Once a King Pt. 20

Once a King

Part 20 The Making of a King (of Bagnisko)

Anastasia's dispassionate comment was, "We will have to work on that...the King needs to be trained to retain his seed until the proper moment."

It would be some days before I knew who the 'we' in Anastasia's comment was, or what the training might entail. Since the death of the Coicie, and the transfer of my sexuality to my own power, I had only my moonlight assignations with my departed lovers and the morning-after effects of my dreams about them.

Only when Anastasia started my 'training', or should I say, explained to me the need for it; did I understand why it was necessary.

In the days immediately following the spell that Lena had cast on me, I spent all daylight hours preparing the King's Way with Anastasia.

It was hard work, and the sun was turning my skin a dark brown, as all I wore was the leather kilt and heavy sandals. The days started cool, right after breakfast; Anastasia and I would collect the tools and building materials. We would load these into a wheelbarrow and trundle them to the worksite. And by 'we', I actually mean 'me'.

I did all the carrying and placing of paving stones. Anastasia cleared the way of brush, and noted the areas of the path that needed my attention. I was chilled to the bone, wearing so little, especially after stepping out of the Sisters' warm cottage.

Anastasia wore her work garb--a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off her face, and a long, coarsely woven dress, the color of dark, fertile soil. She was covered from neck to ankle to wrist. Early in the day, she wore a blue-dyed wool vest to ward off the morning chill...she soon removed it, after the work warmed her.

There was little conversation, mostly Anastasia answering my questions of the peculiar ways of the Bagniskos. Most questions, she would put off for our later lesson time. "Work is for work," she would say...she was pleasant, but definitely in charge of her 'king' for this time of the clearing of the King's Way.

There was little chance of discovery by the Bagniskos. They avoided the vicinity of the Sisters cottage unless they had made a formal appointment to consult them in some vital manner. The Sisters were much like the Council, and the Bagniskos much like the People in this way. The Bagniskos never concerned themselves with anything other than the routine of their lives, what they would eat day to day, their daily chores or labors. Anything that required foresight or planning, was brought to the Sisters.

They would give advice or direction, for the customary sacrifice or donation of goods or service from the Bagniskos.

The Sisters' advice was so valued, and their requirements for donations or sacrifice were so modest, that no Bagnisko questioned or complained about the fee.

While Anastasia and I were busy preparing the King's Way, all the consultations with the Bagniskos were dealt with by Lena and Calina.

The Bagniskos had no choice as to which sister would be assigned their problem, although the Sisters did tend to specialize, based on their temperament, skills and sometimes, the whim of the moment.

Calina would deal with both men and women as the Time of Fertility approached, and those inexperienced in the ways of coupling would come to her for advice. Calina was so fun and welcoming to both the men and the women, that they relaxed in her presence and were less stressed in dealing with this once-a-year feature of life in Bagnisko

At least the women retained some degree of arousal during the rest of the year, although they could not be penetrated and were not fertile. The men had no arousal possible, except for the time of fertility. Their bodies were programmed for the preservation of their seed, until it was time for the women to be inseminated. To eliminate the possibility of seed being spread uselessly, they were totally impotent for the vast majority of the year.

While this preserved vast quantities of seed for the time of fertility, it meant that they were ignorant of all aspects of their own sexuality and even more ignorant of the women, since they had no interest and no curiosity.

These women lived in bonded pairs and so were capable of climaxing with a loving partner.

Lena was the counselor for the bonded females. Although intensely passionate, herself, she excelled at dispassionate advice to heal the fractures that some bonded couples experienced. And only the females bonded as couples. The males lived in their barracks. Their companionship was the work group, and their drinking and mess partners.

The time came, unplanned, for my lesson with Anastasia. We worked well together and had made excellent progress on the King's Way, which led from the vicinity of the Sister's house, through the farms and barracks of the men, into the fields where the flocks of the women roamed. You would guess that the terminus was the dwelling of the bonded pairs of females...There, the way divided and passed to many surreptitious gullies and hidden ways among the dwellings. Past the zone of the women, the Way became one again to end in the highlands, very near the crashing surf that marked the edge of the Bagnisko.

This was a lonely spot. Besides the Way being forbidden to the Bagnisko, there was a wall, a gate really, through a defile near the highest point of the coastal range. No Bagnisko could pass, under the pain of severe curses.

The Bagnisko worked hard and drank hard; none had the leisure or energy or desire, to wander. Although I saw nothing to fear in the Sisters, the Bagniskos held them in awe. The Sisters terrified them.

Past the gate overlooking the sea was a fort...a stronghold...only a small tower, really. Later, I learned it was a watch tower for a long-forgotten outpost of the Empire. The same Empire that had forgotten the People of the Eagle and the Men of the Bull.

Here, Anastasia and I rested. The Way was cleared...some pavers yet needed replacing, but the majority of the work was done. My body had hardened and bronzed under the work. Anastaisa had done her part with little apparent effort, and although she sweated profusely, soaking her garment--she never seemed to tire.

We took our meal there, several gallons of cider were stored in the cellar; we ate on the ground floor, with a small window facing the Way. Our food was plain bread and some cheese that the women produced.

Afterwards, we climbed to the upper story of the tower, the last enclosed space just below the lookout and warning-beacon platform.

Anastasia removed her sweat-stained clothes, and hung them to dry from brackets set in the walls of the room. It must have originally been the guard room and the brackets were remnants of racks for the weapons of the garrison.

She shivered slightly, as the sweat dried from the constant sea breeze.

She began a low chant...the purpose of which, was to calm me and then ensorcel me.

My kilt fell away, as though it was never secured...

I was raised from the ground...by her power, so that even though I stood a head shorter than her, our eyes met.

Anastasia never looked anywhere but into my eyes...and I had no power, but to be trapped in hers.

I cannot say that she ever actually touched me. I felt my arousal...as it grew and hardened...as it threatened to liquify and soften. Time and time again, I was brought near climax, but never achieved it.

I have no sense of how long this took, of how long I was in the power of this spell. It was not her power, but a power that worked through her.

A power, I surmised, that was passed to her from the Sisters who had the gift of the first King. This was a spell of correction.

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