Editor's Note: this submission contains horror movie style violent content, including non-sexualized cannibalism and human sacrifice.
*
Two maidens were sacrificed each year in the community. They were slaves, taken as war captives when they were young or bought from pirates across the sea, and raised by the druids in the mountains until their eighteenth year.
Then they would be brought down from the mountains and chained naked inside a special hut built on the edge of the community. All who had reached manhood in the community were then free to deflower the maiden and fertilize her with their seed. This could take several months. When she had become pregnant and her menstrual cycle ceased, she would then be taken to the sacrificial mound outside the community, surrounded by the assembled community in the fields, and there sacrificed, and her blood drained into buckets which were then carried out across the planting fields and to water them, thereby fertilizing and re-fertilizing the earth.
The first sacrifice took place at the start of the spring planting season. This was called the May Day sacrifice. The second sacrifice took place in the autumn as the harvest ended. This was called the Samhain or Summer's End sacrifice.
The sacrifices did not always go as planned. Sometimes the maiden would not become pregnant, or sometimes other complications would get in the way. When they did, social strife and famine would sometimes result in the community, as that was a bad omen. This is the story of one Summer's End sacrifice.
Fer was far from the strongest or tallest young man in the community, and as he reached his eighteenth year, he became keenly aware of it. His old childhood friend, Aid, on the other hand had grown to be tall, strong, and lusty, and the girls favored him. Fer was short and scrawny by comparison, though he was deceptively strong and had a wiry frame.
His jealousy grew. A scarlet-haired girl Fer had long fancied had been bedded by Aid that spring, and when Fer found out, he had fallen into a quiet but intense rage. He felt sick and disgusted by everything and was too angry to even fuck the sacrificial maiden in the shed that spring for the May Day sacrifice and lose his virginity, as was his right now that he had reached manhood.
A thousand vengeful thoughts rushed through his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to go through with any of them. It was too risky. He wanted to kill Aid, but he didn't know how. The elders would not let them duel until they completed their warrior training over the next two summers, and even if they did, Aid was significantly taller and stronger and would probably win.
When not helping with the planting and harvesting or doing other work for his grandfather with whom he lived, Fer usually spent his days that summer alone and brooding on the moor. By the time the harvesting finished, and the summer came to an end, Fer's anger and jealousy had begun to cool.
It was then that he saw her. She was naked and being led in a procession by the druids coming down from the mountains with the maiden for the Summer's End sacrifice. She had a rope around her neck attached to a metal collar that she was being led by, but Fer was enraptured by her beauty and got as close as he could. Her hair was dark and her skin was pale, although as Fer got closer he could see it was smudged with dirt and mud as were her bare feet. As she passed him, he noticed the shape of her buttocks and hips and felt a hard throbbing beneath his tunic.
He followed her where the druids took her to the hut and waited outside when they took her in, barely even noticing who else was around.
"Fer," he suddenly heard a loud voice say from behind him. "We haven't seen you around in a while, have we? Off out in the moor all by yourself every chance you get these days, eh?"
Fer felt his face burn bright red and he flashed with rage. It was Aid. He didn't turn around, not trusting himself to keep his cool.
"Not talking to me anymore, is that it, Aid?" he heard the voice sneered. "Still sore about Maeve? Is that it?"
Still not turning around, Fer felt Aid approaching closer from behind him, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly Fer spun around and struck his fist at Aid who seemed to easily block him, while Fer immediately stepped back.
"Whoa, touchy, touchy, aren't we, Fer?" Aid sneered. "I might have to give you a beating one of these days if you keep lashing out like that."
"I'll kill you, Aid, if you ever touch me again," Fer replied through gritted teeth.
Aid merely laughed mockingly. Others were approaching to watch their scuffle now, including Aid's usual gang of companions and some girls. Maeve was even among them.
Fer breathed heavily and tried to control himself, remembering what his grandfather had always said. "Use what's in your skull now, and break their skull later, boy."
He walked away from Aid and the others but resolved to come back to the hut the first thing in the morning after the maiden had been ritually bathed and prepared for fertilization. He felt a strong desire to be the first in the community to deflower her.
That night, he couldn't sleep well and masturbated furiously. He thought of the maiden's naked body. Her breasts and her buttocks. Her dark hair and her pale skin. Even the dirt on her skin and the metal collar around her neck seemed somehow attractive to him. It made her different. It made her subservient, and under his power. This was a girl who wouldn't laugh and reject him like Maeve and the others. She was his... or at least would be for a while.
Finally, exhausted from masturbation and fantasy, Fer fell fast asleep. He knew it was already early in the morning, but he told himself he would awaken soon so he could be the first at the hut tomorrow. But he overslept. When he awoke, it was well past daylight and his own step-grandmother (his grandfather's second wife) was yelling at him to get up and feed the chickens.
His eyes shot open and he felt a burst of confusion, and then frustration and rage. He had forgotten about the maiden. He wouldn't be the first to deflower her now. Without feeding the chickens or even eating, he flew out of bed and ran across the settlement to the hut at the edge of the community.
Aid was already there, and Fer found himself behind six others in line. It was still early morning, but a lot of men liked being some of the first to deflower the maiden. Aid was already there too and had apparently already taken his turn. Aid probably suspected from yesterday that Fer would try to get there early.
"Poor Fer," one of Aid's lackeys taunted as Fer stood in line. "First Maeve, now the slave. Fer always gets second place." The others laughed loudly but Fer didn't look at them.
"Fer'll take what he can get," another added. "This'll be how he loses his virginity too I'll bet."
