Note to my readers:
Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement after I debuted with the first chapter of the novel, I have read all the comments and emails. I tried to incorporate as much as I could of the suggestions I had received for this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it.
For those of you who are new, read the first installment if you would like a bit more background of what takes place in this chapter.
I wish you all happy reading, and as always, any feedback is welcome!
*****
Being forcefully dragged towards the Queen's chambers soon had me breathless from trying to keep up. The iron chain attached to the cuffs around my ankles only allowed for short, staggered steps, causing my bare feet to scratch against the rough stone floors.
Every so often, I would lose my footing and stumble, only to be yanked upright and scolded to keep up. I could feel a bruise beginning to form near my armpit from Natalia's angry grip on my upper bicep.
"Walk faster slave! If I have to drag you down this corridor by your hair, may the gods help me, I will," she threatened.
I did my best to accelerate my pace, but it was nearly inconceivable at the speed Natalia had set. Rows and rows of shut doors blurred past as we continued on, and every couple steps, I noticed other naked slaves, carrying various items, rushing in all directions.
A few would shoot curious glances our way, and yet none stopped to say anything about my predicament. We suddenly turned a corner, and I gazed, wide-eyed at the scene laid out before me. The walls on either side of us held beautiful statues of women in various poses.
"Take a good look, slave girl. Disobey your Queen and this will be one of the many punishments bestowed upon you."
Upon closer inspection, I saw what Natalia meant; what I had thought were statues, were actually living, breathing, human, slaves. Natalia's pace slowed, yet her grip on my arm remained firm.
I stared in awe at the many naked bodies surrounding me. There were at least twenty slaves that I could see spanning the length of the hall. Each slave differed in complexion and girth, ranging from the darkest of night to pale as a ghost; the only similarity being their crudely shorn heads.
A fair skinned slave girl to my right, had breasts as large as melons. Thick, gold, fiber ropes were wrapped tightly around each globe, causing them to become a warped purple in shade. Both of the slaves' nipples were restrained in a similar fashion. They were pulled painfully toward the other with a golden ball weight clipped in the center, dragging the taut rope downward toward the slaves' thick stomach.
Iron chains circled around her wrists and ankles, holding her spread eagle between two pillars on either side of her body. I could see bright right red chafe marks surrounded the skin of her wrists and ankles, as she hung limply in defeat. I couldn't help but gasp as my eyes trailed down to her bare, nether region. Deep, angry, red welts covered the slaves' entire pelvis; trailing from her pubic bone, to her plump, inflamed, pouty lips.
I could only imagine how the welts must have looked deeper between her legs, but I could only see so much from my angle. A crimson scarf covered the lower half of the slaves' plum shaped face, shielding all but her downcast eyes.
"She's been chained like that for the past two days. She will not be given food for another and only allowed a few sips of water to keep her from dehydration. Anyone who speaks to her will be the next tethered in her place," Natalia sneered into my ear as if sensing my inquisition.
"There's nothing more pleasing than seeing a defiant piece of the Queen's property set as an example and thrashed between their legs for doing nothing more than relieving themselves onto the floor.
"I can only assume, it won't be long before you are in one of their places. You think you are above your new status. You're always questioning everything. I dare you to question the Queen and see if you are not placed in this hall before a full sentence exits that mouth of yours."
My stomach clenched in trepidation at the idea of being strung up between two stone columns and placed on display. I vowed silently to never allow that to happen, and if it came to such an event, I vowed to fight. My hardened nipples and flushed pussy lips tingled as if a concealed part of my mind begged to differ. I shook my head to dissipate the inkling before it fully formed into a thought; I blamed the aphrodisiac that had been applied to both, for any repugnant and wonton thoughts.
Natalia's grip jerked me onward while I gazed in continuous wonder at the remaining showcased slaves. Our pace quickened towards what I assumed to be the Queen's chambers behind the looming door at the end of the walkway.
The enormous door reached from floor to ceiling. It was guarded on either side by two large, burly, stone faced, men. A sheen of oil coated their chestnut skin, emphasizing the curving of their toned muscles. A dark bronze collar nestled securely around each man's throat and a chastity harness of the same color held their swollen cocks buckled upward, leaving their heavy, hairless, scrotums on display.
The guards each held a long, menacing, black leather whip in their left hand; the snaking end cascaded down, laying curled on the floor where a small knot was formed at the tip. I shivered at the thought of the unfortunate being who had, or in the future, will, be on the receiving end of that lash.
"State your business," the guard on my right boomed.
His deep, menacing voice had my flesh rising in response with goosebumps. Natalia, on the other hand, took on a new persona. She removed her vise grip on my arm and cocked one hip to the side, laying her palm upon it.
"Now, boys, you know why I'm here," her angry tone shifted to a flirtatious banter. A coy smile replaced her previously scowling lips.
"I'm only coming to bless you with my presence and to formally introduce Queen Ambrosia's newly acquired property. She's here for her naming and beginning of training. You wouldn't want to keep the Queen waiting too long now, would you?"
"We always enjoy your companionship, Natalia," the guard to my left murmured before he knocked once on the immense door behind him.
Only a moment after, the door slid inward a crack; enough to let a warm glow of amber light issue out into the bleak corridor. A hidden figure whispered briefly with the same guard who had knocked, before the door was shut with a muted click.
"The Queen will see you in a moment," the guard announced, from what I assumed to be the given information from the voice behind the door.
"Well then, there is so much that can be done in only a moment," Natalia twirled a lock of her raven hair round her pointer finger and batted her lashes. Both guards chuckled nervously and I watched in amusement as they simultaneously gripped their whip in unease.
I couldn't help but giggle at the senseless acts of flirtation. It was clearly unwelcome, and yet, Natalia all but threw herself upon the men. The way she seemed to lick their brawn figures with only her eyes, stood in absolute contrast with the commands she dictated not even an hour before.
Natalia swung her head in my direction, after the sound departed my lips and I found myself under the scrutiny of three incessant glares. The door to the Queen's chambers opened then, and I expelled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I couldn't decide whether I had been saved, or if I were about to enter a lions den worse than the one I currently found myself in.
***
A lit, grand, fireplace blazed at my back. The heat flickered against my exposed skin,border-lining between welcoming and scorching. My toes curled in the sanguine, plush floor covering. The room was the size of my entire childhood cottage.
A canopy bed lay at the center of the suite, adorned with at least twenty pillows assorted in size. The quilted covering looked as if it were satin. Heavy curtains hung from each corner and matched the deep red hue of the bedding. Shiny, golden-threaded tassels dangled at the lowest end of the curtains, swinging slightly from the breeze of bodily movement.
On the opposite end of the room was a matching mahogany dining table surrounded by four identical chairs. On the table, lay three flickering candles, wax dripped like blood down the sides and into the golden candelabra. A handheld mirror rested beside the candles, it's surface reflecting the tiny flames. A horsehair hairbrush nestled beside the mirror and we're what I assumed to be a matching set.
Before me, Natalia was kneeling, legs wide, in front of a wine colored chaise lounge. Her arms were positioned behind her back, thrusting her ample breasts forward; her nipples at attention. Natalia's long, thick, hair fell down her back waves stopping just above her shapely rump.
She faced the lounge chair, with her eyes downcast in submission. Regarding her silently, was the same woman who purchased me from the marketplace earlier that afternoon; the Queen of Antheia.
She was reclined casually across the chase while a naked slave was knelt by her head, feeding grapes into her rosy mouth. The slave girl was petite, with bronze cuffs adorning her wrists and ankles. Cuprite, gemstone, clips were attached to her tiny pink nipples with another fastened onto her bare, glistening, vulva.
The Queen sighed in contentment as she was fed another dark grape. I noticed how the girl before her would graze the tips of her fingers across the Queen's mouth as she placed each piece of fruit between her parted lips.
"Hand me a piece of chocolate, my dear Rose," the Queen whispered softly to the girl holding the platter. Holding out her palm, she gracefully collected the sweet from Rose before kissing her passionately on the lips.
She reached up with her free hand and cupped Rose's chin, deepening the kiss. I could only stand as witness to their affection. The kneeling girl on the receiving end of the Queen's caress moaned deep in her throat as her tongue was drawn out from her mouth and sucked into the other.
The Queen glided her hand from the girls' chin, down her neck and stopped, covering her right breast. The kiss never faltered as the girls' breast was kneaded, filling the Queen's dainty hand.
I watched as the slave began to pant as her breast was manipulated under the Queen's deft hand. The clips clinked melodically as they were passed over by many ringed fingers. The Queen grabbed hold of a clip and pulled it toward her; stretching the nipple and skin of Rose's bosom forward. Rose barely reacted to the shift in touch except for a slight furrow of her brow.
I watched as Rose struggled to hold the tray of fruit and sweets steady in one palm. Her thighs quivered as the Queen slid her hand once again to the jewel pinching her slit. A bead of fluid leaked past the clip and dangled like a silk thread between Rose's legs. The Queen chuckled lightly against the lips of her slave as she felt the wetness seeping out of the crevice.
