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

She eagerly climbed into her bed, blowing out the single candle lighting the room, greeting the cover of darkness like an invitation to go on an erotic journey in her mind. She felt her nipples harden and pinched them noticing how it made her body tingle all the way down to her wetness. She pinched harder and harder to see what would happen until she found the limit where the pain was greater than pleasure.

Her fingers eagerly rushed between her legs. The slippery juices of her body made them glide quickly over her flesh. She spread and pulled her lips wide to expose the firm spot that cried out for attention. Each time she pressed it, she felt shivers of pleasure echoing through her lower body. She stroked it and teased it as it became firmer and aroused. Her other hand slid down and found the opening where she felt such a desire to be taken. Her finger slid inside her warm body, dripping wet and eager to be filled.

She carefully slid her finger inside her inner walls, it was exquisite and filled her with desire. Both her hands worked feverishly, circling and pressing as she ventured deeper inside her wetness. A warm glow began to spread across her body as she felt her breath escaping. It was as if she was flying, higher and higher, faster, stronger with each stroke and everything in her being urged her to keep going and find how this journey ended.

Images of the man she had watched with Sveta raced through her mind, his powerful body, his muscles and large member penetrating her over and over, and then she imagined what it would feel like inside her own body… that throbbing flesh, filling her as her hands squeezed his arms and held on to him until he came inside her.

Suddenly her face felt hot, she was shaking with excitement and hunger for more as she curled her fingers deep inside her wetness, feeling a pleasure so intense she couldn’t contain it. Her fingers were soaked in her juice as she made her body into a playground for pleasure. The thought of a man, coming inside her suddenly felt amazing, to have that pleasure of his hard shaft thrusting and bursting like an explosion of power made her quiver and moan.

Then she felt something new, terrifying and wonderful at once, taking over her body as she moaned out loud in ecstasy. There was no turning back, no escape, only complete surrender to the demand she felt as her body tightened around her fingers and squeezed in wave after wave of incredible pleasure. She held her breath and suddenly the world stopped as she felt her soul escape for a moment then slowly transcend back into her body, carefully, lowering her back to the bed in ecstasy.

She raced to catch her breath as if no air was left in the room. She gasped and slowly rested her hands, ceasing all movements as her hips arched and twisted from the echoes of her orgasm. This was heaven, paradise, and she wanted to remain in such a trance of pleasure. She closed her eyes and imagined a man, softly kissing her body now, touching her and whispering things in her ear. How his body would feel next to her and the warmth of his touch. This was more than sexual exploration now, it was a secret way to visit her future lover. And she couldn’t image denying him anything he wanted.

Maria’s thoughts faded into dreams as she laid in her bed. The ship gently rocked and cradled her into a deep sleep where she drifted in images of a man’s bare body and his hands on her. It was the first time she had dreamt of such erotic and powerful sensations. As if a fire had been lit inside her soul that would not easily be controlled or extinguished.

A Storm at Midnight

A rushing sound crashed and knocked at the sides of the ship as Maria awoke in her bed. She felt the room spinning and dropping as she realized something was very wrong. A few seconds later another crash from the opposite side followed by creaking boards and shouting from the deck above.

She quickly got dressed, stumbling about the cabin as she tried to keep her balance. She looked out the small window, but there was no light only the loud crash of waves knocking the ship in all directions. She could hear the oarsman moving things about on the deck below, everyone clamoring and shouting.

The door burst open as Sveta returned. «Good you’re up!» She said quickly.

«What has happened, did we crash into something?» Maria asked.

«It’s a storm; it came in fast before we could get to the port so we will have to ride it out,» Sveta said as she put on her coat.

«I have to get to the kitchen and secure everything, or it will be a mess in the morning! You can stay here or come with me, but it’s dreadful at the front of the ship.» Sveta added as the floor seemed to drop from under them and suddenly boom as it caught the next wave.

«I’ll go with you!» Maria replied as she grabbed her shoes.

The two made their way down to the kitchen where pots and pans were rolling in all directions. It was dark and confusing as people shouted at each other to act quickly.

«Can we light a candle?» Maria asked in frustration as she stumbled over the cookware.

«No it’s too dangerous, no fires are allowed when there is a storm, it turns the ship into a burning prison if it gets out of control!» Sveta replied as she reached and felt around in the kitchen blindly searching for the nearest object. «I know it seems impossible but grab everything that moves!»

Maria felt a large pan rolling towards her and put her hand out to catch it. Her fingers were greeted by a tumbling iron pot that rolled into her grasp. Piece by piece they held on to the walls for balance grabbing the tumbling cookery until the sea of clanging metal was silenced. They sat on the floor of the galley, listening to the ship creaking against the thud of the river’s waves.

Sveta sighed, «I knew I should have locked everything down before I left the kitchen.» She said with a sarcastic laugh. «Thanks for your help, though!»

«You’re welcome.» Maria said, «I think the storm is calming!»

«We’re lower on the ship, it’s not as noticeable down here,» replied Sveta.

The captain shouted orders from above the decks that were repeated by the quartermaster through the hallways down to the oarsman, «Hard port, only port!»

The shuffle of extending and retracting oars drummed through the ships timbers in response to the orders. The crew was in complete unison with every word that came from the captain’s lips.

«What are they doing?» asked Maria.

«The storm is pushing us toward shore, so they drop the sail and steer us into the current to keep us straight.» Said Sveta as she motioned for them to sit against the wall.

Their eyes adjusted to the limited visibility in the dark galley. The clouds moved quickly, letting occasional moonlight work its way through the windows and stairwells.

«Are we safe?» Maria asked nervously.

«Sure, it’s a lot of spinning about but the captain’s good at keeping us away from danger. You realize why he is the captain at times like this.» Sveta said admirably.

Maria listened to her words and began to realize Sveta had feelings for the captain, regardless of her objections to being his servant. She thought to ask about the evening’s meeting but decided this was a question that should wait.

Flashes of lightning silently lit the hallways followed moments later by explosive thunder that shook every part of the ship. Maria had seen many thunderstorms during summers on her farm, but she had never heard one so fierce and close. She moved closer to Sveta feeling safer near her friend.

Sveta put her arm around Maria, «Ladno, just another day on the river» She said as she patted her back.

Maria’s arms wrapped around Sveta, she couldn’t help the fear of such an unknown experience as it shook and terrified her. Sveta realized Maria was still a young girl, tender and easily frightened. Her womanly instincts to nurture took over as she held Maria in the dark.

Lightning flashed again in an almost blinding brightness then absolute silence. Finally, a dark distant roll of thunder echoed across the sky booming and shaking with less intensity. Sveta kissed Maria’s head and patted her back, «It’s moving away from us, we can go back to the cabin soon,» Sveta said reassuringly.

Maria looked up feeling encouraged and felt calmed by Sveta’s words.

«Thanks.» She replied, «I’ve never experienced such a storm in my life.»

The ship began to slow its hard shifting and soon the sounds of the oarsman returned to their normal pace.

«Those poor men, we probably lost half a day’s progress up the river. They will be rowing extra tonight.» Sveta explained.

The ladies soon returned to their cabin, the waves had calmed slightly but continued to batter the ship. Sveta was extremely tired, but Maria wanted to know how it went with the captain.

As Sveta took off her dress, Maria asked, «So, how was it… with him?»

Sveta paused, «I’ll tell you in the morning, I’m exhausted.» She replied.

As Sveta’s clothes dropped to the floor, she fell to her bed, exhausted. Maria looked at her in the dark, she looked cold and didn’t have the strength to pull the blankets beneath her over herself.

Maria went and took the blanket from her own bed and returned to Sveta’s bedside. Without a word, she draped the blanket over Sveta’s body and lay alongside her.

«Such a paradise,» Sveta whispered as she fell asleep instantly.

Maria felt such an appreciation for all Sveta did for her, and wanted to return her kindness in some way. She curled up behind Sveta and let her arm drape over her. Sveta shifted slightly then took Maria’s hand, holding it to her breast.

It was shocking at first, Maria wanted to pull her hand away thinking it was an unconscious mistake. But the sensation of Sveta’s breast, so warm and soft in her hand, felt very different from her own. She dared not to move a single finger, feeling the tender impression of Sveta’s nipple against her palm.

Maria felt awkward, speechless, uncomfortable but also aroused as she had admired Sveta’s breasts since the moment they met.

«Was it wrong?» Maria wondered. «Surely Sveta knew this was not a man beside her.»

Maria searched her mind, trying to find an answer but realized her objection was to the idea of touching a woman, not how it actually felt. In fact, it only felt feminine and natural to touch someone so familiar and kind. Maria let out a deep breath and laid her head on the soft curtain of Sveta’s hair as it spilled across the pillow as they both drifted into sleep.

Weft Threads

Things moved slowly the next morning; Maria awoke in Sveta’s bed to see she was already up and getting dressed. Sveta seemed late for getting to the galley and said very little before quickly slipping her shoes on and heading for the door.

Maria felt guilty for not having a task to perform, she could hear people all over the ship working, moving things about and shouting for help with this or that. She got dressed and headed for the top deck to see what the ship looked like after the storm.

At first glance, everything seemed normal until she noticed a few barrels were missing from where they had been lashed the day before. Then she turned and saw several members of the crew looking at the sail, it had a large tear at the base where it had been pulled hard against the grommets and was split completely open from the breeze running through it. Her eyes grew big at the idea the wind could be so violent.

«We didn’t get it down in time.» The quartermaster said as he saw her looking at the damage. «That storm caught everyone by surprise.» He added as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck in frustration.

«Can you fix it?» Maria asked.

«In the next port we can, but that’s bad news for the oarsmen, they have to push upstream against this current.» He said gritting his teeth in anger.

«Well get it down before it rips sideways as well!» he shouted at the crew.

Maria stood in a trance, as she watched the breeze flickering through the loose threads of the torn sail. She instantly remembered her mother teaching her how to make blankets on a loom. Each winter the snow would cover the doors and windows, burying the family inside for days at a time. They always had a fire, food, and tasks to keep their mind off the harsh cold that imprisoned them.

Maria’s mind immersed her in the scene of her mother guiding Maria’s hands across the loom, teaching her how to stretch the main threads in the loom before completing the piece with a shuttle and fill thread. The process took days to complete as they wove blankets and sewed quilts from scraps of cloth.

Maria slowly blinked, staring determined at the sail as she walked toward it. «I can fix this!» Maria said excitedly.

The quartermaster looked up from his tools, feeling annoyed by Maria’s interjection. He searched for a reason to excuse her from the task. «Oh, I couldn’t impose on you miss, you’re our passenger, and mending a sale is a very dangerous job, the weight of it alone is…» he continued in a patronizing voice.

Maria could sense she had to prove her abilities and felt the school teacher voice of her mother emerge in complete authority, interrupting the quartermaster before he could finish speaking.

«Look right there! See how the tear is perfectly straight?» She asked insistently.

The quartermaster sighed and nodded, hoping she would stop talking.

«Those are weft threads, they just the fill the sail, the stronger ones… the warp threads that go up and down are fine! I can patch on both sides through the warp threads, all I need is a needle, thread and a piece of canvas.…do you have that on board?» Maria said looking up from the sail at the stunned quartermaster.

The quartermaster stood speechless as the young lady spoke in a language he had only heard among shipwrights and riggers.

«You have the tools, yes?» Maria said confidently.

The quartermaster turned and shouted at one of the crew, «Fetch me the sail gear in the tackle box and the old sail from down below!»

A member of the crew rushed down the stairs, returning moments later with the items.

The quartermaster placed his hand on Maria’s back gently and spoke quietly in her ear, «If it’s not done right, the sail will be ruined. You’re sure about this?» The quartermaster said as he handed the tackle box to Maria.

Maria nodded confidently and walked toward the sail rigging. She felt she was being taken seriously for the first time, rather than a helpless kitten with no value to those around her. The crew unleashed the base of the sail and lowered it for her. They laid the old sail out on the deck and stood like an audience, watching a performance. Maria immediately went to work measuring the tear and size of the patch she would need to cut from the old sail.

The quartermaster watched from his post with a smile as she had all the deck hands helping her. Each man seemed eager to be her hands and teased each other in the process.

«Those are weft threads there.» said one crewmember to another, as if he knew it already.

Maria giggled and corrected him, «Actually weft threads go up and down, those are the fill threads that go across, they are the weaker of the two.» Maria said as the man nodded in embarrassment.

She walked out the length of patches to be cut and looked around for a knife. The quartermaster stepped down from his post and pulled a blade from his belt, working it along the sail where Maria pointed.

He cut a large set of patches and placed them over and under the main sail to be sewn together. The men held the weight of the sail as Maria set out to stitch the patches in place, ignoring the attention she drew from each man watching her. Her long blonde hair dancing in the breeze as she knelt and turned over and under the sail.

She looked up and saw their blank faces, all looking at her. «Sorry gentleman, I know it’s heavy, I’ll go as quickly as I can.» She said keeping her eyes on the sail.

«It’s not heavy to me!» One man said, «Nor I!» said another, as each of them wanted to boast of their strength in hopes of impressing her.

After two hours, the stitching was complete, and the quartermaster returned. «Well I’ll be!» he said as he inspected the work, pulling at the edges to test the strength. «That’s excellent work!»

«Thanks, we still need a grommet.» She said still focused on the task.

«Now that I can do!» said the quartermaster as he motioned to one of the men to cut a whole and clamp a ring around it for reinforcement.

Moments later, the sail was lashed to the cross arm and hoisted up as it caught the wind, and the ship made a familiar pull forward. The patch held and took the weight of the breeze as before.

Suddenly the oarsmen, covered in sweat, began to appear on deck, one after another in a long line. It was evident they had been told the news and were all looking at the sail with an inspired smile. Then the quartermaster began to clap as he walked toward Maria acknowledging her with a big smile, the entire deck began to cheer with applause as the men felt relieved to have their sail back.

Maria didn’t understand how important her contribution was to the ship, the southern currents of the Volga routinely made hard work for the oarsmen, but without a sail to help propel the ship it would have been almost impossible to travel North. She was their hero.

The captain also joined in and patted Maria on the back,

«U Nas Kupala!» he shouted, «U-ra!»

«U-ra» the crew responded in unison.

Each member of the crew looked Maria in the eye, thanking her and nodding their head in appreciation before returning below.

The captain remained to speak with Maria. «You’ve done us a great service young lady, and saved me a substantial amount of money in repairs.» He said in a grateful tone.

«Normally we give some money to each of the merchants if we are late getting in but we’ll back on schedule now.» Added the quartermaster who listened in as he packed up the repair gear and old sail.

«Ay, and that as well.» The captain continued, «I’m returning your fare for the trip and hope you’ll continue with us to Neva, but of course you are free to pick another ship at the next port if you wish.» He said as he handed Maria a small bag with gold coins.

Maria’s eyes grew wide with astonishment as she held the coin purse in her hand. «Thank you! I just wanted to help, I didn’t expect all this!» She chirped.

The captain nodded and continued on his way, returning to his duties and shouting at the crew, «Back to work! We’re underway and making time to Cheropovets!» he said in a boastful voice.

The men scattered like ants devouring a piece of bread, all with a destination of haste and purpose.

«That was really sweet of you,» Maria said to the quartermaster, knowing he had spoken to the captain and brought the men on deck.

«Miss, you never asked what the benefit was to you, and on the river, everyone looks for their reward before the work. The captain and I both appreciate that.» He said as he rolled the remains of the old sail. «Thanks again.» He said as he turned to complete his tasks.

Maria stood on the main deck in astonishment. She felt truly valued and respected from people who had every reason to ignore or dismiss her. There was a lesson in the experience she wanted to hold on to, she had asserted and proven herself when she would have normally backed down. At that moment a small part of the shy farm girl faded away, and the woman inside her began to emerge.

She headed below eager to share the news of her adventure and reward with Sveta. It was as if the entire experience had not happened until she told it in full detail to her new dear friend. She stopped in her room to store her gold, packing it in her sack and storing it under her bed before making her way toward the kitchen.

She could already smell the scent of something sweet in the air, there was no mistaking it, Sveta was making blini, her favorite! She rushed down the stairs and raced into the kitchen before the crowd had formed.

Sveta saw her and immediately waved for her to come inside the cooking area. Maria smiled and came around the other side of the wall separating the crew mess and cook space.

«Blinchiki!» Maria shouted excitedly.

Sveta laughed, «Da, my favorite.» She said as Maria agreed on the same.

The two ladies nibbled at their Russian-style pancakes covered with berries and honey as Maria shared the story of mending the sail and the captain’s generosity. Maria detected a hint of jealousy in Sveta’s eyes but quickly dismissed it. She knew Sveta had been the only woman on board, and this meant Maria presented a competition even if it was not intentional.

Sveta sounded genuinely happy for Maria, even though her eyes were a bit far away.

Then Sveta surprised Maria in response, «Well that’s good news, now you can pick a better ship with your own cabin!» She said half laughing.

Maria’s eyes filled with tears, «You want me to go?», She said in horror. «I thought you liked having me there, but yes, of course, I should respect that it’s your home, and I’m imposing…» Maria said trying not to be offended even though she was clearly hurt.

Sveta quickly put her plate down and moved next to Maria, wrapping her arms around her. «Ignore me!» She said apologetically, «I’m a stupid jealous woman.» She said as her voice softened, «I don’t want you to go!» Sveta said as she squeezed Maria tightly.

It was the first time Maria saw Sveta’s softer side, she was not as tough as life on the ship had forced her to be. «I want to stay on board until we reach Neva,» Maria said assuredly.

They wiped each other’s tears and quickly finished their meal as the sounds of the men came into the crew mess looking for their meal. Stools slid across the floor as utensils, bowls and plates began their routine distribution among the hungry shipmates. «Davai Blini!» the men shouted in a playful manner. It was wonderful to feel the positive mood of all after a hard night and exhausting recovery from the storm.

The Unexpected Barber

Sveta and Maria were sitting in their cabin, sharing stories from their childhood after the evening meal. Each of them took turns revealing intimate details about their experiences and adventures while growing up.

Sveta talked about the son of the town blacksmith, his strong hands, smile and piercing blue eyes, and how one night while her father was away at sea and her mother fell asleep, she snuck out of the house to see him.

«Of course, I was only 15 at the time, my mom would have killed me… and my father would’ve killed the boy for sure!» Sveta giggled as she continued the story. «I remember it had rained that day, but it was summer time so there was this misty, light fog in the air. We agreed ahead of time to meet behind the stable where he worked.

So there I go, taking all the back ways so no one can see me because everyone in Neva knew my mother. Finally, I make it to the stable and head to the back where he is supposed to be waiting for me. But it is so foggy I can’t tell if he is there or not, so I start walking through the straw, getting closer to the door that leads inside the stable. And he isn’t there! Of course, I’m frantic, I’ve come all this way and nothing!»

«Why didn’t he show up?» Maria asked hanging on every word Sveta spoke.

«He did! Just as I was about to go home and never speak to him again, I see a shadow moving in the stable, they always keep a fire going to heat the iron, so it’s lit up with this orange glow. But what if it’s not him, right? I leaned back against the wall, hiding in the shadows, just in case it’s his father or someone else.

«Was it him?» Maria asked as she leaned forward in anticipation.

«Yes! He steps out and whispers my name, and I decide to wait to see what he does because he can’t see me yet! Then his head drops and he says, „Bleen!“ Because he thinks, I didn’t come!» Sveta expressed in an excited whisper.

«So of course at this point I can’t stand it any longer, and I say, «What kind of language is that in front of a lady?» Sveta says as they both burst out laughing.

«So what happened, did you kiss him?» Maria said anticipating more of the story.

«Oh yes, we kissed! I wasn’t sure what to do, but I didn’t want him to know it was my first time. He walked over to me, looked in my eyes, and without another word he kissed me, just like that.» Sveta said as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.