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Courtesan	By : Shelindrea Category: Twilight Series > Het > Jacob/Renesmee Views: 4787 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

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Chapter Six: Journeys Begun

JPOV

Bella has set a journey for me, a large delivery in the high country. She has also encouraged me to visit family on the journey. I shall set out and see my sister and her husband. It shall be pleasing to see them, as well as my niece and nephew.

The trip from Seattle to Bremerton would take five days and nights with at least two days there for the delivery. Then, through the mountains on to Port Angeles would take another week. Bella and Edward encouraged me to take my time once we made Port Angeles, and the men had been encouraged to take leave while we were there, although many of them would be returning to the farm straight from Bremerton.

I am bringing with me several of the new men from the farm. They need testing and this trip will prove them good and trustworthy or not. I have decided to take Nessie along as well. She is quick of mind and has quite a lot of discernment about her. I have come to value her opinion and think she will make the journey much more palatable.

Bella agrees and suggested that I bring her. In truth, I cannot imagine sleeping near as well as I do without her there. Her even breathing is the music which lulls me each night. There are many things I wish to show her on this journey. Her eyes are so fresh and each new thing becomes new again in the shared experience.

I have rarely looked forward to travels for trade, yet my heart glows with the possibilities that lie within this trip. Finance and merriment are surely in store.

NPOV

I have found such a trove of joys and treasured moments in just living. As I go about my daily life, I find each new moment sweeter than its predecessor. Each day awakens new moments to cherish in memory, and each whispered conversation gives me renewed affection for those I serve.

At present, I am on a journey. My Master was lying with me the other morn in his bed when he began to sigh and said, “Little one, I must be away in a few days.”

I felt a hollowness within me upon the hearing of it, but then he continued. “I have to deliver a small herd of stallions for Bella to the high country. It will be a lengthy journey, and I think it will be some time before my return.”

As he said this, he was fanning my curls upon the pillows on the bed making it a flaming crown about my head. I tried to keep the sadness I felt from my eyes, but I know I failed for as he went on he stroked my cheeks and ran his finger down my nose saying, “I have thought about how to bear my journey, for you and I have not slept apart for some time now.”

I felt a stab within my heart at the mere thought of it. You see, in these last weeks, I have been in my master’s arms each evening and have awoken in those same said arms each morn. I have not seen the inside of the slave quarters these many moons, and truth be told even just to be held to my master’s side as he sleeps is a boon beyond measure to me. For within these arms, I feel safe and cherished.

He looked at me then and seemed to contemplate deeply. “Should I banish you from my side now to become used to you being away? Return you to the kennels and not call you to me until my return?”

I tried desperately not to allow the tears, which threatened to spill forth, show within my dark eyes. I could not however, bring myself to answer.

“Such big brown eyes you have, my sweet, and they betray you,” he said.

“Betray me, My Master?”

“Your eyes say what you do not. Would you be sorry to bed down in the kennels again? Grown used to the softness of the bed have you?” he asked.

“No Master, ‘tis not that, it is just… I will miss you. That is my only sadness.”

“Why would you miss me, my little one?”

“Because you will be away from me, Master”

“I shall be away from Cullen Estates my dear one, but not from you.”

I furrowed my brow, as I was so very confused.

“You travel with me foolish girl,” he said laughing with that rich deep voice. “I have decided that I cannot sleep as well as I do, without your sweet warmth and softness beside me. You will accompany me on this trip. For your presence at my side is a requirement to keep insanity at bay.”

We departed within the week, and the trip has been fascinating. I have seen the greenness of the fields as we have passed them and have seen the beauty of mountains. I have had much time to spend in the presence of my master, and he burrows deeper into my heart hourly. He is my best reason for being; he makes me smile and feel things no mere girl should.

The traveling party seems vast to me, but as I have never traveled, I have nothing to truly compare it with. There are five caravans. One holds the tents which are set up each night and broken down each morning. We have eight tents in camp each night. One is my master's, and is much like his bedchamber at the estate. It houses a small brazier to keep us... I mean him, warm, as well as a large set of furs upon which we bed down at night. Three house the other masters who travel with us from the farm. Mistress Bella has many employees who serve as hands and corral the herds as they travel. Each of these three tents houses one. One tent serves as a dining hall and meeting place for potential clients we have met along the journey. One tent serves as the kitchen and it travels ahead of all the others for the kitchen slaves that Mistress sent must feed not only the men and their guests, but the contingency of slaves who travel with us as well. One tent is utilized as a bathing house for the free and the kitchen staff provide hot water constantly. The final tent serves as the kennel and is where the slaves sleep.

The other caravans carry supplies that we need for the journey; food, clothing, water and feed for the horses. We are quite a vast parade as we go out into the wide world.

My days have been spent differently since we have departed. I awake with the dawn, as usual and head to the kitchen tent to fetch warm water for Master's morning ablutions.

The morning of the first day on the road, I retrieved water and set out his soap and drying cloths. He told me that he did not want any extra slaves along for the trip, and that he would require me to serve as his dresser and house servant. I was thrilled to be able to serve him in this manner. There was something so intimate about dressing him, sliding his tunic over his chest, tying his boots, and watching him ready himself for the day.

That first morning, I sat on my waiting pillow and peeked at his reflection in the gazing glass surreptitiously while he soaped his cheeks and chin to shave. It seemed such a masculine thing, and I found myself staring, unabashedly, which of course he noticed.

“What do you watch so intently, little one?” he asked.

My eyes fell immediately to the floor. I knew better than to look at the free unbidden. Master came to me and lifted my chin with his finger. “Do not hide your eyes now, you have already been caught.”

“I am sorry...”

“Ness, where are we? This is my chamber, just as if we remained at home. I am not angry, and I want you to speak freely. Now what interested you so?”

I swallowed hard, knowing that he should be angry with me, but seeing that he did not seem so. “I have never seen a man shave before, Master,” I confessed.

He smiled at me. “You know, I usually have a valet shave me, but as I did not bring one... You know, it is something you could learn. Come here.”

He led me to the gazing glass and demonstrated how to run the blade across his cheek. Then he handed it to me and leaned back, exposing his jaw and neck to me. I was struck by the trust it took to offer himself so. I was nervous, but he closed his eyes and waited.

I eased the straight blade across his cheek and then wiped the whiskers it collected onto a drying cloth. The blade rang slightly as it slid against his skin, but I remained steady and did not shake at all. The act of shaving him was oddly sensual. Each pass displayed more and more of his bronze skin, free of soap and beard and it sent thrills though me.

When I had finished, he took my hands in his own and kissed each palm. “You never disappoint. You did a perfect job. I bow to your superior skill and insist you do this from now on.”

The other day, Master woke me early and told me to don a serviceable dress for he had decided that we would go ahead of the party and ride into the valley. I obeyed, of course, a bit fearful of traveling too far afield of the safety of the caravans. But Master put me on his steed, Rabbit, and held me fast to him as he rode over the loaming hills and into the deep valley. We traveled for some time, and then he slowed the beast and began to speak softly in my ear. “Ness, look there in the distance. Can you see the mountains? We will be going to the city in their foothills. Have you ever seen a mountain, my girl?”

“No Master.” I said staring at their grandeur and majesty. Such beauty I have never before beheld. Their peaks brushing the clear azure sky. I must have whispered this aloud, for Master chuckled.

“Such awe at the sight of piled rock, my diamond?”

But I was awed. Then Master led Rabbit off the main road and jumped down. He tied the horse and lifted me down. Then he untied the traveling sack and told me to “Come.”

I followed him to the bower of a tree where he unfurled a fur and handed me the bag. Within it was a wineskin, lichee fruit, and assorted food. I set these things out and began to prepare to serve him when he took my hand and removed the lichee from it. He unsheathed his knife and began to crack into the sweet fruit then cut its flesh.

“Nessie, come taste this for me,” he said and held it to my lips. Never before have I tasted such sweetness. The juice dripped down my chin. Master dipped his lips to it to drink the sweet nectar that clung there and smiled. “Sweeter yet from your skin than it has ever been.”

He continued to feed and taste of the bounty from within the sack and spoke softly to me. Then sated by the food, Master drew me to the ground and held me to him. “Do you like this valley, Nessie?”

“I find it beautiful, Master.”

“And the traveling? Does it suit you?”

“I find it invigorating, Master.”

“Tell me my sweet,” he bade, “what do you think of the men in the traveling party?”

“Master?”

“I ask your opinion, girl. You have sat at my feet for days and listened to their banter. I know you hear things, and I know that mind of yours works, I see it in those dark, dark eyes. Who impresses you? Whom do you find lacking? Who do you find yourself wary of?” he asked.

“Master, I have not formed such opinions; I have no right to such thoughts.” I answered fearful that my eyes had betrayed my inner mind.

Master sighed. “My girl, we are here alone, it is as if we are within my bed chamber. Only truth now and when I ask you for your thoughts.”

“Master…” I hesitated.

“Nessie…” he said laying me down and looking into my eyes. “You are a keen observer. I ask your opinion, and I expect you to give it to me.”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, Master.”

“What is your opinion of Master Newton?”

I thought about the man. He was relatively handsome, or was considered so by many of the girls of the kennels. “He seems decent enough. I know he does not treat the girls poorly. He does, however, seem to drink in excess. I have seen him asleep on the ground outside the bathing tent on more than one occasion when I have gone to fetch water for you in the morning.”

Master chuckled and asked after the next man. “Tell me your thoughts on Master Yorkie.”

“He shows a lack of sense if you ask me,” I said, and then covered my mouth quickly.

Master shook his head and took my wrist to remove my hand from my mouth. “Continue. Tell me why you say this.”

“Well, he tends to speak too freely when he is among the slaves, Master. He seems to forget that they can hear him, and so he discusses business and his opinions of guests as if he cannot be overheard. Two evenings ago, I heard him complain about Master Berty's breath while in the kitchen tent.”

“That is not prudent, but...”

“Master Berty's slaves were in the tent. They heard all that was said, and I have no doubt that they reported back to their master exactly how Mistress Bella's representative spoke of him. Did you not say that Master Berty left without placing an order?”

“He did indeed. It makes more sense now. What else have you observed?”

“Well, I have noticed that there seems to be a desire among the men who come to look at the herd for the possibility of good breeding. Many speak of bloodlines and the possibility of breeding the stallions with their mares. I think that if you spoke to that desire, you might achieve even higher prices. It seems that sharing bloodlines with Rabbit and Volvo should be worth more than simply being from the Cullen Estates.”

My master laughed in the rich honeyed sound I find so musical and then held me close as he nodded and smiled. “You are a wonder my girl.”

“Me, Master? How?”

“Your observations are spot on, and you only view from their feet. There is not one assessment I do not agree with. You are a rich and rare find. A beauty, and a wanton with a keen and probing mind,” he smiled handsomely. “Yes, I knew it. You shall be a great asset. It never occurred to me to speak of the possibility of their owning a piece of Volvo, or even Rabbit. I do believe you have found a new bargaining chip. Bella will be thrilled.”

I was most confused at the praise, but he seemed so pleased with me that I simply basked in the glow of his smile. He took me there in the shade of the tree and spoke to me of his thoughts, of how he had traveled in his youth to the city where Mistress Bella lived with her father and how they had grown to be friends and like siblings as their fathers worked side by side to build the business that is now Cullen Estates; of how he was now equal in status to Master Edward in fame and renown, yet felt unworthy of such honor; of how he oft times felt that the other men resented his advancement, but were too cowardly to directly defy him. He spoke of his childhood and his sister, who had been established in Port Angeles, and of his nephew and niece, whom he had seen only a few times. I gazed at him as he spoke of playing with the children, and he fair glowed with pride and amusement. I saw that within him is a man who would be a wonderful father.

“Master?” I found myself saying.

“Yes, Ness?”

“Why have you no wife?”

“Ah, little one….” he said pulling me to him “…for one who sees so much can you truly understand so little?” Again he laughed and kissed away my queries.

I fear that I have missed something that should be clear. Yet, I realized with each passing moment that I have become fortune’s fool, for I am now a slave who not only loves her Master, but is “in love” with him. Someday, this fact will find me shattered as he finds his home with a wife and has the children I see him desire. Yet, I can only find shelter in the joy I feel with him now and pray the gods continue to bless me with such good fortune as to remain at his feet.

JPOV

Each night of our journey, I sank into the furs within the tent and held Nessie to my side. It was the best part of my day, by far. She would burrow into my side, and I could wrap my arms around her slender form and know she was safe beside me.

This night, sleep refused to come. She had asked me today why I had no wife. I had not given the question much thought before she had spoken it, but the moment the words escaped her lips I realized that there had only ever been her in my mind as a long term companion. Only she embodied the traits I desired in a woman who could share my life.

Seeing as she was here with me, and I was happier than I had ever been, I decided that a wife was the last thing I needed. I would remain a happy bachelor as long as I had Nessie by my side, I was certain I could not want more.

A/N: please feel free to share your thoughts with me. Shelindreaire@aol.com
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Courtesan