Roommates

by Valerie Reyes

  "Perhaps I've inundated you with a bit more conversation that you're comfortable with. Why don't you go sit with your fellows, and we shall talk again once we reach Roza," Gavron offered.

  Lenox nodded at that, finished off his drink, then stood. Before leaving, he bowed and then hurried off to the human transport section.

  Chapter Two

  Upon their arrival on Roza, everyone was escorted by some guards that were of Gavron's race, though none of them were quite so tall or striking as the prince was. The guards escorted Lenox, along with his fellow slaves, into the castle. By the time they arrived, Gavron had already sent his guards with orders as to who would be roomed where, as mandated by what job he expected them to perform for him.

  The castle itself was a sight to behold. The material, though Lenox hadn't seen the likes of it anywhere before, was some type of rock. Its surface was almost glassy, and it sparkled in the rays of the sun, yet it was as black as night. There were the occasional deep purple gemstones adorning the surface, and it simply looked magnificent.

  Everyone gave their names to the guards upon entering the castle, and groups were organized, then led down one of the corridors of the magnificent castle, which was adorned with beautiful paintings, intricate woven patterns, armor, gems, and anything else that was wonderful to behold.

  Lenox was at the back of the procession of people, so he had plenty of leisure time to enjoy the scenery. However, when he got to the front of the line, two orange-eyed and pale men looked down at him, waiting for his name.

  "I'm Lenox," he replied, a bit uneasy at how they were both staring expectantly at him. They had done pretty much the same to everyone else, but something about their attentions toward him seemed different.

  "Follow me," one of the guards said, and led him though endless winding halls and staircases until he was finally dropped off in a rather grandiose room. He almost suspected that this was Gavron's room, and wondered if he had been taken on such a perilous route for the express purpose of confusing him, making it impossible for him to run away.

  The first reason he assumed this must be Gavron's room was the elegance of the place. A large bed, big enough to host about five or six people comfortably, without them needing to touch each other, was the centerpiece of the room. A large canopy made from what looked like a silken material topped off the extravagant sleeping quarter.

  Aside from the bed, there was a magnificent chandelier, a fascinating vanity with bejeweled brush, and lovely carpets made of felled and skinned beasts from some exotic planet. The room was so magnificently furnished that Lenox knew it was for the royalty of the home, even if the prince himself wasn't in sight.

  "Does everything in your room suit you, Master Lenox?" the guard asked.

  So many things about that sentence confused Lenox. He almost didn't know where to start asking questions in order to get all the answers that he needed. "I'm sorry," he began. "Could you explain what you meant by that?" he asked, just wanting the guard to explain why he addressed Lenox as “master,” and why he said that this was his room, and asked if it suited him. He was a slave! These weren't the types of quarters given to a slave.

  "Does the room please you, sir?" the guard repeated.

  "The room is nice, but why did you call it mine?" Lenox replied.

  The guard was a bit dumbfounded for a moment. "I'm sorry, sir. This is your room. I wouldn't have brought you to it if it wasn't yours," he explained patiently.

  "You mean that this is Master Gavron's room," Lenox said. Surely that was what the guard meant. However, did this confusion arise from the fact that perhaps Gavron wanted Lenox to share a room with him? That was a less than comforting proposition.

  "The whole castle is Master Gavron's, in a technical sense, m'lord. But insofar as anything belongs to any resident of this castle, this room is yours. Master Gavron sleeps elsewhere," the man replied patiently.

  Lenox just stared at him a bit dumbstruck, then looked around the room again to make sure he wasn't just imagining what he saw here. No, the opulence of the room far exceeded what even the most generous and gentle of masters would make a slave's quarters out of.

  "Sir, I'm sorry. I can't be meant for this room," Lenox said, getting a bit exhausted with how slowly this guard seemed to catch on. The situation was so clearly not right! How did he not see it?

  "One moment," the guard said, and stepped out of the room. Lenox remained where he was left, not daring to sit down at the vanity, or on the bed, or the divan. He was afraid that he would get dirt on something and be punished, so he remained still for a little over fifteen minutes before the door opened, and the guard reentered. He was not alone, however. Gavron followed him into the room.

  "The gentleman is not happy with his quarters," the guard explained to Gavron, whose face seemed to be growing darker and more troubled.

  "Why have you taken umbrage at your home, Mister Lenox? Is it not so nice as what you enjoyed back under Lord Plargue?" Gavron asked, his pitch a bit high. This was not the happiest that Lenox had ever seen him look, that was for certain.

  "G…Gavron," Lenox began, shrinking back from him, a bit worried now. Did he really give me this room? he wondered. Was it no mistake? And have I made myself seem so ungracious as to scorn it? "I thought — I mean, this can't be my room."

  "What do you mean? Does it not meet your expectations?" Gavron demanded. "Were you so spoiled by Plargue that my rooms do not suit you?"

  "That's not it," Lenox replied, shrinking away from Gavron more. "I simply never expected such an extravagant room to myself. Or am I waiting on roommates?" Lenox asked in a timid squeak.

  Gavron had to process this information, but when he did so, he at least was able to calm down a bit. "Oh, so you're saying that my hospitality was so far above your expectations that you thought you received it by mistake?" he asked with a chuckle. "Well, Mister Lenox, I assure you that you were not met with a mistake."

  Lenox sighed in relief when Gavron's temper subsided. He had been starting to worry that he was in serious trouble, but now he felt a good deal safer. "I'm sorry for making you think I am ungrateful. Really, this is just so much more than I ever had expected. How do you afford to give this to your slaves?" Lenox asked.

  "Well, now that we've got that settled," Gavron said, not bothering to finish the thought. Pretending as though he didn't hear a word of what Lenox said after the apology, he simply pulled out his watch to check the time. "Yes, well, I've got to go. Princely duties and whatnot," Gavron said.

  "Wait!" Lenox said, stopping him before he could run off. Or trying to, at least.

  "Hm?" Gavron hummed, giving Lenox a stare that seemed to imply "this better be good."

  "What am I supposed to do? What are my duties?" Lenox asked.

  "This is your first day. Simply wash yourself and stay in your room. You will be given work when you are needed," Gavron said, pointing off to the en-suite bathroom so Lenox saw he wouldn't have to leave the quarters to wash. Then, before he could protest, Gavron left. Following his master, the guard quickly vacated as well, closing the door behind him as he went.

  Just like that, Lenox was left alone in the huge room. His first order of business was to wash, as instructed. The tub was a huge one, and there were many types of soaps and bath oils — the usage of which he got a bit confused about. Still, when he left the bathtub, he smelled like he had been frolicking through a meadow of the sweetest flowers.

  After doing that, however, he could think of no better occupation than to stare at the ceiling and wait to feel tired so that he might drift off to sleep. Being ordered to stay put was cruel indeed, whether it was intended to be or not.

  Chapter Three

  Without a clock in the bedroom, sitting around with nothing to do was undoubtedly a sort of torture for Lenox. How could it be otherwise? His whole life he had been kept busy. Either he had work to do in the field, sewing for his mistress, or cleaning around the manor. His days were filled with labor, only allotting small
breaks to eat and enough time to sleep. Perhaps he would be allowed certain holidays to enjoy himself, but those holidays still consisted of at least six to seven hours of labor, with only a few hours left open for him to relax.

  Being given a huge span of time with no work whatsoever to occupy him, as he was now, made him uneasy. The only conceivable source of entertainment in the room was a bookshelf, but a slave caught reading anything besides work-related manuals would be harshly punished on Plargue's manor, so he at first restricted himself and didn't allow his curiosity to pull him towards the bookshelf. However, there was only so much idleness a busy mind and body could stand before he got up and, as if trying to hide from some unknown pair of eyes, stealthily went over to the bookshelf and perused the volumes until he found something that looked as though it might be interesting.

  The volume was titled "A Basic Field Guide to Inhabitants of the Valex Planet, Simplified." Lenox had never read a fiction piece, and didn't really understand what the appeal was. So, he took the field guide over to the bed, and got himself comfortable under the covers before he cracked open the book and got to reading.

  He had mostly finished the book when he heard footsteps outside of his door. Instinctively, as a person guilty of any crime would do, he hid the book under the blanket and just returned to blankly staring at the walls. He was just in time, because no sooner did he manage to do that than the door opened and Prince Gavron walked into the room.

  "Hello, Lenox. Sorry I kept you waiting for so long," Gavron said, gently closing the door behind him.

  "Me? Waiting? For what?" Lenox replied.

  "Well, I suppose you have been waiting. Seeing as the walls haven't been painted recently or anything," Gavron replied with a bit of a laugh. "Or is staring at walls just your pastime?"

  "Not normally. Normally I have work to do," Lenox replied. "I don't have pastimes."

  Gavron looked at Lenox with affection, but also as if he were some strange and foreign thing. "A man without a pastime? Strange," Gavron said.

  "Typically, people like me don't have much time to pass," Lenox replied, and Gavron smiled at the witty remark.

  "Perhaps you're right, and I've simply been too spoiled to notice. Well, I've gotten a few books here for you, so you can make reading your pastime from now on," Gavron said.

  Lenox was astonished to hear that, because he couldn't believe that Gavron would let his slaves read without a care. "Those books are for me?" he asked, just wanting to make sure that he understood.

  "That's why they are in your room, Lenox," Gavron replied easily. "But, enough of that. I wanted to broach a much more meaningful topic with you."

  "More meaningful than reading?" Lenox asked, and wondered what that could be. Reading was quite a meaningful topic, especially to him. The permission to read was simply an act that would be hard to follow for a slave who had never been allowed to read before.

  "Well, context means a lot. To me, this is more meaningful than reading. To you, I can only hope that it will be," Gavron said. Lenox didn't reply, but his attention was fully on the alien before him. "Perhaps I've neglected to mention this before, but your room is a bit special compared to the fellow slaves I've taken from Plargue."

  Lenox thought that this room was a bit too good to be true, so he waited to hear what conditions it would come with. "As we discussed on the ship, most of the people I brought from Plargue are simply to be servants tasked with doing domestic chores around the house — but I have much larger plans for you."

  "I am afraid I don't understand," Lenox replied a bit warily.

  "I wish to take you as my groom, Lenox," Gavron said, and Lenox instantly tensed up, staring hard at Gavron as if to question what sort of a joke this was. Gavron’s expression was calm, inviting even.

  "I don't like people making jokes at my expense, or making fun of me," Lenox finally said.

  "Then I believe we shall get along, because I can assure you, my dear, that I'm doing neither," Gavron replied. Lenox's hard expression did not soften at this assurance. "If you don't believe my intentions are honorable, I should assure you that I won't force you into a marriage. I won't force you into anything."

  “But you came to Belezian in search of a wife.”

  “This is true,” Gavron agreed. “But then I saw you among the breeders. I hoped you would meet my expectations for a mate, and when we spoke on the ship, I became certain you would exceed them.”

  “I know nothing about how to be a…husband…to a prince. I know nothing about this kind of relationship at all.”

  Gavron smiled kindly, but a bit wearily. “I have every faith that you will rise to the challenges of the role I am asking you to fill. And I very much enjoy your company.”

  "But if I do not, will you get bored of me and cast me aside. What if I don't meet your expectations?" Lenox asked, pulling the blankets around him.

  Gavron paused at that, remembering how he threatened what may happen if Lenox bored him while they were talking together in the small lounge on board his ship. "If you fear me, and reject every attempt at communication, perhaps I may get bored. But I won't treat you unfairly, Lenox."

  Lenox didn't stop staring at Gavron. He was so confused by the sentiment, and he was frantically trying to wrap his head around this new vision of his future. Husband to a prince?

  "I know this is a lot to take into consideration for you, Lenox. But, please at least keep in mind what sort of delicate position you're in before giving me a hasty ‘no,’" Gavron said.

  At that, Lenox felt his blood run cold as he did indeed take into consideration what would happen if he denied the proposal. Gavron could send him back to Plargue, who would execute him. Otherwise, Gavron might execute Lenox himself for scorning his affections. At the very least, he would be given the worst possible jobs around the castle, and be made miserable for denying Gavron his request.

  "I can see that you're thinking. Well, continue to do so. Before you make a final determination, it's important that you think of all the different avenues of possibility," Gavron said, and with that, he left.

  Lenox did spend some time thinking things over. He realized on one hand that he didn't have much of a choice whether or not he could refuse Gavron, but on the other hand, he had so many reasons to be reticent. Although he had never loved a woman before, he had never even considered the possibility of being with a man, never mind a prince from a far-away planet.

  For a boy who had been a slave his entire life, and done nothing but toil, the prospect of being married to the prince of an affluent planet was a dream come true. In addition to that, Gavron was a handsome man who had a reasonable temper. Perhaps he was no saint, but he was kind enough, and Lenox really did like him. However, there was no way Gavron actually wanted to marry a slave boy unless something was wrong with his head. A prince had no business taking a slave as his partner.

  The only thing that Lenox could figure was that it was a test or a game, and he did not appreciate being toyed with. Perhaps it was better to some people than the physical exhaustion and abuse that he'd faced before, but in his mind it was worse. This was a torment he had never had to endure before, and he didn't want to start enduring it now.

  Chapter Four

  Lenox awoke early the next morning, and after some deliberation decided to venture out of his room and explore the castle. Even if he had been ordered to stay in his room by Gavron, he was feeling stir crazy from being cooped up in the room with nothing to do but read and worry.

  So, he left the room and began exploring. The corridors he traveled were as elegantly decorated as the main foyer where he had first entered the castle. Lenox used to believe that Plargue was a wealthy and powerful man, but Gavron absolutely blew him out of the water. No wonder Plargue had to fall silent when Gavron ordered him to. The difference of wealth was amazing.

  For over an hour, Lenox explored the twisting pathways of the cave until a guard seized him, quite unexpectedly. "Master! Where have you been?" the guard asked, tu
rning Lenox around to face him. Though the guard was obviously in some distress, he was still rather gentle with Lenox.

  "Just looking around for the food hall. I wasn't brought dinner last night," Lenox replied, lying about his intentions, but not the fact that he hadn't eaten dinner.

  "Is it normal for you to eat at night?" the guard asked, though he didn't give Lenox time to answer. "Master is worried. Come," the guard said, and pulled Lenox along as he led the way towards the dining room, where Gavron was pacing.

  "Lenox! I thought you had run away after our talk last night. I was so worried," Gavron said, going over to Lenox and the guard. As the prince advanced with wide and quick strides, the guard retreated so as to be out of the way.

  Lenox looked at Gavron with a confused expression, and tried to push the prince away when he wrapped him in an embrace. The nerve.

  Lenox’s feeble strength didn't even seem to register to Gavron as he hugged the boy anyway, then led him to the table. "Stop dragging me!" Lenox protested, trying to jerk his arm away.

  Now it was Gavron's turn to look confusedly at Lenox. "Dragging you?" Gavron asked.

  "Yes, dragging me," Lenox grumbled.

  "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Gavron chuckled, and motioned for Lenox to take a seat. Lenox couldn't think of much of a reason to argue with that, though he was still extremely mistrustful of Gavron. He sat down and examined the table, which was loaded down with much too much food for only two people. Gavron paid no heed to the amount of food, though, and filled his plate.

  Lenox hesitantly followed suit, only because he was quite hungry. Then he began eating, but not without some unease.

  Though Gavron didn't strike him as the most observant, especially not when it came to the emotions of others, he wasn't blind to how upset and uneasy Lenox was. That absolutely needed to be addressed, so he finished his food and looked at the boy.

  "Lenox, is something wrong with the food?" Gavron asked, wiping his mouth and putting down the napkin.