As Nilok carefully stretched and nursed his soreness, he looked out across the street and then up to the lofty citadel, dreaming once more of what might be. He held the bars as various women passed by with their slaves in tow; either ignoring him completely or giving brief glances of utter contempt. As his eyes followed the rear of a particularly shapely woman down the street, something touched one of his hands; it was the little girl he'd seen over to the west. She smiled pitifully at him and passed him a large ripe apple.
"Mistress Serena says this is for you." She smiled at him as he thanked her and skipped across the street and a little way down a side street. His heart raced as he saw the child link hands with the lovely Serena; she looked at him from afar and smiled weakly before turning guiltily away with the child in tow. He stood rigid against the bars, staring after her long after she had disappeared from sight.
Eventually he slumped down and groaned, cursing his forgetfulness as his back stung with pain. He looked at the apple; he wanted to keep it forever, but was hungry too. As he crunched through the morsel, he wondered how things would pan out; did she feel for him on only seeing him the once? Was this merely an act of pity or charity? How could he see her again?
As he ate even the core, a woman with four males on a chain rang the bell of the house. She gave Clara some money and Clara pointed at him. She opened the cage and struck him with a large stick, just for good measure. He winced with pain again as the rear of the chain was attached to his collar. The woman smiled dolefully at him.
"Ready for a nice day's work up at the citadel? I've paid good money so you'd better be; I'll cut your balls off otherwise." He was glad to get away from Clara, regardless of what toil lay ahead. Two more hapless males were collected as they were marched up the winding streets to the lofty citadel. He found it almost exhilarating when they traversed the narrow streets up near the base of the looming towers; he was able to look down and across the vista of Ovum Fortis and the forests and fields that lay beyond; somehow, he could just not get that forest out his mind, it was so inviting.
Eventually they entered the lower stories of the citadel. Just as he'd imagined, there were some very fine young women there. They giggled and waved at the grubby males from a veranda overlooking the area which was being newly constructed. A pretty, but assertive looking woman with tight leggings cracked a long whip through the air; it was apparent what would happen if they slacked.
He was given a leather sling- like object, with which he was to carry huge rocks from a pile below, up the winding stairs to where the masons worked. The whip was cracked behind him as he struggled at first; he soon got the technique, and spent several hours skipping up and down endless stairs. They were allowed breaks every so often, and as he sat his hands bled where he'd been over casual and dropped rocks on them occasionally.
As he took a cup of water in one hand, a slender hand took the other and gently washed the dirt from it, before applying a soothing cream to the cuts. It was one of the masons, who were all female and showed a great deal of kindness to their male labourers. This one was very pretty indeed and about half his age. She had him change hands and tended the other. A companion came over and whispered something in her ear.
"I think she'd like to take you home with her; I bet you'd like to make her comfortable too." Giggled the young woman; he smiled and was about to return the compliment when the conversation was cut short as the woman who'd taken him from Clara, loomed up and the masons waved goodbye.
"Back to work now; you're not on sale here, you know who your mistress is." He knew all too well, and picked up another rock. He had been hard at work, and as noon approached, he was allowed to sit once more. His hands were in better shape now; his technique had improved and the cream had eased the soreness. He gratefully downed several cups of cool water whilst chewing a stiff bread roll as he exchanged furtive glances with the pretty masons. Shortly before he was to be prompted back to his labours, the plaintive notes of a flute cut the air from the veranda; the notes were anything but expert and when the attempted tune ceased, he heard distant giggling from the building. After a pause, a bolder tune arose; it was expertly tuneful and pleasing to the ear, the lips that now blew knew how to hold a note.
As the associate of Clara motioned to her team to resume, he stood and was amazed at what he saw. There under the veranda with the girls he'd seen earlier was Serena. She stood, also transfixed as she stared straight at him, dropping the flute. The girls giggled and almost bumped heads in their haste to be the first to pick it up. Serena's face broke into a bewildered smile, as the breeze wafted her elegant hair to one side. A crack of the whip from the slender woman in the yard brought him swiftly to his senses, and he bent to pick his first rock of the shift, looking back and not believing his luck.
He now descended the stairs with impatience on each trip, and dwelt overly- long in the courtyard as he chose each rock, listening for the flute and hoping she was still there. Though the plaintive notes of the girls' music lesson had faded after an hour or so, he hoped upon hope that she'd still be there when he was allowed the final afternoon Break.
Serena had finished her scheduled tuition of the girls, and having watched him toil from the veranda, had extended things as long as she could. Her pupils were glad of the attractive woman's company and were happy she remained a little longer; she was not like the dragon who taught them violin. Serena tingled when she watched him; why had he risked punishment just to see where she lived? The little girl had told her of the man who stood by her house, and Bella had described 'Nilok' at the Manor. She had been strangely elated when the two huntresses had been able to say exactly who owned him, and where he was kept. She bade goodbye to the girls as the weary team began to assemble in the courtyard for the final break.
Nilok listened hard and sat down whilst looking urgently about him. As he leaned over and filled a cup, Serena stepped out and descended the steps that led down from the veranda, and stood next to a buttress which hid her from the guard. He nearly dropped the cup as he saw her standing not six feet from him; he walked smartly over without hesitation. He automatically knelt before her, obscured from the view of others by the buttress. She tingled a little more with the closeness of him; she'd love to watch him work in her garden or at the manor and then have his company in the evenings; he was very nice. She came to her senses; he was someone else's.
"Why did you come to my house, and then my manor? I could have you whipped for snooping about my property; why, males have been hanged just for suspicion of burglary!" He looked up at her and spoke in obvious sincerity,
"I just wanted to see you, I just find you so attractive." He looked at her and thought how he would willingly accept a whipping if she were to administer it. Blue eyes met green, and her pussy tingled with excitement at the idea of having him on his knees before her on a regular basis. He stood as a commotion behind them ruined the momentary idyll they shared.
"I'm only here once a week, I doubt I shall see you tomorrow." To his astonishment she grabbed his arms and kissed him on the cheek; he savoured the fragrance of her for just a moment, then she was gone, up the steps. His cock bulged from his leggings as he resumed his work.
At six, he was linked to the others and they were marched back down to where their various owners kept them; there was no burning sunset this evening, just dappled sunshine mixed with rain in the air, though this did not dampen his spirits. Clara dragged him in when he returned and dumped him in the bath. She got in with him and had him wash her fat body down. She constantly struck his arms and shoulders spitefully with a thin cane.
"I've heard how you flirted with those young masons; I'll teach you to be disrespectful to young women and put me to shame. You shall have a caning before you lick my arse tonight." She smiled dominantly down at him as he knelt and padded her dry. He rubbed her huge cheeks knowing his face would be engulfed by them soon; the globes wobbled mockingly at him as she teased him with the cane.
