Aragon:

That day, Aragon decided he could no longer put it off. He would go and pay his brother a social visit. He didn't have anything against his brother - it was just that his brother tended to make him feel guilty about his life choices.

They were now all in his brother's living room. The brother, Jacob, was sitting on a sofa with his partner, Adrian, next to him. Aragon sat opposite them.

"So, have you finally decided to come back and live in Manifestoria?" said Jacob.

He never gives up on trying to 'reform' me.

It's easy for him to commit to a stable life; he's got Adrian.

"Well, for the time being. After all, I am looking after Esther and Evereena."

Both listeners leaned forward in interest.

"So, you have finally found someone, haven't you?" said Jacob.

"I'm merely committed to looking after them until they can survive alone!"

Jacob and Adrian looked at each other.

Damn those knowing smirks they are giving each other!

"Yeah, Esther does look a bit like Tanya, doesn't she?" said Adrian.

"That's - purely coincidental."

"Sure, sure," said Jacob.

"And, have you bedded her yet?" said Adrian.

"Of course not! How can I? She's been a slave for years; she hasn't a clue on how to conduct a consensual relationship," said Aragon.

Another knowing smirk from Jacob.

"So, you have thought such things through, haven't you?" he said.

"OK, OK, I admit, I am attracted to her. But, I made an extra vow to her that I would never seek to have a physical relationship with her until she was able to consent to it fully. Of course, The Voice of the World also had to go and make it 100%."

"My, that is impressive. Our vows to each other only reached 30%," said Adrian.

"Which isn't bad; after all, that's about average for couples," said Jacob.

"Yeah, don't tell me. I don't know if Esther and I will become an item, but I get hit with a 100% strength vow."

"Well, at least it isn't a real couple's commitment vow." said Jacob, "But just a commitment to not, in effect, rape her. Which you can't object to, can you?"

"No, I can't. But that raises a little question I would like to ask you..."

"Yes?" said Jacob.

"Well, now, this is not something I would normally ask; it not being any of my business and all of that... But..."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Aragon scratched his head and looked to the side.

"Well, I've always just assumed it would be so... But, anyway, when you have sex, do you do the tail-twisting bit also?"

Jacob and Adrian looked at each other in surprise.

"Well, of course. I mean, why would you think otherwise?" said Jacob.

"That's what I thought. You see, even though Esther has been continually - raped - throughout her time as a slave, she didn't have a clue about tail-twisting. So, I was trying to work it out. Maybe it isn't as universal as I thought?"

"Ah, right. We have been guards for the last five or more years, so we have had a few experiences that you haven't. Like, for example, being the first point of contact for a couple of rape victims. And, let us say, if it's rape, the tail-twisting doesn't work. The rapist doesn't even try it." said Jacob.

"Ah, is that so."

"So I take it you must have been having some interesting talks with Esther?" said Adrian.

"Ah, yes, that is, she has been asking me some interesting, not to mention hard-to-answer questions. I've fobbed the most sensitive ones off to Eleanor or Lena," said Aragon.

"I see," said Jacob.

"By the way, what happened in those rape cases?" said Aragon.

"Let's see, that's right, in one case, it was some sleazy bloke with connections to nobility. Apparently, there was pressure exerted, and he managed to weasel out of taking any responsibility," said Jacob.

"Although, there were also certain other kinds of pressure exerted, and that bloke decided it would be best if he decamped our fine country," said Adrian.

Jacob and Adrian shared a smirk.

I see; I had better not ask exactly who exerted that pressure.

"And that other rapist?"

"Oh, he was not only a low-life but also somebody with no support group or connections. So he ended up being publicly executed," said Jacob.

"But he definitely did do the rape?" said Aragon.

"Definitely!" said Adrian.

"Well, then, he deserved his hanging," said Aragon.

"Actually, it wasn't a hanging. By then, the old king was getting creative with his capital punishments. All executions were changed to be by garroting."

"Isn't that a bit on the cruel side?" said Aragon, "I mean, kill them if you have to, but there's no need to add too much extra suffering."

"You know what the old king was like," said Jacob.

"Ah, yes. Just one more thing to dislike about him."

"Along with all of the other things we all have to dislike the king about..." said Adrian.

"Yeah, I bet you have no objection to our old king dying like that..." said Jacob.

There was a somewhat strained silence here, with Jacob and Adrian looking intently at Aragon. Aragon eventually turned his face away and said,

"That's for sure."

Say nothing and let them move the conversation on to something else.

Fortunately, Jacob did just that.

"Has Jane informed you about some of the results of their debriefing of Esther and Evereena?"

"Ah, no?"

"The most interesting little tidbit they got is that the slave emperor has made it an Absolute Order that women can never be any more than grey-collar slaves."

"Really? Why would he make such a stupid order? And an Absolute one at that. If he had made it a Standard Order, then a future emperor could change it, but an Absolute Order means they are stuck with it in perpetuity."

"Who knows? Maybe he was dropped on the head as a baby by the wet nurse, and now he hates all women?" said Adrian.

"Well, being brought up by slaves, I don't suppose his upbringing was all that crash hot," said Jacob.

"That brings up the topic: What is the current educated guess about the slaver's birth replacement rate?" said Aragon.

"Ah, that. Currently, they think it has gone slightly negative, meaning they have to keep conquering people to increase their numbers. However, remember, nobody can be sure. The Slaver Emperor is certainly not telling us." said Jacob.

There was more catch-up conversation, and then Jacob casually commented.

"Oh, by the way, Teresca eventually married someone and had a baby. Since her hubby had some connection to royalty, they all moved away when the rest of the royalty moved."

"Oh. Well, that is good to know. And I mean that. I might have felt just a little guilty about ending the relationship, so I'm glad she found someone else." said Aragon.

"Yep, she seemed perfectly happy with her new family," said Adrian.

Later, when walking home, Aragon recalled his first, and so far only, affair.

Yeah, it was unfair to her. She had to compete against the affection of some girl who was dead and long gone. But I couldn't get Tanya's image out of my mind.

But what about now?

Even if Esther decides to accept me, can I, even now, overcome my obsession with Tanya?

He arrived back at the dormitory, still undecided.