I delve back into the memories skipping over the unpleasant situation on how Trevor got his job as a guard. Confirming that he had been lying to me in the tavern.
I wipe the belly sweat from my forehead as the captain pulls his pants back into place with a smug smile upon his face. “I guess I can let you be part of our group. You know that if you ever fall behind you’ll have to make it up to me again, don’t you?”
I nod and fight off the disgust I felt. The flabby bodies of the more influential stirred no shred of desire in my heart and mind. I like the strong backs and tanned skin of farmers and hunters. The strong muscles of lumberers and all those that did hard work. I filled my hands with the thoughts of calloused hands and washed away what i just experienced with memories of more desirable people. I got off my bruised knees and straightened up.
“What do you want me to do? When is my patrol?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the ground. Not wanting to invite his lustful hunger.
The thick voice of someone with too many jowls came forth from behind the desk as I heard the wood of his chair creak beneath him. “For now you’re on the day patrols. Go through all the alleys and take fines from all those that seem to be causing the streets to be more disgusting than they already are. Maybe if you’re lucky you'll get a night patrol with someone that knows that they are doing. Maybe if you do good work for a week I’ll toss you one.”
As I turn the captain clears his throat. “Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Thank you sir. I am honored.” The words are cold and dead in my mouth. This was my ticket to a better life. I had to withstand anything that this world would throw at me. I’d have time for luxury later in life.
I step outside and one of the other guards grabs my elbow and pulls my bruised self to the side. “Come with me. We can’t have you looking like you don’t fit in with the rest of us. I know a tailor that does our uniforms for free. You get this one free adjustment if you get too large or shrink it will be your own coin then.”
I was dragged to a seedy tailor outside the southern wall. I was thrust before the old man and the other guard spoke, “Make this outfit fit the boy. He will be one of our esteemed members as soon as it is fitted.”
The crooked teeth the man had filled his smile as he rubbed his hands. He motioned at me, “Strip boy. Down to your underclothes.” His face was wrinkled and sagging as he pulled out a measuring string and hobbled his way over.
I pulled off my clothes and stepped on the small platform in the room. The man started to wrap strings around my ankles first and moved his way up my legs. Checking the distance from my ankle to my crotch. Then he did the outside of my leg up to my hip. Next he measured my waist all the time muttering under his breath about the different measurements. Then he did under my armpits around my chest and then my shoulders. He seemed to be extra tight around my throat and his wicked smile hinted at something darker in his mind. He measured my arms and spoke once more, “Sit down. It won’t take me long. I don’t have anything else to do this bloody day.”
The old man slapped the leg of the guard that escorted me over and motioned for a coin. A single bit was placed in his hands and he pulled the ill fitting baggy clothes back into the rear area of the shop. It grew quiet as the other guard picked at his nails with a dagger he produced from seemingly nowhere. “Well, you keep your scrawny rear here until you are in a proper outfit. I’ll come back and collect you at the end of the day. Expect that you’ll be put through the wringer starting tomorrow.”
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I sat there almost naked as I waited for the tailor to finish with his rushed job. I picked at my nails with nerves and chewed on the hangnails that were there. Making sure they were short and unable to snag on anything that I was going to do. My soft soled boots began to tap onto the ground with soft thumps.
It was past lunchtime and my stomach rumbled heavily. The old man came out with the refit outfit and I could tell from here that the stitching was sloppy and quickly done. Little to no care was put into it. I guessed the old adage was right, ‘no coins, no quality.’ I took it and slipped it over my underwear. It was a little uncomfortable around my wrists and ankles and I had some troubles squeezing it on. All set I left the man as he gestured for me to pay him a little more coin. His hard eyes told me that I would get even worse work next time I needed to use his services.
I took my club and started to comb through the alleys once more to gain as many fines as possible. Each square was filled with the bastards that had held me back from getting my hard earned coins to the captain. The temptation to go and club them over the head and take their hard work for myself flooded my system and I took deep breaths to calm myself down.
As the night was getting dark I walked back to the headquarters that I was going to call home base from now on my bag jingled softly. I went to go to the captain’s room and was stopped by his flunky. He brought me to a counter in the back and motioned for me to sit across from him.
As I sat I pulled the coin pouch off my belt and kept it in my lap. “So how does this work? Do I get my daily wage now?”
The man chuckled, “First let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Sergeant Moffa. I handle the fines and dole out what everyone earns. So how about you dump your purse and I’ll see what ‘fines’ you were able to bring to me.”
I dumped out and the handful of quarter bits and a couple half bits fell onto the counter. Moffa counted them quietly and then pushed a little under half of them towards me and nodded. “So, here is how it works. You bring me what you collect every day. I give you half of it, up to a point. You won’t be allowed to earn more than two pence. Make sure to not shake down a business more than once a month. We don’t want to draw the attention of a noble that works with them. Do you understand?”
I nodded, “Half of what I bring in. No more than two pence. Sounds like I could get quite a good living out of this.”
“We all can, if you do your job. As long as the soldiers are spending their hard earned coins and making sure that money flows in the town I don’t think you’ll ever have financial troubles.” He tapped my leather coin purse and spoke once more, “I’d save up for a metal mesh purse. Hard to cut your coins loose when it's that tough. Now get out of here.”
“Hey before I go, what is so nice about the night shift? I thought that would be the shift that no one wanted.” I felt my curiosity burn in my chest.
He looked back and forth and leaned in close motioning with one finger for me to do the same. As I leaned in he whispered, “There are gangs around the city that like to bribe the guards to keep them from patrolling their areas. The bigger the gang the more coin you can squeeze out of them. Though make sure you’re not alone. They’ve been known to jump even a guard.”
I nodded and pulled back, “I’ll have to work hard so I can be on the night shift. It sounds like the best way to afford a better place than the hovels I’ve been crawling around in. No more apprentice housing for me in just a couple weeks.”
The guy came around the counter and wrapped one arm conspiratorially around me, “Just bring in enough coin and I’ll put in a good word for you. Unless he lets you earn it another way.” He slapped my rear and squeezed it. “Not my kind of interest but the captain is insatiable.”
I felt my cheeks flush in both shame and arousal. This man was strong and broad. Would be my type if he went that way. Though that was quelled by the memories of the captain using me. I hoped more than anything that I could avoid such a treatment in the future. I don’t think the night shift would be earned the regular way.
I walk into the setting sun, my desires quenched like a blade into oil. Instead of the usual place that I would stay in with all the other men that were fueled with desire I would go somewhere where I could sleep in private. For a half bit I got my own small room and laid down on the offered cot. I had asked how much it would be to rent it for a week if he charged less. I’d only have to save up a pence and I’d be able to take it for a month.
Soon, I’d have my own place, I could bring the men that I wanted there. I could be a powerful member of society. Everything was falling into place.
I pulled myself from the memories and scowled down at the head of Trevor. His life from that moment hadn’t been as great as he had hoped. That and his increasing cruelty of the people that he ‘helped’ left a sour taste in my mouth. The captain hovered around him and asked if he wanted to earn any extra coin. Trevor often kept to himself though, his only relief in others was the prostituting servers at the frothing pig. His attempts at getting anything longer in life seemed to fail at every step. Trevor was a lonely, cruel man. If I wanted to take his place I would have to lead that kind of life. I disentangled myself from him and dressed while he snored. With one final glance I left Trevor’s home.