The wanderer, p.13
The Wanderer, page 13
part #1 of The Nogud Legacy Series
She said, “I like it a lot! I like it when you look at me. I’m your woman. I want to be seen by you because you desire me.”
I said, “If we bathe with the family, how will you feel when Paul sees you naked?”
She said, “Fine. Who cares? We’re bathing. He doesn’t look at me when we bathe. He may look at Susan or Tanya, but he has no reason to look at me. I’m your woman not his.”
I said, “So, you wouldn’t feel like he looked at you like I do?”
She said, “Master, we have a license. I’m yours and no one else’s forever. Even if we didn’t, no one would look at another man’s woman or another woman’s man. An unattached woman might, but if she desires him, she has a chance to be chosen by him. If she is chosen by another, she never needs to look again. If Paul wants another woman, he goes to the Merchant of Women and finds one that pleases him.”
I asked, “But bathing with strangers?”
She said, “If necessary, what harm is there? But I’d rather bathe with family. You’re safer with family. With strangers, there’s a chance of bandits, kidnappers, and others with bad intentions. Even if they’re simply nasty and rude. But, bathing alone with you and your other women is preferred. I wish that I were going to be with you tomorrow when you bond with the others. Master, do you know what you’ll name them?”
I said, “I have an idea, but until I meet them, I won’t know. You said that you wanted to stay and watch at Paul and Susan’s.”
She said, “Only to learn. Yuki was teaching. In the school, before I was rejected, a woman would teach that way and her man would come and she would explain as they demonstrated.”
I asked, “How did you feel about that? Was it exciting?”
She said, “It was very exciting. Oh, but it wasn’t arousing. Well, as I imagined my man someday, doing it to me, or me doing it to him, that aroused all of us, but not watching what was being taught. Learning from Yuki seemed more fun than any lesson at the school. It made me want to stay. Joshua, Paul said that you told him about bending over a table? Was that true? Can you teach me?”
I said, “Yes. I did tell him, and yes, I can teach you if you want me to.”
Viola said, “Of course I want you to! I want to learn all of it! We had sex today and it was the most amazing thing. Do you know a lot about sexual practices that you’ll teach me?”
I smiled and said, “I think that I know a little more than other men and women in this village at least. If you want to, we’ll do everything that I can think of.”
She asked, “Joshua, where are you from?”
I said, “I don’t know. Viola, it’s very strange. This morning I was walking along the road until I came to the village. I don’t know what I did yesterday or when I woke up and started walking. I love you, and I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I think that maybe the truth about me is too difficult to believe. Do you remember the money in my pockets and the other things that I have? The collector said that my money was possibly eight hundred years old. But I think that those things are all mine. Is it possible that I might be as old as the things that I have with me? I don’t think that I’ve been alive that long though. Maybe I was asleep for all that time in a cave or something like that. Is that too hard to believe? Does it frighten you about me?”
Viola hugged my arm and said, “My life is wonderful. Perhaps you are a wizard. Why would I be afraid of you? You said that you would examine me two more times before dawn and then I could do the final exam at sunrise.”
I smiled and said, “Yes, I did.”
She said, “Good. Take me to the river and let me be naked with you soon. Will you do that?”
I said, “I would love to do that. Are you sad that you won’t be with me tomorrow morning?”
She said, “No. I’m proud of you for doing this wonderful thing. I’ll see you when you’re ready.”
I said, “Viola, will they recognize you?”
She said, “Yes. We spent time together and bathed together. When we were alone, we talked and helped each other. We were together for a long time. They’ll recognize me and they’ll be very surprised. They’re going to be so in love with you!”
I was happy that she had so much confidence in me. When we arrived at the inn, as soon as we were in the room, Viola pulled her dress over her head, but before she actually got her bridal night dress on, she hugged me and started to yawn. Within a few minutes, I had picked her up and put her into the bed and she was fast asleep. I wasn’t disappointed. It had been a long day for me as well. It wasn’t late in the evening, but it was easy to fall asleep next to the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. It struck me as funny as I fell asleep that I had only seen five woman in my whole life as far as I could remember.
Chapter 13 The Wizard
This time, I was walking down a street in a village. I was in a hurry. My name was Joshua and I knew exactly where I was going and why. Um, but not much else.
Last night before I fell asleep, I thought about worrying about whether I would remember any of what had happened yesterday. But today when I woke up, I was not walking down a road wondering why a man with an ox walked in the opposite direction. This morning when I woke up, my beautiful naked bride was shaking me and telling me that we’d overslept and that we were late already.
Apparently we’d both slept well and neither of us had woken up at dawn so that Viola could try ‘arousing me as I slumbered’, as we’d discussed the afternoon before. She apologized for failing her ‘final exam’, but I assured her that it was entirely extra credit anyway and that she wasn’t my slave and she could do what she wanted. She of course assured me that waking me up by sucking me to and erection and then riding me at sunrise was exactly what she wanted more than anything. But it was too late for that now. Our plans called for me to be in the market by seven-thirty in the morning and it was almost that when she woke me up.
We rushed to pull on our clothes and stow my few possessions into my pack. We double checked the room and then hurried to the bath to wash quickly. I had a toothbrush in my belongings and we shared it. Toothbrushes were common here, but of course Viola didn’t have one of her own yet. All she had was the dress that she wore, her leather slippers, and the night dress that I still hadn’t seen.
Minutes after we woke up, we were calling out a hasty goodbye to the Inn Keeper and letting his door swing closed behind us. We’d gone directly to the shop where Amanda and Tanya waited for us.
They knew that we were a bit later than planned and as we reached the stall, Tanya said, “Joshua, here’s the pack and your hat. Quick, put it on. Everything we discussed is in the pack.”
I left my own pack and all of my belongings and all of our money with Viola and I headed for the Merchant of Women. And that’s where I was going now.
I walked as quickly as I could without drawing attention to myself. I didn’t know if Antonio would be up and have the girls ready for me this early, but if he did, I was eager to move forward as quickly as possible. I seemed to think that this was how I’d always been. Once I had analyzed a situation and had formulated a plan, I wanted to pull the trigger and make it happen.
The platform and tents where Antonio conducted the ‘events’ as they were referred to was just ahead. I deliberately slowed down and breathed more calmly. I didn’t want to appear out of breath or anxious when I handled the transfer of the two women from the Merchant of Women to their new home with me.
I walked slowly now. I walked calmly and at peace. I walked as if I was at peace with this transaction and the world as a whole. I was in no hurry now. Time would wait for me. This wasn’t an act; it was my reality at this moment. A moment ago, I was in a hurry. In this moment, I was at perfect peace. At this moment, as I came to collect my hidden treasure, I was the Wizard Joshua. I was about to ‘take delivery’ of two very fine treasures, neither of which I had ever seen, and then I was going to take them home with me to appreciate and care for them. Before we reached home, I’d spend a few hours cleaning and polishing my finds and getting them ready for a place in my house. I walked slowly, one foot in front of the other, smiling. A wizard always has a plan.
When I stood in front of the platform, I called out quietly, “Antonio, are you up? Should I come back later.”
Antonio appeared from behind his curtain and said, “Ah, you come early. Is this a good time? The two are ready for you if you are ready for them. Um, do we still have an agreement for them?”
I smiled and said, “Yes, of course. I’ve made an agreement and I’m certain that I’ll be very happy for it. I’m convinced that when you return the next time that I’ll want to see you again.”
Antonio smiled and said, “Good. Good. Little sisters, come out here!”
The two girls came forward from behind the curtain and stood beside Antonio in their long tunics; their hoods fully covering their faces.
Antonio said, “Girls, this is the man who has made an arrangement for you. As I told you, he seems to be a good man to me. If he were not, I wouldn’t send you with him. My friend, thank you for this kindness. Since you’ve come so early, I think that I may leave today instead of tomorrow. Oh look, we may have another final registration for a license before I leave.” Looking over my head, he called out, “Friends, have you come for a license? You must be eager to come so early in the morning.” And to me again, he said, “Sir, bless your house and your kindness. Will you excuse me? Girls, go with him and be as happy as you can. You’ll see me again if necessary. I hope you find some happiness for a time at least.”
Antonio rushed to greet Paul and Yuki as they approached and stepped up onto the platform. Paul and I exchanged nods, but otherwise showed no familiarity.
I held out my hand toward the two women who stood on the platform and they quietly came to me and I held their hands as the descended the few steps. They didn’t offer me their hands as a woman normally would, but instead acted surprised when I offered them mine. As soon as they were on the ground, they quickly let go of me and stared at their feet waiting for instructions.
No one paid attention to us now and I moved close to both of them and said, “Little sisters, I am Joshua and that’s what I want you to learn to call me. I know what you think you are, and I know what others say about you, but from this moment forward, it’s what I say about you that’s most important. Your little sister who went away with me yesterday says that she thinks that I’m a magician. It’s my plan that before today is over that you have a new life and find happiness. Will you trust me and even learn to love me? If not, I’ll speak to the Merchant and he’ll find you another arrangement. But if you’ll trust me and go with me, I promise you a life that will make you smile. A life of adventure and laughing. If you come with me, I’ll take away these tunics and hoods and you will never wear them again. Where we’re going, there’s no such thing as an untouchable or a Nogud. You saw how I held my hand out to you just now. Soon you’ll walk down streets holding my hand if you want to, and I swear that you’ll feel the sun warm your faces and shoulders. Will you come with me? He choice is truly yours.”
Both girls nodded slightly and I could hear them crying softly as first one and then the other said, “Master, I will do whatever you want me to.”
I smiled and said, “You make me very happy. Come with me and we’ll start a new life when we pass the edge of the village. Just a little longer and I’ll change the world for all of us. Come with me.”
I turned and started walking toward the edge of the village, in the direction that I had approached it from the day before.
I pulled my hat low and said, “Keep your hoods on for a few more minutes and then, once I remove them, you’ll never wear them again. But, come walk beside me, not behind me.”
I put one of them to each side of me and walked toward the dirt road that led away from the village.
I led the three of us the several blocks it took to reach the road. As predicted, there were very few people out this early, and most of those were back in the market preparing to open their shops. Everyone else was still at home doing their morning chores. As we left the village, we saw no one on the road at all.
I’d given a lot of thought to how I might handle our getting to know each other and hopefully bonding and what I could say to make them feel at ease. There were so many ways that I could try to explain this. I could talk to tell them about what I expected for an hour. I could tell them about Viola, and what she was like now and about Paul and his women and our plans for the ‘little sisters’. I’d already told them that I was the man who’d taken Viola away the day before, but I hadn’t told them that she was my bedmate already.
In the end, I decided that my actions should do my explaining for me and that whatever I said would come to me when it was time.
The moment that we stepped out of the village, before we ‘d gone another two paces, I said, “There are no laws concerning the Nogud. They wear hoods because their masters ask them to. I would like you to take off the hoods so that I can see you, but even more because I want you to feel the sun on your faces and so that you can see the smile on my face when I look at you.”
I didn’t stop walking as each girl turned her head toward me for an instant and then reached up and pulled back her hood and let it fall behind her neck. They kept their heads down as we walked, but I saw a faint smile touch each of them.
The girl on my left was very small, perhaps just five-foot-one inches tall. Her hair was jet black. I couldn’t see how long it was, but it fell below her shoulders inside her clothing. The girl on my right was the opposite. She was taller than Viola by a few inches. I supposed that I must be about six feet tall, and this girl was maybe five-foot-nine, and her hair was a light brown with hints of red. Both of them walked more gracefully than most people.
I suddenly stopped us. We were out of sight of the village for the first time and it had been an oversight that I hadn’t taken care of this next thing before we left the square.
I said, “Before we go on, I have something for you.”
I pulled the pack from my back and knelt in front of the girls. I took out two pair of leather slippers and going to the taller girl, I lifted her heel and placed the shoe on her shapely foot. I made sure to support her with my hand on her ankle and as I put her foot down, I let my hand run up her calf, almost to the knee. I repeated this with the other foot and then did the same with the shorter girl. As my hand held them, I could feel the signs that they were pleased by my touch.
I stood up and put the pack on my shoulders again and said, “Good. Pretty girls need pretty shoes and it will make walking more comfortable.”
We walked a bit more and the girls never spoke.
I said, “Girls, look!” and I pointed upward.
They looked to where I pointed, but they didn’t seem to see whatever it was that I wanted them to see.
I said, “Right there! Do you see it? It is the sky! You’ve see the ground often enough for a lifetime, don’t you think? It’s time to look at the sky!”
The shorter girl spoke for the first time as we started walking again.
She said, “Master Joshua, I will do whatever you want, but may I ask a question?”
I smiled at her and said, “Certainly, but first I have a request. Let’s play a game. I get a request and then you ask a question. Any question you want, no matter what. I’ll answer you truthfully and then I get to make a request. Then, if you do as I ask, then you can ask another question. Agreed?”
The girl said, “If you want to. What’s your request?”
I said, “I want you to hold my hand,” and I held my palm open and waited.
After a little hesitation, I felt her place her hand in mine.
I said, “Oh, that’s even nicer than I’d hoped. Oh, that’s really nice,” and I squeezed her hand firmly.
I said, “OK, now, your turn. Ask a question. Anything you want.”
She smiled and said, “Are you really a magician?”
I laughed and said, “Ah, I swore to tell you the truth, but I can’t answer you. What I say about myself isn’t always accurate even if I think that it is. But if I ask you , ‘Am I a magician’, and if you tell me that I am, then you must have seen me do things that make me a magician.”
She said, “Well, I hope that you are,” and she smiled.
I said, “I must be. You smiled. What made you smile?”
She said, “You did.”
I smiled myself and said to the other girl, “What would it take to make this pretty girl smile like this?”
The tall girl smiled a little and said, “Magic.”
I laughed and said, “Well, it must be a very small magic, but if you say so.”
She said, “No, I think that it must be very powerful magic. Enough to make all three of us smile when two of us never knew how. You are a magician and there’s no doubt about it. Sister, keep this a secret. If others find out, they’ll crowd around and we may find ourselves back where we were.”
I said, “You will never go back where you were. Not unless you choose it yourself. But, my pretty tall companion, do you want to play the game with us? You may have a turn if you like.”
She smiled and I felt the back of her hand brush against the back of mine. I smiled and took it and felt her hold onto me.
I said, “I like this game a lot. Holding hands and walking under the warm sun with two very pretty and intelligent woman. I think this is the best game ever. But, before you take a turn, I get to make a request. My request is that you answer my question the same way that I answered yours. You asked if I was a magician and I answered in a certain way. Now I’ll ask a question and you have to answer me in the same way that I answered you. Are you ready? OK, remember my rule. Here’s my question: are you really untouchable?” and I squeezed both girls’ hands by way of a hint.
Both girls lowered their heads and I said quickly, “Answer me like I answered you. It’s our game. I know how intelligent you are. You can’t hide it from me if I’m the wizard that we suspect.”
