Life and Times of a Priestess Ch. 13 Pt. 01

"Well this one is certainly very intelligent," said Valery, again playing the tactful host, "I know a great many women and very few would be prepared to discuss the science of economic competition and they have lived here all their lives. They find it of no interest whatsoever. But then they are wives or young courtesans, some of them are secretaries, but few of them have any responsibility for running a business or need to understand it for their jobs."

"That is typical of you Valery," said Jeanette playfully. "You don't think women have any brains at all. Danella just proves that you are wrong about women. We could run your companies for you quite easily. If some of us are not interested in economics it is only because we are not allowed any control."

'I would be interested to find out how Valery knows all of these women,' thought Danella. He seemed to enjoy mentioning all of his friends as much as bragging about his business success. Valery seemed to be a man who was not afraid to show his life to the world. She had a suspicion that the women he referred to were his lovers. He was an interesting man indeed, not one she had thought to find in Prancir. She might be wrong about the lovers but if he were so unusually free with his love she would like to join his list. He might be an easier target for her than Philippe, although she had not yet been able to converse with him to find out. Jeanette's statement proved again that she was unusual. Danella suspected that although she was playing with Valery the views were probably genuine. Danella had noticed already that men were very much in command of Prancirian society, men like Ravelleon and Valery. Many women, the wives of the rich and of the middle classes, and of many of the working classes, did not work, except as housewives for their husbands. In fact this was work enough particularly when there were a few children in the family. Many women however did work in occupations, farmers wives and daughters, helping the men in fields and plantations, in factories making cotton, woollen and lace clothing, in offices as secretaries, clerks and typists, as waitresses in restaurants and bars and, particularly for the unmarried, as domestic servants in the houses of the rich and the middle classes, and as nurses in hospitals and rest homes. But in these positions they rarely had any power or high responsibility. They did much of the work but they had little control over it and were often made to work very hard, harder than any woman of Pirion ever did.

"I have known many intelligent Priestesses," said Danella feeling that as she had received the backing of Mireau she should make some effort of her own to defend her people. Even as she said it she knew that she had shared Jeanette's prejudice a little. Where was the curiosity among her own people? They were too contented for their own good. And now they were being invaded, and unprepared for the kind of violent competition the Vanmarians forced upon them. Even so, they had good qualities and, although she was excited by the adventure of her new life, she could not be taken in by her own interesting discovery and pleasures. Around her Vanmar was a cruel continent where lives were subverted to the whims of the privileged and the possibilities of the real world were repressed.

"I do not doubt it," said Valery, "Just because our nation is engaged in war with yours does not mean that we consider your people to be unintelligent. I am sure your nation has many great advantages. For example I have heard that you Priestesses lead a rather exciting life." He winked knowingly at her.

Taking his meaning she answered him, "All of our people lead a rather exciting life compared to most of yours as far as I have seen."

"I have heard that you live to serve men in whatever way they desire," said Jeanette obliquely.

"You could put it that way but in so doing we serve ourselves. Our male Priests serve women in the same way." She was being careful to do as these Prancirians by avoiding direct references to sex although she was sure all understood what she meant.

"I have never met a Priestess before," said the Lady Arabella. "Do you not feel you are being used by the men you have served. It must be awful being used for one thing all the time when you have a good brain."

"We never think we are being used. We see it as worship and enjoy our lives. We do many tasks beyond worship."

Lady Arabella's reaction was polite but she betrayed the misunderstanding of all Vanmarians. "Surely Danella you were forced to do this by your menfolk. What would have happened to you if you had not agreed to engage with these men" asked Jeanette. "Becoming a Priestess is a matter of choice. I could have chosen to become a teacher or a doctor or nurse to work on the land or with machines. I could change my status whenever I like and it need not be permanent. Any woman could become a Priestess at any age. If she does not like our work she may change to something else as soon as she likes. I liked being a Priestess. It was easy for me. I did not want to do anything else. But you must understand, all our citizens enjoy communion with others regularly. They do not have to be Priestesses or Priests. If anyone wishes not to take part in our rituals and our pleasures they do not have to. It is all a matter of choice."

"When you are a Priestess you have accepted the sexual duties forced upon you. Surely you are not free them to decide with whom you might have sex?" asked Jeanette, more direct than any Prancirian woman Danella had met in her stay her so far.

Danella stopped to think. The question was more complex and she needed to explain to these people something which was outside their culture. They were unable to grasp that sex was something which a woman or a man could enjoy who ever it was performed with. To think of the duties of a Priestess as being a mere obligation from which one could not escape was completely the wrong way to look at it. Sex was a form of worship, a kind of universal love which could be directed towards anyone they chose. "We enjoy having sex with a wide range of other people, making love to many instead of just the one." To Danella the term making love seemed to make so much more sense when applied to a more universal love of the opposite sex, and even to one's own sex if a person chose, than to the confined relationship into which Ravelleon was attempting to bind her, and even Mireau would have liked.

"We Priestesses and Priests are certainly encouraged to worship with many different people and when we dedicate ourselves to the Goddess we do take on a responsibility to carry out duties. We accept then that we will not always be able to choose who we worship with. There may be some who are less attractive in personality or in body to us who we should become close to, and there are others whom we wish very strongly to join with whom we may not be able to approach. We have many conventions and no one can expect to choose the most perfect partners all the time. In return we receive variety. But as I say no one is obliged to remain a Priestess if they wish to change the form of their life."

"It sounds dreadful," said Lady Arabella, as if her preconceptions had not been changed in the slightest by what Danella had to say. "I know you can change your occupation but while you are a Priestess you are told to make love with people who are not of your choice. That is barbaric. You are surely being used."

"It sounds rather exciting I must say," said Lady Jeanette, "so different from here, but you must admit Danella you are really just a prostitute, for the use and pleasure of men rather than your own pleasure.

"We are like prostitutes but we do not perform for money and we fulfil other functions also. We enjoy our lives. Our society does not condemn us. Rather we are held in high esteem by everyone". There was a short gap of silence as her new friends took in her acceptance that she had been a kind of prostitute and was proud and unashamed of it. It was the kind of a remark which was almost never made in polite company. Lady Jeanette had remarked that she was really just a prostitute in order to deflect her argument. She had perhaps thought that Danella would have refused to admit that she had been like a prostitute, but she showed no sign of shame. Danella noted also that the men, apart from Valery, had remained quiet throughout as the conversation had moved towards her past life. She had of course met many more Prancirian men at close quarters than women and was therefore more aware of their attitudes than of women. When in the company of women Prancirian males became very guarded in what they said. It seemed they were unused to talking about these things amongst normal women who were not prostitutes. She knew Mireau well of course but what would he be thinking.

She had discussed Pirion and her background to him at great length. He knew much of what she had enjoyed in the past and it had excited but disturbed him. He was hungry for her lovemaking and the many 'tricks' she used. He had listened to her description of orgies and ceremonies with great interest and knew that he really longed for the excitement of group sex even though he had at first refused to admit it. The idea attracted him but would he be adventurous enough to try it when she could find real partners for them. In company it was obvious that the subject of her past life embarrassed him deeply. He probably knew Valery and may be some of the others well enough to know that it was safe to discuss these things, but he was wary, and perhaps jealous also. She had taken him to her bed and given him so much of herself in these last three months that he had come to think of her as his, apart from when Ravelleon returned. He accepted that his friend had first call on her but had come to expect that he had secondary ownership. She worried that he would be unable to accept having a smaller share of her even if other lovers joined them in a group.

Alfred the handsome blond director, and Philippe the beautiful dark haired lawyer were still unknown to her. The fact that they had listened to this conversation for so long without intervention suggested that they were open minded like Valery and Jeanette and Mireau, and someone with the views of Ravelleon would have ordered the group to discuss something else by now. He would have found it unconscionable to discuss such things before Prancirian women. And as he considered Danella to belong to him now he would not have allowed her to reveal so much of herself to outsiders.

Valery came in to reopen the conversation, never short for words. "How did it work in Pirion Danella? We in Vanmar have marriage to support us if we can find a good wife, and if we are well organised and sensible, a mistress or two as well." He laughed at his own humour. "In Pirion a man has no wife, how does he get to meet you Priestesses. Does he just join a queue at a certain place, or is it just the lucky ones who are chosen?"

"Every city or town or village has its own Priestesses and Priests. If a man wishes a particular Priestess to visit him he goes to a Temple and makes a request to the High Priestesses. If he wants someone he already knows to visit him he makes a request for her. If she is available or not busy on other duties she may visit him that day or the next, but if there is a list of requests she may have to wait possibly a week or two. If the High Priestess knows this Priestess is busy she may suggest the man chooses someone else. Normally he does but sometimes he may put his name on the list until she is available. The High Priestesses would not allow a man to request the same Priestess too often unless the Priestess herself wills it. The Priestess may be asked if a man wishes to be with her often. She can then decide how often."

"But she cannot refuse eventually?" queries Valery.

"No, eventually if she is a Priestess it is seen as her duty, but she is free to refuse. If she does refuse she is not thought of highly by the High Priestesses, but she may refuse if she insists. It does not happen often. No Priestess will be selected to be with the same person regularly unless she wishes it."

"But these are all visits by the Priestess to the home of the man. Is this so?" Asked Jeanette.

"Often yes but they often come to the Temples to meet the Priestess they have selected or have had selected for them."

"What about these ceremonies?" asked Valery.

"The visits I have just described are ceremonies of worship in themselves, but we have larger ceremonies where we congregate for a more communal form of worship. These occur frequently and there are many types but Priestesses are selected for these in turns or depending on their particular skills and capabilities, so a Priestess might only do one or maybe two in a week."