Sands of Time (Hellsing•AU)

Pondering on Stations in Life (17)

•Naughty Bathing scene, all you warning sticker people!!

~Time Skip 1476 C.E.~

Ylva rode the horse so well that Vlad was actually relaxed, for being behind the saddle. He saw her tighten the reins and gently pull on them then her legs squeeze. She said in a low voice "Halt".

The horse only knew commands in Romanian but the voice and cues where the same used so the horse stopped square. (Author's note:That is when all four legs are on the ground and lined up, with the horse having a slight bend at the pol of the head.) The woman quickly slipped the reins through her fingers so that the horse could relax its head.

Now was the difficult issue, who got off the horse first?

Vlad decided to wait and see what the woman did first. It was a couple of minutes, until the Prince heard a huge sigh and then saw the woman lean forward. She planted her hands on the withers of the horse, then swung her legs up and over the horse's neck. She did a twist and both legs were on the near side (left side) of the horse then was literally sliding down, the shoulder of the horse. With a light thud, she was standing on the ground and holding the reins in her left hand.

The Prince looked and saw she was holding the horse still. He was continually surprised by her knowledge of horses. Riding and owning horses was only for the wealthy and nobility, was she a widow to a knight or had a father that was one? Vlad needed to examine her sword closer. It would tell him more just by design and steel work.

The mystery was getting bigger and kinda exciting.

Vlad hated the Turks to no end but somethings still make sense. The Sultan had a couple of his concubines that could fight. Assassins are abundant and when things are intimate, the last thing is to be without bodyguards. Women have different priorities and have the capacity to be more devoted to keeping the man alive. Their resources are limited and could be cast out in the street, at any time.

Perhaps he would make a concubine/mistress, out of her ? She would guard him on the battlefield during the day and warm his bed at night.

A widow? Hmmm some experience in the bedroom? Perhaps she could read and play chess too?

Vlad did miss a good game of chess. His mind was switching from 'camp girl' to her status being something else. Her being a widow, would stop some questions that would be asked. The Prince was being generous and allowing her to stay. If all else failed, she was his groom for his war horse. It will be so easy to explain away, all the questions, the rest of the court had about the new woman.

'Now, the next step is to get a look at the goods,' thought of Vlad.

A stable hand took the horse to brush down and feed. Vlad put his right hand out to indicate he was headed to the keep. She nodded her head low and waited to follow him.

'Hmmm...little horse rider does know some manners' he thought.

Upon entering, a female house servant approached and bowed low. "There is food and wine for you in your room. Do you wish for anything else?"

"This captive woman needs to wash up and be given clean clothes."

The servant did a slight gasp when she noticed Ylva splattered with dried blood. She bowed again, then ran to the kitchen to start warming water. Vlad's voice did make it to the servant before the door closed to the kitchen area. "She can bathe in unheated water. She is not worth the cost to warm water!"

Ylva closed her eyes and held her breath.

He was being quite nasty but it was in his full rights to do as he pleased. He had explained what her station was here. She was a captive and that was, for the most part, a polite word for slave. The Prince could do whatever he liked, without so much as a glance, from even the servants. He could rape and the disembowel her for not pleasing him. She was what the Norse called a Thrall. She had seen many women broken as a thrall and then the body tossed in a pit, to be forgotten.