CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES
A Sequel to `A Reversal of Fortune'
Chapter 13: 'A New Day Dawns and New Lives Begin'


This is a story of erotic fiction meant for adult readers over the age of eighteen years

Written by Jean-Christophe (Chris):
Read my stories at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jean-Christophe_Stories 

"The characters and ideas contained in this story are the writer's and shouldn't be used without his permission. Please respect the integrity of the story and don't do any rewrites, make alterations or add pictures."

Chapter 13: "A New Day Dawns and New Lives Begin" 

Part 1: Norge and Rafe

As I look at Rafe, a wave of sympathy for him sweeps over me and I truly feel sorry for him. My satisfaction at seeing him made a slave and my lingering resentment of him -feelings that I now decide are unworthy of me - have given way to feelings of guilt. It is hard to imagine a more forlorn or dejected specimen of a slave than Rafe. In the space of one afternoon, his world has come crashing down around him and he lies lost in the uncertainty and confusion of what his new existence holds for him. 

I do have some understanding of that and of what he is feeling. After all it is less than twelve months since I too was enslaved and I still bitterly recall my first night as a slave in the festering, slave pens of the slave-dealership to which I had been taken. My sense of loss then was as acute as Rafe's is now and despite my resentment of his past treatment of me as his slave I am moved by his plight.

Last evening, after Cato had placed him in my stall, he stood dejectedly and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. The thought went through my mind of the contrast between the straw covered squalor of my sleeping quarters and the silk covered bed he was used to sleeping in. But this is the reality of life for Rafe from now on. Never again will he sleep in a bed - he'll need to accustom himself to sleeping on the floor of whatever quarters he now finds himself stabled in. 

That is unless a Master wishes to use him and takes him into his bed and in Rafe's case that is a real possibility. Rafe is, after all, a beautiful, unbroken slave and I can see that a Master would want to fuck him - I know I do and will do so at the first opportunity. The thought of this and the sight of his perfectly rounded ass stirred me and my cock instantly adopted its standing at attention pose.  Rafe's cock drooped in miniscule comparison to my own; obviously neither his flesh nor his spirit was willing.

But there wasn't to be any sex for us last night. Our new Master had expressly forbidden it and anyway it was plain to see that Rafe wasn't up to it and so I'll have to wait for a more opportune time. Anyway it would have been unfair of me to take advantage of the new slave at the time of his greatest vulnerability. 

After Cato had left us, I was in a quandary as to what I should do. Do I speak to Rafe or ignore him. He looked at me but quickly averted his eyes whether from guilt, shame or a combination of both I don't know.  As I looked at him, I saw his body convulsed by a single, silent sob. In the gathering gloom, he lay in a corner of our stable and curled himself into the foetal position where he gave way to the maelstrom of his emotions. Soon his body shook with the loud sobs and heartrending crying for all he'd lost. I was overcome with sympathy for him and l lay down behind him. 

As he felt my body position itself into the curves of his own, he stiffened and tried to draw away. Never-the-less I persisted and placed my arms around him and drew him back closer into my chest and his resistance seemed to crumble.   After that, we laid together while he worked through his trauma. His sobbing reverberated through me and in a sense I was sharing his anguish. 

How long we laid locked together in the darkness I don't know. It could have been one, two or even three hours but for Rafe it would have seemed much longer than that. Gradually, his crying ceased and he became calmer and he drifted into a troubled sleep. Shortly after, I too slept with my arms stilled wrapped around him. Several times during the night, I felt him stirring but in my drowsiness paid him little heed. The only sounds to disturb the quietness of the stable were our deep, somnambulant breathing and the occasional rattling of our ankle chains as we changed the positions of our bodies. Thus we spent our first night together not as master and slave but now as brother slaves.  

Now the darkness of the stable is pierced with the first lights of a new day. I awaken knowing that soon my groom will be here to feed me and take me to the ablution block where I'll be made ready for my day's duties. 

As I stir, I find myself locked in Rafe's tight embrace. At some time during the night he'd turned to face me and wrapped his arms around my body. Did he seek comfort from me during the night and did he find it? I hope so.  The hard warmth of his body pressing so close to my own feels good. I've not had this sense of intimacy since my last night spent with Jake. It is only now, as I feel another slave's body in close, physical contact with my own, that I feel the depths of my loneliness.  

My early morning erection throbs with it usual impatient expectancy and delightedly I feel a corresponding hardness in the sleeping Rafe's groin. Our rampantly hard erections have crossed swords and are exciting one another. I feel new warmth towards Rafe. As my Master, we'd met on unequal terms but now we are two slaves of equal status. I move my hands down to his buttocks taking care not to touch his new brand and I feel the raised, angry welts of last evening's caning. He winces at my touch and I have an irresistible urge to gently stroke his ass to ease the awful ache I know he is suffering and to soothe away his pain.

Slowly he opens his eyes and smiles at me - a smile I'd seen so many times after he'd enjoyed me. I wonder - what he is thinking. Does he imagine that he has awakened in his own bed with his slave Norge alongside of him?  I know this is so, for suddenly he looks around at his surroundings and his eyes widen in horror. He has awakened to the realities of his new life and he knows that, like me, he too is a slave. 

There is so much a want to tell him, to prepare him for his new life which begins this morning. But there isn't time. Cato has returned and is unlocking the door of our stable and behind him stands my groom with two wooden bowls of slave food - one for me and the other for Rafe. This is to be our first meal together.

But I have overhead my new Master discuss his plans for Rafe. After Rafe has been conditioned out at La Forêt, he is to be trained as a pony and paired with me. I look forward to that day and hope that Rafe and I can enjoy the same closeness as the one I'd once shared with Jake.

But much is to be done before then. Rafe has to learn to think and act as a slave, to respond to an instruction as a slave must and to learn that the only rewards he'll ever enjoy is in giving satisfaction and happiness to his new Master. That, after all is a slave's true purpose in life. 

Acting on Cato's instruction, Rafe and I quickly disentangle our bodies and scramble to our feet. A new day is about to begin for me but for Rafe it is to be a new beginning. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Part 2: Guy

"Good morning, Master. I have brought you your newspaper and early morning coffee, Master."

At the sound of the slave, Ben's voice, Guy Maratier stirs, rolls over onto his back and stretches. He is plagued with his usual early morning erection and seeks to hide it from the young slave now kneeling beside his bed. Normally he would masturbate but with the slave's presence he is too embarrassed to do so. Vainly, he seeks to hide it beneath the bed sheets.

However, it doesn't go unnoticed by Ben. The slave is adept at spotting a Master's need for release and if this was his former master he would by now be up on the bed and ministering to it; he'd have his Master's hard cock wrapped in the warm, moist embrace of his mouth. But the former master is no more. Ben has a new Master and he is uncertain of what this master expects or demands of him. He must wait for his new Master to take the initiative.   
  
Guy is unaccustomed to such luxury as the bed he has slept in or of having a slave wake him with his newspaper and coffee. Indeed, Guy is unused to having a slave pay him any attention at all. Always too poor to own a slave of his own, Guy of necessity has been self-reliant and to have slaves to do these things for him is a new and challenging prospect. He is concerned not to show his ignorance of proper Master/slave relationships in front of the slave. After all he doesn't want to spark gossip in the slaves' quarters about their new Master's inexperience. 

Guy sits up and turns to gaze intently at the slave kneeling before him. Cato had presented the slave to him last night as Lucien Barrois' body servant, Ben.  Cato cannily aware of his new Master's lack of knowledge had hinted that Guy could use the slave temporarily whilst he made up his mind whether to retain him or replace him with another body slave. As Cato so succinctly suggested,
 
"Master the choice is yours. You don't have to keep him as your body slave. If you wish to replace him then there are several others worthy to serve you in whatever capacity you choose."

Guy picked up on Cato's innuendo of `whatever capacity you choose'. Was Cato hinting that he might like to use the slaves in the same way that their former Master had. That is, to take them into his bed and fuck them.  To date, Guy had always been heterosexual. Lacking slaves of his own but with a healthy sexual appetite, he'd naturally sort relief among the women of his own low, social standing. One such encounter had led him into a disastrous marriage -one which his grandmother had disapproved of -and which ended in divorce. For Guy the only positive thing to come out of this unhappy union is his only son, Etienne who presently lives with his mother and her new partner.

The slave, Ben kneels with his back ramrod straight, with his hands clasped behind his bowed head and with his knees widely spaced to expose his more than adequate genitalia to Guy's view. As far as Guy can discern the slave's only movements are the slight rise and fall of his smooth chest, a delightful fluttering of his ribbed belly muscles and the hard throbbing of his erection. Watching the slave's cock as it involuntarily elevates and lowers itself with each throb reminds Guy of his own erection. It would so tempting to order this beautiful, young slave up onto the bed and to command him to relieve his aching need. Still, Guy hesitates; his shyness and inexperience of male-on-male sex is hard to overcome.

And Ben is indeed a beautiful slave. Guy looks upon his bowed head and sees the thick, black stubble and wonders what type of hair the slave had in his previous, free live. Probably, curly, he concludes and sees this as complementary to Ben's lustrous, green eyes, aquiline nose and full, red lips. The slave reflects the impeccably good taste of his former master. 

But Guy isn't surprised by this. On his inspection tour of the house last evening with Simon Barrow and Cato, he'd been visually overwhelmed at the obvious good taste of the former master of the house. Everything about the house is exquisite, from the understated decor to the beautiful furnishings that grace every room. And to complement all this, there are priceless paintings and works of art. Given all this magnificence, it's not surprising therefore that the last master would want to use it all as a backdrop to the most beautiful and expensive slaves that money can buy. Begrudgingly, he is in awe of Lucien's inherent good taste. He has trouble in grasping that all this now belongs to him.

At dinner, he and Simon dined from the most exquisite dinnerware and drank the finest wines from expensive, sparkling crystal goblets as the dining-room slaves served them. These slaves were obviously well versed in serving their Master and his guests. They stood unobtrusively, at display, alongside Guy and Simon maintaining a discrete silence as the two men ate. Yet they were able to anticipate the two men's every want. Napkins were unfolded and placed on the diners' laps, wine glasses topped up without prompting and plates discreetly removed between each course. Unused to such luxury Guy was overawed by everything around him but took care not to show this to Simon. 

The scene in the dining-room reminded Guy of an exotic movie about an ancient Roman orgy in the time of either Nero or Caligula. The naked slaves were fully aroused - this was something their former master had always demanded of them when he dined - and as they stood rigidly at display, the candelabras placed strategically around the room caste flickering shadows on their stressed torsos; this play of light and shadow entranced him and he found himself looking at his slaves with a new found lust.  When they did move, this same candlelight glinted in the highly reflective neck collars and cock-rings they wore. The slaves provided a feast of eroticism previously unknown to Guy and the presence of so much naked, male beauty worked its magic on him.  Beneath the table, Guy's cock was the hardest he could ever remember and he was afraid that the meal would finish before it had time to subside. 

As he ate Guy was painfully aware of his previously poor background and of his lack of experience in enjoying the finer things in life. His grandmother, before her banishment from the family, did enjoy these things and even in her poverty she always retained a sense of dignity; she never forgot from where she came and pathetically strove to maintain the standards she considered were part of her birth right. Guy really wished that Grand mama was here to guide him through these first steps of his new life and to help him establish authority over his household. But then he thought - why shouldn't she be here? 

Once she had lived here and she would be familiar with how such a grand home should function. He intended to establish his grandmother in her own home but while that was being done why shouldn't she live here and guide him through the complexities of becoming a gentleman. And she deserved to return triumphantly to the stately home from which she'd been cruelly banished all those years ago. 

In all conscious, he can't leave her in the hovel that is her home while he lives in such opulence. She deserves nothing less than to join him in his new wealth. Tomorrow, he'll instruct Cato to prepare suitable quarters for her and to send some of his slaves to fetch her here.  He will give her full authority over the household and over Cato and the other slaves while he attends to the more complex issues of transferring the Barrois estate to himself. He'll need to make her a generous allowance - this is the least he can do given the part she played in the acquisition of his new wealth -so that she can dress in a manner befitting the matriarch of the new Maratier dynasty. The mistress of the house is to temporarily return after so many years in the wilderness.  

Thinking about the new Maratier dynasty reminds Guy that his son, Etienne is now very much a part of that dynasty.  Etienne lives with his mother but Guy has always maintained an interest in his son. At the time his parents divorced, the courts had awarded custody of Etienne to his mother after taking into account the uncertainties of Guy's life. But now, with the sudden acquisition of all this wealth, he is determined that Etienne will share in it and he's already instructed Simon Barrow to apply for a new custody hearing. He is determined to regain control of his son and is as equally determined that his ex-wife will receive no part of his new wealth nor have a say in their son's future.

Guy reflected on the strange turn of events that has brought him to this dinner-table. There are only three surviving males of the Barrois lineage and they represent the past, present and future. 
Lucien, like the Barrois dynasty, is no more and that past is now represented by the slave, Rafe whilst he, Guy Maratier, holds the present very much in his hands and his son, Etienne is now the future of the Maratier family.  Indeed the future looks very bright for the Maratier's.

Once more Guy looks at the young slave kneeling at his bedside. The sight of Ben's nakedness and throbbing cock only serve to remind him of his own achingly, desperate need for release. Still he hesitates; he is too shy to take the first tentative steps into an area of sexual activity he'd never considered before. Hitherto all his sex had been played out with women but there aren't any women in his life. Nor will there be; he has a son and heir and he doesn't need the complications that come with being married. Anyway, he's aware that his new wealth would appeal to women whose interest in his money would be greater than their attraction in him. It isn't his intention to share his wealth with anyone other than with his grandmother and son.
 
He decides he will need to look elsewhere to satisfy his quite considerable sexual appetites and where better to look than at the stable of beautiful, young, male slaves who now live to serve him-their new Master. Last night, in the dining-room as the naked waiters served him and Simon Barrow, he had found himself surreptitiously watching their movements. This was the closest he'd ever been to naked slaves and the realisation that he owned them allowed him to legitimately - in his mind - to study them. He found his eyes were focussing more and more on the firm, rounded globes of their buttocks and wondering about what delights were concealed within their deep clefts.

Ben stirs Guy's lust yet he still hesitates to use the slave. Perhaps it's the newness of the situation or it could be a deep seated reluctance on his part to use another man for sex; he hesitates to take the first step into unfamiliar territory. But in his desperation for gratification he begins to rationalise; after all a slave isn't a man is he? He lost the status of manhood along with his freedom. So while Guy considers having sex with another man as distasteful, his dissembling on the true status of a slave begins to win through. Slaves are only chattels to be used in whatever manner their owners choose. 

Guy knows it's not uncommon for freemen to use their male slaves for sex and he knows of several very exclusive and expensive gentlemen's clubs in the city which cater for those clients who seek their dalliance with a male slave. Here the slaves are of the highest quality; each chosen for his physical beauty and his ability to please the most discerning of customers. The future for these pleasure slaves is bleak; for them there isn't to be any progression upwards through the ranks.  Starting at the top, they have but one way to go and that's down. Eventually worn out, they will be sold cheaply to the proprietors of lower class establishments which cater for the masses. Guy has never visited any of these clubs. He was always too poor. 

Guy's need is growing more acute with each minute. His cock throbs incessantly beneath his bed clothes and serves as a tent pole for his sheet. His desperate need -and his nervousness - causes a roaring of blood in his ears, makes his heart pound within his chest and he is breathing quickly and shallowly. Suddenly he sheds his remaining inhibitions and throws back his bed covers to expose his rampantly hard erection to Ben's view. Hoarsely, with his cock in his hand, he asks the young slave,

"Tell me boy, what would your former master have you do with this?"

"Master!" Ben answers shyly," He would have ordered me into his bed to pleasure him."

"How would you have done that, slave?"

"Why, with my mouth, Master. My former master liked me to use my mouth first thing in the morning. And then again in the shower, Master."

"You accompanied your former master into the shower?" 

"Yes Master that was part of my duties; to wash him and anything else he required of me. Then after I had dried him, I would help him dress and go with him to the dining-room and wait for my instructions for the day as he ate breakfast."

Guy is pleased. Without any prompting the slave is giving him the answers to his unasked questions. Besides beauty, the slave has some semblance of intelligence. He thinks he could do worse that to retain him as his body servant. However, the slave has one crucial test still to perform.

"Then boy, get your ass up here onto the bed and start pleasuring me." Guy disguises his nervousness beneath the authoritarian tone of his voice. 

With becoming shyness, Ben climbs onto his Master's bed and gently pushes Guy's knees apart; inexperienced as he is, Guy decides to allow the slave to take the initiative.  As he kneels between the widely spread legs, the slave looks into Guy's face and with one word asks for his permission to continue.

"Master?"

"Get to it, boy." 

The slave lowers his head and Guy's body tenses in anticipation; his back arches upwards from the bed and he waits expectantly. He moans softly as he feels his balls being tongue sponged and he gives himself over to the exquisite feel of the soft, moist texture of Ben's warm tongue. The slave works hard at giving his new Master this pleasure. 

As the former Master's personal slave, he'd enjoyed the special standing this gave him among his envious, fellow slaves. Ben, anxious to retain his position as the Master's personal slave, will draw on his considerable repertoire of skills to ensure this new Master is kept satisfied. For Ben it's a simple matter to transfer to this new Master the loyalty and affection he'd so recently felt for his former Master. He'd given that master all his affection and loyalty but now that he is a slave, Ben's new allegiance is to the new Master. 

Moving downwards, the slave uses the tip of his tongue to excite the erogenous area of Guy's perineum before moving up onto the iron rigidity of his cock. There, Ben raises his Master to new heights of ecstasy by deliberately tracing an imaginary line of pleasure on the underside of Guy's prick by slowly moving the tip of his tongue upwards and downwards between the scrotum and the cock head. Then suddenly he stops.

The slave's experience tells him this Master is inexperienced at having a slave pleasure him and that he is very close to the edge; he pauses and waits patiently as his Master's passion eases.  

Then, when he is sure that his Master is sufficiently calm, the slave uses one hand to raise the cock away from the belly preparatory to him taking it into his mouth. Willingly, the slave opens his mouth and takes his Master's cock into its warm, moist embrace.  As Ben uses his tongue to slowly massage the cock, Guy begins to writhe sinuously and to softly moan in delight. The slave encourages his Master's mounting ardour by moving his pursed  lips up and down the now rock solid hardness of his  cock; beginning with a tantalising slowness  but gradually quickening his pace to lift Guy to previously unfelt levels of pleasure. 

Guy is eager for more and reaching out he forces the slave's head further down onto his cock. Holding Ben in place by his ears, Guy's eyes roam over the slave's sweaty back to his upturned ass which is now delightfully bobbing up and down in time with his suctioning mouth. Guy now abandons himself to the intense pleasure that sweeps through his body and all too soon he reaches the inevitable climax and explodes with an unaccustomed force into the young slave's mouth. Ben is well trained to swallow a Master's seed and does so now with almost effortless ease. He holds his Master's cock in the warm, soft embrace of his mouth and waits for it to wilt. Then, raising himself to a kneeling position between Guy's knees, he smiles and says simply,

"Thank you, Master.'

Guy who is as yet, unversed in the way of slaves and of the strictly enforced etiquette that governs their behaviour is surprised at Ben's heartfelt "thank you". 

"Why are you thanking me, boy?"

"Master, for letting me pleasure you, of course." his Master's question puzzles the young slave, "A slave always thanks his Master for allowing him to do so, Master."

Sheepishly, Guy sees this question and Ben's answer as a lesson learned and he concludes there will be many others for him to learn as well; perhaps this young slave can guide him through the many complexities of becoming a confident Master.

Guy has warmed to this slave who still kneels before him on his bed. He really is a magnificent slave, young - Guy estimates his age at somewhere around twenty - he has a clearly delineated musculature with a handsome, open face and an engaging smile. And at that moment, Guy decides that Ben will remain as his personal body servant. Guy he is surprised to see that Ben is still very much erect. His hard cock seems to beg for release and there is a thin thread of the slave's excitement hanging from the piss-slit. Why didn't he cum at the same time as Guy? Not wishing to once more show his inexperience to the slave, he asks.

"How often do you cum, boy?"

"In the past, whenever my former Master allowed me to. I could only cum with his permission, Master. If I'd been a good slave he would allow it as a special treat or if I'd especially pleased him in bed, then he'd allow me to do so as a reward. "

"When was the last time your former Master rewarded you?"

"It was last week, Master. I can't remember which day."

The thought of this excites Guy. He'd not realised that masters exercised this power over their slaves; that masters controlled a slave's sexuality very much as they controlled all other aspects of his behaviour.  He'd never considered a slave's penis as a tool to be used to reward a slave for good behaviour or as punishment for bad. But it's a practice he'll enthusiastically adopt with his new slaves. He is learning fast. 

"So it's been a week since you last jerked off?"

"Yes, Master."

"I'm pleased with you, Ben. You have served me well and you now have my permission to pleasure yourself as a reward."

"Oh, Master! Thank you, Thank you."

"Then get to it slave, before I change my mind." Guy is faintly amused by the Ben's obvious joy.

Uninhibited by his master's presence, the young slave begins to work his cock as his Master looks on.  The slave is grateful to his new Master for this unexpected treat and savours every stroke of his hand. At first, Guy watches indulgently but a glance at the bedside clock prompts him to order the slave to,

"Hurry up slave."

Obediently, the slave quickens his pace and is soon crying out in orgasmic delight as he erupts, catching  his seed in his cupped hand. Once more, the grateful slave thanks his Master most profusely.

Guy is unaware of it, but by this simple act he has won over Ben's affections and loyalty. The young slave will now serve his new Master with the same fervour with which he'd served his former Master. 

Guy is relishing his new life. He lies back in bed and instructs Ben to pour him a cup of coffee. He has time to read the morning newspaper before showering, dressing and going down to breakfast. Unfolding the paper, he's not surprised to see the main item of news features the momentous happenings of yesterday. This deals with the court case that sees him luxuriating in this bed - attended to by his slave - while the new slave, Rafe has spent his first night shackled and locked in his stables. Centre page is a large photo of the former Lucien Barrois disrobing before the court prior to his enslavement. Guy quickly scans the other pages and chuckles as he finds more photos of a naked Lucien being led from the courts; there is even one of Guy driving Norge and Rafe through the city square. 

Guy is gratified and vindicated. There is universal support for Judge Matthew's decision in finding in Guy's favour and there is satisfaction that the usurper has been returned to slavery. The proprietor's editorial thunders against the wickedness and duplicity of the Barrois family and demands that the now disgraced name be removed from all public places, streets and parks that bear that name. The many indignant letters to the editor support this demand. 

On page two is a verbatim report of the Governor's campaign launch the previous night. He too speaks out in support of Judge Matthew's findings and asks the voters for a clear mandate to review and tighten the state's slave laws. He promised his first act on re-election will be the introduction and passing into legislation of his new `Barrois Act' which will place slaves under even more stringent controls than at present. 

Guy reflects on the newspaper stories and rejoices in the fact that he now singlehandedly controls the vast Barrois estate. The army of slaves, factories, quarries and mines and all the other business enterprises are now his. But it nearly wasn't so. He'd been reluctant to challenge the wealth, prestige and power of the Barrois name in contesting Jean-Claude Barrois' will. It was only at the incessant urging of his embittered grandmother that he'd reluctantly done so and they had won through. 

Any lingering doubts he had were soon dissipated as he watched the former Lucien Barrois publicly humbled. How he'd enjoyed the look of horror on Lucien's face as Judge Matthews ruled that he be returned to slavery. He derived so much satisfaction from this; in that single act, the Maratier family's need for revenge was fulfilled. Everything that happened to the unfortunate Lucien from then on was a bonus to be savoured and enjoyed by Guy. 

He'd watched in undisguised delight as the new slave was made to remove all his clothing and to publicly display his nudity for the first time. He relished Lucien's very public embarrassment at the public gallery's crude acclamation of his slave nakedness  and he'd smiled broadly as the court bailiff applied his cane to Liucien's's bare ass. The new slave's yelp of pain and his look of impotent outrage are memories that will remain with Guy and he must remember to tell his grandmother about them. He knows she too will take great pleasure from her distant nephew's very public humiliation. 

Guy, particularly enjoyed the moment when he'd publicly named his new slave, `Rafe' telling the court he was naming him after a dog he'd once had as a boy. He sensed Lucien's feeling of degradation upon receiving his new slave name and he noted the red flush of shame that enveloped his naked body as the public laughed and jeered at him. From somewhere among the spectators Guy heard the comment "why don't you put a collar and leash on him". Guy recalls Rafe - the dog and not the slave - with great affection. In the bleak poverty of his boyhood there'd been little to cheer him and the presence of the little, black and white mongrel with tan markings proved one of the few bright spots of his childhood. 

And he'd watched as Rafe was driven screaming and protesting from the court-room to be processed into his slavery. He'd even gone to the forge to watch as Rafe was branded with the obligatory `S' symbol for slave and was delighted to see his slave make a desperate but doomed dash for freedom before being dragged back to the branding table. 

That brand is only the first of two that the slave is to wear. Today, he'll find time to call into an ironmonger and order several new branding irons to be made. Guy had thought about this overnight and weighed up the options open to him. He'd considered having a completely new design for his brand but after inspecting the existing brand on his house slaves he'd chosen to retain it -but modified to suit his own requirements. As he inspected the brands on the slaves' chests, he was impressed with its tasteful beauty; it was as with all other of the Barrois possessions - exquisite in its simplicity. The outer circle of the brand is a made of intertwining scrolls whilst at its centre is a stylised capital letter `B'. He would retain the brand as is but replace the `B' with the letter `M'.

He will ask the ironmonger to hurry along with the making of these new brands. Rafe is to the first of his slaves to be marked with this new Maratier brand and he would like that to be done when the slave to taken out to La Forêt. It seems fitting that Rafe should have the honour of being the first of his slaves to wear his new brand and he would like for this to be done in the presence of his son, Etienne.  He should witness this final act in the destruction of the Barrois family. 

He'd lain away during the night considering Rafe's immediate future. The earlier plans that he'd made to send the slave to La Forêt will be delayed temporarily. Last evening, he'd asked Cato what duties were available for Rafe and he has now made up his mind. Today his new slave will be broken in at the wood heap wielding an axe. He'll need to ask Cato to appoint one of the other slaves as a temporary overseer armed with a leather quirt to assist Rafe should he flag at his work. But first he'll have Rafe stripped of all his body hair. What he now has in mind for Rafe requires him to be smooth bodied. While waiting to be sent to La Forêt Rafe is to serve temporarily as a house slave in the dining-room during the period of Charlotte Maratier's residency; she no doubt will take great pleasure in training his new slave.

Guy notices Ben silently standing at the foot of his bed. Obviously the slave is waiting. Assuming the air of a Master in control, he brusquely asks, 

"What is it boy?" 

"Master your shower is ready whenever you are."

Bounding out of his bed, Guy hurries into the shower followed by his body slave. There is much to be done and he's in a hurry. After breakfast he needs to consult with Cato about Rafe and to arrange for his grandmother to be brought to the house. Then he has to dive the pony Norge into town to meet with Simon Barrow. It promises to be a busy day for the new Master. 

It is a new beginning.


To be continued.........................

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