50 chapters...I just realized! Thus making this my longest story ever! I did not expect this story to reach that length but I am SO PROUD!
Posted a little later than i expected but still proud I made one of my deadlines!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Special Thanks to Armanthine Ispwich for being such an awesome Grammar Knight!
Chapter L: Advice
The back room between the galley and the stairs to the infirmary above was like an apothecary shop. It was equipped with long, drying framed nets with linen gauze suspended by thick ropes, where leafy green plants with strange flowers and stranger leaves grew in glass jars. Open shelves drilled with holes provided circulation of air, and the only light came from the wooden hatch overhead. The air inside was thick with complicated clouds of delicious smells and pungent odors: cinnamon and nutmeg collided with the tang of pepper and onion, and the sweet, grassy perfume of parsley, basil, and other plants famous for their medical properties. Against the opposite wall was a large, oddly-carved table. Vertical and horizontal canisters built into the wood held an impressive display of mortars, pestles, mixing bowls, and spoons. And that was where Yugi knew he would find Rhebekka in the early hours just after dawn. No one else could put these poisonous doubts to rest but her.
Locri was fast approaching, and though Yugi did not doubt Timaeus' sincerity, he had no intention of denying their wedding night any longer—nor did he think his traitorous body would, either.
He stopped suddenly, flushed with embarrassment. Timaeus' kisses still burned on his skin like invisible brands. Timaeus' fingers left feather-like bruises that sent tiny tickling bursts down his skin when he moved. His thighs quivered like liquid at the memory of those strong hands parting them—the delicious, scorching, soul-searing heat of Timaeus' hips and manhood pressed against him…
He steadied himself against the wall and took quick, heavy breaths to calm his racing heart, but every time he closed his eyes, Timaeus was there—his warm breath on Yugi's ear and his hands on Yugi's skin.
Yugi shook his head furiously. "I'm not some wanton slave girl!" he protested quietly to himself. "To just fall into his bed..." He winced at just how easily he had fallen. One moment he was dancing, the next, he was in Timaeus' arms—naked and all dignity abandoned. And all from a simple kiss? What would it be like when they became one? He blushed. Had he let himself surrender?
Oh, that thought delighted him—just as intensely as it distressed him.
Never had his previous relationships aroused any such response; there had been pleasure, of course, and comfort and a new closeness—perhaps even passion—but never the kind that Timaeus had awakened. Never had he experienced that side of himself, and yet Timaeus had. His mere presence was addicting and impossible to resist. The sensation was like being embraced by a powerful flame—the warm, comforting heat, the suddenly-scorching burn, and the intense, destructive, all-consuming blaze of his self when he surrendered. Yugi had no protests being burned, and that revelation was far too alarming to confront on his own.
He needed Rhebekka's kind words and blunt wit. Confident a flirt as Yugi was and as much as he adored his new husband's boldness in bed, it was one thing to tease and taunt and another to accept and embrace. Yugi knew once they reached Locri—once they entered the Great House and their conjoined rooms—Yugi knew, he knew, he wouldn't be able to resist Timaeus, nor did he want to. Just as he knew that a single night would break him—shatter all his defenses and splinter his shields completely, leaving him irrevocably changed. That terrified him even more.
He trusted Timaeus. Secretly, he even dared to hope that he was falling for him—and a single night in his bed would be more dangerous than a thousand scorching kisses. It would never be enough. Just one night—if he woke and that intense, furious passion was unrequited, he would burn. Now more than ever, he needed Rhebekka's blunt boldness.
He found her grinding frankincense into a sticky green oil of some sort, and applying it to the joints of her arms, hips, and chest. He blushed and cleared his throat.
She spun sharply but all the accusation left her face when she saw him. "Oh, hello, Yugi." She adjusted her dress, covering her breasts. "It's certainly a babe," she confirmed, tying her lacings—much to his relief. "Damn thing squirmed all night and left a sour ache in my bones. I'm six and ten, and already I feel like an old crone," she snapped. "Thank the Iron Lady for frankincense." She washed her hands in a nearby bucket reserved for such things and dried them on her dress. Then she strolled past Yugi and plopped down on a wooden bench in the galley.
"You missed the evening meal but there's some food in the kitchen whenever you'd like to go." She gestured a hand. He sat across from her, silent but for the blood rushing to his face. He cast his friend a speculative glance then settled his eyes on the hands folded on his lap.
Rhebekka studied him quizzically then rested her chin in her propped palm. "Alright, friend, what is amiss? You're not ill, are you?
Yugi's face suffused with color and he shook his head quickly. "No, no, nothing like that." He wringed his fingers, fiddling with them on the damp folds of his skirts. "It's just... that... we'll be in Locri soon and…" He stumbled over the words and they felt heavy in his throat. He couldn't fathom how to say it, so he asked it all at once. "What is it like?"
Rhebekka's elbow slipped and she sat up. "Beg pardon?"
Yugi's face bloomed crimson, and at once, she understood. "Ah… you're referring to your wedding night."
Unable to find his voice, Yugi nodded.
Straightening, Rhebekka whirled to face him, and rested her chin in her folded palms once again. "How so? You know what to expect already, don't you?"
"I…" Yugi cleared his throat, turning redder. "I know some."
He'd been a mere slip of a thing as a child: sheltered and painfully shy. But over the years, curiosity, urges, and perhaps loneliness overcame such awkwardness. The discovery of his beauty, both internally and physically, had instilled in him a sense of power and confidence, and his talent for flirting developed as a result. But his past affairs had been short, spur-of-the-moment bursts, born of intense emotion and, occasionally, passion. Confident as he was with taunts and teases, intercourse was something he kept closely reserved. He knew enough of the act and what it meant. But it was one thing to know about sex and another completely to let Timaeus make love him.
"At least, I thought I did…" he trailed off, unable to explain. So he told the truth. "But when Timaeus holds me and kisses me, I feel things I've never felt before and it's like… I lose myself completely. I can't remember who I am or what I was, yet I have no desire to remember or even care to." He paused, fingers twisting in his skirt. "I feel like I have no control over who I am or what I'm doing and it…" He bit his lip. "It unsettles me."
"That's because you understand the mechanics of it," Rhebekka answered without missing a beat, but her smile was kind. "Unfortunately, those are the easiest parts. Perhaps, even, the only one that can be truly explained. The rest you have to experience, which you have already to some degree, yes?"
Yugi nodded, face darkening in scarlet.
"All the better, then," Rhebekka confirmed, clapping her hands in gleeful agreement. "Best to go to your marriage bed with some knowledge than not knowing what to expect and scaring yourself witless trying to guess."
The indignation and disgust curling in the last of her words gave Yugi pause. "Oh, is that what happened to you?" he asked uncomfortably.
Rhebekka snorted. "Oh, nay." She waves him away with a hand. "My mother told me long before I was old enough to marry. She was adamant I not go to my marriage bed as terrified as she was. She loved my father dearly, mind you, but it's always Hell for a man who loves his wife if the wife knows not what to expect. You know, I once knew a man whose bride fainted at the sight of her husband naked—poor thing was so naïve. Could you imagine how difficult that was for her husband? For a husband who truly and deeply loves his wife, and she him, but could not consummate that love in the flesh? I swear, Yugi, you are fortunate your own culture is so progressive in such regards."
She flashed him a beaming, naughty smile.
Yugi wanted to disappear.
Noticing the way he folded in on himself, Rhebekka pressed. "Is it the idea of sex that unnerves you?" She studied his face. "Or perhaps not. Perhaps it's the idea of marriage and, in addition, bedding this man in particular that unnerves you?"
"Everything about Timaeus unnerves me," Yugi confessed at last. "Though not in a negative way."
"How so?" she asked, suddenly curious.
Yugi blushed brighter, face blooming in half-mortification and half-shyness. "Well... it is—" he choked. His throat tightened and he struggled for words. His fingers pulled at the wrinkles of his skirts and his gaze never left the floor. "It's not that—I mean, I trust Timaeus. I do. And I know he cares for me. But..." He forced his voice to steady. "The part that makes me nervous is..." His fingers wrung and clenched his skirts so tightly his knuckles turned white as bone. With a final burst of courage, he confessed all. "The part where he's actually inside me."
Yugi collapsed in a sigh. His body felt boneless, like the air in his lungs had been a trapped specter clawing desperately for freedom and once it was released, the relief was so instantaneous and intense, he could not move afterwards.
Rhebekka's answer was a sweet smile, like she found the answer to a riddle. "Ah, yes, I can understand that. That part ruins the best of us. Almost did me in as well, the first time."
"You?" Yugi gasped, stunned that anything could unravel his bold, blunt friend. She seemed too fierce for such things as timidity and shyness.
"Oh, aye," Rhebekka said, unabashed, and shamelessly began her anecdote: "It was not a day before we were to wed and before we were to be parted for the dressing and cleaning and all that, my husband and I. We snuck away to the shore where we first met for a last swim, and neither of us was holding back. As you can imagine next, he's just stripped down naked as his name-day and all I could think was 'that wiggly thing was what all this fuss was about?'" She laughed mirthfully.
Despite himself, Yugi giggled. "So how did you..."
"I didn't." She shrugged. Then she noticed his tremor and continued swiftly, "Don't misunderstand. I was terrified, but it lasted only a moment before the... the pull returned. That's all I can describe it as." She trailed off merrily, wistfully, like an old woman telling her story, but it felt foreign and distant like it was about someone else's life.
"And this 'pull'?" Yugi asked.
"That one I can't explain—not if I tried. It can only be experienced, and you will." She smiled reassuringly. "The pull between you and Timaeus is strong—so strong, it is almost palpable. Let that pull guide you, and I suspect that the night we arrive in Locri will be the most extraordinary night of your life."
Yugi's eyes widened in amazement. The weight of her words were like small birds carrying him, and the weightless feeling caused all his doubts and fears to close like a poisonous flower, withering away to nothing. What was left was only warm memories: memories of sweet words, playful games, and gentle, loving kisses. He closed his eyes, humming, arms hugging his shoulders.
"It's strange..." he trailed off. "All this is so new to me. It's all so foreign and yet I don't know if I'm uncertain or blissfully happy. I can't explain it." He chuckled nervously when he heard himself speak those words. "Forgive me. I don't know what I'm saying, much less how I feel."
His smile was contented but his eyes pleaded for an explanation.
"You…" Rhebekka's smile curled. "You as a man very much in love, but never expected to be."
Yugi started at her words. "Love?"
"Understandable, given the fact that you never truly thought you'd marry anyone at all, yes?"
Yugi's lashes swept his blushing cheeks as his friend's message found its mark. It was true, wasn't it? He remembered that naïve little child in the gardens with his sisters, boldly stating he would never marry one time when they were discussing betrothals. How proudly he'd boasted. Even when he had come of age and his body coursed with urges, it was much more fun to tease and taunt his conquests, to earn favors in the form of games and secrets in exchange for kisses. Love was an emotion he's sought and never found, but marriage had been an honor he'd not dreamed of—and all but perished when his mother died. Marriage had never crossed his mind until he'd met Timaeus, and even then it had been a young girl's smitten daydream. He never pondered the truth of it until it had happened—and to the leader of the Dragon Knights, no less. It was a far cry for the youngest child of any ruler or peasant, when heiresses were preferred to make treaties.
Rhebekka giggled like a bridesmaid preparing a maiden for her wedding night. She slid around the table and fixed him with a fox's sly grin. "Never imagined you'd find a man interesting enough to spend your life with and vivacious enough to spread your legs for."
Yugi's breath expelled in a rush.
"A man as vital and lively as yourself with a thirst for life and adventure. A man who trusts you, respects you, and adores you, and will ravish you at night when you make love—a man like Timaeus?"
"Rhebekka!" Yugi shrieked, mortified.
She burst into giggles and laughed like a matchmaker boasting over her success. "Aye, well…" Her eyes twinkled with merry mischief. "Won't be long either way, I reckon."
Something about the way she said it made Yugi shoot up. That all-knowing confidence like an open secret exposed to all but the one who was trying to hide it. He did not like that smile curling at her lips—that impish, provisional smirk of promised mischief. "What are you on about?" he demanded.
"Fine, then." She rearranged herself and laid her chin on her palms. "Tell me true, are the rumors I'm hearing of last night the truth or are you still a maid?"
Yugi's face suffused with color until it bloomed red and ferocious like a wild desert rose. He stared at her, abashed and wide eyed, barely choking out a meek, stifled, "What?" before the tiny squeak exploded into, "What kind of question is that!?"
"Still a maid, then," Rhebekka said with a nod of confirmation. Not even a flinch at Yugi's outburst. "If you weren't, you'd be protesting that you were."
Yugi stared at her dumbfounded. Stupefied to silence, he dropped to the seat opposite her. "Is that what they're saying now?" he squeaked out.
Rhebekka shook her head. "Nay," she said simply, but the smirk implied another mischief. "The talks say you two sharedquite the kiss last night." He blushed harder, confirming the rumor. "And in the rain, no less! One that led to a rather boldact on your part, and a series of several unusual sounds coming from the Great Cabin." Yugi said nothing, but his face drowned to a bright vermillion. "And that was after you performed a rather enthralling dance for our Trierarch during last night's rain."
Yugi wanted to disappear.
"Tell me, are they true?"
He nodded, unable to face her. Rhebekka just shook her head and laughed. "And you are still a maid?"
He shot up and glared at her, face burning redder. "Yes, Rhebekka, I am," he said with a snap.
"Then what's the problem? Nerves got the better of you?"
"N-No, that's not what—" he stuttered, stopped himself, and snapped with a blush. "It's not your business."
Rhebekka did not flinch. "Yugi…" she sang musically, her eyes twinkling with merry wickedness.
He was saved from further humiliation when footsteps lightly trekked the stairs. "There you are!" Ryou said triumphantly. His cheeks were red, his breath was heavy, and his hair was tussled like he'd been running or brawling.
Straightening himself, he bowed to them both and grinned. "We're here."
The words resounded like a stone dropped in a well and the excitement of the coming rains.
"We're approaching the South Gate," Ryou continued, turning to Yugi. "He's waiting for you at the bow."
Like a child on his name-day, Yugi's face brightened and he dashed for the steps.
"Friend." Rhebekka's stern voice halted him. He turned and she smiled brightly. "Think on what I said."
He smiled back softly. "I will." With a nod and a promise, he spun on his heels and sprinted the rest of the way to his husband.
This chapter I actually wrote a while back and was the one that needed the less editing. It was just so fun and easy to write! And i love Rhebekka chapters! Amazing how a character meant to be a cameo completely and totally stole the show-but let's be honest there was only one person Yugi could ask about this and I like showing the more sorial side of her bestowing a youngling with her sexual wisdom :)
As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts!
NEXT UPDATE: November 13th
NEXT TIME: After a long month as sea, The Eye finally reaches the South Gate.