At His Altar

A Woman's Touch

Leela

King Baka kicked the door open so hard, it nearly flew off its hinges.

“You lost,” he sneered, rounding on me so quickly, I took a couple of steps back.

What was he talking about? Of course I had lost. My husband, the light of my life, was dead. I was here, at his mercy, not knowing my fate. Was I waiting to die, be sold, jump out of the window? The options really were endless.

“You left my daughter in the hands of those filthy wolves, thinking she would suffer as you have. But she has come home. She has found her way home to her people,” he spat, showing yellow teeth.

What? Princess Orsa was back? He was practically dancing at the shock on my face. But the stupid oaf had no clue that it was for all the wrong reasons.

“My guards have taken her to her chambers. You will make yourself useful and go and tend to her. If any harm comes to her under your care, I will slit that pretty little neck of yours. Do you understand?”

He was relishing this. Thinking that I hated the Princess, like I’d be fighting all urges to take her life. Old fool. I would play along for now – but why was she back?

“Your people tried to break her,” he laughed, as two guards came to accompany me to her chambers.

My people? What had gone on since Eli’s demise? I couldn’t imagine the people of Zamee trying to ‘break’ Orsa. Especially since she was mated to Kai. I stayed silent, not wanting to give anything away. But then it hit me. What if she had betrayed Kai and decided to assist her father? Suddenly, the thought of harming her seemed appealing.

He was still chuckling to himself when we arrived outside the door to her bedchambers.

“Your people didn’t realise – she is already broken.”

---

I requested hot water and a clean cloth. Princess Orsa looked absolutely awful. Her left eye was swollen, her lip was cut. Her jaw was swollen on one side and she had cuts along her arms and chest, and a large one in her leg.

She lay asleep, her clothes filthy and pushed up around her. I saw dark bruises along her thighs and my heart stopped. Who had done this to her?

The guards outside brought the hot water and towels with much grumbling, but I thanked them anyway and shut the door. I dipped the towels into the steaming water and wrung it. Gently, I tried to remove her blouse. She shot up, her eyes wild, her fists clenched.

I jumped back as she struck out.

“It’s me, it’s me, Leela,” I said, soothingly, holding out my hands to calm her down.

For a moment, she seemed relieved upon seeing my face.

“Be careful, you stupid b***h,” she growled, “can’t you see I’m hurt?”

“What do you mean, Orsa? I thought we—"

“How dare you. It’s Princess Orsa to you, you insolent Lupo b***h,” she spat.

My eyes widened at her insults. But as she spoke, she held a finger to her lips and tugged her ears, pointing to the door.

It struck me then; of course. The guards could hear every word. They would report everything back to her father.

“Forgive me, Princess Orsa. I—”

“Enough of your yapping. Run me a bath.”

I went to the door but the guards had already heard. They smirked at me.

“We’ve sent the maid for hot water. Cold water already runs in the chambers.”

Of course. Running water. We could talk without being heard under the noise of running water. This princess was a shrewd one.

The hot water came and I carried the large buckets to the small bathing chambers. They were stark, a pipe of some sort hanging from the wall into a metal basin.

“Not quite to the standards of Zamee bathing rooms,” Orsa drawled. “Turn the wheel. The pipe will release water.”

I was already out of breath from carrying the water, but I did as she said, scowling at her in the meantime. She grinned widely at me, then winced as her face stretched. Water started falling from the pipe into the basin.

“Get in.”

It was my turn for commands. Raising an eyebrow, she did as I asked, stripping off her clothes and climbing into the basin, her grey eyes twinkling with mischief despite her sorry state.

“I can bathe myself, you don’t need to do that,” she said, as I poured the boiling water in to mix with the trickling cold water.

“Nonsense. Look at the state of you. Now, sit back and relax and explain to me what the hell happened.”

She didn’t put up much of a fight, leaning back and sighing as the hot water lapped against her.

“Who did this to you?” I asked, immediately.

She groaned appreciatively when I gently kneaded her back, the way Mae had done for me so many times before. The way Eli had. I faltered for a moment, but caught myself. It would do no good to grieve right now. The time for grieving would come, but first I needed to make sure my children were being taken care of.

“Sakina did this to me,” she replied.

“What?” I hissed.

Slowly, she began telling me of her plan to come back to Karhu… for me. I stayed silent, listening dumbfounded as she told me of how Sakina had expertly beaten her.

“And the bruises and marks on your thighs?” I prodded.

“That was… I… well… it doesn’t matter. What matters is no one harmed me deliberately. In fact, I was well taken care of. And before you argue, this plan of mine was approved by your husband.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I refused to allow hope into it. It wouldn’t do.

“You had planned this for months?”

“I planned this exactly two days ago,” she said, laughing throatily.

“My husband… approved this plan? Two days ago?” I felt the lump in my throat rise as my spirit dared to soar.

“Well, I say approved, I didn’t really give him much choice in the… wait, what is happening?”

Orsa’s eyes widened in horror as tears began to fall from my eyes.

“He’s alive,” I whispered.

“Alive? But of course he’s alive, what did you think… oh.”

She stopped midsentence. In the few times I had now spoken with the Osha princess, she had seem self-assured, sensual and seemingly in control of everything around her. But as the reality of what I must have gone through dawned on her, her face softened. She reached out a wet hand, awkwardly patting my own as it rested on her shoulder.

“He lives. He is weak but he is over the worst of it. Your children stay in the Palace of Life, safe with your mother and your sister. There is a large encampment but a two day’s ride from here, where your father’s army has joined Eli’s. There are smaller camps slightly more spread out, some a three day ride, some four, where all your allies await the signal for war. All that’s left is your escape from here. That is why I have come.”

She said nothing else, letting me cry my fill. Once I had dried my eyes, I continued dabbing her gently with the wash cloth.

“How did you get this scar?” I asked, my finger lingering on a mark nearly right over her heart.

She hesitated before answering. Absentmindedly, she grazed her finger over it.

“It was when we sieged the camp the first time. I didn’t shift because then they would have known I was helping the wolves. King Eli… he took an iron tipped arrow straight to the chest and was felled. Many men died trying to save him. So I… I ran into the shower of arrows and got him out.”

“You saved his life,” I breathed.

She shook her head.

“I did what anyone would have done.”

I stared at the scar. It must have missed her heart by a hair’s breadth. She nearly died trying to protect my husband. And now she was here in an attempt to rescue me. I sighed wearily.

“What?” she asked.

“It turns out I might have to like you after all.”

---

Orsa

After Leela had bathed me and helped me dress, I had left her in the charge of the guards while I joined my father for dinner.

My brothers, half-brothers, half-sisters, all sat around an enormous round table in a cavernous hall. There were enough of us to form a small army in our own right. Probably what my father had been trying to accomplish.

“Ah, she’s here,” King Baka announced, standing as I walked in.

My siblings merely grunted, Tuur having the decency to look mildly pleased at seeing me alive.

“My brave, warrior daughter. What news do you bring of the enemy?”

I had to tread carefully here. I didn’t know how much he already knew. If you are ever to lie, lie as close to the truth as you possibly can. He pulled out the chair to his right, forcing my brother, Dama, to move. He glared at me before picking up his plate and shifting further around the table.

I sat gingerly. My body still ached from Sakina’s handiwork, although Leela had tended to my wounds very well.

“I have no news that is of any use, father,” I said, shaking my head in annoyance. “The wolves often kept me blindfolded in a cage. Occasionally they would come to beat information out of me… or to just spread their seed. But I told them nothing of our plans, father.”

He chuckled drunkenly. I see he’d already been at the mead.

“Of course you didn’t, my precious child. You have more balls on you than all your brothers combined. But tell me child, how did you escape?”

“Why, by finding my true love, father,” I said, giggling girlishly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, father, a foolish young wolf thought he was in love with me. I worked on him for weeks, convincing him of my undying ardour. In the meantime, he brought me more food secretly, and I built up my strength. Until one day I convinced him that I could please him even better if he only released me from my chains, pretty please.”

I batted my eyelashes as I finished my story and my father roared with laughter. He wouldn’t doubt that I’d use my body to escape.

“But daughter, if you were blindfolded, how did you find your way home? How many days did it take you?”

I remembered one of the smaller encampments and what I had discussed with Eli.

“They are not far, father. I recognised the land immediately. It was a four day ride to the east.”

“How great are their numbers?” he asked, leaning forward eagerly.

“I escaped in the dead of the night, father, after cutting out that boy’s heart. But judging by the number of tents, it looked like it was the main camp.”

“And the Wolf King?”

I shook my head.

“I heard no word of him. He may really be dead.”

He sipped his mead thoughtfully.

“We didn’t find his body in the first siege,” he muttered.

“Perhaps the wolves took him back for his burial,” I mused.

King Baka considered this for a moment.

“My soldiers tell me the arrow hit him straight in the heart. After that it was a scramble of dogs trying to reach their king.”

He laughed as though he’d told the greatest joke. I laughed along with him, wanting nothing more than to pull my dagger from its sheath and stab him in his eye. My siblings all laughed along with us.

“What are your plans with his b***h wife?” I asked, lacing my voice with hatred.

“We already have word from the dragons. They are willing to give us an egg in exchange for her. Can you imagine it, Orsa? Our army, led by a fire breathing monster?”

“Artio blesses us indeed, father,” I said, smiling widely at him, wishing that Goddess Artio would indeed bless us by striking him off the face of the earth.

“But father, she is a mere shadow of her former health. The dragons will do no such deal if we give them a half dead queen,” I pointed out.

“These fuckers have been useless without you, Orsa. I don’t know how I have managed so long without you. What do you suggest?”

I didn’t point out that he had happily left me behind without a single care for my wellbeing. But this was nothing new, so I smirked at him instead.

“Leave her in my charge, father. This requires a woman’s touch. If she does not eat, I will have the guards hold her down while I chew her food and shove it down her gullet. If she will not sleep, I will make her concoction to ensure her slumber is deep and restful. You know how persuasive I can be, father.”

He flashed his disgusting smile at me.

“My child, you will bring glory to us all.”