TOVA
I looked at High King Erik with alarm. He was in my bath chamber, and I was naked under the water. The bubbles hid most of me, but he was my betrothed, and there was nothing improper about him being here. He was High King. He could be anywhere he wanted to be.
He was also irritated with me. I am used to him being angry with me, but usually just because I was existing, not because I’ve actually done anything. I should have been very afraid, knowing how volatile and brutal he could be, but I wasn’t. I was angry.
I still had enough self-preservation to know that I should not provoke him while he was angry. I lowered my eyes while I considered my words.
“And now you’re ignoring me?” he continued to shout. Okay, that’s it. Forget it. I’ll probably be whipped tomorrow morning, but he was making me mad.
“Yes, High King. I am ignoring your question. I refuse to lie to y
ERIKI left Tova’s chamber and almost ran into Birgir who backed against the wall and inclined his head slightly, showing respect. I ignored him and the pang of jealousy that ran through me when he entered her chamber door, going to her to check on her wellbeing.I didn’t regret making my mother’s lover my future wife’s Keeper. There was no one better to keep her safe and I knew that he would die for her, and he would not betray me with her. I smiled ruefully. My mother kept him too busy to consider taking another lover.I marched back to my wing of the castle, ignoring the concubine that came out of her room to intercept me. When she stepped in front of me, I pushed her aside, causing her to stumble. I did not even look at her. She was nothing to me anymore.Ever since dinner last night I have been unable to get Tova out of my mind. She was smart and sassy, and she commanded re
ERIK My mother left my chambers and I sat and thought a few minutes, and my mind kept returning to how lovely Tova looked tonight, especially when she stood up from her bath. The memory of the water and bubbles streaming off from her form made me hard again and I licked my lips in arousal. I sighed, gathered up my things and went to visit one of my concubines. Nita was my newest acquisition, purchased from her father a six months ago from a small fishing village. I had been riding with my groom when I saw her on the edge of the lake and had to have her. I spoke to her father and the deal was made. A bag of gold for his daughter. He was pleased and she, not so much. I know the women of my harem are easily jealous and not kind to newcomers, but she handled herself well. She had her own tiny apartment that was built into the seventh hallway, traditionally where the concubines are housed. They have their own courtya
TOVA Three days after the king was in my bath chamber, I watched from my windows as five of the eight concubines that the King kept were escorted out of the castle. The wagons led, heavily loaded with the belongings of the women and children. Then a few servants followed, leading some of the younger kids by the hands. The women followed last, also in a wagon, glaring murderously at those around them. One noticed me looking at them and pointed. The other four turned their gaze to me and started shouting. Birgir came and pulled me away from the window. “This is of no consequence to you, Tova,” he stated. I looked at him, confused. “Where are they going? And why are they angry?” Birgir sighed. “The King has prepared a compound for them on the shore village.” I was shocked. The shore village was on the other side of the lake. Those wagons would be floated over the water and the women and children would be put into a boat. Even crossing at the narrowest spot on the lake
TOVAI exhaled through my nose, my anxiety high. I had gone and made the king mad, again. At this rate he would kill me before he wed me. I looked over at Birgir who looked amused.“Queen Tova has a unique way of looking at a situation,” he said, somewhat defending me. I turned an outraged look on him and he choked on his chuckle before bowing himself out of the barn.I ignored the King and went to the tack room, pulling down Bo’s saddle and equipment. The King looked on with amusement while I saddled Bo, who was excited about the prospect of running with his favorite friend, Troi. I was less than excited, and Bo picked up on my mood, nudging me with his nose incessantly, until I laughed and kissed it.“You have blood on your shift,” the King said, suddenly. I looked down in surprise and saw a smear near my shoulder. I shrugged.“Not mine,” I said, continuing to saddle Bo. The king looked surprised.“Do you not want to go and change?”I looked at him. “Would it please your g
ERIK It took great self-control to pull back and not penetrate Tova on the muddy bluffs overlooking the ocean. Her body was exquisite and when we kissed I could feel my restraint lessening. I had to leave before I did something to scare her or, worse, to harm her. I led us back to the stable and I could sense her confusion. I didn’t speak to her because I couldn’t trust myself not to yank her from her steed and puncture her blossom, taking her in the woods or on the side of the trail. Someday, I promised myself. But not today. She didn’t chatter and when I looked back at her she had her eyes downcast, looking at Bo, appearing sad and confused. I felt badly and then I was irritated that she could invoke this type of emotion in me. The woman was making me soft. If I wanted to take a woman in the mud and brambles, I took that woman. Why was I concerned about showing Tova sensualism and gentleness for her first time? I tossed Troi’s reins to the groom that was waiting for me
TOVA When I got back to the stable, Birgir was waiting for me to help me unsaddle Bo. He looked at my face, seeing the unshed tears that bubbled right behind the surface and leaned down to whisper to me. “What happened?” I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it. I couldn’t admit, even to my best friend, that the King had kissed me and found me lacking so much that he had abruptly left, not speaking another word to me. Instead, I busied myself by taking the saddle off Bo and running the curry brush down his back, an act I knew he loved. He nuzzled me and I felt better, even smiling now. Birgir still looked at me with concern. “Did he hurt you, Tova?” he asked, quietly, even though the King had already left the stable. “No, of course not, Birgir,” I smiled at him, reassuringly, but his look of concern didn’t leave his face. “I will ask the King about it,” he warned me. I shrugged. “Go ahead,” I said, calling his bluff. I would have caved when I was younger but th
TOVA After Erik stalked out of my chamber, Liv crawled out from under the table and looked at me with disbelief. I relaxed and plopped back into my chair with a sigh. “I wonder what that was about,” I mused. “I have never seen the High King like that before,” Liv commented, picking up a piece of bread and spreading animal fat on it. “He was very intense and then he wasn’t. It was like you calmed him down. Amused him somehow.” I sighed again. “Men are weird,” I told Liv. For some reason that set her off into a fit of giggles. The next morning, I got up and dressed into my shift with the tunic over the top. I knew that I had more training today and so I ate a hearty breakfast, looking forward to it. I liked feeling strong and the training gave me practice in case I was ever in this situation again. Birgir showed up at my door promptly on time, but this time he had one of the castle guards with him. “My Lady, I have a meeting with the High King. Shipp will escort you tod
ERIK I heard a knock at my door. I checked the time. Birgir was prompt. “Enter!” I shouted. The door to my chamber opened a little and Birgir slipped in. He bowed his head. “My Grace,” he said, respectfully. I smiled at him and held out my hand. “Don’t be so stuffy. When there’s no one else around, please call me Erik.” I smiled ruefully. “You changed my diapers, my companion. There are no secrets between us.” He laughed and took a seat in the chair that I indicated. “How can I help you, my friend,” he asked. I paused, unsure how to broach the subject. “I want to get your opinion on Tova,” I said. “I know that you must be diplomatic when around anyone else, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to be honest and upfront with me.” He looked at me shrewdly. “Are you having feelings for her, Erik?” he asked, forgoing all pretense. “I am,” I admitted. “I am finding that I admire her. She is different than the other women I have had opportunity to surround myself w
TOVALater that night Erik was helping me take off my ornate dress. I had my back to him, my hair lifted up and he was untying the lacing.“Why do they tie these so tightly when you’re obviously with child? Of course you won’t have a waist,” Erik complained, picking at the knots. I shrugged.“Fashion, I guess,” I replied. He finally got the knot untied and spun me around, lifting the heavy dress off from me. I gave a sigh of relief and collapsed on the couch. He sat beside me and lifted my feet into his lap, idly rubbing them.“She will tame the Lion,” Erik mused. “You know who the Lion is, right?”I sighed again. “Yes. And I hope HE isn’t who that prophesy is about.”“The king of the Minot Realm does have a fearsome reputation,” Erik acknowledged. “But so did I.”“She is only six,” I commented. “That’s the same age I was when Birgir came and got me from my parents. I’m not letting Greta go if he comes knocking.”Erik nodded. “I agree. I will fight to keep Greta here unti
TEN YEARS LATERTOVAI was on my knees in the nursery trying to finish braiding six-year-old Greta’s curly red hair. It was normally a mess and I normally let it be a mess, but today was the day she was going to get her prophesy. Her brother, Leif, had gotten his years ago and the seers were finally back in the area. It was a tradition that all the children of the realm participated in. Even Erik had gotten a prophesy at one time.I clumsily climbed to my feet, again big with child. The midwives were convinced I was carrying twins this time. I had another easy birth when I birthed Greta and I was hoping this pregnancy would not be any different. “My lady, can I help?” One of the maids came forward to help me with Greta’s hair. I smiled at her. “Please try, Berta. I can not do a thing with it.” I handed over the brush and ribbons and then looked for my son. I found Leif sitting in the rocking chair near the window, reading a book. I smiled at him. At age ten he looked
TOVAI woke up in the middle of the night with a start, unsure what had woken me. I felt achy all over and decided to take a bath in the morning. I would ask the medicine man for some herbs to put into the water to soothe my muscles.I rolled over and snuggled into Erik. He rolled slightly in his sleep, pressing further into me. I dozed back to sleep when I woke again. This time I knew what had caused it.I carefully rolled away, hoping not to wake Erik. I felt a horrific pressure in my low back and sharp pains were shooting down my leg. I got up and carefully put on a dressing gown over my hugely swollen body, tying the straps in the front. I began pacing up and down the room, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure in my low back. I was in labor.I knew from my lessons with the midwives that the baby could take hours, or even days to come. I wasn’t prepared for this amount of pain, though. The pressure made me feel like my body was going to drop out of my bottom and the
ERIKI rode Troi into the stable at a run. It had been a long time since she got to go out and ride hard like that. Tova was too large and too far along in her pregnancy to ride, but she still came down to the stable to pet and talk to Bo. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to ride him, including me, so he had to stay when I went out with Troi. I gave the reins to one of the stable boys and then went into Bo’s stall, patting him. “She’s doing okay, boy,” I murmured to him. “It’s just too cold for her to come down and see you.” The new year had come in with a bang, the snow falling enough to cover the first story windows in the castle. After the snow came the winds, biting and freezing everything into a glossy, slippery mess. Tova was large with child and clumsy, so venturing outside wasn’t a good idea. She was going stir-crazy inside the castle. She recently began rearranging the baby’s room for the third time.I dropped a handful of oats into Bo’s feed bucket and carefully made
TOVAThe days of the celebration passed. It took a week for the castle to become back to normal. Our guests spent a day or two recovering from the merriment of the day before heading back to their lives. Birgir and Ulka stayed a few more days, working out some of the details of their new acquisition. “I’m too old to have kids,” Ulka said, abruptly one night at dinner. Erik choked on his soup and Birgir had to pound him on his back. I started laughing and couldn’t stop.“What on earth brought on this conversation?” Erik asked, horrified. “What are we going to do about an heir?” Ulka said. “Birgir and I aren’t exactly young. We probably have fifteen to twenty good years left to rule, but what will be do after that?”I tipped my head to the side. “Exactly how old are you, my lady?” I asked, curious. Erik gave a shout of laughter. “Good luck getting that information from her. It’s a closely guarded secret.” I threw my wadded up napkin at his head and he ducked. Birgir grinn
TOVAI thought my knees would buckle under me but Erik’s steadying hand on my elbow and waist helped. One by one the kings and queens stood. The king of Skaldik stepped forward and dropped to his knee.“Kings and Queens of the Four Kingdoms. I, King Olgir, pledge my alliance to each and every one of you. I pledge to work together, to contribute to the well-being of all of our people.”The remaining kings and queens stomped their feet, pounding out their acceptance. And one by one, each of the royalty took to their knee and made the same pledge.Then it was my turn. I wasn’t sure if Erik had intended on participating, but I knew I needed to. I dropped to my knee and bowed to them.“Kings and Queens of the Four Kingdoms. I, High Queen Tova, pledge my alliance to each and every one of you. I pledge that we will work together and contribute to the well being of all people, regardless of where they dwell.”Erik fell to his knee beside me and repeated the oath. We stood together a
TOVAI stood in front of the crowd, nervous. I looked out, shocked at how many people were there. Every flat surface that could be used as a table and every stool, step and chair had been brought from the castle and were filled. Furs from the beds were placed on the ground with cushions for those who arrived too late to find a seat. As far as I could see there was a sea of people, and they were all looking at me.I cleared my throat and began speaking. I spoke loud, partly to control the shaking in my voice, and partly because I wanted all to hear what I had to say.“Men and Women of Oremgoth. I am speaking to you now as a sister from Nidavelle and as your High Queen. Hear my words.Oremgoth is a realm that is made up of four specific kingdoms. Because of location, each of these kingdoms has a specific gift that is from nature, herself.”I turned to the king of Skaldik and inclined my head before turning back to the people. “Skaldik is to the north. Their people are hardwork
ERIKI stood on the podium in the pavilion and looked out on to the field. More people than expected had shown up to the ceremony and that pleased me. Some of the guests didn’t look too pleased and some looked uncomfortable, but my mother was down there doing her best to stop the muttering.The muttering was happening because Tova insisted on mixing the perceived social ranks. Peasants were seated at the table with noblemen. Children from all classes ran around together, playing games and enjoying each other’s company. And those who did not send a response saying that they would be attending, regardless of status, were seated on furs and cushions that were placed out last minute. I knew that the only reason no one had left in a huff is because they were curious about what was going on. I stepped out and raised my hand, garnering the attention of everyone. The hum of conversations slowed and then finally stopped, the only noise made from the servants clanking silver together in
TOVAI was happy to see that the servants had filled my bath with lightly scented water. I climbed in and let the warm water relax my body before quickly washing and coating my hair with oils. I climbed out, wrapping myself in my robe and wandering back to the bedroom where my chambermaid had laid out my gown for the evening.Instead of the chambermaid, Erik was sitting on the couch, shirtless. I looked at him and breathed in, hard. I knew the look in his eyes.“Come here,” he said, widening his legs. I stepped forward until I was standing within arm’s reach of him. “Take off the robe,” he said, eyes smoldering. I obediently untied the sash and let the robe drop to my feet. He hissed his approval through his teeth when he saw my body, still glistening with the oils I had used. He lowered his head and started sucking on my nipple and I threw my head back and moaned. “You know we only have a few minutes,” Erik whispered, his mouth full of my breast. “No, we don’t. Take your