To anyone who enjoys this unfolding story,
Please feel free to leave direct feedback. Comments are quite welcome, but I always love the chance to reply to you as well.
Yours,
TaraxXxTease
***
Of all the surprising elements of the new life Noah had stepped into—the exact scale of was most striking. The estate in all its glory stretched as far as he could see in every direction. Rising from the earth, the castle towered against a mountain cliff, disappearing into the stony abutment as if it had been carved from the rock itself. The sweeping openness of the green plateau dipped down to a crystal blue lake. Groomed to perfection, it was paradise on earth.
The warmth of her hand taking his to steady herself as she disembarked the carriage set Noah on fire. Kali seemed to effortlessly glide through life, using those around her with such certainty and comfort that it was as if he had always been there. "So what do you think?" she asked, straightening herself with an efficient flourish.
He hesitated, one part speechlessness, one part caution. "Go on, you can answer honestly," she smirked brushing past him toward the massive wooden double doors of the castle.
"It's amazing," he murmured finally finding his voice.
"You'll be familiarized with everything, and your duties. Cain is my head steward, so you can direct all your questions to him," she said over the low rumble of the door hinges. Noah didn't have time to wonder who, or what, was opening the doors before the exact number of servants became his primary question.
"Am I not to be serving you directly?" he asked nervously—what had he agreed to?
"You will, or else I wouldn't have brought you here. This will be your home for the rest of your life—and happily so," she said disappearing into the darkness of the castles interior. Noah followed, blinded by the transition in light. As his vision slowly returned in the dimness of the luxurious entry hall, his breath caught.
ALL—or at least, what Noah wrongly presumed to be all—of Kali's servants stood lined against the walls to greet her return. "Welcome home, Lady Kali," they spoke in unison. Noah's jaw lay on the floor as his Mistress glimpsed over her shoulder to him.
Most of the servants were male, though a smattering of ladies stood among the ranks. It was easy to see that among this gathering there were clear definitions of duty and hierarchy. A knot formed in his stomach as Noah realized he would be at the very bottom of this chain of command.
At the front of the servants, Cain stood with hands clasped behind his back. A towering example of male perfection, he oozed power that made Noah feel very nearly like a woman by comparison. "My Lady," he bowed slightly to Kali.
"Take this sweet boy down and find him some quarters amongst the house servants," she said. "Feed him, dress him, put him to task somewhere he can learn how things work."
"Is he to be caged?" Cain asked. A broad smile came over her face as she eyed Noah. The pit of his stomach was in knots listening to them discuss him as if he were not even there.
"Oh, I don't know. It's not as if he needs it, he'll have no relief without my say so," she mused to herself more than anyone else. Noah locked eyes with her, his heart beating in his throat. "But then again, perhaps it would be a kindness to help the poor boy focus. So, I suppose we should extend the courtesy... at least for a few days."
"Very good, My Lady," Cain nodded. Kali turned, and before Noah knew it, was gone from his sight. Cain loomed nearby.
"Do you have a name?" the Steward asked.
"I'm Noah Raker," Noah answered, finding it hard to lift his voice above a whisper. His fear, his excitement, his hope—they all seemed to be draining southward, collecting in the root of his cock.
"Well, you're just Noah from here forth. We have no family names here. You're property of Our Lady, and are expected to embrace the fact," Cain said firmly. The word "Property" settled on Noah like the weight of the mountain around them.
"I think I've made a terrible mistake," he breathed, taking but one step away from Cain before the larger man snatched Noah's upper arm.
"You've made no mistake, boy," the Steward said. Pulling Noah toward a servant's door discreetly located half hidden behind a tapestry. "And the rest of you! Back to it," he added, dismissing the waiting men and women.
***
The twisting turns of the castle interior felt like an inescapable maze, and Noah was willing to entertain the idea they were indeed planned to be just so. He followed close to Cain, losing all sense of direction inside the servant's passages and open rooms they slipped through.
Not a thing was said until Cain opened the door to a long hallway. "These are the quarters for the House Servants," he said. "Yours will be number 36."
The door swung open and Noah was pleasantly surprised to find not a cell, but instead a cozy room. He could smell the soft aroma of the feather bed, and against the far wall free flowing water ran from the mountain stone into a basin before draining onward in its voyage. "My word..." Noah marveled at the comfort as he stepped inside.
Cain followed, closing the door behind them. The heavy CLICK of the latch made Noah's awe evaporate, and the terrified feeling of his total helplessness return. "Disrobe," Cain commanded.
"Pardon?" Noah tried to sound calm.
"Disrobe. You'll wear clothes we provide—much more fetching than what you wear now," Cain shrugged and opened a chest at the foot of the bed. "Unless instructed otherwise by Our Lady or myself, you'll be expected to rise before the sun and help prepare the morning meal, after which you will assume your duties in keeping the interior of the Castle in premier condition. A small noontime meal will be provided to you by the cook staff, after which the House Servants gather for their fitness regiment in the Eastern lawn," Cain rattled off the itinerary effortlessly as he drew out the clothes for Noah and tossed them on the bed.
"Actually, I have quite the green thumb, I was hoping I might make myself of use doing a bit of gardening for you," Noah babbled, half meaning it, half stalling to keep from undressing before another man. Cain smirked.
"You wouldn't be able to keep up with the Outdoor Staff," he said. "And even if you could, Our Lady ordered that you be an House Servant, so that's what you'll be." CHUNK—Cain tossed something metallic onto the pile of clothes. "Why haven't you disrobed?" he asked, quickly losing patience for Noah.
"I uh—" Noah quivered, eyeing the strange apparatus gleaming against the sconce light.
"You're in over your head and you don't belong here," Cain said factually. "However, in time," he drew out the words as he advanced on Noah, "you'll come to fit in. Everyone always does. Our Lady is never wrong about such things."
The statement carried a weight of "disrobe before I undress you myself" to it. Noah's fingers fumbled as he tried to unbutton his shirt, and were all but useless when it came time to unbuckle his trousers. Heartbeats seemed to last for hours as he suddenly stood naked before Cain. Hands clasped demurely over his intimates, Noah looked at the floor.
"May I dress?" he asked, knowing deep down that everything would have to be done with permission from here forth.
"Cage first, then of course," Cain nodded. Noah kept one hand over himself as he picked up the metal cage, turning the coldness of it over in his hand. His mind raced trying to figure it out, but the thing was nearly like a puzzle box to him.
"I don't know... how to use it..." he breathed. Cain allowed the boy before him to squirm under the sting of his own innocence— a show that the Steward quite enjoyed. It was easy to see why Kali had brought Noah to the estate.