Choose Me

by Hart, Delmire

  The next time he heard voices he was awake but had been drifting on the edge of a comfortable drowsiness. Toru popped his head out from where it had been buried in the blankets and looked around the room. There was more light than last night but the room was still dim. It looked much the same from where he lay in the middle of the massive bed and he flopped back down to rub the sleep from his eyes.

  The door opened and two male betas walked in. One he recognised from the night before; the disgruntled man that had led them into the manor whom Kessler had referred to as his steward. The other who followed seemed younger, closer to Toru’s age, with dark hair and dark eyes. More importantly, the younger man carried a large tray filled with delicious smelling food. Toru sat up eagerly, hoping the food was for him considering he was the only other person in the room.

  “So, you are awake this time.” The older man spoke, sounding just as grumpy as his frown suggested. Toru blinked in confusion until the younger beta elaborated with a grin.

  “We came to get you measured earlier, but you were completely out of it,” he said with a laugh as he sat the tray down on the edge of the bed. The tray had little legs that held it up off the bed and was loaded up with a colourful fare.

  Toru eagerly crawled closer to see what was on there. Most of it appeared to be different fruits cut into bite sized pieces but there was also what appeared to be bread, a few different types of pastries, and a selection of dips. He didn’t recognise most of what was on the tray but it looked delicious, nonetheless.

  Toru sat next to the tray, sheets carefully wrapped around his waist, and reached a hand out to take a piece before halting. “Uhh… Is this for me?”

  The younger man that had been carrying the tray smiled and nodded but it was the older, grumpy man who answered.

  “Yes. We have been informed that you were gravely injured and still need a great deal of rest and wholesome food.” The man’s dark eyes raked over Toru’s frame and the frown on his face clearly showed what he thought of Toru’s appearance. “Although I am unsure why His Highness would pay money for a slave in such condition. Even more odd is Litton selling someone in such poor condition; it would look badly on him in court if this were known.”

  Toru scoffed and reached out to grab a slice of apple, it was one of the few things on the tray he recognised. “I’m pretty sure that has more to do with him not buying me, I was a gift,” he muttered before munching down on the apple. He groaned in pleasure at the sheer freshness of it. Having been in the army for so many months, fresh food of any description was scarce.

  He spent a few moments just savouring the sweet crispness of the apple slice before eagerly reaching for another. He ignored the amused look the young man shot him and chose a pinkish coloured fruit off the tray. He groaned even louder in pleasure at the juicy sweetness that assaulted his taste buds.

  “What is that?!”

  “A strawberry,” the amused beta answered.

  “What about that one?” Toru pointed to a fleshy looking, orange coloured slice.

  “Mango.”

  He let out another moan of pleasure at the taste of the mango. They continued like that, he would point at something and the other man would name it until Toru had sampled one of everything on the tray. Mango, he decided, was good enough to be a reason for living all on its own.

  Still happily munching away, Toru glanced up at the older man he now mentally referred to as ‘the grumpy one’. He watched Toru eat with an odd expression on his face, almost a kind of perplexed bewilderment. Catching the omega’s look, he seemed to come back to himself and straightened up, expression schooling back into a frown.

  “I am Morse Seth, Prince Kessler’s steward. As such, I oversee the running of the manor and this household’s staff, among other things. I have been informed that you will be on light duties until our resident healer approves otherwise and will have time for rest during the day if required. While you are one of his few personal slaves, you are still expected to follow the same code of conduct around the manor as the rest of us. Any complaints about any of the household are to come to me. Do you understand?”

  His tone was stiff and formal and he seemed to be trying to glare a hole into Toru’s body the longer he didn’t reply. The omega nodded and the man seemed to relax ever so slightly.

  “This is Luca.” He gestured to the young man who had carried the tray, and the beta waved in greeting. “He is another of His Highness’s personal slaves and you will help him with his daily tasks for now. He is the prince’s personal attendant and looks after his personal effects, including his rooms, clothing, food, and general errands as required.”

  Toru nodded again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. His Highness this, Prince that. Looks like he wouldn’t be able to escape the alpha even when they weren’t in the same room. All he wanted to do was something that meant he didn’t have to think about the events from yesterday and the choice he had been given. Yet if the beta kept blathering on and mentioning his name, then there would be no escape.

  Morse seemed to sense Toru’s internal insolence and narrowed his eyes at him. Toru just stared back defiantly and continued to demolish the food off the tray. The steward turned to the other slave, Luca, and asked him to fetch something from the other room before turning back to Toru.

  “I have been informed that you are completely untrained and Tysealeans have no slaves, so you are unaware how to act. However, I would have expected you to have some level of self-preservation and cautiousness that would dictate that you show a certain level of respect to others. In other households, pleasure slaves are often favoured and can laze about all day doing nothing but looking pretty but that is not the case here. His Highness values usefulness highly and everyone works for their meals.”

  Toru continued to stare back, refusing to back down. He didn’t ask for any of this and there was no way in hell he was going to posture himself in front of this grumpy old beta. “I may not be able to beat you like other households allow, but make no mistake, I can be very creative with my punishments if you don’t learn some respect for your elders.”

  Toru opened his mouth to give an angry reply but was interrupted by the return of Luca who carried a large chest. He snapped his mouth shut and looked away. Getting into a fight on the first day here just because a stuck up old bat rubbed him the wrong way was not a good idea. He might not have a choice in all this but that doesn’t mean he should make it worse for himself.

  Anger at the whole situation loomed over his mind and threatened to overwhelm him again. It completely soured the sweet taste of breakfast in his mouth and he kept his eyes downcast this time. Kessler seemed to let him away get with talking back last night and now Morse had said he wasn’t allowed to beat him physically but that didn’t mean he would get off lightly if he did something they didn’t like. He was property, he reminded himself with distaste, and he needed to be careful until he knew the rules.

  Luca sat the chest on the ground and opened the lid. The wooden panelling of the chest was surprisingly thin, which must be how he could carry such a large object on his own. Toru could see various colours and types of fabrics inside. He didn’t have to wonder what they were for long as the grumpy one spoke again.

  “This morning you were measured by the tailor and this will be your new wardrobe as befitting of your new station. There are clothes here for both around the manor and for more formal occasions, including visiting the towns markets.”

  Toru’s head jerked up. “Visiting the town?! You mean I can leave here?”

  The man’s lips thinned. “Once you are recovered, you may accompany Luca on his errands outside of the manor unless you prove yourself to be untrustworthy. I doubt I need to remind you but any attempts at escape will be futile and only result in the restriction of your activities as well as just punishment. Prince Kessler is fair; treat him with due respect and he will return it. I do not know of the circumstances around a Tysealean becoming a slave however I would suggest you ac
cept it and follow the boundaries set. Prove yourself trustworthy to His Highness and you will be allowed a great deal of freedom. Now, I suggest you get dressed.”

  Toru chewed his lip in thought. He didn’t want this but he was relieved that they would not be watching over his shoulder every waking moment. He could play the game for now. Learn about the culture, learn how everything worked here, and bide his time. He might not have much time but he would use every moment he could.

  He nodded and slipped his legs off the bed so that his feet dangled off the side while the blanket remained wrapped around his waist. Both the betas in front of him seemed amused by this for some reason but Luca moved the chest forward so that Toru could reach it from where he sat. The omega reached in and pulled out something in a soft blue fabric, it seemed awfully short and… Pleated? He blanched when he realised what he was holding.

  “What is this?!”

  “A skirt,” Morse deadpanned. Toru stared at him in stunned silence and the man stared back with a hint of confusion.

  “Why…why am I being given a skirt to wear?”

  Both of the men gaped at him in surprise. The silence stretched out for a few moments before Morse replied incredulously. “Because you’re an omegan pleasure slave?” As though that somehow answered all of Toru’s questions.

  “But I’m not a girl!”

  Toru looked between them, bewildered. Surely, they didn’t expect him to wear this? Even disregarding the fact it was women’s clothing, it was woefully short. He honestly wasn’t sure it would cover anything at all. He jumped as Luca suddenly lost it and started laughing uproariously. Toru stared at him in shock as he held his sides. The beta even had tears in his eyes. Morse just sighed.

  “What has that got to do with anything?”

  “What?” Clearly there was something he didn’t understand here. He tried voicing his thoughts again. “I’m not a girl. Why I am supposed to wear a skirt?”

  “So, this is what His Highness meant. Clothing doesn’t have a gender. You are a pleasure slave, as such your wardrobe is designed to be pleasing to your master. You will find much of your wardrobe is similar just in various colours and styles, all designed to show off your…assets.” The man said the word with a distasteful twist to his lips. “You should be thankful that the prince wants you in clothing at all. Most pleasure slaves, particularly those in the capital, are required to go naked apart from jewellery ornamentation.”

  Toru gaped at him wordlessly. Walk around naked? No way. No way in hell. Yharis please let this be some horrible prank. He turned back to the skirt at hand with a sinking feeling. It was just so tiny. He put it aside and rummaged through the rest of the chest. Everything was much the same. He pulled out something made of flowing opaque fabric and no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t make head or tails of what on earth it was supposed to be.

  He heard Morse sigh again before he stepped forward and yanked Toru off the bed with a yelp. Luca was still sitting on the ground giggling and Toru shot him a wide-eyed look in entreaty. His look only sent the beta into more fits of giggles. The blanket fell away from his waist and he flushed red as the grumpy beta manhandled him into the clothing. Seemingly done, he walked the omega forward so he stood in front of a full-length mirror.

  “There. That is how you wear it. Luca will help you dress in the morning until you can dress yourself.”

  Toru flushed even redder, the man made it seem as though he was talking to an unruly child. He stared at his figure in the mirror, marvelling at the clarity. He had never seen a mirror that reflected so perfectly before and never one so large. His entire person fit in it, head to toe. He could see why Morse was confused at his appearance. His silvery blonde hair was too long and flopped into clear blue eyes but those were about the only things that looked nice currently.

  His face seemed gaunt and sunken, large black rings underlined his eyes and his skin was a sickly grey. He must have looked like death itself when he first woke up if he looked like this after weeks of healing. Even his ribs stood out starkly under the opaque fabric of his top.

  If such a frivolous concoction could be referred to as a top when it was completely see through and covered nothing of his chest. It had thin straps that hung off his shoulders and flared out just under his nipples for the fabric to pool around his stomach. The short, pleated skirt barely peaked out from underneath.

  “What is the point of wearing something that doesn’t cover anything?!”

  He caught Morse’s eyebrow raise through his reflection in the mirror. “I will happily inform His Highness that you would prefer nothing at all…”

  “No!” Toru yelped.

  “I thought so. I believe the skirt is to emphasize your surprisingly long legs for someone of such short stature and the top is to highlight your exotic tattoo, showing it off as intended.”

  “As intended?” he questioned, confused by the statement.

  “Showing off and appearing exotic is presumably why you have such a large and intricate design across your skin?”

  “What?! No! This is a symbol of Yharis!”

  “Yharis?” The man tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion.

  “Yharis, my goddess. She’s the goddess of the Moon and Stars.” And elementals, he thought to himself but wasn’t about to add that bit out loud.

  “Ah, a religious symbol. My apologies, I wasn’t aware.” He gave him a slight bow of his head before turning back to the other slave. His apology had sounded surprisingly genuine which confused Toru even more. In such a short span of time, the man had only treated him as though he was an annoying child yet just then there had been some respect in the gesture.

  “Luca, please show him around the manor and acquaint him with your duties. He can help you with what is left this afternoon but is to retire after dinner for extra rest. Azumi will be in to assess his condition in the morning and will instruct you on what duties he can manage.” The younger beta nodded in acknowledgement and after a final frown at Toru, the man strode from the room.

  Toru turned his attention back to the mirror. He had to admit, the outfit showed him off, but he felt uncomfortably exposed. His eyes fixed on the soft leather collar that adorned his throat. He had forgotten about that. It was surprisingly comfortable and light, making it easy to ignore. The very fact that he could forget about such a blatant statement of ownership left the omega feeling uneasy. The small metal plate at the front had several patterns across it he recognised as words but didn’t understand their meaning. He assumed the first one, larger than the rest, must be Kessler’s symbol.

  He glanced further down and almost gasped in surprise. It was the first time he had ever viewed his elemental tattoo up close and with such clarity. It shone metallically in the light, a beautiful silvery colour that almost seemed as though silver itself was etched into his skin. It was far larger and more intricate than the last time he had seen it as well.

  The tattoo stretched up to the hollow of his throat and across his shoulders, reaching down to brush his nipples and curled around his chest to run under his arms. Individual snowflakes with gorgeous patterns glittered across his chest and seemed to dance in the light. It made it appear as though a blizzard raged across his chest. He stared in stunned silence until he caught Luca’s curious look over his shoulder and jolted.

  “I-I’ve never seen it so clearly before,” he mumbled, embarrassed at being caught staring at himself. “We don’t have mirrors like this at home and seeing it reflected in water really doesn’t do it justice.”

  Luca nodded in understanding. “It’s stunning. We don’t worship any gods here, so I’ve never seen anything like that around but it really is a piece of art. Must be cool to have something so beautiful etched into your skin. Not to seem insensitive or anything, but most people here will just assume you did it to seem all exotic and to raise your sale price as a slave. I’ll make sure others know, so no one says anything stupid, okay?”

  Toru blinked in surprise. “Tha
t’s nice of you, thank you.”

  Luca shrugged and grinned. “We may not believe like you do but we don’t stomp on other people’s beliefs you know? Rokere has people, particularly slaves, from all over the world, and the prince is a big believer in respect so we all follow his example. Anyways, as Morse said, I’m Luca. Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, I’m Medi-” he cut off in realisation before finishing weakly, “… Toru.”

  The beta shot him a sympathetic look. “It’ll take a little to get used to, but it’s not so bad having just one name. I was happy that I was allowed my first name though, it would be hard to be called by another name all of a sudden.”

  “Me too,” Toru whispered quietly.

  “It’s not so bad, really. If you don’t know about anything or don’t understand anything just tell me and I’ll help you out. At least I knew how the whole slave thing worked, it must be weird for you!”

  “Yeah… These clothes aren’t some joke or anything, are they?” he whispered desperately.

  “Nope!” Luca giggled before continuing, “That’s what omegas wear. You are supposed to look pretty, right? Or well, appealing, is that the word Morse used? I don’t remember. Anyway, lots of men wear skirts and dresses here.”

  “Really?” Toru couldn’t hide the note of doubt in his voice.

  “Yeap. My friend Alden in the kitchens wears a skirt every day. Sure, it’s a bit longer but he said it’s more comfortable in the heat of the kitchen. As far as the rest of the household is aware, you’re just as likely to be walking around in nothing but pretty jewellery.”

  Toru sighed in defeat. He had just decided to go along with everything and this happened already? He would give that alpha a piece of his mind once he saw him again, bodily reactions be damned. The extra sleep and filling food had left him feeling far more himself than he had since he had woken up in this kingdom two weeks ago.

  He turned to look at himself from behind in the mirror and flushed bright red immediately. The skirt actually didn’t cover everything. A hint of round cheeks could be seen peeking out from under the pleats of the skirt.