“Mm. Yawn.” Lena opened her eyes slowly, and sat up.

“Empress, you’re awake.” Kata said with a voice that sounded winded. Lena turned her head and noticed that Kata was out of her armor, which she didn’t see her take off the night before. Lena’s mouth opened a bit.

“Yes.” Lena’s eyes followed the muscular woman with a bit of surprise. Kata stretched and did some morning exercises, such as push ups, and a few pull ups. The ceiling beam was low enough for her to jump a few inches and use it for the exercise.  Her normal guard uniform was plate armor, with a padded tunic beneath, along with heavy cotton leggings.  Normally, her figure was hidden.

As she did pull ups, Lena could see how much effort Kata expended to gain her strength.  With red cheeks, Lena watched as her arms and back worked to pull her body weight up, and her lean physique rippled with effort.  Her flat stomach had small bulges of muscle, while her thighs, calves, and bottom looked firm, and hard. With a sheen of sweat on her skin, Lena wanted to reach out and caress those carefully crafted muscles.

“I think there are a few bags of oats in the kitchen. It won’t be tasty without honey, or pure brown sugar, but if you’re going through with the ritual, you’ll need some energy.” Kata dropped to the floor, completely unaware of the Empress' appreciation.

“Oats?”  The subject in her mind tried to shift, but now that Kata had turned side on to wipe off her sweat, Lena had a much better view of her profile.  She may have been hungry, but it wasn't for food.

 

 

“Simple oatmeal.” Kata stirred the pot one last time, and took it off the fire. “My mom used to make it for me. It’s filling, and bland, but in the future, we should be able to change that.” Kata said as she spooned some oatmeal into a bowl

“I see. Simmer the oats in water, and they soften. How much water did you use?”

“If I put in one mug, I would need to put four mugs of water. Whatever measure is used, use a bit more then four times the water. It will suck up almost all the water, take up more space, and is a hearty meal.” Kata took half for herself and went with Lena into the garden.

“It’s so peaceful.” Lena said softly. “No worries about poison, or hidden assassins. Or curses.” Kata heard her, but stayed silent.

She knew that Lena would need to work out some things within herself, as well as try to adapt to this situation. However, that peace was softly broken after their meal was finished.

“Empress. It’s time.”

 

 

“Kata, you have been with me for a long time. You can not watch.” Lena said firmly.

“Did I do something wrong, Empress?” She asked, thoroughly upset and unwilling to leave.

“On the contrary, guardian.” Hanna said with a quiet voice. Lena heard her words though. Guardian. Something she had heard once before. She would need to question the goddess during the ritual.

“Then why?”

“This is a private thing between the goddess, and the Empress. The goddess will perform the ritual herself, not one of the Others. A doctor waits to heal her, to make sure she lives through the ritual. What happens, how it proceeds, and what the Empress says is extremely personal, and private.” Hanna was not harsh, nor did she use force.

“I see.” Kata said quietly.

“You have some things to learn, guardian. Nicci.” She appeared from a mist that formed in front of her, and nodded.

“Of course, Hanna. Kata, follow me. You can not be here. The things she will endure will be painful, and she will scream. You can not ruin the ritual, or it will be for nothing. You will accompany me into the town to acquire things yourself and the Empress will require in the near future.” Nicci took her by the hand, and firmly led her out the door. Kata could not remove her hand, and she could not force Nicci to stop.

The Others were physically powerful compared to humans, and could easily overwhelm any soldier. While one could destroy entire platoons of soldiers in a short period of time, a group of ten could destroy an entire kingdom.

 

 

Hanna watched them both leave, then looked at Lena quietly.

“I can feel her presence.” Lena said softly. “Will I see her after the ritual?” Hanna smiled softly.

“That I do not know, Empress. Please understand. There are some things we are not allowed to speak of. Your actions can not be influenced by myself or my sisters.” Lena nodded.

“Sisters.”

“It is what we are to each other, Empress. Like teens who grow up together, we assist each other with our needs that only sisters can help with.” Hanna said gently. Lena had been an only child, so she did not know of how comfortable and how close a set of sisters could become.

“Come. The answers you seek about the goddess are not found out here.” Hanna smiled softly, and opened the door to the chapel.

“I understand.”

 

 

“Is she alright?” Nicci sat beside her on a bench near the center of the closest town.

“It’s her offering. It will be difficult, but the goddess has prepared enough to make sure she survives.” Nicci smiled as the guard looked unsure.

“She’s my life.” She said quietly. “She trusted me to watch her back since she entered the palace, and always treated me with respect.” Nicci smiled.

“She inspires loyalty. Not only in her servants, but also the one who has had her eyes on her since she became the Empress.” Nicci said softly.

“But why that brutal method?” She asked quietly. In her eyes, if the goddess had her eyes upon the Empress, then why were her methods so brutal?

“An overzealous servant had watched her punish someone. It was written down as though it was her preferred method of testing.” Nicci said with a little bit of heat in her voice. Kata groaned.

“I see. Since it is written down, when the mage read of that method, it became the only way she could proceed.” Nicci nodded.

“Yes. My offering was beautiful, but also hard. I had to endure, but it was once. Not this ongoing ‘take a piece’ and pay for her blessing with your body thing. Ah, my offering day was so beautiful.” Nicci smiled softly.

“Will she be able to make it that way for the Empress?”

 

 

“I see you’ve asked for a change, my Empress.” The goddess said in that low rumbling voice of hers.

“Yes. It didn’t make any sense with barbed hooks. How can you eat when the hooks treated them like fish bait?” She watched as the goddess grinned.

“Yes. That method always angered me, but that is what has been agreed upon. Approach.” She said firmly. Lena walked towards the altar.

“Is there another method?”

“The Offering. This method was what you agreed upon, and if you survive it, you may learn of what the Offering is.” She turned towards the side. Hanna nodded.

“I will answer her questions, goddess.” Hanna stepped forward. “Empress, when your ritual has been completed, and you have been stitched back up, I will answer any question you might have. For now, let me assist you with your clothes. I must leave when the ritual begins.”

“I understand.” Lena said.

“You do, and you do not. Only one may watch, and that is our doctor, Talia. She will stitch you back together. According to what was recorded for this ritual, only the goddess, the sacrifice, and the assistant is allowed in here.” Hanna said, but her lips did not smile.

“I see. So that is why Nicci took Kata away. To protect her, and follow the ritual.”

“The letter, as it was written down. Know that it will not be this way again. That book has been destroyed.” Nicci said with a soft growl. “When the goddess leaves, I will return, and answer your questions.”

 

 

“I hate that mage now.” Lydia, one of Nicci's companions in Haven, said angrily as she heard the Empress scream and cry out in agony. Hanna nodded.

“So do I. I hope she lets the rats eat his flesh for a thousand years!” Cries, screeches, and the most surprising thing they heard was the Empress’ protests.

“Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”  In spite of the pain of the ritual, the goddess was able to allow Lena to experience some of what she did in that dream.

Lena, the elegant and restrained Empress of Krov, showed the goddess a bit of the wild nature she knew was buried there.