DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.



John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 2: Mantle Of Aries
Chapter 16

The afternoon of the wedding was a hot day, but misters placed 
strategically on the property helped cool the air where people 
would gather. The invitations had specified casual dress 
appropriate for hot weather. Those individuals that chose to wear 
more formal clothes were told that a coat rack for suit coats was 
available and that simple t-shirts could be picked up to replace 
long sleeved shirts.  

Ed stood at the entrance greeting everyone who came to the 
wedding. John stood next to him with Beth and Kelly by their 
sides. When Ed did not like the feel of one of the guests he would 
turn to John and, with exaggerated formality, introduce the guest to 
John. This was the clue to the security guards to watch that 
individual closely throughout the afternoon. Rover and Shadow sat 
behind John. If they growled at someone, the individual was 
discretely taken to a remote area for drinks and food. After 
everyone arrived, those guests were quietly removed from the 
property.

Buses carried guests from the hotels John had reserved. The arrival 
times of buses were staggered so that no one would have to stand 
in a long line to enter the property. The personal greetings at the 
entryway may have slowed entry to the gala event, but it also made 
everyone feel welcome. Guests were led in small groups to the 
booths where soda, tea, coffee and water were available. People 
were told that it was expected that everyone would always have a 
drink in their hand to prevent excessive water loss.

Different bands were scattered about the property. There was a 
rock and roll group, a jazz band, a country and western group, a 
classical quartet, a swing band, and the two impersonators of Elvis 
and Frank Sinatra. People gravitated to the locations where a band 
played their favorite type of music. Portable toilets were set up 
discretely around the property. Separate wash basins were in areas 
that were more public so that those eating ribs and other messy 
foods could wash their hands. 

A children's' play area had been set up near the center of the 
festival. It was staffed with babysitters, playground supervisors, 
and a private nurse to take care of any bumps or bruises that might 
occur. There were swings, slides, toy houses, and water slides. 
Little houses were scattered throughout with lots of toys inside. 
Only a child could dream of heaven such as this play area 
represented. 

To one side of the property was a long line of tents, the site 
occupied by others that wore the medallion. The medallion holders 
mingled easily with others at the party, enthralling listeners with 
tales of their travels and adventures. They made unlikely 
introductions among other guests, introductions that turned into 
long lasting friendships or love bonds.

Three hours had been set aside for the guests to arrive. At the end 
of that time, John and Ed closed the gate to the property. The four 
made their way to the house to quickly shower and change into 
their wedding clothes. During that time, security people gathered 
the far-flung guests and then lead them to an area in front of a 
small stage. The platform contained a small table with a number of 
objects hidden from view by a simple cloth covering.

When most of the people had gathered in front of the stage, Mary 
Darling explained the wedding ritual they were about to observe. 
She described the symbolism of the various phases of the 
ceremony. She identified where the audience was to participate and 
what they were to do. Her description captured the imaginations of 
the people gathered there. She brought to life a time when nature 
ruled the destiny of men rather than stock market analysts. 

Finally, it was time for the ceremony to begin. A path through the 
crowd led from the house to the platform.  Ed walked the path 
alone wearing a black robe. When he reached the platform, Kelly 
walked the path alone wearing a white robe. She was followed by 
John who wore a gray robe. Finally, Beth made the journey alone 
in a white robe. They joined hands on the platform. Four 
individuals had joined to become one.

Mary, using a sword, marked a circle around the platform. As the 
circle was closed, she shouted, "Be gone negative energies."

She went around that circle using the sword to mark it a second 
time. As the second circle was closed, she shouted, "Protect us 
from negative energies."

She went around that circle using the sword to mark it a third time. 
As the third circle was closed, she shouted, "Make us invisible to 
those that mean us harm."

The area in which the participants in the ceremony stood was now 
warded against evil and, as such, it had become holy ground. Mary 
returned to the small table in the center of the platform and 
removed the cloth covering the items laid upon it. She set the 
sword on the table behind a large jar of wine. She picked up the 
wine and held to up to the sky. She called out, "Gods and 
Goddesses, bless this wine."

Setting the jar of wine on the table, she turned to the four gathered 
in front of her. She asked, "Do you swear before the Gods and 
Goddesses that you enter into this union of your own free will?"

All four of them answered, "Yes."

Mary turned to the assembled guests, "Are you willing to swear by 
the deity that you hold most holy that all have answered yes to this 
question?" 

The crowd answered yes in a great roar. Mary nodded, "Then no 
person may question the decision to be in this marriage!"

She asked, "Do you swear before the Gods and Goddesses that you 
enter into this union to love and be loved?" 

All four of them answered, "Yes."

Mary turned to the assembled guests, "Are you willing to swear by 
the deity that you hold most holy that all have answered yes to this 
question?"

The crowd answered yes in a greater roar than before. Mary 
smiled, "Then no person may question the motives behind this 
marriage!"

She then took a silver goblet and poured a small amount of wine 
into it. She picked up a knife from the table. She held the knife and 
goblet up in the air for all to see. She stepped to Ed asking him to 
hold out his hand. Holding the goblet beneath his hand, she jabbed 
a fingertip with the knife. A few drops of blood ran out of the cut 
into the goblet below. She then went to Kelly and repeated the 
process with her. Kelly looked at the cut with disdain, there were 
better ways to get blood from someone. Mary repeated the process 
with John and then Beth. The goblet now contained a mixture of 
wine and the blood from all four of them. 

Mary returned to the table and poured the wine-blood mixture into 
the jar from the goblet. She mixed the contents of the wine jar by 
swirling it around. She then poured a little wine into the goblet 
from the wine jar. She held up the goblet for all to see. She stated 
to them, "By drinking the wine in this goblet, you will bind 
yourself to your mates for a period of one year."

She passed the goblet to Ed. Ed took a sip of the wine and 
swallowed. He handed the goblet back to Mary. Mary went to 
Kelly and handed the goblet to her. Kelly took a sip of the wine 
and handed the goblet back to Mary. Kelly smiled at Ed as she 
swallowed the wine. She could feel a closeness to him that was 
new. He looked at her as the same feeling entered him. It was then 
John's turn. As he took his sip, he felt an amazing closeness to Ed 
and Kelly. They turned to look at him with a glow in their eyes. 
Mary took the goblet to Beth. Beth took a sip that emptied the 
goblet. Upon swallowing the wine, it was as if an electric jolt 
passed through all four. 

Mary placed the goblet upon the table and waited until the 
attention of the four returned to her. She stated, "Each year, on the 
anniversary of this date, you will fill this goblet with the wine from 
this jug. You renew your joining for another year by taking a sip of 
wine."

She capped the jar of wine and handed it to Ed. Ed held it carefully 
and gently as if it was a newborn baby. She handed the goblet to 
Kelly. She stated, "If a person chooses not to renew their role in 
the joining, then they need not drink of the wine. The others can 
continue by drinking the wine."

She turned to the people gathered, "They are now wed according to 
our tradition. The duration of their marriage is one year and can be 
renewed from year to year. Life long commitments stop being acts 
of love and sharing. Instead, they become duties performed under 
obligation. Marriage should be based on love and not obligation."

She shouted in joy, "Say hello to the clan Carter!"

The audience shouted hellos and congratulations. Mary returned to 
the table and picked up the sword. Traversing the circle three times 
in the opposite direction, she erased the boundary that had made 
this sacred ground. Together, the four went to the house to spend a 
few minutes together. 

In the house, Kelly turned to the others, "That was so intense!" 

Beth was glowing, "My goodness, I had dreamed of a normal 
marriage ceremony with the white dress, the church, the rice, and 
all that stuff. I'll never regret having this one instead."

"We got to wear white!"

John laughed, "You wore white because you are not yet an initiate. 
I wore gray because I serve the Gods and the Goddesses. Ed wore 
black because he serves the Two-sided One. Those that serve the 
God wear Red while those that serve the Goddess wear Green. 
Initiates wear blue."

Ed asked, "You aren't the first one to wear gray?"

John stated, "Mary added gray to the colors to handle just this 
case."

Kelly gushed, "I love all of you so much that I can hardly stand it."

John smiled, "We shared our souls with each other today. That is 
the true wellspring of love."

Ed laughed, "I feel as though I will never be alone again."

Beth, with tears of joy in her eyes, stated, "We are truly one now."

"Now we must change clothes and mingle with our guests. If I may 
make a suggestion, Ed. You may want to talk with the others who 
wear the medallion. You are the only servant of the Two-sided One 
present today. The other is a seer and has avoided me since the first 
time we met. I believe that he has a prophecy that I am not to hear 
until the time is right."

They changed their clothes and headed outdoors to chat with 
guests. The four split to be able to handle more guests at the same 
time. John went to the area where the swing band was playing. He 
expected to meet Mrs. South and her boyfriend over in that area. 
Ed went to where the country and western music was playing. He 
thought that the majority of townspeople would be there. Kelly 
headed towards the rock and roll band to talk with some of the 
younger attendees. Beth went in the direction of the Jazz band. 

As John wandered over to the Swing Band, he looked at the faces 
of people. The majority of them were having a great time. Once the 
ceremony had ended, the food was served. People were seated 
around tables eating all kinds of food. John stood in the line with 
the Bar-B-Que to get a steak, baked sweet potato and corn on the 
cob. When it was his turn to get served, he was surprised by the 
sudden appearance of Rover rubbing his leg. He reached down and 
scratched the cat behind the ears. 

The server, not knowing John, asked, "What would you like, sir?"

John answered with a smile, "I'll have a medium-rare steak and 
two raw steaks for my friend here."

The man was about to argue, but then glanced down and saw 
Rover. He gulped, "Yes, sir. One medium-rare and two raw."

He fetched two plates. On one, he put the medium-rare steak. On 
the other, he put the two raw steaks. John took them both and 
headed over to where the vegetables were being served. One of the 
townspeople saw him struggling as he tried to hold two plates and 
put food on one of them. The man came over and helped John out 
by dishing out the vegetables on his plate. John thanked him and 
headed over to one of the tables. He saw Mrs. South, Mr. Jensen, 
Beth's parents, and Sherry seated together. He changed course and 
joined them at their table. 

John set his plate down on the table. He then bent down and set the 
plate with two raw steaks on the ground. Rover went to the plate, 
picked up a steak and trotted off to eat it in private. John seated 
himself at the table, "Hello everyone. I'm so glad you could make 
it here."

Mr. Jensen answered, "We wouldn't have missed it for the world. 
Vicki's been so excited that she didn't even think about sex this 
morning."

Mrs. South laughed, "What do you mean? I woke you with a 
blowjob this morning."

"And why were we on time? You didn't want a nooner coming 
down here!"

John looked over at Beth's parents. Their faces showed a little 
shock at the discussion between the two. He greeted them, "Hello, 
Dr. and Mrs. Hayes. I hope you found the room comfortable."

Mrs. Hayes responded, "Oh yes, it was quite comfortable. I can't 
believe it is for the staff. It is very spacious."

Dr. Hayes added, "That house must have cost a fortune."

John shrugged as he stated, "Your daughter deserves the best. I 
could do no less than that."

Mrs. Hayes leaned forward, "I have never seen my daughter this 
happy. She loves you a lot. I have to know, do you love her too?"

John answered, "Your daughter is one of the two most loved 
women in the world. She has two husbands that love and adore her. 
She has a wife that loves her very much."

Dr. Hayes sat back with narrowed eyes, "Who is the other most 
loved woman?"

John smiled. "Our wife, Kelly. Believe me when I say that Beth 
loves Kelly as much as she loves me and Ed."

"I just don't quite understand that."

Sherry answered, "Love is giving and not taking. Those four know 
how to give more than any other people I've ever met. None of the 
people here is solely a business partner. They are all friends. Think 
of it, a thousand friends, many of whom were willing to travel to 
be here. They love each other with a depth that is awe inspiring."

Dr. Hayes examined Sherry. Unlike many men, he saw through her 
physical characteristics to the woman beneath. He could tell that 
she was an objective observer that was telling it as she saw it.

Mrs. South stated, "I think you need to spend a little time with 
John alone. He rented a room from me for several years and I got 
to know him well. He is the most unusual man that I've met in my 
whole life. Believe me when I say that. I've met many men in my 
time. John sees the essential nature of the people around him."

At that moment, Harry, the EMS man from Austin, arrived at the 
table. He shouted, "Hey Hero! That was such a lovely ceremony. I 
must say you've picked quite a nice family."

John smiled and shook his head. He stated, "Harry, if you want to 
give me a wedding present, you'll start calling me John!"

"Sorry Hero. Calling you John would just seem disrespectful."

John said with a laugh, "Okay. I'd like you to meet Mrs. South and 
Mr. Jensen. They both live in Austin. She was my landlord. The 
other couple there is Dr. and Mrs. Hayes. They are Beth's parents. 
The lovely lady there is Sherry. Everyone, this is Harry."

John was bumped from behind. He looked back and he saw that 
Shadow was behind him. Shadow picked up the second raw steak 
and trotted off with it. John looked around and saw that Rover was 
back to walking the edge of the property. Apparently, the cats were 
taking turns eating. He then noticed that the bear and the wolf were 
also walking the property line. Looking again at Shadow reminded 
John of the food on his plate and he dug in as Harry started telling 
tales about John. 

John, for his part, concentrated on eating. Occasionally, he would 
look up and tell everyone that Harry was exaggerating again. Mrs. 
South undermined his efforts and would chime in with other details 
about this adventure or that adventure. He looked over at Dr. 
Hayes, when Harry told the story about his being burnt and Mrs. 
South added more details about his activities in the burn unit. Dr. 
Hayes was looking at John in a different way than before. It took a 
minute for John to remember that he was a doctor and knew what a 
burn ward was like. 

Dr. Hayes asked, "John, is it true that you read to the children in 
the burn ward every weekend when you were in Austin?"

"Yes, for the most part. Look, they're children. It doesn't matter 
what they look like. They are children and like things that other 
children like. If I read them a story or play Hunt The Bug Eyed 
Monsters with them, they get to feel like children again. They 
laugh, giggle, and smile like every other child. A wonderful man, 
who is here I believe, took over for me. He reads to them every 
morning. He's special because he does it for them."

Dr. Hayes stated, "I'm impressed. If nothing else convinces me you 
are a good man, that does."

John shook his head, "Don't be impressed. I was in the right place 
at the right. Thousands of other people would have done the same."

John looked down at his plate and realized that he had eaten 
everything on it. He looked up. "I guess I had better mingle some 
more. We've got close to a thousand guests here and I would like 
to say a few words with everyone."

Everyone stated his or her good byes. Beth's parents said they 
would see him tonight after everything was over. They were 
staying in the house for the week so that everyone could meet 
everyone else. John walked away waving to them as he left. Harry 
continued to talk about John.

John ran into many people from town as he walked around. The 
majority of them wished him well in his marriage. A few were 
having problems understanding how four people could love each 
other. He answered their questions to the best of his ability. He told 
them that they didn't have to accept the marriage, but he hoped 
they would continue to respect the individuals within it. He 
suggested that every person coped with the hardships of life the 
best that they could. The four of them found this would allow them 
to cope. 

One guest, followed closely by a security person, saw John and 
headed straight for him. He stated, "You're so rich that you think 
you can get away with anything. You're wrong. What you're doing 
with this marriage is sick! When you die, you are going straight to 
hell."

John got a very serious look on his face. He replied, "I have died 
twice."

The man reeled back, "Huh?"

"Yes, I have died twice. The first time was ten years ago and the 
last time was a year ago. If you are interested, I will tell a little 
secret that I learned when I died."

"I'm interested."

"The difference between going to heaven and hell is knowing how 
to love. If you know how to love and love the people around you, 
then you will get into heaven. Anything less than that will lead you 
straight to hell. You do not have to take that on faith, it is fact." 
John paused, "I tell you this because there are people that want to 
love you and you are blind to it. You shall see them when you 
learn to give of yourself. When you can do that, heaven is all 
yours."

John walked away leaving the man staring at his back. John knew 
the man and was aware of how lonely his life had been. He greeted 
the world with hostility as a way to protect himself from being 
hurt. John did not know what event in the guys early life had hurt 
him so much, but the man had shut himself off from all happiness.

John continued to walk around. He was near the classical quartet 
when he noticed Mary, the young girl that he had saved from a 
fire, sitting alone. He could see that she was lonely and used her 
scars to prevent people from getting too close. He approached her 
and sat down next to her. "Wonderful music isn't it?"

"Oh, yes. I guess it is odd for a girl my age to enjoy classical 
music, but I do," replied Mary. She had spent the past few years 
learning to play the piano. Since her teacher was classically 
trained, she had forced the same kind of music upon Mary. Rather 
than resenting it, Mary had come to appreciate it.

John was wondering how to introduce Mary to people that would 
see the inner person when Rover joined them. He introduced Mary 
to Rover. Mary was amazed to be able to pet such a big cat. They 
chatted a little while before John suggested, "Rover seems to like 
you a lot. Why don't you go with him and introduce yourself to 
some of his friends?"

Mary looked at John as if he were crazy. "He's going to take me 
around to people?"

John smiled at Mary. "He has very discerning taste in people. If he 
takes you to a person, then you know they have a good soul."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Just remember that not all scars are on the outside. 
Some have been wounded as deeply as you. If you get past their 
pain, you will find a heart bursting with the desire to love. Just as a 
person that gets past your scars finds a heart that desires to love 
and be loved."

"I will go with Rover." Mary, tired of being alone, followed Rover 
away from where she had been seated. John watched the pair walk 
away. Rover was leading her to the swing area. He guessed that 
Rover was taking her to met Sherry. There were times when Rover 
really amazed him and this was one of those times. 

John wandered around the grounds chatting with people that he 
knew while introducing himself to those he didn't know. Most of 
the people that he didn't know were childhood friends of Kelly or 
Beth, colleagues of Ed, and relatives of the other three.

He met Kelly's parents for the first time. They were hippies in the 
'60s and lived in a commune when Kelly was eight. Her desire for 
a group marriage was fueled by the time spent living in the 
commune. As a child, it had been a very happy time having adults 
and kids around that were always willing to play. 

His conversation with Kelly's parents was cut short by a loud roar 
from the side of the property. He recognized it as the roar of an 
enraged grizzly and he knew that meant Smoky had found 
someone entering the property without invitation. He ran over to 
where the bear stood over a man prostrate on the ground. The bear 
would occasionally growl at the man, who shook in fear.  John 
walked up to the scene and examined the man. There was a gun on 
the ground next to him. John knelt down, "Should I let the bear kill 
you?"

The guy was too scared to answer. He shook and cried at the sight 
of the bear standing over him. One of the security guards arrived. 
John shook his head, "I should let the bear kill you, but I'll let you 
live." 

The security guard looked down and put handcuffs on the man. He 
led the man away to a holding area that had been set up for that 
purpose. As the guard left, John became aware of the growling of a 
large cat. He headed off in that direction. He came around the side 
of the house in time to see one of the guards handcuffing another 
individual. Rover sat nearby watching the man being subdued. 

John looked around the area to see where Shadow and Moony 
were. He quickly found Moony trotting along the back of the 
property. That meant Shadow must have been in the front. He ran 
around to the front of the house and saw a black shape lying on the 
ground. He ran to the shape and knelt down beside it. A 
tranquilizer dart was sticking in the shoulder of the big cat. John 
pulled the dart out and checked the cat. He swore, as that meant 
one other man had breached their security. He called for security 
guards and three of them came running. Ed was with them. 

John looked at Ed, "He's not dead. Let's get him in the house."

Ed looked around, "Where did the guy go that did this?"

"I don't know," replied John. He pointed to one of the security 
guards, "get the word out that we have an intruder."

The three men then struggled to carry Shadow to the house. 
Carrying a 180-pound drugged cat is not as easy as it sounds. At 
the door, John stopped and signaled that they should set the cat 
down. John and Ed approached the front door and noticed that it 
was slightly open. They charged in and fell to the floor as their feet 
flew out from under them.  The floor was covered in blood and it 
was that which had caused them to fall. Tiger was sitting next to 
them calmly cleaning his paws. The intruder was dead on the floor. 
John looked at Tiger, "You did a good job, Tiger."

Ed told the security guard to get the police chief as quickly as 
possible.  Within a minute, three of the local policemen had 
arrived. They were followed by Ann, from the FBI. Everyone 
stood around the body. There wasn't any doubt as to the cause of 
death, Tiger had ripped the guys throat out. The fact that they 
found two guns on the man suggested that he didn't have the best 
intentions. 

John and Ed carried Shadow into the house. Tiger went and sat 
next to the big cat watching it carefully. They double-checked the 
cat to make sure that it was all right. They couldn't do much, 
except let it sleep.

Robert White Feather entered the room and looked at the body. He 
walked around the room carefully looking at all of the details. He 
knelt down next to the body and examined it for a minute. He 
looked up, "He picked the lock and entered. The cat was above and 
pounced down on him. Once the man was down, the cat bit 
through his neck. Very clean kill."

Robert stood up. The police chief turned to John, "I see no reason 
to press charges against the cat. We'll take a few pictures and then 
get the body out of here. I'll let you know when you can clean up 
the blood."

John looked at Ed and the police chief, "We captured two others 
alive as they crossed into the property. We have them in the 
holding area. I suggest that the three of us go over there and 
question them."

The questioning went on for about an hour. Ed knew when the men 
were lying and when they were telling the truth. The truth boiled 
down to the fact that three men had been hired by a Hispanic man 
to kill John. The arrangements had been made by an intermediary. 
The only surprising fact was that all three men were Russian. 

John and Ed returned to the house and quickly cleaned up the 
blood. They changed their clothes and returned to the front of the 
house to examine it one more time. Robert was standing there. He 
turned to John, "Grandfather would like to meet you some time."

John turned to Robert with a raised eyebrow, "Is he in a hurry?"

"No."

John stated, "We will meet."

Robert shrugged, "Should I tell him when you'll come?"

 John replied, "I'll be there when I get there."

Robert looked at John and nodded. He walked off thinking to 
himself that John was not like any other white man he had 
encountered. Most would tell him they would be there a week from 
Thursday at two in the afternoon. John replied like a fellow 
member of his tribe. It was odd.

John and Ed returned to the party after checking on Shadow and 
locking the front door. It was getting dark and the lights were 
turned on. John wandered around the party, and was pleased when 
he spotted Mary. She was sitting with Sidney and the man that had 
harassed him earlier. He was happy to see her smiling and laughing 
with the two men. Her scars appeared to have been forgotten for 
the moment. 

John joined them after grabbing an iced tea and a plate of tacos. 
The man at the table extended a hand, "I'm Edward. I have to 
apologize about what I said to you earlier."

John shook his head, "No need to apologize for stating what you 
think. I was not offended."

Mary asked, "Edward, did you argue with John?"

"Yes, I did."

Mary stated, "He must cheat because he never looses an 
argument."

Sidney argued, "He might never lose because he only argues when 
he knows the right answer."

Mary answered with a laugh, "Well, he sure had me pegged the 
first time I met him after getting burned. In fact, he was right 
today. I've been here for a couple of hours talking and Sidney 
never noticed my scars."

"I'm blind," answered Sidney.

"Really?" asked Edward. He added, "I guess that explains Missy."

Sidney laughed and shook his head. "I wondered if you thought 
Missy was the blind one and I was doing the leading."

John interjected, "It sounds to me like you are getting along fine."

Mary put a hand on John's arm and leaned over to whisper in his 
ear, "I'm doing great. They've both asked me out. We're going on a 
double date - those two and me. Thank you John."

John patted her hand. He whispered back in a joking manner, 
"You're quite welcome Mary. Find another girl and you'll have a 
family just like me."

Mary sat back with a speculative look in her eye. John noticed the 
direction in which her thoughts ran and leaned towards her, "You 
see that man over there with the strange hat? He's a finder. You 
might talk to him and see if he can find what you need."

 


