It was the morning of midsummer. Renna woke on the dirty pallet in her cell and smiled grimly. Today was the day. She had said goodbye to her brothers yesterday. Today, there would not be time for it.
Instead of breakfast a guard arrived, unlocked the cell and told her to stand still until he puts foot chains on her. She complied. But it was hard. The man slid his hand up her leg after clamping the iron on her ankles. She growled to let him know that this will end in somebody getting hurt and she does not care much who. He removed his hand and ordered her to follow him. He did have orders to not blemish her.
She went slowly, irons clinking with small steps towards a small house in the castle yard. It turned out to be a washhouse.
Renna realized she was still in the clothes she had been captured in a week ago and they hadn’t been clean then, they were her work clothes after all. She stank. Her hair was matted with straw from the pallet in the cell. It was dull brown and rather short. Short hair was something not usually seen on women. But that man had held her by her long braid… She had cut it off and thrown it into the house fire she had started, and kept it short since. It had been a while since she had gotten to trimming it so now it was almost to her shoulders and full of crap.
The idea of washing it all out appealed to her very much so she hoped that’s why she was brought there. Two older servant women entered with towels and clean clothes and the guard stepped outside confirming this to be the case.
The women were polar opposites - one tall, thin and tight lipped and the other small, bubbly and chatty. The tight lipped one, whose name was Rose apparently, as the bubbly Alice told her, just went to work preparing the bath, as if she wasn’t there at all. Alice however came over and introduced herself. She looked at her hair, found a bunch of brushes and commanded her to sit to get most of the muck out of it.
Renna wasn’t used to being served. Even her mother had hardly bothered pampering her. As one of 5, you manage. She did not know either of the ladies - they were not from the village, but from amongst Lord’s personal servants that usually were hired from the trading city many days away. She wondered if they knew who she was… but it wasn’t worth asking. She could enjoy this. Life was short. And hers shorter than most.
Soon muck was out of her hair and Alice was helping her undress. Next up was the bath. She found it luxurious - at home It would be one bath water for the whole family and times when she could go first were rare. Usually she would be last and by then the water would be cold and very dirty… But this bath, it was just for her with perfectly warm clear water. And there was even a nice scent in the air and she couldn’t find its source. She had to ask.
Alice laughed and showed her a bar of scented soap - a luxury few could afford. Renna was amazed - lord was really trying to suck up to this dragon trying to make her as appetizing as possible.
“Oh well, I might as well go out smelling good,” she figured.
Ladies bathed and dried her and then dressed her in her gown and put a braid of white flowers on her head. The dress was a simple white garment, but she could not shake the feeling that it looked like a wedding dress. The same dress style had been used for all girls sacrificed. She had wondered how he had gotten them to cooperate. Now she knew - hostages.
She wondered how she looked… As if responding to her thoughts, Alice extracted another luxury item from her tool bag - a silver mirror. Small hand mirror reflected showed her somebody she hardly recognized. The girl in the mirror was almost pretty. Her figure was still as stocky as it had always been - she was not a delicate girl, but the dress gave it a feminine shape. She had gone to great lengths to not be pretty to be honest. She was stocky, rough handed, scared all over and scary looking. This was the last day of her life and she was safe from any men by threat of her future owner. She could look pretty today.
She suddenly remembered had been called a pig as taunt by other kids when she was younger. She snorted - it was funny because she was going to now share the fate of her pig. She let go of the memory and looked up.
Alice took the mirror, packed it and set to leave. As she stepped out of the door leaving Rose alone with her for a moment, the former did something unexpected. Rose stepped up to her, said “From your Father,” put something in her palm and left quickly. Renna had only a moment to look at it, before the guard entered again.
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It was her mother’s amulet. It was a small ivory egg engulfed in copper flames. It was priceless. A family heirloom. She could not believe her father would give this to her considering where she was going… But yet, here it was. She quickly hid it in the bodice of her dress. They would take it, if they saw she had it.
Guard entered and told her to follow. She knew what was next. There was a cage in the middle of the courtyard that usually held the people punished for various misdemeanors. Today it was empty and there was a heavy chair in the middle. She sat down and felt rope getting tied tightly around her waist. The cage was closed. A guard stood on each side of the cage ensuring that nobody got too close.
It was The Showing. Any villager could come and look at the sacrifice. Just look, not touch. She looked at the crowd. They were eyeing her impassively. Some faces showed open relief. But there were a few sad faces too. Mostly women… Those with whom she shared an experience of abuse. Then she saw her father. He looked older somehow. The week had aged him several years worth.
He made eye contact but did not try to approach. Guards would not allow it anyway. But he did say goodbye. Well… he said - safe journey. That’s what the hand signal meant. They always used it, If someone was departing. She found it… strange. As if her father knew something she did not. She pondered her father’s behavior sitting out in the midsummer sun without food or drink for some time.
The sun was at its highest when the door to the cage was opened and a table placed in front of her. Soon it was covered in delicious food. Having received prison rations of bread and water for the past week, the feast was definitely inviting. A woman, another one she did not know appeared to serve her at the table. She started by covering her dress with a napkin. As she was tied to the chair she was unable to lift dishes to her plate herself, she had to ask her to do that. She was amused. She decided to stick it to the lord in one more last way - they called her the pig, right? Well, a pig never turned its nose up on good food. So… She was going to eat. ALL of it. Why not - it was her last meal after all. Renna got to work destroying the feast in front of her.
It took her quite a while, but she did finish it all. The guards were eyeing her incredulously and the serving lady was holding in a chuckle. She had expected to just stand there next to a despondent girl unwilling to eat, not one shoving the feast down with apparent satisfaction praising the food liberally on the way.
Lord Aris arrived just as she finished the last piece of the roasted chicken and flushed it down with the last of his best wine. Clearly in a jovial mood the little pig looked him squarely in the eye, dipped the glass his way, chirped loudly, “Thank you for the meal, Lord!” and belched loudly. Lord Aris was seething. Evening could not come fast enough to wipe the smirk off this little pig's face.
Renna enjoyed herself. After the meal, she of course had a need to go to the outhouse. So the guards had to untie her, take her over the courtyard, let her go to the outhouse watched by the same lady who had served for the meal and then back. The lady had praised her spirit in the outhouse and laughed at the lord’s face when she had thanked him for the meal. She had laughed with her.
When she was back in her chair, she immediately felt sleepy - she always did after a big meal. Within 10 minutes she was actually snoring. The guards around her cage looked at her incredulously. She snored so loudly the whole courtyard could hear it. The gawking crowd shushed and then started furiously whispering. If nothing else had proven she was nuts, this absolutely did - only somebody totally mad could actually sleep in her position.
Sun was getting low when she woke up. She looked around. Courtyard was full of people now. Soon, it was time to go. The procession was already gathering. She had missed last year’s gathering because her father insisted she went on a trading trip with Tom and they did not come back on time. But they were all the same, really. Soon some guards hoisted her on a platform cart along with the chair and the procession started moving towards the stone.
She saw her brothers jogging along with the cart still in chains. Lord had wanted them to see her end. She was still glad to see them though. When the cart stopped, they made the same hand signal - safe journey. She smiled.
The standing stone was scorched black on one side. She knew why and had a plan. She stood calmly while they tied her to the rock and tried to concentrate. She would need to be fast, but … there might still be a chance. She knew the terrain. She knew that there was a river that the hill overhung in one direction. It was a steep fall though… If she could get there, jump … survive the fall … she might have a chance.
She took a deep breath and waited. Wind picked up kicking up dust eddies. The beast was circling her. She focused, waiting and tensing against the ropes holding her to the rock. Wave of scorching heat passed her on both sides and the ropes fell away. She ran. She ran as fast as he could for the overhang and the possibility of surviving.
For a moment the beast seemed confused and then… amused? He raced behind her and just as he was coming up to the jump closed his talons firmly around her waist and pulled her off the ground letting the band of woven flowers drop to the ground.
Renna screamed out in rage. Then she let go of her life as she knew of it and passed out high above the ground in the talons of a beast carrying her away.