Soundly asleep, a breath away from him, Iris crinkled her nose when he brushed the bridge of her nose with his fingers. A damned soul, just as he was. A tormented kin from a different realm. Two sides of the same coin.
Gingerly pushing a stray lock off her face. He'd wondered if his memory was betraying him. If that night hadn't gone as he'd remembered it.
Emerald green eyes, speckled with silver met his gaze. Curiously watching him, perhaps a little surprised to see him so close.
" I'm hungry," Corvin hid his hand under the pillow, to keep it still. If his memory betrayed him then his body most certainly didn't.
" You can camp an entire battalion under there," Iris pointed at the sheet covering his groin. Amused at his misery. Sharing a bed with a naked woman, wasn't an easy task. He'd spent the majority of his life among other men. The northern women had become a rare treasure since most of them had died on the front lines.
Corvin hummed as he pushed himself to sit on the bed, " Or, " He chuckled, mostly to himself," How about you give me a hand with it and we both can go about our day in better spirits," Even though he knew it wouldn't go down well, he still voiced out his thoughts.
Amused Iris slipped out of bed, " I'm afraid is every man for himself in this case, troglodyte" She tugged on the flat sheet and wrapped herself in it.
Corvin nodded, dropped his head, and sluggishly dragged himself out of the bed, to join her at the table where breakfast awaited. A thin spread compared to his usual meals. Falkirk was sorely missed. No matter how thin the rations were, he'd always found a way to make sure that was enough to fill everyone's belly.
" You know, " Corvin began as he poured himself a cup of warm brew," In the olden days women were at their men's disposal," Corvin leaned back in his chair and watched her halt mid-bite to look at him, scandalised by the very notion.
" Whatever do you mean?" She pinched her brows together, waiting for him to answer the question.
" I grew up on the front lines. So all I know is from stories, from those who lived in those times, or they have been passed on from generation to generation," He sipped on his brew, " There is a faction. Small nowadays but once most of the north was a member. The old religion," Rather ominous name. At least the way he said it," The order was formed by a handful of priestesses at the birth of Arrington. In the beginning, Whitsun was the seat of Arrington, only later moved to Dava. A temple was built to worship the old gods. And when crops wouldn't grow, or other natural calamity plagued the land the priestess would open the gates of the temple and allow men in for seven nights. It didn't matter whether they were wedded or betrothed. Some of them were not even of age. You can imagine what happened in those seven nights," Corvin took a deep breath in, and turned his attention to his breakfast, nibbling at the toasted bread with majun.
" No," It was Corvin's turn to halt mid-bite, and turned to her with furrowed brows.
" A whole lotta fucking," Was his plain and simple answer.
" Where are you going with this?" Iris broke a piece of her toast and nibbled on it, waiting for his answer.
" The practice spread rather quickly among the people. It was only for seven nights at first but as the ages passed the seven nights turned into fourteen, and after whenever they felt like it. Sadly most women were unwilling participants in the atrocities. And more often than not they were forced by their husbands to do the deed. It was a fair exchange, for the men. For women not so much. Some were beaten, some were fucked by an entire clan in one night. Some were chained and fucked, " That didn't paint a pretty picture.
" What about the families? Didn't they have a say in it?" Iris clutched the sheet around her, trying to keep the dread creeping up on her back.
" Most of them were Daughters of the Sun, birthed on the temple floors from the priestess. Later when the practice spread, most men took the infants to the temple as soon as they were born. Since they weren't sure who the father was. Dakran's father was one of those men and so was mine. I'm pretty sure that Haren's father is his mad uncle on his father's side." Skin crawling revelation. Splinters of conversation flying around the room on the wedding day flashed in Iris's mind. At the time didn't make any sense but men talked and laughed and wondered when they would get their turn to fill up the lovely red-haired girl that Dakran had wedded.
" Dakran," His name came all breathy," Will he do the same to Maya?" She was an innocent soul. Not an ounce of evil in her bones.
" No," A definite answer. Iris released the breath that she was holding," I teased him about it, and I ended up here because of it," Corvin groaned," Haren on the other hand, it's a different story,"
" Are you?" Iris didn't give him a chance to take a bite of his food before she asked the question.
" I've thought about it many times," Corvin took a bite of his food, " It is every man's dream. We don't mind what we stick it in as long it is wet and warm. If it comes with a pretty face then we consider that a bonus," Iris cleared her throat, and hugged the sheet closer to her.
" So?"
" No. I don't think I would be able to lay next to my woman at night, knowing that another man had touched her that way," A tinge of repulsion laced his tone as he finished his thoughts and turned his attention to his breakfast.
Her gaze searched for any sign of dishonesty in Corvin's expression. He seemed sincere. He behaved like a savage, though.