Linda thought for a moment then said, "I didn't raise you to be submissive to men, because you didn't need to learn that. Submission is inherent in all women. But I also did not raise you like a feminist who believes that submission is wrong. I raised you to be strong and confidant, which should be inherent, but isn't, and I raised you to be comfortable with taking control of your life.
"Ultimately, I raised you to be in the society you were in, not the one I wanted you in. It is far more important for a child to understand how to function in a society, and then wait until they are an adult before determining what that society should be.
"In many ways, though, I did prepare you for this kingdom as best I could. Growing up you saw that there were clear lines of responsibilities between your father and I on how to raise you. You're comment about needing to talk to your father about the religious conflicts shows this. In our kingdom, it is very important that the man take the lead religious role in the family. Our men must be the 'high priests' of their families for our kingdom to function properly.
"The only thing that concerns me is how you feel about what occurred between us earlier. If you are not comfortable with talking about it now, I'll understand, but I sure would like some encouragement that we did the right thing."
Marcia responded immediately, "Not at all… I mean… before you walked into that room I was horrified by the idea of us engaging in sex. But now… of all of the ways I have changed about myself, the most profound is how grateful I feel about what we did.
"It's just going to take some time for me to sort this all out. What gets me the most is how I can feel so comfortable about having sex with you, but hearing about some guy other than my father doing it with you just devastates me. Not only do I need to talk to Dad about the religious concerns I'm having, I also need to hear it from him that it is OK with him that you… you know…"
"… fucked another man," her mother finished.
"Yes!" she replied. "So why do I feel this way?"
"You're going to have to take this up with him," Linda said.
"Can I see him today?" Marcia asked.
"No," her mother replied. "How do I put this?" she continued more to herself.
"Your father does not want to see you until you have either entered the kingdom, or rejected it. He wants you to know that he will love you just as much regardless of your decision. But he wants to deal with you as a member or not, and not something in between."
Marcia was quiet for a moment, and then looked over to Lady Jennifer. "Mistress Jennifer. From what I gathered last night, it was Master Jacob that initiated your daughters into the kingdom as maidens. Correct?"
"Yes it was," she replied.
"Can I request my father do the same for me?" she asked.
"Of course!" she replied with enthusiasm. "With most girls I wouldn't recommend it, but for you, I couldn't recommend it highly enough." She then looked over at Linda. "I'm sure Tony would be OK with it. Do you think he would demand his pretest?"
"As a matter of fact," said Linda, "we have discussed this, and he told me he would show no favoritism to her if she chose him to make her a maiden."
"Excellent!" exclaimed Lady Jennifer. "The greater the risk, the greater the sense of accomplishment."
Then looking at Marcia she continued, "My husband likes initiating maidens, so he only requires the minimum of them. You're father on the other hand can't stand flighty females, and the proof of that is the kind of woman you are. So to discourage any woman from considering him for their initiation to be a maiden, he insists on a pre-test that if she fails, she will be kicked out of the kingdom. Only women with the strongest of character seek him out.
"With my husband, if you lose your nerve half way in you'll just have to try again later, but not your father. With him — you fail; you're gone."
Marcia looked over at her mother and asked, "So what is this pretest?"
"I can't tell you," Linda replied. "That's an important aspect of the test. He wants to see how well you submit, and how well you trust him. The only thing I am allowed to tell you is that nothing will be explained to you. It's just going to happen when you enter the room with him. If any other words come from his mouth, other than the fact you have passed the pretest, you will be banished from the kingdom."
"Do you really think he would banish me?!" she asked rather incredulously.
"If there is any woman he would be more inclined fail, it would be you." After the shocked expression on Marcia's face, she continued, "One of your fathers largest pet peeves are people who feel they need to be in this kingdom. It's one thing to desire to be in, but it's another to believe you need to be in. As such, he has no qualms kicking anyone out. If the girl he banished believed that it was a really bad thing to have happen to her, it only re-enforces his decision that he did the right thing.
"Your father would be very disappointed in himself if he felt that you believed it would be a bad thing if he kicked you out. I know this sounds odd, but a lot of what you will learn over the next few weeks will sound odd. I am quite certain your father will push you like he has pushed no other, and will banish you with even the slightest provocation.
"Are you sure you want your father to make you a maiden?" Linda asked.
After a few moments pause she said, "More than ever. I have many questions about the things he has said and done to raise me, but I have no doubts about the kind of woman I've become because of him. What ever awaits me, I know I can handle it."
She then turned back to Lady Jennifer, and asked, "Mistress Jennifer? Would it be alright if I continued to live here, and remain roommates with Laura?"
"Of course," she replied. "I wouldn't want it any other way." Then looking around the table she asked, "Are there anymore questions before I redden a couple of well deserved bottoms?"
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/2s4aus/next_generation_christian_kingdom_ch07_marcias