Editor's Note: story contains gay male content.
*
The horsemen's tent was like nothing Ao had ever seen before. None of the books had mentioned the lapis lazuli and pearls scattered across the floor of grungy skins, or the heady smell of kush that seemed to cling to his clothes and heavy eyelids, or the greasy men lounging in precious belts and crude boots, laughing and drinking Yavana wine, ignoring the prince and imperial messenger standing in their midst.
"That's enough," said the leader, cutting Ao off in the middle of his imperial decree. Giheushyan, his report had said. "Tell your father—"
"His Imperial Majesty does not take orders," said Ao, raising his voice to be heard over the sudden chorus of hoots and jeers. "You will bow down before—hey!"
The decree was snatched out of his hands, the delicate silk passed between grubby fingers. Giheushyan said, flinty-eyed, "Tell your father that the price is not enough. For Almaliq alone, we were owed a hundred bolts of silk, two hundred vials of perfume, and fifty whores from Osrushana. Ushylu," he barked, and Ao jumped. "Speak up like a man or hold your tongue. Ichise, Punu, stop encouraging him."
Ushylu, who couldn't be older than Ao if the fuzz on his chin was any indication, stopped whispering but kept giggling. "Brother, maybe you should see the decree before you judge."
Giheushyan took the offered decree, scanning it quickly.
At the same time, Ichise circled Ao, far closer than any barbarian had a right to, his eyes glittering in the dim light, "Well, I suppose he's shapely."
"So are the whores of Osrushana," said Punu, at the same time Ao snapped, "Step away from this royal person's—"
His face was seized in a bruising grip, callused fingers digging into his cheeks forcing his mouth open, a thumb pressing down on his tongue. Ichise said, in the same conversational tone, "And I suppose his skin is soft."
"So are the whores of Osrushana," said Punu, swirling his porcelain wine bowl.
Ao froze as Ichise kept circling, until the mercenary was behind him, nose pressed to the curling hairs behind his ear. He tried not to gag on the taste of salt, iron and leather.
"And I suppose he could be willing enough," said Ichise, dangerously soft, before a blow to the backs of his knees knocked his feet out from underneath him. Ao went down in a tangle of limbs, coarse elk fur scraping his palms, a brooch of some sort digging into his shin, Ichise heavy weight keeping him on hands and knees.
"So would the—"
"Will you shut up about the whores of Osrushana?" said Giheushyan. He tossed away the decree, letting it bounce and roll a few handspans away from Ao. "I still see no reason why we should accept his offer."
"Brother," said Ushylu, pouting, "There's no reason why we can't do a little ground driving first, is there?" at the same time Ichise flipped up Ao's robes and yanked at his riding breeches.
Ao cried out, trying to push him away, but only succeeded in crashing face-first into the musty furs, as his linen pants were shoved to his knees, a hand between his shoulder blades keeping him down.
"Will you be good, little mare, or do you need to be bridled?" said a voice above him.
It was too much. Ao fought back with feet and fist, but they were too strong, mashing his face further into the ground, gagging him with the fur in his mouth. He cast his eyes about for something to focus on in his panic—offer up my royal son as an act of charity, to be used as the hill savages see fit—read the decree, before the rest was crushed under a muddy boot.
Someone spat behind him.
Giheushyan laughed, low and mocking. "Come now, we're among civilized folk. Surely we can spare a little oil."
Ao thought he had been chosen to ride the seven-day journey because he was the only one of his brothers to study the languages of the steppes. He thought he was being forgiven by his imperial father after all this time. He thought—
The disbelief was driven out of his mind when the first finger shoved roughly into his hole, followed quickly by a second. It was fast, perfunctory, and while Ao knew what was coming, his quivering hole couldn't keep out the invading fingers.
"By the moon, he's loud," snapped someone. Ao saw a quick glimpse of Punu's scowl before cold steel was shoved into his mouth, tied around the back of his head, stretching the corners of his mouth until it was a wonder they didn't split. The smell of sandalwood filled the air as more oil dribbled down his crack. Fingers returned, but simply petted around his hole, softening it up.
"Do you want first honors?" said Ichise.
Leather and wool rustled above him. "No," said Giheushyan, tracing a thumb along the stretched corner of Ao's mouth. He tried to swallow around the horse bit, choking on the taste of iron and terror. "I want his mouth, after you've backed him."
Something blunt and heavy hit the floor—a belt buckle. Something else just as blunt and heavy pressed against his rim, between fingers hooked to keep him open.
Too much, too big, too fast—none of his words could make it past the bit in his mouth, Ichise's hands shoving his chest into the skins as his dick drilled into him from the other end. Ao felt like he was being turned inside out, Ichise's cock a brand burning him to the core. And still, it hurt less than his father's exile.
Ao gritted his teeth as Ichise finally bottomed out, the gold threads in his tunic scraping against the soft skin of Ao's backside. The furs were practically disintegrating in his white-knuckled fists.
Something wet on his face startled him.
Ao pried open his eyes, almost catching a tongue in the eye as Ushylu licked his other eyelid. Ushylu's trouser ties were undone, his eyes shining like jade as they flickered between Ao's eyes and his mouth, his hand flying over his own cock.
"Having fun?" said Giheushyan, as Ichise hitched Ao's hips higher as he started pulling out, his dick dragging dragging just right against Ao's prostate.
"He cries so prettily," sighed Ushylu, undoing his shirt to pluck at a nipple. The peach-flesh flush that started on his cheeks went all the way down to his freckled belly. Ichise pushed back in.
"You're so spoiled," said Giheushyan, with not a little fondness in his voice.
Punu added, "Only because you indulge him."