For You I Suffer
Part 3
by Heartfelt
So, naturally, I thought of you.
Heero’s words reverberated endlessly in my ears. He thought I - I a humble farmer from the outskirts of nowhere - was beautiful. At that moment, he could have asked me to poke out an eye – or even cut of my braid – and I would have complied without a moment’s hesitation. My heart soared, the idea that a man finding me attractive should be distasteful nowhere in my thoughts. I opened my mouth to pledge my undying devotion but he forestalled me.
“I should imagine that you’d like to know what, exactly, will be expected of you if you agree to become my slave, as well as what your reward will be.”
I’d had no such thought but decided to demonstrate my capacity for intelligence by stating otherwise. “Yes, what shall I be required to do?”
Heero paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and squaring his impressive shoulders. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he was gathering his courage.
“The scope of your duties would be quite simple. Obey me, completely and utterly. Treat the words from my lips and the desires of my heart as edicts from the gods themselves. Refuse me nothing and you shall satisfy me absolutely.”
The plainness with which he spoke affected me as no fancy words could have done. Complete submission. Nothing more or less. Given how I felt about him, surely nothing could be easier – although the shiver that went through me portended otherwise. Hadn’t I already decided that obeying him was my greatest wish? Again, I opened my mouth to offer myself in servitude but a memory of his previous words gave me pause.
“And my reward?” I asked instead.
For a moment, a look of immense relief crossed his features before his expression regained its more customary coolness. I suppose he was glad that I didn’t refuse him outright. If I’d known what his request truly entailed, perhaps I would have. Then again, perhaps not.
“Your reward,” he explained, “would be the gift of enough gold to keep you and several generations of your progeny in complete comfort. Also, you would become ennobled, such that you and your heirs would have a place in the Windshire court.”
It was several minutes before I realized just how far my jaw had dropped at this pronouncement. Generations worth of gold and a landed title?! Incredible! What would I have to do to justify such a magnificent recompense?
In hindsight, that insightful question should have occupied much more of my mind than it did. However, at the time, my eyes were blinded with his handsomeness, visions of gold, and designs of lordly garments.
“Knowing all of this, do you agree to become my pleasure slave for the next six months? Be aware that, once you consent, you are bound by your agreement.”
Blinking away the image of an elaborately embroidered velvet coat, I looked up and met his gaze. The intensity had returned and I was yet again under its thrall. To be at this extraordinary man’s service, subject to his every whim for half a year ... The very thought filled me with exhilaration. My breeches tightened even as a smile grew across my lips. I rose to stand before him, not bothering to hide the evidence of my eagerness.
“With my word as my bond, I, Duo Maxwell, agree to be your devoted slave for the next six months.”
My declaration was met with a silent stare. Minutes passed with no reaction from the young baron. Was he pleased with my prompt acceptance of his offer? Had he wanted me to think it over first? Was I now supposed to leave his presence, my service to begin at some later date? The longer he remained motionless, the more vigorously these questions chased themselves though my head. My smile had begun to fade, replaced by an embarrassed blush. It was the reddening of my cheeks that finally provoked a reaction.
Slowly, his arms uncrossed and his right hand reached out to me. I stared at it nervously until it at last reached my face. His finger stroked my cheek, as gently as the petal of a newly plucked flower. He brushed over my lips and they parted in reaction, my breeches growing ever tighter. Our eyes locked for another endless moment as the digit moved over my forehead and nose, patiently memorizing my features. Just when I began to think that pressing my now sensitized lips against his would be an act necessary to my continued sanity, he lowered his hand.
I struggled to regulate my elevated breathing as he reached for a small, previously unnoticed bell. Heero rang it, summoning the guard who I’d encountered in the hall in front of the study. The door opened and the baron looked away from me for a brief moment, sending the guard a speaking glance. I heard the sound of several feet behind me but lost the chance to identify the newcomers before I was beset.
Two pairs of strong hands grabbed me while a third ripped tunic from my heaving chest. ‘Betrayal!’ I thought at first, trying desperately to free my restrained arms. My braid whipped in the air, punctuating my struggle as my mind wracked itself to come up with a reason for this assault. My breeches and undergarments became the brutes’ next victims, the stitches lovingly sewn by my mother heedlessly demolished. Lastly, my violators ignoring my kicking feet, the hands roughly lifted me so that my boots could be pulled off. Thus, wholly exposed, I was finally released to stand once again before the baron, shivering with anger and trepidation.
The large Labrador – being rather old and having been present when the legendary Penella made her similarly stunning debut - had paid my struggles little attention.
The young baron met my furious gaze calmly. He readily perceived my mortified confusion and answered it thusly, “It pleases me to see you naked.”
Understanding pierced my mind, bright and sharp like a well-whetted sword.
Obey me, completely and utterly. Treat the words from my lips and the desires of my heart as edicts from the gods themselves. Refuse me nothing and you shall satisfy me absolutely.
At last, I realized the full import of his statement. No matter to what he deigned to subject me, I was bound by my honor, my *word*, to comply. I was not ashamed of my body, honed as it was by years of honest toil, but the manner in which I’d been unclothed had stripped me of dignity and pride as surely as of garments. For, I knew instinctively that this condition of undress was to be my natural state for my tenure at Castle Windshire.
My transformation was already underway, though in truth it had barely begun.
I was not to be left completely unadorned, I soon learned. While I stood frozen with shock at my newfound circumstances, Heero moved behind the desk and removed a jewel-encrusted case from a drawer. Box in hand, he returned to stand before me.
“These have been worn by every pleasure slave to ever serve the Windshire barons,” he explained. “They were last given to my father’s favorite, Penella. Now, I give them to you.”
He opened the case, revealing four curious objects. The first appeared to be a collar, suitable for the cherished pet lying even now at his master’s feet, but for the inner lining of soft rabbit’s fur. The second and third items were a matched set of golden clasps, such as you might find adorning the ears of a lady who had shunned a piercing needle. The last, and most bizarre to my mind, was a golden ring that was too small for a bracelet yet hardly seemed appropriate for anything else.
‘Appropriate’ ... the first of many terms that would soon become included in my lexicon of the irrelevant.
Heero retrieved the collar and held one end in either hand so I could better examine it. The wide leather strap was black and the side opposite the fur was decorated with a row of sizable diamonds – real if my judgment was accurate. Two hooks and two companion eyes served to secure the collar. Between the center-most jewels, a metal loop sat ready to receive a leash. Satisfied that I had sufficiently studied the object, Heero leaned closer to place it around my throat, fur-side in, reaching under my thick braid to secure the hooks. I surreptitiously inhaled his wonderful scent as his fingers brushed the skin of my neck. A spark of sensation passed through me even as my humiliation increased.
He then removed the golden clasps from the case. Again, he offered them for my inspection. Upon further observation, I realized that the fasteners were much too large for any lady’s ear. There were also strange little hoops of metal on the end of each clasp. Heero pried one of them apart, demonstrating the force with which it could snap closed. Definitely not jewelry, I surmised. The strong clasp would squeeze the earlobe almost unbearably.
I was quickly elucidated at to their true purpose when my baron – even then I was beginning to think of him this way, my baron, my master – grabbed one of my vulnerable nipples none too gently. I exclaimed in pained surprise and stared in horror as the clasp was affixed to the distended flesh. While my mind grappled for understanding, my other nipple received identical treatment.
I had been correct; the clasps were indeed *very* tight. A slow fire spread from the two points of contact, reaching to extend down my arms, down my torso, and even down the length of my legs. To my utter shame, the tendrils of sensation ended their journey firmly in my already half-aroused manhood, bringing me wholly to attention.
I looked away from my tortured body and returned my startled gaze to Heero’s face, searching for some sliver of reaction in his face to the sight I presented. Alas, his steady features revealed nothing. A soft ‘hn’ was my only acknowledgement.
As he reached to remove the final object from the case, my lips parted, the idea of pleading ‘no more’ briefly fleeting through my thoughts. But I had promised; whatever he desired, I would fulfill.
“This is only used for a certain type of slave,” he commented, holding up the golden ring so it glistened in the sunlight streaming through the large study windows.
The ache in my chest was dampening down to a dull throb, so I was fully able to appreciate the feeling of my handsome baron taking hold of my cock – no more pretty words for this organ – in his strong, capable hand. I gasped and would surely have released my passion right into his hand had he not quickly fitted the mysterious golden ring over my quivering flesh. It was a cockring and would become the bane of my existence for the next few months.
Finally, the box was empty and I was fully prepared. Heero stepped back to examine his handiwork. I just watched him watching me, unable, at that moment, to form a coherent thought. No, that’s not the total truth. My only thought was, ‘Please, let him think I’m beautiful.’ That sentiment would become my mantra, firmly placing me back on the road to sanity whenever madness threatened to overtake me.
When he frowned, my heart sank. Though I had not complained after that initial rebellion, somehow I had displeased him. I had not been obedient enough. I had imprudently expressed my discomfort. Or, worse yet, he no longer thought me ‘unsurpassed in fairness of feature’.
Heero moved back behind the desk and reached once more into the drawer. His hand reappeared, holding a fine, but sturdy, gold chain. He approached me and fitted the clasped end of the chain into the collar’s metal hook. Now that I was properly tethered, he stepped back and regarded me again.
My master smiled and joy filled me.
Heero turned to the guards. “Leave us, and make certain the dining hall is properly prepared for our arrival.”
The three soldiers bowed their way out of the study. I stood silently, wondering what to do next. My baron turned away and step around the desk to sit in his comfortable leather chair. He picked up the first document in a pile of papers that lay on the desktop and began to peruse it without acknowledging me any further.
Utterly confused by my sudden apparent invisibility, I continued to stand patiently. I waited motionless for nearly an hour, my feet freezing against the cold floor and my legs beginning to cramp, before he finished reading the document. He placed it to the side and looked up, fixing me with an icy dark-blue gaze. I’d obviously made some grievous error and countless doubts assailed me. Finally, he spoke.
“As my slave, you shall never stand in my presence unless specifically ordered to do so. You are my pet, no better than my dog, Wing - though quite a bit more comely. You would do well to follow his example.”
With that, he finished his shocking speech and seemed content to sit and stare a hole in my forehead. My brow wrinkled in confusion. How was I to follow the dog’s example. What was I to do? Bark? It did seem a difficult enough task. Scratch myself? That wouldn’t be attractive. Lick him? Hmm, licking all over my baron would definitely be more interesting.
I looked at the dog, Wing, for inspiration. He wasn’t doing much of anything; just lying at the foot of the desk, sending Heero the occasional adoring glance...
Of course! As his slave, I, too, should lay at my master’s feet. Pleased at my flash of insight, I quickly moved to the side of the desk, opposite the white Lab. I laid down on the cold stone, ever the more mindful of my nakedness and annoying lack of fur – lucky dog! – and turned wide violet eyes up towards my baron. He nodded slightly in approval and returned to his paperwork.
Heero sat reading another document for several minutes while I shivered and squirmed on the chilly, hard floor. Then he looked down at me, a small smile turning up the corner of his sexy mouth. He stood and walked to a chest sitting along the wall. Opening it, he removed a large, red velvet pillow. It was more than large enough to contain the entire length of my body and I watched him with anticipation as he returned to the desk. Gratitude filled me as he dropped the cushion at my side before returning to his seat.
I spent the next two hours resting on the pillow, looking up at my baron as he read and occasionally signed the papers and speculating how this day could possibly get more interesting. Meanwhile, the sun set and the dinner hour approached. When nothing remained of the day but a deep purple tint on the sky, Heero pushed away from the desk and stood. He stretch out the kinks of his workday and graced me with his attention.
“I will take dinner with my courtiers in the main dining hall. You will accompany me and eat at my side. Of course, you will be on the floor and will eat out of dishes as are proper for a favored pet.”
I swallowed, dreading the thought of parading my nude self in front of an untold number of strangers. I had no idea how many courtiers my baron commanded, but given the size and prosperity of Calderash, I knew it wouldn’t be a small gathering. And once again, I was reminded that the simply dignities of humanity were to be denied me. Rather than a plate and utensils, I would each out of a dish on the floor, with Wing my only equal.
With a snap of his fingers, Heero commanded me to stand. He took hold of my chain and led me to the door. With a final glance in my direction, he opened the door. My official introduction into Windshire society had begun.
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