flowers. It also had an area with what looked like lounge chairs for lazing in and catching the sun that had thick pads on them. Another area with a round iron table ornate with curlicues and four matching chairs. And the last area was an abundance of thick mats and huge, brightly-colored silk pillows.
Total oasis. The best spot in the house, no doubt.
After the roof, it was downhill from there and Twinka rushed me through a kitchen at the back that had what looked like a fire-burning oven as well as rudimentary stove and a long, battered table. Out the backdoor through a small, tidy courtyard (with more potted plants) was where the slaves quarters were, four small rooms, two on top, two on bottom, each room had two twin-sized pallets on the floor, two drawer wooden dressers beside each pallet with one, measly candleholder on each dresser.
Hmm. I was going to have to do something about that.
Packa, I had learned from Jacanda, had served Lahn the longest and took care of his food and cham needs prior to my arrival. He had purchased the rest of them at an auction two days before the Hunt (where many soon- to-be husbands saw to the needs of their future wives).
From Oahsee (who asked Bain who answered), I learned Lahn bought slaves prior to the other Hunts he attended but did not participate in as Dax then sold them immediately after when nothing struck his fancy.
Therefore, Packa was the only one who’d been there.
And by the time we arrived back in the courtyard area, Lahn was gone but my girls were there with trainee warriors lugging in our stuff from the wagon outside and the girls were looking around with awe.
The minute Twinka saw them, she opened her mouth to speak.
And the minute she did, I got there first.
See, I dug it that this was her place, I totally got that, but these were my girls.
And no one bossed them around.
In Korwahk, I quickly introduced my girls to Twinka, Twinka to my girls and then I announced, “These things can stay here for now. Twinka, please give my girls a tour of the house and then they’ll need some time to bathe, put on clean clothes, rest for a bit after that ride and have some food. After that, these things can be unpacked.”
Twinka squinted up at me with a mouth so tight it tripled the wrinkles surrounding it.
Then she muttered, “Gay na tahnay,”**** glared through my girls, then raced off.
They all glanced at me as they raced off after her.
I pulled in a breath and let it go.
Then I went in search of Lahn and found him coming out of the bathroom-ish room and into the master suite.
“Hey,” I said on a big smile. “I like your house. The roof is freaking awesome.”
“Dohno,” he muttered as he walked passed me to the door.
I instantly deflated and I didn’t even know I’d inflated.
Then I turned rather despondently to follow him with my eyes. I figured he had Horde and war things on his mind and was in king mode so he was away to do king things.
But okay, so sure, he only lived here two months out of the year so this probably wasn’t an important place to him and sure, he couldn’t know that in my world, a husband bringing his wife home for the first time was a big thing.
But still…
At the door, instead of walking through it, he grabbed it and threw it to.
Then he turned back to me.
Then I caught the look in his eye.
Then I gave him another big smile as he stalked toward me. Then I let out a laughing cry when he got to me and caught me up in his strong arms.
We tested out the bed first.
It was huge, it was soft and it was sturdy.
We tested out the bathing pool next.
It was divine.
* * * * *
Let’s just say Twinka didn’t like Ghost.
Like, at all.
And we’ll also say she didn’t like the familiarity, consideration, caring and casualness with which I treated my girls and flatly refused to respond positively to me doing the same with her.
But I didn’t care.
I was fucking queen.
I’d endured a Hunt. I’d witnessed a suicide-slash-execution. I’d watched a challenge for the Dax. I’d survived a bloody attack in my cham. I’d assisted in a minor medical procedure with only the most primitive of instruments at our disposal. I’d seen one of my girls beheaded. I had belatedly made one helluva match between a tiny, sweet, beautiful, timid Fleuridian girl and a dark, proud, taciturn Horde warrior.
I could create thunder, lightning, rain, flowers and rainbows.
And I’d made a savage brute fall in love with me in a month.
Hell, by his account, it was practically at first sight.
So she wasn’t going to fuck with me.
Therefore I ignored her and so did my girls.
It worked great.
* * * * *
Once settled in Korwahn, life went on as normal. I spent time with my posse (on my roof, their roofs, in my dining room, their dining rooms, in my courtyard, their courtyards, you get the picture). I wandered the city with my protectors. I met my people. I shopped in the marketplace.
Lahn came home for dinner twice and before I went to bed three times. Other than that, my man was busy.
This stunk.
But I was queen so I sucked it up.
* * * * *
When the morning sickness came, I gave up Korwahk wine. Lahn questioned this when I stopped him from pouring me a chalice at dinner and I explained in my world pregnant women didn’t drink alcoholic beverages as they’d noticed it affected growth in the womb.
His brows drew together at this but he didn’t question it further and he didn’t pour my wine.
By the by, the arrival of morning sickness, thus confirmation I was carrying his child was taken in stride by Lahn. I was freaked out but happy. He already knew in his pahnsahna I was carrying his child.
Still, I made him celebrate.
With the way I chose to celebrate, Lahn didn’t seem to mind.
* * * * *
We were in Korwahn because Suh Tunak was amassing there before they rode on Maroo.
We were also in Korwahn because Lahn had sent another message out to his brethren and that was that he was building an elite squad to be left behind in Korwahn to guard his golden queen (an elite squad, how cool was that?). Any warrior who wished to put himself forward for this squad would need to compete for it and they had to arrive by a certain date.
I was not allowed to go to the competition, it was warriors only. This was, Seerim told Diandra, because it might turn my stomach and Lahn knew firstly, I’d had enough of my stomach being turned and secondly, my stomach was being turned every morning.
So I was glad I wasn’t allowed to go. Though I didn’t much like the word “allowed”, I didn’t share this with Lahn.
Lahn did tell me my guard would number five hundred.
And he also told me fifteen thousand competed for these positions.
Yes. Fifteen thousand.
I was amazed and touched by this.
