Oils, towels, and pillows arrived by strangers, arranged on the table that would become our bridal bed. A blade. A belt. A glass of water and…
What is that?
The woman next to me rubbed my back in a circular motion. “Oh, sweetheart, the Priest may not even use some of that stuff.”
I choked. “The Priest?”
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“The Priest will show Lord Calish how your body works.”
“What?”
The two women giggled. “No man knows what he’s doing without proper training. Believe me, it’s better this way.”
My legs crossed of their own accord. “But what if I only want to share myself with my husband?”
“You are!” they both said in unison. “The Priest is a man of the gods; his interaction doesn’t count.”
I stared at Calish who I assume was getting the same pep talk from a group of men across the room. He, however, seemed to be handling it much better than me. That wasn’t hard, considering the ropes weren’t placed for him. He smiled at me, and I buried my face in my hands.
“Being trained by the High Priest is so special! A Disciple trained my husband,” she leaned in, “he wasn’t very helpful.”
“I wonder, how many women do you think Noran has touched?” another woman asked.
Feeling ill, I left them to continue their discussion without me.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Reinick stepped in my path.
“Just to get some water, sir.”
“That was quite a display.” He put a cigar in his mouth and lit it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.” I searched the room for something to drink.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “What’s so special between your legs that it makes so many men drool for a taste?”
I jerked back. “Is it customary to insult the bride on her wedding day?”
“I should have purchased you when I had the chance.” He put his lips around the cigar and drew off it. He gave me a slight smile and blew out the smoke, flicking ashes onto the floor. “Then perhaps I’d know what all the fuss was about.”
“You have no right to talk to me this way.” I turned, but he grabbed me and yanked me back. “Ouch!” I cried dramatically, more for the attention than the pain. “Please, let me go!”
Several people turned to see Reinick’s grip tightening around my arm. Calish pushed the men out of his way and quickly came to my rescue, just as Reinick released his hold.
“Is there a problem, Grandfather?” he asked, wedging himself between us.
“Other than I wish I had chosen the Priesthood instead of the Authority? No.” He pulled the cigar out of his mouth and considered the burning end of it. “Funny thing about cigars: one side gets sucked while the other side burns. I wonder what side you’ll be on, Lord Calish.” He put the cigar between his teeth and narrowed his gaze. “There are men with a lot of money who couldn’t buy what you stole this evening. But then again, money doesn’t really matter anymore. Not that it ever did to you.”
As Reinick walked out of the room, Calish hugged me into his side. “He’s forgetting one important aspect of his analogy.”
“What?”
“I’m going to be the one holding the cigar.”
After that, Calish ordered us beverages and made small talk with his guests, never leaving my side. As the voyeurs filtered out and the time to complete the marriage loomed, I became more nervous.
When only a few remained, Noran took control of the room. “I think we should get started.” He clapped his hands. “Thank you for your assistance.” He held the door as the last guests were dismissed from the study.
* * *
A few kind words and congratulations were offered before the three of us were alone in the room. Resolved to what must be done, I didn’t try to escape.
Noran closed the door and sighed. “Tell me the truth, Calish. Did Merci really do that or was that all for show?”
“She was an incredible person. You should have taken the time to know her.” Calish leaned against the desk and stared down at his boots. “She knew I didn’t love her. Marrying her would have been the cruelest thing I’ve ever known.”
“You pissed your grandfather off tonight.” He locked the door to the study.
“More than when I survived the landslide?”
“That wasn’t personal, just business.” Noran unbuckled his belt.
“Excuse me,” Calish changed the subject. “What are you doing?”
“My job. You want this to be official, don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, but you’re not touching her.” He pushed himself off the corner of the desk. “This here is all for show, you understand?”
“I am commanded by the gods to ensure your bride is competent!” he said indignantly.
“Unless you are prepared to meet your gods, you’ll keep your damn pants on,” he threatened.
“You think you’re the first one to say that?”
“No, but I can tell you, I’m the first one to mean it.”
Noran sighed. “Fine, you do it then. I’ll talk you through it.” I stepped behind Calish as if I had anywhere to hide in this room. “That’s the best you’re going to get, young man.”
Calish turned to me. “Una,” he lifted my face to his, “can you do this?”
“With him sitting right there?” I whispered.
“Yes, with me right here,” Noran answered. “This is what the ropes are for. If you let the excuses continue, it’ll be Toridia before you’re official.”
“I’m not going to tie her down,” Calish said loudly, his eyes still fixed on mine.
“Then start by taking off her clothes.” Noran moved the chair he was in to see us properly from the side.
I turned my face away from Calish and bit my lower lip. I understood why that poor girl in the Chapel’s room made so much noise. They stripped her, tied her down, and within a short time “trained” her husband and let him practice. I’m sure that no woman had ever been given this much time.
“I’m not taking them off. Her shirt stays on.”
“Then I can’t see. If I can’t see, I can’t verify,” Noran said as if he had said it one too many times.
Calish walked over to him and whispered something in his ear too quietly for me to hear. With his attention diverted, I slipped off my pants and kicked them just off to the side. The shirt Nik had made for me was just long enough in the front that when I pulled it down I covered most of my feminine secrets. Whatever he said, it shut Noran up and let my groom continue as he saw fit. When he returned, he noticed my pants were missing and my bottom was bare.
Calish stood between me and the Priest and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his uniform. Reaching behind his neck, he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it off over the top of his head, exposing his upper body. He ran his hand through his hair to push his curls back in place and then unfastened his belt and the button of his trousers. When he stepped in front of me, I felt Noran’s eyes fixed at my waist. I shied away once more, feeling vulnerable and dirty.
Calish leaned over my shoulder, blocking my view of the Priest, and whispered, “He’s not even here.”
I wiped the tear from my face.
“They all cry, Calish. It’s natural.”
I shook my head and closed my eyes as more tears fell without permission.
“I’m going to put you on the desk,” he said softly. I nodded, pushing myself onto the desktop as he lifted me.
“You’ll never reach her if she’s back that far.” Noran sat forward to make a hand motion to move me closer to the table’s end.
“Would you shut up!” he growled.
The Priest threw his hands up. “Right. I’m no expert. Don’t listen to me.”
Calish marched over to him and shoved him back in his chair. “I warned you.”
I closed my legs and pulled my shirt down
to cover as much of my skin as possible.
“It’s my duty! I’m sorry.” He laughed. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I’m just trying to be helpful.”
“Well, you’re not,” he barked as he came back to the desk. As much as this needed to be done, I knew Calish didn’t want it this way either. “Are you ready?”
“No.” I wiped another tear from my face.
“I’m going to put my face right here, so you won’t see him. I want you to try and pretend it’s just us, can you do that?”
I shrugged.
“Now,” he touched my knees, “see if you can relax.” He moved them apart and tried to slide me toward him, but my naked backside wouldn’t let go of the desktop.
He put one arm under mine and grabbed my leg with the other. He picked me up and brought me to the edge of the table so the area between my legs was exposed only to him. I cried a bit more, trying hard not to reveal the fullness of my shame and embarrassment. Supporting me in the new position, Calish removed himself from his trousers in a way that kept his pants in place.
As he promised, we stayed cheek to cheek so I didn’t have to see Noran observing in the chair to my right. Calish kissed the crest of my ear and whispered, “I love you, Una. Now more than ever.”
He licked his thumb, and with that same hand, he let the back of his fingers slowly pass up my inner thigh to where my legs met the center of my body. His wet thumb stroked the ridges and folds of my most secret space, encouraging it to invite him in. Calish kissed my neck, and I tensed up. “Relax, my love. It’s just us. You and me, no one else.” He continued to kiss me.
I tried to forget about the extra man in the room, and Calish’s thumb made it slightly easier to ignore him. With a small amount of force, it left my delicate folds and plunged into the depths of my womanhood.
I gasped at his intrusion, and my lover helped me receive it. “It’s just me,” he whispered. He pulled his hand back, not too far, only to repeat his exploration of my most intimate space once again with new sensation. “Do you remember the night under the trees?” He teased more moisture from my body. I nodded sheepishly. “The rain on your body?”
I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of raindrops falling on my face. Between the feelings he aroused in me, and the memory of our last time together, I felt myself slipping away from the study and closer to Calish. I breathed with less attention to my movements, less fear of how it might sound. Leaning back slightly, I opened more of myself to his touch and, with the added distance between us, found kindness in his eyes. Most importantly, I found his kiss. Suppressing my urge to push him away and hide, I submitted to the task before us.
When the time was right, he repositioned his hand, using his fingers rather than his thumb. The change in diameter forced me to stop kissing him. My breathing became more efficient as he prepared me for intercourse. I reached up and held onto him behind his neck so he no longer had to support me.
I focused my sights on his eyes so intently everything else in my periphery faded to black. My free hand followed his arm from his shoulder down to the place where his hand pleasured me. As much as I enjoyed touching the back of his hand and feeling the rhythm of its motion from the outside of my body, I let it go. I wanted him to feel the same gratification he gave me. My hand knew well where to go to bring him such pleasure.
At my first touch, he closed his eyes. When I grabbed him firmly, he opened them up and found my mouth with his. Satisfied with its preparation, I let go of him and rolled my pelvis, bracing myself on the table behind me. If this is what is required, let it be done. If generations of women could do this, so could I. The moment did not belong to Noran. It was not his to take; Calish had already made that clear. The final act to prove our marriage amounted to one more repulsive tradition to comply with. That’s all. I would find strength with the hope Calish would protect the unity of a husband and his bride.
I am ready.
I wanted to destroy everything Noran and Reinick had built.
Still, I had one thing to do first.
Calish removed his hand from inside me and replaced it with something far more satisfying. I tilted my head back, powerless to his invasion, and moaned in gratitude. He put his arm around my back, picked me up, still connected, and laid me properly on my back. With my hips hanging off the edge of the table, he held them in place with his own and bent over so that his chest was on top of mine. His thrusts came so powerfully, they moved the table back each time our bodies met. His hand found root in my hair, and he turned my face to the side to give the length of my neck to his mouth and tongue. I couldn’t control my sounds, and it caused him to lose control of his. I dug my nails into his back, thanking him for the pleasure his body brought mine.
A moment later, his movement stopped. Not because he had reached the fullness of satisfaction, but because he noticed a change in our environment.
“What is it?” I asked.
Calish pushed up, off the table. “Noran’s gone.”
I had to confirm it for myself. The chair he used sat empty as if no one had ever been there. “When did he leave?”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t paying attention to him.” He smirked as he removed himself from me.
“I guess we’re official,” I said, scooting into a seated position on the table.
He locked the door. “Not by my standards.”
“Lord Calish, you have standards?” I said innocently as he returned to me.
“Oh yeah,” he said as he lifted my shirt off. “Let’s see if you measure up,” he teased, putting my legs around his waist and picking me up off the table. He carried me to the couch and laid me down on the soft cushions. “Your first task, as my wife, is to bring me pleasure on every surface of this room.”
* * *
When our time came to an end, we lay sprawled out on the floor, thoroughly exhausted. I don’t know how long we lasted, but we’d been tangled up long enough for my hair to dry.
“Do you think the guests are still here?” I asked as I moved my head to rest on my husband’s chest.
Calish caressed my bare skin. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“No, actually.” I traced small circles on his torso with my fingertips. “I think this is an awful tradition.”
“Thanks?”
I smacked him lightly. “You know what I mean.”
“Hey,” he said, pulling me on top of him. “I’m proud of you.” He tucked my hair behind my ear to keep it off my face. “I hope you know I never wanted that for us.”
“Thank you for standing up to Noran.” I shuddered. “I cannot imagine that man touching me.”
“Me either.” He embraced me firmly. I felt his heartbeat and noted that it had returned to its normal speed. “Are you ready to go meet your new neighbors?”
“I just want to stay in this room with you.”
“This isn’t like before, Una. We get to do this again, and again, and again. We’re husband and wife, not brother and sister.”
Husband and wife. I couldn’t help but smile.
We got up off the floor, cleaned up, and redressed. I sensed by the music still playing that the festivities were underway, convinced at least some of them would have gone home by now.
Calish opened the door to a hallway full of people. “They’ve returned!” someone shouted, and a thunderous applause shook the walls of the massive home.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about everyone knowing that I’d just shared myself with a man, but then again, I couldn’t do anything about it. I ended up holding his hand and blushing a lot.
“She’s so happy,” a guest cheered.
“I know I wasn’t glowing like that on my wedding day.”
“What did you two do? She’s not even crying.”
I just smiled and shrugged, unsure of how to respond. My husband acted like a complete gentleman, not giving away a single hint as to any of our most treasured secrets.
Eventually, we were led back up to the balcony, e
ach with a glass of wine in our hands.
“Honored guests,” Noran got their attention, “may I present to you Lord and Mrs. Calish Bartold. May the gods be with you always.”
Calish put the servant’s ring on my finger and kissed me as encouraged by the other Authority Senior Officers and their wives. He personally thanked Noran and waved to a few friends of his. “Thank you all for being part of this very special moment in our lives. While I anticipated spending the evening with all of you,” he picked me up off my feet, and I gave a little scream, “I’m sure you would all agree I have pressing matters to attend to.”
The room laughed at his joke, and he kissed me once more to satisfy their need to see our affection for each other. As he carried me off to the master suite, I happily waved goodnight to the guests below.
Chapter 33
Still dark, the house was quiet except for my husband’s slumbered breathing. My husband. I turned over slowly to face him. I only wanted to watch him and to make up for all the time I’d missed his face. I feared my eyes might cause him to stir, but his days with the Authority ensured his exhaustion at the end of it. Today was no different, despite its happy ending.
I adjusted my head on my pillow and let my mind wander. It didn’t matter that I wanted to go back to sleep; evidently, that was not my choice. Nevertheless, I was glad the nightmare that woke me was over. I would have thought that my dreams would be pleasant, given where I was. Perhaps they would have been if Reinick and Noran weren’t at the center of all that had happened.
No doubt they would have found out about my true connection to the family at some point. After all, Calish would never have been able to marry his biological sister and be respected for it. Citizens were all too interested in character-staining gossip to pardon him for it. No matter if they were destitute or wealthy, they loved a torrid story. If they didn’t have one to share, they’d alter one, if not make one up completely. I’d dug through enough rubbish piles to see articles in newsprint, not to mention all the conversations I overheard that people assumed to be private. No one thought we were paying attention since we were Scavengers, when it had been the Citizens who weren’t paying attention.
Season of Hytalia Page 39
