Chapter 48 - A Change of Habit

Will opened his eyes groggily. How long had he slept, he wondered. Gingerly, he raised his head and looked around him. Moonlight illuminated the sky, and the noisy snoring of the dozen bandits assailed his ears. He was still lying, discarded, in the corner of the barn. It all flooded back to him. After the episode with the beer enema, the raucous party had continued: the robbers growing even more inebriated. The alcohol had made them argumentative and aggressive and they had fallen to brawling, Lunk pummelling his cronies with his ham-like fists. Will, meanwhile, to his relief, had been forgotten about.

A sudden thought occurred to him. Could it be true? Could it be that, in their drunkenness, they had actually forgotten to tether him to the iron ring in the barn’s wall? Praise the Lord! Yes, they had!

A wild hope leaped within him. He would need to think quickly: a process hindered by the pounding headache he was experiencing. Had anyone ever had a hangover before from taking beer up their anus, he wondered vaguely.

What to do now? His first instinct was to get on his feet and to run as far and as fast as he could. Then, as his bleary head began to clear, the practicalities of the situation began to sink in. The chill of autumn had set in, and besides, he could not very well go traipsing around the countryside naked.

He tiptoed over to the haul of loot that the gang had snatched earlier that night and sent up a quick prayer of thanks that there, dumped amongst the silverware, coins and wine bottles, lay a small selection of furs. He picked up the largest and managed to wrap it around himself, tying it off with a leather studded belt. It was not ideal, but it made a kind of short tunic that at least covered his upper body and genitals, though it left his muscular legs bare and exposed. And for once, further good fortune smiled on Will as he noticed that one of the thugs had discarded his leather boots on the ground before falling asleep. They were too big for Will, but they were better than nothing and would at least mean he did not have to flee barefoot!

What else to take? He snatched up a handful of coins and a small dagger. He glanced over to the snoring throng. Once they awoke and realised he had slipped from their clutches, they’d be sure to pursue him. Would it be safer to slit their throats now as they slept? He rejected the idea almost immediately. He could not take the chance of one or more of them awaking before the job was done. He could never take them all on! Besides, in spite of the cruelty he had experienced at their hands, he did not think, even now, that he could bring himself to murder a dozen men in cold blood. No, the best thing to do would be to set off straight away and get as big a head start as possible before they woke and inevitably came after him.

Will inhaled a lungful of fresh night air and took one final look at Lunk, lying prone and unconscious on the ground. Then he stole out of the barn and started out on his way to – who knew where? For the first time in over a year he was master of his own destiny. Where that would lead him, heaven only knew!

No such luxury as freedom for young Raymond StClare and his highness Prince Felix of England. It may have been the early hours of the morning but there was to be no sleep for these two young men.

“They’ll pay for this, those fuckers,” swore the Prince through gritted teeth. “How dare they? How dare they?!!”

Raymond sighed deeply. The Prince had kept on with this theme, incandescent with rage, for the past hour – as long as the two of them had been incarcerated in the castle dungeon.

They had been taken, still naked but for their sopping wet hosiery, and with Raymond’s peachy arse hanging out of the back of his piebald tights, from the courtyard, under the watchful gaze of Alexander and his cronies. Now they were manacled and secured to opposite walls of the dungeon. Felix thrashed impotently at his chains.

“They will all die for this. Anyone who witnessed my humiliation this evening will pay. Every single one of them! I swear that as a solemn oath! Don’t they know who I am?!” His voice rose even higher and became a scream. “I am God’s chosen. The Prince of this realm!” He balled his hand into a fist and thumped the uncaring stone wall.

Raymond remained silent as the Prince continued his tirade. “And as for you – grovelling at the feet of that traitor! ‘Ravish me, Sir! Fuck my arse!’ What kind of man are you?”

“One who would stay alive,” hissed Raymond through gritted teeth.

For a moment, Felix was stunned into silence.

“Your highness,” Raymond went on, in a more conciliatory tone. “Remember when you first laid eyes on me? It was the lowest point of my life. I had been for months at the mercy of that revolting Sir Wilfrid – used day and night as his sex slave, his pisspot. I was a mere animal at the whim of a crazed and perverted old man. Did I give up hope? No. I had to believe that I would escape from that hellish bed chamber. And sure enough – you raised me up to your right hand. My point, Sire, is that the wheel of fortune has turned. It will turn again. But we must try and stay alive long enough to enjoy our return to power and the inevitable downfall of your godfather and Alexander Courcey. For now, that requires obedience and compliance.”

“And for that,” sneered the Prince. “You are prepared to prostitute yourself! To hawk your arse like some common slut on the street! Have you no pride?”

Raymond gritted his teeth. “Oh I have my pride, and believe me, I’m as angry as you are. But remember, I have not had your privileged upbringing, my Lord. My father was a squire to the king. He was a noble man, but he was poor, and when he died my sister and I inherited only his debts. However, I am a quick learner. And from the moment I arrived in this God-forsaken castle, I realised the quickest way to advance would be to wiggle my bum in Master Courcey’s direction. I did it before to become his favourite. I’m more than prepared to do it again in order to save my life.”

Felix shook his head. “I would rather die than submit to such obscene degradation.”

“Really, my Lord? You’re dead an awfully long time, you know. And if I’m not mistaken, didn’t you wiggle your arse at him not that long ago? When you tricked him into trying to seduce you?”

Raymond knew that this was a risky strategy, but the whirlwind events of the past few hours had made him reckless, and he was not particularly in the mood for the Prince’s sanctimonious cant.

“That was different,” stuttered Prince Felix. “I was trying to catch him out.”

“And you did so most successfully, your highness. But did you really gain no satisfaction whatsoever as he groped your tights and climb into bed with you...?”

Felix gulped. He well remembered how he had feigned lust and allowed Alexander to paw at his body, fondle his royal cock through his hose, even to lie atop him. But that had all been in order to trap the traitor and to ensure the Steward’s downfall. Yes, Felix conceded to himself, he had been moderately excited by the sensations – but that was purely due to the thrill of deceiving the treasonous older man and for no other reason. After all, he himself was not prone to such perversions.

The Prince recovered his dignity. “You and your fellow slut page boys might experience such stirrings of lust. I am from nobler stock,” he remarked pompously.

Raymond sniffed. “Whatever, you needn’t think Courcey will get away with this. When the King returns, I will personally take great pleasure in exacting my revenge on dear Master Alexander. I’m younger than him. I’m cuter than him. I’m cleverer than him. And I’m more ambitious as well.”

Silence fell in the cell as the two young men seethed indignantly.

Eventually the Prince spoke – and his voice was now rather meeker than before. “You’ve served Courcey for many years, Raymond. What do you think he will do to us?”

Raymond contemplated for a moment. “It’s hard to say: his sexual appetites are broad, and as you know already, encompass a range of kinks and perversions. His main turn-on – as you may have realised already – is humiliation: he loves seeing a good-looking young man completely at his mercy: ideally dressed in figure-hugging tights. He really loves to see a guy with a good body in a pair of hose that show off his legs, crotch and arse. So, with all due respect, your highness – the sight of you naturally drives him wild. He likes to humiliate boys verbally – to point out in great detail the exact predicament in which he has placed them, and how he is in complete control of their destiny. He gets off on tying lads up, gagging them, spanking their bums, forcing them to suck his cock... And he particularly enjoys playing with their arses, including rinsing them out with enemas. Sometimes with something as prosaic as mere water, but often with more imaginative enema solutions. Oh, and if there’s any food to hand, you can bet he’ll want to shove that up a cute lad’s hole as well.”

Felix’s handsome face turned as white as a sheet. “You don’t seriously think he would dare... invade me in that way!”

“You read some of that erotic literature that he keeps in his library. That gives you a broad indication of his tastes. And besides, what does he have to lose? He and Lord Geoffrey have gone this far. They both know by now that if and when you return to power, they are dead men. They will seek to degrade you in every way they can think of.”

“What can we do?”

“Very little, unfortunately, but submit. For now, they have the upper hand. But we will store up all these insults ready for our revenge.”

Raymond watched the Prince, as with growing horror, Felix realised that for the first time in his life, he was at the mercy of someone else.

“Forgive my impertinence, my Lord,” ventured Raymond. “But have you ever lain with either man or woman?”

“You are impertinent, Raymond,” snapped the Prince.

“I was merely curious, your Highness.”

“The fact is,” continued the Prince, full of steely arrogance, “I have never laid eyes on any man or woman who could be deemed worthy of my attentions.”

“Is that so?”

“I have always known that one day I would be required to provide the kingdom with a son and heir, but when that day comes, my bride must needs be the greatest beauty in the world.”

“Then you are as yet a virgin, my Lord? Is that not ... somewhat frustrating for a virile man such as you? Are you never tempted ... to relieve your undoubted sexual urges?”

“We may of necessity be cell mates, Raymond. But this conversation is straying into the realms of sacrilege.”

“My apologies, my Lord. I meant no disrespect.”

Felix turned his piercing blue eyes on him. “I’m no fool. I know you desire me. I’ve felt your manhood harden when we have wrestled. And I know you hope one day to conquer me in the bedroom. Let me inform you now, that that will never happen. I am God’s anointed and the very notion that I could ever share any kind of sexual encounter with a commoner like you is both repugnant and absurd. And if the treasonous Alexander Courcey were to attempt such a thing, well, Odin and Ulfgar may not be able to save me, but I know that God would intervene to protect me. Now, I am going to try and get some sleep. I suggest you do the same.”

And the Prince tried his best to make a bed for himself in the damp straw, his sodden tights outlining the perfect muscularity of his arse and thighs. Raymond’s expression was impenetrable, but there was far less certainty in his mind that divine intervention would prevent the Prince’s virginity being yielded up to Alexander in the not too distant future...

The sun rose, and Will slogged on. He had not dared pause all night: the one thought in his mind to put as much distance between him and the gang of robbers. He must have covered several miles of woodland and glade, and now he found himself desperately in need of a drink. He emerged from a small scrub of trees and saw that he had arrived on the outskirts of what seemed to be a moderately large estate. Various stone buildings nestled together, surrounded by walled allotments. Chickens pecked at their morning feed and a duckpond glistened in the morning sunlight.

A tall, middle aged man with a long face and grey hair, dressed in a long brown robe, was tending some vegetables in the allotment. He looked up and spotted Will by the wall. Will tensed and made to flee, acutely aware that he must look deeply suspicious: a grubby, bruised urchin dressed in only a rich fur cloak and too-big boots.

“No! Wait!” called the gardener. “I mean you no harm.”

Will hesitated. His trust in strange men had been sorely tested over the past year.

“This is a monastery,” the man continued. “We tend to the sick and the unfortunate. You need tell me no more than you wish to. But at least come inside and have a drink and something to eat.”

Will’s hunger and thirst overcame his suspicion. Nodding his head, he accepted the invitation.

The man’s name was Brother Ralf. As he led Will into the kitchen, he explained that he and his fellow monks spent their days in religious contemplation. Only a handful of them remained now, as even they had not been spared the forced conscription to fight in the King’s foreign war. Also living in the monastery were a dozen or so novice monks who were discovering whether God’s path was truly for them. These young men were under the pastoral care and tutelage of the Abbot.

Will fell gratefully onto the bread, cheese and water provided by Brother Ralf, and once he had sated himself, a silence fell and he realised that the monk was waiting for him to tell his story. Will was brief and opted to reveal the minimum amount of information. He told Brother Ralf that he had grown up on a farm, and that a year ago he had been taken to serve as a page boy at Castle Montford. He deliberately omitted any details of what had happened to him during his time in service at the castle: reliving the explicit sexual humiliation to which he had been subjected to this kindly-faced religious man would have been excruciating in the extreme! He told Brother Ralf that he had been returned to his family for a brief while, and that, subsequently, he had been kidnapped and held hostage by a gang of thieves, but that he had managed to escape and was currently on the run from them.

The monk listened in silence to his tale. For a moment, Will panicked that he had been foolish in saying anything at all: would the monk be tempted to betray him to Lunk and his cronies, out of greed or fear? But then he looked more closely at the sad look on Brother Ralf’s face and was reassured that he could indeed trust the cleric.

“You are welcome to seek sanctuary here for as long as you need it, my son,” said the monk. “You say you once worked as a farmhand, and you also have experience serving the nobility at the castle. If you are prepared to help out in our daily household chores, you will not find this an unpleasant place to live.”

Will did not need long to make up his mind. For the first time in over a year, maybe in his entire life, he was master of his own destiny. He was not interested in a life devoted to God, but, for a while at least, he would gladly accept the opportunity for a more peaceful existence. Unlike Prince Felix, Raymond, Lunk, his brother Jack or, yes, even the suave and saturnine Alexander Courcey, Brother Ralf showed no sign of wanting to bully, torment or use him sexually. And for that he was most grateful.

“Thank you, Sir,” said Will simply, his blond fringe falling in front of his deep brown eyes. “I accept your offer.”

The monk smiled and rested his hand on Will’s shoulder, his eyebrow raised as he appreciated the rich quality of the fur cloak. “I suspect this garment may have been acquired through somewhat dubious means,” he remarked, “I think we should find you more suitable, attire, don’t you?”

Will could not help but compare his welcome at the monastery to his arrival at Castle Montford. He remembered the way Master Yorick, the old rogue, had manhandled him into a bath and with soapy, slippery fingers had groped his vulnerable, naked arse. He thought back to having his cock and balls encased in the leather cock ring, and then that awe-inspiring moment when those freshly-laundered, skin-tight and oh so soft and silky blue tights were pulled over his feet and muscular legs, leaving him feeling so naughtily aroused.

His cock began to leak at the memory as he stood naked in the small chamber into which Brother Ralf had led him. Naturally, the hated cock cage prevented Will’s penis from becoming erect. The monk had left him alone, and so this time, he was not observed undressing. For this he was thankful. He did not want to have to explain the presence of the metal chastity device to him.

Will picked up the long brown monk’s habit that Brother Ralf had left draped over the chair. He pulled on the hessian robe, tied it at the waist with a knotted cord, and stepped into the leather sandals the monk had provided for him. He could almost hear Master Alexander’s voice dripping with scorn: “It’s a crime to cover up that tight little body with such a shapeless sack as that! You should be put in tights, lad, and made to expose every contour of that gorgeous, plump, peachy bum for my pleasure...”

Will shook his head at the memory, and, as he did from time to time, found himself wondering whether his former master had indeed managed to flee to safety on the Continent. One day he hoped he would find out, just for curiosity’s sake. He wondered whether Alexander ever found himself thinking of him: the young lad he had plucked from nowhere, used and abused for his pleasure, and who had risked his life to save his. Somehow Will doubted it. If Alexander were still alive, he felt sure, there would be some other sexy slutboy bound and gagged and at his mercy. He felt a pang. Of what? Envy? Regret? In an instant, he suppressed it. Alexander was in the past. And he now had to look to his future.

It was gone midday by the time Ebony the thief finally awoke. He grimaced. His mouth tasted like a stable floor and his head pounded in the autumn sunlight. On all fours, he crawled over to the water trough and plunged his head beneath the scummy surface. The cold water was a shock, but at least it took his mind off the thudding session in his brain.

Squinting, he glanced around the barn. The others were all still asleep, snoring noisily. Lunk was lying there motionless. And there was something about his particular stillness that seemed odd. Ebony dragged himself over to his gang leader. Lunk’s mouth gaped open, but, curiously, no breath escaped from it. Ebony lifted that massive, ugly head. A wound gaped at the back of Lunk’s skull, and it was covered in sticky, black, congealed blood. In a split second, Ebony realised what must have happened the night before. He had watched as Lunk, brawling with his cronies, had slipped on the beer-sodden floor. At the time, everyone had assumed he had passed out with drunkenness, but in truth, he must have struck the back of his head on this jagged rock. The blow had been fatal. Lunk, the gigantic terroriser of Dunchester, was dead.

In truth, Ebony could feel no remorse at this unexpected turn of events. Lunk had been a useful ally – and one no man in his right mind would dare cross. But with Lunk out of the way, Ebony could definitely see possibilities for himself. Almost inevitably, his mind turned to the pretty piece of ass that Lunk had protectively dubbed his “pet”.

And there of course, he was met with his second shock of the day.

“That little bastard!” he muttered to himself. “He’s got away!”