“Love is…a very difficult concept to express, I am much afraid. It is a feeling one person has for another, often shared…Sometimes not. Love is when you hold another individual higher than you would hold yourself, but not in the usual way. Love is when you would go to great lengths to make them happy again, to keep them safe. Love is when the only person doesn’t only see you for who you are but shapes you into the person you want to be. They say love is blind, but I hardly believe so. Everyone is attracted to the person they love…”
Everyone is attracted to the person they love… nothing could ever of been truer in William’s case. Everything about his mistress had driven the slave wild with love. For so many weeks his love had been at first believed to of been some sort of illness caused by the very presence of his mistress. Yet those first days within his mistress’s ownership had grown into weeks, his mind had been opened by a particular book hand written by his mistress’s father, the original lord of the van Richter household. With his mistress’s patience and William’s ever growing persistence to read, her father had taught William so much more about love than what any slave should ever have known. Yet even with fears of his looming affections present as his heart had begun to tug more and more upon the belief that his mistress was ‘the one’, if it wasn’t for Lord Sebastian’s words of wisdom the slave would probably still of been sitting upon his makeshift bed broken hearted.
Everything about this single moment was exhilarating, but all the while so serene. It was impossible for the slave to fully express how this moment was like for he was just so in the moment. To have his mistress’s lips pressed lovingly against his own, his undying affection for his mistress would all be split here and now. Nothing could ever sour such a sweet moment as this. It was like everything that William had endured, everything that he’s been through, was worth all the pain and troubles so long as he could have his Catarina. And so as he felt his mistress’s hand slowly wrap itself around the slave’s warm skin, he could feel his mistress’s kiss become so much bolder, yet at the same time; send this surge of electricity through the slave’s wary body. Placing one hand against the wall to support himself as he allowed his mistress to take the wheel. William had no idea how this whole love thing work, but hopefully his mistress would be the one to teach him. So with both eyes closed, he continued to kiss his mistress with more passion than what he had first possessed before his mistress had pulled away gently, caressing his cheek as she did so with a gentle smile. Watching with his golden eyes as she has stroked away any remaining tears from both of her eyes, William had felt an urge to move away any strands of hair that had been hung over his mistress’s beautiful face. So with a tender hand, he slid away any golden strands that have been hung loosely over his mistress’s glowing skin. Gods… she was so beautiful, even underneath the dim candle lit flames. It was just… some how she had always managed to look beautiful within William’s eyes. Well really in just about everyone’s eye, but it was William who had always found his mistress just so mesmerizing. Feeling the embrace of another gentle kiss against his cheek, the slave had smiled with such genuine happiness as he had silently watched his mistress’s gaze move down towards the slave’s naked hands. The slave had sat breathlessly as he had watched his mistress’s finger run over the scars that had marked the events of his past lives as another master’s slave. Funny to think that only months ago, the slave had honestly believed that he was going to die within the cages. With no will to continue with his life, and no hope to shine upon his future, would the slave think the same if he had known that Catarina would become his newest dream?
“Catarina…”
His voice was humble and hushed but it held the conviction of loving concern. This itself was something entirely new to come from the slave, but it was welcoming and sweet. Yet the silence that came from his mistress had brought a sense of uneasiness has the human had ran his rough hand against the soft skin of his mistress’s cheek. William had always been a slave with an eye to catch the peculiar, and tonight; amongst the rush which was love, the slave could sense that there was something that his mistress had been keeping away from him. His own love, but what was it? What was she hiding?
“William…I…”
“Yes mistress?” What was it? What was it that his mistress wanted to speak of? Was it too about her feelings? Did she too feel the same way about her slave as he did his master or would her words inspire heartbreak? No… William refused to accept anything but that reality. So with his golden eyes, he slave closed his eyes once more as he felt his mistress’s soft and sweet lips press against his own once more.
“Tonight…I went to see the High King.”
Yes…?
“William, I…I felt so awful about the things I said to you. I wanted to do something that would make you happy. Something that would make me happy.”
Curiously the slave had leaned in closer? Wanting to know what was it that his mistress had been so dramatically prolonged. What did she mean, something that would bring the both of them happiness?
“The truth is William, I was afraid. Afraid to accept your feelings under our circumstances.”
So… did this mean… that she didn’t-
“You see, I was confused where your duty and loyalty ended and your true love began. But now I know. But it makes little difference because I still want what I asked the king for.”
Wait… did the slave really want to know?
“Will, I…I asked for your freedom.”
“M-my… freedom…?” Everything suddenly felt dizzy; this was something that William had not been expecting. This was a horse-pill of a moment to swallow, but his mind had processed his mistress’s words so slowly. It was almost as if those words were just something that he must have misheard. There was no way that his mistress had asked the High King, Thee High King, for a lowly slave’s freedom; especially his own. Yet as he saw that twinkle of a tear within his mistress’s eye, and that heart filled smile that had grown across her wonderful face, William was completely hostage amongst a loss of words.
“I want to love you as the man, William. Not as a slave. I wanted you to choose to be with me, I don’t want to think about how I bought you. William, I have never…known someone as great as you before. I begged the king for your protection as a free man Will, and…soon, when the House of the Undead has won this war, he will be the King of all of the people and your freedom will be protected wherever you go. You can go anywhere, be anything…”
“Mistress… you give me too much praise…” William had laughed gently as he had waived his hand in the air in a bit of a bashful manor. To think that his mistress went through all the troubles of asking for William’s pardon from bondage, and to even go so far as to ensure his protection after he had been freed was something that William found so… unbelievable… it was just too good to be true. Yet if the words his mistress had been speaking were in fact true, then… well what would he do? He was raised as a slave, trained as a slave, and sold as a slave. To free a human would be like teaching a fork how to be a spoon. William had no idea what it meant to be free, nor what it meant to be given freedom. But aside from the ideas of what it could me to no long be a slave, a very important though had came upon his mind, “But what of you mistress? Who will protect you from those who might see this as… wrong?” grasping his mistress’s shoulders with ginger care, the slave earnestly didn’t care about freedom if it meant jeopardizing his mistress’s well-being. He himself would rather be sent off to the chopping block than to watch his master be raided and… well… William didn’t even want to think of the possibilities… “Please don’t get me wrong Catarina… but if my freedom means hurting you then I must refuse your offer…” his voice was somber but with good intent. It was true that the save didn’t need freedom so long as he had his mistress, “You are all that I need…”
Seeing how her smile had shown as brightly as the dawn’s first light, the slave had felt a sense of peace as he had felt her arms wrap around his body like walls for a castle. It made him feel safe knowing that in this crazy world there was at least one person that he could lean onto. Hearing the intake of her breath as she had ran a single slender finger down the ridge of his neck. The slave’s face turned a shade red as he was strongly unfamiliar by the way his mistress had begun to touch him. Yet as he watched as his mistress closed her eyes, suddenly he felt her body press tightly up against his chest. William was taken away by this because this too was really… his first hug. It felt warm and right, safe and sound. So with arms slowly wrapping themselves around his mistress, he too had closed his eyes gently to take in this moment of pure bliss. Placing one hand upon the head of his mistress, stroking her hair tenderly as he felt her face up against the side of his neck, William had cooed gently as she had brought her lips up towards the lobe of his ear. The a voice had whispered in through the night, one of which that William longed so long to hear…
“But even still, William, I have fallen in love with you.”
His smile was brighter than even the sun’s brightest light, greater than any ocean and stronger than any waterfall. William had felt suddenly weightless, as if it wasn’t for his mistress’s arms which had held him securely, the slave might have fallen over. So as William was given a new light within his once pitiful life, the slave too closed his eyes as he had felt his mistress’s sweet, sweet lips fall upon his own once again. This time though… this kiss was something so indescribable as his hands had fallen back onto his mistress’s body, wrapping themselves around his mistress as he had wanted to hold this kiss for as long as what his mistress would of allowed. Once that love-filled moment had passed, the slave sat attentively as he had waited for his mistress’s next move, knowing that when it came to something like this, William was a green horn.
"I love you so much... Catarina..."
“Are you really going to make us sleep on the floor?”
“U-us…?!” His voice had squeaked in reminiscence to pubescent years as his embarrassment was clearly glowing straight across his face like a burning fire. Never before had William thought about being able to sleep with his mistress in the same room, let alone in the same bed. And yet something about his mistress’s off seemed just so… enticing… like something so forbidden, that it just had to of been done. Gods… whatever it is that has come over the slave, please don’t let it rise out of proportions… “W-Well… I sup-pose that this wouldn’t do… now would it…” William had spoken with a voice so reminiscent to his once timid form from weeks before. His mistress must have enjoyed seeing the slave stumble over his words as he would be thrown into a situation so unfamiliar to him, even quite scandalous. But as William had risen up onto his feet, he couldn’t help but to hoist his mistress up into his arms. It was just something about this, knowing that he was the very thing that supported his lady that William found so comforting. To an extent, it gave him a sense of power, but at the same time; knowing that he was the thing that his mistress needed or at least what he liked to believe his mistress needed. So suavely the slave had brought his mistress over towards the king sized bed, with drapery hanging from all about the bed’s corner and sides as William pulled over a few bed sheets before placing his mistress gently onto it’s plush surface. Seeing as his mistress had been barefoot before she had entered the bed, William had returned towards the once slammed open door and quickly gathered his mistress’s slippers before closing the once open door behind him. Still with a face burning bright red, the slave placed those two delicate shoes beside his mistress’s wardrobe before turning towards his lady modestly, “Would you like to change into your night gown… Catarina…?” the boy had asked innocently, as it would seem quite odd to rest within one of your finest dinner gowns.
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Asa's words felt taunting at first, partly because of how upset Samuel was and all the stress he was under. It wasn't Asa's fault that his prospective lover took things this way, certainly if Samuel took the time to think about it he would realise he hadn't taken it the way it was meant. But stress does funny things to the mind as well as the body, he didn't consider that he had been too preoccupied with Nicolas when Asa had tried to tell him about the room change, "You always c-change things. I d-don't like it. It changes too m-much." Two days in a row Asa had changed where he would sleep. For Samuel that was a big deal, but the cold hand stroking his cheek helped him not to freak right out. That he found odd, he was starting to feel as though he liked Asa touching him because he was cold. Wasn't that just odd.
