The Girl with No Name Ch. 05

As he led the male penitents to Temple gardens and conversed with them, Bagatúrckt picked up more information about "the bloody one". The new penitent had shown up the previous summer after walking into town from the west, carrying a bucket with a few apples. Whoever collared her had not given her any instruction about Church protocol. She was so ignorant that initially the Clergy were suspicious, but immediately she arrived, the apprentice took responsibility for the newcomer and prevented anyone else from the Temple from interacting with her. Whenever the apprentice went anywhere, she took "the bloody one" with her. It seemed she enjoyed going out and getting away from the Temple. She spent the winter learning how to read, write, do arithmetic, and sing. Prior to showing up at the Temple she was completely illiterate.

Bagatúrckt volunteered to escort the female penitents on their outings to the Temple gardens. The men did the heavy work, but the women were tasked with maintaining the flowerbeds and collecting the flowers that decorated the Temple during the summer. He observed "the bloody one" as she moved among the plants. She seemed sullen and lost in thought. Obviously she needed some cheering up.

He started slowly, asking "the bloody one" about her work in the garden and what she thought of it. Unwittingly Danka gave him a lot of information by responding that Temple work was very light compared with what she had been used to before leaving home.

"Your home is to the west of here?"

"Yes, Master."

"So...how do you find your life here? Not in the Temple, but in Starívktaki Móskt? Does the city please you?"

"Yes, Master."

"Starívktaki Móskt is a nice city, but I find it small and a bit restrictive. I've seen other places...had dinner at the Duke's castle, and visited the lands beyond...to the west."

Bagatúrckt noted the curious look in the penitent's eyes.

"I understand that you find strange places interesting as well, is that not so?"

"Yes, Master...but I've just read about them. I...I haven't traveled much."

"That's a pity, because a young person ought to travel. There are so many things to see. It's sad to see a beautiful young woman like you pass her life away picking flowers in a garden."

Danka blushed at the thought of being called beautiful by someone as handsome and sophisticated as the son of the Senior Priest.

"You are beautiful, you know. I hope people have told you that, because it is true."

The penitent blushed again, because no...no one had told her she was beautiful. Whether or not it was true, people just didn't say things like that at the Temple.

"You...you really think so, Master?"

"I truly do. And please...I am not your master. It would greatly please me if you use my proper name, Bagatúrckt."

"Yes... Bagatúrckt."

"You are a rose in a field of dandelions and daisies. You are a swan among the ducks. You are a cathedral among the cottages. Yes, that is the nature of your beauty."

Danka was dumbstruck. Never before had she heard anyone talk like that, and certainly not to her. Bagatúrckt took note of the girl's expression and continued:

"You are a gift the Creator has bestowed upon the world, and woe will come to those who fail to appreciate the Creator's blessing."

The penitent totally forgot about her mentor's hostile reaction when she first saw Bagatúrckt. In her eyes the man was the nicest one she had ever met. He certainly knew how to make an ordinary girl feel special. Who else in Danka's life had ever bothered to do that for her? Before leaving, he kissed her hand and departed with a promise:

"I will write a poem for you tonight and bring you a present tomorrow."

Bagatúrckt would indeed write a poem from the penitent, although it was more accurate to say he would plagiarize one for her. The young man had studied poetry in his spare time and had a supply of poems stored in his memory that he could use on his conquest of the moment. It didn't take much to write out someone else's poem on a sheet of parchment with a couple of name replacements and hand it to some unsuspecting woman or girl. That night he grabbed 30 sheets of parchment from his father's study and wrote out 30 different poems that clearly referenced the penitent. He had not bothered to ask her name, nor did he need to know it for his intentions. Not knowing her name made the poems sound more mysterious anyway.

During his time at his father's temple, Bagatúrckt became "the bloody one's" world. True to his words, he had a poem for her each time he saw her. And there were presents as well: dates, salted almonds, Turkish delight. Increasingly he touched her, starting with her hands, then moving to her arms, shoulders, and back. Danka was so enamored with him that she never thought of resisting or trying to slow him down.

Bagatúrckt had a specific plan for the penitent. Because she was a virgin, he wanted to take her somewhere he could truly enjoy the experience of deflowering her. He did not want a quick tryst on a hillside or hidden in the woods: he wanted to save the penitent for a truly special round of sex. He would open her, as a present to himself. He would be the first man to enjoy her body and was determined that he would enjoy everything she had to offer. He would indulge his desires and take away every bit of her innocence. Then, he'd dispose of her, either by returning her to the Temple or finding some other relatively safe place to leave her. It wouldn't be the first time he had done that.

Bagatúrckt did not see anything wrong with what he was doing. In his mind he showed every woman he had been with what it was to have true sexual pleasure. When he tired of them, always made sure they were left in a safe place. He knew the apprentice totally hated him, but couldn't understand why. They had a good time while it lasted and he made sure that she was safely brought back to the Temple before moving on.

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Bagatúrckt considered himself a man of the Enlightenment, but in reality he was a dilettante. He dabbled in pseudo-scientific projects and belonged to various groups of like-minded men around central Europe, which was an important reason he was traveling so much. During the summer of 1751 he wanted to travel into the mountains at the northern edge of the Duchy to explore and search for some special alchemy ingredients. Specifically he wanted to find and bring back samples of a rare mushroom that only grew along a single streambed in northern Danubia. The plant was known as the "the joy of the Ancients" and it was a unique species of hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom. By the mid eighteenth century it already was rare, and botanists believe it later went extinct around 1820. Bagatúrckt's friends in Vienna doubted the existence of "the joy of the Ancients", so he wagered a purse of gold that he could find, preserve, and deliver samples of the unique hallucinogen.

Bagatúrckt wanted a trustworthy companion who was used to living outside and dealing with harsh conditions, so his best option was to find a peasant girl to accompany him on the trip. It was obvious that among the women of Starívktaki Móskt, there couldn't have been a better candidate than "the bloody one". She was pretty (which mattered the most), but she also understood outdoor life and could do things like cook over an open fire and handle dead animals. She wasn't close to anyone in the Temple and it seemed no one in the Temple would greatly miss her if she left. Also, she admired him (which was only natural and appropriate) and was willing to do what he told her to do.

After securing two horses, Bagatúrckt's next concern was getting "the bloody one" out of the Temple. For that, all he needed was the permission of his father. The Senior Priest acquiesced, as he always did whenever his son wanted something. Sure...you can take her. Probably will do her some good to move about...she seems a bit restless anyway.

Bagatúrckt approached the penitent with the happy news; that she'd have the chance to travel with him and see one of the most beautiful areas of the Duchy. They would travel to the northern provincial capitol of Sevérckt nad Gorádki and then keep going, into the highlands and the very edge of the country. He talked about the towering mountains and waterfalls, thick forests and ancient trees...about a land of mystery and magic. And she was going to see it.

So, on the first day of June the Senior Priest's son, accompanied by his favorite Temple penitent, departed Starívktaki Móskt. They were riding horses with special Church markings to ward off the Destroyer and potential attackers. Besides, Danka was still wearing her penance collar and remained naked, which further discouraged anyone from bothering her and Bagatúrckt. Danka's collar was another reason Bagatúrckt found her useful as a traveling companion. Because she didn't know if she'd be returning to the Temple, Danka took her bucket, along with a copy of the Book of the Ancients and the items Tuko Orsktackt had given her.

Traveling by horse, Bagatúrckt and his companion embarked on a two-day journey northward. They traveled through numerous villages and traversed countless farms and orchards. Bagatúrckt talked endlessly about his travels, rightfully assuming his companion was eager to hear more about the outside world and the experiences of a bold adventurer. When they stopped, he indulged himself kissing her and caressing her body. She was eager to be touched and eager to give herself to him. She shivered with pleasure when he fondled her breasts and touched her thighs.

They stopped for lunch and she listened to another poem he had dedicated to her. She cuddled in his arms and enjoyed the feeling of protection. As he held her, she imagined being married to the fine man, serving him and being everything a good wife should be. She'd go with him to all of those foreign places and do everything to make his life wonderful. She would strive to be the best wife she could be.

Now she knew why she had to endure so much suffering. The Creator was testing her and preparing her for best man a woman could possibly have. She no longer feared the future. She was happy, and she knew that there would be many more years of happiness with her beloved Bagatúrckt.

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Note: "The Bloody One" sounds more awkward in English than it does in Danubian. The Danubian word for blood is "grobáckt". The name "Dekgrobáckta" would literally translate to "the woman covered in blood". "Dek" is an affirmative prefix that is widely used in Danubian and converts many nouns into adjectives. The "a" at the end of an adjective often converts it to a nickname that describes a woman or girl.

- Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna -