Rest and realizations

Rose was working on his leg again, doing her best to alleviate the cramp. Ella had excused herself, citing a need to use the lavatory. Vel was completely sure his little sister was currently getting herself off, which was understandable, considering what she had just seen. “If I didn’t enjoy massaging you so much, my Lord, I would be quite cross with you for immediately undoing an hour’s worth of work like that.” Vel, who was feeling her mind, could pick up on almost nothing but affection and satisfaction from Rose. “Hah, as if you didn’t love every second of me wrecking my leg again.” She blushed, but only a little, and gave him a big smile. “Well, there is that too yes.”

She worked in silence for a bit, both of them just enjoying the post-coital closeness. He felt the need to know more about her, why had he not felt so before? This woman had been his first and only lover for half a decade, and yet he knew so little about her life. Questions about the homeland she left behind, and about subjects like enslavement, might need easing into though. Best start somewhere else. “My leg is doing a lot better, thank you darling. Come here.” He waved her into the crook of his left arm, where she happily settled down and snuggled up to him. His mind was brought back to when she was riding him, how proud she had felt. “You take great pride in being good at what you do, don’t you Rose.” She seemed to blush a little, but Vel could feel her satisfaction. “I like to think I give my work my all, my Lord.” What an adorably modest answer. “You certainly seemed to take great joy in showing off how well you could ride me to little Ella.” She blushed again and Vel could feel she was about to downplay it or protest again. “No, no that’s not a bad thing! You’ve put a lot of effort into being good at fucking me, and it has paid off, you’re an expert at making me cum. Its okay to take pride in that, watching you do so was hot!” She was looking at his chest, tracing little circles on it with her finger. “Akkam smiles on work done well, my Lord.” The glow of satisfaction in her mind would have to be enough for him, he knew she had deeply appreciated those words.

Her affection for him was growing too. It seemed to have undergone some permanent growth these last few days. Situationally it went up and down like any emotion, but there was a background constant, like a base level. And that, Vel realized, had only been going up. He got this premonition that, if he kept raising it, it would at some point hit a critical level and tip over into love. Was that something he wanted? He wasn’t sure and tried to turn his mind to other things.

“So, this Akkam you keep bringing up, that’s the deity you think I was blessed by because of the size of my manhood?” Rose let out an outrageously cute giggle. “Of course, my Lord would remember that. Yes, Akkam is the chief deity of the gods we worship in Ardalia and sort of a father figure to the other gods. Among many other things he embodies male…. Virility.” That was interesting, Vel knew next to nothing about Ardalian religion. “So is the Ardalian faith very different from the Imperial one?” Rose shook her head a little, causing her short dark curls to tickle his nipple. “No, my Lord, it is very similar. We worship most of the same gods, just with different names. The biggest difference is that you imperials do not know of Akkam.” A suspicion was forming in Vel’s mind. “You said Akkam was a father of sorts to the pantheon, is he considered greater than the other gods then?” “Yes, my Lord, the other gods equal each other but Akkam is greater than any one of them.” She paused, and Vel could tell she was trying to find the right words for something. “In the past, Akkam was considered a pantheon, as you call it, all on his own. He stood apart from the other one but was as great as all the others put together. Back then it was believed that he and the other gods were rivals or enemies, but that we as mortals had to honor them all. That has changed since the Toranians came though.”

Vel considered what she had told him. If he was correct, then Akkam was the Ardalian name for The Unbound. Rose had no idea how right she was about him being blessed by Akkam. She seemed to misinterpret his thoughtfulness. “I am sorry, my Lord, is my talk of religion boring you?” He shook his head. “No, no Rose dear, not at all. I wouldn’t be asking if it did. I was just thinking about what you said. I honestly find it fascinating.” She was running her finger slowly around his nipple now. “Do you believe, my Lord?” Vel breathed a sigh. “Just a few days ago I would have told you that I probably did not. Now though, I am not so sure.” She nodded thoughtfully, rubbing her cheek against his pectoral. “You have changed these last few days, my Lord.” She seemed to grow nervous about what she had said, quickly following it up. “In a good way, of course, my Lord. Not that you weren’t good befo-“ Vel shushed her by pressing a finger to her lips. “It’s okay, Rose. I understand. I definitely have changed, and I like to think it is for the better indeed. And remember, you can always speak freely when its just the two of us.” She seemed to relax again, sinking back into his embrace.

This seemed like a good time to try out the more sensitive questions he had, but he was still planning to ease into it. “How old were you when you left Ardalia?” He registered a bit of surprise from her, which was understandable. “If I may ask, my Lord, is there a reason you’re suddenly so curious? You’ve never really asked me about Ardalia or my past before.” She seemed a bit tense. “No real reason I suppose. I just want to know more about you. You’ve been and still are a big part of my life. You’re important to me and I care about you, yet I know so very little about your life. That doesn’t feel right.” Oh boy, judging by her emotions, that had been a good answer. The affection/love threshold was inching ever closer, Vel was sure. “I was 19 when I was sold to a broker, my Lord. Your lady mother bought, I mean hired me, just weeks later.” That pretty much confirmed the slavery part, but he still wanted to ask.

“I understand if this an uncomfortable topic for you, Rose, so I don’t want you answer anything you don’t want to. Okay?” From what Vel could tell, she appreciated the sentiment. “Thank you for your concern, my Lord, but I am quite comfortable talking about my past.” Okay then. “You said you were sold to a broker, does that mean…” He trailed off a bit, losing his nerve, but Rose understood. “Yes, my Lord, I was a ****. From the age of 14, when my parents sold me to one of the schools.” Her parents sold her. By the gods. “What? Your parents sold you? Rose, I am so sorry, that sounds horrible.” Surprisingly, there was no hint of sadness in her mind, just a sliver of regret. “I am not, my Lord, not really. The money they got will have been a huge help. It is my hope that it gave my little brother a better life.” She had a little brother. Vel internally chastised himself, these were the things he should have found out about ages ago. “You have a little brother?” This time there definitely was some sadness in her mind, but also some joy. It felt like the bittersweet mix of emotions one might feel when recalling good times with someone who had passed away. “Yes, my Lord. He was the only thing I really missed after I was sold. And I did miss him terribly. I still do, sometimes, but meeting you helped a lot.” That was not what he had expected. “Meeting me helped?” “Yes, my Lord. You are about the same age as he. When we were first introduced, you immediately reminded me of him. He was a tall boy too, when I was sold, he was only a bit shorter than me.” She paused for a bit, and Vel gave her a few moments to quietly reminisce. “Our parents would often be busy, working to keep us fed, so I would look after him. I missed that too, taking care of someone, so getting to take care of your lordship helped a lot.” This was heartbreakingly sad to hear as far as Vel was concerned, but Rose seemed to have come to terms with it well enough. Vel put his other arm around her too and hugged her tighter against himself. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

“If your leg is better, my Lord, I should probably get dressed and leave. I believe your sister wants to spend some time with her brother alone.” Vel raised an eyebrow at her. “Whatever could you be implying.” She lightly slapped his chest. “I did not mean it like that, and you know that very well, you dirty lord!” Well chuckled and stroked her bare shoulder gently. “You do remember that she happily watched me pound you into this mattress like 15 minutes ago, and that you loved every second of it?” That lovely blush returned. “Oh gods, please my Lord, do not mention that so lightly. If your lady mother ever found out…” That seemed to inspire genuine fear in her, he felt a need to reassure her. “Don’t worry, I will make sure Ella knows not to say anything to anyone. I don’t think I even need to; she’d die of shame if Mother knew.” Her worries hadn’t been entirely assuaged yet, so Vel kept going. “And I wouldn’t let anyone blame you for this, you know that. I’d protect you.” That seemed to do the trick. “Thank you, my Lord. You’re so good to me.” She paused, seemingly building up her courage to say something. “You shouldn’t feel sorry for me, my Lord. Whatever my life was like before, I am happy here. And I have you to thank for it, you’ve treated me better than my own parents ever did.” Vel felt an upsurge of emotion. “Well, you’ve been **** to me than half my own family too. And you mean a lot to me, you know. For half a decade you’ve been one of the very few sources of relief and joy in my life. You were my first lover and I yours. I am as close to you as my own family, a lot closer than some of them.”

Vel felt it happen. He saw the realization inside her mind. Rose had grown up on the lowest rung of society. She believed she was of lower worth than him, almost beneath his notice. And yet, this tall and handsome man of noble birth considered her worthy of his affection, worthier than some of his own family. The tipping point had been reached, and Vel heard the thought in Rose’s mind as it hit her. “Gods, I love this man.”