The Traitor's Son Chapters 17-20
By Zelamir, adapted by Pueros

This story is intended for ADULTS ONLY

Chapter XVII

Marius was jerked back to wakefulness by Pulchellus' bare foot prodding him in the ribs. The naked boy subsequently faced another long painful shameful march with his heavy load until, with the light fading, Crastus called a halt at a squalid inn on the Via Cassia just outside the town of Volsinii.

Marius staggered into the inn courtyard and collapsed to his knees, placing his heavy sack of silver goblets on the cobbled ground next to him. Crastus looked to his rear to check that the boy was not too far behind and then swung off his horse and strode back to where the exhausted 11 year-old now lay huddled.

Crastus picked up the sack and handed it to Varro, with the instruction "Look after this". He then prodded Marius' bare bottom with his own foot and ordered "And you, brat, get up!"

Despite his acute exhaustion, sweaty bedraggled body and sore and bloody feet, Marius wearily dragged himself upright. Crastus subsequently stooped to unlock the iron ring locked round the base of the boy's genitals.

Crastus next turned Marius round. The boy then squealed, as the man jerked the anal plug out of his bottom.

"Get over there and empty yourself brat," Crastus subsequently commanded, whilst pushing Marius towards the open drain that ran down the centre of the inn's courtyard. "Make the brat hurry up boss," Varro called out impatiently in immediate response, as he watched the shamed boy comply, "as we're all thirsty and hungry."

Marius soon found himself squatting over the open drain, straining as Crastus, who had followed him, stood towering above him, urging him on with sharp kicks to his thigh. Exhausted though he was, the boy felt his current degradation deeply.

After Marius had concluded his humiliating public business, Crastus produced an old rag for the boy to wipe his bottom. However, the man did not bother to apply further grease to the 11 year-old's anus after subsequently pulling him back to his feet and before harshly jamming and locking the plug back in place.

Crastus and his men then disappeared into the inn, leaving Marius and Pulchellus to look after the horses and mule. Grynium had taken Pannychis with him, having grabbed the girl by the arm and suggested "Come on, whore, perhaps you can earn some money for us tonight!"

After securing the horses and mule in the stables, the extremely tired Marius barely had enough strength left to swallow the bowl of watery porridge later reluctantly brought to him by Pulchellus on the orders of Crastus. The man did not want the boy to starve to death, at least before he sold him at the slave market in Rome.

The porridge represented Marius' only food before he fell asleep amidst filthy straw in the stables. Pulchellus had already left him, as he was instead compelled to spend the night with Crastus and his needy cock.

After being kicked awake in the morning by Pulchellus, Marius soon found himself back in the inn courtyard with the horses and mule, just as Crastus and his men were emerging from the tavern. They were obviously in good humour because they were laughing and talking loudly.

Grynium was again dragging Pannychis. However, on this occasion he did not lead her to a night of profitable prostitution but to the mule on which she had been riding on the previous day.

"I don't see why she shouldn't walk," Pulchellus, who had been charged with leading the mule, suggested to Grynium slyly, "whilst I rode." "If you made as much for us as the bitch did last night you'd have a point," the man replied, whilst clinking some coins in his hand, "but you didn't. You just spent your time with Crastus' cock up your bum!"

Marius could not help but giggle on overhearing Grynium's rebuff. Consequently, Pulchellus gave the boy a stare that clearly denoted intense hatred and vindictiveness.

The moment confirmed for Marius that the other boy still meant to cause him further harm if he could. The occasion also encouraged Pulchellus even more to want to ensure that he achieved such an evil aspiration.

Chapter XVIII

After another long exhausting and distressing day for Marius, who had just about managed to keep up with Crastus' small caravan, the party finally reached Rome. The 'Eternal City' was entered via the gate called the 'Porta Fontinalis', where the horses and mules were left at a livery stable, as they were not permitted into the streets during daylight.

By now, there was nothing about Marius that might have alerted anyone to the fact that Crastus had not been true to his Imperial commission and had failed to kill the last surviving child of Sejanus. There was nothing to distinguish him from the many hundreds of young slaveboys that swarmed the streets of Rome, apart perhaps from his exhaustion, filthy nakedness and sporting of an embarrassing chastity device.

Most young slaveboys, especially those in domestic service, were considered to be expensive property by their owners and so were generally looked after much better. Such consideration extended to encouraging them to maintain at least a modicum of cleanliness and allowing them some clothing.

Marius' filthy nakedness was therefore not only highly distressing and humiliating for the boy but also unusual, as was his linked cockring and anal plug. However, few people took much attention of the dirty 11 year-old nude, as he now carried his heavy sack through the dark crowded narrow unsanitary streets of the poor plebeian quarters of Rome.

Such nonchalance did not just result from the fact that Marius' inherent immense beauty was currently camouflaged by copious surface grime. Another factor was that the boy's present foul appearance was actually off-putting and so the eyes of few people wanted to linger for long on such a disgusting sight.

People were also dissuaded from taking any interest in Marius by Varro, who was now protectively at the 11 year- old's side as they traversed the dark streets, where the sun rarely ventured because of the height of the tall ramshackle tenements on each side. The man, of course, had no consideration for the welfare of the traitor's son. He was instead just guarding precious property, in the form of a boy with good slave market value and the expensive silver goblets he was carrying.

Given the general disinterest in the completely naked Marius, the journey through Rome was actually more embarrassing for the cleaner and only partly nude Pannychis. The girl's loins were still afforded some cover by the cloth wrapped round her waist. However, she remained topless, which was an unusual sight even for female slaves in Rome. Consequently, as she now walked along the streets in the close company of the guarding Grynium, she was subjected to many lewd looks and ribald commentary.

Skirting the Capitol Hill, Crastus' party passed through the meat and livestock market, which was on the point of closing, with the many stalls being dismantled or locked up. The pervading stink of near rotting meat was nauseating.

The streets subsequently became progressively even narrower and dirtier, as Crastus' party penetrated deeper into the slums of the Aventine. Many of the dilapidated tenements that now towered upwards on each side of them looked as if they were ready to collapse, which some actually did from time to time. Meanwhile, the air was still and fetid, whilst the noise of a busy city, with people quarrelling, tradesmen shouting their wares and busy smiths hammering, echoed about them.

Crastus stopped outside a decrepit tenement, which was indistinguishable from those that crowded around on either side except that the building was, if anything, even dirtier and more run down than its neighbours.

Chapter XIX

Crastus' home proved to be a single large room on the fifth floor of the tenement block. The apartment was reached by a rickety wooden staircase, which opened directly onto the common landing.

The room also proved to be a very gloomy place, with bare floorboards, furnished only with a truckle bed and a couple of stools. The single unglazed window looked out directly across the narrow street outside to the even taller building opposite.

Crastus settled himself on the edge of the bed and his men seated themselves either on one of the stools or on the floor. Pulchellus was given a coin and despatched to fetch some wine from the nearest street tavern, or 'caupona'.

Marius had briefly hesitated outside on the landing but was told roughly by Varro to go inside the room and hand his sack of silver goblets to Crastus. The boy obeyed and then sidled off to huddle up against Pannychis, who was trying to make herself inconspicuous in a dark corner.

"Well, lads," Crastus eventually commented cheerfully, "that's another mission completed for our Emperor!" By now, Pulchellus had dutifully returned from his errand and was filling some of the silver goblets from Marius' sack with the cheap wine.

Thought of attempting escape had not even crossed Pulchellus' mind when he had been outside. The boy appreciated that the common punishment if caught trying to do so was gruesome execution by crucifixion or being flogged to death or fed to lions and the like in the amphitheatre. He anyway had no person or place to run to safely. He therefore believed that his best option was to take his chances with Crastus, who was clearly already beginning to react positively to his seductive charms by treating him better.

"Let's hope the mission pays more than some have done in the past," Varro remarked less enthusiastically in response to Crastus' cheerful comment. "I don't see why it shouldn't," the other man replied, "as, apart from our fee from the Emperor, we've got the boy and the girl to sell, plus the silver goblets!"

"There's two boys and the girl," Grynium corrected, with a hint of belligerence in his voice. He clearly did not want to lose profit just because Crastus fancied Pulchellus.

"One boy," Crastus nevertheless answered firmly, "as I'm keeping Pulchellus. Apart from being a good fuck, he's a handy sort of brat and I reckon he'll be of use to me in my business!"

Pulchellus smiled on hearing this announcement. As well as confirming that his seductive charms were indeed working as far as Crastus was concerned, the declaration of intent also conveyed the news that the man wanted him to help in his business.

As this business often involved torturing and executing traitors to the Emperor, and raping and killing their usually virginal children, the sadistic Pulchellus was rather attracted to his new owner's profession. However, a hostile silence greeted Crastus' statement amongst the other men in the room.

Consequently, Crastus eventually conceded "All right then, so that there's no ill feeling between us, in compensation for acquiring Pulchellus, I'll only take half of my usual share of the mission's profits. Is that acceptable to you all?"

Given that, as leader, Crastus took the biggest share of the profits, his men readily agreed to the arrangement. Pulchellus then immediately turned and grinned triumphantly at Marius, whose future was far less certain and could also be far worse.

"How, though, do we best turn the boy, girl and goblets into cash?" Varro now asked. "For example, is it safe to sell the traitor's son in the public slave market," he added, whilst airing the sudden worry that had entered his mind, "as someone might recognise the offspring of such a famous father? The slut and the cups might also be dangerous to dispose of at auction because they're effectively stolen goods, which should now be the Emperor's property!"

"I don't believe," Crastus answered, "that anyone will recognise the brat. Unlike his older brother and sister, his father never brought him to Rome but kept him at his country estate, away from the city's temptations and dangers."

"I also don't believe," Crastus continued, whilst deliberately raising his voice so that Pannychis could hear his threat, "that the slut will blabber about being a slave stolen by us from Sejanus' country estate. I obtained a signature for a receipt for her transfer to me from the farm bailiff in return for a promise to let him out of the cellar in which I'd locked him. Naturally, I didn't keep my end of the bargain and the steward might still be incarcerated for all I now. Nevertheless, the document is valid and will not only nullify any complaints made by the whore but it'll undoubtedly earn her another whipping for untruthfulness from her new owners!"

"The goblets are additionally unmarked," Crastus added, "and therefore shouldn't be traceable." However, having apparently been on the brink of dismissing Varro's worries, the leader of the men now seemed to have second thoughts about the situation.

Crastus stopped speaking for a few moments whilst he reviewed matters. He then announced "But there's no need to take any chances by us selling the boy, girl and goblets at market."

"I'll take the boy and goblets," Crastus next declared, "instead to the general merchandiser, Balbinus, in the Emporium in the morning. I'm sure he'll give us a good price for them!"

"Balbinus will particularly like the brat," Crastus advised, "as he specialises in slaveboys. The traitor's son is a classy bit of goods and, if anyone can, he'll be able to turn him into good cash!"

"The brat doesn't look all that classy to me," Grynium interjected with a laugh, "in his current state. Just look at him. He's filthy. His knees are also grazed from when he's stumbled on the march, and the tender soles of his feet are bloody because we've not pampered him with sandals!"

"I'm sure that, despite the surface grime, Balbinus will recognise the underlying quality," Crastus retorted confidently, "that'll allow the brat to sell very well once he's been cleaned up and rested. Take my word for it, Grynium, there's real distinction there, not least because he's virginal!"

Marius, who was still cowering in the corner next to Pannychis, was overhearing these discussions about his imminent fate. The boy was unsure whether he should be pleased or not about Crastus' testament about his quality, not knowing what such an attribute might bode for his future destiny.

"As for the girl," Crastus next suggested in respect of the one item of goods that he did not intend to sell to Balbinus, "she's pretty but nothing special. We'll therefore sell her for what we can get from some pimp!"

Marius immediately felt Pannychis stiffen in horror at news of her own likely imminent fate. The boy instantly put an arm round one of her shoulders in an attempted gesture of comfort. However, he was soon forced to withdraw his compassionate limb when he realised that the ingrained filth was not only dirtying girl but also hurting some unhealed wheals created by her recent whipping.

"I'll look after that business," Grynium immediately announced in respect of Crastus' suggestion about Pannychis. He subsequently drank the remainder of his wine in one gulp and scrambled eagerly to his feet. "I know a brothel owner near the forum," he then added in explanation, "who'll pay well for the whore. I'll take her now so that we don't have to suffer further expense by feeding her!"

Grynium next began to walk across the floor to where Pannychis and Marius were still cowering. The girl shrank away from him and the boy again instinctively put his arm around her, this time in a pathetic attempt to protect her, although she was older and bigger than him.

Grynium ignored such reaction and, instead reaching out and grabbing Pannychis roughly by her arm, commanded "Come on whore!" The girl meekly allowed herself to be hauled to her feet. However, Marius, desperate at the thought of being parted from the one remaining person in the world who had shown some care for him, knelt and threw his arms about her waist.

"Let go, brat!" Grynium growled in annoyance, whilst cuffing Marius painfully on the side of the head. However, the man's action did not at first attain the desired result.

Marius continued to cling to Pannychis. The boy also repetitively begged, despite the anguishing ringing in his ear from the recent blow, "Please don't take her!"

"Let go I said," Grynium was therefore forced to command, whilst reinforcing his order this time with a heavy blow of his fist on the side of Marius' head, which knocked the boy to the floor. The man subsequently sighed and commented to the room in general "What a fuss about a slave whore!"

Pannychis next made a movement to go to Marius' aid but she was halted by a sharp pull and a simultaneous threatening command from Grynium of "Leave the brat or I'll clobber you too!" With a final glance over her shoulder at the small naked boy sprawled on the bare floorboards, whose thin shoulders were now heaving in uncontrolled sobbing, the girl instead then allowed herself to be dragged from the room. She was after all only a slave and had no choice but to obey her betters.

After Pannychis and Grynium had left, Crastus produced two lengths of cords and threw them at Pulchellus. "Tie the brat up," the man subsequently ordered, "because, now that we've got rid of the girl, there's nothing to hold him here."

Pulchellus was, of course, delighted to obey the order. He soon found himself harshly wrenching the lithe arms of the still crying Marius behind his back and enthusiastically tying the naked younger boy's wrists together.

"You must learn to be obedient like me, traitor's son!" Pulchellus unctuously suggested, as he later tied Marius' ankles together. "I've been a good boy," he added, as he made sure that the cord bit painfully into the 11 year-old's flesh, "and so I'm treated well!"

This advice did nothing to stem Marius' weeping, especially after Crastus subsequently carried his dirty naked form out of the room to spend the night in the chilly darkness of the landing, where he lay appreciating that he was utterly alone and friendless in a cruel uncaring world. Knowing that Pulchellus on the other hand was enjoying the warmth of his new owner's bed, thus illustrating the wisdom of his advice, did nothing to assuage the younger boy's distress.

Nor was Marius' distress assuaged by now suffering nightmares depicting an awful future for himself.

Chapter XX

Marius awoke on the chilly, dark and quiet fifth-floor landing of the tenement, cramped and shivering, with the cord binding him painfully cutting into the flesh of his wrists and ankles. The boy had only slept fitfully, his discomfort and nightmares interrupting his rest. He also now discovered that he desperately wanted to urinate.

Through the nearby door of Crastus' room, Marius could hear the bed creaking, as well as low moans and whimpers. The boy correctly assumed that the man was currently again enjoying Pulchellus' young body, which had obviously not yet become fully acclimatised to the size of his new master's cock.

Marius could not help but briefly welcome the fact that Pulchellus' new life, although remaining much better to his own at that moment, nevertheless still presented painful difficulties. However, the boy's mind subsequently quickly returned to his own distressing predicament.

Pain racked Marius as a result of his tight bondage and the increasing pressure on his bladder, which he could no longer finally contain. A lukewarm pool of pungent amber fluid formed on the floorboards where he lay.

Already alone, cold, dirty and with an unknown ominous future ahead, Marius immediately thought that this disgrace completed his utter misery. However, much worse was yet to come and what the boy experienced next was only the beginning of many more gross humiliations to be suffered.

Pulchellus eventually appeared at the doorway of Crastus' room and saw Marius lying in his own pool of urine. "Mariullus has peed himself, Master, all over the floor!" the slightly older boy therefore gleefully shouted over his shoulder.

"There's no need to bother about the brat too much," Crastus replied, "as we'll be rid of him today. Instead, leave the dirty little animal to lie in his own filth and fetch my breakfast as I told you to!"

Pulchellus obediently closed the door and approached Marius. Grinning broadly, he then kicked the bound and prone boy in his ribs as hard as he could as he passed him on the landing to go to a street vendor outside to buy Crastus' breakfast.

Pulchellus had always in the past envied and resented Marius, the free boy, the son of his former master's employer, and now he felt no pity whatsoever for him. In fact, on the contrary, he thoroughly enjoyed his utter humiliation and took immense pleasure in adding to his sufferings.

Crastus later took his time over his breakfast. There was no hurry, as he knew that Balbinus would not be at his premises in the vast complex of stalls and passageways that formed the Emporium until the morning was well advanced.

Crastus therefore ate slowly and methodically and, when his own hunger had been satisfied, he passed his plate to Pulchellus so that he could finish off the scraps. As the famished boy consumed the spare food ravenously, the man finally wandered out onto the landing to see how Marius was faring.

As Crastus looked down at the still naked but now even filthier Marius, his nose wrinkled in distaste. "You're a disgustingly filthy and smelly little brat, aren't you?" the man then rhetorically suggested, whilst kneeling to undo the cords that bound the boy's ankles.

Crastus subsequently pulled the Marius to his feet. The boy's legs were numb after his night pinioned on the cold floor and consequently he stumbled to force the man to grab him by the arm to stop him falling.

"Stay on your feet, you stupid brat," Crastus growled after saving Marius from tumbling back onto the floorboards. The man immediately reinforced his instruction by cuffing the boy on the side of his head with his free hand.

Marius, with his wrists still tied behind his back, cowered away in pain from Crastus' grip. However, the man soon grabbed the boy again and, calling for Pulchellus to follow with the sack of silver goblets, hustled him down the rickety staircase of the tenement and out onto the street. They then set off back down the Aventine Hill.

As the threesome advanced towards the Emporium, once more few people cared to pay the filthy Marius much attention despite his unusual nakedness. They preferred pleasanter sights.

Pulchellus was an exception. He amused himself by taking occasional kicks at Marius' ankles, which were still marked and sore from their recent bondage.

After the Emporium was reached, Balbinus proved to be a small, wizened man, who sat in his stall observing the world through beady eyes that were never still. His shop was not large and the shelves were notable only for being almost totally bare, apart from some old rusty cooking pots and a broken statue of a water nymph, which appeared to be his total stock. Marius initially found difficulty in perceiving how trading in such meagre goods could yield sufficient profit to maintain even so desiccated and meagre a body as that of this so-called general merchant. However, the boy soon astutely realised that the whole place was a front for much bigger and lucrative transactions, either illegal or dealing in humans.

Crastus produced his silver tankards, which were duly examined by Balbinus. The merchant subsequently mentioned a sum equal to what both men knew was a quarter of the open market value of the precious cups, thereby apparently belying the seller's earlier expressed confidence that the trader would offer a good price.

Crastus protested loudly. However, Balbinus responded by commenting "I hear that you've been on a secret mission for the Emperor, which had something to do with the late unlamented Sejanus' country estate!"

"How did you hear that?" Crastus asked in consternation, as he liked to keep his business secret. Not everyone liked what he did, especially the surviving relatives and friends of the casualties of his work, who might seek revenge. Furtiveness also enabled him to boost his income through helping him quietly to steal some of his victims' property, which generally, by right of requisition, now belonged to the Emperor. Diverting such goods for his own enrichment was technically treachery against Tiberius, the punishment for which would not only be fatal but also terrible.

"Never mind how I heard," Balbinus replied, "but if you want me to buy goods from you that are rightfully the Emperor's, you'll have to accept a low price because of the risks I'll be taking!" In the end, after another quarter of an hour of haggling, the two men arrived at a valuation that was about half what the goblets were worth but double what the merchant had originally offered.

"Would you be interested in making me an offer for that brat?" Crastus subsequently asked of Balbinus, whilst sweeping up the small pile of silver coins that the merchant had reluctantly counted out. He simultaneously nodded at Marius, who, carefully watched by Pulchellus, was squatting naked on the floor, just inside the door, and announced "He's that rare and expensive commodity, a virgin!"

"A boy!" Balbinus responded in a tone indicating disgust. "I don't deal in such goods," the merchant subsequently dishonestly added.

As Crastus had earlier accurately told his men, Balbinus actually specialised in the sale of pretty boys, who were often worth far more at market than girls because, in reaction to subsequent sexual molestation, they never suffered the inconvenience of pregnancy. "Such brat's are nasty, dirty, smelly things," the merchant nevertheless continued to lie, "and so there's no profit in them!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if this particular filthy brat's got fleas, lice or worms or all three," Balbinus continued, whilst he looked more closely at Marius. The merchant then lowered his voice to a whisper so that the boy could not overhear and commented "However, what's worse is that he has a tongue, which can tell deadly tales. Take my advice, Crastus, slit his throat now before he gets you into deep trouble!"

"Yes that's my advice to you," Balbinus reiterated quietly, "as you're a man I think highly of and whose custom I value, slit the brat's throat. Fuck him first if that's what you like but be sure to kill him afterwards!"

"By the way," Balbinus next asked in continuing whisper, whilst he continued to look at Marius and as if the question were an afterthought, "did you execute Sejanus' younger son, who lived on his father's estate where you've just been, after, as is custom, depriving the brat of his virginity first?" As the obviously well-informed merchant had already demonstrated with the goblets, he had accurately guessed the boy's highly dangerous provenance.

Crastus had also been right in advising his men earlier that the perceptive Balbinus, who was skilled in his trade, would be able to judge Marius' superior quality despite the surface grime. However, the merchant's assessment had also enabled him to decide that these particular potentially highly lucrative gorgeous goods were too hot to handle.

"This brat won't be telling any tales," Crastus protested, also in whisper and having realised that Balbinus had recognised Marius' true identity, "as he's got too much to lose!"

"Lose! Lose!" Balbinus retorted before asking "What's a thing like that got to lose?" "His life," Crastus answered, "and so he won't talk."

"His life!" Balbinus next said before quietly asking "What's that worth to him?" The merchant went on to suggest "A brat like him probably doesn't care about losing his life, because his privileged past has gone for ever and his future prospects are not good. He therefore might tell tales, just to put an end to his misery and get some revenge on you, and me if I bought him from you. Even if my concerns are unfounded, I for one don't want to take the risk!"

"Take my advice," Balbinus subsequently whispered, "and stick instead to gold and silver and the like, which is good valuable stuff that can't talk and get you into trouble, especially after its melted down. Fuck the traitor's son now and then slit his throat and dump his body in the River Tiber!"

In response, a suddenly worried Crastus immediately began seriously to ponder Balbinus' recommendation.

(To be continued)