Slave Girl 2: Chapter 19

At the edge of an open square with a long, exquisitely carved fountain running along the North end Colly and I are sitting across one end of a long table from each other eating a hearty lunch.  Both of us had healthy appetites though my tastes leaned toward meats and fish and common fare whereas Colly was all about the fruits and sweet treats.  The vendor was only too happy to provide us a platter to satisfy both our tastes and he received a nice tip for the trouble.  I was glad to splurge a little.  Thanks to Colly I had ended up with nearly double the coin of what I’d estimated, and that was even after her share from the last stop.

Our filling bellies contributing to our high spirits Colly and I talk and laugh and share our meal.  Colly could speak of little else than Aristocles who, if you believed her, was the mostly studly being this side of Apollo.  It lifted me to hear her talk.  I understood well just what she was feeling.  I just prayed that the shopkeep held to his word and purchased the love-struck slave.  And speaking of slaves, I find my thoughts returning again and again to my Rosa.  Though necessary at times being apart from her left an aching absence inside of me.  Thankfully, though loud and smacking, Colly’s eating wasn’t quite as slobbery as her blowjobs.

All in all we were having a great time, until…

The roast pigeon Colly was about to bite into is snatched from her hands by a rough looking man in a brown tunic.  Taking the bird he sits down on the bench beside her and proceeds to start eating it.  I am just about to reach across and correct the situation when another man slaps me on my shoulder and looms behind me.

“Hey athhole!”  Colly objects as she reaches for the pigeon.  “That’th mine.”

“Citizens before slaves.”  He says through chewing teeth and greasy lips as he keeps her at  bay.  “Humans before filth.”

“You son of a bitch.”  I go to reach again but the hand on my shoulder tightens and presses down harder.

“Easy there fella.  We don’t want this to get nasty.”  Says a gruff voice from above.

“Regula rules that every true Roman ought to have a full belly before the scum get their first bite.”

Before my eyes I watch my lively companion deflate and fear enter her expression.  “You’re with the conthul?”

Regula, so that was the name of the other consul that co-ruled Grumentum.  After this throwing my support behind Fulgentius was looking even better.

“With him all the way.”  The man says proudly.  “In all things you fat piece of filth.  Who let you out of your slum anyway?”

Colly bows her head and looks away, too intimidated to reply to the man.  She goes to hop down from the bench but I stop her.  “Stay where you are Colly.  These men were just about to leave.”

He looks back to me and licks his lips.  “Slaves aren’t allowed to eat out here, citizen.”

“I don’t see a sign.”  I hold his eyes in a firm stare.

“Well now you know.”  He gives me a fearless shit eating grin.  “You’re welcome, citizen.”  He rips an entire breast off the roast squab and chews it down.  “Mmm, this is too good for a goblin bitch anyway.”

I clench my jaw and fists.  I fucking HATED bullies.  “If you take one more bite of that bird you won’t have teeth for the next one.”

“It’th okay Quin.”  Colly says meekly.  “Let’th go.”

“Ohhh!  A tough guy.”  The man says to my challenge.  “You a soldier?  Someone important?”

“No.”  I say.  “Just a guy.  Are you?”

“Nope.  Just a hungry citizen looking out for my own.”

I smile.  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Catching my meaning his grin turns into a cold glare.  “I think you’re forgetting that there’s two of us and just one of you.”

In one rapid motion I reach back and grab the shirt of the man behind me then HEAVE it downward.  A sickening crack echoes out, turning heads from all around, as the man’s temple bounces off the stout wooden table we were eating at.  He crumples over the bench at my side.

“There.”  I say to the pigeon stealing fuck face.  “Now it’s just you and me, citizen.”

His eyes bulge as I get up from the low bench to stand at my full height.  Despite herself Colly was smiling from ear to ear.  “That’th my friend.”  She whispers to the next table and thumbs my way.  “He’th my very good friend.”

“H-hey!”  The man objects.  “You c-can’t…”

“Give her back her food.”  I say as I walk around the table to stand over him.  “And apologize to the lady.”

“Lady!?  I ain’t fuckin apologizing to no fuckin gob…”  Crack!  His flapping gums are silenced by a snapping jab to the jaw.  As his head hits the table I see with some satisfaction a tooth sputter from his unconscious lips.  Oh, that felt good.  Since meeting Rosa I’d tried to be on my best behavior but, while not violent by nature, I was never one to shirk from a bit of the old rough and tumble.

Taking the half eaten pigeon I politely hand it back to Colly.  She takes it in both hands, giggles, and looks up at me.  “Thank you thir.”

“You’re welcome Colly.”  I look around to see every eye in a thirty cubit radius looking at me.  About a third looked pleased by what I’d done, a third looked concerned, and the final third had something approaching malevolence in their glowering stares.  “I think…we might want to move on.”

“I think tho too thir.”  The slave says as she too notices the attention.  She starts to collect up the food.

“You’re not going anywhere!”  Comes a stern voice from my left.  I look to see two of the town guard, armed and armored, headed my way.  They seem to have just materialized out of the aether.  “Stand where you are citizen.”

I hold my hands.  “I don’t want any trouble.  These men were…”

“These good citizens were doing you the good service of telling you that slaves don’t eat shoulder to shoulder with free men.”  The guard interrupts me.

How did he know that?  There was no way these two guards could have heard our conversation from where they stood.  Shit!  I’d been set up.

“I did not know.”  I say.  “There’s no sign.”

“It’s common sense.”  He retorts.  “What’s your name citizen?”

“Quintus Quintilianus.”  I answer.

“Quintus Quintilianus, you are under arrest.”

“What!?”  I exclaim.  “No!”

“No?”  He says calmly.  “Resisting arrest will be added to your charges.”

“I haven’t done anything!  This is all a misunderstanding.”

As the leader of the pair stands before me, his hand on his gladius at the ready, his partner produces a pair of shackles.  I do not resist as my arms are brought behind my back and my wrists cuffed.  With my Lady this would send me into a state of bliss, but right now I had nothing but terror in my heart.  In the distance another pair spot what is happening and head our way to offer support.  Around us there are grumblings among the crowd, some people coming to my defense to tell what happened and others smiling wickedly at my arrest, but all of them are ignored by town guards.

“Colly.”  I say.  “Take the cart and my pack…”

“The pack comes with us.”  Says the commanding officer as he lifts my heavily laden pack and gives it a jingle.  He smirks as he feels the weight of silver in his hand.

The other pair close in and start to check in on the drooling duo who had started all this.  “What happened?”

“This man was eating with a slave in the square.”  It is reported.  “He attacked them when they tried to inform him of the law.  He would have killed them had we not stepped in.”

“Kill them!?  No, no.” I shake my head.  “I wouldn’t try to kill anybody.  I’m just a farmer!”

“Oh?”  The commander cocks a brow.  “Who do you work for?”

“Well…nobody yet.  I just arrived.  I’m a land owner you see.”

He snorts, clearly dubious of my claim.  “What parcel?  Where’s your farmland?”

“Well…it’s not really farmland…it’s more of a…forest.”

“And you call yourself a farmer?”  He shakes his head.  “Lying to the law is only going to get you into more trouble.”  He heaves my back over his shoulder.  “That’s going to be another charge.  Let’s get this goblin loving piece of shit outta here.”

As the second pair see to the bullies the first two start to lead me away.  While there were protests from the spectators nobody goes so far as to actually step forward and plead my case.

Looking over my shoulder I say to Colly.  “Take the cart.  Go home.”

“I will thir.”  Colly says as she tags along fearfully.  “I’m thorry thir.  Thith ith my fault.”

“It’s not your fault Colly.  Get out of here, okay?  And be safe.”

“Yeth thir.”

“Just…tell Rosa what happened.  Tell her…tell her not to come find me.  Tell her to stay away.  Tell her that I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The commander chuckles.  “And you better tell this Rosa not to wait up.  Quintus here is going to be our guest for quite some time.”

Chapter 20