A Long Journey

  The sun filtered through the tent, fanning across my eyes to serve me a rude awakening, which was solidified when I heard the commanding tone of Xenocrates' voice as he ripped the fur away from my body. "Get up, Caecelia. It is time to move out."

  He turned to exit the tent and left me to my devices. I sat up, shivering immediately, and peering down at my silky toga, I shook my head. A change of clothes would be nice, but to ask for niceties so early in the journey would have likely resulted in Xenocrates' making yet another joke at my expense. I arose and began dusting myself off. To my surprise, he had already unlatched the manacles, and I suspected he meant for me to follow him. I strode out of the tent, lifting the flap to fall behind me. Once I came outside, there were men already pulling the stakes from the ground and proceeding to untie the ropes that had held the makeshift shelter into place. Xenocrates walked ahead of me with a proud and sure gait. The men all around him were lined up in wait for his next command, and the few women in the camp seemed to be blushing and batting their eyelashes at the man, as if they wanted nothing more than to warm both his sheets and his heart. I could not fathom how any of them could be so nonchalant in their display of lust and greed after the leader of the men. I felt a sting of jealousy, when a beautiful blonde girl threw herself out at him as he continued to walk.

  "Milord, let me ride with you. I promise I can make it so worth your while." She rubbed her scarcely clad body against his chest, and I narrowed my eyes in disgust.

  "Lena, you always do, but I fear I've had my use of you. Find another." He threw her off and pulled himself atop the most striking black questrius I had ever laid eyes on. I knew questri well, and this astonishingly beautiful creature seemed to radiate like obsidian beneath the morning sun. My mouth fell agape, and I stared up at him like a peasant would her god.

  "Come, Caecelia." He spoke gently and held out his hand for me to take. I hastened my steps and placed my smaller palm within his as he hoisted me up to sit before him upon the beast. He gave one more look down at Lena and shook his head as she remained lying on the ground. "Get up, slave girl. You will ride with the others from here on out." He gave a wave of his hand and turned the horse to begin galloping forward. Somehow, I knew, as we rode away, Lena had been Xenocrates' personal girl for some time, and I was certainly her newfound enemy. The crushing of her heart in such a public fashion was something even I found shocking. Xenocrates lifted his right arm and called to the men behind him, "Move out!" With a lowering of his hand, he wrapped one arm about my waist and urged the horse forward.

  Hours flew by, it seemed, and just as I had expected, when we came out from the trees onto a beach, there was a fleet of Pretan ships waiting on their king. We came to a complete halt and Xenocrates slid me from the saddle down the ground before he jumped off the animal and gave the reigns to a male slave standing nearby.

  I gave a look behind me and sighed sadly. I had no choice; the time for me to leave my home had arrived, and now, I would board a Pretan ship, with the king of the country as my abductor. A single tear fell down my cheek and I walked slowly behind Xenocrates as he boarded the ship.

  "Is all ready, Voxis?" he asked a man standing at the boarding ramp. He was a dark-skinned slave, and I looked him over curiously, wondering if the man was a native of Kanavisil, as his skin was as dark as the night sky and just as shimmering. It was beautiful. I knew he was certainly from an area with much solar exposure, due to the sleek hue of his flesh, and somehow, he seemed so eloquent when he responded to the king. I was surprised to hear that he was the captain of the guard. My assumption that he was a slave was misplaced, due to how my father had treated others who looked as he did, and I began to wonder if Xenocrates was kinder than I first presumed.

  "Aye, milord. Just as you would have it, and are all things as they should be?" He glanced over me with a quirked brow. The way he looked over my body made me feel awkward, and I suddenly wondered if he meant if things were how they should be, in reference to myself.

  "As well as I could have ever hoped. We got all we came for and then some." Xenocrates gave a wink to Voxis and urged me forward with the back of his hand. I resumed my pace and strode up the ramp into the ship. Behind us, the rest of the men and horses, along with the few slave girls who had accompanied them, began to board other ships. Soon enough, we would be sailing across the Gaustien, into a place I had never ventured, amongst a people I had heard were even harsher than our own. As soon as I boarded the ship, Xenocrates steered me toward a chamber and pushed me inside, without hesitation.

  "You will do best to stay inside these quarters for the duration of this journey. It would be most unwise of you to venture outside. Seasickness is the least of your worries, my dear. There are those who would capture you and do much worse than I or my men have done." He gave no other command, and slammed the door behind me. The familiar sound of a latch clicking shut clued me that he had locked me inside. I walked across the small chamber and sat on the bed, peering across the room with a long face. This was even worse than the manacles in the tent had been, because, at least then, I had the comfort of his presence and some company. Now, I would remain in solitary confinement for a journey I was certain would take at least half a year. We were traveling from Daeja to Pretus, across the Gaustien Sea. I knew from my father's diplomatic voyages that it was a lengthy journey, and I hoped that Xenocrates would not make me spend the entire time in a room that was hardly large enough for me to traipse through, day to day. I had never been held like a prisoner, and here I was, stuck. Sorrow overtook me, and I fell against the bed, crying like an inconsolable baby until I drifted into a light sleep. What would my new home be like, and would I ever find peace there? As it stood, only time could tell, and my dreams held a freedom that reality had stripped away.

  A Companion

  For the first three days of the voyage, I remained confined to the small chamber. I found it was actually for the best, as my stomach grew sick, about the third hour of the first day aboard. Nausea and vomiting overtook me, with a violent ferocity that left me unable to eat or move from the mattress. I did not fare well on the sea and I began to wonder if I would die from the sensations that seemingly never fled my stomach. Xenocrates had found some kindness in his heart at my ailment and sent a particular slave girl to aid me. Her name was Livania, a very pretty and sweet slave, who seemed to abide her master well. I wondered if she, like Lena, had once had an intimate relationship with King Xenocrates.

  She entered the cabin with a shuffle and her soft voice broke out to reach my ears, "Mistress Caecelia, it is time for you to try this broth. The master is worried that too many days have passed since you last ate. Please let me help you?" Livania smiled, seating herself at the end of the bed with a tray and a bowl of clear broth. The smell was surprisingly delicious, and I sat up immediately with a groan.

  "How long have you been with your master, Livania?" I peered back at the young woman with a sense of curiosity. From her appearance and dialect, I presumed she was from one of the barbarian tribes of the north. She had long, flowing red hair and the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. A fair complexion told me she had spent little time in the sun, and a light sprinkling of freckles graced the bridge of her nose. She smiled pleasantly and lifted the bowl with both hands, in offering.

  "Master Xenocrates captured my village three years ago. I was taken from my burning home, then. At first, I was rebellious, much like you are now, milady. Then, with time, I learned that His Majesty is an honorable man. He rarely sacks any land without salvaging as many women and children as possible. Though he is a ruthless killer, he holds to a strict moral code, when it comes to the less fortunate. I work now obediently and diligently, in order to land myself a better occupation. Serving you is certainly a more tolerable one." She gave a nod, waiting for me to take the bowl, and I followed her gesture by placing my hands beneath.

  "Do you love His Lordship, Livania?" I inquired.

  "Oh, only as if he were a brother or father. His Lordship has never once used me as he has some of the others. He said my skills with healing were too valued," she admitted.

  "Where do you hail from, Livania? Your Daejian seems broken," I asked curiously as I drew the bowl towards my lips. She watched me closely, and I wondered if it was because she had been commanded to make certain of my consumption of the fluid.

  "Aye, this is true. I've done much to improve but I fear my true roots shall always hold." She smiled in continuation. "I hail from Briekis, the northernmost lands," Livania replied softly.

  As I lowered the bowl for her to take, she smiled and tilted her head. "I could plait your hair, Mistress Caecelia. Would that make you feel somewhat better, or perhaps a bath?" She lifted her hand to draw her fingers across my cheek and brush away a stray strand of my hair.

  There was something calming about her, and I answered straightaway. "You have a serenity about you that I cannot put into words, Livania. It sets me at ease. I would very much love a bath, and hair plaiting would be just as nice." I smiled back at her as she arose to take the tray away. She gave a light curtsy and proceeded towards the door.

  "I shall bring the bowl to the master and prepare your bath. Then, I will return to fetch you, Mistress Caecelia," she murmured before parting.

  Left to my solitude once again, I lay back against the mattress and sighed. I wondered if Xenocrates would grant me a servant for the duration of my time in Sparta but I had no idea what he intended to do with me. Would he even allow me to pick the girl of my own choosing? In truth, I feared being placed with the pleasure slaves and bath girls, for my chastity was something I held a fondness for. I feared its loss to a man of violence and viciousness. Though I had been raised away from it, I had witnessed how some of the men devoured ladies in the streets of my home country. I did not want to become a common whore for those sorts of men. Pretan men were notorious for their insatiable appetites and mentality of warring. It was said that Pretan women could find no honour, save for death, during childbirth. If this phrase served true, I would never find any worth in the eyes of a Pretan beast. Worry once again overtook me, and I restlessly rolled to stare at the wall. Until Livania or Xenocrates returned, I had nothing to comfort me except my thoughts, and as they filled with dread, I drifted off to sleep again, hoping to be free of my worries and fears for a time.

  A few hours later, the sound of knocking upon the door awoke me, and the door flung open with Xenocrates standing statuesque inside the door. Livania stood silently behind him. My eyebrows quirked and I sat up in confusion.

  Livania looked down as her master spoke sternly, "You may have the bath, but I warn you, if you do anything like you did in the forest here, you will find no mercy. There are beasts in these waters, creatures that will eat your skin and bone, leaving nothing to bury or remind us of your loss. I'd rather not find more stitches in my arms. Do you understand me, Sass?" His steely gaze peered down at me and he tilted his head.

  I arose to stand and gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Indeed, I understand perfectly, milord. Even in my country, we know of the carnivorous creatures that reside in these waters, sir." As usual, my gaze fluttered to the ground and my hands fell to clutch before my stomach.

  Livania stood directly behind Xenocrates and seemed to be waiting for him to give her the approval for me to bathe.

  "Just as well. I have instructed Livania to bathe you in my personal chamber. There, I can be certain you will not be touched and your virtue will be left intact." He said it rather crudely, but I knew it was not the time to argue, merely nodding my head in silent response. Without further ado, he turned about face and exited the room.

  Livania gave a smile and waved me to follow her. I was pleased to learn he acknowledged the value of my virtue. More and more, I was learning that His Majesty did have some soft spots, just as Livania had stated. As if cued, Livania stepped forward with a smile and an outstretched hand, "Come along, Mistress Caecelia, your bath awaits. I've added lavender and lotus, to relax your mind." She smiled and began to saunter out the door.

  I followed in silence, as she led me down the corridor of the ship. I perked my eyebrow, when I discovered that his room was adjacent to mine. It was shocking but made sense. No one would be able to approach without his knowledge. It was as if he was but a breath away and still so far. Livania opened the door, and the steam from my bath filtered into my face like a warm fog. I inhaled the scent of lotus and closed my eyes. My body seemed to scream with desire to be sinking into the water in haste.

  Livania shut the door behind me and immediately began to cross the room to help me undress. "Arms up, mistress," she said softly. Both of my arms fluttered upward, and the woman began to unwind the torn fabric of my toga. My breasts fell loose and the nipples immediately arose to taut rosy peaks, the warmth of the steam already began to work magic upon my sore body. Livania took my hand and began to walk me towards the bathing tub, helping me to step inside. My toes struck the water to find it pleasantly warm but not too hot. It occurred to me that this was a sort of royal treatment and I wondered why Xenocrates agreed to it. His behaviour was not consistent with a man wanting to own me, but rather, with a man wanting to woo me. To ascertain this thought, I decided to ask Livania her thoughts.

  "Livania, is it common for Xenocrates to allow captured women to bathe in his personal chamber? With a server girl and privacy?" I rested my head against the bath as my eyes fluttered to a close.

  "Ah, no, milady, he usually places the newly captured in a cage until we arrive at port. Then, he does as he wishes with them, once we are home." She began to wet my hair, passing her fingers through the strands gently.

  "Why is he treating me so kindly?" I asked, curious to find out what made me special.

  "One is not at liberty to say, milady. It is my duty to tend you, nothing more, and I shall abide my master on this," she replied tenderly.

  Confused by her reply, I opened my eyes and looked back at her. "What do you mean? Surely, you can tell me something. I've lost my family, my way of life, my very sense of self. May I not know what his intentions with me are? I've no friends or anyone I can trust, here."

  Livania began sponging my hair, and continued to draw her fingers through it. A sigh slipped past her lips and she murmured gently, "I shall put some fears to ease, but all I can say is that you are a special one, milady, not a thing like these others captured girls. You are destined, fated, for wonderful things." She lathered my hair and began to scrub it gently.

  I found the treatment so relaxing that her reply went unanswered as my eyelids fluttered closed again. Gently, I exhaled, and my thoughts began to empty as Livania's hands brought me closer to a personal utopia that seemed to exist solely within my head.

  "Milady, will you ever find solace in the small kindnesses shown?" she asked me suddenly.

  I felt myself drawing out of my silent state, but chose to keep my eyes closed. "I cannot say for certain, Livania. I only know, for now, I wish to make port and get off this boat. Being stuck at sea does not seem to suit me. I fear what lies ahead, but it seems what is present is growing tedious. I only want to find a moment to breathe on land." I sighed and shifted my legs to rest at the edge of the tub.

  Livania slid the sponge down my face and began to sponge my neck and shoulders. It was as if her fingers knew where my every ache lay, and the tips of her fingers worked the tension from them with ease. She had the touch of a calming angel, and I fell to her spell like pliant clay being worked to perfection by a skilled pottery maker. My body acquiesced to the massaging, and I groaned in response.

  "Would you be happier, if he was not so mysterious and confusing?" she asked.

  My eyes opened and I looked back at her. My expression must have spoken bounds because, before I replied, she continued to speak, "I suppose that made little sense at all. Forgive me, mistress. It seems my lips are too loose." She drew the sponge down my forearm and scrubbed gently. I could tell from her face that she knew something more than she had let on, but seemed to be having trouble deciding how to tell me, or if she should.

  "Would you call me a friend, Livania?" I asked her.

  Her blue eyes peered into mine with lightness and a glint of appreciation. "One could only hope to be a companion for a mistress such as yourself," she replied as her hand switched to my other arm.

  "Friends should not hold secrets from one another, should they?" I inquired.

  She shook her head and continued to scrub down my ribcage. "Nay, Mistress Caecelia, but this friend cannot disobey the master of her owning, lest she suffer a fate that would make her unable to hold any confidences at all," she answered honestly.

  I knew she spoke truth, but whatever she knew was something I had to know.

  "Livania, what is it that you keep in steadfast secret?" I asked her gently.

  "Mistress, this one listens to all that happens with Master Xenocrates' plans. Perhaps more than she should, but to give away such important information, without just cause, may be my own demise. Surely, you must understand that," Livania replied.

  I shifted in the water and nodded with a gulp. "Yes, but I seem to only be given more questions. Never once, given any answers, and it leaves me confused. A feeling I truly hate, I must confess." I pushed myself up to stand. Water poured from my body and I crossed my arms over my chest.

  Livania peered up at me and arose to cross the room for a towel. "I do understand, much more than you realize, milady. Yet it seems that we are at a stalemate. I will give you this bit of security, if you will. " She paused, looking back at me with a half smile. "You will most certainly never taste the steel binds of other captured women like yourself. He fancies you more than he lets on, and no other man in Sparta will ever rest a finger upon you. Of this, you have my oath." She held the towel out to me with a nod.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10