Ized- the Ancestors

by Esther Barvar

  Befen nodded. »Take your time. I’ll stay here and take care of her.«

  So Adar hurried into town. When he returned, he had bought several clothes, trousers, skirts, and tunics for her. He had also thought of boots, a warm winter cape and underwear.

  After a few more days, Lord Sors declared her wounds healed to such an extent that she could also go to the public bath. That same evening, Adar asked Maioshan if she would like to go into the warm water of the bathhouse.

  She seemed interested. »What is this, a bathhouse?« she asked curiously.

  Surprised that she didn’t know anything like it, he was on fire to accompany her there. »If you don’t see a bathhouse yet, we’ll visit it today. It is a relaxing place. You can uniquely rest there,« he enthused, jumped up to get her one of the clothes.

  He helped her into the sitting position. Then he helped to dress her. He just let go of the underwear, as it seemed to him to be a hindrance to going to the bathroom.

  When she blushed again while changing clothes, he had to smile. He liked the shy and gentle nature of this woman. Then he put the winter cape over her shoulders and closed the clasp. But when she tried to stand up alone, he growled softly. »This is still too exhausting for you, Maioshan. I will carry you,« he offered her, friendly but determined.

  She blushed again, knocked down her eyelashes. Then she looked up. »You can’t carry me all the way!«

  Mockingly smiling, he growled again. »I can, and I will do it. I have held the path for you from the hunting lodge to Farsie. There the way to the bathhouse is a trifle. Please wait, because it’s freezing outside. I only put on winter clothes.«

  After he had slipped into his boots and put on his winter cape. As he left the building with her, she confidently put her head on his shoulder. He enjoyed her fragrance and the warm female body that pressed against him.

  Arriving at the bathhouse, he gently let her down on her feet. Just as carefully, he helped her undress and put on the cloth coat. She blushed again, looked around unsettled and shy. The habits of a bathhouse seemed entirely unknown to her. While he undressed, she leaned exhausted against the wall. As he pulled the cloth coat over his nudity, she looked shamefaced in another direction. He felt how uncomfortable the situation was for her, but didn’t understand why. Concerned, he approached her, gently grabbing her shoulders. »Shall we go again?« he asked caringly.

  But then she shook her head. So he lifted her again and carried her to the washroom. Here he helped her out of her cloth coat. After he also got rid of the coat, he helped her to step under the water jet.

  He soaped her very carefully. Only when she wore her cloth coat again and leaned against the wall did he clean himself. After they had both been cleaned, he carried them into the hall of the water basins. There, too, he helped her out of her coat. She embraced her upper body with her arms and retracted her head a little. Adar hung up her bathrobe and his next to it. Then he placed her at the edge of the pool so that her legs hung in the water. »Is this temperature pleasant to you, or do you like it cooler or warmer, Maioshan?« he asked. »The pools have different temperatures.« »It … it … it’s good as it is,« she stuttered with her eyelids lowered. She still held her upper body embraced with both arms.

  With one sentence, he was in the water, lifted her into it, and placed her in one of the seat niches. He sat down in the slot next to her, but watched her anxiously.

  All the time, she was silent, downright shy, holding her eyelids lowered.

  He had so far concentrated only on helping her and controlling his feelings. Being that close to her, feeling her skin under his fingers was both pleasure and torture for him. But now her behavior worried him. As tense as she was sitting in the sitting niche, it would not be relaxation for her as he had hoped. »It is unpleasant for you here? You have never been to a bathhouse before?« he wanted to know from her. »No, I’ve never been in one before,« she whispered with her head down.

  She was beautiful with the delicate red on her cheeks.

  »Is it an awful experience for you? Then I’ll find another way,« he offered her. »Or we can go early in the morning. In the morning, there is usually nobody here,« he explained.

  She fended off shyly and curiously at the same time. »It … it is only unusual for me. Men and women traditionally bathe together with you?« She seemed surprised, but now let her gaze wander through the bathroom.

  He also looked around. Some of the bathers had thrown them a glimpse, but in the meantime, nobody noticed her anymore. »Yes, of course. Men and women go to the bathroom together, talk, get to know each other, and love each other. Isn’t that the case with you?«

  »No, with us, the sexes go swimming separately,« she whispered. She looked around shyly again. Both the men and the women, who were moving in the bathroom here, seemed not to be afraid to show their naked bodies. They sat in the seating niches, just like Adar, or stood together in groups in the middle of the pool and chatted animatedly with each other. Since no one took any notice of her, the red on her cheeks slowly lost itself.

  »Try to relax a little. Lord Sors recommended a regular bath. He explained to me that the warm water would be suitable for your wounds. That and the ointment will all heal well, and the scars will not harden.« Adar looked again and again at the maltreated body. It was indeed a miracle that she alone had survived the amount of wounds. He had seen how deep some of them had been during the treatment of the cuts. What must she have experienced and endured? Knowing her alive made him happy. To realize her so close excited him.

  After a while, he noticed how her head sank against the edge of the pool while her eyes closed. He rose from his niche and approached her. »You are tired, Maioshan, would you like to go back?« he asked quietly. »It was certainly long enough for the first visit here.« She nodded and looked up at him. »Yes, please. I am exhausted.«

  He lifted her to the edge of the pool with a single movement of his arms. Quickly he was out of the water, first carefully hanging the cloth coat around her before he gets dressed. Then he carried her into the vestibule and helped with the dressing.

  As he carried her back to the rooms, her head sank onto his shoulder, and she fell asleep. He smiled as he carefully laid her down and covered her up. Adar smiled and felt perfect happiness near her.

  In the middle of the night, he was startled from the chair where he slept, because she screamed in panic and struggled. He quickly reached her, caught her arms, and took her in his arms. She reared up, screamed in fear, and waved back and forth.

  »Maioshan, Maioshan,« he called her. »Wake up, please, wake up! It is me, Adar. You are safe. Nothing will happen to you«.

  She awoke, stared at him distracted, and then began to cry, stammered hasty words in the foreign language.

  »Shhh, Maioshan, just bad dreams. You are safe with me. No one will harm you here. I will protect you with my life. I promise you.« Adar stroked her hair, lay down beside her. She pressed herself to him, crying.

  »Nobody will do anything to you here,« he whispered.

  She nodded, and he felt her slowly relaxing. She was still crying, but finally, she fell asleep again.

  What had she experienced that she had such terrible nightmares? When she had finally fallen asleep, he carefully wiped tears from her face with a corner of the blanket. He noticed her scent more and more intensively and came closer to her. Quietly it growled in him. Suddenly his lips touched hers. Frightened not to have controlled himself anymore, he flinched back. Adar closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Lust and anguish pervaded him. Carefully he withdrew from the bed and sat down in the armchair. There he pondered the rest of the night sleeplessly.

  The next day Adar told Befen about her nightmare, and he advised him not to harass her. If one day she would talk about it herself, then it was the right time to listen. Adar didn’t mention the short kiss.

  The nightmares were frequent, and Adar was there for her, holding her and calming her down. He never asked her about the
dreams, and gradually they faded.

  Day by day, Maioshan was getting better. Every day they went for walks together. At first, only a few minutes, but every day a little longer. In the beginning, he carried her home every time he noticed how her strength was weakening. That happened quite often because her body was recovering slowly. He showed her the whole neighborhood. The park, as well as the Place of Fire. Even the residences and the assembly hall and the king’s palace. Yes, little by little, he showed her the whole city.

  When they were together in his rooms in the evening, she lay in the bed and rested. He often read something to her. She showed great interest in the history of the country. Over time she even got used to the regular visits to the bathhouse and enjoyed them.

  Adar forced herself not to look at her too intensively during their stay in the bath. He demanded himself, not dare touch her more than was necessary. He feared that he would then no longer be able to control himself. It was terrific for him to know her in his rooms. Her scent intoxicated and calmed him at the same time. The urge to go afar had almost disappeared. Her presence was the only thing he needed. If it were up to him, it would stay that way forever.

  Slowly she was getting better. She no longer needed his constant presence. Therefore Adar started to follow his duty again. Maioshan was alone in his rooms for several hours a day. But the better she was, the more depressed he became. He had become accustomed to her presence and did not want anything to change the situation. But as soon as she was well enough to live alone, she would be offered guest quarters. It did not fit for an unmarried couple to live in the same quarters for an extended time. Adar almost expected to admonish words from Befen, but he held back. Before this happened and Lord Befen could offer her a room, something else happened. On a sunny, cold morning, a world collapsed for Adar.

  They sat at the table and had breakfast, as so often in recent weeks. Maioshan tenderly laid a hand on his, smiled gratefully, and explained: »Adar, I am better again thanks to your help. I don’t want to endanger anyone here in Ized, so I will soon return to my country. How can I thank you for your hospitality and care? You’ve always been there for me and done so much for me.«

  Adar flinched back and turned pale. He breathed heavily, and it hurt him that she thought of leaving him on her own. Now the time had come that he had feared so much. Despair crept up in him.

  She was not allowed to leave him!

  Hot, uncontrollable anger mixed with his despair. He grabbed her by the arm. He would force her to stop walking. But when he noticed how it hurt her, he let her go in shock. Nevertheless, his anger became dominant, and he felt he had to leave. He feared too much to hurt her in his rage.

  »What about you, Adar, why are you so pale? You are trembling,« she wanted to know from him. But Adar remained silent. Slowly and calmly, he rose. Only his trembling nostrils and the quietly angry growl that ran through the room showed how agitated he was. Then he turned, grabbed his cape, and threw it over himself.

  »Please, talk to me. Adar, please,« she called after him, shocked, but he ignored it.

  While he slipped into his boots, she rose in pain. Without another word, he left the room. The door slammed behind him.

  Maioshan hurried as fast as she could to the dresser and got her cape. Although spring had just arrived in the country and there had already been several warm days, it was still not possible without a cape. It was still much too cold for the season. Then she slipped into her boots. She hurried after him as fast as she could. When she finally arrived at the farm, she was utterly exhausted and gasped. Marked by the effort, she leaned against the wall of a building. From there, she could only see Adar chasing out of the gate on a horse.

  »Adar, what about you?« she whispered, and tears stood in her eyes.

  What about him? Why did he run away? Why didn’t he talk to her? And why his behavior did hurt her so much? His behavior hurt her! With both hands, she wiped the tears from her face.

  Lord Befen just walked in through the gate to the quarter. Shaking his head without understanding, he looked behind Adar. He had galloped past him without appreciating him. He was so fast in the narrow streets as if he were fleeing something. A servant on the road had only just been able to get to safety from the animal’s hooves. Befen would admonish him later and remind him to show consideration for the people of Farsie.

  »Lord Befen, Lord Befen!«

  The Administrator listened up, let his gaze wander across the courtyard, searching to see who called him. Then he discovered Maioshan, who seemed very weakened to him. He hurried over to her.

  »What is wrong with him? We sat at breakfast and talked. He suddenly became pale and hurried away. He’s never been like that.« Maioshan seemed to be worried.

  Befen discovered that she had been crying and still had tears running down her cheeks. She was also out of breath and staggering. Befen almost took the last steps towards her and put an arm around her, supporting her. »Maioshan, what about you? You are sweaty and completely exhausted. By the Waves, you’re trembling,« he noted worriedly.

  Befen also put the second arm around her and gave her support. She leaned against him. He felt the exhaustion in the tender body. »Did you argue?« he wanted to know from her, worried.

  She shook her head. »No, of course not. Adar is always polite and friendly. He is so caring. Why should we argue?« she asked exhaustedly. »I am so grateful to him.«

  »Polite? … Friendly? Are we talking here about Adar and you?« Befen was amazed, almost speechless. He had believed that Adar and Maioshan had become a couple in the meantime. But it didn’t sound like physical closeness, what he heard here, but after a long distance.

  Could it be that Adar had not yet revealed himself to this woman? Should the two have been living together in an apartment for weeks and have not become intimate yet? Was she supposed to live with him without him approaching her physically? It would look very similar to Adar, of course. But if that was the case, the young warrior suffered terribly. He was close to her and yet kept away from her. That did not correspond to the nature of a warrior whose character drove him to conquest. Befen was sure that his friend desired the woman and wanted to warm her bed. He had witnessed how worried he had been about her, how caring he had cared for her the whole time. He had to make sure.

  »Has there never been anything between you two? I mean, has he never warmed your bed, Maioshan?«

  Confused, she looked at him. »Yes, of course, he warms the bed for me. He often does it when I have nightmares, or when I am cold. Then he lies down with me. He takes me in his arms and warms and comforts me with his closeness. Otherwise, he always sleeps in an armchair next to me. He shames me because he offers me his bed and still sleeps so uncomfortably himself«.

  Befen shook his head unnerved. »I don’t mean that by warming the bed. Haven’t you ever been intimate with each other?« he asked directly.

  She stared at him in horror and shook her head in disbelief.

  Befen’s nostrils were bloated, and his eyes widened. »He has never kissed you before?«

  »How did you get the idea that we could be … intimate together?« she asked and turned red. Suddenly she became angry. Burning anger was written all over her face. »We are not married to each other!«

  Befen heard the resentment in her voice, and his mouth was open in amazement. After a few moments, he had regained his composure. »What happened? Did you say something that he could use as an occasion to rush through the streets like a wild boar?«

  »I only asked him how I could thank him for his hospitality and care. I feel better now, and I will have to return home soon because I don’t want to endanger anyone here.«

  Befen raised his eyebrows and grasped her hard on both upper arms so that she groaned painfully. »And then you wonder why the man reacts like that?« he attacked her.

  »What have I done wrong, Lord Befen? Please tell me at last.«

  Befen breathed deeply and shook his head reluctantly. He calmed down
again, loosened the hard grip. How would she know how he felt if this fool didn’t tell her? Quietly he pondered more than talking to her: »He didn’t tell you, did he? He was near you and endured the torment. No, Maioshan, you did nothing wrong, nothing at all. You do not know his condition. Please don’t misunderstand me now. But if you feel nothing for him, if you have no feelings for him, then it is better if you to leave today. Go immediately and never enter our land again. Do you want me to saddle a horse for you?« he asked directly.

  She pressed both hands in front of her chest, shook her head. »What’s the matter? Why do you say such a thing, why do you suggest it to me, Lord Befen?« Maioshan again came tears in her eyes, and she hid her face in her hands.

  Befen now gently put an arm around her shoulder and smiled. She felt something for Adar, felt attracted to him, so not everything was lost. »I can see it in your reaction. You feel something for him. But do you not know about his feelings?«

  Maioshan shook her head and stared at him unhappily. He still spoke in riddles. »Know what?«

  »So he never told you how much he loved you? That is once again typical for him. Maioshan, lady, he has loved you since the moment he saw you lying at the source. You were wounded, helpless, and there was hardly any life left in you. At that time, he burned in love. Since you still live with him, I thought you two were a couple in the meantime because here in Ized, the sexes only live together if they are also related. He never talked to you about his feelings?«

  »Never. He neither touched me immorally nor said anything that could indicate it. He was always courteous and polite, always anxious to make it as pleasant as possible for me. As I said before, he usually sleeps in an armchair. It would also be so entirely against the customs and traditions of my culture.«