Command and Vanquish Ch. 03

Rayth's eyes were wide with awe. "You're...you're really free? Jem freed you?!"

Alenya was somewhat hurt, unsure of how to gage his reaction, and still not entirely used to speaking to him on equal terms. "Yes, my Lord. Are you angry?"

The question rocked Rayth, since anger was the furthest feeling from him. He nearly choked on a laugh, "Angry? No..." he smiled hugely, his heart beginning to race uncontrollably, "Anger is the furthest emotion from me!" Excitedly he picked her up, spun her around and hugged her passionately. He loved her, so much, and was so happy this was happening! He pulled back his head to find her mouth, and kiss her frantically. She laughed as he practically dropped her on the floor, the two of them embracing and kissing like two teenagers who had never known how wonderful kissing could be. Every once in a while, Rayth pulled back his head to look at her, make sure she was real, and that this wasn't just a good dream.

Then a darker thought sobered him. "But wait...Alenya... what will happen now? You are free to go anywhere and do anything. What will you do? Where will you go?"

She wasn't sure how to ask, and struggled to find the words. "Would you it be alright if I simply stayed here with you? I know as your slave it was your wish I stay here. Do you want me here now that I'm free?"

Rayth stared at her thoughtfully, "Do I want you?" He laughed incredulously, "Do I want you?! You're everything I've ever wanted! From the moment I saw you I knew I'd never be the same without you. You want to stay with me? You're free, and you're not going to leave me? You want to stay here?"

Alenya smiled warmly, "YES...Yes, if you'll have me!"

Rayth could barely control himself as he kissed and hugged his new lady! Every moment that passed, every kiss he placed, he was dreaming in his head of their new life together! The things he would give her...the places they would go...

"Rayth?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He laughed, "Say it again...my name...wait, that's not a command, obviously. It's a request."

She closed her eyes, savoring his name as much as he was, "Rayth...did you bring Isabella home with you? I'd like to share our news with her."

Rayth's face sobered. "No, my love. I...I couldn't find Isabella."

Alenya's face went to fear, "...do you know what happened to her?"

"No. I...um...have my suspicions." Alenya looked at him, silently pleading for his thoughts. He answered, "I...I don't think she made it. Either they killed her before the attack, or we killed her during the attack." Rayth's eyes teared up. "That's the first time I've admitted it. This is bittersweet: the day the love of my life comes to me freely, another woman I love in a different way is dead, and probably by my hand."

Prince Jaimeth had been watching from the doorway silently. He wanted to see Rayth's reaction to Alenya. Now, tears streamed down his face as he agreed with his friend about Isabella's fate.

*********

It took the Pangains almost a year to divide up the property and people of Espinan amongst their own. Isabella was worked hard every day on the lot she was assigned, waiting impatiently for the owner to show up, her only hope of making it back to Jem. Until then, her hair cropped, ever losing weight, the Pangain soldiers supervising had no idea who she was.

Jem was heart-broken from the start, and over that year the pain of losing Isabella never seemed to subside. Where Jem was once loud, boisterous, and some would say arrogant, he was now much subdued. The vitality that Isabella gave to him was gone. He was much numb, and increasingly reclusive. He still ran Pangain well, and as his grandmother aged, he took over more responsibilities; the crown was practically his. He attended meetings, parties, all the functions his position required, but his joy was gone. The fiery part of his life had died with Isabella; he never realized how important she was until she was gone.

And after being gone so long, each passing day killed a small bit of his hope that she was still alive. He sincerely believed her dead. Why else would she not come to him?

Finally, the lands were divided, and Jem began rewarding all Pangains with land and riches from Espinan. Espinan was no more, and only by Pangains moving there to take possession would the land be truly incorporated under Pangain rule. To his best friend Lord Rayth, Jem gave a particularly large and lovely plantation, otherwise known as...

...Lot 1.

*********

The Queen unexpectedly called Prince Jaimeth to court where all the nobility was assembled. She was aging rapidly, and didn't know how much time she had left. As he entered, the room silenced, and all eyes were on the handsome young heir. He used to love crowds, now they made him nervous.

"My grandson..." wheezed the Queen. "You've delighted me for a long time. You've always fulfilled your duties, surpassing all previously set standards and expectations. I feel I am leaving my country in good hands, except in one area."

"And what is that, grandmother?" a despondent Jem asked.

"Our lineage. You are not betrothed to anyone, you have no one to marry when I pass on."

"My betrothed...is missing." Jem replied.

"She cannot be missing forever, and when you become king, you need a queen to protect the monarchy and to produce an heir. When your grandfather passed away, I didn't expect it, but I was ready to assume the role. You need that assurance for the unexpected. I cannot rest knowing my line is at risk."

"Grandmother, you won't die," Jem half scoffed. He didn't want to hear what she was saying. "I...I can't do this right now."

"Jem, I know your heart, and I know your stubbornness. You've always lived by the motto 'your way or no way.' But I ask of you, for me, take another to be your bride when I'm gone."

Jem cocked his head to the side as tears welled in his eyes. Did he really have to stand here, denounce Isabella, and say he'll take someone else? He only loved Isabella, he'd never love another.

"And...who do you suppose I'd take?" his voice cracked, "I'm sure there's a long list of young feminine vultures waiting to feed upon my dying heart and claim the riches the throne entails?!"

The nobility in the room gasped. Those were their daughters he was insulting!

"I don't believe you capable of making a good decision right now in this area. I ask you for your trust, and ask that you allow me to choose a girl for you."

Jem narrowed his eyes, and studied her, then laughed. "You already have one picked out, don't you?"

"My grandson, I'd like to present to you Lady Mia." The timid girl stepped forward, and tried to look down to avoid the disgusted look on Jem's face. The entire court's heart went out for the girl. She was incredibly pretty, with an innocent face and naive blue eyes, long blond hair pinned up, pale, timid, delicate. Not only was she the polar opposite of Jaimeth, but he seemed not the least bit interested in her.

She had heard rumors, as they all had, of Prince Jaimeth's sadism, rowdiness, hot temper, and self indulgence. Now, looking at the strong young man, powerful and intelligent beyond telling, it wasn't the dark image his brown eyes and hair gave to him she feared. She more feared his lack of love; she could be forever stuck with a man that held her in utter contempt. She'd do anything to make him happy...but she didn't know what he wanted or needed.

He looked over her. Even HE felt sorry for her. She looked so kind, sweet...not jumping at the chance to take advantage of him as he expected. She wouldn't look at him; she was scared. The sadist in him churned, but he tried to evaluate her. She was so unlike Isabella.

"Well, Jem?"

"What, I have to decide right now?"

"No...but take Mia for a walk. Have dinner with her. I'll give you a few days together. If you find that she's agreeable, I will ask for your betrothal."

Mia blushed, which made Jem laugh. Had she been eager to be with him, he'd have refused. But their mutual reluctance gave them something in common. He walked over to her, and stood in front of her, invading her personal space. "Look up at me," he commanded her, but with a hint of kindness. Her shy blue eyes met his, and he smiled. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "This sucks to do this in public, doesn't it?"

She smiled sweetly, "Yes, your majesty, it does."

"Welcome to what it's like to be royalty. Let's leave," he whispered. He took her arm, and escorted her out. He didn't like what his grandmother was trying to do. Nevertheless, he was ever conscious of his duty to the throne. Duty tore him and Isabella apart in the first place. This was one more burden that duty placed on his shoulders.

*********

Rayth laughed as he inspected his new lands, a gift from his friend Prince Jaimeth. On this trip, he delighted in having Alenya with him, freely, and excited to show her all that he could give her. He protectively wrapped his arm around her waist, not wanting her more than a few inches from him, nervously looking at her every so often to see if she had any worries. She loved the feel of him, her former Master, free now to touch as often as she'd always hoped to, and she welcomed the protection his strong arms offered her: she was still fearful of other free Pangains, afraid they wouldn't recognize her elevated status.

"What the hell do I know about farming?" Rayth asked one of the soldiers escorting him.

"Sir, what did you do with all the land on your family's estate?"

"My father and brother took care of that...I paid far more attention to the military and war."

"War's over, Sir, time to adjust. Don't worry, Sir, we've had slaves working your land for about a year now. You don't have to do much, they do the work, you just show up once in a while to make sure it's how you want it done."

"Swell," Rayth said smiling. Alenya smiled too, but somewhat felt awkward at the mention of slaves. She was too freshly free not to feel sorry for them, especially since Rayth was oblivious. Rayth had grown up with slaves; she was the first he ever even paid attention to. He would think nothing of the deplorable conditions in which they probably lived. Then again, should she say anything to him? Was it too early for her to try and influence his thinking?

"Darling," she asked, placing her hand on his arm, "perhaps we should go see the slaves you have; see how many there are, what they do, what kind of conditions they have?"

Rayth's and the escort's faces twisted, surprised by an idea they wouldn't have thought of. "Okay," said Rayth, "we can do that. Which way to the slave quarters?" Rayth asked the escort.

"This way, Sir. Most of them are out in the fields right now, but we can look..."

*********

Jaimeth spent several days with Mia as his grandmother had suggested. Most of that time, he was trying to stop comparing her to Isabella, and judge his prospects for a future with her. She was so agreeable and kind; it was difficult not to like her.

She was not much of a conversationalist, but she smiled and answered direct questions in detail. She never spoke above a hum, she kept her head down a lot, and would dream of insulting him by even joking with him. While Isabella was respectful of Jem, Mia took it to painful proportions, and never called him anything other than "your highness" or "your majesty." Even his guards, below her station, called him "Sir."

She didn't have the backbone Isabella did; if Mia did ever become sole queen, like his grandmother, she might be in trouble. But he could help her with that...

In the end, the only serious fault he found with her was simply that she wasn't Isabella. Looking into Mia's calm, placid eyes, Jem saw the tone for his future: serious, dispassionate, putting the frivolities of his youth away.

He presented her before his grandmother, and agreed to take her as his fiancé, dissolving any hope he had that he would one day again be with Isabella. His heart sank.

*********

"Keep working, you animals!" Isabella's supervisor barked. She had been hoeing weeds for weeks, preparing a new field for planting. She and dozens of others where exhausted, filthy, hands blistered, faces broken out. Every part of her ached as she continued to work, her body protesting her continued efforts. The sun felt as if it were getting hotter. Oh, to have relief!

She stopped working to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Girlie, I'm not going to tell you again, you don't stop working until I say you do!" Her supervisor threw her to the ground and kicked her twice in the stomach. "Get up, get back to work!"

She lie, the blows to her stomach rendering her unable to pull herself from the hunched position. He brought his whip down on her back with incredible force, further knocking the wind from her.

Suddenly, someone called out from a slight distance, "Attention in the fields...Slaves, kneel!" All the other slaves working with Isabella knelt, as she was still doubled over, unable to catch a breath.

"Slaves, meet your new Master, who has taken possession of this lot," called the man who spoke before, "Slaves, you now belong to Lord Rayth."

"rayth" Isabella gasped, still unable to speak. She weakly lifted her head up to see her friend, looking gorgeous as ever, so clean, sharp looking, incredibly powerful. How she loved that hair that showed off those beautiful eyes, framed in perfectly sun-kissed skin, his hard arms and chest covered in such expensive clothes. What would he think of her if he saw her, she looking so awful and ragged? How she wanted to run to him, but she knew she'd be beaten down and dragged off before she made it. Besides, right now she couldn't stand up or speak. She'd never looked at Rayth this way before. In a very real sense... he owned her... and didn't care. Somehow, she feared him. Would he free her if she went to him? Would he look at her with contempt and refuse to let her go? Or worse...would he carry out Jem's...his best friend to whom he was immensely loyal... order to kill her? She put her head down as he walked by in the distance.

She heard his laughter, and it brought tears to her eyes. So close... she could almost touch him. The man who once held her when she was upset, playfully antagonized her on their outings together, and bounced ideas off of her whether they were mischievous or of serious nature, was now her Master. The year she spent as a slave gave her little choice but to be afraid of him, fearing his displeasure, fearing his anger...fearing his whip.

Nevertheless, she knew he was only one step away from Jem. Her Master would be her path home. She closed her eyes as the tears streamed out, praying that Jem and Rayth would have mercy on Rayth's slave.

*********

Navin was sitting alone in the garden with one of Jem's slaves straddling his lap. Jem walked out there, smirking at the sight; he had been looking for Navin to talk to, but he hated to bother him. The slave saw Jem first, and slid off of Navin's lap to kiss Jem's feet.

Navin playfully glared at Jem and joked, "You just can't stand not being the center of attention, can you, Sir?"

"Girl," said Jem smiling, "climb back on top of my captain."

Navin laughed, and shook his head, "no no, girl, go to my room and wait for me there." The slave took off, leaving the two men alone. Jem laid down on his back, and rested his head on Navin's feet.

"Hey Nav? How am I supposed to love Mia like I did Isabella?"

"Honestly Jem? You can't, and that's not a terrible thing. They're two very different people, so it'd be hard for you to feel the same about both. Lady Mia is going to need a more gradual introduction to everything."

"Nav... do you wish she were Isabella? Do you want Iz back?"

Navin shifted, trying to hide his true feelings that yes, he too missed her...but oddly Navin felt himself very attracted to Lady Mia. Silently, Navin cursed Jem's luck at having a wonderful girl that he didn't even want. "It's useless to consider. You have your fiancé now, and incorporating her is what matters. It's going to take a little work and effort on your part. She's shy, scared. Do some things to make her feel comfortable and accepted with you."

"Can't I just become enthralled with one of my slaves, like Rayth did?"

"Noooope," he laughed, "you don't look at slaves like that. Rayth's always been easier on them than you. I wasn't surprised when he went that route."

"He's really happy I freed Alenya, isn't he?"

"I've never seen that boy walk on clouds like he has been."

Jem sighed, "Heavens...I'd kill to feel like that again."

"Have no fear, Jem. One day, you will."