The Shrinemaiden (The Maidens)

by Annie Eppa

  He praised her for her quick mind, which Adelai hoped was sincere enough without attempting to flatter, for he was the kind of man who did not give praise freely until it was deserved. Oftentimes she would challenge his authority on topics by drawing out her own meager knowledge, and many an hour would be spent arguing about dissertations and theories. She was surprised to find out that he was intelligent and capable in his own right, and wondered privately what made him take up the sword, when he could have been a sought after scholar. For all the faults she had thought him guilty of, he was an excellent teacher, and she learned many things from him she would never have had she relied solely on the temple’s library, vast as it was.

  She had been worried at first, fearful that the High Priestess would soon put an end to these afternoons, for she had long thought these encounters, innocent enough as they were, would be frowned upon. Most of Adelai’s sisters knew nothing about the captain, for they had mutually agreed to keep this secret, using the deepest part of the extensive gardens few people wandered through. Adelai had grown up wandering here, and knew which areas prevented eavesdroppers, where the sounds of people approaching would give them quick warning.

  The other novices wondered at her impatience for their classes to end so she could be out in the gardens where he was waiting. Strangely enough, the high priestess knew almost from the first day, but made no word of protest other than to call for the presence of a couple of matrons, who always sat some distance away to ensure respectability, and to ward off oblivious passers-by. The priestess herself would sometimes stop by and watch them from a distance, saying little. Terrified at first that she would be punish, the priestess’ silent approval made Adelai happy - and puzzled. She knew it should have worried her, or made her more suspicious than she was. But, selfishly, Adelai only felt grateful for everyday that the high priestess did not put a stop to these lessons.

  Perhaps the presence of the older women did make Adelai feel safer. Oftentimes the captain shot her slow, suggestive looks when he thought she didn’t see - looks (she was ashamed to admit) she wanted him to give her. As instructive as the captain was as a teacher, she was still very much aware of him as a man. There were lapses in the lessons where she would look up from the book she was poring through to find him studying her, with little expression on his face to convey what he was truly thinking - and yet there was a queer silent intensity in his gaze that always made her redden, hurriedly looking back down at her book though she knew her concentration for the rest of the day was broken.

  “You think fast on your feet.” They had had this particular arrangement for nearly four months, and Adelai was relaxed, happy, and almost used to his presence. She had brought a large bowl of fruit with her for the day’s lesson, in case either of them grew hungry. They had spent a pleasant afternoon talking about the philosopher Myronicus, and as always she glowed a little at the compliments he gave at her progress. The captain wore a small smile on his face, a rare enough feat. “For a shrinemaiden, that is.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” Adelai said, trying to hide her pleasure at his words, used to his teasing. Over the course of these months she had relaxed her guard more with him, and the witty banter they enjoyed with each other perhaps crossed the line between what should be proper. She had learned enough times in class that men prize wit just as much as beauty, and she had enough practice of the first with Captain Thornton. “You may only be a mere captain of the guard, but I’m glad I was able to satisfy you.”

  It was the wrong thing to say, certainly more forward than any she had ever uttered, and the words left her mouth before she realized the euphemism. Adelai clapped her hand to her cheek, blushing, heard him inhale sharply.

  “You have no idea how much I would like to satisfy you.” The captain’s voice was rough, husky. “Gods, Adelai. Sometimes I forget that you’re a….”

  “A shrinemaiden,” Adelai finished, trying desperately to salvage the situation, but only succeeding in digging herself in further. “Shrinemaidens are known throughout all the kingdoms for their seductive arts, after all.”

  “And yet in all this time you have never once shown me any indication.”

  Had he asked her of this months ago she would have blushed some more, stammered that he had no business asking this sort of thing. “Are you suggesting that I have been remiss in other parts of my education, Captain?” The matrons were nowhere in sight this afternoon. The surveillance on them both had lifted in the last few weeks, and they had spent the last several sessions undisturbed.

  He leaned forward, and Adelai nearly forgot what she was saying. In the past he had never done with action what his words implied in jest. He always kept a respectable distance between them, even when the matrons were nowhere in sight. But now his blue eyes looked back at her, and it was easy to get lost in that gaze, to see the unmistakable signs of desire there that he was keeping at bay. Adelai felt her heartbeat quickening. She had little opportunity to practice the seductive arts as her instructors have shown - most of the training in that area began after their bidding at auction, where the absence of a maidenhood enabled one to put more theories into practice before being sent out into the world. Suddenly, she felt bold, with this handsome man in front of her, looking at her like he desired here, and it was then she realized the queer power a woman could wield over a man.

  “Would you like a demonstration?” She whispered.

  His mouth grew taut. She saw him stiffen, saw the tent in his breeches, and knew his answer.

  Adelai turned away from him, making a show of being insulted, though her voice was anything but. “It is not for a man to ask that of a woman, my lord.” she said softly, calling him by that more informal, more intimate title than her usual ‘Captain’. “It is not seemly for any man, much less one of your station, to be asking such a thing.” She moved toward the bowl of fruit, and selected a small, ripe banana, and hoped that he would not see her hand trembling. She had never attempted this in the presence of a man before. It felt like a test, and one she desperately wanted to pass.

  Adelai peeled off the banana, pausing at every layer pulled back, and the captain’s gaze was diverted toward the fruit as she slowly exposed the succulent flesh within. “It would also be very unbecoming,” she continued, trying to force her voice to sound low and even, trying to force down her trepidation, her growing excitement, “to offer you firsthand experience regarding the extent of my talents. Until the auction, as every shrinemaiden does, I will remain virginal in every way.” A stifled sound escaped the Captain’s lips, and she relished it, knowing it had come unbidden from him. “So I suppose,” she said thoughtfully, eyeing the banana she had now fully peeled, “that I must prove myself with other means.”

  Adelai closed her eyes, and her mouth opened. The banana felt cool against her lips as she licked and nibbled at the tip, loving the texture as she slowly slipped more of it inside. It was a trick she was taught to use with some of the wooden phalluses available in class, though the banana felt softer against her teeth, more pliant than the wooden ones she was given.

  The captain had gone completely silent, though she was still aware of his rapid breathing. Adelai refused to look at him, knowing she might falter if she did. Instead, she withdrew the banana until only the tip of it remained in her mouth. She bent her head and took the whole length of it in, hungrily taking as much as she was able to. She withdrew again and repeated the actions, the fruit shiny from her exertions, much like she might have looked bobbing up and down on the wooden phallus. Or on the captain’s own shaft. The thought sent a pleasurable shiver through her, and she redoubled her efforts, pretending that it was the Captain she was bent toward, pretending this was the feel of him, moving in and out of her mouth.

  A sudden groan broke the silence, and her mouth flew open, the banana popping out. The captain was staring at her, and this time there was no mistaking the lust in his eyes. The muscles in his arms were bunched, and he was tensed as if to spring, like he would thro
w her onto the table and have his way if he had the chance. Without thinking, she found her eyes moving to his breeches, where a larger bulge than she had expected protruded from the material, more evidence of his desire. Adelai too, was breathing hard. Had she gone too far this time?

  She had little time to think on whether or not she had made a mistake, because he was by her side within moments, her face lifted up toward his to accept his hard, rough kiss.

  It was the first kiss Adelai had ever received in this manner; pulsing, hard, rough. His hands found her breasts, kneading them roughly, and she moaned from the pain and pleasure it brought her. His teeth nipped at her lower lip before the hand on her chin coaxed her lips further apart so a tongue could plunge in, stroking. Rather than move away, as she knew she should have done, she kissed him back just as greedily, her tongue warring with his. On some level she knew that this had been inevitable, from the day he had offered to instruct her in her lessons. She had known that he had wanted her, had trusted that he would not take advantage of her, though she could scarcely blame him now when it was clear she very much wanted to.

  He stopped kissing her, and she felt his hands move away from her breasts, leaving the hard nubs visible through the cloth. Adelai opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his handsome face a mask of need and want. And then he bent down again, and she felt his mouth replace his hands, sucking at a nipple through her dress. She cried out, no longer worried that anyone might hear, clutching at his head. She was aware of the the rustling her skirts made as he lifted them, and then his large hands were cupping at her sex, the warmth of his fingers permeating even through the cloth she wore, rubbing.

  Adelai was lost in the riot of emotions, caught up in her own lust to heed the warnings in her head. She was lifting her hips willingly into his touch, not wanting the pleasure to stop, when she felt him unexpectedly take his hand away, felt him settling her back down onto the bench before stepping back. She did not know what she must have looked to him, with her eyes clouded with violet lust, a wet circle standing out against her dress where his mouth had suckled. It was clear he was still aroused. His eyes were now hooded and dark, hands clenched on either side of him as he continued to stare. But then, without another word, he turned to walk out of the gardens, leaving her staring after him, surprised and alarmed by his reaction.

  She waited for the rest of the afternoon, but he did not return. Neither did he return the next day, or the day after that, or the week after. Nor did he return in the next two months, leaving Adelai crestfallen and angry, horrified that she had frightened him away with her naive seduction, and mad at him for having dared her to do so in the first place. But hurt, most of all. It had taken her a long time to admit to herself that he was no longer coming back, that their lessons were at an end once and for all.

  But she had little time to sulk, for the high priestess soon announced the coming auctions. In the months to come she would have had little time to pursue meetings with the Captain, all her time consumed by the preparations. But that did little to curb the hurt and the anger. She still felt guilty for her indiscretions, fearful that the high priestess, who knew practically everything that went on inside the compound, had known of her almost-tryst with the captain.

  Adelai was not surprised when she was summoned to her office one day, and she had prepared herself for the verbal lashing. She stood, shuffling her feet as she often did when under stress, expecting the worst of punishments.

  “I see that the captain has not resumed your lessons in the garden,” the high priestess said, and Adelai looked at her, surprised by her mild tone. “You have kept to your chores, but you seem listless in the last few weeks.”

  “I apologize, Priestess.” She murmured.

  The woman sighed. “It is very dangerous, Adelai, to be forming attachments, with the upcoming auctions, and to shower your affections on someone who might not be who you think he is, does not help.”

  “I - I understand.”

  “Shrinemaidens cannot be selfish, Adelai. What you want or desire to do must always take a backseat to what must be done, or what is your duty. There may come a time when you will be asked to give up your own personal feelings to accomplish something greater. Till then, you must train to keep your heart free from all complications, or you will lose much in the bargain.”

  Adelai stared at her in astonishment, but the high priestess’s expression was hard to decipher. “I understand, Priestess.”

  “I hope so, for your sake, Adelai. Though in hindsight, I suppose your activities in the garden have given you a slight edge over the other girls, regarding what to expect.“ Even as she gave her permission to leave, Adelai saw the hints of a knowing smile on her face.

  Adelai left her office even more confused than she had upon entering. The priestess knew what had transpired in the garden, yet she had chosen to overlook it. Why? In the days that followed, she presumed that she had decided not to punish her with the auction so close and that, after the bidding was done, indiscretion would become the least of her worries, or hers.

  But Adelai took her words to heart. As the auction approached, she was finally able to lose herself in other lessons, to indulge in gossip with her sisters and to prepare. And in the days leading up to the bidding, until she had seen him standing in the waiting room that day, thoughts of the captain rarely entered her mind.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Price

  Adelai didn’t know how long she must have stood there, staring at him. A few seconds surely, though it felt like it had gone on for hours. She was shocked, embarrassed and, to her shock, thrilled.

  She forced down her traitorous emotions and turned, attempting to rush out of the room, but her he moved faster. Her fingers barely had time to graze the door frame before she was against the wall, the captain’s hands restraining her wrists. Despite the dim, she could make out his face staring down at her, his jaw set. He looked angry but, as hard as it was to describe it, also not angry, at the same time. It felt more like he was trying to stamp down a greater emotion, trying to keep his face as expressionless as he possibly could.

  “It’s been awhile, little maiden.”

  “What are you doing here?” She exploded, consternation and puzzlement at war with each other. Where was the king? Dread gripped her. Sarcopia and Atalantea may have been at a truce, but neither were friendly with the other. Was Thornton lying in wait for the king, planning an ambush? Had he done so already? Had his liege, the Sarcopian king, commanded him to do this?

  He must have read the question in her eyes. “You have no need to worry, little maiden.” He slowly wedged his knee in between her thighs, the skirt riding up her knees. The hands pinning hers to the wall showed no signs of letting go. “Your king is safe tonight.”

  She swallowed. “You haven’t answered my question. What are you doing here? I was supposed to meet King Belair….”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Anger flared. “I have a duty to see to. I don’t know why you’re here, but I have responsibilities!“

  “And so you do.” He shifted his hand so that only one held her wrists, while the other traced its way down the side of her face. “Tonight, little maiden, you have a responsibility toward me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “King Belair will not be meeting you tonight, Adelai. I am.”

  She stared at him, incredulous. “You?! You paid three million marks for me?”

  He laughed. “If I had three million marks to begin with, I would. I would have spent every last farthing I owned for this night.”

  “Then… why are you… “

  “The king of Atalantea has decided to give you to me for tonight, as… advance payment, for services due.”

  That made even less sense. “You’re the captain of the guard of Sarcopia. King Garrant is your lord. Why would King Belair do such a thing?”

  “You are mistaken, little one. Garrant rules as king to Sarcopia, but he is not my lord.” H
is mouth was grim. “His father, King Andrucas, was my liege. When he was killed, Garrant took the throne. The kingdom of Sarcopia has been in a perpetual state of war ever since.” He leaned close, and she could smell his scent, spicy and musky all at once. “The king of Atalantea has sought me out, to ensure that his kingdom and yours will not suffer the same atrocities as Highrolfe has suffered. And as compensation, he has given me you for the night.”

  Adelai was stunned, betrayed. King Belair had managed this, and Thornton had known, and so had the High Priestess Saleia. It explained her cryptic words, the look she gave her before she had entered the room.

  And then, fury. “I am pleased to have been shunted from one owner to another like so much a prized sow.” She hissed, struggling to break free from his grip. “I am especially jubilant to find that none of you thought to ask me permission for this endeavor, as it is clear to me I have no say in the matter, and no right to. You may very well wish to betray your own king, Captain, but I will not - “

  “He is not my king, Adelai.” He whispered into her neck, and his hot breath and the timbre of his voice sent shivers up her body despite all her attempts not to tremble. “He is a liar and a thief, a killer and a sadist, and I have every reason to suspect he murdered his own father to assume power. I am a patriot just as much as you are, little maiden, and you will not think me otherwise.” She could feel his smile against her skin. “Would you have agreed to this had you known, my Adelai? Would you have sacrificed your body for my needs if the king or if your High Priestess had asked you to?”