Bard's Tale 01 - The Beginning

A few of the early tunes Reison understood well enough, but then Mindal switched to Hellenic songs.

Leaning close, Tia whispered a question to him, "You don't speak the language?"

He shook his head.

"You'll need to learn it for the music college, to pass some of the classes. We'll help you learn."

By the tenth bell, while their hosts enjoyed the music, people were yawning, and the festivities were called to a halt. At Tia's request, Reision went to a bed among the young male students, while the three sisters were given a spare room recently emptied of some of its stored boxes.

As they settled for bed, Mindal fidgeted, accompanied by sighs and huffs.

"What ails you, Mindal" Tia asked her.

"I want him, Tia. I wanted to jump his bones last night, and it's worse tonight."

"Understandable. He's a handsome--"

"No, Tia! Listen to me. I want to feel his hard cock driving deep, over and over, pounding into me until I come all over his hard shaft."

"Well, that's an image--" Tia began again.

"I want to be stretched wide as he presses deep and coats my insides with his sticky seed--"

"All right, knock it off, Mindal!" Tia snapped, her patience at an end. "We get it. You're horny and want to get properly plowed. Well, guess what? So do I, sister! I want him to do me, over and over, until I can't walk straight! And I am ready to be a bitch about it if you need it, but I'd rather not wake our hosts. If you need to, rub one out so we can get some sleep. They are early risers here, no matter how late they retire for the night."

Reaching into her pack, Tia angrily rummaged around until she pulled out a rough shape wrapped in a cloth.

As she removed the covering, holding out the rubber phallus, Mindal held up her hands palm outward. "Okay, I'm sorry. Tia, that's yours. You don't have to share your toy with me."

"Just take it and get it done. I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

"Tia--"

The priestess took a long breath in an effort to remain calm. "No, Mindal. I listened to you. Heard every single word. Now you listen to me. It's going to be at least a few days before I can get him into the temple for the instruction. This is a test for him as well as for us. To see if he's willing to meet us on matters of faith. Yes, I could teach him. But once that teacher-student relationship is established, it's difficult to make it go away. Despite my efforts to the contrary, I already mother you and Tahna enough, and no doubt more than I should. We are all older than him by decades. When he and I go to bed together, I want it to be as his equal and his partner." Tia pinched her nose to stop her growing headache. "If I teach him, it'll be fun, but I don't want to be his mama. Besides, I don't want to monopolize his time, and if I do the teaching, I will initially take all of his time, and be directing him for longer. No. For this to work with all of us, we will have to share him."

"I'd trust you to do right--" Mindal began, but Tia shook her head, cutting her off again.

"No. I'm already going to be running the household. Unless... either of you two want the job?"

Both sets of hands went up at once in warding motions.

"Not a chance," Mindal replied.

When Tia looked at Tahna, she answered, "You organize, I protect, and Mindal keeps our hearts light. Mind and heart and song for our souls. The dynamic works for us. I need to say that I have my reservations about him fitting into our lives as easily as you two seem to want. I can't fault you for your faith, but he is just a man. The habits of decades might be too much for any of us to allow for. I also have reservations about letting him inside me. But... you are both dear to me, and I am willing to be persuaded, since this experiment seems so important to you both."

Tia raised her eyebrows at Tahna.

"Okay, I like his honesty. And his bravery. I could get to like him."

Tia began to undress for sleep, carefully removing her travel vestments. Her sisters took her hint.

"It's not an experiment," Tia said at last, slipping on her nightshirt. "This is an opportunity for us. The Ninth Psalm says, 'Open hearts often find pain, but closed hearts never find love.' Neither Mindal nor I ever met your Lysandra Darkmoon, but she must have been something special."

Tahna winced at the reminder of her lost lover.

"You know how hard I tried to find out what happened to her," Tia continued. "Lysandra's fate remains in the hand of her goddess, Hecate. No one is asking you to forget her, Tahna. But if we've learned anything in our long lives, it's that lives change. Only the dead remain as they were, and if they don't fade from memory, even how they are remembered can change with the passage of time. The three of us are a true partnership, sisters bound in a deep and abiding love for each other. We are each other's best friends. Mindal and I need you to participate, Tahna. We cannot leave you behind in this. We have shared in so many things. This, too, we need to share together."

Tahna sighed. "I know you believe he was sent by the Lawgiver. I'm just not so sure that I believe it. No. I'm not ready, Tia. Sorry, but that's the way it is right now. Besides, he's... he's just so bloody young! Young and inexperienced. I'm just concerned the two of you are just hoping and seeing something that isn't truly there."

"Open your heart, dear sister, to the possibility of love."

When Tia kept staring at her, Tahna nodded. "I said I'd give it a try. I promise, I will try and keep an open mind. And... an open heart. For you both. Not for him. At least, not yet."

"Give him time," Mindal quipped.

Grinning, Tia just nodded at them both.

Tia motioned, and her sisters moved beside her. With one hand on her holy symbol, she gestured at the three cots provided by their hosts, casting bed of rest from the sphere of travel magic. The cots moved together, then melded into a soft, queen-sized-bed on a frame, filling out the mattress with extra padding. The smaller, linen sheets were transformed into thousand-thread-count cotton. The pillows, too, were fluffier and softer than those originally provided. The bed would remain until Tia ended the spell in the morning with a command word, or when twelve hours had elapsed.

"I'm so glad you have this spell," Mindal said. "The slats on those cots always leave my lower back feeling bruised and abused."

"They believe privation leads to enlightenment, a shedding of illusions and focusing on what's important."

Tahna murmured. "It's more honest to just put the mattress on the ground or on a flat sheet of wood. These are camping cots, designed for use by children or teens."

"Maybe we could donate something more body-friendly," Tia suggested. "I'll see what I can do when we get to City of the Suns. The cost of some decent beds isn't that much, and any future guests will enjoy the benefits as well."

"Do what you feel best," Mindal said.

Tia managed their finances, though Mindal kept a fair amount for her own use, as tomes both magical and musical were sometimes expensive. Still, though, the eldest sister invested their funds and they had several properties and businesses providing them with steady incomes besides their ownership in the Pixie Palace. Because of Tahna's restrictions on wealth, Tia managed Tahna's funds in a trust account. With decades of careful management, the three sisters were collectively very wealthy, a fact they did not advertise.

If Tia said they could afford it, they could. And, as high priestess, giving to good causes was not only expected, but supported by her younger sisters.

Gathering blankets, the two sisters quickly placed them onto their bed, while Tia dug into her pack on the floor again. Finding her light stone, she set its small carrying box onto a storage cabinet, turning the lid away from them to act as a dim night-light.

Tahna turned off their oil lamp, they waited for Tia to climb into the middle, before sliding under the blankets herself. Tia grabbed her pillow and turned on her right side. Tahna snuggled in behind her. Their close body contact would help the blankets warm faster.

When she realized Mindal was staring at her, Tia's eyes opened. "What now?"

"It's a little awkward to masturbate with you two facing me."

Tahna snorted.

"You could just go to sleep," Tia said. When Mindal just stared, Tia sighed. "You could just close your eyes and pretend we're not here. However, if you need to do it in private, you can go to the water closet."

"No," Mindal said.

"What do you want me to do, sister of mine?"

"You could just let her sneak off and fuck him," Tahna offered.

"No, you can't," Mindal replied. Reison had already told her no, and why.

"Tahna, a temple instruction gives a person a thorough experience. I made that a condition for the same reason that our people make all young adults undergo the process. To learn about themselves and their sexual preferences, and do it in a safe and loving environment. When he returns from the temple, he will have a much broader experience to draw from. It won't be his imagination but experience that guides him, and I believe it will confirm to him just how lucky he is to have us. Because once he's in my bed, I don't intend to give him up."

"You barely know him," Tahna protested. "How do you even know you'll be compatible with him? Maybe he farts all night, picks his nose, or leaves the toilet seat up. You've barely had time to even talk with him, much less do any courting. What do you have in common with him?"

"No courting," Tia insisted. "It'll be an Irish Wedding, in honor of his faith and customs. We jump the broom, smash the oatcakes on the threshold to the bedroom, and after we make love, we live together for a year and a day. And he'll do the same with each of you. I have every intention of making this a real marriage."

Mindal suddenly sat up, looking down at Tia. "You don't intend to use any birth control, do you!"

"No, I don't."

"You're body is young, healthy, and fertile. You will likely get pregnant."

"I'm planning on it," Tia replied.

Mindal looked at Tahna. "She's serious."

Tahna turned around in the bed to face her sister. "Tia? Children are a serious commitment."

"Yes, they are," she agreed, then she sat up so she could look at both of her sisters at the same time. "Do you really want to do this now?"

"You never really answered me when I brought the matter up," Tahna said. "You should tell us why."

"Very well, "the priestess conceded. "Mindal wants a lover who will be there in the morning. But Mindal, aren't you excited, I mean really excited that he loves music maybe as much as you do? To have that to share with him?"

"Yes, it's so hot! I am so torn. On the one hand I want to jump his bones, but I want to sing with him, too. It's a real war between my pussy and my heart."

"And you, Tahna," Tia continued. "Aren't you tired of always being on the move? When was the last time you spent working out a good cryptogram? And I know that it's getting harder for you to forget the crimes you are asked to solve. Especially those involving children. The truth is you are getting burned out, and aren't willing to admit it."

The monk nodded slowly. "It's been ages since I've tried to decipher a code. And... maybe you're right about me. Still, you haven't answered us. Why, Tia? Sex is a major trust. But kids?"

"I don't know how to explain it, other than to just say it. When we started the journey, I was already thinking about children. I love you and serving the church, but something's always been missing. I saw Reison that first night in Ayerdine's Crossing. It really rattled me. I know you are pretty smitten, Mindal, and I wasn't going to step on your happiness. But I tell you true, that when I look into his eyes, I lose myself. I want to kiss him, hold him, and give myself to him. I look at his face, and my pussy doesn't get moist, it flows. I never really believed in love at first sight before. And my rational mind is struggling with these feelings. But I look at him, and there's no question. I want him."

"Babies, though," Mindal murmured. "I'm not so sure about that."

"It is your right to choose yes or no. Ask yourself this, though. Haven't you been happy during your time with him? So why are you wishy washy about marriage to him? None of us have been happy with the way our lives are right now. If you like, I can cast the spell dream path for you both. The spell allows you to explore possibilities via your dreams. Maybe it'll help. I'll even undergo the spell as well, so that my rational mind can be at peace with what my body obviously wants."

Tahna ran her finger along the seam on her flannel sleeping pants, thoughtfully. "I'll do it." She shrugged. "Maybe it'll give me some clarity. It certainly can't hurt."

Mindal shrugged. "Okay, Tia. Let's do it."

Climbing off the bed, Tia pulled out her holy symbol, cleared her mind. "By the power of our goddess, in her aspects as Earth's Daughter, Child of the Sky, Mistress of the Elements, Dark Warrior, and Lawgiver, we seek Your wisdom. Open our hearts and minds to what you reveal. I ask for three dream paths, dearly beloved. By Your holy will, so it is. Chatori kem san eshmal!"

Reaching out with her hand, Tia touched Mindal on her forehead. "Find your heart's music!"

Power and heat charged through Mindal. Her mind whirled, her green eyes rolled back, and she fell back onto the bed. As the spell enveloped her, the darkness roared up and dragged her down into its inky depths.

Tahna threw a blanket over Mindal, then laid back as Tia moved closer. When Tia touched her forehead, Tia spoke again. "Reveal your heart's truth!"

The spell rolled forth again, rushing into Tahna's body like a warm river, carrying her along, as her consciousness faded like a shoreline washed away by a raging river.

After covering her sister, Tia pulled up her own blanket as the last of the magic tingled her right hand. As right hand touched her own forehead, she said, "By Your will, so it is."

* * * * *

Part 6

* * * * *

As the three women lay in bed under the spell's enchantment, the goddess Rena materialized into the room. Tall, lean of form, her hair light brown, and her eyes shifting through the spectrum of the rainbow, in her aspect as Earth's Daughter, she was dressed in shirt, trousers, travel boots, and bush-hat.

Beside her were two namarutna or free-willed angels, gold-colored humanoids in attendance beside her, silent and watchful. Pushing back her hat, Rena chewed a long stalk of grass speculatively. Then she sighed.

Suddenly another being manifested beside Rena. The new figure, a woman, was tall, red-haired with blue eyes with a curvy, athletic form, wearing a blue dress that shimmered with darker blue shadows, and all along the hemline was the image of a burning fire. And like a real fire, the flames were colored nearly white, yellow, and orange, with bits of red and green and blue scattered here and there. The faint light emanating from her dress cast shadows onto the walls that flickered and danced.

Seeing her friend, the goddess Brigit Balisama asked, "Are you sure we have the permission of Athena to be here? This monastery is dedicated to her, and I do not need her anger."

"I'm sure. She is not happy with the long-term outcome of the people here, but there is little that can be done."

"Most of them will die?"

"Yes, and not easily, I'm afraid. But what happens after that is between Athena and Hades. Once the Wood Elf King Declimar and his followers murdered Princess Taluveae and the remnants of her House, the die was cast. Athena, however, will have her revenge. And I will help her achieve it."

"These three women. They are the ones you spoke of?" Brigit asked.

"Yes," Rena confirmed.

"They seem young to... wait, their spirits are much older. They've used magic to keep their youth, but their minds and hearts are much older than they first appear. Until you mentioned him, I was barely aware of Reison Whisper Wind. His father is currently a seller of books, but he is a force to be reckoned with, a famous sea captain among the High Elves of Harlindon."

"Urthel Whisper Wind moved to Wood Haven after the fall of the Elven Free States," Rena offered. "He wanted his half-elven children to be far away from the sea. Now that Reison has left home, he and his wife are considering returning to Harlindon."

"His connection to me. That's through his mother," Brigit commented. "From Preston? But that's Welsh territory, and the people there most often following Cerridwen and Cernunnos."

"Look further back," Rena urged.

"Hmm... ah, Medhbh O'Hara is his mother. Her father, Sean, was from Munster, County Cork. So how did he end up in Preston, so far away from the lands of Eire?"

"He was captured in a raid by Clan Slatterly. Sean was sold as a slave, eventually earning his freedom, and ended up in Preston where he settled down. He married Ailinn Conger, a local Welsh girl. They had three children. Two sons, and in between their daughter, Medhbh. She was captured by slave traders from the Empire of Cartharsis. Her older brother and father were both killed in the raid. Medhbh, though, was rescued by Captain Whisper Wind, and they fell in love. In the main, Urthel and Medhbh have been happy together, though he misses the ocean."

Brigit frowned. "Wait. They had a daughter, too. Miriel. She's... dead. A child murdered, by means most foul! And what he did afterward. No! By Holy Dana! That--that cannot stand. I won't permit it--"

"Peace, Brigit. It will be handled. My own fury burns as brightly, I assure you. I saw this when I first thought of these four together. Have patience, and I believe you will be satisfied."

Taking a deep breath, the Irish goddess let go the horror she'd glimpsed. "Very well. I have come to count you friend and will trust you. Your word you'll show me when justice is done? And may I watch them?"

"My word on it. And, dear Brigit, we'll watch them together," Rena promised.

"So these are the women you spoke to me about? Did you spell them?"

"Yes, these are the women who are planning on marrying your worshipper. And no, they cast the spell upon themselves. They seek the guidance of their own hearts. I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity."

"Why do you have such an interest in them?" Brigit altered her vision, scanning the three women, her curiosity aroused. "Wait. They are connected to other Powers." Closing her eyes, she searched, reading their histories. "Their father's fourth wife is actually the avatar of the Kemetic goddess Renenet. And his fifth wife is Morgan Le Fey, the Cymru witch-mage, part human and part water sidhe, and Mistress and Guardian of the Well of Life. Are you sure it's safe to tamper with them?"

"These three women are pledged to my service."

"Are you sure it's wise to give them the choice? If the future events happen as you foretell, we need them to begin right away. The sooner the better. The more preparation time they have, the greater the chance of their success."

Rena nodded in agreement. "Your argument is sound. And some Powers might meddle so. I hold that they must have the choice, always, or it means nothing in the long term. When they must go into harm's way, I prefer that they go willingly. Besides, the more I directly interfere, the more others will do as well. I prefer to plan ahead."

"Chancy. But I agree with your principles. Do you think the marriage itself will work?" Brigit asked.

Rena could see the hope in her friend's eyes. Brigit's marriage to Bres of the Formorians was an unpleasant inconvenience. The so-called brave leader she'd had to marry for peace between the Tuatha dé Danaan and the Formorians had turned out to be arrogant, petty, and selfish. Bres didn't make love. He rutted. She even tried to love her son, Ruadán, but even as an infant, he often drew her blood while nursing. Between his father's interference, her son refused to listen to anything she said. Worse, Ruadán was becoming the very mirror of his father, a fact that filled Brigit with growing dread.