Moreno made love to Maeve, a fiery redhead who made sure to visit him every time she was in town, then asked her if she could help two lovers to run away from the Queendom. Intrigued, Maeve asked him to explain what he meant and he introduced her to Jasmine so they could figure out how to do it.
In the meantime, Spino endured Roxanne's company and hadn't done anything stupid only because Moreno kept telling him he was working on it.
"Yes, Jasmine still loves you, just hold on, and you'll soon be free to share your life with her."
"But how? How will we get away from her mother?"
"Be patient, Spino, and trust me."
It was clearly a torment for Spino to be forced to sleep with Roxanne, but he held on. The festival finished and Aryana prepared to go back home.
"Mother, I so enjoy Moreno's company, can I stay with Aunt Darya for a few more days?" Jasmine asked with her most innocent face during their last meal all together. The women reclined on their triclinia while the men sat on the floor next to them.
"I told you Moreno is the best!" Florina exclaimed, brightening. "Please, Mother, let my favorite cousin stay!" She winked at Jasmine who smiled back at her.
Roxanne snorted. "I want to take away Spino!" she demanded.
Moreno saw Spino shiver, but he didn't say anything. Keep calm.
Darya looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
"What do you say, Moreno? You asked me to save him, and I don't think he has quite earned his freedom yet," she said.
"I like having him here, I don't think he'll try to stab me like Tigrotto did," he replied nonchalantly.
"Yikes! Where is that Tigrotto man?" Roxanne inquired. "Must have been a wild animal!"
"Just young and rash." Darya shrugged. "Spino is much more refined than him. He's very good for the house, I already have requests for him – women waiting for you to leave so they can try him."
Roxanne pouted. "He should have ended in the Public House of Ciara, it would have been easier to visit him!"
Ciara was the small town closest to Aryana's farm where Allegro was supposed to be sold when she'd decided to get rid of him. Except he'd run away and become Uncatchable, ending at his former mistress's sister's house by pure chance. Obviously both Aryana and her daughters had recognized Allegro, even if he didn't smile anymore.
"Who sent the Huntresses on his trail?" Aryana asked, amused. "Who complained every time she went to Ciara that she'd lost a good bed slave?" The way she stared at her daughter, the answer was obvious.
"I have bought him from the Huntresses who captured him, so he belongs to me now," Darya added. "I didn't know he was a runaway slave from your household when I brought him here."
Roxanne glared at her. "So, you saved him, keep him!" she said venomously.
"He's good," Florina conceded. "But not as good as Moreno."
"Bah." Roxanne upturned her nose and sulked.
Moreno noticed Jasmine was trying to hide a smile. Everything was going according to their plan. When Aryana and Roxanne would be gone, Maeve would request Spino and take him for a walk. At the same time, Jasmine and Moreno would be out together, apparently on another errand. They'd meet the captain at her ship, and she'd take the lovers away.
"Will you be able to handle my aunt?" Jasmine asked him that night, worried.
"Yes, don't worry for me," he answered. "I don't know how to tell Spino, though, so I hope he'll just go with Maeve without making a fuss."
She nodded, thoughtful. She'd bring her travel pouch, but he must gather Spino's few belongings from his room after the young man was gone. They'd pretend it was dirty clothes for the washerwomen and exit the house as soon as Maeve left with Spino.
"Let's get some sleep." She sighed. "We have some work to do soon..."
***
Spino looked aghast when Maeve requested him and said she wanted to take him to an inn to drink some ale – unavailable at the house. He glanced at Moreno who quickly nodded, so he bowed his head and followed the redheaded captain outside.
Jasmine came with her two travel bags and said she needed a man to carry her laundry. Moreno wore his Modesty Cloth and followed her to the pier, where Maeve's ship was anchored. As they reached it, Maeve was taking off Spino's Cloth, saying, "You don't need this onboard, darling."
Puzzled, Spino looked at Jasmine and Moreno who joined them on the deck.
"Thank you so much, Maeve," Jasmine said, taking the bags from Moreno's hands. "We're leaving," she then told Spino. "We're going to settle abroad."
Moreno saw Spino's smile blossom for the first time. The former Uncatchable took Jasmine in his arms and gave her a long, passionate kiss that made Maeve chuckle. The captain turned to look at still fully covered Moreno.
"I'll see you in a few months," she told him. "I'm sure the lovebirds will find a nice place to settle and maybe even start one of those things called 'family' abroad."
"Thank you, Maeve. You shall receive a special treatment when you come back," he promised with a bow.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Jasmine asked him, holding tight Spino's hand.
"Please, come with us! I owe you so much!" Spino added.
Moreno chuckled. "Thank you, but my life is here. Someone will have to calm your aunt and your mother, Jasmine, and that's my job. I'll be all right."
Jasmine grinned. "And if Florina requests you as Favorite, will you accept?" she asked.
It was his turn to stare at her, puzzled. "Why would she do that?" he asked.
"Because she's very fond of you," Jasmine replied. "I'm sure she doesn't know yet, but she's in love with you as much as I fell for Allegro."
Might that be? he wondered. Well, why not. He'd known Florina for years. Yes, she was very fond of him, and probably had two children with him, but being chosen as Favorite and becoming her exclusive property... he'd never considered that.
"Don't agree until you repay me," Maeve reminded him. "See you soon."
Moreno got off the ship and slowly went back to Darya's. Would her mistress really let her daughter claim him? And how did he feel about it? He liked Florina, he'd just never considered to spend his life with her... He never thought she'd care enough to claim him.
But maybe Jasmine was right. Soon he'd be chosen by one young woman and wouldn't have to please them all... Thinking back at Jasmine and Spino's long kiss, Moreno started feeling very warm inside.
Uncommon Amazons
"You sent for me, my lady?" the young man asked, bowing deeply.
"Yes," the woman answered. "Sit down, Zaffiro."
The young man obeyed silently, sitting on his heels in front of her triclinium. Being called outside of his mistress's Apartment wasn't really a good sign. He stared at the patterns on the carpet, getting ready for the bad news.
"Zaffiro, you are my favorite slave, and you know it," she continued. "You're the best man of my Apartment, and for this reason I want you to take care of my sister. She arrived a few days ago from Maadre, by the order of our beloved Queen Chandra. You see, she's almost twenty and didn't have any children yet. Chandra thinks it might be the air of Maadre, so before she enters the Temple, the Queen has sent Danilisa here for a last try. I'm sure you're the right person for her."
"Thank you, my lady," he replied with the same subdued tone, not bothering to show an enthusiasm he didn't feel. He suppressed a sigh, though, and kept his head bowed.
He'd been working for Malianna for the past five years, locked in her Apartment with a few other young men. When she'd taken him out of the Public House he'd been sent to, he thought he had it made. He was twenty and would become the exclusive of his new mistress instead of being a sort of public property.
Now, five years later, he'd realized his mistake. He'd become her favorite bed slave, but she spent most of the year in her country estate. The expected orgies in Aristocrats' palaces he'd dreamed of never really happened. As a bed slave in the Apartment of the Queen's cousin, he'd become a private property, but his mis
tress still had the right to share him, even if he wasn't allowed to show his face outside of the Apartment.
Thus, in the past five years he'd performed the Rite on all the girls of the estate and entertained all of Malianna's guests. And now her sister coming from the capital. He knew he shouldn't complain, but he often felt like he'd fallen lower than where he was before, treated like a stud instead of a man.
He'd always hated the Rite, since it didn't allow him to show his face or talk to the poor virgin, but it was even worse now. Any sex he had outside of the mistress's bed felt so impersonal and cold that he always felt bad about himself afterward. Malianna knew it and usually cuddled him after sending him to the public room.
She lifted his chin with one finger, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"Danilisa is in your hands," she concluded. "Afterward you can come to my rooms, as usual. You can go now."
Zaffiro got to his feet, bowed and left. With a sigh, he took the Modesty Cloth that covered him from head to toe every time he left the Apartment. Sometimes he wondered why women had created that law that made any intercourse unpleasant and forced men to hide their bodies. Maybe the first Amazons hated men to the point they didn't want to see them when they mated with them...
Danilisa waited for him laying on the bed, but when she saw him enter, she sat up and gasped. Surely she knew what awaited her, but she didn't look pleased or expectant. She still wore her tunic and had her long brown hair loose on her shoulders.
Zaffiro had glimpsed her arrival from a window of the Apartment, but hadn't managed to take a closer look yet. The sisters didn't resemble each other, since Malianna was blonde and the age gap was of almost eleven years. The lace on the Modesty Cloth in front of his eyes didn't really allow him to admire anything, but when his fingers brushed her skin, it felt velvety. And she smelled good – he could feel it through the Cloth.
He joined her in silence, and she slid away from him, staring at him warily. She didn't look happy with the covering, but she knew men weren't supposed to show their faces – especially not bed slaves who were private properties of their mistress.
Zaffiro caressed her cheek to reassure her. She moved away, turning her head abruptly. Confused, he tried to embrace her, but she squirmed. Were things different at the capital? He was beginning to think that maybe Danilisa would be his way out of Malianna's Apartment, but he needed to impress her first. And how could he show how good he was if she didn't like his touch?
"Please, let me give you pleasure," he said without thinking. He didn't realize he was speaking until it was too late, but she stared at him a little less hostile. He wasn't supposed to talk to her, and shouldn't mention pleasure either, but he couldn't stand being just a stud for Danilisa. He really wanted to be a man, and hopefully impregnate her.
Her wary eyes kept staring at him as he undressed her with sweet words. He tried to be tender, even if it wasn't requested of him – actually, it was forbidden – and smiled hearing her sigh in his arms. He kept the Modesty Cloth on, but it was the strangest and most passionate mating he'd ever performed.
When he was done, he ran away, upset by the way she made him feel. And for the first time in five years, he didn't go to Malianna's after coupling with someone else.
***
Danilisa felt sleep leaving her and hugged her pillow. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the memories of the night before. Pity the bed slave hadn't showed her his face, or even most of his body. He'd hovered over her like a ghost and she'd felt his hands – and his manhood – and heard his husky voice, but not much else.
She decided to get up. She opened her eyes and stretched her limbs. Coming to the northern province had been a good idea. Life at Maadre was stressful and in spite of exchanging slaves with her Aristocrat friends, she hadn't found a man who could impregnate her.
She had hesitated for so long because she hadn't seen Malianna in years. The firstborn didn't get along with their mother, so she'd left the capital for the northern province as soon as she could. Danilisa had stayed in Maadre, at their mother's palace, as the youngest daughter.
She was much younger than her cousin Chandra, who was now thirty-five, but at her mother's death the Queen had suggested she rekindle her relationship with her sister.
Thus Danilisa had left Maadre and traveled to the northern province. Malianna had a mansion in the country not far from the town of Fianna. She had land and tenants and a small village that provided the estate with everything. Malianna herself went to town once a month at the most and didn't have any real friends there – she was too haughty to make any.
Danilisa had learned that from Alannah, Governess of Fianna, who had directed her to Malianna's estate, wrinkling her nose at the name. Malianna was proud to be the Queen's cousin, and apparently she'd clashed with older Alannah, much like she'd done with her own mother.
Danilisa got out of bed, dressed and left the guest room, looking for some breakfast. She'd spent a week in Fianna before daring to reach Malianna's mansion, trying their public house and befriending young Aristocrats who couldn't tell she was Malianna's sister from her manners – she lacked her sister's haughtiness. They had happily shared their slaves with her, but her sister hadn't seemed too keen on doing the same.
Malianna had been surprised to see her. But when she'd explained she couldn't get pregnant in Maadre and Chandra herself had suggested she came – giving her a letter from the Queen to prove it – Malianna relented. She'd given her a guest room and had spent the first days studying her.
"I don't want to take over your estate!" Danilisa had had to reassure her. "I only want to be spared the Goddess's Temple! Your people say you have a wonderful bed slave. Can I try him?"
And now that she'd tried him, she'd been quite pleased. Not only because he had dared to speak, but also because he'd been very tender. Must have been a Public Man before entering Malianna's Apartment, since he definitely knew his way around women.
She found Malianna on her triclinium, eating grapes.
"Good morning," she greeted, reclining next to her. "Thank you for sending him to my room."
Malianna looked startled. "You enjoyed him? Wasn't he a little rough for a city girl like you?"
"No, no, he was just fine! If you ever have enough of him, I'll gladly take him to start my own Apartment."
Malianna scoffed and averted her eyes. "He's my best bed slave, I won't get rid of him until he's too old to perform," she declared.
Danilisa shrugged, picking an apple from a bowl of fruit in front of them.
"I don't have slaves to trade with you, I'm afraid," she said. "I got rid of all the useless men Mother gave me in Maadre. I left the last one in Fianna, with a very nice girl called Iona, do you know her?"
"Alannah's daughter," Malianna retorted. "A silly girl full of silly dreams – much like you, I'm afraid. What makes you think my bed slave is better than any of them?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll see. Will you give him to me if I'm pregnant?" She didn't mention the fact that she'd been to Fianna's public house as well – besides trying Iona's slaves – before knocking on her door.
Malianna huffed.
"You shouldn't care who the father is, as long as you have a healthy daughter," she snapped.
"Like you." Danilisa smiled ruefully. "How many living children do you have?"
"I had my first baby at fourteen, but he didn't survive his first year. My first daughter at eighteen, that's when I moved here, leaving my second born in Maadre."
"A boy, then." Danilisa nodded, thoughtful. If she managed to have children, she'd keep both boys and girls. But she hadn't been that lucky yet.
"I had another boy at twenty, I think he's still in Fianna," Malianna continued. "I lost another couple... so here I am with three healthy daughters to inherit all this." She waved at the living room with triclinia and the big square windows that let in a lot of light. One door led to the inner garden, the other to the rest of the mansion. The stone floor was covered with carp
ets.
"Will you share your Apartment with your daughters?" Danilisa asked.
"When Alba turns fourteen, I'll start her own Apartment. Maybe she won't need a Rite. Did you have a Rite?"
"Uh, no. I had a crush on my friend Floridia's brother, and he took care of me. I'd have claimed him as Favorite if he'd managed to impregnate me."
"Goddess, why are you so obsessed with fathers? As if you know who your father was!" Malianna snorted.
Danilisa shrugged. "I like men. They can be very sweet. And I seem to be very monogamous, but I had to try many to find the one who could give me babies."
"Nobody is monogamous in the Queendom, men least of all."
"Maybe because they don't have a choice – being either Public Men or bed slaves..."
"Have you tried any Uncatchables?"
"Not interested in forcing myself upon anyone..."
"Is that the new fashion in Maadre?" Malianna sounded impatient now.
"It's just how I feel," she replied. Her sister was very traditional regarding men. Living in the country hadn't really opened her mind. Fianna wasn't a busy town like Maadre and there weren't any foreign merchants trading outside of the capital.
"Goddess! I wonder who your father was now! Maybe a foreign merchant, although Mother never told me she'd met any!" Malianna snorted.
"Or he might be Colosso," Danilisa mused. It was a thought that had never left her. She barely remembered the man, but her mother had been very fond of him – who knew why she had decided to give him to Malianna. "Do you still have him?"
"Yes, he's the head of the Apartment security," Malianna answered, throwing away the stalk of her grape.
"Is he still a giant?"
"I haven't renamed him for that reason. Colosso fits him perfectly. But he doesn't perform anymore, he just keeps women out of the Apartment."
Tales of the Queendom of Maadre Page 11
