My Lord My Prince

Prince Hammand was going to the slave market. He had long since perfected the art of choosing the right slaves for the right task and his mother the Queen now always sought him for such matters. It was also his chance to get out of the palace howbeit for a short time as time tended to go by at a horribly slow pace when you were a prince with responsibilities that were few and far between.

Today his mother wanted a woman or maiden who would wash and massage her feet for her usual maiden had burnt her hands in the kitchen most unfortunately and no longer had the smooth soothing texture she was accustomed to.

He walked in a make shift cocoon of human beings, his guards surrounding him closely and his adviser by his side. He hated it for could hardly see a thing when he went out, unless it was a far distance and they used the horses. This time they did not, but he was not too put out for he knew at the market the guards would have to step back and then he could breathe some of the air of normalcy for once among the people.

He was young, turning 24 in a few months time but looked years younger owing to his small delicately proportioned frame. He stood at almost 5"2 inches tall barefoot, delicately slim and had the palest skin which was made more so by his dark curly shoulder length hair. All this, in addition to the beauty of those small pink pouty plush lips, thick dark eyebrows laced over large expressive sea blue eyes and the little cute nose on a heart shaped face all from his beautiful mother, added to made him look like a maiden.

And as he stepped into the slave market, with the guards falling behind automatically, this was how he appeared to the tall muscular man at the far end of the large busy compound.

"Beautiful woman here, we call her Hemina...which means heaven," a slave trader called out from one end of the compound. There was loud cackling laughter as the trader continued as he thumbed a downcast half dressed beautiful woman. "For the heights she will take you to if you just give her a try...look at these breasts...buy her and your house will never be the same again."

So the auction went, the prodding and pulling, the stares from the crowd as they sought different slaves for different tasks. Offers were made, haggling at the highest level and money slapping into hands, dirty hands. The prince found what he wanted in no time, a woman who had served as a masseuse in her own land. Though fat and matronly, she looked cultured and could also make a good companion for his mother as well without being a threat of being more beautiful than her. The Queen could be very vain after all.

As he had found her quite fast, he decided to walk around some more and see if he could find a small boy to help the stable master with the new horses his father had just purchased. Two birds with one stone, his father would be pleased if he heard.

People automatically gave way for Prince Hammand as he came through the market; he was well liked by the people so this was done heartily and with respect. As he searched for his specifications his eyes came upon the most divine specimen of a man he had ever seen in his life.

He stood boldly on the podium, looking straight ahead through the deepest green eyes at Prince Hammand, his face set and regal in its handsomeness. It was hard to believe he was a slave, he looked like a king, so tall, easily more than double his own height and powerfully built like a stallion, his muscles shining in the sunshine and oiled by his master for maximum effect it appeared. All he had on was a loincloth over his genitals and even that didn't hide much. The prince felt a strange pull in his loins he had never felt before.

Prince Hammand jumped as the eyes met his stare proudly, the handsome head slowly tilted to the side as he absorbed the expression on the prince's face. There was no subservient look in his eyes as was the norm with slaves, he did not avert his gaze either but stared hard, his green eyes showing their appreciation for what they gazed upon. He held the prince's stare for a long time, till after a very subtle nudge from Shetna his adviser, Prince Hammond came to his senses and looked away shyly.

He gulped in embarrassment and whispered in Shetna's ear, his voice calm yet breathless.

"Buy him."

He didn't need to point, Shetna knew whom his prince meant, he had seen the stares they had shared and did not like it, though not for the obvious reason. There was already talk about this magnificent slave of Bakat the slave master, that his hands and feet were too smooth to be that of a common man, his skin too supple. He was not someone who had done any work except possibly that of a warrior due to his build. He was dangerous; everyone knew the cost of keeping a royal or noble man as a slave.

"My prince...I am not sure..." he began hesitantly.

"Buy him," Prince Hammand repeated, seemingly holding his breath.

Shetna moved into the crowd and hurried towards the trader that owned the magnificent slave. After a discussion, he went closer to the slave and began to check his limbs to confirm the stories. Prince Hammand didn't care about whatever the stories were he knew but it was worth a try.

He rushed back to the prince, looking a bit grave. "My prince, I have felt his limbs for myself, he most surely is of royal or at the least noble blood. It would be dangerous to have him in the royal household. It is even worse that he has lost his memory from when he was taken so we cannot even check out his background to his own land to safeguard from any repercussions. You know the law my prince..."

"Exactly, I know the law so I don't need you to tell me what it is do I? I don't care Shetna. Buy him" the prince's stare was hard and determined "Buy him now, or shall I do it myself?"

Shetna's shoulders dropped in defeat, a bowed head showing his apology. "What is the highest price we will go for him my prince?"

The look the prince gave him was enough to send him scrambling back to the slave master. It appeared the price was of no essence for this slave. Now it was up to the adviser to haggle with the slave master, so long as he got the slave in the end the price for him did not matter one bit to Prince Hammand.

Prince Hammand could not seem to stop turning to stare at the man, even as he walked further away to find the stable boy he wanted. The slave seemed to feel the same pull for he too kept looking at the prince too, though pretty subtle his gaze so raw and intense that the prince blushed and looked away each time only to be unable to stop himself and get caught looking again.

It was an exhausting experience for the prince for he had never been drawn to someone man or maiden in this way before and no one had ever even told him anything about such feelings as being drawn to a man. He was sure that it was not right. Anyway, he thought cheerily, pushing the building shame out of his head, he would keep him as a friend, nothing more; he needed a companion after all. Moments later he found the young slave boy he was happy to make do with and payments were made with arrangements to have all the three slaves brought to the palace by evening time.

Asgar followed his movements as subtly as he could to avoid drawing the attention of his slave master. He had never seen anyone as beautiful as this maiden. With those large eyes, so shy and innocent in their gaze and longing...for him he wondered?

Mmh, he could just imagine nipping at that long graceful neck, lifting up that small slim body most definitely as light as a feather, the skin underneath most definitely paler than the glorious face; lifting up that small body by the little buttocks, buttocks most definitely small enough to fit right in his hands, small enough to be gripped completely while he plowed that little...

He stopped suddenly in mid thought and stiffened, blinking rapidly in disbelief before shielding his expression in a split second so the only emotion he exerted was the vein bulging in his thick neck.

The maiden had come closer to his slave master's section. It was such a shock to realize the beautiful creature was not a maiden, as he had believed. It was a young man. A young man God help him. It was even more a shock that this knowledge still did not repel him in the slightest. It shocked his mind but came nowhere close to affecting his body, he felt the attraction continue to pull at him even as he tried to reject it.

He did not love men. He knew he did not.

Despite this Asgar continued to stare as the beautiful creature disappeared into a crowd of guards once he reached the gate. He gasped for air as the beauty went out of sight for he had stopped breathing without realizing it.

Royalty.

No wonder.

He wondered what he was in his past life as he did a million times in a day. The only thing he knew was his name, which had been on the inside of a necklace that had been read out loud by a sniggering looter as it was snatched from his neck.

To my son, Asgar,

it had said. He wondered now if he had liked beautiful creatures such as that one who had kept looking shyly at him. It was hard to think of a man being that ethereal but he was.

If only...

All through the journey from the initial slavers who had taken him to the trader who bought him last and brought him to this market, he had seen lots of men, good looking men. But he had felt no inclination towards them. The maidens had drawn his attention, but never the men.

Which was why he was surprised at himself. He found himself wishing he could speak to him, know his name at least, before he disappeared for good...and he raged at himself for that. This whole slave thing was messing up with his mind; he wished he could at least remember something of his past life.

His slave master told him he had been bought and would be going over tonight. He asked what work he was to do...the master of course was no help, said he had no idea but Asgar had better do what he was told if he wanted to live. He had been told on his journey there that for someone like him, of his imposing height and stature who also did not appear to have done any menial work in his life except maybe fight if at all, he may be taken as a guard or a gladiator. This was what he prepared himself for.

An alpha man he was after all. He knew that much, if nothing else.

**********

Asgar waited impatiently in the plush chamber, wondering for the umpteenth time if he was in the right place. The room was in the heart of the palace, large and covered wall to wall with expensive padded satiny fabric in bright red. There were large couches at each end of the walls and they were littered with cushions. Matching gold cushions, though much larger were scattered deliberately on the carpeted floor. It was a beautiful place by all standards.

He had been told to sit and wait. He had done that.

Now he was pacing round the room.

Something had been nagging at him since he had realized that it was to the palace that he was being taken. It was about three hours since they had arrived and the other two had been taken elsewhere.

He had been given full access to a private bathroom to have a thorough bath which he was extremely thankful for after the weeks on the road with only a bowl of water to clean himself with and he was presented with a nice dark brown caftan and slippers to wear and then a bundle of what were to be his clothes from now on, similar clothes to that which he was wearing now, all miraculously his exact size.

It seemed his owner worked fast and did not seem to care about cost for the clothes seemed to be of quite expensive fabric. He knew instinctively that this was not what gladiators wore, much less guards. So his puzzlement increased with the question...what was he here for?

Don't get him wrong; it was not that he wanted to be a guard or a gladiator. He just knew that there were some jobs that were much better than others. Waiting like this in this kind of fancy place did not bode well in his mind for he knew some jobs could be degrading to say the least, he knew that much, after all he had....

Asgar lost the thought and groaned inwardly. His memory was still out of his reach.

Had he kept slaves of his own?

He was still deep in thought when Prince Hammand stepped in the room, signaling to his guards to stay outside. The small prince was late; he had been waiting for himself to calm down before he entered the slave's presence. All evening he had waited, to no avail. He only got more agitated and finally decided to face him, however nervous he may be. He was so nervous that he was shaking, his hands so bad that he had to hold them tightly behind him.

He gulped as he saw the tall man who now looked even more massive and resplendent than he remembered now that he was dressed nicely. It was his deep breath that brought Asgar out of his thoughts.

He watched the man absorb his presence and his countenance change, irrational anger creeping into the green eyes. Hammand took a small step back unconsciously.

"You."

He stared at the prince, his head tilting slightly to the side but this time in a calculating look as he strode forward purposefully and menacingly.

"You."

A mad senseless anger filled Asgar's head and shook his huge frame right down his body to his toes.

"You bought me."

It was like an accusation. Prince Hammond stepped back again but had to keep moving for Asgar kept coming at him till he was crushed against the cushioned wall. Asgar bent over the small figure that was avoiding his eyes, casting a shadow over him and making the prince even more nervous. He wondered if he should call for help.

"What did you buy me for?" he asked in a whisper, the sound surprising the prince for he had expected a shout from the menace he had seen in those eyes. He shivered involuntarily and his fingers gripped at the fabric on the wall behind him. His heart was running a marathon and he couldn't bring himself to speak for some reason.

Asgar tried again. He pressed his face closer to the prince's, pleased at the panicked breaths the prince was taking. Their eyes met and held, Prince Hammand's wide with fright and growing discomfort.

"What. Did. You. Buy. Me. For."

Prince Hammand fought the need to squirm from this close contact. He had never been this close to a man before and it was scaring him in a strange way. In the strongest voice he could muster, he spoke at last. "To...to be my...companion, my friend..."

Asgar stared at him in disbelief and even more anger if that was possible. "Your companion? Your friend? Do I look like anyone's

companion

to you? Do I?"

The prince realized Asgar was waiting for an answer," I don't know...I just thought we could be friends..."

"Friends...right. So you love men?" Prince Hammand frowned, clearly not understanding. "So you fuck men?" Asgar tried again.

The prince frowned even more, asking, "What does 'fuck' mean?"

At those words, like the instantaneous disappearance of a popped balloon, all of Asgar's anger deflated and he was left feeling a bit foolish. Good Lord, the young beauty really was as innocent as he looked. And he must have just frightened the life out of him.

Asgar immediately stepped out of the prince's personal space, unable to help his amusement at the relieved look on the prince's face. His small chest was still heaving though and he trembled.

"So what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" The prince was panting like he had been running a marathon.

"You bought me. I am here, now what."

The prince swallowed at the sensible question, he really had not thought this through well at all. All that had filled his mind at the time was that he wanted this man. Now he had no idea what to do God help him.

"It is late...you have been fed?" he asked tentatively, eyes apologetic for no reason and above all still delightfully shy and hesitant.

"Yes I have"

"It is time to retire now. You may go to sleep" he started to walk away, towards his inner rooms.

"Sleep where?"

Prince Hammand stopped, hesitant at this next issue especially with the man's reaction to being bought by him. He was so forceful and proud, it really was beginning to seem like Shetna was right. He may just be royalty, I mean, he even sounded a bit like his father Chief Bani, like someone who always got what he wanted. Oh dear.

"You will sleep in my bedchamber. Come, I will show you."

Asgar followed him without question. They walked through a hidden door in the fabric covered wall and into a long busy corridor with large mural sized paintings most likely of royal ancestors covering majority of the walls along the length of it. A few people bustled about as they passed, the maidens sizing him up with undisguised interest once they went past the prince's line of vision. Asgar laughed to himself, he was used to getting lots of attention from women. He believed he had had this all of his adult life, not that he could recall any specifics.

This was normal.

Not what he was feeling for the little creature walking in front of him, not this strange force that seemed to keep drawing him to the prince since the moment he set eyes on him. The intense attraction angered him greatly and that he could do nothing to shake it off was even more aggravating and torturous.

He was a strong able man; he should have been able to remove such thoughts from his system with ease. But he found he could not, for even as he walked behind Prince Hammand he could feel the same almost hypnotic pull, not just in his loins though it was very alive there but in his chest and his head like a warm fountain cascading into a river and flowing back up again and again.

He forced his eyes to remain on the prince's curly dark head of hair and not stray down to the little buttocks that curved against the shiny caftan as he walked. Unconsciously he increased his pace, so he was really close behind the smaller man. The prince sensed this proximity and his heart quickened. He walked faster.

They went through a good number of richly designed rooms before finally entering into an even larger room this time, obviously the prince's bedroom itself. It was brightly lit by three evenly spaced golden chandeliers and had curtains that stretched from the top of the high walls to the floor. The bed was a dark mahogany on thick gold legs, almost black in its rich darkness and unexpectedly enormous; covered entirely in plush satin sheets and thick pillows. It filled the far end of the room and was shaded with slightly transparent black fabric, which surrounded it completely and hung from darkened gold pillars. It looked so dark and inviting in its endlessness. The rest of the room was furnished similarly, all very dark and masculine but with a soft luxurious edge all round.

But the small prince gestured towards the long cushion at the foot of the bed with blankets heaped on top of it. It was similarly designed as the bed, all dark gold and mahogany and plush. Asgar stared at it for a while then laughed out loud in further disbelief and stepped in front of the bewildered prince, invading his space once again. His laughter disappeared once he had those big blue eyes on him.

"I will not sleep at your feet," Asgar was trying to control his rage.

He really was doing his best.

"What's wrong with sleeping at my feet? Many will give their heads just to..." The handsome head bent low over him and he gulped down the rest of his words in fright. A long thick finger pressed against his lips and the tip of his nose, shutting him up. His eyes widened.

"Do not say that to me...I am not many people...and I will not sleep at your feet. Do you understand that? I refuse to sleep there." He waited till he got a tense nod from the prince and then he dropped his finger.