Immersion

Muld struggles with his changing relationship with Syndi.

25.

Immersion

 

The green tinted water was warm and extremely comforting to his aching muscles, so Muld just floated, enjoying the bath for several minutes.    Even his mind seemed to relax in the water, so he closed his eyes for a few moments and drifted out into the middle of the pool.    He was lazily thinking about how he could recreate this experience back in Westmark (which was said to have some hot springs on the west side of the city), when there came a clicking sound and the doors to the room opened.

Muld sank down in the water to his neck, mortified at the thought of one of the members of the royal family finding him there alone.     But it was Syndi, who hurried inside, unconcerned that he was buck naked (though thankfully concealed by the tinted water).

“Sorry it took me so long; I couldn’t find any of my combs.   Mother had put them in a chest!   Isn’t that ridiculous?   How’s the water?   It’s soothing, isn’t it?”

“Uh… yeah… it’s nice,”  He replied, trying to figure out a polite way to express his discomfort of the situation.

“I thought that might do the trick.   It is probably the thing I miss the most about this place.     Westmark’s practical magic showers just don’t compare with the mineral water of this pool.”   As she talked, she reached down and pushed a bucket of sand over to the very edge of the pool, then grabbed a towel and a wash cloth and sat them next to the bucket.

“Uh…”  Muld stammered, when he realized what she was about to do.

“I wonder if we could figure out a way to get this sort of water for the showers and baths in Westmark.”    She went on talking casually as she combed her long red hair back, “If we could figure out what the minerals were that made this water so wonderful, we could add them to the Westmark water.    I know that would be something that would be popular!”

With complete casualness, Syndi unwound her robe’s belt and calmly slipped out of it, not bothered at all.

Muld was so surprised that he just stared at her, and the girl didn’t seem to notice his shock.   Still happily chatting about bringing the water to Westmark, she slowly went to the carved stone steps and waded down into the pool.

Her body was even more wonderful than he had imagined.    He stared somewhat wolfishly at her naked form for several seconds before guilt forced him to tear his gaze away and look down at the water.

She waded out to him without any shame, as if he was a sister or her mother.   

“So what do you think?”  She said as she reached him, standing waist deep in the water with her hands on her hips.    He stared up at her, still squatting in the water up to his chin, his hands covering his nakedness, even though the water hid him.

“What?”  He stammered, blushing bright red as he tried to not look at her exposed breasts so close to him.

“My idea about bringing mineral water to the baths and showers of Westmark!   Is that a viable idea?”   The expression on her face did not betray any attempt to seduce or entice him; it was the same look she would have given him had they both been fully clothed, talking in a public place.

“Um… yeah… I guess so.”  He finally replied, marveling at how calm and casual she was.   

“You know, maybe we could take several buckets of these minerals and see about adding them to the water just before it goes through the faucets.     That would keep the pipes clear from mineral deposits, but it would give the water of Westmark the same benefits, if it were hot enough.”

She was excited about the idea, but oblivious to their naked bodies.    Muld couldn’t understand it at all.   She had been so uneasy about wearing the scant outfits of a sorceress, but now she was fully exposed in front of him chatting with as relaxed of an air as if they were standing out on the street having the conversation.

“Well, I think it is an idea worth looking into, don’t you?   Hey, would you rub some of the minerals on my back?”   She turned around, and her back side was as lovely as the front.     He couldn’t respond or act, for everything had taken on an uncanny feeling.

“Did you hear me?”  She asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Um… yeah… okay.”    He slowly rose up in the water, covering his front side with one hand.    She walked over to where she had set the bucket and he followed her silently.

“What do I do?”  He asked, halfway speaking to himself as well as to her.

“Just grab a handful of it and rub it all over my back.”

“Okay…” With trembling hands he reached around her and fumbled around with the sand-like material, finally getting a good scoop of it.

“Rub it on your back?”  He asked, still so shaken at the weirdness of the situation that he was uncertain of everything.

“Please.”  She replied with a beautiful smile over her shoulder.

He swallowed nervously and reached out, but the minerals began to slip through his fingers and he had to use his other hand to assist.   He was now fully exposed to her, if she were to turn around.

His hands touched her wet shoulders and he received something similar to a pop from static electricity when he touched her, though it was not so much a physical feeling as much as an emotional tingle.

Her skin was delightfully soft and flawlessly smooth.    He found himself caressing the materials gently onto her back with increasing pleasure, in spite of his nervousness.

Touching her felt magical, though he wasn’t sure exactly how.    It was comforting and relaxing, but at the same time stimulating.    His hands moved across her back, shoulders and arms with peculiar familiarity.   It was the most wonderful sensation, for he knew instinctually that she was sharing the same feelings he had from his touch.

It wasn’t sexual at all -surprisingly- yet extremely intimate.   He was vaguely aware of a silly smile on his face, but he couldn’t help it.    Touching her was exhilarating.     

Unbidden, his hands went to her neck and he began to massage her shoulder muscles.    She made a pleased sound and lifted her long red hair out of the way for him, sighing contently.

He could see that she had her eyes closed and was smiling the same smile he wore on his face.

Muld began to understand - he felt it too, now.    A strong joyful comfort in their intimacy.    It was a relaxed, personal sharing that somehow transcended normal relationships.    Caressing her, feeling the warm softness of her skin was intoxicating, because she was near to him and they were joined in emotions and feelings.

Never had he experienced anything like it before.    He no longer felt awkward or embarrassed; they were united at a spiritual level.

She leaned back against him and his hands slid down to her lower arms, rubbing and massaging her muscles.    His hands tingled as he touched her.

Muld was aware that she wanted him to continue and she was turning her body, inviting him to caress her, standing face to face, when the serenity of the moment was dissolved by the sound of her mother’s voice calling urgently as she came up the hallway leading to the bath house.

  They both reacted with dismay; Muld sinking down quickly under the water and Syndi moving in front of him, concealing his head from the view at the doorway.

A moment later the queen spoke the opening incantation and rushed into the room.

“Syndi, thank God, here you are!    You’ve got to come quickly!”

“What is it mother?   I was just beginning to bathe.”

“It is Jeevy!   Her water has broken!”

“Yesh preserve us!   I’ll be right there; let me quickly wash off.”

“Yes, but hurry child, we don’t know what will happen!”

 

Without another word, the Queen turned and ran through the doors before they had even had time to close.   She never even asked where he was, and for that the Practical Magician was relieved.

Muld stood up and asked, “Jeevy is your brother’s wife?”

“Symorden’s wife, yes.    She is carrying triplets, which is unheard of among the Losasidhe or Faesidhe peoples.    But what is more worrisome is that she is under a curse.”

“A curse?”

“An ancient one,”  Syndi replied, quickly washing herself, “Centuries ago, when the Losasidhe left the Faesidhe and journeyed here, there was great bitterness between the two peoples.    King Minthoel was extremely angry at his brother, Eiolmoel for splitting the people into two separate groups.     Jeevy’s ancestor was Jevlonlet one of Eiolmoel’s closest friends, a cleric of the Lord, and Minthoel, in his anger, put a cursing geis upon Jevlonlet’s daughters.      The curse is that all the female descendants of Jevlonlet will struggle with terrible obstacles in childbirth.     Since then, many of Jevlonlet’s female descendants have indeed had trouble in childbirth.   Three have died over the centuries bearing children, and three of their children have also died during birth.”

“How horrible!   Is there no way to break the curse?”

Syndi shrugged grimly, “I don’t know - father knows more about it and he could tell you the details.    But I’m going to have to join my mother and midwives.   They will be praying and chanting the song of birthing of our people that blesses the mother and child.   Yesh willing, this time it will defeat the curse.    Clerics and healers, as well as the wizards, will be on standby to try to help.”

“This sounds very grim.”

“Well, carrying triplets is tough enough, for she is a slender, graceful woman.    With this curse, it is very serious.”

“I’ll pray for her… is there anything I can do to help?”

Syndi smiled, “They don’t allow men in the birthing room, but you could join the men waiting with father and my brother.    Perhaps he could tell you the details of the curse.    Of course, that is if you feel like it.   Don’t exert yourself.    Jeevy’s labor could take a long while.    I’ve got to get moving.    I’ll put a rock in the path of the doors to let you slip through.    Go ahead and bathe - no one will disturb you now.”

“Alright.”  

“There are robes hanging all around, I hope you enjoy the bath, I’m sorry I couldn’t enjoy it with you.”   She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then rushed up the steps and slipped a robe on.

“I’ll see you later.  Bye,” She didn’t wait for a response but chanted the opening spell for the door, then stuck a rock to block it from closing before disappearing.

Muld felt suddenly empty and quickly finished washing, then donned a robe and slid through the door opening left by the rock.    He pushed the rock into the bath house and the door quickly closed with a click.   

Feeling very alone and rather frustrated, he decided to just return to his quarters and rest, hoping to have time to sort out all that had happened to him over the past several days.