The Tattooed Princess

The Unpredictability of Nature

        As the winter went into full force on the Steppes of Eurasia, the Pazyryk people adopted their yearly habits to stay alive in an otherwise hostile environment. These included weatherizing their tents with camel fat and stocking up on the firewood which they had gathered all year to keep dry in special tents. The king's palace, carved entirely out of living rock, would be freezing cold were it not for the fireplaces made in each room and the large torches along the hallways which served both to illuminate the way as well as temper the freezing dampness of the mountain citadel.

            Zaria had taken to wearing animal fur coats with hoods when ever she needed to step out into the elements. This of course was her recent plan as Sharvur gave her his blessing to go to Tsudros' small home and get but yet another of her audacious tattoos. His creations on her body had become the subject of many conversations throughout the kingdom, though at Zaria's request no one could have the same unique designs which adorned her own youthful skin.

            Branka was still committed to loving Moshtok, and plotted when she and he would make their daring escape to the west--hopefully back to her people. Moshtok, as a boy, had been abducted by the Slavs and while in her lands had learned the Slavic tongue before being rescued on a subsequent Pazyryk invasion. This would give the young teacher the advantage of being accepted by Branka's people, and possibly put into the service of translator to Sharvur's enemies. Though Branka had to still submit to Sharvur's brutal and cruel nightly games in his chamber, she had learned to endure his obsessions simply by transporting herself mentally into Moshtok's arms. She no longer had the frightful dreams that Moshtok was sexually abusing her, as Sharvur did. Her reveries now included the more appealing experiences of him pleasing her in the most blissful ways—something they had pledged their love around, and had made the pact to one day make love freely, and night after night.

            Sveltana, presently the most unfortunate of the three girls, was spending the coldest winter months slowly healing from her deep dagger wound. That injury had not proven to be lethal, though it had been inflicted by the violently jealous Dressa--surely to try it again were Svetlana ever to return to Murka's celebrated compound. Svetlana also suffered the second deep fate of not hearing what Murka's true feelings for her were. It was still unknown whether he had ejected the love-struck sex slave from his house as a matter his mate's directive, or in a secretly affectionate manner for her own protection. For it was obvious to all that the jealous woman was obsessed and determined to eliminate her. 

        For now, Branka and Svetlana shared the same room in the palace, though Zaria would visit them daily from her own more spacious stone chamber down the hall. Though they all had entered the kindom as captives and slaves, each of their lives was turning out differently with the goddess of fate never giving a clue as to what would next befall any of them. To this end they stayed close, and Zaria did her best to use her powers in the palace to intervene and try to keep them in contact. A love for each other had developed over their ordeals which, for their entire lives, they had pledged to maintain.

            At present Svetlana's old cell was occupied by the very peculiar new captive—the young Amazon woman, Aella, whom Zaria had interceded with to improve her terrible treatment. This she had continued over the weeks to attempt to assimilate  the young woman more acceptably into the Pazyryk Scythian culture. It seemed at times futile, as Zaria could see what a lifetime of different experiences could produce in a person. At present Aella was most content when Zaria had brought her a flute and drum, both of which the young woman could play with great skill. It was the one solitary pastime she seemed to enjoy in her confinement within the stone cell, absent of any sunlight or company.

            To all, and especially the men, this Amazon woman remained a serious threat--as her lot was never seen as anything other than totally savage. Stories were circulating about the Amazons since her capture and most convincingly demonized her in the eyes of the Pazyryk clan. She was thought by all but Zaria to be just as wild as the beasts which were brought to Sharvur each year for his small menagerie.

        Zaria remained concerned for this young woman whom had bathed only once in her life. For it  was obvious to her that Sharvur, fascinated with the legends and history of the Amazons, had taken a vicarious interest in her sexually—once she had been cleaned-up and was paraded before him naked.  According to their life-cycles, these deadly women only coupled with a male a few times in their whole lives, and that was during a rare mid-summer event when the young, fertile members of their clan were required to attend for the purpose of  "mating" with their invenerate enemies. It was hoped during these orgiastic gatherings that a few of them would become pregnant. To her deranged king, it was obvious that Sharvur had in his mind to experience the Amazon girl as few men in the world had—in his bed rather than on the battle field. This troubled Zaria greatly as she had already foreseen this, yet had already pledged to assist Aella while in captivity. To not let her become molested, as all of her Slavic friends had been, as part of their cruel captivity, was utmost in  Zaria's mind.

            It was on such a cold afternoon, when the Slavic girls were huddling around Svetlana's bed and in conversation about the Amazon who played the flute so beautifully in the next room, that a messenger came from Murka's home asking to speak with Zaria. As the woman spoke to her outside the door, Branka tried to overhear, as Svetlana sat up with some difficulty in her bed. When Zaria returned to the room, she had a surprised and generally pleased look on her face.

        "What is it, sister?" asked Branka immediately.

        Svetlana was too anxious to even speak.

        "The woman told me that Murka has missed Svetlana terribly. She said she had sworn his confidence in telling this fact only to me . . . so that I can deliver it to Svetlana."

        Svetlana, still crestfallen over having fallen in love with Murka, suddenly put both hands up to her face to hide her elation.

        "She said to tell Svetlana that the the hero can not sleep. That he missed her each day and night."

        The room was silent as the two other girls waited for Zaria to continue.

        "She said . . . as soon as Svetlana is able. . .  he wants to come here to see her. . . here at the palace. He has something he wants to . . . share with her."

        Svetlana suddenly broke into tears. It had been many weeks of physical pain and mental anguish, the latter of which she had told each girl she suffered the most from. Just not knowing Murka's heart had crushed her terribly. It threatened to not allow her to ever recover. How and why he could push her out so coldly, still bleeding from his house after she professed her love for him, was beyond all the girls.

        "I still love him so much!" Svetlana sobbed. "And now I find he loves me as well. Don't you see? . . . He sent me away to protect me!"

        Both Branka and Zaria smiled at each other and looked down at their robust sister, whose face had immediately turned a more healthy shade of color. Her eyes were again alive as the dormant love which she refused to let die was suddenly revealing itself to each girl.

        There suddenly came another visitor to Branka and Svetlana's room just in the midst of this intense excitement. It was a woman from the town who specialized in a very necessary service relegated to and only about women.

        Branka ushered her in and explained that the woman had news to offer her. It seems that Svetlana's condition of healing had shown strange signs of her abdomen swelling which had not gone down. Branka was suspicious of these symptoms, especially when Svetlana had not had any menstruation since being carried from Murka's home some three months previously. These suspicions warranted further actions by Branka. Unbeknownst to Svetlana, Branka had sent a cup of her urine to this midwifery woman of the town who had the knowledge from just the smell of a suspect woman's urine if she was indeed with child. The old woman smiled and put her hand gently on Svetlana's soft round stomach. She then declared to all the girls amid the melodic sound of Aella's flute next door that in her estimation, the young woman reclining before them was definately pregnant! Pregnant from that  last ecstatic, yet tempestuous night in Murka's home. 

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