar like you put on a hunting dog. He had his chair turned so his bare feet were in the lap of the other man who appeared a few years older than him. The center of the table displayed a roasted piglet and dishes of other accompaniments. To the side of that were desserts piled with fruit and cream. Past the sweets and at least three open bottles of wine sat three very pretty girls. They looked to range from my age to twenty or so. One blond with big glassy blue eyes, one a raven haired little thing with a devious smile and the third was a sandy haired waif with doe eyes. Two were smartly dressed in lovely full dresses, their hair up in curls. The blond was partially undressed. She wore only her corset, underskirts and stockings. Her large breasts were nearly falling out the top.

"So it's the favorite, finally gracing us with his presence." Said one of the young men in a snobbish tone. I sat slowly down in a chair near his feet and the man who's lap they sat in.

"I don't think I'm the favorite." I stated. The boy and two of the girls laughed. The two who remained quiet glared slightly at me.

"Oh but you are the favorite, that's why he's kept you all locked away and threatened to kill anyone who so much as runs fingers through your hair. He wants to make sure he has you all to himself. Though I see now why." He replied.

I raised my eyebrows to that.

"He has never touched me himself." I answered. They all looked at me stunned for a moment.

"You're a virgin?" The dark haired girl asked.

I looked around at them silently, a thought trying to take shape in my head. "He has been with all of you I assume?" I asked. The quite man pushed his companion's feet from his lap and sat up straighter.

"We were all virgins once...it's been awhile." He replied.

I looked at the girls. "He has a good appetite for it." Stated the blond one with a grin. I nodded but I still didn't get it. Why had he saved me?

"Maybe he wants a virgin again?" Giggled the little sandy haired doll. I found her comment disturbing. I put my face in my hands and took slow deep breaths.

"I take it this idea is new to you?" Asked the topless boy but his tone had lost its cockiness. Pulling my hands from my face I sighed hard and nodded. "Ahhh I see. Don't worry your pretty little head about it, he's not all bad." He replied.

Lifting my head fully upright again I frowned lightly at the young man."I am not a lover of men...my eyes say they like their kind much better." I said motioning towards the women with my head. The girls all grinned. The quite man grunted.

"Yes well I was not a lover of men either when I first found myself in his bed, I was seventeen and a scared little virgin like you. He was a patient and gentle teacher. I learned to please him and he takes very good care of me." He said in a faintly flat voice. His expression wasn't bitter or pained but it wasn't happy either.

"Yes but how do you feel about sharing his bed now?" I questioned. He gave me a soft, sympathetic look.

"My name is Vale and firstly, none of us share his bed. He has us and then he kicks us out. Occasionally we get to have a few drinks with him and talk a little. Secondly...I'm not exactly thrilled when he calls on me but I often do enjoy myself once I'm there. I have no feelings for him, I will never love him but my body has learned to accept its duty." He explained. His eyes, which were a sort of muddy green searched my face for the signs of understanding. I understood. I felt a deep gnawing of disgust and fear somewhere in my very core...more fear than anything.

"Well men are fine by me and he is most definitely a man." Snickered the younger one. He grinned softly and winked at me.

"None of that Marco...your head is too pretty to separate from your body." Warned one the girls. I blinked at her then turned back to him.

"Will he really kill even you for touching me?" I asked.

"Yes they would be executed for touching you in any carnal manner. There are strict orders, anyone who tries to initiate sex with you dies." The guard leaning against the doorframe interrupted. His tone was casual, callous.

I went silent, thinking it all over. Eventually the outgoing Marco pushed a plate of food to me. "Eat lovely, you may not get a meal this lavish again for a while living in the servants quarters like you do." He said softly.

"I eat well." I replied dryly.

"This well?" He asked.

"Not quite this well but I have no complaints. And my name is Aysha." Marco smiled brightly and his cheeks darkened just a hint.

"Aysha, pretty name for a pretty boy. Such a shame I cannot play with you." He snickered, almost a girl's giggle. I frowned as I chewed a piece of pork.

"Are the five of you allowed to touch each other?" I wondered out loud. The girls giggled. Finally the quite man cracked a grin.

"As long as we come running when he calls yes, it is a sweet mercy. If not for Mia, Julianne and Naomi over there I'd have gone mad staring at slave girls and drunk noble women. It is only you Aysha he has kept so untainted." He replied with a laugh. The girls giggled again. The more they talked the more afraid I became of what my eventual fate was to be. I ate and talked with them for awhile but I avoided speaking about the prince or his pondered plans for me.

Eventually the drunk little harem was bored with me and I was tired so I asked the guard if I could be taken back home. He nodded and silently walked me back to the out building where I and some of the senior staff lived. I wandered off to feed lambs and goats but my head stayed full of sinister thoughts of my fate. I was worried and still afraid. I wished I could go find one of the young slave girls and rid myself of the virginity he so coveted. That however would just condemn an innocent women to death. I would not do such a thing for my own selfish needs.

When I entered the house Ann, a gray haired lady with a very sweet lovable nature smiled softly at me from her place at the stove.

She was the closest thing I had to a mother.

"Are you alright Aysha?" She asked.

"Yes, why shouldn't I be?" I asked as I leaned against the wall. Her smiled dulled a bit.

"Well I know they took you to meet prince Bannon. You were gone awhile." She replied. Her expression said she assumed he'd finally taken his liberties with me.

I shrugged.

"Not really, he spoke to me for a few minutes and then I spent the rest of the evening with his little harem. A harem no one felt the need to warn me I was a part of."

She frowned a little. She looked down at the pot of stew she was stirring. "We were never really sure, usually when he wants a slave for his little stable he fetches them to begin their grooming at sixteen and we never see much of them again. We aren't allowed to explain a slave's position to them in any case. Once a long time ago someone did that and the boy stole a horse and ran. He was dragged back, beaten and then sold. They are lucky to be pampered and cared for here and so are you, do not forget that." She replied in a low, dark tone.

"I shall not forget it...still the idea of what may be in store for me is unsettling to say the very least." She smiled gently.

"You'll do better things with your life one day Aysha, I believed that when you first came here and I believe it now." She assured me. I was tired and nerve racked. Climbing the stairs to my quarters I stripped off most of my clothes and curled down in the dark. For the first time since that day behind the slaughterhouse I cried. Face buried in my pillow sobbing very softly until sleep claimed me like an enormous black monster.

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"Pull that stallion's head up, don't let him slow and droop." Shouted Dirk. Dirk was older than me by many years, a nice man but a strict teacher when it came to horses and young slaves like me. I pulled back on the reins and the shiny black horse I rode lifted its face with a snort and let out a soft whinny. I clicked my tongue and jabbed the stallion with my heels and he sped into a gallop.

"That's the way." He grinned.

The stallion was new. It was to be the prince's horse when it was ready. He was barely broken and I'd never been allowed to ride a new horse. I was enjoying the feeling of freedom the world rushing by in a blur gave me. His hooves pounding the dirt emanated a power that coursed up through him and into me, making me feel as we were almost one animal. An animal too strong to be dominated and ruled over.

"Open the gate let me run him out and back." I shouted.

"I don't know kid, he's a demon that one." He warned, running his rough hand through his graying black hair.

"I'm not a child anymore." I quipped. He grunted and shook his head but lifted the top rail of the gate and dropped it to the side. Before he could raise the second the horse turned and barreled towards the gateway. Dirk could only step out of the way as it tucked it's front legs and gracefully leapt over the low rail. I held on laughing joyously.

"Be careful Aysha!" Yelled Dirk as we flew by.

Trees were a green blur and the ground a rushing river of dirt and rocks beneath us as the stallion blazed down the road with me breathlessly riding it. I let him go until his pace began to slow then finally I pulled him to a stop at a small open area near a stream. I'd gotten far enough from the palace. I didn't want to be accused of trying to escape. Leading the animal to the water I stepped down and knelt to wash the sweat from my hands and face as he drank.

As I slicked my hair back from my face with wet hands I looked up to find a young girl standing a few feet away. She smiled warily. She was maybe fourteen if that, her clothes finer than mine but probably not royalty.

"Hello...Do you live at the palace?" She asked timidly. She was looking at the crown and sword brand on my arm.

"Yes my lady." I answered. I stood and took the horse's leads under his chin, walking closer to her. She was dark blond and had a very sweet childish face with pale brown eyes. It worried me that such a young girl was out here by the roads alone.

"Are you a stable boy?" She asked but I knew she did not mean harem, she meant stable literally.

"Something like that...and what is your story my curious little lady?" I asked chuckling at her childlike demeanor. She was a cute kid.

"You're a slave." She stated.

"Yes my lady." I replied looking down.

"Elaina." She offered.

"Aysha."

"I live just down the hill. I am betrothed to the Prince but we have not

found each other's company to be agreeable enough to rush it." She replied, looking off towards the palace's direction with a slight frown. I felt a sick churning of disgust at the idea of a man his age touching this sweet little angel.

"You're too young to be a bride, you're just a child." She nodded.

"Yes he said as much...actually he rather hurt my feelings, he said the thought of me in his bed made him sick." She replied in a slightly bitter voice. I smiled at the way she wrinkled her nose.

"He didn't mean you aren't pretty just that you're still a baby. I think it's commendable." She gave a little half smile and sighed.

"Yes I know but it could have been said in less harsh words. He is very handsome but he seems a bit mean and scary." She replied softly.

I looked at the sun's position in the sky and stepped back up into the stirrups. The stallion snorted, prancing very lightly from foot to foot. She stared up at me with big innocent eyes.

"Can I give you a ride home? I don't feel right leaving you here by yourself." I said, making it a firm question more than an offer. A little girl alone was an easy target for the type of degenerate that frequented the nearby roads.

"Thank you." She said with a smile as I offered my hand. She slipped behind me and wrapped her slender arms around my waist tightly.

"You should not wander out here alone my lady...please. Bring an escort if you're going to stray so far from home." She giggled very softly as I kicked the stallion into a fast trot and headed the way she directed me.

Not far from the north border of our land we came to her house, it was grand but not a palace. She obviously came from nobility but I wondered why the prince would be engaged to a little girl who was not even royalty. It sounded as if it had been arranged for him, perhaps by the king and the girl's father. Men often took brides far too young, it was their way but she was so childish. She scarcely had curves and breasts. I felt a deep respect for prince Bannon that he found defiling such a precious little thing distasteful.

"No more running around alone and don't take rides from strangers like me either Elaina, it truly frightened me that you accepted so easily." I lectured her as I pulled the horse to a stop. I helped her gently slide down to her feet and she gave me a wide grin.

"Thank you again Aysha. It was nice to have met you. I will heed your warnings." She gathered her skirts a few inches higher and set off at sprint for her house and I chuckled to myself once more. Adorable child. I hoped for her sake prince Bannon kept up

his tradition in letting his partners mature before bringing them to his bed. It would be sad enough for her when she realized her new husband had a stable of sex slaves. Though arranged marriages were often lacking in love.

I knew if I took too long someone would come looking for me so I pointed the stallion towards home and gave him a good kick. He set off at a hard gallop but I let him wind his way down to a slow trot to cool down. The repetitive bouncing of the horse coupled with the lazy breeze caressing my hair and skin soon had me yawning.

I was thinking how nice sneaking off for a nap sounded when the stallion's head jerked upright and he snorted. He stopped, prancing in a nervous circle then looked up the road again with ears at attention. Two energetically bobbing brown shapes were making their way towards us in the center of the road. I couldn't see them clearly but the movement and the baying calls said they were hunting hounds.

"Come on they're just dogs." I said to the anxious black beast. I gave him a jab and he began to trot again but every few steps he'd stop and back step snorting. The closer the dogs got the more he snorted and pranced around.

Finally I was annoyed and gave him a good hard kick in the ribs. He jolted forward and I thought he was going to pass them but as the dogs reached us they suddenly turned their attention to the stallion. They circled and barked, snapping at his ankles. I braced myself as he reared up, pawing the air with his front hooves. He let out an angry squeal, shooting off the road into a field and the two dogs set off after us baying and barking with glee.

I wasn't really sure what happened next. I know the horse tried to make a circle around a tree, his body twisted and his hooves slipped out from under him. I felt my shoulder and arm get mashed against the tree as I was heading for the ground and that was it. I have no idea how long I lay there, for me there was no sense of time passing. I was falling against the tree one moment and the next I was slowly regaining consciousness.

I tried to open my eyes but the instant they parted pain tore through my head like the blow of an ax. I cried out, squeezing them shut. "Shhh, lay still Aysha. You're injured." Came a voice close and soft. I knew the voice but I was confused. I realized someone was holding me gently, cradling my head in their arm. Something like a handkerchief was pressed firmly to my temple. Fingers curled around my hand in a gesture of comfort.

"My head." I whimpered.

"I know...a carriage is coming so we can get you home. Just lay still sweetheart." Somewhere through the pain and confusion it dawned on me who's voice spoke to me so gently. I forced my eyes to open. Prince Bannon looked down at me with concern. I was only able to look at him for a second before pain and dizziness forced me to close my eyes once more. As I cried out again the crying made it hurt even worse. I began to curl into a ball. I felt as though I were slowly falling to the side.

"Aysha...stop you're just making the blood run faster." He gently pulled my upper body back against him, making me straighten out more. I fought to breathe slow and even but I couldn't stop weeping softly.

"It hurts so bad." I groaned.

"Shhh, I know...you were very nearly crushed by that animal. Just stay calm." He hushed me firmly but gently. I felt his fingers begin to very softly stroke my hair. I shuddered and whimpered, too racked with pain to even assess what exactly was injured besides my head. That much was obvious. It felt as if someone was trying to pry open my skull through my eye socket. I could feel the blood trickling down the side of my face and taste more in my mouth. In fact it felt as if half my face was wet with it.

Vaguely I heard the sound of the carriage as it pulled up. My consciousness became instantaneously sharper as two guards lifted me from the prince's arms. I nearly screamed as my head spun and searing pain bloomed in my neck. A wave of nausea washed over me so hard I thought I was going to vomit. They laid me carefully on one of the two wide seats inside the carriage where I alternated between sobbing very softly and gasping for deeper breathes. I'd never been in so much pain before in my life. As the carriage began to move the jarring of its wooden wheels hitting rocks and ruts in the road only made it that much worse.

Prince Bannon lifted my head very gently and moved closer so he could rest it in his lap. I was far from thinking about any distress that might have made me feel under different circumstances. He continued to talk softly to me and pet my hair in very slow, light strokes. I was losing the battle to stay calm, I cried out loud at a sharp lash of pain and fell back into cataleptic darkness. I did not wake up again for some time.

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"Aysha...Aysha, come on. Yes that's a good boy, wake up." This time I knew immediately it was Prince Bannon speaking. He was rubbing my back between my shoulder blades firmly as he tried to rouse me.

"No...please no." I whimpered hoarsely, my head still hurt terribly. I was now acutely aware that I was also sore in other places.

"I've got something to ease the pain but you have to wake up enough to drink it." He urged me.

"I'm awake. Please just make it stop, my head." I whined, sounding pathetic even to myself. His hand curled snugly around the back of my neck to support me as he put a glass to my lips.

"There is something in there for the pain as well as something for your stomach, I'm sure you feel quite ill with the blow you took to your head." As soon as the very warm milk filled my mouth I wanted to gag but the sensation quickly faded. It had a strong herbal aftertaste and it had been lightly sweetened. I lay back breathing deep and slow, hoping the world would stop tilting and I might be able to open my eyes again.

Prince Bannon very gently pulled me into his arms once more, I heard water pouring into water. I sucked in a sharp hissing breath as the warm wet cloth touched the wounds on my temple. He was cleaning away the blood.

"Why are you caring for me instead of a servant?" I asked weakly, my eyes still closed.

"Because I choose to. Now stop talking and lay still. I think you finally stopped bleeding." He reprimanded me. I obeyed, I didn't have the strength to argue anyway.

The pain medicine began to work its magic, slowly the misery ebbed enough for me to sigh in relief and tentatively open my eyes. The prince smiled at me, tilting his head. "Welcome back to the land of the living Aysha, I do hope you'll stay awhile." I was not overjoyed to be in his arms but sadly it was the first time since I was but a baby that someone had comforted me so tenderly. At the moment it was a truly soothing, secure feeling.

I was still very dizzy and though the pain had lessened greatly it was indeed still there. I was aware now that I was in his bed though the room was dimly lit by a couple oil lamps. I could see that the shoulder the horse had ground into the tree was badly scraped and bruised, trailing down onto my upper arm. Why he'd brought me here and chosen to care for me himself I couldn't fathom nor did I really care just then. I turned my body as much as I could manage, letting my head settle into the curve of his arm. My eyes closed again, unable to bear the light and too heavy to keep open any longer. He leaned back against the headboard and relaxed with a very low, deep exhale.

"Just rest Aysha." He yawned.

"Is the stallion alright?" I mumbled sleepily. He chuckled very low.

"Yes the unruly beast came away in much better condition than you. Now hush, rest." He ordered.

I did rest quite deeply. I slept long into the night before rolling over sent a blazing bolt of pain through my eye and into my skull, snapping me awake in seconds. I screamed grabbing my head in my hands. Bannon was there immediately to calm me.

"Shh, calm down. I have you, someone is already on their way to fetch you a drink. Shh...it's alright." He soothed.

I wept very quietly as the burn in my head swelled. I thought of nothing but my agony as I pulled at him until my arm was around his belly and my face on his chest. When a chambermaid brought the remedy he once again helped me drink.

"Do you need anything else Sire?" Asked the maid.

"No thank you."

"Are you sure Sire?" She repeated.

"Did I not say no the first time? Spare me and leave us!" Bannon snapped though he kept his voice low enough to not shout in my ear.

"Forgive me Prince Bannon." She said meekly, the door closed.

For while I lay on his chest and let him sooth me with the gentle rustling of his soft hand through my hair but as pain dulled uneasiness crept in. His skin was bare under my cheek. His lips pressed lightly to my forehead. Had I felt better I would have panicked but in my condition he obviously did not have me here with the objective of pleasure. His leg was resting against my foot so that I could feel he wore light linen below the waist. My shirt and boots were gone but I still wore the same pants I'd gone off riding in. Again I had to wonder in the back of my wounded mind why a prince would drag an injured slave wearing dusty pants that smelled of horse sweat into his bed to cosset him. Perhaps there was something to the other's claims that I was the favorite.

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Even with my eyes closed I could tell it was day, I feared the sunlight that shone through my eyelids to make me see red. Very slowly I forced my eyes to open, pain hit me like a rock in the face but it wasn't as vicious as before. I struggled with the urge to close them for a few moments but eventually won the battle. Prince Bannon was no longer in bed next to me. My eyes swept the room quickly. It was his room just as I remembered it however with early morning light streaming in through the windows it was a bit more garish. Everywhere it seemed some piece of crystal or gold caught the sun's rays in a display of glowing decadence.

It was an odd feeling to be so alone suddenly. There was a disturbing stirring of disappointment somewhere in my aching head that he was not there to comfort and reassure me.

The bedroom door was not fully closed, light fell in from the gap and lay across the floor at an angle. I called out as loud as I could which wasn't very loud really. My voice was dry, I was thirsty. A tall man with graying hair in a lot of brown leather pushed the door open more.

"What do you need boy?" Putting my hand to my head I took deep breaths, trying to think clearly.

"Something to drink...please. Water, not alcohol." I asked then I curled into a fetal position with a pillow in my arms. I buried my face in it, whimpering and moaning as pain ate its way through my broken body.

After awhile of crying into the pillow a soft female voice told me I had to sit up if I wanted water. I rolled onto my back then onto my side to tentatively pull myself upright. The voice belonged to Julianne, the blond harem girl.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, I heard it was bad." She handed me a large goblet of water, distressingly this small vessel of water seemed suddenly quite heavy. My arm barely wanted to carry its weight. I took hold of the cup with both hands and drank. Julianne smiled as she refilled it for me from a large crystal pitcher.

"You are a thirsty boy...do you want something to eat too?" I shook my head very gently, handing her back the goblet.

"I just want to go back to sleep." I groaned.

"Aysha, you've been sleeping for days now. You need food, maybe get up and walk around a little." She urged me.

"How many days have I been in his bed?" I asked, touching the side of my face where it was bruised and lacerated.

"Almost four now. Not counting a few crying fits when the servants had to get you up so you could piss or what have you." She lay a cool hand on my forehead, frowning. Just the cold of her hand ached. I had no real memories of the days past beyond the prince's kindness.

I didn't want food. I wanted to go back to my own bedroom in the servants quarters and sleep a couple more days. "Do you think it would make him angry if I go back home?" I questioned her. She quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Even if you could actually make it there would you really want to risk it? It would be rather ungrateful too don't you think, he has never had any of us from his stable stay a night in his bed. He doesn't hold us or give us affection outside of sex. He's been holding you every night, watching over you when he can. Yesterday I found him sitting next to you just holding your hand and whispering to you...he seems very taken with you. Slaves don't often get that kind of devotion. If I were you I would try to please my master and enjoy the privileges his happiness brings you." She lectured me.

Her argument was sound but I didn't want to share his bed. I knew I could do it if I truly had to because it was better than any of the alternatives I could think of but I did not want to. Julianne patted my hand, bringing me back to reality.

"Look dear, I know it's different for you because you're a man who obviously is not attracted to other men but what he'd want to do to you I've done. It's only hard at first. Then you learn to bear it easily...one day you find yourself looking forward to it." She tried to reassure me.

"I'm not a child, I know what he wants. I hardly see myself looking forward to being sodomized...Julianne, please I appreciate the sentiment but leave me be. I want to go back to sleep." I said despondently. She frowned but nodded, patting my hand one last time. When she'd left the room I sunk back into the bed and cried very softly again. Both from physical pain and the horror of the new turn my captivity had taken.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Aysha, wake up." I knew it was the prince but I wasn't really thinking.

"Just leave me alone." I groaned.

"Is that any way to talk to me? Come now, sit up." I opened my eyes and he smiled, holding out a hand to help me prop myself up against the pillows. At least it wasn't so bright in the room anymore.

He held a bowl in his other hand. Steam coiled and stretched up ward carrying with it the smell of stew. It smelled good. My stomach grumbled. He chuckled softly.

"Sounds like a demand to me. Be a good boy and eat up." He said firmly, pushing the bowl at me.

"I don't feel like eating." His eyes brows knotted and his expression went slightly darker.

"Aysha you haven't eaten in almost a week. I'll have no arguments from you. I know you're in pain and depressed but starving yourself won't help one bit." He replied. His tone said he was serious, there would be no argument. He took the spoon from the bowl and scooped up a steaming bite with a large chunk of meat in it. I frowned but let him put it in my mouth. It was good. It was very good. Just the right amount of salt and the meat was very tender. "See, good hmm? Here, I want to see the bottom of that bowl when you're done." He ordered as he placed the bowl in my hand and held out the spoon. The bowl like the cup felt too heavy and I rested it on my leg as I ate.

The first bite had incited my hunger and I dug into the thick stew with no further complaints. When my belly was full and the bowl empty I sat it down on the bedside table, sinking back into the pillows. I was exhausted from simply feeding myself. He stood at a nearby window with his back to me, silent.

"Sire...may I please trouble you for something to ease the pain again? The brutal ache in my head is back." I asked softly.

He turned and smiled gently at me. "It's no trouble Aysha, of course you may." He whistled softly and the guard just outside the door looked in. "Have Becca fetch a poppy and peppermint for Aysha. She knows how to make them just right. Tell her to add more a little more nettle leaf for the inflammation in his head." He instructed.

He came to sit on the edge of the bed and look at me with a strange expression. It was very tender and sympathetic considering how cold he seemed with his staff. He reached out very lightly touching my face. I flinched as his fingers trailed over the wounds.

"The horse is lucky he is a horse or I would have him killed for damaging you so." He frowned slightly as he inspected my injuries again.

"Is it that bad?" I asked weakly. I felt drained despite having done nothing.

"It is not good. You will heal though...a few days ago I was not sure you were even going to make it." He laid his hand softly on my chest and the soreness made me look down. There was a half moon shaped bruise at the edge of my ribs. I realized with a shock it was a hoof mark. I had indeed come very close to being crushed.

A servant brought my drink and I took it in both hands, sucking it down in one gulp. Prince Bannon frowned at me. "Are you having trouble holding things?" He watched the way I steadied my hands and the lack of strength in my grip.

"Aye, it is as if everything is too heavy." I agreed.

"That is not good, hopefully it will resolve." I made a rather irritated sound though I hadn't meant to.

"I would not have ended up in this condition if I had not seen fit to take your fiancé safely home. She was by the stream alone." I complained softly. He gave me a shocked expression.

"You met Elaina?" He said in surprise.

"I did. Sweet child." I had said the last as a stab at him though to be fair I probably shouldn't have. He gave me a suddenly angry expression but it faded as he took a deep breath.

"Yes she is, a child I have no intention of deflowering at such a tender age. I start their training at sixteen but don't even touch my personal slaves until they reach at least seventeen. Really do I seem like someone who enjoys little girls with little endowments?...I do not even want to be married but my father insists I must at some point. Soon I fear though I am trying to put it off as long as possible." He was being very honest and open considering my status.

"I assumed as much, especially when she said you hurt her feeling by stating the thought of her in your bed made you sick." I replied with a weak laugh.

He nodded chuckling softly. "Ahhh yes, I should have been more diplomatic about that." I still found his laugh unsettling.

"I am just a slave. It is not my place to give my opinion." His expression took a slightly dark turn once more.

"Aysha when I speak openly to you it means I am inviting you to join the conversation. You should learn to fear me a little less." He replied dryly. I stared at him for a moment, unsure how to reply.

"Your reputation demands fear Sire. I will try to be more comfortable but it will take some effort. I have not spent any time here with you like the rest of your spoiled harem. I have lived a cloistered life and witnessed far too many punishments and executions. A few of those punishments were carried out on myself." He nodded, taking in my words for a moment.

"Yes I can understand that. You may be in my stable so to speak but you are not part of the harem as you put it Aysha. They are spoiled...to ruin. One of the reasons I have kept you separated. I don't intend to let them influence you. I have bigger and better plans for you sweetheart. You can also stop looking at me as if I may pounce on you like a cat with a mouse. You are not the type of man you make submissively roll onto his belly for you. Not at all." I found his words confusing especially considering his hand had drifted lower to rest curled around my hip.

"I would like to know what your plans are for me." He did say I could state my opinions. Though he never agreed to acknowledge them.

He tilted his head and gave me a soft, sympathetic look. "We can have this discussion another time. You need rest...I'd suggest a bath and a change of clothes but you don't look as if you could manage that much yet." He sighed.

"A hot bath sounds divine right now too." I whined. I was sure he had heard that tone from me quite a bit the past few days. He chuckled.

"Yes well you would never be able without help. If you insist on trying I can have a couple servants help you." He offered.

"I honestly don't even know if I can stand. With the lack of strength in my arms I am afraid to try." I replied. He nodded.

"Come on then." He held out his hand and I blinked at it stupidly for a moment.

After a moment of nervous thought I took the hand he offered. Slowly I sat up and scooted until I could put my feet on the floor. He took my other hand as well and holding both of mine in his own he gently pulled as I tried to stand. I made it to my feet only collapse into his arms. I held onto him panting in pain and reeling with dizziness. His held me gently against his chest, supporting a great deal of my weight.

"I have you, go slow." He soothed. I whimpered as I put my hands on his shoulders and straightened myself up. I had to look up slightly to meet his gaze. I found this closeness a little uncomfortable but I preferred his comfort to the methodical handle of a servant who had no sympathy for me, in fact some had contempt for me it seemed. At least those closest to him.

I took a deep breath as he backed up a step and gently pulled at my arm. I stepped forward and almost collapsed again. "Aysha, this is too much for you just now. Lay back down and rest for now. I'll have them ready a bath for you and when it is hot you can try the walk to get to it. Just getting you up to relive yourself was a torture that took you being well inebriated and three servants to get you there. You passed out several times during each trip. I haven't heard such crying since the day we met. I was told you met the whip with stoic acceptance but that horse gave you more than you could handle."

I didn't remember any of it. Hearing it from his mouth, in his words I felt a bit ashamed. Luckily lack of drinking much of anything spared me from needing to make that trip now. "Julianne told me...I am sorry, I don't remember any of that." I stated softly, still holding onto his arm for dear life.

He gently forced me to sit back down. "Do not be sorry, you are more badly injured than you understand I think. Crying or not most men would have died."

He got me back in bed and gave me a little extra pain remedy. When I was comfortable he walked to his dresser and picked up a sliver handled mirror. He brought it back to me, turning it so I could see my face. I grimaced at the reflection that greeted me. My left eye was black and the bruise continued below on to my cheekbone. It also spread up and out onto my temple along with some deep scrapes and one very deep cut that ran from my hairline to my ear.

"It looks as if the horse stepped on my head." I exclaimed softly in horror. He nodded with a look of worried revolt.

"I think he just may have. No one actually witnessed the accident but when we found you it looked as if the animal had smashed you against the tree then stepped on you after you fell. Luckily the two dogs I assume caused it all were chasing the horse, uninterested in you. Whoever they belonged to did a very poor job training their hounds. Dirk killed them." He explained.

I forced my gaze from my reflection to look up at him. "You came to find me yourself?"

He tilted his head and smiled very lightly. "The stallion came back to the barn with two dogs chasing him and no rider. I was worried something truly awful had happened to you and I was right." He said it as if it explained his actions.

"Aye but why do you care so much about me? Before recently you'd never even spoken to me now you've dragged me dirty and bloody into your bed to care for me. You know you're driving me mad with stress." I was getting a bit bolder, he did say I could. He smirked, standing to place the mirror back on his dresser.

"Because I do...calm your fears. I am taking care of you because honestly, I don't trust anyone else with the job considering how badly you are injured. Some of the staff thought you beyond help, they would have let you fade away. Now quiet yourself, rest until your bath is ready." I knew the tone now, it meant I was to shut my mouth lest he get irritated with me. I did so. He had thus far been very kind, patient and gentle and I didn't want that to change.

When the bath was ready I sat taking deep breaths and holding his hands very tightly. He got me to my feet and steadied me, slipping an arm around my waist. "Go slow." He urged. He walked with me very slowly but halfway there I was getting weak. He whistled and the doorman rallied two large men to help. They were not as gentle as Prince Bannon. I cried out a little as we reached the tub, they were pulling me too fast and lifting up too much on my sore arm.

Once I was in the next room, standing near the tub the prince stepped up sighing loudly and brushed them away."Alright you got him there none too gently. Go!" He snapped at the two men.

"Our apologies Sire. We tried to be careful." Stated one as they were heading out.

"Lying to me is a very punishable offense, execution worthy if the lie is severe." Bannon stated dryly. He was holding me around the waist again, his face was dark and angry as he watched the two men leave.

He reached up tucking my hair back to look at my face. "Are you alright Aysha?" He asked gently.

"Define alright." I stated softly through my light panting. He turned me so I could put my hands on his shoulders.

"Just relax, catch your breath." I closed my eyes and tried to check my breathing but I was suddenly startled by his hands at my pants.

"Prince Bannon...please spare me further humiliation." I pleaded.

"Aysha, sweetheart...shut up." He said softly. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as he undressed me which only made me feel more pathetic. "Hold the edge of the tub." He said turning me gently. I did so and he pushed my pants all the way down, crouching to unlace the ankles so they could be pulled over my feet. I finally looked down and he met my gaze. He grinned softly. "Does it feel odd to have the prince kneeling at your feet?" It was the first time I'd heard him joke with anyone or seen him grin.

"Aye, the whole situation feels odd." I agreed. I had to chuckled at the teasing, it was kind of funny.

When I was undressed he supported me with his arms around my torso, my back against his chest. "Step in slow, I have you."

I whimpered and shook a bit but he eased me down into the water finally. He leaned against the wall for a moment, regarding me with a cool steady green gaze. I looked down. "Not so lovely now am I?" I said. I was trying for a joke but it came out sounding a little bitter. He smiled lightly.

"I think you're quite beautiful actually. The older you get the more beautiful you have become." He replied, matter of factly.

He pushed off the wall and walked around to pick up a carved vessel sitting on a small table near the head of the tub. He dipped it into the water, filling it. "Lift your head." He instructed. As I did he poured the water over my hair, smoothing it back with his hand. I sucked in a sharp breath as he tenderly washed my sore head. "I know, I'm trying to hurry." All his compassion just made me wonder more what he saw in me.

When he was done he crouched down next to the tub and stroked the unmarred side of my forehead softly. The hot water felt so good caressing my aching body. I sighed deeply and let my head settle against the edge of the tub. Truthfully just as before his comforting was just that. I closed my eyes and let the feel of his fingers lull me into a state of almost unconsciousness. He was afraid to leave me alone and only stepped out of the room to get me clean clothes. He brought me black silk pajama pants that had little gold medallions at the end of the draw cord. Obviously his.

During the bath a servant had changed the sheets, soaked with my sweat and blood and I really felt more alive than I had since the accident, though getting back to bed was a bit of a torture. Halfway there he gave me my privacy to lean against an open outside door so I could piss in privacy. When he came back a few minutes later he looked down frowning at a small alarmingly bloody puddle in the dirt. "The servants never reported that. See why I didn't trust them with you."

When I lay there looking up at him once more he gave me a melancholy face as he stripped off some of his own clothes. I hadn't paid any attention to his body before. I was slightly more intimidated now as I took in just how muscular he was under the gilding. When he turned his bare back to me to drink some wine while thoughtfully looking out the window at his moonlit garden I was shocked to see scars crossing his back. I knew exactly what they were, I had a few of my own. Why would a prince get a whip taken to him though? The few scars he had from blades I understood, he did train to fight. He knew how to defend himself well I had heard. The whip I couldn't fathom. Perhaps I had been ignorant in thinking only slaves are disciplined?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Bannon kept me at his side until I was able to walk well on my own. Truthfully as disturbing as it was I was a little lonely without him at first but I found he wasn't done with my recovery. He ordered me to join him in the indoor training ring in the afternoons to work on regaining the strength the accident had claimed from me.

He had as of yet not explained his plans for me, nor had he attempted to touch me in any sexual manner.

The training ring was a very large room with a high ceiling and an abundance of windows high up above your head so you couldn't see in or out but it was well lit during the day. It felt very quiet and removed from the rest of the world around it. I enjoyed the odd peace that being there with him gave me. He was close to my age, he made me laugh a lot without ever acting like a joker and most importantly he treated me like an equal in that private space where no one could judge him for it.

I felt it was a profound statement that he was teaching me to fight during our workouts. Teaching a slave who is so close at your side to kill...one would have to be either very stupid or very confident that you were safe. He knew I would never hurt him after everything he'd done for me. When I asked him why he was teaching me he said I should be able to defend myself if I ever have to and that he enjoyed teaching someone who was actually listening to him, not just play fighting with him.

As I stood bent with my hands on my thighs panting heavily on this particular afternoon he walked up and rubbed my back gently. "Take a break. You look exhausted." I stood catching my breath and smirked at him.

"I am getting back what I lost rapidly." I stated. I grabbed his arm and he tried to spin me around to capture me but I countered. For the first time I spun him around and curled my arm around his neck from behind. Being slightly shorter I had him bent back a bit. He leaned a little hard into me.

"Everyone else would be afraid to put me in such a position. They let me win." He said thickly. I could hear a sound in his voice that I was not accustom to.

His head fell back onto my shoulder and I could see his face was a little flushed. His breathing was a little too fast considering he had not exerted himself much. "Should I let you win then?" I asked low.

"Not at all. I find the challenge exhilarating." He replied, his voice was husky. I was sure by the way he was melted against me and the look on his face, the sound in his voice was lust. I was in the position of the aggressor though which to me seemed an odd time for his arousal.

I released him gently and stepped back a little. "Where have all your little playmates been lately?" He took a very deep breath and straightened himself up, pulling his long hair back and tying it with a black ribbon he pulled from under his tunic as he collected himself. He didn't answer me at first, walking over to the table near the wall to fill two crystal goblets with wine. As he handed me one he smiled gently. The flush in his face fading.

"I told you they were spoiled to ruin. I grew as tired of them as they did me. I have let Vale and Julianne have their freedom, they are to be married and I granted them a small piece of land to work and live on, as well as a sizable severance to get their life started. Marco was happy to be passed on to a friend of mine. They had eyes for each other for a while and Marco enjoys his servitude. He's more depraved than I am, that one...I will be finding suitable partners for my other two girls, marriage is problematic for a slave." He explained. I gave him a shocked face.

"All of them? You're tired of them all and you're just going to rid yourself of them?" I asked, though I had heard him.

He nodded. "They are sex slaves Aysha, not my wives. You make it sounds as if I'm having them butchered...I'm finding them good places to go where they will be taken care of it's the most I can possibly do for them."

I thought it over and a shiver ran down my back. I sucked down half my glass of wine and he chuckled. "You have that nervous look again, haven't seen that face in awhile." He stated.

"I am just one of your slaves...though I am grateful you haven't treated me like one so far." My voice fell soft and then silent. He pushed my chin up lightly so I would meet his eyes again.

"Aysha, calm your fears. I like your company. I also like that you haven't been sullied by my personal frustrations." I wasn't sure exactly what that meant but frustration I surely understood.

I searched his eyes hoping to see past the dark tower around his soul and he stroked the side of my face where the wounds that were just now becoming scars still reminded us both of the fact I'd almost died. His eyes seemed a little raw, open but I still couldn't find answers in them. We had formed a strong bond over the past weeks yet I knew very little of the man behind the crown.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him snugly. He slipped his arms around me and sighed very softly. "You don't owe me affection sweetheart." He whispered near my ear.

"I know but you have been very good to me." I answered.

"Is someone growing fond of me?" His voice sounded a little vulnerable suddenly. It dawned on me that just because he was the prince and the one with all this power didn't mean he couldn't be lonely or want comfort from another human being. The fact he had so many free afternoons to spend with me said something very loudly yet I had missed it.

I drew back and looked at his face, closer than I was usually comfortable. I didn't fear him anymore. I was just nervous. Lately I'd even started to find his smile made me break a grin, or the disturbing thought a few days prior that he had a gorgeous face for a man. I attributed it to sexual frustration. Now however as he lifted his hands and took my face gently between them I felt no sudden stabbing fear, no desire to flee. While I didn't feel sexual arousal exactly I wasn't afraid as he pulled me in to press his lips to mine softly. I had never kissed anyone save on the cheek. He was very tentative and soft. He didn't invade my mouth or let his hands stray he just kissed very softly.

He pulled away after a second but as he did he expressed his deeper desires by sucking my bottom lip gently between his own. At that last moment I had a very strong gut reaction to the sensation. A sharp thrill of excitement that coursed through me to make my skin feel suddenly tighter. A tickling flutter made my stomach clench. It seemed more blood flooded all my most sensitive places, making my sense of touch heighten. It scared me a little that he made me feel it but it was nice to feel it at all.

As we stepped back slightly from one another he gave me an expression that was very uncertain for him. If I didn't think it impossible I would have said he was afraid. I was positive I was blushing, I looked down and couldn't fight the urge to smirk though I wasn't sure why it provoked such a response. He cleared his throat and distracted from the situation by pouring us both another glass of wine. He seemed boyish and awkward now. When he handed me the glass I gave him direct eye contact.

"Is it my turn to do the reassuring?" I teased. Though I wasn't fully joking. I didn't like seeing him look so insecure.

He smiled softly. "I just know that wasn't something you would have initiated, I do not want you to fear me again." I nodded and we both sipped our wine in silence for a few passing moments.

"That was my first kiss." I blurted, breaking the stillness. He stared at me, dark green eyes full of unspoken words, the dark tower had lowered a drawbridge it seemed. His expression

became slightly emotional.

"I am a tyrant." He stated wryly then he turned and walked briskly out the doors, leaving me standing alone and confused.

I walked slowly back to the servants quarters in a bit of a daze. I felt like I'd done something wrong though I knew I hadn't. It was distressingly painful to me to have seen the hurt in his eyes.

When I got back to the barnyard behind the house I shared with my makeshift family I found Dirk tending to the stallion that had almost killed me. "He alright?" I asked.

"Aye, I think so. He seems to have a bellyache but it's mild, mostly he's just a prick." I laughed then nodded.

"Want me to take him for a slow ride, work it out?" I said, in jest. Dirk gave me a quirked eyebrow and shook his head.

"Go eat supper." He said gruffly.

It was actually later than I had realized. The sun was fading rapidly and I was tired.

Inside Ann gave me a big warm smile. "Welcome home, sit. Dirk slaughtered a pig this morning and I've been cooking a rack of ribs all afternoon. Lots of garlic like you like them." I slipped into a chair at the small table and she served up two plates. Dirk and the three other servants who shared my home would wander in at some point and get their own.

"So, you seem to be enjoying the prince's company more and more these days." She stated as she was pulling the meat from the bones delicately with her aging fingers. I just tore into them with my teeth and ate the meat off the bone but she was always rather ladylike. I sometimes wondered if she had ever wanted her own children or had ever loved a man. She cared for Dirk but he wasn't her husband or in love with her they were best friends. If they ever slept together was not my business nor did I want to know. I sat the rib in my hand down on my plate and sighed. I looked at her and she tilted her head, questioning me without words as she had a way of doing. She was much like a mother to me.

"I do enjoy his company. He doesn't treat me like a slave. It feels like we are becoming actual friends but today went badly." I explained.

"How so sweet pea?" I felt my cheeks get warmer. I looked down as if my plate was quite interesting.

"He kissed me...I didn't really mind, it kind of felt good for someone to kiss me but then I told him it was my first kiss and he got emotional, he called himself a tyrant and ran off. I know I didn't do anything wrong but I feel guilty." She gave me a sympathetic look.

"It sounds as if he feels guilty. He has kept you from experiencing the joy of closeness with another person, intimacy and love. Nice to know he does have a heart." She replied.

I thought over her words as I ate a little. Curiously I felt like defending him. "He has a heart, I'm beginning to think it's broken." I stated. She made a soft grunting sound. Like a half laugh.

"With his father I'm surprised he hasn't committed suicide dear."

I ate some more but eventually had to ask. "I've never met the king in person, is he that awful?" She gave me a blank face for a moment.

"This is the man who approved your being bought as a slave and gelded at six. Prince Bannon didn't get his intimidating personality from his mother. Rest her soul, the queen was a lovely woman. I think being married to that horrible man drove her to her grave." I nodded as I worked on my last rib.

"The prince has scars from a whip, that was a shock." I stated. She nodded and sighed.

"Hmm, I'm sure the king had something to do with that as well. The prince was a defiant boy at one point, like all youth he had a desire to rebel against the ideals he did not share with his father. His mother was dead by the time he was ten, she sadly had little influence on him." I felt sorrow for him now.

I finished my supper, put a deep pot of water on the fire to heat and helped Ann clean up. When we were done I filled a bucket with the hot water and went up to my room. Stripping down I washed up before crawling into my bed. I wished I had a nice deep bathtub like the prince did. We had one in a back room of the house but it was

a pain to deal with and there wasn't always much privacy.

As I finished washing myself clean I looked down at my body and wondered what was it that made me so beautiful to him and others who had the same perception. I was well build I supposed. I wasn't scrawny but I wasn't as muscular as him. I was fairly well endowed which was rather boldly highlighted by the fact the hair there was as red as the hair on my head. I had very little other body hair but what I had was pale blond and barely showed against my pale white skin. It was rather obvious I spent very little time in the actual sun. I did work outside but mostly in the shade of the barn or house. I avoided too much time in the direct sun because I burned quickly. I had long legs considering my stature and a very round ass. I had been smacked on my ass more times than I could count by guards, girls and even Dirk now and then though he meant nothing sexual by it. He just found it amusing. He teased I had a butt like a woman.

I dried off and slipped into my bed still naked. I wanted sleep but my mind was too full. Mostly of sad thoughts about the life the prince had been forced to live. I never thought I'd have any reason to feel sorry for him. I was convinced now that he was indeed lonely and heartbroken. All I could offer was my company, I couldn't put his heart back together.

My thoughts eventually drifted to the kiss earlier. I had never expected it to feel good. At first it was just acceptable but at the end, the way he had sucked gently at my lower lip had sparked a sensation I'd never had so intensely. Of course no one had ever kissed me like that. His mouth had told me he wanted me very much yet he had never taken the liberties he was entitled to as my...master. Knowing I was owned like property had been very frightening before. He had eased much of that fear over the past few weeks. My growing weakness for him was bewildering.

Thoughts of the kiss brought thoughts of his reaction when I had him pinned against me. He had enjoyed it, possibly aroused by it even. Maybe a passive slave wasn't what he truly desired. Over the past few weeks since we had officially met I had been plagued by visions of what my fate would be. Pinned under him, forced to take it like a woman. Never had I envisioned it the other way around.

My body was evidently more comfortable with the idea than my mind. Blood rushed to sensitive places once more. This time it was more adamant, my cock swelled some but it made me feel a little ashamed. Perhaps shame was wasted when there was no one judging me. I remembered the feeling of my lip being sucked into his mouth again, more blood rushed to my cock. I reached down and wrapped my hand around it, drawing a sharp breath at how sensitive I was. I gave my shaft a firm stroke from base to overly sensitive head. My thumb brushing the back of the helmet was almost too much to handle. It felt good to just let go, I let all deliberate thoughts drift away as I stroked myself a little more firmly.

Thoughts came of course. I had never had so much physical contact in my entire life as the past weeks with him. Soft touches, fingers running through my hair. The feeling of a warm body against me and of arms around me. It was starting to matter less and less to me that he was a man. I craved the touching the holding and now that kiss had sparked a whole new feeling in me.

I heard myself let out a very soft moan as I ran my hand up my shaft and back over and over. Each time I reached the tip the pleasure increased by three fold for a moment. The sensation ran down the underside to curl inside me somewhere. I was breathing faster and gripping the blanket in my free hand very tightly as the feeling increased so much I knew I was close. Everything felt tight and tingling as I ran my hand up my cock a little too roughly and the orgasm surged up my shaft. I stroked it erratically as I came. Fighting to be quiet I only let out a very low grunt that trailed into soft sigh of relief. I lay catching my breath wondering if I was not as female oriented as I had thought or if loneliness had just pushed me here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had waited behind the training ring, sitting on the little stone wall that enclosed its yard and he did not come for a workout. Eventually I gave up and went home but I returned every afternoon to wait and every afternoon for three days he did not come. Finally four days later I was sitting on the wall thinking maybe I was starting to act like a girl and should just stop coming here unless he called on me.

His voice broke the stillness around me and the chaos in my head. "You're quite loyal aren't you? You know if you had any bad qualities I might not have coveted you to the point of obsession. I looked up at him but I didn't smile.

"Is that what it is? Obsession...did you put me on a pedestal so high now you can't reach me?" I asked. He stepped up close and touched my face reverently as he always had, like I was something fragile. I wasn't, the stallion had proven that but I had grown very fond of the treatment. His hair was tied back leaving his dark green eyes bare to reflect some of the sky, making them nearly a deep dark teal. They were full of things he was too afraid to say.

"Perhaps, I don't know if I would know the difference between love and obsession." Was all he admitted.

Even though he wore a black silk shirt that was tailored to fit him and I wore calfskin pants that hadn't even been dyed we were the same animal. Both hurt in some way, both lonely and lacking anything substantial in our lives. My eyes drifted to his mouth, his lips were lovely but I hadn't noticed before now. I took his hand and pulled and he helped me stand. When I was on my feet I wasted no time in thinking. I captured his face between my hands and pulled his lips to mine. His hands curled around my biceps as if he would push me away but he didn't he just held on very firmly. I sucked his lip between mine and his hands relaxed a little. He kissed back very softly. Blood rushed through my veins. I was acutely aware of every sensation my body was feeling right now. It listened to his for guidance.

At last his arms slid around me and he pulled me against him roughly. He shoved back into the kiss with surge of passion. I parted my lips and let it deepen further until I could taste wine and cherries and smell his scent I had become so used to while I shared his bed. We kissed a little roughly for long enough we were both slightly out of breath when he stopped me, gently pushing me back just a little.

"This isn't the place for this. Everyone knows what I do but seeing me passionately kissing my slave is a little much to expect them to understand. At least from my lot. Your people wouldn't really blink an eye." He said very low.

I just smiled, blushing. He finally laughed softly looking at my expression. "Come on." He said tugging my hand. I followed silently as he walked along the garden path and through the gate to his own yard until we reached the back door into his room. My heart raced from both fear and excitement as he closed the door behind us and locked it. He checked that the door leading into the palace was locked and then he just leaned against the wall looking oddly afraid.

I walked to him and looked up at his face. "You look like you're struggling with something." I stated softly. I slid in against him and wrapped my arms around his torso.

"I am...eternally it seems at times." He replied cryptically. Like he was most of the time. He laid a hand tenderly across the side of my face, cradling my head against his chest.

"I was...then I decided to just give in. I let go." I said softly. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

I was done playing cat and mouse as he had rather aptly described it before. I had always been afraid because I didn't want to be the mouse. I would be the cat now. I let go of him and stepped back, taking his hand to pull him away from the wall. When he stepped forward I switched my grip to his wrist and turned him roughly into my embrace. Putting his back to my chest, he could have stopped me but he didn't see it coming and I was stronger than I had been when we started working out together.

"Is this what you wanted?" I whispered against his neck.

"Depends on what this is." He said in a low breathy voice. The heady flow of blood made my body fully awaken. I slid my hands down to his hips and pulled him against me a little more firmly, letting him feel the growing hardness between us. A very soft sound came from him. So soft I almost missed it. It was a little whimper that told me this was exactly what he wanted. His head lolled back to rest on my shoulder and my eyes fell to the curve of his neck. He was almost as pale as me, his skin was soft. I lowered my mouth to his neck and kissed tenderly, making him sigh. I bit gently and he gasped very low. Letting my hands wander up from his hips I pushed his silk shirt up until he pulled it off, tossing it on the floor which he normally never did.

After I nibbled and sucked at his neck for a while he twisted in my arms and kissed me again. He was almost breathless with desire and passion, sucking at my mouth with an urgency that said volumes about what this had done for him.

I pulled my tunic off and pushed him back slowly towards the bed as my fingers very tentatively tugged the buckles at his waist. He began to unlace my pants and by the time we reached the bed he was shoving his hand inside to curl his fingers around my cock. I groaned softly, gripping him by the shoulder very tight. He stroked my shaft a couple times and I had to force my eyes up to meet his. He looked flushed with arousal and he was breathing a little hard. We kept eye contact as I pushed his trousers down off his hips and pressed my bare skin to his, curling my hands around his ass. We were both hard and the pressure was a little painful yet pleasant. I reached down and swiftly undid the laces I was so fond of at my ankles, shoving my pants off my feet.

He pulled me against him again, whispering in my ear with a hot shaking breath. "Take me...I've fantasized about it for so long. Just take me like a slave." I needed no further invitation. I pushed him back on the bed and he gratefully crawled back to lay submissively before me. "The drawer in my night table." He said softly. I turned and pulled out the drawer, looking in to find a blue bottle standing by itself in the front corner. I grabbed it and shoved the drawer closed.

It didn't really need explaining. I pulled the cork with my teeth and poured a little into my hand then I sat it on the table and crawled between his legs. He looked up at me very afraid yet most certainly eager. I slipped my hand down between his thighs and pushed my wet fingers into the cleft of his ass. He gasped and my body throbbed. I rubbed the rest on myself as I stroked my cock a couple times then I began working it against his opening firmly but gently. He groaned softly, lifting his hips some and I started to make my way inside him. He let out a soft high pitched cry as his body opened for me.

"Fuck Bannon, you're really tight. It almost hurts." I sighed.

"It was the last semblance of virginity I had to give." He moaned, voice high and light. I pushed his legs open more and I worked myself all the way in until I could go no further.

When I was pressed deep inside him I paused to look down and admire his beauty. His eyes were sparkling with his desire. His wide chest flexing with deep, anxious breaths. He was bigger than me but just now I didn't feel small. He gazed up at me and I could see a thin fragile layer of shame glistening just under the surface, it was passion however that shined bright and bold across his face.

"Does it feel as good as you hoped it would?" I asked, shaking lightly.

"Yes!" He exclaimed softly. His eyes closed and his back arched very subtly. I leaned forward over him and began to move my hips gently, pulling back a little fast and thrusting forward very slow.

"It's better than I thought it would be." I groaned as I worked the pace a little faster. His body held fast to me as if it didn't want me to withdraw. When I shoved back into him he would arch, lifting his ass a little higher for me.

Finally he cried out and pulled me harder into himself with his hands on my ass. "Aysha...harder, my beautiful Aysha. Take me like a slave." I took his wrists in my hands and pinned his arms back above his head as I bit at his neck. Sucking at his earlobe. I kissed and bit at his flesh from his shoulder to his ear then back again as my rhythm became more forceful. He felt so good gripping the entire length of my cock from base to head like his body was trying to milk the climax from within me.

I crushed my mouth to his once more and he made soft noises of rapture as we savored the feel of each other's lips. Yanking his arms tighter down until they seemed they should just be starting to hurt made him moan louder and arch harder against me still.

"I'm not going to last much longer, take yourself in hand and cum with me." I whispered as I released one of his arms. He shoved the free hand between us and began to stroke his cock and the sensation that I was close to an orgasm increased. My cock was throbbing, my body tightening as it drew closer. Suddenly he cried out and his back arched one last time, very hard. He moaned with eyes squeezed closed as he reached the peak and his body released it in hard spurts onto his belly. As I watched him cum I felt my own orgasm unfurling where I was buried inside him. He whimpered very softly as I shuddered against him, pumping inside his body. When it was over I caressed his sides and thighs softly, keeping him relaxed as I slowly withdrew.

We both lay on our backs next to each other with our eyes closed for a while, fingers entwined between us. He eventually sat slowly up and snatched a handkerchief from his night table to dry himself but he was swiftly in my arms when he was done. He curled against me and lay his head on my chest and I pulled the ribbon from his hair so I could run fingers through it. It was thick and soft. I felt peaceful.

"Feel better?" I asked softly.

"Hmm, so much." He sighed.

"How long has that been your secret fantasy?" I pulled him tighter into my arms, kissing his forehead.

"It started with Marco, he always enjoyed it so much. I started to wonder what it was like. I started to want it but I couldn't, not with him or Vale. Not with anyone. I'm the bloody prince. I know you've heard me called that at least a couple times...I had to always be in control, in power. Giving over control to someone else...being the woman, it just undermines my authority." I stroked his hair tenderly and in my heart I felt truly content. It felt so good that I wondered why it took me so long to want him.

"Why did you do it with me?" I was curious.

"Because you're special. When I look into your eyes I see a potential for more than this." He answered. I didn't really understand.

"Like what?"

He turned his head up to look at my face. His eyes were bright like emerald colored stars. "Like love, friendship...sometimes domination. A companion who I'm not afraid to let see the hidden me. Someone who will seek out my touch not just obey. I'm tired of people just obeying. I'm tired of doing what's expected of me as well. I want more."

He explained very low and soft. I cupped his cheek in my hand and sighed then chuckled.

"You want love, with a male slave. What happens to me when you have to get married?" He rolled more onto me and kissed my mouth very softly.

When he drew back he touched my face in that way of his that made me feel like I was indeed very special. "I don't know but I'm keeping you. I saved you when I was just a boy and I watched over you as we grew up. I know I was never close but I was always there. I remember once you were sixteen and I was close to twenty one, you got into trouble for stealing when you were down at the market. A guard escorted you home and my father who never saw fit to even address you personally ordered you horsewhipped down in the courtyard where the stone obelisk they chained you to used to stand. I watched from a distance with my hand over my mouth, crying. No one ever told me you took the whip with stoic acceptance, I saw it. You made little noise, you didn't fight but I could hear the cracking of the whip against your flesh from where I was. I wanted to beg them to stop but I knew if I did my father would just order me to take the same punishment. I felt like a coward because I couldn't just take the beating for you. No one ever knew who did it when that stone whipping post just disappeared. I used two draft horses in the middle of the night. The obelisk is at the bottom of the river in that deep spot to the east where the servants go to fish and swim. They beat my Aysha and I made the only statement I could." He said. His eyes were glossy as he searched my face. "Too bad it didn't stop you from getting horsewhipped two more times after that, troublemaker." He said with a very soft smirk.

I sat up and wrapped my arms around him and he melted against me. "Bannon, how have you survived this life if you're really this soft inside."

"With a lot of drinking and debauchery." He said grinning softly.

"I'm sorry you have to have the king as a father." I said as I kissed his face and held him.

"And I am sorry you have to be a slave. I'd free you but I know you have nowhere to go, no way to make it on your own...I might as well tell you another secret, only because I know you'll be relieved. Only one guard was ever actually executed for touching you. The man who tried to rape you when you were fourteen. I cut his throat myself. The other four were beaten and sold but they are alive. Letting the others think they all died was as much a deterrent as actually doing it so why be a monster?" He admitted. I did feel relief and every word he spoke also made me feel closer to him.

The prince and I fell asleep cuddled in each other's arms and slept until the afternoon sun had begun to sink below the horizon and the sky was fading into red, gold and deep cobalt blue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ann, where's the salt?" I asked, digging through the cupboard.

"In the back left hand corner. Is my cooking not up to standard this evening?" She teased.

"Your cooking is fantastic but it needs more salt for my taste. You know I always use a lot of salt on lamb." I replied. Ann laughed at me and shook her head.

"Yes since you were a little boy. Why do you think I'm in the habit of hiding the salt and sugar. You would go through it too fast if I didn't. The sugar was especially in danger of disappearing when you were a child." She complained.

Someone pounded on the door suddenly, sounding a little hard and demanding. "Come in!" Shouted Ann. When the door opened she stopped what she was doing and stood with her mouth practically hanging open. Prince Bannon closed the door and gave her a polite nod. In the past couple months we had been carrying on our little romance he had never come here looking for me. If he wanted my company when I was here he sent someone to fetch me.

He looked around for a second and then pulled a chair out across from me. "I haven't been in here since I was a child." He stated. His face was tense though, worried. I reached across the table and took his hand.

"Bannon...what's wrong?" I said concerned. His eyebrows knotted and he cleared his throat.

"You shouldn't call me by my first name like that in front of other people sweetheart. I'll accept it in front of Ann, she's a good woman." He said with a soft smile her way. She dipped her head and gave him a very surprised but flattered smile.

"Bannon!" I urged.

"My father says he won't let me put off the wedding any longer." He replied in a sour tone.

"When?" I said dryly.

"Two weeks...I don't know what I'm going to do exactly. I won't have you delegated to concubine." I nodded as I felt the slight sting of tears threatening to well up.

"We knew it would come to that one day, I cannot be anything more." I pulled back my emotion and squeezed his hand firmly.

"Hmm, you don't think my father would allow me to have you as my wife?" He joked. His smile was sad however. Ann burst out with a small laugh.

"I'm sorry, forgive me Sire." She said putting her hand over her mouth.

He waved his hand. "Quite alright, it was meant to be funny."

I grunted my displeasure. "I'd find bearing you an heir a challenge."

He lowered his head to his arm on the table, facedown with a hard sigh. I had a hollow ache in my chest. I stood and walked around the table to slip my arms around him. He sat up and curled his arms over mine, leaning his head into my neck. "I won't leave you." He whispered.

"You two should have some privacy. I'm going to go see what Dirk's doing outside." Said Ann softly.

"Thank you Annabelle." He said softly. I blinked at him then her.

"I didn't even know your full name was Annabelle." I commented.

She chuckled. "The prince here used to call me by my full name when he was a little boy. It was endearing."

He chuckled back lightly. "Yes well you saved me from that demonic gander when I was four, I always looked up to you for being such a sweet lady." He said. She gave his shoulder a soft squeeze.

"I like Aysha's Bannon better than the king's son." She said low and then she went out the door and closed it softly behind her. He looked up at me. His eyes were full of worry and shiny with emotion.

He pulled me into his lap and held me tightly. "I love you Aysha." He whispered. He'd never said it before. I swallowed down the rising emotion. It felt so good to hear those words said to my name.

"I love you too. " I said sadly.

He kissed me softly then lay his head back and sighed hard. "I don't want to marry that little girl."

"Can you talk to her? Maybe you can work out a deal, spoil her rotten and let her see whoever she desires behind closed doors as long as she pretends your happily married and gives you an heir when she older." I suggested.

"Yes, I think I may have no choice if I want us to be together but she could say no, if she cries to her father that I rejected her for a male slave there will be hell to pay. For us both." He warned.

"I know but I'm willing to risk it if you are."

"Go for a ride with me." He said, the tilt to his head and the sad look on his face made me feel so touched. He was as upset by this as me.

" On your stallion?" I said quirking an eyebrow. He shook his head and chuckled.

"Why would you want to ride that beast again?" He asked.

I wanted to ride the horse again because I felt like he had beaten me and I didn't like that an animal had made me feel helpless and frightened. Other human beings had dominated me my entire life, I would not let simple beasts do it too. "Because I do not want to let the animal win." I explained. He smiled and it seemed a little proud.

"Come on then, you shall ride the demon horse again. You will ride him with me though." He replied.

I wrinkled my eyebrows and frowned. "You're going to make me ride with you like a girl? Are you not afraid for your father or one of his friends to see us riding the same horse like courting lovers?"

He chuckled deeply. "We're going straight back up to the mountain not to town and yes you can ride like a girl. I'll let you sit in front of me, my arms will be around you the whole time." He gave me a suggestive expression that made me break a grin despite myself.

I felt foolish climbing up onto the horse with him but once I'd settled back against him and we were racing through the trees it was actually quite nice. "The monster doesn't slow down even with a second rider on his back!" I exclaimed.

"No he does not...his name is Storm." He replied with a laugh.

We rode on for awhile, both wanting to forget the daunting event ahead. I cuddled back against his broad chest and he kissed my neck, sending shivers of delight down my back. Soon the horse was slowly picking his way up a hill, winding carefully between the trees.

Bannon pulled back on the reigns and slid down off his back. He held up a hand and I let him help me down. His chivalry wasn't needed but like everything he did it made me feel special. There seemed no rule between us on who was the masculine figure in our partnership. Sometimes he treated me like a woman, sometime he lay back and let me be the man...literally.

He kept a hold on my hand as we walked. "It's very quiet up here." I stated.

"Yes, I like the peace. I have been running off up here when I'm upset since I was just a child. None ever finds me here, no one ever bothers me." He replied.

I stopped in front of a tall tree with very smooth bark. There was something carved in it. Something old, well healed. It was a crown and sword emblem like the one on my arm. I ran my hand up over the emblem. "Trail marker...from back when I still needed them." He said very near my ear.

I felt him press against my back and his hands slid up my arms. Soft kisses trailed from the back of my neck above my collar around to the spot near my throat that made always gave me a chill. I turned my head and kissed him. My body had surpassed being comfortable and even aroused by him. It begged for his touch at times. He had untied the waist of my pants so he could get his hand inside and stoke my fires with his soft touch.

We pulled slightly away from each other to catch our breath and I let my head sag forward, my eyes closed. My skin was tight with goose bumps. Suddenly a small sound made my eyes fly open and my blood feel just a little bit cold. It was the sound of a cork being pulled. "Hold this." He said and his hand came past my head to pass me the small blue bottle from his night table.

"Bannon!" I said in a high pitched voice.

"Shhh, calm your fears...I promise to be gentle I just want to have you for once. I won't want it all the time. I like things the way they are." He soothed as his slick wet fingers were already finding their mark. I gasped as I felt him pushing his cock into the trail of wetness he had left. "If you fight it there will be far more pain. I don't want to hurt you...I just want to be inside you." He warned me. Pushing the cork tightly down with my thumb I let the bottle fall into the leaves and dirt. I would retrieve it when I wasn't panicking.

I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around the tree, letting my weight rest against the trunk. I would take it because I loved him and felt he deserved the same respect and tenderness he had given me but I had hoped I would never have to. I hadn't had the desire to try on my own accord. He pushed my feet apart a little wider with his own and as I exhaled he began to enter my body. I whimpered because it did hurt but an unexpected current of pleasure raged through me to make my cock twitch.

I breathed slow and deep as he worked his way inside me and I found taking him in wasn't as difficult as I had always imagined.

"I love you so much Aysha...one day you'll live in the palace and sleep in my arms every night." He groaned softly against my hair.

"Seems I was destine to love you as well. You turned fear and confusion to love and desire with your touch." I replied in a whimpering voice.

His arms pulled me tight against his body as he thrust slow and gentle. Teeth grazed my neck, hands roamed their way under my shirt. I was overwhelmed and unsure which sensation was more intense, his withdrawal or the more forceful reentry. I didn't even realize I was making much noise until he spoke in my ear. "Shh quiet sweetheart. There is an echo out here that travels forever."

I panted and fought to be silent but I could not. I kept it low until I felt his hand curl around my cock and his pumping inside my body and I suddenly hit my climax with a vengeance. I shoved my face into my arm and muffled my sounds of ecstasy.

He leaned heavily against me for a moment, alternating between soft kisses on my neck and hard breathes. "Well prince Bannon you have finally claimed me completely." I sighed. He handed me a handkerchief and chuckled.

"I never planned to...I was overcome by passion and the need to relieve frustration. I hope I didn't hurt you." He said softly.

"No, I'm not hurt. Well my pride a little but it will heal." He had turned his back to me so he could relieve himself.

"Toss the handkerchief I have a million, get the bottle though I like that bottle. It brings up wonderful memories every time I see it." He said as he was buckling his trousers and buttoning his coat.

"Only of me I hope." I said as I bent to retrieve it.

"Of course."

"How come you never were a cloak like many of the other nobles do?" I asked as I handed him his favored blue bottle.

"I think they're outdated and pretentious I guess. I have to wear too many clothes as it is." He snuggled me in against him to hug and kiss me for a few moments before remounting Storm who had been very quiet thanks to Bannon tying his leads to a fallen tree next to some grass. Whatever taking me like that had done for him it seemed the tension was for now gone from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days after our romp in the mountains we faced a task that had us forgoing wine to partake the grain alcohol Dirk made for lamps and cleaning. Wined tasted much better but the breath stealing clear alcohol hit you fast and hard.

Bannon raised his cup, looking at it thoughtfully as he finished. "I don't know who I should thank, the Greek's Dionysus or perhaps the Roman's Bacchus but either way I am grateful." He said. I chuckled at him as he sat it down and took a deep calming breath.

"Well are you ready? I fear I am not but we have to go. She will be waiting for us soon." He said with a final hard exhale.

"Aye, let's go meet your little princess." I replied. He gave me a hard look of disapproval.

We rode slowly, he on Storm and I on some slender white horse who's name I did not know. Elaina would be meeting us at a clearing overlooking the river, he had already sent a couple servants ahead to set up a table and a lavish meal considering it was only early afternoon. We were going together because he wanted to make a statement about just how close our bond was. He said he believed her a tenderhearted girl who might find compassion for us if she understood the depth of our feelings for each other.

When we arrived she was sitting in the shade picking at some grapes with a very bored look on her face. She gave us both a soft smile but there seemed almost as much apprehension in her eyes as ours. She still looked like a child to me.

"Elaina...I do apologize if you've been sitting here awhile." He said warmly as he approached her.

"I have not been here very long. I am just tired today and do not find myself very excited to be here." She replied.

He took a seat next to her and I sat on his other side. "You have not seen me or called on me in...well ever, Prince Bannon. Leads me to wonder what your urgency is now that our wedding approaches." She said and her tone was not encouraging. He glanced at me and I tried not to look too worried.

"I wish to discuss just that. Our wedding is due next week...I have deep concerns. Concerns I feel we cannot ignore any longer." He stated gently.

She tilted her head lightly and smiled. "You have already made it clear you find issue with my youth. Your slave there said it was commendable...he is right but it raises problem with our upcoming marriage." She replied. Her face seemed as if it was concealing some deep worry. Prince Bannon nodded slowly.

"Yes, indeed." He seemed to need time to think about what he would say next. Leaning back in his seat he took a handful of candied almonds and stared off at the river as he ate them.

I was already wetting a handkerchief in the bucket of water under the edge of the table because I knew he hated his hands being all sticky from the honey. I nudged him and handed it over as he finished. She was eating grapes and looking increasingly nervous. He gave me a soft smile and blew me a kiss discreetly as he cleaned his hands.

Taking a deep breath he turned his attention back to Elaina. "I have deeper concerns about our marriage than your age at this point...an issue that I am finding quite difficult to explain to you." He told her. Her elfish face took on an expression of curiosity. Her head tilted slightly as she regarded him.

"Perhaps it should just be said, truthfully." She suggested. He nodded lightly.

Just before he spoke he lowered his hand and entwined his fingers with mine. "I am already in love with someone else...I'm still willing to marry you and give you the life of a princess but I cannot give you my heart."

Her face had gone rather blank. Her eyes fell to our hands that while not obvious were visible between us. She looked up at me now. "Remember the prince was not given any more choice in this arrangement than you were my lady." I said softly.

"I am a child, not an idiot." She said a little sharply.

"Elaina, I meant you no disrespect. I cannot help who my heart rallies for." He said gently.

She stood and I wasn't sure if it was anger or worry on her face, she appeared to want to think about it. Bannon and I sat with our hearts beating too fast as she paced slowly, staring down at the river. I was sure she made us wait longer than necessary just to drive us mad. Finally she turned and walked back around the table to stand before him.

"So is this a deal you are proposing? I keep your secrets and you make it worth my silence?" She asked.

"That is the deal yes." He agreed. She leaned forward and threw her arms around him. He looked at me in confusion as he hugged her gently.

"Prince Bannon, you have no idea what a terribly heavy weight you have just lifted from my breast. You just saved me from a horrifying situation." She said. When she drew back her face did indeed look relieved. He gave an awkward smile.

"I am not sure if I understand? Was the idea of being my wife that frightening?" He replied. She giggled softly then looked down and her cheeks flushed with crimson.

"It was when I am already pregnant by one of your guards." She finally blurted.

He and I both must have looked quite shocked for a moment. Bannon began laughing until his eyes were tearing up. She stood with a elated grin on her face still looking as sweet and innocent as ever. I worried for her that she was pregnant when she seemed so far from being grown.

"Which guard?" I asked, truly curious which man I should give the disgusted glances to.

"Drake...he has black hair and dark blue eyes." She replied. I nodded, I knew who he was. He was closer to her age than Bannon but not much.

Having gotten his laugher mostly under control prince Bannon hugged her tightly again. "Looks as if a four way pardon was served here today. You shall not have to figure out to fool me into thinking a guard's child is mine, Drake will not be paying for his inability to use common sense and Aysha and I get to have our way." He said, sighing happily. She looked even more childlike with his arms around her, she only reached his breastbone.

She looked up at him and he kissed her forehead. "You will be happy, I give you my word." He said.

"And what of my relationship with Drake...I am to be given the same liberty you will obviously be taking with your redheaded stable boy?" She asked.

"Yes of course. We both must use discretion but we shall both have our chosen lovers." He agreed. She gave him a thoughtful look.

"And what of my child?" She asked. He nodded in understanding.

"I cannot promise the child will be heir to the throne when it comes down to titles but I do promise it's future will be secured. Your child shall never want for anything." He replied. She nodded grinning.

"Fair enough." She answered.

She walked around him to lean down and slip her arms around my neck and I hugged her with a nervous glance at him over her shoulder. "Thank you Aysha, in tradition with our first meeting you have rescued me...though the day we met the only thing you truly prevented was my seeing Drake that day. I was waiting there to meet with him." I laughed, holding her hand in mine as she stood back fully upright.

"You are very welcome, I hope this proves an ideal solution for us all." She gave my hand a soft squeeze.

"As long as your prince keeps his word it will be wonderful." She replied.

"So Elaina, how long have you known you were with child?" Bannon asked.

"A couple weeks, it will seem rushed...some may wonder if we were unable to wait until our wedding night but it will be believable." She replied. He nodded his agreements.

"Well then, would you like to join us back at the palace? I will be scaring the life out of your lover but once I've said my peace I will be giving him a promotion. I will make him a royal guard so he can be inside the palace with you often. I intend to promote Aysha as well." He said to her. I looked at him in surprise. He gave me a soft expression and took my hand, kissing the back. "I'm tired of having to send someone to get you when I want to see you. I would have you kept closer to my heart. You will no longer be just a slave. You are to be a royal guard as well. You will be at my left hand, I would rather the right but my lady will have that position now." He explained. Elaina spun in a circle and squealed in delight. She looked even more childlike in her elation.

Suddenly she stopped looking up at the sun. "Oh forgive me I cannot join you, I have to make hast back home. I am supposed to be getting fitted for my wedding dress. I nearly forgot." She said.

Bannon whistled softly to the driver of the wagon that had brought the table and it's settings. "Please take my fiancé home swiftly and safely." He instructed. The servants who came with him would stay with everything until he returned.

We waved goodbye to her as she climbed up next to the driver. She waved back and threw a big enthusiastic kiss to us both. "I shall see you at our wedding if not sooner." She shouted. When the wagon had pulled away I collapsed into his arms and he laughed as he squeezed me tightly.

"We just won the battle, let us hope the war is as easily conquered." He whispered with a kiss below my ear.

Back at the palace I was given the task of finding Drake and bringing him to the prince. When I found him leaning against a wall in line with three other guards he grew slightly wide eyed and pale at the order I relayed.

"Why does he want to see me?" He asked nervously as we walked along a path towards the fountain in the center of the princes private garden.

"He has a serious matter to discuss with you. I am not at liberty to explain more than that." Was all I said. I wanted to say because you are a degenerate who got his child bride pregnant. I refrained. His discomfort was a source of great amusement for Bannon.

"Sire...Drake." I said as we stepped up to where he sat relaxing in the shade. He looked up and gave Drake a smile that was somehow cold and nerve racking for an expression that was normally friendly.

"Drake...sit. I would have words with you." He said to the frightened man. His voice was smooth, deep and commanding. The voice that first made my knees weak. Long ago now it seemed though it was not.

Drake sat slowly and the prince offered him a drink. "No thank you Sire." He replied softly. Bannon smirked at me as he took a deep drink from his goblet. Drake was beginning to visibly shake within a few minutes.

"Drake it has come to my attention that you know my fiancé Elaina." The prince said with a neutral face. Drake was not hiding his fear well.

"I know of her." He replied. Prince Bannon tilted his head and gave the guard a serious expression.

"Drake lying to me is tantamount to signing your own death warrant." He warned the man.

Drake looked as if he may cry.

"Yes your majesty. I have known Elaina for some time. We met when your father had me go to her home to deliver a message to her father." He admitted. Bannon nodded coldly.

"And exactly when did you begin your illicit affair with her?" He asked. Drake grew a shade paler.

"Shortly before your father told you she was to be your wife." He said faintly. A tear escaped to roll down his cheek. I actually felt slightly sorry for him at that point. Men his age being with girls as young as Elaina was widely accepted as the norm. His only real discretion was that the girl he chose to cavort with was the princes fiancé. He was now undoubtedly sure he was about to die.

Bannon let Drake stew in his fear for a few moments. He was taking wicked delight in terrifying the young man. Finally he sighed loudly and regarded the man with cold, hard green eyes. "Were you aware she is with child...your child?" Bannon asked. Drake groaned and closed his eyes, putting his face down in his hands.

"Please forgive me your majesty, I never meant to betray you. I love her." He cried.

"Do you? Truly?" Bannon asked.

Drake looked up at him with tears running down his face. He was a handsome young man. His eyes were a very dark clear blue that was a striking contrast to his obsidian black hair. "I do truly your majesty. I love her very much. I know my fate is sealed but please do not punish her." He said softly.

I was relieved to see that he did indeed love her, as was the prince I think. Bannon smiled gently. "Then you will do what you must to ensure her and the child have a good life?" He questioned. Drake nodded wiping tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"Anything." Said Drake.

"Good, you are to be a royal guard from here on in. You will see to the safekeeping of my new wife and the mother of our child. Do your duty well and you will be rewarded with keeping your head." Bannon answered. Drake gave him a wide eyed look of utter confusion.

"Sire I do not understand." He said very softly. Bannon smiled and patted Drake gently on the back.

"I do not love her Drake, you do and I am a romantic. I would see her happy as well as myself. I want to be with my lover and she wants to be with you. We have made an agreement. Follow the rules of the engagement and you will reap the benefits." He explained. The relief washing over the frightened young man was plain to see.

"Aye Sire...I give you my word I will do as you command. I will do anything you command." He stuttered.

"Good that is what I wanted to hear. Go now...take the day off to gather your nerves." Bannon replied.

"Thank you my prince...deeply truly from the bottom of my heart thank you." Drake said in a soft, shaky voice.

Prince Bannon and I spend the rest of the evening together having a luxurious supper and a long hot bath before making love and falling asleep in each other's arms. Both of us overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of the new life we had ahead of us.

The day of the wedding was a flurry of activity. Bannon sent clothes for me and Ann helped me get ready. I blinked at my reflection as I stood in the red doublet and black trousers of a royal guard. The attire was finished off by an intricately engraved steel gorget that made me feel half strangled but I had to admit looked very good on me.

"My handsome boy!" Ann cried. Her eyes were wet and her face flushed with emotion. I turned to her frowning.

"I'm going to miss you when I've moved into the palace." I said as I hugged her tightly.

"I will always be right here if you need me." She said in a tight voice.

"I love you Mama Ann." I said, losing the battle to control my emotions.

"I love you too my lamb." She said as she brushed tears from her eyes.

I gathered myself and took a last look in the mirror before turning to head to the palace. "Wait." Said Ann. I turned to find her holding a brush and a black satin ribbon. I smiled and turned my back to her so she could brush my hair. She pulled it tight and braided it, tying the end tightly with the ribbon. "There you are perfect." She said giving my shoulders a hard squeeze. I kissed her cheek then set off for the palace.

When I arrived Bannon was busy with his attendants so I found Drake standing quietly in his place at the back of the room. "Any idea when the ceremony will begin?" I asked him quietly.

"Nay, I believe soon though."

I took my place next to him and waited though not pacing was an effort. After what seemed like forever the crowd fell silent as the sound of a trumpet announced that the king had entered the hall. It was my first time ever seeing the king in person. He was tall and regal with hair the same color as Bannon's, his eyes however were a dark and soulless. He gave me a distasteful glance as he took his place near the priest and I felt a shiver of fear tickle its way down my back. Elaina's father was sitting in the front row of the crowd next to her mother.

Prince Bannon entered the hall and though I heard the crowd's cheers of excitement my attention was gripped completely by the beauty of my beloved in his wedding attire. He was dressed in a gold and black brocade doublet that made his shoulders and chest seem wider. His breeches were soft black leather and sported a long row of gold buttons down one side that ended at the knees just above his polished black boots. He was decorated with enough gold and platinum to feed an army for a year. Rubies, his favorite gem, highlighted every piece of jewelry he wore. His regal attire was topped off by the crown. It was gold of course and held at least eight large rubies and a handful of smaller gems. I had never seen him wearing his crown before today. He was breathtaking.

He came to stand a few feet from me with the priest who would marry them. He glanced my way and threw me a smile and a wink. I could not respond because I faced the crowd. "He's so beautiful." I whispered to Drake.

"Aye perhaps but I find her much more appealing." He replied.

I followed his gaze to Elaina who was just entering the hall. Her dress was amazing. She was a decadent display of white satin and pale opals. Her hair was pulled up in a mass of curls and white flowers that cascaded down her back and her look was finished off with an abundance of gold, platinum and more opals as well as sapphires and soft pink tourmaline. Her crown sat waiting on a red velvet pillow for her vows to be said before it would be placed on her head. It was thinner and of course smaller than Bannon's and was decorated with dark pink tourmaline instead of rubies.

The crowd fell silent and the priest began their vows, they both made their agreements exchanged rings then he placed the crown on her head and pulled her against him for a very convincing kiss. The king officiated the union and gave Elaina a kiss on each cheek. The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheering and shouts of joy.

I was felt a stab of jealousy watching Bannon kiss her but I knew it was all just an act. The royal couple came to stand between Drake and I holding hands and smiling for the crowd as they filed out the doors into the reception hall. When the room was all but empty they both gave a sigh of relief.

"You look stunning." Bannon said softly to me.

"You look stunning...I look like a royal guard." I said grinning softly.

"The most handsome royal guard I've ever had." He said with a smile. Elaina was giving Drake some of the same compliments no doubt but the four of us had little time to talk. The prince and his new wife were expected at their reception.

Drake and I walked the royal couple down the halls to the reception and took our places at the outside of each throne. I at the prince's and he the princess's. The night droned on with well wishers coming in a continuous stream. Elaina played the part of a delighted princess well. Finally slipping into Bannon's lap to make an affectionate display. He looked at her with such admiration I would have believed they were in love if I did not know better.

When it was suitably late into the event the prince excused he and Elaina saying they were going to go enjoy their wedding night in peace. Everyone cheered and wished them a happy evening and the four of us made our escape. When we were shut away from prying eyes and listening ears by locked doors we all felt much relief. Bannon and Elaina let go of each other to come to Drake and I with open arms.

Bannon enclosed me in his arms and squeezed me tightly. "I have had the room attached to mine prepared for you two, see to it the doors stay locked. Elaina you will exit through my bedroom only. The idea is that everyone thinks she and I spent the night together in my room and the other room was for our two personal guards." He told Elaina and Drake as he stood still holding me possessively.

"Thank you, husband. I find my wedding gift most agreeable." Elaina said with a wide grin of excitement on her angelic face. She took Drake by the hand and led him into the other bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

I looked up at his handsome face and he kissed me gently. "I love you." He said.

"I love you as well. Though I find this attire rather intimidating." I answered. He grinned down at me.

"Oh...what is it the crown?" He teased.

"Mostly." I agreed.

"Well let me give you a view of the crown no one else has ever had." He whispered as he sunk to his knees at my feet. I was practically holding my breath as he undid the buckles at my hip and opened my trousers. He stroked my cock a couple times then slipped it into his warm wet mouth and I sighed in pleasure. Looking down at the top of his head adorned with the gleaming crown as he sucked my cock was indeed surreal.

"I very much like this view." I moaned softly. I was overjoyed. It may have been he and Elaina's wedding but the wedding night was all mine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the day came that Elaina went into labor Drake and I both paced together with Bannon as we waited for some news. Finally after hours of muffled screaming the room went silent and a tiny little cry punctuated the sudden stillness. A bloodstained midwife came out to tell us it was a girl. Drake went to her side while Bannon and I hung back quietly to let the actual father have his moment.

A bedraggled Elaina looked up at us and smiled softly. "Come see her, she is yours as much as ours." She said gently. Bannon stepped up and took the tiny infant in his arms. She was so small and so perfect. He seemed quite taken with her. Finally he handed her to me gently and I looked down at her sweet little face.

"She's beautiful!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you. Her name is Gemma." Said Drake softly. He and Bannon shook hands and then hugged in their mutual joy.

Time would find the four of us as best friends and allies in the life we shared. While Elaina and Bannon were the face of the royal couple Drake and I were always at their right hands...left hand? When Elaina was almost eighteen she and Bannon discussed the matter of him needing an actual heir. Drake and I were not at all happy with the idea but it was a necessary evil.

The two of us got drunk together and wandered the grounds while Bannon and Elaina closed themselves off in his room. Eventually a guard found us and said the prince and princess requested our presence. Seems they couldn't find any passion for each other and so Drake and I were to assist. I stoked Bannon's fires and Drake did the same for her. The conception of the royal heir was practically an orgy.

We had a son we named Asher. I loved him dearly despite the fact that none of my blood actually ran through his veins. No one ever questioned the relationship between the four of us except the king himself. One afternoon he asked Bannon why exactly he still kept me at his side so much when he had a wife to occupy his time. Elaina entered the room in time to come to our rescue. After running her fingers through my hair and smiling gently at me she had looked up at the king with a cordial bow and simply stated that the prince and she found me to be a delightful plaything. The king found their shared depravity distasteful but it had satisfied his curiosity.

Life was good. I had started the journey as a simple slave only to find myself the prince's one true love and though it was a different feeling altogether I loved Elaina and Drake dearly as well. We were a family however oddly put together. We would endure many trials. Both joy and sorrow found its way into our lives and together we faced it all. We had three more children one of which I fathered. That gave us each a child of our own blood but only Asher and his little brother Grison were heir to the throne. It worked out well because the other children were all girls.

We knew if anyone knew the truth they would not understand but we did not care. We were happy, our children were happy. Eventually Bannon's father passed on and he became king. Many years later we would endure the loss of Drake. We all felt the pain but poor Elaina had been inconsolable. Bannon and I had held her through the night and feared she may succumb to a broken heart. The love of her children had kept her sane but she was never the same.

When Bannon died I was almost sixty seven. Elaina was my saving angel and she and I spent the remainder of our lives together with our children. On my own deathbed I recalled my life with love and joy. Elaina had passed on a few weeks prior. My beloved children were with me when I took my last breath...I had no regrets.