After another two days with the black wolf and no one else to talk to, Philippa started to hear voices in the distance. Her body felt better than it had when she woken up the first time, and she was able to sit up and look over the walls to see where they were.
For a moment, the sight blinded her. It was just white everywhere. She thought she was dead, but then death didn't have pain, did it? Then she begun to see shapes and moving figures. Humans, not wolves. She smiled in delight and clapped her hands. From around her, wolves howled. She saw silver wolves running behind her black wolf, their bodies moving swiftly through the snow. She also caught her wolf glance back at her with bright amber eyes, seeming to promise her the trip was over.
It was another hour or so before her wolf slowed down, and she came to a stop beside him. He leaned his head over and licked her face in affection, then barked at the other wolves who formed a tight circle around her so no one would attempt to harm her. She watched as the black wolf disappeared into a tepee looking shelter with smoking curling up from the top and into the sky.
Philippa looked around at the people staring at her with open curiosity. Her anxiety spiked as she realized what her status in society was, then bowed her head, not wanting to be rude. She heard muted words being tossed from one person to another, and her face heated against the freezing air. Embarrassment and the need to disappear were on the top of her list of emotions.
Then, after long minutes of being the center of attention, Philippa felt the people shift their eyes to something else, or someone else. Her eyes slowly looked up and towards the direction others were looking. Standing there, in a large fur coat and thick boots, was Bardulf. His brown eyes scanning the area in a sweep before resting on her. She gasped, confused on how he was here and where the wolf went. The last Philippa remembered, Bardulf was going to marry Jacqueline and had been prepared to bring her with him. She looked around but didn't find the Princess anywhere.
The man's voice carried to everyone's ears, autoreactive and firm. "Thank you for being here to welcome me home. I give a special thank you to the men who came with me on my trip and to their beloveds who worried about their safety."
From around her, the wolves howled their joy and loyalty to Bardulf while the people applauded. Philippa just sat very still, not wanting to have anyone's attention again.
But her wish was denied when Bardulf's eyes fell on her again and he said, "As for my reason to go on the trip in the first place, I have failed you." Murmurs of surprise and disappointment flowed out from everyone except the wolves. Bardulf held up a hand and the people silenced themselves. "The payment he wanted was too much and I was not about to ruin a life."
Philippa gasped as she realized what this meant. She shook her head, but Bardulf only nodded his confirmation.
"Instead, I have brought another woman with me."
Now, all eyes turn to Philippa who wanted to shrink into the blankets. She lowered her head and cast her eyes down so they couldn't make contact. Philippa couldn't bear to see judgement, especially when they figure out that she's mute.
A hand made her look up into milky brown eyes that were soft and concerned. "My sweet Philippa," he said gently, stroking a thumb along her cheek. "There is no need to hide yourself here, especially me."
More murmurs of disbelief and Philippa's face turned pink. Bardulf gave her a small smile of assurance, but her heart was racing too fast to listen. A man spoke up out of the crowd. "I mean no offense, my King, but she is but a child."
Bardulf chuckled darkly and shook his head, never taking his eyes off the woman. "You are wrong, Otsoko. Do not speak of her like that again, or there will be consequences."
People gasped in shock at his threat, but the wolves around Philippa growled at them, making their mouths shut instantly. They knew the pack were stronger than them, knew that as humans, they didn't stand a chance.
Bardulf smiled at the loyalty surrounding him and wrapped his arms around Philippa, lifting her against his chest. She gasped in slight pain but wrapped her arms around his neck. He said, "On the morrow, we will welcome this woman and you will respect her as you do me." Bardulf scanned each person again, waiting for someone to speak against him, against the woman in his arms. Feeling satisfied, he said, "Otsoko and Flik will join me soon so we may discuss the happenings. Until then, go home!"
As Bardulf walked towards a tepee, Philippa saw people eyeing her as they dispersed and walked away. A gray wolf followed behind them, ears erect and head high, alert for anything. But Philippa had a feeling Bardulf could handle anything and control anyone if he wanted.
A flap of hide hid her view of their surroundings and warmth made her sigh out a long breath. Bardulf looked down at her and smiled. "Better?"
She nodded shyly and looked around. It wasn't spacious like the castle, but there was enough for two cots on either side, a fire pit that burned bright, and a pile of supplies at the far end. Bardulf set her on one cot and handed her a waterskin. She sniffed it, then drank greedily. She watched the man grab a pack and start to dig through it, then brought out another fur coat.
"Here, it's too cold to wear that," he said and handed it to her. She took it eagerly and was surprised at the softness. Putting it on, she instantly became stifled by the combined heat of the fire and coat. She took it off and shook her head. Bardulf said, "Not for in here, but outside where the wind is harsh."
She gave him a dark look that said she didn't want to ever go outside again.
He laughed. "When you have the coat on, you will be warm. It won't be as bad." He stoked the fire and sighed. When Bardulf looked at her again, she knew he was going to be saying something important. "This is my kingdom and those were my people. I brought you here for a reason. A reason you won't understand at first, but hopefully with time."
She gave him a confused look that didn't help his anxiety.
"The night Princess Jacqueline found us together in your chambers, I was going to answer something for you, remember?"
She nodded.
Bardulf said, "You said you were not fit to be Queen because of your status in Asaya. Status here is not the same as it is there. We don't go by bloodline, but by intelligence and strength."
Philippa made her nose scrunch up at the last sentence. As far as she was concerned, she had no strength, whatsoever. She was just a maid, a servant who cleaned bedchambers and swept floors all day. She didn't even talk!
Reading her thoughts somehow, Bardulf cupped her face. "And we don't sell our daughters to the highest bidder just to gain an alliance. Jacqueline is home and under protection. Someone I trust is with her in case something happens."
Philippa pointed to herself, then gestured to their surroundings.
"I brought you here to keep you safe." She raised a brow in question. Bardulf shrugged. "Among other things," he said sheepishly. Philippa grinned and he rolled his eyes. "Rest for now. I will explain more later. I need to talk with some people and see what has been going on here."
Philippa pointed to herself again and then to him, shaking her head slowly.
Bardulf sighed and cupped her face with both hands. "Don't worry. I have a reason to why I want you. It has nothing to do with my people or Asaya. It has nothing to do with how people look at me or you. There are many things to explain, but I cannot as of this moment. I have to go talk to a few people and you need to rest by a warm fire."
Bardulf watched as Philippa laid herself down and curled up in the blankets, warm next to the fire and exhausted if the big yawn was any indication. He leaned down and kissed her head, then stood and walked out of the tepee. Looking around, he saw all his wolves nearby, standing at attention and waiting for orders. Behind them was Otsoko, a dark overweight man who didn't like outsiders as much as he didn't like the melting ice every year.
"Ernest, Leon, and Seth, stay here and guard the tepee. No one goes in without consulting me first." The three wolves growled and took up their positions at equal intervals around the shelter and the sleeping woman. "Rest of you, rest. We've had a long journey, and everyone is exhausted. On the morrow, I will meet you all at the castle of Zurus and let you know what is going to happen. Be safe, and rest easy."
Nine wolves howled to the sky, joy lacing every note in sweet harmony. After a long minute, they yipped and dispersed, some going in groups of two or three while others went off alone. Bardulf looked at the remaining wolf and the human and gestured for them to follow.
He went into a nearby tepee that was Otsoko's and sat beside the fire. The woman inside gave the now three men food and water, then left. Flik, previously in wolf form, now a male wrapped in blankets, sat cross-legged beside Bardulf, and said, "It was stupid to stop here, you know?"
Bardulf nodded. "I know, but she needed what little comfort that is provided here. Home is only a few hours away which we will travel on the morrow after she's had a real meal and her wounds are looked at by a medic."
Otsoko tilted his head to one side. "Who is she? Why did you bring her?"
"You will understand soon enough. But now, tell me what you know of Zurus."
The man's ice blue eyes turned grim with news. "Zizeh has perished from a plague uncurable by man. Anyone who goes near that place is lost to sickness. The surrounding areas are also perishing. Dazeek, Lustill, Oduk, and Nezoo will be gone shortly. We are dying rapidly with no way to stop it."
"No survivors in Zizeh?"
"One," Otsoko said. "A woman who claims she had just arrived home after the plague attack."
Flik furrowed his brows. "Do you believe her?"
The man shrugged. "How can I not? She looked worse for wear, but I did not let her stay."
"Why not?" Bardulf asked suspiciously. "We do not make people, especially women stay out in the cold."
"She was in Zizeh! She is probably infected!" Otsoko stammered. "Besides, she is probably lost to the plague by now."
Bardulf and Flik glanced at each other before starting to eat. Otsoko had other news, but nothing as important as he had just explained. Many tribes have been moving towards the main city of Ciza where Bardulf's castle stood tall and strong to escape whatever sickness was spreading. That meant that getting to his home was not going to be as easy as he had hoped.
A few hours later, they said their farewells and goodnights. Flik and Bardulf exited the tepee and spoke for a little while longer outside before the latter went to his own tepee and ducked inside. Looking over, he saw Philippa still asleep, breathing deeply and evenly. Her skin that was pale before, now had color to it from heat. Her cheeks were flushed and some of her blankets had been pushed off. Chuckling, Bardulf covered her back up, added wood to the fire, then got into his own blankets to fall asleep.