"High Princess Umna summons you," an unfamiliar handmaiden told Briseis. She stood across from the woman as a crack of thunder sounded overhead. The storm was still a ways off but would drench the castle in an hour or two.

    "Summon my handmaiden Kegarta to assist me in dressing." Kegarta left three hours ago with an elder servant who'd come to the door. The elder servant, Briseis hadn't caught a name, was there to give the girl a tour of the palace she'd now be serving in. No one had come to do the same for Briseis and when she'd asked to accompany them, the elder servant told her she was still confined to quarters.

    "Your handmaiden is currently occupied. I am to help you, my name is Tresa, Princess." Tresa began to make her way through the maze of owls crowding the floor. She wore a look of distaste as a small owl, one of Briseis' newest bonds, pecked lightly at the girl's legs, looking for a treat. Briseis threw a chunk of meat from her lunch at the owl and the bird left the girl alone.

    Briseis didn't like being separated from Kegarta like this. Lyrnessus was proving to be worse than she feared. She had a mixed reception from the people upon arrival, been confined without cause, clothing and jewelry stolen, her wedding ceremony while technically a success, didn't go as she planned and her husband slighted her on their wedding night. What awaited her today was the worst as her cheek would be marked with the brand of Umna. Briseis hadn't figured out a way to avoid this, but she was determined not to show pain or fear. Her heart fluttered and she felt slightly sick at the thought.

    All the dresses brought in yesterday as possible wedding gowns had disappeared before she returned to her chambers last night. They'd been replaced with the plain grey, white, and black gowns she'd seen on all the other wives thus far. Briseis selected a grey one as Tresa braided her hair in a single tail.

    "Follow me, Princess." Tresa didn't wait for her to respond and set off.

    Briseis picked up the owl that had pecked at Tresa's leg and set the bird on her shoulder. The others she sent out to hunt for their daily meals. In Pedasus her owls had lived in the wild, though she had a belfry constructed for them in case they ever wished to rest there or were injured and in recovery. She'd hoped to make one here, but somehow she felt the request would be denied. Despite ordering her birds to find places in the trees nearby, they showed a strange reluctance to leave her chamber for too long.

    Perhaps her own internal strife was causing them to act this way, Briseis couldn't say for sure. Either way, she wanted one with her today and the newest was a good choice as the more time spent together, the stronger their bond would become. Tresa made a face at the bird as she turned her head to make sure Briseis was following.

    To Briseis' surprise the girl lead her past all the doors of the harem. Briseis assumed Umna would be the first door in the wing but they walked by it without slowing their pace. Tresa took her down the main halls until they reached the throne room. Mynes' throne was absent, but the throne to the left of it was occupied by Umna.

    All the other wives were seated on the floor and there were more than twenty-five. Ten more but they definitely were not at her wedding last night. The thought jumped into her mind that they could have been servants, but they all bore the mark of the tree brand and some had extra cuts further marring their faces.

    Umna was once again lavishly adorned in one of Briseis' gowns and sported her jewelry. Several women she supposed to be Umna's handmaidens were also wearing Briseis' gowns, though the less decorative ones, but obviously the wardrobe of someone with a higher status than they. At the foot of the thrones stood a brazier with the brand in the fire, already searing.

    "You are unafraid, Princess of Pedasus? I see you're fond of vermin."

    "There's vermin in the room but it's not the owl on my shoulder."

    Umna's face reddened and her lips became a thin line. "As his first wife, our husband leaves the running of the harem to me without inference, except in very rare circumstances. He has no issue that I take what's due me when another interloper is brought in."

    "That says more about you than it does him."

    Umna's eyes narrowed. "You need to be made certain of your place here. After we're finished, our lord husband wishes to see you in his office. But first there is the matter of marking." She clapped her hands and four guards came in, they stood beside the brazier. "Like I said before, I am in charge of all the women in the harem. You may rise high here if you are able to tame that temper of yours, but you will never have my place."

    "The guards are not necessary. I'm ready to take the brand." Briseis said the sentence with a cool confidence she was struggling to feel.

    At this Umna raised an eyebrow. "As I already stated, Mynes' usually doesn't intervene with my leadership of the women, however that's not the case with you. You are the only demi-goddess in the harem and he feels your divine blood excludes you from this ritual. While I was forced to agree, I wanted your place to be abundantly clear to you." Umna shouted, "Morgan!"

    Briseis crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. A set of plain doors opened off to the side. In came a young man carrying a woman in his arms. The woman was wearing a plain gown but it wasn't one like the wives, marking her as a servant. There was a strange white hood over the girl's head. Briseis' was confused at first, until the girl's hood shifted and a lock of dark curly hair became visible along with a portion of her face. The girl in the man's arms was Kegarta, and though it was soft, she was crying.

    "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Another crack of thunder marked the end of Briseis' words. The owl on her shoulder shrieked and ruffled her feathers aggressively. Briseis' nostrils flared as she took a step toward Umna, but the guards blocked her from advancing. A flurry of fluttering wings could be heard outside the windows and calls of owls filled the hall, their claws scratched at the wooden shudders closed against the storm.

    Umna shot a puzzled glance at the windows but quickly turned her gaze back to the angry daughter of Athena at the base of her throne. "The hood is there to protect against infection, she's been given a salve to apply three times a day until it scars. The hood improves her looks if you ask me."

    Briseis tried to push closer to the throne but the guards put their hands on her arms and their grip was iron. "You will pay for-"

    "Princess," Kegarta's voice trembled but was her normal tone as she interrupted her mistress. "I took the brand willingly." The guard placed Kegarta on her feet then stood at attention, staring blankly at the opposite wall.

    "You what?"

    "It was the least I could do to repay you for what you did for me on our travel here," Kegarta winced. No doubt speaking was painful for her.

    "Yes, such devotion," Umna sighed. "Your girl may be brave but she screamed just as much as a pig being slaughtered."

    "Don't you dare mock my servant, you bitch," Briseis glared at Umna with a dark fury. Briseis wished she had the power to zap people with lightning as Helen did. In that moment she would have traded anything to topple Umna from where she stood.

    Umna shot up at the insult but didn't walk down the steps to face her. "Yinnvis." One of the guards at the brazier turned to face Umna and after a moment he nodded. The guard drew his knife. "Your girl will not only wear the brand but also the cuts when you displease me. Close to the eye."

    Yinnvis slashed Kegarta quickly but the girl didn't flinch. Kegarta whimpered and fell to her knees, small drops of blood dripped from between her fingers as she put pressure on the wound.

    "Morgan is to be the head guard of your household. Yinnvis and the others will escort the girl to your new quarters." Umna waved her hand dismissively toward Kegarta.

    A blast of air blew one of the shutters open and three owls flew in. They went straight for Umna but arrows from the guards stopped them all. Briseis felt pangs in her heart as the spark of life left the bodies of her tiny servants. She couldn't help but gasp and place a hand on her chest, the pain quickly faded but she'd never felt the death of so many at once. The tiny owl on her shoulder squeaked in alarm but stayed put.

    "Throw the vermin in the fire and take Briseis to Mynes. Our husband doesn't like to be kept waiting."

    Morgan stepped beside Briseis. "I will take you to the High Prince's office, my Princess."

    Briseis grabbed Kegarta by the arm and examined the girl's face. Her eyes were watery, thankfully neither the brand or knife had damaged them.

    "Mynes' is waiting," Umna said distastefully.

    "Take rest once you reach our quarters, Kegarta." The girl nodded at her mistress' orders. Briseis had the small owl on her shoulder fly after Kegarta. "To Mynes," she told the guard.

    His office wasn't far away. They passed through another set of plain doors behind the thrones. Her steps were quick and fueled with anger. Mynes didn't often intervene with the harem? She intended to make him take Umna in hand, a thought fueled purely with anger and not reason, though she couldn't see it as she marched through the doors.

    There was a man seated opposite Mynes but Briseis payed him no heed. "Your vile wife has taken things too far and branded my servant. I want her punished."

    Mynes looked up from the scrolls on his desk and gestured to the man. "This is my head of accounting. He's informed me your dowry is short a significant portion of what I was promised."

    "I don't care about the dowry. What do you say for Umna?"

    "Leave us," Mynes ordered the man. Morgan also exited the room. Mynes didn't speak again until the head of accounting had shut the door. "Where is the rest of the money?"

    "What's to be done about Umna?"

    "Are you as hard of hearing as you are infertile?"

    Ordinarily that barb but have stung her but not today. "It was sacrificed to Apollo on the road here during an emergency."

    "And what type of emergency was this?"

    "The particulars don't matter," Briseis insisted. "I want Umna punished."

    Mynes sighed. "As I'm sure Umna told you, the supervision of the harem is left to her. Whatever happens in those halls, besides infidelities or death, I care not. That arrangement has been in place since I took my second wife and I will not change it on account of a new bride, who is not only infertile, but comes to me with less than I am due. You are useless to me as a wife due to your bareness. Your only value was in the money you brought to my house. I was told you were intelligent. Surely you see my mercies in sparing you the humiliation of Umna's brand." He bent his head to study something on the scroll before him.

    "For the sake of the divine blood that runs through my veins, I demand you let me take over the harem," Briseis put her hands on his desk right over the scroll he'd been reading, leaning forward she forced him to look her in the eye. "I can run it better than that insecure malicious viper."

    Mynes rolled his eyes. "You think you're the first to demand I supplant Umna? I will not be told to give you something you haven't earned. If you're so keen to change the way things are done here, to prove your worth to me and the rest of the harem, then rise above those other frightened mice and take it by force. I will not interfere with the political upsets that take place in those halls as long as you don't kill anyone. But neither will I come to the defense of a woman who will never further my line and has defrauded me.

I accepted you as a wife only for the money. I need it to outfit my soldiers with horses, armor and weapons for the war. For the disrespect you've shown me, I will never visit you in your apartments and you will be made a laughingstock among the women for my lack of attention. I gave you apartments in the quarters of the highest wives, they are princesses and noble women, as befits your station. Since you've seen fit to make me a fool, you will be moved to the hall of lesser wives where I keep the daughters of wealthy families with nothing else to recommend them.

    Don't look at me like that. Many men would beat you mercilessly for what you've done. And if you presume to lecture me about your worth, let me educate you. You are worth nothing. Even the goddesses whom young women like yourself run to for protection, don't care for the worth of women despite being women themselves. Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon after Poseidon raped her in Athena's temple, Aphrodite made a woman fall in love with a bear for her defiance and from that union the world gained only monsters, and Hera poured out, Zeus knows, how many punishments upon the women he took by force despite their innocence. If the very beings who should protect you care not for the race of women, why should I?"

    🦉

    Their new apartments were near the library, and were loud as many nobles debated and drank there during the frequent parties, cramped because of the small size and had no windows so her owls had to live outside separated from her entirely. Without windows the quarters quickly grew hot and stuffy, but worst of all, Kegarta could find very little rest with all these problems. Briseis gave the servant her bed, though it was barely any consolation. Briseis tried her best to see to Kegarta's wounds but she turned out to be a better nurse to her owls than her own servant. Anger fostered in Briseis' spirit but for the time being she could do very little about it.

   
    A few nights later a servant Briseis hadn't seen before was at the door. Morgan their head guard, and another guard she didn't know the name of, stood silently outside the door, hands on their swords. Besides the the two posted at the entrance of their wing of the palace, Briseis was the only wife on this level to have guards, which didn't endear her to the others. Briseis remained seated while the girl bowed. "Who have you been sent by?"

    "N-," she cleared her throat nervously, "nobody, Princess. I came here of my own accord."

    "For what reason?"

    The girl took a deep breath. "I would ask to serve you."

    "Did Umna send you?"

    "No, I assure you I am here by no order."

    "Why do you want to serve me?"

    The girl's eyes flitted to Kegarta where she remained in bed. "I was there when your handmaiden was branded. Umna came to the head of my order for a fitting and they brought your girl in to see her. I saw your handmaiden take the brand, she was afraid but she didn't run. There is no woman in this castle who has a more devoted servant. If you are truly deserving of such loyalty, I want to serve you."

    Briseis observed the girl bowing before her. Not a strong ally but an ally she could use and one desperately needed. But could she be trusted? "What is your position in the castle?"

    "I am one of the royal weavers and seamstresses."

    Briseis stood. "You may serve me on a trial basis for now, if you please me your position will become permanent. You will be given an owl you mark you as mine. I would also give you a pendant such as Kegarta wears, but all my jewelry was confiscated upon my arrival. I can't pay you or cover any of your expenses, therefore you will not be permitted to live in my household. Mynes has given me no money for additional servants."

    "Thank you, my Princess. I will serve you well. You don't have to worry about feeding me or anything else. I will stay in the household of my father until things change."

    Briseis nodded. "Very well. What is your name?"

    "Arachne."

    🦉

    The day after Arachne pledged her service to Briseis, the killings began. Her owls began to die rapidly. One managed to find Briseis walking along a balcony of the palace before it died. It's memories rapidly flooded to her. The bird had been shot by a man wearing the tree of Umna on his armor. Briseis ordered her owls to fly from the city.

    Briseis silently added the killing of her owls to the list of things Umna needed to be repaided for. Every time she saw the brand on Kegarta the urge to uproot Umna and those loyal to her grew. For now Briseis had no choice but to endure. She could take her lower status, being seated in the place of least honor at the dinners Mynes insisted he have with all his wives and their children, but the imagined slights Umna concocted to add more cuts to Kegata's face were unforgivable.

    "Briseis!"

    "Yes, my lord?" Briseis was poking at her food. The soft chatter in the hall ended as she spoke, leaving an eerie silence in a room with some many people. Mynes insisted on dining with all his wives and their children once per week, this was the second such gathering she'd attended. He and the wives were seated at one long table and the children were at their own long table beside them. Briseis was seated at the end of the adult table to donate her rank among the harem.

    "Ares is patron god of the city and his annual feast day will be in a few months. Umna and her council of head wives plan the majority of the event. As my one of my wives you are expected to contribute in some way. On the third day of the celebration there will be an event too violent for the children to attend. It will be your task to plan something for them during that time."

    "As you say, my lord," Briseis said. There was some snickering at the head of the table among the most valued wives as everyone returned to their former conversations. Briseis turned to look at the gaggle of children at the table behind her. They ranged in age from pre-teens to toddlers, planning something to entertain them all wouldn't be an easy task, and the snickering she'd heard made her wonder what was being unsaid and what she was in for.