Excerpt from "The Fourth" (Greyson's childhood)

A girl named Tara is the title character of "The Fourth" but another character who was intended to become the bad guy turned out to be a good guy, against the will of this author. Greyson is his name, and I spend a part of the book on his back story because it is kind of different. So here is a part of the intro for Greyson and his slave-girl Lunaria.

...

She carried the wooden sword, a rudis, and the bamboo shield to the field always making sure to stay a few steps behind Greyson. The other boys usually practiced and paid him no mind but this time they were staring with their mouths gaping at the naked slave-girl.

This amused Greyson as he tightened his leather harness and gloves. He would practice with the other boys until teacher arrived from having coffee with dad. 
 

"He is a little young isn't he, Senator?" the teacher was asking. He and Greyson's father stood on the deck behind the large family house sipping coffee and watching the boys "practice" with their wooden swords.

"He is an only child. I've tried of course, I have four wives and we know they aren't the problem." he dad answered "It has frustrated me for years and now he is too old anyway, by the time a brother reaches his age he'll be living his own life. Where ever that may take him".

"Yes, still. I didn't know they produced them so young" the teacher said and paused with the cup at his lips, then shook off another thought.

"Special order: It takes forever to get it right, but they managed. Took them long enough that is for sure".

"Does he call her his wife?" the teacher asked amused by the idea of an eight-year old married couple.

The Greyson's father smiled "Of course. That is what they are after all".

"I must go and see about training them, as amusing as it can be to watch them flail and shout" the teacher said.

For once Greyson felt like the center of attention for after every grueling turn his girl came and wiped his brow and gave him a drink of water. None of the other boys had a girl but they all had brothers. Greyson would never have a brother but his jealousy was quenched a bit by theirs. 

How many years would they have to wait to have a woman of their own? Seven or Eight?

Greyson imagined how frustrated they were at home keeping to themselves when a naked slave is around. The punishment for touching one of fathers’ wives was very brutal indeed and they might miss weeks of school or practice recovering.

Ha! He would mock them mercilessly for years. He could do anything he wanted to the girl and they had nothing to compare.

He could molest her in front of them... no, he couldn't do that. He was already too attached to her, he actually cared for her on the very first day. He had only owned her for a few hours and he already couldn't imagine life without her.

Greyson had already resolved to treat her better than Father treats his wives. Father made some of his drunken friends laugh by putting his hand between a wife's legs right at the table or the sitting room. No, Greyson wouldn't try to humiliate his girl.

Three hours later all of the boys were tired, they were shrugging off the leather and stripping to subligar. Everyone was sweating and when they reached the back of the house fathers wives were laying out jugs of lemonade and wash basins.

Greyson usually ran straight upstairs for a bath after practice instead of sticking around and try talking to the other boys. They didn't like him and he didn't like them much either. Today though, he looked around to see the girl holding out a glass of lemonade for him. It was amusing how the other boys looked from the naked women, fathers wives, handing out the lemonade to the girl standing just behind Greyson. Look was all they could do.

He accepted with a smile. She simply stood back and awaited his orders. How did they produce girls such as this he wondered?

After drinking his lemonade he went upstairs and took off his leathers and the girl was right there to pick them up and place them on the hook near the door where she had placed his rudis and shield already.

Greyson looked around. The room was cleaner than it had been since he could remember. Then he remembered how sweaty he was and went into his bathroom the girl was already there turning on the hot shower.

No reason to be shy, he told himself. She would never wear clothes so she definitely would not think anything of it. One of her duties is to bathe him, unless he tells her different. She had even taken off her sandals, he noticed. All she wore was the thin titanium chain around her neck that bore his name. 

... end excerpt ...