Chapter 2

"Constantine...you're back!" Manuel is stating, "Where's Julius? Did he come back with you?"

I look at the boy Manuel is calling Constantine. He's taken Polo and I into a separate room away from the other boys. It's clear that Constantine has his own sleeping quarters.

Manuel is excited to see him but Constantine doesn't seem to be reacting in the same way. He pushes down gauze on Polo's wounds. I sit off to the side feeling like I shouldn't be here. It's clear Constantine wants to help Polo but not really here to help me.

"He's safe...I came back for the rest of you," Constantine says.

"I knew you would. People doubted you but I knew you would come back for us."

Constantine lets out a soft smile. He is definitely some sort of savior figure. The way Manuel's eyes sparkle when they look at him make me realize that Manuel looks up to Constantine.

Constantine is immediately tending to Polo's wounds. He doesn't skip a beat.

"Who did this to him?" Constantine asks.

He's looking at Polo's wounds as though he's not too surprised. Constantine seems annoyed at most. I'm glad someone is saying something about it though and not acting like Polo wasn't attacked. Manuel seemed disgusted by it but he really didn't say anything to stop it. The other boys weren't any better. They all groveled to Alexios and I didn't really understand why. He wasn't the most muscular boy in the room. Others looked like they could fight him if they needed to. I don't think it was physical fear though. I think it was mental. They were scared of something else and I needed to understand what.

"Alexios. Alexios said he was too handsome," Manuel states.

"You didn't stop him?" Constantine asks Manuel.

"I didn't know it happened. Besides. We all know Alexios does what he wants. He is the Sultan's favorite."

"Well I'm back now," Constantine says, "Go tell Alexios that this boy is under my protection."

Manuel nods, "Ok, Constantine."

Constantine stops him and looks over at me, "Both of these boys are under my protection."

I'm confused on why Constantine is helping us. There definitely was a ranking order in the harem. Polo was handsome but pouring acid on him because of it just seemed out of line. There were a lot of handsome boys in here. Did Alexios pour acid on everyone he thought was a threat? Would I be the next one he attempted to pour acid on?

Manuel smiles and nods at that moment, "I'm glad that you came back for us Constantine."

I sit there and watch him. He is so handsome. I should have known he was special when I first laid eyes on him. There was something about him that just made you want to believe in him. I watch how Polo smiles when he stands there.

Polo nods, "Are they going to heal?"

"They will heal but you'll have scars. I'll bring you some ointment tomorrow," Constantine states, "Stay here tonight. Alexios may think you're still too handsome and want to finish what he started."

"He's a monster..." Polo states.

"You have no idea," Constantine replies, "I didn't lie back in the caravan. This place is horrible. It's not just the empire you should be afraid of either. People here compete for attention. You don't get enough attention and you'll be hurt. You get too much attention and you'll be hurt."

I'll be back."

"Where you going?"

"I need to steam."

Constantine leaves at that moment. I stay with Polo for a while until he falls asleep but my curiosity with this Constantine man leads me to get out of the room and try to find him.

~

I find him in a steam room. Two other boys were in there on the opposite side but they just so happen to walk out when I walk in. Constantine is naked in all his glory. His nipples are a dark brown. He has big feet and a powerful looking body. His nipples are thick and I watch almost intensely as he rubs his up against his broad chest removing some additional sweat that is quickly replaced. His muscular body glistens with the sweat from this steam room. His closes his eyes and leans up against the tiles. He exhales out of his thick pink lips.

I am still naked as I approach. I have some scratches from when Alexios ripped my clothes off but nothing nearly as bad as the injuries that Polo got. As I approach Constantine he doesn't even stare back at me. He just sucks and brushes the sweat off his pink lips with his hand.

His dick isn't hard but it is big. It is so big. It's the size of Basil's dick but much thicker. It folds over his thigh.

"Syed wasn't your brother was he?" I ask him, "He was your lover."

He nods.

Constantine eyes dart at me in disbelief, "So you do talk?"

"When I want to."

"I doubt you're still going to say what your name is huh?" He asks me.

"My name is Hush," I reply saying the nickname that Basil gave me.

He laughs, "Funny man. So tell me Hush. Why should I tell you my personal information if you aren't going to tell me a thing about you."

I sit next to him. His body glistens. I can tell he's used to people looking at him as a sexual object. When I stare at his dick he doesn't even flinch in embarrassment. That is how I know for sure that Syed was his lover. He was trying to be respectful of Syed's feelings back on the caravan. He was probably worried Syed would have been jealous with my staring.

"Because I know the truth about you," I state, "You told them you would come back for them but you didn't come back for them did you? If you had been captured again on purpose Syed wouldn't have been so upset that he killed himself."

Constantine stares out.

He breaks down any wall that he has realizing that I was onto something.

"His name wasn't Syed. It was Julius," Constantine says.

"And he was your lover?"

Constantine nods, "Yes. We met here in the Harem. We were both captured around the same time. We fell in love. Julius couldn't take the attention I was getting especially from the Sultan's sons. I couldn't take having Julius upset."

"So you escaped?"

Constantine nodded, "Yes. Just the two of us. I promised everyone else I'd come back.

Clearly I didn't get far..."

"Were you ever going to come back to save them?" I ask.

I don't know why I ask the question. I think I know the answer to that. Constantine gives me a hard look knowing that I knew the answer to my own question. I heard how he talked about this place when I first met him and Julius. We'd spent hours on that train and each moment I could see it becoming more and more clear to Constantine that they were coming back to a place that he hated.

"Julius and I were captured about to board a ship and sail for France. I couldn't save Julius. I can't save anyone," he responds.

"I understand."

"Will you tell Manuel what happened to Julius? Will you tell him that I really didn't come back for him?"

He seems to care. He has this look in his eyes. I could imagine the disappointment on people's faces when they realized Constantine was just a slave who couldn't really escape after all. Still I saw how Manuel's eyes lit up when he knew Constantine was back. He gave him hope. Maybe that was a hope that some of these people needed.

"No I won't. Under one condition."

He raises his eyebrow, "What's that?"

"Basil and Manuel said you taught them when they first came. They said you taught them how to survive. I'd like you to teach me how to survive in here."

Constantine thinks for a minute.

"You're smart, Hush. Smarter than Polo."

"I'm just quiet and observant," I explain, "I don't want what happened to Alexios to happen to me."

"Then you'll need respect, but not too much. Just enough. Come here sit on my lap."

"What?"

"Sit on my lap..."

"Are you serious?" I ask him.

"I'm not getting any pleasure out of this," he explains, "Trust me. I am still mourning Julius even if I don't show it. But this is sex. In the Harem, sex is survival. So come here. Sit on my lap. No. To be more specific. Sit on my dick."

I hesitate.

"I don't know you in that way."

"You won't know the Sultan's men in that way either when they come for you and they'll come. And you don't say no to them. You hear me? So come sit. For the next hour this is your seat."

Constantine pulls at his dick a few times. Within seconds it hardens from being completely soft to completely hard. Seeing how big Constantine's dick is scares the daylights out of me. He is so huge. He's talking as though he could care less about much of anything though. Maybe that's why I realize that he's probably "helped" a lot of the boys that came through here. This was nothing more than him dressing Polo's wounds or making Manuel believe that he had come back to save all of them. Constantine was just helping me.

I walk over towards him. He watches me the entire time.

"Will it hurt?"

"Yes, but tomorrow the princes will come test you to see if you are fit to serve in the Sultan's harem."

"He has sons?"

"He has three. They're cocks are not as big as mine, but they are rough. Very rough. They'll fuck you. They'll take turns. You can either be in pain now or be in pain tomorrow. If I were you, I'd prefer now."

"Why?"

"Because if you are in too much pain you can stop with me. With them there is no stopping. You have to please them until they are done. So come, take your seat."

I start licking my hand and delivering lubricant to my ass. I walk over to him. My heart is racing when I do it. As I get close he grabs me and pulls me into him quickly.

"You said you weren't rough."

"You think this is rough. You don't know anything yet. I'm just preparing you. They grab...a lot."

"Do they grab you?"

"No. The princes prefer me to dominate them. I think I intimidate them. It's probably the only reason Alexios has not killed me. It would anger the princes."

I start to sit on Constantine's dick. The moisture from the steam room lubricates his dick and my spit does the rest. Still it's not enough to go down on his gigantic dick. I balance myself just above the tip for almost ten minutes but Constantine seems patient or possibly even just a little bored. It isn't until he sighs that I realize I have to do better.

I go down even more. I let him enter me.

"FUCK! You're so big!"

"Go all the way down. It'll hurt less tomorrow if I open you up a little bit now."

"OK...here I go..."

"AH!"

Constantine grabs onto my waist when I go down on him. He holds it tight there for a minute. He breathes a little deep at that moment. I think I've hurt him at first so I try to slide back up but he stops me.

"Are you OK?" I ask Constantine.

He nods, "It's clear no one's been in this hole before."

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask him.

Constantine laughs a little bit, "No. It actually feels different. I've been in the Harem for a while. It's just surprising, that's all. You're very tight. I think I may have released some semen."

"Should I stop?"

"No I've been trained to keep going even afterward. You shouldn't be scared of man fluids. It's OK. It should make it even easier for you now."

Constantine is right. It's easier to go down on him and come back up. I do it wrapping my hands around him while bouncing up and down on his dick. The feeling is something that I've never really felt before. He massages my prostate. He's touching places of me that I didn't even realize could be stimulated in this way. My dick is soft at first but with time it hardens. Maybe it's Constantine's face that makes my dick hard. He stares me right into my eyes as though examining me but it feels so perfect. He is breathing up against my neck with his mouth slightly open. I am wanting him so badly to kiss on my neck or kiss on my mouth. He doesn't do either of those things though.

I stare in his eyes. I rub the side of his face. Then I kiss him. I kiss him as strongly as I can. For a few minutes he resists but then he gives in and starts kissing me back.

His heart is beating up against mine. Our bodies entangle together. The sweat between us grips us together.

"It feels so good. Why does it feel so good?" I ask.

"The prostate is a walnut sized gland in the anus," he explains, "The sultan's female harem can't do the things we do. The anus and rectum are much tighter than the vagina, and that makes penetration a very pleasurable sensation for men. It's a whole different experience."

"Does it feel good to you?" I ask.

"This isn't about me."

"But do you like it..."

I kiss him again. This time deeper. This time longer. This time I'm looking him in his eyes. I'm strolling my arms around him. I'm holding him as tight as possible. There are sparks in this room and I know that Constantine must feel them. He just has to.

Constantine slides me off of him and sits across from me. His dick is still hard and it has a sweep of blood across of it from me. I think me bleeding is the reason he stopped but I don't think it has anything to do with it. Constantine just stops so abruptly.

"Training is over for today."

"Why?"

"You're starting to get emotional," he responds.

I'm confused.

"So what?"

Constantine answers with one word.

"Julius."

The heaviness of the name just seems to bring me right back into reality. Whether Constantine reacted to Syed's death when he jumped off the bridge at that time or not I knew he was hurt by it. I could see it in his eyes. He was holding it back the same way his lover was holding back his feelings on the caravan. Maybe the Harem had taught them to act like that. Maybe the Harem had taught them how to wall off how they really felt. Maybe that was a necessary skill to learn in something like a harem. I could imagine how it would be useful when you are doing acts that you didn't necessarily enjoy with people who you definitely didn't want to do them with.

"You said the princes are going to come see if I qualify to serve the Sultan tomorrow," I explain confused as to why he's leaving.

"Yes if you fail you die."

"Then I need your help."

"I can't. You know I can't. I've had a lot of men in and out this harem to know that look when I see it. I'm not going down that road with you," Constantine explains to me, "I'll send Manuel in here. His dick is comparable to those of the princes."

"I don't want Manuel."

Constantine walks to the door that leads out of the steam room. He opens it letting a bunch of cool air into the steam room. I can't help but to stare at his ass. He has a toned and firm behind. His waist is so small. His shoulders are so broad. I've never been so attracted to anyone in my life.

"One thing you'll need to learn is that in the Harem you don't get what you want."

~

As he promised Constantine sends Manuel in. I bend over on the steam floor but Manuel stops when he notices blood.

"You're bleeding too much. I can't do it."

"Damn it."

"You're talking now?"

"Yes. But you can still call me Hush."

Manuel raises an eyebrow, "That's strange. Who are you, Hush?"

I shrug, "Just someone who has nothing to say."

Manuel shakes his head, "Well, hush the blood is a problem. I'd love to fuck you though. You're very attractive to me. I'd enjoy it. It's rare enjoying sex nowadays."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. We just don't want to irritate your ass before tomorrow. I'm sure Constantine told you what happens tomorrow?"

"The Princes come in to take turns on me?" I ask.

Manuel nods, "Yes. Think of it as a qualification before you are even allowed to be in the Sultan's harem. You've been chosen because of your health and vitality though. I'm sure you will do well tomorrow. Come on. I'll show you where we go to get prepared for sex..."

Manuel takes me out into the main area I see Constantine laughing around with a few other guys who are happy that he's returned. The look on their faces blows my mind. I've never seen people just seem so happy to see someone in my life. Manuel notices me watching him. He doesn't say anything. I don't think he wants to embarrass me anymore especially after the blood but he smirks a little bit to acknowledge that he sees it.

"Were him and Julius close?"

"They are still. I'm sure. It's probably hurting Constantine to be away from his lover," Manuel stated, "It was a real love story. The two of them. Isn't it strange finding love in here of all places?"

"Not so strange."

I look over at Constantine. I can't stop staring at him. It was definitely strange to find love in a place like this but if there was any one of these beautiful boys worth loving it was definitely Constantine. As we make our way to the other side of the large room we make our way down a hall to a space that looks like dormitories.

The dormitories lead out to the gardens. Then there is the wall. This huge wall that seems to dominate everything around it. Manuel shows me the first aid room. There are so many things in there from lubrication ointments, to massage gels to healing ointments. It's clear there is no limit on how much we can take.

Manuel explains to me.

"The black priests who brought you over are the sultan's eunuchs. They don't talk much. Basil says it's because they don't have penises. They are our caretakers. They bring fresh supplies when we run out. You can take what you need in preparation for tomorrow. I'll make you a basket."

Manuel starts packing up ointments for me but I'm distracted by the size of the huge wall beyond the garden that I can see from the storage room.

"They must be really afraid of escape," I state, "These walls are so big."

Manuel doesn't even need to look to know what I'm talking about.

"Constantine is the only one who ever did it," Manuel explains.

"Will he be punished for attempting to escape?"

"If the sultan ever found out maybe. Constantine is under protection from the princes. In the same way that Alexios is the sultan's favorite, all three princes are in love with Constantine. Rumor has it the oldest prince found out about Julius and was going to sentence him to death for touching Constantine. No one is allowed to have sex with him."

"No one?"

My heart races. I had just had sex with Constantine.

"Don't worry. We won't tell," Manuel explains with a smile, "Your secret is safe with me. But you have to be careful around here. The harem is a nasty place to be unless your name is Alexios."

`What privileges does Alexios have?

"He can leave the walls if he wants. He's the only one who is allowed to be alone with the sultan. Alexios is the sultan's rose."

"Interesting."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"You're a strange one, Hush," Manuel tells me, "I hope you aren't thinking about becoming the sultan's favorite."

"Why do you hope that?

"Because any boy who has even gotten close to be a favorite of the Sultan has ended up dead."

I could only imagine Alexios was behind it. Manuel hands me the things I need to perform tomorrow and shows me my room. He doesn't say another word but I can read behind his eyes that he is very concerned about what I'm planning on doing. Maybe I am very concerned as well.

~

It's the middle of the night. The other boys are asleep. The sleeping quarters are spread out. There are about 5 boys to a room and I'm sleeping with boys that don't even care to tell me their names. It seems like a lot of people are afraid to be friendly unless they get the OK from Alexios. Alexios definitely runs this place and I can tell by how he has his own room separate from everyone else. I walk past it when I head towards the gardens as everyone is asleep.

I stand in the garden for a few minutes when I see the rope come over the edge of the garden. All of a sudden someone jumps down.

I can see the figure walk up to me, dressed all in black. It's someone that I recognize almost immediately.

The person grabs me pulling me close to him, "Loras."

Loras grabs me and holds me close. It's been a while since we've seen each other. I knew he would come though. I knew that he would make his way to me one way or another. Embracing him just feels right as we stand in the middle of the harem grass.

"Are you OK? You're scratched up..."

"I'm fine. You don't want to see some of the others."

"Have you kept quiet like I taught you?" I ask.

I should have.

"I've started talking a little bit," I admit to Loras.

Loras seems disappointed, "Don't get close to these people. You won't be here for long..."

I nod at that moment, "Listen. There is a problem that we didn't know about."

"What's that?"

"Only one person can be in the room with the Sultan at a time. His name is Alexios. He literally kills people who he finds as threats to him."

Loras gives me a hard look.

"Knowing you...I doubt that will be a problem."

He knows me well. His mischievous smile seems to spread across his face. This wasn't the first time I was playing the innocent virgin who had no idea what was going on. I even had Constantine fooled to believe that I had no idea where I was or what I was doing. Hopefully they were all almost as gullible as the sultan was.

I smile, "Just a small bump but I am sticking to the plan."

"Good. And you remember the plan don't you?" Loras asks me.

"Of course. Pretend to be a member of the sultan's harem until I can get close enough to assassinate him..."

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