Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Something About Him ❯ Forgiveness ( Chapter 20 )

<b>Caysuna</b>- Thank you so much for your review!! I'm flattered that you think it's the best! *blush* **spanks you for being a hidden stalker** :-P

 

 

<b>Author's Note:</b> For those of you worried that Jason is truly broken, fear not! However, as promised in the summary, there is a lot more much harsher things to come in his future! This training was nothing compared to them.

 

I wish everyone a very Happy Holidays! Updates may be a little slow until after the New Year, as my husband is off work, which limits my free time lol.

 

 

Chapter 20

Forgiveness

 

Katan was out of the room before he had a chance to second guess himself. He rushed to the former nursery, and from the other side of the door he heard Jason's sobs and his muffled voice. “Please, say something…I truly am sorry…”

 

Katan punched in the numbers on the door's keypad, and threw it open the second he heard it unlock.

 

Jason's sobs intensified, now coupled with a tone of relief as he saw Katan. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Don't be mad, I'll never make you angry again. Please forgive me.”

 

Jason was nearly in hysterics as Katan approached him. Jason had envisioned this scenario in his head many times:

 

He'd pictured Katan coming and belting him across the face in a final act of punishment, before clipping a leash on him and leading him out of the awful room, never again to speak of it. In one scenario, Katan told him to get up, and that he was letting him out, but would hold this room and his time here over his head as a possible punishment for the rest of his days. He'd even pictured Katan coming in wearing an evil smirk, ridiculing him for being so stupid as to think this was training, and telling him it was simply punishment, and that he was only keeping him here until he found a buyer for him. In the worst scenario, however, the man didn't respond at all, so Jason was relieved that it was obviously not that one.

 

None of his mental preparation, however, could have prepared him for what actually happened. Katan knelt, scooped Jason into his arms, bridal-style, hugged him to his warm chest, and carried him from the horrid room into the adjoining one.

 

Had Jason not been so drained he would've been in awe of the expensive décor, and the fancy linens, as Katan laid him in the softest bed he'd ever been in. He then raised his hand toward the fireplace, and blue flames shot from his palm, lighting the waiting logs into a roaring fire that seemed to draw the cold from Jason's very core and replace it with warmth.

 

“P-please,” Jason begged through the tears that still fell, and the violent shivers that wracked his naked body between the sobs and the cold, “say something.”

 

Katan leaned forward, placing a kiss on Jason's forehead in the way a father would his child. “All is forgiven, Jason. Rest now, and get warm. I will have a hot meal brought to you after you've had some sleep.”

 

It felt as if the weight of dread sitting on Jason's chest had been transformed into a balloon of relief. He sat up, and without thinking flung himself at Katan, embracing him tightly. “Thank you, master. Thank you so much.”

 

After the initial shock wore off, Katan relaxed into the hug, and even returned it, letting his large, warm hands rest on his slave's cold, bare back.

 

“Shh. Shh. No more tears now, relax, sleep.” Katan said soothingly, but Jason had already fallen asleep against his shoulder.

 

Smiling, Katan laid Jason down and covered him up.

 

“Sir?” Estevan asked, “Would you like me to have him moved to his own room?”

 

“No, let him stay here.” Katan said softly,

 

“But sir, he needs to be cleaned up, he'll soil your sheets.”

 

“Then let them be soiled, he's been through much these last few days, he has earned this rest.”

 

Estevan nodded his understanding as he left the room.

 

When Katan finally exited the room, Natalie was waiting in the hallway, arms crossed over her chest.

 

“You should have waited until four. Now your slave will see this as a way to control you.” She reprimanded.

 

“Control? That boy, that young, sobbing, frightened,<b>boy</b> is not thinking about controlling anyone. He's too scared that I wouldn't forgive him!” Katan snapped.

 

“And when he's had time to calm down and reflect on his training, he'll see that his Master has buttons, that when pushed, make him ignore rules he's previously set. You've set that <b>slave</b> up to be a spoiled brat.”

 

“I couldn't watch him suffer anymore! I'd like to boast that I'm as cold-hearted as those who have previously employed you, but I'm not! Slaves are human beings, they are fragile, and breakable! I wanted to avoid breaking him at all costs, but it seems I failed there too.”

 

“He'll be fine. He's only shaken up because of the exhaustion. You'll see once he's regained some of his strength that he's not much worse for wear, just more obedient.”

 

With that, Natalie stomped off, outraged, and offended that he would think her training was brutal enough to break someone.

 

Katan watched her go with little concern, his own temper had flared, and he was now fighting to rein it in. He knew that her words were most likely truth. She was the professional, after all, she'd probably seen this behavior a thousand times, but to Katan it was new, and it shook him to the core to see the once proud, defiant slave he'd come to adore, trembling and begging.

 

All afternoon Katan was haunted by images of Jason's breakdown, so, he did what he always did when he was upset, he saddled his favorite horse, one he'd rescued from the races, and rode him all through his vast estate. Katan didn't return until dusk, but he was in a much better mood. Riding always gave him time to think more clearly, to vent his frustrations, and to outrun his problems for a short time. When he was a boy, he would ride so fast and so long that he wished he never had to stop. In truth, he still wished he never had to return to the problems that waited for him.

 

Mark was relieved to see that Katan looked much better upon his return. There never seemed to be a problem so big that Katan couldn't soothe it with riding. Other than Julia's death, that is. Even then the rides helped ease his suffering for a short while.

 

“There's tea waiting for you in your study.” Mark said as he greeted Katan, dropping to his knees as Katan sunk into the bench next to the front door.

 

“How did you know I'd be coming back now?”

 

Mark smirked as he began removing Katan's riding boots. “You'd never ride your horse in the dark, it's too dangerous.”

 

Katan laughed for the first time in weeks, any laugh at all from the vessel was rare, but this one was light hearted, and sincere, and it made Mark's pulse quicken, and his heart skip. “Mark, sometimes it's scary how well you know me.”

 

“Madam Natalie has been asking about you all day.”

 

Katan sighed. “And I suppose she's waiting there as well?”

 

“Yes, I'm sorry, I tried to relax her, but she's pretty upset.”

 

Katan smirked playfully. “Any chance of slipping something into her drink?”

 

Mark fought back a smile. “I think she'd notice if she suddenly fell asleep while you were avoiding her.”

 

“I guess that would be a bit obvious.” Katan sighed, but a smirk was still present on his face as he rose to his feet and headed to his study.

 

Natalie stood as Katan entered the room.

 

“Alright, let's get this over with. Yell at me for ruining your training, you have every right to do so.” Katan said as he took a seat in the chair behind his desk.

 

“I'm sorry about earlier” Natalie said, “I was out of line to yell at you. It was very unprofessional of me. He is your slave, and it is within your rights to decide how he is trained.”

 

“I appreciate your apology, but I should have respected your professional opinion, and I can understand your anger. I apologize as well. In hiring you I was agreeing to trust you, and then I didn't.”

 

Natalie nodded her acceptance of his apology. “I was able to talk to your valet…”

 

“Mark.” Katan corrected.

 

“Yes, Mark, and I have never seen a slave as devoted as he. That type of love is not attained through training, but through the way the master treats them. You are the first master I've encountered that genuinely cares about their slaves, most just treat them as property, but you're different. Most people with your moral beliefs, that slaves are more than objects, choose not to own slaves at all. Forgive me for saying, but your moral compass is seriously messed up.”

 

Katan smirked. “Mark and I have been through a lot together, and you're right, my moral compass is a bit off. I don't think of them as objects. I've seen a slave broken beyond repair, their psyche completely destroyed, and their minds manipulated and twisted until there isn't an ounce of humanity left in them. Those slaves are not people. They could not survive on their own. If left to their own devices, they would shrivel and die like a plant with no water. It is my sincerest hope to keep my own slaves from becoming like that. When Mark came to me, he was broken, but he was young, and with much work I was able to save him. His devotion, his <b>love</b> comes from a misguided place. It's a lingering remnant of his fragmented soul.”

 

“You're wrong. That man loves you with all his heart.”

 

Katan smiled, and it was more gentle than Natalie would've ever thought the stern man to be capable of. “You've never experienced genuine love, have you?”

 

“Uh…no, not yet unfortunately.” Natalie replied, looking away from Katan's intense stare.

 

“What Mark has for me is very much like love, but it isn't quite it. It's adoration, it's gratitude. He worships the ground I walk on, I am his savior, but he does not love me. He is simply enamored with me. There is a difference.”

 

“I see, well, whatever it is he has for you, you should consider yourself very lucky to have one who is so devoted to you. But you should also know that it is unrealistic to hope to have that sort of relationship with every slave you take on.”

 

“I know that I'm lucky. I don't wish for Jason to adore me, I simply wish for him to not hate me, and to want to serve me.”

 

“If that's all you truly wish for, why on earth didn't you get a trained slave. That's what slave farms are for!”

 

“I'm picky. I wanted one that would choose to want to serve me, not to do it because that's all they've ever known. Besides that, something about Jason draws me to him.”

 

Natalie smiled slightly, “He seems to have that effect on many. I too feel an attraction toward him. I don't know him, but I really want his training to work out for his own sake, because I know that you would be a good master to him.”

 

“Do you really think I messed things up as badly as you said earlier?”

 

“Perhaps not, time will tell. If you have, he'll begin acting up again relatively soon. It is very important that you never apologize for his training, or for any punishments he earns. He must maintain the thought process that disobedience begets punishment, and that you are entitled to demand obedience from him.”

 

Katan nodded his understanding.

 

“I will examine him tomorrow, and as long as everything checks out, I will consider my work here done…for now.” Natalie said as she stood.

 

“Yes, of course, and I'll give you nothing but the highest recommendations.”

 

“Thank you.” With that Natalie turned and left.

 

No sooner had the door shut than the phone rang. Katan released an exasperated sigh as he answered, his attitude changing when he saw that it was Yuli.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Sir, I've spoken with the girl's…owner.”

 

“And?”

 

“He sold her last night.”

 

“To whom?”

 

“He's not talking. Something has him either well paid or well frightened. I imagine those purple haired freaks have something to do with it.”

 

Katan sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose where a tension headache was forming. “Try to pay him off. If that doesn't work, find other ways to extract the information from him.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

With that, the line went dead. Yuli was the only slave besides Jason that Katan had ever taken in that wasn't previously trained. He was once a free man, a street punk, one of many infesting the streets of Nogwaii before his company cleaned up the area when they expanded. Most of those rounded up were charged with superficial crimes and sent to do community service, but a few were sold. Yuli's unique fighting skills caught Katan's eye immediately, and he kept him, planning to train him to be a body guard. When Yuli's street smarts had proven to be more valuable than his fighting abilities, Katan freed him, and employed him. He had no doubt that Yuli would be able to get the information out of this man.

 

It was still early, but Katan found himself yawning. The relief of Jason's training being over, coupled with the large amount of fresh air and exercise he'd gotten earlier was proving to be too much for him.

 

After asking Mark to have an early dinner prepared, Katan slipped into his room to check on Jason. He noticed immediately that the fire had died down significantly, and he went to stir it, the sound of the poker sliding back into its holder made Jason stir. His eyes slid open slowly and a lazy smile crossed his face when he saw Katan. He felt the soft feel of fine silk against his skin, and realized that he had been dressed in pajamas.

 

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

“It's alright. How long have I been out?”

 

“About 7 hours, are you hungry?” Katan said as he walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down.

 

“No, I'm really just tired still.”

 

Katan smiled, stretching out propping himself up on one elbow. “How are you feeling besides that?”

 

“Alright. I'm not cold anymore.”

 

“Good.”

 

<center> ***** </center>

 

Mark poked his head into Katan's room when dinner was ready, only to find that both Jason and Katan were sound asleep. Mark was surprised that the small pang in his chest was not one of jealousy, but of longing. He longed to be back in the days when he was Katan's pet project, but he was happy to allow Jason his chance in the spotlight. Jason's past may not have been as traumatic as his own, but he would never wish to deny anyone the chance to experience the level of care Katan was capable of providing.