The Courier Ch. 09

Anyia's personality and interests changed completely when her father was elected Prime Minister. As soon as he took over as the leader of Danubia, Anyia started hanging out with the sons of various leaders from his political party. As a teenager she dated several influential young men, coldly calculating which one could offer her the most in life. She built upon her experiences and set her ambitions higher as she completed her final year in high school. On the night of her school's graduation ball, she met and danced with the Crowned Prince of Danubia, the son of the nation's Grand Duke. The Crowned Prince already was nearly 30 and she was just 18, but she carefully assessed what she needed to do to win him. Within a few minutes of conversation she discovered that he was not happy with his fiancé, figured out why he was not happy, and presented herself as an alternative.

Although she was not from the nobility, the Crowned Prince was attracted to Anyia from the moment he met her. She was a commoner, but she also was the daughter of the nation's Prime Minister, which would make her a respectable partner. She was attractive, her background set her apart from the other women he had known, and he found her to be a nice change in a life of Royal monotony. Within a month a scandal erupted when the Crowned Prince broke off the relationship with his long-term fiancé and started dating Vladim Dukov's daughter. However, the girl used her father's popularity and some excellent acting to get the public to accept her as the partner of the Crowned Prince. She had decided that her Path in Life would be as the wife of the Royal heir and the nation's future Grand Duchess.

Anyia was only 20 when she married the heir to the Danubian throne in a lavish ceremony. Perhaps she would have been alright had she and the Crowned Prince had enough time to develop their relationship, have children, and prepare themselves for their ceremonial roles as the Royal representatives of the Danubian people. However, just a year after his son married, the old Grand Duke made a state visit on a humanitarian mission to Africa and was assassinated by drug traffickers.

The murder of the Danubian Grand Duke caused several important changes in the Republic. Vladim Dukov's government became even more intolerant of drug trafficking, passing several harsh new laws to augment the nation's already draconian anti-drug efforts. Following the Grand Duke's funeral, the Prime Minister went to the U.N. and gave a defiant speech that excoriated the failure of other governments to do anything about organized crime. As for the Royal Family, the old Grand Duke became a national martyr, even though in life he was a tepid person who had accomplished nothing apart from living off his ancestry. There was an outpouring of support for the Crowned Prince and his young bride, both of whom were coroneted in a lavish ceremony.

The early coronation, the tragic circumstances that brought it about, and the show of public support for the new Royal Couple had an unfortunate psychological impact on Grand Duchess Anyia. Already her ego was badly inflated because she was the daughter of the Prime Minister and the wife of Royalty, but now, at age 21, she also wore a crown and had become the country's equivalent of a queen. Her circumstances had not given her the time she needed to mature and put herself and her relationship with the Danubian public in perspective. As she saw it, she was the most important woman in Danubia and embodied the soul of the nation. As such, she felt that the world owed her adoration. She was genuinely taken aback and offended when someone dared to not give her what she was due.

Anyia's relationship with the rest of her family had deteriorated over the past year. She knew that she could not view herself as superior to her father: after all he was the Prime Minister and the nation's elected leader. However, the treatment of her mother, who was an academic researcher; her brother, who was a cop; and her uncle, who was a private businessman; reflected total contempt for their positions as commoners.

Grand Duchess Anyia was so much above them...

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The gathering lasted until almost midnight, which was very late by Danubian standards. The Prime Minister and his wife wanted to make sure that the evening ended well for everyone by ensuring that his family could go home with other memories besides Anyia's oppressive spectacle. He passed out yet more wine and called his butler and cook to join the rest of the group. Vladim and Victor led the others in a round of singing, which was a favorite late-night activity of Danubians at parties. There were plenty of jokes that the two brothers should never audition for Kim's band, since their performance was not stellar. But everyone in the room knew that their singing was genuine, serving no other purpose other than to have fun.

Victor led his household home on the last trolley of the evening. Jason tagged along as well, because it was his duty to see that Cecilia was safely home before going home himself. As always, he knelt to say goodbye to Victor before kissing Cecilia and disappearing down the quiet misty street. Pedro was very tired and his aunt occupied herself putting him to bed.

Victor and Maria Elena were alone in the living room. She was trembling badly from being cold: her skin was covered with goose-bumps and her teeth were chattering. Unfortunately, she was prohibited from covering herself. Her only option would have been to take a hot bath.

Victor felt immensely sorry for the poor girl. Maybe he couldn't give her a blanket to warm up in, but he wanted to stop that shivering and try to cheer her up. She looked at him with very sad eyes...her expression clearly stating: can't you at least hold me, Victor?

Shyly, Victor stuck out his hand. She immediately took it and snuggled up to him, trying to warm herself against his body. She put her arms around him and started crying. He wrapped one arm around her waist and with his free hand gently pressed her head against his shoulder. To be held...after all this time...to be held...

Long buried emotions and passions welled up inside Victor, the thrill of a new love, a new beginning. After a while Maria Elena quit shivering and quit crying. She was content to just stay standing close to him, to feel the warmth and comfort of his body against hers. The emotion continued to build inside him. Without thinking about what he was doing, he gently touched the prisoner's chin to turn her face towards his. He looked at her eyes...yes...she wanted him to kiss her. Their lips met, shyly at first, then much more passionately...

So...it was done. Victor and Maria Elena were in each other's arms and had exchanged their first kiss...two broken, lonely souls that had found each other. They were separated by language, by age, and by social status...but none of that mattered. Each desperately needed the other.

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Cecilia put her nephew to bed and fretted about some mud stains on her fancy dress. Then, she realized the house was totally silent. She checked both Victor's room and Maria Elena's room. Both were empty. Cecilia had an unpleasant feeling. Hmm...better check downstairs to see what's going on...

She descended a few steps and peeked into the living room. Victor and Maria Elena were passionately kissing each other...

Cecilia flinched. SHIT!!!! Shit...shit...shit!!!! I should've kept a better eye on those two! This is my fault! Shit! Kim's gonna kill me!

She thought about continuing downstairs and interrupting, but hesitated. She knew there was no point in doing that; they'd only wait until she was asleep and continue. No, there was no way she was gonna keep those two apart and she should have realized it from the beginning...no point at all. The matter was out of her hands.

Cecilia managed to calm down. She still was angry at herself, but that anger was subsiding. Well, at least she no longer had to lose any sleep worrying about keeping her host and her housemate apart: she had failed and the issue was settled. She also realized that, if Maria Elena was occupied with Victor, chances were that she no longer would try anything with Jason. That had worried her from the outset, because it was clear that Jason had noticed the prisoner and enjoyed looking at her. At least that was one concern she no longer had.

Cecilia took off her clothes and went to bed. She shut her door, no longer worried about standing watch over Maria Elena. There was nothing more that she could do.

Only the Creator knew what Path in Life was in store for Victor Dukov and Prisoner # 101025.

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Victor took Maria Elena's hand and led her upstairs. Outside her room they kissed again, but they were not sure what to do next. They still couldn't communicate with words; everything between them had to be via expressions and gestures. Maria Elena looked towards his room and back into his eyes...yes, she was ready. To make absolutely sure, Victor ran his hands down her back and caressed her bare bottom. Her hungry expression did not change. With that he led her to the master bedroom.

Maria Elena sat on his bed and undressed him: pulling off his tunic and shirt, then untying the strings on his boots. Once those were off, the only item left was the linen pants. Like most men in Danubia, Victor did not use underwear.

In bed they took their time. Maria Elena was content to feel the gentle caresses on her body from the hands of a man who was much more patient than either of her two previous lovers. His passion was different from what she was used to, because he was older. For a long time she simply relaxed, but finally she began to caress his penis and massage his thighs and stomach. She reflected that three sons had come from him: but maybe he wasn't done yet. Perhaps more children were destined to come from his body, children that she would carry for him.

When Victor was ready, Maria Elena lay on her back, eager to surrender herself. For the first time in nearly a year, Victor Dukov made love to a woman. He was much gentler than she was used to, but at the moment that was what she wanted: a slow gentle experience.

Maria Elena did not return to her own room that night. She stayed with her lover, violating her status as a criminal by sleeping under a warm blanket in the arms of the man she hoped to love.