The Bee Keeper's Daughter. Kingdom of Meridian. Vol 1.. Shian Serei

looked around the cabin as she sat on the bed. It was very different than she imagined but it was warm, safe and moving toward Neva. She noticed Sveta did not have many dresses or personal things, some of the clothing scattered around the room looked like it belonged to a man rather than a woman.

      «Perhaps she is the only woman on the ship, and with so many men, I can’t imagine how much attention she gets!» Maria thought as her mind blended the scenes she had seen in the tavern and the site of seeing Sveta naked just moments before.

      As the ship continued to lift and drop into the water, Maria felt an overwhelming sickness come over her. It was as if she had consumed a dozen green apples and now they took their toll. She laid down and hoped the feeling would go away. She soon fell asleep in a state of bilious confusion.

      Hours later the waters calmed, and she awoke in a disoriented haze, forgetting momentarily that she was no longer in her familiar bed at home, but on a ship cutting its way North on the Volga River. Maria retraced her steps back to the top deck, where the quartermaster and crew were organizing barrels along the walkway.

      «These get taken off at the next port» shouted the quartermaster. «Make sure they are secured. Then let’s get the other one’s below to make more room for the crew to sleep.»

      Maria saw the men were carrying the barrels toward her as she stood at the top of the stairs leading below. She quickly went back down the staircase and went in search of the kitchen. She made her way below another deck and followed the smell of food and sounds of cooking.

      Sveta noticed her and immediately offered her a bowl of soup, «There’s my cabin mate!» She said in a joyous tone. «Gospodi, you’re green! Is this your first time on the river?» Sveta teased as others laughed.

      «First time on the Volga,» Maria murmured as she looked at the soup rocking back and forth in her bowl.

      «Take some bread, it will help until you get your sea legs,» Sveta said as she handed Maria a small loaf.

      Maria sat at a table, dipping the bread in her soup. She slowly felt better with a full stomach. She noticed the other passengers, some were eating, others were merchants accompanying their cargo to various ports on the River. For them, this was just another day of work, but for Maria every detail of the ship and people were new.

      She took her bowl back to Sveta and tried to wash it, but Sveta brushed her aside.

      «Will you replace me?» Sveta teased. «They have cleared the main deck. You can go up and see some of the villages along the river if you like.» Sveta said as she began to clean a pile of bowls and pans.

      Maria smiled and nodded in agreement. She headed to the top deck and found a comfortable space near the front to look out, watching one group of homes after another roll by on the banks of the river. Each village was unique, some larger and some quite small.

      «How many lives, and how many stories each place must have.» Maria thought.

      The afternoon sun painted the landscape as each new village came into view. A dock with many ships, a quiet inlet leading to a distant village, the trail of chimney smoke tracing a path to a port side tavern. Maria imagined her life if she were to step off the boat and begin a life at this place or the next. With each new scene, she realized her life had become a random direction on an unknown path, but it also felt free with unlimited possibilities. She braided her hair to keep it out of the wind and dreamed of her future life in Neva.

      Hours passed, and the smell of the evening’s meal began to drift from below the deck. Several passengers and crew went below, but Maria felt content to remain and think about her father. She hoped to light a candle for him as soon and also imagined her mother making her way toward Neva at the same time.

      «Perhaps she is one ship ahead of me or took a different route by land through Moscow.» She thought.

      The wind grew cold as the sun began to set on the Volga. The river was endless, each turn revealed another long stretch of waves and life along the bank. Maria cradled her arms around herself, wishing she had a coat. She looked back across the empty deck as she headed toward the stairs leading below deck.

      A man stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for her to complete her steps before walking upward. He had dark hair and green eyes with a serious face. She stepped off the staircase and looked at him with a nod of appreciation for waiting.

      He smiled in return, and his face seemed to completely change. It was as if he was a different person when he smiled. Maria’s eyes followed him as he walked past and climbed to the top deck. He had masculine features, his hands were thick from hard work, and his shoulders pushed against his clothing as he moved.

      She found herself taking in each detail of his body, as he walked out of sight. Her sudden fascination puzzled her.

      «Why am I looking so much at women and men?» she wondered.

      She did not feel she needed more to eat, so she returned to her cabin. The few clothes she had were all dirty, so she decided to clean everything while she had the room to herself. She found a wash basin and made use of the water and soap left in view by Sveta.

      The cold water made her hands ache as she twisted and squeezed the cloth. She took off her dress, and undergarments one by one until everything was washed and hanging on any available surface in the cabin.

      She set the washtub aside, knowing she could not empty it without something to wear. Then she slipped into the bed to keep warm. The feeling of her naked skin sliding between the cold sheets gave her a boost of energy that faded as she grew warmer. She was soon asleep, as the remaining sunlight faded orange to black through the window.

      Are you sleeping?

      Maria awoke in her bed, still naked beneath the sheets as she heard the sound of people talking outside her room. Their voices were growing closer, and the clump of their footsteps announced them before the door swung open.

      «Maria?!» whispered Sveta into the dark room as she giggled.

      «Maria are you in here?» Sveta persisted as she led a man inside and closed the door.

      «I think she’s asleep, so let’s not wake her» Sveta giggled in a voice that clearly had the influence of wine.

      Maria was astonished; she was too embarrassed to say she was awake. It seemed better to pretend she was asleep and perhaps they would go somewhere else.

      Sveta came over to Maria’s bed and nudged her gently, «Ti spiish»? She whispered in a careless giggle.

      The man’s deep voice filled the cabin, as he pulled Sveta to the other side of the room, «Ladno, she is asleep, idi suda!» he said playfully.

      Maria kept perfectly still; it was impossible escaping now without a tremendous embarrassment. She understood what might happen, and in the dim grey light of the moon that cast the window, she could see them embracing near Sveta’s bed.

      He was taller than her and had his hands around her waist, pulling her against him. Sveta seemed to resist him a bit, but as they kissed, her arms began to encircle him. Then her hands glided up his arms and shoulders until her fingers were running through his hair pulling him deeper into the kiss.

      Maria felt the sensation of arousal building inside her as it had in the tavern when she watched through the wall as the girls satisfied their men. Only this time she didn’t have to peak from a distance, it was just a few feet away, making it almost repulsive without wanting to stop watching.

      «Davai,» the man said hungrily as he pulled Sveta harder against his body.

      Sveta stepped back from him and pulled her dress over her head, letting it drop to the floor.

      The dim light seemed to caress her body at every curve. Her breasts disappeared into his hands as he touched her, kneeling down to taste her nipples in his mouth. Sveta caressed the back of his neck, holding him to her