Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 17:02:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Parlance <par_lance1@yahoo.com>
Subject: The King's Favorite, Chapter I

************************************
Title: The King's Favorite - Chapter One
Author: Parlance, Copyright (c) 2001.
Email: par_lance1@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/par_lance1
Feedback appreciated.  Flames will be used to melt
eyeliner.
Pairings: Chris/JC, Chris/Babyface, some mention of
Lance/Justin, Christina/Britney
Rating: R for sexual situations, naughty language and
explicit details of a grooming ritual.
Classification: Slash.  AU/Fantasy.  Definite angst.
Some humor.
Archive: Please ask fist.

Disclaimer: This story contains homosexual themes,
gender play and lovely, hot men having lovely, hot
sex. The series takes place amid the backdrop of an
environment of enforced slavery, though the relations
depicted in this particular story are consensual.  If
that offends you, you're not old enough to be reading
it in your jurisdiction, or you cringe at the sight of
high-falutin' medieval prose, flee.

This is fiction. I know nuthin' 'bout nobody. I
especially don't presume to know nor care about the
sexual preferences of *Nsync, Britney Spears,
Christina Aguilera or Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

Cast of main characters/name changes:

Christopher - Chris
Joshua - JC
Kenneth I - Babyface
Lansten - Lance
Justin - same
Brittany - Britney
Christina - same
Joseph - Joey

Author's Note: This story is set in the Lyris
universe, an alternate universe fantasy world I
created years ago. There've been many characters and
lately I decided it's *Nsync's time to play. Set on
Earth during the Middle Ages, but in a mythical land.
Suspend your beliefs about race, color, gender and
sexual preference because the only prejudices here are
based on class. Slavery is legal and forms the
socio-economic background for this society.

There are three genders - the third is a cross between
the male and female gender known as transsexuals, or
"transies" for short. They have the faces and voices
of men, but the bodies of women and can reproduce.
Lansten is one of them.

Timeline: This is the third Lyris story I have written
- never expect me to write chronologically.  ;->  But
it takes place a few months before "Idle Pleasures."
You don't necessarily have to read the other stories -
I try to write self-contained installments - but it
may be helpful.

Glossary: "Slibling" is a cross between "slave" and
"siblings."  It is a term of affection used to refer
to slaves who live together.

A shout out to Brandi - it's all her fault.  To Karen
for beta'ing.  And to Sarah, Lois and Cat for reading
when it was still a WIP.

Dedication: To Sammie, my favorite audience.  :-D

*********************************************

*Kick*

*Kick, kick*

Pause.

Christopher waited a long time in the darkness.  Only
the dim light of a crescent moon illuminated the room.
 When nothing else happened, after awhile he closed
his eyes.

*Kick*

Christopher opened his eyes again.  He was sleeping at
the foot of King Kenneth's bed, as he often did.  The
king liked having Christopher there to warm his feet
as might a devoted pet as he slept, and Christopher
liked knowing that he pleased the king often enough to
share his bed.

The only problem was that the king was a kicker.

Christopher sighed, knowing he would have black and
blue marks on his back by morning.  And the servants
would look pitifully upon him, certain that he was
being abused.  If they only knew.  But Christopher
shared the real reason with no one, except for those
closest to him in the harem - and that admission came
only after his concerned friends had hounded him for
an explanation.

But there were so many more secrets about the king
Christopher held fast to his heart, ones he did not
share with his friends.  He would die with them.  He
knew that his discretion was one of the many reasons
he remained the king's favorite slave.

Christopher shifted his position and slept as close to
the edge of the master bed as he could without
falling.  He remembered the one night he did fall,
accidentally taking some of the king's comforter with
him.  He had been far too deep in his dreams to
realize what had happened, and the king awoke to find
his dearest slave curled on the Persian rug, tightly
clutching a piece of a blanket in his hand.  Chuckling
and quieting the terrified slave's profuse apologies,
he took Christopher in his arms and allowed him to
sleep beside him for the rest of the night.  It was a
rare luxury, and a sign of the king's affection for
him, a mere slave.

Christopher cherished this sweet memory as his eyelids
grew heavy with sleep.

*********************************************

The king awoke, as always, just before dawn.  In an
instant, an attendant was at his side to offer a
chamber pot and hold a robe for him to slip into.
Just as quickly, Christopher's groom, a thin
brown-haired transie named Alan collected the slave to
bathe and otherwise prepare him for the day.

Alan had already drawn a steaming bath for his charge.
 Before helping him into the bath, he carefully
removed Christopher's earrings and nose ring so he
could clean them while Christopher soaked in the
fragrant water, which today smelled faintly of rose
hips.  He removed the sheer slip of silk around Chris'
hips - the only clothing that slaves were allowed to
wear in the castle.  Being the king's personal slave,
however, Chris's silks were adorned with the tiniest
jewels as befit his status.

Such was now Christopher's life as the pampered slave
of a king.  He had come a very long way from being
plucked from the ranks of slaves in training to become
the king's court jester, and finally his personal
slave.  When he was not sleeping in the bed of the
leader of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the
known world, he slept on a pallet of silk and down.
He ate well, better than some freemen in the village.
The king spoiled him with exotic gifts and sweets from
faraway lands.  He had his own groom who, unlike the
other grooms, was solely dedicated to the care of one
pleasure slave.

"And with good reason," Alan would often say.  "I have
enough on my hands chasing after you."

Christopher never let himself forget he was not always
this fortunate.  Like all the slaves, he had been
educated and trained to conduct himself as a royal
slave since he was a child.  He had learned to recite
poetry, sing the songs and dance the dances that would
entertain the royal court.  He was also trained to
cook, clean and sew, and as he grew older he helped
care for the younger slaves.   It was not until a
slave turned 14 that he or she was chosen to be
trained in a specialty - as a pleasure slave, groom, a
stable slave, a gardener, or the myriad of other
responsibilities needed to maintain the castle.

Every young slave in the castle grew up hoping to be a
pleasure slave.  They saw only the leisurely and
glamourous lifestyle they seemed to lead and coveted
it for themselves.  But Christopher was not considered
handsome in the conventional sense, and he was not
chosen to be a pleasure slave.

"Your face is too round," he was told by his trainers.
 "Your nose is too pinched.  Your eyes are that of an
imp.  Your build is too broad.  And you are too short.
 Better to concentrate on your other skills, lad.
Only the most beautiful and handsome and graceful are
chosen as pleasure slaves, and you will never make for
one."

Christopher smiled to himself as he remembered these
words.  How sheepish they looked when he in fact
became the most exalted slave in the land.  Those very
same detractors now rushed to care for his every whim.
 And so long as he continued to please the king, such
would be his life.  Even when he was too old to be
attractive and useful to the king, the king would
ensure that he would be provided for in luxury.

When he had not been chosen to be a pleasure slave,
Christopher was assigned to be an attendant to the
king, a job which consisted mostly of fanning the king
and filling his cup with drink on demand.  He managed
to capture the king's attention shortly afterwards.

"Concentrate on your other skills, lad."  Christopher
took these words to heart.  All his life, he had the
ability to make his fellow slaves and his trainers
laugh.  He mastered the art of telling a good story.
His humor often helped him escape punishment when he
made mistakes.  He had learned early on that he had a
powerful tool at his disposal, and he determined that
he would rise above the ranks by using it.

As an attendant, Christopher had the advantage of
spending more time in the presence of the king than
most.  He noticed what amused the king, and committed
to memory what did not.  He struck up a friendship
with an older freeman who was the court jester at the
time, who was more than happy to teach Christopher
sleight-of-hand magic tricks.  Christopher entertained
him in return with jokes he had perfected.

Two years later, when the king's jester became too old
to continue, he did not hesitate to suggest
Christopher as his successor.  The suggestion was
considered a scandal.

"A mere *slave* be made court jester?  Next you will
be wanting to knight one of them!" one of the
courtiers had cried as the others laughed.
Everything from imprisonment to stoning was demanded
to punish the jester for his impudence.

When King Kenneth received word of the jester's
proposal, he surprised all of his court, by demanding
that Christopher give a performance.  Never had the
slave been so nervous.  His friend, the jester,
however, had only the strongest faith in his
apprentice, and had provided encouragement and calming
words the night before.

"Do not worry.  Just imagine the king is simply
another one of your friends and you will be fine."

"Perhaps not.  I do not think the king would be amused
to find a horny toad in his breeches."

"Well, perhaps you  should save that one for later."
The jester smiled.  "Christopher, you cannot help but
make others laugh.  Your mere presence brings a smile
to the lips of your masters.  You will most definitely
be able to amuse the king."

"Easy for you to say.  It will not be your head on a
platter if I do not succeed."  Christopher argued.

"O, but it will, my friend," the jester had replied.
"You forget that only freemen are considered fit for
beheading.  Perhaps for you it will merely be stoning
or disembowelment.  Or maybe a soldering iron in the-"

"Thank you, sir.  I beseech you now to cease your
attempts to cheer me."

The day of his performance, Christopher had expected
to perform for the entire court.  Instead, he was led
a room where the king would be his only audience.
Christopher gulped.  He would not have the benefit of
anyone else's laughter to sway the king.

Christopher ceremoniously bowed before the king until
his head touched the floor, as his friend had taught
him.  He took a deep breath and performed.  But he did
not begin with jokes.  His friend had wisely suggested
that he avoid them at the start of his performance.
For court jesters were known for their skewering wit,
and it was their foolish appearance and manner that
they were allowed to carry them off.  But for a slave
to be so bold would be a dire mistake.

Christopher had the advantage of an extremely agile
frame.  He had often entertained his friends in the
courtyard with somersaults and flips, and could
pretend to fall comically without injuring himself.
This ability he used to entertain the king.  Only when
the king was already chuckling, did he give the king
milder riddles.

Outside the room various courtiers and servants were
listening through the doors of the drawing room.  They
were met with the roaring laughter of the king.  The
next day, the royal clothier was ordered to create a
jester outfit befitting a slave.

Christopher had been named court jester at the age of
16 and remained so for five years, often entertaining
visiting dignitaries and learning far more complicated
tricks as juggling swords and swallowing fire.  When
Christopher turned 21, the king retired his personal
slave and named Christopher his successor.  It had
been six years since and the king showed no signs of
tiring of his slave.

Christopher stored his jester hat in a small chest.
Occasionally he would take the hat out and admire it
and remember fondly his friend, now laid to rest, who
had extended his hand to a slave.

*********************************************

As Christopher soaked in his tub, he bent his head
back until he was looking behind him, upside down.
With those impish brown eyes, he watched his groom
return to scrub him and smiled to himself.  As soon as
Alan began to bathe him, he flicked him with water.
Alan ignored him and scrubbed him even harder.  "Ow,
careful!"  Christopher cried.  Flicks turned into
handfuls, and by the time he was finished bathing the
slave, the poor groom himself was soaked.

"Brat!" Alan invoked the name he used to refer to
Christopher several times each day.  "Now my own silk
is drenched!  Why do I put up with you?!"

"Because you enjoy my wit and clever repartee.
Besides, you are hopelessly smitten with me."

Alan's eyes rolled heavenward.  "Hmph.  Right, I
forget.  How silly of me."

Next, he was shaved.  The king liked for his pleasure
slaves to be clean shaven, for facial hair was
generally associated with the maturity of grown men,
and pleasure slaves were viewed as something akin to
children.  Nevertheless, the king allowed himself the
indulgence of allowing Christopher to keep a goatee,
which was now being neatly trimmed.  Afterwards, Alan
shaved what little body hair had been allowed to grow
the day before - this the king insisted upon.
Christopher hated this part of his grooming most of
all, even more so than the internal cleansing Alan was
required to give him each day.  Alan was careful, but
he was always aware that one nick was enough to take
him out of commission.

"Be still!" Alan cried as Christopher squirmed.
Christopher was now lying on a pallet in his bathing
room, holding his buttocks high in the air and was
separating the cheeks as Alan carefully shaved him.
"In all the years I have had to misfortune to groom
you, have I ever done you harm?"

"No.  But my suspicion that such might be a source of
amusement for you is enough to bring fear to my
heart."

"Mmmm.  You read my mind only too well.  But given a
choice between my amusement and my life, I will always
choose the latter."

Alan last adorned Christopher with his rings and
dressed him in a fresh silk.  He then affectionately
patted the pleasure slave on his rump.

"Come.  Do not dawdle.  The king wants you at his side
by the pool during breakfast."

***********************************

The king's pool was made of somewhat porous stone, and
constantly had to be refilled by slaves with jugs of
water taken from the spring that ran freely along the
edge of the castle grounds.  The king was sitting at a
table on the grass beside the pool, being fanned with
palm leaves by two slaves.  His breakfast sat before
him, but, never one to sit idle, he was busy signing a
document and placing the royal seal on the paper.  He
handed the document to a waiting tribute.

"Have this delivered immediately."  The tribute bowed
and made haste.

Christopher approached the handsome king, accompanied
by Alan, and knelt before him.  He kissed the top of
the king's boots in greeting.

"Good morning, Christopher."  The king did not even
glance at his slave, but there was approval in his
voice.  Christopher always thrilled at the sound of
his name spoken in the king's smooth, comforting
voice.

"Good morning, Master."  Most of the king's servants
and subjects were required to address the king as
"Your Majesty" or "Sire" or "My king."  In all of the
kingdom, only Christopher called him his master.

Christopher's breakfast, a bowl of bread and cheese,
was laid out at the king's feet.  Christopher was
certain, however, that he would be required to
entertain the king before he would be allowed to eat.

"Christopher, I should like to see you in the pool for
a bit."

Christopher nodded and did not hesitate to slip off
his silk wrap, which was smoothly taken away and
folded by Alan.  Christopher slipped into the pool -
thankfully, the water was warm today.  He turned on
his back and floated, his eyes never leaving the king.
 After his taster had let it be known that the food
was safe to eat, the king turned his attention to the
meal before him, but occasionally would glance in
Chris' direction.

Chris turned on his front so he could swim across the
length of the pool and allow the king to appreciate
the sight of his naked sinews exerting themselves as
he swam.  He imagined that the king had his eyes
trained on his round ass as he bobbed and dipped just
under the surface of the pool.  Like all the pleasure
slaves, Chris was given a daily regimen of exercise.
Though he was careful not to show it, he was proud of
his body, and enjoyed preening for his master.  He
knew his master reveled in the sight of his gleaming
body, and that was why he often had Christopher join
him at the pool during breakfast.  He was but a toy,
and Christopher readily accepted this fact.

"Christopher."

Christopher heard his name being called, and swam to
the edge of the pool where the king ate his breakfast.
 His dark brown hair clung to his head and his
eyelashes were matted together from the water.  He
rested his chin on his arms as he waited for the king
to address him.

The king did not speak, but took a fig from a bowl
and, splitting it in half, he reached down to feed it
to Chris.  King Kenneth watched intently as
Christopher closed his eyes, savoring the sumptuous
treat.  The king was even kind enough to take the seed
from Christopher's mouth and discard it.  He fed
another fig to Christopher, who this time dared to
dart the tip of his tongue and swirl it around the
king's fingers.  The king allowed this and ran his
thumb along Christopher's lips as the slave chewed and
swallowed, following the king's movements with
mischievous eyes.

"Oh, yes.  You want this, and so much more, my little
slut."  Christopher moaned as the king invoked his pet
name for the slave.  "But later, much later.  I will
be very busy today.  You are free to play with your
friends.  But tonight, you will be mine."  The king
bent to kiss him, and Christopher propped himself on
the edge of the pool to accept the kiss.  He opened
his mouth just barely as the king sucked on his bottom
lip.  His sex grew erect and strained against the wall
of the pool.  All too soon, however, the king withdrew
from the kiss, leaving the slave panting, his eyes
dark with longing and desire.

The king chuckled and left the pool, as a handful of
attendants and slaves followed respectfully behind
him.  Christopher remained with his head resting on
his arms, willing his member to grow soft, until the
king had reentered the castle.  After a few moments,
he emerged from the pool.  Alan quickly appeared with
a towel and tied his jeweled silk wrap around his
hips.  He then crawled to his bowl and and ate his
breakfast in silence.

Once finished, Christopher completed his morning
exercises, mostly consisting of a run around the
castle grounds where slaves were allowed with the
king's two beloved Great Danes.

After his exercises, he approached Alan who dried off
the sweat on his body.  Christopher told him, "Master
said I could go play with my friends today."

"Fine," said Alan.  "But if you go anywhere else,
please do tell me.  Do not roll your eyes at me.  The
last time the king told me to fetch you and I did not
know where you were, he was furious with *me*, not
you.  At least give me that much consideration."

Christopher hung his head.  "I am sorry.  I do not
mean to cause you pain.  It is just such a bother."

"Not as much of a bother as the king's temper."  Alan
smoothed out Christopher's hair with his fingers.
"Now go."

*********************************************

Christopher walked down the hall where most of the
pleasure slaves lived.  He came to a stop at the
entrance of one, and was greeted with the joyous cries
of his six closest friends with whom he rarely had the
fortune of spending time because he was normally
occupied with entertaining the king.  Each of them
were younger than he was, some by more than five
years.  He had followed each of them all of their
lives as they were trained and had grown from
wide-eyed innocents to the beautiful, self-aware
pleasures slaves they had become.

One of them, a blonde girl named Brittany, jumped over
to Christopher and kissed him on the lips.  Her lover,
Christina, another blonde affectionately known as her
Twin, shyly approached Christopher with a smile.  He
hugged her, knowing better than to show any more
affection than this.  And while Christina was
genuinely happy to see him, she returned the hug
stiffly.  The king's slave could expect nothing more
from Christina - who had come to Lyris as a prisoner
of war - considering that his master had been
responsible for much of the pain in her life.

Lansten, a blonde transie, was sitting on the floor as
Joseph, his dark-haired groom, applied coloring to his
face.  Lansten was careful not to move and instead
waved cheerfully at Christopher, as Joseph nodded in
his direction with a smile.  Sitting next to the
transie and his groom was Lansten's lover Justin, a
village slave who was allowed to visit Lansten at the
end of each week in return for services as a pleasure
slave.  He stood and greeted Christopher with a kiss
on the lips.  Lastly, Joshua, a dark-haired blue-eyed
slave Christopher had always found devastatingly
attractive, stood up from his place on his pallet
where he had been sitting yoga-style and kissed his
friend warmly.

"It is good to see you, Christopher."

"Mmmm, I like coming here," said Christopher, as he
hugged Joshua.  "I get smiles and kisses from
beautiful slaves as if I am royalty."

"But you *are* royalty, Christopher," Brittany
responded with a chuckle.  "Your visits are so few and
far between, they are not unlike receiving a
dignitary."

"And of course I must leave," Lansten lamented.  "I
have been called for by Lady Janet."

"Lady Janet?" Christina asked.  "That is the second
time this week you have been called for by her, is it
not?"

"Well, that sounds promising," Joshua commented as he
returned to his pallet.  There he had, laid on a cloth
before him, a meticulously sorted array of beads and
small pebbles of various colors and sizes.

"Mayhap.  I am not getting my hopes up," Lansten said.


Joseph shook his head.  "I do not know why this is
always a subject of constant concern.  You ducks all
have a few years in you before you have to worry about
someone taking care of you in your old days.  You must
not worry so," he admonished his charges.

"I always worry, Da.  A pleasure slave would be a fool
to do otherwise, lest one end up discarded and useless
in the forest.  Am I done?" Lansten asked Joseph.

"Yes.  Oh, Lansten - do not muss your-" Before Joseph
could finish, Lansten had jumped up and kissed
Christopher firmly on the cheek.  Some of the dark red
color from his lips had rubbed onto the other slave's
cheek.  Lansten rubbed it firmly into both of his
cheeks and grinned.

"Now you have some rouge.  The king will like it  - it
will seem as if you are blushing."

"Lansten, come here."  Joseph reapplied some of the
lipstick to the transie's lips.

"Easy, there," Christopher told the exasperated groom.
 "You already have enough to last until the next
solstice."

"Lady Janet likes her coloring, and she seems to like
to see how hard she can make a slave work before it
fades," Joseph muttered as Lansten giggled.  "All
right, now you are done.  Let us not keep her waiting.
 I will see you later, Christopher."  Joseph quickly
kissed Christopher on the cheek before he led the
transie down the hall.

"We were just about to go outside to the courtyard,
Christopher," Christina began.  "Would you like to
join us?"

"Oh, I-" Christopher stumbled as he glanced at Joshua,
who was busily stringing beads.  "I just told Alan
that I would be here visiting."

"That is all right, Christopher," Brittany told him.
"Justin, you should become more acquainted with the
gardens.  Lansten told us you take care of one back in
the village.  Hopefully Christopher will be here when
we return."

"I am certain I will.  I do not believe the king
expects me back in his quarters until supper."

"Ah - yes.  Why not?"  Justin had hoped to spend time
with Joshua himself, but he sensed he was being
maneuvered away from him by Brittany.

They walked down the hallway, Justin walking
arm-in-arm between the Twins.  Once she was certain
they could not be heard, Christina began, "Joshua
likes silence when he is making one of his precious
necklaces.  He becomes cross otherwise.  He is not
much fun when he is beading."

"Anyway," Brittany interjected, "Christopher should
have his chance to be alone with Joshua since has
taken a liking towards him."

"Really?"  Christina opened her round blue eyes even
wider.  "How have you come to know this?"

"He told me."

"Why did he not tell me?"  Christina asked, perturbed.

Brittany turned to her lover and cocked her head to
the side.  "I do not know.  I assumed he had."

"Perhaps you should not have revealed this news,"
Justin suggested.

"Nonsense.  We are family.  We do not have secrets.  I
do not know why Christopher does not simply tell
Joshua.  After all, we have known about you and Joshua
for ages."

Justin stopped in his tracks.  "M-me?  How?"

"Lansten told us," Christina explained
matter-of-factly.  "He told us about that day the
three of you spent in your barn.  We were wondering
why you have not laid down with him since you have
been here."

"Oh."  Justin blushed and nervously ran his fingers
through his auburn locks at the thought that half the
slaves in the castle might know about his sexual
escapades.

As if reading his thoughts, Christina continued.  "But
everything is kept between us and Christopher.  And
Joseph does not care to hear such gossip."

The trio had reached the back entrance which led to
the courtyard where the pleasure slaves mingled during
the day.  "Anyway, we will make sure you have time
alone with Joshua again soon," Brittany told Justin
sagely.

"Ummm.  Thank you?"  Justin responded, still in shock.

"But of course," the Twins replied in unison.

*********************************************

"Do you mind that I sit here with you?" Christopher
asked Joshua, who was concentrating intently on his
work.

Joshua did not look up from his project.  "No, not at
all."

Christopher sat down cross-legged across from him.  "I
know you do not like to be bothered when you are
beading."

Joshua smiled.  "I just do not like the constant
chatter and giggling that usually takes place in this
room.  Lansten and the Twins can be fairly boisterous
together.  But I hope I do not come across as an ogre
about it.  This room is as much theirs as it is mine."

Christopher nodded, more to himself since Joshua only
saw his beads.  Joshua had an impressive collection of
beads and small stones from around the known world,
all gifts from various "suitors" - free men, women and
transies whom he had entertained on more than one
occasion.  Sometimes when a freeman was especially
pleased with a pleasure slave, he would bring back
gifts from his travels.  Joshua always requested more
pretty beads for his collection, which he used to make
beautiful jewelry - casual ornaments for his friends
to wear when they were not being called upon to serve.
 He was proud of his creations and enjoyed knowing
that perhaps he had something to offer someone other
than his sex.

Joshua was considered one of the most handsome and
talented pleasure slaves in the castle, and he was
called upon often.  As a result, more often than not,
he spent his spare time sleeping.  Christopher noticed
the lines under Joshua's eyes and commented:

"I am surprised to find you awake."

Joshua sighed and looked up from his beading.  "I
tried to sleep, but I could not.  And yesterday, I had
to service no less than six knights.  Two of them at
the same time.  I need the rest.  But that is why I
like to bead.  It is calming for me."

"What are you working on?"

"Lord Reginald just returned from a trip to Gaul, and
he brought back some tiny pebbles from a beach.
There were enough to make matching anklets for
Christina and Brittany.  I already bored holes into
them with the needle-knife Lady Jennifer gave me, so
the rest is simple."  He put down the anklet he was
working on.  "Would you like for me to make you
something?  I could make a double bracelet for you."

Christopher smiled.  "That would be nice."

"Choose some colors, and I shall make it.  One of the
fabric slaves was nice enough to dye some string for
me, so you can choose that as well."

"Do you have some in the king's favorite colors?  Red
and gold?  We should choose jewelry that will be
pleasing to his eye."

"Well, I don't have gold, but this shade of yellow
should do."

Christopher surveyed vast array of beads and precious
stones and shook his head.  "You are very fortunate,
Joshua.  You are much beloved.  You will never be
wanting nor will you have to worry whether you will be
taken care of in your old age."

"Oh, I worry.  I worry for other reasons.  Being so
favored means that I am open to a far greater number
of unsavories than the other slaves."  He mentioned
his favored status as a statement of fact, without
boasting.  "I may have many suitors, but I have no
choice in the matter.  I will go to the one of highest
rank in the end, and it may be someone as charitable
as Lady Janet, and it may be someone like Lord
Alfred."

Christopher shivered at the mention of Lord Alfred,
one of the high-ranking members of the King's Court
who was known for being especially abusive to slaves.
It was commonly held among the hundreds of slaves in
the castle that being obligated to Lord Alfred was a
fate worse than death.

"I believe in good karma, Joshua, and you certainly do
not deserve to be handed over to someone like Lord
Alfred."

"I wish I had the same faith as you, Christopher.
Anyway, I suppose you never have to worry about such
things."

"Of course I worry.  The king has specific tastes, and
they can change at will.  No one is ever safe.  It is
a mistake to rest on one's laurels."

Joshua grunted his assent.  "Well.  I leave it to the
gods to decide."

Christopher stared intently as Joshua turned his
concentration to making the bracelet.  It had been
ages since Christopher had been engaged in a
conversation with Joshua alone.  Christopher now had
the luxury of studying his chiseled features.  He
longed to trail with just the tips of his fingers the
fine cheekbones and jaw, the nose a little too long
for his face that made Joshua imperfect and still
unbearably handsome.  Christopher drank in the beauty
of Joshua's crystalline blue eyes, eyes which he used
masterfully to convey a self-confidence, almost an
arrogance, which only made him all the more desirable
among the freemen in the castle.

How often had Christopher wanted to kiss that luscious
bottom lip and suck and nip at it until it was even
more swollen?  And then demand to be taken and made
his.  Christopher hungered to confide all this in
Joshua now that they were alone.  He had had the
pleasure of taking Joshua in his arms many times when
entertaining the king.  It amused the king to see his
normally submissive slave be the aggressor with other
slaves, and it was always his command that Christopher
be the dominant one in the pairing.  But Christopher
often dreamt of lying on his back as Joshua turned the
tables and claimed him with a devilish gleam in his
eyes.

He wondered if Joshua knew.  Christopher had long ago
confided his feelings for Joshua to Brittany, who had
already suspected.  If it were that plain, surely
Joshua suspected as well.  But was it really that easy
to know the difference between the affection the
pleasure slaves displayed for one another on a common
basis - far more affection than freemen were
accustomed to showing one another - and that which was
given in hopes of something more intimate?

Christopher knew that if he asked, Joshua would gladly
take pleasure in him.  But he did not want Joshua to
do it as a gesture of friendly sport - or even worse,
in deference to his status as the king's slave.  He
was not in love with Joshua, but he wanted their time
alone - if it should come - to be mutually
pleasurable, if not more meaningful than any of
Joshua's casual dalliances with other slaves.

Christopher was so lost in his thoughts that he did
not realize that Joshua had finished the bracelet.
The younger slave tapped him on the thigh and
presented it to him.

"It is finished."

Christopher smiled brightly.  "It is beautiful,
Joshua.  I believe the king will be very pleased," he
said, admiring it.  "I will show it to him tonight.
He indicated that we will have some time alone," he
added excitedly.

Joshua looked up from the bracelet.  "You love the
king very much.  That is wonderful.  I am so happy
that he chose you to be his very own.  No one deserved
it more than you."  Christopher was at a loss for
words, and his smile grew shy.  Joshua did not take
his eyes from Christopher's face.  He chuckled before
reaching up to remove the coloring Lansten had left on
Christopher's cheeks.  Christopher pressed his face
ever so slightly into Joshua's hand.  The coloring was
needless, for Joshua revealed that Christopher's face
was still flush with pink.

Joshua removed his hand from Christopher's face and
laid it gently on his friend's hand.  "It seems that
the king loves you very much in return," he commented.

Christopher was taken aback by the statement.  He
shook his head.  "No, the king would not love a slave.
 Do not ever let anyone else hear you suggest that."

"Please do not take offense at what I said,
Christopher."

"Forgive me.  I- I do believe the king cares for me a
great deal.  He finds me entertaining.  He often lets
me sleep at the foot of his bed.  He may not love me,
but he takes care of me, and that is enough."

Joshua nodded.  "That is the best a slave can ever
hope for."

Christopher chewed at his thumbnail and studied his
friend's expression.  "Have you ever been in love with
anyone, Joshua?  Slave or free?"

Joshua gave him a cynical smirk.  "It is not terribly
pragmatic for a slave to fall in love, Christopher.
It is too much trouble."

"Love is never pragmatic, Joshua.  But you avoid my
question.  Have you been in love?"

Joshua smiled.  "Love is not for me, Christopher.
Rarely does it have a happy ending.  Now, truly, there
are those of you for whom I care very deeply.  You are
my sliblings, and I would die for you.  But love in
the way you mean?  I cannot afford it.  There are too
many in this castle who desire me and give me gifts
and make promises to take me in when I am no longer
young and attractive and wanted.  But most of those
promises I do not believe and are not meant to be
taken seriously.  They are sweet sentiments whispered
in nights of passion.  Most free men will say anything
to a slave to make him docile.  A master likes to hear
a slave profess his love to him - he thinks it is
quaint, and certainly the slave in love is less likely
to rebel.  But to me, a lovesick slave is merely a
fool.

"And of those who do mean what they say to me?  They
cannot afford to be in love with a slave anymore than
I.  You know very well that a freeman who declares his
love for a slave puts himself at risk of losing
everything - his station, his home, perhaps even his
life.  We are nothing, Christopher.  Dispensable.
Even a royal slave ranks lower than chattel.  A
freeman in love with a slave is an abomination,
offensive to the senses and the mind."

Christopher was surprised to hear all this from
Joshua.  He was in an uncharacteristically pensive
mood that day.  "So you have made your point about the
love between a freeman and a slave, Joshua.  But what
of the Twins?  And Lansten and Justin?" he pressed.

"Yes, Lansten and Justin.  They fell in love, only to
be separated and forbidden to see each other again-"

"But we know the ending to that story, Joshua.  They
are together now."

"Only by the most extraordinary grace of the gods.
Had Justin not belonged to a trusted subject of the
king and Lansten been a favored pleasure slave, no one
would have bothered suggesting the arrangement they
have.  The king would never have allowed a royal
pleasure slave to have relations with a commoner.  And
all of this only to see each other for mere moments at
a time."

"And do you argue that they are not content with the
arrangement?  I have known Lansten most of my life,
and never have I seen him happier than when he is with
Justin.  Sometimes, as you put it, that is the best a
slave can ever hope for."

Joshua shrugged his shoulders in reluctant agreement.
There was an uncomfortable silence.  Christopher
feared he had angered Joshua, and wished he had not
squandered his time arguing with him.

Then Joshua swallowed and whispered, "What happened to
Lansten and Justin - I do not think I could bear it.
I know I could not.  The separation almost killed
Lansten, you know that.  He did not eat, he could not
sleep.  He almost went mad like the ghostly slaves who
haunt this castle.  And yet he is braver than I,
Christopher.  And I see Brittany when she comforts
Christina when she has her nightmares.  You are not
subjected to those, Christopher.  She awakes in
fright, having relived witnessing the murder of her
former masters and the abuse she suffered when she
first came to the castle.  I see Brittany hold her and
cry with her until she falls asleep.  I am not that
strong, Christopher."

Christopher struggled to gather his thoughts.  "Do you
mean to tell me you purposely withhold your emotions
for fear of ever experiencing pain?"  Joshua did not
answer.  "You seem to think that love only consists of
pain, Joshua.  That is not true.  Joshua, if you keep
yourself so contained that you never feel pain, you
will never allow yourself the happiness either."

Joshua finally spoke.  "That is a risk I shall have to
take, Christopher.  I will not survive otherwise."

For the first time in his life, Christopher discovered
a sadness in Joshua's eyes.  The eyes of an exhausted
slave, tired of being wanted and used, wishing only to
settle down with one freeman who would take care of
him until the end of his days.  Understanding that
such may very well not be his destiny.

Suddenly, Christopher pitied his friend, this pleasure
slave who seemed to have nearly every freeman lapping
at the palm of his hand.  No.  Certainly now was not
the time for Christopher to reveal his feelings for
Joshua.  Christopher sensed that he could have taken
advantage of Joshua's vulnerability, which would make
him no better than the freemen who used him everyday.


Christopher closed Joshua's hand in his.  Joshua
squeezed Christopher's hand in return.  Perhaps Joshua
did know, and was grateful that Christopher kept the
secret in his heart.

"Will you think me terribly rude if I take a nap now,
my friend?"  Joshua asked.  "You may lay down with me,
if you wish."

Christopher shook his head.  "Certainly not."  He was
surprised to find that he was not disappointed that
his time with Joshua would be curtailed.  He helped
Joshua move the cloth of beads over to the side of the
pallet.  Joshua kissed Christopher on the cheek and
lay under the covers, stretching out his limbs.
Christopher laid out on top of the covering and
stroked Joshua's hair as he closed his eyes.

"Mmmm.  That is nice," Joshua murmured.  Within
moments, he was asleep.

Christopher considered leaving Joshua at peace and
joining the others outside.  He needed to lighten his
own mood now - he could pull a prank on Brittany and
Christina, they were so gullible.  Perhaps he could
discover how easily Justin would fall prey to his
tricks.

But then he stared at Joshua again, and decided
otherwise.  Christopher had never noticed how long
Joshua's eyelashes were.  He also realized he had
never seen Joshua look as peaceful as he did while he
was sleeping.  He fingered the beads on his bracelet
and watched Joshua as he slumbered.

Finally, he himself fell deep in his dreams.

He did not awake until Alan came to collect him for
supper.  It was already dark outside.  Brittany,
Christina and Lansten exchanged self-satisfied smiles
as he awoke, unaware that not much more than sleep had
taken place between the two men.

As Christopher stood to leave, Joshua stirred and
sleepily bid him goodbye with a smile that made the
older slave's heart ache for him.  He bid the other
slaves goodbye and followed his groom back to the
king's quarters.

-FINIS CHAPTER ONE-

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=====
"Yea, verily, this sucks." - Christopher in "Idle Pleasures"

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