Roman Enslavement

Warnings: You may think that Mozelle does not react strongly enough to her coerced sex with Lupus. All I can say is that different people react different ways, and I\'m not writing this as a manifesto against rape.

Notes: Quid agis?--How are you doing?, , vi, vidi, vici--I came, I saw, I conquered. parvulus--a little. Quam miserum est ab illo lædi, de quo non possis queri--What a miserable thing it is to be injured by those of whom we cannot complain. quando eo sordeo--Because I\'m dirty. consto--stop. quidne--why not?, ne--not, no, sentio--experience, dolor--pain, consurgo--rise up, felis--cat

Part Seventeen

She woke up to an odd mixture of comfort and discomfort. She ached--there was no way around that. She felt like she\'d been punched repeatedly in the crotch. The closest she could come to describing what it felt like was the time in sixth grade when she\'d been walking the balance beam and had fallen, landing astraddle it. She also felt messy. There was a distinct stickiness between her legs, and her skin had the tacky feel it often got after she sweated and before she washed.

And there was someone in bed with her. Oddly enough, this wasn\'t part of the discomfort. Mozelle had always been a touch-me-not in bed, but then those few times she\'d actually slept with someone it had been becauherehere were too many people crowded into a house over a holiday, and her bedpartner had been a (generally elderly) female relative. The fact that the bed partner was young, male, attractive, and not a blood relative put it in a whole \'nuther ballpark.

Lupus was on his side, pressed along her body as she lay on her back. One arm curled over his head and the other was thrown almost casually across her body, just under her breasts. She could feel his breath, warm and moist, against her throat. As she tried to look at him from the corner of her eye (not wanting to risk waking him by turning her head), he made a soft, whuffing sound, not quite a snore, and half rolled on top of her, one leg going over hers. She felt something solid prod her hip, and that pretty much woke her the rest of the way up.
*Oh, geez, please tell me that\'s just a morning \'gotta pee\' stiffie, and he\'s not going to want an eye-opener. Otherwise I think I might do something radical that might land me in chains for the next few months.*

Lupus yawned, opening his eyes slowly. When his eyes came to rest on Mozelle he smiled and said, \"Quid agis?\"

\"I\'ve heard that enough to know what it means. I\'m... okay, I guess. At least you didn\'t say veni, vidi, vici.\" He looked surprised, laughing, and she flushed. \"No! Not me, I\'m not saying that. I mean you could have. I was trying to be sarcastic, so I guess it serves me right. I should know better than to make jokes in a second language. Do you understand anything I\'m saying?\"

\"Parvulas.\" He rubbed her belly, and his hand started to slide lower.

She caught his wrist. \"Consto.\"

Lupus was too amused by her attempt to speak Latin to be irritated by her refusal. \"Quidne?\"

She frowned in concentration. \"Quan... quando eo sordeo.\"

He shook his head. \"Lino, ne sordeo.\" //\"You\'re a little messy from last night, but it\'s purely physical. You\'re not sordid.\"// \"Good you learn.\" His fingers scratched lightly at her lower belly. \"Ne?\"

Again she tht hht hard, and said, \"I sentio dolor.\"

She was a little shocked when he gave her a gentle hug. //\"Yes. I\'m sorry about that. By the time I knew... Well, I really couldn\'t stop.\"// He removed his arm and leg, and patted her hip. \"Consurgo.\" She looked at him blankly. \"Consurgo.\" He pushed her lightly.

\"Oh. Up and at \'em. Okay.\" She was on the outside of the bed, so she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. There was a twinge, and she winced a little as she stood. \"Now what do I...\" Lupus had gotten up and was taking a pot out of a little cabinet. She turned her back quickly as he casually began to relieve himself. \"I\'m never going to get used to this. Most people have to be married for years before they leave the bathroom door open. But I suppose for you it isn\'t much different from peeing in front of the cat.\"

She hadn\'t expected him to understand that, either, but he stroked the back of her neck and chuckled. \"Felis.\" He pulled the sheets from the bed and handed her one, motioning to her to wrap herself in it, as he did with his. //\"First we bathe.\"//

She shuffled along behind Lupus, muttering to herself, \"Empty halls, empty halls, please?\" And she got empty halls... till they got to the bathing room.

Lupus almost ran into Lucius and Rentic as they were exiting. //\"Good morning, son. I\'m glad to see that you\'re up and about early. Now that you\'re a man I\'ll be expecting you to take your rightful place in my business.\"//

//\"I\'m looking forward to it, Father.//

Rentic was waiting beside Lucius, waiting to be dismissed. While he waited he studied Mozelle. The woman hung back behind Lupus, almost as if she was trying to hide behind the young man. He felt a sense of commiseration for the girl. She\'d so obviously been unready for last night. *But she\'ll just have to learn to accept whatever duties Master Lupus chooses to give her,* he told himself. *and it isn\'t as if she were a blushing virgin.*

The the woman shifted slightly, and Rentic saw the stain. There was a bloody patch on the sheet that was wrapped about her. His eyes flew to her face in astonishment. She flushed, but she didn\'t drop her eyes. Her gaze was level--almost defiant.

//\"Rentic, you can go on about your business--I won\'t need you.\"// When Lucius dismissed him, Rentic bowed and went along to the kitchen.

In the kitchen Malanda was setting bones and vegetables to simmer for a stock. Cassia sat at the table, carefully feeding milk soaked bread to Patenic. Malanda looked up when he entered, and saw the concerned look on her husband\'s face. //\"Rentic, is something wrong?\"//

He sat down at the table, shaking his head. //\"Mozelle. I met her in the hall, going to the bathing chamber with Master Lupus. They wore their sheets and... Malanda, there was blood on hers.\"//

Malanda gasped, and Cassia shook her head. //\"And he looked like such a nice young man.\"//

Malanda said hotly, //\"He didn\'t beat her! I won\'t believe that.\"//

Rentic stood and patted her shoulder. //\"No, love, I didn\'t mean that. She looked well, there were no marks on her. I think that the blood was caused by something else.\"//

Cassia frowned, then laughed. //\"Well, it wasn\'t much of a first night for them if her monthly curse came.\"//

//\"But it wouldn\'t be that,\"// Malanda protested. //\"She came to me for cloths not more than ten days ago. It would be over by now, and the next not for some time. Rentic...\"// she clutched her husband\'s arm. //\"You really think it was her first time?\"//

Rentic sighed. //\"I know it seems unlikely, but I don\'t see what other explanation there could be. I\'m a little ashamed of myself. I thought it was nothing more than reluctance to take on more duties.\"// Malanda slapped him, none too gently, on the back of the head. //\"Yes, yes, I realize that now. Jupiter, Malanda, the look she gave me! As if she were challenging me to say, or even think anything the least bit pitying.\"//

Conversation died after that. Cassia didn\'t say much. She still wasn\'t sure of her footing in the household, and she figured it was more prudent to just sit back and observe for awhile. The good looking young man she\'d been presented to last night bustled in, hair damp. He briefly greeted them all, took the baby for a quick cuddle, then gathered fruit and bread. //\"No need to do much for lunch, Malanda. Father and I will be at the docks, and we\'ll eat in a tavern.\"// Then he was gone again.

A few minutes later the woman he had led from the kitchen the night before came in, carrying an armload of sheets and clothes. She halted just inside the door as all attention focused on her. After a moment\'s silence she said, //\"Malanda, where tub? I wash this.\"//

Rentic pulled the large copper washing tub from under a shelf and held it out so she could dump her load in it. //\"Where is the tub. I need to wash this.\"//

\"Whatever.\"

Malanda said hesitantly, \"Mozelle, I wash later.\"

She scowled. \"No, it\'s my job. I have to take care of his things, don\'t I? After I finish these I\'ll straighten up his room, then I\'m available for whatever you need.\"

\"Mozelle,\" Rentic said, \"You belong Master Lupus now. His slave. You...\"

\"Well, he isn\'t going to be here today, is he?\" she snapped. \"And once I get the little bit done taking care of his room and clothes, what the hell am I supposed to do? Lounge around and look pretty?\"

\"Mozelle...\" Malanda reached out to her, but the woman jerked back.

\"Stop it!\" she hissed. \"Stop looking at me like I\'ve got some sort of fatal disease and you have to tiptoe around the subject to keep me from getting upset.\" Her voice rose. \"All right--we all know what happened last night. Let\'s just say it and forget about it. I got deflowered, okay?\"

Gaius came out of his room, rubbing his eyes. \"Mozelle, what flower you lose?\"

She turned crimson. \"Oh, geez. Maybe if I live to my own century I\'ll learn to keep my foot out of my mouth.\" She shifted the tub to hold it under one arm, and used the other to tousle Gaius\'s hair when he came to lean against her. \"I dunno, kid. I\'ve always liked gladioli. Maybe irises. Knowing me, though, it could be dandelions.\"

Gaius hugged her waist. \"You tell me story later?\"

\"Sure, hon. Go eat your breakfast.\" Without further discussion she took some soap and went out into the back yard. She dipped water from the well and filled the tub, muttering to herself, \"Cold water for blood stains, or you cook them into the fabric.\"

First she washed Lu's t's tunic, muttering to herself about how she\'d have to get her spare clothes out of the children\'s room and move them to Lupus\'s chamber. Then she put the sheets into the tub and began to scrub them. The blood stain had dried, and she soaped and scrubbed and soaped and scrubbed till it began to fade. Finally she could see no shadow on the fabric, and drew fresh water to rinse the laundry. Soon she had most of it spread on the grass to dry, and was finishing the last sheet.

She held the material up, examining it closely. It was pristine--you would never guess that there had been a thick maroon blotch there. Suddenly she crumpled beside the tub, crushing her face into the damp cloth. The stain was gone. All evidence of the fact that she had once been a virgin was gone. The thought suddenly brought home to her how very changed her life was.

One of the most disturbing things about all of this was the fact that she wasn\'t any more disturbed by it than she was. *Shouldn\'t I be collapsed by now? Shouldn\'t I be crying, or gibbering, or screaming? I don\'t even feel much different--physically, anyway. Yeah, I still ache some, but no worse than when I first started to get my period. And there are bruises on the inside of my thighs, and on my hips. Not big ones, but they\'re there. Thank heavens he didn\'t want to get frisky in the bath today.* She shivered. *I don\'t think I\'ll ever get used to someone else washing me, though. I\'m glad he let me wash my own private parts, but he might have kept from laughing when he did.*

She heard the hush of feet over the grass and sat up quickly, dropping the sheet. Gaius was appoaching, and he looked concerned. \"Mozelle, you sick?\"

She forced a smile. \"No. I was just sniffing the sheets.\" She demonstrated, taking a deep whiff. \"Mm, they smell fresh! See?\" She held out the sheet. Looking puzzled, Gaius gave it an obliging sniff, and nodded dubiously. \"One of my foibles, kid.\" She spread the sheet out and dumped the rinse water. \"I\'ve got to go clean up Lupus\'s room.\"

He tugged at her hand. \"Breakfast?\"

She disengaged herself gently. \"Maybe later, honey. I\'m not very hungry right now.\"
watched her go, puzzled. Mozelle missing a meal? That wasn\'t right.

Mozelle got fresh sheets and made the bed in Lupus\'s room again, then did what little straightening there was to be done. She lingered for awhile, then went to the kitchen. She wasn\'t going to hide.

Malanda was alone in the kitchen. She looked at Mozelle almost warily, and the woman sighed, then said, \"I\'m sorry I was snotty Malanda. I\'m... a little touchy.\" She sat at the table, propping her chin in her hands. Malanda brought her a slice of fig cake, thickly spread with butter, and set it before her almost timidly. Mozelle nodded thanks, but didn\'t begin eating. Instead she traced patterns in the butter with her fingertip, licking it clean occasionally.

Gaius came in, went to her, and leaned against her side again. She offered him the cake, and he shook his head. \"Your breakfast.\"

\"I don\'t really want it.\" Gaius had a hand tucked behind his back. \"Whatcha got there, boo?\"

Smiling shyly, Gaius pulled his hand out from behind his back. He was holding a thick wreath of thin vines with silky green leaves and tiny cream colored, horn shaped flowers. A sweet fragrance teased Mozelle, and she smiled automatically. It brought back memories of hot summers in her childhood. There had been a huge bush at her grandmother\'s house that was always draped in this plant. She\'d spent hours carefully plucking the tiny flowers, nipping off the stem end, and gently pulling out the this, threadlike stamens. A minute drop would appear at the end, and she\'d lap it off, getting a little, sugary burst of flavor. \"Honeysuckle.\"

He nodded, holding it up. \"For you.\" She reached for it, but he shook his head, gesturing at her. \"Down.\" She obligingly bent, tipping her head, and he carefully settled the wreath on her head, crowning her. When she sat back up, adjusting it, he clapped his hands happily. \"There! Pretty, Mozelle.\"

She laughed. \"Thank you, darlin. But why on earth?\"

\"You sad, you lose your flower. This better?\"

Mozelle felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes, but she smiled and said softly, \"Yes, baby, this makes it better.\" Then she started to eat breakfast