Mists of Velvet

For Bronwnn, it had been nothing but a prison.
    The wind picked up, blowing long strands of white blond hair from her braid. The hair tickled her eyes and obstructed her view of the mighty Sidhe king. Brushing the wayward strands from her eyes, she tucked them behind her ear, pressing forward in order to watch the king step out of the forest. Behind him was the queen—Mairi was her name—and when he embraced his wife tightly to his body, Bronwnn closed her eyes and absorbed the current of desire that emanated from them.
    She had once seen the king taking his wife. She had watched as the queen rode on top of her husband. She had studied them, enraptured, as the king made love to his wife on the sacred altar of the Sidhe.
    Bronwnn had been walking through the grove in an attempt to shake off the feeling of restlessness that had troubled her for weeks. The sound of their passion had drawn her to the king’s Nemed—sacred place.
    From between the trees, she had been at first startled, then intrigued to see the king and queen in the act of loving. Decency decreed she leave, but that restless feeling inside her forbade it. Instead, she watched them, wishing she might one day find the same passion with her own mate.
    Later that night, she had dreamed of a lover taking her body. His hands, large and warm, had touched her in places that seemed to bloom beneath his fingertips. It had been her first dream of him —not of the king, but of another: a lover she had dreamed of every night since, only to awaken in the morning in a state of unspent agony.
    Her time was coming, she realized, as she saw fleeting mental images of a dark-haired man with large, powerful arms and beautiful hands. She was reaching sexual maturity, a time in the life of a goddess that was spiritual and pure.
    Except the feelings and needs that assaulted her were not spiritual. They were carnal, lustful. She craved sex; she hungered for it—burned with the need for it. Did other goddesses feel the same, or was the need naturally stronger for her? As the goddess of sexuality and fertility, was she meant to have more powerful needs, or was this yet another abomination she was to live with?
    Now she watched the king and queen kiss and felt her own body come alive, just as it had that night when she watched them make love.
    Would she ever have this? A mate to touch her this way? Or would she forever be Cailleach’s servant, with only her fevered dreams to bring her pleasure?
    While the other young goddesses were schooled in the arts of sexuality, Bronwnn had been sheltered, forbidden to prepare for the sacred act of Shrouding. Left on her own most of the time, Bronwnn used the ancient texts in the library, learning what she could while trying to find a way to relieve the ache of what was coming—being left behind while the others were courted by Annwyn’s warriors, who would fight over them in a show of male strength. Only the strongest would lie with a goddess, for it was the greatest honor to share a bed with one of her kind. Every man dreamed of it. Every goddess rejoiced in it, for it was their duty, not only to sustain the order but to cement the bonds with the inhabitants of Annwyn.
    The others would experience it, and Bronwnn would be left alone in her chamber to wonder what it was like. Perhaps she might be able to hide in the shadows to watch and see what would be forever denied her.
    Bronwnn had never been told why she was kept separate from the others, but she believed it was because of the unusual powers she had, powers that Cailleach feared. So the Supreme Goddess segregated her, keeping her alone, to attend only her. This ensured that Bronwnn was always within sight, and within reach, as though whatever she saw in Bronwnn’s eyes worried the Supreme Goddess.
    Why? Was what she saw inside Bronwnn so horrifying that she must be kept from all the others? The thought made her lie awake at night.
    Their hands still entwined, the two lovers parted, slowly releasing, unwilling to let go; the image replaced the worrisome thoughts of Cailleach. The king was devoted to his queen, and to Annwyn. That was the reason he was here today. He would honor Cailleach’s summons.
    Reaching up on tiptoe, the queen kissed him, and Bronwnn saw the love shining in her eyes as they parted. It was wise for the queen to leave the king to his business, for she would not have a warm welcome here at the temple. The Supreme Goddess did not like her or fully accept her,