When Samantha was a young girl a priestess by the name of Nataly had visited her village, curing their crops of the blight that would have ruined them among numerous other wonders. Samantha asked of Nataly, "Can I grow up and have the power to help people like you?" Nataly replied, "We all have the power to help people, the goddess merely helps." From that day onward she decided she wanted to be a priestess too. Of course, back then she had not really understood what that decision meant.
Now, 6 years later, and very far from the quiet village of Averglen, Samantha was standing straight as she could and doing her best not to peek sideways at the other girls. They stood in a line facing the high priestess as she lectured them. Some of the girls positively emanated pride while others looked as if they feared they might be struck.
"...For the Goddess asks much and gives little" The high priestess continued, the dark blue dress that symbolized her office flowing elegantly as her words struck bluntly.
"The life of a sister, let alone a hopeful is one of service and dedication, not ease and slothfulness!"
She raised her chin slightly at the last word, now looking at the girls with some degree of menace as she paced back and forth
"You will be required to perform any service your goddess asks, even die at her request," She warned, her blonde curls swaying as she turned sharply.
"Many women naturally do not feel any lust for their fellow women, so I will now cast upon you the blessing of Alene, which will break down any barriers you may have to being intimate with your sisters. Take notice of each other's bodies, and share each other not jealously, for lust is the seed of love."
As she finished speaking the high priestess began to weave the spell, clutching the hand of her second priestess and closing her eyes. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 priestess behind began a low chant, a soft blue glow emanating from the high priestess' hands and culminating in a flash of white light. Samantha could feel the energy of the spell entering her, an almost painful tension, but she did not resist, and it was over quickly, the spell filling her feeling almost like a shock of electricity.
Samantha did not feel any different. She turned to look at her fellow hopefuls, but they too wore confused unaffected looks.
"You will not feel anything right away" The High Priestess interrupted their thoughts. "but you will soon yearn to take pleasure in each other."
Sam blushed at the thought. The sexual dimension of priestesshood was still somewhat embarrassing for her. Spell or no spell She wasn't even sure she could love another woman in the way Alene required.
"I hope none of you will disappoint the goddess. You are hereby welcomed into this temple as Hopefuls of Alene. Love be with you."
The girls were then given plain tunics to wear, and led away to be shown their quarters and duties. They were led to a cramped dormitory, all of them staying together in a small room lined with bunk beds.
Samantha sat alone on her bed organizing her things while the other girls talked in hushed tones. Sam had never been good at making friends.
A stocky girl with black hair and rough callused hands suddenly slammed her bag on the bunk above Sam's.
"Mind if I take this one? I'm Jess" she said in a country accent and with as little shyness as the confident movements of her body suggested.
"Sam" she almost whispered trying to put on a weak smile. The warm smile Jess returned instantly put Sam at ease. Jess started arranging her things on the bed above.
"I can tell you ain't one of the stuck-up ones. Lots of these girls" she waved an arm at the whole room "think they're better than us."
"oh?"
"Yeah, us country types. you ain't from the city either are ya? Though you talk like ya are."
"Oh, no I'm from a village in the mountains. Averglen."
"I thought so. out there they don't much like Alene, women loving women and that do they?"
Sam was becoming entranced by the motion of Jess' long black hair as her arms moved.
"No, but a priestess visited my village once and she saved us. I wanted to be a priestess ever since." she said distantly, looking at the face of this pretty country girl.
"Oh, so ya always liked girls then?" Jess asked bluntly.
Sam went scarlet and looked away.
"No! ...I mean I don't know. I never thought about any girl like that before..."
"Me either. So, this spell is going to make us want to do things to each other right..."
Jess mused casually.
Instantly embarrassed again Sam folded her arms and looked down. "yeah..."
"I never liked a girl before neither." Jess said airily while unpacking her things on the bunk above.
Jess suddenly sat down by Sam and looked her in the eye. Sam felt a tingling she had never felt before when looking at a girl and suddenly Jess being this close made her hot and cold all over.
"I could try to like a girl like you though" Jess crooned in a low voice, still with that country twang.
"Could you try to like a girl like me? Us country girls better stick together."
Jess gently placed her hand on Sam's knee. Sam put her hand on top and smiled weakly again.
"I'd like to very much" she murmured, softest of all.
Jess smiled that warm smile.
Sam was certainly glad of Jess when their duties started.
First, they undertook what seemed to Sam to be all the menial work of the temple, washing the floors, preparing the food, washing the clothes, carrying water. Jess, having worked on a farm, approached it all with cheerful ease and helped Sam through it all, without ever getting upset at Sam's apparent incompetence at physical labour. At the end of the first day Sam collapsed with exhaustion into her bed and slept dreamlessly.
The next day their training began in earnest. A sister of Alene was expected to know much of medicine and astronomy, how to navigate and survive in the wilderness, and not least how to handle herself in battle. Priestess Phoebe ran the martial training and made all the Hopefuls feel like weak little lambs with her harsh blows with the quarterstaff. She did praise one blonde girl, Lily for having some potential, but left all of them including her with welts and bruises.
Physically exhausted, they then attended magic class.
A surprisingly young-looking priestess, Nissa revealed the nature of Alene's power.
"Alene draws her power from purity. All pure women can draw on a basic level of her powers with training." She waved a hand and her staff rose from the wall where it leant and leapt to her hand. "...but to truly wield it one must use the love that you feel for another." Nissa closed her eyes and intoned something inaudible, and Sam suddenly felt the fatigue of the day drain away, as well as the pain in her arms and legs. She looked down at her arms in astonishment as her bruises faded before her eyes. The other girls all murmured in astonishment too.
