Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 12:58:21 +1000 From: Jeff Albertson Subject: Focke and Lasse Focke and Lasse a story by plantagenet Disclaimer: This story is fiction, for adult use only. No minors allowed. Author's note: This story will probably make a lot more sense if you have already read an earlier tale entitled "Third Son", which is to be found in the Nifty Archive with a little patient searching.. Focke and Lasse The god of winds looked with favour upon our voyage as the three of us embarked from the village of Focke's father. The two boys were a little ill at ease when we first set out, but they quickly gained their sea legs, as boys will do, and clambered all over my vessel, exploring. After tiring themselves out, the boys joined me at the tiller, one on either side. Focke looked astern at the dwindling coastline, towards the village which was the only home he had known for the twelve years of his life. "Gunther, my love", he began, a tremble in his voice, "how shall you know to steer your ship when the land disappears?" Lasse spoke not, but looked at me with the same question in his eyes. "Do not fear the sea, boys. Our lives are in the hands of the gods of wind and sea, for good or ill. To guide my ship, I use the Sun - I keep her face on my left side in the morning, and on my right in the afternoon". I rubbed the shoulders of both boys to comfort them, my knee firm against the tiller. Focke's hair had already turned shaggy with the salt breeze, so that it resembled a sheep which had escaped shearing for many summers. Lasse kept his hair shorter than his friend, the currents of air blowing it this way and that. The two boys looked at each other, as if deciding who would ask the next, obvious, question. "What happens at night, my love, when the Sun has gone to her rest in the halls of the gods? How shall you steer then? Or shall we have reached your village before nightfall?" Focke wondered aloud. "Our village, Focke my darling. It is our village that we sail towards. Yours, Lasse's and mine. As for night, the gods have set a thousand thousand stars in the sky, lights by which I can steer just as surely as following the Sun. Tonight I shall teach you and Lasse how this is done, if you wish. You will have the chance to steer our vessel all by yourself, Focke, if you choose. You also, Lasse. It will give me time to rest" The boys again swapped fearful glances - they were not yet convinced. "If not a day, how long will it take to reach your- uh, our village, my lord? And what if there are clouds, and the sun is hidden, or the night stars invisible? What then?" I smiled at the two boys, an attempt to calm their fears. "In that event, my boys, I fall back upon a cunning contrivance which I bartered from a trader who hailed from the mysterious lands to the East. Here it is", I directed, pulling up a leather covering on a box set in the timber of the stern. Within the box sat a circle of brass and glass, under which a sliver of lodestone always pointed north and south, unerringly, no matter which direction the ship took. Focke stared at the device in wonder. "Is it...sorcery, my lord? An enchantment?" he whispered, reverting to a more formal mode of address. "The only enchantment on this vessel rests in your eyes, my darling. As for how long it takes to sail to our village, if the god of winds remains as kindly towards us as he is proving thus far, a mere two days and one night shall reveal the shoreline of your new land. Now, if you wish to take some sun, you and Lasse may remove your garments and rub a little oil on your skins. Lasse, your skin is quite pale - be careful not to take too much sun. Focke, you are in charge of this" The boys grinned and raced each other below to undress, quickly returning on deck naked and glistening with oil. "Gunther, my love", Focke asked after the two boys had sunned themselves for a period, "I could not see...um, that is, how do...er, what happens when Lasse or I need to...um..." I smiled at his discomfort, briefly, then became serious. "You are wondering where is the privy?" A look of relief on the boy's beautiful face confirmed my suspicion. "Do you see that piece of timber jutting from the beam amidships with a rope tied near to it?" Not being a sailor, Focke did not know to what I referred, but Lasse caught on quickly and climbed over to the correct place. "When your bowel tells you that it is time to void, take hold of the rope, then swing out and sit on the timber. Your waste will drop into the sea. There is a bucket of water hard by with which to wash. But take care that the Great Fish does not bite your bottom. The Great Fish has exquisite taste and especially enjoys the bottoms of young boys". Focke gave me a scornful look. "Great Fish, indeed. Tell me of this fish, O Wise One", he added. I explained to the two boys about the great fish that lives in the open sea all its life, swimming from north to south as it searches for food and mates with a partner. Focke was still incredulous after my answer. "A fish as big as one of my father's long ships?" he laughed. "A fish that squirts steam from a hole in the top of his head like a kettle? A fish that lifts its tail from the water and wags it like a dog? You are making sport with me, Gunther! I have heard the like many times from seafarers in the men's pleasure house after too many mugs of ale! What shall be next? Mermaids who lure sailors to their doom? Birds as big as my father's lodge that can carry a bear in their talons?" The boy was still chuckling softly to himself as he settled next to me, watching me guide our ship with the tiller. I caressed his bare back, lightly scraping my nails across the nape of his neck, under his shaggy tresses. I could see between his thighs that his little sparrow was beginning to harden. "Will pleasure distract you from navigating the vessel, my darling?" Focke murmured, his voice husky. His lust had overpowered his scorn. Lasse had finished voiding and washing, and came to sit by us. "No more than answering your questions, my love. Only do not cause Lasse sadness with your desires", I replied, seeing that the younger boy was watching his friend closely. "Lasse will take no offence, Gunther. I have already told him of our love and of your wonderful cock. Indeed, Lasse has expressed a wish to examine your stones. He was not convinced when I told him of their magnificence. I hope that will not displease you?" Focke's frank speech had aroused my weapon, which was even now lifting the front of my garment. "I can refuse you nothing, my love. Lasse, you may reach under my garment and explore to your heart's fill. As for you, my young doubting lover, climb upon my lap and we shall see who is lured to his doom!" The boy grinned and stretched his leg over mine to side astride me, pushing my garment upwards as he wriggled forwards, rubbing his round cheeks on my thighs. "Gunther", Focke whispered, "we have no more goose fat to...aid your cock in his entry. What..." "Hush, my love. Lasse will help. Ask him." The boy looked at me, puzzlement furrowing his brow, yet still working his bottom this way and that to find his prize. He craned his neck around to speak to his friend. "Lasse, I need to fit my lord Gunther's weapon in my bottom. Can you...?" The younger lad had been fondling my stones, but on hearing Focke's request released them and turned his face to his new task. I discerned from Focke's widening eyes that Lasse had found his target. "Oh, gods! Lasse is...is using his tongue...oh!...his tongue laps at my hole...ohhh!...Gunther, it feels...oh!...there was a boy at the men's pleasure house who...uhhh!...his name was Soren, and often did he tell me he would...ohh!...perform this chore upon my bottom, if I desired it, but I....unhh...I vowed to keep myself pure for... ohh! ohh!...for you, darling Gunther" "Even before you knew me?" I asked, smiling into his eyes. "My mother counselled me that...ahhh, Lasse!...that if I abstained from pleasure with other boys and men, I would be able to recognise my true love all the more clearly. Enjoying the touch of others would dull my senses, she warned. I feel she was- Oh!" Beneath my thighs, Lasse had moistened Focke's opening sufficiently, and had manoeuvred my weapon into position. Focke's own words had distracted him and relaxed his opening which was now, with Lasse's assistance, plugged with the object of his desire. "Oh! Let...let him be still, my love...let him settle in my bowel...aaahh!...yes...I will caress him from within...can you feel it, my lord?" "If I felt it any more strongly, I would surely give up my seed in an instant, love", I sighed. Focke wriggled on my manhood, teasing me. My weapon was by now fully lodged within him, and his bowel was gripping it as a drowning man grips a rope. Focke looked behind him, to find Lasse sitting at my feet, awaiting a command. "Thank Lasse for his aid, my darling. Give him your comfort also", Focke whispered. I signalled to the smaller boy to rise and stand beside me, where I was able to run my free hand from his shoulderblades to the back of his knees. After stroking his flanks, my hand lingered at the cleft of his bottom. The boy made a soft whimper as he spread his legs, permitting my hand to delve into the warm space between the top of his thighs. I was determined to include the smaller boy in our pleasures, while still observing my oath to Focke. My fingers found Lasse's shrivelled pouch from behind. In the twelvemonth since his stones were taken his pouch had withered, but was yet sensitive to the touch. His pizzle, barely half the size of Focke's, was firm but not yet stiff. I knew not whether a gelded boy could become fully stiff; perhaps Focke knew. My fingers grazed Lasse's empty pouch, making him sigh and lean in to me. He draped an arm on Focke's shoulder. It pleased me greatly to see friendship between the two boys - they would have much need of it in their new village. "Focke, my sweet one, I need to attend to our course...take my seed now", I urged the boy, and he smiled as he worked his hips up and down, as if riding a steed. I stroked Lasse's bottom and back, grazing his cleft as I did so. Just as my seed began to rise, I felt a shudder go through Lasse's skinny body. Perhaps the gods were visiting the little joy upon him, I thought with gladness. "Master! Master! Behold - amidships! the younger boy pointed his arm frantically towards the sea to starboard. Focke craned his neck to observe while yet riding my cock. "What is it, Lasse? Land? Do you see land? Oh, my lord Gunther, now!" I searched the small waves in the direction that Lasse gave, even as Focke's bowel sucked the seed from my stones. A plume of steam from a blue-grey moving island met my questing gaze. Focke gasped as the gods sent him the little joy, then squealed with pleasure to see the great fish surface and blow. He cheered to see this marvel of the seas, but Lasse was fearful. "Master, do not let the great fish eat us!" he whimpered. I was sorry for my earlier teasing, and held the boy in reassurance. "Look, Lasse, it is Gunther's great fish!" Focke cried out, but his young friend was trying to squeeze behind me. I tried to reverse my earlier words. "Lasse, be calm. The fish will not eat you, I was only teasing. I regret that my words caused you fear. The fish is merely curious about the ship which shares his waters. Observe!" Saying this, I released Focke's hips and raised my arms over my head and clapped loudly twice. The fish responded by lifting its tail and slapping it on the surface twice also. Focke shrieked with glee to see the fish answer my call, but Lasse met the spectacle with awe. "Are...you a god, master, that you command the sea beasts?" he murmured fearfully, as the great fish blew his air once more and dipped below the waves. I gently drew Lasse from behind me. "Not a god, Lasse. But strong enough to protect you from the great fish. Now go below with Focke and prepare food for us. Do not fear." Focke rose from my hips, his bowel making a sucking sound as it released my cock. The two naked boys clambered across the deck and slipped below to fulfil their duty. There were no more sightings of the great fish, and our voyage proceeded without scaring my young shipmates further. + + + A patch of smoke on the horizon after noon the following day signalled the approach of land. I called Focke's attention to it and he cheered with joy. In spite of his lust for adventure, Focke had an uneasy night with his stomach, not able to keep his food down. Lasse slept soundly, for one who was terrified of the sea beast. As soon as the land itself became visible, I called the boys to my side. "Focke, Lasse, there are some customs in our village you should know - I think it proper that you be prepared for many sights that will be strange to you." The two boys sat alongside me, Focke now holding the tiller and keeping the bow pointed squarely at the plume of smoke. He had proven to be an adequate sailor, and Lasse had shown some skills with sails and ropes. "Our legends tell us that in distant ages, a score of years counted ten times, our village received warning of a large cohort of fighting men approaching from the South. These men were warriors from a great City, and had already conquered many villages. They were known to impose their laws and customs on villages they had overwhelmed, and to assimilate them into their own mighty Empire. "Our people were divided in the course we should take. Many of our warriors chose to sally forth and meet them before they reached our border. Sadly, they were defeated and annihilated. Others swore they would never live under the yoke of the Southerners, and set sail North across the big water for a new land. These were your ancestors, Focke. That is why we speak with the same tongue - your forefathers once called my village home. The rest of the people chose to await their fate, neither fighting nor running. So when the Southern army arrived, they found only women and children and old men - they saw no need to fight, and were now a long way from their own great City. Many chose to remain and build homes and take wives. The two groups intermingled and each learned from the other. "So in your new village you will find, as I said, strange sights. You will see men of different colours, brown, black, yellow-" Focke laughed. "Have the brown and black men been burned by the sun, my Lord? Or painted their skin with charcoal?" "No, Focke, it is the way the gods have made them. But apart from skin colour, you will find some customs that are unfamiliar or even frightening. You may see, for example, in the bath house, some men with the end of their pizzle cut off." Focke gave me the same scornful look as for the great fish. "Now you are jesting with me, Gunther. Cut off the head of the sparrow? Why would a man do this?" I smiled. "They do it as an offering to their god, I am told. Not the knob, but only the hood of skin that covers it. Behold, I shall show you". I reached for the hem of the boy's garment, but he quickly shrank away, grabbing fearfully at his crotch to protect it. "I am sorry, Focke, I did not mean that I would perform this deed upon you, but only show you." The boy slowly released his little treasure, allowing me to raise his garment and lightly pinch his foreskin. "This is the part that is offered," I explained. Lasse overcame his reserve to add a question while Focke continued to pull his foreskin back and forth, seemingly trying to imagine whether his sparrow looked better with or without it. "Master, you said 'an offering to their god' - do you not mean 'gods'?" "Well observed, Lasse, I did indeed say 'god', for these folk admit to only one." Lasse frowned in thought. "One god who has to make the wind blow, and carry the sun across the sky ever day, and light the stars every night, and produce flowers and trees from the soil, make the clouds crash with thunder and rain, one god for all of these?" "And to bring the little joy to all who are rutting?" Focke added, now stroking his pizzle vigorously. "How can one god accomplish all of this, my love?" "How indeed! It is a question many wise men have struggled with. And so will you two, for in your new home you will find that boys who are not occupied with learning their father's trade take daily lessons in reading, poetry, singing, gymnastics and philosophy. The two of you will be enrolled as scholars with a very good friend of mine, whose name is Gaius. He is a mentor and has a handful of scholars who learn in one of the rooms in my lodge. You two will make a fine addition to his group." Both boys were excited with this news and plied me with further questions, about my dwelling, about mentor Gaius, his other pupils, how much longer until we strike land, what was my trade (I told the boys that I learned carpentry from my father, before being elected Arbiter for our village), and several more. It pleased me to note that Lasse was becoming more at ease in my presence. The eyes of my two young friends were now fixed on the growing coastline as I piloted our vessel towards the dock that lay below my lodge, soon to be home for the two boys. As we approached our journey's end I spoke further to the boys about the new life ahead of them. They would be known as my wards, honoured visitors from a far-off village, who will reside with me while they learn our customs. I asked the boys to accept this minor deceit, as it was more palatable than the truth, which would be a scandal. Though they could not understand what was wrong with everyone in their new village knowing about our rutting, they accepted my direction in the matter. Our vessel made safe landfall and I tied the lines as the boys leapt ashore to explore their new home. My duties as Arbiter had mounted in my absence and I was met at my dock by a merchant of the village, one named Malchior. He had two female children with him, aged around twelve or thirteen winters, whom I guessed to be his daughters. The boys ignored my visitors and ran directly for the lodge. "Ah, my dear Gunther, I am so glad you have returned safely, and with two young passengers, I see" he proclaimed as I alighted my vessel. I envisaged that the news of my two wards would be all around the mead-houses by morning, and the whole village within a day. "Malchior, greetings, how may I serve you?", I replied, for courtesy was an essential tool of my office. "Please come up to the lodge, where we can talk at our ease. Pray, bring your charming daughters as well" I added, the two maidens falling into line behind their father as we walked the track to my dwelling. Although my private residence, it served also as my place of work; the duties of Arbiter require both hospitality and discretion. When we were arrived within one of my rooms (I had no idea where the boys were), I invited Malchior to state his business. I knew him to be a wealthy man with wide commercial interests, not a man accustomed to working with his hands but bidding others and paying them cheaply. "My dear Gunther, I require your official assistance", he stated, pompous as ever. "An acquaintance of mine from another village, a merchant like myself, has asked the hand of my daughter in marriage, to bind our families together for our mutual benefit. But here is my dilemma - he did not specify which daughter, he left the choice up to me. Since you are experienced with such matters, I beg you to examine them both and tell me which one I should marry off." Finishing his prepared speech, Malchior untied a knot at the shoulder of each girl's garment causing the girls' robes to fall at their feet. They wore no undergarments and now stood naked before me. "I will leave you until, shall we say, the morrow, to advise me of your, ah, selection?" he added, his oily voice smug and repulsive as he made for the door. Having served as Arbiter for the village for three winters now, it was easy for me to see through the man's wiles. This was no request for assistance, it was a bribe, pure and simple. Before I sailed across the big water to the village of Focke's father, Malchior and his brother Harvold had brought a dispute to me over the ownership of a parcel of land bequeathed jointly to them by their late father. Each believed himself to be the sole rightful owner, and neither would make concessions nor accommodations to the other. I told them I would examine their maps and documents and tell them my decision on my return. Now here was Malchior attempting to tip the scales in his favour, using his own daughters' virginities to tempt me. "Malchior, my friend", I began, faintly mocking his own unctuous tone, "happily I do not need until morning to make this decision, as its resolution is quite plain already. Your elder daughter, having had the advantage of living all her life under your roof and absorbing the wisdom of her father for more years than her younger sister, shall be the first to leave your tender care. And on an entirely unrelated matter, I have also solved the problem of the parcel of land that is in dispute between you and your brother. If the two of you would care to call on me together, at your convenience of course, I will show you where I have drawn the dividing line on your maps to share the parcel out between the two of you equitably. I wish your elder daughter every happiness in her forthcoming marriage, and may I add my fervent hope that your younger daughter will soon be similarly blessed". The two girls quickly drew up their robes and followed their scowling father out the door. As soon as my guests had departed, Focke and Lasse shot into the room quick as a pair of archer's arrows. "Your lodge is magnificent, my love" Focke declared with genuine admiration. "Did you build it yourself?" "With help from my father, yes. It was my education in carpentry. It is ours, now, my darling. Yours, Lasse's and mine. Have you each chosen a room for sleeping as yet?" Focke looked at his feet, unsure how to make his next words. "All the rooms are very, er, pleasing, my, uh, Gunther, but I thought I ...uh, that is, or ... we... uh, Lasse and me, we, er..." I relieved his embarrassment by finishing his thought. "You thought you would be sharing my bed, and my room. And so you shall. But do not forget what I spoke of on the boat - we must be discreet, though we might wish it otherwise. You shall surely sleep in my bed, both of you, as often as you choose, though I do not think I will enjoy much sleep if you are next to me, my beautiful Focke! But to maintain the decorum of my official position, you should each choose a room for yourselves, lest any with prying eyes and wagging tongues come to visit". The boys scampered off as quickly as they arrived, and I turned my attention to my official papers. Thus it was that I did not see or hear them return from their explorations - in addition, the two boys moved with stealth until they stood behind me. I felt a pair of small hands covering my eyes, and a voice which whispered "Guess the name of he who blinds you, O Wise One!" It was a popular game among children - if the one whose eyes were covered correctly guessed the name, he was granted a boon. If he could not guess, he had to grant a boon. I already had in mind a very special boon I desired greatly, so I smiled my acceptance of the challenge. I thought it sounded like Focke's voice, but that did not mean the hands belonged to him - they could be Lasse's hands and Focke's voice. But then, Focke might guess that I would be aware of his trick, and the hands might indeed be his. I raised my arms above my head and reached back to feel the head of my captor. Muffled giggles from the boys as I ran my fingers through the shaggy hair and over a smooth-cheeked face. "Hmm", I murmured. "You have set for me a difficult challenge, O powerful Captor. But I do not yield so easily". I dropped my hands down by my sides and reached back to feel the legs of the boy behind me. I was seated upon a backless bench, so my hands were free to inspect. My first blind observation was that the boy had removed his garment - perhaps it was Focke after all, and his lust had made him ready and eager to rut. I felt the boy (whichever one it was) shiver as my hands ran up his legs, first the outer sides and then the inner. The boy gasped as my fingers reached his groin, and I knew immediately who it was. My fingers detected his firm pizzle, but no stones in his pouch, so it must be Lasse. Feigning ignorance, I continued to feel up as far as I could, straining my shoulders to reach the boy's bottom and caress it. I could hear one boy's sighs, but they were almost drowned out by the other's giggles. My own cock began to press its claims for attention, so I declared, according to the rules of the ancient game "My captor is Lasse, and I claim a boon!" "You shall pay one instead!" a triumphant Focke declared from behind me. For as the delicate hands were removed and I opened my eyes, it was Lasse in front of me and not the boy I expected. I was flummoxed. "But how?" I burst out, bewildered. "I felt-" "We tricked you, O Gunther the Wise!" Focke smirked, dancing naked from behind me to stand with Lasse in front of me. "I knew you would feel for my pouch, to discern between us, so I bid Lasse grasp my stones from behind and pull them back into the crack of my bottom even as your fingers touched my sparrow! And when your hands stroked my bottom, Lasse knelt between my legs and held my stones forward, out of your reach. Now it is you who must grant a boon!" I laughed along with my two boys, conceding their victory, and gently pulled them onto my thighs. "Very well, you have bested me! But now to whom do I owe the boon - the one who thought of your clever plan, or the one who masterfully put it into effect? Who wins the battle, the general who commands, or the warriors that fight?" Focke's face slid into dismay, torn as he was between claiming his prize and sharing with his friend. Even though I felt his pain, yet was I glad to see it because it proved the boy was always willing to advance the good of others, even at his own expense. But Focke quickly recovered his composure. "Ah, the Wise One puts a puzzle in our path, Lasse - now I wonder who is there in this village that can solve this puzzle...it would have to be a man of learning, one who is accustomed to discerning disputes between equal claims... perhaps even one who can resist the charms of two young maidens stripped bare by their father and offered to him to do with as he wished? Is there such a one in these parts, do you think, Lasse?" I rubbed the boys' bare backs and kissed each on the forehead. "So, you saw my visitor's little performance, did you? What is your opinion?" Focke smiled and answered for both boys. "My father would have debauched both maidens without hesitation, forcing their father to watch as he did so, and confiscated the disputed parcel of land as a punishment for attempted bribery. He probably would then have banished the girls to a whorehouse for good measure and had their father whipped. Is that your daily fare, my love, making decisions for scoundrels?" "Alas yes, my boy. As Arbiter, I am constantly apprehended by villagers who wish to gain advantage at the expense of their fellows. Which is why I sorely need the comfort of a boy who would love me without thought of gain. Do you know where I could find such a boy, perhaps?" Focke giggled as he squirmed off my lap. "He stands before you, O Wise one, if you only had eyes to see! Lasse and I claim our boon - in your bedchamber!" I stood, gathering Lasse up with me. The gelding clung to my neck as I clasped him under his bottom, reaching a hand out to Focke whose rising lust was evident in his eyes. The fingers of his free hand busily worked on the hood of his pizzle, enhancing his desire, if that were possible. "I feel a great weariness descend upon me following our voyage", I sighed. "Thank you both for escorting me to bed, where I shall surely fall asleep in an instant". I winked at Lasse as I trudged slowly towards my bedchamber, Focke's hand pulling me along. "Oh no you don't!" the lust-filled boy cried, "your duties as Arbiter may have ceased for now, but your duties as lover are yet to begin! No sleep for you, until your cock has satisfied the hunger in my bottom! Lasse, help me bring this sluggard to bed, and we shall sate ourselves upon his manhood!" My only fear was that my weapon might not have the endurance to match Focke's ardour, but the god of love smiled upon me and I performed to the boys' satisfaction until finally hunger (for food, not love) drove us from the bedchamber to the kitchen. Lasse took part in all we did, except that he is not yet ready to be rutted, still in awe as he is of my manhood. His tongue is exceptionally gifted, and he enjoyed the taste of my manly seed, as well as the taste of Focke's bottom. His talents are also evident in the galley, as he excused himself to prepare meats for the three of us while I gave Focke a final rutting. "Give me the little joy again, my love" he gasped, his lips next to my ear, as I plundered his bottom. "Oh!...Oh!...Oh yes..." his moans were as the sweetest music, his fingers digging into my rump to urge my loins forward as I impaled him on my bed. "Now, Gunther, now! Press him home! Stab me to the core! Ahhh, yesss, my lover, my master...you are my true god of love, Gunther" he sighed as I rocked him gently through his passion. A discreet cough from Lasse at the portal told us that food was prepared. * * * After breaking our fast the next morning, I gave the two boys a brief explanation about their lessons with mentor Gaius, which were to begin as soon as all the scholars had assembled. In his father's village, third-borns are not educated, nor are geldings, so neither boy knew what to expect. I suggested they should be open-minded and co-operative with their mentor and with their fellow scholars, and that all would be well - after all, I would be nearby, in my study, and mentor Gaius was a dear friend and one I completely trusted. I again counselled them about discretion where our relationship was concerned, and the boys nodded their agreement. Focke said that he had often been witness to deeds of his father which were no-one else's business (so his father said, anyway). Lasse remarked that boys in the men's pleasure house were adept at keeping silent when required. Mentor Gaius gave several village boys tuition for three hours each day, from mid-morning until noon, and as a town official it was part of my duty to make available a room in my lodge to accommodate this worthy endeavour. He wholeheartedly welcomed the two new additions to his group, and bade me farewell as I returned to my documents. From my study I heard some commotion shortly after, but dismissed it when nothing seemed to come of it. At noon the boys appeared, hungry of course, and I enquired about the noise that I had heard earlier. The boys looked at each other, Focke lowering his eyes and Lasse frowning. "I am bound to confess a misdeed, my love", Focke began. "I have failed you already", he sighed, and began to weep softly. Lasse leapt to his side to comfort him, as I found a washcloth to wipe his face. "I am not such a hard master that you could fail me so quickly, am I, Focke?" I asked, trying to lighten his mood, but I did not succeed. "Perhaps if you simply told me how you think you failed me, and I will make a judgement. Do not fear the truth, Focke." "It was my fault, master", Lasse piped up. "I was not discreet, and Focke came to my aid" "No, Lasse, it was not your error, but mine!", Focke insisted. "Would you prefer I enquire of mentor Gaius what took place? After all, he witnessed...whatever it was, I surmise?" I ventured. "I will tell you, my lord", Focke conceded, slipping back into a more formal mode of speech. That alone made me fear that something momentous had happened. I sat back in my chair and invited the boys to sit on my lap, one on each thigh, hoping it would ease their minds. "When all of the boys had arrived, mentor Gaius bid us prepare for gymnastics. He said that physical exertions would help clear our minds for our studies", Focke began. "Yes, that is his usual approach, I believe. All the great thinkers endorse this method", I agreed. "So, we all, all the boys, we began to remove our garments. Lasse and I were only wearing these simple ones which you gave to us, so we were already naked while the other boys were yet removing their boots They were dressed in some very fine robes. One of the boys saw Lasse's empty pouch, Varens is his name. He pointed, and laughed cruelly. 'Look at No-Stones!' he shouted to his fellows, so I dealt with him". Focke hung his head. Lasse gazed at him with pure admiration. I lifted the boy's chin. "What did you do?" "I blackened Varens' eye. It only took one blow", Focke admitted. "Well, I could not let Varens' insult pass uncontested, Gunther! And Lasse could not fight Varens, his muscles are soft as a girl's!" "I see", I mused. "And what did this Varens do in response?" Focke allowed himself the slightest glimmer of a grin. "His reply was to sit heavily on the floor and bawl like a weanling pulled too soon from its mother's teat. That was when mentor Gaius intervened." "Aha! And what transpired next?" Lasse took up the story from this point. "Master, it all happened so quickly! Focke was so brave, he punched Varens before the boy had even finished laughing at...at my loss. Everyone was surprised, even mentor Gaius! But he bade us all dress again, and sit down upon the floor. Then he bid Varens to step forward, and he turned the boy across his knee, pulled down his fine britches and exposed his bare bottom to us all. He then slapped the boy twice, once on each cheek, and pulled up the britches and stood him on his feet again. The slaps were not hard, Master, you would probably swipe an insect away with a harder slap than mentor Gaius used on Varens. He then fixed the boy with his gaze and told him that we do not make sport of the misfortune of others." "Go on, Lasse", I urged gently, for I suspected there was more to follow. The boy nodded, and took a deep breath. "Mentor Gaius then beckoned Focke to him, and did the same. Bent him over his knee, lifted the hem of his garment up to the waist, exposing his bottom, and slapped him, twice, once on each cheek, exactly as he had done to Varens. He then lowered Focke's garment and stood him up, and spoke softly to him, I...I could not hear what he said" "He said that he admired my loyalty to my friend but could not allow fistfights in his group. He...he asked me to forgive him" Focke whispered. "Do you think he meant for you to forgive Varens, the boy who laughed at Lasse?" I asked. "I am not sure, Gunther. I think he meant himself. Why would he say that?" Focke mused. I hugged the two boys to myself, rubbing their backs. They looked at me expectantly, so I felt obliged to say something wise. "Focke, to answer your question, consider two men. One is armed with sword and shield, the other unarmed. Shall these two have a fair fight?" "No, my lord", my lover answered immediately. "Either both shall be armed, or neither. Everyone knows that" "Just so," I replied. "Now consider two warriors, both armed - but they stand fifty paces apart on open ground. One is a swordsman, the other an archer. Are these evenly matched also?" Focke thought for only a moment before replying. "No, my lord - at that distance, the bowman has a clear advantage. It is not a fair battle." "Indeed. There is the answer to your question, Focke. You and this Varens boy are probably evenly matched physically, except that he fought with words and you used your fists, unexpected by him. I think that mentor Gaius was right to punish you for using your fist on Varens' eye, as he was not expecting it, and thus as unprepared as an unarmed man facing an armed warrior, but he regretted having to punish one who used his fist only to defend a friend. Now, off to the galley with both of you, I have prepared a platter of fruit and cheese for your lunches!" Lasse hopped off my thigh and scampered away, but Focke hung back. "Are you not hungry, Focke? This I find very difficult to believe!" I chided the boy gently. "It is not that, Gunther. There is...something else...another matter to confess", he whispered, facing the floor. "Whatever it is, I hope that I have already proven that I am no cruel monster with you, nor with Lasse, when it comes to punishment. Be at ease, and tell me what troubles you" The boy crawled up onto my lap again, and draped his arms around my neck. His chest heaved with a great sigh, and I feared his tears would return, breaking my heart. "When I said that I had failed you, I did not mean about punching Varens", the boy said softly. "Oh? Was it not as Lasse described?" I asked. "Oh my lord, Lasse spoke truly, as far as he saw. But what he did not see was that when mentor Gaius bared my bottom and slapped it, I...my pizzle...uh..." At this point, the boy's tears spilled forth, and I hugged him and rocked back and forth in the chair to offer what comfort I could. "May I finish your thought, darling Focke? Perhaps it will not hurt as much from my lips. You want to tell me that when you were being punished by mentor Gaius, your pizzle hardened, and you felt lustful desire for him, desire that you had only ever felt for me", I murmured. "Oh, Gunther, I have betrayed you!" the boy shrieked. "When I first felt mentor Gaius' hand slap my bottom, I wanted him to keep going, to caress it, fondle it, pierce my hole with his fingers, with his weapon, to let me suckle him and drink his manly seed! I wanted all of this! My pizzle sprang to hardness in an instant, and it ached for him to hold it and work its hood until I quivered with the little joy! My lord, I am no longer worthy to receive your seed in my bowel! Take Lasse as your lover, he worships you! Have me gelded and banished to the whorehouse, to be used by the lowliest of men, it is no more than I deserve!" I continued to soothe and rock my young lover as his cries diminished to whimpers. Lasse entered the room, carrying the platter of food. With a nod, I bade him sit close by as he nibbled on pieces of sweet apple. When Focke's distress had calmed further, I spoke to him. "Are you ready to listen, Focke, my love, because I have an important decision I have to tell you". Seeing the boy nod, I continued. "In far off times, there was once a small village by the sea. It happened that all of the men but one took ship and sailed on a long voyage, and were away from home for a great length of time, many months. The one man who remained was the object of all the women's lusts, as he was the only one to whom they could turn. He relished his position, being the sole possessor of a cock, but especially did he love one girl, fair of face and strong of limb. She said she loved him too, but he was unsure, as all the women of that village also said they loved him alone. He could not convince himself that her love was true, until one day, around noon, the ship with all the menfolk returned to the village. All of the other women forgot their pledges of love to him and gathered to the ship to greet the returned sailors, all but this one girl. It was only then that he realised she truly did love him, not out of necessity, but out of choice. "Do you remember the night we first met, in your father's lodge? That night, you told me you knew that I was your true love because your pizzle hardened for me and for no other? Now you have learned a new truth, that a boy's pizzle may harden for more than one man. Tell me this one word, Focke - do you love me? Do you choose me?" The boy turned his face up towards me, tears streaking his beautiful cheeks. "I...I choose you, Gunther. Over all men" "Then I choose you, Focke. And", I added, reaching under his garment to grasp his sparrow "I give your pizzle my full permission to harden whenever it wills, for other men, for boys, or even-" I gave his tool a little squeeze "-for girls. I know your father and mother set great store by the omen your pizzle gave me on that first night, but now that you have enjoyed the bed of a man, that omen has done its work and your pizzle is now free to stiffen at will. As I hope it does!" "Mentor Gaius made my little worm harden too, Master", Lasse piped up. "He is a nice man. I never had lessons before, and I am going to try with all my strength to learn letters and poetry and singing and everything!" I favoured Lasse with a warm smile as Focke nestled lower in my lap. "Thank you, my lord. Yours is the mercy of the gods themselves. Any boy who knew you would adore you. I am glad to be the lucky one." I hugged him again. "There is only one thing remaining to be settled, my darling". Focke looked at me curiously. "A foolish man makes enemies, but a wise man makes friends. The wisest of men makes friends of his enemies." Focke made a wan face. "I must...befriend Varens?" he asked. I nodded solemnly. "This will be the last act of your repentance for your misdeed. Tell me, were there ever occasions when your father or mother punished you? What were your crimes? What did your father decree?" The boy brightened a little at recalling his home village. "I admit that I often fell short of my father's expectations. Do you remember the first time you saw me, when I was serving food and drink naked in his lodge? It took some convincing by my father's hand before I submitted to that indignity", he smiled, rubbing his bottom. "Another time, I recall father had been at sea for a few days, and I noted his favourite steed was pining for exercise, so I told the stablemaster I would take it for a trot. He counselled against it, but I was determined. As the gods often decree, father returned while I was absent with his mount, and took a guest to his stables to show off his steeds. Seeing his favourite missing, he asked the stablemaster where it was. When I returned, he was in a fury. He ordered that I be banished to the men's pleasure house for a halfmonth, there to be rutted by any man who had not the usual price of a boy." I wondered at his words. "But your father told me you were virgin when we met! What happened in the pleasure-house? Do not tell me that no man desired you?" "Happily for me, my mother interceded on my behalf. She told my father that it would harm his authority in the village if every goatherd and deerskinner could boast in the meadhouse of having rutted the chief's son. She also pointed out that it would reduce my chances of finding a mate if I were treated thus. My father changed the punishment to a halfmonth of mucking out his stables every day before dawn. It took many days and much scrubbing to get the smell of horse piss out of my hair." I laughed at his tale, and ruffled his shaggy mop. "If I see her again, I shall thank her from the heart. But now to the boy Varens. I will leave the matter up to you, but do not let too many suns set on your disharmony." "Perhaps I should invite him here after mentor Gaius has finished lessons and offer to teach him how to fight?" Focke mused aloud. "It was my elder brother, the second-born, who taught me, during his shore leaves." "A grand suggestion!" I replied, easing him off my lap. "Or if not fight, then certainly to defend himself against the fists of a battle-hardened warrior!" Focke and Lasse both laughed at this, Lasse's high-pitched giggle reminding me again of his loss. "Master", the younger boy began, "may I wash this garment, only I have been wearing it for some days now" I slapped my forehead. "Of course you may, I have been neglectful. Do the other boys wear fine garments to their lessons?" "Oh, yes, master, the finest", Lasse replied honestly. "But I need nothing more, I will just go naked until this tunic dries, do not trouble yourself" "I should be ashamed to let an honoured guest go about naked for want of clean raiment, Lasse. Both of you, come with me to my storeroom." The boys leapt to their feet and ran ahead of me, of course they had discovered the storeroom during their earlier explorations. Pushing the heavy door aside they stepped within and waited for me. "These are bolts of fabric I purchased from merchants whose caravans travelled through our village. They were made in the East, and their caravans sometimes stop here on their journey to the City of the Wolf's Cubs, the great City in the South. Do any of these colours or textures appeal to you?" I enquired of the wide-eyed boys, as I hauled the sheets of material down from their shelves. Focke, as usual, spoke for both boys. "My lord, these...these are...magnificent! None of my father's richest guests have been arrayed in such finery! I am sure Lasse and I can do something with them". Indeed, Lasse had already dropped his simple tunic to the floor and stepped out of it, and was holding a swathe of purple silk up to his chest, admiring it. Focke likewise had stripped and was bunching a length of orange satin around his waist. "My lord, Lasse is skilled in repairing garments, it was one of his tasks in the men's pleasure house in my father's village. I am sure he can create as easily as mend! And I will help!" I gathered up the boy's discarded tunics and draped then over a chair that stood nearby. "You boys enjoy yourselves; I shall judge your efforts at dinner this evening. If I am needed, I will be in my study" * * * My two wards settled into a routine in their new surroundings quickly, as boys often will. They busied themselves in their studies with mentor Gaius in the morning, then enjoyed the noon meal with me. Varens was now a frequent visitor to my lodge after lessons - I believe he has developed an affection for Focke, in awe of my lad's superior fighting skills. In the afternoon, the boys sometimes learned carpentry with me, or practiced the making of garments, or visited the village markets to make small purchases. At times I would find the three of them in my long room before the fire, laughing while they wrestled naked on an animal skin rug, Varens having gotten over his contempt for gelded boys. The nights belonged to the god of lust and desire, when the three of us satisfied our flesh in whatever ways our loins could devise. Sometimes Focke would suckle with Lasse in their bedchamber until sleep overtook the younger boy, then he would join me in my chamber and demand to be rutted, usually several times. If the boys preferred, they both came to my bed and we shared each other's joy, except that I kept my promise to Focke regarding Lasse. The younger boy's innocence is a delight to me - he once said that he would like to feel mentor Gaius' stones, and asked me did I think mentor Gaius would mind? Focke added that some of the boys in the group harboured lustful desires for mentor Gaius, he could see it in their eyes. It was the same look he saw on the faces of men in the pleasure-house. "It is the look I am giving you now, husband - do your duty! Turn me over and lift my hips, I can wait no longer! Cleave my bottom with your cock!" Alas, the gods do not long endure the happiness of men. One night I was awakened by a groan emanating from the boys' bedchamber. This in itself was not unusual, nor was the subsequent appearance of a naked and rampant Focke at my bedside. By the flickering candlelight I noticed some slight difference about the boy, but I could not identify it for certain. "Oh my lord, I did not mean it, please do not send me away, I beg you", Focke pleaded, and I came to alertness as Lasse entered the room also. I hugged the naked boy to me and patted his flanks. I could not imagine what had caused his distress. "Whatever it is, Focke, we will find a solution, I am sure. Be at ease. Lasse, do you know what has made my darling unhappy?" "I may, master. Behold his pouch", the boy squeaked. I held Focke before me and reached for his stones. I held the two orbs of flesh in my hand, rolling them about with my fingers as I tried to detect some change from previous nights, but found none. "What is it, Lasse? Are they injured? They feel no different" Lasse sighed. "They are growing, master. Behold, his pouch is dropping, and his stones are bigger. Earlier, in our bed, I was bathing Focke's bottom with my tongue and rubbing the hood of his pizzle with my hand. My other hand pulled on his stones. Focke tells me this brings him the little joy many times over, but he knows you prefer to rut so he does not ask it of you. As my tongue penetrated his hole, I felt the gods descend as Focke's hips shook, but on my hand...there was a little moisture" The boy's face was downcast, but Focke was distraught. "My lord, the gods are calling me out of childhood! When the little joy entered me tonight it felt different. Here, see under the sparrow's hood!" The boy presented his stiff rod for my inspection, and it was even as he described - a speck of pearly fluid clung to the underside of the skin. "It is not too late, my lord! I have heard of boys who were gelded even after their fourteenth winter who kept their tenderness for many more years. Take my stones, I have no need of them! I would remain your boy, not some gangly, spotty youth. The village marketplace is replete with those who are too young to take a wife, yet too old to cling to their mother's skirts. They are good for nothing but mischief!" "Boys, climb up onto my bed. Focke, my true beloved, I am honoured by your offer. There are many who have lost their stones unwillingly, and yet here you would give them up freely! Please do not be hasty - the gods choose the path for each of us, and we stray from it at our peril. Lasse, was Focke's discharge full, or slight?" The boy sat up and caressed my stones. Neither Focke nor I had ever the heart to forbid him this small pleasure, and his touch was light as a fox's brush. "Master, I licked it off my hand - it was but a droplet. It was bland, not bitter as a man's fluid. The day my father gelded me he bade me swallow his seed, lest any man boast that he had done what my father had not. And in the men's pleasure house, before Focke came to visit and asked the keeper to set me to work in the barn, I took many cocks in my mouth - none tasted as Focke's did this night. The gods will call him to manhood very soon, I fear." I had not given much thought to Lasse's early life, and my heart was gladdened by this news that my own Focke had rescued this boy from unwanted debauchery, without glorifying in the accomplishment. But I needed time to think. Daylight was yet several hours away. "Lie with me, boys, and we shall see what the morning brings". * * * Focke and Lasse rose with the sun and prepared fruits and grains to break our fast, as had become their morning ritual. Nothing more was spoken of Focke's distress of the previous night, and both boys seemed cheerful. There were no lessons with mentor Gaius today, and Varens was not expected to visit, so I agreed to the boys' request for a visit to the village market. They had enjoyed designing and sewing their new garments so much that they had a surplus of them, which they wanted to offer for sale at the market. I explained the cost of the raw materials and allowed them to set their own price on their efforts. I expected the boys back around noon, and when they had not returned by mid-afternoon I began to be concerned for them. Just as the evening sun's chariot touched the far hills, I decided to set out for the village marketplace myself. Perhaps I would encounter them on their return journey, their pockets full of silver from their sales. Perhaps one of the two had taken ill from the sun and the other stayed to care for him? A few of the foodsellers in the market sometimes carried produce of dubious freshness - maybe one of the boys ate a disagreeable meal? As I stepped over my threshold, I spied Focke running towards me. His face was ashen and his hair even more dishevelled than after a torrid night in my bed. He threw himself into my arms, his slim body shaking with grief. "Lasse is gone! He has been taken!" the boy sobbed. end Author's note: What kind of bastard would write such a cliffhanger ending, you may wonder. Well, to all those who insisted I write another chapter after "Third Son", all I can say is that you brought this upon yourselves. Now you will have to wait another four to six weeks to find out what becomes of Lasse. If anyone thinks he already knows, feel free to let me in on the secret. - jeff