Hi! Sorry for not updating sooner.
The doors to the throne room opened and An walked inside. She was holding a rolled up blanket in her arms and Onya guessed it was the child. Leksa, seated on her throne, watched her approach without a word, Onya a few steps behind her. The latter was looking for Natshana, whom she had not seen for several hours.
An bowed slightly, her icy gaze flicking to Heda, then to her daughter, and settled on a spot beside her with a smug expression. Onya turned to her side to find Natshangada standing beside her. She was about to angrily ask her where she had been while An was greeting Heda, when she noticed the state she was in.
Her long white hair was smeared with dust and dirt, blood was pouring from her nose, and her cheek was turning bluer and bluer. Her hands were tied tightly in front of her, her clothes torn and stained with mud. Natshana kept her eyes lowered to the ground, as if intimidated.
"What happened to you?" Onya whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Only, to her amazement, Natshana jerked away, as if she had burned her, cringing into the corner of the wall with a terrified look on her face. Tears welled up in her eyes and she pretended to protect herself with her hands under Onya's dumbfounded gaze.
"Please," she whispered in a thin voice. "Please, don't hurt me."
Surprised, Onya glanced at Leksa, as if to ask her what was happening to her, but An was watching their exchange with a satisfied look and Leksa was watching her with curiosity, Onya wondering if she was not asking her to play along.
She grabbed Natshana by the collar and pulled her up.
"Stop it," she hissed as Natshanagada gave her a terrified look.
"Onya," An suddenly said.
"Nomon."
An's gaze fell for a second on Natshana's small, frail form.
"Ai ai op yu bilaik dufa Skaigada-de op radon."
Onya gave her a questioning look, but An had already lost interest in her, as if she was no longer worth her attention.
For a split second, Onya was five years old again and couldn't answer her.
She gritted her teeth as An exchanged information about the child with Leksa, before Heda ordered them to go and rest for the ceremony that evening.
Onya grabbed Natshana's arm and pulled her out of the throne room, stopping in a small, empty hallway where she was sure they wouldn't be disturbed.
"What are you doing?!"
"What do you mean? I'm helping you!" Natshana exclaimed, and Onya realized she had been acting.
"What?"
"Your mom. She needs to see you are a warrior, a Wormana, nonetheless. She needs to see that you are strong and brave, and that you don't take shit from anybody."
Onya frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Look, I know you have some mommy issues, but I can't exactly help you with that. The only thing I can do is change your mother's mind. About you."
She smiled, accentuating the bruise on her cheek.
"What do you think of my costume?"
"What?"
"Yeah, I'm the Sky's scumbag, I got that. See? I'm weak, you're strong. I'm a piece of shit, you're the awesome warrior that captured me. Oxana helped with mud and dust, and she helped to find torn clothes. And I pissed Gustus off until he punched me in the face."
"Gostos did what?!" Thundered Onya.
"Don't worry, nobody saw it was him! He didn't exactly challenge Lexa's authority, because I teased him enough to piss him off."
"That is not…" Onya sighed. "That is not the problem."
She backed away, pinching the bridge of her nose in despair.
"You did not have to do that."
"Hell yeah I did. You're my friend, remember?"
"I think we are way past the whole friend thing."
Kassy frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean that you do not need to get yourself hurt to help me. It is not the way it is supposed to be. It is not right."
She grabs one of her daggers to cut the ropes around Kassy's wrists.
"I do not wish to see you hurt, Skaigada. My mother is not worth it."
"Goal-"
"Do not contradict me. Go get yourself cleaned up, you look ridiculous. I need to have a talk with Gostos."
Onya turned on her heels and walked away without a word, leaving Kassy motionless, her mouth hanging open.
"Gostos."
Heda's guard turned to Onya upon seeing her. Onya considered herself proud to be taller than most of the other women in Polis, but that was nothing compared to Gostos. Leksa often joked that she hurt her neck trying to look at him. Gostos had practically raised her and Leksa after Onya's father died.
"Onya," Gostos greeted her.
Despite the fact that he had seen her covered in mud, having lost a tooth and close to passing out from the cold, he had no less respect for her. That was why Onya never tried to challenge his authority. But today was different. Today it was not about her, but about her friend.
"I imagine you know why I came to see you."
"Enlighten me, Onya."
Onya had to refrain from glaring at him.
"It is about Kassy."
"Who?"
"The Skaigada."
Gostos finally seemed to understand what she was talking about.
"I see."
"I know you are the one who gave her those bruises."
"How would you know?"
"I just do."
Gostos shrugged.
"You cannot prove anything."
Onya sighed.
"I will not fight you, Gostos. I have too much respect for you to even think about it. But the Skaigada—Kassy, she is under my protection. And Heda's protection. You cannot hurt her."
"Do you know what she did?"
Onya shook her head.
"She told me 'What are you going to do? Punch me?'."
Onya grimaced. Alright, that sounded fair. She would have hit her too. Not as strong, but still. Kassy seemed to have this ability to push people's buttons.
"She was trying to help me."
"How so?"
"She wanted to pretend to be my prisoner, so that my mother would have some respect for me."
Gostos watched her in silence for a few seconds, then burst into a loud, powerful laugh, as Onya grimaced, covered in embarrassment.
"These Skai people! They are insane!"
"I know," Onya muttered. "Look, I just wanted to tell you not to do it again. And to make sure nobody ever does. She is not evil. She was being stupid, I agree, but she was trying to do something good."
Gostos just looked at her with a half-mocking smile.
"You have a big problem here, Wormana."
And Onya knew he was right.
Ai ai op yu bilaik dufa Skaigada-de op radon: I see you are treating the Skaigada scumbag right."