Tales of Ancient Rome: Salidia and Lydia Chapters 11 & 12

Chapter 11

Special Times

Presphene was on duty in the stable, sitting by the door. He was playing a little mind game to keep himself focused and alert as he watched the slaves, noting what each slave was doing as his eyes traveled around the room. Lydia walked through the open door and startled him as she came up behind him. Usually he heard her approaching footsteps and was prepared for her entrance, but this time she caught him by surprise. Lydia didn't plan this when she came into the room, but when the opportunity presented itself, she couldn't resist the temptation. Like a little imp, she reached out to pull him backwards as he started to rise from his chair. He tried to catch his balance, but his center of gravity was behind his legs, and in spite of his efforts, he fell back to the chair in an awkward and undignified thrashing of arms and shuffling feet.

Lydia laughed at his frantic and futile struggle, and said, "Don't bother getting up. Relax. I forgot who's next, and I'm going to have to check them out before I pick one."

A happy feeling filled her, and she lapped it up. These were the happiest moments of her day. She had personal relationship with each of the men that was unique and distinct to each man, and Lydia savored each of them. She knew these moments were unique, special, distinct to each man and that they could never be repeated with anyone else. She treasured these individualized moments more than anything else in her day. They were moments just between her and the man and no one else. With Atus, she had a warm, loving, affectionate relationship. With Talig, a relationship that was like father and daughter. With Andeoscene, a loving, protected world of trust and comfort that they shared just between the two of them. She had a unique relationship with each man. And Lydia loved each of these individualized moments as different from anything else that would happen in her day.

The way they lived their lives let these special relationships develop. Lydia and Salidia spent time in turn with each man practicing. Just one woman and one man alone together. It was a situation ripe for laughing, supporting, comforting, encouraging and trusting. Each man had a different sense of humor that came into play as they practiced together. Each man offered a different kind of support or comfort when difficulties occurred. Trust developed as the men tried to be genuinely helpful to the women. The hours of practice together let individual relationship develop with each man.

And everyday, these relationships were reinforced. Today, Lydia was spending time alone with Presphene, as she went to the stables to get a Goth. And throughout the day she would spend time alone with others of the men. And Lydia loved these moments that were unique and special beween her and Presphene, and no one else.

Lydia walked down the line of Goths, and recognized the man who was next for his turn with Salidia.

"Pressie, could you please bring me the keys and some shackles?"

When he got there, she nodded toward the man. Presphene put the shackles on, and unlocked the leg iron. When he was done, Lydia leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"Want me to go with you."

"No. He's smaller than you and I can take you."

"No, you can't, Lady," he laughed.

"I'm faster than Titus. I'm going to beat you this week," she teased, her feelings focusing on the good humored man.

"NO, you're not. Maybe....., sometime .....years from now.... but not this week. Not this year. Maybe ....when I'm an old man." He tousled her hair and smiled at her. Presphene felt it was always fun to banter with her. She was adorably spunky as she tried to get better and better with the men, and she always made him smile. He just loved her spunky and courageous heart. No matter what happened, Lydia was always brave and she had a "I can do it" attitude that made him smile. Lydia was always his brave, spunky girl.

She left with the Goth, but after she was outside, she stuck her head back in the door again. "Pressie, I'm going to take you this week!" And then she ducked back out before he could answer. His answer was a laugh and a smile.

Chapter 12

Neighbors

Late summer had come around. Salidia now had a productive farm: there were enough farm slaves for the harvest, additional ox and carts, and expanded slave quarters. She enlarged the villa to make it more comfortable, and built new quarters for the men, each man getting his own room and a common room for all to share. With the work on the villa now completed, Salidia was able to resume beating the Goths into the slaves she wanted. There were fourteen left. Ten had died of infected wounds.

By this time, Lydia had become fast and dangerous under Talig's training. Her growing competence on the training grounds embolden her sense of confidence and assertiveness, and she had started to play out her own agenda with the Goths when they were brought in for torture. At the beginning of each session, when they were still alert, Lydia asked them all, "Where did you live?"

They could have lied, but Lydia gambled that their fear made them want to please her. And she asked them follow up questions.

One man answered, "Tendown." Lydia exhaled deeply, her eyes seemed to set deeper below her brow, and her focus on the man became harder and more steely. Her lips turned down. "Tendown," was the answer she waited to hear.

She went over to Salidia. "He's from my village. One of Goths that attacked us. May I talk to him." Salidia remembered the killing of the strong Goths, and knew what this meant to Lydia. She kissed Lydia on the forehead, and left the room. Lydia followed her, and returned with a sword.

She untied the Goth, threw the sword on the stool a little in front of the man, and backed away to the table a distance away from him. The man understood the challenge implied by the sword within his reach.

The man never saw Lydia kill anyone. The only men present in the room when she did that were dead. He never saw her practice with Talig's men because he was chained in the stable when she practiced. But he damn well knew who she was and what she could do. He knew his life hung by a tread.

The man had a frightened, but sadly resigned look to his eyes, like he had been in this position before, and had learned to resign himself, sadly but hopelessly, to his fate. It was not what Lydia expected and it softened her. Had he shown the slightest anger, he would have already been dead. If he acted angry and reached for the sword, he would have died a second after he started to move.

"Where did you live?"

"Tendown."

"You said that already! What house," she asked annoyed.

"The small one with the oven on the side"

"By the tree with the big bole in it?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who lived there before you?"

"No."

"Their name was Vinenci. His name was Miclow, and her name was Mischa. They had two children, Laudar and Kayna. She would have been a year younger than me. They had a brown dog and chickens in the back."

"I remember a brown dog that hung around when we first got there."

"What happened to the dog."

"I didn't see him after the first winter." She knew what that meant. She had played with that dog and Laudar and Kayna. It was a nice dog and liked to have his stomach rubbed as he laid on his back.

"At the end of the street there was a house with a pond way in the back. They use to keep ducks with clipped wings there," Lydia said to him.

"There were no ducks there."

"Who lived there?"

"I don't know."

"I mean the Goth."

"Nagman. Gunto Nagman."

"Is he alive?"

"I don't know. I didn't see him after the Romans came."

"Pick up the sword."

"Mistress, I am a tanner. I make bridles and harnesses and clothes. I do what the lords tell me. Mistress, I do not want to fight you, but I will defend myself to save my life if I must. I will pick up the sword and fight for my life but I am not a warrior."

The sad, resigned look in his face told Lydia that he had stood before other Lords who held his life in their hands, and that he knew he must accept what they decided for him.

What he said touched her. The brave are forced to fight when they don't want to, also, only the forces driving them to fight are internal. They have no choice either. She could force him to fight for his life, but she was also forced to fight like he was. What he said was also a practical matter: she was trained, he was not. He would die. He stood no chance against her. Yet he would fight if he must, even if he was destined to die. It would be the same as she would do in the face of death. It was what she had done when she fought back against her rapists and abusers, even when she had no chance of winning. She respected him for his honesty. He was a truthful man. There were awful, terrible truths in what this man said, and they would apply to her again some day. She had in the past, and probably would some time in the future, fight when she had no chance of winning. She respected this man who could not fight.

She looked at him for a while. "You still have all your fingers and toes. Salidia has not let her rats loose on you. Your face is a mess."

"You came to my valley with swords, and I have scars you cannot see. I did not ask for them or deserve them. The Romans came to your valley with swords, and you have scars you did not ask for or deserve. We have both looked at people with swords in their hands. Come with me." She walked out of the room without watching what he did behind her. He followed her.

She lead him to the building where the horses were kept. "Bridle the small sorrel. That's her bridle on the post." She left and returned a few minutes later with a cloak which had a hood. He could pull the hood over his head, hiding his face. She threw it to him. "Take the horse." She walked into the courtyard to the front gate. He followed.

At the gate she handed him her dagger. "Do not go to your valley. All your people are dead or sold as slaves. Go." She closed the gate behind him.

She went to Salidia. "I took the small sorrel. She is gone." Salidia looked at her, and didn't say anything. She never mentioned it again.

In six months when Selenius would give Salidia the Aquitani land, Lydia would see this man again among the slaves which were captured. She would put him in charge of the stables and horses, and give him land nearby for a home. In that post he would make a Roman saddle with a cinch for Lydia's horse, and the advantages that saddle gave Lydia would save Lydia's life many times over. And he would find his wife from Tendown among the other slaves and be reunited with her.