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

hesitated, «The river won’t freeze for at least another 2 months!» she insisted.

      «Here, yes….in Neva, by the time we arrive in 3 or 4 weeks the ice will already be forming,» Sergei replied.

      Maria had not considered the northern track she was on. It made sense that the weather in Neva would turn cold sooner. She had not imagined making the trip alone but understood it was her parents wish for her to get to safety.

      «Horosho, I’ll be ready in the morning,» she said.

      Sergei nodded and left the room.

      Maria hoped she was making the right decision. She laid back in her bed and looked at the ceiling. The value of the distraction in the room next door faded as the sad reality of the journey ahead consumed her thoughts into the night.

      From Those with the Least to Share

      Maria felt the light from the window brushing her face as she woke up. Today she would travel to Neva to find her aunt and hopefully be reunited with her mother. She got out of bed and gathered her things. She took one of the linens from the wash stand, tied it by the corners and placed her belongings inside it. It looked awkward but gave her some convenience in moving about.

      Noises emerged from the room next door as she prepared to leave. She ignored them at first but rushed to the hole in the wall to take one last look to see who might be there.

      A giggling young woman entered the room, she was slender with brown painted eyes that looked intense and mysterious. Her chestnut hair was in a long braid that looked like a rope twisting down her back. A man followed her inside, pulling at her clothes with an eagerness that made the woman slightly protest.

      «Careful!» she said, «You will tear it for sure!»

      The man was tall with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, his clothing looked foreign with Nordic designs on the cuffs and lapels. He gestured to the woman to remove her clothing as he sat on the bed. The woman skillfully turned a button, and her entire dress slipped to the ground.

      «Like what you see Captain?» She teased.

      The man smiled in silence then sucked his breath in a soft whistle, «Shoo» he said in agreement.

      «It was so sweet of you to offer me breakfast, but as you can see I have something else in mind.» She said playfully as she walked toward him and began to take his clothes off. Maria marveled as she could see everything from her vantage point, but only the back of the woman’s bare body.

      She watched intently as the woman slipped his pants off and began to caress his chest. Her hands slowly working lower until she was on her knees.

      Maria could not see around the woman, and watched hoping to get a glimpse of the man’s body. It was as if they knew she was watching and did everything to block what she wanted to see most, but suddenly he turned into view as the woman climbed onto the bed. The man looked bigger than the last one. His manhood curved upward with a more defined tip. It was beautiful, erotic, inspiring….and Maria’s hands began to slide over her body as she felt the return of the warm sensation she had felt the night before.

      The woman undid her braid, freeing her curly brown hair. Maria watched in astonishment as the woman took the man into her mouth and slid her fingers up and down his shaft. The man ran his fingers through her hair and moaned deeply as the woman took him into her mouth over and over.

      Maria’s hand cupped her breasts as she looked on in hunger at the couple’s erotic exchange. The man seemed to be in a trance, unable to contain himself as the woman moved faster and took him deeper into her mouth. She had such power over him as if she was placing a spell on him, controlling him as he could only moan for more. The man began to whisper in a foreign language, but the woman ignored him and continued stroking him faster.

      He reached and stroked her breasts, squeezing them firmly in his hands as he let out a deep moan and arched his back. The woman held his throbbing flesh in her hands and tilted her head back as his creamy juice began to pulse onto her neck. He moaned again as she squeezed him for more and praised him for giving her what she had worked for.

      «That’s it, let it out.» She coaxed.

      The man seemed to collapse onto the bed. Breathing heavily as if knocked down from a fight.

      The woman stood up from the bed and went to the washstand, cleaning herself as the other woman had done. But then she returned to the bed and laid alongside the man. Her slim curvy body was so smooth and graceful in the morning light. She was more attentive and tender than the last woman, making him completely yielding to her will.

      Maria felt a hunger growing inside her body, a new and powerful mystery of pleasure and intrigue. It was as if a seed had been planted that filled her womanly curiosity to see and experience more.

      She felt jealous of the woman’s freedom to have a man and do such things as she had seen. She knew she needed to leave this unexpected place and continue her journey, but she felt her view on life, her body and men were awakening.

      She took one last look at the couple lying in their bed, naked and draped in tossed sheets. They seemed so peaceful compared to their earlier intensity.

      She gathered her things and made her way towards the door. She took one last look around the room wondering if she would ever return here again. After such an ordeal, this room had become the first comfort she had known, and the beginning of a journey not only to Neva but within herself.

      Maria walked down the halls remembering her first impression of the tavern and how different everything seemed now. The smells and chemistry of the tavern lit fires of curiosity as she passed each door. She descended the staircase and was able to see the rest of the building which was dark in the early morning hours. There were several small tables and chairs in the center of the room. Large barrels of mead and ale set in the corner where dozens of tankards were cleaned and neatly stacked. She imagined how it must look in the evening full of sailors and working women. She remembered a similar place in Rostov, but she never saw the inside of it. Somehow it seemed so dark and mysterious from the outside, but now she saw it in a very different way. These were not evil beings, conspiring to corrupt anyone who dared come through the door. They were simple people, probably lonely, who were willing to exchange money for companionship, and the women working there had likewise reconciled the act of affection as a service for hire.

      After seeing the last couple, she wondered, «Do they ever find love here? Is it possible?»

      She walked towards the back of the Tavern, following the sounds that only a kitchen would create. As she entered the room, she saw Oxana cooking some eggs as she spoke with another woman. The relationship of the women intrigued Maria, they seemed to share a sisterhood of sorts with faceless men passing through their lives.

      In the corner, there was a small table and three small children waiting for breakfast. A boy and two girls with innocent faces. As she looked around the rest of the room, she heard a voice say, «Kushet budish?»

      She looked and realized Oksana had asked if she was hungry. Maria smiled and nodded in agreement, «Da! But please let me make it, I’ve imposed enough on you.»

      Oksana was pleased with Maria’s response, and said, «You are welcome to whatever we have, dear. This is Tanya by the way, she helps me run the place.»

      Tanya was an older woman, she was heavier in shape than Oxana with a modest appearance and clothing. She looked like she had lived a rough life and now stared into the distance rather than at people’s faces.

      «Can I help you ladies finish cooking?» Maria asked.

      «Da, you can make the oats for the children.» Said Tanya.

      «Yes, of course, I’ll get some water,» Maria said as she quickly made herself at home in the kitchen.

      Maria felt an excitement and energy in the air, it was as if there was no time to think of dark events, she needed to focus on what