Page 3

I stand before her, totally naked, and despite the fact only my ladies of the bedchamber have seen me naked, I feel no embarrassment or vulnerability.

She bids me to lie down on my bed but with my feet facing the wooden headboard.

I do as she asks and for a moment I close my eyes.

As I do so I feel a feather-light material touch my skin.

I look down the length of my body to see it covered with a sheet of golden silk.

Its touch, especially on my breasts and womanhood, is sensuous and almost arousing.

The healer is kneeling behind me, at the top of my head, and I can hear her rubbing her hands together. Then the most divine smell surrounds me – rose, lavender, lily, jasmine and another scent I can’t quite identify, but it simply smells like it comes from a flower that grows in heaven itself.

I close my eyes again as I inhale this wondrous scent, and I feel the knots in my stomach and shoulders start to ease. I take a deep breath, greedy for the magical scent to fill my lungs and permeate throughout my body.

Then I feel a drizzle of precious oil across my chest and I gasp in surprise and anticipation.

Seconds later the healer’s gentle hands start to rub the oil into my skin.

I sigh with pleasure as her nimble fingers rub the magical lotion deep into my flesh, loosening tight muscles and releasing all the tension I've been holding there.

She starts with my neck and shoulders and slowly moves down my arms, her movements firm and smooth.

I can feel myself slipping away, floating on an ocean of bliss.

Then her fingers start to work their magic on my face – pressing and kneading, pulling and stretching, and the throbbing pain completely disappears.

I'm floating, totally and utterly relaxed, when I feel her fingers move down the front of my neck, over my chest and onto my breasts.

My breath hitches in surprise. I didn't expect her to touch me there and I don't know what to think or what I should do.

Nobody has ever touched me there. I always presumed the first person to touch my breasts would be my husband.

I'm not even sure why she's touching me there, but as she does so, I can feel another level of tension falling away as it is replaced with a pleasurable feeling.

I consider saying something, to object to her touching me in such an intimate place, but as the feeling of pleasure moves through my body, I decide against it and go with the flow.

All the pain has gone now and I feel lighter, free from the worries of the day that had weighed me down like rocks.

Her hands move away from my breasts and make their way down the taut planes of my abdomen.

She pauses to drizzle more oil on my skin, then massages my abdomen and pelvis in a firm, rhythmic motion.

I feel a slow heat start to build and something unlocks deep inside me.

I have a sense of release, like a bird flying free from a cage and it occurs to me it’s my own fear I’ve set free.

The deep-seated fear about my fertility and ability to bear a child.

I feel the fear dissipate and disperse like dandelion seeds on the wind.

A whole other level of relaxation infuses my body and it’s as if I’m suspended in a place beyond space and time.

The heat continues to build and move towards my womanhood and suddenly there is an almost unbearable throbbing sensation between my legs.

The healer's hands swoop over my thighs and in one sudden movement they flick between my legs, and I cry out as a feeling of intense pleasure ripples through me.

In the same instant an image flashes in my mind's eye of a man.

He's rugged and rough around the edges, slightly unshaven with unkempt hair and wearing the uniform of a warrior. In his right hand he’s holding a large sword, but that's not what gets my attention.

No, what grabs my attention are his eyes, two dark orbs of anger and sorrow, and they are looking straight into mine with a burning intensity that enhances the pleasure currently rippling through my body.

My eyes fly open in surprise and a touch of panic.

I've never felt anything so intense in my life, either the physical pleasure from the healer's touch or the look from the warrior in my mind.

The healer places her hands on my chest and in a calm voice assures me everything is fine and to close my eyes again and relax, that she is nearly done.

Her hands move down my legs and onto my feet.

The feeling of warmth and pleasure has moved throughout my whole body and I feel like I'm floating, weightless and almost not of this earth.

I can feel myself slipping away, gradually succumbing to sleep, when I'm aware her hands are no longer upon me.

I want to open my eyes but they feel heavy and I don't have the energy required to lift my eyelids.

I sense the movement of her hands over my body and a slight disturbance of the air around me. Then I'm aware of her voice, that melodious sound as she speaks an incantation over me in a language I don't recognise.

I find myself further slipping into the world of sleep, and even though I wish to speak with her, I find myself powerless to do so. Then I feel the palm of her hand on my brow.

“Sleep now, my Queen,” she whispers into my ear, her voice soothing and calming. “Let all your fears go with the night. You are a queen, and you are powerful. Believe in your power. Believe in yourself. Have no fear and tonight take special note of your dreams.”

With that she is gone, and I fall into the night.

***

“Here, my Queen.”

“No. Over here.”

“No. Don’t listen to them, my Queen, you must listen to me.”

All around me there are voices, and I look around in confusion but there is only darkness. Then from the murky gloom faces start to appear, grey and shadowed, stern and sour, and slowly I start to recognise the faces of the Grand Council.

What are they doing here? Where am I?

I look around but there is nothing, only a thick inky blackness that I feel closing in around me. The faces appear again and start to advance towards me. I back away, trying to stifle the panic rising in my throat. Their lips don't move but I hear their voices again.

“You must select a husband, Queen.”

“You must obey the council.”

“There are rules and traditions. You can’t simply do as you please.”

“A queen may only marry an Ardvallan Highborne. You must follow tradition.”

“Choose. You must choose.”

The faces are nearly upon me now and I can smell their putrid breath. I back up some more but hit against something hard and unyielding. However, it also feels warm and strong. Two arms come around my waist and I feel a sense of safety. The voices stop and the faces cease their advance.

I turn to see who or what it is that holds me in its embrace and I'm shocked to see the ruggedly handsome face of the warrior from my vision. His dark eyes bore into mine with the same intensity as before, but now I see a smile there, whereas before there was only sadness and sorrow.

His arms fall from my waist and he takes both my hands in his. “Come, young Queen,” he bids me, and I gladly follow him into the dark.

Seconds later I'm standing underneath an old apple tree in the Castle Garden, surrounded by the scents of rose, lavender, jasmine and something else I can't quite define but am familiar with.

The warrior is in front of me, taking something from the ground.

He stands upright and moves towards me, and this time his eyes are ablaze with something that takes me a few seconds to recognise – desire.

He smiles and I feel a warmth moving through my body. His eyes rake over me and I look down to find I am completely naked. However, instead of feeling embarrassed or vulnerable I feel excited.

He stands in front of me and pulls me to him, crushing his lips to mine.

I feel the leather of his uniform chafe against my bare skin and his tongue demanding entry to my mouth.

Breathless, I open my lips and happily succumb to the ravaging that follows.

His roughened hand moves down my neck and firmly cups my breast. I gasp as he squeezes it and then takes the nipple between his thumb and middle finger and rolls it mercilessly, until it is a fiery bud sending ripples of pleasure through my body.

Then, in one swift movement he removes his mouth from mine and takes my nipple between his lips.

He starts to suckle me, gently at first, and I whimper with need as flames of desire dart along my skin.

Then he starts to pull harder and suck on me like a man searching for sustenance to his soul.

And just when I think my nipple can’t take any more he flicks his tongue over it, soothing and cooling it with his breath.

The effect is like a firecracker on New Year’s Eve and my body explodes with a feral need I’ve never experienced before.

I convulse into him and grab onto his broad shoulders to prevent myself from falling.

He laughs and whispers. “That's right, young Queen, give yourself to me. Take your pleasure.”

Give myself to him? The only thing I want right now is for him to take me so hard against the old apple tree that he totally obliterates the aching throb between my legs.

He laughs again, and with me holding onto him, moves towards the tree.

I feel the scratchy bark against my flesh.

He takes my hands from his shoulders and places them on either side of my head, against the trunk of the tree.

Small, twig-like branches start to emerge and entwine themselves around my wrists, and within seconds I am pinned to the tree.

I should feel afraid but I'm not. Instead, I feel my arousal reaching new heights and I squirm with unadulterated need.

His hands move down my body, over my breasts and hips, and come to rest on my buttocks. He drops to his knees and looks up at me, a mischievous grin on his face. His hands apply a gentle pressure to my buttocks and I widen my legs.

“Please,” I beg, my voice almost unrecognisable, laced as it is with desperate need. I don't even know what it is I want him to do as I am not versed in the way of lovers, but all I know is that I need him to do something.

“As you wish,” he whispers against my womanhood, his voice husky with hunger. A hunger for me.

Then, in one swift movement, I feel his tongue cleave up between the folds of my womanhood and find the fiery throb of need at its apex.

He licks it, sucks it, kisses it and grazes it with his teeth over and over again.

Mercilessly, he feasts upon me until I am consumed with wave after wave of pleasure.

I scream with release and am glad my arms are tied to the tree as my legs can barely support me.

Then I feel my arms being supported by something else and I look to see what this unseen support is.

I'm shocked to find two younger warriors on either side of me, holding me with a sense of reverence and care that I am unfamiliar with.

The older warrior stands before me, smiling.

He extends his right arm and in the palm of his hand are hundreds of small golden seeds.

“You are a queen. You are powerful, and you shall take what you need. Have no fear. Embrace your power.”

He lets the seeds fall into my hands and then he vanishes before my eyes. I look to my right side and then my left to see if the younger warriors are still there, but they too are gone.

I feel a sense of loss, but at the same time I feel I will somehow see them again, that they are somewhere, waiting for me.

A warm breeze blows across my skin and the leaves in the apple tree rustle overhead like whispers on the wind. Then I hear it – an ancient voice intertwined with the rustle of the leaves.

“There is another way. Believe. Believe in yourself.”

I feel something hard in my hand and look down to find a piece of pure white rock. It sparkles like precious moonstone, and I hold it close to my chest, knowing instinctively it connects me to the three warriors.

The sun breaks through the branches overhead and I feel its warm touch upon my skin.

A white orb of light appears before me and I move towards it, entranced by its luminous glow.

Suddenly I'm back in my chamber, lying upon my bed, the healer’s silk sheet covering me and the golden rays of the early morning sun warming my skin.

All the pain of the night before is gone, and my body feels alive and energised.

There’s a slight tingle to my lips and my breasts feel full and rounded.

I place my hands on my abdomen and smile as I feel a pulse of energy there that I haven’t felt before.

Then a light throb beats between my legs and my smile widens as I recall the waves of pleasure from my dream.

“Oh, that such a man could present himself at the Harvesting,” I declare to my empty chamber and groan at the thought of what awaits me, “but alas, it seems such men only exist in dreams.”

I place my hands by my side, ready to push myself up, to start getting ready for this day of all days and am surprised when my right hand lands on something cold and hard. I pick it up and can’t believe my eyes as I hold the piece of moonstone from my dream in my hand.