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The Balance Ch. 06-09

By: Glaze72



Hello All. Here are the next chapters in this story. Thanks to all those who have voted.

I am writing the next chapters, in which things will get a little dicey for our heroes. I have no idea how long this story will go, but I hope you enjoy.

*****

Chapter 6

"Ariana, you may go. Abiron, stay for a moment, won't you, lad?"

Ariana glanced at Abiron for a moment, then went up to the Deity and embraced him. "Thank you, my Lord. Thank you for everything. Thank you more than I can say."

The Deity patted her back. "You're a good child, Ariana. Be well. I will see you soon."

Ariana walked out quickly, the doors to the worship area closing softly behind her.

"Why did you wish for me to stay, my Lady?"

"Because as lusty as your wife is, I think she would still rather have a moment to collect herself before she takes you to her bed. It isn't every day that a mother marries her son. Remember, this experience is almost as strange for her as it is for you. 

"I will give you a couple other pieces of advise, since you seem to think you will need it. First, if you ever wonder whether your wife, or any other woman, wants you in her bed, always err on the side of caution. If a woman wants you, she will let you know, and short of running away, there isn't much you can do about it.

"Second. Let your new wife guide you. She is wiser than you. Not just in the ways of the bedchamber," the Deity said with a smile, "But also in the ways of the world. You have been sheltered here. She was not.

"Lastly, don't walk into her chamber tonight with your spear at full mast. Actually, never walk into her chamber that way. It is arrogant and rude, and it puts a woman on the defensive."

Abiron flushed scarlet. "I am not sure I will be able to, you know, stop."

"Oh, you will, my lad," A cool breeze seemed to wash across his groin, and he relaxed. "That will last until about two minutes after you enter my lady's chamber, if I am any judge," She winked at him, "Besides, it gives a woman a sense of accomplishment to make a man ready. Never act like you don't need her, my boy."

"I won't, my Lady."

"Good, good. Now shoo! Don't you have a wife to be taking care of?"

As Ariana closed the door to her bedroom, her dress disappeared, replaced by a silk robe. The fabric clung sensuously to her breasts and hips, while circulating air from below that did little to quiet the fire in her groin. She glanced around the room. All was ready. Scented candles were lit on every flat surface. The shutters were open slightly to let cool air in. The cabinet beside the bed was unlocked for the first time in sixteen years, and all that was within it had been cleaned to make sure that it would be ready if needed.

Not that it will be tonight, she thought. Tonight was a night for initiating a young man into the joy and beauty of lovemaking. Amorous aides would be used later, as a spur for passion, but tonight things would be simple.

My son. No, my husband! How well he had looked in his borrowed finery. The sight of his strong young thighs in those breeches had nearly driven her mad. She could not help imagining how they would feel beside her own, her ankles locked behind his buttocks...

A knock at the door.

"Come in."

Abiron entered. He took one step into the room, then startled as his clothing changed. Gone were the fine breeches and tunic. In its place was a robe that matched Ariana's own.

Ariana laughed. "I think our Lord is trying to help us out. Wedding clothes are fine for a wedding, but awkward in the bedroom."

"Mother..."

"No. My name is Ariana. And you are now my husband, and I your wife. Call me by my name."

"Ariana. I don't know what to do."

"And that is why I am here. Why we are both here. I have been your teacher in many things, my son. Trust me. Allow me to teach you in this as well."

Abiron swallowed visibly, then nodded.

"Yes." The word came out of Ariana's mouth in almost a hiss. The dams were gone, the walls breached. There was no reason to deny her nature any longer. She could feel the Wanton rising up inside her. Her breasts flushed, engorged with blood. Her pupils dilated. Her groin was on fire with need. "Come to me, my husband."

Slowly, almost stumbling, Abiron crossed the room. He stood before his wife.

"This is how it begins," just as she had in the temple, she raised her hands to his cheeks and pulled his face down. Slowly, lingeringly, she kissed his mouth. Her lips opened and her tongue flickered across his lips. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, and her tongue entered, playfully flicking across his, running across his teeth. She pulled it back, and was filled with joy as his tongue took the initiative and followed hers into her mouth. The two danced together and she could feel his manhood, stiff against her belly. The heat of it nearly drove her wild. I did that! Me! I did that! I am arousing him, arousing my son, my husband, my lover! Oh, dear Lord, I never want this to stop!

"What...what do I do with my hands?" Abiron asked. 

"The hips are a good place to start. Or the waist. By doing that, you stake a claim to your lover's body. Your wife's body. You can go in two directions. But by starting there, you give her a chance to slow things down if she should not be feeling amorous." Ariana felt his hands close around her waist. Strong fingers, calloused with work, gentle with love. "Explore a little on your own, dear one. I will let you know if you err," she raised her mouth to his again, and this time he needed no encouragement. As their kiss renewed, she felt his hands slowly rubbing up and down her sides, from the curve of her hips to the sides of her breasts and back again. The feel of the fabric moving against her nipples excited her further.

"A moment, dear one," she stepped back from him and undid the sash that held her robe closed, then did the same for him. His muscled chest came into view. She ran her hand down it, down to the plane of his stomach, stopping short of his magnificent phallus. Oh, my Lord, thou art generous with thy servant! And mine. All mine. I made him within my body and soon I will be taking him back within me.

As his wife undid the belt of her robe Abiron was stuck mute by her beauty. All that he had imagined unwillingly for the past day was now revealed to him. He could see the graceful curves of her calves rising to her smooth thighs. From there, her hips flared and then curved inwards to her narrow waist. Her belly was flat and smooth, slowly rising to the mound of her pubis, thatched with neatly trimmed hair. His gaze rose higher to the glories of her breasts. Firm and high they were, as much as he could fit in his hand. Only the nipples were hidden from his view, the sides of the robe hanging from their tips. 

He must have twitched, or his gaze must have given him away. "Do you want to touch them, my husband?"Ariana asked with a smile. "You have but to ask. Nothing is forbidden here. This is love."

"Ariana, may I touch your breasts?"

"Of course.

Abiron stepped close to her. He could feel the heat of her body on his skin. By the Deity, her scent alone is driving me mad! He grasped her robe, easing it off her shoulders, down her arms, and to the floor. At last her breasts were in full view, standing high and proud, challenging him. His right hand closed on her left breast, holding it between his thumb and index finger. He stood numb, marvelling at the feel of it. He weighed it in his palm, and of its own volition, his thumb moved and ran across her nipple. Ariana shivered, and her nipple was suddenly standing erect. He glanced at her. Her eyes were locked on his, smiling, her mouth slightly open and her chest heaving with desire. With sudden confidence his left hand rose and duplicated the feat on her right breast.

And then the chains broke loose on his soul and joy overtook him.

With a wordless shout of ecstasy he lifted his wife (his mother, his lover, the High Priestess of the Deity) from her feet. His right arm below her knees and his left arm under her shoulders, he carried her to their marriage bed and laid her down. As quick as thought, he shed his robe and knelt over her body. He lowered his mouth to her breast and caught the nipple in his mouth, suckling like a babe, and his wife screamed her pleasure at him. He moved his mouth to the other breast and she caught his hair with her hands, forcing his mouth down, arching her back at the same time, forcing her breast deeper into his mouth until he could lave the whole nipple with his tongue. He caught her hands in his and he pinioned them above her head, forcing her breasts upright, the nipples jutting high and mauled them with his mouth while she mewled her satisfaction.

Oh, there is fire within him, thought the portion of Ariana that could still think rationally, but he must learn that superior strength does not necessarily make a superior lover. As lithely as a striking snake, she twisted out of his grasp. She caught the left wrist that had been braced above her and pulled. Suddenly Abiron was under her and she was sliding her sweat-slick body up the length of his chest.

"Gently, my husband. Remember, what is given can also be taken away. Tonight, I choose to be in control. Do you understand?"

Abashed, Abiron nodded. "Do not feel shame, my lover. Betimes I enjoy being plowed like a field, but tonight I am your teacher, and you will follow my lead." Her thighs straddling his, her hands braced on the carved headboard, she lowered her breasts to his mouth. "Worship me. This is sacred."

And he did. With mouth and hands and lips and tongue, he made love to her breasts until they were twin cones of fire on her chest. When she could take no more and her body begged for release, she knelt, her thighs straddling his head, brought her nether lips to his mouth and taught him how to bring her to orgasm, his fingers clenching around her buttocks, his tongue deep inside her. She came, tears of joy streaming from her eyes as the aftermath of pleasure rippled through her. 

And then she tended to his pleasure. She bathed his phallus with his tongue, watching it jump like a fish on the line, bringing him to the brink and backing away. She sucked his nipples, smiling at his reaction when they contracted to tiny pink nubs on his chest. She breathed deep into his ear, hearing him groan with unsuppressed passion. And finally, she straddled his phallus, rubbing her slick cleft against him until his breath grew ragged with wanting.

"Ariana...I must...I have to..."

"I understand, my husband." With a song in her heart that had been eighteen years in composing, Ariana took her son's phallus in her hand, slowly raised her torso, and impaled herself on it.

Abiron nearly fainted when he felt his mother take him into her body. The sensation was unlike anything he could have imagined, at once sensuously slick and burning with heat. Slowly, his instincts took control, moving his hips up and down to match the rhythm of his wife. She lowered her head, kissing him lingeringly, the tips of her breasts brushing his chest as the pace quickened. His legs came up, ankles locking around the backs of her knees, palms pressing down on her back. The pace grew more urgent. They were both moaning into the others' mouth, delirious with desire.

Ariana's hips came down, her knees locking around Abiron's thighs. Abiron's hips drove up, lifting his groin into Ariana's pelvis, and with a mutual shout of ecstatic release, he poured his seed into her womb in a scalding flood of rapture.

Part Two

Chapter 7

Ariana and Abiron lay entwined together, gasping with the aftermath of love-making. A cool breeze came in through the window and dried the sweat on their bodies. Ariana lay atop Abiron, her head on his chest, her dark hair fanning off her neck onto his side.

"That was...that was..." Abiron was at a loss for words.

"I know, my husband. I know."

"Is it going to be like that every time?"

"No. Sometimes it is going to be better." Ariana shifted, placing her hands beneath her chin and looked at her new-minted husband. "And sometimes it will not be as good. Sometimes I will be tired, or you will be frustrated, or the roof will leak. The important thing is that I love you, and that you love me."

"I am yours, and you are mine. Mine alone. For as long as we both shall live."

Ariana frowned. "Yours alone? Wherever did you get that foolish idea?"

"Well... It's part of the standard wedding vows, is it not? I've heard you say them enough times when those who wish to wed come here. 'To cleave to thou, and thou alone, until the Deity brings me to her arms.' I know the words to the ceremony, mother."

Ariana smiled, "Then you weren't listening to the words the Deity spoke over us this night. There was no talk of cleaving one to one only. We promised to love one another. We did not promise to limit ourselves to each other."

"But why? I don't understand. You are all I could ever have wanted." Abiron frowned, "Is it me? Did I perform poorly?"

"Abiron, of course you did not do poorly. How could you, with me to guide you? You pleased me very greatly. And you will do so again before this night is over," She reached up and patted his cheek with a wicked smile. "But, my husband, I am a round-heeled little trollop. I am sure that someday soon, when the time has come for us to go out in the world, a man will trip me and I will land on my back with my legs open. Do not take it amiss. It is the spirit within me. The gift of the Deity guides me, and I would not give it up for the world. Remember, the Wanton has her own store of knowledge."

"Well I know it. How can I not, who so recently took that knowledge as a gift? And what gift has the Deity given me? How will Her will manifest itself through my being?"

"I am not sure. I have spent long nights thinking about it, running it through my mind when I needed a distraction from the needs of the body. The Children make all merry and laugh, and though you laugh easily and well, there is a seriousness always within you, my son. The Youth and the Maiden rarely manifest themselves in our line, since we wed so young. Although you are well made and will grow into a tireless lover, my Lord spoke true about you. You do not have that spark that inflames all women who see you. The Father you might be, but not the Warrior. Your heart is gentle, and I do not wish for it to be broken by the cruelties of war. If I had to venture a guess, I would think that your avatar will be the Graybeard. His forte is wisdom, and he sees deep, finding the good where it lies, and weeding out the evil when it comes. Your grandmother Persephone was of the same bent, and I see much of her in you. When there were disputes, people would come to her for judgment. She could see into their hearts and see who was in the right, and who was not."

"The Graybeard, eh? I'm not out of my youth, and already you have me in my dotage," Abiron smiled. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. Her eyes caught his and held. Raising her chest, she slowly dropped her weight onto his groin. His phallus, which had never left her womb, twitched inside her and began to grow.

"How do I do this?" she answered his unspoken question, "How does a woman gain a man's eye? How does one man cut a swathe through a retinue of willing women? How does a maiden convince a blushing youth to join behind the stable?" He was fully erect now, and she knelt astride his thighs. She sank, taking him inside her until he was sheathed in her to the hilt, then raising again. The delightful friction made the small muscles of her belly twitch with need. His hands rose to her breasts, caressing her nipples, making her sigh. "I do this because I choose to do this. Because it is who I am and for what I was made. I have a body made for loving and a lifetime of celibacy to expunge from my memory."

Abiron rose to a seated position on the bed. Ariana's thrusts slowed as his arms came around the small of her back and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her head fell back, exposing her neck, and she laughed aloud as he ran his tongue from her collarbone to her chin, marvelling at the taste of her sweat. Slowly they rocked together, the muscles of her womb caressing the long hot length of him. He lowered his head, nuzzling her breasts. 

Ariana's hips twitched, once, twice, and then her arms came hard around his shoulders as she came. Abiron could only within stand the flood of pleasure for a moment, and he emptied himself into his wife again.

Abiron slowly lowered himself to the bed again, his wife cradled in his arms. She sighed softly, and with a smile, he realized that she had fallen asleep. He shifted her head to his shoulder, and with one long arm dragged a blanket from where it had been kicked to the floor. He draped it around them as best he could.

"Pleasant dreams, mother."

And with that, Abiron fell asleep beside his wife.

Early the next morning, Abiron awoke to a snoring wife and a full bladder. Disentangling oneself from a beautiful, sleeping woman is not the easiest of tasks, and it is made more difficult when one is covered with the aftereffects of enthusiastic love-making. Somehow Abiron stood without waking his wife, and quietly made his way to the garderobe. After relieving the pressure on his bladder, he made his way back to the bedchamber and walked over to the window. 

It was a beautiful fall day. Early morning sunlight poured across landscape, painting the temple and outbuildings in gold. A few puffy white clouds drifted serenely across the sky. Dew lay heavy on the grass in the fields beyond the temple, but a brisk wind from the north-west promised another pleasant and dry day.

A wonderful day.

Abiron smiled with pride as he looked at his wife. Normally a modest young man, the thought that he had loved Ariana into a stupor was intoxicating to his male ego. The memory of what they had shared last night drew him back to the bed. He lay down beside his wife and stroked one bare shoulder.

"Wake up, Ariana."

Ariana frowned for a moment, then opened her eyes. She smiled at the sight of Abiron in front of her. Surprise, surprise, she thought. Three guesses what he wants, Ariana, and the first two don't count.

"Good morning, husband. Is breakfast ready?"

The question caught Abiron flat-footed. It was his turn to make breakfast this morning, he realized, but the events of the last few hours had driven mundane thoughts of eating completely out of his head.

"Mmm...no, it isn't, Ariana."

"Well, you can go ahead and make it while I wash and get ready for the day."

"Are you sure? I was thinking that we could, you know..."

"You were thinking that we could make love again this morning? How sweet. But I have morning breath and my hair's a mess and I'm hungry. So be a dear and start breakfast, will you please?"

"As you wish, my lady priestess," angry at her rejection of him, seething about being sent to make breakfast like a child, Abiron turned to walk out of the room.

"Abiron?" her voice stopped him before he could reach the door. "What is the First Rule?"

Despite himself, Abiron smiled. He had heard that question a thousand times, when he would have rather slept late than said the morning rites, when he would have rather played with his dog Hercules (three years dead now, alas) than milk the cows, when he would have rather stayed up late reading than go to bed.

"There is a time for work, a time for worship, and a time for play."

"Well said. Despite what has changed between us, our duties remain the same. So after we eat we will worship. Then we will work. And then," her glance turned wicked, "We might have time to play."

Chapter 8

After breakfast and worship, Ariana and Abiron gave thought to the running of the small farm attached to the temple.


The Balance Ch. 06-09



"I believe that we have to think about bringing in the stock early this year, Abiron. My heart foretells that the winter will be a harsh one, and I do not want any of the cattle dying in an early storm."

"Well, we have plenty of fodder for them. And I would rather they be safe in the barn than trying to round them up in the middle of a blizzard. It will make the milking easier as well. If you are willing, it should not take to long to bring them in."

They walked together out of the temple. The morning air was cool, but the sun was warm on their shoulders. They had both dressed for the task at hand. Abiron wore heavy trousers, tunic, and boots. He carried a walking stick that could double as a goad if any of the cows were feeling frisky. Ariana wore a thick wool dress, one that could be rolled and belted at the hips to bring the hem out of the high grass. Over this she wore a heavy cloak and hood. 

Once in the south pasture, they went to gathering up the half-dozen milk cows and the lone bull. They both kept their eyes on the bull, for he could be a handful when the mood was on him. However, it was one of the cows that caused the most trouble. She was a clever roan with a nasty sense of humor. She hung back at the rear of the crowd, then made a sudden break back towards the pasture. Not wanting to start from scratch if the herd broke free, Abiron tried to block her path, but she merely drove her shoulder into his chest and sent him flying. 

When he rose to his feet, he was liberally smeared with mud and wet grass, and the cows were fifty yards away and had settled back into their routine of converting grass to dung. He looked at Ariana, who was red-faced with the effort of trying to suppress her giggles.

"Not a word, mother. Not one single word."

Ariana merely raised her brows and smiled wider. She then took the walking stick, walked to the nearest cow, and prodded it sharply in the rump. It looked up at her, startled, and moved a few steps away. She then repeated the process with another beast, and another. Like a lump of honey flowing on a tilted plate, the cows slowly made their way to the barn. The roan tried to make another break for it, but got a stinging slap in the shoulder for her troubles. Dociley they were brought to the barn, and Ariana closed the gate on the last stall with a smirk of triumph.

"Show off."

The noon meal was delayed while Abiron washed and put on a different set of clothes, lighter than before, for the day had grown warmer. When he entered the dining area, he saw Ariana. She had a closed hamper in one arm and two large wicker baskets beside her.

"I thought that we might go up to the walnut grove and see if any of the walnuts had fallen. If we don't gather them soon the wild pigs will get them. I've packed a meal for us."

"That sounds like fun."

The walk to the grove was not a short one, and Ariana was flushed by the time they arrived. She was pleased to see that a goodly number of walnuts were laying on the ground. She handed one basket to Abiron, then set to work gathering the fallen nuts. 

Her basket was nearly half full when a walnut dropped softly on her back. She frowned, since there were no trees directly overhead. She had no sooner lowered her head to pick up another nut than another one struck her, glancing off her shoulder. A glance from beneath lowered lids showed Abiron, with a walnut in his hand, waiting for her back to be turned. A smile curved her mouth.

How like a little boy. All he wants is some attention. Well, two can play that game. 

Ignoring him resolutely, she bent down directly from the waist, making sure that the fabric of her dress was pulled taut against her bottom. After placing the walnut in the basket, she did the same thing again, fully aware of Aborn's eyes upon her.

"My, it is getting warm out here, wouldn't you agree, my husband?" Ariana pulled up several inches of the dress and quickly belted it at the waist. This allowed her to display her shapely calves to good advantage. Bending with her legs spread wide, she picked up another handful of nuts, her rear thrust provocatively towards Abiron.

"Yes, quite warm." The words sounded rather strangled to her ears.

Bending again, she stopped with her head near the ground, and this time flapped the hem of her skirt as if she was trying to cool her legs. "I don't know why I feel so...so hot, Abiron," she said, pitching her voice a little higher. "Maybe I should take this hot gown off. I know it isn't proper," she continued coquettishly, "But you won't mind, will you dear?"

Abiron mutely shook his head. Pretending that she didn't realize the effect she was having on him, she slowly peeled the gown over her head, leaving her wearing only her chemise. It was damp with sweat at the breasts and thighs. The cool breeze against the fabric made her shudder deliciously, but did nothing to stem the tide of warmth growing in her womanly core. She stole another quick look at Abiron. She could see his breeches were tented and his hands were opening and closing spasmodically.

She bent over yet again. This time, she flipped the hem of the chemise completely over her buttocks, exposing them to Abiron's view. She could hear his breath hiss between his teeth as he gasped. "Oh," she said, effecting a little-girl voice, "That is so much better."

Suddenly, she stumbled, nearly falling, bracing her hands against a nearby tree with a sharp cry.

"Ariana! Are you all right?" Abiron came running up to her, worry in his voice.

"I...I'm not sure. I've got a...a..." Ariana moaned with pain, "I have a cramp in my leg, the right one. Ow! By the Deity, that hurts!"

"How can I help?"

"Take your hands, both of them, and massage the top of my right thigh. No, don't come around to my front. Stay behind me. Use the thumbs against the back of the thigh, and the fingers against the front. Yes, that's it."

Abiron was ashamed of himself. He had been throwing walnuts at his wife to get her to pay attention to him while she worked, and now she could barely stand for the cramps in her legs. He could not believe what a callous fool he had been. Sure, the incident with her removing her gown had been strange, but perhaps cramps were presaged by flashes of heat? He would have to ask her later. He massaged her leg with his strong hands, trying to ignore the scent of her body.

Something seemed familiar, though. This scent, was it honest sweat, or was it the musk of arousal that he had grown so familiar with last night? The shaking in her belly and along her spine, was it pain, relief from pain, or could it be...

Laughter.

"Ariana!"

With the realization that Abiron had grown wise to her game, Ariana's laughter broke loose. She laughed in merry hoots until birds took flight from the trees overhead. 

" "Oh Ariana, what can I do?" "she mocked, convulsing with laughter.

"I ought to paddle your rear for scaring me like that. I thought you were really hurt," he growled.

"Oh, yes, paddle my rear, my husband," Ariana shook her bottom at Abiron tauntingly, her hands still braced on the tree trunk in front of her.

"You asked for it," Abiron took a step forward and swung his hand into her bottom with a healthy smack. The sound and the sting made Ariana jump, and a small red marked glowed on her right buttock.

"Again," Ariana's voice had grown softer and deeper. She looked at Abiron over her shoulder, and there was a challenge in her eyes.

So, another thing for me to learn, thought Abiron. A game of power and violence, this time. He stepped forward again, using his left hand, and now her left buttock bore a mark to match the right.

"Again."

"Again."

"Again!"

"AGAIN!!"

Abiron spanked his wife until her rear glowed red, until the musk of her arousal overwhelmed his nostrils, until the clear fluid of her need ran down her thighs. 

"Now, take me!" she commanded. She spread her legs wide and dropped her head.

Fumbling like a drunk, Abiron managed to undo his breeches. The sheer thought of having to remove his boots while his wife shook and moaned before him was unbearable. He instead grasped his phallus and plunged into Ariana in one swift thrust.

Gasping with the force of his invasion, Ariana braced herself against the trunk of the tree before her. Her toes curled in the damp loam under her feet. Gone was the gentle, considerate lover of the night before. In his place was a battering ram, pounding her into submission. She rocked in time with the force of his thrusts, her breasts swaying, the nipples engorged, taking pleasure from the friction with the chemise. She began to hurl her body back against her lover, hot and demanding, the muscles within her milking the hard hot length of him.

Abiron had no idea anything could be so pleasureable. His hands came up to Ariana's hips, and he drove himself into her over and over again, his thighs trembling. When he was on the verge of collapse, he withdrew himself from her. Before Ariana even had a chance to express her disappointment, he had stripped her of her chemise, thrown it down to protect his wife's fragile flesh, and pinned her on her hands and knees in the long grass. As he drove into her again, his hands reached around her body and cupped her breasts. Kneading them in time with his strokes. Her head twisted up and to the right, and he leaned down and kissed her long and deep. Never losing the rhythm of their love, their tongues danced around each other. 

Abiron could feel himself approaching the brink. His testes drew up towards his groin. His phallus seemed to grow even larger, stretching his wife's lips wide. She shrieked in fullfillment, spasming around him. A few moments later, he spent himself within her in a thunderbolt of pleasure.

Chapter 9

After the session of love-making, Abiron gave voice to a question that had been nagging him since the night before.

"Ariana, was it like this with my...with my father?"

How like a man. Even when there isn't anyone else around, they still try to measure themselves, one against the other.

She sighed, "Abiron, I can't answer that question, and I won't. Aethon was the sire of my body, and I adored him from the moment I was born. I was never unhappy in his arms. You are the son of my loins. I adored you from the moment you emerged from my body, red-faced and squalling. Now you are my husband, and I won't cheapen his memory by comparing him unfavorably with you. And I won't make you feel inadequate by comparing you unfavorably with him."

She is far wiser than me. She knows when an answer will hurt me, or hurt herself, even if I am unaware when I ask the question. "I apologize, Ariana. It was a foolish question to ask. Are you ready to go home?"

"Indeed I am," rising to her feet, Ariana looked with distaste at the chemise laying on the ground. It was grass-stained and wrinkled and spotted with dirt. "I am not putting that back on."

"Your dress, my lady?" slipping into her sandals, Ariana looked at the heavy, sweaty dress with equal repugnance. "I am not a fat townswoman, to dress herself from head to tail in order to avoid offending her peers. Put the clothing in the basket, Abiron. We are walking back now."

Abiron looked up from where he was re-dressing himself. He had his trousers on and was pulling his tunic over his head. "Naked, my lady? If we are seen, there will be talk."

Ariana tossed her head. "Let them talk. And who is going to see us? We are on temple lands. If someone sees me, it is their fault for trespassing."

Abiron knew better than to try to dissuade Ariana when this mood was on her. He threw the dress and chemise into his basket, then picked it up and started down the path. Giggling with the illicit pleasure of cool air on her naked body, Ariana matched his stride.

"There would be some who would say that flaunting your body in such a fashion is immoral," Abiron suggested, as they made their way out of the woods and into the range of shallow hills that separated the temple from the walnut grove.

"And who would say that? Old sticks who never had a day of fun in their life. I am the High Priestess of the Deity. I decide what is moral and what is not. In fact," she said with a grin, "You might consider the question that as the representative of the Deity in this land if I am capable of acting immorally. Does not the fact that I hold such a high position give credence to my moral superiority?"

Abiron was about to agree with his mother, amused by her haughty tone and gift for language, when he sensed a trap in her words. It reminded him of those days of lessons, when she had sought to make him agree to an untenable philosophical position, and then turned the tables on him. He thought her position over carefully. 

"I would have to disagree, my lady wife. Although you hold a high position in the hierarchy of our temple, this alone does not give you superior moral ability. Position can be gained through chance, through ambition, or through bribery. It alone does not confer moral superiority. Moral superiority is only proven through actions. The head of a temple, if he or she did not fear retribution by the Deity, could cheat a child from his inheritance, could demand payment from a mother in return for a prayer of healing, could goad a king toward war. Power does not confirm character. Rather, it reveals it. A man shows what he is when he can do what he wants."

Ariana cheered. "Bravo, my boy. You took the jump and didn't balk at the fence. I was afraid that you might be so besotted with me that you would agree to anything I said to stay in my good graces."She sobered momentarily, "Truly, my husband, power reveals character. It is when a man, or woman, can do as he or she wishes that they show their true mettle."

Abiron looked up at the warm afternoon sun. "Well, my lady wife, if I am any judge, the sun will be showing its mettle soon, and you will have a nice sunburn by the time we get back home."

"Piffle. It's October. No one gets a sunburn in October."

"OW!!"

"I tried to warn you."

"Shut up shut up shut up! Owwwww!!"

"Hold still, will you?"

Ariana looked daggers at her husband. "You are enjoying this far too much."

Abiron grinned. "Hmmm. Maybe my lady wife would like to apologize for scaring me to death earlier this afternoon?" He held the bowl of salve away from Ariana as she made a futile grab for it.

"You are a rotten little boy and I have no idea what I see in you."

Abiron made a rude noise. "I have a pretty good idea what you see in me, my lady wife. Too bad you're not going to get it with your skin as red as a cherry. Now, are you going to be a good girl and hold still, or do I go go back and make supper and let you fend for yourself?"

Ariana pouted, but did as she was told. The sun had burned her badly. While she worked out of doors for much of the year, even her skin was not used to several hours of exposure in the nude. Abiron massaged the healing ointment into her skin. All the while, he said a healing prayer to the Deity. If She answered, Ariana should be out of bed in a day or two, rather than the week that the state of her flesh demanded. 

Even with her skin in torment, the touch of Abiron's hands on her body aroused Ariana. He was very gentle, rubbing the ointment in softly, but that only served to excite her further. Laying on her stomach, his hands caressing the length of her back, she wanted nothing more than to flip over and take him into her body. But she knew that do so with her skin in this condition would be foolish. Instead, she lay with her head pillowed on her arms as he massaged her. 

First the long muscles of the back, up and down again, working the salve into her skin. Then the shoulders, neck, and upper arms. He moved down the bed, working on her buttocks, her thighs, and then on the tender skin of her calves, badly hurt by her neglect. As he did so, she gently ground her pubis into the mattress, enjoying the illicit thrill of arousal, since she knew she would find no other form of release at the present. 

"Turn over, Ariana"

Half of her was now cool and comfortable, the other half still aflame. He started with the tops of her feet, then her shins and the sides of her calves. Another handful of salve, and now he was massaging her thighs. A secret smile played over his lips, and she knew that he was thinking of her joke on him earlier today. He avoided the juncture of her thighs and moved up to her belly, then to her breasts. They were burned badly, so despite his misgivings he spent some time on them, making sure that they were well-tended. Despite Ariana's attempt at control, the cool of the ointment combined with the warmth of his hands aroused her. Her nipples peaked and her thighs opened, inviting his entrance. Steadfastly ignoring her blatant arousal, he moved to her face, gently annointing her nose, her cheeks, and the tips of her ears.

When he was done, he set the ointment aside on a table near the bed. "Stay here and don't move. I am going to serve you supper in bed. There is water in the jug on the table. Drink up. You lost a lot of moisture today."

"Soup? You are going to serve me soup in bed?"

"Soup. And milk. And melon. Your body needs to recover the water it lost today. Healing demands balance, High Priestess, as you well know."

"You just want me to heal quickly so you can have your way with me, wicked boy."

Despite her complaining, Ariana was touched. She had known that Abiron was a good son, and his work as a priest had shown his compassion for those less well off than he was, but she had never thought that he would be so attentive to her as a husband. Nude in their bed, propped on pillows, she allowed her husband to feed her supper. She was so happy that she almost wept, despite the lingering pain in the skin of her neck and shoulders.

In the small hours of the night, Abiron woke. The breeze from the open windows had grown chill, and in deference to Ariana's tender skin, they had only a light blanket covering them in their bed. He rose and went to the far window and shuttered it. He then moved to the one closest to their bed. Riding high in the south, gibbous and past the full, the moon illuminated the meadows and trees around the temple. 

"You're so beautiful."

Abiron turned around. His breath caught in his chest. Ariana's eyes were open. She had cast off the blanket. The moonlight silvered her body, casting dark shadows in her throat, the hollow of her knee, her groin. Her breasts were carved alabaster, the nipples rose-red, once again turgid with desire.

"Come to me, my husband. Love me once again."

"But your back..."

"Is fine, thanks to your prayer and the blessing of the Deity. Come to me."

His phallus rose, stiffening, as he walked to the bed. He lay on his left side, she on her right. With his right hand, he caressed her body. Knee, thigh, hip, the dip of her waist, the curve of her breast heavy in his palm. He bent his head and suckled and her hands came and wrapped around his head and she moaned into his ear. Her warm breath made him shudder, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Well, well, it looks like we've found another zone of pleasure, haven't we?"

Her hot breath came hard into his ear, and then her tongue ran in delicate swirls around the curves. A sharp nip on the lobe had him stiffening in surprise, but the new sensations had him aroused to an almost painful extent. To distract himself from her moist breath and now her tongue running playfully down his throat, he placed his hand against her nether lips, carefully sliding his had between their folds, until he had found the bud of her pleasure. Wetting his finger with the moisture within her, he slowly drew circles of desire around it. Her breath quickened and her legs spread wider. 

"Yes," she said, her voice deep and husky with need. He looked up to her face. Her eyes were wide open, the pupils dilated, a hunger on her face that could not be denied or satiated. He rose to his knees between her legs, and she, anticipating his actions, let her thighs sag further apart, her pubis rising to accept him. 




The Balance Ch. 06-09



Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her mouth deeply, their tongues doing battle, and rubbed his shaft against her slick opening, up and down. He bent his mouth to her breasts again, doing homage to their beauty, and she raised her arms over her head and placed her palms on the carven headboard of the bed to brace herself as she arched up against him. All the while, he kept the pressure of his manhood against her, until the underside of his shaft was slick with the evidence of her need. Her hips rose and fell, trying to catch him and take him in, but he was too quick for her, and drew away before she could capture him. He knelt up, caressing her thighs, awestruck by his power over this incredible woman. Her face was flushed, her hips stuttering up towards his phallus. Her eyes were unfocused, frantic with lust. Her hands rose to her breasts, and she raised them towards her mouth, licking her own nipples, empty to everything but the insatiable need within her. 

"Tell me what you want."

Her eyes focused on him. She understood the question behind the question. With Abiron, there was the need for validation. His years with only herself beside him had instilled in him an urge to please her that was primal, either through study or in the bedchamber. He needed to grow more confident in his ability to please her, and to please other women. I should take him out more, she thought. If he bedded another woman, perhaps this lack of confidence would abate somewhat. But she had no problem in answering his question.

"I want you, my husband," she moaned. "I want your hardness inside me, filling me up. I want your strong body over me. I want to wrap my hands around your buttocks and feel them clench as you drive yourself into me. I want to taste your sweat. I want you in my bed as long as I have breath in my body. I want you. I want you!!"

It was too much for Abiron. The proof of his wife's desire drove him past the bounds of his already-shaky self-control. He drove himself into her with one long thrust, and cut off the mewls of desire emanating from Ariana by the simple expedient of covering her mouth with his. He braced himself on his hands and reveled in the sight of her face, filled with pleasure, as he moved inside her. Over and over he filled her, feeling the surge of his impending orgasm build within him. Her thighs rose, cradling him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, drawing his head down to hers. With his explosion imminent, he slowed, delighting in the feel of her sheathed around him. His strokes grew longer and slower, designed to maximize her pleasure.

"Yes, yes," Ariana growled. The moment was coming. Her pleasure surged, peaked, surged again. "Now, Abiron, now!"

Abiron felt her walls ripple around him, saw her face light up with the glory of her release. He drove into her. One, two, three times. His pleasure rose to a crescendo and he filled her womb with his seed.