Achilles&Briseis: A Novel

Chapter 28

     "High Princess Umna summons you," an unfamiliar handmaiden told Briseis. She stood across from the woman as a crack of thunder sounded overhead. The storm was still a ways off but would drench the castle in an hour or two.

    "Summon my handmaiden Kegarta to assist me in dressing." Kegarta left three hours ago with an elder servant who'd come to the door. The elder servant, Briseis hadn't caught a name, was there to give the girl a tour of the palace she'd now be serving in. No one had come to do the same for Briseis and when she'd asked to accompany them, the elder servant told her she was still confined to quarters.

    "Your handmaiden is currently occupied. I am to help you, my name is Tresa, Princess." Tresa began to make her way through the maze of owls crowding the floor. She wore a look of distaste as a small owl, one of Briseis' newest bonds, pecked lightly at the girl's legs, looking for a treat. Briseis threw a chunk of meat from her lunch at the owl and the bird left the girl alone.

    Briseis didn't like being separated from Kegarta like this. Lyrnessus was proving to be worse than she feared. She had a mixed reception from the people upon arrival, been confined without cause, clothing and jewelry stolen, her wedding ceremony while technically a success, didn't go as she planned and her husband slighted her on their wedding night. What awaited her today was the worst as her cheek would be marked with the brand of Umna. Briseis hadn't figured out a way to avoid this, but she was determined not to show pain or fear. Her heart fluttered and she felt slightly sick at the thought.

    All the dresses brought in yesterday as possible wedding gowns had disappeared before she returned to her chambers last night. They'd been replaced with the plain grey, white, and black gowns she'd seen on all the other wives thus far. Briseis selected a grey one as Tresa braided her hair in a single tail.

    "Follow me, Princess." Tresa didn't wait for her to respond and set off.

    Briseis picked up the owl that had pecked at Tresa's leg and set the bird on her shoulder. The others she sent out to hunt for their daily meals. In Pedasus her owls had lived in the wild, though she had a belfry constructed for them in case they ever wished to rest there or were injured and in recovery. She'd hoped to make one here, but somehow she felt the request would be denied. Despite ordering her birds to find places in the trees nearby, they showed a strange reluctance to leave her chamber for too long.

    Perhaps her own internal strife was causing them to act this way, Briseis couldn't say for sure. Either way, she wanted one with her today and the newest was a good choice as the more time spent together, the stronger their bond would become. Tresa made a face at the bird as she turned her head to make sure Briseis was following.

    To Briseis' surprise the girl lead her past all the doors of the harem. Briseis assumed Umna would be the first door in the wing but they walked by it without slowing their pace. Tresa took her down the main halls until they reached the throne room. Mynes' throne was absent, but the throne to the left of it was occupied by Umna.

    All the other wives were seated on the floor and there were more than twenty-five. Ten more but they definitely were not at her wedding last night. The thought jumped into her mind that they could have been servants, but they all bore the mark of the tree brand and some had extra cuts further marring their faces.

    Umna was once again lavishly adorned in one of Briseis' gowns and sported her jewelry. Several women she supposed to be Umna's handmaidens were also wearing Briseis' gowns, though the less decorative ones, but obviously the wardrobe of someone with a higher status than they. At the foot of the thrones stood a brazier with the brand in the fire, already searing.

    "You are unafraid, Princess of Pedasus? I see you're fond of vermin."

    "There's vermin in the room but it's not the owl on my shoulder."