The Lycian Prince 15

The caravan advanced into the town and was soon accompanied by a number of beggars and loud curious children, all Arab. It eventually reached a huge square full of milling people, men, women and children, many now black. The caged wagon was parked at one side of the square in the shade of a ramshackle building and its awning was removed. A large crowd soon gathered to view the commodities on display. Anthonius could not translate what many of them were shouting but did not need to do so to appreciate its abusive nature. He noticed that a group of eight Arab girls of various ages, but seemingly led by a girl aged about fifteen, were the most vociferous. His only comfort was the fact that it was more commodious being in the shadow of the building than it would be in the square, under the sun, with the abusive horde all around.

Anthonius could see that, beyond the crowd gawking mainly at him with only occasional glances towards the others, all sorts of goods were being sold throughout the square to a number of black men attired in long colourful robes. Each appeared to have a group of black helpers dressed less splendidly in grey tunics. He also saw several large wooden stockades accommodating many young and bound black boys and girls, whose only coverings were small loincloths. His guess that these were the slaves to be bartered appeared to be confirmed when, on several occasions, Arabs entered the stockades with some of the black helpers and seemingly perused the human stock before taking some away.

Anthonius and the others had to wait half of the day before they were all escorted in line across the square, through the milling throngs and to constant derisory jeering, to a tall rectangular wooden platform accessed by steps on its shorter sides. The sad little group was kept at the foot of one of these sets of stairs until the auction of the Arab’s white goods began. One by one, the others were unbound and led individually onto the platform to be sold. Anthonius, as the most valuable, was being kept for last. The waiting and scared boy saw that the sale routine was always the same. The captives would be met on the platform by an Arab auctioneer who then, in a strange language, apparently extolled their virtues to the front assemblage, comprising about one hundred potential black chieftain bidders, their many black helpers and a multitude of Arabs, the latter present simply to enjoy the spectacle. The captives’ bodies would be shown off at all angles, first with their skirts on then nude, the removal of their covering always producing loud and mocking cheering. He had to guess what happened when they were then led down the other set of stairs but his assumption, gained from his earlier viewing of the site, proved correct. The final step acted as a small dais for the chieftains to inspect the goods individually and more intimately. Sometimes this lasted up to a third of an hour, depending on the numbers considering a bid. However, few of the crowd departed despite their impatience, as most were waiting keenly to observe the sale of the one whose type they had never seen before, blonde and blue-eyed and possessed with a perfect light complexion, despite the attentions of the unforgiving yellow orb overhead. The captives would eventually be brought back onto the main platform and the bidding would take place. It was invariably fast and the purchased goods were soon standing naked in front of their buyers, surrounded by gloating watchers.

Anthonius was finally the next to be exhibited. The surrounding gaiety was raucous as the tremulous boy was led up the stairs and onto the middle of the platform. The auctioneer grabbed him by the arm and shouted long and boisterously before making him place his trembling hands on his head and prodding him into a variety of standing positions so that his form could be appreciated from every perspective. The accompanying turbulence never faltered until everyone suddenly comprehended that his cover was about to be removed, when there was a momentary and almost miraculous silence. It was broken by the loudest cheers of the day when the auctioneer, after an initial fumble, managed to release the toggle on the boy’s skirt to cast the encumbrance aside. Anthonius already knew that he was hard. However, he could not calculate whether the many fingers now pointing at him, and the many people clearly discussing him, were fascinated by his overall shape, his clearly displayed sexual excitement, his newly revealed and unexpected brands, his ornamental rings, or other aspects of the young nude body now exhibited before them. He did ascertain that the loudest commentators were the group of Arab girls he had seen earlier. Somehow, they had managed to make their way to the front of the platform for a close view of proceedings. The boy had previously suffered many humiliations but he thought that this moment, being paraded naked and fully aroused before the eager multitude, was by far the worst.

Anthonius was taken down the stairs for the bidding chieftains to have a much closer look at him. About twenty gathered in an orderly fashion and the auctioneer allowed them, one by one, to inspect the goods on offer. The boy felt their hands all over him. They ran through his hair and across his face. His mouth was opened for its contents, including his dazzling white teeth, to be checked. The hands ran over his neck, limbs and torso. His genitals were weighed and prodded. The foreskin on his erect cock was pulled back for the head and slit to be examined. The hands ran over his buttocks. He was bent over and his bum cheeks were pulled apart to expose his hole, which was now as tight as usual. The silent slave had been amazed at how it had repaired itself after being invaded by the monster phallus. The anus would once again provide great pleasure to the sodomiser and pain to the sodomised.

Anthonius was eventually returned onto the main platform, his excited penis conspicuously throbbing. The bidding took a little longer than previous but was nevertheless soon over. The boy was led off the platform and into the front of the crowd where the winning chieftain stood, surrounded by about ten helpers and many crowing Arabs, including the eight girls. Anthonius was forced to his knees before the man, who nodded to a young black boy nearby. Anthonius noticed that the boy was about his own age, was dressed in a simple but tidy grey tunic and had a very pretty face. He also noticed that the boy carried a wide metal collar with a long chain lead attached to one side and wrist shackles to the other. The collar was placed around Anthonius’ neck and bolted in place. Anthonius instantly felt discomfort from its tight fit and heavy weight and this was increased when his hands were shackled behind him, halfway up his back. The black boy then pulled the white boy to his feet and led him by the chain lead through the surrounding throng, closely followed by the chieftain and his helpers. The Arab girls followed too, giggling at the sight of Anthonius’ nude rump preceding them.

The party finally came to a couple of covered wagons just off the square in a quieter side street and Anthonius’ lead was fixed to the rear of the second wagon. The chieftain issued some orders and he departed with the black boy and most of the other helpers to complete his business in the square, leaving his latest purchase in the charge of a couple of older boys, both about sixteen. The Arab girls were standing nearby eyeing Anthonius and pointing and chortling at his continued arousal. The fifteen years old leader then approached one of the young guards and entered into a form of conversation with him, both knowing some words of each other’s language. Anthonius then saw them hold hands and disappear down an alleyway. They returned about a quarter of an hour later, both adjusting their respective tunics. The girl called to her friends. They all quickly gathered round Anthonius and two of the bigger ones took hold of his arms to keep him in place. The leader stood behind the white boy and started to caress his naked back with her left hand. The sniggering of the others increased noticeably. She moved her left hand to the lad’s bum and her right to his throbbing penis, which she began to pump whilst at the same time invading his hole with a finger. This intrusion soon became two then three fingers. A number of passers-by had stopped to watch the fun and, when the girl realised that Anthonius’ cock would no longer require the attentions of her right hand, she stood back to allow herself and everyone else view the results of her administrations. They saw the boy’s cock rise vertically towards his belly and the foreskin slip back to reveal the head. It was quickly followed by a stream of white fluid that splashed as far as the lad’s hair. The girls then left, still chuckling loudly, and the passers-by continued on their way, leaving a deeply humiliated Anthonius guiltily displaying the evidence of his own passion on his hair, face, chest and stomach.

Anthonius was allowed some water and to sit cross-legged while he waited for the chieftain and his entourage to return. They did so late afternoon, several hours later, and placed their latest purchases in the ox-drawn wagons before mounting themselves, having pulled the boy to his feet. The wagons set off slowly out of the still-bustling town on a track heading south, proudly showing off their most expensive purchase as he trailed behind, shame-faced at his nakedness and new demeaning status. Some children followed for a while teasing Anthonius with insults and little stones, but the people they passed eventually became fewer and fewer and they came to the empty countryside.

(To be continued)