Slave Girl 2: Chapter 3 (Patreon)

I hold my slave girl and comfort her with all of my heart.  Truth be told I was scared too.  We were alone in this new land.  We had no friends, family, or even acquaintances to lean on for aid.  The mountain we had to climb to make our new home a success had just gotten twice as high and many times steeper.  But there would be time for such concerns later.  Right now my only job was to love her.

Despite her initial attempts to hold it in the release of emotion was necessary.  For both of us.  A raw human moment to let the trauma of her loss be expressed and to remind each of us that our connection was so much deeper than our power dynamic.  I was still her man.  She was still my woman.  If we could not be weak with each other, if we could not be strong for each other, then what truly did we have?

It takes Rosa some time but soon she collects her emotions.  She takes a long breath and wipes her tears from her cheeks.  She sniffles and whispers.  “Do we have a rag?”

Using the hem of my tunic I clean the snot that had dribbled from her nostrils.

“Thank you.”  She says softly.  “Thank you Master.”

“We will get through this Rosa.”  I say.  “I promise you.”

“I know.”  She finds my neck and holds it.  “As if I wasn’t burden enough out here in the country.”

“You are not a burden my Lady.  Never.”

Putting her forehead to mine she says.  “You are a good boy.  Forgive my cruel words.”

“Of course my Lady.”

She takes another deep breath and steps back, though keeps a hand on me.  “This must be so much worse for you.”

“Me?  Are you joking?”

“It would be for me if our roles were reversed.”

As I think about it I realize that, as usual, there is wisdom in Rosa’s words.  If it was me struck sightless sure I would be scared, but the challenge would be immediate and mine to grapple with.  I could start thinking and planning and finding ways to cope.  I’d have some sense of control.  But as Rosa’s partner all I could do is worry about her and hope that I could find some way to ease her transition into unsighted life.  I felt so helpless.  Also, to be blunt, her suffering hurt far more than my own ever could.  The bond of love is funny that way.

Still shook but far less brittle Rosa sweeps a foot behind her to make sure there was nothing she might step on then parts with me. She raises her chin and recaptures her poise.  That resolute spirit that had seen her through so many hard times shines through.

In that familiar firm tone she uses when reestablishing her control she says.  “Enough.  I have a house to get in order, an arcane inheritance to explore, and an exceedingly unruly boy to train.  I have no time for pity.”  She holds out her arms.  “My boy.  Dress me.”

Despite it all, she makes me smile.  “Yes my Lady.”

As she stands waiting I find her an undertunic and slip it over her naked body.  I attend to every detail, pulling her hair out to hang down her back and smoothing out the folds, before stepping back again.  Seeing her like this reminded me of the silly little outfit she’d made for herself during our trip from Rome.  How a woman could be so elegant and adorable simultaneously I would never know.  I bring her stola and help her on with it as well.

“How do I look?”

“Radiant!”

Using my voice to zero in on me she gives me a look.  “Thank you my sweet.  Now…how do I look?”

“Uh…I just said…”

“If you were not you.  If you were a neighbor or a visitor.  How do I look?”

My eyes pan over her horns, her ears, her flowing hair, and her shapely body.  “Sexy.  I would want to steal you away.  I would throw myself at your feet and promise you the world.”

She laughs and shakes her head.  “It’s hopeless asking you.  Cupid has you as blinded as Silvanus has me.”  She holds out a hand for me to take it, and I do.  “You must be not just my eyes, precious boy, but also my mirror.  I’ll need you to be honest with me.”

“Yes my Lady.”

“Find our bathing things then take me to our river.”

“Yes my Lady.”

My mind is set at ease now that she was allowing me to help her.  I lead her from the junk strewn room and out to the clear hall beyond.  Taking care that her every step was a safe one I gather the towel, oil flask, comb, and the simple bronze strigil we’d picked up during our hasty shopping in Grumentum.

“They used to dry herbs in here.”  She sniffs the air.  “We are in the kitchen.”

“Yes my Lady.”

Reaching out she feels through the air until she finds the counter she had pinned me against the night before.  “You’ve been cleaning up.”

Glancing at her in surprise I say.  “Yeah.  How can you tell?”

“It doesn’t smell of rank wine anymore.”

“Huh.”

I bring her sandals close.  She feels them with her toes and slips into them.  Her hand still in mine I lead her out the back of the villa to the columned terrace.  We walk to the end.

“There is a set of stairs to the right and the left.”  She says, her eyes closed.  “There is a bench…just there.”  She extends her hand toward the nearest bench.

“Yes, that’s right.”

She nods.  “Near the river is a gazebo.  There is a fountain in the center of the garden.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I can see it in my memory.”  Letting go of my hand she takes a few tentative steps forward, me staying right at her side, until she feels the balustrade.  “The land drops off beyond.  I shall have to be careful out here.”  She smiles.  “Mmm.  There’s lavender nearby!”

Peering over the edge I see a large purple tipped shrub of the herb just below us.  “Yes my Lady.  You noticed it before I did.”

“I can hear the bees.”

“The bush is busy with them.”

“Lead on.”  She finds my shoulder and holds to my arm.  “And tell me everything.”

“Okay.” I pull my arm in close and cover her hand in mine the start to walk.  “We are taking the left set of stairs as it is more clear.  Watch your step now.”  I slow to let her feel ahead for the first stone stair.  “The air is clear.  There are birds everywhere.  Finches mostly.”

“I hear them.”

“The stairs are built into the natural slope.  This place is steep.  Makes you wonder why they built here in the first place.”  We hit the first landing and follow the dog-leg around to the next flight.  “Everything is overgrown.  The closer we get to the garden the less I can see.  The path is relatively open though.  The trees and bushes are so lush.  I cannot see far into forest.  There are shrines hidden among the foliage.  I can see Venus but the rest are obscured.”

“Venus?”  Rosa says.  “Naked no doubt.”

I laugh.  “She is actually.”

“Attractive?”

“Very.”  I say.  “If you’re into that type.”

“That type?”

“Non-Amazons.  Kinda bland, ya know?”

Rosa giggles.  A branch catches her arm and she stops to feel the texture of its leaves and take in its aroma.  “Myrtle?”

“Yeah.”

“There are medicines we can make with this.”  With crawling fingers she feels its wispy white blooms.  She brings ones close to brush it across her cheek.  Watching her with her eyes closed, smiling as she feels the tender flower against her skin, I am struck with my Lady’s beauty all over again.  Gods…what a woman.  “It’s flowering.”  She peeps.  “What a sweet smell it has.”

“So sweet.”  I grin as I watch my lover have this moment.

Our mood was lifting despite the tragedy of this morning.  The remnants of our excitement from arrival still permeated the air.  We had so much to discover about this place.  And for Rosa’s part I suspect that she had known something was coming since the harpy’s lair.  She hadn’t known what her sacrifice would be but I think she knew it would come sooner rather than later.  As bad as it ended up being, in a weird way, it must have been a relief to at least know her debt was paid.

When she is done we carry on.  “Almost to the bottom.  One more landing and then five more steps to the garden.”  I say.  “The stairs are well built at least.  Not one of them crumbling so far.”

“Mmm.  The air is fresh and…alive down here.”

“The river borders this area on three sides.”  I say.  “The winds from the open fields beyond would flow right through our forest.”

“Our forest.”  She says softly.  “I like that.”

Stepping off of the last stair our feet hit smooth pebbled gravel.  “What a mess.  The garden’s been flooded, who knows how long ago.  Further on there is silt and branches and debris from the river.  There are deer tracks everywhere, and others as well.  There are benches, bird baths, statues, and the fountain of course, everything is dirty.  So dirty.  By the gods, this will be a job!”

Rosa opens her eyes and goes very still for a moment before whispering.  “The trees are old here.”

“Uh, yeah.  There’s some big ones for sure.  Hey!”  I cheer.  “A fig!  We have a fig!”

“We have a fig tree?”

“I love figs!  I’m surprised it gets enough sun on an Eastern slope like this.  Ha ha!”

She laughs with me and pats my belly.  “I can tell somebody didn’t get his breakfast.  Let’s get that bath and then we can eat.”

“Yes my Lady.”

I go to lead her onward but she stops me and with a voice as sweet as the fruit I was now craving asks.  “Carry me Master?”

“That brings back memories!”  I hunch down for her.

She climbs onto my back and clutches around my neck.  Nuzzling into the side of my head she smells my hair.  “Good memories.”

As her willing and happy steed I start weaving along the garden path.  I was happy to be carrying her again firstly because I liked it and secondly because the amount of detritus strewn around down here would have made guiding Rosa difficult.  I suspected she knew that.  Twigs and thorns catch at our clothing from the overgrown verge but nothing enough to slow us down.  I kick a jug from our path.  “And more empty wine vessels.  Gods Uncle Paullus, what a fine mess you left me.”

“We’ll clean it in time.” Rosa says.  “There is no rush.”

“No rush?  I have so much to do Rosa.  I still haven’t even figured out how I’ll make a living here!  That treasure won’t last forever you know.”

“But it won’t be gone tomorrow either.”  She kisses me.  “You are so strong and so full of vigor.  So eager to get your work done.  You want everything done right now.”

“It was how I was raised.”

“I know baby.  But sometimes you just have to slow down for bit.  We’ll find a way.”  Rosa hugs me tighter.  “Have faith in us Master.”

My worries are eased at least for the moment.  While I couldn’t afford a life of leisure I could at least take some time to settle into my new surroundings.  We had JUST arrived the night before from our grueling journey from Rome after all.  We hadn’t just earned a rest, we desperately needed one.  My happy bum wasn’t the only thing that ached.  Every muscle in my body felt taut and stressed.  And besides, the task in front of me was so enormous that I really had no choice but to pace myself.

“We’ve reached the gazebo.”  I say, picking up my previous commentary.  “It is marble.”  I scuff my foot against one of its steps.  “Smooth, good quality.  There are vines growing up the columns.  The roof is in tact.  There are nests along the inside.  Bird shit everywhere.  It’s a mess but there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“Built to last.”  Rosa says.

My curiosity caught by a jutting edge I step around the side of the structure.  “There’s a door here.  As tall as my waist.  Leading down under the base of it.”

“A door?”

“Yeah, weird.  You have to think it is flooded out down there being so low and this close to the river.”

“The river.”  Rosa reaches out for it.  “It’s about all I can hear down here.  Do you know what it’s saying?”

I glance to my Lady.  “You talk to rivers now?”

“Oh yes.  And streams and creeks and brooks.  They just can’t stop…babbling.  Ha!”

“Gods help me.”  I groan.  Silvanus hadn’t stolen her playful humor, that was for certain.  “What’s it saying to you then?”

“Aciris is telling us to get naked.”

“Oh really!”  I cock a brow.  “You sure that’s what she’s saying?”

“Oh yes.”  She slips a hand beneath my tunic to grope my pec.  “No doubt about it.”

I look at her out of the corner of my eye wondering if she was being serious right now.  “Naked?  Together?  With her?  I’m not sure if I’m ready for a threesome.”

“She insists I’m afraid."  She pinches my nipple.  "I’d hate to be rude.”

“She sounds like a willful river.”

“Mmm.  She is.  And horny too.  So fucking horny.”  She nips at my ear with a fang sending tingles down my whole body.  “She says to get naked.  She says she wants us to slide inside of her.  Mmmmm.” She moans softly.  “She says she’s so wet for us.  She wants us to come in her so bad!”

“Aciris!”  I say, clambering over the stony bank toward the water’s edge.  “You shameless slut.  You just met us.”

“Hurry now Master.”  Rosa urges.  “We don’t want to anger her.”

“Yes Ma’am!”  I say before correcting myself.  “I mean, Ma’ams.”

Chapter 4