The village elders had summoned me, so I made my way as quickly as possible to the Great Hall, only stopping to smooth my long dress down and check my hair. The three elderly men sat behind a long table, and an old man I'd never seen before stood beside them. Off in the shadows I could make out another, female figure.
I stood before them and bowed my head.
"I have appeared as summoned." I said.
The chief elder spoke: "Girl, you have been chosen by the Gods to take part in the annual fertility ceremony in the King's castle at the capital. This man is the High Priest of the Harvest Gods, and has spent the past year searching the land for the most beautiful virgin, and the honor falls on our village."
I blushed at the compliment. I knew I was very attractive, everyone said so, and my father had been made many offers for my hand since I had turned eighteen, but in the
whole land
? That was quite something.
The stranger spoke: "You
are
a virgin, correct?"
I blushed deeper. "But of course, sir," I said, in an offended tone, "I am unmarried!"
Of course I had fooled around with plenty of boys, and even let some of them touch my breasts, but none had ever got between my legs. One had even persuaded me to touch his cock, and I had been amazed at how it had grown in my hand.
"Well," said the man, "We must be sure. Mary?"
At this, the figure in the shadows stepped forward. She was about my mother's age, with long silver-blond hair. She walked right up to me and said: "Very well, girl, I want you to squat down and raise your dress for me. I won't hurt you, and it will be over quickly."
Unsteadily, I did as she instructed. She knelt beside me and slipped a hand under my dress, up my thigh, and into my drawers. She felt around quickly for my opening, and pushed one finger a little way inside. Then she stood and bade me to do the same. I felt humiliated, but tried not to let it show.
She nodded to the men. "She is intact." I gave the priest a defiant glare, but remained silent.
"Very well, it is settled," said the priest, "We leave at first light. You will not need any belongings, so go say your farewells. From now on, Mary accompanies you in everything you do."
I hurried back to my father's house. They had been told, and between sobs, my mother said how proud she was of me, and how much she would miss me, and how blessed the next harvest would be because of me. I told her I would see her in a few weeks, and she burst into floods of tears. I had to have Mary in my bed that night, instead of my younger sisters as was normal.
True to the priest's word, we set off as the first glow of the dawn grew over the horizon. In all, the train consisted of six wagons and a number of soldiers on horseback. Mary and I rode in a closed wagon. She tried to distract me from my sorrow at leaving home by describing some of the wonders of the castle and the great city that surrounded it. I asked her if I was really the most beautiful woman in the entire Kingdom.
"The most beautiful
virgin
," she corrected, "Everyone agrees that the Queen is the most beautiful woman who has ever lived."
The days passed ponderously, as the oxen did not move quickly. Sometimes we would walk ahead and then pick berries whilst waiting for the train to catch up. At night, most of the wagon drivers slept under the stars, but Mary and I were locked inside our wagon.
"Your virginity is the most precious thing in the kingdom," she explained, "The next harvest depends upon it."
After six days of travel, crossing the plains beyond my village and a small mountain range, Mary pointed out a haze in the distance.
"Look, you can see the smoke of the city - we'll be there tomorrow."
Late the next morning, we rolled though the city gates. It was so much bigger that I had envisioned from Mary's description - there were thousands of people, and the houses were pressed up against one another, without fields in between.
"Where do the people grow their food and keep their livestock?" I asked.
"Why, they buy it from farmers in the surrounding area," said Mary, "You really haven't ever left your village, have you?"
I shook my head, and felt like a poor, stupid country girl.
We slowly trundled uphill until we reached the great gates of the castle, and they creaked open to admit us. We climbed out of the wagon, and were quickly escorted up to a room that was larger than my father's entire house! There was a large bed, a skillfully carved dresser and a few padded chairs, the like of which I had never even heard of. There was also an odd-looking chair that appeared to have hinged legs and back. The level of comfort almost overwhelmed me as I tested the softness of the bed, and marveled that there was a separate room to make toilet.
Soon after we had washed off the dust of the road and had a small meal, there was a knock at the door. Mary opened it and admitted a blacksmith. He had with him four broad bands made of bronze, which he proceeded to fix around my wrists and ankles. Mary explained that these were to signify that I was a special person, the chosen virgin. I asked why the bands also had a ring welded to the outside of each. Mary told me to undress and sit in the special chair, and she would show me.
I took off my dress, underwear and stockings, and gingerly sat in the seat, and she quickly fastened the metal bands to the arms and legs of the chair, so that I was held in place. I cried out in surprise, and asked why I was being restrained.
"Hush, now," she said, "It's just so you come to no harm." Then she pulled back a lever on the side of the chair, and it swung back, and the arms and legs splayed outwards, spreading me wide on my back. I gasped in shock.
"See," she said, "If you weren't attached to it, you might have fallen off and hurt yourself! Now, we must prepare you for the ceremony tomorrow - holy law decrees that the sacrificial virgin must have all hair below the neck removed."
I squealed loudly.
