Miraculously, Jyushka was right.
Just a couple of weeks after their conversation, Tetenia became able to perform an hour of Full Worship on His Sacred Likeness with minimal abrogations. The transformation happened in just a few days. The metaphor Jyushka used fit - it felt like she had broken through some kind of mental wall.
Maybe Jyusha's words helped Tetenia, as the other concubine was also correct that performing Full Worship didn't really get any easier, at least in terms of the experience. There was simply no way to have a rock-hard, ten-inch golden phallus (or a rock-hard, ten-inch actual cock) shoved into your esophagus while you're on your knees without experiencing extreme discomfort and pain. You could control your breathing all you liked, you could practice enough so that you don't vomit, but the aches and pains and choking don't go away. If anything, they intensify. But do it enough, and one day you'll just take it and keep going. His Supremacy's pleasure is more important than your pain.
Tetenia had really broken though. She could perform an a hour of Full Worship, an hour of deepthroating the phallus, with just two or three abrogations, sometimes none. She wasn't totally sure how she had gotten to this point - but Ellesa and Jyushka both told her that the suddenness was common. In any case, Tetenia was relieved.
After a couple of days of ensuring that she could, in fact, perform Full Worship for an hour (or close to it), she decided to go to His Supremacy to request absolvance. She was nervous, but hopeful about the prospect of getting her life back - or, perhaps more accurately, of truly starting a new life as one of His concubines.
His Supremacy, however, did not grant Tetenia absolvance. She was in and out of His Sacred Presence within mere minutes, and left still facing the theoretical prospect of spending the next four years or so on her knees. She was dejected, but tried not to get too upset; she resolved to back to Him in a week.
Six days later, Tetenia was on her knees before His Sacred Likeness, the phallus stretching out her throat and more. She took small breaths from the side of her mouth but her head felt like it was caught in a vise; her jaw and mouth felt like they had been subject to a probing invasion; her knees and back and neck felt like crumbling into dust. Tears were in her eyes because she couldn't control them. But she persisted. She choked on the phallus, her body feeling like it ricocheted against the floor even though she hardly moved, and she kept going. When her mind was able to form coherent thoughts, two of them ran through it: "His pleasure is more important than your pain" and "one more day."
As if calling out from a void, she heard a voice. "The concubine Tetenia, His Supremacy commands your presence." She choked, loudly and roughly, popped off the phallus and, even surprising herself, threw up in the bucket beside her. She gathered herself, stood up slowly, and turned around.
It was Daymon. Nordland was performing the Term of Sacred Service this month; Tetenia knew that but hadn't noticed who the Nordish term servants were, her mind was occupied by other things. But there was Daymon, standing by the entrance to the shrine in her quarters, wearing the brown uniform a term servant.
Tetenia wiped a bit of saliva from her lip, and removed her bra and panties. It was the first time Daymon had ever seen Tetenia naked.
They were riding on one of the Sacred Estate's magneto-roads, sitting next to each other. A guardian stood silently nearby. Daymon thought of all the times he had dreamed of seeing her this way, all the gentle caresses through clothes they had shared. It felt like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday. He did not imagine it would be like this. He tapped his fingers on his knee, self-consciously trying not to look at her, hoping to avoid an erection.
"How are you?," Daymon asked, awkwardly. They had walked to the magneto-road in silence.
"Good," Tetenia replied. He wants to make small talk now?
Tetenia stared straight ahead. It was an awkward situation, but there was no need to make it worse. And she didn't want to talk to Daymon, anyhow. What could she possibly say to him? How could she possibly explain her life here?
"This thing is pretty amazing," Daymon said.
"What thing?" His desire to make conversation seemed oddly pathetic.
"This...underground magneto-road. I remember when the first magneto-road came to Bruck and people thought you'd get sick from riding on it. Do you remember that?"
"Kind of."
"It always seemed silly to me. But I remember people saying that. And I remember seeing the laborers, I had never seen so many laborers in my life." Daymon paused. "And this thing it...it goes underground? It's just for the Estate? It's crazy."
"I'd guess."
Daymon paused again, as if considering something. "Is it true that millions of people worked to build this place?"
"I don't know. Probably."
"It's just...it's crazy if you think about it. All of this for His Supremacy." Daymon glanced over at Tetenia, taking in her body. His cock twitched, slightly. He began tapping his finger more quickly. Tetenia noticed him looking at her, and he muttered an apology.
A couple of minutes passed in silence. "You like it here?," Daymon asked.
"Yes. Yes, I do." She was telling the truth. Despite the hardship, there was no way her old life could compare. And what did Daymon mean, 'all of this for His Supremacy'? Did He not deserve it? Was He not the Supreme God of Gods, the Supreme Ruler of Men, the Supreme Being of All that is Known and Unknown? Daymon bowed before His Likeness in Ceremony for an hour every week, just like everyone else in the world. Tetenia worshipped His Likeness, fully and directly. Tetenia worshipped Him. It was impossible to compare the two.
Daymon quieted down, and tried to focus on not looking at his former fiance. After several more minutes of silence, he stood up as they arrived at one of the minor palaces.
"We have to get off here," Daymon said, quietly.
"Here?"
"Yes. Henneler was dispatched to get the Queen Priestesses Karina and Frenessa. We're to meet them in front of Frenessa's palace."
At the gates of Frenessa's palace, they saw Henneler approaching, along with a guardian and a buxom brunette - the Queen Priestess Karina.
"How much time do we have," Daymon asked Henneler."
"About twenty minutes," Henneler said. "We had to go over to the other side of the lake. It took longer than I thought it would." Queen Priestesses and concubines, and those who fetch them for Him, are subject to one-hour summons rules - meaning they must arrive at His Sacred Presence within one hour of when He summons them, or risk punishment as His discretion.
"We'd better hurry," Daymon said.
They approached the palace gate, and Henneler spoke to a common servant, who scurried off. While they were waiting, Karina turned to Daymon and Tetenia and introduced herself. They had already met - Karina had accompanied His Supremacy to Nordland for their wedding, all those months ago - but Karina apparently did not remember this, and neither of them reminded her. Still, Tetenia was taken aback by Karina's friendly demeanor.
Another servant appeared. "Follow me," he said. Daymon, Tetenia, Henneler, Karina and the two guardians walked past the gate into a garden filled with shade trees and flowers. To their right was a fountain, and to their left was a large state of Frenessa, bowing down. Her palace looked impressive - it was certainly bigger and grander than the Nordish castle - but it was dwarfed by His Sacred Palace, of course.
The group of them, along with the servant escorting them, entered the palace and walked up an ornate staircase. The servant stopped and spoke with another servant, this one a Blessed Servant. The Blessed Servant walked up to the group and looked at Henneler. "I'll take you to the Queen Priestess," she said.
They followed her through hallways filled with woodcarvings and antiques, down a smaller flight of stairs, and through a small courtyard with yet another fountain. They turned down another hallway, and Tetenia noticed a large fresco depicting His Supremacy facefucking Frenessa at the end of it. This place was a Queen Priestess' palace, she thought. It was massive.
They then turned into another courtyard, and walked up the side of it. The Queen Priestess Frenessa was seated at the head of the courtyard, in a richly-apholstered chair with detailed carvings on the arms. She was wearing a a bra-and-panty-set studded with diamonds and rare gemstones, flecked with gold. Tetenia wondered how much those two small pieces of clothing were worth.
On each side of Frenessa were two Blessed Servants, seated in simple wooden chairs, facing each other. In front of her was a nervous-looking man with a series of valuables laid out in front of him.
"This," the main said, pointing at an elaborate bejeweled vase, "is a rarity. It dates from the time of the Great Emperors, and bears the mark of the chief artisan to the Emperor Giornos II." The man, evidently some sort of antiques dealer, wiped sweat from his brow.
Frenessa studied the object from her seat, looking mostly unimpressed. "I'll take it, I suppose. I'll give you two thousand for it." By that, she meant two thousand gold tracens - a decent annual profit for a well-off merchant.
"Excellent, your worshipfulness," the man said, betraying some relief in his voice. "You know that we are honored to have your business." He wiped sweat from his brow again, as Frenessa shifted in her chair.
Henneler looked around, unsure of what to do. Frenessa was paying them no mind, and time was of the essence. The Blessed Servant gestured towards Frenessa, as if to indicate that he should just speak.
"The Queen Priestess Frenessa," Henneler announced suddenly. "His Supremacy commands your presence."
Frenessa glared at Henneler, and rose slowly from her chair. "You're to call me your worshipfulness," she said to him, with an air of haughty disdain. She continued glaring at him, standing now, but not moving.