Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 15. Chapter 15

“Well,” I said with a smile to our new acquaintances. “We look forward to getting to know you.” I shook their hands again. “Maybe we should plan to have you come to the manor.” I grabbed Seth’s arm. “But not tonight, we have to unpack. It’ll be dark soon, we’d better go.”

Seth nodded. “Yes, it is getting late.” He grinned, and raised an arm, sniffing his armpit. “It’s been a long, long trip. I look forward to a nice hot bath. We’ll be stinking soon.”

Getting back on the carriage, we headed home. Entering the manor, both of us let out a sigh. We were weary. Not sleepy, but it was a long journey and tiring and it was great to be home.

I grinned at Seth as he lit the coals under the water heater in our bathroom and we unhitched the horses and stowed the carriage. By then we had the precious hot water. Filling the tub, I was busy thinking of what was happening and trying to think of what that would mean, not only for Royal Valley but Blethos as a whole.

Slowly, I entered the hot water, feeling tired muscles ease and relax as I gave into the luxuriant sensations. I was so busy thinking, it was only as Seth’s wandering toe wiggling against a private portion of me did I come back.

“Those are some pretty heavy thoughts,” Seth commented softly. “Care to share?”

I smiled at him. “I was just thinking…this is a pretty important thing happening here.”

Seth nodded moving from his end of the tub over to sit next to me. “I know.” He kissed me gently.

“There will be more coming to Royal Valley,” I said.

“I heard.” Seth nodded.

“This will make us a target.” I put out. “If we are in one town…all it would take is one attack and a lot of people could get hurt or killed.” Then I felt his arms come around me. “What’s so wrong with what we are? We don’t do anything but love a member of our own gender.”

Seth nodded. “Well, it perhaps not normal.”

I frowned. “Why?” I asked. I looked at him seriously. “I am so attracted to you. Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He grinned. “To be honest, I mostly see me as I was. Ugly.” He held up his finger to my lips that were starting to object. “I know you say I’m not and you see me otherwise and always did. But I was ugly for so long. But when we met, you never really saw it. You saw me.” He smiled. “Now, I am so attracted to you. You are beautiful. But you’re a kind man. Intelligent and you have a good heart.” Then his voice got softer. “But what’s really important. I like you.”

I smiled as he said it as he did.

“I enjoy being around you. We’re lovers yes. But I like you. I love you, of course, but you are my best friend. I can’t imagine life without you. There would be no life for me if you weren’t here.” He gave me a glance, sort of sideways. “I’d die if you left.”

I felt my heart swell with love. “As I would if you left. I never thought anyone would mean as much to me as you do.” I grinned. “I like you, too. We get along well together because we are best friends. And I hate to admit it, but life with Arthur carved at you, but your character never gave in. You did become this diamond of a human being. You were when I married you and you are now, the most beautiful soul I have ever met. That you love me, I am humbled.”

Seth nodded. “As am I, by you.” He began kissing me gently, increasing the kiss as passion stirred within each of us. “Make love to me.”

I grinned. “With pleasure.”

Seth and I began our lives, the daily routines began again and work was continued as always. It seemed that almost every week a new couple arrived in Royal Valley. Male couples and female couples. They were greeted with a little restraint by most. The people of Royal Valley were nice enough, at first. But as space became an issue, there were some that didn’t like it. There weren’t enough houses or dwellings to hold them all. Construction began as homes went up. Businesses opened almost every week! We had a restaurant now! Not a pub, but a nice place to sit and have a meal. And it was good! With the increased business, the demand for things became a problem. Goods, like foodstuff, was needed. The farms around Royal Valley were having to increase their yield. The bakery had to compete with these other businesses like Teas and Cakes. Women loved a lot of these new businesses as there were many women that worked either in the winery or in the other businesses as help was needed. They had jobs! There wasn’t always time to prepare a meal when they got home. They’d stop into Teas and Cakes, pick up some those fancy breads and cheese at another business, or even the restaurant to get something for their family. It was convenient! Zek and Gabe had a very nice home now. With plumbing! More homes now had the hot water heaters and toilets in them, but not everyone was happy. In fact, a special meeting was called for in the town hall to address these issues.

“….there is no more room!” A man complained as many were nodding in agreement. “Royal Valley is being overcrowded.”

“But that’s what we want, isn’t it?” Keith Davidson, the mayor reasoned. “Don’t you understand? More citizens mean more money! More services.”

“But where are they coming from?” A woman asked. “Most of these new people are couples like Seth and Erik!”

And there it was. I cringed. As a citizen of Royal Valley, I had been asked to sit in on the panel of members. “And is that a problem?” I asked quietly.

“With more people, the potential of bad people increase.” The woman argued. “One or two couples are fine. How many are here now?”

“They could molest our children!” A woman said.

“They’re evil! Perverts!” A man said.

That’s when Eb, Zek’s father rose. “My son is no pervert!” Then we waved at me. “Neither are they!” Most were nodding, but I saw a few faces that said they were not agreeing at all.

I shook my head. “No, Seth, Gabriel or Zek are not perverts.” I picked up a piece of paper. “On this sheet is a list of crimes done. Ignoring the general theft, the only disturbances are not done by anyone like us. In fact, they are done by people in general. The only crime of sexual in nature is done by others that have been here for years!”

“They should be told to leave!” The woman stated. “They aren’t welcome.”

Seth was listening in the front row of the crowd. “Including us?”

That got no reply. As loathe as some were about the increase of the population by those in relationships with members of the same gender, the vineyard and winery was the main source of income in Royal Valley. Could the winemaking business come to a halt if Seth and I weren’t there? It could continue without us, but the vineyard and winery were owned by the royal family of Blethos and Seth and I were members of that family.

“You’re different.” A man said slowly.

“How?” I asked. “Because we’re married?”

“Yes.” The woman nodded.

“Then let these people marry. There will be no more problems.” Seth reasoned.

“But it’s illegal!” The woman said.

“But we were able to marry!” I said.

“By the Kings of Blethos and A’Dore!” The man said.

“So, we need to have them married by the king of Blethos.” Seth reasoned.

“They can’t!” I said simply. “Seth and my marriage was so there would be a king on the throne. But we are still married even if he’s not on the throne anymore.”

“It’s a sin!” A voice said.

I looked for the voice. A man in all black. I recognized as the priest for Royal Valley. We had a church here, it was not big, but it was still a part of the overall Church. I never darkened their threshold.

“Yes, it is.” I agreed. “According to the scriptures, it is.”

“To welcome these people, we risk condemnation by God!” The priest said. The people started to mummer. The priest’s words carried weight. “In ancient times there were two cities destroyed by God for it. We could be the third.”

I sat back. Say what you will, it was written that it happened. History had more to say, but people didn’t hear about that. “Then why do those scriptures only talk about the sin of the cities themselves. Not just our sin?” I shook my head. “I studied those scriptures. The old ones as well as the new ones. But during that time, there were five cities destroyed, not just the two.”

“They were the only ones that matter.” The priest said.

“So, the three other three cities weren’t important?” I smiled. “Were they committing the same sin? They had to be if God destroyed them as well. It says the sin was a lot of other sins. The only reference to the sin we’re accused of is when the men there wanted the angels to come out so they could know them.” I grinned. “It was written in ancient Italia. Translating it into our language is tricky. They had so many words for the same sins.”

“God said for a man to lie with a man is a sin!” The priest argued.

“No, He did not!” I said loudly as people were now speaking more to each other. “A Prophet did. And he was a man, speaking to men. The only things we have that God said are the commandments. Not one of them says that. The Prophet says he heard from God, but that’s hearsay. I could tell you Seth said something, but until he says it to you, it’s hearsay.”

The Priest was not happy. “He says that God told him.”

I shook my head. “No, he didn’t. He just says it is a rule. You won’t win this. I’ve read the scriptures in their original form and language. There are rules for everything, including what we’re allowed to eat, which we often ignore. Even what should be done after a woman has her menses? Do you make sure that’s done every month by every woman in Royal Valley? You’re picking these rules to enforce! Others you’re ignoring.”

“You don’t believe in God.” The priest said angrily.

My eyes widened. “How the hell do you know what I believe? Can you read minds?” I shook my head. “I’ve seen more evidence there is a God than most people do. My husband is proof!”

Mayor Davidson raised his hands. “This is not a theological debate, gentlemen.” He sighed. “Until there is some crime, my hands are tied. These people, any people that come are welcome. They can make a life here, pay taxes and brighten everyone’s lives. There is only one thing that can be done for the citizens not comfortable anymore here.” Then he stood and looked at the woman. “Move away!” Now those that we okay with all these new people, and they were the majority, were clapping in agreement. The woman could see she was outnumbered. Seth was smiling as he nodded to me. “Now.” The mayor continued. “If more structures are needed, we’ll just have to build!”

At the end of the meeting, I got to meet many of the new citizens and they were a very interesting group of people. Most we just regular men and women. As far as I could tell. Nothing about them told what they did in the bedroom of their home, but why would there be anything to see to say that? I did get a surprise by one couple. Upon our meeting, I thought they were just a regular couple. A man and wife. He was not great looking, but not ugly. She was beautiful! Blonde hair. Yuk. They came up to Seth and me as we were breaking up the meeting and preparing to go home.

“I’m David.” The man said and motioned to the woman. “This is Janie.”

I nodded as I shook their hands. But then my eyes looked at this Janie. She was very pretty but had this scarf-thing around her neck. But as we spoke, I saw something bob under it. She had a Adam's apple. She was a man! But she had breasts and sounded like a woman! Only men had Adam's apples. Thin and she had the figure of a woman. Were her breasts real? But she had to be a man. Men don’t have breasts! And what Curt and Daryl said was true. There were women here that I would have sworn were men, except they did have breasts! Most of these women were a little heavy like they were trying to hide they were really female. Not all of them. There was a woman there with all the correct parts a woman had, only she wore the same sort of clothes a man would wear. The woman she was in a relationship with was dressed like any other female and pretty. Many, including the men, had children at home. Children! I just had to assume they had lived a conventional life before and became a couple of the same genders because of the death of the other spouse or the other spouse left! I was learning a lot.

As Seth and I rode back. Seth was smiling at me. “I married a very smart man!” He said with a grin.

I looked surprised. “You said you’d never married before!”

He moved his horse toward me and gave me a swat. “You, dummy.”

I chuckled. “Oh. Thanks.” I shrugged. “I try.”

“You’ve really read all those scriptures?” Seth marveled.

I nodded. “It was a course I had to take,” I explained. “It was supposed to give me structure in my thinking. My tutor at the time was certain knowledge of such things was important to have to be a great leader.”

Seth nodded. “Well, you sounded great. You knew what you were talking about.”

“But I made the priest an enemy.”

Seth shook his head. “He was our enemy before that discussion. He’s a priest.” He all but spat. “They all hate us.”

“Men like him, and Arthur were right about keeping people ignorant.” I grinned. “If they know the truth they can fight back. They don’t like that. They lose control.” I sighed. “But Sam is going to have to rule about this situation. He really doesn’t have a choice.”

Seth nodded. “I know.”

I turned twenty. We had a party at the house and invited many from Royal Valley to attend. There were a few of the new citizens, but most were friends we’d made over the year. I was happy, but felt a little sad, too.

“What’s wrong?” Seth asked me quietly at the party.

I grinned and shrugged. “It’s stupid.”

Seth nodded but knew there was something. “Uh, huh.” He turned me to face him. “What?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a teenager.”

Seth laughed at that, hugging me. “But hardly an old man! We’ve got a long life together, the best for us has yet to come!”

I smirked at him. “You’re just happy you’re not married to a child anymore.”

Seth barrel laughed. “I never was!” He claimed and kissed me passionately.