The Bezistan Chronicles
 By: Jean-Christophe
(© 2012-2013 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 17
New Beginnings

Without any warning, the heavy, wooden doors are thrown open and the predawn, desert light filters through the night-time gloom of the stable's interior. A new day is beginning as Aindrias stirs out of a fitful sleep and nervously looks out through the bars of his cage prison. Hopefully, he tells himself, this will be for the last time; perhaps tonight he'll sleep in a stall like all the other ponies and drafts.

Still sore from the painful reminders of yesterday's tribulations, he realizes today will bring fresh challenges as he peers out from his cage in dreaded anticipation of what he knows is to happen.

The stable-master's Arab overseers enter and noisily shout to the sleeping slaves to.

"Wake up! Get up off your lazy asses! Get to your feet!"

And to emphasise this order, the burly overseers uncoil their long hippopotamus-hide whips and begin to noisily snap them through the air. As the stable's interior is rent with the loud cracking of those whips, the sleep-groggy inhabitants of the stalls stir and climb unsteadily to their feet.

A new day has begun!

An overseer orders the groom slaves to unlock the doors of the stalls where the individual ponies and the teams of draft slaves are housed and to release them from their overnight chains.

The heavy duties draft slaves, who are stabled together in their teams of twenty, quickly exit their stalls and in a well-rehearsed routine, docilely kneel in two parallel lines of ten. Under the watchful eyes of the overseers, the young stable slaves assisting them, quickly and expertly place each pair into a heavy wooden yoke.

These young stable slaves are bred into slavery and, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, they are brought to the stables to assist Faris, the stable-master in maintaining the cleanliness of the stables and in the care and management of the draft slaves and ponies. Carefully selected for their physiques, they work within the stables until they have acquired the muscular development necessary to work either as a heavy draft slave or a lighter, faster running pony. Then, they too, are allocated to a team or a cart and condemned to spend the rest of their miserable lives as mere beasts of burden.

Aindrias had been one such slave. He'd worked here throughout the five, long years of his slavery and today he is to 'graduate' and become a pony slave.

Once the draft slaves are secured in their yokes, they are fed and watered by their slave handlers who move swiftly between the pairs, giving each slave a wooden bowl of slave gruel and a ration of water. The draft slaves, who are only fed at the beginning and end of each day's toil, know this is the only water they'll receive until mid-morning and greedily gulp it down. Whilst working, they'll receive a ration of water three times during the day; mid-morning, noon and again in mid-afternoon when the desert sun is at its fiercest.

Speed is the order of the day and to emphasise this, the overseers move up and down the lines of kneeling draft slaves applying their whips to their naked backs and shoulders. The cowed slaves respond with animal like cries and groans as the lash cuts into their unprotected bodies. Despairingly, they know only too well these are the first of many such lashings they'll endure throughout the long, working day.

Once the victualling is complete - and the impatient overseers ensure that no time is wasted - the stable slaves place metal bits into the mouths of the still kneeling draft slaves. Then blinkers, which limit their vision to the immediate front, are fitted over their heads. Now yoked and ready for their day's labours, the slaves are whipped to their feet and driven outside into the stable yard.

From past experience at assisting in these duties, Aindrias knows the draft slaves will be whip driven to an area, adjacent to a composting pit, where they will be ordered to squat so that they can attend to the most basic of their bodily functions before commencing their day's labours. Even here, as they squat to relieve themselves, the slaves are whipped to hurry them along. No time is to be wasted in getting the teams working productively. As Prince Rashid constantly reminds his overseers.

"A slave's time is money! And he must be constantly driven to ensure no time is wasted."

Once they have relieved themselves, the teams of draft slaves are hastily harnessed to their respective drays and driven out into the fields. The sun is just beginning to rise in the east and they will not return to the stables until that same sun sinks below the western horizon. Until then, they will be subject to unbearable, backbreaking labour and the savage whips of their cruel drivers.

With the draft slaves now dispatched into the fields and with the tardy arrival of a sleep-deprived and rather bad-tempered Faris, attention turns to preparing the pony slaves for their day's labour. Unlike the preparations of the draft slaves, those required for the ponies are more complicated.

Like the draft slaves they too must be fed and watered and then led out to the composting area to relieve themselves. After that, they are completely body shaved, hosed down and scrubbed clean by the young stable slaves. When dry, they are given a coating of special body lotion that allows their bodies to sweat while, at the same time, it protects their skins from the ravages of the desert sun. Then, finally they are harnessed to their individual drivers' carriages and are ready for their day's labours.

In deference to Prince Rashid and Geoff, the estate manager, Faris personally supervises the preparation of their ponies. He includes in these preparations the strong, twenty year old, Spanish pony slave allocated to him for use in his duties as the stable-master. He is meticulous in ensuring that there aren't any unwanted hairs showing on their smooth torsos and limbs, that the slave lotion shows their flawless hides to perfection and finally all their harness is polished and any metal adornments are gleaming. He takes particular pride in their appearance and presentation and revels in the frequent praise given to him by both Prince Rashid and Geoff. However, this morning's preparations are more involved than usual; he has the added pressure of introducing three new ponies to their new duties. He is determined that nothing will reflect on him personally and that both the prince and his estate manager will be pleased with his efforts.

Faris, armed with his customary cane, now grumpily orders the stable slaves to fetch the ponies from their stalls. Aindrias watches as they lead the four slaves by chains attached to their collars out into the center walkway of the stables. Each pony has his wrists fastened behind his head to his neck collar and they are ordered to kneel one behind the other. Then Faris unlocks the door to Aindrias' cage and orders him to come out and to kneel in front of the cage and place his hands behind his head. Immediately, one of the stable slaves fastens his wrists to the back of his collar and attaches a chain to the front. Jerked to his feet by this chain he is hauled into the center of the stables and made to kneel behind the other four slaves.

With much shouting from Faris and his overseers, the stable slaves quickly dole out a ration of food and water to the five kneeling slaves. They are spurred on in this task by an impatient Faris viciously applying his cane to their buttocks and the order to.

"Hurry up, you lazy, young dogs!"

Yelping and prancing in pain, the young slaves quickly haul the five ponies to their feet and lead them out of the building into the stable-yard. Here they are forced to squat and ordered to.

"Relieve yourselves and be quick about it!"

As he squats, Aindrias' nose is assailed by the sickening smell of the ordure left by the draft slaves. He carefully chooses an unsoiled spot and quickly empties his bladder and bowels. All around him is the pungent smell of decomposing vegetable matter being turned into organic fertilizer for use in the fields. Its putrid stench permeates the whole area surrounding the stables and is another discomfort the slaves must endure as they rest overnight.

Prince Rashid takes great pride in that his produce is always freshly harvested and flown overnight to the supermarket shelves of nearby, affluent Europe. Of even greater pride is his proud boast that his vegetables and fruits are organically grown without the use of artificial fertilizers; a fact appreciated by the discerning buyers of his products.

Once finished relieving themselves, the five ponies are led to a concreted area where each of them is fastened to a post by the chain attached to their collars. Under the ever-watchful eyes of Faris and his overseers the stable slaves, working in pairs, set to work shaving the bodies of the ponies. Even though he was shaved only yesterday afternoon in preparation for Prince Rashid, Aindrias is once again subjected to a full body shave. As this is done he reflects on those occasions when he helped shaved a pony.

He recalls the pleasure he felt as the ponies quivered at his touch and at the way their cocks stirred into life when he shaved their balls. On those occasions, when he was sure that the overseers weren't looking, his fingers often lingered longer than they should in manoeuvring the pony's cock out of the way of the razor. He always enjoyed working on their buttocks and enjoyed fingering and shaving their ass-cracks. The sight of their anuses puckering nervously as he carefully manoeuvred the razor around their tender holes always resulted in him having a massive erection.

Now, of course, he is experiencing a new set of sensations as he is the one being shaved.

While one slave shaves his face, a second works on his torso and limbs. Aindrias trembles as the razor caresses the tender skin in his armpits and then slides down over his chest and belly and bypasses his genitals. With a slave kneeling in front and another behind him they begin to shave his legs. As they do so he notices that their cocks are poking out at right angles to their bellies and he is aware that he, too, is rampantly erect. A sideways glance at his fellow ponies shows that they are similarly aroused. Now as one of the slaves begins to shave his cock and balls, the other works on his buttocks. Suddenly, Aindrias yelps as this slave touches the still raw stripes of the cane on his ass.

An annoyed Faris rewards the unfortunate slave with a blow of his cane across his shoulders and an admonishment to.

"Take more care not to damage the pony, slave."

The chastened slave carefully works his razor over the tender flesh and when his fellow has finished shaving the genitals, he gently bends Aindrias at the waist. The slave uses his hands to move Aindrias's feet apart to give him easier access to his crack and the now fully exposed ass-hole.

Before the slave commences however, Faris carries out an inspection of Aindrias' anus. He notes that it is still reddened and swollen from the prince's use of it last night and laughingly draws the overseers' attention to it. One by one, they inspect Aindrias's hole and he yelps each time a finger roughly probes the inflamed tissue. Satisfied that his injury won't affect his ability to pull a cart, Faris instructs the stable slave to continue. Aindrias quivers as the razor moves gently down his crack and perineum to the back of his balls.

Once shaven, Faris minutely examines each of the ponies for any missed hairs and razor nicks or cuts. He spies a couple of stray hairs around the navel of one of the Australian ponies and immediately orders the two stable slaves responsible for this to bend over and grasp their ankles with their hands. Both slaves hastily comply with this order and with their buttocks now elevated, Faris delivers four, stinging strokes of his cane to each ass.

Normally the punishment for such a dereliction of duty is two, light strokes of the cane. Today, however, Faris, deprived of a good night's rest, is in a foul mood and doubles the punishment. He wields the cane with a viciousness normally reserved for more serious breaches of the rules that govern the slaves under his direction. Both slaves cry out under the onslaught of the cane causing the watching overseers to laugh at their discomfort.

When the slaves have removed these offending hairs, the five ponies are ordered to their knees and wait patiently as clippers are run over their scalps trimming their hair back to the required length for a pony slave. Ordered back onto their feet, they are now sprayed with cold water from hoses held by the overseers whilst their bodies are soaped and scrubbed by the stable slaves.

Aindrias isn't sure whether he is shivering from the sudden shock of the cold water or from the hands of the slaves as they roam sensuously over his body. He shudders as their hands soap his genitals and their fingers explore his ass. He knows from his past experiences as a stable slave that they will be taking this opportunity to enjoy the bodies of the ponies as they wash them. In coming days he will learn to appreciate the slaves' attention and even to look forward to their early morning ministrations. Satisfied that they are now thoroughly clean, the ponies are given a final hosing down. The shivering ponies are now left to dry in the cool dawn air.

When the ponies are dry, Faris orders the stable slaves to apply the skin lotion to their bodies. This they do with great enthusiasm. Each pony has a liberal coating of lotion poured onto his body and this is vigorously massaged into his skin with special attention being paid to ponies' cocks, balls and asses. Faris and his overseers smile indulgently as the stable slaves work the lotion into the ponies' supple hides.

Now body-shaved, clipped, washed and oiled the ponies are led into the harness-room to be fitted out and harnessed to their carts. Taking their directions from Faris, the stable slaves 'pair off' the two Australians and Aindrias with his father forcing them to kneel alongside each other. The Spanish pony slave, who is to work alone, kneels nearby.

Working swiftly the overseers fit each pony with a bridle and bit. The other ponies are accustomed to this but for Aindrias it is a new experience. He trembles as the bridle is place over his head and the straps tightened. Then his head is pulled back and fingers cruelly pinch his nose forcing him to open his mouth as a bit is fitted. He is aware of a strong metallic taste and of a heavy metal plate holding his tongue down on the floor of his mouth. He begins to splutter and panics as he gasps for air. The overseer, fitting the bridle and bit, cuffs him over the head and orders him to remain still. Now blinkers are fitted to both sides of his head restricting his vision to the immediate front. Next a leather harness is fitted over his shoulders and straps tightened around his chest. Slowly his panic subsides as he notices his fellow ponies docilely kneeling as they too are fitted with their harness.

The stable slaves lead each pony out of the harness-room into an adjacent shed where the estate's carts and carriages are housed. As the two Australian ponies are shackled to Prince Rashid's elaborate cart, Aindrias and his father are placed side by side between the three shafts of a heavy cart. Dazed and confused he is made to grasp a shaft in each hand and watches as his wrists are shackled to them. As reins are fitted to either side of his bit he looks to his left and sees his father standing with his head bowed and showing no recognition of his presence.

This is the first time since their enslavement that Aindrias has been so close to his father. Since slaves aren't allowed to form family attachments he was denied all contact with his father other than those required in his duties as a stable slave. Even on those occasions when he helped prepare his father for his pony duties they were simply two slaves rather than father and son.

Now here they are harnessed together and within touching distance of each other. Of course their shackles limit any physical contact as much as their bits prevent them from speaking to each other. Aindrias is to learn over the next few days that the slave standing alongside him is no longer his father. The long years of his slavery have robbed him of any feelings he had towards Aindrias who he now sees as just another pony with whom he must work in tandem.

All that remains now is for Faris to make his final inspection and to ensure that their neck collars, cock- rings and any other body adornments are polished.

Satisfied with their appearance and presentation he gives the order for them to be delivered to their drivers.

For Aindrias, his future as pony slave has begun.

An overseer climbs into the driving set and issues the order to.

"Get up!"

From his past experience as a groom slave, Aindrias knows this is the order to walk forward. He feels and sees his fellow pony push forward into his harness and Aindrias knows he must do the same. As he does so, he feels the leather harness tightening itself and embracing his torso in a vice like grip. This places great strain on his body and the cart feels like a dead weight which holds him back from moving forward.

Nevertheless, Aindrias knows what is expected of him and he tries his very best to move forward. However, he lacks the strength and power of his pulling partner and his feeble efforts aren't good enough for his driver: for the first time he feels the savage cut of the driver's whip on his body. As the lash sears itself across his exposed flanks, Aindrias hears his scream of pain and from somewhere deep within him, he draws on an untapped and previously unknown reserve of raw, animal strength.

Aindrias is to discover over the next few days that no matter how much effort he puts into running and pulling - even if he believes he is at the virtual end of his endurance - the driver's whip is always able to seek out and to find the last, elusive vestiges of his strength.

The driver gives the order to his two charges to increase their speed.

"Faster and keep in step!"

Fortunately for Aindrias, it's just a short run from the stable to the estate manager's residence. Nevertheless, it is proving difficult for him to match his stamina and speed to those of his sire. But his newly discovered fear of the whip keeps his mind focused on pacing himself to his running mate. Despite his ragged breathing and pounding heart, Aindrias finds the endurance to last the distance.

How thankful he is when he hears the order to.

"Whoa!"

As the overseer tethers him to a hitching post to wait until the estate manager needs his services, Aindrias is grateful for this early rest from running. Soon he will come to appreciate that any respite from running - no matter how brief it is - is to be savoured.

This morning a new life has begun for Aindrias!

To be continued...

Posted: 04/12/13