Most men were able to push passed feeling uncomfortable with an unwilling woman. Most men who had been warriors had no problem pillaging a village and raping women, but she was no woman. He tried hard not to think about how she was his innocent, beautiful wife, and instead focused on the thought that this needed to be done. His hips thrusted back and forth and he gripped her hips harder. The curves of her body helped seduce him closer to his finish, but there was still a nagging feeling of guilt that held him back.

The Riven leader could do nothing to appease his little wife, so he focused on himself. He pulled her hips back against him some as he thrust, grunting as he felt himself getting closer. Noel was a man who was proud of how long he could last, but not tonight. Tonight he simply wanted this pleasure over. Minutes went by that felt like an eternity until he pulled her close, pushing deep inside of her and pumping his hips hard until he finally finished inside his wife. Even though he wanted it to be over a low groan of pleasure escaped him as he came, and he sat still inside her for a moment afterwards. His hand ran over her butt and after a few deep breaths to steady his heart he pulled out and stepped off of the bed.

Noel walked to the other side of their home and poured himself a glass of wine, then poured her a new one. Nearly downing the entire large cup as he walked he handed Lorelei her own cup in an attempt to ease her pain then finished his own and laid down on the bed. He didn’t know what to say to apologize for his savage behavior to carry out tradition, so instead he laid down on the bed and threw a sheet over his hips. He finally looked to her, studying her face with the little light that was left in the room, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Lay down. It is... finished.”

It would be over soon…it would be over soon…it would be over soon…she kept repeating this in her head over and over like a mantra and it was not enough to make the situation any better, but she repeated it so much that she was able to distract herself and zone out for a few moments which was a short but welcome relief. She zoned out so much in fact that when he finally released she gasped from the suddenness of it and grit her teeth, glancing back at him slightly before down at the bed again. Her face and neck was covered in tears and her eyes red and she held her breath as she hoped this meant it was over. She was naïve, she didn’t even understand what he had just done but since he had stopped moving his hips she could only hope that this meant he was done and it would all be over now. She still feared he would want to do it again….maybe not tonight, but tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that…the thought made her feel truly sick to her stomach. She didn’t think she could keep going through this.

When he moved away from her she felt relief that he was finally away from her body and she let out a harsh breath that she hadn’t even realized she was holding. Her body stayed rigid however and she didn’t move, her body still trembling. When he brought her the wine she didn’t even glance over to him, she just shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes as she pleaded to whoever would listen to her that he wouldn’t touch her again tonight. When he laid down she still didn’t allow herself to relax as if she thought he’d just leap up and take her again but when he told her it was finished very, very slowly she began moving and her body moved like it was an unoiled, rusty machine. She moved to lie on her side and curled up with her back to him and as close to the edge of the bed as she could manage. She turned her face into the pillow and just kept crying, knowing she would get no rest tonight with the fear that she had of him being so close.

There was a little part of Noel that felt unsatisfied and left a strange craving in his stomach, but he was able to ignore it. There wasn’t a chance in hell that he was going to muster up enough savage in himself to be able to put his hands on Lorelei again.

It was not long before the leader fell asleep. The work of raping his poor wife will do that to a man. Morning came all too soon and he was up and getting himself ready to leave just after the sun was up. The handmaiden given to Lorelei had come soon as day was
rising and had cooked breakfast for the couple outside. The smell wafted into the hut as she brought it inside and smiled at Noel as she handed him a cup of juice to start his day. “Good morning.” She greeted him and received a nod of his head as he ate his breakfast. The dark haired handmaiden made small conversation, most words only coming from her, and kept glancing at the sleepy beauty and waiting for her to wake.

"Do you think she will like it here in Riven?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from her new mistress.
"I hope so." Noel replied quietly as he picked up another piece of bacon.

She did not sleep for hours, in fact it wasn’t until the sun just barely began to rise that exhaustion finally broke through her pain and sadness and she passed out asleep. She would have been happy sleeping forever and never waking up again, that was how miserable she felt after her first night with her husband. Lorelei had lived her life trying to be open minded unlike the people of J’nanin, she had tried to accept everyone and not be prejudice of other Ages. But of course that had been easy to do just learning from books and not having any firsthand experience, for now all she thought of Riven was he was a cruel animal; he could barely be human by his treatment of her. Anybody else had to be better than him.

She didn’t sleep long, perhaps an hour or so, when she heard voices and smelled food. Her eyes were all but thrown open and she looked behind her to see if her husband was anywhere near her before her foggy gaze followed the sound of voices and she spotted the woman from before and Noel. She gazed at them for a few moments quietly before putting her head back down and closing her eyes, hoping they hadn’t spotted her awake yet. She knew she had duties now as a wife; to cook, to clean, to tend to him…that would be her life now every day. But she didn’t want to be around him, she wanted him to go away and be alone.

As a leader and old soldier of war there was not much that got passed Noel. So when his wife lifted her head and laid back down he noticed, but didn’t make any gesture to it. Instead he continued eating and finished off his breakfast. Small talk was made with the handmaiden and very few replies came from him before he rose and left for the day. There were council meetings to get to and hunting to be done with the other men in the villages.

Israel cleaned up after Noel had left. She gathered his place and cleaned up the little mess he had left, trying not to seem so eager for Lorelei to wake. She had only been a handmaiden for so long, and was thrilled to have her own duty. Soon she became anxious and went to the bed, looking around until she spotted a silk robe and brought it to Lorelei. “Sleeping beauty, it is time for breakfast.” She spoke slowly and gently nudged the side of the bed, looking pleased to wake her mistress.

She heard him leave but continued to pretend to sleep, thinking and hoping Israel would leave as well after she cleaned up. Lorelei just wanted to be alone, that’s all she wanted. Since she arrived to Riven she had literally not had one moment alone to herself and it bothered her, she was used to having time alone and to not get one moments of peace made her uneasy. But it seemed her desire for peace would not be granted, just like everything else she had wanted had not come to pass, like her husband not forcing himself on her. When Israel came to the bed and spoke her eyes snapped open easily and she looked at her with a sigh. Peace was over for the rest of her life it seemed.

Her expression did not look happy, wetness was stained on her face and her eyes still alive with red. Slowly she sat up and shifted to sit at the edge of the bed, grimacing at the pain throbbing between her legs and the ache of her body. Her head hanged to stare down numbly at her lap and she just…sat there like a zombie. She had never felt so unhappy in her life, never so empty and just like she’d never be happy again. It frightened her to feel this way, but there was nothing to be done, was there? She glanced up to Israel and looked at the rob but didn’t budge.

Some handmaiden’s in other cities were raised to be prim and proper. Israel had been a whore. She had been abused and tossed around, and only given the freedom to see the light of day beautiful again when she was chosen for the lady of the leader. To her, Lorelei was salvation. She was freedom, though she wasn’t entirely free.

Israel stood still, holding the robe out to Lorelei as she sat up and stared. The woman could recognize the sadness in her eyes and the disheartened gloom that surrounded her. She stood still for a few moments before pursing her lips and stepping closer. “Lady Lorelei,” She said her name in an understanding tone and touched her chin to have her look up. She smiled at her while looking over her face then reached around and helped her put on the robe. “Time for breakfast.” She repeated, but wasn’t going to force food on her quite yet. Instead she retrieved a cool washcloth and brought it to her, touching her face gently with it to help relax her puffy eyes and runny nose. “I am here to take care of you.” Each time she spoke she said the words slowly, hoping Lorelei would understand. The woman again pursed her lips and left to the opposite side of the tent and pulled out a few herbs, mixing them with hot water to make an herbal tea. A few minutes later she returned with the steaming cup and offered it to the J’nanin girl. “This will help ease your pain.”

She looked up at her, a frown stuck on her lips and wishing she just wasn’t there. She appreciated though the gentleness the woman was taking with her, at least someone was respecting her enough to not treat her like a rag doll. She let the robe be placed on her and she gripped it tight at the front, her hands shaking some all of the sudden as the events of last night briefly danced around in her head. She didn’t even bother to understand what she was saying at first, just sitting there like a lump as Israel tended to her with the washcloth. She then looked at her with fresh tears in her eyes “Will it always be like that? Every night? Will he do that every night?” She asked fearfully, then swallowed hard and tried to rack her brain but couldn’t figure out how to translated what she said, so she went another route.

She looked down at fiddled with the robe as she tried to see the words of Rime she had seen in books “He…harm. Every day?” The words were choppy, but it gave the gist. When she gave her the tea she took it and nodded “Thank you” The only Rime word she knew very well. She took a few sips then slowly stood, grimacing at the discomfort her body felt but tried to grit her teeth and bare it. She just wanted to get through the day and looked to Israel, trying to look neutral at least but it wasn’t working “Teach…” She didn’t know the word for chores or for duties so she motioned around the house. Maybe if she got into a routine she could get her mind off things and spend time away from her husband as much as possible.

The words fumbled at her made Israel stand still, staring like a dog who’s master said commands it didn’t know. She knew very, very little Narayan, but knew fear in a woman’s voice. She frowned and shook her head, unsure of what she was saying until it was in her own language. “He harmed you?” She tilted her head. “Oh, oh… it hurt last night?” Of course it would, Lady Lorelei was a virgin.

“You will get used to it… it will feel better soon.” She continued babbling slowly even though she knew Lorelei didn’t grasp everything she was saying. She would learn eventually, and soon they could have full conversations with each other. For the time being she simply took care of her mistress and smiled when she took the drink. The word teach left her confused and she shook her head. “No, time to eat… breakfast. I made breakfast.” She gestured to the food that sat on the small table near the other end of the Louvel home and offered a smile. “Eat.”

She nodded when she questioned him harming her. She still thought it was unnecessary for him to do what he did, but if he did feel the need she was convinced he could have been far gentler with her but why would he? He didn’t care about her. She was just some pretty little object given to him by J’nanin, he probably cared about nothing other than hunting. “Cruel” She said the word in Rime, her lips trembling for a moment but with how horribly she had cried last night she had hardly any more tears to spare. Get better….that’s all? That it will get better? She didn’t want it to get better, she didn’t want him body near hers again!

She took a few more sips of the drink given to her, it tasted funny but the warmth helped soothe her sore throat and relax her body. She looked to the food and made a face, her stomach twisting. She was hungry, she hadn’t eaten since she arrived, but the thought of food at the moment made her sick from the nerves and tension she felt. She did move to sit at the table however but pushed the food away and just kept sipping the tea, staring off and found herself sighing again. "He hates me" She whispered to herself then looked to Israel. She supposed she could try and open up to the woman...she was all she had "Noel. Hate" She said in Rime, finishing the sentence by putting a hand over her chest to indicate herself.

Handmaiden’s were the source of comfort for wives of higher up men. They were rare in Riven, but there were women who helped wives and women who banded together once they had lost their husbands. They were comfort, and comfort is what she tried to give the foreign girl. She followed her out of bed and to the table, knitting her brows and trying to think of ways to ease the pain of being torn from one’s home.

When she pushed the food away Israel pushed it back to her. “Eat. You look starved.” As a proper handmaiden she stood near her rather than sit, but once Lorelei spoke again Israel frowned and to sit on the bench next to her but gave her a little space. “No.” She shook her head. “He does not know you… You are a stranger.” She spoke slowly, looking honest with her words. “You must make him know you. Make him love you.” She reached over and touched Lorelei’s hair gently, offering her a smile of condolence. “Men are dumb… easy to train. You must train him. Train him to be gentle. Train him to be loving.” While she spoke she continued to stroke Lorelei’s beautiful hair. “He is not a bad man… just a stupid man.”

When she pushed the food back she sighed, shaking her head again. She felt like she was back home for a moment, with her mother forcing food down her throat as a child. J’nanin women were not meant to be thin, not like women in Riven and Uru. No, J’nanin women were expected to be full figured and robust and women who were not were seen as unattractive. She stared at the food instead of looking to Israel, just feeling awkward and uncertain around this strange woman that she could barely communicate with. When she sat down however to speak to her she glanced to her, not wanting to be rude and appear she was ignoring her words of advice.

She struggled with what she was saying, once again only catching words. Know. Stranger. Make. Know. Love. Men. Dumb. Train. She frowned as she touched her hair, but found some comfort in it, her mother used to pet her hair when she was upset. She understood a little of what she was trying to say, the same gist of things would get better between her and Noel, but nothing that convinced her or made her feel better at that moment. She sighed, finding to be doing much of this lately and finished off the drink before slowly beginning to pick at the food infront of her. She didn’t really eat more than just snack, but she got some food in her mouth and swallowed.