Through the Gate of the Gods Ch. 01

"Is fighting acceptable behavior for Ladies?" Lord Sullivan asked quietly.

Orchid shook her head, wincing as the movement made fresh pain flow through her aching body, as Midnight whimpered 'no, no, no.'

The Priests carried the girls back to their room. Neither of them ever got into a fight again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Two years later, she completely botched a dance routine.

The sixteenth year focused on physical training.

"We're very happy with your minds, your hearts, and your souls," Lord Sullivan had told them when they gathered outside the first day. "Now, we're going to work on your bodies."

For the first half of the year, almost every day was outside or in one of the gyms. They ran, they jumped, they swam, they did obstacle courses, they stretched, they lifted, carried and threw heavy objects-anything to get more fit.

It was hard, demanding work but also a lot of fun. Orchid wasn't a great athlete, but she was strong and worked hard, and when they competed she usually was among the top five in the group.

Strong, flexible, and lean, they spent the second half of the year dancing, and that was when Orchid got in trouble again.

She was supposed to create and demonstrate a solo dance for the class, and didn't put in the effort needed. Tired, cranky, and suffering from some brutal growing pains, she didn't do much more than idly think about what she wanted to do, and it showed in her awkward, tentative performance.

She knew she'd done badly, and Lady Clara's scowl confirmed it. At the end of the day, the Teacher sent her to Lord Sullivan, where she confessed everything, including the reasons.

"You need to tell us these things, Orchid," he had said. "Hiding it when you're feeling poorly isn't being brave-it's akin to lying."

As punishment, she had been stretched again. This time, the Teacher bound her hands behind her back and connected her wrists to a rope hanging from the ceiling. Her arms were lifted behind her until her heels came off the floor and her shoulders howled in agony.

She was left in that painful pose, in total darkness, for an hour.

Orchid wasn't the only girl to visit the stretching room. They were all punished that way at one time or another. The Teachers knew exactly how far they could tighten the ropes and chains without injuring the girls.

Magenta especially spent so many nights in the punishment room that she sometimes joked they had special cuffs with her name on them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Eighteenth year focused on domestic duties. Cooking, sewing, cleaning, and best of all for Orchid, using tools and making small repairs.

It reminded her a little of her dimly remembered life on her old farm, figuring out how to make something broken work again.

In the last week of year eighteen, all of the girls were called to Lord Sullivan's office, one by one, for an individual conference. Orchid's turn came late in the afternoon.

The Teacher gave her a small smile. "Sit down please, little one," he said, indicating the chair in front of his desk.

Orchid had no idea what was to come. The girls that had already had their meeting answered queries by all saying the same thing..."We were told not to talk about it."

Lord Sullivan cupped his hands at his neck and rested his chin on his extended thumbs, looking at Orchid appraisingly. She met his gaze, her expression totally with out guile.

"Orchid, I need to ask you a very important question."

"Ok."

"This may seem odd...even embarrassing...but it's important you answer honestly."

"Of course sir," the girl replied. Lying was something young ladies simply did not do. It probably never would have even occurred to her as a possibility if the Teacher hadn't mentioned it.

He nodded with a smile. "In the time since you've been sharing rooms with the other girls, have you ever noticed, or suspected, that any of them were...shall we say...pleasuring herself?"

"Sir?" Orchid asked, genuinely puzzled. That he was talking about masturbation didn't cross her mind. The Teachers spent almost no time talking about sex beyond the effects of puberty. As a result, Orchid and the other girls were very naive. She wasn't even 100% sure what lovers actually did together.

"Arousing herself. Pleasuring herself sexually," the Teacher expanded.

"Ohhhh," Orchid breathed, blushing a little. She paused for a moment, considering the question.

"No sir," she finally answered, and it was true. She couldn't say for certain it had never happened, but she could honestly say she'd never noticed.

She wondered if he would ask her if she ever had. In truth, she really hadn't. The closest she'd ever come was giving herself a squeeze between the legs, and while it sometimes felt very good, she didn't think of it as a sexual thing. The sensation was more akin to rubbing her toes when they were a little sore-delightful, but not sexual.

Lord Sullivan looked at her face a moment longer, then nodded again.

"Thank you Orchid," he said with genuine affection. "If anyone asks you about this little meeting, just tell them 'we were told not to talk about it.'

"Yes sir," Orchid said, recognizing the dismissal and rising to leave.

She was fairly certain at least a few girls had answered the Teacher's question in the affirmative. The first week of year nineteen, six or seven of the girls were taken to the punishment room, and afterwards wouldn't or couldn't talk about what happened or why.

XXXXXXXXXX

And then the class was in it's final year, and the routine changed.

They went from cooking to serving. How to pour drinks, how to fix a plate and a table for maximum attractiveness, and most important of all, how to do these mundane tasks smoothly and gracefully.

To make things more interesting and more real, the School brought in outside groups once a week.

The girls had spent so many years seeing almost nothing but the same familiar faces that merely entering a room full of strangers was disconcerting at first.

It was an ancient tradition. Mulvadoran men loved to hold business and social meetings at the School. It allowed the girls to learn how to serve without interrupting a conversation, and to be comfortable around older males.

Some of the men teased and flirted, and the girls were encouraged to smile, to laugh at their attempts at humor, to act flattered.

"You always want to be pleasing," the Teachers emphasized. "In your words, in your expression, in your movements. Your main goal is to be someone they want to see, to look at, to talk to and be around."

Orchid laughed easy, blushed easy, flirted shyly, and got a lot of praise from the Teachers.

The girls spent a lot of their down time together. The nineteen year olds had a huge common room, and they gathered almost every night, well aware that their time at the School was nearing an end.

A lot of evenings, they speculated on what would happen when they went through the Gate.

"I just hope it's not painful," Lily said one night. "I'm not afraid of dying, but I hate pain."

"I don't think it will be," Flower responded. "The gods love us-can't you feel it?"

The girls all smiled and nodded, secure in that belief if nothing else.

"They won't hurt us," Breath said with conviction. "Whatever happens, it will be quick."

"Who knows?" Magenta tossed out, probably just to be ornery. "Who can say what the gods want?"

Some of the girls frowned worriedly, but Midnight giggled.

"If the last ten years are any indication, what the gods want are dancing maids."

XXXXXXXXXX

Orchid and her friend Breath had spent a lot of hours talking and worrying that the morning of the Sacrifice would be terrifying, but the experience of the School came through again. They kept the girls busy, not giving them any time to get scared and nervous.

At breakfast, Lily and Flower both rose and gave speeches. It was a surprise-the two girls had been asked a couple weeks before to say a few words, and also to keep it a secret.

Lily spoke glowingly of the School and their Teachers, and about how grateful she was for all she had learned and experienced.

Flower waited until the girls were done eating, and talked of the friendship and camaraderie between the girls. Her speech brought tears to many eyes, including her own.

Their were prayers in the School's Temple, then they all went to the gym 'to work out some of the nervous energy'-mostly with stretching and yoga, but a few of the girls, including Orchid, grabbed a ball, set up a couple nets, and spent some time running around playing a made-up game where they passed the ball around and tried to throw it into the goals.

Quick showers were followed by long, luxurious baths, lunch, massages, and the took turns fixing each other's hair.

They'd all had trims in the last month, but the barbers had left their hair long enough that the ends brushed against their buttocks, and having help to brush and comb hair that long was always appreciated.

When they were done, each girl had three thin braids in the back, a tradition so old no one was really sure when it had started.

Lady Clara gathered the group together. She asked Heather if she would take the front spot when they entered the Gate, and asked Heart to be at the end. Of course the girls agreed.

"The rest of you, fit in wherever you wish. Stay with friends if you like."

Orchid smiled at Breath, knowing they would go through the Gate almost side-by-side.

Finally, it was time to don the gold robes. They were brand new; the girls hadn't seen them, but they fit perfectly, the hem just touching the tops of their feet and the sleeves extending the the very ends of their fingertips.

They wore no shoes, no jewelry, no undergarments-only the beautiful, shining robes.

They filed out to Gates, one by one, and as they left the School for the final time, each Teacher gave them a hug and a whisper.

"I'm very proud of you, Orchid," Lady Clara told her, and Lord Sullivan reminded her "never forget what you've learned here." Both Teacher's eyes sparkled with tenderness as they said their goodbyes.

They lined up in the bright sunshine, in front of the lesser Priests, the ten year olds, and listened to the High Priest's speech. Orchid wondered if she was the only one who felt like her legs were made of rubber.

The gong sounded, three times, and they lined up behind Heather. Once more the crash of the gong rang in the near-silence, and the Gate opened.

Orchid gulped, but when the girl in front of her started to move, she followed. As they entered the darkness, she felt Breath behind her take her hand, and she squeezed her friends fingers tightly.

In moments, they all stood trembling in the blackness behind the Gate, and it slid closed.