At His Altar

Unfazed Prince

Orsa

Clearly, I did not know Baka as well as I thought. The first siege had been disastrous. We had made it to the encampment, but I had not accounted for their increased numbers. I had realised too late that we had played into my father’s hands. He had known we would follow, and quickly at that. We thought we had the advantage of time; we had been sorely mistaken. He had been prepared for our attack.

I underestimated his desire for war and I wouldn’t be making the same mistake again.

“Are you well?” Kai asked.

His voice was as deep as his eyes. They were a dark honey colour. I nodded.

“How is the king?” I asked.

He sighed wearily.

“He is weak. He is awake only long enough for Mama to pour broth in his mouth. But at least he wakes now.”

I nodded again. For nearly two weeks, King Eli had battled to stay alive. He had remained unconscious, but there was a constant vigil at his side. His mothers, sister and brothers took turns in guarding him, dabbing his face with a cool cloth as they tried desperately to keep his fever at bay. Any other man would already be dead from those wounds.

“I am glad he shows signs of recovery,” I said, meaning it.

The month had been hard. When the siege had failed and King Eli fatally wounded, we had returned to the Lupo encampment. King Eli had marched onto Baka’s encampment without King Armand’s army, and the lack of numbers had cost him. Though preparations for war were still at hand, the morale of the army was low.

“You saved his life,” Kai said, smiling gently at me.

“I am the reason he nearly died,” I replied.

He shook his head and his dark hair shone in the bright winter sun.

“None of us could have predicted how conniving King Baka would be.”

I wanted nothing more than to reach out to him. I’d had many men – some out of choice, some not. But I had never seen one so beautiful. He seemed serious but there was a playful air to him. He had a ring on each finger of his right hand and bands of woven thread around his wrist that added to the playfulness. He also had multiple markings across his arms, one in particular of an intricate wolf that went from his bicep to his shoulder.

Though he had declared me his mate, after recovering from his head injury, we had barely spent any time alone. We were at war and this was no time to pander to any girlish fantasies that may cross my mind. But my pull to him was undeniable. I wanted to tear his shalwar from him and run my fingers through his thick, wavy hair and… I shook my head. This was no time for any fantasies at all.

“When King Eli awakens, I wish to speak to him.”

Kai raised his eyebrow and I raised mine back. To say that my relationship with the king had gotten off to an inappropriate start was putting it delicately. I knew my intentions were being questioned – probably for good reason, but it still raised my hackles.

“Trust me, my dear mate. If I wanted to f**k your brother, I would have had him on his knees before you had so much as sniffed my scent.”

He smiled patiently at me, not a hint of anger or jealousy on his face. It threw me off balance.

“I believe you underestimate my brother… and perhaps overestimate yourself.”

I raised my eyebrow at this assessment. He had a pair of balls on him, I'd give him that.

“Does nothing faze you, Prince Kai?” I asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

“Many things do. But you mean only half of what you say, Princess Orsa,” he replied, grinning at me.

His smile was wide, his teeth flashing white against his short, dark beard. His sharp canines glinted and I wondered again how it would feel to have him bite my… enough. I needed to stay focused on the matter at hand.

“I wish to speak with the king. I know how to get Queen Leela back.”

---

Kai

“He is awake,” Asha said, walking into the tent.

“Thank you, sister,” I replied.

Orsa stood and waited expectantly for me to lead her to the king’s tent. She wore a blouse that came just under her breasts and cut off at her shoulders, and a long skirt that hung from her hips. It was cut open on one side up to her thigh. It took everything for me not to stare at her, not to reach out and run my hand over her smooth legs. I smiled at her and she merely nodded back. 

We left the tent together, Asha leading us both towards my brother’s tent.

“He is still weak,” she said, stopping outside the king’s tent. “Do not aggravate or upset him. The healers have done all they can, but the rest is up to him. He needs to find his will to live.”

She looked to the floor sadly as we both nodded at this. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, before entering the tent quietly, with Orsa right behind me.

It was dark, lit with only a handful of candles. I walked to Eli’s bedside, where he sat slumped against cushions.

“Brother, I’m so glad you’re awake,” I said, sitting on the floor by his side.

He acknowledged my words with a small nod. Asha was right, he really was weak.

“Princess Orsa wishes to speak with you, brother.”

He moved his head slowly in her direction.

“I will not need you to speak,” she said abruptly, “you need only listen. I will go back to my father, King Baka. I will say I escaped the clutches of your cruel, barbaric people.”

Eli’s mouth twitched slightly; an attempt at a smile. I squeezed his hand encouragingly.

“And I will help Queen Leela escape. I will send her back to you and her people. She is still alive, this much I know.”

Eli sat up straighter and we both knew she had his full attention.

“It will be dangerous,” I said, carefully.

Her eyes went to me.

“Very astute of you, Prince Kai,” she drawled.

I shook my head. Even when she was mocking me, she was effortlessly seductive.

“I will need one of your soldiers to beat me and mark me thoroughly, I will need to look as though I have suffered. Then I will ‘steal’ one of your horses and say I fought my way to go… home.”

“And King Baka will not be suspicious?” I asked.

“He may… but he prides himself on his belief that bears are infinitely more intelligent and cunning than wolves; so he won’t be too surprised that I duped you idiots,” she said, grinning impishly.

Eli saw the concern on my face and began to shake his head.

“With no due respect, this was not a request,” Orsa said, sharply, raising herself up to her full height.

This time, Eli's mouth broke into his crooked smile. My heart grew in size at seeing my brother smile for the first time in weeks.

“If I don’t leave now, it may be too late. You have enemies other than the Osha. They will pay large sums of money for the Queen of Zamee and Baka will use that money to buy more allies and more weapons for this war. If he sells her to the highest bidder, I don’t favour your chances of finding her and bringing her back. Once you have decided which of your wolves will have the unfortunate task of fighting me, send them to my tent. I will leave tonight.”

There was a finality to her tone that told us it was no use arguing with her. When Eli looked at me, I knew we had the same thought. Sakina.