The gold of Mida’s light shone blindingly from many places in the snow, bringing an ache and tears to the eyes when one looked upon it. It was not well to ride a forest with eyes closed, yet there was little I might do even should an attack come, for I sat weaponless among males. I closed my eyes, giving the burden of where we rode over to my lanthay, feeling the cold upon my face, the movement of lanthay muscles between my legs, hearing the sounds of our passage and an occasional voice floating back from those before me. Lialt and Telion had spoken to one another earlier, yet now rode in paired, companionable silence. My thoughts continued to touch Ceralt and the other two males as well, again searching for one who might be spoken to of the death seen for Ceralt by Lialt. There seemed to be an acceptance of this on the part of the males, an acceptance foolish where the will of Mida and the demands of honor were not involved, one I did not fully understand. I slitted my eyes to catch a glimpse of where we rode, finding no more than that which had gone before, and struggled to know the workings of the minds of males.
The journey continued through the early part of the fey, and to the surprise of myself alone, a village appeared at the time of the mid-fey meal. It stood much as Ceralt’s village had stood, wooden dwellings ranged about an open area, yet it also lay somewhat quieter, gripped in the fist of cold and snow. More than a hand of males came forth to greet us, each bowing deferentially to Ceralt and calling him High Rider, and then we were led to the overlarge dwelling of the village, where village females had prepared provender for those who rode with us. It was easily seen that those of the village had known of our coming, and also easily seen that the females of our traveling set had great need of such comforts as were provided. They crowded round the fire over which meat roasted, happily warming the cold and ache from their bones, chattering in relief to those females who tended the provender. The males had been welcomed with the presence of skins of near-renth, and sat about in a circle of companionship, passing the skins about as they spoke and leaned at ease. Only one female had failed to join those at the fire, one who had instead placed herself to the left of the hearth where she might partake of the warmth yet avoid those others who moved herdlike near the provender. She called Famira stood apart from the circle of females, closed from their midst by purposely turned backs, shut out by ears which would not hear her, eyes which would not see her need. She had gazed longingly upon the happiness of the others before placing herself apart from them, for the other females, seeing her held firmly in place by the hand of the male Cimilan, had lost their fear of her and had turned their faces from her, denying her a place among them. This the dark-haired female had accepted without protest, appearing to my eye as having been emptied of protest. I took my gaze from her as I removed my fur body covering, reflecting that the cold of the land would not be bested by running to warmth at every opportunity. Better to remain a distance from the fire, the more easily to reemerge into the cold once the feeding was done. I crouched beside a far wall, away from those others with whom I traveled, knowing myself content to be undisturbed by males, knowing also that the female Famira might no longer be considered an enemy. She knelt in silent misery, her hands clasped before her, her head bowed, the laughter and speech of the others in the dwelling a painful prison holding her without. She had not the inner strength of Midanna to stand firm in the midst of enemies, nor was she able to think of those about her as enemies. I felt something of pity for the luckless female, for her previous arrogance had been caused by the reluctance of others to teach her differently, and now she alone bore the fruits of the actions of all. She did not weep in her misery, a thing to her credit, yet she was no longer fit to be called enemy to a Midanna.
With the provender full roasted, all of the females carried wooden squares to the males who sat drinking from skins. Those females of the village vied for the opportunity of serving Ceralt, and to a lesser extent, Lialt and Telion, and the males laughed at the manner in which the females pushed one another aside in their frantic desire to be pleasing. The female Famira fed beside the fire where she knelt, yet all of the others of the females went to their males with boards of their own. Ceralt, seemingly taken with the presence of the new village females, gave his laughter, and looks of approval to them alone, sparing no whit of attention for the warrior who crouched alone beside a wall. This, then, was that which Ceralt wished from a female—empty-headed laughter with no cause, looks of desire which lowered shyly upon his seeing them, gentle touches to his arm in anxious effort for his attention, eagerness to serve his needs no matter their nature. I looked to the well-worn boards beneath my feet. Seeing how clean they were kept, knowing the deed had been done by females. Ceralt wished a female who would be pleased to keep the floor of his own dwelling so, one who knew naught of the use of arms nor the call of Mida. This, he thought, might be had from a warrior of Mida, yet he knew not how foolish such a thought would prove to be. There had been those warriors of Mida who had been taken by males and changed from that which they once had been, yet no war leader had been numbered among them. War leader to Mida was a special state, and I, more than any, was Mida’s alone, pledged to serve no more than her will till the last breath had fled from me. I heard again the senseless laughter of the females, and made no effort to look upon them. They and their doings held pleasure for Ceralt, I and my doings giving no more than anger. All those in the dwelling saw happily to their hunger, and I, acrouch beside a wall, had none to see to.
Much time fled in the consuming of the provender, yet the males seemed unconcerned over the loss of trail time. I, deep in my thoughts and far distant from the dwelling, knew naught of their having finished till a presence was felt quite near me. I raised my eyes to see Ceralt above me, standing beside the males of the new village, and all appeared much interested in the look of Jalav. Ceralt rested his hand upon the hilt of the blade he wore, a thoughtful look to him, and one of the males beside him gestured toward me.
“And this, you say, is the wench,” said he, uncertainty in his tone. The male stood less than the height of Ceralt, broad yet lacking Ceralt’s broadness, dark of hair and eye as were all of the village males save Ceralt and Lialt. Though I knew no reason for it, I cared little for the doubt he showed, and rose to my full height as Ceralt nodded.
“This is she for a certainty,” said Ceralt, an unexplained gleam in his eyes. “Are you able to look upon her as she stands before you and continue to doubt?”
“See what she wears about her neck!” exclaimed another, and all eyes went to the carved hadat upon its tie which lay upon my leather body covering. My life sign was meant to be seen, and for this reason I had taken to wearing it above my garment rather than below it. The gathered males made sounds of astonishment and surprise, and he who stood nearest Ceralt locked eyes with me, attempting to cause me to lower my gaze, yet I felt no shame before these strangers. That I had been captured was no matter of pride, yet capture may happen to any.
“She is not a wench of the villages, that is for certain,” said the male beside Ceralt, a frown creasing his brow. “The insolence in her eyes seems nearly a match to her size.”
“She is wild yet and displeased with her lot,” said Ceralt with indulgence, a faint grin pairing with the gleam in his eyes. “It is my intention to make her fully mine before the journey is ended, a thing which she is aware of yet does not care for. She will learn the proper respect for men, for this you have my word.”