Author: JustSkipIt
Rating: R to NC-17
Feedback: Please leave feedback on the Waiting for Dani thread on the Kitten Board.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Willow and Tara and the Buffyverse. I'm not saying this universe is totally original but I didn't steal it from any author or creator that I know of. No copyright infringement is meant by this fic and I will not make any money from it.
Distribution: Kitten Board, Through the Looking Glass, Mystic Muse. Everyone else, send me a note.

The next two weeks seemed to pass unbelievably quickly. It was not that nothing of note happened but that the entire household was busy, busier than usual by far. Dani's mark continued its healing, aided by Gael's regular visits and his admonitions to stretch and bend the skin. I will admit that at times, I felt quite grateful for that instruction. I had long enjoyed watching my girl when she didn't realize my eyes were upon her, not thinking myself intrusive for it but feeling compelled to watch her as she moved so quickly and efficiently in any space.

I knew that I was in love with my girl. It had been summers indeed since I had started to wonder at the way I felt for her: was it usual? Was it something she returned? When we were younger I felt that I could exist simply being with her always-that I needed nothing more from her than to be in her presence and that I would always feel my soul fulfilled. Lately, however I was starting to want something more. More...

What had transpired the night of my mark taking was beyond words and my mind dwelled on it at the most unpredictable times. That was not to say that I wasn't thinking of it at predictable times: when we were getting ready for bed or kissing my love as she leaned against the desk, her hands gently twining in my hair with those greedy sounds coming from somewhere deep in her throat. Then, of course, my mind visited that night and my body responded accordingly every time.

But at other times, the intensity of my memories and the strength of my body's reaction to those memories caught me off guard and made my breath catch in my throat. I would be taking a bite of lamb with mint jelly or turning a page in a book on wind currents and suddenly those memories would assail me. I felt almost lightheaded for wanting her in my arms every second of the day.

We exchanged shy and flirtatious glances and hundreds if not thousands of kisses throughout that time and I felt as if I had left our world to visit The Creator in her very home.

As to whether my girl returned my same feelings. I felt it as surely as I felt my own for her. Her eyes seemed to move over my body when I wasn't watching and my kisses seemed returned with equal passion. And if she was not as assertive, not as bold in seeking out my embrace, I thought nothing of it at the time. I was her mistress and she my servant and it would have seemed out of place for her to take greater initiative than I in this portion of our love.

At least that was what I told myself at the time and for a long time afterwards.

We were more busy during that two weeks than ever before, preparing for the celebration to come. As the Lady of the Estate, I had more responsibilities than I had dreamed existed, both domestic and political. It fell to me, and through me to Dani, to direct the household staff in preparation for the feast and housing our guests. A veritable army of villagers temporarily joined our permanent staff to clean and prepare the guest rooms and cartloads of supplies, food, and drink arrived daily during the second week of the fortnight.

Guests had responded months earlier to our invitation and we now began the exercise of positioning each contingent within the Estate rooms not to mention at banquet tables. This was not such an easy project as you might imagine given the subtle and not-so-subtle politics of the Estates involved. We expected contingents from seventeen Estates, about half bringing a Lord or Lady of five marks (many both). We assigned quarters based on a number of factors including rank, relationship, prior political relations with other families, number in the party, rank of others in the party, and preferences of the guests. Some Lords quartered with their wives while others preferred more freedom at a gathering such as this and it was our responsibility as host to know this preference and provide for it without question. Thankfully, my father was unusually astute in his knowledge of these preferences and was able to communicate them without reservation or judgment. Many late nights Dani and I spent bent over the table in my foyer moving scraps of paper and names on scrolls to position everyone perfectly during the gathering. I say that Dani and I moved these scraps but truly she did not seem to need such reminders. Dani would never have insulted me by pointing it out but it was clear that she was absolutely capable of storing complex scenarios in her amazing mind and changing them instantly to try a new solution. As the exercise went on, I realized that in most cases when she used the scroll or sand table, she was only doing it to make the positioning clear to me.

One evening, my father came to my rooms as we worked on this positioning. After our bows and displays of marks, he sat down and visited with me regarding the decisions I had made. He made a few subtle suggestions but otherwise left my conclusions in place and agreed that we had a workable solution. Given the latest solution, 103 of the 112 guest chambers in our house would be in use for the celebration. Before leaving my father bowed to me once again and glanced at Dani. "Lady Tara, I am wondering if Dani would be available to assist me for a short while?"

"Certainly, Lord Maclay," I answered.

I asked Dani to do as my father requested, releasing her to his direction and continued in writing up our conclusions. She returned perhaps an hour later and explained that he had asked her to verify his calculations on a number of factors including the supplies for our celebration as well as the time table of events following the ball. I strode across the room to wrap my arms around my girl and whispered in her ear, allowing, I'll admit, my tongue to brush against their very sensitive tops. "Everyone in this house sees your brilliance, my love."

My girl's voice seemed to crack and she pressed more tightly against me. "Yes, My Lady."

I slowly kissed her lovely and irresistible jaw line. "We would be lost without your perfection."

My girl wrapped her arms around my waist and turned her head as she began to nuzzle into my neck, her lips so gently touching the sensitive skin there in way that made me feel much like the aforementioned mint jelly. "No, My Lady. It is you who dazzle us all with your perfection."

The feel of her breath on my neck was making me feel dizzy and I started pulling her toward the bed while beginning to kiss her soft lips. "Tara," I whispered as I kissed her.

She pulled back for a moment and I thought she would want to stop moving toward the bed. Her eyebrows both rose as she looked at me quizzically. "My Lady?"

Her look was so adorably puzzled, something I rarely witnessed, that I kissed her again before explaining myself. "Please call me Tara when we are alone."

Her look of puzzlement remained for a moment or two and then the corners of her mouth twitched up. "Of course, m..." and her mouth was on mine, kissing me and gently pushing me again toward the bed. And that night... I can hardly share more except to acknowledge that I had reached a point of wanting more. So much more. And I knew just what that more was and how I wanted Dani. So badly. So very badly.

By a few days before the celebration we were all running on perhaps four to five hours of sleep a night. For Dani this hardly seemed an issue as she was used to short sleep hours but others among us, Anne and surprisingly Dale, seemed quite out of sorts. And so, in addition to my expanded responsibilities, I also roamed the castle providing meditation assistance and energetic sparks to those lagging behind. Each such session seemed to drain a bit of my energy and I had to then go outside to replenish it from the earth and trees.

A week before the celebration the hunting expedition set out to great fanfare. Faith headed it up and it was her first such honor. Even without her marks (scheduled for the coming Winter Solstice), she was so widely regarded as the finest horsewoman, hunter, tracker, and fighter in the region that no one would question such a dispensation. With her she took Donnie who not only provided the power of his nobility and marks but his impressive hunting and riding skills, D'rek, and Faith's future bonded servant Dawn.

Finding Dawn years earlier had been quite an accomplishment as Melanie had tried and tried to find a servant who could bring a civilizing influence to Faith's nature. Rather, Faith ran off the first seven girls brought to the Estate and was working on an eighth when my Father returned from town with Dawn in tow.

One of my father's duties as Lord of our estate and therefore the surrounding villages was to hear complaints, mediate disputes, and dispense justice as necessary. As his jurisdiction included three villages and their surrounds, he rotated his visits, spending the day in one village per moon. In the moons following my mark taking we would begin to divide this task between us and I had been with him many times to sit in council and assist his decisions. He was, if I do say so, an extremely kind while fair judge.

Two summers earlier he had returned from the village with Dawn. She was given into D'elam's care for the night as we discussed what my father had to report. Her story began quite normally with a hungry child stealing an apple from a cart and being caught. Much as we attempted to provide for all our people, it could not be helped that some of the citizens were not interested in working or were more interested in drinking ale than feeding their families or that children were left behind when families moved on. The villagers usually worked together to care for abandoned children such as Dawn but this was the first time they had seen or at least caught her. For months prior to her being caught, the villagers had noticed mysterious disappearances of working clothes, blankets, bread from their stores but they could never catch the culprit. They even reported that there seemed to be no lock this new presence could not foil. This day, however, she was caught with her hand quite literally in the apple cart.

I do not know what my father saw in her in that brief interview but he ordered her to stay throughout his day at the tavern and brought her home. His inclination, it turned out, was quite inspired. She was a natural at riding and fighting and seemed to have no more use for the indoors than did Faith. The two of them running wild throughout the estate nearly did Melanie in. Fortunately for all of us, Melanie began to realize the value that Faith saw in Dawn and convinced my sister that without taming, Dawn would never be acceptable as Faith's servant. So both of them calmed down a little. Faith taught Dawn to read and write and do simple sums and they went to Anne for help in their domestic responsibilities.

I like Dawn and especially like her for Faith. She is a very good match even if her voice tends toward a high-pitched whine when she doesn't like something. She's got an unnatural fear of snakes and can be heard shouting, "get out, get out, get out!" when one crosses her path. Fortunately, or perhaps cruelly, Faith is amused by Dawn's snake fear so she isn't bothered by the shouting and the rest of us have grown used to the periodic outbursts.

Again I digress. I was saying that Faith headed up the hunting expedition for our celebration. Due to their relative strengths, Derek went with the expedition while Dale stayed home to serve as father's man in Derek's absence. While I'm sure both father and Donnie missed their personal servants, Dale and Derek had enough experience to be able to fulfill their duties suitably well.

We gathered in the courtyard just after breakfast to see off our warriors with gifts and blessing of success in their hunt, then watched them until they had ridden out of sight. I squeezed Dani's hand and felt her returning the feeling. We didn't have to speak to know how proud we felt of our baby sister riding out at the head of a hunting expedition. Of our hunting expedition.

Once they had gone, we resumed preparing the estate for our visitors. For the final week of our preparations I had an additional duty to attend to: preparing my magical display. Receiving my marks, this gathering would differ from many others in that I would be the only noblewoman to perform a display. At most weddings and other gatherings, all magic users present worked to perform magic. My display was intended to be very understated and precise. Most magical displays were ostentatious for lack of a better term. The noblewoman generally attempted to display the greatest power and scope for her magic. However, I was an artist. I was not expected to send doves flying from my fingertips or make stars flicker in closed rooms. By definition, I could not truly display my skill in artistry. My future renown would come from the beauty of the marks I created and their purity and strength as noted by the result of the bondings.

Tadre stayed at my Estate for the week prior to the celebration to help me prepare for my display but my other, most frequent tutor, T'solde could not come. Although she had been to the Estate immediately following my marks, this period between Dani's mark taking and our unveiling was a period of relative seclusion. We could interact with our own servants and family members and the free people, but not nobles or servants of other families until the ceremony presenting us.

Because of my magical practice, hours went by without my seeing Dani. My girl was handling much of the preparation for the gathering and was doing a truly sensational job. I was as proud of her as ever and told her so, at great length, each evening in the privacy of my rooms. Late one afternoon I finished my lesson and went in search of my girl. I could feel her presence behind the stables, but didn't wish to call her to me. When I stepped around the stables, it took me a few seconds to pinpoint her location among the mélange of lumber, men, and noise. At one side stood my girl and a young man with a pencil in his hand. He leaned against a wall, writing on a piece of wood, then handed the pencil to my girl who added to his markings. It was curious that a workman could write but entirely possible that he knew only enough writing to do his calculations.

I approached them slowly, enjoying the feel of the sun on my head and the sight of my girl interacting so naturally with yet another person on the Estate. When I was a few steps away yet, she looked up and spotted me with a broad smile. "My Lady." She nodded her head.

The young man bowed deeply and held it for three seconds. His show of respect impressed me as the full three second show was not strictly required for a free man but we would see if it would stand him in good stead. My first impression was quite favorable. I dropped my hand and waited for his introduction.

Dani stepped forward. "My Mistress. Lady T'ra Maclay. This is Alexander Builds. He is lead carpenter for the village and directing the temporary stables."

Alexander bowed again as if unsure how to address me so I extended my hand. He did the same and I touched my mark to his bare palm. I expressed honor and respect to meet him and praised him for his work on the structures.

"Thank you, my Lady." He reached in his pocket and I only had to wonder for a moment before he pulled a small dark figure and held it in his hand. He faltered in his speech as he extended his hand. "I believe that it is customary to present a gift of respect on the taking of your marks?" I nodded and he continued. "Please accept this whistle. I carved it in the image of the blue panther. The sound is true and you would do me an honor by accepting this gift of my craft."

I extended my hand palm up and touched the it to the bottom of his hand. "I accept your gift and thank you for the honor you bestow upon my Ladyship." He dropped the whistle into my hand and I ran my hand over the wood finding it perfectly smooth. Fine craft indeed. I turned my attention to Dani. "Dani, when you are finished here, I would appreciate your assistance in the ballroom."

"I can return here, My Lady," my girl quickly answered. She politely bid good bye to the builder and told him she would come when she could to check on his progress.

As we stepped around the stables and proceeded toward the castle I observed the construction. "They are working very quickly. It would seem the stables will be ready in time for the celebration."

Dani nodded. "Yes, My Lady. Xander thinks that they will actually finish the work ahead of schedule." She took a breath. "He also suggests that we consider leaving the temporary stables in place until after Faith and Anne's celebration. Or he says that we can collapse the buildings and store the walls so that the next time the work will be quicker."

I nodded. "He thinks clearly but he puts himself out of work with this plan."

"Yes, My Lady. Xander agrees but he says he has enough work to do and wants to do a superior job for your Estate even if that means fewer work days for himself and the other men."

I considered this. "Your friend is a respectable man. I hope to see him at the free celebration." We had reached the back garden with its winding paths and I pulled Dani by the hand into an indention in the hedge. I wrapped my arms around her to pull her close and began to kiss the pulse point in her neck. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you look today, my love?"

Dani smiled flirtatiously and whispered something I don't think I'll repeat in my ear. Suffice it to say that I felt compelled to kiss her soundly and that we didn't emerge from that hedge for quite some time.

The hunting party returned the day before Solstice to great glory and the kitchen staff as well as the temporary workers we had from the villages set about preparing the meat for our feasts. Faith was in glory for the success of the hunt and Father and I honored her so. The evening of her return we had a large feast for family and servants only and Faith was served first as well as getting to carve the roast for everyone else. After serving herself, she served Donnie, Derek, and Dawn. It was quite a revelry although the entire contingent retired early to be prepared and at our best for the next day.

Normally, visitors to an Estate would be greeted by the Lord or Lady of the Estate, both if the visitors were of particularly high rank. In the absence of a Lady, such as when Donnie was presented, visitors were greeted by my father or Melanie in my stead. Because of my seclusion, visitors to the celebration were greeted by my father, Melanie, or Donnie. Faith and Anne were unable to greet our many many visitors because they did not yet possess their marks-a limitation which grated terribly on Anne because it kept her from seeing so many young noblemen arriving in their splendor. She complained that other girls would have first choice while she would be left with hunchbacks or those with warts or congenitally bad breath. The rest of us attempted to reassure her that she would be the belle of the ball while hiding our laughter. Her future servant, an insipidly cheery girl named Delia, praised her domestic skills and assured her that the noblemen would trip over their own feet to reach Anne for the first dance. Even with Dani's noisily tapping her cup on her saucer to keep Faith's comment from Anne's ears I heard my youngest sister clearly. "I don't know why you'd want to dance with anyone who can't even keep from tripping over his own feet."

I can't tell that Faith possessed any great wish to meet eligible noblemen and I now think that my lack of interest must have radiated throughout the Estate. Fortunately for me, I could be choosy and not attract undue attention or derision for that. As a Lady holding five marks and fourth generation magic user and artist, even at a gathering such as this finding nobility of a high enough birth to equal mine would be very unlikely and it would only show well on my family that I was not willing to marry beneath myself. Of course, the expectation that I would eventually and gloriously bear an heir to my title and my magic was unspoken but understood by literally everyone. My mother's death was still a fresh wound to many and that memory further removed the pressure from me to bring that heir to this world quickly.

My siblings bore greater and varying levels of expectation regarding their marriage prospects. Donnie needed to marry well and produce an heir to his eventual title as well as a magic user. However my father married for love and he expected his children to do the same. Anne obviously wished to marry quickly and there was no doubt that she desired a title greater than "Miss Anne." In order to become a Lady, she would have to marry a Lord or eventual Lord of an estate with a vacant Lady title. In truth, three such prospects were attending our ball and Melanie had hardly been a master of subtlety in schooling Anne and Faith on these attendees. Faith's position was less intense than the other two. If she had the temperament, she might have been determined to marry into a grander title. But Faith was... Faith was Faith and her priorities were her own.

Pressure or not, inclination or not, my celebration was the dominant social event of our adolescence. Not only the Maclays but many other families would be seeking alliances and displaying their most marriable exhibits. It wasn't for nothing that the celebration would include dinners, balls, competition, a festival, performances, and political meetings. Families with lower ranks would be seeking to improve their position while families such as ours would wish to cement our position while allying with similar others. The celebration promised to be the grandest, most elaborate, and most crucial event of my life to this point.