It was still leaking. Still spittle-mouthed. Still shiny-eyed. The slap with which it hit the slab at Yui’s feet was a sickening, squelching sound that ruptured something in her stomach. Casting the wretched creature in her endless shadow was Bellona. Her shoulders heaved, her panting scraping over withheld growls. The leathers she wore were not ceremonial. A predator fresh from the hunt. The creature bled dutifully almost as though on Bellona’s command. The smell soured further as it dried. It jabbed at the back of her tongue forcing a swallow or retch. Yui’s choice only as long as she chose quickly.

“Do you accept my offering, my mate?”

Yui ran for the nearest stone pot and stuffed her head into it to vomit. Bellona followed, but did not lower herself at Yui’s side.

“Are you with child?” she asked darkly.

“No!” Yui gasped, dragging her face back up. “I-” She caught sight of the carcass across the room and a sob broke through her raw throat. She clutched a hand over her nose and mouth. Keeping out the smell and keeping in the rest of her stomach’s contents. “I’maherbivore,” she cried beneath it. Her tears flowed faster than she could sniff them back in.

Bellona settled onto her knees. Still, she towered. “I know, my mate. You needn’t eat it.” She reached for Yui’s ears, then settled on stroking the hair between them. The lightest of touches from such a large hand. “It is a show of my strength to you. Assuring you that I will keep you fed in our marriage.”

Yui winced. She would rather starve than kill another creature.

“My role in this…” She swallowed and it felt like a thistle pushing down her throat. “Is to accept the offering?”

Bellona nodded. It was difficult to decipher if she was concerned or cross.

“And then… we can lay it to rest?”

“Lay the subject to rest?”

“No, the creature.”

“You would bury it?” Now, her feelings were clear. She was baffled by the request.

Yui nodded. “Please,” she croaked. “I accept the offering. I trust that you’re strong. I believe you will keep me fed. I beg that you let that poor animal have peace.”

Bellona was silent, watching her.

“Please,” Yui repeated.

“You do not wish to keep the pelt?”

Yui yelped, “No!”

“I see.” She rocked back onto her heels and stood. Completely neutral in her expression she managed to be menacing out of sheer might. “I will put the beast in a grave myself, First Mate.”

Yui slumped against the pot, cooling her clammy face against the clay. “Thank you,” she whimpered.

The corpse removal was noise alone to Yui who kept herself cowering to the pot until the room around her had been cleaned and all movement ceased.

Finally, an omega attendant took her by the elbow and eased her back to Bellona’s wing to rest. She had plenty more ceremonies to come. In one fell swoop her energy had been drained like a well in the summer. She blew out a shaky breath at the reminder of water. That was first on the official schedule of the day: the cleansing ritual. She had thought that the worst would be over first, only now she had been surprised by one unmentioned ceremony, she worried if there were others to come. More importantly, whether or not they all included the spilling of blood.

―ǁ―

There were no floating shards or clouds of slush blocking Yui’s view to the bottom of the claw-footed metal tub. Despite the water’s unassuming appearance, she knew it was chilled to that of the sea. At the opposite end, sat like a sentry, was Bellona. The chair beneath her was simple and wooden. The spectacle was Yui for this ceremony. She passed the ribbon tying her cover closed from sweaty palm to sweaty palm. Bellona’s eyes tracked every twitch. One tug and it would be done. Yui’s fingers traded the silky tail again. She had to do it. The alpha would not budge until she had. So far, there had been no hint of dwindling patience on her part. The intensity of her gaze never dulled.

She had been pre-washed to ensure she was presentable, her hair brushed back but not styled. The illusion of natural, untouched, beauty preserved. The preening did not shield her body in any way, though. Once the cover fell, that was her bared to Bellona.

Yui drew a deep breath in through her nose until her chest burned. As she blew it out of her mouth, she threw off her protection and hurried to plonk her first foot into the water. Her teeth gritted on contact. As much as she was aware of how cold the water would be, that was all in her mind, her body reacted in alarm to the shocking temperature. The water met her knee, lapping it with sharp, cold kisses. Her other foot followed and she paused, elbows drawn in close, fighting a shiver. Too scared to look for Bellona’s reaction, she fell into a seated position with a splash. Faster was less awful. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t still awful. The cold bit her painfully all over. She sent waves over the sides of the tub and onto the floor that grew as she made more of a storm sluicing herself and rubbing every patch of skin until she was certain she had wet it all. Backwards she dunked her hair, holding a squeal behind tight lips at the stinging sensation in the sensitive pink of her ears. Forwards and hurriedly washed her face in what turned out to be the easiest part of the entire ordeal. Almost soothing on her flushed temples and forehead.

When she drew up, blinking droplets from her eyes, Bellona had cleared the gap between her seat and the tub. In her open arms was a plush blanket. Yui hopped into it, uncaring for social graces when she could hardly breathe for the shock. Warmth coddled her and she nuzzled the woolly barrier between her and Bellona’s chest. Her bare toes did not reach the floor, catching occasionally on the tops of Bellona’s boots as she dangled. Her ‘offering’ of her cleansed body was accepted. All prior ties were swept away to the sea, spiritually at least. A fresh, clean, frozen beginning for Yui’s body.

Bellona must have given the servants some signal that the water ritual had ended as they flooded the room to care for Yui: drying her, offering warm food and drinks, dressing her in ceremonial robes that had been assigned to the vow exchange, pinning back her hair with knife-like silver decorations, painting her face, stroking sweet-smelling creams into her skin. Bellona had disappeared in the scuffle of the staff taking Yui from her and once she was suitably beautified, she found herself alone in the First Princess’ parlour room. Even the tub had been whisked away.

Yui stood aimlessly for a bit, anticipating that any moment someone in uniform would burst in and declare she must be on her way to the next event. When she had found herself enjoying a decent stretch of peace, she decided to take some air. They could find her on the balcony easily.

Outside the castle walls, deep below Yui’s eyeline, the city bustled. She hadn’t stepped foot in it since Bellona chose her. It wasn’t familiar, wasn’t her village, but the ant-like trickle of common people doing common things called to her. The frigid air cut through her many thin layers that fluttered like ribbons above and below her cinched waist. It made for an ostentatious look to be trussed up with so many silky robes atop one another, Yui could admit. Still, appearing elegant did not negate her shivers.

The balcony door opened, and Yui peeked over her shoulder, expecting an attendant calling her back inside to begin the next ceremony. The exchange of vows, if she remembered correctly.

Bellona pushed the door shut behind her and sidled to the edge at Yui’s side. Her new dress was similar, only darker in palette: black and silver to Yui’s white and silver, and lacking frills. A pair of bells like those found above a chapel, only small enough to be hidden in a coin purse, hung from the drawstrings at Bellona’s collar. She was unshaken by the mountain wind charging around them. It whipped her scent into Yui’s nose, powerful and predatory.

“Earlier, you asked if I was with child,” Yui whispered.

Bellona looked to her, but said nothing.

“I… I don’t know if you noticed during the water ritual – m-my body-”

“I was aware of nothing but your body, First Mate.”

Yui choked on whatever she was about to say next and instead blurted, “Stretch marks. My belly. I… I have carried a child before.”

Again, only Bellona’s gaze told Yui she was still engaged. Her eyes were so dark Yui could hide within them, shrouded in the shadow. The intensity could be anger or horror or… perhaps something more primal...

“I wasn’t certain if you had been informed. I am a mother already.”

Bellona did not flinch.

“My daughter, her name is Yuki, she’s the loveliest little girl. I left her in the village to come here – I never thought for a moment you would choose me.” She was babbling herself into a tangent, begging with her eyes for Bellona to say something. Cut her off. Call this all off. Anything. “She’s seven years old. It’s been nearly eight years since her father abandoned me. We’ve never heard from him since. Something I’m grateful for, really. Without him I’ve been able to dedicate my entire life to her. She deserves it, she’s…” Yui sighed. “She’s perfect.”

“You will give me perfect children, too.”

Yui opened her mouth, swallowed, and then opened it again. “I-” She searched Bellona’s face. Still, it was steel. “You would take me as your mate, still?”

“I would take you as my mate if you had multiple children.” Bellona drew in close, hunching in a way that did nothing to diminish her intimidating presence. The bells swinging from her neck did not chime. “As long as from this day forth every pup you bear is mine. The only bed you warm is mine. The only crest you wear is mine. The only affection you seek is mine.”

Yui dropped her face from the potency of Bellona’s gaze and curtsied. “Of course, First Princess. Only yours, now and forever.” A portion of her vows declared early. “What of your family, though? Won’t they-”

“You have washed away all former attachments in the sea bath ritual, there is nothing else required of you if you did not have a mating ceremony with your daughter’s father.”

“I didn’t.” It was an affair, a fling, a silly summer romance. They were both young and foolish. “There is nothing tying us to one another.”

“Then it is done.”

“First Princess,” called the castle steward. His breath fogged the balcony door glass even from inside.

Bellona did not answer. She took the handle and opened it, standing back until Yui realised she was offering her first entrance. She squeaked her thanks and hurried over the threshold.

―ǁ―