The Awakening (7 page)

             
And, while she was caught up herself in the wonder and excitement of it all, still it was an almost physical pain to be kept apart from Aramis.  Having finally found the courage to embrace her need of him, something which both frightened and exhilarated her, it was a bittersweet torment not to be allowed to see him.  She knew the anticipation would make their first night together all the more  beautiful, but it made her soul ache not to be able to feel the strength of him next to her.

             
Did he feel the same, she wondered? 

             
She sighed contentedly, her mind and body beyond weary after her exhausting sessions with Dominic.  She’d spent the entire day with the high priest, where he’d diligently tutored her on what to expect as Aramis’ new bride.  No topic had been taboo, from the subtle transformations she could expect within herself, to the great responsibilities that would come from helping their Lord care for his people, both physically and spiritually.  Her muscles were tight and she was beyond tired, but it was a satisfying exhaustion, and she welcomed the weariness for all that it represented.

             
After a long soak in a sinfully warm and aromatic bath that had been scented with rose petals, she had come out of her bathing chamber to find
Vardra
waiting at her vanity, brush in hand.  The two exchanged warm smiles, and without a word Thais went to sit on the plush settee before the mirror so that
Vardra
could brush out her hair.  As
Vardra
began the slow, gentle process of enticing Thais’ hair into an intricate array of braids with delicate flowers woven carefully in between, Thais allowed her eyes to close and quickly became lost in the gentle tugging motions that were both hypnotic and  sensual. 

             
“I envy you the look on your face,”
Vardra
said after a while, and Thais could hear the knowing smile in her friend’s voice as she carefully combed out Thais’ hair.

             
“Me?”  Thais’ said with a teasing laugh as her eyes flew open, brilliant blue gems flashing as she met
Vardra
’s in the mirror.  When she spoke again, her words with laced with great affection.

             
  “I am not blind,
Vardra
.  When you are not required to be with me, Dominic has insisted you remain by his side.  Or perhaps it is that my eyes
have
deceived me?”

             
Vardra
smiled broadly as her cheeks stained with color.

             
“Oh Thais, it has been an amazing
two weeks
for me!” she said, unable to keep it in any longer.  “Dominic will scarce let me rest when we are alone.  He is an insatiable lover, quite skilled, and for some reason refuses the attentions of any save me!  The priestesses assigned to his temple have welcomed me with no end of love and kindness, and, well…” she paused for a moment from brushing Thais’ hair before speaking again.  “I do believe he is going to ask Aramis that I be allowed to move into his private quarters!”

             
“Oh
Vardra
, I think that is wonderful!” she said warmly. 

             
Thais had learned so much in her short time here – only 2 weeks, and she knew that she had barely scratched the surface of all that Aramis and his people had to share with her.  Love, knowledge, hope – she had felt all these things and more.  But, one thing she had learned very quickly, was that the priests and priestesses here
seemed to change
lovers as frequently as the wind changed its direction, and without those usual quarrels that always seemed to plague mortals – jealously, bitterness, anger and resentment.  They came together for a time, occasionally even having a child together if Aramis chose to favor a priest’s seed with the gift of life.  Sensuality, sexuality, and love were all one in the same here, and while she still felt awkward at times at so much open display of affection, she could not deny that it had also stirred something deep within, an awakening that both empowered and terrified her at the same time.

             
Vardra
leaned forward to press her face against the smoothness of Thais’ skin, hugging her close, and Thais was almost overcome by the wave of emotion that seemed to flow between them. 

             
“I’m so glad you’ve come, Thais,” she said warmly, her voice smooth and rich, her words sincere. 

             
“As am I,” Thais said gently as she leaned back into the taller woman’s hug.  “I don’t know what I would have done without you these last two weeks.  You’ve become the sister I’ve always longed for.”

             
Thais paused, her voice suddenly thick with emotion.  She turned to look up at
Vardra
, and as it always did her
heart leapt
at the brilliant light of her beauty, made all the more splendid because
Vardra
herself did not see it. 

             
“
Vardra
,” Thais said quietly, her eyes wide with both hope and a small amount of fear – what if
Vardra
said no??  “I would consider it a great honor if you would agree to be my -  my. . .”she hesitated and chewed nervously at the fullness of her lower lip as she struggled to remember the word.  Dominic had tried to teach her so much, so fast, and even though she was a woman of great intelligence, still she was certain she’d forgotten more than she’d spent a lifetime learning, just in the time they’d spent together that day.

             
Vardra
smiled, her eyes brimming with tears as if she were about to burst.  It took all her resolve to remain still and quiet as she waited for Thais to find the word, otherwise it would not be considered binding.  Thais had to ask her without any help or prompting.

             
“
Pra’atah
!”  Thais exclaimed at last when the word finally danced upon her lips.  “
Vardra
, please, will you be my
Pra’atah
?”

             
“Oh yes, of course!” 
Vardra
exclaimed at last in a great gasp of ill-restrained anticipation, and the two hugged once more, holding each other close and feeling the delicate threads already beginning to be woven between them. 

             
“Oh Thais, I had so hoped that you would agree to stay with our Lord, but this – this was beyond any hope I could have imagined!”  She brought Thais’ small hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss within the small center of her palm, then smiled and knelt down before Thais. 

             
“It will be a privilege to serve,”
Vardra
replied, her words suddenly very quiet and regal, her movements graceful and fluid as she bowed her head.  “I pledge my life, my heart and my love to you, dear sister.  May you never again know loneliness or fear, even when our Lord is away, for I will always be near and ready to keep you safe.”

             
Thais studied the top of
Vardra
’s bowed head, admiring the honey-toned curls that escaped her braid to tease along the delicate arch of her neck.  She was more beautiful than any creature Thais had ever seen, and her heart begin to become overfilled with love.  She laid her hands on top of
Vardra
’s head and closed her eyes, a newly found instinct guiding her as she allowed herself to feel the caress of
Vardra
’s soul against hers.

             
“I will cherish you always,
Vardra
, as my sister, my lover, my heart and my hope.  May the intimate bonds of sisterhood serve only to bring us closer to being united in body and spirit.  I accept your offer as you have accepted mine, and will spend all of my days seeing that you are happy and well-loved.”  She bent and placed a gentle kiss on
Vardra
’s brow, then moved lower to place a soft kiss against her lips.  “
It brings my heart such comfort to know that you will stand beside me to help guide me along my journey in becoming a wife to Aramis.  Be at peace, sister -i
t is as it should be, you and I.”

             
Vardra
smiled as tears began to spill onto her cheeks, laying her face against the softness of Thais’ hand.

             
“I’m so happy!” 
Vardra
cried with a jubilant squeal, and Thais began to giggle then, easing the tension of the moment of having spoken their vows to one another.  She was once again more child than woman as her eyes sparkled and her laughter danced along the wind.

             
“It is as it should be,” Thais echoed once more, and then she and
Vardra
dissolved into a fit of giggles on the floor, laughing as they tickled and teased like young girls in the fast fading light of the setting sun. 

             
Soon
Dominic’s priestesses
would come for Thais
, their faces hidden behind veils as they sang their songs and wrapped her within their embrace.  They would take her to the temple of the high priest to fast, with only Dominic and
her
Pra’atah,
Vardra
, beside her, offering her comfort and support as she was tattooed and bathed, oiled and prepared to meet her Lord
and take her vows
.

             
But for just awhile longer, Thais thought wistfully as she lay against
Vardra
, she would simply stay here and be with her friend.  Perhaps they would even go and sit beneath the
stars that
she might enjoy the last, hushed moments of innocence before she embraced the wonders of womanhood that awaited her within the arms of a God.

             
Thais was ready when Dominic’s priestesses came for her, if not just a bit frightened.  She could see the light of their torches as they approached, dancing like gems in the night, but It was the sound of their voices that told her it was them, a beautiful sound of hope, followed quickly by an infusion of love as their souls each mingled with hers.  Their song was soft and oddly sensual, blending together to soothe her fears and warm her blood in a way that seemed
hypnotic, if not
narcotic.  There were 6 of them in all, each tall and lean long Vardra, each beautiful and exquisite in their own way as they moved around her.

             
The women all knelt in turn before her and bowed their heads, taking Thais’ small hand in both of theirs and pressing
it
to their foreheads in a symbol of acceptance
,
before standing and beginning to move her along with them into the night.  They surrounded her on all sides but did not touch her, and Thais felt as if she
were
wrapped
with
in a warm cocoon, protected and cherished as they carried her along the small path that wound through the fragrant gardens towards the temple of the high priest, where Dominic waited. 
Vardra
followed closely behind the small group, her lips moving in silent recitation that worked in harmony with the voices of her sisters to ease Thais deeper into a trance.

             
In the distance
an unfamiliar, almost unnatural thunder echoed
as a brilliant display of multi-colored lights began to dance within the clouds.  Thais felt only a moment of fear that blended quickly into wonder as the priestesses’ song began to rise up towards the heavens, and she knew in that moment that the Creator himself had come to them.  A joy such as she’d never known before washed over her, and she could feel the power of him as he moved through her.  There was a moment when the world seemed to
stand still
before she felt the essence of him curl around her completely, and she cried out to the
night at the fleeting pain of
searing heat
she experienced when
he placed a kiss upon her brow.  She gasped as the breath was momentarily pushed from her lungs and her entire being began to feel as if it had been set to flame, and then a cool breath of air rushed through her and she sighed softly as it faded into a pleasant warmth that
licked
along her skin like heated cream.

             
And then the rumbling faded
back
into the night, and once again she could catch only the fresh scent of the ocean as it was carried along on the breeze from below.

             
As if on cue their songs came to her again and she was aware once more of movement, but now all seemed ethereal and otherworldly.  She could no longer see the priestesses so much as feel the closeness of them within her, and had to give over completely to her trust in them to see her safely to the temple.  She could smell the sweetness of the flowers, but saw only swirling mists of color rather than the structure of form.  She could feel the coolness of the breeze against her skin and taste the ocean as it kissed against her lips, and she smiled with wonder at this new found awareness, feeling as if she were becoming one with the very center of life and all that it was.