WORRLGENHALL (5 page)

“
What wickedness is this?” Tohlor whispered, while trying to see who the other could be, but Belon shielded his body making it impossible to find out without risking discovery.

Backing away quietly, Tohlor smiled
as instantly bribery came to mind. He hated Belon for his arrogance and position of command, and delighted in the thought of once Belon’s dark secret was no longer secret, either wealth from bribing him or removing him from his command while securing it for himself was in his near future.

**

Unaware Tohlor saw them, both breathed heavily.

“We must get back.” Ogorec panted, as Belon lay on him. Their bodies so drained and weak had a battle broken out; both could barely lift their own sword to fight.

“
Only just a while longer,” Belon pleaded, wanting to long their stay together.

“
Yes,” Ogorec agreed.

Each in the other
’s arms as long as they could, although unwilling they parted and began to dress.

“
The men have the will to question what they question,” Belon forewarned, after they dressed and were back with their horses, “But, put on no boast for them by taking a woman.”

“
As you,” Ogorec countered.

“
Where and when will we meet again?” he asked, as he mounted his horse.

“
I do not know, but we will never go so long apart again.”

Unable to resist a last kiss upon his lips, Belon bent down as Ogorec came closer.

“Let it be soon,” he said after he kissed him, “You know my desires well and they are great.”

“
Use great will that no one else holds your spills,” Ogorec said. Yet, his words sought assurance that there were no others because Belon, handsome and charismatic, had many women offer themselves to him and often he didn’t resist.

“
There has been only one for some time,” Belon’s quick reply, “To hold my seed as you do.”

Annoyed at him for his evasive words, Ogorec
’s words were more resolved. “There will never be but one.” Ogorec, who knew he spoke of men and not women, assured.

Swiftly, Belon made his way back to camp, but happened to pass Tohlor along the way.

“It is late for you to be wandering about,” he commented, concerned that he was close to the foliage area where they were.

“
It is now my watch,” Tohlor commented quickly, his mind secretly curious of Belon’s companion.

Not long afterwards, but waiting long enough before he returned to ensure no suspicions that he and Belon were off somewhere together, Ogorec passed
Tohlor.

Tied to his horse freshly killed rabbits, when he passed him he didn
’t question Tohlor, because he was who ordered his time of watch.

“
When your watch is done skin these and make them into a stew,” Ogorec ordered, and tossed them at his feet; then rode away.

Resentfully,
Tohlor picked up the rabbits. “Now I am a cook,” he grumbled before he appeased his mind with thoughts of his rise in status soon, “Once Belon is gone, I will be first in command just as you are.”

**

A horde of his greatest warriors, that he called his united men, on either side of him with Orhan, his lifelong healer among them, steadfast King Rone journeyed cutting through Celgon’s borders to see his sons. Even though, thoughts of his son’s fate never left his mind, on his journey another also never left it.

Hastily
leaving Seda’s side after only one night inside her, in the late hours of the night he thought of that embrace and longed for her.

She was not a grand maiden in waiting, nor the most beaut
iful he had seen or taken to his bed, yet she had a soothing way about her and an ear for his words.

She had clever mind she used and desired him as a man, as well as a king, which made him want her more than any of the others.

He thought of the others, though only briefly. Never had he looked into their eyes as he moved inside them, or kissed them.

Such was his want, he worried about her treatment because no one knew how important she had become to him, and he feared that, as was with other women once a
guard or his men had their fill of them, believing them sullied some they treated badly.

He remembered never telling the guard outside his door what to do with Seda while he was away, and as th
oughts of her possibly passed to another consumed his mind, he called for the messenger who rode back with them.

“
My king,” Laad said, as he stood before him.

“
Take a message back to WorrlgenHall,” he ordered as he wrote, “And swiftly.”

“
Yes, my king, “Laad said, as he took the scroll.

“
If all is well you may rest a time.” King’s Rone’s reward, “And by the time you reach us again we should be in the lowlands.”

Laad, well known as
one of the fastest messengers in his kingdom made the king confident he would reach WorrlgenHall by next nightfall, which calmed some of his angst, but not the angst of her not by his side.

**

When the king left, the keeper in charge of the bellars sent Seda back to the meal house where she once worked, yet hardly able to think of anything other than the king, she did nothing but fumble about.

“
You think yourself above us all,” Anla mocked jealously, as she and Nona cleaned turnips and sliced carrots when Seda passed. Word of who the king or his son’s bedded always spreading quickly among the women, “There are not less than six standing among us, that have not known the king or his son’s at one time or another.”

“
Do not fret over her words,” Nona said to Seda, and smiled, “Jealousy burns within her. She was sure she would win Lord Baric’s heart, but she could not.”

Seda did not speak and only offered a smile back to Nona, then started plucking feathers from geese hunted earlier.

“I hope you win the king’s heart and shame her,” Nona, now tired of Anla’s hateful words said when she stood by Seda outside alone. Her mind always filled with foolish thoughts of true love revealing her youthful age, “I can tell your head is filled with only him,” she added.

“
I fear I did not win his heart,” Seda said saddened, “When I left his chamber, it was without even words.”

Nona looked at her, and sympathetically dropped her lower lip.

“If you want a friend, I will be it.”

“
I would like that.”

The next day, later that afternoon, while outside bundling geese feathers for pillows, Uded, one of the
tax tollers for the king, and sadistic to women, rode by on one of his many horses and stopped next to her.

He had seen her serving in the gathering hall before and had planned to take her at will, until he learned she had moved to the outer halls where th
e bellers were, and although his place high in WorrlgenHall, he could not have them at will.

“
I see you have been made use of,” Uded boorishly spoke. His lust for her rekindled, “Were your virginal walls not tight enough to please the king?”

Refusing to an
swer such a question, Seda looked at him repulsed.

His constant
sweaty burly body smelling of old cheese and his stomach looking like that of a woman ready to give birth, made her feel sorrow in her heart, but not for him, for the horse, which had to bear his mammoth weight.

“
Remember my words,” Uded said hatefully, “I will soon send for you to loosen them more.”

True to his word, just a few nights later when he got bored he sent for her. His mind filled with thoughts of what evil cruel thing he could infli
ct to entertain himself, he laughed aloud at the very thought of his wicked plans.

Forcefully b
eckoned by a servant to him, Seda stood fearfully at Uded’s door.

“
Please,” she pleaded, “Do not force such doom upon me.”

The servant unmoved by her plea said
nothing, as she stood before him, then after he opened the door for her to enter, when she would not budge, he hastily pushed her inside.

His hard push sending her to the floor
. After she slowly stood, she saw Uded’s loathsome half-naked body waiting for her on his lopsided bed from his piggish weight.

As he watched, he let out a salacious laugh, then ordered her closer, but terrified Seda remained by the door.

“Lock it and come closer or I will mar your face,” his now threat.

His voice hissing, as would
a snake with speech, she knew he meant it, and obeyed.

Fear locking the joints of her legs
. She forced them to move forward toward his bed while fighting not to turn her nose sickened by the smell of sweat, musk, and dried piss; then once within his reach, his half-naked body jiggled and rolled as he pulled her by her hair closer to him.

“
When I am inside you, will you scale me with the king?” he asked. His words filled with envy and hate, before he pulled her hair back making her look at his face and sagging jowls.

Although, she fought and won her urge to vomit from his smell
. The stench of his breath now had her certain she would.

“
If I hear even an unpleasant moan from you, it would be better for you to have never lived.”

Knowing vomiting would be far
worse than an unpleasant moan, Seda succeeded in not vomiting.

“
Please,” Seda now pleaded, her eyes filled with horror and tears as she imagined his stinking overlapping flesh on her; then his brutal thrusts inside her, “I beg you do not harm me.”

**

At the king’s command, Laad rode swiftly. Only stopping when the need called him to, and once WorrlgenHall was in his sight, he spurred his horse even harder.

Allowed to pass through the gate without as much as pausing, with the sealed scroll tight in h
is grip, he rushed to the outer halls, and walked so quickly some feared he had news the king’s son had died.

Once at the outer chamber halls where beller
’s and servants slept Laad banged hard on the wooden door. When the door creaked slowly open, he hastily stuck his arm inside even before the man behind it appeared and gave him the scroll.

Noticing the king
’s seal, the man hurriedly broke it. His mouth moving to the words he read, but not reading it aloud.

“
The king has found favor with the beller Seda, and wants her moved to a chamber along his floors,” the man now said, “He orders it done with haste.”

“
Then get her,” Laad urged.

“
I am in dread,” he said terrified, certain his head would leave him soon, “I sent her to work among the others of her kind. I gathered the king had no more use of her.”

“
Where did you send her?”

“
Back to where she came from; the meal house.”

Laad huffed loudly and made his way to the meal house. The hour late, some women who had no husbands, lovers, or family slept in the room
s beside it and had gone to bed, so he banged on yet another door.

“
Where is Seda?” he asked, when the door opened.

“
I know not,” Anla said, immediately looking flushed. Laad’s strong commanding voice and the bold look on his handsome face causing her bosom to heat as lustful thoughts entered her mind.

“
A servant came and took her,” Nona, still awake and filled with worry about Seda, spoke out from her bed.

“
Took her where?”

“
To Uded’s chamber,” she answered, then jumped out of bed and hurried to the door.

A
ware of Uded’s cruel nature made Laad growl as he quickly went there, his mind recalling the bodies and faces of women who had the misfortune of going to his chamber.

“
I swear,” he said impatiently, his stride wide as he walked; “I will grow older this night walking from one hall to the other.”

Once close to Uded
’s chamber. His heavy steps up the stairs alerting his chamber servant, he stood at the top blocking the way, but Laad only brashly brushed him easily aside, and his hand on the end of his sword; the servant did not try to stop him.

“
Was a woman brought to this chamber this night?” Laad asked as he passed him; then walked to the door.

“
Yes, not long ago,” he freely answered.

Uded
’s door latched, Laad banged with his fist on now his third separate door, but this one no one answered.