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Slave Girl: Chapter 13
🕑 Added 2021-04-29 17:05:01 +0000 UTCWith Rosa directing things she and the two girls set to work. One would have never guessed who was slave and who was free by watching them but the kids had been charmed by my lovely servant and hung on her every word.
Things begin to happen around me. A chair is brought out to sit on the bright porch. I am sat down there and told in no uncertain terms, by the six year old no less, that I was not to move a muscle. A pot of water is boiled and the hot water put into a large bowl. The bowl along with a towel is set on the short bench that went along the side of the building. Rosa and the eldest child work together to carry my heavy pack to the porch. Rosa finds my novacila, sharpening stone and soap and sets these out beside the bowl. Off to my left the farmer’s wife watches on with an amused grin. I look to the woman in a silent plea for help but no rescue was coming, she was as interested to see this as her daughters.
Rosa slips her hand into the steaming water. “Too hot.” As Cecilia reaches to do the same she says. “Careful little one, you’re not a demon.”
The girl touches it with the tip of her finger. “Whoo! Yep, too hot!”
“I saw a demon on the road once. Red skin and big horns and everything.” The other one says. “He was scary looking!”
“We’re just people too.” Rosa chuckles. “Not so scary once you get to know us.”
“You’re not scary. You’re great Rosa.”
“Thank you Cecilia.” Rosa says. “You’re pretty great too.”
“I bet you saw lots of things in Alexandria.”
“Mmm.” Rosa shrugs, neither confirming or denying.
“Did you see any angels?”
“They prefer to be called Jinn where I come from. And yes, I’ve met a few.”
“A few!? Wow! For real!?”
“For real.”
“What about a minotaur? What about a medusa? What about a cyclops?”
Rosa laughs. “A cyclops!? It would have eaten me up!”
The girls giggle. “What about an amazon?”
Rosa’s laughter fades from genuine to polite. Bringing in amazons hard on the heels of asking about true monsters revealed how the girls viewed that race. It wasn’t their fault, it was common wisdom. She answers with a nod. “Yes, I’ve seen Amazon.” Before she could be peppered with more questions she refocuses the girls back on the task at hand.
As the water cools Rosa adeptly sharpens my razor to a well honed edge, showing the girls how to do it and explaining why it was so important. My face is cleaned as the towel soaked in the hot water.
“Okay Master. Lean back.” She says. Noticing my wary expression she smiles. “Trust me.”
I hesitate only to be roughly shoved in the chest by Cecilia. “Lean back Mister Quintus!”
“I’m leaning! I’m leaning!” I gripe playfully, rubbing my chest as if it hurt. “Geez!”
“You gotta lean back. Rosa says.”
“I think you better listen to her Master.”
“I think you’re right.” I say, pretending to be intimidated by the spirited child.
I lean back and fold my hands over my chest. My slave pulls the towel from the water, lightly wrings it out, then brings it over to me. “Close your eyes please.” Placing one end over my chin she coils the hot wet towel over my face so that just my nose was exposed in the center. It felt better than I expected. Any hotter and it would have burned but as it was it was both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Rosa leaves me like this for a time.
“Do you cut his hair?” The older one asks.
“If he wishes me to.”
“Do you cut his nails?”
“If he wishes.”
“Do you wipe his butt!?” Cecilia interjects with a burst of giggles.
“Ceecee!” Her mother warns.
“Sorryyy.”
“No, no butt wiping.” Rosa chuckles. “But massaging, grooming, trimming, exfoliating, manicures, pedicures, perfuming, make up, dressing; back home our men have very high expectations.”
“Make up?”
“Mmm hmm.” Rosa says. “Obviously not on my Master, he is a proud Italian Roman, but in Alexandria many men wear pigments.”
“No!”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Decadence.” The mother snorts. “Makes ’em weak.”
“Perhaps.” Rosa replies. She wasn’t about to argue with our host.
The towel is removed. I open my eyes to see Rosa pouring a dab of olive oil into her hand. She then starts rubbing it into my face, her slick smooth hand rasping over my thick stubble. She doesn’t simply apply the oil but rubs and works it into my skin briskly and thoroughly, taking the time to really stimulate the whole area. What a treat! This really was an indulgence. After rinsing her hands she take the razor and steps in very close.
“Don’t fidget now.” She warns me.
I give her a small obedient nod. I knew that if I didn’t obey blood might be shed so I stay very still.
She smiles. Taking my head in her free arm she angles it away from her and cradles in close to her stomach, just beneath her breasts. She studies me a moment then brings the razor up, I feel the cool metal touch the skin of my cheek and hold my breath. With a practiced touch she scrapes the blade down my cheek in one deft steady motion. She used half the pressure I usually did yet left the skin as smooth and sleek as I had ever felt it. She runs the tip of her pinky down the freshly shaved swath.
“Just like that.” She says. The girls lean in for a closer look and nod their approval. She explains to them the basics of what angle to hold the blade, how to shave with and against the grain, and which spots to be extra careful around. She gets me to raise my chin and down my neck the sharp razor glides. One little slip and I would be meeting the ferryman. Yet the hint of danger somehow only makes it better. I just sit there at the mercy of my slave relishing every bit of the experience, it’s all I could do. This was so nice!
“Isn’t he worried you’re going to cut him?” The elder sister asks what all of us were thinking. “Isn’t he scared you’ll kill him and escape?”
Rosa smiles a gentle smile as she continues to shave me one smooth stroke at a time. “Some men are confident enough to be vulnerable with a woman…or even a slave.” She says softly as her eyes meet mine. I gaze up at her as long I could but, as usual, I have to look away after just a moment. “It takes a lot of courage to give up control to another. But the rewards can be great.”
“Rewards?” Cecilia asks.
She glances over to the girls. “So many rewards. If a man won’t let you shave him you shouldn’t marry him. Just my opinion. Love cannot live without trust, that’s what Cupid said to Psyche. There’s wisdom in that.”
“Are you going to marry Quintus?”
“Ceecee!” Her mother scolds. “That’s none of our business.”
“No my dear. He doesn’t like me like that.” Rosa explains. “Besides, I am just a slave. Slaves can’t be married. Master will find a free woman to be his wife.”
“Oh…yeah. Well, when I’m married I’m going to shave my husband every day.” Cecilia declares to the scoffs and eye rolls of her amused mother. “Whether he likes it or not!”
Rosa laughs softly. “I think I believe you Cecilia.”
“I know!” The girl claps her hands. “He could free you! Then you could be married.”
“No little one.” Rosa’s smile fades and she lets out a sad sigh. I look up at her, wondering what was going on. She closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, then turns her head to look at the child. “You see Cecilia…I can’t be free. I’m Amazon.”
And with that single word the entire pleasant mood we were enjoying on the sunny porch darkens. There is a long pause as the meaning of the word really sinks in.
Cecilia looked up at Rosa with confusion on her innocent face. “No you’re not.”
“Not what you expected, huh?” Rosa says kindly, but I could see the melancholy in her eyes.
The elder sister steps back from my slave as if Rosa were on fire and stares rudely at my slave’s groin with bulging eyes. She even dips down to look up under the tunic. Letting out a shocked peep she points. “It’s true! It’s true!”
The mother gasps then steps in to roughly yank her youngest away. “Gods protect! You never tol’ us that!” The woman was both scared and angry. “You never said! Ohhh, gods protect!”
“Uhh…I…” I stammer, this whole thing had blindsided me.
“Sinful man! Demon! Finish your…indulgence.” Her words drip with venom. “Then leave! GET! And don’ you never come back.” The three of them retreat back into the house, the littlest being dragged in against her will. The door slams shut followed quickly by the nearby shutters.
So much for bread and honey for breakfast. Kindness, hospitality, appreciation of hard work…and xenophobia. My people. My family would have done the same. I would have done the same too had fate not bound our paths together. There would be prayers and sacrifices after we left. A priest would be summoned. Such a lot of bother over one little slave girl.
“I’m sorry Master.” Rosa whispers as she holds back tears.
“Rosa…why did you even bring that up?” I hiss, trying to keep my voice from traveling into the house. “They didn’t need to know.”
“I’m tired…” She starts to say then lets out a long breath. “I’m sorry Master.”
Inside the house we hear Cecilia’s voice. “I want to see Rosa!”
“Don’ you never speak that thing’s name in this house ’gain. You hear?”
“I knew she was no good.” The older sister says, wise after the fact. “I knew it.”
“But she was nice!”
Rosa straightens up. She collects herself then blinks the tears away. Taking the razor she returns to her work and finishes the shave with a strange sort of pride in her magenta eyes. She cleans me up with the towel and says in that bright breezy voice I was accustomed to. “All done. How do you feel?”
I look back at the house then up at her. “Uh good, thank you Rosa.” I rub my silky smooth face. “That was…nice.”
“You’re welcome Master.” She looks toward the closed door and calls out boldly. “Thank you for your kindness Ma’am. Gods bless you.” After a second of no answer she adds. “I won’t forget you Cecilia.”
“Goodbye Ros…” Cecilia’s voice is quickly hushed by the others.
“I hope I did more good than harm.” Rosa whispers.
I reach out and give her hand a little squeeze and say quietly. “She’ll remember.”
Rosa nods then turns and starts to pack up the shaving supplies. With empty bellies but a good night’s rest Rosa and I are soon back on road again.
