“Why not?” Claudia asked.
“Because I don’t want to be a mage of Perdomo” Sawyer replied.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Claudia asked confused. “Tabitha is decent enough and to be in charge she rarely throws her weight around.”
“She is also the person that brought me here” Sawyer replied.
“You may have a point” Claudia replied. “I don’t know of any man who would like this environment when they haven't done anything to deserve it. Tabitha should have probably thought that one through a little better, but I am sure she will make it up to you. Just give her a little time and she will make things right.”
“Maybe I was wrong about you” Sawyer replied. “I still want a shirt though.”
“I’ll get you one Sarlon” Janessa said. “Yesenia and Mage Claudia can keep you company until I come back.”
“Janessa has taken to you” Claudia said as the woman left and Sawyer went back to working. “I find that odd that you are the first one.”
“Nothing is going on between us if that is what you are insinuating” Sawyer replied as he worked the bellows. “Lady Janessa is the first real person that I met here. I find this place disgusting and would find it even more so if men were in charge. Anyone who would spend their time indulging in such a place is not really a person I can see myself being any more than acquaintances with.”
“I can respect that” Claudia replied. “I love Maduro but I can respect where you are coming from. Has Tabitha found you a master yet?”
“Not yet” Sawyer replied.
“I wonder how strong you are” Claudia said looking at Sawyer work the bellows. “I know you are not comfortable with people checking you out but I think you will come to the attention of the princesses real quick.”
“Why don’t you take off your top off and stand here bare chested in front of a bunch of men while they leer at you” Sawyer replied. “Then tell me if I am overreacting about not being comfortable.”
“He has a point” Yesenia replied. “Would you like it if we both left until you cover yourself up?”
“I would like it even better if you keep comments to yourself” Sawyer replied. “I can appreciate a beautiful woman without any remarks or making her feel uncomfortable. Well I could appreciate one when I was looking for such things.”
“I heard you were married” Claudia replied. “I am sure what everyone told you about that. I would warn you to steer clear of the royals. We mages have a code amongst each other, we are fiercely loyal to the crown but that doesn’t mean we don’t fear them. I can see how someone like you can get into trouble.”
“Trouble?” Sawyer asked.
“Maduro had to come from somewhere” Claudia explained. “It is not really a secret that the Queen wants her grandchildren to have mage blood. Of the five mages, one is an older man who was just good at hiding during the Purge when most of Mast’s mages were killed. I could not see either princess trying for a man forty something years older than they are. The other two are not pleasing to eye, what is even worse is that they treat all of Perdomo the way you think most women treat men in Maduro. They both carry swords but I think it is obvious they don’t know how to use them, at least that is what Yesenia said when she saw them the last time they were here.”
“Is this some kind of rite of passage to be brought here to be paraded around?” Sawyer asked.
“Yes” Claudia replied. “Where Tabitha messed up is that she should have waited until the Queen said bring you here instead of doing it herself. It makes her look like the bad guy, especially since it was only supposed to be for two or three days and you would have been staying in her house, not here in the stocks. Anyway neither of them two are in any kind of shape and I doubted they could have sweet talked even the ugliest whore into willingly sleeping with them if money wasn’t involved. Then you have Samson who is insanely beautiful with a horrible attitude to balance him out. If there is one thing you both have in common is that you wouldn’t sleep with anyone who has spent time in Maduro but I hope you have reasons different from his.”
“What was his reason?” Yesenia asked.
“Well it is no secret some of the men here are um, bigger than others” Claudia began. “He wants to be the largest a woman has ever had and doesn’t want to stack up against any past lovers.”
“That is kind of stupid” Yesenia began. “Women don’t worry if their stuff is the best a man has ever had. I don’t think about anything like that at all, I just enjoy the attention.”
“Samson is the most conceited man I have ever met though” Claudia replied. “Too bad for Candace I am sure he will never see her the same way after spending a longer time than normal here. The Queen made sure he knew Candace had a big home here complete with servants before he was sentenced. Candace really likes that man and for a moment I thought they had something myself.”
“They deserve each other” Sawyer replied as he started getting the iron sludge out of the bloomery and waited for it to cool wondering if he put enough oxygen into it.
“Well I think the Queen wanted them separated” Claudia began. “Samson won't go for Candace anymore but I also think he is done with the princesses. You though are new meat and from my impressions of you, you don’t like to run around. I think they royals will make a play for you.”
“Then they will be disappointed” Sawyer replied.
“You know they don’t play fair right?” Claudia began.
“Well I am already here so I am not sure what else could be done” Sawyer admitted. “I thrive in difficult situations, this isn’t the first time I was in a bad spot and I made it out okay.”
“Are you coming to Founder’s Day?” Yesenia asked.
“No” Sawyer replied. “From what I heard about it, it is not my scene.”
“You could win Mr. Maduro” Yesenia replied. “It is the title given to the manliest man here and comes with a lot of perks like a year’s immunity to lashes or getting kicked out of this place.”
“I’ll pass Lady Yesenia” Sawyer said.
“You also get to have duels against the other men” Yesenia replied. “Unarmed duels, I would think the fighter in you would love to spar, I know at least two of Claudia’s mage guard will be there.”
“If anything it will convince you that you don’t need to carry a sword when we leave this place” Claudia began. “The mage guard will protect you well enough, they are some of the biggest, roughest men in the kingdom.”
“I may go for that, anything else though I am not interested in” Sawyer replied. “Do I have to wear one of those ridiculous outfits or can I keep what I have on?”
“Um” Yesenia said and turned away. “There are several events that make up the overall score for Mr. Maduro. The fighting part is just one, there is also a talent portion, a weight lifting part and best physique contest. All of those are done naked.”
“Definitely not interested” Sawyer said as the sludge cooled down. Sawyer picked it up with tongs and mixed the hard iron sludge with another metal to make steel, Janessa said she needed some and Sawyer was sure he could make it on his own.
“I am back with your shirt” Janessa said as she walked inside. “Madeline told me to give you her thanks and said you can be her guest to Founder’s Day if you want.”
“We are trying to get him to compete in Mr. Maduro” Yesenia replied.
“I think he stands a fair chance of winning” Janessa said as she tossed Sawyer the shirt. “I think he will be in the upper tier when it comes to dueling. I am not sure how any of them would be able to beat a mage in talent portion and I think he would be at least middle of the pack in weightlifting.”
“I would bet my coin on him” Yesenia replied. “I think the outfit is a deal killer though.”
“Men compete naked all of the time in unarmed fighting tournaments” Janessa replied. “But normally it is around other men and I am guessing there is nothing like it in Colten.”
Sawyer was about to s
ay something when he heard a commotion outside the shop. It sounded like two men arguing and he could hear a woman’s voice in the middle of it all. Yesenia grabbed the pommel of her sword and walked outside then hurried back inside quickly. Claudia looked at her oddly as the yelling got louder and Sawyer could tell it was a lot more than three people arguing. Claudia had her staff with her and walked outside as Janessa looked at Yesenia who started to talk.
“The High Mage is outside with what looked like every male mage in Perdomo” Yesenia said answering the unasked question. “Princess Penelope is outside as well and she seems amused at the entire thing.”
“Well what is the yelling about?” Janessa asked.
“I could be wrong but Her Highness is here for the Mr. Maduro contest and wants all the male mages to compete” Yesenia said.
“Well why did you run back inside like you seen a ghost?” Janessa began.
“Have you ever seen the other male mages?” Yesenia began. “She forced them all into the shorts and they just found out about the contest from the High Mage, they came here to pick up Mage Claudia, can't you hear the yelling outside?”
“Sarlon” the High Mage said as she stuck her head inside. “I have someone outside that wants to meet you and please be on your best behavior.”
~
“This is an outrage” said Reginald White, a blond haired mage as he walked around angrily. Reginald was twenty two and was quite hairy. His light blond hair gave his back and chest the appearance of fur, even his big round belly was covered in the stuff and he was sweating profusely. Sawyer looked at him and could see why he would be a little self conscious, his belly pretty much covered his manhood and it looked lost in the blond forest he had down there.
“She is mad at you Samson, why did we have to be drug into this?” Dominic Rew said angrily. Dominic was also heavyset and the same age as Reginald but was much shorter, Sawyer thought he was shorter than most women and looked like he hadn’t seen the sun in quite a while.
“Shut up you idiot” Samson said. “This has nothing to do with me. Do you think I want to be alone and naked in this room with you four?”
“Don’t tell him to shut up” Andrew McDonald said. Andrew was an older mage who had definitely let himself go but was not as out of shape as Reginald or Dominic but looked like he lived a life full of drinking and smoking the five leaf and any other intoxicant. “You put it in that girl’s mind that she can have a mage, that is the only reason we are out here. When you took that hope away and she heard how bad you had it here she brought us along just to keep the rest of us in check. You even got the new mage involved in all of this nonsense.”
“He doesn’t have shit to worry about” Reginald said. “He looks like one of brainless brutes outside, even better than most. Just fucking look at me, all those women out there are going to have a heart attack laughing at me.”
“Those whores know if they were outside of this damn city they would be lining up to suck my cock and thanking me for it” Dominic snapped. “I hate this fucking city, Princess Penelope is a spoiled teenage girl with nothing better to do.”
“Well I will never set foot inside the capital or even meet with a royal again unless I am summoned” Andrew replied. “I have known the Queen for years and her father before her and I have to go through this? I won't step another foot inside no matter what kind of celebration it is.”
“I am tired of hearing all of your whining” Samson said angrily. “Just look at my back, I was whipped like a dog by a fat woman on more than one occasion. Go through that then start whining about indignities.”
Sawyer listened to the four men yell and scream at each other and sat in a chair silent. Sawyer had seen the princess who was a little shocked to hear she had another mage but for the most part kept her eyes on Samson who was silently enraged and not trying to make eye contact at her. They were all brought to the Princess’s personal home and told to strip down to nothing and thrown into a cold room with no kind of blanket or bed to get comfortable. Almost immediately the four started tearing into the other and Sawyer had managed to go to sleep on the cold stone floor. Sawyer had slept on a floor many times and was able to get a decent amount of sleep. Now that he was woke the four went at it again, mostly it was three on one as the trio were beyond angry at Samson. Sawyer yawned as the door to the small room they were in opened and an armored woman poked her head inside and started to speak.
“Her highness requests you presence for breakfast” the guard replied. “There is a bucket to wash your faces in the next room. Use it and hurry up and be seated.”
Sawyer got up first and went to use the bucket, the water was freezing but he figured that may have been the point as he stuck his head up and followed the guard who stuck her head inside. The woman was not shy at all as she looked him over and gave a little smile as she led him to a room with a big table. The Princess was already seated along with the High Mage, Claudia who blushed, Candace who gave him a smirk and two other female mages Sawyer did not know.
“Sit down” the Princess said as she gave him a smile. “You are Sarlon, right?”
“Yes Your Highness” Sawyer replied as he took a seat.
“I heard you were from Colten and do not wish to be a mage in service to the Queen” Penelope said as Sawyer noticed her gaze often left his eyes.
“That is correct, but there is not much I can do about it Your Highness” Sawyer replied.
“I hear you are married to some woman you may never see again” Penelope replied. “She is probably being misused by the Sale or the Aft or even Haven. Even if she is not, she likely has found another husband, it is tough for a young woman to survive on her own. You are a Perdomian now, even if she was here you wouldn’t be allowed to be together. But I am sure you will like it here once you see what we have to offer.”
“If you say so Your Highness” Sawyer replied.
“What does that supposed to mean?” Penelope replied.
“Getting captured is one thing Your Highness” Sawyer began. “I doubt anything could make me forget being drug to this place and being stripped down for amusement.”
“It is only a temporary inconvenience and you look to be in terrific shape and blessed in all the right areas” Penelope replied. “You have nothing to be ashamed of and I hear the women you have come across actually like you. When you leave here you can have whatever you want in whatever quantity you want within reason. This is just to show you all that you belong to the crown, I want this experience to be quite embarrassing for all of you so you will think long and hard before you do something stupid. Have you found him a master Tabitha?”
“Right now Candace has been training him” Tabitha began. “But he doesn’t like her or me. I can’t imagine now that we have seen him naked that his opinion of us will change anytime soon. I am actually at a lost as to who to place him with. Maybe with Dawn Nettleton or Tracey Edmonson, I think they would do an okay job at the entire thing.”
“He will have to get over his feelings” Penelope replied as there was a loud noise, like the sound of someone being struck. The other four mages came walking in the room with four guards behind them, all holding cudgels. Penelope laughed and pointed to a seat as they sat down.
“Now that I have all of you here” Penelope began and had another fit of laughter. “I just can't control myself, all of you walk around like strutting roosters. Like any woman in the world should be lucky for any of you to give them the time of day and look at you. You all know what you like naked, it hurts my eyes just to see it. I came to give you all a very serious warning about the contest, if I think for a second that you are not trying as hard as I think you can I will make sure you are brought before the post and whipped. And after we leave here your mage guard will make sure you never sleep in an inn or eat fine food or other things again. For a year you will live like poor peasants and you will still do the crown’s bidding. I came here for a show, I want to give the women of Maduro a show they or you will never
forget. We will be at war soon, people need things to take their mind off of it.”
“How can we make this go away Your Highness?” Dominic pleaded. “We have already been shamed enough.”
“There is no getting out of this” Penelope laughed. “But if you don’t want this to become a yearly thing you will do what I say. As far as I am concerned the only one of you that should be angry is Sarlon. The rest of you have seen and taken full advantage of my mother’s hospitality, you owe her as far as I am concerned.”
“I don’t think it will be as bad as you are making this out to be” the High Mage spoke. “So what you are naked, just think back to all the women you have flashed your manhood to unsolicited. It is almost the same thing except there is just more women to see it.”
“I don’t do things like that” Sawyer replied a little angry. “Don’t pretend to know me and I don’t like being called a deviant. My mother and father raised me better than that and I won't have you sully their name.”
“Oh shut up” Penelope said. “This holier than thou act is getting old, for all I know you have stuck your cock into any tavern wench that looked good enough for you. Just because you haven't taken some woman here means nothing, most likely you thought they were too ugly for you or something. Now let’s all enjoy our food and get ready for the festivities, Mr. Maduro won't start without you and you all are the star attractions.”
Sawyer said nothing and looked at the food that was brought before him, it looked to be scrambled eggs, a thin slab of beef and some juice. Sawyer nibbled at it and listened to the conversation around him. Penelope and Candace never spoke, in fact they didn’t even join conversations the other was in. Sawyer had noticed them both glance at Samson occasionally, giving him a stare only a jilted woman that wanted a bad man back could give. Eventually breakfast was finished and everyone was loaded up in four carriages, the ride wasn’t that long and they were taken out and showed to an area where other naked men stood. These men didn’t mind being naked at all, they ignored Sawyer’s group and instead talked about what the contest was like last year and what they planned on doing for the talent portion. Sawyer figured they didn’t care because they were barely clothed anyway while they were in Maduro and didn’t see this as any different. There was a stage set up and on it were big circular stones, surrounding the stage were many seats and women started filling in and looking over at the contestants.
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