Slave Girl Ch. 01-11

"Sure."

The fatty flesh of the trout begins to sizzle and a mouth watering smell fills the air.

"Master?"

"Yes Rosa?"

"Do you want to talk about last night?"

I squirm uncomfortably and say in a low tone. "No."

"If you wish to punish me...I'll understand. I won't judge you for it."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not going to punish you! You are not a child. Just...don't do it again." I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Okay." She says warmly. "Hey, those are smelling good!"

"Nothing beats fresh trout." I say. Then, after a moment, I can't help but ask. "How can you be so upbeat? You were just sold into slavery."

"I already answered that. You are more than I ever hoped for." She says as she stands with the scrap of leather in her hands. Her eyes focus out into the distance and she looks around. "It's scary out here I admit. I feel lost. But I've got you and that gives me courage." She waves at a group of the travelers moving along the road in the distance as I had done earlier and they naturally wave back at her as we country folk do. "It's no longer just me. Me trying to hide. Me finding my place. Me against the rest. It's us." Her eyes follow the group as they move and in a hushed voice adds. "Us. I like that better."

I had to say something.

"Rosa. I may sell you. You aren't suited for the country. I'm not suited for...the kind of woman you are. We're a poor match. Don't get used to...us. This is likely temporary."

She looks up at the sun and closes her eyes, feeling its warmth on her skin. Her long hair drifts with the breeze. There wasn't a care in the world creasing her lovely features, in fact...she smiles.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes Master." She says in a light whimsical voice. "I heard you."

"Good." I nod. "Just keep that in mind, okay?"

Each of us fall quiet as we focus on our own tasks. I cook each of the fish and lay them out on the on the grass then extinguish the fire as Rosa makes herself a pair of rudimentary slippers.

"Come eat."

"Yes Master." Sitting cross legged across from each other we tuck into the trout, one for her and three for me at her insistence. With a knife she carefully carves out a bit, blows the steam from it, then daintily eats it. "Ohhhh!" Her face lights up. "So good!"

"Mmm." I break off a hunk of the cooked meat with my fingers and pop it in my mouth. While still chewing I answer. "Yep. Hope our river is this good for fishing."

She grins. "Our river. I bet the fish taste even better there."

We eat and drink our fill and are soon packing up for the road. Once I get my sandals on I am kneeling by the pack, tying it up tight, when Rosa approaches from in front of me. Just before I lift the pack from the ground she comes in close and places her slippered foot onto it. I freeze, my eyes staring downward. Here I was again kneeling in front of my slave. The soft creamy flesh of her smooth shapely leg was right here in front of me. With the index finger of her branded hand she lazily traces up her supple thigh though my eyes are still locked on the pack. I dare not look.

"What do you think?" She asks.

Very slowly my eyes pan up her exquisite curvaceous body. Her tunic came down just far enough to cover her groin and her shorts weren't much longer than that which left her most of her legs exposed. Making the most of the fabric she had available her sleeveless tunic hugged her lithe nubile body, her small breasts two small humps in the plain white cloth. Her cute hooded capelet could cover her upper body down to her waist but she currently had it draped in behind her as the heat of the day was just beginning to be felt. Her long hair cascaded down over both shoulders. Towering over me she stands with confidence, her eyes peering into mine, and smiles down on me. She seemed larger than life. I wanted to touch her...or her to touch me. She holds my gaze for a moment before speaking.

"My slippers." She motions down with her eyes. "What do you think of my slippers Master?"

"Huh?" My gaze snaps back down again to her foot. "Um...good. They look good."

"Why don't you take a closer look." She whispers.

I stare at her slipper without really seeing it. Every fiber of me wanted to obey her. Cupid had pierced me with an arrow of passion, it's hot venom lust courses through my veins. But it was that same shameful passion as last night. I wanted to bow low, my head all the way down...to kiss her delicate feet...to grovel to her beauty. I wanted her to speak to me as she had last night. I ached to feel her soft touch again. Yet I resist. Despite last night I still had my manly pride, thankfully. I let out a shuddering breath and shake my head. "We should get moving."

"Yes Master." She steps back and looks toward to road eagerly. "I am ready."

I hoist the pack and sling it over my shoulder. Without another word I follow the path back toward the road with Rosa close behind. We are soon on the road and heading South once more.

With food, water, rest and recovery Rosa is an entirely different traveling companion than the day before. She was a ray of joy on this already bright day. Gone from her was the fear and trepidation of a frightening alien landscape and an unknown future. She knew our goal now and had made it her own. She was still easily intimidated by the new sights and sounds of the open road but when she was uneasy she would simply walk closer to me and that seemed to make it better. She greeted the other travelers happily and exuded a contagious enthusiasm. At no point did she tempt me or behave like anything but a loyal slave. From the outside one would have thought she and I had been together for years as master and servant. With her at my side the miles may have passed by much more slowly but never more easily.

***

Chapter 9

Just past midday the afternoon heat is really bearing down and, seeing a broad beech tree up ahead, I tell the flagging Rosa that we would be resting here for a time. She is grateful to hear it. There were a pair of travelers and their loaded up donkey already resting in the shade when we get there.

"Hello." Rosa says cheerfully.

The two men nod our way. The older of them, a wiry dark skinned man in his fifties, notices the brand on my slave's hand. It was a healthy pink already but still quite obviously fresh. As soon as he notices it his entire focus shifts to me. His eyes were shrewd and calculating. A slave was beneath his notice but someone who just purchased a slave was just his type of person.

As Rosa and I find a place on the bare rocky soil he greets me. "Greetings young man. Coming from Rome?"

"Yeah." I nod as I place my pack on the ground and roll my tense shoulders.

"We're just heading there ourselves." He rubs his chin and studies me as if I were a puzzle to be solved. The newly purchased slave, a beautiful young woman no less, suggested wealth but my simple attire belied that. He cuts to the chase. "Is this your slave?"

"Yes." I answer honestly. "I didn't set out to buy her but...I did."

"Indeed. These things will happen." He grins. My answer seemed to be exactly what he wanted to hear. It takes me a moment to realize that the way I said it made it sound like I had bought her on a frivolous whim. Frivolous whims such as this were reserved only for the ultra wealthy.

I am about to correct this impression when Rosa jumps in. "Master's bid was the only one. He won me outright. No other would match it."

"Indeed." He says again as he looks at my slave once more, not as a person but as one might inspect a prize stallion. "It must have been a princely sum."

"I was humbled by it." She bows her head demurely.

Why was she leading them on like this? I go to set things right. "It's not how it sounds. I received an inheritance from my uncle."

"My condolences." He says solemnly, though his mood seemed to only brighten.

"He is now the master of an estate far to the South." Rosa continues. "Holdings along a rich river valley. From plebeian beginnings my Master has come to be a landowner and a slaveholder. A patrician in all but name." She giggles and smooths her tunic. "Despite what our modest appearance at the moment might suggest. Bandits you know."

Estate? Holdings? Rich river valley? Patrician in all but name? What was she on about?

"Indeed!" His grin widens. "Fortuna smiles on you. Come young master." He waves me forward. "I would be honored if you shared refreshment with us." Without waiting for a response he tells the younger man to break out food and wine.

"Um." I fidget. I was not one to turn away hospitality, and I was hungry, but this was clearly being done under a false pretense. I feel Rosa's hand on my back pushing me forward. I step toward them then, after a moment's hesitation, I lower myself to sit on the ground across from the Aethiop man. Before my butt can hit the dirt Rosa's capelet was suddenly beneath me. I look down at it and then over at her. She bows her head in a show of obedience. Rosa then moves over to help the younger man serve, he accepts her help as if it were expected. Together they bring down a long wooden box from the donkey's back and open it up.

"I am Gaius Fabianus from Neapolis." My host says in a friendly tone. "I didn't catch your name young master."

"Quintus." I mumble.

"Quintus." He waits a moment for more information but soon carries on when it wasn't forthcoming. "Very good. Well Quintus, I believe lady fortune may have blessed you a second time by having us meet under the shade of this tree."

"Oh?"

"I am a mosaic artisan, specializing in floors. My work graces the finest villas of Neapolis, Cumae, Pompeii, and beyond. Though country estates are something of a specialty of mine. At a fair price I take my talents where they are needed."

"I see."

"Boy!" Gaius barks, causing the young man to snap to attention. "Bring me my samples."

Instantly the man hurries around to the other side of beast of burden to unstrap another wooden chest and bring it to his boss's side. Opening it with a flourish Gaius begins showing small samples of his work. One after another he lays the out squares of tile and glass mosaics as he sells me on his talents. Everything from simple patterns to mythical beasts. I had to admit the guy was clearly good at his craft. I look at them each with a polite interest, feeling worse by the moment. He actually thought I could afford such extravagances thanks to Rosa's exaggerations and my complicit silence.

When he gets to the last two he pauses with a roguish smirk. "Now these may really take your interest. I notice that you didn't just buy a slave. You bought a demon. And a beautiful one." He says approvingly. "You enjoy the exotic and the sensual. I respect that." He takes the next one out and lays it among the others. Leaning in to make out the pattern I realize it shows the nether regions of a naked woman in impressive detail! I feel my blush rise.

"Oh! Oh my."

His grin widens then he brings out the other one and places it beside the first. The two clearly went together as this one shows the erect penis of a Faun lined up to penetrate the woman in the first tile.

I look away. "I-I-I don't think I can..."

Seeing my reaction he whisks them back into the box. "Perhaps not your style after all. Well I can do many styles and scenes, as you can see, and I can offer something no other can in all of Campania."

My curiosity gets the better of me. "What's that?"

"This." He says as he reaches into the box and pulls out a small black glass cube about the size of a fingernail. He turns it so that it glinted in the light.

"What is it?"

"A tesserae. A very special tesserae." He leans across and offers it. I hold my hand out and he drops it into my palm.

"It's cool! It's quite cool actually." I say as I feel the cold glass on my skin. As it sat there it only got colder. "It's magic!"

"Yes it is." He says proudly. "A minor enchantment but one very few know. All through the summer months it absorbs heat, in the winter months it releases it as a pleasant warmth. If there are enough of them they can make a room stay the same temperature all through the year." He explains. "Though even a few dozen can make a noticeable difference. They only come in black unfortunately but they can easily blended in with any design."

Duly impressed I hand it back to him and he puts it away. "Wow. I've never seen such a thing."

"A premium product for a premium clientele." He says. "I hope you consider me for your new villa. Remember young master. That's Gaius Fabianus from Neapolis. You can find me easy enough there if you ask around. Don't forget it now."

"Uh...yeah."

Just then Rosa stands with a spread of food laid out on a wooden plate. She brings it to me. Kneeling at my side she places it in front of me like any well trained slave might to a lord or lady. Across from me Gaius' boy does the same. This felt sooooo strange. I did not like it.

"Rosa..." I am about to tell her to feel free to eat as well but she looks up at me and gives me a very subtle shake of her head. This food was only for the master. Looking over the plate there is bread, vegetables, cheese, figs, and even a bit of meat. At the side is a cup of dark wine. As sumptuous a meal as one could have on the road. "This is too much."

"Nonsense." The man says. "Enjoy. I insist."

We fall quiet as we begin to eat. The food is good but honestly better on the eye than the palate, the trout this morning was better. Rosa shifts in to behind me. I feel her hands touch my back and rub all the way up to my shoulders where she begins to massage me. Oh my goodness did it feel good!

"Carrying that load." She says softly. "Your muscles are tense. Let me help."

Gaius looks up with jealousy in his eyes. Feeling self-conscious at being so spoiled and bashful for having her touch me like this in front of another I shrug Rosa away. I hear a disappointed little sigh but Rosa respects my wishes and stops.

Rolling his own shoulders Gaius seizes the opportunity. "Perhaps one act of hospitality for another?"

"Hmm?" I ask with a mouthful of wine.

"I wouldn't object to a massage from a pretty young thing. These days on the road can be long and tiring."

Eating his food and drinking his wine as I was I find it difficult to say no outright even though I hated the idea. Looking back over my shoulder at Rosa she gives me a little nod to indicate I only had to give the word and she would eagerly obey. I suppose it was only fair. It didn't sit well receiving this meal while offering nothing in return.

"Um. Yeah, sure. It's okay. I guess."

"Demon!" He snaps his order. "Come here."

"What did you call her?" I slowly set my wine down beside me.

He is tilts his neck left and right. "Hurry now slave. I've got a hell of a knot in my neck. Come, come!"

My eyes narrow in anger. "Her name is Rosa."

From just behind me my slave rubs my back and whispers oh so softly. "It's okay Master. Be calm. Enjoy your meal."

Standing up Rosa walks over to the older man, her hands folded in front of her and her head bowed. The very picture of innocence and obedience. She moves in behind him and begins to massage his neck and shoulders as she had with me. From the moment her hands touched him the sight of it turns my stomach. I didn't know why should it bother me that this girl I barely knew touched another man, but it did. I sit there picking lightly at my meal as I listen to his hums and groans of enjoyment.

"Ahhhh." Gaius groans as Rosa works her small hands into his stiff neck. "Yes girl. Like that." Looking at me he says. "She's good, isn't she? Very good."

"Yeah." I mutter as I look down and stare at my meal. I had completely lost my appetite. Taking another drink I turn to look out over the nearby wheat field. I couldn't bear seeing her do this or hearing her servile little hums and comments to him. Her kindly tone as false as the story that got me this meal. A tone not unlike how she spoke to me. Why did I expect anything different from a whore? She'd have been working for longer than I've been alive. He was just another man to her...and so was I. Just another in a very long line.

"Demon, you are a treat." He sighs. "Ohhhh. Had I been at that auction I may have started a bidding war."

"Oh you old charmer you." She giggles and playfully slaps his shoulder. "You flatter me."

He laughs and shimmies back closer to her.

I grit my teeth then finish my wine in a single gulp. Gaius' boy hurries forward to refill my cup but I wave him away annoyedly. "We ought to be moving soon."

"Moving? In this heat?" Gaius says. "Just relax young master." Then he lets out a long. "Ohhhhh!" As Rosa digs an elbow into a particularly stiff area of his shoulder. "Ohhhh gods that is good!"

Given her background Rosa knew what she was doing, his noises left no doubt of that. They seemed at ease with each other. They were city folk, all three of them, they spoke the same language and embraced the same ways. They understood each other. Despite our rural surroundings I was the outsider here. The stupid young rube. Hidden to my opposite side my fist clenches tight. I stew in my bitterness and anger as Gaius enjoys his meal as well as the skillful service of my slave. It seems a grueling eternity before they are finished.

"Something wrong with the food?" Gaius asks as Rosa, finished her massage, bows to him and thanks him then returns to me.

"I wasn't hungry." I answer curtly. As Rosa kneels at my side I fix her with a hard stare. "Finish it up Rosa."

"Master?"

"Eat it." I command her sternly and push the plate her way. "You earned it. You eat it."

She glances Gaius' way and tries to laugh it off. "Silly Master. Don't be..."

I get to my feet all at once surprising everyone. I could feel their eyes following me as I stride over to my pack and hoist it onto my shoulder. "Eat." I say again without looking back. "Catch up once you're done."

With that I start off down the road at a hard brisk pace with my eyes fixed Southward.

***

Chapter 10

Low mountains both to the East and West blocks what soft breeze there was. High over head Sol bakes the valley with a merciless radiance. The shrill buzzing and screeches of insects are a grating cacophony. Even the slaves in the fields have taken a break to gather and sleep in whatever shade they could find. Though I drip with sweat I barely notice any of it.

Walking at pace I cover ground twice as fast as I had with Rosa and I realize just how much she had been holding me back. The slower pace, the more frequent rests, the brief stops to talk with other travelers or look at something of interest off the side of the road. Like a ship dragging an anchor it would take me over twice as long to reach my destination with my new slave. Maybe she would stay with Gaius. He didn't seem above claiming a stray slave and he certainly seemed to like her well enough, perhaps enough to overlook her curse. He was a man who could appreciate the kind of woman she was. It would be better for us all.

The more I walked though...the more I worried. Was she okay? Surely he wouldn't try anything right by the Appian way, one of the most traveled roads in the Empire. Although...would anyone really take notice of a slave girl being accosted? I look over to my right, to the spot where she had walked beside me last night and this morning, and I feel her absence. My angry steps slow just a little.

Just as I am considering turning around to go find her I hear the pit-pat of leather slippers running across the paving stones. I am relieved but continue to hold onto my annoyance. I was glad she was back but I wouldn't forget what had happened.

As she gets closer I can hear her gasping breaths. I stop so that she could catch up. She runs up holding a slender amphora in both hands. Staggering to a stop she sets the clay vessel down and bends over to place her hands on her knees and suck hard for breath. I stand quiet a time to give her a chance to catch her breath. I am just about to speak when she suddenly stands up, takes a step toward me, and slaps me across the face!