I chuckled. “This is the first time that anything like this has happened. It’s a very rare thing and most of the time I’m treated very kindly when I’m out. I’m sorry this happened on your first day here.”
She just shrugged and we continued our trip toward Anne’s estate. I had no desire to actually go in, but looking at it from the gate would give me an idea of how well Anne had done for herself. As we walked, a very handsome young man and a very pretty girl were allowed past Noam. The girl came to my side and shyly took my hand, while the man of seventeen or eighteen offered his hand to Celina.
Celina looked at me, blushed profusely and took his hand. “You were right, Seth. The people here are friendly and they are an attractive lot, too!”
I looked behind us and saw that we had a very large crowd still behind us. I told one of the men from my mature followers, “I don’t mind if we have some people follow us, but this is too many. If they don’t have jobs or family, they could be planting. The planting season is still upon us, and the city could benefit from a good harvest this fall. I’m sure that I saw a lot of unused land when I arrived.” I leaned close and whispered, “I surely don’t mind having the pretty young ladies around. We wouldn’t want to work them too hard, in the field, anyway.”
The man smiled knowingly, went to the others in the close group and then all twelve spread through the following crowd. Celina and I arrived at the gates of the western estate. I explained how Anne had been given the house, land and title. Celina looked a bit jealously at the house, but was too caught up in chatting with the young man holding her hand to care too much.
I looked at the young lady holding my hand. “It’s getting close to noon; would you care to join me for a bite to eat? Maybe you know an inn or pub that has good food.”
She smiled sweetly and nodded, then began leading the way toward town. I don’t know if Celina noticed that we’d left Anne’s place. She was walking on automatic and chatting away. I could relate to her behavior, because she was in the same boat I’d been in not that long ago. Because of our size, members of the opposite sex rarely gave us a second glance. When we did get that glance, it was because our age and position had been explained. I’d learned if someone wants to be with you for what you are and not who you are, you should kick them to the ditch.
The girl walking with me showed us to an inn for lunch. People cleared our path quickly, while bowing. We were shown to a table and food was quickly served. After we ate, we sat and had drinks while Celina and I chatted about the latest in Eredwynn. My young lady’s hand, high on my inner thigh, made the conversation more difficult. I managed to keep up with what was going on and returned the favor, placing my hand on her thigh. She removed her hand from my leg and took my hand in hers. I assumed that I’d moved too fast for her liking. That was until I noticed that her free hand was discreetly pulling up her dress. She spread her legs slightly and moved my hand up until it was pressed against her warm dampness.
She leaned over and whispered, “You’re the first man to touch me there, Your Honor. I’m yours if you want me, because you should get something for all you do.”
I smiled at her and whispered back, “Thank you for your loving offer. I very well may take you up on it. Perhaps I’ll find you when my sister and I aren’t visiting.”
She blushed and smiled happily and we got ready to go. I tossed a gold coin to the innkeeper, who smiled and bowed. When we were outside, I had Noam direct us to a smith. I asked the smithy if he would make a dozen daggers and sheaths for me. I then went to the jeweler’s and asked him to pick up the daggers as they were finished. I wanted the sheath and handle to be ornate, with a star made from lightning bolts. I didn’t have a level five wizard’s school patch to show him, but I was sure I explained it well enough. I told both the smithy and jeweler that I’d pay them when I came back through to pick them up. They were both happy with that arrangement and even happier to see me up and about.
The day was moving into late afternoon by the time we returned home. The crowds had thinned considerably and I hoped they were doing something productive. While having those people gather outside my home made me feel loved, it didn’t really accomplish anything worthwhile. At the gate, the young lady kissed me gently and asked me to remember her and her offer. I watched the young man take a knee and offer to kiss Celina good afternoon. I fought laughter as she blushingly accepted what could have very well been her first kiss.
Noam, Cel and I returned to the house happy but tired. I told Celina, “I know it’s not even dark yet, but I’m just barely recovering. I’m very tired and think that I’ll call it a day. Make yourself at home and do whatever you’d like, but stay inside the fence. I didn’t know there were people out there that would try to hurt us, but we learned that today. I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
She hugged me. “Part of my reason for being here is so you can rest. I’m sure that Emory, Evette, or the staff will be able to help if I need anything. Sleep well, big brother.”
Sleep wouldn’t come, regardless of what I did. The offer from that beautiful young lady kept running through my mind. I knew that she hadn’t been accepted by my wife as a consort or concubine and that could be trouble. If I took her up on it and Tabitha learned of it, I could be shunned, according to consort vows. I didn’t know if it was the same here or not. I loved Tabitha and didn’t want to find out.
Shortly after dark, my tossing and turning got the best of me. I was going to find a lady to help me relax my overheated mind and body. I thought about going to Omedo or a large city north of there called Ferro and finding a friendly working girl when a better plan came to me. I got up and threw on a robe, went to the door and opened it a bit. Noam was still outside and I asked him if he knew where the young lady Diana slept.
“Of course I do, sir. I’ve made it my business to keep track of everyone in the household. It just seemed safer that way.”
“Would you go to her room for me and let her know I really want to… see her very badly? After that you should call it a day and get some rest yourself. We weren’t out for long, but we had quite an eventful day!”
“About that, I’m really sorry that…”
I interrupted. “Celina and I have both been trained to watch for things like that. Neither of us saw it coming and you shouldn’t blame yourself. We’ll all just learn from it and be more careful in the future.”
Noam nodded with a reassured smile. “Thank you, sir. I’ll take your message to the young lady and see you in the morning.”
I nodded and he swiftly moved toward the stairs. I returned to my bed and sat on the side. I knew what I wanted and it bothered me a bit. It didn’t exactly sync up with what I’d seen all my life between my father and my aunts. I didn’t love Diana, but I did think she was attractive. I loved what she would be able to do for me when she arrived. Maybe that was close enough. And since she wanted to be with me and had talked to Tabitha, I was living within the consort boundaries. At least I wasn’t taking a working girl or a girl who had propositioned me on the street.
There was a soft knock on the door and Diana walked through. She was dressed in her nightgown with a hastily tied robe wrapped around her. “Noam said you wanted ta see me, Seth?”
“Are you asking if Noam was right? Yes, I do want to see you. I have a couple questions and then I hope to see a lot of you. Why don’t you sit by me?”
She blushed, walked to the bed and sat down beside me. “What questions did you have ta ask me?”
“Both questions are very personal and I hope you’re comfortable enough to answer them. The first one is so I’ll know what to do if the second is what I hope to hear.” I chuckled. “Confused enough yet?”
“I’m sorry, but yeah. I’m not sure what you’re asking.”
“Are you a virgin, Diana?”
She shook her head. “No, there was this…”
I stopped her. “Your past can stay in the past, as far as I’m concerned. Now my second question
is, will you share my bed tonight? I could really use some warm affection.”
She smiled. “I was beginning to wonder if you wanted me. Of course I’ll share your bed.”
I waved a hand, dimming the lights and watched as she draped her robe and gown over the foot of the bed. I floated us both onto the bed, amid a flurry of giggles, and situated myself on top of her. I tried to make sure she was ready for me, but I’m not sure I succeeded. She was damp but still clenching nervously when I positioned myself. It was either fear or anticipation in her eye, but my lust told me the latter. I thrust into her forcefully, bringing a cry from her throat. She adjusted rapidly and had to bury her face in a pillow to avoid waking the house as orgasms caused her to twitch and spasm. Finally, I put my face between her breasts to muffle myself and then rolled to the side.
I kissed her gently, then put an arm over her while cuddling against her. I listened as her breathing slowed and took the normal rhythm of sleep.
The next morning I woke early as usual. Diana was sleeping soundly and she looked very sexy. I kissed her neck gently and she smiled as she woke. She moved a bit and flinched. I ran my hand between her breasts and started a trek downward.
She took my hand. “I’m quite sore from last night. I know what you want to do, but can we wait until at least this evening?”
I ran healing energy through her and she sighed. “That’s so much better. Thank you, Seth.” I got out of bed and she looked confused. “I can make love to you now, if you’d like. I feel perfectly fine since you healed me.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Maybe this evening we can, if you want. It’s been days that I’ve been forced to neglect my duties. I need to go check on the people.”
I dressed and went out the door. Noam greeted me with the usual nod and I saw that he had a sword belted around his waist. We left the house and I looked at the people on the other side of the fence. Though it was early, there were quite a few assembled. I scanned the crowd, looking for my mature people, and located them easily. All twelve were there and dressed in bright yellow robes. They had hoods, but they weren’t pulled up, so I could see their faces. Behind them were two other groups with about ten people each that wore either light or dark blue robes. I had no idea who they were, but I could find out by asking someone in yellow.
My friends bowed as I walked down the stairs and to the gate. Noam led the way to the street with his hand on his sword. The incident from the day before had upset him and he was determined to avoid a repeat. I approached my assistants in yellow and they bowed.
I greeted them, “I love you all.”
They responded in rote, “And we also love you!”
“The yellow does stand out and I had no problem spotting you. Thank you for that. Who are the people in the blue?”
A man in yellow stepped forward without a discussion with the group. It made me think that he’d been chosen as the spokesperson. “Good morning, Your Honor; the men and women dressed in the darker blue have proclaimed their love and are willing to do whatever you want or need them to do. They can help with your healing by getting people organized and quiet. We’ve heard rumors that being with a young lady can help you regain your magic. We’d hate to have you sick again like before. All the girls in the light blue robes have declared their willingness to do anything you’d like to assist you in that matter.”
I smiled and fought off a grin. The man had told me that my women problems truly were no more. I wished that I could tell all the trainees who wouldn’t have anything to do with me how much I was wanted now.
I gestured to the spokesman to lean close. “I’d like it if you’d interview the young ladies for me. I’d like to know who is a virgin. Taking a girl’s flower is very exciting to me and does raise my spirits a lot. I just don’t think it should be taken lightly. Perhaps I’d ask a virgin to lay with me if I got close to becoming ill, but the other girls would help nicely in a normal situation. Now I think I’ll visit my people.”
The man nodded and went to the group in yellow. I saw them talk for a moment and a boy left from the crowd and took off at a run.
I told Noam we were going to talk to the people and he went on alert. I stepped to the front of the gate where I could see the people lining the far side of the street. “Good people, it is wonderful to see you this morning. I know some have come out of love and some are here because they are ill. I’ve recovered from my illness and am ready to help. If you are ill and need my help, please move to the fence. If you’re not able to move, just raise your hand and some of these loving people will assist you.”
A line formed beside the fence and a couple men were assisted across the road. I started working outside of the fence and without city guard protection. I felt much freer than I had inside the fence. I sent healing magic through the people, one after another. I came to one of the men who had been helped across the street. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with you, my good man?”
“My legs is busted up, sir. I heard stories ‘bout ya that said that you could help ‘um heal better. I ain’t got money or nothin’.”
“If I could heal you, then you could be a happier, loving man. If you’d share your love with everyone and tell people that you’re happier because of the help you got from us, that would be all the pay I’d want.”
“Yeah, I promise that I’ll do that if ya can help me.”
I checked my magic and found it was fine. I glanced at the group in yellow and a leather strap for the man to bite on quickly appeared. I handed it to the man. “This will hurt a quite a lot, but it will be worth it in the end. Bite on the strap and it may help a bit.”
I hated healing broken bones because of the noise it made. The jumping, twitching and moaning of the one being healed only added to my discomfort. When the magic stopped flowing, I checked myself and was happily surprised. It didn’t take nearly the magic that I’d thought it would to heal the man. Perhaps my healing skill was getting stronger and called for less magic. I continued down the line and healed everyone on the fence.
I turned and looked back. “Did I miss anyone? I wouldn’t want someone to think that I didn’t love them because I accidently missed them.”
The yellow robes quickly scattered through the crowd and then returned to a position close by. The spokesman stepped forward. “My Lord, everyone that was sick or injured has been healed. If you’d like to rest, the people that remain outside the fence would be silent.”
“Thank you, good sir, but I was wondering. I mentioned that I’d seen unused fields. Some people acted as though they were going to take my suggestion and plant crops. If anyone actually did do something, I’d like to visit them.”
The yellow robes took the lead and led us south through the city. On the outside of Krose, there were huge grasslands for miles. We followed the road a quarter mile and there were fresh wagon tracks in the grass to the east. Another quarter of a mile, and we came to a brand new construction site and an enormous field being plowed by at least a dozen men.
I walked up to the spokesman. “This is a lovely field and should help to feed quite a few. What is the new building going to be? Are they building a barn?”
“No, My Lord, they are building living quarters. Some of the people, and forgive me for saying this, think you have an agenda. They think that you’re helping people in order to gain something for yourself. Those of us who have been close from the beginning know you’re helping us because you love us. To get away from the unbelievers, many of us are moving to this new area near your farm.”
“I’m very sorry that people have been bothering you and are running you out of your homes. If there is anything that I can do to help, you should let me know.”
“You do more than your fair share already, good sir. But if something were to come up that your powerful magic could help with, I’ll be sure to call. After your healing today, are you feeling weakened? I fixed our mistake with the young ladies so you can tell who is who.”
I looked back at th
e people that had followed us out of town and saw what he meant. The men and women in dark blue were there and behind them were six girls in light blue. Standing a short distance from there were four young ladies in white robes. I assumed that I knew what that stood for. I turned back to the man. “Thank you very much. Now I can easily avoid a situation I wouldn’t like to be in. All the others who were at the fence but weren’t in robes, who are they?”
“Those people are considering joining our loving group but haven’t quite committed. I’m sure that a lot of them will, after seeing you in action today.”
“That’s very good. I hope that people don’t waste a lot of time sitting on my road when they could be assisting out here. If I need someone and my magic isn’t low, I can get them myself. For example…” I focused on a very petite girl in a light blue robe and ported her right in front of me. She was just barely taller than me and it made it easy for me to kiss her firmly on the lips. She looked startled and then ecstatic. I turned back to my friend. “You see what I mean? And I can bring someone from anywhere I’ve ever been, and I was born eight thousand miles away.”
He looked amazed and nodded. “I do see what you mean. Many people have been staying in front of your house so they would be available if you needed them. With the power you just showed, I know they don’t have to be there and can help with other tasks. Is there anything else you’d like to see?”
“I believe that I’ve seen enough to be impressed. I’ll leave it in the obviously capable hands of the yellow robes to handle any problems with love. My friends should know that some people on the outside won’t understand us and our loving nature. We need to be careful that our friends aren’t lied to and taken from us. I believe I’ll be heading back to the house now.”
He bowed and I turned toward home. The girl I’d ported whispered in my ear, “Are we going to stop at an inn along the way or will you take me at the house? I’m looking forward to pleasing you in any way you desire. You saved my father and this is the least I can do.”
Seth, A Naiad's Son (Generations of Eredwynn Book 3) Page 11