Elizabeth's Roman Awaening

26.

Joseph had arranged to have Diane and Karen's luggage delivered to his yacht, the Malreine. In the meantime, He commanded Harun to drive them to the Fortunato al Pantheon in the historic district so they could have a taste of the most authentically ancient areas of the city. Along the way, he offered a running commentary on areas of interest, including an archaeological dig on the Via Argentina that his family was funding. He was quite proud of the fact and both Diane and Karen could plainly sense his pride.

He explained to them that during the Etruscan epoch, Africans from the White Nile, probably from what is now Rwanda, had come to this area and subjugated the more primitive peoples. He explained that a plague, caused by unsanitary conditions in the ancient Tiber River, had wiped out the African conquerors. If not for the plague, Africa would have ruled the world, or at least the ancient world.

Seeing the disbelief on Diane's face, he smiled and arched an eyebrow. She felt flustered and her blushing cheeks clearly signaled the fact. Joseph waited for her to speak. When she tightly held her lips together, Joseph offered, "You have doubts, I see?"

Diane shook her head slightly then finally spoke as the car came to an abrupt halt. She said, "Well, I just doubt that a bunch of ignorant, primitive nig...". She halted and bit her lip, staunching the word she was about to utter. She continued, "What I mean, Prince Joseph, or your highness or whatever, is that none of the history books that I learned from say anything about Africans and I find it hard to believe that in ancient times, anybody but white people ruled the world," she paused and then added, "With all due respect I mean."

Her tone dripped with sarcasm, but Joseph did not respond in kind, preferring to educate her instead. "On the contrary, dear lady. Both Asian and Black African civilizations were quite superior in ancient times. It's more a case of who writes the history books. Even today however, African-bred warrior prowess is recognized to be unsurpassed. If I am not mistaken, black men and even women serve in your country's military far in excess of their percentage of the population. Certainly, you must also admit that most of the top-flight athletes are black. Is that not so?"

Diane did not acknowledge this but Karen nodded her head slightly in apparent agreement. Joseph turned in her direction. "Karen, I was in your country recently, and what I observed was that interracial dating amongst women your age and younger is rising sharply and, more and more, young Caucasian women are preferring black lovers. Even your television advertising is reflecting what is becoming commonplace. Until recently, my older brother was regent at a university that promotes interracial familiarity and understanding. At first, he was surprised that young white women were choosing to attend in such large numbers. It has become quite a success story and now there are three other universities following the same path."

He did not add that Hank and a number of other wealthy blacks had formed a non-profit organization expressly to grant scholarships to young caucasian women with "promoting interracial familiarity" foremost in its agenda. Indeed, their Africa Rising organization had been quietly promoting people into positions of authority and creating policies to forward this goal.

The four of them were sitting two abreast in the limousine with Joseph and Elizabeth facing the rear, and Karen and Diane facing forward. Karen could not help unconsciously taking note of what an attractive couple her mother and Joseph made sitting along side each other when he mentioned "interracial familiarity". Karen smirked when the phrase came into her head, but was inwardly concerned and perplexed about what she was observing, especially when she saw her mother casually touch his thigh once, then only withdraw it after what seemed a long time. Her brow was knitted in deep thought and only Joseph's voice brought her back into the here and now. He looked at her with his penetrating stare and remarked, "Karen, you can verify what I am saying; certainly you and your friends at high school back in the States are dating black boys, are you not?"

She was speechless at having been called on to offer her opinion. Her parents had raised her in the traditional mode of, "Don't speak unless spoken to", and even then, be as non-committal and 'ladylike' as possible.

Suddenly, this powerfully built, very dark man was soliciting her opinion. It was hard for her to convince herself that such cultured words and ideas spoken in his cultured Cantabrigian accent were coming from a black man. She stuttered as she tried to make her mouth work. Most of the black boys and young men she had encountered back in Indiana seemed thuggish and uncouth, with their pants hanging low and crookedly-mounted baseball caps.

Still, there were murmurs amongst her friends; secret little whispers; embarrassed titters behind lily white hands when the topic of black boys came up. She knew and now admitted to herself there seemed to be a rising interest among her social group in tasting the forbidden fruit that black boys represented. One of her best friends, Melanie, had been secretly dating a black boy to spite her parents and had created a bit of scandal when she proudly announced to her girlfriends that she had lost her virginity to him.

Melanie had pronounced black guys, "Da bomb," uncharacteristic language for her, and developed a strong preference for hip-hop, a taste she tried to push on all her friends. After having dated him in secret for the final four months of their senior year, she had gone so far as to proclaim she would no longer be interested in "being with" a white boy, but added, "unless he was rich of course." She encouraged Karen and her other friends to go out and get some "black skin" to see what she was talking about. Karen was shocked to see her show up at the Memorial Day opening of the municipal swimming pool in a scanty bikini with the phrase "I heart BBC" inked on her exposed butt.

Melanie was the first (and as far as she knew the only) of Karen's cohort to lose her cherry, so her opinion that black guys were superior seemed to bear extra authority. Over time though, she had grown tired of Melanie's condescending attitude, especially when it came to sexual matters, and the two of them had drifted apart.

Her pensive reflection created an awkward silence, and Joseph gestured to her to elicit a response. She shook her head to clear the mental woolgathering and just blurted out, "Uhhh... Well, I guess more of my friends are messing around with black boys," then gathering a bit of self importance, continued, "Yes, that's definitely true! A lot of my girlfriends think black boys are 'da bomb'."

Her aunt looked at her with shocked surprise. In reaction, Karen bit her lip in embarrassment then looked away from everyone, staring blankly at her open toed Espadrille shoes.

Ignoring her immaturity, Joseph smiled and continued, "Ah yes. 'Da bomb!' I understand the expression. I believe there is a reason why smart young women are beginning to prefer African-heritage men all over the world, Karen. My people are amongst the healthiest in the world, with some of the longest lifespans, despite only having had access to western medicine for the last 50 years. My people are of an ancient tradition, going back much further than your European roots. I can for example, directly trace trace my own ancestry on the same throne back some 25 generations. We have maintained this superiority by a strict policy of who is allowed to reproduce.

"Without giving a name to it, we have believed in a practice called eugenics, a moral philosophy advocated by your own Charles Darwin. Although it was misused and discredited in your recent history, our practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population is far less harsh, and agreed to by all the members of our society. Thus some men are relegated to the role of supporting superior women to breed with superior males and they happily rejoice in that role. Some men are born - as you might say - to 'lead and breed'; some are born to 'spectate and facilitate.' Through successive generations, we have reduced reproduction of people with less-desired or undesired traits."

He explained this philosophy so charmingly and with such logic that it gave Diane pause. One the one hand she was dumbstruck at how alien and incredible it all sounded; at the same time, there was certain purity in the logic. If this had been the way things worked in her life, she never would have been saddled with Hurley, her oaf of a husband and their three equally oafish sons. Sitting beside her in the back seat, Karen, younger and more impressionable continued to listen with rapt attention.

He went on to tell them, "Even now, in your own country where women have only recently escaped the subjugation of white males in many aspects of life from religion to politics, things are beginning to change so that women have opened their eyes from generations of blind acceptance and actively preferring superior men. My own readings tell me that recent statistics in your country show that black male/white female marriages since 2008 have more than doubled."

This was due in no small measure to the behind-the-scenes machinations of an emerging black power elite, but of course Joseph didn't mention this. Having laid out his (to them) extreme worldview for the women, Joseph turned to lighter topics, showing them the Victor Emmanuel Monument which Romans referred to derisively as the "Wedding Cake" for its out of character architecture and garish white marble cladding. He pointed out the apartment balcony from which Mussolini made his mad pronouncements and did not hesitate to tie it back to his previous statements on the destructive nature of white male rule in the world at large.

As they neared the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, the mood became very light and Joseph actually had them laughing about the curious history of the Pantheon's construction. Karen was mesmerized by him, and she became aware of an uncomfortable tingling in her chest. Her eyes were wide, and ears attentive, hanging on his every word. Her initially negative opinion of him was clearly (and quickly) changing. Her aunt on the other hand was not as easily taken in and could barely perceive the sophisticated aristocrat behind his ebony skin. He may be some kind of royalty, she thought, but he's still a black man!

As Harun braked the large Mercedes to a smooth stop, then rushed to open the door, Joseph emerged first to offer his hand to each of the ladies. Secretly, he was appraising them individually, like a lion considering his potential prey. Diane emerged first. She was, as Elizabeth had told him, eight years older at age 48. Her hair was a sunny blonde and bouncy. She was beautifully curved, with a heavy rump and full breasts. Joseph smiled slightly as he considered her wide hips and well muscled legs. "A cow - good for breeding," he thought to himself. Physically, she was exactly the kind of woman most of his kinsmen strongly preferred, and he considered how easily some time spent servicing the right man would crush her racism. He considered how the two weeks at sea could be put to good use in adjusting her attitudes. He made a mental note to have a chat with Lotar once aboard ship.

Karen bounded out next. Joseph knew already she would be another, far more complicated matter entirely. Physically, she was a slight but attractive blonde like her aunt, although it was clear that her hair color was completely genuine. She was slender to the point of being skinny. He noted with interest that her pebble-sized nipples were distended from her flat chest reflecting some private excitement she was feeling at the moment. He had not considered that he was the reason for that excitement, but indeed it was the case.

Joseph considered how he might deal with Karen. He was feeling something for her mother that transcended lust and physical need. He had never felt this deeply about any of the women he had chased and bedded, and could scarcely believe his good fortune in having found her. Moreover, after their reunion aboard the yacht, it was very clear that her feelings were now just as strong for him. For her to commit to changing her whole way of life for him would completely change her and Michael's role in the world beyond recognition. Elizabeth's agreeing to come to Africa, to experience the life he had described to her, was a commitment that would challenge everything she believed, through her upbringing and her life experiences.

Joseph viewed Karen through the lens of his own experience, growing up in an actual jungle. Joseph considered himself much like a jungle lion who was always the dominant male of the den. Although Karen was Elizabeth's daughter, she was also Michael's progeny. He clearly could not tolerate the whelp sired by another weaker male to intrude on the relationship with the lioness he had now chosen as his primary mate.

Thus, he considered potential options even before meeting the young girl today. Elizabeth had told him in no uncertain terms that she could not abandon Karen to her relatives, never to see her again. Joseph had considered taking her as a secondary wife, but in truth it disturbed his sense of propriety. In addition, despite being very pretty - a younger version of her mother in some ways - her level of naiveté was such that she didn't appeal to the sophisticated aristocrat in him.

Joseph had made his mind up that she needed to be mated permanently to someone and in such a way that clearly defined her role as beneath the station that the royal family, that he and now by his choice Elizabeth, occupied. In short, she should be part of a caste that did not threaten his relationship with Elizabeth. He stroked his chin and glanced sideways at Harun. Perhaps, he thought, perhaps Harun? He privately smiled as he wondered with perverted glee how her father might react to preparing his daughter to be mated with a man like Harun. He considered how to plant the seed of an idea in Karen's subconscious.

Finally, Elizabeth alighted from the limousine. He took her hand and was captivated by her classic beauty. He loved the way she seemed to glide as though floating on air when she moved. His eyes were only for her. He felt a pride of manhood as he realized that soon her belly would swell with his spawn. He could already envision her feeding his beautiful black baby from her milk-engorged breasts. He could already see her bearing the symbol of her solemn troth to him - her breast permanently scarred with the tribal sigel of a shield overlaid with a spear.

Harun, standing stoically at attention clamped his teeth down hard on his toothpick when he saw her dress ride up to her panties as her leg stretched to touch onto the pavement. He felt a sexual flush and his cock began to stiffen as he saw her upper thigh, but suppressed his desire reminding himself that he had plans for her once they reached Africa, and patience would be necessary.

A prime table with a spectacular view of the Pantheon area was reserved for them and the waiter led them to it with a wave of the hand. Joseph talked about the best dishes on the menu and ordered two bottles of wine, both reds, for the table. When the waiter poured, Joseph waved him off from filling Elizabeth's glass and a second waiter quickly replaced her setting with a plain glass and bottle of Pellegrino mineral water. Karen was impressed that she was regarded as mature enough to merit a glass of wine and that no one had thought to ask for a proof of age from her. She couldn't decide whether it was just a European thing or whether no one would dare to confront Prince Joseph on such a trivial matter.

Both she and her aunt noted with interest that Elizabeth was not drinking wine and that it had been Joseph, not she who waved the wine steward away from filling her wine glass. Diane was first to wonder about the implications of the act, and after entree orders had been taken quickly suggested that Elizabeth and she visit the powder room.

Elizabeth rose slowly, already sensing the questions from the look in her sister's eyes. Harun standing discretely in a dark corner watched them disappear through an arch, and touched the gun beneath his jacket as if to reassure himself it was still there. Back at the table, Joseph raised a glass and toasted the fine weather and for a wonderful visit for Karen and her aunt.

Walking to the back of the restaurant, they were all smiles and gentility. Once in the anteroom of the toilettes, Diane's smile vanished and she grabbed her younger sister roughly and turned Elizabeth to face her. "Alright, little missy, you want to tell me what in the fuck is going on here?"

Elizabeth hated when her big sister used the 'little missy' tone of voice on her. It projected her back to her pre-pubescent girlhood when her older sisters bullied her and constantly reminded her that they were the family princesses; they were her overlords, the keepers of her virtue. In truth, Elizabeth only wound up dating Michael after her older sisters Paige and Diane had rejected him as being too passive, too 'nice'. Paige had even suggested to Diane that she thought he might be 'light on his feet,' a euphemism for effeminate, because he was too timid to force his attentions on her. Only then did they decide to introduce him to Elizabeth. Diane thought to herself that maybe Elizabeth had gotten the best of the bargain after all.

Elizabeth bit her lower lip considering how much to reveal to Diane. She really couldn't come completely clean without raising complete havoc. She forcefully pulled her sister's hand from her arm, then archly smiled and said simply, "I don't know what you're talking about, Di. I met Prince Jusef through Michael. They're working for the royal family to exploit mineral and oil wealth. The prince has become a good friend, whom we both enjoy. I think his cruise offer is wonderfully generous and would do you a world of good. It's about time you washed the stink of small town living and that philandering husband of yours and got to know a bit more of the world. Live a little, Di! It's a big world out there and you never know what you'll discover. You might even grow to like the prince."

Elizabeth's barbed comment hit home. Diane had come on this trip in part to gain some distance and some time to think about her marriage to her husband Hurley. She had born him three sons, two of whom were abject failures and the third only escaping by joining the Army. Hurley was working as a salesman in her father's dealership since their marriage, and had recently started screwing the newly hired twenty-something receptionist. Diane had found this out in the worst possible way when she emptied his trouser pockets and found a pair of thongs most definitely not hers. She vaguely thought of how she might get some payback on this trip, but had no definite plans.

Diane's blood pressure was still sky high, but she forced calm on herself. "Look Lizzie, I'm sorry. Things at home are just kind of a mess right now. Thanks for arranging this cruise and all. The prince seems very nice, very..." she searched for a word, "... cultured. I mean for a negro and all. I just haven't been around them much - blacks, I mean. "

Elizabeth smiled and she caressed her sister's cheek softly. "Just go, Di. You'll have a wonderful time and you'll forget all about the craziness back home. Joseph's men are all trained soldiers so you will have the best protection possible. He promised me you will have an exciting trip and see and experience things you've never known before."

With that reassurance and veiled hint that Elizabeth knew about and sympathized over her situation with Hurley, Diane regained her composure. "Thanks, Sis. I know it will be wonderful and I am looking forward to it. I have never been at sea before." She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I know it will give me time to think about things. I just don't know why you aren't coming with us!"