it was the law of the Thunder that she be maiden until
her marriage. In the years of her adolescence, rain was abundant with her
people. The oldest man could not remember such fertility. When the
Princess had counted eighteen summers, her father went to drive out a war
party that harried his borders on the north and troubled his prosperity.
The King destroyed the invaders and brought home many prisoners. Among
the prisoners was a young chief, taller than any of his captors, of such
strength and ferocity that the King's people came a day's journey to look
at him. When the Princess beheld his great stature, and saw that his arms
and breast were covered with the figures of wild animals, bitten into the
skin and coloured, she begged his life from her father. She desired that
he should practise his art upon her, and prick upon her skin the signs of
Rain and Lightning and Thunder, and stain the wounds with herb-juices, as
they were upon his own body. For many days, upon the roof of the King's
house, the Princess submitted herself to the bone needle, and the women
with her marvelled at her fortitude. But the Princess was without shame
before the Captive, and it came about that he threw from him his needles
and his stains, and fell upon the Princess to violate her honour; and her
women ran down from the roof screaming, to call the guard which stood at
the gateway of the King's house, and none stayed to protect their
mistress.

When the guard came, the Captive was thrown into bonds, and he was
gelded, and his tongue was torn out, and he was given for a slave to the
Rain Princess.

The country of the Aztecs to the east was tormented by thirst, and their
king, hearing much of the rain-making arts of the Princess, sent an
embassy to her father, with presents and an offer of marriage. So the
Princess went from her father to be the Queen of the Aztecs, and she took
with her the Captive, who served her in everything with entire fidelity
and slept upon a mat before her door.

The King gave his bride a fortress on the outskirts of the city, whither
she retired to entreat the rain gods. This fortress was called the
Queen's House, and on the night of the new moon the Queen came to it from
the palace. But when the moon waxed and grew toward the round, because
the god of Thunder had had his will of her, then the Queen returned to
the King. Drought abated in the country and rain fell abundantly by
reason of the Queen's power with the stars