A Slave to the Servants

Welcome back everyone!

An explanation I should have made last time - anal sex isn't "safe" sex. Sperm anywhere near the vagina is dangerous in a fertile woman, assuming you don't want her to get pregnant. Obviously there is less chance the little spermies will swim to the right place, but there is a chance. That's the point I was making several chapters back.

Many thanks to Steve150177 for his work proofreading! I appreciate the time and energy he puts into this.

Comments are always welcome - I'm always trying to improve. You know who you are ease drop/ eavesdrop - good point! Let me know what you thing good or bad.

Enjoy! DW

****************************

We walked through the courtyard and a mild breeze blew through. It wasn't too warm and it wasn't too cold. I thought of Hannah and what she had said. This was the perfect place to live. The women had chosen wisely for the men.

Other men came and greeted Damien and his Brothers. They commented right away on how different I looked. Had it not been for the distinctive tattoo on my leg, they would not have known which slave I was.

"It is not well, Damien," a man's voice commented.

"Thin and ill-cared for," Damien said flippantly, "but we have used it and it is still superior in its purpose."

I blushed fiercely at that. It was the first time I'd ever heard them talk to other men about sex with me. They obviously did, but I had been lucky not to have to hear it before now.

The last comment seemed to settle the debate. A slave that was superior in it's purpose would certainly be worth fixing. Sex was all that ever really mattered, I thought rolling my eyes.

I thought we were going home, but the men walked toward the bathhouse. Damien stretched and said a soak would feel good. After the morning searching for the shopkeeper and the long ride here the men wanted to relax. I had forgotten how much they liked to go to bathe in that large warm pool with their friends.

The men undressed themselves and removed my sparse ornamentation at their alcove in the wall. I grinned at the familiar setting. We walked toward the pool and were nearly there when a scream split the air.

I looked up to see Rose hurtling toward me. The tiny woman sidestepped around Damien and flung herself at me. She threw her arms around my neck and held me so tight I could barely breath. Unlike her usual demure manner she was trembling and crying.

As Rose cried in my arms I held her tight. All of us that were slaves had lost so much. We only had our friendships and I knew Rose clung to hers. In that instant I realized what she must have thought when I disappeared and never returned.

"It's okay," I whispered to her. "Relax, Rose, I promise everything will be all right."

My stalwart friend that never seemed rattled by anything couldn't stop shaking and sobbing. Luckily what she was saying was partially in

English

and broken by sobs. Otherwise the men in the bathhouse might have understood she was asking about my baby.

I shushed her and stroked her back. "Not now," I kept whispering in her ear. "Everything is all right. I promise, just not now."

Basin arrived behind Rose and tried to remove her. Rose held me tighter and wept louder when he tried to pull her away. Basin seemed conflicted on what to do. Rose's reaction was gaining a large and unwanted audience.

"Perhaps," Damien said, "we could take them to your alcove."

With Basin's permission, Damien scooped Rose and me up. She pressed into me and didn't let go of my neck. We were laid on the cushions in Basin's alcove. I sat up with Rose curled into my lap still sobbing against my neck.

It felt strange making skin to skin contact with another naked woman while the men watched. I prayed the men here didn't have the fantasies men on Earth had. By the look on Damien's face this was not erotic, but concerning. That made me feel better.

"We have calming creams in our rooms," Evan said quietly to Basin.

"As do we," Basin said. "After this slave disappeared ours was inconsolable. Our sweet Rose was devastated. It was as if a bond was broken. We were not sure how to explain that its friend had been found...We did not know you would return this eve..."

The men were at a loss.

"Rose," I whispered softly, "you must stop this. All is well, I promise."

"The bab-" she started to say and I cut her off with a finger over her lips.

"

Strong and free

," I told her in

English

.

"Ciara," Damien warned, "speak the language we gave you."

"Yes, Master Damien," I said softly looking up at him.

He didn't look angry. Damien just continued to look confused and concerned.

"I missed you so badly," Rose sobbed against my neck. "I was so worried about you and the...I was so worried. You never came back and then the men that kept you were taken...It has been a long time since I have had such a good friend," she sobbed. The heartbreaking crying was almost uncontrollable when she spoke again. "I feared someone had killed you," she finally said her voice breaking. "There was no one to look for you. Men would kill us for sport, we have no value..."

Basin knelt beside us. His strong hands came down to smooth the hair away from Rose's face.

"Stop this," he ordered softly. "You have value to us. We will not see you killed or harmed. You know we looked for your friend. I have told you many times this slave had never been found. This behavior is not acceptable."

"Yes, Master Basin," she said in a dull defeated voice, "as you wish."

I had never heard Rose sound like that.

"Rose, stop it," I said firmly. "Your Masters will care for you. He promised you. They never break their promises, you know that. I was very far away...I got very far away. Please, all is well. You cannot be this way. Smile and say you are glad to see me, but don't do this."

I pulled away and looked at her. Rose looked awful. She had circles under her eyes and her face was drawn and tired.

"We are just slaves, Ciara," she said quietly.

"Yes," I answered her, "slaves that are fed and cared for meticulously. Slaves that are promised protection and actually given it. Stop acting this way, it serves no purpose."

Rose blinked and looked at me. I heard the men move away from us and looked to see them in a tight grouping outside the alcove talking. Looking back at Rose she was finally smiling.

"You're right," she said taking a shaky breath. "I lost perspective...."

We sat looking at one another and she slipped off my lap to sit beside me. The men were still huddled and talking. Rose looked back at me.

"The...other one I worried about?" she questioned vaguely.

"Strong and free," I repeated and Rose looked confused.

"It is how it is done here," I said trying to stay vague. "Tomorrow at the Keeper's..."

"Yes," Rose said nodding, "that would be better."

Rose and I sat together holding hands while the men talked. Once they were done her owners came to take her away. I heard her

kissing

the man that picked her up and apologizing between kisses.

"Ciara," Damien called motioning for me.

We walked into the pool and I started to soap Damien. I carefully washed away the dirt accumulated from the long day. Once he was clean I massaged his back and shoulders, because he had said he wanted to relax.

The muscles under my hands were tense balls. Using the heel of my hand I pushed them out. Along Damien's spine I used my thumbs in small circular movements to loosen the tension there.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"I thought you liked it, Da...Master Damien."

My hands continued to seek out tight muscles and rub them for a few moments. Damien didn't say anything else. He just unwound under my hands.

Once Damien seemed relaxed, I moved behind Evan. I washed his long hair gently. Eventually, I ended up sitting on a bench with his head in my lap. My fingers rubbed at his scalp and I braided his hair into all sorts of designs before returning it to it's usual state. He looked like he had gone to sleep as I played.

Once the men were relaxed to their satisfaction we moved upstairs. They had their old rooms back, I noticed right away. The men seemed to like consistency, so I was sure that made them happy.

Walking into the familiar set up I touched the knitted blue blanket they had laying over one chair. I had made this blanket for Hannah, but it had been too big for her to take. In my rush to pack them, I didn't even remember taking it.

"You told my Brother she is doing well," Damien stated from right behind me.

"Yes," I said smiling picking up the blanket.

I pressed the fabric to my nose and the slight scent of her still clung to it. Part of me wanted to lock this blanket far away, so the smell would stay. That wouldn't work, though. There was no place to put it that Hannah's scent would remain.

That night I slept holding the blanket tight to my chest. I dreamed of my daughter all night. Her sweet face, her voice, and her laughter haunted my memories. I wanted to keep them alive and well, so I would never forget.

A hand sliding over my body woke me the next morning. Evan was touching me idly and grinning as he lay propped on the bed.

"It was easier to wake you when we were bonded," he said as I sluggishly roused myself.

"You could just let me sleep," I yawned following him to the bathing room.

"It's healthy to get up when the moon sets," Evan informed me. "You miss the sun rise if you stay in bed. You must get up when we get up."

"I thought you said I wasn't your slave," I said trying to reason with him. "I like to sleep after the sun has risen. Couldn't you just tell the Cleaners not to come and leave me at home to sleep late and be by myself?"

Evan looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Then you would become ill," he informed me. "Getting up and going to the Keepers is good for you. You require the companionship and exercise. The family must stay healthy and strong. Don't worry, Ciara, we know what you need and will provide it for you."

His argument was rock solid as far as he was concerned. The same argument applied to my morning enema and the plug. I needed those things. He'd only not done it in the mountains because Nu-reeh discouraged them from touching me after the birth. Every slave in the compound had those thing, I should too.

I tried like hell to convince Evan I did not need what he thought I did but he disagreed. If I wasn't regularly prepared it would hurt me when he and his Brothers used me. He had to do the cleaning to use the preparation plug. It was a chain of necessary events.

The idea I might not want to do those things didn't even occur to Evan. When I mentioned it, he scoffed. He had seen me take pleasure many times while Bane used my ass. I didn't know what I liked, they did. My family would see to it and keep me happy.

It was so frustrating. They had said I was free, but they still made all my decisions for me. I realized that was because they had been taught by trusted sources how to care for a human. Since they believed what they were doing was best for me, they would keep doing it. The only difference was now they did it out of love and not just a desire to have the healthiest slave.

Right on schedule, I was taken to the Keepers. My girl friends and all the other slaves were eager to talk. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to my baby. We had to be very careful that someone distracted the Keepers while I told them the story.

I could have lied to the other slaves, but I didn't. There were large parts I left out, but I wasn't dishonest. Since we had so little else, I thought my companions should at least get some of the truth.

The women had taken me, I told them. I was held until I gave birth. My daughter was born strong and considered to be of this world. She grew quickly, much faster than a human child. Once she no longer needed me the women left me in the mountains for the men to find.

"How did you get pregnant, though?" Rose asked.

I had to explain the health drink was contraceptives, which my fake owners had stopped giving me. We weren't supposed to breed. That relieved a great deal of tension. They were all afraid that if it could happen to me, it might happen to them. No one wanted to have children they would have to give up.

I left out large chunks of information. I never told them the women were in charge. The way the world ran wasn't discussed. I shared only the basics of what had happened to me specifically.

When the lunch bell rang, I was glad I could stop talking for a little while. The morning had been stressful. I walked with everyone to the lunch room, but my kneeling place wasn't there.

"It's in the courtyard," Fuji hissed quietly taking her place.

I walked head down toward the spot they used to leave my kneeling place. Men were already coming in as I found my spot. I knelt down and waited, presumably for Christof.

"Hello, little Sister," Bane greeted me quietly.

It was surprising to see him and I stood up quickly. He grabbed my kneeling place tucking it under his arm and strode purposefully out the doorway in the wall. He greeted the other men coming in and headed into the forest.

Once we were out of sight of the other men, Bane slowed his stride and walked beside me. He looked down at me with a small smile on his face. Instinctively I reached out and took his hand, which seemed to please him.

He took me into the forest in a direction I hadn't travelled with Christof. Unlike the way we usually went this way was obscured with branches that Bane lifted out of my way.

"That's beautiful," I suddenly said as the growth parted naturally. The light splatter of falling water came from right in front of us. "I haven't seen a waterfall like this ever. I saw them in pictures at home, but never this close up."

We were standing in front of a delicate waterfall that fell gracefully into a small pool. The water glistened in the sun and fell in sparkling drops to land in the rocky pond below. It looked like a

magical

place.

Bane grinned and sat my kneeling place on top of a large flat rock. He lifted me to sit on the pad and settled beside me. He looked quite happy with himself as we sat and enjoyed the scenery.

"Did you win some bet this morning?" I asked as he offered me the bowl he had brought.

Bane looked surprised and asked me how I knew.

"You always get that look when you've won a bet," I told him, picking what I liked out of the bowl. "It's a very distinctive face."

"Kein did not think the falling water would interest you," he said picking up a piece out of the bowl and feeding it to me. "I thought you would like it."

I didn't particularly care for the food Bane had brought for lunch. I liked the little red sprouts that were mixed in and tried to just eat those. The majority of what was in the bowl tasted like wet bread. It was quite unappealing.

Bane fussed at me and took the bowl back. Since I wasn't making healthy decisions, he would have to help me. Much to my displeasure I was fed the red sprouts mixed with the bland, moist basis of the meal.

"You must eat this," Bane said. "It is very high in nutrients and can be absorbed by your system. I do not like seeing all your bones in your chest and back."

I reached a hand around and realized he was right. My spine was displayed quite prominently. Passing a hand over my flat belly, I sighed.

"I like not having a big stomach. I don't want to be fat again," I complained.

Bane did not understand fat. I was a better size before, he informed me. They liked the soft curves covered in silky skin.

To take my mind off the gross meal I asked Bane to tell me about his day. He frowned and fed me another piece from the bowl.

"You do not have to do that," he informed me. "Hannah told us you acted interested in us and our pleasure so we would not rid ourselves of you. She said she 'remembered' you being worried about being sold. We will not sell you and you do not have to feign interest in us."

In the past I'd heard mothers say they sometimes wanted to strangle their children for repeating things they'd heard. Now I knew what they meant.

"At first," I admitted, "it was like that. As time has gone on I have realized I love you all. I want to know what you do all day. It pleases me to give you pleasure. You are very important to me and I enjoy hearing about you."

It was the truth and Bane watched my face closely. He seemed satisfied with what he saw. A big, happy grin lit his face before he told me about their morning.

Damien's family had been trained in many different styles of fighting when it looked like they would be a General. This morning they'd been sent to patrol the road. While they were out there they had secretly taught some of the new moves to their favorite cousins. The men had a great time wrestling with one another in a field all morning.

"Who watched the road? What if something happened and you missed it?" I asked worried they were shirking their duties.

"We took turns," Bane said with good humor. "Watching the road is boring and they always send too many of us."

"Don't be lazy," I scolded. "If the General catches you goofing off-"

Bane laughed at me and called me a name that must have meant something like '

goody-two-shoes

'. He found it very disconcerting I didn't know that word. For the rest of the meal Bane taught me bad words, so I could keep up with the family discussions.

We walked back to the Keeper's compound calling each other names the whole way. I was perfecting my pronunciation and Bane was helping me get better. We were still laughing about it when we stepped out of the forest.

"Swim if you like today," Bane said as we got near the door in the wall. "The Keepers have something to feed you in the middle of the afternoon. Don't be difficult about eating it."

"And if I am?" I asked looking up at him defiantly.

It couldn't be good if he was warning me about it.

"We'll give you worms to eat three meals a day until you have lost this sickly look," he said cooly running a finger over my prominent collarbone.

"The worms are gross," I informed him, "and I'm not sick. Damien already agreed with me."

He backed me into the wall and put a hand on either side of my head. Slowly he lowered himself down until his face was right in mine.

"You are not ill, but I suggest you don't refuse the Keepers today," he ordered quietly.

"I'll make you hold me down and spit them in my mouth," I threatened hotly. "I won't eat worms three times a day."

"Are you daring me to feed you like that tonight?" he grinned. "It doesn't bother me at all. Considering your reaction the last time we did that, I think it bothers you, though."

I was saved from having to answer when the door in the wall slid open and a man stepped out. He greeted Bane and asked what he was doing. Bane hadn't lost his position or stopped staring at me.

"We were having a discussion about our evening meal. My...slave was wondering how to have it. Any decisions, yet?" he asked me with a wicked lilt to his voice.

I should have backed down. The wisest course of action would just be to say, "However you wish, Sir" and be done with it. I just could not do it.

"It all depends, Master Bane," I said staring him in the eye.

Bane's grin got wider and I felt the pit of my stomach drop. I had just started a new game.

Lord

only knew what he was going to do at dinner tonight.

I did go swim in the afternoon, it was relaxing as ever. As I explored the things in the deep water a Keeper suddenly swam in front of me. He surprised me so badly I almost breathed the water. That man just wanted me to come in for the midday snack, though.

As much as I had dreaded it, the food wasn't bad. It was a thick drink and a handful of crunchy, oily nuts. I could literally taste the calories. Rose agreed it was a good idea.