It knocked again. But this time, it was instead a loud knock at the door.
»This is like a beehive today. Who is that yet?« Lord Befen muttered irritatedly.
He opened the door with a magical impulse. Lord Abarta stormed in with angry sparkling eyes. He hissed as he recognized those present. The Supreme Lord was upset and demanded clarification from his assistant: »Befen! You? Where is the son of a bitch, and what is my granddaughter doing here now? Or have you dared to carry out the wedding ceremony so that your friend may take advantage of the marriage?«
Befen’s gaze darkened. He once swallowed because of the accusation and contempt that Abarta had. Then he answered with a petrified mine and an ice-cold voice:
»Of course, I did not consummate the marriage. On the contrary! I asked Lord Sors to investigate the accusation your granddaughter made against Adar. Her assertion seemed to me too immediate after this coitus. Before you now speak to Adar, you should learn something about the prehistory. So please take a seat.«
He pointed to the seats and waited. Abarta hissed furiously, but immediately controlled himself again and followed the request. Befen sat down, deliberately slowly. He needed time to get the warrior in himself under control as well. So he placed one leg on the knee of the other and crossed his hands over it. Then he began to describe the situation known to him to the extent that he was able to do so.
»As far as I know, it all started on the Longest Night of the Year. Adar was with me in one of the taverns. There he was pressed by Mehit. And not only that evening. Your granddaughter is beautiful. No warrior would refuse such an offer. But before he got involved with her, he told her he didn’t love her but wanted her body. You, as warriors, can quite well imagine what that means. Everyone in Ized knows about our peculiarities. She wanted coitus, forced it, but she is not pregnant, as Lord Sors can confirm to you«. Befen pointed to Lord Sors, who had also sat down and nodded approvingly.
»Your granddaughter is no longer a virgin, but she is not pregnant. Really not. He has prevented«, Sors quietly confirmed the Administrator’s statement.
»So it is not even necessary to force Lord Adar into a marriage,« the Administrator finished.
Abarta stared at the two men. He had assumed that Befen had taken the chance and married his young friend to the only granddaughter of the Supreme Lord. »And why would she do such a thing? A young warrior will never be a good husband. She is aware of that and would certainly not take such a risk. No, I don’t believe you. Where is the guy? I want to hear it from him.«
Befen pointed silently to the bedroom door.
Abarta trembled in rage but cast a doubting glance towards Mehit. The young woman leaned against the wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Should she have made a false accusation? She could do something like that. He knew that Mehit achieved everything she put into her pretty little head. The young lord’s charm and good looks could have affected her. He knew how much the unmarried women wanted to start an affair with Adar. And since he was also aware of the warriors‘ behavior, he assumed that this young man also made extensive use of such apparent offers. The Supreme Lord rose, walked energetically over to the door, and ripped it open. At a glance, he grasped the situation in the room. Adar sat in an armchair next to the bed and held his face buried in his hands. The stranger lay on the only bed in the room. Abarta hesitated for a moment, but then entered. He left the door open.
»Rise, Adar,« he hissed to the warrior.
Adar rose and turned towards the Supreme Lord. He saw a man whose face was disillusioned. A man who was not ashamed of his tears.
»Did she harass you?« Abarta asked him, still hissing angrily.
The young lord stared at him in silence.
»Did she want coitus, did Mehit seduce you?«
Adar remained silent. No muscle in his face moved. His features remained rigid and without any movement, like a carved statue. Then Abarta cursed quietly. »By the Waves of the Wide Stream, I am the Supreme Lord and thus your superior. I expect an answer to my question, Lord Adar. Did Mehit want sexual intercourse?«
Adar answered evasively: »I desired her body and got involved with her. I enjoyed coitus with her,« he explained in a calm voice. Then he resignedly closed his eyes and humbly lowered his head. He was pale, seemed to have made a decision. He wiped his face with a rolling movement of his hand. He looked up resolutely. »I know and respect our laws. If you ask me to marry your granddaughter, I will bow to your will. Whether she is expecting a child or not does not matter. I have willingly warmed her bed. It looks as if my actions had that consequence,« he explained firmly.
Adar expected that the Supreme Lord would now demand the marriage. For if the rumor of Mehit were to make the rounds and marriage were not to take place, the most powerful man in the country would be compromised. With a forced marriage, Abarta could preserve his honor and that of his granddaughter.
But the Supreme Lord hesitated. Suddenly his rage was gone. Abarta now looked at Adar with different eyes. Slowly and deliberately, the older man walked up and down before the young warrior. He observed him. Reluctantly, an admiring growl abducted him. This man not only seemed to be an established, stubborn man but also honorable.
Way too honorable!
Abarta had always perceived only the attractive shell. Of course, he had heard rumors about Adar’s popularity among the unmarried women of Ized. For this reason, he had despised him without bothering to look behind the façade. But Adar could do nothing for his appearance. »She is not pregnant, and you know it, don’t you?« he asked, almost friendly.
Adar turned his face towards him. He had a bright, honest look. Confirmative, he nodded. »Yes, I know.«
»And yet you would marry her?« Abarta asked and shook his head. »She accused you, and the accusation turned out to be untrue. She defiled her honor, not yours.«
»But I cannot allow her to live without honor. Not because of me,« Adar whispered growling and proudly raised his head. »I freely allowed myself to get involved with her. That was my decision«.
Abarta stared at him for a moment, growled conciliatory. He suddenly felt tempted to take the man into his family. But not in that way. »Follow me,« he ordered and briefly tied. In the living room, he walked resolutely over to his granddaughter.
Adar followed only hesitantly. As he entered the living room, he quietly closed the door to the bedroom behind him. Maioshan needed a lot of rest, and he didn’t want her sleep to be disturbed anymore. After all, he was responsible for her recovery.
»Have you noticed what he is willing to do, Mehit? He wants to sacrifice his freedom for your honor.« The angry growl of the Supreme Lord was unmistakable. She grinned cheekily. »Yes, Grandfather. Isn’t that wonderful? Then you will marry us now, won’t you?«
He didn’t know what to say. But then anger rose inside him, and he turned resolutely against his granddaughter. »Excuse me? What are you thinking? I will do nothing like that. I will not chain this man to you for the next fifty years, which perhaps your life clock will still run. So far, only Lord Befen, Lord Sors, Lord Adar, and I know of your dishonor. This young magician is an honorable man, and you want to force him to do something wrong. Do not dare to spread your insinuation. And if you should push him once more, I will expel you from the family. Do you understand?« he raged angrily.
Adar, who had stepped on Befen, drove around. Mehit jerked together in shock. Even Befen and Lord Sors had gone together. Daughters from magician families almost always married magicians. So their lives were assured. Being expelled from the family would mean that she would have to leave the magician’s quarter and make her own living. Here, in the city, she would only be left with prostitution because she had never learned a profession.
Adar tensely took two steps towards the Supreme Lord, »Lord Abarta, you can’t do this to your granddaughter,« he implored the elders. Hesitantly, he put a hand on his arm.
Abarta knocked on the young man’s hand a few times, looki
ng at him closely and shaking his head. »Young friend, you have to stay out of this. That is my family business. She has to justify her behavior, not you. You have already acted more than honorably. She also damages my honor. Therefore, I will not deviate from my decision.« Then he turned to Mehit again. »This man has told you from the beginning that he desires your body, but does not love you. Is that the truth?«
Uncertainly her gaze went back and forth between the magicians. She felt how the situation had developed to her disadvantage, and her grandfather no longer supported her. So she nodded hesitantly.
»I will not abuse the laws and customs of our country for you. You cannot force the love of a warrior, granddaughter. And this man is too young for marriage. So I will prevent such a union with all the means at my disposal. So beware of further slander. If you, in any way, spread the rumor of expecting a child from him, I will cast you out. Now get out of here. We’ll talk about this later, young lady.«
Mehit swallowed. She looked for Adar’s gaze, but he avoided her, lowered his head. Tears shot into her eyes, and she sneaked away.
Adar took a deep breath and was relieved when Mehit was gone. Lord Abarta had taken his side unmistakably because he understood the nature of the warriors.
How many magicians might have been forced to marry similarly? Adar was glad that his friend Befen had acted prudently and investigated their accusation before it was too late. He did not love this woman, but he would have bowed to traditions and laws. When Abarta laid a hand on his shoulder, Adar raised his eyes. »I have only seen you as a handsome fellow and never understood why Befen sought your nearness. Now I slowly suspect what he is interested in you. You will not sacrifice yourselves, do you understand? Even if I would like to take you into my family. You are not responsible for the honor of my granddaughter. It is her alone. She will not spread the rumor in the neighborhood or the city. I will grant that to you.« Lord Abarta nodded to the other two men. »I ask you to be silent about my granddaughter’s transgression. Should she try again to spin her intrigues, Lord Adar can count on my full support.«
Befen and Sors accepted with a nod, and Lord Abarta left the premises.
Three - Approaching
Befen stepped up to Adar and patted him on the shoulder. »By the Waves of the Wide Stream, boyo, that went well once again. Was it your decision to accept marriage with Mehit?« A look into his friend’s face told him everything. »Yes, you would have taken it upon yourselves.« Befen sighed. »That was also a reason why you’ve never been interested in the women here before, right? The danger of being forced into marriage unjustifiably. You felt it. We should discuss the problem in a future meeting.«
Adar nodded thoughtlessly, turning away from Befen and Sors to the table next to him. As the fingers of one hand slowly stroked across the tabletop, he quietly explained why he had been willing to take the step: »I desired her body. I felt attracted to her. I decided to warm her bed. Since I got involved with her, I also had to bear the consequences, Befen. I know what our traditions expect, even if everything was just a lie.« Then his gaze was lost in the distance, leaning on the table with both hands.
»Yes, I understand what you mean. It’s good that Lord Abarta also got here quickly before she could do worse by this rumor. Then your reputation, and his reputation, in particular, could only have been saved by marriage. I sincerely hope that he will get her under control. But she will be careful because of his warning to repudiate her. Abarta has always kept what he said.«
Adar sighingly repelled himself from the tabletop, sat silently in an armchair, and stared at himself.
Befen and Sors briefly communicated with each other. They should not and would not leave him alone. Befen went over to the wine. »Drink a cup of wine with us to the scare. After the debacle, we could well use a sip, and I’m sure you could too.« He had already opened a bottle and poured the liquid into three tin cups.
»How often something like this has happened? How often did one of our women force a magician to marry her in the same or a similar way?« Adar asked, shocked.
Befen expelled the air between his teeth. »With such an accusation, the marriage is directly entered into. Shortly after that, the magician’s intense phase begins, which almost certainly leads to a pregnancy,« Befen hesitated for a moment. »It could be countless, Adar. I assume Mehit wanted to achieve exactly that with you. She expected Abarta to marry you to her on the spot. Shortly after that, the intense phase would have taken hold of you. And after the wedding time, she would most likely have been pregnant.«
»If you hadn’t asked Lord Sors to verify her assertion, …« Adar stumbled, nor continued. He shook his head.
»The pregnancy was to be confirmed by a healer before a forced marriage. I will negotiate this at the next meeting with Lord Abarta,« Befen thought aloud. He had never expected that a woman would force one of the magicians to marry with the help of a faked pregnancy. Lord Sors nodded thoughtfully. »You have my support, Administrator. Besides, I think the warriors will agree to such a proposal closed, because they are the most likely to do so.«
Now Befen spontaneously changed the subject, to bring the young friend on other thoughts. »So her name is Maioshan, right? Then she was awake? And as it sounds, she even speaks our language,« he asked when he handed Adar one of the cups.
He still nodded a little bit upset. »Yes, her name is Maioshan. She was awake for a short time. She was able to eat a little. Also, the medication. Then she fell asleep exhausted. She still has a fever. But it’s a good sign that she’s awake, isn’t it, Lord Sors?«
»Yes, Adar. If she has eaten and drunk something, it is an excellent sign. She is on the way to recovery. You no longer need to fear for her life. She will live. To recover completely, weeks, if not months, will undoubtedly go to the country. The blood loss was tremendous, and these wounds … The body needs time to heal. She will freeze for a long time. So keep her warm. By the Waves of the Wide Stream, I wonder what causes such injuries.« Sors shook his head, lost in thought.
Adar smiled with relief. »She has golden eyes, real golden eyes. I have never seen such a color of eyes before,« he whispered dreamily.
»Adar, I will bring you new medicine every morning and evening. The medication works much better when it is freshly prepared. You should make sure that Maioshan always takes everything. When the wounds have healed a bit in a few days, you can accompany her to the bathhouse. A washbowl will have to do until then. Every two days, we will renew the bandages and check if the deeper wounds finally close. I think she won’t need your shield anymore. Your idea of a skin-tight shield saved her life. I talked to some healers about it. They were enthusiastic about this use of a shield.« Sors drank his wine empty. »You should take every opportunity to rest yourself. If she is asleep, please try as well. The care of a sick person requires a lot of attention«. So he rose, placed the cup on the table, nodded briefly, and left.
Befen also stood up and sighed: »Since today I live in the residence of the Administrator. There was no point in delaying the move. If you need me, Adar, please don’t hesitate. I am always there for you«. Then he left with a friendly greeting.
Adar sat silently in the living room for a long time and thought about Mehit’s behavior. Well, she had been jealous. But he had been playing with blank cards from the beginning. She had known that he desired her body, but could not love her. Nevertheless, she seemed to have hoped that his desire would eventually turn into love. Then his gaze touched the bedroom door. The next moment he shivered to his bones. He could love the woman lying there. He had felt it the moment he had seen her lying in her blood at the source.
No, he could not love her; he already did! He rose, entered the bedroom, and looked at her. She slept deeply and soundly. For a long time he stared at her and the female forms hidden under the light cloth. Her scent was exciting, but at the same time, it had a calming effect on him.
Suddenly he drove around. Sors had instructed him to warm her but also to sleep as soo
n as possible. He went to his bathroom to refresh himself. Then he pushed an armchair right next to the bed and sat next to her. He leaned back, pulled a blanket over him, and fell asleep, calmed by her scent.
A noise woke him up. She had moved. Immediately he jumped up and stared at her. She had woken up and looked at him from her warm golden eyes. He sank into the gaze. For her, he would kill without hesitation or go to his death. He became aware of that.
Then he noticed how Maioshan trembled. »Are you cold?« he asked gently. »You need not be afraid of me.«
»I am not … afraid. But I am freezing,« she breathed weakly.
He nodded. »You need a thicker blanket,« he stated soberly. Adar turned to the dresser and got another blanket, which he spread over her. He grazed her hand and was shocked. A blanket alone wouldn’t do much good here. He got nervous.
»Forgive me if I lie next to you and warm you. I won’t do anything to you, just warm your body,« he explained. When she nodded, he lay down with her.
»You will soon be warm,« he explained quietly. Carefully he embraced her with his arm. Shortly afterward, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Several days in a row, she woke up only briefly. Then she smiled mostly gratefully, ate a little, drank something, and took the medicine that Lord Sors regularly brought over. He carried her into the small bath each time so that she could do her urgent duty, and with a washbowl, she increasingly managed to clean herself. Even the more extensive wounds closed slowly.
The next time Befen came, Adar asked him to watch over her sleep. Befen found it unusual, as Adar was otherwise so eager to stay close. »What are you going to do,« he asked.
Adar hesitated, blushed a little, but then explained why he needed the help of his friend. »She slowly gets stronger. Soon she will be able to get up. She needs clothes for that. I was going to get her some things and a warm cape from the city.«
Ized- the Ancestors Page 10
