A Blessing From The Goddess

The young apprentice held her arms wide with palms up as if trying to catch the fat drops of rain which fell from the sky. She stood in the center of a copse of trees, surrounded by nature alone, chanting and swaying to an inner rhythm. She stripped down to her bare skin and spread scented oils over her body in preparation of what was to come.

At last, with a prayer on her lips, the apprentice set seven stones about the clearing and when the last stone was placed, the girl dropped to her knees and bent to the earth, her lush lips kissing the clean dirt as the healing rain continued to fall. She stood then and began her song, chanting in the old language and customs. A feeling of protection engulfed her as she wildly bounded about within the sacred stones.

Her bare feet gracefully turned and swirled as she nimbly danced among the puddles of muddied water. At the first lightning strike, the girl lowered her tired arms to her sides, head bowed in prayer, and when the thunder rumbled over the hills and valley, she dropped to her knees in supplication to the Goddess.

It was time. She rose from her position and gathered up several small pouches. She spread the contents upon the ground, careful to remain inside the stone circle. As the herbs were scattered from her fingertips, she spoke.

"Great Goddess, I ask you to bless the village with your bounty come the harvest. I beseech you, in the name of the Mother, bless my people with your favor of a healthy crop and many sons to work the soil."

The apprentice took three silver coins from her last remaining pouch, knelt to the earth and set them into the soft mud. She said another small prayer over the coins then pushed them into the ground until completely covered.

Once again, she danced. Her lithe body, splattered with mud and rain, didn't notice the chilled wind which had risen and she danced on. It was important for the ritual to be complete. It would not do to have come so far, and not finish what she'd come to do.

The clearing in which the girl danced, was surrounded by a thick oak forest. Many eyes watched her as she performed her task, though unseen and unheard by her. The low chanting had drawn a pair of wolves to the clearing, and they began to howl as the girl's voice raised in song once again.

The haunting call, combined with the wail of the wind, pleased the Goddess. She sent the moon over the darkened horizon to show her pleasure to the untrained, but very humble, young apprentice. As the full moon rose, the Goddess saw a lone horseman on the mucky, wet road. She led his mount to the small trail in the trees.

The apprentice was still dancing when the rider slowed his horse just outside of the clearing. He dismounted silently, not wanting to startle the vision before him. The woman-child gracefully swayed with the breeze and danced among the raindrops as if she were part of them. Her long, unbound hair clung wetly to the curves of her lush body, covering some portions completely, and others parts not at all.

It was the most erotic vision the man had ever witnessed. He had heard wolves minutes ago, but saw no sign of them within the clearing. He waited for her song to finish, then stepped into the clearing as the full moon gained its zenith overhead. Blue light surrounded the clearing, bathing all in an ethereal light, blessing everything it touched.

Her ritual complete, the girl turned within the circle of stones and as she did, she caught sight of the man who stood staring at her. She refused to cover herself, standing proudly there, illuminated by the moon's glow. The rain continued its drizzle, but the wind slowed as if taking a great breath, waiting to exhale.

She glanced around her but saw nothing with which to defend herself if the need arose. She trembled slightly, breasts at full arousal from the chill that she was slowly becoming aware of since her dance had ended. Her thick red hair covered most of her body for it hung to her thighs. She was grateful for the length of her tresses just then, though in normal circumstances she wished she had the nerve to cut her bothersome curls off.

The man took another step toward the vision, then another and another until he was close enough to touch her. Her luminous eyes reflected the same blue as the moon above, though he sensed no fear from her, neither did he sense a welcome. He put his hand up to smooth her hair away from her face, but as his hand tried to enter the stone circle, he felt an invisible barrier, like a wall, between them.

She watched the confusion flit across his face as he came in contact with the circle and amusement caused her lips to turn up into a smile. She placed her palm against his, feeling the warmth through the barrier and it streaked straight through to her core. She felt his heat deep inside her, and as the sensation sent tingles through her whole body, she gasped as he suddenly passed through the barrier unharmed.

The Goddess wills it, she thought to herself. So be it! If the Goddess wanted a sacrifice for her prayers tonight, the apprentice would fulfill her obligations willingly. She felt his rough skin on her cheek, and as it blazed a path down her neck and to her breast, she gasped aloud at the sensations he was creating in her untried body.

His lips followed his palm and he took her nipple into his mouth. She tasted of rain and honeysuckle and he groaned as his manhood strained against his leggings. He continued his ministrations on her breast while his hands continued their exploration of her creamy flesh. He followed the graceful curve of her back and was soon cupping her buttocks, pressing her against his arousal.

Her moans pleased him, goading him to more exploration. He teased the other nipple to attention, and took it into his mouth as well, while he continued to massage the other breast, slowly circling and gently pinching the rosy peak. The girl's knees buckled and if he hadn't been near her, she would have ended up on the ground at his feet.

She watched as he removed his shirt and then she gave a throaty chuckle as he kicked off his boots and pants. The rain had slowly ceased, and in the shadow of the full moon, she saw his staff spring free from it's confines. Her eyes wide, she reached out to touch it, the velvety softness of it a surprise to her. She slowly stroked him the full length of his arousal and was pleased when he, too, buckled at the knees and landed beside her.

The Goddess watched from above as they intertwined, male and female. The girl let out soft whispers and the man continued his exploration of her body. His hands parted her thighs and as he touched her core with his fingers, the Goddess was pleased as a prayer left the girl's lips.

"Tell me your name!" he pleaded with her. Sweat on his brow showed his determination to give the girl pleasure before he took his own from her body.

"I am called Shaura by my people." The name floated to his ears. He groaned aloud as her hands covered his shaft. "The Goddess has given us the night. Teach me the ways of men and women." Her plea excited him further and he moved between her thighs.

"Lay back, Shaura, I shall show you the wonders of mating. Verily, I send thanks to your Goddess, for a wondrous gift you are indeed." His tongue blazed a path from her lips to her belly, but he didn't stop there. As he tasted her he was driven mad with desire to possess her body as she had possessed his soul.

The apprentice shivered as heat blazed through her skin. By the Goddess, let this feeling not end, she prayed.

The Goddess moved a low hanging raincloud from her view. She enjoyed the mating ritual of this pair and did not want to miss the climactic finish. She sent her blessings into the circle around the pair and watched as they became one. She enjoyed the scene below with pride as the man and woman explored each other. Love, more often than naught, tended to make these beings shamefull of their bodies and the Goddess removed such thoughts from their heads, and instead, placed visions of light and pleasure behind their eyes.

He felt the power of the elements around him, surging through his body and drew upon those powers to continue his pleasuring of this winsome witch. Her hips raised to meet his at every thrust while her hands traced circles around his nipples. His stomach muscles tightened but he refused to allow his release just yet. Her heavy panting excited him beyond reason but he would not succumb so soon to the sensual pleadings of the siren beneath him.

He rolled to his back and took her with him, rolling her hips forward and back again, teaching her the ancient rhythm of the mating dance. She felt the power of the Goddess seep into her from the soles of her feet and rose slightly, rocking and bucking, impaling herself on his rigid staff. She took her pleasure greedily from him as he groaned and yelled beneath her, rising to meet her every thrust.

He clutched her shoulders as her hips rocked and swayed with a rhythm all their own. He felt himself growing full of his release and thrust up from the earth below her, meeting her downward direction. He slowed his pace, gently he moved now, slower still did he proceed to move within her fire-hot walls. With his hands, he massaged her backside and shoulders and still he continued to make love to her.

They were both of them taking great pleasure in the new rythm. Her soft sigh reached his ears and he withdrew completely from her once again. Shaura clung tightly while he surged into her, finally gaining his completion. His yell echoed around the oak forest as his seed implanted themselves into her womb. His arms and legs trembled from exertion as he lay down beside her spent, but satiated, body.

The Goddess blessed the union she had wrought, pleased with the pleasure both participants had taken from the encounter. The virgin's blood had soaked into the soil, and the Goddess allowed the lands to become fertile as the girl had prayed and paid for. She sent the moon on it's way and forbade the clouds to rain until dawn.

Shaura stared at the naked form beside her and smiled. The Goddess make all demands as pleasurable as this had been, she silently prayed. She gathered the seven small stones up and placed them in a rough sack she had brought, before retrieving her shift from a low-hanging tree branch. She slipped it over her head, then put her muddied slippers onto her feet before looking once again at the man sleeping. He dreamed deeply and did not waken when Shaura pricked first his finger, then her own. She allowed their blood to mingle, said one more fervent prayer to the Goddess, then brushed her lips to his.

She tiptoed over to the horse and placed a silver necklace on the saddle seat before silently slipping away. The early morning sun warmed the crescent-moon shaped medalion and sparkled off the tiny white crystals which were embeded in it.

The apprentice made her way back slowly to the small village several miles distant, all the while chanting the prayer of fertility at each footfall. Barren fields stood sallow and empty but she knew, Goddess willing, they would grow lush and full come the harvest moon.

He awoke slowly to the bright light of the sun streaming through the tall trees and as his memory returned to him of his passionate night, he bolted upright. Shaura, his mystical Moon Maiden, was gone. He could see by her footprints where she had gone hither and thither, collecting her belongings and then heading out into the surrounding oak forest. His heart felt heavy for a moment as he shook the dirt and muck from his cloak, but then the faintest scent, her scent, floated to him on the breeze and his mind took ease.

Her Goddess protect her and keep her he thought to himself as he approached his horse. When he found the silver pendant on the delicate chain, he promised her memory he would cherish her unselfish gift through his life's end.

As the storms of winter gave way to spring, the planting in the rich soil of the fields became a community effort. If the village was to prosper, all must work hard. Shaura, in addition to her studies of the Craft, helped to plant, weed, and hoe alongside the other women of the village. Grasses and grains, vegetables and herbs, all were cultivated here. The youngest children would create the holes, the women and old men planting the precious seeds and then the young maidens covering the whole with soft prayers and water from the buckets on their hips.

The men and older lads were hunting and trapping the fowls and game which would sustain them all until the Harvest. Fences were mended from the destructive winter storms while fat hens and young chicks scurried to and fro, chasing bugs and shadows. The sheep were bred, the horses mated, the oxen paired and the pigs fattened as the early weeks went on.

Shaura worked diligently in the community garden but made sure she did not neglect her own small plot as well. It would not do to allow the special plants and shrubs which were part and parcel of her Craft to wither and turn brown. Many townsfolk noticed her condition as her belly increased in size, but none would speak of it aloud. The Goddess watched over her own and the village knew by counting back the months, it was for their benefit that she had conceived as had many of them, too.

Many more times than she could count, Shaura would rise in the morn and feel the babe deep in her womb, kicking and growing. At every twinge, every movement, every nauseous expulsion, she would praise the Goddess and thank her for her blessings. Each stitch which was let out and each cramp in her side sent small prayers from her lips as her hands held their precious gift.

As her increasing slowed, the midwife shared Shaura's house, warning her that when the time came, the birthing would be strenuous. Her swollen abdomen stretched tight as far as she could reach round and deep breaths all but impossible led Shaura to believe the midwife.

"Trust me in this, mistress." The midwife said as she bent over a bowl of thick rabbit stew. "This is your first child and you mark my words, birthing is dangerous business." Another spoonful disappeared into thin lips, "As sure as the hunter who brought you this bounty said praises to you and the Goddess, your time comes soon."

"Yes, crone, I mark your words. Now, hear you mine! This child is a gift of the Goddess, conceived from virgin's blood on blessed ground. If the Goddess calls the babe to her breast at birth, so be it, but I would hear no more of your gloom and doom!" Her bare feet tread a quiet path from table to door to window as she sent another fervent prayer heavenward. "Should the Goddess deem me a worthy mother, though, I should welcome this babe with all the love I possess an' it would be cherished by the townsfolk for the saccrifice it represents. This child will be much revered."

The midwife finished her stew then poured a small bit of ale into a clean cup. She drank of it's warm sweetness, then passed the cup to Shaura who at last sat quietly at table and didn't even pretend to eat. "Good wife Tarla has birthed a healthy son just this morn, mistress. And son's were born to the weaver, blacksmith, baker and to the seamstress as well! Your virginal sacrifice did not go unheard by the Goddess and the village owes you payment for a rich harvest!" The old woman stood from the table and cleared both places slowly.

"Any daughters, healer?"

"Not a one! Good, strong sons all!"

"I shall have to pray to the Goddess for wives for these strong sons one day!" Shaura and the midwife shared a chuckle over that thought as the fire slowly died and the two went to their beds.

The full moon had just risen when Shaura felt her first pains. She called to the healer and they prepared for the birth process. By the first light of morning, labor was in full progress and a daughter was born at sun's rise. The second daughter was born at the cock's crow not too many minutes later and the third and final daughter was born only minutes after that, bathed in the fresh pink of first light.

The girls, named Luna after the Goddess, Terra after the Earth, and Aurora for the dawn, were tiny and frail, but whole and of good appetites. They grew strong and beautiful, as their mother before them and each served the Goddess long and well-but those are other tales and are not meant to be learned here, gentle reader, and so you are bid, "Goddess bless you and keep you..."

~end~

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