"Bauska!" The scream that cut through the morning calm, must have rattled every tile on the roof of the women's quarters, if not the whole palace. "Bauska, get in here you lazy good-for-nothing!"
The young woman in question hurried through the door, the hem of her long woolen skirt flapping wildly around her ankles. "Here I am, Mistress!" She said softly, bowing her head low, respectfully. No more than a minute or two at most had passed from the call and her arrival, but the figure on the bed never the less sniffed with displeasure and muttered "took you long enough."
Poets and more than a few disappointed suitors across the White Sea had composed thousands of lines of verse in praise of the beauty and grace of the youngest daughter of King Skarnus III. Personally, Bauska wondered if any of them had had to deal with the Princess Krasta first thing in the morning, while she was in the midst of one of one of her periodic tantrums.
"Can you believe the gall of the cooks, to serve me this rubbish!" Princess Krasta fumed, gesturing to the golden tray sitting on a table beside the massive bed she lay upon. Sweet rolls were piled beside fresh fruit from the Western Isles. Honey-almonds sat in a silver bowl beside a plate of finely cut smoked fish. It made Bauska's mouth water just looking at the spread. As with the other palace servants, her own breakfast that morning had been a small, too small, bowl of tasteless grey porridge stewed overnight.
"You tell the cooks if they ever serve me food like this again, I shall have father order them flogged and sent to the salt mines!" Krasta threatened. She gave her handmaiden a glare that was probably meant to be fierce, but instead, merely looked ridiculous. Bauska bit her lip, trying not to giggle. All that would do would be to make the Princess even angrier than she already was.
"I shall convey your displeasure to the cooks as soon as possible, Mistress." Bauska said, keeping her head bowed and her eyes down. Silently, the young woman wondered what was so bad about the food to anger the Princess so. Probably nothing. As Bauska was all too aware, it didn't take much, or really anything at all, to set her mistress off on one of her temper tantrums.
Krasta glowered at the maid, but Bauska's soft reply gave her nothing to be angry at. Like a summer storm dispersing, her tantrum ended. With a dramatic flourish, the princess threw off the thick, dark blue, silk sheets of the bed and rose from it. The thin, linen nightgown she wore hung draped sensuously across her young body, showing off every curve of her figure. Somewhere, no doubt, master sculptors silently wept, knowing they could never carve anything quite so beautiful.
"Attend me." Krasta commanded imperiously, stepping away from the bed. Her bare feet trod silently on the soft furs scattered around the floor of her chambers. As Bauska hurried to the Princess' extensive wardrobe, Krasta undid the toggle of her nightgown and let it slide off her shoulders, the soft fabric flowing down over her body to pool around her feet. The young woman stood, completely naked, without a trace of shame, as if she was completely alone. Perhaps, to Krasta's mind, she was alone, a lowly slave not worth the notice of a royal.
As Bauska returned from the wardrobe with a pile of dresses for the Princess to choose from, she was forced to admit she could see the beauty the poets attributed to the Princess. The young woman's olive skin had a golden glow to it, without any sort of blemish. Long, curly hair fell down around her bare shoulders, reaching down almost to her pert, round bottom. Between her legs was a matching patch of neatly trimmed, curly hair.
The Princess' 18th birthday had only been a fortnight ago. No doubt before too long, she would marry, as her older sisters already had. She'd make some island prince very happy…until she opened her mouth, Bauska thought with a disloyal, thankfully silent, laugh. For the moment though, King Skarnus preferred to keep his youngest daughter available, should he need to solidify an alliance, or mark a treaty with one of the other 12 royal houses.
Bauska dressed her mistress, neither woman speaking. She would reach for a dress and judge by Krasta's glance whether or not it met her satisfaction. The dress the Princess settled on was of the style of the Southern Isles, with a long pleated skirt and a tunic of embroidered silk that left her ample chest bared. Next, the young maid did her mistress' hair, running an ivory comb, working perfumed oil into the ebony tresses until they gleamed, before piling them into a loose bun, held in place with a rope of gold thread. Bauska was glad the more elaborate court hair styles had gone out of fashion several years ago; otherwise she might have spent all morning with this one task.
From one of the Princess' jewelry boxes, Bauska selected a number of jeweled rings and slipped them onto her mistress' fingers. A large ruby brooch on a gold chair was looped around her neck, hanging between her large, round breasts. Gold arm bands and bracelets were placed on her arms. Finally, Bauska helped Krasta step into a pair of silver sandals and tightened the straps.
Thus dressed, the Princess announced that she intended to spend the day riding along the Southern half of the island. "Tell the grooms to saddle my mare." She commanded. Grabbing the half-eaten tray of food, Bauska bowed low, backing out of the chamber. Her bare feet padded softly on the cold marble floor of the palace.
Once out of the room and after making sure there was no one watching her, Bauska let out a sigh of relief. That hadn't gone as bad as it might have. Despite appearances, the Princess seemed to be in a good mood today. As her personal maidservant, Bauska would have to accompany Krasta on her outing. Riding with the Princess along the coast was far from the worst task the maid could see herself doing today…
One of the young woman's hands reached up and played with the silver collar locked around her neck. Hanging from the front of it was a pendant, stamped with the King's Cypher, marking her as a possession of the Royal House of Cantu. Bauska had only been a little girl, of about twelve summers, when she had been sold by their father to cover his gambling debts. Less than a year later, she'd been seized by the King's men when her first master failed to pay a fine he owed.
In the six years since then, she'd served the royal family obediently. She'd never lamented the fate that had made her a slave. To be honest, she knew there were far worse lives she could have ended up with. Still, serving the Princess made even the most loyal slave begin to waver…
Balancing the tray on one hip, Bauska hurried through the women's quarters, passing by the apartments of Krasta's older sisters, left empty since they'd left to go and live with their husbands on other islands. Nodding to a pair of Eunuch guards, the young slave passed through a doorway into the palace proper. Here, the hallways were busier, with court functionaries, guards and other slaves hurrying about their own tasks. Bauska dodged past them, giving a brief bow or a friendly greeting as was warranted.
At the kitchens, Bauska dropped off the tray and dutifully delivered the mistress' warning to the head cook, a large, matronly slave named Thridel. Nearby, the other slaves of the kitchens toiled, stripped to the waist against the heat of the cook fires, preparing the afternoon meal for the royal family, the courtiers, the diplomats, functionaries, scribes, guards and lastly themselves and the other palace slaves.
"Tell the Princess we shall be extra careful in the preparation of her morning refreshments." Thridal said, struggling to maintain her stern expression as laughter bubbled up inside her.
"I shall convey your words to my mistress with all haste…" Bauska replied, her warning dutifully delivered. Unable to hold it in any longer, the two women laughed. Both of them had served Krasta long enough to know the Princess' threats were written on the wind, casually thrown out and quickly forgotten. If she did punish them, it would be a spur of the moment thing, and probably not for anything the unlucky slave had actually done.
Thridel's eyes wandered to the tray of half-eaten delicacies. The older woman certainly hadn't gotten as big as she had on the food normally given to the slaves. Of course, eating food meant for the royal family was forbidden to the slaves, they would be flogged, at best. That was why the two made sure to dispose of all the evidence, very carefully…
Licking the last crumbs from her fingers, Bauska said goodbye to the head cook and left the kitchens, heading for the stables. The royal stable was a large group of buildings, housing hundreds of horses for the royal family to ride, and for the chariots of King Skarnus' army. They were located on the north side of the palace, where the warm breeze coming in from the sea carried the pungent smell of horse-flesh and manure away from the rest of the palace. She hurried through the workshop, where a number of artisans were busy repairing leather saddles and chariot wheels for the king's army.
In the stable, the slave girl ordered one of the grooms to saddle the Princess' favorite mare and another horse for herself. Mounting her pony, she guided it through the north gate, walking around the outside of the palace towards the main gate. She had just reached the carved wooden doors when they opened and the Princess strode out, the very picture of regal poise and elegance.
The show she put on was directed at a handsome young man waiting for them outside the gates, mounted on a splendid gelding. He wore his dark hair long, with a neatly trimmed beard of curly hair. Beneath his loose green cloak, the man was wearing a leather cuirass and a short bronze sword belted as his side. Alexdros, as the man was named, had been appointed Krasta's bodyguard a year ago. His bright blue eyes widened with surprise when he saw how the Princess was dressed. Bauska rolled her eyes, suddenly realizing why her mistress had chosen to wear such as daring outfit.
"Princess." Alexdros said, bowing his head as Krasta mounted her mare, side-saddle. She favored him with a smile and a nod. The bodyguard briefly glanced at Bauska before spurring his mount alongside the Princess's. The slave girl shrugged, riding after the other two. She'd expected no less.
The three rode down the stone path away from the palace, the Princess and Alexdros side by side, Bauska trailing respectively behind. It was a glorious day, without a cloud in the sky. A light breeze washed over them carrying with it the smell of the sea. The Palace lay on the foothills of the mountains that made up the eastern portion of Cantu. Their high peaks, white with snow, loomed over the three riders. Near the palace, they were high enough to see far out to sea.
Across a channel from Cantu, Bauska could see Villnus and further off, Traku. Just peaking over the horizon, a low, dark mass in the distance was Obrinn. Together, the four islands formed King Skarnus' domains. Skating across the bright blue waters were numerous boats, small fishing vessels trolling their nets behind them, large merchant vessels from far away islands, in full sail. Coming around, like a lean sheepdog among the flock, one of the swift triremes of King Skarnus' fleet patrolled the waters for pirates and smugglers.
At the bottom of the hills, the road met Aethellia, the largest city in Cantu. Just inside the gates was a large statue dedicated to King Marlinus II, Krasya's grandfather, commemorating the King's victory over the legions of the Itzian Republic. The imposing figure of the king, clad in armor and holding a mace, stood over a pair of bound captives, a man and women, groveling at their captor's feet. Though they were dressed in typical islander fashion, the captive's stockier build identified them as natives of the Peninsula. The mainlanders tended to ape the fashions of the islands. As they rode past it, Bauska noticed the paint on the monument had begun to wear thin and flake off in places, exposing the white marble underneath. The court artisans would have to come and repaint the statues again before too long.
The market square around the old monument was bustling and full of people buying and selling. Cantu stood along one of the main sea lanes across the White Sea. Merchants came from far off lands to trade with one another. Bauska even saw a few men and women from the Republic haggling over goods. Briefly she wondered what they thought of the monument.
Slowly, the three of them made their way through the crowd of people. As people noticed the Princess, they got out of the way, giving the riders an open path through the market square. A few even cheered the Princess as she rode past. Krasta returned the gesture with a nod of approval, accepting such reverence as her natural due. With the way cleared for them, the party made good time, quickly leaving Athelia through the south gate. Following a winding dirt road, they passed through rolling foothills covered in olive groves and noblemen's villas.
About midday, they reached a small fishing village called Grozney. From dozens of small huts, the peasants rushed out, to see the Princess and her escorts ride by. Bauska smiled, seeing a pair of peasant girls staring at the procession, eyes wide with excited glee. Though it had been a long time ago, she'd grown up in a small village like this one. Standing behind the girls, looking over them, two older lads, brother's perhaps, were also watching the Princess closely, though they were a little more interested in what the Princess' dress didn't cover…
In the small market, Alexdros bought a light lunch of loaves, freshly caught fish, olive oil and a small jug of wine. The peasant's eyes widened in surprise as Krasta tossed them a couple silver coins bearing the image of the moon goddess. The peasants scrambled for the money, loudly praising the Princess' generosity. To them, the handful of coins was more money than they might make wit an entire month's catch. To the princess, it was merely pocket money.
A short ride away from the village, they found a small, secluded spot on the beach to stop and have lunch. A stand of trees ringed the small cove on three sides; the fourth looked out to the sea. Alexdros spread his cloak on the soft sun-warmed sand for them to sit on and eat. Bauska half expected Krasta to complain about the simple food, after the fit she'd thrown at breakfast, but the Princess accepted it with a smile and a quick word of thanks. She was on her best behavior in front of her intended conquest…
She didn't even say anything when Bauska sat with the two of them on one corner of the cloak. There was plenty of food for the slave, since the two free-persons seemed more interested in talking with each other than eating. When she'd finished, Bauska leaned back with a sigh of contentment, her belly comfortably full. Whatever the Princess thought of it, this was better food then she'd be likely to get in the slave quarters back at the palace.
"That was a very fine meal!" Alexdros declared, finishing the last of the wine with a large swig.
"Yes." The Princess agreed, playing idly with her tunic. "Today has been wonderful…"
"The day is not yet over…" Alexdros replied.
"No, not yet." Krasta said softly, leaning over. Alexdros started to say something, but she placed a finger over his lips. "Shhh…" she said with a giggle. "Don't say anything just yet…" She ran her hand playfully through his beard…
"Here it comes…" Bauska thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Quietly as she could, she stood up and slipped away to give the Princess and her startled bodyguard some privacy. Crouched behind a small olive tree, the handmaid waited, listening to the "proceedings." Idly, she wondered how angry Krasta's father would be when word of her latest scandal got out. She still recalled with horror the row the father and daughter had had after she'd been found in the stable loft naked with her riding instructor…
All of a sudden, Bauska heard Alexdros cry out in pain. A second later, the Princess screamed as well, a cry of fright. Without thinking, Bauska leapt to her feet and ran back to the beach. "Mistress!" She shouted, "What is th-!" She froze, eyes widening in shock as she took in the scene before her.
Alexdros lay on the sand, struggling to get up with a black fletched arrow sticking from one leg. The Princess stared in horror as a trio of men ran forward across the beach at her. They were dressed as sailors and were armed with an assortment of bronze swords and daggers. They surged forward, shouting in their own language, a strange tongue the handmaiden couldn't understand. Pirates! Bauska thought to herself, with horror.
One of the pirates had a short, recurved bow. He went to one knee, drawing another arrow, and loosed it. Swiftly cutting through the air, the projectile hit Alexdros in the shoulder. The young warrior cried out in pain, falling back down to the ground. The short sword he'd managed to draw flew from his fingers. Blood splashed on the sand, standing like liquid rubies for a brief moment before soaking into the ground.
Bauska didn't know whether to rush to her mistress' aid, or flee for her life. As she stood there, paralyzed with fear, the decision was made for her. The young maid cried out in fright as two more pirates suddenly came up behind her and seized the young woman. Her cries were cut off as one of them clamped a rough hand over her mouth, silencing her.
Helpless in the strong man's grasp, she was shuffled over to where their comrades had seized the princess. The young women were forced to their knees, side by side. Bauska glanced over, sharing a look of fear with her mistress. For a brief moment, terror and helplessness made them equals. Their arms were painfully wrenched behind their backs and bound tight with rough rope. The sharp pain snapped Krasta out of her daze. She'd passed shock and fear behind, and had now gone into the full force of royal rage. Heedless of danger, the Princess shouted curses, both fierce and shockingly inventive, down on the pirates for having the temerity to treat her personage in such a manner.
The pirates quickly grew tired of the young woman's demands to be freed, to say nothing of her shocking accusations as to the nature of their parents. One of them walked behind the Princess and forced a leather strap between her teeth, binding it tightly behind her head to gag the fiery woman. Even after being gagged, Krasta continued grunting indignantly and fuming, chewing on the strap with impotent fury. Bauska probably enjoyed seeing her mistress silenced in such a manner more then she should have. She was less pleased when she found herself muzzled the same way, the rough edges of the strap cutting painfully into the corners of her mouth.
The captive women were hauled to their feet. Krasta tried to make a run for it, only to be grabbed by the nearest pirate. Bauska trembled in the grip of her captors as they laughed as the Princess' struggles. One of the pirates produced a coil of rope and quickly tied a loop with it. He slipped it over Krasta's head, holding the free end of the rope as a leash. A second leash was draped around Bauska's neck and pulled snug by a second pirate. Grinning, he tugged hard on the leash. Bauska hurried after him. It was that, or choke on the end of the rope. The pirates had to yank hard on Krasta's rope before she got the message. Still fighting against the leash, she was led along beside Bauska, who merely trudged after their captors.
Meanwhile, the rest of the pirates had finished looting the rest of their captive's possessions. The horses were stripped of their ornamented saddles and sent galloping away with a slap. One pirate stood up from the body Alexdros, admiring the warrior's sword. Turning to rejoin his comrades, he gave the man one last kick. Amazingly, Alexdros managed a weak groan, Bauska hadn't thought he'd even still been alive! Leaving him behind, the pirates and captors headed back to the village…
Grozney was in chaos. Pirates ran through the narrow dirt streets, breaking into the small huts and chasing the terror stricken inhabitants out into the street where they were grabbed by more raiders. Already, fires had broken out in some of the smaller huts, burning out of control with no one to put them out. As they walked along the beach, Bauska saw the pirate ship, a long, raiding bireme, with black sails, pulled up onto the sand. Its narrow prow was carved in the shape of a terrifying sea serpent. The handmaiden found it almost as frightening as the cruel men who'd sailed here on it.
Helpless in the face of the well-armed invaders, frightened villagers had been quickly rounded up and herded into the market square. With cruel efficiency, pirates went through their captives, stripping them of anything of value, coins, jewelry. They showed no mercy to any who tried to hide their meager belongings.
Next, they began sorting out the young women and girls from the rest. They would fetch the best price on the slave market. The weeping girls were dragged, screaming, from the arms of their parents and husbands and made to stand to one side, guarded over by a quartet of fierce pirates. The unfortunate women had their hands lashed together and were gagged with strips of torn cloth. Bauska and Krasta were led to join the other captive women. The Pirates cheered loudly in their own language when they realized who they had captured, while the villagers moaned in dismay, seeing their beloved princess captured.
The last sobbing girl was dragged from her family, heedless of their pleas and tied up with the rest of the village women. At sword point, the remaining villagers were herded into one of the larger huts still standing. The door was shut and barred, trapping them inside. They would be able to free themselves, eventually, but by that point, the pirates, and their helpless cargo, would be long gone.
Meanwhile, several of pirates stripped the princess. Ignoring her indignant squawks, Krasta's jewelry was stolen and added to the meager loot taken from the villagers. Her dress too, was carefully removed from the struggling woman, and seized. The richly embroidered silk would fetch a good price from any merchant. They even took Bauska's silver collar. It wasn't until it had been casually tossed in the chest with the rest of the stolen gold and silver that the slave realized how much she missed its reassuring weight around her neck.
The other captive women got their share of attention from the pirates as well. Knives flashed in the afternoon sun as the peasant girl's dresses were quickly cut to shreds. The cheap cloth was worthless to the pirates, so they had no reason to be careful stripping their prisoners. A large, bearded pirate walked over and slipped the blade of his knife under one strap of Bauska's dress. Two quick cuts and the cloth fell off from her. The young woman felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as the pirate leered, running his one good eye over her suddenly naked body…
Something unfortunate might have happened to the helpless females, at that moment, had a pirate not come running into the village, shouting at the top of his lungs. Bauska didn't know what he was saying, but from the pirate's reactions, she quickly guessed his meaning. The alarm had been raised! The king's soldiers were coming!
Hope for rescue rose in Bauska's breast, but it was quickly dashed. Calmly, the pirates prepared to leave, hurriedly loading their stolen booty onto the boat; crates of stolen goods, food, clay jars filled with wine and oil, not to mention the women. Bauska struggled as one of the pirates shoved her in the direction of the galley. She knew, once she was on that boat, her chances of rescue would be slim. She just needed to stall the pirates long enough for the soldiers to arrive…
The maid's efforts proved futile. When she refused to walk up the gangplank, the pirate simply picked up the young woman and threw her over one shoulder as if she weighed next to nothing. Holding the handmaiden firmly, despite all her struggles, he carried Bauska kicking and screaming up the gangplank. Behind them, the other captive women were carried onboard in the same, undignified manner.
Onboard, the pirate dropped Bauska onto the hard wooden deck. Before she could struggle to her feet, he bent down and quickly lashed them together with some rough cord. Another pirate dropped Krasta beside her, and another frightened girl on her other side. The three captives struggled helplessly on deck as the pirates loaded everything else and prepared to leave…
The galley lurched as the pirates pushed if off the beach and back into the water. Straining to sit up, Bauska saw the pirates moving up and down the deck armed with leather whips, striking the exposed backs of the galley-slaves. With a loud groan, the weary slaves plied their oars once more. White spray flew up as the oars splashed in and out of the water in unison. The swift boat quickly pulled away from the shore.
Behind them, Grozney burned, staining the blue sky black. A cry of despair went up from the captive women sprawled on the deck as they watched their homes slip away in the distance, each wondering if they would ever see it, or their friends and family again. They didn't struggle as they were picked up and carried below decks. There was no point. Bauska groaned softly to herself as she was carried down the stairs, plunged into sudden darkness. What was going to happen to them!?!