Chapter 17

Gwynna spent her first night with Kurgan, whose endurance was truly amazing. He didn't let her go until the early hours of the morning. After that, she fell into a dreamless sleep. When she woke up, she looked into Kurgan's blue eyes, who propped himself up on his elbow to look at her.

"Good morning, my lord." Gwynna looked uncertainly at the silent man beside her. Kurgan's rough hand stroked her hair again. Then he sat up abruptly. "You need a bath, my little witch!" Before Gwynna knew it, he took her in his arms and, despite her surprised outcry, carried her to the door.

"What are you doing ? Let me down! "Gwynna fidgeted her legs but couldn't get against Kurgan's steel-hard grip. He carried her to the next door and pushed it open with his foot. Gwynna saw a huge wooden tub with hot steam rising from it. Kurgan laughed out loud as he swung Gwynna into the tub.

Gwynna shrieked as she sank into the warm water and came back to the surface a short time later, snorting. "You could have warned me! Don't do that again! "Kurgan roared with laughter when he saw the woman in the water. Then he got into the tub and sat down, stretching his long, muscular legs.

"Then I wouldn't have that sight, little flower. You're even more beautiful wet. "Kurgan grinned all over his face. "And now, let yourself be scrubbed!" With that he took a bar of soap that was lying on the broad edge of the tub and began with relish to soap Gwynna. The soap smelled pleasantly of sandalwood. When he was done with her, he washed himself. A short time later there was a knock on the door and the little woman who had brought Gwynna the food the day before entered.

Kurgan leaned relaxed against the wall of the tub. "Neda, this is my new playmate. She'll stay here in the castle now. See to it that she gets clothes and food. "The addressee looked at the floor and nodded. She blushed as Kurgan rose and stepped out of the tub in all his manly splendor and handed him a large towel. Kurgan wrapped it around his waist and went to the door. When he reached it, he turned to Gwynna, who was still sitting motionless in the tub.

"Neda takes care of you. She will show you around. You stay in the castle for now. Do you understand? "Gwynna could only nod. "Good, because there are too many falcons on the way for such a pretty little bird." With that he stepped out of the door and closed it behind him. Neda sighed noticeably when the Count left the room.

She also held out a towel to Gwynna and gestured for her to leave the tub. Gwynna let the woman wrap her in the cloth. "You don't talk a lot?" She asked the woman. "Your name is Neda? How long have you been here ? What are your tasks ?"

Neda looked at her shyly. "The Lord does not like chatty servants. That's why nobody here speaks in his presence. You too should think carefully about what you say to him. He can lose his patience very quickly. But, to answer your questions: I've been here all my life. I also served the old lord until the new lord came. I run the household and serve the lord personally. Only I can enter his rooms. And now come. I'll take you back to his room. Then you get breakfast. Meanwhile I'll get clothes for you. Perhaps the clothes of the former countess will suit you. "

"Kurgan was married?"

Neda snorted. "He and married? No girl, the count has never tied himself to a woman. Nobody lived long enough for that. "Gwynna shuddered at the words. "What are you saying? Is he killing them? "

Neda patted her arm. "Poor child. You are in the devil's castle. But I think you are smarter than the others. You gave him what he wanted. With that you have saved your life for now. But always remember: You will never be safe. "

Gwynna was horrified. Kurgan was obviously an inhuman beast. How many women had he killed? With these thoughts she followed the maid out of the room. Neda kept her word and a short time later brought her a meal of bread, cheese, hard sausage and warm spiced beer. Neda noticed Gwynna's hesitation. "Eat child. You will still need your strength. "

Then she put a white linen shirt and a dark blue velvet dress on the bed. "Here, I'll help you put it on when you've finished eating. Gwynna put her hand on the woman's arm. "Neda, I thank you. May I ask you something?"

"If you want to know if I'll help you escape, the answer is no."

"I already thought so. No, my question is whether Kurgan shared his playmates with his men when he lost interest. Please tell me the truth. Einar always stares at me like that…. I think he wants me. Would Kurgan allow that? "

Neda pushed her hand away. She sighed several times. What should she say to the young woman? "For now, be glad he wants you. Don't worry about what might happen later. The Lord is unpredictable. There have been cases, yes, the woman was passed on to Einar. But not always. And it was mostly the ones who opposed the lord when he took them. Since he lost patience. But still don't wander around outside alone. "

Gwynna tried to get more information from the woman, but Neda steadfastly refused to answer her. After she had eaten a few bites, Neda pulled the white shirt over her head and finally the blue dress that hugged her curves. It had obviously been made for a smaller and slimmer woman and didn't reach the floor.

Neda wrinkled her nose when she saw the result. "It does not fit. I was afraid. I'll have to sew on the other clothes and leave out the hems. "She pulled and tugged on Gwynna's bodice for a while until she was reasonably satisfied. Finally she gave Gwynna another comb so she could comb the knots out of her hair. Fortunately, the somewhat worn velvet slippers fit.

Then she followed Neda out the door and down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs they stood in a small hall with several doors leading off. Neda turned right. They entered a large elongated hall with high, blackened ceiling beams. Tapestries with colorful scenes hung on the walls. Otherwise the walls were made of rough masonry. On the right wall was a huge fireplace that could hold ten adults upright. A small fire burned inside it.

At the rear was a large wooden platform on which the lord's table and several chairs stood. Long wooden tables with benches for the followers stood in front of it. There was no one there because breakfast was long over. When Gwynna went to take a closer look at the tapestries, Neda pulled her arm impatiently.

"Come on. There is still a lot to see and I also have work to do. "

Gwynna nodded. "I can help you if you want." Neda snorted in disbelief. "You are not here to do maid work, miss." "Call me Gwynna - please." Neda said nothing, but turned back to the door and mumbled something to herself. Without looking back, she trudged ahead and disappeared through another door, so that Gwynna had to follow her fast foot. They walked down a corridor until they came to a large wooden door, behind which one could hear the clatter of pots and pans.

The huge kitchen had several fire pits on which sweaty boys turned large roasts. It was incredibly warm in the kitchen. Men and women stood at wooden tables and cut vegetables. A red-faced man in a white apron pulled large loaves of bread from an oven. Sauces and stews simmered in copper kettles. Neda and Gwynna were completely ignored by the busy kitchen team.

Gwynna was amazed at the size of the kitchen. Long wooden shelves lined the walls were filled with pots, pans, plates, jugs and platters. Over the noise, Neda yelled at the red-faced cook. "Is everything in preparation for lunch? Anything missing? "The cook yelled back:" No, everything is in progress. The boys are still fetching fresh berries from the forest! "

Neda gestured for Gwynna to follow. She went to a narrow door at the back of the kitchen. There was a small garden with herbs there. There were rose bushes on the walls. In between was a small bench. "That was the garden of the former mistress. Here she planted flowers and vegetables. Unfortunately, I am now the only one who takes care of it. "

Gwynna let out a sigh of relief as they stepped out of the hot kitchen. "You mean the wife of the former lord of the castle, don't you?" Neda nodded. "Countess Bruna was a fine and noble woman. You're wearing her dress. "Gwynna looked down at herself. "What happened to her?" Neda sighed. "She - she perished when the new master conquered the castle."

"How?" Neda looked around nervously. Then she whispered softly in Gwynna's ear, "The one-eyed Viking pushed her off the tower." Gwynna cried out in horror. "That can not be true ? How barbaric! "

Neda nodded sadly. "The whole family was exterminated. Count Adalar, Countess Bruna and their two younger sons. Only the oldest survived because he was a squire with another noble at the time. He should be an adult now. He hasn't come back so far. Maybe he's not even alive anymore. "

"What if he took the castle back? Isn't it his heirloom? "

"A fight against the lord?" Neda looked at her. "You never saw him fight, did you?"

"Kurgan? No of course not."

"Nobody can defeat him. He has superhuman powers. I saw him chop off the heads of three men with one stroke - when four arrows were stuck in his chest. And he laughed. No, messing with him would mean certain death. "With these words, Neda went back into the kitchen.