Imperial Property(Closed: Guyloveshotstories)

[broomstix]

Heat.
Darkness.
Stench.
Anna could not tell how long she had been in there, packed in with - how many others? Dozens? Hundreds? She could occasionally hear someone sobbing or making other noises, but it was never her. What good would it do? It was clear to her what was going on. Nothing she could do about it now.
Where was the rest of her family? She had seen her grandfather killed, but what about everyone else? Were they also dead? Were they in another ship like this? Were they on the same ship, stuffed into some other hold? It had all happened so fast. She had been hard at work that day; they had been hoping to add some vegetables to their meager food supply, and she had been looking proudly at the first signs of success, when they came. Four ships. Two of them had vomited out hordes of armed men who immediately went to work. There had been little resistance and it had been brutally put down wherever it did appear. Her grandfather, always the fighter, even now at seventy-one, had died with a knife in his hand when they had smashed in his skull. She had not fought back. And then they had marched all the survivors there - and closed the hatches.
In a way, she was strangely calm about what was about to happen. Hopeful, even. Obviously, she was to be sold as a slave, but she did not fear that. She had been a farming girl for 20 years now, since she had learned to walk. Just then, a frightening thought crossed her mind: What if...? No, that was just silly. She was an attractive girl - at least all the boys in the village kept telling her that - but there was no way that would happen. You had a lot of time to think silly thoughts when you were locked in like that for so long.
The thirst was the worst thing. Occasionally, one of the crew would walk up and down the hold and pour water over the slaves to keep them from dying of the heat. How thoughtful of them. It felt like they were watering produce, and, in a way, they were. Whenever that happened, she eagerly lapped up the precious liquid, even though it was lukewarm and tasted strange. But it happened so rarely! They had been fed only once since the beginning of the journey - one large ladle of some tasteless mush per slave. Famine food. She knew the taste (or rather, lack of it) all too well. And then there was the stench. There were buckets scattered around, and someone would come by from time to time to empty them, but in the meantime, they added another disgusting smell to the mixture of sweat and stale air. Good thing she had had...days? Hours?...to get used to it. The bucket man always looked close to vomiting when he came down, and always left very quickly afterwards.
At the moment, she almost longed for whatever slave market she was bound for. After all, that would mean being out of this stinking, hot hole. They would probably feed and wash her as well - they certainly could not sell her for much in the state she was in now! And then? She hoped so much that it would be over quickly, that some farmer would buy her, put her to work, and not beat her too much. It was all she had to look forward to now. But what if...? There was this strange thought again. As she thought about it, it became more and more possible - and terrifying - in her mind. Once they cleaned her up, she supposed, her lean, tan body and raven hair could make that kind of buyer interested in her. Her breasts were not bad, either and... No, no, no! She banished the thought from her mind and fell asleep.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Standing tall on the deck of his ship, the General had a smug look on his thin lips as he sighted land of Roma. Taking in a deep breath of the salt air he turned to his aide-de-camp, "We will be hailed as heroes!" clapping a hand on his shoulder. It was the conclusion of a glorious victory and in their holds were the fruits of their labor. At the docks there was a procession waiting to take place. Other ships had offloaded the other trophies, weapons, chariots, banners of their vanquished foe. The only thing mission was the general and their new slaves. The general looked down at the holed hatchway at the crowns of several of the slaves and spat through the slits. Vermin. Each one, a healthy one, would bring a good prize at the auction block and as General, he was privy to 50% of the earnings. Not only would he be a hero, but he would be a rich hero.

Carefully the ship docks, the lines were thrown, and tied then came the slave masters with their whips and clubs. The hatches were open and men began barking orders, tugging on the ropes as the slaves were let out of the dank interior into the bright sun where they hunched forward out of fear of the whip.

"Move along!" they kept shouting. Soldiers offloaded as well spat in their general direction. Off the ship and down to the docks the slaves were herded towards the street were the procession was waiting. The general was the last one off. He strolled carefully, soaking up the attention. With his powerful 6'5" figure, medium build, short blonde hair and bright blue eyes with a squared, smooth jaw he was a figure of the arts with his gladius at his side and helmet on his head he was led by his trusted guards towards his awaiting chariot where already people were lining up to see him, throwing confetti.

 

[broomstix]

Move along... they did not have to tell her that. Something that was almost a smile crossed Anna's tired, sweat-covered face as she stepped outside and smelled the fresh, salty air again. For a fleeting moment, just this short breath made her forget where she was marching to. Then, a whip whizzed by uncomfortably close to her back, and she remembered.
After a few minutes, her eyes, unused to bright lights, stopped aching and watering enough for her to have a look around. So many! She formed part of an endless line of human cargo, flanked by brutes with whips who, from time to time, let them crack menacingly over their heads.
Why was she still so calm about all this? She was about to be sold, damn it! They were treating her like a thing, but all she could feel was relief to be finally out of that stinking hell. It almost felt like freedom at the moment - even though she was thirsty, starving and afraid. Not to mention being driven off to whatever they would do to her. Would she be a farmer? A housemaid? A...no, do not even think that, you idiot! That was not going to happen! Not while she was alive!
A victory parade. She was vaguely aware of it through her thirst and exhaustion. She slowly trudged forward, barely taking notice of the crowds lining the streets, gawking at the pitiful mass of humans being driven past them.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The streets were lined with thousands of cheering people. In front was the General with his soldiers, all their armor shined, backs straight and marching in rhythm going down the stone paved road. Behind them were the fruits of their five year campaign, the banners and weapons of a crushed army and the thousands of slaves. The General felt his heart in his throat as he went by in his chariot, young girls throwing roses to him and he blowing kisses back and waving at young boys now wishing to be like him.

When they reached the Imperial Palace the chariot came to a halt and the General stepped down and approached the polished stone stairs that led up towards the pavilion where the God Emperor Domitian sat in his chair, a crown of gold on his head. The Palace was the center of Roma and the finest in architecture and materials of white marble and polished stones and on either side of the Emperor were two large fires with the Imperial eagles made of gold. Unlike the General standing before him, the Emperor was young by two decades, his figure slim showing youth with short curled light brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Hail Ceaser!" giving a salute with a fist to his chest and then stretching his hand towards the Emperor. "I have conquered your enemies and have brought them before you with the trophies of my campaign!" The thousands of people around him cheer to a roar.

The Emperor smiled in delight and waved the general to come forth to receive his reward. At the same time the slaves were taken away from the sight of the citizens towards a building a short distance away with a basement where they were inspected and judged. For the men they were judged by their muscles and bones. If they could work then they were valuable. Those deemed too weak or sickly were taken to another cell to be taken to the games and be used for sport. For the women, they were judged with their beauty and their ability to give birth. As slaves they didn't have the protection of a citizen but were considered the lowest of the low. When two judges stood before her they looked her over carefully.

 

[broomstix]

Now they set in. The fear, embarassment and anger she had expected the whole time. Locked in some basement. Inspected like an animal on sale. She wanted nothing more than for those two horrible people to stop staring at her. Even worse, it was very obvious to her what parts they were paying special attention to, and it was not the arms... it took all her self-control to stop herself from attempting to rip out their throats with her teeth. Especially when they started to make comments. She did not speak much of their language, but the constant pointing at her belly made it quite clear what they were saying. Oh NO! She was not doing that for them! She did not care what they did to disobedient slaves, but there was no punishment she would not endure to avoid THAT. Finally, they were done with her and moved on. Fear and embarassment almost made her knees buckle, but one hope kept her strong: Maybe, maybe if she seemed tough enough, they would still choose her for farm work. Even a mine would be better.
At least the sobbing had stopped now - apparently, every one of her fellow slaves had now made peace with their fate (or, possibly, the weakest ones had simply died on the way, she added darkly). It was better that way. She was a slave now; that was how it was. Never, though, would she cry and beg, and she did not want to give these pigs the satisfaction of seeing anyone else cry, either. Dignity was the last thing she had left.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The General approached the Emperor with news of his conquest. He had slain hundreds of thousands of Roma's enemies. Planted the banner on their strongholds, and burned their fleet. This opposing army now ceased to exist. The Emperor was delighted beyond words. As tribute to the God Emperor and to the state the General pledged money to the citizens. It was all a ploy to curry favor to him, and it worked. Hand in hand the two entered the palace to go over the details of the expedition inside the shade and warmth of the palace.

The Emperor wanted to hear all about it. There were stories of their campaign, landing on the shores under the cover of night and striking the harbor and then moving deep into the homeland scorching the earth as they went and attacking tribal lands after having them surrounded. Anyone resisting was killed.

The Emperor sat on his bed and asked, "Tell me, my dear general, what do you plan to do now that you have conquered our greatest enemy?"

"I plan on retiring" the general said.

"I have served Roma for four decades and I desire to retire having achieved our greatest victory"

The Emperor smiled and nodded, "All the pity. It would be a shame to lose such a great general, but, I do believe you have earned it, especially after the auctioning of the slaves. Speaking of which, servant!" A young girl appeared before him. "We are off to the auctions. I would desire to see what our good general had brought us before someone else does"

Before being taken out, a bucket of soapy water was given to the good slaves to bathe and prepare themselves an hour before being brought out into the light. Taken to the podium the auctioner would boast where the slave came from and show off what they had to offer, tone muscles, good body, or anything else that would cause people to clammer in. One by one they were sold off until it was her turn and right away people were offering 100, 200, and then 300 aureus.

Watching from above the Emperor was discreet until he saw a few slaves that suited his fancy. "That girl there" he said to his general, "She is pretty. What is her name?"

"I don't know her name, m'lord. She never said it. But, she was taken in the last tribal village. I believe it was her father, an elder, was killed when he fought one of our soldiers."

The Emperor smiled and nodded, "It would be a shame if someone with that fare of skin and hair would to be taken to a brothel. A woman of such fine features is a rare gift, even in this Empire," he thought for a moment then snapped his fingers, "I shall have her. Name your price".

"Sir..." the general said.

His leader smiled, "You drive a hard bargain, my old friend. 500 it is," and sent a slave below with a letter to the auctioneer whom read it and was amazed, but didn't utter a sound. "I have 500 aureus!" the auctioneer called out. The sudden call stunned everyone.

 

[broomstix]

The soap water felt good after the many long, sweaty days in the hold and the exhausting march through the city. It felt good, even though it was obvious that it had only one purpose: To increase her value. Still, she was determined to enjoy it as much as possible. It was not as if the life ahead of her was likely to hold many opportunities for joy...
Then, the whole group was led out of the basement and back into the blindingly bright sun. The market. The moment she had dreaded the whole time. Inspected by the crowd, exhibited like an animal, then sold off. More importantly, she dreaded who her buyer might be. "Look at all these people. Some of them are bound to be farmers. Or maybe rich people in need of a housemaid. That would be nice, too", she kept telling herself. Many people went before her. Some cried, some looked as if they were looking for a place to hide. Some tried to keep a little bit of dignity as the merchant recited their qualities and tried to raise the price. She did not understand much of it, of course. Some of the slaves were sold off quickly, sometimes even as a group, especially if they were older. Some of the prettier ones - male or female - were up there for an agonizingly long time as the buyers tried to outbid each other. No! Please no! Another group of women was just being sold as a group - apparently no one fancied them enough, and she felt herself envying them, hoping that this would happen to her, too.
And then, it was finally her turn. Alone. Valuable enough to be sold on her own. Well, great! Now all that had to happen was for one of the rich perverts in the audience to make a good bid, and her worst nightmare could come true. The crowd showed no mercy as she looked at them with dread in her eyes and listened to higher and higher sums of money being shouted. It almost seemed as if a few of them found her horror amusing - at least she thought she could see one or two of them pointing and laughing.
500 aurei! She understood that much. It was impossible not to. And, going by the stunned silence, she was apparently not cheap. No farmer could pay that much, that was for sure. Whoever had just bought her was rich... and willing to pay a lot for her. But what did it mean? Why would anyone pay such an amazingly high price for her? There went her last hope of a quiet, humble life on some farm! Other pictures appeared before her mental eye. Pictures that made her cringe.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

No one realized who had bought the girl, but whispered back and forth at the extrodinary high price. Something no commoner could afford. Then the auctioneer summoned a guard to have her led away and the next of the bunch were brought out. The guard grasped her arm and led her off the platform and towards a doorway with two other guards. He said nothing to her about where they were going or who bought her. He was rushing to get her out of the area. Going down a dark tunnel running underneath the building the guard was confronted by a sharp order.

"Who approaches?"

"Captain of the guard with our 'honored guest" was the reply.

Led forward a line of torches lit the way to a guarded entrance way and up a narrow flight of stairs. It was an underground passage from the streets to the palace, a route the Emperor took many times to sneak out and be with his people. When the girl was brought forward he was directed to the reception area.

"Greetings, fair one" a voice called out. Draped over his throne in a lazy Sunday affair was the Emperor himself. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here. Well, don't be afraid. I bought you. Come forward" waving a hand. It wasn't a request. The guard nearly dragged her forward towards the throne before letting her go.

 

[broomstix]

A tunnel? At least this was better than being led off through the cheering crowd. But where did it lead? The arena? No, why would they pay that much just for her to be eaten by a lion or something? But who was rich enough to have a secret tunnel like this built here? Well, whoever it was had certainly spared no expense - neither on the tunnel, nor on her.
Of course! The emperor! There was no mistaking it! The emperor had bought her? Why? Paralyzed by confusion and the many unanswered questions springing up in her head, she let the guard drag her forward. When he let her go, she bowed deeply and lowered her eyes. She was proud, not an idiot, and she was not in the mood for a painful execution yet. Was this the right way to appease an emperor? Hopefully he would think so...
So she was property of the emperor now? Well, he had to have hundreds of slaves, so it was not really a surprise. But why the personal audience? Certainly, he did not do that for new cooks or serving maids. Besides, he had paid a stunning amount of money for her, so... hopefully, he would now tell her why. If there wasn't this nagging feeling that she would hate the answer. She could imagine what it would be, and she was determined to fight.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The Emperor smiled at her show. "So, you at least know some manners. For a slave from the outside world, you certainly look and smell better than most of the barbarians my armies have conquered" slowly standing up. "For the amount of money I paid for you, you can at least know your betters. "Tell me, what is your name? Where are your people from?"

With his empire constantly expanding and seizing more land and riches, the list of conquered tribes was growing ever longer to the point that their names were mixed together. He didn't flaunt that, not yet, as he hovered by her shoulders. She wasn't going to be leaving any time soon.

For 500 he wasn't going to execute her, though he wasn't going to tell her that. The Emperor's word was better than gold, and he desired to keep his people in check and that was through fear. Taking a few steps closer to the girl his eyes were allowed to look her over. A fine specimen to say the least as she stood there motionless. The back of his mind was trying to correlate what to do with her. The possibilities at the moment were endless as he took a few more steps towards her, the smell from the cheap soap flowed through his nose. It was only these two and a couple of guards. She was nervous, goosebumps and a tremble as the most powerful man in the world was looking her over. "What are your abilities?" he desired a woman that knew how to be smart, read, write, and know the gods.

 

[broomstix]

"Anna", she answered, trying to scrape together the bits of their language she had learned from the occasional trader. "We live on the coast, not far from here." And abilities? "I can farm. And...read a little. Grandfather taught me."
In a way, she was really relieved he was asking about her abilities. Maybe he was looking for different qualities than her looks. Too bad she did not have much to offer there. She hated her body for starting to shiver unconsciously as he came closer. His whole demeanor was of a man who had power over life and death and did not hesitate for a moment to use it. Why did she feel so much awe towards this murderer and robber, the man who had wiped out her family (or maybe enslaved them)?
He was uncomfortably close now, but she did not dare to move. At the moment, he was only inspecting her closely, almost sniffing her. But even if he did decide to touch, she would do her best not to jump at him and try to bite his hand off - not an easy task, given how much anger she felt rising up in her. Mangling an emperor... that was something she would be happily sentenced to death for! The idea gave her a little confidence. She stopped shaking, even showed a little hint of a smile.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"Read?" he chuckled, "I must say, that's a quality that is not much looked upon in our society. Not for slaves, at least" looking ever so closely at her flesh. Though the wash had removed much of the grime, it didn't remove the scent of her, the living on the coast, the farm life where the ripe wheat and cattle lingered thick in the air on a still day. "You're a long way from your home now. You're not in the hands of the Imperium. This is a state that I've spent the last ten years crafting, building, and expanding. Expanding it right to your shores. Now, are Emperor, the people are at my every whim. That now includes you," his hands suddenly touched her shoulders and his lips beside her ear. "Every whim...." there was a moment where he sniffed her hair, slaves and lovely women had a unique smell to them that he savored.

Suddenly he pulled back, walked around her, and approached his throne, "Guard! Take...Anna...to my chambers. Have her fed, washed, and dressed. I wish to see her again by the time i'm done with my other business. And don't put her in anything...complicated," smirking, "Now be off" waving his hand away. A guard appeared beside her and took Anna away from the throne room. He now sat alone with a smug look on his face. Anna was led towards the chambers, along the way there were slaves tending to the needs of those living in the palace. They were mostly illiterate and could only do the basic of needs. When they reached the chambers, the guard said, "Wait here" and summoned a couple of slaves to fetch the garments needed. When they returned they also brought a lot of food, bread, meat, cheese, and red wine to fill her stomach.

 

[broomstix]

It was a long walk to the emperor's room, and she was seething the entire way. No! It took her the whole way to gather her courage. Then, when they put the food down in front of her, the ball of anger inside her was strong enough to scream louder than even the hunger in her rumbling stomach.
"No", she said quietly, but forcefully. "Tell the emperor that if he wants me to do that, he can just as well have me killed right now. There is no way I am doing that while I am still alive."
The food did look very tempting after many days on this mush, but she did not even touch it. To eat it would mean giving in, it would mean becoming a common whore to a man with too much power. She was not ready to die - not really - and she hoped he would not test the truth of her words. It was a risky game she was playing, and it would end in that horrible man's bed, but she had to do it. She would never have forgiven herself for giving in just like that. Who knew - maybe she could even impress him with her bravery?
The longer she waited for the emperor's return, the fiercer the pounding of her heart became...

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The guard returned to the Emperor's throne room. "What was that noise I heard?" the reclining leader asked while his feet were massaged by one of his many servants. Looking at the veteran's grizzled face he knew that it involved the new woman.

"M'lord, the girl...she's refusing to eat," the guard said.

"Oh? Is that so?" The emperor smiled almost to himself before sighing in relief as the slave found the sweet spot on the bridge of his foot. He knew why, but kept the answer to himself.

"What shall we do?" the guard asked.

"Let her stew for a bit" he said waving his hand, "I shall see her soon. She is strong. Most would give in within sight of me, but this one has a bit of strength to her."

The guard was puzzled by this but bowed respectively and walked out of the chambers back to the chambers to watch over their new guest. The Emperor savored his time knowing that each second he spent away from the chambers was another moment that would drive the girl. She was too strong to kill herself, that he knew for certain. She would fight, resist, but in the end he was confident that he would win her over and that would come not through a force of arms. As Emperor he had to use his mind, his diplomacy to win over his opponents-as a politician. As a soldier, it would come through beatings and brute strength. That wouldn't win here. She wasn't some ruffian from Gaul.

Perhaps half an hour passed when he decided it was time to go see her. Wrapped in his robe, crown on his head sitting proper, he walked with gracious, deliberate strides with his flower girls following him. When he reached his chambers he dismissed his girls and walked in seeing his new girl sitting there, but walking in he didn't acknowledge her and instead walked towards his bed.

 

[broomstix]

When the guard returned, she almost let out a startled yelp as the door opened. There was the guard, ready to drag her off to some awful fate! Yet... nothing. He just took up his former position and stared at her. In a way, punishment would have been more comforting. What did this mean? He was playing with her, but it was not the game she had expected. As time passed, she slowly sat down on the floor, never taking her eyes off the guard, careful to make it clear that she was not trying to escape or attack him. There she sat, legs drawn close to her body, and hugged herself while she waited for whatever was in store for her.
The door opened again. The emperor. She jumped to her feet and bowed deeply again, but he ignored her completely. An odd procession filed into the chamber as she stood there, head down and hands behind her back. He was putting on a big performance for her as the mighty emperor, so she thought it only proper to assume a role of her own - the demure slave girl. And she was prepared to be one, if he only stopped trying to make her that kind of slave girl. Anything but that.
As her face was down and hidden behind the black curtains of her hair, he could not see that she was smirking a little. It really was almost as if he had just agreed to play a game with her. A really unfair game with practically every advantage on his side, but it felt so much better than just giving in. What an honour! The most powerful man in the world against a lowly slave! And he had just made his first move...

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Having adorned himself in the dress for bed he went to the veil and clothed himself before making his way to his bed and lay upon it with his back hovering above, upper body propped up by a bent elbow and with the other he beckoned Anna to him, but she showed a bit of hesitation, "You. Come to me" he said softly, bending his fingers towards him as if he were calling for a pet to be beside him. The room had open bays lined with soft pink and red curtains that fell all the way to the floor to allow maximum ventilation of the clear and warm air and behind him was a semicircular balcony over the lush gardens.

He didn't want to raise his tone because of the ears and eyes of the court that were constantly around him. His enemies were always around trying to find gossip or some sort of weapon to be used against him with the People. That is why he moved away from his court to his chambers and with the guard posted outside he hoped to keep them away.

"I didn't pay a great deal of my money to have you stand around like a statue. If I wanted a statue I would commission one of my artists. Now come to me, my pet" he said again, but when Anna didn't come as quickly as he desired-his voice now raised above its normal tone.

"I said "come!" a bit louder than before.

 

[broomstix]

She eventually obeyed his order and walked towards the bed. "Nothing bad has happened yet", she kept telling herself. "No, I will not come into your bed", she said to the man. Her head was still down, her hands folded, her voice quiet and soft. The picture of an obedient slave - except, of course, that she had just spoken pure defiance to the emperor himself!
What would he do now? He did not seem like an angry man, but it seemed like his patience was running out - after all, she had been testing it this entire time. Whatever punishment he would order would be a relief from this uncertainty. "Come on, just punish me already!", she caught herself thinking. Why wasn't he yet? He was the ruler of the known world (at least he probably thought he was), and she was just a slave!
To placate him, she did sit down on the edge of the bed, but that was as far as she would go. A statue! Ha! She would have given everything (not that she had anything anymore...) to be one right at this moment. Cold, unfeeling stone. Unafraid. How much she would love to be unafraid...

 

[guyloveshotstories]

There was a great deal of defiance in her. She needed to learn that there was no longer Anna, but a slave of the Emperor known as Anna. When she didn't come when he beckoned the Emperor grew annoyed. He stood up slowly and moved over to her smaller frame and towered above. "I don't appreciate defiance. I don't appreciate ignorance. I don't appreciate contempt! I am the emperor. I am the will of the gods and I will not have you defy me!" He clapped his hands once and in the door came the guard.

"He her shackled with the others. Two days" holding up two fingers. "Perhaps then she can learn her manners."

The guard came and grasped Anna by the arm and pulled her towards the door and out of sight of the emperor. In the halls the other servant girls followed pleading for mercy for Anna as he led her down to the dungeon. It was said that a lot of cruel and sadistic things occured down there. Along the way the girls drapped themselves on the guard, pleading with tears in their eyes knowing this, promising favors at his will, but the guard shrugged them off one by one until they were going down the spiraling tone stairs into the depths of the dark room lit only by a few torches fixed to the walls.

 

[broomstix]

As the guards grabbed her, she felt a sense of relief: This was how it was supposed to go! Judging from all the wailing and begging around her, she was in for some horrifying punishment. What was down there that made all the other slaves so scared for her? And yet, she felt good. Proud. She was not begging as she walked through them. Like on the march through the city, it made her angry that they were degrading themselves that much. Whatever they would do to her, it was better than to whimper and cry like that!
That pride lasted her almost all the way down to the dungeon. Almost. As they descended and the pleading of the other girls slowly faded away, fear took over. What was down there? Whatever it was, it had apparently scared every other slave girl in the palace. Outward, she was as calm and proud as upstairs, striding through the lamenting crowd. Inward, she was starting to chastise herself for her stupidity. Idiot! What are they going to do to you?

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The guard took her down to the dank depths of the dungeon where the small torches flickered midly. In the darkness came a few pitiful cries of the forgotten. Pushed forward she was taken to a tiny cell of cold wrought iron. It hung from heavy chain from the ceiling like a bird cage a foot off the grounx.

"In!" The guard barked pushing her inside and locking the door behind her. Even with her small frame the cage prohibited her from standing fully by 5 inches. Satisfied that it was locked the guard went back up the winding stairs leaving the girl to contemplate what she had done.

For the Emperor he lay upon his bed with a satisfied smile knowing that he had put her in her place. He had done so before many a time, but a few hours or a few days would have her begging g to be released or be driven mad by the cold and isolation.

"Sir, the girl is in the bird cage" reported the guard.

"Good. Thank you" the Emporer sighed in gratification we sipping on some warm red wine. Gently moving the cup round in his hand he watched the rich red liquid move with him. It was hypnotic in its movement as he sought to relax himself alone.

 

[broomstix]

After only a short time in this thing, Anna could feel her legs cramping. Any movement was impossible. No matter how she tried to relieve the ache, the thick iron bars kept her in that awkward half-crouch. Still, she kept quiet until she was sure the guards had left - then she let out a low whimper. It was all she could do. She was not the only one making pitiful noises down here - even though it was too dark to see who and where the other poor girls were.
How long were they planning to keep her in here? The pain in her legs was getting steadily worse. Now her back was complaining, too, and so was her neck. Soon, her entire body was filled with pain - not too bad, but it was relentless. There was no relief from it. Impossible to sleep, even though she was so tired... just some sleep...the cage swung back and forth as she tried to bring herself into a position which would allow her to outsmart the monster who had invented this. Yet, no matter how she contorted herself, sleep would not come.
Eventually, she did somehow fall asleep - or was it unconscious? - from pure exhaustion. When she woke up, the first thing out of her mouth was a short, shrill scream as she was forced to leave the one place where she could escape from her torments and the pain flooded back into her, much worse now that she was stuck in that cage for so long.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

She could scream all she wanted, but no one would hear her. All the way at the top of the staircase, behind the shut and locked door. The other servant girls were gathered outside it pressing their ears against the thick wood to try and hear at least something from the other side, but nothing. They wanted to go down there and free her, or a least feed and clean her, but only the guards had the key.

Inside his chambers the Emperor was entertaining one of his oldest friends and trusted aide, Brutus. The two sat at the table with wine laughing at the collapse of their latest enemy. A whole army and region crushed in a successful campaign that netted untold wealth for the Empire.

Brutus sipped his red wine slowly looking at his friend, "I hear that you bought a girl from the market. One of the slave girls," he said.

"Indeed. But, she needed to be a taught a lesson" the Emperor responded.

"A lesson? Or, do you mean that she was too much for you" his friend jested. "How long do you plan on keeping her down there?"

"Until she learns her betters" the Emperor replied without care about her living conditions. He knew all too well about what happens in that dungeon. He placed his cup onto the table, "In fact! Come with me, and I shall show you!"

Brutus' eyebrows buckled in surprise, but he followed the Emperor towards the locked door and shooed away the servant girls and demanded the guard unlock it. The guard did so and led the two men down the winding stairs with a torch in hand.

"Bakers use ovens. Blacksmiths use furnaces. I use cages" the leader laughed as they went before the cage.

 

[broomstix]

She was now, after many hours in the cage, used to the contortion. Her legs had stopped tingling and now felt numb. Her back had settled into a dull pain, like a bad headache. And her neck, bent over and forcing her head towards her knees, was giving her an actual bad headache, too. Now, the next agony revealed itself: Hunger. Her protesting stomach was ready to kill her principles for having stopped her from eating. She was used to starvation, of course, but that did not make it any easier. Her prison was so tight that she could not even slump over to rest her weakened muscles. The bars kept her half-upright no matter how tired she got.
She could hear someone coming down the stairs. She almost wished it would be the torturer. Anything to get out of that cage! Anything but that. She was still determined not to let that happen. Anger at the idea of being a...a sex slave was the one thing that kept her going, like a small flame in her heart. That one thought kept her from giving in to despair, from crying and wailing.
It was the emperor and another man. From up there in her cold, dark prison, Anna fixed him with a stare of pure hatred. He could probably not see it, but it felt so good to ball up all the anger at her tormentor and shoot it at him through her eyes. Silent otherwise, she just fixed him and waited for what he would do. As long as he freed her!

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The Emperor stood there with a smug look on his face, staring intently at the prisoner while his friend stood just to the right and slightly behind showing a troubled look at seeing Anna dangling there in the cage clearly in pain.

"How long has she been like this?" his friend inquired.

"Don't know, don't care" the Emperor chuckled before taking a few steps closer to her. "Now, my little pretty bird. Are you ready to play nice with me?" he asked. If not, he was prepared to go back up stairs and leave her here for a full day. The flickering of the torches cast long shadows on the cold stone walls around them.

"My lord, if I am bold enough to make a suggestion..." stepped in his friend.

"Yes?"

"M'lord, may we take her up into the light? Perhaps with a bit of careful attention, she would be more susceptible to kindness than she would be with this...well, this situation that she's currently in."

The Emperor was slow to agree. He enjoyed seeing the discomfort in Anna's body and face. He held the cards in this, and if he were to give ground in anything it would be showing weakness. But, he turned to his friend and nodded, "Fine. Summon a guard."

 

[broomstix]

Careful attention! That was more like it. She could barely contain herself from letting out a triumphant whoop as she heard this. If he thought he could break her like that, this oaf was wrong, of course - but she was more than ready to play nice for a few hours if she could get out of that damn thing and stretch her suffering back a little. In fact, she would have readily given herself to that other man, just for having suggested that!
Her face, over which the faintest hint of relief had just flickered, was now fixed on the emperor again. Staring at him, unafraid and filled with hate. She wanted to show that man that he had no power over him, even though that was a complete lie. He had the power to give her unimaginable pain, a horrifying death... just not the power to make her grovel. No man had that. Hatred was an expression quite unsuited to her fine-featured face which had not yet begun to show the hardships of her life. It looked out of place there as it curled her lips and pulled her dark, slightly almond-shaped eyes into slits, but it came easily. How could she do anything but hate the emperor? He was the pain in all her body, he was an eternity trying to sleep and being kept awake by cramps. She despised him.