Doira'Liim (The Beautiful Whisper of the Goddess Saga)

by Orr, Krystal

  Strange, she thought. Deciding that she had intruded on the other woman's time long enough, she stood up and was about to walk back to their camp when a voice called to her.

  "How long do you plan to remain in the cold, Tah-li?" Spinning back around, Talliea saw that Arzira was now facing in her direction in the water. Her chest was partially covered and the water licked at her skin.

  "I...uh...I was not. I mean, I came to...t-to find you," Talliea stuttered, shocked at having been caught. Arizira smiled and squirted some water between her palms. The spray shot high into the air before splashing back into the spring. "You have found me," she said in a deadpan voice.

  Blushing furiously, Talliea wrinkled her skirts in one hand while the other squeezed the handle of the dagger. "You should come down and join me. I have soap and can clean your wounds for you," Arizira called.

  Talliea felt conflicting emotions war inside her. Her dreams from the last few nights had made her more aware of certain...feelings? she had toward Arizira. The steady pulsating between her legs was enough to remind her of the heated and vivid images she'd experienced. She found herself wanting to discuss the dream with Arizira, but the thought that the other woman would view her differently, or feel awkward around her, was too much of a gamble.

  On the other hand, she was still slightly apprehensive about being touched. The dohethra had worked wonders for her pain, and Arizira's skilled touch had eased much of her body's tension, but there was still the lurking sense of dread that seemed always present when there was the possibility of another person placing their hands on her.

  Could she expose herself to Arizira again? Especially after her erotic dreams?

  "Tah-li, the water is warm and we have a long day's walk ahead of us. You would do well to allow your body this pleasure while it is available." Talliea blushed a deeper shade of red. Pleasure. She laughed to herself. Arizira had no idea.

  Shaking her flustered thoughts from her mind, she smiled to Arizira and steadily made her way down to the edge of the spring. Arizira's intense eyes followed her every movement and the way they glowed softly set her heart to racing. She stopped and felt uneasiness well up inside her. Communal bathing was nothing new to her. All of her life, she had bathed with the other women of her clan. Many times, when she had been younger, the baths had been some of her favorite moments. The women had laughed and spoken to each other and played games in the water. Life had been much more simple back then and she had not carried the worries she currently did.

  Bathing with Arizira, however, was something entirely new to Talliea. Given the way her body reacted to the other woman, she was surprised at her own nervousness when it came to the idea of being naked. She was being silly. She had seen naked women before and she was sure, given the fact that Arnira were all female, that Arizira had seen the same.

  "Come, Tah-li, the day wears on and we have much to do, but I would enjoy hearing your story since I have been away," Arizira spoke up. She held her hand out to Talliea and smiled encouragingly. Fidgeting a moment, Talliea finally said, "T-turn around."

  Arizira cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. A lost expression crossed her face before understanding dawned on her. Talliea was nervous about her body. Did Esu women not bathe together like Arnira did? The thought had not even crossed her mind. Even though her attraction to Talliea was ever present, the idea of the two of them bathing together had never once come across to her as anything other than what it was.

  Was Talliea afraid to be naked around her or was it just a general sense of uncertainty? Arnira bathed together often. The act was a further way to bond with individual members of the tribe and the simple task of washing each other's body and hair was seen as a gesture of respect. Talliea's reaction stopped her.

  "I will leave, Tah-li, if I make you uncomfortable. You may have the spring to yourself. I shall return and prepare our supplies so that we may depart once you are finished." Arizira began swimming closer to the edge of the spring, but Talliea's voice stopped her. "No. Please do not go. I am still...I-I still find myself wary when it comes to my body. Please understand. It is not you."

  Arizira took in the words and let her arms tread the water. Her eyes looked up and stared into Talliea's for several long moments. Again, she found herself curious as to what had actually happened to Talliea. Her suspicious and cautious nature when it came to herself was something Arizira had a hard time understanding. Finally, she nodded and turned away from the Esu woman before swimming into the center of the pool.

  Talliea swallowed her anxiety and breathed out her relief. With Arizira's back to her, she quickly stripped herself of her clothing and stepped into the warmth of the spring. Slowly, she lowered her body into the heated water and allowed herself time to adjust. As the times before, the spring felt amazing and her mind's worries began to fade away. Arizira remained with her back facing her and her head floated back against the water. Talliea noticed her eyes were closed and the sun seemed to cast her in a halo of gold. Wading through the water, she came up behind Arizira and tapped her shoulder.

  When blue eyes whipped around to meet her, Talliea smiled and splashed water into her face hoping to ease the situation. Arizira squealed and shook her head. Water bubbled around the two women as they each took turns splashing the other. Laughter and high-pitched cries of excitement sounded high up above them and resounded off the standing guards of rock that shadowed the spring. For a moment, neither woman thought of their heart's conflicts. They did not think of their peoples or their troubles.

  They laughed. They enjoyed one another.

  Water continually bubbled around them and sprayed into their eyes. Hands moved and connected with the water in the hope of outdoing the other. Finally, Arizira turned her face to the side and cried out, "You win, you win! I surrender!"

  Talliea splashed her one more time and the two of them smiled at one another as they tried to catch their breath. Arizira, turning back to face Talliea, was struck with how flawlessly beautiful her smile was. She had not been witness to it often and never in so open a display as she was looking upon now. The beauty of the other woman stilled her heart for a moment and she found that she could do nothing but stare.

  Talliea, cheeks sore from laughing so fully, shook her head and held Arizira's gaze. The sounds of their hands lapping the water was all that could be heard. She was mesmerized with how stunningly perfect Arizira was. Her laughter and her smile and the simple way they had played in the water were things she was not used to. They made her happy.

  Arizira made her happy.

  "You have a beautiful smile, Tah-li. I would desire to see it more often." Talliea blushed and ducked her eyes. She felt her heart constrict and a warm feeling spread throughout her limbs.

  After another moment, Arizira swam a short distance to one of the flat stones above the water. She grabbed her soap from atop it and swam back to Talliea. "Among my people, Tah-li, it is considered a great sense of honor and respect to bathe a close friend and wash her hair."

  Talliea quirked an eyebrow and looked from the bar of soap to Arizira. "Is that what we are?" she asked, the status of their relationship having never been defined. Cocking her head to the side again, Arizira nodded, "Yes, Tah-li, for I would like to think so."

  Talliea smiled and bit her lip. "I have never had a true friend," she admitted. Arizira swam closer to her and studied her face a moment. "Now, you do. We are friends. As your friend, allow me this honor. Please."

  Swallowing again, Talliea turned around and let her arms come up to rest on one of the stones breaking the water's surface. Arizira had never, in her short time of knowing her, done anything to harm her, disrespect her, or bring about pain. Always, she had brought her relief and happiness and, without her knowing it, pleasure. She trusted Arizira like she trusted no other.

  Whatever else she felt, she knew that trust was foremost in her thoughts. Arizira came up behind her and brushed her hair away from her shoulders. The touch, though simple, was
electrifying. She inhaled against her will and bit her lip.

  "You are still in pain?" Talliea released the air in her lungs and smirked to herself. Arizira's innocent question amused her. The other woman was oblivious to her current state. "In a manner of speaking," she replied.

  Fingers as before moved across the skin of her back. She knew Arizira was only seeking to gauge the progress of her healing, but the feeling of her hands against her skin was incredibly distracting.

  "I will wash your back now, yes, Tah-li?"

  Talliea swallowed and nodded over her shoulder. Arizira was extremely close to her. She could feel her soft breaths against the back of her exposed neck and a part of her wished that Arizira would close the distance between them and press her front to her skin. She wondered how it would feel and noticed herself becoming flustered.

  The soft press of the soap against her back glided across her wet skin. Arizira scrubbed gently and in small circles. Occasionally her nails would lightly scrape against her shoulder blades only to be smoothed a moment later by tender fingers. Arizira ensured she cleaned her wounds efficiently and thoroughly. She passed the soap across the top of Talliea's back and down along the center of her spine.

  Her touch, like always, was not threatening or demanding. It soothed Talliea. "Your wounds are beginning to heal. The color red is no longer as angry across your back and the bruising is not as severe." Talliea, eyes closed and head resting on her hands, only hummed her acknowledgment. When Arizira had completely washed her back, she sighed and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Their eyes met and they smiled softly at one another.

  "Now for your hair, Tah-li." Talliea paused, her previous anxiety flaring to life once more. Arizira seemed to pick up on her caution, her hesitance in exposing anymore of her body, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Turn around slowly, Tah-li. My eyes shall remain on yours. Try to keep your body beneath the veil of the water."

  Doing as she had been instructed, Talliea turned around until she was facing Arizira. The other woman brought her left hand up to the underside of her chin while the other rested at the base of her head and neck. "I shall dip your head back into the water. Do not be afraid, Tah-li. Our eyes shall remain on the other and I will not let you slip."

  Talliea smiled and nodded as best she could in her position. Arizira guided her head back until she felt the warmth of the water engulf her hair. The hand that had been on her neck moved and smoothed over the top of her head, ensuring all of her hair was wet. All the while, Arizira kept her eyes on hers and never wavered. The feeling of Arizira's fingers gliding through her hair was an intoxicating sensation to Talliea.

  Finally, her hair was fully wet and Arizira easily brought her head back up. Water slid down her back and hung to her earlobes. "Good, Tah-li," Arizira said smiling.

  Grabbing the soap, the Arniran woman went about lathering it into Talliea's dark and thick hair. Once she felt that she had adequately applied the soap, she began to easily scrub Talliea's scalp and work the soap into a thicker lather. She trailed her fingers lightly through dark hair and smiled when she saw that the other woman enjoying her touch.

  As she was lathering more of the soap into Talliea's hair, the Esu woman suddenly spoke up. "Ari?"

  "Hm?"

  "When do we begin my training?" Arizira paused in her task before replying "We have already begun." Talliea wrinkled her brow in confusion. "We are bathing. When do you teach me your skills?"

  Looking into brown eyes, Arizira scrubbed Talliea's hair vigorously and smirked. "I am teaching you my skills, Tah-li. There is more for you to learn than how to grasp a bow." Talliea sighed and asked sarcastically, "Like washing hair?"

  "Yes, like washing hair. You must learn to see the forest as I do, Tah-li. The Esu think of themselves as separate from the world. They make themselves the masters of all by self appointment. This is not our way." As before, Arizira placed her hands on Talliea's neck and the back of her head and slowly began to rinse her hair.

  "You must first learn what it means to be as one with everything around you. The forest, the animals, the plants and the insects are not here for your benefit alone. They are not your lessers, Tah-li. They are your sisters, your equals. What you take, you must also be willing to return."

  Once Talliea's hair was rinsed and free of soap, Arizira went about washing her neck and her shoulders. "I will teach you my customs, Tah-li. It is important to know when to loose an arrow and when not to. Before I can begin to teach you how to wield weapons, I must first teach you how to track and how to survive. You will learn how to find shelter and how to secure food."

  Talliea frowned as Arizira asked her to raise her arms so she could clean them as well. She had not thought learning to use a weapon would be such a long and involved process. Granted, everything Arizira was saying would likely be useful information to have, but she had been under the impression she would learn how to defend herself before anything else.

  The thought of Lao'dahn trying to hurt her again sent icy panic pumping through her veins. Knowing how to track and find shelter would do her little good if the man came upon her. Arizira was hoping to teach her a different set of values and beliefs and though she was grateful for those things, she was also slightly impatient to learn how to defend herself.

  Arizira cupped water into her hands and rinsed the soap from her body. Her gifted and agile hands continued to set Talliea's body aflame. "We must find a more suitable shelter before all else, Tah-li."

  "Why can we not remain where we are? You said you had stayed there in the rain and snow before." Smiling, Arizira placed the soap on the stone behind her and slowly began swimming around the spring. "In light snows and gentle rains, yes. The first snow of the season shall be heavy and without remorse. Our shelter would be filled with a white death should we remain."

  Talliea let the news of their imminent departure settle in her mind. She was going to be moving even farther away from her people? A part of her rejoiced at the idea of greater distance being between herself and Lao'dahn, while the other part of her felt grief stricken. Her whole life had been defined by her clan. Not all of the people back in her camp were ill-hearted. Several of them were honest people seeking a place in the world and a stable environment to raise their children. They had traveled from the Southlands all the way to the Northlands.

  Her mother, though she rarely saw eye to eye with the woman, had ever been her sense of home. Wherever the woman was, so too was Talliea. She had clung to her mother out of desperation. As long as she did the woman's chores and bidding, she was safe from having to join with Markahn and do his. That arrangement would not have lasted forever, she knew, but it proved her value to the clan and marked her temporary place within it.

  What did it matter now? In a few months time not even her misplaced loyalty to her mother would save her from having to join with Markahn. No longer could she hide behind her parents. She'd be forced to either join with Markahn and keep his house, or be banished from the clan and learn to fend for herself.

  She shuddered. Once banished, what was to stop Lao'dahn from finding her and forcing himself upon her? The memory of his erection and the way he had moved it so close to her face made her stomach fill with a sickening dread.

  Exhaling slowly, she tried to bring herself back to the present. Those thoughts were unimportant. She was with Arizira now. The Arniran woman was taking her away from her troubles and her sorrows. She was looking after her and was going to teach her about the world. Lao'dahn and her mother did not matter anymore. She could grieve for the loss of everything she'd known or she could embrace the chance Arizira was providing.

  She chose Arizira.

  "Okay, so shelter first. Have you some place in mind?" she asked, attempting to move her mind away from the chaotic thoughts within. Arizira studied her but chose not to question her behavior or the look of panic that had crossed over her eyes. It was obvious to her Talliea had just been deep in her thoughts.

  "A few, Ta
h-li, but I would appreciate your input as well. This is where your lessons begin. Once we have taken a secure location, we will look to gathering enough food stores for the winter. I also would like you to have more suitable clothing."

  Talliea watched Arizira swimming easily in the water around her and followed her movements with her eyes. The sun was ever climbing in the sky and she knew the day had not yet begun for them. "I have not any other clothing, Ahmanae, nor am I in possession of any suitable materials to make any other."

  Arizira smiled at her before circling back around and grabbing the soap from the stone it set upon. Talliea watched her swim to the far side of the spring where a second leather pack was lying on another stone. "We shall look for shelter today, Tah-li, be it permanent or otherwise. After we have eaten, we shall set out to amend your attire. I have brought with me a few hides that can line your blouse and shoes. Pants would suit you far better than your skirts, but for them we shall have to hunt an animal of your choice," Arizira said as she placed the soap into a carved wooden box.

  "Pants are for men," Talliea called to her.

  "So say the Esu."

  Sighing, Talliea could not help but smile to herself. She wanted desperately to shed herself of her people's influence, but she was finding that harder to do than she had first anticipated. Certain reactions came forth without her meaning them to, as also learned phrases spilled from her lips with little effort. She felt like a hypocrite.

  Here Arizira was trying to show her the world as she viewed it and she could do little else but question her methods and spout Esu rules, laws, and beliefs. She watched Arizira put the box of soap into the pack and tie the end. The Arniran woman gracefully pulled herself from the water and onto the shore. Water fell down her naked body and Talliea found her eyes traveling over long and toned legs before she could stop herself.