Tamerlane's Boys 4

By Pueros

Chapter 4 – Mongols

(Tiflis, Georgia, July 1389)

Tamerlane took a couple of years to add the whole of Persia to his domains but no other place had suffered as badly as had Isfahan. The conqueror respected worthy Muslim opponents but would not tolerate subsequent betrayal by those with whom he had made peace. That had been the point of, and the lesson for others from, the heaps of almost 80,000 heads outside the city, quickly turned by natural scavengers and decomposition into towers of skulls.

The wealth of Isfahan had been plundered and returned to Samarkand, although Tamerlane himself would not make that journey for another four years, as he was busy with fresh campaigns. The walls of the city were pulled down and many of its main buildings wrecked, except for the mosques. However, most of the latter would fall into ruin in the years ahead as the populace to attend them no longer existed. In fact, it would take a couple of centuries for the metropolis to rise from the ashes of the conqueror’s displeasure to become again a magnificent municipal oasis amidst the sand and rock of the Persian central plain. Today, little of its splendid architecture pre-dates the 16th century.

Tamerlane now headed back north to Vissarion’s country, Georgia, as Mongols from the Khanate of the Golden Horde were raiding the domain. The capital city, Tiflis, still displaying the signs of devastation reeked upon it during the conqueror’s previous visit, was reached in mid-summer.

Tamerlane no longer sought to destroy the local Christian population. He had two main reasons for this change in attitude. The first was practical, as he had come to realise that the annihilation of the infidel Georgians might have served Allah but not the conqueror’s treasury. Much better, he now recognised, to let them live to pay regular harsh tribute and taxes. The second was spiritual. He now believed that, despite the sacrilegious beliefs of the populace, they could not be an overwhelmingly evil race if they could produce a son such as Vissarion.

Tamerlane had also changed his mind over the number of catamites he wanted in his service and now had only two, Vissarion and Arman. One of the others had sadly died of a fever in Persia whilst the fourth had been assigned non-sexual tasks. The conqueror was more than happy with the young Georgian and Armenian who were his closest servants, in all senses of that word, with the man sharing his most intimate thoughts with his 13 years old lovers.

Tamerlane’s castrator had gelded many but not for his leader, whose eunuchs over the years were actually few in number. The surgical craftsman, a Persian, had been acquired during earlier conquests and now concentrated on amputations and his piercing sideline. However, the man knew that the conqueror always liked to have at least one gelding available for his bed and that, in a couple of years at least, he would once again be practising his skills on a young scrotum as Vissarion became too old to satisfy his master’s passions.

Vissarion and Arman did not like everything that Tamerlane did but now perceptively recognised the reasons for many of his actions. The conqueror, like others before him such as Alexander the Great, was unhappy and restless if he was not campaigning. He was also driven by what he considered to be his divine mission, to become the greatest ruler that the world had ever seen, exceeding the achievements of Genghis Khan. The boys now knew that their master’s claim to be a descendent of the famous Mongol was mere propaganda.

Vissarion and Arman appreciated that Tamerlane could not succeed in his aims without employing terror because of the inherent inability of his armies to control the lands that had been conquered without such awful recourse. Both knew that it was against the very nature of the conqueror to forego the fulfilment of his destiny, but wished that their master could adopt a different approach. However, neither could think of another option for the man to pursue other than retreat, which was impossible for him to contemplate.

Vissarion, in his answer to Tamerlane’s question about the fate of the people of Isfahan, had expressed his true opinion. The boy was sorry for the innocents massacred but, in a cruel world, he believed that their awful ends were caused by their unwise leaders, who should have been more responsible when considering the repudiation of agreements with the conqueror whilst knowing the possible consequences. The young eunuch now saw that, given the wider strategic circumstances, his master had no other choice.

Vissarion and Arman also realised that Tamerlane had initiated such awful revenge not just for his own military reasons. The conqueror had thought that his beloved young catamites had been killed by the Isfahanis. After the experience of losing his best friend 40 years previously, their master, in deep but disguised grief, was not going to forego the pleasure of eliminating the people responsible for the boys’ supposed murders.

Vissarion and Arman were beloved by Tamerlane and they now could not help but reciprocate that feeling, loving the dreaded conqueror, warts and all, despite the man’s deserved frightful reputation amongst his many foes. The boys, whose immaculate beauty had blossomed even more as they grew older, proficiently attended to their master’s various private needs, including those of his bed, and regularly fussed over him like a pair of mother hens.

No-one had known Tamerlane to accept previously the sorts of attention and comments made by the young Georgian and Armenian. However, all recognised that such tolerance indicated the development of a very close interdependence between the 53 years old and the two 13 years olds, a relationship no-one dare disturb. It secretly included the conqueror permitting the boys to enjoy each other’s bodies whilst he watched, a pleasure appreciated even by the young eunuch as his prostrate was tickled by his friend’s cock.

This intimate triple alliance was illustrated on arrival in Tiflis for, to Vissarion’s surprise and delight, the treasures stolen from the ancient Sion cathedral had, on Tamerlane’s secret orders, already been returned from Samarkand. The conqueror wanted to honour his beloved young eunuch by allowing the boy personally to oversee their restitution to their rightful places and even the restoration of infidel religious services. No-one had ever seen Tamerlane display such kind largesse or forbearance previously.

Tamerlane sent army patrols out to scour Georgia to locate the marauding Mongols, whom he then proposed to drive from his recently acquired domain. As the conqueror waited in Tiflis for reports, he gave permission for Vissarion to visit his father’s brother who lived in remote countryside to the west of the capital. He also allowed Arman to accompany him, thoughtfully but unprecedentedly, and therefore amazingly, being prepared to forego both boys’ sublime bodies during the 5 days that the excursion would consume to allow the friends to remain together.

Vissarion and Arman, riding their ponies, were escorted by the eight soldiers who had beaten them in Isfahan. Tamerlane had cleverly made the men the boys’ personal bodyguards, realising that they would be grateful for their salvation, due to the young Georgian’s entreaties supported by the young Armenian, and were now fully acquainted with what would happen if they allowed any harm to come to their charges. The cavalrymen, truly thankful for their lives, had performed their role loyally and proficiently during the last couple of years, developing respect and close reciprocated affection for the lads.

Vissarion’s uncle, a Georgian noble with a large estate, and his family were at first alarmed to see some of Tamerlane’s cavalry approach their villa, having been forced to hide from such soldiers two years earlier in order to survive. They appreciated that attitudes had since changed but were still relieved to observe whom the men were escorting.

Although Vissarion had grown since his uncle had last seen him, the boy’s beautiful facial features remained unmistakable, causing instant recognition and leading to a pleasant family reunion. The boys’ military escorts were happy to camp nearby whilst their young charges stayed in the villa, especially as they were well provisioned by their hosts with food and wine.

Arman was welcomed with politeness, his hosts’ dislike for Armenians being overcome by the fact that the boy had been introduced by Vissarion as his best friend. Talk over the two nights and one day permitted for the visit was both sad and happy.

It was sad when the fate of Vissarion’s immediate family, as well as that of many other known Georgians killed during Tamerlane’s original invasion, was discussed. It was also sad when Vissarion confessed to his castration. However, conversation brightened when the young Georgian and Armenian disclosed the news of the restoration of the treasures to Sion cathedral and related some of their adventures, clouded only by descriptions of towers of skulls.

The boys’ full roles in relation to the conqueror went unsaid but his hosts appreciated what they included and secretly lamented the fact. However, they also knew that the lads had no choice, were very well cared for, as evidenced by their visit, and could end up becoming very important personages as a result of their closeness to Tamerlane.

On the morning of the day of the boys’ planned departure, Vissarion’s uncle invited his nephew and friend to ride with him to view his lands. The man politely declined, with his nephew interpreting, the offer of protection from Tamerlane’s cavalrymen, declaring that no Mongols had been reported anywhere near his estates. It was a lovely hot summer’s day, with hardly a cloud in the sky, as the threesome ventured into the beautiful countryside, through the vineyards to the open fields beyond, where many sheep and cattle grazed peacefully.

After an hour or so, the threesome was approaching the brow of a hill, to gain a view of the magnificent vista beyond, when a large contingent of fierce mounted Mongols emerged from the other side. The trio immediately reversed direction in order to flee the raiding party but the uncle’s rather old horse and the boys’ ponies were no match for the fast steeds of their pursuers, who picked up pace to chase.

Vissarion’s uncle was displaced from his horse by an arrow in the back whilst the boy himself was knocked from his pony by a Mongol who leapt at him, a fate also suffered by his friend. The young Georgian and Armenian soon found themselves resting sideways and facedown over enemy stallions, hands tied to feet under the animals’ bellies, whilst men mounted alongside them guided their horses and young captives, potentially very valuable if the boys’ rich attire was a true indicator, to their encampment. The uncle was left for dead behind.

Two hours later, the party reached the Mongol camp, where many more raiders were located. The frightened boys were released from their demeaning and uncomfortable bondage and taken to the Mongol leader, a scar-faced man in his early forties with long drooping moustache, who ordered the lads to be divested of their outer garments as he wanted to inspect their sumptuous clothing.

Despite the fact that the day remained hot and sunny, Vissarion and Arman both shivered as they stood, dressed just in skimpy tight white briefs of finest silk, in front of the fierce-looking Mongol leader, surrounded by many of his blatantly ogling compatriots. The leader called for another man to come forward and this warrior, obviously an interpreter of sorts, began to address the boys in a couple of languages until Georgian was understood by one of the scared 13 years olds.

“Who are you and where do you come from?” was the interpreter’s initial question. Vissarion took on the responsibility of answering as the query was conveyed in his native tongue. “We live on a nearby estate,” he lied, afraid of what would happen if the Mongols knew that they were Tamerlane’s boys. The man conveyed the reply to his leader who responded whilst carefully continuing to examine the lads’ discarded clothing.

“You are lying,” informed the interpreter, “but you would be best advised to begin telling the truth for your own sakes.” “I'm not lying!” responded Vissarion defiantly. “You might speak Georgian,” the man retorted, “but your garb is of another land and too expensive for even a noble to buy. You have one last chance to tell us who you really are!”

“My father is very rich and imported the clothing,” declared Vissarion, still hoping to deceive the Mongols. However, his claim met with further disbelief from the leader, who had now noticed something about the appearance of the two boys. He ordered some of his men to grab the arms of each 13 years old whilst others pulled down the lads’ briefs.

The leader smirked when he observed that his supposition had been correct. He had noticed the different shapes in the bulges displayed at the front of the boys’ last cover and now saw that one was indeed a eunuch.

“Georgians don’t perform castrations, especially on their sons,” commented the interpreter, after receiving further instruction, to a blushing and terrified Vissarion. The man had also joined his leader in exhibiting a smile on his face and experiencing growing arousal under his trousers. “Tell us truthfully who you are,” he continued, “or your companion will soon have no balls as well!”

Vissarion was happy that Arman would be oblivious to the warning, knowing none of the local language. The young Georgian also could not let the threat be carried out and so, believing that further lies were going to be fruitless and that the leader meant business, he confessed to his true status and that of his friend. The smiles on the faces of all of the Mongols increased when the happy interpreter gave them the news. The men had heard of the conqueror’s infatuation with his two bumboys.

The delighted smirking leader thought for a while before issuing some orders. The interpreter then advised Vissarion “You are both to follow your calling by servicing us all with your orifices. You will then be whipped for your attempt to deceive us whilst your companion will still lose his balls. They will be returned to Tamerlane with the message that, if he does not want a pair of young heads to follow the pair of testicles, he is to leave Georgia!”

(To be continued in chapter 5 – ‘Pursuits’)