; ; The chamberlain, an aged knight, named Sir Aethel, ; told me I would start work in the kitchen. Should I ; fail to please, Lord Edward, or Lady Gwendolyn, would ; punish me harshly. Of course, even as it was in my own ; village, I must announce when I get my monthly period.
; ; We all believed a woman is unclean when her ; monthly blood flows. She must leave the kitchen and ; sleep in the "birthing house" during her unclean time.
; ; When I reported to Sir Aethel that my period had ; come, he gave me into the care of two of Lady ; Gwendolyn's personal servants, Helen and Aeffe, ladies ; of good family, not slaves. They led me from the main ; hall, up some stairs, and across the drawbridge to the ; main tower, the keep, or donjon, where the lord ; himself resides. It seemed a strange place for a ; "birthing house".
; ; The eldest, Helen, said, "You must never, ever, ; speak of this to anyone, or a slow and painful death ; will follow." Aeffe added, "Whatever happens, remember ; that next year, you will have nothing to fear; there ; will be new young women to bring here." Of course, I ; felt then that I had a great deal to fear.
; ; They covered my eyes with a cloth and led me to a ; tower room. They told me to take off my clothes, which ; I did. Between the fear and the cool air, my skin was ; like gooseflesh, and my nipples stood forth. When I ; was entirely naked, they tied my wrists to overhead ; ropes, so that I was forced to stand, with my arms ; raised.
; ; Next, they put bands around my ankles, and pulled ; my feet out from under me, so that I was hanging from ; my wrists. They pulled my feet very far apart and ; secured the bands, so that I could not move. "Ladies," ; I said, "Could I not sit on the floor? Am I being ; punished for some transgression?"
; ; It was then they removed the cloth, and I could ; see on the walls whips, rods, and other instruments of ; torture. I heard the door open, and Lady Gwendolyn ; entered.
; ; Helen spoke: "Tell us truthfully, girl, are you a ; virgin?"
; ; "Yes, of course. I have never been married."
; ; "Have you ever known a man? Have you ever let a ; man touch you, between your legs?" said Helen.
; ; "No, never," I replied.
; ; "We shall see," Helen said, and she used her ; fingers to explore my most private parts. "Yes, My ; Lady, she is truly a virgin," she said, "and she has ; the flow."
; ; "Let us hope she is productive," said Lady ; Gwendolyn.
; ; "Shall I apply the lash or the rod? A good ; beating is often the quickest way," said Aeffe.
; ; "Not yet," said Lady Gwendolyn, and she left.
; ; As I hung there, Aeffe showed me a glass flask, ; and she pressed it where my mother told me I must never ; touch. It caused me great distress, to have her do ; that, especially when I was unclean, and I began to ; cry, as there was nothing at all that I could do to ; prevent it.
; ; I felt my flesh parting, and then there was a ; sharp, brief pain, as she pushed the flask right into ; my body! "OH!" I cried, "you have deflowered me. I am ; a virgin no more."
; ; "Of course you are, my child," said Helen, ; soothingly. "No man has touched you. Many a virgin ; has no maidenhead, perhaps never had one. You are ; better off without it."
; ; I could feel the container, holding open, almost ; stretching, the opening in my body through which I ; hoped, someday, to give birth. They placed a strange ; belt or girdle around my waist and buckled it on. Two ; straps went, from the sides in front, downward, ; crossing between my legs, and then across my buttocks ; and back to the belt, at the side again. The straps ; seemed to press the bottle into me.
; ; Next, Aeffe touched my nipples! Worse, she ; started to stroke and then squeeze my breasts. As she ; milked my breasts, I felt a strange stirring inside me, ; down below my navel.
; ; To my horror, Helen began to grease my shithole, ; and then she pushed a rounded rod against it. "Don't ; fight it, girl," she said. "That will only make us ; hurt you. Relax." It was disconcerting, a new ; experience, to have something go in, not out, but, when ; I got over the initial shock and relaxed, it slid into ; me. Then Helen began to move the rod, in and out, to ; and fro, side to side, stirring my insides as if some ; animal were in there. I could feel it bump into the ; flask in my front passage, and strange feelings moved ; through my body, as the sudden wind stirs the trees of ; the forest. Aeffe took one of my breasts into her ; mouth, sucking my nipple.
; ; Of course, breasts were given us by God so they ; might be sucked, by children, but I would never have ; thought that a grown woman would do so. I had heard ; nursing mothers remark that it is pleasurable, but I ; would not have imagined that I, a virgin, would find it ; so. And yet, somehow, the sucking on my breasts and ; the stirring inside me combined to feel -- almost ; pleasant.
; ; Suddenly, I felt hot breath on my naked belly, and ; even as she continued to stir my bowels, Helen parted ; my down-there hairs and began to lick with her tongue, ; right next to the flask inside me, in front of where ; the straps held it. I could not believe what was being ; done to me, and I could not believe what was happening ; inside me. I cannot describe it, except to say that ; the feelings were very pleasurable, and they centered ; on the place where Helen licked me. It got so I could ; think of nothing else, the sensations were so strong. ; I was excited, breathing hard, and I felt warm and ; cold, as if I had a fever.
; ; The unfamiliar feelings grew stronger, and I ; remember thinking it must be witchcraft. At last, I ; thought I was dying. I was gasping, and though my eyes ; were closed, I saw lights, and the feeling of an ; animal, or a bird, within me, struggling to get out, ; was overwhelming. I don't know what I cried out, but I ; remember Helen saying, "There, there, child. You are ; all right. You did very well."
; ; Aeffe stopped sucking my breasts. Helen removed ; the rod from my shithole and said, "The flow has ; improved. She is an apt donor."
; ; They lowered my bound wrists, so that, while my ; arms were still raised, and my feet were raised, my ; weight was mostly on my bottom. As my buttocks sank ; onto the straw-covered floor, the flask inside me was ; pushed even further into me, but it did not hurt, no ; longer even concerned me, in my dreamy state. Helen ; put a cup of wine to my lips and let me drink all I ; wanted. They put a fur robe over me, to keep me warm. ; I slept.
; ; Later, I came to understand all the efforts of the ; ladies were directed at making me expel the blood more ; quickly. Leaving me with my arms and legs raised also ; helped, just as I had seen my father hang a slaughtered ; goat by its hind feet to bleed it.
; ; I remember awakening when Helen and Aeffe looked ; at the flask, saying how well I had produced. They ; released my hands and feet, and I was able to stand.
; ; "Why," I asked, "do you collect the impure blood ; of my body? I accuse no one, but I have heard of no ; use for it, except by witches."
; ; Helen laughed. Then she said, "You had best never ; use that word here. Lady Gwendolyn has borne three ; strong sons, who are now grown men, yet she still ; retains her youthful looks, the clear, unwrinkled skin ; of a girl. It is because of the virgin's blood which ; we collect for her. Now, be quiet. Do not speak ; unless you are spoken to, slave."
; ; I was left to stand there, with nothing to cover ; my nakedness, but for the strange girdle.
; ; I heard Lord Edward's voice: "What is your name, ; child?" I hated to have him look at me, and when I was ; impure, as well as naked. It seemed sinful. And I ; shivered to think what might happen next.
; ; "Asa, My Lord," I replied.
; ; "And are you truly a virgin?"
; ; "No man has ever touched me improperly, My Lord," ; I said, truthfully, though, in my mind, I was no longer ; a virgin.
; ; I looked around the room and saw three more men, ; Lord Edward's sons. Sir Edgar, heir to Lord Edward, Sir ; Ethelred, and Sir Offa. I must have looked fearful, ; for the lord spoke to me, softly, "Do not fear, Asa. ; As you came here a virgin, so you shall leave a virgin, ; as Lady Gwendolyn insists." He held my breast in his ; hand, as if to judge its weight, and he put his other ; hand on my cheek. "You know what happens to a slave ; who does not please her master?" He looked directly at ; the torture devices, reminding me that this was not a ; bed chamber, for deflowering virgins; it was a torture ; chamber!
; ; Helen and Aeffe and Lord Edward left me alone with ; the three sons. Sir Edgar took my hand and led me to a ; strange frame. I had seen one like it, set up when a ; criminal was to be publicly flogged. My heart raced, ; with fear.
; ; They quickly bound me to the frame, which ; resembled a table without a top. Since they did not ; even remove the strange girdle and bottle, which ; prevented access to the place where men put their ; masculine members, I was sure that I was to be flogged. ; I had committed no crime; it would be simply for their ; amusement. My ankles were bound to two legs of the ; frame, so my legs were spread, and my wrists, already ; bound, were further bound to the far crossbar, so that ; I was bent over at the hips, with my body level, and my ; buttocks out-thrust for a caning. I had not been ; allowed to watch the flogging of the criminal, but I ; was told that such a beating is very painful, that even ; a strong man will be unable to walk after only a few ; blows upon the bare buttocks. As they tightened the ; ropes, my fear grew stronger, so I could hardly think.
; ; They threw off their robes, and showed me their ; naked bodies. Their manly members stood tall, and they ; seemed much bigger, longer, than I remembered seeing, ; when once I glimpsed a man urinating.
; ; Sir Ethelred and Sir Offa sat on the floor and ; looked up at my face, like puppy dogs begging to be ; fed. My breasts hung down, and each took hold of one ; and put it in his mouth. As before, the sucking on my ; breast had a strange effect, stirring strange feelings ; inside, and between my legs, making me remember the ; flask which was buried within me.
; ; I felt grease upon my nether hole, and then a ; pressure. I tried to relax, and I felt Sir Edgar's ; member enter my bowel, and move slowly in and out, ; stretching me, but not painfully. It was, by now, a ; familiar feeling, but more exciting, for it was no ; lady's maid with a stick but a handsome knight who was ; causing strange thrills and quivering in my belly. ; When he thrust deeply, his member pushed against the ; flask within me, and it seemed to cause more thrills.
; ; I could not long withstand the attentions of the ; three knights, sucking me and stirring my insides. I ; gasped, I think I cried out, and I again experienced ; that little death, that feeling that my soul was ; detached from my body, that feeling of a heavenly ; spirit within my belly, fighting to get out. Except, ; having experienced it before, I was no longer afraid. ; I welcomed it, lost track of what was happening around ; me, as I concentrated on the ecstasy within.
; ; And when the little death was over, I realized ; that I could feel Sir Edgar removing himself from my ; body. He came to sit beneath my breast, replacing Sir ; Ethelred. "Asa," he said to me, almost breathlessly, ; "You are much nicer than my page." Then he began to ; suck.
; ; Sir Ethelred entered me easily, for my now I was ; relaxed and very willing for him to do so. As before, ; it was like climbing a hill, like the gust before the ; rain sweeping the grain in waves, like an animal, ; struggling inside me, as the bottle was pressed ; against a very sensitive place within me, and the ; thrills became more than I could bear without losing my ; mind. I lost it willingly, losing my sense of self and ; feeling transported to heaven. This time, I was so ; engrossed with the repeated flights that I hardly ; noticed when Sir Ethelred and Sir Offa traded places. ; When Sir Offa pulled out of my shithole, I was ; exhausted, yet still excited, tingly, sensitive, not ; yet relaxed. I felt like a bird, which has soared to ; the clouds but has not yet landed.
; ; The knights untied my hands and feet, and left me, ; lying, exhausted, on the floor. Helen and Aeffe came ; for me and half carried me up still more stairs. We ; entered the highest room, and there was Lady Gwendolyn; ; her scent was strong in the room. Having just ; entertained the lord, she wore only a simple robe, not ; even slippers.
; ; "Child," she said, kindly, "come, stand by me." ; She sat upon her great bed. I stood next to her, ; flushed, my nipples erect. The maids left. She ; removed the strange girdle and took the warm flask from ; between my legs. To my amazement, she put the rim to ; her lips and drank, everything. "Oh, yes," she said, ; licking crimson menstrual blood from her lips, "you ; serve me well."
; ; She poured a great chalice of wine and handed it ; to me. "Drink, girl," she ordered. I did as I was ; told, and the wine, filling my empty stomach, added to ; my sense of unreality, my feeling that I had not ; finished flying. She filled with wine the still warm ; flask which had collected my flow, swirled the liquids, ; to mix them, and drank it all down again.
; ; "Well, Asa, do you find that repellent?"
; ; "My lady," I said, softly, "How could I, a simple ; slave, find anything you do repellent?"
; ; "Come," she said, leading me to her bed, making me ; climb onto the still warm mattress where she had lain ; with her lord. She put me on my back and spread my ; knees. "Beautiful Asa," she said, "let me see if you ; have any more for me." She began to lick the source of ; my flow, as if to suck it directly from me, without the ; need for the flask. I lay there, my mind befuddled by ; wine and weariness, and I found I was flying again, and ; a bird was fluttering in my belly, freeing me from ; earthly cares, and once more my entire being ; concentrated on the exquisite feelings, which seemed to ; fly like sparks from the end of her tongue. And then, ; when a profound relaxation came over me, I fell asleep.
; ; At dawn, naked beneath the covers, I awoke with My ; Lady licking any flow which she could find, and I found ; it quite pleasant to have her do so, though it did not ; have the uplifting effect I had experienced the night ; before.
; ; When she had done, she bid me to do the same to ; her, though she was not having her period. I did as ; she instructed, and I discovered that morning many ; interesting things about the way God made women. My ; Lady held me by my ears and guided me, telling me how ; best to lick and suck her.
; ; She kept me with her, until there was no more flow ; to be had.
; ; I had a dozen more periods before next the rents ; were collected, when new virgin slaves came to the ; castle. During that year, each time, when I was led to ; the tower, My Lady Gwendolyn would insert the flask and ; put the strange girdle on me, to hold it in. Lady ; Gwendolyn's three sons, would, at her request, stir my ; bowels and suck my breasts to speed the flow. And when ; they had done, My Lady would drink all I could give ; her, sucking me dry.
; ; Even after the new virgins arrived at Castle ; Cynewald, My Lady still required that my flow be ; harvested for her consumption, though her sons no ; longer encouraged the flow. Helen and Aeffe did. ; Helen, who worried excessively that she was growing ; old, would sometimes glean the field, with her tongue, ; though she was always honest in delivering my "rent" in ; the flask to Lady Gwendolyn. Usually, at least once ; during my period, My Lady would dismiss her other ; slaves and invite me to sleep in her bed. I looked ; forward to that.
; ; But then Lord Edward gave me in marriage to a free ; farmer, Cnut, who holds five hides of land and owns ; many swine and cattle. He assured Cnut that I was ; truly a virgin, that no man had ever touched between my ; legs, which was, of course, true.
; ; My husband, Cnut, does not release that bird which ; fluttered inside my belly and made me seem to fly ; through a starry sky. When he plants his seed in me, I ; do not die a little, do not glimpse heaven. I can no ; longer go to the tower when I have my period; there is ; a proper birthing house, and there is no one to promote ; the flow.
; ; This month, however, there is no flow. ; ;