AU Big Bang: The Prince's Slave Chapter 3
Title: The Prince’s Slave
Author: pterawaters
Fandom: Glee
Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck (main), Finn/Quinn, Kurt/Brittany, Finn/Rachel, Puck/Quinn, Santana/Brittany, Blaine/Karofsky, Burt/Carole, Will/Emma
Rating: R
Warning: Slavery, m/m and m/f sex, violence
Word Count: 41,000
Summary: As Prince Kurt’s sixteenth birthday approaches, all he really wants is a friend, someone who accepts his oddities and spends time with him anyway. He thought the answer was a slave, but got much more than he was looking for when he bought Noah Puckerman at auction.
Author’s Notes: Written for the au_bigbang . Thanks so much to ice_whisper for beta reading and rinnia for the awesome artwork!
Previous Chapter
Chapter 3
When he woke up, Noah had no idea where he was, and the shackles around his wrists and ankles were gone. The strips of light streaming into the room between the slats of the shutters were still bright, so he couldn't have been out for that long. Looking around a little more, he found he was back in the room where he and Rachel prayed, laid out on a low bed that had to look more comfortable than it felt. The back of his head throbbed from where that bastard had hit him, so Noah tried to see a little more without moving too much. Hell, if he could get his feet working, this might be the perfect opportunity to make a break for it.
"My client doesn't care, Mr. Remington," some fat man told that auction master. "And he knows after that little outburst on the field you'll have a helluva time getting even an opening bid on this one. He's doing you a favor, man."
"Hmm," Remington murmured as he thought. Then he boomed in that very articulate, carrying voice of his, "I probably would have to buy his deed myself and then sell him off during next month's auction. But the money your client wants to pay is laughable. This is a strong, sturdy tribbie in the prime of his life, Ken. A hundred ducats is nothing!"
"Better than nothing," that other guy insisted. "My client's not even willing to pay a hundred and five. Just take the deal, Rod."
Sighing, the auction master thought for a moment before sticking his hand out, "Deal. I'll have Melody come get the finished paperwork." When Remington left, Noah saw there were two guards outside the door, meaning even if he was free of his shackles, there was no way he could escape. Not yet.
Then Noah turned his head and saw two men in cloaks sitting there, watching him. Shit. Those must have been the guys that bought him. Carefully, so they wouldn't freak out and hit him again, Noah sat up on the edge of the bed and asked, "What?"
The two men looked at each other (Or was that one man and one boy?) before the older one said, "Noah, we have a proposition for you. I'll let my friend explain while Mr. Tanaka and I look through the papers the auction master left us. We agreed to purchase you, but until the papers are signed, we can put you right back in the auction house, understand?"
Noah had no idea why this man had agreed to buy him or what the guy's conditions were, but he nodded his head anyway, not suppressing the sneer of anger that sprang onto his lips at the mention of being bought. Turning to the boy, who looked to be about his same age, Noah asked, "Who are you?" and watched as the boy's pale skin flushed.
"For now you can call me Mike," he replied, pushing his cloak off his shoulders and heaving a small sigh of relief. Noah understood that, it was freaking hot out. Why anyone would wear more than short pants and a vest was beyond him. "The deal is simple."
"Oh yeah?" Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes and turning away from the boy, looking for another way out.
Mike nodded. "You cooperate for one year, be my companion and do everything that I ask, and I'll set you free. You'll be your own man again."
"Anything you ask?" Noah repeated in surprise, liking the sound of the whole being-a-free-man bit. "What kind of shit are we talking about here?"
Wincing at Noah's cussing, Mike shrugged. "You'll ... You'll be my friend, go everywhere I go. You won't tell anyone you're a slave and I promise I won't treat you like one. I just-"
"Need to buy a friend?" Noah scoffed, crossing his hands over his chest. "Man, that is seriously messed up."
"I know," the boy scoffed, his cheeks bright red, but his eyes hard. "If you agree, we'll sign a contract that says as long as you behave, I will be bound by law to set you free a year from now."
"Who decides whether or not I'm behaving?" Noah asked furiously, nervous energy making him want to get up and pace the room. He didn't, though. That blow to the back of the head - Rachel! How could Noah have forgotten about her?
"My father's steward," Mike replied, pointing to the other man with a cloak. "He's very fair."
Noah scoffed again before looking Mike up and down. The kid was skinny, probably a Nobleman's son or something, and had a very definite feminine cast to his appearance. Great, he'd been bought by a pansy, who would probably ask him to do things guys didn't usually do together. But a year would be worth it, right? Especially if, "I'll agree under one condition."
Mike met Noah's gaze for a few long seconds before nodding carefully.
"You paid bupkes for me," he observed, pointing to the number on his chest, which clearly said two-hundred fifty. "So, I'm thinking, you use the rest of your daddy's money to buy my friend. You do that, set her free, and I'll do anything you want." Noah smirked and moved closer to the rich boy, watching Mike's eyes grow wide and knowing he was on the right track. Everyone thought Noah was attractive, why wouldn't he? Whispering in the boy's ear, Noah repeated, "Anything."
As Noah drew back, watching Mike compose himself and snap his jaw shut, he almost laughed. This kid was just as easy to figure out as all those housewives Noah had worked for. Licking his lips, Mike nodded and spoke up, "Tanaka? I'd like to make another purchase. Go find a girl named..." he looked to Noah for the answer.
"Rachel," Noah supplied, not exactly sure why he felt so urgent to get the girl out and free. He knew it had something to do with not wanting to know she'd been corrupted and raped by whoever bought her. She was his people, his girl. It might not mean much to Noah's mother, but not that long ago, all anyone Tribe had left was each other. Noah remembered the stories and how disappointed in him his nana would have been for just sitting by and letting Rachel get hurt.
"Rachel," Mike agreed. "See if we have enough to pay her asking price."
"Why?" the other nobleman asked. "My ... my lord, what are you thinking?"
"Please, just do it?" the boy cajoled, and Noah saw the way this other man's resolve softened under that look and that tone of voice. Well, these people couldn't be too bad if they felt for one another. Noah had heard tales of Nobles who would kill their own mothers to get some political advantage or another.
Yeah, this was setting up to be a pretty sweet deal - live in Mike's house, be his friend, eat his food, live the good life and after a year go home and gloat to his drunken mother about all the things he'd seen. Pretty sweet.
**88**
The boy, Noah according to his paperwork, was much different than Kurt expected him to be. His concern over his friend and fellow slave, that Rachel girl, had belied a calculating nature Kurt recognized as soon as the boy opened his mouth. Sure, he was uneducated and obviously cocky, but the young man had instincts and something of a brain to go with them.
If only Kurt had more than a year, he might be able to get Noah educated, make him a good advisor for when Finn was king. But his father always said, "A man's worth nothing but his word," and Kurt knew a year was all he would allow himself. He'd given his word.
He couldn't help, though, watching the muscles ripple on Noah's arm when the young man looked around the room and scratched his shorn-short hair with one giant hand. Kurt shivered again at the memory of the boy’s voice whispering in his ear, so damn promising, and yet … that whisper had made Kurt a little uneasy, too. If he wasn’t careful, it would be so easy to fall for Noah, so easy to be manipulated into doing little favors here and there, until he was under the boy’s thumb and exposing the throne to someone who didn’t belong there - just like Finn and Quinn.
No, even if he wanted more, Kurt knew he had to keep Noah at arm’s length for a good, long while until he really got to know the boy. Even then, if it wasn’t love on both their parts, it was wrong. Kurt would be no better than Lady Sue and her slave-of-the-week.
Kurt’s thoughts were interrupted when Remington’s men escorted the girl from the yard into the building as well, slamming shut the door behind her. The girl blinked in the dimmer indoor light, her eyes going wide when they saw Kurt and he winced at the recognition there. “Prince Kurt?” she cried, rushing up toward him. “Oh, my god! I’m your biggest fan, you have no idea!”
“Thank you?” Kurt replied slowly, wondering if she was one of those prince-crazy girls that dreamed of marrying into the palace, or what.
“Prince Kurt?” Noah asked with an amused snort, and Kurt couldn’t tell if that smirk on his face was light- or mean-hearted. He prayed for the former.
“I saw you sing!” Rachel exclaimed. “At last Winter Solstice. You were amazing!”
Kurt wondered how a slave-girl had attended his Father’s Yule party, when it was invitation-only and served only by the palace staff - free servants who Kurt always made sure to know by name and face - but it seemed rude to ask. Instead, he nodded and mumbled another, “Thank you. It was just a silly song.”
“It was a revelation!” Rachel insisted, stepping forward a little more and almost taking his hands before she appeared to think better of it. “I mean, my vocal coach - Sir Sandy Ryerson - said that you were gifted, but I just didn’t understand the scope of your talent until I heard you in person! I can’t believe I’m standing in front of you. Right here! Can I…? Can I hug you? Please?”
Kurt weighed in his head the pros and cons of giving this intense young woman what she wanted, but finally came down with the opinion that if Noah liked this girl as much as he seemed to, it would be best to be as kind as possible, in order for Kurt to ingratiate himself with his new companion. “Why not?” Kurt smiled, holding out his arms and letting the girl wrap around him tightly like she never wanted to let go. “If I could breathe…” he stuttered, panting a little when Rachel loosened her grip, “I’d tell you that I’ve bought your papers and as soon as my friend files them with the county, you’ll be free to go.”
Rachel let Kurt go abruptly, her eyes wide and her mouth slack in surprise. She looked from Kurt, to Noah, back to Will and Tanaka, and then to Kurt again. “Seriously? I’m free?”
Kurt nodded, not missing the way Noah looked away, like Rachel’s reaction was too much for him to bear watching.
“I can go ho- I can’t go home,” she insisted. “The Church will just come up with some new way of torturing my family and I can’t…” Rachel burst into tears unexpectedly, so Kurt took her arm, and feeling awful for making her cry, led her to a chair so she could sit down.
“Why can’t you go home?” he asked softly, patting her hand in a way he hoped was soothing, but Rachel could barely breathe through her tears, much less give an intelligible response.
But then, Noah approached and leaned in, mumbling in Kurt’s ear again and sending goose bumps all up and down his side despite the heat. “The Church stole her from her dads to teach them a lesson. They’re … they’re like you, Kurt,” he explained, emphasizing that last syllable like it was a triumph he knew Kurt’s real name. For gods’ sakes, Kurt was going to tell him the truth - everything included - on the way home. There was no need for Noah to act all superior about something as silly as a given name.
When the weight of Noah’s words finally sunk into Kurt’s brain, though, he grew outraged. “The fucking Church,” he breathed heatedly, not caring that he wasn’t exactly in private company. Kurt couldn’t be himself in public because he was in line for the throne, but the Church was harassing private citizens behind the King’s back? “I’m so sorry, Rachel,” Kurt said louder, crouching down to look the girl in the eyes. “I can’t do much to thwart the Church at this moment, sweetie, so I can’t get you back home, but I could give you a place to stay. Technically you’d be a servant, but I could make your only duties practicing music with me. We could bring Sir Ryerson to continue giving us both lessons. Would you like that?”
Through the tears, Rachel nodded and threw herself at him again, dampening his (thankfully inexpensive) shirt and clinging to him like he was a gift from the gods. Kurt looked back at Noah and saw that while the boy was pointedly ignoring their display of emotion, he also had a tiny smile in the corner of his lips. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, right?
Next Chapter
Author: pterawaters
Fandom: Glee
Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck (main), Finn/Quinn, Kurt/Brittany, Finn/Rachel, Puck/Quinn, Santana/Brittany, Blaine/Karofsky, Burt/Carole, Will/Emma
Rating: R
Warning: Slavery, m/m and m/f sex, violence
Word Count: 41,000
Summary: As Prince Kurt’s sixteenth birthday approaches, all he really wants is a friend, someone who accepts his oddities and spends time with him anyway. He thought the answer was a slave, but got much more than he was looking for when he bought Noah Puckerman at auction.
Author’s Notes: Written for the au_bigbang . Thanks so much to ice_whisper for beta reading and rinnia for the awesome artwork!
Previous Chapter
Chapter 3
When he woke up, Noah had no idea where he was, and the shackles around his wrists and ankles were gone. The strips of light streaming into the room between the slats of the shutters were still bright, so he couldn't have been out for that long. Looking around a little more, he found he was back in the room where he and Rachel prayed, laid out on a low bed that had to look more comfortable than it felt. The back of his head throbbed from where that bastard had hit him, so Noah tried to see a little more without moving too much. Hell, if he could get his feet working, this might be the perfect opportunity to make a break for it.
"My client doesn't care, Mr. Remington," some fat man told that auction master. "And he knows after that little outburst on the field you'll have a helluva time getting even an opening bid on this one. He's doing you a favor, man."
"Hmm," Remington murmured as he thought. Then he boomed in that very articulate, carrying voice of his, "I probably would have to buy his deed myself and then sell him off during next month's auction. But the money your client wants to pay is laughable. This is a strong, sturdy tribbie in the prime of his life, Ken. A hundred ducats is nothing!"
"Better than nothing," that other guy insisted. "My client's not even willing to pay a hundred and five. Just take the deal, Rod."
Sighing, the auction master thought for a moment before sticking his hand out, "Deal. I'll have Melody come get the finished paperwork." When Remington left, Noah saw there were two guards outside the door, meaning even if he was free of his shackles, there was no way he could escape. Not yet.
Then Noah turned his head and saw two men in cloaks sitting there, watching him. Shit. Those must have been the guys that bought him. Carefully, so they wouldn't freak out and hit him again, Noah sat up on the edge of the bed and asked, "What?"
The two men looked at each other (Or was that one man and one boy?) before the older one said, "Noah, we have a proposition for you. I'll let my friend explain while Mr. Tanaka and I look through the papers the auction master left us. We agreed to purchase you, but until the papers are signed, we can put you right back in the auction house, understand?"
Noah had no idea why this man had agreed to buy him or what the guy's conditions were, but he nodded his head anyway, not suppressing the sneer of anger that sprang onto his lips at the mention of being bought. Turning to the boy, who looked to be about his same age, Noah asked, "Who are you?" and watched as the boy's pale skin flushed.
"For now you can call me Mike," he replied, pushing his cloak off his shoulders and heaving a small sigh of relief. Noah understood that, it was freaking hot out. Why anyone would wear more than short pants and a vest was beyond him. "The deal is simple."
"Oh yeah?" Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes and turning away from the boy, looking for another way out.
Mike nodded. "You cooperate for one year, be my companion and do everything that I ask, and I'll set you free. You'll be your own man again."
"Anything you ask?" Noah repeated in surprise, liking the sound of the whole being-a-free-man bit. "What kind of shit are we talking about here?"
Wincing at Noah's cussing, Mike shrugged. "You'll ... You'll be my friend, go everywhere I go. You won't tell anyone you're a slave and I promise I won't treat you like one. I just-"
"Need to buy a friend?" Noah scoffed, crossing his hands over his chest. "Man, that is seriously messed up."
"I know," the boy scoffed, his cheeks bright red, but his eyes hard. "If you agree, we'll sign a contract that says as long as you behave, I will be bound by law to set you free a year from now."
"Who decides whether or not I'm behaving?" Noah asked furiously, nervous energy making him want to get up and pace the room. He didn't, though. That blow to the back of the head - Rachel! How could Noah have forgotten about her?
"My father's steward," Mike replied, pointing to the other man with a cloak. "He's very fair."
Noah scoffed again before looking Mike up and down. The kid was skinny, probably a Nobleman's son or something, and had a very definite feminine cast to his appearance. Great, he'd been bought by a pansy, who would probably ask him to do things guys didn't usually do together. But a year would be worth it, right? Especially if, "I'll agree under one condition."
Mike met Noah's gaze for a few long seconds before nodding carefully.
"You paid bupkes for me," he observed, pointing to the number on his chest, which clearly said two-hundred fifty. "So, I'm thinking, you use the rest of your daddy's money to buy my friend. You do that, set her free, and I'll do anything you want." Noah smirked and moved closer to the rich boy, watching Mike's eyes grow wide and knowing he was on the right track. Everyone thought Noah was attractive, why wouldn't he? Whispering in the boy's ear, Noah repeated, "Anything."
As Noah drew back, watching Mike compose himself and snap his jaw shut, he almost laughed. This kid was just as easy to figure out as all those housewives Noah had worked for. Licking his lips, Mike nodded and spoke up, "Tanaka? I'd like to make another purchase. Go find a girl named..." he looked to Noah for the answer.
"Rachel," Noah supplied, not exactly sure why he felt so urgent to get the girl out and free. He knew it had something to do with not wanting to know she'd been corrupted and raped by whoever bought her. She was his people, his girl. It might not mean much to Noah's mother, but not that long ago, all anyone Tribe had left was each other. Noah remembered the stories and how disappointed in him his nana would have been for just sitting by and letting Rachel get hurt.
"Rachel," Mike agreed. "See if we have enough to pay her asking price."
"Why?" the other nobleman asked. "My ... my lord, what are you thinking?"
"Please, just do it?" the boy cajoled, and Noah saw the way this other man's resolve softened under that look and that tone of voice. Well, these people couldn't be too bad if they felt for one another. Noah had heard tales of Nobles who would kill their own mothers to get some political advantage or another.
Yeah, this was setting up to be a pretty sweet deal - live in Mike's house, be his friend, eat his food, live the good life and after a year go home and gloat to his drunken mother about all the things he'd seen. Pretty sweet.
**88**
The boy, Noah according to his paperwork, was much different than Kurt expected him to be. His concern over his friend and fellow slave, that Rachel girl, had belied a calculating nature Kurt recognized as soon as the boy opened his mouth. Sure, he was uneducated and obviously cocky, but the young man had instincts and something of a brain to go with them.
If only Kurt had more than a year, he might be able to get Noah educated, make him a good advisor for when Finn was king. But his father always said, "A man's worth nothing but his word," and Kurt knew a year was all he would allow himself. He'd given his word.
He couldn't help, though, watching the muscles ripple on Noah's arm when the young man looked around the room and scratched his shorn-short hair with one giant hand. Kurt shivered again at the memory of the boy’s voice whispering in his ear, so damn promising, and yet … that whisper had made Kurt a little uneasy, too. If he wasn’t careful, it would be so easy to fall for Noah, so easy to be manipulated into doing little favors here and there, until he was under the boy’s thumb and exposing the throne to someone who didn’t belong there - just like Finn and Quinn.
No, even if he wanted more, Kurt knew he had to keep Noah at arm’s length for a good, long while until he really got to know the boy. Even then, if it wasn’t love on both their parts, it was wrong. Kurt would be no better than Lady Sue and her slave-of-the-week.
Kurt’s thoughts were interrupted when Remington’s men escorted the girl from the yard into the building as well, slamming shut the door behind her. The girl blinked in the dimmer indoor light, her eyes going wide when they saw Kurt and he winced at the recognition there. “Prince Kurt?” she cried, rushing up toward him. “Oh, my god! I’m your biggest fan, you have no idea!”
“Thank you?” Kurt replied slowly, wondering if she was one of those prince-crazy girls that dreamed of marrying into the palace, or what.
“Prince Kurt?” Noah asked with an amused snort, and Kurt couldn’t tell if that smirk on his face was light- or mean-hearted. He prayed for the former.
“I saw you sing!” Rachel exclaimed. “At last Winter Solstice. You were amazing!”
Kurt wondered how a slave-girl had attended his Father’s Yule party, when it was invitation-only and served only by the palace staff - free servants who Kurt always made sure to know by name and face - but it seemed rude to ask. Instead, he nodded and mumbled another, “Thank you. It was just a silly song.”
“It was a revelation!” Rachel insisted, stepping forward a little more and almost taking his hands before she appeared to think better of it. “I mean, my vocal coach - Sir Sandy Ryerson - said that you were gifted, but I just didn’t understand the scope of your talent until I heard you in person! I can’t believe I’m standing in front of you. Right here! Can I…? Can I hug you? Please?”
Kurt weighed in his head the pros and cons of giving this intense young woman what she wanted, but finally came down with the opinion that if Noah liked this girl as much as he seemed to, it would be best to be as kind as possible, in order for Kurt to ingratiate himself with his new companion. “Why not?” Kurt smiled, holding out his arms and letting the girl wrap around him tightly like she never wanted to let go. “If I could breathe…” he stuttered, panting a little when Rachel loosened her grip, “I’d tell you that I’ve bought your papers and as soon as my friend files them with the county, you’ll be free to go.”
Rachel let Kurt go abruptly, her eyes wide and her mouth slack in surprise. She looked from Kurt, to Noah, back to Will and Tanaka, and then to Kurt again. “Seriously? I’m free?”
Kurt nodded, not missing the way Noah looked away, like Rachel’s reaction was too much for him to bear watching.
“I can go ho- I can’t go home,” she insisted. “The Church will just come up with some new way of torturing my family and I can’t…” Rachel burst into tears unexpectedly, so Kurt took her arm, and feeling awful for making her cry, led her to a chair so she could sit down.
“Why can’t you go home?” he asked softly, patting her hand in a way he hoped was soothing, but Rachel could barely breathe through her tears, much less give an intelligible response.
But then, Noah approached and leaned in, mumbling in Kurt’s ear again and sending goose bumps all up and down his side despite the heat. “The Church stole her from her dads to teach them a lesson. They’re … they’re like you, Kurt,” he explained, emphasizing that last syllable like it was a triumph he knew Kurt’s real name. For gods’ sakes, Kurt was going to tell him the truth - everything included - on the way home. There was no need for Noah to act all superior about something as silly as a given name.
When the weight of Noah’s words finally sunk into Kurt’s brain, though, he grew outraged. “The fucking Church,” he breathed heatedly, not caring that he wasn’t exactly in private company. Kurt couldn’t be himself in public because he was in line for the throne, but the Church was harassing private citizens behind the King’s back? “I’m so sorry, Rachel,” Kurt said louder, crouching down to look the girl in the eyes. “I can’t do much to thwart the Church at this moment, sweetie, so I can’t get you back home, but I could give you a place to stay. Technically you’d be a servant, but I could make your only duties practicing music with me. We could bring Sir Ryerson to continue giving us both lessons. Would you like that?”
Through the tears, Rachel nodded and threw herself at him again, dampening his (thankfully inexpensive) shirt and clinging to him like he was a gift from the gods. Kurt looked back at Noah and saw that while the boy was pointedly ignoring their display of emotion, he also had a tiny smile in the corner of his lips. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, right?
Next Chapter