Chapter 17 | The Tale of Two Kingdoms

A Picnic

Temmin had felt utterly unprepared when he woke up Ammaday morning, but Jenks had hustled him out of bed, fed him, chivvied him into the bath, and dressed him as elegantly as it was possible to be and still ride a horse. He wore his finest riding coat, a gray cutaway with a black velvet collar and matching gray trousers tucked into riding boots so polished that Temmin was sure the Teacher could have spied on him through the reflections in them. His waistcoat was the same gray, over a pin-tucked white shirt and a dark blue cravat. A pair of gray riding gloves and a low black hat completed his ensemble, and when on earth did he start thinking about whatever he was wearing as an ensemble? No matter, he thought as he followed his manservant below stairs, he looked good.

"Now this," said Temmin, "this is why I keep you around, Jenks." He surveyed the bustle in the kitchens with satisfaction, as the cooks and footmen packed up the picnic.

"I took many liberties while you were indisposed yesterday," said Jenks serenely, "and I think you will be pleased with them. Now, off with you to the stables, your highness, and to your lady. We will meet you in the Fairy Meadow whenever you're ready."

Temmin took the path to the stables at double-time, and when Allis rode up the grand drive to the Keep, he and Jebby were waiting. Allis sat astride a delicate black mare with a white star blaze on its nose. She wore a lilac riding suit, its divided skirt topped with a close-fitted jacket and a lace ascot. Her thick hair was braided and coiled on her head beneath a neat gray riding hat, and Temmin thought she was stunning--so stunning, in fact, that when she rode up to him, bowed, and gave her hand, he almost didn't take it. "Your highness," she smiled.

"Miss Obby," he said, completely forgetting anything else he'd planned to say as he stared into her eyes. They stayed that way, hand in hand, until Temmin recovered his wits. "Ah, beautiful day for a ride, don't you think?" he said, dropping her hand at last.

"An absolutely splendid day, your highness!" she said. "Shall we ride? Jinny is anxious to stretch her legs!" And with that, Allis tapped her heels into her mare's sides and off she went at a gallop toward the meadow leading to the King's Woods. For a moment, Temmin just sat there and watched her ride off. What a lovely creature, and how well she sat a horse, even at a full gallop! he thought. She's riding as if she was being pursued--oh!

He gave Jebby a little swat with the ends of the reins and called out, "Gidyap, Jeb, we've got a girl to catch!" The big gelding took off after the mare as if he still had his stones, running flat out to catch up. Temmin saw Allis glance back and then urge her mare forward, and he dug his heels into Jebby's sides. He was catching her up, he was almost even with her, he was even with her, and she smiled fiercely at him as they both slowed to a canter, then a trot, then a walk, and they entered the Woods.

"Please, your highness," she said, "lead away." Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled even in the dappled light of the Woods.

"How long have you been riding, Miss Obby? You ride extremely well," said Temmin as they walked their horses side by side.

"Since we came to the Temple, your highness, about eight years ago," she answered. "We were given a very thorough education that included all the niceties such as riding and dancing. Issak loves to ride as well. I hope that he'll have the opportunity to come here at some point. I know that's presumptuous, your highness, but these are beautiful woods, and he would love it so."

"I'm sure I'd be happy to host both of you for a ride," said Temmin, faltering slightly.

Alllis gave him an appraising look. "I would imagine you have many questions about my brother and me. Or perhaps one big one. Out with it, your highness."

"I'm sorry?"

She pulled up, and he stopped too. "Ask your question, Prince Temmin." Was she angry? She didn't seem to be, but she seemed so formal suddenly.

"I hadn't intended--I was thinking perhaps of talking more before I would ever--"

"Ask your question," she repeated.

Temmin sighed and examined the reins in his hand. "Miss Obby--"

"My name is Allis."

"Oh, very well, then, Allis!" he said, almost irritated. All this pushing! "What is the nature of your relationship with your brother?"

She smiled softly. "Was that really so hard, then?"

"Yes, Pagg's balls, it was!" He let out an exasperated grunt, and she laughed. "Forgive me, please, for swearing. I am not used to such frank conversation, especially with a young lady."

"You are completely forgiven," said Allis.

"Well?" said Temmin.

"Well, what?"

"What is the nature of the relationship between you and your brother?!"

"Later!" she said, urging Jinny into a trot. "I just wanted you to get it off your chest for now!" And with a whoop, she took off cantering down the path. Temmin swore under his breath, then took off after her. She was right, though, he thought. He felt lighter now that the question was no longer looming in his mind, easier in her presence, almost as he had at the Baron's ball, though he hadn't had a thing to drink.

They rode without speaking much for a long time, it seemed, through the Woods and its many clearings. He took her to all the parts he loved best, ending with the clearing called the Fairy Meadow. It was set high on a foothill of one of the three small mountains that gave Tremont its name, and the view was spectacular; from the Fairy Meadow, one could see much of the Woods, the Keep and the town spread out below.

The view in the meadow itself was fairly spectacular, thought Temmin with great pride in his valet. Jenks had set up a small pavilion, open on all four sides. Underneath in the shade were spread several thick rugs scattered with pillows, and in the center, luncheon on a low table. As they dismounted, two footmen appeared as if from nowhere and took the horses, leading them off to crop the grass by a cool stream in the shade. He took Allis's hand and led her into the pavilion.

"Southern style, how lovely," she murmured. "I don't know about you, your highness, but I am overly warm. Please forgive me." And with that, she shed her jacket, her ascot, her gloves and her hat, and rolled up the sleeves of her sprigged muslin blouse before sitting down at the low table. Temmin gratefully followed suit, though he knew somewhere in the shadowy distance Jenks was watching in disapproval. He poured them each a glass of spring wine and saluted her before taking a long, thirsty swig.

"Miss Obby--"

"I did say to call me Allis."

"All right, then. Please, call me Temmin. I would feel awkward calling you Allis otherwise." She nodded over the rim of her glass. "How long have you and your brother been Embodiments?"

"A year this Neya's Day. Are you very familiar with the Temple? Princess Ellika came to us six months ago, full of questions and ready to devote herself."

"No," he admitted. "I've never attended observances, apart from the Neya's Day and Nerr's Day Spectacles at the Whithorse Temple. Which, I imagine, are probably much different than the ones here at the capital. I have no idea where Elly got it in mind to devote herself to the Lovers. We weren't raised that way at all."

"Oh?" said Allis, arching a brow. "And how were you raised?"

Temmin waved a hand. "I thought conservatively, but it turns out radically, if Teacher's to be believed. Mama--the Queen--her religious advisor is Sister Ibbit of the Sister's Temple. She spent a lot of time with Sedra and Ellika, but we managed to avoid each other almost entirely. She's not very friendly toward the Lovers' Temple, or toward men in general, I'm beginning to realize."

"Ah. Sister Ibbit," said Allis quietly. "She is the leader of a radical faction of the Sister's Temple that preaches abstinence in matters of love and pleasure. Her philosophy is that the Sister is the enemy of the Lovers, as evidenced by Her own lack of a lover. At least, a male lover."

"Venna's consort is Eddin, everyone knows that."

"Ibbit preaches that their union is one of minds only. That's heretical, but no one's taken Ibbit seriously enough to charge her with anything. Knowing she influences the Queen so much may change that." Allis cocked her head. "And how do you feel about that religious controversy?"

"I didn't even know there was a controversy. My religious training has apparently been much neglected, says Teacher, though Jenks has tried. He's quite devout, but I haven't paid any attention."

"What, then," she said in a near-whisper, "are you doing here with me?"

"Truthfully?" said Temmin. She nodded. "You're a beautiful girl who caught my eye at a dance, and I can't stop thinking about you. It's more than that--I mean, there were a lot of pretty girls there, but I really can't stop thinking about you, there's something about *you*. I could make up some nonsense about religious devotion and a sincere desire to bless the kingdom, which, apparently, this would do, but you'd see through me in a snap. I have no idea what I'm talking about."

Allis laughed and squeezed his hand across the table. "We should eat, Temmin." He blinked, and realized he'd been sitting in front of a table full of food and hadn't eaten a bite. His stomach rumbled, and he picked up a chicken leg and set to. Once he'd stripped it he didn't feel quite so empty, and he picked up a slice of melon with a little more decorum.

"I applaud your candor, most men would have tried to impress me with their religious devotion," said Allis. "Even so, I must emphasize that there is a religious component to this kind of relationship with me. Will you be going against your heart if you do this?"

"Here's the thing," said Temmin, waving the melon rind, "no one's told me exactly what 'this' is. Apart from the obvious. And I'm not really even that sure at this point about that."

"The first thing I have to teach you, then," said Allis, leaning forward, "is to call things by their name with me. We'll start with 'the obvious.' What do you mean?"

Temmin blushed furiously. "Well, I mean--the obvious! Ehm, that is, sex. Ah, losing my--" he saw from her face she was going to insist-- "losing my virginity."

She leaned back against the pillows in satisfaction and sipped her wine. "How much experience do you have? And I mean with either sex. And be specific."

"You're enjoying this entirely too much," said Temmin, appetite temporarily forgotten.

"You're very sweet when you blush," she answered, "I rarely get to see a man blush. Do you know how many male virgins have approached us since we've become the Embodiments?"

"Not the faintest idea."

"You are the first. Most men have lost their virginity before they're old enough to approach us."

Temmin groaned. "I just never had the chance!"

"Now, now," said Allis, patting the carpet next to her. "There's no shame in being a late bloomer. Come sit next to me and answer my question."

Temmin sighed and scooted across the carpet to her side. "All right. First experiences." He laid down on the pillows and stared up at the pavilion ceiling. Somehow it was easier to talk about it without looking directly at her. "First experiences were with other boys. The stable boys. Mostly just seeing who could piss the farthest--does that count?" said Temmin, looking over at her briefly. She nodded and he looked back up and continued. "Sometimes who pissed the hardest, a 'sword fight.' The one who didn't get wet, won. Stupid stuff. As we got older, a couple of us would sometimes see who could...I really have to tell you this?"

"You really do," said Allis, and he could hear the amusement in her voice.

"When we were bored, we'd see who could get off the fastest, or shoot the farthest. Oh gods, this is embarrassing. It wasn't very often, but it did happen. And then, just before I left Whithorse..." he trailed off. "If I've--if someone's touched me, or...am I still a virgin if I've--what counts?" He turned on his side and faced her intently, curiosity overcoming embarrassment.

"For our purposes, virginity is linked with the opposite sex. What happened?"

"Oh." Temmin turned onto his back again. "Then I'm definitely still a virgin. Anyway. Just before I left Whithorse, one of the stable boys--Alvo. A groom now, I guess you'd say. We've known each other all our lives. He said he was going to miss me awfully, and would I please let him...he said he loved me, actually." His voice grew quiet, remembering. "He asked me, begged me, really, to let him--let him take me in his mouth."

"And did you?" said Allis, just as quietly.

"Yes. I did."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Well!" said Temmin, crossing his arms beneath his head. "What's not to like, really. I think about him every now and again. It wasn't that long ago."

"And girls?"

"Not many opportunities at Whithorse. I think now that must've been Sister Ibbit's doing. There was one girl, a maidservant, Mattie. I always thought I'd just stolen a kiss from her, but now I'm not very proud of myself. I caught her with her sweetheart in the garden, a footman, and made her kiss me in return for not telling the butler."

Allis looked at him gravely. "How far did you take it?"

"Oh, a couple of kisses. I touched her breasts. I was too excitable to do anything else, I had to sneak through the house and hope no one saw me before I changed my trousers afterwards. I'd never even seen a girl without her clothes on before, and I only got glimpses, but it was enough. That was last summer. I'm not proud of myself, Allis, at all."

Allis nodded. "And anyone else?"

"Another maidservant. But that wasn't my fault! And I stopped before I did anything to her apart from a kiss. That was just last Neyaday. She just wanted cheering up, she wanted someone to think she was still pretty after her sweetheart broke up with her."

"And is she pretty?"

"Oh, quite," he said artlessly. "Nothing like you, but not even Elly is as pretty as you. You're almost a different creature entirely. I kissed her a couple of times and that was it. I like her very much, and her sweetheart. I wouldn't want to come between them, not really."

"And that's it?"

"That, I'm afraid, is it. Now, Miss Allis Obby," he said, sitting up and attacking the sandwiches, "you never answered my question. What is the nature of your relationship with your brother?"

"I love him more than anyone else in the world," said Allis. "When everyone else has left us, we will still have each other. What else would you like to know?"

"You really insist on making these things difficult," he mumbled through a mouthful of roast beef.

"No," she answered, "I insist on making them clear."

"Very well, then," said Temmin, swallowing. "I shall be clear. Do you sleep with--no, I shall be more clear--do you have sex with your brother outside of religious observances?"

"Would you blame me if I did?" she said, eyes full of mischief. "After all, Issak is very beautiful, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, yes, actually, he is beautiful. But he's your brother!"

"Those eyes, his hair, such strong arms, such soft skin--"

"Allis!"

"No!" she laughed. "No, we don't! I love my brother more than anything in the world, and I don't mind that once a year we fulfill the Rite. It's our obligation, and our joy as Embodiments of the Lovers--it's our job, if you like. We've shared lovers, sometimes even at the same time, usually the two girls we've taken as Supplicants like you, but that's work-related. Other than that, our sex lives are separate." She leaned forward. "Are you disappointed? Were you imagining us wrapped around each other in ecstasy? Or are you somewhere in the middle in that picture? Oh, look at you blush! You are imagining it! You are!" she hooted, patting his red cheek.

He took her by the arm and pulled her into his lap. "And what if I am?" he said recklessly.

She looked up at him, startled at his sudden daring, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Then I think you've caught me, Temmin of Tremont."

Temmin stared down at her and wondered who'd caught who. "Then I think I should like to kiss you, Allis of the Lovers' Temple."

"Then I think you'd better be about it," she whispered.

He leaned down and gave her a tentative, gentle kiss. Allis took both of her hands and gently cupped his face. She quickly searched his bright blue eyes, then craned up and kissed him, softly and slowly. She ended the kiss and pulled back slightly to look at him, then kissed him again. This time she opened his mouth with her tongue and began to explore. He sighed into her mouth. How good she was at this! He raised a hand to her cheek and stroked her jaw and neck tentatively, wondering if he was doing it right, and then she sucked his tongue into her mouth and he stopped thinking entirely.