On the Front

She had known she was on the way out as soon as the sergeant-at-arms had shown up at the brothel house, a sack of coin in hand and a smarmy smile on his long horsey face.

The sergeant had a habit of carrying platinum coinage around rather than gold or silver. He generally bought women in bulk and usually just before a sweeping and expansive Norrin push into the west or the south. He was the man in charge of buying up camp whores and, frankly, she wasn't surprised at all to see her name had made the list. She was a moderate money maker because she was pretty, but she wasn't easy or a pushover. Her often hostile behavior had annoyed the owner enough, especially when it had lost him a sale or two.

One of her only consolations was that two of the girls she was closest to had been purchased as well.

"I don't mind Norrin soldiers but a whole army?" Fellis squeaked from beside her, voice pitched high and obviously nervous. The shorter woman's hand tucked into Arden's elbow and squeezed them closer. "Just five of us for all those men?"

"Doubt he's only buying up from this brothel, Fell. Calm your tits," Jin argued, voice low but still hedging with slight concern. Jin was tall, her skin a warm brown, dark and rich. She kept her braids tied up and back, every inch of her muscled and naked as she peeked back out their shared bedroom window. "I bet we're headed south."

Arden studied her friend, head tipped as Fellis hugged tighter from the side. "You just want to try to escape."

"Maybe I just miss Endris cock."

"Hell," Arden shrugged, "I miss Endris cock."

"I've never had it," Fellis added with a little laugh.

"Probably a good thing," Jin told her, pushing away from the window and lifting her fist and forearm straight up in the air. "Thickest you've ever seen. Likely split you in half, Little One."

"She exaggerates," Arden assured the suddenly concerned and small blonde at her side. "Mostly."

Jin's laughter would be the last pretty thing she heard for days. If not longer.

*

Two days later they were gathered up on the second floor of the gatehouse at the southern crossroads. There were around twenty girls in total, the lot of them grouped together into the corner of the one spacious and drafty room. They'd been ordered to disrobe and wait and she could hear Fellis shivering beside her just by the chattering of the plump little blonde's teeth.

"They're going to separate us," Jin said under her breath, the door opening just before Arden could ask how she could possibly know that for sure.

Three soldiers entered first, all of them wearing the Norrin royalty insignia. All the air sucked from the room as all three of the men studied them, silently appraising them as they moved closer. They started really looking the girls over in earnest, grabbing the women closer, touching and groping them. Arden purposely stepped in front of Fellis as the tallest of the three men got close to her. His eyes caught the shift and he cocked his head at her, staying silent as he continued to grope another girl's breast. He quickly brushed the girl off, shoving her toward the larger of two groups.

Jin had been absolutely correct. They were being separated.

She could only assume that the royals got first pick.

And he took advantage of that, leaning around her to pull the blonde she had been shielding closer.

"Spread your legs," he murmured to Fellis, just loud enough for all three of them to hear it.

Arden was suddenly distracted as one of the other soldiers pulled Jin toward him and rubbed her into his front. The entire room could hear the groan he made as he grabbed her ass and grasped her into his groin. She was torn, concerned for both her friends as they were molested, groped, and appraised as property. Fellis whimpered as a gloved finger rubbed at her clit.

He frowned as he looked the blonde over, lifting his palm and shoving at her hip. His nod toward the larger group of girls was a dismissal. Arden watched as her two friends were pushed in opposite directions, Fellis in the larger group of rejects.

"Two each, Corso. You get one more."

He nodded silent agreement to the other soldier. They were very obviously related, likely brothers or cousins. They both had full dark hair, both had similar deep green eyes and broad shoulders. They carried themselves and their swords the same.

"Why shield her?" he asked as he reached for her, his hand pressing up her stomach to tease the underside of one breast. "Hmm?"

"She was frightened of you."

"And you are not?"

"Moderately."

"That's reasonable," he chuckled to himself. "Let me see your teeth."

She let him pry her mouth open, his gloved thumb rubbing the top line of teeth and then searching her back molars.

"Now spread your thighs."

He purposely took his time with his hand between her thighs, knowing they had everyone's attention by the time he lifted his fingers and sniffed at the dampened leather glove. He half smiled and nodded, jerking his head toward the smaller group. "Join your dark skin friend."

She caught sight of Fellis just before being shoved out the door and the last thing she saw were tears in the girl's eyes.

"You can't help her now," Jin whispered and grabbed at her hand. "Keep walking."

*

It would be warmer in the south but the northern nights were still cold, especially for the six naked women in the back of one half covered wagon. They'd been given a few blankets and furs to share and she had curled up close to Jin, her back pressed to one of the unfamiliar girls that had come from another brothel.

"Luta," the younger girl had told her. "I was traded at Serall"

"Arden," she motioned to herself as they snuggled close in the jostling wagon. She pulled her friend into her, clutching them together beneath the blanket. "This is Jin."

"We're lucky," Jin murmured into her neck, ignoring the other conversation. "The rest of them are bound for the barracks when we arrive."

"Poor Felly."

"She'll be okay."

She wasn't quite so sure she believed that.

*

"Name?"

"Arden," she responded easily, keeping her tone light and free of any tone or emotion.

His nod came swiftly, though he didn't look up. Instead he grabbed the other girl's wrist and jerked them close together. "Name?"

"Serafine," the younger of them offered, voice quieter and far less confident.

"Now you've met. Give me your wrists," he demanded, a little gruffer then necessary. Arden watched as he lifted heavy leaden manacles, nodding as the girls each offered an arm. "If anyone touches you besides me you need to tell me, understood?"

She watched him continue clamping them together, one cuff around each wrist, the locks twisted shut. "You belong to Corso Aryn Fel, Son of Norrin. Am I being clear?"

"Perfectly clear. Will we always be strapped together like this?" she questioned as he let go, the key pressed into the center of his closed palm.

She didn't back down when he stepped into her space, his other hand pulling her in by the hip. "Why?"

"I like to piss privately. I stopped needing assistance long ago."

"Still shielding the weak, I see," Corso grinned, studying her face intently. His eyes were prettier up close, most definitely. "How long will that last if you're punished for it?"

She took a deep breath. "Only one way to find out, Son of Norrin."

"I suppose that's true," he agreed and dropped his hand, shoving her backwards impatiently. "More sophisticated language in the future, hmm? No need to be crass."

She swallowed the laugh that came up her throat, biting down on the irony of him asking for sophistication from a field whore on a war front. Something on his face, something stern in his eyes, curbed her cynicism, though. She nodded to him in silence, lifting her jaw into his touch as he stroked at her cheek and then rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.

"You'll be my difficult one, won't you?"

Arden didn't respond, knowing she had already tested his patience.

"One of my men will take you to my tent. The six of you will have your own quarters to share when not in use. You're confined to the perimeter of the fort. If you attempt to leave the main fort I'll leave you to the men for free use. More than a thousand of them camp here and only forty camp whores so really consider whether or not you want to leave."

"Can we get some food?" she asked softly, this time making sure to sound supplicant. "Please?"

"I'll bring you something in awhile."

*

She watched him drive his cock deeper down Serafine's throat, his hands cupped around the redhead's ears, digging into her hair. His hips were giving shallow thrusts, not as hard as they could. His eyes, though, were fastened to hers.

He was purposely watching her reaction to every thrust of his length down the petite girl's throat. Arden just slowly blinked, looking up at him through her lashes and holding the green of his eyes with her browns. She watched a half smirk tug at his lips as he looked down and watched the younger of the two of them, his hand wiping her hair back and holding it loosely at the back of her head.

"Good girl," he muttered, groaning before letting his eyes shut. "Keep swallowing."

Arden shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable with the way she was lashed to one of the posts. She stole a moment to study him, eyes following the full arch of him as he stretched his lean hips forward and down. He was covered in scars and tattoos, ward symbols and runes, the designs crossing over and around defined and toned muscle.

She realized he was smiling when her eyes lifted back to his face and she nearly flushed in embarrassment at being caught. She didn't much blush anymore, though. Not really. Not over sexual things.

His hips shuddered unevenly and he groaned, grabbing into auburn red hair and pulling Serafine's small mouth farther into his long cock. He wasn't huge, but he was slightly beyond average. She could certainly see why Serafine was having trouble. Especially as he started thrusting deeper down her throat, groaning loudly as he came.

"The first time you need curbing, she gets your punishment," he told Arden quietly, making sure her eyes met his in acknowledgement. "Is that understood?"

She simply frowned. "You don't play fair."

"Playing fair is for children, darling," he told her, using his forearm to wipe sweat off his brow. "I win wars and kill kings. Whatever made you think I would treat you fairly?"

She chose silence again, unsure of his boundaries.

"Go find the others," he nodded toward the redhead, patting her toward the doorway. He trusted they would go where they were sent. The threat of being a camp whore rather than a private one was more than enough incentive to follow orders. "End of the hall."

"This what you wanted?" He asked after they both watched her go, turning toward her so that he could rub his still semi hard cock across her front. "To save her from me?"

"No. I just don't think it's necessary to scare her or intimidate her. She knows her job perfectly well."

He dipped her a devilish smile of agreement in return for her simple logic. "As do you?"

"Yes, I do. Likely better than she does," Arden murmured, quiet as she reached slowly between them. The movement was purposely paced and calm so that he could stop it if he liked. Her fingers curled around his cock and she drew it to her thighs, teasing the head against dark curls.

Corso smiled, looking fierce, "Good. Now show me."