As the slave came to, he grew aware of the presence of several others and the lack of chains binding him. At first, he felt confused about the change in his situation, but when he opened his eyes and saw Lady Eralen sitting in front of him, the agreement they had come to resurfaced in his memory. A simple nod, and he found himself lowered from the ceiling, and that was the last thing he remembered.

"Welcome back to the land of the waking," Lady Eralen said to the slave. "You have been recovering from your ordeal for the last three days. The speed at which you have awoken impresses me, slave. Most reds would take at least two weeks."

She waved a hand, and the attendants present bowed and left the room.

"Your duties begin now," she stood. "I have an important meeting. You will follow, you will say nothing, you will cause no problems. After, you will serve me my dinner. Do not forget your agreement, slave."

The slave stood and gave a small bow, then followed his new mistress out of the room he had awoken in and through the marble halls of the palace. They reached another room, where several others with violet marks, some with indigo added into them, were seated. Standing behind each was a slave, the red branding around their neck marking them as such.

The slave stood behind his mistress as she sat, his gaze taking in the other slaves, each of whom had at least one injury. A black eye, a swollen lip, burns, bruises, cuts, scrapes, and more in some cases. Even the slightest action could result in injury, whether the slave intended it or not.

"Is that slave really so well-behaved that you've no need to remind it of your authority?" One of the other nobles asked as Eralen took her seat. "I have never seen it before, yet it bears no marks of punishment."

"Stand on your right foot," she instructed without looking at the slave, who obeyed with only a moment's delay. "Do not question my decisions, Kairul. If the slave needs no punishment, it will not receive one. This slave has been mine for three years, now. It has suffered plenty of punishment and will obey my every command. I can overlook a slight delay or hesitation when every command is obeyed."

"Yet that delay and hesitation questions your authority!" Kairul argued. "It is not fully broken, and before you know it, it will be attempting to escape, or even to take your life!"

Eralen snapped her fingers and a lance of shimmering violet energy burst forth, soaring towards Kairul and destroying his head in an explosion of gore.

"Kenrul," Eralen looked at the man in the seat beside the now-dead Kairul. "I hear that you have recently been promoted to the head of your family. I wish you well in your domain's prosperity."

"Thank you, Eralen," Kenrul dipped his head to her. "My father ruled the territory for the last thousand years, but I am confident I will be able to manage with his passing. I heard that you recently acquired the Vet family's allegiance. How is it having them as part of your domain, now?"

"Their territory is tiny and inconsequential," she responded. "I only paid them any attention because they liked to intrude. The land my father gave me was small, and they thought to test the limits of my power. A mere indigo could never hope to stand against a violet."

"About that," one of the other nobles said. "Did your father give any reason for ordering you to claim this land for the Len domain? These mountains are not exactly flourishing."

"I am sure he only wishes to have me out of his way and occupied," Eralen smiled. "He fears my ambition and desire to rule, and believes that placating me with a land of my own to rule over will keep me too busy to overthrow him."

To their people, abandoning one's territory in favor of ambitions was a great dishonor. Even if she was a ruler, she was required to focus her efforts on her land. Should she ignore it to lead a rebellion against her father, her people would lose their loyalty to her and her allies would abandon her, many turning into enemies who would wage war against her.

"So," one of the other nobles said. "What shall you do?"

"It has been five years," Eralen smiled. "What is five hundred to our kind? If my father wishes me out of his way, then I will simply make a life here. Put your foot down," the slave obeyed. "And become the head of a new clan. I am grateful to have such trusting allies nearby."

"You will found your own clan?" Kenrul asked. "What of your father?"

"He wishes me out of the way," Eralen responded. "And so I shall be out of his way. Once my territory has built up sufficient power, I will cease relations with my father and become an Icht. He has no need to fear my ambition. Do a handstand," the slave obeyed. "Why go through the trouble of overthrowing him when I can simply build my own territory?"

Discussions continued for nearly three hours, and during them, Eralen gave several commands, each of which the slave obeyed, even if with a slight delay. The other High Nobles and Grand Nobles were impressed, as they knew that most slaves would not be paying attention after so long. They feared what would happen for listening in on their superiors' business, yet this one seemed to hold no fear.

When the meeting ended, Eralen stood and exited the conference room, her slave following behind. She led him to a garden with vibrant flowers of blues, greens, and purples, then turned and faced him.

"You have permission to speak," she informed him. "What did you think of the High Nobles and Grand Nobles there, and the outcome of the meeting?"

"It is not my place to judge nobility," the slave responded.

"I order you to answer the question with full honesty."

"Lord Elmel will likely try to kill you and claim this territory for his domain, Lord Kenrul and Lady Imiral will be great allies. Lady Inovas will ultimately serve whoever pays her the most, and should not be trusted if milady wishes to prosper well."

"The Rul Clan," Lady Eralen said. "Has had tense terms with the Len Clan for thousands of years. They were once a part of us. Why do you believe that Lord Kenrul would be a great ally? Answer with full honesty."

"He would do anything if it meant a chance to bed with you."

"What brought you to that assessment?" She asked. "Answer with full honesty."

"He could hardly take his eyes off of you during the meeting," the slave answered. "Though forced himself to so as to not seem suspicious. The pitch of his voice was different while he spoke with you than when he spoke with others."

"Both of those," she said. "Could be attributed to anger and desire to kill me or ruin me. You looked into the eyes of nobles? Answer with full honesty."

"I could tell by the angle of his head, milady."

"Look into my eyes," she commanded, and he did, noticing how dark hers were as she noticed as light his were. "What other reasons do you have for believing he would favor me over desiring my end or ruin after I slayed his father? Answer with full honesty."

"His father granted you multiple insults, milady," the slave answered. "While as a guest in your home. You were within your rights to execute him. If he faulted you for that, then he would lose the trust of the other nobles. To do so is the exception, not the norm. Most nobles in his place would understand the attack, and likely would have done the same in your place."

"It seems you understand nobles better than your rebellious attitude would show," she said. "You are right in that we are above such petty grievances. I will have to test this theory of yours about Kenrul, slave. If it turns out true, then I see no reason not to deny it. He is quite handsome, and a violet is much less likely to break with me than a slave. Come. It is dinner time."

The slave followed his mistress to another room, where several other slaves were putting out food. None approached her, leaving it to him to serve her. Once she had her food and had begun eating, he claimed food for himself and sat at a smaller table to her right, facing her as he ate, rising anytime she desired more food or her glass emptied to replenish her meal and drink.

As long as she held to her agreement with him, his life would be better by obeying her and being the good slave than by not, even if he managed to escape. She even promised to allow him to learn magic, should he earn enough trust from her.

After dinner, Eralen sent the slave to her room, informing him she had private business to look after. He bowed, then left, and after receiving directions from another slave, found his way to her room. It was spacious, with a large bed resting against the back wall.

Exploring his master's space, the slave located her relief room and her bathing room. Anticipating her desire for a bath after she finished with her business he was not invited to, he attempted to locate a way to fill or heat the bath, which was set into the floor instead of raised, like the baths at his old master's.

At his previous master's, there were levers to push, yet there, he could find no such thing. There were a series of circular runes around the inside of the top of the bath, with similar ones on the bottom, yet other than that, it was simply stone. No method of filling the bath, nor any method of emptying it.

"The bath isn't the kind a lesser slave owner might have," a voice said, and the slave jumped, turning and bowing to his mistress, afraid of the punishment he would receive for not being in her room when she returned. "I take it you've been searching for a way to fill it for awhile. You will not be able to, it runs on magic."

She walked over and gestured for him to enter the bath. He did so, then held up a hand so that he could help her step down into it. Once she was standing in the bath, she placed a hand on a rune outside of the bath, and water began to pour into it from the circular runes lining the inside edge.

The slave stared at the magic in awe, having never heard of such a thing. What further impressed him was that the water was steaming, and when it hit his feet, it was already hot.

"Activating this rune," Eralen informed him as she removed her hand. "Fills the bath until the water covers the pour runes. Activating this rune," she gestured to the one beside the first. "Will cause it to drain from the holes in the bottom. Begin washing."

The slave dipped his head, then grabbed a cloth from a shelf within reach from the bath, wet it, and poured some liquid from a jar onto it, then began scrubbing his mistress with it, working gently to avoid any possible retaliation for being too rough.

After he finished washing her and rinsing her, making sure to thoroughly clean and brush her hair, the slave stood and waited as she sat and relaxed. For nearly an hour, they remained like that, then she activated the drain rune.

"Help me out," she commanded.

The slave stepped out of the bath and held out a hand, assisting her exit from the bath. He grabbed a towel and began to dry her off, making sure to rub as much water out of her hair as possible.

"Dry yourself," she ordered him. "Then come to my bed."

He gave a small bow, then dried himself with a second towel as she left the bathing room. After disposing of the towels in the wicker basket meant for them, he entered her bedroom and approached her bed. Lady Eralen lay on her back, her hands resting lightly on her stomach.

"Speak with full honesty when questioned by me," she commanded. "Have you ever been used as a pleasure slave?"

"No, milady," he answered. "I am not worthy of such things."

"You are a slave," she said. "You are not worthy of anything, and all that you have and are is by the grace of your master or mistress. Have you ever had sex?"

"No, milady," he answered. "It was not permitted of me. As a slave, performing such an act would surely result in offspring, which would only burden my master or mistress."

"You are a red," she said. "I am a violet. The chance of offspring is negligible. I have a tendency to break slaves who act as pleasure slaves. Their bodies are not resilient enough, and they take awhile to recover. You have a strong body and a swift recovery time. You will pleasure me."

"I am honored that milady would allow me to satisfy her," he said. "However, I do not believe that I would be able to do such a thing, and apologize for that."

"It is a matter of experience," she said. "You will learn what I like, slave, and how to pleasure me. Now climb onto my bed and kneel beside me."

The slave obeyed, and she grabbed his right hand, pulling him towards her and resting it on her left breast as she grabbed his head and forced it down to her right breast.

"Use your tongue on my nipple," she ordered him. "Lightly pinch it with your teeth. Do not pierce. I know that while you can ignore the pain, you still feel it. Do not think I will not abuse that if you displease me."

The slave obeyed, lightly pinching her nipple with his teeth and brushing his tongue against it. She knew he was hesitant, but in time, he would service her without her guidance, and only then would she truly begin to enjoy it. Eralen used a hand to guide his fingers on her other breast, massaging it and even pinching her nipple, and after several minutes of his hesitant pleasure, she ordered him to switch nipples. When he did, she skillfully maneuvered him so that his half-kneeling, half-laying position resulted with his left leg between hers, his thigh brushing her below as his tool rubbed her leg. She let out a light moan, then suppressed a snort as he quickly lifted up, doing his best to not let it touch her.

Eralen ran her hands over his bony shoulders. Give him a few months of proper food, ensure he remained active, and he would have a handsome body to go with his tool.

"Now lick and suck between them," she ordered him. "While massaging and pinching both."

He obeyed, working his tongue between her breasts as his fingers worked her nipples, and Eralen let out a soft moan and lifted her hips up, making sure to rub against him. When he began to pull away, Eralen grabbed his sides and pulled him forward, shifting so that he was in the proper position.

The mistress bit the slave's neck, and he let out a small moan, his mistress moving his right hand to her breast as her sudden shift forced his left onto the bed, propping him up as she massaged herself using his hand. He did his best to resist the desire, the instinct, to penetrate into her, to make her his and take her as his nature demanded, his status forbidden him such a thing.

The slave gasped as Eralen used her legs to pull his waist down and shifted her hips until he was brushing against her, before she pulled him down further.

"Milady!" He gasped as she sank him into her, lifting her hips to take him all the way.

"Shh," she released his neck as she slid her hands from his shoulders to the middle of his back, pulling him down so that his chest rested on hers. "Continue to thrust, slave. If you please me enough, I may let you finish, and even might allow you to sleep in a bed rather than the floor."

Eralen dropped her waist back onto the bed, using her legs to pull him down again as she bit into his neck once more. As he lifted his chest up to reposition himself instinctively as he fought the desire to move quickly and roughly, Eraeln moved her hands to his chest, massing his breasts for a moment before sliding her hands down his sides and onto his ass, before pulling it down as she thrust her hips up. The pair of them moaned, and the slave stopped moving, savoring the sensation of his mistress pushing up and sliding back down on him as she came close. She bit into his neck again before she flipped him off of her.

He had only a moment to fear before he found her shoving herself into his face, ordering him to use his tongue to enter her and pleasure her. The slave did so to the best of his ability, noting that when he rubbed a certain spot with his tongue, she moaned even louder, her hips thrusting into him. Before he knew it, he was holding her by the waist, lost in the moment, and doing everything he could to hear that moan again.

It lasted only a minute before she thrust forward, snapping his head back as purple swirls began to form on her body, shifting around as her moans increased in intensity. Through her orgasm, the slave continued to massage her ass as he recovered from the sudden thrust and worked her with his tongue. As his mistress continued to shudder and thrust forward, the slave began to fear that she might break his neck, but after several minutes, her orgasm subsided and the extra marks faded away.

He watched as his mistress climbed off of him, then slowly lay beside him.

"Most had to take a few days to recover after that," she traced her on his slave branding, then lightly dragged her fingers down to his right breast and lightly teased his nipple. "And you picked up on what I liked quickly. I grant you permission to finish yourself off, slave. Though I am your mistress, you may pleasure yourself with my body and finish within me, if you so wish. Do not fear punishment for relieving yourself with me, slave, as this is my gift to you, for service such as what you gave to me for your first time. It was better than most."

"I thank you for the honor," he responded. "But I could never do such a thing. You are my mistress, and it would be in appropriate of me to do more than you command."

"I command you to accept the gift," she told him. "You will find that I take pleasure in both taking charge and having charge taken, slave. If you do something that crosses a line, I will inform you of it so that you will not perform that error again. Do keep in mind that if you take true charge, as I am allowing you to do, you will find an instinct to bite my neck. Resist it at all costs, or you will be punished severely. Am I clear?"

"Yes, milady," he said.

"Now begin," she ordered him. "Do as you would wish for me. Do not resist your urges and allow yourself to do as you desire."

"Y-yes, milady," he responded.

The slave looked at his mistress, unsure if she was testing him with the 'gift', but she had given him a command, which meant he had to obey. His instincts, now that he had begun to feel sexual pleasure, demanded that he thrust back into her, but he also desired to taste the milk that the female of his people produced at all times, which supposedly became a sacred nectar when they gave birth.

Only able to do one, the slave placed a hand on her stomach as he knelt over her, rubbing it gently as he took her left breast into his mouth, pinching her nipple with his teeth and sucking as he massaged her other breast with his left hand. It only took a few moments for her sweet, warm milk to spray into his mouth, his mistress moaning, her hands on his shoulders. He felt a tingle, no doubt magic touching his skin, and it send a wave of pleasure that increased his senses and lust. He drank deeper as his right hand moved down her stomach and began to probe her.

The slave finally understood why others had mentioned the taste and the desire to let their mistresses allow them even one more drink of it, and after a few deep drinks of it, he switched breasts, using his right hand to massage the one he had just drunk from as his left probed her and entered, carefully searching out the spot that made her moan in a way that touched a primal part of him. As soon as she shuddered and moaned, he knew he had the spot.

He took several deep drinks from her left breast, deciding he preferred the milk from her right almost immediately. Then, he released her and moved forward, allowing himself to slide back into her, almost immediately beginning to push in as roughly and quickly as he could, only the desire to finish filling him.

The slave massaged her breasts as he fought the urge to bite her neck, his right hand resting beside his mistress's head as he forced his head to remain up. As his mistress's hips began to thrust, assisting him in penetrating her and drawing out those moans, the slave snarled, using his left hand to grab her right arm and pull it between them, biting into her forearm as his nostrils flared. He sank into her again, his right hand moving beneath her and pulling her closer against him, feeling her moist breasts against his chest, her soft back under his fingers.

He bit into her arm again, only vaguely aware of a fear of punishment for the bites, even if they weren't on her neck. He had lost himself into the pleasure and instincts awakened with him by her beginning, and as he continue to thrust, the bed beneath them lightly shaking, crimson swirls began to form on him, shifting around him as violet ones formed on her once more, shifting around her as the two climaxed in unison.

When they finished and their senses returned to them, the slave immediately checked his mistress's arm. Though he had bitten it many times, not a mark remained. The bites were not too deep and a violet could heal such injuries in moments.

"The only others," she said as he bowed his head, awaiting punishment. "Who managed to resist the urge to bite my neck bit their own arms instead. This was a first for me, slave, and I dare say that I enjoyed it likely as much as you enjoyed it. Lie down and turn onto your left side."

The slave obeyed, wondering what she was going to do to his back as punishment for biting her and taking her as his.

Much to his surprise, she pulled against him, sliding an arm beneath the pillow under his head, her other resting over him and gently massaging his stomach, her body pressed against his. He stiffened, wondering if it was some new form of punishment as his mind focused on the feel of her soft chest against his back, her smooth legs against his.

"Sleep," she whispered to him. "And when morning comes, the first thing you will do upon waking is pleasure me orally. If you can behave and obey my every command throughout the day, and please me both upon waking and at bed time, I will allow you to finish with your instincts and desires unleashed, rather than finishing in your sleep, alone, after several days of lacking release."

Eralen tapped the slave, realizing that he had fallen asleep, exhausted from what she knew was the first time he had ever given in to those instincts. He would still be recovering from the torture as well, so she admitted a small level of stupidity at thinking he would have managed to stay awake for her explanation simply because he had tensed up at her touch. His instincts would have told him that it was time to sleep without worry, and his subconscious side acted on that.

The mistress bit her slave's neck, then gently nipped his ear before settling against him.