That afternoon the slave had been called to the steward's room, was informed of his various offenses against the rules of the house, told to strip, and had his wrists and ankles tied to the horse. He had then received a number – twelve or fifteen, he was too distracted to count – strokes of an instrument he particularly abominated, a sort of dog-whip that left thin raised weals and which stung like a fury. His buttocks and the very top of his thighs had been carefully attended to, and the procedure ended with several blows that crossed the stripes already created, which caused him to shriek and sob, writhing his buttocks in a vain attempt to escape the lash. Not an unusual event in his master's place of residence, but not any more palatable for occurring frequently.
He was then released and walked stiffly back to the slave quarters. His narrow buttocks bore an even pattern of raised stripes that interrupted their smooth paleness, while his small but well shaped cock, dusted with blonde hair, stood semi-erect. He was exhausted, yet oddly stimulated, by his whipping and his sexual labors earlier in the day; his mouth hurt and his small pink bud of an anus had not yet regained its tight closure, so that he almost felt the fluids his stern lover had deposited there, dribbling out. Arriving in his sleeping area, he flopped face down onto the cool linen of his bed and lay motionless.
"Did he lay it on very hard? You look pretty tender."
The speaker was Philip's age, except where Philip's straight golden hair, high cheekbones and full lips indicated an origin in the extreme North lands, the other's silky black hair, tawny skin and startling green eyes were typical of the area.
"I'll bring you a drink; there was spiced wine at supper."
His companion brought a cup and helped the semi comatose (and still nude) slave sip from it; he gently touched the other's bruised buttocks. When Philip flinched, he brought his hand quickly away.