Yes, she slept in the wagon with the girls that night, and even in holding them in all their innocence, her mind wandered to the events at the fires, and she began to put them away in her heart and her mind.
It has actually been there right under the surface for quite sometime. Ba'atar was restless, he felt that overwhelming need to raid, rape, pillage and plunder, just as all Tuchuk men to, it is just part of them. But she knew there was more than that under the surface. Ever since he had nithya thrown to the sleens in a feet of pique, he had been watching the camp slaves, on the look out to find his own personal slave, one that he could call....mine. So when he and Ayguili had ridden out in search of such a creature, it was really no surprise to her.
And he had found one. Some sort of dweller woman with a haughty attitude and a mouth on her. It was hard to ignore it, but she had tried. The woman had even claimed that she would die first, before being on her knees. For a brief moment, she had a bit of respect for the woman, and was saddened just a bit to see him ride off into the darkness with her to kill her.
Well, after a time, he returned with the woman over his shoulder, fainted of course, dumped her onto the ground and told one of the younger men to chain her to his wagon. Well so much for that. Too bad the woman was fainted, it might have saved her some leg work. He came and sat beside her and in that way of his, sent her to get his dinner and some water. Something that she did not mind doing, in fact that she enjoyed doing, it was just he command of it that rankled her sometimes.
When it was brought, he began to eat and talk about how pretty is new slave was. Did she not think she was pretty? Now, exactly what do you say to that? Yes, she supposes she is pretty. He seemed quite pleased with himself and nodded, yes she was pretty and he intended to get another one that was prettier to go with her.
She sat there for a moment and tried to think of the last time he commented that she was pretty, or attractive, or even noticed when she added beads to her braid, or had on a new skirt to try and catch his attention, and well, bosk dung, she just couldn't remember back that far. Oh, he did tell her that she was beautiful, when he was trying to entice her into the furs. But as far as saying......My woman, you look nice today.......nope, didn't happen. Perhaps he did not find her attractive, that thought had crossed her mind, but then she had discounted it, because Ba'atar would not have an ugly woman for a mate, it just would not do! He was Ba'atar! So there had to be something there, right? Then perhaps, he thought it would make him look weak, less manly to compliment his woman on her appearance. Now, she did not notice him having that reservation about Silken and her skirt. Go figure.
She was not exactly in the mood to listen to him go on and on about his slave, how pretty she was and so forth and so on, so she excused herself telling him that she needed to go check on the children before bed, and he really didn't even seem to care, and told her that he had things to do too. Now she would give him a bit of credit, he did tell her that he loved her in an off-hand way, but his eyes were on the woman under his wagon?
And all day the next day she did not see him, nor did he sleep in their wagon that night, which was not all that unusual, when he did the night patrol. That was why, she was pleased to see him at the fires the following evening, working on mending the bridle. The only thing he did when she arrived was to look up and grin, and did not even return her greeting to him. Well, that caused her brow to lift, but she let it slide. When she turned to show him the skirt that Yamka had made for her, his attention was on his slave, and that is pretty much where it stayed for the entire evening. She might as well have not been there, but in a way, it was his loss, for she managed to enjoy herself at the fires, to enjoy the company of others.
Now, the fact that everyone that walked up got a greeting from him, was not lost on her. He could greet them, and not her? Is that what they call.......being taken for granted? Maybe so. And it wasn't until he had finished with his slave and brought her around with that certain look of pride and told her to serve that he even acknowledged her by sitting down beside her. Did he wrap his arm around her like he usually did? Nope. Did he kiss her cheek as he often did? Nope! He just watched his slave and began talking to Jai about getting her branded and ringed. That was when the conversation among the men turned to the moans of slaves, and so forth, and that was when she stood, excused herself and left, with the excuse again, that she had children to tend to.
Get a clue, bosk arse.
As she lay there in the darkness, she had to wonder if he even missed her in their furs tonight, or if he had even made it there himself. He had a slave, and she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do about it, but she did dread it in some ways, especially if he was by this one as he was by the last one.
They got precious little time to spend together with their duties to the tribe and their clans, and right now, the fact loomed before her that there would be even less, but she could deal with that, she had before. She would live her life as she always did, she would spend time at the fires, she would have more time for her clan duties, and the children. It was just how life went. And she did have a life.
But there was a new resolve in her that maybe he would be seeing in the near future. Never again would she sit beside him at the fires while he fondled his slave, almost furring her right there before everyone. her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.. She had done that once before, but not again. That night still weighed heavy in her memory, of sitting there and him not even speaking a word to her the entire evening, even when she spoke directly to him, his attention was for the two slaves on his lap, and no one else. He did not even seem to notice when Jai tried in a very teasing way tell him there was a time and a place for everything and perhaps this was not it. And, if one of them ever walked off away from her again without asking to be dismissed as nithya did once, it would only happen once.
She was a free woman of the Tuchuk, and she was allowed her opinions and her thoughts. Now would she ever make a scene before others? No, that was not her way. She would simply stand, bid everyone be well and walk off with all of the dignity she could find. She had no intention as serving as second best to a slave. Whether it be his slave or one that belonged to someone else. She didn't have to, she was a free woman, something to be treasured, respected.
So he has a new slave. Bully for him.
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