Slavery

In the world of the Captive Prince Trilogy, slaves are a common practice in Akielos. Much like Veretian pets, they can be used for pleasure and serve high ranking nobles, who chose them for their beauty and court skills. Unlike pets however, slaves' charms must only be appreciated behind closed doors.

The practice exists in Vere also, but pets are mostly the one to handle the duties related to pleasure instead.

### Duties

Slaves must serve their masters as personal servants and answer to their every desires: they can be asked to sing, play the kithara, attend the baths, dance, etc. ... One of their primary duties however is laying with their masters, who are usually expected to have several slaves and lovers. They may even bear their children, which isn't a taboo in Akelion. These pleasures are only to be enjoyed in private, and slaves are required to be virgins when they enter their master's bed for the first time. Pregnancy is not considered shameful. though they use means of contraception.

In exchange for safety, food, shelter and luxury, slaves must show flawless submissiveness towards their owners. They are completely unable to defend themselves. This is much different than what is expected of pets, who must have flamboyant and attractive personalities. Unlike the latter, slaves proudly bear their golden cuffs and collars, which they earn after harsh training.

### Training

Most of what we know of slave training is narrated in ***The Training of Erasmus***, and told through the eyes of male palace slaves.

From youth, Palace slaves are educated and grow in the narrow chambers of Nereus' gardens. They do not start training until their body "blossoms" : instructors check their sheets for telltale stains each morning. Erasmus notes that the morning he blossomed, he woke up from what seemed to be a pleasurable dream. He is about 18 when this happens and he states that he is more than three years older than the usual. The sheets are wrapped in golden ribbons while the slave-to-be is bathed and perfumed in a ritual. They have to remain perfectly still while they are tended to. The fragile ribbons are then used to tie their wrists, while their sheets are shown to their comrades, who congratulate them. They are then brought to the training quarters, where they live in large chambers with delicate bedding.

During their training, slaves must tirelessly practice routines (submissive poses), learn to play the kithara, sing, dance, recite poems. They aren't allowed to kiss each other or anyone, the most intimate gesture possiblebeing pressing their cheeks together, and cannot even touch themselves. They must be unsullied for their First Night future masters, and a single scar is enough to waste a lifetime of training. Because of this, servants tend to their bath each evening.

According to Damen, slaves are given *chalis*, a strong aphrodisiac, during their training.

Only the finest enter the royal household, and boys are less favored by the princes, especially Damen, who prefers strong soldiers to pretty slaves. Those who succeed gain a permanent place in the royal household and will live a life of luxury, and might be allowed to take pleasure slaves themselves. The rest will become bath boys, servant and work at the castle. Training lasts three years, after with they shed their training silks and replace the gold ribbons around they neck by gold collars. and cuffs. These are not made for restraining, so they are very fine and fragile. During training, slaves trained for Damianos wear lion-shaped golden pins, while Kastor's wear plain gold ones.

Damen's male slaves must have fair coloring, which is rare in Akielos.

Due to this utter devotion for their role, slaves never live to see the outside world and know no other bed, they simply go from training to their masters' households, which may distress some, namely Erasmus and Kallias. They do not learn much of foreign languages, their vocabulary being mostly limited to order like "sit", "obey".

Since they spend their whole life either in the garden, training or serving in the Palace, slaves both yearn for and fear the outside world. Indeed, they only learn to obey, not defend themselves or anything that wouldn't help them be better servant, and so they wouldn't be able to survive out there, without a master.

### Known Slaves

* **Erasmus**, trained for Damianos. He was sullied by Kallias, and so served and was abused in Vere instead after the Prince' supposed death. He now serves Torveld in Patras.
* **Aden**, trained for King Theomedes, one of the finest and most ambitious slaves. His whereabouts are unknown
* **Kallias**, trained for Prince Kastor.
* **Lykaios**, served Damianos, she was killed along with his entourage, and didn't resist.
* **Isander**, served Laurent in Marlas.
* **Iphegin**, a slave with fair coloring intended for Damianos. After he suffered a fall many blame on Aden, his face was likely scared which made him unfit for the royal household. He was moved out the training chambers and his whereabouts are unknown.