"That is what we are here to discuss," she said. "I presume you would like us to return you home?"
"You don't need to bother. Point me west and give me a horse and some food. I can find it."
She smiled. "It's harder than you think. If we were going to allow you to return home, we would send you with an escort."
"An escort that would pick a replacement for me instead?"
"That would be a side issue," she said. "Sending you home is not currently on the table."
"Why not?"
"Because your village owes us tithe," she said. "We have been complacent too long. You don't understand, and that isn't your fault. I have been begging and pleading with the councils of most of the villages along the more western reaches of Morehama for years. This latest choice was forced upon us."
"You could agree you have outlived your usefulness," I said. "You could raise your own crops. You could make girlfriends the old fashioned way: by getting to know someone who joins you willingly."
"We can not be both farmers and serve as a shield for all of Morehama. We are owned payment for what we do."
"Perhaps Gallen's Cove does not agree."
"And if we could let a demon or two stop by your neighborhood without risking everyone between here and there, perhaps we would. But the villages closer to the mountains all pay their tithes, and thus we have an obligation to them. But the burden should be shared."
"I do not believe these demons exist," I said. "Nor am I convinced someone living so many days from the danger, if it does exist, should be expected to be treated the way I have been treated."
"I agree with you," the queen said, "at least about your treatment."
I stared at her.
"We would much rather take volunteers," the queen explained. "In the past, that is how it was done. In the closer villages, girls compete for the privilege."
"Then take them!" I spat.
"We cannot. If we did, there would be no more villages, as there would be no women giving birth to more villagers."
"Give birth yourself," I suggested. "As I understand it, you cannot have men here, but you can travel to the men. They are only a village away."
She sighed. "That is impossible. I will not explain why at this time. I wish it were possible. I would have loved to have been a mother, but it that is not to be."
"Instead you are queen. That does not seem like a bad trade."
"Would you mother give up you and your sister for responsibility of your village?"
Of course not. I remained silent.
I looked around the room. "May I have some of that wine now?"
"Of course," she said. "Nori will you pour for all of us?"
"Yes, Malora." Nori rose and poured from the other jug. She handed one glass to the queen then crossed the room to me. "Your arms are probably not working yet."
I tried raising my hands then shook my head.
"I'll hold it," the queen said. She moved her chair closer, taking a glass from Nori, then held it for me. I sipped. It was a good, red wine.
"Tribute?" I asked her.
"Tithe," she corrected. "Yes. We don't get much."
"Rank hath its privileges?"
"All tithe is shared equally," the queen said.
"This was from one of my bottles," Nori said. "I have one remaining. I will fetch it if we finish this one."
I looked at her.
"Consider it an apology," she said. "There isn't sufficient apology for what you feel I've done to you, and you couldn't possibly accept until you fully understand. That won't be tonight. When you understand, if you ask for an apology then, you will get one."
I nodded, not fully understanding, then turned back to the queen and looked at the glass again. She held it up and I took another drink, then leaned back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said. "So, I have a proposal for you."
"Oh?"
"I find you intriguing."
I stared at her. "What does that mean, Queen Malora?"
"Nori knows me very well." She smiled at Nori. "I will offer this. Serve as my companion for two years. If at the end of those two years, you still wish to be returned home, I will personally escort you."
I started to open my mouth, refusing to be her slave, but I realized that wouldn't go over well. "What does a companion do?"
"Tend to my needs," she said. "Make my life easier. Ease my loneliness."
I glanced at the bedchamber. The queen grew indignant. "I have never taken anyone to my bed who did not want to be there, and I wouldn't start with you!"
"If you leave such an obvious conclusion by your casual words, it is not my fault if I ask whether the conclusion is accurate, your Majesty. What else does 'ease my loneliness' mean?"
"Queen Malora," she corrected. "A queen has few friends. Even Nori and I must maintain a certain distance. We would talk. As if we were friends. Companions."
"All right," I said. "What else?"
"There would be, um. Physical duties."
"I thought so."
"We live a warrior's life," she said. "There are aches. A companion eases those aches."
"So, clean your tent-"
"Or house. Yes."
"Make your bed. Do your laundry. Prepare your meals."
"Meals are typically served communally, although there would be times you would be expected to cook for me."
"Serve your meals."
"Yes."
"Rub your feet."
"And my arms, my back, sometimes my legs, sometimes my hands."
"Polish your boots."
"And spend time with me. There are two beds in there." She gestured towards the inner chamber. "You would occupy one. Most companions become very casual with their warriors. You may or you may not."
"I would call you Malora?"
"If we developed a warm rapport, yes, I would invite that. You should not presume."
"I see. Anything else?"
"Most warriors train their companions."
"Train?"
"To fight. I would expect you to accept at least basic training, enough you wouldn't be a hindrance in a fight."
"Who would I be expected to fight?"
"Demons."
I stared at her.
"Believe it or not, they are real."
"I see." I didn't. "Anything else?"
"I believe you have the basic understanding. I would require you to operate in good faith."
"Don't spit in your dinner."
"Yes."
"And you would trust me?"
"You would offer certain assurances. I fully expect you to attempt to escape. When you do, you will be found and returned to me, and I will punish you. The punishment will grow increasingly severe with each failed attempt. You will vow to make no attempts to murder anyone, especially me or Nori."
"And you would believe me?"
"Yes. You already know what will happen if you break that vow."
"You were serious."
"Quite. You would be subject to Amazon discipline on all other issues. There is a certain amount of leniency for new arrivals, but the rules are not complicated, and the period of leniency is limited."
"I would be expected to act subservient to everyone else?"
"You would be expected to act politely with everyone else, and they with you. Disputes are handled on the training ground."
"So the best fighter gets her way?"
"I am the best fighter," the queen said with a smile. "And yes, I get my way."
"Virtually everyone here is a better fighter than I am," I pointed out.
"Then you should be especially polite, but no one will treat you as a servant."
"Except you."
"Companion."
"I fail to see the distinction."
"Servants rarely share meals with their masters. Companions live the same life as their warriors. It is not a caste system."
"Everyone here began as a companion," Nori said. "I didn't start out as hers, bu
t I became Malora's companion."
I stopped. "You were lovers?"
"Yes," she said. "Once upon a time."
"And now you have acquired me for her?" I was puzzled. "Aren't you jealous?"
"Yes," she said, "but we haven't been lovers for a long time. We. We can't." The two looked at each other. "We can't," she said again.
"More for you to learn," Malora said, "but not tonight."
I looked down, studying my hands. I tried lifting them, but the pain was nearly overwhelming. I blinked back the tears.
"I promise," the queen said, "your arms will be fine in a few days. We can fashion slings for now."
I looked up at her through the tears. "You promise?"
"I promise."
"Do you keep your promises?"
"Yes. Do you?"
"Yes."
I looked back down. "I want to go home," I said in a small voice. "I'm a teacher of small children. They need me. I'm a good teacher. I am not a warrior. I am not suited for your life. Send me home."
"And take your sister instead?" the queen asked. It was gently said, but my response was not.
"No!" I flashed my eyes at her, then I knew my face filled with dread.
"Consider this a warning," she said. "I applaud your desire to protect your sister."
"Please send me home."
"I wish I could," she said. "And should I also send home every other girl who was not thrilled to be here, or only the ones who put up the best fight? How easily do you think we will recruit the next time, if the girls know we send them home for being a brat?"
"You could do something you didn't do in Gallen's Cove," I suggested.
"We have tried a great deal in Gallen's Cove, but you may not be aware of everything we have tried."
"If I was not aware, then there is a great deal you could have tried you did not. Like, I don't know. Explain your need and ask."
"We did-"
"Then why did I not know of your need?" I asked. "Do you blame me for your lack of publicity?"
"Your council knew," Nori said.
Malora interjected, "We will not solve that problem today." She paused, looking into my eyes. "May I suggest there have been mistakes made on both sides, and there are problems yet to be resolved, but discussion on those can wait. Our most urgent decision is what to do about you." She cocked her head. "You have questions."
"Why do you need so many?" I asked.
"It is a wide frontier," the queen said. "And the demons have grown more bold in recent years."
I stared at her.
"We have had losses."
"Losses exceeding the numbers of recruits from the nearest villages," Nori said. "We cannot recruit more heavily, and places further west have refused to send recruits for years. We must reverse the trend."
I looked back and forth between them. "Do I have other options, than being your servant?"
"Companion," the queen said. "Please at least try saying the word."
"Fine. Servant. Slave. Companion. I haven't yet been impressed with the difference. Do I have other choices?"
"You may refuse me," she said. "I will do my best to not take it personally. I would offer you as companion to another."
"Who would want me?"
"I would," Nori said immediately.
I stared at her. "You can't be serious."
"Quite serious," she said. "The reason I knew Malora would be intrigued by you is because I was, and we have similar tastes."
"In bedmates?"
"In companions," she said. "You won't understand, but I cannot offer Malora what she needs, and I'm not talking sex. And she can't offer what I need. You can."
"Which is? Wait, it doesn't matter. You can't possibly be suggesting I am to voluntarily become the slave of the woman who to date has abused me. Perhaps you, Queen Malora, have not yet treated me so vilely, but to serve her?" I pointed my nose to Nori. "The suggestion is ridiculous. My answer is a resounding no."
Malora shook her head sadly. "Nori is a good woman and kind to her companions."
"I have personal experience otherwise, ample experience to suggest she would treat me exceedingly poorly. I believe she enjoyed mistreating me, and I believe she would continue to do so. She readily beat two innocent children for the crime of once having been my students, then lied about the reason. My answer is no."
Nori had the grace to look uncomfortable. Malora sighed and said, "There are others."
"Others who can handle me?" I asked. "Who won't treat me as badly as she did? I find that unlikely."
"There are others," the queen said. "If you and I are unable to reach agreement, then in a few days I would begin introducing you to other choices."
"And I would be caged until then?"
She nodded. "You asked a question a few minutes ago, then decided it doesn't matter. I believe it does matter."
She waited for me. "Fine. What is it I could offer that you need so badly?"
"Softness," the queen said. "A certain amount of innocence. A reason to fight. Someone to fight for."
Again I found myself staring. "You're trying to convince me the demons are real."
"Quite real," she said. "And they do not fight like men."
"Physically, they fight poorly," Nori said.
"For their size," the queen added.
"Quite," said Nori.
"Men can't stand against them."
"No," Nori said. "And it is not as if we are unaware of the fight in the mind."
"Nor are we unaffected," the queen said.
"She'll come to you after a fight, Maya. She'll need to hold you. She'll need you to hold her."
"It's not sex," said the queen. "It's comfort. It's someone to hold. Someone to drive away the darkness. Can you do that?"
"And what is the likelihood I will see one of these demons in the two years you would have me serve you?"
"I would like to say 'none'," said the queen. "If you see a demon, then I have failed. It is not your job to fight demons. It is my job to see to that."
"Then how will I know they are real and not just a story you use to scare me?"
"You will know," Nori said. "You will know."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," said the queen, and there was no doubt in her voice.
"If I refuse to serve as anyone's companion, what will you do?"
The two of them exchanged glances. Surely they had anticipated that question. Malora returned her gaze to mine. I thought she was considering her answer. I beat her to it.
"You have a variety of choices. You can free me. This is the only humane thing to do, but you have stated you will not do so. You can kill me. Perhaps you would do so as kindly as you can, but it is murder, plain and simple. The duel you offered is murder as well, regardless of whether I am holding a sword or not."
Their expressions darkened.
"I am speaking in a civil tone, Queen Malora, but if the punishment for speaking honestly is a whipping, then I demand we discuss not whether you are going to offer that duel, but how quickly we can get it over. As it would be a farce, I would suggest immediately. It would be murder, but..." I shrugged.
"You are so ready to die?"
"Are you ready to abuse me for speaking the truth? If so, then yes, kill me now. The world needn't even learn you murder school teachers if you hide the body."
She stared at me for a moment. "No, there is never punishment for truth, regardless of how disturbing that truth may be. You are correct; handing you a sword and calling it a duel would be a farce, tantamount to murder."
"Maya," Nori said, "I would like to address a misunderstanding you have."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Let me ask you something. If I began slapping you, would you grow angry?"
"Was that a threat?"
"I am coming to a point. If I began to beat you, you would grow angry, wouldn't you. I fight very well with staff, sword, and fists. You do not. It would be very one-sided, and you would grow angry at b
eing abused."
"Yes."
"Well, I fight very well physically and very poorly with words. In that way, we are the opposite."
"Your point?"
"I gagged you because I was on the verge of losing my temper. I am unaccustomed to anyone speaking to me the way you did. I did not believe I could have controlled my temper much longer. I did not believe whipping the fight out of you would have helped, and I wasn't in a position I could walk away from you. Nor could I have subjected anyone else to your tongue."
"I am not angry about the gag. I actually don't blame you for that. I would have gagged me, too."
She smiled at that.
"I am angry you struck two young children."
"I was afraid if I struck you, I wouldn't stop. I knew I could control myself against them, but only if I shut you up fast."
"So hitting them was the lesser of two evils?"
"The least of several evils," she admitted. "Yes. I may have been more creative if I weren't so close to losing my temper."
I looked down at my hands for a while, considering what she had said. "As I said, I do not blame you for gagging me. I believe you owe each of them an apology."
"I probably do, but I believe remaining the boogie monster may reduce the likelihood they will earn punishments from their warriors instead."
"I see," I said quietly. "That crime was not against me. You know my opinion on it. Perhaps we should move on."
"Quite," said Malora. "Were their other choices you wished to list?"
"All right," I agreed. "You can free me, which you won't do. You can kill me, which is what I believe will be your choice. Or you can imprison me and abuse me until I submit. I am sure I will eventually, and then when opportunity presents itself, I will kill anyone I can. But when I do it, I will be killing the people who abused me and made me their slave, and when you enact retribution on Gallen's Cove, you will let the entire world know all Amazons are rampaging murderers. I will have justice on my side, and you will be honorless."
Malora surged to her feet, and I thought she would strike me, but she turned her back.
"Abuse can take a variety of forms," I said after the briefest pause. "I do not deserve any of them."
"No," Malora said tightly. "You don't. Nori, you brought me a fine puzzle indeed, and I understand completely the gag."
"I am sorry, Malora," Nori replied.
"I understand why you brought her," Malora said.
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