The Life of Seeon - 2. Chapter 2 - A Ma' Nee is Made

Chapter 2 – A Ma’ Nee is Made

“You will become Ma’ Nee.”

Seeon froze on the floor. I have to have misheard him. For a moment it felt as if his heart stopped and the floor he lay on tilted. Panic seized Seeon, and if he hadn’t already been on the floor he would have collapsed. Instead his mind brought forth all the stories he had read in the histories. It was the one problem of having no one to spend time with; books became your best friend. Unfortunately, Seeon knew exactly what being a Ma’ Nee meant, all of its ramifications and what it would mean for his future.

“No, father,” came the terrified voice of Seeon. “No, please. Let me be a priest, anything but Ma’ Nee,” pleaded Seeon. He had begun to crawl toward his father when he heard the King’s final command.

“As of this moment Prince Seeon is no more. Seeon Ma’ Nee will begin her training for marriage immediately.”

Seeon froze. He knew there would be no changing the command once it was given. For the first time in his life, he not only felt alone, he felt damned.

The King clapped his hands and was carried from the room. Seeon lay crying on the floor. Ma’ Nee was not what he expected to hear from his father. How such a horror could be visited upon him by his own father was beyond his comprehension.

Seeon had learned about the Ma’ Nee during his training. It was an old custom that dated back centuries. Usually it was used by the lower lords when they were desperate to raise their rankings. It meant that a son was given into a marriage contract as a wife. He was trained to become a she and lost all standing in society as a male. A Ma’ Nee would never be a first wife, or have children but would be expected to do all the wifely duties, especially the ones the first wife found distasteful. In fact, it was much worse than that for a Ma’ Nee ranked below the position of women in society. When he had learned of it he immediately did research and was disgusted by his discovery. What he found was that his great-great-grandfather had taken a Ma’ Nee to end a massive war with the kingdom that his mother had originally come. Her great great grandfather, King Solaf Maak had offered up his second son as a Ma’ Nee and later on married off his youngest daughter to the King Toleran Sanee. Before then only once had a member of the royal family ever been a Ma’ Nee. Now, after centuries there was to be another, and Seeon was it.

Seeon finally returned to his quarters to find his eunuchs gone. No man or eunuch was allowed to touch a Ma’ Nee. A Ma’ Nee would be kept virginal and away from all temptation till a husband was found and she was married. Seeon was due to turn fifteen in three days. That meant in two more years he could be married off. As he wandered dejectedly around his room he found all the tight male pants were gone and only a few large loose pants that looked almost like a woman’s bloomers were left. He cried seeing how much his life was forcibly being altered. It appeared that while he had been given the news that his life was over, the final job of his eunuchs had been to remove all the masculine things from his quarters. The only thing left in his room for his solace was his books.

Time passed as it does anywhere. The war continued and sometimes weeks or months would pass with no casualties but then the battles would renew. Seeon had unhappily settled into a new pattern of life. He desperately missed his sisters. After Yasmeen died, Solrean had changed. He had seen her only once after Yasmeen’s funeral. She sat on a chair dressed in her wedding gown in the garden they had always eaten their lunches in. Seeon had pleaded with her to talk to him but she sat wide-eyed and silent in the chair. She moved only when the nurse who had been with her since birth came and guided her from the garden. He feared for her for she did not seem to be there with him, almost like her body remained but her mind was elsewhere.

Seeon’s life altered dramatically when Solrean was married off. His mornings were spent learning to sew, cook, embroider, and to take care of children from the lesser wives of his father. Lunch time he ate alone in the garden. His hair slowly grew and he was forbidden to cut it. Long reddish black hair soon filled his head and began to make its way down his back. His afternoons were to be spent learning the intricate hair weaves, clothing styles, and nail designs of the different women of the many royal houses. These were often when he met his sister-in-law Batea, who would rarely talk to him but at least she didn’t ignore him like the others did. However, he often slipped into the inner bedroom while the woman worked on each other’s hair and continued an exercise routine the priests had started him on, that kept his body lean and in shape.

It was two days before Seeon’s seventeenth birthday that King Toleran again met with Lord Massie. The war was going poorly but Lord Massie had amassed huge power with his third and fourth wives. King Toleran was hoping to get more troops for the war from the lord.

“Your Highness, I can appreciate how poorly the war goes,” stated Lord Massie as he sat showing off his large rings with precious stones in every one. “I happily supplied you with troops for my part of the marriage contract. You have in turn given me great joy with your daughter. Solrean is the perfect wife, obedient in every way.”

The King knew the rumors of what Massie had done to his daughter, but she was of little consequence to him. He desired the technology that winning this war would bring. With every battle some of the weapons of his enemies had been captured, studied, and duplicated. They might not have been winning the war but they were fast learning how this technology could be adapted and used against his enemies.

“Yes, Lord Massie but I had hoped you would be able to offer more assistance. Your troops have swollen through your various marriages after my daughter. The war of our nation needs to be won, in order to do that I need more soldiers.”

Lord Massie smiled and looked down at his nails. He had heard that the King had another child that was ready for marriage, a Ma’ Nee. Naturally, with such a wife, he wouldn’t have to be gentle at all and a Ma’ Nee would be able to take more abuse than his first wife. Lord Massie had developed a taste for the darker things, but unfortunately he couldn’t get much of a response from his first wife. Solrean was exactly as he had stated. She no more than a walking doll who allowed him to do whatever he desired to her, but he had to be careful not to mar her for it was due to her position as the King’s daughter that much of his power had come to him. King Toleran however was showing him just how weak he was. Maybe he could take the Ma’ Nee and the throne of the kingdom.

“True. I will be willing to give you more soldiers on two conditions.”

King Toleran paused. Lord Massie had dropped his title and was now listing demands. He was unaccustomed to such behavior, but would wait to see what the lord was demanding.

“First, I understand you have a Ma’ Nee. I could gladly take a fifth wife.”

King Toleran immediately noticed the predatory look in Lord Massie’s eyes. This man planned for more than just this meeting, but the King planned to see exactly how far Massie would go.

“The Ma’ Nee is to bind someone to the royal house. You already have my daughter to do that.”

Lord Massie smiled and rubbed his hands together.

“Ah, but you desire ever more of my troops and loyalty.”

Toleran’s eyes narrowed. He pressed his lips tightly together. He could tell agreeing to work with Lord Massie might have been a major blunder on his part. However, there was no way he would give anything further to this lord. There were others he could approach and handle much easier. It was time to have Lord Massie taken down a notch.

“The second request is but a small thing,” cooed Massie, allowing the King to note his greed.

The King said nothing but waited. A small movement of his finger alerted the guard to summon more men to the room they waited in.

“With two royal children as mine, I wish to be named your successor.”

Even King Toleran did not expect Lord Massie’s greed to be so large. He grasped the sides of his chair to keep from getting up and strangling the man where he sat. His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped into a growl as spoke again.

“That title belongs to High Prince Semon.”

“Yes, but High Prince Massie sounds so much better.”

The King’s eyes narrowed even further as a vein in his neck began to pulse. He was unable to keep the color from his face as he spoke again.

“You overstep your bounds, Lord Massie. My son, High Prince Semon is my successor. The Ma’ Nee will not be yours.”

King Toleran had made his decree. He waited for Lord Massie to bow and show his respect, but it did not happen. The insult was clear and wouldn’t be ignored by King Toleran. He used a similar finger signal to alert his guards that they would be needed shortly.

Lord Massie leaned back in his chair. He knew he might have pushed for too much, but was waiting to see what the King would do. He’d caught the signal and while he didn’t know exactly what it meant, he knew he was in trouble. King Toleran was not known for his forgiving nature.

The King stood and turned to leave the reception room. Once he reached the doors he planned to have Massie killed and his lands taken. That was not to be, however.

As the King turned his back, Massie stood and tossed a jeweled knife he had hidden within the folds of his robe. The King slumped forwards as the guards rushed to his side. In the confusion Massie vanished through the other door. The chase was on but now the Toleran Empire was divided and at war on two sides.

The King died later that evening from the poison Massie had applied to the blade. The new High King Toleran Semon was anointed before the sun set that evening. Semon had much to deal with. Unlike his father he knew what a snake Massie was and realized he couldn’t fight with the Horeun Empire and Massie’s troops as well. A messenger was sent to the Horeun Empire, asking to broke a treaty, and as an offer of peace it stated that Royal family was presenting one of its children, a Ma’ Nee.

Semon went to talk to his little sister to explain what had happened. He found Seeon sitting in what was now her reception room, sewing.

Seeon looked up to see his brother enter the room. In his own mind he would be forever a male, but he knew to the rest of the world he was now Ma’ Nee and female. Bowing his head and setting his hands on his lap he did as any woman of the palace was expected to do.

“Seeon, little sister, I have much to tell you.” Semon pulled a chair over and sat down. His face clearly showed the worry on it. “Prepare yourself for some bad news.”

Seeon looked up. Since his eunuchs had been taken he no longer heard any of the rumors or news of the castle. His meals were set outside his door, he ate alone, and other than when one of the royal wives came to give him his sewing lessons or discuss the tasks he would assume after marriage he was left without anyone to talk to.

“Our father has been murdered by our sister’s husband, Lord Massie.” Semon looked furious as he mentioned the murderer’s name. “The country cannot survive a war on two fronts. I have already sent an envoy seeking peace with the Horeuns. If they agree, you will be married to one of their princes. Know they are a different people, Seeon. There they are ruled by,” Semon seemed reluctant to say anything for a moment, “a woman.”

Seeon had never heard of a woman with power. Did that mean he might have a weak husband?

“The Horeun Empire is ruled by the Waza family. They are strange in that the oldest child will always inherit the throne, be they male or female. The current ruler has three children. The oldest male, Pelo, is already married and does not wish to take a second or third wife. The second child is a girl, we believe her name is O’Maa, but she too is married. That leaves their youngest son. We know nothing about him, not even his name.”

Seeon sighed. He had never been taught any of the royal hairstyles of Horeun Empire. He knew nothing of their customs or rituals. The embroidery he had learned and the careful things he had been taught since his father made him Ma’ Nee would be useless to him in Horeun. All he could offer his future husband was his body, and what few skills he had learned.

“I will be unable to attend you, little sister. You will be taken by my wife to the ceremony along with the Over Priest Deda.” Semon fingered the blade that hung at his side; his voice became softer as he spoke next. “My wife, Batea, will see you are kept pure till your wedding night. The Over Priest will ensure the wedding is committed to our Gods and that the marriage is consummated. You know there must be a consummation, Seeon.”

Seeon bowed his head. For the first time it all came crashing in on him, the horrible truth of his own life. Unlike his brothers, there would be no picking of his mate. His life would be arranged by the King, who fate decreed was now his brother. There would be no privacy for him till after the King was satisfied that he had been properly been taken as a wife. He knew that there had to be a consummation of the wedding. There were no other options for a Ma’ Nee, or at least not one that was worth speaking of. Tears streamed down his face.

“I know you are worried if you will be a good a wife,” began Semon as he witnessed the tears falling. Seeing Seeon cry confirmed in his mind that Seeon was Ma’ Nee. “That is nothing to fear. You will do as any member of the royal family must and make your country your first concern.”

Semon left Seeon crying on his couch. Seeon woke hours later feeling horrible but a new form of torture soon was visited upon him by the Royal Nursemaids. For the first time he woke to find someone feeling his arm and tugging on him.

“She’s a solid one. I’ll say that,” stated the larger of the two women.

“Looks like the Ma’ Nee is finally awake.”

“I am. What is it you want of me?”

“We’ve come to begin your final preparations before the wedding is performed. You need to be made ready,” the shorter woman stated.

“The King has commanded it so.”

Seeon was dragged to bathroom and forced to strip. Then he was brought over to a special chair that had been brought in.

“Sit!”

Seeon moved and carefully sat on the oddly shaped chair. When he did the women moved rapidly and secured his arms. He began to struggle and they laughed. Finally, Seeon attempted to kick one of them and the smaller nurse grabbed his leg forcing it into another shackle. Then both women grabbed hold of his other leg, moving it into position, and pushed the final shackle into place. They pressed a button on the chair and it rose till it was even with the women’s stomachs and then spread his body out into a large x shape. The nurses ignored him while he begged them to explain what was going on. Instead one finally reached into her pocket and shoved a small cloth into his mouth.

“Mouthy little thing, isn’t she?”

The two women laughed. They both took large bowls filled with a deep purple liquid and began to paint Seeon’s body with it. At first he thought they were teasing him but then the liquid got hot and he felt as if every where they applied it his body had been set on fire. They painted his arms, underarms, chest, legs, and then painted his sex. Tears flowed as Seeon felt an intense heat all over his body. He passed out when they turned the shower onto his skin and it felt like ice cold knives were slicing him to bits.

Seeon awoke hours later in his own bed. Every muscle and part of his body hurt. Looking at his arm at first he just noticed it was a pale red color. Then he noticed what had happened. There wasn’t a hair left on his arm. Eventually he looked at his naked body to find there wasn’t a hair left anywhere on his body. The skin was now a bright red but all traces of the purple liquid were gone. Unable to deal with the horrors done to him, Seeon passed out.

It was a week before all the tender skin lost the red tones left by the stripping of Seeon’s body hair. When he finally was able to move off the bed he found all traces of his pants were gone. The only clothing he had left now was women’s dresses. He was also provided with the dark blue material he was expected to make into his own wedding dress. The color was the official color of his family, the blue of the ocean, the blue of their blood, the blue that marked his final damnation.

The royal wives of his father as well as Batea had shown him how carefully the dress had to be made. He would have to embroider into the fabric the symbol of his family, which was a Crear – a large deadly bird of prey often called the Killing Flight, and the symbol of the new family accepting him as a bride, the Juggon – a sleek beast that was also known as the Wise Hunter. The dress was made so that one string tied it all together and when his husband tugged on it, the dress would gently fall away like flower petals to expose Seeon for his wedding night.