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.

Additional and permanent disclaimer: Yadda yadda. Yadda Yadda. Not comfortable. Power imbalance. Etc.

While my sisters's marking ceremonies are less pivotal to my story, I remember them much better than my own. On the morning of the marking, Faith and Anne met the remainder of the family for breakfast in the great room. T'solde chose to remain on her Estate now that we had a sitting Lady on our own. The twins's mood was quite excited although they seemed nervous about the ceremony itself. Tadre and I had met with them privately earlier in the week to describe the procedure and answer questions and concerns. Both had asked about the pain, the herbs, how long the procedure would take, and whether they would feel any difference. We had answered their questions as well as describing the possible sensation of missing something during the fortnight before their servants were bound. I had felt no such sensation but then my yearning for Dani was always intense and constant and this by no means had dissipated following my marking so maybe I just assumed it was the normal.

Breakfast was an enthusiastic and celebratory event. Faith and Donnie entertained us all by playing a game of catch with rolls, moving farther and farther down the hallway until we could see neither of them. On a usual day either myself or Melanie would have stopped them but this day we let it go and laughed along with the rest of the family. Not wanting to be undone, Anne jumped up and ran to the piano to accompany them with a quite ribald song about the considerable skills of various nobles. It wasn't one that I had heard before although she had a special gift for these type of compositions and in deference to Father and Melanie's presence, not to mention Tadre, I feel confident she skipped some of the particularly risqué lines. We all found her specific references humorous, in particular Dani, Delia, Dawn, and Delam.

Following breakfast T'dre, Anne, Faith, and I went to the creek for our ritual bathing and supplication. Both of my sisters were sufficiently devout and committed to the sanctity of the day and in fact, took longer in their solo devotion than I expected. T'dre and I made a joint offering that our artistry would be strong and pure. Then we four dressed and approached the tent, reaching it at exactly noon by the sundial near the tent.

Waiting for us was a much larger crowd than had been present for my marking ceremony. I smiled at my love who stood to the side with T'dre's girl, L'lla. Near them stood Dawn, Delia, and Gael. Directly in front of the tent entrance were my father, Melanie, and Donnie. I joined the marked members of my family as Delia, Dawn, T'dre, and Gael went into the tent to wait for us. We all kissed and hugged my sisters before leading them into the tent. I handed T'dre a gold coin, then crossed to stand next to her as my father handed me the same. My family gave best wishes and departed and D'ni and L'lla entered. Once Gael had given my sisters the numbing salve and a draught each of the herb, he left. We let our servants know that should we need them we would call for them and D'ni and L'lla left. We had discussed having one of them stay in the tent but with T'dre and I; Faith and Anne; and Dawn and Delia in the tent, it was quite crowded.

The twins were quite sufficiently medicated to have little pain and T'dre and I hummed a spell as we worked. It was our first experience with a double-marking and I quite enjoyed the experience. In the past, we had always traded off working together but had never actually worked at the same time on different people. Interestingly, it seemed that our spells built on each other so that each was stronger than it would have been by itself. We traded off frequently so that each of us worked equally on each of my sisters and I enjoyed the partnership so that much that I found myself wishing Dani had this gift so that we could share our magic in this way. Of course, had she this gift, we would not have been able to train her so it was an idle wish. If you wonder of the comparable complexity and elaboration of our marks, I do not know how long my marks took to complete but Dani's took over 3 and a half hours. We finished Anne and Faith's marks in just under an hour and a half, checking carefully each other's work and offering our supplication in prayer at the completion of the project once again.

We gave careful instructions to Dawn and Delia and released them to take the girls back to their rooms. Dani and Lalla followed them to ensure that they understood the instructions and could settle their charges comfortably. T'dre and I completed our documentation of the marks which she gave me as Lady of our estate and then she and I discussed our procedures for a few minutes before both retiring to our rooms for a rest following our powerful magic. I stopped to visit with Gael regarding his applications of further herbs for the girls and finding his answers acceptable, returned to my rooms to lie down. Once there I found myself buzzing too much from the powerful magic and excitement of my sisters's double marking ceremony to sleep.

I had been in my rooms only a few minutes when Dani joined me, bringing with her a tray of fruit and some tea. She told me that she hadn't expected me to be able to sleep and felt that I would appreciate a snack which I assured her I did. Quite predictably, when we had finished our snack, I convinced my girl that I could rest much more peacefully with her help and again quite predictably, we did very little resting. I did feel more relaxed though. I felt guilty for having to leave the bed to check on my sisters throughout the afternoon but they rested well and seemed in very little pain.

Dawn and Delia were doing fine jobs in caring for their future Mistresses and I praised both of them their efforts. The dinner table that night was somewhat quieter and calmer than we were used with four of our diners absent but my father, Melanie, and I assured ourselves and each other that the girls were in relative comfort.

In the morning we repeated the ritual from my marking with myself, T'dre, and Gael visiting my sisters first to inspect the marks and give them further herbs. T'dre and I offered a sincere prayer for the power and purity of the marks and evaluated the radiating magic for the five successful aspects. My father, Melanie, and Donnie joined us and my sisters' marks were revealed to our great joy. Some ungenerous corner of my heart thinks that Anne was a little too joyful at seeing my father and I and even Melanie and Donnie (with their four marks each) bow down to them as the marks were revealed but I can forgive her a weakness of vanity as I do love her with all my heart. The formal addresses were multiplied for the double marking and our full titles took a while to exchange but very quickly we all hugged and kissed each other with joy and pride. From then on my sisters were quite busy with visits from Dawn, Delia, Dani, Delam, and every other member of the household. I had drawn for each of them an intricate drawing which showed their profiles but interlaced them in such a way that only by looking from one angle or another could the viewer clearly see one of them. I had commissioned Xander to make a fine frame for each piece and he refused payment, swearing that it could be his gift to them if I did not mind. In this, my girl's friend continued to show his honor and generosity. Dani spent much of the day directing visits to their rooms to show the hierarchy of the nobility and servants of the house, a responsibility which I assume Delam must have performed for my marking and of which I was unaware until that day.

Again, in deference to the length of my tale, I will move more quickly. My sisters' marks healed wonderfully and they were in their usual spirits over the fortnight. Faith and Dawn and Anne and Delia both embarked on journeys although Faith and Dawn looked more like they sought a big-game adventure and Delia and Anne looked as they would ride over the nearest rise and set up tents fit for a queen to drink tea with their pinkies raised for the next day. Their return was uneventful and all four bathed in the creek to purify themselves for the ceremony.

And of course the crowd for this double marking was even larger than the one before. Delia's father attended although I had to wonder if he merely desired the rich meal and drink we gave him before his departure. I had found him, each time we met, thoroughly lower class and disagreeable and was happy to see him leave late that afternoon. Dawn I felt badly for. She had come to me earlier this week to ask if I would be willing to "give" her to Faith. Her request was an honor and I was sad to have to tell her that as a member of the Estate, I would not be eligible to do so, nor would Melanie. Even T'solde would not be able to do the honor. The dark-haired girl was quite composed and respectful in her acceptance of this answer but I could see how sad and a little scared she was to be entering the marking by herself. I had thought as she left the room how she rarely seemed her fourteen summers but that day she had seemed no older. The size of the group notwithstanding, all pledges and commitments were given smoothly and clearly. Dawn was proud and clearly devoted to Faith and Delia was, if anything, too proud to be devoted to Anne. A wonderful pair they made.

As we had done for their Mistresses, T'dre and I traded off frequently so that each of us had an equal opportunity to work on Delia and Dawn. With no herbs, their markings of course hurt them but they handled the hour and a half (14 anchors each) with dignity and my sisters did a fine job of comforting their servants. D'rek and D'le ferried the girls back to their rooms although in this case, I would have been able to magically take them back had we not had the available and qualified servants. The next day we witnessed their marks, praised them, and gave them abundant gifts. For Dawn, hunting supplies and a fine horse and saddle made up her majority while Delia received countless gowns and similar "indoor" items.

Throughout this period and right up until the celebration, Dani pursued dual tasks. With help from Melanie, Anne, and Faith as well as the servants thereof, we administered the celebratory preparations. With every free moment from that planning, we organized our upcoming move to Maclay East. Frequently we met with my father to ask questions and determine the best approach to this move. While Dani had seemed shocked at the idea initially, she had warmed to it quite thoroughly. I believe that she saw it as an opportunity to prove her skills even more forcefully than we had previously observed them. She agreed that it was an excellent opportunity for both of us and had shyly confessed to me in the privacy of our rooms that she would miss the social festivities no more than would I. She went so far as to whisper that she could think of no greater desire than my constant company and I allowed myself to hope...

At my father's urging we carefully planned our expedition including the staff we would take with us. We offered all staff the opportunity to go with our group and then carefully decided whom should be deployed so. Dani and Delam spent hours and hours in consultation to determine the staff members that should best compliment our certain needs while leaving Maclay Main (as we had begun to call our Estate) in no worse shape. I had urged Dani that D'Shel was more than welcome, fearing my girl would be lonely so far from our family and not a little desiring her sauces for our own kitchen, but Dani admitted to feeling quite accustomed to the thought of so much independence. She was sleeping less and less these days and I found her speaking more and more excitedly about the adventure she craved.

I don't remember who initially suggested the addition to our party but Faith and Dawn were scheduled to accompany us. It was unclear how long they would stay, perhaps a month or more, but their help would no doubt be invaluable. After consulting with Faith I had also commissioned Master Stefan for our project. He was, while quite skilled, somewhat extraneous at the Finn Estate and was considering joining military service but did not wish to be bound to the deployment whims of the administration. I, however, quite needed a game steward and his military fitness would come in helpful if we encountered any vagrancy or resistance along our way. His servant, Jacob, I did not rightly remember as making an impression at my celebration but Dani reported that he was loyal and strong even if his mental acuity lacked a certain... presence as she put it.

Finally, Xander had determined to accompany us. I do not know for sure whether he instigated the idea or whether Dani asked him but when they came to explain the reasoning behind his commitment, the rationale was quite strong. We were certain to need his carpentry skills and Stewart Giles confirmed that the village had only a semi-skilled man in the field. This move would, quite similar to Dani and myself, give the young man opportunity to excel on his own rather than in his father's shadow. Included in the list of reasons he should come were that he could juggle and play a fiddle and just to tease him, I asked him to demonstrate but my mind was already favorably decided.

In spite of our excitement over our move, we had to focus on my sisters's celebration. This time I shared duties with my father and Melanie to greet each visitor. Anne had done a serviceable job of assigning rooms, requiring only a few shuffles by myself or our father. She was helped by the fact that fewer nobles were attending: only 71 of the rooms would be full rather than the 103 at my celebration.

The Finn Estate was, of course, the first to arrive and with Faith and Anne sequestered, Riley seemed quite everywhere. He was perfectly respectable and noble but each interaction I had with him made me long my days at Maclay East - far from anyone approaching my station and suitors of any sort. Stefan joined myself and Dani in finalizing our plans for departure a week later.

My father and I presented Anne and Delia, Faith and Dawn much as my presentation had been completed but without a display of magic. Our receiving line of Father, D'rek, myself, D'ni, A'ne, D'lia, F'th, and D'wn was greeted first by T'solde and last by the servants of our own house. The food was exquisite, music perfectly paced, and order of dancing strictly observed.

I...

How do I say this?

I was not fair. I kept Dani more busy than she should have been, barely allowing her to take a bite of her dinner. I sent another servant with a plate to our rooms so that my girl would later have something to eat. I invented reason after reason to keep my girl from being in the room with Lord LeFleur, Lord Finn, and even Lord Martin. I need a wrap. She needed a wrap. Please check the deserts. Please check the weather. Please confirm the condition of the horses. Her return was slow enough that I felt she understood my intent and purposely dawdled. LeFleur and Finn both asked where she was when dancing with me under the pretext of admiring her beauty, intelligence, and skill but I suspected their motives and it turned my stomach. Finally they both chose other partners for the evening and I allowed Dani to stay in the room a bit longer to dance with the Masters Stefan and Donnie and a few other lower-ranked men.

And my machinations could hardly be criticized. My girl was radiant. Perhaps more radiant than at our celebration. She danced like musical perfection and her every move was fluidity in motion. Every time she passed me, I was compelled to reach out my hand and brush it against her hip or back and my heart speeded up with every touch. We left the ballroom after staying an appropriate amount of time and barely had the door shut before she was in my arms. She laughed at the enormous plate of food and we... I fed her many tasty morsels. D'shel's famous sauces we put to particularly good use.

She slept deeply but I had more trouble falling into slumber. Something I could not identify tickled at the back of my mind but each time I thought I might ensnare the thought, it ran away again. I believe it was more morning than night when I finally dozed and in my dreams I held tighter and tighter to my love but when she turned to face me her countenance was reminiscent of the drawing I had made of my sisters: one face was happy and loving while the other was pained and crestfallen.

Our competitions turned out similarly over the day and a half. Faith and Stefan again took most riding and hunting championships and Dani triumphed in Chest, this time beating the oldest Master LeFleur, older than his sister by less than a Summer I guessed. Due to the drawing of the competition brackets, she defeated Lord LeFleur to reach the final game while Master LeFleur defeated yours truly quite handily to do the same.

That night I barely allowed Dani to get her breath so busy was I keeping her from the ballroom. I even sent her into town to pick up a completely unnecessary serving bowl allowing me a few hours free of my worries. When I feared that I could not keep her away from potential partners any longer again I feel ashamed to admit this ... I ... A large chocolate trifle somehow overturned on Lord LeFleur and Lord Finn strangely twisted his ankle while dancing. I was cruel and this does not show well on my hosting. I only wish this were the worst of my sins of that period.

The next morning she lay on my chest and placed kiss after kiss on my neck in a way that made me muddleheaded as she teased me for my propensity to send her on ridiculous errands. "You did not feel the serving dish was necessary?" I teased through my haze.

Dani giggled. "No more necessary than any other excuse for avoiding the Lords LeFleur and Finn."

"What about Lord Martin?" Dani laughed again, quite more boisterously, and then whispered in my ear a few bits of information about my uncle which quite put my concerns for his interests at ease.

My next whisperings were no less risqué and the next hour or two passed quickly before we found we had to rise for the final day of the celebration.

At the villager celebration we introduced Xander and Stefan who got along famously in spite of the difference in their stations. I formally approached Mr. Harris regarding Xander's disposition and the man was greatly supportive of his son's chances. He did pull me aside to confess that he truly did not have the coin to spare his son a stake in the new village and seemed quite crestfallen to admit such. I assured him that we would see to it that Xander had the opportunities he deserved.

I was happy to see both of my sisters engaged so happily with their respective suitors. Riley was like a bull jealously staking his territory to let all others know that he would have Anne's hand in marriage soon enough. Stefan's approach was more relaxed and it seemed that he and Faith were quite a pair. My youngest sister told me in confidence that while they had not settled an engagement, he was determined that they not embarrass themselves with a premature arrival. Of course, in this she had quite more freedom than him for she could only profit by delivering a magic user within or without marriage while he would be quite ruined to do so outside of marriage. Donnie and Melissa were the most restrained young couple in our group and I could not tell that they felt great passion for each other although they seemed very companionable. My father and Melanie were pleased with all three matches and told me so. I noticed that they did not mention a match for me and felt even more pleased with that. Presumably they felt I should concentrate on Maclay East but I've wondered for many months just what they knew and just when they knew it regarding my relationship with Dani.

In all, the preparations for both the celebration and the move were complete. The guests left, excepting Stefan and Jacob, well impressed with the Maclay name and we took a few days to rest before beginning the next adventure of our young lives.