Awakened for the Sermon

So with your time alone, you try to pace around but you can only take five or six steps in the room. You feel like a rat in a cage, which is something you do not like. You just huff as you grab a random book off the shelf. You look at the title “The Knight of The Dark Rose”. You sigh as you open up and try to read the book. You get about three paragraphs in before your eyes get heavy and you doze off, head on table, a bit drool from your lip.

Several hours pass as you are awakened by the sound of the door being unlocked and Loren brings a tray of food and drink for you. She sets the tray down in front of you.

“I went to the castle to ask what you enjoyed, to make you a bit more comfortable and happy. Roasted chicken and baked potatoes with ale to wash it down. You have thirty minutes before the Head Priest will need you for afternoon service.”

Just as she leaves, you notice a bit of dried white substance on her cheek. You don’t dwell on what might have happened between her and the priest. As soon as you lift the tray, and you see a roasted chicken surrounded by baked potatoes all your other concerns wash away. As you grew up, you found that a great meal can distract you from any concern you may have, including being locked in a room by yourself for hours at a time. When you became of age you discovered sex had the same effort on you as well.

You finish the meal in a timely fashion and wait for the priest to come get you for the sermon. What seems like an eternity, the door opens again and the priest is there with a towel for you to clean yourself up with. You take it, wipe your face and told to leave the towel there for now. He gives you a bear skin cloak with a wild flower reef on the head to put on. The Head Priest hooks your arm with his and leads you out toward the worship area where you see the pews are packed, more than usual. Even with everyone packed elbow to elbow, you see everyone’s faces light up but remain quiet out of respect.

“Today as you all know is the Festival of Fertilization, and in our time honored tradition we pick one woman from the village to be the vassal of our offering to Geia the Mother Earth Bear. We give our offering of our seed in the form this vassal so she may act as a conduit between us mortals and the Earth Goddess herself. We do this so farmers may have good yields in both in crop production and livestock raising. So that merchants who use The Mother’s resources, the gifts she has given us, can be more prosperous. So that the couple who want to raise a family may be provided with lots of children. This year I think we have picked a great vassal, a great candidate to be great Maiden, Tera Ryzen.”

He gestures to you and for a moment you are caught just staring out at the crowd, getting a bit hot, in a nervous kind of way, despite being naked. In front of everyone. In a similar way you hate being confined to small spaces you hate being in the middle of crowds where punching your way out isn’t an option. You have no problem being naked in front of people so you're glad you are in front of everyone and not in the middle of it. When he says your name you snap out of your daze and flex for the people. They laugh with your show showmanship but quickly quiet down to let the Head Priest continue his speech.

“I have watched Tera grow up before she was known as Tera. Her mother and father would bring her to temple every Sunday. They were proud of their daughter being born a year after her own mother was chosen as Maiden. When Tera grew up to be a teenager, it was obvious she was blessed by Geia by the way her height shot up like a fertilized corn stalk. When Tera entered the Military no longer living under the roof of her parents house, guess what, she would still meet her parents arriving before they would and still sit in the front row whenever she wasn’t deployed on the battlefield.”

He then gestures to your parents who are indeed sitting front row, smiling at you, so proud of you. You give a gentle wave to them as the head priest concludes her speech.

“I could go on and on about how great a follower Tera is of Earth Mother, but she needs her time to prepare. I will see everyone at the orgy tonight where Tera will be doing her duties as Fertilization Maiden. You may be dismissed.”

The Head Priest makes a gesture and everyone starts to file out. He grabs you by the arm and starts to escort you back when a voice calls out.

“I want to speak to my daughter, if you don’t mind.” You recognize that gruff raspy voice as your father’s, an aged but sturdy silver hair man approaches with your mother.

“As would I, if I may as well, Head Priest.” You hear another rough gravelly voice which you recognize as your Warchief with his son Thunder and wife Stormquell by his sides.

“Yes of course, you all can speak to her, but she does need her time to prepare.” The Head Priest could not refuse a request from the Warchief.

The five of them approach as the priest backs off to allow you to spend time with your family and lover’s family. Your father wraps an arm around your waist.

“That’s my girl. This is one of my proudest moments for you. When you earn your warrior name of Tera Ryzen is up there as well. I’ll be watching from the sidelines honey.” You blush at your father’s comments.

“You father had been so excited when told him the news you were going to be Maiden, he made two daggers, one that says ‘Fertilization Maiden’ and ‘Father of a Fertilization Maiden’. She hands you the dagger made for you, but Thunder takes it for you have no place to store it on your person.

“Mind if I hold onto it for your daughter, Barbra?” You mother hands Thunder the blade and gives him that look, the one where every mother who is wondering when the boy is going out with their daughter is going to propose to them.

“So how much longer is it going to be before we’re in this temple making your union with my daughter official?” He starts to stammer a bit when that question is asked. That's when his father Bear Mauler steps up to say his piece.

“James, you raised a wonderful daughter who turned out to be an excellent soldier, one of the best could ever ask for. Tonight I get to try out the puss that my boy has been making moan for the last seven years.”

That is when Stormquell made a face at him that was played off as a joke,

“I think you can take Tera to finish her preparations, we need to prepare ourselves.” Storm waves over the priest as the group of them walk out of the temple chatting away.

The priest takes your arm again and leads you to the same room again.

“Sorry to isolate you like this, but need you as pure as possible for the ritual. Loren will bring you one last meal before the orgy starts, It won’t be long now”

He leaves you alone again, bored once more as you wait for dusk.