Feast Of The Rose Garlands

Hannelore Brassenberg was the favorite and youngest daughter of respected Nurnberg architect and inventor Jakob Brassenberg. Jakob's adoration for his daughter was most evident in the generous amount of time he allowed her to remain unmarried. Hannelore's five older sisters all were arranged into marriage by the time they were fifteen years of age. Hanne, as her doting father called her, at eighteen was still at home learning domestic duties from her mother and assisting Jakob in his hobbies of alchemy and medicine.

Jakob's friends in town joked that Hanne was too apt an apprentice to be married off and would surely become a spinster. Though Jakob valued his daughter's assistance greatly, in truth, he had far grander plans for the beautiful and intelligent girl. Hanne received formal education as a young child at a convent unlike the rest of the Brassenberg girls who simply were taught to read and write at home. Hanne learned Greek and Latin, as well as thorough Biblical teachings, from the very progressive thinking nuns of St. Cecilia in Bremen. Having returned to her beloved home at fourteen, Hanne expected to be married right away to one of her father's apprentices or one of his wealthy friends, but it was not to be. Jakob was, in fact, grooming her to be the wife of a family friend, the great master painter Alaric Dusek.

The brilliant twenty-three year old artist was the son of Jakob Brassenberg's best friend, Johannes Dusek. Alaric was on another sojourn to Italy, a quest to refine his skills in perspective and human form. At his young age, the artist had won great acclaim, riches and success. Just two years after Columbus sailed to the new world, Alaric Dusek was considered by many to be the most talented and famous artist in the world. Unbeknownst to either Hannelore or Alaric, their respective parents had agreed that the two would marry upon Alaric's return from Florence.

One day in April, Hanne had come to town from her family's country house just outside the city's massive gates, to assist her sister Margreth in caring for her newborn son and the three elder children. Margreth was still weak from a difficult birth and Hanne had been eager to help with her sister's adorable, fat and fair children while their father was working.

"Hanne, will Father ever let you marry and begin a family of your own?" Margreth asked, smirking at Hanne who was rocking the baby's cradle with her foot while feeding the two year-old his porridge.

It wasn't as if Hannelore was an homely girl with no prospects, she was commonly known as the most striking of all Jakob's comely daughters. The only redhead in a family of blondes, Hanne was always noticed. Men of the city often watched her as she did the marketing for her mother with red curls escaping from under her headdress and ample bosom threatening to pop from her bodice. Hanne's youthful face and cheerful personality also captivated the male population. She could make even the most dour soul smile.

"I've had three proposals and Father has refused them all. I shall probably wither and dry up before he decides who I'll wed." Hanne sighed. She had grown tired of waiting patiently to start her life. She longed for love, friendship and intimacy with a man. Hanne felt desire well up inside every time a young man flirted with her in the square or heated glances were exchanged with a fine gentleman at a feast. It was past time that she experience the act of love.

"Poor Hanne, perhaps Father wants more for you than to be the wife of a boring cobbler or an overweight jurist." said Margreth.

"I could do far worse than Counselor Willhelm. He's a bit overweight, this is true, but he's kind, humorous and rich." Hanne replied while wiping her nephew's face with a damp cloth.

"Sister, I know you all too well. You only wish to marry the ponderous lawyer's library. You would let those chubby fingers fiddle with you for a peek at his vast collection of Latin volumes." The elder sister teased.

"His fingers aren't at all chubby and are quite adept. I let him fiddle with me for no reason at all, if you must know." Hanne announced to Margreth who wore a shocked expression on a face similarly beautiful to Hanne's own.

"You're a wicked girl, which is why I love you, dear Sister." Margreth switched her ten month old son to nurse at her right breast.

"I am curious who I'm intended to marry. It has to be someone soon, Father has said I will not return to the convent, thankfully."

"Master Dusek, the elder, told Pawel that Alaric returns from Florence on the feast day and he is to be wed immediately." Margreth referred to her husband, Pawel, who was one of the elder Dusek's craftsmen.

Hannelore felt the color rise to her pale cheeks at the mention of the famous Alaric Dusek. She hadn't seen him since she was a child, but his most recent self-portrait hung in his parents' home. He was the most eligible bachelor in the city, even though he was hardly ever there. There had long been a rumor circulating that his father insisted he take a German wife. Hanne thought the rumor was mostly wishful thinking among Nurnberg's single women.

Alaric had been a shy boy who was quickly pronounced a genius and then apprenticed to various out-of-town master painters and engravers, as was the tradition among artisans of that time. Hanne only met the perpetually travelling Dusek once when he was fifteen and she was ten. Alaric had sketched her as a gift to her father and that portrait still held a place of honor in her father's workshop.

"Surely not. Likely he brings his betrothed from Venice or Florence; a woman of noble heritage." Hanne clarified. Pretty blonde Margreth shook her head at the smart, yet naive girl.

"No Italian noblewoman could marry the son of a German goldsmith, no matter how skilled or rich he is."

Hanne wouldn't allow herself the luxury of thinking she might become the wife of the incredibly handsome painter. Her knees became weak, even at ten years old when she first saw him . The reaction came again when she saw the portrait of a man with long, curling, light brown hair , wide honey colored eyes and angelic red lips. Other works of his; drawings in particular, on display in town, seemed alive with passion and sensuality. If by some strange occurence, Alaric was to be her husband, Hanne prayed the passion conveyed in his art was with him in all things.

"He'll probably be engaged to the magistrate's trollop of a daughter." Hanne finally said, feeling sorry for herself. Margreth and Hanne were still disagreeing when their younger brother, Hans, who was sixteen, came to fetch Hanne back to their house.

At the end of the short ride back, Hanne was quickly proven wrong. Alaric Dusek's parents were visiting with her mother and father in the kitchen. She was instructed to sit with them after greetings were exchanged. Hanne sat between Alaric's pregnant mother and her own mother.

Things Hannelore already knew from her conversation with Margreth were explained to her again. She listened graciously to Alaric's father as he recounted tales of his son's travels in Italy and other parts of Europe from Alaric's many letters while abroad. Alaric had purchased a large house in Nurnberg in which to live with a bride of his father's choosing. Alaric did not yet know his father had chosen Hannelore Brassenberg for him. Hanne supposed it didn't matter much who the bride was since it was apparent that neither party could refuse this union.

Hanne was given a large picture still in it's crate; a gift from her fiancée. The crate contained yet another superb self portrait of Alaric, depicting a fine gentleman, no longer the boy who set out to experience the world. In this portrait, he held a single flower in his hand and an inscription in Latin read: "My affairs will go on as ordained by God.". The beauty of it took Hanne's breath away, her heart pounded and blood rushed through her to places much lower while viewing the likeness of Alaric's virility. His shoulder and collarbone were revealed by the cut of his expensive chemise and she sinfully wondered what it would be like to put her mouth to that marvelous place. Hanne chastised herself, for those were not the thoughts of a virtuous lady. Her thoughts often wandered where they aught not, along with her eyes and hands.

Thoughtfully, Alaric had sent, along with his portrait; two cases of wine for her parents and a bolt of fine Italian, emerald-colored, silk brocade for her wedding gown. Hanne tried hard to contain her elation, but the Duseks noticed anyway and were thrilled with the success of their matchmaking.

"You are now the most envied girl in all of Germany." Her father said to her.

"And perhaps my son is the most envied man in all of Nurnberg. The two of you will have many attractive children, of this I am certain." Alaric's father said, kissing Hanne's hand across the table.

"Thank you,my lord, I will be a good wife, I promise you this." Hanne said quietly.

The rest of the Duseks' visit was spent discussing the wedding, the feast to follow the ceremony and Hannelore's large dowry of 300 florins. The wedding would take place in only a week. Hannelore and Alaric would be allowed to meet for the first time in three days at an upcoming feast during which their engagement and forthcoming marriage would be announced. It was then that Alaric would give his formal proposal and the two could sit next to one another or dance together.

That night Hanne sat reading Schoffer's Herbarius by candlelight, trying to distract herself from the giddy nervousness that plagued her all day. Her father came to say "goodnight" as he always had and poised for a discussion, sat on the edge of the bed. Being the last girl left at home, Hanne knew of her father's final talks with a child about to marry.

"My sweet Hanne, Master Dusek is an honest and pious man, he will treat you well. You should honor his wishes and obey him in all things." Jakob told her.

"Yes Father, of course I will." Hanne replied. She wanted nothing more than to be a good wife, it was all her mother had ever instilled in her.

Her father looked around the small room uncomfortably and then focused back to his prize possession. He cleared his throat.

"In intimate matters, you must always please him. Alaric is a man of the world now. He may ask of you things that you would consider immoral, but you must oblige him so that he does not stray. A husband and wife may do as they please, it's of no concern to the church."

"Father!" Hanne exclaimed, embarrassed at his boldness. They had never discussed such things before. It unnerved her and somehow the conversation didn't sound at all like the one Margreth and Elisabeth recounted.

"Hanne, heed me well, it may save you much heartache in the future. Florence does much to change the desires of simple German boy, this I know firsthand." Jakob finished and looked away at the wall.

"Thank you Father, I wont disappoint you." Hanne kissed the weary man's cheek before he went on his way.

The conversation did nothing to comfort her and did much the opposite as Hannelore lay in bed wondering what sort or pleasures of the flesh her husband-to-be had encountered in his journey. Had Alaric frequented the many brothels of the world? It was likely, Hanne knew it to be quite common for men to frequent even Nurnberg's few whorehouses. She imagined Alaric, naked and draped in voluptuous and perfumed Italian prostitutes. Having read tales of Roman orgies, she always secretly desired that sort of decadence for herself. It was difficult for her to imagine a mass of such pleasure to be evil fornication. She simply did not believe the only purpose of sex could be for procreation, it was the thing which seemed a benefit of great love, an act to celebrate the beauty of what men and women were capable of together.

Hanne went through different scenarios in her mind of what might take place on her wedding night. There would certainly be kissing and touching. Maybe even before the feast was over, Master Dusek would move his hand beneath her skirts much the same as Willhelm Van Broyen had done before and give her that moment of glory with his slender,magical fingers. Thinking about what they would do when they were finally alone, Hanne slipped her hand between her legs and rubbed the same spot Willhelm had to make her nearly go unconscious in his arms or cry out and lead to their scandalization in the garden. The moment was approaching, as she dipped a finger inside herself and felt the familiar wetness, moisture that would soon help to accommodate her husband's cock. Just thinking of Alaric's angelic mouth on her body, sent waves of heat through her, bringing a glorious orgasm.

On the day of the feast, Hannelore was dressed and groomed by her sister-in-law, Fye. Fye was a buxom and loud country girl who was married to Hanne's eldest brother, Jakob. Fye helped Hanne into her best red velvet gown when the two had returned to the family home after a trip to the women's bath in town. Fye pushed at the sides of the uncomfortable but pretty brocade bodice which pushed Hanne's ample breasts together and up, making sure it looked perfect.

"It makes your bosom look even larger." Fye announced proudly.

"That's exactly what I do not need." Hanne scoffed.

"Dont be silly, all men like big breasts, regardless of what the fashion is in Paris." The older girl said.

"But what if he doesn't like me or he thinks me dull?" she worried aloud.

"He will not think you are dull, Hannelore, no one would ever think that." Fye said, looking into Hanne's large, brown eyes.

"But, what if he doesn't desire me as a man desires a woman?"

"Then he is fool and a Florenzer; a lover of men and then you must take a new lover every week while he is away selling his work." Fye advised and the two erupted into laughter. Hanne doubted it would come to that, but she was still a bundle of nerves when they arrived at the town square for the gathering.

Everyone Hanne knew was there and they were all either congratulating her or whispering behind her back as she mingled with the other residents. It was nearly impossible to keep such news a secret and it made her uncomfortable since she hadn't been given a formal proposal yet. The wealthy girls of marriageable age all seemed to be leering at Hanne as she was whisked through the crowd by her family. Fye consoled her by leering right back at the "horse-faced witches" as she called them.

Hanne was already seated when Alaric arrived with his father and younger brother. Alaric was lushly clad in a black and white waistcoat over a gathered white tunic, with black velvet breeches, a matching cape and a tassled cap over his mane of shiny, gold-brown hair. He knelt before Hanne, kissed her hand and introductions were made. When the food was served, they were conveniently left alone. Both were visibly nervous and didn't begin to talk until everyone had gone.

"Would you like more wine? I find being very drunk is just the thing for anxiety." Alaric said. Hanne laughed, she already had her limit and on an empty stomach.

"Are you trying to intoxicate me so I will say "yes" to your proposal?" she teased. He couldn't help but grin at the petite but commanding prescence in front of him.

"Not unless you're already planning to say "no"." he laughed. Both knew it was not an option.

"Dont be silly, why in the world would I say "no"?"

"I'm temperamental, pessimistic, brooding and often mischievous." He replied flatly.

"Your father said we were an excellent match, I had no idea how right he was." she laughed and he gave a sigh of relief. Above all things, it was important to Alaric that a mate have a sense of humor, he considered himself a work in progress and anyone who wanted to be with him would have to have patience and good humor. As they laughed together, some comfort came to him in knowing that Hannelore Brassenberg would please him as a wife, for she was fair of face and pleasant. Caught between duty to his family and the love of a bachelor's life, Alaric was feeling very uneasy about his impending marriage. Setting eyes on Hannelore with her intoxicating smile and beautiful feminine form, made giving up his wild life in Italy a little easier to swallow.

"My father told me all about your looks and how you might bear me many children, but nothing of your interests." Alaric said while admiring the way she sat with her small hands folded in her lap.

"My interest is in being a good wife and a mother." she replied with barely any emotion.

"I'd wager your father told you to say that."

"Very well, I'm interested in History and Science. I like to read cumbersome Latin texts that would bore anyone to tears." she admitted. He might as well know about her quest for knowledge, he would find out soon enough.

Alaric grinned at her with a new interest. His good friend Willhelm had been right, there was something different about Hannelore. It was thought, in those days, that educating women too much would bring about the destruction of the home and civilization in general. Alaric didn't really believe this rhetoric and considered himself fortunate that Hanne was educated, as he couldn't bear to think of spending the rest of his life with an idiot.

"Willhelm Van Broyen told me yesterday he believes that you are the most beautiful and intelligent girl in Germany, I'm glad to see he didn't lie to me." Alaric said and kissed her hand again. She wanted for him to kiss her lips.

"You're too kind and so is Master Willhelm." she tried in vain not to blush.

"So, I've brought a great deal of books with me from Rome, perhaps you'd like to read them when our households merge. I would gladly let you have the run of them in exchange for helping me with Latin, I'm terribly uneducated when it comes to language." Alaric said.

"If I can find the time after my housework and sewing, I should love to have a look at them." Hanne said excitedly. Dusek shook his head laughing at her eagerness to do menial chores. Hanne didn't understand at all what was so funny.

"I think having a maid to do the cooking, cleaning, marketing and sewing should afford you plenty of leisure time." He was still laughing, most women would've expected a man of his income to provide them with servants, clearly Hannelore was unspoiled.

"I couldn't possibly-Sir, such extravagance is not necessary." she gasped. Alaric set his cup aside and turned back to her.

"Hannelore, it is necessary. I wont have you slaving away when I can afford help. All I remember growing up is my mother always working, always pregnant...all of her labors have made her old before her time. A successful man shouldn't let his wife toil so."

"As you wish, then I shall devote much of my time to pleasing you." Hanne said and Alaric once again couldn't help but grin at her, so pure and radiant.

"Do as you like, but you shall find that pleasing me is quite impossible, for I am never completely happy." he said it with an air of amusement but she suspected Alaric was only half joking. Hanne wasn't one to be thwarted by negativity.

"We shall see."

The morning of Hanne's wedding to the Master Dusek, again she was prepared by several female relatives. First she was taken to the women's bath by Fye, her sister-in-law and her sisters, Elisabeth and Lype. Lype washed Hanne's long, sunny red hair with a pitcher of warm water while the other girls scrubbed at her until her skin was pink. They insisted on cleansing her everywhere meticulously just in case Dusek wanted to have a close look at his bounty.

"I thought the church forbade nudity during intercourse." Hannelore said, even though she thought most of the laws governing sex were preposterous, she wanted to see what her sisters' opinions were on the subject.