Relonor's Journal

by River Gheuens

  Vadoma and I found a quiet place to talk, while papa took his guard job very seriously. He made sure we had privacy, when we went looking for it, while he turned people away with an apology.

  Vadoma started speaking first, “What are your thoughts? I mean, it is quick. I said there would be no pressure, and I am not trying to make any pressure here. My mom is being ‘Mother of the Boosplaats Romani.’ She wanted me to follow her perfect example, by following the law which keeps our secrets, and our culture, from the alţii. She wants me to find a partner with a Romani…”

  I cut into her rambling, “I mean, yea. There is a bit of a feel that this is being rushed. I am still coming to terms with I can kiss you. It is a little overwhelming, wench. I do not know…like are you sure I am the one who you want to have for yourself?”

  “My Samurai, you are the one I will always choose from a thousand beautiful ladies,” she responded playfully.

  “A thousand, wench? You would check out one thousand beautiful ladies, before settling for me?” I quipped back to her in mock shock.

  She snapped back, “I do not need a thousand, when I have you, my Samurai.”

  “Wench, is this your thing now? To calling me ‘my Samurai?’” My voice came out in an imitation of her, in my Samurai.

  “Why? Do you have a problem with that nickname?”

  I let out a sigh. “For right now, yes! We have done so much together, and my mind has not caught up, or even knows, if it is okay with what is going on. I mean, there has been a lot of skinny dipping with you for over a week.”

  Papa did not miss a beat as he whispered in our direction, “Do not let your mother hear that.”

  I replied, “Oh, Powers that Be, no!”

  Vadoma replied at the same time as me, “She already knows.”

  This drew both papa’s and my gaze to her. She just casually replied to our shock, “What? Girl talk. It was her idea. If my mother gave me more of an issue with you, I should claim you as my partner. The freedom of selecting your partner for yourself is also law, if no one speaks against the claim during the challenge period of announcement.”

  I quipped back, “What else do I need to know of the conspiring you have been having with my mother, wench?”

  Her answer was a gentle kiss to my lips.

  The night flew by, with many bards telling their stories, be they from the Tribe of the Wolf or the Romani. I did hear a Romani bard telling of my Samurai test. He called me a name, ‘Dansator al Morţii,’ which I was not sure how I felt about it. Vadoma had whispered to me how the name meant ‘Dancer of Death’ in Romanian.

  This made me want to hide as the bard told it, until he came to the end. “Mare Soră Vadoma, the Mistress of Life, ran to her lover, Dansator al Morţii, before professing her love to her. The Mare Soră dared any within her voice’s range to raise a hand to her claim.” Vadoma was blushing at that part.

  The night continued as several people had stopped to compliment me on a perfect, if unorthodox, test, which will be told for many years. I would know, as I have heard the story many times at Carnivals.

  To my horror, some of the people had listened to the bard’s story, as they used Dansator al Morţii to me. Then, the feast began as food started to be brought out of the buildings, before it was passed around. We were sitting on a low stone wall when mother had brought out stew, with fire roasted ribs, and a fresh loaf of bread. She had to made several trips inside to get the food for all of us.

  After the feast was done, we took the dishes inside. We washed the dishes in the small heated sink before replacing them on shelves. Mother sat the stew out in the meal preparation area, which would be quickly devoured. The last person with the pot would take it to the heated sink, to wash the pot.

  Vadoma had bid me to retire to my room, as she was still tired from the travel, and even more so with today’s activities. Papa had waited for our door to close before disappearing into his room, as I heard the tiny click of the door shutting, which told he had waited for our door to close.

  I took my sword belt off, before I hung it on the hook by the door. Vadoma took hers off and hung her belt over mine. My hands worked quickly to get the armor off, so I could relax without the constraints of the armor impeding my stretching of muscles, which were becoming extremely sore with the stress, and extreme use, from the day’s activities.

  As I was going to hang my Kikko armor on it’s stand, is when Vadoma pounced on me. Vadoma turned me around while shoving me violently into the wall. A shelf at my shoulders broke, as she followed me to the wall, as she grabbed my wrists to pinned them firmly above my head.

  Her face was that of a hunter whom had finally cornered her prey. She used her face to push my face aside, as she went for my neck. I tried to summon the strength to fight back, but I welcomed her in my personal space. Everything, which was going on between us, was laid bare to the need, and want, of our bodies. Her mouth found my neck, as she bit down with adequate pressure, to let me know, she was there. In that bite, she told me I was hers.

  The door flew opened as papa was there with his swords in hand, while mother had her dagger in hand, while taking in the sight. Vadoma did not stop, nor could she stop, her assault of my neck. Mother took in the scene before pulling papa out of the room, while closing the door with the words of “Young love” to spilling over what they had just witnessed.

  Her bite had stopped, as her tongue was gliding up my neck, to just under my ear. She took the flesh of my ear in her teeth and growled out, “Mine.”

  That simple word, mine, showed her ownership over me. The tone she used, showed me the definition did not fit, as there was more to the statement I had yet to experience. My arousal kicked into the maximum allowance for my body, with her word, as a moan escaped from between my lips.

  My lips tried to fight back. They tried to turn the tables on her most seductive game, but she pushed me harder into the wall, with a more hungrily tone, “Mine.”

  I did the one thing I could do. I had a head battle with her as I claimed the high ground by her ear. I whispered into her ear, as my voice was full of need and lust, “Mine.”

  This was a mistake, one which I will happily make again, as she threw me from the wall to the floor. She pinned my hands above my head, as she straddled me. She leaned over me, while she found my ear with her mouth. She whispered into my ear, with a lustfully dominant tone, “You really think so?”

  I twisted my hips as I started the roll, which led to our positions being reversed, except she was still holding onto my wrists. I whispered into her ear with all the seductive promise I could muster, “Yes.”

  Her eyes lit up in need as we again struggled on who was where. She found being on top of me was where she liked, as I happily gave her the ground.

  The long and violent battle of tongues, bodies and promises went on for many hours. I felt like I would explode from the sexual tension between us. Never was there a feeling of being pressured to do anything. She let me slowly explore her, on her conditions. She would hold me back until I was dying of the need to lick her ear, explore her tongue, or bite her neck.

  She sat up, after warning me with a look to keep my hands where they were, or I would pay for not listening. “You are good with this?”

  My arousal was making me not even think over what she was saying. “I think so?”

  So, that started a night which I will always remember with my Romani. The exploration of love, bodies and pleasure. To my embarrassment, the banging on the walls of “Keep it down in there,” which my mother was so mirthful shouting through the wall to us…often.

  Entry 19

  3 Months Before

  Groenplaats

  The next sun’s rise found me waking up next to my naked Romani, who was curled into me, and to the mess of the room from the night before. She snored into my shoulder, while I took in the broken shelves. My shoulders reminded me they were involved in a violent way in making this mess. Our armor and clothes littered the floor, from w
here they had landed, with a few other broken things, from our night of unbound love and desire.

  I had to laugh as David was perched in the open window. I had to get out of bed during the night to open it as I had to answer David’s protestation of being denied entry into our room.

  My mind relived the memories of what had happened last night. The memories of the pleasure, and tickle spots, which Vadoma had searched out to torture on my body, were still crystal clear in my mind. My inadvertent movements of my body’s reactions woke up the wench.

  She took the time to look over the damage in our room before taking me in. She searched my face for a long time. I was busy looking into her eyes as she asked, “Are you okay with last night?” Her thick Romani accent reigniting the fire in my loins.

  I was nodding my head, as I was trying to figure out why I had been so afraid. A voice in the back of my head screamed to me, as it told me I was different, and no one could love me.

  I bashfully pulled the quilt to my nose, while looking over it at her. “I might be okay with what happened last night, and I mean might. But, I do not think our neighbors are very happy with us.”

  Her eyes filled with amusement, “If you knew how to be quiet, then they would be happy with us.”

  “Wench, how could I be quiet when you were doing all those things to me? I do not think a person alive could have kept their mouth shut!”

  The ghost of a bite played over my neck, while my memory held her voice, ‘Mine.’ This caused me to roll my head to the side, as I let the memory have it’s way, with the ghostly sensations of my memory brushing my neck. Memory fused with the present, as she came in to nip my neck, where she had bitten it last night. Her hand snaked to my belly, before deciding to take a march North, to new lands.

  I jumped out of bed, while I tripped over the tangles of the quilt around my feet. I fell to the ground, as gravity won it’s victory over me. I raised both arms up, while I was inspecting the floor with my face, when I called out, “I am good!” This received many moments of chuckles, as I struggled to untangle my feet from the quilt.

  We went about getting dressed for the day, as I kept her well away from me until I could get fabric between my flesh and her fingertips. I had stripped my sword belt of the two extra daggers, before returning the two boot daggers to the top drawer of my desk. I set them beside one of the folding knives, which I had pilfered from the mines.

  Papa was outside my, I mean, our, door when we made our way out of our room. He said nothing to me as he smiled at us, before following our procession down the stairs, to the communal room.

  I went to the hot water tap before opening it over the dried blackberry tea I had in our three ceramic mugs. I brought the mugs to a sofa by the great fireplace of the room. I handed the mugs I had made for them to them. Making sure my sword sheaths went through the narrow gap, which allowed a person with swords to sit, I sat down on the sofa, before I cuddled into Vadoma’s side.

  Papa sat in an arm chair, not far from us, while checking to see who was around, as he sipped his tea. “So, Sweets, have you given your any thought to your other three bodyguards?”

  “I was kinda busy last night, papa, with my…partner.” Partner came out of my mouth as a taste of the word, to check if it felt right, while wondering if it fit what was between this wench and me.

  Papa’s laugh was merry. “I think we heard that.” He took in the entire room before correcting himself, “I think everyone heard.”

  That had me curling into my wench. She claimed me, so I am allowed to cuddle with her. I was curling into my wench, while wishing this conversation found someplace peaceful to die. I thought, from my hiding place, about the question.

  I want my bodyguards to be unique and think for themselves.

  Typically, papa did not thinking inside the box and was a decent weapons master. I had chosen Vadoma for the simple fact of she was learning the blade. She was quickly coming to my level, as she was able to last five moments with me, in sword combat. The fact she was a healer was also a positive thing. I already trusted her with my life. I had a thought of another possibility, though I have yet to see her properly fight.

  “I have one in mind, which I would like to see fight,” I quietly voiced.

  Papa and Vadoma both raised eye brows at the admission of how I payed more attention to what was around me, than they had thought. I have the people I would talk with, but as papa has said, it is like I do not see people other than my friends. To an extent, he is right.

  Vadoma chipped into the conversation, “There are a few Romani, who may come, if you ask. I think Ben, or Peter, would gladly accept the post if offered.” I looked at her to continue, which she did after a pause to look around, “Maybe, someone who is good with air or knows the concept?”

  I knew she had more of a meaning than that, while I connected the dots. An air elemental? Was this what she called them? You talk with the Romani. I want to see you get a straight answer out of them.

  I nodded, while thinking aloud. “That may be a good idea. I would like to talk to someone who can help me with my theories.”

  Papa looked between us, as he saw a secret, which was held between us. He did not push to know more of what we spoke of. “That gives you four, Sweets. You need another.”

  “I do not need any bodyguards, to be honest, papa. Bodyguards will just get in my way in a fight,” I responded.

  “True. But, you are one of the two and forty Samurai of our villages. The villages look to the Samurai, on any matter of peace, or to settle disputes. The bodyguards are there to keep the Samurai safe from dishonorable attacks.”

  “Papa, I know. The Samurai are the best, of the best, of our guardians. Samurai are the Gunslingers of old. I know the stories.” There are many lessons in Centraleplaats which cover our laws and the Samurai. Regardless of your area of studies, these lessons are required.

  “Sweets, I am just making sure you understand. Take the five bodyguards. You may need them, if an arbitration does not go according to your plan.”

  I just wined out, “Papa,” then went on to ignore the conversation, as I just cuddled into my wench.

  We had eggs, dried meats and potato pancakes for sun’s rise meal. Afterwards, I went out to Father Sea to meditate. I like to start my day off with a clear mind. The only way I can do that is to meditate. Then, I started my first day as a Samurai.

  I stood up from the ground, not far from Father Sea, before rolling my neck to loosen it up. I began walking to the training yard with the ringing of metal on metal, from the several swords, of the people sparring. Papa said to me, as he was trying to keep the words from traveling past my ears to others. “You may not want to do that in front of people. Those bruises….”

  Vadoma finished for papa, “He means to say, you are showing off some of your love marks from last night.”

  I smiled at the reminder of last night, while I let my cares go. Who I wanted to watch was out in front of me with an older Sensei. He was yelling at the woman, who was not much older than I was.

  She was of normal height, with a long sword in her hands. The edges were blunted, which showed she was not confident to spar with a live blade. Her brown braid bounced on her back as she moved the weapon, which looked to be a little too heavy for her to wield, with her slight form. She wore a heavy plate mail which was limited her movement.

  Vadoma had followed my gaze, to take in the fight. Papa took an inspection glance over her, as he made an assessment of her fighting skills, before moving his inspection to the next person. Vadoma asked me quietly, “Is this her?”

  I nodded, while I watched as she tripped over her rear leading leg, before she fell to the ground, as the Sensei yelled at her the entire time. I walked up to the sectioned off combatant area made for two people, while motioning, with my hand, for Vadoma and papa to wait behind me.

  Once my toe hit the ground marking their combatant area, the Sensei turned, before bowing from the waist to me, as he offered to my absol
ute horror, “Dansator al Morţii. What may I do for a Samurai on this day?”

  Ugh. I had to deal with this name now. I raised my hand in a motion to bid him to rise from his bow. “Sensei, may I enter your combatant area?”

  The Sensei answered briskly, “Yes, Samurai. You may feel free to use this combatant area for your training.”

  “Not for my training. I am here to observe her.” I pointed to the woman, as I noticed the woman was looking between her Sensei and me, with a questioning expression to her face. She gave me no greeting, but had bowed, when the Sensei had bowed. Her sudden movements of her bow caused the armor to shift, which threw off her balance. She took slight stumble to her left to keep her balance, while she bowed.

  I said with disdain, “Take that armor off of her. It is not even fitted for her.”

  “Samurai, she has to have protection in the combatant area. Those are the laws,” the Sensei blurted out.

  “Ah, yes for a general rule. You were the one to give her the armor and blade.” He responded with a nod as I continued, “Then, let her choose her gear.”

  “Samurai, no dishonor is to be conveyed with this, but she is slow.”

  I cocked my eye at him while saying nothing. He stumbled out, “She listens half of the time to the instruction….”

  My anger flared as I cut him off, “And, I have heard enough of your excuses. You are dismissed.” I turned from him to introduce myself to the woman. “Hi. My name is Relonor. What is your name?”

  The dismissed Sensei called over his shoulder, as he walked from the area, “She does not speak either. Her name is Spencer.”

  “Spencer. That is your name?” I saw the attention she was paying attention to my mouth with her blue eyes. She nodded her head to my question.

  “And, you do not talk?” This was received with shake her head.

  I thought on this for a moment, before I smiled, “Can I ask you one more question?” She smiled, while she started nodding her head at me, with a small bit of confidence.