The Rite of Spring: The Princess

The Rite of Spring: Fragment 24

The Princess
which tells of how Aonan arrives at the House she most fears, and who she meets there

When the boat had docked in another boathouse, my escort spoke to a young man wearing only an elaborate pouch covering his groin. He disappeared and returned with a much older man. This man wore close fitting clothing in dark red, also much ornamented in an unseemly fashion about the groin. The men in black told him that they were delivering me to him, according to the instructions of the God, and that I must be put somewhere secure. He left for a few moments, and shortly returned. At his direction, the men in black bore me along a corridor decorated with agricultural scenes, interspersed with varied and explicit depictions of human copulation, such as I had never seen or imagined before. Persons wandered this corridor in varying states of undress. They seemed surprised to see me. I was then born up a stair, and into another prison chamber. This one had a painted frieze running around it, just above head height. I saw that this frieze consisted of depictions of persons of alternating gender. Each was engaged in some sort of amatory activity with both the persons on either side of them. In this cell, I was laid upon a palette, and the gate was shut.

At this point it was discovered that there was no lock. The men in black made scornful remarks about this. Eventually a lock was fetched, and the gate secured. Still no one had thought to untie me, and the bonds, which seemed to me excessively tight, caused me great discomfort. In the meantime I had the opportunity to further inspect my enclosure. The walls went up about three manheights, and there was a row three of small unglazed windows near the top, one of them being on my side of the barrier. However, I could see that, while I might climb to the top of the barrier, it would not be possible to traverse across the wall to the window. I saw also that one corner of the cell had been partitioned off; I later found that this hid a sanitary annexe.

Now another man came into the room. He was young, but had an air of authority about him. He briskly dismissed the men in black, and enquired with some asperity as to why I was locked in. He seemed dissatisfied with the reply, but then instructed that he be locked in with me. The remaining person beyond the gate then left.

I will describe the newcomer with some care. He was a man in his full growth, but as I say still young. He was tall, but athletic in build, and well muscled. His hair was worn long, and held back in a horsetail. He was unshaven, but his beard was trimmed short. Apart from his colouring, which was rather too pale, he might be the very image of a warrior. He wore a tightly fitting costume of black leather decorated with gold. In particular, he wore a lifesize representation of a generative organ of gold, decorated with rubies, sewn into the groin of his leggings.

As soon as we were alone, he immediately commenced untieing my bonds. He said

"I am ashamed that you should be so ill treated in my House. I offer you my most sincere apologies - we will do everything in our power to make amends". I said, with all the dignity I could muster, that I desired only to be released, and permitted to go on my way unmolested. By this time I had been unbound. My wrists and ankles were rather swollen from the constriction of the ropes. He took my hand, and began to massage the affected area. I requested him to unhand me, and this he did, again begging my pardon. He retreated into a corner of the cell, and squatted there, facing me. He said

"it is the will of the God that you remain here to celebrate the rite on the sixth day from now. After that, we will set you on your way, or, if you prefer, take you to wherever you want to go."

I enquired about the nature of the rite. He replied

"it is merely a simple rite of fertility, such as is performed everywhere in the spring. The God desired that you should celebrate this rite in order that you should have no doubt of her gender."

This last confused me. "What part am I to play in this rite?"

I asked. He replied:

"it is a fertility rite. You will couple with a representative of the God."

I was still more confused, and said

"even supposing I was willing to do so, how could I couple with your god? I also am female."

The young man looked completely blank for a moment, as though I had said something that made no sense at all. Then he said, slowly,

"You are a stranger to the Place, aren't you?"

I told him that I was Aonan, daughter and only surviving child of Aonach, Chieftain of the Rhiconaiach. At that, he looked shocked, and slightly sick. After a moment he shook his head vigorously.

"I am Tan, son of Tanai the shepherdwoman. I greet you, Aonan daughter of Aonach."

He paused. Then he said

"it is according to our belief that the God is above gender, so that her essence is neither male nor female. But the God loves each of us, and expects each of us to love and desire her. In order that we may satisfy that desire in us, she turns to each of us an aspect which is appropriate. So the God shows to me a female aspect, since I am a man. But to you she shows a male aspect, for you are a woman. Thus, each of us can couple fruitfully with the God. In the rite you will couple with a male representative of the God, and it happens, on this occasion, that I will be that representative."

I was horrified. My worst fears were confirmed. Worse - I had not for a moment considered the possibility of a race so depraved as to worship an hermaphrodite deity. I said that there were no circumstances under which I would consent to couple with him, or any other person of either gender representing his debased god, whether in a rite of fertility or otherwise. He said that it was the will of the God, and so I must do so. I told him that his god was not my God, and it seemed to me wholly wrong and against the laws, teaching, and belief of my people to conform to his wishes.

After that, he summoned the key-keeper, directed that I be fed, and left.

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