Marilyn Foxworthy

THE START OF TIME

Preface to Book One

My name is Marilyn. I have written before about some of the remarkable men of the Jensen Family. This time, it’s a man named Mark. This is the first book of his story.

I call it “Book 1: The Start of Time”. But that’s not how it starts. It starts with Mark looking for memorabilia related to his favorite old pulp fiction adventure books. What he finds leads him on his own grand adventure.

Well, ready? Our story starts on a sunny morning on a foreign planet…

But first, before you turn the page, beware of several things that you’ll find on the other side of this door. I warn you now. Here’s what you should know before you decide to read the story of our hero and his wonderful life:

1. The story is, at times, highly sexual. At times graphically so. If that isn’t what you want to read, you better stop right now. Take the book back to the store and get your money back. There’s a lot of sex.

1. The story is long. It isn’t a quick read for a single afternoon. In fact, the tale is several volumes long. This is just one book of an epic saga. The entire series is long. If you want a short little diversion, stop now. If you get hooked on the story and spend more time than you wanted to reading, and possibly rereading, the entire adventure, maybe that’s my fault, but I make no apologies for it.

2. Spoiler alert: And this refers back to point 1, our hero is remarkable in many ways, but one of those is how several women may fall in love with him at the same time. And because he’s so remarkable, they generally have no jealousy between them. I’ll leave it to you to read how that plays out, but if the implications disturb you, I recommend a more traditional ‘Bodice-Ripper’ romance. OK, let’s just spell it out: there’s probably going to be some harem elements to the story. Heroes know how to satisfy. But, pay attention to the next point… about the allegory aspects of that.

3. Allegory alert: If you read the story correctly, many of the people, especially the women related to the primary hero in the story, will actually represent different aspects of the same person. As people, we are complex beings. You will find explanations of the ‘oneness’ of the characters, so keep in mind that what may sound polygamous, may actually be an allegory of one monogamous relationship. Or don’t. You can read it however you want to, but it was written in many respects as an allegory. That doesn’t make it any less fun. It does make it more like eroticism for philosophers though.

4. The story was written by me, but in the same style as my other books, as if our hero had kept journals of his adventures, and I just edited and published them. That may have been more the case in some books than others, but it’s the style I enjoy right now. I was a fan of the great pulp writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, and I think it influenced the language and style to some extent.

5. I’ve tried to write the story in a way that’s easy for text-to-speech reader software to make sense of. I love listening to the stories myself, and I use a text-to-speech program on my phone or computer, and while I’m exercising or driving. I find that the rereading isn’t perfect, but it’s adequate. Some of the words will be mispronounced consistently, but you can probably tell what’s being said. For example, “I wound up being wounded” won’t pronounce the two different renderings of “wound” correctly, but you’ll be able to follow the story well enough. Also, to make it clear who’s speaking, a lot of the dialog starts with “He said, …” and “She asked, …” to try to make it more listener friendly. Otherwise, it might have been written differently.

6. You may notice frequent references to quoted movie lines, song lyrics, and passages from other books. They may seem obscure. If you find something that one of the characters says to be a bit weird, it’s probably a movie line. You can look it up on the Internet or something if you want to. If you get it, that’s fun. If not, I hope you don’t feel like you’re missing the joke

7. Refer to point 1, above. Really. I’m not kidding. It gets graphic. And pay attention to points 3 and 4 as well. You have been warned. And, just so you know what to expect, there’s no sexual humiliation, violence, bondage, or anything like that presented in any erotic way. If that’s what you’re looking for, something darker, this isn’t for you. There’s a lot of sex, but it is portrayed as respectful, consensual, and loving.

Happy trolls.

Chapter 1

I Need to Find Water

It was my second day on the ‘Red Planet’. Today I’d better find water. Food would be good too.

It wasn’t exactly like I had expected, but how could it be? I had followed an unbelievable path to an unbelievable destination. I had started out with a few expectations, but most of them were very flexible.

On the one hand, I had expected to find a dead-end and nothing to show but a few boring vacation photos. Maybe I would get an article out of it that I could blog about.

On the other hand, I had hoped to take a one-way ticket journey to a foreign planet that teenage boys of the past century had read about; and knew to be just fiction.

Reality turned out to be on that ‘other hand’. And I needed to find water.

Chapter 2

How It Began

My name is Mark Jensen. As I write this, I’m 47 years old.

My dad had been a big fan of classic American Pulp fiction. Not the movie, the books. Especially the books of Edgar Rice Burroughs. He called it ‘The Golden Age of American Literature’. No high-school English teacher would have ever agreed with him, but you might find an eclectic college professor somewhere who might.

My dad thought Hemingway was absolute crap. He thought Hawthorne and the rest of what was taught as great American lit, Fitzgerald and all those that his generation had been forced to read as if they were the kings of fiction, were detestable examples of the poorest writing imaginable. The greatest literature in his opinion were the stories of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, even Doc Savage. My dad loved the classics: the pulp fiction dime novels of adventure from the first half of the 20th century.

That was what he raised me on. I was home educated; and it was a good education. Yes, I went to a public school as well, but my real education happened mostly at home. I got good grades, went to a good state college, got a good job, had a good career, and did pretty well for myself. We skipped the ‘crap’ and focused on what he called ‘the classics’. His favorite pulp series was the John Carter of Mars stories, and so was mine.

I loved them. I read every one several times. Dad and I would drive around or sit in the backyard and talk about the stories, but mostly he would talk about why he found them such great examples of fiction. When I had a son, I shared the love of these books with him as well.

The thing that brought me to the point that I was at on this day took place about six months previous, when my wife of 25 years died. Grief does funny things to you. All of the old patterns are disrupted. All of the conditioned emotional responses are broken. None of the things, the sounds and smells and sights, that you’ve grown so used to come to you anymore. Life is broken.

Did you ever have a dog for years and years, and then it died? And you come home after work and open the door and you can’t figure out what’s wrong? That when you opened the door, Scruffy should have been there in the way so that you had to tell him not to run outside? That you should have had to step over him as he got in your way as you made your way to the kitchen? That’s grief. It’s all broken. The patterns don’t work anymore, but your emotions keep expecting that they will. Scruffy’s gone, but you still expect him to be there on an unconscious level. You can’t help it.

A spouse is a whole lot more than a dog. The patterns are everywhere. The way the clothes smell coming out of the drier isn’t even right anymore. It had been six months.

I didn’t go into a depression. I’m a fairly stable and accepting person. My several years studying old fashioned mindfulness kept me grounded. For some comfort though, I turned to reading ‘the classics’ again. And, once again, the John Carter stories were a favorite.

I’d always been somewhat of a collector, and during this time, I began collecting memorabilia; first editions, old comic book adaptations, a few mementos from the author’s life sold off by his estate. It was in some of those mementos that I found some things that made me… question things.

You see, in the original story of John Carter, the tale starts with a fictional encounter between John and his nephew. John is recently returned from his first trip to Barsoom, or ‘Mars’ and he delivers to his nephew a manuscript detailing his first adventure, and then he departs to return to his new home world.

John’s story starts with him being chased by American Indians, entering a cave, and waking up on what he believes to be Mars. I won’t go into a retelling of the story here. Read it for yourself. The important fact for me is that among the mementos and artifacts that I acquired was what appeared to be an even earlier manuscript of the story. It appeared to be a draft that predated the publication of the first book by at least 10 years, and told a somewhat different version, much more detailed in some respects.

The details weren’t so much in the story itself, though there were several accounts that did not make it into publication, as I’ll explain in a moment; the strangeness was in the prologue. This seemingly original version went into detail about where and when the story of the chase, the cave, and the manner of transportation to the red planet occurred. Incredibly there were descriptions of the location of the cave and even hand drawn maps showing the route taken. From reading it, these seemed to be John Carter’s map to get himself to the cave and back to civilization on Earth. Both the forward and reverse path were described as having several way points and markers, both natural and constructed by Carter himself.

In addition, several appendices detailed Barsoom customs, politics, food and dietary information, and even marital and sexual practices of the various races of the planet. The copy was riddled with strict warnings against any sort of publication, especially concerning the location of the cave.

Of course, both the appendices and the narrative were far too explicit for publication at the time. That was 100 years ago and the depictions would been considered unquestionably obscene. Today they would just be another book in the romance section of the local bookstore. The published story mentioned only that both men and women of Barsoom wore no clothing, but did not recount the more erotic details mentioned in the text that I had in front of me.

As far as I could guess at the time, if the story were to be believed, which it surely couldn’t be, the story, the customs and history, and the locations of the cave were delivered by John Carter to his nephew, who editing it heavily, produced the sanitized adventure and delivered it to Burroughs for final editing and publication. Burroughs was a natural story teller and, according to the account given in the documents that I had acquired, he had developed his literary style from the early telling of the stories by Carter.

It was an astounding find. And I was convinced that it was authentic. Not that it was true, but that it was actually from the author of the tales I loved so much as a boy. Over the next months, I researched the find as much as I could. I read and reread the manuscript. I carefully made electronic copies of each page and ran the results through handwriting recognition software. I took the results and corrected any errors in the computer-generated output. And I spent long hours translating the directions and maps into a modern overlay of how to reach “Carter’s Cave”.

At each step, I expected to verify that the places described could only be fictional; and as each step was taken, I found that it wasn’t necessarily so. Step by step, I found that it was possible that the place actually existed. It was in a remote part of Arizona, about 20 miles off the I-10 freeway. The closest ‘civilization’ being the infamous ‘Thing’ curio shop. It was located on private land out in the desert.

This was a hoot. I had a manuscript that purported to give the location of the very cave that John Carter traveled through to Barsoom. According to satellite images on the Internet, the spot was in a hilly location, and only 10 miles from a dirt road. Further digging revealed that land in the area was selling for about $500 an acre to anyone foolish enough to be suckered into buying it.

Well, I decided it was time for an adventure. I was well-off financially, and I could make the trip for a bit more than a good luxury two-week vacation in Hawaii, including the purchase of the equipment and supplies that I figured that I’d need; and I went a step farther. I went ahead and bought a 20-acre parcel surrounding the calculated location!

Time off from work was no problem and this was an adventure I could get into. At worst, I would find the location described and turn around and come back. At best, I’d find a cave, camp in the spot for a bit, and maybe even arrange to dig a well and set up a small retreat for myself.

I was going to do it. I had nothing else that I had to do, so why not?

I bought the land over the Internet and mapped out my route. I estimated that it would take three or four days to drive to the area where I would leave the freeway. My 4x4 pickup had never seen real off-road driving before, but this was just dirt roads and it would do great for that. I’d pull a small trailer with a new off-road ATV and all of my other supplies. I didn’t need to take too much; if I decided to stay for a while, I could always drive back to a nearby city within eight hours or so.

I figured that after I left the freeway, it would be about an hour drive in my truck and then one to two hours off-road in the ATV. Again, why not! It felt right. It sounded like fun. So I started making plans and gathering my supplies.

I placed the original manuscript, a copy, and the electronic files in a safe deposit box and set up my affairs to run without me for a while in case I decided that I liked desert life.

I spent time with my son and told him that I was going on a vision quest into the desert and left instructions with him… just in case. I made sure to warn him not to be hasty in declaring me dead if I was out of touch for a while. What if I did find more than I really thought possible?

The night before I began my quest, I took my son to dinner at a casual restaurant and told him most of what I have described above. We laughed at the idea and he lightheartedly accused me of becoming a ‘Vernian Hollow Earther’, referring to people who believed that the earth was actually hollow and that the Jules Verne account of the ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ and the Burroughs stories of Pelucidar were in fact realities, just like I was half-heartedly considering with the Barsoom story.

I couldn’t really argue with him about it. So, we laughed.

He said, “Dad, I kid you about it, but you know that if I didn’t have a new job and a fiance to take care of, I’d go with you in a heartbeat! This is incredible, even if, as you say, it is impossible to believe. You did find this stuff. What are you going to do with it? Can you publish it somehow?”

I replied, “I could, but I don’t know that there would be an audience for it now. For now I won’t do anything with it. I have copies and you have a key to the safe deposit box, and I’m going on an adventure into the desert. That’s it for now.”

He said, “Well, good luck, Pop. I won’t declare you dead until you are at least 70. If you get to Mars and decide to stay, send a postcard and papers so that I can have my inheritance. Deal?”

I laughed and said, “Deal. I love you, Son. I’ll see you in a few weeks. I’ll let you know if I find something.”

We laughed and joked and he insisted that I tell him some of the juicier bits of Barsoomian customs and we finally said goodnight.

I walked to the parking lot to my truck, which I had already packed and fueled, and as I started the engine I decided to go ahead and leave that very moment. I could drive a few hours and find a motel around midnight. I pulled onto the freeway and headed down the road, not really knowing my destination.

I drove until just about midnight and finally pulled into a mid-grade hotel. I didn’t believe in staying in dumps unless I had to. The desk clerk was pleasant despite the late hour and my room was comfortable. I fell asleep quickly and was awake again about dawn and back on the road by six AM.

I usually don’t eat breakfast as soon as I wake up, so I drove for a couple of hours before stopping at a convenient diner, just off the freeway, for an omelet and hash browns. My habit was to leave a generous tip wherever I went, and the waitress thanked me as I left and I headed back onto the road.

The time passed easily. Most of my thoughts were about my wife and how different life was at this moment. I didn’t fret over plans for the future, I just embraced the emotions that came to me. Each day memories, emotions, trials, or joys come to us and knock on the door and visit; we need to invite them in and offer them tea and sit and let them tell their stories and triumphs and woes. My grief was the process of letting go of conditioning based on over 25 years together, not a crushing depression or loss of purpose. My wife had been a wonderful woman, full of life, and now that was over. She would always be part of me, but a much smaller part than she had been.

I’d known friends who lost a spouse and who never themselves lived again. From that moment on, they lived in the world of what they had lost. They lived entirely in the past; in the life they used to know that was never real again. Or, they lived partly in the future, never being able to imagine a life of happiness for themselves again. My wife and I had worked hard to learn to live in the present, to be with each other when we were together, and I was living in the present now.

Right now, I was driving down the freeway through open country. Memories of my wife sat with me in the passenger seat and we talked about where we were at right now. We laughed about past things and cried over tender moments. But they were being discussed now, as I drove and watched the miles tick by; not reliving past moments, but sharing them. This quest was a step forward, a new thing… and the start to who knows what. Every beginning starts with and end. The beginning of every new thing comes at the death of an old thing. How I react to it depends on which thing, the end or the beginning, takes the biggest portion of my thoughts. When both are in proper proportion, when they are in balance, there is peace.

I was at peace with my wife’s passing. I was at peace with my transition to a new life without her. My memories and thoughts sat in the passenger seat and passed me a piece of beef jerky to chew on, and I drove down the freeway.

I like eating just after normal hours, when there’s a lull at the restaurant. I like it when the staff isn’t rushing and when you have a chance to smile at them and try to bring a bit of cheer. Waitresses are almost always single moms; I have compassion for them. My parents stayed together my whole life, but I feel for those who didn’t have that kind of family. I enjoy being kind to strangers, especially single moms who have such hard lives; working to make ends meet, looking for a relationship and a way to be loved and appreciated, raising a child without the help that could make a hard job just a bit easier.

Lunch was at a little dive Mexican place. The food was good. I don’t think that the waitress was a single mom. She wore a wedding ring. Come to think of it, I wondered if Mexican restaurants tended to have fewer single moms? As I think back, I think maybe that’s true. Maybe I’ll remember to pay attention and see if my theory holds. Is there a lower divorce rate, or a lower incidence of unwed pregnancies in the Hispanic community?

When dinner time came, I wasn’t really hungry. That isn’t unusual. I pulled into a place to stay for the night before 10PM and slept until dawn, like the day before.

The next day was much the same. I drove. I listened to the radio a bit. My thoughts were peaceful, and the time passed easily.

The third day of the trip started the same way. By noon, I was in Arizona. I began to make plans now.

I would want to start out as early in the morning as possible from a point as close to the destination as I could get and still have a decent night’s sleep in a comfortable bed. I was expecting about two hours of driving after I left the highway, plus an hour or so to unpack the ATV before heading into the hills. I decided that I’d stop and stay about an hour’s drive before the point where I would leave the freeway.

Once again, I woke up at dawn. I hadn’t used an alarm clock for many years, but regularly woke when the sun came up. I ate breakfast at the hotel before heading out because there wouldn’t be many amenities or places to stop for meals from here on out. I was on the freeway for the last leg of this part of the trip early.

Chapter 3

The Desert and The Cave

This was it. Now my thoughts turned to this moment and the few moments to come over the next few hours.

This was it. Today I would really begin my quest. I had brief thoughts of self-doubt. Any time you build up to something for several weeks, something really important to you, as the moment approaches, you question what you’re doing. What if it turns out to be a big disappointment? What if you ‘fail’?

Of course, that fear of failure is nonsense. What is there to fail at? Not just in what I was doing, but in life in general? I was driving into the desert to look at a piece of property that I had bought sight unseen over the Internet. A worthless piece of property. A piece of property with no resale value that I would be required to pay very modest property taxes on for the rest of the time that I owned it.

But, it was more than a piece of worthless property: it was a treasure map. Did it matter if the map was a fake? It only mattered if it mattered to me. There was no one but me to judge me, and I wasn’t judging me. I had studied the treasure map and decided that it showed real locations and a path to a real destination. That destination may have been one of Burroughs’ favorite camping spots and nothing more… but what if it was? If that were the case, I would be exploring, and the owner of, one of my boyhood hero’s favorite camping spots.

I wasn’t sure about that though. Nearly a hundred years ago, could Burroughs have even gotten to this place? This freeway was certainly not that old. Burroughs had lived in southern California, about 530 miles from my destination, but in those early days, there wasn’t a freeway here. Would the trip have even been possible without spending a week on horseback? Why go to that trouble when Yosemite was so much closer and more beautiful? The only reason for coming here in those days was for mining; the reason that John Carter was purported to be here. Burroughs had never held a mining claim, or any interest in the property I had purchased according to any records that I had been able to find. It was a mystery.

I had a map, that I had drawn myself, that detailed a location that seemed to exist, and no good reason for anyone to have ever been here. That didn’t bother me. I was on a quest and the bigger the mystery, the better.

I pulled into the famous gift shop and museum housing the tourist attraction, ‘The Thing’ and filled the truck with gas. I considered taking the tour, but I was more interested in getting on the road… or off of it. I did ask the people at the cash register if there had ever been any rumors of Burroughs having visited the area, but they had no idea what I was talking about. This place wasn’t that old. I did buy a few things: a Mexican Poncho, a nice large hunting knife, and a souvenir water bottle.

A few miles down the freeway, I pulled off onto a dirt road that headed straight north. There was no off ramp or exit sign. I just pulled over on the shoulder and then headed up the bare dirt track. From here, navigation was strictly by GPS. I had carefully mapped out a route and entered way points. There were no addresses or street names, but the dirt paths turned out to be more or less where I had expected them to be, based on satellite images.

It was dusty, but the going was smooth. There was a hard dirt path, but there was no sign that any tires had driven this road for a long time. From one track to the next I worked my way along my map. Eventually, I came to the end of the road. Literally.

The road didn’t so much end, as fade away. This was about the point where I’d expected to have to leave the truck behind, but now that I was here, I had second thoughts. I stopped the vehicle and got out to stretch my legs and reconnoiter. The question was, how safe would the truck be here? There had certainly been no one near this spot this season. There were no tire or human tracks, but I didn’t know whose land I was currently on nor what they would do if they found my truck and trailer. I had gone so far as to purchase a desert camouflage net that I could cover the truck with, but I’d rather not take the chance.

Now that I could see the terrain in person, it looked as though I could drive several miles farther off the road than originally anticipated. The ground was hard, not sandy, and it began to rise toward the hills that were my ultimate target. I decided to see how far I could safely go cross-country. I’d have to take it slow because of the trailer, but it didn’t look like it would be too bad of a trek.

Once back behind the wheel, I headed in a straight line toward the point on my GPS. I only made about five miles an hour on average. I crossed several arroyos where water ran down from the hills when it rained, but for the most part, the driving wasn’t difficult. Rainfall in this area was about 12 inches per year. Not enough to grow crops, but enough for some well-water to be available in the right spots… and summer thunderstorms were always possible.

As I drove toward the hills, the scrub brush became more common. I was surprised that I was able to take the truck as far as I did. It started to look like I might even make it all the way to the edge of the property.

The parcel that I had purchased wasn’t square. I’d combined several adjacent pieces in a long rectangle about 450 feet wide and about 2000 feet deep, with the location of the cave, if it existed, roughly in the center of the back, about 200 feet from the ‘back fence’. This left roughly 1800 feet toward the end of the dirt track where the road had disappeared, about a third of a mile between the edge of the property and the site of the cave. The additional land on all sides was for sale as well. Like I’d said, it was essentially worthless in its present condition.

By the time I stopped the truck, I’d reached the edge of the property by driving carefully and slowly, picking my way among the low brush that grew sparsely in the area. I was able to go a full 500 feet or so onto the property before hilly terrain prevented further forward progress. And, here I was, about a quarter of a mile from my destination.

I parked the truck on a flat spot just before the rise of the hill and began to set up camp. I was probably just four hours away from town. Actually, it was probably less, maybe just three hours, because the return trip would be faster if I wasn’t pulling the trailer and since I had an idea of the lay of the land, so to speak.

Setting up camp involved unhooking the trailer, unloading the ATV, setting up the large canopy that I’d brought, putting out a six-foot folding table, setting a second canopy over the top of the truck for shelter, and pulling the desert camo nets over the top. Even though the area was uninhabited, I still wanted to be discreet and not attract any possible visitors in the remote case that I was spotted from the air.

I was excited to move on up to search for the cave, but I was also hesitant to take these final steps. Again, it was that resistance to finding out how it would ultimately turn out. If I didn’t find the cave, would I be done with my quest? Would I pack up and head back home? If the cave was there, what would I do? Would I stay and make plans to build a small remote private retreat? Maybe a dome and a well? I could bring in a small tractor if I wanted to and clear a parking area and a building site. Or, I could pack up and go home. For the moment, I would offload my water supply and secure my food and plan to stay for a few days at least.

When camp was finally up, I decided it was time to start the search. I could have easily walked the quarter mile that I estimated remained, but I might have to walk back and forth several times while searching, and besides, I had this brand-new ATV and I wanted to play with it. I loaded some bottles of water and some snacks, plus the flashlights and electric lanterns and a rope and my new knife and started up the engine.

The ATV was a 4-seat, 4-wheel drive buggy with a soft top and all the bells and whistles, including its own GPS and moving map. From here, I had only a suggestion of where to look for the first marker on the map. I hoped that the cave actually was on my land. The first marker was the entrance to a shallow dry stream bed that came down between two low rises in the terrain about 50 yards from where I sat. I thought that I could see a likely spot ahead of me and I moved the ATV toward the location.

I won’t describe each marker that I searched for here, they’re all recorded in detail in what I now believe to have truly been Carter’s manuscript and also in my own notes. I have updated them and added markers of my own to make it easier for my heirs to locate the spot, but the easiest way is to simply find the GPS coordinate that I finally pinpointed.

It took me about an hour to work through the clues and find each point, but I did just that. Every single marker was there, just as described. Some had been shifted by the hundred years that they’d lain undiscovered, but they were there! The published version of the story had changed the description of the cave to make it seem less accessible than it actually was. When I found the place, it was a small volcanic cave with an entrance about 10 feet down in a depression at the side of a tiny stream bed hidden by low hills on each side. It turned out to be just about 300 yards from my camp, though I traversed the area several times as I searched. I was able to drive the ATV to within about 50 feet of the entrance.

The descriptions in the published story, and the accounts in the manuscript, and the fact that the details were written a hundred years ago, had set my expectations that the cave would be much more difficult to reach than it really was. It wasn’t much past noon and I was essentially ready to ‘see what I could see’. Somehow, this obscure find had led me to exactly what it had promised… to the entrance of a cave at least. I was still a skeptic, but that just meant that I didn’t believe what I was told simply because it was what I was told. It meant that I questioned it, not that I disbelieved it.

So, what did I know? I knew that I had a manuscript that seemed to be a hundred years old. It was written by someone connected to the publication of the John Carter of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It had led me to the very area and cave that it described in the Arizona desert.

Now the question was: Just how deep did the rabbit hole go? Was there a hookah smoking caterpillar and a Mad Hatter down there, or not?

The published story described a shallow cave and a gaseous mist that paralyzed Carter and transported him to Mars. A volcanic cave could certainly release a poisonous gas, even a hallucinogenic one, I imagined. On the other hand, the manuscript, not the book, described this cave, one that went maybe a hundred yards down to a volcanic ice cave and a small glowing yellowish green pool of water that sucked anyone who entered it into a swirling energy vortex at its center. In this case, I needed to believe in the energy vortex version rather than poisonous gas version.

But the time for action had come. I gathered my supplies into a day pack that I had with me and took a powerful flashlight in my hand and descended to the entrance of the small cave. The way down wasn’t difficult. The opening was about 20 inches across and I peered inside. It seemed to drop down at an angle for about 4 feet and then open up to a larger chamber. I lowered my pack and dropped it to the floor a few feet below. I tossed my lit flashlight on top of the pack and climbed down myself. The climb back out should be fairly easy. As I stood on the floor of the cave, my head and shoulders were still above the opening. I moved my pack to the side and ducked down into the opening.

I retrieved the light and crouched, looking into the interior. Just a few feet ahead of me, the floor slopped down and the ceiling receded to allow me to stand upright. Searching the walls, I spotted the final marking, just as described and supposedly made by Carter himself, proving that I had found the cave pointed to by my research.

At this point in any story, something inevitably goes horribly wrong. The hero missteps and falls and hits his head or falls down a hole or an earthquake hits and seals him in or the poisonous gas envelopes him or a blinding light knocks him unconscious. At least I could be careful and try not to trip and hit my head.

The floor exhibited signs of having been enhanced by the work of human hands. It was plain that dirt from outside had been brought in from the outside and poured over the rough rocks of the natural cave to make it fairly smooth. The years had seen the dirt filter deeper into the cracks so that some of the rocks could be seen, but it was still much easier going than if I’d had to climb over lose stones . The tripping hazard was definitely here though.

The path branched several times, but at each juncture, the dirt floor clearly indicated a single correct route and I followed it down into the darkness. As expected, before too long, maybe a hundred yards, though I wasn’t counting, the passage turned sharply and then opened into a chamber about 15 feet across and seven feet high… and there was the luminous pool, about four feet across and containing a strange swirling ‘vortex’ in its center. At the entrance to the chamber a stone pedestal about three feet tall had been erected, and a small metal box sat on top.

I had practiced hard to cultivate the ability to choose my reactions and maintain calm in many situations, and every practice I knew was kicking in now. I had found John Carter’s cave. I owned the property it stood on. I was the first person in a hundred years to see it. It was still too fantastic to believe that John Carter was the same man of the stories, but it appeared that he was actually someone, not just a fictional character. And, there was the strange vortex in front of my very face. There was no natural explanation for it. The way it moved, it seemed to continually suck in the water around it and yet never to actually take any in or diminish the water volume in the pool. Was it time to suspend my disbelief? What was in the metal box on the pedestal?

I stepped up to the stone table and examined the box. It was covered by a thick dust which I blew away as best I could. The thing wasn’t rusted in the least and it was perfectly smooth. There wasn’t a single mark or dent visible. At first I thought that it might be lead, but it seemed to me that lead would be too soft to have even been placed here without some mark being made on the surface. If it were iron, it would have rusted. If it was brass or bronze it would have oxidized and shown greenish tinting, at least. Aluminum would also oxidize and discolor, and aluminum wouldn’t have been in common use at the time that the manuscript was written. But the most puzzling thing was the faintly bluish color. It wasn’t painted or enameled or powder coated: it was a bluish metal.

I seemed to want to determine what was inside the box without actually opening it. To somehow figure it out without getting intimate with it. On the one hand, I didn’t want to disturb it. It had lain here for a century, and who was I to interrupt the history it moved through. But, this was why I was here, and this was why the manuscript had been written. The author wanted me to know his secrets someday. Today was that day.

Like an aboriginal hunter asking forgiveness of the animal that he was about to kill and feed to his family, I apologized to the box and to the author and to the spirits of the place, and then gently and reverently opened the hinged lid and peered inside.

What I saw was a small engraved tablet, about the size of a standard letter sized piece of printer paper, made of the same metal as the box itself. It was the same size as the interior of the box and there was no apparent way of lifting it. I left it where it sat for the moment and read the inscription.

“Traveler, welcome. I know not how you came here, but I assume that you have followed directions left by myself with relatives. I know not how long since I left this message, nor if you are the first since myself to reach this place.

Let me give you warning: if you have stumbled upon this cave unknowingly, please return by whence you came and forget that you were ever here. Count it as a dream, for if you proceed without proper knowledge, I expect that you will surely meet your end in death before you pass 3 days beyond this point. Turn your face back toward home and I wish you luck.

If you have come prepared, and you set your face toward my home, I wish you more luck, good fortune, and the happiness that I have found, but beware, it is hard-won, as you will know if you come here not by chance, but by design.

Before you proceed, I have instructions that you may find to be further wisdom for your journey. If you come prepared, the puzzle will be trivial. If not, may you never find the answer, for your own sake.

If you would proceed, use the buttons below, as on a typewriter, to spell the name of love and beauty.”

Below the engraved message was a row of round buttons that could be depressed into the surface of the tablet. They appeared to be arranged randomly.

DQWBENMJFAHTKLHPXOYRIZCSUV

The name of love and beauty? Assuming this was a letter from John Carter himself, or someone purporting to be him, there could be just one simple answer.

Hidden in the string of letters was ‘DEJA THORIS’. Dejah Thoris, the name of John’s mate, the Princess of Helium of Barsoom.

I pressed the buttons, and as the final key was pressed, I heard a click and a spring of some kind pushed the table up from underneath. This left a space between the keys and the surrounding holes in the tablet, allowing me to lift it out of the box. On the back side of the tablet, I discovered another message, a continuation:

“Traveler, once again, I welcome you. An adventurous spirit of my own home planet, or so I assume since I know not for certain what my home planet truly be. If you are determined, join me on the other side, on fair and harsh Barsoom. Step into the pool and travel beyond your experience.

Let me make it easier for you than it was for me. The pool is a portal. Step in, enter the center, and you will be pulled through. On the other side, you will find a cave like this and a pool like this. Be aware that the trip takes a great deal of energy and the pool will not be able to return you for at least two Barsoomian years. You may return, but only after at least two years have passed since the last person has traveled the path. You will lose consciousness on the journey. Do not be alarmed when you awake in a strange surrounding.

You may take nothing through the portal with you. No clothing, no tools, no containers of food or water. It is ourselves alone that travel this way. On the other side, you will find a box with a few items that I expect that you will find useful.

You may wonder about the material of the box in front of you. No, it is not of a Barsoomian metal, but simply a bluish Jade. Nothing may go between but our own selves.

If you take the journey, I hope to meet you someday. My best wishes. John Carter.”

Chapter 4

The Day of Departure

So there it was. Perfectly spelled out and logical. Signed by John Carter himself. I was ready to believe.

Nothing could go through with me? So, that part was true. I remembered a passage from the manuscript,

“As an Earth man, you would at first find it unusual to go about naked. You would be forced to adapt by circumstance. Firstly, it is very hot. Secondly, clothing will make it appear to hunters that you are an animal to be killed and you will most likely be shot before you are allowed to explain yourself. Besides that, the women are very beautiful and it seems a crime against nature to cover them up as we do upon earth. The people of Barsoom are in many respects extreme in their honor and under most conditions would never consider taking advantage even though the greatest beauty stand fully naked before them. Of course, unholy wretches do exist and these must be expunged from civilized communities.”

I believed now. It was undeniable. There was some type of a strange energy anomaly, in a hidden cave, in the middle of nowhere, untouched by human foot for at least a hundred years, and a message inside written by John Carter. Yes, it could have been a very elaborate hoax; except for the swirling portal. If it was a hoax, the person who created it would have certainly tried to capitalize on it instead of hiding it.

If it had been a hoax, it would have been promoted like a ‘Mystery Spot’ in Santa Cruz, California or the ‘Oregon Vortex’, or even the ‘Thing’ right down the road. If it had been a hoax, it would have been documented after the attraction was ready for the public, not in an elaborate manuscript and subsequent obfuscating and fictionalized pulp adventure novels. If it had been a hoax, the swirling vortex wouldn’t be here in front of my own eyes!

I almost sat on the floor of the cave with my back to the wall to think it over, but decided at the last moment to retrace my steps to the outside and think it out in the fresh air and sunshine. I followed the carefully laid path back to the entrance and climbed the few feet out of the hole. What to do now?

Well, first I returned to the ATV and carefully marked and double checked my GPS coordinates. I placed a marker on the device electronically, but also wrote a pen and ink copy in my field notes showing the location of the hole on a hand drawn map… then I took a permanent marker and inscribed it on the dash of the ATV. It would be tragic to lose the place now! As I thought it over, I decided that I needed to be even more careful and removed the GPS from the ATV and walked back to the cave and stood in the hole and marked that exact location both in the device and on my notes. There was no cell phone service here, but I took out my phone and photographed the area, making sure that the GPS location tagging on the phone’s camera was on and then sent the photos to my own email address and to my son. They would be delivered as soon as I was in cell tower range.

It was tempting to just sit in the ATV or pace back and forth between it and the cave mouth, but I forced myself to be more deliberate and drove the off-road vehicle back to my encampment. Once there, I sat at my table under the canopy and thought through my options and plans.

One thing was certain: I would go through the portal. That was clear. This was my journey and there was no reason to stop now.

First I would return to the town that I had stayed in the night before and contact my son. I would tell him what I’d found and then give him directions for handling my absence.

I couldn’t take any provisions with me, but I could better secure my camp and I needed a few extra things to help me do so.

There was no reason to wait any longer. I just got back into the truck and turned back toward the freeway. The going was much faster this time. I wasn’t pulling a trailer and instead of carefully picking my way around the lower bushes, I drove straight over the top of a lot of them. I made much better time on the dirt roads as well and was soon back on the freeway. My mind was racing, so the trip seemed to take no time at all. It was just about time for dinner when I checked back into the hotel where I’d stayed the previous night.

Once in my room, and reconnected to the Internet, I opened my laptop and did more planning. The supplies that I needed would be available at the local big box hardware store and it was open until 9pm, so I had time to do other things before I did my shopping. My main to-do item was to see about buying more of the land surrounding my cave. It was all for sale, and I expected that if I offered to take a large piece of it that I could get an even lower price. I wouldn’t be here to handle the details; my son could do it all for me.

My son was one time zone earlier than where I was now and should be off work, but not yet heading out or sitting down with his girlfriend for dinner. I called him.

I said, “Son, it’s Dad. How are you?”

My son answered, “I’m fine, Dad. My fiance and I have been having a tough time with each other for the past few days, but we’ll work it out. How about you? Did you find your treasure yet?”

I said, “Son, you can’t imagine what I found. Yes, I found it… and more than I could have hoped for! Son, I believe that it’s all real. I found John Carter’s cave and the portal to Barsoom. I know that you must think I’m insane or joking, but I’m not. I found it.”

He said, “Dad, are you kidding me? No, you just said that you aren’t. What are you going to do?”

I said, “I’m going to go through it.”

He said, “But, um, can you get back? Assuming you stay alive and that it really does go to a foreign planet?”

I said, “Well, there’s one of the hang ups. I can get back, but not for at least two to three years. Minimum. And, I won’t be able to contact you. But, even then, if I do come back, I wouldn’t be able to go again for another two years. If things are good there, I might not want to come back if I have to wait that long to return. I do have an idea of how I can communicate though. We’ll have to pick a date and on that date, you go to the cave and either I’ll come back or I’ll send a message to you. If I can. Here is what I will do…”

I described my plan for sending a message. I also gave details of the land that I wanted him to buy and other instructions.

My son said, “Dad, I’ll do it, but wow! This is huge. I might never see you again. I get it though. It is who you are and you have to try. I’ll take care of everything on this end. I will be at the cave on the date we said, and a few days on each side to account for miscalculations. I’ll try again every few months. If I don’t get a message from you on one of those visits, I’ll have you declared dead 25 years from now. I sure love you, Dad. I will miss you. Are you sure?”

I said, “Well, we’ll find out. If you don’t hear from me day after tomorrow, you’ll know that I’m somewhere else. Hopefully the Red Planet of Barsoom.”

He said, “OK, Dad. Um, I hope you find a nice Barsoomian princess to marry.”

I said, “Oh, maybe. Um, what if I did? Would you be OK with that?”

He said, “Dad! Of course I would. So would Mom. She would have never understood you going, but she’s gone and she would want you to be happy. Here or across the galaxy somewhere. Go for it.”

I said my goodbyes and finally disconnected the call. That was that. My son would handle my affairs for at least the next two years, and I would travel to Barsoom. Or somewhere. Maybe.

I went to the truck and drove to the home supply center and bought three large steel equipment boxes and locks. That was all I planned to need to secure my camp. Then I went and ate my last dinner on Earth.

My excitement was still somewhat constrained when I woke up the next morning. It would be easier to turn around and head home. The cave would be there next year and the year after that; but today was the day that I was here now. This present moment was where I was, not a year from now or hours from now or six months ago. This moment called for me to shower, shave, brush my teeth, get in my truck, drive back out into the Arizona desert, and then leap through a portal into the unknown.

So, I did. I was in no mood to sit for a meal, so I drove straight to my campsite. It was some work to take the heavy steel work lockers down from the truck by myself, but I managed. I could have left them in the truck bed, but they would be harder to move by anyone thinking to steal them if they were discovered on the ground. I placed the boxes beside the truck and packed up the tools and supplies that I had brought with me in case I had decided to stay.

I broke down the canopies and other things that I had unpacked and I packed them away and locked the boxes. The perishable foods, I tossed away from the site to rot on their own. Everything was placed neatly in the lockers or in the bed of the truck and I locked everything for as much unguarded security as could be hoped for. I pulled the camo nets over the truck and other supplies, including the ATV and trailer and then took a last look and turned toward the cave site.

It wasn’t a long walk now that I knew exactly where it was. Finding the hole, I climbed down inside with my day pack, my phone, and my flashlight. The trek to the chamber with the portal was the same as the day before. When I got there, I placed the keys to the truck and a letter that I had written to my son in the blue box on the pedestal. My pack I set to the side.

I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then undressed. I folded my clothing neatly and laid it on the top of the box. I set my shoes on the floor beneath the box, next to the pack. Finally, when everything was done, I turned off the flashlight and lay it on top of my clothes.

The room was dimly lit by the pool itself. A greenish yellow swirl gave way to a purple and then black vortex in the center. If the room were not lit if I did return, I was confident that I could find the pedestal and my flashlight even in a pitch blackness.

I took another deep breath, let it out. Then I took one more… and stepped into the pool.

The floor of the pool seemed just an inch or two below the level of the floor, and made of smooth stone. The ‘water’ was apparently not a liquid. I couldn’t feel anything like water touching my feet. What I could feel was a force, like gravity pulling me toward the center. I could have stepped back out of the pool at this point, but I took another step forward, toward the center. The pull increased, but the bottom of the pool stayed at the same level as the step before. Out of caution, I decided to sit down. And then I slid myself into the center of the vortex.

Chapter 5

Arrival on the Red Planet

There was no sensation. Just as I hadn’t felt ‘water’ around my feet, I didn’t feel nausea or dizziness or pain. Nothing. The only sensation I had was of waking up, lying flat on my back, on a round, smooth stone surface. The chamber I was now in was lit by a bluish lamp.

I sat up and felt no worse for wear and examined my surroundings.

Getting to my feet I saw that I was in a chamber very much like the one that I had left, but not exactly. First, there was the blue lantern on the wall near the opening to the tunnel beyond. There was a matching pedestal and blue colored box, but none of the possessions that I had set aside. This was a different place.

I felt my body and even pinched my arm to make sure that I did feel pain, trying to prove to myself that I was not dreaming. I slapped the wall hard, and heard the sound and felt the sting. No, this was real and I was awake. I expected that my next logical move was to examine the box. Was there a message or instructions inside?

Opening the lid, I found another engraved inscription.

“Traveler, if you have just arrived from ‘elsewhere’, welcome. I hope that you and I both survive to meet one another someday.”

Below that, an inscription in some foreign script was written, supposedly for natives of the planet I was now on. And, below that, a question and a row of buttons, like the one in the cave on the other side.

“Name the state of origin:”

BYATQRMIZDKGOVNAH

My guess was that this was a question to prove that I had come from Earth, rather than being a native of this place. The state that I had come from was Arizona, at least that’s where the point of origin for this journey was. I pressed the keys. ARIZONA.

The familiar click was heard and the springs pressed up the tablet so that I could read the back and see what was hidden underneath.

“Welcome my kinsman of Earth. I hope you find happiness and grand adventure. I have supplied a few small tokens for your first days upon Mars. I suggest you start with these things:

1. Learn to walk. The gravity here is about 1/6th that which you are accustomed. It requires practice.

2. Take the compass. It is set to lead to what may be a friendly settlement.

3. Learn to talk. Find a beautiful Martian girl, hope that she does not kill you, and have her teach you the language.

4. Take the gems. There is a small sack. They should be provision for your journey, and then some.

5. Find water. I have written a parchment with hints about food and drink.

6. Make a weapon. I have left you a good sharp knife; anything more is up to you.

7. Take the other compass. This one is set to show the way back to this cave, no matter where you are.

Good luck to you, Man of Earth. May we meet in Helium.

John Carter.”

Under the tablet was a small sack with a handful of colored stones, a few pieces of what appeared to be gold coins, a strange compass, a black-bladed knife, and a small number of journal pages written on a thin plastic like material. There was also a belt that would fit around my waist for carrying both the bag and the knife.

I placed the items on the belt and fastened it around my waist. Let’s see. Learn to walk. Find water. Find a beautiful Martian girl. It sounded pretty straightforward.

Of course, contrary to Carter’s insistence, this was not Mars. It may be Barsoom, it may be a red planet, but according to everything that we had learned about Mars in the past hundred years, it was not Mars. But, close enough.

Wow, I felt good. Here I was. Alive. Well, alive and naked with just a knife and a bag of magic beans, but alive and feeling good, nonetheless. There was nothing more to do. The path out was lit by the same blue lamps all the way to the surface. I paid special attention to walking. It was different to be so light on my feet and it was easy to over-stride. I’d feel more confident to try bigger steps once I was outside where the chances of injury were less than in the confined spaces of the cave tunnel.

I reached the opening to the outside without incident and easily hoisted myself into the open air. The cave mouth lie in a depression in the ground, about 15 feet below the surrounding terrain. Stones strewn about the edge of the rim would make it difficult to pick out from a distance as being anything but part of the almost flat plain that surrounded it. Looking around, all that could be seen was an enormous slightly rolling plain of greenish-yellow mossy ground-covering. It was soft underfoot, but not at all moist.

And, it was hot. It might have been about 95 to 105 degrees, and dry. It was surprising that there was vegetation at all, especially this unending sea of it. I looked at the two compasses from the bag at my belt and identified the one that should point toward a settlement. It was indicating a direction off to the left of the direction I was facing and I turned that way. And I started walking.

I went very carefully at first. I was very light on my feet and didn’t feel a need to start by jumping into the air and landing in a heap the way that the stories described in Carter’s first encounter with the planet’s much lower gravity. I went by degrees, shuffling small steps that took me only a foot or two at each tiny step, gradually working my way up to where I easily took six to eight feet at a stride. I varied my pace often. If I was going to survive here, and I had every intention of doing so, I would need to be agile and quick on my feet. My practice was deliberate: walking, walking quickly, moving quietly and slowly, running, sprinting, jumping over imagined obstacles, and leaping high in the air from imagined foes. I practiced dodges, somersaults, and rolls in all directions.

I had no way of telling time, but I may have spent several hours at this. In my previous martial arts practice, I had developed an appreciation for long hours of tedious practice while building muscle memory, and this was building skills that I hoped would save my life. The deliberate nature of the exercise made the time pass easily, even if I had no idea how long it actually took.

Always moving in the same direction, I covered a lot of distance, but the scenery stayed essentially the same. Always the endless plain of greenish-yellow moss. Always the slightly rolling flatness unbroken by hill, mountain, or even tree. I was surprised at how little I was sweating, despite the heat. Perhaps it was because of the lack of clothing. I did start to get thirsty after several hours of constant motion. My expectation was that I would see evidence of a town or city of some kind in the distance at any moment, but I still hadn’t seen anything but the plain and the moss.

As the daylight began to fade, I was becoming increasingly tired and thirsty and decided that I had made a mistake in not reading the instructions that Carter had left for me about finding something to eat and drink. Sitting down in the middle of the mossy sea, I took the pages from my bag and read what I probably should have read hours before.

“Traveler, Barsoom is a dry planet. Since you are here, I know that you must have read my manuscripts, or you would not have found the cave and come this far. Again, I do not know how much time may have passed between me and you, but I assume no more than perhaps 10 or 20 years. Barsoom changes slowly, and the information I leave for you should be accurate enough to be useful.

The settlement that you pursue is about four days journey, but for an earth man, unencumbered, perhaps only two or three at most. I would hurry if I were you. Your concern is water. I regret that I was unable to leave you a supply in the cave, but it would have evaporated within a short time due to the extreme dryness regardless of the skin or container that it was placed in.

There are three ways in which you should look for moisture:

First, at first light, most mosses will have gathered dew overnight. It will dry very quickly as the sun rises, but just before dawn, you should scoop the moss between your hands and then lick the moisture from your skin. This is tedious, but it will replenish a bit of the water that you have lost on the previous day.

Second, if you watch the moss carefully, you will occasionally find a patch slightly more green than yellow. If you can find this, you will upon close examination, determine that the vegetation contains berries, green and blue, the size of peas. This is the flowering phase of the moss. Picking these berries and chewing upon them will release stored moisture that will sustain you. The berries may be collected in a pouch or bag to be consumed throughout the day. Concerning both the moss and the berries, it has a very bitter taste and may cause discomfort if swallowed and digested. I advise against it◦– chew the berries to release the juice, ignore the bitter taste, and spit the pulp. If you collect sufficient amounts and have the leisure to do so, the berries may be crushed, filtered, and the liquid boiled to remove the bitter taste and make the resultant drinkable by the cup.

Third, and most preferable, is to find a spring. These are rare on Barsoom, but because water is so scarce, they become easy to spot if you are near one. Look for the formation of a haze in the air◦– signs of free evaporation. Look for a deeper coloring to the vegetation running through the ground and follow it to its source. Look for a gathering of animal life, but be aware that almost all of it will be dangerous, as they may be lodging near a source of water.

For food, you may have to go without until you reach either a settlement where ground crops are cultivated or a small forest where certain edible plants my grow. The plant life used for food is highly nourishing and you will find that you need not nearly as much as you would expect. In extreme need, it is possible to eat almost any small mammal or large mammary that you may find. Certainly, the latter is much preferred to the former. Skin, gut, and cook the small prey if possible. If not, you can bite from it raw and though the taste may be unpleasant, in dire circumstances, you will appreciate it nonetheless. The second option, on the other hand, is most pleasant and if you are fortunate in that area, you will find that your way becomes much easier and sweet in all respects. I wish you every success in that arena.

This is all I have to offer on the subject. Remember to procure a weapon at your first opportunity and pray that it comes not too late. Let us meet someday in Helium.”

Well, the light was now too low to search for the berries described. I would have to wait for near dawn and collect dew from the moss. For tonight, I would sleep in the open. I checked that my knife was at my side, and lay down on my back to sleep. I hadn’t seen any animals all day long, but I couldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t be any. There was nothing that I could do though. There wasn’t anywhere to shelter or get off the ground, so it was in the open or nothing.

As I relaxed, I chuckled at Carter’s puns about finding a large mammary to drink from. Yeah, that would be more pleasant by far than chewing on bitter tasting berries. What would it be like when I did come to a settlement populated by nudists? I was comfortable enough by myself today, but among others, what would that be like? I really hoped that it wouldn’t be overly embarrassing; that my body didn’t betray me with an erection at the wrong times. People in other countries were much more comfortable with nudity than westerners, and they did fine. Maybe I would be fine as well. All I could do was wait and see. This moment called for sleep. First thing in the morning called for collecting dew.

When I woke up, it was just turning light. It was my second day on the ‘Red Planet’. Today I had better find water. Food would be good too. Food could wait though.

Carter was right, the moss around me was wet with dew. I got on my knees and scooped my hands across it and collected the moisture on my palms and fingers. There wasn’t enough in a scoop to actually drink, but as suggested, I could lick the wetness from my skin. It really was tedious. Just a drop or two with each pass over the moss. It took probably 30 minutes for me to get even a few ounces, even working as quickly as I could. By the time it was fully light, the ground had dried.

I wasted no more time. I set my face in the direction of the compass and started to run. My pace was very fast, but sustainable. I scanned the ground to each side and in front of me as I ran. Look for a patch of moss more green than yellow. A few possibilities appeared, maybe one an hour, but each one turned out to be a dead end. No berries. Maybe it was too early in their flowering cycle. So, I ran on. Hour after hour, stride after stride.

After I don’t know how long, tiredness was setting in again and so was dehydration. I could feel the nausea start to build and a light-headed feeling caused me to slow down. Finally, I stopped and doubled over on my knees, panting and near vomiting. I was suddenly in anguish, sick to my stomach and my head was pounding. I was dizzy. I was sick. This was bad.

The world began to swim in circles around me and I curled into a ball and lay on my side. I expected that if I could calm myself that I would lower my heart rate and begin to recover. It would be unpleasant, but I’d be fine in a little bit. But I was wrong. I was very wrong. I passed out.

Chapter 6

Refreshment and Learning the Language

I don’t know how long I was unconscious. My next sensation was of a sweet tasting liquid filling my mouth and me swallowing instinctively. I didn’t open my eyes immediately, but felt a hand push my mouth open once more and another fine stream of the nectar was being poured between my parched lips. Again, I closed my mouth and swallowed. My mouth was pressed open again, and this time, a wine skin or water bag of some sort was pushed into my mouth. I felt the wet nipple of the thing against my lips and I sucked at it, craving the life-giving moisture. I took several small drinks from the thing and began to regain my senses somewhat.

The skin was pulled away from my mouth and then replaced a few short seconds later and I sipped at it again. This time, as I sucked at the thing, drawing liquid into my eager mouth, I heard a moaning sound… and I managed to open my eyes. I was completely unprepared for the sight that met my gaze!

I was lying on my back, stretched out where I had collapsed. Above me knelt a young woman, on her hands and knees, her face inches from my own… and the thing in my mouth, nourishing me and bringing me back to life, was her own large breast! I swallowed what was in my mouth and sputtered and began coughing as I choked in surprise. At this, the girl sat back on her thighs and pressed her hand to my forehead to prevent me from rising.

I continued to cough for a moment as I cleared the fluid that I had accidentally inhaled, the girl leaning over me and finally laying herself on top of my chest and holding me with her arms, whispering what seemed to be soothing words in a foreign language. I calmed myself as best I could and tried to hear the words spoken to me.

Carter’s manuscript and the published stories agreed on the fact that the language of Barsoom was spoken, but also largely telepathic. I didn’t understand a word that the girl said, but impressions of meanings seemed to come to my thoughts. It felt like, “Calm, peace… sorry, apologize… death, dying, life… obligation, love, commitment… rest, care, wait.”

Moment by moment, she spoke to me by impressions in my mind and words that I didn’t understand. Moment by moment I recovered both my senses and my strength. The girl held me and comforted me. It felt as though she poured her own life into my body. By instinct, I gently put my arms around her, holding very loosely, and when she didn’t pull away, I hugged my body to hers.

As I hugged her against me, the message became something like, “approval, yes, good… warm, hold, safe… rest, wait, care,” and again, “Sorry, forgive… needed, necessary.”

My breathing returned to me and I started regaining some strength. I felt more refreshed by the second. The girl pulled back and I let her go… and she leaned over me again and offered me her breast, pressing it to my lips! I hesitated for the briefest of seconds, and then sucked at the nipple and swallowed the life she gave me. I heard her moan and felt “pleasure, good… arousal, desire… guilt, forgive, sorry,” and then a burst of wordless joy! She quickly pulled back and shoved the other breast at me and I pulled a long stream of breast milk from her as she moaned, loudly this time, and I felt her burst out in another wave of “sex, joy-love”.

I think that the girl had just experienced at least two orgasms! Simply from having me suck on her tits! After the second one, she lay on top of me again and hugged me tightly against herself. And then I felt the “regret, sorry… death… obligation, duty,” as she nuzzled my chest with her cheek. About a minute later, she sat up and then stood and pulled me to my feet with “Come, go, rise… please, for me… immediate, hurry, urgent”.

Then I had my first look at her. She was stunning. And as I had been told to expect, absolutely naked… except for a belt like my own and hanging from it, a knife and bag. The bag and knife hung at the side of her hips, not in the front. She was completely hairless, except for long golden-yellow hair on her head and trailing down to her mid back. Her skin was very tanned, with a reddish tint to it and her eyes were blue.

She was the shapeliest woman I had ever seen, even in photographs. She stood about five-foot-eight-inches, just four inches shorter than myself. Her hips were perfectly rounded and firm. The breasts that I had recently sucked at were large and amazingly beautiful, the nipples pronounced and firm, standing away from her areola about a half an inch. I suspected that the lower gravity here was responsible for a womanly shape that could never be duplicated on Earth. She was overall, breathtaking!

I was steady on my feet now. The breast milk had refreshed me in an astounding way. The girl pulled at my hand to follow her in the direction that I had been traveling and I nodded and let her lead the way. We ran hand in hand, me slowing my stride to match her pace. After about 15 minutes or so, I believed that we would make better time if I carried her, and stopping, I forced her onto my back, looked at my compass and started off at a run, making twice the speed that we had done before.

The girl held on to my neck and it was a little awkward at first, but soon, she started matching her body bounces to my gait and I was able to take even longer strides. She pointed over my shoulder, about 15 degrees to the right of where I was headed. I looked at my compass, shook my head, and continued on my course.

I felt her saying, “No, not, quit… far, many, infinite… please, yield… come, go… hurry, urgent,” and she pointed again.

I listened to the girl and veered in the direction she indicated. As I ran, she occasionally pointed to adjust my course and I ran on for at least an hour.

As I ran, I thought about what had happened back where she found me. I was dying. The breast milk, while unexpected, saved me. And I had to admit, it tasted really good. Sweet and thick, like cream flavored with honey. When she had offered it to me the second time, and I hesitated, it was because I didn’t want to take advantage or impose, but here my frequent reading of Burroughs’ stories served me well. In so many of the stories, the formula was for the hero to meet a heroine, fall in love, unwittingly offend the woman by a misunderstanding of the customs, and then spend the remainder of the story trying to find out what he had done wrong.

Isn’t that what we all do so often? Try to take responsibility for someone else’s actions and choices? Assuming that somehow we know better what they should do than they do? Letting people make their own choices in the right circumstances made for much better relationships. If she wanted me to suck at her breast and be revived by her body, why should I refuse? If I wanted to die alone on a mossy plain on a foreign planet, well that would be my business as well, but I didn’t, so taking what she freely offered was the only logical choice… and she certainly wasn’t acting like the choice had offended her.

I felt like I had passed the first real test of my new life. And I had achieved at least some of Carter’s encouragement to find a beautiful Martian girl. Oh and now I remembered his other instruction to have her teach me to talk. Now I also understood his comment about being nourished by ‘a large mammary’.

I assumed that our haste was due to the fact that my companion didn’t carry any water, and that if we didn’t reach some, that we would both suffer for it. I didn’t know how long her body would sustain me, and I didn’t want to test it.

OK, I needed to learn to talk. I stopped for a moment and set the girl on the ground and faced her and smiled. I took her hand in mine and placed it on my chest and said, “Mark” and thought about the concept of a name and what it meant to be called something. I patted her hand against my chest and repeated the word and the thought.

The girl smiled and said, “Mark” and I felt ‘you, person, man’, and then she pulled my hand to her chest and said, “ Aeyli-ah” ‘me, I, woman, name’. She repeated it as a sentence and I heard, “I am Aeyli-ah. My name is Aeyli-ah. You are Mark”, but there was also ‘question, uncertainty’. I tried to remember the words that she had said and did my best to say, “My name is Mark.” Aeyli-ah smiled and I said, “You are Aeyli-ah”. I pointed to my foot and said, “Name” and added the question mark thought. Aeyli-ah told me the word and then held up her hand and told me the word for that.

The language was actually very simple. The spoken word for hand and foot were the same, but the telepathic sense was different. The word was actually more like “body part” modified mentally for each different appendage. We played this game for a few minutes, Aeyli-ah placing my hand on her arm, and then me placing her hand on my head and repeating the phrase and practicing the skill I needed to learn. We worked our way through hands, feet, arms, legs, head, facial features, shoulders, and so on. When those were exhausted, Aeyli-ah looked at me earnestly and smiled and said, “calm, rest, trust” and placed my hand upon her breast, then pulled it down to her buttocks, then back to her breast and onto her nipples. I allowed her to have me touch her intimately like this… and it was apparent that it was intimate and not just a classroom study. The meanings had intimacy to them. I reciprocated and ran her hand over my body as well as I repeated the words and meanings that she was teaching me.

Aeyli-ah again thought, “calm, OK, receive” and she took my hand and pressed it between her legs and encouraged my fingers along the slit of her labia. I gave myself to it, not knowing if this were a mating ritual and whether I was consenting to a marriage proposal or not. If I was, I was a lucky bastard. Aeyli-ah’s eyes closed as I touched her and she spread her legs slightly to give me better access. I slid my middle finger hesitantly down through the folds, paying close attention to whether this seemed to be what she wanted or not. I didn’t enter her, but I did feel the hint of moisture and warmth building just behind the opening to her sex.

I pulled my hand back, but kept her hand clasped in mine as I placed her palm on my belly, below my navel, but above my pubic hair. I looked at her and smiled and she moved her hand tentatively downward, making sure that I was OK with it. Aeyli-ah pushed her fingers down through the curls of my pubic hair and encircled my stiffening shaft and told me the word for penis , and then ‘big, wonderful, inspiring… desirable, nice, handsome.”

She stroked me a few times and then slowly pulled her hand away. I put my hands on her shoulders and took a chance and said, “Trust? Lips?” and moved my lips toward hers. She beamed at me in approval and tilted her lips toward mine and I kissed her on the mouth. It was a simple kiss and it didn’t last long, but it was the sweetest first kiss imaginable. Aeyli-ah and I were bound together. I could feel it. If it was a marriage proposal, I consented with my whole heart at this point. And, now I didn’t know what to do.

I asked, “Hurry? Go?”

Aeyli-ah nodded and I pulled her back onto my back and she pointed the way I we should be headed. It was well after noon now, but several hours remained until sundown. I ran on, but said, “ Aeyli-ah, many, more, names, callings?” It was the best I could do to ask her to continue her teaching. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began speaking in my ear. “Good” was the first word.

The progress was fast, both over the ground and learning the language. As I had said, it was a simple language and reinforced by the direct telepathic associations. I only had to be told once. In another two hours, I had enough to be able to speak with my “companion, mate?” fairly well. The grammar was different than English, so a direct translation would be very difficult to write, and to read, but it was easy enough to interpret what was communicated.

After two hours of steady progress, I slowed down and finally stopped. I was tiring. I set Aeyli-ah down, and bent over to catch my breath. By now I felt that I could probably carry on a conversation and said, “I’m sorry, I’m tired, can we rest for just a moment , and then we can go on.”

Aeyli-ah said, “Yes, rest. You ran very far. And carrying me on your back. You must rest. But look in the distance. See those small buildings? That’s where we are going. It will take another hour, if we were fresh, and we aren’t. I have been without water for several days and I’m getting weak. I couldn’t have traveled this far on my own. When you reach the place, find the large building in the center. There will be a place in the floor and water underneath. Refresh yourself and if you can, revive me. I hope that you can. Lie down and let me nourish you from my body.”

She encouraged me to lie down and knelt over me as she had done when she revived me earlier and offered me her breasts again. I suckled gently and took in the nourishing milk and began to feel better after just a few swallows. I didn’t want to take too much, not knowing how taxing it might be for Aeyli-ah. Sensing that I was done, she rolled onto her back and lay beside me. She took my hand and we rested side by side.

She said, “I’m sorry, Mark. Please forgive me. You were dying and I couldn’t bring myself to allow it. I did what I had to do. I know that you are from the home world of our Warlord, John Carter. I know that your customs are different from mine, and I would forgive you any breach or inadvertent offense. It has been my pleasure to serve at the shrine for all of these years, and my greatest honor to give my life to save you. I fear that from here on, you’ll travel alone. But Mark, I don’t want to die!”

I said, “ Aeyli-ah, why are you asking me to forgive you? For what? You have only been kind and loving to me! How can I forgive you when you have shown me only the greatest… love? I will get you to the water. It isn’t far. We can make it. I won’t let you die.”

She said, “I know that you don’t know what you’re saying and I love you even more for it. But to be fair to you, I should explain before I lose the ability. Just listen. I fed you from my breast… as a mate does. But, you didn’t choose me. I am bound to you now until I die. No other man may ever have me. And I would I never accept one. I bound myself to you as my mate when you were unable to refuse or consent. And how could you consent even if you had been conscious at the time? You didn’t know me and you couldn’t love me. What I did, I did out of desperation, knowing that I had to save your life even if it meant that I had to lose mine. I couldn’t let you die. Not after so long, waiting.”

I said, “But, I am grateful. Why does this mean that you’ll die? I will get you to the water and I will revive you!”

She said, “But Mark, I gave you no chance to choose me. The only way to break the bond is death, and you have to live.”

I thought quickly. “ Aeyli-ah, do you want to break the bond? I don’t! I want to know you. I already love you! Be my mate and live◦– please, I beg you! Forgive me if I have done something wrong. I was only trying to do what would help us both. You have been so loving to me. I’ll never leave you!”

Then, grasping at straws I said, “As your mate, I say that you must live. I tell you to!”

The girl looked at me and said, “Mark! You don’t say that out of pity, you mean it! If that’s truly how you feel, there is a way. If you would really have me… if you do choose me freely, there is one way.”

I said earnestly, “Tell me! You know that I can’t know anything unless you lead me to the answer! Tell me and I’ll do it immediately! I choose you for my mate, forever, bound together for life! Aeyli-ah, I will love and cherish you forever. Now tell me what to do!”

She said, “Mark, it’s simple, if you mean what you say, and I know that you do. You need to feed me like I fed you.”

Aeyli-ah smiled and rose on her hands and kissed me passionately. Then she slid down my body… and swallowed my penis! She didn’t waste any time. She used what moisture her mouth could still produce and began sucking on me wildly. It was a surprise attack, but if this is what she needed, I’d give it to her as quickly as I possibly could. It seemed that the Martian girl’s throat had no gag reflex and she pushed herself up and down the length of my penis, making swallowing motions as she licked at the underside and base of the shaft.

I gave in as quickly as I could and my juices poured into the eager girl’s mouth and down her throat. Aeyli-ah swallowed every drop, and then put her fingers around my penis and pulled along the length of it, squeezing any remaining drops of the salty juices to the top. She continued sucking until she had taken everything she could get from me. When she was done, she collapsed on top of me and lost consciousness.

I rolled her onto the moss beside me and checked her breathing and pulse. She seemed to be fine, but sleeping. I pulled her onto my back and hurried on toward our destination. The going was more difficult with her unconscious, but it was manageable.

About 10 minutes later, I felt her stir and I stopped and lay her back down on the ground.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, how are you. I will get you to the water, I promise.”

Opening her eyes she said, “I feel stronger now. The protein and salt you gave me is enough to sustain me for a bit longer. We need to get to the ruins and get water, but now I’ll live at least until morning. Our bodies feed each other, but I’m afraid that we’ll both be too weak before long to do this again. We have get to the water soon, and before dark.”

I picked her up again and started moving as quickly as I could toward our destination. I was determined to use my last bits of life to safeguard this beautiful woman who had already saved my life.

Chapter 7

History Lesson and Sheltering

“Aeyli-ah,” I asked as we ran, “How old are you?”

She answered, “I was born just after the great wars and the fall of time, almost 70 years ago. When I was of age, at 20 years, I applied to be a shrine maiden and I have served for almost 50 years. From that day until today.”

I said, “So, is 20 the age when girls take a mate?”

She said, “They may. But now, finding a mate is difficult. I didn’t care. I hoped that my mate would come through the shrine, and you did!”

I was secretly relieved. The girl was actually older than I was and I wasn’t robbing a cradle. She was well past maturity and I had nothing to feel ashamed of. Well, except possibly for my own beginnings of gray hair and declining physical abilities compared with her ageless beauty. 70 years old?

I asked, “Will you teach me the story? What are the great wars and the fall of time? Is John Carter still alive?”

She started to bring me up to speed on what had happened on Barsoom since the time that Carter had written the manuscript that I had acquired. The year on Barsoom is slightly longer than on Earth, but I translated into Earth years because it gave me a better sense of the time-line.

Aeyli-ah said, “The Warlord, John Carter was very active in the past days, before I was born. No one that I know can say if he’s still alive or not. About 10 years before I was born, 80 years ago, the Green Hordes of the Tharks began to get restless and could no longer live among humans. They had been at war for centuries before the Warlord came, and now they had decades of peace. It seemed like a madness came over them. The Warlord and his navies kept them from attacking the human cities at first, and the hordes turned on each other in ferocious civil wars. Their leadership was killed or collapsed and even the traditional tribal structures seemed to fail. They warred against other nations and then against other tribes and finally against families. Before the end, only gangs and mobs remained, but there were multitudes of them.

At the time, the Green Men fought so much that all trust and semblance of order disappeared and they swept over every city they came near. They were no longer hunters; they became scavengers and savages. They say that as they advanced, the armies of John Carter fought to save civilization, but the casualties were enormous and each wave of invaders was destroyed only at the cost of another great city and another great army. Maybe a sickness drove them. The only thing that stopped them from their savagery was their own death.

The face of the planet changed. Where vegetation had once been scarce, it fed on the blood of the multitudes slain in battle and became more verdant than ever. It changed the climate and the weather in many places. There are areas where rainfall is as high as three or four inches per year, and at times, standing water can be found for months at a time far from the great river Iss.

But, settlements are rare and the population is lower than may be sustainable. The planet may die. At least the human population may.

As the Red cities fell to the Green insanity, other races were persuaded by evil men to rebel against the Warlord and the peace that he had forged over the entire planet. Every nation fought its neighbor… or it isolated itself in an attempt to protect itself.

The fall of time took just less than 10 years. Centuries erased in a moment. Each nation lost communication with its neighbor; if it hadn’t already conquered and killed them. Conquered nations were subjugated, and then rose against their oppressors and conquered them in turn, and with each iteration, the population grew smaller. The great white apes were nearly wiped out as well. There are signs, troubling signs, that the ape populations are increasing again, while the birthrate among the humans seems to have declined to almost nothing.

Eventually, the only survivors were those who had enough courage not to fight. Not cowards, but reasonable men and women who banded together, with no regard for racial differences. People who worked hard to survive the wars, not to win them. My own skin is a mixture of a father of one race and a mother of another, though both died while I was very young and I have little memory of either of them.

The settlement that you were heading toward is in ruins now. At the time that John Carter created the shrine, it was thriving and you would have found travelers to help you long before you had traveled this far. But today, you wouldn’t make it.

This is why the shrine maidens exist. After I was born, but while I was still a child, a woman came from Helium. She claimed to be from John Carter’s house and had escaped the wars. She set up a watch for anyone who would come from John Carter’s home world, to help them if any made it through the portal. She said that she had been charged to do so by the Warlord, but that the rest of her companions had all been slaughtered years before she reached my village. This woman, Nathalie, recruited shrine maidens to watch and to keep the shrine safe.

I have served for almost 50 years. I am near the shrine for a month at a time and then another takes my place and I return again every fourth month. At one time, a maiden would serve only two weeks at a time and just one time each year, but now there aren’t many of us left. Most have moved away and given up their duties… or given up their faith that what we did had any meaning. Another left recently, just before I started my turn and now there are only three of us. Each of us had vowed to stay until our eventual deaths, but who knows who would have really been able to do so.”

I said, “Aeyli-ah, I am so thankful that you served so faithfully. It’s a one-way trip for the most part, and there’s no way that I would have survived to make the return journey.”

As she clung to my back, I could not see her face as she asked, “Will you make the return journey?”

I assured her, “I will not. At least not alone. I have a mate now, a chosen one. I am with you forever. But, Aeyli-ah…” and I stopped and set her down to face me. “Aeyli-ah, I had another mate on my world. She died. Does that matter to you?”

She said, “It matters very much. It means that my mate knows what love is… in many ways. That’s good for me. Obviously, I have never had a mate… as we will see before the sun rises tomorrow… but did you have children?”

I answered, “I have a son. He’s grown and ready to take a mate of his own. He’s a good man.”

She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful news! A fine son already! If he were here… but never mind. Mark, will more come through the shrine?”

I said, “No. I’m certain that they won’t. The shrine was hidden for a hundred years on my world. It took a long time for me to find it, and now only my son has the location. Much like you, he has instructions to look for me to send a message two years from the day I arrived here. But he won’t come here because he won’t leave his life there. Someday he might pass the knowledge to his son, but no one will come through the portal for a very long time.”

She said, “So, my work is done. It’s a great relief. We’ll need to find the other maidens and tell them. But I need to explain other things before we do. Those things can wait. Look, it’s not very far now. We will make it before dark. That’s very, very good. Can you keep going?”

I swept the girl onto my back once more and took off at a run.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, I think that I need a weapon. Is that true? And where can I find one?”

She said, “A good weapon is a very, very good idea. What kind are you comfortable with? We won’t find any firearms.”

I said, “My preference is for a strong, light branch of wood, about the length of my leg, from my waist to the ground. About as big around as will be comfortable to grip in my hand. A metal rod would also work. I would use a sword, but I’m not sure that the swords of Barsoom would suit me.”

She said, “You intend to make a sword out of wood? If that’s the skill you have, we can do that. We can find a wooden pole like you describe. You can shape it with the knife at your belt. The wood is exceedingly hard, but that knife is exceedingly sharp. I have spent many hours working the wood and carving it; I can help you. Can you teach me to use one of those swords as well?”

I said, “Yes, I can. I’ll be happy to. Um, is it customary to give a mate some token? A ring or jewelry?”

She laughed, “Perhaps some customs are not so foreign between your world and mine. Yes, a man will often give a ring or necklace as a pledge and a token and a remembrance to the times when he must be separate from his mate, but I don’t need anything like that.”

I reached into the pouch at my side and felt for the stones and looked down to find a scarlet ruby looking gem.

I said, “I don’t have a ring or a necklace, but would you like to have this as a token and a pledge?”

I held the stone over my shoulder for her.

She gasped, “Mark, this would buy a house! Two would buy a farm and land!”

I said, “Do you like it? Will it do for now? Until I can have it set in a necklace maybe? Will you take it as my token of love? It’s all that I can offer for now.”

She said, “Of course. I’ll treasure it. And someday we can use it for a great home!”

I laughed this time, thinking about the pile of similar gems in the bag at my waist.

I said, “I don’t think it will be necessary. If you like it, it will be yours forever. My token to the girl I love.”

Aeyli-ah didn’t say anything, but I felt her hug me and lean her cheek against my neck. After a few minutes, she said, “Mark, did you enjoy feeding me?”

I said, “What? Oh. Yes! That was amazing!”

She said, “I very much enjoyed feeding you too. And being fed by you. That doesn’t have to be only in dire circumstances. I plan to feed you as often as you like… and you can feed me as often as you want to as well. Look. Here we are. And, it’s still an hour until dark. We made it! Let me down and I’ll walk.”

We walked the last 50 yards hand in hand. We hurried, but didn’t run. Aeyli-ah was cautious, but in good spirits.

She said, “My Prince, the watering hole is in the center of the main building. We won’t find other people there, but we don’t know what other creatures will come here to drink after dark. In the morning we ‘ll be safe enough, but we need to drink what we can quickly and then find a chamber on an upper floor and barricade the door until sunrise. We need to hurry.”

We quickened our pace, going as fast as Aeyli-ah could comfortably run, and made it to the ruined buildings a few seconds later. We rushed silently toward the larger central building and darted inside. The girl led the way into the interior, down a hallway, and into a central courtyard. In the middle of the yard was a fountain pool, about six feet across, surrounded by two steps leading down to the water. She pulled me to the water’s edge and knelt down to drink. She quickly removed the bag that she wore at her belt and filled it with water and held it out to me.

“Here, drink, it is safe,” she said.

I took the container from her hand and sipped the water. It was clean and fresh and I gulped it down. When it was empty, she filled it again and then drank the full container herself. Filling it a third time, she said, “Again, we have to hurry.” I drank one more time, probably a total of 16 ounces from each bag, and then Aeyli-ah filled and drank the contents a second time herself. When she was done, she filled the bag a final time and then tied the top tightly to seal it.

She said, “Come quickly!” and she led me down another hallway to a room across from the doorway that we had entered from. Inside, we found several straight round wooden poles that had probably been used at some point to hang tapestries or drapery. The cloth hangings were long gone, but the poles remained. Each was about six or eight feet long. I grabbed three of them and Aeyli-ah rushed us back out of the room and up a stairway to our left. At the top, we crossed a balcony and went up a second set of stairs. From there, we rushed across a large central room, ignoring closed doors on each side, and ascended a third staircase to the topmost floor.

Going directly past two doors on our right side, and stopping at a third, she quickly took the knife from her belt and slid it into a crack between two stones above the door, triggering a lock mechanism, and pushed the door open. We hurried inside, and whirling around Aeyli-ah closed the door quietly and set a lock near the top.

She whispered, “The lock deters casual visitors, but it won’t hold against a forceful battering.”

Looking at the floor and finding an uneven stone, I braced two of the poles that I was carrying against it and braced the door.

I said, “That will help some.”

I looked around the room to see what safety we had, even though I had no idea what the dangers actually were. The room was about 15 by 20 feet wide. There were no windows. A few of the glowing lamps, like the ones in the cave but this time red instead of blue, dimly illuminated the place. These lamps were mineral, and lasted for centuries without fuel. At one side of the room was a raised platform, about the size of a king-sized bed, and apparently used as one. It was covered with and assortment of furs, presumably for comfort and warmth. Aeyli-ah grabbed a large one from the bed and draped it on hooks so that it covered the door, having me remove and then replace the bracing poles.

Aeyli-ah said, “This will help muffle any sound we might make tonight. The door and walls are thick. We’ll be safe enough now.”

Apart from the bed, there was only a sack, the size of my day pack. It contained a few more water bags and a few scraps of leather, but nothing else.

She said, “This is where I stay on my way to and from the shrine. No one disturbs it. Only beasts will visit this place now. We can relax. Tonight, we’ll stay in this room, and tomorrow we can fill more water bags and continue on our way. Or, we can gather some food and stay another night or two if we want to. Making your weapons, and teaching me to use one might be worth a delay of a day or two.”

I said, “Aeyli-ah, I don’t have a plan or a place to go. I came because I searched for John Carter’s cave, and once I found it, I had no choice but to see where it would take me. In many respects, I’m willing to trust you completely and place myself into your hands. You seem to have an idea of where we should go, and I’ll gladly follow you there.”

We moved to the bed and sat on the edge together and I took her hands in mine and looked at her.

I said, “But, we still need to talk. I’ve told you that I’m very happy to have been given the chance to choose you as my mate, even though you felt that I had no choice, but you said that you didn’t have a choice yourself. You bound yourself to me out of obligation, because you couldn’t let me die.”

She stopped me and said, “My Prince, I chose you in my heart before I ever set eyes on you. And when I saw you, and felt your heart, I knew that I had chosen what I truly wanted. I could have chosen differently. I wasn’t under an unbreakable vow. I followed my heart in the moment. It wasn’t my past or future that decided for me. Listen, it has been a long, momentous, very hard day. I think that by morning, we’ll both be sure of our true feelings.” And she smiled at me. “And, besides, haven’t I promised you my body as well?”

I said, “You are absolutely the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen! If your body is promised to me, I will cherish it and make you as happy as I can that you chose me. Um, you call me ‘My Prince’… do you mean…?”

In the stories of Barsoom, I knew that the phrase ‘My Prince’ was a very intimate title reserved for lovers; something a woman would only say to the one man that she had chosen and could not live without.

Aeyli-ah said, “I do. My love, I do. You are My Prince! My whole heart belongs to you. We only met, but I don’t need time to know my heart toward you.”

She stood up and removed the belt from her waist and laid it aside. She was completely naked even before she did it, but that act was the sexiest thing that I had ever seen. As much as my wife and I had loved each other, I knew that she had never loved me like this.

I stood and said, “My Princess!” and removing my belt, I took her in my arms and kissed her.

Chapter 8

Mating Night

Our bodies melted together. This was our first true embrace. The past several hours had been a fight for survival. It had brought us close emotionally, and it had created a bond that we now felt was unbreakable, but despite the intimate contact that we’d shared in order to sustain our lives, this was our first real touch.

I kissed Aeyli-ah, and she responded. Her lips met mine and our tongues intertwined. She pressed her bosom against my chest and pressed her pelvis against my groin. Our hands explored each other’s sides, faces, hips, backs, and buttocks. This was love, pure and simple. No questioning of the decisions that we had made or of the vows we had professed.

She reached down between us and finding my erection poking into her belly, she guided me to the space between her legs and wrapped her thighs around me. I was taller than she and there was no way to enter her in this standing position, but we slowly thrust against each other, me sliding along the folds that were quickly moistening and over the nub of her rapidly engorging clitoris. I felt the telepathic indication of a small orgasm causing the trembling of her body.

I whispered, “My Princess, I don’t know what the ways of this planet are for this night.”

She buried her face in my neck, continuing to thrust against me and said, “Neither do I My Prince, but, uh, I don’t think that will hinder us. Oh, uh… the only instructions that we were given as young girls were bawdy rhymes that the older women told us. Oh, my prince! The ‘little death’! I want to die a thousand times tonight!”

I felt another spasm take her and she clenched my manhood hard between her legs. The ‘little death’ was her euphemism for orgasm, just like in French, and I knew it was appropriate. A ‘little death’ that let you know that you are very much alive, and in love.

She said, “You see, My Prince? Only lovers… only mates feel this way toward each other. Oh, yes! Uh huh. Here, oh, let me go for a moment… no don’t… oh wait, yes, just for a moment.”

She pulled away from me and recited one of the rhymes as she turned toward the bed,

“Come my prince,

It is time,

My ass is high,

My pussy prime.

Pierce my shield

Now with your shaft.

My tunnel wet,

You need no luck,

Come my prince,

I’m prime to shalock.”

The word that she used doesn’t have any good equivalent in English. It meant, more or less, ‘Make love with abandon. Make love vigorously.’ The word was used mostly in a bawdy, but not obscene connotation. It was both reverent and irreverent and only used when humor was called for. It would never be used in public, but only between lovers who wanted to be very clear about their intentions to ‘wrestle between the bed furs’.

I have said that each word in their language had only one meaning, but there were often several words for similar things with different emotional context. In one case you might say ‘make love’ and in another, private setting, say, ‘shalock’. In one context, you might say ‘breasts’, but in a more private context, a lover would be more likely to use the equivalent of ‘tits’ or ‘titties’. And even in one context, ‘vagina’, but in the other, even the most refined girl would have no hesitation in talking to her mate about the needs of her ‘pussy’ and his ‘cock’. Because insults were rare here, people just said what they meant and these kinds of words had no meaning except as terms of aroused endearment.

She turned her back to me and got on her hands and knees on the bed. She placed her cheek down on the furs and looked back at me, spreading her legs and exposing the treasure between. I hesitated a moment, never having seen anything so beautiful, so vulnerable, and so incredibly arousing. As I watched, my lover reached between her own legs and using her fingers, rubbed and spread the cinnamon lips, opening herself to me.

I stepped forward and positioned the tip of my shaft against the opening, gathering lubrication by rubbing at the entrance. I pushed slowly… and met a barrier.

Aeyli-ah recited,

“Prince pierce my shield,

Don’t make me wait,

It is high time,

The hour late.

Take it now,

Press in hard,

Like cow and bull

Out in the yard.

It feels so great!

My awesome prince,

Push hard my love,

Pierce my fence!”

The emotion in the psychic message behind the words was pure love and ultimate lustful desire. I grabbed hold of my princess’s hips and pushed… hard. I felt the ‘shield’ give way and the force of my ‘piercing’ rammed home, all the way to the bottom. The beautiful woman screamed lustfully, more telepathically than verbally, but there was no mistaking it for anything but ecstatic. Her scream was accompanied by a giant ‘little death’ that wracked her body convulsively. I felt the spasms of her vagina grip and squeeze my penis firmly. Her hips rocked and began to thrust forward and back against me. I held firmly to her hips and matched her motion, thrusting hard at the pace she set.

Aeyli-ah continued orgasming, time after time, thrusting, grinding, moaning and screaming with her emotional telepathy. It was beyond imagination. Each of her orgasmic screams shattered against my mind in lustful and loving waves, driving me on and on. Each one tempting me to explode within her… and encouraging me to wait and prolong this paradise as long as possible. My mind was numbed, only the moment and the pleasure and the sensations existed.

I reached around my convulsing bride and cupped her breasts to play with her hardened nipples… and was surprised to find them wet and leaking breast milk. I pulled one hand back to my mouth and licked the sweet liquid from my fingers. I would have been happy to stay like this all night, but it was time for me to take charge of our lovemaking and let her know that I was an active participant, her prince.

I suddenly pushed Aeyli-ah’s rump straight forward so that she fell on her face on the bed. She protested at the removal of my member, but I paid no attention and flipped her quickly onto her back facing me. I thrust her legs wide apart, and dove on top of her, impaling her once again and pressing my pubic bone hard down upon hers, grinding against her mound.

The girl opened her eyes wide and arched her back in shock at the fresh assault of my manhood, this time more direct and more in my control. Her ‘death screams’ started anew. I raised up on my arms and squeezed a breast, and was rewarded with a small stream of the sweet liquid squirting up into the air! This was so erotic I couldn’t believe it. I dropped my mouth to the nipple and sucked hard. The girl increased the intensity of her moans and cries as I drank deeply of the precious honey flavored milk.

Aeyli-ah continued to groan and chatter, “Oh, prince, oh, yes, full, tight, hard, yes, filled, loved, so hard, so firm, so full, so loved, oh, yes, dying, dying, loved, prince, screaming, Mark my Mark my Mark my Prince my Prince my… my ecstasy, my womanhood, my man, oh my man my prince my Mark. My Mark’s maiden, I waited, I… now no longer, done, finished, my love, my arms, suck my milk, take my love, oh so firm, so wet, so full, oh, death, orgasm, scream it my love, hear me maidens, fear my lover creatures below, love is mine, oh yes!”

I continued to suck at the wonderfully large nipple, and then the other. With each swallow, it was as if my strength increased… and my penis hardened even more. It was a steel post, sliding in and out of the wet tunnel of love between my princess’s legs. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and I let out my own orgasmic scream of release. I burst forth into my lover’s burning tunnel and I felt it take hold of me in return. We clutched at each other, fiercely pulling our bodies into one another in our attempt to consummate our oneness. Spasms and convulsions rocked us for what seemed like several minutes, neither of us wanting our first coupling to end.

Inevitably, our bodies gave out and relaxed in a heap, me lying heavily on top of my new bride, her legs wrapped around my waist, still holding me firmly within her love. She seemed to have yet another climax and then her body gave in to the release as well. I propped myself on my elbows and leaned in and kissed my lover deeply. We made love with our mouths for several minutes and in the end, I slid off of her and lay on my back on top of the furs, pulling the Martian beauty into my side and onto my shoulder.

Aeyli-ah spoke first, “You see my prince? Can there be any doubt about our choices? About any obligation met but regretted? Didn’t I say that before morning we would both know?”

[As an aside, I have tried hard to keep from letting my translation sound too formal. As I read back over it at times, it seems like some ‘Old English’ creeps in. I suspect that it’s a combination of the language used by John Carter in the manuscript that I had studied, the published stories that I had nearly memorized, and the natural tone of the mixture of spoken and telepathic communication and the foreign grammar. And, on a very personal note, Son, if you ever read these accounts, know that I loved your mother very much, and you’re a big boy now and you can handle, or ignore, the graphic ways that I describe my lovemaking with your new Martian Stepmother. I hope that you and your wife can be as happy. I better edit this heavily before I let anyone read it. Or, maybe not. We’ll see.]

I said, “You did My Love. I have no doubts now. We love each other and we are certain. It’s different on my world. Well, this is my world now, but it was different where I came from.”

She asked, “How can it be any different?”

I answered, “On my world, language is more veiled. Because of it, people can never really know the meanings of another person. In some respects, every sentence contains a little bit of a lie. Not necessarily because the speaker intends it, but because the hearer always has to presume part of the meaning. When I talk with you, I know what you’re saying to me. I hear your voice and your thoughts. On my world, it is as if each person hears what the other says, but also another voice that talks at the same time and confuses the meaning.

Um, consider if you hear two people talking: one says, ‘I love you and want to be your mate,’ and the other says, ‘That’s a lie. I feel like I should be afraid of you, but I have to go with you. I will never give you my heart’. Then the lover that they speak to says, ‘I love you too. I will always provide for you,’ but at the same time says in another voice, ‘I want you to love me, but I can’t trust you because you might betray me if you find someone more handsome than I’.”

Aeyli-ah said, “But Mark, that’s madness! How can two people have four voices?”

I said, “It may not be just four. Each person speaks with many voices and each person hears with many ears. You’re right, it is madness. On my world, lovers are often liars, and many of them will abandon their mates for others. It’s because they hear something different than what was truly said, and they don’t tell the full truth because it’s difficult for them.”

She said, “Oh stop, it’s terrible! This didn’t happen with your mate, I know that it didn’t!”

I said, “No, my wife was a very good woman. But even so, communication was sometimes a lot of work and misunderstandings were common. We loved each other and remained faithful until the day she died… and I never loved anyone else until today.”

She said, “At death, the bonds of the body and custom are dissolved and the bonds of the heart weaken. I’m glad that you loved her. Will you tell me her name? The name of your son’s mother?”

I said, “Her name was Autumn.”

She asked, “Was she beautiful? I won’t be jealous. I hope that she was beautiful.”

I said, “Princess, she was beautiful by the standards of my world. Not overly so, but pretty and I thought that she was very attractive. But my love, I won’t compare you, but I will say that you aren’t from my world no woman of my world could never compare to you in sheer beauty of the body and pure loveliness of heart. The artists of my world who attempted to paint the most beautiful women would go blind upon seeing how beautiful you are.”

Aeyli-ah said, “Oh, a poet!” and she smiled at me. “A poet and a potent lover! I am the most fortunate princess on Barsoom!”

We laughed, and held each other. She spoke again, “My Prince, um, you haven’t seen other men yet, nor other women, but I will tell you that you bear certain differences.”

I said, “Oh, like what?”

She smiled and said, “Well, for one thing, you are a bit taller than most. Most men of Barsoom are no taller than I am. And, of course, there is your strength and the speed with which you can run. Your skin is a different color than most, but as I say, skin color is becoming less differentiated now. And…”

She slid her hand down from my chest to my groin and began to stroke my penis softly, “…and there’s this. You are longer than my hand and my fingers barely reach around you. You’re very beautiful. Other men aren’t so big. The older women told stories of the stamina of their mates with pride, at how they could make love for several minutes at a time, often as much as once a week, and that sometimes, maybe a few times a year, that she might even have an orgasm if she were lucky on that day.”

She continued stroking me, “But, you my prince! You have shown me more in each touch than women experience in a lifetime. I had my first orgasms as I fed you… even though you were unconscious at the time! No one will believe that even dead you can excite me to climax. And when you fed me, I climaxed again even though this time I was the dead woman. But just now, as we truly coupled, if any woman had ever experienced anything like that, it would have been a legend and her prince would have been forced to take several princesses. It has never happened, or I would have heard the legend.”

I said, “Aeyli-ah, I know that you are telling the truth because I can feel it, but that’s hard to believe. And I don’t want to be the subject of legends. Please, let your happiness stay between you and I, I beg you.”

She smiled as she continued to stroke me, “Well, that’s a hard request… it’s so very hard,” and she squeezed me to emphasize her point. “But, it’s probably for the best. It wouldn’t be boasting, but yes, I’ll keep your legend a secret. I may have an obligation that requires me to tell it at some point, but I’ll do my best to keep your legend to myself.”

I knew that what she said wasn’t idle flattery; the nature of the communication made it plain when someone was telling the truth or teasing or hiding something. There was some element of secrets that she wasn’t ready to share, but no hint that she had anything but pure admiration when she extolled my sexual virtues.

By now, her soft attention to my manhood had me anything but soft. I pulled her on top of me and pushed her into a seated position, straddling my waist.

I said, “Princess, I took my turn, now take yours.”

She looked down at me and said, “What do you mean?”

I pushed my hips upward and moved so that the tip of me pushed into her vagina an inch and then I pushed down on her hips and she slid all the way over my hardness.

She gasped and said, “Oh, oh, this is new!” and she rotated her hips, feeling me stir the inside of her wetness.

I took her breasts in both hands and fondled her lovingly and said, “You asked for a thousand times before morning.”

She moaned and said, “But My Lord, you have blessed me 999 times already!”

I could tell that she was exaggerating, but that she was also ready to continue our night of passion.

She said, “But, if you insist, I will serve you as best I can. If I die, write a poem. An epic about the princess who died a thousand deaths in one night.”

I moved my hands to her thighs and lifted her up a few inches and then plunged her back down.

She cried out, “Oh, Lord, My Prince, this is new!” and she began bouncing and I went back to fondling her breasts and playing with her wonderful nipples. After experimenting with various motions for a few minutes, she settled into a routine that she obviously found satisfying. She’d raise up so that just two inches of me was still inside her, swirl her hips to stir the front of her vagina, then push slowly down to the full length and grind hard against my pelvis. Her movements began to take on more urgency, not necessarily in speed, but in intensity and her squeezes and grinding were firm as she stiffened and held her various motions for seconds at a time. Her breasts pressed into my hands, obviously enjoying my attentions and before long I heard her first cry of climax.

With her orgasm, she began bouncing up and down, less concerned with the specific motions and more concerned with friction and contact. As her next ‘little death’ hit her, I held her sides to steady her… and a fine stream of milk shot from each breast and sprayed my chest and face! It was all I could do not to explode hard myself at that moment, but I held back, wanting the experience to continue.

I cupped Aeyli-ah’s breasts and with each of her orgasms, I squeezed, encouraging another spray of the sweet liquid. My efforts were amply rewarded as spray after spray of the milk poured from her body, showering me from head to chest. And with each flood of warm milk, I came closer and closer to the point of no return. Her climaxes continued and finally, I couldn’t hold back. On her next climax, I squeezed both breasts very firmly, directing the spray directly toward my face and I lifted my hips and poured my own spray upward into the orgasmic bride.

In all of this, I hadn’t really paid much attention to my own physical sensations very much. I had spent more time trying to focus on my lover’s body than my own, but my time would come.

My princess finished when she felt me relax and she lay herself on top of me with her head at my cheek.

I said, “Oh, My Dearest, you certainly leave me no doubt. Our love is genuine beyond measure.”

She smiled and said, “Yes, but Mark, I’m no longer able to call you ‘My Prince’.”

I could tell that some tease was coming and she continued, “No, you are my king! If the world were ruled with your scepter, it would be a wonderful place.”

A person of Earth can never understand what it’s like to hear words like that and know that they are true in the mind of the speaker. Yes, lovers say things like that, and they may mean them just as sincerely, but on Earth, the hearer would never hear it the way that I did now. I held my love to my breast and we rested.

After some time, and perhaps a small nap, though I wasn’t sure, I said, “Aeyli-ah, perhaps we should work on weapons.”

She jumped up and knelt over me and said, “An excellent call to action! We have loved more tonight than any on Barsoom experience in a lifetime ! Now we’ll prepare for battle so that our lifetimes will be long! Come on, King Mark, show me what you have in mind and how I can help.”

Chapter 9

Making weapons

Aeyli-ah jumped off of me and landed on the floor and pulled me to my feet. I went and took the longest of the poles that I had brought with us and measured it against my hip from the floor to my waist.

Aeyli-ah said, “Oh, by the way, we don’t need to fear the animals below tonight. Our screams of passion have certainly scared them far away for this evening. Some may return before dawn, but those that were here an hour ago may never return,” and she laughed… and I knew that she meant it to be true.

I held the staff at my hip in the place I intended to cut and then I turned it over and measured it against Aeyli-ah’s shapely hip. It was just long enough for two wooden swords, Japanese-style Bokken, that hoped to make.

I showed my companion the place where I held the wood and said, “We should start by cutting here.”

She went to my belt and took my knife and sat on the bed and held blade between her legs with the sharp edge down. She said, “The wood is very hard, but your knife is exceedingly sharp. The Warlord has given you a great gift. This is very old, and very valuable. But more useful than valuable. Don’t ever part with it. Here, see the point? Place the pole… Mark, this is hard… no, I mean, this is… oh by the spirits of ancestors! ‘shaft, pole, hard,’ it all makes me think about love now! You beast! OK, ignore my innuendo. Put the point to cut against the top of the blade where the tip is sharpest and rotate it in your hands against the point.”

I sat at Aeyli-ah’s feet, distracted by the beauty of the perfect pussy between her legs, but forced myself to focus on the work as much as possible. I lay the pole across her knees and she pressed the point into the wood at the point we wanted to cut. I rotated the post down against the point and we were rewarded by a fine shaving of wood and a small groove cut cleanly into the surface. Using this primitive, improvised lathe we cut by degrees and sooner than I would have expected, we had cut the pole into two pieces. I double checked the lengths and found them suitable. I held the staff at my side, letting it touch the ground just in front of my toes on my right foot and marked the point where my thumb and finger grasped the handle with a very shallow groove all the way around. I did the same to get the length of the matching one that Aeyli-ah would carry.

I said, “Now we need to trim the sides all the way down from the handle to the end on both sides.”

I expected that this would be a tedious process of whittling the shaft by degrees, but Aeyli-ah took the first shaft from me and braced one end against the top step of the bed platform. She took the knife and pulled it 3 inches out of its sheath, leaving the protective cover over the tip and lined up the blade with the line that I had indicated as the width I desired. She handed it all to me and said, “Push.”

I stood at the top of the pole, placed one hand on the handle of the knife and the other palm against the sheath and pushed downward… and the knife cut cleanly in a perfectly straight line! I had to push hard, and the lower gravity prevented me from staying on my feet, but by sitting on the bed and hooking my legs against the step and drawing the knife toward me, I was able to shave off the entire side in one long pull. I turned the shaft and cut the opposing face in the same way. Aeyli-ah’s hands were a little smaller than mine and after cutting the side of her bokken to the correct width, I made a third cut along the top to size the handle for her.

After that, I sliced the wood in the same manner from where the handle met the blade to taper it to a surface about a half an inch wide. I didn’t want a sharp blade, I wanted a strong one. It wasn’t meant to cut like a metal blade would. It was meant to focus the power of its impact to a half inch area that would transfer a hard blow to its target. I took two cuts on the opposing side, the back of the blade to give it a more rounded shape. I did the same to Aeyli-ah’s blade. The entire process so far had only taken a little less than an hour; I would have expected at least eight hours if I had done the same on earth, but the characteristics of the wood and the exceptional properties of the knife allowed me to rough cut the shapes in fairly short order.

When the rough cutting was done, I explained the shape I wanted, a smooth rounded handle and blade with a sloping rounded tip at the end, and I took the girl’s knife and I handed her mine and we sat side by side and carved away the straight lines and flat surfaces. Even with my much greater strength, Aeyli-ah finished her sword before I did. First, she was using the sharper knife, but perhaps more importantly, she was much more practiced and much more skilled than I was. When her blade and handle were smooth, exceptionally smooth, she shaped the tip as I directed, and then took my partially finished weapon and completed it as well.

The results were better than I would have imagined possible. The swords were solid, very smooth, fit well in our hands, and based on the custom sizing were even surprisingly balanced. When held in two hands, and using proper technique, the blow delivered would be devastating to both muscle and bone. I carefully examined our work and was very pleased.

This was good. Of the tasks that Carter’s message had set for me, I had learned to walk and run, I had found a beautiful Martian girl who hadn’t killed me and had taught me the language, we had found water and a safe shelter, and we now had weapons that would help us in any circumstance short of a gun fight.

Aeyli-ah was pleased as well. She said, “Mark, the shapes are very good, but I don’t quite understand the purpose. These won’t cut. They won’t draw blood, and they aren’t designed for piercing. The handle is too long, at least compared to swords that I have seen. You have been very deliberate and it’s clear that you know exactly the purpose that you have for these, but I don’t know what it is.”

I said, “Here, let me show you. I hope that I haven’t wasted our time. See how I grip the handle in my right hand here at this point?” She imitated my grip and I said, “Now, lift the sword and hold it in front of you. Take your other hand and place it under the handle, resting it on your little finger, like this. Leave a fist length of the handle open between your hands. Straighten your arms like this.”

I went on to teach her proper stance and cutting and thrusting techniques. She was a fast learner and it was rare that I needed to repeat any instruction.

I said, “Now, we have five primary targets. First is the head. Either straight from above, or like this, at a downward angle into the temple and ear. Both sides. Second, across the chest area, down onto the collar bones, or directly against the shoulder. The blow to the head, striking with the forces that I’ve shown you will crush a skull or at least knock your opponent unconscious.”

She practiced the second move and said, “And this will destroy the arm and shoulder! I see. This is no primitive club. Mark, this has a very good feel to it. Show me more.”

I continued, “The same blow can be directed at an elbow or ribs. Attack major joints: head, neck, shoulder, elbow. The third technique is targeted at the wrist and hand. If your attacker holds out his hand to you, take away his ability to hold a weapon or to strike you with it. The fourth move is against the thigh and knee. Crush his hip or knee and he won’t pursue you.”

She repeated, “One: Head and neck. A killing blow. Two: Shoulder and elbow. The loss of an arm. Three: Wrist and hand. The ability to hold a weapon or strike with the hand. Four: Hip and knee. He cannot walk or give chase. Not only is the weapon good, but the technique is direct and effective. So, there’s no parry and thrust and feint? No endless exchange of sword play? Just target, opportunity, disabling stroke. Mark, this is brilliant swordsmanship. You must have been a fierce warrior on your world.”

I laughed, “No, there was little opportunity for real combat on my world. Wars were fought from long distances by powerful guns and airships. But this type of practice was used for tournaments and exercise… but not by many. I was a teacher. But my students were businessmen, children, and women.”

She said, “Perhaps, but here it will be a great protection. And, these are wood. Even if we faced a steel sword, it wouldn’t cut through our weapon, and even though we might bleed, our attacker will be crushed or dead. Show me more.”

We practiced for a while longer. Attacks and movement. Advances and retreats. I stressed the supreme importance of timing and watching for a clear opportunity before attacking. I taught her my motto of ‘once shot, one kill, no exceptions’. Eventually, I began to teach her defensive moves against blows from all directions.

We took a break, but Aeyli-ah was eager to keep going. “Mark, you said that there are five basic techniques, but you have shown me only four. Where’s the fifth? Is it very deadly?”

I said, “It may be, but for these weapons, it may not always be. It is very damaging though. The fifth move is a straight thrust, like this. The targets are face, throat, chest, lungs, heart, stomach, and groin. An attacker struck hard with the point in one of those areas, especially the eye, nose, mouth, and throat will be disabled for several seconds, if not permanently. Here, practice like this and I’ll show you the defenses as well.”

We practiced for another half hour or so in the dim lights and Aeyli-ah became surprisingly proficient.

The night was getting late as Aeyli-ah asked, “Is this all of it? What else can we practice?”

I said, “From here, there are a series of patterns, like dances, where we practice against invisible opponents attacking from different places. Some of them against two, three, or even four at a time. I’ll teach you all of them. I need to practice all of them again myself.”

She cocked her head and looked me over. She smiled slyly and said, “Hm, but now, you tire of sword wielding women and your mind turns elsewhere. What is your desire My King?” She held her sword pointed down to the ground and used her arms to push her luscious breasts out toward me.

I leapt the short distance between us and disarmed her before she could react and caught her up in my arms and said, “I want my Barsoomian beauty between the furs, snuggled in my arms!” and I lay her on the bed and pulled a covering over us. “Keep me warm princess. The morning will come soon enough.”

We giggled and kissed each other, wrestling playfully for a minute and then we curled up together and prepared to sleep.

She said, “I love you my Mark. I will make you happy here.”

I said, “There is no doubt of that. I will do my best to make you happy as well.”

She said, “My Love, my life has never known what happiness was until today. Even as we each lay dying in the heat of the day, my happiness was spoiled only by the thought that it had been so short. I have lived a lifetime of happiness… and the ‘little deaths’ just since sundown. We have a thousand years ahead of us.”

We fell asleep moments later. My final thoughts were of how right she was. And how right I felt here under these furs with my new princess, and here on the new world. What tomorrow would bring would wait until it came. But, did we have a thousand years ahead of us? I knew that the people of Barsoom were nearly ageless, and so had been John Carter, but was I? Would something in the environment prolong my life as well?

Chapter 10

Morning on a New World

Aeyli-ah woke me in the morning saying, “Mark, it’s dawn.”

My first reaction as I woke up was to question the reality of my circumstances, the events of the previous day, and to reassure myself of our feelings for each other. It was just a fraction of a second, but my first thought was to ask her if she had regrets; if she still felt the same as she had last night.

How ludicrous life was on Earth! Here there was no need. Aeyli-ah spoke her mind, and she expected me to. We knew the intentions behind every word spoken to us. If there was deception, we might not know what that deception was, but we’d generally know that it was there. Aeyli-ah loved me and she meant that in the same factual way that she meant that is was dawn.

There were no windows in the room and it was only the lamps that lit the place, but where the lamps had been red the evening before, they were now a brighter daylight color. Aeyli-ah explained that the lamps acted as a clock of sorts, mimicking the movement of the sun above the planet. Throughout the day, they would remain white, but at evening they turned dimly red. The red light stayed on all night because of the constant possibility of danger, but the red tint did not interfere with night vision and transition from the red light into darkness wouldn’t cause temporary blindness the way that moving from a white light into darkness would. We had slept in the red glow throughout the night, but if darkness were required, the small water bags could be used as lamp covers to hide the light.

I felt good as I rose for the day. I noticed a very slight stiffness in the large muscles of my legs and in my stomach. They had been exercised a great deal more than usual over the past two days, but the soreness was much lighter than I would have expected. I felt good, and of course, my companion looked exceptionally good!

This new life was a paradox. It was more dangerous and completely unknown, and yet simple and entirely knowable. The burden of each moment was lighter than on Earth. Starting with the ease of communication and continuing with the daily choices to be made. A week ago, it would have been ‘What problems will come up at work? How will I deal with upper management in the meeting at 10AM? Should I buy gas on the way there, or should I wait until I leave for the afternoon? At this time of morning, what’s the fastest route to the office? Which of several projects should I try to make progress on? Are we on schedule?’ and that was all before leaving the house. Here my question was, ‘What will we find to eat?’ and nothing more. Actually, the question was ‘What will I find for Aeyli-ah to eat?’ As for me, I could, and would love to, exist on just the honey flavored milk. Its restorative nourishment seemed more than adequate and the means of getting it from its source were… very nice in the extreme. I began to dwell on that thought, but forced myself to move on.

That was another difference; on Earth, I would have had a sense of poverty about things and I would have wondered if and when another opportunity for sex would come. Here there was no real question: it would come as soon as I asked or as soon as she did.

I didn’t know what the morning routine on my new home planet was, but I followed my beautiful companion’s lead. There was no ‘getting dressed’, because there were no clothes, but we did buckle on our belts. I removed the bracing poles from the door and Aeyli-ah removed the hanging fur that had muffled any sound we had made the previous night. I’m sure that it hadn’t been much help in that regard.

When we went to pick up our weapons, the girl stopped and took my knife from me and cut a shallow notch where the handle met the blade and attached a small thong of leather that she used to hang the swords from our belts.

She said, “Mark, again I have to say that these are remarkable weapons. They will make travel much more secure and comfortable. I’m looking forward to seeing them used.”

I didn’t share the sentiment. I dreaded the use of the swords, but I knew that I would use them without the slightest hesitation when the need presented itself. I didn’t intend to go looking for trouble. I knew that Aeyli-ah wasn’t looking for trouble either; she just knew the dangers of this world far better than I did and she knew that trouble was inevitable.

Aeyli-ah attached several more of the water bags to her belt, and when we were ready, she opened the door and checked for dangers. Satisfied that it was safe, I followed her through the door. She closed and locked it behind us. We carried every possession we owned except for the large sleeping furs. Our belts, a few pouches for water and the items that I’d received as gifts from John Carter, a few extra thongs of leather, our knives, and our new swords.

I followed my Martian lovely down the hall on the floor that we were in and at the end, she turned into a room that served as a Martian restroom. No one wants to read a long description of a Barsoomian toilet, but briefly, there were four. Roughly the size and shape of a western toilet on earth. There wasn’t any water in them, but they were made from a nearly frictionless material that made flushing unnecessary. There were no stalls; everything was in the open. Without clothing, there was apparently no need for modesty or privacy here either.

As we left the room, Aeyli-ah said, “My wonderful Mark, the building should be safe enough for us during the day. The large creatures will not return again until it gets dark tonight. We should fill our water bags and then we can go find food. Today will be easier than yesterday,” and she smiled at me and led me down the stairways to the ground floor.

She took me back to the pool of drinking water. First, we drank a bag each, and then we filled the rest, six bags in all. Then we left the building to find food.

Outside, as we passed the edge of the ruins, still moving in the direction we had come the day before, Aeyli-ah pointed and said, “See, there in the distance? About an hour away? There’s a forest of a kind. We’ll find fruit and vegetables. They are delicious,” and we walked on.

After a bit, I asked, “Aeyli-ah, um, you have never seen a woman of my world,” I teased slightly paraphrasing what she had said to me about the differences between myself and men of Barsoom. I continued, “There are differences between you and them.”

She smiled and said, “Oh, in what ways?” and laughed.

I answered, “Well, first, you are a little taller. On my world, the average woman is about four inches shorter than you.”

She continued smiling and said, “Well, here, I assure you that I am of average height. What else?”

That was funny. She had just lied to me! Not exactly, and I could tell from the emotional content that she was joking a bit, but apparently she wasn’t exactly average height in some way. Of course, she knew that I knew that she was teasing me somehow.

I smiled and went on, saying, “Well, I told you already that you are more beautiful than any woman of Earth.”

Again, smiling she said, “Oh, you poor people! How sad for you both. I assure you again, here I am considered no more than average in my looks. It is my great fortune to have found a mate who knows no better but thinks of me as a beauty.”

This time there was no hint that she thought of herself as anything but average in the beauty department.

She went on, “But, in what other ways? You have something specific on your mind, I can tell. Don’t tell me that the pussies of your world are tiny and dry and that mine is abnormally juicy and active!”

I said, “Well, um, that’s not what I was thinking about, but now that you mention it, yes, in many cases, what you just said is true. You are amazingly wonderful feeling and have much greater muscle control there than I have ever heard of on earth. Making love with you is more than Earth women could ever hope for. But you’ve already said that you’re unusual in that respect, even for women here. And lucky for me!”

She said, “How did I say that I was unusual? I said no such thing!”

I answered, “You said that other women don’t experience orgasm as easily, as intensely, or as frequently as you do.”

She said, “Ah, but I said that you are unusual in that respect. Who knows but that you would have the same effect on other women as well. But still, you are avoiding the true issue. What is the difference?”

I said, “It’s the milk. First, on my world, women only produce milk for babies and only for a short time after birth.”

She raised an eyebrow and said, “And? What else?”

I answered, “And, they don’t squirt during orgasm!”

She smiled and said, “You like that don’t you! You really like it. And I am so happy that you do! Um, OK, let me explain what I can. The milk of a woman’s breasts, as I’ve said, is a gift for her mate. She produces it only when her mate has been chosen and her body desires to nourish him.”

I started to interrupt, but she shut me down and continued.

She said, “Yes, you stupid prince, by the time I caught up with you, I had plenty of milk! I felt it being made inside me for the hours that I chased you. I knew that my choice was made. My body had chosen you. Do you know that if you hadn’t dropped to the ground when you did that I would have never caught up to you? I chased after you for several hours, and it took me another two or more to reach you after you collapsed. If you hadn’t slept, I found the place where you had lain, I would have had no hope. I ran all night and had just caught sight of you when you rose up and ran away from me again. Within minutes, you had out distanced me and I couldn’t see you, but I ran on in the direction you pursued until I found you again. By then, my body had produced a lot of milk. A lot! It was a relief to have you drink from my breasts.

You see, the milk is produced by strong emotional attachment and according to how often it is drunk. Mark, I love you very strongly and my body knows it. I feel my breasts filling with every step and every touch of your hand and hip as we walk. I told you, I’m yours!”

She paused and looked at me, “My goodness, that’s what this is about! You want my breasts even now! I can tell. Why do you hide from me? Prince, take your prize! Take off your belt.”

Aeyli-ah stopped and faced me and took off her belt and dropped it on the ground and I did the same. She was right, I did want her breasts again. I think that she expected me to lie down on the moss, but instead, I pulled her to me and hoisted her legs up around my waist and lifted her breasts to the level of my lips. I took one fully in my mouth and sucked hard. The girl threw her head back and moaned and pulled my face firmly against her chest.

I felt the sweet liquid flow into my mouth and I drank hungrily. With each mouthful, I felt strength flowing into my body. With each mouthful, I felt her love and my love… and my body responding below my waist. I drank deeply from each breast, filling myself with the life that her body produced for its chosen mate. My penis was hard as a rock, but she was too high on my body for it to penetrate her while I fed at her tits. But the tip did tickle at her now swollen and eager entrance.

When I had drunk my fill, and when my body screamed that it couldn’t wait any longer, I pulled her down the seven inches separating me from the depths of her womanhood. Aeyli-ah had been in orgasm for several minutes already, but now, with me filling her, her motions and moans intensified.

Minutes later, I grunted, “My Princess I can’t wait anymore!” and she surprised me my pushing herself forcefully away from me.

I tried to hold her to me, but she cried, “No! Mark, let me go!”

I was shocked out of my caveman brain, and actually dropped her to the ground, having no idea what was wrong and why she insisted on escaping my embrace.

In the next second, the reason became clear as she reached around me and used her arms to force my shaft all the way down her throat. And now I threw my head back and exploded with a loud groan. My eyes rolled back in my head and my legs wobbled as shot after shot of my ejaculation was swallowed eagerly by my bride. Even after I was done, she continued sucking at me and milking me with her fingers, pulling every drop I had.

When she was done, she pulled me from her lips and looked up at me from the ground where she knelt.

She said, “Mark, if this is how you want to breakfast every morning… and dinner every night, we will be a very happy couple!” She took my hand and I helped her to her feet

She said, “After that, I don’t need to rest, and I know that you don’t either. Shall we go on and I’ll tell you more? So, first, listen to me. Just as you enjoy drinking from my breasts, I crave your nourishing gift to me as well. I love it. Am I different than Women of Earth in that respect as well?”

I nodded and she continued, “As girls coming of age, we were told that both our milk, and the milk of men, was valuable for survival in dire circumstances, but in private, the women would whisper about the pleasantries of feeding a mate and being fed by him. They would say that the ways of instructing girls was passed down for many centuries unchanged, but that in our times, survival was harder and that our bodies had decided that since we needed the nourishment, that they would make it more delightful for us.

There is another reason. The human birthrate on Barsoom is very low. We don’t know why. Women are in control of their birth cycles. They conceive when they consent, we say. Some think that in these times, women don’t want to conceive. Of course, a woman would never conceive without the consent of her mate anyway. They say that perhaps consent to conceive effects the seed of the man and that he has some control, just as the woman does.

My Prince, you may fill my pussy with your essence as often as you like, but if you give me the chance now and then to take it from you as I did a moment ago, you’ll make me very happy. If you warn me in time, I’ll take the drink; if not, I’ll feel you fill me and orgasm as I did last night. Oh the ecstasy!

Um, but to the differences between me and women of my own planet, I don’t really know. I’ve never been told about women who squirt milk as their lover gives them his best, but I still think that may be due to you, rather than me. I think that any woman subjected to your lovemaking would do the same. I don’t see how it would be possible not to. No one ever said that a woman could have the ‘little death’ with her mate at her tit either, but I have it over and over because of your mouth sucking at me and the feeling of it being pulled from my body to course through my lover’s veins.

The milk of my breasts is very nourishing; perhaps more than any other substance on the planet. You’ve gone for three days without food. Our women do feed infants on our milk as well, and they grow very strong, very quickly. We will only feed an infant this way for a month and then they are ready for solid food.

My Beloved, if we lived alone our whole lives, I think that you would thrive forever on nothing but the milk that my body makes for you. I suspect that’s why we live for a number of years that no one counts. Fruit is nourishing, but people with no mate don’t live as long. Even a woman, if her mate dies, if she doesn’t find another one, will eventually age and pass from this world.

The milk you give to me is somehow life giving to me, though obviously of in a more limited quantity. Some think that perhaps the woman is sustained by the production of her own milk, even if she does not get her gift from a man. I don’t care. I love it and will take it as often as you give me the chance.

Oh, and the milk has the other effect on the man. It seems that, as you have seen, and I have felt between my legs happily, the breast milk enhances the effects of arousal and makes more lovemaking possible.

Mark, My Prince, sadly men are becoming rare on Barsoom. The birthrate is low, and when a child is born, it’s five times as likely to be a girl than a boy. It causes a lot of problems for the planet. But we can talk about that later. While you may not need food since you have me as your fountain of youth, I still do. Help me find some.”

Chapter 11

My Weapon Works

We had arrived at the small woods that Aeyli-ah had led us to, and as we entered she taught me about the plants and warned me about the animals.

The trees were small, maybe no more than thirty feet tall, and the wood wasn’t dense. As we walked, Aeyli-ah scanned the trees for fruit.

After several minutes, she suddenly pointed and said, “There! See, the fruit is near the top.”

She crouched down and unrolled the larger sack that she had brought from the room that we had stayed in.

She said, “Now, all we have to do is reach it. The branches are sparse and the bark is smooth. But I think I can climb it.”

I laid my hand on her shoulder and looked for the fruit that she had indicated. It was about 25 feet off the ground in the uppermost branches. I walked to a spot under the tree that was fairly clear of intervening foliage and gaged the distance and the opening above me. I unbuckled my belt and laid it aside. Then I sprang up straight into the air and caught hold of the top branch in a single bound. I swung easily into a sitting position on the branch and reached for the nearest piece of fruit.

Aeyli-ah stood below and called, “Mark, you constantly astound me! What a mate I have!”

I plucked the piece of fruit and said, “Catch,” and dropped it down to her. She easily caught it and called back, “It’s perfect. Get us several.”

I picked and dropped about 40 pieces of the fruit and dropped them down to the girl who caught each one gently and placed them in her sack. When she said that we had enough, I hung myself by my arms from the branch and hoped that the 20 foot drop would be as easy as the ascent had been. I let go and when I hit the ground, I easily kept my feet and didn’t get injured at all. I suspected that I might be able to jump down twice as far without hurting myself if need be.

Aeyli-ah was ecstatic. “Mark, we can eat three pieces of fruit, twice a day! We can eat now and the rest will feed us for three days! The sack will be heavy though.”

I smiled and said, “Not for me. I carried you on my back all afternoon. I can handle the sack easily. We can take more if you like.”

She said, “No, it will only be good for about three or four days. We’ll be at a settlement before then. And, you might be satisfied with just one at each meal,” and she winked at me.

We walked holding hands, back toward the ruins and she said, “Let’s stay at the ruins again tonight. You can teach me more about the swords that we made. Tomorrow we can leave for the settlement.”

After we had exited the woods and had walked for maybe 20 minutes, we heard a strange roaring cry break the silence and Aeyli-ah snapped her head up in alarm.

The girl grasped my arm and said, “Oh no, look!”

I looked where she pointed, and coming toward us, directly between us and the ruins, was one of the great white apes of Barsoom. It was running straight at us from perhaps two hundred yards away.

The great white ape of Barsoom, like many creatures of the planet has six limbs: two arms, two legs, and two in between that can be used as either arms or legs according to need. It moved fast, having spotted its prey… us.

Aeyli-ah gripped my arm, “We have to run. But it is no use! It may have been hunting us all the way from the shrine. The trees aren’t any safer! You could escape alone, but I know that you won’t. I have become your death. If we run, perhaps we could get lucky, but My Prince I’m afraid that our time together is done.”

Without a word, I tore myself from the beautiful girl who was now my mate. I dropped the sack of fruit and ran… straight at the oncoming hulk bent on taking her from me. I didn’t think of anything; I just ran. I ran faster than it did and I closed the distance very quickly. I could hear Aeyli-ah screaming for me to stop, but I couldn’t, not if I wanted to save her.

As the beast and I closed on each other, I let out the most vicious roar that I could muster; both verbally and telepathically. It wasn’t a scream of frustration or rage of blind fury. Anything but. It was a calculated roar of warning to the creature that it was about to die. It was calculated to give my opponent a reason to pause and reconsider his plan. And it did.

The creature slowed momentarily and seemed to pause to take stock of the warning that it had received, like a blow to the face. It shook itself and then came on, but a little slower. The next instant we were upon each other.

The great beast’s arms stretched toward me and I could see that his reach was greater than the effective range of the sword in my hands. As he swung his arms to take hold of me, I ducked low to the ground and stepped to my right and the beast’s fur brushed my hip as he passed me. He tried so stop, but he couldn’t turn in time. As he passed me, I stood up, spun on my feet, and brought my sword crashing down on the back of his head with all the strength that my two arms could summon.

I felt the shock of the impact to his skull transmitted to the handle of my sword, and I felt the crushing of his skull as it gave way and caved in. I pulled back for another blow and the great ape crumpled forward on its face to the ground. I leapt over the body to my right and stood at its shoulder and brought my weapon down again, this time across the base of his neck, shattering the vertebrae connecting the shoulder and head, separating the thing’s spinal cord.

I took a breath. It was dead. Very, very dead. I scanned the area for more threats and not seeing any, I turned back to find Aeyli-ah. Had she kept running away as I had hoped? Was she running for safety?

No, she was running toward me. She was still maybe 20 yards from where I stood, and when she reached me, she threw herself into my arms! Even though she was light in the reduced gravity, she knocked me off my feet and landed on top of me.

The girl straddled my chest and then bent down and kissed me hard. “Mark, Mark, Mark,” she babbled as she covered my face with kisses. Not only that, but I could feel her grinding her sex against my ribs and when she rose up, I saw that her nipples stood out firmly. It was clear that she was highly aroused and that if the opportunity had been there, she would have had me take her then and there.

As it was, my own mood didn’t exactly match hers. Yes, I was thrilled to have saved my beloved, but I had never killed anything before in my entire life. I wasn’t a hunter. The fact that I had just defeated one of the biggest predators on the planet of Barsoom was a matter of instinct cultivated by training in a martial arts gym, not on the battle field.

I grabbed my princess as she continued to writhe and kiss my neck and face and I pulled her into a tight hug to contain her. I think that she didn’t even know what she was doing. I breathed heavily and my heart pounded. I lay next to the dead body of a great white ape and my lover lay on top of me. I continued to hold her until I felt her begin to relax in my arms. She trembled with emotions that she wasn’t in control of, but eventually she began to calm down.

Afterward, I sat us both up and then finally stood. We stood together and looked down at the body of the thing that would have killed us.

Aeyli-ah said, “Mark, My King, I have never seen anything like that before! You killed it with one blow. When it reached for you, I thought it was over. I knew that you could never escape its crushing grasp… and in the next instant I saw it fall headlong, dead at your feet . And then your sword came down again and would have separated its head if the blade had been sharp. Mark, you killed a great ape! By yourself! With a stick! Yes, I saw you do it, and I know how it was done, but I have never heard of anything like this, ever! Maybe the Warlord could have done it, but by all accounts of his swordsmanship, he probably would have run his sword through its breast and would have fought for an hour waiting for the thing to finally die. Oh, Mark, there is more you that you have to know before we reach the settlement, but first we need to handle this. Give me your knife.”

I handed Aeyli-ah my knife and stepped back as she went to work skinning the animal. We weren’t after the meat, so she didn’t gut the thing, but the pelt seemed to be a great prize. I heard her say, mostly to herself, “We will need many sleeping furs… many. This will be mine.”

I forced myself to watch as she expertly cut here and there and peeled the fur from the thing as if it were fruit. I thought about how she again said something about needing to tell me something important. This was maybe the third time that she had mentioned it, but she always said that it would be discussed later and changed the subject. There was always a hesitation to bring it up and a sense of a long held secret. It felt as if she’d kept a secret promise for a long time, but for some reason felt that she had to eventually tell me. And, she seemed to indicate that it was important that she tell me before we reached the settlement she was taking us to.

The work of skinning my kill and collecting its pelt went on for at least an hour. She was very deft with the knife, but she worked very carefully, removing the enormous fur in a single piece. When she had it off, I helped hold it as she used the very sharp knife to scrape the inside of the hide so smooth that it would dry very quickly without a single hint of flesh left on it. In the end, the thing was about seven feet tall and nearly eighteen feet wide, with another four feet of legs and arms at each side. Aeyli-ah folded and rolled the thing into a large bundle and then handed it to me.

I held the hide as she faced me and said, “My prince, you asked about a token. The custom is for two: one for day and one for night… if the girl has a very brave mate. My Lord, you have given me the jewel for daytime. The custom is for a hunter to give the fur of his first kill after their betrothal to his mate for her bed. It’s a sign of his protection.”

She looked at the ground and shifted on her pretty feet shyly.

I laughed and shook out the giant fur to its full size and said, “Who’s the stupid one now, my Barsoomian queen?” and I wrapped the fur around us both and pushed her to the ground. I rolled us up in the great sheet and caressed and kissed her. I joked, “Oh, look, here’s your bed now! Whatever shall we do? I have given you your token, what do you have for me?”

Aeyli-ah laughed in my arms, but then pushed me away and pulled us both from the tangle of the large fur.

She said, “I give you myself, oh stupid prince! And, as to what we do, though I could long to have you break in my new sleeping furs, I long even more to get away from this rotting corpse!”

I sprang from the ground and helped her fold the fur as we laughed.

I started to walk back toward the ruins, but she stopped me and said, “Wait. Come back. There’s still time. Let’s go this way and I’ll show you a secret place.”

She led me back into the woods away from the ruins.

Aeyli-ah held my hand and pulled me quickly along through the woods. We went several miles and the forest grew thicker as we went. I had no idea where we might be going, and I could tell that this wasn’t ‘the secret’ that she was so reluctant to share with me.

We kept going. Aeyli-ah was obviously excited to show me something that she thought was very special. And, it was. When we reached our destination, we stood at a pool of water, surrounded by trees and well hidden, about 20 feet across. A small clump of rocks was at one end and a stream bubbled into the pool.

Aeyli-ah whispered as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear, “Lover, we can bathe here!”

That sounded great to me. I was used to bathing daily, but it had been several days.

She said, “Mark, have you ever seen so much water? Enough to stand in? It goes up to my neck!” she said excitedly.

We quickly laid aside our belts and fruit and the fur and stepped into the water together. It was a little cooler than the air, and it felt wonderful. We washed, and then washed each other. After a bit we sat near the rocks in the shallows and she lay against me and we talked.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, my world is so poor and sad in so many ways compared to this one, but three-quarters of it is covered with water. Great oceans thousands of miles across and large lakes and rivers a mile wide, or even more. Forests and jungles a thousand miles across, and deserts just as big. But this is better than all of it.”

She snuggled under my arm and smiled.

I said, “Princess, could we live here? Could we build a shelter, a little house, and make this place safe, and just live here together? Bathing every day and eating fruit?”

She laughed, “And if a monster comes, we’ll just kill it and make a rug and use the skull as our soup bowl. What a nice plan. But no, well, not at first. By sundown, the number of beasts here would easily overwhelm even a small company of men with rifles.”

I asked, “What about the trees? What if I built our house high in a tall tree? I would make a cone hang down and no creature could climb it.”

She laughed again, “And I would eat fruit and you would dine continually on the nectar of my boobs and we would make love constantly and I would die a thousand times every night. But, no, well, not at first. It would take a hundred men to build me a castle the in sky. Later, if that’s what you want, I will live here with you, if that’s what you decide.”

I said, “OK, don’t forget where this place is though.”

She laughed more than ever, “Mark, that must be another difference between the worlds. How can a person not know how to return to a place once they’ve been there? A compass is only for places we have never been to. Everyone knows his way home. And speaking of home, we have enjoyed your castle in the sky woods as long as we can. We need to hurry back to our… bedroom. Come on.”

I watched as the epitome of feminine beauty rose from the pool and let water run down her bare rear end and I followed. We buckled on our belts and gathered our fruit and fur and headed back toward the ruins that we had come from that morning.

Aeyli-ah said, “We should hurry. You don’t need to carry me, but we should run. First, drink a bag of water. And we still haven’t eaten! Eat one of the fruit, and then we have to go.”

We drank our water and ate a piece of fruit and then started our run. The girl was swift and we soon exited the wood and a minute later passed the corpse of the ape that I had slain. We ran at the speed that she set. We had walked here this morning, but now that we had food in us we covered the miles quickly and soon reached the buildings.

Inside, we filled our water bags, even though we would have easily had enough for the evening.

Chapter 12

A Second Night at the Ruins

Aeyli-ah led us back up the stairs to the top floor of the building and unlocked the door. We set aside our bundles and as soon as they were down, she rushed into my arms and kissed me.

She said, “Mark, what a day we’ve had. The way you leapt into the highest branches and picked fruit. Enough for three days! And to kill the ape! It was an adventure for a lifetime, but you accomplished it in the blink of an eye! Then we bathed. We bathed in a pool, it was glorious! You gave me pleasure a dozen times and presented me with the sleeping fur of a king! Fifty years at the shrine and now the mate of the man I gave myself to never knowing if he would ever come! Mark, Mark, Mark! Here, come!”

She dragged me from the room and didn’t bother to close the door behind us. She ran to the opposite end of the building and up another flight of stairs and onto the roof.

It was about 90 minutes until sundown and we went to the edge of the roof and looked at the landscape.

She said, “In that direction is the settlement that you were headed for. It’s been dead for many years because of the wars. In that direction is the shrine. Over there is the settlement that I come from and where we need to go, probably tomorrow. It’s a few days away, but maybe I’ll let you carry me part of the way. It’s awfully nice, clinging to your back and feeling your legs carry us along as I wrap my legs around your waist.”

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “In that direction is the woods where you built me a castle in the sky with your imagination. That way is Helium, the city of the Warlord and the Royal Household, although it was overrun by green hordes before I was born. It’s a very long way away, but maybe we’ll have an adventure there someday. That way is the Northern pole and that way is the southern pole. I’ve never been to those places, but it’s roughly in those directions. I have only been here, the shrine, the woods, and my settlement so those are the only ones that I can say for sure. I think that we’ll go to many places now that my service at the shrine is ended. Oh, Mark! What will our lives be? What kind of things will we see?”

I had my arm around her shoulders and said, “I have no idea. Aeyli-ah, until today, I had never killed anything.”

She gasped, “What? But you taught me only a part of what you know of swords. And the weapons themselves! How can you say you never killed anything? Oh, you mean that your battles were won by disabling your opponents without killing them. That’s noble in some cases.”

I said, “No, I mean that I had never fought a real battle before. When you said that I would lose you to the ape, the ape had to die. There was no other way. It died because it had chosen to die.”

She asked, “What do you mean, ‘it had chosen to die’? It didn’t want to die.”

I answered, “It must have wanted to die. We heard it scream. It said that it was going to kill you. The only reason for any creature to say something like that is because it has chosen to die at my hand. No sane creature would want to die, and no sane creature would ever threaten you while I breathe. If they choose to die by my hand, I won’t stop them.”

She sighed, “Oh, I see. So you didn’t decide to kill it, you let it decide to die. That’s a very wise saying. It would prevent many wars. If we must, we will allow others to throw away their lives. If they don’t value their life, we’ll help them on their way. That’s a wise saying.”

I said, “It’s a bit different with a man than with a beast. The ape chose to die because he didn’t understand the sword that I carry. If a man knows how my sword works, it will save his life.”

She looked puzzled, “It will save your enemies life? But if he chooses to die, then what?”

I said, “If he chooses to die, then he dies. But if he respects my sword, even though he might have thought about killing us, he has a chance to save his life by changing his mind. He can choose to live instead. He can choose to die or he can choose to live. I decide if I live or die; he decides if he lives or dies. If he threatens you or I, then he chooses his own death.”

She sighed again, “Mark you would make a good general. Like a Barsoom cave bear, if a man tries to harm her cub, he has chosen death. It’s very wise.”

I continued, “So, if a man threatens me, he chooses to die in the same way he does if he threatens you while I breathe. We are bound. I won’t let him take your lover from you. Do you understand? Do you understand what happened with the ape?”

She thought, “The ape threatened me, so he chose to die. But I expected to die. I would have given my life for you. I hoped that if the creature caught me that it would allow you to escape and live. When you ran toward the beast, I thought that you were trying to do the same for me; that if he stopped to kill you then maybe I would escape. But, I wouldn’t want to live. I would rather have died at your side. Oh, but we’re bound to each other… life to life. If you choose to die, it’s my death as well.”

I said, “And?”

She frowned and said, “And, if I choose to die I kill you. This is a wise saying too. I can’t choose to die as long as you live, just as you will never give yourself willingly to save me. You will let the ape choose to die, but you will always choose to live because we’re bound. I will always choose to live because we’re bound. I will gladly let the ape choose to die if he insists on it, because I will never leave you!”

I said, “You see, I ran to his death… to help him with his choice. I will never let anyone take me from you.”

She agreed, “And I will never let anyone take me from you! Oh I see very clearly. Mark, this is a great way to live; a wonderful way to treat a mate. I don’t think that even the Warlord knew these things.”

I said, “My love, I’m not the Warlord, but in a sense I am a hundred years older than he was. I hope that in a hundred years that we’re wiser than we are today.”

She sighed again, “Mark, if there were a world to rule, I’m confident that you would rule it. If all men were sane, you would teach them to be wise.”

As I watched the sun move toward the horizon I said, “I don’t want to rule a world.”

She said, “Only a man who wants no part of it is worthy of ruling a nation. Nonetheless, it will make things… easier to accept.”

We both laughed and I hugged her to my side. But there was that hint of secret obligation again. I decided to pursue it.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, what is this secret? This obligation? I know that you want me to know, and that you don’t want to tell me. Are you certain that you have to carry this burden? Would it be better to just tell me and have it over with? I know that it can’t be anything that would hurt me or separate us, but it seems to trouble you. Why?”

The girl turned into my arms and kissed me on the mouth.

She said, “My Prince, I think that my secret will make you very happy. Though it will come as a great surprise, I’m sure of that now. Believe me, it makes me very, very happy. When the time comes, please don’t question it. Let it be what it is and be happy about it. It will make it much easier if you try to embrace it.”

I asked, “Easier on who? Is it for my sake or for yours?”

She smiled and said, “Yes! And since you know that my secret will be revealed only when I choose, that’s the end for now. Oh, it would be so nice to practice the swords here on the roof. Unfortunately, it’s late and we don’t want any more poor dumb beasts choosing to die today. We better go secure the… bed chamber,” and she winked at me significantly and smiled.

We went down the stairs and back to the room and sealed ourselves in for the night. Aeyli-ah explained that the new fur would still need to be tanned and prepared and that couldn’t be done until we had reached her village, so it wouldn’t be on our bed for several days yet.

She begged me to teach her more of the sword work before bed and we practiced for several hours.

After we had been practicing for quite a while, she said, “Tell me more about customs on Earth. You say that mates are often false and might abandon each other. Don’t they mate for life like we do here on Barsoom?”

I said, “Well, they vow that it will be for life, but about half the time, or maybe more, it’s not really how it works out and the vows are often broken.”

She practiced her moves and said, “What happens? What do they do? Do they live alone for the rest of their lives?”

I said, “I hate to say it because you will see it as more insanity, but often, many times, mates will be unfaithful and have sex with the mate of another person. Or, they simply grow to hate each other because of the problems caused by not knowing what the other one is saying, like I described before.”

She struck my sword in the two-man practice and asked, “So, they do have just one mate at a time, except for this insanity of ‘loving’ someone else’s mate? Does a man ever take more than one mate at a time? Under one roof?”

I said, “Um, there are a lot of nations on Earth and some will take more than one wife at a time. Three or four thousand years ago, when the population of the world was much less, it was more common. In those days, a man might take two or three brides under the same roof. In more recent days, in most parts of Earth, that’s no longer practiced.”

She continued her moves, improving by the minute, asking, “Why? What changed? Why not continue to take more than one wife? Did they find that it wouldn’t work? That the man couldn’t love more than one?”

I countered her current attack and said, “Of course, it’s almost impossible because of competition and jealousy and the fear that one would be loved more than another and it was just never possible to live happily. We have enough trouble with just one. I knew a man once who came from a country where they could have more than one wife and he told me that it just wasn’t worth the trouble.”

She said, “So it’s because of the insanity. We have our own insanity here, but not when it comes to mating. Hardly ever.”

I went on, “My understanding is that it was also in some ways a matter of difficulty over property and hardness of heart. In the older days, the mating was for life. Later, as men gathered in cities and laws were complicated, and as a man or woman wanted to separate from their mate, if a man had more than one wife, and they had built a house together, who would get the house? For some time, women on Earth couldn’t own a house by law, so the man kept the house and the woman was simply thrown out. But if the man was unjust, why should the woman be his companion for many years and then have nothing if he decided in his hardness of heart to discard her? So, over time, laws were made that when a man discarded his mate, she took half of the property that they had accumulated while they lived together.”

She said, “That is crazy and complicated. If a man had three wives, then the one he discarded, or who was unfaithful, did she get one quarter of the property even if she were the one to break the vows and could she take his possessions to another man’s house?”

I said, “Those were some of the problems. These laws were made about two thousand years ago and they settled on laws that said that a man could only have one mate at a time. In most places, anyway. If either of them wanted to dissolve their marriage, they went to a court, and a judge decided how they would split the property and they would go separate ways, and probably hate each other for the rest of their lives. It’s a bad situation and causes a great deal of pain on Earth.”

She asked, “But, in the older days, a man would take three mates and they would be bound for life and they could be happy? As long as the wives agreed and their love was such that no jealousy arose between them?”

I said, “Yes, it seemed so. Even today, there are small areas where this still happens. But the communication problems make it very difficult for people on Earth to be happy.”

We continued our practice and Aeyli-ah seemed satisfied to accept my explanations without much comment. At the end, we crawled into bed and made love, much more tenderly than the night before. My princess did not experience a thousand deaths, but she did have at least a dozen, and we slept well in each other’s arms.

Chapter 13

The Story of Babies and Brides

Aeyli-ah woke me at dawn and we packed up our things and filled our water bags. We made a pack of the large sack with the fruit and the fur trophy and tied it with leather thongs onto my back. We were on the way within 20 minutes of waking up.

Aeyli-ah ran and I matched her speed. It was cooler this early in the day, but it was still dry and at least 80 degrees. The village that we were headed for was called Tranna and it was where she had lived all of her life, when she wasn’t on duty at the shrine of John Carter’s Cave.

As we traveled, we talked.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, John Carter traveled to Earth from Barsoom and back at least once or twice and he wrote about life on Barsoom, but in some details, and maybe in the stories themselves, they were fictionalized and unreliable. I think he did that, or his relative or another author did, to hide certain facts. The location of the cave has been hidden for a hundred years.”

She said, “John Carter traveled back and forth many times. They say that his habit was to do so at least once or twice a year during times of piece.”

I said, “Once or twice a year? But I was told that the portal could only be used once every two years!”

She said, “I wondered about it when you told me that you couldn’t return for two years. It was strange and I’ve been thinking about it. The portal recharges slowly and after it’s used, it disappears for a time. That’s how I knew that you had come through. When I arrived at the shrine, the portal was dormant. I knew that you must have come through within a few hours at most. The shrine takes two weeks to charge to a point where one man may travel, a month if two would go together. That’s what we were told. No one had ever come through during our service, so we only know it because that’s what they say.”

I said, “But again, I was told that only one could go through. By a message written by Carter himself.”

She said, “I can think of several reasons that he might say that to you. The woman of his house may have known about what he wrote to you and offered us clues when she trained us for the shrine. She told us that any travelers who came through would have to have a great commitment to the journey and that they would think that they were on a one-way trip. Because of the dangers, it most likely would be. She told us that any traveler would certainly have no mate or child on their home world. And, it was true. Telling you those things ensured that only the truly committed would try the journey to this world.”

I asked, “Is it true that I couldn’t bring anything with me, or was that a test as well?”

She said, “My understanding is that nothing but living flesh goes through the shrine. We were taught that John Carter took nothing between worlds.”

We ran on in silence for a bit.

I said, “Tell me more about the birth of children. They are hatched from eggs in a special solarium on the roof of the house?”

She said, “No! Where did you come up with that? Is that how children on Earth are born? Hatched from an egg like a lizard?”

I said, “No. I told you that some of what he wrote about life here was changed and maybe sensationalized. So, tell me.”

She laughed, “So, I need tell you the ways of men and women, even though you know much more than I do and everything I know is what you have taught me? OK. When a man and woman love each other very much, they become mates. During the night, the woman takes the man’s penis inside her vagina. Her body releases a tiny egg and his body releases a multitude of tiny seeds. When the seed lodges in the egg, the child is formed. It’s very small, but it grows quickly in her womb. She cares for it inside herself for three months and then it comes out alive. The woman feeds the child from her breasts for another three months and it grows strong enough to live. Is that the story that you want to hear? Is it different on Earth?”

I laughed and said, “Well, that is essentially the same story that we tell, but on Earth, the child grows in the mother’s womb for nine months and then has to be breast fed for two years or so. It will only be half its final size for five years, but it doesn’t reach full height for the first 14 to 18 years. A girl is sexually mature by the time she is 13 or so, the boy at 14 or 15, but mentally, they don’t reach maturity until roughly 23 to 25. In most places today, 23 is about the youngest age that mating will take place. Often not until 30 or more. A woman may only have children until she’s about 40 to 50 years old and most people don’t live more than 70 or 80 years.”

She gasped, “Nine months! How big is the baby when it’s born?”

I showed her with my hands and she said, “Here, a baby is born this big.” And she showed me something the size of her fist. “A womb can’t hold a anything as big as you say.”

I said, “On Earth, the woman’s belly gets very large. At the end, she can hardly walk and she’s very uncomfortable.”

She said, “When our first child comes, the day before his birth, I’ll still run as fast as I do today. That’s so sad. Such short lives. I could never bear it if my life with you were going to be so short.”

I said, “But, that may be a problem I am afraid. You see, I am already 47 years old. My hair is turning gray. I’m afraid that you’ll outlive me by many years.”

She laughed again, “You are a baby. I’m nearly twice as old. But, as for your ‘gray hairs and advanced age’, I think you fear too much. When I found you, your hair did have specks of gray, but you can’t see yourself. I can see that the color is returning to your head and the lines of age on your face and body are disappearing. I told you that my milk is very nourishing to you. I have no fear of you dying for many centuries. I plan to die a hundred million times before you do.”

She smiled and stopped and said, “Are you ready for breakfast my handsome prince? I can eat the fruit you picked, and you can pick the fruit from your personal orchard at my bosom,” and she winked and thrust out her chest at me and cupped and rubbed her breasts and pinched the nipples gently.

I smiled and we sat on the ground and opened the pack and ate a piece of fruit each. Aeyli-ah ate two more pieces, but kept gazing at me hungrily. When she was done, I lay her down on the moss and drank my fill of her nectars as she moaned and breathed heavily upon the moss, lying her back. We didn’t stay longer, but got back on our feet and continued toward Tranna.

As we ran, we continued to talk about various aspects of life on Barsoom. The closer we came to Tranna, the more important it seemed to me that I find out about the secret that Aeyli-ah was carrying. I had an inkling of the subject of her secret, but I wasn’t sure. Perhaps I could get her to tell me without demanding it from her.

I said, “Will we live in Tranna?”

She said, “We will live wherever you want to. But to start, I think that we should have a base in Tranna. It will give us a place to come home to.”

I responded, “Ah, a nice home base! I think that will be wonderful. Will it be a tiny cottage or a large house?”

She said, “Oh no, quite large I expect. With many rooms and a good garden.”

I said, “Oh, a small castle with one prince.”

She smiled happily and said, “You will be the prince and rule your own small kingdom.”

I slid in the question that got to what I was afraid to hear, “And, how many princesses in this kingdom?”

She said excitedly, “Many, at least three before morning…” and her steps faltered and she slowed for an instant and I could see on her face that she had given away more than she had planned.

I let us run on in silence as my companion frowned and thought about what she could say next.

She finally said, “Ask me what you want. I won’t hold anything back.”

I said, “Then tell me the story. I have promised to trust you. It is a surprise, but you had given me hints already. You told me that a man like me would be forced to take several mates. I didn’t know what you meant. Is that true? What does it mean?”

She said, “I will tell it all to you, but let’s not stop. Let’s run along as if it was the same conversation that we’ve had all morning. Please, My Prince?”

I agreed.

She said, “It’s true. You told me that on Earth there are laws about how to dissolve a mating bond. In these days, we have laws about how many bonds must be taken. I told you that five women are born for every man that is born. And the birthrate is very low. A village of a hundred pairs will see just one birth per year. Or less. There’s a great expectation that people could disappear from the face of Barsoom. Besides that, I told you that a woman without a mate dies young, maybe living no more than a few hundred years. It’s sad and lonely. If each man takes only one mate, at least four are forsaken and die young. But many men are no longer courageous and some wander away and never mate at all.

Every village may be somewhat different, but in Tranna, and in many places, each man is expected to take as many mates as he is able to… to… um, the number is complicated. You see, part of it is based on how many he can provide for… well, it’s all based on how many he can provide for… provide for physically, provide for emotionally, and provide for sexually.

When a man is of age, he’s encouraged to find his first mate from the women in the village. He takes one mate. After a month, the woman appears before the council and tells how often her mate has been able to satisfy her in that month. She also says if she’s happy and if they have enough to live on. Suppose that she tells the council that they have made love three times in the first month, or even five. That’s not her number of orgasms, but the number of times that the man has been interested and able to make love to her.

The council will say that if she’s happy with him and well fed that because he makes love three to five, half that number is about two and therefore he should take two mates. After another 40 days, both women come and report the same way. The number reported is averaged and a new determination is made. If the number in the second month were roughly four or less, twice for each woman, no more are added. If the number is roughly eight or higher, a third mate is encouraged. This is repeated for a third month, and supposedly for as long as mates are still being added.

If a man won’t take the number of mates that the council proscribes, he is encouraged to leave the village and move elsewhere.

About half the men in my village have one mate. Another two-fifths have two mates. Another very few men have three mates. No one has four at this time.”

I said, “So, you have to appear before the council and tell them how we are together and how many times we make love?”

She said, “Yes, but I can’t tell them the truth, can I? Mark, if I told them how you pleasure me, I would have to say something like four or five times every day. I know that we don’t do that, the truth is only two or three, but we go for a very long time and you could satisfy at least three women each time. I know it. If I tell the truth and say that you could make love 160 times in a month, and based on the wealth of the gem you have already given me, you would take 80 mates!

Fortunately, in Tranna, no house has more than three right now, and there’s a limit that they can’t force you to take more than nine.

Mark, it’s an incredible honor for a woman to have a husband who can love three mates. I will be very happy. I’ve told you that. But I’m afraid that because of customs on your planet that you won’t do it, and though you have promised me your love that you’ll abandon me to find a place where the laws are different.”

Aeyli-ah stopped in her tracks and stood with her head down. I put my arms around her and held her against me.

I said, “Aeyli-ah, this is a surprise, but all of life surprises me every minute here. I will never leave you. I cannot imagine loving anyone but you, but if it makes you happy, we’ll try. If it doesn’t make you happy, we’ll turn in a different direction and find another place with different laws. Or go back to the spring and live by ourselves for a thousand years. I will never leave you.”

She looked into my face and said, “I’m so thankful. But you’ll see. The others are very beautiful and they will love you like I do. There won’t be any jealousy, just like you have told me about old days on Earth. You’ll see. We’ll make you even happier than I can alone.”

I said, “If this is what you want, then I’ll find a way,” and we started toward Tranna again.

A minute later, I said, “But, you said that there would be three princesses before morning? What do you mean?”

Aeyli-ah said, “Mark, I have taken a vow. When no one had come through the portal for many years, and since no man would have a shrine maiden as a mate, when only a few of us were left, we took a vow. If any man came through the shrine during our service, then he would be the mate of all of us if he would have any of us. I must… not because of the obligation alone, but also to follow my heart, I must ask you if you will take my sister shrine maidens who have served so faithfully at what is now ‘The Shrine of Mark’. Oh, please Beloved, please be open hearted about this. We need you! And, though they don’t know that you run to them even now, they love you just as I do. We have served for 50 years each, loving you all that time.”

We ran along together and Aeyli-ah said quietly, “Mark, we could turn around.”

I said, “And live in the ruins? Why? You say that you’ll be happy if we go to Tranna. Have you changed your mind?”

She sighed, “No, not to the ruins. I could take you back to the shrine. I could take you back and you could go back. And I will never look for another.”

I said simply, “No, never! I will not choose to die. I have a mate. In fact, you say that I have three princesses in my house. I won’t turn back! Write epic songs and poetry about me if you must, but I will not turn back. If possible, I might take you to meet my son someday, but only for a visit. Barsoom is my home and even if you force a kingdom upon me, I will not turn back.”

Aeyli-ah laughed and said, “Oh, many songs and poems will be written about King Mark. Mostly bawdy ones that will be recited by your princesses. Um, they have written a few already. A shrine maiden has a lot of idle time on her hands.”

I asked to hear one, but she refused, promising to tell me another time. In the mid-afternoon, we stopped for lunch.

The Martian girl said, “Mark, my name is not ‘Aeyli-ah’.”

I said, “But that’s what you told me!”

She said, “No, what I told you was that my name was ‘Aeyli’ and I asked what I would be called because we are mates. I was asking your name. Aeyli-ah-what? You didn’t hear the question or know what I was asking. My name is ‘Aeyli-ah-Mark’ They will call you ‘Mark-ah-Aeyli’ Well, soon they will call you ‘Mark-ah-Aeyli-ah-Torani-ah-Beyla’.”

I said, “The other shrine maidens are…”

She answered, “Torani and Beyla. Torani-ah-mark and Beyla-ah-mark.”

I asked, “And is that what I should call them?”

She said, “No, that’s the name others will call us. You can call us whatever you want to. Aeyli, Rani, and Belle will be fine.”

After we had run some more, she said, “Mark, there’s the village of Tranna. See it there?”

I did see an outline of buildings in the distance.

I said, “I thought it would take us several days.”

She said, “I thought it would take me several days to get the courage to tell you about Rani and Belle. We’ll be there in an hour or so.”

Chapter 14

Before the Gates of Tranna

After we had covered about half the remaining distance, Aeyli said, “Mark, let’s talk about what comes next.”

I said, “OK, what comes next?”

She said, “When we get to the village, or before, we will meet a lot of people. They will be very curious about that fact that I’m arriving with a stranger. We’ll go to the house that the shrine maidens keep. There’s a room prepared. It has been waiting for you for a long time. Tonight, I’m certain that there will be a council meeting so that the village can see you. I will have to address them and they will ask you questions as well. It won’t be difficult. You will be welcome. Stop for a moment.”

We stopped and she said, “Mark, you gave me a gem worth a great deal; what else do you have in your pouch?”

I took off my pack and took the bag from my belt and sat down on the thick moss and poured the contents of the bag into my hand. There were the two Barsoomian compasses, a small pile of gems, and a half dozen gold coins of various sizes.

Aeyli said, “I thought that might be the case. These stones are worth a fortune. The one that you gave me will buy a large house, a large garden, and feed us all for at least two years, even if we don’t make anything ourselves. The smaller gold coins will last a very long time, even if we didn’t have the stones. You asked about tokens of marriage. Now that we’re back in society, it will be good for the tokens to be customary. We need to go to a jeweler and you need to buy several. And, I want to give you a token as well. May I take this small coin to pay for what we need?”

I said, “Of course, take what you think best. All I have is yours.”

She smiled, “This will be enough for now. After the council meeting, we’ll go home for the night. What happens tomorrow, we can’t know. Are you ready?”

I said, “I’m ready to follow you anywhere.”

I put the pack back on my shoulders and we ran on toward the village.

We arrived before very late in the afternoon, but while we were still about 200 yards from the village wall, two figures could be seen running toward us.

Aeyli said, “Oh, it’s Rani and Belle. Oh, how wonderful. We can wait here so that they will meet you before others surround us. We’re far enough from the gates that no one will hear what we say. Afterward, we’ll all go in together.”

We stood and waited while the girls ran to meet us. When they got to us, they stared at me but spoke to Aeyli.

One said, “Aeyli, you’re back from your service! What…?”

The other said, “But, this… is it…?”

The first said, “This can’t be… have you decided to…?”

Aeyli silenced them and said, “Listen to me. Listen. Rani, Belle, be quiet until I say this. Don’t cry out. Put your hands on your mouth so that no one will know what we say until it is time.”

Both girls placed their hands over their mouths as they had been told.

Aeyli continued, “Rani, Belle, our vows are intact. I honor the vow.”

Both girls gasped and their eyes went wide in astonishment at the implication of Aeyli’s declaration.

She continued again, “This is Mark. He came from beyond the shrine. He has drunk from my breast and he has pierced my fence, and I have ‘fed’ as well. Quiet yourselves! He is my prince and my vow to you is intact. I honor it with joy.”

One of the girls whispered, never taking her eyes from me, “Does he understand the vow? Will he honor it?”

Aeyli said, “Beyla, he does honor it. Our service at the shrine is over. Our new life of service to our prince begins!”

Both girls fell to the ground and knelt before me and quickly removed the belts at their waist and literally flung them away from themselves.

Aeyli said to me, “My Prince, do you understand? A girl only removes her belt in the privacy of her mate’s bed chamber. It’s a sacred thing.”

Understand? How could I misunderstand? I nearly fainted when Aeyli had removed her belt. The girl, already naked had removed the one scrap of adornment she had. It was so much more than an Earth woman dropping her dress and then bra and panties. This was an act of utter and complete nudity that no one on Earth could appreciate. Oh, I understood full well. And, I thought I knew what I should do next.

I said, “Aeyli, who is the oldest?”

The other girl, not the one that Aeyli had called Beyla, raised her eyes and looked at me.

I gazed at her and said, “Beautiful One, will you let me call you Princess and have others call you Torani-ah-Mark, for as long as we breathe?”

She said excitedly, “I will my prince, I will, I swear it.” And then, she moaned and grasped her breasts and cried, “Oh nogoyama! Oh, my milk just came! My milk came! My Prince!”

Aeyli grabbed my arm and said, “Mark, be kind, take her,” and she winked at me.

I pulled the girl Rani to her feet and then I took her in my arms and lifted her high and put my lips to one of her breasts. Her legs tightened around my waist and her arms went around my head. I sucked hard at her, but for the first few tries, nothing came… and then about the fourth time, I felt the sweet liquid fill my mouth in a little stream. I moved to the other breast and took a few sucks at it until it too yielded its milk to me. Rani would have stayed in my arms, but I pried her from me and set her on her unstable feet and turned to Belle who still knelt before me.

I said confidently, “Beyla! Will you let me call you Princess and have others call you Beyla-ah-Mark from this moment forward?”

Belle said, “I will my prince, I swear I will. I will love you dearly! But oh no, my prince… Aeyli, I have no milk! Take me anyway my prince, I swear I will soon, please, call me Princess!”

I said, “Belle, stand up!”

She leapt to her feet and stood, nearly crying. I pulled her toward me. After drinking, even briefly from Rani, I felt very strong, and my penis began to harden. As I pulled Belle into my embrace, I made sure that my shaft slid into the space between her thighs and pressed against both labia and clitoris. And then I kissed her on the mouth. I shoved my tongue as far between her lips as I could and tickled the roof and sides of her mouth, kissing her as if she was about to be thrown between the furs and taken for the ride of her life.

Belle moaned and her eyes went wild. I felt her shudder and I felt a sudden wetness run down my chest. Belle couldn’t speak with me kissing her as I was, but she screamed into my mouth. I slowed my kiss and the girl nearly collapsed. I pulled back and separated us and examined the girl’s chest. Milk flowed from the nipples and ran in a rivulet down each breast. I took some on my finger and sucked it into my mouth. Then I smiled and took hold of each breast and squeezed and watched as two streams of the fluid arched across the space between us and splashed against my body.

I looked around and saw that both Rani and Aeyli were equally aroused and breathing heavily. I smiled and said, “My princesses, I certainly can’t enter the village like this. Come clean me up.”

Rani and Aeyli looked confused about what I was asking, but Belle immediately began licking my chest, cleaning up the milk on my skin. The other two girls quickly followed suit and soon all three were bathing my chest with their tongues and lips.

I put a quick end to it and said, “Now stop, or you’ll convince me to take all three of you right here, in sight of the village gate. Come on, please stop. We ‘ll have time later, I promise, a lifetime, stop now.”

Belle said emphatically, “Do it! Take us all here in front of the gate, I don’t care. I have my milk and the days of waiting are over.”

Rani cried out, “Yes, Prince, take your mates, all three right here. Who cares who knows it!”

Aeyli said, “Girls, stop! I feel the same, but trust me, this is not the place.”

Belle said, “No, it’s not, but from what we were told by the old women, the place is between our legs and it felt so good!”

Aeyli laughed and said, “Believe me, you have no idea how good. Um, and… that is important, we can’t do it now because Mark must teach you how to make love. Yes, you will need instruction, and we can’t do it now. It’s special instruction and you will need all of your attention.”

That convinced them to stop. They needed some type of instruction in lovemaking; there was a good reason that they could grasp and use to calm themselves. Of course, there wasn’t anything that I needed to teach them, but it got us what we needed for the moment.

Bell and Rani clung to me, one on each arm, and said, “It’s here. We’re free… and not free! We who had no hope have a mate! I had given up hope and resigned myself to go year after year to the shrine and die young with both of you, but now we have a mate! A very big and very strong mate.”

Aeyli said, “Girls, your prince has three princesses.”

Rani said, “What? That’s right, but Aeyli, that’s because of the vow. Can you convince the council? Will they allow it?”

Aeyli said, “Rani, it is you and Belle because of the vow, but if it hadn’t been you, it would have been others. You felt what happened within you as your milk came? And as he drank? I won’t have any trouble with the council.”

Belle said, “Aeyli, but the rules, do you mean that he… performs for three?”

Aeyli said, “Belle, I have been with him for two days, and he has already ‘performed’ for nine! He pretty much ‘performed’ for both you and Rani just now, and he did much more than that for me at mid-morning today. And several times last night, and also yesterday afternoon!”

Rani said, “But, then, we’ll need a very big house! Aeyli, are you teasing us? We know that you’re not, but how can that be?”

Aeyli said, “Rani, feel your tits girl! Ask them if I lie. Or ask Belle’s tits. They know that I’m telling the truth. Believe me.”

Rani said quietly, “Then, we three are only the first? Will we die of happiness?”

Aeyli said, “Yes, I expect that we will. Either that or we’ll live forever.”

We had started walking toward the village, but Aeyli stopped and said, “Girls, your belts! You can’t enter the village naked!”

They laughed and ran back and buckled the discarded belts back around their waists and then ran back to walk at each side of me again.

Belle asked, “Aeyli, did you have the little death yet?”

Aeyli said, “I did, but if I tell you how many times, you won’t believe me.”

Belle exclaimed, “Nogoyama! More than once! No! Don’t tell us. Wait until we’re alone… or I’ll start leaking again and we’re even closer to the gates now. Tell us later, but do tell us!”

As we approached the gates, the girls let go of my arms, reluctantly, and the four of us walked through the wall into the village of Tranna.

As we entered the village, people greeted Aeyli warmly. I heard many questions and comments, some directed at us, some at others in the small crowd of about 20 that milled about us.

“It is Aeyli. Isn’t it her time to be at the shrine?”

“The shrine. They should all give up and find mates, or work.”

“Don’t be unkind, they’ll never find mates. For one thing they’re all too tall.”

“The man with them is very tall. Who is he?”

“See the way the shrine maidens glance at him? That’s the look of a girl with hope.”

“That is more than hope if you ask me. That is the look of a woman who thinks that she’s found love.”

“But look at him. Is he a prince?”

“He is to the shrine maidens. You can see it in their eyes… and their bodies. See how they carry themselves?”

“I think that you’re right. The shrine maidens walk as if they were going to their wedding chamber!”

“Can it have come true, as they hoped? Is this a man like the Warlord himself?”

“Have you seen the pack that he carries? Say that you don’t see the skin of a great white ape!”

“Is it the Warlord himself? It could be.”

“If it was, the maidens would have pride, but would they call him ‘prince’ with their eyes? Of course not!”

“We question what we’re seeing with our own eyes. This is a mystery.”

“There will be a council meeting tonight, you can be sure of that!”

Aeyli turned to me and whispered, “Mark, I thought that I would take you to the jeweler and buy tokens, we’ll need them before nightfall, but given the crowd and the comments, it might be best if you stay out of the market for now. Will you trust me to buy the things we need? You have given me my token, so the one I buy for myself will be a token of a token only. What do you say to it?”

I said, “That will be fine. I trust you in all things.”

She smiled and said, “As I do with you. Rani, Belle, take him to the house and stay until I come. And, Mark, if I come and find you having your way with them both, buried to your balls in wet pussy, and these girls screaming your virtues as you bend them over and plunder their hearts and bodies, if I find the beds sprayed and soaking with puddles of milk squeezed from their eager tits… well, I’ll be quite… overjoyed. Do it for me. They deserve your love as they have loved you. But if I come to find that you have already finished, or worse yet, haven’t started, I will surely be quite cross with all of you! Now, give me your sword and the fur and be on your way. And, don’t finish getting to know each other better before I get back!”

She laughed and Rani and Belle giggled and she headed off toward the market. Rani and Belle started to grab my arms, but stopped themselves and simply led me down the street.

“You see, I told you! They would grab hold of him like a new lover! They will announce the mating of all three of them tonight, mark my words!”

“Three in one night? Oh I don’t think so.”

“This man will be on the council tomorrow. You’ll see!”

We walked briskly down a few streets and finally arrived at a small, two story house in what I assumed was in one of the humbler portions of the village. We had passed much larger and nicer places on the way, and this was nearer the wall and farther from the gate.

The people of the village had tried to be welcoming and respectful and they didn’t follow us to the house, and by the time we arrived, only a few children and a few neighbors took notice of us. The neighbors were friendly and waved. I smiled and waved back and they greeted the girls as normal.

“Rani, Belle, good evening to you! Who is this? A relative from faraway?”

Rani said, “No, um, yes, well, he’s a traveler, but he’s to be trusted. Aeyli vouches for him. He will stay with us. It will be fine.”

The neighbor said, “Bring your friend to supper. We’ll have a stew.”

Belle said, “Oh, thank you so much! That would be lovely, but, um, I hear that there may be a council meeting tonight. Let us do it tomorrow when we have more free time, or maybe the next night. Very soon. Thank you!”

The girls rushed us into the house and closed the door and both leaned their backs against it and tried to slow their heart rates.

Belle said, “I thought that I was going burst!”

Rani said, “You did burst. All over his chest!”

Belle said, “Oh shut up, you know what I mean. What now?”

Rani said, “You heard Aeyli, we don’t want to make her cross!”

Rani took my hand and the three of us went up the stairs and into one of the bed rooms and again they shut the door and leaned against it as if we had just escaped from ravenous beasts. I knew that the only ravenous beasts nearby were the three of us.

I said, “My princesses, Aeyli was teasing about being cross. We won’t do anything that you don’t want to. I want to love you forever, not for a moment only.”

Chapter 15

In the House of the Shrine Maidens

I started to take the sack of fruit from my shoulders and Belle took it from me and set it aside near the door. I unbuckled my belt and slid it from my waist and Rani rushed to take it from me and hang it on a hook near the door. I looked at the room. The bed wasn’t a stone slab, as it had been in the ruins, but a wooden platform covered with a mattress made from fur and stuffed with moss. It was thick and comfortable; even in a humble house like this, I supposed that you could make the mattresses as thick and soft as you wanted to since the moss was free for the gathering.

I sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Girls, will you trust me? To me, your happiness is more important than my own.”

Rani and Belle came slowly forward and removed their belts and just dropped them on the floor beside themselves and stared into my eyes.

Belle took a deep breath and sighed and said, “Ah, that actually feels really good. I have never been naked before. I mean, not in front of a man. Not after I was a child. My prince, I don’t mean to be afraid.”

I said, “Belle, my princess, I love you already. You are very, very beautiful and I’m proud that you’ve chosen me. I could never have imagined being loved by women as beautiful as you and Rani and Aeyli. I still think that I must be in a dream.”

I meant the words, but I mostly hoped that my manner would put the girl at ease. I was in no hurry to make love; Aeyli had teased about being cross, but I knew that she said it just to make me feel at comfortable if I did find myself in the arms of these two new brides.

Belle blushed and I saw her nipples start to swell. I continued, addressing the other girl, “Rani, do you truly choose me as your mate, as Belle has, and Aeyli? I will be overjoyed if you find me a good mate, but I want you to be happy more than anything else that could possibly be.”

Rani cried out, “My prince, I have devoted my body and myself to you already. My milk is in. There’s no question. You tasted it yourself. Don’t ask me about my desires! It’s only because we don’t know anything except what the older women told us as girls. My body screams for me to let it throw itself into your arms and onto your bed… and my mind screams that it doesn’t know how to do it, nor what I would do when I got there!”

Belle cried out just as fervently, “My prince, Aeyli said that you would instruct us! Tell us what to do. What scares us is that we don’t know. If you tell us, we’ll be happy!”

Rani said, almost in tears again, “Yes, that’s what we feel exactly. My body rushes toward you, and stands paralyzed because it doesn’t know the way to you. Tell us and we will be happy!”

I said, “Come here and hold me for a moment.”

I pulled them forward and sat one on each knee. They instinctively snuggled into my chest and neck. This was so different for me. Nothing like Earth. Nothing like anything that I knew. But it felt so right. Part of my mind balked at what was happening, but every other part was happy to just jump in. Two beautiful naked and adoring women from another planet sitting on my lap waiting for me to teach them the ways of love. It was like some kind of erotic wish-fulfillment fantasy novel. But Rani had it right. I could question it all that I wanted to, but the facts in front of me were that these two, and Aeyli, loved me. We had proof. Their bodies had responded to our bonding emotionally on a deep and permanent level. They wanted me and they had no questions about their choices. My biggest problem was remembering not to fall into the trap that all heroes in my situation did in those adventures that I had read so many time: don’t piss off the girl by offending her by trying to apply my foreign customs to her reality.

If I was in one of those stories, I would avert my eyes from their nakedness and tell them that I wanted to wait until we knew each other better and that we should hold off on any sexual activity until she was more ready for an eternal love. On the other hand, if I were a character in a modern sitcom, I’d just meet them in a bar and run back to their place and have sex and the complications would come later. My literary background, and my experience of my own morality told me to act like a shy hero wimp. I really was kind of a shy hero in this circumstance. A lot like the guy in a harem anime cartoon. Yeah, just like that. I’d watched enough of those. The trick here was to find the right level and avoid the common pitfalls. Basically to take my cues from the girls and let them decide how things progressed. My job was just to let them know that I was happy to be the hero that they wanted me to be and not force my inexperience or insecurity onto their story.

The trick was to do everything differently than every story I knew. Be respectful, let them have what they wanted, don’t offend them with my own customs and alien morality, be true to myself, and plan for the long term. That seemed to be a key. Those fictional heroes never planned for the long term. They didn’t take into account that they were in a different reality than they had imagined. The reluctant anime harem hero never thought through where everything was going and how he’d deal with it 30 years from now. Same with the old adventure novels. They thought that it would end any moment and they’d find themselves back in ‘the real world’ and it would have all been a dream.

I had to think about this as being the way that things were, and this was how they were going to stay. I was here on Barsoom. I had three native girls who wanted me to be their mate. I had enough resources to buy a house and live here forever. I was now a citizen of whatever town this was. These girls were bonded to me for life. I didn’t know what we would actually do, but this was a one way trip and I needed to treat it that way. Aeyli had given me plenty of chances to go back. No way I was doing that. I was here and life was simpler, and I was going to act like the hero they wanted me to be.

I said, “See, you’re right, your bodies do know the way. But, there’s something that I don’t know and you need to help me… honestly.”

Belle began to kiss my cheek and said, “What my love, what do you desire?”

I said, “Belle, my love, Rani, my love, there are two of you. I can’t bear to think about being with one and not the other, but being with both of you together… what will you feel about that?”

See, I could do this. Just ask what they thought. Don’t try to work it all out by myself and make big stupid mistakes. Just be honest about what I knew and what I didn’t know and work it out together. Why didn’t we do things more like that on Earth?

The girls sat back and considered.

Rani said, “Belle, do you see what he means? Mates are taken one at a time. A great man may take three…”

Belle interrupted, “According to Aeyli, three is just a beginning.”

Rani continued, “Right. And with so many, well, with us, we come two together. Other men would go before the council and have one mate added to his house after 40 days and then another a month after that, and so on. Our mighty prince took Aeyli in the wilderness, and now has the two of us at once.”

Belle said, “But Rani, as Mark says, to wait will be unbearable for either of us, and afterward, we’ll share a bed anyway, won’t we? And, we’ll make love all together, won’t we? Of course we will. How could it be any different?”

I said, “Then if you’re happy with it, I will teach you both the ways of mating, the three of us together.”

I wasn’t really looking for a threesome. It didn’t arouse me anymore than being with either of them alone. But the reality did seem to be that making love together was what we would end up doing since there was four of us.

Belle said, “Yes! That’s what we need! We are the last of the shrine maidens and we have a vow to each other. Teach us together.”

Rani said, “But we aren’t shrine maidens anymore. We are princesses at last! Teach us!”

I smiled and kissed each of them as they sat on my lap. What had my life become? These girls were every bit as beautiful as Aeyli. Rani just as tall, but fairer skinned, and Belle, about two inches shorter, but with breasts a bit larger. Both at least as sexually responsive as Aeyli and perhaps even less sexually inhibited.

I smiled now, ready to get started and said, “OK, let’s start by having you show me how the older women taught you in the bawdy rhymes about the first night with your prince.”

I stood up and the girls looked at each other and then Rani climbed onto the bed on her knees, with her rear toward me as Aeyli had done a few nights before. Belle gave a look of recognition and took a similar position next to her.

I said, “Oh my, that is very beautiful. Scoot closer together so that your hips and shoulders touch. Now, faces on the furs, right?”

The girls giggled and complied. I came up to the edge of the bed and stood behind them and placed a hand gently on each fabulous rear end. I began stroking their buttocks, and their backs, softly. I spoke to them as I touched them.

I said quietly, “You are so beautiful. There are no women on the world I came from as beautiful as you. I will make you happy that you chose me. You excite me so much that my body yearns to touch you.”

I let my hands explore the cleft of their cheeks and then down between, to reach into the moist folds of their womanhood. Both girls were already wet with arousal. I took my time and stroked and probed slowly and tenderly. In time, I concentrated on sliding my fingers up and down their slits, touching all the way to their clitoris. The girls squirmed on my hands and moaned, gyrating their hips and pressing into me. I continued rubbing Belle, but moved directly behind Rani and placed my erection between her lower lips and slid back and forth along it.

She increased her moaning and I said, “Rani, you are eldest, you will be first. You know what I must do now?”

She cried out, “Yes!” and she started reciting her rhyme.

“It feels so great!

My awesome prince,

Push hard my love,

Pierce my fence!”

I positioned myself at her opening and pushed forward just until I felt the barrier. Rani went into spasm and tried to push against me. When the moment seemed right, when I guessed that she was beyond caring, I put my arm half around her waist and pushed hard but slowly into her. The barrier gave way and I entered her completely.

At the same time, I pushed my fingers into Belle and she cried out and fell forward onto the bed, unable to hold herself on her knees for the moment. I changed the position of my hand and inserted my thumb into her vagina and used my fingers to stimulate her clit.

Rani was bucking and thrusting at me, taking up a natural rhythm dictated by her body. I let her continue for as long as she wanted, climaxing again and again.

Rani cried, “Oh prince! It’s so good. It fills me so wonderfully. Oh… ah… uh! This will be my life now, never stop! Never… I am yours…” and other similar rantings of love and ecstatic excitement.

Belle lay on her stomach and bounced up and down on my hand as I rubbed her to orgasm with my fingers. She made no intelligible words, but the telepathic sense of what she experienced assaulted my ability to hold off my own climax.

Rani, impaled on my manhood, began to slow, as finally her body began to tire. I took my hand from Belle’s crotch for a moment and grabbed both of Rani’s hips and pushed as hard and far into her as I could and then pumped in and out wildly until she mounted one last massive orgasm.

When It was done, I pulled out and helped her to lie down, and immediately went back to Belle.

I rolled Belle over onto her back and pulled her to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. I took hold of them and pulled them to my sides and hooked her knees over my elbows, pushing them toward her shoulders. I looked briefly at the hairless mound of wet pussy flesh now fully exposed between her perfectly shaped legs; I had never seen anything so lovely as she appeared in that moment. I wanted to dive between those legs and lick and kiss the thing until I could go no longer… but that delight would wait. Maybe when Aeyli came back.

My penis lined up with Belle’s tiny passage and I touched the head to the flower she presented. I reached down and pressed it into place and set myself at the door. Belle didn’t react specifically to the touch of it. Her eyes were already rolled back to where I could see the whites of them and her arms lay above her head with her elbows splayed to the sides. My youngest bride was still riding the constant arousal that she had been subjected to as I had taken Rani on her long first adventure into lovemaking.

I pushed my hips forward and down and I felt Belle’s ‘fence’. Then I leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. At that, she did notice me and respond, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me, using her tongue as she had felt me use mine earlier. She thrust her hips upward, instinctively willing me to take her as a woman.

I said softly, “Belle, my princess, come to me. Open your eyes and look at me. It’s time for your moment of first love. Be here with me in this moment.”

Belle took a breath and calmed herself as much as she could, but small spasms still rocked her occasionally.

She recited in a whisper as she pulled my face close to her lips, “My tunnel wet, You need no luck, Come my prince, I’m prime for shalock.”

I pressed in as she held me tightly. At my entry, Belle arched her back and moaned. It seemed that this act held no pain for Barsoomian women, but only a tightness and filling and warm stretching. They told me later that it was like being squeezed in a very tight, but loving hug that takes away the breath, but from the inside outward.

I began a gentle thrusting and treated my little princess to a slow and gentle love session. At times, her body indicated that it wanted a more vigorous exercise and I matched my movements to her desires. We continued for quite a while and after some time, I felt a hand at my back and saw that Rani now sat on her knees beside us and was gently touching me as I was with Belle.

Without leaving the girl’s warm tunnel, I lifted her and pushed her farther up the bed so that I could join her on top of it. Her legs still wide around my waist, I continued my steady thrusting as she climaxed every few minutes.

I said to Rani, “My love, come up here and lie down beside Belle.”

As she did, I leaned over and took her nearest breast in my mouth and began to kiss and suckle. I slid my hand down between her legs and stroked her tenderly. I tasted Rani’s sweet breast milk in my mouth, and kept up my lovemaking to the two precious beauties.

Not long after we climbed onto the bed and Rani entered a quieter orgasmic state, I heard the door to the room open and I glanced up to see Aeyli standing there. She smiled and her eyes went wide. She simply stood there and watched in amazement. I don’t think that she truly expected to find us all in the middle of passion when she entered. Somehow, it seemed really comfortable. I hadn’t ever done anything like this, or really even ever imagined making love in front of another person, but this felt really natural with these girls.

I said, “Aeyli, welcome back. The girls have been getting me ready. Are you going to just stand there?”

She shook her head slowly but made no move.

I said sweetly, “Then drop your belt you silly girl. Do you want to put your pussy on the furs or not? Do I need to come and show you what to do?”

Aeyli shook herself and squealed in delight and quickly unbuckled her belt and let it fall to the floor and ran to the bed… and then stopped short.

Aeyli asked, “My prince? Um, where should I lay?”

I pulled off of Belle and had she and Rani scoot apart to make room in the center of the bed. They smiled, though both still spasming with aftershocks, and motioned Aeyli into bed between them. Aeyli crawled up with us and lay on her back between the other girls and waited shyly for me to make a move.

I scooted down toward Aeyli’s feet, kneeling, and took hold of her ankles and pushed them wide toward her hips. Then, leaning forward, Aeyli expecting to feel my erection against her vagina, I put my head between her legs and kissed her mound long and hard as if it were a mouth and lips. I buried my face there and her knees involuntarily squeezed the sides of my head as the girl gasped and gave out a cry of delight and surprise. I pushed my tongue deep into her and licked and thrust, swirling around the opening and teasing the folds. I moved up a few inches and took her engorged clitoris between my lips and sucked at it and she put her hand on the back of my head and pressed it down hard onto her crotch.

Aeyli burst forth in a massive orgasm and her juices flooded my face. I continued licking at them and let her experience several more minutes of pleasure. Finally, I lifted my head and said, “Aeyli, I can’t wait any longer; do you want me to feed your pussy or your mouth? Tell me quickly!”

Aeyli jumped off the bed and pushed me onto my back where she had lain.

She said, “Wait my lover, there are three of us.”

I lay on my back. My pole in the air, and the three girls gathered around it. Aeyli said, “Girls, only one of us can feed at a time. Rani is the eldest. Belle, you will go next time. Rani, take him in your mouth and suck. Push it all the way down your throat. Your body will know what to do.”

I interrupted, “Stop! I have a better idea. You can all feed together. All of you put your mouths on me at once. Take turns with your mouths, but all of you can use your hands and tongues. When the moment comes, one of you take the first bit and then give another a taste, and then the third. But hurry or I will finish before you start and I will grab the nearest and finish there!”

The girls rushed to the task. Rani put the head of my penis in her mouth and the other two fondled me as they could. Rani did push me down her throat, and I think that she climaxed again at the sensation, and then she pulled off and Bell took her place. Belle stayed longer and I could feel the swallowing motion of her mouth wetly on me. I did my best to hold out for as long as I could. Aeyli was next, and being more adept, had me ready to blow very quickly. Just as I couldn’t stand anymore, she pulled back and thrust Rani’s waiting lips down over me.

Rani had just gotten the head between her lips when the first stream erupted from me. Rani pulled back and Belle hesitated too long and the second stream shot into the air… and then Belle pushed me all the way in and sucked hard at the next stream. Aeyli put her face beside Belle’s and pushed Belle off and took me herself before another bit of the precious juice could escape. Then Aeyli sucked at me for a moment and then offered me back to Rani who eagerly took a turn and then Belle took her place and finished the job of making sure that every drop was gathered.

As we finished, the girls lay down beside me and we hugged in a mass and rested. The combination of the great refreshing powers of the milk, plus the fact that to my Earth born muscles, each girl only weighed about 20 pounds, left me with plenty of energy to rise up to other activities.

Aeyli said, “That was nice! Girls, didn’t I promise you?”

Belle said, “You told the truth. Did you taste what I did? It was delicious. Salty and nutty.”

Rani said, “The milk was different than I expected too. When we bathed him with our tongues after Belle showered him with her breasts! It was nice. Is it OK for a woman to taste milk from another woman?”

Aeyli said, “It must be. Maybe not in the days before, but now, how could it not be? If we sleep in one bed, isn’t it what has to happen on occasion?”

Rani said, “But, what if we were in the wilderness and dying of thirst? Would it be OK then?”

Belle said, “It would be OK with me… I think…”

I said, “I will settle this. We are mates. Our bodies nourish each other. If not, neither Aeyli nor I would be alive today. If necessary, I would have sucked the milk into my mouth and then fed it back to her from my lips. If we need it for life, then I insist on it. But it also brings us pleasure. It makes me strong. What effect does it have on you?”

Rani said, “It made me feel fresh and kind of… tingly in my body.”

I said, “Then, it’s good for that too. In our house, mates share milk; with me and if desired, with women as well. Think of it this way: if we’re making love, and it goes on for a long time, and a mate starts to get tired and fall asleep, even though they want to continue, would you drink some milk to revive yourself for my sake? Would you revive your sister for my sake and for hers?”

Rani said, “I would. And, it is delicious.”

Aeyli said, “I’ve said that I want to feed my prince from my breasts for breakfast every morning. I promised it to him.”

Rani said, “I promise it too! That’s a splendid idea!”

Belle said, “Well, it’s settled. We should have milk for each other and I’m never leaving this room!”

Rani said, “What do you mean? You can’t stay here forever. Though it is a nice dream!”

Belle said, “I can’t leave. I can’t go out without a belt. What if a visitor came to the door. Now, you might say, ‘then put on your belt’, but I won’t. Now that I know what it is to be naked with my prince, I will never wear my belt again! I claim the old custom: a maiden must be naked with her prince for 40 days!”

Aeyli laughed and said, “There’s no such custom!”

Rani looked at Belle and saw her wink and said, “Oh, yes, I think that I remember that as well. Perhaps you missed that day of instruction. I’m sure that we were told that we had to all stay under the furs for the first 40 days.”

Belle said,

“Yes, don’t you remember,

40 days under the furs,

Naked night and day,

shalock with me once again,

shalock another day.”

Rani said,

“That’s right,

Take me prince,

My pussy wet,

Take me yet again.

I hold your cock between my legs,

Naked for 40 days.”

Bell said,

“Oh so tight and oh so full,

My pussy stretched orgasmic,

shalock me prince another time,

40 nights of climax.”

I said,

“Oh yes, that is what I was told,

Rani, Belle, Aeyli in bed,

Naked and with Mark.

They shalock so loud for 40 days,

In daylight and in dark!”

Aeyli said, “See, I told you that they make up their own bawdy rhymes, and you’re just as good.

One pussy Mark shalocks behind,

Pussy Two he takes his time,

Of Pussy Three a mouth is made,

Three pussies in a puss parade!”

Rani said, “I sure like my pussy now!”

Belle said, “I don’t have one.”

Rani said, “What do you mean, you don’t have one? What did your master just shalock till you passed out!”

Belle said, “Oh, that? That isn’t my pussy; that belongs to my prince. It feels wonderful when he uses it, but it’s his, not mine. I happily guard it for him, but isn’t mine. He can do what he pleases… day and night.”

Aeyli said, “Belle, that’s how I feel too. I give my body to him and he does what he wants with it; and he’s very skilled, isn’t he?”

Belle said, “He is. We have a wonderful master . The shrine maidens have a master!”

I objected for a moment, “Girls, I’m your husband, and you call me your prince, but I’m not your master.”

Aeyli said, “Sometimes you say stupid things! You are the master of our hearts and bodies. I understand your meaning, but you need to understand ours. I’m not a slave, but my body and my heart are. Many people are slaves to this thing or that thing. We three were slaves to the shrine as long as we served it. Now, our bodies and hearts are slaves to you. You are their master!”

Belle said, “And, if you say, ‘come here my little slave girl’ I’ll run to you because my body and heart sing for joy at the reminder of how they love you! There’s no shame in it!”

Rani said, “Um, he actually is from a portal beyond the shrine, isn’t he? It must be a strange place. He’s so good, and yet he acts as if he were stupid.”

Rani grabbed my penis and pumped it as if emphasizing her point… and suddenly looked horrified at me and stopped, but did not actually remove her hand.

I said, “Rani? Do you like your new penis? Did you want to play with it?”

She smiled and said, “I do like it. I haven’t played with it yet, but I liked how it played with me!”

I said, “It is yours. You can do whatever you want with it, but remember to share; it isn’t yours alone.”

Rani stroked the length of my cock and smiled broadly, declaring “A fine token of marriage! Most girls only get a ring with a worthless stone. A fine cock is a better gift by far!”

Chapter 16

The Council Meeting

Aeyli jumped up and said, “Oh, that’s right!” and she took something from the pouch at the belt that she had dropped on the floor. “Mark, come and stand here while we sit on the bed.”

I stood at the side of the bed and the three girls sat side by side in front of me.

Aeyli said, “Now, kneel down and take these.”

She handed me three small, thin gold bracelets, each with a ruby stone hanging from a setting on it. There was a hinge on one side and a clasp mechanism on the opposite side.

“Put one on each of our left ankles. They are the jewelry tokens for declaring us your mates.”

I took Aeyli’s ankle as she offered it to me and placed one of the bands around it. I closed it around her foot and with some force, snapped the latch together with a click.

She said, “It will not come off easily. It has to be destroyed to remove it.”

I did the same with Rani and then with Belle.

Aeyli said, “There is a council meeting at sundown. We have a little time, but not much. We could eat some fruit,” and she went to the bag of fruit that we had brought and passed out a few pieces to each of us.

She said, “We can eat here, but Belle will have to put on her belt for the council meeting. We all need to appear. Mark, the council is made up of the men with the most mates and the women they have. Three men of the village each have three mates, so three men plus nine women sit on the council. First they will call me and question me. It will be easy. Then they will call you, or Rani and Belle, or Rani and Belle may come after. They will ask you questions and you will just answer them. There are no penalties. It’s just to get to know you and your intentions and to welcome you and to determine how you will fit in the life of the village.”

I ate my fruit and said, “How many people will be there?”

She answered, “There are about 1000 people in the village. Maybe one hundred will come tonight, because no matters of importance are to be discussed. This is a special council, just to meet you and see the declaration the we three have taken a mate.”

Belle said, “It’s easy. New couples are always nervous and sometimes the councilmen try to act gruff, ‘How will you support this woman? Tell us your plan!’, but it’s all good natured. It’s fun. Aeyli will have to talk the most. Women are trusted more to talk about mating matters.”

We finished our fruit and joked about this and that and laughed. When time came to leave for the council hall, Belle did buckle her belt around waist, but she swore that it would come off as soon as possible.

We walked out into the street together and headed for the town square where the council hall was located. The girls at my side were a sight to see. The voices that I had overheard earlier were correct: the girls were taller than the average woman in the village, but I certainly didn’t see anyone more beautiful. The matching anklets they wore accentuated their lovely features more than anything else that I could have dreamed up.

Aeyli had explained that she had chosen anklets for several reasons. First, necklaces would get in the way of sword practices and she intended that all of them become proficient. She felt the same way about rings, but also said that she would feel more naked and more lovely without her belt if she wore the anklet rather than something else that might draw the eye away from her true form. The girls and I agreed. There was no need to convince me though. I thought that anklets were amazingly sexy. If you were going to do something to draw the gaze of an admirer, draw it down across the body and guide it down the leg, not directly away from all of that loveliness, to the face and head.

There seemed to be more than the hundred people that Aeyli predicted heading for the council. When we arrived, Aeyli took us to seats near the floor and to the left of the platform that seated the council members.

The hall was big enough to seat about 800 on stone bleachers that rose on three sides of the building. More and more people filed in and I estimated that the count was closer to 500 than 100.

I heard various voices saying, “There are a lot here for a special mating council.”

“It’s the shrine maiden. She has found a mate.”

“The shrine maiden? Aeyli? That’s what I had heard. Can it be true?”

“Who knows. We are having a meeting for some reason.”

“This is a lot. I haven’t been to council for years.”

“Nothing ever happens. They handle it fine. There’s no need for me to leave home in the dark.”

“Hush, that must be him. He is very tall.”

Yes, I was also taller than the other men. Aeyli had said that the average was about 5’8”, but I gaged it now at closer to 5’5” and the women at 5’3”. Maybe my conversion from Barsoom measurements to Earth measurements hadn’t been quite accurate enough at first. Aeyli and Rani were about five inches taller than the women and three inches taller than the men. Aeyli had assured me that she was no more than average height, but I remember a hint of a joke when she said it. And sure enough, it wasn’t true at all. Even Belle stood at least as tall as the men. I could see that in many cultures, this would make it more difficult to find a mate. I myself stood at least seven inches taller than most of the men.

We waited in our seats and after several more minutes, the visitors had all taken their places and the councilman in the center of the platform held up his hand for silence. There were twelve seats arranged in an arc on the raised stone platform. Starting at the left there were two women, then a man, then then three women, one man, three more women, one man, and finally one more woman. Picture 3 groups of four chairs◦– each group with a man, two women at his left and one at his right with a small empty space between each group. These were the 3 councilmen, each with 3 mates who served as councilwomen.

The center man spoke, “Village, this council is called to examine the mating of a member of the village and a new visitor who seeks to live among us. Um, I am surprised to see so many at the meeting tonight. It’s good to see a renewed interest in council work. I expect that we will be done quickly this evening because we have only the one matter, always a happy one. Let’s get started. Who is to be mated this evening?”

The councilwoman at his right placed her hand over his arm and said, “Aeyli, step up and let us talk.”

The councilman almost jumped in his seat, but the woman’s gentle pressure on his arm restrained him. He collected himself and said, “Aeyli, do I understand this? You have come to declare a mate?”

The woman said quietly to him, “Do it properly My Prince.”

The man sighed and started again, “Aeyli stands before us to declare a mate. Um, the circumstances I see are unusual, but not unprecedented. We will proceed as usual.”

Aeyli bubbled and said, “Ask me anything and I will answer you truthfully!”

The man said gruffly, “You will answer the questions asked of you by the councilwomen and the men will question the newcomer in turn. How you try me. Why have you been so rebellious from the time you were a child?”

Aeyli smiled and said, “Because my grandfather was a rebel. Blame him!”

He bristled, but I could see that he hid a smile, “Oh no! Blame your grandmother. You take after her!”

The woman patted his arm and said, “You were a rebel. Don’t lay all the blame on me! Her mother came from your loins!”

The hall laughed and the man slumped in his chair, but continued to smile.

The woman took the lead at this point and said, “Aeyli, dear shrine maiden, let us here your petition. Is it true that you have found a mate?”

Aeyli said, proudly, “I have councilwoman.”

The woman asked, “And, you are bound already?”

Aeyli said, “I am.”

The woman said, “And, why do you come now, after the bonding rather than before as customary?” and she smiled warmly at the girl.

Aeyli said, “Because, I was on my duty at the shrine when we met and I couldn’t contain myself in my love! I chose him and he chose me in honor as is proper, but not knowing when I would return, and being away I had no way of knowing if we would die by some beast in the wilderness, so we bonded according to the laws regarding mates who find each other a long way from home.”

The woman asked, “And, you are truly and happily bound? You have found this mate capable of mating?”

Aeyli exclaimed, “Many times!”

The woman said, “Um, oh, um, good for you… um, and your milk? Aeyli, don’t give us too much information.”

Aeyli said, “OK, yes, my body has produced milk and my prince has been fed as is the proof of my bond.”

The woman said, “Now, it has not been 40 days, so we won’t ask those questions of frequency at this time. You will appear before us again in a few weeks. But, let us move on. Tanner, please step forward. Aeyli, please stay before us for now.”

A man and two women stepped forward. One held the bundle of fur that Aeyli and I had brought to the village with us.

The woman said, “Tanner, what do you have to show us?”

The two women took the fur and unfolded it to its full length and laid it on the ground in front of the council members.

A murmur rose from the crowd and the head councilman, apparently Aeyli’s grandfather, held up his hand and frowned and said, “Tanner, what is this?”

The tanner said, “This is the skin of a great white ape, apparently killed very recently and delivered to me by Aeyli today for preparation as a sleeping fur.”

The councilwoman asked, “Aeyli, what is this and what is its story?”

Aeyli smiled very wide and said, “This is the fur of the great white ape that my prince killed as it attacked us in the wilderness. At the roar of the beast, my prince ran toward it and killed it. I skinned the thing and we left the carcass where it lay on the moss.”

The woman said, “Weapon maker, step forward. Tanner, please stay.”

A man stepped forward. I was surprised to see that he carried my sword and Aeyli’s in his hand.

The man said, “Weapon maker, what have you to do with this? What are those in your hand?”

The weapon maker held up my longer sword and said, “This is the stick with which this great ape was killed. I have examined it and the fur and I am convinced of it. This stick was used to strike a blow to the apes head, likely crushing the thing’s skull and killing it, but there was a second strike to the neck of the thing which would have separated the bones of the neck and killed it as well. I can see the marks of the bones as they damaged the skin on the opposite sides from the blows.”

The woman said, “Tanner, do you agree?”

The tanner said, “I do. It seems impossible, but more impossible that it happened any other way.”

The woman said, “Aeyli, tell us this part of the story. You say that a great white ape appeared in the wilderness and roared the scream of its intent to kill you… and that your mate ran ‘toward’ the thing! What next?”

Aeyli said, “At the roar, I knew that we were already as good as dead. I tried to run, thinking to stay ahead of the beast as long as possible and then as it overtook us, to let the thing take me so that my prince would escape alive if possible. He runs much faster than anyone I have ever seen. That is the extent of my love for him… and I love him even more than that. But, at the roar, without a word, he ran ‘toward’ the ape. When he reached it, as the Great White Ape grabbed for him and I imagined to have lost him in death, he ducked beneath its arms, rose behind it, and struck it on the head. The sound of the crack of it would be heard for a hundred yards or more. The ape fell headlong to the ground and didn’t move, but in the instant before it could be determined, my protector leapt across the body and brought the weapon down across the thing’s neck to be certain that it would never threaten his mate again!”

The man said, “Weapon maker, he did this with a stick?”

The weapon maker said, “He did. There is no doubt in my mind.”

The man said, “It is a strange looking stick. What is special about it?”

The weapon maker answered, “The stick has been cut with a very sharp knife. A special knife indeed. Probably one of the old imperial or even royal knives of a great house. It started as a piece of straight wood, but has been shaped to a very fine design that I have never seen before, but hope to learn the use of soon. It is an amazingly elegant thing. Simple in form and deceptive in efficiency.”

The woman said to the man, “Not quite so simple a mating as you had imagined, my love?”

He grumbled, “You could have warned me! You are as bad as she is!”

He then said, “Who has chosen this woman? Come stand before us!”

I stood up and moved to stand beside Aeyli and the man dismissed the tanner and the weapon maker who left the fur and the swords on the floor just in front of us.

The councilman straightened in his chair and took a breath and removed the frown from his face and said to me, “Welcome to the village of Tranna. Forgive my grumbling, I don’t like surprises. You see what I’m faced with daily in my own home? But tell me, what’s your name? Let’s be friendly. We’ll use common names. I am Tronuck.”

I said, “I am Mark Jensen.”

A murmur again from the crowd. “Like the warlord, the shrine maiden has brought him from the shrine!”

The woman held up her hand and said, “People, this is a newcomer to our village, we will make him welcome and not ask too many questions about origins tonight. Those things can wait. They don’t matter in how we will welcome him. This evening is a mating declaration, nothing more.”

The man said, “Aeyli, Dorel, what is wrong with you?! Warn a poor old man for once! What other surprises have you concocted? Tell me that this is the last!”

The woman patted his arm and said, “Oh my poor husband, I am sorry to say that several more surprises await. Be of good cheer! Think of it as a birthday surprise!”

The man sneered at his wife and turned back to me. “Mark Jensen, this is quite the tale. Have you chosen Aeyli as your mate?”

I said, “I have. You may call me Mark.”

He said, “Mark, again welcome. Mark Jensen is a different name than we’re used to. It reminds us of the Warlord himself. Will you step closer and stand upon the fur you have brought?”

I stepped forward.

The councilman said, “And here’s another surprise that I think that I see. Weapon maker, come here. You say that the stick was made by a very special knife? Mark, will you allow this man to examine the knife that you carry at your belt?”

I removed the knife with its sheath from my belt and handed it to the weapon maker. He took it from me and looked carefully at the hilt, then at the scabbard, then removed it from its covering and examined the blade.

He turned and nodded at the councilman who said, “Well, tell me the surprise that I already know must be waiting for me.”

The weapon maker said, “The knife is undoubtedly from the house of Helium, made by the house weapon makers and reserved for the royal family and the generals of the Warlord’s private navies. No blade like this was ever held by any person of lesser rank. I should not be touching it now.”

He handed it back to me reverently and said, “It has been a great honor. It will be my pleasure to serve you in any way that I can.”

I took the knife and nodding to the councilman returned it to my belt.

He sighed heavily and said, “Yes, fine. Surprise after surprise and no time for explanations. Let us continue. Normally you would appear before the council prior to bonding to settle this, but in these cases, we may settle it after the fact. Tell us what you ask for the bride price.”

I looked to Aeyli and she said, “He wants to know how much money they need to give you in exchange for you taking me off their hands.”

Tronuck said, “Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but yes, it is customary for us to set a price that we agree to so that you may start life with a mate. What do you ask? But, please be reasonable, we are a small village after all.”

I thought about how I would answer and finally said, “Councilman, I have a very different proposal, but I hope that this will be a more pleasant surprise. As my price, I ask that you will allow me to buy your village a well or a new school or some improvement as you all see fit. May I approach?”

He nodded in confusion and I took a medium sized gold coin knelt on one knee and held it out to him. “I can offer this for her. If you require more, say the word.”

He took the coin from my hand and I backed down the steps to stand beside Aeyli again.

The man showed the coin to the council and the rest of the room gasped.

The woman, Dorel, jumped in and said, “Mark, your gift is very generous and we receive it as a sign of your love for my granddaughter. People, this man is no fool. He is a great warrior, has some connection to the great houses, and has a great love for our shrine maiden. We will not ask questions we don’t need answers to. But, a bride price is required of us. Let me propose this. As the bride price from our village, we give you the house of the shrine maidens for a starting residence. Senior councilman, ask him if he will accept that.”

The man said, “Um, yes, we will offer the house of the shrine maidens. We will find a new place for the others. Do you accept our offer?”

I said, “I do,” and I said nothing else about ‘the others’ that he mentioned.

The man said, “Good. And your gift to the village is very generous and very much appreciated. We will put it to very good use and you will see the fruit of it. As far as your choice of my granddaughter as a mate though, I think that you will have to turn her over your knee and spank her often before she becomes respectful. Not that we would treat a grown woman that way, and I didn’t treat her that way as a child, but you will have your hands full if I know her at all.”

I frowned and said, “Councilman, may I speak?”

He nodded.

I said, “Aeyli-ah-Mark, come before me.”

Aeyli turned and stood in front of me and I motioned with my eyes and she smiled and knelt at my feet and looked up into my eyes.

I said to her, “All know that a woman would never remove her belt in the presence of any man but her mate.”

Aeyli said, “That is true my prince. It would be an unthinkable shame.”

I said, “Aeyli, my princess, if I asked you now, where you sit, to remove your belt, what would you do?”

She answered, “I would unbuckle it and lay it at your feet.”

I said, “But why? It’s a shame to that in the presence of other men.”

She looked at me and smiled and said, “Of course, an unthinkable shame. But I see no other men but my prince here. If you ask me to do it, it will be no shame for me because you are the only man in the room.”

The councilwoman said, “She means no insult to anyone so be silent. Her eyes behold her beloved. You see the wisdom here? Mark doesn’t question you when you say your foolishness like I would. You have said what you will and he has said what he will. Wars should be settled this way.”

I raised Aeyli to her feet and she stood beside me.

A voice from behind me yelled out, “Let them prove it!”

Chapter 17

A Challenge in the Council Hall

I spun toward the voice and said, “Who asks for proof? Stand and let me see you!”

A man hesitated and then stood up and looked a bit shaken to have been found out, but tried to put on a good face.

I said, “Sir, it is my intention to be friends with every man and woman in Tranna. So, I will plan that you and I become close friends. Tell me your name.”

He faltered but said, “I am Narhu.”

I said, “Narhu, I am Mark. We will be friends. Narhu, it’s no shame for her if my mate does what I ask, even the thing that I suggested. But, if I, as her mate let my princess take off her belt, it would be a great shame for me. What kind of a man would allow such a thing? She says that she sees no other man in the room, but I see nothing but brave and honorable men. I see no woman but my mate. But strong men, I see a hundred or so at least. So friend Narhu, I know that you called out in jest, knowing that such a thing is laughable. But if I’m wrong, and you wish to test me to see if I am a coward unworthy of your village, step down here and I will let you test me. If that’s what you want, come down here my new friend. We will wrestle. I won’t kill you, since you are my first friend in the village of Tranna. If that’s not what you want, enjoy your seat and we will greet one another after the meeting as friends.”

Narhu sat down and the crowd actually applauded and those nearby clapped him on the back at his decision to make peace with me.

I turned back to face the council.

The woman said, “Aeyli, your prince is a wise man, tell us another wise thing that you learned from him. The story that you told me.”

Aeyli said, “When he killed the ape, he explained to me that it was the ape’s choice to die, not his choice to kill it. He would not have killed the ape, except that the thing insisted. It could have turned and gone in peace, but it chose instead to threaten the one he loved and therefore it had chosen to die. If a man forces his own death it is not the fault of the one forced to help him with his decision. You may let all men live; unless they ask you to help them end their lives by choice. I had thought to give my own life, to choose to die in order to save my mate when the ape attacked, and I thought that he had done the same as I watched in horror as he ran toward it. Afterward, he explained to me that the choice to die is not mine to make, because I am bound to him. In the same way, the choice to die is not his to make, because he is bound to me. We must both always choose life because we are bound to each other. But the ape had chosen to die by threatening to take us away from each other.”

The woman said, “I have heard enough, let us vote.”

The Tronuck said, “Vote on what? We don’t vote on mating.”

She said, “I call for a vote of the council. Shall the gift of Mark Jensen to the Village of Tranna be used to renovate a great hall where he will spend what time he wishes, instructing both the men and women of the village in wisdom and the use of weapons? This is my proposal and I call for a vote. First I make this argument. If we do this thing, I predict that the result will be that in one year’s time, many men will have at least three wives; that our birthrate will be twice what it is today; and that the rate of males born will be twice what it is today. What say you?”

Nine hands shot up: all of the women on the council. Before the men could react, Dorel said, “You see, the women know what this will do. Trust us, you will be happy at home with this decision.”

Tronuck grunted and said, “Woman, come kneel before me!”

She laughed and patted his arm and said, “Not today my prince. Perhaps soon, we will see. But now, we have more surprises for my poor husband. Rani and Belle, come stand on the fur!”

The girls ran from their seats and stood to my left.

The woman said, “Rani and Belle, the final shrine maidens, do I understand that you have found mates as well? Tell us the story. Do you speak for yourselves or does someone speak for you?”

Aeyli said, “As first mate, I will speak. I declare for Torani-ah-Mark and Beyla-ah-Mark as mates of my prince, Mark Jensen-ah-Aeyli-ah-Torani-ah-Beyla. You see upon our ankles the ‘token of days’, and we stand on the fur as the ‘token of nights’. I have witnessed the coupling and the milk. Bonding took place outside the village gates.”

The crowd gasped and Tronuck hung his head in consternation and shook it, knowing that his first mate and his granddaughter were running the show, not him as he would have in past days.

Sensing that he was better off in a lead position than following, he sat tall and said, “Ah, this is a great thing! The village of Tranna is blessed in many ways today! We have a fine new friend who brings much wisdom and skill, and a gift that will be used to better the infrastructure of Tranna. Our three shrine maidens have a mate; a strong warrior who kills Great White Apes with a stick. We welcome Mark Jensen-ah-Aeyli-ah-Torani-ah-Beyla to Tranna! All say so!”

The crowd cheered. Tronuck said quietly to Aeyli, “I take it that the service of the shrine maidens is ended?”

She nodded and smiled.

Tronuck addressed the crowd again, “Unless any still object to these things, Mark is gifted the house of the shrine maidens for a bride price; covering all three, by the way.” And he looked at Dorel and Aeyli for emphasis. He added, “I also declare that the service of the shrine maidens is finished and these who have served so long may take their rest at home. It is a great day in Tranna. I am happy as senior councilman to bring you such good news.”

The crowd laughed, knowing that he knew as well as they did, that it wasn’t he who brought the news.

He laughed as well. “My friends, I have served on the council many years. Perhaps my service should end like the shrine maidens and I will retire to rest at home. Mark is a man with three mates. Let another take my place and he will take their seat. What do you say?”

Aeyli jumped in, “Wait! You can’t compel him to sit on the council for at least 120 days! Three mates requires three months before he can be made to sit on the council.”

Tronuck said, “Aeyli, be quiet. I wouldn’t make him part of the council on the first day! But, councilmen, is she correct? Is there such a rule?”

One of the other men said, “Tronuck, the shrine maiden pays more attention to rules and procedure than any of us. If she says it, it’s probably true. Everyone knows that if Aeyli ever found a prince with enough mates to be considered, that she would rule the council.”

Another laughed and said, “And, we had hoped that the day would never come!”

Another said, “But, we all knew in our hearts that it would be a loss to all of us if it did not. The granddaughter of Tronuck and Dorel was wasted as a shrine maiden and everyone knows it.”

One of the councilwomen sitting beside Tronuck said, “Well, perhaps not wasted after all. Perhaps it was a time of seasoning. Look at what she has cooked in her kitchen. It seems to me a tasty dish that she has made for herself and her sisters.”

Tronuck laughed as hard as any and then held up his hand for quiet and said, “My friends, I have grumbled much tonight. But your laughter makes my heart lighter. If I had been warned, as I should have been, I would have come with joy, but now I leave with a warm heart. Let us call council to a close. Get to know our new friend in the market in the coming days and make him welcome. He is my son-in-law. If he lacks anything, charge it to me. And, Narhu, I hope you make friends quickly. As Mark says, you are a good man, and worth more to us alive than dead. But, as Aeyli has taught us, this is your choice. But I would miss you.”

Everyone laughed and clapped Narhu on the back and I heard him yell out, “Oh, I would miss me as well. Narhu is the new first friend of Mark Jensen! I have a mate and, as he says, death is not my choice to make.” And again there was laughing.

Dorel said, “I wasn’t going to say this, but now I will; ladies, my prince, Tronuck, is not to blame for his sour countenance. I think that the fault lays on me and Farloa and Aneese. He is sour because he has not had enough sweet milk lately! I vow to fix that. Um, and perhaps you other women might consider this as well.”

There was more laughter and a woman shouted, “In one day we have more wisdom than in a hundred years! Dorel has a lesson and I will take it to breast!”

The laughter grew and others shouted “We hear advice and will take it to breast!” “Our princes are sour, who can blame them.” “Put it on us!” “It is a long time since I had it on me!”

Tronuck raised his hand again and said, “Let us close. Are all these women my granddaughters? Tonight they act the same. Close for tonight. And, what you do after this is up to you. We will invite Mark back on another night to tell us stories, and we will hear of his life and adventures. Goodnight!”

The crowd started to disburse and Dorel said, “Hold back, I would have a private council. Mark, you and your princesses stay with us for a few minutes.”

As the crowd filed out, the tanner came and greeted me and then he and his assistants gathered the great fur and carried it away to continue preparing it for use. The weapon maker also returned and congratulated me and spoke briefly of wanting to get to know me better and also how I trained with the wooden sword.

He said to Aeyli, “The item you commissioned will be ready in a few days, maybe less.” And then to me, “Mark, would you come to me soon, on a day you choose and show me the details of sizing these weapons? And we could discuss any nuances of their design? If you don’t forbid me from learning how they are made?”

I agreed that I would be very happy to show him what I knew and he left. The hall was empty by this time, and the twelve councilors and the girls and I waited to hear what Dorel wanted to say.

When we had gathered around, Dorel said, “Listen to me. I have given this a lot of thought. I say that it will be good for our village to set up the hall that I propose. I want us to ask Mark to spend some of his days teaching our village. Both men and women. He has wisdom that will help us. Aeyli has told me some of it. I am intrigued. She has also said that Mark has methods for teaching this sword of his and that she has learned the basics in just two days. She said to me, ‘I pity the fool who would accost me as I walk with another woman from place to place. But if he chooses to die, so be it.’ I would like it if all of our village had so much confidence. Aeyli and I have talked quite a bit in the past and we are convinced that confidence is the reason that our birthrate is so low and that so many of our men can take no more than one mate, and some not even that. According to my granddaughter, Mark is a man of resources and will be no burden to us. As you have seen, he takes no bride price, but instead asks to buy us a well or some other thing to improve the village and he provides the gift! If he was destitute, I would propose that we give him wages and expect it to be a bargain for us.”

She paused for discussion and Tronuck said, “My friends, it has been a trying day. But now that I’m calm, I could not agree more. I trusted this man from the moment he stood before us. I understand, almost, how Aeyli, Rani, and Belle have chosen him in one day. I do not quite understand how they claim that he has been able to… um, make them happy all in one day, but never mind that. What do the rest of you say?”

The others agreed that they also felt hope and trust in me and they made me feel very welcome.

Dorel said, “Then Mark, if you agree, will you teach at the new village hall? Teach some things for men and women, teach some for men alone, and perhaps Aeyli can teach the women alone. Teach wisdom and weapons and confidence and peace with our neighbors. Teach what will increase our birthrate and what will make everyone happy.”

Aeyli said, “Grandmother, um, the old women who instructed us as girls had no understanding. Mark has shown Rani and Belle and I ways that make our eyes turn inside out. I would teach these things to the women just before they mate and then for a long time after. It should be done in a better way. Mark has a method of weapons teaching, step by step, and I would teach the women the things of being a mate in the same manner. And in the same way, he can teach the men how to make a princess happy in ways that I don’t think that they know.”

Dorel said, “I think that those discussions should begin with the women on the council. We will sit with you and see what you have and then see what we can do with it. If all is well, we will all teach together: the women’s teaching of girls should be done by a circle. So, are we settled on these things? Mark and Aeyli and Rani and Belle are mated. The service at the shrine is ended for them. The house is now the house of Mark. A portion of the gift will be used to renovate a hall. The hall will become the Academy of Tranna. Mark will teach as he sees fit in wisdom, weapons, manhood, confidence, peace, and whatever else he knows. Aeyli will teach at his side. She will teach the nine of us more intimate things until we can teach the girls. We will not call Mark to sit on the council until it is time, but we will consult privately. I suggest that he be made aware of all affairs of the village that we are responsible for, and he will offer any opinions that he wants to share. Are we all agreed? Is there anything else for tonight?”

Aeyli gave her grandmother a look and Dorel said, “Oh, yes, one more thing. Aeyli has warned me that Mark will take one or two more mates within the next 40 days. But this time, it will be done within the village gates and they will appear before the council for the declaration.”

Someone said, “One or two more! So soon?”

Dorel said, “These are strange times, We adapted to the fall of time, now we will adapt to a time where a man takes three mates in a day and two more before the month is over.”

Dorel and the other women hugged Aeyli, Rani, and Belle and the men clasped my arm and congratulated me, and we said our goodnight.

As we left the council hall, Aeyli and Rani clung to my arms and Belle clung to Aeyli on the other side. We walked happily back to the ‘House of Mark’ and went in to my new home.

Chapter 18

Morning In the House of Mark

We went to bed shortly after returning to the house. There was plenty of artificial light, but it was the custom to go to sleep not long after dark, nonetheless. The girls were frisky, but everyone was really ready for bed, and after a few kisses and hugs, we closed our eyes to sleep.

Aeyli let Rani and Belle sleep next to me because it was their first night. The bed was large, but just barely large enough for four; three might have been more comfortable. Maybe we could fix that someday. I fell asleep with both Rani and Belle idly petting my crotch.

When I woke up at dawn, all three girls were still in bed with me and just starting to stir themselves. There were no big sexual adventures, we just said good morning, and hugged and stretched and began our first day together in the village.

The girls showed me around my new home first. There were two floors and a patio on the roof. The house was actually larger than I had expected. My thought had been that it was a house for three women, but I had forgotten that there had at other times been a dozen shrine maidens at once. This was the house where all of them stayed together.

On the upper floor was a common bathroom and six good sized bedrooms. Each had a bed like we had slept in and I was told that each room had been shared by two maidens. When one of the girls was away at the shrine, it was common for her roommate to join two others in their room. Sleeping alone was a hardship to be endured while on duty at the shrine, but was avoided at other times. Aeyli, Rani, and Belle had been sharing a bed in the room we slept in for quite some time, except that the three were never together at the same time until last night.

Before going down stairs, I was led to the rooftop patio. I asked about needing belts, but Belle said, “No, it’s OK, you’ll see.”

We climbed the stairs and pushed open a hatchway to the open air above. The patio was walled to about a foot above waist high and none of the other homes in the area stood as tall. Most the houses in this part of the village were a only single story.

Belle said, “See, no one can see below our breasts! Even if we put a bed on the roof and make love, if we aren’t loud, no one will know. Aeyli, let’s put a bed on the roof! We can make love in the sun!”

Aeyli said, “Oh, that sounds like a great idea. Mark wants a castle in the sky; we’ll start with a bedroom in the sky. But we’ll make the bed low with a nice mattress, to make sure that our play is private enough!”

Rani said, “And bring chairs and a table! Make this a dining room as well.”

Belle said, “Of course it’s a dining room. What do you think Mark will be eating while he makes love to you? Aeyli and I will be feeding him milk, and at the end, we will be fed by him! But, a table and chairs are fine if that’s how you want him to take you.”

I laughed and said, “Belle, I can show you how a table and chairs can be used very nicely for making love!”

She squealed, “Oh, OK. Show me soon! Plan: get a low bed and mattress and table and chairs and build Mark a house in the sky!”

Rani said, “I like this plan. What else should we do? This is the Royal House of Mark, not the crumbling hovel of the shrine maidens.”

Aeyli said, “That is funny! Do you know who the best builder in Tranna is?”

Belle said, “It’s Narhu, Mark’s new first friend!”

We went downstairs and looked again at the bedrooms. I went to the one we slept in and said, “My first idea is that we need a bigger bed.”

Rani said, “Oh, planning for two more already? OK.”

I said, “No, I was… I meant…”

Aeyli laughed, “You’re still not used to things! You think like an Earth man! We will build a bed for six, and then another. It will great. The house is big enough for twelve at least, probably eighteen. Six to a bed would give us thirty-six.”

I yelled, “But, I don’t want thirty-six! You said that nine was the most. And I don’t need, or want, nine!”

They laughed at my discomfort and Aeyli said, “What I told you was that you can’t be compelled by the council to take more than nine. But the number is up to you. But let’s have a council of our own. Everyone say a number of mates that Mark should be encouraged to take. Mark, you are our prince, you may speak first.”

There was something in her words that warned me that it was for their sake that I spoke first, not out of honor for me as ‘prince’.

I said adamantly, “Three and no more!”

Aeyli grinned and said, “Good. We have a proposal. Rani, what number do you say?”

Rani said, “We must say Alexia. There is an obligation to her. She is very pretty and tall and she will have no other who would ever ask for her. I like her very much. She will be a good mate, in her way. It would be a shame for her to die young.”

Aeyli said, “Yes, wise words councilwoman Rani. So, what is your number?”

Rani stood tall and said, “Six!”

Aeyli said, “Six from Rani. Belle, what number do you say?”

Belle smiled and said, “Alexia for sure. She works in wood. She’s very good. I think that she would come today if we invite her. She wasn’t in the meeting last night. I think she is forlorn. I think also of the tanner’s assistant Myndee, and Manya who sells weaving. But, my number is six, for now.”

Aeyli said, “Six, six, and, cough, just three. But, I say we give him a chance to change his vote. For me, I also say Alexia must be our first choice for number four. We have to wait a bit. This time, we need to go more by customs, such as they are, moldy and crumbling dead things to be sure. Belle has named other very pretty girls of good nature and character. Um, my thoughts go to Myndee and Sashar. I don’t know that I know who Manya is. Remember, this number is for now , I mean soon, not right now. But not for all time. We will go forward in steps. We don’t want to leap too far and find no ground under our feet.”

Rani said, “You both suggest very good women. Mark, what number do you say now?”

I said, “Three!”

Aeyli smiled and said, “Good, Six it is. We will commission a new bed big enough for seven people!”

I shouted, “Seven?”

Aeyli smiled and said, “Unless you intend to sleep alone!”

I said, “Oh, yeah, six plus one. Hey, does my vote even count? I told the council that you listened to me! Was that an act you played?”

Aeyli got serious, saying, “It was no act, my prince! You are our king. Your wish is our command. And yet, you have placed yourself in my hand, haven’t you? When it comes to some things that may be best for me to decide?”

I said, “I have. You’re right.”

She continued, “Mark, our love, we play with you. If you say three and no more, in seriousness, then it will be three and no more. We play with your number three because we can feel that just as we have bound ourselves in an instant, there are others, women we love, who will want a chance at happiness, and we have happiness to spare. Think of tall, beautiful Alexia, her breasts bursting with milk because her body betrays her and her mind has no say in it, just as it was with us. Picture in your mind, you saying that you won’t choose her and sending her to her death. You have the power to give her life once again, or to send her away, never to mate or know love. Do I need to ask if you will give her life or death?”

I said, “Aeyli, when you say it like that, you know what I’ll do. Bring her here now and I’ll do what you want this minute. But is it really like that? You say that she’s beautiful. Won’t some other good man have her?”

Rani said, “Mark, what is life like where you come from that you truly don’t know? It’s as if you had been asleep since before the fall of time. Alexia is lovely in body and spirit, but you saw that only three men before you in all the village have three mates. There are no more men who will take a mate now! There are 200 men and 800 women and only 300 women have a mate. There are 500 forlorn with no one to love them. They resign themselves to dying young and childless. You will teach the men, but we will never have mates for all of these women unless this plan produces far more men. We can wait a hundred, or two hundred years, but things have to change or we will cease to be.”

Belle said, “Mark, my body chose you, and you could have rejected me, but you didn’t. You wouldn’t. Think. Tell us your number for the house. Do you say three, or do you say we must be open to a few more?”

I sighed and said, “Hear me, my number, and I will not consider a single number higher than this no matter what you say, my number is firm: five hundred and no more! I swear it. If you bring me more than that I will run away. Say your numbers again and see if we can agree.”

Aeyli: “Six”

Rani: “Six”

Belle: “Six”

I said, “And I say Six, for now. Call the carpenter and Alexia. You break my heart, do you know that?”

Aeyli said, “Let me make your heart a bit lighter: Alexia is the carpenter. We will invite her to talk and work, but we must be patient, no matter what her body says that she wants.”

Belle said, “Mark, your heart is so good; and you worry way too much. The math is simple. There are ten days in a week. Four weeks in a month. Ten months in a year. If you would take just one of us between the furs each day of the week, that’s ten mates already. The only one that you must make love to every day is me; the others will be happy with less. According to the laws, you take the number of mates that you can satisfy just twice a month. If you take me once and then one other every day, that’s twenty mates that you easily satisfy. Two per day? That’s what you’ll do before breakfast! Do you think that you’ll be too tired after just two? After you have fed at our breasts? Do you worry that you won’t be strong enough? For as few as twenty? I say that you are more than strong enough. If not, I’ll let you make love to me just every other day if you need more rest. No, on second thought, I’ll shove my tit in your mouth and revive you and you’ll take me every day!”

Rani said, “Mark, Belle teases you. But, she’s right. Let’s assume new numbers. If you take us between the furs, just one a day, and if there are ten mates, we are with you four times every month! No other woman in the village has so much love! Think. You haven’t had your breakfast yet. What will happen when you do?”

I said, “You have me. At breakfast, I’ll show Belle what we can do in a chair and then I’ll give each of you a turn as well. So, you’ll be happy if we have six in bed? You’ll be satisfied with me?”

Aeyli said, “Is that what you are afraid of? What you did to us just yesterday afternoon would last a reasonable woman for six months!”

Belle said, “But, I am a most unreasonable woman!”

Aeyli continued, “Mark, think of it this way. Is it better for a woman to live in a house where a man loves her and she calls him prince, though he only makes love to her once a month and even then she doesn’t see the ‘little death’; or for her to live alone, unloved, and no one ever to taste her milk? What do you say? You answered us already: you would take 500 women into your house rather than see them forlorn. The council has spoken and all are agreed. The bed will be made for seven; for now.”

Rani said, “Good, shall we go downstairs?”

I said, “Wait, I have a question about women and if there is a thing that is the same as it is on Earth. There is a spot that when touched, makes a woman… excited.”

Aeyli said, “What are you asking? You rub that spot on us as we make love and you licked mine with your tongue until I burst.”

I said, “No, I mean a different spot. Will one of you let me look for it?”

Rani was the first to say, “I will. What do I do?”

Both Belle and Aeyli groaned in disappointment that Rani had spoken first, but didn’t complain.

I said, “Come here and lie down and I’ll sit beside you on the bed. Spread your legs and I will look for the spot. I want you to try not to orgasm. Hold back as long as you can. If I don’t find what I’m looking for, I promise that I’ll make you happy for letting me try.”

Rani lay beside me on the bed and spread her legs wide and grinned. I sat beside her, at her hip, and placed my hand between her legs and stroked her labia gently.

I said, “Remember, try not to orgasm.”

Rani’s breathing was already becoming heavy. I gently pushed and slid two fingers into her vagina and turned my palm upward and touched her, feeling for the rough bulge that would indicate a G-Spot.

Rani yelled suddenly, before I had even begun to explore, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll try harder!”

All of the girls were extremely responsive; making them happy every day really wasn’t going to be difficult at all. I hooked my two fingers upward and felt for my target. Rani clutched at the furs and bit her lip in her attempts to resist another climax. I found the spot that I thought might be it and pressed upward, massaging it firmly, and Rani screamed!

Well, that answered that question. Women of Barsoom certain did have a G-Spot, and it was highly reactive. It was also easy to find.

Rani cried, “I am trying… oh, I really am trying!”

I said, “It’s OK, stop trying. Go with it. Let it happen. Is it good?”

Rani grunted and orgasmed over and over as I rubbed in circles and massaged her fleshy bump groaning, “So oh oh good! Yes!”

She gripped the furs frantically and held her legs stiffly in front of herself. I continued my efforts and after a few minutes, Rani’s body relaxed as she lost the ability to tense her muscles. I looked to see how she was. Her eyes were shut and her chest was covered with milk that continually leaked from her with each successive climax.

I removed my fingers and bent down and kissed her on the lips and said, “Thank you my love, I think I found it,” but Rani didn’t respond.

As soon as I finished with Rani, Aeyli and Belle literally dragged her aside and Aeyli threw herself onto her back in Rani’s place. She grabbed my hand and thrust it onto her mound and said, “Make sure that I have this spot too! I’ll try not to orgasm! Try me, please! Mark, hurry,” and she tried to push my fingers between her folds.

I slid in and felt for the spot and found it quickly and gave Aeyli the same treatment, going until she could tense her muscles no more.

When Belle sensed that I was done with Aeyli, she tried to shove Aeyli’s body to the side frantically, but Rani lay beside her and Belle couldn’t move both of them. Belle growled in frustration and tried to push the other girls off the bed. She screamed at being thwarted in her efforts to make herself available for my explorations.

I grabbed her around the waist and said, “Belle, come here! Sit on my lap,” and I pulled her onto my left knee. Belle wasn’t listening, but tried to get up and make room for herself on the bed. I reached down with my right hand and gently pushed two fingers up into Belle’s canal. At that, Belle stopped struggling and went rigid and finally looked at me, though somewhat glassy-eyed and almost uncomprehending. I reached for her G-Spot and pressed my fingers in and rubbed, triggering a sudden massive response from Belle.

Belle’s body threw itself backward and I had to catch her with my left arm around her back. At the same time, her legs flung wide, making as much room as the could for me to touch her. I couldn’t hold her in this position, so I pivoted to my left and lay her backward, awkwardly lying on top of Aeyli’s legs. It was all I could do.

I probed Belle, who began screaming uncontrollably. “Ya-ah-ah-ah-ah!”

I worried about the neighbors and if any of them would hear us. My initial fear was that they would mistake the screams for murder, but then, as I listened, I knew that if anyone overheard us that they would also hear the meaning and would probably say to themselves, “Oh, the shrine maiden is having a time with her prince. She sounds very happy indeed. How blessed she is. I wonder if he will take another mate before his first forty days are even ended? Well, no matter.”

Life on Barsoom was simpler than on Earth.

It didn’t take long for Belle to collapse; she had been orgasmic before I even touched her. That was another thing: the telepathic outcries of Aeyli and Rani had already primed her pump. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if the hypothetical neighbor lady had felt a tremble between her legs as well, based on how loudly Belle had expressed her ‘happiness’. I laughed and thought about property values in the area going up based simply on the sexual bubble created around the House of Mark.

I laid Belle more comfortably on the bed and smiled at my circumstances. Of course, the responses and outcries of the girls had an effect on me as well, but at the moment, none of them were available to pay attention to me. I started to wonder what this girl Alexia was like and would she really want to join our family. Earth was becoming a distant memory.

I waited for the girls to wake up again and decided to go ahead and eat a bit of fruit for my breakfast. I knew that they had been expecting me to have milk for breakfast, but based on what they had just experienced, I decided to try and see if I could get through the next few hours without more sexual activity. I took two pieces of fruit and went down stairs to explore on my own.

On the lower floor was a large common living room, a kitchen, a separate dining room with a table for 12, and two more empty rooms; one probably served as food storage in the days when all 12 women lived here. In the back of the house was a small garden, but it had not been tended for some time. I looked for a place where we could practice with the swords but there wasn’t really a good area. Then I remembered the rooftop patio: that would work perfectly.

As I went back into the house, all three girls came down the stairs together and greeted me with a kiss. They asked if I had found the spot that I was looking for and joked that it didn’t matter what I was looking for, that I had found buried treasure regardless.

The girls had brought the sack of fruit down and we went to the kitchen and ate. I convinced Belle to forgo learning about sex in chairs until later. I think she was happy to wait, still reeling a bit from earlier. When asked about plans for the day, we decided to visit Alexia and talk about furniture orders and I suggested that I wanted to talk to Narhu about the house.

When we were done, the girls bounced out of their seats and headed for the door; I was the one to remind them to put on their belts.

Chapter 19

Call the Carpenters

Out in the street, people greeted us warmly. Many of them had seen us at the meeting, and the rest had started to hear about it. We decided that the first stop would be at the builder’s.

Narhu was warm, but ill at ease. When we had settled our greetings, he said, “Mark Jensen, last night I was a fool and you saved my life. You say you won’t hold it against me. I hope that can be the truth. I will do whatever is in my power to do for you.”

I clasped his arm and said, “Narhu, I said what I said. You are my first friend in Tranna if you’ll have me.”

He smiled and said, “Then that’s the end of the matter. I’m grateful. Truth be told, my mate rebuked me quite sharply. She went so far as to say, ‘If he kills you because of your foolishness, I’ll go with him and not mourn you for an instant!’ I know that she loves me, but it was a fair rebuke. Now, why have you come today? Name what you need from me and it will be my gift.”

I said, “Narhu, I am here because they say that you’re the best builder in Tranna. But I’m not asking for any gift from you but friendship. I’ll pay what’s fair.”

Narhu said, “Mark, they didn’t tell you the whole story. I’m the only builder in Tranna! As to gifts and payments, you have already made me a more wealthy man. I will hire 16 more workers because of you, and they will make a good wage. The council has discussed the renovations for the building to be called the Academy of Tranna. It’s a great thing for my business. Come here.” He pulled me close and whispered, “When my wife heard about it she said, ‘I hope that you’re still alive this evening. I feel like you should have milk for dinner!’ My friend, please let me live!” and he laughed and clapped me on the back.

Then in a voice that we could all hear again, “Now, what is it you want? Let me guess! Let’s see, the House of Mark has fallen on hard times at the decline of the Shrine Maidens of Tranna and now needs renovation, the same as the academy. Is that why you are here?”

I said, “It is. Just like you say. I think it’s a fine house and I’m very happy for it, but I suspect that a fine builder can make it even better and more comfortable for myself and these fair princesses. What do you say? Will you have time and energy for it? I can pay for more workers if you need them.”

Narhu smiled and said, “Mark, we will renovate your house from top to bottom! New lamps, new floors, new siding, new fixtures. I’ll bring running water and a shower if it needs it. A new oven for cooking and new shelves for storage. The garden will be a place of beauty and the rooftop will be a palace for your afternoons. You will entertain as a captain of Tranna. We won’t boast about it, but your humble shack in the low quarter will surpass the council members houses in high quarter. I won’t even suggest that you move to the high quarter because the homes are overpriced and not as well built. Mark, my friend, we will begin a renovation of the entire neighborhood and guests will be proud to be allowed to visit.”

I said, “Narhu, stop! You honor me too much. Let’s make it a nice home, not the envy of the entire planet the way that you’re describing it. I can pay what you ask. I’ll let Aeyli approve any details. When can you start? And how long will you take to do what you have in mind?”

Narhu said, “I started already. Plans are being drawn at this very moment. I started in my mind last night at the meeting. We started in reality when my draftsman arrived this morning. There are several skilled men in Tranna who’ve had no work, and all of them came to me this morning to ask about work on the Academy hall. And every one of them asked me in secret to allow them to work on the House of Mark for no wages 20% of the time. My regular workers did the same, all unknown to the others. I have 26 men and women asking to work on whatever you need. And the weaver has already asked me to allow them to make curtains and new mattresses and seat cushions for your house. You made a big impression last night. It’s more fun than we’ve had in a long time.”

I said, “Narhu, really, I’m not a great man. I don’t deserve this!”

My new friend laughed and said, “It has nothing to do with you being a great man. It’s because people are happy. My mate thinks that I will drink milk, not because of who you are, but because she’s happy; because of how you being here brings us hope. Dorel said that more children would be born. My mate would love a child in her womb. Who knows if it will happen? But today, no man will take your money. If they did, it would appear back on your doorstep by evening. Trust me, we are not getting the short end of this arrangement.”

I laughed and said, “I think it’s too much, but if you say it’s your own choice and not an obligation or a payment, then I accept it gratefully.”

Narhu said, “Good. It’s settled. Come back this afternoon and we’ll discuss what I want to do for you. Oh, and thank you for choosing not to kill me.”

I laughed and said, “Thank you for choosing not to die!”

We laughed again and he girls and I left his place. Next Aeyli took us to the woodworker. The owner was a man named Oshen.

He greeted us and said, “My friends, what can I do for you? First let me say how much I enjoyed the meeting last night. If all meetings were as exciting as that, I would go to every one. And before a word is spoken, your money is no good here,. Not for at least 40 days. Ask what you want and you will have one of my finest workers for your needs for at least one month and I won’t hear any negotiations. Say it and it’s done for you.”

Rani blurted out, “We want Alexia!”

Oshen was visibly surprised at how directly Rani said who she wanted rather than what we wanted to have built for us.

He said, “Oh. Yes, well, then you shall have Alexia. She is a fine craftsman. I have others who…”

Rani shook her head and Oshen continued, “…but Alexia is very good. Um, perhaps my finest. But… well, I guess you know her. Alexia! Come here!” he shouted.

The girl came from a back room nearby. She wore a protective apron over her breasts and her front, and as she came, her eyes were down and she brushed wood chips from her front. It was surprisingly attractive to me: a sturdy apron and a naked beauty behind it. Without looking up, she undid the tie that held it at the back and pulled it over her head and shook out her hair and hung the apron on a hook and turned to face us.

I was instantly enthralled. The girl was at least six foot-two inches tall. She was more muscular than the girls of my house and her hair was very long; and very blond. Her legs and thighs showed firm muscles, and so did her stomach, arms, and even her neck. The woman’s breasts were about the same size as Rani’s, but she stood six inches taller, and two inches taller than me. I couldn’t help but immediately think about how a ruby anklet would look on her.

She was standing beside Oshen before she ever looked up. And when she did, I fell in love.

My gosh, if I were a woman of Barsoom, my milk would have come in that instant. Her face was beautiful and the look she had, before she saw who stood before her, was deep and hinted at a very intense and quiet personality. I guessed that she spent a lot of time alone and thought deeply with no one to share those thoughts with.

The girls looked at me and Aeyli whispered, “You see now? Three and no more, indeed.”

Alexia raised her eyes and when she saw the four of us, she smiled. She smiled as much at the girls as she did at me, but with me there seemed a little shyness in her gaze.

Oshen said, “Alexia, our new friend needs a woodworker, and they have requested you specifically. In fact, they seem to be most insistent that it be you and no one else. If you are willing, I’d ask you to make whatever they ask. I’ll pay you your normal wage… plus 10%, for at least 40 days, and then you will be back to your normal duties.”

Then he looked at Rani and saw something in her eyes and said, “Or not. We will see. What do you say? Will you work on their projects?”

Alexia gazed at me and waited. Finally she said, “I will go with them. It will be at least 40 days. It will be easiest if I take my tools and work at the House of Mark. I will come back if I need anything; or I will send for it and you can have it delivered to me.”

Without another word, Alexia turned and took her apron from the hook and disappeared into the work room again.

Oshen said, “Friend Mark, she’s a very fine craftsman, but she’s an odd girl. Um, if she doesn’t work out, send word and I’ll send someone else.”

I said, “No, Alexia is perfect for what we need right now. Thank you for making her available for us to help us renovate the house. It’s very generous of you.”

Oshen said, “Oh thank you. As with most of the craftsmen in town, I will have resources to hire several more workers to refit the Academy. Take her for as long as you desire her and I’ll send what materials she needs.”

I laughed to myself at the ‘take her for as long as you desire her’ comment. I could imagine my desire might soon build to where I wanted to ‘take her’ for as long as she would let me. A few days ago, and even somewhat this morning, I had been adamant that I would never love more than one mate. But now, it seemed perfectly natural, and unthinkable that this new woman would not be part of our lives. I could just feel it. Like some telepathic voice from the universe was telling me that it had already happened.

Alexia returned carrying a bag of tools and simply stood in front of me and waited. We said goodbye to Oshen and went out of the shop and Alexia followed quietly.

Aeyli whispered to me, “Mark, I am very happy about the look in your eyes. You understand better now, don’t you. Remember, this time it has to be done by steps and I will guide you. As Oshen told you, she’s a wonderful girl, but odd. There is no one like her.”

We decided to head back home and get Alexia settled before we did anything else. We walked mostly in silence, but Rani and Belle clung to my arms happily and Aeyli walked behind and talked quietly with Alexia and I didn’t hear what they said.

The village was fairly small and it took only about 20 minutes to walk from the house to the center where the market was. Nothing was more than a 40 minute walk. It was pleasant and we arrived in about 15 minutes, the wood shop being closer than the market.

I say about 20 minutes, but I realized that I didn’t have any way to know and should probably stop guessing. The days on Barsoom were different than on Earth and without a watch, I really had no idea how long things took. And it didn’t matter at all. We walked for a little while and before we got tired or bored, we got where we were going. That was really all that I knew. I could tell if the sun had moved, and it gave some indication of the time of day, but not in 20 minute increments.

When we arrived at the house, we went in and Alexia stood near the door waiting. Aeyli came and whispered, “Mark, she waits for you. Give her instructions.”

I looked at Alexia and smiled as warmly as I could and said, “Alexia, welcome to our home, I’m glad that you have chosen… to come. I would like you to make yourself at home here. Aeyli, Rani, and Belle, all speak very highly of you.” Then I added, “They have convinced me that they love you. We just have some small projects that we thought that it would be nice to have done to make the house more comfortable. I have a few in mind, but I don’t even know what all we’ll ask you to do.”

She said, “I will do what you ask of me. May I call you Mark?”

She spoke in almost a monotone. Not quite, but almost. The weirdest thing was that even her telepathic communication was almost devoid of emotional content. It was disconcerting enough for me, but to people who were used to always knowing exactly what other people meant when they spoke, it must have been really unnerving. Yes, they would think that this girl was very odd. But I found it weirdly exciting. I was falling in love by the second. Aeyli was right. And that she wanted to be more familiar and call me Mark thrilled me for some reason. Actually, I knew the reason. I just didn’t think that I could admit it. The fact was that I really wanted her to like me.

I smiled and said, “Yes, please do! That will be very nice. Alexia, I can’t tell you how happy that will make me.”

She looked at me and said, “Mark, do you want me to stay here? While I work for you? Do you want me to sleep and eat with you?”

I thought, sleep with me? Oh do I ever. Wait, slow down. What’s wrong with me. We haven’t even hardly been introduced. What was I thinking?

I said, “Alexia, that’s up to you. If you’d like that, I’d be very happy to have you stay.”

I want to add, ‘and sleep with us’, but if I did, she’d know exactly what I meant and there’d be no way to claim a misunderstanding. Wait, when she said ‘sleep with you’, what did she mean? Because she was devoid of emotional content, there was no way for me, or anyone else, to know! But if I said it, she’d know exactly what was on my mind. I wasn’t myself right now. Aeyli had warned me about taking things in steps. I thought that the proper step was probably to ask her to marry me and run outside the gate or whatever and make it happen.

Instead, I tried to stay more calm and said, “Alexia, I feel like I want to get to know you. If you’d rather not, um sleep here, you’re free do as you like. So yes, I do want you to stay here, but only because I think that it would be very nice to have you live with us. I mean, um, get to know you better. I want you to feel at home here. I mean while you are here, if you want to stay. If you will eat and sleep here, please feel free to treat this as your home and sleep anywhere you want to. Um, from now on.”

I was flustered. She made my heart race. I was making a fool of myself. I really hoped that she didn’t get offended. Damn, I may have just blown it badly.

She said simply, “I will stay with you.”

I said quickly, “I’m so happy to hear that. We have plenty of rooms. You can have a room and stay wherever you want to and we’ll make you as comfortable as we can. There’s um, something else. Oshen told us that you could work for me for 40 days.”

She corrected me saying, “At least 40.”

I continued, “Yes, but I don’t know if the work will take you all day long, every day. If it would be OK with you, I’d be really pleased if you would spend days when I have no work for you, doing other things that we’ll be doing. If you’d like to.”

She said, “If I have no other work, I will do what you want. I understand that you would not want to send me back to Oshen before the time he has given has ended. There’s no reason to risk hard feelings. I can do other tasks if you like. I can clean.”

I said, “Well, I was wondering about other things. You heard that I’m teaching Aeyli to use weapons? I’ll be teaching Rani and Belle as well. I wonder if you’d like me to teach you.”

Alexia brightened just a tiny bit and smiled somewhat slyly and said, “I would like to learn anything that I can from you. If you will teach me, I will… enjoy it.”

And, there was the first hint of meaning in her telepathy that I had been able to detect. She meant that she was open to having me teach her whatever I would, because she wanted to have the time and intimacy that would be involved in the learning.

I smiled and said, “Then, I’ll teach you. And, if we go for a short journey, outside the village gates, even over night?”

She said, “Then I’ll go with you unless you tell me to stay here.”

I said, “Good. Oh good. Then if we go, we can all go together. And we’ll eat together and train together and sleep um, in the same place whether we’re here or away. And I want you to help us decide what we need in order to make our new home the way that it should be. I value our time together.”

She said, “Mark, you asked for me specifically.”

I said, “Yes. You want to know the reason. I asked for you because these girls say that they love you and they say that of all the people in the village, you are the one person that they think that I should to get to know first. For some reason, they believe that you and I should be friends more than any others. Does that change your decision to stay with us?”

She looked at me for a long time. I remained silent and let her consider what she would say.

Finally she said, “It does. My decision is clear now. I will stay. Mark, you’re a strange man. You try to hide your meaning; and that can’t be done. You know that I hide my meaning, and yet you don’t press me. You invite me to make my choice. You say that the choice is shall I stay here or eat here or travel with you outside the gates or take part in your weapon training. And yet, that isn’t what you ask. It was Rani who said that I was the one to work for you. I heard it from the other room. But you say that you asked for me. I know that you aren’t lying. You asked for me even though you never said a word.”

She stood silent for a while longer and looked into my eyes giving nothing away.

Again, she decided to speak. “Mark, you and I are similar. We make men uncomfortable. In the council, they say that you spoke truth that other men would not say, and now you hold back what other men would say. That makes them uncomfortable. I don’t say what other women would say, but now I won’t hold back. It makes them uncomfortable. I look in your eyes and see what you are saying. I heard you when you first saw me. But you haven’t believed what you hear from me because I haven’t told you.”

She went silent again. I knew that she was processing and that I should keep quiet as well.

After a long pause, she said, “You knew the outcome, but you thought that I wouldn’t know it. I knew the outcome, but thought that you wouldn’t know it. Mark, do you want my answer? Or do you want to pretend? We both know what my answer and yours will be. Shall we say it now? I swear that it won’t change in 40 days. And I know that yours will never change either.”

I said, “Alexia, you are an amazing woman and I will have a great deal to say when the time comes. If you know my question, I’m very happy for it. If I knew your answer, I’d be even happier. However, Aeyli has warned me sternly that things must be done by steps.”

Alexia waited and said, “Aeyli and Rani and Belle are my only friends in the village. They do love me. Aeyli is very wise. Things must be done in steps. But you and I know where our steps will go. Doing things in steps doesn’t mean that I can’t answer your question.”

Aeyli, Rani, and Belle watched all of this and now stood with their mouths open, not knowing exactly what was happening. Alexia was speaking to me and to no one else, and she spoke in a way that even Aeyli couldn’t fully follow. Without the telepathic content, it was like a different language; one that the girls didn’t understand. None of them dared to ask though. It was between me and this strange girl. They were friends with Alexia and must be used to not knowing what she was thinking.

Alexia said, “I will give you my answer. My friends, do you know the question?”

Alexia never took her eyes from mine.

Rani said, “No. What’s happening?”

Alexia said, “You may not know the question that Mark has asked me with every word and every glance and every breath since I walked from the back room and removed my apron, but you will understand by my answer. Mark, here is my answer,” and the tall beauty unbuckled her belt and dropped it on the floor.

Alexia stood facing me, completely naked now… and I had her answer. She accepted my invitation to be my mate, though I had thought that hadn’t even really said it. I thought that I hid it behind my words.

The two of us stood several feet apart staring at each other, neither moving. I finally glanced over her shoulder where the other girls stood, but they were no help in telling me what to do. At a loss for anything else to do, I dropped my belt as well.

Alexia finally smiled very broadly and in the happiest tone that I had heard from her yet said, “And now we have our answer. Yes, I will be yours, My Prince. Yes, I will be with Aeyli, Rani, and Belle in your house. Yes, my name will be Alexia-ah-Mark. Yes, you will have my body and my breast. Yes, I know that you must not touch me until steps are taken. Yes, I felt my milk even as I stood before you at Oshen’s shop and he said that you could ‘take me’. Yes, I have heard your invitation and I have heard your vows. Yes, you may call me ‘Princess’. Now we have my answer, and now what do we do?”

I breathed a sigh of relief that the tension was broken said, “Let’s start by sitting down.”

Everyone laughed in their own relief and we moved to sit in the living room to discuss our situation. Alexia left her belt on the floor where it lay.

Belle noticed and dropped hers as well and said, “We’re all one. Why should we wear belts? Alexia is a mate, not a guest.”

The other girls agreed and soon all five of us were naked.

Rani said, “I’m so happy, but this is awful. Alexia is betrothed and ready for the furs. Do we really have to wait? Why can’t we just not tell anyone, but be together now anyway?”

Aeyli said, “I know. It’s very tempting. I half want to run out and have Alexia follow and have it all done outside the village gates. We could leave for the ruins and come back several days from now. But we’d better not. And if Mark so much as takes her in his arms, we will suffer for it. The village is very happy now, but if Mark has four mates, more than the head of the council, and it’s not done properly, sentiment could turn against us. Let me think.”

Alexi said, “I am like the shrine maidens. Never to be mated. And now to be mated to the only man that I could ever have chosen. I don’t care about this, about when and where. I’m mated and that’s that. But out of curiosity, will you be able to tell the council that I will be happy? Will we really be between the furs twice each month? Each one of us?”

Belle said, “Alexia, you haven’t asked why we need a woodworker. Ask that first.”

Alexia shrugged and said, “OK, if you say so. Why do you need a woodworker? What do you need? Though I don’t see how that’s relevant to this.”

Belle said, “Oh, I’m glad that you asked. You see, we have a problem. Our beds aren’t big enough. If we consider how many times the three of us have been between the furs already, we need beds for Mark and at six mates! We called you here because we need beds to hold at least seven. But that’s only if we lie to the council. If we tell the truth, we need more.”

Alexia said, “Belle, I know that you believe that, but you must be mistaken.” She said it in that factual monotone that characterized all of her communication.

Aeyli said, “She’s not mistaken. We have agreed to six for now. We love you and wanted you to be number four. We are convinced that there must be two more besides. But Belle is right. I will find a way not to tell the council just how many it should be according to council law.”

Alexia said, “Six? Oh. I’ll trust you. Have you chosen who they will be? I think of Myndee or Manya or Sashar. Ah, forgive me. I over step my bounds. It’s not my place to suggest.”

I said, “Alexia, it is your place! This is your place now. Yes, Aeyli says that we have to wait to move forward, but you have called me prince and I call you my princess. It is certainly your right and obligation to suggest such things. We are our own council and you are a member, the same as we are.”

After a pause, I said, “Alexia, I have so many things that I want to say to you! But if I’m not allowed to touch you, I shouldn’t touch you with my words either.”

Alexia said, “Yes, that’s wise. But be foolish. If you were going to say things, what would you say to me?” and she gave her biggest smile so far.

I said, “If I were free to say them it would be that I love you. I fell in love before I ever saw you. These girls saw it and know that it’s true. Before we came to the woodworker’s shop, I knew that I loved you because of how they described you to me. But I had no idea how truly I would love you until I saw you there and heard your voice. My breath was taken away! Your beauty is beyond words. If you doubt it, I’ll stand up and let my body betray me and show you how attractive I find you. I can never compare you to these girls, because every one of you is as beautiful to me as every other, but compared to other women, you outshine them all. I love how tall you stand; even taller than me! But it just makes you so much more beautiful. The way that you think and the way that you talk fascinates me. I want to know you! Quick, let me put my token around your ankle and let me take you to my bed, because I don’t want to wait! That’s what I would say if I could. If I were foolish and not willing to wait to do what’s best for us.”

Chapter 20

Short Engagements

Alexia said, “Hm, yes, I can imagine how that might be nice to hear, if you could say things like that. Would you like to hear what I might say? I might say, My Prince, my breasts are heavy, please relieve me. You can say pretty things to me later and I will cherish them all, but right now use your lips to take my milk! And when you have drunk and my trembling has subsided, throw me down in the furs and teach me what the old women only hinted at. Show me what I thought that I would never feel or see. I would say something like that. Oh, that thing about me having my own room, that’s nonsense, right? That would be cruel and I won’t be treated that way.”

Belle said, “Then you better make us a bigger bed before you plan to go to sleep!”

Alexia actually laughed and said, “I’ll work day and night until the task is done. But hurrying the way that I will, it may not be my best work.”

Rani said, “Joking aside, can we put two beds together for now and put furs over the middle to make it seem like one?”

The girls agreed that it would be fine to start that way.

I said, “But if Alexia and I can’t even hold each other, how can we all sleep in one bed?”

Aeyli said, “You will sleep in the middle, and one of us will sleep on each side; one of us between you and Alexia. Um, but, if while we’re all asleep, some accidental touching happens between the two of you, we won’t make a fuss over it. It was an innocent accident and nothing more. Rani, Belle, and I wouldn’t even be aware of it. If Alexia accidentally explores Mark’s penis while we sleep in order to get used to what’s soon to come… soon to come pressing at her fence, I mean… then it is just an accident and nothing else and we won’t even be aware of it; as long as it doesn’t go so far that I’m not able to deny it if asked in the council.”

Alexia said, “Yes, I can see that. And, if Mark accidentally touched me, perhaps thinking it to be one of you, as long as my fence is intact and my milk has not been taken as far as I know, though again, if it happens while I sleep, by accident, no one’s to blame and we won’t make a fuss.”

Belle said, “And if mark accidentally spreads Alexia’s legs and trips and his mouth lands on her tender pussy and…”

Aeyli shouted, “No, that does go too far! That will have to wait.”

Alexia said, “What? His mouth between my legs? What does that do?”

Aeyli said, “We’ll show you later. For now, just know that he will not be doing that yet by accident or otherwise.”

Belle said, “But seriously, we do need to ask. Since Alexia will be sleeping with us and living with us, what about when we make love? Can she stay, or does she wait outside? I still need to see how tables and chairs may be used.”

Aeyli said, “That’s up to Alexia. Will you want to be an observer, or will you want to wait until you can fully participate?”

Alexia said, “Mark has asked me if I will let him teach me and I have said yes. I say, the sooner I start my lessons, the better.”

There was a lull in the conversation and Alexia finally said, “Show me what you want me to make. I still need to work. You want a bed for seven, maybe two of them. Show me where.”

We started upstairs in the room we were sharing. Alexia looked around at the room and then asked to see the rest of the house. We showed her all of the rooms and then the rooftop. Alexia took it all in and never said a word. After seeing the roof and hearing plans for a patio with a bed, she went to the low wall and looked out over the city.

She said, “We’ll bring a bed from below. It won’t fit through the hatch. It will be raised over the side from the garden. I will shorten the legs.”

The strange monotone communication was back for the moment.

She continued, “The room you sleep in is too small. We will move to the center room on the second floor at the back overlooking the garden. We will need a builder.”

I said, “Narhu has said that he will do any renovations that we want. He has started drawing plans already.”

Alexia said, “I’ll speak with him. The wall between the center room and the one on left of it will be removed. The wall to the right will have an archway put in. It will be a sitting room for conversation and relaxing. The three rooms will be combined into one. A bed for seven won’t fit through a door. I’ll take two beds and modify them so that they fasten to each other securely. Two mattresses will be used, and a third, thinner one will be added to the top. And a fourth on top of that. It will make it feel like one bed with no joints. The bed will be at the height of our waists. I will make the legs longer. Platforms for steps will be added at each side.”

Alexia didn’t ask questions. She told us her vision and expected that it was the correct way and that it would be done exactly the way that she saw it in her mind.

She said, “A bed for three will be across the hall, and another in the room beside it. The final room on the second floor will wait. If thirteen will live here, we will see how things seem after more come. For now I’ll plan for seven only.”

She looked over the city and thought further.

She said, “The table is for twelve already. Perhaps the number for the house is twelve total. Mark plus eleven. We’ll see. I only see Mark plus eight, not eleven. We’ll know who they are. I’ll build better storage. A storage room for food and a storage room for weapons and trophies and extra sleeping furs and such. There will be hidden places for valuables that a thief will never find. There is the matter of my gift for my prince, but nothing will be said about that. When can I meet with Narhu?”

I was surprised by how clear her plans were and said, “He expects us this afternoon.”

She said, “Fine. I know him, but come with me and introduce me as your foreman and tell him that I will show him what’s required. I’ll be gracious with him and honor you in how I deal with him. He will be a respected friend.”

I was a bit taken aback by Alexia’s directness and self-confidence, but it was actually very attractive. I looked to Aeyli and she nodded that it seemed good to her to let Alexia handle it as she thought best. And then Alexia surprised me again.

She turned her head from where she had been staring over the wall and looked at me as I stood beside her and she smiled. Then with full emotional content, she said, “How does that sound to you, My Prince? Do you have other ideas? What’s in your heart? Tell me and I will make it so. I wish that I could kiss you.”

The last bit was added as a matter of fact, just like the rest, as if it was part of the same thought.

I smiled and said, “Alexia, My Princess to be, you have described a perfect plan. I will ask our friend Narhu to give you a free hand to say what will be done. It feels very good to me.”

Alexia smiled, and in a surprising move, reached behind me below the wall where no one would see and squeezed my butt cheek. “It feels very good to me too,” she said. Then, “Mark, how strong are you?” She seemed to be concerned that her own strength might be a problem.

I laughed and said, “I will hoist the bed to the roof by myself. Come here.”

I walked back toward the part of the patio farthest from the road and turned her toward me and placing my hands on her waist, I lifted her high above my head. I tossed her two feet in the air and then caught her as she came down.

She looked at me and smiled and said, “Ah, strong enough I suppose. I won’t worry on that account. I will be a good mate for you. She who would never find love has a prince in a day. There will be a poem written. Perhaps,

She was taller than men,

She would never marry.

They said she was odd,

And all were wary.

A true prince sees true beauty

and needs no agreement.

On the furs of his bed,

she finds her fulfillment.

She was taller than men,

stronger than most.

Now she moans all night long,

being rubbed by his post.

Woodworker she was,

now wood she has found,

working it daily,

he works in her mound.

Perhaps something like that, but far less tame. We’ll see,” and we both laughed.

We all talked some more and Alexia was quickly becoming more comfortable at having a family for the first time.

Aeyli said that she should probably go to see her grandfather and grandmothers and begin laying the groundwork for declaring for Alexia as a mate.

I said, “Tell your grandfather that I would like to teach the village something as soon as this evening, if that would be OK. If the village would like to come and hear me. Do the steps we have to take really need to be postponed? As long as we take the right steps, can they be done soon? Tonight? Can you tell him that after the teaching, that we would like to declare for another mate. The excuse for the meeting will be so that I can teach, but we will handle the declaration at the end. What do you think, will he agree?”

Aeyli said, “I think so. I think that Tronuck will be OK with it if I talk to him. The village will want to come hear you tonight, and it will be a good excuse. If we say that we have another council meeting, it will be strange, but that’s a good plan. Alexia, if all goes well, we will have it done tonight!”

I said, “I hope so. Let’s go take Alexia to Narhu and then I’ll start teaching this afternoon.”

Aeyli said, “Mark, the Academy hall hasn’t even been started and no one will be gathered there.”

I said, “Aeyli, it’s better to teach in a market than in a hall. Take me to a fruit stand. That’s where we will teach today. And afterward, the whole village will want to come tonight. After we buy a piece of fruit, then you go see Tronuck and Dorel. While you’re with them, Rani and Belle can show me more of the village. Oh, I need small coins for buying in the market.”

Aeyli said, “I have them in my pouch left over from what you gave me yesterday. I’ll give them to you.”

Alexia said, “After I talk to Narhu, I will arrange for mattresses to be made. I will need coins for that as well.”

We went down stairs and all put on our belts and walked back into the village.

We took Alexia to Narhu and I explained that I wanted him to allow her input regarding the renovations and that she had my full authority to make decisions for me. From there we went to the market and the girls took me directly to a fruit vendor.

The vendor was a very pretty girl, and very pleasant. I made sure to say hello to people and clapped the men on the back as we made our way through the street. By the time we stood in front of the fruit stall, a small crowd had already gathered to see what I was doing in the market.

I idly picked about the fruit and held several pieces as I asked Rani, Belle, and the girl about the different kinds available. I chose one that intrigued me and searched for a little while and then held the one that I had chosen out to the girl and said, “Just the one, please. I’ll pay ten times what you ask for these others.”

The girl looked puzzled. I had said it loud enough for those around me to hear, but not so loud that it was obvious.

The girl said, “Sir, there’s nothing special about this one. It’s no better than the others. You may have it for free.”

I said, “That’s very generous, and you may call me Mark. But it is a very special fruit and I will pay ten times for it.”

I could hear murmuring begin behind me. “It isn’t special. It’s the same.” “Our friend Mark must not know his fruit. Belle will help him.” “What’s the commotion?” “He tries to pay ten times the worth for a single piece of fruit.”

The girl said, “Sir… Mark, I won’t contradict you. If you say it is special, then it is special, but…”

I said, “Then I’ll pay a special price. I pay ten times for it and will accept nothing less!” and I counted the money into her hand a piece at a time.

“How can this fruit be special, and how can he know?” “And if he knows, why make a point of paying ten times, he could have gotten the special fruit for the price of one.” “She offered it to him for free he didn’t need to pay at all.”

I said to the girl, “Thank you. Now, do you want to know what makes this fruit so special?”

She said, “I do!”

I said, “And will you try not to be angry if you feel that I cheated you by only paying ten times and not more?”

She said, “Even if a gem is hidden inside it, I didn’t know it. I won’t feel cheated. But what makes this piece so special?”

I said, “This one piece of fruit is special because it is the one piece of fruit in your entire stall that a man paid ten times for.”

The girl laughed and said, “That is a very special piece of fruit! Two can play this game, and I can play it more cheaply than you. Here, have your money back and I will make it special in my way. For I will give no more fruit for free today. It will be the one piece of fruit that was given to Mark our new friend for free!”

I laughed with her and said, “No, I’m sorry, but we both win this game. You have taken my money and agreed to the price of ten times, and I have a piece of fruit that is the talk of the entire village by nightfall.”

I turned to the crowd and held up my fruit and said, “Let me tell you what I know about fruit. It’s a good story, gather round.

There was once a woman, from my old village who taught me about fruit. I’m only doing what I was taught. This woman wanted a piece of fruit and she went to the market and engaging the seller, she chose a piece of fruit and offered ten times the price. The seller in my village was not a generous man and he loved money so he took the money quickly and hid it away. I said to the woman, ‘Why pay so much for the fruit? How can it be worth so much?’ The woman said to me, ‘Here, listen,’ and she held the fruit to my ear.”

I held the fruit up as if listening to it.

I continued, “I listened carefully and I could hear a tiny voice from the fruit! I was astonished at that and listened very hard. The tiny voice was saying, ‘This woman thinks that I’m very valuable. I’ll make it so. I’ll work hard and make my juices sweeter than any fruit has ever been. When she eats me, she will think that she got her money’s worth and more!’ and the woman smiled at me and walked away thinking that she would enjoy her fruit even more than the amount that she had paid for it.

I thought that it was very strange to hear the voice of a fruit, so I stayed near the stand to see if I could learn more. Soon, another woman came and looked at the fruit. She frowned and grunted as she picked through the box and finally chose a piece. It looked like she had picked the best piece in the box and said, ‘How much?’

The seller said, ‘Oh, a very fine piece,’ and since he had just sold one for ten times, he pressed his luck thinking he would get two times what he should at least, and said, ‘it will be this much.’ The woman grunted and said, ‘Bah! That’s twice what a good piece would cost! I won’t pay it. This piece is bitter, but it’s all I can afford. I will give you a fifth of half what you ask, no more!’

Of course, it was not all that she could afford. She also loved money and had plenty… because she always paid less than others for everything. And it always seemed to her that no matter how good the fruit looked, it was always bitter in her mouth anyway.

The two haggled for a long time, but the woman never budged and finally the seller gave her the fruit for one fifth its worth just to have her go away and quit saying such bad things about his fruit and himself.

I paid no attention to what they said, but rather listened to the fruit and what it had to say. The fruit said, ‘This woman thinks that I will be bitter. I won’t disappoint her! I’ll be so bitter that she never wants fruit again. Let her save her money if she loves it so much. If she thinks that I’m worth so little, I’ll prove her right! She won’t enjoy me, I swear it!’

So, tell me, one woman paid ten times, and one paid one fifth. Who wasted their money and who got a bargain? The one who bought a piece of fruit that tasted better than any had ever been? Or the one forced to eat fruit so bitter that it made her despair of her sad, lonely life?”

A child in the crowd yelled, “The sweet one was better!”

I said, “See, a child knows! It’s easy to take hold of! Now, there was something else. Each of these women had a mate. One woman had a mate who treated her like a princess and she treated him like a prince. When he came home at night, she treated him like the most important man in the village, even though they were not rich. She told him what a great man he was and how she was more blessed than any woman in the village and though I blush to tell you this part, when they went to their furs, this woman was subjected to ‘the little death’ many times each month!”

The crowd laughed and a child asked, “What does that mean?” but he was quickly hushed.

I said, “But consider the other woman. She went to her home and when her mate came, she dropped a plate of bitter fruit and a piece of dry bread in front of him and sat and complained about her day and he told her how miserable he was with their lives. After dinner, they both went to a cold bed and slept with their backs to each other and thought bitterly of how long it had been since either one of them had any pleasure.

Now, you have the story. A test. Who can tell me which man had the warm bed and why?”

A woman yelled out, “It was the one who told his mate that when he drank her nectar that it was worth ten times what he paid for it!” and everyone laughed again.

I smiled and said, “Just so! This is so easy to understand. It’s not a hidden mystery! This man, though he wasn’t rich, never complained about how much his princess paid for fruit. The fruit he sucked at was worth so much more than that!”

Then I held up my one piece of fruit and looked at it and said, “Thank you for listening to my story. I’ve stayed too long. My fruit gets ripe as we stand gabbing. It’s time that I take these princesses home and share my fruit with them. But, I would encourage you men here to run quickly and buy the same fruit that I do before it’s all gone. It may not last forever.”

Then to the girl I said, “You’ll sell a lot of fruit today. Take whatever price they offer you and don’t discourage them. You will make many women happy this afternoon.”

I turned before she could answer, but she smiled very big, and Aeyli, Rani, and Belle, and I walked away toward Tronuck’s house.

Belle said, “Is it true? Will you take us home and share your fruit?!” as she clung to my arm.

I leaned down and kissed her briefly and said, “Not immediately. But soon enough. Aeyli, do you still think that you should talk to your grandfather?”

She said, “More than ever! The whole village will know your story by this evening. Give it half an hour and Tronuck will have heard it. I’ll go to him in a little while and suggest a meeting. Do you have another story for tonight?”

I said, “I have a very good story for tonight.”

Aeyli said, “Do you want to declare for Sashar tonight as well as Alexia. It can be done if you want to. Two more in one night is unheard of, except when you did it last night, but it would be a fun thing to do.”

I said, “This is about the third time that you have mentioned Sashar, but I have never met her. Even if I said OK, even if I said I would declare for her sight unseen, she hasn’t chosen me.”

All three girls laughed and said, “Sashar, the girl who sells fruit at ten times its price will choose you if she’s given the chance. Once you have stolen a girl’s heart it’s cruel not to follow through! She will choose you!”

I thought about the girl at the fruit stand. She was as beautiful as the others in her own way. Her smile is what was captivating now that I thought about it. I hadn’t given it any thought at the time, but I had found myself wanting her to like me at an unconscious level.

I said, “But, she would like me because she sold a lot of fruit.”

Aeyli said, “Mark, things are not as complicated here as on Earth I think. Let me ask, when you met your mate on Earth, how long did you know her before you declared for her as your mate?”

I thought about it and said, “We met at an office party, um, a dinner gathering. Two months later we began spending some time together. After a year, I asked if she would accept me. Eight months later, we were mated. So, it took just about two years, but that was fast for many on Earth.”

Rani said, “They are an insane people!”

Aeyli said, “You don’t know some of the insanities that he has told me about Earth. It is a disgusting place in how people treat each other. It’s a wonder that they haven’t had their own Fall of Time.”

Belle said, “No, Mark, we’ll do this properly. It was important that Alexia was given time to think because she’s an odd girl and would never consent if it had been done right. But for Sashar, it will be done right. You are in our hands. And… never mind, my thoughts drifted. It will be done right. Tonight after you teach, Aeyli will say that you declare for Alexia and then you will call Sashar and she will say if she will accept you: the way that it should be done.”

Rani said, “She will accept. I know she will. When she accepts, then Aeyli will declare for Sashar as well.”

Aeyli said, “This is wonderful. The world should always change every day!”

I said, “But not by adding two princesses!”

Belle said, “No, not every day. But we said six to start. We have four with Alexia and five with Sashar. That’s good enough for now. Besides, Mark has a lot to teach at home as well as at the market.”

Rani said, “And speaking of that, Mark, that was something that has never been seen! What you taught benefits not you or a single person, but the entire village. You told a story and nothing more, and that one story will change the village! It’s a big thing!”

I said, “Then someday I will tell you a story about a butterfly who changed the world.”

Chapter 21

A Short Visit with Tronuck

We arrived at the House of Tronuck and were greeted by Dorel and Farloa and Aneese, his three mates. Dorel called for Tronuck and when he came, he clasped my arm and greeted me with a hug.

He said, “Son-in-law, welcome to my home! Have you come to surprise me some more? I see that you haven’t brought any new mates! Not yet! I’m in a good mood. Sit down and visit and let me know you better.”

We moved into the living room of his home and sat all together. Farloa went to prepare refreshments and soon returned.

Tronuck said, “Again, welcome. Welcome former shrine maidens. Did you sleep well? Is your morning pleasant? Oh, yes, I’ve already heard some of it. Councilman Renwa was here a few minutes ago. He told me a story about talking fruit, but I think that he got most of it wrong because he said that he was in a hurry to get home for some reason. He seemed happy, but distracted. He said that he was most interested to see if any of his mates were home in the middle of the day. He didn’t say why.”

Aneese said, “The reason was apparent to me. Mark’s story must have been one to make the blood boil.”

Farloa said, “I was in the market today. I heard the story. I will tell it later. It’s a very good story.”

Tronuck said, “But more than a story from what I hear. Renwa said that the story teaches great lessons. I look forward to hearing it.”

Aeyli said, “That’s why we are here, Grandfather. Mark has another teaching story that he would like to tell this evening if the village would like to gather and hear it. Are the people ready for more entertainments and surprises?”

Tronuck laughed, “From what I heard today, if we don’t call to gather at the hall, the village will appear at your door and try to crowd themselves into the tiny house! We can either post a guard and block your street so that you can rest in peace or we can invite them to the council hall where a riot will be avoided. I am in a very good mood and I wish to hear a story of great wisdom. Or adventure! I don’t care which, but I want to hear it firsthand. Dorel, will you put out the word?”

Dorel said, “I will. It’s easy to delegate such things. I want to sit and know Mark better too. Tronuck says that he’s in a very good mood, and so are the women of his house this morning. And last night as well. It has been a good time here since our meeting. So, I will delegate. Rani and Belle, will you run to the market and make the announcement that we will gather tonight for stories and surprises?”

Rani and Belle jumped up and said, “Right away! And then we’ll run home and wait for our prince to come!” and they ran out the door to spread the word.

Tronuck said, “Do I need to be warned about these surprises, or should I wait the same as everyone else? See what a good mood I’m in? I think that you shouldn’t tell me unless you think that I need to know. It’s my bet that we can’t even know all of the surprises that may come. In fact, I hope not!”

I looked at Tronuck and said, “Grandfather, come aside with me for a minute. I’d like to speak to you about a surprise for your own house.”

I took Tronuck to the side and leaned close and whispered, “This good mood of yours, if it’s not inappropriate of me to ask, is it because you have had milk today?”

Tronuck smiled and said, “I don’t mind telling you that it is. And if you have advice for me, I’ll be happy to hear it. I invite you to instruct me the way that old women instruct the girls when they come of age. I have had a taste of milk for the first time in a long time and I find that I like it better than I remembered.”

I smiled and said, “Like the old women, ah, then I’ll say it as a rhyme.”

He said, “Oh, how saucy. Say the rhyme and I’ll see how it sounds to me.”

I thought for a moment and then said,

“I place my head between her hips,

I take my kisses from lower lips.

The lips above are good and fine,

But these lower lips flow like wine.

I take my time with tender care,

I know that she is tender there.

She is sensitive, take my time,

But when she comes, she’ll die divine.

Once the heat has built and blown,

It’s not my lips that beg to roam.

The way is open, warm, and wet,

My shaft is ready, it’s hard my pet!”

Tronuck pulled his head back and looked at me as if a bit shocked. He said, “My boy! A bawdy rhyme indeed! But let me see what it is you are saying. You are saying to kiss with my lips on the ‘lower lips’? I have never heard it said like that. They do look like lips turned sideways.”

I whispered, “They are made for kissing my friend. Go slowly and give your mates a surprise that they won’t forget. Keep at it until they have had an ample amount happiness. And when it’s time, and it won’t be too long, they will pull you to them and beg you to be happy inside them. Trust me on it.”

He said, “I’ll try it. I’ll try it as soon as you leave I think, and I’ll report what I find when I see you. But, what if they won’t see it the same way that I do and push me away?”

I said, “You see how they whisper to Aeyli at the other side of the room? I think that she is telling them the same that I’m telling you now. At the very least, she’s telling them that I’m sharing something with you and that if they’re smart they won’t resist you, no matter what you try. You’ll be fine.”

He said, “I admit that I have never heard of this, but is this what you will teach to men in private at the Academy?”

I said, “If it will help them, then yes. You tell me what you think when I see you tonight. If you tell me that it wasn’t what I claim, well then I’ll have you tell me what you did and I’ll tell you that you did it wrong!”

He clapped me on the back and laughed and said that he certainly would.

We decided that there was no more that really needed to be discussed. We talked about the generous offers from Narhu and Oshen. We mentioned that Alexia was assigned to work for us, but said nothing more about her.

Dorel said, “She is a very odd girl. The shrine maidens have always been partial to her. Somehow they seem to share a fate.”

Then she stopped and looked at Aeyli as if a strange thought had just come to her. Aeyli smiled and winked at her and the conversation turned to other things.

After a little more, Aeyli said that she wanted to talk to her grandmother in private and invited the other women to join her. I said my goodbyes and asked for directions to make sure that I could find my way back to Narhu’s shop.

Tronuck said, “Oh, I thought that you said that you had been there once before. No matter, go this way and that and you’ll find it.”

I had forgotten that if anyone on Barsoom has been to a place then he knows where it is at all times. I made a note to myself to be careful not to ask directions like that again, but to ask only Aeyli, Rani, and Belle who knew that I was from a different world.

I found my way by passing through the market. As I passed the fruit stand, Sashar was closing up, apparently having sold more fruit than usual and she waved at me brightly and I waved back. I went on and found Narhu’s and found he and Alexia in an office still discussing plans.

Narhu said, “Mark, Alexia is a much different girl than I had thought. She has a very good eye and a sense of space and light and traffic better than any I have ever seen. When she’s done working for you, I’ll try to convince her to come to work for me and then I’ll fight with Oshen to let her go. She is remarkable.”

I said, “She is very remarkable. I don’t know that she will ever be done working for me if I have a say in it. She is more valuable to me than you can imagine.”

He said, “Speaking of which, two of my workers came back from a break and told us how you told stories in the marketplace. It seemed like a very good teaching to me. They repeated it in great detail. I wish that I had heard it firsthand. Even so, I will take it to heart.”

I said, “There will be a meeting at the council hall tonight so that I can tell another story if you care to come.”

He said, “Oh, I will come! And both of my mates. I won’t miss it!”

I said, “I’m very glad to hear it. You honor me. I hope that it will be good for the village. Are you done here? I was hoping to walk back to the house with Alexia, if you are finished.”

He said, “We finished quite some time ago! She has been consulting with me on plans for the Academy and for several other projects. I’ve had great benefit from you today by allowing her to help me while she worked for you. I’m in your debt even more.”

Alexia and I said goodbye and that we would see Narhu at the meeting. Actually, no, I said those things and Alexia stood silently beside me.

When we were outside, Alexia said, “Mark, I heard them repeat the story you told. Was it truly about me?”

I said, “It was very much about you! I’m happy that you know it!”

She said, “Say it to me so that I can know that it’s the truth, though I really know it already.”

It was so strange to hear her say things that should carry so much emotion, but from her lips and mind gave away so little.

I said, “Alexia, my princess, I would pay ten times any price asked to have you by my side. You are precious beyond measure. I am a rich man as you will see. I would give it all if that is what was required to live in a hut with you for the rest of our lives.”

She said, “Now I know it. I would like to take your arm and hold onto you the way that Rani and Belle do. I hope that my milk is good. It gets heavy. Mark, I fear that you will pay a high price for me.”

I asked, “What do you mean? What price?”

She said, “I am an odd girl. I don’t speak like others. If I take your arm, the village will think differently of you. They will whisper. Though I know the answer, tell me. Will you care?”

I said, “Alexia, I taught in the market and you’ve heard the story. You know that my story is about you and how I will find the sweetest fruit in the box. You know that this is about you. The whole village will know that the story is about you and when you take my arm all men will wish that they were me.”

She smiled and a bit of emotion came through as she said, “And you think that all women will wish that they were me. It’s you who are truly odd, My Prince. When you speak, it’s so hard to hold back and not have you take me in your arms, even though I have never known what it would be like to even imagine it!”

We walked on and greeted anyone who passed us.

Alexia said, “Mark, I am patient. Some would say more patient than anyone in the village. But Mark, my body doesn’t know it I don’t think. I’m suddenly two people. Patient Alexia who will wait for you forever, and Alexia’s body who, if you listen like you listen to fruit, says that she grows more and more uncomfortable to be able to release the sweet nectars that she makes within her body to prove that she’s worth of the price that you’ve paid. So let me give her hope. How long do you think that she will have to wait? It is not me who asks, but her.”

I laughed and said, “Tell her that I’ll find a way to release her from her prison very, very soon. On the day that the bed can be moved to the roof, and the day that the big bed will be ready, she’ll already be free before the sun rises the next day! Is that OK? Can the captive princess wait just that long?”

Alexia laughed a tiny laugh and turned into what I thought was the wrong street and quickened her pace.

She said, “I like how even a short answer is a story with you. It’s the way that I think too. My thoughts are all stories. People would say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but a story is a better way. Until now, I have hidden my speech because people have no ear for my stories. I tried when I was a child, but others would say, ‘just tell us yes or no’ and I couldn’t do it. I’m able to talk to you in stories about being two people and a princess in her prison. We should hurry.”

I said, “Why do we need to hurry?”

Alexia said dryly, “Because it’s faster! Why do you think? Is there another reason to hurry?” and she laughed.

I laughed as well. There was a great sense of humor hinted at; a dry humor that I found delightful.

Then she said, “If we hurry, we will arrive sooner. And if we arrive sooner, then the weaver will finish the mattresses sooner. And If I say that they need to hurry, then they will finish even faster. Now that you have tell me that I’ll be yours before the sun comes up on the morning after I finish the beds, I’m in a hurry to finish the beds! We hurry to talk to the weaver and then we hurry to the rope maker. Unless you intend to throw the bed onto the roof, we need a strong rope! Hurry!”

She was a girl who knew how to get things done.

She said, “You say that you’ll tell stories at a meeting tonight and I wouldn’t miss it, but I may not sleep tonight if there’s a way that I can hasten the beds.”

I knew that she wouldn’t wait even until midnight tonight, and I wanted very badly to tell her, but I also wanted to let her be surprised. I wanted her to hear the next story first and know that I was telling tonight’s story about her as well.

Soon we were at the weaver’s and Alexia described the two mattresses, twice the size but half the thickness of a normal large bed. The woman who ran the place asked what it was for and Alexia explained that she had been commissioned to make a bed big enough for four mates, me and the shrine maidens, and that this was the proper size. The woman smiled and didn’t question her. I could tell that she smiled genuinely at the thought of the four mates and had no inkling that it was really for seven if necessary. Based on what would happen tonight, there would be five, plus myself, by morning.

When we left, Alexia turned toward home.

She said, “I changed my mind. We’ll borrow the ropes from Narhu. He’ll loan them to you.”

With that I turned back toward Narhu’s shop and Alexia asked, “Where to now? The house is this way.”

I said, “Hurry, it will be faster! We should go to Narhu now. The sooner we get the rope, the sooner we’ll be ready to raise the bed. I have a princess to rescue from her prison and I do not want to keep her waiting!”

At that we started running and very quickly arrived back at the builder’s. Narhu was more than glad to loan me a rope. I assured him that I didn’t need any help with the project that it was for.

He said, “But Mark, what’s the project that you need a rope for? I can’t guess.”

I turned and said, “Oh, let me tell you. I’m putting a bed on my roof so that I can make love to my princesses under the moon in the cool of the evening!”

He said, “Oh, well, I won’t ask any more questions. But I may take a rope and pulley to my own house before long! I come to love you more and more! My mate thanks you again for convincing me not to die!”

Chapter 22

Alexia Asks for a Lesson

When we did arrive home, Belle and Rani were there.

As soon as we walked through the door, before it was completely closed, Alexia took off her belt and hung it on a hook on the wall. Belle and Rani looked surprised, and Alexia calmly stated, “It’s all that I’m allowed. I’ll take advantage of small gifts. Is the garden viewable from other homes?”

Belle said, “Um, no, it is very private… I don’t think that anyone could see in. Um, the house in the back is vacant and only one floor. There’s a high wall. This was basically a religious women’s enclave for 60 years, I was only here for the last 30, and it was designed as a separate and very private space for the shrine maidens. This district has fallen on hard times over the past 20 years and the homes on each side are vacant now as well.”

Alexia said simply, “OK.”

She walked to the back door and out into the garden naked. It was still a weird thing; to be naked and surrounded by naked people all day long, and to see the beautiful woman without a belt around her waist and think of her as ‘truly’ naked.

Alexia looked over the yard, and then turned to the house and scanned the wall. She sized the door with her eyes and then walked back into the house and up to the second floor. The rest of us simply followed. On the second floor, she examined each bedroom, and in the second room chose the bed that would go to the roof.

She turned to me and said, “We should hurry.” Her eyes smiled, but the rest of her face said nothing. She pulled the heavy mattress off of the bed, onto the floor, and looking at the heavy wooden bed frame asked, “Can we lift it?”

I stepped to the side of the bed and easily turned it on its side. I estimated that the thing would have weighed maybe 200 pounds on Earth, but here, that was just 35 pounds and I could lift and carry it without a problem. I put my shoulder under a side rail and stood up and walked toward the door. It was a simple matter to get through the door and into the hallway. When we came to the stairs, I wondered how I would navigate them, but Alexia said, “Put it down and slide it. I will repair any damage and the stairs already need to be replaced. You don’t need to be gentle.”

I set the bed down and got in front of it an hauled it down the flight of stairs. At the bottom, I lifted it again and carried it outside to the back garden. I set it down near the wall and Alexia sent me to the roof with the rope. I let one end of the rope down to her and she tied it to the bed, leaving about half of the rope on the ground.

She called up to me, “Pull. I’ll pull away from the wall to minimize damage to the wall.”

I stepped to the edge and looked down and took hold of the rope and pulled hand over hand. In under a minute, I had hold of the bed frame and lifted it onto the roof with me. I carried it to the center of the patio. I went back to the wall and looked over. Belle looked up and said, “Alexia went in to get the mattress.”

The mattress probably weighed a 100 pounds. The materials were a lot heavier than the foam and springs that I was used to on Earth. A few minutes later, Alexia came through the door carrying the thing on her shoulder. She was strong; those muscled thighs and abs weren’t just for looks! She tied the rope to the mattress and I easily pulled it up.

By the time the girls came to the hatch, I had the mattress on the bed. Each girl carried a fur for the bed when they came, and after taking their bundles from them, I helped each one step to the roof.

Alexia looked at the bed and then at the patio and then at the surrounding homes. She walked silently around for a moment and finally said, “Move it here.”

I didn’t know why it needed to be moved, but I didn’t need to know. I pushed the bed to the position that she indicated and then oriented it the way that she told me to.

She said, “Good. You can take off the mattress. Put it over there. Turn the bed over and I’ll cut down the legs to make them shorter.”

I said, “No, let’s leave it here for now. You can cut down the legs tomorrow. Alexia, listen to me. The bed will sit where it is until the princess is free. She will come from the prison straight to the roof and she will celebrate her freedom under the moons… if that’s what she would want.”

Alexia said, “That is very much what she would want. I’ll tell her.”

Belle said, “Who’s in prison? Where? What do you mean?”

I said, “Never mind for now. We have a little time until we need to go to the meeting, let’s go down to the living room.”

Alexia said simply, “We’ll put a table and some chairs for meals and a sofa for sitting and a low table in front of it here and there. This side will need a curtain on poles so that the view will be blocked. The curtain should be very light. A white one that we can see through, but that hides the details from anyone across that way. I’ll order it tomorrow.”

When we got downstairs, Rani went to make a light meal and the rest of went into the living room.

I sat in a chair, and Alexia sat opposite me, on a sofa. Belle wanted some lovemaking as we had suggested that we would get before the meeting and started making hints in that direction, but Alexia asked if she could talk for a minute first. Belle smiled and agreed happily. She loved Alexia and was willing to do anything she could for the odd girl.

Alexia looked intently at me and asked, “Mark, how does a girl get her mate’s attention?”

I said, “well, she can touch him lightly or give him a special look and a smile and a wink, and I suppose if she removes her belt, that would get his attention.”

Alexia said, “What if she can’t touch him and if a look is not enough and if she has already removed her belt? What else can she do to let her mate know that she is interested in his attentions.”

I looked at the 6’2” muscled busty goddess and saw the question that she was asking. What can I do now, even though I can’t touch you, to show you how much I want you?

I said, “The women of Barsoom are already without clothing. Their beauty is never hidden. Without their belts, they are even more naked. To get her mate’s attention, she shows him that she’s available for making love. She does that by showing him parts of herself that are not shown to others.”

Alexia smiled and parted her legs slightly and said, “Parts of herself that are not shown to others? I see,” and she spread her knees farther. “Yes, I see. Do you see my prince?”

I said, “I begin to see, and before you ask, I like what I begin to see. I would like to see even more.”

She smiled and said, “Even more?” and she pulled her legs wide apart and scooted to the edge of the sofa and leaned back to give me an even better view of her womanhood.

I said, “That’s what a girl can do. There is even more that she can show. Something that no one but her mate would ever see. Something to really get his attention.”

Alexia sat showing me all she had, but now looked puzzled. She said, “What more could she do?”

I said, “Belle, come here. Sit here on my lap and spread your legs the way that Alexia does. Lean back against my chest and relax here. I think that you’ll enjoy this.”

Belle jumped into my lap and spread her knees to the outside of mine. I stroked the tops and insides of her parted thighs with my fingers. Belle leaned back and closed her eyes as her arousal began to increase.

I looked directly at Alexia and talked her through the actions of my fingers and the reactions of Belle’s body.

I said, “Alexia, you see the folds of Belle’s womanhood? How puffy and full and how they close around the opening within? See here as I stroke along them, tickling gently at the delicate folds? And see how Belle responds? How she begins to squirm and moan as she’s touched? You see, as long as the gate is closed, it’s more than what may normally be seen, but even the closed gate might be glimpsed if a girl moves about as she works. Of course, when she sits like this then there’s no mistake; she wants her mate to notice. She’s saying, ‘Come look here, I have a gift for you. I have it hidden, but you can find it if you want to.’”

Alexia began to respond to my demonstrations. She breathed a little heavier and I noticed her nipples becoming firm. Her hands were on her thighs, and she stroked them idly.

I continued, “Now, the gate is still closed, but you can see that as I stroke her like this, her gate wants to open. Look now, see it? It starts to tell a louder story. These big outer lips are beginning to blush… and see the tiny inner lips? This tiny beautiful flower starts to bloom.”

Alexia’s breathing increased.

I went on, “See, look at Belle’s face. Her mate will see that face and think that he is a lucky man and that he must have her love very soon. Now look again where my fingers play. Follow me with your fingers.”

Alexia stared between Belle’s legs where I played and she moved a hand between her own legs and began to explore the feelings there.

I said, “Watch how I touch the outer flower and slide my finger along the slit… up and down. This is a something that no one but a mate will ever see. Have you ever seen this flower? It’s for his eyes only. Look as I run my finger around the petals. See how it unfolds more and more? It begins to water itself and it becomes slippery. And how does it look? What does it say?”

Alexia mimicked my movements and I watched as her own flower bloomed between her thighs. She panted and tried to answer me. “Um, it looks like, it looks like, um, it says that it’s ready for um, him. She says that she desires him greatly. Um, it um,” and she groaned wordlessly.

I said, “A girl who really wants her prince’s attention might show him the blooming flower that no one else will ever see. She might sit across from him as you do now, or she might show him from behind. Would you like to see how? She would stand up… try it if you want to. Go ahead. If she wanted to be especially blatant about her desire for his attention, she could turn her back to her lover and get on her knees on the sofa and lean over it and spread her legs and as she pushes her rear toward him. It says to him, ‘look at my bloom, this is the flower that I have for you, take me my prince’. Yes, she could do just like you’re doing and she could continue stroking and opening her folds showing him her desire to be touched. Now turn back around and sit so that you can see the rest if you want to.”

Alexia turned back around and sat on the sofa and played with the tender wet folds and watched my hand on Belle. She nodded to indicate that she would very much like to see anything else that could be seen in our lesson.

I decided to take it as far as she wanted.

I said, “Now, see how my fingers slip inside the flower? As they move in and out? But this isn’t what the girl really wants; she wants something else. She wants her man. See how a girl would get my attention if that were her goal. See how my own penis has hardened and now stands stiffly between Belle’s thighs, wanting to enter the beautiful tunnel beyond her open gates. It slides up and down along the folds seeking the way. Let me help it. The girl has shown her intentions. Her prince won’t deny her. If you want to see the rest, stay and see. If not, you should go now. My attention has been captured and I will show my attention in the way that a lover does.”

Belle had already climaxed twice as I rubbed her clitoris and played between her legs and it seemed to me that Alexia was about to experience the first orgasm of her life. She didn’t move to leave and she didn’t take her eyes off of Belle’s crotch, or my hardened penis. As she watched, I positioned myself and then hid my pole inside Belle’s body.

Belle immediately orgasmed and cried out, throwing her head backward against my chest. At the same time, Alexia suddenly pulled her hands away from her crotch and her body stiffened and she gripped the tops of her thighs tightly. I was more than ready myself, and I began to thrust and bounce Belle on my lap and climaxed with a groan of pleasure. Next, I saw that Rani was standing in front of us.

Rani said, “Quick, Belle, get up!”

She grabbed Belle’s arms and pulled her to her feet and pushed her gently to the side. When Belle was out of the way, she knelt in front is me and took me in her mouth and sucked what she could from me. Through all of this, Alexia stared and gripped her thighs and trembled. I couldn’t tell if she experienced her first or not.

Belle sat next to Alexia and worked to calm down from her excitement. Rani finished and raised her head and smiled at me. Then she sat on the sofa with the Belle and Alexia.

We all sat quietly for a few minutes. Alexia was the first to speak, and when she did it was in her characteristic emotionally void manner.

Alexia said, “Thank you. That was what I wanted to know. It’s very clear to me how that can be done. It’s a good lesson. Rani has shown how a girl feeds from her mate. I had heard that it could be done when necessary.”

Rani smiled and said, “It is really wonderful. The taste is good. And it’s a rush to the blood.”

Alexia said, “I will try it. If it is done between mates, I will do it.”

That was about it. We smiled and laughed and were still sitting there together when Aeyli came in and bounced onto my lap and kissed me and put her arms around my neck and asked brightly, “So, what have you been up to? What have I missed?”

Alexia was the one to answer. “I told Narhu what he must do to the house and I ordered new mattresses for the big bed. We moved a bed to the roof. Mark raised it by a rope. I will cut it down to the desired height tomorrow. Mark showed me how he plays with Belle’s pussy and then he demonstrated shalocking her on his lap. Rani sucked his penis and fed from it. I’ll buy a curtain for the roof and make poles to hang it. I’m very happy here.”

She paused and then said, “I see. I am odd, aren’t I? I think it’s funny now. But, I know that I am loved. Perhaps when the princess is freed I will be less odd. I think that our prince likes my oddness just fine. If he can pay the price then I do not care.”

Aeyli said, “Alexia, I love you so much! Having you as our number four makes me happier than anyone can imagine. But, what do you mean about a princess being freed?”

Alexia, flipping into her more emotionally expressive mode, said, “Oh, I’m like two people. One has the body and the mind, but another has the emotions. She is imprisoned. Mark will release her and when she is free, perhaps we’ll see a change. I look forward to finding out. Hey, when do we go to the meeting? I hope it’s entertaining.”

Aeyli laughed and said, “Oh, my dear Alexia, it will be every entertaining, I promise you! But, do I see a meal sitting in the kitchen. We have just enough time to eat before we go. Let’s go to the dining room.”

We moved to the table and ate our light meal. I noticed that Alexia was quiet the entire time. She looked mostly at her plate or at me, but didn’t take part in the conversation.

I asked her, “Alexia, you’re very quiet. Is something wrong?”

She looked up from her plate at me and said, “I have nothing that must be said. I will go and wait with the inner princess until the gates are passed and the prison has been opened. I will not speak again. I know that you will hurry,” and she lowered her eyes again to her plate and finished her meal. When she was done, she went to the hooks and took her belt and fastened it around her waist.

Chapter 23

Teaching The Price of a Princess

A little later, we arrived at the council hall. The streets had been full. It seemed that the entire village really had turned out tonight. My stories about fruit had done their job.

Alexia had been true to her word and had not spoken at all since her pronouncement at dinner.

The five of us entered the hall together and I heard the comments as we passed many of the people who were there.

“There is Mark and the maidens.”

“Did you hear the story about fruit? It was a strange wisdom, but so true that it cannot be denied if one considers it with heart.”

“I was there. I stood practically beside him as he spoke.”

“Look, the odd girl is with them. Is she now of the House of Mark?”

“She’s the woodworker. Oshen has loaned her to Mark for 40 days to work for him.”

“She is so tall and so odd. Some girls will never have a mate.”

“It’s sad in a way, but some things must be what they are.”

“Can you imagine? The odd girl made a princess? I think such a thing would signal a great change, like the Fall of Time Itself.”

“Or, if she has a mate, perhaps it will be the Start of Time.”

“What will he teach us tonight?”

“Perhaps it’s a story of adventure instead.”

“No. I know men like this. Well, I did before the Fall. If he tells a story of adventure, listen closely; it will have wisdom hidden in it, trust me.”

As we moved into the hall, we greeted as many as I could and felt many hands clap me on the back. Dorel motioned for us to come to the front where the councilors sat on the platform. The girls and I were seated on the lowest steps on the councilors left side near the platform. When everyone was seated, Tronuck raised his hand and silenced then crowd.

Tronuck said, “My friends, it’s good to see so many of you! The hall of Tranna hasn’t been full like this in… well, ever as far as I know. Last evening when we gathered, there were many surprises; pleasant ones if you agree with me! Tonight, we have invited our new friend Mark to tell us stories. I have no idea what we’ll hear. I have decided to be more open to surprises than I may have been in the past. We will hear what we will hear. And I expect that even if you were not in the hall last night, or in the market this afternoon, that you have already heard some of it. Let us invite Mark to speak to us.”

The room applauded loudly and I stood up and took the center of the floor. When they had quieted, I smiled and looked around the room.

I said, “My friends, I could go on and on about how welcome you have made me and the wonderful gifts that I have received at the hands of my new friends Narhu and Oshen. I could speak for an hour about my gratitude or about how blessed I am to have the house that you provided and the beautiful mates that were guarded and raised by the village of Tranna until I could come to claim them as my princesses! Each one is worth more to me than I can say. Trust me, though I won’t say as much as my heart would like to, the fruit is very sweet and juicy!”

There was laughter, but there was no hint of anything but admiration, and Aeyli, Rani, and Belle weren’t embarrassed, but honored.

I continued, “But, who came here to hear that? No! You came to hear a story! And I have a story for you. Listen and let’s see what we’ll hear. First, in case I talk so long that I get hungry, does anyone have a piece of fruit that I may have as a gift? Will anyone hold up a fruit and let me have it?”

About a hundred hands went up. I scanned the crowd and found the face of the girl who sold fruit, Sashar, holding out her offering.

I said loudly, “Ah, there, that’s the fruit that I want!” and I pointed at her and said, “You, your fruit caught my eye in the marketplace, will you come down and bring me your fruit?”

The girl gasped and stood and bounded down the steps and held her hand out to me with the fruit in her palm.

I said, “Thank you. Tell me, are you sitting with friends tonight, or would you sit over here with my family in case I find that I need other fruit before the night is over?”

The girls motioned to her and she ran to sit with them. I admitted to myself that she did run nicely.

I turned back to the crowd and held up my fruit and said, “I do love a big juicy piece of fruit. So! A story.

I was in a far country, a very long way from Tranna. Think of it as being on the very opposite side of Barsoom. It had the same problem as the village of Tranna, but exactly opposite. You see, in this village, there were five men for every one woman. The bride price for a woman was also opposite. Instead of the village giving a gift to the new couple, the man would pay a price to the girl’s family if he wanted to have her as a mate.

Now in this village, if a man saw a very beautiful girl and she was gentle and kind and well thought of by all and if she was known as a girl who would bring honor on her prince, a man would come to her family and he would lay the furs of three great apes or some other large beast before them. The family would decide if it was a good offer, and if it wasn’t enough, if they thought that another man might desire her more and bring four furs, they would reject the man and he would take his furs and find another. But, if the family was satisfied, they would accept the furs and she would be his.

In this village, Four furs was a fortune. Only one girl in 50 years drew four furs. The others were for two or sometimes three, but never four.

At the time that I passed through that part of the world, there was a family who had a daughter, and though she might have been pretty enough, she was different. She had no interest in attracting a mate. She would often run far from the village and spend time by herself. When she came back at the end of the day, her hair would be uncombed and she would look like she had been wrestling with a beast. When people sat together, she had little to say and, well, no one paid much attention to her.

The girl’s family, especially her father, were despairing of ever finding her a mate… or getting a price for her. They’d say, ‘This daughter will never find a mate. Perhaps we can find a stranger and if he doesn’t know her, and if we can get her to at least comb her hair, maybe we can get a small worn fur, but at least we’ll be free from the burden of feeding her. She has such an appetite and she eats so much!’

Now no, I’m not the stranger that they were hoping for. I can guarantee that if I were, she would be beside me today. No, and it wasn’t stranger who finally spoke for her. It was a young man of the village.

One day, the young man goes to the family and he says, ‘I will speak for this daughter of yours. I wish her for my mate.’

Now, the father wants what he can get, but he knows that it won’t be much. He asks the young man what he offers. The young man says, ‘If you will pledge her to me, I will go away and in 40 days, I will bring my offer and lay it before you. If it is acceptable, I will have her, but if it’s not acceptable, I will go away.’ And the young man left. He walked out of the village and was gone for the full 40 days.

The family thought that this was a strange way to do things and for 40 days they made up stories about what would happen if the young man came back. They often questioned if he would come back at all.

Word of the strange offer of the young man to pledge for the ‘wild girl’ spread through the village and some days it was all that was talked about, especially as the day for his return approached.

Now, on the 40th day, the young man reappeared at the village gate, pulling a small cart behind him. The children of the village chased him and soon, the entire village followed at his heels as he went along to the house of the girl’s family. When he came to the door, the father and the family came out and stood before the house.

The young man said simply, ‘I have returned as I have said. Have you kept your pledge and saved your daughter for me?’

The girl stood with her family. They had combed her hair and pleaded with her to behave as a woman should.

The young man smiled at her and said to the family, ‘I have brought my offer. If you will accept it, your daughter will be my mate, but if not, I will go away.’

With that, the young man uncovered his cart and took the fur of a Great White Ape and spread it on the ground before them. When it was done, he surprised them all by taking a second one and spreading it on top of the first.

The village thought that one fur was far too much, but two furs was unthinkable. It seemed that the young man thought otherwise. As each fur was spread before the family, he turned and took yet another and added it to the pile. Fur after fur. Four, five, six, and still he laid furs before them. In all, he laid ten furs of the Great White Ape of Barsoom at the feet of the family.

And then I saw a thing that I have never seen in all of my travels: the village, for once, was speechless! When someone finally did speak, it was the young man.

He stood before the family and the furs at their feet and said, ‘Give me your answer. Yes or no? Say one or the other.’

The father was in shock. He wanted to say many things, but it would have been babbling and the young man had demanded a simple answer, not a lot of discussion, so the father simply nodded his head dumbfounded and said that he accepted the man’s offer.

The young man asked the girl, ‘Will you come with me?’

She was as shocked as her father. No man had ever offered more than four furs for the most beautiful girl in the village, but this young man had laid ten furs at her family’s feet. Suddenly, perhaps for the first time, the girl began to consider that being a mate was possibly a thing to be desired. She went to the young man and gave him her hand.

He gathered her into his arms and placed her on a soft fur in his cart and getting behind it, he pushed it out through the city gates and disappeared.

But, this isn’t the end of the story. I stayed in the village for quite some time, and after 40 more days, the young man returned.

This time when we came through the gates, a very beautiful girl walked straight and tall beside him. She was stunning! No one in the village had ever seen such a beautiful woman! And, the way she carried herself! It was as if royalty walked among them. The couple walked through the street and the woman greeted everyone that she saw and smiled at them. The children lined up to be patted on the head by her and she blessed them.

The people of the village said, ‘Who is this woman? Surely a princess of Barsoom! Perhaps from Helium. Her prince looks familiar though, have we seen him before? I say it’s the young man who gave ten furs for the wild girl. It can’t be. Has he walked to Helium and become a prince?’

While they said these things, the couple walked until they came to the house where the young man had laid ten furs. The family came out and stood at the door to see who the visitor was and why he came to their house.

The Princess smiled and spoke most graciously, ‘Father, my prince and I return and say a blessing on your house and upon your family,’ and the village recognized her as the wild girl.

The father stared at the young man and his face got red and his fury toward the man was great. He screamed at the man, ‘You have dealt wickedly with me! You have stolen from me! She is worth more! You wicked man!’

The princess smiled at her father and answered him sweetly, ‘Father, you have ten furs of Great Apes. My prince has made you richer than himself. He has nothing but the belt at his waist. Do not be angry, but happy for me.’

The father was not consoled but shouted, ‘No! I have ten furs, but he is the richer!’ and he stomped into the house and slammed the door behind him and left the rest of his family in the street.

The village though thought that it would be a very great thing to have such a gracious and beautiful princess living among them and they led the couple to an empty house and gave it to them and begged them to stay in the village.

Later, I was able to speak to the young man and I asked him about the transformation of the princess who was his mate.

He said to me, ‘I saw a princess and I offered the price for a princess and I took the princess and treated her like a princess and she acted like a princess and when I returned to the village it was with a princess. There’s no mystery,’ and I had to agree with him. It seemed so plain a thing, why hadn’t I known it before?

So, that’s my story about the Ten Fur Princess. What do you think of it?”

They sat silent, but after a moment, discussions started all through the bleachers as small groups talked with each other about what they had heard. I was surprised that it happened that way, but it was good.

I walked back to the platform and Tronuck said, “I will quiet them,” but I encouraged him to let them continue.

[Note to the reader: I have read back over the narrative and I still find that it sounds somewhat formal in places. It wasn’t the 1600’s for goodness sake! The original translation was like reading Shakespeare. But, as I said before, I am translating from a highly telepathic language with very singular meanings for everything into a highly imprecise language where every word has multiple meanings. The most natural way seems to be to write in a highly unnatural way. So I’ll give it another try and see if I can make it a bit more 21st century instead of 17th century. Bear with me.]

After about 10 minutes, they quieted down and I stood up and started again.

I said, “Friends, if I stopped the story here, it would be a good story. I hope you agree. But there’s a little more if you want to hear it. If you are done hearing for tonight, we can stop and I’ll tell you the rest if you invite me again. What do you say?”

“More! Finish it!” “It’s still early, tell us the rest!”

I said, “OK, there isn’t a lot more to it. After the young man and the now fabulous Princess returned to the village, I left on a journey and was gone for about 40 days. Oh, those are stories! Maybe I can tell you about those another time. Anyway, when I returned, I found a few of my old friends and they invited me to lunch and I asked about what had been happening since I had last seen them.

The thing that touches on our topic this evening is that they told me that the ‘bride price’ in this village had been abolished. Remember, this village had a different circumstance than Tranna, and every village needs its own laws and customs, so take this for what it is.

My friends explained that after the ten furs had been offered, no family was satisfied with one or two or even three as they had been. For a month, no men declared for a mate and it looked like no one ever would again. The council got together to decide what to do. The young man had his great princess and the village had learned a great lesson, but it had set the price too high and something needed to be done or that would be the last pairing in the village.

Think of it this way. This afternoon, I wanted fruit. And I used my trick of paying ten times in order to get a very juicy piece. But, if all of you now do the same, and everyone pays ten times, then I will have to pay 100 times to make the fruit feel really special. Very soon, I won’t get any fruit at all and then where will we be? The only answer is for the price of fruit to be set at the original price and all of us to pay the same.

If we do that, the fruit says, ‘Hey, you other fruit. We’re all the same. These people are good to us, let’s all be juicy and delicious. Every one of us. As long as a bitter woman doesn’t insult us, let’s be happy to bless them.’ And, another fruit says, ‘That will be good, but let’s be extra juicy if the one who buys us is kind to the girl who sells us and the workers who pick us from the orchard.’ ‘A good plan’ says another.”

Someone shouted, “Fruit have wise councilmen!” and the crowd laughed. I noticed that our councilmen did too, thankfully.

I continued, “So, the village abolished the ‘bride price’. When a man hoped for a mate, he came and asked the village for her and if they saw it as a good thing and if the girl approved, the young man gave nothing to the family except his pledge to make their daughter happy. Now, finding a mate who made their daughter happy, they did not abolish the new custom of treating every girl like a high princess of Helium. So it became the custom that the family gave some token gift to the girl, not to the man. This was a true gift, not a price, and no man expected to gain anything except a woman to love him and share his home… and to share his furs, of course! Since the gift was from her own family, she was never slighted or envious of others. If they were a poor family, maybe they gave her a good cooking pot for her new kitchen. If the family was better off, maybe a house with a garden. It was the same to the woman because it came from her family as a blessing and not a price.

And, after I left that village, as far as I know, they all lived happily ever after.”

I turned and sat down. And then I quickly ran back to the floor and said, “But my friends, do me a favor. Let’s all pay just one time for our fruit and everyone bless the seller and the pickers so that it will be good and juicy. I can’t afford to start paying 100 times for a piece… though, for the piece I chose tonight,” and I held up the one in my hand, “I would gladly pay a thousand times for the fruit that catches my eye in the hall tonight!”

This time, the crowd showed their appreciation with cheers and applause.

Chapter 24

Abolishing the Bride Price

Tronuck stood up and took the floor.

He said, “Friends, I like this new way of speaking from the floor. It’s good to see your faces better.”

He walked around the hall and acknowledged many that he recognized.

He continued, “I’m in a very good mood. I’m in such a good mood that I’m not even bothered that Mark tells a story about another village, when my heart knows that what he really does is rebuke me for a lack of wisdom in my own house and in front of the people who should think me wise in my own right!”

I stood and shouted sincerely, “Tronuck, I meant know offense, please, it was for consideration, not a rebuke!”

Several men shouted, “Tronuck, let him live! He does not want to die at your hand. It was not meant as an insult!”

Everyone laughed, and so did Tronuck.

He said, “Oh, be still Mark. I said that I was not offended. If you wish to insult me, I’m sure that you would have found a better way to do it… and with fewer words! Let me put it this way. People, I think that this ‘other village’ has a good idea. Maybe we can learn from them. Tell me, shout it out. What will happen if we abolish the bride price in our village, as long as all men swear to treat our women as a Princess of Helium? What will happen to the village?”

Someone shouted, “I for one will declare for a second mate!”

“You will?”

“I will! My heart has been stirred. I swear, I will treat my first mate as a princess and when she says that I’m ready, I will ask for a second. What do you say, princess? Will you make me a better man?”

“I will!”

Tronuck said, “Hmm, well, that sounds like a reason to do what we consider. Shout it out. I like this new way. What will happen if we abolish the bride price?”

Someone said, “Without a bride price, we will not go into battle to negotiate on a day when all we want is… well, you know.”

Another said, “As a woman, no one will argue ‘Oh, she’s not worth so much, take less.’”

Tronuck said, “You make it sound like a very good idea.”

After more of the same, I got up and stood beside Tronuck and said, “Councilman, the proof is in the doing, is it not? Shall we try it and see what happens? If the fruit is good, do what you all think best, and if the fruit is bad, we’ll know it right away.”

Tronuck looked at me quizzically.

I said, “Let me declare for a new mate, with no bride price and let’s see what happens!”

He said, “You would have another? Tonight?”

I leaned in and whispered, “At least one, my friend, and perhaps more,” and I clapped him on the back.

Tronuck stared at me in wonder. Then he turned to the platform and walked toward it and said to the crowd, “Mark has asked us to try this new way and see what will happen. Let us try it. Dorel, you are First Councilwoman, do your duty.”

Tronuck took his seat and Dorel stood. She said, “Mark, take your seat. I will call Aeyli-ah-Mark, Torani-ah-Mark, and Beyla-ah-Mark. Please come and stand before the council.”

When they stood before her she said, “Now, it has been the custom since the Fall of Time that the mates of a man appear periodically to see if a man should be encouraged to take another into his house. But, by law, we have no need to do so if a man willingly wants it. In this case, he may take as many as he may wish, as long as his current mates are happy and agree to the new declaration. Your man, Mark-ah-Aeyli-ah-Torani-ah-Beyla has asked the council to consider petition for a fourth mate to be added to your household. We’ll do this the old way. I ask you, does this man make you happy enough that you will agree to another if he chooses?”

Aeyli answered, “As first mate, I will answer. We have discussed this matter. We know the girl. We also know that Mark has not touched her, not even to touch his finger to her shoulder, though she did accidentally brush her hand against him in innocence once. We declare that we three are made very, very happy in all respects, including in the furs and we most eagerly invite this new princess to our home. I will add that even if he asked for six more in one night, we are convinced that we would all be happy!”

The crowd gasped and laughed at her declaration and at the thought of so many girls and the ‘happiness’ that Aeyli said that they would all have.

Even Dorel looked surprised when Rani and Belle nodded enthusiastically and said, “Oh yes. Without question!”

Dorel said, “Then, we must approve. Mark, come stand before us with your mates.”

I got up and joined them in front of the platform.

Dorel said, “Mark, call your choice and ask her your question, and if she will come join you, we will consider the mating and give you the advice of the council.”

I said, “Friends, one of your fairest has captivated me. I cannot remove her from my mind. From the moment I saw her, and when I first heard her voice, I knew that I must ask for her hand and could only hope that she would accept me. My heart pounds within my chest, just as it does when I see these princesses who already bless me with their love and beauty. And the beauty of this girl makes my eyes want to pop from their sockets! I cannot stand to wait any longer! The girl I want has taken a vow of silence for a time, so she will not speak, but we will know her answer by her actions.”

I paused and took a deep breath and said, “Alexia, will you come stand beside me and let me take you to my house and let me call you princess?”

The crowd was silent, but small gasps could be heard here and there. Alexia stood to her full height, and looking at no one but me, walked to my side and I gave her my arm and she clung to it. She clung to my arm, but even so she stood as tall and straight as she could, looking every bit a princess.

I whispered, “I hurried. It was faster,” and she smiled at me and squeezed my arm. Then I whispered, “My princess, I would also speak for Sashar tonight if you will approve. If not, I won’t do it.”

Alexia’s head snapped up to look at me in surprise and she nodded enthusiastically. I was glad. I didn’t know how this would go.

Dorel didn’t hesitate for a second, but said to the council, “Show me your hands. Do you approve of the mating?”

Every hand shot into the air. She said, “Then it’s done. Alexia-ah-Mark, we wish you every happiness!”

Aeyli handed me an anklet that matched the others and I knelt and fastened it to Alexia’s foot.

A voice shouted, “Mark has asked to see what will happen if we abolish the bride price, let us show you!”

We turned to see who spoke and both Narhu and Oshen rushed down from the bleachers and onto the floor.

Narhu said, “This is a great surprise! It will make the village very happy and it makes my friend Oshen the woodworker exceedingly sad. He has lost a fine craftsmen because we assume that as a princess of the House of Mark, she will not return to his shop. Sorry Oshen. But, here’s what he and I together propose. As a gift to Alexia-ah-Mark, the wood-crafter, we ask that the village gift the small house behind the House of Mark as a workshop for Alexia-ah-Mark and for whatever other purpose that they may have for it. My friend Oshen and I will repair it and outfit it for any work that Alexia-ah-Mark wants. It is our gift to her because she is like family to us.”

Oshen said, “In this way, though my shop loses a great worker, the village will not. Narhu and I will hire new apprentices and it will be a gift to all of us, as long as Alexia will continue to consult with us and lend her eye for building and woodworking to us from time to time. That’s what we propose as a gift. That is what happens with this experiment where no bride price is negotiated.”

Tronuck came down and said, “Oh, well, we have a proposal. This is a thing that concerns us all. What do the people say? Do we gift the little house to Alexia-ah-Mark and the House of Mark for a workshop and do we take advantage of the offer of Nauru and Oshen to repair it and furnish it? Alexia is like a daughter to us, isn’t she? I had never thought about it, but yes, I suppose that we are all her family because she has no one else.”

All hands went up. Tronuck said, “Council members do you approve or see any reason that we shouldn’t do this? No? Then that’s what we’ll do! Now we know what will happen. From now on, no bride price will be negotiated for a mate. All fruit will be the same in the market and we will all be blessed. This is a good thing.”

Someone shouted, “Alexia has a prince! It signals the Start of Time for sure! Congratulations, Alexia-ah-Mark! Congratulations!”

Dorel said from where she sat, “Yes, congratulations. We are all very happy for you. May your vow of silence be ended soon so that we can hear from you about your happiness. But there’s another matter as well. The ah-Mark maidens have said that they will be happy and approve if Mark takes even six more, so I will not question them again. Mark, what else is in your heart tonight?”

I thanked Narhu and Oshen and Tronuck and they returned to their seats. I held Alexia’s hand and the other girls stood with me as well.

I said, “Friends of Tranna, the ratio of men to women here is one to five, or so I am told. If I were in a different place, I would be more than satisfied with any one of these wonderful mates. But so that I may set a good example…”

I paused for laughter. “So that I may set a good example of one man for five women, I wish to ask one more if she will join me. I told you that a very fine piece of fruit had caught my eye. Alexia has made me very happy by agreeing to join me. She is the princess that I would give ten furs for, except that we don’t do that now. But I have spied a singular piece of fruit in the market and my heart is captivated and my princesses tell me that we must have it. They tell me that it is sure to be juicy and delicious and tasty beyond comparison.

Now, my heart pounds again. For Alexia, my heart pounded from pride that she would accept me; now my heart pounds for fear that another might not. You see, until a moment ago, I had not so much as touched a finger to Alexia’s hand, but now I ask for the hand of one that I have never even spoken more than a word to and have never spoken of my feelings at all. I have no indication of whether she will accept me or not.

I continue to talk because if I stop, I will have to ask my question and I will find out the answer, and it may not be the one that I hope for. Can you blame me? I also hesitate because I know that I pick your finest flowers and I want to be friends with all of you, but if you think that I rob you, it will go against me.”

Tronuck shouted out, “For goodness sake, Mark! Say the name! If anyone thinks that they’ve been too slow, let every man learn a lesson from you! Men, if you see a perfect flower, pick it before another man finds it! Mark, just say the name!”

Everyone laughed, but it was subdued by the suspense that they felt.

I turned to Aeyli and she smiled and handed me a fifth anklet. I held it in my hand and looked at it and I turned toward the bench where the girls and I had sat.

Then, without raising my eyes, I said, “Fairest fruit, will you take my token and allow me to call you princess, along with these four beside me…” and I looked up and said, “Sashar?”

The girl’s eyes went wide and she screamed and put her hands to her mouth. A second later, her hands involuntarily clutched her chest, one at each breast, and she looked down at herself in astonishment and then snapped her head up to look at me. I held out the anklet with the ruby setting. Sashar looked at her chest again, and noticing her hands there, pulled them away and forced them to her sides. It was if she didn’t have any idea what to do.

Dorel said, “Well, it’s pretty plain to me what her answer is! Sashar, go to your prince!”

Sashar ran and threw herself into my arms and kissed me on the mouth! She was much shorter than the other girls, perhaps 5’0” or 5’1”. I held her a foot off the floor and kissed her back. Finally, I had to peel her from me and I set her on the floor.

I whispered, “Is that a ‘yes’?”

She yelled out, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

I think that she would have simply repeated the word over and over until she went hoarse, but I knelt down and placed the token on her left ankle and she quieted and looked down to see it.

Someone in the crowd yelled “Curtains!”

We all turned toward the voice to see who it was, and a woman stood high in the bleachers on my right and said, “Curtains. My gift to Sashar and for the House of Mark is curtains, and the mattresses that Alexia has ordered will be my gift as well.”

Another stood and said, “I will provide pillows! Pillows for the bed and for chairs and for lounging!”

Another woman said, “My gift will be… my gift will be… I don’t know what my gift will be! Oh, my gift will be to bring plants and flowers and work for five days to make the garden of the house of Mark and Sashar a place for peace!”

I called out, “Thank you! Thank you all. You are all very generous. I’m not looking to gain anything from you. The acceptance of these precious princesses is far more than I could hope for.”

The ‘pillows woman’ shouted, “These are gifts. You take no advantage of us.”

Tronuck spoke up, “She’s right. A gift given in celebration is no burden and it is much better than a ‘Bride Price’. This again has been quite the night. Mark, do you plan to take another tonight, or will you give the other men a day to consider their lives before you do?”

I laughed, “Tronuck! Two yesterday and two more today! How much do you think one man can do? You would have me build you a great hall in a single day! Even I have limits!”

Dorel said loudly, “I have heard stories from the shrine maidens and they tell me that in some respects that you seem to have no limits!”

I said, “Oh, I have limits, I assure you! But I can also assure you that when it comes to these princesses, I have not found those limits yet! They have amazing skills for motivating me! Oh, it seems that they feel that we have stayed telling stories long enough. I’m being encouraged to say goodnight, so I will.”

With that, we wound down the meeting. It seemed that the crowd wanted us to leave in front of them, so as Sashar and Alexia held onto my arms and Aeyli, Rani, and Belle followed behind, we left the hall and walked through the streets toward our home.

Many of the villagers followed us and talked with us until they turned down their own streets to their houses.

I said, “Girls, we’ll talk when we get home. For now, let’s just walk and enjoy the air.”

Chapter 25

Alexia and Sashar Come Home

When the last of the well-wishers had gone and we reached the door to the house, we went inside.

As soon as the door began to close, Alexia dropped her belt on the ground and kissed me hard. As she kissed me, she fumbled at the buckle of my belt and dropped it on the ground as well. For the first time, our naked bodies pressed against each other and I could feel a hot passion begin to rise in both of us. Alexia finally broke the kiss and stepped back from me. She looked into my eyes and patted me on the chest as if to say, “Stay as long as you need to, I’ll be waiting,” and she headed up the stairs without actually saying a word. I knew that she would go straight to the roof.

Sashar stood inside the door, but didn’t know quite what to do. I turned and smiled at her and when she saw it, she acted as if she had startled herself and quickly dropped her belt and then stood where she was again, seemingly frozen to the spot. The other girls had already hung their own belts on hooks and had retrieved mine and Alexia’s and done the same. Now they sat in the living room and watched to see what would happen.

I motioned Sashar to come to me… and she again flew into my arms. This time, she climbed up my body and kissed me with her legs around my waist. After we had kissed for a moment, she pulled her head back, but did not get down.

She said, “My prince, I love you! When you called my name, my milk rushed to my breasts. I thought that it had burst out, but fortunately it stayed within. Can you imagine if it had spilled on the floor of the council hall? But even if it had, let others be embarrassed, not me. I cannot believe that you have chosen me and that I am a princess in the house of my dearest friends.”

She kissed me again. Then, once again she pulled off and said, “Oh, Mark! We’ll talk later. I don’t have anything that you need to say to me. That you asked me says enough. But what you did say made my heart melt for you!” She leaned into my ear and whispered, “My body burns for your touch. But you have another to conquer first. Alexia is a wonderful girl. It’s perfect that you have found her. I’ll wait my turn. Go to her and have my blessing.”

I whispered back, “Sashar, My Princess, I’m overwhelmed that you have accepted me. And thank you for blessing Alexia. I did make her a promise and I do need to keep it. I’ll keep my promise to you very soon. Be ready. Before the sun rises I will come for you.”

She pulled her head back and asked, “Before sunrise? Really? Do you really have no limits?”

I said, “You’ll see. Before sunrise I will relieve the aching in your breasts and I will teach you the way of a prince with his princess. Be patient while I take my time with Alexia and you will receive the same love from me that she does while you wait. I promise.” I kissed her again and set her feet on the floor.

I turned to the other girls and said, “Alexia has gone to the roof and I need to go keep a promise that I made to her.”

Aeyli said, “If you come back before morning, you can look for us in the room we share. We’ll all be in one bed.”

I kissed all of them and then headed to the roof.

I went through the open hatch to the roof and closed it behind me. Alexia stood at the wall with her back to me, and at the sound of the hatch closing, looked over her shoulder.

She was so beautiful. Six-foot-two-inches tall, toned and buxom. Her legs and ass were a vision of perfection, and I was a fan for sure. I could see the slight hang of her firm round breasts as she leaned her elbows on the top of the wall and bent over slightly with her feet back a step from the edge of the patio.

I said, “Do you want to see what a man does when he wants to get the attention of his mate and show her that he’s interested in lovemaking?”

Alexia nodded slowly and unconsciously spread her legs a step to the side. I came up behind her and stood at her hip and ran my right hand over her shoulders and back and rubbed her gently. Alexia took in a deep breath. This was the first time that I had touched her except for our first kiss at the door in the living room. Oh, and when I threw her into the air to show how strong I was.

My left hand went to her left breast and I let my right drifted down her back and onto her buttocks. They were truly luscious fruit.

I rubbed around each cheek of her ass, feeling over them and under the bottom where they met her long legs. Soon, I was playing with her breast and nipple with my left hand as my right hand stroked up and down along the cleft of her rear, slowly working its way between the cheeks and occasionally going so far as to touch briefly at the fold of her vagina and along the inside of her thighs.

Alexia began to moan. She spread her ankles even more and began pushing herself back against my hand as I rubbed and stroked her bottom flesh. I reached all the way down between her legs, and placing my fingers directly against the moistening mound, circled the flower of her opening and finally probed it directly. The inside was hot and wet and already squeezing at my fingers as it felt me feeling it. Alexia’s hips rocked back and forth now, attempting to increase the friction against my and to drive me farther inside.

I bent to her ear and whispered, “Do you want me to move you to the bed?”

She shook her head emphatically and increased the motion of her hips still more. Apparently she wanted to stay where she was and have me take her standing up.

I moved behind her and placed my hands on her waist and let my pelvis drift against her, the globes of her buttocks pressing into my hips and the hardened shaft of my penis touching along her inner lips. The head of it brushed against her engorging clitoris and Alexia pushed and gyrated. She kept her hands on the wall in front of her, but did everything she could to bring her sensitive vagina into direct contact with the target of her desire.

I took hold of my penis with one hand and pulled it up into position and let the head sit at her opening. Alexia responded and clenched her vagina, kissing my penis with her lower lips. I pressed forward and found the ‘fence’ of her maidenhood barring my way. Alexia began trusting slowing backward and forward, pushing hard onto me at times. I moved my hands up to her wonderful breasts and rubbed over the fullness of them, playing the nipples against the palms of my hands. Tickling and finally pulling at the nipples and squeezing the heavy globes, I felt her milk start to leak as she gave a groan from deep in her throat.

I said, “Alexia, I love you. Shall we break down the prison door and release what has been locked away?”

She moaned again and pressed hard backward into my groin in response. She pulled forward as if to get a good run at her goal and thrust back again. As she did so, I held firmly to her breasts and pinched the nipples and shoved forward forcefully and the barrier gave way and I plunged all the way into the hot tunnel.

Alexia started panting, breathing heavily, taking short breaths… and then, after one long inhale, relaxed and I felt her press herself deeper into my hands and against my hips. She lay her head down on her arms where they rested on the top of the low wall surrounding the rooftop patio. As she did, I felt my penis gripped in a tight squeeze and she set up a slow, steady motion, moving just an inch or two at a time. It seemed as if she were exploring. Her movements varied here and there, back and forth, and then from side to side, now in small circles. For a few minutes, she stopped the motion of her hips altogether and I could feel her squeezing, sucking, and exploring with the muscles of her vagina and pelvis.

I matched her movements, and a short time later, Alexia was no longer in control, but her body took over and moved on its own. Now I thrust in long strokes, sensing the building of her excitement. My hands went to her waistline again and as I pushed into the tight space of her sex, Alexia’s emotional dam broke and she spasmed in orgasm. I kept up my movements and she kept up her climactic response. When her knees finally started to buckle and her legs collapsed beneath her, I pulled out and caught her up in my arms and carried her finally to the bed where I lay her on her back on top of the furs.

I climbed onto the bed next to her and she reached for me and pulled me half on top of herself and shoved her tongue into my mouth and kissed me forcefully. As we kissed, she became more aroused again and started to thrash about on the furs, pulling me toward her and thrusting her body against mine.

I pushed her down onto her back and placed my mouth over a tit and sucked at it and tasted the flow of warm, honey flavored milk as it started to stream freely. She held my head against her chest and groaned, thrusting upward into my mouth. In the next moment, I slid my right hand between her legs and pressed two fingers inside her and felt for the G-Spot that I knew was a few inches from the opening. As I touched it, she exploded with a roar and both her two breasts and her beautiful pussy let out gushes of hot liquid, the upper flooding my mouth and spraying my cheek and the lower flooding my palm.

Before she was quite done with her spasms, I pulled myself on top of her and thrust my penis between her spread thighs and pumped slowly. She continued her thrashing as she climaxed again and again. I built up a faster rhythm and as she burst in yet another hard orgasm, I stopped and rolled off of her and pulled her into my arms as I lay on my back. The princess had, I hoped, been freed from her prison, and I felt that it was time for Alexia to break her vow of silence and talk to me.

We rested for a little while and when I thought that the time was right, I said, “Alexia, my precious jewel, how are you?”

She cooed softly and snuggled her body into mine as she lay on my shoulder. She stroked my chest and nuzzled my neck.

Alexia raised herself on her elbow and looked at me and said, “I’m very well, thank you. How are you?”

I laughed and said, “I’m quite well. I just made love to a princess of Tranna. I am very well indeed!”

Now she laughed, “Oh, that sounds nice. Was she good to you?”

I said, “Oh, you can’t imagine how good! But, you don’t want me to tell you the graphic details, do you?”

She said, “Oh, but I do. You are a great story teller. Tell me all about it.”

I said, “I’ll say this. This princess, her name is Alexia-ah-Mark, of the house of Mark, she’s the sexiest creature on Barsoom. She is fully six-foot-two-inches tall and every inch of her is so beautiful that my heart melts and my penis becomes like wood!”

She laughed and put her hand around my penis, which was still quite hard since I hadn’t climaxed yet.

She said, “Like wood, you say? I think it might be more like iron. Tell me more.”

I said, “Well, a man doesn’t like to say too much. But, she is the sweetest, most wonderful beast a prince could desire. You should see the tits on this girl! Like large firm fruit… and the juice flows like wine! I will never get enough of it, I swear.”

She said, “It sounds like you’re very fond of this giant princess with giant juicy tits. Will you take her again soon, do you think?”

I said, “Oh, for sure. As soon as she stops talking.”

She said, “And, what will you do to her this time? I assume that you shalocked with her until her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she silently screamed your name… because she didn’t want to disturb the neighbors. And I assume that if you had been in the wilderness with her, that she wouldn’t have held back, but would have roared so loud that the other beasts were frightened to come near. Did you force yourself between her ass cheeks as you shalocked her from behind? Some wild princesses like that very much. If you get the chance, you should do that with her again. It might give her a sense of fully belonging to her prince in a way that a girl that big never experiences otherwise. Did you have a chance to let her suck your cock?”

I said, “No, not yet. I didn’t know if she would want to. It’s her first night of mating, and I’m still trying to figure out what she wants and enjoys.”

Alexia smiled and said, “You are a wonderful mate to think of her so tenderly. I bet that she does want to get a chance to suck on your iron cock. Give her a try. You called her a beast?”

I said, “Well, when she makes love, I like it when she’s as wild as a beast. If she were to climb on top of me and show me what she wants, no matter how direct, I would gladly satisfy her.”

She said, “I see. You want your princess to be a wild, cock sucking shalock beast, if that’s what’s in her heart when you take her to the furs. I think she will oblige you. And I think that at times she will want you to be a wild shalock beast too, throwing her down and showing her that she is not always in control. It sounds like you are well mated. I’m happy for you! For both of us!”

I said, “Good. Hurry, lie on your stomach!”

I flipped her over and jumped behind her and said, “It will be faster!” and I pushed in between her legs and pinned her beneath me, my penis deep inside her.

She squealed, “Oh, oh, oh, Mark. Yes, hurry! Take your prize! Oh, Mark, shalock my pussy! I’m pinned.”

She struggled to wiggle her ass beneath me and to raise herself up on her arms. I took hold of her hands and pulled them above her head and her cheek lay on the bed once more.

I said, “Quiet, my tiny little princess. Your prince has needs and he will satisfy them between your legs. You’ll have your satisfaction as well, but my little one, it’s my rod that needs your attention now.”

She squeaked and laughed and wiggled, knowing that it was a game. “Well, my ass is yours prince! My body and heart will always be yours. You have paid… oh ah ah… the price and you… deserve the prize. My love, there was no man of Barsoom that would have ever been allowed where you now res. I had no mate because… oh oh yes… because no man was worthy! I hid away because no man was worthy to know me, but now, ah oh yeah um yeah!” and she bounced in climax beneath me.

She moaned, “Because no man but you could ever hope to love me… as I wanted. But you came with ten furs and captured me and broke the prison open and now I’m forever yours! And free! Oh, shalock with me more!”

I did. I thrust and plowed her deep, hard, fast, slow, and in circles. Finally, when I couldn’t hold out any longer, I sprayed the inside of her pussy while it squeezed me in its own orgasm. I rolled onto my back and Alexia immediately engulfed me in her mouth and sucked what she could as I slowly began to soften between her lips.

When she was done, she lay down on my chest again.

She said, “Mark, I meant that. I had hidden myself away, not because no one would have me, which they wouldn’t anyway, but it was because I never found anyone who could have me. But when you walked into Oshen’s shop I saw you and looked into your eyes and I knew that I would be yours. I knew when I walked into your house that I would never leave. I knew that you would claim me because if there was a mate for me it could only be you and I had seen you and you were my mate. Do you know that no man in Tranna has ever had four mates? Never. I hear what they say about me. That when I found my mate that it would signal the restart of time. I don’t mind them saying so. It’s how I feel, so let them think so too.”

I said, “I love you.”

She laughed, “The silent odd child has become the talker and the eloquent story teller has become the man of few words! If I have broken you with our lovemaking the village will not forgive me. We will have to flee to the wilderness!”

I laughed, but had nothing to say,

She said quietly, “Mark, will you do something for me? Will you teach me weapons and take me into the wilderness? Just for a while, like in your story? Now that we’re mates, will you take me away into the wilderness? Not just me. All of us? I have never been away from Tranna, like the shrine maidens have. Not since I was a little girl. I want to see what it’s like. I want to see a great beast and ruins from before the fall of time and places where you see nothing but a sea of moss and you have to hunt for water and food. Will you take me?”

I said, “Is what you want is to go away, like in my story and come back when the memory of you has cooled so that you can come back and be remembered as the tall beauty of the House of Mark?”

She said, “Yes. It can be my story. It is my story. I listened to it and thought that if you didn’t declare for me tonight that I would break all tradition and do it myself. Because you were my mate and I wanted to hurry. And I wanted you to tear open my prison and make me a woman!”

I said, “OK. We’ll go into the wilderness. I’ve been thinking about that myself. It was wonderful and my time there with Aeyli was magical. How long do you think that it will take Narhu and Oshen to do the renovations? Is there any reason that we can’t go away and let them do it without us?”

She said, “No. They can do it without us. That’s a great idea. That way, we don’t have to be here while walls are torn out and things like that. We can come back and start fresh.”

I said, “Then let’s plan to do what we need to in the morning and I’ll tell the others at breakfast and we’ll leave the following day.”

She said, “Good,” and climbed off the bed.

I said, “Where are you going?”

She said, “To tell Sashar that you want her now. Stay here. She’s a very nice girl. Shalock her silly. I mean, I hope that she will experience great joy tonight as she rests in the arms of her gentle prince. You beast!”

With that, she turned and ran away and disappeared below the hatchway.

Chapter 26

On the Roof with Sashar

I rested on my back with my hands behind my head and stared up at the moons and stars. Was this happening? It was, and Arizona and my old life on Earth were fading very quickly. How long had it been? It had been just five days since I came through the portal of the shrine. The first day I headed according to Carter’s compass to the wrong settlement. The second day, Aeyli and I met and stayed in the ruins and made weapons. The third day we played at the spring. The fourth day we arrived in Tranna. And, the fifth day was today. Tomorrow we would make preparations, and the seventh day we would go back into the wilderness.

I noticed Sashar come and stand beside the bed. Her hands were behind her back and she smiled down at me. When I smiled back, she climbed onto the bed and sat on her knees facing me and laid her hand on my chest.

She was beautiful. Her skin was lighter than the other girls, whiter, but slightly tanned from the sun. As I said, she was just five foot tall, shorter than average for a girl from Tranna. Her form was amazing. Legs and thighs toned and firm. She was not as hard-bodied as Alexia, but she could have been a gymnast on Earth. As she sat on her knees beside me, her round breasts stood proudly out from her small chest. Her hips were nicely shaped and just wide enough to make a pretty inverted heart shape when viewed from behind.

I said, “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hello, handsome.” She replied.

I said, “Well, we haven’t even really been introduced, have we? I am Mark, of the House of Mark. I will be your prince.”

She smiled and said, “And I am Sashar, of the Fruit Stand of Sashar. I will be your princess.”

We smiled at each other and she rubbed my chest gently.

I said, “Sashar, I made you a promise and it’s time to keep it. What was my promise again?”

Sashar giggled, “You promised that you would relieve the pressure in my titties before they explode from the great volume of milk that I feel swelling within them!”

I said, “Yes, that was it. But, should we talk first?”

She exclaimed, “No! Mark, you are my prince. You declared for me and I said yes. Did you see how I ran to your arms and threw myself at you? When you called my name, the she-Banth was released in me.” She referred to the ten-legged Barsoomian Lion called a Banth.

She said, “We can talk anytime. Now I want you to fulfill your promise. But, one thing…”

I said, “Yes?”

She said, “Will drinking from my tits really make your cock as hard as an iron rod like the girls say?”

I laughed and said, “Yes, yes it will.”

She squealed, “Good! Then drink up, prince. And when it’s time, just do the thing! I’m 120 years old, don’t waste more of my years until I know what a mate is!”

With that, she leaned toward me and I placed my hands on each side of her chest and lifted her bodily, setting her down straddling my stomach. My hands cupped her breasts and she began to coo and moan as I fondled her. When her nipples were good and hard, I pulled her forward and she positioned her breast over my mouth and I took the tender bud between my lips. I tickled and licked at it for a moment, but Sashar groaned in frustration and I gave her what she craved. I opened my lips and sucked in a mouthful and pulled her milk from her tender fruit.

Sashar immediately cried out, “Oh, yes! Suck me master!”

She was not as quiet as Alexia, but I hoped that it was quiet enough. She used the word ‘master’, which I had learned had a connotation of giving one’s heart and body to a mate, not of being a slave in the sense of degrading ownership.

She continued to moan and cry out as I drank deeply, running my tongue around the swollen bump as I did.

Sashar said, “Master, suck the other! Suck them both! Ah oh oh! Death, death, death! My tits cry out and my body sees stars! Oh, w-a-a-a! Suck me prince! Master, suck my milk!”

She was orgasming now. I hadn’t touched her crotch, but she ground it against my stomach as she convulsed from my attention to her chest and the feel of her milk flowing into my mouth as I swallowed. I reached around and between her thighs and pulled my penis into position. I touched the end of it to her blossom and felt that it was already open and wet. The head touched the center of her bloom and she pulled back from my mouth and planted herself on my pole in one move! I felt the barrier for an instant only and then she had forced herself to the hilt.

She cried out, not in surprise or pain, but in ecstasy and orgasm. She immediately began bouncing up and down on me, her hands braced against my chest. Then she rocked back and forth as if riding a bull in a rodeo, convulsing continuously. I could feel the clenching and squeezing as her vagina spasmed hard around my penis, tight inside her wetness.

There were no words in the noises that she made, but there were plenty of noises. She went on for a bit, but this was new to her and she had no concept of pacing herself or prolonging her experience and soon she collapsed face down on my chest as aftershocks of her last orgasm shook her.

My thoughts were, “Wow, that was intense! Man, this girl is really pretty! I hope she wants more when she comes to.”

I hugged her to my chest, but after a moment, I started to hug her rear end with one hand as well. She had an especially nice rear end.

As I waited for Sashar to recover, I thought about how different each of the girls was.

Sashar was petite, enthusiastic, and direct. She ran when she wanted to be somewhere, she yelled when she was excited, and she took action when no words were needed. She smiled constantly and life seemed to be a fountain overflowing with playfulness. She was considerably smaller than the other girls. She was probably going to turn out to be the most fun loving and pixie-like of the bunch. She reminded me of a very playful cartoon rabbit. She described herself like a lioness and wanted her lovemaking fast and playful.

I didn’t really know what Alexia was going to be. She had experienced a change this evening. She had been the odd girl who spoke without emotional content. Tonight, after her release, she expressed herself fine and with warmth. The villagers, even her closest friends, thought that she was too unattractive and uncommunicative to find a mate, but she thought that she was that way because she knew that no man in Tranna was good enough to deserve her. She had a brilliant eye for building design and architecture and she was a skilled woodworker. Six-foot-two and toned like an athlete. Alexia wanted to make love with a man who could be as direct as she could and had a tinge of a desire to be able to be submissive in bed. Not really submissive, but more like she wanted her man to be strong enough with his desires to take what he wanted and to let her do the same. I remembered that she had asked me how strong I was. Apparently she needed her mate to be stronger than herself. Certainly I fit that bill where no other man in Tranna would.

Aeyli, the first mate, was an amazing beauty and graceful in the extreme, but she was thought of as rebellious and uppity. She spent the first part of her life knowing that she would never have a husband, running back and forth to a shrine in the wilderness, waiting for a mysterious stranger that no one believed would ever come. She was a very quick learner and a genius for political and social tactics. She was also fiercely loyal to her friends, finding the same happiness for them that she herself had found… and with the same man in the same bed.

Rani, or Torani, was more grounded, and more ‘average’. She was more sexually outgoing than Aeyli, perhaps, but Aeyli was plenty sexual herself. It seemed that Rani was more of a follower than the leader that Aeyli was and for that reason, less reserved. She was very affectionate toward both Aeyli and Belle and easily expressed love for both Alexia and Sashar.

Belle, or Beyla, was again the more playful of the three shrine maidens. She had grown up without responsibility for others and for that reason, I expected, spoke her mind without a lot of thought for consequences. Belle would try anything and was eager for sexual experience. If I asked her to do it, she wouldn’t even think before she jumped to do whatever it was. Both Belle and Rani were adept at making up their own bawdy rhymes and were delighted when they thought that maybe they had found a way to make me blush with their ribaldry.

Every one of these girls had jumped into my arms and my heart, and even my bed, after a courtship that lasted less than a minute. It was strange to me, but it made perfect sense to them. I mentioned it to Sashar a few minutes later when she began to rouse herself.

Sashar took a long breath and let it out and gave a satisfied “Ooh, that was um, nice.”

I said, “I thought so.”

She said, “Hey, can I touch it? Your penis? It felt really nice inside.”

I said, “Princess, my body is yours for whatever you want.”

She cooed, “Oh, a playground!” and she slid her hand down my thigh and then back up between my legs, cupping my balls and then rubbing the shaft up and down the length of her palm. She announced, “I like it!” and she smiled at me and lay her head back down on my chest and continued exploring me.

I said, “Sashar, can you tell me something?”

She said, “If you will play in my playground too. I liked it when you touched me. You can touch me anyway you want, anytime you want. It’s only fair after all.”

I said, “Well, that sounds like a good deal. I like playing in my playgrounds with my mouth and tongue too.”

She said, “Ooh, how does that work? Hmm, let me see if I can figure it out,” and she bent down and took the head of my penis between her lips and sucked at it and then licked up and down the shaft and around my balls and between my balls and my leg.

I said, “Whoa! Whoa, oh that feels nice!”

She looked up from my crotch and smiled and said, “Yeah, it does.”

I grabbed her under the arms and pulled her up onto my chest with her face close to mine.

I said, “But wait, I really do want to ask a question.”

She said, “Oh? OK, what is it?”

I said, “Sashar, we had really never spoken and you didn’t know me at all, but when I called for you tonight, you ran to me and accepted my declaration. Why?”

She said, “What?”

I said, “Why did you immediately accept me the way that you did? Aeyli, Rani, Belle, and Alexia have all done the same. Why?”

She raised up on one arm and cocked her head said again, “What?!?”

I said, “Why did you accept when you didn’t really know me?”

She said, “I don’t understand. I did because I did. I knew you because I knew you. Didn’t you say that I was the flower that had captivated your heart and that you loved me and that we would be happy?”

I said, “Yes, and I meant it.”

She said, “I know. You said you loved me and I knew that I loved you. What are you asking?”

I said, “How did you know that you wanted me? Instead of someone else?”

She frowned as if I were stupid and said, “Because I didn’t want anyone else! People aren’t hard to get to know. Did you know Alexia when you met her?”

I admitted, “Yes, it was strange. I felt like I was connected to her. But it surprised me that she would feel the same way. I did feel like I knew her on some level, but she also accepted me instantly. Why?”

She frowned even harder and said, “Because she knew that you knew her and saw what no one else did and that you loved her and she knew you and you knew that she knew you and that she loved you. That only takes a moment. You know this, so why do you ask me?”

I said, “Uh, I guess you’re right. I do know it, but it’s still a surprise to me. I still have things to learn.”

She looked intently at me, staring into my eyes and asked, “Mark, are you really from the shrine? From another world? You are! I can see it! People have been saying it as a joke because you came to us on the arm of a shrine maiden, but I can see in your eyes that it’s true!”

I asked, “Does it make a difference in your decision?”

She said, “My decision to be your princess? Yes, it makes a big difference! How wouldn’t it? Our lives would be very different if you weren’t from another world. But as far as my decision to be your princess, I could not have chosen differently. I told you why already. Whether you’re from this world or another, it won’t change in the choices that our hearts make for us,” and she kissed me.

I said, “I have told Aeyli that on my world, deciding about a mate might take many years as two people try to get to know each other and determine if they would have a good life together.”

She said, “You mean that they need to know things about each other? Trivial things like what food they like to eat? How can that be anything? You know a person in an instant. I see you in the market and I hear what you say and I know my heart. If you know your heart, you call my name and we’re mated. It’s simple.”

She was right. If no one lies, and no one hides who they really are, and if everyone pretty much knows who they are, things like what they like to eat really don’t matter much. When I met the girls, even Alexia, I felt like I knew them and that was enough. They knew me and that was enough. She was right, it was simple. And, stupid to do it any other way… except for the fact that Earth didn’t work that way.

I said, “I see. That makes sense. Thank you.”

I reached down and spread her thighs and pushed her toward my penis and it found its way in and she slid on with a satisfied moan.

I said, “This time, go slowly. Take your time.”

She said, “But you feel so good… and it’s so tight… and feels so good.”

I said, “Alexia wants us all to go into the wilderness together for a while. Is that OK with you?”

She moaned, “Uh huh. Um, sure, Oh, shalock is nice. Yeah, where you go, I go. We can leave now if you want to carry me.”

When we were done, we kissed for a while and I finally said, “Sashar, will you go down and send Aeyli up to me? I want to see her for a bit.”

Sashar smiled and kissed me again and ran off to wake Aeyli.

When Aeyli and I had spent time together, she sent Rani, and when Rani and I had taken our time, she sent Belle. When it was almost dawn, I woke Belle and asked her to go down stairs and ask Alexia to come to the roof again before the day broke.

Alexia came sleepily and crawled into the bed and I pulled the fur over us.

Alexia said, “Oh, did you want something?”

I pulled her to my chest and said, “No, hush, just sleep,” and she snuggled in and we slept until sunup.

Chapter 27

Alexia’s Story

As the sun came up, we stirred in each other’s arms. Alexia looked up and smiled at me.

“Good morning, my prince,” she said.

I was astounded at the depth of change in her since the day before. She really was like a woman released from a prison. It was as if a part of her, the part that connected to the world emotionally, had been locked away and was now free. It made me wonder.

I said, “Alexia, when we met yesterday, you had a very different way of talking. I was struck by it and immediately wanted to get to know you. You know that it’s what made people call you the odd girl. But, you weren’t always odd, were you? Will you tell me about it?”

She laughed and said, “I like laughing, by the way. And smiling. And shalock! And you! And no, I wasn’t always so odd. When I was a child, I was like other children. When I was a young girl, I was like other young girls. But as I grew taller and as I saw how few men there were in Tranna, and I saw how few girls found mates, I knew that none of the men of Tranna were for me. When the old women began to instruct us in the ways of being women, I quickly saw that my life was not going to be like other girls.

I had only one choice: become a shrine maiden. But as I prepared to become a shrine maiden, I began to lock away parts of myself and hide them. They weren’t part of who I was going to be. So they were separated from me. And as those parts, laughter and sexuality and love and normal hope and emotions… as they were locked away, what was left was what I became. I didn’t become a shrine maiden in the end because the shrine maidens still had hope and laughter to keep the other parts of them alive, I did not.

I knew that this was happening to me. It wasn’t hidden from me and it didn’t happen by accident. It was done bit by bit and I saw the changes as they took place. Many people change and don’t even realize it; I knew what was happening to me. I didn’t hate it, it simply was what it was and I was what I was. I was a girl without hope.

If being a shrine maiden was no longer a choice, I had other choices. I could walk off into the wilderness and hope to be eaten by a great white ape or some other horrible beast. Or I could stay in the village and find work to do. I know that those are extremes: death, or mundane work. I chose mundane work.

If I was going to stay in the village and find work, I had more choices. I could go about my days not caring, but only doing the amount required, or I could apply myself to a trade and become as good as I could be. Death or become a skilled craftsman? I chose working in wood. I applied to Oshen and he took pity on me and gave me a place in his shop. I worked hard and became strong and kept to myself. I worked for Oshen for almost 50 years. I’m the same age as Aeyli.

In the last few years, I had begun to be a bit happy with my life. I worked. I made nice things. People thought that I was odd, but they were kind. I started to imagine things. I started to imagine a mate for myself. I worked and thought and sometimes smiled as I imagined different things. What if a great warrior prince came to the village and asked for a special item to be made and his eye caught mine and he loved me and I became his mate? What if the shrine maidens came and reported that one like John Carter had come from the shrine and he was strong and wanted a strong mate like me?

I knew that it was just imagination, and at the same time I knew that I was being prepared for a change in the wind. I knew that I made it all up and it had no basis, and I knew that it was going to happen and that I should have hope and wait and be ready. It was impossible… and it was certain.

I didn’t hear about the meeting where you declared for Aeyli, Rani, and Belle. The news hadn’t spread to the shop yet. I saw that some people chattered about something, but I was sure that it had nothing to do with me so I didn’t pay attention. I had seen Aeyli coming toward Tranna while you were still a long way off, but it had nothing to do with me.

When Oshen called me, I thought that he had a customer and wanted me to see to them. When I saw that it was you, I knew that I would never go back to him. It was simple. It was clear and unquestioned. My warrior prince had come from the shrine. A man like John Carter, and he wanted a special item: and that item was clearly me. I saw it in your eyes. It was like you shouted with joy at the sight of me. And the parts of me that had been hidden shouted at the sight of you.

I knew that the work that you needed done was simply an excuse to meet me and take me to your house. Aeyli had included me in the vow that she made with Rani and Belle, that when the prince from the shrine came, that if he would have one of them for a mate that he would have all of us. There you were, the prince that I had imagined. There was your declaration of love for me, shouted as I looked into your eyes. There was Aeyli, come to fulfill the vow. In that instant, I removed my belt in my mind.

When we came to the house, it was already certain for both of us. You and I both knew what was meant to be, but we took a few minutes to make sure that the other felt the same way. As the moments went on, my belt seemed to get heavier and heavier. It dragged at me and became a lie and a burden. It wanted to be off and I wanted it to be off. When we finally got to where we could admit that we would be mates, even though only a few minutes had passed in reality, when I dropped the unnecessary thing to the floor, it was as if a very heavy weight had dropped.

As the day went on, my love increased by leaps every minute. Finally, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, I took my vow of silence. I did it because all that was left in me was groaning for release and there were no more words to say. The thought that it might be several days until you declared for me was hard to accept.

Mark, you are also odd. We both knew it when you first saw me. You wanted me as much as I wanted you. If we had been outside the gates instead of in Oshen’s shop when we met, you would have taken me without a word in that very instant. Yes, I know it’s true! And I love you for it. But you kept your intention to take me that very night a surprise. It’s odd that you were able to do that. You shout your love with your eyes one moment, and keep a delicious secret the next. I don’t know how.

If you had told me, it might have been even harder for me. When you sat with Belle on your lap and made love to me from across the room, your fingers on her, but your mind on me, it was both wonderful and terrible. You gave me the chance to leave, but I had to stay. At the end, I clutched my thighs and fought the feelings within me. It would have been easy to let you make me climax at that moment, but I wanted to wait until you really touched me.

When you started to say that you would take another mate in the meeting, and I knew that it was me, I began to boil. I was on fire. It was so hard to wait as every second took forever. If you had told me yesterday afternoon, I would have been incapacitated with anticipation. I’m glad that I didn’t know what was coming. It was easier after your declaration. It was done and I was your mate and waiting a little more, but not much more, was bearable, almost. I was so glad to be at the house when we arrived. But as you saw, I was still so frustrated with my imprisonment that all I could do was go straight to the roof where I knew you would come for me.

By the way, Sashar is a good woman. I’m happy that you have made her a part of our house.”

I kissed her on the head and said, “Um, Alexia, you said that Aeyli included you in the vow of the shrine maidens concerning me. Are there more? Was Sashar part of the vow?”

Alexia said, “No, not Sashar. She is just a very dear friend. She was already a woman when Aeyli and I were little girls. When Aeyli’s parents died, Sashar was like an older sister and a mother to her. She looked out for both of us many times.”

I asked, “How did Aeyli’s parents die?”

She said, “A group including she and I and her parents were outside the gates, about a day’s journey, and a Great White Ape had tracked us all night. When it attacked, five people were killed. The other 16 finally killed the beast. Two of those killed were Aeyli’s mother and father. One was my father. She and I watched it happen. When we made it back to the village, Tronuck, Dorel, and Sashar cared for us.”

I said, “Why didn’t Sashar ever take a mate?”

Alexia laughed and said, “Mark, Sashar is ‘odd’ in her own way. But mostly because taking a mate is very rare. For every woman who has a mate, two others don’t. You know that already.”

I said, but with a smile, “What do you mean, Sashar is odd in her own way?”

Alexia said, “Mark! She is tiny and she bounces around like a Barsoomian squirrel. Did you make love to her last night or not? I swear, it must have been like having a whirlwind scampering around under the furs, if you kept her on the bed at all. Don’t tell me that shalock with Sashar is the same as with me!”

I laughed and said, “No, she is different… and we had fun, no question about that, but is that odd?”

She said, “Mark, girls are five-foot-four-inches tall. And Men are five-foot-eight by the way. Sashar is the smallest woman in the village. Girls are serious and they go about their business and they always hope that they will find a mate. Sashar sells fruit. She is all about fruit. Everything that she ever says is compared to fruit. She is a fruit weirdo. A tiny, bouncy fruit weirdo! I love her just like all of us love each other here in the House of Mark, but since you fall for the ‘odd girls’, you have chosen well with Sashar. Before it’s over, you will take Myndee or Manya or both. There is also Trinla and Foteen, but I think that Manya will be next. I think that now the time has started again, that Trinla and Foteen will be spoken for soon enough. It will be interesting to see what happens to Tranna while we’re gone. Shall we have breakfast?”

Alexia jumped out of the bed and ran to the hatch and bent down and yelled, “Hey, shrine maidens and odd girls of the house of Mark! Are you down there? Bring some breakfast and let’s eat on the roof! OK, but hurry! Our prince is in bed and he wants his breakfast! And so does his giant! We want breakfast and a bed full of boobies. Yes, I said boobies! I think that we will need at least ten in total, but if you find more, bring them as well. And hurry!”

The girl ran back to the bed and jumped on top of me and said, we need a table and chairs. Get up and help me! And hurry!”

She pulled me out of bed and handed me my end of the rope and pushed me toward the wall overlooking the garden.

I said, “No, you stay here and I’ll go down,” and I ran down the hatch.

I told the girls to bring spare chairs to the garden, not ones from the dining room, and to grab a smaller table and bring all of it to me in the garden.

I went to the garden and Alexia lowered the rope to me. One of the girls appeared with a chair and I took it from her and said to Alexia, “I am going to throw it to you. Catch it.”

Alexia looked dubious. It was about 30 feet straight up. I smiled and tossed the thing so that it rose to just the height of the wall and gently sailed over. The lower gravity meant that not only did the thing weigh less to me, but it accelerated and decelerated at one sixth the speed. When falling, an object dropped on Barsoom fell at just one sixth the speed that it would on Earth.

Alexia caught the first chair with surprise and I watched how it moved to gauge the motion and momentum better for the next.

I called up, “Move out of the way for a moment,” and I waved her to the left.

I took the next chair, felt the weight, and then lofted it into the air. It went over the wall, clearing it by about a foot and landed on the roof. Because it was only five feet off the roof as it went over the wall, the impact was about the same as having dropped it from ten inches. I was pleased with my performance and repeated it with the remaining four chairs. When it came to the table, I could have thrown that as well, but it might have been damaged if I did. I tied the rope to it and Alexia started to haul it up. I leapt straight up, caught hold of the top of the wall and hoisted myself over and stood beside Alexia and said, “Here, can I help you with that?”

She looked surprised, but said, “No, I can manage. Um, On second thought, get behind me, real close and make sure I am doing it right,” and she wiggled her butt suggestively. It was a nice offer.

The rest of the girls arrived through the hatch carrying fruit and water and some bread and a few things that I hadn’t seen before. We placed the chairs around the table, it was just about right for six people, and laid out the food.

Aside from Alexia suggesting that I get ‘behind her behind’, there wasn’t much talk about sex. Everyone seemed satisfied for the moment with the activities from the previous night as each one took a turn with me on the roof.

We ate and had a cheery time and eventually Belle said, “You know, after Mark was with Alexia, he had Sashar with him, and then, he had a time with me as well.”

Rani said, “Belle, before he was with you, he had me with him on the roof too.”

Aeyli said, “Girls, before Rani, he had me… twice.”

They all looked at me and I said, “What kind of man doesn’t satisfy all of his mates at least once or twice, all in the same night? If a man can’t do that, maybe he shouldn’t have so many mates!”

Belle said, “And if he can? What then?”

I said, “Then, he should do it. Several times every month. Once a week at least.”

Chapter 28

Preparing for the Wilderness

We ate our breakfast and I said, “Girls, Alexia has asked if we can take a trip into the wilderness together. I have told her that we will, but I want to hear from all of you. Sashar agreed, but she might not have been thinking straight at the time because she was, well, anyway, she may not have been thinking straight.”

Sashar said, “Oh, I was thinking straight, just not about that! Straight and hard and big and stiff and lovely!” and she laughed. “But yes, I’m game. With ‘Mark who kills great apes with a stick’ and ‘Alexia the giantess’, what danger can there be?” Then she noticed Aeyli and Alexia and quickly said, “Oh, my loves, forgive me, I didn’t think!” referring to the deaths of the girls’ parents that Alexia had told me about.

Aeyli said, “Sashar, don’t worry about that. It was long ago and I have traveled back and forth to the shrine hundreds of times by myself. Tell us what you’re thinking.”

I said, “Alexia has asked that just like in my story from last night, that we go away for a time together so that when we come back, the memories that people in the village have of her will have faded a bit, and they’ll get to know us fresh. All of our lives have changed in the past few days and we are still changing. If we go away, we’ll have more freedom to become who we are now, rather than who we have been all of this time.”

Aeyli said, “Hm, I see the wisdom in that. Rani, Belle, and I were shrine maidens and people thought about us in a particular way.”

Belle said, “As the odd girls who serve at the shrine.”

Aeyli continued, “Yes. If we all go away, when we come back, we will be the Princesses of the House of Mark. They’ll think of us differently than they did. The shrine maidens will go away and the girls of ‘-ah-Mark’ will return.”

Alexia said, “And I was the odd girl who was too tall and too quiet. But I’m not that girl anymore! Listen to me! I talk like a real girl. I don’t even remember yesterday.”

Belle grinned and said, “You’re still very tall.”

Alexia said, “You think so? Maybe. But Alexia the odd girl was so tall that she would never have a mate. Alexia-ah-Mark is so tall that when she walks beside Mark Jensen, she looks like an exotic warrior princess. Hey, if you think I am boasting, I don’t care. I was worth more than ten furs! Trust me, I know who I am and that I’m no better than others, but I also know that Mark thinks that I’m as beautiful as all of you, and frankly, we had all better get used to being a bit regal, if you know what I mean.”

Aeyli said, “That’s true. We will sit at the head of the council one day. Alexia, this is a good plan. ‘Alexia the odd girl’ won’t be on the council, but ‘Alexia-ah-Mark, the Ten Fur Princess’ will. I like it! Sashar, are you really ready to go into the wilderness for a while? You and Alexia have never been outside the gates; not since our parents were killed.”

Sashar said, “Inside or outside, what difference does it make. I’m no longer ‘Sashar the girl who sells fruit’, I am ‘Sashar-ah-Mark, the girl who is fruit!’. Where my prince goes, I go. There are no dangers or beasts or men or women or village or wilderness; as far as I see, there is only Mark and the four of you. We’ll go together and find happiness there. I’ll turn my stand over to some other girl until we come back.”

I said, “So, is it settled? What do we need to do? Last night, Sashar said that she would leave in the middle of shalock as long as I planned to carry her.”

Belle said, “I had a really good time too.”

Aeyli said, “OK. Let’s make a plan. I need to talk to Tronuck and Dorel. I can do that by myself. Alexia needs to finalize things with Narhu and Oshen. We’ll need to take some food and water with us.”

Rani said, “Can we take a cart and a Calot to pull it?” She referred to the Barsoomian watchdog that was sometimes used as draft animal as well.

Aeyli said, “That’s a great idea. Even pulling a cart, it will run as fast as we do. And we need to visit one other place. I have a token gift for Mark. It should be ready now, but we all need to go together. We should do that first. I think that we can either leave tomorrow morning, or by midday today if we want to.”

I said, “I’d like to go as soon as we can, but let’s see how long our errands take and then decide.”

We cleared the meal away and went down stairs. Once again, I had to remind the girls to put on belts before we left the house. It was a habit that they had worn them every day of their lives, but now the need escaped them. They said that since they’d never really been without them, they now never thought about them.

Aeyli said that we should all follow her to see the surprise gift that she had for me and the six of us took to the street.

We walked through the village toward the shops and market district and Aeyli suddenly brought us to a halt.

She said, “Let me go talk to Sarton alone for a minute. You go to Narhu and Oshen and make arrangements and then come to Sarton’s shop. Give me ten minutes and then meet me there as soon as you can.”

She kissed me on the cheek and then scampered off. The girls turned toward Narhu’s shop.

I said, “Who is Sarton?”

Alexia answered, but in her old emotionless voice, “He is Sarton.”

I said, “Yes, but why are we going to see him?”

She said, “Because he has your gift.”

I asked, “But who is he?”

She answered, “He is the one who has your gift. What don’t you understand?”

The girls laughed and so did Alexia. I could tell that the emotionless voice was an act.

Then she said in the same voice, “Sarton’s work must not be spoken of in the street.”

I fell right into her trap and whispered, “Why?”

She looked at me and said, “Because it’s more mysterious that way.” She squeezed my arm and smiled and hurried us along.

At Narhu’s, we greeted one another and I explained that we planned to be away for a while. Narhu said that it was just as well because that would give him a freer hand with the remodeling if it wasn’t necessary to keep the house livable for a time. He agreed that he had all the help from Alexia that he needed and that his workers could handle everything from here on. We agreed to be gone for at least 20 days and he said that it would be plenty.

Next we quickly visited Oshen. He said, “Friend Mark, you have taken a very special girl from me. I can’t blame you for an instant. When you come back, she’ll have a fine shop to work in. Alexia my dear, there’s a change in you.”

Alexia had not spoken since we entered the shop. I don’t think that Oshen had expected her to.

He said, “I can see it in your eyes even if you don’t speak. You will come back to us a different woman. I can sense it. Best wishes for you on your travels.”

We said goodbye and hurried along to Sarton’s: the one who must not be spoken of, because it would be more mysterious that way. Oh, how I loved Alexia!

We opened the door to Sarton’s shop and there was Aeyli and the weapon maker that I had met a few days before at the first council meeting. They stood in front of a table in the center of the room. The table obviously had things on it, but they were covered with a black cloth.

Alexia whispered, “Oh, isn’t this mysterious?”

Sarton came forward and clasped my arm and said, “Friend Mark, I’m glad to meet you more closely. Welcome to my shop. Aeyli asked me to make something for you and I hope that I’ve done well.”

He pulled back the cloth on the table a little bit and took a black wooden sword, or Bokken, from the table. He held it out to me and I took it from him and held it in both hands.

Aeyli said, “It’s my gift.”

I examined the sword carefully. The handle was carved for a very good grip and the blade was polished beautifully. Inlaid in the handle was a small white round piece of wood and seven reddish ones. I tried the weight and balance of it, taking a few practice strokes and then went through a short exercise of several moves.

I said, “Sarton, this is wonderful. The weight and balance are perfect. In fact, it’s heavier than the one I made, but it fits my muscles extremely well.”

Sarton said, “Aeyli told me that you are very strong and suggested that I make this one heavier than I would have otherwise. The weight’s good for you?”

I said, “It’s superb! And the feel of it! It’s a masterpiece.”

He said, “The wood is much harder as well. What you had is a very hard wood, but this is the hardest on Barsoom. If you were to strike the one you made with this one, if you can strike hard enough, the first one would shatter and this one would be untouched.”

I said, “It’s marvelous. Thank you. And thank you, Aeyli. I love it. A perfect gift!”

She smiled and blushed slightly saying, “I’m glad. There’s a little more, but not for you.”

Sarton pulled back the cloth and revealed several more of the Bokken, but in a different wood.

He said, “These are a gift from me to your house. If you will let me, I will size one for each of your princesses. The wood is similar to the hard wood that you used for the ones that you made.”

I looked them over. Beautifully polished and carved and where mine had a white spot and seven red, these had a just single red spot and one white.

Sarton said, “Aeyli asked me to make a few more of these for your house as well, but I have workers making many more of a simpler unadorned design, of course, for use at the academy when you return to teach. The ones for you and Aeyli I copied from the ones that you made, but for these others, I need you to show me how to size them. I suppose that I should keep the others until… later?”

I showed him how mine lined up with my arm and leg and how I held the handle. Then I showed him how Aeyli’s sword was fitted to her. I pointed out the sizing of the grip, even though he had mine correct and had copied Aeyli’s for the other girls. I showed him how to measure the length of the handle more accurately as well.

He said, “That all makes perfect sense. What a brilliant design. Ladies, may I measure your length?”

He measured the proper length against the arm and hip of each girl and then said, “Give me an hour. I will have four of my workers cut and polish the ends. I have loops to attach them to your belts as well.”

Alexia said, “Sarton, would you allow me to stay and see the work?”

He said, “Oh yes! Please do!”

Then, turning to me he said, “Mark, I have one more thing that I think will be a good idea for you. You see, in some places, well, anywhere on the planet really, the knife that you wear will draw attention that you may not always want. If you would allow me, I’ve made a cover for both the handle and the sheath that can be used to disguise it. I hope you don’t mind me advising you to use it.”

I said, “Not at all. I value your advice and will gladly follow it. Show me what to do.”

Sarton pulled the covers over the handle and sheath for me and said that he approved of the look and the fit.

Aeyli and I left our Bokken with him and said that we would return in an hour or so. I kissed Alexia on the cheek and we left she and the weapon maker to finish the work.

Outside I said, “Aeyli, what a wonderful gift! I love it. Thank you!”

She said, “Oh, I’m glad that you like it. I’m so glad. Here’s what we need to do next. First, I think that you should give me the money and stones that you carry. I’ll take them to Tronuck and he will give me enough for our journey; a few coins should be more than we need since there’s nowhere to spend them where we’re going. He’ll keep the rest safe for us.”

I handed her my pouch. She pulled out some of the coins and held one out to Rani.

She said, “Rani, take this and go buy us a Calot and cart, with the agreement that if we return it in good condition that the stable will buy it back from us for 80 percent. Wait for us at the gate.”

She took another few coins and handed them to Sashar. She said, “Sashar, take Mark and go to the market and buy what you think we should have for food. Mark, you go with her to carry what she buys. Belle, you buy packs and lanterns and other things that you think we might need. Fill water bags at the fountain. Take all of it to Rani at the gate and load it into the cart.”

Belle said, “I think we should bring hammocks and a few very light furs. Also a net and a light ax.”

I said, “What does a Calot like to eat? Not just to live on, but as a special treat?”

The girls looked at each other and then said, “We don’t know.”

I said, “Rani, ask at the stable. If it’s possible, buy a good amount of it. Not enough for meals, but enough for snacks.”

Rani said, “Snacks for a Calot? Do you know what a Calot is? It’s a big animal with a lot of teeth and sharp claws that pulls a cart. They don’t sit at the table with us.”

I said, “Perhaps not, but get the snacks anyway. They will come in handy, I promise you.”

She said, “OK, but a Calot is an angry thing. It will do as we say, but only if we insist.”

I said, “That’s why we need snacks.”

She asked, “Mark, why?”

I said, “We need snacks because they taste good.”

She said, “Oh, my mistake, I thought that I was talking to Mark, but it sounds like Alexia now! I better hurry… because it’s faster! I love you because I do! I should take you to the furs right away because I want to!”

We laughed and sent her off to negotiate for the animal. Aeyli took the pouch and headed for Tronuck’s house saying “I’ll meet you at Sarton’s in an hour.”

Belle, Sashar, and I headed to the market.

At the market, first we went to buy packs from a leather working stall. We bought three light weight furs from the same vendor. Belle kept one of the packs and I took four and Sashar and I went to buy food while Belle shopped for the other things that she thought would be helpful. Sashar took one of the packs from me and told me to look around for a few minutes while she went to find her friend to take over her fruit stand while we were gone and to tell a few people why she wouldn’t be around for a little while.

I looked around the market and greeted people for about 15 minutes. Sashar called out to me and handed me a pack full of fruit and we went to buy vegetables and some dried meat. It didn’t take long.

All in all, we didn’t need much. We couldn’t take enough food and water for the entire time that we were planning to be gone, so we would find both while we were out. A two to three day supply was plenty and we could do very well on just six pieces of fruit each per day. Because of the incredible properties of the honey flavored milk, I could easily go without the fruit if necessary and would probably only take three pieces a day anyway.

There were no tents or canopies, no stoves or fuel, and no ice chests or sodas. There were the knives on our belts, about a hundred pieces of fruit, the strips of dried meat, two dozen small bags of water, and three portable versions of the mineral lamps that were used for lighting all over Barsoom.

Sashar and I finished buying the food. Belle had finished her shopping and had caught up with us. I took all of the heavier packs and we headed toward the gate to meet up with Rani and the cart that she had gone to get for us.

When we got to the gate, Rani stood beside a very large dog, like a Newfoundland or Saint Bernard, but even larger. It was harnessed to a two wheeled cart about three feet wide, six feet long, and two and a half feet deep.

I asked Rani about the animal, “Rani, I thought that you were going to get a Calot? What’s this?”

She looked puzzled and said, “This is a Calot. What did you expect?”

From the stories of John Carter that I had read as a boy, I expected something very different. I had expected something like a dog, if your dog has eight short legs, a broad head with multiple rows of teeth like a shark, and is about ten feet long and stands relatively low to the ground with his shoulder about 30 inches high!

I said, “This is a Calot?”

She said, “Yes? This is a Calot.”

I asked, “Rani, what is a Banth?”

She said, “A Banth is like a giant cat. About twice as large as the Calot.”

I said, “But how many legs does it have?”

She laughed and said, “What are you talking about? It has four legs. Calots have four legs, Banth have four legs, you have two arms and two legs, spiders have eight legs, snakes have no legs and they say that fish have no legs either. Tell you what, when we stop for the night, I’ll teach you all about it, using my legs! Two legs, two arms, two boobs, six lips, one pussy, four cheeks. Um, any more questions?”

I thought, so Calots were big dogs and Banth were lions with four legs, not ten. I guessed that I was going to have to add those facts to the things that got fictionalized in the books. Wait, now that I thought about it, how many limbs did the Great White Ape that I killed have? I had thought that it was six, but that is what I expected to see. Now that I thought about it, the carcass did have just four limbs.

I said, “No, not right now. Oh, wait, yes! You said that the Calot was ‘an angry thing’?”

She laughed again, “If something tries to come into our camp, you’ll see. But this big guy is sweet and furry and a great big loyal friend. Aren’t you? Yes you are!”

A large bag of ‘snacks’ for the animal was already in the cart. We loaded the rest of our supplies and tied one of the light furs over the top of the bundle. Before we tied everything down, I filled one of the small bags on my belt with the treats for our animal.

While the Sashar and Belle finished securing the cart, I had Rani introduce me to our new Calot companion.

I said, “Rani, show me how we handle him.”

She said, “We command him as with anything. They understand the meaning of many things that we say to them.”

In actuality, it was more accurate to say that the animal understood the telepathic component of what we said, and if we told it to follow us, it understood the sense of the request, not the words themselves.

She continued, “When it is happy, you can touch it on the shoulder or head or neck, but be careful. It won’t bite your arm off, like it would if you were an enemy, but it may bump you hard with its snout if you irritate it, even a little. I like them, but they can be difficult.”

I approached the beast, and standing several feet from its face, I took a treat from my bag and held it on my palm at let the thing get a whiff of it. It did not move toward me, but it was interested. I tossed the morsel toward it and the big dog snapped it out of the air. I repeated this several more times and each time, the animal seemed to be put more at ease. Within a few minutes, I was standing directly in front of it with my hand on its head, feeding it from my hand.

When the time came, it was decided that Rani and Belle would stay with the cart while Sashar and I went back to Sarton’s shop to meet Alexia and Aeyli.

Chapter 29

Shall We Hunt Demons?

At the shop, we were greeted warmly and Sarton showed us the final products. They were sized and polished perfectly. Alexia, Aeyli, Sashar and I fastened ours to our belts and took the two for Rani and Belle, plus the originals that Aeyli and I had made. Sarton had shaped and polished our originals for a finer finish for us as well.

He said, “I would suggest one more thing. A good knife is essential. Mark, yours has no equal in this part of the world, but the ones that the girls carry are not the finest. I don’t want to make a profit by saying this, but you really should consider something better. Here, look at these.”

He showed us a set of five good quality knives, ranging from 8 to 14 inches long, that he had chosen from his stock.

I said, “Sarton, my friend, let me buy these at full price. In addition to the swords that you have made for us. You have workers to feed and I appreciate fine craftsmanship.”

I didn’t want to go through a lot of discussion about anyone wanting to give us gifts or anything like that this morning. Sarton understood my meaning exactly and didn’t try to talk me out of it, not because he wasn’t generous, but because it was clear that this was what I wanted to do.

What I wanted right now was to get on the road. Well, on the moss, anyway. We said our goodbyes and wished each other the best until we met again, and left the shop.

Outside I asked, “Well, are we ready? Is there anything else that we need to do? Can we leave right now?”

Aeyli said, “I think we’re ready. Are you eager to get going?”

I said, “I am. When the decision to do something has been made, I want to get it done. My heart is outside the gate and it calls for me to catch up.”

We laughed and said, “Well, let’s go catch up!”

Alexia said with a smile, “We should hurry!”

We did hurry. When we got to the gate, I didn’t even stop. I said to the Calot, “Come on,” and just kept walking. Rani and Belle jumped up from where they had been leaning against the cart as the big beast rushed to follow me. We passed through the gate of Tranna and into the vast wilderness of Barsoom.

It felt good. Aeyli walked on my left and Alexia walked on my right. Sashar walked beside Aeyli, and Rani and Belle walked just behind us with the cart.

We left the gate about four hours after sun up. It was still early in the morning and we had plenty of time… and then it occurred to me to wonder where we were going.

I said, “Um, so, where are we going?”

Alexia said, “Into the wilderness. There’s no need to hurry.”

I reached behind her and squeezed her butt playfully.

Aeyli said, “I don’t know. We need to walk straight ahead until we’re quite a way out from the village. I guess we don’t really have to. It’s what we have always done. The only reason that we leave the village is to go to the shrine. The location was always kept secret, so we always left in a different direction instead of heading straight for it.”

I said, “So, where should we go? Is one direction as good as another?”

Aeyli thought for a moment and then said, “We should go where we’ll find food and water. You know the spring that we went to where you wanted to build a castle in the sky? There’s a place like it with a ruins nearby it, at the edge of the village itself.”

Alexia said, “Aeyli, no! We don’t have to go there. Pick somewhere else.”

Aeyli said, “Alexia, it might be good.”

The tall girl said, “But there are demons there! Do you really want to go there?”

Aeyli said, “Do you? Tell me how you feel.”

Alexia said, “I worry about how you will feel. It has been a long time, but pain is pain. If we need to go there, I will go. I think that I’ll be OK, but, you had the greater loss.”

Aeyli said, “Mark, when I was young, when Alexia and I were children, our families traveled from Tranna to a village a few days away. We stayed there for a few weeks. Alexia and I became really good friends. It was a fun place. When we headed back to Tranna, a Great White Ape tracked us. When it caught us, 5 of the 21 people with us were killed. My parents and Alexia’s father were some of those it took before it was killed itself. I have never been back there. And Alexia has never left the village until today.”

I said, “Oh, I’m sorry. So, the demons there are the memories and pain of losing your family?”

Alexia said, “Yes.”

Aeyli said, “But, Alexia, tell me, how do you feel about going there? To Nobrus?”

Alexia said, “Aeyli, if it were just Mark and I, I would go there gladly. I feel like if I am leaving Tranna for the first time in 60 years, I should go back to Nobrus and start over. But like I said, you had a greater loss even than I did. And I hid myself away; you didn’t. So, I feel like I want to go to Nobrus and release demons… and I feel like I never want you to remember the place!”

Aeyli said, “I like the idea. That’s why I thought of it. Let’s take our weapons and our new lives and go to Nobrus and slay demons! I know that the spot on the road where the attack took place, where our parents’ blood fed the ground, will be a difficult memory, but I think that I have a plan for that in mind. Maybe we can replace that memory with another, better one. Mark, what do you think?”

I said, “If you say that you’re troubled by demons, I say point me in the direction of Nobrus and stay here while I go and kill them for you! But of course, I can’t do that. We each have to fight our demons for ourselves. But we can have help to do it. If you want to go to Nobrus, then let’s go to Nobrus. If not, let’s go somewhere else and maybe go to Nobrus at some other time.”

Rani and Belle and Sashar were all gathered around at this point. They all knew the implications of going where we discussed.

Sashar said, “Girls, I’ll go with you and be with you the whole time if that’s where you want to go.”

Aeyli said, “I want to go to Nobrus! Mark, this time, if a White Ape hunts us, it’s because he has chosen to have us end his life.”

We walked on in silence for a few minutes.

I said, “What do you know about the state of Nobrus now? Are there people there? It has been 60 years. What do you think that we’ll find?”

Aeyli smiled and said, “We’ll find a deserted ruin at the edge of a wood. It was being abandoned as we left 60 years ago. We’ll find a village with no people. The buildings will be in the same shape they were the last time I saw them. It will be a nice village full of ghosts. Of course, the vegetation will have taken over some of it and animals will have taken over what they can as well.”

Belle asked, “What about White Apes? Or Banth? Or wild Calots?”

Aeyli said, “I don’t think so. There are few of the apes left now. At least not in this part of the world. Banth are more likely in more densely wooded areas, not out here on the open plains. The same for Calots and other large beasts. We’ll see. I think that it will be good for Mark to teach all of you the ‘bokken’ as he calls it, before we get there though.”

When we were about a mile from the gates, Aeyli turned us to the right and we walked on.

Chapter 30

First Day of Training

We walked for perhaps another mile and then turned about 30 degrees off to our right again.

Walking in the lower gravity goes faster even for people without my extra muscles. Think of the timing of musical notes. If I walk along at a pace where every step is a half note, two beats to a second, perhaps each step is two and a half feet and I move at about five feet per second. That’s about three and a half miles an hour.

Now, the gravity of Barsoom is about one sixth that of earth. Stepping in the same way, it would take about six times as long for your feet to hit the ground with each step. That’s if both of your feet left the ground at the same time, but that isn’t how people walk. Running, yes, but not walking. However, even walking, the girls took longer strides than you would on Earth. I would estimate that a fair walking rate on Barsoom might have been five and a half miles per hour instead of the three or four that we do on Earth.

But when jogging or running, the stride was much longer. Perhaps six feet at a stride. At four beats per second, the girls traveled about 24 feet per second, or 16 miles per hour. When running fast, it was possible to do twice that speed, and since the impact on the bones was much lower, the pace could be kept up for much longer. With my extra muscles, I could do about half as much again and maybe hit 45 miles an hour.

There was a difference in bone density between me and other inhabitants of Barsoom though. The greater gravity of Earth had forced my bones to be more dense. Though I could not break stones easily or grab a tree and rip it out of the ground, my strength did make so that my strikes did crush bones more easily. Especially when concentrated by my fist or a sword.

So, we walked. And then we jogged. And then we walked. Mostly we walked at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the journey. Sometime after noon, Aeyli announced that we were headed straight at Nobrus. We stopped for a bit of fruit and afterward we had our first session of bokken training.

We started with a fighting stance and then a proper grip. I showed the correct strike motions and then demonstrated the five main targets: head or neck, chest or shoulder or elbows or ribs, arms and wrist, leg or knee, and finally thrusting to the face or chest or stomach.

The girls were all fast learners and Aeyli was already practiced at all of these techniques.

Alexia was especially focused on the training and practiced harder than anyone, including Aeyli. Sashar surprised me by practicing nearly as hard as Alexia.

Belle asked, “How far is it to Nobrus?”

Aeyli continued to practice her basic moves and answered, “Well, if we walk, about three days. If we run comfortably, maybe a long day or a day and a half. Are you in a hurry?”

Belle thrust with her bokken and said, “No. A few nights on the moss will be nice, but if we are traveling, we have less time to practice. I don’t mind the journey, but it will also be nice to be in a place where we have a base and no plans.”

Aeyli said, “Yeah. I enjoy the practice. I would like it if we practice for an hour and then walk for an hour and then practice and then walk,” and she swung her blade in a strong strike to the skull of her imaginary opponent.

I said, “It’s best if we train for about 30 to 40 minutes and then walk for an hour. The body wants time to assimilate what it has learned. You will find that the next time we practice that you have improved even though we haven’t done anything.”

After a bit, we started off again. I had the girls keep their bokken in their hand, carrying it lightly with the left hand where the blade balanced naturally. The more they became comfortable with the weight and balance, the more comfortable they would be with it overall.

An hour later, we stopped again. We reviewed the basics that they had learned and then I introduced the first ‘Kata’; a set of patterns meant to simulate a short battle sequence with an imaginary opponent. I watched the progress and made corrections where indicated and lavished praise when I could.

Alexia practiced fiercely. I stepped about 20 feet away and sat on the moss and called her to come sit beside me. She stopped and came and stood in front of me, but I asked her to sit down.

I said, “Do you trust me to teach you?” as I watched the other girls work through their movements.

Alexia leaned forward watching every move that the other girls made intently and said, “Yes.”

I said, “Really? Will you do whatever I say related to the training?”

She said “Yes,” and continued to watch the others practice.

I said, “Then, lie down and put your head in my lap.”

Alexia looked at me and started to protest, but the look in my eyes and my smile seemed to quiet her. As she lay on her back and put her head on my thigh and looked up into my face, she still looked like she wanted to question me about what I was thinking.

I look down at her and said, “Princess, there are a lot of aspects to this training. The things that you are learning right now are just the very beginning. These moves are just a little bit of it. Tell me, when you cut a piece of wood, do you force it to do what you want? Do you force the wood to be what’s in your mind?”

She looked at me. She said, “How do you know about that? Some workers do just that. They grab the wood and cut it to be the way that they want it to look. It’s violent. When I do my work, I picture what I want to make and then I look for the wood that wants to be that thing. It’s one of the odd things about how I work. If you let the wood decide for itself, the thing that gets made is better. And easier.”

I said, “So, that’s how this training is. I will teach you things that I can’t teach the others. Maybe Aeyli will learn them, but I can see that the others won’t. They can learn to a certain point. They will be very proficient and fierce if they need to be. But if you let me, I’ll teach you the ‘odd’ ways that others won’t learn.”

She said, “Yes, of course I’ll let you teach me! I’ll do whatever you show me and I’ll practice harder than any of them!”

I said, “I know that you will work harder, but when I told you to lay in my lap you hesitated and seemed frustrated.”

She sighed, “You’re right. I did. It was my mistake. Oshen taught me what he could, but he doesn’t understand odd ways. Now I know that you do. I’ll let you teach me and I’ll quit teaching myself.”

I said, “Good. I know that you’ll like it. So much of the training is what you would call odd. The true swordsman is very odd. I won’t be able to explain what we’re doing at every step. Some steps have to be practiced before you can understand them.”

She said, “I’ll do it and you explain it when you’re ready, um, when you say that I’m ready.”

I said, “If I tell you not to train, will you trust me that even that is training?”

She said, “I will.”

I said, “Good. I’ll teach you everything I know. Are you ready?”

She said, “Yes!” and she started to sit up. I put my hand on her head and pushed her back down into my lap.

I said, “Your next lesson happens here. In my lap. I’m very serious about this.”

Alexia tried to relax in my lap and said, “OK. What do I do.”

I said, “You are going to practice while we make love.”

Her eyes went wide and she said, “OK? Um, OK. I… I’ll do what you tell me to.”

I said, “You enjoy making love with me, don’t you?”

She said, “Of course! Mark, I love you and being with you is more than wonderful. Last night was so good. If you want to make love, we’ll make love!”

I said, “No, I want you to practice. But I’ll show you how, while we make love. Trust me. This is important for you. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Breathe slowly. Deep breathe in… and now out, slowly.”

As we breathed together, I placed my arm across her chest and cupped the bottom half of her left breast. As our breathing went on, I stroked her gently, running my hand over her chest and circling her breasts and fondling them. Her nipples began to harden, but her breathing stayed steady and relaxed.

Her eyes were closed and I said, “Now, stay very relaxed. In your mind, picture your sword in your hands. As my hands flow over your chest, picture your sword mimicking the movements. It goes around and around. It holds its stance and then slices through the air. Your feet follow my hands. Slice through the air and now pivot on your heel and slice down behind where you were a moment ago. Don’t think about your movement; let my hand make the movements. In your mind, your feet and arms move how I direct them as I caress your breasts.”

I let my hand slide down to her stomach and drew circles and lines. “Keep your breathing slow and deep. You are doing the dance with your sword as I tell your body what to do. Tell me what you see, but keep your eyes closed.”

She said, “I see leaves and blossoms falling from a tree! Your hands move me and the leaves fall around me. My sword arcs through the air in moves that you haven’t taught me… until this moment! My feet move where you tell them to!”

I played with her body a little more firmly, giving it squeezes from time to time.

I said, “Alexia, you are a warrior princess. These leaves are your training partners. Strike them, but gently. Slice at one and then move to another. Take the one behind you… and now the two to each side.”

I began to circle her nipples with my fingers, first one and then the other.

I said, “Spin in a circle. Let me move you faster and faster. Your breathing will increase, but stay in control of it. You can move faster than that. Strike at the leaves. The head! The shoulder! The wrist! The knee! Now, pierce the heart! Behind you! Cut the chest! Now, take two strikes at each leaf! Head and leg! Chest and head. Wrist and heart! One more! Now, choose a leaf and strike it three times!”

Her breathing was faster, but still deep.

I said, “Now, quickly, stop and put the point of your sword on the ground and lean over and lean against it, and spread your legs!”

Alexia took a deep breath and her legs parted in response to her picturing them doing the same as she rested over the top of her sword. I shoved my hand down between them at that moment and began rubbing at her mound and brought her quickly to an orgasm. She arched her back and gave a stifled cry and a droplet of milk formed on each of her breasts.

I moved my arm back to her chest and hugged her into my lap and said, “Now, slow deep breaths. Rest from your practice. You did well and I’m proud of you. Lie down in my lap and rest. You deserve it. Just breathe.”

Alexia took a few more breaths and smiled and opened her eyes. “Mark, I swear, I’ll do whatever you say from now on! Anytime, anywhere!”

I said, “Oh, did you enjoy your lesson?”

She laughed, “I did, but I learned too! Mark, I saw things I can’t describe! I saw things about how the sword works. And it wasn’t me that did it. It was… I don’t know what.”

I said, “Alexia, at the moment that I strike, it isn’t me that strikes, but my sword strikes my opponent on its own.”

She said, “Yes! Yes! But, you made love to me and I couldn’t think or see or feel, but I saw the leaves and I struck the leaves and I felt the leaves hit my blade and I felt you move my body to face each one!”

I looked down at her and said, “Now, hush, this is between you and me. I can’t teach them everything that I will teach you. We had better get up and be with the others.”

Alexia look deep into my eyes and said huskily, “I want you!”

I smiled and said, “Believe me, I want you too!”

She said, “OK then. As long as we understand each other. Let’s join the others.”

We got up from the ground and the girls asked, “So, did you two have a nice ‘chat’?” and they giggled.

I said, “We had a very nice ‘chat’. I look forward to having a nice chat with each of you very soon.”

We laughed and got back on our way.

When we stopped the next time, we worked on blocking the various strikes that the girls knew.

I said, “The attacks that I showed you are universal. A Great Ape will strike at your head or arm or leg. Another animal will come straight at your throat. A swordsman, even if he uses a different kind of sword will use similar movements. A knife is used the same way, even by someone who has never trained. All of those will be less effective than you are because they haven’t practiced like we do. So we learn to block those attacks. Aeyli, come here and face me. Good, now step forward as if you were going to strike the top of my head, but go slowly and carefully.”

Aeyli took a position in front of me and raised her bokken and brought it down slowly. As the sword came over my head, I stepped back just a foot and the point passed harmlessly several inches in front of me.

I said, “The best way not to be hit is not to be where the hit would be. Go again.”

She repeated her strike and I stepped back just enough to let it miss me.

I said, “You don’t want to get far out of the way; just enough so that it doesn’t hit you. You’ll see why later. Now, do it again.”

She stepped forward to strike, and this time I stepped toward her and raised my sword as a shield above my head. Her blade hit my own and slid off and downward past my shoulder.

I said, “To block the overhead strike, I step toward my attacker and hold my blade like this so that they slide harmlessly off to the side. Let me show you why. We’ll work on this in steps. Don’t try to do this right now. Aeyli, again.”

She stepped forward with her strike, and I blocked as before, and then I looped my sword around and made my own strike at her head, but didn’t hit her; and then I quickly stepped behind her and thrust forward as if to pierce her back and into her heart. I asked her to repeat it again, and this time, as she struck, I stepped back so that she missed me and then stepped in with my own cut to her wrist, then her chest, and then her head in three quick strikes.

I said, “The object is not to block your opponent. The object is to incapacitate him. Aeyli, one more time.”

This time as she struck, I stepped to my right and her sword passed through the air near my left shoulder and my sword struck toward her head at the same instant.

I said, “See how it may not be two movements, a block and counter, but just one. Pair up, size doesn’t matter, and I will show you the ways to avoid or block each strike.”

I paired with Aeyli, Rani with Belle, and Alexia the six-foot-two-inch giantess with Sashar the five-foot-no-inch pixie.

I said, “Now, one of you take the slow strike at each of the five targets and let your partner avoid or block it. When you have done all five, switch so that the other strikes and the first blocks. Go nice and easy. Don’t hurt anyone.”

Aeyli and I started our practice and went over the moves twice each. At that point, I had each of us step to our right so that we practiced with a new partner: the one on the end, rotated in on the other side. This time, I was with Alexia. We went through our practice and when we had gone twice, I had us rotate again. I practiced with each of them in turn and made corrections where necessary, but they were all doing very well. When we had practiced with all of the available partners, we sat down and drank a little water and traveled on.

Chapter 31

Afternoon Musings

At one point as we walked, Sashar bounced up and took my left hand in hers and skipped along beside me happily. A minute later, she swung herself around and climbed up my body and put her legs around my waist and kissed me on the mouth while I just kept walking. To me, she weighed the equivalent of 18 pounds and I carried her easily.

She said, “See, I’ll go anywhere with you, if you carry me!”

Her legs were spread wide around my waist and she leaned back and rubbed her crotch against mine. She felt frisky and apparently wanted some attention. I pulled her higher onto me and lifted her to where her breast was at my lips and said, “A perfect time for lunch,” and I sucked at her nipple, tasting the honey flavored milk. I knew that if I had enough of it, and if I let the little elf grind against me, that we would end up with us trying to march ahead with her bouncing happily on my penis. It wasn’t time for that right now.

After several drinks at her chest I set her back on her feet and said, “Ooh, that was a good lunch. I’ll want more in a little while.” It seemed to satisfy her for now.

I heard Alexia say, “Oh, to be a tiny pixie like Sashar.”

I said, “Oh, Alexia, come here a moment.”

Alexia came to my side and when she got close enough, I scooped her up and put her legs around my waist in the same position that Sashar had just vacated. Alexia was surprised that I swung her into my arms so easily: even she only weighed 26 pounds to my Earth muscles, and she smiled and put her arms around my neck.

I said, “I seem to be still hungry!” and I scooted Alexia into position and took a long draught from her breast. Alexia stiffened in my arms and pulled herself to me at the sensation of her sensitive nipple flooding my mouth with its gift. I pulled off and smiled at her and said, “Oh, but you were saying something about wanting to be a tiny girl. Why?”

She took a deep breath and said, “No, I’m fine. Um, yeah, I’m good just like this.”

I said, “I think you’re perfect just like this.”

I set her down and walked on with one arm around Sashar and the other around Alexia.

I had been pretty busy for the past several weeks and now, as we just walked on and on across the sea of moss, my mind began to calm itself and I had time to reflect on my situation.

For my last few weeks on Earth, I was busy studying the manuscript, researching where it might lead me, wrestling with what I might or might not be uncovering. I had bought property and made plans. I had driven for days out to the desert and set up a camp. My mind had raced as if it were life and death that I was facing. It essentially was. Either choice, stay or go, would change my life forever. If I went, I might never come back and never see my son again. If I stayed, I would go back to work and live out my life like a ‘normal’ guy.

For the first few days on Barsoom, I was in constant, actual life and death situations. Running desperately to find water and shelter. Collapsing, nearly dead until Aeyli caught up with me and revived me. Carrying the girl miles and miles in a race to find water for her before she died of thirst and exhaustion. Hounded by the threat of darkness and wild beasts. Attacked by a Great White Ape… and killing it.

The next few days were within the safety of Tranna, but they weren’t really relaxing by any means. The first night I appeared before the council. Later I got to know my second and third mates. The next morning we spent on plans for renovations. I taught in the market and was captivated by Alexia, the odd girl. That night I taught in the council hall in front of the entire village population… and took two more mates. Afterward, we went home and I made love to all five of them before sunrise.

This morning we were busy with preparations for our trip into the wilderness and I heard the story of the death of Aeyli and Alexia’s parents, attacked by a Great White Ape on the way from the very village that we were headed toward now.

And now, we just walked. Quietly or in conversation, we just walked. Mile after mile, the moss in front of us in a never ending sea of unchanging views of nothing. We walked. There was no danger, no hurry, no thirst. No tense discussions, and no challenges from any side. We just walked.

We walked on a different planet than I was raised on. A different planet! I was just walking… on a different planet. I walked along with five companions. Five of the most beautiful women imaginable. I walked naked except for a leather belt, with five women who were also completely naked except for their leather belts. It was like walking down a long nude beach with no one else around, mile after mile. The only scenery to speak of was the swaying of their perfectly shaped hips and buttocks, and the smiles on their faces.

Thinking about it, I unbuckled my belt and tossed it into the cart pulled by the giant Barsoomian dog we had brought with us. Alexia and Sashar, walking beside me smiled and tossed their belts on the cart as well. Belle jumped at the chance and was out of hers an instance later, and Rani and Aeyli were right behind her.

We walked along, now completely naked, except for the ruby anklets that each girl wore on her left foot, miles from any living being. Me and my five mates. The girls with me were amazing in so many ways. Beautiful in the extreme. Buxom in the extreme, but in the most attractive way. Their breasts were rounder than possible on Earth because of the lower effect of gravity. Breasts that produced sweet flavored milk for their husband year round, not just for infants. Sexualized in the extreme. The girls were highly orgasmic and climaxed easily: multiple times. They were unashamed of their sexual desires and joked freely about them and weren’t shy about talking about it with their own household.

We walked along and when we talked, it was always honest. Barsoom was a very different place than Earth. I was as if the envy and need to always be sure that no one took advantage of you, and the desire to take advantage of others for your own gain, never made it to this planet. I assumed that this was why the girls were able to be so openly sexual with me, without thoughts of territory and abuse and lack of security and being taken advantage of; without lying and inappropriate lust, they had no need to protect themselves from me.

I loved them and they loved me. As such, it wouldn’t occur to them to be afraid of me. They knew that I loved them, so what could they be afraid of from me? There was no jealousy between them: without the fear that their own needs wouldn’t be met, why would they be afraid of one of the others getting their needs met. There was also no need for modesty. They had no fear that they weren’t attractive enough or that they had to compete for my attention, so why not be as comfortable and as naked as possible? Why be afraid of seeing your husband make love to another of his mates if you knew that he loved you and wanted you to have a wonderful time as soon as your turn came? Why be afraid of being seen making love to your husband if you knew that that the other girls were happy for you and it would never cross their minds to wish that it was them instead of you?

I walked on and on, down my own planet sized nude beach with five beautiful naked women. A pixie, a giantess, a genius planner, and two more who loved me deeply.

We walked a long time this time. Finally, Aeyli called a halt.

She said, “I think that we should stop here for today. We will cross over the spot where the attack happened tomorrow morning. I think that this is good for tonight.”

We unharnessed the dog from the cart. Rani explained that he would stay nearby and that he would watch for dangers overnight. She said that we should be able to sleep peacefully knowing that he was protecting us.

I said, “Does he have a name?”

She asked, “A name? No, no name. And only four legs, just like before.”

I said, “No, he needs a name. What shall we call him?”

The other girls gathered around and Rani said, “He’s a Calot. That’s his name.”

I said, “No, that’s the kind of animal that he is. But he is a being like us and we should give him a name. What should it be?”

Rani said, “We could call him ‘Big Calot’.”

I said, “OK, I’ll pick a name. I say that we call him ‘Cassius’.”

I took my belt from the cart and put it around my waist and then took a treat from the bag and tossed it to him. I told the girls that we would be back in a few minutes and the big dog and I walked about 50 yards away together.

The dog was a very quick learner. I called him by name and associated it with the reinforcement of the food. Soon, he was walking at my side reliably. Training went really fast. The telepathic component made it very easy to communicate what I wanted. I would say ‘sit’ and the word was instantly associated with the behavior. I still had to get the behavior first because ‘sit’ to me wasn’t the same as ‘sit’ to the dog, but once I got him to sit naturally or by luring him into the position with the treat, the verbal cue took on meaning the first or second time that it was used. Within a short time, Cassius responded to his name, sit, down, stay, and come. I could have done the same with a dog on Earth in about an hour or so; I had done a lot of animal training in my past life. With Cassius, it took a little less. It wasn’t magic, but it was easy.

Cassius and I walked back to the new camp spot with him loping along beside me.

Rani said, “Well, does the Calot have a name?” and she laughed at the idea.

I said, “Rani, you surprise me.”

Aeyli laughed and said, “Me too!”

Alexia said, “Rani, I think that you have lost your mind.”

Rani frowned and said, “Why? Why me? He’s the one who wants to know what a Calot’s name is!”

Aeyli and Alexia just smiled.

I said, “Rani, sit on the ground.”

She sat down and waited.

While looking at Rani I said, “Cassius, sit,” and the big dog sat on the ground. Still looking at Rani I said, “Cassius, down,” and the big dog lay down on his stomach and watched me. I tossed him a treat and said, “Cassius, stay.”

I walked about 20 feet away and said, Rani, come here for a minute.”

She got up and walked over and stood in front of me.

I whispered, “I love you,” and I gave her a little kiss. Then I whispered, “Cassius, come.”

The dog jumped up and hurried to stand at my hip. I took Rani’s hand in mine and patted Cassius on the head and we all walked back to the others.

Alexia said, “Rani, if Mark says that he taught a Calot a name, why would you question it? Is there something that he has said that he would do that he hasn’t done? The Calot does what he tells it, but only when he calls him by name, the same way that when he told you to sit on the ground you did it but I didn’t. If he said ‘Alexia, sit down’ I would. But he said, ‘Rani’ and then he said ‘Cassius’. The Calot definitely knows that it has a name.”

Rani said, “Yes, I guess he does. Will he do it for me?”

I said, “I don’t know. Here, take this treat and ask him to sit. If he does it give it to him.”

Rani looked at the dog and said, “Cassius, sit.” The dog just stared.

I said, “Cassius, do what Rani asks you. Rani, try again.”

Rani said, “Cassius, sit,” and the dog sat and Rani gave him the treat.

I said, “Maybe he wants to know if I give you authority to ask him to do things. Let’s have everybody try it.”

I said, “Cassius, watch me,” and I deliberately showed him a treat and handed it to Aeyli. I took another one, and showed it to Cassius and then handed it to one of the other girls and then repeated it until each one was holding a treat. When the girls asked him to sit or lie down, he did so and received his reward.

Belle said, “What commands have you taught him?”

I said, “Um, none. We can ask him to do things, but there are no commands. We ask each other to do things, but there’s no punishment if you don’t do it. They are requests. If I say, ‘Belle, come here for a moment’ you choose if you want to do it or not. What happens if you don’t do it?”

She said, “If I don’t do it, I don’t get to do or hear or see whatever it was that you had in mind. I want to do whatever you ask because I love you. And it’s fun. And you love me.”

I said, “Exactly! And, if we make it fun, and if he loves you, and if he knows that you love him, then he wants to do what we ask him to. If a dangerous creature comes and threatens me, if you tell him to lie down, he’ll probably ignore you because he wants to protect us more than he wants to lie down, and that’s the right thing for him to do.”

I took off my belt and put it back in the cart and lay down on my back and relaxed on the soft carpet of moss.

Aeyli said, “That looks like a good idea,” and she lay down next to me. The other girls smiled and did the same.

I said, “Tell me what kind of dangers there are here in the open and what will we find when we get to Nobrus?”

Aeyli said, “Here in the open, there will be almost no chance of seeing any wildlife at all. The apes or other creatures would only come here if they were tracking prey. That’s what happened on our way from the woods back to the ruins. Those ruins don’t have a name that I know of. Those attract beasts because there’s water and the woods aren’t too far away, but also because there are basements and sewers and other underground passages where vermin hide and multiply. It has been uninhabited for a very long time. Maybe 800 years, but we don’t really know.”

I wondered at how furs and tapestries, and even wooden poles could last 800 years without disintegrating. Maybe the atmospheric differences or the relative sparsity of insect life played a factor. Or maybe it wasn’t as old as Aeyli thought.

She continued, “Nobrus was abandoned about 60 years ago. When I was there last, a small wood came right to the edge and the people would gather wild foods and hunt, and children would play there. It wasn’t dangerous except at night. There are caves in the woods where the rats lived, and those are dangerous.”

Sashar said, “How dangerous can a rat be? I’ve killed a lot of rats in the fruit orchards.”

Alexia said gravely, “These rodents are of an unusual size. Like small Calots. They stand as tall as your knee and they have large teeth. Aeyli and I saw a dead one when we were children. It was a hideous thing.”

Aeyli said, “Yes. These rats are much more dangerous than orchard rats. Fortunately, they don’t hunt large animals. If they have to defend themselves, they will fight fiercely, but they will run from us if given the chance, unless they’re starving. There may be snakes, but they don’t hunt us either. When Mark and I were at the ruins, it was more dangerous because of the underground beasts, and there were just the two of us and we were weak from lack of food and water. I don’t think that we’ll have much trouble in Nobrus.”

Belle asked, “Where will we stay, do you think?”

Aeyli said, “There is a wall around the village and a gate. I’m sure that the gate was closed when the villagers left, and if it hasn’t been opened since, it will still be closed. Um, Nobrus… well, like Alexia said, it has its demons. Or it used to. It was attacked many times by the final tribes of the insane green men, and even some of the people of Nobrus went insane from the horrors that they saw and experienced. At the end, those who were left did what they could to clean up the bodies and debris and make it livable again, but there was just too much pain and memories of how much was lost for anyone to stay. Finally, the last of them put on their belts and left. Many came to Tranna. Some continued on to other places. The fall of time was very devastating.”

She paused for a few minutes and then said, “So, here’s what I think will happen. We will walk up to the gate of Nobrus and find it still closed.”

I interrupted, “Aeyli, if it has such a sad history, should we disturb it? Would it be better to leave it as it is? Will others be upset if we go there?”

Belle, Rani, and Sashar looked at Aeyli to see what she would say.

She said, “Girls, Mark comes from a different world. Oh, Sashar and Alexia, Mark really did come through the shrine from John Carter’s world. A place called Earth.”

Sashar said, “Yes, we know. It’s no secret from us.”

Aeyli said, “Then, you understand that sometimes he thinks like someone from a different world. He has told me strange stories about Earth, and this must be how someone from Earth might think. Mark, entering Nobrus after so long would be considered a triumph. I bet that in a few months, after Tranna has changed a bit more, if we announced that we wanted to go to Nobrus and see if it could be lived in again, people would volunteer to go with us. When we go back to Tranna, they will make us tell stories in the council meeting.”

I said, “Oh, I see.”

She said, “So we’ll probably find the gate closed. We’ll open it and find that the village is relatively clean. First, we’ll find the well and then we can look for a suitable building to stay in. Probably we should look for the tallest building that we can find. We can find furniture and make the place secure on the first night. The next day, we should go into the woods and see what food will be available to us. Then we’ll know how to decide if we should stay or head somewhere else right away. I think that we’ll find plenty to eat in the woods of Nobrus.”

Aeyli said that the woods next to Nobrus were about twelve miles across. Because water was scarce and primarily spring water rather than rain water, any woods or jungle on Barsoom tended to be very small by earth standards. The very fact there was a wooded area meant that there must be a spring.

I asked, “Is the spring warm and big enough to bathe in, like we did before?”

She smiled and said, “I don’t know. We’ll have to find out. I hope so.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon training. After practicing the block and avoid moves for a while, I added a single counter attack on each block. Later, I added another so that each block was followed by two counters, and then three when two was comfortable for them.

The time passed quickly. We continued training until the sun started to go down.

It seldom got very dark on Barsoom. The two moons were almost always in the night sky. It would be dark in the shadows of buildings, but out here in the open, there was plenty of moonlight so see fairly well.

For our evening meal, we had water and fruit and a little dried meat for protein.

Chapter 32

At the Place of Demons

We awoke together at dawn.

Everyone was a bit subdued and quiet. We all knew that today we would go to the spot where Aeyli and Alexia had lost their parents. We were on our way to confront demons. We packed the cart and harnessed Cassius.

The girls planned to stay naked and leave their belts in the cart as we had yesterday, but I called them to me and said, “Before we go, come here for a moment.”

They gathered around and I hugged each one, Belle first. I kissed her and said, “Belle, wear your belt. We have work to do.” I buckled her belt around her waist myself and then kissed her again.

I did the same with Rani, and then with Sashar.

I took Alexia in my arms and kissed her and buckled on her belt saying, “We have work to do. When it’s done, we’ll celebrate together.

When I came to Aeyli, I held her in my arms tightly and said, “Princess, I’m with you. We have work to do today. I’ll buckle your belt myself and I won’t leave your side. I came through the shrine so that I could be with you, and to be with you for this thing today. I love you.”

I buckled the belt around her waist and kissed her again and she hugged me tightly and smiled.

I took the bokken from the cart and inspected each girl and attached their swords to their belts, making sure that everything was in order as I inspected my troops. I checked each knife and each small water bag. Then I made a show of checking breasts and butts and crotches, giving each one a little kiss between the legs. The girls giggled and suggested that I needed to inspect them further.

It lightened the mood, and a few minutes later we began our march. As we walked, I held Aeyli’s hand and kept her beside me. There wasn’t a lot of talk, but the mood wasn’t as somber as it could have been. There were plenty of smiles and Sashar did what she could to keep things happy, even if we were not light-hearted.

After a few hours of near silence, Aeyli suddenly stopped. We were at the place. There was no discoloration or visible indicator that I could see. Everyone stopped, but no one seemed to know what to do.

I said, “Everyone, wait here for a moment. Sashar, come with me.”

I picked the tiny girl up and put her on my back and ran fast away to a spot where we could talk in private. I covered a hundred yards in long leaps in a matter of a few seconds.

I set Sashar down on her feet and said, “Sashar, what do I need to do? Tell me about the feelings that Aeyli and Alexia have here. Is there some ritual or talking to dead ancestors or anything like that we need to let them do?”

Sashar said, “Wow, you can run really fast, even carrying me! Um, no, we don’t talk to the dead. People die. At times, a lot of people die. Aeyli’s mother and father and Alexia’s father all died here. What they’re feeling is the fear that they felt when the attack happened. The demons are the fears of little girls when a monster tried to kill them. It was terrifying. When they got to Tranna, they had nightmares, afraid that it would track them down and find them, even though it was dead. They feared that its mate would find them and attack them and kill even more people. They may have felt some guilt that those people died protecting them.”

I said, “What can we do?”

She said, “I don’t know.”

I asked, “What if I teach them to kill it? Do you think that would help?”

She said, “Mark, I don’t know. We see people die. It’s a part of life. But, children never survive an attack by a White Ape; we don’t know how to help that. Look what Alexia did to herself until you came. Now she’s like a girl again. She talks again. Do what you think is best. We all love you and trust you. I trust you and love you.”

I said, “OK. I hope that I do the right thing.”

I kissed her and put her one my back and hurried back to the others.

Sashar hopped down with a grin and said, “Girls, you need to try that. It’s better than riding a Thoat,” referring to the large ‘horse’ of this world.

The girls still stood quietly. Aeyli just stared into the ground, not knowing what she should do.

I said, “Everyone come here. We’re going to do some training. But first, some teaching. I want to teach you how to kill. It is one thing to know the moves; it is another to know how to use them to kill if necessary.

Fighting different creatures is different. Let’s start with a man. With a man, fight the way that I trained you. Your range is longer than his. You can strike his head before he reaches you if your timing is good. If possible, let him come straight at you and when the instant is right, bring your sword straight down on his head. It’s a killing blow. Strike very hard. Use everything your muscles can direct into your technique.

If the strike to the head isn’t possible, strike his elbow. A man relies on his arms and hands to fight. If you break his elbow or shoulder or wrist, he’s not able to fight. His left side is most vulnerable, but after you take away his left arm, you have to take way his right as well. But, if you take away his left arm, his head becomes vulnerable. First his head, or his left arm and then his head, or his left arm, then his right, then his head. Or, left arm, right leg, head. The goal is to take away his ability to strike you, then his ability to protect himself.

An animal is different. An animal doesn’t react to pain in the same way that a man does. Pain will make a man stop what he’s doing. An animal ignores the pain. An animal doesn’t rely primarily on his arms and hands to fight; he uses his jaws and fangs. Taking away one of his arms doesn’t stop him.

A four-legged animal, like a Calot or Thoat, won’t stop until either his head or his heart stop. Their head is at the front of their body and the first target that you can reach, but they are also very hard-headed, more so than a man, and the strike must be very hard. Strike down, all the way through the face and jaws. If the animal’s jaw is broken, here’s a chance that he’ll retreat.

You’re less vulnerable to attack if you are behind your attacker. If the animal charges you and you step to the side at the right moment, turn quickly and strike hard at the back of his head or neck or spine. If you break his neck, he dies. If you break his spine, he can’t move.

If necessary, if his legs are the only targets, take away a front leg and then the other. Without front legs, he can’t chase you. If you only destroy the back legs, he can still pull himself toward you. When he can’t chase you, take a good position and break his neck.

With a Great White Ape, it’s like fighting both a man and an animal, and like neither one. His head is not your first target. His arms are too long and he can reach his prey before you can reach his head. You can’t attack him from the front: you have to get to the side or to the back. I killed one with a blow to the head, but I was able to move faster and I’m taller than any of you except Alexia. And I didn’t attack from the front.

Stand your ground and let him charge you. You have to duck under his arms to his left and let him pass you. As he does, strike hard at his left hip. Because he runs on two legs, if you break his hip, even one, he can’t chase you. If you destroy his knee, he’ll chase you but he’ll be much slower and you may be able to escape. If you get behind him, strike his right hip. If he falls to the ground, strike his head from behind. If he’s standing he’s too tall for you to strike his head. But your next strike can be his elbow.

So, for the white ape, you have to get behind or to the side. Then the targets are his hip or knee, then his other hip or knee, then his elbows, and finally his head. After taking away his legs, you might run away. After taking way his arms, you might get behind him and use your knife to cut his neck and throat.

If possible, work together. The ape is the most difficult because he acts like an animal and is so very large.”

Aeyli was breathing hard by this time, and I encouraged her to calm herself if possible. I could see that wasn’t going to work for her yet.

I said, “Now, go practice. Picture your foe and make up your own Kata to defeat him. Picture his moves and yours. Stay calm. Choose your targets. Strike hard. Be fierce. Remember, he has made the choice to have you kill him… figure out how to help him die.”

It took a few minutes for the girls to get into the swing of it. I was asking them to do something that they’d never done before during our training: to train on their own without being told exactly what to do. Sashar especially had trouble getting going. The other four had moved off by themselves . Alexia and Aeyli seemed to have no trouble, but Sashar stood not far from me staring into the air, uncertain of herself.

I went and stood beside her and said, “Tell me about it. What are you thinking about?”

She said, “It’s easy to do what you tell me, the moves and various Kata. It’s like a dance. I can put emotion into the movements. I even find it fun. But, I have never fought, or seen a fight. How do I know what to do?”

I said, “Sashar, you told me that you were about 120 years old. Weren’t you born before the Fall of Time?”

She started to cry. Then she started to cry even harder, sobbing. I sat down on the ground and pulled her onto my lap and held her in my arms. I didn’t say anything, but just held her and rocked her gently in my arms and stroked her hair while she cried.

I hadn’t expected this. I knew that Aeyli would have strong emotions here; the training exercise was specifically for her and Alexia, so that they could process their memories and re-imagine the outcome of that terrible day when their families were attacked by the great ape. I hadn’t expected Sashar to break down emotionally.

I wasn’t sure what was wrong. Some students get overwhelmed at a new exercise when they have no idea how to approach it, but not usually with this volume of sobbing and tears. In my years of teaching martial arts part-time, I was used to hitting the point where every student faces a wall that they think that they can’t get through. I always find a way to help them through it. I never knew where the problem point would come for any particular student , they are all different. For some it was being able to hit something at all. For others it was being able to work on their own like I had asked them to do today. For others it was some point of submitting to an authority figure. For others it was staying calm when another student acted aggressively toward them in training, either being too intimidated or too aggressive in return.

This seemed different. This seemed like if I waited long enough, the crying girl in my lap would eventually tell me a story to explain her sobbing. So I just held her.

Chapter 33

Sashar’s Story

Sashar cried and I rocked her very gently in my lap. I didn’t tell her to be quiet. I didn’t tell her not to cry. I didn’t make hushing noises at her. I just held her.

It was a little uncomfortable with our belts on. I didn’t want to suggest that she take hers off, but finally I said, “Sashar, um, the belts are uncomfortable. Would it be OK if we took them off, just to be more comfortable.”

Sashar nodded as she cried and we unbuckled our belts as best we could, without standing up or having her leave my lap, and set them aside.

She said, “Make love to me.”

I held her and said, “Wait, not yet.”

It was a good sign. She was wanting to move away from whatever pain she was in, but she didn’t have the right answer. Yes, it would have alleviated her immediate anxiety if we made love. It wouldn’t have done anything to work out whatever her real emotions were trying to get her to deal with.

She didn’t argue with me, but she did settle into my arms and relax a little bit more. I felt her muscles soften just a little and she leaned into me a bit closer. I stroked her hair very slowly and held her in my arms.

Sashar was my playful little pixie… what was wrong? She’d been in Tranna since Aeyli and the other girls had been born and I had imagined that she’d had a peaceful life in the village since she was a child. Until now, I hadn’t considered that she was already 40 years old when the wars started. She must have seen some awful things. The younger girls had actually been spared living through that horrible time.

Sashar finally cried herself out and started breathing more regularly. She nuzzled into my chest as we sat together and she smiled at me weakly.

I sensed that now she was ready and that she needed me to invite her to tell me about whatever she was going through.

I said, “I love you. I always will. Always.” I hugged her against me. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

She took a deep breath and said, “Mark, I have never told anyone before. I thought that it was behind me.”

I said, “It’s OK. Sometimes the things that we put behind us still follow us. Tell me about it and we’ll face it together, if you want me to know about it.”

She hugged me and said, “You are my prince. Even though I have only known you for a few days, you are my mate and I will share every burden with you. If you had this pain, I would insist that you tell me and that we wash it away together somehow. So I have to let you do the same for me. But I can’t believe that you refused to make love to me, you stupid brute!” she joked.

I said, “We can talk about that later and I’ll do whatever you want me to do to make it up to you.”

She smiled and said, “But I have to tell the story first, don’t I? It will be a relief. Mark, you’re right, I was born before the Green Horde Insanity took over the world and caused the Fall of Time. But, if I tell you, you might think… differently of me. You love me now, but you don’t know what I was… before.” She started to cry again. “Mark, I was a monster!” and she cried harder.

This time, I did try to comfort her. “Shush, my princess. Sashar, my little pixie lover, I don’t know what you were, but now you are my beautiful, kind, fun, wonderful mate. Past things fade and people can change. Trust me to hear the story. Tell me as if it happened to someone else.”

She sobbed a bit more and then calmed herself and launched into her history.

“I was born about 40 years before the start of the wars with the Tharks. In the city of Gathol. My parents were merchants. We were OK financially, but not rich. For some reason, after I came of age, I failed to attract a mate. It wasn’t unusual. We live a long time and in those days if a girl reached a hundred years and was still unmated, it wasn’t a big deal.

In the beginning, we heard of the wars, but we never expected them to come all the way to Gathol. Certainly the Tharks would come to their senses and the navies of The Warlord would quell the uprising and all would be as it was. When the hordes did attack Gathol, I was away, trading for my family’s business. When I came close to the city, it was surrounded by the green men, and the gates were locked and there was no way for me to get within miles of the wall. There were 40 people in my party.

We fled into the wilderness before we were discovered. When we held a meeting to discuss what we could do, some wanted to run for a nearby city, others to a city in the other direction. There was no real leader among us and we acted like a mob of our own. Some argued that all cities would be just as bad or worse off than Gathol. If they’d attacked Gathol, then the other cities would have fallen already. We were all terrified, and some wouldn’t listen to reason at all. In the morning, when we woke up, some had already left, supposedly to go to one city or another, and almost certainly to their deaths.

Some of us decided that our best bet was to go farther into the wilderness and hide and wait for the wars to end before we tried to go back to civilization. I hated the thought of leaving my family trapped in Gathol, but we still thought that the navies would eventually drive the mad Tharks away or exterminate them. We figured that if we could exist three or four months at most in the wilderness, that we would be able to return and see our families again.

It didn’t turn out that way. The first few weeks were relatively bearable, but hard. We couldn’t go anywhere near a habitable village, or even a good source of water. We existed on moss berries and the food we had with us. Twice we were attacked by other desperate groups who tried to take our food.

I don’t blame them for that. But for the other things I’ll never forgive them. Both times we fought them off. Both sides fought like animals. People were killed on both sides, but when our group won, and the survivors of the attackers knelt in defeat, the man in our group who had taken leadership swiftly murdered them as the rest of us watched in horror. He claimed that it was necessary; that if they lived, that they would attack us again out of vengeance for us killing their family members and friends. The first died without knowing what was about to happen. The others begged for their lives. When the third died, the last two tried to run… and several of our party chased them and struck them down.

The second encounter was even more ruthless. I don’t even know if they meant us harm. They called to us and approached and asked if we had food or water, and our group fell on them and killed them. They were already weak with hunger and thirst and they died quickly.

Mark, it sickened me. I didn’t know how to fight, and in the first encounter, I just did my best to beat against the enemy with a wooden board. In the second encounter, I just stared and didn’t do anything. When it was over, the leader walked up to me and hit me so hard that I passed out.

For several more months we wandered on the moss. After the day that he hit me, I never spoke. Every moment that I was awake, I thought about how I should leave. Even if I died in the wilderness it would be better than living with these merciless brutes. And the ‘leader’ was a friend of my father’s! His partner in business!

But, I wanted to live. I didn’t want to run away and die, but I didn’t want to stay and live every day as if I were already dead. They say that it was an insanity the caused the Tharks to rebel against the Warlord, and an insanity that eventually caused the men of Barsoom to turn against each other. It seemed to be an insanity that had taken hold of my former friends, and an insanity that finally took hold of me as well.

From the day that man hit me, and the day I stopped talking, he and the rest treated me very badly. I barely got food. Mostly only what I could steal or scavenge from any garbage that the group discarded. I was a walking dead woman. But I didn’t have the courage to die, so I kept living.

One day, when we’d been in the wilderness for maybe a year, that awful fiend grabbed me by the arm, and getting very close to my face said, ‘You worthless beast! I’ll make you worth something! I’ll take you as my mate and at least you’ll feed me. Why should I starve when you can keep me alive!’ and he put his arms around me and lifted me up and forced me toward his hateful lips.

Mark, I was a monster! Without thinking, I took my hands and put my fingers around his ears… and I shoved my thumbs into his eyes, and I pushed them in until I couldn’t push them any farther. He probably screamed, I don’t know. He relaxed his grip on me and as I slipped from his arms, I grabbed him and… and Mark, I bit his throat out with my teeth! I remember watching as he stumbled, blinded and blood spurting from his neck as his blood ran down my face and chest. I watched as he died. And I didn’t care. I didn’t look at anyone and no one attacked me. When he was dead, I took his knife and his water and I walked away.

I walked for days. I found moss berries for water and I walked. I have no idea what direction I was going in. I just walked. After a while, I spotted ruins and I walked to them. I don’t even remember them. There was a spring and a small wood nearby and somehow I found food and water. Mark, I don’t even remember how I survived; I was like an animal. I stayed in that place for at least six years. I never spoke and I don’t know what I ate. I don’t know if others ever came and I don’t know if I killed any of them if they did. The insanity had taken me as well.

The wars started a year or two before I went into the wilderness. I was with that horrid band for about a year, and I was in the ruins for maybe six. I had no way of knowing how long, but afterward, I figured that it must have been about that long.

After six years, alone and insane, one day, I began walking again. Eventually I came to a very small village. The people took me for a mute and had pity on me and gave me water and something to eat. For three months, I slept outside the village and when I was hungry I would come to them and they would give me something. As time went by, I came every day to get water and food, and after another month, I began to sleep in the village square at night.

They were kind people and even the children didn’t torment me. After a while I began to regain some of my humanity and started looking for small ways that I could be useful and repay their kindness. I couldn’t bring myself to speak to them because I was so ashamed of what I had become, but I tried to do what I could. When a vendor in the market had garbage to be thrown out, I would take it and throw it away for them. I began cleaning the village at night. Later, I would offer to carry messages or packages and did whatever I could to be part of life again.

In a way, I felt that I owed civilization something for the things that I had seen and done. I could never be a part of them, but I could try to do what I could for them.

You know how if you have ever been to a place that you always know where that place is and can always find your way back? Well, I have no idea where I was for those seven years. Not a clue what direction it’s in. Not only that, but I no longer have that ability. Every living being has that; except for me.”

I interrupted her for the first time and said quietly, “I don’t.”

She looked at me in surprise and said, “What? What do you mean?”

I said, “I don’t have that innate sense of direction that all the others have. I don’t know where Tranna is, except that it’s behind us, and only because I know we’ve been going away from it. I have no idea where the shrine is, except that I have a compass that points to it. I’m the same.”

Sashar smiled and said, “Sweet prince! How wonderful. Do the others know? I have never told anyone about myself.”

I said, “Aeyli knows. But she doesn’t tell everything that she knows.”

She said, “No, she certainly doesn’t, does she? Anyway, I guess I should finish. You’ve heard the worst. So, I stayed in that village for three years. Eventually, the people there gave me a place to live and I worked in their market. I still didn’t speak. It was hard to start and I figured that it might be impossible to change… unless I made another fresh start.

After about three years, one night I wrote a note of thanks, took a little food and water and left what money I had, and left in the middle of the night.

I knew that another village was a few days away in a certain direction because I had heard it mentioned, and I walked in the direction. Because I knew that I couldn’t tell direction, I had watched the sky for several nights before I left and figured that I would be able to go in approximately the right direction by looking at the stars. Luckily, after a day, I spotted a group traveling from there coming behind me and I recognized them and traveled with them the rest of the way. At first, my old panic started to take hold of me, seeing a group coming toward me, but my mind took hold and I calmed myself and was able to go with them.

While we traveled, I tried to speak again when no one could hear me. After two days, I went up to one of the women and said, ‘Hello Nagra, thank you for being kind to me.’ She was astonished and because they had become fond of me, she cried out and hugged me in her excitement that I had spoken. All of them were very gracious and I explained just a little of my past, saying only that it had been a very traumatic time during the wars and that I had forgotten how to speak.

When we got to the next village, they introduced me to people that that knew there and I was received as a friend. I found work and stayed with those people for two more years. Then I moved on and came to Tranna.

In Tranna, I was happy and I began to forget my past. When Aeyli and Alexia’s parents were killed, I felt a lot of compassion for them and fell in love with the poor girls. They often played near me in the market and I had them do small errands to have an excuse to give them treats and trinkets. When they became women, we became true friends. They knew that I had decided that I would never take a mate, but they didn’t know why. It was natural for us to be together… me and the shrine maidens and Alexia, the odd girl. We were like a strange family of outcasts and orphans. It was them that made it possible for me to really live and laugh again. I think when Aeyli and Alexia came back as orphans, I became a little girl again myself.”

I said, “Sashar, come here, face me.”

She turned and sat full on my lap facing me and smiled, supposedly at the prospected presented by the position, her legs spread wide and open over the top of my crotch.

I smiled back and said, “Now look into my eyes.”

She looked deeply at me and continued her smile and said, “I know my beloved. I saw it in the market and I saw it in the council hall and I have seen it every moment since, even in my dreams. You love me. Now that I have finally told my story, I know that it doesn’t matter. Well, I know that it doesn’t mean that you will love me any less, and that it matters very much to you, just as it would matter to me if you carried that pain. I couldn’t know it until you listened to me though, could I? I know now.”

I said, “So, tell me why the training today upset you so much. I think I know already, but tell me.”

She said, “To picture fighting an enemy with what you have taught me meant facing that horrid beast that I… no, that horrid beast who chose to have me end his pathetic life for him. I didn’t murder him, did I? It was he that chose to die, and it was my duty to help him accomplish his goal in that moment. Mark, if I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be here today! I would have betrayed you! He chose to die and if I hadn’t agreed to kill him, it would have been a betrayal of you, my true love! Is that true? Is that right?”

I said, “It is. When that man killed people begging for mercy, or running away, that was murder, plain and simple. The ones who died in the battle chose to die. The ones who tried to escape chose to live. He chose to kill people who had chosen to live. It was murder. But when he attacked you, he chose to die and you did what was necessary. I’m proud of you. The way that you killed him is the way that I would have taught you to do it. I’m so sorry that you had to do that, but I’m overjoyed and proud that you did that for me. If I had been there, you would have done it for me because you love me. If I had been in a faraway place, you would still have done it for me. Even though I was a hundred years away from you, you did it for me. If I had been there, I would have done it for you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you all of those years.”

She said, “I love you. Thank you, beloved. Thank you for understanding and wanting to relieve me of that burden, both then and now. Oh, how old are you?”

I said, “On Earth, I was 45 years old.”

She said, “Do you know that the gray flecks in your hair are going away?”

I said, “What?!”

She said, “Yes. When you came to Tranna, you had gray flecks in your hair. They’re disappearing. I think your new diet agrees with you.” She giggled and rubbed her chest against mine playfully. Then, “You look younger too. So, um, now?” and she wiggled in my lap seductively.

I said playfully, “But you haven’t done your training exercises.”

She complained, “Surely there’s more than one kind of exercise!”

I said, “Yes, but I need you to do this one first.” I very much wanted to say, “And don’t call me Shirley”, but it just would be funny in Barsoomian.

She said, “Really? Really?”

I said, “Really. We all have to be ready for whatever comes. You and me. We have to practice this.”

She narrowed her eyes and frowned and said, “OK. I’ll do it. But, when it comes time for you to defend yourself against my attack, you better surrender quickly! Deal?”

I laughed and said, “Deal. I look forward to it. Now get that fine butt up and do the practice. I’ll be watching closely. Make sure to give me something to look at!” and I squeezed her rear end and brushed one hand all the way down between them and touched her slit. She squealed a little and I lifted her off my lap and sent her to practice.

She moved away just a few steps and started her training. I watched as she made sure that her moves took every chance to bend over, thrust out her chest, or spread her legs as she whirled and struck and blocked and thrust at her imaginary opponent. I appreciated the show, but after letting it go on for several minutes, I walked up to her and said, “Oh, you beautiful sexy little pixie! You realize that you can’t take your reward until your opponent is dead, don’t you?”

She frowned comically and said, “Oh, I’m going to kill him! And then I’m going to make up a different kind of Kata for what I intend to do to you!”

I patted her rump and laughed and turned away so as not to distract her further.

Chapter 34

Checking on Progress

I went to check on Aeyli. She was practicing hard. As I approached, she stopped and lowered her sword to her side. She didn’t smile at me. She was breathing hard.

I said, “Aeyli, how is it coming? Are you OK?”

She said, “I am fantastic!”

I said, “Will you show me?”

She said, “OK.”

I said, “I can pretend to be the opponent and I’ll do what you say, but don’t actually hit me. Do you want to do that?” I wanted to give her every opportunity to feel comfortable.

She said, “OK. I fight a Great White Ape. Be the ape.”

She took up a fighting stance and backed away from me. I faced her, and hoped that she wouldn’t hurt me. I hoped that her control, and her emotional state, would keep me from getting seriously injured, but I took the chance. She might hurt me, but she wouldn’t actually kill me.

I started slowly and spread my arms and loped toward her at half speed. She stood her ground and at the last minute, as I reached to encircle her with my arms, she ducked to her right and I felt the edge of her blade touch my thigh, above the knee. As I took another step forward, I felt the tap of her sword against my other leg from behind, and then a touch on my shoulder. I fell face forward on the ground as if stunned or dead. After a few seconds, I rolled onto my back and looked up to see her standing over me.

She looked down at me and said, “The first strikes would have been to your knees and the last to your skull. A final strike would have been to your neck at the base of the skull. Then my knife would have found your throat.”

I said, “Perfect!”

She showed no emotion, but took up her stance again and motioned me to repeat the exercise. I came at her again. This time, she stayed directly in front of me and as I got within range, the point of her sword came up directly under my chin… and I stopped in my tracks.

She said, “The first blow pierces your throat and leaves my sword embedded through your mouth.” Then she pulled her knife and I felt the back of the blade slice firmly across the back of my thigh as she ducked behind me. The next touch was to my kidneys. “The large muscles have been cut and my blade is twisted hard and slices through the organs and across the muscles of your back. The final blow slides my blade under your jaw and into your large arteries.”

I said, “Aeyli, that’s wonderful. Can we show the others?”

She nodded and took her stance again, never taking her eyes off of me. I called the others over and had them gather around us to watch. Aeyli paid no attention to them at all, but continued to fix me with a cold stare.

I faced her and charged again. She repeated her first attack and I lay as dead on the ground. I got up and charged her again. This time, she ducked low and struck straight across my ankles. She didn’t move to the side and I tripped over her and fell on my face. Before I could react, she was sitting on my back and her bokken was on top of my head.

She got up and I faced her one more time. She held up her hand for me to stop and I saw her put her hand to her belt for a minute and then motioned me forward. I ran toward her with my arms outstretched and as I got to about six feet from her, she suddenly dropped her belt and her sword and crouched down. I was startled by her move, but had no time to react. I took another step and she launched herself hard at my body against my chest. I caught her in my arms, but the force of the impact knocked me backward off my feet and she landed on top of me. She kissed me hard, forcing her tongue into my mouth.

She sat on my chest and spun around to face the girls, straddling my face and pressing her crotch against my lips. She said to the others, “When attacking a Mark, it’s necessary to take him by surprise and force him to lick your pussy. He will not resist,” and she shoved her hips down onto me and I laughed and obliged by grabbing her thighs and licking and sucking at her until she climaxed. When she was done, I tossed her to the side and stood and helped her to her feet.

Alexia said, “I’m next!” She was fierce and there was no hint of humor.

I said, “OK, but you have to show me the way you would handle an attack first!”

She laughed and said, “I will fight a Banth.” And she took up her stance. I looked at her and then got down on all fours on my hands and feet.

She said, “You had better remove your belt if you’re a Banth.”

I tossed my belt to the side and ran toward her. Her first blow was to my left shoulder, her second across the back of my neck on my right side. The second time, she stood her ground and brought her sword down directly onto my head. As I collapsed, head down, she stood over me and touched the back of my head in a second killing blow. She helped me up and took up her stance again.

I stood and said, “Would you like to see how I would handle a she-Banth?” I picked up my bokken and motioned toward her and said, “Your belt.”

Alexia kept her fierce countenance and dropped her belt and got down on her hands and feet like I had. I motioned her forward and she ran at me. As she reached me, I stepped just to my right and caught her left shoulder with my left hand. I dropped my sword and swung behind her and pulled her to a stop. I reached around her body and grabbed both of her elbows and pulled them back toward me, forcing her arms underneath her onto the ground. I pressed my body against her, pushing her knees onto the moss. I pressed down on the middle of her back, lowering her head farther and then I took hold of my penis and placed it against her exposed labia and pushed forward. I was already aroused from the interlude with Aeyli, and so was Alexia! I slid into the tight canal to the hilt.

I said to the others, “When an Alexia attacks, first I wrestle her into position and then pierce her sex with my cock, immobilizing her. Then I take up a thrusting motion until she can no longer think clearly and agrees to whatever I want. I thrust in and out, slowly at first, letting her lubrication increase, and then fast and hard, feeling her build to her little death. Once the death throes begin, I continue pleasuring her until she gives in.”

When she was done, I helped her to her feet and kissed her.

She breathed hard and said, “Yes, I see… that is effective… um, technique. Yeah.”

Next was Rani. She demonstrated fighting a man and did very well. On the third round, she faced me and as I started toward her she yelled, “Stop!” and I stopped in mid step with her sword pointed at my throat.

She said, “My prince, I have no wish to kill you.”

I answered, “I’m glad to hear it, for I have no wish to die,” and I smiled and spread my arms in a submissive stance.

She said, “But, I do need something from you. Lie down!” and she motioned with her sword toward the ground.

I complied and lay down on my back. Rani crawled on top of me and reaching behind back, she placed me inside her and slid down onto me.

She said, “I won’t need this sword, will I?” and stared at me.

I said, “No, I have lost. Use me as you wish, my conquering princess.”

She smiled and laid aside the sword and said, “Good. Now service me!”

I laughed and gave her a good ride. When she was done, she helped me to my feet and said, “Now remember that and let it be a lesson to you!”

We both laughed. This was a side of Rani that I hadn’t expected. But I liked it. Strange, Alexia, at six-foot-two liked a more submissive play and Rani and Sashar who were much smaller, Sashar exceedingly so, preferred taking a more aggressive role where they pretended to be more in charge.

I said, “Belle? Are you ready?”

Without warning, Belle rushed me. She took a swing with her fist at my chin with her right, followed with a left to my ribs, stomped at my instep with her right heel, spun behind me and kicked at the back of my left knee, making me drop to the ground. In the next instant, her sword was around my neck and she began to choke me out. As I collapsed to the ground unable to dislodge her from my back, she let me up.

I rubbed my neck and took a breath.

She faced me and said, “Shall we go again?”

I shook my head and said in awe, “No! Once was enough! Where did that come from?”

She came and stood close in front of me and looked up at me. She cupped her breasts and squeezed them a bit and said, “I think it built up in my tits. You better get it out of me before I do it again,” and she smiled at me.

I ogled her breasts and nodded. I lay down on my back and she positioned herself over my lips and I relieved her of the milk in each side until she orgasmed.

Finally, I came to Sashar. I smiled at her and said very tenderly, “Sashar, what shall we do. It’s up to you. If it’s too much, we’ll practice later.”

I didn’t want to force her to relive a trauma that she wasn’t ready for.

Sashar said, “Mark, I cannot see that horrid fiend in you, or in any person, even pretending. Let me show you my Kata against the demon alone.”

I said, “Of course. It’s just as good.”

The other girls and I stood back to watch. Sashar faced away from us. She took her stance and when she was ready, she took a breath and held her bokken at her belt… and then she started. It was more graphic than any Kata I had ever seen. Because of her story, I could picture every move and even the facial expressions. I imagined the words and shouting that she pictured.

Her demon faced her and sneered. She faced him calmly. He screamed in his rage at finding her worthless… and she stood still. She made it clear without a word that the choice was his: if he chose to die, then he would. Suddenly, he rushed at her and she raised her sword and struck viciously at the side of his closest knee, shattering several bones. The strike continued through the leg and a compound fracture broke through the flesh. The thing screamed; not in pain but in rage. Sashar waited. The demon could stop now if it chose to… but it didn’t. It was insane and had no capacity for rational thought. It tried to stand, and getting to one leg, Sashar looked at it with pity… and smashed its opposing hip, clearly breaking the bone. The demon collapsed, but propped itself on its arms and roared in fury as it attempted to drag itself toward her, still thinking to kill her in its blind rage. Sashar turned her back on it, intending to walk away, but the demon lunged and took hold of her ankle. Sashar wheeled about and her sword struck down on its head, driving it all the way to the ground, its skull caved in.

Sashar looked down at the broken creature and said, “It was your choice. I’m happy for you,” and she turned and walked toward us.

When she came to me she leaned up and kissed me lightly and said, “I’ll take my reward later, when my heart beats for you, not from battle.”

I said, “Of course. You did well. I’m very proud of you.”

Sashar’s knees went weak and I helped her to the ground and we all sat down in a circle close to each other.

Chapter 35

Reviewing Our Practice

All the girls stared. Aeyli put her arm around her tiny friend and said, “Sashar, I never knew. You never told anyone.”

All of them could tell that what Sashar had demonstrated came from life, not imagination.

Tears appeared on Sashar’s cheek as she said, “You can’t know how good that felt. It was like I was able to have compassion on him. I didn’t murder him; he was just a beast without reason. Just now, I wanted him to choose life, but if he couldn’t, um, well, it was my pleasure, and my duty, to end his miserable life for him. If I had known all of this back then, I would have saved myself a lot of pain. But, if I had known it then, I wouldn’t have become who I am and I wouldn’t have been in Tranna and I wouldn’t have become Mark’s mate and I would never have had my milk rush in when he called my name.”

Her tears stopped and she looked at me. She said, “Mark, so much has changed now. Thank you. The training has been more than worth it. Who could have known that it could be healing?”

I said quietly, “I could have. How do the rest of you feel? Tell us what you learned today.”

Sashar said, “I’d like to start. I want to tell you all about my past… finally.”

The girls looked concerned and gave her time to come to terms with her thoughts.

Sashar started an abbreviated version of her tale for the girl’s sake.

She said, “Unlike all of you, I has born before the start of the wars, and I lived through them. If you can call it that. It was a terrible time. For several years, I lived out in the wild, scavenging for food and staying away from people. I was with a small band of travelers for the first year, but the man who became the leader became as evil in his insanity as the green hordes.

Girls, he would beat me, and when he tried to take me by force, I killed him with my bare hands… and teeth. I had become an animal. After that, I walked away from the others and for six years, I lived alone and never spoke. Then, when the wars ended, I finally went to a small village and lived there for another three years, still never saying a word. After that, I went to Tranna, after I taught myself to talk again. I was about 40 when I became an animal, and 50 when I became human again. Aeyli and Alexia, you were born about then. By the time your parents died, I was ready to live again and becoming your friend was the thing that allowed me to be happy and forget that old life. My own Fall of Time.”

Rani said, “So, your Kata was against that man that beat you and tried to take you by force?”

Sashar said, “It was. It was what would have happened if I knew then what I know now. He was insane, and he insisted that I end his life. It’s a powerful teaching.”

I said, “Girls, I want you to know that I have never killed a man. The only beast that I have ever killed was the Great Ape that attacked Aeyli and I before we came to Tranna. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Sashar said, “But if we must, then we must.”

Aeyli said, “We must never choose to die: we are bound to each other.”

I said, “And not just to me. You are bound to each other. For that reason, we will always choose to live rather than die. So, that’s the reason that we practice. Not so that we can kill, but so that we can live… and hopefully convince others to live as well.”

Belle said, “Like when you were insulted by Narhu! Another man would have fought him and one of you at least would have been injured or killed. But you told him to choose life and now you’re good friends.”

Sashar said, “In my Kata, I gave the demon several chances to stay alive, even turning my back on him when he couldn’t really hurt me anymore. But he refused to live. So I killed him.”

Aeyli said, “Mark, when you killed the ape, it seemed so easy, so fluid. I watched in astonishment and thought how different life would have been if you had been here on this spot that day. You say that you have never killed before, so how did you do it so easily.”

I said, “I didn’t. Think of it this way. My practice taught my sword and my body how to kill; even a Great Ape that I’d never seen before. When the time came, I said that if it chose to die then it would die; and then my body and my sword struck. It’s like I gave permission, and they carried out what they knew how to do. The saying is that at the moment of the strike, it isn’t me that strikes, but my sword strikes on its own. Think of Belle and how she attacked me. Belle, really, how did you know how to do that? Did you practice it?’

Belle said, “Um, it was kind of weird. I had practiced with the sword, like you taught us, but when it was my turn, I was really aroused and I just wanted to get to you as quickly as I could. So, yeah, it was like my body just took over when I let it. I don’t really know how.”

I said, “Think. Your first attack was your right fist to my jaw. That is the same and an upward strike with the sword, but without the sword. The second was a strike to my ribs. Again, something you had practiced over and over, but this time you did it without the sword. The third, you grabbed your sword and began to choke me out. In another minute, I would have lost consciousness. I think that you must have just done that from instinct because it made sense to your body at the time. See, the practice with the sword is the same as if we don’t have a sword. When Aeyli showed us her Kata, she worked with the sword, but when she was close to me, she switched to her knife and hit the same targets that we had practiced.”

Belle said, “And Rani stopped you and gave you a chance to live!”

I said, “Right! She showed me that I was beaten and gave me the choice to live.”

Belle giggled, “And then she mounted you!”

I laughed and said, “Well, Aeyli did it first. Hey, Alexia, when I took you, you know that I was only playing, right? I would never force you! You know that, don’t you? I did it because we were playing and I thought that you would enjoy us playing like that. How did you feel about it? Maybe I was too anxious. I’m sorry if…”

Alexia laughed and said, “Mark, did you feel raped by Aeyli or Rani or Belle? No! Because it was all play and we all wanted it. They didn’t really force you, they just told you how they wanted to play with you. You and I have discussed this and I told you what I like and how I want you to play with me. You gave it to me in a wonderful playful way. Um, did you miss my multiple orgasms? Did you miss the fact that I was already open and slippery with my love for you? I know that you did see how ready I was for you and you know what I like, and you gave it to me.”

Sashar said, “Mark, we’ve all told you that you can have us sexually anytime you want, but we know that we could ask you to stop and that you would. We love you. We love you so much that we’re all pretty much ready to make love all the time.”

Aeyli said, “Again, I think it’s because of the strange ways of men and women on Earth. I bet that for some reason, women on Earth don’t enjoy sex like they’re supposed to. Mark says that people never know what the other is really saying so maybe that’s why they don’t know if sex is OK.”

Belle said, “What do you mean? If you’re mates and you treat each other well, shalock is always OK. Mark treats us like true princesses and we love him. He would never touch us in a way that was shameful.”

Sashar said, “Yeah, fine. Enough said. But… Aeyli, you made love between his mouth and your mound… what was that like? It looked like you really enjoyed it. Is it that nice?”

I laughed to myself at how often our conversation inevitably turned to sex.

Aeyli smiled and said, “Well, we do have lips down there. They’re good for kissing too. You will just have to see for yourself. But I will say that when his tongue hits your little tongue, it is really nice!”

Sashar looked puzzled and said, “My ‘little tongue’? What do you mean?”

Aeyli didn’t know quite what to say and the two just looked at each other for a minute.

Alexia finally said, “I’ll show you. Sashar, come here and look.”

Alexia leaned back and spread her legs. Sashar moved up close and looked where Alexia pointed. She rubbed herself for a minute until her clitoris became engorged and started to peek out from under its hood.

She said, said, “See here? The little nub of a button that peaks out from my blossoming lips? That’s what she means. Have you ever touched it?”

Sashar said, “Um, no.”

Belle said, “But Mark has. When he’s with you, his body rubs against it and that’s one of the things that makes us climax. You need to have him kiss you there. Do it now.”

I said, “Not right now; we can wait.”

Sashar said, “Um, yeah, I really want to, but maybe it will be best to wait. But, on the other hand… no, we’ll wait.”

Alexia sat back up and we took our places in a circle again.

I said, “I still want to hear more about how you felt about the exercise before we move on. Aeyli?”

Aeyli said, “It was wonderful. I faced my demon and I killed it. I feel free. And now this spot has new meaning. This is the spot where I stopped on the road and made love on the way to Nobrus!”

Alexia laughed, “Yes! I faced my demon, and then was taken like a she-Banth by my mate until I howled. It was a good practice!”

Rani and Belle agreed that they had a good time and learned a lot. They both expressed a great deal more confidence in their abilities.

Sashar said, “For me, obviously, it was one of the most important points in my life. I faced it, I had compassion on it, and in a way, I forgave it. Mostly, I forgave myself. My time as an animal has meaning now. I feel light and healed and whole in a new way. I also feel kind of like I want to make love.”

I laughed and said, “On Earth, we call that ‘horny’. Like, ‘Hey, come here and give me that horn between your legs.’”

The girls laughed. “It is kind of like a horn!” “A wonderful horn of pleasure!” “I’m getting horny myself!” “Mark is a big shalock-beast with a huge horn!” “Take me for a ride you horny beast!”

They laughed more and it looked like they were about to break out into a bawdy rhyming festival.

I made everyone get up and we packed the cart and headed on our way toward Nobrus.

The next time we stopped, we began practicing our sparring techniques with the bokken. One person would strike and the other would block. Then, one would strike, the other block and counter, and the first block the counter. Before we finished, we were all going at about half speed, blocking and countering whatever our opponent did.

In the afternoon, we moved on again. This was our second day in the open. We had taken our time and walked at a leisurely pace. When I asked Aeyli how much farther we had to go, she said that she wasn’t really sure. The Barsoomian sense of direction doesn’t tell how far away a place is, just what direction. She hadn’t been to Nobrus since she was a child, and the trip had been traumatic. And even when it wasn’t, she didn’t really pay much attention because she was a child. She assumed that it was another two days at the pace that we’d set so far.

It felt like maybe we were behind schedule and need to pick up our speed a bit. We had food and water for a few more days, but if Nobrus turned out to be farther than we thought, or if for some reason we were unable to get water there, we could be in trouble. We could make it back to Tranna on the provisions that we had, but the longer it took us to find a good source of water, the more uncomfortable the journey would become.

We discussed it among ourselves and the girls were all in favor of really stretching their legs by running for a while. It made me think: those legs really did look like they were made for running!

As a precaution, I took Aeyli and Sashar aside for a moment and asked Aeyli to set one of my two compasses to point at Nobrus. Sashar and I confided in her that Sashar also lacked the innate sense of direction. We all felt a little better knowing that if something were to happen that we had another way of finding our destination.

Aeyli said, “Mark, your compass is set to Nobrus already. That’s where John Carter intended you to go. If you had gone there alone, you would have found it deserted.”

We started running and I matched the girls’ pace as we went. Rani and Belle were just as good at long distance running as Aeyli, having run back and forth to the shrine many times, but Sashar and Alexia had rarely been outside the gates of Tranna. Alexia’s longer legs helped her, but Sashar tired more quickly.

I set Sashar in the cart and let her rest while Cassius kept up with the runners easily. When Alexia started to slow down, I picked her up and put her on my back and carried her, still able to keep up without taxing myself. Resting this way for a half an hour at a time, Alexia and Sashar insisted on running again to build up their stamina. Sashar insisted that they be allowed to trade off having me carry them and making the other ride in the cart.

The next time I picked Sashar up, I made her ride on my shoulders. After a while, I thought I felt movements against my neck. I think she was getting off on it! I didn’t mind, of course, but it was once again funny to me how constantly sexual they were. I loved it. I was tempted to flip her over and hang her upside down in front of me with my nose in her crotch, but I didn’t do it.

Chapter 36

Training at Night with Alexia

We ran on and on this way, all the way until sundown. The moons were bright and we saw no reason to stop yet, so we continued running toward Nobrus. About an hour or so after dark, we stopped to eat and take some water. After our meal, we decided to go ahead and lie down to sleep.

We lay down on our backs under the moons, close together, and talked. There were no important topics. The girls asked about Nobrus, but there was no new information. They talked about memories from their pasts, but it was just amusing stories of things that they had done.

All five shared common threads. Alexia and Aeyli had been children together and their parents had been friends. Rani and Belle and Aeyli had all been shrine maidens for 50 years together. Alexia and Aeyli had been very close to Sashar after their parents had been killed and Sashar had helped raise them.

After a while, the talk slowed and then stopped as the girls started to fall asleep. When the others had been asleep for a half hour or so, I watched as Alexia got up and took her bokken and moved off from us about 20 yards and began to practice in the moonlight.

She was beautiful. She had her bokken, but was completely naked. She moved slowly and gracefully, practicing her sword Kata over and over. I watched for a little while and then got up and joined her. She continued practicing while I approached, keeping her eyes fixed on me as I came toward her. I motioned for her to follow me and led us off about 100 yards from the others where the sounds of us practicing would be less likely to disturb them.

I pulled Alexia to me and gave her a kiss and said, “Let me show you the next kind of practice.”

She held on to me and said, “Shall I lie in your lap?”

I said, “Not just yet, but I hope that you will when we’re done with what I want to show you. We’re going to work on blocking, just like you have been, but with more force. Show me a cut to my side.”

Alexia took a good stance and then stepped forward to strike at my elbow. As she did, I stepped into the blow and struck downward at her sword, knocking it forcefully toward the ground. I followed up with a counter strike.

I said, “Now, do it again, but when I counter, you block and then counter yourself.”

She struck, I blocked and countered, and Alexia instinctively blocked and countered herself. I stepped out of the way of her second strike and ended the exchange.

I said, “Good! Now me. I’ll start, you counter, I will counter, and then you avoid.”

The exchange went perfectly. We continued this way for quite a while and before we were finished, our strikes and blocks and counters came more quickly. We started to improvise and after a little longer, we were sparring freely.

During one exchange, I struck toward Alexia’s front leg and she stepped quickly inside my range and all the way up against my body, rendering my sword useless. Throwing her arms around my waist, she dropped instantly to her knees and thrust her mouth over my cock! She sucked firmly at it, taking it all the way into her mouth and then reached in front of me and cupped my balls and squeezed them lightly.

I ended up dropping my sword at my side at the shocking attack. My eyes rolled back momentarily as I felt her lips and tongue, wet and slippery on my quickly hardening shaft. Alexia kept working her mouth on me, faster and faster, and when I was fully stiff, I felt her push me in past her throat.

It felt amazing! I had already experienced deep throat oral sex with Aeyli, Rani, and Belle, but it was always awesome. Prior to this, I hadn’t had much oral sex at all.

I said, “Alexia, stop and let me please you, too!”

She shook her head, still with my cock between her lips and sucked all the harder and faster. I was breathing hard, and so was she. I could tell that she was enjoying it so I reached down to play with her breasts and nipples. Soon, we were both on the edge of orgasm. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I considered warning her, but I knew that she didn’t want to stop, so I pinched both of her nipples firmly and let myself go.

When I squeezed Alexia’s nipples, she pushed herself forward into my groin and held me hard against her head as I began to shoot my semen into her mouth. After the first shot, Alexia pulled back slightly so that I poured into her mouth and not down her throat. I could feel her shaking with her own climax as I finished up with mine. Alexia kept sucking until it seemed that she had every drop.

I finally pulled myself from her lips and knelt on the ground with her. We were both out of breath and I pulled her down to lie on the ground with me while we recovered.

I said, “There is no defense for that move; well done!”

We laughed together.

She said, “There is also no practical application, but it was more fun than I had hoped it would be. Mark, I like the taste. Um, and it feels good. Not just when I am doing it, but afterward. My body feels energized. Is that what it’s like for you when you feed from my tits?”

I said, “It sure is. Your milk is invigorating! I feel full of energy but also really turned on. When you give me your milk, it fills me in several ways. I feel loved and secure. I feel like my blood is filled with life. And I feel like I want to make love!”

Alexia said, “Yeah, like that. Me too. Remember, I’m willing anytime you are. Just say so. I won’t turn you down, ever!”

I hugged her to me and we held each other.

After a while she said, “Should we go back to the others?”

I said, “OK. You did really well tonight with the training. In fact, the way that you surprised me shows that your training is going very well. Soon I’ll be able to teach you the ‘no sword’ techniques.”

She asked, “No sword? What’s that about?”

I said, “If you have a sword and I don’t, who has the advantage? Who will win?”

She said, “I will. Unless you mean that you will win because you will choose not to fight and save your life that way.”

I said, “No, that isn’t what I mean. Here, stand up and take your sword. Strike at my head.”

She stood up and faced me and said, “But, if you don’t have your sword, how will you block it? If you use your arm, it will break your bones.”

I said, “You know that I can step back out of the way if I want to. Go ahead, take the strike. And strike quickly, at nearly full speed.”

She said dubiously, “OK,” and raised her sword above her head.

As the blade reached the top of the upswing, just as it began it come down at my head, I stepped in toward her and stopped the handle of her bokken with the palm of my left hand. At the same time, I used my right hand to twist the sword out of her grip. I reversed the sword in my hands and pressed the blunt point against her stomach.

Alexia caught her breath and looked down at the stick poking into her navel in surprise. I removed the point from her flesh and tossed the blade away. Putting my hand around her waist, I pulled her to me.

She breathed a bit raggedly and I said, “See? A great swordsman doesn’t always need a sword. What do you think?”

She said, “I think that, um, you win. Um, and I think that… I um, you need to take your prize! Wow!”

I said, “Hm, I think that you’re right. Maybe a prize would be nice.”

I lay down and pulled Alexia down on top of me.

I said, “First, I will take my milk, and then I’ll take… what do you think my prize should be?”

She leaned over me and placed her breast against my lips and said, “Oh, you need to take my pussy! Please, suck my tits and when you’re ready, shalock hard for your reward.”

As I drank the liquid energy from Alexia’s beautiful melons, she stroked me slowly with one hand. It didn’t take long for me to respond. When I was ready, I pulled my mouth off of her breast and moved to pull her leg over my crotch. Alexia moved the other direction and lay down on her stomach beside me instead.

She turned her face to look at me and whispered, “This is your prize. Take it from me like this,” and she smiled and pushed her rear into the air a bit and spread her legs.

I positioned myself on my knees behind her luscious muscular rump and touched the head of my hardened cock to the wet folds of her eager pussy. Alexia had already climaxed from having her breasts suckled by me, and as I pressed my bulb against her blossom, she came again. I slid forward into her and began a slow rhythm, taking my time to feel the sensations as she did everything that she could to “reward” me. Every stroke was a celebration of wetness and warmth and squeezing.

Alexia said, “Let me continue my training and practice,” and I felt the walls of her vagina contract firmly around me. I could feel her working on her inner muscle control. First the head of my penis was squeezed far up inside her, then the base was squeezed as she tightened her opening. I pulled back and felt the ring of her labia tightly hold onto me. Then as I pushed forward, I felt her tunnel tighten and resist me, forcing me to push harder to enter, the tip of my manhood sliding through the hot passage to the end. In and out, we worked together.

I could feel it as Alexia experienced several orgasms. I could also feel what seemed to be internal ripples of her vagina pulling and milking me. The feelings were wonderful and I resisted my urge in order to prolong the experience.

Alexia climaxed again and moaned, and then she arched her back and thrust herself harder against me and squeezed hard. She began rotating her hips up and down quickly. I grabbed hold of her hips and fell forward against her, ending up with me on top of her, supporting myself with my arms on both sides of her back. Alexia increased the tempo of her movements and I increased mine to match. A minute later, my tempo increased to its own fast pace and Alexia froze in place, experiencing nearly continuous orgasms as I quickly approached my own. Just before the end, I suddenly pulled out, flipped her onto her back and entered her again.

Alexia threw her arms around my neck and held me hard as I came inside her and convulsed several times as her newly practiced vaginal muscle control sucked the orgasm from me. As it ended, I continued to rock in and out, both of us moaning in pleasure as our lovemaking subsided.

Finally, we lay side by side facing each other.

Alexia said, “Mark, that was wonderful. I really like it when you are behind me. It makes me feel smaller.”

I said, “Smaller?”

She said, “Yes, like a smaller woman. Not so big… even though I am a little taller than you, and I know that you love me and think that I’m beautiful, but I like to feel like it’s really you who are my prince, because you can do what you want and I will… um, be here for you. Oh, I don’t know how to explain it.”

I said, “Is it that when I’m behind you, holding your hips, that you feel like I’m the leader of our life? That I’m going to take care of you and you don’t have to worry about what to do and how to provide for yourself?”

She said, “Yes! When you have me from behind, it makes me feel like I don’t have to protect myself from the world or from you. That I can let go and let you take care of me. I feel like because you’re in charge, I’m safe. Like because I can’t be in control, that you are committing to taking care of me. Um, and it feels really good. That cock sliding in and out as I squeeze and stroke and feel it thrusting all the way up into me! Oh, it feels so good.”

I said, “I’m glad. I do want to take care of you. I love you. I have from the moment I first saw you.”

She laughed and said, “You mean since yesterday morning?”

I said, “Since I first had feelings about girls when I hit puberty and pictured you in my mind and walked with you in my dreams and slept with you in my heart. It seems like forever. It can’t have been just yesterday!”

She smiled and snuggled into me and said, “You’re a good man. I had given up hope that you would come, and now, here you are. And our lives completely change in a single day!”

I said, “I love you, Alexia.”

A few minutes later, we went back and lay down to sleep with the others.

Chapter 37

Today We Traveled Toward Nobrus

When we were up, we harnessed Cassius to the cart and began our run for Nobrus again. There was no sense of urgency or danger at all. We were happy and loving life. We had plenty of food and enough water and no real need to be in any particular place.

We ran for a while and then stopped for breakfast. We talked as we sat and ate, but there were no real matters of any consequence. We didn’t stay to practice. I think that we were all, more or less, ready to find a new adventure, so we started moving again.

After an hour or so of travel, the terrain rose ahead of us just slightly for several miles and we slowed to a more leisurely walk again for a while. I wanted to spend some time talking to Aeyli, so I asked the girls to go on ahead and told them that we would catch up in a little bit.

I took Aeyli’s hand and we dropped behind and let the others go ahead of us. At first we just walked slowly together. I wanted the others out of ear shot so that I could talk alone for a while.

As we walked in silence, I noticed how much I had come to enjoy being naked. It was OK in the presence of others and I had gotten used to quickly enough, but in that situation, you didn’t really pay that much attention. In fact, in the village, I tried not to notice. We all just went about our business like native bush people or something like that. Everybody was naked and you just didn’t pay any attention to it because it was just normal.

Out here though, or at home in our house, you could really appreciate being naked. Maybe it was different for the girls, but for me it was still new, and at least when we were alone together, I found it to be really nice. Not wearing clothes felt good. Having the girls not wear clothes looked good. Really good. Yes, when everyone is naked, you don’t pay attention to how women look as much, but here, alone together, I could take time to appreciate how very beautiful they were. The constant skin on skin contact when we were together was great too. I could have carried Alexia or Sashar fully clothed, like on Earth, and it would have been nice to have their warmth and softness against my body and in my arms, but here, fully nude, it was so much better!

Another thing of interest to me was that since we were naked all the time, our sexuality wasn’t at all due to entirely physical attraction. Physical attraction certainly kicked in when we got sexual, but our desire was based on our love for each other, not how we looked. And our sexuality was precisely the thing that I wanted to discuss with Aeyli. When the other girls had gone about a 100 yards ahead of us, I broached the subject.

I said, “Aeyli, I’m so happy!”

She smiled and said, “So am I. Was there something that you wanted to talk about?”

I said, “There is. I love being with you. I love you so much. I’m so glad that you chose me. I love spending time like this alone with you.”

She said, “Me too!” and she snuggled into my arm as we walked.

I said, “So, you like spending time alone with me? And making love?”

She cooed, “I do. I love you. Did you want to stop and make love now?”

I said, “Not just yet, though I know that we would have a wonderful time. What I want to talk about is having special times alone with all of you. Yesterday, we all had sex together. Well, one at a time, but all together. Sometimes I want to be alone with you, and sometimes I want to be alone with the other girls because they enjoy being alone with me just like you do.”

Aeyli smiled and said, “Oh, I see! Yes. So, we need to make sure that happens.”

I said, “Yes. You wanted me to have Rani and Belle and Alexia and Sashar as mates because you love them. You and I were already mates when we came to the village, and we could have stayed just you and me, but you really wanted them with us.”

She said, “Of course I did. I love them and I knew that you would love them. What you’re saying is that we need to make sure that they all get a chance to be loved just by you as much as I know that I am, and that I need to be alone with you so that we can express our love.”

I said, “You’re the first mate. I don’t know exactly what that entails, but I look to you to know what’s best. I also know that in order to help each of you with your stories, we need time alone. You and Alexia and Sashar couldn’t have told me about your pasts if we hadn’t had time alone together. I also want all of you to tell me about your hopes and dreams for the future and what you want to be and to do. Like Alexia getting her own shop and helping with the building design.”

Aeyli said, “Oh Mark, does any other man on Barsoom care for his wives the way that you do? That’s a wonderful plan. OK. How do we do it? What do you think?”

I said, “Well, maybe we need more than one bedroom. I love the big bed for all of us and I want to sleep together often. Maybe though, we need a bedroom where it can be just two of us sometimes. Um, well, or maybe three or four at a time… um sometimes.”

Aeyli said, “I did really enjoy it when you, me, Rani, and Belle were in bed together. How about this, we have the one big bed and one… no, two regular beds. You can decide where you want to sleep every night and you can invite one or more of us to be with you. One room will be yours alone.”

I said, “What about the other beds?”

She said, “What I am thinking is, the other night on the roof, you brought all of us one by one. If we have a second regular sized bed, you could join whoever is there if you want to. Anyone who wants to can sleep in the big bed together. No one will want to sleep alone, um, except maybe Alexia, but I don’t think so.”

I said, “Alexia is a very different girl than she was a few days ago. I don’t think that she’ll sleep alone. It sounds like a good plan. So, when we get to Nobrus, we will try to find three bedrooms?”

Aeyli said, “When we get to Nobrus, if it’s what I expect, we’ll find a house and we’ll make it livable and we’ll stay as long as we want to. The village is small, but it has, or had, a good wall and a good gate. The wall and gate were repaired after the fall of time and unless it has been damaged since, it will probably be fine. The population in this part of the world now is so sparse that I don’t expect that it has been touched. Our only concern could be animals since a woods and spring is at the edge of the village.”

We had fallen far behind the other girls now and they were just barely visible in the distance.

I stopped and turned to face Aeyli.

I said, “Aeyli, I do love you with my whole heart.”

We kissed each other tenderly; perhaps more tenderly than we had ever kissed so far. We continued our embrace and kissing and soon our bodies were obviously yearning for each other. We went slowly, letting our passion for one another grow gently. We explored each other with our hands and fingers, caressing our faces and necks and backs and hips and buttocks. And we kept kissing and exploring our mouths with our tongues and lips.

I lifted Aeyli in my arms and then lay her gently on her back on the moss. I lay down on my stomach beside her and we continued kissing while I let my hand begin fondling her wonderful breasts. We took our time. Occasionally, my hand slipped lower and stroked her belly and legs, sometimes her inner thighs as she parted them to the touch of my fingers. I brushed them lightly over her mound now and then and she moaned softly with pleasure.

As Aeyli’s nipples began to show evidence of her milk glistening at the tips, I very tenderly licked and caressed them with my lips, tasting the sweet nectar. Shortly afterward, I heard her breathe in quickly and I felt her first small orgasm rock her body. I restrained myself and only licked and sipped very lightly at her nipples, not wanting to rush either of us by drinking deeply from them.

Each time my fingers brush her lower parts, Aeyli would moan a bit and involuntarily push her hips upward, trying to make better contact with the objects of her arousal. I began to linger there, gently stroking with my right hand playing between her legs. My fingers slid along the slit and over and around the folds of her outer lips, occasionally testing the entry to her vagina. She was wet and more than ready, and eager enough, but I wanted to take our time and continued to move slowly. As I entered her fully with my middle finger, I felt her squeeze and convulse around it.

I raised my lips from her breast and said, “Beloved, I want you to do to me what I’ve been doing to you. Use your lips and tongue on me, slowly and gently. Take your time. Make love last.”

Aeyli smiled and I rolled onto my back as she put her head down into my crotch. She took the head of my penis tenderly between her lips and kissed slowly, but soon she was bobbing up and down quickly, bringing herself close to orgasm orally.

I said, “Hush, slow down. Here, I’ll set the pace for you,” and I reached between her legs and slowly rubbed her slit. “Like this” I said and I moved very slowly around her sex. I whispered, “Slowly.”

Aeyli slowed her movements. Every time she got to enthusiastic, I removed my fingers and she tried to push against them… and then slowed back down and I would touch her again. In a little while I had two fingers stroking in and out slowly while Aeyli had periodic climaxes that squeezed hard against them.

I lifted her hips up over my head and sat her on her knees, with my mouth between her thighs. She didn’t seem to notice as she was now completely engrossed in sucking my cock. I began kissing and licking at her pussy and she groaned and pushed back against me. Soon, she was climaxing every minute or so. With each one, she pressed against my mouth and screamed, my penis still in her mouth. In between orgasms she sucked me hard and lashed my shaft with her tongue.

I wouldn’t last much longer. I said, “Wow, that’s wonderful. Turn around now and get on top of me.”

I helped pull her off. I’m not sure that she would have done it without coaxing. Then I turned her around to face me and sit on top of me. I had her sit upright and lowered her down onto my hard erection. It felt amazing; hot, wet, and tight. I felt every movement as she climaxed again.

I said, “Now slowly, up and down,” and I lifted her up and then set her slowly down again. I kept my hands on her hips to guide her pace for a few minutes, but now I was more than ready. I said, “Fast, go fast and hard!” and she didn’t need to be told twice. Aeyli bounced up and down on my pole as fast as she could go. Occasionally she stopped as she pressed hard down against my hips and experienced yet another orgasm. The next time she did that, I grabbed her hips and held her firmly down while I had my own climax, pumping my juices up into her as her pussy squeezed me firmly and spasmed around me.

Aeyli sat on top of me, gently stirring her crotch on mine while the aftershocks of our lovemaking subsided. I think she probably had two or three more small ones after I finished mine. When she was done, she bent down and lay on top of me and I held her.

She whispered, “Um, beloved, I’m still pretty heavy. You teased my milk into my breasts, but you didn’t really take it from me. Would you like to feed from me before we’re done?”

In fact, Aeyli’s breasts had leaked quite a bit during our time together. Each orgasm was accompanied by a dribble of the sweet juices forcing itself out over her splendid globes. I smiled and told her that I would be more than happy to, and raising herself up, but keeping my still firm penis inside herself, she offered me her wonderful tits. I drank deeply and, naturally, it had the expected effect on both of us and we each climaxed again several minutes later.

“Is that better?” I asked.

She laughed and said, “Better than what? It was wonderful. But going so slow is different, and very nice. But every other way you have ever taken me has been just as nice. Was it better for you?”

I said, “I am glad that you think so, and I feel the same way. Every time is very wonderful. What I meant was, are your breasts more comfortable now?” I guess that even with the precision of the language, some small misunderstandings are still possible. Or maybe our brains just weren’t working at full capacity yet.

She said, “Oh. Yes. Much. Thank you. Mark, you really know how to make a girl feel good about her choice for a mate! And you’re still hard!” and she wiggled her hips, moving me about inside her vagina.

I said, “You and your milk have that effect on me. Um, shall we go one more time?” I couldn’t believe it was possible, but like I said, the milk was better than any drug ever created on Earth by far.

She squealed and said, “OK! Put me on the bottom this time. And none of that slow stuff! I want it hot and horny!”

We rolled over together and she pulled me hard against her with her legs around my waist. I didn’t hesitate this time, but just went for it, thrusting fast and hard. Aeyli started screaming in pleasure almost immediately. It took me a little long, having just performed twice already, but given her enthusiasm to cheer me on, it didn’t take too long. At the end, I roared loudly and we climaxed together one more time.

Finally, I slid out of her and we rested side by side on our backs holding hands. We lay there for several minutes, catching our breath. We had probably been together for about an hour by that time. We decided that we had better get up and catch the others before they got even farther ahead of us.

We hopped up and started running. We’d left our belts on the cart because everyone had stayed naked today, so we didn’t have to get dressed first. The girls were nowhere in sight, so I had Aeyli climb onto my back and I started to run. We covered the ground quickly and in about ten minutes we could see the girls far off in the distance.

A few minutes later, we watched as the others disappeared over the top of the rise that we had been climbing all morning. It took another 20 minutes or so to catch up to them. When we stopped, Aeyli climbed down and everyone greeted us.

Sashar said, “Aeyli, I know what you and our fine prince were doing, but how much did he do it?”

Aeyli blushed slightly and said, “What do you mean? And, never mind that. Anyway, we were talking, and making love, and when we get to Nobrus, and back at home in Tranna, we decided that we need to set up three bedrooms. One will have the big bed where we can all sleep together, one will be Mark’s room where he can invite us to spend the night alone with him, and one will be for other times when we sleep together. We all enjoy our times alone with Mark, and our times all together. This will let us all have special alone time with him. How does that sound?”

“That sounds really nice! Oh, thank you!”

“But we still sleep all together in the big bed sometimes right? And even make love all together?”

I said, “Of course! I want to!”

“OK, good. But, yes, some special times alone will be good.”

“So, when we aren’t with Mark in his room, or all together, what about then?”

“Well, the rest of us can all sleep together in the big bed.”

“Or, some in one bed and some in another, in case Mark walks in his sleep and spends the night in two beds.”

“Or three!”

“But, we never sleep alone. Never,” said Alexia.

“No, not alone! If I can’t be with Mark, I want to be with my sisters!”

“Right, but sometimes, maybe two of us will wait together for him to come to us.”

“And if he doesn’t come that night, that will be OK. Everyone gets their time.”

“Right, but… Aeyli, how many times did you have today? I was just curious.”

Aeyli said, “Oh, you girls! OK, Mark filled me three times in a row and it was really, really nice.”

Sashar said, “Three! Well, that explains why you’ve been leaking!”

Aeyli said, “Leaking? What do you mean?”

Sashar glanced down between Aeyli’s legs, and sure enough, you could spot the dried evidence of our passion stuck to her inner thigh.

Aeyli looked down and felt her thigh and smiled and started to brush it away.

Sashar cried out, “Wait! Stop! Um, I mean, um, is it still good?”

Aeyli stopped and looked at her, puzzled.

I said, “Sashar, you mean that you want to taste it?”

Sashar said, “Well, um, if it’s OK. It seems like a bit of a shame to waste it. But, also, well…”

I said, “Sashar, do you want to taste Aeyli too? I do that and I like it a lot. Um, well when you girls suck on me, you always make sure that I’m clean afterward, and I like to clean up your juices, so, do you want to clean up Aeyli for me?”

Sashar shifted her weight from foot to foot shyly and looked up at me and nodded very slightly and said, “Um, I don’t know. I just… it’s a shame it waste it and um, …I am kind of curious and she does need to be cleaned up.”

I said, “Aeyli, how do you feel about that?”

Aeyli paused and said, “Well, it would be nice to be clean… and I guess if it was one of the other girls, I guess that I might want to get anything that leaked out too. I guess that we could try it. I guess that I might want to do that if he was leaking out of you.”

I said, “OK. Aeyli, come here.”

I sat on the ground and had her sit in my lap with her legs spread. I motioned Sashar to get down in front of her and Sashar got on her knees and bent her head down to Aeyli’s thigh. Sashar’s position, her head between Aeyli’s legs and her rear end in the air gave me ideas, but I stayed where I was and filed it away for future possibilities.

Sashar looked up tentatively and I nodded at her, and she delicately stuck out her tongue and licked the dried semen from Aeyli’s leg.

I said, “How is it?”

Sashar answered, “It’s nice,” and she licked up the rest carefully.

I said, “Do her pussy too.”

Sashar didn’t hesitate. Aeyli spread her legs even more and Sashar licked directly over her slit and then probed deeply with her tongue, seeing if she could find more semen within the opening. She finished a few seconds later. She wasn’t making love to Aeyli, just cleaning her up and licking up my juices.

I said to Aeyli, “Well, how was that?”

She said, “It was nice. Not like when you do it, that’s very different! This isn’t like that. But it felt kind of good… and it was nice… um, I felt like Sashar loved me, but not like you do. I think if we want to do that for each other for cleaning up after sex it will be nice.”

Sashar said, “It was nice. And it tasted good, just like you said, and you taste good too, but not like Mark. It doesn’t make me feel… well, I guess it does make me want Mark to make love with me. I think it would be a nice thing to do while he makes love to us. Like, if he has one of us and then we cleanup for him while he does the one who is cleaning, or something like that. So, thank you.”

Aeyli said, “Yeah, thank you. It’s a good idea. I would never want to go anywhere in public leaking.”

Belle said, “OK, so from now on if Mark ejaculates inside us, then we clean each other and don’t let any of it go to waste? Is that right?”

I said, “Um, it’s new. Let’s wait and see how it works out. We don’t need to decide anything right now.”

I didn’t think that homosexuality was common, or even known on Barsoom, and I didn’t want to encourage it, but among the family, between mates, maybe a little contact was OK. It didn’t seem like the girls considered it sexual in the same way that it was with me.

Aeyli said, “But, it’s OK with me. If it’s me, and one of you wants to do it, you can.”

I asked, “But is it different than when I lick you?”

She said, “Oh yes! When you do it, I get really excited and, well, if it had been you, I would have an orgasm. I would never feel that way if one of the girls did it. It was nice, but kissing you is very different than kissing them. I felt like Sashar loved me, just like if we hugged each other◦– but with you, it’s different!”

Sashar said, “Like if we were out of food, since we’re all mates, I would want all of you to feed at my breast, but it wouldn’t be sexual for me. But if Mark sucked it from me and then fed you from his mouth, I would climax over and over. Just thinking about him at my breast makes me weak!”

By this time, we had stood up and were preparing to walk again.

Afterword

We will end the first book of Mark Jensen’s adventures here. If you read on, it’s up to you.

The story continues in the next volume. Mark and the princesses find Nobrus and have some decisions to make. Mark has a new life in Barsoom, but he’s only been here a few days and there’s a lot left to discover. And because everything is different since the Fall of Time, the girls don’t know what to expect either. Alexia wanted to go away into the wilderness. Will she find what she’s looking for?

If you’re still reading my story, that was your choice. It was a lot of reading when all that really needed to be said is summed up like this:

1. Search for adventure.

2. Pay attention to local customs.

3. Treat a princess like a princess and she’ll be a princess.

4. Work hard to overcome insanity that so many take for granted.

If you choose to read on, I hope you enjoy it. I’m going to keep writing the story, whether you read it or not.

END OF BOOK ONE

About the Author

Marilyn Foxworthy lives a peaceful life studying classical mindfulness, practical philosophy, and martial arts. A prolific writer of fantasy and adventure in the style of the twentieth century pulp writers of the ‘Golden Age’ of fiction, she enjoys what she calls ‘Tom Swift for Adults’. Often blatantly erotic, her epic stories appeal to the adolescent parts of us that still enjoy a good vicarious adventure liberally sprinkled with interludes of boisterous romping in the hay.

Ms. Foxworthy describes her writing process this way: “I never know what’s going to happen. The characters tell me their stories and I write them down the way I hear them. A character comes to me and sits down for coffee and starts talking. I’m as surprised as anyone by what they tell me. If I like the story, I publish it. If you like the story, you read it.”

Series by Marilyn Foxworthy (without giving away too many spoilers):

• The Shrine Maidens of Barsoom. The “Red Planet” of John Carter’s stories is real, but not quite the way we were told. The great white apes are real, and the princesses really are naked, but a lot of the details a hundred years later are different.

• The Guardian Maidens of Sturgil’s Mark. Ronin is a novice Adventurer Monk out to kill some monsters and make a name for himself. The elven girls who join him don’t like wearing armor very much, but overall they’re a great team. Monsters beware. We’re coming to kick down doors and take the loot.

• The Girls on the Hill. They aren’t really fairies. They’re just the girls who work at the particular resort that Robby Jensen enjoys vacationing at. And this time he finds out that most of the female the staff have a crush on him. And the robots are terrible scamps. It starts with a drowning girl in the river◦– and Robby just happens to be there in a canoe to rescue her.

• The Nogud Legacy. What if you wake up on a road with no idea who you are? The place seems medieval, but is it the future, or the past? The population is low and good men are at a premium. A smart guy like Joshua knows how to make a new life, even if he can’t figure out how he got here or what the rules are at first. And what’s with these girls in the hoods and tunics?

• The Sea Nymphs. Robby is established now and wants to share his good fortune with his older brother Tom. Tom adjusts to Robby’s lifestyle quickly. He has his own way of doing things, but he’s Robby’s brother for sure.

If you don’t see all of these series in the store yet, they’re coming soon.

If you would like to keep in touch, hear about new releases, or anything else, you can find the contact information or the Amazon author page for Marilyn Foxworthy.

And if you enjoyed the book, please do leave a review on Amazon or GoodReads.com.

Copyright

1st Edition

Copyright © 2018 Marilyn Foxworthy

All rights reserved.

Content

Marilyn Foxworthy
THE START OF TIME

Preface to Book One

Chapter 1 I Need to Find Water

Chapter 2 How It Began

Chapter 3 The Desert and The Cave

Chapter 4 The Day of Departure

Chapter 5 Arrival on the Red Planet

Chapter 6 Refreshment and Learning the Language

Chapter 7 History Lesson and Sheltering

Chapter 8 Mating Night

Chapter 9 Making weapons

Chapter 10 Morning on a New World

Chapter 11 My Weapon Works

Chapter 12 A Second Night at the Ruins

Chapter 13 The Story of Babies and Brides

Chapter 14 Before the Gates of Tranna

Chapter 15 In the House of the Shrine Maidens

Chapter 16 The Council Meeting

Chapter 17 A Challenge in the Council Hall

Chapter 18 Morning In the House of Mark

Chapter 19 Call the Carpenters

Chapter 20 Short Engagements

Chapter 21 A Short Visit with Tronuck

Chapter 22 Alexia Asks for a Lesson

Chapter 23 Teaching The Price of a Princess

Chapter 24 Abolishing the Bride Price

Chapter 25 Alexia and Sashar Come Home

Chapter 26 On the Roof with Sashar

Chapter 27 Alexia’s Story

Chapter 28 Preparing for the Wilderness

Chapter 29 Shall We Hunt Demons?

Chapter 30 First Day of Training

Chapter 31 Afternoon Musings

Chapter 32 At the Place of Demons

Chapter 33 Sashar’s Story

Chapter 34 Checking on Progress

Chapter 35 Reviewing Our Practice

Chapter 36 Training at Night with Alexia

Chapter 37 Today We Traveled Toward Nobrus

Afterword

About the Author

Series by Marilyn Foxworthy (without giving away too many spoilers):

Copyright