Happily Ever After

"... And they lived happily ever after." That's the line we all wish for ourselves. Of course, getting there is never easy, and sometimes it is downright frightening along the way. I know. I've lived it.

At the start of my life, I was called Sanja. Now I have a different title. I was born and raised in the small, historic kingdom of Molvenia, along the banks of the Danube. We live in modern countries in a modern world, but live by old traditions. We often travel to Budapest or Belgrade or Zagreb but always return to our home for peace and security. Our king, queen and their family live in a classic castle high above the Danube.

My parents were farmers and lacked a formal education. I was told little of the world since they knew little of it. I knew from the farm animals how reproduction happened, but my parents explained little more than that. I was surprised when I had my first period, but mother just told me to get used to it happening regularly. I was told not to explore my body and its feelings, so I was ignorant of many, many things about myself. I eventually learned all of them in the castle.

My childhood was normal, until 1993. That year, the royal family announced a program to teach peasant girls (like me) the skills and functions needed to attend court and administer government. "Evaluators" were sent to every province to select the most qualified girls. The actual criteria for qualifying were never defined in public. I was the lucky girl selected for my province and was very excited to move to the capital and meet new people. And perhaps, do something with my life other than marry the boy down the road and bear his children. I was, of course, completely naïve about the ways of the larger world, and of the royal family.

I cried when I left my parents and brother. I was only 16 and I was leaving the only world I had ever known. But I was also excited. I understood that I was entering an entirely new world. I was coming of age, as they say. About to discover the world, and the people in it from an adult perspective.

There were 13 of us selected for the program from across the kingdom. We were housed in a large building just outside the palace grounds. Each of us had a "guardian" to watch over us and ensure our young minds developed in the desired ways. None of us had ever experienced the ease and comfort of life on silk sheets and in beautiful clothes. We were, clearly, the luckiest girls in the kingdom. I noticed right away that all of us were very pretty. I knew I wasn't beautiful, but the boys would often compliment my golden hair and had begun to notice as my body changed. Most of the other girls seemed strikingly beautiful and I soon tried to emulate their look and demeanor. I didn't want to be the ugly duckling of the group.

On our first day, the queen herself welcomed us and explained that the royal family were all looking forward to watching us develop and learn to serve them. I didn't catch the double meaning in that last part. We were given fancy dresses and shoes. We ate together in a large dining hall with food brought in by servants. It was like heaven to a girl raised on a farm. The only drawback was that family and former friends could only visit us once a year.

We began classes in court etiquette. How to curtsy, the proper terms for addressing royalty and how to cast our eyes downward when not being addressed. We also learned practical skills like cooking and enlightened conversation. I swelled with pride as I became a sophisticated women. The only skill we weren't taught was relationships with men. We had almost no contact with boys our own age.

We also received formal education in mathematics, science, languages and psychology. It wasn't really a university curriculum, but it was far greater than any of us would have received back home. After two years of training and education, most of us had grown into worldly women. Three girls had been sent home when they couldn't keep up with the lessons. That made the remaining ten of us even more proud.

Dmitri Stepanov, Prince Oleg's principal assistant, organized and ran the education program. He was tall, strikingly handsome and always had an air of confidence about him. He taught some classes and would often drop in to monitor other classes and the students' activity. I noticed him taking notes a few times. Once, he even stopped to chat with me when we met in a hallway. I was very surprised that he knew my name and what I was studying. He said I was a beautiful girl and asked that I call him by just his first name, Dmitri, since he was not part of the royal family. I was very flattered that such an important person was aware of me and thought me beautiful. He was always encouraging, so I wasn't suspicious of his activity around the ten female students.

Dmitri also mentioned that the prince occasionally looked in on our classes, though always surreptitiously. We had seen most of the royal family, but had never seen the prince. There was plenty of chattering among the girls about possible reasons for his absence. He was rumored to be around 27 years old and there was no princess ever mentioned in the palace. Some of the girls speculated that the prince was somehow disfigured and ugly and so hid himself from outsiders. We realized that he must have been the man who frequently sat in the balcony of the classroom behind a sheer curtain.

We had all joined the training program just after we turned 16. Two years later, after we had all turned 18, Dmitri announced that the initial program was completed. We were all given certificates of accomplishment in a ceremony and congratulated by everyone - except Prince Oleg of course. Seven of the girls were offered jobs in the government, usually serving under ministers or generals. I was very proud of our accomplishments and the depth of our education. I was disappointed that there were no additional classes of girls to be trained after our group.

But, three of us, me, Heidi and Margot were brought together by Dmitri and offered a unique opportunity. We were told that we had been selected by the prince himself as candidates for a new position - his wife. We all sat there is stunned silence. It's every girl's dream to be a real princess - but this was too weird. I was the first to regain her voice and asked a question.

"Why us, and why would the prince select a wife this way? Isn't he supposed to fall in love with someone before marrying them?"

Dmitri smiled and told us the long story of the prince and his methods. It seems Dmitri had known the prince his whole life. They could never be true friends because of the difference in their stations, but Dmitri had always helped the prince learn about the real world and adapt to the royal lifestyle. He had been rewarded with his current position as Assistant to the Prince, a very powerful job for a commoner.

The prince was extremely shy, hence his invisibility to most people. He loved to watch the activity in the palace and throughout the kingdom, but always from a place of concealment. Dmitri confirmed our suspicions that it was the prince behind the sheer curtain in some of our classes.

My curiosity got the best of me and I asked: "Is the prince deformed or otherwise hideous to look at? Is that why he hides himself?"

Dmitri laughed heartily and it took him a minute to regain serious control of himself. "No. the prince is a normal looking man, some would even call him handsome. His reasons for hiding have nothing to do with his appearance, he hides to protect himself in the future. Beyond that, I cannot explain. I hope you will understand some day."

He then proceeded to describe the prince's plan for selecting his wife. Just as we had been educated to the level of ladies of the court, he now wished to expand that education to include everything that a prince's wife would need to master. The prince wanted his wife to possess all of the skills necessary to assure him a happy life. It would be Dmitri's job to teach us those skills.

Margot slyly asked, "What if the one of us who is selected by the prince decides she doesn't want to marry him? The decision to marry can't be made by one person alone." Dmitri thought for a moment before responding.

"Of course, none of you can be forced to marry a man you don't want. That would be terrible for both of you. But consider that besides being the prince's wife, you would also be a princess. You will live in luxury and safety all your life. Your name will be known throughout the kingdom and people will cheer when they see you pass by. Eventually you will be queen, the most revered person in the land. If the prince were just an average husband, you would still enjoy a wonderful life together. And I assure you, the prince is no ordinary man."

"Only one of us might be the wife, what happens to the other two?" I asked.

"The other two will be given a significant monetary reward and letters of introduction so they may seek positions here or in other countries. The skills you will learn here will be valuable anywhere - and very desirable by other princes." He answered proudly.

My own primary question came next. "If we never meet the prince and he doesn't meet us, how will he decide which of us he prefers? He can't make that important decision without truly knowing his future wife. Can he?"

Dmitri smiled and answered my question. "The prince has been watching your progress for two years. He decided to select the three of you as the most interesting and attractive candidates to be his wife. He will continue to observe you and he will also rely on my own judgment of you. My recommendation will be an important part of his decision. He trusts me completely."

By that point in my career, I realized that if we wanted to be selected as the princess, we would need to please Dmitri. And not in a small way. He had complete power over our destinies at court.

Heidi spoke up and asked: "What exactly will we be taught? What does the prince expect of his wife?"

Dmitri smiled warmly and said "Let me tell you what is in store for you."

He explained the formal duties of a princess in the palace. Diplomacy with ministers was important, so was discretion and tact. The prince wanted a wife who was smart enough to function at all levels of power and not embarrass him with her ignorance. Eventually she would be queen and must be able to bear the burdens of representing the whole country. Dmitri assured us that those skills could be taught during our two year advanced program.

He hesitated a moment and then continued, "Of course she must also be a wife and fulfill the duties of any wife, that is: providing sexual satisfaction to her husband and raising children. You understand that don't you?"

We couldn't argue with those duties of a wife. They were reasonable, so we all nodded politely. Of course, we had no idea how far the lessons would go. We began our advanced training the next day.

The following few months were full of lectures about court policy and procedures. We learned about the different political groupings around the crown and what should or should not be said to each of them. We attended a few balls, but were limited to being wallflowers with only our eyes and ears open - not our mouths.

We spent many evenings with Dmitri, discussing our studies and also talking about our lives. Dmitri didn't reveal much about his life, but always seemed to have wise advice for our questions about life. He knew the world and was happy to share that with us. I began to really admire him, and his wisdom.

Each Friday, Dmitri gave us a weekly schedule of the topics to be covered the next week. It was all boring, until one week the schedule included: "Physical affection with the prince." Margot and I locked eyes and then both turned toward Heidi. She looked concerned. It raised many questions and we immediately went to Dmitri's office for details.

"Are we going to meet the prince and become physically affectionate with him next week?" Heidi stuttered.

Dmitri smiled and shook his head. "No. You will not meet the prince until much later. Next week you'll begin instruction in physical affection from the most appropriate teacher. We'll cover embracing while standing and chaste kissing next week. Later we will advance to passionate kissing, embracing while lying down, and pillow talk. Later we will practice the proper ways to undress oneself and one's spouse. The advanced classes will include fondling, oral sex and eventually, sexual intercourse in many positions. Understood?"

After a stunned minute I asked, "And who is the most appropriate teacher for those lessons?"

"Why, me of course." Dmitri calmly replied.

I could see that Heidi's and Margot's imaginations were running wild. Mine was struggling to catch up. Dmitri was planning to have physical - sexual - relations with each of us. There was something very wrong here. I was struggling to express that thought when Margot said it exactly right: "It seems to me that physical and sexual relations between a husband and wife should only happen between that husband and wife. A separate teacher is not appropriate to teach those lessons."

"Ladies!" Dmitri responded, "In our first discussion of this training program, I specifically included sexual relations and child rearing. Don't you remember that? Giving your husband sexual satisfaction isn't something that you just jump into. There are sophisticated techniques, both physical and verbal that will provide maximum satisfaction for your husband - and you as well. You can't have first-time jitters and awkwardness with a royal prince. If you hope to become a sophisticated princess, you must be carefully taught the techniques of sophisticated sex."

The three of us were stumped. Logically, his point made sense, but, emotionally, it was absurd. He really expected to have extensive sexual relations with all three of us as part of his teaching. I thought he was an attractive man, but that wouldn't reduce the awkwardness and embarrassment of getting into bed with him. Heidi started to walk away in silence. Margot and I followed moments later. None of us could think of a word to say.

That weekend we sat in our room and tried to discuss the issue. All of us were virgins, so we had no relevant experience to base our arguments on. Each of us expressed our own feelings about love, intimacy and physical affection. Our idealistic perspectives would be severely challenged by Dmitri's lesson plans. Should we accept his proposal, or simply walk away with our virginity intact? Perhaps it would be better to come to the wedding bed with a report card with all A's from the sex teacher. But would it feel right?

By Monday morning, Heidi had made up her mind. She told Dmitri she wanted out and he arranged the monetary reward and letter of introduction he had promised all of the losers in the wedding lottery. Margot and I hugged her and cried as she drove out of the palace. Neither of us was comfortable with our current status.

That Wednesday we had our first class in physical affection. Dmitri explained how a somewhat intimate hug given between members of a family or very close friends involved the woman putting her arms around the midriff of the man and him wrapping his arms over hers and resting his hands on her back. Then they gently pressed together so that her breasts could be felt against his chest. I was the first to try the demonstration with Dmitri and was uneasy as I felt my breasts squish against his body. I could smell his scent and found it oddly stimulating. I quickly released him and stepped away. Margot then had her turn and her face reflected her discomfort.

Dmitri gave each of us some remedial suggestions on our technique and we had to repeat the hug with better form. At least it didn't feel so weird that second time. But how far could this go? The next day Dmitri showed us how to press our cheek against his and also drop our head onto a man's shoulder. The following week we focused on kissing. The chaste kiss on the lips for family members was easy enough, though still awkward the first and second time. Dry lips, mouth closed, no longer than one second. The hugging part became a non-issue. Dmitri had soft lips.

The lover's kiss was more involved and actually took some practice to get it right. Margot went first and evidently opened her mouth too wide and they slipped apart. Dmitri showed her the proper opening and the second time was much better. Given that example, I did pretty well on my first try, but was uncomfortable tasting his mouth. He smiled at me as we pulled apart and I was proud of myself for pleasing him.

The intimacy increased the next day when our tongues were involved. Dmitri reminded us that we must always have clean breath and mouth before kissing someone in the French style. As I put my arms around him to begin the kiss, I felt nauseous and had to back off. The thought of him putting his tongue in my mouth was revolting. Margot seemed to handle it better. Hers was sloppy, but successful.

After watching her, I forced myself to be brave and immediately thrust my tongue into his mouth. He backed off and suggested that we each gently start to explore the other's mouth. That time I felt the intimacy of probing another's mouth and found myself aroused by it. The pieces suddenly came together: hugging, lips together, breathing the same air, tongues probing and sliding around each other - this was an intimacy I had never experienced before. I had thought I'd felt sexual arousal before, but this was a new kind. I liked it. I was glad Dmitri was my teacher for that lesson.

By that point, Margot and I had become accustomed to some physical intimacy with Dmitri and didn't fight it anymore. In fact we started to seek it out. He was warm and comfortable and the kissing raised our temperature a bit. I began to wonder if the prince would prove as skilled and considerate as Dmitri.

Every few days after that, we went to a new level of intimacy - and awkwardness. Still standing, Dmitri began to slide his hands over our bodies - first our back, then our hips, then our backsides. That one was especially hard for me. No one had ever touched me like that. Again, I was surprised at the feelings triggered by his firm hands on my cheeks. I savored those feelings as I stepped away from him.

The next level was him sliding his hands over our breasts and pressing firmly against them. That time I felt a direct stimulation down through my belly and between my legs. Part of me felt violated and wanted to push him off, but my body instead pushed forward into his hands. He continued to caress my breasts for a minute and I found it harder to breath. When he released me, I sank into a chair and gently held my own breasts to maintain the sensation. I tried to understand what was happening to my body. It was wonderful.

The next step wasn't as hard because I didn't have to surrender any part of my body to him. He told me to rub my hand along his trousers and feel the penis underneath. I had seen little boys' penises before and knew what to expect - until I touched him. It was huge! It was hard! I quickly pulled my hand away. Dmitri smiled and explained that having his penis rubbed like that felt wonderful to a man. Any husband would expect it regularly. I returned my hand to his crotch and slid my fingers up and down his erect shaft. Seeing him react to it with a smile, I continued to rub him until he pulled away. I was anxious to see what this wonderful organ looked like.

After only a few minutes of that, and Dmitri's subtle instructions for improving the stroking, we moved on to the last task while still standing. He showed me how to stand with my feet slightly apart, then hugged me with one arm and used the other hand to stroke between my legs. My legs went weak and he had to hold me up. No one (including myself) had ever purposefully touched me there. I knew there was a sensitive point down there but had no idea how powerful it was. Once I was stable again, Dmitri continued to stroke slowly up and down. I gasped and shuddered with each stroke. I realized I was wet down there and smelled a musky odor. I began to feel faint. Dmitri smiled broadly at me. I could tell he was proud of himself. I looked into his face and felt deep gratitude toward him for our lessons.