Pueros

The Lycian Prince

Dedicated to Zelamir, talemaster!!

Chapter 1
Waiting

(January 290 A.D.)

The Emperor sat in his state tent surrounded by his senior army officers and household advisors, awaiting the now overdue arrival of the Lycian delegation. Diocletian had reluctantly agreed to meet them on advice from his senior general and Nonianus. The general knew that the Lycians were ready to sue for peace and did not want any of his men unnecessarily wasted in prolonging the campaign. Nonianus believed that the long-term interests of the Empire justified allowing the Lycians some mercy.

Lycia, located in what is now south westTurkey but then populated by ethnic Greeks, had been a client kingdom of Rome for a couple of centuries, prospering under the Empire's protection. The present King had ruled wisely for many years, maintaining excellent relations with the various Emperors. However, he had become senile in old age and had taken irrational exception to some new Imperial taxes. He stupidly refused to pay any more, expelled the small and surprised Roman garrison and declared his country's independence.

Diocletian had just completed a successful campaign to put down a Parthian-inspired rebellion in Syria and decided to attend to the Lycian impertinence himself on his way home to Rome. He landed unopposed with a couple of legions on the Lycian coast and quickly progressed inland. The small Lycian army, which had not experienced a war for over a hundred years, was no match for the hardened Roman legions and had been quickly routed. The countryside was ravaged and soon the Lycian capital was besieged. Diocletian knew that the end would not be long delayed for the city was not prepared to withstand a prolonged siege after so many years of peace. His instinct was to let the siege take its course, raise the city and enslave the population as evidence to other client kingdoms of the consequence of defying Rome's omnipotence. However, he had bowed to advice to listen the Lycians' entreaties first.

The Emperor was now thinking that this advice had been unsound for the Lycians were compounding their rebellion and testing his patience further by being discourteously late. Nonianus hoped that something would happen soon or he could be the one who bore the brunt of the Emperor's displeasure. Fortunately, something did happen in the form of a distraction. Armillatus, the latest of the Emperor's boys, entered the tent. He was 12, had a shock of straight black hair, deep brown eyes, sumptuous lips and a lithe lightly tanned and nicely proportioned body. He had been sent for fresh wine and had returned with a large jug. Diocletian gestured that he should fill his cup, insisting that it be filled to the brim and then be held for him. The boy obeyed, standing immediately to his Imperial master's right, holding the cup pressed to his chest with both hands for steadiness and waiting to offer it whenever signalled. However, the Emperor had decided to amuse himself with the boy whilst he waited for the Lycians. He surreptitiously reached out his right hand until it delved underneath the rear of the boy's tunic and then under the rear flap of his loincloth, placing his hand gently on the cloth covering the boy's smooth buttocks. Armillatus jumped slightly with surprise, spilling a little wine. However, he knew better than to move away or say anything. He knew he must try to allow the Emperor to fondle him without revealing what was happening. Nevertheless some present realised what the Emperor was doing and either looked on entranced or found something else to do.

The hand gently massaged the boy's buttocks before the fingers ran up and down his bum crack. Armillatus swallowed hard in his efforts to maintain some form of equilibrium but he could feel himself becoming aroused. The Emperor had not bedded him for over ten days and the boy had since been forced to remain chaste. He therefore desperately needed relief. A bead of sweat slowly worked its way down his forehead. The hand had now moved underneath him and was rubbing up and down on the cloth-encased form of his genitals, encouraging his penis to enlarge. The rubbing continued remorselessly. The boy swayed, spilling a little more wine, and he had to close his eyes because he felt himself becoming dizzy, but still the rubbing continued. His uncut penis, a little larger than normal for a boy his age because of the recent attentions it had been afforded in the service of his new Imperial master, was now really bulging its cloth encasement and he recognised that he was close. He whispered just one word "Lord" and his Lord whispered back "You have until the Lycians arrive to resist or it's two strokes of the cane later. Double if you spill more wine". Armillatus knew that the Emperor was playing with him in all senses of the phrase. The rubbing continued and the head of the boy's penis began to emerge from the downside of his loincloth, still hidden from general view by his tunic. Several more beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he felt his penis pounding and becoming fully engorged, but the rubbing continued. Then his body shuddered uncontrollably, forcing the cup to fall from his grasp and encouraging everyone to look at him. What they saw was the cup on the floor and the boy's hands feverishly gripping either side of his tunic. His body seemingly vibrated and he flushed bright red from head to toe, releasing a quiet moan from his lips. A stream of white liquid emerged from under his tunic to splash onto the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a centurion entered the tent to announce the arrival of the Lycian delegation. He was about to elaborate further when he was swiftly silenced by the Emperor's command to "Just bring them in". With an amused frown, Diocletian looked down at the small pool of white boy seed next to a larger one of spilt wine and then aside at Armillatus, standing motionless in post-orgasmic shock and shame. "Four strokes later before bed" he whispered, and the boy visibly shivered.

Diocletian looked up and shivered himself in shock as he thought he saw a young blonde god standing before him. Confused, the Emperor asked "Who are you? Where's the Lycian delegation?"

The boy replied confidently "Sire, I am Anthonius, Prince of Lycia, and I am that delegation".

Chapter 2
Delegation

The boy proceeded by confirming that he was Anthonius, second son of the Lycian King. He apologised for being late but explained, without malice, that he had been held up at the Roman picket lines because no-one at first believed that he represented the expected delegation. He went on to explain that, with his father very ill and his elder adult brother absent, he had been asked, as acting head of the royal family, to talk to the great Emperor on behalf of his people. The Emperor was aware of the much older half-brother, Lysus. He had exiled himself to Rome years before, apparently in disgust at being displaced from his elderly widower father's affections by a new son born to a second young wife. The man was unpleasant in many ways but had become a regular court hanger-on. Diocletian had indulged his ingratiating presence, and had actually given him a court position, because his sexual preferences and inventions were even more perverse and sadistic than his own. He had made him responsible for organising the entertainments at the many Imperial banquets.

Anthonius, helped by expert preparatory tutoring, belied his tender years by exhibiting remarkable self-assurance and maturity as he started to press his people's case for clemency from the Emperor, speaking eloquently in Latin that contained just a hint of Greek accent. He described their great sorrow that his father's sickness of mind had caused upset with Rome and their wish to make amends, concluding his graceful opening statement by kneeling before Diocletian and humbly begging to be allowed to negotiate an honourable peace. The Emperor, who had by this time become utterly infatuated by the boy, noticed that his mouth was very dry and that his prick, which had become half-hard under his toga through playing with Armillatus, had now become rigid. He quietly ordered Armillatus to refill a fresh cup with wine and, as the youngster sheepishly did so, also gently asked Anthonius to regain his feet. Diocletian consumed two full glasses of wine to help him recover at least some of his composure before commanding that a chair for the Prince be brought up close to him.

As Anthonius sat in the proffered chair, he placed his hands on the seams of his tunic in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent it rising up his thighs. At the same time, he noticed the pretty but flushed and apparently distressed boy standing next to Dioclteian. Anthonius then noticed the cup on the floor and realised that the boy, presumably a cup bearer, had been clumsy and would be expecting chastisement. He also thought that he recognised the little patch of white fluid close to the cup but, before he could ponder the matter further, his attention was drawn to the Emperor. Diocletian was gaping back at him towards his loins, mouth open and seemingly transfixed by what he was seeing.

The Emperor was silent for quite a time after Anthonius had sat down for he had just managed to avoid replicating Armillatus' earlier embarrassing ejaculation. The Prince's tunic had ridden up his thighs when sitting and this had clearly revealed, from Diocletian's own seated viewpoint, the youngster's lower loins, covered by just a skimpy white loincloth. The unwanted climax had almost come when the Emperor appreciated what the slight bulge in the front of the undergarment represented and perceived a slight growth in its shape. This was real. It had been caused by the abrupt displacement of the Prince's puzzlement and embarrassment at his advisor's insistence that, for this occasion, he wore clothing that he had thought he had outgrown a year ago. They had been replaced by sudden recognition of the reason and an associated guilty thrill.

Anthonius was not sexually naïve despite his tender years and knew what Diocletian's gawking meant, especially when accompanied, as now, with heavier breathing and a licking of lips. Lycian society had inherited much of the sexual liberalism of more ancient Greek cultures, particularly in its attitudes to homosexuality and pederasty, although strangely not to public nudity. Pederasty in particular was encouraged within the upper classes in the shape of formal man-boy pedagogue-pupil relationships. Anthonius was being educated, as was customary for a Prince, with a retinue of similarly-aged boys from the noblest of families. His natural pleasantness, consideration and modesty had enabled him to befriend all, and he had managed to explore a boy's normal sexual curiosity from the age of 10 with a few of the closest. This had eventually led to mutual kissing, fondling and masturbation, enabling him to appreciate the joys of sex and recognise the signs of sexual desire. However, such happy times became more infrequent as the more handsome of his friends had entered into their pedagogic relationships with men suitors. Anthonius was disbarred from following because of his royal status, reinforced by his father's dedication of him at an early age to the cult of Ganymede in thanks to the gods for the gift of so magnificent a son so late in life. Only the most beautiful of boys could be so dedicated and they were expected to remain virginal until adulthood in honour of Ganymede and the gods. Nevertheless, the boy had gossiped regularly with his friends about the progress of their love affairs, learning much about the associated pleasures and pains, not least that the former seemed to outweigh the latter. His curiosity eventually became frustration. He knew from the looks he was given by men that he was physically admired by many. This had been confirmed when friends revealed that he had acquired the nickname 'Little Ganymede' in some circles because of his great beauty and sad inaccessibility. He also knew that he experienced exciting tingling feelings throughout his body when ogled. He would sometimes naughtily reward his distant admirers for this by lifting his tunic to scratch a non-existant itch or bend over to retie an already tied sandal, inevitably intensifying his own sweet sensations and producing a stiffening of his prick. As his sexual awareness and needs increased, Anthonius had had to use his own right hand more and more to gain relief, invariably whilst daydreaming about being made love to by a handsome hero. Girls never entered his thoughts.

After briefly enjoying the tingling coursing through his body as Diocletian continued to gawk, Anthonius made use of the Emperor's preoccupation by quietly relating the opening peace proposals he had been told to make, fully expecting to have to haggle subsequently before hopefully reaching a settlement. Diocletian began to listen silently, eyes now constantly looking the boy over slowly from face to feet and vice-versa, having realised that there was only one war trophy he wanted from this campaign, and it was sat next to him.

When Anthonius had finished, Diocletian astounded everyone by immediately accepting the boy's proposals. After recovering from the shock of this, Anthonius began to offer his thanks but was stopped by the Emperor who now added that there would be one condition. He required a guarantee against the Lycians' again rising in revolt. When the boy asked what guarantee was wanted, Diocletian responded "You".

Anthonius sailed for Ostia a week later after tearful farewells from his family and friends. The royal advisors had been amazed by his success, even if it was accompanied by personal sacrifice. The sick king would remain in situ but with his power devolved to an advisory council, led by a Roman representative supported by a strengthened Roman garrison. The new taxes and war reparations would be paid. An independent Lycian army would not be reformed. However, that was all that would have to be paid for peace apart from the exile of the royal Prince to Rome and the advisors cynically considered that a small price to pay for the saving of the country. Anthonius' mother and friends thought otherwise but were unable to dissuade him from dishonouring the agreement he had made. The boy even refused to be accompanied by some friends who had kindly offered to go with him to Rome. He knew that the lecherous Emperor had lustful designs on him but was determined to preserve his purity, especially as Diocletian was far from his ideal of a handsome heroic lover. He was innocently confident in his royal status and the ability it afforded him to fight off any unwanted attentions, whereas his attractive young friends had no such protection. Unfortunately, he was also totally unaware that the ethical conduct he had known within the Lycian court was not replicated in Rome.

Diocletian sailed on a different ship, ostensibly because he wished to visit Tarentum on the return journey, but actually because he could not trust himself to keep his hands off Anthonius within the tight confines of the ship. He had reluctantly decided that all the protocols had to be observed and the relevant gods respected before he engaged in molesting and debauching the boy. He could just about control his impulses and impatience and bide his time for there was always Armillatus and the others to play with in the interim.

Chapter 3
Rome

(February 290 A.D.)

Anthonius had never seen anything like it and was at first guiltily excited by the whole scene, especially when he noticed many of the guests, inhibitions loosened by the wine, beginning to kiss and obscenely fondle the youngsters sharing their couches. His interest came to a peak when a particularly pretty Imperial boy companion stood up, removed his tunic and danced delightfully for the Emperor in just a skimpy black loincloth with a small Imperial eagle embroided in gold on the front flap. His movements often caused both flaps to rise to reveal the tight sparse undercloth that just concealed his private parts whilst still clearly revealing their seductive outline. Anthonius felt the pleasant tingling, that he had again been experiencing his loins, intensify as he watched.

Anthonius was also aware that he was being frequently glanced at by many in the hall, not least by the boys in the Emperor's entourage. However, he noticed that three pairs of eyes paid him particular attention, those of Diocletian himself, those of the young man now couched next to the Emperor and those of a dissolute fat man in his forties couched further away. He found out, by enquiring of a servant, that the boys were Imperial boy companions and that the young man was Casperius, their major domo. Having already recognised Diocletian's sexual preferences, Anthonius did not have to enquire about their role in the Emperor's life. He also did not have to enquire about the older man. Although he had no recollection of him, Anthonius recognised the strong likeness to his father of his facial features. The boy, remarkably perceptively for someone so young, thought he recognised the feelings behind the men's stares. He believed that Diocletian's was one of naked lust and Casperius' one of avid curiosity, although he detected a strong hint of cruelty in his eyes. Certainly, the other man's was not of brotherly love but quite the opposite.

Anthonius did not stay to the end of the banquet. His earlier initial interest and excitement were completely defused, along with his appetite, with the presentation of one particular entertainment. Two square bondage frames were carried in and fixed near the centre of the dais. Two attractive twins, one boy and one girl about 15 years of age, were also brought in and chained, spreadeagled, to the two frames facing each other. Anthonius discovered later that they too were campaign trophies, children of a slain rebel Syrian lord. A huge African followed them onto the dais and, to wild cheers, stripped to reveal an enormous but real phallus. He then ripped the clothing off the girl and, to louder cheering, began to viciously rape the obviously virginal child. The girl screamed in agony but the rape proceeded mercilessly. When the African had finished, the girl was copiously leaking blood from her defiled vagina. The African then turned his attention to the now whimpering boy. Anthonius left the hall, with the poor boy's yells ringing in his ears, to spend the night in the luxurious guest chamber allocated to him. However, he did not appreciate the opulence of his surroundings that night because of his nightmares in which the two Syrian children and three pairs of eyes were prominent.

Chapter 4
Induction

Casperius, wishing to act quickly before Anthonius changed his mind, then speedily introduced the new addition to the Imperial household to Niachiarus, who had been standing, unseen by the boy, in the shadows of the chamber. The major domo told Anthonius that the nullified Nubian eunuch, dressed in a tunic not dissimilar to that of the Imperial boy companions, would be his personal slave. He added that it would be wise to follow the eunuch's advice closely as it would help him considerably in learning the requirements of his new role. Casperius then politely dismissed Anthonius by stating that Niachiarus would now escort him to his new quarters, and the dumbfounded and deeply dismayed boy acquiescently followed him along a couple of wide corridors to a pleasant suite of rooms that was to be his new home. There he was swiftly introduced to some of the humiliating realities of his new life.

Niachiarus told him, albeit with great diplomacy, that none of his personal effects, including clothing, could be transferred from his previous quarters because the boy companions were allowed only what the Emperor gave. The boy's belongings would be packed and returned to his homeland. He also had to discard his current attire, although in actuality he was allowed to retain temporarily two items. They were the golden throat chain and medal attesting to his Lycian royal status and a silver medallion indicating his dedication to Ganymede. Niachiarus now added meekly that the removal of his present clothing would also be an appropriate opportunity for him to check Anthonius' bodily health. The boy appreciated his slave's discretion, nodded in recognition of what he meant and slowly began to take his clothes off. He did so with great reluctance because, unlike other aspects of Lycian society that orientated towards Greece, attitudes to nudity stemmed from Persia where only the worst criminals were seen unwillingly naked before others. Anthonius could not remember a time that he had been seen nude by anyone apart from his intimate friends amidst sex play, although he supposed that he had been when still in toddler's nursery, but then that was different. However, now was equally different, for he was humiliatingly stripping to allow his naked body to be intimately inspected by a slave. Anthonius felt deep shame but suddenly realised that his cock might suggest otherwise. As he finally and reluctantly removed his last covering, the traditional loincloth, he realised he was sporting a hard-on.

Niachiarus was in his thirties, tall and it was obvious that he had once been handsome. However, some of his muscles were becoming flabby and his body was gaining fat in all areas. He was expert at his work which he conducted with outward dutiful politeness.

Anthonius stood naked before his slave, shyly attempting to hide his swelling genitalia under his hands. Niachiarus was prepared for the boy's acute embarrassment as he had witnessed it many times before. He simply asked if the Prince (Anthonius would remain a Lycian Prince until initiated as a Roman Imperial boy companion) could oblige him by laying face-up on a padded high table located in the suite's bath chamber. Niachiarus observed the immaculate form of Anthonius' lustrous bare rear as the boy obeyed, keeping his hands in their strategic position. The eunuch approached and began to examine the boy slowly and very carefully from head to toe. He started with the boy's hair, looked into his ears, nose and mouth, felt his limbs, and their fingers and toes, and then his chest and belly. He lingered particularly at Anthonius' nipples, delicately massaging them to erection, and at the boy's navel, which he gently probed.

Anthonius knew what was due next but he was loath to move his hands, especially as his embarrassing hard-on had intensified because of the attentions being paid to his body. However, Niachiarus was excellent at diffusing boys' tensions. He said "Now young master, I know that you don't want me to look and, if you insist, I won't. However, I will then be whipped for not performing my duties properly and I don't think you want that to happen. Anyway, there's nothing behind your hands that I haven't seen before. I suppose it's grown a bit because of what I've been doing. Come let me see!" Anthonius reluctantly placed his hands at his sides and closed his eyes in shame. He soon felt the eunuch's sensitive touch as a hand weighed his balls and a finger ran carefully up and down his now throbbing cock. Then the hands went away causing Anthonius to open his eyes. He saw that Niachiarus now held a long piece of string with regularly demarcated markings, obviously a measuring device. With it, the eunuch proceeded to measure virtually every dimension of the front of the Prince's body, recording the results on a clay tablet whilst successfully discouraging the boy's inclination to return his hands towards his loins. Anthonius closed his eyes again but reopened them when he suddenly felt his cock being pumped. Niachiarus settled the astounded boy by saying "Do not be alarmed, young master, its maximum length needs to be measured". The eunuch expertly stopped the pumping just before Anthonius reached the point of no return and completed his measurement, also adding the circumference of the boy's scrotum to his list.

The eunuch now asked Anthonius if he would turn over so that he may complete his task. The boy complied and soon the back of his body was experiencing Niachiarus' minute attentions. Much time was spent with the youngster's buttocks. They were tenderly rubbed and massaged, and the boy could not prevent himself uttering a moan when his bum cheeks were gingerly prised apart and he felt a fingertip on his virgin sphincter. Both knew that the moan was not one of pain. Shortly afterwards, Anthonius heard Niachiarus requesting him to turn back over. As he did so, the boy noticed the size of his own cock. He had never seen it so big.

Niachiarus again prevented the Prince from shielding his rampant member from view and instead shocked the boy by grasping it in his hand, saying "Please forgive, young master, but this is almost the final examination I am required to make." The eunuch then started to masturbate Anthonius, who quickly grasped the sides of the table to try to stabilise his now quivering body. However, he could not prevent his loins from instinctively rising from the table towards the hand giving him pleasure. His previous embarrassment was forgotten as he writhed in ecstasy and soon felt unprecedented amounts of semen spurting out of his cock. Niachiarus pumped the boy dry, collecting his seed in a bowl, which he then meticulously checked by sight, smell and taste, whilst the boy grasped his genitals with both hands in post-orgasmic abashment and trauma. Later, Niachiarus' final measurement was of the recovered boy's now flaccid cock. However, Anthonius' humiliations were still not over for the eunuch then apologetically asked him some deeply personal questions about his sex life, what he liked and what he practised, telling the boy that it would be best for both of them if he did not lie. Anthonius, who was incapable of lying, thought his humiliation could become no worse as he replied with the truth, but he was quickly proved wrong. The eunuch was most content at having secured Anthonius' sexual secrets, which to him confirmed the boy as ideally suited for whoredom.

Niachiarus now attached some wooden poles fitted with stirrups to the bench and guided the puzzled boy's legs through the stirrups so that his knees bent over them. He then produced a narrow leather tube to one end of which he applied some grease whilst fitting the other into a leather water carrier. "Please forgive again, young master, but I now need to clean here" he said as he carefully inserted the tube's greased end into the startled boy's exposed hole and lifted the water carrier up to fix it to one of the poles. Anthonius instantly felt the cool water flow into him as the first of the two enemas to which he was to be subjected began. Later, after oversighting Anthonius' final toilet, Niachiarus bathed the shamed boy thoroughly and then fitted him into a chastity belt. This comprised a hard leather pouch individually fitted to cover a boy's genitals with no discomfort as long as he did not become aroused. It was secured in place by leather thongs linking at the front and, via the bum crack, at the back to a waist belt strapped at the rear. It was impossible for the wearer to unstrap the contraption without help.

Niachiarus then explained to Anthonius that he would henceforward be responsible for the health, cleanliness and purity of the Prince's body and for preparing him for his role as an Imperial boy companion. As such, the eunuch would carefully oversight the boy's daily diet and exercise, would personally bathe and massage him and would provide him with all necessary tuition. He also explained that it was important that the boy resisted the temptations of pleasuring himself for he needed to remain chaste in order to serve the Emperor in the manner required. Anthonius learnt what that meant over the next few weeks as Niachiarus proficiently oversaw his preparation and introduced him to the realities of his new position in what was effectively the Emperor's boy harem.

Anthonius learnt that Diocletian's marriage was for reasons of state and public appearance only. The Emperor had never disguised his preference for boys, always maintaining a group of about twenty catamites aged between 8 and 15 and grandly calling them boy companions. All had to be beautiful and unblemished, virgins originally and of noble birth. They were usually offered by noble families who had fallen on hard times, for the Emperor was known to reward the boys well for loyalty when they became too old for further service, many being given lucrative state sinecures. The boys would also be able to help their families more immediately by passing on the frequent bribes they were known to receive, because of their regular access to the Emperor, from courtiers wanting to press petitions on some invariably minor matter. Diocletian indulged such activities and would occasionally hear particular petitions to keep the boys in credit.

All the boys possessed their own comfortable living quarters in this secluded but well guarded part of the Imperial palace, which centred around a pleasure chamber and adjacent bedchamber. Here the boys would be required to appease the Emperor's sexual desires. The whole arrangement was managed by Casperius, who had himself once been one of Diocletian's boy favourites. He had become expert and seemingly indispensable in ensuring that the Emperor's needs were fully satisfied. He was consequently very influential within the Imperial court, had enriched himself considerably because of this and was very jealous of his position.

Under the overall control of Casperius, each boy was allocated a nullified Nubian slave not only to serve them but also to ensure that their bodies were kept at a peak of physical perfection and sexual readiness. The Nubians expertly kept their young charges instructed in the latest manners and rituals of the Imperial court and their anticipated duties, both sexual and otherwise. The boys were taught the arts of lovemaking using a series of ingenious anal and oral dildos. The former were insufficiently large to ruin a virgin but sufficient to train a boy in how to manoeuvre his body to ensure the greatest pleasure for his sodomiser. The latter, some of which could spurt a semen-like liquid produced from herbs, enabled fellatio skills to be perfected. The boys were also taught erotic dancing and the playing of musical instruments, for the Emperor liked his boys to provide such entertainments. The Nubians oversaw strict dietary and exercise regimes, with all food and drink spiced with aphrodisiacs. Enemas, massages and body perfuming were invariably included in final ablutions before boys were ready to assume duties. Discreet body shaving also occurred when necessary but, once this requirement became regular and obvious, it was also obvious that a boy's days in the harem were coming to an end. Diocletian did not like the thought of even one hair on his boys' torsos.

When on duty inside the harem, the boys wore, at least at first, the simple skimpy black cloth loincloths with a gold Imperial eagle on the front flap. They were allowed elsewhere in the palace only with the major domo's permission and under his strict supervision or that of their Nubians. They then wore their light sleeveless short black tunics with Imperial eagle on the chest. The tunic just hid their loincloths only if they stayed still. Movement often provided teasing views of their barely covered loins.

The boys were told from the beginning that the pleasures to be derived from their bodies were now exclusively the Emperor's. The boys were not allowed to play with themselves and, to help keep the boys celibate whilst off-duty, the Nubians usually required them to wear their chastity belts. Such preparation was designed to keep the boys in a state of sexual eagerness, which was often demonstrated by their frequently full and constant erections when relieved of the restrictions of clothing. Relief was usually granted only when Diocletian allowed boys to have sex with each other as erotic foreplay before he bedded another choice of boy or boys, although Casperius did occasionally milk boys. This occurred when the boys had been neglected by the Emperor and were unlikely to be wanted by him soon, mainly because he was away in the provinces or on campaign. Diocletian generally treated his boys reasonably well, usually allowing them to be punished only for genuine misdemeanours, most commonly, despite the precautions, accidental ejaculations. However, occasionally, principally through boredom, the Emperor set them sadistic challenges and beat them if they failed.

Entry to the harem was carefully restricted and contact with anyone else outside the harem was strictly forbidden. The boys knew that the consequences of breaking this cardinal rule could be calamitous for those concerned, for there was a precedent about which they were constantly reminded. One silly early member of the harem had seemingly flirted with one of the Praetorians, although no real evidence of physical contact had ever emerged. The boy was not well liked by the others and news of his indiscretions eventually passed to the Emperor, who exploded in anger. He had both of the miscreants tortured until they confessed to an illicit liaison. Later, with the Emperor and the other boy companions observing from a veranda, the boy was forced to watch as his supposed lover was dragged out naked before the whole of the Praetorian Guard in a palace courtyard and chained spread-eagled to a punishment post. The man's penis and scrotum were tightly bound with leather thongs, separating them and making them stand out from his body. His commander then stepped forward, drew a knife, grabbed the genitals and with one slice severed them from the writhing man's body. He then stuffed them into the victim's mouth to silence his screams whilst he bled to death. The boy himself was now stripped, bent over and chained to a small wooden horse so that his backside was fully exposed. The commander then sodomised him, followed over some twenty hours by 80 ordinary soldiers selected by lot. The Emperor had deemed the mass rape appropriate as the boy seemed to like Praetorians so much. The Emperor and his entourage viewed some of the early violations of the screaming lad but left after a while to enjoy dinner. They returned the next day to see the boy, who had been treated to partial recovery after his ordeal, rechained to the same bloodied punishment post from which his dead alleged lover's body had just been removed. Two huge Praetorians with evil looking metal pointed whips then approached and began to flog the boy slowly but mercilessly. Their orders were to continue to do so until he died. This precedent subsequently proved useful in keeping the minds of boy companions concentrated on serving the Emperor loyally, and completely deterring any other potential admirers from revealing themselves.

Chapter 5
Initiation

(March 290 A.D.)

The day of the Emperor's birthday banquet had arrived and Anthonius was ready to play his part in the celebrations. The great care afforded his preparation had ensured that he looked and felt at his best, absolutely gorgeous and overflowing with youthful vitality. He was wearing clothing identical to that of the Imperial boy companions but white to denote his virginity. He stood before the side door of the palace's main banquet hall from which the various entertainment acts entered, Niachiarus at his side soothing him with quiet platitudes to calm nerves. The banquet had been proceeding for a couple of hours and the birthday present Diocletian was most looking forward to was about to replace the boy dancing troupe on the entertainment dais to commence his initiation ceremony. Anthonius knew that the degradations he had suffered at the hands of the eunuch were nothing to those he was about to suffer, but he was determined to face them well and with as much dignity as they allowed. In particular, he remembered the boy companion who had danced so enchantingly at the triumphal banquet and he had resolved to out-perform him. However, he could not explain why the prospect of what was now to happen so excited him. He was disgusted with himself, but this did not cause his cock to become any less rigid, and he flushed when he realised that his excitement would be clearly visible to all as he performed. Then the doors opened and the boy dancers, all about 11, very pretty and dressed in identical tiny purple thongs, ran out. Niachiarus patted Anthonius gently on the bum and said "Don't be afraid, you'll be fine. In you go!" and the boy entered with trepidation.

Anthonius immediately recognised that the eyes of virtually all of the hundreds within the hall were on him as he crossed towards the front of the dais, immediately before Diocletian who was already beginning to lick his lips. However, the boy's fortitude brought his training to the fore and he approached gracefully before kneeling in homage. Casperius then stood and formally addressed the Emperor. "Lord, before you is Anthonius, Prince of Lycia, who wishes to implore your majesty to allow him the honour of becoming one of your Imperial boy companions, foregoing all his privileges and rights in order to do so. As a symbol of his desire to serve, he herewith impregnates himself with your sacred seed." One of the boy companions stepped forward with a tiny urn. On reaching Anthonius, he removed the stopper and handed the opened urn to the still kneeling boy. The Prince put the urn to his lips and the unique smell of semen invaded his nose but he overcame his repulsion and swallowed the urn's contents without hesitation. Niachiarus, looking from afar, was proud. He now knew that Anthonius would perform the ceremonials excellently, as every new boy tart should.

Casperius now continued "Lord, will you permit the Prince to dance in your honour whilst you consider his plea?" Diocletian nodded and the major domo signalled Anthonius to begin. The boy regained his feet and waited for the music to start. When it did, he untied the cord of his tunic and quickly, but with practised refinement, pulled the garment over his head, cast it to the floor and began his routine. Many of those who saw his performance later agreed that they had seen no better, a boy of unparalleled beauty, clad in just a small highly revealing white loincloth and dancing with unblemished elegance, skill and eroticism, the latter enhanced by the obvious bulge in his garment's undercloth. Certainly, the lustful expression on the Emperor revealed to all that he had thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. When Anthonius finished with a perfectly executed back summersault, most spectators were genuinely unhappy that the entertainment had finished and some unprecedented applause began to ring out as he resumed his kneeling posture before Diocletian. This was quickly stopped by Casperius who stood to re-address the Emperor. "Lord, is it your wish that Prince Anthonius be allowed the honour of serving you?" Diocletian tried not to nod too eagerly.

Anthonius now stood, bowed nicely and left the hall, with most watchers engrossed in thought about what now awaited his sublime form. On his way across the dais, Anthonius passed his half-brother, happily sneering back at him, and a smiling Niachiarus met the Prince at the doors to escort him back to the boy's own suite. There he subjected his charge to speedy fresh ablutions before leading him to the Emperor's private pleasure chamber at the heart of the boy companion complex. This was basically a small version of the banquet hall but decorated by obscene wall paintings depicting the debauchment of young boys by well-endowed men. He guided Anthonius to stand at the centre of the chamber's entertainment dais to await Diocletian's arrival which, as he anticipated, was not long delayed. The Emperor had never before been so impatient to taste the pleasures of a particular boy's body.

Diocletian was accompanied by Casperius and the full entourage of boy companions. They all reclined on the couches surrounding the dais, except for four boys who sat cross-legged on the floor to play their musical instruments. All the boys removed their tunics as they assumed their positions, passing them to their eunuchs who, as always, would be acting as servants during the entertainments. The Emperor took time to view the magnificent sight kneeling before him. The dazzling golden hair, sparkling sky-blue eyes and sensuous rosy lips. The immaculately smooth and unblemished skin encasing a body of perfect symmetry. A visage to die for! Diocletian also saw that the boy was breathing rapidly, his gorgeous tummy expanding and contracting rapidly, presumably with nervous anticipation, a state from which he would now relieve him. The Emperor gestured to the boy musicians that they were to begin and they did so with a slow introductory melody to enable Anthonius to stand and ready himself. He now awaited with apprehension and shame the sudden quickening of the music's tempo, for this would signal the time for the act that would precede the commencement of his dance. When it arrived, he had to overcome strong emotions to ignore its meaning and, instead, pulled on the almost imperceptible bow that tied the waist cord of his loincloth together, and allowed his last covering to fall to the floor. He heard a loud gasp from Diocletian, and quiet giggling from some of the watching boys, as he discretely kicked the discarded garment to one side and started his nude dance. Diocletian was transfixed by the glorious sight of the boy's naked loins, revealed to him for the first time, and dominated by the exquisite ripe form of his smooth hairless ball sac hanging nicely under a pleasingly fully erect penis. When the boy's dance caused him to turn and wiggle the sleek flawless mounds of his bare bum, the Emperor went bright red in the face.

Anthonius again performed faultlessly, his rigid cock, released from the confines of clothing, humiliatingly flopping around freely as he progressed through the various dancing manoeuvres, until disaster struck. He could feel it slowly and inexorably rise within him but was powerless to stop it. All of the watchers could not help but be enchanted by the dancing boy, his beauty, skill and unmistakable sexual excitement, which now had an explosive conclusion. It occurred after another jumping movement had caused Anthonius' penis to rebound yet again off his belly. His body immediately convulsed but somehow the boy regained his composure and continued to dance whilst he sprayed his own semen over himself and the floor. He heard chuckling at his plight and noticed that everyone was smirking at him. His dance finished soon afterwards and he was back on his knees before Diocletian, but now naked and with the proof of his orgasm smeared all over his stomach, loins and front thighs, as well as the dais. No-one was ever to find out that Niachiarus had deliberately so orchestrated the boy's physical preparation and his nude dance routine that he thought such an accident inevitable. The eunuch would be very pleased about his trick for all of two weeks.

There was silence for what seemed to the boy like eternity before Casperius, in a mocking tone, said to the Emperor "Lord, do you want him cleaned before the rituals proceed further?" Diocletian responded negatively as he was now desperate to have the boy, his own cock pressing uncomfortably hard against his underwear, and the major domo gestured to two nearby boy companions. They collected the naked kneeling boy, flushed from his recent energetic activity and acute shame. Taking one arm each, the boys led him to the adjacent bedchamber and stood him at the foot of the Emperor's huge bed, which over the years had been the scene of their own and many others' deflowerment and later continued debauchment. Anthonius was to be the next young boy to lose his purity and innocence humiliatingly and painfully at the lecherous man's hands and, more pertinently, prick. They left him momentarily alone, shivering slightly in fear, but returned quickly, escorting the Emperor, who smiled at the waiting boy. Anthonius gained no comfort from the smile. He knew that it was not meant to provide any reassurance but rather indicated Diocletian's satisfaction that his lustful plans were about to come to fruition. The boys helped the Emperor to disrobe and to sit on the bed. Anthonius felt himself become a little dizzy when Diocletian's engorged penis, which he would now be required to service, was revealed for the first time. Other than the huge African's at the triumphal banquet, the boy had never seen a man's erect prick before and wondered how he could possibly accommodate the monster. As Anthonius was to discover much later, the Emperor's size was actually nothing special but he would not have appreciated that at the time.

With a last lingering and clearly contemptuous look at the waiting Anthonius, which caused him to flush again, the two boys left, leaving him alone with Diocletian, who spent a while examining his prize whilst stroking his cock. The Emperor was rewarded with the sight of the Anthonius' own cock slowly hardening again before, finally, he signalled the boy to lay beside him on the bed. Anthonius, again disgusted at his own body's reaction to his situation, and also again fighting impulses to disobey, with a particular desire to run away almost overwhelming, reluctantly obeyed the summons. Diocletian peered down at him, drool exiting his mouth. He then ran his hands though Anthonius' silky hair before lifting the boy's head towards his own to plant his first kiss on the inviting lips. The boy managed to disguise his disgust at the man's fat hairy body and its unpleasant sweaty aroma and, ignoring the vile drool, received the kiss receptively as he had been taught. The kiss was prolonged and accompanied by a slow exploration by the Imperial tongue of the boy's mouth. Diocletian's passion now overtook him. He moved his kisses and tongue to most other places on first the front and later the back of the boy's body, spending much time at his neck, nipples, navel and bum, including a tonguing of the virgin hole, before culminating his expedition with the young stiff genitalia. Anthonius had not been able to prevent himself from uttering moans of pleasure and becoming intensely rigid whilst all this was being inflicted on his prone nude body, and this intensified almost to climax when the Emperor hungrily licked and sucked the boy's sweet balls and penis. However, Diocletian, with regular practice, had learnt the signs of a boy's progression to orgasm and stopped, when he realised his bed companion was close, to examine his handiwork. Anthonius lay next him, hands firmly gripping the bed, eyes shut, beads of sweat on his brow and penis throbbing wildly. The Emperor laughed and lay back on the bed.

Anthonius now realised with alarm that it was his turn to do to Diocletian's body what had just been done to his own. He was not in any way looking forward to the gross task but knew that he had no choice. He opened his eyes and lifted himself into a kneeling position between the Emperor's now splayed legs, his gently vibrating penis embarrassingly pointing directly at the expectant man. He then leant over to caress the ugly face with his own kisses and tongue before progressing elsewhere to a cacophony of pleasurable moans from him. Anthonius was close to retching on many occasions during the foul journey, none closer than when having to tongue Diocletian's own putrid hole, but he somehow managed to prevent himself from doing so. However, the Emperor's balls and cock were now next. He gulped as his head went down on them, first licking the obnoxious hairy balls before concentrating on carefully absorbing each testicle in turn into his mouth to suck them gently. He then licked the full length and all sides of the swollen prick, gathering onto his tongue copious amounts of repulsive precum as he did so. He slid his tongue teasingly over Diocletian's slit before letting the rest of the penis head to enter his mouth. He sucked and sucked, carefully taking air whilst gradually allowing his mouth to go lower and lower until he felt the intrusion entering his throat but, at this point, the Emperor's hands pulled him off. "I'm ready" was all the man said but Anthonius knew what he meant and positioned himself as he had been taught, on his back with his legs held wide apart in the air by his own arms. Diocletian liked his boys in this position so that he could watch their faces as he excruciatingly deprived them of their virginity. He straddled Anthonius, his hard cock resting against the boy's bum crack. The Emperor then pointed it directly at Anthonius' exposed virgin sphincter, seemingly blinking at him in expectation as the boy's breathing became faster at the prospect of his imminent deflowerment.

Momentarily, Anthonius pondered how his life could have changed so much that this horrible man was now going to despoil him before again wondering how his body could admit such a monstrous implement. However, these considerations were forgotten when he felt the touch of the cock head pressing against the entrance to his hole. At first, the pink muscle resisted the intrusion but the pressure gradually became irresistible and it gave way. Anthonius screamed in agony and shame as his virginity was lost and the insatiable cock avidly invaded his innards. Casperius and the boys lounging next door laughed as they realised that Anthonius was now no longer a Prince but had become one of them.

Anthonius, amidst continuous and increasing cries of pain, frequently but hopelessly begged Diocletian to stop, but his deflowerment remorselessly proceeded. The Emperor would have been incapable halting even if he had wanted, so engrossed was he in the ecstasy of the long-awaited moment. He began by penetrating Anthonius by just a little before almost completely withdrawing, and then gradually increased the depth of his forward thrusts to intensifying shrieks until eventually his balls made contact with the boy's buttocks. Diocletian's thrusts at first became faster and faster as he ploughed Anthonius mercilessly with his full length before becoming more rhythmic. Then the usual transformation happened. The boy's cries became shallower and shallower until they disappeared along with the expression of agony and terror on his face. They were replaced by quiet moans and a look of developing enjoyment as the boy became more accustomed to the buggery, and as the associated pain was slowly displaced by the delicious sensation of contact being made with his prostrate gland. This was visibly exemplified by the gradual re-hardening of the boy's own cock, which had softened during his agony, back to full erection. The sight of this took Diocletian over the top. He did not want his sodomisation of the boy to stop but now could not prevent the feelings boiling in his loins reaching their inevitable climax, and he yelled ecstatically as he impregnated Anthonius with copious amounts of thick creamy sperm. As the boy felt the Emperor's sperm pumping deep into his insides, he reacted with his own orgasm, shooting seed over his own chest and face.

Diocletian lay exhausted back on the bed. Anthonius slowly let go of his legs and gingerly lay them down. He was aware of great pain between his legs, could feel the semen within him and saw that some had leaked, along with blood, onto his inner thighs. He also knew that his duties were far from over. Despite the acute discomfort, he raised himself from the bed to kneel again between the Emperor's legs. Diocletian had closed his eyes but Anthonius knew that this would not excuse him from his next unpleasant task so he ignored the pain in his backside and leant over to suck on the man's penis again. It took half an hour's delicate attention to fully clean the penis of semen and his own blood and juices and restore it to full erection. Anthonius appreciated that his preliminary enemas meant that there was nothing worse to remove. He had difficulty in taking the whole thing satisfactorily into his mouth and down his throat once it had been restored to its earlier rigidity but this was cured when Diocletian held the boy's head down firmly in place as he ejaculated again. Anthonius swallowed as much as he could, thankful for the technique he had been taught, but the need to breathe became overwhelming. Luckily, the Emperor, having been completely drained of seed, released him just in time. Anthonius gulped air hungrily as he moved his head away from the man's satiated loins, with trickles of unconsumed semen running from both sides of his mouth.

Diocletian recalled the two boy companions to help him rise. They wiped him with a warm perfumed cloth before assisting him to redress. Meanwhile, Anthonius had returned to a standing position at the foot of the bed, head bowed in degradation. He therefore did not observe the boys' disdainful sneers when they occasionally glanced at him until, having escorted the Emperor back into the pleasure chamber, they returned to collect him. Anthonius was soon back on the pleasure chamber dais but now, instead of kneeling in homage to Diocletian, he had to go further and kiss an Imperial eagle embossed into the dais as a symbol of his new status. His two escorts removed the boy's throat chain denoting his previous royal status and threw it symbolically onto the floor where his discarded white loincloth still lay. It was replaced with that of an Imperial boy companion. They then attached a golden cockring to his balls. It came in two semi-circular parts whose flanged ends snapped easily together but were much harder to separate to prevent removal. The ring was one of the reasons for Niachiarus' precise measurements of the boy's body. Its fitting was carefully designed not to diffuse sexual passion by restricting the blood supply to the genitals, but rather the opposite. It was proportioned to concentrate the blood within the organs so substantially enhancing sexual stimulus, and would have to be occasionally replaced with slightly larger versions as the wearer grew. The Emperor also liked its decorative effect, the fact that it encouraged a boy's prized assets to stand out more from his groin and the fact that he would constantly feel the attachment on his scrotum, so continually reminding him of his role and status. The boys finally redressed Anthonius in a black loincloth similar to their own but made no attempt to clean the embarrassing semen mixture from his face or body. Along with the blood visible on Anthonius' inner thighs, it would remain as testament for the time being to the boy's lost purity.

Everyone now returned to the banquet in the normal formal fashion, with Anthonius walking immediately behind Diocletian, feeling the soreness in both his backside and mouth as well as the new cockring on his balls. When the parade re-entered the hall, the boy separated from the rest to stand again at the front of the entertainment dais for what he thought would be the concluding indignity of his initiation ceremony. The Emperor had been away from the banquet, enjoying Anthonius, for several hours but the event, with its spectacular erotic acts, simply continued without him and, by now, most guests were drunk. They cheered Diocletian's return and cheered even more when they saw the state of Anthonius. He was redressed nicely as a boy companion but his face, chest, stomach and thighs were smeared with the clear signs of his recent debauchment. The cheering became rapturous when the boy removed his silver medallion, marking his dedication to Ganymede, and presented it to Diocletian in confirmation of his loss of virginity to the Emperor.

Anthonius had been led to expect the end of the initiation ceremony now and to be allowed to sit with the other boy companions, but a signal from Niachiarus to remain put disabused him of this. The boy's curiosity at this turn of events swiftly changed to worry when one of the bondage frames he had seen used on the Syrian twins was brought in and fixed to the dais. The same two boy companions who had escorted him to and from the Emperor's bedchamber now walked up and led him to the square structure. "Don't be alarmed, nothing bad will happen", one of them lied, "but we are ordered to bind you to this and you must allow us." Anthonius looked in alarm first at Diocletian, who exhibited no emotion, and then at Niachiarus who signalled compliance. Anthonius therefore reluctantly allowed the two boys to place shackles on his wrists and ankles and then chain him tightly in a 'Y' formation to the frame so that his body was painfully taut. The boys then relieved him of his detachable loincloth flaps, leaving just the deliberately tight-fitting thong-like undercloth to preserve his modesty.

Anthonius' distress at this unexpected turn of events then turned to panic when the side doors opened and two big men entered pulling a wheeled and lit brazier with what looked like two branding irons embedded in the coals. A wet patch appeared at the front of Anthonius' undercloth and urine seeped from the sides and down his legs as his bowel emptied. To resounding cheers from the spectators, of whom the main cheerleader was Anthonius' half-brother, the men hauled the brazier to within a few paces of the boy, now quietly but audibly pleading "No! Please no!" One of the men silenced Anthonius by placing a leather gag in his mouth. It would also serve to prevent the boy biting off his own tongue. The man then kneeled and pricked both of Anthonius' upper front thighs with a small needle, carefully ensuring that the alignment of both prick marks matched. With his markers in place, the man collected the first iron from the brazier. The boy saw that it had the outline of an Imperial eagle at the end, glowing red hot, and desperately tested his shackles, but he was held immovably in place. Anthonius saw cruel pleasure in the man's eyes as he slowly approached and deliberately presented the evil iron for the writhing boy to inspect closely. The man then knelt again and Anthonius could feel the iron's intense heat as it was held just above his thigh. The boy passed out when it was finally applied to his skin, only to be quickly reawakened by the application of cold water to his face. It was customary to keep the victims of branding conscious during their ordeal. The man returned the iron to the coals and collected the other, and Anthonius saw that it was exactly the same as the first.

Anthonius remembered little else until he awoke to find himself naked and alone on his own bed. He had been cleaned but the discomfort in his backside and mouth was now nothing compared to the searing agony of his new brand-marks. Some attempt to reduce the pain seemed to have been made because both had been smeared with some form of salve, but it would take days for it to recede completely. However, his feeling of utmost dejection at having them on his body would never subside and he did not understand why he had been so marked. He had not become a slave and none of the other boy companions had been branded. Niachiarus later told Anthonius that he thought it best not to tell him that the Emperor had ordered the branding, having decreed that it was to become regular practice for all future new boy companions. Anthonius was simply unlucky to be the first to be subjected to the latest Imperial whim.

Chapter 6
Enemies

Niachiarus did not tell Anthonius that Diocletian had, in fact, accepted Casperius' advice to introduce branding. The major domo had cited three good reasons. It would help to remove any residual airs and graces, such attitudes being unwelcome in the new role. It would clearly designate the Emperor's ownership of his chattels and should remove from their minds, and those of others who might be concerned about them, any thoughts of a return to their former lives. Casperius always remembered how he had managed to so ingratiate himself with Diocletian during his own service as a boy companion that, instead of leaving belatedly at the age of 17, he had found it easy to displace his major domo predecessor. He wanted to make sure that he was not so readily usurped from the lucrative and influential post, and he did so by recognising potential future rivals early and then destroying their reputations with the Emperor. Anthonius, with his supreme beauty and royal pedigree, was the most serious potential future rival for Casperius' position to have appeared for some time, and so the major domo was setting out to break him from the start. The branding had just been the first step, and he was glad that Anthonius' half-brother, Lysus, had suggested it.

The roles of Casperius and Lysus within the Imperial court meant that they needed to liaise with each other about banquet arrangements on a regular basis. Both realised that the other was no potential rival, particularly as Lysus' main aim in life was to return to Lycia as king. Meanwhile much could be mutually gained from a good working alliance. Lysus had for years resented his father's obvious deep affection for Anthonius. He had only experienced paternal coldness. He also saw the boy as the major potential rival to his eventual assumption of the throne. He had exiled himself to Rome in order to secure Imperial support for his rights when the time came, recognising that this would be more decisive than the King's own choice of successor. Anthonius' entrapment as an Imperial boy catamite had been a dream come true. However, the boy was still a danger if he continued to be the apple of the Emperor's eye, and so Lysus was happy to join Casperius in plotting the youngster's downfall.

Niachiarus' reasons, for falsely reporting that Anthonius was retaining royal airs and graces and making plans to return to Lycia sooner rather than later, were simple enough. The eunuch hated his charges, even as pleasant a boy as Anthonius, for he was jealous of the wholeness of their bodies and wished that the Emperor had a harem of boy geldings instead. In fact, Niachiarus regularly dreamed of gaining his eventual freedom, when he would learn the skills of castration, find employment in a slave-market and practice on others at least some of what had been done to him. However, to achieve his dreams, he knew that he had to perform exceptionally well in his present function and so he had set out to become an excellent servant and instructor to his young charges, who came to rely heavily on him. Unfortunately, this reliance was misplaced for Niachiarus had also recognised that just being good at his official work would be insufficient to achieve his goals. He needed to ingratiate himself with Casperius more deeply. The fact that Niachiarus sadistically delighted in secretly informing on his boys, often mischievously and maliciously to cause them all sorts of problems, was a bonus. He had thoroughly enjoyed causing the boy trouble, especially when Casperius had put his lies to such excellent and permanently visible use.

Only Casperius had been around the boy harem long enough to perceive Niachiarus' secrets, the Nubian once letting his amiable façade slip in anger during the early days, and the major domo had put it to good use. The eunuch appreciated that, as with others previously, he had been appointed to look after the new boy not just to convert another spoiled brat into a good whore. Casperius' clear antipathy towards the newcomer promised interesting times ahead. Knowing the ruthlessness of the major domo, he wondered whether he might eventually enjoy the pleasure of castrating one of the young sluts after all.

Chapter 7
Punishment

(April 290 A.D.)

Casperius compound the boy's humiliation and worry by saying, to sniggering from the other boys, "Well, Anthonius, you ruined last week's initiation by not being able to control your bodily functions and it seems you still cannot control them. You really are a little whore who's found his proper role in life, aren't you! Lycian prince? More like brothel prince if you ask me! It'll be interesting to see if you're still so excited after your caning. Armillatus, chain him up!" Armillatus then brought Anthonius to the horse, bent him over it and shackled him in place. It had been adjusted so that the boy's bum was perfectly presented for his caning. Casperius now stood and approached purposefully. He picked up the cane and practised swinging it close to Anthonius' backside so that the naked boy could appreciate the noise and draft it made. The major domo then brought the cane to rest on Anthonius' buttocks and teased the boy by rubbing it gently up and down on them. He was pleased that he could now see the boy visibly begin to shake in fright and rhetorically wondered with satisfaction where the boy's bravado had gone. Then he lifted the malicious cane away from the gorgeous smoothness of the young backside that he was now cheerfully going to damage and paused. He could see the Anthonius tensing for the first blow and cruelly waited a while for him to relax slightly before swinging the cane viciously. It landed with a loud crack but then disappointingly there was silence. The boy was trying not to scream, biting his tongue to stop doing so. Casperius knew that that would not last long and he was proved right when the next stroke brought forth loud crying which then remained until the last swing had been made, intensifying with each.

Casperius examined his handiwork by sight and touch. He saw and felt eight lovely red and purple stripes extending from the top of the boy's buttocks down to where they met his legs. A couple had crossed, producing some blood. However, there seemed to be evidence that Anthonius had produced another bodily emission, and it was not waste because the boy had been carefully emptied of that earlier. Casperius, although he already knew what it was, asked Armillatus to identify it. The boy companion kneeled to examine the white substance dripping from the horse to the floor and traced its origin. He regained his feet and advised the major domo that Anthonius appeared to have produced seed again. Casperius smiled evilly, saying "You dirty whore, you've done it again", before laughing heartily. All the other boys joined in the laughter, except the one prone across the horse, now quietly sobbing in agony and shame. Still laughing, the major domo declared "Hopefully, you will finally learn the need to control yourself with four more strokes", and swung the cane again. He would have found another excuse to extend the caning further but realised that he might find harsher punishment difficult to justify to the Emperor on his return, especially as it could cause permanent damage. Instead, he contented himself with allowing the other boy companions to inspect the wheals as intimately as they wanted, and all made use of the opportunity.

Chapter 8
Games

(May & June 290 A.D.)

Anthonius was told that Diocletian wanted his new boy companion to participate in the next games, which were imminent. He would be the first boy companion to do so. The Emperor had apparently heard, amongst other things when enquiring about Anthonius in Lycia, that the boy would have been a promising athlete if his royal status had not prevented him competing. He had been informed that the boy had been successful in private challenges with some of his friends who were champions, or nearly, in their age group. It was the first time that Anthonius realised the extent to which Diocletian had enquired into his background, and he could not deny the truthfulness of this particular piece of information. He was a very fast sprinter who also possessed good stamina for longer runs. He was not as big and strong as many boys of similar age but he made up for this, in events such as throwing the discus and javelin, with excellent technique. His one weakness was in wrestling. No-one was supposed to fight a Prince and so he had had little practice. Only his closest friends had secretly tangled with him and they usually came out on top.

Anthonius was told that Diocletian wanted to give him the opportunity, denied to him in the past, to compete and show his paces. He was not told that Casperius and Lysus had cleverly seized the opportunity, when Diocletian had drunkenly bragged that his new boy favourite could beat anyone at the forthcoming games, to suggest that the boy be allowed to justify the Emperor's faith. Knowing that Diocletain liked challenges, they then clinched his agreement by entering into a bet. If Anthonius matched his reputation by coming first in his discipline, they would provide the costly entertainment at the games closing banquet at their own expense. If Anthonius failed to achieve this, they could have the boy publicly beaten as part of that entertainment for incompetence and shaming his Imperial master. Diocletian regretted his decision in later sobriety, when he realised it would deprive him of his bed companion for at least a month, but felt that he could not change it as that would undermine his boasts. Casperius and Lysus confidently expected Anthonius to fall flat on his face both metaphorically and actually, given that many of his opponents were semi-professionals participating regularly in games throughout the Empire. However, they agreed to take no chances. Lysus had as usual had been charged with organising the games, and he would make certain arrangements to make sure that the boy failed.

The games were to take place in a small amphitheatre, with terraced seating for about 400 guests, specially built within the palace for this and other similar essentially private Imperial events. The barracks were located under the terracing, and comprised three main sections. These were the boy's sleeping quarters, the trainer's sleeping quarters and a joint refectory. Both sleeping quarters contained both large and small open cells, with varying numbers of simple clean uncovered beds for groups and individuals, and communal baths and toilets. Anthonius found himself deposited in an individual cell. He lay on his crude bed and thought about the day ahead until tiredness finally overcame him. He was awoken around midnight by the entry into his cell of five other boys, the largest of whom was carrying a torch and shouted "Get him!"

Ceionius was from one of the Spanish provinces and he was undefeated octathlon champion in his age group at all the games he had attended throughout the Empire, and he had won the event for 12 years olds at the previous Imperial games. A former Roman legionary trained him, and he knew all the tricks of his new trade. They had helped make both him and his pupil quite well off, but he was ruthlessly determined to become richer. The first advantage they had over the other boys in the 13 years old age group was the fact that Ceionius was 15, and big and strong even for that age. A senior official in the boy's hometown had received a large bribe when certifying the child's birth date. The second advantage was that they researched their opponents well to identify the most likely challengers to Ceionius' supremacy. The third advantage was that they then proceeded to nobble those opponents, often with the help of an acquiescent little gang of lesser boy athletes that Ceionius had managed to accumulate, mainly through intimidation. They had already made sure three other boys would under-perform and now it was Anthonius' turn. They had waited impatiently for the boy companion's belated arrival but, now that it had occurred, they put their plan into action. It was chancy because it relied on Anthonius not complaining to his Imperial master about bullying, but the potential rewards were so great that they relied on their principal informant's judgement about the boy's character and took the risk. The informant was, after all, the organiser of the games, who also happened to be the boy's estranged half-brother.

Anthonius found his limbs pinned by four of the intruders, who then produced long leather cords and bound them tightly to the legs of the bed so that the boy was immovably splayed out. He was prevented from crying out by the fifth who, having placed his torch in an empty holder on the wall to illuminate the scene, rapidly stuffed a cloth into the boy's mouth and tied it in place with another cord. Despite his bewilderment, Anthonius had already guessed correctly that this larger lad was the leader before he quietly said "Hello, Imperial bumboy, I'm Ceionius and we'll be competing against each other in the octathlon tomorrow. I do like to introduce myself in the proper manner to fellow athletes. Now, what have we here? You've been branded like a slave. I thought you used to be a Prince. My, you've really come down in the world, haven't you." Ceionius then produced a knife and pressed it lightly into Anthonius' throat, producing a tiny droplet of blood, before moving it delicately in a zig-zag fashion down the petrified boy's chest and belly and finally resting it on the bulge of his thong. Goose pimples formed all over Anthonius' body as he felt the knife descend down his body, but the boy was disgusted to have to admit to himself that they did not seem to stem only from his fright. "Boys, I think I'll cut something off him", Ceionius said, and Anthonius, in his terror, thought that surely they could not be planning to emasculate him. Ceionius had planned to introduce this very speculation into the boy's head and pressed the point of the dagger harder into the protuberance. Anthonius wet himself as Ceionius thought he might. The five captors laughed when they saw the dark stain discolour the thong, their leader saying with a broad grin "Dear me, look what the dirty slut's done. Better have that off for cleaning!" He severed each side of the thong's waist cord with the knife, grabbed the underneath of the garment and pulled it off to reveal Anthonius' semi-erect and still expanding cock and his balls encased in the golden cockring. On seeing this, Ceionius declared "Look boys, he's wearing a nice cockring like a good bumboy should, and……..hmmm, the bumboy seems to like us" before encouraging the further growth of Anthonius' penis by rubbing the knife up and down its length. When, despite Anthonius' attempted resistance, his cock had become rigidly erect, Ceionius ordered "Right, get him into position". The four boys, two either side of the bed, then placed their hands under the splayed Anthonius' naked backside and lifted it off the bed, causing the cords restraining his limbs to bite painfully into the flesh. Ceionius produced yet another long leather cord and wrapped and bound it tightly around Anthonius' erection. He then stood on the bed to tie the other end of the cord to an overhead beam, carefully sizing the intervening length. When he had finished, he said "Right let him go. This should please him." As the boys did so, they could hear Anthonius emit a muffled scream into his gag.

Anthonius quickly tensed the muscles of his stretched arms and legs even further to prevent his bum lowering any more towards the bed, but he knew that he would be unable to keep this up for long. He could see that his cock and balls were already distorted from stretching and he was unsure of the distance remaining between his uplifted posterior and the bed, and what damage would be caused when he could no longer prevent himself collapsing onto it. Whilst Anthonius pondered this, Ceionius, having carefully surveyed his handiwork, said "Well boys, we've said hello. It's time to let the poor bumboy sleep. He'll need all his energies if he's up against me tomorrow. Sweet dreams bumboy!" and, to the bound boy's horror, all five left, giggling amongst themselves and taking the torch with them.

After release, Anthonius lay on the bed for a while grasping his tortured genitals. When he eventually regained his senses and composure, he went to the baths to cleanse and restore his stretched and fatigued body. He gave special attention to his tear-stained face, drawn and red raw penis and scrotum and wearied arm and leg muscles. Luckily, no-one was about at that early hour and he had the baths to himself. He dressed in a spare thong and returned to his bed but he gained little rest before his trainer arrived.

Anthonius was in the parade of about 400 boy athletes that entered the amphitheatre later that morning. His character was of a different calibre to that of the boys Ceionius and his trainer had come across previously and he had recovered sufficiently from his ordeal to want to compete successfully, if only to defeat Ceionius. However, he was worried about the affect the groin discomfort he was experiencing would have on his performance. All the boys heard the lecherous shouts and whistles from amongst the full crowd, which almost exclusively comprised men. Soon the opening ceremonial was over and the boys ran to their various event positions either for an immediate start or to wait the turn of their particular age group.

There were the same eight events in each age group, running for 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 paces, discus, javelin, long jump and wrestling, plus the octathlon which combined all of them and was the most prestigious and had the richest prizes. Boys tended either to specialist in one or two events or try for the octathlon. There were five age groups, 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s and 15s. The arena was elliptical in shape with two tall columns at each end, 200 paces apart, around which the runners simply ran to achieve their laps. There was a sandpit at the side for the long jump. The throwing events took place along the main arena between the running events. The wrestling took place at various points around the arena and was always the last event.

Anthonius and his 19 fellow competitors in the 13s octathlon had to wait for over an hour for their first event, the 400 run, to begin. Ceionius won easily with Anthonius' groin problems causing him to run in a disappointing 8th, in a time well below his best. Ceionius and his trainer immediately thought that their nobbling had worked and wrote the boy off as a threat. However, Anthonius cursed himself for paying attention to his pain instead of ignoring it and decided that he would not make the same mistake again in the next event, the long jump, which happened to be Ceionius' worst. This event was dissimilar to the standing jump of games held in the Greek style in that participants were permitted a run-up. Anthonius' first of two permitted attempts had to be aborted when, in his eagerness, he fouled the take off line but he sprinted as fast as he had ever done to take off for the second. He felt himself flying through the air and, when he landed, he heard loud cheering from the nearby crowd and from the Imperial box. His jump had far outstripped the previous leading effort. Ceionius came 12th and suddenly Anthonius found himself leading Ceionius in the competition. The 20 competitors were awarded 20 points for coming first in an event, 19 for second and so on. Anthonius therefore now had 32 points and Ceionius 28, but someone else with one 2nd and one 4th place actually led overall on 35 points. However, there was still a long way to go.

The next event was the 800 run. This was Anthonius' most awkward distance because it made least use of his sprinting and stamina capabilities but he ran in a commendable 3rd behind a victorious Ceionius. The last event of the day was the discus and Anthonius' excellent technique could not quite match Ceionius' power, the two being 2nd and 1st respectively, but the two boys left the arena equal leaders overall.

Anthonius knew that Ceionius was bound to try to do something nasty to him again that night and so he had made arrangements to sleep elsewhere. Whilst waiting for their various events to start, he had befriended another seemingly lonely boy competitor, Sura, who had ended the day in 5th place. Their conversations soon revealed that they had both been Ceionius' victims and Sura readily agreed to allow Anthonius to share his individual cell, where they ended up sharing much more. Anthonius was prepared to sleep on the floor but Sura told him not to be so silly, there was enough room on his bed for two. Both had been told that they had to resist their natural bodily urges whilst in training for the games, but the resultant desperate need and the presence of a pretty near-naked companion next them on the bed produced the inevitable result. It all began innocently enough with apparently accidental contacts as they tried to sleep but gradually the touches would linger longer and eventually shared lust removed inhibitions. They kissed and played with each other's bodies passionately until mutual masturbation and later sucking satisfied them and they fell soundly asleep in each other's arms. Meanwhile, Ceionius was furious at not being able to find his intended victim but could not risk searching the whole barracks for him. He would have to sabotage his rival in another way.

Their first event of the second and last day was the 1600 run. Anthonius had just taken the lead from Ceionius on the last lap when he felt a foot hit his ankle, causing him to tumble to the floor. He saw the wicked look on Ceionius' face as he ran past to enjoy his victory, with a shocked and sore Anthonius trailing in last. With only three events to go, there was now surely no way that he could overcome the resultant 19-point deficit to overtake Ceionius, but he continued to try his best. A supreme effort won him the javelin but a confident Ceionius was happy with 2nd place.

In the 3200 race, Anthonius carefully watched Ceionius but he forgot about his gang, and one of them was also competing in their discipline. The collision bringing both boys to the ground looked accidental but Anthonius knew otherwise. As Ceionius disappeared into a distant lead, Anthonius quickly regained his feet to begin the forlorn chase. However, he soon realised that he would not be able to catch his rival, although another boy was beginning to do that. Anthonius wished him the best and concentrated instead on gaining third place. Then, suddenly, there was a loud gasp from the crowd and Anthonius looked up to see the two leaders on the ground. As he passed the tangle of bodies, he recognised that the other boy was Sura. Despite his fall, Anthonius was too good for the remaining 17 other lads and romped to victory. Ceionius, having kicked Sura in the groin, came next-to-last. Anthonius and Ceionius were again level on points but the former's worst and the latter's best event, the wrestling, was still to come to close the competition.

Only the top four fought each other to establish the final standings and Anthonius had been paired first against Sura, who was guaranteed overall 4th place despite sacrificing a good position in the last run to help his friend. The prize for overall 4th was not insignificant and so Sura happily discreetly threw the wrestling to allow Anthonius to face Ceionius, easily victorious in the earlier fight. Anthonius knew that his friend had done and was more determined than ever to overcome Ceionius in the final. However, he also knew that he would have to use guile. He was sure that the much bigger boy's size, strength and technique would be too good for him in a straight fight. There were three bouts, the winner being the first to bring his opponent to his knees, within a designated circle, in two of them. Anthonius formulated his plan and quietly prayed to the gods that it worked. He was determined that Ceionius should not win.

The contest took place immediately in front of the Imperial box. In the opening bout, Anthonius used his speed and the perimeters of the circle to full advantage to prevent Ceionius from grasping him, as he knew that this would be fatal. Ceionius was confident of beating the seemingly terrified wimp running around in front of him avoiding contact, and should have waited patiently for the boy to be coaxed into combat by the whips of the judges who would not allow such behaviour to continue for too long. However, Ceionius was over-confident and lurched out to grab the infuriating coward. Anthonius allowed the approach until Ceionius almost had him but then suddenly darted to one side tripping his opponent as he did so. To everyone's surprise, Ceionius found himself sprawled on the ground.

Anthonius knew that Ceionius would not lose the second bout so easily. It started the same as before but this time Ceionius sensibly waited for the judge's whips to threaten his opponent's bare back, forcing the boy towards him. Ceionius then had him within reach and grabbed an arm. He quickly also had a leg and soon moved his hold to the boy's nude rump, lifted with all his strength and executed a successful and fierce throw to the ground, which hurt Anthonius. Now victory or defeat would depend upon the last bout.

Ceionius' confidence had returned and he now expected the third tussle to be just a repeat of the second, especially as Anthonius seemed to be injured. However, he was quickly disillusioned. Instead of again holding back, Anthonius came straight for his surprised opponent. Ceionius managed to grasp Anthonius but not cleanly and he found the boy's smaller body backing into him. Ceionius was trying to gain a better grip when he experienced excruciating pain shoot up his right leg and, as he lifted it slightly for relief, he felt his other leg begin to slip. Anthonius had actually stamped with all his might on Ceionius right foot and was now attempting to trip the other. The manoeuvre worked superbly for, as Ceionius lost his balance, Anthonius was able, by backing in further, to use the bigger boy's own weight against him. Ceionius found himself somersaulting over Anthonius into the dust to roars of acclaim from the crowd and, especially, the Imperial box, where only Casperius and Lysus were silent.

Anthonius was bursting with pride as he collected his laurels from a similarly proud Diocletian. The boy was just as pleased to see the expressions on the faces of Ceionius and his trainer when they came forward to receive their lesser awards, and on Sura when he realised that he was being given the prize-money for both 1st and 4th places. However, Anthonius later had to pay a price for his victory because the Emperor's passion for him had never been so intense. After dancing at the closing banquet, the boy had to share the Imperial bed not only for the whole night but for all of the following day and night as well. He was never to know that the post-games entertainments required from him could easily have been completely different, and much more humiliating and painful.

Whilst Anthonius was spending the 36 hours pleasuring Diocletain, Casperius and Lysus met to discuss their serious under-estimation of the boy. Not only had their plan failed, it had also enhanced the slut's prestige and cost them a lot of money. They decided that, for now, the tart was unassailable and so they would patiently bide their time. An opportunity to destroy him would come sooner or later. Meanwhile, they had noticed the role that Sura had had in the disaster. They would just have to wreak their revenge on him for now.

Chapter 9
Germania

(August 290 A.D.)

The German warriors were stopped in their tracks by a bellowed command. A man, clearly their leader from his magnificent war apparel, emerged through their ranks, looking at Anthonius. The chieftain had recently been to Rome, ostensibly on a trading mission but actually on a spying one to find out about Diocletian's plans for this visit to his country. The chieftain's tribe had suffered much at Roman hands over the years and the plan had been to assassinate the Emperor. The chieftain had been a guest at Diocletian's birthday banquet and so instantly recognised the boy whom he had seen from afar killing some of his best men. He called on Anthonius to surrender in understandable Latin, albeit with a strong Germanic accent, but received a shout of "Never!" for his trouble. It was then that the chieftain saw Armillatus cowering behind the tiny defiant boy warrior and, perceiving his opportunity said "Surrender and I'll let your friend go free. Continue to refuse and I'll have him tortured to death very, very slowly." Anthonius heard Armillatus whimper behind him and he knew that he had no choice. The boy threw his sword to the ground.

"Good," the chieftain responded, "now you will place your hands on your head and let some of my men approach you from behind." Anthonius complied and soon sensed the men's careful approach. He heard Armillatus being dragged away and felt two sword points press into his lower back. The chieftain continued his instructions "Slowly drop your hands behind your back and allow the men to bind them."

As soon as Anthonius was bound, he was held by the arms by two Germans and pulled roughly in front of their chieftain, who punched the boy hard in the stomach. Anthonius' body instinctively tried to double up but the tight hold on his arms prevented this and, by the time the boy had partially recovered, the chieftain's knife was at his throat. "Now, Roman boy harlot," he said, "you will have to pay for the lives of the men you killed." He moved the knife so that it pressed against Anthonius' covered genitals and continued "Their next of kin will enjoy first cutting these off." He moved the knife slowly upwards to the boy's navel, "Then cutting your innards out." He moved the knife again slowly upwards to the boy's chest, "Before finally extracting your heart whilst you still live. We'll enjoy sending them all later, along with your head, to your Imperial whore-master. And, by the way, as you're so good at it, you'll dance in honour of our gods before we sacrifice you to them. If you don't, I'll have to reconsider our agreement over your friend." The chieftain then dismissed Anthonius from his presence with another belly punch and, this time, the boy was allowed to fall onto his knees in agony.

Elsewhere in the encampment, the other Germans were completing their ugly work. It had been recognised early that they had missed Diocletian, so they just concentrated on killing as many Romans as possible, men, women and children, and setting fire to their tents, equipment and baggage. There would be no room for prisoners and loot in the speedy flight they would have to make to escape their enemy's subsequent wrath, apart from the traditional human sacrificial offering with whom they would celebrate victory, and their chieftain had already made his selection. However, there had been enough time to rape the prettier women, girls and boys before their throats were cut. One of the other two boy companions was amongst the victims. The other was one of the lucky few who had escaped to the forest that surrounded the grizzly scene on three sides.

Anthonius and Armillatus found themselves with their hands bound behind their backs and connected together about two paces apart by a rope tied to their necks, Armillatus leading. His neck was also bound to the chieftain's horse, a further six paces in front. Once the Germans set off to return as quickly as possible to their tribal homeland, the boys had to trot to keep up. Fortunately, many of the Germans were also unmounted so the pace was not too taxing, and they managed to avoid falling. Short rests were taken at hourly intervals and a longer one during the hours of darkness overnight. However, the boys received no water, apart from what they could lick up themselves from puddles, and were not allowed to toilet, forcing them to wet themselves. By the time that the German's home village had been reached by the following nightfall, both youngsters were not only exhausted but also parched and filthy.

The arrival of the returning warriors was greeted ecstatically by the village's population. The boy captives were bound for display to two stakes at the centre of the village, where they were to receive special treatment from the children. They were tormented for many hours by delirious boys and girls, screaming and spitting bile. By the time that the village had quietened as most retired to their beds, the boys were dripping from head to toe in phlegm. They remained bound to the stakes overnight, somehow slumbering occasionally despite being on their feet. At dawn, some warriors came to drag Armillatus away and two men in long black priestly robes collected Anthonius. They guided the weakened boy deep into the surrounding forest until they came to a fast running stream, where they allowed the dehydrated youngster, hands still bound behind his back, his fill of the pure cold liquid. They then stripped him, allowed him to toilet and cleaned him and his loincloth thoroughly in the chilly water, before redressing him in the now damp garment and taking him even further into the forest. Suddenly, they emerged into the sunlight onto a high cliff-face. On all sides behind them, there was nothing but trees and, far below them, the forest just seemed to continue endlessly as far as the eye could see. The priests led Anthonius to a rocky promontory and onto a ledge just below the highest point. He saw that strange symbols had been carved into part of the inclined rockface. The boy shuddered when he saw that metal rings with attached shackles were also embedded there. It therefore came as no surprise to him that he was again deprived of his loincloth and chained, naked and spreadeagled, to the rockface facing the huge expanse of trees below him. The priests uttered some incantations and one sprayed Anthonius with some scented liquid, from a small jar that he had carried in the pocket of his gown, before leaving the boy alone to contemplate the vast wilderness before him. As Anthonius did so, his cock slowly but surely grew to full erection as he guiltily recognised that his predicament had produced not only fear within him but also sexual excitement.

As he lay splayed to the rock for lonely hour after hour, all sorts of ideas flooded through Anthonius' mind as to the reason for his display. Was this where he was to be sacrificed? If so, there could be few spectators. Were the Germans now sacrificing him in a different way to that described by the chieftain and a huge eagle or some other monster would shortly appear to devour him? Such thoughts kept him awake despite his tiredness. So did the attentions of flies and midges on his nude frame. He found himself constantly trying to shift his body to avoid their bites but his natural libido, stimulated as designed by his cockring and the aphrodisiacs constantly flowing through his body, caused this to have an embarrassing side affect. The frequent sudden movements encouraged further stimulation in his loins and eventually produced the inevitable result. His semen spilt out over his groin and legs and onto the rock not once but twice as time passed slowly by. The priests came for him at dusk, replaced his loincloth and took him to an empty stockade just outside the village. There he was fed and watered but, with his hands remaining tied behind his back, he had to eat and drink from bowls on the ground like a dog before he was again chained overnight to a wooden stake. However, this time he was allowed to sit on the ground. The priests returned at dawn and the ritual of the previous day was repeated. Anthonius was never to understand the meaning of his days chained to the rock.

The following day started out the same as the previous two but, after he had been cleansed and redressed, he was returned to the stockade where one of the priests spoke directly to him for the first time. In faltering Latin, the priest managed to convey to a fearful Anthonius that his sacrifice would take place the next day and carefully explained to the shocked boy what was expected of him if the other Roman boy was to live. Afterwards, Anthonius was left bound to the stake to contemplate his awful fate and the fact that he was being forced to provide the preliminary degrading entertainment celebrating his own horrific sacrifice. The day and night seemed to pass very slowly to the boy as the terror of what was going to happen built up inside him. However, dawn finally came and Anthonius was subjected to the normal cleaning and redressing routine before being escorted by the priests into the centre of the village.

The whole population of about one thousand had gathered in a large circle around a now solitary wooden stake, boisterously enjoying a breakfast feast. All sat on the ground apart from the chieftain who sat on a huge wooden throne carved in the shape of an eagle. Armillatus was nowhere to be seen. To loud cheers and insults from the crowd, Anthonius was brought before the chieftain and, as instructed, knelt and kissed the dirt immediately in front of the man before climbing back onto his feet. The boy's bonds were untied and music, crudely played, started. Anthonius danced as well as he had ever done for he knew that Armillatus' life depended upon a good performance. As instructed, he slowly stripped during the dance. To resounding cheers, the rear flap of his loincloth was the first item to be removed, followed later by the front flap and finally by the undercloth. Many of the cheers changed to rude shouts and laughter when everyone saw the hardness of the boy's cock. The music eventually finished and Anthonius re-performed his homage before the chieftain, his humiliation compounded by his nakedness and vivid display of sexual arousal in front of so many people. A pause in the music allowed one of the priests, with a small jar in his left hand, to re-approach Anthonius. The priest poured oil from the jar into his right hand and then proceeded to anoint the boy in the oil from head to toe. Anthonius tried to hide his guilty excitement as the oil was applied to his nude body but could not stop closing his eyes and uttering a lone moan of pleasure as it caressed his genitals. When the music and his dance restarted, Anthonius' body glistened radiantly and his penis was rigid.

When the boy's dance eventually finished, the chieftain signalled and a man, a brother of one of the warriors killed by Anthonius, emerged from the crowd and guided the frightened lad to the stake. He proceeded to bind the boy's feet tightly to its base and his hands high above him, stretching the boy's naked body as much as possible. Slow sinister music began and the man drew a large knife from a scabbard attached to his waist and held it in his right hand. Anthonius could see that the blade was extremely sharp, probably honed over and over during the past few days just for this moment. The man grabbed Anthonius' erection with his left had and, as the boy anticipated, started to masturbate it. Anthonius had been told that he would be milked of his seed before his genitals were severed. He therefore tried to fight the rapidly increasing sensations of sexual pleasure seeping through his body but it was to no avail as he began to realise in dread that the inevitable climax was close. However, the man suddenly stopped his pumping and stood back to allow the crowd to see the full results of his work so far. Everyone could now see Anthonius' engorged penis throbbing wildly from the horizontal back towards his stomach and his body writhing in lust. Their cheers and insults reached a new crescendo. The man looked directly at Anthonius' tear-stained face as he re-approached the boy to finish his task. Anthonius saw the bloodthirsty cruelty in the man's eyes as he grasped the boy's penis again and placed the blade of the knife on the underside of his scrotum. The touch alone was enough to take Anthonius over the top.

Anthonius could not help but continue to look into the eyes of the man who was about to emasculate him as he experienced the ecstasy of his last orgasm. However, the swift upward thrust of the knife that would dismember him never came. Instead, the boy saw the man's eyes glaze over, felt his grasp on the still rigid and ejaculating cock fall away and the coldness of metal on his balls disappear. Anthonius knew that the man was dead long before he hit the ground and saw an arrow squarely embedded in his back. Pandemonium broke out as arrows rained down on the crowd and everyone started to scatter. Anthonius now observed Roman horsemen emerging from the surrounding forest and start to hack the fleeing Germans to pieces before noticing that one was coming straight for him. As he closed, recognition stirred the boy. It was the same young Praetorian he had saved during the attack on the Imperial encampment.

The young Praetorian had, as commanded, rescued Anthonius from his bondage and quickly raced away with him to safety. He was loathe to leave his comrades in the Roman raiding party to face the possibility of the shocked Germans regrouping but he had been ordered to return the boy to the Emperor without waiting. However, after an hour's hard ride, his horse needed resting and he stopped by the sides of a stream. The halt would also give him the chance to check on the boy's condition, clean off the sticky oil and find some covering for him. He jumped off his horse and helped the naked youngster down as well. It was then that the young man realised that, despite his dishevelment, the boy was the most gorgeous creature that he had ever seen. He had always thought of himself as a man for girls only, but no girl had ever given him the thrill he now felt at observing the boy's exquisite form.

"I thank you for my life, brave Praetorian" Anthonius said as he his feet hit the ground. Whilst his horse trotted away to enjoy a leisurely drink, the young man replied "Well, we are even then, young master. I just need to check you're alright. Come, please let me look at you." Instinctively, Anthonius felt comfortable with the Praetorian, even in nakedness, and allowed his body to be inspected, keeping his hands at his sides. "You look a bit dirty and underfed but otherwise fine" the Praetorian said after his survey of the boy's dazzling body, trying to disguise the excitement in his voice and mopping sudden beads of sweat from his brow. However, Anthonius had already seen the signs of discomfort and recognised the reason for them.

The Praetorian collected a clean cloth from the haversack on his horse, dampened it in the stream and returned to start rubbing the oil and dirt off the acquiescent boy. He would have said nothing to Anthonius about recognising the white stains on the boy's loins and legs even if he had managed to regain the ability to speak as he proceeded with his task. However, Anthonius cock now betrayed his own excitement at his handling and was soon half-hard. This was a sight the poor young man, kneeling to finish his work by cleaning the boy's legs, simply could not resist and he felt himself instinctively reach out with his mouth to taste its magnificence. Anthonius closed his eyes as his penis was engulfed by the young man's lips and placed his hand on the Praetorian's head, drawing him closer. Lust now took both beyond reason and the dangers that their ardour represented. Instead of the pain and degradation experienced with Diocletian, Anthonius now felt only immense joy and gratitude. He had found the handsome young hero of his dreams. The Praetorian had never known such pleasure. He was in sexual paradise with a boy god.

The two infatuated lovers somehow ended up in a comfortable shaded grassy hollow where they repeatedly satiated their passions, interrupted only by short periods of respite and reflection in each other's arms. They declared their undying love for each other, formulating wild plots to run away together to distant lands, until, desire finally spent hours later, they reflected more soberly and sombrely on their situations. Both now recognised that Anthonius had to return to the Emperor and the Praetorian to his soldierly duties, and that this one day of love would be all they ever had. It was therefore with heavy hearts that the Praetorian wrapped Anthonius in his spare cloak and they remounted his horse to return to Roman territory.

Chapter 10
Birthdays

(October 290 A.D.)

Diocletian's young son coincidentally also celebrated his birthday in October, he was 11 on the next day. The Emperor spoiled the boy and tolerated most of his whims. The Prince hosted regular dinners for his retinue of friends from the noblest and richest families who shared his schooling, and Diocletian would usually agree to allow a boy companion to attend to act as the boy's cup-bearer. The Prince and his friends liked to humiliate the older boy companions, particularly by tempting them to remove their clothing. They achieved this by making ostensibly playful auction bids for the boy companions' tunics and loincloths. The boy companions invariably ended up accepting the final bids, despite the shame, because the money involved was always considerable and would be very useful for their impoverished families. None who acted as cup-bearer ever finished the evening without being naked. The Emperor indulged his son by turning a blind eye to the disregarding of his own order that boy companions were never to be seen unclothed outside the harem.

For the Prince's birthday, the Emperor had agreed to his request that Lysus arrange a banquet for him and his friends with the latest boy companion, of whom the Prince had heard so much from Lysus, providing some of the entertainment. Armillatus was to be the cup-bearer. When Anthonius arrived on the small dais at the centre of the Prince's entertainment chamber, his friend was already standing naked, red-faced with cup in hand, next to the Prince's couch, with he boy on the adjacent couch occasionally playing with the cup-bearer's erect genitals. Anthonius danced with his usual efficiency in front of the gathering of twelve 11 years old boys before being subjected to their auction game. As he had shed his tunic, they were bidding just for his loincloth but Anthonius resisted all the bids, despite them reaching unprecedented levels. He was more fortunate than the other boy companions in that money meant little to him. However, he noticed that the Prince had not made a bid. He was pondering this when he saw the boy adjacent to Armillatus squeeze the lad's balls harshly, making him drop his cup. The Prince looked at the floor to see his spilled drink, tutted and said that it looked as if his cup-bearer had earned a beating, before turning again to Anthonius. "Unless the former Prince here wants to remove his loincloth for nothing, when I'll forgive the useless brat his clumsiness" he said, finally revealing his bid, and Anthonius sacrificed himself again to save his friend's skin. This time his sacrifice was having to nude dance in front of the gleeful 11 years olds, who gloated at the older boy's obvious discomfiture, especially with his all too noticeable hard-on, and made derisory comments about his brandmarks. Anthonius never realised that his best friend amongst the boy companions had been selected for a special reason to be cup-bearer that evening.

Anthonius hoped to be able to redress and leave at the end of his performance but his hopes were cruelly dashed. Lysus had entered the chamber just before the end of the boy's nude dance. Having happily observed his half-brother's naked body for the first time and the boy's clear embarrassment at what he was having to do, Lysus gave the Prince a long narrow wooden box and whispered something in his ear, making the Prince's smile become even wider, before leaving. Anthonius was to discover the significance of the box at the end of his dance when the Prince said to his friends "Look, everyone, Casperius has sent me a gift." The Prince opened the box and Anthonius immediately recognised the contents. It was the same cane with which he had been beaten six months earlier. The Prince, grinning broadly, continued "Apparently my father's bed-boy here was naughty yesterday. He didn't like my father's present and vomited it all over the floor. He's to receive four strokes of this cane for his ingratitude and another four for the mess he created, and Casperius has given me the pleasure of his punishment for my birthday." The Prince's friends all cheered in genuine excitement but Anthonius' face reddened in disbelief. He was expecting a beating but not here, now and inflicted by a boy three years younger.

The Prince removed the cane from the box and stood up. "Turn round bed-boy," he ordered, "and bend over, hands on your shins. I want that bum of yours up in the air." The Prince's friends giggled as the boy reluctantly obeyed. The Prince walked onto the dais and practised swinging the cane. Anthonius visibly shuddered as the memory of his first beating returned with the resultant swish and draught. The Prince had never beaten anyone previously and so took his time to ensure that his swing was right as he wanted to impress his friends, and his victim, by delivering a caning as well as a man could. Anthonius waited fearfully in his awkward position for the practising to stop, ashamed that his cock was still full, pointing rigidly to the floor, and terrified that it might again betray him once his punishment started. The Prince was eventually satisfied that he had his action was right and rested the cane on Anthonius' smooth upturned buttocks. The Prince had often seen slaveboys beaten and had decided to follow some of the rituals he had observed. "Right, bed-boy," he said to increased chortling from his friends, "I want you to count each stroke and thank me for it. If you miss one, or I can't hear you, that stroke doesn't count. Also, if you don't stay in position, I'll start all over again. Understand, bed-boy?" "Yes, highness" Anthonius replied, with consternation evident in his voice. The boy felt the cane move away from his quaking backside and he steeled himself for the first strike. He knew that it was on its way from the expression of delight that he saw, out of the corner of his eye, on one of the boy guest's faces.

For an 11 years old, who had not wielded a cane before, the blow was impressive. It stuck Anthonius heavily and squarely in the middle of his backside, causing the boy to lose his balance and fall onto the floor whilst laughter erupted all around. "Oh dear," the Prince remarked sarcastically, "it seems that that one won't count. Back up, bed-boy, and we'll start again." Anthonius resumed his position, avoiding the temptation to touch his sore behind. The Prince's second swing was equally good with the cane hitting virtually the same spot as the first, causing the resultant pain to be even more excruciating and returning the hapless victim to the floor to more shrieking laughter. "Looks as if we'll be here all day", the Prince sniggered before ordering Armillatus to stand in front of Anthonius to hold the boy's shoulders. Although this order would help Anthonius to remain in place, the boy soon realised that it created another problem for him. The feel of his friend's touch and the sight of his genitals, cock still erect, dangling just in front of him caused his own penis to harden even more and begin to dribble precum. Although his friend's presence enabled him to stay in place after the third blow hit him just above where the first two had landed, it also caused the now crying Anthonius to forget the count required of him until the Prince queried "Number, bed-boy?" Anthonius answered in a shaky voice "One, highness, thank you" but was told by the Prince that he was too late.

The fourth stroke was the worst so far. It struck the particularly tender junction between the boy's buttocks and upper legs. The blow shoved Anthonius forward and he saw Armillatus' genitals shake as his friend struggled to keep him upright. Anthonius immediately felt his own cock rise uncontrollably towards his belly and, for the first time in his life, part of its head emerge from the foreskin. It was followed by a stream of white boy seed exploding onto his stomach before rebounding to the floor to howls of pleasure from the spectators. "Dirty slut" was the Prince's simple rebuke before he had to remind the bewildered boy again about the count.

The beating now proceeded systematically, with Anthonius now loudly screaming in response to each blow but managing to remember to count, despite the agonies inflicted on him, and kept securely in the required posture by his friend. After his 12th and last swing, the Prince studied his handiwork. Anthonius' bottom was covered in red stripes, turning deep purple and oozing droplets of blood where some had crossed, and the boy quietly cringed when the Prince roughly rubbed his hand over all of them. "Get back to your place," the Prince instructed Armillatus before ordering Anthonius "And you can stand up and turn round", reinforcing his command with a heavy slap across the boy's upturned and very sore bum and producing a satisfyingly loud yelp. The Prince returned to his couch to observe Anthonius straighten and turn slowly, before saying, to more elated titters from his friends "Now, bed-boy, you've soiled the dais. Whilst I decide your punishment for doing so, I want you on your knees licking your own mess up." Anthonius sank despondently and painfully to his knees to comply, and soon his tortured bum was again the highest part of his anatomy as he cleaned up his own semen with his tongue. When he had done, Anthonius stood again to hear what he would have to suffer next.

The Prince told Anthonius "I should cane you more for your filthiness but my arm is tired from already trying to teach you the importance of good behaviour and the cane is now dirty. So I'll let my friends here smack you instead with their hands. You will bend over before each in turn. They will each smack you twice and you will, of course, thank them every time for bothering to try to teach you proper manners." Twenty-two hard slaps later, the sobbing Anthonius was allowed to leave, the whole of his backside now virtually red raw, whilst Armillatus was forced to clean his friend's blood from the hands of the boy guests.

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