Part XL

For a moment Joel was watching the sky, he laid himself on the bench. When he was a child he used to believe that he could touch the fluffy clouds if he only reached his hand. He smiled at this memory. Time was passing by and Joel didn't feel like leaving this bench. The garden was small and not very attractive, still he had that illusion of not being in prison. The sun was at its zenith. It was time to go back to the room. He was supposed to eat every meal with the lord.

Joel stood up and walked back while the guard was waiting at the entrance to the garden, he didn't look at Joel. Jole remembered the guard's advice and looked to the ground till they left this inner square.

"Do I have to stay in the room for the rest of the day?" Joel asked the guard.

"It's not up to me." Short response and they were back at the lord's room. The lord wasn't there yet, however the table was filled with food. Joel sat down, he was waiting. Soon the door flung open and the lord went in. He looked gloomy even more than usual.

"Did something happen my lord?" Joel decided to show the man some fake concern.

"Nothing that should bother you." He sat down with a deep frown. Joel knew he was stomping on thin ice but decided to push his luck with the lord. He stood up and approached the lord.

'My lord I can give you a head massage, my mother used to like it when I did it to her. She often had headaches and she claimed that my hands worked wonders." Joel smiled.

The lord was looking at him for a moment and then nodded slightly. That was an invitation enough for Joel. He was standing behind the lord's chair and started the massage. He had strong, long and slender fingers. His mother was always pleased by his performance. Joel was drowning circles on lords temples and slowly massaging the whole skull. The lord seemed to relax bit by bit.

"Do you like it my lord?" He asked after a few minutes passed.

"Hmm, you are really skilled at that. I have to admit it helps." The lord's eyes were closed and his breath was even.

"Do you want me to stop?" Joel asked, noticing that the duke was falling asleep. "The food is getting cold, my lord."

The lord looked as if he woke up from a daze. For a brief moment he was focusing on what was going on.

"Yes, let's eat." The lord seemed a bit confused.

"If you want, my lord, I can give you such a massage in the evening. It will help you to sleep well." That was Joel's chance to have a peaceful evening.

The lord looked at him, thinking hard about his proposal.

"We can do that." He agreed. For the rest of the meal the lord kept silent. So did Joel.

The lord stood up, he was about to leave but turned around to face Joel.

"I want you to stay in this room and wait for me."

"Yes Master." Joel nodded obediently.

The lord left and Joel finally felt how all the tension was leaving his body.

The afternoon was long, Joel took a nap and even found some books. It was a long time ago since he read something. Now it was his only entertainment as the view from the window showed that haggard garden. Joel checked everything.There was a separate room with a tub and a big mirror, on the shelf there were some figures with horses and a few books. Mostly about the history of the country and great leaders. He looked through the closet only to find almost identical black clothes. He was about to close the closet's door when he noticed something. In the back of the closed the boards were uneven, when he pressed them a small recess appeared, there were three bottles with some liquid in them and two whips. They weren't new, they looked used. Was the psychopath hitting the female looking boys with it? No wait he had so many scars on his own back. Shit that man was freaking scary. Joel closed the boards as quickly as he could.

The evening came along with the servants, food and the lord. Joel was standing at the lord's chair and pulled it a bit to help him sit down comfortably, then he poured some wine into his cup. Joel decided to switch the lord's perspective on him. He wanted to transfer into a servant. That was his chance to survive.

The ford received his attention with pleasure, Joel noticed that.

"How's your head my Lord? Do you feel fine?" Joel started eating.

"Yes, I feel fine. Your mother was right. Your fingers work wonders."

Joel smiled at this unexpected compliment and lord Morrice's eyes were in an instant glued to his face.

"Thank you my lord." Joel looked at his plate determined to eat as much as he could before he completely would lose his appetite.

"What were you doing?" The lord asked, sipping some more wine.

"I was in the garden my lord and then back in this room. I allowed myself to read a book."

"You can read?"

"Yes my lord. I can read to you if you wish." Joel was chewing a piece of roasted meat.

"Maybe some other day." He agreed.

"Are you done with eating?" He asked Joel.

"Yes, my lord." Joel could digest a bit more but he noticed the lord was becoming impatient. If he wants Joel to massage him then fine, he will put him to sleep.

"Good, I promised to guide you into a better life and help you to purify your body. Take off your clothes."

So much for Joel's plan. The lord wanted to see him naked, shit. Joel only hoped that the fucker won't touch him.