Garald forgets something
Garald softly swung the door open, careful not to let the hinges squeak. He cursed himself for forgetting, once again to have them oiled. It did not matter, Nyawe was lying awake her hands folded neatly on her swollen belly.
“Hello husband”, she purred from her reclined position.
“Good evening Nyawe”, he replied, his throat contracting in panic.
His eyes flickered to the bedside counter, where a half-empty carafe of wine stood, its curved body softly glowing in the light cast by the tallow candles. He felt a brief surge of irritation, noting that once again his wife was burning two candles not one. One sputtering flame was enough to light the room and it seemed the height of wanton, frivolity to squander two. Resources were scant on Mhalwae, and they were trying to make do with what little they had from the tiny harvest of last year. Autumn was spreading her cloak of yellow and gold over the fields and soon there would be another harvest, but until then they needed to ration the provisions they had. Why could he not make his wife understand this.
Scattered beside her on the bed were half-finished embroideries, spilling forth from the sewing basket, which perched in the corner like an unwanted child. Nyawe had started many delicate items for their child, sewing busily for a day and then growing bored, discarding and beginning a new project. She flitted from task to task like a butterfly, happy to land for long moments on the outstretched petals of a blossom but soon growing tired of the nectar and turning her glowing face elsewhere.
Now she was heavily rising to her feet. He had hoped she would be asleep when he came to bed, he was exhausted after the nasty business of the day and did not have the strength to fend her off. It had been easier these last months as her body swelled. She was often so tired she slept as soon as she lay down in the evening. Then he only had to crawl quietly in beside her and give her a quick kiss on the forehead.
He briefly closed his eyes, steeling himself for the ordeal that was to follow.
“Is the baby keeping you awake”, he murmured as she stood before him, her enlarged breasts held high, peeping enticingly from the low neck of her nightdress. Her night gown was cinched in tight underneath her breasts, falling away softly over her bulging belly and the child he had put there.
“Yes, he’s downright feisty tonight, just like his mama”, she winked saucily at him, her catlike eyes glowing hungrily in the candlelight, “would you like to feel him move”.
He could not refuse and he had to admit that his hands were longing to stroke her firm belly, to feel the tactile knots of lace that hung so invitingly. It seemed she had plenty of time for sewing new nightgowns, he thought ruefully, as his hands moved over her waist. He had not seen this one before, an appealing construction of intricate lacework that was pulled tightly, with ribbons in all the right places.
He felt a slight stirring beneath his hand, his eyes widening in surprise. It did not matter how many times he felt his child moving within her, he never got over the initial shock. It seemed so strange that a little creature, part Garald, part Nyawe was dwelling right now in the warm safety of her womb, biding his time till he was ready to greet the world.
“He sure is running about in there tonight. Little bastard thinks its funny to kick me in the bladder every half an hour or so. I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to. And sleeping is the last thing on my mind now”, she was smiling at him in the half-darkness, her round lips curving at the edges into delicious dimples.
He was stroking her belly rhythmically, unconsciously as he listened to her throaty voice. He was shocked into awareness as her body began rubbing against his hand and he realised it had climbed past her waist and almost to the supple curve of her breast.
He drew back with a gasp of dismay as Nyawe began to advance on him.
“You should lie back down again dear”, he stuttered, “I will join you in a moment”.
He began to undress, carefully folding his tunic and neatly tucking it away into the drawer followed by his hose. All the while he felt his wife’s eyes raking across his body with the intensity of a cat watching her prey. He waited dizzily for her to pounce, not knowing when the moment would come that his trembling body would be pinned squirming beneath a heavy paw.
He unwound the strap of leather that held back the straight, brown strands of hair. After methodically tying it into a half-knot to keep it from getting tangled he placed it on the top of the dresser. He stared at himself in the mirror, noting the dark longing in his eyes, the shaking of his hands as he slowly ran his fingers through his hair. Painstakingly he unravelled the small snarls that had formed during the day as his hair had brushed and knotted against the sweaty collar of his tunic.
He moved around to the side of the bed, pulling back the covers and folding them precisely over his body.
Nyawe raised herself on one elbow so she was poised above him, staring down at his naked chest and the slight bulge not entirely hidden by the blankets resting above him. Her pupils were wide, dilated so it was almost all he could see of her eyes peeping out from behind the soft curls of her hair cascading down her breast. Her mouth was half open in a silent pant as she stared intently at him.
He resisted the urge to pull the covers up to his chin and cower beneath them. As a child, lying awake at night in terror of the noises in the dark it had always seemed that even the thinnest layer of fabric would provide some kind of shield against evil. But no sheet, not even a shield could protect him now because the evil lay festering inside his own heart. He shivered in dismay. For all he had tried to be good he was still rank with sin. In confirmation he felt a throbbing between his thighs as Nyawe smiled at him, shuffling towards him, one hand reaching out towards his body.
He stared in dismay at her hand, her beautiful hand with its silky skin, her long, slender, fleshy fingers that could do such wonderful things. It rose in an achingly slow arch, plummeting unstopping towards his body. Where it would fall he did not know. Perhaps it would land on his chest, her fingernails scratching the sensitive skin that in anticipation was already spotted with goose bumps. Maybe it would fall on his leg nuzzling the inside of his thigh like a cat twining around his legs. Or perhaps she would place her hand were he wanted it most, her quick fingers rubbing and teasing. He fought back a groan that was forming in the back of his throat.
Her hand fell, it grasped his own in hers, pulling it up to her lips. She began to kiss his own rough fingers, her breath tickling his skin as her lips moved along the back of his hand.
She opened her mouth and slowly slid his thumb inside. He fought back a moan as it touched her soft, wet tongue, moving against it, sucking at it.
He was panting and trembling and shivering in desire and distress, his eyes wide and panicked, his teeth gritted in a grimace. Before his widened eyes floated the face of his mother, her sour mouth turned down at the corners as she cracked the wooden stick across his hand. He screamed out in pain as she brought it down again, whistling through the air to rip apart the flesh on his wrist.
“Sinful, evil boy”, she spat hitting him again and again as he wept uncontrollably, tears and snot running down his face and into his open, panting mouth, “God doesn’t want sinning, filthy little boys with their hands down their pants. You’ll never get to heaven the sinner that you are”.
He was bad, sinful, rotten to the core. Before it had been his duty as a husband, to procreate, to provide them with children. Was it so terrible if he had enjoyed it. No one had ever said that doing one’s duty could not be pleasurable as well. But here he was, still filled with throbbing, festering desire even while his wife was distended with his own seed. He choked back a sob of despair that was bubbling at the back of his throat.
He carefully pulled his thumb from her warm mouth, a brief chill prickling the skin as it met with the cool air.
“Goodnight wife”, he muttered, leaning over to give her a quick goodnight kiss.
He was met with open, wet lips, her hand catching in the hair at the back of his head and pulling him towards her. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth as it opened for her, unresisting. Her mouth was hot and tantalising, the taste of spiced wine drawing him in. He was teetering on the very edge of his resolve and she was dragging him over.
His stomach turned in shame and as he pulled away from her clinging grasp. It was no good, he was not strong enough to resist her.
“Oh, oh dear”, he said lamely, “There’s something I’ve forgotten to do”.
She sighed in frustration, turning away from him as he launched himself from the bed.
“I shouldn’t be too long love, but it can’t wait till the morning. How stupid of me!”, he cried in what he hoped was believable consternation, “and now I’ve gone and hassled you for nothing. I hope you’ll forgive me”.
She said nothing, staring fixedly at the wall, her cheeks flushed with anger and desire. She was beautiful, even more so in her indignation. He longed, to press his body against hers and pin her down to the bed so that she squirmed beneath his heavy weight. He wished she understood. She didn’t realise that he was protecting them both from sin, from the devil’s clawing hands that were forever waiting below. God was watching, always watching and he would know. He would know.
He shrugged on his tunic and hose not even bothering to tie his hair back.
“Goodnight Nyawe”, he whispered.
She did not look at him as he fled from the room.
So there you go. Gay steward not so gay but exceedingly messed up. More messed up than I had thought. Writing him was very interesting. He is turning out to be more intense than I expected.
Oh and Lothere, I kept track of how long it took me to write this chapter and it was about 3 and half hours with writing and adding pics and stuff. There was dinner for an hour in amongst that. But if I include taking the actual pics that is probably another 1 and a half hours. This chapter wasn’t as hard to write as most, for some reason it just flowed out quite easily. So nice when that happens
maybe because I have been thinking about Gay steward and his story for so long.
Wow, he really is messed up. Poor guy. and poor Nyawe. I wish they could just talk to each other. Or maybe Garald could talk to father Harndall to confess his sins and learn that they’re not sins at all. I really feel for Nyawe now. She might not be the nicest girl on Mhalwae, but she does deserve some happiness, and she would probably be nicer if she wasn’t shunned by her husband every night. I hope that they’ll start having sex again when the baby is born and Garald can feel like he’s “doing his duty” by impregnating her again..
Oh poor Gay Steward!
This clears up so much! And starts a whole other issue to think about. Poor guy! I wonder how Lyiss was affected by all that growing up…
I always wondered why he didn’t like her when she is as pretty as she is…and she really wants him. But now it all makes sense! Are we going to see more about the development of this? I hope something good happens!
Wow. Poor, poor guy. He is seriously messed up. Those are some really huge issues – he and Nyawe really, really need to talk this out!
OH Verity every time I don’t have time to read a new Mhalwae chapter for a few days, it always turns out to be one I was waiting for!
Gay Steward would have been cool but this is even cooler… so MEDIEVAL of him. What a freaky Mom! But actually, how long has it been that even psychologists and educators consider it normal and OK for kids to uh, touch themselves? (Trying not to get my comment stuck in moderation.
) Even today how many are cool with that? How many parents? Maybe not whipping them with sticks uncool, but still, very uncool and very uncomfortable. So multiply by the It’s The Times factor and you get a way messed-up guy.
I wonder why he doesn’t just tell her though? Maybe he’s that messed up in that way… and it’s true he doesn’t even seem to tell her not to be wasteful with the candles and the sewing projects, he just grimaces and puts up with it.
I hadn’t thought about Lyiss… maybe she didn’t get caught doing what he did? She seems fairly unscathed, just shy like normal shy girl shy.
I am not sure what Harndall would tell him. It depends on the kind of priest/guy Hardnall is. He has some lust-related problems of his own. And it would be very MEDIEVAL of him to more or less agree. Have you guys seen this:
http://flickr.com/photos/yrpopqueen/33406607/sizes/o/
Flowchart for bedtime activity decision-making according to the medieval penitentials. I think Matthew has one of these pasted up above the desk in his office.
I
Oops your comment form didn’t seem to like my I *heart* flowcharts observation and cut off everything after… That is kind of worse than moderation, which I seem to have bypassed, yay!
Yeah, poor gay steward (I am totally not going to be able to stop calling him that). I feel really sorry for Nyawe too Sofie. She does really love him and wants him and she doesn’t understand why she is being shunned like this. Things will probably get a bit better for them after she gives birth but how long can that last? I can’t remember how fertile she is but I don’t think either of them has any trouble reproducing. Or maybe Garald does. Ok, I’m off to check. Actually I have Garald listed as subfertile with quite low fertility. So maybe it will take them a while. Still it is a temporary fix.
She is so pretty Tiana! I can’t believe I made her. I think she’s the best looking female character on Mhalwae. And we are going to see more about this, though I am not sure when. It isn’t just going to be put away in a dusty cupboard somewhere and forgotten about. I am intrigued to get to know both Nyawe and Garald a bit better.
It would be great if they talked about it Cassie, but I think Garald is too repressed. They certainly are a strange match, sexually repressed Garald and sexually overt Nyawe. Definitely makes for interesting story telling.
Yeah Lothere, the whole getting caught by his parents thing is just so ugh no matter what time period you put it in. And back then when it wasn’t even considered okay to have sex for non-procreational reasons (hmmm would that be recreational sex?) it was particularly uncool. And there family wasn’t exactly happy-huggyville. Actually a weird, creepy fact about Garald and Lyiss. Lyiss is actually his mother! But not in the story. I just fell in love with her in CAS and wanted to use her for the story, so I made her the sister instead (and the sister is now the mother). I’m really glad I did, she is more awesome than I could have imagined.
I think the reason he isn’t saying anything to Nyawe is that he thinks something is wrong with him. I don’t think he knows how a normal relationship works, his parents definitely weren’t a good example and he is a bit shy and reclusive, so he doesn’t have a male friend to set him straight (ahem). I don’t think he would even know how to begin to breach the subject with her. He is quite good with helping run the kingdom and seems to be fine with speaking in court. But when it comes to close relationships or friends he doesn’t really have any. He has an odd sort of relationship with his sister, they care about each other but they are completely incapable of expressing it. And they SO could not talk about this.
I think Lyiss has been more damaged by all this than we would think. I thought her behavior with Radomir in the stable was just so odd. I mean, she wasn’t exactly comforting him in a normal way and I don’t think it was just because she is shy. I am going to have to do more with her soon.
Hmmm… I will have to think about what Harndall would say but I think he would actually tell him it wasn’t sinful to love your wife and to want to show it. He is no Father Matthew
. But I haven’t got a conversation planned between them so we’ll just have to see how it pans out.
love the flowchart! Hehe, I can just imagine Father Matthew consulting it as he sits in the confession box (I think it would be pasted up in there) telling some hapless person that they have SINNED!
That’s weird about the comment. I don’t know why that happened *shakes fist at cruddy website*. It seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. I can’t wait till the new one is finished but I have to wait till boyf gets time to help me.
Heh, I thought Lyiss’s behavior with Radomir was a little odd. But I thought it was just chemistry. Or maybe such overwhelming compassionate kindness that she would hug a hurting man in spite of her own shyness. Now I see that chapter in a new light, and it’s kind of… urgh. They’re both damaged from childhood I guess (Lyiss and Radomir). Now I wonder more than ever where that will go.
I actually read through the comments this time instead of just glancing, and I’m glad. I saw your reply to Lothere and I have to say, I am even more curious about Lyiss now. I really wasn’t aware there was that deep of a disturbance in these two.
At least NOW we know why the poor guy doesn’t want to give it to his saucy wife. Wow, MY comment is going to end up in moderation.
But it definitely was odd and I’m glad we finally know the truth. Poor guy, that is a serious psychological blow. I doubt he’ll get over it, and I feel very bad for Nyawe. I’m sure she has no idea WTF is going on with her husband. Especially when she tries so hard to be, well, yeah. I doubt any other guy would turn her down.
Poor, poor Garald… that’s something that would take years of therapy to get through in our time. I have no idea what would help him in that time, where men surely didn’t talk about their mummies beating them for poking at their bits.
Yeah, that flowchart just killed me.
Poor Nyawe, though, seriously. She must be so frustrated, and she’s going to start getting some lovin’ elsewhere soon, I’m afraid. She already nearly did with Alexis.
They’re sort of singlehandedly trying to solve the island’s problems as it is.
I think Garald needs a good intervention from Noah and Hepsie.
It is rather urgh isn’t it Lothere. Though that kind of makes it more interesting for me to write.
Nyawe has no idea Mao. She is barking up the wrong tree with this whole thing but I have a chapter planned next with her and Madlenka so we will get to see her POV on this whole matter. I know what you mean, it would be totally difficult to get over a childhood like that even now with therapy or a partner that talked it through with you. And those things aren’t going to happen (unless Hepsie opens up some sort of clinic… hehe can you imagine her with glasses, pen in hand and clipboard “tell me about your mother”).
It really sucks for Nyawe Cassie. I am sort of reminded of Marie Antoinette with this situation. Her husband just wasn’t really up for it (literally it seems ) and she was in the even worse situation of trying to provide an heir to the throne. Ugh. So terrible particulary in a time when men where supposed to be the only ones who enjoyed. Garald has a stereotype to live up to, that Nyawe is sort of expecting and he really isn’t.
I am glad she didn’t with Alexis (thanks Cindra for stopping that one in the works) because it would have just been horrible. But that doesn’t mean if things don’t change with Garald she won’t run off with someone else in the future. What a mess.
Hehe… yeah Noah and Hepsie are like the superhero team of Mhalwae, fighting against tortured pysches and serious illness (and building castles while they are at it
Interesting, I always assumed Alexis and Nyawe got together after that timely interruption — if not the same night then some other. She does sleep around, doesn’t she? Or was she just desperate that night and planning on going all the way for the first time? Because she certainly did seem serious about it.
Things had already started to go bad with Garald when Alexis made the move on her. Basically as soon as she told him she was pregnant he stopped sleeping with her. Not just that but he isn’t really showing her any affection because he is afraid he won’t be able to control himself. Nyawe did sleep with quite a few men before she was married, so she knows what she likes. She hasn’t slept with anyone else since she has been married to Garald though. Funnily enough she actually loves him. Though I think she is quite susceptible to doing it if he doesn’t start paying attention to her quickly.
She has always been rather bold and brazen though and I think she rather prides herself in it. I see it as one of these living up to the persona we create for ourselves things. Nyawe has made this rather accessible persona for herself, which maybe was the case before she was married. When Alexis came onto her I think part of her reason for going along with it was pride, part of it was to get back at Garald for not paying enough attention to her and the rest was desperation for affection. I think she was having a few second thoughts there though;
“Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and her stomach felt sick. But this was what she had wanted. Wasn’t it?”
Nyawe is a total flirt, but I think she didn’t quite realise it would come to this. Though she was too proud after acting the brazen, hussy (which she is to some extent but not quite as much as she would like people to think) to not go through with it. It sort of reminds me a bit of Matilda’s pride in “Matilda has something to think about”, not actually able to admit it wasn’t exactly what she had intended. I think to some degree Nyawe was caught up in the moment too but when Cindra interrupted them she got a bit of a reality check. She thought Cindra was going to tell Garald and she basically thought her marriage was over. And she realised that wasn’t what she wanted. I think since then she has been making much more of an effort to get Garald to notice her and show her some affection, which of course has been a dreadful repeated ordeal for both of them.
We will get a glimpse of her somewhat confused thoughts on the matter in the next chapter. I think I am saying a little too much here (it is one of those support your poor tortured character and their reasons moments) but I feel like Nyawe is a bit misunderstood, particularly since I haven’t written her very well before. Also I have only written that one chapter from her POV so we don’t know her personality that well. I think she has been rather one-sided at the time of her introduction. She is actually a very 3D character who has been developing in my mind so hopefully the next chapter will show that a bit more.