She snorted, her eyes caressing the field and vineyard of her property. "I inherited my mother's farm. I could never be a Huntress. When I go to town, I check the slave marketplace. And maybe one day a Huntress will show up, wanting to get rid of her latest prey, and I'd buy him and spend my life with him..." She looked dreamy now.
Leone was speechless. Clio was indeed strange. He left again, mortified, pondering her words. Only one man... for life? And why so much contempt for Public Men who made so many women happy?
It wasn't easy to swallow, but Leone stopped trying to talk to Clio. The other women told him she was a loner and he should forget her, but he just couldn't. He'd give everything to see her in his bedroom at least once.
***
"Why do you always glare at me?" Leone asked, upset. He'd crossed paths with Clio in the village – on his own turf. Why was she so hostile even away from her farm?
"You're so haughty and you don't even realize it," she retorted. "Who do you think you are, the only man in the world?"
"No, but I am the most handsome of the village," he replied, insulted.
"You're so modest!" she commented, sarcastic.
"Everybody says so," he insisted. "They keep telling me so. Is it my fault? What am I supposed to do, disfigure myself because I'm too gorgeous?"
"You're not funny," she snapped.
"You... you drive me crazy!" he exploded. "I didn't do anything wrong to you, why are you so mean to me?"
"Stay away from me, Leone, and we'll be fine," she answered through clenched teeth. "I'd rather not see you!"
"But I want to see you," he grumbled. "I can't stand all that hatred."
"I don't hate you." She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I only want you to stay away from me, all right?"
He nodded, staring at his sandals, and let her go.
One week later a group of Huntresses showed up with their prey. Leone spent the day watching Clio observe the five Uncatchables captured by the Huntresses.
He saw her brighten at the sight of a dark-haired young man, but she couldn't match the offers and he went to the head of the village instead. Clio's disappointment was so obvious that Leone smiled. He decided to keep an eye on both her and the new slave.
***
Days went by and Clio seemed smitten with the Uncatchable who had been named Orso, to Leone's surprise. He couldn't understand her attraction for the brooding slave – why would she prefer a quiet and unsmiling man to a sweet and outgoing person like him was something that escaped him completely. Orso was good-looking but also strong, and Doriana used him for hard works, not in her bed. She preferred visiting the Public Man to trying an unreliable, probably untamed, former Uncatchable.
Often Clio was seen next to Orso, helping him with his tasks in the fields, feeding him or otherwise comforting him, but the young man ignored her and was slowly fading out. He wore a collar, like a dog, that chained him to his mistress's house, limiting his mobility, but he wasn't really trying to escape. It looked as if he just wanted to die, now that he'd been captured – and probably abused by the Huntresses.
"You're an idiot!" Leone told him after two weeks. "You have the love and admiration of the wildest woman of the village and you ignore her!"
"I don't want a woman's affection," Orso replied gloomily. "I want to be free."
"Would you like to become a Public Man?" Leone suggested as an idea hit him. "It's less grueling than being a slave."
"I'd rather work to death in the fields," Orso grumbled.
"Why?" Leone protested. "I don't understand, what's wrong with my job?"
"Nothing, if that's what you're made for. Although I doubt you had a choice in the matter. But if you enjoy it, good for you." Orso shrugged. "But if, like me, you've always wished to travel and see the world only to discover you can't because you're a man and you're not some woman's property, anything else would be an awful alternative. And being a Public Man is the worst, since it's the women's fault I can't live my life the way I want to. Therefore, no thanks, I don't want a woman near me."
Leone gaped at Orso who averted his eyes with another little shrug.
It was true Leone had never looked for an alternative – he loved the village and its people – but he'd always been so spoiled, he had no reason to leave.
"Would you really let yourself die this slow death because you can't live the life you want?" he asked at last.
Orso stared at him before speaking.
"Probably not, but do you see a solution?"
"Run away," Leone suggested. "Doriana won't come after you. And get smart. Say you belong to Lady Adele of Maadre – or make up any name of an Aristocrat of the capital who trusts only you. Get on the first ship headed abroad, possibly with a foreign captain, and leave the country."
"Are you sure Doriana won't send her hounds after me?" Orso asked, both worried and hopeful.
"I know my job." Leone smiled ruefully. "I'll keep her busy, and she'll soon forget you."
Again Orso stared at him before speaking.
"Shouldn't be hard for you to manipulate a woman," he muttered.
"Except the only one that matters," Leone replied sourly.
"Can't help you with that," Orso replied. "You're the king of the village, if there was such a thing in this country." He smiled at last in front of Leone's puzzlement. "I've read a couple of books," he admitted.
"You've... read?" Leone's eyes widened in wonder.
"Yes, another crazy thing I wanted to do in my life – study. Learn to read and write and calculate... I haven't found the right mistress yet. You think if I pretended to have one, I could go back to Maadre and spend some time in the library? It's so busy, they probably wouldn't notice me..."
"Where did you learn to read?" Leone asked, incredulous.
Orso shrugged. "I am a Merchantess's son. My mother kept me for the heavy work. But my sister taught me to read – in secret. Then my mother sold me to an Aristocrat. I spent two years locked in her Apartment until I managed to run away. I left the city and hid in the forest... Three years, and then I got caught." He sighed. "And now I'm here, stuck in a small village with no books and no freedom..."
Leone was fascinated by the slave. Orso had traveled, could read, speak a foreign language... he'd been in an Aristocrat's Apartment, he'd been Uncatchable... Surely Clio didn't know all that, but Leone started to share her interest in the dark-haired young man.
That day Orso didn't do much work, but if it was Leone keeping him busy... well, Leone was allowed to do as he pleased.
***
Orso had run away one month earlier and Leone was more and more restless in his role of Public Man when his rival arrived. Leone was the first to notice him with his mistress, who had bought the farm of an old woman without heirs, and thought, relieved, that finally he might step down from his pedestal.
"What?" Doriana couldn't believe her ears. "You want to be what?"
"A slave," Leone answered. "I could take Orso's place, since he ran away."
"But honey, I could understand if you asked to become a Favorite, but a slave!" Doriana looked horrified at the thought. "You'd ruin your perfect body!"
"I'm not a doll, Doriana, I can learn to work in the fields like everybody else," he replied, hurt. "I have hands and feet and muscles and I'm tired of being a Public Man."
"But you're not even twenty-four!" she insisted. "And besides, who will take your place?"
"Allegro," he answered. "Ask Isa to share him, I'm sure she'll agree. He's blond, sweet, outgoing, four years younger than me and I'm sure if you let him, he'll seduce you all."
"And if Isa didn't want to share him?" Doriana asked, skeptical.
"Isa is lonely and bored, she'd do anything to fit in her new environment," he assured her.
"And you'd be a field worker, a slave?"
"Yes, Doriana. Please."
"All right." She sighed. "As you wish."
"You won't regret it. You'll see," Leone promised with a smile.
***
Leone had been right. Allegro didn't take long to become the new idol of the village. He was a happy-go-lucky and even more exuberant than Leone, but equally irresistible.
Leone started working in the fields with the others who stared at him with more and more sympathy. They understood his withdrawal, and admired him for the strength he had shown in that occasion: none of them – if they were in his sandals – would have given up his post, but they were glad that he had stepped down from his pedestal. They felt closer to him now, and the envy was gone.
The women at first had grumbled, but then had fallen for Allegro, and Leone was soon forgotten.
"So you've fallen from grace?" Clio asked Leone one day, visiting him on the field like she'd done way too often with Orso during his short stay.
"No." He smiled, flipping over the hay with his pitchfork as he spoke. "I gave up my post."
"You?" she asked incredulous. "You, who were so happy with your job?"
"Until you came," he corrected. "You turned my world upside down and I ended up changing my mind and my life."
"If you hope I'll buy you from Doriana now, you can forget it," she warned.
"I've lost hope," he answered, amused. "You will never want me. You don't like me. That's life."
She stared at him, frowning with suspicion. She didn't seem to believe him.
He averted his eyes, concentrating on the hay, the smile frozen on his face.
"Leone, look at me," she ordered.
He obeyed. But he couldn't look at her for too long – it hurt too much. He turned his back on her and resumed working.
"Please, don't do this," he said. "Leave me alone. I'm the one asking you to stay away from me now. Don't torment me, you're not cruel, just leave me alone."
"You..."
"I want you like I never wanted anyone before," he interrupted her quickly. "I want you, I want to kiss you, cuddle you, love you, and if you don't leave right now, I'm going to lose control!"
Startled, she quickly walked away. Leone took in a deep breath, closing his eyes to calm the beating of his heart.
***
Clio was really impressed. She'd thought Leone had been supplanted by Allegro, but he had given up instead. Doriana confirmed Leone had requested to become a slave and leave the Public House.
Clio started observing him from a distance. He looked sad and refused the cuddles of the few admirers he had left. He requested the hardest works, so he'd be too tired to think, but it was destroying him.
Clio couldn't believe the change in him. Could it be he'd done it for her? Or was he doing it to impress her because she'd never visited him in the Public House? He obviously wasn't acting, though, he was really killing himself with hard labor – much like Orso had done before running away...
She decided to try him and asked Doriana to send him to her farm for one day, only to discover that he was really, truly in love with her – and that she returned his love. She'd found the right man at last.
She exchanged him with one of her slaves. When she went to pick him up at Doriana's, Leone's smile compensated her for the years of waiting. Both had found heaven on earth.
Doreen
"Here are the slaves for the initiation," the servant announced, introducing ten young men at the presence of the Queen of the Amazons. Most had been raised at the palace, but a couple were Uncatchables, just captured and bought for the pleasure of the queen.
Cynthia had been queen for many years. She wasn't young anymore, but still had thick black hair and a pleasant body. She reviewed the slaves and her attention was captured by the sky-blue eyes of a young man who had hidden in the slaves house for way too long.
"How old are you, Azzurro?" she asked him.
"Twenty-two," he admitted. He wasn't really beautiful, which was probably why he hadn't been brought to the queen before, but had those blue sapphires...
Queen Cynthia dismissed the other nine and guided the chosen one towards a pile of cushions and pillows. She smiled reassuringly at him, but he averted his eyes.
"Are you afraid?" she asked, softened by his shyness.
"No," he answered. "But to be honest, I'd have preferred to stay in oblivion and choose my own a partner, if any."
She studied him in silence, surprised by his words.
"I appreciate your honesty," she said eventually. "But if you behave, I can make a prince out of you."
"I'm trying to appreciate your offer, my lady, but it's not easy," he said. "I'm your slave, and I don't think my opinion counts anyway. I'll keep it to myself from now on."
"Great," she said, glad he didn't point out that she could have been his mother. She was the Queen of the Amazons after all, and her pride was already wounded by his rejection. Had she been younger and rasher, she'd probably have punished him for his words. But now she only wanted to lose herself in those cerulean eyes. "Come here."
He obeyed with an air of resignation.
***
It's been a year since I was chosen, Azzurro thought, curling up on one side of the bed. The Queen seemed to appreciate him a lot – she visited him almost every day – but he wasn't satisfied. Maybe he was ungrateful, he knew he couldn't aspire to anything better – there was no higher position for a man than being the Queen's Favorite – but he wasn't happy. I so wanted a younger lover...
He imagined her one more time in the first light of dawn, like he had done so often for months, or even years. His ideal woman didn't have a specific face yet, nor particular physical characteristics, except she was young, beautiful and sweet.
Servants woke him up as soon as the sun left the horizon line. Azzurro got out of bed with a sigh, let them wash him, perfume him and dress him for the celebration that would officially establish his status of Queen's Favorite – something he would have enjoyed more if he'd been able to choose. Maybe the Queen's daughter, Ashlee, would have been a better choice, for her age, if not for her appearance.
Dressed in white, his black curls neatly combed and his face clean-shaven, he was led to the ceremony room. Cynthia had seen him smile very sparsely during the past year, and that day wasn't different. The night was similar to many others, except their relationship was now official and couldn't be broken, as it had been blessed by the Goddess.
"What's wrong?" she asked, a little irritated by his obvious melancholy.
"Nothing," he said, serious. "I was thinking that I'm a prisoner, a luxury slave, but still a recluse. I was thinking I'd like to fly away."
"You want to leave me?"
"I'm your slave."
"You're my Favorite now."
"Does this give me freedom? Why talk about it, my queen, we have opposite views on this topic and neither of us will give up our opinion."
"I wish I could see you smile from time to time," she said, frustrated. "I seem to be doing whatever I can to make you happy."
"Of course you do, it's my fault, I can't appreciate it."
He smiled at her and kissed her, and for that day peace was made.
***
For two more years they kept on their relationship, with Cynthia trying to break Azzurro's defenses, but he didn't allow her to seduce him.
One night during an official ceremony, Azzurro eyed a lovely brunette, very elegant and sort of overwhelmed by the palace's wealth. Dazzled, he went to talk to her with the assurance of the host.
"My name is Doreen," she said staring at him with curiosity. "I was anxious to meet you, Azzurro, I heard so much about you... I couldn't come to the palace earlier, but I'm pleased to meet you now."
"The honor is mine, my lady," he smiled. "Am I like you expected me to be?"
"Not really," she giggled. "I had heard your greatest beauty was your eyes, but wasn't told you have two sapphires on your face."
He felt happy at the compliment for the first time in his life. They spent the night talking of minutiae, but she never mentioned her mother's name, or where she lived. She knew Princess Ashlee personally, because they we
re about the same age, but that was it. Until he asked her.
"What do you care of where I live?" She blushed.
"I want to see you again," he said, serious. "I have two days a week off duty and I'd love to visit you."
Her smile faded too and she lowered her eyes.
"This won't be possible," she whispered.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I shall enter the Temple soon," she said, a little embarrassed. "I'm nineteen and never had a baby. I shall enter the Goddess service as soon as I turn twenty."
"When? I could visit you before you leave! Who is your mother? I know I'm only a man, albeit the Queen's Favorite, but I sure hope you won't be so cruel to tell me you don't want to see me ever again."
"I should," she whispered, her eyes low.
"Don't," he purred. "Tell me where I can find you."
She did, and ran away, overwhelmed by confusion. He followed her with his eyes, a dreamy smile on his face.
Cynthia hugged him from behind and brought him back to reality. But he couldn't forget, and that night he imagined Doreen in his arms instead of Cynthia, giving the Queen what she had been waiting for all those years.
"I waited for so long," Cynthia sighed with happiness, caressing him. "What changed, Azzurro?"
"I don't know," he said. "I feel different."
He didn't say a word about the young Aristocrat who would soon become a Priestess – he knew how jealous Cynthia could be. He closed his eyes, dreaming of his ideal woman who finally had a face, a smile, a voice, a body...
***
They started seeing each other in quiet, but public places where they could talk. And they slowly and inevitably fell into each other's arms when their lips met.
"I love you," Azzurro declared fervently.
Doreen's smile faded and she pulled back.
"You're the Queen's Favorite," she said. "And I'll become a Priestess in a few months."
"I don't love the Queen, and she knows it! Don't lock yourself in a temple, stay here with me..."
"I'm barren, and Queen Cynthia will never set you free."
"Then I beg you to see me anyway. We'll keep it secret, nobody will know."
Tales of the Queendom of Maadre Page 8
