This is a continuation of the story. Please read the previous chapters or this won't make much sense.
It was cool, but not very windy. As we crested the hill, the old Keeper stopped to rest a bit. I caught her from falling down; she was breathing quite heavily.
"I… am not the young girl I used to be," she said. "I'll be glad to finally lay these bones to rest."
"But Keeper," I protested. "You still have much life in you, and so much more to give. Everyone loves you and respects you deeply. Why would you want to be in a rush to leave all that behind?"
"Girl, help me to that rock over there." She pointed as I helped her to a large nearby rock, then I sat down with her. "I've given so much, sacrificed so much for this place and all the people here. I watched most of them grow up from little babies into fine men and women. But I was the youngest of the council, and now I'm the last."
I could see tears start to well in her eyes from the nearby fire stand as she continued, "Oh how I miss those days. Eric and I— well all of us, really, we'd stay up till the wee hours of the night fucking each other's brains out, basking in the glow of the Goddess. The work was hard, but so rewarding. To see what was built… I am proud of what we did." She smiled as she looked out over the village, and then slowly turned to me to add, "—and what you became." The way her eyes reflected the fire reminded me of the eyes of the Goddess.
"But," she said, putting her hands on her knees and pushing herself up. "The past is past. There is one final rite to perform." And she started off toward the circle.
As we approached, I saw the braziers being lit. There was a very large circle of wooden benches and fire pots. In the center of the circle was a huge stone structure of some kind. It was somewhat dome-shaped wiith a dragon's head on top, supported by pillars with animals carved into them.
"Keeper," I said. "What is that in the center? Do the shapes have some signifigance?"
She pointed at the structure as she spoke, "This is the embodiment of the covenant we made with the Goddess, so long ago; to gain so much in life requires giving of the self. On top, there is a platform for a bonfire, where the light of the Goddess can spread hope and comfort all around the valley. On the outside, the animals holding up the dragon's head represent the original councilwomen, with the head representing Eric, himself. These are shaped according to our Fylgja—our spirit companions. In the center with the wood is for our Hamr, and through the flames our Hugr will turn to light and we can finally be with the Goddess."
"The Hamr…" I wondered outloud. "You mean this is Eric's grave?" She nodded, and started to say something before I corrected myself. "Well I guess you don't use thode words… I still have much to learn. The statues… this is where the other councilwomen are buried? And I guess one day…" I stopped myself, not wanting to bring up the topic.
"They're not buried yet," she said. "Their bodies were preserved, and their remains lay inside the pit. Eric is up there, too. The fire will consume all, and then it will be sealed up forever."
"Forever?" I asked. "But, where will you—" A loud horn interrupted us.
"Oh, we're late!" she yelled and practically ran to the gathering. I wanted to ask her more, but she just walked up the small steps and stood to address the crowd.
"Tonight!" she practically, shouted. "This is the night where we honor our great Jarl Eric and his companions. I stand before you—the last of them. We gave all for you and for the Goddess of Light. I implore you to be generous with your heart, your posessions, and your love. Now," she pointed to Embla's father, who stood by a large cauldron. "Get to pouring! These people aren't nearly drunk enough to give as much love as the Goddess desires!"
The crowd roared with laughter, and mobbed the cauldron. Drinks were passed back towards the outside, and everyone drank deeply from the well. Music started playing in the background… horns and flutes, drums and beads. I could see they were made of wood, animal horns, hide, and other natural implements. The men were dressed in leathers, and the women in silky white robes—good thing the fire pits were burning hot, or I'm sure they'd have been pretty cold in such light clothing.
"Astrid!" she said, shoving fabric at me. "You're not in the proper festival attire, so I brought this for you." She was wearing a silky white dress, which was form-fitting and fairly see-through. It wasn't hard to see all her shapes through the fabric. As I unfurled mine, it looked even more skimpy than hers! She rushed me behind the monument; we were not totally alone, but at least there were much fewer eyes.
She proceeded to rip my clothes off of me so fast I thought she was going to ravish me right then and there. But instead she handed me a cup and said excitedly, "Drink this!" I took a sip; it was sweet like honey, and had a powerful fragrance. "No, silly, the whole thing!" She said again as she tipped the cup up into my mouth. I gulped it down as fast as I could, trying not to drown.
When at last I could breathe, I hacked and coughed. My head was swirling. While I steadied myself against the stone, she put the dress on me and fastened loops of string in various places. I looked down and saw why I apparently needed to be drunk so badly. The fabric cupped my breasts and traveled around the sides, leaving my cleavage and all of the rest of my abdomen wide open; it was held with a thin string between them, which would be almost invisible from a moderate distance. The skirt opened up on my sides and just sort of hung on my hips perfectly, with a low cut exposing the skin just above my vagina. It looked like it would fall off at any moment, but it fit surprisingly snug.
I gave her a puzzled look, "What is—" I started, but she cut me off.
"I made this for you, when you were passed out for 3 days; I measured it to every inch of your body," she said with a large smile. I cupped my breasts under the thin fabric; she has a good eye for detail, apparently. I lifed my head to smell the incense in the air and listened. The music was upbeat, and people were clapping and dancing.
The two young men who always seemed to be around helping me came over and accosted me. With one hand in each arm, they lifted me up and carried me around to where everyone was dancing the most. Normally I would have been angry, but the drink must have had some strong alcohol in it… I giggled like a young girl again as they twirled me around, passing me back and forth between them. I didn't know how to dance, but everyone seemed to be doing their own things; I just followed the lead on what the other girls were doing. Some men came by and smeared some kind of paint on my face and body. Before long, I was shaking my chest and gyrating my hips; with the outfit and makeup, I'm sure I was quite the sight to behold. I felt so free and happy…and incredibly horny.
