0 comments/ 21579 views/ 5 favorites Aleksander Ch. 01 By: Aleksander One would think that upon waking up on one's birthday, they would feel joy, elation, or any other number of positive emotions. There would be presents, celebrations, friends, and family. After all, it was finally here, his twentieth birthday. It would be the greatest excess of a young man's life as he came of age. And yet Aleksander felt none of these things. Though there would be countless presents, hundreds of friends and family, and the celebrations would be the very definition of excess, it was none these things that left Aleksander feeling so low. His mind drifted back to the night before. * * * * * "Master Aleksander?" He snapped his eyes up from his writing. "What do you want, Marcus?" The younger slave cringed, his expression tinged with fear. "You said, once before, Master, that you wished to be informed if someone was being cruel to one of the slaves, sir." "And someone is?" The slave nodded, his head bobbing faster and faster. "I saw it down at the Market, sir, in the Belgar. A female slave, very comely, but obviously... abused, sir." "How so?" "To be entirely honest sir, it's rather hard to describe. Her body had been... defiled, sir, by her previous owner." Anger rose within Aleksander, flushing his desert darkened skin with a crimson hue. "Time and time again, I warn them. And yet, they never listen, Marcus. How many of the Twenty will I have to kill in order to make my point that this will not be tolerated!" Marcus watched as Aleksander set his writing tools down with a barely contained rage, sanded the lines that he had just been working on, and proceeded to grab his sword from a stand by the door and stride out, not even bothering to grab a tunic on the way. The sight of the young King, marching through the hall shirtless, and with sword in hand, was sight enough to send everyone running for their rooms. Possessed of a knowledge that Aleksander would never harm them, they nevertheless wished to be far away if he decided to harm someone else. And so the young King left the palace and commanded that his horse be made ready at the gate. His form and movements were nearly leonine in grace. Muscles rippled through his back as he gripped the sword in a ferocious anger, the great cat standing on the hilt quivered as though he felt it too. Aleksander leapt onto his horse; barely pausing to settle himself, he rode helter skelter through the city. The Merchant Quarter slipped past him, and soon the low walled structures of the Belgar, the slave quarter, began to pass him by as well. For many long year, Aleksander had argued with the Twenty Great Families of the Heged in order to improve the lives of the slaves. They were his people as well, they served a necessary function within the society, but that didn't mean that they were no human beings. He'd passed law after law, forbidding the abuse of a slave for any reason. The slaves had their own courts where they could bring their own or their betters up on charges, a court which Aleksander himself presided over. There were even those among the Twenty who had gone so far as to call him the Slave King, though the were always careful never to do so within his hearing. The slave market itself was located at the far end of the Belgar, butting up against the city walls. Even at this hour, the bidding had not opened on the slaves yet. Daylight hours were for viewing and deciding, then as the sun touched the mountains beyond the Great Desert, the bidding would begin. Or at least, that's how it would have happened on any other night. People heard the arrival of Aleksander long before they actually saw him. Hooves clatter on cobbled streets, and the shouts of the slaves and common people cheering for their King could be heard even at this great distance. When, at last he came around the corner of the lot which housed the Market, several of the slave owners began reconsidering their choices. A being of pure rage, the ride through the city had only enhanced Aleksander's anger. He cut a wide swath through the crowd as he walked toward the Surveyor's booth. "Why wasn't I informed that there was a slave here who had been abused?" He punctuated the statement by slamming his sword down onto the rickety wooden table, causing it to shake and clatter with uncertainty. "Your Maje-, Highness, we were unaware that any such slave exi—" The sound of a sword clearing its scabbard is a very unique sound, and possessed the power to silence an entire mob of shopping people. Panic swept through the crowd, and the stench of urine swelled up from beneath the Surveyor within his booth. "I am not a lenient man, Surveyor, nor am I a patient one. One of the servants in my household told me of a woman whose body had been defiled. I can't imagine there being more than one here at the moment, so I would hasten to suggest that if I do not locate her within the next 30 seconds, they will not locate your head for nigh on 30 years. Do I make myself understood?" The Surveyor, a balding, portly man in his middle years swallowed hard and brushed the sweat away from his eyes. "Of course, yo-yo-your m-m-aj Majest, right thi-this way?" Once shown the direction that he needed to go in, Aleksander shoved the fat Surveyor aside and strode through the crowd with murderous intent. In truth, he was surprised that he hadn't noticed the woman before. She lay naked upon the sand, with naught but a frail piece of age old cloth to cover her. Marcus had been right, the woman was beautiful, almost beyond compare, but her body had indeed been defiled, in the strangest of ways. Tattoos, of what Aleksander could only suspect were designs of some sort of monstrous beast encircled her breast and shoulder on the right side. Another, smaller design curled around the left side of her navel and drew a small if rather visible and direct arrow towards the woman's obviously abused sex. But that wasn't the worst of it. The woman's body had been pierced, in half a hundred different places, the holes from these wounds plugged with metal pieces in order to prevent them from healing properly. Her face contained the fewest of these metal plugs, her breasts, pierced straight through the nipple in not one, but several locations, each contained six or seven. Her navel, as well, contained several of the pieces, surrounded by the tattooed designs that led Aleksander's eyes ever lower. Her neck however, was the truest atrocity. Dozens of holes had been placed in the woman's neck and throat, and plugged with the same metal pieces as everywhere else. Aleksander whirled and grabbed the fat Surveyor, casting him to the ground beneath the point of his sword. "Make your peace with the gods once and for all, Surveyor, you will meet them shortly." In the hushed silence, a small voice, quieter than a whisper arose. "Master Aleksander, this man was only doing his job. Loathsome though he may be, his inattention should perhaps not warrant an immediate execution." Spinning around to face the voice, Aleksander found himself looking at the naked woman face to face. Sometime in the moments that passed she had stood up, though her arms appears to be uncomfortably strained by the position she was standing in. "Forgiveness is an admirable quality in a woman, not a King. Please, Lady, do not worry your conscience over this maggot." He turned immediately back to the man on the ground before him. "Aleksander, don't kill him!" The words were a plea, still harsh and whispered. Sword high in the air, prepared for the killing stroke, Aleksander paused. "You care so much for the life of a man who would simply have sold you back into slavery without a word of your condition?" "My condition is none of his concern, Master Aleksander, nor yours, unless you wish to purchase me." Aleksander was flabbergasted. Some of the greatest men in the land wouldn't dare speak to him in that tone of voice, much less a woman who could barely talk for all the holes in her throat. "Fair enough then, let us make it my concern then, shall we? Surveyor. I give you back your life, in fair trade for this woman's service." He lowered his voice and spoke again in a tone much more frightening. "Never, in all your remaining years, forget the service that this woman just did you. And never, under any circumstance, give me cause to regret this bargain." The crowd began to disperse as the King moved towards the woman. None of them wanted to become the object of his irritation, and the only way to insure it was to remove themselves from him path. "Do you have a name, Lady?" "Saavedra, Master Aleksander." "And how have you come to know my name?" "You are the Slave King, Master Aleksander, a man who has done more for us in a handful of years than his predecessors have done in an equal handful of centuries. It would be a poor show of gratitude if I knew not who you were, Master?" "Stop calling me that, my name is Aleksander, and I give you free reign to use it whenever you wish. Now, wrap this about yourself... "He handed her a spare saddle blanket. "... and hang on to me while we proceed back to the palace." She did as she was told, quickly and without argument, and they rode back to the palace in virtual silence. Upon arrival, he spoke briefly with Marcus and the palace chamberlain, then ordered Saavedra to accompany them and have herself bathed and checked out by his personal physician, then both she and the physician were to attend him in his study. A brief nod and a whispered "of course, Master," were all the response he got. For nearly two hours, Aleksander paced the length of his drawing room. His muscled shoulders tensed when he finally heard the knock on the door and relaxed immediately when the physician, followed by Saavedra, entered the room. "Master Aleksander." Her tone was demure, her head bowed in acquiescence. Someone had dressed her in a light, gauzy garment that was virtually see through in the correct lighting. She knelt quickly on the floor, revealing the physician, Farris, behind her. "Alek... it is good to see you." The old physician greeted the young King informally, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're looking well." "Of course, old friend, with the likes of you to look after my health, how could I not be?" The two men chuckled amongst themselves for a moment before Aleksander took on a serious tone again. "So, tell me, Farris, how bad is the damage?" "To be honest, Alek, there isn't any." "WHAT?!" Aleksander roared at the old physician. "What do you mean there is no damage, look at her!?" "What I meant to say, Alek, is that she is in perfect health. I don't know who her previous master was, but the man was either very skilled, or very lucky. None of the punctures shows any signs of infection, current or previous, and the tattoos are just as healthy as those that the Royal Guard members receive, though hers are perhaps more extensive and intricate." "So what're you telling me, Farris?" "What I'm telling you, Aleksander, is that the young lady was never harmed any more than the initial wounds, which aside from the piercings in her nipples, I would probably say was minimal." Aleksander knew he must have looked ridiculous with his mouth hanging open like that, but he really couldn't help but be shocked at the news the old doctor had given him. He'd expected the woman to be riddled with infections and diseases, to be in dire straights, but this... "Do you remember the foreign soldier that you met when you were younger, Alek? The horseman who taught you to ride so well?" "Of course, I could never forget Durgan and what he taught me." "Well, if you will recall, Durgan, had a number of markings like these as well. These here..." he indicated several metal hoops which passed through the girl's earlobe,"... are probably virtually painless. Some cultures use them as a sign of heritage, honors, or rank. Though I can not speak for the rest of them." "Thank you, Farris, I believe it's time I had a talk with the young, Saavedra about her previous master." "Very well, Highness. I bid you, as always, fond farewell and goodbye." * * * * * "Well, Saavedra, it seems that you are in good working order, according to Master Farris. I admit that I find this surprising." "I am touched by your concern, Master Aleksander." Aleksander growler, a deep low sound that brought the girl's eyes up in a flash. "I told you, Saavedra, you're free to call me Aleksander." "Master Aleksander, in telling me that I am free to call you by your birth name, you do me great honor, and do not think for a moment that I do not feel the weight of that honor. However, I believe that in giving me that freedom, you also give me the freedom to ignore it and call you by the name I see most fit for you." "You are immensely well spoken for a slave, Saavedra, and I will admit that your logic is flawless, I had not considered it in that fashion. Now, explain a few things to me, Saavedra." "Of course, Master. Anything you wish." "First, tell me of your old master. Who was he, and what manner of man was he that he should mark you so?" Her voice still came out as a soft, breathy whisper, a sound so light that you could feel it caressing your ears before entering. "My former master is of no consequence, Master, he was an artist who believed that all the world should be his canvas. Some of his creations were beautiful beyond words, and some of his creations were horrible beyond mention. Regardless, he is beyond the boundaries of your kingdom and thus your authority." "Be careful, Saavedra, as King, I am the one who decides the extent of my authority. I do not wish to be told my duties and responsibilities by a girl such as yourself." "Of course, Master Aleksander." "How far beyond the reaches of my kingdom?" "Nearly 400 leagues, Master Aleksander..." She thought for a moment,"...beyond what you call the Stormhorns." Aleksander nodded again, trying to hide his shock behind his hand. "And how, pray tell, did you come here from a master beyond the Stormhorns?" "I escaped my previous master nearly two hundred days ago, Master Aleksander. I sought refuge with desert nomads and the wandering peddlers, hoping that sooner or later one of them would bring me here, to Kippling." "Why were you in the Market then, down in Belgar. If you escaped that long ago, you could easily have passed as a free citizen here in the city." "I'm afraid I don't understand, Master Aleksander." Aleksander shook his head. He knew he was missing something, something that would unravel the puzzle which lay before him, but for the life of him he could not discover what it was. "You say you traveled across the desert with the nomadic tribes and some of the peddlers. I presume that you did not reveal to them that you were a runaway slave?" "Of course not, sir, that would have led to them returning me to my master." "Then how was it you came to be in the Market here in Kippling? Did someone report you as a runaway?" "No sir, I was there of my own accord." "You were WHAT?!" "There of my own will, sir. Truth be known, and I swear it to all the gods as true, I was waiting for you, Master Aleksander." Aleksander resumed his circuitous path around the room, pausing every once in a while to look at the strange woman who knelt so calmly and serenely on the floor. She carried herself with the dignity of a queen and yet she had been at the slave market, looking for him? He shook his head and poured himself a glass of brandy from the decanter on his writing table. "Would you like something to drink, Saavedra?" "Yes, Master, thank you." He handed her the glass and poured himself another. Before he had even turned around she had resumed her kneeling position on the floor. "Saavedra. You said you were waiting for me, why?" "I wished to become a slave in your service, Master Aleksander." He, of course, had no idea of how to respond to such a statement. Instead, Aleksander shook his had, almost sadly. The idea of desiring to be in the service of someone else just didn't make any sense to him. But then, he'd been raised to be King. Silence hung heavy in the room, and tension thick enough to be nearly tangible. "Saavedra, I admit to being flattered at your desire to be in my service, but I'm afraid I don't understand." "It's not necessary that you understand right now, Master Aleksander. That's not necessary at all." "What skills do you possess that you will lend towards the household?" "None, Master Aleksander, I am not a servant in that nature." "What do you mean, 'not a servant in that nature'?" "In my previous master's household, I was the highest of all his bed slaves. I was responsible for the training and physical well being of all the girls in the household as well as being the master's preferred bedmate." "YOU WERE A SEX SLAVE TO THE MAN WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" The cry was a roar of fury. Something in Aleksander's mind snapped, and the anger which he'd kept barely in check all day raged out of control. He ranted and raved, screaming at her, face to face, trying to provoke some sort of reaction from her. He threw things, and destroyed countless objects which encountered his path and thus his temper and ill will. Then there was blackness. * * * * * Aleksander only realized that a full day had passed since his blackout because the sun was higher than it had been the previous day. Someone had stripped him of his clothes and bundled him in between the sheets of his massive bed. Someone who slept soundly on a pile of pillows near the corner of the room. Saavedra. He hadn't even realized that he'd spoken aloud until she lifted her head and regarded him with warm brown eyes. She stood, utterly naked again, and moved over towards him. Her body had a languid sort of motion to it that made him think of sex, that made his body think of sex. "Good morning, Master Aleksander. How're you feeling?" Aleksander looked around, searching for some sign of his mood the night before, but either he'd never made it in here, or it had all been cleaned up since. "I'm feeling better, I believe, Saavedra." He started to move, started to get himself up and out of bed, and didn't realize until too late that his body had responded even more than he had to the pretty young girl before him. After several fumbled attempts to cover himself up, Aleksander looked up to find that Saavedra was actually chuckling to herself, laughing at him. "Master Aleksander, I apologize for laughing, but perhaps you do not remember all of last night's events?" Aleksander blinked a few times trying to piece together her comment. "It is not the first time I have seen you unclothed, Master." Aleksander blanched. What had he done last night? "You were magnificent, Master." Her breathy whisper of a voice took on an even more erotic tone. "One moment you were destroying the room around you, the very image of uncontrolled fury, screaming, raging and maddeningly beautiful, Sir." He looked on, disbelieving as she was clearly aroused by whatever had happened the night previous. "When you'd calmed down slightly, I offered my services in helping prepare your bath. You balked several times at my attempts to serve you, but after a brief but rather heated argument you acquiesced, and agreed to take me as your bed-slave." For some reason, Aleksander thought that he would've remember something like that, but in truth there were marks upon her body that had not been there the night previous. Bite marks, by her shoulders, fingerprint bruises on arms... the evidence did seem to point towards her story. Saavedra moved in closer to him and he felt the warmth of her skin on his coupled with the cold touch of metal. She lay her hand against his chest and ran one of her long nails across the smooth skin there. Aleksander Ch. 01 "I understand that today is your name-day, Master Aleksander." "My birthday, yes." "Let me show you, Master Aleksander, the services which a bed-slave can provide you. And this time, I will make certain that you remember." Aleksander tried to back pedal away from her, to get himself some space to think, to come up with all the reasons why this was a terrible idea that his cock simply hadn't caught on to yet. The problem was, in backing away he succeeded only in knocking himself prone on the bed. "Not very graceful this morning, are you, Master Aleksander?" "Aleksander, my name is Aleksander, woman! I swear I will teach you that name if it is the lats thing I do!" "Of course, Master Aleksander. Now, roll over onto your stomach for me, sir." When he didn't move fast enough, Saavedra ushered him along, clucking at his inability to follow even the simplest instructions, all the while addressing him formerly and caressing every inch she could reach. When he had finally rolled completely onto his stomach, and adjusted himself into a comfortable position, he heard her speak again. This time her voice was right next to his ear, and the effect it had upon his body would've been immediately obvious had he been laying the other way. "First, Master Aleksander, you need to relax. My position as a bed-slave goes far beyond simple sexual service. It is my responsibility to make sure that you are taken care of, even when you refuse to take care of yourself." He felt her hands then, hot against his skin like a thing alive. "Now, take a deep breath, Aleksander." Her voice, coupled with the use of his name brooked no argument. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he could literally feel the layers of muscle parting beneath her hands. In that moment, he could sense all the things that had been bothering him for months, even years, slipping away. "That's it, Master, much better. Do you feel the difference there?" Her hands continued to work as she gave him what amounted to a guided tour of his own body. "This, here..." She pressed her fingers into the bed of muscles in his shoulders. "This is where you carry your anger, your tension. It's the muscles that control your sword arm, and the power of your swing. When it is tensed like this, your aim will not be as true, and your power diminished, Master. You should be taking better care of yourself." "Yes, Saavedra." The words slipped from his mouth so quickly he almost didn't realize that he had said them. "Good. Now... Roll over again." Not wanting to wait in order to find out what sort of pleasure the young girl had in store for him, Aleksander rolled over without hesitation. Saavedra straddled his hips, and with a practiced motion dropped herself so that his entire cock was now embedded within her. A sharp cry, louder than any sound he'd heard her make before pierced the room. After a moment, she was still, just holding him inside her. "Aleksander..." Her voice was hypnotic, and the way she said his name seared into his soul. "You have such, potential, Master, such raw unused, unknown power within you..." Sensing something of importance coming from her, Aleksander kept his mouth shut, listening rather than commenting. "I came to Kippling for you, Master. A man, Durgan, told me that you had the makings of a great man within you. That you had the gift of a man born on a horse, and the powers of a man of the sands. I didn't know what he meant...I didn't understand all of it, until just a little while ago." "You possess so much, and yet you give so much back to us. To the slaves, to your people. You can be kind, caring, loving and tender; you have the ability to cradle us in your hand and take care of us, and you do. Yet you are not soft. You are a man of the desert, a man of these lands. You're sun darkened skin, your sun-bleached hair, hard muscles earned by years of fighting for a kingdom that you believed it. And you are angry, aggressive, passionately violent. You are like the great cat of your family coat, switching effortlessly from one to the other." "You could be so much more than what you are now, you could be so much happier with your life. I came to you because I desired to be the slave of the Slave King, of the man who has made us human again. But I have seen you know, I have seen many sides of you even in our brief knowledge of one another. Last night you fucked me like a beast gone wild. It was, as I said before, magnificent. Passionate to the point of madness, your love bites made me scream, your fingers made me howl, and I would forever keep coming back to serve you if you knew of no other way." As she spoke now, she began to move, sliding all the way up to the tip of his cock and letting it rest for just a second before driving herself back down on it. "But you are so much better than a beast, and so much more than a simple man. Take me, please." "Saavedra..." Aleksander let the name die on his lips as he saw the fire in her eyes. There was no convincing her otherwise. And once the first step was taken, there would be no turning back. "Aleksander... Master, please. I want to be your slave. Not the Slave King's." She punctuated the remark by slamming herself down onto him again. "Yours." In a movement nearly too quick to follow, Aleksander threw her off and slammed her up against the wall with enough force to shake the room. Her cry echoed through the vaulted chamber and her long nails raked at his back. With a single thrust he buried himself inside of her and proceeded to draw himself back and slam her into the wall over and over again. Her screams were nothing more than her normal breathy whisper at higher volumes, and each time she cried out into his ear it drove him further and further towards the edge of madness. Finally, unable to support both of their weight any longer, he carried her over to the bed, feeling only vaguely the bloody trails that she had carved into his shoulders. Dropping her on the bed, he crawled over top of her, letting himself give in to all of the urges that she obviously had enjoyed before. Baring his teeth, he wrapped his arms tight around her body and drew her into a tight hug before sinking them slowly, lovingly and viciously into her shoulder. He could feel her body shake with orgasm as he held his teeth in place. Aleksander could feel her body trying to line itself up to get his cock back inside her. But not yet, if she want to be a slave, then a slave she would be... "Saavedra..." He spoke the name into her ear, gently, like a lover would. "Yes, Master Aleksander?" "I think it's time for a change of pace. Get down on your knees." To be continued... Aleksander Ch. 02 "You can be kind, caring, loving and tender; you have the ability to cradle us in your hand and take care of us, and you do. Yet you are not soft. You are a man of the desert, a man of these lands. Your sun darkened skin, your sun-bleached hair, hard muscles earned by years of fighting for a kingdom that you believed in. And you are angry, aggressive, passionately violent." "Passionate almost to the point of madness..." "So much better than a beast..." "So much more than a simple man..." Aleksander woke with those words ringing in his head for the fourth time in as many days. Every day since he had heard them, those words haunted him. He glanced to his right, at the strange and exotic woman who occupied the other portion of his enormous bed. As horrifying as those metal piercings had seemed to him upon his initial impression, he couldn't picture Saavedra without them, or the compilation of tattoos that seemed to accompany them. He moved from the bed to his writing desk, as his did every morning, and began the slow process of recording his thoughts and dreams. I am haunted now by a vision of that first night with Saavedra. Her words have opened a channel within me that I do not understand. I dream strange dreams now, of another city on the far side of the desert where terrible things are happening. I dream of war. I ride at the head of an army, my hair longer, and a terrible scar upon one side of my face... To my right is Durgan, the tribal horse-master. To my left is Lukas Far, one of my father's trusted lieutenants and one of my staunchest supporters since taking the thrown. I cannot see the opposing army, only shadows and dust riding into battle on steeds of sand. Never before in my life have I felt such fear... And each time, I hear her voice, whispering those words to me, telling me that I have the potential to be so much more than I am... to be so much more than a simple man. Aleksander closed the leather bound journal and sat for a moment, staring into nothingness. It wasn't until he felt the manicured nails of his bed-mate that he stirred from the memory of his dream and began to think other thoughts... darker thoughts. With a flick his wrist he seized hold of Saavedra and pulled her to her knees in front of him. A gasp escaped her and her brown eyes flared with sexual excitement. As he untied the lightweight sleeping robe, she reached forward and seized his cock in her hand. "Good morning, Master Aleksander." Her voice was demure, and still just as breathy as always, but there was something more to it this morning. A tinge of tonality that he hadn't heard before... a hint of joking, perhaps? She leaned forward and took his steeled member deep into her mouth, swirling her tongue along the shaft as she pushed herself further down. A quick moment passed before Saavedra pulled herself away, allowing a string of saliva to extend from her tongue to the purple head of his cock. Exaggerating the motion for his benefit, she lifted her hand to her lips and licked her palm, wetting its entire length before using it to grab hold of his rigid pole. Slick now with her own lubrication, she went back to working, licking, sucking and stroking her way down his cock, until there was nothing left but his balls hanging just below her lips. Aleksander cried out as he felt his orgasm beginning to rise. Even after four nights of sampling this exotic beauty's talents, she still amazed him with every new trick that she used upon him. Though he loathed the practice of keeping bed-slaves; it amounted to little more than rape, in his mind, he couldn't argue the benefits that some of the other members of the Twenty great families had argued before. Not when her delicious mouth was wrapped around his cock like this. Saavedra let his cock slide out of her throat and began the ascent up his shaft. As soon as it cleared her mouth, Aleksander lunged out of the chair and grabbed her, pushing her face down across the bed as he mounted her from behind. "Yes, Master!" She cried out, her words echoing in the large chamber. "Please, fuck me, Master Aleksand...." Her words were lost as he shoved his cock deep inside her, bottoming out against her back wall with a single stroke. She shook and grabbed the bed sheets in her fist as her body started to convulse with her first orgasm. "Oh, Gods ABOVE!" Her scream was ripped from her body, the breathy whisper raising in pitch until it went beyond the range of his hearing. Aleksander grabbed her small body by the hips and gave himself over to the moment, pounding his long cock deep into her cunt on every single stroke. She cried out over and over again, thrusting herself back into him, trying to increase the force of his strokes even more. Tired of not being able to see her face or hear her screams right in his ear, Aleksander pulled his cock out of her dripping pussy and spun her around. She lay back onto the bed, legs spread wide with one hand diddling her clit, watching him approach. Her eyes widened as he crawled between her legs and hitched her legs up over his shoulders. "Master... Please..." Saavedra's words took on a begging tone. "Fuck me... please, Master Aleksander... Let yourself go..." Aleksander dipped his head down between her smooth thighs and ran his tongue straight from her puckered rosebud all the way up and over to her clit. He dove down again, spearing her asshole with his tongue, teasing her clit with his fingers as he began to make a slower and gentler circuit around her pussy. Using his hands and mouth to explore every inch of her dripping wet snatch, Aleksander took his time and enjoyed himself. Saavedra might beg and plead with him to fuck her, might demand that he think only of his own needs, but he would have none of that. This was something he enjoyed just as much. Nor could Saavedra deny the effect that his explorations had upon her body. The first orgasm had rocked her world to its foundation, and now, aftershocks and tremors rand through her body constantly under his assault. Writhing back and forth upon the bed, she mewled her pleasure out softly now, rather than screaming it to the high heavens above. Finally, Aleksander found what he'd been looking for. Hooking two fingers against the wall of her pussy, Aleksander found the sweet spot, the one spot that would drive her insane, no matter what he had visited upon her before that moment. Saavedra exploded. Her eyes shot open and her hands seized Aleksander by the hair, pulling him hard into her pussy as it expelled load after load of delicious cum into his mouth and onto his face. Her shook uncontrollably now, holding onto him for support as much as to prolong her own pleasure. When it finally passed, and Saavedra lay back on the bed again, Aleksander moved his body until his cock lay even with her mouth. "Slow and gentle now, Saavedra, I'm in no great hurry this morning." "Of course, Master Aleksander..." She cuddled her head against the strong muscles of his leg. "Thank you, for that, Master... it was... magnificent." Aleksander laughed. "I think we're going to have to teach you other words for that. You use magnificent a little too often." A warm laugh floated up from between his legs, and a tongue snaked out to caress his balls. "We'll just have to trade then, you teach me the finer points of languages, and I'll teach you... other things." She grinned, and for a moment, Aleksander was lost. No more was there a bed-slave between his legs. Just a woman, exotic and beautiful, with some of the strangest ideas he had ever heard. She laughed and loved, she lived and breathed... In that moment, he was tempted to demand that she give up service as his bed-slave and simply become him lover... but she seemed determined to keep that position, seemed to truly want to be a slave, no matter how hard he tried to convince her otherwise. And then she deep-throated his cock in a single stroke, and Aleksander forgot every thought that he'd had within the past two years. For the next twenty minutes or so, he lay there, propped up on one elbow enjoying a long, luxurious cock-sucking from the beautiful creature between his legs. He could feel his orgasm building now, threatening like the clouds of the summer storms. "Saavedra..." His voice was a whisper now, raspy from disuse. Her hand doubled its speed stroking him to further and further heights of passion. "Saavedra..." He tried to cry out, but the pressure was building too quickly. All of a sudden, he felt his cock slip past the ring of muscles, into her throat. And then the explosion began. Lights flared behind his eyes, like something from the Illuminators night-flowers. He could feel his body pumping jet after jet of his seed down Saavedra's gullet and into her stomach. When he regained control of his voice, he let loose a roar which surely would've woken anyone still sleeping in the palace. It dragged on and on, until his orgasm finally thundered one last time and subsided. Saavedra was a moment in recovering. A small rivulet of his seed had escaped her talented lips and ran down her chin. On impulse, he leaned forward and licked it from her chin and then kissed her full force on the mouth. The taste was unusual, given that it was a combination of her lips and his, her sex, and his, all thrown together as their tongues wrestled briefly. She gasped as he broke the kiss, he entire body flush with sexual desire. "That..." "What?" Aleksander looked at her, a small smirk on his face. "You do not know it, Master Aleksander, but what you have just done is considered a great honor, by many... Masters do not normally share their concubines love of their seed. Many are repulsed at the very idea of kissing their bed-slave, much less one who has just had it in their mouth. And to clean my face that way... You've no idea the compliment you've given me..." She bowed, knees apart head all the way to the bed, in the most subservient position he'd ever seen. Aleksander looked poleaved. His jaw dropped and he simply could not find the words to start speaking. Thankfully he was saved by a knock at the door. Saavedra slid from the bed and pulled her sleeping gown from the corner post. Only Marcus would knock upon the door at this hour, and the man simply could not get used to her answer the door completely nude. So, she had taken to keeping a sleeping robe nearby in case of just such a situation. Aleksander lay back on the bed as they conversed at the door. He tried to listen, but their words were hushed and they made no effort to speak up for his behalf. Surely Saavedra would tell him in just a few moments what it was all about. In truth it was less than that. No sooner had the thought trekked across his brain but she came back to the bed and helped him to his feet. "Merius Drakestone is here and requesting an immediate audience, my Lord. I've taken the liberty of having Marcus draw you a bath and lay out some clothes for you." "Drakestone?" Aleksander tried to fit all the details of the man together. One of his strongest opponents among the Heged, the Twenty great families. Drakestone hated everything that Aleksander stood for. He had evaded countless demands for face-to-face meetings in the past, why in the gods names would he seek one now? "I don't know, my Lord, though I suspect it is no small matter if it bring your enemy to your doorstep." Aleksander nodded. "Lead me to this bath then, Saavedra. Much though I would love to leave him waiting for eternity, as he has done to me in the past, I must not." Two attendants waited within the bath chamber to help him disrobe and clean himself, but Aleksander found himself growing frustrated with their clumsy hands. "Gentlemen, if you will excuse us, the lady will attend me for this morning. Go about your other duties." The two men looked shocked for a moment, and then bowed, leaving through the small door at the back of the room. Immersing himself completely within the scalding hot water, Aleksander heaved a huge sigh of relief. Saavedra knelt behind him, just outside the massive brass tub, and began to work her magic upon the muscle in his shoulders. "You are truly blessed, Saavedra. The gods have given you many, many gifts." "Thank you, Master. I do try." Aleksander laughed. "You succeed admirably, I assure you." He lay his head back and allowed the hot water to penetrate his muscles to the deepest core. Saavedra prompted him now and again to take deep breaths, and to relax even further into her grip. And so he did. "Aleksander..." The words caused him to open his eyes, instantly aware of everything around him. It was only the second time she'd ever spoke his birth-name without a title of some sort attached to it. "What is it, Saavedra?" "Master, I have a bad feeling about this meeting. Something is not right." Aleksander slumped down into the tub again, relaxing back into her grip. "I can understand the thought, but I'll be surrounded by guards, and so will he. Nothing could possibly happen." "I feel as though something terrible is going to happen, Master. I can just feel it." Aleksander sighed and began scrubbing himself with the rough cloth that the gentlemen had left, scraping the sweat from his skin. "Will it make you feel better if you're there?" He felt her nod behind him, still digging into his muscles. "You can not, obviously, be on the floor, for the meeting, but if you want you can stand hidden on the balcony... You'd have to be under guard... but if it will make you feel better, I could arrange it." With those words, Aleksander realized that he was in over his head. And as Saavedra leaned forward to wrap her arms around him, he came to the conclusion that he really didn't care. "Thank you, Aleksander..." * * * * * It was nearly half an hour later that he found himself seated at a low table, waiting for Marcus to show the man in. Cushions had been heaped generously around the table for any retainers he might have brought, and there was of course, Orusko; a very potent tea which was brewed and served cold during informal meetings such as this one. Aleksander surveyed the room and himself one more time in an effort to make sure that everything was as it should be. Ten guards stood with their backs to the great columns that held up the balcony, with two more guarding Saavedra's position upon it. She was well hidden among the shadows of the upper floor, aided by the dampened lamps of that particular hallway. He'd chosen his own outfit to be something slightly more impressive and yet far more casual than what Marcus had chosen for him, much to the servant's dismay. Instead of his formal white robes, Aleksander had chosen a pair of loose fitting white trousers topped with a vividly blue sleeveless tunic. It showed off his warriors build to the best degree out of all his clothing, and was still nice enough to be seen as worthy of the company he was receiving. No sooner than he had finished scanning the room again, came the knock announcing Marcus' return with their guest. It had been nearly two years since he had last seen Merius. His eldest son had come of age and been inducted formally into the ranks of the Heged, an event which even Merius, with his determined hatred of Aleksander, could not find a reasonable method to avoid. He looked much the same as he had then. No new battle scars graced his features, and he was, as ever, dressed resplendently in the dark green and silver of his family. Clean shaven with a deeply creased face, tanned permanently by the desert son, he carried himself with the air of a man who thought he should be the King. Aleksander stood to greet him, and bestowed upon him a friendly smile. "Merius, old man, it has been far too long since you have graced this table. Please, sit, drink, and let us forget for a time the heat of the day." Merius laughed lightly at the greeting. It was a bastardized version of the formal and informal greetings, meant to show respect and familiarity, but not necessarily the bonds that the two men should have held. "My King, it has indeed been a long time. Family business has kept me from your table, just as Kingly business has kept you from mine." The two shook hands briefly, each measuring the other before Aleksander pulled away and indicated the cushions he'd arranged for the man. "Sit, and let us get down to business." "Ahhh, Aleksander, a man after my own heart." He sat, throwing himself unceremoniously down on the cushions. "Would you care to pour the orusko?" Aleksander did, and for a moment the two sat in silence. Pouring the tea was a ceremony unto itself, a ritual rife with tradition and laden with hidden meanings. If he poured less for himself than his guest, it would mean that he felt that Merius was his superior, if he poured more for himself, that the man was his inferior. And that was only the beginning. Satisfied that he'd not been slighted too terribly, Merius picked up his cup and took a deep drink of the tea. "Ahhh... let it never be said that our King does not possess excellent taste, yes?" Aleksander's patience was running thin. "Indeed, though it should also not be said that he is lazy, and prone to sitting around with guests all day. So perhaps you could tell me, Merius, why after avoiding me for two years, you have sought me out so suddenly this morning?" The older man looked as though he'd been slapped. "You know, Aleksander, you are not your father. You don't have half the charisma and bearing that he had. As I have always said, you are far too soft." "Get to the point, Merius." "Raids, Lord Aleksander, along the borders of the desert. Men flying a black flag with some sort of beast upon it. I lost nearly a hundred men in a raid upon one of my supply trains last week, and it is not the first time." "Why have I not heard of this before?" "You seemed to be too busy making public spectacles in slave markets to be bothered with such petty news about the security of your kingdom." "You'd best watch your tongue, Merius. I might not be my father, but I am easily twice your better as a warrior, and you well know it." "Why you arrogant little-" Merius was cut off by a ruckus outside the door. Marcus shouted something indistinct, and then there were sounds of a fight, clashing weapons, so near that Aleksander could almost feel the crash of the blades. "ALEKSANDER, LOOK OUT!" The shout had come from the balcony, from Saavedra's position, hidden amongst the pillars. He turned to look towards her almost before the message got to his brain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glint of movement too fast to follow. Pain seared through his body and his vision blurred. Something inside of him snapped, and he let loose a roar as he grabbed for the knife that Merius held in his hands. Hands reached for him, too many hands to fight... He came to quickly, to find his arms pinned down beside him. "Hold him down!" The words were shouted somewhere behind him. Merius' face came into his line of sight, and his head was held in place by another pair of hands. "You are nothing! You were born as nothing, you've lived as nothing and you will die as nothing! Broken and ashamed, the Kingdomless King, wandering the desert alone until its dark sands claim whatever life I leave to you." The smell of hot iron penetrated his nostrils, but he couldn't move his eyes enough to locate the source. "Here lies the Slave King!" Merius' voice was triumphant. "Let all see him for what he really is!" The smell of burning flesh came before the pain... Then, there was the pain. Crisp, clear, and beyond anything he had every experienced. Aleksander Ch. 02 "NO!" Somewhere in the distance, he heard her words, her heard screaming in his defense. He knew that he would kill them, if they hurt her. Somewhere inside him, the great cat roared, demanding to be let loose. And outside, he roared as well.