Arja

Standing, Arja carefully stretched her muscles. Her stomach made its presence known, rumbling louder than usual, and Arja was for a moment quite thankful that the young merchant woman had not been present to hear that unladylike sound.

Assuming that Miss Ajuna would be back in the main entry chamber of the castle, Arja picked up the empty flask and sack and made her way back down the stairs. But well before the large archway to the entry chamber came into view, she stopped, certain that she had heard something. A moment later, as she was about to resume her descent of the massive stone staircase, she heard the sound again.

...a soft, feminine moan, which logically could only have come from Miss Ajuna.

Arja had never made such an intimate sound herself, but she had heard it often enough – usually late at night, as she returned home from a festival or when a midday storm had forced her to finish the day's fieldwork via torchlight. She knew what that sound meant, and very nearly turned and headed back up the staircase.

However, the fact that Miss Ajuna should have been alone in that chamber – but clearly was not – cautiously propelled Arja's legs down the staircase. Moments later, the vision before her was unlike any she had ever seen.

The smooth floor of the wide entry chamber had sunk into the formation of a shallow oversize bowl, with Miss Ajuna at its lowest point. She was completely naked, her clothing strewn about in tatters, her footwear nowhere to be seen, with small spots of blood upon the floor between her legs; all she wore were her earrings and her necklace. She knelt at the base of the large bowl, her knees lewdly parted, her arms stretched together above her as if held in place by an invisible rope, her body moving sensuously, her eyes closed as another soft moan escaped her parted lips.

"Miss Ajuna!!!" Arja shrieked and bolted down the slope of the floor toward her companion. Then she tripped over something unseen and, with a painful yelp, fell hard onto the cool sloped stone floor, sliding the rest of the way to the base of the unnatural bowl.

Before she had a change to recover from her fall, something cool and rubbery wrapped around each of Arja's ankles, while her wrists were similarly secured. In fear, Arja looked rapidly around her, but could not see anything actually touching her. She shrieked again, feeling more invisible rubbery items touching her everywhere, and fought against them as best as she could.

"Do not fight it," Miss Ajuna advised calmly between soft gasps. "Enjoy it. Experience it." As another moan escaped Miss Ajuna's lips, Arja looked up at the wealthy young woman and noticed the expression of pure rapture upon her face. Yet still Arja fought, grunting loudly with the endeavor, her clothing starting to stick to her as sweat was produced by her efforts.

The sticking clothing was quickly and deftly removed by more of the invisible rubbery items, wriggling between clothing and skin and suddenly pulling outward with sufficient force to cause the material to shred easily. Arja screamed as her body was suddenly exposed to this peculiar stranger, and to the invisible rubbery items molesting her.

Suddenly, Arja was free. Whatever had been assaulting her body suddenly left her alone. She rose to her knees, still sobbing loudly, uncontrollably, blushing from the shame she felt at this mysterious, unnatural situation. Then she felt very human arms wrap around her, and she clutched at Miss Ajuna fiercely, unwilling to let go of this humanity, something familiar in an otherwise unfamiliar location and situation.

Only when her sobs had finally ceased did Arja realize that Miss Ajuna was kissing her. For the first time in her life, someone other than her own mother was kissing away her tears... and her mother had stopped doing that some nine or ten years earlier. It felt so strange, yet somehow, it also felt so right. Most importantly, it felt so comforting, so warm, so understanding, and, despite herself, Arja felt no shame in this act, even though both young women were completely nude and just a few mere moments ago had been assaulted by something invisible and rubbery.

And when there were no more tears to kiss away, Miss Ajuna instead kissed her lips – slowly, softly, with great care, as if sampling the nectar of the sweetest of flowers. Much to her surprise, Arja found herself returning the warm gesture, and feeling the faint beginning of the tingling sensation between her legs that she had experienced on only a few rare private occasions by her own hand. For the first time in her life, she was truly, consciously aware of another girl's breasts – rather, now, another young woman's breasts – as they pressed insistently against her own.

Against all logic, Arja felt as if a rapidly-weakening dam within her finally had finally collapsed. An enormous wave of uncontrollable desire surged throughout her being, drowning all sense of reason, obliterating all inhibitions. She clutched at Miss Ajuna fiercely, kissing her with the forceful passion she had only ever seen an occasional drunk man use with a wary-but-willing woman when they thought they were hidden in the shadows of a darkened alleyway. Yet, it somehow felt right, as if this moment was truly meant to happen, as if a destiny was at last being fulfilled. And, as the wealthier young woman eagerly returned her passionate desire, Arja somehow felt as if there was more to come.

They eventually hugged each other tightly, each young woman gasping rapidly for air. Arja felt lightheaded, similar to yet different from the sensations she felt when her mother permitted her to enjoy certain sweet-tasting drinks at the occasional festivals. She felt as if the world was slowly spinning, as if Miss Ajuna was the only reason she was not falling toward the sloped floor.

Yet she somehow soon found herself on her back on the stone floor, with Miss Ajuna laying upon her. How they had gone from kneeling to prone was completely lost on Arja. But all that mattered was that Miss Ajuna was there with her, was slowly kissing her once more, was touching her and awakening new sensations she had never known or even once considered before.

The gasp that pierced the absolute quiet of the mountaintop castle startled Arja, even though she recognized her own voice in that sharp, highly-uncharacteristic sound. The liquid seeping from within her body was not entirely foreign to her, but it brought forth a moment of embarrassment and near-panic until Miss Ajuna's hand maneuvered between them and stroked along her dampening feminine folds, quickly calming her while slowly heightening her arousal.

More uncharacteristic sounds spewed forth from Arja's lips. Her eyes closed, she clutched tightly at the wealthy young woman, ignoring the socially-trained part of her mind insisting that this was wrong, and opting instead to focus on the sensations firing throughout her small body. Her breath caught repeatedly, her hips moving of their own accord. When Miss Ajuna bit her shoulder, she Arja squealed from the noticeable pain, yet desired even more.

Somehow, this experience simply felt right. Yet, somehow, it felt as if something was missing from the experience.

No longer content to be relatively passive, Arja rolled Miss Ajuna to her back, then quickly climbed atop her companion. The two naked young women grasped each other once again and their lips joined and locked. Whimpers and moans passed repeatedly from one mouth to the other. Hands glided across skin, fingers toyed with strands of hair, teeth clashed mercilessly, tongues battled for supremacy.

Miss Ajuna squealed even louder as her fingernails curled into Arja's back. The slight pain was enough to cause the commoner to throw back her head and grunt in a very unladylike manner, yet she felt no shame in such an utterance. "Deeper!" the wealthy young woman pleaded between breaths, confusing Arja.

...until she felt something rubbery brush against her left thigh, quickly maneuvering toward the junction of legs and torso.

For a second and an eternity, Arja froze, even as Miss Ajuna began to move sensuously beneath her. In that immeasurable passage of time, a completely-unexpected pain consumed her being as her own body was suddenly filled for the very first time. Her squeak was more from the surprise of the situation rather than the pain itself, but before she could reason exactly what was happening to her, Miss Ajuna rapidly pulled her face back down for the most heated kiss yet of the strange, bizarre evening.

The pain within her was quickly dissipating as the rubbery invader moved slowly back and forth inside her. What remained of Arja's rational mind informed her that she was now truly a woman, then all rational thought was banished until daylight.

No longer inhibited by rationality or by societal expectations, Arja truly threw herself at the mercy of the fantastic situation. She questioned nothing when she felt her body being lifted by multiple rubbery items and placed into a position similar to how she had found Miss Ajuna seemingly years ago. More invisible rubbery items teased her body, especially paying attention to her breasts, flicking back and forth across those small mounds of flesh as whatever was inside her body moved with even greater speed. She paid no attention to the lewd sounds escaping her lips.

...but she was keenly aware of the unintelligible babble coming from her companion. Still on her back upon the cool stone floor, Miss Ajuna's body moved seductively, writhing as if it was pure lust personified. What caught Arja's eyes, however, were the drops of blood upon the wealthier woman's body, and the noticeable movement of the feminine folds – moving as if something invisible was filling the pink and oozing opening of Miss Ajuna's body.

Yet, somehow, Arja was not afraid, either for herself or for Miss Ajuna. Somehow, she knew that she and Miss Ajuna were having similar experiences, so she closed her eyes to focus on the pleasure building within her.

Additional feminine voices soon reached Arja's ears. Opening her lust-clouded eyes, she could just barely discern seemingly hundreds of young women in various poses, all crying out from the pleasures of the flesh as their bodies moved against invisible beings. She could see Miss Ajuna clearly, but the other young women were all hazy, as if they were not truly there. Yet, one by one, each semi-transparent woman caught Arja's gaze and gave her a brief, knowing smile.

Now Arja understood why those women who had been permitted to come to this mysterious castle never spoke of their experiences. Arja and Miss Ajuna had somehow been inducted into a strange sisterhood, and no one outside this intimate group was to ever know of the activities which have taken place here, likely for centuries.

Miss Ajuna's voice rose dramatically in volume. Arja watched as her corporeal companion seemed to struggle passionately, yet without truly making any efforts to escape this most unusual circumstance. Between inarticulate cries, however, she clearly stated: "Biatta, now I understand!!!"

The scream was violent, intense, ending in a protracted wail unlike anything Arja had ever heard in her life, yet she instinctively understood both the cause and the result. Closing her eyes, she practically inhaled those beautiful sounds even as she felt her own body was ready to erupt from the pleasure growing within her and trickling down her naked thighs. It was only a matter of time until her own scream would fill the chamber, until she would truly understand the depth of the experiences shared by her mother and her aunt in this very castle – and quite likely in this very chamber – well before she was born.

One by one, the semi-transparent young women erupted into primal song as well. With her eyes still closed, Arja became intoxicated by those beautiful sounds, each exultant cry making her even more aware of her own femininity. And when her turn came at last, her exclamation rivaled all others.

*****

The sound of the opening doors and window shutters awoke Arja from her blissful, exhausted slumber. Although sprawled uncomfortably upon the floor, she felt refreshed, almost as if she had been reborn in another, seemingly-better, fully-woman body.

There was a definite ache between her legs. It was an ache of overuse, an affirming testament to the unexpected activities of the night. It was also an ache of sadness, for there was no invisible rubbery item buried within her.

Carefully, Arja lifted herself up to a kneeling position. The floor of the chamber was once again flat. The mysterious lighting had disappeared, all light now coming from the warm rays of sunlight penetrating the chamber via the eastern windows. Miss Ajuna sat nude against a nearby wall, clearly still quite groggy following the events of the night.

Only then did Arja think of her own nudity, looking down at her bare body for confirmation. Yet at the edge of her vision, instead of seeing the shredded remnants of her meager clothing, she saw an elegant white dress with matching slippers.

Joy filled Arja's mind and heart, for she had never worn anything so expensive or beautiful before. She looked up at her wealthier companion, and saw that on the floor near Miss Ajuna lay a typical peasant dress, clearly stained and patched from years of wear.

And then, Arja truly understood: Those women who are permitted to come to the mysterious castle are bonded together by an intimate femininity, which is shared by women of all classes.

Arja studied Miss Ajuna's expression. If her wealthy companion also understood the message of this "exchange" of clothing, she did not appear to like it.

Then again, Arja reasoned, how could someone who has always had wealth truly appreciate and value someone who has spent the majority of her life in various forms of hard work?

This situation left Arja in quite a quandary. She and Miss Ajuna had shared a most thrilling experience during the night. Yet the two young women were now about to return to their separate existences, separated by the dictates of society while (apparently) wearing the other's form of clothing.

Arja's stomach rumbled loudly, also a testament to the events of the night. Looking around, she did not see the flask or the sack, even though both would be empty.

Between the "exchange" of clothing, the lack of food or drink, and the renewed divide between the two young women, Arja's mood turned to one of sadness, despite her memories of the strange night.

After long moments of hesitation and reconsideration, Arja finally crawled across the stone floor toward the wealthier young woman. Miss Ajuna finally looked up at her, and gave her cheek a sad, sad kiss.

"We will not go back the same way we came," Miss Ajuna croaked from her raw throat. "It will be impossible for us to forget these events, or their meaning. I feel so close to you, even though I truly do not really know you, yet society will not permit me to come to know you as I should."

"I know," Arja agreed sadly. "I know."

The ache in Arja's heart overpowered the ache between her legs. She wanted an answer; she needed a solution. But, of course, none came to her.

The best "solution," Arja felt, was to dress in the clothing laying beside Miss Ajuna and descend the mountain alone. Miss Ajuna did not stop her, did not say Goodbye, did not even offer a sigh of desperation.

Stepping from the castle into the crisp mountaintop air and bright early-morning sunshine, Arja still felt as if everything was somehow wrong. She stood there for a long, long time, wanting to cry in frustration, yet the tears would not fall, they would not come. All she could do was wrap her arms around herself, her eyes closed, trying to ignore the hunger and the thirst she felt so keenly even as she searched every crevice of her mind for a potential solution.

Eventually, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes again, Arja was truly surprised to find Miss Ajuna standing beside her, naked, presenting the white dress and slippers. "We can start a new society together," she offered, hope evident in her voice. "There is plenty of space on this world, according to the scholars, so we can find our own small area and start a new society, one without classes."

"But it takes more than two people to truly start a society," Arja noted sadly. "And you and I are both women. I always heard that a woman needs a man to add to society."

"What we just experienced last night was undoubtedly accomplished in great measure by magic," Miss Ajuna countered. "I believe that if we look deep inside ourselves, we will find that we carry part of that magic with us. And if that is true, then I believe that we will discover how to add to our little society on our own if necessary."

Miss Ajuna again offered the better clothing. "Take these," she pleaded. "In your eighteen years, you have truly earned them."

Arja hesitated, unsure what to say or how to react. "But you will still be naked," she finally said, not truly confident in her own conclusion.

"Remember the magic," Miss Ajuna replied with a smile and a wink.

After a few moments, Arja had changed into the white outfit, its many tiny embedded jewels causing the neckline to sparkle brilliantly in the sunlight. With a smile of approval, Miss Ajuna disappeared into the castle, only to return a few moments later wearing an identical outfit.

"'Remember the magic,'" Arja realized with glee.

The two young women embraced warmly in the bright sunlight, then, hand-in-hand, carefully descended the tall mountain en route to their new society.

"By the way, Miss Ajuna" Arja finally asked once the duo had cleared the loose-rock slope and the massive boulders, "who is Biatta?"

Miss Ajuna smiled. "She is my older sister, born exactly two years before me. And I am no longer Miss Ajuna. Please," she requested with a kiss, "just call me Ajuna."