Chapter 12

After we rehearsed and ate lunch, rehearsal continued. Lindy hit her stride and didn't want to stop. We decided to shorten our time editing Nick's Tales, working on them a couple hours before dinner, or earlier if enough of us weren't working on rehearsal. Adding rehearsal time allowed us to divide it into working on plays and dancing with a little more flexibility than the arbitrary set time of lunch.

Plays. Plural. We had three to work with: my play, "The Perfect Drug," Tash's new play, and the play Lindy wrote for the ACT workshop. Lindy directed mine and Tash's, and Vance directed Lindy's play. We had three fine directors amongst us, and Tash became a sort of assistant director or even a co-director, an advisor for all three plays as well as taking over directing the plays Lindy directed because of Lindy's busyness. Lindy made clear her intentions to Tash, and trusted her completely to improve things.

At this point in time, we concentrated on my play. The cast changed again. Stan took over for Snake in the seducer role. Though no one could be as skilled a performer as one with thousands of years of experience, Stan proved a remarkable fit. His subtlety of emotion worked perfectly with the villain's agenda. And he looked like the character symbolically. I saw my play as Everyman against Trickster. That is, the role I took sort of represented a Judeo-Christian archetype of ephemeral, in the head beliefs, while Stan's character had a more pagan, earth based belief system. And of course, he looked utterly seductive. Winning Helena back became that much more of a struggle, and perhaps, in the end, hard to believe.

And no, truth didn't match fiction. I felt no risk losing Helena to the handsome Lakota, even when, as exceptional as she had become as an actor, she became her character. When I did ask her, again, about the unfairness of me with multiple lovers and her exclusivity with me, it exasperated her. "You're my man, Joe!" she exclaimed, "and always will be. Nothing and no one can change that. Can you get that through your thick skull?" She poked me in the chest, and slapped the side of my head in her exasperation.

"I think I can now," I grinned.

"About fucking time."

When it eventually happened, she did thoroughly enjoy being double penetrated by Stan and me, but, of course, Stan filled her anal cavity only. And she wasn't the only one whom my new Indian friend and I teamed up on. Others, not my wives, felt us in both holes. My wives, even Eva, allowed only me to enter their pussies. But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Vance worked separately with Lindy's play while I and the other cast worked on mine with Lindy. Snake took a role in it. Betty kept hers. And Vance borrowed angels to substitute for roles the cast of my play would eventually take, Eva having fun pretending to be me.

And last but definitely not least, we all worked together on Tash's play, reading through it and having Tash editing on the fly, with Lindy creating business for certain beats. Interestingly, Stan took the role again of seducer, a dark skinned and dark haired Simon, and almost as beautiful. Lindy had the hardest time casting the lead, because Tash resisted. No one could be more perfect. In the end, she accepted the inevitable, but insisted for at least the read-throughs that Naomi read her lines. The Jewish angel had the closest temperament to Tash, though Lindy had to adjust her innate whininess. At first, Naomi couldn't tell she whined. She had to hear Nick's Siamese angel, Chanda's recording of it. Instead of being embarrassed or offended, she laughed. Putting on her seductive voice didn't work, so she mimicked Tash. After laughing several times, we got used to it, and the mimicry ended up being very helpful for Tash's editing of what would be her own lines.

I'll continue getting ahead of myself by describing the early morning into afternoon choreography, briefly.

Lindy's choreographic rehearsals, always obscenely early, started even earlier for some, including Zhenzhen, leaving our bed before I awoke sometimes, or more times, awakening me and letting me enjoy an early morning fuck with my other two wives. Anticipating her absence, we often teamed up on her for the finale of the night. Of course that happened only when I joined them in bed, which I tried to do most nights.

She left early to join Miwa and Lindy in loosening up Stan and Hannah, both physically and emotionally. Betty ended up joining them, being the best actor amongst us, to help elevate the emotional expressiveness of our weakest dancers.

As far as the actual choreography, we continued working on La Femme Qui Marche, with the added "shadows" becoming less weak frames and more dynamic in their grabbing of focus. Also, lucky for us and our future audience, new choreography became created, danced to new music by Angelique. I won't get into details about them, because seeing them would be a thousand times better than hearing about them. Suffice it to say, those two geniuses kept getting better and better. The pieces were exquisite.

Anyway, getting back on track, our ever enlarging audience settled back after dinner to hear Snake's Tales. I stuck with my wives, as promised, though Angelique joined us, sitting on my lap. Before Nick began, however, Lindy tapped Angelique's shoulder. "Please join Miwa and me," she asked gently.

"Had enough of Chief Hot Cheeks?" Angelique asked boldly.

"For now, Slave," Lindy growled.

Angelique's smile might have been submissive, but I could see her glee. After hugging and kissing me, she hugged and kissed her Wardeness who led her to a group bigger than just Miwa. Our newest female dancers were there, the much darker one winking at me. Salomé and Betty also joined them. "Betty?" I murmured to myself.

"She's heard about Hannah's intensity," Helena explained to me. "And I'm sure Lindy won't mind."

I chuckled and nodded. Despite her closeness with Angelique and her on again off again relationship with Miwa, Lindy still had a bit of crush on the incredibly beautiful and exquisitely voluptuous blonde angel.

Stan had moved to new conquests. Helen clones surrounded him. Consuela sat beside him of course. It surprised me a little that Helen took his other side. I figured beautiful men, including Simon and even her brother, Paris, thrilled her, but perhaps they also provoked her more insidious nature, cutting at their innate pride of appearance. I wondered if Stan would regret his choice, or would enjoy the caustic interplay. Probably the latter. He seemed confident and yet willing to accept his few flaws. Lindy's critical words about his dancing, and his lack of defensiveness and embrace of her efforts to improve him revealed the commendable trait. If nothing else, I imagined it would be a night he would never forget.

By the time Nick began his Tales, Zhenzhen replaced Angelique on my lap. As much as I loved the French genius, I preferred her cute replacement.

"My entourage travelled north and west," Nick started, "going to places I hadn't been in centuries or at all."

Unlike the entourage decades before which had accompanied Nick to the place of his daughter's mate and her ascent to queen, including several of his family and friends, from babies to aging souls, the group that leaves his daughter's kingdom numbers only four, including Nick.

Several reasons for Nick's choice. Most of his wanderings, including those from a set base, involve trading people and things. That is no longer a part of the agenda. Not that Nick doesn't expect to be paid. His services as Druid gets rewarded, as does Salomé's unique storytelling and even Betty's and her lover, Nestor's brilliance, paid to be visiting philosophers or lecturers.

Also, the small number helps to prevent any sense of threat from them. At the same time, its appearance as vulnerable gets quickly quashed by all four being expert warriors, three of them almost impossible to kill.

Furthermore, the fact that Nick has no real destination keeps numbers to a minimum. It's not about any sort of continuation, but of moving on, seeding new places with minions, learning new things and changing older things. It also gives space for additions to the entourage.

Not surprising Nick, but surprising his newest angel and her lover, the first of these additions happens only a couple months after they begin their journey. Despite his many seductions and seedings, finding a companion of a feisty and fascinating disposition has always been a fairly rare occurrence for Nick. And he figures, since Betty and Nestor plan on bringing the highest level of discourses to these new places, they are bound to discover a young female nerd bristling at the condescension of the males and probably the females around them. He also knows the small castle, actually resembling a monastery, they arrive at, has as much chance as any place to find such a woman.

The place models itself after the other Celtic kingdoms they encounter. It follows the usual class structure: rulers and their knights, Druids and peasants. But the balance differs from all others. One might compare it to a contemporary university town. Though the rulers protect the order and the borders, and the peasants harvest the food, intelligence reigns, and thus the Druids. In fact it is their unique commodity. Future Druids come there to learn, as do princes and others of the ruling class and even children of well to do traders and tradesmen.

Enlightened as they may be, what with intelligence and learning their bread and butter, they fall short in one important aspect, the treatment of their women. At least, except for the head Druids, the ruler's chief advisor and the leader of the teaching Druids, they allow the other Druids to procreate. Like the ruling class, they breed their successors. But all the females, wives or daughters, get treated no better than slaves. They receive only nominal education.

Except for one shy but determined rebel and her mother. Whether nature or nurture, and most likely both, daughter follows mother in rebellion. The pretty teen's mother has been rebelling quietly for years. Her father marries a visiting princess, traveling with her brother when he comes to attend the Druid academy. An ambitious man, and one to grab every advantage, his wife's intelligence, coming from a much more gender enlightened kingdom, becomes a great benefit to him through her wise beyond her year's advice. At the same time, he insists she keeps a low profile and acts uneducated. She resents this, but has her revenge, surreptitiously teaching her fellow women lessons forbidden to them. When he becomes the head of the school and gives up his wife, the wife becomes even bitterer.

As usual, with such unique visitors, the entire town gawk at the strangers when they arrive.

"Welcome, Nick," says the head of the school.

"Then you know of me," Nick smiles. "I suppose my dark companion gives me away."

"Is he the travelling Druid?" asks the king's Druid advisor, the Master Druid, looking more welcoming.

"I traveled for my king and my Master Druid," Nick agrees.

"I have heard you have brought the luck of the gods as well as sage advice to the princes and kings you visit. The villages always seem to profit from your visits, in defense, in broadening the kingdoms, and in wealth."

"Both my former boss, a sagacious Druid, and myself, have learned many things over the years that can benefit our kingdom and others."

"You look too young to gain such wisdom," the school leader points out.

Both Salomé and Nick can't help laughing, ready to speak and hear those massively modest words, "I'm a lot older than I look."

Frowning at his fellow Druid, a colleague he neither likes nor trusts, but to whom he must remain respectful, even obeying, like a general having one star less than another, the Master Druid steps up to Nick and shakes his hand. "Come meet our ruler. I think you'll find him most accommodating. Unless you wish more frugal accommodations."

Nick laughs. "I like comfort, Master Druid. Especially after months travelling."

The Druid laughs, too. "Then step this way."

A few steps later, they greet the leader. He has neither a crown nor especially royal garb, but does carry a scepter with the god of knowledge featured on the top, and carries himself regally.

"Your majesty," Nick bows, along with his small entourage.

"None of that," the man objects. "Call me Lens."

"Not King?" Nick asks.

"Not much of a kingdom. Nor a principality or such, since we're independent. Leader sounds wrong. Lens will do. If you are who I think you are," he gets a nod from his Druid, "then I believe we have much to discuss. When you're ready, we can meet. My top knight and his lieutenant as well?"

"Of course, Lens. If I can have my companion, Salomé join us as well."

Lens laughs. "A most refreshing addition."

"You'll find her that and more," Nick chuckles.

Of course neither Salomé nor Nick needs much rest, so they take their timing from Nestor's nap before approaching Lens, leaving Betty to enjoy some private loving from their mortal companion.

"How are you accommodations?" asks Lens.

"Most lush," Nick smiles.

"We have royals, Kings and Princes, bringing their youngsters here. They expect royal treatment, even if they know their children will be treated much more severely. Some have even gone through our training, but have learned to expect softer treatment. I didn't expect to meet until the morning."

"Sorry. I tend to be a little eager to meet new friends and trade ideas. Morning's fine. But I'd like to ask some questions. Get permission actually. And I'd like your Druid here if possible."

"You have to understand. This is a topsy-turvy place. Our chief purpose is training. Druid training. And as such, it's the Druid heading the school who permits things within its walls."

"But outside those walls? Isn't that your command?"

"Yes it is."

"I'd like to attend some of this training, maybe be a guest trainer if it's allowed. My companions would as well."

"For you, attending will be fine. Training might be difficult. And for your companions, especially the females, probably impossible, even just attending."

"I sensed that."

"What did you sense?"

"That neither Salomé nor Betty would be respected. Only lusted after, I think. Only their faces, along with their bodies would be appreciated, and whatever happens behind those faces would be completely ignored. Maybe less so, but as young as Nestor is, he'd probably get similar treatment as far as expectation of intelligence."

"Let me get my Druid," Lens says.

"I like him," says Salomé as soon as Lens leaves.

"I do too. Notice he didn't send anyone to fetch his Druid."

"I also noticed no queen or whatever. He's attracted to me, but ambivalent. I wonder if he's widowed."

"Or he married a cruel woman who betrayed him."

Salomé nods. "Should I seduce him tonight?"

"Why not," Nick grins.

The Master Druid upon his arrival responds to Nick with an emphatic, "No. It's been strictly males for generations."

"Including yours?" asks Salomé.

"Yes, I was trained here."

"Students have some time to themselves, I would hope," Nick asks.

"They train from just after dawn to near dusk," the Master Druid explains. "After a late dinner, we hope they contemplate what they learn."

"But they are on their own?"

"Yes."

"I noticed a small amphitheater at the edge of the village," Salomé says.

"Yes. We use it for theatrical presentations. Plays with philosophical meanings, pros and cons debated, sometimes comedies to lighten things, though they tend towards the satiric."

"And traveling bards and players use it," Lens adds, his sly smile clearly expressing the hint.

"Excellent," Nick smiles. "And I presume the audience is not as restricted as the school."

"Anyone can attend," Lens replies. "All are welcome. It is the one place where all classes and genders mix."

"No royal seats separate from the others?" asks Salomé.

"Well, when I attend, people tend to save me the front, middle seats," Lens almost blushes. "Master Druid here and the school's leader get favored seating as well. Nothing set aside, though. It's a bit small for that."

"Perfect," says Nick. "I presume my status allows me free reign at the school."

"I don't see why not," the Master Druid replies. "But best if I accompany you."

"Of course. Let us plan for that tomorrow."

"I still wish a meeting with my Druid and my knight commander."

"We will visit the school early," Nick suggests, "and have your meeting sometime after lunch? I may have questions after my visit."

"Then we should invite the Headmaster," the Master Druid decides.

"If you think it's necessary," Nick says. "I sense you and him might not see eye to eye."

"It would be presumptuous not to invite him," Lens responds. "His power nearly equals mine, and surpasses mine in certain circumstances."

"What benefits the school benefits the village," Salomé figures out.

"Exactly."

"I'll meet you at breakfast then," Nick approaches the Druid. "But tonight, if you don't mind, I wish a private conversation. Just some things to settle in my head before it can rest tonight. May I escort you to your room?"

"Of course," says the Druid. "I have questions too."

"Great."

As soon as they leave the small meeting room, Salomé approaches Lens and kneels at his feet. Her long, lean, strong hands reach beneath his robe, a richly made woolen garment with intricate metallic silver and gold threads depicting the god of wisdom and his animus, the owl. She gently squeezes a tight calf, beginning a massage.

"What are you doing?" he asks her.

"Why don't you sit, my liege?" she requests, and he settles into his royal chair. "That's better. Tell me why you are alone. Such a fine looking man, gracefully entering his maturity. Wise and benevolent. Sweet even. A good friend to have." She removes his sandals and works on a foot. As she expects, touching him, and loosening him up, brings forth emotions.

"No one has touched me in so long," he sniffles, resisting a sob.

"Let it out, my liege. It is only us here. You will never meet someone who can be as discrete as me. Why has no one touched you?"

He sobs. Words become difficult and yet necessary. "Bad luck with women. No that's not right! My closest companions and greatest friends have been my wives. My father died when I was not yet twenty, still wandering the lands learning things beyond this little fiefdom. I met my first wife during those wanderings. She kept me strong when I felt too young and weak to lead even this little place. She enabled me to see my strengths and gave me the comfort I needed to move beyond my failures. Such a strong mind, smarter than me certainly, she only lacked a strong body. When we wed, I promised her we would wait to conceive my heir as long as possible, or even find a surrogate slave to impregnate. But being foisted into the public as King or whatever pushed the agenda to a much too soon timetable. After two years of incredible love, I lost her at childbirth, and lost the child as well.

"Two years with her and two years without her, mourning her, before I could imagine having another woman in my bed. Women tried to wake me from my despair. Terrible women, really. I don't know what they saw in me and this place, but all these daughters of the ruling class needed to latch onto a ruler, and I guess I was supposedly available. Except I wasn't. Not my heart. Nothing to latch on there, even if I had any interest in them, which I never would. But when I looked up from my mourning one of them caught my eye. Yes, she had been tossed to me like the others by her royal father, but she admitted it, which none of the others had. She didn't make herself ridiculous trying to seduce me. She didn't have to. She was a lovely woman. Shapely. Sexy without even trying. She wasn't exactly reluctant. She had a duty to her father and her family. And yet she couldn't help finding the humor in it. And that's how she seduced me. So different from my first love, humorous rather than serious, voluptuous rather than frail, she had two traits matching my lamented first wife. Compassion and intelligence. The most important traits.

"Despite her womanly hips, she had a difficult pregnancy and delivering our daughter nearly cost her life. Unfortunately, we needed a son. Meaning another pregnancy. He lived. She died. Oh."

"Go on, Lens," Salomé insists, returning her lips to the task of hardening his cock, already thickening and lengthening into impressive dimensions.

"Can't concentrate," he admits.

"A break then," she giggles, upping her efforts. Not long after, successful, she straddles him and sends him inside her hot, tight pussy. Her clothing flung aside, she guides him to her small, perfect breasts, fingers and lips both enjoying them.

"Amazing," he moans.

"You, too," she chuckles, moving ever faster on his cock.

Not surprisingly, he cums fairly quickly. Unlike most women, and not unlike her grandfather, she can practically orgasm on command, and does so, letting him feel her rippling pussy and the nectar dripping onto his balls. "Lens," she moans into his ear.

"You came too?" he murmurs. "I was so quick."

"You turn me on, too, my sweet liege," she murmurs back, her warm breath exciting his ear.

After kissing him for the first time, gently and warmly, her hips move slowly and her Kegel muscles work his dwindling penis, not letting it become flaccid. A little less than half its length, girth and hardness, it begins to revive.

"Go on," she whispers.

"I was angry at the world. Vulnerable to those harpies who circled again. I chose the most cynical to match my mood. She was intelligent enough. But once she had her claws in me, she only wanted things for herself. She managed to turn my children against me while siphoning off money enough to leave this backwater for some larger kingdom."

"Then ... You have no heir?"

"She promised to return him whenever I died."

"Charming. I can fix this."

"How?" he moaned, as she began speeding up the fuck, using her exceptional interior muscles to narrow and squeeze the walls around his cock.

"Simple. I will send you a suitable mate."

"But I have a mate."

"She never conceived?"

"No."

"So she never consummated."

"What about you?"

"Thank you, my liege for considering me. While I imagine many years of enjoyment, I cannot give you a child. I promise you you will not be alone. And your mate will not be in danger at child birth."

"How?"

"Nick has ways of insuring it. She will not be a virgin, though."

"All the better. I doubt I have patience for some young whelp."

"Young or old, she will be compassionate and intelligent, just like you."

They lose themselves in the fucking. This time takes much longer for him to cum. Salomé uses the longer fuck to build up to a shattering climax when he finally releases his seed. "Take me to your bed," she tells him afterward. They cuddle and fuck once more there that night, and once more in the morning.

That same morning, Nick finds the school a disappointment. Not a surprise though. He watches the youngsters learn things by rote memory. What they learn could have been learned exactly the same generations before. Only once does he witness a student challenge what he's taught, and gets humiliated for his efforts. He notices the expression on the student's bowed head. A look of defiance which he can see no one else notice, and the student hides it when his head lifts.

At the meeting after lunch, Nick immediately focuses on the headmaster. "All I see is authority and obeisance. Are these students, many future Druids, taught to think for themselves?"

"That is for later," says the headmaster.

"Later?"

"The older students, ones near graduating, have directed discussions later in the day."

"Later," Nick nods. "And how directed must they be when they've had no opinions before."

"As I said, they are directed."

"Led then, to satisfactory conclusions. I suppose that stretches their minds a little."

"It exercises it, yes."

"And, let us say, something new gets thought. How do you cope?"

"You jest, I see. Our teachers are most learned. Each year, one of our teachers travels, meeting with Druids in other kingdoms."

"I believe I have met a couple of them. Mostly they argue their side and lack any sympathy for contrary opinion. And they manage to enrich your coffers with more students. That is their purpose isn't it? But never mind. Do you have visiting Druids such as me as guest teachers?"

"We have new teachers occasionally. They must be acclimated to our system."

"Of course. So no. One more thing before my rudeness sends you away. I always thought it curious that we Celts manage to accept women warriors and even knights. I have seen for myself a large kingdom ruled well by a woman. And yet we Druids persist in believing only men can do what we do. Why is that?"

"It is a spiritual thing. Women can only commune with the earthy gods, the gods of nature, those more familiar to peasants. We, on the other hand, commune with gods of the sky, and of the mind, who give us meaning and purpose and foresight. To mix the two sexes would just dirty us. Muddy our vision. And confuse them."

"I see what you mean. The healers and the midwives, despite their importance, must work in the messy area of the flesh. And those who see meaning in visceral things, reading innards or even leaves, brewing concoctions to cure or to put one in a state of earthly excitations may as well be lowly cooks in our castes."

"Would a king sanctify his plan with a midwife?" the headmaster points out.

"Yes I see what you mean. Except maybe the midwife hides her brilliance. Maybe her insight ends up being exactly the one missing. I have always found advice from unexpected places can bring about fresh ideas and effective new plans."

"Ridiculous."

"To you perhaps. I suppose I'm biased. I tend to find women can be smarter than men. I'm quite fond of such women. And I happen to be with two of the most extraordinary of them. Unfortunately I can only bond with them as friends. What do you think of my companions, Lens?"

"I have found Salomé to be a most appealing woman. Fortunately I don't need her to conform to a certain status to accept her advice. Unlike my Druid friends, I find a wise woman a most attractive companion, much like you do, Nick."

"One thing about a smart woman," Nick grins, "she knows what she wants, and has a way of getting it from a man. And a man of any integrity knows that giving her what she wants is the best part of companionship. A man gets what he wants easily. The woman is the challenge."

"You speak of pleasure," the headmaster practically spits.

"I do indeed, Druid. Sex, to be plain. A necessity to keep us humans continuing into the future. I suppose it can be a chore, but a man always gets pleasure from it. Having the woman get pleasure makes it an altogether different thing. Never a chore. Always a joyful occurrence."

"What kind of Druid are you?" asks the headmaster.

"A randy one," Nick laughs. "And no hypocrite."

At last the headmaster storms out of the meeting. "Care to join him, Master Druid."

"No. But perhaps we could talk of other things?"

With another laugh, Nick agrees. "What worries you, my friends, in keeping this village safe? Concerns from outside or within?"

After the meeting, Nick manages to insinuate himself into one of the older students' discussion classes. Subtly, he pulls it to a place of doubt, the result being the Druid teacher exploding with anger. He notices the fright this causes, and the obeisance, with one exception. The young man looks similar enough to the youngster humiliated earlier that Nick figures they have to be siblings.

"Sorry to upset you," he tells the teacher. "But before I go, I would like to invite you all to the amphitheater this evening. My companion will be telling fascinating tales of a place far away. And the following evening will feature myself lecturing, with a question and answer session following. The topic will be on the feminine aspects of society. And finally, my other two companions will present their theories on numbers in relationship to flora and fauna. Fascinating stuff, I guarantee it. Thank you for allowing me amongst you, and I hope to see you during the next three evenings."

He proceeds to interrupt the other classes to further advertise the events. When he leaves the school, none too soon for the Druids, Betty and Nestor immediately approach him. "Come with us," Betty insists. "You have to meet someone."

Two someones actually, Mother and Daughter. Both beautiful at opposite spectrums of age. The blonde teenager of fresh Spring, and the woman in her late thirties, early Fall, a charming bud to a fully formed flower. Potential and its result sitting side by side on the bed in Betty's and Nestor's bedroom.