Come and take him

On its weekly market days, Forktown hosted thousands as farmers and craftsmen from the surrounding villages came to sell their wares. Even more came to buy and the streets were always crowded and noisy.

But today wasn't a market day. Today was an ordinary day and on ordinary days, Forktown's permanent population hovered around the low mid-hundreds. Forktown was one of the many Lamanbhurg possessions in the area that Willy had wrestled back from the Reendeni. It was also where he allegedly spent most of his time.

Raina climbed off her ornate barge at Forktown's riverside port. The riverfront wasn't as packed today as Raina remembered it being on previous visits but she had only visited on market days and festival days.

"My lady Raina, if you would please do me the honor," a boisterous local merchant Raina had met before but whose name she couldn't remember offered her his carriage. She accepted as graciously as she could.

The merchant was extremely talkative but the journey was mercifully short. "I thought he would never shut up," Raina complained once they had disembarked.

"Me too, my lady," Melilla agreed.

They stood in front of a house with white-plastered brick walls and a terracotta-tiled roof in the poshest section of Forktown. A low wall surrounded the house and a girl who couldn't be older than fifteen was sweeping leaves off the front yard.

"Nice place," Raina said with some feeling. The house had nothing on any of the castles she had lived in but it was very opulent for its surroundings.

"You shouldn't have come, my lady," Melilla moaned for what had to be the hundredth time.

"Nonsense," Raina said. "I will see Willy and his whore for myself." She walked to the wooden gate and hit the brass knocker twice. The servant girl came to the gate. "Tell Willy I am here to see him," Raina instructed her.

"Sir Willarn isn't here, m'lady. He's already left."

Raina felt a stab of pain in her heart. She had expected the girl to tell her she was wrong. That Willy had never set foot in that house. But she steadied herself. "Theara then."

"Lady Theara left with Sir Willarn, m'lady. Whom should I tell them is asking when they return?"

"Where have they gone?" Raina asked.

"Her Ladyship's shop."

"Can you take us there?"

"Yes, m'lady."

Theara's shop wasn't far from her house. Raina dismissed the servant girl once she showed it to them.

Raina stood outside for a long time before going in. She stood and watched the many colorful fabrics fluttering by a window. The pretty dresses and stylish coats. Raina had lost her husband to a tailor. She took a deep breath and walked in, Melilla one step behind.

Inside was a buzz of activity. Three women worked a loom. Three more were in various stages of sewing garments. A seventh woman sat behind a desk, sketching something. She was the most striking of them all. Statuesque and voluptuous, the woman stood as they entered.

She was one of the tallest women Raina had ever seen. And she wasn't just tall for a woman. Standing just a smidge under six feet, she was taller than all but the tallest of men, the likes of Willy.

The statuesque woman's heart-shaped face broke into a dimpled smile. "My ladies," she greeted. "Welcome."

Then she got from behind her desk and walked to them. Her hair hung down to her ass, a river of black silk. All Raina could do was wonder how she got it to shine like that.

The woman's gown was made of blood-red silk, tight around her ample bosom and even ampler hips. It loosened from there and stopped in the middle of her shins, hinting at the long legs it hid. It was the kind of dress that was just decent enough to avoid being labeled as scandalous.

Raina had never seen the woman before but recognized her anyway: Theara. None of the descriptions Raina had heard did this woman any justice. Raina had always thought herself beautiful. She began reconsidering that thought.

Theara came to stop in front of Raina and Raina closed her eyes to inhale the woman's intoxicating perfume. Theara towered over her but her smile was gentle and her coal-black doe eyes sparkled. Her dimples looked even more perfect up close.

Theara pushed the hair away from Raina's neck and touched the exposed skin. Her touch was deft and delicate, like the kiss of a warm breeze. Raina hitched a breath and found herself closing her eyes again. Theara's hand moved to her shoulder where she fingered the fabric of her gown.

"You have impeccable taste, my lady," Theara said in a sultry tone. "I hope my work will not disappoint you."

"It won't," Raina found herself saying.

With one hand on Raina's shoulder, Theara put the other on Melilla's. "You should fit your dresses, child. They would wear so much better. Leave oversized clothes to farmhands and blacksmiths, yes?"

"Yes, my lady," Melilla said while bobbing her head up and down.

"So," Theara said with a voice as low as a whisper and yet somehow clearly audible. It was like she was letting them in on a secret. "What can I do for you ladies?"

"Um…um…" Raina stammered, her train of thought lost.

"Don't worry," Theara said, placing an arm around Raina's and Melilla's waists like they were old friends. "I too get overwhelmed at times. Why don't I show you around? You can decide after that."

The closeness just intensified the confusion. Theara's perfume made Raina think of hungry kisses and tumbles in the grass. Of Robyr and puppies and hugs. She swallowed. "That would be nice, my lady," Raina found herself saying. What am I doing? she worried.

Theara was easy to talk to. "Are you from these parts, my lady, or are you a new arrival?" she asked.

"I wouldn't call myself a new arrival," Raina said.

"It's just that... if you will forgive me, my lady," Theara said. "A great beauty with a taste as exquisite as yours? Living around here? I should have heard of you by now. I pride myself on such things."

Raina found herself blushing. "I am sure you have," she said. "Perhaps it's you who hasn't been here long."

Theara shook her head, paused, and gazed into Raina's eyes with those large eyes of hers. "It can't be that. I have been here since spring and in those seven months, I have heard of everyone who matters. If you have been here long enough, I would have heard of you. What's your name?"

"Raina. Raina Nylarnus Lamanbhurg."

"Oooooh!" Theara sighed. She took her arm from around Raina's and Melilla's waists, took two huge strides forward, turned, and performed a perfect curtsy. "I hope you can forgive my excessive familiarity, my lady. It is an honor to host you in my humble shop. Truly."

Raina didn't know if it was the absence of a smile on Theara's face, the distance, or the sudden deference, but for just a moment, the spell was broken. Her thoughts returned to her with a fury. "You have an excellent upper-class accent," she said. "For a commoner."

Theara put on a confused smile. "Forgive me, my lady. Does my accent offend you?"

"No. It's you FUCKING my husband that offends me."

A wave of expressions danced across Theara's face. Shock, denial, anger, and even a brief smile of pleasure. But the one she settled on was grim determination.

The shift in expression from charming to confrontational made Theara's eyes look almost too large for her face. The crow's feet around those eyes also became more pronounced. The large eyes, angular nose, sharp cheekbones, and grim expression gave Theara's heart-shaped face a fierce feline-like appearance.

And for the first time, Raina noticed Theara's age. The woman went from an indefinable agelessness to forty-something. She's old enough to be my mother, Raina thought. Old enough to be Willy's mother. His height, toughness, and seemingly endless life experience often let Raina forget that her husband was only four years older than her. The realization of Theara's age made Raina even angrier for some reason.

Why are you angry? a voice in Raina's head asked. She had never cared about Willy. She had been married to him for a year and had never even smiled at him. Not once. Never kissed him or even given a single fuck about him.

The only time she had cared whether Willy lived or died was when her own life was in danger and she needed him to expel that danger. But she was still angry he had chosen this woman over her and she didn't know why.

Theara snapped her fingers and her six helpers scurried out of the shop like scared chickens. Finally alone, Theara turned her piercing gaze to Raina. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Where is Willy?"

"He is hiding under my skirts. Come and take him, little girl."

The response threw Raina off for a bit. She had been expecting denial, or even remorse, not unrepentant admission. But her expectations were having a rough time today. Luckily, Melilla came to her rescue. "You will not address Her Ladyship like that," the handmaiden warned.

"Or else what?" Theara sneered. "How old are you? Twelve?"

"I'm nineteen," Melilla hissed.

Theara stared pointedly at Melilla's chest. "Your tits don't seem aware of that."

Melilla crossed her hands over her chest and didn't say a word for the rest of the interaction. Theara turned to Raina. "Men have needs, little girl. Didn't your mother teach you that?" she asked. "If you refuse to feed your dog, it's not going to lie down and starve. It will run away and find a master who feeds it."

"And you think yourself the master in this analogy?" Raina asked.

Theara smirked. "Willy didn't tell me you were dense."

"You will not insult me," Raina warned.

Theara took a menacing step towards her. "I will do whatever I please, little girl. Now get out of my shop. I have work to do. You have wasted my time enough with your foolishness."

Raina wagged a finger at Theara. "I will not take commands from you, you insolent peasant! This is my town. My land!"

"I have heard that the land belongs to your father," Theara said in a conspiratorial whisper. "And after him, your cousin Laman. I hear he doesn't like you or your family very much."

"I am my father's heir," Raina insisted.

"And what gave you that idea, little girl? Do you think all the hard men of southern Rhexia will follow a girl? Your father is a thief and a usurper. Once he dies, you're finished. Perhaps I will give you a job after Sir Laman throws you out. Are you any good with a needle?"

"You will not mock me, woman."

"You mock yourself, little girl. If I were you, I would be sucking Willy's cock every day and begging him to kill Laman for me. But you're too stupid to see beyond your own nose— if you can see that far."

"I will not take advice from you," Raina hissed.

Theara licked her lips. "You should. Willy really loves getting his cock licked. He loves everything else but that most of all. However flaccid or tired he is, I put that monstrous schlong in my mouth and it wakes right up."

Raina swung her fist at the woman but Theara caught it mid-swing. "You should direct that anger at yourself, little girl. If you had done your duty and fucked your husband, I wouldn't have to do it for you."

"You seduce my husband and claim you're helping me?" Raina asked, still struggling to get her hand out of the older woman's grasp.

Theara let go of Raina's hand. "Seduce?" she scoffed. "I didn't seduce Willy, not this time anyway. I was sitting at home, minding my own business, when three of his men showed up at my door with a letter. I didn't want to come here, you know. He ran away from me to marry you then came running back when he found out you were a frigid little bitch. My pride was wounded."

Raina gave Theara a questioning look, trying to make sense of what the older woman had just said.

"Willy and I have a special relationship, little girl. You would never understand. I thought the letter would have some apologizing and begging but the sweet boy…" Theara trailed off, a wistful smile lighting up her face. "He knows me too well. The letter commanded me to come here. Willy is my lord and master. When he commands me to do something, I obey— a lesson you need to learn."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"As I said, little girl, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"We have something in common, you and I," Theara said instead.

"What's that?"

"Willy killed my husband."

"And after that, you became his what? His whore?"

"I have never engaged in the profession, my dear. I like being called the word in certain contexts, like when Willy is balls deep inside my cunt. But you wouldn't know anything about how that feels, would you?"

"You will not provoke me," Raina said, more to herself than to Theara. "If you speak like a whore and act like a whore, you are a whore."

"Do you spend a lot of time around whores, my lady?"

"Nooo."

"Then how do you know how whores speak or act like?"

"They sleep with many men," Raina blurted out.

Theara's face broke into a triumphant smile. "But I have only ever slept with two men my whole life, sweetie. My husband. And yours."

Raina let out a hiss through her teeth. "Though strictly speaking," Theara added. "Your husband and I don't engage in a lot of sleeping. He's a very energetic boy. Fucked me so hard last night… And this morning… I didn't think I'd be able to walk."

Raina could only glare at this foul-mouthed woman. Heedless, Theara continued, "It's for the best that you leave Willy to me. You're not woman enough for him. The only man you could satisfy is a dead one. Have you ever tried putting your Robyr's ashes in your cunt or is it too dry?"

Raina hissed and swung a fist at Theara. She caught it again. "Control your anger, little girl," the older woman warned. Theara rifled through her waist-length hair with her other hand and pulled out a paring knife. "Swing at me again and will carve up your face so thoroughly your own mother won't recognize you. No one will be able to look at your face without running away."

"They will do the same to you," Raina told her, trying to hide her fear.

"Who is this they?" Theara asked. "All the soldiers here are Karkbhurg men. Do you think Willy would let them disfigure me?"

"I am his wife," Raina said. "He is honor-bound to avenge me. He will never let you get away with it. That would be a blot on his honor."

"His honor didn't stop him from fucking me," Theara said. Then she rubbed her belly. "It didn't stop him from putting a baby in my belly."

Raina's eyes widened in shock but Theara continued, "He loves me, little girl. He has always loved me and he always will. He only married you because his father commanded him to. Lord Bramyrl thinks I'm a bad influence on his son, you see. He thought a young wife from far away would make Willy forget me. But you turned out to be a frigid little bitch and sent Willy running right back into my arms. Lord Bramyrl tried to hang me once, you know. Willy wouldn't let him. Swore to kill him in retribution and his lordship relented. Men will do things for love that they would never dream of doing for honor alone, my dear. That's why I can do this." And Theara smacked Raina hard across the face.

The slap had Raina staggering back. Her cheek stung and her eyes watered. Raina's shock outweighed her pain. Commoners didn't strike noblewomen. It just wasn't done. A commoner who struck a noble would lose the hand that did the striking.

But Theara had slapped her. And she just stood watching Raina with a smug smile. Melilla tried to say something but a look from Theara had her closing her mouth. "Why would you do that?" Raina cried.

"To put you in your place, little girl," Theara said. "Go tell Willy I slapped you. See what he'll do to me. Tell your father and tell the king if you want to. See if Willy will let them do anything to me." Theara turned to walk away.

Raina didn't know if the woman was serious or posturing but she had said something else that bothered her. "Are you truly pregnant?" Raina called after her.

Theara turned. "You don't believe me?"

Raina swallowed. "You don't look it." Her stomach was so flat.

Theara smiled and rubbed her belly in a circular motion. "Early stages, my dear. Early stages."

"Why?" Raina asked.

"Why what?" Theara returned the question.

"Willy," Raina said. "He killed your husband. Why don't you hate him?"

"Because I hated my husband more. Drunken brute beat me all the time. When he wasn't beating me, he was accusing me of being unfaithful to him and beating me again."

"What gave him that idea?"

Theara shrugged. "I am just one of those women. Men look at me and get erections. It's why Marlon married me. Then he got insecure and accused me of infidelity every time a man looked in my direction. But Marlon was right. I was unfaithful to him. Once."

"When?"

"The day he died."

Raina gave Theara a confused look. The woman's face lit up. "It was also the day I met Willy," she said. "Has he ever told you the tale of how we met? Of how he killed my husband and claimed me for himself?"

"No," a curious Raina said.

"Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes."