The wanderer, p.22
The Wanderer, page 22
part #1 of The Nogud Legacy Series
In the end, I did choose nice gold collars to go with the crests. There was more material in these, but no special work that need to be done and no gems, so that also cost a reasonable amount, based on my available funds. Since they we being bought as a set, there was a small discount. There was no charge for fastening the permanent clasp. The collars were made in two pieces and joined after they were placed around the woman’s neck.
It was about four in the afternoon now, and Grayson said that they could finish the crests today, but it would be a little past normal closing time. I hated to wait until the next day, but it couldn’t be helped. Paul asked if the couple would like to come for supper and if the pieces were ready, we could handle the tokens for all seven women tonight at Paul’s home. Linea was especially excited about the idea, wanting to meet Lark and Raven and to get to know Viola. Grayson agreed and Linea rushed to get everything ready.
Paul had a family crest passed down from his father and Grayson was able to find some of that design representing a needle and thread in his collection. Paul asked if it was too much trouble to attach a small stone in each one and Linea said that after making the women wait so long for their tokens that he had better have nice gems in them if he didn’t want them all to run away. Grayson and Paul laughed and said that she was probably right and Grayson said that he could get them done since the crests were already made.
As we left the shop, Paul said, “Joshua, what did you do to the thief? I couldn’t see why we was unable to move and he didn’t even struggle as you seemed to just hold him by the hand. Then, when he attacked you again, you made him drop to the ground as if dead, but uninjured. Are you telling me that there was no true magic in that? We know that there’s no true magic, but you made it seem like there was.”
I said, “Paul, somehow I did what came naturally to me. I grabbed his hand in a way that makes it bend in a direction that it isn’t meant to bend. It’s very painful and I could have easily broken his wrist with very little strength. He stayed still because whenever he struggled, I bent it just a little bit and it caused him a lot of discomfort. I’m sure that he could tell that his wrist would be broken if I chose to do it. As for the other thing, he wasn’t really a skilled fighter, and when he swung his fist at me, it was child’s play to avoid him. I simply stepped behind him so that he couldn’t try to hit me again. By putting the side of my forearm against his neck, the large artery that takes blood to his brain was blocked, and without blood carrying oxygen to his brain, he passed out. It’s quick and not especially painful, but like I said, he’ll have a headache when he wakes up.”
Paul said, “Can you do it again?”
I asked, “Why?”
Paul said, “When you grabbed his wrist, he tried to fight you. When he was clearly defeated, and you had clearly beaten him, when you let him go, he attacked you again. Our custom says that a thief must make restitution and then be banished from the village. No property was lost, so there was no restitution to be made. The men will take him a few miles down the road and let him go. He’ll be warned not to return. Most thieves will move on because they know that they were caught and chastised. This one’s different. He attacked you twice after he was caught. He’ll probably come back and try to attack you again. He’ll hold a grudge and he’ll probably return. Or, if he sees you in some other village, he’ll attack you then.”
I said, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What happens if he does attack me and the next time he is injured, or even killed?”
Paul said, “Every man here today knows that he had evil intentions toward you and that you showed him kindness. If he is injured or killed by you, there’ll be no fault attached to you.”
I asked, “Paul, have you ever killed a man?”
Paul said, “No. I make clothing.”
I said, “It’s not something that you want to do. If he comes for me, what kind of a weapon will he use?”
Paul said, “He’s a thief. He’ll attack you with a knife. But he’ll do it in the open so that others can see that he has his revenge.”
I asked, “And what if he has his revenge? What will be the penalty for him?”
Paul said, “If he has his revenge, he’ll threaten anyone who tries to stop him with his knife and he’ll run away. He probably won’t come back, but that’s no consolation for us. Of course he’d be banned, but we don’t have soldiers or men who know how to fight like that.”
I said, “Then I need a weapon.”
We walked a little farther and I asked, “Are there weapons in the village? Swords?”
Paul answered, “No. Not that I’m aware of.”
I asked, “Is there a woodworker?”
Paul said, “Yes.”
We walked a little farther and I said, “Paul, do you have a dry straight piece of very hard wood about so long and so thick that I could have? Or can we get one from the woodworker?”
Paul said, “We can do either one. The woodworker is ahead, on our way out of the village and he lives down the road from us.”
I said thoughtfully, “Let’s stop there for just a moment.”
Chapter 22 Lounging Before Dinner
The woodworker was a friendly man named Bart. I asked about a piece of wood the size that I needed and he had several very hard pieces to choose from. The pieces that he kept for the legs and spindles of chair backs were just the type that I wanted. I chose three pieces, about as long as my leg and about as thick as my first two fingers together. I paid him a coin for all three and we continued toward home.
I didn’t like this idea. I had been forced into this and now it was likely that I’d be forced into a continued confrontation. I wasn’t afraid of it, but I wished that it weren’t necessary. But I needed to be prepared.
When we got home, the women greeted us warmly and Paul announced that Grayson and Linea would be joining us for supper. It was no trouble and the table was quickly arranged to accommodate two more.
Viola asked me, “Joshua, is something wrong? You’re not yourself.”
I tried to smile and Paul explained.
He said, “We had a bit of trouble in the market. A thief came and Joshua apprehended him and there may be more trouble in the future with this one. But I’ll tell the story at dinner. Susan, are all of your daughters busy or could one be spared to spend a moment cheering up her husband?”
Susan said, “We’re ready for dinner and all the girls have been a big help. There are a few more things to do, but I’m sure that we can spare one for work as important as that. Viola, send one of your women off to get your master ready for dinner. You are the first mate, so you assign someone, or do it yourself. Have them go and help him take off his boots and change clothes or shower or whatever it takes to refresh him before his meal. Amanda will go and do the same for Paul. It’s good to have your man in a good mood when he sits down for dinner.”
Viola said, “OK. Yes, um Lark, will you go help our husband get ready for dinner? And if you need anything, let me know.”
Susan said, “Take glasses and some cool water. Have him sit with you by the window in your apartment or lie on the bed and relax. We’ll have dinner in about half an hour. Take time every evening before dinner for this as a habit when you can.”
Amanda came and stood beside Paul and took his arm tenderly and smiled at him.
Paul said, “Oh, we haven’t done this for a very long time. I remember that we did this when we were young, and looking back I don’t think that I appreciated it as much as I should have.”
Susan said, “I know dear and I’m sorry for that now. We’ll do this again from now on, like when we were young and didn’t appreciate these things like we should. Girls, take a lesson here and do this every night and don’t let it be forgotten. Prepare the meal for your husband together and then have one of you prepare your husband for the meal. About half an hour. And, I’m very proud of all of you. You did very well with the cooking and the preparation and your apartment is coming along nicely. You’ve only had a few hours, but you are doing very well. Lark, be gentle and help your master find peace before supper.”
Amanda said, “Susan, what about a lounging tunic? That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Paul hasn’t had one for as long as I can remember. Do we have some in the extra stock that he and Joshua could wear if they want to?”
Susan beamed and said, “That’s an excellent idea! See, it’s been so long that we’ve forgotten how truly civilized people act. You go on to the apartments and Tanya will take whoever Viola chooses and find lounging tunics for their men and take them to them. But, we need you back soon, so don’t linger.”
Viola tried to take up the role of first mate the way that Susan was modeling for her and said, “Yes, Raven, please go with Tanya and take the master a lounging tunic and hurry back. Thank you. Um, I appreciate all of your help this afternoon. Um, you’ve both been wonderful and um, I love you. Susan, what’s a lounging tunic?”
Susan smiled and said, “Viola, you make a good first mate already! I am impressed. Tanya will explain it to Raven and I’ll tell you about it while we finish supper. Tanya and Amanda, run along and take care of these chores for me if you don’t mind.”
Viola looked at Susan and then said, “And, Lark and Raven, you are wonderful and I’m so happy that you are my co-mates. If you will handle this while I work with Susan, I’ll be very thankful.”
All of the women smiled and went about their tasks. It seemed that Tanya and Amanda were happy first of all to be reestablishing the practices that had been neglected in their house for many years, but also to see these young women being taught as they were. I think that Paul’s women were thrilled to have daughters and a new purpose.
As for my women, Viola seemed happy with herself to be emulating Susan, and Lark was happy to have a chance to take care of me, and Raven was just happy. Raven was always happy. She was happy to be playing a game where she got to go off with Tanya and find out what a lounging tunic was. I could easily predict that when she did bring it to Lark and I that she would in fact try to linger.
Lark took my arm and held herself to my side as she walked me into the hall and then to our new apartment within Paul’s house. Paul and Amanda walked behind us.
I heard Paul say, “Amanda, will Tanya bring you a lounging tunic as well? Do we have some that haven’t been taken to the shop?”
Amanda said, “I bet that we do. They aren’t a popular item now. If I remember, we brought most of them back here to the storage room to make more room at the shop. If Tanya finds some, perhaps she will bring one. Would you like that?”
Paul said, “I think that I would. If there are enough, what about having everyone dress for dinner, like we should?”
Amanda said, “If you like. I’ll ask Tanya to see if we can. But at least you and Joshua will look like true men of the house. If we can’t do it tonight, I’ll see that we can do it tomorrow or the next day.”
Amanda opened the door to their apartment and said to Lark, “Now, the task is to put them at ease and to get them to relax. Even a massage if he wants it.”
Lark looked unsure about what Amanda was saying, but she didn’t ask. Paul and Amanda disappeared behind their door and Lark opened our own door and we went inside.
Lark closed the door behind us and said, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to do a massage or things like that. Oh, Viola should have come and I should help to make dinner.”
I smiled at her and said, “No, I’m glad that it’s you. We’ll figure it out. We figured out how to have wonderful sex this morning and you didn’t know how to do that either.”
Lark said, “Susan said to sit in the window. We brought a table and chairs for us and we could do that if you want.”
I could see that this was going to start out being more about me putting Lark and ease and helping her relax than her doing the same for me. That was OK. I asked Lark to take a minute to show me what they’d done to the apartment since I’d seen it in its spartan state when Paul had shown it to me earlier. Lark showed me how they’d arranged a small sofa in the sitting area and placed pillows on it. There was a table and four chairs in a nook by the window for sitting for coffee or a light meal and things like that. Lark explained that for now that we could take some of the chairs in by the sofa if we wanted to, but that later they would bring more comfortable chairs for the sitting area. There were no curtains on the window yet, put there were a few vases with flowers. There wasn’t anything in the small room yet, but a dresser and wardrobe had been added to the large bedroom and Lark showed me that our spare clothes were already arranged.
I said, “I like the work dress. It looks good on you.”
The dress was a more rugged, a light blue cotton, and it did look good on her. It looked as if the women had tapered it to her body a bit and it actually showed a bit of her figure.
She smiled and said, “I’m glad. Am I really pretty?”
I said, “Yes you are. You are beautiful and I am a very lucky man to have you love me. Am I really handsome?”
Lark smiled and said, “Yes you are. You are very handsome and I am a very lucky girl to have you love me. What do you want me to do?”
I said, “Wait until Raven comes and then we’ll figure it out. For now, let’s sit at the little table.”
We sat down with Lark sitting across from me and I reached over and took both of her hands in mine and smiled.
She said, “Master, Paul said that you captured a thief?”
I said, “I did,” and at that moment, Raven opened the door carrying a bundle of cloth.
Raven ran to me and gave me a quick kiss and said, “These are so nice! Lounging tunics are what you wear to dinner when all of your work is done. So what you have to do is undress him and then dress him in it and he can be comfortable and quit working for the day. But, Lark, you get a special one too! And you send him to the bedroom or you go to the bedroom and you change into yours and then you come out and dress him. And then you fold his clothes and put them away and then…” and Raven pulled Lark’s head down to her own and whispered something that I couldn’t hear.
Raven smiled and kissed me again and ran to the door.
She turned back and said, “Go on, go change and then dress him. I’ll come get you when dinner is ready.”
I was surprised that Raven left so quickly. Maybe she was so excited that she forgot to get distracted from her task.
Lark smiled at me and said, “Go to the sofa and I’ll be right back,” and she disappeared into the bedroom.
When she came back, she was wearing a very beautiful tunic made of what looked like a very soft fabric. It was sleeveless and hung somewhat loosely on her body. It was made for comfort and nothing else. The only embellishments were two buttons, just above her breasts at each side of her chest, near the arm pits, and two more on each side at her hips in both the front and the rear. Each set of buttons was accentuated by a fold of fabric stretched between them; one creating a line above the breasts, one creating a line above the waist in the front, and one creating a line above the hips on the back of the tunic above the cheeks of Lark’s bottom. The gown hung to the floor, but as she walked, her toes or heels peeked out from underneath occasionally.
I said, “Lark, that’s beautiful. I’m starting to feel more at peace already.”
She smiled and said, “I’m very glad. Here, let me undress you.”
Lark had me stand up, and then she knelt and lifted off my shoes, and then my socks.
It felt nice and I said, “Lark, that feels good. I’d like it if you wanted touch me more. It feels good to have your hands on me. Just having you touch me makes me relax.”
She looked up and smiled and began to caress my feet and ankles more lovingly. Touch was still a new experience for these girls, but they adapted quickly with a little encouragement. I didn’t know what my experience was, but I liked this, being touched by her like this, a lot.
Lark straightened up, but stayed on her knees as she undid my pants and slipped them down my legs. Now that she understood that I liked what she was doing, she took her time and taught herself to be more sensual with me. She ran her hands down my legs as she lowered my pants and slipped an arm between my thighs to hold the back of my leg as she helped me remove my foot. She ran her hands back up my legs and then did the same with the other foot. I was still wearing my boxer shorts, but before removing them, Lark took time to fold my pants and lay them neatly on the floor beside herself.
She didn’t look up at me as she undressed me, but focused her gaze on my body. It was erotic. It wasn’t as if she was looking at me for herself, but rather she was looking at me in order to focus on what she was doing for me. The transformation in the last minute was dramatic. A few minutes ago, Lark was unsure of what to do and how to act; now she was sensuous and confident, as if she’d been practicing this ritual of undressing me her entire adult life. How she made the leap was explained a minute later.
She did look up at me for a second as she ran her hands back up my legs, and then as then reached the band of my shorts, both her hands and eyes swept slowly downward in the most graceful movement. It was like her hands had risen and then fallen in a wave; and as her hands went downward, so did my shorts.
