January 15, 2011

In Which Camaline Learns Another Lesson

September 1, 1171

Camaline knew she ought to be getting to bed, but she doubted she could sleep if she tried. She wasn't excited--she'd had Issa stuff her wedding dress away in the back of her wardrobe the minute her giddy stepmother had left, and Lord only knew how long it had taken to brush all of those experimental braids out of her hair--but there was a certain satisfaction that came with knowing that it was her last night in her father's castle. She supposed she loved her family, but they were a little... much.

Knowing them, they were probably still awake too. Her father and stepmother were no doubt nestled in bed, talking their mouths off about how marvelous tomorrow would be and how the wedding would be the event of the century and would be talked about for generations to come--their idea of foreplay, no doubt. Ietrin was probably trying to get in one last romp with Ellona before it was officially adultery. Riona was likely chattering away with no end in sight to Elhina and Ramona, who would have just wanted to sleep by this point. Maybe the younger three were in bed, but that was about it.

And Leara... well, Leara was probably doing the same thing she was, only still in her wedding dress and still playing with her hair and still panicking every time she came across a freckle. It was a good thing that of the two of them, Camaline had gotten the lion's share of freckles, as she didn't particularly care. Nor did she even have a reason to; Sparron wasn't attracted to her and probably never would be, no matter how flawless she was.

Not that she cared, seeing as she doubted she'd ever be attracted to him either. At least they had that understanding, which was more than she'd been able to hope for.

Someone knocked at the door. Camaline rolled her eyes; it was probably her stepmother, back for one last look at her all dolled up. She'd probably be furious to see that she'd dressed for bed already. "Yes?"

"Oh good, you're still awake."

Startled, Camaline turned around to see Aydelle lingering in the doorway. She looked sickly and tired and thin, just as she always did these days, but at least she was there--standing, smiling, radiant. She must have come to help with Leara's gown. She was probably staying the night to help in the morning. "I didn't know you were here."

"I didn't expect that you did; I came at the last minute." Her grin drooped for a second as her eyes flickered down to her left hand, but it returned as she looked up again. "You look a little tense--nervous about the big day?"

Camaline shook her head. "I don't think nervous is the right word."

Nodding, Aydelle closed the door, the lock clicking into place before she stepped around the bed toward Camaline. "Here, perhaps I can help."

She slipped in behind her and placed her silken hands upon Camaline's back, the muscles melting like butter under her palms. "Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you." Camaline twirled her hair between her fingers and inhaled, briefly looking up at the mirror to find a wistful smile upon her face. A wistful smile? She rarely smiled--much less, wistfully.

"You have such nice skin--you know that, right?" Aydelle's fingertips lingered at the base of her neck; Camaline swallowed as the world began to spin.

"Not as nice as yours."

Aydelle gave a dismissive half-laugh. "No, it never was--though it used to be nice enough, I suppose." She sighed. "Never have babies. They make a mess of your whole body."

Given the circumstances, she might have flinched had it been said by anyone else--but not Aydelle. When Aydelle said it, it almost felt like a relief, even if she was only joking. "They didn't make a mess of yours."

"Damn sweet of you." The older girl spun her around and kissed her on the forehead. "My husband doesn't quite agree, but I'm past the point of caring. I'm taking the children and going to Armion with your sister and her man."

If the world had been spinning before, it stopped now with a violent halt. "You're... leaving him?"

Aydelle nodded. "It's been a long time in the making, to be honest. I should have left him ages ago."

"Oh." Not sure what else she could say, Camaline jerked away from Aydelle and settled herself down on her bed. How was she supposed to feel? Shocked, perhaps... and she couldn't say she wasn't shocked.

And yet--though she knew it was cruel--she was also pleased.

"Oh, don't be feeling sorry for me," Aydelle insisted, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress and hoisting herself up. "I should have known it was a bad idea, or at least to pick a better man. At least I got the girls out of him, I suppose."

Camaline sighed. "Still must be an ordeal, though; you have to rearrange your whole life now."

"Yes, it isn't as if I was ever in love with the man or anything." She scraped the edged her fingernail against her thumb, as if inspecting it. Camaline had never given half a damn about fingernails, but she couldn't imagine there was anything wrong with Aydelle's. "And at least it's happening while the girls are still young--they can adjust more easily at this age. It's unfortunate, but I think I'll be happier in the long run this way. You'll be visiting at your sister's castle whenever you can, right?"

"Of course." She hadn't really been planning anything, but now that she thought about it... why not? Besides, Aydelle would probably need the company, especially if she was living and working in the same castle as the nauseatingly happy Leara and Lorn. "Sparron said he didn't expect me to just sit around all day if I didn't want to."

Aydelle closed her eyes, then pulled the pins from her hair, letting her silky black tresses cascade to her shoulders. "Sounds like he'll make a good husband, then."

As a compromise, Camaline grimaced. She doubted Aydelle would judge, but she had promised Sparron she wouldn't tell anyone his secret--and if she owed him anything, it was this. "In that regard, yes. He's a good man."

"Or he will be, when he grows up." Enigmatic as ever, Aydelle rose from the bed and approached the mirror. She took a few seconds to study her reflection, then undid her belt and pried loose the laces on her tunic, pulling it over her head and tossing it to the side. "The world could use a few more Sparrons."

"Maybe you'll find one some day," Camaline ventured, though the thought was a little odd--and a little painful too.

Aydelle flipped her hair over one shoulder and shrugged. "Possibly. I'm not sure I want a Sparron, though; I have a lot to figure out. Cammie, would you be a dear and help me with these laces? It's a new dress, and I'm not sure I can reach."

Camaline slipped off the mattress and joined Aydelle by the mirror. The laces were tied at the small of her back; it seemed to Camaline that they were in reach, but who was she to be sure? She'd never had to undo her own laces in her life. "So... do I just untie them and pull?"

The older girl laughed. "If that's what easiest for you."

Shrugging, she did just that, the lace freeing itself of each eyelet as Camaline tugged from the right. When the end crossed through the penultimate hole, the dress slipped from Aydelle's slender shoulders and fell to the floor. Camaline nearly jumped back; she hadn't been wearing a thing underneath. "Oh! Sorry!"

Aydelle laughed. "For what? You did as I asked."

"Yes, but..."

"But what? Do you think I just forgot to put on my shift this morning?" She turned around and wrapped her bare arms around Camaline's neck; in the lower reaches of her abdomen, something began to stir. "I wanted to make sure you knew I was going to Armion Keep. I also wanted to see if you cared for another little lesson just before your wedding day. Are you interested? Or should I have you lace me up again?"

It wasn't a particularly difficult question.

NEXT CHAPTER:

15 comments:

Van said...

So I guess this is the start of the wedding sequence? There will be five posts dated on September second, one for each of the victims (well, except Camaline--this is her post). As you can guess from the preview, next up is Lorn.

And then after those are all done... only three more posts left in 1171! It's been kind of a long year, hasn't it--first the lag in February, and now this one. Personally, I'm excited for 1172 because we're in for another baby boom :)

S.B. said...

So now Camaline receives her wedding gift. This promises to end disastrously, I'm afraid. Would the consequences for Camaline and Aydelle be all that bad though? Would people snicker and just look the other way? The stigma doesn't seem anything like what Sparron faces.

And yeah, looking forward to all the babies!

Van said...

They certainly don't seem as concerned about discovery as Sparron is (although it was mentioned in the narrative that Aydelle did lock the door when she came in).

There seem to be quite a few differences, actually. Sparron and Searle act very much like an exclusive couple--Camaline and Aydelle, not so much. At this point, they seem more like two people fooling around; there's some emotional attachment, but it's subtler and less prevalent, and if either of them found themselves in a compromising situation with someone else, I don't know if they'd hesitate to say yes.

I think one of the prevailing medieval attitudes was that it wasn't sex if no one had a penis, so if they were ever discovered, it might not be as big of a deal. Plus, this is very much a man's world here, and if a lot of men today find the idea of lesbian sex arousing, then chances are men back then did too (it was already mentioned that Father Septimus, who will be Camaline's priest after she gets married, is one of these men). So... yeah, I don't think the consequences would be quite as severe as what Sparron and Searle would face :S

They still might want to be careful, though...

I'm pumped for the babies, but I'm worried about Raia's. The test babies were a bit strange-looking, especially the girls (and I kinda sorta really want that particular baby to be a girl). I blame Falidor's bizarre cheekbones :S

Thanks Beth :)

Anonymous said...

SQUEE!! The wedding begins!

I'm glad Camaline got this chance to be with Aydelle one last time before the wedding, even if Sparron doesn't care if Aydelle and Camaline are at it like bunnies afterwards. (Hell, Sparron would probably be fully in favor; if Camaline is happy with Aydelle there's one less reason for her to be ice-queeny and bitchy toward him!)

And next we get to Lorn with his mama. :) *does happy dance* At least he's not too much of a victim! Heck, everyone else can probably blame this triple wedding on him. ;)

Van said...

Yep, the wedding is finally on :)

Yeah, I imagine Sparron will be just fine with any sort of developments in Camaline's love life--happy wife, happy life, or at least slightly happier life in Sparron's case.

Yep, Lorn and his mommy :) He and Leara aren't victims--everyone else is probably pissed at them, though :P

J A Murphy said...

Camaline and Aydelle are such a stark contrast to Sparron and Searle. Is it because they just see it as "lessons", fooling around whereas Sparron takes it all so seriously?

I have a feeling this wedding is going to be very interesting.

Van said...

That does seem to be at least part of it. Neither Camaline nor Aydelle seems to be reading much into it (though Camaline seems to have come to the conclusion that men don't do it for her). Sparron, on the other had, sees it as a huge deal.

The wedding and its aftereffects will be... well, certainly what none of them were expecting when they were just little kids being told by their parents to be nice to so-and-so because they'd be married on day (well, except maybe Lorn and Leara).

Joseph said...

Hi Dinuriel.

Just to say that I have changed the URL of my blog from "www.simsbible.blogspot.com" to "www.tenebridge.com"

This means that the link on your blogroll won't be working.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

(Oh and by the way, I've been quitely reading Naroni since Geneva's death. I cheated and used your directories :)

Van said...

Hi Joseph. Thanks for the heads-up--I'll change the link right away :)

Just out of curiosity, how did you find the directories worked for you? I think you're the first person who's used them, or at least the first who's commented.

Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying so far :)

Joseph said...

I'm actually dyslexic but it's very minor. I started reading from the first chapter but started reading the directories.

They have helped me understand the plot better which I struggle with sometimes, particularly with Lothere.

Hope that helps explain it.

Van said...

Thanks for your feedback. Glad to know that the directories were helpful :)

The Lunar Fox said...

I think the other part of the stigma with men is the idea that with two penises, there are places they will go that aren't appropriate or are considered dirty. Meanwhile with girls it does come across as harmless, doesn't it, because there are no penises involved.

These two are an interesting pair and a good contrast to what Sparron and Searle have.

Van said...

Yeah, the penis thing was probably a big part of the stigma back then. I guess it was seen as the necessary element for sexual contact (and even then, only meant for use in one very specific outlet).

Thanks Lunar :)

thewynd said...

It is interesting to compare these two girls and what they perceive about sex. It looks like Camaline has made a clear decision as to what her preferences are but with Aydelle I think she seems to be fine with man or woman. This makes me wonder if Camaline is going to be hurt because her feelings seem to go deeper than Aydelle's.

Van said...

Yeah, we've never had any hint of Camaline being attracted to a man (and this was confirmed in her conversation with Sparron a few chapters back). Aydelle, however... well, I'm reluctant to label her as straight or gay or even bi at this point. She just seems to be... sexual.

Camaline getting hurt? I don't think we can rule it out. But I imagine she'd take the rejection better than, say, Searle :S