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Doragon

Tribune
I have started writing a new story, this time set in the Roman Empire, and it's going to be a love story with a crucifixion at the end of it. In other words, a tragedy. I got inspired when I came across the following piece of art, made by the French painter Louis Joseph Raphael Collin (1850 - 1916). The image is so striking, the scene so full of emotion, that a story soon came to my mind. As I am writing it, I am trying to capture as much as I can of the Roman mindset and way of life. Though the characters are all fantasy, the backdrop of the story is as accurate and historical as I can make it with the limited knowledge I have. One of the reasons for doing so is in part to honour Praefectus Praetorio, who loved writing about Roman culture in great detail.

I hope you'll like my new story as well.

Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin - Femme crucifiée.jpg
 
A Roman Love Story

Introduction


The year is 76 AD, during the reign of Vespasian. The empire is at relative peace, except for the east. Everybody remembers how bad things were under Nero and the chaos that followed. Vespasian is considered by all a blessing, an emperor who restored order and peace during his now seven year reign. There is talk about his successor as there is a rumour spreading that he wants his son Titus to rule after him. This is something new and a reason for gossip.

Christianity is on the rise but still marginal. Most romans don’t understand why this cult is so attractive to people. Christians are considered weak, sentimental and not entirely in touch with reality.

Romans believe in many gods, paying respect to most of them each year with festivities and special rites. But the most important divine beings are those that are unique to the family. Each family has supernatural protectors, the Penates. It is important to keep those satisfied.

Slavery of course is still very common, throughout the classical world. Nobody would ever dream that slavery would ever become a thing of the past. It is only normal that the strong rule over the weak. That is the order of nature itself. Of course there were many strict rules on how to behave and what people could do and what not. Punishments for those who crossed the line are very severe. But a master can do pretty much anything with his slaves as he likes. Even if he wants to kill them, that is considered his right as owner. And since Romans admire strength, a strict master most likely receives acknowledgement and possibly even admiration.

The House of Lucianus is governed by such a strict master. Like his ancestors Aulus Lucianus rules the estate with determination and strict rules. With his wife Domitia Polla at his side, he governs over the lands where olives, grain and grapes are grown and processed by a hundred and fifty slaves. As a part of the familia there are also several liberti, former slaves that had been freed but who stayed loyal to the family, often as supervisors. While Aulus lives in the main villa, his younger brother Verius and family live in the secondary villa at the other side of the estate, while there are also some smaller buildings for slaves to stay, cattle to breed and a lot more that is all under the responsibility of Aulus as pater familias. He is also in command of six private armed men, that patrol the estate to keep thieves out and slaves in. And he is responsible for a bridge across the river near Cassinum, for both maintenance and supervision.

Since Aulus and his wife Domitia never had any sons, only four daughters, two of which survived childhood, Aulia and Pollina, who were both married off to families elsewhere, they have adopted Marius Marcus, son of his younger brother Verius as only male heir in the family.

The Estate of the Lucianus family is located north of Cassinum and already existed for almost 300 years, founded after the defeat of Hannibal in which the ancestors played a significant role. But as renowned as the name Lucianus had been in the days of the republic, under the emperors they had not done so well. It is the firm belief of Aulus that things were a lot better in the republican days, but he knows he must be careful to speak his mind. So he lets politics to the politicians and tries to have as little to do with Rome as he can get away with. Time at the estate stands still as it were, seasons go by but each year is almost the same. The only thing outside the estate that Aulus really cares about are his five gladiators, which he also keeps and breeds, like his ancestors have been doing for centuries, hoping that one day one of his gladiators might make it to the circus in Rome.
 
Chapter 1

Aulus woke up that morning as if he had not slept at all. His first thought was the same as his last thought the previous night. With a sigh he reached out for his goblet and finished the last bit of wine that was still in there. He was worried. He had the needed five strong gladiators for the circus in Cassinum next month, but he had doubts about Braxus. The young man was good looking and strong enough, but his motions were insecure and there was fear in the young man’s eyes. Though Braxus was of fine stock, he had too many flaws to make it in the theatre.

Of course this was a problem that could not be solved in the short amount of time remaining, but it raised another issue that had been nagging him for some time now. He had kept his slaves at a good standard, selecting the finest breeds to continue, just as his father and his grandfather had always done. The slaves of House Lucianus were well known for endurance, determination and obedience. And since he had been breeding mostly with slaves of Gaul origin, instead of his rival Paulanus, who bred mostly with Dacians, a breed that was much more likely to fall into melancholy, his successes with producing fine gladiators were renowned. One thing that kept him from producing true champions though, was the Gaul affliction of anxiety. Some of his gladiators appeared to be free from that trait, but in their final moments there was often too much hesitation.

The same problem occurred with certain horse breeds. Those that stopped in the face of certain death, were ill-suited to become warhorses. A good horse needed to be reckless, but not so much that it would throw off his rider. A good gladiator needed to be obedient, but completely defiant in the face of death.

As Aulus was having these thoughts, he once more turned to the idea he had for some time now, a crazy idea of adding roman blood to the mix of Gaul and the tinge of Germanic he secretly had in his breeding lines. He glanced to the wall painting in his bedroom, the scene of Scaevola. A young roman nobleman that refused to betray his heritage by defiantly burning his right hand in the fire to show his enemies he feared no death or torture. If only he could give his gladiator stocks some of that death defying courage. He would need Roman blood for that. But he felt indecisive about the matter. Such things were never easy to come to terms with.

At that moment Gaius entered, the young slave that always made sure his master had everything he needed. A young Gaul, but from Aquitanian stock and worthless as a gladiator. But very useful as a trustworthy servant with a great eye for detail.

“Did you sleep well, master?” said the young man while he put a tray with bread and cheese on the table next to the bed. He also started to pour some new wine into the goblet when he noticed it was empty, but Aulus stopped him, saying he wanted water instead.

“I didn’t sleep well,” replied Aulus then, while yawning. “Too many worries on my mind.”

“Is it the bridge again, sir?” informed Gaius with some concern, while pouring water into the goblet. He knew the bridge was under supervision of the family and last winter a piece of the side had collapsed. Traffic was not hindered by the lacking stones, but it gave concerns about it’s stability and the council of Cassinum had demanded the bridge to be repaired before the coming winter.

“No, not really,” replied Aulus as he sat up in bed and sipped from his goblet. “It’s the gladiators,” he added, trusting Gaius with many of his thoughts. He chose a piece of cheese to eat. “I am still thinking about mixing the Gaul bloodline with a tinge of Roman blood.”

“You should impregnate one of the slaves yourself,” replied Gaius, who was familiar enough with his master to be able to say such a thing, but he hurried to add “Your bloodline is the bravest and most noble of all Rome.” Just to make sure Aulus would not think he was joking.

“I thought about that too,” replied Aulus, not at all shocked about the frankness of his personal assistant. “But Domitia would have my hide for that.”

“You are the pater familias,” replied Gaius while he started to pick up the clothes Aulus had left lying around on the floor the previous night before he went to bed. “It is ultimately your decision, sir.”

Aulus sighed as he knew that well enough. But he feared the anger of his wife. She could be very vengeful at times.

“I haven’t slept with Domitia in ages,” said Aulus as he stretched himself back on his bed, not even bothering to cover himself. The young slave looked at his master and felt sorry for him. So many burdens weighed on the man, who clearly wasn’t in his prime anymore. At the age of 57 years old, without having produced an heir and being responsible for the entire family living in the estate, the man clearly needed all the support he could give him.

“Do you want me to relieve you, sir?” asked the young slave who sometimes helped his master getting rid of some tension by helping him masturbate. Though the law was not allowing love between men, the practice of sexual intercourse with a slave was quite common. And Gaius certainly didn’t mind helping his master relax. Aulus however was not in the mood to be jerked off.

“Maybe later,” replied Aulus, but then he changed his mind. “I have a better idea,” he said. “Fetch me Julia from the kitchen. She hasn’t had a child in a few years, right?”

“Julia, sir? No, the last time she was pregnant, is five years ago.”

“That long already? Well, fetch her for me. And bring a young girl as well, I want you to put up a performance for me.”

Gaius smiled, bowed and quickly left as he understood precisely what his master wanted.
 
Chapter 2

Amabilia was combing the hair of her mistress. Usually she did that much earlier in the morning, but the mistress of the house had spent an unusual amount of time bathing. There were more knots in the long hair of her mistress than usual and Amabilia did everything she could to get them out without inflicting discomfort or pain. She wondered what her mistress had done to have her hair so knotted up but she didn’t even dare think about it any further, because even a hint of her mistress having loved somebody, made her blush.

The young girl had reached adulthood but was still a virgin. Domitia had kept the girl close to her from very early on and she had been trained as a personal slave. The girl was not born on the estate, she had been bought on the market in Cassinum as a child. Usually Domitia didn’t trust imported slaves, certainly not the ones who had not been born in slavery, but for this young child she had made an exception. From early on her timid nature had made her very malleable, which increased her usefulness.

The young girl, who still thought of herself as a child, though she was adult in the eyes of others and there had even been a small celebration to mark the transition, loved her mistress like a mother as the woman had always treated her like a daughter. True, she had never cuddled her or comforted her when she cried as a child, but Amabilia had learned that harshness and discipline were also a way of loving. She had learned her place and had learned certain skills, which she otherwise might not have achieved.

“Have you heard any rumours?” asked Domitia without looking at the girl who was still trying to straighten out her hair.

“About what, mistress?” asked the girl who suddenly realized her mistress had been telling her something. What was it about? What had she said? Oh, was it about the master of the house?

“Are you listening child?” asked the noble woman, now glancing at the girl and seeing how she blushed.

“Yes, ma’am,” stuttered the girl, “you said something about the master…”

“I said that I suspect he is sleeping with a slave girl. Do you have any idea who he sleeps with?”

“No ma’am,” said the girl quickly, who indeed had no idea. She was also a little shocked at the notion. Her mistress was so beautiful, why would the master want to sleep with a lowly slave?

“Ow, careful!” said Domitia suddenly when Amabilia had her comb stuck in a very persistent knot.

“I’m sorry…” she stuttered, her face flustered and her hands quickly working to set things right.

“Here, let me do this myself,” said the lady of the house while taking the comb from the girl’s trembling hand. She clearly felt annoyed and Amabilia irritated her when she was in such a mood.

“Go,” she said, “I don’t need you right now. Go to the matron in the kitchen to see if she has a task for you. Maybe you can help prepare the food for the noon meal.”

“The… the kitchen, mistress?” stammered Amabilia, who rarely did anything outside the quarters of her ladyship.

“Yes, the kitchen! It’s time you learned a few more skills. Now go already.”

Amabilia was stunned, but she obeyed and hurried out of the room. On the way to the kitchen she started weeping though, as dread started to fill her heart. Was mistress going to get rid of her? Was she supposed to learn other skills because her mistress was tired of having her around?

“What’s wrong with you girl?” asked the matron in the kitchen while she was deboning a chicken on the large wooden kitchen table. Behind her Julia was also busy, breaking eggs into a large bowl. Amabilia quickly rubbed her cheeks dry with the back of her hand and shook her head.

“I am fine,” she whispered, “Mrs Polla told me to… erm… come here and ask for work.”

The matron looked at her but said nothing. Then she looked at Julia, who shrugged.

“Go wash the lettuce,” she then said, pointing at the green crops on the other table near the large wash tub.

“Yes matron,” said the girl hastily and she went to work as quick as she could. Washing lettuce was something she luckily knew how to do.
 
Chapter 3

“Julia, the master wants you,” said Gaius who entered with a spring in his step and a grin from ear to ear.

“What does he want Julia for?” asked the old matron with a cross toned voice.

“You don’t need to know,” said Gaius with a sweet voice while he leaned on the counter. “Master does what master wants.”

“I’ll go,” said Julia, who wanted to avoid Cornelia starting a row about this. The old matron was the mother for most of the slaves and even to some of the liberti and sometimes Cornelia had a habit of treating the master and mistress of the house as her children as well. Julia remembered a row about a year ago when Cornelia had not known when to shut up and it had resulted in some harsh corporal punishment. Because even though Cornelia was free and no longer a slave since many years, she still needed to obey every command given.

Gaius grinned at her and started to turn around while Cornelia muttered something under her breath. As the young men was turning, his eye fell on Amabilia, who was trying to be invisible while washing the lettuce.

“Ah,” he said. He tilted his head and looked at the young girl. She was somewhat childlike shaped, without the curves and fullness that Julia had, but he knew his master liked that.

“You as well,” he said while pointing at Amabilia.

“What? No way!” shouted Cornelia. “Has the master really ordered that or is this one of your pranks? The girl stays, you hear, or do you want to wash lettuce instead?”

“I am doing our master’s bidding,” replied Gaius, still sweet voiced but somewhat louder. “Would you like to go and tell Mister Lucianus that he can’t have his slaves obeying him because of … lettuce?”

Amabilia had dropped the lettuce in the wash tub and she was staring at Gaius and Cornelia with visibly trembling legs. Julia however had moved over to the girl and she put an arm around her shoulders. She was almost a head taller than the girl and she felt it hard to imagine this girl was no longer a child. Not only in appearance but also in behaviour she was barely an adult.

“Come,” she said to the girl and as she took her with her, she continued “I’ll look after her Cornelia, don’t worry.”

“Oh I am not worried about the girl,” said Cornelia on a very loud tone and she threw her large knife on the counter. “I am upset that I have to make food all by myself! Who is going to bake the bread, wash the lettuce and debone the chicken?”

“You are,” smiled Gaius at her and as he turned he ducked because a chicken leg was flung at his face and it barely missed him.

“You bring them back to me when the master is finished with them, you hear!” Cornelia shouted at him. He turned around again, let the two girls pass through the door and then he bowed to Cornelia, saying “Your wish is my command, matron.”

Then he quickly left, leaving a cursing matron behind in her kitchen, while he laughed all the way to his masters quarters.

Amabilia didn’t laugh, she was shaking. She had never been in the masters quarters before and she could not understand why she was summoned there.

“Sssh, it’s going to be fine, just do as you’re told,” said Julia softly while still keeping an arm around the girl. She had been in this situation before as she already lived in this household for around thirty years. She knew the girl would be tested in the next hour or so and she was would try to protect the girl. And as part of that protection she was also not going to scare her by telling her what might happen.
 
Chapter 4

Marius Marcus Lucianus was bored. He had gotten out of bed early and he had taken one of the horses for a ride. He was supposed to wait for his uncle to be shown around the estate, but he wanted to have a look for himself. One day all these lands would be his. That was after all the reason for his adoption.

His father had preferred him to become a philosopher and that was his preference as well. Since his older brother would inherit the possessions of their father Verius Lucianus, Marius had expected not to be needed on the Estate of their ancestors and he had dreamed of going to Cassinum or maybe even Rome and live there as a scholar. It was not to be. Aulus Lucianus didn’t have a son and heir. Marius was adopted by Aulus to become his heir. And he had no choice in the matter. Even his father had to abide by the will of the pater familias. Of course his older brother Cassius resented him for this reason and had not spoken with him since. Quite frankly he didn’t blame him for that, but he understood this was going to be an issue to deal with in the future. Was this also the reason why Aulus and Verius never got along very well? He should look into their story someday.

Marius halted his horse and sighed while looking out over the hillside. Down below he saw a pond that was being fed by a small stream coming from the woods. There were some women doing laundry in the water and even from this distance, he could clearly see how some of the women had taken off their dresses while washing cloth in the water. He saw naked breasts swaying while the women worked and he felt an erection coming up. It was something that happened all the time when he saw women naked or half naked and he hated it. Like Sullius had taught him, he believed he needed to control his urges, but his penis had a mind of his own it seemed. With annoyance he steered his horse towards the woods. Maybe someday he would forbid women to undress in public.

Marius reached a hill closer to the woods and from here he could see most of the lands belonging to the familia. To the north was the villa of his father, but it could not be seen from here. To the south he saw the larger villa of Aulus, situated closer to the road to Cassinum. It had always been the main domus of the family and it was several centuries old. The smaller villa of his father had once been the summer residence, when the family had better fortune. Nowadays this summer residence had become more like a child rearing facility and it was also the location for the horse breeding farm. His father had also installed a library in their villa because raising children according to old Platonic ideals could not work without available reading material. Marius himself had also read many scrolls on the matter and he had discussed things at great length with Sullius. He had decided that if he could not become a scholar in the city, then he would become a scholar here. He might someday be able to invite scholars from all over the world to come here and study and discuss matters of importance. If his brother would not object too much of course. His brother was much more like his uncle, with a love for horses, gladiators and women. Strange how the gods were twisting things around in the family.
 
Chapter 5

When Gaius brought the two women into the room, he noticed how his master was dressing himself.

“Ah Gaius, sorry to have bothered you for nothing,” said Aulus, “I forgot I have to go over to the bridge for an inspection.”

“That’s scheduled for the afternoon, sir. It’s still early,” replied Gaius, still trying to get his master to relax and make him forget some of his burdens. He took Amabilia from Jullia and held her in front of him. “I have brought this girl along,” he said.

Aulus looked up and the girl caught his eye. Such a pretty thing was a rare sight.

“Ah,” he replied, “Aren’t you one of Domitia’s girls? I have seen you in her quarters once, right?”

Amabilia nodded but got a finger jab in her ribs from Gaius that she should speak up.

“Yes master,” she said in a small voice.

Aulus nodded and kept his eyes on her form a bit longer, clearly pleased with what he saw. Skinny, small, almost boyish but with long hair that was tied up and covered by a scarf, like the dress code demanded. Then he looked at Julia and the difference was enormous. Julia was well rounded, a head taller than the other girl and her face showed signs of maturity. But she too was a very beautiful woman, with broad hips, great at producing children.

“Good to see you Julia,” he said.

“Nice to see you too, master,” said Julia while she made a curtsy for the man while lowering her eyes. It was not the first time he had summoned for her, though the last time had been many years ago.

“It’s been some time since you were with child, right?” asked Aulus, who had completely stopped dressing himself.

“Yes, sir,” she replied a bit surprised, “It’s been five years since my son was born. Is he doing well?” she added as a question. She had not seen her son in a while and had little hope to hear about him.

Aulus frowned and tried to remember. Then it dawned on him again. “Oh yes, he is doing great. Still learning a lot at my brother’s house. Sullius is teaching him and he reported that your son has a way with words. Maybe he can become a scribe someday.”

Aulus himself had been disappointed when he heard the news, since the boy was obviously not going to become a gladiator then. He also loathed the taste of his younger brother and his praeceptor for literature and philosophy, things that were useless in the eyes of Aulus. Sullius was a stoic philosopher of sorts and he didn’t like how the old man thought and behaved. But he wasn’t going to share this with Julia of course as he had decided to give her another chance to produce something useful.

“It is time for you to bring the house another wonderful son, don’t you think?” said Aulus.

Julia had already kind of expected this as she had already given birth to four children so far, three of which had survived childbirth. The two girls had been sold some years ago, but her son Hallius was still on the estate. And though he had been taken away from her a few years ago, she sometimes could visit him, like half a year ago.

“Yes sir,” she replied with her head bowed down, “as you wish.” This was not just obedience, she actually had hoped to be allowed having another child. It made her feel very useful and the master was lenient enough to allow a mother to spend the first two years with her baby, granting her leave of most other duties. He believed that children that bonded well with their mother, were much easier to handle later on. He had explained how the Greeks like to take children away from their mother early on and he disliked Greeks a lot. She was very glad to live in a Roman household and not a Greek one.
 
Chapter 6

Marius frowned as he watched the edge of the woods. He was certain he had seen somebody there, in the shadows, but now it was no longer visible.

Marius on horseback.jpg

He dug his heels into the side of the horse and took it into a gallop, bouncing on the back of the horse and bounding towards the woods. He was a good horseman and his small stallion was handled very well. In no time he reached the edge of the wood while he was peering into the shadows under the trees. Some of the underbrush was moving as if somebody was hiding there.

“Come out, whoever you are!” he shouted at the bushes. There was no reply.

“I am Marius Lucianus, if you don’t show yourself I will drag you out!” he announced. At that moment he realized he had no weapons on him as he had not expected to need any. These lands were quite secure and safe.

As Marius considered his options, he suddenly spotted movements in the underbrush and he quickly jumped off his horse and dashed after the figure he now clearly saw escaping deeper into the woods. But when he jumped towards the man - it was clearly a man - the fugitive turned around holding a big stick and before Marius could react, he felt a hard blow landing on the side of his head. Marius fell and the world spun around him. His ears were ringing, but he could hear someone crashing through the bushes, darting away from him. Thank the gods that the stranger didn’t attack any further, because Marius could not have defended himself very well anymore after that first blow.
 
Chapter 7

“Take your clothes off,” said the pater familias while he dropped his own tunica to the floor again. Julia gave a nod and obediently peeled herself out of her dress and let it drop to the floor.

“You too,” said Aulus, while he stood naked in front of them. Amabilia was frozen and stared in shock at the master’s big cock. She had seen cocks before but not this close and this was the master!

“Let me help,” said Gaius from behind and he started to pull her dress up and over her head. The girl whimpered softly as she was soon bare naked in front of the two men and she quickly tried to cover herself with her hands. Gaius took her hands however and lowered them to her side.

Aulus looked at both women and was pleased. Julia had large breasts, wide hips and thighs, a slight tummy that made her look as if she was already pregnant, a clear sign that it was her destiny. The other girl was young, skinny, but rounder than he had thought before. Her dress had covered her well. Her breasts were perky, a bit pointy with large areolas but tiny nipples. Her stomach was flat, her hips slim but with just the right amount of curve to it. At the base of her stomach she had a small dark patch, not a big bush like Julia had. He could even see a hint of the girl’s slit, which was closed and undoubtedly virgin territory. It gave him an erection.

The master of the house lied down on the bed and he waved Julia over.

“Warm me up,” he said, “so I can give you a child myself this time.” Julia was surprised as the previous times she had been mated with other men of the household. The last one had been a gladiator she actually had liked a lot. A man named Braxus, who had been kind to her. Not that there was any place for a romance amongst slaves in the household, but ever since then they had always greeted each other. That the master himself wanted to impregnate her now, was both a shock and a great honour and she blushed heavily as she went up to the bed.

“You two,” said Aulus while Julia carefully started to stroke his cock, “Come closer and play with each other.”

Amabilia was trembling and staring in shock at Julia playing with the master’s cock. He had grown to twice its former size and though he was still very bendy, he was also thick and it was so close by! Then Gaius pushed her even closer before his hands caressed her small breasts. She yelped softly and glanced behind her, suddenly noticing how Gaius had also stripped off his clothes and he was pressing an amazingly large and hard cock against the young girl’s side.

“Use your hands on it,” said Gaius softly and he guided her left hand to his cock. She wanted to jerk her hand away from him, but as she stared in shock at the large penis at her side, she got turned sideways while Gaius closed her small hand around his shaft. With a soft whimper she felt the warm penis in her hand, which Gaius started to move up and down around his penis, showing her how she should move.

Aulus watched how the inexperienced young woman got educated into the art of cock jerking. Gaius did a wonderful job and it was a very arousing scene to watch. It quickly resulted in the older man achieving a full erection, which was most pleasing as it was something he didn’t succeed in reaching that often anymore nowadays. Then he gave a groan of pleasure as Julia expertly took his cock in her mouth and started to suck him into an even larger erection. What a wonderful way to start the day, he thought.

“Do as Julia here does,” he said to the girl who was nervously stroking Gaius now without him helping her. “Lick that wonderful cock of Gaius.”

Amabilia glanced at Julia, watching her taking the master’s cock into her mouth and she blushed so much, it spread down her neck to her chest.

“Go down on your knees before you faint,” said Gaius with a friendly smile while he supported the girl. She knelt down and as Gaius held his cock in front of her face, her left hand still wrapped around the warm and hard shaft, he took her other hand to make her slim fingers cup under his scrotum.

“Kiss the tip,” he said and she whimpered softly. “And keep breathing,” he added with a chuckle.

The girl was breathing quite erratic and she was trembling visibly. But she did as she was told and carefully brought her trembling lips towards the swollen and leaking head of the man’s penis. The scent was overwhelming to her and she was fighting against her tears while she tried to overcome her shame and humiliation, gently pressing her lips against the very warm and smelly penis head.

In the meantime Aulus had ordered Julia to straddle him.

“Put my sword in your sheath,” he said. The woman obeyed and while she herself had become quite aroused, it was not hard to do. She sat down on top of the master, gently placing her knees on each side of him and then guided his penis with her hand, sliding him between her lips and then into her. She groaned when she felt the warm shaft driving deeper into her emptiness.

Aulus looked up at her and she looked enormous, a massive mountain of flesh that was kneeling on top of him. Her large saggy breasts quivered and shook with every movement she made. He looked at her crotch but his penis had completely disappeared from view, vanished into the bush covered mountain of flesh. The woman reminded him of his wife and suddenly he was puzzled why he had picked Julia for this. His penis was wrapped in warm softness but he felt nothing anymore. Her vagina was so wide and wet, it gave no friction and his penis quickly lost interest. In an attempt to hold his erection standing, he quickly turned towards Gaius and Amabilia, watching how the two young people were playing with each other. Losing his erection was something he had anticipated, which is why he had ordered Gaius to bring someone else as well. He needed to see something arousing.
 
Chapter 7

“Take your clothes off,” said the pater familias while he dropped his own tunica to the floor again. Julia gave a nod and obediently peeled herself out of her dress and let it drop to the floor.

“You too,” said Aulus, while he stood naked in front of them. Amabilia was frozen and stared in shock at the master’s big cock. She had seen cocks before but not this close and this was the master!

“Let me help,” said Gaius from behind and he started to pull her dress up and over her head. The girl whimpered softly as she was soon bare naked in front of the two men and she quickly tried to cover herself with her hands. Gaius took her hands however and lowered them to her side.

Aulus looked at both women and was pleased. Julia had large breasts, wide hips and thighs, a slight tummy that made her look as if she was already pregnant, a clear sign that it was her destiny. The other girl was young, skinny, but rounder than he had thought before. Her dress had covered her well. Her breasts were perky, a bit pointy with large areolas but tiny nipples. Her stomach was flat, her hips slim but with just the right amount of curve to it. At the base of her stomach she had a small dark patch, not a big bush like Julia had. He could even see a hint of the girl’s slit, which was closed and undoubtedly virgin territory. It gave him an erection.

The master of the house lied down on the bed and he waved Julia over.

“Warm me up,” he said, “so I can give you a child myself this time.” Julia was surprised as the previous times she had been mated with other men of the household. The last one had been a gladiator she actually had liked a lot. A man named Braxus, who had been kind to her. Not that there was any place for a romance amongst slaves in the household, but ever since then they had always greeted each other. That the master himself wanted to impregnate her now, was both a shock and a great honour and she blushed heavily as she went up to the bed.

“You two,” said Aulus while Julia carefully started to stroke his cock, “Come closer and play with each other.”

Amabilia was trembling and staring in shock at Julia playing with the master’s cock. He had grown to twice its former size and though he was still very bendy, he was also thick and it was so close by! Then Gaius pushed her even closer before his hands caressed her small breasts. She yelped softly and glanced behind her, suddenly noticing how Gaius had also stripped off his clothes and he was pressing an amazingly large and hard cock against the young girl’s side.

“Use your hands on it,” said Gaius softly and he guided her left hand to his cock. She wanted to jerk her hand away from him, but as she stared in shock at the large penis at her side, she got turned sideways while Gaius closed her small hand around his shaft. With a soft whimper she felt the warm penis in her hand, which Gaius started to move up and down around his penis, showing her how she should move.

Aulus watched how the inexperienced young woman got educated into the art of cock jerking. Gaius did a wonderful job and it was a very arousing scene to watch. It quickly resulted in the older man achieving a full erection, which was most pleasing as it was something he didn’t succeed in reaching that often anymore nowadays. Then he gave a groan of pleasure as Julia expertly took his cock in her mouth and started to suck him into an even larger erection. What a wonderful way to start the day, he thought.

“Do as Julia here does,” he said to the girl who was nervously stroking Gaius now without him helping her. “Lick that wonderful cock of Gaius.”

Amabilia glanced at Julia, watching her taking the master’s cock into her mouth and she blushed so much, it spread down her neck to her chest.

“Go down on your knees before you faint,” said Gaius with a friendly smile while he supported the girl. She knelt down and as Gaius held his cock in front of her face, her left hand still wrapped around the warm and hard shaft, he took her other hand to make her slim fingers cup under his scrotum.

“Kiss the tip,” he said and she whimpered softly. “And keep breathing,” he added with a chuckle.

The girl was breathing quite erratic and she was trembling visibly. But she did as she was told and carefully brought her trembling lips towards the swollen and leaking head of the man’s penis. The scent was overwhelming to her and she was fighting against her tears while she tried to overcome her shame and humiliation, gently pressing her lips against the very warm and smelly penis head.

In the meantime Aulus had ordered Julia to straddle him.

“Put my sword in your sheath,” he said. The woman obeyed and while she herself had become quite aroused, it was not hard to do. She sat down on top of the master, gently placing her knees on each side of him and then guided his penis with her hand, sliding him between her lips and then into her. She groaned when she felt the warm shaft driving deeper into her emptiness.

Aulus looked up at her and she looked enormous, a massive mountain of flesh that was kneeling on top of him. Her large saggy breasts quivered and shook with every movement she made. He looked at her crotch but his penis had completely disappeared from view, vanished into the bush covered mountain of flesh. The woman reminded him of his wife and suddenly he was puzzled why he had picked Julia for this. His penis was wrapped in warm softness but he felt nothing anymore. Her vagina was so wide and wet, it gave no friction and his penis quickly lost interest. In an attempt to hold his erection standing, he quickly turned towards Gaius and Amabilia, watching how the two young people were playing with each other. Losing his erection was something he had anticipated, which is why he had ordered Gaius to bring someone else as well. He needed to see something arousing.
Well this is developing nicely, @Doragon i watch with interest. Great character development and a credible setting. A great tribute to our departed friend…
 
Chapter 8

Julia of course noticed her master slipping and was not surprised. They both were not very young anymore and she had become wide because of the children she already gave birth to in her life. She tried to squeeze her lower muscles in an attempt to excite her master further by milking him, but her skills apparently were not enough. She noticed how Aulus was now looking at the youngsters again and how that scene made her master twitch inside of her. If that was what it took, she was fine with it. And turning towards the young couple herself, she said: “Amabilia, take his cock into your mouth. Pretend it is an icicle to suck on, you know, like in winter.”

The young girl felt dizzy from kissing the large penis, feeling his wetness on her lips, tasting and smelling him. As she heard Julia ordering her to take it further, she moaned, but obeyed. She opened her mouth and carefully took the large penis into her orifice. But as the large shaft slipped deeper into her mouth and rubbed against her tongue, she retched and had to fight the urge to vomit.

“Careful now,” said Gaius who gently placed his hands on either side of her face and making her look up at him. “Keep breathing and look into my eyes.”

The girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and concentrated on breathing though her nose. Her face was bright red and Gaius feared she might faint at any moment.

“Shhh,” he said softly with a smile while looking into the girl’s frightened eyes, “it’s going to be alright.” Then he started to gently move his hips, causing his penis to slide in and out of her mouth, carefully fucking the beautiful girl’s face.

“Get a little closer,” said Aulus, who was watching the two with fascination, “I want to see it better.” Gaius made Amabilia follow him and they got closer to the bed, also turning sideways a little so the master could see it from close by. Aulus reached out and put a hand under the girl’s chin and his fingers on her cheeks as if holding her in place.

“You’re doing wonderful girl,” he said, “just take it deeper still.”

In the meantime Julia was fucking his semi-erect cock, trying to make the best of it. She too watched the oral performance of the young couple with interest and it made her more excited as well.

“Relax your throat,” she said softly to Amabilia, “breath through your nose.” The young girl had never done this and it was clear she was overwhelmed. They could hear her retch now and then, but the girl appeared to hang in there and take it.

Aulus reached out with his other hand, digging his fingers into Julia’s breast and started to massage and squeeze her soft flesh. The woman moaned and was getting closer to an orgasm. The master was also getting harder again and that felt very pleasurable for both of them. At the same time Gaius was really getting close to an orgasm. The sight of the frightened girls face on his cock, was driving him crazy and the sweet warm mouth siding around his cock, made him grunt in ecstasy.

“Master, I can’t hold it much longer,” he groaned, asking permission to cum.

“Give the girl some life juice to drink,” panted Aulus.

Gaius looked down in the frightened girl’s eyes again and smiled at her.

“Just relax and swallow,” he panted. Then he pulled his cock back a little and held still. His cock twitched and slowly he felt a rushing feeling down in his crotch.

“Here it comes,” he grunted, followed by a guttural sound. His penis erupted into the poor girl’s mouth and Amabilia convulsed in shock. She kept in place though and swallowed as she had been ordered while thick globs of a bitter salty liquid erupted into her mouth. She retched as she drank the warm potion straight from the source.

Nothing in her upbringing could have her prepared for this experience. Of course she knew all about sex, she had seen people naked often and like in all Roman households, many conversations were about sexual intercourse, genitalia and things that people could do together. In one room in the villa there were even wall paintings with people licking a cock and a vulva and various poses of lovers having intercourse. She had dreamed about how that would feel. But her imagination had fallen short. The experience of having a thick hard and warm cock in her mouth erupting semen and drinking it, was more overwhelming than anything she had ever done in her life.

When Gaius pulled back from her mouth, she coughed, spraying semen down her front. Gaius went down on his haunches and drew her into a hug.

“You have done amazing,” he said in the girl’s ear. He was really impressed with how she had performed, especially since it had been obvious she had never done this before.

Aulus tapped on Julia’s thigh to get off and the woman carefully climbed off her master. He sat up now and looked at the two hugging youngsters on the floor near his bed.

“She’s a natural,” he said, also admiring Amabilia’s performance. “Come here girl and give my cock a taste of your mouth as well.”

Amabilia looked shocked, still dazed from the experience so far and the taste in her mouth and the scent in her nose making her dizzy. She looked at Gaius, who smiled and nodded at her.

“Go on,” he said while using his hands to make her turn towards the master and gently pushing her forward. Master Aulus shifted a little bit forward, spreading his knees and holding out his hands to receive the girl between his thighs. She took his large hands and crawled forward on her knees. The man had a heavy scent and she was feeling faint as she got closer to the man’s heavy and hairy chest, his large belly and the wet thick cock twitching against his hairy thigh. Julia took the girl’s hands from her master and guided those to his hips, while Aulus himself put one hand under Amabilia’s chin and the other on his cock.

“Open up,” said Gaius from behind her while he too guided the girl into position. Amabilia no longer had the ability to move herself, she was moved by the others as if she was a puppet. And as she opened her mouth, she was guided forward and down, taking the thick wet cock between her lips. She moaned when it slipped in deeper, covering her tongue and the sensation of him growing in her mouth, made her whimper. The taste of precum and vagina was strong on her master’s cock and she closed her eyes while trying to keep it in, fighting the urge to vomit. A hand pressed down on her head and pushed her even deeper over the cock, until her pressed into the back of her mouth, making her gag and retch.

“Careful now, breathe through your nose,” said Gaius.

“Relax and move your head up and down,” said Julia, who was just as enthralled by this as the others were.

Aulus reached with both hands under the girl and cupped her young and firm breasts, feeling how the nipples were like hard little knobs in the palm of his hand. And suddenly he groaned, his penis twitched and started spewing thick globs of semen into Amabilia’s mouth and throat. The girl was shaking all over and wailed, a panicky muffled sound while she drank her master’s seed.

When it was over, Julia took the shaking and weeping girl into her arms and tried to comfort her. Aulus leaned back and smiled at Gaius.

“She is a great find,” he said.

“We will have fun with her,” smiled Gaius back, congratulating himself with obviously knowing his master’s taste so well.

“Sorry about this,” said Aulus to Julia, “I changed my mind. Not about you having another child, but I think I should not be the one after all. Go to the gladiators and have one of them put a baby in you. Tell them it’s my order and tell them the toughest one of them should do it.”

Julia bowed her head and confirmed her masters wishes. “It will be done,” she said.
 
Chapter 9

Marius had reached his horse again and blood was dripping down the side of his face while he mounted and turned the horse back towards the hillside. He had been stupid going after the stranger in the woods alone by himself and unarmed. But he had survived and now he could bring himself to safety and alert the armed men to go out hunting.

He might not consider himself a man of action and he loved the quill more than the sword, but he was a Roman and this demanded action. He needed a sword and some company and then he would go out hunting. Nobody took a swing at him to survive and tell the tale!

As the young man rode back to the villa, he grew angrier and angrier, with himself, with the stranger and with the guards who clearly had not been doing their job. A stranger on the land could mean anything and the familia needed to be safe.

When he rode through the gate of the villa, a stable hand caught his almost rearing horse and stopped him. Marius jumped down and shouted for armed men to come or somebody to fetch them. But he suddenly felt dizzy and lost his balance. One of the slaves stood nearby and caught him. There was shouting in the court, people were calling out for help, that the young master was injured.

Only moments later Aulus appeared, dressed in a hastily donned tunica. He was closely followed by Gaius, his personal servant, who was still in the process of putting on his tunica.

“What happened,” bellowed Aulus. When he turned to his adopted son, he noticed the blood at the side of his head and immediately took a closer look to it.

“Some guy in the woods,” said Marius, “but grant me some armed men and I will hunt him down,” said Marius.

“No,” said Aulus while his fingers moved the hair of the young man aside to discover he had a nasty cut in his scalp. “You,” he said to one of the slaves, “take him to the kitchen and have his wound cleaned.”

“I am fine, uncle, I mean father” Marius protested and tried to get up but he was a bit unstable.

“I will deal with this myself,” said Aulus with a tight face. The pater familias was clearly very angry about this.

“Someone get me a sword!” he shouted while he went up to the horse of Marius and climbed on it. Gaius had already slipped back into the house and quickly appeared again, carrying his master’s cape and a belt with his sword. While he helped Aulus put those on, more orders were issued. Somebody was sent for the armed men that were apparently patrolling near the house of Verius. But two strong men in the villa were more than prepared to get on horseback as well and help their master, carrying spears and clubs. They were liberti of the household and always ready to defend the honour of the familia. Soon the party went off, just when Domitia appeared.

“What’s going on,” demanded the lady of the house to know. Marius told her, filled in with reports from a slave and Domitia then took it upon herself to bring Marius to the kitchen.

“Cornelia,” she shouted when they entered the kitchen, “bring some boiled water and clean cloth. We need to clean his wound.”

“Yes ma’am,” said the matron, who stood up from where she was, sitting on a bench with Julia and Amabilia.

“You can also help,” said Domitia in a firm tone to Julia and Amabilia. “Get me some needle and thread, we probably need to stitch this. She didn’t notice at this point which state the two women were in. Julia got up, but she told Amabilia to stay put. As Julia left, both Cornelia and Domitia started cleaning the wound of Marius, washing the dried blood from his hair and cleaning the wound at the side of his skull.

Marius winced a few times as it hurt, but that was all. In the meantime he was staring at Amabilia. He had never seen the girl before and he had to blink a few times, wondering if he was dreaming. She was by far the prettiest woman he had ever seen and the sight of such beauty made him almost forget where he was. He blinked a few more times, took a deep sigh and drank in the beautiful shape of the girl: her pretty nose, her beautiful eyes, her soft and sensitive mouth, her hair which had become partly undone and was hanging in curls down her front side, her thin neck and her slender hands which moved with such grace as she tried to put her hair back in order. He also noticed tear stains on her cheeks and that her hands were slightly trembling.

“I am fine,” he smiled at her when she looked back at him, “you don’t need to cry for me.”

“Who is crying?” asked Domitia and as she looked at Amabilia, she finally noticed the girl was still sitting there.

“Why are you still sitting there? Go help Julia find something to stich up his wound.”

“I already have it, mistress,” said Julia who just entered and handed a bundle with needles and very finely spun yarn.

“Here,” said Domitia, showing Julia where the wound on the head of her son was, “stitch him up,” she continued and then let Julia do her job. Most women would know how to do this, but Julia was the best. In the meantime Domitia went over to Amabilia and looked her over.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. She had also noticed how the girl seemed upset about something and she could not imagine those were tears on behalf of Marius, who she barely knew. The girl looked up and tried to hide her misery by smiling, but she failed as she gave a little sob at the same time.

Amabilia felt mostly upset about the fact that she had been part of the one thing that had upset her mistress this morning. She had asked if Amabilia had heard anything about the slave her husband slept with. And now Amabilia herself had taken the cock of the master in her mouth and swallowed his seed. She had been worried sick in the past half hour how she could ever face her mistress again and now she was here already, staring her down with a puzzled look on her face.

“I am fine, mistress,” she tried to say, but her voice was unsteady and a tear dripped from her eyes.

“Nonsense,” said Domitia who took the girl by the hand and pulled her to her feet.

“What is upsetting you so?” she said sternly while she started to adjust the girl’s hair and clothes. But as soon as she did, Amabilia’s dress fell open and there was a wet spot on her chest, just above her perky little breasts.

“And what’s this?” asked the lady as she wiped the slippery substance from her skin. She could already smell it and held the finger with the lubricating substance in front of the girl’s eyes.

“What is this? Who’s seed have you been carrying on you? Where did this come from?”

“I… erm… oh…. Uh…” Amabilia was at a complete loss for words and instead started crying again.

Domitia was losing her patience and after wiping her finger on the girl’s face she slapped her.

“You should go help her,” said Marius when Julia finished sewing him up. Julia nodded and quickly went over to Domitia, who was now yelling at the weeping Amabilia.

“It wasn’t her fault,” said Julia, head bowed and eyes turned down. “There was nothing she could do. She was with me when… Gaius summoned us.”

“Gaius?” said the mistress out loud.

“I was there too,” said Cornelia, “both of them were summoned and I had to do all the work here in the kitchen myself. I really would wish somebody had more consideration with me sometimes!”

“Shut up!” shouted the mistress to the matron. Domitia then turned back to Julia and Amabilia, looking from one to the other, while Cornelia was muttering to herself in the background.

“I see,” said the lady of the house and she suddenly reached for Amabilia and while holding her arms with one hand, she reached with her other under her dress to use her fingers on the girl’s crotch.

“She was not fucked,” said Julia quickly while Amabilia was yelping and crying. “I was,” she added as confession, and by this time she too started to tremble a bit, dreading the response of the wife of the pater familias. “Amabilia was just there to help me.”

Domitia gave Amabilia a push so she fell back on the bench and stared in anger at her. She understood all too well what had happened and though her husband had every right to do as he wished with any of the slaves, she felt too infuriated and humiliated to calm down. She would certainly have a word with him when he came back from the hunt, but for now these girls needed to learn their place.

“Take her to the stable master,” she snarled at Julia, “and tell him to whip you both with a knotted rope.” Julia shivered and tears now also filled her eyes.

“Yes mistress,” she said with a soft voice and she bent towards Amabilia to help her up, but the girl had bent over forward and was crying loudly, overwhelmed with grief and misery at this point. Domitia abruptly turned away and swiftly walked towards the door. But before she left, she turned around once more and brusquely hissed “Twenty strokes on the tits! Both of you!”
 
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Chapter 10

As soon as Domitia had left, Marius got up and went over to the women.

“What the hell was that about?” he informed, also stretching out a hand in comfort to the weeping girl, who he still felt being the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

“The master wanted to fuck somebody for breakfast,” replied Cornelia crude, “and Amabilia was accidentally in the kitchen as well when Gaius came to fetch Julia as ordered.”

Cornelia reached out for Amabilia and took her chin in her hand to raise the girl’s wet face up.

“Did he fuck you too?” she asked.

“No, he didn’t,” answered Julia for the girl, “he only fucked me.” Not a word about Amabilia sucking any cocks, Julia had decided.

“Why then does she need to be whipped?” asked Marius, indicating Amabilia as being innocent in this matter.

“Take that up with your father,” answered Cornelia out loud. She threw her hands up in the air.

“May the gods have mercy on this family,” she said, giving air to all of their frustration.

“There’s no way around this,” whispered Julia and she was once again pulling Amabilia to her feet. “Come girl, we must face this,” she said softly.

“I’ll come with you,” said Marius. Julia nodded and both of them supported Amabilia as they left the kitchen.

“Can’t we just pretend,” said Marius as they were alone. “I’ll give witness that you two were whipped, even if you weren’t.” Julia shook her head and her face turned sour.

“Mistress will check, trust me, I know her. And we better bleed or she will not be content.”

Marius nodded and fell silent. He looked at the weeping girl at his arm. How in the hell did he meet the most beautiful girl in the world and then he had to watch her being whipped not an hour later? What were the gods thinking?

They crossed the now almost empty courtyard and went to the stables. Amabilia was whimpering nonstop. Marius could well understand why, but Julia was less patient as she too had to endure their coming fate.

“Pull yourself together girl,” she told her, “you put us both to shame. Trust me, once this is over all will be well again. We just have to atone for this.”

For some reason these were exactly the words that needed to be spoken, because Amabilia stopped whimpering and even straightened herself a little bit. Julia was right. To regain her dignity she should steel herself and bear this with courage.

“I am with you,” whispered Marius, “just look into my eyes and send some of the pain to me.”

Amabilia looked up at the young man at her side and her eyes were wide and wet. She recognized him as the adopted son of the landlord and she had secretly watched him before, admiring him. She did feel better now he was with her to offer his help. And she also raised herself up further, trying to steel herself and show him she was no weakling.

The stable hand received them and he called the stable master as soon as they asked for him. Both men looked to Marius to hear what he wanted, but Julia spoke instead.

“Domitia Lucianus, the mistress of the house, orders you to whip us,” she spoke to the stable master, trying to relay the order as precise as possible to make sure it was alright when Domitia checked this. And check she would.

The stable master raised his eyebrows and looked at Marius, who nodded.

“It’s true, said the young master, “I was there.”

“You need to do it with a knotted rope,” continued Julia, “twenty strokes…. On our breasts.”

The stable hand drew in his breath and the stable master scratched behind his ear.

“Are you sure?” he asked. His arms were colossal, as was his belly and he was two heads taller than the women.

“You have to make us bleed,” said Julia, “or the mistress will not be satisfied.” This was actually something Domitia had not told them, but Julia knew from experience that if the punishment turned out too soft, the mistress would come up with additional punishments.

Marius looked at Julia and raised one eyebrow. But even he understood the logic of what she was saying. Though he really hated it.

“Do the girl first,” said Julia while the stable master had picked up a thick course rope and was putting knots into it. “Once the girl sees what it does to me, she will have lost courage to undergo the same fate.” She shivered as she watched how thick and rough the rope was. That was indeed going to hurt.

Amabilia whimpered but Marius tried to comfort her. “She’s right,” he told her, “here let me help you.”
 
How in the hell did he meet the most beautiful girl in the world and then he had to watch her being whipped not an hour later?
Don’t worry, this will only make you want her more and she will be bound to you this way forever…
She shivered as she watched how thick and rough the rope was. That was indeed going to hurt.
Oooooh, I certainly hope so!
Amabilia whimpered but Marius tried to comfort her. “She’s right,” he told her, “here let me help you.”
See, aren’t you glad this is happening? Through the gift of pain from the lash you will become her White Knight!

Great chapter, @Doragon
 
Great chapter, @Doragon
Thank you. It's an enormous pleasure to write this tragic story. I try to do the beauty of it justice. I also try to keep the characters lifelike and I hope some elements also cause a laugh here and there, as well as a tear.
 
Chapter 11

Marius helped the stable hand tying the girl’s hands behind to the thick wooden post in the centre of the barn. Then he gently opened the front of the girl’s dress and lowered it over her arms to pull it just below her breasts. His breathing stopped for a moment when he saw those immaculate pale orbs on the girl’s chest and he could not resist putting a hand on one of them. He felt his penis twitching and becoming fully erect in an instant. Amabilia looked up at him and sighed with a shiver. Her nipples turned hard as stones. Marius looked into her sad eyes and felt like he was drowning in there.

“Better get out of the way,” said the stable master while he practiced swinging the thick rope, which he had coiled into a loop to make it easier to strike true. Marius nodded and pulled his hand away. Then he moved to the back of the girl and he put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her back and straight.

“Look up at me,” he said to the girl. He was a head taller than she was and as she raised her head backwards, she could see him in the eyes while his face hovered close to hers.

“Keep your head up and don’t look,” he added and smiled at her pretty face. “You don’t want the rope to accidentally hit you in the face.”

She shook her head and smiled back at him, because she indeed did not want that.

“Hang in there,” said the stable master and he raised the rope and struck hard on the beautiful girl’s immaculate breasts.

Amabilia stiffened up completely, eyes widening, mouth also wide open in a silent cry and complete shock. This was way more painful than she had ever imagined anything could be. A second strike hit her and she went up on her toes while she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Sshh,” said Marius, trying to comfort her, “it’s going to be fine.” He squeezed her shoulders hard as if he was pouring his own courage into the small frame of the girl. He watched as the coiled rope hit a third time, making the small breasts of the girl bounce and leaving thick red welts on the white skin. Her nipples were rock hard and at her left nipple he could see a droplet of blood already forming, where a knot had hit her fully. The girl screamed with every stroke and was trembling all over. People were by now gathering at the entrance of the stable to see what was going on and there were muttering voices.

“Do I need to go on?” asked the stable master after five strokes. He had the idea the girl could not bear much more.

“Twenty,” whispered Julia with a trembling voice. “Mistress told us twenty lashes.”

The stable master shrugged and continued, drawing out even more desperate screams from the girl who was dancing on her toes while she was struck on her breasts again and again.

“What did she do?” someone asked at the entrance.

“I don’t know, but they are killing her,” somebody else said.

“Poor thing,” was muttered, and “I feel for her,” and “how can she take this?”

“Please have mercy, young master,” a woman cried out. And suddenly it was dawning on Marius that these people thought he was punishing this girl, because after all, he was holding her in place.

“It is not his decision,” interrupted Julia, “this is done by orders of the mistress, lady Lucianus.”

More muttering followed, hard to hear over the cries of the punished girl. At twelve strokes, Amabilia fainted. Her breasts were both bleeding and fully covered with red welts. In several places the skin had broken.

“Enough,” said Marius with tears in his eyes. He was sad but also proud of the girl who had taken so many lashes before she succumbed to it. A very brave and tough girl, he thought.

“I will testify to the mistress that these were twenty blows,” he said. The stable master shrugged and behind him somebody asked how many she had received.

“Twenty blows, you heard the master,” said one of the women.

“I counted twenty as well,” said a man, joining in.

“I am bad at counting,” said the stable master, feeling fine with dealing out no more lashes to the poor girl. “Do you also need this?” he then asked while turning towards Julia. She nodded and while she too pulled her dress down, she walked over to the wooden pillar. Her face was pale and she was trembling, but she was determined to take this punishment.

Marius released Amabilia and lifted her unconscious body up in his arms. Her bleeding chest was a mess to behold, but he didn’t want to cover her, get dirt into her wounds and blood on her clothes.

“Bring her to the kitchen,” said Cornelia, who had also been there watching.

“And you two, bring Julia there as well once she is done,” she said to two others and then she followed Marius to the kitchen, where she already had boiled water and clean cloth ready. Behind them Julia screamed as her large breasts received the same treatment as Amabilia had just suffered.
 
Harrowing chapter and Marius made a fatal error. If Mistress demands 20, then it *must* be 20. He must be really stupid, does he not think Mistress will count the welts? This wasn’t even two-thirds of what is required!

If he was more discrete, he could have taken a far lesser risk with a quiet word to the stable master -“here, let’s get the bucket of water and revive her, but the final 8 to be dealt with less rigour” - still dangerous but at least he’d only be trusting the one person instead of the mix of slaves and degenerates who witnessed his misguided, lust-inspired mercy.

Even if Mistress doesn’t count the welts, just one tongue wagging will put Marius in the scatalogical do-do…

I certainly hope he doesn’t compound the error by showing Julia the same mercy!
 
Harrowing chapter and Marius made a fatal error. If Mistress demands 20, then it *must* be 20. He must be really stupid, does he not think Mistress will count the welts? This wasn’t even two-thirds of what is required!

If he was more discrete, he could have taken a far lesser risk with a quiet word to the stable master -“here, let’s get the bucket of water and revive her, but the final 8 to be dealt with less rigour” - still dangerous but at least he’d only be trusting the one person instead of the mix of slaves and degenerates who witnessed his misguided, lust-inspired mercy.

Even if Mistress doesn’t count the welts, just one tongue wagging will put Marius in the scatalogical do-do…

I certainly hope he doesn’t compound the error by showing Julia the same mercy!
That's a good analysis. Marius doesn't seem fit to become the dominus of the house, that was my intention to shine through. Not that Aulus is such a good dominus, but we'll come to that in time. Domitia is of course a horrible woman, but she struggles with her position and the neglect of her husband. As far as the slaves go, they are slaves and think like slaves.
Maybe at the end of the story we can try answering the question: what makes someone fit to be a master.
 
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