My new master was a brute, I was sure of it. Oh, there was the blood of an aristocrat in him, of that I had no doubt. The set of his jaw was familiar to me, and I could almost remember the name of the noble family that he came from. It was certainly not Merquis, to be sure. His hair was the color of shimmering gold, and extended halfway down his back, in a style of decadence and deliberate uselessness that only a noble could allow. My own hair was long as well, and a raven black color, but only long enough to pull back into a ponytail. The ponytail kept it out of my way, while having it long allowed me to go for several months without being hindered by the need for a haircut. Efficiency to extravagance, myself to my master.
Still, I could not help but notice in battle how it had attracted my eye away from his sword. The glittering strands of hair were hard not to watch as they danced around his graceful movements. A lesser man could become distracted by them, but I had merely found them an annoyance. Still, there was the possibility that I had misjudged his hair, and I allowed myself to contemplate this possibility.
I had not, however, misjudged Zechs Marquis, my new master. He was handsome, obviously, with a regal bearing and soulful blue eyes. A wolf in sheep's clothing. A demon in the body of an angel.
His home, and his slaves, were different from those I had been to before. There was a tranquility about the place, a calmness. This peace was not to be confused with silence, which is often charged with terror as slaves tiptoe around their master. It was instead a genuine feeling of... serenity that I hadn't experienced since I had come to Collar, and even long before.
The slaves were disgustingly submissive to Master Zechs. The oriental one, Heero, greeted us at the door and seemed genuinely concerned for Zechs' well-being. How many times had the blonde master beat his slave to create just such a reaction? How much pain had instilled into the slave a caring for the master, since the master's fate was his own?
The other two, a small blonde named Quatre and a tall youth named Trowa, remained curled on the couch, but anxiously awaited their master. They watched as he placed me on a loveseat, then the blonde questioned, "What's wrong with him"
I braced myself for a harsh reply, wondering if I, or one of the other slaves, would be able to step in one the other's behalf. Quatre was delicate, and looked weak already, obviously from a cruel punishment from the master. "He twisted his ankle while we were sparing," Zechs replied calmly, moving away from where he had placed me. "Will he be alright?" Quatre asked as Zechs sauntered into the kitchen and opened the freezer. "He should be," Zechs commented as he returned, "he only sprained it. Still, it could use a wrap, if we have any in the first aid kit. Other than that it just needs ice and for him to stay off his feet. It should be fine in a couple of days"
I repressed the urge to snap a quip about his medical knowledge, or lack thereof, as Zechs placed an icepack on my swollen ankle. It was... strange, that he had gotten it himself and not ordered one of the others to fetch it. But then, perhaps he had wanted me to see him do it, to gain my trust. It would take a lot more than an icepack to force trust from me. The evening passed quickly, though nothing really happened. Zechs had ordered chicken from the kitchen for dinner, which arrived only a few minutes later. There was a bar in the kitchen, and we all ate there, including me, who Zechs insisted on carrying to and from the seat. The slaves were all permitted to eat their fill which wasn't overly strange, though some masters would regulate the diets of their slaves to keep them slim. Others would simply overwork them, or starve them if they gained too much weight. I wasn't sure which method Zechs had chosen, but from the look of the tall one I would assume starvation. Once the meal was over and I was returned to the couch, Zechs had Heero fetch the medical kit, and proceeded to tightly wrap my ankle with bandages. The swelling had gone down, and it felt a little better, but Zechs still frowned as he appraised it. "It's not as bad as I thought, but you'll still have limited walking capabilities. I won't have to carry you around all the time, though, as long as you stay inside," he said. Ah. So he was disappointed that he would not have to carry me. At least he hadn't lied about it, though, which was something I wouldn't have put past him. Or perhaps he was disappointed that I wasn't incapable of running if he tried to rape me. Not that I would run. I had lost to him. I did not deserve to escape.
He moved away, then, and went over to speak with Heero, but their conversation was too far away for me to overhear. The little blonde was sitting on the couch in the lap of the taller boy, yawing and visibly tired. He did not ask his master to allow him to sleep, though, even as he began to doze off. I would have growled if I had not been exhausted. The blonde was serving no purpose, why wouldn't Zechs let him go to bed? As I wondered this, I glanced over at Zechs, who was frowning at Quatre. I tensed, expecting Zechs to yell at him for almost falling asleep. "Trowa," Zechs snapped, "Take Quatre to bed"
Trowa nodded once and rose fluidly, lifting Quatre in his arms. The boy was graceful, and strong, with the body of a gymnast. I wondered curiously if it was natural or if he had been formally trained. Or maybe a combination of the two. "Master!" Quatre whined, "I'm not sleepy"
"Ah. So those dark circles around your eyes are because you're part raccoon, I'll suppose," Zechs said, smiling as he tapped the end of Quatre's nose playfully. "Master," Quatre pouted, "Will you at least come to bed soon"
"Sure. Actually, we might as well all go to bed. It's less than five days until the end of Collar, and you'll all have to get used to normal time again. Heero, go ahead in and turn down the covers for me, please"
The three slaves departed, and I suddenly realized that they were all headed for the same room. Not that other master's didn't have three or four slaves sleep with them at the same time, but as Zechs only had three slaves I hadn't thought that they would all be sleeping together. I hadn't thought about what... crude, dirty things might be going on inside that room. But what Zechs did with his three slaves was none of my.
...But... he didn't have three slaves anymore... did he? He had... four... Did he expect me to... to... right in front of the other three? With him right there? I wouldn't! I couldn't! Even the owner had never... never made me... in front of a crowd! Or worse yet, I could be expected to... to do that!... right with them! All of us at once!
I felt ill as Zechs dropped to his knees beside me. "I won't be a part of your licentious bed!" I hissed. "I am enslaved only to you, I will not corrupt and deprave others who have done nothing wrong"
"Dragon"
"I won't be a part of this... this debauchery"
"Listen"
"How dare you call yourself a human, much less a man"
"Dragon, you must understand"
"If you had any soul at all you would rip off your own testicles rather than entwine yourself in such depravity"
"Now, see here"
"You're a soulless monster! You may rape my body, but you will never have my mind! I won't dirty others with the filth you have covered me with! I will not sleep in your bed"
"Fine!" Zechs yelled, cutting me off. "Then sleep in the damn slave's quarters! Do whatever the fuck you want!" he yelled, standing in a rush and storming toward his room, where he slammed the door shut with a bang. I stared after him for a minute, so relieved that I could barely stand it. Even walking on my twisted ankle, as I was forced to once Zechs was gone, could not dampen my spirits, nor could the tiny bed, or the coarse sheets.
The idea of waking, however, depressed me greatly, as I suddenly realized that I would yet again wake a slave, only this time to an angry master. I had won the battle, yes, but the war was already over, and I had lost. In the morning, I would still be faced with an angry overlord controlling my life, and I had no one to blame but myself, and my weakness.
I braced myself for a harsh reply, wondering if I, or one of the other slaves, would be able to step in one the other's behalf. Quatre was delicate, and looked weak already, obviously from a cruel punishment from the master. "He twisted his ankle while we were sparing," Zechs replied calmly, moving away from where he had placed me. "Will he be alright?" Quatre asked as Zechs sauntered into the kitchen and opened the freezer. "He should be," Zechs commented as he returned, "he only sprained it. Still, it could use a wrap, if we have any in the first aid kit. Other than that it just needs ice and for him to stay off his feet. It should be fine in a couple of days"
I repressed the urge to snap a quip about his medical knowledge, or lack thereof, as Zechs placed an icepack on my swollen ankle. It was... strange, that he had gotten it himself and not ordered one of the others to fetch it. But then, perhaps he had wanted me to see him do it, to gain my trust. It would take a lot more than an icepack to force trust from me. The evening passed quickly, though nothing really happened. Zechs had ordered chicken from the kitchen for dinner, which arrived only a few minutes later. There was a bar in the kitchen, and we all ate there, including me, who Zechs insisted on carrying to and from the seat. The slaves were all permitted to eat their fill which wasn't overly strange, though some masters would regulate the diets of their slaves to keep them slim. Others would simply overwork them, or starve them if they gained too much weight. I wasn't sure which method Zechs had chosen, but from the look of the tall one I would assume starvation. Once the meal was over and I was returned to the couch, Zechs had Heero fetch the medical kit, and proceeded to tightly wrap my ankle with bandages. The swelling had gone down, and it felt a little better, but Zechs still frowned as he appraised it. "It's not as bad as I thought, but you'll still have limited walking capabilities. I won't have to carry you around all the time, though, as long as you stay inside," he said. Ah. So he was disappointed that he would not have to carry me. At least he hadn't lied about it, though, which was something I wouldn't have put past him. Or perhaps he was disappointed that I wasn't incapable of running if he tried to rape me. Not that I would run. I had lost to him. I did not deserve to escape.
He moved away, then, and went over to speak with Heero, but their conversation was too far away for me to overhear. The little blonde was sitting on the couch in the lap of the taller boy, yawing and visibly tired. He did not ask his master to allow him to sleep, though, even as he began to doze off. I would have growled if I had not been exhausted. The blonde was serving no purpose, why wouldn't Zechs let him go to bed? As I wondered this, I glanced over at Zechs, who was frowning at Quatre. I tensed, expecting Zechs to yell at him for almost falling asleep. "Trowa," Zechs snapped, "Take Quatre to bed"
Trowa nodded once and rose fluidly, lifting Quatre in his arms. The boy was graceful, and strong, with the body of a gymnast. I wondered curiously if it was natural or if he had been formally trained. Or maybe a combination of the two. "Master!" Quatre whined, "I'm not sleepy"
"Ah. So those dark circles around your eyes are because you're part raccoon, I'll suppose," Zechs said, smiling as he tapped the end of Quatre's nose playfully. "Master," Quatre pouted, "Will you at least come to bed soon"
"Sure. Actually, we might as well all go to bed. It's less than five days until the end of Collar, and you'll all have to get used to normal time again. Heero, go ahead in and turn down the covers for me, please"
The three slaves departed, and I suddenly realized that they were all headed for the same room. Not that other master's didn't have three or four slaves sleep with them at the same time, but as Zechs only had three slaves I hadn't thought that they would all be sleeping together. I hadn't thought about what... crude, dirty things might be going on inside that room. But what Zechs did with his three slaves was none of my.
...But... he didn't have three slaves anymore... did he? He had... four... Did he expect me to... to... right in front of the other three? With him right there? I wouldn't! I couldn't! Even the owner had never... never made me... in front of a crowd! Or worse yet, I could be expected to... to do that!... right with them! All of us at once!
I felt ill as Zechs dropped to his knees beside me. "I won't be a part of your licentious bed!" I hissed. "I am enslaved only to you, I will not corrupt and deprave others who have done nothing wrong"
"Dragon"
"I won't be a part of this... this debauchery"
"Listen"
"How dare you call yourself a human, much less a man"
"Dragon, you must understand"
"If you had any soul at all you would rip off your own testicles rather than entwine yourself in such depravity"
"Now, see here"
"You're a soulless monster! You may rape my body, but you will never have my mind! I won't dirty others with the filth you have covered me with! I will not sleep in your bed"
"Fine!" Zechs yelled, cutting me off. "Then sleep in the damn slave's quarters! Do whatever the fuck you want!" he yelled, standing in a rush and storming toward his room, where he slammed the door shut with a bang. I stared after him for a minute, so relieved that I could barely stand it. Even walking on my twisted ankle, as I was forced to once Zechs was gone, could not dampen my spirits, nor could the tiny bed, or the coarse sheets.
The idea of waking, however, depressed me greatly, as I suddenly realized that I would yet again wake a slave, only this time to an angry master. I had won the battle, yes, but the war was already over, and I had lost. In the morning, I would still be faced with an angry overlord controlling my life, and I had no one to blame but myself, and my weakness.