Great Rite

Gudrun pushed me on the mattresses. All four of them knelt before the shrouded statue of the Goddess before Gudrun straddled me. She impaled herself on my taut erection almost before I knew what she intended. Edith's cleft descended onto my face. As my lips touched her, my erection came violently into Gudrun.

Gudrun tightened her muscles around me and started to move up and down. I would have protested that I couldn't respond so soon but my protests were stifled my Edith's warm flesh. Bertha and Helga pressed their naked bodies alongside mine as Gudrun continued to excite herself.

I don't know how long it took. It might have been an hour or more before Gudrun was satisfied. Edith's use of my face had been replaced first by Bertha then Helga. Eventually Gudrun climbed off me before tying her red wool around my slave collar. I was already beginning to feel sensation down below as Edith slid me inside her.

By the middle of the night my lips and tongue were numb. My tool was slightly sore but I had satisfied all three women and had four pieces of wool tied to my collar. I crawled out from their naked bodies to go for a piss. When I returned they moved sleepily before I was buried in female bodies. I went back to sleep, sore, but grateful for so much enjoyment in a single night.

+++

In the morning we all washed before going up into the daylight.

"It hasn't rained," Edith announced, "and there's not a cloud in the sky. Sorry, slave, we'll have to use you again and again. But not now. We eat first before we show you other things you need to learn."

Other things? What other things? The women were fully dressed. I remained naked except for my collar and leash.

I found out what they meant by other things. They thought that a King should be able to read and write. The day seemed long as they took turns to teach me to recognise letters they wrote on a slate. I had to practise forming each letter over and over again. By the evening they and I were delighted that I could recognise and shakily copy my name in Latin -- Alfredus Rex.

There were inscriptions all around the rooms of the temple. I was stunned to be shown that all four of them could read and translate every word. Most were dedications to the Roman Gods and Goddesses. Mithras was only named in the underground chamber with the Goddess statue. Down there were chalked inscriptions to the Goddess on many otherwise blank areas of wall. Those inscriptions had been made by the priestesses. I could recognise one word -- Dea -- Goddess.

I and most of my people can speak crude Latin. We need it because it is still the only language that almost every kingdom recognises. Among ourselves and our neighbours we have our own language, but the sea raiders' language is meaningless to us. They shout obscenities in Latin and if we have to parley, we do that in Latin. I don't know a single man in my kingdom who can read and write Latin. I thought the priestesses could, but it was startling to know that most of my handmaidens can read and write. That is what girls are taught in the temple. Many of the women of the kingdom can read and write, and their men don't know they can.

The women insisted that I shouldn't let it be known that most women can read and write. They use it to communicate with each other, knowing that their fathers and husbands can't understand the message if it is accidently found. What they lack is materials to write on. Parchment is expensive even if reused many times. Paper is unknown to us. The women use tree bark, some leaves, pieces of broken pottery or even just a message scratched on the ground.

I became excited with the idea that writing could be used to store hard-won knowledge. The women sitting on the bench laughed at me.

"Stand up and face us, slave," Bertha ordered. I stood.

"How do you think the priestesses got their reputation as wise women?" Gudrun asked. "They have been keeping records for many years."

"And they have some old books the Romans left behind." Bertha added. "One is about farming. That's very helpful."

"And we have been keeping notes of your actions as King," Edith said. "Particularly the changes you have made and the impact of them."

"It goes further than that, slave," Bertha continued. "Do you know why you became King?"

I shook my head. I had always wondered why I had been chosen when there were older more experienced candidates.

"Helena wanted you as King because she thought you would bring change that was good for the Kingdom. She spoke to several members of the Witan telling them that you were the Goddess' chosen candidate. It worked, not just because Helena said it, but because it was true. Helena had inscribed the names of the possible Kings on potsherds and thrown them on the ground in front of the Goddess hoping for a sign. The sign was very clear. Your name was the only one that landed face up."

"And Helena, the priestesses, and all your handmaidens know that you were the right choice, Alfred..." Edith said.

The three others were startled. Edith shouldn't have mentioned my name. Writing it was one thing, but here I should just be called 'slave'. She noticed their reaction.

"It doesn't matter," Edith said, "whether we call him slave, or Alfred, or even King Alfred. He has accepted us as his mistresses. That is the important thing. But we are his friends too, and his lovers. We know he was the best choice for King, and his voluntary sacrifice of his freedom for his people is a sign of that. He wants to learn, to make our land better, and our people happy and prosperous. Our task is to help him as best we can. And what makes our work easier is that we love him."

Edith came towards me, threw her arms around me, and turned her face up to be kissed. As our lips met the three others joined in the hug.

"Edith is right," Gudrun said almost into my ear. "Your submission is the important part of the Great Rite. The collar, the leash, calling you 'slave' -- they are all symbolic, no more. You are ours, for life. Once the Great Rite is over we will defer to you as King in public. Our people won't notice any change. But in private? You will always be our slave. We will make your servitude as pleasant as we can, and enjoyable for all five of us, but we are your mistresses."

"And we hope one of us will be your wife, and Queen," Bertha added.

I was beginning to understand just how much I had been manipulated by the Goddess and Chief Priestess Helena. I had been their choice of King despite other more experienced possibilities. I had asked Helena for a dozen suitable handmaidens. These four were the first names Helena had mentioned, and none of the handmaidens had been my close relations. Eventually I would have had to invoke the Great Rite when the spring rain came late. It hadn't been necessary until the start of my fourth year as King. I might have married before then -- or could I? Had Helena kept potential wives away? Or loaded me with duties so that I had no time to court a wife?

As the four women continued to hug me I decided that the manipulation didn't matter. The Goddess and Helena shared my desire for a better future for our people. Should I object because I had been used? Or should I just relax and enjoy the delightful women surrounding me? I chose to enjoy. I kissed each one of the four as they pressed against me. They kissed me back.

+++

That night started early, shortly after the evening meal. The women had worked out a different order for our couplings. I started under Bertha, then Gudrun, Helga and finally Edith. In the morning Edith was against my chest and I had four more markers on my collar. I was aware that two of the women had gone upstairs. Gudrun rushed back into the Goddess' chamber.

"It's raining!" Gudrun shouted. "It's raining! It's not much, it's the soft gentle rain not a heavy shower, but it must have been raining for an hour at least."

Soft gentle rain? That is what our crops need. A heavy shower might have washed the dry top soil away. We all went upstairs and looked out. There were no visible puddles, just damp soil as far as we could see.

Four naked women were hugging me as we celebrated.

"Edith?" Bertha said, "You were the last to put your marker on Alfred. You will be his wife."

"Perhaps," Edith replied. "This rain will take a long time to fill the measure. If it stops? It still might be any of us."

"You have until tonight, Edith." Bertha said. "Anyway, you are the oldest of us four..."

"By two months!" Edith retorted, "And I'm six months younger than Alfred. But what about the other three if one is chosen? Alfred?"

"Ladies," I said plaintively, "by the conditions of the Great Rite you choose me. Remember? I am your slave."

"But if you could choose?" Edith asked.

I looked at her carefully. That could be a very awkward question to answer and could cause recriminations for years to come.

"Alfred?" Gudrun prompted.

"Whoever is chosen by the Goddess will be my wife, and Queen," I said slowly, "but I will have four wives. The other three will be Deputy Queens -- in order of their ages."

"Sorry, Bertha," Edith said. "You're the youngest and third deputy."

"If," Bertha emphasised, "if enough rain falls today to make you Queen. But I am delighted to be a wife, not a mistress."

"So am I," Gudrun said. "But can Alfred take four wives?"

"I can," I said. "Even if it usual for our King to have only two wives with any number of concubines. With four wives, who are also my mistresses I have to obey, I think I'll have enough without adding concubines. The four of you are enough for any man, even a King."

"Good," Helga said. "Any concubine might have a hard time from us wives. We wives need to prepare breakfast and celebrate our engagements."

We had a small amount of wine with that breakfast. The next few hours we spent watching the rain continue to fall. All four women had not put their clothing on. They sat on my lap in order of seniority with another woman cradling the back of her head between her breasts. We were all excited that the Great Rite seemed to have worked. The low cloud extended as far as we could see with no sign of a break.

In the middle of the afternoon Chief Priestess Helena struggled up the stairs to tell us that the measuring cup was full. She was delighted not that Edith would be Queen, but that all four would be wives. The formal marriages would take place in three days' time.

As we left the underground chambers Edith ordered me to kneel while she removed my leash and slave collar. They would be placed in front of the Goddess' statue in gratitude for granting us rain and as a relic of my submission during the Great Rite. She gave me an arm bracelet also inscribed with the names of the Goddess. It would be hidden when I was dressed but visible when I was naked. All four women helped me to put on my clothing. That took much longer than necessary as eight hands caressed my body.

The rain continued to fall gently until the joint wedding. As the five of us left the temple as King, Queen and three Deputy Queens a shaft of sunlight illuminated us. The assembled people seemed delighted. I wasn't sure. Four wives and four Queens were stretching the Royal authority to near breaking point. The real delight was for the rain.

We soon settled down into a routine after the first few nights when my wives demanded satisfaction for all four of them. They organised a rota for when each of them would be in bed with me, sometimes just one, sometimes two, and rarely, all four.

The real impact was on the administration of our Kingdom. They were not just Queens and my wives, but my deputies and secretaries. Their secret record keeping slowly became public knowledge. People knew how much grain was stored, by whom, and what our artisans were producing. They continued to teach me to read and write. I'm not slow, but I found learning to write was a difficult task. Within weeks I could read some of the common Latin inscriptions, and write a few dozen words. I had a lot to learn if I was to be as competent as any of my wives or handmaidens.

We were fortunate that for the next month no sea raiders came. The training of all the men in use of arms continued as did the work of extending the skills of our soldiers.

One night when we were alone in bed together Queen Edith made a startling suggestion.

"Alfred, we are always short of men when the raiders come, aren't we?"

"Yes. Our kingdom may be small but it takes time to assemble the men from further afield. So?"

"We defend the fort's walls with bowmen and spears, don't we?"

"Yes, Edith, you know we do."

"And the older men and the younger boys can do that if they have to?"

"Yes."

I didn't understand what Edith was getting at. She knew as well as I do, perhaps even better than I, just how few men we had available to repel invaders. She had lists of every man and their weapon skills.

"The boys can't use full size bows."

"True." I replied.

"But the smaller bows can kill at short range?"

"Yes, Edith, they can. If the raiders try to storm the walls an arrow can kill at thirty yards or one yard."

"So..."

I wondered what was coming.

"Could we make many more of the smaller bows?"

"We could. It would take time. We have bowyers and fletchers who could produce more."

"Then women could use the bows." Edith stopped speaking and looked steadily at me.

"Women?" I hadn't expected that.

"Yes. Women. When the war band is out hunting raiders, there are many more women in the fort than all the old men and boys. Three times more women than males. If they could use bows, and poke with spears, our defence would be much more effective, wouldn't it?"

I had to think. Edith was snuggled up against me, both of us naked in bed. She was right about the numbers. The old men and boys were defending not just our women but our wealth, our food supplies, and everything that made us a kingdom. If the fort fell to the raiders we would lose almost everything. It would be difficult but not impossible for a large enough group of raiders to storm the fort. If they had decoyed our war band away? That was an evil thought.

"Some of the boys are no more than children. Adult women would have more strength to pull a bow or use a spear." Edith added.

"Let me think," I said. "All you say is true but women could die on the walls. That is less worrying for me than how we could persuade the Witan to accept such a change. I only rule because of their consent. They have been muttering about the changes I have already made. Trying to turn women into warriors could end my kingship. Women dying? They would die or be enslaved if the raiders took the fort. Have you talked to the others about this idea?"

"The others? Which others?"

"The deputy Queens."

"No, Alfred, not yet."

"Tomorrow you can make your suggestion to them. I value their advice as much as yours. That's the first step. After that, the women need to give their view. The Witan is wholly male. They would reject your idea without thinking about it -- unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless the women suggest it, not me. As King I can only order so much. If I proposed it? They would consider me mad."

We left it at that. Edith climbed on top of me and made love until we went to sleep exhausted.

Late the next morning I and the four Queens met as the inner group of leaders. I let Edith put her suggestion. At first the others were dismayed until they began to appreciate how much the women could suffer if our walls were taken. The other three wanted time to consider Edith's proposal so we moved on to other less important matters. My sole suggestion was that even if all five of us agreed, before we spoke to anyone else we should consult Chief Priestess Helena and the Goddess.

+++

Two months later and the Witan, still incredulous that I attended with Queen Edith at my side and flanked by the deputy Queens, had agreed that women could be trained to be archers and spearmen on the fort's walls. I had insisted on one fixed rule. Under no circumstances whatever were the women to try to fight outside our walls. We could not afford them to face swords and axes in the open. They would be slaughtered by skilled warriors and all the sea raiders were full time soldiers. The majority of our men were unable to fight a single raider in one to one combat. Only our best were their equals and the women could never be that strong or that skilled.

Two days after that decision the raiders returned. As before, our older men and the boys manned the walls as our war band tried to chase the raiders away. We lost a couple of men but captured three of the raiders. I was worried to learn from one of the prisoners that our kingdom was considered to be a prime target because we had more wealth than our neighbours. If that were true? Larger bands would seek to attack us.

A month later and the women were beginning to be minimally competent with bow and spear. I wouldn't want to test them in battle but our walls were lined with more heads than ever before. At a distance no one could tell the difference between old men, young men and women. They looked like a formidable force, but it was appearance, not reality. It would take months of training before the women were really useful.

We didn't get those months. A larger force of raiders was back in two weeks. They landed about five miles away and formed into battle order. Our war band was still depleted by the sweating sickness. We had lost several young children to it in the last few days. Our warriors were outnumbered and had to retreat carefully. The raiders came straight along the seashore as we stayed inland on slightly higher ground. They were heading directly for the fort and they were carrying ladders. They intended to assault the walls and ignored our watching war band.

Our gates were secure. On my orders they had been blocked first with carts laden with heavy stones and then the carts were covered with more and more stone. The whole passage through the gateways was solid. Our war band couldn't retreat inside but I hoped our enemies couldn't breach the gates. They would have to go over the walls which now had three times as many spears and bows as we would have had six weeks earlier. Whether the women would stand their ground? I prayed to the Goddess that they would but I had little confidence. The challenge had come too soon.

On the left flank of the raiders the tide was ebbing strongly exposing an edge of dry sand and mudflats beyond. A few years ago Egbert had pushed a smaller band of enemies on to the mudflats. Their movement had been impeded by the sticky mud and many were killed by arrows from our war band and from the fort's walls. If we could push them into the mudflats again? But this time we were outnumbered.

As the raiders came within a hundred yards of the walls a few arrows were shot at them, uselessly. Those arrows lacked the force to do any damage. The raiders seemed encouraged by the feeble display and started to run forwards. They were still ignoring our war band as if we were an insignificant threat.

To my surprise not a single arrow was sent from the walls until the raiders were within ten yards. Not one. There was not even a single feeble shot. At ten yards a continuous line of bows sprung up from below the parapet, presented and loosed. The carnage was impressive. The raiders stopped in their tracks. Another volley and they were falling in their dozens dropping the assault ladders. I saw our opportunity. I ordered the war band to charge their flank, hoping that those within the walls would hold back from firing once we were hand to hand with the enemy.

As we raced towards the raiders two more volleys of arrows were discharged distracting the enemy from our approach. We hit them hard with a phalanx of spears. As I had hoped but not expected, they gave way to their left and ran out on to the mud flats. Our war band knew exactly what parts of the exposed beach was safe. Our enemies didn't and suffered from our spears and arrows. At that point one of their arrows pierced my right shoulder, ending with the shaft sticking six inches beyond my back. I dropped my sword before picking it up in my left hand.