Slave Girl Ch. 53-65

Author's Note: I already know this will be the least popular part of the story as it gets a bit weird. My only defense is that this was written as a serial where I was laying down tracks in front of the train as it was rolling. Sometimes that takes me into strange territory. lol If you're enjoying the story thus far just try to bear with this part and power through to the next.

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Chapter 53

I was learning that a bit of training can work wonders for both of us. Afterward Rosa felt as good as I did. Calm, centered, everything right with the world. Whatever it was that made me feel so at ease under her control she got something similar from it as well. Caring for me seemed to do more for her than caring for herself. I was someone on which she could focus all of her kindness and nurturing feelings and that brought her life. What I loved is that feeling of giving over control to somebody I could trust, it set me free. For my Lady it was the taking of control that fed her soul, in a chaotic uncaring world she had this one place and this one special person to exercise her will and impose her own order. I didn't pretend to understand it but it made me feel good seeing the effect on her. That night we sleep well with her cuddled up behind me as big spoon.

I don't wake until much later than usual, the deep shade of the thicket keeping the morning light at bay. As I blink my eyes open I could hear the calls of workers already hard at work in the fields around us. I sit up and look around to see Rosa already awake and groomed for the day. She smiles when she sees me awake.

"Good morning Master!"

I take a breath of the green smelling air. "Mornin Rosa."

"No rabbits I'm afraid."

"Yeah, it was worth a shot." I rub my face. "Ah well, gets us on the road that much quicker." I stretch my back and arms. "You should have woken me sooner."

"No way." She says. "You needed the rest. Besides...you looked so damned cute I didn't want to disturb you."

I shake my head with a laugh. Me? Cute? Rosa was such a funny one. As is custom now she grooms and shaves me, it feels as great as ever, and after a good drink of water we are packed up and ready to go. As Rosa takes a private moment with the old cypress I head back down the path to unset the snares then wait for her on the road. A trio of the field workers see me and give me a wave, I wave back. After a moment I decide to head out to chat with them. They stop their work as they see me coming and gather to meet me.

"Hail." The shortest and oldest of them says.

"Hail." I reply.

He gives me a once over, noting my pack and common clothes. "What brings ya to these parts stranger?"

"Land." I say. "Got an inheritance down South. A nice parcel right on the Aciris."

This gets many nods of approval and well wishes of congratulations. These were men who appreciated the value of land. We introduce ourselves and I tell them a bit about the journey to Rome and how smelly and crowded the capital was then onto a few things about the trip this far.

"You're just startin a farm with what's in that pack there?" The biggest of the group, nearly my size, says. "That's it?"

"Yeah. I took all we could spare from back home." I say, then thumb behind me. "Plus I have my slave."

"Mmm. Shoulda sent some brothers or cousins with ya at least." The eldest says. "Man shouldn't be by himself. Needs some family."

"We couldn't spare anyone. No one else wanted to come either." I say, though deep down I had to agree with him. I never said anything but I did feel a bit of a pariah being sent out here on my own. My grandpa even went so far as to tell me not to send any requests or even a bad word back until I've made something of myself, so as not to worry my mother. "No. It's all on me."

"Mmm." The older guy slaps my arm. "Well. You're strong, you're young. You'll be fine lad. Have faith."

"Thanks." Just then my stomach lets out a long low growl. I notice a few glances between them but ignore it. "So my plan is to avoid Potentia altogether and take the road for Grumentum when we get to it."

"Yep, that'll save you almost a day's walking." The one who hadn't much spoken yet chimes in. "Not much of a road though. It's gonna get pretty wild the further South you go. You'll be cutting straight through the mountains."

"You've been down that way?"

"Many times. I have family not so far from Grumentum. Even got a cousin who's an actor at the theater there believe it or not."

Perfect! I ply the man with questions about the route and what to expect along the way. He is a font of practical information. While he hadn't made the trip recently he'd traveled our route half a dozen times since childhood. He tells me of watering spots, shelters, hazards, fishing holes, landmarks, and even of a friendly old hunter who is known to give travelers aid from time to time. Not all of the answers were good though. As I had worried monsters really were an issue through the Apennines and the guy told me he wouldn't recommend going without a larger group to provide safety. He suggested if we insisted on traveling as we were to stick strictly to the road and, if we couldn't find shelter, to camp without a fire.

"How long?" I ask at last.

"On foot, three long hard days at least."

"Three days." I say, more to myself than to them. So close yet so far. Grumentum wasn't our final destination but it would be the last major stop before the end. "Three days."

"If you're lucky. Any bad luck though or if your slave ain't fit for long travel and it could easily be five or more."

"Thank you so much." I say to the man. "I can't even tell you how much this will help us." Glancing back toward the road I see the violet of Rosa's hair. She was waiting for me. I turn to the men and shake each of their hands in turn. "Blessings to you and your families."

"Fortuna and our lady Ceres be with you Quintus." The eldest says. "Why don't ya go ahead and stop by that wagon over there on the way out. If you see something ya need...we won't miss it none."

I look over toward the hay wagon he spoke of. It wasn't hay he was offering me. On that wagon would be food and refreshment for the men for a hard day in the field.

"I...couldn't accept..."

"I was going to head back to the villa soon anyway." The youngest says. "Wouldn't even be a problem to bring back more."

"I'm not looking for charity." I shake my head.

"Who said anything about charity?" The middle one says. "Hard times can hit anywhere and anyone." He laughs. "Who knows? You might see our ugly mugs on your doorstep one day looking for work." He pats my shoulder. "But do what you think is right. Be careful out there Quintus. I hope you find your way safely."

With that the three return to their work. I turn back toward the road and take two steps until I see my slave waiting for me in the distance. Rosa was hungry, just as hungry as me. I can hear her voice in my head from the early days in this trip. "Pride is your Achilles heel." I stop and look back over at the wagon, my mind not on my stomach but hers.

I hear the old guy laugh. "Go ahead. Ain't no shame."

I close my eyes and let out a long breath. "Thank you."

This trip had been such a humbling experience. While never wealthy my family had always been comfortable. Comfortable and not very charitable to those hard on their luck. Living the life of a pauper was an education that I vow to myself to never forget. In so many ways I was different from that sheltered farmboy who set out from the only home he'd ever known just a few weeks ago. Swallowing my pride and keeping my hungry Lady close to my heart I walk to the wagon. The three men don't look my way. They knew how hard this would be for me and they knew I didn't need anybody watching me while it happened. I find the food bundle stuffed to the hilt with bread and hard cheese and nuts and olives in oil and fresh fruits. Just like back home these working men had working men's appetites. Thanking them under my breath once more I gather up about half of the food and head back toward the road.

As I climb the small embankment to the road Rosa's eyes light up. "What is all of this!?"

My head bowed I mutter. "Those men...gave us this."

Hearing the somber tone of my voice Rosa's gaze rises from the food in my hands to my face. She puts a hand on mine. "That was very kind of them."

"Yeah."

"It's a good thing to let people show their kindness. Don't you think?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah."

"Nobody thinks less of you Quin." She says softly, moving closer. "They wouldn't have offered it if they couldn't spare it."

"I know."

"I don't think any less of you Master." She says.

I huff. "I'm being stupid. Pouting like a child." My eyes go South, in my heart the drive to make my farm a success stronger than ever. I may be on my knees now but I WOULD get back on my feet soon. Straightening up I say. "You mind walking and eating?"

"Not at all Master." She takes the sack of food from me and passes me back a bread. I take it and rip into it with my teeth. She takes one and does the same as we turn our shoulders South and continue on our way.

Chapter 54

We walk and eat our breakfast under a partially cloudy sky. Over the course of a few hours farmland slowly makes way for ranch land. Fields of waving grain and the neat rows of orchards become herds of cattle and flocks of sheep dotting the green hills around us.

Travel along this road was much different than the Appian. The road itself was narrower meaning that we had to step off to make way if we saw a mounted rider or chariot coming from the other direction. It is in relatively good condition but there were rough patches of cracked cement and temporary patch jobs. The majority of the traffic are locals and far more prone to stop and chat with a couple of strangers in their region. Most were friendly and only too happy to offer advice or tell us where we can fill our waterskin. Rosa gets a lot of looks but except for a few scowling bigots most were more curious about her than hostile, unless the Amazon thing was raised that is. This was going to be a constant we were going to have to get used to. As I had been told to I always make sure to introduce Rosa first and I found it kind of exciting to be signaling our relationship despite the fact that nobody thus far had caught the cue.

Along the stretches where we saw no others Rosa would pull out the bracelet to play with and experiment on. We had agreed that the extremely valuable magic item must be kept a secret between us for our own safety. Using sticks and pebbles she tries various different things to try to discover if the item could ever pose a danger. She didn't want to become an amputee or worse. What we discover is that the magic of the item was crafted with safety in mind. If something physical was moving through the portals the other sides of the hoops showed gray and could not be penetrated. If you put something through the non-gated side of a hoop the magic would cease until the object was removed. Based on the letters glowing and fading we estimate that the item could be in continuous use for about an hour and half and that it seemed to take ten times as long for the item to recharge when placed back together.

At one I point I stop, look left and right to make sure nobody was coming, and say. "I want to try something."

Rosa hands over the twin hoops. I place one flat on the road then hold the other directly above it then line a round smooth stone up between them and drop it. Rosa and I watch as the rock falls through the hoop to come out of the other to fall straight back into the first again. We laugh as we watch the rock fall faster and faster and faster. "Look at it go!" Rosa squeals. As I go to say something back my hand tilts just slightly, hurtling the rock into one of the stones of the road with a deafening CRACK! We look at each other in surprise then back to the road. When the dust settles we find the rock itself is pulverized and a circular crater an inch deep had been left in the paving stone! Rosa takes the items back and clips them back together again. "Let's not do that again, hmm?"

"Wow." I say as I kneel down to stick my thumb into the fresh hole in the solid rock.

"It could have broken your leg, or worse." Rosa says as she pockets the bracelet and continues on.

"Yeah." I stand and hurry to catch up.

Along the way I tell Rosa of what I learned about our route. She listened intently, especially concerning the short cut to Grumentum. Again I ask her if she preferred we take the longer and safe route and again she chooses the quicker more dangerous path. Her patience for this life had worn even more thin than my own. We needed to get home.

Her hearing about Grumentum having a theater brightens her mood greatly.

"A theater? A real theater? Out here?"

"He said that his cousin is an actor there. That's all I know."

"Do they have proper baths? A forum? A circus? What is the shopping like?"

I chuckle. "I have no idea Rosa. I've never been there."

"How close is our farm to the town?"

I never got tired of hearing her refer to it as 'our' farm. "Again, I don't know. Once we get there I have to find the basilica and talk to a magistrate. Show my papers and stuff."

"Basilica, I like the sound of that. Sounds like a proper town." She ponders a moment. "I wonder if they have a temple to Venus?"

"I thought you were looking forward to being a farm girl." I tease.

"Yeah." She says. "But a trip into town once in a while might be nice."

"City girl."

She giggles and jabs me with a horn.

"Ow!" I laugh. "Watch it with those things."

"Sorry." She rubs the spot. "They are starting to get long, aren't they?"

"They look great."

And on we go.

It is just past midday as we pass by another walled villa. The gates were wide open and in a front courtyard I see a bearded man leaning against a well speaking with a woman who was sweeping the terracotta tiles of the yard. He sees me and nods. I nod back and call into him.

"Would you mind if we had a bucket of your water?" I hold up our near empty waterskin.

He stands and waves us in without hesitation. As he turns to greet us I could see why he was so confident to allow strangers in. At his side he wore a gladius in a leather and brass scabbard, very similar to the one my father wore. Just in the way he stood told me he was likely adept at its use too.

"Military?" I say cordially.

"Retired." He says in a distinct Greek accent. He looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, a touch of gray coming out in his thick dark beard.

Taking the waterskin I say. "Thank you for this." Turning slightly toward my slave I say. "This is my slave Rosa." I pause as Rosa nods at the pair and they nod back. "And I am her Master Quintus."

I turn to look at the man to see his left brow raise as he looks from me to Rosa and back again. He seemed curious and mildly perplexed. There is long and strange silence before he at last speaks. "I am Peisandros." He says, followed by a similar pause to mine, then motioning to the woman. "This is my girl Aemelia."

The pause gives it away. They are like us. In the blink of an eye the entire dynamic in the yard shifts. I notice Aemelia's blue eyes go immediately to me. It is then I notice around her neck a tight necklace of a familiar vermilion. Our eyes meet and she smiles. She had that same look of calm as the woman I saw wearing that special color back in Beneventum.

Peisandros shifts his full attention to Rosa. "You are a slave?"

"Yes." Rosa steps forward just in front and to the side of me, establishing her proper station in this context. "But still a Lady. It is a complicated story."

"Fascinating!" He grins. "A pleasure to meet you. I see so few Ladies out here. Can you stay a time Lady Rosa?"

"I'm afraid not." Rosa shakes her head. "We are anxious to move on Master Peisandros. My apologies."

"Of course." He says, speaking to her as an equal despite their vastly different social classes. "Would you share a drink with me at least. Wine? Tea? Beer?"

"Beer?" Rosa's ears perk up. "You have beer?"

He chuckles. "I developed a taste for it while serving in Germania. I brew it here. It is much different than what you would have had in Egypt." He seemed to recognize her accent too, subtle as it was. "Would you like to see?"

"Are you sure you wish to invite an Amazon into your home?"

There is a momentary tension in the air. "You are truly a one of a kind Lady Rosa." A quick look is exchanged between he and his girl and I sense something silently exchanged between them before he says. "I would be honored."

To my surprise Rosa then replies to him in flawless Greek. Or I assumed it was flawless, I hadn't a clue what she just said.

"Ha!" He answers her back in his native tongue and motions her toward the door.

Rosa looks to me and I see my strong Lady come out in her. Noble, proud, elegant. Despite her petite stature and common clothes her power shines through in her posture, expression and in the way she moved. In that instant I could see her in the beautiful flowing silk gowns of a meretrix back in exotic Alexandria.

"Put down the pack my boy." She speaks her order kindly yet firmly. "You earned a rest. Stay with Aemelia and help her if she asks."

All three of them look at me, Peisandros and Aemelia particularly interested to see how a Roman free citizen would respond to his Amazon slave girl. I take in a breath and say proudly, and definitely too loudly. "Yes my Lady!" I bow my head toward her still feeling their eyes on me. Oh, that felt good.

"Your boy is enthusiastic Lady Rosa." Aemelia laughs. Despite being a free woman her body language toward Rosa is deferential. She didn't look at Rosa directly, careful to keep her eyes slightly lowered. "If you excuse me saying so Lady."

"He hasn't been collared." Rosa explains. "He is in training." She turns to me and runs her hands across my shoulders. "And he is doing very well." Looking up into my eyes she whispers. "You okay?"

I nod, unable to hide my grin.

She pats my cheek then turns toward our host and heads off to see his brewing facility.

Aemelia, a tall stout dark haired woman of around thirty with a local accent, comes up beside me and helps me set the pack off to the side then loops her arm into mine.

"Ohhh. I am so happy to meet you Quintus! I have so many questions." She says in a bright way, as if we were already long time friends. "I've met so few Ladies or boys. And you are still earning your collar? It is such an exciting time." Aemelia's enthusiasm is infectious. "So exciting!"

"Um, yeah." I say shyly. This was new, talking about this stuff to others. New and exhilarating. I might not be able to shout my love for Rosa from the center of the Colosseum as I wished to, but at least I could be her boy here in this villa. "Very exciting."

"Your Lady is so very beautiful."

"Yes she is." I say as I allow my fellow submissive to lead me into the house that our dominants had just disappeared into. "The most beautiful."

Chapter 55

Aemelia leads me into the house. The interior was neither extravagant nor plain, tasteful with a definite Greek flare to it. The walls showed paintings of Greek heroes among scenes of warfare and battle. Honestly it was exactly what I was expecting based on my brief encounter with the owner. She brings me through entryway and main hall into the dining room where three lounging couches sat around a low table face each other.

"He will bring her here." She says. "Could you take the extra klinai and bring it with."

"Yeah, of course." Not that I needed the extra incentive, but I was ordered to help her by my Lady. I lift the couch frame and hold it as Aemelia adjusts the other two, keeping up friendly conversation the whole time, then produces a few pillows and padded mats to lay out on the couches. It was easy to notice which one was to be Peisandros' as his cushions were trimmed with red and gold, the ones for my Lady downright plain in comparison. A host's privilege I suppose but I found myself wishing I had something special to lay out for Rosa. Once the room was prepared we move on.