The Lycian Prince 30

It was less than an hour after Diocletian and his entourage had departed that the new Praetorian captain arrived with eight fresh soldiers to relieve those outside the torture chamber, despite the fact that a change of guard was not due for many hours. Naturally, those relieved were happy not to argue why this was. The captain had not been present during Anthonius’ torment, being required elsewhere, but had heard about it. He entered the torture chamber and was horrified by what he saw. He quickly lowered the groaning boy onto the floor, removed what bodily appendages could be removed and released him from his shackles. In so doing, the captain had to supervise the release of a stream of pink fluid pouring from both penile and anal apertures and prevent the lad from collapsing to the floor. He gently carried the semi-conscious but deeply hurting Anthonius out of the awful chamber, the guards outside acting as lookouts to help him, and conveyed the boy to another much smaller chamber nearby, which he had already prepared.

The captain gingerly placed Anthonius on a soft bed and opened a bag placed at its side. He smeared some cream-like substance on the fingers of his left hand, for he was left handed, from a small pottery jar and very carefully began the process of applying the healing ointment, one of his late mother’s special recipes, onto the boy’s many wounds. He also encouraged the lad to drink a milk-coloured liquid from another small jar, another maternal concoctions. Anthonius was soon virtually covered in the salve and thankfully sleeping as a result of the medicine. The captain maintained a vigil over Anthonius for the rest of the day and all of the night, applying more lotion and giving more potion whenever needed. He was relieved at dawn by a colleague and went to have words with the torturer before retiring to his own bed, completely exhausted. Diocletian never learned that Anthonius had not continued to suffer overnight for he was busy inviting suggestions for Anthonius’ ultimate fate. He had decided that his son was right in wanting the treacherous harlot to live to experience an horrific existence but was not happy that the Prince’s choice of means was the best. Various suggestions were made but, as usual, Niachiarus’ was the finest and was, as usual, promoted as Casperius’ idea.

The young Praetorian captain was lucky that Diocletian was in a happy mood, and still had feelings for him, when he suggested clemency instead. However, the Emperor did agree to his former boy lover’s suggestion that, in Niachiarus’ absence, the captain was probably the best person to supervise Anthonius’ full recovery. Diocletian was aware of the potency of the captain’s remedies from campaigning with him but was unaware that his own motive for allowing such aid, so that further horrors could be inflicted later on Anthonius’ restored body, contrasted sharply with that of his Praetorian officer. The Emperor instead suspected that the captain was really manoeuvring a position to have sex with a boy he fancied, but no longer cared if that was so. The major domo was more wary.

Casperius had, for once, acquainted Diocletian with the fact that it had been Niachiarus’ prediction that had finally caught Anthonius. He did so because it was his only way of fulfilling his promise of securing the Nubian’s freedom, not that he would normally be too bothered about promises made to slaves. However, Niachiarus was different for he knew too much, and simply having him disposed of might attract too much suspicion at this time. It was therefore sensible expediency just to buy him off by persuading the Emperor to grant the eunuch his freedom in reward for his role in the capture of Anthonius. The major domo was also feeling sufficiently contented with affairs that, totally out of character, he gave Niachiarus, as a parting gift, one twentieth of the bag of gold that the Emperor had awarded for the Nubian’s own original idea. Nevertheless, this small proportion was more than enough to enable the eunuch to produce many more of his own kind. His acquaintance at the slave market was ready to retire, having served the Empire loyally over so many years by unmanning thousands of young boys and youths. He was more than happy to sell his business to such an enthusiastic and capable successor. By the time of his death from sudden heart failure fourteen years later, the then obese Niachiarus had easily exceeded his predecessor in volume and had over a hundred large jars to prove it.

Once the captain had secured the Emperor’s permission to assist Anthonius’ recuperation, he had the boy’s chamber made warmer by finding a better use for one of the torture chamber’s smaller braziers. The officer and some colleagues continued to use the salve to repair the lad’s body and several medicines to help reduce and eventually eliminate the pain and other after-effects. Anthonius was, miraculously in the circumstances, fully recovered within the week, although the captain pretended otherwise for as long as he could, with his still regular visits to the boy explained as continuing ministrations. In fact, the officer spent the time providing company for a boy who would otherwise be very lonely and frightened, and formulating plans to help the lad further.

Anthonius was grateful to but initially suspicious of the Praetorian who had been responsible for nursing him back to full health so expertly. The captain was aware of this and bided his time, filling conversation with small talk until he thought that he had gained the boy’s trust. Then, one evening, the officer offered to help Anthonius escape and he made a confession to ensure that the boy realised that the offer was genuine. He explained to an astonished Anthonius that he knew about the boy’s presence in Ostia. The captain had been sent to the port with a detachment of Praetorians as part of the search for the runaways. He had taken the opportunity to meet a friend who shared his secret beliefs. It was the captain of the galley on which the boys were hiding and he appraised the captain of the Praetorians of the fact for he knew that the young officer would help not betray. There had been an order issued for all galleys to be searched but the Praetorian officer had ensured that this did not apply to the one on which the boys were concealed. When he subsequently saw the ship sail, he was happy that the two lads were on their way to safety. “If only I’d known that that Nubian eunuch was right about your intentions,” he continued, “for I could have made sure that both you and Sura were safe!” The captain did not relate that his willingness to help Anthonius stemmed almost as much from his tremendous admiration for the brave boy as from his beliefs, which he shared with a small group of other Praetorians. The lad had not only made the very brave attempt to rescue one friend but had also managed to hide the truth about the other under extreme torture.

Anthonius knew that he had to decline the captain’s marvellous offer for his mother and baby sister were on their way to Rome as hostages against his future conduct and, presumably, acquiescent acceptance of whatever fate the Emperor decided should befall him. The officer was saddened by the rejection of his offer but the reason for it and the alternative suggestion made only heightened his esteem for the boy, who had asked him instead to save Sura.

The captain told Anthonius two days later that Sura had mysteriously disappeared from the palace, to the great anger of the Emperor and major domo, and that he had been put in charge of the hunt for the boy eunuch. He declared “However, I doubt that I’ll ever find out who spirited him out of the palace and where the boy’s now hiding” to mutual delighted hilarity. When they had calmed, he added that he would see what he could do for Anthonius’ mother and sister when they arrived in Rome. He could then try to resolve Anthonius’ plight.

Anthonius was naturally very appreciative of the captain’s help and goodness and knew that he had only one thing that he could offer in return. The Praetorian had tried his best to hide his true feelings for the boy but had been unable to disguise them all, and the lad had seen. It was the little signs. The lingering of the captain’s fingers on, and their subsequent noticeably reluctant withdrawal from, certain parts of Anthonius’ body when the lotions were applied. The regular dryness in the officer’s mouth and formation of little beads of sweat on his brow that caused the man to try to avoid looking directly at Anthonius for too long during their conversations. The invariable finding of a place on the wall to focus his eyes instead as they sat sideways on the bed next to each other to talk.

Anthonius thought that it must be the captain’s inherent decency, and consequent unwillingness to force himself on a vulnerable boy, that was preventing him from making the move that he obviously would like to make. The lad therefore decided to make the first move himself. Anthonius wore only a small thong in his cell, ostensibly because his new brands, with their ointment protection, could not be covered by clothing until they had fully healed. However, they had actually been healed for a few days and this was just a ruse to convince the guards and any visitors that the boy’s recuperation was incomplete so that the lad could remain comparatively safe for a little longer. Anthonius made several unsuccessful indirect attempts to seduce the captain and resisted the frequent temptations to play with himself to do so, for his celibacy kept his body at the necessary height of sexual need and desire. In the officer’s presence, the boy had ensured that he always displayed an unmistakable bulge in his thong, tried sitting and moving as erotically as possible, frequently accidentally on purpose rubbed his hands and body against the man and always tried to exhibit an alluring and lustful stare, but the Praetorian had frustratingly maintained his resistance. Anthonius therefore decided to be more blatant. One evening, when the captain tried to start a silly conversation about the weather, Anthonius stopped the man instantly by beginning to push the waistband of his thong downwards. The Praetorian could not believe what he was seeing as the tiny garment was slowly removed and thrown to one side, revealing the boy’s hard-on. Anthonius smiled erotically and asked “Can’t we talk afterwards, sir?”

The captain now did not try to resist his urges or the dazzling sight presented to him. Anthonius soon felt the man’s lips encase his erection and the boy was coaxed to gradual climax so that the Praetorian could taste the delights of sweet young semen.

Anthonius, without prompting, then lay fully on the bed lengthways, turning over so that he was facedown, head on the pillow, and splayed his legs in an obvious invitation to the acutely excited, almost breathless, captain. The man stood up and fumbled with the straps on his uniform. He was having a difficulty with the objects that he had not known before and accidentally tore one off. Anthonius had moved his head to the side to observe the officer and giggled before jumping off the bed to help. The Praetorian looked into the boy’s eyes and thought that he noticed intense sexual desire there, an impression reinforced by the fact that he also saw that the lad’s cock had quickly hardened again. Once the outer uniform had finally been removed, Anthonius gave the captain a heavenly but all too short kiss on the lips before returning to his position on the bed. The boy gave a quiet gasp when the man eventually managed to strip off his final item of clothing to reveal a very large, engorged and throbbing penis. The Praetorian sat on the bed next to the boy and gently ran his hands over the whole of the lad’s naked back, lingering particularly at the perfect symmetry of the smooth young buttocks. The boy tensed and moaned quietly. The captain then removed a jar from his bag, opened it and dipped two fingers of his left hand into the grease within. The officer thought that he was in paradise when he carefully prised apart Anthonius’ bumcheeks with his right hand and located the lad’s sphincter with the greased fingers. He whispered to the boy, who was now breathing heavily and whose cock, lying flat out underneath pointing rigidly towards the foot of the bed, had started to soil the cover with precum. He asked “Are you sure that you want me to continue for your anus looks tight and I’m sure that I will hurt you?” Anthonius did not answer with words. He just pushed his bum upwards a little.

The captain gingerly pushed his fingers forward. He felt the sphincter at first seemingly try to resist the intrusion before giving way. More precum flowed from Anthonius’ cock. The Praetorian’s fingers delicately advanced to further quiet moaning from the boy before reaching their maximum extent and beginning their withdrawal. The man felt the lad’s anus trying to grip as if it did not want the invaders to retreat. He therefore slowly and cautiously moved the fingers up and down inside Anthonius, who began to writhe. The Praetorian was unsure whether this was in pain or pleasure until he saw semen spurt downwards along the bed. The fingers had seemingly performed a double task. The officer greased his own rampant cock and adopted a position to mount the boy. He again prised the bumcheeks apart and, with his engorged cock streaming with its own copious precum just above Anthonius’ exposed hole, again asked “Are you sure?” Anthonius replied “Yes”, for once forgetting the ‘sir’. The Praetorian pressed the cockhead against the anal opening and gently pushed but entrance was not forthcoming. The man was therefore forced to push harder and harder until the resistance gave way and, with a shudder and a little cry from Anthonius, he proceeded to gain entry.

The captain edged his rigid penis forward inside the boy with great care until finally he felt the lad’s smooth buttocks against his balls. The man then began a vigilant retreat before returning to the advance. The officer gradually built up the speed and forcefulness of his withdrawals and thrusts until he achieved what was, for him, the perfect rhythm. Meanwhile, Anthonius’ usual initial pain subsided and it was increasingly replaced by pleasure as his anus became more accustomed to the size of the man’s ploughing cock and the attentions that the invader was paying to his prostrate became more and more predominant. Anthonius’ cock hardened again in cadence with the rise in pleasure and the boy started to utter more ecstatic moans. When the captain heard this, he felt his orgasm approaching swiftly and he gave out a yell of supreme pleasure when he came again and again deep inside the boy. The sight of Anthonius splashing the bed with the product of his own third climax intensified the man’s unprecedented sensations still further.

Afterwards, as they held each other, Anthonius questioned the captain about his beliefs. The man informed the boy that he believed in only one God, that there should be love, peace and goodwill between all and, looking deeply into the young sky-blue eyes as if to emphasise the relevance to the lad’s situation, that sins should be forgiven and mercy applied not revenge. A long but interesting philosophical discourse then ensued between the two, although it was interrupted by two further bouts of intense lovemaking. Anthonius eventually whispered to the captain “Do you realise that I don’t know your name.” The Praetorian replied “Don’t you? That’s very inconsiderate of me. You can use it when we talk in private if you want. My name is Sebastian.”

(To be continued in Chapter 31 –‘Training’)