Chapter 4

Along with my hike, the food and mead, even the thinking had taken their toll. I was worn out.

I announced, "I'm tired, ladies. First a nap, then bath before supper."

The response from Cori and Ria was immediate. They swiftly pulled the shifts over their heads and threw them on the floor. They revealed slim shapely bodies. Now both naked, Ria knelt, pulling my pants down, while Cori stood, kissing me. I was hard before Ria ever touched me. She kissed the head of my cock, then opened her mouth as my cock slid in the warmth of her mouth. I knew I wouldn't last. My hands held her head. I was taken by surprise as my cock spasmed. Ria swallowed my spending as she continued to suck, her fingers cradling my balls until my cock softened.

Cori smiled happily, hugging me as Ria stood up, kissing her. Then they both giggled. Cori released me only long enough to turn down the immense bed. I walked over to the shelves to find my pocket watch. I opened the cover and turned on the chiming mechanism; I set the watch on the small table next to the bed.

I crawled into the bed, settling in the soft mattress. Ria climbed in behind me, pressing into my back in a delightful manner, while Cori spooned in front of me. Her tight butt pressed against my cock, while she held my hand covering one of her breasts. I kissed her shoulder, then nuzzled into her blonde mane. My eyes closed, and I was gone.

I woke on my back, with two delightful companions tucked one under each arm. There was a moment of disorientation just before my eyes opened, but my memories came rushing back. The room was in shadow, with dusk outside the windows. I started to reach for my watch. Cori lifted her head, asking, "What do you wish, Brock sir?"

I settled back, saying quietly, "My watch, please." Cori picked it up carefully and handed it to me. I pushed the 'repeat' and it chimed five times. Cori and Ria looked surprised at this little demonstration. I said, "It's after five. By the time I clean up supper should be ready in the commons room."

Giving the lie to my words, I settled back on my pillow. Ria giggled softly as she cuddled against me.

I had a question for my two bed partners, asking quietly, "How do people feel about traveling in the wooded area even without the highwaymen?"

Cori answered quickly, "Brock sir, we are all of us uncomfortable even on the roads as we go through the woods. We are all most comfortable in inns, cities and towns around other people. No one save hunter travels IN the woodland."

I asked, "What about Trevor and the guards? Don't they patrol?"

Ria spoke up. "Yes, up and down the road, but brave as he is Trevor would no more walk deep in the woods..."

Words simply failed Ria at the thought of Trevor and his men leaving the road and going into the forest.

I mused quietly, wondering, then how do the highwaymen overcome this conditioning to hide out in these deep woods? I sat up, growling, "Enough laying about in this big bed. A bath, please."

Even though my smile belied my tone, Cori and Ria were in motion. Ria scampered out the door to ready the bath, while Cori pulled me from the comfortable bed, saying brightly, "Don't bother to dress, come along."

With a tiny, nagging thought that I really had to start thinking about my security, I gave in to the naked girl, following her down the hallway in the nude.

First, Cori led me to a small room, its only furnishing a low wood box with a hole in its center. Luckily for my comfort, a low shelf filed with sheets of soft paper was close at hand. I had secreted several rolls of toilet paper in my pack basket, and was just as happy not to need them so soon. I'm not sure what happened to the waste. Sometimes, it's just better not to know.

I left the little room much relaxed, to find Cori waiting patiently for me. She led me next door to a somewhat larger room, with a drain in its center and a large copper tub along one wall. Ria was already busily filing the tub with steamy water. Cori had me stand over the floor drain as she sluiced a bucket of warm water over me. She began soaping my damp body, using her soft fingers. Ria joined her in spreading the soap, both scrubbing gently from the soles of my feet to my hair. Cori giggled as she cleaned my ass crease, perhaps, from the constant rubbing, over cleaning it, while Ria was soaping my cock and balls. Both kept at their intimate caresses until my cock sprayed Ria with ropy white spending. That was the signal to begin rinsing me with buckets of warm water until I was free of soap.

Cori led me to the big tub, now that I was clean. I stepped into the hot water, slowly lowered my body until the water surrounded me. Relaxing in the water's warm embrace, I thought about my next moves here in this new world.

How did I feel about being a hunter? I'd killed animals, but could I now kill men? What about this institution of slavery? Could I also be a part of that, not just making use of slaves like Cori and Ria, but also capturing them for return to their masters? And the biggest question; was this all "real," or just some elaborate hallucination?

Of course, the image of my ex, Natalie, wearing only a collar crouched at my feet, while I whipped her back into bloody pulp interfering with any rational thought. This pleasant vision prompted a question as I lazed in the tub. I opened one eye to ask quietly, "Are there limits to how slaves or indentured servants are treated?"

Ria and Cori looked at each other then Cori answered, "For a slave, none. Ownership is total without boundary even to death. For an indentured servant, most are purchased from debtor's prison. That contract is between the debtor, the ruler who keeps the prison, and the buyer. The debts are paid from the price paid by the new owner. Some of those contracts are like an apprenticeship with a specific term, but many, when involving large sums of money, are so close to slavery to be indistinguishable."