Chapter 11: A Royal Wedding

"Do you, Macro, of the House of Odar, Prince and Vice-regent of Tanitsar, take the here present Thesia, daughter of Lutar, as your First Wife? Will you honour her with words and deeds, will you protect her with your body, and will you accept her children as yours?"

"I do and I shall!" Macro answered with a clear voice.

He felt Thesia's hand on his arm. She trembled.

The Master of Ceremonies continued. "Do you, Thesia, daughter of Lutar, join Macro, Prince and Vice-regent of Tanitsar, in marriage out of your free will? Will you honour him with words and deeds, will you care for his needs and comfort him in times of illness and hurt?"

"I do and I shall!" Thesia blurted, eager to formalise the joining.

"May fate smile on you and your union. May illness and death shy away from your house, and may your union bear multiple fruit for the glory of Tanitsar!"

This ended the ceremony and Thesia threw herself into Macro's arms. He felt her tremble all over, yet her green eyes shone like the most beautiful emeralds as she looked up at him. The kiss lasted far longer than was customary and the bride had to hold on to Macro's arm when he released her.

'Tonight!' she mouthed her promise, and a chuckle broke out among the guests, causing Thesia to both blush and grin.

"Ha-hrm!" the Master of Ceremonies uttered and the newlyweds returned to the present. "Alana, daughter of Elbar, step forward!"

Macro and Thesia parted hands, and when Alana joined them each of them took one of Alana's hands. They were cold and Alana fidgeted, aware that all eyes in the Wedding Hall were looking at her unveiled face.

"Ha-hrm! Do you, Macro, of the House of Odar, Prince and Vice-regent of Tanitsar, take the here present Alana, daughter of Elbar of Clonal, as your Second Wife? Will you honour her with words and deeds, will you protect her with your body, and will you accept her children as yours?"

"I do and I shall!" Macro answered, with no less conviction than he had displayed before.

"Do you, Thesia, First Wife of Prince Macro, accept Alana, daughter of Elbar, as Second Wife in your house? Will you respect her, accept her as your sister-wife, will you care for her in illness, and will you accept her children as your own?"

"I do and I shall," Thesia replied pressing Alana's hand.

"Do you, Alana, daughter of Elbar, from the House of Clonal, join Macro, Prince and Vice-regent of Tanitsar, in marriage out of your free will? Will you honour him with words and deeds, will you care for his needs and comfort him in time of illness and hurt?"

"I do and I shall." Alana answered shyly.

"Will you respect Thesia, First Wife of Prince Macro, and accept her as your sister-wife, will you care for her in illness, and will you treat her children as your own?"

"I shall!" This time, Alana's voice was stronger.

"May fate smile on you and your union. May illness and death shy away from your house, and may your union bear multiple fruit for the glory of Tanitsar!"

Alana was very apprehensive when Macro closed his arms around her. Her lips were trembling when he kissed her but after a second or two a shudder ran through her body, and her lips became soft and yielding. She was bright pink when the kiss ended.

Now Thesia gave her a hug and here Alana had no hesitation. She hugged her sister-wife with feeling, and they shared a kiss.

King Odar stepped to the front and held out both hands. Thesia and Alana took the proffered hands, standing to either side of him.

"I welcome you, my daughters! May it be known in all of Tanitsar that Princess Thesia and Princess Alana are henceforth to be treated as members of my House and that their children will be of my line." He grinned at the guests. "I say that my son is a lucky man!"

After the joining ceremony, the extended family and their closest friends with a number of high officers of the state came together for a celebratory meal in the Great Hall of the Palace. Here they received good wishes and gifts.

Around mid-afternoon, the traditional break of craftsmen and merchants, Macro and his wives, shielded by a half-column of the Guards, showed themselves in the market place. This was almost torture for Alana. However, Javila and Regula had done a remarkable job on her cheek, using the best make-up available, and her scars were not visible to anybody farther away than three feet.

Free wine was offered to the people in the market place and the chorus of toasts to the Prince and his new wives was almost deafening. If the reaction from the people of Tanitsar was any indication, Macro enjoyed considerable popularity among the citizenry.

When they made their way back to the palace, shielded again by the Guards, they could overhear loud comments from the crowd.

"What's that nonsense about her being disfigured? She's a beauty, damn it!"

"Damn right! Why did her father hide her away under veils?"

Alana blushed pink hearing this, but she smiled shyly and Macro felt her hand press into his arm, holding him close. He smiled inwardly. He had hired those two men, actors from a small troupe from abroad, and the remarks indeed seemed to bolster Alana's confidence as they walked home to the Princes' Palace.

Here they were received by the staff. The former household slaves were all free now, but their majority had elected to remain in the Princes' service. Tamar and Ella, Macro's former handmaids, had consented to perform a last servive for Macro. Thesia had not forgotten how the two young women had mothered her in the first days after Macro brought her to his home, and she gave them hugs.

They settled into the wing that had been used by Javila. Now that Macro was married, the brothers had divided up the house and Lamas had kept his and Macro's old rooms.

Alana's possessions had been brought from Elbar's palace, allowing her full use of her wardrobe. She was surprised and flustered when she noticed that she had no bedroom of her own, just a dressing room without a bed.

"Where do you want me to sleep?" she asked timidly, fully expecting to be relegated to some upstairs servant quarters.

"In the bedroom," Macro answered. "Where else?"

"But you and Thesia ... don't you want to be alone?"

"It's a big bedroom," Macro said dismissively.

Together with Thesia he steered Alana into a truly huge bedroom. Alana saw a bed that could easily sleep five or six persons, and there were two smaller beds to the side. A panel door in a corner was open and Alana thought she saw traces of steam emanating from the opening.

"Aah! I think the bath is ready!" Macro exclaimed. "Let us relax and get clean."

With quick, precise movements, Macro took off his black tunic and his black trousers. He was almost naked when he looked at the two young women.

"What are you waiting for? Get undressed!"

Hesitantly, Thesia obeyed and opened the buttons along the shoulder of her dress. The heavy silk dress flowed down her body and formed a soft, sea green puddle around her feet. Alana stared at the small woman who was naked but for a loin cloth.

"Do you need help, Alana?" Macro asked, waking Alana from her daze.

"N ... no! I don't ... I don't think I should, should I?"

"Should what?"

"Join you in a bath. I know how much Thesia was looking forward to this day and she needs time alone with you. I am sure the time will come for you to claim me, and I will patiently wait my turn."

"Your turn is tonight," Macro answered. "Now get out of this dress and come with us!"

Faced with a direct order, Alana complied. Blushing again, she opened the shoulder buttons of her own silk dress and let it drop at her feet. Like Thesia, she wore nothing but a loin cloth. Macro took first Thesia's and then Alana's hand and led them to the panel door.

A wooden spiral staircase led into the basement underneath the bedroom. A large basin had been built above the stone floor, and it could be heated from below. The steam from the hot water smelled of pine needles and mint.

Ella and Tamar were waiting for them. While Ella helped Thesia out of her loin cloth and into the hot bath, Tamar was doing the honours for Alana. Macro was already waiting in the heated basin when his wives cautiously stepped into the almost hot water. Of course, Thesia was no stranger to the hot baths. Javila had been generous, allowing the women and girls of the household to partake of the bath chamber. She was flustered, however, over being naked in front of Macro.

For Alana, the situation was even more uncomfortable. Never had she been naked in front of other adults. Even in her youth she was always attended by slave girls her own age. To be naked in front of Thesia flustered her, but to be naked in front of Macro terrified her. With one arm over her breasts and the other hand covering her pubes, she tried to climb into the basin. The tiles at the bottom were slippery, though, and Alana reached out to avoid a fall, thus exposing herself to Macro's eyes.

Macro quickly stood and held her hand, helping her to sit in the basin. Alana blushed beet red. Not only was she naked, but Macro was naked as well, his manhood jutting out proudly from a dense growth of dark blonde hair. Alana could not take her eyes off him once she had seen her first penis ever.

Likewise, Thesia stared at Macro's exposed member. Unlike Alana, she felt desire wash over her. She would feel this penis tonight. Macro would break her maidenhood with this formidable appendage.

Then Macro was sitting in the basin between Thesia and Alana, his arms draped over each of his wives' shoulders. Thesia moved closer, allowing the arm to close around her until the hand caressed the side of her right breast. She gasped at the feel of his hand and moved even closer.

Alana sat stiffly by contrast, not daring to move away or to move closer. She was deeply conflicted. She knew it was her duty as Macro's wife to submit to his desires, yet she did not want to come between him and Thesia. Thesia was her friend, probably her only friend alive. Truth be told, she was Alana's first friend ever.

The youth of the pretender's daughter had been spent with slave servants and relatives who never tired to tell her of her importance and her future role. She was never allowed to play with other children. Instead she had to learn, had to help her father with his efforts to unravel the Old Language. The accident that left her burnt had further aggravated her solitude. The hours she had spent with Thesia prior to the rebellion had been Alana's first exposure to another young woman of any consequence, and she had cherished those hours. Alana was determined not to intrude on Thesia's position lest her only friend would turn against her in jealousy.

However, Macro's arm around her shoulder felt reassuring too. Neither with word or gesture had he given the impression that the marriage with Alana was a political move. His kiss during the wedding had conveyed tenderness and desire, and it had left poor, innocent Alana breathless.

A low moan let Alana look to her right. Macro and Thesia were kissing. Alana saw how Thesia had draped herself against Macro's body, and she saw his sunburnt hand on the skin of Thesia's milky-white breast. Alana wanted to look away, but her eyes were glued to Thesia's breasts. They were not overly big, but formed as perfect half-globes, tipped by small, pink nipples.

Alana squealed in surprise when she felt hands on her naked legs. Tamar was sitting at her feet, stroking Alana's calves. She looked her question at the young servant.

"Relax, my Princess. It is a massage, only a massage," Tamar soothed her.

Indeed, the stroking of her calves and feet was feeling heavenly, especially when Tamar began to knead the soles of Alana's feet. In the relaxation she felt, Alana leant back against Macro. She heard Thesia giggle softly and whisper something into Macro's ear, but she was too lazy to care. Then she was able to overhear the whisper.

"Kiss her, kiss Alana!"

Before she could protest, Alana felt Macro's hand on her chin, lifting her mouth to his lips. He began the kiss softly, just tasting and nibbling her lips. In her relaxed state Alana welcomed the intimacy, and after a few moments of hesitation she kissed him back. As soon as her lips opened, she felt Macro's tongue slipping into her mouth, finding her tongue and wrestling with it. She felt heady, yet more alive than ever as the invasion of her mouth went on.

When his left hand, which had been behind her back, reached around her torso and cupped her left breast she gasped into his mouth. Somewhere in her head her worries and apprehensions melted away like butter in the sun. She felt right, with her mouth locked with Macro's and his hand gently playing with her tit.

She barely registered it when her right tit was touched by a small hand. She opened her eyes lazily and found her suspicion confirmed. It was Thesia who played with Alana's breast, her head on Macro's chest and watching the kiss between Macro and Alana. On Thesia's other side, Ella was pressed against the redhead's back, fondling her small-tipped breasts from behind.

Then Macro released Alana's mouth and turned right to kiss Thesia. Tamar, who had been kneading Alana's feet all the time, glided up behind her and cupped both of Alana's cone-shaped breasts. Alana sighed deeply with the sensation of the naked girl against her back.

She watched in wonder as Macro and Thesia melted against each other. She saw Macro's hand as it stroked Thesia's thighs, and she saw the undulating movement of her sister-wife's hips. Alana felt a yearning to be touched between her thighs, too, just as Macro caressed those cream-skinned legs of Thesia.

Tamar withdrew one of her hands from Alana's breast and for a moment Alana felt disappointment. The hand moved down over her abdomen, though, travelling downward to the downy-haired triangle between Alana's thighs as Alana held her breath.

"It's not for me to touch you there," Tamar whispered.

Instead, the hand moved over her hip and onto Alana's left butt cheek. The other hand followed and Alana moaned as Tamar's hands applied the most delicious massage to her buttocks. It was inevitable that Tamar's thumbs strayed close to Alana's nether lips now and then, always eliciting excited gasps.

Under Tamar's ministrations Alana moved closer to Macro. In fact, she was fairly plastered against him, straddling his left leg and humping it as Tamar's fingers prodded her behind. Looking up she saw that Macro and Thesia were watching her. With both arms, Macro hugged his wives to him.

"I think it is time for us to go to the bedroom," he said.

Alana felt a knot in her stomach. "Do you want me too? Ouch!"

Macro had pinched her backside. "Of course, we want you too!" he grinned. "Don't we, Thesia?"

Thesia held out her hand. "Come, Alana, let us dry ourselves."