The Girl with No Name Ch. 24

With the icy wind punishing her bare bottom and thighs, Danka casually walked out of the cabin and made her way to the kitchen to pick up some ingredients needed by the medical staff. Unlike the other nymphs, she was not embarrassed at all by presenting herself with the lower half of her body on full display. She had been naked in public throughout much of her life, so her biggest concern was the cold, not the embarrassment. The fighting men and the kitchen workers stared at her, but she did not react nor attempt to turn away to hide anything. Inwardly she enjoyed the attention.

She felt differently about her situation as she descended into the tunnel to visit Ilmátarkt. She knew that he was attracted to her and wondered how he'd react upon seeing her naked from the waist down. It was obvious he enjoyed looking at her, but at the same time he tried to not make his staring too obvious. He respected her, so he was reluctant to do anything to further embarrass her. She explained what happened; that the entire squad was being punished because four of its members were charging men to have sex with them. She added that she had been naked for extended periods of time in her past, so Oana's punishment really did not bother her. Ilmátarkt commented:

"If you were from Rika Chorna, it would be different: you'd be much more upset and humiliated. In the Vice-Duchy, among the True Believers, what Oana is making you do would be considered a very severe punishment, excessively harsh indeed."

"I'm not worried about it. I'd much rather be naked than be whipped, or have my hair unbraided, or have my food taken away from me."

As she placed her supplies on the table, Danka noticed her companion looking at her uncovered backside with a hungry expression. She bent over to better display the curves of her bottom and her muscular thighs. She wanted to show herself to him and see what might happen. The doctor moved behind her:

"Your squad leader certainly did me a favor by punishing you. You are very pleasing to the eye."

Ilmátarkt placed a hand on her back to silently instruct her not to move. He explored her bottom with his other hand, massaging her uncovered backside. Her skin was cold from having been exposed to the outside elements and covered with goose-pimples. She enjoyed the feel of his warm hands on her chilled skin. Wanting more, she spread her legs and arched her back, lewdly displaying her body and inviting him to explore her vulva.

"I'm a total hypocrite, you know."

"In what way?"

"I emphasized to Apprentice Isauria that she needs to avoid using the position I'm in now. I think she'd laugh if she could see me."

"We're all hypocrites, each in our own way. You're no worse than anyone else."

Ilmátarkt's fingers explored Danka's vulva. As he teased her clitoris and gently pushed inside, she moaned and became wet. She couldn't resist. It had been six months since she last had sex with anyone, and that last time didn't really count. She had seduced a man not because she was attracted to him, but to find out if all of his fine words about family loyalty really meant anything.

The doctor took off his clothes. Danka was surprised that he would take off his shirt, given how cold it was in the chamber. He put his shoes back on and positioned himself behind her. Following protocol, Danka did not move once she had committed herself to having sex. She was his to use and enjoy. Oddly enough, the feeling of abandoning herself totally aroused her. She was more than ready when he entered her and started to vigorously thrust. She struggled to keep her voice as quiet as possible to avoid drawing attention of people working in other parts of the cave.

Danka ended up staying with Ilmátarkt the entire night. He had a very nice bed; much more comfortable than the one she shared with Isauria in the women's cabin. The bed alone would have made her want to stay, but she also wanted more sex. They made love two more times before wearing themselves out. She fell asleep and remained unconscious well into the next day.

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While Danka was sleeping with her new lover, Oana became increasingly upset over her absence. The squad leader was in a foul mood anyway over the humiliation from her subordinates' whoring, and now she had to deal with a member who was AWOL. At sunrise the next day she sent her nymphs to find out where Danka might be. One of the kitchen workers mentioned that she had taken some supplies to the medical staff, had gone down into the cave, and had not come back out.

Oana was more than furious. She already considered Danka the most rebellious and disrespectful member of her squad, and now she was going AWOL with the medical staff. Some suppressed snickers and mocking looks from her half-naked subordinates worsened her mood. It seemed she had lost the respect of her entire squad, and in doing so had lost control over her authority to command.

All of the women, especially Danka, needed to be taught a lesson. Oana decided to formally flog her in front of the rest of the squad. Maybe severely disciplining one of her nymphs would restore some order. The squad leader threw some chains with cuffs over the cabin's main support beam and sent Isauria to the unit commander to ask for his whip. When Danka returned, she would face an entire evening of being restrained and whipped.

After hanging the chains, Oana turned around and noticed her squad members staring at her with hostile expressions as they whispered among themselves. There was no doubt about it, she had lost their respect. What she did not realize was how close she was to facing an open mutiny in the cabin and that her plan to flog a squad member was making the situation considerably worse.

Oana was missing two of the things needed to "teach her squad a lesson"; Danka and the whip. The only whip in the unit was with Commander Sáupeckt, since flogging was reserved for the severest offenses and only he had authorization to allow its use. Oana assumed that, because she was his lover, he'd lend it to her. She also needed to retrieve Danka before her temper subsided or before the other nymphs could object to what was about to happen. She decided to send the lowest-ranking member of her squad, Apprentice Isauria, to ask the commander for the whip. As soon as she had it, she'd fetch Danka and make her return to the cabin.

Isauria wanted to warn her former mistress, but did not know where she was. Instead, she ran around the snow-covered compound looking for Commander Sáupeckt. He was not in any of his usual locations, so she decided to try the cave. One of the medical assistants told her that the commander was not there, but confirmed that Danka was present, sleeping in the side-chamber that had been taken over by lead doctor. Isauria was relieved that she could warn Danka before resuming her search for Commander Sáupeckt. She burst into the doctor's sleeping area and surprised the lovers in their bed.

When the apprentice delivered the news about the impending flogging, the doctor calmly stood up. He did not bother to try to cover himself.

"Apprentice, your squad leader will do no such thing to Defender Danka. That woman has gone mad, thinking she has the authority to lay a hand on her. You can continue searching for the commander and deliver his whip to your squad leader; in fact, I encourage you to do so. But, I guarantee Defender Oana won't be using it. Instead, she will receive a lesson in humility."

Ilmátarkt noticed the frightened look in Isauria's eyes. He added:

"Don't repeat anything I just said. Just find the commander and deliver the whip, as you've been ordered. But rest assured Defender Oana won't be using it."

As soon as Isauria left, the doctor turned to his lover. His next words totally shocked her.

"How would you feel about marrying me?"

"What?"

"Marrying me. Right now. We'd make good partners. Our Paths in Life are compatible. And, you have good reason for marrying me today. Oana can't flog you if you're my wife."

"I... I don't know... this is a bit sudden..."

"I was planning to ask you anyway. Your squad leader's latest bout of temper changed the timing of my proposal, nothing more."

Danka took a deep breath, trying to absorb the shock of the sudden development. She didn't love Ilmátarkt, but he certainly was the most compatible man she had known in a long time. She enjoyed talking to him and working with him. He had just proven himself as a good lover. Assuming they both survived the war; he would earn a good living and would provide her with a good life. Most importantly, she respected him. And... he was right about Oana. If she was married, her squad leader would lose much of her authority over her. The pending flogging would not happen if she could show Oana a marriage certificate. Whether or not she loved the man, under the circumstances it was logical to accept his proposal.

Danka forced a smile and nodded, kissing his hand.

"So you accept?"

"Yes, my love. I accept."

Ilmátarkt put on his clothes. He handed Danka an extra pair of trousers to put on, figuring that she probably would not want to go before the Priest to get married with the lower part of her body uncovered. The doctor again surprised Danka by opening a small wooden box containing three pieces of jewelry: a silver headpiece, a silver ring, and a silver necklace.

"So, as you can see, I was serious about asking you to marry me."

Following protocol, Ilmátarkt put each of the items on his fiancé. The jewelry identified her as officially engaged.

She forced another smile, as she tried to assure herself the latest sudden change in her life wasn't a strange dream.

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In the Duchy, both in the past and in modern times, a couple's engagement period normally lasts a year. Apart from the waiting period being considered proper protocol, Danubians entering marriage need to be absolutely sure they are compatible, because the Danubian Church does not allow divorce.

Danka's engagement with her future husband lasted less than half an hour. She nervously waited while Ilmátarkt's subordinates summoned the ragged Priest and prepared an official-looking marriage certificate. The Priest showed up, accepted two silver coins as a fee, and performed a brief ceremony. The medical staff acted as witnesses. Danka would have liked to have her fellow squad-members, or at the very least Isauria, attending the wedding, but under the circumstances that was not possible.

The reception consisted of a table with two bottles of wine, a cooked venison leg, and some dried fruit. Danka and her husband (it was still hard to accept she had a husband) ate with four other medical staff and the Priest.

The group was finishing their meal when Danka's livid squad-leader stormed into the doctors' section of the cave. She was about to grab Danka by the collar when she saw the hairpiece. The doctor stood up and coldly addressed his visitor.

"Defender Oana. A pleasure to see you, as always. Do you need to speak with my wife?"

"Your wife?"

"Yes, my wife."

Ilmátarkt held up the marriage certificate.

"I wouldn't know about that and I don't care. I'm here to pick up my squad member."

"Well, as her husband, you'd need to ask me for permission. I'm not granting it and I'm insisting you leave. To leave immediately, without my wife."

Oana was beside herself with anger, but protocol forced her to depart without Danka. A husband's authority over his spouse superseded the authority anyone else might have over her.

Oana's only option was to report to Commander Sáupeckt to demand that he order the doctor to turn his wife over for discipline. She was angry enough to complain to the commander, even though she knew bringing him into the squad's problems would make her lose honor and alert him that she was having difficulties with her command. She would be jeopardizing her position, but at the moment was too angry at Danka to care.

Oana's encounter with Commander Sáupeckt did not go well. Already he had heard complaints about recent problems in the nymphs' squad; thus he was not sympathetic to the squad leader's request to formally flog a member for what seemed to be a relatively trivial offense. Danka was not really AWOL: the medical staff knew where she was and she certainly had not left the encampment. Oana countered that the flogging was not so much about the specific incident of Danka's absence; it was more about her over-all attitude and the fact the squad leader wanted to make an example out of her.

Commander Sáupeckt saw the situation differently. He did not believe in "disciplining through setting an example". Danka's offense was too trivial to warrant a formal flogging. Any other lapses of discipline should have been handled at the moment they were committed, not all at once. Also, he valued his unit's doctor and was actually glad to find out that he had married Defender Danka. He had wanted to transfer Danka to the medical unit anyway, but had held off on the move because he did not want to offend Oana. However, Oana's pride no longer mattered. The commander explained the pending transfer and his reason for ordering it, adding the conflict between the two nymphs and Oana's loss of control over her squad would make the decision to reassign Danka much easier.

The commander still needed to resolve the leadership problem he had with Oana. The prostitution scandal and the way she handled it already had convinced him that she needed to be relieved of her command. However, she was a talented fighter and instructor, as well as being one of his lovers, so the commander did not want to do anything that would too badly damage her honor. Demoting her and making her serve under a former subordinate was not an option and would likely further degrade the morale of the squad. So... how could Oana be stripped of her command without being officially demoted and disgraced?

The commander's solution was to send her on a recruiting expedition among the manors and villages in the Eastern Valley. He wanted more archers for the upcoming summer's campaign anyway, so it made sense to have Oana establish a second squad of nymphs. She would recruit and train them: the new squad would be entirely her creation. It would be a chance for Oana to have a fresh start with a new group of subordinates and employ her talent as a trainer.

Commander Sáupeckt left the topic of Danka and explained the need for the second squad. Rather than waiting for them to come in one-by-one, it would be better to recruit women over the late winter and early spring, train them as a unit during the late spring, and have them ready to participate in the next summer's fighting by the end of May. Inwardly Oana was devastated, because she fully understood her lover was about to take away her position and was trying to find a way to do so without dishonoring her.

Oana saluted without saying anything. She'd only make herself look bad if she objected. It was obvious Commander Sáupeckt had made his decision and she had little choice but to play along and pretend it was an honor instead of a humiliation.

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Danka returned to the nymph's cabin the following day, after spending a second night with her husband. She was still a nymph and would continue training with the other women, but her relationship with the squad and Oana had changed. She served at the discretion of her husband, not Oana. The only way Oana could force Danka to do anything not approved by the doctor was to appeal to the unit commander. The squad conducted target practice, sewed, and prepared crossbow bolts over the following week, but the nymphs were sullen and quiet. Oana was very reserved and seemed to have lost enthusiasm for her duties. The nymphs were not speaking to their leader, nor did anyone have anything to say to Danka. Isauria seemed unusually nervous and jumpy. Because Danka no longer slept in the women's cabin, she did not hear any gossip that could have answered her questions concerning what was going on.

On Saturday morning Commander Sáupeckt showed up with his second-in-command and the Priest. The nymphs stood at attention while the commander announced the squad would have a change of leadership. Oana and another veteran nymph, a tough peasant woman called Dalibora, stood in front of the others while the Priest recited some prayers in badly-spoken archaic Danubian. Danka tried not to smirk in contempt, because her knowledge of the Old Language far exceeded his. Oana handed her crossbow to Dalibora and the two women saluted each other. Commander Sáupeckt then departed, taking Oana with him. The nymphs would not see her again until the following summer. As soon as the commander and his entourage disappeared, Dalibora issued her first command to her troops: to retrieve their trousers and put them on. Her second command was directed at Danka, to make sure all of the women had an adequate supply of birth-control paste.

Danka returned to Ilmátarkt's cave to prepare a new batch of paste. When she finished, she spent the afternoon making love to her husband, first bent over a table in his lab, and then under his bedcovers.

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Danka's marriage added an entirely new set of worries, responsibilities, and protocol to her life. She remained a nymph and was expected to practice combat with the unit's other women. She also was a medical assistant, and was expected to spend her time in the alchemy lab working with the doctors as they conducted surgeries and cared for the sick. She continued with Isauria's education, forcing her to improve her vocabulary and penmanship. Isauria remained in the cabin and had to find a new sleeping partner, but her education was still mostly Danka's responsibility.

Above everything else, Danka was a Danubian wife. While it was true that Ilmátarkt was amazingly open-minded about the Realm of the Living and its mysteries, he was still a man of the eighteenth century and expected his woman to serve him. Danka had given herself to him: she now belonged to him and was obligated to do whatever he said. She would have to spend much of her time attending to his needs and comfort: cooking and serving him meals, cleaning his clothes and his living area, and submitting to sex whenever he wanted. The adjustment was hard for a person who had traveled throughout the Duchy and had been responsible for her own actions and survival. However, Danka also understood what was expected of a married woman. If Ilmátarkt told her to do something, no matter how unreasonable, she'd do it. It was her responsibility to make sure the marriage worked, not his. If anything displeased a married man, it was assumed his wife was negligent in her duties to him.

Danka's marriage, like most marriages in the Duchy at the time, was a marriage that arose from necessity and circumstances, and to lesser extent physical attraction. There never was any romantic love between Ilmátarkt and Danka, as we would understand "love" in modern times. Romance was a luxury for the wealthy during peacetime, not for a field surgeon and a female archer living in a frozen military encampment in the middle of a war. They were practical people who were forced to lead practical lives under difficult and dangerous conditions.

Still, Danka was pleased to be officially married, in spite of not being in control of her life anymore. Marriage was, (and remains so in modern Danubian society) the most important part of a person's Path in Life during their existence in the Realm of the Living. Protocol dictates that an adult who is not married is not complete and is sinning by not fulfilling the Will of the Creator. Danka had not really thought about it, but the years had gone by more quickly than she could have anticipated. Before she left Rika Héckt-nemát she had expected to be married before her 17th birthday. The longest she would have wanted to stay single would have been two years, starting from the time she braided her hair and ending the day she went before a Priest as a bride. Well, at the beginning of 1757 Danka already was 22 years old, well past the age most lower-class Danubian women got married. As a woman with an eighteenth-century mindset, she was enormously relieved that she finally had a husband, even if it was at a relatively late age.