And snapped awake sometime later, groggy and disoriented.
I was surrounded by men, whose talk silenced when I pushed myself up in alarm. It took me a moment to recall where I was and another to register what was going on. I was dressed all in white, in layers of silk, if I had to guess, with my hair in a long braid and my feet in slippers so light, they almost tickled. Something dangled on my forehead, and I touched the delicate metal, filigree tiara encircling my head and held in place by pins. I wasn't able to see what was on my forehead, but it felt like a pearl.
A little self-conscious with everyone staring at me, I shifted into a sit, afraid to test my temperamental body by standing immediately.
A tug at my neck made me frown, and I felt the choker style necklace with my fingertips before realizing I was connected to a silver leash. At the other end, seated in a wide chair, was Batu's uncle. He pulled at me again, and I slid closer to him, uncertain what exactly was going on.
I almost laughed at the random image that flashed in my mind: that of Princess Leia chained to Jabba the Hut in his court.
Laughing didn't seem like the correct response, though I had a feeling The Doctor - or maybe Carter - would find it amusing if no one else did. My gaze returned to the men before me, and they all dropped into deep bows.
"Hair like moonlight and eyes like the Eternal Blue Sky," Batu's uncle said triumphantly. "Did I not tell you? I am blessed, as was my grandfather."
He wasn't slurring today, and his eyes were clear. I studied him. He appeared much healthier than he did last night when we met. I never recovered from a hangover so quickly; I was tempted to ask his secret. A closer look at him revealed the jaundiced appearance from last night was also gone.
Doubting a night of sleep fixed him, I couldn't guess what helped him, unless I was too traumatized last night to see him right.
"Cease your bowing and join me in a toast to our guest," Batu's uncle said to the others.
They rose. Tomeid, the servant from last night, circulated among the men handing out goblets of wine.
"To new levels of wealth and victory," one of the men said and raised his goblet. "Welcome, Goddess. You have brought new life to Chaghan already."
Several murmurs of agreement went around, and they toasted and drank.
Tomeid gave me milk. I frowned at it and then at my hands. Both were bandaged instead of just the one that had been cut. Not only that, but the bandages extended up my arms. My body was dimly aware of distant aching and pounding, of pain kept at bay by some sort of sedative, the way it was when I had my appendix out. If I was drugged, it definitely explained my grogginess.