Chapter One: Bold as Brass
Aiyana Boon did not suffer fools gladly. She had once been a woman of great standing; eldest niece to a rich uncle and heir to his entire estate, an estate granted to him by the Holy Pope for services to Rome and thus to God himself. She was a student of history, mathematics, languages and art. She had been raised as an equal to all men and better than many.
She was short for a woman and petite to the extreme, her hips were not too rounded but they gave her some shape, her skin was pale white and her hair the warm rich brown of imported coffee beans she once drank in Rome. Fierce grey eyes set either side of a delicate nose peppered with freckles watched the world intently, her plump heart shaped mouth lifted in a tiny smile at the sight of the bumbling roman centurion. She had found her meal ticket. She felt neither guilt nor apprehension at the task which lay ahead of her; she took only from those who could afford it and she most certainly deserved every coin that sat in the fat leather purse. She would not allow her sisters to go without.
Slipping from the alcove in which she had tucked her small frame, Aiyana wound her way through the throngs of people gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the victory of Badon Hill. Some Romans had chosen to remain and defend England but only with Arthur's assurance that their wages would remain generous and that they would all be given the chance to try for a seat at the round table as a Knight of King Arturius, none but one had succeeded. They were nothing like the skilled and watchful men who patrolled the streets of her beloved Rome; these men's minds where as weak as their feeble bodies. Aiyana had no respect for her fellow countrymen.
The lift was easy; pick pocketing was a little above her skill level but the man deserved to be taught a lesson. No fool should walk the streets with such a blatant show of wealth; he had adorned his temperamental horse with bejewelled tack and a gilded saddle, his clothes had been dyed an expensive looking red, and his purse was large and gaudy. The large dark mare he rode had a hard mouth from him dragging furiously at the bit, he dismounted clumsily putting unnecessary strain on the poor girls back, there were new scabs on her knees (most likely from jumping a high stone wall) and her sides were covered in welts from the lash he kept strapped to his belt.
Tucking her prize beneath the multitude of hidden pockets she had sewn into her volume of dull grey skirts Aiya slipped away from the crowds into a dark alley to watch the people. There were commoners and their families dressed in their best for the festivities, whores lingered on the edge of the crowd as the sun slipped from the sky, the night belonged to them and everyone knew it. Soldiers strolled casually; they were in high spirits no doubt having taken advantage of the cheaply priced ale provided by the generous King Arthur, Romans mingled with Britons and the odd Woad dared to join the group. A law had been passed forbidding unlawful violence between any race within the Arthur's Kingdom; it was fiercely enforced by him and his knights. Any who dared to break the tenuous peace bought by his marriage to a Woad risked a flogging or, if the crime was a serious one, a hanging.
Aiyana did not know what to make of the Woad Queen or the King's Sarmation knights; her uncle had entertained the brightest minds in the land when she and her sisters had lived in Rome. She had the benefit of growing and learning surrounded by the world's greatest philosophers; some had preached the maintenance of the old order whilst a few liberal minded men had advocated a new age of man. All born equal under god despite the colour of their skin or the name of their god. These had been the men who fascinated her most; they had dared to suggest something so radical as to be labelled blasphemous, Aiyana had found she had a fondness for scandal.
She did not care that her Queen's blood was Woad, what had shocked her was the sight of a woman in breeches wearing naught more that a sliver of leather across her chest riding into battle by the side of men. It had sent a shiver of excitement racing down her spine; Aiyana had the intelligence of any educated man but this woman equalled them physically. It was a concept alien to her. The Knight's were easier to understand; they spent their evenings drinking heavily in any tavern that would serve them, accompanied by whores and strumpets. They were slaves to alcohol, sex and violence. All in all they were men. But they defended a land not their own, they served a King not of their own blood and they swore fealty to a country which had made them slaves. She could not understand their motivation and it irked her.
As the last light of the day gave way to the dull orange glow of torches Aiya gave up on her quest for another easy target and slipped a few silver coins from her victim's purse. She wove in and out of the hordes easily; her size allowed her to be nimble and she had covered her beautiful hair in a knot of grey cloth, her svelte body in swathes of ugly grey clothes. She looked boring and unobtrusive as was her aim. Aiyana found it easy to live and work in the same town when she could make herself invisible to most people by simply looking as plain as possible. She quickly found her way to a large cobblestone square which was lined with stalls selling food, alcohol, jewellery and brightly dyed cloth. Aiya bought a wicker basket which she filled with warm pasties filled with beef and vegetables, apple turnovers and a bottle of apple press. She also bought a length of blue, green and burgundy cloth. So she could make new shifts and dresses for herself and her sisters.
"Quality wares you've got there little mouse." A gruff voice commented, Aiya turned slowly and calmly keeping her eyes demurely fixed to the floor.
Aiya flicked her eyes up to the scarred face of the large man. "Aye, Sir Knight." She said softly as she bobbed a curtsy. Dagonet was a formidable presence though the kind smile on his face showed no ill intent.
"Those pasties do smell wonderful, though the mistress who sells them cuts me off after half a dozen." He joked which she echoed with a soft polite laugh, her eyes still firmly glued to the floor. He had tried to approach her the previous three times she had shopped at the market but she had evaded him by losing herself in the crowds of people; she did not understand why this man watched her so eagerly.
"They are quality to be sure, Sir Knight." She agreed amiably in her best common accent. "I must return to my family or they're sure to worry. Good day sir." She bid him with another curtsy. He stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I meant no disrespect by calling you little mouse. My apologies if you were offended." He said kindly with a worried smile on his large, scarred, yet still handsome face.
"I took no offence from your kindness, Sir Knight. I really am expected home though." She assured him; it was then that she made her first mistake in two years of living her disreputable life style. She looked up into his eyes and gave him her sweetest smile. It transformed her from a grey little peasant girl to a true beauty and she knew that instant that the Knight had noticed. His frown slipped into a truly pleased grin and he took a step towards her.
"I would hate to ever offend you, may I carry that?" he offered as he held out his hand for the heavy basket on her arm.
She pulled the basket tight against her frame. "No! Thank you Sir but I really must go home." He took another step towards her and she had to tilt her head back to see into his face, she began to fake a slight tremble and bring moisture to her large eyes; the appearance of fear would surely put off the large man.
"Then let me accompany you. Young ladies shouldn't walk home alone after dark." He insisted in tone intended to soothe her false fear.
She shook her head, a slip of her hair springing out of the head dress and curling gently around her face. "The fort has been plenty safe these past two years, we young women experience no more difficulties thanks to his majesty." She reminded him. The King had introduced regular and continuous foot patrols of the fort and the two villages which had sprung up just outside its gates in the two years since he'd come to power, rapes were incredibly rare and their punishment severe. The women of Fort Central (as living within the gates was called), Haven and Vale were rarely touched against their will. Aiya rented one floor of a house for her and her sisters in Vale.
His smile drooped and he took a slight step away from the apparently terrified woman in front of him. "As you wish, young miss. Might I have the honour of your name?" He asked, the poor man seemed genuinely smitten with the drab little form Aiya deliberately presented.
She pulled the first familiar person she could out of her frantic mind. "Rowan Apollus, Sir." She said with a demure curtsy, Rowan was a daughter of one of the remaining centurions; she worked at a seamstresses shop on Fort Centre and resided with her mother in Haven. That would throw him off the scent; she was also very pretty and desperate to be noticed by one of the knights. Once he was presented with a pretty eager young girl he would forget all about the drab mouse at the market.
He grinned, pleased at her apparent eagerness to give her name. "Then perhaps you and I will meet again, Miss Rowan." He said hopefully as he gave a small bow.
Aiyana immediately took advantage of her dismissal and fled from the large Knight, she practically flew through the seething hordes of people, desperate to return home so that she could regain her composure. She dipped into a few doorways and side alleys on her way to make sure that the large man wasn't following her before she made her way out of the large iron gates of the fort and down the long wide path sign posted Vale. She did not see the dark eyes which had traced her every move since her encounter with the centurion.
"Aiya! You're home!" Her youngest sister shrieked as she flung herself at Aiyana. Aiya grunted at the impact; despite being only twelve her sister was taller and sturdier than Aiaya had been at the age of sixteen. Marianne was their mother's clone with curly blonde hair and dark brown eyes; she was sure to grow tall and voluptuous.
"Let me take that." Alexandria offered taking the heavy basket from Aiya's arm so she could properly embrace Marianne. "Mari, stop climbing all over her like some kind of uncivilised Woad." Alexandria scolded softly as she set the basket on the dining table which dominated the small room.
"Thanks Ria." Aiya sighed gratefully as she unwound the grey head cover and shook out her long dark locks before shrugging off the cloak she wore over her dress and draping it over the back of a chair.
"Did you get food? I'm starved!" Mari declared as she skipped after Ria to inspect the basket over her elder sister's shoulder. Ria was a mixture of both their parents; she had the same grey eyes as Aiya but her hair was as blonde as Mari's, she was taller than Aiya by a little and had a fuller chest and bigger hips. Despite Aiya being eighteen and Ria only fifteen many people often mistook the middle sister for being the oldest. Both Aiya and Ria knew that when Mari had her full growth everyone would believe the brown eyed girl to be the eldest of the sisters.
"Ooh! Pasties!" Mari yelped happily as she dug into the basket. Ria slapped her hands away and sent the girl scurrying with a stern glare.
"We use plates and cutlery like the well bred young women that we are!" Ria informed her little sister as Aiya laid the table for supper. Ria had taken their fall from grace a lot harder than the other two sisters; Mari had been too young to understand and Aiyana had been too focused on keeping the sisters fed and together to mourn their loss of fortune.
As the family sat down to their hearty supper Aiyana pondered the strange path of their life. Her mother had died in child birth with their father's longed for son when Marianne was only two, their father, who had loved his wife dearly, followed her to the afterlife not long after he'd buried his still born son and beloved wife. Their Uncle was a very eccentric and wealthy merchant who'd been ennobled for services to the Church; he'd made them a very impressive sum of money through trade and in return he had been granted a vast estate in Rome as well as in the conquered land of the Britons. He also had no desire to give up the life of a bachelor, so hearing of his sister's children and their loss he had them brought from their home on their father's rural estate to his Mansion in Rome.
There they were cherished and educated until Aiyana's thirteenth birthday; interest in all of the girls was strong as their dowries were so large. But Aiyana was lawful heir to the estate of both her Uncle and her Father; she was, therefore, by far the most sought after. A long time trading partner of her uncle had found the prospect too tempting. He had been invited for a prolonged stay as her uncle's guest and late one night when the house was abed he had gained entry to Aiya's chamber with the intention of compromising her; this disrepute would force a marriage. However Aiyana was not the frightened little girl he had expected and the sound of her struggles had woken the house, her uncle gained the right under Roman law to challenge his old friend. He killed the man publicly and brutally but this did not dissuade others from trying and it was when an attempt was made on Alexandria. Then, still only a child. That he realised drastic measures must be taken.
He sent his beloved nieces to Briton with sixty of his most loyal fighters where they would live on his estate, a mere fifty miles from Hadrian's wall. Their life was relatively peaceful until the departure of Rome from Briton's wild and untameable lands; unfortunately her Uncle had also fallen out of favour in Rome for siding with the ousted old regime. His lands were stripped of him and when the income to maintain his Briton lands dried up Aiyana had to release the household staff and pay off the tenants. Soon prospective husbands began to circle the sisters like vultures; eager to get their hands on the land they still held. Aiyana had realised she was no match for so many unwanted suitors so she took her sisters and all the belongings they could fit onto three horses and rode for the blossoming village of Vale where work was plentiful and no questions were asked if you could pay your way.
Soon it became clear to her that the income of one girl working in the fields could not support a family of three, Aiyana stole for the first time after she had lain in bed listening to muffled weeping of her sisters as they tried to pretend the hungry ache in their belly was not so bad. Aiya had made her decision and she so far she had not regretted the life she had chosen for herself and her sisters; the sale of their horses had found them a home and her skill of thievery clothed their bodies, filled their bellies and furnished their home. As did a small loan from the only acquaintance Aiya had made in her time at the Fort. Their rented floor of the house was spacious and clean; it contained two bedrooms (one shared by Ria and Mari), one latrine room and a central living room with a table and five chairs, a fireplace large enough for three well sized cooking pots, a long cushioned bench, several shelves filled with pots of herbs and cooking equipment. Tucked into the corners of the room were several large wooden chests; these contained books and scrolls as well as writing equipment.
At night Aiya would teach Ria what her uncle had taught her and on the days when Ria did not work at a local seamstresses she would teach Mari everything that Aiya taught her. All the girls where known by the shortened version of their names and Ria had chosen the surname Boon; she believed they were special and she always maintained that one day the wealth which belonged to their family would be returned to them. Aiya held no such hope and Mari seemed not to care; she viewed their new life as a grand adventure and enjoyed it to the full.
"Oh, I thought I should mention. I got a second job serving luncheon at Vanora's Inn at the Wall." Ria said casually as she munched on a peeled carrot.
"What?!?!" Aiyana bellowed as Mari watched gleefully.