Chapter One
Kingdom of Dessera
King Damian's Castle
Karytha stifled another yawn. This was beyond boring. They'd been at this for days and all they'd accomplished was that arguments over water and treaties had degenerated into arguments over mining rights. Mining rights!
Why had Aidan brought her here, anyway? What in the world was she supposed to learn? How to suffer Death By Boredom?
King Damian of Dessera had water, which King Modran of Astryr needed. King Damian wasn't about to give away his water, but King Modran didn't want to pay for it. Then Aidan suggested trading water for ore, which the Astryrian Magistrate's nephew--a minor lord with a major ego--promptly rejected.
"We cannot have foreigners running rampant through our land," he said. "There is enough Desserian thievery as it is."
"Modran," Damian growled with a frown at the nephew. "Every thief you have returned to us has been put at hard labor. I assure you, Dessera does not condone thievery, in any way, by anyone."
"Of course, of course," Modran was quick to assure him. "Please don't take offense, Damian." He then launched into a lengthy homily on the need for trust, friendship, and honesty between neighbors.
It was not to be endured any longer. Karytha gave a quick glance around the room. King Damian seemed nearly as bored with King Modran's speech as she was with the whole situation. Aidan, however, was listening intently, as were the other members of the council.
'I can do it,' she thought. 'All I have to do is make sure I don't attract Father Aidan's attention.'
She adjusted her own chair, sliding it back noiselessly with her Power. No one noticed except Aidan, of course, who began to turn towards her.
Just then King Modran stopped speaking. The silence fell like cannon shot, startling them all, till the minor lord leapt to his feet.
"An excellent point, Your Majesty. Excellent! Indeed, I said as much to my uncle just the other day. However..." He expounded further on the king's already windy speech.
Aidan frowned and shifted his attention to the man.
'It's now or never,' Karytha decided.
Raising her hand to shield Aidan's eyes from her face, she closed her eyes and sent her thoughts flowing outside the room to the corridor through which they'd entered the council chamber.
It was easy. Calm. So familiar. A warmth which enveloped her and shifted, ghostly, as she stepped back from the chair ... yet remained seated in her place.
Karytha loved this Power. Of all of them, this was her favorite. Oh, her other powers were wonderful. Extremely useful. Enviable even. But they were not unique. Other wizards possessed them as well.
This Power of Illusion was hers alone. As far as anyone knew, no other wizard or magira possessed this ability in anything approaching the strength of Karytha.
In a process termed 'illuding,' she could walk out of a place, almost invisibly, while leaving an Illusion of herself behind. This Illusion wasn't just a ghostly apparition. It was a surprisingly realistic, reasonably cognizant entity, able to hear, speak, and respond to most events. What's more, the corporeal Karytha, though she be some distance away, could 'listen in' and know what occurred in the Illusion's place--which came in most handy if she had to answer questions later.
This Power was Awesome. It had saved her life more than once and she guarded it jealously, never revealing--not even to her beloved guardian Aidan--the full scope of its possibilities or the limitations of its ability.
Unfortunately, one thing the Power couldn't do was save her from Aidan's wrath. Most mortals and many of the weaker wizards could be fooled. But not Aidan. He was an incredibly powerful Fire Wizard, a member of the High Council. He was her guardian, her mentor, and her champion. He knew her like a book.
And he loved her like a daughter.
Of course, that didn't preclude him turning her across his knee when she was defiant or recklessly foolish. Though he didn't particularly like spanking her, he wasn't averse to it, either. Indeed, he was fully aware of the effectiveness of a sound spanking and would not be stayed from his course once he'd decided a spanking was in order. As her guardian it was his duty to discipline her. He believed a sound spanking was the perfect punishment for his often delinquent ward and that's all there was to it.
She hated his spankings. Though he usually spanked her with his hand, it was more than enough to express his displeasure. His spankings were excruciatingly hard, unendurably long, and embarrassingly bare-bottomed. One time she'd tried to substitute her Illusion when she'd earned a particularly sound spanking. He knew the instant he touched her, and rewarded her trickery with an even worse paddle-spanking the very next morning.
As she walked down the corridor she found herself thinking about those old spankings. Surely he wouldn't spank her for this! She was a grown woman. A talented magira. A full-fledged female wizard. She was too grown up to be spanked!
Still, Aidan hated deceit. Deceiving him had always earned her the worst spankings. If he caught her now he would be furious. And Aidan's fury was nothing to scoff at.
Well, she would just have to make sure he didn't catch her.
As if on cue, a noise in the corridor startled her. She darted into the nearest room, and eased the door shut.
Breathing a sigh of relief she turned, and caught her breath again.
The room was magnificent. Rich tapestries adorned the walls, some depicting battles fought and treasures won, others showcasing bountiful crops and purebred horses. A large rug lay before the hearth. Two chairs upholstered in rich burgundy with cream and green flowers and a delicate, scroll-legged table sat clustered before the hearth. On it lay a book with a soft blue cover, tied shut with a ribbon of red. Nearby was a chaise in a reversed pattern, with another table beside it. Double oaken doors on the wall opposite the one through which she'd entered stood open to reveal an equally magnificent bedchamber.
The tall windows held stained glass in every color of the rainbow. Lords and ladies conversed or strolled through lush gardens, while others reposed with book or goblet.
The room was finer even than the suites occupied by the High Wizards, and Karytha wondered who lived in such a room.
She strolled towards the wall opposite the hearth. On it hung a huge tapestry of a tree with elongated branches. From each branch hung a flower and in each flower was a name embroidered in gold thread.
Most of them meant nothing, but two names on one of the main branches stood out. The flower named Damian was intertwined with another named Ylia, and from them descended another flower named Duncan.
This was Queen Ylia's antechamber! She'd never been inside a queen's apartments before and she was nearly as awed as she was the one time she'd met Eanyd, the Lord High Wizard.
Her curiosity raging, she walked over to the chairs by the hearth. She wasn't quite bold enough to sit in one, but she did glance at the book upon the table. It looked like a diary, and she wondered what secrets a queen would entrust to it.
Taking it, she ran her hand softly over the slim volume. She guessed it wasn't very old as the soft blue cover was spotlessly clean, and tied with a red ribbon. She turned it over.
"Ambryn's Diary" read the gold letters stamped on the cover.
Karytha frowned in puzzlement. Who is this Ambryn? A princess, perhaps? But her name hadn't been on the tapestry as far as Karytha could see.
Perhaps it belonged to one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting? Perhaps there were secrets inside. Perhaps this diary could tell her why Aidan traveled here so often.
She opened the book and began to read.
Midsummer Day, 216ET Well, here it is, my sixteenth birthday. A new stage in my life, and, for it, a new diary! I don't know if I'm supposed to have it. Althorn gave it to me yesterday. {Oh, Diary! He's so-o-o handsome! So tall and strong, with lots of black hair and these beautiful deep blue eyes! All the girls are wild over him. Even though he's well over twenty, he hasn't chosen a girl to marry, yet, and every girl keeps hoping that he'll pick her.} Anyway, I don't THINK he'd give me something I wasn't supposed to have, so I guess it's all right. Still, I don't know why he'd give me a special present. I really don't know him that well, seeing as I'm so much younger than him. But now that I think about it, he did come to our house once, last year on my birthday. He spoke with Mama, but she wouldn't tell me what it was about. Anyway, he said it was an early birthday present, that every sixteen-year-old girl should have a diary, and that I should write in it every day. So that's what I'm doing. I don't want to get into trouble with HIM! I just hope he doesn't ask to READ it!!! It's not even dawn yet but I'm much too excited to sleep! So I may as well tell you about me. I'm sixteen today! I was born on Midsummer Day, 200ET. That's Era Two. That makes me exactly half a year younger than the era! I don't have any sisters, but I do have two older brothers, Jeres and Timis. They're twins and almost twenty. They'll become men when they reach twenty. Since I don't have an older sister to tell me things, I'm mad to know what today will bring. Mama said I'm becoming a woman now, and hinted that there were all these secrets I'd finally be let in on. She said I was now of 'marrying age' but she wants me to go to 'wife school' during this 'courting year' because there are special things they can teach me. Wife School isn't mandatory for all girls--or rather, maidens. That's what I am now. A maiden. Only those maidens with younger sisters HAVE to go to school-- unless they marry right away. Mama says I should go to school for a while, at least, then, if necessary, she'll teach me anything else I need to know. Some maidens do get married right away. They're the ones who've had 'guardians.' A guardian is a suitor--a man who's chosen his bride before she's old enough to marry. He petitions her father to become her guardian, which means no other man can court her. It's something like a betrothal . . . and just as binding. Oh, good! It's time to get dressed and go down to morning meal. I can't wait to find out everything! |
Karytha frowned. This wasn't the diary of an important Lady, it was that of a mere girl! But what was it doing here? Who WAS this Ambryn? The bastard child of the king or queen? That might explain why her name wasn't on the tapestry. But she had to be someone important, Karytha reasoned, else why would the queen have the diary?
Glancing about, she decided to be completely brazen and sit in one of the chairs. She continued reading.
Hello again, Diary, I'm back from morning meal. It was a little different than usual, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Mama and Papa were in the dining room, and looked as though they'd been arguing. They don't do that much, but when they do, Papa always wins. It looked like he'd won this time, too, for Mama's eyes were red as if she'd been crying. Papa started in on me almost at once. 'Maidens don't charge into a room like cattle. They walk slowly.' 'Maidens don't rush to table, they wait to be seated.' 'Maidens don't slouch in their chairs like unruly boys. They sit up straight.' Mama looked as though she wanted to say something in my defense, but Papa looked at her and said, "The old arguments won't work anymore, Evra. She's no longer a child. She has to be taught. I don't like it any more than you do. But it's got to be done." Papa continued, saying I must start acting like a lady. He said I have to learn 'a woman's place,' and how to be a good wife some day. He also said I mustn't climb trees anymore or race around or go swimming with the boys. I asked him if I was allowed to have any fun at all, and he told me not to sass him or I'd get a spanking. Huh! I don't think I like this whole 'becoming a woman' thing. It sounds like I'm not allowed to have any fun anymore. It's not fair! I told Papa that and he got angry, and said "one more word, young lady." Mama finally spoke up and told me to apologize which I did, and Papa sat me on his knee and hugged me and said he didn't want to have to spank me on my birthday. But then he did it anyway! For no reason! One minute I was sitting on his knee, then the next
thing I knew I was laying across it and he was pulling up my skirt!
I asked him what he was doing and he said it was tradition that a Papa
give his daughter her last 'little girl' spanking on the morning of
her sixteenth birthday. I said that wasn't fair, either. My brothers
didn't get spanked on their sixteenth birthdays. Papa said it was tradition,
that it wasn't a real spanking, just a symbolic one, but if I argued
with him he'd MAKE it a real spanking! Well, I'm not quite sure what
'symbolic' means. But I do know it doesn't mean the spanking won't
hurt! It did hurt, though not nearly as much as usual. In fact, parts
of it were kind of nice, in a way. Papa held his hand on my bottom
cheeks and squeezed them a little, and stroked them softly. That was
the kind of nice part. Papa's been kind of different, lately. And sometimes
I'd get the feeling that he doesn't love me any more. But the way he
held me over his knee and rubbed my bare bottom cheeks, made me think
I was a fool for thinking he didn't love me. It's odd. Even though
he was spanking me--which DID hurt!--I felt safe, like a bare bottom
spanking over Papa's knee was the worst thing that could ever happen
to me. I cried, too, but I'm not sure why. The spanking didn't hurt
that much! That's where I am now, waiting in my room. My tog should be delivered soon. Mama took me to be fitted for it last month. It was kind of exciting and scary at the same time. And a bit embarrassing, too, to have to bend way over a spanking stool while this strange lady tossed my skirt up on my back and measured my bare bottom from top to bottom {ha!} and side to side. She even measured each cheek! That was really embarrassing! The older girls won't say much, but I've heard them whispering among themselves. They say the tog is wonderful, that it makes your spankings hurt less. That sounds great, but I don't understand why our papas would insist we wear them if it does. Papa says a naughty girl should be spanked hard enough so she feels it the next day, at least. Maybe the men don't know it makes the spankings hurt less! It would be great fun to put something over on the men. They think they know everything. Anyway, it's nearly noon and my tog still hasn't come. I'm all nervous waiting. I hope I don't have to model it! Yikes! Oh! Here comes Mama. I have to go now. Nighttime I'm back. Please don't mind the tears, Dear Diary. I'll wipe them off before they stain. I had my first spanking wearing my tog, and it hurt even more than before! Those girls are either stupid or they knew I was listening and lied on purpose. But let me tell you from the start. When Mama came up the seamstress was with her and she had my tog. They helped me put it on. It's awfully strange, but not really uncomfortable. It looks something like a pair of breeches without any legs, and the way the lady measured me I thought it would cover my bottom. Well, it covers everything BUT my bottom! It's tight across my lower back, right to the top of my cheeks, and there are bands around my legs which push my cheeks up. I had to step into it, almost like I was putting on a pair of breeches. The seamstress laced it really tight across my tummy, which kind of pulled my cheeks apart, then told me to bend way over and touch my toes. When I did, it settled into place and kind of pulled my cheeks apart a bit. Mama told me to move and wiggle so she could make sure it covered my nubbin. When I stood up again I felt it pushing my cheeks down from the top, in from the sides, and up from my legs. I looked in the mirror and my bare cheeks are almost standing straight out! Mama and the seamstress checked me over and over to make sure it fit right, then told me to walk around and tell them how it felt. Well, it felt weird that's how it felt! My skirts never seemed to brush up against my bottom before, but once I was wearing my spanking tog, they kept rustling and tickling me like crazy! My bottom kept tingling and I sort of felt naughty. I started to get worried that it would make me BE naughty and I'd end up getting a real spanking on my birthday! I can't understand Papa letting me wear something that makes me feel so naughty. Then Mama gave me my 'Birthday Dress' to wear. That was strange, too. Now that I'm a maiden, I thought I'd get to wear a long gown with all the bows down the back of the skirt like all the maidens wear. But she said it's a special frock that all sixteen-year-old girls wear on their birthday so everyone knows it's their sixteenth birthday! I don't know why it's anyone's business how old I am. Anyway, the dress comes just below my knees like my usual frocks, but it's a lot shorter in the back, coming just to the bottom of my bottom! I'm afraid to move in it 'cos I know it'll pop up in the back and then everyone will see my bare bottom cheeks poking out of my spanking tog! Then we went down to show my birthday dress to everyone. They all nodded, then Papa said something that I thought would make me faint! He told me to bend over so he could see my spanking tog and make sure it was proper! I was horrified, and begged him not to make me do it. But he said that was tradition, too, and I'd best obey or I'd find out how well the spanking tog worked right now! I had no choice, so I stood in front of him and bent over to touch my toes. It was so embarrassing! Not only did the back of the dress pop up like I knew it would, the spanking tog that squeezes my cheeks together when I stand kind of pulls them apart when I bend over! My brothers peeked at me and snickered, and said now I'd finally be able to get a proper spanking when I needed it. I was mortified! Then Papa told Mama to get me ready for my 'promenade.' I wasn't sure what that was, and wasn't so sure I wanted to know. It turns out that every girl on her sixteenth birthday has to wear her birthday dress and walk through the village, stopping at friends' and neighbors' houses and going into all the shops so everyone can congratulate her on turning sixteen. Everyone but the younger girls, that is. We've never been allowed to go into the village on a 'Promenade' day. Anyway, that sounded like a bit of fun, at least. I thought it would be nice to have everyone congratulate me. Well, it turned out to be not any fun at all! Several people told me to bend over so they could see my bottom in my spanking tog. I started to complain, and Mama kept giving me these furious looks. Papa said he'd spank me right then and there if I didn't behave like a proper young lady. But how can I feel at all 'proper' when everyone is looking at my bare bottom?! It was most embarrassing. Especially at bazaar. |
Karytha stared at the page, outraged for the plight of the girl. What was
wrong with these people? How could fathers, who were supposed to love and
protect their daughters, subject them to such humiliation? And how could
mothers allow it? Unless... unless the mothers were subjected to the same
treatment!
There were a lot of people at bazaar, including Fendon. He's the magistrate's nephew. Even though he's rich, none of the girls like him. Oh, he's handsome enough, I reckon, but he seems awful mean. He's always threatening to spank us for the littlest thing! Anyway, he told me to bend over and show everyone how my bottom looked in my spanking tog. So far, I'd only been told to do that in front of one or two people. But now there had to be twenty! I looked at Papa, but he just said, "do as you're told, Ambryn." I thought I'd die! When I bent over, everyone 'oohed' and 'aahed' at me, and I felt my face burn. Fendon walked all around me and peered at me like he was inspecting me, and told me I had a bottom that was made to be spanked, and wasn't it a good thing that such a spankable bottom was attached to such a naughty girl. Everyone laughed. I was furious and stood up. Fendon got angry at that, but Papa finally came to my rescue and said I'd done as I was told. Fendon didn't like that, but there was nothing he could do about it. Thankfully, the people left and we went on to the market. I was surprised to see Althorn there as he's usually in his carpentry shop in the afternoons. Though I'm not supposed to listen, I've heard the older girls talking and most of them said that he was there for their promenades. Some of them even said he spanked them soon after! When they said that, the other girls kind of giggled. I don't know what there is to giggle about. It sounds frightening to me as he's so big! Once I tried to press Luvie for details. She's my best friend and five months older than me. But she said my sixteenth birthday is supposed to be full of surprises and she didn't want to spoil it for me. Anyway, I couldn't hide my surprise at seeing him there and kind of blushed when I saw him. But he didn't seem uncomfortable in the least. Not even when my brothers snickered at him for being there. Althorn made a fist at them and looked down on them like they were little kids. I guess they're afraid of Althorn since he's so much bigger than they are. Anyway, it sure shut them up quickly! Anyway, Althorn kept smiling at me and told me how pretty I looked in my birthday dress. I kind of blushed a little. Then, he moved in front of me to block the view of the other patrons and told me to bend over and show him my spanking tog. I blushed a whole lot, then! I looked at Papa and he just nodded. I started to protest and Papa said I could show him my spanking tog standing up or bent over his knee. I said I'd do it standing up. Althorn took a good long look then said my bottom looked very pretty, indeed, but it was altogether too pale. He said he thought a bright red bottom was most attractive and that he thought Papa should have reddened it for me before I went out. Papa said that would come later. "What do you mean?" I cried, mortified. Papa said not to worry about it. But how could I not worry? Then Althorn said that it sounded like I needed my bottom reddened right now. He even offered to do it! I nearly fainted! I thought Papa might let him. But he said, no, a young lady's first maiden spanking in her tog should be given to her by her father. I was relieved at that. Kind of. Thankfully, the embarrassing part seemed to be over. The merchants and a few of the patrons gave me presents for my birthday! I wondered how they knew I'd be there as they all seemed to have the presents wrapped and waiting for me. Later, Mama told me that the promenade to the market on a girl's sixteenth birthday is a tradition so that the whole village will know that she isn't a child anymore and is to be treated like a maiden. The presents were nice, and not childish things, either. They gave me sweets, and ribbons and combs for my hair, and needles and yarn. Squire Tobin gave me a beautiful wooden hairbrush! Mama frowned at that, but Papa and Althorn and the few men there smiled, though I don't know why. Then Althorn gave me a present, and his was the best present! A REAL grown-up present. He gave me a brooch of a red rose on a golden stem, with green jewelled leaves. It was lovely! Papa frowned at that and looked at Althorn real hard. But this time Mama smiled and nodded. Then Althorn said that, actually, he had two presents for me, but I'd be getting the other one later. I almost said he already gave me the diary, but caught myself at the last second. Instead, I asked him why I couldn't have my other present now. Papa laughed and smiled at Althorn. Althorn laughed, too, and said it was a 'bedtime present.' All in all, it wasn't THAT bad a time, not with the presents and all. All us girls are kind of used to everyone seeing our bare bottoms anyway. I mean, we've been spanked by nearly every adult almost since the day we were born! But being sixteen means that we're old enough to marry. Though most maidens don't marry right away, at sixteen our 'wife training' begins and the unmarried men can now court us. Mama said that's why we wear the spanking togs, so that when a man does spank us he sees only our bare bottoms and not our 'girl parts.' Finally, we said our farewells and started to leave. Althorn took me to a more private place and bent down to whisper in my ear. His right hand went under my skirt and gripped both of my bare bottom cheeks. I didn't realize his hand was that big! He gave me a stern look and said that he'd been waiting for me to grow up. He also said I was a very pretty young lady, but terribly naughty, and he couldn't wait to turn me over his knee and give me a spanking I'd never forget! I blushed again and couldn't look at him, but he took my chin in his left hand and forced me to. His dark blue eyes were very serious and stabbed right into me. He patted my bottom softly and said, {let me get this right} "It may be proper that your papa give you your first 'maiden' spanking. But have no doubt that I will give you your first 'woman's' spanking." My whole insides jumped! I thought--or rather, I hoped--that once I became a woman I wouldn't get spanked anymore. I'd never seen a grown woman get spanked. "But . . . but aren't women too old to be spanked?" Althorn's eyes widened, then he smiled at me. "Oh, no, my naughty little Bryn. A woman is NEVER too old to be spanked!" |
A noise in the hall startled Karytha. Slamming the diary shut, she leapt out of the chair and ran to a corner. Looking up, she saw the door begin to open and she sent a thought to the entrant to walk straight into the bedchamber and close the door.
Her Power of Illusion couldn't make her invisible but she could use it to help her blend into the background. And though she couldn't truly read minds, her Power of Perception gave her a sense of others' thoughts and allowed her to place ideas in their heads.
As if on a mission, Queen Ylia entered the room and strode right through it to her bedchamber. Karytha studied her as she walked.
The slender queen was tall, and her gait was regal. Her age could not be determined, for though her dark hair was beginning to grey at the temples, her face was still unlined. Karytha couldn't see the color of her eyes, but her skin was fair and her lips soft. Truly a lovely woman.
As the doors to the bedchamber closed, Karytha glanced down at the diary still in her hand. She knew she should put it back, but she was both intrigued and outraged by the young lady's words. She HAD to know what happened. She could try making an Illusion of it, but she'd never done that before and didn't know how the Illusion would hold up should the queen decide to read it. That would surely give away Karytha's part in its theft. But if she just took it no one would know she'd taken it, and she could return it when she'd finished it. She could make the queen believe she'd simply mislaid it and no one would be the wiser.
Her decision made, she darted to the door and exited quietly. Hiding her treasure in a pocket of her gown, she rushed back to her room and entered with a sigh of relief.
She'd no sooner heaved the sigh when she again caught her breath.
"Where have you been?" demanded Aidan, his ash-grey eyes smoldering.
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