I said, “I begin to see, and before you ask, I like what I begin to see. I would like to see even more.”
She smiled and said, “Even more?” and she pulled her legs wide apart and scooted to the edge of the sofa and leaned back to give me an even better view of her womanhood.
I said, “That’s what a girl can do. There is even more that she can show. Something that no one but her mate would ever see. Something to really get his attention.”
Alexia sat showing me all she had, but now looked puzzled. She said, “What more could she do?”
I said, “Belle, come here. Sit here on my lap and spread your legs the way that Alexia does. Lean back against my chest and relax here. I think that you’ll enjoy this.”
Belle jumped into my lap and spread her knees to the outside of mine. I stroked the tops and insides of her parted thighs with my fingers. Belle leaned back and closed her eyes as her arousal began to increase.
I looked directly at Alexia and talked her through the actions of my fingers and the reactions of Belle’s body.
I said, “Alexia, you see the folds of Belle’s womanhood? How puffy and full and how they close around the opening within? See here as I stroke along them, tickling gently at the delicate folds? And see how Belle responds? How she begins to squirm and moan as she’s touched? You see, as long as the gate is closed, it’s more than what may normally be seen, but even the closed gate might be glimpsed if a girl moves about as she works. Of course, when she sits like this then there’s no mistake; she wants her mate to notice. She’s saying, ‘Come look here, I have a gift for you. I have it hidden, but you can find it if you want to.’”
Alexia began to respond to my demonstrations. She breathed a little heavier and I noticed her nipples becoming firm. Her hands were on her thighs, and she stroked them idly.
I continued, “Now, the gate is still closed, but you can see that as I stroke her like this, her gate wants to open. Look now, see it? It starts to tell a louder story. These big outer lips are beginning to blush…and see the tiny inner lips? This tiny beautiful flower starts to bloom.”
Alexia’s breathing increased.
I went on, “See, look at Belle’s face. Her mate will see that face and think that he is a lucky man and that he must have her love very soon. Now look again where my fingers play. Follow me with your fingers.”
Alexia stared between Belle’s legs where I played and she moved a hand between her own legs and began to explore the feelings there.
I said, “Watch how I touch the outer flower and slide my finger along the slit…up and down. This is a something that no one but a mate will ever see. Have you ever seen this flower? It’s for his eyes only. Look as I run my finger around the petals. See how it unfolds more and more? It begins to water itself and it becomes slippery. And how does it look? What does it say?”
Alexia mimicked my movements and I watched as her own flower bloomed between her thighs. She panted and tried to answer me. “Um, it looks like, it looks like, um, it says that it’s ready for um, him. She says that she desires him greatly. Um, it um,” and she groaned wordlessly.
I said, “A girl who really wants her prince’s attention might show him the blooming flower that no one else will ever see. She might sit across from him as you do now, or she might show him from behind. Would you like to see how? She would stand up…try it if you want to. Go ahead. If she wanted to be especially blatant about her desire for his attention, she could turn her back to her lover and get on her knees on the sofa and lean over it and spread her legs and as she pushes her rear toward him. It says to him, ‘look at my bloom, this is the flower that I have for you, take me my prince’. Yes, she could do just like you’re doing and she could continue stroking and opening her folds showing him her desire to be touched. Now turn back around and sit so that you can see the rest if you want to.”
Alexia turned back around and sat on the sofa and played with the tender wet folds and watched my hand on Belle. She nodded to indicate that she would very much like to see anything else that could be seen in our lesson.
I decided to take it as far as she wanted.
I said, “Now, see how my fingers slip inside the flower? As they move in and out? But this isn’t what the girl really wants; she wants something else. She wants her man. See how a girl would get my attention if that were her goal. See how my own penis has hardened and now stands stiffly between Belle’s thighs, wanting to enter the beautiful tunnel beyond her open gates. It slides up and down along the folds seeking the way. Let me help it. The girl has shown her intentions. Her prince won’t deny her. If you want to see the rest, stay and see. If not, you should go now. My attention has been captured and I will show my attention in the way that a lover does.”
Belle had already climaxed twice as I rubbed her clitoris and played between her legs and it seemed to me that Alexia was about to experience the first orgasm of her life. She didn’t move to leave and she didn’t take her eyes off of Belle’s crotch, or my hardened penis. As she watched, I positioned myself and then hid my pole inside Belle’s body.
Belle immediately orgasmed and cried out, throwing her head backward against my chest. At the same time, Alexia suddenly pulled her hands away from her crotch and her body stiffened and she gripped the tops of her thighs tightly. I was more than ready myself, and I began to thrust and bounce Belle on my lap and climaxed with a groan of pleasure. Next, I saw that Rani was standing in front of us.
Rani said, “Quick, Belle, get up!”
She grabbed Belle’s arms and pulled her to her feet and pushed her gently to the side. When Belle was out of the way, she knelt in front is me and took me in her mouth and sucked what she could from me. Through all of this, Alexia stared and gripped her thighs and trembled. I couldn’t tell if she experienced her first or not.
Belle sat next to Alexia and worked to calm down from her excitement. Rani finished and raised her head and smiled at me. Then she sat on the sofa with the Belle and Alexia.
We all sat quietly for a few minutes. Alexia was the first to speak, and when she did it was in her characteristic emotionally void manner.
Alexia said, “Thank you. That was what I wanted to know. It’s very clear to me how that can be done. It’s a good lesson. Rani has shown how a girl feeds from her mate. I had heard that it could be done when necessary.”
Rani smiled and said, “It is really wonderful. The taste is good. And it’s a rush to the blood.”
Alexia said, “I will try it. If it is done between mates, I will do it.”
That was about it. We smiled and laughed and were still sitting there together when Aeyli came in and bounced onto my lap and kissed me and put her arms around my neck and asked brightly, “So, what have you been up to? What have I missed?”
Alexia was the one to answer. “I told Narhu what he must do to the house and I ordered new mattresses for the big bed. We moved a bed to the roof. Mark raised it by a rope. I will cut it down to the desired height tomorrow. Mark showed me how he plays with Belle’s pussy and then he demonstrated shalocking her on his lap. Rani sucked his penis and fed from it. I’ll buy a curtain for the roof and make poles to hang it. I’m very happy here.”
She paused and then said, “I see. I am odd, aren’t I? I think it’s funny now. But, I know that I am loved. Perhaps when the princess is freed I will be less odd. I think that our prince likes my oddness just fine. If he can pay the price then I do not care.”
Aeyli said, “Alexia, I love you so much! Having you as our number four makes me happier than anyone can imagine. But, what do you mean about a princess being freed?”
Alexia, flipping into her more emotionally expressive mode, said, “Oh, I’m like two people. One has the body and the mind, but another has the emotions. She is imprisoned. Mark will release her and when she is free, perhaps we’ll see a change. I look forward to finding out. Hey, when do we go to the meeting? I hope it’s entertaining.”
Aeyli laughed and said, “Oh, my dear
Alexia, it will be every entertaining, I promise you! But, do I see a meal sitting in the kitchen. We have just enough time to eat before we go. Let’s go to the dining room.”
We moved to the table and ate our light meal. I noticed that Alexia was quiet the entire time. She looked mostly at her plate or at me, but didn’t take part in the conversation.
I asked her, “Alexia, you’re very quiet. Is something wrong?”
She looked up from her plate at me and said, “I have nothing that must be said. I will go and wait with the inner princess until the gates are passed and the prison has been opened. I will not speak again. I know that you will hurry,” and she lowered her eyes again to her plate and finished her meal. When she was done, she went to the hooks and took her belt and fastened it around her waist.
Chapter 23 Teaching The Price of a Princess
A little later, we arrived at the council hall. The streets had been full. It seemed that the entire village really had turned out tonight. My stories about fruit had done their job.
Alexia had been true to her word and had not spoken at all since her pronouncement at dinner.
The five of us entered the hall together and I heard the comments as we passed many of the people who were there.
“There is Mark and the maidens.”
“Did you hear the story about fruit? It was a strange wisdom, but so true that it cannot be denied if one considers it with heart.”
“I was there. I stood practically beside him as he spoke.”
“Look, the odd girl is with them. Is she now of the House of Mark?”
“She’s the woodworker. Oshen has loaned her to Mark for 40 days to work for him.”
“She is so tall and so odd. Some girls will never have a mate.”
“It’s sad in a way, but some things must be what they are.”
“Can you imagine? The odd girl made a princess? I think such a thing would signal a great change, like the Fall of Time Itself.”
“Or, if she has a mate, perhaps it will be the Start of Time.”
“What will he teach us tonight?”
“Perhaps it’s a story of adventure instead.”
“No. I know men like this. Well, I did before the Fall. If he tells a story of adventure, listen closely; it will have wisdom hidden in it, trust me.”
As we moved into the hall, we greeted as many as I could and felt many hands clap me on the back. Dorel motioned for us to come to the front where the councilors sat on the platform. The girls and I were seated on the lowest steps on the councilors left side near the platform. When everyone was seated, Tronuck raised his hand and silenced then crowd.
Tronuck said, “My friends, it’s good to see so many of you! The hall of Tranna hasn’t been full like this in…well, ever as far as I know. Last evening when we gathered, there were many surprises; pleasant ones if you agree with me! Tonight, we have invited our new friend Mark to tell us stories. I have no idea what we’ll hear. I have decided to be more open to surprises than I may have been in the past. We will hear what we will hear. And I expect that even if you were not in the hall last night, or in the market this afternoon, that you have already heard some of it. Let us invite Mark to speak to us.”
The room applauded loudly and I stood up and took the center of the floor. When they had quieted, I smiled and looked around the room.
I said, “My friends, I could go on and on about how welcome you have made me and the wonderful gifts that I have received at the hands of my new friends Narhu and Oshen. I could speak for an hour about my gratitude or about how blessed I am to have the house that you provided and the beautiful mates that were guarded and raised by the village of Tranna until I could come to claim them as my princesses! Each one is worth more to me than I can say. Trust me, though I won’t say as much as my heart would like to, the fruit is very sweet and juicy!”
There was laughter, but there was no hint of anything but admiration, and Aeyli, Rani, and Belle weren’t embarrassed, but honored.
I continued, “But, who came here to hear that? No! You came to hear a story! And I have a story for you. Listen and let’s see what we’ll hear. First, in case I talk so long that I get hungry, does anyone have a piece of fruit that I may have as a gift? Will anyone hold up a fruit and let me have it?”
About a hundred hands went up. I scanned the crowd and found the face of the girl who sold fruit, Sashar, holding out her offering.
I said loudly, “Ah, there, that’s the fruit that I want!” and I pointed at her and said, “You, your fruit caught my eye in the marketplace, will you come down and bring me your fruit?”
The girl gasped and stood and bounded down the steps and held her hand out to me with the fruit in her palm.
I said, “Thank you. Tell me, are you sitting with friends tonight, or would you sit over here with my family in case I find that I need other fruit before the night is over?”
The girls motioned to her and she ran to sit with them. I admitted to myself that she did run nicely.
I turned back to the crowd and held up my fruit and said, “I do love a big juicy piece of fruit. So! A story.
I was in a far country, a very long way from Tranna. Think of it as being on the very opposite side of Barsoom. It had the same problem as the village of Tranna, but exactly opposite. You see, in this village, there were five men for every one woman. The bride price for a woman was also opposite. Instead of the village giving a gift to the new couple, the man would pay a price to the girl’s family if he wanted to have her as a mate.
Now in this village, if a man saw a very beautiful girl and she was gentle and kind and well thought of by all and if she was known as a girl who would bring honor on her prince, a man would come to her family and he would lay the furs of three great apes or some other large beast before them. The family would decide if it was a good offer, and if it wasn’t enough, if they thought that another man might desire her more and bring four furs, they would reject the man and he would take his furs and find another. But, if the family was satisfied, they would accept the furs and she would be his.
In this village, Four furs was a fortune. Only one girl in 50 years drew four furs. The others were for two or sometimes three, but never four.
At the time that I passed through that part of the world, there was a family who had a daughter, and though she might have been pretty enough, she was different. She had no interest in attracting a mate. She would often run far from the village and spend time by herself. When she came back at the end of the day, her hair would be uncombed and she would look like she had been wrestling with a beast. When people sat together, she had little to say and, well, no one paid much attention to her.
The girl’s family, especially her father, were despairing of ever finding her a mate…or getting a price for her. They’d say, ‘This daughter will never find a mate. Perhaps we can find a stranger and if he doesn’t know her, and if we can get her to at least comb her hair, maybe we can get a small worn fur, but at least we’ll be free from the burden of feeding her. She has such an appetite and she eats so much!’
Now no, I’m not the stranger that they were hoping for. I can guarantee that if I were, she would be beside me today. No, and it wasn’t stranger who finally spoke for her. It was a young man of the village.
One day, the young man goes to the family and he says, ‘I will speak for this daughter of yours. I wish her for my mate.’
Now, the father wants what he can get, but he knows that it won’t be much. He asks the young man what he offers. The young man says, ‘If you will pledge her to me, I will go away and in 40 days, I will bring my offer and lay it before you. If it is acceptable, I will have her, but if it’s not acceptable, I will go away.’ And the young man left. He walked out of the village and was gone for the full 40 days.
The family thought that this was a strange way to do things and for 40 days they made up stories about what would happen if the young man came back. They often questioned if he would come back at all.
Word of the strange offer of the young man to pledge for the ‘wild girl’ spread through the village and some days it was all that was talked about, especially as the day for his return approached.
Now, on the 40th day, the young man reappeared at the village gate, pulling a small cart behind him. The children of the village chased him and soon, the entire village followed at his heels as he went along to the house of the girl’s family. When he came to the door, the father and the family came out and stood before the house.
The young man said simply, ‘I have returned as I have said. Have you kept your pledge and saved your daughter for me?’
The girl stood with her family. They had combed her hair and pleaded with her to behave as a woman should.
The young man smiled at her and said to the family, ‘I have brought my offer. If you will accept it, your daughter will be my mate, but if not, I will go away.’
With that, the young man uncovered his cart and took the fur of a Great White Ape and spread it on the ground before them. When it was done, he surprised them all by taking a second one and spreading it on top of the first.
The village thought that one fur was far too much, but two furs was unthinkable. It seemed that the young man thought otherwise. As each fur was spread before the family, he turned and took yet another and added it to the pile. Fur after fur. Four, five, six, and still he laid furs before them. In all, he laid ten furs of the Great White Ape of Barsoom at the feet of the family.
And then I saw a thing that I have never seen in all of my travels: the village, for once, was speechless! When someone finally did speak, it was the young man.
He stood before the family and the furs at their feet and said, ‘Give me your answer. Yes or no? Say one or the other.’
The father was in shock. He wanted to say many things, but it would have been babbling and the young man had demanded a simple answer, not a lot of discussion, so the father simply nodded his head dumbfounded and said that he accepted the man’s offer.
The Start of Time Page 20
