Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 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.........................

   Jean-Christophe story archive
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jean-Christophe_Stories